iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Airports across the country are expected to serve a record number of summer travelers this year, but if all goes to plan for airline and security officials, you may not even notice.



Airlines for America, an industry trade group representing many of the largest domestic airlines, projected on Wednesday that 246.1 million people will board U.S. commercial flights between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2018. That increase would be up 3.7 percent from last years record 237.3 million passengers.



The announcement follows the Transportation Security Administration's own historic projection of 243 million passengers and crew to pass through security checkpoints nationwide between Memorial Day and Labor Day.



TSA is hoping to minimize the impact on their checkpoints by adding another 1,000 officers at screening areas, the agency announced last week. The agency has already added 600 since the beginning of the year.



TSA screens over 2 million passengers on an average day throughout the year and expects to screen over 2.6 million a day during peak periods of the busy summer travel season, TSA Administrator David Pekoske said last week.



Airlines are also increasing their capacity this summer. Adding more flights and larger aircraft to their routes, airlines are adding 116,000 seats per day to accommodate the 96,000 additional daily passengers they expect to carry during this period, Airlines for America said.



The surge in summer air travel during the last two years is generally credited to a stronger economy and lower air fares, despite rising costs for airlines in 2017.



According to Airlines for America, cost increases were led by fuel, up 23.3 percent, and labor, up 6.8 percent. With a 7 percent year over year growth in revenues, the nine publicly traded U.S. passenger airlines have seen an overall drop in profitability.



Despite the decrease in profitability, air fares continue to be low, largely driven by the introduction of low-cost carriers to the market.



The price of domestic air travel fell 12.5 percent from 2014 to 2017, according to the trade group.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Doctors call them the walking wounded. Emergency rooms are often crowded with these patients who suffer from nonlife-threatening injuries, causing delayed diagnosis and treatment. But long waits before a patient is treated may be a sign that an emergency department is understaffed or overcrowded, according to the government website Hospital Compare.

In Connecticut, Hospital Compare data shows that patients with broken bones sometimes had to wait up to 100 minutes before receiving pain medication. The wait time average in Connecticut is 56 minutes. Windham Hospital has the fastest ER in the state with an average wait time of exactly half an hour for patients with fractures. The second fastest ER is at Bridgeport Hospital where patients with broken bones waited an average of 32 minutes. Griffin Hospital in Derby is third with a 34-minute wait. At Waterbury Hospital, patients wait 101 minutes on average before getting pain medication, the longest wait time in the state.Comments and links to reports on science, and its applications.This is a AI Forum at C2 Montreal. This is sponsored by Element AI.

Yoshua Bengio, Element AI

Philippe Couillard, Premier of Quebec

The Ethical and Economical Questions Surrounding AI

In this talk, one of the most prominent researchers in artificial intelligence will discuss AI, economic development and ethics.

Speaker:

Yoshua Bengio, Co-Founder, Element AI and Director, Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms

Philippe Couillard, Premier of Quebec  Do we have enough funding? The answer is always no

Montreal is a hub with 9000 students

Most important is education and other investments

People come to Montreal because of the ecosystem

Government sent a clear signal which was key to developing and starting the AI hub

Need to work with startups and others

Today focusing on PHd AI training. Cannot create enough experts to meet the business needs.

Need to focus on undergrad as well.

Need to keep researchers in the lab

Computational needs are huge and cannot compete with compute of Google and other international competitors.

Chinas government money is a challenge.

Businesses have to work with startups

Quebec government will partner

There is the issue of neutrality

Today AI science is coming out of labs.

Need to keep researchers focused on unsolved problems

Some projects are unprofitable in the short term but needed for the long term. For example some in healthcare and medicine.

In Europe, tomorrow the GDPR is being applied.

We have to define where Quebec can play a role. We are 8 million and not 70 million like France.

Governments have to look into the social impacts

There will be a backlash from society if the negatives are not mitigated

AI is here already on our phones.

We must remain a diversified and inclusive society, that is fundamental

Social inequality and labor. Is there a plan? Will citizens be involved in the discussion.

The answer is training, education and democracy

We need to avoid polarization and rethink our social net

the speed of change in employment and technology

We need to rethink education with generalists (not just specialists) but adaptive generalists

We will still need biologists, teachers and others as well.

Want doctors to still talk to the patient but with AI help for diagnosis

Some areas will be very vulnerable to AI

Personal care should not be automated.Kyle Kemper is executive director of the nonprofit Blockchain Association of Canada (BAC). Kyle shows leaders and influencers the potential of Blockchain technology in an effort to supercharge the blockchain ecosystem and turn Canada into a global hub of fintech excellence.

Kyle says hes looking forward to blockchain reducing the influence of centralized monetary policy and the subsequent amplification of the power of individual people. He is excited about blockchain applications in healthcare, supply chain management, voting, digital ID, certifications, gaming and media.

Kyle has accumulated over 15,000 hours of blockchain experience and is a Certified Bitcoin Professional (CBP).

Global Blockchain is an investment company that provides investors access to a mixture of assets in the blockchain space, strategically chosen to balance stability and growth. Blue chip holdings such as Ethereum and Bitcoin are complemented by best-of-breed smaller cap crypto holdings, many of which are not yet available to other investors.

Kyle advises Datawallet, U.CASH, ChangeTip and numerous other digital currency projects.

Interview highlights

Kyle passionately describes a usecase where blockchain is used to provide instant verification and validation of resume work history, education and work profiles.

Kyle created a cryptocurrency training site called Cryptokitty.space NOTE: Cryptokitties.space is a phishing site.

He is an advisor to datawallet.com Datawallet is your digital wallet for your online data. It allows you to take your data from platforms such as Facebook, Amazon, Uber, Spotify and unify it in one place. You control who gets access to your data, learn what your data says about you, and get paid when you share your data.

Kyle sees a lot of potential in the development and expansion of the data wallet.

Many cryptowallets are currently just money clips.

He sees the need for storage of all receipts and for the digital fulfillment materials (warranties etc) to be transferred with transactions.

There needs to be fine control of layers and compartments for the different wallet uses.

Only expose exactly what is required for privacy and other matters.

There needs to be a lot of work for automatic association and ease of use. However, blockchain is a key enabler for a transformed richer automated experience.

All of the control and privacy is needed while still having one tap ease of use, security and integration.

He sees the application of Aggregation theory. Aggregation Theory provides a framework to understand the impact of the Internet on nearly all industries.

Blockchain supercharges the internet disintermediation trends and the pre-internet disintermediation trends.

Several articles on Stratechery formed Aggregation theory:

* Airbnb and the Internet Revolution described how Airbnb and the sharing economy have commoditized trust, enabling a new business model based on aggregating resources and managing the customer relationship

* Netflix and the Conservation of Attractive Profits placed this commodification/aggregation concept into Clay Christensens Conservation of Attractive Profits framework, which states that profits are earned by the integrated provider in a value chain, and that profits shift when another company successfully modularizes the incumbent and integrates another part of the value chain

* Why Web Pages Suck was primarily about the effect of programmatic advertising on web page performance, but in the conclusion I noted that the way in which ad networks were commoditizing publishers also fit the Conservation of Attractive Profits framework

In retrospect, there is a clear thread which is Aggregation Theory.

1. the Internet has made distribution (of digital goods) free, neutralizing the advantage that pre-Internet distributors leveraged to integrate with suppliers.

2. the Internet has made transaction costs zero, making it viable for a distributor to integrate forward with end users/consumers at scale.

his has fundamentally changed the plane of competition: no longer do distributors compete based upon exclusive supplier relationships, with consumers/users an afterthought. Instead, suppliers can be aggregated at scale leaving consumers/users as a first order priority. By extension, this means that the most important factor determining success is the user experience: the best distributors/aggregators/market-makers win by providing the best experience, which earns them the most consumers/users, which attracts the most suppliers, which enhances the user experience in a virtuous cycle.

Aggregation Theory will be the proper framework to both understand opportunities for startups as well as threats for incumbents:

* What is the critical differentiator for incumbents, and can some aspect of that differentiator be digitized?

* If that differentiator is digitized, competition shifts to the user experience, which gives a significant advantage to new entrants built around the proper incentives

* Companies that win the user experience can generate a virtuous cycle where their ownership of consumers/users attracts suppliers which improves the user experience

Aggregation Theory describes how platforms (i.e. aggregators) come to dominate the industries in which they compete in a systematic and predictable way. Aggregation Theory should serve as a guidebook for aspiring platform companies, a warning for industries predicated on controlling distribution, and a primer for regulators addressing the inevitable antitrust concerns that are the endgame of Aggregation Theory.

Classifying Aggregators

Aggregation is fundamentally about owning the user relationship and being able to scale that relationship; that said, there are different levels of aggregation based on the aggregators relationship to suppliers:

Level 1 Aggregators: Supply Acquisition

Level 1 Aggregators acquire their supply; their market power springs from their relationship with users, but is primarily manifested through superior buying power. That means these aggregators take longer to build and are more precarious in the short-term. The best example of a Level 1 Aggregator is Netflix.

Level 2 Aggregators: Supply Transaction Costs

Level 2 Aggregators do not own their supply; however, they do incur transaction costs in bringing suppliers onto their platform. That limits the growth rate of Level 2 aggregators absent the incursion of significant supplier acquisition costs.

Uber is a Level 2 Aggregator (and Airbnb in some jurisdictions due to local regulations).

Level 3 Aggregators: Zero Supply Costs

Level 3 Aggregators do not own their supply and incur no supplier acquisition costs (either in terms of attracting suppliers or on-boarding them).

Google is the prototypical Level 3 Aggregator: suppliers (that is, websites) are not only accessible by Google by default, but in fact actively make themselves more easily searchable and discoverable (indeed, there is an entire industry  search engine optimization (SEO)  that is predicated on suppliers paying to get themselves onto Google more effectively).

Social networks are also Level 3 Aggregators: initial supply is provided by users (who are both users and suppliers); over time, as more and more attention is given to the social networks, professional content creators add their content to the social network for free.

The Super-Aggregators

Super-Aggregators operate multi-sided markets with at least three sides  users, suppliers, and advertisers  and have zero marginal costs on all of them. The only two examples are Facebook and Google, which in addition to attracting users and suppliers for free, also have self-serve advertising models that generate revenue without corresponding variable costs (other social networks like Twitter and Snapchat rely to a much greater degree on sales-force driven ad sales).

Kyle believes blockchain will transform civilization.

In 2017, Canada ranked third in the world in the number of blockchain startups after the USA and UK. The Canadian Security Administrators (CSA) launched a Regulatory Sandbox Initiative to mentor and work with new startups in a relatively regulation-free environment. The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) was the first provincial agency to create a safe space for blockchain startups with its OSC LaunchPad program.NEW HAVEN  Facing an audience of her classmates and members of the community, Tolulope Adeniji told them something that had been on her mind: they were all saying her name wrong.

Adeniji, a senior at Achievement First Amistad High School, a charter school on Dixwell Avenue, was the last of about 100 students in her class to speak at the ninth annual Senior Signing Day, where students announce where they are going to college in a news conference style, similar to highly touted student athletes.

As Adeniji continued, she said she did not always understand her name or who she is. At 17 years old, however, she said she finally stepped into the name her parents gave her before unveiling, to a shrieking crowd, the pennant of where she will begin her education in her pursuit of a medical degree: Harvard University.

Achievement First Communications Director Amanda Pinto said there have been an average of six acceptances per student in the graduating class. Of the graduating class, 100 percent were accepted to at least one four-year institution.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

Earlier this month, Achievement First Amistad Academy was ranked No. 1 in Connecticut by U.S. News & World Report, which measures student achievement along several metrics, especially how well it serves historically underserved groups. The overwhelming majority of students at the school are black or Hispanic and are from either New Haven or Bridgeport.

Senior Janasia Little said there are no other Janasias in the history books, and she hopes to change the systems that make it so when she attends Boston College as a first-generation college student this fall.

Daniah Foster credited her teachers for making her realize that the high grades she received on writing assignments werent a coincidence.

I have my voice, she said, realizing now that shes a strong writer.

She said she will take those writing skills to Bates College.

Even students who didnt like the idea of addressing the school were persuaded to participate. Carlos Torres said he wasnt going to speak, but his peers convinced him. He said he will also be a first-generation student going to his dream school: Dickinson College.

Many students identified their parents in the crowd, sharing their love.

They crossed the border for me, so Im crossing the stage for them, said Nicole Valdovinos, who will attend the University of Connecticut.

When asked why there was so much excitement in the room, junior Karen Montes said it was an inspiring moment.

Were celebrating our people of color graduating and going to college, she said.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.comThe challenges they face can change with sometimes startling speed.

But whether the enemy is a long-established disease such as influenza, cancer or tuberculosis or are still emerging and evolving maladies, cadres of health professionals across the state  researchers, doctors and nurses alike  stand ready to carry on the fight.

Throughout Connecticuts long history, countless men and women have been involved in often-pioneering efforts to develop new treatments and/or medicines or to improve health care for people nearing death.

Some of the achievements  the development of the first neonatal intensive care unit, for instance  are stunning.

RELATED: SEE MORE FROM OUR TOP 50 PROJECT

Not surprisingly, many of the advances  both societal and medical  occurred at the Yale School of Medicine, which opened its doors in 1813.

In 1857, the school awarded a degree to its first African-American graduate, Cortlandt Van Rensselaer Creed.

But it wasn't until 1916 that women  in the persons of Louise Farnam, Helen May Scoville and Lillian Lydia Nye  were admitted to the school.

The school takes understandable pride in listing areas where it led the way: Yales historical contributions to medicine include the first X-ray performed in the United States, the first successful use of penicillin in America, the first use of cancer chemotherapy, and the introduction of fetal heart monitoring, natural childbirth and newborn rooming-in, its website says.

Yale doctors designed the first artificial heart pump and the first insulin infusion pump for diabetes, and it was here that the means of transmission of the polio virus was established, paving the way for the Salk vaccine. Lyme disease was identified by two Yale physicians in 1975.

Still more history was made at Yale in October 1960, when Dr. Louis Gluck opened the first neonatal intensive care unit for premature or under-strength newborn babies in the United States.

Gluck turned the standard practice  isolating newborns  on its head, by grouping them together in a large, open-space unit where their needs more easily could be met.

As late as the 1930s, many births took place at home with often tragic outcomes. By the 1940s, however, that pattern had changed and more and more births were taking place in hospitals.

But the risks for premature babies still were significant, largely because so-called preemies did not have fully developed lungs.

Doctors, especially in France, had begun advocating for changes in the way premature babies were treated.

In a July 2016, article, Elizabeth Payne traced advances in the treatment of premature infants.

Early incubators were developed in the latter part of the 19th century. But still many in the medical profession  and especially hospitals concerned about their cost  were slow to embrace incubators.

In an effort to prove their worth and encourage the wider use of incubators, French doctor Martin Courney took the highly unusual  and dramatic  step of displaying babies in incubators at Coney Island in 1903, Payne reports.

Similar demonstrations were featured at the 1939 Worlds Fair in Queens, N.Y.

Baby science

In was only in the post-war years when suddenly nearly everything seemed possible, that American hospitals began to more widely accept incubators.

But, Payne writes, even as hospitals created Special Care Baby Units, there still was concern about the risk of infection for premature newborns.

Here Gluck took the lead.

Working with a team at Yale, Gluck found regularly washing newborns  and requiring visitors to the special-care units to wash their hands  dramatically reduced the risk of infection.

Gluck then took a pioneering step by abolishing the existing model of isolating premature babies.

Instead, he grouped isolettes and incubators all in one room, Payne writes.

Doing so enabled caregivers to easily access and tend to the babies.

Those changes were tremendously impactful, said Dr. Mark R. Mercurio, chief of neonatal-perinatal medicine at Yale School of Medicine.

There was a phenomenal reduction in mortality rates, Mercurio said.

Continuing advances in the technology of respirators gave doctors another weapon to combat respiratory distress syndrome, Mercurio said.

Because they are not carried to term, premature babies cannot develop the alveoli, the tiny sacs that inflate when they breathe.

Surfactant, a chemical that stimulates the growth of the alveoli, is produced in the placenta in the late stages of pregnancy.

Fortunately, scientists have developed artificial surfactant, which now is administered to premature babies, Mercurio said.

Another of Glucks ideas has had a significant impact on the treatment of premature babies.

Throughout the 1940s and into the 1950s, premature babies were separated from their mothers, Mercurio said.

That was not a positive development for either the baby or the mother, he said.

Gluck pushed to keep them together.

In the ensuing years, the practice has further improved, to the benefit of both mother and the child, Mercurio said.

In January, Yale New Haven Childrens Hospital opened a new family-centered neonatal ICU that included couplet rooms, Mercurio noted. The unit can accommodate 68 babies, and was designed with room to make starting to breast feed easier, among other features.

Mothers and their babies remain together in the room as the baby receives care, Yale spokesman Mark DAntonio explained.

This unique model of care strengths the maternal-infant bond by fostering skin-to-skin contact supporting breastfeeding and further inducing healing, DAntonio said.

***

Other Connecticut residents also have left their mark on the development of medicine and health care.

Sherwin B. Nuland, for instance, served humanity in two roles, as a surgeon and as dean of the Yale School of Medicine.

Later in life he fused the two roles and began writing on medical issues for the general public.

Nuland achieved significant celebrity when, in 1994, he published How We Die, a sober, no-holds-barred explanation of death and dying that sold an astonishing 500,000 copies worldwide and won a National Book Award.

In an obituary published upon Nulands death in 2014, the New York Times wrote that he had sought to demythologize death , making it more familiar and therefore less frightening, so that the dying might approach decisions regarding their care with greater knowledge and more reasonable expectations.

The Times did not shrink from also describing the book as a criticism of a medical profession that saw death as an enemy to be engaged, frequently beyond the point of futility, adding Nuland had pointed a finger at himself for sometimes being guilty of the very thing he criticized.

Florence S. Wald also engaged with death as an advocate for bringing a measure of peace to the dying.

The Bronx-born Wald trained as a nurse, and after serving in the Army Signal Corps in World War II she returned to Yale, where she eventually became dean of the school nursing.

In 1963, according to her obituary in the Times, Wald attended a lecture given by Dame Cecily Saunders, an English woman who was preparing to open the first hospice facility in the world.

Wald immediately was taken with the idea of a facility where families could be actively involved in providing comfort and care for a dying person.

Wald eventually resigned from her post at Yale, went to South London where she trained with Saunders , and then returned to work toward creating a hospice facility in the U.S.

In 1970, a 44-patient facility opened in Branford.

As of 2014, there were more than 4,000 such facilities in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Further, a Hartford-born dentist, Horace Wells, was instrumental to finding a way to ameliorate the pain that marked so much of medicine into the 19th century.

Unfortunately, it did little to give him the peace he personally sought.

In the 1840s, Wells did extensive testing of various chemicals, including nitrous oxide and chloroform, as a way to reduce the pain in surgery.

His tests eventually overwhelmed him, however, causing him to become unbalanced, leading to his death by suicide. Wells is credited as the father of ether.

***

Connecticut styles itself the land of steady habits, but over the years it has often been a battlefield on issues involving contraception and birth control.

Hilda Crosby was an early soldier in those battles.

She grew up in Hartford, graduated from Wellesley College and earned a medical degree from Cornell University.

She then moved to China where she lived and worked for five years providing medical care for the Chinese until she was driven out by the expanding Japanese occupation in 1935.

Having seen the necessity for family planning in war-torn China, upon her return returned to Connecticut, Crosby was recruited to become director of a maternal health center by Katharine Houghton Hepburn, mother of actress Katharine Hepburn.

In 1936, Crosby married a fellow physician, Erland Myles Standish, and began raising a family even as she continued her work at the clinic until it was forced to close in 1940.

Crosby remained active in the continuing medical history of Connecticut until her death in 2005 at the age of 103.BRIDGEPORT  Gateway Community College celebrated its 26th commencement ceremony Thursday, conferring 1,132 degrees and certificates to the class of 2018.

At Webster Bank Arena, families, friends and loved ones sat in the crowd to watch dreams come true. Most parents looked on from their seats, but a few walked the stage with their children as they accepted degrees together.

Erika Chavez Cardenas and her 21-year-old son, Sergio Rincon Chavez, started and finished college together. Cardenas started at Gateway only taking English as a Second Language courses but her son encouraged her to go for a degree.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

He gave me the little push to jump on the college, she said.

Through school they leaned on one another to be study partners for the three classes they took together.

We are so excited because weve been working so hard, Cardenas said. It was like working on a team. I feel more close to my son.

After graduation Cardenas is going to pursue education at the University of Connecticut for dentistry and has been accepted to Yale Summer Enrichment Medical Academy. Chavez is transferring to Southern Connecticut State University to pursue a bachelors degree in computer science.

Before I didnt feel confident in myself, but knowing Im graduating with my associates I feel like going for more, Chavez said. Now Im trying to go for my bachelors and go for my masters. I feel pretty excited right now, a little bit nervous but pretty excited. ... It makes it more exciting to do it together.

The youngest graduate was 16-year-old Klotoume Kromah from West Africa. Since she was in middle school, every time she would be set to move up a grade, her teachers said she needed to go even higher. She started college when most teenagers are beginning high school.

I feel amazed because its a really big achievement to be able to graduate at a very young age and to see people who are older than me graduating, I think I have a chance they might not have had and I need to use it in the best way I can, she said.

Kromah wants to earn a bachelors degree in biology and go pre-med to eventually become a doctor.

During the ceremony, the college gave special awards to two community members: New Haven Mayor Toni N. Harp and Larry Bingaman, president and chief executive officer of the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority.

Harp received the Presidents Award for her social justice advocacy, longtime service to New Haven and leadership as the citys 50th mayor and first African-American woman to hold the position.

Mayor Harps priorities are unwavering and fully transparent as she operates with the highest level of integrity for the people of New Haven, said Mary Ellen Cody, dean of development and community partnerships at Gateway. Present and growing initiatives of New Havens population are in the forefront of Mayor Harps leadership. Her compassion extends beneath the surface taking up serious concerns to solve poverty and homelessness. An advocate for womens rights with an intention for pay equity, Mayor Harp is fully engaged.

The college honored Bingaman by conferring an honorary associate degree in science upon him for his focus on sustainable and conscientious business practices and deep involvement in the New Haven community. Bingaman serves on the Presidents Executive Council for Gateway and sponsored a chemistry lab at the college.

Gateway alumnus and adjunct professor Edwin Martinez delivered the keynote address, speaking to graduates about achieving success when faced with doubt and sacrifices.

I dont believe in luck and if youre here today, luck has nothing to do with it, Martinez said. This is intentional. I urge you to succeed until you have nothing in common with those you have something in common with today and when you get to the doors of success, pry them open. There are two types of people and we all want the same thing, except one wants it more.

Martinez grew up and lives in the Fair Haven section of New Haven and graduated from Wilbur Cross High School. He sat in the same position 17 years ago as 2018s graduates did Thursday.

I cant tell you who exactly who spoke at my graduation or what the keynote speaker said or everyone who grabbed the microphone, but I remember telling myself Id like to hear from someone who has walked in my shoes, someone who had graduated from Gateway and reached some level of success, Martinez said. Be careful what you ask for, because life will put a microphone in front of you.

He added graduates should strive for the highest level of success because their graduation is a dream come true for many  more than only them.

What you have accomplished here today is not for you, its for those people who support you, whos dreams you will now fulfill and for those who will come after you who you can show it is possible, Martinez said.NEW HAVEN  After hearing Nathaniel Jaywon Bradleys father describe how his sons murder took away the familys joy and shattered them forever, a judge Thursday sentenced Bobby Griffin Jr. to serve 90 years in prison.

How can one summarize 36 years of life, love, joy, shared laughter, hugs, tears and I love you, Mom and Dad, thanks for all you do? Vincent Steele wrote in a four-page statement he read aloud during Griffins sentencing hearing.

Steele described his son, Jay, as a loving, caring and giving young man with a heart as big as the world.

But it all came to an end on the night of Oct. 14, 2013, at the corner of Ella T. Grasso Boulevard and Goffe Terrrace.

According to testimony during Griffins trial three months ago, Griffin was looking for somebody to rob and so he arranged for Bradley, a man he did not know, to meet him at that corner in order for Griffin to buy some marijuana.

A witness, Nathan L. Johnson, testified Griffin came out of an alley where he had been hiding, brandishing an assault rifle. He pointed it at Bradley, who was standing next to his car, and demanded: Run everything. This is street talk for give me everything youve got.

Johnson recalled Bradley replied, You can have everything but that he turned away and walked back toward the drivers side of his car. Griffin shot him twice in the back.

The jury convicted Griffin, now 25, who last lived on Peck Street, of murder, felony murder (causing a death in the course of another crime, such as robbery), attempted first-degree robbery and conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery. In addition, Superior Court Judge Elpedio N. Vitale convicted Griffin on criminal possession of a firearm.

Steele said his son, who lived in Hamden with his fiancee and three children, was stopped at the threshold of his adult life. He noted, Jay was just two weeks shy of graduating from the New England Tractor Trailer Training School, getting married, having a big house for his wife and three children.

The father recounted the agonozing days, weeks and months after the murder, including thinking about what you want to dress your son in for his service and deciding to have an open casket. Other members of the Bradley family, including the victims mother, quietly wept in the courtroom as Steele spoke.

Jay was our future, our legacy to the world, Steele said. The days of joyful, whole family celebration will never be the same. The home, a place of refuge from the world, has been invaded by violence. We go through the motions of living but there is no joy, peace, rest or closure.

Steele said Griffin deserves to die for murdering our son but acknowledged Connecticut no longer has the death penalty. He said, Eighty years to life in prison is more mercy than he deserves but it will bring justice to Jay and our family.

Steele concluded by asking for Bobby Griffin to be blessed with a conscience so he can feel for himself all the pain he has created.

Senior Assistant States Attorney John P. Doyle Jr. asked Vitale to impose a lengthy sentence. Doyle said, Nathaniel Bradley was shot twice in the back by Mr. Griffin, who left him there to die on a city street.

Doyle noted Griffin had blamed two other men for the shooting but that police determined both of them were falsely accused. Mr. Griffin doesnt want to accept responsibility for what he did.

But defense attorney Wade Luckett asked Vitale for a sentence that allows a meaningful opportunity for eventual release from prison.

Luckett cited Griffins family background that featured people with prison records. Luckett noted Griffin was only 21 at the time of the crime. Referring to Grifffns prior felony convictions, Luckett said Griffin had a failure to appreciate the risks and consequences of his actions.

Im not trying to excuse his behavior , Luckett said. But the court can give Mr. Griffin some ounce of mercy while satisfying the needs of justice.

Griffin, attired in an orange prison jumpsuit and the white cap he always wears in court in accordance with his Muslim beliefs, delivered a short statement before he was sentenced. He expressed sympathy to the Bradley family but maintained he is innocent. Luckett said Griffin will appeal the convictions.

When Vitale imposed the sentence, he noted Steeles eloquent remarks and how the family has been devastated.

Vitale listed some of the challenges Griffin faced during his upbringing, but said, His family history is unremarkable. He concluded, Theres nothing in the courts view that outweighs the aggravating factors.

After Vitale ordered Griffin to stand up, he pronounced the sentence: 60 years for murder (the maximum allowed); 20 years for attempted first-degree robbery (concurrent with the murder sentence); 20 years for conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery; and 10 years for possession of a firearm.

The total effective sentence: 90 years. Vitale said Griffin will not be eligible for parole.

Vitale vacated the felony murder conviction because federal and state courts have ruled that sentencing on both murder and felony murder constitutes double jeopardy.

After court adjourned, Doyle said the sentence was appropriate and he thanked Vitale. Luckett noted Griffins planned appeal.

Steele smiled in the courtroom corridor and said: Justice was served.

randall.beach@hearstmediact.comNEW HAVEN  Students at the alternative New Light High School are no strangers to leaving some beauty in the community.

On Thursday, the city Department of Parks, Recreation and Trees installed a community piano on Wooster Street and DePalma Court, covered with New Light students freshly painted design of cherry blossoms, ivy and butterflies. Art teacher Michael Pavano, New Havens 2018 Teacher of the Year, has made such public beautification a focus for the students.

I think its important work. Students are involved in the community and it showcases the unique abilities kids have here in the city, said Assistant Principal Paul Camarco. Its important the kids are valued as members of the community.

Camarco waited on the block outside the school beside Wooster Square Park, greeting students and parents as almost a dozen students trickled inside between 8 and 9 a.m., standard practice, he said. He mused aloud that it was a sunny day, refusing to let uncertainties in the future cast a pall over student morale.

Nine days earlier, the Board of Education voted to close the school as a way to balance its budget, eyeing a consolidation of three alternative schools.

It shouldnt be closed, said New Light junior Jean Carlos Torres, who sat on a bench in the park beside senior Maurice Gordneer minutes before the start of the school day. Kids have got problems. Now its three bad schools in one school. Those are fights waiting to happen.

New Light has been a positive influence for him, Torres said.

Its been helping. I got my grades up. They help us out, he said.

Gordneer said the school is easy.

However, he said he was attending school much more than he did when he attended James Hillhouse High School, keeping him in the classroom.

You do the work and move on, he said.

Both Torres and Gordneer said they are on track to graduate.

Torres said he expects to be put back into a traditional high school next year, such as Wilbur Cross or Hillhouse.

Ive got a lot of problems with other schools. We live in different hoods. My hood doesnt go well with their hood, he said. Im not mixing with New Horizons and Riverside.

According to state Department of Education data, 40 students are enrolled in New Light this year, a number that has bounced between 37 and 64 students in the last three years. New Horizons has 88 students enrolled this year and Riverside has 83, although it enrolled a six-year high of 117 students in 2014.

I like it. Its quiet here, Torres said.

Camarco said New Light had kept the community piano installed Thursday in storage through the winter, during which the students planned and executed the paint job. Resident Lauren Brown coordinated the community piano project, saying she was inspired after seeing pianos in public in Montreal.

I love urban vitality and bringing the serendipitous to the community, Brown said. I thought this would be a good project for the neighborhood.

Brown said she began a journey to find a piano, which turned out to be the easy part when a woman donated one. She then enlisted the help of piano tuning repairman William Harold for the project and contacted the city to help transport the instrument.

The piano was already in the community for a little more than a monthlast year, Brown said, but this year it will be in its location likely until the beginning of October as of Thursday. She said a team of volunteers have arranged it so the pianos cover will be unlocked through the afternoon and evening on most days.

Once October comes around, the pianos winter home this year is unknown, as the school board considers what to do with New Lights building.

Were still working on it. Well have more to say next week, said Will Clark, COO of New Haven Public Schools.

Superintendent of Schools Carol Birks was told she must develop a plan for relocating students, staff and assets at New Light and New Horizons to present to the Board of Education on June 25.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.comHi everyone! Its been some time since I have last written on this blog, and I apologise for that, BUT a lot has been happening here down under!

Australia and New Zealand both celebrate Anzac Day on April 25th. This is a day of remembrance to commemorate all the brave individuals who served and passed in all conflicts and wars  very similar to Memorial Day in the United States. Each year, Australia celebrates by having a dawn service and a wreath laying. Trumpets and drums are played and an air jet always flies overhead. It was an incredible service that I am so grateful to have gotten to experience while here on study abroad. Though I had not taken any pictures or videos of the service, here is a picture of the sunrise from that day.

In the beginning of May, a group of the Sacred Heart girls and a group from the University of Notre Dame (Indiana) had all gone on a day excursion to the Lancelin Dunes to sand board and to the Pinnacle Desert. The sand dunes were incredible! There was white sand, and it looked as if they could be fake. The hill was a disaster to climb, and all of us could agree that climbing was the hardest workout we have done in a while. However, it was totally worth it, because it was so much fun! We had all wiped out at some point, but one my guy friends completely face planted and you could hear the bang from all the way up the dune. Then, we headed to the Pinnacle Desert, where there are natural rock formations. FUN FACT: these pinnacles did not start appearing in the 70s, and archaeologists have no idea how tall they are, or how tall they will get. The surrounding sand displays more of the pinnacle each year, by 2cm, so in 20-30 years the Pinnacle Desert is going to look completely different.







The weekend of May 18-21, one of my good guy friends invited me and my other friend to his house in Mount Barker, near the Albany area. It is about 4 hours from Perth, but we made the most of the car ride! He lives in a small town, where you see the same people all of the time, but turns out that the bakery near his house has won awards for the best pies!!! Anyways, he lives on a 2,000-acre farm, and works at the saw mill. His house and farm was something that I have never seen before in my life, and I honestly couldnt fathom how much land there really was. We got a tour of the whole farm and the saw mill, and at night his dad took us spotlighting. Spotlighting is when you get in the back of a ute (pickup truck), take a spotlight, and go searching for bunnies and kangaroos. There had to be at least 20-30 kangaroos we saw, and all they did was hop out of the way. Then, he took us to Albany, about 30 minutes from his house. We went to the old whaling station, visiting all of the beaches along the coast, the natural gap/walking bridge, the windmill farm, and to Emu Point. It was such a long day, but we got to see everything that he wanted to show us, and we honestly had the best weekend ever!











SO thats what I had to catch you all up on, and next time I write on here will be about our time in Bali, Indonesia!!

Until next time,

Xx Gabby B.NEW HAVEN  Youth Continuum has been helping homeless young adults through programs at its unassuming offices on Grand Avenue for more than two decades.

A highly regarded social service agency, the one piece missing for the 18- to 24-year-old population they serve, are temporary shelter beds beyond the handful of emergency placements they have on Winthrop Avenue.

After looking at the Y2Y program run in Boston by Harvard University students, where they staff a homeless shelter for young adults, Youth Continuum is exploring operating a similar program in New Haven, which would involve trained Yale University students in addition to its large professional staff.

Paul Kosowsky, vice president of program operations at Youth Continuum, said they have been researching the possibility of using the basement in its facilities at 924 Grand Ave. for up to 20 beds for homeless youths who could stay there, probably for a maximum of 60 days.

The agency will have a public hearing Thursday at 6 p.m. at New Light High School, 21 Wooster Place, to get feedback, with another hearing to take place in Fair Haven next week.

Y2Y, which stands for youth-to-youth, was started in Boston in 2012 by Harvard student Sam Greenberg, who will be at the Thursday meeting.

Kosowsky said the latest Point In Time survey estimates the number of homeless or unstably housed young adults in Greater New Haven is somewhere between 550 and 650.

Currently the one-story facility on Grand Avenue is a youth outreach and drop-in center. In Boston, there is a similar center that turns into a shelter at night staffed by Harvard students.

Wouldnt it be nice if the young people had a place to go from there (the drop-in center), where they didnt have to go across town. You would stay in that building, Kosowsky said.

After looking at this for the past year, the Youth Continuum official said it was time to get feedback from the community and figure out if Grand Avenue is the right site.

I think this is still a good distance away from happening. ... It is a big lift, Kosowsky said of the project.

He said he knows some people feel this is being forced on the neighborhood, but that is not the case.

We do think for many reasons that this is the best site, but if we can find a better site, sure, we will take a look, he said. We just have to keep our mind open and listen to what people have to say.

The agency has some state funds to fix up the basement, but it is not anywhere near the estimated $3 million he feels would be needed to pull off the project, renovate and improve that site and operate an expanded mission.

Kosowsky said he would like any renovation, that is at least a year away, to add value to the neighborhood.

That is kind of where we are right now. We have seen this program that has had very good outcomes (Y2Y). It is really a missing vital piece of the effort to end youth homelessness, Kosowsky said.

He explained that federal Housing and Urban Development rules complicate the issue of providing housing for the homeless.

To be eligible for federal housing resources, you have to be literally homeless, he said.

This means you have to be in an emergency shelter or living in a place that is not meant for human habitation, such as a car, on the streets or the hallway of an abandoned building.

Kosowsky said that is not usually the case for young adults and generally they dont like to go to an adult shelter. Many are couch surfers, going from staying with friends or family, but not knowing night to night where they will sleep.

The system was based on an adult model. When you apply it to young people, it is almost like saying, you have to put yourself in serious harms way before you can get help, Kosowsky said.

He said homeless young adults are different than the homeless adults going back and forth to the mens shelter a block away on Grand Avenue.

Kosowsky said they dont have severe substance abuse issues.

Our kids are well behaved. They are desperate. ... When they get an opportunity to get some help, they come back. They keep showing up, he said.

The longtime director said the purpose of a shelter is to keep them off the streets so they dont fall into dangerous situations.

He said at the recent workshop held by the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, they found that within 48 and 72 hours after a young person takes to the streets, they are being targeted by sex traffickers.

Kosowsky said they are also at a greater risk of contracting HIV/AIDs, indulging in substance abuse and falling into prostitution just to survive.

The longtime youth advocate said Youth Continuums plan is to short-circuit that by getting those who need it into a youth-specific shelter where they are safe, there is privacy and they have staff that understand the issues.

Their programs pick up from there by either mediating with their families so they can go back home or get them into housing so they dont become the next generation of chronically-homeless.

In the last 1.5 years he said they have been able to divert more than 100 people away from homelessness.

That is what we try to do to keep families together where possible, he said.

In one situation, a young womans parent died and she was taken in by her uncle. When he lost his job, Youth Continuum offered to buy groceries for them so he would continue to let her live there.

In another, a young woman lost her job and was about to be evicted while she was going to college, but Youth Continuum picked up the rent for a few months until she got work.

Some are able to go directly into housing, he said.

Not everyone who is homeless needs long-term, more intense services, he said.

Kosowsky said the aim is not so much to add shelters, but if you dont have one you cant get these people into the system.

If it is a choice for a young person between having nowhere to go and being on the street and being subjected to all these kinds of risks, wed all rather have them in a shelter and be safe and protected, he said.

In October, Youth Continuum opened a six-bed emergency shelter for young homeless adults. He said it filled immediately and continues to have a waiting list.

He said many of that first group told him it was their first good nights sleep in a long time. He said after awhile, they start looking like normal kids, as the basic worry over shelter went away.

In Boston, Kosowsky said Y2Y has a couple of hundred students and other volunteers who pick up a shift here and there to cover the shelter hours.

In New Haven, he envisions more strenuous training since Youth Continuum has been accredited since 2004 and follows international best practices for nonprofits.

If it doesnt have all those best practice standards, we dont do it, he said.

Kosowsky said they will work collaboratively with the Yale students to staff a shelter.

It will be a developmental process. Initially we will be in charge of running it. But over time, as they acquire years of experience, can they take over more of the day to day operation? Of course, he said.

Everyone would be subject to background checks and will be trained in Narcan administration, CPR, diversity training, trauma training, LGBT issues and other protocols.

The national data suggests that 40 percent of the youth homeless population is LGBT, he said.

Kosowsky feels the model in New Haven will be a much truer collaboration than Boston since they already know these kids who frequently use the drop-in center seeking help with a job search or housing.

The official said he would also open participation to other local college students as interns as they work toward careers in the social sciences. Volunteers from the community, subject to the same training, would also be welcomed.

Kosowsky said he feels the program is coming full circle.

Youth Continuum was founded in the 1960s by two Yale professors who wanted students to get into the helping professions, learn about the field and find a way to get their foot in the door.

And here we are 50 years later and we are creating this partnership with Yale students doing the exact same thing they were talking about back then. It just feels like the partial fulfillment of the original vision of the agency, Kosowsky said.

mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577The latest round of the Tweed airport fiasco is over. Once again, the hard work of grassroots activists has prevailed over the maneuvering of powerful institutions and officials. The airports duplicitous plans have been rejected by the public, our state legislators, and the seven New Haven alders who stood with us. Tweed has once again been stopped at 5,600 feet.

A New Haven resident summed it up nicely to one of our organizers: What your neighbors did gives me real hope that we can successfully fight City Hall.

Not everyone is happy. Senator Larson, in his dual role as Executive Director of Tweed, blamed [Senator Martin] Looney and his legions for screwing us at Wednesdays board meeting.

Now that the storm is over, the sun shines out all the clearer. Perhaps this time, Tweed and city of New Haven officials will respect the will of the people, who tirelessly fought airport expansion for (at least) the second time in three years.

The sun will not be shining on Tweed and the bogus solar facility in House Bill 5537. That dubious plan was exposed as greenwashing, containing a sneaky one-liner that would have allowed unchecked expansion. Sure, there were promises of only paving to 6,600 feet. Fool me once...

We will not consign the Airport Authority Act or the 2009 agreement with East Haven to the memory hole. That historic and cemented into law settlement should have been the end to decades of hard-fought battles.

Neighbors in the East Shore and East Haven would love to see a true community solar facility. We will not, however, bargain away our neighborhoods for fanciful projections of economic prosperity. Improvements, maintenance, and services should not hinge upon airport expansion in a game with the City.

As Tweeds own reports show, 240,000 annual enplanements are required to break even. Numbers are currently near the 28,000 range. Larson has conceded that the latest expansion attempt would have actually required 7,100 feet. Perhaps Tweed needs to face the austerity being endured across Connecticut, a dose of the burden being shouldered by ordinary people, social services, and schools.

Sean OBrien

New HavenPurchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commissionThe meet-and-greet will be at Newberry Hall, while the Aiken Republican Club Candidate Forum will be held at the AECOM Theater in downtown Aiken on Tuesday, May 29.There has been a report published stating at least 500,000 networking devices around the world have been infected by malware known as VPNFilter. It has been speculated that Russian state-sponsored hackers are behind the attack due to the activity specifically aimed at devices based in the Ukraine. Apparently, VPNFilter offers both intelligence-gathering and destructive capabilities.

4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 3D Printing , 5G , Accessory , AI , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , E-Mobility , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Human 2.0 , Ice Lake , Intel Evo / Project Athena , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Linux / Unix , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Rumor , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Single-Board Computer (SBC) , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) Ticker

A report published by Cisco Talos Intelligence Group has stated that over half a million network devices worldwide have been exposed to the VPNFilter malware. The software is capable of operating in an intelligence-gathering mode by stealing website credentials and monitoring network usage, and it is also able to provide a disconcerting destructive functionality that can shutdown infected devices. The statement from Talos provides information about the most likely affected devices:

The known devices affected by VPNFilter are Linksys, MikroTik, NETGEAR and TP-Link networking equipment in the small and home office (SOHO) space, as well at QNAP network-attached storage (NAS) devices.

A warning on the website for the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) advises those with devices that might be infected to make sure all necessary security patches are downloaded and installed. Because of the apparent focus on networking devices in the Ukraine, it has been widely speculated that Russia is behind VPNFilter, with a possibility that there is intent to cause major disruption before the Champions League final, which is taking place in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev on Saturday.

This is not the first time Russia has been accused of planning such an attack. The Talos report mentions that the VPNFilter malware comes with a self-destruct ability, which if used would leave the infected device inoperable:May 23, 2018

Final preparations are being made for another busy beach season at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Each year over 3 million people visit the 17 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline along the national lakeshore and nearby Indiana Dunes State Park. In the national park, beaches range from the life-guarded West Beach, with its bath house and 500-car parking lot to smaller, unguarded beach areas like Dunbar and Central Avenue that have limited parking and facilities.



This summer will offer more opportunities for food and fun at national lakeshore beaches. Food vendors will operate at the parks West Beach, Portage Lakefront, and Porter Beach. Kona Ice and a variety of other menu items will be available 7 days a week from 11 a.m.  6 p.m. in the West Beach bath house. In addition, an Eastern National outlet in the bath house will sell souvenirs and fun educational items during the afternoon and early evening on Thursdays through Mondays. At Portage Lakefront, Twisted Citrus will offer a varied and original menu in the Lakefront Pavilion on Thursday through Sunday from 10 am  6 pm. Porter Beach will feature food and ice cream treats from the Hot Diggity Dawg cart on Friday through Monday afternoons during the beach season.



More than 300 free, ranger-led programs and other activities can add some fun to a beach visit. Highlights include the weekly Beach Fun Saturday. Join park staff at West Beach on Saturday afternoons this summer at 1:00 p.m. to try out kayaks and paddleboards in Lake Michigan. Just before sunset, gather around a beach campfire to enjoy park stories while toasting marshmallows. There is a $6 fee per car at West Beach during the summer.



The Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra will return to West Beach for a concert under the stars on Friday, August 3rd at 7:30 pm. Bring your own chair and get there early for this popular event. Food trucks and park partner booths will be there for your enjoyment before and during the concert.



Be aware that many park beaches have eroded due to near record high lake levels. The condition effects all of Lake Michigan, but expect to find narrower than average beaches at Portage Lakefront, Central Avenue and Mount Baldy due to nearby harbor structures that impede sand flow along the shoreline.



Improvements are planned at Central Avenue Beach where the bathrooms will be remodeled and upgraded. The beach will remain open and temporary facilities provided during the remodeling work.



Dont ruin your day at the beach with tragedy. Keep yourself safe by learning about the inherent dangers of Lake Michigan. Know when its not safe to go into the lake. Large waves are dangerous and can be accompanied by potentially deadly rip currents that can sweep even the strongest swimmer out into the lake. Even when the lake is calm, dont let children or non-swimmers get into the water without close supervision by adults who are competent swimmers. There can be unexpected deep spots near sand bars and in other waters that may appear shallow. Understanding Lake Michigan will make your trip to the beach a safe one.



For more information about beaches, programs, and beach safety at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, call the visitor center information desk at 219-395-1882, visit the park website, or check us out on Facebook.



www.nps.gov



Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is part of the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for Americas 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!

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Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.Later, in a cell with no camera, Oleg whispered the partial truth to Stan, telling him about the plot against Gorbachev and the importance of the message in stopping it. He appealed to Stans higher feelings, asking him to get the message to Moscow. But he wouldnt trade Elizabeth and Philip for it. He shook his head when Stan showed him their photo, and refused to decode the message because it might give them away. Stan didnt care about Gorbachevs position but Oleg pushed him again, saying, Do you think it doesnt matter who our leader is? The scene ended with the two of them silent, side by side. You know Stans thinking about it.

Elizabeth, meanwhile, was going about the lonely business of saving the world. She was in the unusual position of staking someone out in order to protect him. While she sat around various lobbies and cafeterias while Nesterenko had meetings, we were treated to a lengthy, somewhat on-the-nose flashback that positioned and buttressed her 11th-hour change of heart.

She remembered an incident during her K.G.B. training, when she came upon a motorcyle-horse collision while practicing dead drops. (If only Oleg had practiced a little more.) Having been told not to break off a training run, she walked away from the accidents lone survivor. Her training officer rebuked her: You dont leave a comrade on the street to die in Moscow. Decades later, that was the lesson she remembered as she watched Nesterekno, now her real comrade.

She moved with him as he crossed the street and noticed a woman get out of a car and cross the street after him  obvious blonde wig, holding a folded newspaper just as Elizabeth had in her own aborted attempt on his life. Without hesitation Elizabeth moved behind the woman and in a single elegant motion pulled a silenced pistol and shot her in the back without breaking stride. Nesterenko looked down at the glassy-eyed Tatiana  dead in part because Oleg kept her from getting that promotion  and then looked wonderingly at Elizabeth, already in the distance.

That wasnt nearly the end of Elizabeths trials, though  she had a couple more stations to complete on her personal journey before the episode ended. First was a final visit to Claudia. The formidable handler sat quietly while Elizabeth relayed what shed done, then ripped into her, saying, You destroyed it all today.

Elizabeth had a line that was key to understanding her own motivations: If you knew me, youd know never to lie to me. But it was Claudias scene, and if it was Margo Martindales last on the show, it was a good one to go out on. Saying that she would go home and continue the fight rather than run from the consequences of Elizabeths actions, she said, We took it back from our enemies before, well do it again, a pretty clear bit of Vladimir Putin foreshadowing. When Elizabeth left, Claudia sat alone at the table where they used to hang out with Paige and calmly ladled herself some stew, the embodiment of the Soviet endurance she so often celebrated.Even when there is no new work to promote, he spends much of his time on extended tours in the United States and abroad. The current tour goes to places like Toronto, Minneapolis, Houston, Albuquerque, San Francisco, Missoula and many more; heads to Ireland and Britain; and returns to the United States in August. After he appears, he signs books and chats to people late into the night, even if that means all night long. (His record is 10  hours, in Chicago.)

And so Mr. Sedaris remained at a table that night in the Kennedy Center until nearly 1 a.m. The readers snaked in a line far down the vestibule. Mr. Sedaris talked to every one of them. He was in no rush. His conversational gambits covered the sort of topics (abortion, religion, sexuality, disability) that people are advised to avoid in potentially non-safe spaces.

For someone else it would have seemed like a high-wire act; for Mr. Sedaris it was business as usual.

Mr. Sedaris: Did you go to church on Easter?

Reader: No.

Mr. Sedaris: What is wrong with you?

Along came a young woman who, like most people in line, had her first name (Chelsea) written on a card that she handed to Mr. Sedaris, for book-signing purposes.

How old do you think you are going to be when you die? Mr. Sedaris asked.

You would think people might be put off, but they werent. Not when Mr. Sedaris wrote Christ died for you in one womans book (I teach high school students, she said, nothing offends me); or when in anothers book he drew a picture of a three-legged bear with blood spewing from its stump because, he said, it had stepped on a land mine; or when he wrote you will not be alone forever in the book of a fan who said she was single.

Nor did anyone mind when he asked a (nonpregnant) woman if she might have an abortion this summer and then advised her to do it while you still can, because you may not be able to have one in the future; or when he wrote youre using that cane as a crutch to a reader with a limp; or when he said, What happened to your mother  is she dead? to a man named Richard, who wanted a book signed for his father.

She is to him, Richard said.But by February of this year, the government said it wanted to review the deal by CCCI, the overseas arm of CCCC, under the Canadas National Security Review of Investments Act. In Canada, any deal involving a state-owned company worth more than 398 million Canadian dollars, or about $310 million, can be subject to a review if the government believes it could be injurious to national security.

On Wednesday, the government said it blocked the deal that based on its findings in order to protect national security, without elaborating.

Our government is open to international investment that creates jobs and increases prosperity, but not at the expense of national security, Mr. Bains said.

The Canadian government did not give details about its decision, but one of the biggest hurdles facing the deal, according to analysts, was Aecons contract for Canadas Candu nuclear reactors, which generate electric power.

Earlier this year, Canadas Conservative Party called for a review of the deal and raised concerns about Aecons contracts with both the military and the nuclear industry. Members of Parliament also cited bribery allegations against one of CCCCs units in Bangladesh. In January, the finance minister of Bangladesh said it was blacklisting China Harbour Engineering Company, a subsidiary of CCCC, after allegations arose that it tried to bribe an official.

For reasons that have more to do with political opinion and the desire to limit competition, some opponents of the deal have made completely false claims about the nature of Aecons business and what may happen if it joins CCCI, John M. Beck, president and chief executive of Aecon, and Lu Jianzhong, president of CCCC, wrote in an op-ed article in The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper.

CCCC is controlled by the Chinese state, but it is publicly listed and has shareholders that include the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, BlackRock and Vanguard, Mr. Beck and Mr. Lu wrote.The Trump administration has tried to use the steel and aluminum tariffs as a bargaining chip to persuade other countries to voluntarily restrain their metal shipments to the United States or make other trade concessions. The administration may be looking to use the auto tariffs similarly, as leverage to force concessions from trading partners like Canada and Mexico.

I think your autoworkers and your auto companies in this country are going to be very happy with whats going to happen, the president said on Wednesday afternoon as he prepared to board Marine One. Nafta is very difficult. Mexico has been very difficult to deal with. Canada has been very difficult to deal with. They have been taking advantage of the United States for a long time. I am not happy with their requests. But I will tell you, in the end, we win.

Our autoworkers are going to be extremely happy, he added.

In a Twitter post Wednesday morning, the president also hinted at the pending announcement.

There will be big news coming soon for our great American Autoworkers, Mr. Trump said. After many decades of losing your jobs to other countries, you have waited long enough!

But the proposal drew what appeared to be a swift backlash from the car industry. Some auto industry representatives said they worried that the plan could raise prices for cars and trucks in the United States, and end up leading to a less competitive American industry and fewer choices for American consumers.

If these reports are true, its a bad day for American consumers, said John Bozzella, the chief executive of Global Automakers, a trade group. To our knowledge, no one is asking for this protection.

In an April 2017 memo, the White House described several sectors as critical elements of our manufacturing and defense industrial bases, which we must defend against unfair trade practices and other abuses. That included vehicles, along with products like steel, aluminum, aircraft and semiconductors.As many of New Yorks top Democrats gathered on Long Island on Wednesday for the partys state convention, one prominent Democrat was noticeably absent: Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Mr. de Blasio, who holds one of the most recognizable political offices in the country, and who has traveled to Iowa and other cities and states around the country to promote progressive Democratic ideals, was apparently not quite as welcome in his home state.

There was not an invitation to play a meaningful role at the convention, he said on Wednesday at an unrelated news conference in the Bronx. I got a lot of other good things I can do with my time and so Im not worried about it.

The mayor did not say why he thought he had not been given a significant role, but it seemed likely that it had to do with the main attraction at the convention: Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who will formally receive the State Democratic Partys backing on Thursday.Luis Posada Carriles, the anti-Castro militant and former C.I.A. operative who made headlines for decades for his failed attempts to topple the Cuban dictator, died on Wednesday in Miramar, Fla., He was 90.

The cause was fluid in his lungs and complications of a stroke he had in 2015, his daughter, Janet Arguello, said.

Mr. Posada spent nearly 60 years on a quixotic and often bloody mission to bring down Fidel Castro by any means possible. He was accused of using bombs and bullets in a crusade that took the lives of innocents but never did manage to snare that Cuban leader, who died at 90 in 2016.

Mr. Posada hopped from country to country, finding refuge in jungles, arming rebels, surviving stints in prison and living on the run off the largess of Cuban exile supporters, then dying a free man at a home for aging military veterans.Since 1851, obituaries in The New York Times have been dominated by white men. With Overlooked, were adding the stories of remarkable people whose obits never made it into the newspaper.

May 23, 2018

In December 1869, about 50 years before Congress ratified the 19th Amendment, the territory of Wyoming granted women there the right to vote and hold public office. It was a chapter in the womens suffrage movement that The New York Times noted in a single sentence.

Wyoming did not stop there, though. Within a few months, the territory had sworn in the countrys first female jurors and appointed its first female justice of the peace.

Her name was Esther Morris.

Born Esther Hobart McQuigg on Aug. 8, 1814, in Tioga County, N.Y., she was orphaned as a child and then apprenticed to a seamstress. In 1841, she married Artemus Slack, a civil engineer. A year later, they had a son, Edward.

When Slack died just three years into the marriage, she moved to Peru, Ill., where she married John Morris, a local merchant. With Morris, she had twin boys, Robert and Edward. In 1869, the couple, the twins and Esther Morriss son from her first marriage moved to South Pass City, a gold-rush boom town in Wyoming Territory, which had been established the previous year.Its not every day we start our discussion of current events with the presidents sex life.

Well, actually, its gotten to be pretty frequent. But today were going to talk less about what Donald Trump does in bed and more about his efforts to interfere with other peoples intimate affairs.

When I ran for office, I pledged to stand for life. And as president, thats exactly what Ive done, he told a cheering anti-abortion crowd Tuesday night. Abortion opponents like to call themselves pro-life, but the Trump administration has gone further than simply making it more difficult for women to terminate a pregnancy.

Trumps had a virtual war on birth control, beginning with an attempt to eliminate the rule that employer health insurance cover contraceptives. Now hes built a Department of Health and Human Services that wants to promote family planning methods that involve  not having sex.

And hes come a long way from the guy who once told a national TV audience that he was very pro-choice. Although to be fair, that was way back in 1999, when he was still in his 50s and presumably hadnt had time to work out a mature position on the subject.David Kim, a Korean-American Democrat running for Congress in the suburban Seventh District, won enough votes on Tuesday to earn a spot in a runoff. Sheikh Rahman, a Bangladeshi immigrant, effectively won a State Senate seat on Tuesday by winning a Democratic primary, because no Republican is running for the seat.

Mr. Kim said in an interview Wednesday that he had reached out to black, white, Latino and Asian voters in his district. The Seventh is, from a diversity point of view, a melting pot of America, and what Id call the New South, he said.

As the suburbs have evolved and thrived, many rural Georgia counties have struggled, prompting residents to migrate to urban centers like Atlanta and Savannah. Small towns, especially in South Georgia, sometimes have more shuttered storefronts than open businesses. In recent months, lawmakers have even considered offering tax incentives to people willing to move to rural areas.

White Georgians in places like those are among the main targets for the hard-edge ads with anti-illegal immigration themes ads that were prominent in the Republican primary for governor. One candidate rode around in a deportation bus, promising to fill it with murderers, rapists, kidnappers, child molesters and other criminals. Another, Secretary of State Brian Kemp, bragged that he had a pickup truck big enough to round up criminal illegals and take them home myself.

Mr. Kemps homespun, hard-right ads (in another, he is seen brandishing a shotgun at a young man who wants to date his daughter) probably helped lift him into a runoff with Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, the Republican front-runner.

Concern about illegal immigration runs high in the state, especially among conservatives. A poll of likely primary voters, commissioned in April by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and WSB-TV, found that nearly 82 percent of Republican respondents rated the issue as very important or important to determining how they would vote, as did about 60 percent of Democrats.

Liberals often see such concern over illegal immigration as a malign response to the rapid changes in the state. Census figures show that the white share of the population is down to 61 percent, from 72 percent in 1980, while the number of Hispanic residents has surged. Statewide, more than 1 million people now speak a language other than English at home.The law enforcement officers involved in the shooting death of a black man in Savannah, Ga., in January will not face state criminal charges, a grand jury said in a report on Wednesday. But it noted that the United States Justice Department last week opened a civil rights investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.

The man, Ricky Boyd, 20, was fatally shot by officers outside his grandmothers house in Savannah early on Jan. 23. Police officers and federal marshals were trying to serve a warrant for his arrest in connection with a killing two days earlier.

Mr. Boyds death quickly drew scrutiny because of conflicting claims about whether Mr. Boyd was holding a weapon at the time he was shot.

The Savannah Police Departments interim chief initially said that Mr. Boyd had fired on officers, but a later statement from the police said only that he had confronted officers with a gun. After that, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said it was a BB gun.Ive known about them for years, said Rachael Denhollander, of Louisville, Ky., a Baptist who was the first woman to speak out publicly against Dr. Lawrence G. Nassar, the former Michigan State University physician convicted of molesting members of the Olympics gymnastics team. But it took this new climate and this kind of public pressure to make something happen, which is in itself disturbing.

Mr. Patterson is credited with orchestrating a takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, from its centrist leadership in the 1980s, and pushing it to the right. Key elements of his platform were banning ordination for women and re-establishing traditional gender roles, including the teaching that wives should submit to their husbands.

In an audio recording that was circulated in recent weeks, Mr. Patterson recounts a story about a female congregant who had sought his counsel about domestic abuse. Having advised her to go home and pray, he saw her return the next Sunday with two black eyes. When she asked if he was happy, he said yes, because the abuse had inspired her husband to feel guilty enough to appear at the back of the church, attending for the first time.

In late April, Mr. Patterson said in a statement that he regretted that the way he expressed his conviction that abused women should avoid divorce has brought hurt, but declined to apologize for the stance.

He did apologize for an anecdote he told in a 2014 sermon, cited in the open letter that called for his removal. Mr. Patterson recalls a moment when a very attractive coed walked by. She wasnt more than about 16 but let me just say, She was nice. When a young man nearby is chastised by an older woman for exclaiming, Man, is she built! Mr. Patterson tells the woman to leave him alone, saying, hes just being biblical.

I wish to apologize to every woman who has been wounded by anything I have said that was inappropriate or that lacked clarity, Mr. Patterson said in that statement.

About 15 million people are part of the Southern Baptist Convention; proceeds from its 46,000 churches help finance six seminaries, including the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Scholars of conservative Christianity cautioned against reading Mr. Pattersons abrupt retirement as a signal of a broader progressive shift.Fire departments rarely, if ever, hired female firefighters until shortly after the passage of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibited employers from discriminating against women. Brenda Berkman, a retired captain in the New York Fire Department, whose 1978 lawsuit opened the door to women in that department, said that harassment of women could be extreme in those early years  from death threats to putting pornography on their lockers.

There was this idea that this was a job for men, Ms. Berkman said. Why are women ruining our club? Why are they asking to be treated differently? But we werent. All women firefighters were asking for was that this workplace be seen by everyone as a job, not a club.

Female firefighters have grown in numbers over the years but their share of the total work force has declined recently. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women made up just 3.5 percent of all career firefighters in 2017, down from 5.3 percent in 2007. Marc Bendick, an economic researcher who conducted a national study of female firefighters in 2008, said he had found that most departments continued to be hostile work environments for women.

It wasnt that the women couldnt do the jobs or didnt want the jobs, he said. It was what the departments were doing to them.

Lawsuits have followed. Curtis Varone, a lawyer in Rhode Island whose law practice is concentrated on issues in the fire service and who has a database of such cases, said of approximately 8,500 cases against the service, the most common type by far involves sexual harassment, which is particularly remarkable, he said, given how few women there are in the service.

Its a major problem, he said.

Chief Stanley, who began as a firefighter in 1995, became an advocate for women in the Fairfax County Fire Department after the suicide of Nicole Mittendorff two years ago. Ms. Mittendorff was a firefighter and paramedic who became the target of lewd posts on a Fairfax County message board written by anonymous commenters, some who claimed to be her colleagues.

Chief Stanley has sued for equal treatment before. She was one of the lead plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit settled in 2006 over a lack of facilities and promotions for women, among other things. Women have sued the department six times for sex discrimination since 2005, and in most of those cases either settled or won.Our guide to stand-up, improv and variety shows happening this weekend and in the week ahead.

BATTLE OF THE DIVAS: BARBRA STREISAND VS. JUDY GARLAND at Union Hall (May 28, 8 p.m.). White and gold or black and blue? Yanny or Laurel? We live in a time when issues and causes have never seemed more divisive, and this long-running event is no different. Once a month, the hosts Matteo Lane and Christi Chiello pit two showbiz icons against each other and have comedians figuratively duke it out to crown one queen. This time, Molly Austin, Peter Smith and Cole Escola will take sides in the Barbra Streisand versus Judy Garland debate.

718-638-4400, unionhallny.com

CAMOUFLAGE at Gamba Forest (May 26, 8 p.m.). This monthly comedy showcase is an excellent option for a weekend-night alternative to going out and getting lit. Think low-key house party with free pizza, some very funny guests and no pressure to be funny yourself. The host Lucas Connolly curates a fresh new lineup of comedians for each installment. The inimitable Janeane Garofalo will take the stage, along with Frank Conniff, of Mystery Science Theater 3000, and others.

eventbrite.comShe had studied painting, too, and was making art on the side  until she reached a convergence point of sorts.

The work has evolved to a point where I am able to marry my architect self and artistic self, said Ms. Williams, who is again based in her hometown. It occupies an interesting space that is neither and both.

For her best-known project, Color(ed) Theory (2015), Ms. Williams painted eight homes in Chicagos Englewood neighborhood that were slated for demolition. The colors she employed were custom-mixed to match those found on products that were prevalent in her childhood, like Crown Royal purple and Chicken Shack red.

People have an immediate response to the colors, and it did a great job of drawing attention to why these houses were being demolished, and larger issues, said Grace Deveney, an assistant curator at the MCA who organized Chicago Works: Amanda Williams.

Ms. Williams collaborated on a project that just had its debut at the United States Pavilion of the Venice Architecture Biennale, and next year will address the phenomenon of redlining  discriminatory lending practices  for an exhibition at the University of Chicagos Smart Museum of Art.

Chicago is unfortunately the perfect place to look at these things, she said, adding, Color always has a double meaning.Our guide to dance performances happening this weekend and in the week ahead.

AMERICAN BALLET THEATER at the Metropolitan Opera (through July 7). The doubleheader of Alexei Ratmanskys Firebird and Wayne McGregors new AfteRite receives three more performances between Friday and Saturday. Mr. Ratmansky, a consummate storyteller, brings colorful intrigue to a mystical avian tale, while Mr. McGregor, a British choreographer known for aggressive physical extremes, reconsiders the ubiquitous dance classic The Rite of Spring. Both works are set to celebrated Stravinsky scores. Beginning Tuesday, Ballet Theater switches gears and heads to India for the Russia-born epitome of 19th-century exoticism, La Bayadere.

212-362-6000, metopera.org

DANCEAFRICA at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House (May 25-28). This impressive showcase of African dance returns for its annual performances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where it began in 1977. This years theme, Remembrance, Reconciliation and Renewal, focuses on South Africa and observes the centennial of the birth of Nelson Mandela. From that country comes Ingoma Kwazulu Natal Dance Company, a composite of several traditional and contemporary dance troupes performing a variety of indigenous dance styles, as well as contemporary dance by Siwela Sonke Dance Theater. Also on the program is BAM/Restoration Dance Youth Ensembles performance of a work that connects the African anti-apartheid movement to the American civil rights movement.

718-636-4100, bam.org

FOOD FOR THOUGHT at Danspace Project (May 31-June 2, 8 p.m.). The Momentum Project, which provides meals for the homeless, partners with Danspace Project to enlist artists in its efforts. For this weekends performances (and also on June 28 and 29), those who donate canned goods receive discounted tickets. Each evening is curated by a different artist who has invited three or four colleagues to perform. Curators on this first round are Maura Donohue, Remi Harris and Paz Tanjuaquio.

866-811-4111, danspaceproject.orgFew places in the world are as married to the water as Venice. Not only has the Floating City replaced streets with canals and land with islands, but its buildings also sit on wooden piles, driven into the ground deep below the water. Like much of the sea-hugging world, the city is also facing an existential threat as the waters rise and its ground sinks.

The citys art and architecture Biennales (the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale starts on Saturday and runs through Nov. 11) have long reflected this simultaneously magical and dire condition, with exhibit after exhibit addressing sustainable architecture, climate change and rising seas.

Many have even drifted along Venices canals themselves, including Mike Bouchets (doomed) floating house; Croatias floating pavilion; Kunle Adeyemis floating school; Joana Vasconcelos floating artwork, Trafaria Praia; and Aldo Rossis floating Theater of the World.

As is so often the case, life is imitating art, and floating architecture is emerging as one of the built worlds most promising markets  for many of the reasons pinpointed at the Biennale.American art from the 20th and 21st centuries is broader, and better than previously acknowledged, especially by museums. As these institutions struggle to become more inclusive than before, and give new prominence to neglected works, they rarely act alone. Essential help has come from people like William Arnett and his exemplary Souls Grown Deep Foundation. Their focus is the important achievement of black self-taught artists of the American South, born of extreme deprivation and social cruelty, raw talent and fragments of lost African cultures.

The foundation is in the process of dispersing the entirety of its considerable holdings  some 1,200 works by more than 160 artists  to museums across the country. When it is finished, it may well have an impact not unlike that of the Kress Foundation, which from 1927 to 1961 gave more than 3,000 artworks to 90 museums and study collections.

The Met was the first of the foundations beneficiaries, receiving a gift of 57 artworks by 30 artists in 2014. Now, the museum celebrates its fortune with History Refused to Die: Highlights From the Souls Grown Deep Foundation Gift. A selection of 29 pieces, many of them rarely if ever shown, it is suffused by an electrifying sense of change.BERLIN  From the converted industrial space of the Tate Modern in London to the polygonal, copper-clad de Young in San Francisco, the Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron have broken new ground in museum design. They come to the trade naturally: Encounters with visual artists were crucial to the development of an aesthetic that is as inventive and stylish as it is sleek and restrained.

But museums by no means make up the bulk of the partnerships work; Herzog & de Meuron has established itself as one of todays most highly sought-out firms for the way it reimagines private residences, hospitals, schools and other public spaces around the world.

Recent work has included high-profile urban projects like the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany, and the luxury residential tower at 56 Leonard Street in Manhattan, which features a sculpture by Anish Kapoor at the buildings base. The firm is also at work on the modern and contemporary art center M+ in Hong Kong, scheduled to open next year; the 20th-century art museum Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin; and a new site for the Vancouver Art Gallery in Canada.

The architects have distinguished themselves by finding specific solutions for every project. For the Schaulager, a contemporary art warehouse that opened on the outskirts of Basel in 2003, Herzog & de Meuron faced the challenge of designing a building that both exhibits and stores artwork for research purposes. Through Aug. 26, the site is home to Bruce Nauman: Disappearing Acts, a large-scale retrospective that arrives at the Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1 in New York in October.The Venice Architecture Biennale is known for corralling big thinking. And for this years presentation, the United States Pavilion is looking all the way to the cosmos.

The exhibition Dimensions of Citizenship was commissioned by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago, on behalf of the State Departments Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the United States Embassy in Rome.

It features seven installations that address the topic on levels ranging from the individual to the universe itself.

There are two big questions, said one of the curators, Ann Lui, a professor at the art institutes school and a co-founder of Future Firm. What does it mean to be a citizen today? And whats the role of architecture in that? So we organized it around seven spatial scales.He said Mr. Indiana, who took the surname of the state where he was born  he lived in Vinalhaven, Me.  also felt a connection with the Wisconsin company.

BRAT and Johnsonville are like him, he said, Midwest people made good with their things all over the world, including Vinalhaven.

In the federal lawsuit filed last week, a company that had long acted as Mr. Indianas business agent, Morgan Art Foundation, accused Mr. McKenzie and the artists caretaker in Maine of isolating him from his old friends and business connections so they could market unauthorized or adulterated versions of his work.

Mr. McKenzie has said it was the Morgan company that had been mistreating Mr. Indiana by not paying him the proper royalties on works he and the company had jointly agreed to sell, a charge the company denied. Mr. McKenzie said that all of the artwork he helped Mr. Indiana create and distribute in recent years had been conceived and authorized by the artist. I dont forge stuff, he said in an interview last week.

Jamie L. Thomas, the man who helped care for Mr. Indiana at home on Vinalhaven, an island off the coast of Maine, has not responded to phone calls and emails.

The dispute drew a federal investigator to the island on Tuesday, according to Sean Hillgrove, 49, who worked for Mr. Indiana for many years, often as a driver or maintenance man or as a helper in his studio with his art.GLASSBARGE at Pier 5, Brooklyn Bridge Park (through May 28, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.). You can easily go to a museum, but how often does the museum come to you? Thats whats happening off the Brooklyn shore, where GlassBarge, a traveling version of the Corning Museum of Glass, has temporarily docked. Its arrival is a bit of a homecoming: Corning, the glass manufacturer, began as the Brooklyn Flint Glass Company, and GlassBarges voyage commemorates the 150th anniversary of the businesss relocation to Corning, N.Y. The barge, which offers 30-minute glass-blowing demonstrations every hour on the hour (timed tickets are free, but reservations are strongly encouraged), is not alone; ships from the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum are accompanying it on its journey. One, the Lois McClure, a reproduction of an 1862 barge, will offer free tours, first come first served, in which children can learn about life on the nearly 200-year-old Erie Canal.

cmog.org/glassbarge

JUNGLE DISCOVERY at the Jewish Childrens Museum (through June 10). This interactive exhibition doesnt bring the jungle to Brooklyn so much as it delivers the Serengeti plains. As children engage in activities like building a lions den, finding animals in a sandbox (using touch) and crawling through a giant caterpillar, theyll learn facts about various species, like the height a giraffe can grow to: 18 feet. Because this museum also celebrates Judaism, the show combines its information on wildlife with parables that emphasize lessons from the Torah.

718-907-8833, jcm.museum

SCHOLASTIC ART & WRITING AWARDS: NEW YORK CITY REGIONAL EXHIBITION at the Uris Center for Education, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (through May 28). Visit this exhibition, and you may see the work of someone who will be famous in the future, and not just for 15 minutes. Andy Warhol, Stephen King, Sylvia Plath and Lena Dunham were all winners of these awards, given annually to a select group of students in Grades 7 through 12. This free show features more than 600 pieces by current students who received the Gold Key Award, the highest regional recognition. Presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the exhibition also honors entries in mixed media and photography, as well as in painting, film, poetry, essays and fiction.

212-535-7710, metmuseum.org

SEA (SINGULAR EXTREME ACTIONS) at Brookfield Place (May 25, 12:30 and 6 p.m.; May 26, 12:30 p.m.). Elizabeth Streb calls the members of her company extreme action heroes, and even though they dont spring from a comic book or a movie screen, theyre pretty amazing  and just as watchable. This weekend, Arts Brookfield, which offers free public performances at Brookfield Place, will present the troupe, Streb Extreme Action, in this show. Consisting of feats that combine dance, acrobatics and gymnastics, often executed in the air and with the help of unusual equipment, SEA offers a bonus for children: On Saturday, from 9 to 11 a.m., the company will conduct free 30-minute classes in its techniques. (Space is very limited, and registration is strongly encouraged, but some walk-ins will be allowed at each class, first come first served.)

212-417-2414, brookfieldplaceny.comSo what, exactly, was so revolutionary about Sinfonia? Berio intended the title not in a conventional sense, to describe musical structure, but in an etymological sense, to point to a diversity of sounds and meanings coming together. In its original form, which Berio conducted with the Philharmonic in 1968, the work consisted of four movements. He added a fifth  a sort of summary  the next year, and Bernstein, though no longer the Philharmonics music director, led the orchestra in the complete work in 1970.

The five movements make varied uses of voices, in speech and song. The first vocalists to tackle the work, the Swingle Swingers, were inimitable, but the immensely creative artists of Roomful of Teeth need not rely on imitation. Texts come from Samuel Beckett, the anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss and other sources.

The second movement, a reworking of a slightly earlier choral tribute, O King, takes as its text the name of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who had just been assassinated in 1968. Kings name is broken down into phonemes: a barely decipherable vowel here, a consonant there, to be dispensed at widely spaced intervals.

As an idea, it is genius, Mr. Bychkov said. Its as if a being is coming into life, and it actually becomes a complete person.

But the works center of gravity is the third movement, which uses the delightful Scherzo of Mahlers Resurrection Symphony  more or less intact  as a framework, adding layers of text and snippets of music by more than a dozen composers, including Bach, Beethoven, Stockhausen and Boulez.

You might call it a mishmash. Mr. Bychkov is more eloquent.

Imagine you are walking into a big room where there is a reception, and lots of people are congregating in little groups, he said. You cannot hear everything that each one says. You hear snippets of this and snippets of that, and it creates this sort of life, multilife.As a novel (in 1967) and a film (in 1975), Picnic at Hanging Rock had a couple of features that could be problematic in 2018.

Set in 1900 in the Australian countryside, where provincial gentility rubbed up against indigenous culture and wild nature, the story centered on a series of disappearances and deaths of girls and women  symbolically done in by, or perhaps mystically transcending, their repressive environment. It was not a story of empowerment.

Even worse, by current standards, the instigating mystery  the disappearance of three boarding-school girls and one of their teachers during a hike up Hanging Rock, an actual geological feature near Melbourne  was left unsolved. Did they jump, did they run, were they killed, were they transported? No definitive answer was provided. In the peak-TV era, there is no greater heresy.

So what were the creators of a new, six-episode Picnic at Hanging Rock, made for Australian television and streaming on Amazon beginning Friday, to do? (Besides say, you know what? Weve taken a look at this thing and changed our minds.) The evidence suggests they couldnt settle on one answer to that question.A surprise international hit offers nuanced thrills. And Martin Freeman brings humanity to Middle-earth in the second film of the Hobbit trilogy.

Whats Streaming

FAUDA on Netflix. The first season of this Israeli show made our list of the best international series of 2017. In that season, a former Israeli soldier (played by the series co-creator, Lior Raz) came out of retirement when a notorious terrorist (Hisham Suliman) returned after being presumed dead. The second season should offer plenty more than just thrills; the show has delved deeply into the personal lives of its characters, and one of its strengths has been its portrayal of human struggles on all sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. David M. Halbfinger, The New York Timess Jerusalem bureau chief, wrote that the show offers a chance for Israelis to visit places and engage with subjects that they ordinarily avoid  and then return home safely with the flip of a switch.My mother should have recognized the Roth books as the real enemy, since the only thing worse than a deflowered daughter would be one encouraged to examine her ambivalence about the American Jewish experience outside our communitys hushed auspices. In the end, thats what those books really did for me. There was a book for every facet of this quandary: Goodbye, Columbus for interclass tensions; The Human Stain and American Pastoral for the perils of passing; Indignation for assimilation and intermarriage.

Roths books answered the question of how all this Jewish education I was getting would translate into the real world, should I survive the ordeal of childhood. What did it mean to be Jewish in America? Were we supposed to convey pride in our religion and our culture? Were we the punch lines to a joke that was constantly being made? Were the jokes at least funny? And such small portions? Was being Jewish a bad thing? Were we proud? Were we embarrassed? Did we still have to watch our backs? How should a modern Jew behave in the world? How should a modern Jew assert his or her Jewishness? Were we white? Youre kidding yourself if you think were white! Do the goyim like us, or do they simply tolerate us? Youre kidding yourself if you think they tolerate us! How to act, how to assimilate but not too much, how to remind them about the Holocaust when they got uppity about Jewish privilege. How to not break into laughter when someone used the phrase Jewish privilege.

The Jews in my life grappled with their identities in only the most private forums. There were heated, impolite conversations that, should we air them in public, might give away some kind of tenuous advantage that we had gained over the years, which was, specifically, that nobody in the mid-1980s was overtly trying to genocide us. There was economic prosperity then. There wasnt the kind of economic downturn that unleashes, oh say, burning swastikas at rallies in the South, or the unprovoked beatings of at least three Jews in Brooklyn in the last month.

To ask the questions in public would be to admit that we were unsure, or in disagreement. Any fracture in the facade or unity might topple our tenuous, newly earned, mostly illusory strength. But Roth didnt care. He wrote about our avenue of the American experience, not just for us, but for the world. In The Plot Against America, how were just one unlucky decision away from another disaster, one that would wipe us from the earth completely. In American Pastoral, how irresistible a shiksa could be, not just because of her beauty and the health she would surely hand down to your children, but because of the baggage she wouldnt. Elsewhere, what it meant to be the child of people who came to America to forget, but then insisted on incessant remembering. How Jews would never be left to forget that they were different. How only some Jews wanted to even try to forget. And when he was done writing about the questions, he wrote about our anger at him having aired our dirty infighting.

He was called self-hating for all this, but he wasnt self-hating. He was paving a road that would legitimize the American Jewish experience so thoroughly as to elicit a piece like this upon his death, which was edited by not one but two yellow-haired genetically sparkling gentiles. With every book, with every question, with every overt display of ambivalence and disgust, he was affirming to us that we were contenders. Like our experiences deserved to be considered and judged.1. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting.

That was President Trump, writing to Kim Jong-un of North Korea to let him know that their June 12 meeting is officially canceled. But he left the door open to future talks. Read the letter here.

North Koreas remarks had taken a bellicose turn in recent days. Officials there were furious when Mr. Trumps national security adviser, John Bolton, floated the disarmament of Libya in 2003 as a precedent for North Koreas denuclearization.On the defensive about safety

By mid-April, Mr. Musk had another problem on his hands: workplace injuries.

In an article published on April 16, the Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit news organization, cataloged a number of serious injuries experienced by Tesla factory workers. The article said that Teslas injury rate exceeded the industry average in 2016 and that the company had chosen not to report certain episodes as required under California labor law.

In a blog post, Tesla said the article had incorrectly counted some injuries that actually occurred away from the car plant and had relied on outright inaccurate information.

Days later, Californias job safety watchdog said that it was investigating a recent incident at the automakers factory in Fremont that left a worker hospitalized with a broken jaw.

More on this later.

Dismissing bonehead questions

By the beginning of May, the negative news had not relented, and Mr. Musk was no longer in a joking mood.The European Commission said on Thursday that it had reached a settlement with Gazprom, finally concluding a long-running antitrust investigation into the Russian energy giants dominance in regional gas markets.

Officials in Brussels said the company had accepted a series of concessions, but unlike with competition inquiries into other companies like Google and Intel, it declined to issue any financial penalties. That provoked criticism in countries like Poland, which say they have been squeezed by the energy company in the past, and fear that the deal between Gazprom and the European Commission does not go far enough to prevent similar behavior in the future.

Still, the settlement could mark the end of a long legal tangle between the commission, the European Unions executive arm, and the Russian state-controlled company, which is the dominant supplier of natural gas in parts of Europe.

The commission had originally filed charges against Gazprom in 2015, accusing it of breaking the blocs antitrust rules, leading to higher gas prices in five Central and Eastern European countries, including Bulgaria and Poland. Last year, it accepted provisional commitments by the company to address those charges.Tasteless is a word often used hyperbolically, but it applied to many dishes at Bar Patron.

Mexican food in Australia is an easy target for those of us who have eaten widely in Mexico or California or almost anywhere else in the Americas. Australias proliferation of terrible burritos  usually imbued with some kind of fruity salsa and mayonnaise or aioli  is a lesson in what can happen to a cuisine when it is taken completely out of its cultural context. The Mexican population here is relatively tiny. The types of restaurants that usually pop up to give a community a taste of home  and provide the basis for a cuisine to grow naturally in a new location  have not had the chance to develop here.

A recent boom of fast-casual burrito chains and trendy taco and tequila outfits have raised the bar considerably, bolstered by Australians heartfelt enthusiasm for the cuisine. But the most influential Mexican food brands in Australia have historically been Old El Paso and a restaurant chain called Taco Bill. (No, not Taco Bell, Taco Bill.)

With a few welcome exceptions, most of the Mexican food here is still a wan imitation  blander, sweeter, and more mayonnaise-y than the real thing.

Bar Patron, in Sydneys Circular Quay, has been marketed as the maturation of Mexican food in Australia, where it is presented in a fine-dining context and given the respect it deserves. But the restaurant is mostly notable because it is a collaboration between the Patron tequila brand and the Rockpool Dining Group, an Australian behemoth led by Neil Perry, one of the countrys most famous chefs.

Mr. Perry sold his company in 2016 to Quadrant Private Equity Group, but he retains the role of culinary director at Rockpool  meaning that his name and reputation are used liberally when promoting new and existing projects.NAVARREVISCA, Spain  Old vineyards dot the landscape surrounding this village about an hour west of Madrid. But to find the tiny, astounding Rumbo al Norte vineyard, where 70-year-old garnacha vines grow on granite and sandstone slopes threaded with quartz and strewn with gigantic boulders, you not only have to know someone, you have to earn his trust.

For as long as anybody can remember, old vineyards like this one in the foothills of the Sierra de Gredos mountains have been cherished by a dedicated few, who nurtured the vines through hot summers and cold winters. The work was exhausting, especially in the years before automation and automobiles. Simply getting to the vineyards, which can approach 4,000 feet above sea level, was an arduous project. Even today, they are tended almost entirely by hand.

The reward? For decades, the garnacha, as grenache is known in Spanish, went to the local cooperative, which made bulk wines that ended up in anonymous blends. Many growers lost money on their vines. But their attachment to the land was deep, transcending economics.

Beyond the elderly caretakers, whose children were seldom interested in carrying on their stewardship, not many valued these old vineyards. Twenty years ago, the few commercial wineries in the area were planting cabernet sauvignon and merlot on the flatlands in an effort to appeal to international markets.Shan tofu, named for its origins in the eastern Shan State of Myanmar, has little kinship with its better-known East Asian cousin. At Rangoon Spoon in Gravesend, Brooklyn, its made not with soybeans but with chickpea flour thats soaked overnight, drained and soaked again, then simmered, requiring constant churning until it turns into a dense congee.

Once chilled, it takes on a texture somewhere between bean curd and Chinese liang fen (mung bean noodles), with more spring than slip. Amy Tun, the chef, cuts it into strips and glosses it with tamarind paste, garlic oil and fish sauce. Kaffir lime leaves gleam, dark as jade, shredded down to the width of pine needles.

If you ask for it, this salad  such a harmless word  will come armed with enough chile to annihilate conversation. Under the heat, the tofu itself is confoundingly cool.

Ms. Tun, 28, grew up in Yangon (formerly Rangoon), then the capital of Myanmar, and moved to Brooklyn in 2005, when a change in the United States immigration policy enabled greater numbers of Burmese to find sanctuary here from their countrys repressive government.For her wedding Sept. 23, 2017 at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va., Itamar Conner, a 22-year-old student, decided it wouldnt be respectful of her boyfriend to invite two men she had dated previously whom she still counted as friends.

Before we met each other we had both been out in the dating scene, having fun, being 21-year-olds, she said. But for our wedding day, something we treasured so much, we didnt want it to be tainted with our past. We didnt want to see a picture of my exes in the wedding photos.

Are There Any Lingering Feelings?

Its also a terrible idea if either party still has feelings.

If your relationship with an ex is in shadow land or underground, if there is still some energy with you and the ex, that is when you need to exclude them, Mr. Kerner said. You might be able to say, I am not interested in my ex, but if the ex still maintains some romantic or sexual interest, its probably worth putting a wall up.

Cristina Garcia, a 38-year-old wellness consultant in Austin, Tex., who is happily married with children, was shocked when her high school sweetheart hand-delivered an invitation to his wedding. I knew he was dating someone, and they were serious, and I was happy for him, she said. But I never expected the wife would be cool with inviting me to the wedding.

She attended and found the experience baffling. The doors opened, the bride is there, and he was looking for me, she said. Our eyes locked. Then they continued with the ceremony, and I congratulated them after and watched them do their first dance, she said. Maybe it was his version of closure.

She added that it was a moment she will never forget for her entire life.

Ms. Swann points to Prince Charles as an example of what not to do.Although there is optimism that the Ebola outbreak in central Africa can still be quickly contained, the fight is already becoming more complex, health experts said this week.

Novel tactics  a new vaccine already in use, and new antibody or drug treatments that may be deployed  raise hopes that the outbreak will be quickly extinguished. Nonetheless, they may sow confusion because the treatments are unfamiliar to a wary and terrified population.

There are now 58 confirmed or suspected victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo, of whom 27 have died, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. Three cases were in health care workers.

In one alarming development, three patients fled from an Ebola ward overseen by Doctors Without Borders in a hospital in Mbandaka, a city of more than one million about 60 miles from the outbreaks rural epicenter.The first of a new class of drugs to prevent migraines was approved last week. The medication, called Aimovig, reduces the frequency of migraines among those severely afflicted, but the drug rarely prevents these episodes altogether. One expert called it progress but not a panacea. Migraine is the most disabling neurological disease in the world among people under age 50, beating epilepsy, strokes and chronic back pain. Yet many who have migraines dont realize it or ever mention their symptoms to a doctor.

How do you know if you have migraines?

Migraines are not just headaches. It is diagnosed in patients only if they have had a minimum of five attacks, each lasting four to 72 hours. Each attack has to include at least two of the following symptoms: throbbing headache with pain that is moderate to severe, that worsens with activity, and is only on only one side of the head. Also, a person suffering a migraine attack is nauseated or abhors sound or noise.

What about auras? Are they part of a migraine?

Sometimes, but not always. About 20 percent of migraine patients get an aura before the headache. Auras involve distortions of vision. People see jagged lights or have blind spots in their visual field. But auras can take other forms as well: a prickling pins-and-needles feeling on parts of the body, speech disturbances, distortions of sounds. Some get auras without a headache or only a mild headache. Auras actually involve different areas of the brain than migraines, and it is not clear why they are linked to migraine headaches.

How common are migraines?

They can start in childhood, although they usually begin in adolescence or young adulthood. They strike nearly one in five women worldwide, one in 16 men and one in 11 children. One out of four households has at least one member with migraine. The condition seems to spring from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. There is nothing a person can do to reduce the odds of developing migraine.I like working with data. Although its tedious, I love the fact that youre actually proving something. And I find that timelines and different data points help me organize and make sense of a story. Spreadsheets like the ones we built are extremely detailed and complicated. As the reporter Grace Ashford teased me  together we created a spreadsheet of 1,000 housing court cases  does everyone spreadsheet like you?

For months, I sat in front of my computer  on weekends, early in the morning, during spare time  trying to find a moment when the Buildings Department website wasnt so overloaded it would crash. (This happens all the time.)

Housing court was another challenge. A court database gave us court dockets for 5  years, but the dockets did not say whether someone had actually been evicted. So we had to go to court and pull cases, which was a lesson in patience. Even as reporter Jessica Silver-Greenberg was only allowed to pull five cases at a time, she had to examine those cases next to a man allowed to look at a cartload of cases at a time. His job: To input the data that would later end up in the so-called tenant blacklist. Court cases themselves also did not tell us what necessarily happened. We had to knock on doors at the Dunbar Apartments and track down people who were sued, to get any sense of how cases were resolved.

Perhaps most importantly, we had to convince people to talk about their landlords, when they feared that their landlords might retaliate. Maybe, they feared, they would lose their shelter.

But many eventually agreed to stand up, including three women: Neri Carranza, who initially had little interest in revisiting what she felt was a trauma, the loss of her home of more than 50 years; Temma Tainow, who saw a construction workers leg punch a hole in her ceiling; and Cynthia Wilkie, whose daughter was blind and in a wheelchair, whose new landlord came in and tried to take her building apart.

In the future, we plan to do more stories, although we cant, for obvious reasons, be too specific. Wed like to look deeper at the agencies that are supposed to protect tenants, and at affordable housing not just in New York but nationwide. We also have to comb through hundreds of tips.

Since the articles were published, we have heard from scores of tenants affected by these issues. Their stories are similar: I am about to be evicted. Please help. I know how it feels to lose your home, one man wrote, adding that he felt lucky to be able to sleep on the floor of a friends apartment. I am 65 years old and I am losing hope.One minute Patricia Espitia was strolling down a street in Bogota, Colombia, holding her 5-year-old daughters hand, a picture of all thats right in the world.

The next, the 27-year-old mother was clutching her burning face, her daughter wailing and the stranger who splashed her with acid tearing off in a getaway car, never to be seen again.

More than a decade and 30 reconstructive surgeries later, the reasons for the attack that seared her face, ears, neck, chest and arms remain a mystery. Yet when Betty Zapata, a Venezuelan photographer based in London, contacted Ms. Espitia for her project documenting acid attack victims in Colombia, she found a powerful public citizen. Ms. Espitia runs a nonprofit advocacy group for acid attack survivors, giving speeches and making appearances to expose the horrific crime plaguing her country.If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE).When gentrification makes the old neighborhood but a melancholy memory, where do the old-timers go? In Williamsburg, the center of Brooklyn chic, Puerto Rican residents who have been pushed out  or are resisting  gather at Tonitas, a social club where music, food and friendship sustain bonds that were forged decades ago when the neighborhood was a bastion of the Puerto Rican working class.

Its a corner of the Caribbean where everybody knows your nombre.RE: ON MEDICINE

Siddhartha Mukherjee wrote about the effectiveness of surgical checklists.

I have been a practicing cardiac surgeon for over 25 years and also struggle to reduce medical errors. I use checklists, sparingly. Thanks to fortunate collaborations with behavioral psychologists and human-factors scientists, I have come to understand that checklists are not a panacea. The simple adoption of an intervention proved effective in other endeavors is an oversimplification of medical error. Checklists address but one of myriad sources of error: memory lapses. The science of safety is much more complex.

Checklists have proved useful in medicine where they have been developed and adopted, not implemented. The Michigan Keystone project reduced central-line infection to zero by assembling local teams to impact a measurable outcome. It was the team, not the checklist, that mattered. Humans are more often a source of rescue than error, more often heroes than villains. Thoralf M. Sundt, M.D., co-director, Corrigan Minehan Heart Center; chief, division of cardiac surgery, Massachusetts General HospitalA photograph of a group of suffering people: We look at them, and from the sadness of their expressions and gestures, we know something awful has happened. But finding out exact details, through the photograph alone, is more difficult. Who these sufferers are, why they suffer, who or what caused the suffering and what ought to be done about it: These are entirely more complex questions, questions hard to answer only by looking at the photograph.

The accounts journalists typically give of their motivations, particularly in photographing violence, arent always convincing. Why go off to wars or conflict zones at great personal risk to take pictures of people whose lives are in terrifying states of disarray? The answer is often tautological: The images are physically dangerous and psychologically costly to make, and therefore they must be the right images.

Susan Sontag, probably the most influential writer on the intersection of violence and photography, didnt buy this argument. With forensic prose, she cut through complacent apologias for war photography and set photojournalistic images of violence squarely in the context of viewers voyeurism. This was the argument advanced in her 1977 essay collection, On Photography. Sontag believed that a certain passivity was inescapable in spectatorship, and that any image of violence would be tainted by this passive distance. Through the camera people become customers or tourists of reality, she wrote. Looking at those images, she seemed to suggest, was both self-absorbed and self-absolving.

She revisited the subject near the end of her life, with more complexity and focus. In Regarding the Pain of Others (2003), she still viewed photojournalists with skepticism (she dubbed them star witnesses and specialized tourists), and remained averse to the kind of prurient gaze that images of torment can foster. But she amended some of her earlier positions. She previously argued that photographs, despite their capacity to generate sympathy, could quickly shrivel it through overexposure. She became less sure about that. She also queried the idea, implicit in her earlier arguments and explicit in the work of theorists like Guy Debord and Jean Baudrillard, that the abundance and distribution of images made reality itself little more than a spectacle:

It suggests, perversely, unseriously, that there is no real suffering in the world. But it is absurd to identify the world with those zones in the well-off countries where people have the dubious privilege of being spectators, or of declining to be spectators, of other peoples pain, just as it is absurd to generalize about the ability to respond to the sufferings of others on the basis of the mind-set of those consumers of news who know nothing at first hand about war and massive injustice and terror.

Sontag wondered, near the end of Regarding the Pain of Others, whether one has no right to experience the suffering of others at a distance, denuded of its raw power, and she came to the conclusion that sometimes a bit of distance can be good. Theres nothing wrong with standing back and thinking, she wrote. (Even more than the incisiveness of her judgments, Sontags willingness to rethink her views is what endears her to me.) The challenges of viewership have only intensified in the 21st century. Images of violence have both proliferated and mutated, demanding new forms of image literacy. Some recent scholars of photography have argued with some of Sontags assertions in On Photography. One of those scholars, Ariella Azoulay, has questioned the claim of voyeurism. Azoulay reads images of conflict or atrocity as constituting a more interwoven set of actors, displacing the question from one of voyeurism, and even of empathy, to one of participatory citizenship. We are all in this together, Azoulay seems to be saying (and I dont think the Sontag of Regarding the Pain of Others would disagree). In making such an argument, Azoulay attends to a different tradition in photography writing, one connected to an assertion made in 1857 by Lady Elizabeth Eastlake in The London Quarterly Review: For it is one of the pleasant characteristics of this pursuit that it unites men of the most diverse lives, habits and stations, so that whoever enters its ranks finds himself in a kind of republic, where it needs apparently but to be a photographer to be a brother.Theres something endearingly childlike about How to Talk to Girls at Parties that goes a long way toward compensating for its inarguable daftness. Directed by John Cameron Mitchell (loosely adapting a Neil Gaiman short story), this loony romantic comedy, set in the London suburb of Croydon in 1977, encourages young love to bloom in the soil of an alien visitation.

And why not? The Queens Silver Jubilee celebration is in the wings, and the punk-preoccupied lads at the movies center are up for all sorts of mischief. Led by Enn (Alex Sharp), an aspiring graphic novelist, the friends rock out at a local club then, drawn by strange tunes and the hope of an all-night party, wash up on the doorstep of a mysterious mansion. Inside they discover what looks like a Cirque du Soleil warm-up session  or one of those old Sprockets skits from Saturday Night Live  but is actually a commune of sexually adventurous alien tourists.

Enn is particularly drawn to Zan (Elle Fanning), their single-syllable connection reinforced by interspecies curiosity. Obtaining a 48-hour pass from her collective, Zan joins Enn for a weekend of working-class wandering and a ramshackle punk-rock concert  a scene whose rowdy, pile-driving vitality only spotlights the sagginess of the movie around it. Ms. Fanning has an otherworldly glow thats exactly right, but her character is no more defined or articulate than any other. And Mr. Sharp, whos now 29, is as credible playing a teenager as most of the leads in Riverdale. (Im not sure what to do with a safety-pin-bedecked Nicole Kidman as the doyenne of Croydons underground music scene, so Im just leaving that one alone.)Understanding is not synonymous with enjoying. The visual language of some movies is so personal and hermetic that interpreting it could be compared to reading a novel written in hieroglyphics. The Color of Pomegranates, also known as Sayat Nova, made by the Soviet director Sergei Parajanov (1924-1990) is one.

Completed in 1968 but not seen abroad for more than a decade thereafter, the film is newly available in a 4K digital restoration on Blu-ray from Criterion that can also be streamed on FilmStruck. The color is richer and the gradation considerably subtler, and, since the restoration is Parajanovs original cut, the running time is 10 minutes shorter than the Kino version released in 2001.

The Color of Pomegranates is most simply described as a series of tableaus that recount the life of the 18th-century poet and troubadour turned monk who was known as Sayat Nova (a Persian sobriquet that means King of Songs). Born, like Parajanov, in Soviet Georgia to Armenian parents, Sayat Nova was enough of a hero to have the 250th anniversary of his birth commemorated in 1962 with a postage stamp.

In The Color of Pomegranates, Sayat Novas poems are seen rather than heard. There is some voice-over but little dialogue in an ebb-and-flow soundtrack that alternates wailing folk melodies with choral chanting. The film draws on Sayat Novas imagery: angels with flat halos and wooden wings, a pasteboard cloud descending as a vision, the constant repetition of key props including books, silver balls and ornate rugs. Fruits seem to bleed and books to weep. Animals, particularly goats and sheep, are ubiquitous. Impassive actors engage in dancelike gestures while staring straight into the camera.Under Big Mothers tutelage, the trainees of her Female Liberation Army are encouraged to practice lesbian separatism as the revolutionary model for a future society without male domination. They plan to fund their rebellion by selling home-produced pornography. But for Isolde, who is transgender, the binary thinking of the Female Liberation Army leaves her in physical and sexual limbo. Though she shares the desire to end patriarchal violence, she does not share a common physicality with the other women in Big Mothers army. So while her comrades cavort, Isolde is forced to remain covert with the sympathetic and sexy Volker.

Even with its tongue planted firmly in cheek, The Misandrists is an unmistakably political film, but its aims are not to echo the goals of the fictional Female Liberation Army. Instead Mr. LaBruce utilizes camp, that unifying language of queer cinema, to undermine the credos of trans-exclusionary radical feminism. His actors are colorfully styled as lesbian archetypes, with soft butches sprinkled in among the eye-shadowed punks and earth mothers. Their recitations of Big Mothers doctrines are stiff, encouraging the audience to doubt the sincerity of their cause.

Mr. LaBruces irony only ceases when he shows his characters languishing in the fluidity of their erotic desires. Sex is depicted with graphic frankness in The Misandrists, and it is through sex  through the amorphous demands of the body  that these characters first encounter the limitations of their ideology. Lesbians find subversive inspiration in gay male pornography, trans women experience and inspire passion for both men and women, and even straight men are only one liaison (and one surgery) away from enlightenment. With The Misandrists, Mr. LaBruce announces, here is queer cinema: confrontational, pansexual, gender-fluid, racially inclusive, angry and surprisingly romantic.At the dog-friendly cafe Boris & Horton in the East Village, photographs of beloved pets had been taped to the walls for a Friday night event.

About a dozen people and six dogs sat around several tables supplied with pieces of cardboard, as well as watercolor paper, graphite-covered tracing paper and, last, high-quality, perfectly replicated sketches of each pet.

The sketches, based on the photographs, had been drawn a day or two before by Michele Cahill, the founder of Pet Portrait Fun.Here is a short dispatch from the world of wages at $13 an hour or thereabouts. In New York, that world could easily fill its own borough. Its gatekeepers met people trying to gain entry at a hiring fair for new stores in the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, at 179th Street in Manhattan, on Wednesday.

Yatnna Moquete, a walking human triangle  that is, a mother with two little children  peered along the tables where stores were taking applications. Tailing her was daughter Chantal 6 years old but looking all of the 7 she will be in a few days. Perched on Ms. Moquetes left hip as if it were a high chair was Aliyah, 9 months. Clutched in Ms. Moquetes right hand was a sheaf of job applications.

She led with the fist full of papers, aiming at the tables presided over by representatives of T.J. Maxx and Fine Fare and Marshalls and PNC Bank and Blink Fitness.

Anything, part-time, Ms. Moquete, 28, said. If she were able to land a job at the bus station, she said, she would take the Bx13 bus across the Harlem River from her home in the Bronx. What kind of money was being offered?During the 2014 election, Mr. Cuomo drove around the state in a bus called the Womens Equality Express, which had a pink stripe adorning its side. Some found the entire enterprise craven and patronizing  and an obvious effort to peel off votes from the W.F.P., which had been fighting for paid sick leave and other causes vital to womens lives for many years. Others found it duplicitous, given the rampant culture of sexual harassment that had been permitted to fester for so long in the state capital.

During that race, Mr. Cuomo was challenged by an unknown law professor, Zephyr Teachout, who wound up, to great surprise, receiving a third of the vote. In the wake of former Attorney General Eric T. Schneidermans downfall over allegations that he had physically abused four women he had been dating, Ms. Teachout announced this week that she will be running to replace him. But given the history, she is as likely to receive the backing of the W.E.P. as Noam Chomsky is of getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump. It seems a lot like a political shell company.

When it was founded, the W.E.P. was financed largely through a loan from Mr. Cuomos 2014 campaign. A second loan, from his current campaign, came several months ago, according to Rachel Gold, the states former deputy commissioner of labor and the partys treasurer. We dont have the bandwidth to do fund-raising, she said. We dont really have a website or a coffee mug.

That might explain why we arent seeing W.E.P. placards championing Liuba Grechen Shirley, a young mother running for Congress on the South Shore of Long Island in an effort to unseat the longtime Republican incumbent Peter King, who a decade ago complained that there are too many mosques in this country. But in actuality, there is no signage because the W.E.P. isnt endorsing her either, an especially curious omission, given that Ms. Shirley successfully requested that the Federal Election Commission grant approval for her to use campaign funds for child care, the first female candidate to petition on the matter. Despite that, the party is supporting her opponent in the Democratic primary, DuWayne Gregory, who lost to Mr. King by more than 20 percentage points two years ago.

I see that Liuba is running a pretty remarkable campaign; I admire her, Ms. Zimet told me. But DuWayne came as a recommendation through our state committee person. This statement has all the passion of someone telling you that she chose her husband because of the prudent manner in which he managed his 401(k). Mr. Gregory had stood by the party for a long while.When Ms. Nixons name was formally put up for nomination, there was only sporadic applause.

Were here to show that we are not afraid, that this is our party too, Ms. Nixon had said as she arrived in Hempstead. Her team pitched that her attendance showcased a fearlessness; it also guaranteed her a share of the media spotlight at an event that drew camera crews from across the state.

In the end, Mr. Cuomo was placed on the Democratic ballot for a third term by a landslide with more than 95 percent of the delegates. Ms. Nixon had exited the convention hall before the lopsided vote was tallied. She plans to file petitions to make the ballot.

Ms. Nixons poor showing at a convention scripted by Mr. Cuomo and his allies was hardly a surprise. Nonetheless, some of the praise from the governors big-name surrogates seemed intended to tweak her claim as the only progressive in the race.

Hillary Clinton delivered the keynote speech on Wednesday endorsing Mr. Cuomo, saying that now more than ever, we need leaders who will stand up for progressive values. Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. delivered a passionate and meandering follow-up address on Thursday.

Andrew Cuomo has never backed away from his progressive principles  not one single time, Mr. Biden said.

Ms. Nixon countered with Carlos Menchaca, a city councilman from Brooklyn, one of the few elected officials in the state to back her insurgent candidacy.

The fact is, he can rack up all the endorsements that he wants, but at the end of the day, people are going to vote for him or not vote for him, Ms. Nixon said in an interview on the train en route to the convention. Its his progressive record, or lack of it really  voters are going to judge him on.The accident occurred when the bus was trying to avoid a vehicle going in the opposite direction. Both drivers were contending with bad weather conditions.

The injured were rushed to the general hospital of Bolykhamsay province. Two of them are in serious condition.

The bus was one of three carrying 123 Vietnamese Thais and Laotians and their relatives back to Viet Nam after a trip to several relic sites in Thailand dedicated to late President Ho Chi Minh.

The May 17-23 trip was organised by the Viet Nam-Thailand Friendship Association to mark the 128th birthday of the late Vietnamese leader (May 19).

After learning about the accident, representatives of the Vietnamese Consulate General in central Laos came to the hospital to visit the victims and help them complete procedures to move to the general hospital in Vinh city in Viet Nams central province of Nghe An.

Other members of the delegation were transported to the Paksan hotel in Bolykhamsay. They were scheduled to return home late yesterday.  VNSFor years, Mayor Bill de Blasio has resisted disclosing thousands of emails between members of his administration and outside advisers, on the grounds that doing so would impede his ability to get the best, unvarnished advice.

Now it seems like Mr. de Blasio had an even more pressing and personal concern: He did not want to make public his own raw  and sometimes profane  emails to those same advisers, whom the de Blasio administration had characterized as agents of the city.

On Thursday, City Hall reluctantly released more than 4,200 pages of emails, the final stage in a two-year court battle that the de Blasio administration lost to NY1 and The New York Post earlier this month.

The emails shed light on the close involvement of those outside advisers from the start of Mr. de Blasios first term in 2014. They worked with City Hall on a range of issues from universal prekindergarten to funding for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.In 2010, Mr. Singh began seeking millions of dollars in loans for improvements to two businesses he ran at properties that Oyster Bay owned: a concession stand at Tobay Beach, and a restaurant and catering facility called the Woodlands. Prosecutors said Mr. Venditto agreed that Oyster Bay would guarantee Mr. Singhs loans, but the town backed off after a lawyer told them that would violate New York State law.

Soon afterward, though, the government said, Mr. Manganos former firm, Rivkin Radler, was hired to craft a way to say yes to backing the loans. The next day, prosecutors said, Linda Mangano received her first paycheck for what they termed a sham job with Mr. Singh. Prosecutors said that Mr. Mangano used his clout to advise and pressure Mr. Venditto to go along with the scheme.

Mr. Singh ended up receiving more than $20 million in loans, all backed by Oyster Bay. In return, prosecutors said, he gave Mr. Mangano expensive chairs, a luxury watch and subsidized vacations. Mr. Venditto was said to have received free use of office space and $11,000 worth of free limousine rides.

Mr. Vendittos lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, told jurors during closing arguments that simply accepting something of value did not amount to bribery. That appeared to be a reference to a 2016 United States Supreme Court decision that overturned the conviction of former Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell, who prosecutors said had used his office to help a businessman who had given him and his wife luxury products, loans and vacations.

That decision narrowed the definition of what can be the basis of a public corruption case, saying that only formal government actions count, and that routine political courtesies, like arranging meetings, do not.

Mr. Agnifilo also attacked the governments case as overblown, terming it ridiculous and saying at one point that prosecutors had decided, in effect, to make a pizza with a lot of toppings and throw it at the wall to see what sticks.

But he reserved his most vehement attacks for Mr. Singh, likening him to an uninvited guest who served strange food that required a strong stomach and finally labeling him a sociopath.Dear Diary:

The current revival of Edward Albees Three Tall Women has reminded of a special moment in Manhattan sometime in the 1990s.

I had had the pleasure of seeing Marian Seldes in the play. A couple of days later, I saw her walking along Sixth Avenue, arm in arm with a gentleman I later learned was her husband, Garson Kanin.

Although I graduated from Fordham University in 1968, it had been many years since I lived in New York City. My companion that day reminded me of the protocol: Dont bother the celebrities!

But I was a Californian by then and decided that I would be forgiven. After we had passed the couple, I turned around.Investigators from the New Jersey State Police and the Morris County Prosecutors Office determined that Mr. Muldrow attempted an illegal U-turn on the highway after missing an exit, according to a news release they issued on Thursday afternoon. They charged him with two counts of reckless vehicular homicide.

Mr. Muldrow, who lives in Woodland Park, will be held in the Morris County jail until an appearance before a judge in the Morris County Courthouse, the prosecutors office said. That arraignment is expected to occur on Friday morning.

Matthew W. Reisig, a lawyer representing Mr. Muldrow, said in a statement that he turned his client over to the prosecutors on Thursday morning. While we understand that this accident and its tragic consequences are a matter of considerable public interest, my client has faith in the criminal justice system and reiterates his presumption of innocence, the statement said.

Citing the State Police, the prosecutors office said Mr. Muldrows bus and two others traveling with it from the school ventured off course en route to Waterloo Village, a recreated 19th-century town in Stanhope. Mr. Muldrow returned to the interstate and immediately cut across the westbound lanes to get to a crossover in the middle of the highway that is reserved for police cars and other official vehicles, the news release said.

The bus was nearly perpendicular to the highway when the oncoming dump truck struck it in the rear of its left side, sending it into the median, the prosecutors office said.Later Thursday, Mr. Cuomos office released a new statement in response to questions about whether the governor supported Mr. Byford and his plan. Dani Lever, a spokeswoman for Mr. Cuomo, offered support for Mr. Byford  and a list of other top executives at the authority. The governor looks forward to reviewing the report and supporting the M.T.A.s new management team in their effort to overhaul and modernize NYC Transit and bring relief to riders, she said. Andy Byford, Joe Lhota, Pat Foye, Ronnie Hakim, Phil Eng and Janno Lieber are changing the M.T.A. and thats why theyre there.

Technically, Mr. Byford was hired by leaders at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state-controlled agency that oversees the subway. But Mr. Cuomo, who has taken a close role in setting the agencys priorities, interviewed Mr. Byford in person and essentially signed off on him.

In the past, Mr. Cuomo has praised Mr. Byford in public, though Mr. Cuomo has also pressed him to focus on a new signal technology that has not been used on any major transit system. Mr. Byfords plan relies on a proven technology that has already been thoroughly tested in New York.

The authoritys chairman, Joseph J. Lhota, says Mr. Cuomo is simply trying to keep pressure on the agency to become more efficient. Mr. Lhota views his role as helping to protect Mr. Byford from the difficult politics surrounding the agency so that Mr. Byford can focus on running the system.

But the plans release was quickly overshadowed by political squabbling between Mr. Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, and criticism from the actress Cynthia Nixon, who is running for governor in the Democratic primary.

On Thursday, Ms. Nixon said Mr. Byfords plan is exactly what the subway needed. The question is, will the governor listen to the study that he himself has ordered? Ms. Nixon said.

A day earlier, Mr. Cuomo had told reporters the plan could not succeed without Mr. de Blasio pitching in some cash. Mr. de Blasio said that fixing the subway was Mr. Cuomos problem because he ran it. An M.T.A. spokesman hit back, saying the city owned the subway and the mayors unwillingness to help pay for the plan had made it dead on arrival.St. Michaels Cemetery has hosted this tribute concert to Scott Joplin every spring for the last 14 years, and the composer would have probably been delighted by the spectacle. He popularized ragtime, an early form of American music combining classical European harmonies with syncopated African rhythms, in the late 1800s with his hit, Maple Leaf Rag  the sheet music sold half a million copies, and the song became a soundtrack to the Gay Nineties. In 1907 he moved from St. Louis to New York City, arriving as a famous composer. But he died a decade later at the age of 49, destitute in an asylum on Wards Island as ragtime was fading in popularity.

Joplin predicted that his music would one day be critically recognized, but the acclaim he has been bestowed in death may have shocked him. He is ingrained in American folklore, immortalized on postage stamps and honored with a posthumous Pulitzer Prize. And ragtime experienced an unlikely revival in the 1970s after the Academy Award-winning movie The Sting featured his music prominently and a version of his song The Entertainer reached No. 3 on the Billboard chart.

The St. Michaels concert typically takes place on a sunny lawn, and free barbecue is usually served, but last weekends weather repelled all but the devoted. Were ragtime lovers, said Mary E. Doran, 76. Rain doesnt stop us. She described how she became smitten by ragtime. The year is 1951, she said theatrically. A lonely kid is growing up in an Irish family. Ted Macks Original Amateur Hour comes on. I can still hum the solo. The whole thing caught me and never let go.

Scott Joplins story is tragic, she continued. He was cheated. He was segregated. You name it. Buried in a paupers grave here with two people. She stopped herself. Oh, Scott, she said tenderly. I dont want to say anything to besmirch you. But you made your mistakes.As early as 2013, the F.B.I. had concerns about Paul Manafort and his deputy, Rick Gates, regarding their offshore consulting activities, and interviewed the pair repeatedly. At the time, Manafort was working for Ukrainian President (and Putin puppet) Viktor Yanukovych, from whom he allegedly received more than $12 million in secret payments.

The bureau also had long been interested in Carter Page, an obscure energy consultant whom it had first interviewed in 2013 in connection to his contacts with Victor Podobnyy, a Russian spy based in New York. Pages chief distinction was his willingness to recite Kremlin talking points on foreign policy.

Manafort joined the Trump campaign in March 2016. Page was named to Trumps foreign policy team that same month. So was George Papadopoulos, another nonentity with pro-Russian views. Within two months, Papadopoulos was getting word of Russias hacking ops via a Kremlin-connected source, which he passed along to former Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer that May. The Australians later related this to the F.B.I.

Retired Gen. Mike Flynn, the future national security adviser, had his own financial ties to Russian companies and organizations that would stand to benefit from the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Russia. Flynns sudden advocacy for lifting sanctions was especially odd given that he was previously on record as an anti-Russia hawk.

All of this is independent of Christopher Steeles notorious Russia dossier. Some pundits on the right are now breathlessly trying to claim that the bureau was spying on Page, and thus the campaign, via an informant before the formal investigation began, as if this is an outrage of the first order.

But the significant question is whether any competent counterintelligence officer would not have seen, in this constellation of facts, serious reason to believe that the Trump campaign was profoundly vulnerable to Russian manipulation, even (or especially) if the candidate himself didnt know about it. Just imagine if Manafort or Flynn hadnt had their Russia ties exposed and now occupied positions of trust in the White House. The Kremlin would surely know how to leverage their secrets.The cost of living in New York City  rent, groceries, health care, mass transit  continues to climb. And the lower your income, the harder these increases hit you. Thats why were pushing Mayor Bill de Blasio to adopt Fair Fares, an ambitious, large-scale discount program for subway and bus fares, in his budget proposal for the 2019 fiscal year. It would give half-price MetroCards to working-age New Yorkers living at or below the federal poverty line.

For Cynthia Kozikowski, a single mother of four in the Bronx, paying off doctor bills and buying prescription drugs are usually the first things to get crossed off her list.

Before going on disability with a back injury, Ms. Kozikowski had a well-paying job in customer service. Now shes forced to decide between paying for a MetroCard, so she can take her children to doctor appointments in Brooklyn, where theyve been going since before moving to the Bronx, or paying off her own health care or cellphone bills.

She opts for the MetroCard. Not only so she can get necessities like food and toiletries, but also so her kids can see the rest of the city on weekends. So either her medical bills pile up, or she has to go without the use of her cellphone.In short, we may be headed for a game of chicken, with Trump and Kim at the wheel. And the rest of us are all in the back seat.

If the summit is not rescheduled, well be worse off than before because it will be difficult for Trump to return to his policy of strangling North Korea economically. China has already been quietly relaxing sanctions, and South Korea may not have the stomach for maintaining strong sanctions, either. That might make the military toolbox more appealing to Trump.

Some Republicans have praised Trump for his North Korea diplomacy, and theres been talk about him winning a Nobel Peace Prize. Thats preposterous. Just look at how we got here.

Trumps jingoistic rhetoric didnt particularly intimidate North Korea, but it terrified South Korea, which feared it would be collateral damage in a new Korean war. So South Koreas president, Moon Jae-in, shrewdly used the Olympics to undertake a peace mission to bring the U.S. and North Korea together, flattering Trump to make this happen. This was commendable on Moons part; hes the one who genuinely deserves the Nobel Peace Prize if this works out.

Then Trump rashly accepted the idea of a face-to-face meeting on June 12, without adequate preparations and apparently based on the delusion that North Korea would simply hand over its nuclear weapons. Still, talking is better than bombing, and there was some prospect that the talks could set in motion a process in which North Korea would freeze nuclear and missile tests.

Kims apparent destruction of his nuclear test site was a genuinely positive step, notes Siegfried Hecker, an expert on the North Korean nuclear program at Stanford University. It was then a slap in the face for Kim when, just hours later, Trump canceled the June 12 meeting

National Security Advisor John Bolton seems to have played a key role in the cancellation, and he presumably will be an obstacle to setting a new date  for Boltons solution to almost any problem seems to be to start a war.Every mass shooting, like the most recent at Santa Fe High School in Texas that left 10 people dead, reignites a passionate debate over the Second Amendment. For many Americans, if there is an image that comes to mind when they think about that amendment, it is the musket in the hands of minutemen at Lexington and Concord.

A dramatic but little-known story reveals that a more accurate image may be the musket in the hands of slave owners. It explains why, when he entered Congress and wrote a Bill of Rights, James Madison included a right to bear arms, and why it included the clause A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State 

The story begins in June of 1788. Virginia was holding a convention in Richmond to decide whether to ratify the Constitution the founders had drafted in Independence Hall the previous year. Eight states out of the nine necessary to adopt the Constitution had already ratified, but Rhode Island, North Carolina, New Hampshire and New York looked unlikely to ratify. All hope for the ninth hung on Virginia.

The Virginia convention featured a dramatic debate between federalists, who favored ratification, and antifederalists, who opposed it. The debate pitted James Madison, a federalist and the principal drafter of the Constitution, against George Mason, the intellectual leader of the antifederalists, and Patrick Henry, Virginias governor and a renowned orator.Authorities in the Tinh Gia District confirmed the accident happened around 12.30am.

Initial reports say the train, numbered SE19, was carrying 400 passengers on route from Ha Noi to HCM City when it collided with a dump truck at a level crossing in Truong Lam Commune.

The driver and co-driver have been identified as the two people killed.

The collision caused the cab to fall over and six other carriages to run off the tracks, the truck was heavily damaged, said the State-run Viet Nam Railway Corp (VNR).

Injured passengers have been rushed to nearby hospitals for medical care.

VNR and local authorities said they have sent resources to the scene to deal with the situation.

Passengers on the S19 train as well as on other trains running along the North-South route are receiving support from the railway corporation to be transported by other means to their destinations.

The cause for the accident is still being investigated. Two guards of the level crossing were summoned by the police for questioning.

North-South railway, the main rail line of the country, was temporarily disrupted following the accident.  VNSThe first man on the moon held an American flag. In the not-too-distant future, astronauts on the moon may be holding fuel pumps.

The future for American commercial space activity is bright. Space entrepreneurs are already planning travel to Mars, and they are looking to the moon as the perfect location for a way station to refuel and restock Mars-bound rockets. As much as this sounds like the plot of 2001: A Space Odyssey, it is coming closer to reality sooner than you may have ever thought possible.

A privately funded American space industry is the reason. This industry is making progress in leaps and bounds. The global space economy is approaching $350 billion and is expected to become a multitrillion-dollar industry. There are more than 800 operational American satellites in orbit, and by 2024 that number could exceed 15,000. Thanks to public-private partnerships, for the first time in seven years American rockets will soon carry NASA astronauts into space. Long dormant, Cape Canaveral is now bustling with activity. America is leading in space once again.

Space tourism may only be a year away. Tickets for human flights into lower earth orbit have already sold for $250,000 each. Earth-based mining companies may soon face stiff competition from the mining of gold, silver, platinum and rare earths on asteroids and even other planets. A race is already developing to create the technology that will bring those crucial resources back to earth.President Trump has an almost Apollonian daytime argument in favor of his continued political dominance, which is Jobs Jobs Jobs!, MAGA! and so forth. He also has a nighttime argument about decline, racial resentment and ethnic hatred. He pushes both strains hard, but the evidence suggests that his heart is really in the hate.

Through gut (or gutter) instinct, Trump has adopted a political strategy designed to exploit anger at and resentment toward immigrants as well as racial and ethnic minorities. This is the linchpin of his approach to the 2020 election.

Trumps demonization of nonwhites was and remains essential to his takeover of the Republican Party.

His unabashed embrace of insults, epithets and name-calling is well established. In January, my colleagues David Leonhardt and Ian Prasad Philbrick argued in The Times that

Donald Trump has been obsessed with race for the entire time he has been a public figure. He had a history of making racist comments as a New York real-estate developer in the 1970s and 80s. More recently, his political rise was built on promulgating the lie that the nations first black president was born in Kenya. He then launched his campaign with a speech describing Mexicans as rapists. The media often falls back on euphemisms when describing Trumps comments about race: racially loaded, racially charged, racially tinged, racially sensitive. And Trump himself has claimed that he is the least racist person. But heres the truth: Donald Trump is a racist. He talks about and treats people differently based on their race. He has done so for years, and he is still doing so.

I asked Stephen Utych, a political scientist at Boise State and the author of a 2017 paper, How Dehumanization Influences Attitudes toward Immigrants, whether he saw Trumps anti-immigrant rhetoric as part of a larger political war plan. He wrote back by email:

Taking the morality out of it, Ive both conducted and seen research from others that consistently shows that dehumanization works by making people dislike dehumanized groups, and wanting to take punitive actions against them. I think Trump has been doing this really subtly, especially over the last few months, so I definitely think this is a strategic move on his part.

This tactic, Utych added, denies out-groups traits that are uniquely human  things such as the ability to reason, think critically, or feel emotions.

In fact, well before the 2016 election, the white American electorate was becoming increasingly receptive to derogatory language as adherence to standards of the liberal democratic tradition had already begun to waver.To the Editor:



Re Trump Cancels Meeting With Kim, Citing Open Hostility  (nytimes.com, May 24):

As surely as the Russian downing of an ill-advised U-2 flight doomed the Eisenhower-Khrushchev summit of 1960 that might have averted the arms race, the deliberately insulting remarks by Vice President Mike Pence and the national security adviser, John Bolton, doomed a Trump-Kim summit.

By touting the Libyan model (nuclear disarmament, then United States-backed regime change), they stoked fears that they should have been working to assuage. This administration has also snatched war from the jaws of peace by renouncing the nuclear deal with Iran.

It is now the urgent responsibility of Congress to bar President Trump from launching an attack on North Korea without specific congressional authorization. Nuclear disarmament will occur not through the caprice of an egocentric president, but through a renewed grass-roots global movement to halt a gratuitous nuclear arms race and to rid the Earth of nuclear weapons before we suffer an actual nuclear catastrophe.

DAVID KEPPEL, BLOOMINGTON, IND.

To the Editor:

What an incredibly childish letter President Trump has sent to Kim Jong-un of North Korea, canceling the summit meeting. Here are the standard Trumpisms of a wonderful dialogue and a beautiful gesture, offset by a reference that our massive nuclear capability is much bigger than Mr. Kims.President Trump pulled out of a highly anticipated meeting with Kim Jong-un. In a letter to the North Korean leader, Trump wrote, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting.Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at thedaily@nytimes.com. Tweet me at @mikiebarb. And if youre interested in advertising with The Daily, write to us at thedaily-ads@nytimes.com.

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Open the Alexa app. From the navigation panel on the left, select settings, then flash briefing, then get more flash briefing content. Look for The New York Times and select enable skill. Now you can say, Alexa, whats my flash briefing? and you will hear that days episode of The Daily.Mr. Gross, the author of real estate-focused books including 740 Park and House of Outrageous Fortune, about 15 Central Park West, produced an essay detailing the buildings design and past residents. Early residents, he discovered, included Philip H. Philbin, Jr., a stockbroker and big-game hunter who was arrested for manipulating the stock of Atlas Tack Corporation (and who apparently could not recall what he had done with more than $400,000 when questioned by the attorney generals office). Mr. Gross has also hosted presentations and book signings with brokers and buyers.

It was one of the quieter Candela buildings that was not on everyones radar, said Matthew Baron, the president of Simon Baron, which is also a sponsor of Elegance in the Sky: The Architecture of Rosario Candela, an exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York running through October 28. It was important for us to bring awareness to the fact that the building had this rich history.

According to Mr. Gross, There are very few buildings in the city that could support a book, but there are dozens and dozens of buildings that can support an essay.Coyotes are excellent colonizers.

They breed fast, eat almost anything and live just about anywhere. You can find them in fields, forests, backyards, parks and even parking decks. Theyre living in cities like Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. Theyve even made it to the Florida Keys and Long Island. In 2010, they crossed the Panama Canal. Now, the only thing keeping them from entering Colombia is a dense patch of forest called the Darien Gap. And camera traps have caught them heading that way.

I dont think anyones betting against the coyote getting to South America eventually, said Roland Kays, an ecologist at North Carolina State University and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. They have to be one of the most adaptable animals on the planet.

To understand how these wily wanderers roamed so far, Dr. Kays and James Hody, a graduate student, sifted through thousands of museum specimens, fossil records, peer-reviewed reports and records from wildlife agencies and traced the animals paths back 10,000 years. Their resulting maps, published Tuesday in ZooKeys, show how wrong weve been about the historical range of our continents toughest canids. The maps also provide a foundation for scientists to start asking questions about what happens when new predators enter a habitat, and how hybridization influenced coyote evolution.When the last male northern white rhinoceros died in March, people mourned the beloved mammals step toward extinction.

With no members of the subspecies left in the wild and just two females remaining in captivity, it felt like the last bit of sand was draining through the rhinos hourglass.

But several teams of scientists are working to flip the hourglass back over.

One group, led by researchers at the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, hopes to revive the northern white rhino using preserved cells. In a study published Thursday in Genome Research, the scientists sequenced the DNA of these cells and concluded that they hold a promising amount of genetic diversity for re-establishing a viable population of northern whites.So, with a baby on the way, Mr. Stinnett made the difficult decision to leave a high-paying job at a Boston law firm and take on the cause.

But how? Most people buy into the idea that voting is good (even if they dont do it) and would be ashamed for their communities to find out they didnt vote.

Mr. Stinnett said he and his colleagues used social and peer pressure  much better behavioral nudges than talking about the environment. A sample mailer from the group: Did you know that last time there was a City Council election, 87 percent of your block voted and you didnt?

And its working. Since starting in Massachusetts in 2015, a report by the group shows that it has increased turnout in multiple elections by around 5 percent; in its first attempt in Florida (St. Petersburgs mayoral race), the group added nearly 500 environmentalists to the voter rolls, and it plans to target nearly a million Florida voters in the coming midterm elections.

For the midterms this year, with an army of 1,500 volunteers across the country, theyll be targeting 2.4 million environmentalists in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Colorado, Florida and Nevada.Megan Kibby, 33, said she never expected to become a grandmother at such young age. But when Tassi, the goat she raised with her business partner, Jason Lewis, gave birth to twins in the midst of a goat yoga session in Suwanee, Ga., on Sunday afternoon, she was delighted.

Ms. Kibby and Mr. Lewis run Red Wagon Goats, a goat yoga business based in Stone Mountain, Ga. (Ms. Kibby teaches the yoga.) They knew that Tassi was going to give birth soon. Another of their goats, Emmylou, had given birth to twins the previous day and, as Ms. Kibby put it, when one of them goes they all go.

They did not think it would happen in the middle of a class.

Red Wagon Goats was holding a goat yoga fund-raising event at one of citys parks on Sunday, when Tassi  named for the Tassili nAjjer site in Algeria  began to paw the ground, looking for a place to nest. Mr. Lewis picked her up, intending to take her to a trailer where she could give birth more privately, when she began to deliver.

Shes having this baby right here, he said. (Several days later, the story of the birth was featured in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.)SAN FRANCISCO  More than a second before a self-driving car operated by Uber struck and killed a pedestrian in March, the vehicles computer system determined it needed to brake to avoid a crash. But a built-in emergency braking system had been disabled while the car was in autonomous mode to ensure a smoother ride, according to the preliminary report of federal regulators investigating the crash.

The initial findings, released on Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board, confirmed early police reports about the episode, which was the first known pedestrian fatality involving an autonomous car.

The report also affirmed what many experts on self-driving cars said in the days after the crash: Ubers cars are loaded with sensors and cameras that should have detected a pedestrian with plenty of time to stop. But this one failed through a combination of a computer system not responding properly to the pedestrians presence and a distracted safety driver.

The fatal crash has raised questions about the safety of testing self-driving cars on public roads and whether companies, in their rush to be among the first to deploy this breakthrough technology, are taking enough precautions to prevent harm to other drivers and pedestrians. It has also dampened some enthusiasm for self-driving cars as a technology that researchers believe could eventually save lives because robot drivers, unlike humans, dont get distracted or tired and obey traffic rules.When Nancy Lublin started Crisis Text Line in 2013, she thought of her New York City nonprofit as a tech start-up  and not simply because they text to counsel people in distress. Ms. Lublin wanted to use analytics to be smarter at it.

Id consider myself a tech C.E.O., she said. The first thing I ask is, What does the data say?

Five years after the site began, 4,000 volunteer counselors across the country  the site is always recruiting more  can work on their computers wherever there is internet. The nonprofit said it handled nearly a million chats last year, mostly with people under 25 who would rather text than talk about their problems.

The platform the volunteers log into is honed with a machine learning algorithm, which has analyzed past chats for actionable information. For example, the system automatically moves distressed people who write words like gun, military, fentanyl, or a crying emoji to the front of the line, colored orange. Data shows those are the most likely indicators that the person will need an active rescue from 911, and counselors start chats with them first, responding within an average of 38 seconds.

The chats are also creating a trove of information on distress nationwide. The highest per capita texts come from Montana; Midwesterners report the most bullying; the coasts are the most stressed; and people in the South most often mention L.G.B.T.Q. issues. (You can track the state-level data in real time at crisistrends.org.) The organizations tech team is currently working on software to make the counselors even faster: For example, suggesting they answer with youre strong to people who say they are overwhelmed.

The data also helps people on the ground who are fighting crises. In 2016, Ohio started a state-specific keyword with the Crisis Text Line  4HOPE  and advertised it in schools. The nonprofits data crunchers noticed that use of the keyword fell in the summer. Their Ohio partners were alerted and placed advertising in movie theaters. The texts surged once more.It doesnt entirely work. The party scene is intended as a kind of gift, however poorly wrapped, but the acting often falters and the shots taken at the Brooklyn creative class are mostly cheap ones. Im gonna go in the bedroom and lead a meditation, one character says while they wait for eats. And anyone who wants to come meditate with me should feel very free. Yes?

The play, directed by Jeremy Bloom with painted banners by Brian Rady, is probably a metaphor for theater or life or global warming. If you too are a young artist just trying to scrape together enough funding to keep going, it could feel violently necessary or just indulgent.

The piece resembles early, less rigorous works by devised theater troupes like The Debate Society and The Mad Ones, who would eventually produce splendid stuff. In these early shows, the companies had created worlds, invented characters, written reams of dialogue. It seemed rude to ask for anything more. Like a story. Or a reason to care.

In Ding Dong, the most dramatic event happens offstage and it involves that lasagna. (Dont get too attached.) Id lay good money that this lack of action is deliberate, prompted by Anton Chekhovs 1889 claim that in real life people dont spend every minute shooting at each other, hanging themselves and making confessions of love. Instead, they eat, they drink, they make lame jokes and theater has a duty to show this. I hear humans are 75 percent tidbit, one partygoer says. So stop whining about plot and pass the salsa.

Ding Dong also suggests that in the face of world-historical events, chiefly climate change, nothing that happens in one evening at one outer-borough birthday party can possibly matter and it would be weird to pretend otherwise. The age of stories with protagonists is over, says Sasha Masha (Robert Dowling), the companys resident playwright. In the face of global warming, none of us are protagonists.Our guide to plays and musicals coming to New York stages and a few last-chance picks of shows that are about to close. Our reviews of open shows are at nytimes.com/reviews/theater.

Previews and Openings

THE BOYS IN THE BAND at the Booth Theater (in previews; opens on May 31). The year before Stonewall, Mart Crowley wrote this funny and anguished play about a get-together for a group of gay men, which The New York Times, in between unthinking slurs, called a gripping, if painful, experience. Its back, directed by Joe Mantello, with an all-star cast, including Jim Parsons, Matt Bomer, Zachary Quinto and Andrew Rannells.

212-239-6200, boysintheband.com

CONFLICT at the Beckett Theater at Theater Row (previews start on May 25; opens on June 21). Alls fair in love and electoral politics. Or is it? In this play by Miles Malleson, the second that the Mint Theater has staged, Lady Dare Bellingdon, a freethinking woman, finds herself in the middle of a closely fought Parliamentary contest in the 1920s. Jenn Thompson directs.

212-239-6200, minttheater.org

DESPERATE MEASURES at New World Stages (previews start on May 30; opens on June 13). A rootin-tootin adaptation of Measure for Measure settles in for a run at New World Stages. The director Bill Castellino sets the action in the Wild West and ditches most of the moral philosophy. Reviewing last years production, The Times noted that while theres less than an ounce of Shakespeare in it, somehow its a delight.

212-239-6200, newworldstages.comA Border Patrol agent shot and killed a woman who had crossed the border illegally near Laredo, Tex., on Wednesday after the officer came under attack, federal authorities said.

The officer was searching for illegal activity in a culvert on a residential street in Rio Bravo, a border town about seven miles south of Laredo, when a group of undocumented immigrants started to hit him with blunt objects, United States Customs and Border Protection said. The officer, whose name was not released, fired at least one shot with his handgun, fatally striking the woman in the head.

A woman who lives next door to the site of the shooting disputed the federal agencys account of the events, saying that the property does not have a culvert and that she did not see any weapons that the group could have used.

They were on the very corner on that lot where there was a tree, the woman, Marta V. Martinez, said in an interview Thursday morning. There was no weapon. They were hiding.But critics  including Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was the Republican governor at the time  argued that the system was producing ideologically extreme candidates who were forced to appeal to the most fervent wings of their party, and that was leading to gridlock instead of governance. The solution? An open, nonpartisan primary in June, with the first- and second-place candidates heading to the November election, no matter which party they represented. The theory was that candidates would be forced to moderate their appeals to win a broader section of the electorate.

That sounds reasonable enough. So whats the problem?

Election reforms that might sound good in a political science class produce, as often as not, unintended consequences. And at the time, party leaders from both sides in California warned that one such consequence of the top-two system could be that major parties would get shut out in the primary, leading to a November ballot between two candidates from the same party. That would happen if multiple candidates from the same party crowded the ballot, canceling each other out as they divided a finite group of voters. And what kind of choice would that be?

You could see how party bosses, facing the prospect of losing power here, might make that case. But has that really happened?

Yes  twice so far in federal elections (more often in state ones). The first time was in a congressional race in 2012, when a Democrat was blocked from the general election in the primary, leading to a Republican victory in a Democratic district. (The Democrats recaptured the seat in 2014). The other was in the 2016 United States Senate race that elected Kamala Harris, a Democrat who had no Republican opponent in the November contest.

That doesnt sound like a lot.

Christian Grose, a professor of political science at the University of Southern California, who is writing a book on the top-two system, said the concern was overblown and the scenario feared by critics would, in all likelihood, rarely come to be. The top-two primary reform has made a big difference, he said. It has obviously disrupted Californias politics, in a good way, or else the two major parties consultants would not be complaining about it.A federal grand jury indicted three men this week in a case in which a man in Wichita, Kan., was killed by the police after a fake crime was reported as a prank.

The hoax, called swatting in an allusion to SWAT teams, was never meant for the victim, Andrew Finch, 28, though. He simply had the misfortune of living at the wrong address.

Now, two men accused of instigating the police response, Tyler Barriss and Casey Viner, and the intended target himself, Shane Gaskill, face a series of federal charges ranging from making false or hoax reports to obstruction of justice, according to a grand jury indictment unsealed on Wednesday. Mr. Barriss is also facing involuntary manslaughter charges in state court.

In an interview days after the shooting, Lisa Finch, Mr. Finchs mother, criticized both the swatters and the police.Congratulations, you five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein. Harvey Weinsteins alleged sexual misconduct has been an open secret in Hollywood for decades. And I think theres a lot of reasons for that. One of them is definitely the power dynamic. He is a person who had a lot of power, and the women who claimed to be his victims usually did not. They were at the start of their careers. They maybe didnt feel like they had a recourse to talk about it. There was a sense that there wouldnt necessarily be any accountability for somebody of Harvey Weinsteins stature. He was known especially for producing movies that got you to the Oscar, which is what every actor and filmmaker wants to get. Thank you, Harvey Weinstein. One of the interesting things about this case is there were a few examples of it coming to light in pop culture. You know, the very people who were affected in some way or at least knew about this misbehavior were addressing it. Has someone coerced into being here? Do you count Harvey Weinstein as a coercer? Harvey Weinstein is a  I dont know whether hes in some kind of organized crime now. In 1998, Gwyneth Paltrow appeared on David Letterman. She was starring in Shakespeare in Love at the time, the movie that ultimately got her an Oscar, thanks to Harvey Weinsteins savvy Oscar campaigning. She mentioned him on the show in a way that, in retrospect, raised a red flag. Harvey said, Ill tell you what, go on and talk about your movie. Is that what Harvey said? Yeah. And in return, what will Harvey do for you? Nothing. Asia Argento, the actress and filmmaker, wrote a scene that was said to be inspired by Harvey in her film Scarlett Diva. Its a harrowing moment. Im not the big bad wolf. Just think of me as a teddy bear. O.K. Why dont you suck it? On a red carpet, Courtney Love even referenced Harvey Weinsteins reputation in Hollywood. The HBO series Entourage, which skewered Hollywood culture, had a character named Harvey Weingarten that bore more than a passing resemblance. Do you know who I am? Youre going to beg to get back into the pizza business. Harvey Weinstein has been thanked possibly more than any other person from the Oscar stage. Harvey Weinstein. Harvey Weinstein. Harvey. But Kate Winslet pointedly left him out of her acceptance speech for The Reader. She didnt mention any sexual misconduct, but she said that he had been very difficult to deal with on set. Some of the most pointed commentary came from episodes of 30 Rock, in which an actress character referenced having to have a relationship with Harvey. You dont want to mess with Weird Al. Oh please. Im not afraid of anyone in show business. I turned down intercourse with Harvey Weinstein on no less than three occasions. I think its interesting to see this stuff pop up in pop culture. It may have been an outlet for these writers and directors. If they didnt feel they could address this in an institutional way, in a legal way, they could at least address it in the work that they did. I know how former lovers can have a hold over you long after theyre gone. In some ways, Im still pinned under a passed out Harvey Weinstein and its Thanksgiving.Politics used to be pretty predictable. The same families showed up in election after election  Ms. Davis succeeded her mother, who was clerk for 37 years. Caudill is as common a last name around the county as Smith or Jones. Then came the whole deal that went on, as some call the events of 2015.

The county clerks office is essential: running elections, recording deeds, handling titles and issuing licenses for hunting, fishing and, of course, marriages. It is the front line of the government, the arbiter of what is officially recognized as legitimate, and what is not.

Thus Mr. Ermold was maddened to hear his competitors, Mr. Caudill in particular, complain of the inconveniences of the summer of 2015, as he spent most of his life officially marginalized and in many ways left at risk.

I not only understand but Ive been dealing with it for the past 44 years, he said.

Still, it is a county office, one of 120 in Kentucky, and its commission is carrying out the routine details of bureaucracy, not setting a big social agenda. Mr. Ermold acknowledged that he had to combine his campaign message of redemption and social progress with an assurance that he could efficiently manage car tags and fishing licenses. I kind of didnt focus on that at first because I just took it for granted that I have the experience to do it, he said.

Ms. Davis, who was unopposed on Primary Day, has a similarly two-pronged message. In an interview on Tuesday she insisted that she never sought the attention that came that summer, that she in fact hates conflict. She was not sure if she would run again this year but felt called to do so, and she wants to focus her campaign on her experience running the office.THE FACTS

False.

President Trump made a version of this claim on Wednesday morning, misquoting James R. Clapper Jr., who was the director of national intelligence under President Barack Obama. It was not true at the time and it remains inaccurate.

Mr. Clapper was asked on The View on Tuesday whether the F.B.I. was spying on Mr. Trumps campaign during the 2016 election.

No, they were not. They were spying on, a term I dont particularly like, but on what the Russians were doing. Trying to understand were the Russians infiltrating, trying to gain access, trying to gain leverage or influence, which is what they do, he responded.

As The New York Times wrote on Wednesday:

In other words, Mr. Clapper used the word spy to describe intelligence gathering on Russian efforts to influence the election. He explicitly denied that the F.B.I. spied on Mr. Trumps campaign.

Mr. Clapper made several other television appearances following Mr. Trumps claim on Wednesday. Throughout, he maintained that F.B.I. agents did not infiltrate Mr. Trumps campaign for political purposes. He also repeatedly called the use of an informant benign.WASHINGTON  President Trumps chief of staff and a White House lawyer representing the president in the Russia investigation were present on Thursday at the start of two classified meetings requested by members of Congress to review sensitive material about the F.B.I.s use of an informant in the inquiry.

The two men left both meetings after sharing introductory remarks to relay the presidents desire for as much openness as possible under the law and before officials began to brief the lawmakers, the White House said in a statement.

But the presence of John F. Kelly, the chief of staff, and Emmet T. Flood, the presidents lawyer, infuriated Democrats, and legal experts said their visit, at the least, could give off the appearance that the White House abused its authority to gain insight into an investigation that implicates the president.

The presidents legal team was unapologetic. We are certainly entitled to know what information the government has on the F.B.I. informant, Rudolph W. Giuliani, another lawyer representing Mr. Trump in the investigation, said in an interview. The meeting cuts off a long subpoena, he said, referring to a legal fight for the information.WASHINGTON  When Jared Kushner hosted a high-profile summit meeting on federal prison reform at the White House last Friday, some in attendance noticed that the man who was ostensibly in charge of the federal prison system, Mark S. Inch, a retired Army major general, was nowhere in sight.

Only Mr. Kushner and a few others knew that Mr. Inch, a genial former military police commander appointed to oversee the Federal Bureau of Prisons and its more than 180,000 inmates just nine months ago, had two days earlier submitted his resignation as the bureaus director to Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein.

By the time President Trump entered the East Room, Mr. Inch had already been ordered to vacate his office and had begun packing up books and memorabilia from his 35-year military career.

Mr. Inch told Mr. Rosenstein he was tired of the administration flouting departmental norms. And he complained that Attorney General Jeff Sessions had largely excluded him from major staffing, budget and policy decisions, according to three people with knowledge of the situation. Mr. Inch also felt marginalized by Mr. Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and senior adviser, in drafting prison reform legislation, the officials said.WASHINGTON  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday dismissed as bizarre and outrageous a Democratic senators question about whether President Trumps business interests could be affecting his administrations foreign policy.

In an exchange before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Mr. Pompeo grew testy when Senator Tom Udall, Democrat of New Mexico, asked how Mr. Trumps finances might impact his foreign policy decisions.

It was the second time in two days that the nations new chief diplomat displayed a flash of anger during congressional testimony.

Given that the president refuses to disclose his tax returns, how can you assure the American people that American foreign policy is free of his personal conflicts of interest? Mr. Udall asked.That is a point that we are making very clearly to our U.S. partners and allies, she said.

Margaritas Schinas, the senior spokesman for the European Commission, said there was no justification for the United States to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum on national security, grounds. Invoking national security would be even more far-fetched in the case of the car industry, he said.

In an interview Thursday on CNBC, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who is leading the investigation, said the administration was defining national security broadly, to include the impact on employment and other factors. Economic security is military security, he said. And without economic security, you cant have military security.

Mr. Trump has framed the threat of tariffs as a potential source of leverage in talks to rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement, which have largely stalled over rules governing how carmakers can qualify for Naftas zero tariffs.

On Wednesday, President Trump said automakers would be very happy with his announcement. But few seemed pleased.

While many companies said they were still waiting to see the likely effect of the measure, carmakers, auto parts suppliers and car dealers said it threatened to raise their costs, depress auto sales and jobs in the United States, and make American-made products less competitive worldwide. The industry has already been hit by the tariffs on steel and aluminum, which have weighed on their profit margins, and the threat of looming trade action against China, as well as potential Chinese retaliation.

If the tariffs actually went into effect, it would upend the supplier industry, said Ann Wilson, senior vice president for government affairs at Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association, which represents auto parts makers. We are very dependent on the ability to bring in parts from other parts of the world for final production in the U.S., and if thats no longer financially viable, the question becomes, is the production of vehicles in this country going to be financially viable?

Kristin Dziczek, the vice president of Industry, Labor & Economics at the Center for Automotive Research, said automakers would be slow to adjust their own investment decisions until they see how any potential tariff decisions might come to pass.Under the new policy, the government would begin to calculate what is called unlawful presence from the date that visa holders purpose in the country has expired, such as the end of their studies. Under the current policy, put in place 20 years ago, that calculation started once the government discovered the violation.

The new policy would also be less forgiving. Visa holders found to be in the country illegally for more than 180 days would be barred from re-entry for three or 10 years, depending on the length of their overstay. The current policy usually allows students to go back to their country and apply for a new visa, or update their visa status and return.

The harsh penalties are especially jarring because small mistakes could now carry big consequences, said Angelo A. Paparelli, an immigration lawyer at Seyfarth Shaw LLP, a firm based in Los Angeles.

For immigration attorneys, because time is of the essence, if the three- or 10-year bar is triggered, theres not much you can do, he said.

It is common for students to fall out of compliance while awaiting a new visa or transitioning to a new one, Mr. Paparelli said. Students who use visas to stay and work after completing their degrees are particularly vulnerable. Determining whether their jobs meet certain requirements to stay is subjective. Their violations could be applied retroactively, and subject them to an automatic ban, he said.

The effect of this change will be felt by businesses, he added. It will foreclose what have been standard approaches to transitioning from student to worker, whether thats on an H1-B or some other work visa category, or the transition to permanent residence.

Administrators who work with international students worry that they will be punished for life events that domestic students are usually supported through. Many students fall out of status because of extenuating circumstances, such as temporarily dropping below a full course load because of mental health issues, leaving school temporarily for a family emergency or picking up a part-time job to help with family finances.The Trump administration, over the objections of lawmakers, is continuing to try to soften its punishment of ZTE, the Chinese telecommunications firm that has emerged as a key sticking point in trade negotiations between China and the United States.

The company is on the verge of shutting down after the United States banned it from buying American components and has become a bargaining chip between President Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, as the two leaders work to resolve a brewing trade war. Mr. Xi asked Mr. Trump to revisit the ZTE decision because thousands of Chinese jobs could be lost if the company is shuttered.

On Thursday, Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary, said the administration was considering placing an American compliance team inside ZTE to ensure that the company was meeting its requirements and not violating sanctions. The company was punished for violating United States sanctions against Iran and North Korea and then lying about it.

Were developing a matrix of things and while we havent come quite to a final decision yet, we think there may very well be an alternative that will be quite punitive to them, but really modify behavior, Mr. Ross said in an interview with CNBC on Thursday.Killing Eve

When to watch: Sunday at 8 p.m., on BBC America.

Add it to your Watchlist

For the last eight weeks, every time someone asked me, What should I be watching right now? my answer was Killing Eve. And now here we are at the end of the fabulous first season. Time flies when youre watching Sandra Oh chase down an alluring international assassin known as Villanelle, and everything is clever and wry and more interesting and fashionable than it is on other murder shows. Killing Eve has been renewed for a second season, but this finale still lands as an interesting conclusion to a complex tale.

 70 Minutes, and I Love The Three AmigosIn another case, a pet owner left his black Labrador retriever to a person and told the bank/executor to pay the person $25,000 a year as long as the dog was alive. After about 25 years, the bank figured out that the original dog was long gone and had been replaced by a second (or possibly third) black Lab so that the person could continue to receive the $25,000 annually.

Erach Screwvala, a New York estate-planning lawyer, has seen extreme requests and provisions.

One client asked him to include a wardrobe of designer outfits for pets in his will. Because the total value of the clothing items was high, valued at approximately $12,000, Mr. Screwvala considered this a wise move. He was asked by another client to include a provision for a custom-made wooden coffin for their cat. His most memorable request was when he was asked to include a diamond-studded dog collar and leash set in a clients will.

This was, without doubt, a unique request, but again, was very wise given the value of the diamonds, says Mr. Screwvala. As the set was made from real diamonds, it was extremely valuable and something that could be passed down to future generations for future dogs in the family to enjoy.

Mr. Screwvala does not grant every request made by his clients. My job is as much to advise as it is to draw up the paperwork, he says. I also had a request to include a dog collar encrusted with factory-made diamonds, which I advised against, as synthetic diamonds are of no inherent value. They are produced in a factory in a couple of weeks, which means they are neither precious nor rare, so it doesnt make sense to include items of this nature in a will. I would also stay away from including overtly ridiculous food provisions, such as filet mignon steak only, or something that might be hard to fulfill for the caretakers.

Dos and donts for Pet Estate Planning

Ms. Bart and another estate planning lawyer at Schiff Hardin, Brian Janowsky, offer these dos and donts.

Dos:

 Create a will that names someone to take ownership of your pet at your death.

 In the case of incapacity, create a durable power of attorney that allows a designated person to use your funds to care for your pet. Alternatively, or in addition to a durable power of attorney, consider the use of a revocable trust funding. If your estate plan includes the use of a revocable trust  a living trust that can be amended during life and that is often used to manage assets and avoid probate at death  make sure the trust authorizes the trustee to use the funds for the care of your pet.

 If you want supervision of the care of your pet, consider the use of a pet trust to ensure that your pet has both the financial support required to live its best life and an enforcer to ensure the pet is well cared for after you are gone. Dont just plan for your current pet; consider that you might have more pets in the future.At Morro dos Martins beach, about 80 miles northwest of Natal, Damiao Henrique, 70, plugged electric cables to a pump so he could water his bean plants. A fisherman and farmer, he was removed from his old strip of land and sent a few yards closer to the shore to allow space for a wind farm.

But I am O.K., he said. As compensation, I received energy from the company, and now I can water my beans more easily.

Other local residents said the promised benefits had not appeared.

The mayor said there would be schools, said Maria Venus, 47, who owns a grocery store in Morro dos Martins. They opened a music school for the community, gave us some guitars and after a year all was put on hold.

And then there is the noise.

Oh yes, she added, they also left this noise that never stops.In the ceremony on Thursday, North Korea set off explosives in three of its four tunnels at the Punggye-ri site, according to dispatches by reporters at the scene. The fourth tunnel had already been closed for fear of contamination after the Norths first nuclear test in 2006.

The North Koreans also blew up test-observation facilities, as well as barracks for site personnel and a metal foundry, the reports said.

Two dozen international journalists were invited to witness explosives rigged inside the tunnels, and they were then escorted outside to viewing decks 500 yards away, where they filmed the detonations.

North Korea invited mostly TV journalists to ensure that its action would be broadcast worldwide.

Even before Mr. Trump canceled the summit meeting, some analysts feared the moves would be reversible  as when the North disabled and then restarted a nuclear reactor years ago. But Thursdays reported demolition at the test site was the first concrete step North Korea had taken under Mr. Kim toward what Washington had been hoping would be a complete nuclear dismantlement.

North Korea announced last month that it would end all nuclear and long-range ballistic missile tests, as well as close the test site. It said it no longer needed to conduct such tests because the country already had nuclear weapons and wanted to focus on rebuilding its economy.

It is still not known whether the country will give up its nuclear arsenal  an uncertainty that has only intensified now that the much-anticipated meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim has been canceled.

Since no weapons experts were present Thursday, it is not even clear whether North Korea destroyed all of the tunnels at the test site, or if the explosions would prevent the site from being used again.Mr. Trumps reversal drew cries of diplomatic malpractice from Democrats  Senator Christopher S. Murphy of Connecticut said it was as discombobulated as everything else in this White Houses foreign policy  and support from Republicans  Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said that they did exactly the right thing.

But the process exposed visible differences in tone between Mr. Trump and the people working for him. While the president continued to speak of the possibility of a meeting, a senior official briefed reporters about the trail of broken promises that led to its cancellation.

Mr. Trumps national security adviser, John R. Bolton, infuriated North Korean officials by proposing the voluntary disarmament of Libya in 2003 as a precedent for North Korea. Under that deal, Libya gave up its entire arsenal without receiving any incentives.

Then, Mr. Pence warned that Mr. Kim could meet the same fate as Libyas leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, if he did not make a deal with the United States. Libyan rebels, aided by a NATO bombing campaign, killed Colonel Qaddafi during the Arab Spring upheavals in 2011. That prompted a North Korean official to call him a political dummy.

We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us, said Choe Son Hui, a vice foreign minister. She asked whether the U.S. will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown.

At the time that Mr. Trump accepted Mr. Kims invitation, several officials said they believed that there was less than a 50 percent chance that the meeting would actually happen.

But the president dispatched Mr. Pompeo to work out the logistics for a meeting, and he, too, expressed optimism about the encounter. In addition to blowing up the nuclear site, North Korea pledged to halt nuclear and missile tests, and it released three Korean-Americans imprisoned there  which Mr. Trump acknowledged in the letter was a beautiful gesture.ISLAMABAD, Pakistan  The lower house of Pakistans Parliament overwhelmingly adopted a constitutional amendment on Thursday giving equal rights to millions of people in its restive northwestern tribal regions and ending a much-criticized legacy of British colonial law.

The measure also paves the way for the merger of the seven tribal regions, known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, bringing the regions into the political and legal mainstream of the country.

The amendment goes to the upper house on Friday for final approval, but it is not expected to face opposition. The governing Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the major opposition parties Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf have supported the amendment, which was adopted by a vote of 229 to 1 in the lower house.

The federal government has administered the northwestern tribal regions, which are along the border with Afghanistan, since the countrys independence from Britain in 1947. But it continued to use a harsh set of British colonial laws, known as the Frontier Crimes Regulations, that have been denounced by rights groups and political parties.TAIPEI, Taiwan  The West African nation of Burkina Faso announced on Thursday that it was ending official diplomatic relations with Taiwans government, a new challenge to the self-governing democracy as Beijing increasingly tries to isolate it on the global stage.

The break leaves Taiwan with only one diplomatic ally in Africa  the small kingdom of Swaziland  and formal relations worldwide with 17 other countries, most of them poorer nations in Central America and the Pacific, along with the Vatican.

The evolution of the world and the defined socio-economic challenges of our region required us to reconsider our position, the Burkina Faso foreign affairs minister, Alpha Barry, said in a statement.

He made no direct mention of China, whose increasing economic clout and geopolitical influence have made it difficult for countries to remain aligned with Taiwan.BEIJING  President Trumps decision on Thursday to cancel his planned summit meeting with Kim Jong-un, North Koreas leader, will disappoint some allies in Asia, hearten others  and perhaps put China in the strongest position of all.

Mr. Trumps announcement put the brakes on disarmament negotiations that had been hurtling ahead at an unprecedented pace. Instead of a meeting with Mr. Kim, Mr. Trump vowed that our very strong sanctions, by far the strongest in history, and maximum pressure campaign will continue.

But applying that pressure depends in large part on cooperation from China, which may now be able to use any delays in negotiations with North Korea to its advantage in trade talks with the United States.

Much will depend, of course, on how North Korea reacts to Mr. Trumps decision to pull out of the talks. After a year of breakthrough missile launches and a sixth nuclear test, Mr. Kim abruptly put his nation on a path toward peace  suspending weapons tests, releasing American prisoners and, just hours before Mr. Trumps announcement, destroying its nuclear test site.Other complications prevented the talks from making it far enough to even discuss those issues. As the two leaders circled each other over what long-range goals they would agree to in Singapore, it became increasingly clear there were forces at work in both capitals that had a strong interest in failure.

The creators of North Koreas nuclear and missile forces are the countrys true elite, celebrated as the heroes who keep America at bay. To lose their arsenal is to lose their status and influence.

When Mr. Trump sent one of his deputy national security advisers to Singapore a week ago for a prearranged meeting to work out meeting logistics, the North Koreans stood him up. In the past week, they did not answer the phone, a senior administration official told reporters on Thursday afternoon.

The North has its own list of complaints. After Mr. Trump accepted Mr. Kims offer to meet face-to-face, he replaced his national security adviser with John R. Bolton, who just a few months ago published an essay titled The Legal Case for Striking North Korea First, an ode to pre-empting Pyongyang  no matter what it promised about the future.

Once he ensconced himself in the West Wing, Mr. Bolton began talking publicly about the Libyan model of turning over nuclear weapons, a reference to a deal he helped design in 2003 in which Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi turned over a nascent nuclear program in return for exactly the kinds of economic lures Mr. Trump was talking about.

To the North Koreans, Mr. Bolton knew, the Libya example was shorthand for making a bad decision to unilaterally disarm. They have little doubt that if North Korean citizens rose to overthrow their government  as Libyan rebels did against Colonel Qaddafi in 2011  Washington would be more than happy to help chase down the leadership.

None of this means the initiatives with North Korea are entirely dead. Mr. Trump carefully left open the door for Mr. Kim to call me or write if he decides to cease the threats of nuclear exchanges and wants to reschedule the summit meeting.Thousands of Irish citizens who live around the world have chronicled their journeys back there this week to vote on Friday in a divisive referendum on legalizing abortion.

Using the hashtag #HomeToVote on Twitter and Instagram, Irish people living abroad have shared stories about their journeys and explained why it was important to them to vote. Some traveled relatively short distances, like from London and Edinburgh, while others returned from as far away as Istanbul, Los Angeles and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The issue of whether to repeal the countrys Eighth Amendment, which would overturn Irelands near-total ban on abortion, remains heavily divisive. Opinion polls had suggested the Yes camp had a lead, but the gap has narrowed in recent polling.

Despite the differences of opinion, #HomeToVote has become a trending topic on Twitter and fostered camaraderie, both online and in person, among Irish people who moved away and are returning.ST. PETERSBURG, Russia  The Russian military was the source of a missile that shot down a civilian airliner over Ukraine four years ago, killing all 298 people aboard, prosecutors in the Netherlands said on Thursday in a finding certain to further sour relations between Russia and the West.

The stark determination by prosecutors, supported by video and photographic evidence, set the stage for a diplomatic standoff over how those responsible should be punished. It also increases the likelihood that prosecutors will hand down indictments of Russian military officers and soldiers, setting up a new confrontation with the Russian government.

The prospect of yet another stare-down with Moscow arrives at a moment when the Wests relations are already deeply strained.

Scores of Russian diplomats were expelled from Western nations in recent months over accusations that Moscow poisoned a former spy on British soil. Anger has mounted over Russias annexation of Crimea and its fomenting of rebellion in eastern Ukraine. And investigations have grown over its meddling in Western elections.In the years since Christer Petterssons release, theories about Mr. Palmes death have flourished. Many of them relate to his political credentials as an idealist who fought for perceived victims of injustice, particularly in the developing world.

At the height of the Cold War, he sought a third way between East and West and was criticized as tilting too much toward Moscow. He opposed the war in Vietnam and castigated apartheid in South Africa.

Indeed, Sweden became a conduit for clandestine financial support to foes of the white government in Pretoria. After the collapse of apartheid in 1990, a white former security officer, Col. Eugene de Kock, alleged that an agent of the apartheid government had murdered Mr. Palme because of his stance against racial segregation.

But that was only one of many theories.

Another hypothesis linked the killing to a shadowy arms deal with India. Others implicated Kurdish separatists in Turkey.

There were suggestions of complicity by a secretive Italian masonic lodge. Other accounts laid the blame at the door of Chilean fascists supposedly taking revenge for Mr. Palmes opposition to the Pinochet regime.

But the latest theory, by Mr. Pettersson the journalist, published on Wednesday in the magazine Filter, claimed that the police had noted Mr. Engstroms presence at the crime scene but that investigators failed to follow up.

The journalist, who is no relation to the man who was jailed over the crime, also found that Mr. Engstrom had access to the same kind of weapon used to kill Mr. Palme, that he had been active in a shooting club, that he had political and private motives for killing Mr. Palme, and that his personality matched a police profile of the likely killer.WASHINGTON  The artillery barrage was so intense that the American commandos dived into foxholes for protection, emerging covered in flying dirt and debris to fire back at a column of tanks advancing under the heavy shelling. It was the opening salvo in a nearly four-hour assault in February by around 500 pro-Syrian government forces  including Russian mercenaries  that threatened to inflame already-simmering tensions between Washington and Moscow.

In the end, 200 to 300 of the attacking fighters were killed. The others retreated under merciless airstrikes from the United States, returning later to retrieve their battlefield dead. None of the Americans at the small outpost in eastern Syria  about 40 by the end of the firefight  were harmed.

The details of the Feb. 7 firefight were gleaned from interviews and documents newly obtained by The New York Times. They provide the Pentagons first public on-the-ground accounting of one of the single bloodiest battles the American military has faced in Syria since deploying to fight the Islamic State.

The firefight was described by the Pentagon as an act of self-defense against a unit of pro-Syrian government forces. In interviews, United States military officials said they had watched  with dread  hundreds of approaching rival troops, vehicles and artillery pieces in the week leading up to the attack.The two men had known each other for years around Capitol Hill. Both were hawkish supporters of Israel and active in the Republican Party. But now they were on opposite sides of a remote dispute between wealthy Persian Gulf monarchs: One was a lobbyist for Qatar, and the other had sided strongly with rivals who sought to blockade the tiny emirate.

Be very careful, the lobbyist, Nicolas D. Muzin, warned on March 5, in a conversation quoted Thursday in a legal complaint accusing Qatar of hacking into the computers of its American opponents.

Anyone Mr. Muzin pointed to was in danger, he told his old acquaintance, Joel Mowbray, who appears to have recorded their conversation about the Qataris. Honestly, I know they are after you and after Broidy, the lobbyist continued, referring to Elliot Broidy, a top Republican donor, critic of Qatar and Mr. Mowbrays associate.

Their conversation occurred just days after The New York Times and other news organizations began publishing articles based in part on leaked emails from Mr. Broidys account.National Party has criticised the move, saying that a lack of income limits meant no way of ensuring that KiwiBuild houses will go to those that need them most.

This could mean a New Zealand-born couple who have spent their lives working offshore and have a $300,000 deposit could be eligible for a KiwiBuild house even though they have never worked or paid taxes in New Zealand  most Kiwis would agree thats not fair, says National spokesperson Judith Collins.

The taxes of hard working carpenters, plumbers and electricians who have lived and worked in New Zealand should not be used to subsidise those that are wealthy enough to buy a home.

Income testing has been utilised by other Government initiatives including the HomeStart grant, which is available to those contributing to a KiwiSaver scheme for at least three years. The HomeStart grant is available to sole buyers earning less than $85,000 before tax, or to two or more buyers earning less than $130,000.

The Government is also implementing the Buying off the Plans initiative, which involves the Government underwriting or purchasing new homes off the private sector plans in exchange for accelerating a larger number of KiwiBuild houses.Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.

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If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider subscribing to our ePaper and/or free daily Newsletter .

Support our mission and join our community now.4 years of Modi sarkar: When terror went out of the mainland

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

One of the biggest poll promises that Narendra Modi made ahead of the 2014 elections was a major thrust on internal security. The first high-profile appointment he made after taking over as Prime Minister was that of Ajit Doval, the National Security Advisor.

4 years of Modi sarkar: Hits, misses and the road to 2019

Doval who is often referred to as India's James Bond is well aware of the nuances of internal security as he had held the top post in the Intelligence Bureau. So, how has the Modi sarkar fared on the internal security front in the past four years?

ISIS:

Handling of the ISIS issue is probably one of the biggest hits for this government. The strategy itself while dealing with this foreign terror outfit prowling on citizens across the world was a good one.

Modi along with his national security advisor, Ajit Doval have been meeting with the moderate Muslims time and again in a bid to spread the message to the youth that the ISIS does not stand for Islam.

4 years of Modi sarkar: A lot more needed in Kashmir

Giving those who have been radicalised on the internet, but have actually not joined the ISIS the benefit of the doubt is also a move that paid off. Such persons are counselled and the return rate has been hardly one per cent.

Border security:

Although there have been lapses, the government has taken measures to ensure that border security is not compromised. The formation of a committee under former Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta to suggest measures to step up border security was one good move.

There is a lot of work on the borders still remaining, but the government is moving in the right direction to make it more fool proof. The Bangladesh border was a perennial problem for all governments. However under this government, the situation is improving considerably.

The decision to seal the India-Bangladesh border is another good move. It not only curbs illegal immigrants, but also stops the free flow of terrorists from Bangladesh.

United agencies of India:

Under this government there is a great deal of coordination between all the agencies dealing with terrorism. The NIA has been given a free hand and cases of interference from the Home Ministry have not been found.

Moreover the NIA gets ample support from the Intelligence Bureau and the Research and Analysis Wing. Investigations seem more coordinated and unlike the past officials do not murmur about interference and lack of coordination any more.

Intelligence sharing:

The sharing of intelligence with other countries has marginally improved. India's decision to coordinate on intelligence sharing where the ISIS is concerned has paid dividends. Another good decision by India was not to join the global war against the ISIS. This is a good move as any such decision would have led to sectarian violence among the Muslims in India.

The Gulf nations are also a crucial part of the fight against terror. It is a well known fact that the who is who in the terror circles from India end up taking shelter in these nations. However the number of people who have been sent back from the Gulf for their involvement in various acts of terror has gone up.

The other change in scenario when dealing with the UAE is the manner in which India has an upper hand over Pakistan. In a recent incident, Pakistan had tried to pressurise UAE into not sending Ahmed Siddibappa an alleged Indian Mujahideen operative to India. However India got the better of Pakistan and the alleged operative was back in India recently.4 years of Modi sarkar: A lot more needed in Kashmir

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Kashmir has been a point of focus for long and the Valley continues to boil. Many have questioned the logic of using force in Kashmir, but the government was of the opinion that there was no other way to tackle terrorists.

4 years of Modi sarkar: Hits, misses and the road to 2019

The hard liner policy of the Modi sarkar which completes four years in office was a subject matter of debate. While violence has escalated, the India Army which has been given a free hand has virtually wiped out the top brass among the terrorist ranks.

While the Modi government has managed to keep terrorism away from the mainland, there have been setbacks in the form of attacks at Pathankot, Udhampur, Uri and Nagrota.

The Pathankot attack:

In the Pathankot attack, what one must need to look at is the advance intelligence that India had. An attack despite pretty concrete intelligence in advance. It all begins with the border problem. The drug mafia operates freely along the Indo-Pak border at Punjab. It is these drug smugglers who sneak in the terrorists too. There was a complete lapse at the border and the security was caught napping.

4 years of Modi sarkar: When terror went out of the mainland

The government was aware that this is a dangerous border and could have worked on securing it since day one. The complaint by the Punjab SP about being abducted by the terrorists should have been treated more seriously.

The problem was that at first many doubted the SP and due to this crucial time was lost. The other decision was to send in the NSG ahead of the Special Forces is also a very debatable decision considering that the former specialises in situations where there is a hostage crisis.

Crisis in the Valley:

Kashmir is on the boil and there have been a spate of incidents. Take for instance the Udhampur attack on the BSF personnel. Many would argue that the reaction was slow when it came to the problem of terrorism in Kashmir. Not every one in a terrorist organisation is an ideologically driven person.

There are many in Kashmir who have complained that slow reforms in providing employment is one of the reasons why many youth have become gullible. It is probably for the first time that we are witnessing the advent of the social media where terrorism in Kashmir is concerned.

When the young Burhan Wani an educated youth joined the Hizbul Mujahideen and posted pictures of himself on the social media, it should have been dealt with immediately. Instead it took nearly one year to wake up to the situation and in the meantime several youth had already joined.

There have been several hits and misses on the Kashmir policy. Many believe that talks are the only way forward. However the government is insistent that the Hurriyat speaks within the ambit of the Constitution. The Hurriyat is however not agreeable to that.

Even when the Government announced a cease fire in Kashmir due to Ramazan, the Hurriyat was silent. This is a clear indication that it is the Pakistan push which is forcing the Hurriyat not to come to the talks table.4 years of Modi sarkar: Hits, misses and the road to 2019

India

oi-Staff

By Oneindia Staff Writer

The Narendra Modi government completes four years in office on May 26, Several promises such as a corruption-free regime, 10 million jobs a year and doubling farm incomes by 2022 were the promises made by the government.

4 years of Modi sarkar: When terror went out of the mainland

This is a crucial year for the Modi government as it faces an important election in 2019. There would be lots of measures, promises and also course correction ahead of the general elections when it would try and retain power against a joint opposition.

The themes this year would be 48 months vs 48 years. With the tagline 48 months vs 48 years (Congress rule), the government would showcase its achievements and also speak about its clean track-record. The no-corruption track record would be a key area that the government would focus on during its fourth-anniversary celebrations.

Faster delivery of schemes and speedy development will also be the focus. The government would also stress on the number of jobs it has created to tackle the problem of unemployment in the past four years.

4 years of Modi sarkar: A lot more needed in Kashmir

The government would showcase would its power programme. The government would highlight its achievement of providing electricity connections to all villages. Pushing road construction to 28 kilometers a day and free gas connection would also be showcased in the list of achievements.

A key area of focus for the Modi government would be agriculture as the farmer support is crucial to its election prospects. The ministry in focus would be the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. The BJP has roped in its Kisan Morcha members to further spread the word around about the work it has been doing for the farmer sector.

The BJP would say that it has ensured minimum losses to farmers apart from which it would highlight its budget allocation for fertilizer and urea. Another area that the government is expected to play up is the proposed investment of Rs 40,000 crore to revive the defunct fertilizer units in Gorakhpur, Sindri, Talcher, Ramagundam and Barauni.

What worked:

GST: Despite being in the works for more than 10 years, the Modi government went ahead and introduced the GST in July 2017. The initial few months witnessed some turbulent times owing to implementation glitches, but at the end of it, GST altered the country's indirect tax regime for the better.

Foreign policy: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited 53 countries. Although his critics say that a big deal was made of these visits, Modi has managed to make significant strides with countries such as China and the resolution to the Doklam standoff is testimony to this. The problem that continues is Pakistan. The Pakistan Army and its generals are pushing for violence especially in the Kashmir area and despite all efforts by Modi, the policy on Pakistan has not been something to tom-tom about.

The Economic Offenders Bill: Under severe criticism for its handling of persons like Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi, the Modi government approved the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill. The Bill that came into force in April would apply with retrospective effect. he Bill states that the properties of those fleeing the country will be confiscated in cases involving more than Rs 100 crore. A draft of the Bill was circulated in May last year seeking comments from all stakeholders.

No corruption: There have been no serious charges of corruption against the Modi government. The UPA was embroiled in controversy with one scam after another hitting the headlines. The opposition has made several charges, but most of them have not stuck. Overall the Modi government has been free from charges of corruption.

What did not:

Demonetisation: This was meant to be a big decision aimed at curbing black money. This decision ended up sucking out 86 percent of the currency in circulation. It was also aimed at curbing the menace of fake currency. The results at the end of it were not a desired one. The unaccounted wealth which was to go out of the system came back with hoarders riding pillion on poor Indians who acted as mules and filled up their Jan Dhan accounts. The problem of fake currency too was not curbed as the seamsters found new ways to replicate the new currency.

Make in India: This was a much-touted programme by the Modi government. It was meant to boost local manufacturing and create new skills. According to a status report on Start Up India, only 74 startups had been identified to receive tax benefits as of January first week. India's trade deficit with China remains skewed in the latter's favour by a ratio of 4:1.

Bad loans: Bad debts now more than 9 trillion continue to haunt the government. Although this was an inherited problem, the Modi government bore the brunt of the same. The government had implemented a massive 2.11 trillion recapitalization plan last year to keep the public sector banks afloat, but it was overshadowed after the Punjab National Bank fraud involving Rs 13,000 crore broke out.

Agriculture: This is one of the key worries for the government. The focus this year would entirely on this sector. If one compares India's real GDP growth to expansion of its farm sector, the latter has consistently lagged the former since 2012. The 2018 pre-budget Economic Survey notes that on account of climate change, farm incomes could see a further 25% decline in the long term. The writing of this problem was on the wall when over 20,000 farmers converged on the streets of Mumbai demanding a complete farm loan waiver. The problem in this sector is rampant in the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

The road ahead:

In the year ahead the Modi government would look to implement the Direct Tax Code which would introduce new tax slabs and cap the corporate tax at 25 percent. This would bring a big cheer to the middle class by reducing their actual tax outgo and also make corporate houses more competitive by reducing their tax liability. This would help the BJP reap rich benefits in 2019.

An urgent facelift in terms of infrastructure would also be on the cards. The first signs was when Modi and his Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe laid the foundation stone for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train. Despite the criticism, Modi aimed at underscoring that infrastructure needed a major facelift.

The 2018 Economic Survey says India faces a $526 billion infrastructure investment gap by 2040. In October last year, the government had said it planned to build 83,000 km of roads at a cost of Rs 7 trillion. Railways, power and ports are the other major infrastructure sectors where the government will invest to boost the economy.

The job sector is another worry for the Modi government. In almost all surveys that were conducted ahead of the recently concluded assembly elections, Jobs was a concern that many had raised. If it manages to set this right, it would prove to be a major trump card in 2019. In 2014 during the campaign, Modi said that he would create 10 million jobs a year, but ended up creating less than a million in the past four years. The 2018 budge was expected to announce a national employment policy, but it did not happen. This year the government may put in place such a policy to focus on the employment sector.Anti-Sterlite protest: Stalin detained outside Tamil Nadu Secretariat

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president MK Stalin was lifted by police officers and evicted from outside Tamil Nadu chief minister's office on Thursday after he sat on a protest along with other party members.

DMK working president M K Stalin demanded the resignation of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palanisami and DGP T K Rajendran over the anti-Sterlite violence at Tuticorin in which 13 people have been killed and scores injured.

Even after death of 13 innocent people, no action has been taken against the culprits. CM has become ineffective. He did not bother to visit the dist & meet the people. Therefore, we demand that CM must resign immediately, DGP Rajendran must resign too, said MK Stalin, DMK President.

"CM Edappadi Palanisamy should have immediately invited those who have been protesting for a long time. The CM who is living in the dream world of power had no eyes for the protestors and had decided he wouldn't meet any of them," read a statement by Stalin.

Internet services have been temporarily suspended in Thoothukudi or Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu from 9 pm on Wednesday (May 23) till further instruction by the administration. Around 11 people were killed in the firing by police during Sterlite Protests on May 22.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday removed Superintendent of Police, Thiru P Mahendran, and Collector N Venkatesh.No major terror attack in India since PM Modi became PM, says Rajnath; calls it major achievement

Nobody on Earth can dare to doubt Muslim's patriotism in Lakshadweep: Rajnath Singh

Our prosperity largely linked to our seas since we are an arriving maritime power: Defence Minister

Anti-Sterlite protest: Rajnath Singh seeks report from Tamil Nadu govt

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

Union Mome Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday sought a report from Tamil Nadu government in connection with the violence in Tuticorin which claimed 11 lives so far.

Rajnath Singh condoled the death of people killed in the police firing during the anti-Sterlite protest.

Singh tweeted, "My thoughts are with bereaved families. I also pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. I appeal to the people in Tuticorin to remain calm and maintain peace and tranquillity in the region."

He said, "I am deeply pained at the loss of precious lives during the agitation at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu. The MHA has taken cognizance of the situation and sought a report on the incident and the prevailing situation from the state government."

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister EK Palaniswami said, "The entire episode which happened was primarily because of certain political parties, NGOs & anti-social elements, who took protestors to a wrong path."

The chief minister police firing on protesters. He said, "If someone is attacked, the natural course would be to defend and safeguard themselves. This is what has been done by the police in response."Archbishop letter row: Don't think Christians are being attacked, says Cardinal Oswald Gracias

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

The president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India on Thursday disagreed with the notion that Christians are being attacked all over the country.

"Don't think Christians are being attacked all over the country. It's unfortunate that there are misguided elements who create problems. Government must give a strong message that such incidents won't be tolerated", said Cardinal Oswald Gracias, President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI).

Archbishop Gracias's statements comes as a response to the controversial letter of Archbishop of Delhi Archdiocese, Anil Joseph Couto, in which he called upon the churches based in Delhi to start a year-long prayer campaign, ahead of the 2019 general elections.

In a circular dated May 8, Archbishop Couto had urged all churches in the national capital to hold prayers and "observe a fast on Fridays for the nation's sake."

"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," he said.

He further said, "I request that we observe a day of fast every Friday of the week by forgoing 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 institution specifically praying for our nation."

In March, Oswald Cardinal Gracias had met prime minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and conveyed the community's anxiety over the sporadic attacks taking place against minority institutions and personnel in the country.

The Cardinal met the PM in his capacity as newly elected president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI).

Modi responded to Cardinal Gracias that he was the prime minister of all Indians, irrespective of caste and creed, and that if any specific instance was brought to his notice, he was always available and willing to look into the matter.Kannada actor Satyajith passes away at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Mistaken for child trafficking, mob lynches Rajasthan man

India

oi-Madhuri

Nine people, including two juveniles, were arrested on Thursday or allegedly lynching a 26-year-old Rajasthan boy on Wednesday afternoon after they mistook him for a child kidnapper. The incident took place at Pension Mohalla, Chamrajpet in Bengaluru.

It is learnt that a fake whatapp video has been doing rounds on several social media about the presence of a child kidnapping gang in the city and urging people to remain cautious.

However, the mob suspected Kaluram to be a part of the gang when he was spotted loitering around.

However, by the time the police arrived at the spot to rescue Kaluram, he was severely injured and bleeding profusely.

Police found him drenched in blood as he had sustained head injuries. He was still breathing and was rushed to the Victoria Hospital nearby. Within 4-5 minutes he succumbed," police said, reports The New Indian Express.

Meanwhile, a case of murder has been registered against unknown persons was registered in Chamarajpet police station.

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Story first published: Thursday, May 24, 2018, 15:45 [IST]Where did the 'out of control' Chinese rocket debris land after re-entering Earth?

Planning a trip to Maldives: You can do so from July 15

Chinese inclination of Maldives a worry for India says Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lamba

India

oi-Staff

By Oneindia Staff Writer

India has a challenge in the form of Maldives as the country is more inclined towards China, Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said. His statements are an indication that New Delhi and Male are yet to reach a level of normalcy.

Lanba, however, added that patrolling of the Maldives Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) by the Indian Navy has again commenced and that India would continue to work with the government of the archipelago nation.He also said there is no necessity to get a military dimension to the Quad involving India, the US, Australia and Japan.

"Maldives is a challenge at the moment. The present government in Maldives is more inclined towards China. The constitution has been tweaked and some islands have been given to the Chinese for development. There is no news at the moment of any listening post in the Maldives. There is some development that is going on. We will have to wait and watch," Lanba said in response to a question at an event at the Vivekananda Foundation International.

India's ties with Maldives nose-dived after it criticised the Abdulla Yameen government for imposing a 45-day emergency in the archipelago nation earlier this year.

During the crisis, India had ignored calls for military intervention from the opposition parties in the island nation.The influence of China on Maldives, an island nation in the Indian ocean, considered a backyard of India, has been growing and it is seen as a concern in New Delhi.

Maldives neither participated in the multi-national 'MILAN' naval conclave, a congregation of littoral navies conducted biennially by the Indian Navy at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which was held in mid-March this year nor did its defence minister lead his country's delegation to take part in the DefExpo2018.

"We (India) have an EEZ patrolling (exercise) that we regularly do with Maldives. We just finished one (exercise) last week. The one (exercise) previously held had been called off by the Maldivian government, but that has been recommenced. We continue to train their personnel. We just finished a special forces training camp. We will continue to work with the Maldivian government," Lanba said.

Responding to another question on the Quad, the Navy chief said it was a discussion forum for international good order and peace and following the norms of the United Nations Convention on the Law Of the Sea (UNCLOS).

"We are not going down that route. I don't think there is a necessity to get a military dimension to the Quad," he said.

The Quad is also seen as a move to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region where Beijing has been trying to spread its influence.

The meeting was held in Manila in November last year, which was attended by leaders of the four countries.

Lanba said the rapid growth of the Chinese navy is "apparent" and it is also in collusion with other "adversaries" in the Indian Ocean region.

"Deployment of Chinese naval ships have increased manifold since October 2008 and new bases have been set up," he said citing the example of the Djibouti naval base in Africa.

On a question on deployment of tactical nuclear weapons at sea by Pakistan, the Navy chief said there is no such information, but Islamabad is in the process of developing a cruise missile which it hopes to fit on a submarine that is being built in China.

The missile, he said, is also being built with the help of Chinese technology.

He said the Indian Navy is "well-poised" for handling any exigency and the strategic roadmap the force follows keeps it ready for "assuring peace and winning wars should that become inevitable".

Lanba said India and Bangladesh will hold its first coordinated patrol next month.

Responding to a question on whether he had any interaction with former Navy official Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani court for alleged spying, in his career.

"I don't have access to Kulbhushan Jadhav. Unfortunately, in my service career, we have not worked together. The officer's mother and wife had met up with him. That was the first access we gained of Kulbhushan Jadhav. What we came to know that he is hail and hearty and up and about," Lanba said.

Pakistan permitted a meeting between Jadhav and his mother and wife at Islamabad in December last year.

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Story first published: Thursday, May 24, 2018, 7:13 [IST]Congress demands complaint against BSY, Sriramulu for allegedly indulging in MLA poaching

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Alleging that the BJP tried to lure its MLAs to switch sides ahead of the floor test, the Karnataka Congress has written a letter to Bengaluru police seeking registration of complaint against BJP leaders including BS Yeddyurappa and B Sriramulu.

The letter addressed to Superintendent of Police, Bengaluru Urban Wing, Anti-Corruption Bureau, has sought a complaint for alleged criminal conspiracy and corruption to win the May 19 floor test of the Yeddyurappa-led government.

The letter mentions BJP leaders BJ Puttaswamy, Janardhan Reddy, Yeddyurappa's son Vijendra, Murlidahar Rao, along with BSY and Sriramulu. The letter says that a CD of mobile conversations between these BJP leaders with Congress MLAs has been sent to the police.

"Yeddyurappa, along with Sriramulu, BJ Puttaswamy, Vijendra, Janardhan Reddy and Murlidhar Rao hatched a criminal conspiracy to bribe the legislative members of Congress, JD (S) and others and for the same a huge cash was handed over....," the letter said.

"...criminal activity of the accused are established and the circumstances unerringly pointing towards the guilt of the accused and also if the circumstances, taken cumulatively form a chain by which a crime was committed by the accused and none else," it also said.

Read the complete letter here:

Hours before BSY's floor test the Congress had released an audio clip in which Yeddyurappa was purportedly trying to lure Congress MLA BC Patil. The Congress MLA from Hirekerur was said to have recorded the incriminating audio which of his alleged conversation with Yeddyurappa.

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Story first published: Thursday, May 24, 2018, 19:38 [IST]Dawoods threat to UP BJP MLAs could be due to fear of Yogis encounter drive

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

There was some disturbing news that has come from Uttar Pradesh with several MLAs in the Yogi Adityanath government getting threat calls. Preliminary investigations have shown that the call was being made by a man claiming to be an aide of Dawood Ibrahim.

Sources tell OneIndia that there is a direct correlation between the threat calls and the massive encounter drive that the UP government had carried out in the past few months.

Until February the number of encounters in UP stood at 1,142. In these encounters at least 34 criminals have been shot dead, 265 were injured and 2,744 arrested. Yogi had made it clear that this drive would not stop and his main objective was to finish the Goonda Raaj that has been prevailing and thriving for long in UP.

This drive by Yogi has clearly affected the D-Gang's operation which incidentally has the highest number of sharp-shooters from UP. Uttar Pradesh has been a strategic location for the D gang as the state has provided the don with the most number of sharp shooters. The D gang which thrives on extortions relies heavily on sharp shooters. At any given time this gang has at least 200 sharp shooters and as per the records available with the police and the intelligence 130 are from Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh has also been strategic in terms of the drug and escape route for the D Gang. Bordering Nepal only made the job of the D Gang in UP easier. Not only do drugs flow into UP through Nepal, but criminals wanting a safe exit into Pakistan also use the Nepal route.

The D Gang has in fact appointed a set of touts too who ferry across criminals across to Nepal and then to Pakistan. The IB says that the D Gang has been extremely close to the political set up in Uttar Pradesh. In exchange for protection from the politicians, the D Gang has given arms and also large chunks of cash to politicians. On some ocassions, even the narcotics for major political bashes have been provided by the D Gang.

This drive has instilled fear into the minds of the criminals and in the bargain it has affected the operations of the D-Gang. The threat calls handed out to 12 MLAs could be a way of warning the UP government to go slow.

The first to get the threat call was BJP MLA, Anita Rajput. The threat was then handed to 11 more BJP MLAs. All the MLAs got WhatsApp messages from +1(903)329-4240 and all of them were asked to pay a sum of 10 lakhs, failing which their family members would be killed.

The 11 MLAs to get the threat message or call are Shyam Bihari Lal (Bareilly), R K Sharma (Bilsi), Vinod Katiyar (Bhognipur), Shashank Trivedi (Sitapur), Lokendra Pratap Singh (Lakhimpur), Veer Vikram Singh (Shahjahanpur), Manvendra Singh (Shahjahanpur) Vinay Dwiwedi (Gonda), Prem Narain Pandey (Gonda) Suresh Srivastava (Lucknow) and Rajnikant Mani Tripathi (Kushinagar).

The UP police is coordinating with the central Intelligence Bureau to get more details on this case. Preliminary investigations have found that there is a larger conspiracy. Sources say that a server in Texas was being used in Bahrain. It was also clear that the WhatsApp group of the MLAs had been hacked.

Sources say that the man identified himself as Ali Budhesh Bhai and claimed that he was a Dawood associate. He had texted the MLAs in Hindi and there were no mistakes which has led the police to suspect that he may be of Indian origin.

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Story first published: Thursday, May 24, 2018, 17:49 [IST]Grenade attacks in Jammu and Srinagar, two cops and a civilian injured

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Two policemen and a civilian were injured on Thursday evening after suspected terrorists lobbed a grenade at a bus stand at Jammu's BC Road, said reports.

"Sound of blast was heard during patrolling. Subsequently we came to know that 2 police personnel have been injured. Both of them are undergoing treatment. We are analysing and investigating the case," Vivek Gupta, SSP Jammu, told the media.

In a separate incident, terrorists hurled a grenade near a CRPF camp in Srinagar's Nawakadal area. No one was injured, but some vehicles were damaged.

On May 7, one CRPF personnel was injured after terrorists hurled a grenade at Tahab Chowk in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. The grenade was lobbed at police and CRPF personnel who were deployed at Tahab Chowk to maintain law and order.

On May 4, terrorists hurled a grenade at a police station in Pulwama. The grenade exploded outside the police station and no one was injured in the incident.

On April 12, terrorists had lobbed a grenade at a police station in Pulwama in which two policemen were left injured. Following the incident, the security forces cordoned off the area and launched a hunt to nab the attackers.

Jammu and Kashmir witnessed 166 per cent more civilian fatalities due to militancy while there was a 42 per cent rise in the number of terrorists neutralised in 2017 compared to the previous year, the Home Ministry said in April. The annual report of the Ministry of Home Affairs for 2017-18, released in April, said that since the advent of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir in 1990, a total of 13,976 civilians and 5,123 security personnel have lost their lives till December 31, 2017. In 2017, there were 342 violent incidents in Jammu and Kashmir in which 80 security personnel, 40 civilians and 213 terrorists were killed.How killing of protesters by police in TNs Tuticorin diverted attention from fuel price hike

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

Chennai, May 24: The horrific episode of death of at least 13 persons in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin due to an indiscriminate firing by the police during an anti-Sterlite rally on Tuesday has shocked the whole world.

The situation in Tuticorin is far from normal even on Thursday--two days after police personnel resorted to firing against unarmed protesters who were demanding the closure of Vedanta's Sterlite copper unit over pollution concerns.

Questions have been raised over the state police's decision to send its men in civvies and use assault rifles to kill protesters all of a sudden. In a shocking video, a police personnel in civilian dress is seen climbing on the top of a vehicle and then he aims his rifle at the protesters who are at a little distance away from him.

The policeman is also accompanied by a few of his colleagues. A voice in the video states that at least one protester has to die. It is not clear from the video whether the protesters died due to firing by the policeman atop the vehicle.

The manner in which the entire sordid saga was handled by the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government in the state has once again brought to light the brutality unleashed by authorities against unarmed civilians across the country.

While Congress president Rahul Gandhi has called the gunning down of protesters in Tuticorin "state-sponsored terrorism", Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Stalin has dubbed the deaths in Sterlite protests brutal murder, akin to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Now, a new theory has emerged regarding the decision of the police opening fire on civilians, although they have been protesting strongly against the unit for the last 99 days prior to the killings.

According to a tweet by a senior journalist, the police firing that resulted in the death of so many people diverted commoners' attention from the everyday rise in prices of fuels across the country.

The tweet by RK Radhakrishnan, associate editor, Frontline, suggested that the Edappadi K Palaniswami government carried out the "massacre" so that people "forget" about petrol price hike.

He also called Palaniswami a "bhakth" (disciple) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After the demise of former CM of TN, J Jayalalithaa, it has been alleged that the BJP government at the Centre is controlling the strings of the AIADMK government in the southern state.

"So what did we forget because we are all rightfully agitated about #TuticorinKillings and #SterliteProtest? #PetrolPriceHike. Today #petrol breached the 80 mark for the first time in #Chennai. Selling at 80.15. @PMOIndia can't hope for a bigger Bhakth than @CMOTamilNadu," tweeted Radhakrishnan.

So what did we forget because we are all rightfully agitated about #TuticorinKillings and #SterliteProtest? #PetrolPriceHike. Today #petrol breached the 80 mark for the first time in #Chennai. Selling at 80.15. @PMOIndia can't hope for a bigger Bhakth than @CMOTamilNadu  R.K.Radhakrishnan (@RKRadhakrishn) May 23, 2018

Nobody can say the exact motive behind the killing of protesters, but one thing is clear, governments across the country are fast turning into brutal and autocratic regimes, murdering their own people--be it in Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh or Tamil Nadu.Before the ceasefire on Feb 24, Pakistan resorted to over 4,000 border violations

Amidst ceasefire claims, Pakistan continues to keep J&K on the boil

664 ceasefire violations this year in Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan: MHA

No ceasefire violation along LoC in Kashmir since February agreement

J&K: Pakistan violates ceasefire again in Uri sector

India

oi-Madhuri

Pakistan continued ceasefire violation in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday as its Rangers resorted to unprovoked firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kamal Koot area of Uri sector in Baramulla District during wee hours.

The Indian Army is strongly retaliating to the unprovoked firing from automatic weapons and mortar shelling from across the border.

Earlier on Wednesday, Pakistan intermittently attacked Indian villages along the International Border in Jammu, Sambha and Kathua districts. Heavy mortar shells were targeted in RS Pura, Arnia, Ramgarh, Samba and Hiranagar sectors. Five civilians including a minor boy and a woman were killed while over 40 persons including five BSF personnel, were injured on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, all schools within five kms of the border are closed as a precautionary measure. The administration has deployed police forces in border areas to help those affected, reach safety. Relief camps have been set up, to ensure those displaced by Pakistan's ceasefire violations face minimum hardship.

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Story first published: Thursday, May 24, 2018, 8:35 [IST]Maharashtra SSC, HSC Result 2018 date: Check updates

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

The Maharashtra SSC, HSC Result 2018 will be declared soon. The results once declared will be available on the official website.

The board has said that it has not released the date as yet. The exams were conducted in March this year. The Maharashtra Board also asked the Students to not to believe result date being forwarded through whatsapp and social media. Several media outlets were speculating the Maharashtra SSC and Maharashtra HSC results dates since the examinations got over in March 24.

The MSBSHSE also said that the SSC and HSC results dates will be released through press and board's bulletin board. There have been speculations that the results would be declared either on May 26 or 27. However there is no official update.

According to a statement from Maharashtra Board, a total number of 17,51,353 students have registered for the annual Secondary School Certificate (SSC) or Class 10 Examination 2018 which began on March 1 and concluded on March 24. Out of the 17,51,353 students, 9,73,134 are boys and 7,78,219 are girls. SSC exams were held in 4657 centers across the Maharashtra.

"Results for the Exams conducted in 2018 have not been announced so far. Please look for the announcement at Exam Results Portal (http://results.gov.in)," said a notification posted on the official results portal, mahresult.nic.in.

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Story first published: Thursday, May 24, 2018, 9:59 [IST]Mamata Banerjee wishes Kerala CM on his birthday

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wished Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on his birthday a day after she greeted Left party leaders D Raja and Sitaram Yechury during the swearing-in ceremony of HD Kumaraswamy in Bengaluru.

The swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday saw the assortment of political leaders from Mamata Banerjee to Pinarayi Vijayan may have made the possibility of a united front to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP in 2019 general election.

The show of camaraderie comes a week after Mamata Banerjee celebrated dethroning the CPI(M) rule in West Bengal.

Mamata Banerjee on May 13 tweeted, "On this day in 2011, the people of #Bengal reposed their faith on @AITCofficial and put an end to 34 years of CPI(M) rule. I bow to Maa, Mati, Manush on this occasion. #SevenYearsOfPoriborton."

On this day in 2011, the people of #Bengal reposed their faith on @AITCofficial and put an end to 34 years of CPI(M) rule. I bow to Maa, Mati, Manush on this occasion. #SevenYearsOfPoriborton  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 13, 2018

CPM General Secretary, Sitaram Yechury also endorsed for unity among regional parties ahead of Lok Sabha elections in 2019. According to reports, Yechury asserted that only a post-poll alliance would help in the formation of the new government in New Delhi.

It may be recalled that Mamata Banerjee had said that she would not "tolerate" attacks on "supporters" of the Communist Party of India-Marxist [CPI(M)] and the pulling down of a statue of Russian leader Vladimir Lenin in Tripura after the BJP won the assembly elections.

She condemned the BJP's action saying the party has no right to erase the statues of Lenin and Karl Marx.

"Karl Marx or Mohamati [The Great] Lenin are not my leaders. But they do matter in Russia. Different people are leaders in different countries and different places formed this [the world]...but you [BJP]do not have the right to raze the statues of Marx or Lenin, just because you came to power, " she was quoted as saying by The Hindu.Never has India had a more decisive government says PM Modi

Modi to deliver keynote address at Shangri-La Dialogue on June 1

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Indonesia and Singapore from May 29 to June 2, during which attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, an inter-governmental security forum held annually.

This time the Shangri-La Dialogue will be held in Singapore and PM Modi will deliver the key note address on June 1.

"Prime Minister's visit to Indonesia and Singapore will be from 29 May to 2 June, during this visit PM will also deliver the key note address at Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on 1 June," MEA's Secretary East Preeti Saran said. She said this is the first time that an Indian prime minister has been invited to deliver the keynote address.

The prime minister is also likely to sign key agreements in various sectors with both the nations, reported PTI.

Saran said the dialogue gives the prime minister an opportunity to articulate his thoughts about India's policy on peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region, which she said will be the focus of his keynote address.

The Shangri-La Dialogue was conceived by the current IISS Director-General and Chief Executive Sir John Chipman in 2001 in response to the clear need for a forum where the Asia Pacific defence ministers could engage in dialogue aimed at building confidence and fostering practical security cooperation.

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Story first published: Thursday, May 24, 2018, 18:19 [IST]'Netherlands, now a member of International Solar Alliance,' says Modi

India

oi-Madhuri

Prime Minister of Netherlands Mark Rutte arrived in India on a two-day visit. This comes within a year of PM Modi's visit to Netherlands last June. It will be Rutte's second visit to India since June 2015 but the first after being reelected Prime Minister in 2017.

Indian and Netherlands Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mark Rutte, respectively, attended the CEO's conference where the two leaders discussed issues crucial for India's development.

Addressing media, Modi said,''I had urged Netherlands to join the International Solar Alliance and I am happy tell you that Netherlands has become a member of the International Solar Alliance.''

''The areas of agriculture and food processing are important to us, and Netherlands has expertise in both the fields. I am happy to share that Indo-Dutch Centre of Excellence for Vegetables has started in Pune's Baramati,'' PM Modi said in Delhi.

Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of Netherlands said,''Many Indian companies, which are active in the Netherlands, are helping us to build a more successful & more resilient society. I look forward to all the future meetings.''

Earlier, Modi welcomed the Dutch prime minister to India and said he looks forward to holding talks with him later in the day. "India welcomes you Prime Minister Rutte. I look forward to our talks today," Modi tweeted in English and Dutch.

It said Rutte would be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising deputy prime minister, minister for foreign trade and development cooperation, minister for infrastructure and water management, and minister for medical care.

In addition, about 231 business delegates representing 130 firms had registered to join the trade mission accompanying Rutte, the MEA stated. Besides the official engagements in Delhi, Rutte is likely to visit Bengaluru, to visit the ISRO campus among other activities.

India and The Netherlands have a bilateral trade of 5.39 billion dollars. The Netherlands is the 5th largest investor in India. The Netherlands is also home to a 2 lakh 35 thousand strong Indian Diaspora, the largest in mainland Europe.Transcripts from retrieved black box to be available soon: DGCA on Kerala plane crash

Nipah virus threat: 11 dead, Kerala issues advisory against travel to four districts

India

oi-Madhuri

As two suspected cases of Nipah virus emerged in neighbouring Karnataka, the Kerala Government is conducting surveillance in Kozhikode and in neighboring districts of Malappuram, Waynad & Kannur.

Rajeev Sadanandan, additional chief secretary at the Kerala Department of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday said the travelling to any part of Kerala is safe and that the situation was under control.

''Travelling to any part of Kerala is safe, however if travelers wish to be extra conscious they may avoid Kozhikode,'' he said.

Doctors in the affected region in Kerala, on their part, are sending daily reports on any new patients to a special action force constituted by the state government and health services.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka Health Department has confirmed a suspected case of Nipah virus in the coastal city of Mangaluru. The suspected victim is a 20-year-old of the Kasargod district that borders Kerala and Karnataka. She is believed to have contracted the virus when she was visiting her relative in Kasargod who died of the virus infection. She is not quarantined in a private hospital in Mangaluru and samples have been sent to the diagnostic centre in Pune. In Karnataka, health officials have been put on alert.

The scare has spread to other parts of the country as well. While Pondicherry, Telangana and Goa have gone on alert, the Rajasthan government has asked its Health officials to create awareness about the NiV virus.

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda has directed that a six-doctor team be constituted to probe the outbreak of the virus. In Kerala, Governor P. Sathasivam has appealed to the people to not panic and follow the advisories issued by the State Health Department. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state government was closely monitoring the outbreak and taking steps to prevent its spread.Patnaik gives HDK swearing in a miss, wants nothing to do with Congress-BJP

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik did not attend the swearing-in of HD Kumaraswamy as the chief minister of Karnataka today as the BJD maintains an equal distance from the Congress and the BJP, a party leader said. Patnaik, who is the BJD president, did not attend the swearing-in in Bengaluru that was held on Wednesday.

"It is obvious that the BJD, a purely regional outfit, has nothing to do with the national parties like the Congress and the BJP," BJD general secretary Arun Kumar Sahoo said.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, his mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, N Chandrababu Naidu, and Pinarayi Vijayan, her counterparts in Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala respectively, were present at the event. The BJP boycotted the ceremony and observed a "Black Day", holding statewide protests against the new coalition government, which it called "unholy".

On Patnaik not attending the event, Sahoo said, "For the last 18 years, the chief minister has not attended the swearing-in ceremonies in any other state." "He is also busy with the second phase of 'Save Mahanadi' campaign launched by the BJD as well as the state government's Ama Gaon Ama Bikas programme," he said. Sahoo avoided questions on whether any representative was sent to the swearing-in function.

BJD sources said though Patnaik maintained the "best of relationships" with former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's family, he preferred to avoid Kumarswamy's swearing-in so that he was not seen in the function along with Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The recent statements by two senior Congress leaders Bhakta Charan Das and Sarat Rout also put Patnaik in a fix. The two had publicly said that the Congress was not averse to joining hands with the BJD to keep the BJP out of the power in Odisha, where state assembly polls are due next year.

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Story first published: Thursday, May 24, 2018, 7:27 [IST]'Pre-planned move by DMK to protest right outside my office', says Tamil Nadu CM on Tuticorin unrest

India

oi-Madhuri

Tamil Nadu chief minister E Palaniswami on Tuticorin unrest said that the DMK had pre-planned the protest right outside my office.

Addressing media on Tuticori unrest, Palaniswami said,''Just to stage a political drama, MK Stalin staged a demonstration in front of the office. Stalin did not say he wanted to me at BAC meeting.''

Calling DMK working president MK Stalin protest outside TN Seretariat a political drama, Palaniswami said.'' I didn't refuse an appointment to meet him.'' He further said that Stalin did not seek any appointment.

Earlier in the day, there was high drama outside Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami's office. DMK working president MK Stalin was forcibly evicted from the area after he was leading a protest by party leaders for not getting an appointment with CM over Sterlite protests in Tuticorin. He has been detained for staging protest oustide CM's office.

On Wednesday, M K Stalin has demanded the resignation of the CM and DGP T K Rajendran over the anti-Sterlite violence at Tuticorin in which 13 people have been killed and scores injured. He had said Palaniswami and Rajendran should take moral responsibility for the incident and resign.

He also said,''While Jayalalithaa was CM, she canceled Sterlite's permission. NGT gave a ruling that they can run a smelter, if they follow rules. Jaya went to the SC, and this case is going on.''

''Amma's govt is taking the legal route to ensure that Sterlite is shut down. Section 144 has been imposed so there are no untoward incidents. But despite this, for selfish reasons, opposition leader decided to go ahead with protests,'' Palaniswami said.

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Story first published: Thursday, May 24, 2018, 13:18 [IST]Lockdown without aid package is inhuman and will cause huge suffering and damage: AAP

Report on oxygen utilisation: What APP and BJP are sparring over

Sikh leader threatens to quit if AAP joins Congress-led alliance

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

AAP leader HS Phoolka has threatened to quit Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday if the Arvind Kejriwal-led party joins the anti-BJP front led by Congress ahead of 2019 General Elections.

HS Phoolka, senior AAP leader and senior advocate of Delhi High Court, said , "Issue of 1984 riots is most important for me, if there is any alliance with Congress it will mean Sikhs have forgiven Congress for 1984, something that cannot happen. If party (AAP) enters Congress-led alliance I'll tender resignation."

AAP leader shared the stage with Congress President and UPA chairman Sonia Gandhi during the swearing-in ceremony of HD Kumaraswamy in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

Phoolka, the AAP leader from Punjab has been representing the 1984 riots victims in various courts for over last three decades. In January, HS Phoolka demanded an investigation to find out if Rajiv Gandhi had any role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots after the assassination of his mother and then prime minister Indira Gandhi.

As per reports, around 2,100 Sikhs were killed in Delhi alone during the anti-Sikh riots. Seven hundred Sikhs died in other parts of the country in riots.

Supreme Court dorected the Centre to constitute a fresh Special Investigation Team (SIT) to monitor a probe into 186 anti-Sikh riot cases. Even NDA partner Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) welcomed the SC decision saying the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots were unable to get justice for 33 years.Teesta Setalvad stares at arrest after anticipatory bail plea is rejected

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Teesta Setalvad and her husband stare at arrest after a sessions court rejected their anticipatory bail application in connection with the Rs 1.4 crore fund embezzlement case relating to their NGO Sabrang Trust.

City civil and sessions judge P J Tamakuwala rejected the anticipatory bail plea moved by the duo in an FIR lodged against them on March 30 this year by complainant Raeeskhan Pathan.

Opposing the bail plea, the crime branch had earlier claimed that the couple had misused the money granted to their NGO Sabrang Trust by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development between 2010 and 2013 for educational purposes, for their "personal and political cause".

In its submission, the crime branch had said that the accused misused the funds "to pay witnesses in serious cases in Gujarat (2002 riot cases) to make false deposition".

During this period, Setalvad worked as field co-coordinator for her NGO Citizen for Justice and Peace, while her husband Javed Anand as the trustee of the Sabrang Trust.

The ministry had granted Rs 1.4 crore between 2010 and 2013 to the NGO for a scheme under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, as per the submission made by the Gujarat Police in the court opposing their plea.

Complainant Raees Khan Pathan, a former aide of Setalvad, had lodged an FIR against them and some unidentified officials of the HRD Ministry under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

In its submission, the crime branch had stated that the investigation was at a sensitive stage and the accused were capable of affecting pieces of evidence against them if they were prevented from arrest.

Under the 'Khoj project', the Sabrang Trust published literature and pamphlets that spread communal hatred which were against the Constitution and judiciary, which is "dangerous for country's unity", it said.

Setalvad pitched for fund by misusing her position as a member of the Central Advisory Board of Education of the HRD Ministry, police had said.

The Supreme Court had last month granted temporary relief to Setalvad and Anand by extending their interim protection from arrest and transit anticipatory bail from May 2 to May 31, granted to them by the Bombay High Court.

The Supreme Court had said that the duo will not be arrested till May 31, but before that, they would have to approach the competent court in the state which will decide the matter on merits.

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Story first published: Thursday, May 24, 2018, 9:43 [IST]Why was Mamata Banerjee fuming at Kumaraswamys swearing-in-ceremony

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

The swearing-in ceremony of H D Kumaraswamy witnessed a show of strength by the opposition. Almost all leaders from across the country were present as Kumaraswamy took oath as the Chief Minister of Karnataka.

However, Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal was upset. She pointed out that the traffic arrangements were not up to the mark.

ANI while quoting sources said that Mamata was forced to walk a short distance to reach the Vidhana Soudha (state assembly) for the swearing-in, as a number of vehicles blocked the route to the venue. Due to this, Mamata lodged a complaint with the Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP), Neelamani Raju.

In a video captured of her entering the venue of the swearing-in, a perturbed Mamata was seen gesturing her dismay to the Karnataka DGP and later was seen explaining her situation to former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar, who were also present at the venue.

While proceeding towards the seating area, Mamata was seen once again in conversation with other leaders present there, in a disturbed manner, but went on to greet the dignitaries at the dais and the audience at the venue, after apparently being pacified by Deve Gowda and other leaders.

#WATCH: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee reprimands DIG Neelamani Raju as she came to Karnataka Vidhana Soudha for oath taking ceremony because reportedly had to walk a few metres, also expressed discontentment to HD Deve Gowda & HD Kumaraswamy. #Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/WZ2n0QVE9b  ANI (@ANI) May 23, 2018

However the Aam Aadmi Party leader and Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal did not mind. He took a short walk to reach the stage and did not seem to complain. AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha, who accompanied Kejriwal tweeted, " Bengaluru traffic beats every city in the country. We walked to the swearing in venue. Beautiful weather made up for it though."

Bengaluru traffic beats every city in the country. We walked to the swearing-in venue. Beautiful weather made up for it though. pic.twitter.com/PT9nauyWuk  Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) May 23, 2018

Kumaraswamy took oath as the CM of Karnataka in a grand ceremony on Wednesday. Dr. G Parameshwar was sworn in as the Deputy CM. The floor test will take place on Friday. The Congress-JD(S) combine should have no problem in passing the test as they have the required numbers.Sonia ji unwell, Rahul Gandhi should take over as Congress chief: Siddaramaiah as party preps up for CWC meet

When Yeddyurappa offered Siddaramaiah a shoulder to cry on

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Looks like B S Yeddyurappa has offered former Karnataka chief minister, Siddaramaiah a shoulder to cry on. Yeddyurappa feels that Siddaramaiah has been completely sidelined by the Congress despite him ensuring the victory of 50 MLAs single-handedly with the support of his Kuruba community.

The Congress has forgotten Siddaramaiah's contribution and is being disrespectful of the Kuruba community by joining the JD(S). The statements by Yedyurappa are being viewed as an attempt to add fuel to the fire within the Congress which has several disgruntled elements today owing to the JD(S) alliance. He also appears to be reaching out to the Kuruba community in Karnataka.

Yeddyurappa said that at least 90 per cent of the Congress MLAs are a disgruntled lot today. I am giving them all an open invitation to join us and help us form the government he said.

Taking a dig at Chief Minister, H D Kumaraswamy, Yeddyurappa said that he had gone back on his promise of waiving off farm loans. He said that he would mobilise lakhs of farmers and call for a Karnataka bandh soon.

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Story first published: Thursday, May 24, 2018, 7:44 [IST]China wants Pakistan to relocate 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed to West Asian country

International

oi-Madhuri

China wanted Pakistan to relocate 26/11 mastermind and global terrorist Hafiz Saeed to a West Asian country, according to the The Hindu. This suggestion comes amid mounting international pressure to act against the terrorist.

Chinese President Xi Jinping suggested this course of action allowing Saeed to live a quiet life in a West Asian country to Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on the sidelines of the Boao Forum in China last month.

"At a 35-minute meeting, at least 10 minutes of the discussion dealt with Saeed. The Chinese President was keen on pressing the Prime Minister to find an early solution to keep Saeed away from the limelight," a close aide of Abbasi told The Hindu.

Meanwhile, the JuD has been accusing the government of taking action against Saeed at the instance of the US and India.

Saeed, who has been declared a global terrorist by the United Nations, the U.S. and India, carries a reward of $5 million on his head for his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Pakistani authorities last year put him under house arrest for almost nine months but were forced to release him on the orders of the Lahore High Court.

Earlier this year, the JuD was put on the list of banned organisations just before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting in Paris. Following the meeting, it was decided to put Pakistan on the grey list for its failure to prevent terror financing.

However, China dismissed as "shocking" and "baseless" a media report saying President Xi Jinping has asked Pakistan to explore ways to relocate terror outfit Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed to a West Asian country amid rising international pressure to act against him for his links with terror.India aiming for security & economic goals in N Korea; still not a big player there: China media

International

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

China's Global Times came up with yet another report analysing the role that India is aiming to play in the Korean Peninsula affairs by sending its Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh to North Korea in the third week of May.

In a piece titled 'India seeks major power status by pivot to NK' authored by an expert on international affairs, it was argued that India's decision to send a high-level diplomat to the hermit kingdom after a long time (North Korean foreign minister had visited New Delhi in 2015 which saw the highest-level North Korean official coming to India in more than three decades) had two main purposes to serve.

First, India wanted to get assurance from North Korea ahead of the scheduled meeting between his supreme leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump that Pyongyang will not join hands with Pakistan in developing nuclear weapons, something which New Delhi perceives as a serious threat to its security. India believes since 1999 that it was North Korea which provided ballistic missile technology and components to Pakistan, jeopardising its security and the regional stability, the Global Times report said.

"Apparently, India doesn't want to see North Korea assist its enemy, Pakistan, in nuclear and missile development, but New Delhi is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty or Missile Technology Control Regime, and thus has no right to criticize North Korea. Now, Pyongyang has announced its pursuit of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and will negotiate with Washington on the issue. This is a good chance for India to address its core concern, as North Korea, to ensure the success of talks with the US, will surely make some pledges on denuclearization," the piece said.

It said the Indian aim was fulfilled as it claimed North Korea as pledging not to do things that could hurt India's security concerns.

Singh's second visit, according to the Global Times, was to enable India to enter North Korea's market. Kim recently vowed that his country would make all efforts on socialist economic construction and being Pyongyang's third largest trading partner, New Delhi is not ready to give up the opportunity to realise the potential of trade with the isolated country which has opted for the paths of peace and development. India had to impose restrictions on trade with North Korea after the UN sanctioned Pyongyang over its nuclear ambitions but with the ambience looking lighter, India has shown its eagerness to tap North Korea's rich natural resources that have got attention of the outside world.

"Singh's visit has won India some advantage in future economic cooperation with North Korea," the Global Times piece said.

It said Singh's visit also promoted India's Act East Policy but didn't boost its major power status as many had hoped

"It's unknown whether the Indian government, by sending Singh to North Korea, intends to exercise influence on the peninsula's peace process so as to showcase its status as a major power. But since Singh wasn't received by Kim, it indicates that Pyongyang doesn't regard New Delhi a key player in the peninsula standoff," it said.

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Story first published: Thursday, May 24, 2018, 8:59 [IST]Could not say no to Pulwama terrorists, they were armed and dangerous

Further breakthroughs in Pulwama attack case as NIA nabs two more

Iraq: Suicide bomber kills 7 in northern Baghdad park

International

oi-Madhuri

A Suicide bomber in Baghdad blew himself up at park filled with families, killing at least seven people on Thursday.

At least 16 people were wounded in the attack on Thursday. It was the first attack in Baghdad since the May 17 start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, which bore the hallmarks of the Islamic State extremist group.

(with PTI inputs)

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Story first published: Thursday, May 24, 2018, 8:54 [IST]Not just North Korea, even South Koreans hate hardliner John Bolton: Report

International

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

The North Korean peace initiative was on track till May 16 when Pyongyang abruptly called off an official-level meeting with South Korea to protest the US's leading an air drill in the Korean Peninsula and the American establishment excessive posturing over the impending talks between North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.

North Korea got so furious with the South even after Kim met South Korean President Moon Jae-in at a historic summit on April 27 that it even declined to allow journalists from Seoul to attend its nuclear site dismantling event this week.

But while North Korea and the US engaged in a blame game to prove the other side is less interested to take the peace process forward, a report in the Washington Post said it was not only the North Koreans who felt furious with the US leadership's one-upmanship gestures, especially those by Trump's national security adviser John Bolton. Even the South Koreans are disappointed with the hawkish top official and also did not refrain from calling the moustachioed man a "landmine".

Chung Dong Young, a former unification minister of South Korea and currently a lawmaker, for instance, told YTN Radio that there were "several landmines on the way to the summit between North Korea and the US" and "one of those landmines just exploded: John Bolton", the Post said.

Woo Sang Ho, a lawmaker of South Korea's ruling Democratic Party, also echoed a similar view, writing in a Facebook post that Bolton's "preposterous 'Libya solution' is a red light in North Korea' summit talks with the US and South Korea".

Mr. Woo Sang Ho, a lawmaker in Mr. Moon's ruling Democratic Party, agreed. "Bolton's preposterous 'Libya solution' is a red light in North Korea's summit talks with the US and South Korea," he wrote in a Facebook post.

According to the Post, Bolton is not a new name for officials serving in the current administration in Seoul. Many among them were working under South Korea's pro-engagement president Roh Moo Hyun (Wednesday marked his ninth death anniversary) of the 2000s when Bolton also featured in the George W Bush administration and was a vocal supporter of invasion of Iraq and toppling the regime in North Korea.

According to one expert, the previous Roh administration of South Korea was also concerned about Bolton because of his neoconservative approach and he could scuttle the peace process this time as well, the Washington Post report added.

Bolton annoyed the North Koreans recently by seeking transfer of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons to the US as they refused to buy the Americans' line of thinking to humiliate countries - something Muammar Gaddafi's Libya experienced in the early 2000s.

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Story first published: Thursday, May 24, 2018, 6:12 [IST]Collapse of Kabul will go down as one of the greatest defeats in American history: Donald Trump

Trump feels inconvenient to give his Twitter phone for internal security checks: Report

International

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

US President Donald Trump is reportedly disregarding security advice by using at least two iPhones and refusing to cooperate on screening one of them for hacking attempts because he felt it is "too inconvenient," Politico reported.

Trump has one iPhone which can be used only for making calls while the other is used as his Twitter phone which has access to various news websites and the social network, as per White House officials, the report added.

Though Trump has allowed routine checks on his call phone to thwart security threats, he hasn't given his Twitter phone for the same for five months now, citing inconvenience as the reason, the report said.

The US president is powerful enough to ignore the White House policy but by overlooking an important security concern, he could put his country's safety at risk, teh report added. Devices could be hacked by foreign intelligence agencies to gain key information and the US has no dearth of enemies.

The report also said that Trump had repeatedly criticised his presidential poll rival Hilary Clinton for her use of a personal email server but at least six senior individuals in his administration did similar things, including his son-in-law and top aide Jared Kushner, a Guardian report said.

Former president Barack Obama was also not allowed to use an iPhone because his advisers felt it was not secure enough. Obama had a soft corner for his BlackBerry before taking over the reins in 2009 and had a specially customised phone foe him which had no camera, microphone or GPS. But even that special phone was taken for examination every one month, the Politico report added.

Obama was the first US president to use email and win a fight against the NSA to allow him to keep a BlackBerry though it was allegedly restricted to speaking with just 10 people.

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Story first published: Thursday, May 24, 2018, 8:53 [IST]US-North Korea: What is Libyan model of disarmament which annoyed Pyongyang?

International

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

US National Security Adviser (NSA) John Bolton's emphasis on the "Libyan model" when talking about nuclear negotiations with North Korea left Pyongyang livid, so much so, that the June 12 meeting between its supreme leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump could now be derailed.

Trump though distanced himself from Bolton's remarks but there was enough confusion over his exact stand on the matter, hence helping little in getting things sorted out and pacifying the Kim regime about Washington's approach towards it.

But what is the Libyan model that all are talking about?

By Libyan model, Bolton tried to convey that all of North Korea's nuclear devices should be turned over to the US and stored at Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Talking about the Libyan model, when the late Muammar Gaddafi took over as the leader of Libya in September 1969, the North African country was a wealthy one with massive oil resources.

Gaddafi had a close working relation with Pakistan over developing the nuclear programme. The Libyan dictator wanted his country to have its own nuclear programme and in the beginning, it wanted to have reactors that could also produce plutonium. In 1977, a nuclear research centre was also set up near Libya's capital Tripoli but Gaddafi always had a scarcity of personnel to carry forward the programme. Trained personnel were brought in from countries like Egypt but it was always going to be uncertain since those workers could be called back by their countries any time, depending on the politics of the day.

Having failed to make their own reactors, Libya turned to buying them. They got one from Russia - a small one - but it was not confirmed whether it could produce any plutonium ever. Neither did Libya's quest for a centrifuge programme succeeded.

In 1989, the Gaddafi regime purchased a nuclear weapons programme from Pakistan and succeeded in making a cascade of nine centrifuges but they needed thousands to make adequate fissure material.

After his numerous attempts towards acquiring nuclear weapons hit the wall, Gaddafi started looking the other way, i.e., save his country from the crippling sanctions and in 2003, two years after the 9/11 attacks which the dictator had denounced as part of his efforts to normalise relations with the US, he announced to shut its nuclear programme. In January 2004, American military cargo aircraft transferred massive amounts of documents and equipment related to Libya's nuclear programme out of the African nation to Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

Gaddafi was praised by the West but criticised by many in the Arab world for not extracting benefits in lieu of his disarmament. The leader, who was killed in 2011, also grew dissatisfied in the later years for he thought that the US had given very little significance to Libya's disarmament.

This is in a nutshell, the Libyan model of nuclear disarmament and it says enough about a country's national humiliation. North Korea is at a more advanced stage of nuclear affairs and is understandably upset with the US for equating it with a hapless Libya. Pyongyang, after all, is not as weak in Libya in international politics for it not only has a better nuclear programme but also a solid ally in China behind it.

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Story first published: Thursday, May 24, 2018, 6:21 [IST]Xi Jinping backs India, Pakistans memberships in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

International

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

The Chinese are generally seen taking the side of Pakistan when it comes to India-Pakistan issues but Beijing has spoken in a different tune about the two South Asian rivals' presence in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Chinese President Xi Jinping has recently said while addressing the representatives to the 13th meeting of Security Council secretaries of the SCO in Beijing that with the entry of India and Pakistan, the SCO has gained more potential for cooperation and the international community's expectations from it have also gone up.

"SCO members have fought the three evil forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism and made important contributions to regional peacekeeping, development and prosperity," Jinping was quoted as saying by a state-controlled Chinese newspaper.

India and Pakistan joined the SCO - a Eurasian security organisation comprising China, Russia and the four central Asian republics - at its Astana summit in June 2017 and its next summit is due in Qingdao in June 2018 where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be present.

Security officials from the member countries, including India and Pakistan, met in Beijing for a two-day meeting in the run-up to the summit. India's Deputy National Security Adviser (NSA) Rajinder Khanna and Pakistan's NSA Nasser Khan Janjua besides top security officials of the SCO member countries called on the Chinese president after the conclusion of the meeting, PTI reported. The SCO was formed in June 2001 and is headquartered in Beijing.

Jinping, who met Modi at an informal summit in Wuhan in China on April 27-28, said the members of the SCO should promote strategic direction of cooperation in the realm of security besides mutual strategic trust; enhance policy coordination, value justice and strive for joint resolution of burning regional issues through political and diplomatic means.

The SCO members should uphold the strategic direction of security cooperation, continue to boost mutual strategic trust, enhance coordination of policy, uphold justice and jointly push the resolution of regional hot issues through political and diplomatic measures, Xi said.

Xi called on the other SCO members to build up their capacity for joint security operations and build an efficient law-enforcement cooperation network.

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Story first published: Thursday, May 24, 2018, 6:24 [IST][May 23, 2018] Aculab's Prosody S Enhances Accuracy and Customer Experience for Brekeke's Call Center Suite SAN MATEO, Calif., May 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Brekeke Software today announced the release of a new version of Brekeke Call Center Suite (CCS). The new version of Brekeke CCS supports Aculab's Prosody S, adding the ability to accurately detect an answering machine or a live person. This function is most useful when it is used with Brekeke CCS to make outbound marketing/sales calls. With this newly added function, the call center service provider can accurately and effectively distribute calls to agents when a live person is available at the receiving end, and process pre-determined responses when an answering machine is detected. "We are proud to work with Aculab to present the improved Brekeke CCS that can enhance effectiveness of call center operations and offer better experiences for the customers they serve," said Shin Yamade, Brekeke's CEO. "We plan to add Aculab's VoiSentry in a future version of Brekeke CCS that enables voice authentication, which will further extend the security and efficiency of our products," added Yamade. David Samuel, CEO of Aculab, added, "Many organizations, ranging from the smallest SME up to multinational corporations, rely on robust contact solutions to maintain customer loyalty and drive new revenue streams. Our innovative technology combines both traditional and IP-based voice processing capabilities such as interactive voice response (IVR), answering machine detection/live speaker detection (AMD/LSD) and automatic call distribution (ACD). This gives forward-thinking developers like Brekeke Software the scalable building blocks they need to deliver technical and commercial excellence to their customers." Aculab's Prosody S runs on a Widows or Linux host to provide telephony resources for platforms such as contact centers, IP-PBXs, media servers, fax servers and conferencing products. A customer application using Prosody S, makes, receives and interacts with calls using the Aculab Call API, enabling the integration of telephony with business processes. Licensing on a per channel basis and a distributed architecture enables Prosody S to be cost-effective for systems of any size.

Brekeke CCS provides call center software for building large-scale contact centers and cloud contact center services. To learn more about Brekeke CCS, visit http://www.brekeke.com/call-center/. About Aculab

Aculab is an innovative company that offers deployment proven enabling technology for any telecoms related application. Its wide range of APIs serve the evolving needs of automated and interactive systems, whether on-premise, data center hosted, or cloud-based. Aculab offers development APIs for voice, data, fax, speech and SMS, on hardware, software and cloud-based platforms, giving users the choice between capital investment and cost-effective, 'pay as you go' alternatives. Many years of experience in helping to drive its customers' success has led to over 1000 customers, in more than 80 countries worldwide, including developers, integrators and service providers, adopting Aculab's technology for a wide variety of business critical services and solutions. Aculab's head office is located in Milton Keynes, UK. It has an office in the USA. About Brekeke Software

Brekeke Software, Inc., is an industry-leading developer of SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) software products for IP (Internet Protocol) network communications. With a variety of standards-based SIP software, Brekeke products provide a highly scalable and reliable voice and data communication platform for telephony carriers, service providers, and enterprises. Founded in 2002, Brekeke is headquartered in San Mateo, California. For more information, visit http://www.brekeke.com. Contact Information Aculab

Richard James

Telephone: +44 (0)1908 273843

Email: 195760@email4pr.com Brekeke Software, Inc.

Tomoko Shimizu

+1 (650) 401-6636

195760@email4pr.com View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aculabs-prosody-s-enhances-accuracy-and-customer-experience-for-brekekes-call-center-suite-300653063.html SOURCE Brekeke Software, Inc.

[ Back To SIP Trunking Home's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] Genesys Speeds and Simplifies Compliance with GDPR for PureCloud Customers Worldwide SAN FRANCISCO, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Genesys (www.genesys.com), the global leader in omnichannel customer experience and contact center solutions, today announced availability of a new API for its PureCloud platform that facilitates compliance with the new European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The API enables organizations using PureCloud to more efficiently process requests from their customers as required by GDPR, the EU data protection and privacy law that goes into effect on May 25. Under GDPR, EU residents have a number of new rights that enable greater control of their personal information while businesses are held accountable for the protection of that data. Individuals gain the right to access their own data and can demand: a copy of their personal data to see what a company has tracked; deletion of their personal data; and portability of their data. The PureCloud GDPR API offers self-service features so businesses can handle high volumes of customer data requests quickly and directly within the PureCloud platform. With the PureCloud GDPR API, businesses can automatically facilitate key end-customer requests easily and confidentially. Streamlined GDPR Compliance Genesys is making the new API available to businesses in all PureCloud regions, which extends beyond the minimum requirements outlined by the new regulations. While GDPR applies to the personal data of individuals in and from the EU, companies outside of the EU, including those in the United States, may find themselves obligated to comply with GDPR if they collect, store or use personal data about any EU resident. For that reason, Genesys encourages businesses to take advantage of the new API as a proactive measure and to build trust with end-customers regarding data protection and privacy. "'Privacy by Design,' a ky part of GDPR, holds that any company that processes personal data must make privacy and data protection a priority at every turn," said Olivier Jouve, executive vice president of Genesys PureCloud. "That very principle is inherent in the PureCloud platform, which was designed from day one to maintain confidentiality, integrity and privacy of sensitive data."

GDPR holds that businesses must comply with personal data requests within 30 days. With the new API, businesses using the PureCloud platform can initiate and resolve such requests well within the mandated time period. For example, organizations using the API to respond to customer access requests can expect to retrieve all related personal data within 1-2 business days. Using the API, businesses can remove or make personal data anonymous in response to a GDPR "forget me" request in less than 14 days. In addition, the PureCloud GDPR API provides a confirmation that the request was successfully completed so businesses using PureCloud have a record of request fulfillment, or an electronic personal data report. Broad Compliance with Industry Standards Launched in 2015, the PureCloud platform is a unified, all-in-one customer engagement and business communications solution that is easy to use and quick to deploy. A true cloud offering based on microservices architecture, the PureCloud platform is flexible, open, feature-rich, and built for rapid innovation, providing organizations with a future-proof solution for quickly scaling to meet customer growth. In addition to GDPR, the PureCloud platform is compliant with numerous other regulatory and industry data protection standards including HIPAA, the United States federal law restricting release of medical information; Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS); ISO27001, among others. Genesys has also instituted procedures to help businesses using the PureConnect and PureEngage platforms to comply with GDPR when the regulation takes effect. The company plans to roll out automated GDPR tools for both offerings early this summer. About Genesys

Genesys powers more than 25 billion of the world's best customer experiences each year. Our success comes from connecting employee and customer conversations on any channel. Every day, 11,000 companies in more than 100 countries trust our #1 customer experience platform to drive great business outcomes and create lasting relationships. Combining the best of technology and human ingenuity, we build solutions that mirror natural communication and work the way you think. Our industry-leading solutions foster true omnichannel engagement because they perform equally well across channels, on premise and in the cloud. Experience communication as it should be: fluid, instinctive and profoundly empowering. Visit genesys.com on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and the Genesys blog. 2018 Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved. Genesys, the Genesys logo, Genesys PureCloud, PureConnect, and PureEngage are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Genesys. All other company names and logos may be registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies. Contacts:

Rachel Faulkner

Genesys

rachel.faulkner@genesys.com

+1 317-715-8109 Lisa Hawes

Sterling Communications

genesys@sterlingpr.com

+1 408-395-5500 View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/genesys-speeds-and-simplifies-compliance-with-gdpr-for-purecloud-customers-worldwide-300654119.html SOURCE Genesys

[ Back To SIP Trunking Home's Homepage ]Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang's Regular Press Conference on May 24, 2018

2018/05/24

The Foreign Ministry and the People's Government of Hebei Province will hold a promotion event here at 3:30 pm on May 28 under the theme of "China in the New Era: Xiong'an--A Vision for the Future of Cities". State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will deliver a speech. Party Secretary Wang Dongfeng and Governor Xu Qin of Hebei Province will also address the event. Representatives of foreign diplomats in China are invited to make remarks and interact with the audience.

In April 2017, the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and State Council issued a circular to establish the Xiong'an New Area in Hebei Province. In April this year, the CPC Central Committee and State Council approved the Planning Outline for the Xiong'an New Area in Hebei. The establishment of the Xiong'an New Area is a major historic strategic choice made by the Chinese central government and a major decision and arrangement to advance the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The Xiong'an New Area is another new area of national significance after the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the Shanghai Pudong New Area. The move is highly relevant and has far-reaching historical influence in terms of helping phase out functions from Beijing that are not related to the capital, explore a new model of optimized development in densely-populated and economically advanced areas, restructure the urban layout in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and cultivate new driving force for innovative development. We look forward to your attendance at and coverage of this event.

The regular press conference of the Foreign Ministry will be adjourned on that day. You may still reach the Office of the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson by phone or fax.

Q: The western media has been reporting on China's so-called "debt trap" diplomacy. Meanwhile, many senior officials from the Asian, African and Latin American countries have voiced different opinions, saying that China's investment and loans will bring immense benefits to their countries. For example, senior official of the Philippine Treasury Antonio Joselito Lambino said that he believed that the projects invested by China will bring more benefits to the public than their costs. Senior official Solano in charge of the Department of Investment and Planning of the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Panama said that Panama has not seen such a case of debt crisis induced by Chinese investment and is not likely to see one in the future. Panama has full confidence in Chinese enterprises and investment. Governor of the Silkroad International Bank in Djibouti said that China's investment has not caused debt crisis. It is just that there are European and American companies who lost some opportunities because of cooperation between China and Djibouti, so they are dissatisfied. The accusations of debt crisis are nothing but voices of jealousy. What is your comment?

A: Suffice to say that justice is in the voice of the people.

Q: The DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said that if the US ignores the goodwill of the DPRK and continues with its unlawful and outrageous acts, she will advise the DPRK leadership to reconsider the summit with the US. What is China's comment? And the DPRK senior officials headed to Diaoyutai State Guest House today after they arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport. Can you confirm that?

A: I will take your second question first. I am not aware of the information you mentioned.

As for your first question, we have noted the relevant reports and the dissatisfaction the DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui expressed. Like I repeatedly said at this podium these two days, the dialogue and detente on the Korean Peninsula at this point are hard-won, we strongly hope that all relevant parties will cherish that and earnestly speak and act in a way that is conducive to ensuring smooth dialogue and achieving positive outcomes. To this end, it is necessary for all relevant parties, the US and the DPRK in particular, to actively meet each other halfway, send out goodwill, and enhance mutual trust.

Q: Yesterday, senior officials of the US Department of State, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo included, said that a US consular employee in Guangzhou suffered abnormal sensations of sound and pressure and was diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury in the US, similar to the symptoms reported by US diplomats in its Embassy in Cuba last year. The State Department has issued a health alert to US citizens in China. Do you have any information to issue and what is your reaction to this?

A: We have noted relevant reports. China always protects the safety of staff in foreign diplomatic missions in China, including those from the US side, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Regarding what was said in those reports, China has carried out an investigation seriously and given an initial feedback to the US. By far, we have found no reason or clue for what was reported by the US.

Q: Is China concerned that the planned summit between the US and the DPRK appears to be unraveling and also that the DPRK's willingness to give up its nuclear weapons has weakened?

A: Like I said in my reply to Yonhap, we hope the US and the DPRK will cherish the rare opportunity at this point to enable the success of their summit and ensure positive outcomes. As to your question about whether the DPRK truly means to give up its nuclear weapons, I believe you may have all noticed that recently, both the major strategic decision made by the 3rd Plenary Session of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and the policy announcement by the DPRK supreme leader and senior officials have explicitly indicated that the DPRK will commit itself to realizing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and it also shows its readiness for dialogue and negotiation with the US on this. I would like to reiterate that we hope the dialogue will be held as soon as possible with positive outcomes.

Q: The Canadian government has blocked the acquisition of its construction company Aecon by a Chinese state-owned firm. The government of Canada cited national security concerns in its decision. Does China find it credible that the acquisition of a construction company could present national security risks to Canada?

A: Economic cooperation between China and Canada is for mutual benefit and has brought tangible benefits to the two countries. The Chinese government has been encouraging Chinese enterprises who open up and run business in foreign countries to abide by local laws and regulations. Meanwhile, we also hope that the host countries could offer a level playing field and a sound investment environment for Chinese enterprises. As a principle, China opposes politicizing relevant economic and trade activities and making political interference on the grounds of national security. We hope that Canada would cast aside its prejudice and ensure a fair and sound environment for Chinese enterprises investing in Canada.

Q: The search for MH370 will end on May 29th. Would you comment on this investigation and should we give up hope on finding out what happened?

A: The Chinese government attaches high importance to the relevant work with regard to the MH370 accident. We have been calling on all relevant parties to remain in close communication and coordination.

Q: US President Donald Trump threatened to slap a 25% tariff on automobiles and auto parts. Would such a move be counterproductive and bad for bilateral relations given that China has just announced to reduce its own tariffs on the same items?

A: The spokesperson for the Commerce Ministry has just made a response to this issue. We have seen this statement by the US side as well as relevant reports. China's position is that we oppose abusing the clause on national security, because such an abuse would sabotage the multilateral trading regime and disrupt the normal international trading order. We will follow closely how this US investigation would evolve and conduct a comprehensive evaluation on its possible impacts. China will resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.

Q: In Canada, some people are raising concerns that the obstruction of the Aecon acquisition would have a negative impact on trade between China and Canada and could cause China to either block the import of Canadian goods or block future Canadian acquisitions in China. Will China consider retaliatory measures?

A: We are closely following the development of this case. I just said that China-Canada economic ties are essentially for mutual benefit. If I may quote what I just said, if things come to a stage where our interests are hurt, we will definitely take necessary measures to safeguard our lawful interests.

Q: In response to China's continuous "militarization" in the South China Sea, the Pentagon has withdrawn its invitation to China to participate in the 2018 RIMPAC. What is your comment?

A: I have seen relevant reports. The US side linked China's participation in the military exercise with what it perceived to be China's actions in the South China Sea. I must seriously point out that China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands and reefs in the South China Sea and the adjacent waters. It is our inherent right as a sovereign state to carry out normal construction activities on our own territory and conduct normal military training. It is a necessary measure to safeguard our sovereign security and maintain regional peace and stability, bearing not the slightest resemblance to the so-called "militarization" that the US side has been irresponsibly accusing us of. The US has no right and no ground to accuse China on this issue.

I also want to stress that it is the US who proposed to enhance mil-to-mil exchanges between the two countries in the first place. If it thinks that it can blackmail China into giving up its inherent rights by manipulating one or two exchange programs, it is indulging in unrealistic thinking to no avail. No matter it is invitation or disinvitation, or whether there is this military drill or not, nothing will change China's resolve to play a positive role in upholding peace and stability in the South China Sea region or sway its firm determination to safeguard its security and sovereign rights and interests.

Q: US President Trump yesterday said that trade talks with China would need a new structure because the current track of trade talks makes it hard to verify progress. Do you have comments on that? Can you confirm whether Commerce Secretary Ross is still due to visit China next week?

A: Regarding your first question, I would like to remind you all that the statement coming out of last week's trade talks between China and the US in Washington, D.C. is a joint statement, reflecting the consensus of the two parties.

Regarding your second question, whether Commerce Secretary Ross will visit China next week, I haven't heard otherwise so far. You could seek more clarification from the Commerce Ministry.Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang's Remarks on the Burkina Faso Government's Statement on "Severing Diplomatic Ties" with Taiwan

2018/05/25

Q: According to reports, the government of Burkina Faso issued a statement on its decision to "sever diplomatic ties" with Taiwan from now on. What is your comment?

A: We have noted the statement by the government of Burkina Faso on cutting the so-called "diplomatic" relations with Taiwan. We appreciate this.

As is known to all, Resolution 2758 adopted at the 26th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in October 1971 has made it clear that the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government that represents the whole of China. The one-China principle recognized by this resolution has become the universal consensus of the international community. The one-China principle involves China's core interests and the sentiment of over 1.3 billion Chinese people, and it is also the prerequisite and political basis for countries around the globe to maintain and develop friendly and cooperative relations with China.

At this point, the China-Africa Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership has maintained sound momentum for development. In September, China will hold the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Summit, which will surely set off a new upsurge of China-Africa friendly cooperation. In recent years, the Gambia and Sao Tome and Principe have normalized their relations with China and returned to the big family of China-Africa friendly cooperation, fully testifying to the fact that the one-China principle conforms to the shared aspiration of the people and constitutes an irresistible trend of the times. We welcome Burkina Faso's return to the big family of China-Africa friendly cooperation on the basis of the one-China principle at an early date.Opalesque Industry Update - The world's 10 largest hedge funds by equity assets were bullish on industrial stocks in the first quarter and narrowed their stakes in consumer discretionary companies, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data. Collectively, the 10 firms purchased a net $3.44 billion in shares in industrial companies, the most of any sector for the second straight quarter. Consumer staples companies were the second-favourite target, garnering $2.51 billion in net purchases. On the other hand, the hedge funds were net sellers in consumer discretionary and healthcare, selling off positions in those sectors worth $3.14 billion and $2.27 billion, respectively. As of May 21, the group of 10 reported 570 equity positions worth $176.62 billion. In dollar terms, the group was most bullish on media company 21st Century Fox Inc. during the first quarter, even though one hedge fund, TCI Fund Management Ltd., was responsible for all the buying. TCI increased its position by more than 74 million shares in the first quarter in both class A and B, pushing the total value of its investment to $3.12 billion. Facebook Inc. and Microsoft Corp. were the most popular stocks during the quarter, as six firms either initiated or increased stakes in both companies. Information technology companies accounted for 29% of the group's total holdings, the most of any sector.The 2017 statistics for the local hedge fund industry, released by the Association for Savings and Investment South Africa (ASISA), show that this was the hedge fund industry's first decline in assets under management since 2011 when assets stood at only R31.4bn.

Eugene Visagie, Convenor of the ASISA Hedge Funds Standing Committee, said that poor fund performance in 2016 and 2017, mainly by the larger equity long/short funds, resulted in investors withdrawing capital and moving it to more traditional asset classes.

According to Visagie, hedge fund performance has been muted since 2016 following events such as Nenegate, Brexit and the election of President Donald Trump.

In addition, he said, the majority of hedge fund managers did not anticipate the rally in the rand last year.

He pointed out that fixed income was the best performing strategy in 2017 and therefore also received the most net inflows.

Visagie said hedge funds apply a number of different specialist strategies to asset classes such as equities, bonds, cash and property with the aim of mitigating the impact of market volatility.

The most common hedge fund strategy in South Africa is referred to as "equity long/short".

At the end of December 2017, 60.4% of hedge fund assets was invested in this type of strategy, while 14.1% was invested in fixed income.

He cautioned that hedge funds are designed to protect capital by outperforming the markets during times of heightened volatility.

"However, when financial markets deliver strong performances hedge funds are unlikely to show similar results," he said.

Visagie said the industry faced another year of consolidation in 2017 as it continued to transition to the regulated environment.

In April 2015, South Africa became the first country to put in place comprehensive regulation for hedge fund products.

The new regulations provide for two categories of hedge funds, namely Qualified Investor Hedge Funds and Retail Investor Hedge Funds.

This required the hedge fund industry to prioritise the conversion of hedge fund products to structures that conform to the provisions of the Collective Investment Schemes Control Act (CISCA).

"The implementation of the new regulation has led to some hedge fund managers consolidating their product offering," said Visagie.

Under the new hedge fund regulation, 295 hedge fund portfolios have been approved by the former Financial Services Board (FSB).

By the end of December last year, 99% of hedge fund assets had transitioned to regulated structures - 69% of hedge fund assets had been allocated to Qualified Investor Hedge Funds and 30% to Retail Investor Hedge Funds.

The remaining 1% completed the transition during the early part of 2018.

Visagie remains positive about the growth prospects of the local hedge fund industry, despite the challenges facing hedge fund managers.

"The industry is still small, but it has the potential to be a key role player in the South African savings industry. This is where the new regulation is of particular importance as it provides a much-needed structure for making hedge funds marketable to new investors."Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

This piece was reprinted by OpEdNews with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.

From Caitlin Johnstone Website

Secretary of State and former CIA Director Mike Pompeo said during a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee today that he does not believe there is a deep state in the CIA, the State Department or the Department of Justice, which is the same as a mob boss saying he doesn't believe there is organized crime in the Mafia.

California Rep. Ted Lieu, himself a virulent Russiagater and aggressive defender of the US intelligence community, asked Pompeo if he believed there was a "Criminal Deep State" at the State Department in reference to a recent tweet by America's reality TV president.

"I haven't seen the comments from the president. I don't believe there is a deep state at the State Department," Pompeo said.

"You formerly served as CIA Director," Lieu continued. "Do you believe your colleagues at the CIA are part of the Criminal Deep State?"

"You know, this term 'deep state' has been thrown around -- I will say this, the employees that worked for me at the CIA, nearly uniformly, were aimed at achieving the president's objectives and America's objectives," Pompeo responded.

"And that's your experience when you interact with colleagues at the FBI and the Department of Justice as well?" Lieu asked.

"Uh, yes," Pompeo replied.

It was like watching a two-handed puppet show about two swamp monsters furiously agreeing with one another that there is no swamp.

This would be the same Mike Pompeo, by the way, who promised that he would make the depraved, lying, torturing, propagandizing, drug trafficking, coup-staging, warmongering CIA into a "much more vicious agency." The same Mike Pompeo who just the other day stood before a plutocrat-funded DC think tank declaring an effective regime change policy against Iran, citing its government's human rights violations while ignoring the human rights violations of the Saudi Royals which were making headlines that same day.

I hardly ever use the term "deep state" anymore. For a time it was a sensible label to use within smaller, well-informed circles to refer to the unelected power structures which remain in America regardless of the shifting tides of its official elected government, but ever since it became a mainstream household term it's been rendered meaningless by partisan hackery.

Republicans, who spent the last week defending CIA torture as "Bloody Gina" Haspel ascended to Pompeo's old office, insist that President Trump is "fighting the deep state" due to some shady intelligence community behavior two years ago.

This would be the same President Trump who has authorized unprecedented black budget funding for that same intelligence community. The same President Trump who has advanced longstanding deep state agendas against Syria, Iran and Russia, the same President Trump who has continued Bush and Obama's Orwellian surveillance program, government opacity and persecution of whistleblowers, the same President Trump who said he supports the US Department of Justice in its prioritizing the arrest of WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange.

Democrats meanwhile proclaim that talk of a deep state in America is a baseless conspiracy theory, which is an innately absurd position. Deep state is not a conspiracy theory, it's a concept used in political analysis to describe the ways that unelected power structures like multinational plutocrats and intelligence/defense agencies tend to collaborate with one another in order to advance their own agendas. The fact that such plutocrats and agencies (A) exist, (B) have power, (C) are unelected, (D) tend to form alliances with each other and (E) try to advance their own agendas is not disputable; the only thing you can dispute is the nature and extent of their operations.

These would be the same Democrats, by the way, who have spent the last year and a half fanatically defending US intelligence agencies and canonizing J Edgar Hoover heirs James Comey and Robert Mueller as living saints.

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From Informed Comment

Iran's clerical Leader, Ali Khamenei, weighed in on Trump's violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Iran nuclear accord of 2015, which the US signed off on along with the rest of the UN Security Council and Germany (informally representing the European Union). Speaking frankly to Iran's European trading partners, the ayatollah laid down six requirements for Iran to remain in the JCPOA itself. These demands appear to be a response to those made by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, whom Khamenei has dismissed as a mere "spy."

Khamenei expressed his disappointment in Europe's past and present behavior. He noted that some large European firms were already pulling out of Iran (this may be a reference to Total, SA). He said that on several occasions the US has violated its responsibilities under the JCPOA (referring to new economic sanctions slapped on Iran by Congress after it was signed with a promise of sanctions relief). He added that the Europeans had not so much as complained about these US violations. Then he set out his requirements.

1. The US has violated UNSC Resolution 2231 by revoking its signature. The European members of the Security Council (France and Britain), along with non-member Germany must introduce a resolution there condemning the US for this violation.

2. The three Western European Powers must stop pressuring Iran about its ballistic missile tests and its presence in the Middle East. Khamenei said that every time there is a meeting with them they bring up these two issues. (Neither was part of the JCPOA). He insists that they cease and desist. He said that Iran's relationship with Middle Eastern countries is based on Islamic soft power and Iran's strategic depth, and is key its ability to defend itself. It will not give up this element of its strategy.

3. Every time Trump announces a new boycott on Iran, Europe must explicitly reject it and stand against it.

4. If the US manages to damage Iran's ability to export its petroleum (it is now exporting 2.5 mn barrels a day), Europe at Iran's request must make up the shortfall. It may be, Khamenei said, that the Islamic Republic will view a reduction in its oil exports as a positive. If, however, the Iranian government decides it is being harmed by the US ability to strong-arm some of Iran's customers into ceasing their imports of Iranian oil, Europe must agree to hold Iran harmless.

[The line about the benefits of any reduction in Iranian oil sales may reflect a conviction in some circles that it is never bad for an oil state to keep the oil in the ground, since its value will only increase in the future. This line of thinking does not reckon with the rise of electric vehicles, which may make petroleum worthless in 15 years or so.]

5. European banks must guarantee both governmental and private financial transactions (i.e., they must not yield to US blacklisting of Iranian banks. The US has just slapped sanctions on the Bank Melli, a major government institution, in an attempt to make it harder for Iran to buy and sell on the world market).

6. The Europeans must be prompt in responding to these requests.

If France, Germany and Britain will not undertake these guarantees, Iran reserves the right to start back up its enrichment activities, and would go back to enriching to 19.75%.

(That level of enrichment produces fuel useful in medical reactors and nuclear submarines; but Iran only has one of the former, and none presently of the latter, so enriching to that percentage is simply a form of deterrence, since obviously it is easier to enrich a stockpile of 19.75% to the 95% needed for a bomb than it is to start from scratch. -- JC)

Khamenei underlined that since the US plans to make war on Iran via the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assent Control (OFAC), Iran would have to respond with its own economic and financial organs, as well as via the foreign ministry.

Khamenei was firm that Iran reserves the right to start back up its enrichment program if it concludes that the JCPOA is useless to it.

A set of ultimatums of this sort signals that Khamenei wants out of the JCPOA, since he surely knows that Europe is highly unlikely to acquiesce in his demands. He clearly has decided that Europe cannot be depended upon to buck Trump, and that its major corporations will most likely fold and pull up stakes from Iran. He may be underestimating the will of the French in particular to defy Trump, and Paris's willingness to run interference for smaller French firms that do not have significant US business and who want to invest in Iran.

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To see if the quicklink was renamed or re-published, please click here.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.Progressive Content Not Found

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See original here

By *Justin Anderson

Scott Pruitt sure is busy these days. The climate change-denying head of the Environmental Protection Agency has been renting out a DC condo on the cheap from an energy lobbyist; installing a $43,000 soundproof booth for his telephone calls; passing out improper pay raises to aides; jet-setting around the world on first-class flights; hitting up Disneyland and the Rose Bowl with his oversized $3 million, 20-person security detail; receiving police escorts to trendy DC restaurant Le Diplomate; and even having a fancy dinner in Rome with Vatican treasurer, climate denier and recently charged child sexual abuser George Pell.

What's more, Pruitt's staffers at the EPA have continued to cover up for their boss: Pruitt's lavish travel schedule is only released after the fact, and he holds few press conferences compared to his predecessors. All told, he is under 12 different federal investigations, and has been grilled by members of both Senate and House committees. In Pruitt's Senate hearing, New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall remarked that "your scandals are a mere sideshow distracting us from the long-lasting devastating your leadership is making on human health and the environment."

Indeed, while Pruitt seems to have adjusted well to the culture of gratuitous and unprecedented graft and corruption inside the Trump cabinet, the media's focus on Pruitt's dizzying array of personal scandals obscures his absolute contempt for his agency's stated mission: environmental protection. Pruitt, along with President Trump, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Energy Secretary Rick Perry, has quietly been dismantling a multitude of environmental regulations while pushing a number of fossil fuel-friendly policies that will certainly have disastrous long-term effects on the environment and public health.

Just to name a few so far:

In 2017, Trump announced that he would pull the US out of the landmark Paris Climate Accord by 2020, removing the country from critical -- though far from adequate -- international commitments.





The EPA announced a future rollback of fuel efficiency regulations for automakers set by the Obama administration in 2012, which will have negative effects on air pollution. California, along with 12 other states, has challenged the EPA in court.





The Trump administration approved the Keystone XL pipeline and the Dakota Access pipeline, in defiance of Native American and climate activists who have protested the pipeline construction for several years at Standing Rock, North Dakota.





The Trump administration lifted the Obama-era ban on offshore oil drilling on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, excepting only the state of Florida, the home of Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate and three of his golf courses. Such drilling creates the potential for ecological disaster.





The EPA lowered emissions-reporting requirements for factories and industrial plants, increasing chances of widespread exposure to toxic air pollution.





The Trump administration and the Department of the Interior announced reductions to a number of national monuments to facilitate land privatization efforts in the name of drilling for oil and natural gas.





Through the Republican tax bill, the Trump administration and Sen. Lisa Murkowski lifted the decades-long ban on oil exploration and drilling in the Alaskan Northern Wildlife Refuge, threatening local fauna and the lifestyle of local indigenous people.





The Interior Department lifted a moratorium on federal leases for coal mining, perhaps the dirtiest of all energy sources.





Pruitt blocked EPA grant recipients from serving on the agency's Science Advisory Boards, making it easier for fossil fuel lobbyists to steer EPA policy.

This is only a tiny slice of what the Trump administration has been able to do so far, and most of the administration's actions no doubt come as a result of the cozy relationship between the fossil fuel industry and the Trump cabinet.

Yet, if you rely on cable news or reading the front page of any mainstream newspaper, you might be forgiven for thinking that Pruitt's personal indulgences were more important than his policies' impact on the planet. In the past six months, CNN ran 96 pieces on Pruitt, but only 17 of them mentioned climate change, for example, at all. Of the 129 segments MSNBC ran on Pruitt in the past six months, only 30 of them mentioned climate change. The New York Times devoted 49 articles on Scott Pruitt's scandals in the past six months, but only 12 of those articles made a point of mentioning the specific effects of Pruitt's EPA on climate change and the environment. Of those articles, only four explicitly noted the negative impact of Pruitt's climate change agenda or dove into detail about its effects.

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From Truthdig



Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

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In what The Washington Post -- no friend of Iran -- has labeled "a silly speech," Donald Trump's new Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, provided an American answer to the charge made by French President Emmanuel Macron during his State visit last month that, when it came to the Iranian nuclear agreement (officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Program of Action, or JCPOA), there was "no Plan B." Macron's observations were made in the context of President Trump's threat to withdraw from that agreement, even though Iran had been determined by all parties (including the United States) to be in full compliance.

Trump made his decision to withdraw official on May 8, and since then the United States has been struggling to articulate a strategy to deal with the consequences of that action. Pompeo's speech -- titled "After the Deal: A New Iran Strategy" -- was intended to provide America's "Plan B." Upon reflection, however, Pompeo's speech failed to accomplish this. Worse, the unrealistic demands made upon Iran in Pompeo's address, coupled by the absolute detachment from reality and historical fact and/or context these demands were made, made Pompeo's speech far more dangerous than silly.

In his speech, Pompeo promised that, in the aftermath of the American decision to withdraw from the JCPOA, the United States would be seeking to impose "unprecedented financial pressure on the Iranian regime" to compel change in its behavior. "Iran," Pompeo declared, "will be forced to make a choice: either fight to keep its economy off life-support at home or keep squandering precious wealth on fights abroad. It will not have the resources to do both."

Pompeo stated that the Department of Defense was being directed to work closely with America's "regional allies to deter Iranian aggression" and prevent Iranian regional dominance. Moreover, Pompeo noted, "If [Iran] restarts their nuclear program, it will mean ... bigger problems than they'd ever had before." In the face of this aggressive posturing, Pompeo declared the Trump administration's intent to "advocate tirelessly for the Iranian people." But this was disingenuous, being little more than code for regime change.

Pompeo's "advocacy" consisted of little more than citing ongoing economic mismanagement, corruption and political repression, and offering economic opportunity and "liberty" in exchange for mass demonstrations by the Iranian people -- demonstrations designed to overthrow the theocratic regime in Tehran. But "regime change," "Iran" and "the United States" are three terms that historically do not mix, as every Iranian knows. The example of the CIA-led coup of 1953 that replaced democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh with Reza Shah Pahlavi is deeply ingrained in the psyche of modern Iran.

History is not America's friend when it comes to Iran, a fact that resonated in every fiber of Pompeo's bombastic speech. In setting the conditions that must be met before the United States would consider engaging in negotiations for a "new deal," Pompeo only further underscored how detached the Trump administration is from reality when it comes to Iran and its role in Middle East affairs. The 12-step plan outlined by Pompeo as representing the preconditions for any meaningful U.S.-Iranian engagement are little more than a road map toward disaster. What follows is a point-by-point breakdown of each of these conditions, put into context.

Iran must declare a full accounting of the prior military dimensions of its nuclear program, and permanently and verifiably abandon such work in perpetuity.

Here Pompeo seeks to revive the Prior Military Dimension (PMD) issue that itself was derived from manufactured intelligence provided to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by Israel through an Iranian opposition group (the Mojahedin-e Khalq, or MEK, which is listed as a terrorist group by the Department of State) via German intelligence back in 2004. Many of the documents were subsequently shown to be crude forgeries that misrepresented the work of actual Iranian entities, and others were out-and-out fabrications.

The goal of the PMD issue was to create a red herring around which the United States could build support for the imposition of stringent economic sanctions targeting Iran. This plan reached fruition in 2011, when the U.S. prevailed upon the IAEA to publish the PMD allegations as part of an official report, which in turn was used to justify American sanctions targeting Iranian oil sales. In a tacit acknowledgement that the PMD issue was little more than smoke and mirrors, the United States agreed to have the entire issue resolved through discussions between Iran and the IAEA, discussions that exposed the fraudulent nature of most of the underlying accusations. The fact that both Pompeo and President Trump are compelled to rely upon Israeli intelligence of questionable provenance to bolster their case for continued interest in the PMD issue, and not on the product of the American intelligence services, is itself a cause of concern, since it points to a clear subordination of American national security to the interests of a foreign power.

Iran must stop enrichment and never pursue plutonium reprocessing.

Mike Pompeo and every other official in the Trump administration would do well to review the history of past American policies built around the notion of "not one spinning centrifuge" in Iran. The genesis of such a policy resides in Israeli -- not American -- concerns, driven by unrealistic expectations of regional exceptionalism that allow for unilateral reinterpretation of the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) in a way that denies Iran the ability to pursue peaceful nuclear energy, inclusive of the ability to indigenously produce nuclear fuel.

Moreover, under the JCPOA, Iran had already agreed not to pursue plutonium reprocessing and had decommissioned its heavy water reactor under construction at Arak. Pompeo's demands seemed geared toward warning Iran away from any post-JCPOA efforts to reconstitute a plutonium capability, a facial demonstration of the absurdity of Trump's decision to withdraw from the JCPOA in the first place.

Iran has already demonstrated that it has the resolve to take on the world in defense of its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes in conformity with the NPT. Pompeo's demands -- little more than window dressing of long-standing Israeli position -- are non-starters, especially given the reality that the rest of the world has already agreed that Iran can enrich uranium.

Iran must provide the IAEA with "unqualified" access to all sites throughout the entire country.

Like many so-called American officials who dabble in arms control today, Pompeo seems to operate from a post-Gulf War mindset, where imposed disarmament along the lines of what occurred with Iraq from 1991-1998 (or Libya in 2002-2003) are the norm. Iran is not Iraq -- it has not been defeated in battle and therefore compelled to accept stringent disarmament provisions as a condition for a cease-fire and national survival. As a sovereign nation, Iran has the same right as any other state to define what constitutes its own national security interests, and to determine what access it might provide to outside parties to capabilities that fall within this designation, and under what circumstances.

The JCPOA provides the IAEA with an unprecedented ability to access sites of interest and potential interest inside Iran. Pompeo's notion of "unqualified" access to sites throughout the entirety of Iran brings to mind the "anytime, anywhere" approach undertaken by the United Nations in Iraq from 1991-2003. Such an approach was ultimately counterproductive, having been used by the United States and others for intelligence gathering outside the remit of disarmament -- which, given Pompeo's recent stint as director of the CIA, might be the underlying intent of this demand. The bottom line is that, as a member of the NPT, Iran's relationship with the world regarding its peaceful nuclear program is based upon the letter of the law founded in that treaty, and not the unilateral dictate of the American government.

Iran must end its proliferation of ballistic missiles and halt further launching or development of nuclear-capable missile systems.

The irony of the world's greatest proliferator of military weapons -- including long-range strike aircraft and bunker-busting munitions sold to Iran's regional foes, Israel and Saudi Arabia -- calling on Iran to stop exporting ballistic missiles to its allies is mind-numbing. The United States, through a made-for-television expose' fronted by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has accused Iran of supplying ballistic missiles to Houthi rebels in Yemen that have been used to launch retaliatory attacks against Saudi Arabia, which has been using its American-supplied air force to pulverize Houthi civilian targets. Iran has not shipped any completed missiles to the Houthis, but rather provided kits that enabled the Houthi to upgrade Russian-made SCUD missiles to fly longer ranges.

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From Paul Craig Roberts Website

The Trump regime has sabotaged Putin's peace efforts in Syria, Iran, Ukraine, and North Korea.

In the interest of peace, Putin has avoided responding to US and Israeli provocations in Syria. Putin went so far as to invite the war criminal and genocidal maniac Netanyahu to Russia for the celebration of Russia's victory over Germany in World War II. Netanyahu accepted, but showed Putin who is boss by ordering illegal Israeli military attacks on Syrian army positions just prior to his departure for Russia. Washington rewarded Putin's peace efforts by occupying with US and French troops the part of Syria still held by Washington's mercenaries sent to overthrow Assad and by re-supplying the Muslim extremists Washington is using against Assad's secular government.

With US and French troops present, Putin has halted the offensive to clear all of Syria of the foreign invaders. If Americans or French are killed, Putin knows that the demonization of Russia will reach a new high pitch and Washington will use it to counteract Europe's dissatisfaction with Washington. The box into which Putin has been put by the Russian government's misjudgement of US and Israeli intentions allows continuing US-led attacks on Syrian military positions.

Previously Putin blocked the planned US invasion of Syria by arranging for all of Syria's chemical weapons to be turned over to the West for destruction. The official chemical weapons inspection agency certified that Syria is devoid of chemical weapons. Putin's reward is that US government officials, the entirety of the US media, and Washington's British and French vassals have consistently blamed false flag chemical attacks, and in the case of Douma a fake news chemical attack that has been certified not to have taken place, on Assad.

The Trump regime has also sabotaged Putin's peace effort in Iran. Putin brought the fake "Iranian nuke" crisis orchestrated by Washington and its presstitute media to an end by working out a multi-nation agreement that Iran would not produce weapons grade nuclear material or enrich uranium beyond the low level used for nuclear energy. Official agencies certify that Iran has kept the agreement, but despite the established facts, Washington and its presstitute media continue to allege that Iran has a nuclear weapons program. Trump at the insistence of Netanyahu has pulled the US out of the multi-nation agreement signed by Iran, the US, Russia, China, UK, France, and Germany. Trump is reimposing even harsher sanctions against Iran that heavily impact and harm European businesses. The rest of the signatories to the Iran agreement say that they intend to continue with the agreement, and Trump has threatened UK, France, and Germany with sanctions if they stick with the agreement that they signed.

China and Russia worked to reconcile North and South Korea and secured North Korea's agreement to stop nuclear weapons tests. Peace between the Koreas was taking shape, but Trump has sabotaged this peace effort as well.

The presstitute media, a.k.a., Washington's Propaganda Ministry, has misrepresented the destruction of peace agreements as necessary actions to protect Americans and the world from rogue states, but Israel is the only other government that agrees with Washington.

Now that Washington and Israel have sabotaged Putin's diplomacy, Putin's hope is that the result will isolate Washington from Washington's European and British vassal states rather than isolate Russia, Syria, Iran, and North Korea from the rest of the world. There is much evidence that European leaders have had their fill of being treated as Washington's slaves. Possibly they will throw off Washington's control. On the other hand, except for France under De Gaulle, no European country has had an independent foreign or economic policy in 75 years. Moreover, European leaders are accustomed to relying on Washington providing their comfortable retirements, like Tony Blair's $50 million, and European business interests would be harmed if Trump cuts them off from US markets. How real a European revolt is remains to be seen.

There are great risks to Russia of relying on Europe's revolt as Washington uses the time to regain what was lost in Syria to Putin's initiative. In effect, Russia might be throwing away the victory in Syria. While the Russian government waits to see if the Anglo-Zionist Empire comes apart, Washington is organizing the jihadists Washington used against Gaddafi and Assad to prepare an offensive against Russia and China through former Soviet central Asian republics such as Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Here is a report by Andrey Afanasyev.

I have checked out this story with Russian sources. What I learned is that Washington's plan to use its jihadists to begin destabilizing Russia and China surfaced in Russia in the 7th Moscow International Conference on Security, which I believe was in April. Currently, Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Minister of Defence, is in Uzbekistan evaluating the situation with military and political leaders there.

The Russian government, the state TV channels, and establishment press are sitting on the information. Apparently, the Russian government doesn't want this information out as it could undermine public support for the peace agenda that the government favors. However, reports have been published in Tsargrad, NewsFront, and Fergana.

Israel's interest in the Middle East is expansion, which is inconsistent with peace. Israel needs conflict and the destabilization of Syria and Iran -- Hezbollah's suppliers -- so that Israel can seize southern Lebanon. The American neoconservatives who are firmly entrenched in the Trump regime are de facto Israeli agents. Moreover, they are committed to American hegemony, which requires the overthrow of independent governments.

Putin is betting that Washington's pursuit of hegemony in the Middle East will cost Washington hegemony in Europe. If Putin does not win this bet, he had better be prepared for the war that Washington and Israel are aiming directly at Russia.Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

Trump has been in trouble ever since the FBI began looking into possible ties between his campaign and Russian interests in the summer of 2016. We all know the gathering storm of evidence of cooperation or attempted cooperation between the Campaign and Russian interests. (Other crimes, like money-laundering and obstruction of justice could be on his legal agenda as well.) That evidence was first revealed to the FBI by George Papadouplos. Of course, Carter Page, the sometime Trump campaign staffer, had been under FBI surveillance off and on since 2013 because of suspicion that the Russians were trying, off and on, the recruit him as some kind of asset.



Donald Trump Campaign and Mr. Papadopoulos. Hey, you never know.

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Then there is the variety of indictments/guilty pleas, with the constant references in the media to the "cooperation" being offered by those who plead guilty, to the Mueller investigation. The one big fish who has been indicted but has not pled guilty as yet is of course Paul Manafort. However, recently, in an action that has not gained too much media attention, a former Manafort son-in-law who was active with him when he was helping to promote Russian interests in Ukraine before the "Nuland Coup," has pled guilty and is "cooperating." (Let's just hope that there were no children of that former union. This would be very tough for them: Dad vs. Grandpa and [presumably] Mom.) So, there's an increasing amount of "legal stuff" going on.



Paul Manafort - How many years can you take, Paul?

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Then there's the increasing number of revelations on various meetings that various Turmpites held with representatives of various foreign nations. Certainly, if anything of political value for the Trump Campaign was gained from these meetings, either financial or substantive, that would be illegal. But even if nothing substantive came of the various meetings, and Trump Jr. tells us over-and-over again that nothing did, just meeting to inquire about possible benefits may be illegal. Of course, one cannot count on Trump Jr. as a reliable recollector of what actually happened at any of them. At one Senate Intelligence Committee meeting he was reported to have said "I can't remember" 116 times. (And he's a good businessman?)

Then of course there is the whole Mike Cohen episode. Apparently, a court-appointed Special Master is still plowing her way through the tons of documents and other material collected, by warrant, from Cohen's office, and will determine what is and what is not covered by attorney-client privilege (ACP). Some of it will be, but some of it won't. There might be "stuff" on Trump directly that is not covered by ACP. But then there likely are a whole bunch of Cohen business and political records that are not so covered, which could make for really big trouble for Cohen. And to get out of it, Cohen might turn on Trump, particularly given the way that Trump has treated him since the election. (Yes, it would seem that both Trump and Cohen are so much into personality and ego, which could have major negative consequences for both of them.) And now, Cohen has to deal with a former taxi-business partner who has pled guilty and "is cooperating." And then, further related to Cohen, there is the whole "Stormy Daniel thing." If the attorney Michael Avenatti can force Trump into discovery on the case, that opens up another whole can of worms for Trump.



And how many for you, Mike?

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BUT, much of this stuff has been going on for quite some time. Trump has been a consistent Roy Cohn/Lee Atwater "Always attack; Never defend" acolyte for as long as he has known about the "Russia investigation," going back to Jim Comey's days at the FBI (and of course on national television he told Lester Holt that "Russia" was the reason he fired Comey). But what has happened in the last couple of weeks has moved the Trump offensive to a whole different level. First, in a move that reeks of fascism, Congressman Nunes has added to the legislative role assigned to the Congress a distinctly political role acting in close collaboration with the President and his particular politico/legal issues.



The Three Stooges? Well Trump has at least two: Devin Nunes & Matt Schlapp.

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Then, Trump replaced all of the experienced defense attorneys (that is the ones in Washington legal circles that he could get to come on board with him) with a pit bull/attack dog who hasn't practiced law in decades. That of course would be Rudy Giuliani. (Trump was able to retain one new experienced lawyer. It just happens that one of his specialties is impeachment defense. So. You don't think that Trump is worried?) Giuliani's understanding of the law and legal practice seems to have come down to one of the oldest legal maxims in the book: "When you don't have the law, argue the facts; when you don't have the facts, argue the law; and when you have neither the facts not the law, argue ad hominem ." Another version of the third clause is "yell and scream a lot." Rudy seems to be good at both. And of course, along with the Trump Minister of Propaganda, Sean Hannity, and all of his own acolytes at Trump TV (as MSNBC's Chris Hayes likes to call it) and elsewhere in the Right-O-sphere, the attack on the FBI, the Justice Department, and the Mueller investigation (although not on Mueller himself, yet).



Even those teeth aren't going to cut it for you in court, Rudy.

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So, why after all of these months, and the accumulating potential crimes-load, this sudden, heated, counter-offensive? I think that the answer is fairly straight-forward. At the beginning of his campaign, Trump was his own, odd, reality-TV personality with a pitch based on racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia. He was also a very good bully and empty promise-maker (which he would not have had the foggiest idea on how to keep them, even if he had wanted to). However, he did not attract any traditional Republican ruling class support until the Mercers, with Steve Bannon and Kelly -Anne Conway, came over from the Cruz Campaign in the summer of 2016.

And then, further (and I am not telling you something you don't already know), since he became President, and it became quickly apparent with his cabinet choices, that he was not "going to drain the swamp" but was going to go full-on economically-dominant-sector-of-the-ruling-class mode. There were two primary objectives that that ruling class sector had in the 2016 election: huge tax cuts for the rich and the large corporations and what Steve Bannon calls the "deconstruction of the administrative state." The latter includes massive deregulation plus the hollowing out of the professional class that runs the myriads functions of the Federal government.

Both have been accomplished, in spades. Trump is no longer necessary, nor is he useful. He may be in serious legal trouble, but he is definitely a Full Functional Liability, as well as a Major Embarrassment, to the many in the party and many in the ruling class themselves. Few have said it yet. But the trend has started. Rex Tillerson (can't be more Ruling Class than he) gave a commencement address at the Virginia Military Institute of all places in which he spoke volumes about the necessity of telling the truth, of eschewing "alternative realities," and the importance of ethics and morality in government.

Mike Pence, after spending all of his time until very recently getting as close to Trump as he could without sharing the same suit, all of a sudden is setting up his own political operation. He, a Dominionist himself, is the candidate of the Christian Right wing of the Republican Party, and the ruling class sector it represents. And then there is Sen. Richard Burr, a right-winger from North Carolina, issuing a report from the Senate Intelligence Committee which he chairs that states clearly that the Russia interfered in the 2016 election with the intent of helping Trump win.



Nothing can hide your Dominionism, Mike, not even your silly smile.

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What the hell is wrong with the most of the governments of the world? As if this merger were for some dimly lit reasons acceptable to the monopoly regulators, but the health implications of ending 8000 years of agriculture as we know it and the approval or non-approval of the World Health organization are deemed somehow irrelevant, extraneous, and not part of any regulatory discussions whatsoever! This omission is monstrous, egregious, and despicable, and will lead to something far worse than the Arms Race!

India should know better than to rubber stamp this one, given the disastrous experience of the cotton farmers who committed suicide.... Mark my word: this merger spells the end of 8000 years of agriculture as we know it, as serious or more serious than the arms race was beginning 70 years ago! Humans seem to learn nothing and accept even less, except through war, revolution, and gigantic lawsuits.

This merger poses a worse threat to Humanity at large than was the entire Arms Race. It is far more insidious.

Apparently, only Canada and Mexico have yet to sign off on this deal. Canada is not likely to disapprove it, in my humble estimation, because in quite a different sector, it is clear that the Health Ministry is in the clutches of some corporations that are as equally evil as Monsanto, the soft drink makers using aspartame and other artificial sweeteners, since Health Canada has a plan to henceforth not label artificial sweeteners in the prime warning part of the label. In many cases, it won't even be mentioned at all. This is monstrous, and with corporate manipulated health officials doing something this egregious, why would anyone hold out any naive hope that Canada with do the right thing on this merger?



My friend and colleague, Dr. Betty Martini, wrote this recently:

blockquote >The nature of the duty to warn with a degree of intensity for reasonable persons has been emphasized by courts. Since this issue is germane to aspartame product reactions, there are several related rulings; I'm sure if I researched I would find the same laws in Canada.

Since aspartame has been proven time and time again to cause disability and death it is no time to make the name "aspartame" less visible to the public In fact, there should be a warning that it causes cancer and brain tumors just for starters.In Spruill v Boyle-Midway, Inc. (1962) the Court stated:







"To be of such character the warning must embody two characteristics: first, it must be in such form that it could reasonably be expected to catch the attention of the reasonably prudent man in the circumstances of its use; secondly, the content of the warning must be of such a nature as to be comprehensible to the average user and to convey a fair indication of the nature and extent of the danger to the mind of a reasonably prudent person."





Now Health Canada wants to make the name aspartame less visible! Until it can be banned, anything with aspartame should be up front and clearly labeled to warn everyone who may want to use the product that it contains this toxin. Otherwise the consumer could die from it. Here are articles from aspartame experts explaining, as an example, that it causes sudden cardiac death:

Mexico is a different story. Four state judiciaries have stood up to Monsanto and ruled against them even having experimental plots. Remember that Mexico invested corn several thousand years ago through painstaking genetic experimentation, the kind of thing that all farmers do, and therefore, it is likely that they will not approve the Monsanto/Bayer merger. This is only my educated guess.

Why and how India has "signed off" on this with little concern for health and medical implications is beyond me. Not surprising with the present Health Minister, however; Jagat Prakash Nadda Jagat. We asked him in several ways to ban aspartame in India and were completely ignored!

.laprogressive.com/rescind-aspartame-approval/

[As former President of the 68th World Health Assembly (2015), Jagat Prakash Nadda Jagat brings unusual perspectives to his role as Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare of India, the person to write to ask that India rescind the approval for Aspartame and for Monosodium Glutamate, and sue the maker, Ajinomoto, for the cost of treating the neurodegenerative damages caused by their products.]

Pakistan is also a different story. They have completely banned MSG, made by Ajinomoto, the world's largest neurotoxic additive maker, the manufacturer of Aspartame, the artificial sweetener.

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New market research report helps analyze the Insurance Rating Software market on a global basis and also offers forecast and statistics in terms of revenue for the anticipated forecast period. This research study offers a detailed overview of the market dynamics that are expected to affect the overall industry in the coming few years. In addition, the study explains the impact of the key factors on the development and growth of the global market through the forecast period.Get Sample Copy of this Report@:Top Companies Profiled in this Report includes, Agency Matrix, TurboRater, Vertafore, Applied Systems, Insurance Systems, Jenesis Software, EZLynx, Buckhill, QQ Solutions, Insurance TechnologiesInsurance Rating Software market research is an intelligence report with meticulous efforts undertaken to study the right and valuable information. The data which has been looked upon is done considering both, the existing top players and the upcoming competitors. Business strategies of the key players and the new entering market industries are studied in detail. Well explained SWOT analysis, revenue share and contact information are shared in this report analysis.Get Reasonable Discount on this Premium Report @:The report thoroughly analyzes the most crucial details of the Global Insurance Rating Software Market with the help of an in-depth and professional analysis. Described in a precise manner, the report also presents complete overview of the market based on the factors that are projected to have a considerable and measurable impact on the markets developmental prospects over the forecast period.Various factors are responsible behind the markets growth trail, which are studied at length in the report. In addition, the report lists down the restraints that are posing threat to the global Insurance Rating Software market. It also gauges the bargaining power of suppliers and buyers, threat to the new entrants and product substitute, and the degree of competition prevailing in the market. The influence of the latest government guidelines is also analyzed in detail in the report. It studies the markets trajectory between forecast periods.The report provides information on the technological advancements that are bound to take place in the coming years or are currently taking place in the market. Furthermore, the opportunities and threats faced by the main players dominant in the Global Insurance Rating Software market have been highlighted. This report covers the market from the bottom line, starting from its definition. Later, it segments the market on various criteria to give a depth of understanding on the various product types and pricing structures and applications. Each and every segment is examined carefully by factoring in sales, revenue and market size in order to understand the potential of growth and scope.For More Information:Table of ContentsGlobal Insurance Rating Software Market Research ReportChapter 1 Insurance Rating Software 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 Insurance Rating Software Market ForecastAbout:We at IT Intelligence Markets conduct intensive market research and generate detailed reports about the products and services offered in the IT domain. Our team is devoted to providing custom reports that are taylor-made to suit the customers requirements. We make sure to keep our customers updated with the latest market dynamics as IT industry is undergoing sea change intrinsically & extrinsically by forces such as regulatory fluctuations, rapidly evolving consumer preferences, and newer technologies. Not only do our market research analysts scrutinize market requirements but also track competitors relentlessly for obtaining the most updated scenario of the market.Contact:It Intelligence Marketssales@itintelligencemarkets.com+91 705-760-0700Organic Cotton 2018 Global Industry Key Players - Allenberg , Dunavant Enterprises , Cargill , Olam International ,Noble Group Market Analysis And Forecast To 2025

Global Organic Cotton Market

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Global Organic Cotton MarketThis report studies the global Organic Cotton market status and forecast, categorizes the global Organic Cotton 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).Request a Sample Report @The major manufacturers covered in this reportAllenbergDunavant EnterprisesCargillOlam InternationalNoble GroupPlexus Cotton LtdPlains Cotton Growers CooperativeStaplcotton CooperativeCalcot Cotton CooperativeGeographically, 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 intoType IType IIOn 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 ProductsApparelOthersThe study objectives of this report are:To analyze and study the global Organic Cotton capacity, production, value, consumption, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025);Focuses on the key Organic Cotton 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 Organic Cotton 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 StakeholdersOrganic Cotton ManufacturersOrganic Cotton Distributors/Traders/WholesalersOrganic Cotton Subcomponent ManufacturersIndustry AssociationDownstream VendorsAvailable CustomizationsWith the given market data, Researcher offers customizations according to the company's specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:Regional and country-level analysis of the Organic Cotton market, by end-use.Detailed analysis and profiles of additional market players.Table of Contents-Key Points CoveredGlobal Organic Cotton Market Research Report 20187 Global Organic Cotton Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Allenberg7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Organic Cotton Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Allenberg Organic Cotton Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Dunavant Enterprises7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Organic Cotton Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Dunavant Enterprises Organic Cotton Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Cargill7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Organic Cotton Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Cargill Organic Cotton Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Olam International7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Organic Cotton Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Olam International Organic Cotton Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Noble Group7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Organic Cotton Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Noble Group Organic Cotton Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Plexus Cotton Ltd7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Organic Cotton Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 Plexus Cotton Ltd Organic Cotton Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.6.4 Main Business/Business OverviewContinued.Complete 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Technological Advancements in Geospatial Imagery Analytics Market Is the Key Growth Driver

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Global Geospatial imagery analytics market is expected to reach $14.7 billion by 2023. Technological advancements in in this field and urge among enterprises to increase competitiveness are the major factors driving the growth of the market. On the basis of collection medium, the geospatial imagery analytics market is categorized into geographic information systems (GIS), satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and others. Of these, the fastest growth during the forecast period is expected from the UAV category. This is attributed to the increasing adoption of UAVs by government bodies to gather geospatial information.Explore Full Report Description At:Of the two imaging types, the market for geospatial video analytics is expected to witness faster growth during the forecast period. This can be ascribed to the rising demand of video analytics in government as well as non-government sectors, and advent of industrial automation. Advancements in this field is a key factor driving the growth of the geospatial imagery analytics market. Generally, when images are captured by various collection mediums, they are manually processed for analyzing any pattern or demographic change in large datasets. It only makes the process slow, monotonic, and complex. To overcome this, market players are integrating artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning, and big data technologies with geospatial imagery analytics. As these technologies enable a faster and more efficient analysis of data, vendors are increasingly integrating these technologies into their offerings to deliver knowledgeable insights in less time.On the basis of analysis, the geospatial imagery analytics market is categorized into geovisualization, network analysis, and surface analysis. Among these, geovisualization has been generating the highest revenue in the market till now. On the basis of vertical, government has been generating the highest revenue in the market so far. This can be attributed to the fact that this technology helps government bodies with a number of planning decisions such as city planning and disaster management.Download Free Report Sample At:During the forecast period, APAC is expected to lead the geospatial imagery analytics market in terms of growth. The increasing number of internet users due to the rising adoption of connected devices is likely to offer lucrative opportunities for the growth of this market in the region. According to a report published by Cisco Visual Networking Index (Cisco VNI)  2016, APAC will account for over 53% of the global internet population by the end of 2020.Some of the key players operating in geospatial imagery analytics market include Fugro N.V., Google Inc., Trimble Navigation Ltd., Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc. (Esri), Planet Labs Inc., UrtheCast Corp., KeyW Corporation, Satellite Imaging Corporation, RMSI, and Maxar Technologies.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:Dishwashing Detergent 2018 Global Industry Key Players - Unilever group , Kao , P&G , Colgate-Palmolive , Nopa Nordic Market Analysis And Forecast To 2025

Global Dishwashing Detergent Market

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Global Dishwashing Detergent MarketIn this report, the global Dishwashing Detergent 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 Dishwashing Detergent market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingUnilever groupKaoP&GColgate-PalmoliveNopa NordicSeventh GenerationWfk TestgewebeSC Johnson & SonFinishCascadeThe CloroxAmwayEarth Friendly Products.GreenShield OrganicMorning FreshCitra SolvMexonEvergreen SynergiesRx Marine InternationalAaykay Detergents & ChemicalsLibyCnniceShanghai White CatRequest a Sample Report @Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Dishwashing Detergent 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 intoLemonGingerGreen TeaOrangeOthersOn 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, includingResidentialRestaurantTable of Contents-Key Points CoveredGlobal Dishwashing Detergent Market Research Report 20181 Dishwashing Detergent Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Dishwashing Detergent1.2 Dishwashing Detergent Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Dishwashing Detergent Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Dishwashing Detergent Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Lemon1.2.4 Ginger1.2.5 Green Tea1.2.6 Orange1.2.7 Others1.3 Global Dishwashing Detergent Segment by Application1.3.1 Dishwashing Detergent Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Residential1.3.3 Restaurant1.4 Global Dishwashing Detergent Market by Region (2013-2025)1.4.1 Global Dishwashing Detergent 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 Dishwashing Detergent (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Dishwashing Detergent Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global Dishwashing Detergent Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025)..7 Global Dishwashing Detergent Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Unilever group7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Dishwashing Detergent Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Unilever group Dishwashing Detergent Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Kao7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Dishwashing Detergent Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Kao Dishwashing Detergent Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 P&G7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Dishwashing Detergent Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 P&G Dishwashing Detergent Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Colgate-Palmolive7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Dishwashing Detergent Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Colgate-Palmolive Dishwashing Detergent Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Nopa NordicContinuedComplete 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Global Handset Flash Market 2018-2023 SK hynix, Toshiba, Samsung, Micron

Handset Flash Market Overview 2018

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A market study "Global Handset Flash Market" examines the performance of the Handset Flash market 2018. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Handset Flash market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Handset Flash market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Handset Flash Market 2018 report includes Handset Flash market Revenue, market Share, Handset Flash industry volume, market Trends, Handset Flash Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report. It shows manufacturing capacity, Handset Flash Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Handset Flash Market 2018 : Samsung Toshiba Micron SK hynix OtherHandset Flash Market : By ApplicationSmart PhonesDumbphonesHandset Flash Market : By TypeeMMCUFSFirstly, the report covers the top Handset Flash manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Handset Flash report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Handset Flash industry, Handset Flash industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Handset Flash Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Handset Flash research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Handset Flash market revenue worldwide.Finally, Handset Flash market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us9Dimen Research Store is a leading market intelligence team which making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact US:5001 Spring Valley Rd #400,Dallas,TX 75244, USAContact No. +1-214-661-1669Email: sales@9dimenresearchstore.comWeb:Global Soundproof Windows Market 2018-2023 Milgard, CitiQuiet Windows, Saint-Gobain Glass

Soundproof Windows Market Overview 2018

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A market study "Global Soundproof Windows Market" examines the performance of the Soundproof Windows market 2018. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Soundproof Windows market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Soundproof Windows market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Soundproof Windows Market 2018 report includes Soundproof Windows market Revenue, market Share, Soundproof Windows industry volume, market Trends, Soundproof Windows Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report. It shows manufacturing capacity, Soundproof Windows Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Soundproof Windows Market 2018 : CitiQuiet Windows Milgard Saint-Gobain Glass Soundproof Windows, Inc. OtherSoundproof Windows Market : By ApplicationResidential UseCommercial UseIndustrial UseOtherSoundproof Windows Market : By TypeLaminated GlassVacuum GlassFirstly, the report covers the top Soundproof Windows manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Soundproof Windows report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Soundproof Windows industry, Soundproof Windows industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Soundproof Windows Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Soundproof Windows research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Soundproof Windows market revenue worldwide.Finally, Soundproof Windows market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us9Dimen Research Store is a leading market intelligence team which making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact US:5001 Spring Valley Rd #400,Dallas,TX 75244, USAContact No. +1-214-661-1669Email: sales@9dimenresearchstore.comWeb:Global Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot Market Forecast 2018-2025 Cyberdyne, Hansen, Companynine, Hocoma

Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot Market

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A comprehensive market study on "Global Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot Market 2018-2025" examines the performance of the Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot market. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Leading Manufacturers Analysis such as - Barrett Technology, Cyberdyne, Ekso Bionics, Gait Tronics, Hansen, Hocoma, HONDAMotor, Interactive Motion, Companynine, Kinova Robotics, KUKARobot, ReWalkRobotics, Bionikamong.The Global Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot Market 2018 report includes Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot market Revenue, market Share, Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot industry volume, market Trends, Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report. It shows manufacturing capacity, Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2025.Request Sample Copy of Report:Firstly, the report covers the top Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot Market Segmented Based on Application - Stroke, Orthopedics, Cognitive&MotorSkills, Sports, Others.Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot Market Segmented Based on Type - Surveillance Healthcare Assistive Robot, Security Healthcare Assistive Robot.Further, the Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot industry, Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot market revenue worldwide.Finally, Surveillance & Security Healthcare Assistive Robot market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:QYMarketStudy.com is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We have a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of the technology industry.Contact Us:3626 North Hall Street (Two Oak Lawn),Suite 610,Dallas, TX 75219, USAContact No. +1-214-661-1669Web:Email: sales@qymarketstudy.comGlobal Mini Bioreactor Market 2018-2023 Infors HT, Thermo Fisher, GE Healthcare

Mini Bioreactor Market Demand and Growth 2018-2023

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A market study "Global Mini Bioreactor Market" examines the performance of the Mini Bioreactor market 2018. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Mini Bioreactor market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Mini Bioreactor market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Mini Bioreactor Market 2018 report includes Mini Bioreactor market Revenue, market Share, Mini Bioreactor industry volume, market Trends, Mini Bioreactor Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report. It shows manufacturing capacity, Mini Bioreactor Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Mini Bioreactor Market 2018 :1. Thermo Fisher2. Merck KGaA3. Danaher (Pall)4. GE Healthcare5. Sartorius AG (BBI)6. ZETA7. Eppendorf AG8. Pierre Guerin (DCI-Biolafitte)9. Praj Hipurity Systems10. Bioengineering AG11. Infors HT12. Applikon Biotechnology13. SolarisMini Bioreactor Market : By ApplicationBiopharmaceutical CompaniesCROsAcademic and Research InstitutesOthersMini Bioreactor Market : By Type0-50ML50-100ML100-250MLFirstly, the report covers the top Mini Bioreactor manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Mini Bioreactor report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Mini Bioreactor industry, Mini Bioreactor industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Mini Bioreactor Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Mini Bioreactor research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Mini Bioreactor market revenue worldwide.Finally, Mini Bioreactor market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us9Dimen Research Store is a leading market intelligence team which making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact US:5001 Spring Valley Rd #400,Dallas,TX 75244, USAContact No. +1-214-661-1669Email: sales@9dimenresearchstore.comWeb:Global Stainless Steel Powder Market Forecast 2018-2025 Sandvik, Hoganos, Daido Steel, Metal Powder Products

Stainless Steel Powder Market

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A comprehensive market study on "Global Stainless Steel Powder Market 2018-2025" examines the performance of the Stainless Steel Powder market. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Stainless Steel Powder market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Stainless Steel Powder market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Leading Manufacturers Analysis such as - Hoganos, Rio Tinto, AK Steel Holding, KOBELCO, Metal Powder Products, Sandvik, Pellets, Daido Steel, AMETEK, Carpenter Technology, Pometon Powder, NANOSTEEL, Laiwu Iron&Steel Group, Jiande Yitong, Wuhan Iron&Steel Group, Ma Steel, Haining Feida.The Global Stainless Steel Powder Market 2018 report includes Stainless Steel Powder market Revenue, market Share, Stainless Steel Powder industry volume, market Trends, Stainless Steel Powder Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report. It shows manufacturing capacity, Stainless Steel Powder Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2025.Request Sample Copy of Report:Firstly, the report covers the top Stainless Steel Powder manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Stainless Steel Powder Market Segmented Based on Application - Powder Metallurgy, Injection Molding, 3D Printing, Diamond Tools, Carbide, Thermal Spraying Materials, Other.Stainless Steel Powder Market Segmented Based on Type - Austenitic Grade Stainless Steel Powder, Martensitic Grade Stainless Steel Powder, Ferritic Grade Stainless Steel Powder.Further, the Stainless Steel Powder report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Stainless Steel Powder industry, Stainless Steel Powder industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Stainless Steel Powder Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Stainless Steel Powder research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Stainless Steel Powder market revenue worldwide.Finally, Stainless Steel Powder market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:QYMarketStudy.com is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We have a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of the technology industry.Contact Us:3626 North Hall Street (Two Oak Lawn),Suite 610,Dallas, TX 75219, USAContact No. +1-214-661-1669Web:Email: sales@qymarketstudy.comC2C E-commerce Market - Advent and Increasing Popularity of Online Payment Systems Expected to Fuel the Growth

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C2C is a category of e-commerce which allows consumers to interact with each other. This model of e-commerce facilitates transactions of products or services between consumers. In business to consumer model, a consumer approaches a business to purchase goods or services. In C2C model, the business provides a platform where consumers can sell products or services to each other. The main goal of C2C is to help buyers find sellers. This benefits both the parties.Obtain Brochure For Latest Technology Advancements @The proliferation of Internet services across the world and the significant increase in the use of smartphones can be attributed as major factors to facilitate the C2C e-commerce market growth. Users can sign-up on online portals providing C2C services and begin to buy or sell desired products or services.Obtain Report Details @The reduction in the costs of these products and services, due to the absence of middlemen, wholesalers and retailers involved in the transaction has further aided to the growth of global C2C e-commerce market. Moreover, sellers are no longer restricted to local regions and can reach national and international audiences. Furthermore, the need of capital investment on outlet stores is eliminated and the inventory costs are reduced.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.Contact UsState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesUSA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Li-Fi Devices Market Growth Factors By Top Company Profiles  PureLi-Fi, Lucibel, Oledcomm, General Electric, Osram and Others 2025

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Li-Fi Devices market Report provides a vital recent industry data which covers in general market situation along with future scenario for industry around the Globe. It also consist of major data along with forecasts of a global market along with clear presentation of diagrams (charts and tables).This report on the Global li fi devices market research report 2018 offers a detailed overview of this market and discusses the predominant factors affecting the markets growth. The impact of Porters five forces on the market over the next few years has also been discussed at length in this study. It further forecasts the size and valuation of the Global li fi devices market research report 2018 for the forthcoming years.The type of the product, application, and the geographical reach of the Global li fi devices market research report 2018 have been taken as the main parameters for the markets analysis in this research report, which further performs an evaluation of the industry chain that is supporting this market. It also offers accurate information regarding various aspects of this market, such as the manufacturing capacity, efficacy in the utilization of the available production capacity, manufacturing chain, and the industry policies influencing the markets growth.In this research study, the prime factors that are impelling the growth of the Global li fi devices market research report 2018 have been studied thoroughly in a bid to estimate the overall value and the size of this market by the end of the forecast period. The impact of the driving forces, limitations, challenges, and opportunities has been examined extensively. The key trends that manage the interest of the customers have also been interpreted accurately for the benefit of the readers.Get Sample Copy atThe major manufacturers covered in this reportPureLi-FiLucibelOledcommGeneral ElectricOsramSunpartner TechnologiesLG InnotekYuyang D & USemicon LightWiproKoninklijke PhilipsPanasonic CorporationSamsung ElectronicsLemnis LightingLG ElectronicsLightpointe CommunicationsFSOna NetworksBridgeluxToshiba CorporationCreeSharpOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoLED BulbsLampsWireless DevicesOn 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, includingTransportationHealthcareVehiclesAviationOthersGet more Information about this report atGeographically, 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 RegionsThe study objectives of this report are:To study and forecast the market size of Li-Fi Devices in global market.To analyze the global key players, SWOT analysis, value and global market share for top players.To define, describe and forecast the market by type, end use and region.To analyze and compare the market status and forecast between China and major regions, namely, United States, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India and Rest of World.To analyze the global 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.Key Points from Table of Content1 Li-Fi Devices Market Overview2 Global Li-Fi Devices Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Li-Fi Devices Production by Regions (2013-2018)4 Global Li-Fi Devices Consumption (Units) by Regions (2013-2018)5 Global Li-Fi Devices Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Types6 Global Li-Fi Devices Market Analysis by Application7 Global Li-Fi Devices Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 PureLi-Fi7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Li-Fi Devices Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 PureLi-Fi Li-Fi Devices Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Lucibel7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Li-Fi Devices Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Lucibel Li-Fi Devices Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Oledcomm7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Li-Fi Devices Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Oledcomm Li-Fi Devices Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview8 Li-Fi Devices Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Li-Fi Devices Market Forecast (2018-2025)13 Research Findings and Conclusion14 Methodology and Data SourcePurchase This Report -And Get, Discount on Report Purchase -List Of tables and FiguresFigure United States Li-Fi Devices Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2025)Figure Europe Li-Fi Devices Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2025)Figure China Li-Fi Devices Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2025)Figure Japan Li-Fi Devices Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2025)Figure South Korea Li-Fi Devices Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2025)Figure Taiwan Li-Fi Devices Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2013-2025)Figure Global Li-Fi Devices Revenue (Million USD) Status and Outlook (2013-2025)Figure Global Li-Fi Devices Capacity, Production (K Units) Status and Outlook (2013-2025)(Note: If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.)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Blood Collection Market: Growth Insights, Global Industry Status and Outlook, Future Opportunity till 2023

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The global blood collection market is witnessing considerable growth due to increasing geriatric population, increasing number of accidental cases and growing surgical procedures. Moreover, growing prevalence of chronic diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, diabetes mellitus, and infectious diseases is supporting the growth of the market.Access Detailed Report Summary:Geographically, North America has been the largest market for blood collection, owing to increased awareness, established healthcare industry, and easy increasing prevalence of infectious and non-infectious diseases in the region. The U.S. contributed largest revenue to the North American as well as global blood collection market. The presence of large number of diagnostic laboratories and hospitals, and increasing prevalence of people with blood disorders are the key growth driving factors for the U.S. blood collection market.Request to Get the Sample Report:Europe has been the second largest market for blood collection, where the market is driven by the presence of a large pool of patients suffering from chronic diseases, increasing healthcare expenditure and rapidly developing healthcare infrastructure.Globally, the blood collection market is expected to witness the fastest growth in Asia-Pacific during the forecast period. The highest growth in the region is attributed to the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, increasing per capita income leading to increasing standard of living, increasing healthcare spending, growing demand for better quality medical care, and awareness about blood collection tests in the region.Make Enquiry Before Buying the Report:The key players operating in the global blood collection market are Abbott Laboratories Inc., Becton, Dickinson and Company, Terumo Corporation, Sarstedt AG & Co., Nipro Medical Corporation, Qiagen, Haemonetics Corporation, Greiner Holding AG and F.L. Medical SRL.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:Global Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid Market Growth Forecast 2018-2025 Morita, Honeywell, Dongyue, Ineos, Solvay

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A comprehensive market study on "Global Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid Market 2018-2025" examines the performance of the Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid market. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Leading Manufacturers Analysis such as - Honeywell, Solvay, Ineos, Derivados del Fluor, Airproducts, Morita, Sinochem Lantian, Sanmei Chemical, Yingpeng Chemical, Do-Fluoride Chemicals, Dongyue Group, Fujian Shaowu Yongfei Chemical, Shaowu Huaxin Chemical, Juhua Group, 3F, Fubao Group.The Global Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid Market 2018 report includes Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid market Revenue, market Share, Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid industry volume, market Trends, Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report. It shows manufacturing capacity, Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2025.Request Sample Copy of Report:Firstly, the report covers the top Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid Market Segmented Based on Application - Chemical Industry, Mining & Metallurgical, Etching, Pharmaceuticals, Others.Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid Market Segmented Based on Type - Content 99.99 %, Content 99.90 %, Content 99.70 %.Further, the Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid industry, Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid market revenue worldwide.Finally, Electronic Grade Hydrofluoric Acid market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:QYMarketStudy.com is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We have a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of the technology industry.Contact Us:3626 North Hall Street (Two Oak Lawn),Suite 610,Dallas, TX 75219, USAContact No. +1-214-661-1669Web:Email: sales@qymarketstudy.comNarrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Analysis with Expected Growth during Forecast Period 2018-2023

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The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) industry market by types, applications, players and regions. This report also displays the production, Consumption, revenue, Gross margin, Cost, Gross, market share, CAGR, and Market influencing factors of the Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) industry in USA, EU, China,India, Japan and other regions, and forecast to 2023, from 2018.Market Analysis by PlayersHuawei TechnologiesQualcomm TechnologiesEricsson CorporationVodafone GroupNokia CorporationSEQUANS CommunicationsQuectel Wireless SolutionsZTE CorporationSierra WirelessIntel CorporationDeutsche TelekomChina TelecomChina UnicomEtisalat CorporationRequest a Sample Report @Market Analysis by Regions:USAEuropeJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaSouth AmericaSouth AfricaOthersMarket Analysis by Types:HardwareSoftwareServicesMarket Analysis by Applications:HealthcareRetailEnergy & utilitiesTransportation & logisticsAgricultureSmart CitiesOthersTable of Content1 Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Overview1.1 Product Overview of Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT)1.2 Classification and Application of Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT)1.3 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Regional Analysis1.3.1 USA Market Present Situation Analysis1.3.2 Europe Market Present Situation Analysis1.3.3 Japan Market Present Situation Analysis1.3.4 China Market Present Situation Analysis1.3.5 India Market Present Situation Analysis1.3.6 Southeast Asia Market Present Situation Analysis1.3.7 South America Market Present Situation Analysis1.3.8 South Africa Market Present Situation Analysis1.4 Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Industry Development Factors Analysis1.4.1 Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Industry Development Opportunities Analysis1.4.2 Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Industry Development Challenges Analysis1.5 Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Consumer Behavior Analysis2 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Competitions by Players2.1 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Players2.2 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Revenue (Million USD) and Share by Players (2016-2017)2.3 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Price (USD/Unit) by Players (2016-2017)2.4 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Gross Margin by Players (2016-2017)3 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Competitions by Types3.1 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Types3.2 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Revenue (Million USD) and Share by Type (2013-2018)3.3 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Price (USD/Unit) by Type (2013-2018)3.4 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Gross Margin by Type (2013-2018)3.5 USA Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Type3.6 China Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Type3.7 Europe Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Type3.8 Japan Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Type3.9 India Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Type3.10 Southeast Asia Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Type3.11 South America Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Type3.12 South Africa Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Type4 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Competitions by Application4.1 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Application4.2 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Revenue (Million USD) and Share by Application (2013-2018)4.3 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Price (USD/Unit) by Application (2013-2018)4.4 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Gross Margin by Application (2013-2018)4.5 USA Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Application4.6 China Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Application4.7 Europe Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Application4.8 Japan Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Application4.9 India Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Application4.10 Southeast Asia Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Application4.11 South America Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Application4.12 South Africa Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Application5 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Production Market Analysis by Region5.1 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Production (Unit) and Market Share (%) by Region5.1.1USA Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Production Present Situation Analysis5.1.2 Europe Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Production Present Situation Analysis5.1.3 China Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Production Present Situation Analysis5.1.4 Japan Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Production Present Situation Analysis5.1.5 India Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Production Present Situation Analysis5.1.6 Southeast Asia Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Production Present Situation Analysis5.1.7 South America Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Production Present Situation Analysis5.1.8 South Africa Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Production Present Situation Analysis5.2 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Production Value (Million USD) and Share by Region (2013-2018)5.3 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Price (USD/Unit) by Region (2013-2018)5.4 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Gross Margin by Region (2013-2018)6 Global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Sales Market Analysis by Region6.1 USA Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Consumption Present Situation Analysis6.2 Europe Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Consumption Present Situation Analysis6.3 China Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Consumption Present Situation Analysis6.4 Japan Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Consumption Present Situation Analysis6.5 India Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Consumption Present Situation Analysis6.6 Southeast Asia Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Consumption Present Situation Analysis6.7 South America Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Consumption Present Situation Analysis6.8 South Africa Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market Consumption Present Situation AnalysisContinuedAccess Complete Report @ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.ADDRES:WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaVirtual Fitting Room Market - New Market Opportunities Explored by 2024

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Virtual fitting room (VFR) is a new technology that facilitates shoppers for trying on variety of clothes in a virtual manner. In a VFR, the person need to place his or her body virtually rather than physically, to select the color, size, style, fitting and other parameters related to the buyer satisfaction. In other words, VFR is an imitation of trying apparels similar to a video game version of a changing room. VFR is the online equivalent of an in-store dressing room.Obtain Brochure For Latest Technology Advancements @Whenever customers need to try a product in the digital directory, they can move into a virtual fitting room and generate a digital image called digital avatar by entering their hips, height, waist and other measurements or sizes. The measurements can be inputted manually, which is generally done by using web based applications. VFR platforms are an exceptional method to increase sales through comprehensively improved conversion degrees.Obtain Report Details @VFR market is experiencing growth due to factors such as saving shopping time because shoppers doesnt feel the compulsion of waiting outside the trial room to try on a particular item. VFR also offers comfort, minimize returns and conversion rate and enables to make a right choice for the customers, which in turn increase the growth of this market.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.Contact UsState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesUSA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Global Smart Clothing Market 2018-2023 Athos, Cityzen Sciences, Heddoko, Hexoskin

Smart Clothing Market Survey and Trends 2018-2023

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A market study "Global Smart Clothing Market" examines the performance of the Smart Clothing market 2018. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Smart Clothing market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Smart Clothing market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Smart Clothing Market 2018 report includes Smart Clothing market Revenue, market Share, Smart Clothing industry volume, market Trends, Smart Clothing Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report. It shows manufacturing capacity, Smart Clothing Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Smart Clothing Market 2018 : Heddoko Ralph Lauren Hexoskin Cityzen Sciences Gymi Xsensio Athos AiQ Smart ClothingSmart Clothing Market : By ApplicationDiving ClothingProtective ClothingMedical ClothingOtherSmart Clothing Market : By TypeAdult Smart ClothingChildren Smart ClothingFirstly, the report covers the top Smart Clothing manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Smart Clothing report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Smart Clothing industry, Smart Clothing industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Smart Clothing Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Smart Clothing research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Smart Clothing market revenue worldwide.Finally, Smart Clothing market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us9Dimen Research Store is a leading market intelligence team which making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact US:5001 Spring Valley Rd #400,Dallas,TX 75244, USAContact No. +1-214-661-1669Email: sales@9dimenresearchstore.comWeb:Global Fuel Dispensers Market Forecast is likely to touch US$2.26 bn during 2016-2024

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Fuel dispenser also known as a petrol pump or gas pump, is a machinery that pumps gasoline, petrol, diesel, CNG, LPG, and other fuel types into vehicles at the filling station. Filling station is a service station where fuel dispensers are found. Here the fuel dispenser pumps the fuel from underground storage. Fuel dispensers are mainly of two types suction fuel dispensers and submersible fuel dispensers.These are the different systems based on which fuel dispenser works. In suction type, the dispenser consists of motor and suction system included in their case so that the dispenser works independently. In submersible type, the dispenser do not consist of motor and suction system included in their case so the dispenser cannot work independently.Global Fuel Dispensers Market: Scope of the StudyThe report estimates and forecasts the fuel dispensers market on the global, regional, and country levels. The study provides forecast between 2016 and 2024 based on volume (Units) and revenue (US$ Mn) with 2015 as the base year. The report comprises an exhaustive value chain analysis for each of the product segments. It provides a comprehensive view of the market. Value chain analysis also offers detailed information about value addition at each stage. The study includes drivers and restraints for the fuel dispensers market along with their impact on demand during the forecast period. The study also provides key market indicators affecting the growth of the market. The report analyzes opportunities in the fuel dispensers market on the global and regional level. Drivers, restraints, and opportunities mentioned in the report are justified through quantitative and qualitative data. These have been verified through primary and secondary resources.Click to get Sample PDF:The report includes Porters Five Forces Model to determine the degree of competition in the fuel dispenser market. The report comprises a qualitative write-up on market attractiveness analysis, wherein applications and countries have been analyzed based on attractiveness for each region. Growth rate, market size, raw material availability, profit margin, impact strength, technology, competition, and other factors (such as environmental and legal) have been evaluated in order to derive the general attractiveness of the market. The report comprises price trend analysis for fuel dispenser between 2016 and 2024.Global Fuel Dispensers Market: Segmentation ?The study provides a comprehensive view of the fuel dispenser market by dividing it on the basis of fuel types and geography segments. The fuel dispensers market has been segmented into petrol, diesel, CNG, compressed hydrogen and others based on fuel type. Fuel type segment have been analyzed based on historic, present, and future trends.Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for fuel dispensers in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Additionally, the report comprises country-level analysis in terms of volume and revenue for fuel type segments. Key countries such as the U.S., Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, India, China, South Africa, Mexico, and Brazil have been included in the study. Market segmentation includes demand for individual fuel types in all the regions and countries.View Complete TOC with Tables and Figures at:Global Fuel Dispensers Market: Competitive AnalysisThe report covers detailed competitive outlook that includes market share and profiles of key players operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report includes Tokheim Group S.A.S, Piusi S.p.A., Wayne Fueling Systems LLC, Gilbarco Inc. and others. Company profiles include attributes such as company overview, number of employees, brand overview, key competitors, business overview, business strategies, recent/key developments, acquisitions, and financial overview (wherever applicable).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.Mr. NachiketAlbany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usGlobal Smart Agriculture Market Projected To Report a CAGR of 13.5% 2017 to 2025 And markets valuation will rise US$23.44 bn by the end of 2025

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Albany, NY, 24th May : Recent research and the current scenario as well as future market potential of "Smart Agriculture Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025" globally.The rapid escalation of food demand due to the growing population worldwide is boosting the demand for smart agriculture. The smart agriculture engages advanced technologies such as Big Data, GPS, IoT and connected devices.Get PDF for more Professional and Technical insights @Smart agriculture helps in automated farming, collection of data from the field and then analyses it so that the farmer can make accurate decision in order to grow high quality crop. The field data are collected with the help of sensors, cameras, micro controllers, and actuators. Then the collected data are transferred via internet to the operator or the farmer for decision making.Global Smart Agriculture Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe major drivers of the global smart agriculture market are the increase in demand for usage of latest technologies in agriculture, rising global food demand, surging need for livestock monitoring, and increase in greenhouse farming. Due to rapid acceleration in the global population, the demand for food is also increasing and on the other hand agriculture labor is decreasing. Due to this, the individual farmers and the corporate farming houses are adopting the smart agriculture tools and equipment in order to minimize the. This will help the farmers and corporate houses to grow high quality crops in large quantity to meet the required food demand. The sensors and cameras used in smart agriculture provides information to the operator for water level, fertilizers as well as light required for growing the best quality food.The smart agriculture market has factors limiting the market growth such as high cost of the smart devices and less awareness about the latest technologies among the farmers. The high cost involved in manufacturing of smart devices, is in turn increasing the price of the final product which is limiting the farmers in procuring the smart devices.View Complete TOC with tables & Figures @Global Smart Agriculture Market: Key SegmentsThe market for smart agriculture is segmented on the basis of solutions, applications and geography.On the basis of solutions, the market of smart agriculture is further segmented as network management, agriculture asset management, supervisory control and data acquisition, logistic and supply chain management, smart water management and others. Network management has been heavily deployed as it involves the operations related to remote monitoring systems and it also helps in analyzing the data generated from the field. Smart water management aims to reduce human labor, minimize weather risks, and increase the off-season production by saving water and energy by the use of smart water products and chemical. The others segment includes mobility solution, connectivity solutions and quality assurance solutions.Based on application, smart agriculture market is segmented as precision agriculture, livestock monitoring, fish farming, smart greenhouse and other. The concept of precision agriculture is based on crop and soil observing, image capturing through UAVs or drones and responding it to the operator. With the help of precision agriculture the farmers can maintain their fields and make necessary decisions in order to yield high quality and large quantity crops with the help of accurate data collected from the field. The others segment includes indoor farming, horticulture and dairy management among others. In the application segment, livestock monitoring is the fastest growing segment, growing at an influential rate.Global Smart Agriculture Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the smart agriculture market is categorized as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region in the global smart agriculture market during the forecast period from 2017 to 2025. North America held the largest market share in 2016 in the market for smart agriculture.Companies Mentioned in ReportThe smart agriculture market report also provides the description of different key participants across the globe. The key players in the smart agriculture market are Deere & Co., Raven Industries, Inc., Trimble Navigation Ltd., AGCO Corporation, AgJuction Inc., AG Leader Technology, Iteris Inc., SST Development Group, Inc., Hexagon AB, TeeJet Technologies.The segments covered in the Smart Agriculture market are as follows:Global Smart Agriculture Market, 2017-2025: By SolutionNetwork ManagementAgriculture Asset ManagementSupervisory Control and Data AcquisitionLogistics and Supply Chain ManagementSmart Water ManagementOthersGlobal Smart Agriculture Market, 2017-2025: By ApplicationPrecision AgricultureLivestock MonitoringFish FarmingSmart GreenhouseOthersGlobal Smart Agriculture Market, 2017-2025: By GeographyNorth AmericaU.S.CanadaMexicoEuropeU.KGermanyItalyFranceRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaRest of Asia PacificMiddle East and AfricaSaudi ArabiaEgyptSouth AfricaBrowse Report @Rest of Middle East and AfricaLatin AmericaBrazilRest of Latin AmericaResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. Nachiket Ghumare,ResearchMoz,90 State Street, Albany NY, United States,Tel: +1-518-621-2074,USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948,Email: sales@researchmoz.us,Follow me on :Global Rasagiline Tablet Market 2018-2023 Apotex, Orchid Healthcare, Taj Pharmaceuticals

Rasagiline Tablet Market Amalysis and Research 2018-2023

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A market study "Global Rasagiline Tablet Market" examines the performance of the Rasagiline Tablet market 2018. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Rasagiline Tablet market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Rasagiline Tablet market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Rasagiline Tablet Market 2018 report includes Rasagiline Tablet market Revenue, market Share, Rasagiline Tablet industry volume, market Trends, Rasagiline Tablet Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report. It shows manufacturing capacity, Rasagiline Tablet Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Rasagiline Tablet Market 2018 : Orchid Healthcare Teva Apotex Taj Pharmaceuticals OtherRasagiline Tablet Market : By ApplicationClinics and HospitalHouseholdsCaring CenterOthersRasagiline Tablet Market : By Type0.5 mg1 mgOthersFirstly, the report covers the top Rasagiline Tablet manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Rasagiline Tablet report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Rasagiline Tablet industry, Rasagiline Tablet industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Rasagiline Tablet Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Rasagiline Tablet research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Rasagiline Tablet market revenue worldwide.Finally, Rasagiline Tablet market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us9Dimen Research Store is a leading market intelligence team which making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact US:5001 Spring Valley Rd #400,Dallas,TX 75244, USAContact No. +1-214-661-1669Email: sales@9dimenresearchstore.comWeb:Bahrain: Country Intelligence Report

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"Bahrain: Country Intelligence Report", a new Country Intelligence Report by GlobalData, provides an executive-level overview of the telecommunications market in Bahrain today, with detailed forecasts of key indicators up to 2022. Published annually, the report provides detailed analysis of the near-term opportunities, competitive dynamics and evolution of demand by service type and technology/platform across the fixed telephony, broadband and mobile segments, as well as a review of key regulatory trends.Bahrains telecom service market will increase from $0.6bn in 2017 to $0.8bn by year-end 2022 at a CAGR of 5.8%, mainly driven by mobile data and fixed broadband segments. Mobile voice was the largest revenue-contributing segment in 2017. Mobile data revenue will expand at the fastest CAGR of 18.0% over 2017-2022 reaching $0.4bn by 2022 driven by growing consumption of online videos and social media applications on mobile devices in line with rising mobile Internet subscriptions and expanding 4G/LTE-A network.Scope of Bahrain: Country Intelligence Report:- The overall telecom service revenue in Bahrain will grow at a CAGR of 5.8% during 2017-2022.- Mobile services revenue will account for 40.8% of total telecom service revenue in 2022, driven by increasing adoption of 4G services.- Batelco leads Bahrains mobile market in terms of mobile subscriptions for 2017, followed by Viva Bahrain and Zain Bahrain. Aiming to consolidate its leading market position, Batelco focuses on network expansions/upgrades and competitively priced offers.Request a Sample PDF of Bahrain: Country Intelligence Report@Companies Mentioned:BatelcoViva BahrainZain BahrainKalaam TelecomMeenaThe Country Intelligence Report provides in-depth analysis of the following -- Demographic and macroeconomic context in Bahrain.- The regulatory environment and trends: a review of the regulatory setting and agenda for the next 18-24 months as well as relevant developments pertaining to spectrum licensing, national broadband plans, tariff regulation and more.- Telecom services market outlook: analysis as well as historical figures and forecasts of service revenue from the fixed telephony, broadband, mobile voice and mobile data markets.- The competitive landscape: an examination of the positioning of leading players in the telecom services market as well as subscription market shares across segments.- Company snapshots: analysis of the financial position of leading service providers in the telecommunications markets.- Underlying assumptions behind our published base-case forecasts, as well as potential market developments that would alter, either positively or negatively, our base-case outlook.Else place an Inquire before Purchase "Bahrain: Country Intelligence Report"@Reasons to buy Bahrain: Country Intelligence Report:- This Country Intelligence Report offers a thorough, forward-looking analysis of Bahrains telecommunications markets, service providers and key opportunities in a concise format to help executives build proactive and profitable growth strategies.- Accompanying GlobalDatas Forecast products, the report examines the assumptions and drivers behind ongoing and upcoming trends in Bahrains mobile communications, fixed telephony, broadband markets, including the evolution of service provider market shares.- With more than 20 charts and tables, the report is designed for an executive-level audience, boasting presentation quality.- The report provides an easily digestible market assessment for decision-makers built around in-depth information gathered from local market players, which enables executives to quickly get up to speed with the current and emerging trends in Bahrains telecommunications markets.- The broad perspective of the report coupled with comprehensive, actionable detail will help operators, equipment vendors and other telecom industry players succeed in the challenging telecommunications market in Bahrain.Note: If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Browse full report with TOC@About Us:Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Contact Info:Hector CostelloSenior Manager  Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas - 75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +912064101019Email id: sales@orbisresearch.comPlate Finned Heat Exchanger Market Anticipated for Progressive CAGR Growth During 2018-2025

QyResearchReports

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https://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-plate-finned-heat-exchanger-market-research-report-2018.htm/toc

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Plate Finned Heat Exchanger to its huge collection of research reports.The global Plate Finned Heat Exchanger market is foreseen in this detailed publication to make decent progress on the back of certain factors anticipated to show face in the coming years. A comprehensive study on market dynamics including growth drivers, restraints, and trends and opportunities presented in the report could help players to identify important business prospects. The report is prepared with the use of latest primary and secondary research methodologies which enable to offer an encyclopedic and near-accurate view of the market. In a general sense, it could be said that the researchers have compiled this report intelligently and in a manner that makes it easy for readers to understand.This report studies the global Plate Finned Heat Exchanger market status and forecast, categorizes the global Plate Finned Heat Exchanger 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).For more info, get sample report for FREE here:The major manufacturers covered in this reportLindeEngineeringCHARTFiveCryoSumitomoPrecisionAKGKobeSteelTriumphAPIDonghwaEntecLytronHongsheng...The study objectives of this report are:To analyze and study the global Plate Finned Heat Exchanger capacity, production, value, consumption, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025);Focuses on the key Plate Finned Heat Exchanger 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 marketRead Complete Table of Content of the Report at:Table of Contents1 Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Plate Finned Heat Exchanger1.2 Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Aluminum Type1.2.4 Stainless Steel Type1.3 Global Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Segment by Application1.3.1 Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Airseparationindustry1.3.3 PetrochemicalIndustry1.3.4 Dynamicalmachine1.3.5 Nationaldefenseindustry2 Global Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.1 Global Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.3 Global Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Average Price by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.4 Manufacturers Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)3.1 Global Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Capacity and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.2 Global Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Production and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.3 Global Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.4 Global Plate Finned Heat Exchanger Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)...QYResearchReports 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 feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us:Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.comGlobal Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Industry Will Be Fiercely Competitive in 2018

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https://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-short-fiber-thermoplastic-composites-market-research-report-2018.htm/toc

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites to its huge collection of research reports.The global Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites market is brilliantly shed light upon in this report which takes into account some of the most decisive and crucial aspects anticipated to influence growth in the near future. With important factors impacting market growth taken into consideration, the analysts authoring the report have painted a clear picture of how the demand for Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites could increase during the course of the forecast period. Readers of the report are expected to receive useful guidelines on how to make your companys presence known in the market, thereby increasing its share in the coming years. On the whole, the report comes out as a detailed and accurate account of the market that is prepared with the sole intention of helping players to cement their position in the industry.This report studies the global Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites market status and forecast, categorizes the global Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites 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).For more info, get sample report for FREE here:The major manufacturers covered in this reportCelanese Corporation (US)DuPont (US)Royal DSM N.V. (Netherlands)Koninklijke Ten Cate bv (Netherlands)SABIC (Saudi Arabia)Lanxess AG (Germany)Solvay S.A. (Belgium)BASF SE (Germany)PlastiComp, Inc. (US)PolyOne Corporation (US)Quadrant AG (Switzerland)The study objectives of this report are:To analyze and study the global Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites capacity, production, value, consumption, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025);Focuses on the key Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites 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 marketRead Complete Table of Content of the Report at:Table of Contents1 Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites1.2 Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Polypropylene (PP) Resin1.2.4 Polyamide (PA) Resin1.2.5 Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) Resin1.3 Global Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Segment by Application1.3.1 Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Electrical & Electronics1.3.3 Transportation1.3.4 Aerospace & Defense2 Global Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.1 Global Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.3 Global Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Average Price by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.4 Manufacturers Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Market Concentration Rate3 Global Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)3.1 Global Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Capacity and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.2 Global Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Production and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.3 Global Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.4 Global Short Fiber Thermoplastic Composites Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)...QYResearchReports 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 feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us:Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.comGlobal Metal Cleaning Equipment Market Assessment Covering Growth Factors and Upcoming Trends by 2024 End

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The metal cleaning equipment (MCE) market report provides an analysis of the Europe metal cleaning equipment market for the period from 2014 to 2024, wherein 2016 is the base year and 2017 to 2024 is the forecast period. Data from 2014 have been included as historical information. The report covers all the prevalent trends and technologies playing a major role in the growth of the metal cleaning equipment market over the forecast period. It also highlights various drivers, restraints, and opportunities expected to influence the market growth during the said period. The study provides a holistic perspective on market growth, throughout the above forecast period in terms of revenue estimates (in US$ Mn), across the entire European region. The report provides cross-sectional analysis of the Europe metal cleaning equipment market in terms of market estimates and forecasts for all the segments across different countries on the continent. This report provides in-depth analysis of the Europe metal cleaning equipment market on the basis of chemical types, washing types, technology, movement, and regions.Visit on the Below Link to Get a Sample of Report @The report also includes competitive profiling of the major players engaged in the metal cleaning equipment market. Major business strategies adopted by them, their market positioning, and various recent developments have also been identified in the report. This report also provides market positioning analysis of the major players operating in the metal cleaning equipment market.Europe Metal Cleaning Equipment Market: Key Research AspectsThe report also provides a detailed analysis of various type of chemicals used for metal cleaning. The report also offers an in-depth analysis of the market drivers, restraints, and growth opportunities. These factors enable the analysis of various trends that would impact the market during the forecast period from 2017 to 2024. The report includes comprehensive coverage of the underlying economic and technological factors under key trend analysis influencing the Europe metal cleaning equipment market. Furthermore, the report aims to provide strategic insights into the pricing analysis of the Europe metal cleaning equipment market. The market positioning analysis of key players throws light on the prevalent competition in this market.Various factors that affect the growth of the Europe metal cleaning equipment market have been identified in this report. The report aims to provide a comprehensive cross-sectional analysis of the Europe metal cleaning equipment market across region including the U.K., Italy, France, Germany, Russia, and Rest of Europe. In addition, the report highlights the competitive landscape of the metal cleaning equipment market and identifies various business strategies adopted by the leading players.Europe Metal Cleaning Equipment Market: Competitive LandscapeUnder the company profiles section, the report provides an overview of the companies operating in the market, the strategies deployed by them to gain competitive advantage, annual revenue generated by them in the past two to three years, and recent developments. The companies profiled in this report include Durr Ecoclean GmbH, Pero AG, Hockh Metall-Reinigungsanlagen GmbH, Metalwash Ltd., Rippert Anlagentechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Metalas Cleaning Systems, MecWash Systems Ltd., Sturm Holding GmbH, and Rosler Oberflachentechnik GmbH.Explore Full Report Description with TOC @Europe Metal Cleaning Equipment market, by Chemical TypeSolvent Metal CleaningAqueous Metal CleaningEurope Metal Cleaning Equipment market, by Washing TypePickling/Immersion Cleaning EquipmentSpray Metal Cleaning EquipmentVapor Phase Metal Cleaning EquipmentEurope Metal Cleaning Equipment market, by TechnologyOpen Tank Single Stage EquipmentOpen Tanks Multistage EquipmentTunnel Metal EquipmentCabin Metal EquipmentEurope Metal Cleaning Equipment market, by MovementConveyer BeltBelt ConveyersCarousel ConveyersOverhead ConveyersRotating CylinderProgrammableEurope Metal Cleaning Equipment market, by RegionThe U.K.ItalyFranceGermanyRussiaRest of EuropeInquire for Detail Facts and Figures @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:Home Security Solutions Market - Security and Privacy Concerns to Drive the Market

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https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/home-security-solutions.html

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According to a newly published report of Transparency Market Research, the competitive landscape of the market for home security solutions market is highly fragmented. The market characterized with the presence of many large players at a global and at local level. Increasing terrorist activities in Europe and across the globe has augmented the demand for home security solutions.Download Sample Copy of this report @Some key players of the global home security solutions market are Vivint Inc., Assa Abloy AB, Tyco International Ltd., Honeywell International Ltd., ADT Corporation, Frontpoint Security Solutions, SimpliSafe, Inc., Protect America, HikVision Digital Technology Co. Ltd., Axis Communications AB. These companies together account for a major share of the global market for home security solutions. These companies are now focusing on the adoption of latest technologies and implementing tactical and effective business strategies to widen their consumer base and geographical presence. They are also focusing on providing tailor-made home security solutions.Factors that are driving the North American market are retrieval of construction activities, especially the residential ones, renovation and betterment of residential infrastructure. Smart cards voice transmission, asset tracking system, and biometrics are mostly driving the home security solutions market in the residential segment. The demand is further bolstered by the increasing concern over anti-social, criminal and terrorist activities in North America. Furthermore, emergence of new concepts like integration of security and home automation, service bundling and intelligent building are also reported to contributing towards this flourishing market for home security solutions.However, in years to come, Middle East and Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific are also estimated to be contributing significantly towards this market. Increased need and construction of intelligent buildings and security concerns are expected to augment the demand for home security solutions in these regions.Obtain Report Details @Home security solutions offer a wide array of services that benefit its consumers in many ways. However, high installation cost and its maintenance is placing the technology out of reach for many. As such, growth of the market is expected to be restrained by such a factor.Apart from high cost, low rate of IT literacy, particularly in the under-developed nations and older age people are also marring its growth. Lack of IT knowledge is will make it difficult for the owner to operate the home security solutions system.Nevertheless, home security solutions are coming with cost-effective solutions to not only widen its consumer base but also enabling everyone to avail the services of home security solutionsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a next-generation 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 recommendationsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:how to repair the flood lights

DL Light---http://www.ledlight365.com

how to repair the flood lightsThe flood lights have many applications such light for parking lot, building, grass, warehouse, landscape, etc, so the consumption of flood lights is very huge. Maybe you will meet that the lights dont work. Here let us learn how to repair the flood lights.First Let us see flood lights structure as below:It is combined with frame cover, glass protector, Led chips, reflector, driver, wire, and housing. When the light factories produce flood light, they must use the housing with excellent heatsink, driver and Led chips with good quality, waterproof in high level such IP65, and the wire in good condition. If any one step doesnt do well, it will increase the possibility of breaking the lights. Following is the main reason of light breaking:1. Driver: according to DL Lights 16 years experience, more than 55% flood light breaking is caused by the bad driver. Driver cost is about 30-60% of the flood lights total value(for example, 150W flood light price is about USD51/pcs, the driver with 3-5 years warranty price is about usd12-20/pcs). To get more profit, some small companies use the unreliable driver with low price. DL Light remind you that choose the flood light with normal price. Please dont only care about the price.If you meet the driver doesnt work, first you shall confirm the driver model, and buy the right new driver to replace it. When you replace it, please note that all connection point must be welded, and do waterproof treatment for all parts.2. Led Chip: Led chip is also easily broken down. After checking, if the driver is ok, you almost can confirm that the led chip doesnt work. For the Led chip, they are too many models such 5050, 3030, etc. and every light has different led chips strip or led chips board. So we dont suggest to repair it if you are not professional. You can contact DL Light to get more support. To save your time, before you contact DL Light, please take pictures of your flood light, and confirm its power.3. wire and welded point: sometimes the wire and welded point maybe disconnected. You can put it on, and make waterproof treatment.These are three main cases about how to repair the flood lights. Please choose right good lights factory such Philips, DL Light, etc to get more good quality.DL Light is subsidiary of DL Industry Group Ltd.. Based on the 30 years experience of mother company, DL Led Light has become a producer and supplier of all kinds high quality Led lights including Outdoor Led flood lights, Led street lights, led high bay, Explosion-proof light, Tubelight, Led corn bulb for domestic and international market.Currently DL Led Light has one sales and service office in Tianjin and two joint venture factories in Shenzhen and Zhongshan. Establish long term close cooperation relationship with global famous raw material suppliers including Epistar, Cree, Philips, Meanwell, Moso, etc.DL Light-DL Industry Group LimitedADD: Room 709, Unit 5, Builing 19, Ruihang Square, Dong Er Road, Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, ChinaPhone: 0086(0)22 60961898Fax: 0086(0) 22 58675087Email: info@ledlight365.comAlankit launches e-Raahi mobile application and desktop solution ~ One Stop Solution for Hassle Free E-way Bills generation ~

 Enabled with unique utility features like HSN code finder, ready sharing over SMS/ email, connectivity to ASP solution  Alankit GST Muneemji or any other independent solution Extremely friendly user interface and compact Alankit e-Raahi application offers generation of first 1000 bills at a competitive price of Rs.1,000/-Features and USPs:User friendly software / mobile applicationEasy print facility / option of carrying a digital copy for ease of useOne click modification and rectification of the E-Way billShare by SMS and Email in printable formatNo IMEI registration of mobile phone requiredEasily Scan QR codeAuto detection of rates using HSN CodesBulk upload of invoices using excelAuto fill of details of client using GSTINOption to search the correct HSN CodeGenerate E-way bill for Multi- GSTINs in one login (Coming Soon)IOS Version coming soonAlankit Limited, Indias leading GST Suvidha Provider (GSP) has launched e-Raahi, a simple and cost effective mobile application and desktop software for generation of e-way bills at just the click of a button. This application is available on Google playstore and is compatible with Android; whereas the iOS version is under process and will be out soon. As part of its unique features, e-Raahi allows user to generate, edit and share e-way bills via SMS, WhatsApp and email. The format of the bill is print ready in case the user needs a hard copy for any purpose. Integrated with Alankits comprehensive back-end mechanism, the application and software also allow user to prepare a consolidated invoice report for filing of GST in place of maintaining multiple bill entries in an excel format.Introduction of e-way bill is being seen as a progressive step in the field of logistics and transportation in India. Some advantages like less documentation, reduction in tax avoidance, efficient transportation, limited / no waiting time on check-posts are already being acknowledged by the industry. Yet, these benefits would only come alive on back of efficient digital solutions like Alankit e-Raahi application. Soon, e-Raahi will be integrated with Alankit GST Muneemji (cloud-based compliance software), eliminating the need for uploading transaction details.Currently, the introductory pricing is Rs. 1000 for first 1000 bills. Alankit is also offering competitively priced packages for generating more than 1000 bills.Next bulk of 500 bills at Rs. 0.90/- each.Any entity/individual who has to transfer goods from one state to another is entitled to create an E-way Bill and will eventually be the Target Market.Speaking about the app, Mr. Ankit Agarwal, Managing Director, Alankit Ltd. said As per the Goods and Service Tax Network, there is capacity to generate up to 70 lakh e-way bills every day. Currently only 18% of the capacity is utilized. E-Raahi is geared towards increased utilization, by making transferring of goods a smooth process across India. With a nationwide network and a strong backbone of innovative GST services, Alankit is committed to Digital transformation in India by creating a favorable environment for effective technology implementation with automating various processes of Invoice Creation, E-Way Bill Generation, Return Filing and integrating all these to create a more seamless compliance environment.. Our unique application can be used to effortlessly generate high volume of e-way bills. It is backed by the end to end GST ecosystem created by Alankit in past 11 months, which will bring multiple benefits for the logistics industry. E-Raahi aims at promoting digitization, solve transit time issues, and aid the Government in ushering the antiquated transport industry into the GST framework.What sets the app apart are some unique features not found in any other application available in the market. With e-Raahi, users not only have easy access but, the ability to quickly share bills via SMS or mail. The bill can also be saved on phone and then sent via WhatsApp to the concerned person, making it a more cost effective method. The app has also removed the cumbersome process of registering IMEI (The International Mobile Equipment Identity) numbers of mobile phones; providing a single point of access by simply using user credentials. Furthermore, it provides auto detection of HSN (Harmonized System Nomenclature) codes as well as the option to search the correct HSN Code using the app itself. In future, it will also allow users to generate E-way bill for Multi- GSTINs in one login.In addition to e-Raahi, Alankit recently launched the Alankit chatbot, an easy, comprehensive means to resolve repetitive queries. The chatbot resolves 400-500 queries daily and has a smart self-learning mechanism that gain insight from the new patterns/ queries. Questions like What is GST? and How do I file my returns? are resolved instantly.Alankit Ltd. (BSE: 531082, NSE: ALANKIT), the flagship company of the group and a leading e-Governance Service Provider in India. Alankit is a conglomerate comprising of 12 Group companies with diversified activities into e-Governance, Financial Services, Insurance and Health Care verticals. Alankit is a professionally managed Group, led by a team of level headed personnel with outstanding managerial acumen. Its customer base of over 21 Million, is increasing steadily year after year. Alankit Ltd.s services include GSP (GST Suvidha Provider), TIN Facilitation Center & PAN Center, Aadhaar Services, Business Correspondent (BC), National Distributor for Entrust Datacard Printers, POP- National Pension System (NPS), Authorized Person (AP) for National Insurance - policy Repository (NIR), Point of Service (POS) for National Skills Registry (NSR), Facilitator for Atal Pension Yojana (APY), Manpower Services, etc.DivyaText 1009711733124Text 100, TDI Centre, Jasola, New Delhi110025Powered Exoskeleton Market Opportunities by Key Players, Regional Segmentation And Forecasts, 2018  2023

Global Powered Exoskeleton Industry

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Global Powered Exoskeleton IndustryNew Study on 2018-2023 Powered Exoskeleton Market Global Key Player, Demand, Growth, Opportunities and Analysis Forecast added to Wise Guy Reports DatabasePowered Exoskeleton market is a wearable high-tech robotic device used for limb movement with increased strength and endurance. The rapid development of science and technology especially in the field of healthcare has paved a way for mitigation of neural, physical disorder by Powered Exoskeleton. Moreover, the concept of externally powered skeleton systems is widely adopted for Astronomy and Defense sector. Increase in physically challenged population, the rise in demand for rehabilitation therapy and adoption of this technology in military and defense are the actuating factors for the growth of this market. There is a demand for industrial robots in industries for carrying heavy weights which can boost the demand for this market.Powered Exoskeleton is a capital-intensive market. Powered Exoskeleton powered by high-cost equipment and devices such as Electric Motors, hydraulics, pneumatics and so on which increases the cost of Exoskeleton. Heavyweight and height and the strict government regulation are the depriving factors for this market. The need of continuous fuel source is a limitation for the product and the market. Development of low cost and lightweight devices and adoption of this technology in space, healthcare, shipping industries, and government investment might be a huge opportunity for Powered Exoskeleton market.Try Sample Report @Geographically market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World. North America region is growing with a significant growth and is dominating the global Powered Exoskeleton market. Adoption of Exoskeleton for various application such as medical, industrial and defense in the US region are motivators for the market. The APAC is emerging as a growing market for this technology due to increase in demand of Exoskeleton for military and defense sector.There are many companies which are developing a prototype of Powered Exoskeleton such as Ekso Bionics, China North Industries Group Corporation (NORINCO), Cyberdyne Inc., Honda, Noonee. Rewalk Robotics, Parker Hannifin, Toyota and ATOUN Inc. have already entered the market commercializing their products. The companies are focusing on new Powered Exoskeleton research and innovation, expansion M&A, finding a new market or innovate in their core competency in order to expand individual market share. The report includes a detailed market overview, Key findings, analyst insights, market determinants, market segmentation.Research MethodologyThe market study of Powered Exoskeleton market is incorporated by extensive primary and secondary research conducted by a 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. Our team collects facts and data related to the market from different geography to provide a better regional outlook. In the report, the country-level analysis is provided by analyzing various regional players, regional tax laws and policies, consumer behavior and macroeconomic factors. 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 our analyst 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. Primary research brings the authenticity in our reports.Secondary sources include: Financial reports of companies involved in the market Authentic Public Databases Whitepapers, research-papers and news blogs Company websites and their product catalogue.The Report is intended for Powered Exoskeleton manufacturer, Component manufacturer, Investing companies, 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, initial norms and vehicle segment. 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 Powered Exoskeleton market is segmented on the basis of regional outlook and following segments:1. Global Powered Exoskeleton Market Research and Analysis, By Mobility2. Global Powered Exoskeleton Market Research and Analysis, By Type3. Global Powered Exoskeleton Market Research and Analysis, By ApplicationTHE REPORT COVERS: Comprehensive research methodology of Global Powered Exoskeleton This report also includes detailed and extensive market overview with key analyst insights. An 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 Powered Exoskeleton Market. Insights about market determinants which are stimulating the Global Powered Exoskeleton Detailed and extensive market segments with regional distribution of forecasted revenues. Extensive profiles and recent developments of market players.Some points from table of content:1. REPORT SUMMARY1.1. RESEARCH METHODS AND TOOLS1.2. MARKET BREAKDOWN1.2.1. BY SEGMENTS1.2.2. BY GEOGRAPHY1.2.3. BY STAKEHOLDERS1.2.4. EXCEPTIONS2. MARKET OVERVIEW AND INSIGHTS2.1. DEFINITION2.2. PATENT ANALYSIS2.3. ANALYST INSIGHTS & CURRENT MARKET TRENDS2.3.1. KEY FINDINGS2.3.2. RECOMMENDATION2.3.3. CONCLUSION2.4. REGULATION2.4.1.1. UNITED STATES2.4.1.2. EUROPEAN UNION2.4.1.3. CHINA2.4.1.4. INDIAFor Detailed Reading Please visit WiseGuy Reports @3. MARKET DETERMINANT3.1. MOTIVATORS3.1.1. INCREASE IN PHYSICALLY CHALLANGED POPULATION3.1.2. RISE IN DEMAND FOR REHABILITATION THERAPY3.1.3. INCREASE IN DEMAND FOR INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS3.1.4. ADOPTION OF TECHNOLOGY IN MILITARY AND DEFENSE3.2. RESTRAINTS3.2.1. HEAVY WEIGHT AND HIEGHT OF EQUIPMENT3.2.2. STRICT GOVERNMENT REGULATION3.2.3. NEED OF CONTINUOUS FUEL SOURCE3.3. OPPORTUNITIES3.3.1. DEVELOPMENT OF LOW COST AND LIGHT WEIGHT DEVICES3.3.2. INITIATIVE BY PRIVATE FIRMS TOWARDS SUFFICIENT ENERGY FUEL3.3.3. RISE IN INVESTMENT BY GOVERNMENT IN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT3.3.4. INNOVATION OF REMOTE CONTROLLING EXOSKELETON4. MARKET SEGMENTATION4.1. GLOBAL POWERED EXOSKELETON MARKET, BY MOBILITY4.1.1. STATIONARY4.1.2. MOBILE4.2. GLOBAL POWERED EXOSKELETON MARKET, BY TYPE4.2.1. FULL BODY4.2.2. UPPER BODY4.2.3. LOWER BODY4.1. GLOBAL POWERED EXOSKELETON MARKET, BY APPLICATION4.1.1. INDUSTRIAL4.1.2. MILITARY4.1.3. HEALTHCARE4.1.4. OTHERS (SPACE, SHIPMENT)5. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE5.1. KEY STRATEGIES5.2. KEY COMPANY ANALYSIS6. REGIONAL ANALYSIS6.1. NORTH AMERICAN6.1.1. UNITED STATES6.1.2. CANADA6.2. EUROPEContinued.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:Epicor to Accelerate Cloud ERP Adoption via Microsoft Azure

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Dubai, United Arab Emirates  May 23, 2018  Epicor Software Corporation has announced an expanded strategic partnership with Microsoft to deliver Epicor enterprise-class solutions globally on the Microsoft Azure platform.Epicor will initially standardize cloud deployment of its Epicor ERP and Epicor Prophet 21 enterprise resource planning (ERP) suites on Microsoft Azure, empowering customers to drive faster growth and innovation as they move to digitally transform their businesses.Microsofts focus on the Intelligent Cloud and Intelligent Edge complement our customer-centric focus, said Steve Murphy, CEO, Epicor. We looked at several public cloud options. Microsoft Azure offers the best foundation for building and deploying enterprise business applications that will enable our customers businesses to adapt and grow. Today, we are seeing more than three-quarters of prospects ask about cloud ERP. As that deployment model becomes the norm, we are ready to enable our customers to move to the cloud with confidence leveraging the reliability, security, and scalability of Microsoft Azure.Standardizing cloud deployment of its world-class manufacturing and distribution solutions on Microsoft Azure is a natural step for Epicor with its history of leveraging forward-looking technology to deliver the utmost value to its customers, said David Willis, corporate vice president, Microsoft. With Epicor solutions running in the cloud, customers will reap the benefits of greater agility, faster innovation, and favorable economics of Azure as they embrace digital transformation.About Epicor Software CorporationEpicor Software Corporation drives business growth. We provide flexible, industry-specific software designed to fit the precise needs of our manufacturing, distribution, retail, and service industry customers. More than 45 years of experience with our customers unique business processes and operational requirements are built into every solutionin the cloud or on premises. With this deep understanding of your industry, Epicor solutions dramatically improve performance and profitability while easing complexity so you can focus on growth. For more information, connect with Epicor or visitVernon SaldanhaProcre8D02-12, Rahat, MudonDubai, UAEPO BOX 78835Refrigerated Display Cases Market to Represent a Significant Expansion at 6.2% CAGR During 2017-2027

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A comprehensive research publication by Future Market Insights titled Refrigerated Display Cases Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012  2016 and Opportunity Assessment 2017  2027 is focussed on understanding the worldwide demand and consumption of refrigerated display cases, the key aspects influencing customer purchase decisions, the key areas of innovations, the enhancement of features of refrigerated display cases and key industry developments across major geographies along with impact analysis in 2017 and forecast scrutiny pertaining to value and volume of the global refrigerated display cases market till 2027.Global Refrigerated Display Cases Market: ForecastAfter an in-depth investigation of the global refrigerated display cases market, Future Market Insights predicts a revenue growth of about US$ 16 Bn by the end of 2027, reflecting a CAGR of 6.2% during the period of forecast.Request For Report Sample@Global Refrigerated Display Cases Market: Segmental AnalysisThe global refrigerated display cases market is categorised by product type, by construction, by end user and by region. By product type, it is segmented into plug-in device and remote operated device. By construction it is segmented into horizontal, hybrid and vertical. By end user it is segmented into food service sector and retail food and beverage sector; and by region, the market is divided into North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America, APEJ, Japan and Middle East and Africa (MEA).Remote operated device segment is poised to dominate the global refrigerated display cases market by product type by reflecting a higher market share and is poised to grow at a high CAGR of 6.5% during the period of forecast. Demand in the plug-in device market is also rising, especially in emerging economies. The plug-in device segment is poised to reflect a CAGR of 5.8% in terms of value. The remote operated device segment is expected to reflect a market share of more than 55% by the end of 2027.Vertical segment by construction is expected to dominate the market with respect to market value and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 6.4% throughout the period of forecast. The hybrid segment is anticipated to register the highest growth rate to reflect a CAGR of 6.7% during the forecast period.Retail food and beverage sector segment by end user is anticipated to grow at a higher growth rate to reflect a CAGR of 6.4% during the period of forecast. This segment dominates the global refrigerated display cases market by end user with respect to market value as it is expected to reach a value of just under US$ 13 Bn by the end of 2027. Market value of the food service sector segment is less compared to that of the retail food and beverage sector segment and is poised to grow at a CAGR of 5.1% throughout the period of forecast.APEJ to Reflect Speedy Growth Throughout the Forecast PeriodThe APEJ region shows a high growth to register a CAGR of 9.0% throughout the period of forecast surpassing North America and Western Europe in terms of demand. Rapid urbanisation and increasing income levels in India, China and South Korea are the main contributors for growth of the APEJ region in the global refrigerated display cases market. Moreover, along with a growing population and rising demand for food, the FMCG market has been performing well in the region and major retail chains are shifting their focus towards expanding their footprint in APEJ countries. This has spurred the growth of the refrigerated display cases market in this region. Another trend observed in APEJ is the shift of manufacturing base to this region. Besides enhancing technology, maintaining overall product cost is also a key concern for manufacturers. In order to decrease the cost of manufacturing, some players in the market have established their production facilities in countries such as China, Indonesia and India, where labour costs are relatively low as compared to other countries. North America and Western Europe are expected to face maturity in the coming years.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Competitive LandscapeThe research report on the global refrigerated display cases market has profiled tier players involved in the refrigerated display cases market such as Panasonic Corporation, Dover Corporation, Frigoglass SAIC, Arneg S.p.A, AHT Cooling System GmbH, Illinois Tool Work Inc., Epta S.p.a. Refrigeration, Standex International Corporation, Lennox International Inc., United Technologies Corp., Metalfrio Solutions, Inc., Clabo Group, True Manufacturing, Carter Retail Equipment Ltd., Nakano Refrigerators Co. Ltd., QBD Modular Systems Inc., Zero Zone Inc., Igloo International, Marc Refrigeration Manufacturing, Inc., Aucma Co., Ltd., Haier Carrier, Isa S.p.a., Borgen Systems and Koxka.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:Polyethylene Wax Market 2018 Top Manufacturers Global Industry Analysis|Honeywell International,Mitsui Chemicals,Clariant,BASF SE ,EUROCERAS,

Polyethylene Wax industry research, Polyethylene Wax Market Size, Polyethylene Wax Market Share, Polyethylene Wax Market Regional

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Polyethylene Wax Market 2018 Industry report presents a detailed analysis of the industry by Share, size, growth rate, Trends, Demand, key players, regions, product types & applications, the report also evaluates key factors that affected market growth and with the help of previous figures this report elaborates current scenario and forecast of Polyethylene Wax industry.Segmentation by type (High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Wax, Oxidized Polyethylene Wax), by process (polymerization, modification) by application (plastic processing, hot melt adhesive)  Forecast till 2023Synopsis of Polyethylene Wax Market:Polyethylene wax is an ultra low molecular weight polyethylene composed of ethylene monomer chains. It is also called as PE wax. The three types of the compound are high-density polyethylene (HDPE) wax, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) wax and oxidized polyethylene wax. Moreover, its thermal stability, bio-compatible, durability, and superior performance are the important trends and factors influencing the market confidently.Therefore, they are used in various applications such as plastic processing, hot melt adhesive, ink & coating, and others.Among the various segments in polyethylene wax market, oxidized polyethylene wax sub-segment is the leading type used in the market and is anticipated to continue its dominance over the assessment period. It is extensively used in the end-use industries as a slip agent, resin modifier, mold release agent, and others. Moreover, its growing consumption in paints & coatings, and others are set to drive the market in the next couple of years.It is projected that the modification segment is set to grow at a significant rate owing to its boundless use in food packaging, textiles, and adhesives. Polymerization sub-segment is the leading process utilized in the market owing to the endless production of high density and low-density waxes. The market by application is segregated into plastic processing, hot melt adhesive, ink & coating, and others. The ink & coating segment holds a major portion of the market due to increasing popularity of the product in packaging, corrugated, publication, and others. Moreover, the increasing demand for biocompatible, efficient organic compound in plastic processing, hot melt adhesive, and other sectors are projected to drive the market during the forecast period.Ask for Sample Copy of this Report @Leading Manufacturers Analysis:Some of the prominent players operating in the global polyethylene wax market are Honeywell International Inc. (U.S.), Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Japan), Clariant (Switzerland), TRECORA RESOURCES (U.S.), BASF SE (Germany), SCG (Thailand), Innospec (U.S.), The Lubrizol Corporation (U.S.), EUROCERAS (Poland), and Westlake Chemical Corporation (U.S.) among others.Geographical Segementation:The report covers brief analysis of the major geographic regions namely Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.Targeted Audience:Polyethylene Wax market manufacturersTraders and Distributors of Polyethylene Wax marketProduction Process IndustriesPotential InvestorsRaw Material SuppliersNationalized LaboratoryRegional Analysis: The polyethylene wax 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 due to growing demand for the product in packaging, buildings & construction, woodworking, and others. The oxidized polyethylene wax segment holds the major portion and is anticipated to continue its dominance in the market due to increasing consumption of polyethylene wax in various processes such as polymerization, modification, thermal cracking, and other processes. Therefore, countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, and India are the major players in this market.The North American region is growing significantly due to the growing demand for hot melt adhesives in automotive, construction, and other industries. It is predicted that growing investments in the end-use industries is likely to drive the market during the forecast period. The growing consumption of magazines, catalogs, periodicals, directories in end-use applications has propelled the growth in countries such as the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to achieve a stunning growth in the market as they provide unique structural properties, and high standard performance to the product.The European market has observed a steady growth in the last couple of years. It is projected that due to stringent rules and regulations implemented by the regional governments to use lightweight materials in end-use industries, the market is set to grow at a higher rate during the forecast period. These rules and regulations drive various applications such as packaging, chemical, oil & gas industries, and others. Moreover, it is estimated that the growing innovation and technological advancement of the products, is predicted to propel the market growth in the countries such as the U.K, Italy, Germany, and France during the forecast period.The Middle East & Africa region is estimated to witness a significant growth in the market due to the growing adoption of polyethylene wax in construction, automotive, and packaging industries. Moreover, Latin America is anticipated to witness a higher growth in the market due to increasing demand for polyethylene oxide products in the end-use industries.Full report on Polyethylene Wax Market report spread across 138 pages, profiling 15 companies and supported with tables and figures available @TABLE 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 Model4 Market Landscape4.1 Porters Five Forces Analysis4.1.1 Threat Of New Entrants4.1.2 Bargaining Power Of Buyers4.1.3 Threat Of Substitutes4.1.4 Segment Rivalry4.2 Value Chain/Supply Chain Of Global Polyethylene Wax Market5 Industry Overview Of Global Polyethylene Wax MarketContinued. . .LIST OF FIGURESFIGURE 1 Global Polyethylene Wax Market SegmentationFIGURE 2 Forecast MethodologyFIGURE 3 Five Forces Analysis Of Global Polyethylene Wax MarketFIGURE 4 Value Chain Of Global Polyethylene Wax MarketFIGURE 5 Share Of Global Polyethylene Wax Market In 2017, By Country (In %)Continued. . .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@Market research future.comLegal Marijuana Market Key players like Medicine Man, AmeriCann, Canopy Growth are making huge investment

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Marijuana is dried leaves, stems, flowers or seeds derived from Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica plant. The consumption of marijuana is limited to certain countries where it is termed as legal marijuana. In certain countries legalization of marijuana is done for both recreation and medicinal purposes. However, in most of the countries marijuana is legalized only for a medicinal purpose. Legal marijuana is useful in the treatment of cancer, multiple sclerosis, and many other diseases which is driving its application in the healthcare sector.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Scientists are continuously researching on the marijuana species to bring out value-added products from the cannabis strains, which is supporting the growth of the legal marijuana market. Growing demand for legal marijuana for recreational activity is projected to boost the growth of the legal marijuana market over the forecast period. Increasing legalization of marijuana market in various countries is having a positive impact on the legal marijuana market.High consumption of marijuana in North America, mainly in the U.S. and Canada is influencing the market growth since the last few years. There has been an increased inclination towards legal marijuana in Turkey, Australia, Argentina, and the Philippines over past years. Growing trend of consumption of legal marijuana among the youth is expected to surge the market growth. However, any kind of use of marijuana is illegal in countries such as India, Japan, China, and South East Asian Countries.Regional Analysis:The global legal marijuana market is segmented into North America, Europe, and Rest of the World. North America is anticipated to dominate the market holding the lion's share of over 85% in which the U.S. is dominating the market followed by Canada. Moreover, Europe is projected to grow at a healthy CAGR of 14.23% over the forecast period.Segments:Legal marijuana market is segmented on the basis of a type such as indica, sativa, hybrid, and others. Among them, sativa is anticipated to dominate the market and hold over 50% share of the global market over the forecast period. On the basis of the application, the market is segmented into medical use and other use. Legal marijuana is gaining acceptance for other uses, which is witnessed to grow at a CAGR of 13.08% over the review period.Key Players:The leading players in the global legal marijuana market primarily are Medicine Man (U.S.), AmeriCann, Inc. (U.S.), Novus Acquisition & Development (U.S.), Abattis Bioceuticals Corp (Canada), GW Pharmaceuticals (U.K.), Canopy Growth (Canada), Insys Therapeutics (U.S.)Target Audience: Legal marijuana manufacturers Pharmaceutical Industry Raw material suppliers Traders, importers, and exportersKey Findings: RoW is projected to grow at the highest CAGR of 30.18% over the noticed period in which Australia, Turkey, and Argentina are the major contributors Sativa accounts for over 50% share of the legal marijuana marketRegional and country analysis of legal marijuana Market development and demand forecast to 2022 market:As per the MRFR analysis, the global legal marijuana market is poised to reach USD 4.69 billion by 2022 at a CAGR of 22.03% during the forecasted period.The reports also cover country-level analysis: North Americao USo Canadao Mexicoo Australiao Colombiao Other Countries Europeo Russiao Germanyo The Netherlandso Austriao Czech Republico Rest of Europe RoWo Brazilo Argentinao PhilippinesTable of Content: Key Points1 Industry Overview of Legal Marijuana1.1 Definition and Specifications of Legal Marijuana1.2 Legal Marijuana Segment by Types (Product Category)1.3 Global Legal Marijuana Segment by Applications1.4 Global Legal Marijuana Market by Regions (2012-2022)1.5 Global Legal Marijuana Market Size (2012-2022)2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Legal Marijuana2.1 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Legal Marijuana2.2 Industry Chain Structure of Legal Marijuana3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Legal Marijuana3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Legal Marijuana Major Manufacturers in 2016ContinuedACCESS 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In 2017 Tony Plakas won an international award from the Harvey Milk Foundation and celebrated 20 years with Compass, the community center he helped build. He also had to be resuscitated after having a seizure in February. These were the highs and lows of Plakas final year at an organization he has been credited with saving, not once, but twice from certain failure.

SFGN recently sat down for an hours-long interview over a wedge salad with Plakas at Howleys, a popular hang out for LGBT people in West Palm Beach. It took the former Chief Executive Officer five months to agree to speak on the record.

He summed up his departure from Compass like this:

It was a mutual agreement between the board and me. I really had gotten to a point where I thought it was time for new leadership. Its an organization that reaches out to young people and I am not young anymore  even at 45, he said laughing.

Its an answer that closely resembles what SFGN reported at the beginning of April when Julie Seaver, the acting Executive Director of Compass, said Basically, he and the board decided to end his contract.

But the question now is why did it take so long for Plakas to say that?

The simple fact is one side was no longer affiliated with Compass. I honored my word that I would speak highly of Compass to make sure that people continued to invest and how important it was to be patient during change, he said. Even though Ive been approached by a lot of people with a lot of rumors Ive laid low and stayed out of the paper. Ive stayed away.

Plakas husband Jamie Foreman though didnt hold back in regards to the silence from Compass.

They fumbled the ball on their own 1 yard line. They had a million ways to handle this. And it became something that was completely non-transparent, he said. Referring to both himself and his partner, he added: I absolutely feel betrayed. I feel stabbed in the back really. Blindsided.

The Seizure

When Tony Plakas collapsed just a few feet away from Michael Rajner at Equality Floridas Palm Beach Gala in February of 2017 he sprang into action calling for doctors while attempting to keep Plakas husband calm and comforted.

It was very scary. I honestly did not know whether he was dead or alive. It frightened a lot of us, Rajner recalled. I think they had to revive him, there didnt appear to be any breathing, they were doing mouth to mouth, and chest compressions.

Sensing that it would be better off if Foreman wasnt around to witness the medical emergency, he led him out of the room.

Jamie was hysterical, rightly so. In his eyes his partner had just died, Rajner said.

Plakas would be rushed to Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach where he would spend the next 18 hours undergoing a series of tests. Hed be back to work by Tuesday for Compass executive meeting, but the next year of his life would be turned upside down and filled with anxiety and fear.

Eventually doctors came to believe Plakas had suffered from a syncope, not an epileptic seizure. A syncope is the medical term for fainting. Sometimes they can be violent and mimic a seizure, as in Plakas case. But since the doctors could not rule out epilepsy Plakas was given the option of taking anti-seizure medications.

Those medications though came with a high cost  many undesirable side effects like memory loss and slurred speech. They would plague him for the rest of the year.

But the alternative was worse  not knowing if he was going to have another seizure.

It was on my mind all of the time, he said.

Normal events such as driving, or being on stage, or just attending a gathering, became anxiety-filled activities.

Every time I stood on stage I wondered if this might be the next time I was going to have a seizure, he said. Driving was scary. I was in an almost constant state of fear.

Besides his serious medical condition, Plakas also had to deal with the whispers behind his back. At that time he shrugged them off, but looking back he said he realized that the rumors that persist today started with the gala.

And Compass did nothing to dispel them once he left. In fact Plakas said their months-long silence surrounding his departure only fueled them.

Plakas sat down for a second interview over lunch at Callaro's Steak House in downtown Lake Worth where he allowed SFGN to review 180 pages of medical records from his hospital stay after the seizure to confirm everything he claimed.

At one point over an iceberg wedge salad topped with applewood bacon bits and blackened chicken, Plakas had to stop speaking as he became emotional recalling his harrowing experience at the Equality Florida Gala. That night the LGBT rights organization honored Compass with its Community Partner For Equality Award.

From the moment I walked into that door my peripheral vision was off and I was sweating through my shirt. I wanted to leave but just didnt feel it was appropriate, he recalled. How sick do you have to be to not just shake somebodys hand and accept an award on behalf of the agency?

According to the neurologists report, the most likely cause of the seizure was sleep deprivation. Plakas has suffered from insomnia on and off for many years. But in the days leading up to the event he was not only having trouble sleeping, but was also under a lot of stress due to another event, the upcoming Black Women Rise conference.

Compass had agreed to be the new events fiscal agent, which meant it would be able to accept tax exempt donations. But when Black Women Rise announced that well known activist Angela Davis would be a keynote speaker, Plakas said, some Jewish groups and community members were concerned. Davis is controversial because of her views on Israel and has in the past compared the nations treatment of Palestinians to apartheid. There was even pressure to have him sever ties with the conference.

Plakas refused.

But in doing so he also had to make sure Compass relationships within the community would not be damaged. Compass has enjoyed a long and close relationship with the Jewish community, bringing Holocaust exhibits to the center in 2005 and 2012.

I thought it was a privilege that we were able to be their fiscal agent, Plakas said. I was being contacted by everybody with their own opinions. I wasnt about to be the organization committed to all of the social justice issues that we are committed to, to screw up the first black women conference in the country.

Its clear when speaking with Foreman that he is fiercely protective over Plakas health and reputation.

Everything just changed on a dime after he had a seizure, Foreman said. [The board and staff] should have been more concerned about his health and accommodating him. They should have given him space to become healthy. But that didnt happen.

According to Plakas his doctors advised him to take 90 days off of work but with all of the upcoming events, such as a PrideFest, and later in the year the Ryan White grant renewal, he said there was no way he could have done that.

Today Plakas looks fit and refreshed. Hes finally off the anti-seizure medications and no longer lives in a constant state of fear.

The Silence

Compass finally released their first public statement regarding Plakas departure on April 24 in an email to the community.

In January 2018, after much deliberation and consideration, and in recognition of Tony Plakas' over 20 years of service as celebrated in November 2017, the board of trustees and Tony decided to move in a new direction for the organization. We are grateful for Tony's contributions and vision. Under his leadership, Compass grew to be a nationally recognize, the board wrote.

Its still unclear why it took so long for the organization to release that simple statement. In fact Plakas did not even update his Facebook profile until SFGN reported he had left Compass.

I wasnt going to be the first person to tell the community that I wasnt there. I wanted to give them time, he said. My silence was truly intended to get them through PrideFest without scandal.

SFGN has requested an interview with Compass board to discuss Plakas departure multiple times with no luck.

The first time, on April 6, Seaver wrote in an email: I have a board full of CPA's and auditors that are in the middle of their busiest time of year and the board's process is on their timetable and not the public or SFGN'S timetable. As I stated, our board meeting is Wednesday the 11th, so I'm afraid it's a strong possibility you won't hear from them by this Monday.

SFGN sent an email on May 10 to Claudia Harrison, the Chief Information Officer of Compass and stated liaison to the board, once again requesting an interview with the board. Despite another follow up email on May 14 Harrison has yet to respond.

Its this lack of response to SFGN that has Plakas frustrated.

Nature abhors a vacuum, Plakas said. If a vacuum is created and neglected, nature will find a way to bring something to life, whether the story is real or not, people will fill in the spaces with the only connections that they could possibly think about.

Plakas had hoped Compass would have addressed his leaving in a more thorough way, especially once it was clear rumors were starting to swirl.

But they didnt.

I think there are people in the community who immediately planted rumors, Foreman said. And some of those on staff would rather believe those rumors rather than give Tony the benefit of doubt, like he has given to so many other people over the years.

After Plakas left Compass, he drafted a joint press release between himself and the organization so theyd have a way to announce his leaving. For reasons that are unclear they never sent the statement out.

But Seaver was asked about a joint statement in January when SFGN first contacted her. She said it was a great idea and she would love to release one, but that was up to the board, and she didnt know why they were staying mum.

I chose to believe they had a strategy. They had huge events on their hands. They were a leader short. So when the news statement came out that didnt look like the joint statement I gave them I guess I didnt feel protected from a negative light from being cast on me, Plakas said. Ive told at least 30 people that this is not the year to hold money back from Compass, this is the year when you need to support them more than ever because they lost a long time CEO with relationships all over the county. This year they need to be extra supported and you have to be extra patient.

For some members of the community Compass response has not sat well with them.

Im really disappointed in the board of Compass and how they handled this. I was really shocked when I heard he was gone. Hes done so much for Compass, said Dennis Williams, owner of the Rhythm Cafe in West Palm Beach. Williams is a long time friend of Plakas and Foreman and has also been a long time supporter of Compass. Ive watched Compass grow, move, fall apart, put back together, fall apart and put back together again.

Williams still remembers during one of those hard times when the organization could not even afford toilet paper.

Wed order an extra case of toilet paper and paper towels because thats one thing grants dont cover and they just needed it, Williams said.

Williams doesnt know how much hell support the organization going forward.

I dont see a good future for Compass at this point, he said.

While Foreman is Plakas husband, he was also a major volunteer over the years.

I cant see myself volunteering for an organization that treats any employee that way, Foreman said.

Foreman said he was instrumental in bringing PrideFest to Lake Worth and making it a successful fundraiser as well as helping to launch the organizations annual Stonewall Ball.

The Salary

After SFGN published its first story on April 11, it took another two weeks before Compass released their statement, which did not address the 4-month delay or SFGNs reporting on Plakas salary.

They have evidence to show this had nothing to do with my salary, Plakas said.

Plakas insists his salary was in line with other organizations and was not out of the ordinary.

To be honest with you everybody thinks nonprofit CEOs get too much money, he said. Its one of the most insidious ways to attack the integrity of a leader of an organization because the more you lead, the more you cant be at every party, at every event. You have to start trusting other people to do the work.

According to the latest tax documents SFGN was able to obtain, Plakas earned $126,000 in 2015. In previous years, his salary was lower. In other years, it was higher. In 2009, it was $90,857. In 2012, it was $142,830. In 2013, it was $112,000. In 2014, it was $130,500.

The reason the numbers are so wildly different is easily explainable, he said. For instance, he didnt work a full year in 2009, and because of the way some of Compass contracts pay the organization, he said, he had to wait for his money, and sometimes that backpay fell into a new budget year.

Sometimes we skipped paychecks to make sure the staff got paid, he said.

[His salary] was a topic that was brought up, Seaver has previously told SFGN. She said Plakas salary was commensurate with directors of other LGBT organizations. Fiduciary oversight is an extreme responsibility and [the board takes] that responsibility very seriously.

And then theres also the issue of the offsite development office.

I needed somewhere to work. My office was the largest office in the building, and it included the boardroom, he said. The staff continued to grow between 2009 and 2017, but the building didnt get any bigger.

Before 2009 Plakas used the office for his consulting business, while his husband used it as well, and the two of them split the costs. Plakas could not recall the timeline but at some point Compass took over the payments.

Weve always had an off site development office, he said. We also had a different one between 2000 and 2005. I didnt want donors and sponsors having to call the center to reach me.

Plakas said his office cost $450 a month. SFGN attempted several times to get that information from Compass but the most they would say is it was .02% of Compasss 2017 annual operating budget.

Plakas also revealed that in addition to his personal office, at some point Compass rented additional office space across from his for his executive team. He doesnt recall how much the rent was but not does believe it was more than the $450 his office cost.

Compass shut the office down in February of this year because it is non-ADA compliant, and we are an equal-opportunity employer.

Foreman bristled when he read that in the newspaper. He said he found it ironic they shut the office down after Plakas left because it was not compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act, when he feels Compass did little to accommodate Plakas medical needs during 2017.

Tony and I both believe Compass should be here and should not be harmed, Foreman said. Its very hard to make that statement knowing what they did to him.

Another long time donor of Compass, former Congressman Mark Foley, sees it the same way.

Tonys leadership was the prime motivation for many of us to engage in support of Compass. His concern for at risk youth struggling with their identities in families that were unwilling to support their sexuality was his underlying advocacy. His advocacy for many federal initiatives like HOPWA, Ryan White and hate crimes made him the go to person in our state for these challenging issues, Foley said. Regardless for the reason of his departure from Compass, no one can erase his indelible mark on a civil rights movement that was never popular nor easy during his early years at the organization. While there are many sides to any story I am certain Tony would rather us continue the mission of Compass rather than quibble over whos to blame in this trauma or whose toes may have been stepped on.Expansion of Agriculture Equipment Market During 2015 - 2025 to Gain Robust Traction

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Agriculture equipment are the machine tools used in the various stage of agriculture such as harvesting, planting, threshing and agro processing. Agriculture equipment are replacing traditional tools: for traditional practice in land development, tillage and seed bed preparation plough and blade harrow were used but current practice includes tractors, mould board plough and power tiller.Agriculture Equipment Market: Drivers & RestraintsGrowing population at faster pace is the main driver for agricultural equipment market as it spurs the need of food which aggressively demand for better equipment for agriculture. Though agriculture equipment help in the cultivation but farmers are in having financial issues to replace the old equipment with new machinery, which hindered the growth of the global agriculture equipment market. Asia Pacific is one of the major user of tractor.Request For Report Sample@Agriculture Equipment Market: SegmentationOn the basis of product type, agriculture Equipment market is broadly segmented as:TractorCombine HarvesterThrasherRotavatorSelf-Propelled Vertical Conveyer ReaperZero Till Seed DrillMulti Crop PlanterPower TillerLaser Land LevelerRice TransplanterPower SprayPower WeederDrip Irrigation EquipmentSprinkler Irrigation EquipmentOn the basis of process, the market is segmented into:Land Development, Tillage, Seed Bed PreparationSowing & PlantingWeed Inter CultivationPlant ProtectionHarvesting & ThreshingPost-Harvest & Agro ProcessingAgriculture Equipment Market: Region  Wise OutlookAsia  Pacific region is expected to dominate the market during the forecasted period aided by China and India the fastest growing agriculture equipment market. Growing population will increase the demand of food in these countries, which in return increase the demand of better harvesting machinery. Europe and North America agriculture equipment market is expected to show a moderate growth. With rapid technological advancement and growing population agriculture Equipment market is expected to increase at a double CAGR during the forecast period.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Agriculture Equipment Market: Key PlayersSome of the players in the market we identified includes, CNH Industrial NV, AGCO Corp, J.C. Bamford Excavators Limited, Iseki & Co. Ltd, Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, Deere & Company and Kubota Corporation.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:Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Market to Witness a Pronounce Growth During 2017-2025

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Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage is sudden bleeding into the subarachnoid space. It might spill into the cerebrospinal liquid in the space around the brain. The most widely recognized reason for unconstrained blood draining is a cracked aneurysm. Side effects may incorporate sudden and extreme cerebral pain. In more genuine cases, the bleeding may cause total brain damage with loss of motion or coma. In the most serious cases, the draining may lead to severe death of an individual. It is an overall wellbeing burden with high casualty and perpetual disability rates. The general anticipation relies upon the volume of the underlying bleed, and level of postponed cerebral ischemia (DCI). The neurogenic pulmonary edema and cardiac manifestations indicate the severity of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage is frequently an irresistible event. Around 10% of patients with aneurysmal SAH pass on preceding achieving the clinic, 25% of patients die inside 24 hours of SAH onset, and around 45 % pass on inside 30 days; only 33% of patients will have a decent result after treatment.Request to Sample of Report @Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Market: DynamicsSeasonal variations in the incidence of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage suggest a possible infective origin, however, current evidence are mixed. In the U.S., every year around 25000 to 30000 people (6 11 for every 100000) encounter aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Burst of cerebral aneurysms represents 50%-70% of these cases. Different causes incorporate bleeding from a cerebral tumor, drug abuse, anticoagulant treatment, ruptured arteriovenous deformities and hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage. Developing frequency of road accidents prompting head wounds and break of cerebral aneurysm cases, enhanced healthcare framework in developing nations; and development in awareness about SAH is driving the global market during the forecast period.Growing awareness and technological assessments in upcoming medical devices and diagnostic imaging technologies are encouraging people to opt for modern treatment procedures to treat giant surgical and brain hemorrhage procedures. This is anticipated to boost the growth of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage market.Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Market: Region-wise OutlookRegionally, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa. The most critical reason for SAH (aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage) is trauma or injury. Some different reasons for this condition are severe headache, intra-cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and meningitis. Likewise, various lifestyle factors including smoking, hereditary disorders, hypertension, and extreme liquor utilization are additionally critical components for driving the global aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage market during the forecast period. The most critical reason for SAH is trauma or injury. Some different reasons for this condition are severe headache, intra-cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and meningitis. Likewise, various lifestyle factors including smoking, hereditary disorders, hypertension, and extreme liquor utilization are additionally critical components for driving the global aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage market during the forecast period.Request Report for Table of Contents @Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Market: Key PlayersEdge Therapeutics, Inc., Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Arbor Pharmaceuticals Inc., Mayfield Brain & Spine, Europa Group, GE Healthcare, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Siemens AG, Trivitron Healthcare, and Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation. Patients must be instructed about the risk of complications and symptomatic bleeding or brain hemorrhage. Patients should immediately consult a physician if they experience symptoms of stokes, migraine, or severe pain because of the possibility of impending trauma or bleeding.Request to Report Methodology @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:Global Market for Digital Instrument Clusters Market to Witness Considerable Upsurge During 2015 - 2025

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Instrument clusters with digital displays are increasingly replacing electromechanical pointer instruments. Moreover, digital instrument clusters are poised to supersede the analog instrument clusters in the next generation vehicles. The global instrument clusters is basically categorized into three groups: digital, analog and hybrid. Analog cluster is a classic instrument panel that contains a physical dial and a needle for the speedometer. A digital instrument cluster displays all these classical instruments on the LCD, VFD or TFT-LCD screen. Such digital instrument clusters can be programmed to display the appropriate selection of virtual instruments according to the drivers preferences. A hybrid cluster is the combination of the analog and digital cluster. Furthermore, they can enhance the appeal of a vehicle with eye-catching graphics. Therefore, most of the luxury brands are seeking to differentiate their vehicles through the inclusion of digital instrument clusters. It is expected that over seven million cars will have fully digital instrument clusters by the 2018. Digital instrument clusters that offers personalization are a key selling point.Digital Instrument Clusters: Drivers & RestraintsThe key factor driving the digital instrument clusters market is substantial rise in the automobile output and its personalization. A digital instrument cluster that is reconfigurable is very appealing. Features such as distance until next charge, information on battery charge, and other driver information, can easily be displayed using a digital instrument clusters. These features are driving the market for global digital instrument clusters. Another factor driving the market for global digital instrument is consumer trend. The tablet, PC and smartphone ownership is increasing and there are opportunities to integrate these devices to drive global digital configurable instrument clusters. Furthermore, the economical and the environmental constraints upon the engine designs are driving the introduction of digital instrument clusters since the interior gains more attention from OEMs as a way to differentiate. Another features that are driving the global digital instrument clusters market includes advanced technological features such as reusability, dynamic, scalable, simple and attractiveness. Digital instrument clusters needs a larger LCD display- often 1280 x 480 pixels, thus leading to higher cost. Also, an 8 or 16-bit CPU cannot transfer that many pixels, hence the digital cluster needs a 32-bit CPU. In addition, the level of software capability needed extends beyond the traditional entrenched skill set. These factors act as restraints for the digital instrument clusters up to a certain extent.Request For Report Sample@Digital Instrument Clusters: SegmentationOn the basis of application, the global digital instrument clusters market is segmented into:SmartphoneTablet PC/Desktop/NotebooksAutomobilesOthers (Digital cameras, inverters, power suppliers, painters, car radio, LED lighting, payment terminals)The demand for digital instrument clusters in automobiles is anticipated to grow at an accelerated pace mainly due to significant growth in the automobile industry globally. Furthermore, the smartphone segment is also expected to grow at a high CAGR during the forecast period.Digital Instrument Clusters: Region-wise OutlookOn the basis of region North America, Asia Pacific and Japan are expected to be the dominant players as a result of growing economy in these regions. The Indian electronics system design and manufacturing (ESDM) industry is one of the fastest growing industry in the country, which is further boosting the demand for digital instrument clusters in the region. The global digital instrument cluster market is anticipated to grow at a steady rate in other regions of the world as a result of a slowing global economy in these regions.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Digital Instrument Clusters: Key PlayersSome of the market participants in the global digital instrument clusters market are Nippon Seiki Co., Ltd., Ford Motor Company, Audi AG, Renault, Volkswagen, Kia Motors Corp., BMW AG, Jaguar Land Rover Limited, NVIDIA Corporation and Tesla Motors.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:FM Radios Market 2018 to 2025 - Tecsun, Kaito, C. Crane Company, Sony, TIVDIO, Sangean

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FM Radios market is segmented on the basis of application, type, end use and regions. In addition, the report presents detailed information regarding major revenue generating regions of FM Radios market.The major manufacturers covered in this reportTecsunKaitoC. Crane CompanySonyTIVDIOSangean...Request a Sample atOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoFMFM/AMOtherOn 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, includingCommercial UseHome UseOrder a copy of Global FM Radios Market atKey Point from Table of Contents:1 FM Radios Market Overview2 Global FM Radios Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global FM Radios Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)4 Global FM Radios Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2018)5 Global FM Radios Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type6 Global FM Radios Market Analysis by Application7 Global FM Radios Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis8 FM Radios Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global FM Radios Market Forecast (2018-2025)13 Research Findings and ConclusionComplete report on FM Radios Market is now available atThe study objectives of this report are:To analyze and study the global FM Radios sales, value, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025).Focuses on the key FM Radios 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.Contact Information: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. The market research industry has changed in last decade. As corporate focus has shifted to niche markets and emerging countries, a number of publishers have stepped in to fulfil these information needs. We have experienced and trained staff that helps you navigate different options and lets you choose best research solution at most effective cost.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028Eyelash adhesives for sensitive eyes, with moderate and strong fumes at Quality Beauty Store

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Quality Beauty Store offers a wide range of eyelash adhesives specifically developed for the eyelash extensions. Each technician uses the glue that is not only easy to apply, but also that suites the clients type of the skin around the eyes. There are three main categories of eyelash adhesives: for sensitive eyes, with moderate fumes and strong glues.A correct choice of supplies for the eyelash extensions application procedure is crucial. It directly influences the quality of the procedure and the result. The usage of inappropriate glue may lead not only to the dissatisfaction of the client, but even to the terrible allergic reactions that the client could experience after the procedure. The eye area technicians are working with is very sensitive, it is therefore highly important to minimize the risk of negative impact on eye balls and eyelids. Sensitive eyelash glue has minimum to no fumes and causes no irritation, what makes it perfect to apply while working with the clients who have sensitive eyes.Eyelash adhesives with moderate fumes cause little irritation, too. However, the bonding period is prolonged, making this type of glue a favorite choice for many eyelash extensions technicians. Glues with moderate fumes and strong bonding power include Blink Ultra Bonding glue, Blink Ulbon glue, Blink Fina glue, Blink Ez glue, Premium HS-11 glue, Premium Elite 3D glue designed for 3D and volume lashes.Strong eyelash glues have strong fumes, quick drying time and the longest bonding power up to 8 weeks using the right technique making it perfect to apply for experienced eyelash technicians. The product range of Quality Beauty Store includes the most popular and bestselling glues: QBS Ultra Plus glue, Blink Ultra Plus glue, Blink Ultra X glue, Premium Ultra Plus glue, SKY S and Sky S+ Type glue, Blink DIU glue for 3D and volume lashes.All the eyelash adhesives are recommended for professional use only. If you need an advice on choosing the right glue dont hesitate to contact us and we will get in touch with you at the soonest possible time.For more information, please, visitYou are also more than welcome to follow QBS on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter to get the latest news about the promotions as well as product updates.Quality Beauty Store is an online store with accessories and products for eyelash extensions.Quality Beauty Store80 Sandringham Crescent, Leeds, LS17 8DF, UK+447780870708info@qualitybeautystore.comMihailAmerican Memorial Day Kicks Off the Summer Travel Season

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Memorial Day is observed every year on the last Monday of May, will be held on May 28, 2018. It is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces. Many people visit memorial hall and Military cemeteries on Memorial Day Weekend. It is also seen as the start of the summer season.The weather is finally starting to turn warm. With Memorial Day this weekend and the beginning of summer holiday, the time to travel is achingly upon us. Generali Global Assistance Travel Insurance recently released the annual survey findings on vacation plans for U.S. travelers. They found that more U.S. travelers will be packing a bag and heading out on a summer vacation. 54% of vacationers will travel abroad. Of the preferred foreign destinations for U.S. travelers, Canada was the top, followed by Mexico  with the Bahamas, Italy, and France locked in the third place.Carry-on luggage, travel pillow, and portable device charger are some of the basic things youll need for any overseas travel. There is also another must-have item that can provide great travel experiences for you  translator keyboard.With the support of over 100 languages and instant translation technology, the translator keyboard can give travelers a more convenient way to facilitate communication. The AI-based real-time translation function with the built-in Google Translate can accurately understand and translate the meaning of any conversations. Travelers are no need to switch to or download any other apps while texting foreign people since the translation words will show up immediately. It will definitely enhance your experience while chatting with local friends and keep in touch with them later.About Translator KeyboardThe Translator Keyboard is designed to solve this problem with an exclusive combination of translation and keyboard together. With the world's leading Google Translation Engine and our advanced keyboard development technology, we can guarantee the quality of reading as well as the smoothness and stability of keyboard typing at the same time. The Translator Keyboard is committed to developing the best solution to translation issues, helping people become confident and comfortable when using foreign languages.Press Inquiries and Contact DetailContact: Yami Sun, Product Marketing ManagerAddress: Translator Keyboard, 9th Floor, Sohu.com Internet Plaza, No.1 Park, Zhongguancun East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100084, PRCWebsite:Email: translator_keyboard@sogou-inc.comTrifluralin Market Trends Competition 2025

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Global Trifluralin Market: SnapshotTrifluralin is extensively used as a herbicide across the globe. It is extracted with dichloromethane and detected using capillary gas chromatography with a nitrogenphosphorus detector. It is commercially available as a liquid, emulsifiable concentrate, or granular formula. It is registered for the control of annual grasses and broad-leaved weeds in cotton, ornamental plants, and food crops such as cabbage, broccoli, sugar beet, beans, onions, sugar cane, sunflowers, tomatoes, soybeans, vineyards, and a number of leafy green vegetables. Various studies show that cotton, soybean, and ornamental plants account for a substantial share in the global consumption of trifluralin.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Trifluralin has a low solubility in water and has the ability to form strong bonds with soil. There are a wide range of pests that can be targeted using trifluralin, including bottle grass, bristlegrass, carpetweed, chickweed, crabgrass, cupgrass, field morningglory, German millet, goathead, hairy crabgrass, henbit, junglerice, knotweed, lovegrass, Mexican fireweed, pigeongrass, pigweed, red rice, Russian thistle, silver crabgrass, watergrass, wild oat, wild barley, and woolly cupgrass.Trifluralin inhibits the development of meristem. It penetrates the developing plant roots where it hampers cell growth and division of the plant. It should be used with caution and in selective plants only else it may negatively impact the growth. Various lab tests suggest that it can inhibit onion and cabbage germination. Trifluralin is practically nontoxic to humans and birds in acute exposures. However, it has a very high toxicity to fish and other aquatic organisms. These disadvantages are adversely affecting the development of the global market for trifluralin.Global Trifluralin Market: OverviewThe global trifluralin market is projected to rise on the back of its main function as an inhibitor of weed growth. With key applications in the agriculture industry, the global market will ride on a robust demand for trifluralin products.Request TOC of the Report @Trifluralin helps to control the germination of a variety of broadleaf weeds by restraining their cell division and interrupting mitosis during the development of roots. The herbicide interferes with the synthesis of protein ropes that separate chromosomes during the process of cell division. In most cases, trifluralin is employed as a pre-emergent herbicide. It is studied that the ability of trifluralin to cling with organic matter and substandard water solubility could affect its efficacy and use. However, the crucial advantages provided by trifluralin in different applications compensate for its faint negations.Global Trifluralin Market: TrendsThe European Union (EU) has already banned the usage of trifluralin, owing to the risk to fish and other aquatic species with the herbicides high toxicity level. Moreover, the threat of substitutes could be lingering around the growth of the global trifluralin market.Howbeit, the international market for trifluralin is anticipated to witness a strong advancement with its significant applications in the growing agriculture industry. The herbicide cancels the need to wait for a longer time until the unwanted plantings, especially weeds, are eliminated completely. While tiling is the most commonly used method of decomposing weeds naturally, modern-day techniques which use trifluralin are taking precedence quickly. Trifluralin helps to accelerate the turnaround time for crops while minimizing the dependence on the tiling activity. The herbicide is also a great mode of weed removal which encourages cost-effectiveness and reduction in labor and time.In this regard, the worldwide trifluralin market is envisaged to take advantage of the necessity for faster crop production and the rising agricultural sector.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Global Trifluralin Market: GeographyThe demand in the developed regions, such as the U.S. and Australia, of the global trifluralin market is favorable. However, China as part of a developing region has been struggling due to the regulatory issues that are inhibiting the growth of its manufacturing plants. The short supply of intermediate chemicals required for production are also adding to the gradual downslide. This has resulted in an augment in the price of trifluralin over the past few years. The Chinese manufacturers have been cancelling supply contracts because of the steady price increase. New contracts have seen a rise, however with increased prices and generally, reduced supply.Global Trifluralin Market: CompetitionWith a gamut of manufacturers operating across different geographical locations, the global trifluralin market is expected to stay fragmented during the course of the forecast period 20172025. Some of the important players in the global market are Shenzhen Sunrising Industry Co., Ltd., Shandong Qiaochang Chemical Co., Ltd., Chongqing Shurong Chemical Co., Ltd., BASF, Jiangsu Fengshan Group Co., Ltd., and Dow Chemical Company. Among others, ADVANCE 10G, HERITAGE, TREFLAN HFP, TREFLAN TR-10, and TREFLAN NF are the prominent trade banners under which the Dow Chemical Company has been manufacturing trifluralin on a large scale.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Machine Vision Market 2018 Global Leaders Analysis: Cognex, Perceptron, Microscan Systems, Basler AG, National Instruments, Optotune AG, USS Vision, Keyence, Omron

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Market Research Future published a research report on Global Machine Vision Market Research Report- Forecast 2022  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Machine Vision Market  InsightMachine Vision (MV) refers to the electronic imaging used for process control, inspection getting the automatic guidance. The term MV encompasses several technologies, software and hardware solutions, integrated systems, methods, expertise and actions. Alike conventional Industrial Applications, MV capabilities are extended to Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality as well. Similarly, MV enables ADAS (Advanced Driver Assist Systems), & Smart Security Systems to perceive extensive digital-imaging capabilities to efficiently deliver in low or no light conditions, consuming low battery power without interfering human activity all at once.Diversified applications are allowing Machine Vision to garner huge traction enabling its Market to grow rapidly. Also, the latest trend of miniaturization of optical and electronic devices is augmenting demand for image processing eventually fostering the MV market growth. Space Robots dictating need for Machine Vision Cameras to see like humans are increasingly becoming reality. Evidently, leading players mentioned above account for the driving force behind the innovations MV witnesses today.Get Sample of Report @Acknowledging the seminal work of these players, Market Research Future has recently published a Study report signifying market insights till 2022. In its analysis MRFR asserts that the ever flourishing global market of Machine Vision will garner accruals of USD 15.46 Billion registering a CAGR of 8.18% during 2017-2022.Machine Vision experiences applications in diversified areas like Hyper spectral cameras allowing combination of spectroscopy and digital imaging explains the market growth. Hyper spectral imaging is extensively used by the military surveillance sector. Similarly adoption of Hyper spectral in various sectors like Mining & Mineralogy, healthcare and Environment Testing fosters the market growth.Conversely, expensive hyperspectral cameras along with the associated complexities of processing and analyzing imaging data might pose challenges to the market growth. Nevertheless, Smart City Projects where Machine Vision systems are increasingly deployed in the solutions ensuring security and safety including advanced vision technologies will provide immense impetus to the MV market growth.Industry/ Innovation/ Related NewsJanuary 23, 2018  Industrial Sensor Vision International Corporation (ISVI - US) designer and manufacturer of high-resolution, high-speed camera technology announced Framos (a well positioned machine vision industry leader) as its global distributor of its products. Together with Framos knowledge to enable machines to see and think, ISVI is looking forward to provide broad scale imaging innovation.January 29, 2018  Himax Technologies, Inc. (US) a leading supplier and manufacturer of display drivers and other semiconductor products, also offering digital camera solutions, including 3D sensing and machine vision, used in variety of applications such as IoT & etc. announced the acquisition of a technology company - Nano 3D (US) mastering assets, related to intellectual property & businessKey PlayersThe prominent players in the market of Machine Vision Market are  Cognex Corporation (U.S.), Vitronic GmbH (Germany), Perceptron, Inc. (U.S.), Microscan Systems (U.S.), Basler AG (Germany.), National Instruments (U.S.), Optotune AG (Switzerland), USS Vision (U.S.), ViDi Systems SA (Switzerland), Keyence (Japan), Omron Corporation (Japan) among others.Worldwide Machine Vision Market  Segmentationsfor the convenience of the report and enhanced understanding; The Machine Vision Market is divided in to 5 key dynamics By Type : Comprises 1D, 2D & 3D Machine Vision. By Application: Identification, Inspection, Gauging, Guidance, among other. By Component: Hardware (ASMV, Cameras, Sensors, Illuminations, Processors and other) and Software. By End Users: Electronics and Semiconductor, Automotive, Food and Packaging, Healthcare, and other. By Regions: APAC, Europe, North America and Rest of the World.Worldwide Machine Vision Market  Regional AnalysisAsia Pacific with the largest (30%) market share followed by Europe and North America respectively. APAC dominates the global market, whereas Europe takes the second position owing to the augmented demand from healthcare and automotive sectors. North America is the third largest market for Machine Vision.Machine Vision Market perceives a positive growth in all the regions on global scale attributing to the increasing application areas every year along with the technological advancements and integration.Worldwide MV Market  Competitive LandscapeThe Machine Vision market is fiercely competitive owing to the various dynamic and diversified international players existing in the market forming a competitive landscape. Constantly innovating market leaders seek market expansion by various strategic M&A activities and increasing investments in R&D activities strive to develop portfolio for cost-effective solutions. Vendors are improving their market performance and acquiring promising companies to expand in the rapidly growing markets.They employ improvement strategy to update and analyze the software, implement improvements and launch advent technologies meeting the changing requirements of consumers. For which they develop a entrenched infrastructure that can allow seamless implementation of technologies. In view of immense revenue generation opportunities of the market new entrants are increasingly getting attracted only to find it further challenging to survive with the new technologies.Get Complete Report @Intended Audience Data Centers Manufacturing Companies Software Developers Energy Generation Companies Technology Providers Distributors Research firms Consultancy firms Semiconductor Manufacturers Stakeholders End-user sectors Technology InvestorsAbout 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Global Physician Dispensed Cosmeceuticals Market Insights Covering Market Dynamics and Competitive Scenario through 2024

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Market Research Report Search Engine (MRRSE) recently announced the addition of a new research study to its comprehensive collection of research reports. The research report, titled Physician Dispensed Cosmeceuticals Market  Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017  2024 offers a detailed analysis of the market providing insights into the market dynamics that are expected to influence the overall market positively in the next few years. Furthermore, the product segmentation, drivers, barriers, key geographical segments, and the competitive scenario of the global Physician Dispensed Cosmeceuticals Market have been elaborated upon in the research report.Visit on the Below Link to Get a Sample of Report @The report analyzes the current and future prospects of the physician dispensed cosmeceuticals market across the globe for the forecast period from 2017 to 2024. The research is a combination of primary and secondary research. Primary research formed the bulk of our research efforts, with information collected from telephonic interviews and interactions via e-mails. Secondary research involved study of company websites, annual reports, press releases, stock analysis presentations, and various international and national databases. The report provides market size in terms of US$ Mn and compound annual growth rate (CAGR %) for each product segment during the forecast period from 2017 to 2024, considering 2016 as the base year.Global Physician Dispensed Cosmeceuticals Market: Report FeaturesThe report also includes market size in terms of US$ Mn for the geography segment considering the macro and micro environmental factors. Growth rates for each segment within the global physician dispensed cosmeceuticals market have been determined after a thorough analysis of past trends, demographics, future trends, technological developments, consumer preferences, and regulatory requirements. The market report comprises an elaborate executive summary, providing market snapshot for various segments and sub-segments of the market. It also provides information and data analysis of the global physician dispensed cosmeceuticals market with respect to market dynamics, price trend analysis, value chain analysis, and competitive landscape in terms of key market players. Based on product type, the global physician dispensed cosmeceuticals market has been segmented into skincare (anti-aging products, acne treatment, skin whitening and hyperpigmentation, and dermal fillers), hair care (hair repair, anti-dandruff, anti-hair fall, and scalp repair), eye care (prescription drops, artificial tears, and other eye care products), injectable Botox, and other products (stretch marks, burns, scars or marks, etc.).Market size estimations involved in-depth study of product features of different types of cosmeceuticals prescribed by cosmetologists, trichologists, ophthalmologists, dermatologists, or any other skin or hair specialists engaged in medical practice. Additionally, increasing preference for cosmeceuticals to retain beauty and youth, eliminate aging signs, and demand for organic and innovative cosmeceuticals are considered key drivers in the physician dispensed cosmeceuticals industry analysis. Moreover, availability, access, and number of physicians engaged in skin and hair care research clinics and treatment centers have been taken into consideration while estimating the market. In addition, brand value of leading and innovative products entering the market and overall market dynamics of the industry were considered for product segment and sub-segment market trends in various geographies.Explore Full Report Description with TOC @Geographically, the market has been segmented into five major regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The market size and forecast for each of these regions has been provided for the period from 2017 to 2024, along with their respective CAGRs for the forecast period from 2017 to 2024. The report also provides with market size and forecast for select countries in the respective regions such as the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, Japan, China, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia. A detailed qualitative analysis of factors responsible for driving and restraining the market growth and future opportunities has been provided in the market overview section. This section of the report also provides value chain analysis and price trend analysis.Global Physician Dispensed Cosmeceuticals Market: Competitive DashboardThe report also includes market strategies adopted by leading players, providing a thorough analysis of the overall competitive scenario in the global physician dispensed cosmeceuticals market. A list of strategic recommendations has been provided for new entrants as well as existing market players. These recommendations would assist them in channelizing their business goals and resources to establish a strong presence in the market. The report also profiles major players in the market based on various attributes such as company overview, financial overview, product portfolio, business strategies, and recent developments. The global physician dispensed cosmeceuticals market is highly fragmented, marked by the presence of several global companies as well as local manufacturers. Key players in the global physician dispensed cosmeceuticals market include Allergan plc, Jan Marini Skin Research, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, L'Oreal S.A., Procter & Gamble Co., Valeant Pharmaceuticals Inc., Unilever plc, and ZO Skin Health Inc.Inquire for Detail Facts and Figures @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:Global Protein Engineering Market Top Scenario, SWOT Analysis, Business Overview & Forecast 2025

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Protein Engineering to its huge collection of research reports.The global market for Protein Engineering has been thoroughly studied with every detail in the market intelligence study with increased emphasis on various important factors such as restraints, market opportunities, and growth drivers. Each of the elements that pertain to the shaping of the market dynamics that has been analyzed and studied in detail by the research analysts, so as to offer the best and most evaluative and exhaustive study to the buyers of the report. The overview or the executive summary that has been provided in the market intelligence study has been designed in such a way so as to give a quick overview of the market for receiving information on the go. This could help readers with hands-on data needed to make quick decisions anytime during their growth journey in the market.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Protein Engineering in these regions, from 2013 to 2025 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaFor more info, get sample report for FREE here:Global Protein Engineering market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingAgilentAb-SciexBio-RadBrukerGePerkinSigma-AldrichThermo FisherWatersTable of Contents1 Protein Engineering Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Protein Engineering1.2 Protein Engineering Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Protein Engineering Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Protein Engineering Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Rational Protein Design1.2.4 Irrational Protein Design1.3 Global Protein Engineering Segment by Application1.3.1 Protein Engineering Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Academics Institutes1.3.3 CrosRead Complete Table of Content of the Report at:2 Global Protein Engineering Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Protein Engineering Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.1 Global Protein Engineering Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global Protein Engineering Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Protein Engineering Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.3 Global Protein Engineering Average Price by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.4 Manufacturers Protein Engineering Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Protein Engineering Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Protein Engineering Market Concentration Rate3 Global Protein Engineering Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)3.1 Global Protein Engineering Capacity and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.2 Global Protein Engineering Production and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.3 Global Protein Engineering Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.4 Global Protein Engineering Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)...QYResearchReports 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 feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us:Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.comThe lander is currently encapsulated in a protective aeroshell, which launched on top of an Atlas V 401 rocket on May 5 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Central California.

Yesterday, the spacecraft fired its thrusters for the first time to change its flight path. This activity, called a trajectory correction maneuver, will happen a maximum of six times to guide the lander to Mars.



Every launch starts with a rocket. That's necessary to get a spacecraft out past Earth's gravity -- but rockets don't complete the journey to other planets. Before launch, every piece of hardware headed to Mars is cleaned, limiting the number of Earth microbes that might travel on the spacecraft. However, the rocket and its upper stage, called a Centaur, don't get the same special treatment.



As a result, Mars launches involve aiming the rocket just off-target so that it flies off into space. Separately, the spacecraft performs a series of trajectory correction maneuvers guiding it to the Red Planet. This makes sure that only the clean spacecraft lands on the planet, while the upper stage does not come close.



Precise calculations are required for InSight to arrive at exactly the right spot in Mars' atmosphere at exactly the right time, resulting in a landing on Nov. 26. Every step of the way, a team of navigators estimates the position and velocity of the spacecraft. Then they design maneuvers to deliver it to an entry point at Mars. That navigation team is based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, which leads the InSight mission.



"This first maneuver is the largest we'll conduct," said Fernando Abilleira of JPL, InSight's Deputy Mission Design and Navigation Manager. "The thrusters will fire for about 40 seconds to impart a velocity change of 3.8 meters per second [8.5 mph] to the spacecraft. That will put us in the right ballpark as we aim for Mars."



Especially at the beginning of that cruise, navigators rely on NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) to track the spacecraft. The DSN is a system of antennas located at three sites around the Earth. As the planet rotates, each of these sites comes into range of NASA's spacecraft, pinging them with radio signals to track their positions. The antennas also send and receive data this way.



The DSN can give very accurate measurements about spacecraft position and velocity. But predicting where InSight will be after it fires its thrusters requires lots of modeling, Abilleira said. As the cruise to Mars progresses, navigators have more information about the forces acting on a spacecraft. That lets them further refine their models. Combined with DSN tracking measurements, these models allow them to precisely drive the spacecraft to the desired entry point.



"Navigation is all about statistics, probability and uncertainty," Abilleira said. "As we gather more information on the forces acting on the spacecraft, we can better predict how it's moving and how future maneuvers will affect its path."



Yesterday's 40-second burn relies on four of eight thrusters on the spacecraft. A separate group of four is autonomously fired on a daily basis to keep the spacecraft's solar panels trained on the Sun and its antennas pointed at Earth. While necessary to maintain orientation, these small, daily firings also introduce errors that navigators have to account for and counterbalance.



"Everyone has been working hard since launch to assess what these small forces have done to the trajectory," said Allen Halsell of JPL, InSight's navigation team chief. "People have worked lots of hours to look at that. For engineers, it's a very interesting problem, and fun to try to figure out."



When the spacecraft is just a few hours from Mars, the planet's gravitational pull, or gravity well, will begin to reel the spacecraft in. At that point, InSight's team will prepare for the next milestone after cruise: entering Mars' atmosphere, descending to the surface and sticking InSight's landing.



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Market Research Future published a research report on Global E-governance Market Research Report- Forecast 2023  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2023.Market HighlightsThe study reveals that the market of E-governance is trending in North America region. The E-governance market is driven by the various segments including business functions such as Finance IT, Legal, Operations and many others. These business functions implement the workflow of e-governance either internally or externally.The study also signifies that the E-governance market is expected to grow at a high rate as the services given by the e-governance including consulting and training, integration, support has avail the industries for the best practices of the e-governance solutions. The need for enterprise wide risk management systems is to encourage transparency among the system and avoid risks is driving the global e-governance market. Rising demand for financial assessment and cost saving solutions is projected to drive market growth in future.Get Sample of Report @The E-Governance Market is growing rapidly over ~12.6% of CAGR and is expected to reach at USD ~$45.76 billion by the end of forecast period.Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 30 market data tables and figures spread over 100 numbers of pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on The E-governance Market Research Report -Forecast to 2023.Regional Analysis:The regional analysis of E-governance Market is being studied for region such as Asia pacific, North America, U.K, Europe and Rest of the World. Oracle Corporation (US), is leading in this market, where, Oracle Fusion Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC), facilitates a complete enterprise GRC platform for the customer convenience. Along with this some of the other company including SAP SE (Germany), Microsoft Corporation (US), have already implemented this kind of platform. The SAP SE has initiated to changes in business economy, governance regulations, risk, and compliance (GRC) that strengthen the business. These companies also automate the e-governance functions that synchronize with the existing processes.Key Players:The prominent players in the E-governance Market are EMC Corporation (US), Oracle Corporation (US), SAP SE (Germany), Microsoft Corporation (US), Wolters Kluwer N.V (Netherlands), MetricStream Inc. (US), SAS Institute Inc. (US), IBM Corporation (US), Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (US), Thomson and Reuters Corporation (US), among others.Segments:The global E-governance market has been segmented on the basis of component, solutions, deployment type, end users and region.E-governance Market by Component: Software Services OthersE-governance Market by Solutions: Audit Management Compliance management Financial controls management Policy Management OthersE-governance Market by Deployment Type: Cloud On-premises OthersE-governance Market by End Users: Telecom and IT Transportation and logistics BFSI Mining Retail and consumer goods Energy and utilities Government Healthcare OthersE-governance Market by Region: North America Europe United Kingdom Asia Pacific (APAC) Rest of the World (ROW)Get Complete Report @Intended Audience System Security E-governance solution and service providers Governance, Risk Management, Compliance (GRC) staff Information security directors/managers IT directors/consultants E-governance instrument Research organizations Technology investors IT governance directors/managers IT risk directors/managers IT compliance directors/managers IT audit directors/managers Raw material and manufacturing equipment suppliers Research/Consultancy firms Analysts and strategic business plannersAbout 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Global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market 2018 Industry Size, Share and Growth Analysis Research | Altria Group, INC, Ballantyne Brands, LLC, British American Tobacco Plc (Bat), CB Distributors, Bull Smoke

E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market, E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market size, E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market share, E-Cigarette & Vapori

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/788

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/e-cigarette-vaporizer-market-788

E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market 2018 Industry and forecast to 2023 report analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, capacity utilization, supply, analysis, size, share, demand and industry growth rate etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market  OverviewE cigarettes & vaporizers have emerged as a popular alternatives to traditional consumption methods for tobacco and other substances consumption. Market Research Future, a firm which specializes in market reports related to Food, Beverages & Nutrition sector among others, recently published a report on this market. The global E-cigarettes & vaporizer market is expected to grow at a CAGR rate of over 25.0% over the period of 2016 to 2021.E cigarettes have been growing in popularity and demand in recent times due to extensive word of mouth popularity and promotion through popular culture. Increase in number of cancer cases due to cigarette consumption has prompted migration of demand to this sector. Rise in number of individuals wanting to quit smoking has also considerably increased the demand for this industry.E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Industry SegmentsThe market has been segmented on the basis of product type and region. By product type the types are disposable e-cigarette, rechargeable e-cigarette, ego and tanks, personal vaporizers and mods and others. On the basis of region the market includes regions such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Others.Disposable e-cigarettes have accounted for the largest market size by product type in 2015 accounting for nearly 30% of the market size closely followed by rechargeable e-cigarette. Personal vaporizers will grow at a CAGR over 23.5% through the forecast period.Get Sample Copy of this Report here -Global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market: Key Players:-Altria Group, INC, Ballantyne Brands, LLC, British American Tobacco Plc (Bat), CB Distributors, Bull Smoke, INC, Cigavette, Clearette Electronic Cigarette Co, Cloudcig, Gamucci Electronic Cigarettes, Electronic Cigarettes International Group, Fontem Ventures, Fin Branding Group LLC and others.Market Research Analysis:The global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer market is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period, due to the growth in the end-use industry. The demand is augmented essentially due to the rapid growth in residential construction in region of Asia-pacific. The market has been segmented on the basis of application into residential and non-residential. Residential construction is expected to lead the market with largest market size followed by non-residential segment, which includes commercial spaces, manufacturing industry and public utility spaces. However factors such as sustainability issues in construction industry is expected to hamper the market growth during the forecast period.Detailed Regional AnalysisCurrently, North America is the largest consumer of E-Cigarettes & Vaporizer in the world market. It is closely followed by Europe. Although, China began as the first market for E-Cigarettes & Vaporizer, the U.S. and developed markets from Europe became the prime consumers of E-Cigarettes & Vaporizer, due to which these two regions collectively account for over 80% of the world market. APAC will be growing at the fastest CAGR, accounting for more than 20% of the global e-cigarette market value by 2021. Significant revenue flow will be observed from China and India over the forecast period.The reports also covers brief analysis of Geographical Region includes:AmericasNorth America (US, Canada)Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Rest of LATAM)EuropeWestern Europe (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, U.K, Rest of Western Europe)Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)Asia  PacificAsia (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Rest of Asia)Pacific Countries (Australia, New Zealand)Middle East & AfricaMiddle East (Saudi, Qatar, UAE)Rest of Middle East (Africa, South Africa, Rest of Africa)Full report on E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market report spread across 125 pages, profiling 15 companies and supported with tables and figures available @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.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@Market research future.comContact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@Market research future.comTranslation Service Market 2018 Global Leaders: LanguageLine Solutions, Lionbridge, GlobaLexicon, Global Language Solutions, TransPerfect, CLS Communication, Dynamic Language, Zaharicom

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https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/translation-service-market-1400

Market Research Future published a research report on Global Translation Service Market Research Report - Forecast 2022  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Market synopsisThe Global Translation Service Market is driven by huge technological advancement and arrival of machines and software which can translate any foreign language in less time. Another driver for translation services is the growing geographical outreach of enterprises, thereby increasing the foreign client base and thus develops a need for translation. Translation services are the means by which the interaction between technology and human communication is increased more efficiently. Google translate is one of the big examples of free translation service. It has been going through many advancements and now can easily detect any language, slangs, regional keywords, by written means or even by voice.Many companies are going through various changes in terms of acquisition, partnerships, and product launches. Teleperformance, a major player, in the Translation Service Market, acquired LanguageLine Solutions. The industry has considered this acquisition as a major strategic move for the company. The company claims to provide an efficient and reliable service to its customers and clients. Another major innovator in this market, Amazon Web Services, had launched translation services. The company is aiming to get in line with Google Translate as a way for new and existing businesses to increase products and services.Get Sample of Report @Regional AnalysisOn the basis of geography, the market is studied for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world. Among all the regions, the market is dominated by North America due to the higher adoption rate of technology. The United States contributes a main part of the market growth, particularly due to a recent change in the government and its strictness. The region grasps more than 60% of the prominent players providing services in this market. Although the technology is still developing, the companies including various start-ups have begun conducting partnership service providers.On the other hand, Asia Pacific has shown a decent growth considering translation service. India is the largest contributor to this market. Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing region due to increasing initiatives by governmentKey PlayersThe prominent players in the market of Translation Service are- LanguageLine Solutions (U.S.), Lionbridge (U.S.), TransPerfect (U.S.), SDL (UK), GlobaLexicon (UK), Global Language Solutions, Inc. (U.S.), Ingco International (U.S.) among others.Other vendors include Foreign Translations (U.S.), CLS Communication (Switzerland), Net-Translators (U.S.), Dynamic Language (U.S.), Zaharicom, Inc (U.S.), Cuttingedge Translation Services Pvt. Ltd (India), Babylon Software Ltd (Israel), Gengo (U.S.), Mars Translation Services (China), Straker Translations (U.S.) among othersSegmentation On the basis of service type, the market is segmented into written translation services, interpretation service, others On the basis of operation type, the market is segmented into technical translation, machine translation. On the basis of the component, the market is segmented into hardware and software On the basis of application, the market is segmented into commercial, automotive, IT & Telecommunication, healthcare, government and others On the basis of region, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world.Get complete Report @Intended Audience Translation Service Market services providers Software developers Government agencies Electronic device manufacturers Value-added resellers Security agencies Research 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Industrial Boilers Market Industry Demand and Business Prospect |Global Top Leader: Babcock & Wilcox Co., GE Alstom SA.| Industry Trends Forecast To 2027

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This report provides an in-depth analysis of the global Industrial Boilers Market, tracking five market segments across four geographic regions. The report also provides a forecast, focusing on the market opportunities for the next five years for each region.Market Highlights: Boilers are pressure vessels that are used to supply heated waste or steam to an industrial process. They are the primary equipment used in industries to for steam generation and supply. The Global Industrial Boiler Market is growing with the rapid pace; mainly due to growing demand from food processing sector. One of the foremost concern of food processing firms is the elimination of microbiological threats. Heat is one of the most common methods utilized to reduce or eliminate any microbiological threats. Hence, there has been a rapid surge of integration of Industrial boilers into food processing industry, in recent times.Get the sample report for more information @Key Players: Some of the key players profiled in the industrial boilers market are Babcock & Wilcox Co. (U.S.), Thermax Ltd. (India), GE Alstom SA.(France), Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction (South Korea), Siemens AG (Germany), IHI Corporation (Japan), Dongfang Electric Corporation Ltd. (China), Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.(India), Harbin Power Equipment Co. Ltd.(China), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.(Japan), Hitachi Ltd.(Japan).Industry News: Cleaver-Brooks, provider of boiler-room products and systems, has announced the acquisition of two Texas-based boiler sales and service companies: Holman Boiler Works Inc. and Affiliated Power Services (APS).Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS) has announced that it has signed a Technology License Agreement (TLA) for the Selective Catalyst Reduction System (SCR System) with L&T-MHPS Boilers Private Ltd. (LMB), a joint venture company of Larsen & Toubro Limited and MHPS.Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS) has received an order for a boiler, a steam turbine and a generator for the San Buenaventura Power Plant, a 500 megawatt (MW) ultra-supercritical-pressure (Note) coal-fired power generation plant to be built by San Buenaventura Power Ltd., a special purpose company (SPC), in the Philippines.Industrial Boiler Market  SegmentationGlobal Industrial Boiler Market is segmented in to two key dynamics for an easy grasp and enhanced understanding.Segmentation:On the basis of type, market is segmented into Pulverized Coal Fired, Fluidized Bed, Packaged, Heat Recovery Steam Generators, and others.On the basis of fuel type, market is segmented into Oil, Coal, Gas, and other fuels.On the basis of pressure range, market is segmented into High and Low.On the basis of End-Users, market is segmented into oil & gas, power, food & beverage, textile, pulp and paper, and others.Regional Analysis of Industrial Boilers Market: North America is the leading region for the industrial boilers market mainly due to the rising demand for energy. The European region is one of the leading regions for the automotive manufacturing which being dependent on the industrial boilers generates demand for the industrial boilers market. Increasing population and increasing demand for power generation has resulted in, the Asia-Pacific region being poised for developing at the highest growth rate.The demand for energy is currently very high, combining that with the rapid rate of installation of power plants in the Asia-Pacific region, specifically India, China and Indonesia has resulted in high growth in the Industrial Boilers Market.Enquiry For This Report@Market Research Future: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 Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comAdvanced Energy Storage Technologies Market Recent Trends and Opportunities 2025

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https://www.tmrresearch.com/advanced-energy-storage-technologies-market

Global Advanced Energy Storage Technologies Market: SnapshotBy recognizing the role of energy storage systems, several government bodies across the globe have been aiming at building an affordable, reliable, and sustainable power supply structure for catering to the snowballing energy needs of their citizens. The competitive scenario of the global advanced energy storage technologies features acquisitions, mergers, partnerships, and product launches as the most leveraged growth strategies.Request Sample Copy of the Report @For example, in May 2017, Wartsila Corporation announced that it is planning to acquire Greensmith Energy Management Systems Inc., a prominent provider of advanced energy storage technology solutions based in the U.S. The strategic acquisition will enable Wartsila to ramp up its international footprint in the advanced energy storage technologies market. As the competition between the leading companies operating in the market intensifies, the growth of the market for advanced energy storage technologies is likely to shoot up.The growth of the global market for advanced energy storage technologies is also being fuelled by the initiatives of different organizations and agencies. For instance, in May 2017, the Advanced Energy Storage Caucus was launched in the U.S. Congress by representatives. Executives from the leading manufacturers, suppliers, and developers of advanced energy storage technologies attended the conference, whose central objective is educating the members about the advantages of these systems.Such initiatives inform government officials and people at large about how the use of advanced energy storage technologies can transform the way power is generated, distributed, and utilized. Also, the implementation of advanced energy storage removes the hurdles that are associated with higher use of battery storage.Request TOC of the Report @Global Advanced Energy Storage Technologies Market: OverviewAdvanced energy storage systems play a crucial role in the power industry. Maintenance of power quality, effective distribution, and proper energy management are some of their unique perceived benefits. They carry out the aforementioned tasks through frequency regulation, mitigating power congestion on grids, and supplying power uniformly in distributed generation. Advanced energy storage technologies first convert electricity into energy, store it, and then convert it back into usable electricity when the need arises. This is because while only a fixed amount of electricity can be generated at a time, the demand for electricity changes all the time.A report by Transparency Market Research furnishes valuable insights into the global advanced energy storage technologies market by analyzing the key trends and current competitive dynamics. It segments the market based on applications, technologies, and geography. In terms of technologies, for example, it classifies the market into super capacitors, pump hydro storage, batteries, flywheels, compressed air energy storage, and fuel cells. There are also more recent, upcoming technologies such as synthetic gas, super magnet, and hydrogen gas. Among all of these, pump hydro storage has been around for a very long time and dominates the market too. Application-wise, the report segments the market into transportation and grid storage.Global Advanced Energy Storage Technologies Market: Trends and OpportunitiesSpiking daily electricity consumption along with the yawning gap between energy supply and demand has necessitated substantial storage capacity additions. This has been the single-most important factor contributing to the global advanced energy storage technologies market. Other factors driving the market are the burgeoning renewable energy installations and the spurt in demand for hybrid and electric vehicles. Additionally, increasing concerns about greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emissions is also filliping the global advanced energy storage technologies market. This is because advanced energy storage technologies assist in effectively managing the flow of energy resources thus reducing the need for power generation, thereby bringing about energy conservation.Advanced energy storage systems have also allowed consumers to manage their electricity needs by using the load shifting technique which helps to bring down costs. Furthermore, other factors including the growing need of smart grid installation and new transmission and distribution grid construction and upgrades has also bolstered the global market for advanced energy storage technologies market.Global Advanced Energy Storage Technologies Market: Regional OutlookDepending upon geography, the global market for advanced energy storage technologies can be segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Rest of the World. North America, among them, is the leading market on account of the soaring popularity of electric vehicles and rising use of grid storage. North America is trailed by Asia Pacific and Europe. Going forward, Asia Pacific is predicted to outshine all other regions in terms of growth rate.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Companies Mentioned in ReportTo present an insightful assessment of the competition prevailing in the global market for advanced energy storage technologies, the report profiles companies such as Sony, Nippo Chemi-Con Corp., A123 System LLC, Denso, Hitachi, and Toshiba.Global Advanced Energy Storage Technologies Market is segmented as:Global Advanced Energy Storage Technologies Market, by GeographyNorth AmericaAsia PacificEuropeRest of the WorldThis report gives you access to decisive data such as:Market growth driversFactors limiting market growthCurrent market trendsMarket structureMarket projections for the coming yearsAbout 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Chemical Indicator Inks Market by Manufacturers,Types,Regions and Applications Research Report Forecast to 2021

Chemical Indicator Inks Market

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1628897-global-chemical-indicator-inks-market-2017-2021

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/1628897-global-chemical-indicator-inks-market-2017-2021

WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On  Chemical Indicator Inks Market by Manufacturers,Types,Regions and Applications Research Report Forecast to 2021.The analysts forecast the global Chemical Indicator Inks market to grow at a CAGR of 7.99% during the period 2017-2021.Chemical indicator inks are commonly used to monitor one or more procedural parameters of a sterilization cycle. They provide a visual indication through the change in color of the ink on exposure to sterilants and other specific conditions. As sterilization is one of the most vital procedures carried out in the healthcare industry to avoid the spread of infection, appropriate sterilization of surgical instruments, equipment, and others for patient care and surgery is one of the critical aspects of the modern healthcare industry.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 chemical indicator inks market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the retail selling price as the average selling price of the product.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography: APAC Europe North America ROWThe report, Global Chemical Indicator Inks 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 3M Getinge LA-CO Industries NOF Corporation RIKEN CHEMICALOther prominent vendors Crosstex International Etigam gke North American Science Associates Propper Manufacturing STERIS TerrageneMarket driver Increased demand from medical industry For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge Volatility in raw material prices For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend Rising investment in medical industry For a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this report What will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be? What are the key market trends? What is driving this market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key vendors in this market space? What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?Report Details @Table Of Contents  Major Key PointsPART 01: Executive summaryPART 02: Scope of the reportPART 03: Research MethodologyPART 04: Introduction Market outlinePART 05: Market landscape Market size and forecast Five forces analysisPART 06: Market segmentation by product Global chemical indicator inks market by product Global water-based chemical indicator inks market Global solvent-based chemical indicator inks market Global UV-cured chemical indicator inks marketPART 07: Market segmentation by printing process Global chemical indicator inks market by printing process Global chemical indicator inks market by flexographic printing Global chemical indicator inks market by rotogravure printing Global chemical indicator inks market by screen printingPART 08: Market segmentation by sterilization process Global chemical inks market by sterilization process Global chemical indicator inks market by steam sterilization Global chemical indicator inks market by ethylene oxide sterilization Global chemical indicator inks market by hydrogen peroxide and plasma sterilization Global chemical indicator inks market by formaldehyde sterilization Global chemical indicator inks market by other sterilization processesPART 09: Market segmentation by application Global chemical indicator inks market by applicationPART 10: Geographical segmentation Global chemical indicator inks market by geography Chemical indicator inks market in North America Chemical indicator inks market in Europe Chemical indicator inks market in APAC Chemical indicator inks market in ROWPART 11: Decision frameworkPART 12: Drivers and challenges Market drivers Market challengesContinued..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.Indo-Japan Technical Intern Training Program with Japanese Language & Domain Training Launched by Sona Yukti in Bangalore

www.sonayukti.com

The TITP (Technical Intern Training Program), conducted in Sona Yuktis Bangalore center, is a collaboration between India and Japan that aims to generate employment opportunities and enhance the economic development of both countries.The 6-month training program held in Bangalore includes Japanese language and domain-specific training with certificate on completion and internship in Japan for a period of 1 to 5 years.Domain training, on-the-job-training, and internships will be offered in the following sectors: agriculture, construction, food manufacturing, textiles, and others. Along with an attractive monthly stipend in Japan, accommodation, transportation, airline tickets, visa, and insurance will be provided by the Japanese partner company. On completion of the internship period, the candidate will return to India and resettlement assistance will be provided.Loans for the training fee can be arranged through financial institutions or banks. This will be deducted as EMIs from the stipend in Japan, for a period of 12-18 months (and not during the training period in India).Selection of the interns is based on qualifications and performance in the interview. The eligibility criteria is a pass in polytechnic or ITI. Mechanical - Automobile Repair & Maintenance, Care Worker, Tailoring, etc., is preferred but others are also considered.Sona Yukti is a skill development training organization which partners with the NSDC (National Skill Development Corporation) to offer programs in association with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. Sona Yukti has been empaneled as a Sending Organization for the TITP program in Bangalore.Contact:Sona YuktiAthiraj DhayalanProject Manager+91 9943341064 | 0427-23402902nd Floor, NO 483 Seetha Complex,16th Cross, 8th Main Road.RR Nagar, Bangalore,Karnataka - 560 098.E-Bill Market | Leading Key players ACI Worldwide, CSG Systems International, Monitise Group

E-Bill Market

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1171858-global-e-bill-market

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HTF MI recently broadcasted a new study in its database that highlights the in-depth market analysis with future prospects of E-Bill market. The study covers significant data which makes the research document a handy resource for managers, industry executives 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. Some of the key players mentioned in this research are ACI Worldwide, CSG Systems International, Monitise Group, Unity FI Solutions, Bottomline Technologies, Communications Data Group, Discover Financial Services, ebpSource Limited, Alacriti, Enterprise Billing Software, Jack Henry & Associates & Jopari Solutions.This report studies the global E-Bill market size, industry status and forecast, competition landscape and growth opportunity. This research report categorizes the global E-Bill market by companies, region, type and end-use industry.Get Access to sample pages @The research covers the current market size of the Global E-Bill market and its growth rates based on 5 year history data. It also covers various types of segmentation such as by geography [United States, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia & India], by product /end user type [], by applications [BFSI, Telecom, Utilities, Retail, Healthcare, Government & Others] in overall market. The in-depth information by segments of E-Bill market helps monitor performance & make critical decisions for growth and profitability. It provides information on trends and developments, focuses on markets and materials, capacities, technologies, CAPEX cycle and the changing structure of the Global E-Bill Market.This study also contains company profiling, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information of various international, regional, and local vendors of Global E-Bill Market, some of them are ACI Worldwide, CSG Systems International, Monitise Group, Unity FI Solutions, Bottomline Technologies, Communications Data Group, Discover Financial Services, ebpSource Limited, Alacriti, Enterprise Billing Software, Jack Henry & Associates & Jopari Solutions. 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. The new vendor entrants in the market are finding it hard to compete with the international vendors based on quality, reliability, and innovations in technology.** The Values marked with XX is confidential data. To know more about CAGR figures fill in your information so that our business development executive can get in touch with you.Global E-Bill (Thousands Units) and Revenue (Million USD) Market Split by Product Type such asThe research study is segmented by Application such as BFSI, Telecom, Utilities, Retail, Healthcare, Government & Others with historical and projected market share and compounded annual growth rate.Global E-Bill (Thousands Units) by Application (2017-2022)Market Segment by Application 2012 2017 2022 Market Share (%)2022 CAGR (%)(2017-2022)BFSI xx xx xx xx% xx%Telecom xx xx xx xx% xx%Utilities xx xx xx xx% xx%Retail xx xx xx xx% xx%Healthcare xx xx xx xx% xx%Government xx xx xx xx% xx%Others xx xx xx xx% xx%Total xx xx xx 100% xx%Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share and growth rate of E-Bill in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringMarket Segment by Regions 2012 2017 2022 Share (%) CAGR (2017-2022)United States xx xx xx xx% xx%Europe xx xx xx xx% xx%China xx xx xx xx% xx%Japan xx xx xx xx% xx%Southeast Asia xx xx xx xx% xx%India xx xx xx xx% xx%Total xx xx xx xx% xx%Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @Additionally the export and import policies that can make an immediate impact on the Global E-Bill market. This study contains a EXIM* related chapter on the E-Bill market and all its associated companies with their profiles, which gives valuable data pertaining to their outlook in terms of finances, product portfolios, investment plans, and marketing and business strategies. The report on the Global E-Bill market is an important document for every market enthusiast, policymaker, investor, and player.Key questions answered in this report - Global E-Bill Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025What will the market size be in 2022 and what will the growth rate beWhat are the key market trendsWhat is driving Global E-Bill marketWhat are the challenges to market growthWho are the key vendors in Global E-Bill market space?What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the Global E-Bill market?What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the Global E-Bill market?Buy PDF version of this research report @There are 15 Chapters to display the Global E-Bill market.Chapter 1, to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of E-Bill, Applications of E-Bill, 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 E-Bill, 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, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia & India, E-Bill Segment Market Analysis (by Type);Chapter 7 and 8, to analyze the E-Bill Segment Market Analysis (by Application) Major Manufacturers Analysis of E-Bill;Chapter 9, Market Trend Analysis, Regional Market Trend, Market Trend by Product Type [], Market Trend by Application [BFSI, Telecom, Utilities, Retail, Healthcare, Government & Others];Chapter 10, Regional Marketing Type Analysis, International Trade Type Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis;Chapter 11, to analyze the Consumers Analysis of E-Bill;Chapter 12, to describe E-Bill Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe E-Bill sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.Enquire something new as 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.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E-mail Encryption: Market 2018 Global Analysis By Key Players  HP. Data Motion, Proofpoint, EdgeWave, Trend Micro, Cryptzone, Symantec, Sophos, LuxSci, Privato

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E-mail Encryption Market Analysis to 2025 is a specialized and in-depth study of the E-mail Encryption industry with a focus on the global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global E-mail Encryption market with detailed market segmentation by product/application and geography. The global E-mail Encryption market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the E-mail Encryption players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.E-mail Encryption Market Players: HP Data Motion Proofpoint EdgeWave Trend Micro Cryptzone Symantec Sophos LuxSci PrivatoGet Sample Copy of This Report Now @Market segment by Type, the product can be split into SMTP STARTTLS S/MIME PGPMarket segment by Application, E-mail Encryption can be split into Financial Services Energy Government Education HealthcareMajor regions are as follows: United States Europe China Japan Southeast Asia IndiaThe report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global E-mail Encryption market based on product and application. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall E-mail Encryption market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South America (SAM), which is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend and provides exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions.Inquire before Buying @Also, key E-mail Encryption market players influencing the market are profiled in the study along with their SWOT analysis and market strategies. The report also 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.Reason to Buy- Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies.- The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the E-mail Encryption market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long term strategies.- Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets.- Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as those hindering it.- Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation and industry verticals.Inquire for Discount @Contact Us:Call: +1-888-236-2744Email: sales@qyresearchgroups.comAbout Us:QY Research Groups is a company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers get industry data for their business. Our unique colossal technology has been developed to offer refined search capabilities designed to exploit the long tail of free market research whilst eliminating irrelevant results. QY Research Groups is the collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends.Room B1510, Shiji Kemao Building,No.66 Zhongguancun East Road,Haidian District, Beijing,100190, China.If you were prepared to invest in a new smartphone, why would you buy a second-hand landline? Sounds an unlikely preference. But in another area of technology, its a regular reality. A farmers single most important choice every season is what to plant. First, he or she has to decide on the crop itself  maize, for example, or potatoes, or vegetables. Then comes the seed.

There are many dimensions to the seed choice. One of them relates to farmers daily battle against plant diseases. Using their own or neighbours seed from the previous year saves money up front. But along with the seed, a smallholder has often also kept the disease. If planting such seed were a free and well-informed preference, one could possibly make a case for it. But often theres no real choice. Many developing countries lack a proper seed market. Without access to certified, disease-free planting material, smallholders are forced to accept a dangerous inheritance: pathogens from earlier seasons.



We, at the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, believe it doesnt have to be that way. Contrary to some strands of western opinion, in our experience smallholders want technology, and are willing to invest in it. The last thing they need is an NGO insisting that only saved seed is good seed.

Protection from disease is one reason weve created Seeds2B. This initiative aims to give smallholders access to the seeds they want; seeds for healthier crops, higher yields and better incomes. It also aims to create a flourishing landscape of small and medium-sized seed companies in a range of African and Asian countries.

The customer end of the seed sector is only part of the story, however. Tackling diseases  and the additional challenge of pests  takes more than good market links.

The process starts with plant breeding. And breeding starts with education. Thats why were helping African universities teach Demand-led breeding (DLB). Historically, public sector breeding has tended to focus on brainy science rather than smallholders actual needs. And among those needs are built-in crop defences against pests and diseases. Our hope is that todays DLB-educated scientists will bring tomorrows healthier crops.

Working with breeders to tackle specific issues has a long tradition at our Foundation. From 2005-2014, we worked with CIMMYT to develop insect-resistant maize in Kenya. More recently, weve been involved in tackling diseases such as Ug99 rust and now Maize Lethal Necrosis.

Our latest foray into crop defence takes a different approach with the adoption of technologies that were not available just a decade ago! This years Fall Armyworm Tech Prize rewards bright ideas for a digital battle against Eastern Africas worst current pest. Our Chief Science Advisor, Mike Robinson, is on the jury. He and his colleagues have a fascinating task. By October, well know which applications are winning prizes and on their way to helping smallholders.

Clever apps and wise advice

But dont get hung up on technology. Lots of us grew up perfectly happy with dodgy landlines rather than smartphones. And sometimes the best ways of tackling pest and disease are decidedly low-tech. Thousands of smallholders growing maize together can get dangerously similar to the much-criticised monoculture of the Americas. In this setting, pests and diseases can spread rapidly. But sometimes, a simple (well, fairly simple  this may require a break with tradition!) change in agronomic practices can make a big difference.

Add a rotation crop, and one can break the repetitive cycle of destruction by particular pests. Intercropping (sowing rows of different plants beside each other) and a range of other practices can similarly improve farm resilience. And the best of it? This is prevention in good time rather than treatment in a panic. So the Syngenta Foundation continues to devote considerable energy to agricultural advice. We do so directly in the field, at farmers centres and, for example, via radio.

So whats the common theme of all this work, high-tech and low? For us, its partnerships. Everything Ive mentioned here, and indeed everything we do, is a partnership. Large or small, one year or ten, typically public with private, and tackling the challenges of pests and disease from numerous different angles. But as our former Director Marco Ferroni put it, always a Coalition of the Willing.Engineered Coated Fabrics Market 2018 Global Share, Trend, Segmentation and Forecast to 2025

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Global Engineered Coated Fabrics MarketWiseGuyRerports.com Presents Global Engineered Coated Fabrics Market Research Report 2018 8 New Document to its Studies Database. The Report Contain 100 Pages With Detailed Analysis.DescriptionThis report studies the global Engineered Coated Fabrics market status and forecast, categorizes the global Engineered Coated Fabrics 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 major manufacturers covered in this reportGraniteville Specialty FabricsLamcotecOmnova SolutionsTrelleborgUniroyal Global Engineered ProductsVintexGasket EngineeringFothergillContiTechGet sample Report @Geographically, 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 intoPolyurethane Coated FabricsRubber Coated FabricsSilicon Coated FabricsOtherOn 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, includingAutomotiveAerospace and DefenseConsumer GoodsIndustrialHealthcareOthersKey StakeholdersEngineered Coated Fabrics ManufacturersEngineered Coated Fabrics Distributors/Traders/WholesalersEngineered Coated Fabrics Subcomponent ManufacturersIndustry AssociationDownstream VendorsAvailable CustomizationsWith the given market data, QYResearch offers customizations according to the company's specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:Regional and country-level analysis of the Engineered Coated Fabrics market, by end-use.Detailed analysis and profiles of additional market players.Complete Report Details @Table of Contents -Major Key PointsGlobal Engineered Coated Fabrics Market Research Report 20181 Engineered Coated Fabrics Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Engineered Coated Fabrics1.2 Engineered Coated Fabrics Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Engineered Coated Fabrics Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Engineered Coated Fabrics Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Polyurethane Coated Fabrics1.2.4 Rubber Coated Fabrics1.2.5 Silicon Coated Fabrics1.2.6 Other1.3 Global Engineered Coated Fabrics Segment by Application1.3.1 Engineered Coated Fabrics Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Automotive1.3.3 Aerospace and Defense1.3.4 Consumer Goods1.3.5 Industrial1.3.6 Healthcare1.3.7 Others1.4 Global Engineered Coated Fabrics Market by Region (2013-2025)1.4.1 Global Engineered Coated Fabrics 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 Engineered Coated Fabrics (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Engineered Coated Fabrics Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global Engineered Coated Fabrics Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025).7 Global Engineered Coated Fabrics Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Graniteville Specialty Fabrics7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Engineered Coated Fabrics Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Graniteville Specialty Fabrics Engineered Coated Fabrics Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Lamcotec7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Engineered Coated Fabrics Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Lamcotec Engineered Coated Fabrics Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Omnova Solutions7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Engineered Coated Fabrics Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Omnova Solutions Engineered Coated Fabrics Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Trelleborg7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Engineered Coated Fabrics Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Trelleborg Engineered Coated Fabrics Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Uniroyal Global Engineered Products7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Engineered Coated Fabrics Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Uniroyal Global Engineered Products Engineered Coated Fabrics Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.5.4 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)New Opportunities to Fuel the Expansion of Animal Model Market

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Animals on whom pathological and biological studies are performed and tested are referred to as animal models. Animal models are utilized on the back of their functional resemblance to human bodies. Various guidelines have been offered that have to be followed when animal models are used for experiments.Report overview @Government Intervention in Research Institutions is rising for Developing Standard Protocols related to Animal ModelsEssential requirement for animal research for achieving progress in healthcare and medical science is well proven, which in turn has gained support from researchers. Rapid advancements in novel technologies have made animal models easy and constructive. Significant incidence rate of diseases, along with adverse effects of drugs have driven the adoption of animal models for ensuring the safety of humans.In addition, increasing government intervention in research institutes for the development of standard protocols associated with animal models will fuel expansion of the market. Researchers utilize animal models for basic research such as developing new therapeutic strategies to treat human diseases, for drug discovery which includes target identification & validation, drug screening & lead optimization, and toxicity & safety screening, and in preclinical analyses of drug safety & efficacy.global animal model marketAlthough animal models have been deemed less effective for human disease research, where only 5% of drugs derived are suitable for humans, the market for animal models is huge. Majority of animals used as models are bred for research purposes, albeit they are obtained from various other sources. For instance, surplus dogs from Austria used in the greyhound racing industry are being used in research labs.However there is a rising concern for animal welfare, which in turn has compelled research organizations to seek measures for reducing number of vertebrate animals in research. Additionally, there is surging requirement for organizations and researchers to encourage open engagement with policy makers and the public regarding promotion of animal researchs value and discussion about animal welfare issues.Global animal models market has been estimated by Future Market Insights new report to exhibit an impressive expansion over the forecast period (2017-2026). Revenues from the market are estimated to exceed US$ 2,000 Mn by 2026-end.North America to Remain Most Lucrative Market for Animal ModelSignificant investments are being made in animal model research in North America, along with relevant policies being reformed by the government to spur the funding plans related to animal model research. Several leading players in North America are expected to make huge investments in biogenic researches in the near future. North America will continue to be the most lucrative market for animal model. Asia-Pacific and Europe are also expected to be lucrative for expansion of animal model market.Get a free sample request @Rats are anticipated to remain the dominant species used in animal models, with revenues projected to account for more than one-third market share during the forecast period. Mice will continue to be the second most lucrative species used in animal models. Revenues from use of dogs and pigs as animal models will account for nearly equal market share by 2026-end.Key Research Findings from FMIs Report on Animal Model MarketAcademic and research institutions are expected to remain the largest end users of animal models, trailed by pharmaceutical companiesAnimal models will find the largest application in drug discovery/developmentCompetition TrackingKey market participants identified by the report include Charles River Laboratories International, Inc., Horizon Discovery Group plc, The Jackson Laboratory, Trans Genic Inc, Taconic Biosciences, Inc., Genoway SA, Eurofins Scientific SE, Crown Bioscience, Inc., Envigo CRS SA, and Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.Buy 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 information.Contact UsXploreMR111 North Market Street, Suite 300San Jose, CA 95113, United StatesTel: +1-669-284-0108Email: sales@xploremr.comWebsite:Digital Pregnancy Test Kit Market to Reap Excessive Revenues by 2027

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The U.S. is a highly mature market and wide scale adoption of digital pregnancy test kits in this region is expected to drive market growth during the forecast period. The demand for digital pregnancy test kits is increasing due to the availability of advanced features such as connectivity with Bluetooth and smart countdown.Report overview @An increasing number of working-class women who do not usually have time to visit a physician unless in case of an emergency is the major factor boosting growth of the digital pregnancy test kit market in the U.S.Leading manufacturers of digital pregnancy test kits are focussing on co-promotions and co-marketing strategies to expand commercial presence. Launch of technologically advanced products by local manufacturers is expected to provide ample opportunities for the growth of digital pregnancy test kits in the U.S. market.Growing per capita disposable income and increasing focus of the government on womens health is likely to boost the U.S. digital pregnancy test kit marketIncreasing healthcare facilities and growing per capita income in the U.S. has increased the access of healthcare facilities to the masses. There are few OTC medical products that are generally not covered under public insurance policies in developing countries but are easily available in the U.S. These medical products include rapid diagnostic devices.The U.S Federal government is focusing on improving womens health through various awareness and healthcare programs. This in turn is expected to fuel growth of the fertility and pregnancy rapid tests market. Office of Womens Health, U.S. Department of Health provides guidance on the use of pregnancy test kits. The American Pregnancy Association along with its education partner Fairhaven Health LLC provides guidance on fertility testing to couples.The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada runs assistance programmes for women who cannot afford advanced healthcare solutions. All these factors are creating a positive impact on the U.S. digital pregnancy test kit market.Leading manufacturers of digital pregnancy test kits are focussing on collaborating with supermarkets such as WallMart and Walgreens to promote the sale of their brands. This has allowed consumers to choose from a wide variety of options that are easily available. Besides, leading manufacturers as well as local manufacturers of digital pregnancy test kits are also emphasizing online sales of their products, which will allow consumers to buy these products from the comfort of their homes.Rapid adoption of digital devices and increased usage of pregnancy test kits are the prominent trends in the U.S. marketRapid replacement of analog pregnancy test kits and conventional line indicators by digital pregnancy test kits is in vogue since the past decade. Women often find difficulty in interpreting test results in the case of line indicator pregnancy test kits. However digital pregnancy test kits provide the best results that can be read on a digital screen.Get a free sample request @In general the usage of digital pregnancy test kits are growing day by day. Women have been using these kits multiple times to confirm the pregnancy. According to a survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, only 4.8% of fertile women aged 1544 years who were part of the study group took the test a single time, 53.4% women took the test twice and 27.7% of women took more than two tests within a month to confirm results.Drug stores to hold largest revenue share in the U.S. digital pregnancy test kit marketAmong the various distribution channels, drug stores dominated the U.S. digital pregnancy test kit market in terms of revenue in 2017, and the trend is projected to grow throughout the forecast period. Drug stores is the most attractive distribution channel, with a market attractiveness index of 2.0 over the forecast period.Pharmacies are expected to be the second most lucrative distribution channel for digital pregnancy test kits in the U.S. with an attractiveness index of 1.2 during the period of study.Buy 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 information.Contact UsXploreMR111 North Market Street, Suite 300San Jose, CA 95113, United StatesTel: +1-669-284-0108Email: sales@xploremr.comWebsite:Oats Market by Source, Livestock Application, and Region - 2023 |Market Research Future

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Market Scenario:The global oats market share is expected to grow at a higher growth rate supported by diverse application across various industries. Application of oats is also gaining popularity in the personal care industries as oats are found to be beneficial in treating acne and other skin and hair related problems. Technological strides are resulting in improved product quality, which is also adding fuel to the growth of this market. Increasing demand for healthy food ingredients is influencing the growth of oats market, positively.All these factors will contribute to the estimated CAGR of 5.3 % of Oats market during the forecast period 2017-2023.Get a Unique Sample Report:Key PlayersSome of the key players profiled in the global oats market are The Quaker Oats Company (U.S.), Grain Millers, Inc. (U.S.), General Mills, Inc. (U.S.), Blue Lake Milling Pty Ltd (Australia), Avena Foods Limited (Canada), Morning Foods Ltd (U.K.), and Richardson International (Canada)Key FindingsConsumption of powder/flour oats will be growing at a higher rate during the forecast period owing to rising demand for oat flour for household baking purposeTop exporters of oats include Canada, the U.K., Germany, the U.S. and AustraliaAccess Report Details @Regional AnalysisThe Global Oats Market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world (RoW). North America holds a major market share followed by Europe. High demand for oats owing increasing health awareness and healthy food consumption trends from the developed countries of these regions is contributing to the positive growth of the oats market. The U.S., China, Saudi Arabia, France, and India are the major importers of oats. Developed trading channels and high demand for healthy food are also driving the growth of the market in these countries.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.WantStats Research and Media Pvt. Ltd.Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaGlobal Pico Solar : Strategy of Leading Vendors in 2018 Power Market - Panasonic, Philips, Barefoot Power

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Press Release - 24 May2018Global Research and Development News --. ."Global Pico Solar Market Professional Survey Report 2018" with coming years Industries Trends, projections of Global Growth, Major key player and Case study, Review, Share, Size, Effect.' '~ This report studies Pico Solar 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, coveringPanasonicPhilipsBarefoot PowerD.light design. . Get Sample Report_' 'Greenlight PlanetNokeroSunnyMoneyFosera Group...~ On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoPico Solar LampPico Solar Radio~ By Application, the market can be split intoResidentialCommercialIndustrial~ By Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndia. . More Clear Details get Table of Contents_' 'Global Pico Solar Market Professional Survey Report 20181 Industry Overview of Pico Solar1.1 Definition and Specifications of Pico Solar1.1.1 Definition of Pico Solar1.1.2 Specifications of Pico Solar1.2 Classification of Pico Solar1.2.1 Pico Solar Lamp1.2.2 Pico Solar Radio1.3 Applications of Pico Solar1.3.1 Residential1.3.2 Commercial1.3.3 Industrial1.4 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 Pico Solar2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Pico Solar2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Pico Solar2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Pico Solar3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Pico Solar3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Pico Solar Major Manufacturers in 20173.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Pico Solar Major Manufacturers in 20173.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Pico Solar Major Manufacturers in 20173.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Pico Solar Major Manufacturers in 20174 Global Pico Solar Overall Market Overview4.1 2013-2018E Overall Market Analysis4.2 Capacity Analysis4.2.1 2013-2018E Global Pico Solar Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2017 Pico Solar Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2013-2018E Global Pico Solar Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2017 Pico Solar Sales Analysis (Company Segment)4.4 Sales Price Analysis4.4.1 2013-2018E Global Pico Solar Sales Price4.4.2 2017 Pico Solar Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment)5 Pico Solar Regional Market Analysis5.1 North America Pico Solar Market Analysis5.1.1 North America Pico Solar Market Overview5.1.2 North America 2013-2018E Pico Solar Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.1.3 North America 2013-2018E Pico Solar Sales Price Analysis5.1.4 North America 2017 Pico Solar Market Share Analysis5.2 China Pico Solar Market Analysis5.2.1 China Pico Solar Market Overview5.2.2 China 2013-2018E Pico Solar Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.2.3 China 2013-2018E Pico Solar Sales Price Analysis5.2.4 China 2017 Pico Solar Market Share Analysis5.3 Europe Pico Solar Market Analysis5.3.1 Europe Pico Solar Market Overview5.3.2 Europe 2013-2018E Pico Solar Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.3.3 Europe 2013-2018E Pico Solar Sales Price Analysis5.3.4 Europe 2017 Pico Solar Market Share Analysis5.4 Southeast Asia Pico Solar Market Analysis5.4.1 Southeast Asia Pico Solar Market Overview5.4.2 Southeast Asia 2013-2018E Pico Solar Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.4.3 Southeast Asia 2013-2018E Pico Solar Sales Price Analysis5.4.4 Southeast Asia 2017 Pico Solar Market Share Analysis5.5 Japan Pico Solar Market AnalysisContinue.....ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Researchmoz Global Pvt. Ltd.90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United States,Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free),Tel: +1-518-621-2074Flavored spirits Market Analysis, Top Key Players | Constellation Brands Inc, Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A., Lapostolle SA , Diageo plc , The Brown-Forman Corporation and Pernod Ricard

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Market Scenario:The shift in consumers alcohol consumption preferences has influenced the positive growth of flavored spirits within developing countries. Application of natural fruits as a flavor in the alcoholic beverage will increase the sales of flavored spirit products. Consumption of flavored spirits is gaining popularity as mass consumers choose to experiment with refreshing and new flavors in their drinks. Higher demand for flavored spirits from female population of urban countries have conjointly influenced the market of flavored spirits. Key players are focusing on merger and acquisition of small players as a result of the high demand for the products. France and U.K are witnessing more innovations in flavors compare to other European countries.Receive a Sample Report@Key PlayersSome of the key players profiled in the global flavored spirits market: Constellation Brands Inc. (U.S.), Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A. (Italy), Lapostolle SA (Paris), Diageo plc (U.K.), The Brown-Forman Corporation (U.S.), Pernod Ricard (France), and Mast-Jagermeister SE (Germany) among many others.Key Findings:Europe region will witness high demand for flavored vodka products.Top exporters of flavored spirits include Spain, Germany, U.S., Jamaica and the NetherlandsIntended AudienceSpirit manufacturersBeverages industryAgriculture IndustryRaw material suppliersTraders, importers, and exportersAccess Report DetailsRegional AnalysisThe global market of seasoned spirits is metameric into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of world (ROW). Europe has the key market share followed by North America. Key players in Europe is projected to get a high revenue throughout the given forecast period due to rising demand from developed economies in this particular region. The major importers of flavored spirits include U.S., Spain, Germany, U.K., and The Netherlands. Due to growing demand for alcoholic beverages particularly amongst the population of youth, the import and export of flavored spirits within the developed countries are found to rise at a moderate rate.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.WantStats Research and Media Pvt. Ltd.Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaGlobal Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) expected to touch a valuation of US$154.7 mn by 2020

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An insightful study, titled Recruitment Process Outsourcing Market has been freshly broadcasted to the vast research repository of Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE). This research study provides detailed comprehensions and forecasts future growth of the global market with an in-depth study of the factors impacting revenue growth throughout the mentioned forecast period. Further, a deep analysis on the major players from diverse regions is also present in the report.Get Sample Report for more Professional and Technical insights @Recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is a type of business process outsourcing (BPO) which includes the outsourcing of different recruitment functions of an organization to third-party vendor. The RPO solutions primarily include screening of the candidates, interview scheduling, job posting, offer execution and other important activities in the recruitment process. The major difference between the RPO providers and staffing companies is the proficient recruitment process management and responsibility of its results by the RPO providers. Outsourcing recruitment processes to a RPO provider enables the client organization to focus on their core competencies. In addition, outsourcing these processes is highly beneficial for reducing the operating costs of the organization related to the recruitment functions. This is the most significant factor fuelling the adoption of RPO solutions among different end-use industries.The market for recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) is segmented, based on the type of engagement, into on-demand and end-to-end RPO service. On-demand RPO refers to the RPO service in which some of the recruitment services are outsourced to the RPO provider. On the contrary, end-to-end RPO refers to outsourcing of all the recruitment processes to the RPO providing company. On-demand RPO enables the client organization to have better control over the recruitment processes as only a part of recruitment process is outsourced to the providing company. Moreover, the cost of on-demand RPO is lower as compared to the end-to-end RPO solution. Due to these advantages and higher flexibility and scalability, the penetration of on-demand RPO services is currently high as compared to the end-to-end RPO solutions.This report studies the current scenario as well as the future market potential for recruitment process outsourcing in Southeast Asia. The market for recruitment process outsourcing has been segmented into six major end-use industries, namely, banks, financial services and insurance (BFSI); information technology (IT), IT enabled services (ITeS), and telecommunication; manufacturing; healthcare and pharmaceuticals; hospitality; and others. The others segment comprises aerospace, marine and construction industries. The market for these recruitment process outsourcing systems has been extensively analyzed on the basis of factors such as types of engagement service and countries in Southeast Asia region. On the basis of engagement type, the market has been segmented into on-demand RPO and end-to-end RPO. The market size and forecasts in terms of revenue (US$ Mn) for each of these segments have been provided for the period 2010 to 2020, considering 2012 and 2013 as the base years. The report also provides the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) for each segment of the market for the forecast period 2014 to 2020.Get Exclusive Report with List of Tables and Figures @Geographically, the market for RPO in Southeast Asia has been segmented into four regions, namely, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Rest of Southeast Asia (RoSEA). The market size and forecast for each region has been provided for the period 2010 to 2020 along with the CAGR (%) for the forecast period 2014 to 2020. The study also includes qualitative analysis of the competitive scenario in these regions. The overview section of the report comprises qualitative analysis of the overall market highlighting the factors determining the market dynamics such as drivers, restraints and opportunities, along with the key trends analysis.The report also provides a section on the competitive landscape, wherein the market positioning analysis of the leading players in Southeast Asia RPO market in 2013 has been discussed. The report concludes with the profiles of major players in the Southeast Asia RPO market such as Kenexa Corporation (an IBM Corporation Company), Randstad Holding Company, Accolo, Inc., Atterro Human Capital Group, Kelly Outsourcing and Consulting Group, Cielo, Inc. (Pinstripe, Inc.), ManpowerGroup Solutions, Pontoon Solutions, Zyoin Web Pvt. Ltd., Futurestep (a Korn Ferry Company), TalentFusion, Inc., Alexander Mann Solutions and Hudson Global, Inc.Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Market Segmentation:Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Market, by Engagement TypeOn-demand RPOEnd-to-end RPORecruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Market, by End-use IndustryBanks, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI)IT, ITeS and TelecommunicationManufacturingHealthcare and PharmaceuticalsHospitalityOthers (Aerospace, Marine and Construction Industry)Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Market, by Geographic RegionThailandIndonesiaVietnamRest of Southeast Asia (RoSEA)To Know More Enquire @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:Medical Practice Management Software Market to Record Sturdy Growth by 2020

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Medical practice management software (PMS) is extensive healthcare software which is used in day to day operations of medical practices. Medical practice management software capture, stores, manages and transmits information related to the health of individuals or the activities of organizations that work within the healthcare sector. Medical practice management software helps in integration of electronic health records (EHR) to provide interoperability solutions and assist in the overall practice management process. In addition, the medical practice management software helps in real time verification of the patients, schedule appointments, patients registration. Medical practice management software also helps in various other processes such as medical billing, storing demographics data, maintaining list of insurance payers, claim management, billing tasks and others.Request for Table of Contents @North America has the largest market for medical practice management software due to rising government initiatives in these regions. Europe followed by the Asia is expected to experience high growth rate in the global medical practice management software market. This is due to increasing awareness and increasing technological advancement in the region. Some of the key driving forces for medical practice management software market in emerging countries are large pool of patients and rising government funding in these regions.Increasing demand for better healthcare facilities, need of high return on investment, rising government initiatives, increasing need for integrated healthcare systems and raising investments from healthcare IT players are some of the key factors driving the growth for global medical practice management software market. In addition, increasing healthcare awareness is also driving the global medical practice management software market. However, lack of experienced professionals, interoperability issues, huge time consumptions for integration and high maintenance and service expenses are some of the major factors restraining the growth for global medical practice management software market.IT-enabled healthcare solutions for physicians and emerging markets are expected to offer opportunities to medical practice management software market. However, lack of data confidentiality and shortage of on-site IT support services are some of the challenges that have been observed for the global medical practice management software market. Wireless and cloud technology are getting popular. In addition, companies are focussing on development of products with patient centric approach. These are some major trends which have been observed in the medical practice management software market.Request to View Sample of Research Report @Some of the major companies operating in the global medical practice management software market are Allscripts, GE Healthcare, athenahealth, Inc., MediTouch, CERNER CORPORATION, McKesson Corporation, Epic Systems Corporation, NextGen Healthcare Information System LLC, MEDITECH, eClinicalWorks and Greenway Health, 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:State-of-the-Art Product Development to Influence Future Growth of Global Brake Oil Aftermarket for Off-highway Vehicles

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A form of hydraulic fluid employed in brake and clutch applications in automobiles, brake oil requires changing or renewal per annum or two years, in order to enhance durability and safety of vehicles. This significantly creates high demand for brake oil in the aftermarket. State-of-the-art, newly developed brake oil that exert better and efficient performance reliability, coupled with growing use of glycol fluids will further augment expansion of the brake oil aftermarket for Off-highway vehicles market in the near future. These forecasts are extracted from the report, titled Brake oil Aftermarket for Off-highway vehicles - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017  2025, which has been recently integrated into the vast repository of Market Research Hub (MRH).Click here for Free Sample Report@Report SynopsisThis report offers accurate forecasts on the market for the period between 2017 and 2025. This report is a definite source of information that imparts intelligence on recent market dynamics, industry trends, potential markets, technology developments & advancements, and product innovation coupled with extensive regional market coverage. A comprehensive data analysis on the brake oil aftermarket for off-highway vehicles market is delivered in the report, in order to help the clients in gaining a competitive edge and attracting potential customers. The report further aid in better understanding of the industry structure, and offers evaluations on the competition intensity attractiveness. Business strategists can leverage the intelligence offered in the report regarding latest opportunities and trends impacting the market expansion to make fact-based decisions for their businesses.In-depth Assessment on Brake Oil Aftermarket for Off-highway Vehicles MarketThis report also offers a scrutinized study on the market for brake oil aftermarket for off-highway vehicles in terms of a segmentation analysis. The market has been divided into 3 key segments, namely, by type, end-use industry, and region. These segments have been analyzed in detail, engulfing market forecasts and estimates at a country and regional level. The market has been regionally segmented into Asia-Pacific (APAC), Latin America, North America, Middle East & Africa (MEA), and Europe. The segmentation analysis offered can be useful for the report readers in understanding probable opportunities and potential markets for the target area  brake oil aftermarket for off-highway vehicles.Browse Full Report with TOC@Competition Landscape AnalysisIn its concluding chapter, the report quantifies revenues share of prominent companies in the brake oil aftermarket for off-highway vehicles market, and offers an in-depth overview of the markets competitive scenario. A detailed description has been delivered on all the market players profiled in the report, which includes intelligence in terms of their company overview, key financials, product overview, past as well as latest developments. A SWOT analysis has been offered on each market player incorporated in the report, along with information on their new product developments, and market expansion strategies such as collaborations and partnerships. The scope of the report is offer its readers with authentic information and insights on the brake oil aftermarket for off-highway vehicles market, to enable them in making better future decisions for growth of the businesses.About Market Research HubMarket Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports of different sector like oil and gas market and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of industry 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Used Cooking Oil (UCO) Market Trend, Future Demand, Business Strategies and Analysis about Manufacturing Cost Structure | Industry Research Report

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Market Overview:Used Cooking Oil Market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.3% over the forecast period. Used cooking oil are once used for cooking or frying the food items. These used cooking oil are collected and further brought into various use. This is a best example for waste management brought into effect.European countries are leading the market of used cooking oil and expected to grow over the forecast period 2017-2023. Increasing awareness towards environment friendly products have propelled the demand for biofuel consumption, which has surged the intake of used cooking oil in the market. This growth has been supported by favorable regulations applicable in the region focusing on clean energy.Moreover, the regulations from European Government, which emphasis on reducing imports of meat & increase home production is expected to give boost to livestock industry, resulting in increased application of used cooking oil as animal feed additive. Additionally, rise in processed meat industry backed up with increasing demand for quality meat is adding fuel to the European market of used cooking oil. All these factors will lead to growth of European used cooking oil market at a CAGR of 3.3% during the forecast period 2017-2023.Receive a Sample Report @Major Key Players:This report includes a study of strategies such as mergers, acquisitions, and product launches by the major used cooking oil market players. It further includes product portfolios, developments of leading players, which includesBaker Commodities Inc. (U.S.)Argent Energy (U.K.)Darling Ingredients (U.S.)Greenergy International Ltd (U.K.)Olleco (U.K.)Uptown Biodiesel Limited (U.K.) andProper Oils (U.K.)Segments:Used cooking oil (UCO) is segmented on the basis of sources such as food manufacturers, restaurants, caterers, household, and others. Among all, food manufacturers are dominating the market. However, restaurants are expected to surge the market based on inclination of biofuel manufacturers towards restaurants as a major source of collecting used cooking oil.Based on the application, the used cooking oil market is segmented into biodiesel, animal feed, oleo chemicals, and others. Biodiesel share the major portion of used cooking oil market.Access Report Details @Regional Analysis:The global used cooking oil (UCO) market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and rest of the world (RoW). Among all, Europe dominates the market of used cooking oil followed by South America. Europe regulations have encouraged strong biodiesel production growth, which has increased the demand for used cooking oil. Moreover, increased awareness among consumers about animal protein have supplemented the growth of used cooking oil in this region.Furthermore, North America is expected to grow over the forecast period owing to its increasing consumption of used cooking oil in biofuel production. Moreover, Asia Pacific is projecting growth in developing countries like India and China. However, due to lack of awareness, a negligible growth is observed in this region. From rest of the world, UAE is expected to project application of used cooking oil in the production of biodiesel.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.ContactMarket Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comAlginate Market Detailed Analytical Overview by 2024

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Alginates are type of hydrocolloids which are extracted from brown seaweed. It has different functional properties such as thickening agent, ability to form gel and its usage to form films of sodium and calcium. Alginate has varieties of application in food, textile, printing, dyeing, pharmaceutical and in cosmetic industry. Apart from this, it also has application as binding agent for welding rods and in preparing animal feed. Europe and Asia Pacific dominates the alginate market over the forecast period in terms of volume.Market Drivers: Alginate MarketKey market drivers which influence the demand of alginate in market is from the food and beverage manufacturers due to its functional properties such as thickening agent, gelling agent, stabilizer, emulsifier and film-forming property. Reason behind its increasing demand in food industry is due to its extraction from natural seaweeds, one of safest food additive in food industry and also certified by FAO/WHO. Food and beverage manufacturers primarily used alginate as thickening agent and texture-improver. On the other side, it is also gaining its demand from textile industry as it is primarily used for printing, designing and dyeing on cotton and jute fabrics.Request Report for TOC @Market Segment: Alginate MarketMarket of Alginate is segmented in two different basis including on the basis of form and on the basis of application. As per the market segment by form, it is segmented in three different form of alginate which are sodium alginate, calcium alginate and potassium alginate. Sodium alginate has varieties of application in food and textile printing industry and due to which it is expected that it fuels the market growth of alginate over the forecast period. Further, market segment of alginate is segmented on the basis of its application which includes food and beverage, paper, textile, pharmaceutical and other (welding, pet food and cosmetic). Primary demand of alginate in global market accounts from food and beverage, paper and textile industry.In food and beverage industry, demand of alginate is increasing due its higher demand in preparing products such as ice cream, jellies, salads, alcoholic drinks, lactic drinks etc. and in many other products. Key reason behind the increasing demand of alginate in food and beverage industry is also due to its multifunctional properties as it plays significant role as thickening and gelling agent, emulsifier, stabilizer and used to enhance the texture of food recipes. In context to its demand in paper and textile industry, it is used for dying and printing purpose and to control the viscosity in processing of final product. Further, alginate is also gaining its demand form pharmaceutical industry where it has application in manufacturing of tablets, liquid medicines and for making dental impression materials. On the basis of market share, results of alginate market on pie chart shows that, food and beverage industry and textile industry dominates the alginate market over the forecast period.Regional Segment: Alginate MarketOn the basis of regional segment, market of alginate is segmented into five regions namely: North America, Latin America, Europe and Middle East and Africa. As per the alginate production, major producing regions are Europe and Asia Pacific and contributes majority of market share in global level market. In terms of value, it is expected that Europe and North America accounted to major share in terms of value and also as a lucrative market in near future.Request to Sample Report @Key players: Alginate MarketSome of the key players which are operating in alginate market are: DuPont, KIMICA Corporation, Qingdao Rongde Seaweed Co., Ltd., Prestige Brands, Inc., Cargill, Incorporated, Qingdao Liyang Seaweed Industrial Co.,Ltd, Shandong Jiejing Group Corporation, Prinova Europe Limited, Compania Espanola de Algas Marinas S.A. and A2 Trading GmbH.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:Bioseparation Systems Market Plying for Significant Growth 2021

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Bioseparation systems are used for the separation and purification of biological products such as biochemicals, biopharmaceuticals, and diagnostic reagents. Several types of bioseparation systems are used to separate biological materials from solutions, with the most commonly-used ones being: Membrane/filters, chromatography and centrifuges.Membranes are a thin semi-permeable barrier that separates biological materials. A membrane is usually made from organic polymers or inorganic materials such as metals, ceramics and glass. Chromatography is a solute fractionation technique which relies on the distribution of molecules to be separated between two phases: Stationary phase and mobile phase. The centrifugation technique is used to separate biological particles from suspensions and macromolecules from solutions.Request Report for Table of Contents @The global bioseparation systems market is categorized based on various types of bioseparation technologies and their applications. Based on bioseparation technologies, the report covers the following: Chromatography technique, membrane-based bioseparation, centrifugation technology, cell disruption technology, precipitation, extraction technique, and filtration technologies. The chromatography technique holds the largest market share in the global bioseparation systems market.Based on applications of bioseparation systems, the report covers the following industries: Pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical, life sciences, and food. Bioseparation systems are most frequently used in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries.Geographically, North America dominates the global bioseparation systems market. This is due to the improved life sciences research infrastructure and increasing demand for biopharmaceuticals in the region. In addition, technological advancements in equipment used in bioseparation procedures have also propelled the growth of the market in North America. The U.S. represents the largest market for bioseparation systems in North America, followed by Canada.In Europe, Germany, France, and the U.K. hold major shares of the bioseparation systems market. The bioseparation systems market in Asia too, is expected to show high growth rates over the next five years. This can be credited to the increasing demand for biopharmaceuticals in the region. In addition, many biopharmaceutical manufacturing companies are planning to construct their production units in Asian countries attracted by the less stringent regulations and low labor cost in the region. Growing population and economies of developing countries such as India and China are expected to steer the growth of the bioseparation systems market in Asia. Moreover, India, China, and Japan, are expected to be the fastest-growing markets for bioseparation systems in the region.Increasing demand for biopharmaceuticals and single-use products are some major driving factors for the global bioseparation systems market. Also, technological advancements in equipment used in bioseparation and various initiatives taken by government organizations to increase awareness about therapeutic applications of biosimilars have propelled the growth of the global bioseparation systems market.Stringent regulatory requirements for the approval of equipment used in bioseparation inhibit the growth of global bioseparation systems market. Rapid product launches and heightened mergers and acquisitions between medical device manufacturing companies are major trends observed in the global bioseparation systems market.Request a Sample Brochure of the Report @Top companies profiled in this report are:GE Healthcare Life SciencesMerck MilliporePall CorporationSartorius AG3M CompanyAgilent TechnologiesWaters CorporationUS Filter Control Systems, Inc.Asahi Kasei CorporationBio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.Dow Chemical CompanyHitachi Koki Co LTDLife TechnologiesNOVASEPProMetic Life Sciences Inc.SPECTRUM LABORATORIES, INCNuSep Inc.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.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:Savoury Yogurt Market Set for Rapid Growth and Trend by 2024

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Savoury yogurt is made from locally sourced milk, probiotic cultures, and sea salt, which is an excellent source of protein. Savoury yogurt is vegetarian, gluten free, and also consists of lactose in less percentage (less than 5%). Savoury yogurt is used as a part of meal or on the social or traditional occasions. Savoury yogurt is used to enhance the meal or to enhance the taste. Grass-fed milk is mainly used in the production of savoury yogurt to enhance the flavor (natural), which is also a source of Omega-3 fatty acids with powerful anti-inflammatory properties. The global savoury yogurt market is anticipated to register significant CAGR during the forecast period.Global Savoury Yogurt Market: Drivers, Restraints, and TrendsChanging attitude of customers towards savoury yogurt and other healthy food is heavily influencing the global savoury yogurt market. Furthermore, increasing consumer demand for savoury yogurt, increase in consumer disposable income, and change in consumer taste preferences owing to increase in number of flavors are fuelling the demand for savoury yogurt across the globe. In addition, worldwide increase in vegan population and growing consumer awareness regarding health benefits of savoury yogurt is expected to boost the demand for savoury yogurt.Request Report for TOC @However, higher cost of savoury yogurt is limiting the growth of global savoury yogurt market.Manufacturers of savoury yogurt are focused on innovations in the flavors, and using grass-fed milk for savory yogurt production, are identified as key trends.Global Savoury Yogurt Market: SegmentationThe global savoury yogurt market is segmented on the basis of flavor type, distribution channel, and application.On the basis of flavor type, the global savoury yogurt market is segmented into:StrawberryBlackberryMangoTomatoSweet PotatoButternut SquashOther (Apricot, Black Cherry, Orange, Blueberry, Carrot, Beet, Apple etc.)Based on the distribution channel, the global savoury yogurt market is segmented into:Supermarkets or HypermarketsIndependent RetailersConvenience StoresOn the basis of application, the global savoury yogurt market is segmented into:Food & BeverageConfectioneryGlobal Savoury Yogurt Market: Regional OutlookBased on the geographies, the global savoury yogurt market is segmented into five key regions, namely North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to dominate among the regions for savoury yogurt market.This is due to increase in number of manufacturers in the US. In addition, increasing consumer demand for flavors such as Chipotle Pineapple and Sriracha Mango in US is driving the savoury yogurt market.Growing population in India and China coupled with healthy economic outlook creates a significant opportunity for growth of Savory yogurt market in Asia Pacific region. Europe is expected to follow Asia Pacific region, this is attributed to increase in consumer disposable income and consumer demand for savory yogurts in France, Germany and UK. Additionally, Germany and UKs consumers are used to eat savory yogurt as a part of meal. Latin America and MEA are anticipated to witness modest growth rate over the forecast period, this is attributed to the rise in health awareness and demand for nutritious and healthy food, and changing lifestyle in Brazil, South Africa and GCC countries.Request to Sample Report @Global Savoury Yogurt Market: Key PlayersSome of the major players identified in the global savoury yogurt market includeNestleBlue Hill, Inc.Sohha Savory YogurtChobani, LLCConAgra Foods, Inc.General Mills, Inc.YoplaitStonyfield Farm, Inc.Wallaby Yogurt CompanySmari OrganicsThe Chaat Company, LLCAbout 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:Data Warehousing Solutions Market Poised to Expand at a Robust Pace Over 2016 - 2026

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With the increasing need of data management, more enterprises are investing in data warehousing solutions to gain better insights about their business. These solutions integrate and analyse business data using historical and real-time data, enabling executives to make better decisions based on accurate understanding. Data warehousing solutions coupled with business intelligence tools help enterprises implement efficient business analytics.This data can be accessed by users across the organization using ad hoc SQL queries, periodic reports and dashboards. Even though data warehousing is beneficial for the business, but it can be complex to set up and involves investments even after set up to prevent loss of data. Moreover, recent trends involving huge volumes of data are obstructing the performance of data warehouse systems.Request Report for TOC @Data Warehousing Solutions Market: Drivers and RestraintsBusiness data is acquired from internal as well as external sources and is diverse in nature. Due to the exponential growth of this data, and the need to analyse this data for a better understanding is driving the market for data warehousing solutions. Enterprises are opting for solutions that maximize performance and enable a fast data flow with real time analytics, which are offered by efficient data warehousing solutions. Another major driver for this market is using data to perform trend analysis and data mining for future trends prediction. Inadequate time to build in-house software is making end users invest in data warehousing solutions and helping the market grow. Major restraint for this market is poor data quality because of unavailability of required data and inefficient data warehouse architecture, which isolates the customers from using data warehousing solutions.Data Warehousing Solutions Market: SegmentationData warehousing solutions can be segmented on the basis of type of offering, type of data, type of deployment, end users, verticals and regions. The different types of offerings under data warehousing include extraction, transportation and loading (ETL) solution, statistical analysis, data mining, and others. The types of data used in data warehousing solutions are structured and unstructured data. Data warehousing solution can be segmented on the basis of deployment type of its system into on-premise, cloud based and hybrid. The end users for data warehousing solutions are SMEs and large enterprises. Data warehousing solutions are applicable in the following verticals, government, BFSI, retail, healthcare, IT and telecom, manufacturing, energy and utilities, transportation and logistics, and others. Regionally data warehousing solutions can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, and Middle East and Africa.Data Warehousing Solutions Market: Regional OutlookData warehousing solutions market is dominated by the North America region at present due to the fact that North America readily invests in new technologies. Asia Pacific, Japan and Western Europe are expected to be emerging regions in this market and will see a good growth rate in the future. Asia Pacifics and Japans growth is due to its steady economic growth and growing commercial activity. Western Europe will see a good growth owing to the efforts European Union intends to make to promote the growth of big data in this region. Eastern Europe is expected to see a moderate growth rate with a few enterprises looking to invest in this region.Request to Sample Report @Data Warehousing Solutions Market: Competition LandscapeThe key players involved in data warehousing solutions market are Oracle Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Teradata Corporation, IBM Corporation, SAP SE, Amazon Web Services Inc., MarkLogic Corporation, Infobright, Cloudera Inc., MapR Technologies, Inc., and Hortonworks Inc. Recent trends involved in data warehousing solutions include a shift to cloud based services and investments in latest technologies to cope up with competition in the market.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:Cananga Odorata Flower Oil Market Detailed Analytical Overview by 2025

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Cananga odorata is also known as the cananga tree, is a large evergreen tropical tree originated in the rain forest of various Asian and South Pacific Islands such as Indonesia, Philippines, Polynesia, Sumatra, Java, and Comoro. The essential oil of Cananga odorata can be extracted by the steam distillation of its fresh flowers called ylang ylang.The essential flower oil has found wide usage in aromatherapy owing to its pleasing fragrance. Cananga odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil has emerged as an essential perfumery ingredient with strong demand in floral and oriental compositions. Ylang ylang flower oil is of high medicinal value due to its properties such as an antidepressant, antiseptic, antiseborrhoeic, hypotensive, aphrodisiac, nervine, and sedative substance. The high growth of cananga odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil is attributable to its perfumery and medicinal applications.Request Report for TOC @Market Dynamics of Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower oil:The market of Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) flower oil is expected to be driven by its high perfumery and medicinal values. Owing to its gentle fragrance, it has found wide application in the perfumes and aromatherapy treatments. It provides various health benefits such as relief from anxiety, stress, blood pressure and depression. The flower oil can also heal the wounds, and treated as a remedy in hair fall. Some of the macro-economic factors such as population growth, recovered GDP, and increased disposable income are fueling the growth of Cananga Odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil market during the reviewed period. Apart from this, rising demand of aromatic flavors in perfumes, shift from synthetic to natural products, and growing emphasis of preventive health care practices among health conscious consumers also propels the growth of Cananga Odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil.Market Segmentation of Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower oil:The segmentation of Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) flower oil market is based upon application, and geography. On the basis of application, Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower oil market is segmented into food & beverages, medical, personal care, and others. Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower oil is used as a preservative and flavoring agent in the food and beverages application. The increasing health consciousness of consumers has escalated the demand of Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower oil in the medical segment. The personal care segment is expected to grow at a rapid pace in the Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) flower oil market owing to the rising demand of aromatic flavors as well as fragrances in personal care products such as perfumes and cosmetic products. Additionally, the increased demand of spa and relaxation applications due to the change in life-style is anticipated to fuel the market growth in upcoming years.Regional Outlook of Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower oil:On the basis of geography, Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) flower oil market is segmented into five different regions namely North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East and Africa. The market size of Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) flower oil is expected to be prominent in the European region owing to the rising awareness and increasing demand of cosmetics and beauty products, medicines, and nutraceuticals. Europe was followed by North America to emerge as the second major region in the Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower oil market. Factors such as highly developed industries, increasing per capita income, subsidies and tax benefits from the government, contribute vitally to growth of the market in the North America region. Asia Pacific region is projected to be the fastest growing market owing to the change in life style and increased awareness about health benefits of the products derived from natural sources.Request to Sample Report @Key Market Players in Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower oil:The players in the Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower oil market focuses upon the integration across the value chain to attain cost-benefit ratio in the longer run. Some of the key players in the Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower oil market include Biolandes SAS, doTerra International, Sydney Essential Oils Co., The Lebermuth Co., Inc., Young Living Essential Oils, Farotti Essenze, and Essential Oils of New Zealand, among others.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.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:Canned Salmon Market Detailed Analytical Overview by 2025

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Canned Salmon Market: OverviewCanning of food product is a method of preserving food in which the food contents are processed under controlled atmosphere and conditions and sealed in an airtight container. Canning helps in increasing shelf life of a product typically ranging from one to five years, although under specific circumstances it can be much longer than that. Salmon fish has been widely popular since it has a specific taste along with various health benefits that lures the masses. Canned salmon was perceived in order to increase its shelf life plus feasibility to store it and import it to another countries where salmon fish is not easily available owing to lack of resources. Rising popularity of canned salmon among consumers will put the market on necessary thrust and escalate the market CAGR of canned salmon market.Canned Salmon Market: Drivers & RestraintsCanned salmon has been gaining popularity amongst the masses due to the fact that such canned salmon are processed to be consumed with or without other food items. Salmon fish provides various health benefits for which it has gained significant popularity amongst it consumers. Health benefits such as enhances heart health, controls blood pressure, helps in growth and development, assist in weight loss and obesity, boost immune system, fire up energy levels, increases blood circulation, cancer prevention, reduces probability of kidney diseases, reduce inflammation, cell membrane damage are associated with consumption of salmon fish. Increase in trade network among various nations. Rise in modern retail outlets, establishments of processed food industry across countries with development of food parks. Increase in investments by budding entrepreneurs in processed food industry are few of the viable factors which is driving the canned salmon market.Request Report for TOC @Recent research study has revealed that canned salmon consumption can be hazardous to ones health, illegal fishing of salmon, depletion in salmon population are few possible restraint which can affect the growth of canned salmon market.Canned Salmon Market: Market SegmentationThe canned salmon market is segmented into four parts based on the product type, distribution channels, and geography. Few possible health benefits which canned salmon fish providesBased on the product type the canned salmon market is segmented into:Sockeye SalmonCoho SalmonPink SalmonChum salmonBased on the type of distribution channels canned salmon market is segmented into:Internet RetailingMass RetailersDirect SellingOthersCanned Salmon Market: Regional OutlookRegarding geography, canned salmon market has been categorized into five key regions including North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. North America is anticipated to witness canned salmon market to register a healthy CAGR during the forecast period. This is due to the very fact that packaged food has a strong demand in North America due to the prevalence of culture where such foods are preferred and moreover canned salmon has been a staple food for North American dwellers.Asia-Pacific represents the significantly higher market share next to North America over the forecast period. Countries in APEJ such as India, China, and Thailand are witnessing significantly higher demand for canned salmons due to increase in consumption of canned salmons among the masses. Western Europe stands next to APEJ for canned salmon market, where the consumers prefers canned salmons for breakfast and salads Eastern Europe has a similar trend alike Western Europe. Japan has been a strong market for canned salmon. The population of Japan have a special liking towards fish and sea products owing to its geography and canned salmon has been one of the favorites for Japanese. MEA and Latin America has also been witnessing affinity for canned salmon and over the forecast period the market of canned salmon will gain significant share in these regions.Request to Sample Report @Canned salmon Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players identified in the canned salmon market are:-Equa SeafoodsRaincoast TradingWild PlanetFreedom Foods Group LimitedPeter Pan SeafoodsAbout 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:Organic Soya Protein Market Gain Impetus due to the Growing Demand over 2025

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The organic soya protein is available in different forms and types and is used in the food products to increase nutrition value. It acts as a natural prebiotic which stimulates the production of healthy bacteria in the intestine. Organic soya proteins are used as meat and dairy products alternative due to equivalent protein content present in these products. The other applications in which it is used are soya milk, bakery products, confectionery, soymilk etc.The dairy analogs segment accounts for major share in global organic soya protein market in terms of consumption. They are available in different forms such as concentrates and textured form. Concentrates are manufactured by removing fat content from soya flour and textured form is obtained by removing fat and carbohydrates from soya flour. In May 2012, World Food Processing, a leading U.S. based manufacturer of organic soya based products, acquired the soya protein manufacturing segment from Kerry Flavours and IngredientsRequest Report for TOC @Organic Soya Protein Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe rising consumer awareness regarding health benefits of organic food products is the major driver for the growth of global organic soya protein market. The availability of different forms and types of organic soya protein and without any sweeteners and GMO ingredients or preservatives is expected to boost the growth of global organic soya protein market. The increasing adoption of vegan food, which consists of soya protein as meat and dairy products alternative is also expected to contribute to the growth of global organic soya protein market.The use of hexane in the manufacturing process of soya protein is expected to hamper the growth of global organic soya protein market.Organic Soya Protein Market: SegmentationOn the basis of product type, the global organic soya protein market can be segmented as follows:-Concentrates and FloursFlourPowderFiber FlourGritsTexturized ProductsFlakesChunkCrumblesOn the basis of form, the global organic soya protein market can be segmented as follows:-LiquidDryOn the basis of application, the global organic soya protein market can be segmented as follows:-Infant FormulaVegetable BrothDairy AnaloguesMeat and Meat AnaloguesBakery ProductsConfectionarySoymilkOrganic Soya Protein Market: Region Wise OutlookThe global organic soya protein market can be divided into seven regions, namely North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan and Middle East and Africa (MEA). Western Europe holds the significant share in global organic soya protein market, due to the increasing number of vegan food consumers in the region. North America accounts for the significant share in the global organic soya protein market, owing to the rising demand for dairy analogs in the region. APEJ organic soya protein market is expected to grow at higher growth rate. This is attributed to increasing consumer awareness regarding consumption of organic and healthy food products.Request to Sample Report @Organic Soya Protein Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in the global Organic Soya Protein market are as follows:Prairie NaturalsDevansoy Inc.The Scoular CompanyNOW FoodsWorld Food ProcessingHarvest InnovationsFRANK Food ProductsSunOptaBiopress S.A.S.Natural Products, Inc.ABS FoodAbout 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:Lavender Oil Market to Surpass US$ 124 Mn By 2024-End

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In its report titled, Lavender Oil Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast, 20162024 Persistence Market Insights (PMR) reveals that more than US$ 76 Mn worth lavender oil was consumed worldwide in 2016. The lavender market, particularly in Europe will remain highly lucrative in 2017 and beyond owing to the increasing consumer preference for natural plant derived lavender oil products in the region. Meanwhile, personal care products account for a bulk of the overall demand for lavender globally.Medicinal Properties of Lavender Oil Boosting its Popularity amongst ConsumersConsumers both in developed and developing countries are spending more on organic essential oil products including lavender oil owing to their health benefits. Lavender oil is considered to have unique properties that are beneficial for the skin, hence, used in various skincare products. Over the years, application of lavender extract, oil and essence in food and beverage products has also increased to a substantial level. Lavender oil application in food and beverage products is expected to create an absolute $ opportunity of US$ 7.65 Mn between 2016 and 2024.Request Report Sample@Despite the increasing popularity of substituent products such as the lavendin, players operating in the market remain focused on introducing newer lavender oil products. Moreover, development of advanced product formulations methods, especially for personal care products is anticipated to stimulate the market growth.Additional Highlights from the Report IncludeAccording to PMRs report, global lavender oil market is expected to reach US$ 124.2 Mn, reflecting a CAGR of 6.2% between 2016 and 2024.Owing to increasing inclination of consumers towards single oils of high quality and high purity, demand for absolutes and concentrates of lavender oil is likely to surge during the forecast period. In 2016, lavender concentrates accounted for a staggering 49.0% revenue share of the market.Lavender oil will continue to find robust application is personal care products during the forecast period. By the end of 2024, personal care products will contribute nearly US$ 45.1 Mn to the global lavender market.In addition to Europe, North America and APAC will remain as the other two leading markets for lavender oil. Owing to the presence of prominent manufacturers and suppliers of lavender oil in North America, the regions market is expected to witness a steady growth during the assessment period. The market in APAC is expected to be driven by the growing demand for lavender oil products in emerging countries such as China and India.Visit For TOC@Competitive LandscapeSome of the key players in the global lavender oil market include doTERRA International, LLC, Young living essential oils LC, Takasago International corporation, International Flavours & Fragrances Inc., Aromaland Inc., Symrise AG, Givaudan SA, Firmenich S A, Rocky Mountain Soap Co., and China Flavors and Fragrances Company Limited. To strengthen their market position, many of these companies are going into strategic alliances and also concentrating on further technological advancements to improve product line.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:Worldwide Direct Fed Microbial (DFM) Market Estimated to Grow at CAGR of 6.9% During 2018 to 2023

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Market Overview:The global direct-fed microbial market has witnessed continued growth during the last few years. Direct-fed microbial (DFM) is containing various microorganism and the product is specifically used for the animal growth. The microorganisms are yeast, bacteria and other microorganisms. Direct-fed microbial comes in various forms such as dry & liquid. Direct-fed microbial is used as a feed for various livestock which include poultry, swine, pork, cattle and other livestock. The growth of the direct-fed microbes is expected to be driven by various factors. Increasing awareness of animal health is the significant factors for the rising growth of global direct-fed microbial market during the forecast period of 2017-2023.Directfed microbial improves feed digestibility which in turn escalates the sales of direct-fed microbials both in the developed and developing economies. Rising demand for milk and meat production is positively impacting the growth of global direct-fed microbial market. Also, direct-fed microbial acts as a substitute of antibiotics which is expected to fuel the demand of the market. Also, increasing animal diseases resulted to enhance the sales of direct-fed microbial products during the forecast period. Developing economies of Asia Pacific & Latin America region offer a lucrative opportunity in the global direct-fed microbial market owing to the rising consumption of milk and meat products.Receive a Sample Report @Latest Industry Updates:Apr 2017 Evonik announced the launch of the new probiotic called Gutcare PY1 in the Asia Pacific market. The product is claimed to provide sustainable nutrition in animalsJun 2016 In order to support poultry health, Bayer launched its new probiotic feed additive for poultry in Vietnam. The product is named Baymix Grobig BS and is identified to prevent gut infections in poultryJan 2017 Adisseo and Novozymes announced the launch of their first probiotic for poultry. The product is named Alterion and is identified to be a natural alternative to antibiotic growth promotersCompetitive Analysis:Key players are focusing to enhance its brand name by placing numerous promotional activities. Also, the manufacturers have participated in several social media promotions, events. The manufacturers are demonstrating their new product to attract the new customers. By this strategy the product will get popularity among the consumers which will support to upsurge the overall profitability of the company. Moreover, the key companies are highlighting in the research & development process to introduce new product also to encompass the product line. Key players are announcing new calf milk replacers to surge the volume sales.The key players profiled in the direct-fed microbials market report are DuPont (U.S.), Archer Daniels Midland Company (U.S.), Novozymes A/S (Denmark), Novus International, Inc. (U.S.), Lallemand Inc. (Canada), Chr. Hansen A/S (Denmark), Cargill Inc. (U.S.), Kemin Industries (U.S.), Bayer AG (Germany), and Royal DSM N.V. (The Netherlands) among many others.Market Segments:Global direct-fed microbials market has been divided into type, livestock, form, and regionOn the Basis of type: Bacteria, yeast, and OthersOn the Basis of livestock: Cattle, poultry, swine/ pork, and OthersOn the Basis of form: Dry, liquid, and OthersOn the Basis of Region: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the WorldAccess Report Details @Regional Analysis:The global direct-fed microbials market is segmented by regionally which comprises of North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World. Among all the region, North America region is expected to hold the significant market proportion in the year of 2017 and the trend is projected to continue throughout the forecast period of 2017-2023. North America direct-fed microbial market is expected to be driven by various factors. Increase in demand for animal protein products have resulted in the upsurge of direct-fed microbial during the forecast period of 2017-2023. New product development is one of the important drivers which is expected to fuel the sales of direct- fed microbial soon. Among the North American country, the U.S. is estimated to hold 80% of the market share of the overall North America direct- fed microbial market. Europe is also estimated to account for substantial market share of direct- fed microbial market. Among the European countries, Germany & France are collectively accounting for 55% market proportion in the overall Europe direct-fed microbial market. However, Asia Pacific region is projected to expand at a higher pace as compare to the other regions during the forecast period of 2017-2023. Australia & China are the major countries in the Asia Pacific countries due to the high consumption of direct-fed microbial.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.ContactMarket Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comFrozen Processed Food Market Size, Competitors Strategy, Regional Analysis and Growth by Forecast to 2027

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Market Overview:The demand for healthy convenience food is increasing. The frozen food products are convenient with enhanced packaging and availability of various food types bakery based breakfast foods, desserts and snacks. Frozen processed food products are available in wide range of varieties which attracts the consumers to experiment within the provided wide range of frozen bakery products. Increase in the demand for frozen processed food products associated with its convenience and high shelf-life has surged the growth of the global frozen processed food market.The food industry has gone through many changes, mostly due to the development and implementation of new technology to meet the growing consumer demands for convenience products. Frozen processed foods are now frequently purchased food product in the retail food stores. This has maintained its market share through the changing nature of the processed foods industry and growing popularity. However, the demand for frozen food products with no-preservatives, organic or natural ingredients is increasing owing to consumer shift towards natural and healthy food products.Innovations in food sector have led to enhanced organoleptic properties of the frozen processed food products. High focus on R & D has resulted in enhancing the shelf-life of the frozen food products as well as enhanced the retention period of the flavor and quality of the frozen food products for a longer period of time. Innovations in flavors are attracting more number of consumers for experimenting with the unique and new available flavors in the market.Receive a Sample Report @However, stringent policies for food safety have been posed by various food safety organizations as there could be product recall or a case of illness caused by a frozen food product could cause a sharp drop in business. The measures are taken to reduce the risks to large scale. Additionally, the need for varying temperatures and proper storage preserves the frozen processed food products for a lower duration of time. After a period of time, the product gets attacked by the psychrophilic microorganisms which grow at even lower temperature and cause spoilage.Latest Industry Updates:Jun 2017 ITC Ltd., the diversified cigarettes-to-shampoo company also having a presence in foodsstaples, spices, ghee, and ready-to-eat mealshas entered the frozen foods market with frozen prawns as part of its plans to take over Indian kitchens.Sep 2016 NHF Manufacturing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, the joint venture (JV) company of Lay Hong Bhd and NH Foods Ltd, has launched its first batch of frozen processed chicken products.Sep 2017 The famous milk co-operative, Amul has launched frozen potato products in India. The frozen foods are available in the form of French fries, potato wedges, hash browns and burger patty.Feb 2017 Virginia-based Smitheld has added six products to its frozen meat products portfolio with the launch of fully cooked sausages and microwaveable sandwiches. The company is looking forward to expand its product portfolio.Major Key Players:Industrial players are involved in the acquisition of small players which will further support the company to expand and reach out to consumers across the regions, the end-user industries are inclined towards product promotions through social media, magazines and other mediums in order to reach out to customers. The promotional strategy aids in retaining the existing the customers and also to regenerate new customer base. Key players are more focusing on acquisition to expand their business across the globe. Acquisition has become the major strategy for key players from last few years which is contributing major share in the market growth. Expansion and new product launch are two main factors which are helping company to increase their production capacity in order to fulfill increasing demand for various froze processed food products.The key players profiled in frozen processed food are McCain Foods Ltd. (Canada), Nestle S.A. (Switzerland), Dr. Oetker GmbH (Germany), Daiya Foods Inc. (Canada), Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. (U.S.), Arista AG (U.S.), Grupo Bimbo SAB de CV (Mexico), Rich Products (U.S.), Lantmannen Unibake, USA, Inc (Denmark), and General Mills, Inc. (U.S.) among many others.Market Segments:The global frozen processed food market has been divided into type, packaging material, distribution channel, and region.On the Basis of Type: Frozen Bakery Products, Frozen Meat & Poultry Products, Frozen Ready Meals, and OthersOn the Basis of Packaging Material: Plastics, Metals, Glass, and OthersOn the Basis of Distribution Channel: Store Based, Non-store Based, and OthersOn the Basis of Region: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and ROWAccess Report Details @Regional Analysis:The global frozen processed food market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world (RoW). North America is dominating in the frozen processed food market followed by Europe. The U.S. has major consumption of frozen processed food, owing to busy lifestyle and changing eating habits in working population, people prefer for time saving and convenient food solution.Moreover, increase in the working population and busy life style has shifted the consumers for convenient and ready-to-eat solution for food in countries like India and China, a healthy growth is expected in the frozen processed food market in Asia Pacific region. Additionally, high focus on organic ingredients and preservative free frozen food products with high shelf-life is likely to uplift the market for frozen food products at the global level.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.ContactMarket Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comFor the past three weeks, Badlands Delight managed to get just a taste of the pie with second- and third-place finishes. But on Wednesday night (May 23), in Buffalo Raceway's featured $9,200 Open II Pace for the ladies, she was able to collect the biggest slice of the purse with a convincing 1-1/4 length victory over Hey Kobe in a seasonal best 1:55 over a fast track.

Starting from the rail, Badlands Delight and driver Jim Morrill Jr. made sure they weren't going to lose the advantageous draw as they reached the quarter in :28, parking out Double Down Jo along the way.

With middle splits of :56.4 and 1:26, the pace-setting Badlands Delight ($7.60) got into high gear around the final turn, opened up a two-length edge and never looked back. Hey Kobe (Ray Fisher Jr.) won the battle for the minor spoils with a second-place finish while Aritzia Hanover (Billy Davis Jr.) was third.

Owned by Samuel Smith and trained by Gerry Sarama, the six-year-old mare Badlands Delight (Badlands Hanover-Colada Blue Chip) has now been victorious three times in 16 appearances in 2018. The win pushed her seasonal earnings to $24,692 and lifetime earnings to $106,872.

A trio of 14-year-olds found the winner's circle in Buffalo Raceway's 12-race program.

Leading the way was mare Quicksilvercandy A ($2.20) ,who registered her 12th win in 15 tries this season with a 1:56 decision in an $8,400 optional claimer. She has finished no worse than second this year. Quicksilvercandy A (Ray Fisher Jr.) is now tied for the top spot in the United States for the most victories in 2018 with Walks Of Life, who also has 12 wins but with three more starts.

The other old-timers to win were Wynsum Magic ($7.00) and Rush Rules ($12.20).

Morrill Jr. and Fisher Jr. each completed the evening with three victories each, while John Cummings Jr. added a double. Ryan Swift and Gerry Sarama each conditioned two winners.

Racing will resume on Saturday evening (May 26) at 6:00 p.m. with a 13-race program slated.

For more information including the latest news, upcoming promotions, simulcast schedule, race replays, results and entries, go to www.buffaloraceway.com.

(Buffalo Raceway)Global Market for Wireless Charging is expected to progress at an exceptional CAGR of 34% over the period from 2016 to 2024

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The presence of a large pool of participants, such as Qualcomm Technologies, Texas Instruments, Energized Holdings, Leggett & Platt, Integrated Device Technology, ConvenientPower HK, WiTricity Corp., Powermat Technologies, and PowerbyPoxi, points towards a fragmented and a highly competitive structure of the global market for wireless charging, states a research report by Persistence Market Research (PMR).These participants are concentrating on innovation and technological advancements of their products in order to meet the demand of their consumers. Going forward, they are projected to shift their focus towards mergers, acquisitions, and alliances in an effort to expand their consumer base across various regions in the near future.Researchers expect the rivalry between the key participants to intensify in the years to come. The global market for wireless charging is expected to progress at an exceptional CAGR of 34% over the period from 2016 to 2024 and increase to US$2.6 bn by the end of the period of the forecast, notes the research study.Request Report Sample@Rising Penetration of Mobile Devices to Boost Markets GrowthThe rising penetration of mobile devices is the key factor behind the significant growth of the global wireless charging market, says an analyst at PMR. Including embedded wireless charging technology, the technological advancements in mobile devices are influencing the demand for wireless charging solutions remarkably across the world, while creasing awareness among consumers regarding this technology.The rising number of mobile device manufacturers and vendors, globally, are integrating the wireless charging feature in their high-end smartphone modals, notebooks, laptops, and wearable devices, which is propelling the uptake of this technology. This, as a result, is likely to boost this market in the years to come. Apart from this, the ongoing expansion in the electric vehicle market is also projected to support this market over the next few years.On the other hand, the manufacturers of wireless charging solutions may face difficulty in finding the suitable charging technology in the years to come due to the uncertainty over the expansion of their product portfolios, since they keep on hovering around the selection of appropriate charging technology to ensure the compatibility with all the electronic devices available across the world, states the research report.View Report Table of Contents, Figures, and TablesPresence of Technologically Advanced IT Infrastructure to Ensure North Americas DominanceGeographically, the global market for wireless charging registers its presence into Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Thanks to t a large population base and the high number of mobile device users, Asia Pacific has emerged as the leading geographical segment of this market. The regional market is projected to retain its leadership throughout the forecast period on the ground of the heavy investments of leading companies in the emerging economies, especially, China, South Korea, and India.Amongst other regional markets, Europe and North America are likely to register a steady surge in their respective markets for wireless charging over the years to come. North America is expected to gain from the presence of an advanced IT infrastructure, whereas, Europe will benefit from the large number of established companies headquartered in this region, notes the research report.The review is based on a report by Persistence Market Research, titled Global Market Study on Wireless Charging: Consumer Electronics Application Segment Projected to be the Most Attractive Segment Through 2024.Visit For TOC@The global market for wireless charging is segmented into:By ComponentTransmittersReceiversBy TechnologyInductive TechnologyResonance ChargingRadio Frequency TechnologyOthersBy ApplicationConsumer ElectronicsAutomotiveHealthcareIndustrialOthersBy RegionNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle East & AfricaLatin AmericaAbout 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:Global Surgical Tables Market: Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013-2017 and Forecast 2018-2024

Global Surgical Tables Market

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Global Surgical Tables Market: By Table Type (Specialty operating tables, Standard operating tables), By Technology (Powered surgical tables, Non-powered surgical tables), By Application (General Surgery Tables, Neurosurgery Tables, Orthopedic Surgery Tables, Imaging Tables, Urological Surgery Tables, Others) By End User (Hospitals, Diagnostic Centers, Research Institutions), and Geography - Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013-2017 and Forecast 2018-2024Global surgical tables market was valued around US$ 850 Mn in 2017 and expected to grow at XX% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over the 2018 to 2024Market Outline: Global Surgical Tables MarketSurgical tables or operating tables are critical part of clinic to perform open or minimally invasive procedures. These tables are suitable for all kinds of surgeries such as general surgery, cardio, urology, vascular, gynecology, and traumatic surgeries among others.A sample of this report is available upon request @Market Dynamics: Global Surgical Tables MarketIncrease in the number of surgeries for various diseases around the globe coupled with escalation in geriatric population, rise in number of accident cases, and grow in gynecological surgeries are anticipated to fuel the surgical tables market. Apart from this, technological advancements in the surgical tables such as powered tables, rise in focus on the development of healthcare infrastructure, and increase in the number of hospitals are anticipated to propel the market. However, high cost of the technologically advanced tables is a major restrain for the surgical tables market.Market Scope: Global Surgical Tables MarketGlobal surgical tables market is segmented based on the table type, technology, application, and end userBased on the table type, the market is segmented into the following: Specialty operating tables Standard operating tablesBased on the technology, the market is segmented into the following: Powered surgical tables Non-powered surgical tablesBased on the application, the market is segmented into the following: General Surgery Tables Neurosurgery Tables Orthopedic Surgery Tables Imaging Tables Urological Surgery Tables OthersBased on the end user, the market is segmented into the following: Hospitals Clinics Ambulatory Surgical CentersTo view TOC of this report is available upon request @Regional Analysis: Global Surgical Tables MarketGeographically, global surgical tables market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. North America surgical tables market is poised to grow due to increase in the number of surgical procedures due to rise in prevalence of cardiac and neurological disorders, innovation of technologically advanced surgical tables, and well developed healthcare infrastructure are anticipated to fuel the market. Europe surgical tables market has a lucrative growth, which is attributed to high adoption of technologically advanced surgical tables, innovation of multi-functional surgical tables which are used for all types of surgeries, and rise in focus on the modernization of healthcare infrastructure are upsurge the revenue of market. However, a tremendous growth observed in Asia Pacific surgical tables market owing to increase in the number of surgical procedures due to rise in medical tourism, increase in geriatric population, and rise in gynecological surgeries in the region.Need more information about this report @Competition Assessment: Global Surgical Tables MarketSome of the players in the global surgical tables market include: Stryker Corporation (U.S.) AMTAI Medical Equipment, Inc.(U.S.) Span-America Medical Systems (U.S.) Allengers Medical Systems Limited (India) Elekta AB (Sweden) Getinge AB (Sweden) Steris Corporatin (U.S.) Skytron (U.S.) Midmark Corporation (U.S.) Hill-Rom, Inc. (U.S.)Notable Market Developments: Global Surgical Tables Market In January 2017, Hill-Rom strengthened its surgical solutions portfolio with the launch of TruSystem 3000 mobile operating tableGet access to full summary @Precision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.Kemp House,152  160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXEmail: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.comToll Free (US):+1-866-598-1553Website @Prescription/Rx Sunglass Market Growth to be Fuelled by Advancements in Technology (2015-2021)

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Prescription sunglasses are used for the protection of eyes from the harmful ultraviolet radiations which can cause permanent damage to the eyes. The prescription sunglasses are an effective way of limiting exposure of eyes to safe levels along with the dropping glare levels. These sunglasses are available in a wide range of sizes and styles for the people suffering from myopia, hypermetropia, presbyopia, and astigmatism. The features like comfort, modern design, style and adjustable frame, among others are making these sunglasses extremely appealing to the customers.The rising penetration of superior optics with high strength properties and ultra-light weight is expected to fuel the demand of prescription sunglass market over the forecast period. The growth is further supported by the growing adoption of e-commerce solutions which is encouraging the online purchase of these products. In addition, increasing focus for vision care due to new healthcare initiatives is fueling the demand for these products to provide effective eye care to people. Furthermore, the modern technological advancements in terms of high quality lens design and material composition is expected to drive the global market in the future as well. Moreover, the worldwide increasing population and growing cases of vision deficiency is providing ample opportunities to the prescription sunglass market retailers and manufacturers to expand their global reach in this market.Request Sample Report @Additionally, the increasing digitization in the field of production and development is anticipated to have a positive impact on the market. This is owing to the growing advancements in the sectors of plastics, metallurgy, optics, and other areas. Additionally, the growing public awareness about the risks associated with the ultraviolet radiation is accelerating the market growth tremendously. However, the rising acceptance of other vision corrective alternatives namely optical surgeries along with the growing contact lenses popularity is expected to restrict the market growth throughout the forecast period. Similarly, the high cost and strict eye-test regulations are one of the major factors which are inhibiting the growth of Prescription/Rx Sunglass market worldwide.The global prescription/Rx sunglass market has been segmented on the basis of lens material and geographical regions. Based on the type of lens material used, the market can be classified into CR-39, polyurethane, polycarbonate, and glass, among others. On the basis of various geographical regions, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America. In Asia Pacific, the demand for these products is mainly generating due to manufacturing of CR-39 (lens material) in countries such as India, China and Japan. This will lower the prices of prescription sunglasses in these regions resulting in creating more demand for the market. The demand in Europe is primarily driven by the availability of high-end brands in the region.Request to Browse Full Table of Content, figure and Tables @Some of the major players in the Prescription/Rx Sunglass market include Bausch & Lomb, Charmant Group, Carl Zeiss, CooperVision, CIBA Vision, Luxottica Group S.p.A., Hoya Corporation, Essilor International S.A., Fielmann AG, Safilo Group S.p.A., Johnson & Johnson, Marchon Eyewear, Bolle Safety, De Rigo SpA, SEE and Seiko Corp., among 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:Vasectomy Market - Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities and Analysis of Top Key Player Forecast To 2023

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Market Synopsis of Global Vasectomy MarketMarket ScenarioVasectomy is permanent male sterilization surgery, which involves the male vas deferens being severed to prevent sperm from entering into the urethra and thus preventing fertilization. Vasectomy is performed by several methods such as open or conventional vasectomy, no-scalpel techniques or minimally invasive technique. Vasectomy is a permanent procedure as a reversal is costly and often does not restore the male's fertility due to low sperm count or sperm motility. Vasectomy is a simple surgical procedure, which takes less than thirty minutes and no hospital stay. Most vasectomy patients can resume their sexual behavior within a week with little or no discomfort. Vasectomy may in some cases cause sperm granulomas due to the entry of the sperm into the scrotum and vasitis nodosa, which is a benign proliferation of the ductular epithelium. Vasectomy in about 60%-70% of cases causes anti-sperm antibodies.View Reports Sample @Vasectomy is the most effective permanent contraception for men and has more positive outlook such as more cost-effective, less invasive, and has a much lower risk of postoperative complications. Almost 90% of men had reported satisfaction with vasectomy especially when both people in the relationship agreed on the procedure. Despite medical advances and the demonstration of the superiority of vasectomy, female sterilization is the most widely used method worldwide, with approx. 250 million tubectomy surgeries compared to a pitiful of approximately 30 million vasectomies.The market drivers for global vasectomy market are rising demand due to growing population, increasing male-female equality, side effects of female contraception such as risk of cancer, hormonal disturbances, osteoporosis, rise in body weight etc., high safety profile of vasectomy and its simplicity over tubectomy, low cost of the surgical procedure and lack of hospitalization and others. The market restraints are the complications such as the risk of bleeding, infections, etc., lack of awareness, issues of male supremacy coupled with the non-reversible nature of vasectomy, social taboo, especially, in the developing regions and others.The global vasectomy market is expected to reach USD 24.0 billion at a CAGR of ~ 7.1 % during the by the end of forecast period 2017-2023.Intended AudienceGlobal Vasectomy manufacturers & suppliersResearch and development (R&D) companiesHospitals and clinicsAcademic institutes and universitiesSegmentsThe global vasectomy market has been classified into type, drugs, end user, and patients,On the basis of type, the market has been segmented as conventional vasectomy, no-scalpel vasectomy, and minimally invasive vasectomy.Based on the drugs, the market has been segmented as anesthetics, painkillers, antibiotics, and others.Based on the patients, the market has been segmented as human and animals.Based on the end user, the market has been segmented as hospitals and clinics, research and academics, and others.Regional AnalysisThe Americas account for a major share of the market owing to high expenditure on the health care, especially, of the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, the greater number of vasectomies due to greater male-female equality in the U.S. and Canada drives the vasectomy 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 surgeries in the returns of hospitals favors the market. Canada has a higher rate of people undergoing vasectomies than the U.S.Europe is the second largest market in the world due to growing the pharmaceutical and industrial base. 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. Belgium, Denmark, and Switzerland have a higher rate of people undergoing vasectomies than other nations of Europe.Asia Pacific region is expected to proliferate; China and India are likely to lead this market due to the fast-growing healthcare sector and large unmet needs over the forecast period. India was the first nation in the world to include population control as a national program way back in 1952. 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 vasectomy 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 weak economic and political conditions, and inadequate healthcare development. Botswana and South Africa are expected to be the future markets with approximately 1% rate of people undergoing vasectomies. Other regions are projected to be laggards due to the poor social development and tribal identities such as sub-Saharan Africa.Request Full Report @Key Players in the Global Vasectomy MarketSome of the key players profiled in the report are Pfizer, Inc., Abbott, GlaxoSmithKline plc, Sanofi S.A., Novartis AG, Bayer AG, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Eli Lilly and Company, Inc., Accurate Surgical & Scientific Instruments Corporation, Sklar Surgical Instruments, Advanced Meditech International 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Eye Cancer Market to significant growth through 2017-2023|Key players- Novartis AG (Switzerland), Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc. (U.S.), GlaxoSmithKline Plc. (U.K.) and Bayer AG (Germany)

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Market Scenario:Eye cancer occurs when healthy cells in or around the eye change and grow uncontrollably leading to the formation of tumors. Different types of eye cancers are observed namely intraocular cancer, squamous cell cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma, and others. These types of cancer affects eyeball, orbit (eye socket), and adnexal (accessory) structures. Over 100 types of cancers have been identified. According to cancer research UK, in 2012, globally over 14.1 million of new cancer cases were registered, which is expected to increase continuously in coming future. Additionally, as per the report published in American Society of Clinical Oncology, in 2015, over 3500 patients in the US were diagnosed with primary intraocular cancer. Because of deteriorating lifestyle due to alcoholism and smoking, there is a continued rise in the incidence of cancer. The global eye cancer market is majorly driven by the increasing prevalence of eye cancer across the globe. Additionally, increasing government support for research & development, rising healthcare expenditure and changing lifestyle has fuelled the market growth. Many types of treatment are available in the market, however, all the treatment show some or other side effects on the body. Side effects of the treatment, and high cost of the medicines may slow the growth of the market during the forecasted period.View Reports Sample @The global eye cancer market is expected to grow at a CAGR of ~8.3 % during the forecast period 2017-2023.Intended AudiencePharmaceutical CompaniesGovernment and private research companiesResearch and Development (R&D) CompaniesDrug Manufacturers and SuppliersMedical Research LaboratoriesSegmentationThe global eye cancer market is segmented on the basis of types, treatment and end users.On the basis of types, the market is segmented into intraocular cancer, squamous cell cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma, and others. Intraocular cancer is further segmented into melanoma of the eye, lymphoma of the eye, and eye cancers in children.On the basis of treatment, the market is categorised into chemotherapy, surgery & radiation therapy, targeted therapy, hormone therapy, biologic therapy, and other. Chemotherapy is further segmented into anthracyclines, taxanes, antimetabolites, and alkylating agents. Target therapy is sub segmented into monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Hormone therapy is further segmented into selective estrogen-receptor modulators (SERMs), aromatase inhibitors and others.On the basis of end users, the market is segmented into hospital & clinics, ambulatory care centers and others.Regional AnalysisThe Americas dominate the global eye cancer market owing to the increasing prevalence of people suffering with eye cancer. Additionally, well developed technology, high healthcare expenditure, and strong government support for research & development have fuelled the growth of the Americas eye cancer market. Furthermore, presence of the leading players in this region will support the growth in coming future.Europe accounts for the second largest eye cancer market, which is followed by Asia Pacific. Strong government support and availability of the funds for research & development have driven the market growth. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing eye cancer market owing to the increasing prevalence of cancer, rapidly developing economy and increasing government support.On the other hand, the Middle East & Africa hold the least share of the market due to limited availability of funds and availability of medical facilities, and poor political conditions in Africa. The Middle East holds the major share in the Middle East & Africa eye cancer market. Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and South Arabia holds the major share in the Middle East market. However, Africa region is expecting a healthy growth due to presence of huge opportunity for the development of the market.Request Full Report @Key Players for Global Eye Cancer MarketSome of key the players in the market are Novartis AG (Switzerland), Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc. (U.S.), GlaxoSmithKline Plc. (U.K.),Bayer AG (Germany), Amgen, Inc. (U.S.), Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (U.S.), Eli Lilly and Company (U.S.), AstraZeneca Plc. (U.K.), F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. (Switzerland), Janssen Biotech, Inc. (U.S.), Sanofi (France), AbbVie Inc. (U.S.), Takeda Pharmaceuticals (Japan), Pfizer, Inc. (U.S.), Merck & Co., Inc. (U.S.), Oncomed Pharmaceuticals (U.S.) and Immunomedics (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Sciatica Market Key players- Endo Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Novartis AG and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Market study and Forecast 2017-2023

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Market Synopsis of Global Sciatica MarketMarket ScenarioSciatica is characterized by pain going down the leg from the lower back due to irritation of the lumbar or sacral nerves. Sciatica is triggered by activities like heavy lifting and jerky movements. However the condition can also develop gradually. Typically, sciatica symptoms occur on one side of the body although in some cases the pain can be on both sides. The other symptoms of sciatica are weakness or numbness in the affected leg, burning or tingling down the affected leg, and constant pain on one side of the rear. The causes of sciatica are spondylolisthesis, muscle spasm in the back or buttock, spinal stenosis, piriformis syndrome, pelvic tumours, pregnancy and others. However, spinal disc herniation is the primary cause of sciatica in about 90% of the cases. Other uncommon causes are lumbar degenerative disc disease, osteophytes and arthritis of the spine.View Reports Sample @Sciatica generally resolves on its own in about 90% of the cases. However it can result in severe pain which may need surgical intervention. Surgery may be required if complications occur such as bowel or bladder problems. Sciatica affects 40% of people at some point in their life time. Sciatica is most common during people's 40s and 50s, and men are more frequently affected than women.The market drivers for global sciatica market are rise in demand due to growing population, increasing screening, rising cases of geriatrics, rising safety and success of drug treatment, the extricating nature of the pain and others. The market restraints are the complications of surgery such as risk of bleeding, infections, pain, high cost of sciatica treatment, and others.The global sciatica market is expected to reach USD 18.9 billion by 2023, and the market is projected to grow at a CAGR of ~ 8.0 % during the forecast period 2017-2023.Intended AudienceGlobal Sciatica manufacturers & suppliersResearch and development (R&D) companiesHospitals and clinicsAcademic institutes and universitiesSegmentsThe global sciatica market has been segmented on the basis of types, drug treatment, devices and end user.Based on the types, the market has been segmented as L4 nerve root sciatica, L5 nerve root sciatica, S1 nerve root sciatica and others.Based on the drugs, the market has been segmented as anesthetics, pain killers, muscle relaxants, antidepressants, steroids and others.Based on the non-drug treatment, the market has been segmented as physiotherapy, acupuncture, stimulation devices, surgery and others.Based on the end user, the market has been segmented as hospitals and clinics, research and academics and others.Regional AnalysisThe Americas accounts for a significant market share owing to high expenditure on the healthcare especially of the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, greater number of orthopedic procedures due to greater healthcare penetration in the U.S. and Canada drives the sciatica market. The high concentration of the major hospitals in the developed countries of this region coupled with good reimbursement rates is adding fuel to the market growth. Moreover, the large share of surgical procedures especially the sciatica treatment in the returns of hospitals favors the market. A large number of medical devices companies in the U.S. is also a cause for the faster development of sciatica market in the US.Europe is the second largest market in the world due to the growing medical devices industry and healthcare penetration. The European market growth is led by countries such as Germany and France. Germany is expected to be the fastest growing market over the assessment period due to its large medical devices industry.Asia Pacific region is expected to grow rapidly where China and India are likely to lead the market due to faster growing healthcare sector and larger 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 sciatica market in the region.Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are estimated to drive the Middle East & African market. Other Middle Eastern 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 @Key Players in the Global Sciatica MarketSome of the key players profiled in the report are Endo Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Novartis AG, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Neurotech, Nidd Valley Medical, Omega Laser Systems Ltd., Omron Healthcare, Inc., Sanofi 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Global Cooking Oil Market - Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013-2017 and Forecast 2018-2024

Global Cooking Oil Market

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Global Cooking Oil Market: By Product Type (Vegetable and Seed Oils, Spreadable Oils and Fats, Cooking Fats, Olive Oil, Others), By Source (Animal and Plant), By Distribution Channel (Super Markets & Hyper Markets, Online Stores, Departmental Stores, and Others), and Geography - Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013-2017 and Forecast 2018-2024Global cooking oil market was valued at US $ XX Mn in 2017 and expected to grow at 1.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over 2017 to 2023.Market Outline: Global Cooking Oil MarketCooking oil is the animal, plant, or synthetic fat used in the baking, frying, and other types of cooking. These are made up of saturated, monosaturated, and polysaturated fatty acids. Polysaturated and monosaturated fats lower the cholesterol level in body, while saturated fats increase cholesterol levels. Cooking oil is also used as flavoring purpose, food preparation, salad dressings, and bread dips among others. Most commonly used cooking oils are soybean oil, palm oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, corn oil, and peanut oil among others.Market Dynamics: Global Cooking Oil MarketIncrease in the cooking oils consumption in food services and household sector is a key factor driving the global cooking oil market. Moreover, rise in population, increase in the production of oilseeds such as sunflower, ground nut, and palm seeds, change in food habits, rise in per capita income, and increase in the R&D for innovation of newer products, and increase in the preference for processed foods are anticipated to upsurge the revenue of global cooking oil market. However, change in food trends due to rise in health awareness, stringent regulations for the manufacturing of cooking oil, and high cost of these products may restrain the growth of global cooking oil market over the forecast years.A sample of this report is available upon request @#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnxMarket Scope: Global Cooking Oil MarketGlobal cooking oil market is segmented based on product type, source, and distribution channelBased on the product type, the market is segmented into the following:Vegetable and Seed OilsSunflower OilSoybeanPalm OilGround Nut OilCanola OilOthersSpreadable Oils and FatsMargarineButterCooking FatsOlive OilOthersBased on source, market is segmented into the following:AnimalPlantBased on the distribution channel, the market is segmented into the following:Super markets & Hyper MarketsOnline StoresDepartmental StoresOthersTo view TOC of this report is available upon request @Regional Analysis: Global Cooking Oil MarketGeographically, global cooking oil market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. North America cooking oil market is rising due to increase in the demand for processed feed, technological advancements in cooking oil processing in the region. Europe cooking oil market is growing at a significant CAGR owing to increase in the production of cholesterol-free and low calorie cooking oils, change in the food habits, and rise in disposable income are expected to promote the growth of market in the region. Asia Pacific cooking oil market is poised to grow at significant rate due to increase in the population majorly in China and India, rise in the production of oilseed crops, and increase in the number cooking oil processing industries in the Asia-Pacific region.Need more information about this report @Competition Assessment: Global Cooking Oil MarketSome of the players in the global cooking oil market include:Cargill Inc. (U.S.)Unilever PLC (Netherlands)Savola Group (Saudi Arabia)Archer Daniels Midland (U.S.)Wilmar International Limited (Singapore)Associated British Foods plc (U.K)United Plantations Berhad (Malaysia)Conagra Brands, Inc. (U.S.)Notable Market Developments: Global Cooking Oil MarketIn October 2017, Cargill Inc. expanded its food retailing business in India including edible oil brandsGet access to full summary @Precision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needsKemp House,152  160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXEmail: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.comToll Free (US): +1-866-598-1553Website @Neuromicroscopy Market to Increase to 5.5% CAGR during 2017-2026

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Extensive research is being conducted on a large scale by various institutions to understand the complex nervous functioning. Meanwhile, the rise in the nervous system and genetic disorders are also driving the demand for advanced neuromicroscopy technology. Manufacturers are also focusing on developing high-end microscopes using latest technologies. Researchers are also focusing on new augmented microscopy technology to provide an electrically processed image using Near-Infrared Fluorescence to help surgeons operate with greater precision, thereby minimizing the risk. Moreover, the rise in the use of surgical microscopes in the recent years also presents an opportunity for manufacturers to develop and provide a highly-efficient product.Request for Sample Copy of Report @Key companies operating in the global neuromicroscopy market are GE Healthcare Inc., Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Danaher Corporation, Siemens AG, Hitachi Ltd, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Haag-Streit AG, Pridex Medicare Pvt. Ltd., and Synaptive Medical Inc. Growing number of firms and increasing investment in research and development by the key players is leading to the intense competition. Hence, companies are focusing on developing new products in order to stay in the competition.Global Neuromicroscopy Market to Witness Steady Growth during the Forecast Period 2017-2026According to the report by Transparency Market Research (TMR), the global neuromicroscopy market is expected to witness steady growth. The market is projected to register 5.5% CAGR during the forecast period 2017-2026. By the end of 2026, the global neuromicroscopy market is projected to reach US$ 99.7 million revenue.The global neuromicroscopy market is segmented on the basis of product type, modality, and end user. On the basis of product type, the market segment consists of softwares, devices, and services. Among these, devices are expected to emerge as the most preferred product in the global neuromicroscopy market during the forecast period 2017-2026. Based on the modality, the market is segmented into portable devices and standalone devices. Standalone devices are expected to account for highest revenue share. In terms of the end-user, the segment consists of ambulatory surgical centers, hospitals, and specialty clinics. Hospitals are expected to emerge as one of the largest users in the global neuromicroscopy market during the forecast period 2017-2026.Enquiry for discount on this report @Region-wise, the global neuromicroscopy market is segmented into Europe, North America, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Among these, Europe is expected to dominate the global neuromicroscopy market throughout the forecast period 2017-2026. Increasing number of research projects being conducted by universities is driving the market growth. Increasing number of neuro and spine surgeries is also leading to the development of advanced surgical microscopes. This is also resulting in the market growth in the region.Manufacturers Focusing on Developing Advanced MicroscopesBiomedical engineers and researchers are focusing on introducing new technologies in neuromicroscopy. Better imaging technology can make it easy for surgeons to conduct a successful surgery. For instance, advanced laser-based microscopic technology can help neurosurgeons to identify tumor tissue and help in resolving long-term issues in cancer surgery that needs faster and more effective method. Companies are also moving towards integrating virtual reality in microscope imaging system to help during neurosurgery. Improving conceptual understanding of complex neuro system, advanced neuroimaging technologies are also being developed. Manufacturers are developing new products and are also providing advanced 3D visualization technology to help surgeons plan and understand the surgical approach.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:Candle 2018 Global Market Key Players -S. C. Johnson & Son, Armadilla Wax Works, Kingking, Everlight, Gies, Chesapeake Bay Candle, Lancaster Colony, Candle-lite-Analysis And Forecast To 2022

Candle Market 2018

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Candle Market 2018Wiseguyreports.Com Adds Candle-Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Manufacturers, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2022 To Its Research Database.Description:Based on the Candle industrial chain, this report mainly elaborate the definition, types, applications and major players of Candle market in details. Deep analysis about market status (2012-2017), enterprise competition pattern, advantages and disadvantages of enterprise Products, industry development trends (2017-2022), regional industrial layout characteristics and macroeconomic policies, industrial policy has also be included. From raw materials to downstream buyers of this industry will be analyzed scientifically, the feature of product circulation and sales channel will be presented as well. In a word, this report will help you to establish a panorama of industrial development and characteristics of the Candle market.The Candle market can be split based on product types, major applications, and important regions.Major Players in Candle market are:S. C. Johnson & SonArmadilla Wax WorksKingkingEverlightGiesChesapeake Bay CandleLancaster ColonyCandle-liteBolsiusLangley/Emprire CandlePintian WaxColonial CandleVollmarJarden CorpAlliteTalentDianne's Custom CandlesBlythZhongnamRequest for Sample Report@Major Regions play vital role in Candle market are:North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanMiddle East & AfricaIndiaSouth AmericaOthersMost important types of Candle products covered in this report are:Synthetic Wax CandlesParaffin Wax CandlesVegetable Wax CandlesAnimal Wax CandlesMost widely used downstream fields of Candle market covered in this report are:Craft FieldTraditional FieldEnquiry before Buying @If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table of Contents:Global Candle Industry Market Research Report1 Candle Introduction and Market Overview1.1 Objectives of the Study1.2 Definition of Candle1.3 Candle Market Scope and Market Size Estimation1.3.1 Market Concentration Ratio and Market Maturity Analysis1.3.2 Global Candle Value ($) and Growth Rate from 2012-20221.4 Market Segmentation1.4.1 Types of Candle1.4.2 Applications of Candle1.4.3 Research Regions1.4.3.1 North America Candle Production Value ($) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)1.4.3.2 Europe Candle Production Value ($) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)1.4.3.3 China Candle Production Value ($) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)1.4.3.4 Japan Candle Production Value ($) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)1.4.3.5 Middle East & Africa Candle Production Value ($) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)1.4.3.6 India Candle Production Value ($) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)1.4.3.7 South America Candle Production Value ($) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Drivers1.5.1.1 Emerging Countries of Candle1.5.1.2 Growing Market of Candle1.5.2 Limitations1.5.3 Opportunities1.6 Industry News and Policies by Regions1.6.1 Industry News1.6.2 Industry Policies2 Industry Chain Analysis2.1 Upstream Raw Material Suppliers of Candle Analysis2.2 Major Players of Candle2.2.1 Major Players Manufacturing Base and Market Share of Candle in 20162.2.2 Major Players Product Types in 20162.3 Candle Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis2.3.1 Production Process Analysis2.3.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure of Candle2.3.3 Raw Material Cost of Candle2.3.4 Labor Cost of Candle2.4 Market Channel Analysis of Candle2.5 Major Downstream Buyers of Candle Analysis..8 Competitive Landscape8.1 Competitive Profile8.2 S. C. Johnson & Son8.2.1 Company Profiles8.2.2 Candle Product Introduction and Market Positioning8.2.2.1 Product Introduction8.2.2.2 Market Positioning and Target Customers8.2.3 S. C. Johnson & Son Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2012-2017E8.2.4 S. C. Johnson & Son Market Share of Candle Segmented by Region in 20168.3 Armadilla Wax Works8.3.1 Company Profiles8.3.2 Candle Product Introduction and Market Positioning8.3.2.1 Product Introduction8.3.2.2 Market Positioning and Target Customers8.3.3 Armadilla Wax Works Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2012-2017E8.3.4 Armadilla Wax Works Market Share of Candle Segmented by Region in 20168.4 Kingking8.4.1 Company Profiles8.4.2 Candle Product Introduction and Market Positioning8.4.2.1 Product Introduction8.4.2.2 Market Positioning and Target Customers8.4.3 Kingking Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2012-2017E8.4.4 Kingking Market Share of Candle Segmented by Region in 20168.5 Everlight8.5.1 Company Profiles8.5.2 Candle Product Introduction and Market Positioning8.5.2.1 Product Introduction8.5.2.2 Market Positioning and Target Customers8.5.3 Everlight Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2012-2017E8.5.4 Everlight Market Share of Candle Segmented by Region in 20168.6 Gies8.6.1 Company Profiles8.6.2 Candle Product Introduction and Market Positioning8.6.2.1 Product Introduction8.6.2.2 Market Positioning and Target Customers8.6.3 Gies Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2012-2017E8.6.4 Gies Market Share of Candle Segmented by Region in 20168.7 Chesapeake Bay Candle8.7.1 Company Profiles8.7.2 Candle Product Introduction and Market Positioning8.7.2.1 Product Introduction8.7.2.2 Market Positioning and Target Customers8.7.3 Chesapeake Bay Candle Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2012-2017E8.7.4 Chesapeake Bay Candle Market Share of Candle Segmented by Region in 20168.8 Lancaster Colony8.8.1 Company Profiles8.8.2 Candle Product Introduction and Market Positioning8.8.2.1 Product Introduction8.8.2.2 Market Positioning and Target Customers8.8.3 Lancaster Colony Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2012-2017E8.8.4 Lancaster Colony Market Share of Candle Segmented by Region in 20168.9 Candle-lite8.9.1 Company Profiles8.9.2 Candle Product Introduction and Market Positioning8.9.2.1 Product Introduction8.9.2.2 Market Positioning and Target Customers8.9.3 Candle-lite Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2012-2017E8.9.4 Candle-lite Market Share of Candle Segmented by Region in 20168.10 Bolsius8.10.1 Company Profiles8.10.2 Candle Product Introduction and Market Positioning8.10.2.1 Product Introduction8.10.2.2 Market Positioning and Target Customers8.10.3 Bolsius Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2012-2017E8.10.4 Bolsius Market Share of Candle Segmented by Region in 20168.11 Langley/Emprire Candle8.11.1 Company Profiles8.11.2 Candle Product Introduction and Market Positioning8.11.2.1 Product Introduction8.11.2.2 Market Positioning and Target Customers8.11.3 Langley/Emprire Candle Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2012-2017E8.11.4 Langley/Emprire Candle Market Share of Candle Segmented by Region in 20168.12 Pintian Wax8.12.1 Company Profiles8.12.2 Candle Product Introduction and Market Positioning8.12.2.1 Product Introduction8.12.2.2 Market Positioning and Target Customers8.12.3 Pintian Wax Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2012-2017E8.12.4 Pintian Wax Market Share of Candle Segmented by Region in 20168.13 Colonial Candle8.13.1 Company Profiles8.13.2 Candle Product Introduction and Market Positioning8.13.2.1 Product Introduction8.13.2.2 Market Positioning and Target Customers8.13.3 Colonial Candle Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2012-2017E8.13.4 Colonial Candle Market Share of Candle Segmented by Region in 20168.14 Vollmar8.14.1 Company Profiles8.14.2 Candle Product Introduction and Market Positioning8.14.2.1 Product Introduction8.14.2.2 Market Positioning and Target Customers8.14.3 Vollmar Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2012-2017E8.14.4 Vollmar Market Share of Candle Segmented by Region in 20168.15 Jarden Corp8.15.1 Company Profiles8.15.2 Candle Product Introduction and Market Positioning8.15.2.1 Product Introduction8.15.2.2 Market Positioning and Target Customers8.15.3 Jarden Corp Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2012-2017E8.15.4 Jarden Corp Market Share of Candle Segmented by Region in 20168.16 Allite8.16.1 Company Profiles8.16.2 Candle Product Introduction and Market Positioning8.16.2.1 Product Introduction8.16.2.2 Market Positioning and Target Customers8.16.3 Allite Production, Value ($), Price, Gross Margin 2012-2017E8.16.4 Allite Market Share of Candle Segmented by Region in 20168.17 Talent8.18 Dianne's Custom Candles8.19 Blyth8.20 ZhongnamContinued..Buy now @Contact US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:: Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt Ltd: Pune  411028: Maharashtra,: Ph: +91 841 198 5042Airway/Lung Stent Market is Increasing to 5.7% CAGR During 2017-2026

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The global airway/lung stent market has been foreseen to witness the growing prominence of established players such as Boston Scientific Corporation which had demonstrated a substantial growth in 2016. However, according to Transparency Market Research (TMR), other companies such as Cook Medical Inc., Teleflex Inc., and C. R. Bard, Inc. could also be in the hunt of securing a major share of the market.Request for Sample Copy of Report @In the recent years, Boston Scientific has been involved in the acquisition of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to stretch its product portfolio in intervention pulmonology. This had been evident when it acquired intervention pulmonology and gastroenterology products manufacturer, EndoChoice Holdings. The company has been anticipated to sustain its stronghold in the global airway/lung stent market with the help of its brand value and innovations.The global airway/lung stent market, as prognosticated by TMR, could grow at a 5.7% CAGR between 2017 and 2026 to be worth a US$0.1 bn approximately by the completion of the forecast tenure. In terms of product, the market could be divided into different segments, out of which self-expandable has been predicted to rank higher as it reaches a valuation of US$0.1 bn by the end of 2026. Geographically, North America could take a commanding position in the market on the basis of revenue.Lifesaving Functionality Helps Airway/Lung Stent to Develop its ProminenceThe world airway/lung stent market has been foreseen to attain growth on the back of a growing preference for minimally invasive procedures, escalating number of lung cancer cases around the globe, and the aggressive increase in the size of geriatric population. Airway/lung stent has been gaining a whole lot of significance due to its lifesaving functionality as it lowers the risk of heart attack. While this could lead to a strong growth in the market, the advent of new products as a result of the advancement in technology has been projected to help vendors to extend their reach in the industry.Enquiry for discount on this report @Today, device manufacturing involves the usage of 3D printing which has experienced a swift development in the recent time. Consequently, 3D printing has been extensively used by clinicians and researchers. This could be evident with the organized development of 3D printed drug-coated and patient-specific stents executed by researchers at ETH Zurich, the University of Hospital Zurich, and the University of Zurich.Alternative Treatments Bench Airway/Lung Stent while Weakening AdoptionOn the negative side of growth, the international airway/lung stent market has been envisaged to be vulnerable as the adoption of stents suffers a decline due to the presence of substitute treatments. For instance, end-to-end anastomosis, tracheostomy cannula, laryngofissure creation, anterior cricotracheal resection, and steroid regimen could be used as substitute treatments for tracheal stenosis.Request for the TOC of the Report @Nevertheless, players could expect lucrative business prospects to come through with university partnerships for economical methods and product innovation. Changes in stent size and type to avoid complications such as airway perforation, migration, and granulation tissue formation have been expected to draw more business in the market. North America bearing an expansive presence of stents manufacturers could also create ample of opportunities in the market.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:After having spent the better part of the past four years at home in Indiana, returning Breeders Crown champion Beckhams Z Tam is ready to step out for what trainer Jamie Macomber hopes is the first of numerous road trips this season.

Beckhams Z Tam will leave Indiana for only the second time in his life when he visits Harrahs Philadelphia this Sunday (May 27) for the $150,000 Commodore Barry Invitational for older male pacers. Beckhams Z Tams only previous road trip came last year for his elimination of the North America Cup in Ontario, where he finished ninth.

Following that race, Beckhams Z Tam hit the board in 14 consecutive starts. He won seven of those starts, including the Breeders Crown for three-year-old male pacers on his home turf at Hoosier Park. Overall in 2017, Beckhams Z Tam won 11 of 20 races, was top three a total of 18 times, and earned $512,545.

This year, the four-year-old horse is ready to give the Grand Circuit a try on a regular basis.

Were going to give it a shot, said Macomber, who trains Beckhams Z Tam for owner Bill Matzs Z Tam Stables. As long as he seems to be OK with the travelling and racing at the high-competition level, then well continue on the stakes season. You always wonder how theyre going to handle the travel and the hard races every week, but for some reason, it doesnt concern me with Beckham. I think he will handle it fine.

Hes a relaxed horse, so as long as I dont change his schedule too much  he likes to eat breakfast and then go back to sleep, take a nap, and then get up to do his work  I think he will be OK. I dont plan on changing much, except where he sleeps at night.

The Commodore Barry Invitational, named in honour of American Revolution hero Commodore John Barry, a native of Ireland who lived in Philadelphia and was the first commissioned officer of the U.S. Navy, is part of an invitational tripleheader at Philly with the Betsy Ross for older female pacers and Maxie Lee for older trotters.

In addition, the card includes a Great Northeast Open Series event for trotters  featuring 2017 Horse of the Year Hannelore Hanover  and Great Northeast Open Series races for male and female pacers. There also will be two divisions of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for three-year-old female pacers. The action will begin at 12:40 p.m. (EDT).

Beckhams Z Tam heads to the Commodore Barry off a second-place finish in his seasonal debut in the May 11 Invitational at Hoosier Park. He will start the Commodore Barry from Post 1 in a field that includes Confederation Cup winner Filibuster Hanover (unbeaten in three races this year) and two horses with more than $2 million in career earnings (Mach It So and McWicked).

I would have liked a couple more starts, but were happy with the one start that we did have, said Macomber, who turns over the driving lines to her husband, Ricky. He didnt get a lot bigger (over the winter). He filled out some, but not a lot. His personality is still awesome. If anything, he is just a little bit more mature.

Macomber hopes that maturity helps Beckhams Z Tam make the transition to racing against older foes in stakes competition. Beckhams Z Tam, a son of Always A Virgin out of Saras Lucky Charm, has won 11 of 27 lifetime starts and earned $565,494.

When hes racing hes all business, Macomber said. Hes not been raced a lot, so hopefully hes got plenty of good miles left in him.

The field for the Commodore Barry Invitational (with listed drivers and trainers) appears below.

(Post  Horse  Listed Driver  Trainer)

1. Beckhams Z Tam, Ricky Macomber Jr., Jamie Macomber

2. Western Joe, Scott Zeron, Christopher Choate

3. Heaven Rocks A, David Miller, Ross Croghan

4. Filibuster Hanover, Yannick Gingras, Ron Burke

5. Rockeyed Optimist, Brett Miller, Jake Leamon

6. Rodeo Romeo, Andy McCarthy, Chris Ryder

7. McWicked, Brian Sears, Casie Coleman

8. Mach It So, George Napolitano Jr., Jeff Bamond Jr.

(USTA)Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Global Market 2018: Key Players  Teva, Novartis, SAP, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson

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Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient IndustryDescriptionWiseguyreports.Com Adds Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities and Analysis Of Top Key Player Forecast To 2023 To Its Research DatabaseThis report studies the global Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient market status and forecast, categorizes the global Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient 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.The major manufacturers covered in this reportTevaNovartisPfizerJohnson & JohnsonMylanNorth China Pharmaceutical GroupDr. Reddys LaboratoriesRocheAurobindo pharmaSun Pharmaceutical IndustriesBoehringer Ingelheim GmbHBayerBASFDSMZhejiang MedicineBioconJohnson MattheyHisun PharmacyCambrexShandong Xinhua PharmaceuticalLonza groupHuahai PharmaceuticalHaerbin Pharmaceutical GroupCiplaTian YaoLupinNorth East PharmaceuticalAlbemarleShandong Lukang PharmaceuticalJiangsu Hengrui MedicineRequest for Sample Report @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 & AfricaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoSynthetic APIBiotech APIOtherOn 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, includingChemicalDeodorantDailylifeThe study objectives of this report are:To analyze and study the global Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient sales, value, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025).Focuses on the key Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient 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 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient 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 StakeholdersActive Pharmaceutical Ingredient ManufacturersActive Pharmaceutical Ingredient Distributors/Traders/WholesalersActive Pharmaceutical Ingredient Subcomponent ManufacturersIndustry AssociationDownstream VendorsAvailable CustomizationsWith the given market data, We offers customizations according to the company's specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:Regional and country-level analysis of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient market, by end-use.Detailed analysis and profiles of additional market players.Leave a Query @Table of ContentsGlobal Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Market Research Report 20181 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient1.2 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Synthetic API1.2.4 Biotech API1.2.5 Other1.3 Global Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Segment by Application1.3.1 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Chemical1.3.3 Deodorant1.3.4 Dailylife1.4 Global Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Market by Region (2013-2025)1.4.1 Global Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient 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 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025)...7 Global Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Teva7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Teva Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Novartis7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Novartis Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Pfizer7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Pfizer Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Johnson & Johnson7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Johnson & Johnson Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Mylan7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Mylan Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 North China Pharmaceutical Group7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 North China Pharmaceutical Group Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 Dr. Reddys Laboratories7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 Dr. Reddys Laboratories Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 Roche7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 Roche Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.9 Aurobindo pharma7.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.9.2 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Product Category, Application and Specification7.9.2.1 Product A7.9.2.2 Product B7.9.3 Aurobindo pharma Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.9.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.10 Sun Pharmaceutical Industries7.10.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.10.2 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Product Category, Application and Specification7.10.2.1 Product A7.10.2.2 Product B7.10.3 Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.10.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.11 Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH7.12 Bayer7.13 BASF7.14 DSM7.15 Zhejiang Medicine7.16 Biocon7.17 Johnson Matthey7.18 Hisun Pharmacy7.19 Cambrex7.20 Shandong Xinhua Pharmaceutical7.21 Lonza group7.22 Huahai Pharmaceutical7.23 Haerbin Pharmaceutical Group7.24 Cipla7.25 Tian Yao7.26 Lupin7.27 North East Pharmaceutical7.28 Albemarle7.29 Shandong Lukang Pharmaceutical7.30 Jiangsu Hengrui MedicineBuy Now @Continued...Contact Us: Sales@Wiseguyreports.Com Ph: +1-646-845-9349 (Us) Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (Uk)About Us:Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Addres:Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt LtdPune  411028Maharashtra, GlobalPh: +91 841 198 5042Soybean Oligosaccharides Market 2018 Global Analysis By Key Players  Ajinomoto, Shansong Biological, ADM, Gushen Group, Xi'an XiaoCao

Soybean Oligosaccharides Market

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SummaryWiseGuyReports.com adds Soybean Oligosaccharides Market 2018 Global Analysis, Growth, Trends and Opportunities Research Report Forecasting to 2023 reports to its database.This report provides in depth study of Soybean Oligosaccharides Market using SWOT analysis i.e. Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat to the organization. The Soybean Oligosaccharides Market report also provides an in-depth survey of key players in the market which is based on the various objectives of an organization such as profiling, the product outline, the quantity of production, required raw material, and the financial health of the organization.This report studies the global Soybean Oligosaccharides market status and forecast, categorizes the global Soybean Oligosaccharides 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.The major manufacturers covered in this reportAjinomotoShansong BiologicalADMGushen GroupXi'an XiaoCaoGeographically, this report studies the key regions, focuses on product sales, value, market share and growth opportunity in these regions, coveringNorth AmericaEuropeAsia-PacificSouth AmericaMiddle East & AfricaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoSyrupPowderOn 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 IndustryHealthcare ProductsPharmaceutical ProductsOthersRequest a Sample Report @Major Key Points in Table of ContentGlobal Soybean Oligosaccharides Market Research Report 20181 Soybean Oligosaccharides Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Soybean Oligosaccharides1.2 Soybean Oligosaccharides Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Syrup1.2.4 Powder1.3 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Segment by Application1.3.1 Soybean Oligosaccharides Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Food Industry1.3.3 Healthcare Products1.3.4 Pharmaceutical Products1.3.5 Others1.4 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Market by Region (2013-2025)1.4.1 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides 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 Soybean Oligosaccharides (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025)2 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.1 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.3 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Average Price by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.4 Manufacturers Soybean Oligosaccharides Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Soybean Oligosaccharides Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Soybean Oligosaccharides Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Soybean Oligosaccharides Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)3.1 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Capacity and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.2 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Production and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.3 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.4 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.5 North America Soybean Oligosaccharides Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.6 Europe Soybean Oligosaccharides Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.7 Asia-Pacific Soybean Oligosaccharides Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.8 South America Soybean Oligosaccharides Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.9 Middle East & Africa Soybean Oligosaccharides Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)4 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2018)4.1 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Consumption by Region (2013-2018)4.2 North America Soybean Oligosaccharides Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018)4.3 Europe Soybean Oligosaccharides Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018)4.4 Asia-Pacific Soybean Oligosaccharides Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018)4.5 South America Soybean Oligosaccharides Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018)4.6 Middle East & Africa Soybean Oligosaccharides Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2013-2018)5 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Production and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)5.2 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Revenue and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)5.3 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Price by Type (2013-2018)5.4 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Production Growth by Type (2013-2018)6 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Market Analysis by Application6.1 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Consumption and Market Share by Application (2013-2018)6.2 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Consumption Growth Rate by Application (2013-2018)6.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities6.3.1 Potential Applications6.3.2 Emerging Markets/Countries7 Global Soybean Oligosaccharides Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Ajinomoto7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Soybean Oligosaccharides Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Ajinomoto Soybean Oligosaccharides Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Shansong Biological7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Soybean Oligosaccharides Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Shansong Biological Soybean Oligosaccharides Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 ADM7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Soybean Oligosaccharides Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 ADM Soybean Oligosaccharides Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Gushen Group7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Soybean Oligosaccharides Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Gushen Group Soybean Oligosaccharides Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Xi'an XiaoCao7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Soybean Oligosaccharides Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Xi'an XiaoCao Soybean Oligosaccharides Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.5.4 Main Business/Business OverviewAt any Query @Continued....Contact Us: sales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US) ; Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.ADDRESS:WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaComposite Panel Market 2018 Global Analysis By Key Players  Alucobond, Alstrong, Reynobond, Alpolic, Almaxco, Swedspan

Composite Panel Industry

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WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On  Composite Panel Market 2018 Global Analysis By Key Players  Alucobond, Alstrong, Reynobond, Alpolic, Almaxco, Swedspan.Composite Panel-Global Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 offers a comprehensive analysis on Composite Panel industry, standing on the readers perspective, delivering detailed market data and penetrating insights. No matter the client is industry insider, potential entrant or investor, the report will provides useful data and information.Key questions answered by this report include:Worldwide and Regional Market Size of Composite Panel 2013-2017, and development forecast 2018-2023Main manufacturers/suppliers of Composite Panel worldwide, with company and product introduction, position in the Composite Panel marketMarket status and development trend of Composite Panel by types and applicationsCost and profit status of Composite Panel, and marketing statusMarket growth drivers and challengesGet a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comThe report segments the global Composite Panel market as:Global Composite Panel Market: Regional Segment Analysis (Regional Production Volume, Consumption Volume, Revenue and Growth Rate 2013-2023):North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanRest APACLatin AmericaGlobal Composite Panel Market: Type Segment Analysis (Consumption Volume, Average Price, Revenue, Market Share and Trend 2013-2023):Metal Composite PanelWood Composite PanelColor Coated Steel Composite PanelRock Wool Composite PanelOther TypeGlobal Composite Panel Market: Application Segment Analysis (Consumption Volume and Market Share 2013-2023; Downstream Customers and Market Analysis)BuildingFurnitureIndustrial EquipmentOther ApplicationGlobal Composite Panel Market: Manufacturers Segment Analysis (Company and Product introduction, Composite Panel Sales Volume, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin):AlucobondAlstrongReynobondAlpolicSwiss Krono GroupAlubondJyi Shyang IndustrialAlucoilSistem MetalAlmaxcoKronospan M&P KaindlEggerSonae IndustriaLouisiana-PacificAraucoNorbordGeorgia-Pacific Wood ProductsDuratex SAPfleidererWeyerhaeuserKastamonu EntegreSwedspanMASISAFinsaDongwhaYaretJiXiang GroupSeven GroupJiangxi HongtaiLikeairReport Details @Table Of Contents  Major Key PointsChapter 1 Overview of Composite Panel1.1 Definition of Composite Panel in This Report1.2 Commercial Types of Composite Panel1.2.1 Metal Composite Panel1.2.2 Wood Composite Panel1.2.3 Color Coated Steel Composite Panel1.2.4 Rock Wool Composite Panel1.2.5 Other Type1.3 Downstream Application of Composite Panel1.3.1 Building1.3.2 Furniture1.3.3 Industrial Equipment1.3.4 Other Application1.4 Development History of Composite Panel1.5 Market Status and Trend of Composite Panel 2013-20231.5.1 Global Composite Panel Market Status and Trend 2013-20231.5.2 Regional Composite Panel Market Status and Trend 2013-2023Chapter 2 Global Market Status and Forecast by Regions2.1 Market Development of Composite Panel 2013-20172.2 Production Market of Composite Panel by Regions2.2.1 Production Volume of Composite Panel by Regions2.2.2 Production Value of Composite Panel by Regions2.3 Demand Market of Composite Panel by Regions2.4 Production and Demand Status of Composite Panel by Regions2.4.1 Production and Demand Status of Composite Panel by Regions 2013-20172.4.2 Import and Export Status of Composite Panel by Regions 2013-2017Chapter 3 Global Market Status and Forecast by Types3.1 Production Volume of Composite Panel by Types3.2 Production Value of Composite Panel by Types3.3 Market Forecast of Composite Panel by TypesChapter 4 Global Market Status and Forecast by Downstream Industry4.1 Demand Volume of Composite Panel by Downstream Industry4.2 Market Forecast of Composite Panel by Downstream IndustryChapter 5 Market Driving Factor Analysis of Composite Panel5.1 Global Economy Situation and Trend Overview5.2 Composite Panel Downstream Industry Situation and Trend OverviewChapter 6 Composite Panel Market Competition Status by Major Manufacturers6.1 Production Volume of Composite Panel by Major Manufacturers6.2 Production Value of Composite Panel by Major Manufacturers6.3 Basic Information of Composite Panel by Major Manufacturers6.3.1 Headquarters Location and Established Time of Composite Panel Major Manufacturer6.3.2 Employees and Revenue Level of Composite Panel Major Manufacturer6.4 Market Competition News and Trend6.4.1 Merger, Consolidation or Acquisition News6.4.2 Investment or Disinvestment News6.4.3 New Product Development and LaunchChapter 7 Composite Panel Major Manufacturers Introduction and Market Data7.1 Alucobond7.1.1 Company profile7.1.2 Representative Composite Panel Product7.1.3 Composite Panel Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of Alucobond7.2 Alstrong7.2.1 Company profile7.2.2 Representative Composite Panel Product7.2.3 Composite Panel Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of Alstrong7.3 Reynobond7.3.1 Company profile7.3.2 Representative Composite Panel Product7.3.3 Composite Panel Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of Reynobond7.4 Alpolic7.4.1 Company profile7.4.2 Representative Composite Panel Product7.4.3 Composite Panel Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of Alpolic7.5 Swiss Krono Group7.5.1 Company profile7.5.2 Representative Composite Panel Product7.5.3 Composite Panel Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of Swiss Krono GroupContinued..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.Biblical Prophecy Expert Richard Ruhling Believes Judgment Is Impending On Southern California And The US As Government Plans 'Drill

Author Richard Ruhling

http://mayjudgmentday.com

The Arizona Department of Emergency has been planning this weeks National Mass Care Exercise for nearly a year in connection with FEMA. A recent article on NBCLosAngeles.com entitled, "Arizona Is Planning For Exodus to State in Event of Major Calif Quake" provides the details. But the record of coincidences when drills become the real thing means people in California ought to prepare, especially with timing that fits Bible prophecy regarding May 31, says Dr. Richard Ruhling, author of 'The Alpha & Omega Bible Code'.He says an earthquake is encoded in Revelation as a lions roar. The Lord will roarthe earth shall shake, Joel 3:16. He is the Lion of Judah, Rev 5:5. Earthquake is also encoded as a knock for the church of Laodicea, Revelation 3. Historically, that church ended in an earthquake in 63 AD, but history repeats and Laodicea means people judging- laos and dicea-decree.The Bible describes that church as focused on material things like western Christianity today, and the earthquake will end that focus as it initiates the end-time day of the Lord (Joel 2:10,11) and the trumpet plagues of Revelation 8:5,6 will follow, says Ruhling who explained further."The apostle Paul wrote that 'day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night when they shall say, Peace and safety, sudden destruction comes.' 1Thess 5. The UN included the words Peace and safety in their theme for 2017.""The biblical end-times are like a harvest of grain, but the question from Christs teaching is, 'Will we be wheat or tares (weeds)'? Coming events will draw people either toward God or drive them away from Him, depending on our understandingis God good, wise, also merciful to forgive our sins if we repent, even helping us live well? We need to see that He is all this and more with a provision for our salvation in spite of woes and beast powers in Revelation.""On the other hand, Gods judgments will drive away those who are bent on doing life their own way with no interest in repentance. Millions will die as the end-times of Revelation unfold.""The good news is a parallel time to when God 'executed judgment' on Egypt and took Israel to a covenant by which they became His kingdom and bride. Egypt killed babies; the US has aborted 60 million. Egypt enslaved Israel. The US has enslaved most people in alcohol, tobacco, drugs, food, fashion, fiction, greed, music, TV, violence, etc.""In the economic collapse that will follow the earthquake, the gods of many will disappear, but the best destiny is for those who are ready and seeking a covenant relationship like Israel had when they became Gods kingdom in Exodus 19. This is the 'gospel of the kingdom' that has not been understood, and which most people are not ready for.""The three wedding parables all show a sudden calamity beyond which there is no time to get ready. The midnight cry in Matthew 25 was an echo of calamity in Egypt (Exod 12:29,30) when Israel was ready with 'loins girded' (Exod 12:11), ready to leave Egypt as people in southern California may need to leave, imagery in the wedding parable, Luke 12:35-37. If I lived in Southern California, I would withdraw bank money and head to a small town in Arizona with my computer and valuables.""The knock in verse 36 is the earthquake like the Laodicean Church ended and the timing is Passover also seen by clues of watch (vs 37)Passover was the only night that being awake was required (Exod 12:10; Matt 26:38-41) But Passover is past, why May 31?""Christs last seven parables ALL fit a provision in biblical law for Passover a month later, 'as the days of Noah' when the Flood came in the 2nd spring month, Gen 7. After Christ cited Noah, 'THEN (same time) shallone be taken, the other left- Matt 24:37-40.""When women missed the wedding, Christ said, You dont [understand, Greek word eido] because its like a man traveling to a far country. Israelites didnt travel in winter, and if they took a long journey in spring and couldnt get back for Passover, they kept it the 2nd month, Numbers 9:10,11; Matthew 25:13,14. That clue links the last two parables.""Rome changed the Bibles calendar so that the new moon has no relationship to the new month and they celebrated Easter (and Jews celebrated Passover) a month early at the end of March, but the new moon that started the month came in winter before the equinox. The end of April was the biblical time for Passover. Wednesday night, May 30 is the eve of 2nd Passover.""Churches should be open to celebrate communion, encouraging members to 'watch and pray' as Christ said. And if He knocks with an earthquake, we 'open unto Him immediately' with the wedding feast of betrothal so that He doesnt get an ignorant bride as God got at Sinai.""Since Passover includes the 7-day Feast of Unleavened Bread that Christ initiated at the Last Supper (imagery in the wedding parable, Luke 12:37) we should keep that feast if theres an earthquake, but not with communion wafers. Christ said, 'Beware the leaven of the Pharisees', speaking of their teachings. Church leaders have leavened the Bread, skipping Passover, etc.""For the 7 days of unleavened teachings, there are 7 topics that have a 7-fold emphasis in the Bible. For example, Christ said before He comes, Elijah 'must first come and restore all things' (Matt 17:11) and Elijahs coming is seen in the context of the lawstatutes in Malachi 4:4,5. They have a 7-fold emphasis in Ezekiel 20:11-24 where they are also linked to sabbaths."Those topics have a contextual link to the seals in Revelation 6. For example, when John heard thunder in verse 1, thunder is linked to Gods name in John 12:28,29 and Rev 14:1,2.""There could also be a significant event Saturday, May 26 as a sign of impending calamity, because thats the 10th day from the new moon crescent. The 10th day was when Noah entered the ark and animals also went init was a sign then.""The apostle Paul who wrote half the New Testament said, 'Follow me as I follow Christ.' 1Cor 11:1. We should all be able to say that. Im saying it now because Im seeing a bigger picture than the preacher who didnt tell you how to be protected by watching May 31, Rev 3:3.""The message of the earthquake includes 'the Bridegroom comesgo ye OUT to meet Him.' Out of the fallen churches that are not open to the truths in The Earthquake and 7 Seals by which we must be sealed (Revelation 7) in order to be ready for the rest of whats coming.""When the King makes a marriage for His Son in Matthew 22, He sends His servants to bid others to the feast. We either share with others what we know as we get ready, or we are not sure and want to wait and see, but this takes no faith. We should urge others to be ready as Im suggesting. Sharing this information qualifies us in the Matthew 22 parable. Acting on light brings more...The wedding parables offer the key to being 'ruler over all that He has Luke 12:44."Dr. Richard Ruhling is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at ruhling7@juno.com. More information is available at Ruhling's website. A no charge download of a copy 'The Earthquake and 7 Seals is available at Amazon on Saturday, May 26.Dr. Richard Ruhling is a retired physician who taught Health Science at Loma Linda University, an expert on Biblical prophecy and the author of 'The Alpha & Omega Bible Code', 'The Earthquake and the 7 Seals' and 'The Destruction of Jerusalem: A Sign for US of Good News Amid Impending Calamity'.PO Box 1613Supply NC 28462Oxidizing and Bleaching Agents Market to Record Study Growth by 2024

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Global Oxidizing and Bleaching Agents Market: SynopsisCommon bleaching powder is prepared by combining calcium hypochlorite, calcium hydroxide, and calcium chloride. Among these, calcium hypochlorite is a recognized dye and is widely considered as a type of chlorine-based bleaching agent.Bleaching agents are generally either oxidizers or reducers. Oxidizing bleaching specialists constitute a significant part of dying agents. The most commonly used oxidizing and bleaching agents are either chlorine-based, peroxide-based, or chemical-based. These agents are consumed in different applications including color change or retention, materials or water, disinfecting textiles, effluent control, stain removal, and for deodorizing substrates. The major end-user of these bleaching agents are pulp and paper, textile, water and wastewater treatment, laundry, and health care. Additionally, bleaching is utilized as a part of a wide range of household applications. Increased innovation in the area of chemical bleaching has resulted in better products that are not only efficient, but also emit less contaminants into water, soil, and air.View Report Preview:Global Oxidizing and Bleaching Agents Market: Trends and OpportunitiesHigh levels of contamination of various sources of water across the globe is one of the major reasons boosting demand for wastewater treatment solutions. This is a key factor driving the oxidizing and bleaching agents market. Increase in demand for water is driven by quick urbanization and industrial development. Scarcity of freshwater resources is pitching the case for regulations on water use and release.Increase in utilization of bleaching agents for cosmetic and medical purposes is trending these days. Hydrogen peroxide, a peroxide-based dye, is broadly utilized as a part of individual and other healthcare products. Teeth brightening and oxidative hair dyeing are some of the examples of such healthcare and personal products.Global Oxidizing and Bleaching Agents Market: Regional AnalysisAsia Pacific is anticipated to be a fast-growing market for oxidizing and bleaching agents. Demand for oxidizing and bleaching agents in the region is estimated to be primarily driven by swift rise in the consumption of hydrogen peroxide in India, China, and countries in ASEAN.Growth in paper and pulp and chemical industries is anticipated to drive demand for oxidizing and bleaching agents in Asia Pacific. Brazil is one of the significant producers of short-fiber pulp in the paper industry, which is the biggest end-user market for oxidizing and bleaching agents. Additionally, demand for oxidizing and bleaching agents in the paper and pulp industry in South Africa is increasing steadily. As a result, the market for oxidizing and bleaching agents in Latin America and Middle East and Africa is likely to experience decent growth. The oxidizing and bleaching agents market in Europe and North America is expected to witness moderate growth owing to steady recovery from the economic slowdown.Global Oxidizing and Bleaching Agents Market: Companies Mentioned in the ReportKey players in the oxidizing and bleaching market are Solvay, Kemira, Arkema, AkzoNobel, Ashland, Clariant, BASF, and Evonik. Other Prominent Vendors are Dow Chemicals, Christeyns, Shandong Huatai Interox Chemical, Sigma-Aldrich, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, DuPont, Aditya Birla Chemicals, and PPG Industries.Request to view Sample Report: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 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 data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing 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:Waterproofing Membrane Market Size Projected to Rise Lucratively during 2024

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Global Waterproofing Membrane Market: OverviewWaterproofing is a necessary activity as it helps in maintaining the structural integrity of a foundation. Due to their superior water-resistant performance, waterproofing membrane finds application in a number of end-user industries, including construction, civil, transportation, and water and wastewater treatment. These membranes are made of up of different types of materials such as modified bitumen, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and low-density polyethylene (LDPE). The flourishing growth of end-user industries, especially in emerging economies, is one of the primary factors augmenting the global market for waterproofing membranes. The report is a professional study encompassing all the important aspects of the waterproofing market, including its dynamics, geographical and application segmentation, and vendor landscape.View Report Preview:Global Waterproofing Membrane Market: Drivers and RestraintsWaterproofing membrane offers various benefits such as energy efficiency, cost-effectiveness, high durability, and heat resistance. These benefits are driving their demand for applications such as roofing and building structures. The booming construction industry in China and other emerging countries is also working in favor of the market. The rapidly growing population in developing countries is leading to increase in residential construction projects. Moreover, the soaring global demand for waterproofing in the mining sector is stoking the growth of the market.However, the sluggish growth of the construction industry in Europe is restricting the global waterproofing membrane market from realizing its utmost potential. On the other hand, the rapid urbanization in developing regions such as Asia Pacific and Latin America are creating a strong need for water and waste management activities, which in turn is unfolding ample growth opportunities for the overall market.Global Waterproofing Membrane Market: Geographical SegmentationFrom the geographical standpoint, the report segments the global waterproofing membrane market into North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. Asia Pacific will account for a substantial share in the global market. The rising urban population is providing a significant push to the construction and wastewater management industry, which in turn is triggering the demand for waterproofing membrane in the region. Emerging countries such as India and China will be at the forefront of the growth of the region.North America will also be a strong contender in the global arena. The flourishing growth of the construction and mining sectors is the primary factor driving the growth of the region. The Middle East and Africa market is anticipated to hold immense potential. The increasing exploration and production of crude oil are translating into the greater uptake of waterproofing membrane in the region. The growth of Europe can be attributed to the increasing concerns regarding water and waste Management.Global Waterproofing Membrane Market: Competitive LandscapePlayers in the global waterproofing membrane market need to focus on the expansion of product portfolio to ensure sustainable growth. For this, key players are banking on strategies such as mergers and acquisitions and product innovation. Moreover, market participants are pouring hefty funds into research and development activities to stay ahead. The immense potential of the market is encouraging new players to foray into the market. However, stringent government regulations are creating high barriers for new entrants.Request to view Sample Report:Some of the prominent companies operating in the global waterproofing membrane market are Carlisle Companies Inc., The Dow Chemical Company, GAF Materials Corporation, BASF SE, Siplast, Johns Manville, W. R. Meadows Inc., Firestone Building Products Company, Soprema Group, and Sika AG.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 data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing 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:Membranes Market 2014: By Application, Manufacturer, and Segmentation 2020

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A membrane filter is primarily a selective barrier that allows the quick passage of constituents present in a liquid. The liquid that flows through the membrane is called as the permeate while the influent of the membrane is called as the feed-stream and the constituents that are retained in the membrane is either known as a retentate or a concentrate. The primary criteria for the selection of a suitable membrane include the membrane pore size. Based on the pore size, membranes can be classified as microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanaofiltration and reverse osmosis and reverse osmosis membranes. The thickness of a membrane is also taken into consideration, either with homogenous or heterogeneous structure. In some cases, membranes can be either neutral or charged and the flow of particles is either active or passive.Request Report Brochure @Particle transport can be facilitated by pressure, concentration, chemical or electrical gradients of the membrane process. Membranes can be classified into two types, which include systematic membranes and biological membrane. These membranes have various uses in wastewater treatment, pharmaceutical and medical industries. Membrane filters are used in these industries as its is less energy-intensive as it does not require major phase changes, it does not demand any absorbents or solvents that are expensive or difficult to handle and the equipment used is simple and modular and this facilitates the incorporation of more efficient membranes.Te main driver for the membrane filter market is its use in the water treatment process. These membranes provide critical, efficient and reliable solutions for various separation challenges and have also demonstrated high performance across a wide variety of applications as compared to other complicated technologies. The global and local environmental concerns boost the membrane technology market as in aids in the reduction of waste and enhances its general reuse. The major factors that drive the membrane market include the growing global demand for water industry, the stringent local and state government regulations and various environmental concerns. Additionally these membrane filters are reliable and highly cost effective with high permeability and selectivity. The wastewater treatment segment and the pharmaceutical segment are considered the main applications of membrane filters, however the industrial gas processing segment is anticipated t grow at a very fast rate over the next few years.Read Report Overview @North America and Europe have the highest market demand for membrane filters owing to their stringent environmental regulations. Additionally the European countries are continually investing into various research and development of various high performance membrane products for various industrial gas processing and pharmaceutical and medical uses sector. The demand for membrane filters in Asia Pacific is also high due to the increase in water and various wastewater treatments, pharmaceutical and medical industries. This rise in demand in Asia Pacific is expected to continue over the next few years. At present China is considered to be the fastest growing market in the Asia Pacific region and globally. The largest market for membrane filters for the medical industry is the European region followed by North America and Asia Pacific. however North America is anticipated to see the highest growth in the near future.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:Polycyclohexylenedimethylene Terephthalate (PCT) Market Revenue, Application, Forecast 2020

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Polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate (PCT) is typically a thermoplastic polyester produced from the polycondensation of cyclohexylene-dimethanol and terephthalic acid. The chemical structure of polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate (PCT) is quite similar to that of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Moreover, the properties of polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate (PCT) such as dimensional stability and chemical resistance are same as that of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).Request Report Brochure @Furthermore, PCT is principally resistant to hydrolysis and high temperatures. Owing to all such properties, polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate (PCT) is growingly used for high temperature applications such as injection molding. The growing demand from applications such as injection molding is expected to drive the demand for polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate (PCT) in the next few years.Polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate (PCT) has stupendous dimensional stability at high temperatures. This property makes polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate (PCT) highly appropriate for high temperature applications such as injection molding. Polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate (PCT) is mainly used for the production of thin-walled parts by injection molding process. Polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate (PCT) is often used for the production of electronics components such as plug connectors. Moreover, polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate (PCT) is processed into fibers, fabrics and filaments that are mainly utilized in filtration applications. Furthermore, owing to properties such as lower density and color stability, polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate (PCT) is used in the production of LED reflectors. The growing demand from electronic component manufacturers is predicted to drive the global polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate (PCT) in the next few years.Read Report Overview @Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest growing market for polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate (PCT) in the next six years. The main reason for this is the growing demand for polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate (PCT) from emergent countries such as China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. The population in these countries is growing at a stupendous rate which is eventually resulting in an increase in the overall customer base. Moreover, due to the rapid economic development of these countries, the disposable income and the purchase parity of the citizens of these countries is growing which is further resulting in magnification of the total customer base in these countries.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:Calling all Microbiologists - 5 great reasons to be in San Diego

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There is less than 2 weeks until SMis 2nd annual Pharmaceutical Microbiology West Coast conference commences in San Diego, USA on June 7th and 8th, 2018. With only 5 delegate places left, the conference, which aims to inform and update attendees on the revised regulations and newly emerging methods and practices, is proving highly popular.5 Key reasons to attend this years two-day conference:ONEStimulating discussion in a new panel debate: Hot topics in the cleanroom industry: Disinfection and disinfection qualifications New technologies to be implemented and barriers to implementation An adaptation to the cleanroom practices which are currently in placePanelists include: Ziva Abraham, CEO, Microrite | Jim Polarine, Senior Technical Service Manager, STERIS Corporation | Mike Russ, Manager, QC Microbiology, Genentech | Andrew Bartko, Research Leader, Battelle Memorial InstituteTWOAttend the 2 interactive workshops taking place on Wednesday, June 6th, 2018: Workshop A - 08:30  12:30: A practical guide to Risk Based Environmental Monitoring that addresses real world risk of contamination controlLeaders: Ziva Abraham, CEO, Microrite and Morgan Polen, Contamination Control and Cleanroom Expert, Microrite Workshop B - 13:30-16:30 : Technologies for Microbial Contamination ControlLeader: Andrew Bartko, Research Leader, Battelle Memorial InstituteTHREEThe event has nearly sold out with only 5 places left, preliminary attendees include: Allergen, Bayer Healthcare, Genentech, Bimeda, Teva Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Regeneron, Microrite, Vital Therapies, Microbiologics and many more.FOURMeet the conference chair Ziva Abraham, who has 25+ years of academic, research, clinical and industrial experience in microbiology and quality assurance, and is the CEO and Founder of Microrite, Inc ., a California based consulting firm. As well as chairing, Ziva will also be doing a presentation on Underlying issues behind microbiological data deviations and data integrity and co-hosting Workshop A.FIVELive the dream and visit San Diego - be part of the laid-back California culture, complete with a Boardwalk, surfing communities, and outstanding Mexican food. Breathe in the fresh ocean air at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park, then gobble down a fresh fish taco at seafood joint. The naval aircrafts at the USS Midway Museum will have you standing at attention. A free Sunday concert at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion is the perfect way to unwind after a Saturday night bar-hop in the thumping Gaslamp Quarter - of course all well-deserved after a 2-day conference (Thursday and Friday) at the Crowne Plaza San Diego Hotel.With over 15 presentations by leading industry experts, academics and scientific pioneers, the event is proving to be highly in demand and interested parties are urged to register their place soon to avoid disappointment. To book your place, view the full agenda and speaker line-up, visit the website at:Interested in sponsoring, exhibiting or speaking at this event?Contact Alia Malick, Director, on +44 (0) 20 827 6168 or email amalick@smi-online.co.ukFor media enquiries, contact Simi Sapal on +44 (0) 20 7827 6000 or ssapal@smi-online.co.ukPharmaceutical Microbiology West CoastJune 7th  8th, 2018Crowne Plaza San Diego, USA#pharmamicrousaAbout SMi Group: Established since 1993, the SMi Group is a global event-production company that specializes in Business-to-Business Conferences, Workshops, Masterclasses and online Communities. We create and deliver events in the Defence, Security, Energy, Utilities, Finance and Pharmaceutical industries. We pride ourselves on having access to the worlds most forward-thinking opinion leaders and visionaries, allowing us to bring our communities together to Learn, Engage, Share and Network. More information can be found atSMi Group Ltd1 Westminster Bridge Rd, South Bank, London SE1 7XWSimi Sapalssapal@smi-online.co.ukOrganic Tea & Coffee: World Market Sales, Consumption, Demand and Forecast 2018  2023

Organic Tea & Coffee Market

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WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On  Organic Tea & Coffee: World Market Sales, Consumption, Demand and Forecast 2018  2023.Organic Tea & Coffee-Global Market Status and Trend Report 2013-2023 offers a comprehensive analysis on Organic Tea & Coffee industry, standing on the readers perspective, delivering detailed market data and penetrating insights. No matter the client is industry insider, potential entrant or investor, the report will provides useful data and information.Key questions answered by this report include:Worldwide and Regional Market Size of Organic Tea & Coffee 2013-2017, and development forecast 2018-2023Main manufacturers/suppliers of Organic Tea & Coffee worldwide, with company and product introduction, position in the Organic Tea & Coffee marketMarket status and development trend of Organic Tea & Coffee by types and applicationsCost and profit status of Organic Tea & Coffee, and marketing statusMarket growth drivers and challengesGet a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comThe report segments the global Organic Tea & Coffee market as:Global Organic Tea & Coffee Market: Regional Segment Analysis (Regional Production Volume, Consumption Volume, Revenue and Growth Rate 2013-2023):North AmericaEuropeChinaJapanRest APACLatin AmericaGlobal Organic Tea & Coffee Market: Type Segment Analysis (Consumption Volume, Average Price, Revenue, Market Share and Trend 2013-2023):Organic CoffeeOrganic TeaOtherGlobal Organic Tea & Coffee Market: Application Segment Analysis (Consumption Volume and Market Share 2013-2023; Downstream Customers and Market Analysis)RetailInstitutional & CommercialOtherGlobal Organic Tea & Coffee Market: Manufacturers Segment Analysis (Company and Product introduction, Organic Tea & Coffee Sales Volume, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin):Starbucks CorporationHain Celestial Group Inc.Honest Tea Inc.The Kroger Co.Oregon Chai Inc.The WhiteWave Foods CompanyNewman's Own Inc.SunOpta Inc.SFM, LLC.Organic ValleyReport Details @Table Of Contents  Major Key PointsChapter 1 Overview of Organic Tea & Coffee1.1 Definition of Organic Tea & Coffee in This Report1.2 Commercial Types of Organic Tea & Coffee1.2.1 Organic Coffee1.2.2 Organic Tea1.2.3 Other1.3 Downstream Application of Organic Tea & Coffee1.3.1 Retail1.3.2 Institutional & Commercial1.3.3 Other1.4 Development History of Organic Tea & Coffee1.5 Market Status and Trend of Organic Tea & Coffee 2013-20231.5.1 Global Organic Tea & Coffee Market Status and Trend 2013-20231.5.2 Regional Organic Tea & Coffee Market Status and Trend 2013-2023Chapter 2 Global Market Status and Forecast by Regions2.1 Market Development of Organic Tea & Coffee 2013-20172.2 Production Market of Organic Tea & Coffee by Regions2.2.1 Production Volume of Organic Tea & Coffee by Regions2.2.2 Production Value of Organic Tea & Coffee by Regions2.3 Demand Market of Organic Tea & Coffee by Regions2.4 Production and Demand Status of Organic Tea & Coffee by Regions2.4.1 Production and Demand Status of Organic Tea & Coffee by Regions 2013-20172.4.2 Import and Export Status of Organic Tea & Coffee by Regions 2013-2017Chapter 3 Global Market Status and Forecast by Types3.1 Production Volume of Organic Tea & Coffee by Types3.2 Production Value of Organic Tea & Coffee by Types3.3 Market Forecast of Organic Tea & Coffee by TypesChapter 4 Global Market Status and Forecast by Downstream Industry4.1 Demand Volume of Organic Tea & Coffee by Downstream Industry4.2 Market Forecast of Organic Tea & Coffee by Downstream IndustryChapter 5 Market Driving Factor Analysis of Organic Tea & Coffee5.1 Global Economy Situation and Trend Overview5.2 Organic Tea & Coffee Downstream Industry Situation and Trend OverviewChapter 6 Organic Tea & Coffee Market Competition Status by Major Manufacturers6.1 Production Volume of Organic Tea & Coffee by Major Manufacturers6.2 Production Value of Organic Tea & Coffee by Major Manufacturers6.3 Basic Information of Organic Tea & Coffee by Major Manufacturers6.3.1 Headquarters Location and Established Time of Organic Tea & Coffee Major Manufacturer6.3.2 Employees and Revenue Level of Organic Tea & Coffee Major Manufacturer6.4 Market Competition News and Trend6.4.1 Merger, Consolidation or Acquisition News6.4.2 Investment or Disinvestment News6.4.3 New Product Development and LaunchChapter 7 Organic Tea & Coffee Major Manufacturers Introduction and Market Data7.1 Starbucks Corporation7.1.1 Company profile7.1.2 Representative Organic Tea & Coffee Product7.1.3 Organic Tea & Coffee Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of Starbucks Corporation7.2 Hain Celestial Group Inc.7.2.1 Company profile7.2.2 Representative Organic Tea & Coffee Product7.2.3 Organic Tea & Coffee Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of Hain Celestial Group Inc.7.3 Honest Tea Inc.7.3.1 Company profile7.3.2 Representative Organic Tea & Coffee Product7.3.3 Organic Tea & Coffee Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of Honest Tea Inc.7.4 The Kroger Co.7.4.1 Company profile7.4.2 Representative Organic Tea & Coffee Product7.4.3 Organic Tea & Coffee Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of The Kroger Co.7.5 Oregon Chai Inc.7.5.1 Company profile7.5.2 Representative Organic Tea & Coffee Product7.5.3 Organic Tea & Coffee Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of Oregon Chai Inc.7.6 The WhiteWave Foods Company7.6.1 Company profile7.6.2 Representative Organic Tea & Coffee Product7.6.3 Organic Tea & Coffee Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of The WhiteWave Foods Company7.7 Newman's Own Inc.7.7.1 Company profile7.7.2 Representative Organic Tea & Coffee Product7.7.3 Organic Tea & Coffee Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin of Newman's Own Inc.Continued..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.Wendy Ross has joined the U.S. Trotting Associations communications department as social media and public relations coordinator and Jason Turner has been promoted to assistant editor of Hoof Beats and digital brand strategist for the USTA.

In addition, James Witherite has been hired as a freelance editor for the newsroom on the USTAs website (ustrotting.com).

We are excited to add Wendy to the communications team for the skills and experience she will add to our social media and publicity efforts, said USTA Director of Marketing and Communications Dan Leary. And were pleased to provide Jason with a larger role with our magazine as assistant editor of Hoof Beats as well as a new opportunity to assist us in shaping the USTAs digital strategy moving forward.

With these additions, weve diversified the skills of the communications department and added creativity to our team, which will allow us to do an even better job of promoting the sport of harness racing.

Ross, a third-generation horsewoman, is a familiar face to harness racing fans through her work as an on-air television personality at The Meadowlands, Tioga Downs, Northfield Park, The Meadows and The Little Brown Jug.

Following in the footsteps of her mother, Ross began her career at the age of 15 as an outrider at local fairs in Ohio. She later worked in that capacity at Northfield Park and Tioga Downs and has had the opportunity to be an outrider at some of harness racings most prestigious events including the Hambletonian, Breeders Crown and Elitloppet in Sweden.

After leaving the industry for about a year-and-a-half during 2016 and 2017, Ross recently returned to harness racing at The Meadows where she has been back in front of the camera doing live interviews in the paddock and winners circle on the tracks simulcast.

Turner started his USTA career as an intern for Hoof Beats in 2006. After graduating from Ohio State University with a degree in journalism, he was hired as a full-time publishing assistant in 2007 and, later that year, was named as editor of Youth Beats magazine, a publication whose subscribers have grown from 40 to 1,700 under his guidance.

A year later, Turner began writing and copy editing and had his first feature story published in Hoof Beats. In 2011, he was promoted to graphic designer.

Also in 2011, Turner was named the recipient of the International Media Award for Best Feature Article for his Racing and the Recession story in the November 2009 issue of Hoof Beats. His work on the magazine has also won multiple American Horse Publications and Hervey Awards for writing and design.

Witherite currently serves as the chart caller and racing analyst at Harrah's Philadelphia. Previously, he was a track announcer from 2006 to 2016 at Harrahs Philadelphia, Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs. He also served as morning line oddsmaker and program handicapper at The Meadowlands and makes numerous appearance as the bugler at many of harness racing's top events.

(USTA)Future Scope of Automation as a Service Market | Top Key Players - Automation Anywhere, Blue Prism, IBM, Microsoft, Uipath, HCL, HPE | Global Business Outlook till 2025

Automation as a Service Market

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Global Automation as a Service Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025 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.Global Automation as a Service Market Overview:The report spread across 93 pages is an overview of the Global Automation as a Service Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025. The Global Automation as a Service Market is projected to grow at a healthy growth rate from 2018 to 2025 according to new research. The study focuses on market trends, leading players, supply chain trends, technological innovations, key developments, and future strategies.Available Exclusive Sample Copy of this Report @The Global Automation as a Service Market is growing continuously and expected to grow healthy CAGR by Forecast year 2025. The major factors driving the automation-as-a-service market are the increasing demand for automation and the increasing adoption of cloud technology. Various opportunities present in this market include the higher adoption of the automation-as-a-service solutions by the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and the ability to generate a positive Return on Investment (RoI).Automation-as-a-Service Solutions and Services are used for various business functions, which include Information Technology (IT), sales and marketing, finance, operations and HR. The Sales and Marketing business function is expected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period because of the increasing need for sales and marketing departments across industries, to automate various repetitive and mundane tasks that utilize a lot of time of the sales and marketing representatives, which can otherwise be used for beneficial tasks such as customer acquisition and retainment.Regionally, North America is expected to hold the largest share of the Automation as a Service Market in 2017. The market size in Asia Pacific (APAC) is expected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2018 to 2025. The primary driving factors for this growth are the increasing automation adoption and huge opportunities across industries in the APAC countries, especially in India, China and Japan.Purchase this report online with 93 Pages, List of Tables & Figures and in-depth Table of Contents on Global Automation as a Service Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025 @Major Key Players:1 Automation Anywhere2 Blue Prism3 IBM4 Microsoft5 Uipath6 HCL Technologies7 HPE8 Kofax9 Nice Ltd.10 PegasystemsMarket segment by Type, the product can be split into -1 Rule-based Automation2 Knowledge-based AutomationMarket segment by Regions/Countries, this report covers: United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia.Grab Your Report at an Impressive Discount @What Information does this report contain?1 A detailed analysis of regulatory trends, drivers, industry pitfalls, challenges and growth opportunities for participants2 Which are the leading market products, applications & regions and how will they perform by 2025?3 What are the technologies & innovation trends, how will they evolve by 2025?4 Which companies lead the industry, how are they positioned in the market in terms of sustainability, competency, production capacity and strategic outlook?In the end, this report covers data and information on capacity and production overview, production, market share analysis, sales overview, supply, sales, and shortage, import, export and consumption as well as cost, price, revenue and gross margin of Automation as a Service Market.Major Points in Table of Contents:Global Automation as a Service Market Report 20181 Automation as a Service Market Overview2 Global Automation as a Service Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Automation as a Service Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)4 Global Automation as a Service Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2018)5 Global Automation as a Service Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type6 Global Automation as a Service Market Analysis by Application7 Global Automation as a Service Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis8 Automation as a Service Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Automation as a Service Market Forecast (2018-2025)13 Research Findings and Conclusion14 AppendixAbout usBusinessindustryReports.com is digital database of comprehensive market reports for global industries. As a market research company, we take pride in equipping our clients with insights and data that holds the power to truly make a difference to their business. Our mission is singular and well-defined  we want to help our clients envisage their business environment so that they are able to make informed, strategic and therefore successful decisions for themselves.Media ContactBusiness Industry ReportsPune  Indiasales@businessindustryreports.com+19376349940Transfection Reagents and Equipment Market is Expected to Experience a Swift Development by 2025

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Transfection is a process of introducing genetic material such as DNA or RNA into eukaryotic cells to enable the production or expression of proteins using the cells own machinery. A double stranded RNA transfection is employed to stop the production of certain proteins by hindering the translation process. The process of transfection enables the study of gene functioning and expression, genetic mutations, and protein functioning. Transfection can be divided into two types: stable and transient. Stable transfection is a process in which the transfected genetic material remains in the genome, during which a marker gene is co-transfected that gives selective advantage to the cell. In transient transfection, the induced gene is transiently expressed and hence is not incorporated into the nuclear genome, which is further diluted or degraded during the course of mitosis.The Transfection Reagents And Equipment Market is driven by increased focus on the development of protein therapeutics, government initiatives to support health care, and increasing prevalence of diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, increase in mass production of proteins is projected to propel the market in the near future. Similarly, advances in cell research, target validation and drug discovery, and technological advances such as synthetic genes, whose demand has been growing, are anticipated to contribute to the growth of the market.Furthermore, a number of patent expiries during the forecast period are expected to fuel the growth of the biosimilars market. Development of biosimilars is highly dependent on the combination of genomic, proteomic, and cytological analysis, which would involve a significant application of transfection procedures. However, risk associated with the process of inserting genetic material into the cell, high cost of the transfecting reagents and equipment, selective effectiveness of transfecting reagents, the cytotoxic effects associated with the process, and the growing applications of home brew reagents are likely to hamper the growth of the market.Request to View Brochure of Report -The transfection reagents and equipment market can be segmented based on product, application, end-user, and region. In terms of product, the market can be segmented into reagents and equipment. Reagents can be sub-segmented into lipid mediated transfection, DEAE-dextran, calcium phosphate, magnetic beads, activated dendrimers, and cationic polymers. Transfection equipment can sub-segmented into liposome mediated, electroporation, microinjection, laserfection, and adenoviral vectors, and others. The reagents segment is anticipated to record significant growth during the forecast period owing to the ease of the method and cost effectiveness. Based on application, the transfection reagents and equipment market can be segmented into gene expression, biomedical research, protein production, and others. In terms of end-user, the market can be segmented into research institutes, biotechnology companies, and others.Geographically, the transfection reagents and equipment market can be segmented into five regions: North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America is anticipated to be the high revenue generating region, closely followed by Europe. Rising demand for genomics technology and proteomics and increased government spending on health care in these regions contribute to the growth of the market. The market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to expand at a high CAGR during the forecast period. Increased outsourcing of clinical trials to countries in Asia, rise in demand for protein therapeutics, and developing health care infrastructure primarily in China and India fuel to the growth of the market. The transfection reagents and equipment market is in a nascent stage in countries in Middle East & Africa.Leading players in the transfection reagents and equipment market include Thermo Fisher Scientific, Merck Millipore, QIAGEN N.V., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Promega Corporation, Lonza Group, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Polyplus-transfection SA, Altogen Biosystems, and GE Healthcare.View Report -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Medical Radiation Detection, Monitoring & Safety Market | SWOT Analysis of Major Market Segments

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There are various areas where radiation power has been applied for the benefit of humans, one of them being the medical segment. Numerous benefits availed by patients due to the appropriate usage of radiation for improved diagnosis and treatment are evident. It has become a key part of the modern medical treatment, especially in treating cancer. Protection from radiation for doctors, other healthcare professionals, and patients is constantly evolving in the ever-developing modern medical environment. Radiation-producing technology such as X-ray diffraction equipment and X-ray machines are employed in various hospitals and diagnostic centers. Many handle intensive treatment procedures where risk of high levels of radiation exposure exists. Therefore, for the optimal safety from radiation, the Medical Radiation Detection, Monitoring And Safety Market offers radiation detection and monitoring products for real-time dosimetry monitoring.According to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in 2014, seven out of every 10 Americans underwent diagnostic X-rays and radiation therapy. Furthermore, 10 million nuclear medicine procedures are performed in hospitals and radiology centers in the U.S. each year. Radiation is commonly employed to detect injuries, generate 3D images, as teletherapy, brachytherapy, and afterloading to treat tumors. Thus, the major factors which are anticipated to act as drivers for the medical radiation detection, monitoring, and safety market growth are increased usage of nuclear medicine and radiation therapy for diagnosis and treatment, rising cancer prevalence, and increase in the population of the persons with insurance. However, delay in new product approvals due to strict regulatory guidelines and scarcity of skilled professional to handle radiation related procedures are anticipated to act as restraints for this market.The medical radiation detection, monitoring and safety market can be segmented into safety products, monitoring, detection and detector products, and end-users. In terms of detector, the medical radiation detection, monitoring and safety market can be segmented into solid-state detectors, gas-filled detectors, and scintillators. Due to the wide application in medical imaging and favorable cost-performance ratio of gas-filled detectors it had acquired the major share of medical radiation detection, monitoring and safety market in recent years.Request to View Brochure of Report -In terms of product type, the market can be segmented into area process monitors, personal dosimeters, environment radiation monitors, environment radiation monitors, radioactive material monitors, surface contamination monitors, and others. Personal dosimeters accounted for a major share of the medical radiation detection and monitoring market due to their high demand in the medical field in recent years.In terms of modality, the market can be segmented into hand safety products, face protection products, full-body protection products, and others. The full body protection segment is anticipated to expand in the near future due to the increased usage of radiation in various treatment procedures and rising awareness among healthcare professionals and patients.In terms of end-user, the market can be segmented into hospitals and non-hospitals. Rising number of hospitals around the world is a key factor fuelling the expansion of the market in the end-user segment.In terms of geography, the market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the world. Expansion in the North America market is mainly due to the rise in usage of radio-diagnostic instruments and new technological advancements in radiation detection, monitoring and safety products. The market in Asia is anticipated to expand in the near future due to increase in number of hospitals in the region, increased cancer incidences, and rise in number of installations of radiological imaging instruments.Key participants in the medical radiation detection, monitoring, and safety market are Arrow-Tech, Inc., Amray Medical, Biodex Medical Systems, Inc., Fluke Biomedical, IBA Worldwide, Infab Corporation, Landauer, Inc., Ludlum Instruments, Inc., Mirion Technologies, Inc., PTW Freiburg GmbH, Radiation Detection Company, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Unfors Raysafe AB.View Report -About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Packaging Automation Market: Worldwide Industry Analysis and New Market Opportunities Explored

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Considering the presence of numerous companies, the global packaging automation market is witnessing high competition. While concentration of industries empowers buyers with improved bargaining power, it also has significant impact on the prevailing competition. While entry of new players is restricted, as it would mean hefty investments, the established players are toying various strategies to gain stronger foothold, finds Transparency Market Research (TMR) in a new study.For instance, ABB Ltd. is focusing on innovating technologies in the field of packaging robots, which is likely to help the company achieve its growth targets. Likewise, Siemens AG is funding research and development to expand its product portfolio. In the meantime, companies such as Rockwell Automation, Inc., and Schneider Electric SE are focusing on strategic collaborations and acquiring regional players to strengthen their market position.Browse report detailsStrategies adopted by companies to leverage growth has a profound impact on the overall packaging automation market. According to TMR, the global packaging automation, which was valued at US$31.12 bn in 2016, is expected to reach US$69.73 bn by the end of 2025. If these figures hold true, the global packaging automation market will exhibit a CAGR of 9.7% between 2017 and 2025. By application, the palletizing segment held the dominant revenue share of 27% in 2016. Regionally, Europe accounted for the highest share of 37% based on revenue in 2016.Rising Demand for Automation across Packaging Industry to Boost GrowthAmong various factors, the market is benefiting from, the rising demand for automation is primary. Industrial automation is highly recommended for manufacturers aiming to reduce human labor, thus allotting them separate tasks to improve the overall productivity. Considering this and the increasing demand for advanced packaging technologies, automation has become indispensable to the industry. Yet another factor pushing automation in the packaging industry is the need to cohere with novel packaging designs, product variants, batch manufacturing, and ensure shorter product lifecycle.Brochure For Recent Industry InsightsAlso the implementation of automation can help the packaging industry curb the expenditure it incurs on human labor. While the demand for packaging automation is comparatively lesser in smaller and medium businesses, the larger industries where a bulk of items are packed in a minute, robotic automation is highly sought after. In addition, automation helps in reducing the machine downtime, which is a chief factor fuelling its demand in the packaging industry.High Investment Required at Initial Phase Could Hinder GrowthOn the flip side, deploying automation requires huge investment at the initial stage. This is a primary factor preventing smaller and medium sized packaging industries from opting it. Instead a majority of smaller businesses prefer outsourcing packaging activities that may require automation. This could be a key challenge for the market, limiting its scope for expansion especially across emerging nations.Request For Custom ResearchNevertheless, in the coming years customized packaging solutions are expected to create lucrative opportunities for the market. Besides this, the market is forecast to gain from the booming ecommerce sector as packaging is an indispensable part of the industry.This review is based on a TMR study, titled Packaging Automation Market (Application - Palletizing, Labeling, Filling, Capping, and Wrapping; Types - Packaging Robot, Automated Packagers, and Automated Conveyors; Industries - Logistics, Food and Beverage, Health Care, Retail, Electronics, and Automotive) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025.About UsTransparency Market Research is a global 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. Our experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Antiemetic Drugs Market Current Trends and Future Aspect Analysis 2017  2025

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Antiemetic Drugs Market: OverviewAntiemetic drugs are prescribed to tackle nausea and vomiting, usually arising from intake of other drugs such as those administered for anesthesia to carry out surgeries or chemotherapy for cancer. Antiemetic drugs are usually taken orally. Sometimes they are injected and at other times administered by placing a patch on the body.Majorly fuelling the demand for antiemetic drugs is a fast expanding geriatric population worldwide that is highly susceptible to diseases such as cancer which is mostly treated through chemotherapy  something that results in side effects such as vomiting. In addition, growing number of gastroenteritis patients are also serving to stoke demand.Download PDF Brochure of Report:The market for antiemetic drugs, which has clocked steady growth so far, will likely expand further but at a lackluster pace in the years to come on account of a drying clinical pipeline. The cost of research and development is steep and this is deterring development of new drugs. As a result, many savvy companies are carefully considering undertaking new molecule or drug research projects.Large companies manufacturing drugs, however, are partnering with smaller biotechnology and research companies to come up with newer and more effective antiemetic drugs. The small biotech research companies lack the necessary means to conduct various late stage clinical trials that are usually capital intensive, but often have strong research and development capabilities. Hence, large firms obtain the rights of the drug by paying the small companies one-time. They also pay royalties on recurrent sales. Its a win-win for both.An antiemetic is a drug which is effectively used to prevent vomiting and nausea, side effects of opioid analgesics, etc. It is available as over-the-counter and prescribed drug at recommended doses. It is mostly used to prevent motion sickness rather than treating it. Presence of antihistamine and central anticholinergic properties make antiemetic drugs quite effective. The drug is as effective as cetirizine, a non-sedating antihistamine, does not cross the blood-brain barrier, and is not effective in either preventing or treating motion sickness. Nausea and vomiting is identified as the primary symptoms and in sometimes it can leads to other complications such as erosion of the tooth dehydration, and loss of appetite. These can affect daily activities and the quality of life if left untreated. Antiemetic drugs work by suppressing the vomiting reflex in the body. Motility stimulants work by increasing the movement through the gastrointestinal tract and serotonin antagonists suppress the signals to and from the vomiting center of the brain. Various types of antiemetic drugs are available with a number of medical applications. Antiemetic drugs can be administered orally, intramuscularly, or as a suppository.Request to View TOC of Report Based on drug class, the antiemetic drugs market has been segmented into 5-HT3 receptor antagonists, dopamine antagonists, NK1 receptor antagonists, H1 receptor antagonists, cannabinoids, benzodiazepines, anticholinergics, and steroids. In terms of application, the market has been categorized into dizziness, motion sickness, and others. The rapid rise of geriatric population is diagnosed with different types of disease like cancer where chemotherapy is a standard treatment and it poses side effect such as vomiting. Moreover, increasing number of gastroenteritis patients drives the antiemetic drugs market. However, the clinical pipeline for antiemetic drugs is dry and has been identified as one of the major factors likely to restrain the global antiemetic drugs market. Presently, rising cost in various research and development processes is exerting a lot of pressure on various drug making companies. Productivity in the antiemetic drugs market has also declined significantly in the past few years. This has induced companies to rethink before undertaking any new molecule or drug research projects. Hence, large drug manufacturing companies have started collaborating with various small biotechnology and research companies. These small biotech research companies do not have sufficient capital to carry out various late stage clinical trials that incur high capital expenditures, but have strong R&D capabilities. Therefore, large firms obtain the rights of the drug through one-time payment to these small companies and some royalties are paid on recurrent sales. For instance, in July 2011, Trius Therapeutics, Inc. entered into a partnership with Bayer AG for the development and commercialization of its antibacterial drug Tedizolid phosphate (in phase III clinical trials). In July 2013, Cubist Pharmaceuticals acquired Trius Therapeutics. Hence, Cubist and Bayer are now in the late stage clinical trials of the drug which will treat some gram positive infections including MRSA.In terms of region, North America dominates the global antiemetic drugs market. This is attributed to well-established health care infrastructure, technological advancements, and favorable government support in the region. Europe holds the second position in the global antiemetic drugs market. Rapid rise in geriatric population and growing number of cancer patients are boosting market growth in the region. The market in Asia Pacific is projected to grow at the highest rate owing to rapid rise of health care infrastructure, rising disposable income of people, improving economic conditions, and increasing purchasing power of people.Request to View Discount GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Limited, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, Merck & Co., Novartis AG, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Astellas Pharma, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Abbott, Cipla Ltd., Dr. Reddys Laboratories Ltd, Baxter International, and IPCA Labs are the major players operating in the global antiemetic drugs market.About UsTransparency Market Research is a global 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. Our experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Colarusso eager for second chance at town government When voters head to the polls next month, one name on the ballot will be familiar to longtime residents of Orchard Park. Janis Colarusso, who served the town previously as...

First-time candidate Honer looking to help end division in town Scott Honer has a simple reason for seeking election to the town board  he says theres too much division between residents and hed like to change that. Honer, who...

Tentative budget falls under tax cap For the first time since the passage of the 2017 budget, the town budget for Orchard Park will be under the tax cap. During the afternoon of Sept. 29, the...Beth Nakamura/Staff/File

TriMet surveillance video, cellphone videos and witness accounts helped Portland police piece together the minutes leading up to the instant that Jeremy Joseph Christian pulled out a knife and stabbed three men on a MAX train, killing two of them on May 26, 2017.

Police and prosecutors haven't made the videos public, but homicide Detective Michele Michaels described them in a court hearing last fall. According to Michaels' testimony:

3:59 p.m.: Ricky Best, 53, is one of the first to board the Green Line train at Portland State University.

4:01 p.m.: Micah Fletcher, 21, wearing headphones and eating something, steps onto the train at a second Portland State stop.

4:08 p.m.: Taliesin Namkai-Meche, 23, boards at Southwest Sixth Avenue and Pine Street in downtown Portland.

4:12 p.m.: Another passenger holds the door so two black teenage girls, one of them wearing a hijab, can board the train at the Union Station stop.

4:20 p.m.: Jeremy Christian, 35, steps onto the train at the Rose Quarter MAX station.

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Beth Nakamura/Staff/File

(Jeremy Christian in court in May 2017)

4:24 p.m.: Christian is holding a book "The Sagas of Icelanders," talking to other passengers about it, as well as making racist or xenophobic comments about Jews and Muslims, witnesses said.

Over the next four minutes: Christian tells the two teenage girls to "Go home!" and to leave the country, as he rants about ISIS, according to witnesses.

"Mr. Christian is becoming more animated," Michaels said. "He is yelling. He is waving his arms a lot."

Passenger Shawn Forde later told police that he tried to get Christian to leave the girls alone by saying, "Hey man, they're just kids. Stop talking to them. Calm down."

According to Michaels, Fletcher, who took off his headphones because of the commotion, walks up to Christian and says something to the effect of "Hey man, what the (expletive) is wrong with you. ... Get off the (expletive) MAX."

Approximately 4:28 p.m.: Fletcher stops talking to Christian and spends much of the next three minutes with his back turned to Christian as the train heads toward the Hollywood MAX station. Forde also ignores Christian.

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Jim Ryan/Staff/File

(Hollywood Transit Station on May 26, 2017)

4:31:22: Christian makes the first physical contact with Namkai-Meche after Namkai-Meche walks from the back of the train car up to the area where Christian is. Namkai-Meche has his cellphone in his hand and takes a seat.

"He barely (sits) down before Mr. Christian grabs his cellphone and throws it to the ground hard," Michaels said.

Christian's defense attorneys say their client was reacting to Namkai-Meche, who they say was recording Christian and allegedly told him, "You're going to be an internet sensation." Michaels didn't say anything about this in her testimony.

Namkai-Meche stands up, and he and Christian stand chest-to-chest.

Fletcher turns around and walks up to Christian.

"Mr. Christian (is) right in his face with him (Fletcher): 'Do something! Do something! Do something!'" Michaels said. "Fletcher is just talking to him saying, 'Hey man, back off. Get off the train.'"

Christian pushes Fletcher.

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Janet Eastman/Staff/File

(A memorial service for Taliesin Namkai-Meche)

4:31:55: Christian then shoves Namkai-Meche. Fletcher responds by spinning Christian around and pushing him toward the train door, which has opened now that the train is stopped at the Hollywood MAX station.

4:31:59: Christian falls back a little, gets up and Fletcher pushes him again and tells him to get off the train. "Mr. Christian is saying 'Hit me again!'" Michaels said.

4:32:01: Christian pulls out his folding knife.

4:32:04: Christian has extended the blade. He stabs for the first time -- into Fletcher's neck.

4:32:05: Christian pushes Fletcher out of the way. He stabs Namkai-Meche in the neck.

4:32:07: Christian stabs Namkai-Meche two more times in the back of his head and neck.

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Courtesy of family

(Ricky Best and his family)

4:32:09: Christian stabs Best, who prosecutors say had stepped forward to intervene. As Best grabs onto Christian, Christian stabs him a second time.

4:32:11: He stabs Best three more times.

4:32:14: Christian turns his attention back to Namkai-Meche, stabbing him.

4:32:15: He stabs Namkai-Meche one final time.

Michaels said Christian stabbed his victims in the neck and head area with speed and precision: "Eleven stabs in 11 seconds."

Still holding his knife, Christian then stepped onto the platform and threatened other passengers by saying, "Who else wants some?"

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Micah Fletcher speaking in October 2017 at Portland State University.

4:41 p.m.: Police arrive.

4:46 p.m.: Portland Fire & Rescue paramedics arrive. Best is pronounced dead at the scene. Namkai-Meche is rushed into surgery at a local hospital but dies. Fletcher is rushed to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center and survives.

Fletcher was stabbed once. Namkai-Meche and Best suffered the remaining blows.The initiative to ban the sale of high-capacity magazines and a broad range of semiautomatic pistols, rifles and shotguns still needs to qualify for the November ballot. An effort to gather the required signatures has until July 6.

The initiative also would require most existing owners of these weapons to pass criminal background checks and register with the state in order to keep them. Failure to do so would be a Class B felony.

Mike Zacchino/The Oregonian/OregonLive

The fight over assault weapon ban wording

Portland-area clergy are leading the effort to gather the 88,184 signatures needed by July 6 to get a gun control initiative on the November ballot in Oregon. The measure would ban the sale of high-capacity magazines and a broad range of semiautomatic pistols, rifles and shotguns. It would also require most existing owners of these weapons to pass criminal background checks and register with the state; failure to do so would be a Class B felony.

Under state law, the attorney general must draft an impartial ballot title that describes the measure. The draft received what appears to be a record number of public comments. The measure's opponents could still appeal to the Oregon Supreme Court to force changes to the title. Here are the details of what Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum issued:

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The caption

By law, the caption for the ballot title of a state measure must reasonably identify the subject matter of the measure and contain no more than 15 words. The draft title read: Criminalizes Possession Or Transfer of "Assault Weapons" (Defined) Or "Large Capacity Magazines" (Defined), With Exceptions

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Charles Krupa/The Associated Press

Critical comments poured in

The vast majority of the comments (more than 1,000 were submitted) objected to the use of the term "assault weapons," and most commenters also objected to the reference to "large capacity magazines." Taking into account the comments and the limitations of the title caption, the attorney general's office made changes to the draft and issued the final wording.

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The final wording

The caption certified by the Attorney General's Office reads: Prohibits "Assault Weapons" (Defined), "Large Capacity Magazines" (Defined), Unless Registered With State Police. Criminal Penalties.

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Gordon R. Friedman/The Oregonian/OregonLive

Result of a 'yes' vote

A ballot title must, under state law, include "[a] simple and understandable statement of not more than 25 words that describes the result if the state measure is approved." The certified title reads:

"Yes" vote prohibits "assault weapons" (defined), "large capacity magazines" (defined), unless registered with State Police after background check. Criminal penalties. State Police must maintain registry.

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Result of 'no' vote

The ballot title, similarly, must include a simple statement for the result of a "no" vote. The certified title says:

"No" vote retains current law requiring background check for firearm purchases, barring purchases by certain individuals, and not requiring registration of firearms or ammunition magazines.

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Seth Perlman/The Associated Press

What is an 'assault weapon'?

The summary section of the ballot title must be no more than 125 words and must summarize the measure in an impartial way. Many commenters on the draft summary noted that there is no agreement or shared definition of what constitutes an "assault weapon" or "large capacity magazine." The summary from the attorney general's office instead lists "in as much detail as space allows" the covered items and says that the measure refers to semiautomatic weapons.

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The summary

Here is the summary as certified:

Measure prohibits "assault weapons" (defined), "large capacity magazines" (defined), unless registered with State Police after background check. Criminal penalties.

"Assault weapons" definition includes:

Semiautomatic rifles with detachable magazine and certain additional features;

Semiautomatic, centerfire or rimfire rifles," or semiautomatic pistol, capable of holding more than ten bullets with fixed magazine;

Semiautomatic centerfire rifles under thirty inches;

Semiautomatic handguns with certain additional features;

Semiautomatic shotguns with certain additional features;

Shotguns with revolving cylinders.

"Large capacity magazines" defined as capable of holding over 10 rounds, excluding tubular magazines in .22 caliber or lever-action firearms.

"Covered items not registered must be sold/ surrendered/ destroyed. State Police must maintain registry. Acquisition mostly prohibited after effective date, January 1, 2019. Measure may limit uses of covered items. Other provisions."Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Cover that wagon and hitch up the oxen, because a big milestone is making its way to Oregon.

In May, 1843, some 1,000 men, women and children loaded up wagons, gathered their family and all earthly possessions, and left Missouri for a new life out west. Known as the Great Migration of 1843, the journey would become better known for the rugged route the migrants took west  the Oregon Trail.

Now immortalized in regional history and an educational computer game by the same name, the Oregon Trail is a huge part of our Pacific Northwest heritage, and feels near and dear to our hearts, even if none of us actually rode a wagon train west to get out here.

Of course, those who participated in the 1843 migration werent the first  nor the last  to make the trip out west. Fur traders, missionaries and other pioneers came before them, blazing the trail that thousands would ultimately take to get to Oregon.

There are a lot of ways to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the first major migration along the Oregon Trail  without having to worry about dysentery or fording a river. To pay proper homage to our pioneer heritage, here are seven ways to celebrate the big anniversary.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

1. Visit the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center

If you're looking for a realistic depiction of life on the trail, the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center is the place for you. There are original wagons and ruts outside, but inside the museum you can find speaking mannequins whose faces are molded to show the pain and misery of the migration. The Oregon Trail sounds romantic until you hear a woman sob bitterly as she buries her child in the desert.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

2. Kick it in Oregon City

For many travelers, Oregon City marked the glorious end of the Oregon Trail. Today, you can share in their accomplishment with a visit to the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, the historic McLoughlin House, Willamette Falls, or the many good restaurants downtown. A hike along the McLoughlin Promenade is one of the best ways to see it all.

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Flickr/brewbooks

3. Find some original wagon ruts

Most of the wagon ruts from the Oregon Trail are lost to time  either taken over by nature or bulldozed by man. There are several places along the route where ruts still exist, but in Oregon there are only a few: Virtue Flat in Baker City (at the interpretive center), Echo Meadows near Hermiston, Barlow Pass on Mount Hood and in Biggs Junction on the outskirts of the Columbia River Gorge are your best bets.

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Courtesy of National Park Service

4. Drive the Oregon National Historic Trail

The National Park Service has officially designated the old wagon route as the Oregon National Historic Trail. You can drive the route from Missouri to Oregon, where you'll find museums, parks, landmarks and small towns to see the history of the trail in person. It's not the same as making the journey in a wagon, but it still makes a great road trip.

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Wikipedia/Ian Poellet

5. Take the Barlow Road

If you've played the Oregon Trail game, you know all too well the dangers of crossing a river. When pioneers first took the trail west, they had to float the Columbia River to get to the Willamette Valley  and this was back before the dams, when the river was much more treacherous. Sam Barlow came up with the solution by blazing the 80-mile Barlow Road running from The Dalles along the south side of Mount Hood. Today, you can hike the old toll road on a trail that runs nine miles, out and back.

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Brent Wojahn

6. Float the Columbia River

It would be unwise to try to float a wagon down the Columbia, but these days you can just go windsurfing, kiteboarding or take a stand-up paddleboard on the river. Its not really experiencing the Columbia River as the pioneers did, but it is a nice way to spend an afternoon.

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7. Play The Oregon Trail

Despite all the ways you can get out and experience the Oregon Trail for yourself, one of the best ways to understand the experience is still "The Oregon Trail" computer game, which you can play for free online. Just don't overwork those oxen.

Don't Edit

Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

NORTHWEST TRAVEL GUIDES

Summer road trips: It's road trip season, and if you're still unsure where to go, here are 12 epic adventures across Oregon.

Hiking etiquette: Don't be a jerk on the trail, and follow these simple tips for hiking politely.

Visit Vancouver: Portlanders have a weird aversion to visiting Vancouver, Washington, which is actually full of good food, bars and trails.

Don't Edit

--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB

Don't EditPrague Airport and Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC), the operator of Incheon International Airport in South Korea, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will see the companies work together on airport operations and development, security improvements and customer experience, as well as sustainable growth. The MoU also considers the development of new technologies, such as biometrics and robotics.

Representatives of both companies will regularly meet to share experiences and inspiration, and the partnership between the two airports will also support the growth of regular scheduled connections between the Czech Republic and South Korea.

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Commenting at the signing of the MoU on May 22 at Vaclav Havel Airport Prague, Vaclav Rehor, chairman of the board of directors of Prague Airport, said, We can appreciate that, thanks to its busy operations and ongoing development, in many areas, Incheon International Airport is more technologically advanced than our airport. We highly appreciate our partners readiness and willingness to cooperate with our airport.

President and CEO of Incheon International Airport, Dr Il-Young Chung, commented, As the aviation demand at Vaclav Havel Airport Prague is expected to grow continuously, the MoU between our two airports will be of great help in our aviation network expansion.

We will continue to establish strategic partnerships with East European airports that have much growth potential, and equip Incheon International Airport with differentiated hub competitiveness.Far be it from Paste to scaremonger around drug use, but this is mildly concerningthe AP reports that 14 service members on the security detail at Wyomings F.E. Warren Air Force Base were disciplined (and six outright convicted) for buying, selling, and using LSD (and other hallucinogens). Notably, F.E. Warren is home to Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missiles, and this drug ring was based in the 90th Missile Wing, which is responsible for a third of the ICBMs on site and observes permanent on alert status.

The lede to the AP story is a gem:

WASHINGTON (AP)  One airman said he felt paranoia. Another marveled at the vibrant colors. A third admitted, I absolutely just loved altering my mind.

This quote is also a gem:

Although this sounds like something from a movie, it isnt, said Capt. Charles Grimsley, the lead prosecutor of one of several courts martial.

The ring was blown when one of the airmen posted a video of himself smoking marijuana on Snapchat, and although none were accused of using drugs on duty, its pretty telling that the case was cracked in March 2016, and journalists are just now running the story after two years of collecting documents via FOIA request. It does not seem like the Air Force was eager to see this information go public, and for good reason:

...its another blow to the reputation of the Air Forces nuclear missile corps, which is capable of unleashing hell in the form of Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs. The corps has struggled at times with misbehavior, mismanagement and low morale.

Our nuclear arsenal is under the spotlight due in large part to Trumps on-again off-again fling with Kim Jong-Un, and this story is not especially reassuring. At the court martial, the airmen described the effects of dropping acid, and these effects included paranoia and panic, as well as a feeling of imminent death. The supply seems to have come from civilians, and the effects were not all bad, as this passage shows:

Other airmen testified that it was easy to obtain LSD in a liquid form spread on small tabs of perforated white paper. Airmen ingested at least one tab by placing it on their tongue. In one episode summarized by a military judge at Harris court martial, he and other airmen watched YouTube videos and then went longboarding on the streets of Denver while high on LSD.

Kyle Morrison, the alleged ringleader, and in the military equivalent of a plea deal, he got a reduced sentence (12 months in jail) and avoided a punitive discharge in exchange for providing evidence against ten of his fellow airmen. One of them, sensing the walls closing in, decided to take a very different kind of trip:

As the investigators closed in, one of the accused, Airman 1st Class Devin R. Hagarty, grabbed a backpack and cash, text-messaged his mother that he loved her, turned off his cellphone and fled to Mexico. I started panicking, he told a military judge after giving himself up and being charged with desertion.

Hagarty got 13 months in military jail.Back in 2014, Democrats in Georgia were feeling cautiously optimistic. Demographics had been shifting in the state, with non-white voters growing from 29% of the electorate to 42% over the last dozen years. The party had strong candidates with legacy name recognition at the top of the ballot in Jason Carter (vying to become Governor) and Nunn (U.S. Senate). Yet however cautious, the optimism was misplaced. Both candidates were solidly rejected, earning about 45% of the vote. After Hilary Clinton made a similar showing in 2016 with 45.6% of the vote, you could forgive Georgia Democrats for not getting their hopes up too much this yeareven as the party made history by nominating the first African American woman major-party gubernatorial candidate in U.S. history.

But as she showed in her primary win against state representative Stacey Evans, Abrams strategy is dominantly focused on energizing the Democratic base in Georgia and getting out the vote. And thats the only hope Democrats have at regaining any kind of political relevance in Georgia.

Conventional political wisdom held that Evans had a better chance of convincing white, rural and suburban voters to abandon the party of Trump, particularly as the two remaining Republican candidates in the primary runoff spend their time competing to see who loves guns and hates illegal immigrants more (to be fair, Brian Kemp seems to hate them more than Casey Cagle, though Cagle is quick to remind everyone that he helped outlaw sanctuary cities in the state). This was the approach that Jon Ossoff took in his failed Sixth Congressional District run last year, and its one that Abrams rejects.

Both Abrams and Evans have progressive bona fides. In fact, it could be argued that Abrams is the more pragmatic of the two, often legislating through compromise as the State Houses minority leader. But while the Evans campaign outspent Abrams on TV and radio ads by $1.5 million to $475,000 (not counting pro-Abrams PACs), Abrams has invested in voter registration and grassroots outreach to non-frequent voters. We keep trying to convince Republicans to be Democrats instead of getting Democrats to be Democrats, she told the Marietta Daily Journal. Thats why we lose.

In the 2014 election, only 38.6% of the 6.7 million eligible Georgians showed up at the polls. Carter lost the election by just over 200,000 votes. Thats the gap that Abrams needs to overcome. The question primary voters had to ask themselves on Tuesday was which outcome seemed more likely: Evans swaying more than 100,000 Nathan Deal voters, or Abrams bringing more than 200,000 new voters to the polls.

Abrams netted 423,163 votes, more than the 304,243 votes cast in the uncontested 2014 Democratic primary and more than the 395,497 cast among six candidates in the 2010 primary. It was also more votes than were cast for Casey Cagle and Brian Kemp combined, though Republican primary voters still outnumbered Democrats by about 53,000 votes.

Abrams founded the New Georgia Project in 2013, and the organization has submitted more than 200,000 voter registrations since then, though its unclear how many of those registrants were added to the voter rolls. Many of those applications came from what the NGP calls the New American Majority (people of color, those 18 to 29 years of age and unmarried women), who Abrams will be counting on for victory in November.

And the numbers add up. There are currently 1,849,294 black voters already registered in Georgia. Along with a growing Latino population, the Millennial rejection of the Republican party and the fact that women outnumber men at the polls, Abrams has a legitimate shot this year. But well understand if there are still a few Georgia Democrats who cant bear to get their hopes up again.

Josh Jackson is Pastes co-founder and editor-in-chief.In April, Google launched its first major Gmail redesign since 2013, and in a sense it was an acknowledgement of all the ways Google had fallen behind.

With 1.4 billion users logging into Gmail at least once per month, the service has become resistant to change. This in turn has been a boon to the email software business, allowing third-party apps like Mailbox, Spark, Astro, and Newton to invent new features on a more regular basis. Several of Gmails most notable new features come straight from these apps, and from the broader software world in general. And while some have previously appeared in Googles more forward-thinking Inbox app, others are new to Gmail entirely.

But as Gmail gets with the times, its also introducing some new ideas that havent yet occurred to its competitors. The result is a much-needed game of feature leapfrog, which will hopefully compel other email apps to invent even more ways to make email less painful. To that end, heres a look at whats newand not-so-newwith Gmails big upgrade:

Not new: Snoozing

Google, Mailbox Gmails new Snooze feature (left) was popularized by Mailbox (right) in 2013.

One of Gmails most overdue additions is a Snooze button, which can resurface old emails at a later date and time. A Gmail extension called Boomerang provided similar functionality eight years ago, followed by AOLs Alto (which used the term Snooze). Mailbox helped popularize the Snooze button in 2013, and its since become a table-stakes feature for practically every new email client, including Googles Inbox, which launched in 2014. Gmail doesnt do much to advance the conceptin fact, Newtons mobile app has a handy snooze until back at desktop feature that other apps would be wise to copybut at least its there.

Not new: The Side Panel

Google, Jared Newman / PCWorld The Vivaldi browser (right) lets you open web apps in a panel alongside any websitenot just Gmail.

To make better use of desktop PC real estate, the new Gmail can load miniature versions of Googles Keep, Calendar, and Tasks apps in a right-hand sidebar. That way, you can quickly take notes, make appointments, and create to-do items without switching browser tabs.

Its a novel idea for an email app, but the Chromium-based browser Vivaldi offers a similar feature called Web Panels, which can open any webpage in an expandable sidebar view. (Opera also offers web panels through a browser add-on.) Googles panels do have one advantage: You can create to-do items by dragging an email into Tasks, though thats also not a new idea. Some Gmail extensions such as Sortd and Yanado offer similar drag-and-drop features.

Not new: High-priority notifications

Google, Microsoft Microsofts mobile Outlook app (right) was doing priority notifications before Gmail (left) and Googles Inbox app.

Gmail has allowed users to filter out bulk mail with inbox tabs for years now, but a new high-priority notifications feature will go a step further, using AI to alert you only to the most important emails. While this feature hasnt arrived in the new Gmail yet, it sounds similar to Outlooks Focused Inbox, which first launched on mobile devices in 2015 following Microsofts acquisition of Acompli. As Microsofts support page notes, Focused Inbox intelligently presorts your email so you can focus on what matters, and gets better the more you use it. (Googles Inbox has offered this type of intelligent filtering since 2014, but only started rolling out priority notifications last year.)

Not new: Hover actions

Google, Jared Newman / PCWorld Gmail (left) now lets you quickly act on emails with hover actions, though theyre not customizable like Newtons (right).

Heres another borrowed feature from Googles Inbox app: By hovering your cursor over an email, youll see options to archive, delete, snooze, and mark as read with one tap. Its a handy way to delete or archive lots of emails in rapid succession.

Google cant take credit for the idea, though. Among the first to implement hover features was AOLs Alto, which launched in 2012 and shut down last year. Newton also deserves some credit for going a step further, letting users change the order of hover actions and set up quick actions for spam and folder sorting.

Not new: AI-based nudging

Google, Trove Gmail (left) will soon offer a nudge feature similar to one thats already available with Trove (right).

In the coming weeks, Gmail will introduce a new feature called Nudging, which uses artificial intelligence to remind you about emails that might need a response. It could be a neat feature, but its not unique to Gmail. Both Astro and Trove provide similar nudges based on artificial intelligence. (The former is more for individuals, while the latter is aimed at companies that want to improve communications within their networks.)

Google, Astro Both Gmail (left) and Astro (right) can help you unsubscribe to newsletters you arent reading.

While Gmail can already surface unsubscribe links in mass emails, itll soon go a step further by flagging emails you havent read in a while and suggesting that you unsubscribe. Again, its a feature already offered by Astro, whose Insights section offers unsubscribe links for emails you havent opened lately.

Kind of new: Confidential Mode

Google Gmail will soon offer several features that limit access to emails after youve sent them.

Confidential mode refers to a suite of upcoming Gmail features for protecting outbound messages. Users will be able to set expiration dates; prevent emails from being copied, printed, downloaded or forwarded; and lock emails behind a two-factor authentication code sent to the recipient via text message.

Not all of these features are new. Microsofts Outlook and Exchange also use Integrated Rights Management technologies to prevent email copying, and they allow users to set expiration dates on emails. Meanwhile, third-party extensions such as Vanishh and Snapmail allow Gmail users to send self-destructing messages today. But on the whole, Gmail will make these features easier for broader audience to use while also adding new ideas like two-factor authentication for individual emails.

Google Saved you a click: Gmail now brings attachment links to the inbox view.

While some apps such as Outlook and Edison Mail provide users with a list of all email attachments, Googles making things a little easier by surfacing attachment links from the main inbox view. That way, you can quickly view an image or document without having to click into the individual email. This is prime fodder for other email apps to copy in the future.

New: Smart Reply

Google Why write your own emails when Googles AI-powered Smart Replies can do the job for you?

Googles Smart Reply feature is supposed to save you time by offering intelligent, canned responses based on the content of the message. For instance, if the email asks if youd like to meet on Monday, you can tap a button to quickly respond with Monday works for me. The feature debuted as part of Google Inbox in 2015, and headed to the mobile version of Gmail last year. Now its headed to desktop Gmail, where it remains uncopied by other email apps. (If you dont trust Googles AI to write emails for you, check out Sparks Quick Replies, which let you customize your own one-touch canned responses.)

Gmail also supports Googles new Smart Compose feature in experimental mode, which makes AI-based suggestions sentence-by-sentence while writing fuller emails. Smart Compose isnt anywhere near as helpful as Smart Reply in its early days though.

The makers of other email apps might feel dismayed now that some of their best ideas are part of Gmail proper. But if history is any guide, theyll have until the year 2023 or so to figure out where to take things next.The six Pennsylvania Catholic dioceses at the center of a grand jury investigation into the potential child sex abuse of children by priests have received a copy of the findings.

Mark Rush, an attorney working with the Diocese of Erie, on Thursday confirmed his office had received the report. The 884-page report covers the findings across the six dioceses, which, in addition to Erie, include: Harrisburg, Allentown, Pittsburgh, Scranton and Greensburg.

Rush indicated the other dioceses had also received the report, which remains sealed until otherwise ordered by a judge.

Rush, of the Pittsburgh-based K&L Gates law firm, said Erie Bishop Lawrence Persico will now review the findings. By law entities investigated by a grand jury have the opportunity to respond to the findings of any investigation. Responding is not mandatory, however.

"There's no requirement that anyone respond," Rush said.

He could not comment on the timeframe given to the dioceses to respond, as that is determined by court order.

News that the dioceses had copies of the findings was first reported Thursday by Erie.com.

Amy Hill, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference on Thursday said the organization - the legislative lobbying arm for the church - has not received a copy of the report.

In September 2016, the state Office of Attorney General launched the investigation into allegations of child sex abuse across the six dioceses in the wake of another grand jury report out of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. That investigation found systemic child sex abuse by priests and church staff in that dioceses. The volume of calls from potential victims in other dioceses generated from that report prompted the attorney general to launch the current probe.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro this week indicated he would release the report by the end of June. His office could not comment or confirm the report that the dioceses had received the findings.

"Pursuant to the law and our strict adherence to the statute and process, we cannot yet comment on the grand jury report on sexual abuse within the Catholic Church or its dissemination and timing," said Joe Grace, a spokesman for the Office of Attorney General.

The Diocese of Erie, which launched its own independent probe to coincide with the grand jury investigation, has identified 57 individuals - priests and church staff - who have been credibly accused of child sex crimes. One priest - Father David Poulson - has been arrested and charged with three felonies.For Subscribers Get spooked at one of Northern Michigan's haunted attractions

This year a slew of haunted attractions have taken over Northern Michigan with everything from haunted trails to clowns, ghosts and chainsaws.The temporary dining decks, installed last year to help restaurants keep business during the coronavirus pandemic, will by next month be removed or reconstructed to stretch only along the length of respective eateries' storefronts.El Yucateco Pro Fat Tire Crit

Amateur Backcountry Ride

Pro Backcountry Race

Pro Results

Photo by Kenny Wehn

Photo by Kenny Wehn

Hail The Trail

Boasting three new trails of singletrack enjoyed by all, year six of the Grand Junction Off-Road is done and dusted. As those who joined us last weekend on Colorado's West Slope may attest, the event has once again upped the ante in pulling together the mountain bike community to enjoy three days of world-class trails, free live music and a serious party on the streets of Downtown Grand Junction. As is standard with all Epic Rides Off-Road Series events, the three-day festival opened its doors at high noon Friday on Main Street, giving attendees access to over forty industry vendors including full support rigs from Maxxis Tires, Stan's NoTubes, Shimano ProGold, Specialized Bicycles, Pivot Cycles, and Cannondale.Friday evening boasted the Pro Women's and Men's El Yucateco Pro Fat Tire Crits, now with a $1,000 in Cash Primes, courtesy of El Yucateco Hot Sauce. "What in tarnation is a Fat Tire Crit" you ask? It's a full throttle road race on mountain bikes throughout a weaving one-mile circuit in downtown Prescott, that's what it is. Not only does it give the community something insanely fun to watch, but it also determines call-ups for Sunday's Pro backcountry race. Friday evening Cannondale's own Stephen Hyde and 2017 Off-Road Series Pro Champion Katerina Nash took the win.The Grand Junction Off-Road has been called "America's most technically challenging course." While it has its moments, the past five years show a 93% finish rate, which speaks to the gritty nature of the participants and the rider support thanks to Tailwind Nutrition, Honey Stinger, EMS Unlimited, and the countless volunteers who make the event hum.This past weekend presented near perfect riding conditions with temps hovering near 80+ degrees and sunny skies, allowing Grand Junction to put its best foot forward in marking the community as a premier mountain bike destination for the West.The Grand Junction Off-Road, as well as each course in the Epic Rides Off-Road Series, intends to provide an authentic representation of mountain biking. They aren't repetitive, contrived loops in a park. They are bonafide backcountry rides with a healthy blend of ups, downs, tech, and flow. A well-rounded mountain biker will thrive, while a downhiller may suffer the climbs and an "XC" racer may suffer the downhills.Mountain biking, like many pursuits in life, is what you make of it. The Off-Road Series lets riders decide how to experience the ride. If you want to race, the systems are there to race. If you want to ride casually and savor a long day in the saddle, pedal on. The events strive to be inclusive and preserve the sport's essence by unplugging and enjoying nature while celebrating camaraderie of a tight-knit community. It's ...a good day on the bike.With a weekend of festivities in the rearview, Sunday is when the Pro's got down to business. With an equally split $30,000 purse ($15k to the men / $15k to the women) on the line to be divvied up between an internationally stacked list of racers, including past Off-Road Series Champion Katerina Nash (Clif Pro Team) and two-time Whiskey Champion & 2017 Off-Road Series Pro Champ Howard Grotts (Specialized). Add names like Evelyn Dong (Spyr Cycles), Geoff Kabush (Yeti Cycles), Russell Finsterwald (Team Clif), Amy Beisel (Orange Seal), Fernando Riveros Paez (Construction Zone Racing), Benjamin Sonntag (Team Clif), and Sofia Gomez-Villafane (Stan's-Pivot Pro Team p/b Maxxis) to the mix and the stage was set for top-tier competition.The day belonged to team Clif Pro Team's Katerina Nash and Specialized Racing's Howard Grotts.It can't go without mentioning COPMOBA for their thousands of hours put towards building and maintaining Grand Junction's thriving trail system, including the Grand Junction Off-Road's new singletrack Snake Skin, Second Thoughts, and Good Vibes. As a show of thanks, Epic Rides is hosting a fundraiser dubbed Hail the Trail for the second year in a row  a campaign where the public can purchase raffle tickets for $5 a pop for a chance to win one of four mountain bikes from Cannondale, Specialized Bicycles, and Pivot Cycles each valued at more than $6,000. All the proceeds benefit four primary trail groups in each Off-Road Series community, including COPMOBA, and go directly toward maintaining existing and building new trail in each network.If you'd like to Hail the Trail, visit: www.epicrides.com/hailthetrail From Grand Junction, Colorado, that's a wrap on the 2018 Grand Junction Off-Road. Stay tuned for the 3rd Annual Carson City Off-Road June 15-17 in Nevada's capital city located on the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada, and the Inaugural Oz Trails Off-Road October 5-7, highlighting Bentonville, Arkansas world-class winding trails.For more information visit epicrides.com Photography by Brenda ErnstGore-Tex and other membrane fabrics are great, but they can take a toll on the budget. Only available in Canada, MEC's Gore-tex Paclite jacket is a good bit cheaper than many comparable jackets from traditional outdoor brandsand way cheaper than some boutique bike brands. It's not a bike specific jacket, so the fit is a bit bulky, but the hood fits over a helmet and it has some nice details. For those who want wet-weather protection during shoulder season without paying a premium, it's worth a look.  Brian ParkMost documents of a time long gone, filled with hipsters and scene-makers, have a glossy sheen of self-satisfaction that make them hard to endure. This is understood from the beginning. To read journals written by participants of an artistic or cultural movement is to understand that the outside world will not intrude. Everything in the text will be in and of the moment at hand. Celebrities will wander through the pages. The writer will recount cheeky comments and rejoinders he spouted at them, and the reader will be expected to either embrace the audaciousness or place the entire narrative in its proper context. The reader may ask whether or not such examples as Hemingways waxing poetic about his lost generation of the 20s in A Moveable Feast (published posthumously in 1964) should have been released, or random notes by members of the beat generation and other major participants of scenes deserve a place at the literary table.

No matter our patience for solipsistic indulgence and literary onanism, the possibility of making money will trump any and all questions of merit. We read the documents because they serve as testimony to a life lived, no matter how tedious they may be to read. The difference between something like Duncan Hannahs Twentieth-Century Boy Notebooks of the Seventies and a standard memoir is that we dont know if the former was ever meant to be published as a literary recollection of a time experienced. Hannah was born in Minneapolis in 1952. He attended Bard College between 1971-1973 and Parsons School of Design from 1973-1975. He came of age in a New York City brimming with artistic freedom and possibilities and decadence, where Warhol, Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Patti Smith were among many who wandered in and out of the endless scenes. Hannah notes in his foreword, dated February 2017:

I had never read these journals before transcribing them I removed a lot of extraneous detritus. I didnt do a lot of navel gazing, as many diarists do

The astute reader might immediately have problems with that last claim, but such are the elements of a lively literary debate. Hannah comes off much better (as one might hope) in this forward, where he expresses that upon reading these journals now he felt more sympathy for his sister and parents than he did at that time. He continues:

I felt sympathy for me as well, in the throes of nascent alcoholism that I didnt then understand. I saw the arc of addiction going from bad to worse.

Its this contemporary Duncan Hannah that the reader meets only briefly at the beginning. His journals from the 70s end in early 1981 when hes 28-years-old, and he admits here that he didnt start growing up until that point. How the contemporary reader absorbs Twentieth-Century Boy now will depend on many issues. Will we be triggered by endless accounts of sexual dalliances of all sorts? Will we want to know more about the process of understanding visual art of the 70s (featuring real supporting player performances from David Hockney, Andy Warhol, and Robert Mapplethorpe) and less about drug ingestion and alcoholic deliriums? Twentieth-Century Boy demands certain things of the reader in 2018. Suspend judgment of this lead character. Dont expect a standard narrative arc (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution). Dont expect your hero to grow up.

This book is separated into a series of interesting sections that give it some structure. The first, Mystic Eyes, covers the winter of 1970. Hannah is in his private boys school (where well later learn he was classmates with Saturday Night Live writer/performer team Al Franken and Tom Davis). Its Minneapolis cool as he attends concerts by Jefferson Airplane and Roland Kirk. He starts with the lists of more concerts (including Rod Stewart, Traffic, the Who). Its a world where, just five years earlier, the song of the summer was The Rolling Stones Satisfaction but now its Iggy Pop and the Stooges album Fun House. Jimi Hendrix dies. (Saw him a couple times at the Auditorium, found him a bit clownish but he sure could play the guitar.) Janis Joplin overdoses. (I got high with her and Big Brother when they played the Guthrie.)

Its this type of teenaged self-centeredness that can be either endearing in retrospect or insufferable no matter the conditions. The political observations are more pointed and the reader wishes Hannah had included more of them. Magazines say the seventies are gonna be about nostalgia, he writes, and perhaps thats a clear signal early in the book of the theme well encounter. Nostalgia is a deadly narcotic that can kill if only because it calms us, first. Hannah wins us with his account of first encounter with Allen Ginsberg:

Then he recites Please MasterHe looks down at me and chants it into my wide eyes Its all about teenage bellies and innocent man-boy love

Time marches on. In the Cat Food chapter, Jim Morrison dies in Paris of a heart attack (July 1971.) Led Zeppelin plays Milan and the building caves in. The Who debuts songs from Whos Next and Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks impress with I Scare Myself. In Punk, January 1972, Hannah fails his Draft Physical and becomes 4-F. The poet John Berryman dies: We didnt know who he was, but he seemed like a cool old guy. Its these brief fleeting glimpses of the once strong and mighty that impress most in Twentieth-Century Boy, as when Hannah comes upon a vagrant-looking Chet Baker in line at a bank in NYC. The mighty fall as quickly as they rise in Hannahs world.

In Bombardier, Hannah worries about Hallucinations. Im so goddam young! Theres a shadow looming over me. These worries are underpinning a great deal of the narrative, and the fact that they are not fully resolved is perhaps understandable. After all, this is not fiction. Whats more exciting for those interested in the artistic process are Hannahs conclusions, in an April 1972 entry:

I learn painting is about painting Its not just what you put in but also what you leave out.

There are long passages that follow detailing estrangement from his parents, what he calls a near-rape experience and stumbling through scenes after scenes. What works best is describing the scene of David Bowies NYC debut (September 1972) and more talk about art:

Drawing is a way of learning to see. A way of reasoning on paper. Im striving to do it with ease and simplicity. Ive got a long way to go.

Its hard not to like lines like We are students of love, entangled with possessiveness, feeding on jealousy and lust. As he contemplates love, he notes that hes attracted by The drug of female illusion. Its complicated. All the while hes trying to find my own visual language from my minds warped filing cabinet. Its these moments that prove more exhilarating than endless appearances by Danny Fields and cameos by Todd Rundgren and Patti Smith. Theyre certainly important players in the NYC scene at the moment, but they rush through the scenes in a harried way. Perhaps thats the point. The catty elements include (but are not limited to) scenes where Lou Reed claims Patti Smith amounted to nothing more than a haircut. More is detailed of Reeds decadent talk, and Hannah admirably makes a cogent conclusion: My hero worship is immediately over. Ick. One of Hannahs friends encounters Bob Dylan and says Hello. Im from Minneapolis, to which he replies Go back. Cheeky burns, it seems are eternal.

There are moments in Twentieth-Century Boy where the reader sees Hannah nostalgically connecting with his parents. One of them is in a brief paragraph saluting drummer Gene Krupa, on the occasion of his death, under a picture of the author (at 14) posing with the man. Hannahs parents are also in the photo, and Krupa has signed it with a Good luck with your drums line. Hannah understands his own time (like when he notes of the New York Dolls that they are the glue that binds this scene together) and hes trying to connect with his parents and their cocktail generation.

What could be fun in Twentieth-Century Boy more often comes across as both overwhelming and annoying at the same time. Look, theres Keith Moon and Pete Townshend. Look, theres Bryan Ferry and the smooth sounds of Roxy Music. By the summer of 1974 theres a tinge of the apocalypse in the air, and the reader would have been better served had there been more of that. Still, it works to set the scene of a New York City broke and dirty and desperate, like the burgeoning punk and modern art scensters it hosted.

Things get hazy with drugs and bloody with violence, but Hannah remains happy. I watch the present unfold. Nothing has value except the moment we are living. Later, he wakes from a nightmare and sees it as the downside of having your subconscious filled with crime films. His parents remain in the picture, but theyre distant. They talk with him in-between trips sailing around South America. Never believe what an artist says, only what he does. Teachers tell me to pick one idea and stick with it. Then start on a series of variations on a theme.

By 1975, the New York City music scene becomes small enough that even the Rolling Stones can be encountered on Fifth Avenue. They looked appropriately scruffy in denim and worn leather, good shag haircuts Aerosmiths Steven Tyler shows up at a bar, and Hannah notes he was surprised at how stupid he seemed. One of the more powerful passages comes at the end of this section (The Sacred + The Profane. Fall 1975 Manhattan) when Hannah realizes the truth about his hero Jack Kerouac:

He became homophobic, Commie-fearing, bigoted, right-wing. A sad trajectory. So this is my role model? I dont want to end up like that! I must re-assess Ive been delusional. Precious youth is eking through my fingers. I promptly went on the wagon.

The Talking Heads arrive on the scene. Hannah wakes up from a drunken daze and meets William Wegman. Debbie Harry appears with Blondie to stake her claim on a newer wave surfacing by the late 70s. Hannah switches exclusively to oil paints in the summer of 1977, as David Son of Sam Berkowitz shoots up parts of the city, and like moves on. Jean-Luc Godard likes Amos Poes film Unmade Beds (1976), in which Hannah starred. Hannah gets to a party at Leonard Bernsteins Dakota apartment and sees Bill Evans perform at the Village Vanguard. Theres a glimpse of Lillian Hellman, looking like she smoked a million cigarettes and then Hannah is off again to Europe to accompany Unmade Beds at the Cannes Film Festival.

There is no real ending to Twentieth-Century Boy because it didnt really begin. We met our hero as he was rambling through the start of 1970, very sure of himself, and the observations are a little trite, As the book closes, though, Hannah gets deeper and we see a greater sense of artistic rules and ethics:

A work of art needs a set of rules. In an avant-garde world, the real risk might be in being a neoconservative. Sometimes, painting is a form of wishful thinking. Escapism. A way to balance out an irrational world. Im interested in an art that lasts.

Its this last line that seems to be the strongest takeaway from Twentieth-Century Boy. Hes come to understand that so much of contemporary art seems like empty things for empty people. The B-52s and the Pretenders enter the scene. Hannah is understandably scarred (like most New Yorkers) by the December 1980 murder of John Lennon (though he refers to the album Double Fantasy as that album about the bogus love affair between him and Yoko.) Life ends. Life moves on.

The cumulative effect of Twentieth-Century Boy is that of a compulsively readable collection of chronological journal entries with long stretches of tedious hedonism punctuated by striking elements of profundity. We dont know what has become of Duncan Hannah in the nearly four decades after the close of Twentieth-Century Boy, and he probably doesnt want us to get too close again. This book could have been trimmed by a third and included more examples of his work. It would have better served Hannahs artistic legacy. As a narrative about the artist, it can be tedious and overwhelming, but as a document of a frantic decade, its an at times impressive snapshot of ten years, breathlessly lived.Holy Pintos EP Tales From the Traveling T-Shirt Salesman arrives in June and if single Gold Leaf is any indication, were due for a collection of infectious and heartfelt songs that are lightly sentimental but packed with a heft that recalls the loud/quiet/loud of the best 90s pop. Add to its charms, tales of flowers purchased at a petrol station and all the indications of a lover whos trying their best to stay put but just cant. Theres a universality in the verses and choruses that will capture the listeners heart upon first listen.

Its a song tinged with sadness and regret, offers Aymen Saleh, the mind behind Holy Pinto. Its about what you sometimes give up, the potential of letting someone down and leaving them behind whilst following your internal compass and indulging your inner-restlessness.

The accompanying video features Saleh traveling to Monowi, Nebraska, where he performs for the one (yes, one) resident of the town and a couple of music lovers gathered from the neighboring municipality at the Monowi Tavern. It gives the songs saddest moments a little lift and makes us cheer for Saleh even more.

We thought it would be fun to take DIY touring to an extreme and play a show in the smallest place possible, Saleh says, and then document it. We ended up in Monowi, famous for that one resident.

Tales From the Traveling T-Shirt Salesman may be ordered here.The first stop for many reflecting on the literary career and staggering artistic legacy of Philip Roth after hearing of his recent death was the easiest and most convenient choice. Roths 2004 novel The Plot Against America illustrated a strange alternative history in which a fascist Charles Lindbergh defeats Franklin Roosevelt in a staggering landslide in the 1940 Presidential election. What follows is an appeasement with Adolph Hitler, an understanding, and a relocation of American Jews to the western United States. Its an intense series of events in a concentrated time period that plays as both fantasy and disturbing possibility. The most logical comparison was with Sinclair Lewiss 1935 novel It Cant Happen Here, yet where Lewis was comfortable with the exaggerated hyperbole of his fascist fictional hero Buzz Windrip defeating Roosevelt, Roth succeeded by staying calm and level-headed:

Fear presides over these memories, a perpetual fear.

Focusing on Roths late-career masterpiece (he published his last novel in 2010 and shortly afterwards announced his retirement) is understandable and almost feels like deja vu. Talk about The Plot Against America re-surfaced in a great way since the 2016 election of Donald Trump, whom Roth described in a January 2017 New Yorker exchange as a simple con man. It was a suitably subtle appearance by the grand literary lion, e-mail responses to questions from writer Judith Thurman:

All I do is defatalize the past.

Later, in a succinct take-down that could only come from a writer who came on the scene in 1959 with the story collection Goodbye, Columbus and gave his swan song in 2010 with Nemesis, Roth isolated Trump within the context of a literary device whose purpose is only to serve the needs of the plot:

It isnt Trump as a character, a human type the callow and callous killer capitalist-that outstrips the imagination. It is Trump as President of the United States.

The fact that Roth received every literary recognition in his lifetime save for the Nobel Prize in Literature might not mean much in the light of that committees current problems. Nevertheless, a sense of bitterness remains for those of us mourning the loss of this final great literary lion of the 20th century. Norman Mailer and John Updike were multiple Pulitzer and National Book Award winner. Saul Bellow won his Nobel in 1976. These lions roared about the national condition and cultural identity (or lack thereof) through a tangled web of national and international events. The past collided with all these lions, all these dead white masters who worked in an environment free from #MeToo or Black Lives Matter movements. They clashed quite often with the other (a non-white world), and their work suffers in retrospect, but the canon of Philip Roth (with gender issues a major exception) remains relatively free from political incorrectness.

Take a step beyond The Plot Against America and the Roth catalog becomes even more impressive and daunting. His writer hero Nathan Zuckerman was an apprentice to an older master in 1979s The Ghost Writer, entranced by a girl who believes herself to be Anne Frank, not a reincarnation but the actual martyred teen Jewish diarist, alive to tell the tale. This ultimate representation of female Jewish identity should be enough to validate Nathan in his parents eyes, but nothing is ever good enough. Nathan makes his final appearance (of nine) in 2007s Exit Ghost, but its the aching heartbreak of 1997s American Pastoral that stays longest with the reader. Nathan is again an observer, commenting from the sides, looking at Seymour The Swede Levov and the magic of a life well-lived as an invincible youth. Its the ache of loneliness and purpose that resonates strongest here:

You fight your superficiality, your shallowness what are we to do about this terrible significant business of other people The fact remains that getting people right is not what living is all about anyway. Its getting them wrong that is living Thats how we know were alive: were wrong.

Roth played with time, possibilities, and the essence of true characters. Roths greatest character, at times, was Philip Roth, especially in such memoirs as 1988s The Facts: A Novelists Autobiography and 1991s Patrimony: A True Story. This ongoing process of determining place as a man, as a writer, as a cultural observer, meant that at times things got tangled. The sexual, scatological, outrageously funny Jewish guilt themes were in full display in 1969s Portnoys Complaint, in which the sex scenes overwhelmed something deeper, something more profound:

I am marked like a road map from head to toe with my repressions. You can travel the length and breadth of my body over superhighways of shame, inhibition, and fear.

When She Was Good (1967), a lesser Roth novel, served as an interesting prop in the American Bitch episode of Lena Dunhams HBO show Girls (season 6, episode 3). While most interactions between the four leads and their partners were insufferable, this episode was a two-hander in which Hannah Horvath (Dunham) spends the entire running time discussing literature with one of her favorite writers, Chuck Palmer (Matthew Rhys), a confessional novelist with a troubling abusive reputation regarding women. Hannah is despondent that the true character of the man might have a negative effect on his artistic legacy. Its a tightly controlled teleplay in which relationships and the line between adhering to reality and obliging fiction is discussed. Palmer gives Hannah the Roth novel (about a do-gooder woman who helps men) before he literally (and figuratively) reveals himself to her. It might be giving Dunham too much credit that shes communicating with Roth in this episode, but the effect (especially by the end) is chilling.

On the day Philip Roth died, PBS premiered its new eight-episode documentary series The Great American Read, in which 100 novels, memoirs, book series, and childrens books are discussed by a variety of writers and stars. The literary advisory panel includes members of the National Book Foundation and the Authors Guild. The American Public had its say as well, which might be one of the reasons this list is so wrong-headed. The series plans to introduce the titles in theme episodes such as Heroes, Villains and Monsters, Other Worlds, and What We Do for Love.

What is the problem here? Will we now segue into a diatribe against populism and in favor of strictly the academic and high-minded? Examine the facts here and reach your own conclusions. Approximately 25 percent of the titles are written by non-Americans. This is not about ethnocentrism so much as definition. What is an American read? The idea of great is the ultimate subjective conclusion, but at least American should be determined by geographic birth of the author. Ideology and perspective be damned, an American is easily identifiable.

The other major problem is that some titles included have absolutely no place in any list of great anything: Fifty Shades of Grey (series) by E.L. James, Left Behind (series) by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, The Twilight Saga (series) by Stephenie Meyer, and Alex Cross Mysteries (series) by James Patterson. There are other major problems. Kurt Vonnegut is represented by Sirens of Titan. The tired old warhorse of J.D. Salingers Catcher In The Rye is still hanging on to relevancy, and Margaret Mitchells Gone With the Wind, an unapologetic love epic to American slavery days, somehow has staked a claim here. Theres no Ray Bradbury, no John Updike, no Saul Bellow  and no Philip Roth. As an entity that will surely entertain viewers and perhaps promote some sort of literacy in these troubled days of short attention spans and poor impulse control, this list will meet some sort of need. Take it as a parlor game in which talking heads will wax poetic and opine about how their chosen titles changed their lives, and it will serve a purpose. Take it as a real account of great American books, and its meaningless.

Perhaps there will be a resurgence of interest in and appreciation of the works of Philip Roth in these immediate days after his death. Certainly he could have been better served than the dreadful 2016 version of American Pastoral. A 1984 TV adaptation of The Ghost Writer, for American Playhouse was suitably quiet and reflective. A full appreciation of a writers skills cannot really be captured on anything but the page, and Roth knew that. I turn sentences around, he wrote in The Ghost Writer. Thats my life. I write a sentence and then I turn it around. Then I look at it and turn it around again. That should surely be the true mission statement for any Great American book. Its a work ethic that understands the real truth about artistic achievement in writing. Anything that hopes to achieve brilliance needs to have been written once, again, and again once more. It never stops.The constant indie favorites known as the Sea and Cake havent had an album since 2012s Runner. And according to the review aggregate site Metacritic, it was the bands most well-received album since 2000. Part of this can be attributed to a shake-up in the writing process, spurned by the use of a synthesizer, but I like to think of Runner showing its edge from the first bar in On and On. From there, Runner keeps things chugging moderately well for a rock band that was on the cusp of its 20th birthday. But as is the case with John McEntires other Chicago-based band Tortoise, the longer the gaps between the albums get, the less interesting the music becomes.

The Sea and Cake have finally returned with Any Day, an album that finds the band about as edgy as a warm pat of butter. The guitars sparkle, the rhythm section keeps time, and Sam Prekop keeps singing right along the edge of whispering. The dynamic range is squashed down to a mid-range that wont spawn them any enemies. At the ripe age of 24, the Sea and Cake sound as undistinguished as ever, giving us an album that plays by all the rules.

If you follow the Sea and Cake, then you are serious about your music. And if youre serious about your music, then you already understand that sound and content are two different things, a fair enough objection to raise right about now. Sure, they play it safe when the microphones are on, but what about the songs themselves? In that regard Any Day is bookended by two pretty sturdy numbers. Cover the Mountain is the Sea and Cake at their most confident, hitting a brisk stride with something that could be confused for purpose. Closing waltz These Falling Arms shows off the bands skill at weaving together sighing guitars with an easygoing melody.

<a href=http://theseaandcake.bandcamp.com/album/any-day>Any Day by The Sea and Cake</a> <a href=http://theseaandcake.bandcamp.com/album/any-day>Any Day by The Sea and Cake</a>

By comparison, the remaining eight selections sandwiched in the middle range from not-bad to kinda-boring. I Should Care tries to pick up on the lead-off tracks momentum, but the title track puts a stop to that. I cant help it, Prekop sings in a cadence that sounds almost like it was designed to be a whine. By the time I get to Paper Window, the beginning of side B, I forget that the album is even playing. Its around this time when the listener may understandably realize that competent musicianship can only take a band so far.

There are a number of factors that could explain the Sea and Cakes current yawn. Maybe its that long time bassist Eric Claridge is out of the picture and fellow Tortoise member Doug McCombs is now taking his place. Maybe its that the Sea and Cake felt they ran their natural course with the synthesizer last time around. Or it could just be that, after so many years, this band has nothing left to prove. That is understandable. But after tucking all that experience under their collective belts, youd think they would aspire to be more than just a discount Wilco.Get the SC business stories that matter.

Our newsletter catches you up with all the business stories that are shaping Charleston and South Carolina every Monday and Thursday at noon. Get ahead with us - it's free.Robert Behre works as an editorial writer with a focus on local government, transportation and the built environment.Drones and hundreds of cameras: S.C. prison officials want people to know they are watchingCLEMSON  As they have throughout the campaign, the Republican candidates for governor promised at Wednesday night's debate to cut taxes as soon as they get into office.

The problem? The governor only has the ability to propose tax cuts. The Legislature has to pass the measure first for it to actually make it to the governor's desk for approval.

That topic was one of several in which candidates' rhetoric twisted the truth or went beyond the governor's actual authority. Here are a few other key disputes:

Donating to Democrats

Greenville businessman John Warren accused former two-time agency director Catherine Templeton of having voted for and donated to Democratic candidates.

Templeton has already acknowledged she voted for Democratic state Sen. Vincent Sheheen in the 2010 governor's race against Nikki Haley, explaining she did so because he was an old law school friend. She went on to work in Haley's administration.

But Templeton claimed she has never donated to a statewide Democratic candidate.

It turns out that Templeton actually did give $250 to Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Ashley Cooper in his 2010 race against the eventual winner, Republican Ken Ard, according to state campaign finance filings.

Templeton told The Post and Courier she was asked to donate to Cooper because he was a former law partner of hers but "never supported his agenda."

"Like President Trump, I'm not a career politician who spent their life calculating every move for political gain and I haven't thought about it in years," Templeton said.

Planned Parenthood

Gov. Henry McMaster said he signed an executive order choking all state funding to Planned Parenthood.

Lt. Gov. Kevin Bryant pushed back, noting it requires federal approval. McMaster acknowledged the waiver has not yet been granted.

Templeton also claimed she stopped Planned Parenthood funding when she was the director of the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.

But it is actually the Department of Health and Human Services that provides Medicaid reimbursements for abortion providers, which is one of the key funding sources that's in dispute.

Mark Powell, Templeton's campaign spokesman, said DHEC also receives federal grants and pass-through money for a multitude of family planning services and none of that money went to Planned Parenthood during Templeton's tenure.

Cellphone jamming

Templeton vowed to block cellphone transmissions to prevent prisoners from using them. Corrections officials have said prisoners used cellphones to arrange drug deals and gang disputes that led to the April riot at Lee Correctional Facility that killed seven inmates.

We have to jam the cellphones, no matter what the federal government tells us to do, or the bureaucrats, or the cellphone lobbyists, Templeton said.

But cellphone jamming is illegal under federal law, even though some state and federal leaders have advocated for allowing it at prisons.

McMaster said the states hands are tied.

Its impossible to buy that equipment in the United States, he said. It is illegal to do it. So saying you can do it anyway is an impossibility. It cannot be bought in the United States.

Santee Cooper

Bryant and Warren said they would fire the entire Santee Cooper board.

The governor does have the ability to remove members of the state-run utility's board but the problem is there has to be cause.

State laws say those board members can be fired for the following reasons: malfeasance, misfeasance, incompetency, absenteeism, conflicts of interest, misconduct, persistent neglect of duty in office or incapacity.

Like any law, that language can be subject to interpretation. But a governor who tries to unilaterally fire the whole board at once is highly likely to face legal challenges.Gregory Yee covers the city of Charleston. He's a native Angeleno and previously covered crime and courts for the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, CA. He studied journalism and Spanish literature at the University of California, Irvine.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.Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations.Dedicated to the Restoration of Progressive DemocracyIn this Monday, May 21, 2018 photo, members of the U.S. Naval Academy's Class of 2021 make an attempt at conquering the Herndon Monument climb in Annapolis, Md. The event signifies when "plebes" (freshmen) officially become 4th class midshipmen, after finishing their first year. (Jen Rynda/The Baltimore Sun via AP)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.Assistant Columbia bureau chief

Adcox returned to The Post and Courier in October 2017 after 12 years covering the Statehouse for The Associated Press. She previously covered education for The P&C. She has also worked for The AP in Albany, N.Y., and for The Herald in Rock Hill.Kneehigh's "The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk" will be presented at the Dock Street Theatre.Avital Lvova in Henry Naylor's "Borders," to be presented at the Woolfe Street Playhouse as part of the Spoleto Festival."Celebration: The Art of the Pas de Deux" on May 25 commemorates Jerome Robbins' centenary and his unique relationship with the Spoleto Festival. (Photo by Jesse Gertein, courtesy of The Jerome Robbins Foundation)The Guam Police Department and U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency continue with their joint investigation into the recent incidents of cocaine that have washed up on Guam's shores.

However, during a news conference Wednesday at police headquarters in Tiyan, GPD Chief Joseph Cruz and Edward Talbot, the resident DEA agent for the Marianas, declined to speculate on whether the three reported incidents of cocaine found on the island's coastline are connected, nor would they speculate on the origins of the cocaine that has been found.

"That is something that we are still taking a look at," Cruz said. "I cannot say definitively at this point ... until we analyze the drug evidence that has been seized."

Former Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency Director James McDonald has confirmed that Chinese characters were seen on at least some of the bricks of cocaine that were seized in March near the Hawaiian Rock Products quarry.

"We don't have any definitive information that what washed up on our shore came from a Chinese vessel," Cruz said. "I think we'll be able to figure that out as that drug evidence is analyzed by the DEA."

The region where cocaine is produced can be revealed through chemical analysis of the trace organic compounds that remain within the cocaine.

In January, Philippine and Taiwan media reported on the sinking of the Jin Ming No. 16. The ship went down Jan. 2 off the coast of northern Samar, Philippines, at the height of Tropical Depression Agaton.

The day after the ship sunk, a plastic drum packed with tightly wrapped bricks of cocaine washed up on the southern shore of Luzon, in the province of Sorsogon, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.

Separate incidents

Between March and April, three separate cocaine packages were found along the rugged east coast of the island. Each package was tightly wrapped in the same way and found inside an inner tire tube that had floated ashore.

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request.

Then on May 17, Guam police seized 35 pounds of cocaine and arrested six local residents. One of the suspects, 45-year-old Robert John Afaisen, told authorities he found the cocaine in a plastic drum that had washed ashore. It was the largest single seizure of cocaine ever by the Guam police.

Street value close to $1M

Cruz said the street value of the 39 pounds of cocaine that has been seized is approximately $990,000.

That breaks down to about $55,000 per kilo, or $55 per gram.

"The size of this," Cruz said, "would leave any prudent person to believe that this is somewhat of an organized operation."

DEA-GPD joint effort

Edward Talbot, the DEA's resident agent in charge for the Mariana Islands, said he met with Cruz several months ago to develop a plan to combat the distribution of illegal drugs on Guam.

"We're here today as a direct result," he said.

Cruz would not speculate on whether the cocaine seized was intended for Guam, or whether it was meant for transshipment elsewhere.

"We are investigating that," Cruz said. "We're working with Guam Customs and Quarantine, with U.S. Customs, and the U.S. Coast Guard and their investigative service to ... tighten up our borders."PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-24 21:39:20

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Alchemist Mining Incorporated--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Alchemist Mining Incorporated (CSE:AMS). has issued a press release with the following headline:Alchemist Mining Announces New Office Space in VancouverTo 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 Alchemist Mining Incorporated, 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/Alchemist Mining IncorporatedSource: Alchemist Mining Incorporated (CSE: AMS)Date: May 24, 2018Time: 3:38 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Alchemist Mining Incorporated 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: 2018-05-24 08:00:17

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Atalaya Mining Plc--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Nicosia, Cyprus (FSCWire) - Atalaya Mining Plc (TSX:AYM). has issued a press release with the following headline:Atalaya Mining Plc. Announces Interim Financial Statements for the Three Months Ended 31 March 2018To 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 Atalaya Mining 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/Atalaya Mining PlcSource: Atalaya Mining Plc (TSX: AYM, AIM: ATYM)Date: May 24, 2018Time: 2:00 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Atalaya Mining 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: 2018-05-24 07:45:02

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, May 24, 2018 - Bavarian Nordic A/S (OMX: BAVA, OTC: BVNRY) announced today its interim financial results and business progress for the first three months of 2018.

First quarter highlights and subsequent events

Positive results of the Phase 3 study of IMVAMUNE were announced. The study, which compared the efficacy of IMVAMUNE with ACAM2000, the current U.S. licensed replicating smallpox vaccine, met both of its primary efficacy endpoints. This was the second and final phase 3 study required for licensure of the current formulation. Filing of a Biologics License Application is anticipated in the second half of 2018.

Additional data from the Phase 2 study of MVA-BN RSV showed that a single booster vaccination induced increased levels of IgA antibodies recognizing RSV in the nasal mucosa, which has been highly correlated with protection against RSV.

A Phase 1 clinical trial of our novel cancer immunotherapy candidate, BN-Brachyury, was initiated in patients with several tumor types. The vaccine is targeting brachyury, a key driver of cancer metastasis. The study precedes a number of planned company and investigator sponsored Phase 2 trials later in the year.

The use of BN-Brachyury for the treatment of chordoma, a rare bone cancer of the spine and base of the skull, received an orphan drug status with the FDA. Bavarian Nordic plans to initiate a Phase 2 study investigating BN-Brachyury in combination with radiation treatment in patients with chordoma in second half of 2018.

A pharmaceutical collaboration with AstraZeneca was announced. The investigator led study will evaluate the combination of CV301 and durvalumab, AstraZeneca's PD-L1 inhibitor, in patients with metastatic colorectal or pancreatic cancers receiving maintenance chemotherapy.

A second investigator study was announced, in collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb, and will test the combination of CV301 and nivolumab, Bristol-Myers Squibb's PD-1 inhibitor, in patients with oligometastatic, microsatellite stable colorectal cancer.

A new alliance was signed with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) for the development of a prophylactic MVA-BN-based vaccine against various strains of the equine encephalitis virus - a rare, but potentially deadly mosquito-borne illness, for which there is currently no preventative vaccine treatment available. The multi-year agreement has a total potential value of approximately USD 36 million.

Four posters have been accepted at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting highlighting clinical achievements for CV301, BN-Brachyury, and PROSTVAC. In addition, the PROSPECT Phase 3 trial of PROSTVAC as monotherapy in men with metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer, which was discontinued in 2017 due to futility, has been accepted for an oral presentation, which will be held by Dr. James L. Gulley from the National Cancer Institute and principal investigator of the study.

Financial results

Financial results for the first quarter were in line with our expectations.

Revenue generated for the three months ending March 31, 2018 was DKK 11 million/USD 2 million (DKK 198 million/USD 33 million in the first three months of 2017).

The income before interest and tax (EBIT) was a loss of DKK 173 million/USD 29 million (loss of DKK 3 million/USD 0 million in the first three months of 2017).

As of March 31, 2018, the Group's cash preparedness was DKK 2,355 million/USD 392 million (DKK 2,604 million/USD 433 million as of December 31, 2017).

Outlook for 2018 maintained

Bavarian Nordic maintains its financial expectations for 2018 as announced on March 12, 2018 with revenues of approximately DKK 500 million/USD 83 million for the full year, a loss before interest and tax (EBIT) of approximately DKK 385 million/USD 64 million and a cash preparedness at year-end of approximately DKK 1,850 million/USD 308 million. The majority of the 2018 revenues are related to the production and release of IMVAMUNE vaccine for the U.S. Government, which will occur in the second half of 2018.

Danish kroner (DKK) is the Company's functional currency. Solely for information purposes, figures above have also been converted into USD using an assumed exchange rate of DKK 6.01 per 1.00 USD, which was the exchange rate as of March 31, 2018. The financial expectations are based on an exchange rate of DKK 6.60 per 1.00 USD.

"In the past several months we have been fortunate enough to witness some of the most significant progress in Bavarian Nordic's history. The positive phase 3 results from IMVAMUNE was a major accomplishment, and one we are very proud of. New collaborations with CV301 keep us well positioned to advance this program in multiple indications while minimizing internal costs, the additional clinical success seen with RSV continue to encourage us, and preparations are well under way for our brachyury vaccine to enter a significant trial in chordoma patients in the second half of this year. Our work on our fill/finish facility is progressing well and remains on track, setting the stage for future deliveries of freeze-dried IMVAMUNE and increased revenue generation." said Paul Chaplin, President & Chief Executive Officer of Bavarian Nordic.

Anticipated selected pipeline developments

IMVAMUNE

Filing of Biologics License Application for liquid-frozen IMVAMUNE (H2, 2018)

Anticipated BLA approval and award of a Priority Review Voucher (2019)

Initiation of a Phase 3 IMVAMUNE freeze-dried lot consistency study (2019)

RSV

Report clinical results from the annual booster-study (H1, 2018)

Decide on the feasibility of a human challenge study (H2, 2018)

Janssen partnership Initiate Phase 1 study of MVA-BN HIV + AdVac (H2, 2018*)

Initiate Phase 1 study of MVA-BN HPV + AdVac (H2, 2018*)

CV301 Initiate Phase 2 study in combination with atezolizumab in bladder cancer (mid 2018)

Initiate Phase 2 study in combination with durvalumab in colorectal cancer (H1, 2018)

Initiate Phase 2 study in combination with nivolumab in colorectal cancer (H1, 2018)

Report initial Phase 2 results (ORR) from combination with pembrolizumab in NSCLC (H2, 2018)

BN-Brachyury Report clinical results from Phase 1 study (H2, 2018)

Initiate Phase 2 study in patients with chordoma (H2, 2018)

* Janssen is responsible for the clinical development Conference call and webcast

The management of Bavarian Nordic will host a conference call today at 2 pm CEST (8 am EST) to present the interim results followed by a Q&A session. A listen-only version of the call can be accessed via http://www.bavarian-nordic.com/investor/events.aspx?event=5283. To join the Q&A session, use one of the following dial-in numbers: Denmark: +45 35 15 81 21, UK: +44 (0) 330 336 9411, USA: +1 323-794-2551. Participant code is 8332812. 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 Company Announcement no. 13 / 2018 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. Forward-looking statements

This announcement includes forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of our control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning our plans, objectives, goals, future events, performance and/or other information that is not historical information. All such forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements and any other cautionary statements which may accompany the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances after the date made, except as required by law.

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: Bavarian Nordic A/S via Globenewswire

PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-24 12:21:01

OSLO, Norway and BALTIMORE and GAITHERSBURG, Md., May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CEPI-the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations-today announced a collaboration with Profectus BioSciences, Inc. and Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) under which Profectus and Emergent will receive up to $25 million to advance the development and manufacture of a vaccine against the Nipah virus (NiV), a bat-borne virus that can spread to both humans and livestock.

Under the terms of the Framework Partnering Agreement for the collaboration among the three parties, Profectus will receive development funding from CEPI for advancing its Nipah virus vaccine and Emergent will provide technical and manufacturing support for the CEPI-funded program. Emergent, through a separate agreement with Profectus, has an exclusive option to license and to assume control of development activities for the Nipah virus vaccine from Profectus. The international nonprofit organization PATH will also be working with the consortium under a separate agreement with CEPI to work on clinical development.

Nipah virus and Hendra virus (HeV) are closely related Paramyxoviruses that cause respiratory and encephalitis disease in a variety of animal hosts and in humans. A natural reservoir for these viruses are flying foxes (bats of the genus Pteropus) found in Southeast Asia and Malaysia. Human infection occurs after direct exposure to tissues and secretions from infected horses, pigs, and bats. There is currently no approved vaccine or therapeutic against either NiV or HeV. The primary treatment for human cases is intensive supportive care, and the mortality rate is high at approximately 75% of cases.

The Southern India state of Kerala is currently in the midst of a Nipah virus outbreak, where the virus has killed 10 people. These are the first documented cases in Kerala.

Previously unidentified, a 1999 NiV outbreak killed 105 people in Malaysia. In addition, more than one million pigs were slaughtered to stem the spread of the virus, which caused significant trade loss and market turmoil. Outbreaks occur annually in Bangladesh and have been reported numerous times in India (CDC). NiV has a 75 percent mortality rate1. NiV is shed by bats in Southeast Asia and Malaysia and is transferred to humans via bat urine and saliva on fruit or from infected horses and pigs. It can also spread human-to-human.

Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, said:

"The current outbreak of Nipah in India, the government of which is one of CEPI's founders, demonstrates that this is a deadly pathogen that has already travelled thousands of kilometers, has serious epidemic potential and the ability to surprise us. This is the first funding agreement we have signed to develop a vaccine against Nipah and our partnership with Profectus, Emergent, and PATH represents a vital move forward in the global battle against this devastating disease."

The investment of up to $25 million represents an innovative approach to funding vaccine development, unlocking research and development potential so that vaccines are ready for efficacy studies during an outbreak. The agreement will enable funding for development efforts over a five-year period.

Thomas Lynch, Chair and CEO of Profectus BioSciences, said:

"Profectus gratefully acknowledges CEPI's leadership and funding of this strategic collaboration to rapidly produce a vaccine against the emerging Nipah virus threat. Nipah's human-to-human transmission has been documented, and any initially small outbreak could take the same course as the recent Ebola outbreak. With CEPI's support and the talents of these highly regarded global health innovation partners, we look forward to applying our expertise and technologies and leveraging our partnership with Emergent to rapidly advance our pre-IND vaccine candidate for Nipah virus as an effective countermeasure that will be positioned to save patients around the world from this devastating disease."

Daniel J. Abdun-Nabi, CEO of Emergent BioSolutions, said:

"Emergent has a 20-year track record of success working with government and industry partners to provide life-saving medical countermeasures against identified biological agents particularly when a rapid response to an emerging outbreak may be necessary. We look forward to leveraging our expertise in advanced development and manufacturing, including our U.S. government-designated Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing, which is designed to provide surge manufacturing capabilities during public health emergencies. We expect to work closely with Profectus enabling our companies to provide synergistic and complementary capabilities for a successful collaboration with CEPI."

Steve Davis, President and CEO of PATH, on the PATH-CEPI partnership:

"PATH is delighted to partner with CEPI and leverage the end-to-end capabilities of our Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access (CVIA), particularly our success record in clinical development and scaling the introduction of new vaccines in low-resource settings. PATH looks forward to collaborating with CEPI to achieve our shared goals for epidemic preparedness by equipping the world with new tools to protect against these deadly threats."

About the Nipah Vaccine Development

The vaccine in development is based on Nipah virus and Hendra virus technology developed beginning more than 15 years ago by Dr. Christopher Broder and Dr. Katharine Bossart at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU). The vaccine was tested in multiple preclinical models and licensed to Profectus BioSciences by The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF) to develop the human vaccine. Dr. Broder began a collaboration with Dr. Antony Dimitrov of Profectus BioSciences to develop the human vaccine with financial support from the United States National Institutes of Health. As a next step in the Nipah vaccine development, Dr. Thomas Geisbert, a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston National Laboratory (GNL), will conduct correlate of immunity studies at its biosafety level 4 facility; and HJF, USU, and Profectus will collaborate on the development of a clinical assay for the evaluation of the anti-Nipah virus vaccine response. PATH is responsible for the clinical development of the Nipah vaccine candidate.

"Based on the success of this vaccine technology against Nipah and Nipah's close relative, Hendra virus, it is highly likely that the Nipah vaccine to be developed here will also work against Hendra virus," said Dr. Broder.

About CEPI

CEPI is an innovative partnership between public, private, philanthropic and civil organizations founded in Davos in 2017 to develop vaccines to stop future epidemics. To date, CEPI has received multi-year funding from Norway, Germany, Japan, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Wellcome. CEPI has also received single-year investments from the governments of Australia, Belgium, and Canada. It has reached $630 million of its target $1 billion funding target. The European Commission has announced a contribution in kind of 250 million that will support relevant projects through EC mechanisms. Since its launch in January 2017, CEPI has announced two Calls for Proposals. The first was for candidate vaccines against MERS-COV, Nipah and Lassa viruses. The second was for the development of platforms that can be used for rapid vaccine development against unknown pathogens.

About Profectus BioSciences, Inc.

Profectus BioSciences, Inc. is a clinical-stage vaccine platform company developing novel vaccines for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and associated cancers. Profectus' vaccines are based on the company's proprietary vaccine delivery platforms to provide protection against emerging infectious diseases of public health and biodefense importance such as Ebola, Marburg, Chikungunya, Zika, the equine encephalitis viruses, and respiratory syncytial virus; and therapeutically targeting virally infected cells and cancers associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV), human papilloma virus (HPV), herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). For more information, please visit www.profectusbiosciences.com.

About Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. is a global life sciences company seeking to protect and enhance life by focusing on providing specialty products for civilian and military populations that address accidental, intentional, and naturally occurring public health threats. Through our work, we envision protecting and enhancing 50 million lives with our products by 2025. Additional information about the company may be found at www.emergentbiosolutions.com. Follow us on Twitter @emergentbiosolu and Instagram @life_at_emergent.

About PATH

PATH is the leader in global health innovation. An international nonprofit organization, we save lives and improve health, especially among women and children. We accelerate innovation across five platforms-vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, devices, and system and service innovations-that harness our entrepreneurial insight, scientific and public health expertise, and passion for health equity. By mobilizing partners around the world, we take innovation to scale, working alongside countries primarily in Africa and Asia to tackle their greatest health needs. Together, we deliver measurable results that disrupt the cycle of poor health. Learn more at www.path.org.

About the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU)

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), founded by an act of Congress in 1972, is the academic heart of the Military Health System. USU students are primarily active-duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service who receive specialized education in tropical and infectious diseases, TBI and PTSD, disaster response and humanitarian assistance, global health, acute trauma care, and advanced practice nursing and dentistry. For more information, visit www.usuhs.edu.

About HJF

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. (HJF) is a private, not-for-profit organization authorized by Congress to support military medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and throughout the armed forces. HJF serves military, medical, academic and government clients by administering, managing and supporting preeminent scientific programs that benefit members of the armed forces and civilians alike. Since its founding in 1983, HJF has served as a vital link between the military medical community and its federal and private partners. HJF's support and administrative capabilities allow military medical researchers and clinicians to maintain their scientific focus and to accomplish their research goals effectively and efficiently. For more information, visit www.hjf.org.

About the Galveston National Laboratory

The preclinical studies will be conducted in UTMB's Galveston National Laboratory, a state-of-the-art high containment biosafety Level 4 facility where scientists wear protective suits and study pathogens that cause severe diseases or are fatal. The GNL provides much needed research space and specialized research capabilities to develop therapies, vaccines and diagnostic tests for naturally occurring emerging diseases such as SARS, West Nile encephalitis, Ebola and avian influenza-as well as for microbes that might be employed by terrorists. UTMB has the only functioning Level 4 laboratory located on an American university campus.

Contacts

CEPI

Rachel Grant

+44(0)7891249190

Rachel.Grant@cepi.net Profectus BioSciences, Inc.

Mary Moynihan

M2Friend Biocommunications

802-951-9600

mary@m2friend.com Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

Investors:

Robert G. Burrows

Vice President, Investor Relations

240-631-3280

BurrowsR@ebsi.com



Media:

Lynn Kieffer

Vice President, Corporate Communications

240-631-3391

KiefferL@ebsi.com

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: Emergent BioSolutions Inc. via Globenewswire

PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-24 11:39:02

eLichens Provides Open Access to Its Real-Time and Air Quality Forecast Data to Facilitate the Emergence of Services to Citizens

eLichens

Marc Attia

press@elichens.com

Designer of patented gas sensors and the first comprehensive air quality analysis and prediction platform, eLichens today announced it is providing open data access to its hyper local real-time and air quality forecast data for the city of Grenoble. This will facilitate the development of services to communities, service industries and citizens concerned about the quality of the air they breathe.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524005

eLichens has developed a complete platform for smart city applications, based on its dense network of air quality stations and cloud models to measure and predict air quality at a very high precision. https://www.elichens.com/smart-city

The high resolution mapping of Grenoble's air pollution published by eLichens is produced from the integration of various parameters: topographic data, real-time road traffic, meteorology of the city of Grenoble, advanced gas dispersion models. These parameters are supported by real-time and continuous air pollution measurements from the eLichens stations deployed in Grenoble and from the Atmo Auvergne-Rhones-Alpes reference stations.

Using its own high-resolution mathematical models and air quality measurement stations, eLichens generates maps with 10-meter resolution and provides real-time air quality information and 24-hour forecasts for key pollutants such as particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO).

Our goal is to provide the public with valuable air quality information to enable informed decision making that can impact various aspects of our daily lives. For example, air quality can change suddenly and vary from place to place. By knowing exactly how good the city's air is, Grenoble residents can quickly and simply identify the best route to work in the morning on foot or by bike, the best time to go running, and avoid the streets that can affect people with respiratory diseases, children and the elderly, states, Marc Attia, CMO of eLichens.

Access to this precise information by all (also available on smartphone) makes it possible to heighten citizens awareness of the air pollution which surrounds them and to encourage those concerned about air quality to adopt beneficial individual behaviors.

Air quality monitoring is a very important issue in all regions of the world. eLichens is working with partners on implementing a much larger scale deployment strategy.

The high resolution air quality map can be viewed on map.elichens.com after authentication. The concentrations of and the air quality index for the main pollutants are accessible via eLichens API (programming interface) and are available on request.

eLichens will be present at Vivatech in Paris (Engie stand) on May 24 and 25, 2018.

About eLichens (www.elichens.com)

Created in December 2014, eLichens is a start-up with the mission to help individuals digitize their environment. The company relies on a portfolio of patents, know-how and skills, which enable it to develop and market complete sensor/data/services solutions to address the industrial, smart city and consumer markets. eLichens has its headquarters in Grenoble and offices in California.

The original source-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the source-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524005

eLichens ouvre lacces en open data a ses donnees temps reel et de prevision de la qualite de lair pour favoriser lemergence de services aux citoyens.PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-24 02:02:01

Rigorous Data Governance Elevates Portfolio Construction

Eze Software Partners with Sherpa Funds Technology On Risk Modeling

For Eze Software

Veronica Belitski, +1 212-506-7523

vbelitski@ezesoft.com

or

For Sherpa Funds Technology

Richard Waddington/Craig McGee, +65 6410 9225

richard@sherpafundstech.com

craig.mcgee@sherpafundstech.com

Eze Software, a provider of global investment technology, has partnered with Sherpa Funds Technology to offer advanced portfolio construction and factor analytics capabilities to its clients. Sherpa provides tools that help funds build portfolios that dynamically express investment managers alpha decisions, their risk appetite and market conditions. The technology enables portfolio managers to deliver more consistent and better returns whilst matching the risk exposure objectives of investors and consultants.

We are always looking for ways to help our clients simplify their portfolio construction processes, enabling them to generate better returns while minimizing unwanted risk, said R.G. Manalac, Managing Director, Asia Pacific. This partnership will enable our users to account for all their business goals while optimizing their portfolios by accessing Sherpas time-tested models and processes, aided by Eze OMS.

Clients can specify criteria they want their portfolios to follow, including liquidity, style factor, yield and sector exposures, access Sherpas powerful risk portfolio and performance analytics, and receive a portfolio construction that best expresses their alpha. The suggested portfolio can then be seamlessly loaded into Eze OMS and implemented.

Partnering with Eze allows Sherpa to deliver its state-of-the-art portfolio processes to Eze's client base with very little integration overhead, said Richard Waddington, CEO of Sherpa. This added functionality extends Eze's operational and execution strengths into the decision-making area, where Portfolio Managers, Investor Relations and CIOs can design and deliver product that expresses Alpha in a way that matches their investors wishes.

About Sherpa Funds Technology

Founded in 2013, Sherpa is the result of 20 years of risk and trading experience, coupled with a deep quantitative approach and delivered by powerful computational engines. Sherpa delivers enhanced process and analytics to multi-billion asset managers of all types, helping them make the most of their decision-making by applying their ideas in their portfolios in a consistent and rigorous way. Sherpa believes strongly that by using computer power and structured data they can help clients implement their decisions in a manner that enhances their business. For more information, visit www.SherpaFundsTech.com.

About Eze Software

Eze Software is a global leading provider of investment management software solutions designed to optimize operational and investment alpha throughout the entire investment process. Eze Software provides the platform for growth for the entire investment management community, maximizing efficiencies across order management, trade execution & analytics, portfolio analytics & modeling, compliance & regulatory reporting, commission management, and portfolio & investor accounting. For more than 20 years Boston-based Eze Software has been driving innovation in financial technology. Today, Eze Software partners with more than 2,500 buy- and sell-side institutions in 45 countries from their 14 offices worldwide. For more information, visit www.ezesoft.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180523006

.@Eze_Soft partners with Sherpa on #risk modelingPR-Inside.com: 2018-05-24 15:01:02

Global Strategy and Technology Consultancy, Levvel, Announces First United Kingdom Office

For press inquiries and interview requests:

Levvel

Michael Aprile, 980-278-3065

pr@levvel.io

Levvel, a fast-growing global strategy and technology consultancy, is pleased to announce the opening of a new office in London, England.

This announcement follows Levvels recent opening of an Atlanta office, its tenth location since the company was founded in 2014. Levvel is expected to hire 75 new employees in the next 9-12 months and is approaching $40 million in annual revenue. Specific to the London office, Levvel is expected to hire up to 15 employees within the next year.

The London office will be led by Managing Director Daniel Clayden, formerly of Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Accenture, and Credit Suisse.

My interest has always resided in helping companies use technology to improve their competitive advantage and multiply their differentiators, said Clayden, speaking to his vision for the London office and Levvels unique opportunity in the United Kingdom.

It's exactly what I find exciting about working for a company with the impressive ethos and culture of Levvel. I look forward to utilizing our deep capabilities and innovative culture to further help clients create and manage disruptive technology solutions.

My background is in Financial Servicesa big part of what well be focusing on earlybut a key attraction to me was to move beyond FSI (Financial Services Industry) and focus on other industries and the technology itself. I'm thrilled to be leading the London office, our first in Europe, and I look forward to being an integral part of its growth.

The London location allows Levvel to put down roots in Europe while strategically tapping into the enormous potential of capital markets in the UK.

John Espey, Levvel CEO and co-founder, explained why Levvel chose London as its third international office location, joining Australia and Singapore.

With the tremendous work Levvel is doing for global investment banks in both the North American and Asia-Pacific regions, the London office establishes a footprint for Levvel in all three major banking center geographies, said Espey.

This became a big opportunity for us, with capital markets being one of the fastest-growing parts of Levvels business. Dans industry expertise, working relationship with many of our existing employees, and deep industry network makes him a natural fit to lead our expansion into the UK.

Levvel COO Jim Devlin spoke about the strategic market opportunities that London offers and where he sees Levvel making an immediate impact.

We couldnt be more pleased to have Daniel Clayden join us, given his extensive career in several global financial institutions, said Devlin.

London is a natural extension of our geographic footprint and allows Levvel to better support our global customers. With London being a global financial hub and Levvels best-in-class expertise in digital transformation for the financial market, this move is an obvious one.

Many of the markets we are focused on are operating in increasingly complex regulatory environments, and Europe and London are sitting at the forefront of this movement.

About Levvel

Levvel helps clients transform their business with strategic consulting and technical execution services. We work with IT organizations, product owners, and innovation teams to design and deliver on business priorities.

We have extensive expertise in application development, DevOps, cloud technology, product innovation & design, retail banking, capital markets, and payments. Our consultants are industry veterans with wide business-domain knowledge and a specific focus on financial services, insurance, digital media, and healthcare.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524005Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Market: Global Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024

Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Market

PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-24 13:32:16

Press Information

Precision Business Insights

Kemp House,



152  160 City Road,



London EC1V 2NX



Satya

Marketing Lead

+1-866-598-1553

email

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com





# 742 Words

Kemp House,152  160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXMarketing Lead+1-866-598-1553

Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Market: Global Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024Global Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Market: By Drug Class (Class I, Class II, Class III, Class IV), By Application (Neurology, Oncology, Others), By Distribution Channel (Hospital Pharmacies, Retail Pharmacies, Online Pharmacies), and Geography  Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024Global histone deacetylase inhibitors market was valued at US $ XX Mn and expected to grow at XX% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over the 2018 to 2024Market Outline: Global Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors MarketHistone deacetylase inhibitors are the products involved in inhibition of histone deacetylase, which removes acetyl groups from N-acetyl lysine amino acid present on the histone, and allows the histones to wrap DNA more tightly. Histone deacetylase inhibitors are used in the neurology and psychiatry as anti-epileptics and mood stabilizers. Moreover, these are also used in the treatment of cancer, parasitic, and inflammatory diseases.Market Dynamics: Global Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors MarketRise in prevalence of cancers and neurological disorders drives the global histone deacetylase inhibitors market. Moreover, increase in the R&D activities for the cancer treatment and other diseases, rise in demand to improve effectiveness of newer treatment therapies, and promising pipeline drugs, are anticipated to fuel the global histone deacetylase inhibitors market. However, lack of favorable reimbursement policies and uncertainty issues and stringent regulations for the product approval are restrain the growth of histone deacetylase inhibitors market over the forecast years.Free sample of this report is available upon request @Market Scope: Global Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors MarketHistone deacetylase inhibitors market is segmented on the basis of drug class, application, and Distribution ChannelBased on the drug class, the market is segmented into the following: Class I Class II Class III Class IVBased on the application, the market is segmented into the following: Neurology Oncology OthersBased on the distribution channel, the market is segmented into the following: Hospital Pharmacies Retail Pharmacies Online PharmaciesFree TOC of this report is available upon request @Regional Analysis: Global Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors MarketGeographically, global histone deacetylase inhibitors market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. North America histone deacetylase inhibitors market is poised to grow at notable CAGR owing to increase in R&D for the development of newer drugs, rise in prevalence of cancer and neurological disorders, and high acceptance of HDAC products are expected to the boost the market. Europe histone deacetylase inhibitors market is rising due to increase in the aging population results to rise in prevalence of neurological disorders, grow in demand for advanced treatments, and pipeline drugs under the various stages of clinical trials are bolster the market. However, Asia Pacific histone deacetylase inhibitors market is poised to grow due to entry of market players into Asia Pacific countries with launch of newer products, rise in medical tourism for cancer treatment in Asia Pacific countries, and large patient pool are expected to offer healthy growth opportunities for the market.Ask Analyst for Full Information about this report @Competition Assessment: Global Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors MarketSome of the players in the global histone deacetylase inhibitors market include: Novartis AG (Switzerland) AstraZeneca Plc (U.K.) Pfizer, Inc. (U.S.) Celgene Corporation (U.S.) Eisai Co. Ltd. (Japan) Merck & Co., Inc. (U.S.) Acetylon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (U.S.) Celleron Therapeutics Ltd. (U.K.) Innovation Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (U.S.) Ranedis Pharmaceuticals (U.S.)Notable Market Developments: Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Market In March 2017, AMO Pharma and Ranedis Pharmaceuticals entered into a collaboration to develop the RND-001, HDAC inhibitor, used in specific lysosomal storage disorders and neurodegenerative disordersGet 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PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-24 08:33:04

Onyx 1-Month OCT Study Provides Potential Insights on DAPT Duration in Complex Patients Following Stent Implantation

DUBLIN and PARIS- May 24, 2018 - Investigators today unveiled clinical data from the independently run Onyx 1-Month OCT Study, which showed strong early vessel healing in a patient population that contained a high percentage of patients with complex coronary artery disease who were implanted with the Resolute Onyx(TM) DES at one-month follow-up. Presented at the EuroPCR Annual Meeting in Paris, data from 15 patients - including 13 with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) - were evaluated using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), a light-based intracoronary imaging that provides extremely high-quality images of the coronary wall, especially of the structures closest to the vessel lumen.

In the Onyx 1-Month OCT Study, patients implanted with the Resolute Onyx DES demonstrated an excellent early healing profile with an average of 88 percent of struts covered by neointimal formation (new cell growth over stent struts) and 92.3 percent of the total stented area showing complete strut coverage at one month, which includes the covered areas in between the struts.

"The signal of early healing is crucial for patients who may need to interrupt or discontinue dual anti-platelet therapy (DAPT) within a short period of time after receiving a stent," said Elvin Kedhi, M.D., Ph.D., interventional cardiologist at Isala Hartcentrum in Zwolle, the Netherlands, one of the lead principal investigators of the Onyx 1-Month OCT Study. "These data help expand the growing body of clinical evidence that may support physicians in tailoring DAPT regimens for complex patients."

The Onyx 1-Month OCT Study is the latest of several Medtronic funded studies helping to generate additional clinical evidence to reinforce the understanding of healing and shorter DAPT regimens in complex patients. Last year, Medtronic announced the Onyx ONE Global Study, a randomized clinical trial that will compare one-month DAPT between two DES for the first time, which is currently enrolling. A similar study will launch in the U.S. and Japan later this calendar year and will help inform DAPT guidelines for newer-generation DES that currently favor bare-metal stents (BMS) for patients at an increased risk of bleeding who might require a shorter DAPT regimen.

In a separate analysis presented at the EuroPCR meeting, new data from the DAPT-STEMI trial in patients treated with the Resolute Integrity DES, showed excellent results in a prospective prespecified registry which evaluated all patients after six months of DAPT duration, prior to randomization. At six months, the patient oriented composite primary endpoint (all-cause mortality, any myocardial infarction (MI), any revascularization, stroke and TIMI major bleeding (net NACCE)) occurred in 4.2 percent of patients, with low rates of target lesion revascularization (1.1 percent) and stent thrombosis (0.7 percent).

"We are committed to generating meaningful clinical evidence to help inform physician decision making and guidelines around the use of newer-generation DES in complex patients," said, Dave Moeller, vice president and general manager of the Coronary and Renal Denervation business, which is part of the Cardiac and Vascular Group at Medtronic. "These results reinforce our commitment to studying one-month DAPT in studies like the Global Onyx ONE Study which is currently enrolling around the world."

The Resolute Onyx DES with thinner struts is the first and only DES to feature Core Wire Technology, an evolution of Continuous Sinusoid Technology (CST). CST is a unique Medtronic method of stent manufacturing, which involves forming a single strand of cobalt alloy wire into a sinusoidal wave to construct a stent. This enables greater deliverability and conformability to the vessel wall. With Core Wire Technology, a radiopaque inner core is incorporated within the cobalt alloy wire to enhance visibility for accurate stent placement. Core Wire Technology also enables thinner struts while maintaining structural strength.

The Resolute Onyx DES received CE (Conformite Europeene) Mark in September 2014 and FDA approval in April 2017.

In collaboration with leading clinicians, researchers and scientists worldwide, Medtronic offers the broadest range of innovative medical technology for the interventional and surgical treatment of cardiovascular disease and cardiac arrhythmias. The company strives to offer products and services that deliver clinical and economic value to healthcare consumers and providers around the world.

About Medtronic

Medtronic plc (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is among the world's largest medical technology, services and solutions companies - alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world. Medtronic employs more than 84,000 people worldwide, serving physicians, hospitals and patients in more than 160 countries. The company is focused on collaborating with stakeholders around the world to take healthcare Further, Together.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.

-end-





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: Medtronic plc via Globenewswire

PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-24 02:47:02

Glasswing(TM) Eliminates Interposers for Die-to-Die Interconnect in a Shared MCM Package

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, May 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kandou Bus S.A., the global pioneer in multi-wire SerDes technology, today announced the introduction of the Glasswing(TM) USR SerDes, enabling the assembly of multiple chiplets inside a shared package without the need for costly silicon interposers. While advanced CMOS processes continue to provide a path for integration, there has been an increasing rise in costs associated with yield loss and with the design of large devices. Customers in networking, hyperscale datacenters, AI/machine learning and high-performance computing are now seeing the value of using the Glasswing USR SerDes to disaggregate large SoCs into smaller, more manageable pieces and pushing only necessary blocks into advanced processes.

"Glasswing is the first Chord signaling-based SerDes that is optimized to support chiplet applications," said Amin Shokrollahi, Founder and CEO of Kandou. "Our vision is an interoperable ecosystem of chiplet solutions enabled by Glasswing. The announcement today is the first of many as we proliferate Glasswing to different foundries, metal stacks and process nodes while preserving the ability for all Glasswing IPs to communicate with each other."

The first customer products that implement Glasswing are expected to ship later in 2018.

Glasswing and Chord(TM) Signaling

Glasswing is based on Kandou's Chord(TM) signaling architecture which is a generalization of differential signaling. While differential signaling delivers one bit on two correlated wires, Chord signaling delivers n bits on n+1 correlated wires. The combination of the signaling on the wires and the comparators that are used to identify the bits are together called a "chordal chord".

Glasswing's fundamental chordal code is CNRZ-5 which sends five bits on six correlated wires:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/48418c71-6658-48e1-8d20-8dcc4a744058

Bits are introduced at different voltage levels on the wires using a carefully chosen codebook and the comparator network is uniquely designed to extract the bits and deliver NRZ-shaped binary eyes. The resulting binary eyes are much larger than the eyes realized with PAM-4, and the code is inherently more tolerant to Inter-Symbol Interference (ISI) and reflections, a form of ISI that is especially important in USR applications. Larger eyes require less equalization, hence less power. Glasswing, for example, only uses a simple linear equalizer at the receiver.

Glasswing delivers unprecedented SerDes performance with 500Gbps of bi-directional bandwidth on just 2.4mm of die edge while consuming only about 1 pJ/bit. The IP is designed to natively support a BER of at most 1E-15. Kandou offers a simple FEC as an additional feature that can improve margins and meet more stringent BER targets (1E-21 or better). The FEC is entirely optional but if used adds just 1.25ns of latency to the already low fixed latency of the SerDes which is only 4.4ns.

Inside the package, Glasswing can support up to 6dB insertion loss which is more than 30mm with GZ-41 substrate material. More importantly, chiplets can be positioned in the corners of the MCM package, allowing better area optimization. In applications where the chiplets contain long-reach SerDes, the chiplet can be positioned very close to the package balls, greatly reducing package loss. The use of chiplets can also significantly increase the yield of the central die by moving functionality, such as the full I/O subsystem, into the chiplets.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0dd9d4e6-2b4f-4312-bfc6-6266454f5ba1

Kandou has built three test chips to validate Glasswing in silicon.

Availability

The first SerDes IP in the Glasswing family, called GW16-500-USR, is available immediately in a TSMC 16nm FinFet process. Multiple variants will soon be available for other processes and in different metal stacks and orientations.

Work is also underway on development of solutions delivering twice and four times the current bandwidth per millimeter of die edge, both of which will be able to communicate with GW16-500-USR.

All IPs are full, turnkey solutions and are delivered with a comprehensive complement of design files, documentation, and field support to insure ease of integration. Kandou also offers evaluation modules to allow customers to validate Glasswing's in-system performance.

Flexible Business Model

In addition to a traditional hard IP license, Kandou also offers a soft IP license model that gives customers the flexibility to port the IP to different foundries, process nodes and metal stacks. The actual porting work may be performed by the customer, by Kandou, or by a Kandou partner.

Kandou provides full support to customers to help insure that Glasswing operates as it should in their applications.

Please contact sales@kandou.com for more information on pricing and availability.

About Kandou

Bandwidth and power challenges for next-generation links are being addressed by the industry's leading standards development organizations such as the OIF, IEEE and JEDEC. Kandou advocates for industry standards, contributing its technology and support via membership and board positions within these organizations.

Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland and founded in 2011, with design centers in Switzerland, the UK and Germany, Kandou Bus is an innovative interface technology company specializing in the invention, design, license and implementation of industry leading chip-to-chip link solutions. Kandou's Chord(TM) signaling is a disruptive interconnect technology that lowers the power consumption and improves the performance of semiconductors, unlocking new capabilities in electronic devices and systems. http://www.kandou.com.

Press Contact:

Jeff McGuire

VP Business Development

303-903-9244

jeff@kandou.com

Chord and Glasswing are trademarks of Kandou Bus.

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: Kandou Bus via Globenewswire

PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-24 09:45:38

Press Information

Coherent Market Insights

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Tel: +1-206-701-6702



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# 542 Words

Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702CEO+1-206-701-6702

Kombucha is a fermented drink made from sugar and black tea. It consists of variety of minerals, enzymes, and vitamins. Kombucha is a nutrient-rich drink, which is fermented with a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY). SCOBY also called Mushroom, consumes 90% of sugar during the fermentation process, making a low-sugar end product. This drink is gaining popularity due to its health benefits and is available in food stores and grocery stores. Kombucha can be brewed at home using methods such as continuous brew and batch method. Kombucha manufacturers are aiming at producing new flavors with advertisements to attract consumers.Increasing awareness regarding health benefits and demand for healthy beverages are driving growth of global kombucha market. Major beverage brands focused on entering into manufacturing of this drink, which is driving growth of global kombucha market. However, alcohol content in beverage is a major restraint for growth of kombucha market.Ask for detailed Sample of the Research Report @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/873 Global Kombucha Market TaxonomyOn the basis of type, the global kombucha market is segmented into:YeastBacteriaMoldOthersOn the basis of flavor, the global kombucha market is segmented into:Herbs & SpicesBerriesCitrusFlowersApple, Mango, and CoconutOthersOn the basis of the distribution channel, the global kombucha market is segmented into:SupermarketsHealth StoresOnline StoresThe flavor segment has largest demand in the kombucha market and it is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR over the forecast period. Therefore, companies are focusing on developing new flavors to meet the demand of consumers. Supermarket segment has witnessed prominent role in the distribution channel of this product, which has boosted growth of the market.Global Kombucha Market OutlookNorth America is projected to be the dominant region in the kombucha market. The U.S. is anticipated to contribute the largest share to this market. Increasing awareness regarding health benefits of this drink is fueling the growth of the kombucha market. The American Cancer Society stated that this beverage has promoted as a cure-all for a large range of health issues, such as baldness, cancer, AIDS, insomnia, arthritis, and intestinal disorders. Latin America witnessed moderate growth in the kombucha market, owing to increasing demand for healthy drinks in the economies such as Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil.Asia Pacific region witnessed significant growth rate and holds a second largest share in the kombucha market, owing to the growing population and increasing demand from the emerging economies such as India and China. Kombucha being originated in this region is making this region fastest growing market having low production and processing cost, in turn driving the growth kombucha market. Europe is witnessed to have a moderate growth in the global kombucha market, owing to the rising government regulations, which is hampering growth of the market.Get More Information @ https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/kombucha-market-873 Hain Celestial Group Inc. launched kombucha energy shots in 2011. Whole Food and Wal-Mart markets among numerous other retailers have merged with brewers for distributing this beverage. The major operating in the global kombucha market include Reeds Inc., Millennium Products Inc., Revive Kombucha, The Hain Celestial Group, Kosmic Kombucha, Buchi Kombucha, Townshend Tea Company, Gts Kombucha, and The Humm Kombucha Llc.Universalization of the Rebel

Mohammad Nurul Huda :

Not later than the second decade of the twentieth century, a young Bengali poet, just returning from the first world war with an unequalled martial spirit wrote, by a. single night's efforts, an open-ended poetic text called Vidrohi, that earned him an enduring title: 'The Rebel'. The word Vidrohi exactly means the same in Bengali. The young poet named Kazi Nazrul Islam was then living in the same room at Calcutta with his friend Comrade Muzaffar Ahmed, the founder of the Communist Party of India. The poet passed the night sleepless in a bid to create a word-picture of the extraordinary text of a rebellious self that was shaping within his creative being. One can easily guess how immensely spontaneous, inspired and emotion-charged he was, to create in one night's efforts a piece of art that is destined to stand the test of time. Though composed at a single go, the text of this poem later underwent a rigorous metamorphosis not by-passing the traditional process of finalizing the draft of a poem. Most of its lines were pencil-sketches, written and rewritten with extensive additions and alterations indicative of the fact that apart from being extremely spontaneous, Nazrul worked hard in editing his earliest version. So his spontaneity was in no way bereft of his intellectual exercises. As soon as the poem came into print, the whole of Bengal seemed to have been electrified beyond extremity. In no time he was decorated with the martial title 'the Rebel' that has been revalidating its connotation as of now. Apart from being highly applauded, he was also bitterly criticized and a number of parodies of his Vidrohi were written, which however, could not refrain him from his stand as an artist and a dissenter. Hurt he was, and he registered his protests and indignations, both in prose and poetry transmitting a simple message in a self-explanatory metaphor, classifying his role as a Poet of time present and not a prophet of future.

But interestingly enough, only eight years after Nazrul was largely applauded as 'The National Poet of Bengal. No, it was not for a particular article or a poem that Nazrul was so decorated; rather, considering his non-communal interactive life-style, creativity and literary contributions, the whole of the learned bodies of the then Bengal declared him, a young man of merely thirty years, the voice of a nation in its totality. One cannot be oblivious of the fact that Nazrul was not so greeted out of emotion on the spur of a moment. The reception that was accorded to the young poet on behalf of the entire nation included the leading personalities from various fields of the society such as arts, literature, culture, science and politics. The leading representatives from all disciplines evaluated him in measured words and with a careful attention.

Recommending a poet as a national poet of a country does not essentially mean that all other practising poets of his time are insignificant, yet it is a fact that none could equal Nazrul in the total significance to become the national poet of a community called Bengali. The reason largely lies in the fact that Bengali is a composite nation and Nazrul represents in his approach all its components and diversities. It is also interesting to note that the bulk of works of that thirty year old young poet produced at that time was not a huge one, though most of his writings proved effective in reaching the doors of all concerned including the rulers and the ruled. The agents of British empire were the most attentive readers of any published works of Nazrul and these were translated into English in no time with a view to making its message accessible to the appropriate authority of the British rulers. Who did give him this title and why? Whatever might be the answer, one cannot deny the fact that the principal reason behind the same was mainly political and not literary. A firm believer in the interaction of social and political flows of any literary activity, Nazrul said, 'Literature is an expression of the personality of a human being. The exponents of classical solidarity and aesthetie excellence are apt to consider a piece of art as a separate entity detached from its creator. They are mostly in favour of impersonalisation of literature. Nazrul was all the time standing in opposition with this argument and created his literature that carried the marks of the life he lived. He represented himself both as a man and an individual, not soaring high on the wings of fancy. That is why his life and his arts are not two parallel systems, rather these are the duel expressions of the same orbit complementary to each other.

Nazrul did not contradict himself as regards his commitment to life and arts. It is largely because of a number of unopposed beings working within him in the guest of an artist and an individual that inspired him to feel that the community of people he belonged to must emerge as an independent nation. This is the basic message of Nazrul in all his extraordinary writings in prose and poetry over the second and third decades of the twentieth century, not excluding the text of Vidrohi. No other poet of his time, before him or after, defined the identity of Bengali as a martial nation who must wrest their freedom.

Nazrul even went one step further calling upon every Bengali to become a fighter and an warrior. Nazrul could think of no substitute other than armed struggles to attain the independence of Bengal. The greater community of the then Bengal accepted his message, but could not take measures in a planned way to materialise his idea. The rebellious self of his nation that Nazrul sang indeed woke up, but it did not appear as a living force pervading the nation as a whole. Bengali was declared as a nation, although the identity and boundary of this nation could not be unambiguously demarcated. It is also not untrue that the debate of defining the identity and boundary was not beyond dispute. But for this defination of the people, a community cannot be recognised as a full-grown nation.

The major two communities, Muslims and Hindus, faught for their communal supremacy, that sealed their fate as a unified nation beyond controversy. On the vast stretch of the Indian sub-continent many others spoke of Bengali, but none could give them their bonafide identity. It was not decided till then whether geographical boundary could be a determining factor for qualifying the nationhood of a group of people within a given territory. But now it is almost a decided fact. Both the communities were rather compelled to realize this truth after the partition of India. The post partition communities of Bengal have come to realize that this essence as a nation does not be in their geography, rather in their culture, which is mostly manifested through their linguistic inheritance. Bangali nationalism is indeed a language-based cultural nationalism. The post-liberation Bangladesh wining its independence as a sovereign nation is an evidence of this truth.

This explains the reason why Nazrul's identity as the national poet should be reunderstood in the renewed circumstances in today's Bangladesh and the new nation emerging within its territory. Nazrul is no more a theoretical national poet of Bangali as a nation, rather he is the acknowledged national poet of a sovereign nation-state called Bangladesh established after a sanguinary war of liberation on the basis of Bengali Nationalism. This is a truth accepted on national and state levels in Bangladesh. So Nazrul's connotation as a national poet remains to be reinterpreted now in the newer perspective since the Bengalis are now blessed with a sovereign political identity. The citizens of Bangladesh are now identified as Bangladeshis.

But with the advent of twenty-first century, (the poet himself of almost same age with the outgoing century), Nazrul is legitimately claiming a much wider identity. A born rebel and a poet, he was all his life a self-taught and self-trained person. His person lore is growingly becoming a centre of attraction by researchers from various parts of the world. The reason largely lies in the fact that his approach towards the liberation of mankind has transcended the boundary of time, place and the previleges enjoyed by a particular community. Side by side, Nazrul is being increasingly translated into world languages, including English, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Turkish, Arabian, Urdu, Hindi and most of the regional languages of the subcontinent. In one of the centennial seminars organised in Nazrul Institute (the national organization for research on the poet, set up in Dhaka) the veteran Indian novelist Ms Mahashweta Devi expressed her high optimism about the ever-increasing study of Nazrul's essence on a global perspective, since Nazrul had much earlier pointed out the solution of the crisis of civilization humankind has been confronting as of now. That solution is nothing short of human freedom at individual and collective level. Mankind can not prosper universally without allowing every individual his legitimate rights and liberty. Similar is true of Professor Henry Glassie, a most leading folklorist and literary critic from the USA. In one of his centenary lectures delivered in Nazrul Institute, Dhaka on the same date (15/05/2000) he rated the poem 'The Rebel' as a most significant one written in the twentieth century. To him, Nazrul is one of the most leading humanists of the century, and his relevance to the whole of mankind depends on three aspects in the main: freedom, justice and love. These aspects are interwoven as an extension of a unified belief based on the argument that every freeman is prone to rear love for himself and others around him. And a person with love inside his being can do no injustice to himself and others. So these are the three interwoven concepts required for a person as an individual and a member of collective entity. This is how Nazrul's rebellious self is inspired with righteousness and love for all. His revolt is an instrument for realizing this truth. Under this global perspective, Nazrul's identity remains to be reexamined and reevaluated. He is now a universal poet belonging to any part of the world. However, what will be the most appropriate way to recognise him, remains to be determined by the generations who would emerge and dominate the new century. We may humbly submit that mankind in the twenty-first century would refix Nazrul's role in their quest for a world-state based on multiculturalism that takes into account the need of national identity of each unique group of people in any part of the world, a concept that Nazrul tried to uphold in his very single poem 'The Rebel', a unique combination of the opposites, revalidating the much uttered slogan of creative diversity.

2

The appreciation and interpretation of the The Rebel by the foreign critics and literary personalities, among whom most recent inclusions are Professor Winston E. Langley from the USA and Dr Kyoka Niwa from Japan, are mostly based on English versions of the original Bangla text cal1ed Vidrohi having 139 uneven versified lines. Many of the translated texts are excellent interpretations of the original, but none of them are exact reproduction of the poetry and the message given in the Bangla version by Nazrul himself. We believe that almost an exact literal translation of all the 139 lines of the poem carrying the message as well as the central symbols, metaphors, images and other poetic suggestions are necessary for a deeper understanding of the poem. However, we know it well that the music and the aesthetic excellence of the origininal can never be reproduced in any other language, since the highest kind of poetic creations, Vidrohi being of the same aesthetic height, can hardly be equally echoed in a second or target language. So a humble literal echo of all the lines of the poems by the present author is given below. I am indebted to all the earlier translators and interpreters of the poem in preparing the following text in English.



The Rebel

Hail hero, the valiant

Hail elevated is my head,

Seeing this my head the Himalayan peaks are bent and knelt.

Hail ripping apart the great sky of the great universe

surpassing the moon, the sun, the planets and the stars

piercing through the earth, the heavens, the cosmos, rending through Khuda's, throne the Ars,



I've risen -- I, the eternal wonder of the mother universe.

The furious Bhogown shines on my forehead

as though a royal madallion of a victory grand.



Hail, hero, the valiant

ever elevated is my head.



I'm ever indomitable, disobedient, cruel,

I'm Notoraj, the dance-king of the doomsday upheaval

I'm the cyclone, I'm the destruction,

I'm the terrible horror, the curse of the earth,

I'm irresistible, I grind everything to pieces.



I'm lawless and licentious,

I trample all the bonds, all the rules and disciplines!

No law I do ever obey,

I cause the loaded ships sink,

I'm the torpedo I'm the fearful floating mine.

I'm Dhurjoti the untimely Summer storm with dishevelled hair.

I'm the rebel, the rebel son of the mother universe.

Hail hero, the valiant,

Hail ever elevated is my head.



I'm the hurricane, I'm the whirl-wind

I crush whatever I find on my path.

I'm the dance-crazy rythm,

I dance to my own beats,--



I'm the free rejoicing of life.

I'm hambeer, I'm Chayanot, I'm hindol

I move restless, I caper and dance,

Suddenly frenzied on my way,

I swing, leap and make three somersaults.

I'm indeed swift-moving hindol.

I do anytime anything what this my heart desires,

I embrace the enemy and wrestle with death.

I'm intoxicated, I am the tempest!

I'm the pestilence, I'm the dread of this earth;

I'm the ruler's terror, the terminator, I'm warm and ever restless.

Hail, hero, the valiant,

Ever elevated is my head.



I'm ever untamable, uncontrollable,

I'm irrepressible, my cup of soul is alway's full of elixir.

I'm the hom-fire, the sacrificial Jamadagni,

I'm the ritual, I'm the priest, I'm the fire.

I'm the creation, I'm the destruction,

I'm the habitation, I'm the cremation ground,

I'm the end, the termination of night,



I'm the Indrani son, the moon in my hand, the sun on my forehead,

My one hand holds the curved bamboo flute, the other the war-bugle.

I'm Krishna's throat, I drink poison from the ocean of pain,

I'm Byomkesh, I hold the free-flowing steam of the Ganges.

Hail hero, the valiant,

Ever elevated is my head.



I'm Beduin, I'm Chenghis

I salute none but myself.

I'm thunder, I'm the Om of Ishan's horn,

I'm the mighty roar of Israfil's bugle.

I'm Pinak-pani's hour-glass drum, trident, the sceptre of the Lord of justice,

I'm the Chakro and the great Shonkho, I'm the mighty primordial cry.

I'm the angry disciple of Durbasha-Vishwamitro,

I'm the fury of wild fire, I'll burn this universe to ashes.

I'm open-hearted laughter-ecstasy,-- I'm violent terror, creation's enemy,

I'm twelve-suns' eclipse on the Day of Doom.

I'm quiet at times, at times crazy and autocrat,

I m the youth of dawning blood, I crush the vainglory of the creator!

I'm the fury of windstorm, I'm the tumultuous roar of the ocean,

I'm radiant, I'm effulgent,

I'm swelling water-rippling, Swinging dance of waves rolling!



I'm the braid of an unbridled maiden, the fire in her sharpened eyes,

I'm the unrestrained love of the heart-lotus of a girl of Sixteen, I'm in bliss.

I'm the pining heart of the indifferent,

I'm the weeping sighs of a widow's heart, profound regret of the repentant.

I'm the pain of all ever-deprived, ever-homeless path-dwellers, wayfarers,

I'm the anguish of the insulted, his poisonous burns,

recovery of the jilted lover.

I'm the longing of an ever agrieved dejected heart, its endless pain,

The throbbing tenderness of a stolen kiss, I'm the first touch of a virgin.

I'm the timid glance of the veiled beloved, her deceptive looks all the times,



I'm the love of a never-quiet girl, the ringing music of her bangles."

I'm the eternal-child, the eternal-adolescent,

I'm the bodice the modesty-vest of a village girl afraid of her own youth.

I'm the northern wind, the southern breeze, the careless wind from the east,

I'm the solemn song of an wandering ministrel, the music of his flute.

I'm the unsatiable mid-day thirst, I'm the fierce-shining sun,

I'm the soft flowing desert fountain, I'm the shadowy image of greenery.

I run and rush in blissful ecstasy, I'm insane, I'm insane!

I've known myself all on a sudden, all my barriers are broken open!

I'm the rise, I'm the fall, I'm the conscious in the unconscious soul,

I'm the victory flag at the gate of universe, the banner of human triumph.

I rush like a hurricane clapping my hands,

holding the earth and the heaven on my palm.

Taji borrak and uchchaishraba are my chariots, neighing with valour.

I'm the volcanic irruption in the bosom of the earth, the constant fire vomitted

by the sea-horse, the divine conflagration annihilating the universe,

I'm the frenzied sea of fire under the earth, with violent sound and fury

I fly on the wings of lightning snapping the fingers, jumping carefree,

I terrify the world suddenly causing earthquakes all around

I clasp the hood of Basuki, the snake-king,

I cuddle the fiery wings of the heavenly angel Gabriel,

I'm the divine child, I'm restless, brisk

I tear with my teeth the scarf of the mother universe.



I'm the flute of Orpheus

The great ocean heaving and slumberous,

The slumber that kisses the whole universe making it quiet,



My flute's tune entering inside.

I'm the flute in Shayam's hands.

When I rush into anger traversing the vast sky,

The flames of the seven hells inclusive of habia tremble and die!

I'm the rebel messenger across the earth and the sky!



I'm shravon's flood-inundation,

Sometimes I make this earth illustrious, sometimes utterly disastrous-

I'll snatch away the two maidens from Vishnu's bosom!

I'm injustice, I'm meteor, I'm saturn,

I'm the poisonous cobra, comet's burn!

I'm the headless Chondi, I'm the ruinous warlord Ronoda,

I'm the smile of a flower sitting amidst the fire of Jahannam.



I'm made of clay, I'm made of eternal soul,

I'm unaging, undying, undecaying, I'm eternal.

I'm the dread of men monsters gods, the ever- unconquerable of the universe,

I'm the creator of world's creator, the truth of the supreme being,

I traverse tremendously the earth, the heaven and the underworld!

I'm insane, I'm insane!

I've indeed known myself, all my barriers broken, open.



I m the merciless axe of Porshuram,

I'll make the world free of fighters,

I'll bring peace, tranquil and generous.

I'm the plough on Boloram's shoulder,

I'll uproot this dependent world effortlessly in the noble joy of new creation.



Weary of wars, I, the Great Rebel,

Shall rest in peace only on that day

When the piteous groans of the oppressed

shall not reverberate in the sky and the air,

When the tyrants' swords and daggers shall not

rattle in the fierce warfields,-

Weary of wars, I, the Rebel

Shall rest in peace only on that day.



I'm the Rebel Bhrigu, stamping foot-prints on Bhogowan's chest,

I slay the creator, tearing apart the chest of whimsical god,

the bringer of griefs and sorrows.

I'm the Rebel Bhrigu stamping footprints on Bhoghowan's chest

I'll tear apart the chest of the whimsical god.

I'm the Eternal Rebel, the Hero am I --

I've risen alone surpassing the world, my head ever elevated and high.



My first deviation from most of the existing translated texts lies in the very first three lines where the head of the hero or the valiant (I/Self) has been described as 'unnoto', which has often been translated as 'high', that does not exactly echo the significance of the Bangla word implying the connotation of development through human efforts. The clause 'unnoto momo shir' may be rendered into English as under:

1. high is my head.

2. erect is my head.

3. developed is my head.

4. lofty is my head.

5. lofted is my head.

6. elevated is my head.



To me, the sixth alternative seems to be most befitting since it includes human efforts in glorifying the lofty hights of 'I', the individual man who is figuratively equated with the global man as well as the endless cosmos. In 139 lines of the original poem there are nearly eight hundred words, of which 'I' is directly repeated for 127 times. The process reminds one of the whirling dance of the god Shiva, almost an archetypal character symbolizing the phases of creation in Indian mythology.

The process destroys everything without lost mercy in the joy of creating a new order. It is also to be noted that despite the interweaving of all the dominating world myths such as Semetic, Greek, Chinese and Indian ones, the references to Indian gods and goddesses are oft-recurrent. In the present translated text almost all the mythological figures and references have been kept unaltered. It is interesting to note that the foreign readers would be able to grasp meaning of each line and the poem as a whole without readily looking in to the literal meaning of these words and references. However, for a deeper understanding of those references, one must consult mythological dictionaries, not the general ones containing word meanings. For instant reference a list of almost all the mythological words and references are given with brief meanings:

Khuda (Creator according to Islam), Ars (the seat of the Creator), Bhogowan (Creator according to Indian Vedic belief), Notoraj (Shiva, the Indian god who makes wild dance to destroy with a view to creating anew), Dhurjoti (another expression of Shiva), Hambeer, Chayanot, Hindol (names of Indian musical notes), jomodogni (an outstanding saint having deep knowledge in all the four Vedas), Israfil (the angel who would blow the final whistle to destroy the world as per Islamic belief), Krishno (the full incarnation of Vishnu), Indrani (Sochidevi, Indra's wife), Bhomkesh (another expression of Shiva), Chenghis (the great Mongol conqueror 1162-1227 Ad), Om (the holy sound uttered by Hindus at the start and end of any holy work. Also the earliest sound.) Ishan (another expression of Shiva), Pinakpani (another expression of Shiva), Chokro (circular weapon in the hands of Hindu god Vishnu), Songkho (conch-cell in Vishnu's hands), Durbasha (hot tempered Hindu saint who cursed his wife to be burnt to ashes), Vishwamitro (a saint who was a born warrior, but became pious brahmin by dint of his worship), Taji Borrak (mighty celestial horse that took Prophet Mohammad Sm to Allah), Uchchaishrava (A white sea horse, the vehicle of Indra), Basuki (the snake-king holding the earth on her head), Shyam (anothet expression of Krishna), Shravon (the fourth month of Bengali calendar), Vishnu (another name of Narayan and Krishna), Chondi (the ferocious godess who severed her own head), Ronoda (the war god), Jahannam (a hell), Porshuram (the sixth incarnation of Vishnu. Son of Jomodogni and Renuka.), Boloram (an eternal incarnation, one of the tenth, of Vishu).

Contd to page-15PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-24 16:31:02

Maximum Cryptocurrencies Available for EU Traders in Libertex

Libertex

Ivan Klyuev, Head of Public Relations

+56225940724

i.klyuev@libertex.com

Libertex trading platform, operated by Indication Investments Ltd, announces that starting from May 23rd 2018, European traders can perform operations with 34 new cryptocurrency CFD instruments. This means that Libertex became one of the leading applications and trading platforms for EU traders in terms of amount of cryptocurrencies available.

Andrew Nikolaev, Libertex Executive director highlighted: Cryptocurrencies are one of the main trends in financial industry for the past couple of years. The demand for these assets grows significantly. We are happy to satisfy the demand of European traders for new innovative crypto-instruments launching them in our cutting edge Libertex platform.

Launch of cryptocurrency pairs in Libertex for EU traders follows Circular from Cyprus financial regulator - CySec issued on May 15th 2018, that introduces new rules for governing derivatives on virtual currencies. According to this Circular, CFDs on virtual currencies are considered as financial instruments.

Among the whole list of 40 cryptocurrency CFDs traders can find such as Ethereum, Ripple, Dash, IOTA and many others. One can find the whole list of new cryptocurrencies available at libertex.com

About Libertex

Libertex is an international brand with a 20-year history of working in the financial market and the field of online investments. Libertex offers a wide array of financial tools and helps traders trade effectively in stocks, currencies, indices, commodities, gold, oil, and gas. The Libertex team supports more than 2.2 million customers from Latin America, Europe and Asia with first-class service. About 200 trading tools are available on Libertex. In 2016, Libertex was recognized as the best trading platform by the ForexEXPO Awards and the best trading application in the Eurasian Economic Union by the Global Banking and Finance Review. In 2017, the Forex Awards named Libertex as the best trading application and cryptocurrency broker. Libertex was one of the first trading platforms to launch cryptocurrencies.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524005

Libertex trading platform, operated by Indication Investments Ltd, announces that starting from May 21st, 2018 European traders can perform operations with 32 new cryptocurrency CFD instruments.PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-24 07:32:01

Mobidiag Secures Additional 4 Million in Capital Increase with Springvests Public Financing Round

Mobidiag

Dorothee Allard, marketing & communication manager

+33 1 55 25 17 13

marketing@mobidiag.com

or

Springvest Oy

Terhi Vapola, CEO

+358 40 803 6407

terhi.vapola@springvest.fi

Mobidiag Ltd., a Finnish molecular diagnostics company, announced today that it has successfully completed a 4 million funding supported by the Finnish investment service company Springvest Oy (former Kansalaisrahoitus). This funding was completed before the closing date and by more than 200 investors and aims at supporting Mobidiag in its global business development, including its capacity to answer growing needs for the new Novodiag solution.

Mobidiag has been using its expertise in the detection of gastrointestinal infections and multi-drug resistant organisms, also known as superbugs. Product lines currently available (Amplidiag and Novodiag) are well suited for all types of laboratories bringing effective DNA technique closer to patients in a user-friendly and economically effective format, reducing overall healthcare costs and directing better patient treatment.

The path from the tri-party merger in 2013 to this point has been lengthy and full of challenges which we have all, one by one, successfully tackled. Thanks to innovative product releases and significant support from our investors, Mobidiag is an acknowledged partner and a key player in the highly competitive market of molecular diagnostics. This translates clearly through this new public financing round which we successfully completed in less than 3 weeks. We are very happy that Springvest has been able to support us again in this process and to witness with us such great involvement from investors, says Tuomas Tenkanen, CEO of Mobidiag.

We are delighted to work with the Mobidiag team as they continue to innovate, roll out new solutions and expand their business internationally. Their progress in achieving key milestones has been impressive. It is our great pleasure to support the most promising Finnish success stories, comments Terhi Vapola, CEO of Springvest.

This new funding will allow Mobidiag to scale up its production of Novodiag instruments and disposable cartridges, as well as to strengthen its sales and marketing activities globally.

About Mobidiag Ltd.

Established in 2000, Mobidiag develops and commercialises innovative solutions to advance the diagnosis of infectious diseases and serves the clinical diagnostics market since 2008. Mobidiag is headquartered in Espoo, Finland, with subsidiaries in France, UK and Sweden. R&D centers are in Finland and France.

Combining Amplidiag and Novodiag solutions, Mobidiag offers a comprehensive line of products for fast, reliable and cost-efficient diagnostics for infectious diseases and antibiotic resistances. Mobidiag is able to cover all laboratories requirements no matter their size, throughput and centralised/ decentralised organisation. To learn more, visit mobidiag.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180523006Point-of-Care Middleware Market: Global Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024

PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-24 13:37:36

Press Information

Precision Business Insights

Kemp House,



152  160 City Road,



London EC1V 2NX



Satya

Marketing Lead

+1-866-598-1553

email

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com





# 610 Words

Kemp House,152  160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXMarketing Lead+1-866-598-1553

Point-of-Care Middleware Market: Global Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024Global Point-of-Care Middleware Market: By Deployment Type (Cloud Based/Web Based, On-Premise), By End User (Hospitals, Clinics, Diagnostic Centers, Others), and Geography  Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024Global point-of-care middleware market was valued at US $ XX Mn and expected to grow at XX% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over the 2018 to 2024Market Outline: Global Point-of-Care Middleware MarketMiddleware is the computer software, it makes the user friendly working environment on mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets.Market Dynamics: Global Point-of-Care Middleware MarketIncrease in demand for mobile devices, and software applications such as IoT and M2M are anticipated to drive the growth of global point-of-care middleware market. Moreover, shifting of enterprises towards the digital transformation, development of newer software and technologically advanced devices, availability of high bandwidth data services, and advantages with middleware software such as reducing the infrastructure cost are anticipated to fuel the global point-of-care middleware market. However, high cost of maintenance, lack of awareness about middleware in underdeveloped countries, and security problems with data storage are restraining the growth of global point-of-care middleware market.Free sample of this report is available upon request @Market Scope: Global Point-of-Care Middleware MarketGlobal point-of-care middleware market is segmented based on deployment type and end userBased on deployment type, market is segmented into the following: Cloud Based/Web Based On-PremiseBased on the end user, market is segmented into the following: Hospitals Clinics Diagnostic Centers OthersFree TOC of this report is available upon request @Regional Analysis: Global Point-of-Care Middleware MarketGeographically, global point-of-care middleware market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. North America point-of-care middleware market is expected to grow due to rise in innovation in Internet of Things (IOT), adoption of automation trends in U.S., and shifting of healthcare sectors towards the cloud-based services are witnessed to fuel the market. Europe point-of-care middleware market is expected to grow over the forecast period due to adoption of technologically advanced devices and development of newer software and high awareness among the healthcare professionals are expected to bolster the market. However, Asia pacific point-of-care middleware market is expected to experience fastest growth due to government sectors are shifting towards digitalization in healthcare sectors majorly in Japan, China, and India.Ask Analyst for Full Information about this report @Competition Assessment: Global Point-of-Care Middleware MarketSome of the players in the global point-of-care middleware market include: Siemens Healthcare GmbH (Germany) Telcor (U.S.) Radiometer Medical ApS (Denmark) Orchard Software Corporation (U.S.) Alere, Inc. (U.S.) Sysmex Corporation (Japan)Notable Market Developments: Global Point-of-Care Middleware Market In November 2016, Siemens Healthineers acquired Conworx Technology GmbH to deliver open connectivity to more than 100 point-of-care instruments.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PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-24 10:02:01

SRV GROUP PLC PRESS RELEASE 24 MAY 2018, 11:00 AM

REDI to emphasise experiences of relevance through art

The REDI shopping centre, implemented by SRV at Kalasatama in Helsinki, will have a significant amount of art located in a public urban space. The art is aimed at making the urban, compact and highly built-up environment particularly relevant to the residents of the REDI tower buildings, shopping centre visitors, passers-by and other inhabitants of the Kalasatama area.



Finlands growth centres are becoming more compact at an accelerating rate. Finland therefore needs pathfinders who are able to plan and build urban, high-rise cities whose residents experience them as relevant.





REDI is becoming Finlands most urban city centre, and our task in SRV is to serve its future users and residents. By developing urban centres, we want to provide the best customer experience. A significant amount of art located in a public urban space will therefore be implemented at REDI. We dont only wish to build a good environment, we also seek to stimulate debate on how to create it, says SRVs Deputy CEO,Art coordination has already, during the planning phase, brought the creators of art works into traditional construction industry working groups. In addition to its aesthetic value, the role of art as a creator of the overall maritime, urban and industrial experience of the area has been taken into account in art coordination, as has the value of art when used as part of the urban environment.At best, the urban space acknowledges its history  it is unique and relevant to its users. This means that people are able to orient themselves in the area, experience it as their own, and can feel extraordinary enthusiasm and pride about it. In a successful city, you dont need to visit an art gallery or art museum to obtain stimulation, enjoyment, elation, insights and heightened experiences, says Nieminen.The scale of art in the REDI area will vary. Alongside exceptionally large, urban-scale permanent works, project-oriented, temporary, communal and, for example, light-installation works and experiences have been, and will be, brought to REDI. The task of all of them will be, in different ways, to create good feeling, joy and understanding.As part of the overall plan, Finlands largest mobiles, created by artist, have already been completed and installed at Kalasatamas Health and Wellbeing Centre. Coming up next will be a ventilation duct converted into a Whalefish (Valaskala) by Architectural Office Maisema, Architectural Office HLP and sculptor, which will be located in front of the urban centre; a 180-metre Helsinki-theme painting by artist, which will be located on the Baana cycle path; paintings by graphic artistin the parking cave system; and a partly communal work by the internationally renowned ceramic artist, at the first to be completed residential tower. Sculptors Nereids, the winning submission to an international invited competition, will be completed in front of the urban centre in September 2018.





For further information, please contact:

Timo Nieminen, Deputy CEO, SRV, tel. +358 400 424 552, timo.nieminen@srv.fi

Heli Pulkkinen, Communications Specialist, REDI by SRV, tel. +358 50 411 0787, heli.pulkkinen@srv.fi





REDI in brief

REDI, implemented by SRV at Kalasatama, Helsinki, will comprise the inner citys largest shopping and experience centre as well as eight tower buildings. The elevator shafts and stairwells of the eight towers have been built simultaneously with the frame of the parking facility and shopping centre, all the way to the shopping centres roof level. In total, around 2,000 apartments will be completed in the REDI towers in the coming years. Below the centre will be a 2,000-space parking facility, usable by both the towers residents and the shopping centres customers. Construction work at REDI, Finlands largest urban construction project, was launched in spring 2015 and is expected to continue until 2023.



The REDI shopping centre will open in autumn 2018 and Majakka, the first of the tower buildings to be completed, will receive its first residents in spring 2019. The remaining tower buildings will be completed in stages by 2023. Construction of REDIs second tower building, Loisto, is due to begin in summer 2018.

www.srv.fi

www.redi.fi

You can also find us in the social media:

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SRV  Building for lifePR-Inside.com: 2018-05-24 16:33:01

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR THE UNITED STATES OR ANYOTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF ANY OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN.

SeaBird Exploration Plc ("SeaBird" or the "Company") intends to carry out a private placement of new shares (the "Offer Shares") in the Company raising gross proceeds of minimum NOK 100 million and a maximum of NOK 150 million (the "Private Placement"). The subscription price (the "Offer Price") in the Private Placement will be determined through an accelerated book-building process. The net proceeds from the Private Placement will be used to finance working capital and potential new investments in vessels and equipment.

The Private Placement

ABG Sundal Collier ASA and SpareBank 1 Markets have been engaged as Joint Lead Managers and Bookrunners for the Private Placement (the "Managers").

The Private Placement will be carried out on the following terms:

The application period for the Private Placement opens today at 16:30 CET on 24 May 2018 and closes at 08:00 CET on 25 May 2018. The Managers may, however, at any time resolve to close or extend the subscription period at its sole discretion and on short notice.



The minimum subscription and allocation amount in the Private Placement will be the NOK equivalent of EUR 100,000, provided that the Company may, at its sole discretion, allocate an amount below EUR 100,000 to the extent applicable exemptions from the prospectus requirement pursuant to applicable regulations are available.



Allocation of the Offer Shares will be determined at the end of the application period, and final allocation will be made by the Company's Board of Directors at its sole discretion. Notification of the allocation is expected to be sent by the Managers on or about 25 May 2018.



The settlement date is expected to be on or about 30 May 2018, subject to the Board of Directors of the Company having resolved to issue the shares.



The Offer Shares will be temporarily issued on a separate ISIN. These shares are expected to be converted to the Company's original ISIN number and be listed and tradable on Oslo Brs early July, subject to approval of a listing prospectus (the "Prospectus") by the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority ("NFSA").



The Company and the Managers reserve the right, at any time and for any reason, to cancel and/or modify the terms of the Private Placement.

The Board, together with the Company's management and the Managers, has considered various transaction alternatives to secure new financing. Based on an overall assessment, taking into account inter alia the need for funding, execution risk and possible alternatives, the Board has on the basis of careful considerations decided that the Private Placement is the alternative that best protects the Company's and the shareholders' joint interests. Thus, the waiver of the preferential rights inherent in a share capital increase through issuance of new shares is considered necessary.

Subject to completion of the Private Placement, the Company intends to carry out a subsequent repair offering to its existing shareholders as of close of trading 24 May 2017, as subsequently recorded in the VPS, who did not participate in the Private Placement.

Operational update

As announced on 23 May 2017, the Company recently signed an agreement to supply one 2D vessel for an upcoming survey in North West Europe during this coming summer season. The project is due to commence early Q3-2018 and will run for approximately one month. The company will be using the Harrier Explorer for the work.

Furthermore, the Company is currently in discussions to supply one or more vessels for potential major 2D contracts. If awarded, these projects are currently anticipated to start in the second half of 2018 and could potentially add approximately 15 vessel months to Seabird's backlog.

For further information, please contact:

Christophe Debouvry

CEO SeaBird Exploration

Phone: +47 22 40 27 05

Nils Haugestad

CFO SeaBird Exploration

Phone: +47 22 40 27 17

Contact information for the Managers:

ABG Sundal Collier ASA

Telephone: +47 22 01 60 08

SpareBank 1 Markets AS:

Telephone: +47 24 14 74 70

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

About Seabird Exploration:

SeaBird is a global provider of marine acquisition for 2D/3D and 4D seismic data, and associated products and services to the oil and gas industry. SeaBird specializes in high quality operations within the high end of the source vessel and 2D market, as well as in the shallow/deep water 2D/3D and 4D market. Main focus for the company is proprietary seismic surveys (contract seismic). Main success criteria for the company are an unrelenting focus on Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE), combined with efficient collection of high quality seismic data.

All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict, and are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove accurate. These factors include SeaBird`s reliance on a cyclical industry and the utilization of the company's vessels. Actual results may differ substantially from those expected or projected in the forward-looking statements.

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: SeaBird Exploration Plc via Globenewswire

PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-24 20:45:17

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# 395 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Silver Pursuit Resources Ltd.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Silver Pursuit Resources Ltd. (TSX Venture:SPF). has issued a press release with the following headline:Silver Pursuit Resources Announces AGM Results and Provides a Corporate UpdateTo 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 Silver Pursuit 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/Silver Pursuit Resources Ltd.Source: Silver Pursuit Resources Ltd. (TSX Venture: SPF, ISIN: CA82808R2019, WKN: A1W9J6)Date: May 24, 2018Time: 2:45 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Silver Pursuit 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: 2018-05-24 08:03:01

Turnitinalready using GDPR-approved practicesis dedicated to protecting privacy and data integrity for individuals and for educational institutions

Turnitin Announces Updates to Privacy Center, SOC 2 Certification Ahead of the GDPR

for Turnitin

Giles Kerrush

Data Protection Officer

DPO@turnitin.com

or

Amanda Zeligs Hand, +1-510-764-7600 *1018

azeligshand@turnitin.com

or

Jennifer Harrison, +1-916-716-0636

jennifer@jharrisonpr.com

Turnitin, a company at the forefront of academic integrity solutions for 20 years, announced today its commitment to stringent data privacy practices and compliance with the European Unions (EU) General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR). The GDPR represents the most comprehensive shake-up of data protection law in the EU in over 20 years; it sets exacting conditions on the use, process, and export of personal data.

Turnitin technology and data privacy practices are continuously held to rigorous standards. Although Turnitin technology was already in compliance with the GDPR, the company dedicated additional resources to further evaluate and update systems and processes in light of the new regulations. Specific steps taken include an improved Privacy Center and amendments to the Turnitin Terms of Service, which is incorporated into customer Registration Agreements. The new Terms of Service includes mandatory GDPR provisions so that customerswho must also be GDPR compliantwill not need to take additional actions with their agreements. To transfer data, Turnitin already used the GDPR-approved safeguards, such as the EU Model Clauses and the EU-US or Swiss-US Privacy Shield, for which Turnitin is fully certified.

Demonstrating a further commitment to privacy and security, Turnitin is also undergoing a SOC 2 (Service Organization Control) Type 1 and Type 2 audit with an independent CPA firm. With an additional emphasis on privacy, Turnitins SOC 2 report will detail the controls of the systems used to process data and describe the security and privacy of that data. Having successfully completed the SOC 2 Type 1 audit, Turnitin is now into their SOC 2 Type 2 audit period, targeted for completion in Q4 2018. Turnitins GDPR compliant technical and organizational measures, in conjunction with the SOC 2 audit, demonstrate its focus on high quality standards around data privacy.

Data protection requires continuous vigilance and management to not only meet obligations like the GDPR, but also to forecast future needs as the typical individuals digital footprint grows, said Giles Kerrush, International Commercial & Legal Manager and Data Protection Officer at Turnitin. Turnitin is dedicated to protecting privacy and data integrity for individuals and for the educational institutions who entrust us with helping support academic integrity and authentic writing.

At Turnitin, we believe that data security is essential to our commitment to academic integrity, said Jack Roehrig, Turnitin Chief Information Security Officer. The SOC certification is the beginning of a greater initiative to assess and continuously secure our platform and the sensitive data therein. To confirm we are taking privacy in the correct direction, we included the privacy criteria in our SOC audit.

Read more at https://go.turnitin.com/turnitin-and-gdpr.

About Turnitin

Turnitin is your partner in education with integrity. Turnitins originality checking and authorship investigation services ensure academic integrity, promote critical thinking, and help students improve their authentic writing. Turnitin provides instructors with the tools to prevent plagiarism, engage students in the writing process, and provide personalized feedback. Turnitin is used by more than 30 million students at 15,000 institutions in 140 countries. Backed by Insight Venture Partners, GIC, Norwest Venture Partners, Lead Edge Capital and Georgian Partners, Turnitin is headquartered in Oakland, Calif., with international offices in Newcastle, U.K., Utrecht, Netherlands, Melbourne, Australia, Seoul, Korea and throughout Latin America. @Turnitin

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180523006

Turnitin updates privacy center and SOC 2 certification in compliance with European Union GDPR https://go.turnitin.com/turnitin-and-gdprPR-Inside.com: 2018-05-24 05:02:01

New head of sales and distribution to drive sales of UiPaths RPA platform throughout Asia Pacific

UiPaths headcount in Asia Pacific to expand to more than 150 across Australia, China, South Korea and Southeast Asia

UiPath Drives Asia Expansion with New Head of Sales

Ellerton & Co. Public Relations & Advertising for UiPath

Oliver Ellerton, +65 6247 7325

oliver@ellerton.sg

UiPath, the leading enterprise Robotic Process Automation (RPA) software company, has appointed Thomas Chin as vice president of sales for APAC. Based in Hong Kong, Chin will drive sales and distribution for UiPaths RPA platform throughout Greater China, Australia/New Zealand, South Korea and Southeast Asia, leveraging his sales and marketing experience in both Asia and Silicon Valley.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180523006

Tom Chin, Vice President of Sales, APAC (Photo: Business Wire)

Chin will oversee the sales and distribution of UiPath in Asia Pacific, maintaining and growing existing clients and expanding into new markets and industries. He will lead UiPaths growing regional employee base, expected to increase to more than 150 in 2018, to take advantage of the mounting demand for RPA solutions in Asia.

Chins appointment follows a sustained period of growth for UiPath globally and in Asia. In the past 12 months, UiPath has added new offices in Japan, China and South Korea, and expanded into Singapore on the heels of the companys $153 million funding round earlier this year.

The Asia Pacific region is a huge market for RPA, and we see companies and governments seeking RPA as a solution to improve productivity and drive development, said Chin. Asia is a very diverse region, with different countries requiring RPA for different reasons. The more developed markets will leverage RPA to increase productivity and offset the challenges posed by specific regional demographics. Developing nations will use RPA to help firms become more competitive, speeding up development and moving them up the value chain. Others will look to RPA to help achieve their Smart City ambitions. I look forward to working with partners and customers throughout Asia  from Thailand to Singapore, and China to Malaysia  helping them implement, from concept to realization, what is arguably the most sophisticated RPA software platform in the world today.

Chin joins UiPath from Solarflare Communications based in San Francisco, where he drove sales for the networking solutions provider. His prior track record includes a number of senior sales roles in technology firms in both Asia and the U.S.

Thomas appointment will help UiPath expand our presence in Asia Pacific, specifically into new markets such as China, says Daniel Dines, CEO and co-founder of UiPath. His experience in fast-growing tech companies in both the U.S. and Asia will be vital, and he is well placed to develop deep relationships with existing and new partners and customers, in addition to articulating our RPA and Artificial Intelligence (AI) implementations. Asia holds huge promise for UiPath and I look forward to continued growth in the region.

About UiPath

Built for both business and IT, UiPath is the leading platform for enterprise Robotic Process Automation (RPA). More than 1,100 enterprise customers and government agencies use UiPath's Enterprise RPA platform to rapidly deploy software robots that perfectly emulate and execute repetitive processes, boosting business productivity, ensuring compliance and enhancing customer experience across back-office and front-office operations.

With a thriving RPA developer community of more than 120,000 worldwide, UiPath is on a mission to democratize RPA and support a digital business revolution. Based in New York City, UiPaths presence extends to 14 countries throughout North America, Europe and Asia. The company is backed by $183M in series A & B funding from Accel, CapitalG, Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, Credo Ventures, Earlybirds Digital East Fund and Seedcamp. UiPaths Series B valuation exceeded $1.1 billion.

For more information, visit https://www.uipath.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180523006Nasir El-Rufai, the Kaduna State Governor, who described Kaduna as the third largest State in Nigeria in terms of population, has said the administration has in the last three years, attracted more than $500 million worth of foreign direct investments to the state.

He said the state was able to achieve this despite being a largely agricultural settlement and in spite of the security challenges in the state.

He said acts of banditry across the country by herdsmen should be treated as a national insurgency situation and confronted like Boko Haram.

The governor who spoke during the Direct Investors Summit in Abuja on Tuesday, said banditry, cattle rustling and kidnapping by herdsmen mostly of Fulani extraction are some of the challenges his administration was facing in attracting investors to the state.

Since coming to office, there have seen mostly ethnic and religious clashes in Southern Kaduna, which have now been contained. But, the challenge of banditry in northern Kaduna is of concern now. We have cattle rustlers and kidnappers who are mostly of Fulani extraction engaging in banditry.

Honestly, if the situation of banditry by people referred to as herdsmen, but are not, because they do not have cattle, ought to be addressed as a national insurgency situation and confronted the way Boko Haram was confronted, he said.

Mr El-Rufai said in the last few weeks, what has been happening in Birnin-Gwari area of the state, where people go in to burn down an entire community, steal nothing and kill anyone they can find, was definitely an insurgency situation that must be handled as such.

In the last two years , he said, what used to happen was having to deal with bandits that would only steal cattle, food or kidnap and go back into the forest, rather than the banditry and criminality today.

Based on representations by the state government to the federal government on the issue, he said ,the military has since deployed its personnel to the area.

He expressed hope this would help sort out the situation and create the environment for investment.

The governor said realising early that Kaduna State was in trouble, having to compete not only with 35 other states of the federation and FCT, but also with the whole world in attracting investment, his administration took steps to ensure the state became one of the easiest places to do business.

One Stop Shop

Some of the steps taken included the creation of a one-stop shop called Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency (KADIPA), whose main job was to interface between prospective investors and government in handling issues ranging from land applications, permit for construction to tax clearance certificates.

No investor is expected to do anything other than meet with KADIPA, that will process all the documents required to set up business in the states with all government departments and agencies, he said.

The governor said KADIPA, headed by his deputy, holds weekly ease of doing business sessions with all the agencies, departments and ministries involved in approvals of all documentations required to set up business by investors.

The meetings, he noted, were to enable participants review their processes to remove all unnecessary policies to de-bottleneck the processes and make them much easier for investors.

Consequently, the governor said requests for technical drawings for construction of projects get approved within 21 days by the relevant agency to allow for early mobilisation to site by contrctors.

Also, Mr El-Rufai said, the states land registry has been computerised to allow applications for land allocation to get them approved within 30 days and certificate of occupancy issued.

The only exception, he pointed out, was when the projects involved huge land acquisitions for agricultural purposes demanding negotiations with communities.

Other steps included training of a pool of technical and vocational skills to provide readily available labour for different sectors, preparing over 850,000 resumes of university graduates any investor looking for workers can draw from.

Consolidation of tax laws

He said the states tax laws have been consolidated into one document to make it easy for investors to know everything required to guide them make tax decisions.

All taxes are paid to Kaduna Internal Revenue Service only. No payment is made in cash. Every payment is online or through the bank. No one is allowed to collect any government revenue other than Kaduna revenue agency.

Multiple taxation has been eliminated. Local governments are not allowed to mount road blocks and collect tax. The state collects all the taxes on their behalf and remit to them, making it easy for investors thinking of multiple offices and agencies coming to make one tax demand or another, he said.

On resolving conflicts, he said his open communication policy encourages citizens and investors to talk directly to the governor using all communication platforms, including social media.

This, he said helps remove a situation where an investor would be so aggrieved to the extent of going to court.

We believe going to court is totally unnecessary, because all issues could be resolved at the investment promotion agency level or directly with the governor, he said.The African Development Bank (AfDB) said on Thursday it disbursed about $7.7 billion in 2017 towards the pursuit of programmes to effectively support African countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The disclosure was contained in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES at the end of the end of the Banks 2018 Annual General Meeting in Busan, Korea Republic.

The Banks President, Akinwumi Adesina, told delegates, Governors, Executive Directors and Bank staff that the yardstick for measuring its impact is its impact on Africas development.

At the end of the day, it is all about the impact. Your Bank is making impact, he said. We have a very strong financial profile and remains focused on optimizing and strengthening our balance sheet to more effectively accompany African countries in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Group Treasurer and Acting Vice-President for Finance at the Bank, Hassatou NSele, said the Bank would continue to improve on its efficiency and remain a responsive and effective partner to maximize its development impact.

We see ourselves not just as financiers, but also as a catalyst for attracting investment to the continent. We are therefore working with governments, agencies, and non-profits to co-finance or seek grants to support our projects and our development mandate, Ms NSele noted.

The Bank, she said, is solvent, very liquid, cost-effective, attuned to the continents financial needs, and able to provide very competitive pricing to clients. We are responsive and effective partner  we support our clients in times of crisis and in better times.

She said development to the Bank was about empowering people to realize their needs and aspirations, including through education and better health and inclusion in secure communities.

In the financial report, the Bank showed remarkable increase in impact from projects completed in 2017, which provided 1.5 million direct new jobs, 460 MW of new power capacity installed capacity, 33 per cent of which are renewable energy projects

Besides, the Bank said it built or rehabilitated 2,500 kilometres of roads; eased access to financial services for 210,000 owner-operators and small businesses; provided 8.3 million people with improved access to water and sanitation; reduced 157,000 tons of CO2, and provided 14 million people with improved access to transport.

On the outlook for growth across the continent, the Bank said the climate looks promising, despite local and global challenges

Growth in Africa remained strong, at an estimated 3.7 per cent in 2017, with short-term projections estimates for economic growth at 4.1 per cent.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the meeting, Nigeria signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with African Risk Capacity (ARC) to work together to address the impact of extreme weather events in the country, including training support to government personnel.

The AfDB President, Mr Adesina who pledged to support ARC in the region, called for more interest groups to join the organisation to ensure availability of insurance against natural disaster risks.

The AfDB and ARC have partnered since March 2017 to strengthen technical collaboration towards enhancing the risk management infrastructure and policy across Africa and in supporting countries in building resilience against climate shocks.

Minister for Finance, Kemi Adeosun, noted ARCs innovative approach towards climate risk financing and management in Africa, assuring that Nigeria would work with the Agency to address the impact of extreme weather events in the country.

Nigeria, founding member of ARC, established discussions and the nomination of former Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the Chair of the Agencys Governing Board.

The country subsequently signed the ARC Establishment Agreement on December 4, 2014, thereby formally becoming a member of the institution.

ARC is a Specialized Agency of the African Union (AU) to help member states improve their capacities to better plan, prepare and respond to extreme weather events and natural disasters.Opting for Goa, Jaipur this summer

Weekend Plus Desk :

Despite the scorching heat, Goa remains the most popular Indian holiday destination, followed by Jaipur, according to a study conducted by a leading travel portal. Thanks to budget-friendly stay options and heavy discounts on flights, Indians also prefer short-haul international destinations such as Dubai and Singapore, according to a study by ixigo, based on bookings on its website. The

difference in domestic airfares for peak and off-season is about 45 per cent and for international

airfares is about 18 per cent, said a statement.

As for stay options, while Indians prefer to keep a low hotel stay budget, they wouldnt mind paying extra for a great view at a beach or hill station.

Around 47 per cent tourists prefer to stay at 4/5 star hotels during summer holiday in Goa vs 62 per cent who prefer more pocket friendly accommodation options in Jaipur. ixigo CEO and Co-founder Aloke Bajpai said: It was interesting to find that travellers no longer worry about seasonality while picking a summer holiday

destination. Places such as Goa and Dubai have become round the year tourist hubs! Off-season travel can be quite beneficial.

Not only do you avoid all the rush, but you also save considerably on hotels and flights. If we compare flight fares from last year, average domestic fares for the summer season have dropped by around 9 per cent and average international fares have dropped by around 19 per cent.

This, plus additional discounts offered by travel portals such as ixigo, enable travellers to plan trips, even on smaller budgets. n

The U.S. has expelled the Charge dAffaires of the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington DC and the Deputy Consul-General of the Venezuelan Consulate in Houston.

The U.S gave the Venezuelan envoys 48 hours to leave the country, in a retaliatory move against Venezuelas expulsion of U.S. envoys by President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday.

Mr Maduro had ordered the expulsion of the top U.S. diplomat in Venezuela following a new round of sanctions imposed by Washington over his re-election.

The Venezuelan leader had also given Charge daffaires Todd Robinson and his deputy, Brian Naranjo, 48 hours to leave the country.

In a statement by its spokesperson, Heather Nauert, the U.S. Department of State described Mr Maduros action as unjustified diplomatic actions.

The Department of State, in accordance with Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and Article 23 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, declared the Charge dAffaires of the Venezuelan embassy and the Deputy Consul General of the Venezuelan consulate in Houston, personae non grata.

They have been directed to leave the United States within 48 hours.

This action is to reciprocate the Maduro regimes decision to declare the Charge dAffaires and Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, personae non grata.

The accusations behind the Maduro regimes decision are unjustified; our Embassy officers have carried out their official duties responsibly and consistent with diplomatic practice and applicable provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

We reject any suggestion to the contrary, the U.S. said.

The Venezuelan president had announced the expulsion of the U.S. diplomats in a nationally televised speech on Tuesday, after being officially proclaimed the winner of Sundays election.

The empire doesnt dominate us here. Weve had enough of your conspiring, Mr Maduro said, referring to Mr Naranjo as the head of the CIA  U.S. Central Intelligence Agency  in Venezuela.

He accused the pair of trying to sabotage Venezuelas presidential election by pressuring several anti-government presidential candidates not to compete in the race.

The White House branded the vote a sham, and President Donald Trump issued an executive order limiting Venezuelas ability to sell state assets.

Washington and Caracas have not exchanged ambassadors since 2010.China and Germany want dialogue with North Korea to continue, Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang and German Chancellor, Angela Merkel have said in Beijing.

The U.S. and North Korea have each said they could call off a historic summit between their leaders, planned for June, but Keqiang and Merkel appealed to them to continue talks.

Ms Merkel said she hoped for denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula and that she had seen very hopeful things recently.

Mr Keqiang said it was important to resolve the issues through peaceful dialogue.

The U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would know next week whether his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un would take place on June 12 in Singapore as scheduled, casting further doubt on plans for the unprecedented meeting.

White House aides are preparing to travel to Singapore this weekend for a crucial meeting with North Korean officials to discuss the agenda and logistics for the summit, U.S. officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Visiting Washington, Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi told Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that if the U.S. seeks peace with North Korea and wants to make history, now is the time for the two countries leaders to hold their first-ever summit.

The U.S. delegation, which includes White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Joseph Hagin and Deputy National Security Adviser, Mira Ricardel, was being dispatched after Trump said on Tuesday there was a substantial chance the summit would be called off amid concerns Pyongyang is not prepared to give up its nuclear arsenal.

Mr Trump did not say, however, whether the preparatory talks between U.S. and North Korean officials in coming days were expected to clarify the situation.

Mr Pompeo said on Wednesday the U.S. is prepared to walk away from nuclear negotiations with North Korea if the summit heads in the wrong direction.

He said he was very hopeful the summit would take place but said the decision was ultimately up to Jong-Un, who the secretary of state has met twice in less than two months.

Mr Trump raised doubts about the summit in talks on Tuesday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who came to Washington to urge Mr Trump not to let a rare opportunity with reclusive North Korea slip away.

It was unclear whether the U.S. president was truly backing away from the summit or whether he was strategically coaxing North Korea to the table after decades of tension on the Korean peninsula and antagonism with Washington over its nuclear weapons program.

The White House was caught off guard when, in a dramatic change of tone, North Korea condemned the latest U.S.-South Korean air combat drills, suspended North-South talks and threatened to scrap the summit if Pyongyang was pushed toward unilateral nuclear abandonment.

North Koreas vice foreign minister said the future of the summit between Pyongyang and Washington was entirely up to the U.S.

We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us, said Choe Hui, according to a report by North Koreas central news agency on Thursday.

Ms Hui said she could suggest to leader Jong-Un that North Korea reconsider the summit if the U.S. offended the Norths good will.

If the summit is called off or fails, it would be a major blow to what Mr Trumps supporters hope will be the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency.

Also on Wednesday, a UN Security Council committee approved travel by North Korean officials to Singapore for the summit, diplomats said.

Singapore had asked the UN sanctions panel for a blanket waiver for the North Koreans participation.

Similarly, Germany and China are committed to upholding the Iran nuclear deal in spite the U.S. withdrawal, Mr Keqiang and Ms Merkel have said in Beijing.

Ms Merkel said the agreement is not perfect, but the alternatives are even more uncertain.

She said sanctions might drive some European companies away from doing business with Iran, which leaves room for other countries to step in.

The agreements cancellation endangers peace and stability in the region, Mr Keqiang also said.

(dpa/NAN)The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Bank Group on Thursday launched the joint Global Preparedness Monitoring Board to observe how ready the world is to tackle outbreaks and pandemics, the WHO said in a statement.

The board will be co-chaired by Dr Gro Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway and former WHO Director-General, and Mr Elhadj As-Sy, Secretary General of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

It will include political leaders, heads of UN agencies and world-class health experts, serving in their individual, independent capacities, the statement read.

The WHO noted that the board would not only monitor the situation but also prepare annual reports on the developments in this area.

The board will monitor emergency preparedness across national governments, UN agencies, civil society and the private sector.

It will report annually on adequacy of financing, progress on relevant research and development, and the strength of health crisis preparedness at the global, regional and national levels, the statement added.

The move has been made amid the recent Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The WHO has taken a number of steps to assist local authorities in containing Ebola, including via delivering vaccines and providing information and material support.

(NAN)Amnesty International has accused Nigerian security forces of raping thousands of women and girls who escaped from the brutal rule of Boko Haram insurgents, and killing many people who refused to be moved from territories rescued from the insurgents.

In a new report released Thursday titled They betrayed us, the global rights group reported how the Nigerian military and Civilian Joint Task Force (Civilian JTF) have separated women from their husbands and confined them in remote satellite camps where they have been raped, sometimes in exchange for food.

The JTF is a militia working alongside the Nigerian military in the campaign against the insurgency in the Northeastern part of Nigeria.

Amnesty International said it has collected evidence that thousands of people have starved to death in the camps in Borno state, north-east Nigeria, since 2015.

It is absolutely shocking that people who had already suffered so much under Boko Haram have been condemned to further horrendous abuse by the Nigerian military, said Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.

Instead of receiving protection from the authorities, women and girls have been forced to succumb to rape in order to avoid starvation or hunger.

According to the group, in some cases, the abuse appeared to be part of a pattern of persecution of anyone perceived to have a connection to Boko Haram.

It said women had reported being beaten and called Boko Haram wives by the security officials when they complained about their treatment.

As Nigerias military recovered territory from the armed group in 2015, it ordered people living in rural villages to the satellite camps, in some cases indiscriminately killing those who remained in their homes. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled or were forced from these areas.

The military screened everyone arriving to the satellite camps, and in some locations detained most men and boys aged between 14 and 40 as well as women who travelled unaccompanied by their husbands. The detention of so many men has left women to care for their families alone.

Rape Of Starving Women, Sexual Exploitation

Scores of women described how soldiers and Civilian JTF members have used force and threats to rape women in satellite camps, including by taking advantage of hunger to coerce women to become their girlfriends, which involved being available for sex on an ongoing basis.

FILE PHOTO: Soldiers repel Boko Haram

Five women told Amnesty International that they were raped in late 2015 and early 2016 in Bama Hospital camp as famine-like conditions prevailed.

Ama (not her real name), 20, said: They will give you food but in the night they will come back around 5pm or 6pm and they will tell you to come with them One [Civilian JTF] man came and brought food to me. The next day he said I should take water from his place [and I went]. He then closed the tent door behind me and raped me. He said I gave you these things, if you want them we have to be husband and wife.

Ten others in the same camp said that they were also coerced into becoming girlfriends of security officials to save themselves from starvation. Most of these women had already lost children or other relatives due to lack of food, water and healthcare in the camp. The sexual exploitation continues at an alarming level as women remain desperate to access sufficient food and livelihood opportunities.

Women said the sexual exploitation follows an organized system, with soldiers openly coming into the camp for sex and Civilian JTF members choosing the very beautiful women and girls to take to the soldiers outside. Women reported they were too afraid to refuse demands for sex.

Sex in these highly coercive circumstances is always rape, even when physical force is not used, and Nigerian soldiers and Civilian JTF members have been getting away it. They act like they dont risk sanction, but the perpetrators and their superiors who have allowed this to go unchallenged have committed crimes under international law and must be held to account, said Mr Ojigho.

Deaths As A Result Of Hunger

According to the statement, people confined in the satellite camps faced an acute food shortage from early 2015 until mid-2016, when humanitarian assistance was increased.

At least hundreds, and possibly thousands, died in Bama Hospital camp alone during this time. Those interviewed consistently reported that 15 to 30 people died each day from hunger and sickness during these months. Satellite images, showing how the graveyard inside the camp expanded quickly during this time, confirm their testimonies. There were also daily deaths in other satellite camps such as those in Banki and Dikwa.

From June 2016, the UN and other humanitarian agencies scaled up assistance in the satellite camps. Despite this, many women reported continued barriers to accessing adequate food, exacerbated by restrictions on their ability to leave the camps.

A number of women who arrived in satellite camps in Dikwa town in mid-2017 have not received any food assistance since they arrived and described ongoing hunger, sickness and deaths within their camps.

Yanna (not her real name), who arrived in Dikwa in late-2017 and lived in Fulatari camp, told Amnesty International: People are dying, [always there is a burial, burial, burial. I was thinking maybe one day it will be my own.

Even where government and international NGOs distribute food, large-scale corruption has prevented many people from accessing it.

Confining people to camps without enough food, despite the fact that those administering the camps knew the conditions were leading to deaths, violates human rights and international humanitarian law. Those who allowed this to happen may be guilty of murder, said Mr Ojigho.

Women Detained In Giwa Barracks

Amnesty International said its research further revealed that hundreds of women along with their children have been held in the notorious Giwa Barracks detention centre since 2015.

While most have been released, an unknown number remain in military detention.

Many of those detained since 2015 had been victims of abductions or forced marriages by Boko Haram and were detained by the military for being so-called Boko Haram wives instead of being rescued.

Amnesty International received five reports about sexual violence in Giwa barracks, while seven women said they gave birth inside their dirty, overcrowded cells without any medical assistance. At least 32 babies and children, and five women, have died in detention since 2016.

The detention of women and girls on the basis that they were allegedly married to Boko Haram members is unlawful under international human rights law and Nigerian law, and is discriminatory, said Mr Ojigho.

Boko Haram Abuses

Boko Haram

Women interviewed often spent months or years living under the repressive rule of Boko Haram. Some reported being forced into marriages with Boko Haram members or being flogged when caught breaking the armed groups strict rules. Seven said they witnessed the executions of family members or neighbours after unsuccessful attempts to escape.

Time for action

Since 2015, various NGOs and humanitarian organizations have reported sexual violence and deaths in camps for internally displaced people in north-east Nigeria. While the authorities frequently promised to investigate such reports, there has been no tangible action to address the problem and no one appears to have been brought to justice. It is not always clear if these investigations were carried out as no reports have been made public.

In August 2017, the Acting President of Nigeria Yemi Osinbajo established the Presidential Investigation Panel to review the militarys compliance with its human rights obligations. Many women testified before the Panel, which submitted its report to President Muhammadu Buhari in February 2018.

Now is the time for President Buhari to demonstrate his frequently expressed commitment to protect the human rights of displaced people in north-east Nigeria. The only way to end these horrific violations is by ending the climate of impunity in the region and ensuring that no one can get away with rape or murder, said Mr Ojigho.

The Nigerian authorities must investigate  or make public their previous investigations  on war crimes and crimes against humanity in the north-east. They must also urgently ensure, with the support of donor governments, that people living in the satellite camps receive adequate food, and that those arbitrarily detained in military detention facilities are released.

Amnesty Internationals report is the result of an extensive investigation involving more than 250 interviews and covers satellite camps established by the military in seven towns in Borno state, including Bama, Banki, Rann and Dikwa. It also includes interviews with 48 women and girls released from detention and the review of video, photographic and satellite imagery.

Amnesty International said it shared its findings with the Nigerian authorities but, at time of publication, no response has been received.

Military Reacts

John Agim, the acting director of information at Nigerias defence headquarters

In its reaction, the Nigerian military said it has received credible intelligence report of a plan by Amnesty International (AI) to release a false report on fictitious rape incidents in IDP camps in the North-east region of Nigeria. This malicious trend by AI is becoming a frequent ritual and it is rather unfortunate.

The militarys statement was released by the spokesperson of the Defence Headquarters, John Agim, a brigadier general.

In times like this, Amnesty International is expected to apply the natural law of liaison by working with security agencies as partners. This would have been the best way to ensure that insurgency and crisis is completely wiped off rather than engaging in falsehood, maligning the military and painting her in bad light at any slight opportunity.

The Nigerian military wishes to use this medium to reiterate her commitment to the citizens of our dear nation, that it will abide by all Human Rights Regulations as entered into by Nigeria and also go the extra mile in ensuring that the territorial integrity of our nation is well protected.

However, the Nigerian military admonishes AI to desist from cooking reports from time to time to demoralize the entire military system and the nation as a whole whose troops are sacrificing their lives in the fight against Boko Haram and other enemies of the country. These false reports which are capable of derailing the good work being done by our patriotic and selfless soldiers must stop.

Kindly note that we are not in any way implying that AI should not do their job, but such must be done with a level of integrity and credibility by seeking clarification when the need arises. This way a lot will be achieved as both will form partners in the fight against extremism and other vices.

The Defence Headquarters, therefore, urge all law abiding citizens to continue to trust and support the military in the ongoing war against Boko Haram and go about their normal lawful business.

Protestors at Amnesty International Nigeria

Perhaps in anticipation of the AI report, some persons on Wednesday besieged the Amnesty International office in Abuja to protest against the rights group. The protesters were later caught on camera fighting over money, an indication they were hired for the protest by yet to be identified persons.A Federal High Court in Kano has granted Ibrahim Shekarau, Aminu Wali, and Mansur Ahmed bail.

Mr Shekarau is a former Kano State governor and former presidential candidate.

The three Peoples Democratic Party leaders were accused of sharing N950 million campaign funds prior to the 2015 elections.

The defendants face a six-count charge bordering on conspiring to recieve cash payment without passing through a financial institution.

The offence is contrary to section 15, 16,18 of the money laundering prohibition act 2011, the EFCC said.

Details laterA former governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, left jail on Thursday after the traditional ruler of Jos, Gyang Buba, who is also the chairman of the states council of chiefs, stood as his surety.

The State High Court, which last week Wednesday remanded Mr Jang at the Jos prisons, on Thursday granted him bail in the sum of N100 million.

He was asked to provide a surety who must be a first class paramount ruler and also deposit his international passport with the court. The surety was also required to deposit his international passport with the court.

The court also granted bail to the second accused person, Yusuf Pam, in the sum of N50 million.

After ruling on the bail applications of the two accused persons, the trial judge, Daniel Longji, said there would be accelerated hearing of the trial which he fixed for July 17,18 and 19.

The Gbong Gwom Jos, Mr Buba, is the highest traditional ruler of the Berom speaking people of Plateau State, to which Mr Jang belongs.

After securing the bail, Mr Buba left the court premises with Mr Jang in the official car of the traditional ruler.

The former governor who is the serving senator representing Plateau North Senatorial district, was charged alongside a former cashier in the office of the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Pam, with diverting N6.3 billion belonging to the Plateau State government while serving as governor of the state.

Speaking in an interview with journalists at the court premises, counsel to Mr Jang, Robert Clarks, said he was satisfied with the bail conditions.

He said his legal team was prepared to handle the case and get justice for the accused.

On his part, a counsel to EFCC, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, said his clients were not against the bail.

EFCC had detained Mr Jang for nine days in Abuja before arraigning him in court on May 14 when the judge said he should be kept in prison. The former governor was on administrative bail of the EFCC since December 2017.

The former governor was reported to have paid fines to secure freedom for some detainees at the Jos Prisons, and also paid part of the accumulated electricity bill and helped restore light at the prison.

There was wild jubilation among his supporters after the bail, as almost all his former political appointees attended the court sitting on Thursday.An Ikeja High Court on Thursday struck out the corruption suit filed against Justice James Agbadu-Fishim, a judge of the National Industrial Court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ruling delivered by Justice Raliatu Adebiyi was in response to an application filed by the defence, citing the Court of Appeal case of Justice Hyeladzira Nganjiwa vs the Federal Republic of Nigeria that the court lacks jurisdiction to hear the case.

According to the precedent set by the Nganjiwa case, the EFCC lacks the powers to investigate or prosecute serving judicial officers except where such judicial officers have first been dismissed or retired by the National Judicial Council (NJC).

The judge noted while striking out the suit that Mr Agbadu-Fishim was not investigated and dismissed by the NJC before being prosecuted by the anti-graft agency.

Justice Adebiyi, in the short ruling, said The defendant is a judge of the National Industrial Court (NIC) and is standing trial for unlawful enrichment contrary to Section 82 of the Criminal Law of Lagos 2011.

The defendant had not been removed by the NJC which is a condition precedent though the NJC received a letter from the prosecution and gave the latter permission to prosecute the defendant, she said.

Mrs Adebiyi also noted that though NJC directed the head of the National Industrial Court to order that Mr Agbadu-Fishim stop sitting, no petition was filed at the NJC against the embattled judge.

The suit is struck out due to non-compliance with the conditions precedent, she said.

Following the ruling, counsel to Mr Agbadu-Fishim, Amuda Kanike, in an oral application, requested that the international passports of the embattled judge that was in the court should be released to him.

Justice Adebiyi granted the request.

Responding, Wahab Shittu, the lead prosecuting counsel for the EFCC, thanked the court for the ruling.

NAN reports that the EFCC had arraigned Mr Agbadu-fishim for allegedly receiving N4.4million from seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), a lawyer and a law firm from 2013 to 2015.

The seven SANs that were accused of unlawfully enriching the judge are  Felix Fagbohungbe, Paul Usoro, Uche Obi, Muiz Banire, Adeniyi Akintola Gani Adetola Kazeem and Joseph Nwobike.

The prosecution alleged in the 19-count charge of unlawful enrichment that the judge received funds from a Lagos-based lawyer, Enobong Etteh, and Alliance Law Firm.

According to the EFCC, Felix Fagbohungbe, deposited N200,000 on Dec. 5, 2013, N700,000 between May 10 and Dec. 19, 2014, N250,000 on Feb. 26, 2015 and N250,000 also on Feb. 26, 2015 into the First Bank account with no. 3008199491 belonging to Mr Agbadu-fishim.

The anti-graft agency alleged that Mr Usoro between Aug. 5 and Dec. 12, 2015 deposited N300,000, between March 25 and March 26, deposited N400,000 and N100,000 into the First Bank account of the judge with no. 3008199491.

The law firm of Gani Adetola Kazeem, paid N100,000 on Feb. 10, 2015 and Uche Obi between Oct. 17 and Oct. 20, 2013 paid N200,000, Alliance Law Firm deposited N250,000 into the First Bank account of the judge with no. 3008199491.

A Lagos-based lawyer, Mr Etteh, paid the sum of N200,000 on two occasions into the First Bank account of the judge with no. 3008199491 on Oct. 27, 2014.

The EFCC told the court that Mr Akintola deposited N200,000 on July 12, 2014, N100,000 on Feb. 10, 2014, N100,000 on Feb. 26, 2015 and also N100,000 on Feb. 26, 2015 into the First Bank account of the judge with no. 2006900216.

The EFCC claimed that Mr Agbadu-fishim received N150,000 on Dec. 12, 2014 and N100,000 on Sep. 10, 2015 from Joseph Nwobike in his First Bank account with no. 2006900216.

Mr Agbadu-fishim had, however, denied the 19-count charge. (NAN)A two-year-old girl, who was stolen while her mother was busy selling yam tubers at Mile 12 Produce Market, Lagos, has been rescued.

The Lagos State police spokesman, Chike Oti, said in a statement on Wednesday that the child was rescued from one Elizabeth Ibezim who allegedly took her away without the consent of her mother.

The incident took place at Mile 12 Yam market, Ketu, Lagos, where the child was taken away from the stall of her mother who was busy selling her wares at the popular market.

When she eventually noticed that her child was missing, she became frantic and a search party was immediately raised to help her find her child.

Luck, however, ran out on the suspect when she was spotted with the child on her back as she was about to board a commercial vehicle at Ketu bus stop, a reasonable distance from where the child was taken.

The desperate mum rushed to the suspect and struggled to collect the baby from her, raising the alarm which attracted a mob that nearly lynched the woman save for the quick intervention of a nearby police team, he said.

The police spokesman said that the case was currently under investigation at the gender section of the Lagos State Police Command.

In another development, the police are investigating a case of rape against 73-year-old Fola Olowoigbo of No 2, Fela Ahmed Street, Agric, Ikorodu, Lagos State.

Mr Oti said the suspect allegedly raped the 14-year-old until she became pregnant.

The suspect who hailed from Ago- Iwoye, Ogun State is a local taxi driver and next door neighbour to the childs mother.

It was said that the victim was always sent on errands by the suspect unknown to the mother that he had ulterior motives, he said.

Mr Oti, therefore, warned parents to be wary of whom they entrust their children with.

(NAN)The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, as commended Nigerias anti-corruption agenda, saying the country plays a leading role in the fight against corruption in Africa.

Mr Guterres stated this in his remarks at High-level Debate Marking the 15th Anniversary of Adoption of UN Convention Against Corruption in New York.

The secretary-general pointed out that through Nigerias anti-money laundering efforts, stolen funds had been returned.

Mr Guterres said: African countries have taken a leading role in moving this agenda forward in the last AU Summit.

And with measures as for example through anti-money laundering efforts in Nigeria and Tunisia, which have seen funds returned.

He said if governments were serious about doing the best for their citizens, then pledges to promote integrity and clamp down on corruption must be more than campaign promises and words on paper.

Millions will go to the polls this year with corruption high on their agenda. I make an urgent call to our global leadership to take a moral stand and install a culture of integrity from the top down.

It all begins with setting an example. By tackling corruption, governments can show they mean business. We must all do more.

According to him, those who can least afford corruption suffer the most adding, corruption cripples economic development, stifles entrepreneurship and deters investment.

Continuing, Mr Guterres said: Society cannot function equitably and efficiently when public officials  from doctors to police, judges and politicians  enrich themselves rather than perform their duties with integrity.

Corruption robs funds from schools, hospitals, infrastructure and other vital services.

Human trafficking and migrant smuggling, illicit financial flows and illegal trade in natural resources, weapons, drugs and cultural heritage are all made possible because of corruption.

It fuels conflict, and when a hard-won peace is achieved, corruption undermines recovery.

Corruption and impunity are corrosive, breeding frustration and fostering further corruption when people see no other way of achieving their goals.

The UN chief added that the lack of opportunities for young women and men often exacerbated in corrupt societies, could feed into the cynical narratives of terrorists and violent extremists.

The answer is to root out and eradicate corruption at all levels and restore trust where it has been lost, the secretary-general stressed.

He said UN would continue to support Member States every step of the way, from helping to engage and empower citizens in this fight, to helping build and enhance institutions that could deliver on their promise

The UN chief urged Member States to use the 15th anniversary Convention as a platform to mobilise political and popular support for the fight against corruption.

He said the fight against corruption is the worlds most agile instrument in the hands of the international community to achieve our common goals of good governance, stability and prosperity.

Speaking alongside Mr Guterres, Miroslav Lajcak, the President of the UN General Assembly also reiterated that corruption hurt all sections of the society adding, it destroys everything in its path.

Ultimately, corruption causes suffering to ordinary people going about their daily lives, he stressed, citing common examples: When they are stopped at checkpoints, for bribes.

When a bus does not come  or a clinic does not open  because budgets were mismanaged. Or when they lose all of their savings, from extortion, said Mr Lajcak.

Yury Fedotov, the Executive-Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, also noted that while Sustainable Development Goal 16 explicitly urged action against corruption, tackling the problem was a prerequisite for overall economic growth.

Anti-corruption responses are also crucial to ensuring access to healthcare, water, education and other vital services; protecting forests, oceans and wildlife; and reducing inequalities, Mr Fedotov added.The Nigerian community in the U.S. have protested against the racial bias incident against a Nigerian, Lolade Siyonbola, a graduate student at the Yale University.

The Organisation for the Advancement of Nigerians (OAN), in a letter addressed to the President of Yale University, Peter Salovey, and signed by OAN President, Solomon Bakare, demanded strong actions over the incident.

Ms Siyonbola had on May 8, posted two videos of the incident on Facebook, alleging a white student found her sleeping on a couch in Yales Hall of Graduate Studies, and called police officers.

She said she was woken up by Sarah Braasch, a Philosophy PhD student, who told her she was not allowed to be there, and called authorities.

The Nigerian organisation called for more direct action to condemn Ms Sarahs behaviour, to send a strong message against any future occurrence.

To ensure incidents of this nature is not given breathing ground in the Yale community, we would like to see more direct action taken to condemn Sarahs behaviour, to send the message that it is against what Yale stood for and the community you have the vision to build.

While we commend the initiative of hosting a listening session for the Yale community to share their thoughts on how to prevent such incident in the future, we strongly believe a direct statement condemning Sarahs insensitive action is warranted at this time.

We trust you will use your good office to change this unfortunate narrative and make Yale a leading example for other institutions to emulate, OAN said.

The organisation said it would continue to monitor the event and take appropriate actions if and when necessary.

OAN said, however, that the incident was not an indictment of Yale, but an unfortunate narrative of our broader society.

We know of many African students and Nigerians in particular, who have passed through the prestigious Yale community without dealing with similar overt racist student.

This is why we are convinced that this is more of an aberration and not the norm at Yale, the Nigerian organisation said.

Founded in 1989, OAN has taken actives roles in engaging appropriate institutions to change any perceived negative stereotypes of Nigerians in the U.S.Hariri on track to become PM for third time

Reuters, Beirut :

Lebanon's Saad al-Hariri is on track to become prime minister for a third time after winning the backing of a majority of MPs in official consultations on Thursday, and is expected to launch negotiations on a coalition government.

The post of prime minister is reserved for a Sunni Muslim in Lebanon's sectarian power sharing system, and the Western-backed Hariri was the clear frontrunner as the country's leading Sunni despite losing more than a third of his MPs in a May 6 election.

President Michel Aoun was holding the official consultations with MPs who were holding separate meetings with him on Thursday. The meetings are due to continue into the afternoon. Aoun must designate the candidate with the greatest backing.

The new coalition government is expected to reflect the enhanced political position of the Iran-backed Shi'ite group Hezbollah and allies that support its possession of arms, which together won at least 70 of parliament's 128 seats.

While Hariri won wide backing, Hezbollah MPs named nobody for the post. The group would cooperate "positively" with whoever was designated, Mohammed Raad, head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, said after meeting Aoun.

All Lebanese leaders have called for the rapid formation of a new government that will aim to revitalise a stagnant economy situation and address unsustainable public debt levels. But like the outgoing cabinet, the new government will have to balance out the interests of all the main competing Lebanese parties and may take time.

Hezbollah, which is designated a terrorist group by the United States, intends to secure three cabinet seats in the next coalition government, an increase from the two portfolios it held in the outgoing cabinet of 30 ministers, a senior official familiar with the group's thinking told Reuters.

Hezbollah, which has to date held only marginal cabinet posts, is also seeking more significant service-providing ministries in the new cabinet, sources familiar with its thinking have told Reuters.North Korea has announced the dismantling of the countrys only known nuclear test site near the Chinese border.

The exercise before a select list of about two dozen reporters from across the world occurred at the Punggye-ri test site, located beneath a mountain in the countrys northeast. The site is known to have been the venue of about six nuclear tests the country has conducted, including thee one in September 2017.

The destruction comes about two weeks after Kim Jong-uns government promised to blow up the sites access tunnels between May 23-25 before foreign journalists.

The exercise was announced successful on Thursday as a gesture towards the ongoing nuclearisation efforts.

Ben Tracy, a journalist with the CBS News, was the only U.S. broadcast journalist invited to cover the event.

Mr Tracy reported that there were several explosions when they arrived at the facility. But he expressed doubts about what they actually witnessed because they are not nuclear scientists or experts in any form.

The development comes as North Korea began cooperating with South Korea and the U.S. to give up its nuclear weapons.

A historic summit between North Korea and the U.S. has been planned for June 12 in Singapore, but there have been concerns over the past week after North Korea threatened to derail the summit.

The country said it was angered by the utterances of John Bolton, the U.S. National Security Advisor who said the country could be given the same treatment Muammar Gaddafi received after the former Libyan leader destroyed his countrys nuclear programme.

But Mr Trump insists the summit would go on, saying U.S. and North Korean diplomats are putting final touches on the event in Singapore.The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the Nigeria Police Force have fixed May 25 for the conduct of examination for persons shortlisted for recruitment into the police.

This was announced in a statement signed by the police spokesperson, JImoh Moshood.

Mr Moshood, An assistant commissioner of police, also mentioned how candidates yet to be aware of their examination centres can do so.

Read the polices full statement below.

The Nigeria Police Force wishes to inform all successful candidates in the last Physical/Credentials screening stage in the on-going recruitment exercise into the Nigeria Police Force held between 7th 12th May, 2018 that Computer Based Test (CBT) to be conducted by Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) will hold on Friday 25th May, 2018 in all Designated Centres across the Country.

2. The candidates who were successful in the physical and credentials screening stage have been notified through text messages. However, those who did not receive the message can check for their exam centres through the under-listed websites.

i. www.policerecruitment.ng

ii. www.jamb.gov.ng

iii. www.psc.gov.ng

3. The candidates exam centres are also displayed at every State Command Headquarters in the Thirty Six (36) States of the Federation and the FCT.

4. The Inspector General of Police has directed the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Training and Development to monitor the conduct of the examination in some selected centres while the Commissioners of Police in State Commands will monitor the conduct of the examination in centres in their Commands.

5. Candidates are hereby advised to be of good conduct and not to engage in any examination malpractice, as anyone caught will be arrested, investigated and prosecuted. Candidates and members of the general public who observe any form of improper practice should please call the following phone numbers:

08076036011, 08037036257, 08034360919, 08037855951, 08065823054, 08036753589Members of the House of Representatives on Thursday urged the Federal Ministry of Education to cut the cost of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) application forms.

The House also proposed that the cost be reviewed downward to about 50 per cent from the current N7000.

The House, while adopting a motion by James Faleke (APC, Lagos) urged the Federal Ministry of Education to ensure that the cost of the other ancillary forms for changes must be free or at the very barest minimum of N500.

Moving the motion, Mr Faleke noted that the JAMB remitted N7.8 billion to the Federal Government being excess of the N12 billion made from sales of Unified Tertiary Examinations (UTME) application forms for University Admission in 2017 at the rate of N7,500.

This excludes incomes from the sales of other forms such as Change of Course Forms and Change of University Forms at the rate of N5, 000.00 each, he said.

He said an estimated 250,000 candidates purchased the UTME forms, bringing the income from sales of the forms to about N2.4 billion per year.

The cost does not include the Post-UMTE Examinations that are conducted by Universities at an average cost of N2, 500 per candidate excluding the expenses made on logistics, he added.

He said thus JAMB had a surplus of N7 billion budget in 2017, meaning that the sum under consideration is from sales of forms only, making the Board a profit making venture to the detriment of educational and social development of the country.

He also noted the increase in the number of universities from 12 at inception of JAMB in 1798, with less than 50,000 candidates to over 400 Tertiary Institutions with more than 1.7 million candidates writing the exams. He said indices show only about 50 per cent of those who wrote the examinations were admitted in the universities as at 2017.

He reminded the parliament that JAMB as a government agency is not set up for profit making but to promote educational development of the young citizens in pursuit of their professional careers.

The proliferation of universities to 120, 83 Polytechnics, 82 Colleges of Education and other Tertiary Institutions under JAMB purview is portraying it as a profit making venture.

He described as alarming, the allegation of the huge sum of money missing from JAMB vaults, burning of scratch cards, lending out money made from sales of application forms, conversion of proceeds from sales of application forms to loans and image empowerment funds to private individuals and fictitious by stories by the officials of the board.

The House subsequently resolved to mandate its committee on basic education to ensure compliance and report back in two weeks.An Ikeja Division of the Lagos State High Court has adjourned the trial of Rickey Tarfa, a lawyer, to June 22 for the defence lawyer to open his defence.

Aishat Opesanwo, the judge, adjourned on May 24 after the defence insisted it needed to obtain the courts record of proceedings before going ahead with the case.

We are unable to proceed because we need proceedings of the trial because we cannot rely on our records for defence, said Abiodun Owonikoko, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and counsel to Mr Tarfa.

To avoid any issues today, we wrote a letter to that effect on 21 May and the recordings are still not available.

Mr Owonikokos claim he would be unable to open his defence without the courts record of proceedings angered the counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, G.K Latona, who responded that the court is not under any obligation to provide records of proceedings.

According to Mr Latona, it is the duty of counsels to take records for themselves during proceedings; he added that such issues shouldnt arise for the defence since several lawyers accompany them to the court.

I find their observation quite strange because going through their no case submission, they copied copiously from the proceedings and Im sure this matter would not arise if the court had upheld their no case submission.

The situation degenerated into a shouting match after Mr Owonikoko accused the EFCC counsel of attacking his person.

Responding, the judge said it is not the courts primary duty to provide records of proceedings to counsels.

The court takes audio recordings and the machine is currently faulty except you expect me to put all other things aside to help you produce a manual copy of the proceedings and you would accept that is not my primary duty, Mrs Opesanwo said.

I have suspected this and have spoken to the Justice Ayoola during an NJC meeting and this court cannot be compelled by a counsel to produce proceedings to aid his defence.

In March, the judge had dismissed a no case submission filed by Mr Tarfas team.

She adjourned the matter till June 22 for Mr Owonikoko to open his defence, even as the lawyer insisted that the judge had not responded to his position and that they would not proceed with defence if the court does not produce its proceedings. He also insisted that the judge put his submissions on record.

Mr Tarfa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is facing a three-count charge of obstruction of justice, perverting the course of justice, and attempting to bribe a judge.The Lagos Division of the Federal High on May 24 ordered the Nigeria Police Force to pay N10 million damages to Uchechukwu Chukwuma, a businessman arrested for pirating Nollywood movies.

Muslim Hassan, the judge, said the police violated Mr Chukwumas fundamental human rights, including his right to personal liberty.

Mr Chukwuma had instituted a N100 million fundamental rights enforcement suit against the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) and the Nigeria Police Force after he was arrested and detained for almost two months, last year.

It is clear that the second respondent (the State Criminal Investigation Department) has no respect for the rule of law or the Constitution of Nigeria, said the judge.

The power of the police to investigate is not a licence to violate the Constitution.

The judge, however, held that the NFVCB could not be held liable in the suit since they did not detain the applicant but merely reported him to the police.

The police arrested Mr Chukwuma, a businessman at the Alaba International Market in Ojo, Lagos, on August 31 last year and detained him at the Ojo Police Station.

The next day, he was taken to the Area E Police Command in Festac Town where he was detained for five days.

He was later taken to Abuja where he spent another five days in detention before he was released on September 11 on administrative bail.

Mr Chukwuma was rearrested on October 16 by the police and detained till November 30 when he was charged to court.

The police said Mr Chukwuma was detained based on intelligence reports that he was planning to escape to China.

His lawyer said he was humiliated and punished before he was brought to court.

He was detained under inhumane conditions, sleeping on bare floor.

Mr Chukwuma and four others were arraigned last November before Mr Hassan for allegedly duplicating and distributing unclassified, uncensored, and pirated material.

They pleaded not guilty to the charges.A senator, Oluremi Tinubu (APC, Lagos Central), has blamed colonialists for hatred among Nigerians as well as insurgency in the country.

Mrs Tinubu said this on Thursday while contributing to a motion to celebrate the 2018 Childrens Day by Binta Garba (APC, Adamawa) and eight other senators.

Mrs Garba had recognised the importance of developing the Nigerian child through the passage of laws such as:

The Child Rights Act, 2003, which defines a new child protective system and allows opportunities for the participation of children in matters that concern their rights and welfare which had been adopted and is being implemented in 23 states including the Federal Capital territory, and

The Universal Basic Education Act, 2004 which makes the education of the Nigerian Child compulsory, and enforceable rights with penalties for parents and guardians who fail or neglect these obligations.

She also stressed that a proper system of education and good health care are indispensable towards making the Nigerian child relevant in the global scheme of things.

Mrs Garba also decried the high rate of infant mortality in Nigeria which has risen to one million deaths per annum as a result of poor nutrition and poor medical facility.

Kabir Marafa (APC, Zamfara Central), who first contributed to the motion, had tackled his female colleagues as he asked them to take victims of insurgency very serious.

He argued that the female lawmakers and Nigerians have been quiet to the cries of the victims of insurgency in the north and other parts of the country but were quick to protest Senator Ahmed Yerimas marriage to a 13-year old girl.

He accused the female lawmakers of being selective with the children they care for as he urged them to help women and children in Zamfara State.

Reacting to Mr Marafas comment, Mrs Tinubu claimed that the killings, rape and kidnappings in the country were beyond the government.

She called on Nigerians to look out for each other.

I have worked with children and women all my life but what is going on in this nation is beyond what the government can shoulder. Im calling on all Nigerians to rise up to be our brothers keepers.

After the funeral in Benue, the vice-president was off to the IDPs camps. Mr President (Saraki) has been to various IDPs camps in the past to give food items  every Nigerian should rise up by whatever means to help.

There is this little story I tell people. Since the white man came and started giving us individual plates at birthday parties to eat rice, Nigerians have become selfish. I remember when I was growing up when I was having party in our community, not SP (Senate President), he is Ajebutter.

I dont think SP has ever had birthday parties that they will put the rice in a big tray and put the meat on top. Even if it was handful you take, it was taken in love but it appears that we have forgotten to care for our neighbours.

What Senator Marafa is saying is a cry for help and I believe that children deserve more, she said.

The Senate, thereafter, adopted several resolutions, among which was to urge all the senators to pledge support in cash or kind for the vulnerable children and orphans in Zamfara State.The Abuja Division of the Federal High on Thursday adjourned the trial of a former spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh following the defendants absence.

The court refused granting a long adjournment as requested by the defence after Mr Metuhs fall on May 21.

Mr Metuh is facing a seven-count charge before the court for alleged diversion of N400 million from the office of the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.

The former PDP spokesperson, who was diagnosed of having spinal cord injuries, fell while walking towards the dock on May, 21.

On Tuesday when the case resumed, Mr Metuh did not appear in court.

His lawyers linked his absence to his health condition and applied for an adjournment of the trial, till Mr Metuh is said to fit for trial, by the hospital.

But the prosecution objected to the application.

When the court resumed on Wednesday, the trial judge, Okon Abang, ruled that the trial should continue, saying there is still no valid evidence before the court for the defendants absence.

Mr Abang said the first defendants fall on Monday was deceitful, describing it as something planned or calculated.

According to Mr Abang, Mr Metuh did not collapse in the court room on Monday but rather fell on his own while walking towards the dock, after ignoring the directives of the court.

And while on the floor, he made series of groans which stopped the proceedings making the court room look like an accident scene.

There was no attempt even by those he came with to raise him, which also delayed the proceeding for 29 minutes.

It is a complete disregard and disobedience to the court and so the defendant has jumped bail, as there is no reasonable application for the defendants absence.

When the matter was called on Thursday, the first defendants counsel, Emeka Eliana, was not in court. The prosecution counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, then asked the court for a short recess to allow for some time until the first defendants counsel appears in court.

The second defendants lawyer, Tochukwu Onwugbufor, did not object tp the application for a stand down.

Responding, however, the judge, Okon Abang, said his court would rather adjourn the case to Friday and avoid waiting for Mr Eliana. I have considered the application of learned counsel for the prosecution for a stand down of this matter at the instance of the first defendant counsel. The application is not opposed by my learned senior defendant for the second defendant counsel.

It is my humble view that I am not inclined to stand down this matter at the instance of the first defendant, rather I am inclined to adjourn this matter for continuation of trial.

This matter is thereby adjourned to 25th May 2018, for continuation of the hearing of the case of the first defendant, he said.A senator, Kabir Marafa (APC, Zamfara Central) tackled his female colleagues on Thursday asking them to take the issue of insurgency more seriously.

Mr Marafa said this while contributing to a motion to celebrate the 2018 Childrens Day by Binta Garba (APC, Adamawa) and eight other senators.

He argued that the female lawmakers and Nigerians have been quiet to the cries of the victims of insurgency in the north and other parts of the country. He said strangely, they were quick to protest a Senator, Ahmed Yerimas marriage to an underage.

Mr Yerima had in 2009, married a 13 year old girl, an act which attracted condemnations from all over the country.

Leading discussions on the motion, Mrs Garba recognised the importance of developing the Nigerian child through the passage of legislations such as the Child Rights Act, 2003 and the Universal Basic Education Act, 2004 which aims at protecting the interests of children.

She also stressed that a proper system of education and good health care are indispensable towards making the Nigerian child relevant in the global scheme of things.

Mrs Garba decried the high rate of infant mortality in Nigeria which has risen to one million deaths per annum as a result of poor nutrition and poor medical facility.

In his contribution, Mr Marafa however accused the female lawmakers of being selective with the children they care for. He urged them to help the women and children in Zamfara State for instance.

I expect the women especially of this Senate to stand up shoulder to shoulder with women in Zamfara state. A situation was raised where a commissioners wife and her six children were kidnapped in their house and three days into the journey, nobody knows where she is. This catches the attention of the media and everybody because it is a commissioners wife. But the issue of kidnapping is a daily thing in Zamfara State today.

There is an estimated 5000 victims of rape and we have said it in this chamber but up till now, the women have not stood up to say enough is enough of this very bad incident.

Whereas in the 6th assembly when my colleague and my leader, Senator Ahmed Yerima, fulfilled one of his religious rites by marrying a lady with the consent of her parents, almost the whole of this chamber was pulled upside down. That he married an underage, which is nobodys business in anyway because her parents consent(ed) to the marriage and Yerima is a Muslim and he married the girl according to Muslim rites.

But so much noise was made in this country to the extent that they staged a protest on the streets of Abuja. Today, their sisters are going through hell in Zamfara, most of them, victims of rape.

There are about 10,000 widows and 20,000 orphans as we speak. I am celebrating you, the mothers of the children but unfortunately, you are selective in the choice of your children. You are talking of child rights; we in Zamfara are talking of childs survival. I want to see you stand up to say the children of Zamfara have the right to survive because what we are not talking is schooling. There is humanitarian crisis in Zamfara, he said.

He said he would not be surprised if the Senators from North-east are not in support, because their own problem has been solved largely by the people of North-west.

They provided a commission for them, we listened to their problem but when it is our turn now, for them to reciprocate, the senate leader is looking at me, I dont know him, the truth of the matter is that you have not done enough and I want him to skew the hand of the women in this chamber to see that justice is done to the children of Zamfara State, he said.

In his remarks, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki congratulated the Nigerian children and urged all the lawmakers to continue to hold on to their responsibilities to ensure that the children are loved and cared for.

Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki

Weve all seen the statistics that Nigeria accounts for 10 per cent of the total world infant mortality, total world maternal maternity. These are not figures we should be proud of; where one in four children get immunisation. So I believe as we celebrate them, let us take up the responsibility to improve the health of our children and Im happy that with the 1 per cent that we have put for primary healthcare and with proper implementation, we can see full coverage of immunisation of our children.

We also need to look at the UBEC law and see how we can create more years of free education because it is very important. I think these are the kind of gifts we can give our children.

Thirdly, is the Child Rights Act which is yet to be passed in some states. Ive engaged the speakers of some state houses of assembly and I appeal to some senators here to ensure that we pass child rights acts, he said.

He urged his colleagues to support their words by actions.

The Senate, thereafter, felicitated with the Federal government and the families of the Dapchi Schoolgirls that have been released. It urged the federal government to intensify efforts to secure the release of Leah Sharibu, the only Dapchi Schoolgirl that is yet to be released.

The Senate resolved to urge the Federal Government to come up with a dedicated fund to assist the various ministries of social welfare in the states affected, with a view to setting a platform to educate and care for the children.

It also resolved to urge all the senators to pledge support in cash or kind for the vulnerable children and orphans in Zamfara State.Amnesty International has accused Nigerian security forces of raping thousands of women and girls who escaped from the brutal rule of Boko Haram insurgents, and killing many people who refused to be moved from territories rescued from the insurgents.

In a new report released Thursday titled They betrayed us, the global rights group reported how the Nigerian military and Civilian Joint Task Force (Civilian JTF) have separated women from their husbands and confined them in remote satellite camps where they have been raped, sometimes in exchange for food.

The JTF is a militia working alongside the Nigerian military in the campaign against the insurgency in the Northeastern part of Nigeria.

The Nigerian military said the report was false. In a statement Wednesday, a spokesperson, John Agim, a brigadier general, said the military has received credible intelligence report of a plan by Amnesty International (AI) to release a false report on fictitious rape incidents in IDP camps in the North East region of Nigeria.

This malicious trend by AI is becoming a frequent ritual and it is rather unfortunate. In times like this, Amnesty International is expected to apply the natural law of liaison by working with security agencies as partners. This would have been the best way to ensure that insurgency and crisis is completely wiped off rather than engaging in falsehood, maligning the military and painting her in bad light at any slight opportunity.

The Nigerian Military wishes to use this medium to reiterate her commitment to the citizens of our dear nation, that it will abide by all Human Rights Regulations as entered into by Nigeria and also go the extra mile in ensuring that the territorial integrity of our nation is well protected. However, the Nigerian Military admonishes AI to desist from cooking reports from time to time to demoralize the entire military system and the nation as a whole whose troops are sacrificing their lives in the fight against Boko Haram and other enemies of the country. These false reports which are capable of derailing the good work being done by our patriotic and selfless soldiers must stop.

Kindly note that we are not in any way implying that AI should not do their job, but such must be done with a level of integrity and credibility by seeking clarification when the need arises. This way a lot will be achieved as both will form partners in the fight against extremism and other vices.

Amnesty International said it has collected evidence that thousands of people have starved to death in the camps in Borno state, north-east Nigeria, since 2015.

It is absolutely shocking that people who had already suffered so much under Boko Haram have been condemned to further horrendous abuse by the Nigerian military, said Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.

Instead of receiving protection from the authorities, women and girls have been forced to succumb to rape in order to avoid starvation or hunger.

According to the group, in some cases, the abuse appeared to be part of a pattern of persecution of anyone perceived to have a connection to Boko Haram.

It said women had reported being beaten and called Boko Haram wives by the security officials when they complained about their treatment.

As Nigerias military recovered territory from the armed group in 2015, it ordered people living in rural villages to the satellite camps, in some cases indiscriminately killing those who remained in their homes. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled or were forced from these areas.

The military screened everyone arriving to the satellite camps, and in some locations detained most men and boys aged between 14 and 40 as well as women who travelled unaccompanied by their husbands. The detention of so many men has left women to care for their families alone.

Rape of starving women and sexual exploitation

Scores of women described how soldiers and Civilian JTF members have used force and threats to rape women in satellite camps, including by taking advantage of hunger to coerce women to become their girlfriends, which involved being available for sex on an ongoing basis.

Five women told Amnesty International that they were raped in late 2015 and early 2016 in Bama Hospital camp as famine-like conditions prevailed.

Ama (not her real name), 20, said: They will give you food but in the night they will come back around 5pm or 6pm and they will tell you to come with them One [Civilian JTF] man came and brought food to me. The next day he said I should take water from his place [and I went]. He then closed the tent door behind me and raped me. He said I gave you these things, if you want them we have to be husband and wife.

Ten others in the same camp said that they were also coerced into becoming girlfriends of security officials to save themselves from starvation. Most of these women had already lost children or other relatives due to lack of food, water and healthcare in the camp. The sexual exploitation continues at an alarming level as women remain desperate to access sufficient food and livelihood opportunities.

Women said the sexual exploitation follows an organized system, with soldiers openly coming into the camp for sex and Civilian JTF members choosing the very beautiful women and girls to take to the soldiers outside. Women reported they were too afraid to refuse demands for sex.

Sex in these highly coercive circumstances is always rape, even when physical force is not used, and Nigerian soldiers and Civilian JTF members have been getting away it. They act like they dont risk sanction, but the perpetrators and their superiors who have allowed this to go unchallenged have committed crimes under international law and must be held to account, said Mr Ojigho.

Deaths as a result of hunger

According to the statement, people confined in the satellite camps faced an acute food shortage from early 2015 until mid-2016, when humanitarian assistance was increased.

At least hundreds, and possibly thousands, died in Bama Hospital camp alone during this time. Those interviewed consistently reported that 15 to 30 people died each day from hunger and sickness during these months. Satellite images, showing how the graveyard inside the camp expanded quickly during this time, confirm their testimonies. There were also daily deaths in other satellite camps such as those in Banki and Dikwa.

From June 2016, the UN and other humanitarian agencies scaled up assistance in the satellite camps. Despite this, many women reported continued barriers to accessing adequate food, exacerbated by restrictions on their ability to leave the camps.

A number of women who arrived in satellite camps in Dikwa town in mid-2017 have not received any food assistance since they arrived and described ongoing hunger, sickness and deaths within their camps.

Yanna (not her real name), who arrived in Dikwa in late-2017 and lived in Fulatari camp, told Amnesty International: People are dying, [always there is a] burial, burial, burial. I was thinking maybe one day it will be my own.

Even where government and international NGOs distribute food, large-scale corruption has prevented many people from accessing it.

Confining people to camps without enough food, despite the fact that those administering the camps knew the conditions were leading to deaths, violates human rights and international humanitarian law. Those who allowed this to happen may be guilty of murder, said Mr Ojigho.

Women detained in Giwa barracks

Amnesty International said its research further revealed that hundreds of women along with their children have been held in the notorious Giwa Barracks detention centre since 2015. While most have been released, an unknown number remain in military detention.

Many of those detained since 2015 had been victims of abductions or forced marriages by Boko Haram and were detained by the military for being so-called Boko Haram wives instead of being rescued.

Amnesty International received five reports about sexual violence in Giwa barracks, while seven women said they gave birth inside their dirty, overcrowded cells without any medical assistance. At least 32 babies and children, and five women, have died in detention since 2016.

The detention of women and girls on the basis that they were allegedly married to Boko Haram members is unlawful under international human rights law and Nigerian law, and is discriminatory, said Mr Ojigho.

Boko Haram abuses

Women interviewed often spent months or years living under the repressive rule of Boko Haram. Some reported being forced into marriages with Boko Haram members or being flogged when caught breaking the armed groups strict rules. Seven said they witnessed the executions of family members or neighbours after unsuccessful attempts to escape.

Boko Haram Commander, Abubakar Shekau in latest video

Time for action

Since 2015, various NGOs and humanitarian organizations have reported sexual violence and deaths in camps for internally displaced people in north-east Nigeria. While the authorities frequently promised to investigate such reports, there has been no tangible action to address the problem and no one appears to have been brought to justice. It is not always clear if these investigations were carried out as no reports have been made public.

In August 2017, the Acting President of Nigeria Yemi Osinbajo established the Presidential Investigation Panel to review the militarys compliance with its human rights obligations. Many women testified before the Panel, which submitted its report to President Muhammadu Buhari in February 2018.

Now is the time for President Buhari to demonstrate his frequently expressed commitment to protect the human rights of displaced people in north-east Nigeria. The only way to end these horrific violations is by ending the climate of impunity in the region and ensuring that no one can get away with rape or murder, said Mr Ojigho.

The Nigerian authorities must investigate  or make public their previous investigations  on war crimes and crimes against humanity in the north-east. They must also urgently ensure, with the support of donor governments, that people living in the satellite camps receive adequate food, and that those arbitrarily detained in military detention facilities are released.

Amnesty Internationals report is the result of an extensive investigation involving more than 250 interviews and covers satellite camps established by the military in seven towns in Borno state, including Bama, Banki, Rann and Dikwa. It also includes interviews with 48 women and girls released from detention and the review of video, photographic and satellite imagery.

Amnesty International said it shared its findings with the Nigerian authorities but, at time of publication, no response has been received.Anambra State governor, Willie Obiano, says it is time for the Igbo people to ask their fellow Nigerians what type of country they want.

Mr Obiano stated this on Monday in Awka, Anambra State at a one-day summit organised by Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide.

Tagged the South East Zonal Summit on Restructuring the Nigerian Federation, the event at Ekwueme Square was hosted by Mr Obiano and attended by representatives of critical segments of Igbo people across seven states in Nigeria and the diaspora.

Declaring the summit open, Mr Obiano said the time had come for Igbo people to ask the Nigerian nation some very hard questions regarding the the country he lamented is at the verge of state failure.

The question on everyones mind today is what kind of country do Nigerians want Nigeria to be?

This is a question that will determine Nigerias future and Nigerias greatness, he said.

Happily, different ethnic groups and geo-political zones have made bold efforts to ask this question in recent times. And today, Ndigbo will ask their own!

Mr Obiano narrated his personal story with the Nigerians history to buttress his theme.

As governor of Anambra State, I was born and raised in Nigeria and I have lived in Nigeria for the better part part of my life. I have lived the Nigerian dream and felt Nigerias heartbreaks. I know what my people want from Nigeria and the question we must ask Nigeria.

We must ask what every forward-looking people want from any socio-political arrangement  life, liberty and a chance to raise families.

Mr Obiano said the restructuring of the Nigerian federation is a core concern of the Igbo.

We must ask for a just, fair and equitable federation where ever citizen is guaranteed the the freedom to be the the best they can be and aspire to the highest position in the land, regardless of their tribe, culture or religion.

And this is what Nigeria in its present structure, has not given us, he stated.

The governor exhorted the present generation of Igbo people and other Nigerians not to to betray the great work of their frontline leaders who liberated Nigeria from colonial rule.

Brothers and sisters, we have answered the call of history. And hopefully, history will be kind to us. If our forefathers invested their youthful hopes and power of their intellect in the Nigerian of their Nigeria of their time, we have in our wealth, our enterprise and emotion in remaking Nigeria, he said.

Indeed, no other ethnic group has as much investment in the Nigerian Project as Ndigbo. For if we rose from the ruins of the Civil War to rebuild Eastern Nigeria in record time, there should be no doubt about what Ndigbo can bring to the table in a fair, just and equitable Nigeria.

The summit later received solidarity messages from activists from other geo-political zones in the campaign for the restructuring of the Nigerian federation.

They include Dan Suleiman, Jerry Gana, Ayo Adebanjo, Olu Falae, Cornelius Adebayo, Banji Akintoye, Segun Mimiko and Kofo Buknor-Akerele.

Also in attendance were Edwin Clark, Idongesit Nkanga, Sam Oviawe, Don Idada Ikpenwence, Mac Emokpore, Vivien Ere-Imananagha, Bassey Ewa-Henshaw, and Tony Inyiam among many other dignitaries.Universalization of the Rebel

Contd from page-16

What is beyond the ability of any translator is an exact reproduction of the unique rythm of the Bangla text. However, a few characteristics of the original Bangla text may be summed up as follows: (a) it is one of the most moving poems produced by the intercation of highest kind of auditory and visual imagination of a creative self; (b) it is musically a most forceful poem metaphorizing the mighty forces of nature such as typhoon, cyclone, whirlwind etc; (c) it his uneven lines, each of which is metrically arranged, highly figurative, alliterative, end-rhymed and full of assonance; (d) it offers hyperbolic presentation of human glory and makes it believable to its readers; (e) most of its words are sanskritized, high-sounding and bombastic, producing immense force and might; (f). Notoraj or Shiva has been developed as the central instrument of destroying and creating again; (g) the ultimate aim of the poet is the attainment of a kind of idealized 'Supreme Beauty' which would never decay. A few references to evaluatory comments on this poem by the literary critics at home and abroad may be given in this connection. The first comment is by Professor Serajul Islam Choudhury as under:

In his poems of revolt he shows, not unlike Shelley, a particular love for the mobile and changing aspects of nature. In them Nazrul Islam found symbols for his own state of mind .... He has to his credit poems on Marxism as well as on spiritualism. But through all these varying moods and apparent contradictions there runs an underlying and abiding unity provided by a love for strength and power. He compared himself with great heroes as well as villains in history, because in both he saw mainfestation of the principle of strength and vigour.

Next let us quote from Professor Momtazuddin Ahmed as follows:

In fact, there is hardly any difference between the diverse 'Ami' (I) in Nazrul's Vidrohi and the search for his 'Supreme Beauty' in the following nineteen years (till 1941, when Nazrul spoke of this 'Supreme Beauty in one of his latest speeches) The tide of an animation drove him towards the ocean of realization.

His personal life, his time and a benign world of 'Supreme Beauty' that he dreamt all his life were not affected at all by his continuous search for this Beauty. His 'self' is that self which is at once furious and beautiful. His dedicated endeavour, rather his worship, was directed towards discovering God's ferocitv and beauty. He did not bother whether he got recognition or vilification for that, and no great poet is, ideed, bound by the limits of insignificant considerations.

Momtazudddin's analysis relates to the theme of the poem, but Azfar Hussain presents a penetrating analysis about what he calls 'the politics of its (Vidroili) language',

In his attempts to break the barriers between, and forge the unity of the colonized, Nazrul's language becomes accommodative of both the Hindu and Muslim Myths which, held together, shape an aesthetic and political force hitherto unknown in Bengali poetry. His unmistakable flair for mythopoesis is indeed nothing but an anti-colonial political stratagem deployed to assert his own cultural identity against the imperialist project of effacement.

It is also worthwhile to notice that Nazrul's language evinces a continuous interplay between the prosaic and the poetic, between the indigenous and the foreign. One con not miss the creative mix of varied lexical resources including the Arabic and Persian and Urdu words, local idioms chosen form the familiar rural ambiance, and Sanskritized words accompanied by an insistent conversational tone, tune and text, and also by play-full allusions. Moreover, there is also an interplay between, and a chemistry, of varous metrical, syntactic and rhythmic patterns in Vidrohi; though, at the same time, one finds a certain amount of syntactic and metrical repetitions which, in fact, go on to constitute a specially occupied space of assertions for the colonized. With repetitions and varieties, this kind of language used by Nazrul in his poem Vidrohi does not prove to be only powerful, but also loving and appealing weapon for a Hegelian hero like Nazrul Islam who is more than a politician as well as more than a poet.

Indeed, the poetics and Nazrul's Vidrohi can be rewardingly read and reread for changing languagerelations through a linguistic struggle in which all of us are involved in varying degrees.

Now let us listen to Professor W. E. Langly about the unique voice of poetry produced by Nazrul:

Invoking images of typhoons, the roar of the oceans, the rush of hurricanes, as well as the blindness of cyclones and the blood lust of warlords to invite the "spirit of rebellion" would not, by themselves, have ... been enough to mobilize the people of Bengal, however. The voice of poetry must evoke and compose self and other in all their complexity ....

Hence, in the midst of images of fire, hell, and cyclones, we find the rebel as the "bitter tears of the widow's heart", the "pain and sorrow of all homeless sufferers", and the consciousness of the "insane" who has suddenly come to know her/himself, after the crumbling of false barriers Nazrul Islam, like the fifth century be Chinese sage, Motzu who focused on the universal person, espoused the human need for unity unity on a global scale. Hence his carrying the message of revolt to the earth and the sky" against all divisions and socio cultural marginalisation of humans and as a sign of humankind's glorious victory, escorting the "flag of triumph at the world". With that trumph, he could sing not only the equality of human beings, but with "all impediments and differences removed between Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and Christian", the flute of Orpheus could play for all. He also understood that it is the universal character of things which at once emphasizes and gives excitement and significance to individual and particular expressions.

After the above self-explanatory comments from some representative critics, we would conclude this write-up with the words of Kyoka Niwa from Japan. She has made an intensive investigation into the text of The Rebel and its contribution in setting the trends of modern Bengali poetry. Dr. Niwa says,

Nazrul's 'I', who stands alone in the whole universe, grasped people's mind. That 'I' was an existence which surpassed completely the 'You', which used to be enjoying a stable relationship with the 'I'. The personality of Nazrul first made it possible to declare loudly the 'I' itself, but at the same time, this was a stream of matter of course.

If we consider the meaning of 'modern' as something universal and necessary, the true T of Nazrul's expression indicates a point of modern in a true sense of the word.

Echoing the voice of Niwa, we may humbly submit that since anything universal and necessary is destined to hold good for any generation to come, Nazrul's Vidrohi would definitely survive the turmoil of time and it shall keep on being retranslated, reread and reinterpreted by human beings over and over again in the centuries to come. The aesthetics of The Rebel is indeed destined to withstand the wear and tear of time remarkably well since Nazrul could perceive the gloss of novelty of his works by harmonizing what is best in the tradition he inherited as an artist. This is what T. S. Eliot has interpreted as the relation between tradition and individual talent. Nazrul was much aware of his innovations as well as their bridging up with the past and the future by dint of his intuitive sense of aesthetic community. In one of his shorter poems called 'For the Poets of Days to Come', he voices his sense of tradition as follows:

Bright and hibiscus-red, like the morning sun

you are rising, you the poets of days to come.

The glowing morning for which we awake

You are waking in flocks, O birds, for that sake

I sing the hymn in the hope that you will come

And rise in the blue sky that I make.

I leave behind the memory of my salutation

please play on my lute your new-day song.

(Translated by the present author) All best works of arts are innovations in some way or other, not excluding Vidrohi -- a text that would be reinterpreted and reorganized into newer texts by the extra-ordinary talents of the coming generations with a view to catering to their needs. Thus Nazrul would be reborn in each of them, which is another expression of an artist of highest order belonging to any bend of Time Eternal.

-Nazrul's aesthetics and other aspectsFormer governor of Plateau state, Jonah Jang, who was granted bail Thursday morning by the Plateau state high court in Jos, has described his detention in prison for one week on the order of the court as an act of illegality.

Mr Jang, who is a senator, secured freedom after the court granted him bail in the sum of N100 million.

He had been detained at the Jos prisons following his arraignment Wednesday last week for alleged stealing of N6.3 billion while he was governor.

If the laws of our country are still potent under the current circumstances, my detention constitutes a gross abuse of the fundamental rights guaranteed me as a law-abiding citizen as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, he said in a press release he personally signed shortly after he was release on bail.

The senator said the EFCC violated Nigerian laws by holding him beyond 24 hours before arraignment.

Below is the statement by Mr Jang:

For over a week, I was kept in detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), deprived of the inalienable right to personal freedom and association.

If the laws of our country are still potent under the current circumstances, my detention constitutes a gross abuse of the fundamental rights guaranteed me as a law-abiding citizen as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.

Where the Constitution provides for an accused person to be charged to court within one day, I was held by the EFCC for over a week in flagrant disregard to the letters and spirit of the supreme document which legitimizes the very existence of our country.

My lawyers have instituted a case at the FCT high court and I shall pursue it to its logical conclusions.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, I count it all joy to be found worthy of these trials and tribulations. I am aware of my fallibility as a mortal, but it has been a rare privilege by all standards of estimation, to be granted the opportunity to share the gospel of our Lord and Saviour to many souls I met in captivity. It was a remarkable experience to fellowship with brethren in that kind of condition.

As Governor of Plateau State in the 8 years entrusted to me, my preoccupation was the welfare, wellbeing, and security of the people. My work was dedicated to opening new frontiers and elevating our state and people to a status commensurate with the expectations of a world which has changed tremendously.

A testament of that can be easily identified in all 17 Local Government Areas of the State, and other strategic areas within the governance landscape.

The burden I carry in my heart is not of grudges against those against me, but of gratitude for those who have endured difficult conditions to stand with me through this ordeal. I am convinced beyond doubts that your labour of love shall not be in vain. May God bless you for remembering me in my hour of distress.

Thank you.

Signed:

Senator (Dr.) Jonah David Jang

Plateau North Senatorial District.The Federal Government has outlined a four-day series of activities to mark the 2018 Democracy Day, from May 25 to May 29.

Lawrence Ojabo, Director Press, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) made the announcement in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

He said that the celebration would begin with the Friday (Jumaat) Prayers at the National Mosque, Central Business District, Abuja, on May 25.

He noted that the theme for this years celebration is: Peace Building and Good Governance for Sustainable Development

Prayers will be offered for the nation and its leadership at various levels tomorrow (Friday) at the National Mosque.

Similar prayers are to hold at the National Worship (Ecumenical) Centre, Central Business District, Abuja, on Sunday, May 27.

Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega will be the Guest Lecturer at this years Democracy Day Lecture on Monday, May 28 at 10.00a.m at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

Mr Ojabo said all the events are expected to draw participation from all arms and tiers of government, including past Presidents, Heads of State and traditional rulers.

Others are the Diplomatic Community and Non-State Actors, members of the National Assembly, Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Agencies, Extra-Ministerial Departments and Agencies of Government, Captains of Industries, and the General Public.

He noted that Nigerias Democracy Day is held on May 29 every year to commemorate the return of democratic governance in 1999 after long years of military rule in Nigeria.

He added that the day offers a unique opportunity to celebrate giant strides as a nation as well as abilities as a people to triumph over daunting challenges in nation-building.

It also presents an auspicious opportunity to celebrate the return and observance of fundamental human rights with the citizens having the sole responsibility of electing their leaders through democratic processes at all tiers of government.

On democracy day, Nigerians celebrate freedom, leadership based on the will of the people, fundamental human rights and accelerated development, he said.Former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kingsley Moghalu, has chosen to run for president next year on the platform of the Young Progressive Party (YPP).

He made this known on Thursday at Ekiti Hall of NICON Luxury Hotel, Abuja.

The 55-year-old Anambra-born declared on February 28 to run for president without disclosing which of the 68 registered political parties he would be running on.

Mr Moghalu said his choice of YPP was borne out of thorough assessment as he did not want a party with moneybags and recycled politicians.

He said he needed a party with an ideology that matches his and a structure across the country that when developed will be a good platform to win as he is in the race to win.

Explaining why he did not reveal the platform on which he would be running then, he said there were many parties reaching out to him and he needed to build his identity outside a platform before choosing a platform so he would not be judged by the platform.

Many people have been wondering which political party I will be joining. At first I did not announce my political party, it was deliberate, it was part of our strategy.

I joined them (YPP) with a view to becoming their candidate and a flag bearer of the party. I wanted to be a part of a democratic movement not a polity of greed and settlement.

The reason I didnt announce my political party in the first place was one because there were so many parties were approaching me so why rush into choosing a party. Why not evaluate.

Because I had not been a politician before, I needed Nigerians to know me better and know what I stand for much more clearly before I announce the pokitcal platform.

He said he avoided the ruling All Progressives congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because he saw them as parties filled with recycled leaders.

Kingsley Moghalu picks party for 2019 presidential election Kingsley Moghalu picks party for 2019 presidential election Kingsley Moghalu picks party for 2019 presidential election

Speaking on why he felt he could make a difference, he said I considered what I am bringing, the passion for Nigeria, love for our country, I considered my experience 17 years in the united nations, I considered my experience as deputy governor of CBN, I considered my experience as as professor of practice in international business and policy, i considered all my global connections which is necessary to restore Nigerias standing in the world.

Describing Nigeria as a country suffering from diabetes, he said APC was Coke and PDP Fanta but he would be offering Nigeria water.

He therefore called on every Nigerian seeking to run for public offices to come on board and join hands with the party.The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has opposed the call by the striking health workers under the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) for the removal of Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole.

The health workers have been on strike for five weeks, disrupting services in Nigerias public hospitals.

They called for Mr Adewoles sack last week, accusing him of bias and supporting medical doctors who are opposed to their demands.

But the NMA on Thursday in a statement by its President, Francis Faduyile, described the call as an act of rascality and disregard for the office of the Health Minister.

We observe with dismay the maligning of the Honourable Ministers of Health and that of Labour and Productivity by JOHESU, calling them all sorts of uncomplimentary names.

This is an act of rascality and disregard. This call for the removal of the Minister of Health has finally exposed their motive for disrupting the progress recorded in the Ministry of Health in the last three years of the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration.

One wonders if the salary of JOHESU members is all that the Health Ministry is about.

The doctors also opened a social media poll calling for a vote of confidence on the health minister.

Since the health workers strike began on April 17, the health minister has been involved in discussions between the federal government and the union in a bid to resolve the impasse.

No common ground has been reached so far and the health workers attributed governments slow pace towards meeting its demands to a threat by doctors and accused Mr Adewole of a body language that militates against resolving the crisis.

Nigerian doctors a few weeks ago threatened to withdraw their services if the government accedes to JOHESU demands.

Meanwhile, as the strike continues unabated, doctors have decried repeated attacks and lock down of hospital facilities across the country by the striking health workers, hindering patients from receiving health services.

In the Thursday statement, the NMA called for improvement in security in health institutions across Nigeria.PRESS RELEASE BY PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY, JIGAWA STATE

By Salisu Mamuda

President Buhari was in Jigawa on the 14th of May 2018, barely two days after his return from a UK medical trip, a clear demonstration of the presidents care and goodwill towards the people of the state.

Oddly however, the Jigawa State APC and its incompetent government failed to utilize this goodwill but ended up demeaning the office of the president and subjecting him to ridicule.

Is it not insulting to the office of the president that he should be commissioning  the Tasheguwa-Guri Road almost 8 years after it was commissioned by governor Wammako of Sokoto state?

Laughably, the president also commissioned a solar powered water project at Shuwarin , near the state capital, Dutse. The PDP government of Sule Lamido established over 110 such schemes in Jigawa state. Lamidos government never considered such projects worthy of being commissioned by even a state governor!

We found it equally baffling that the president was commissioning mango and dates harvests, even though there was no record of the current APC government ever planting mangoes or date palms in the state. Talk about reaping where you have not sown!

Dutse is recognized for ages for its dates and its mangoes, a fact attested to by the fact that the city hosts the National Date Palm Research Institute (NDPRI). Perhaps the APC government of Jigawa state has managed to beat the NDPRI in developing date palms that bear fruit in 3 years!

On the issue of mangoes, we would have wished the presidents visit to Jigawa was to commission a mango processing plant or some mango export scheme. If the president was merely interested in viewing mangoes, there are plentiful quantities of the fruit in and around Abuja. The president did not need to travel all the way to Dutse, wasting taxpayers money and exerting himself, all for the purpose of watching a display of mango fruits in baskets.

All citizens of Jigawa state were embarrassed by this shameful charade that ended up making Jigawa the laughing stock of the nation. We all rue the missed opportunity to showcase our state to the president and engaging him in helping us in our areas of competitive advantage.

Clearly in reaction to the intolerable and mounting displays of incompetence by the Jigawa state APC government, a large number of its supporters have become compelled to leave the party.

Just a day after President Buhari left Dutse, a huge number of APC stakeholders that included former National Assembly members formally announced their decision to decamp from the APC. What an insult to the president!

Finally, we thank the president for publicly appreciating the Dutse International Airport and the Malam Aminu Kano Triangle, two projects that were ESTABLISHED and COMMISSIONED by the PDP government of Sule Lamido.The Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), has denied alleged cases of rape and domestic violence against women in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Borno.

The SEMA chairperson in the state, Yabawa Kolo, denied the claim by Amnesty International (AI), in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Maiduguri.

The AI had in its latest report alleged that Nigerian soldiers raped thousands of women and girls who escaped from the Boko Haram insurgents.

The organisation also alleged that the soldiers killed many people who refused to be moved from territories rescued from the insurgents.

The federal government and military authorities had earlier said the report as untrue.

In a reaction, Ms Kolo told NAN that the agency had not received any case of domestic violence against IDPs in any of the camps across the state.

We have our camp managers and camp supervisors who monitor the day-to-day activities in the camps. We have put in place a feedback mechanism of reporting such cases.

We are ready to expose anybody involved in any form of human rights violation against our people, she said.

Ms Kolo, who doubles as the chairperson of Gender-Based Violence Protection in Borno, said the organisation would fight human rights abuses and stem violence against women.

We are partnering with the International Federation of Women Lawyers, the Nigerian Bar Association and the National Human Right Commission (NHRC), in the fight against any case of abuse in society.

Through these collaborative partners, we have put up a mechanism where such cases are monitored, reported and prosecuted, she said.Members of Bwatiye community in Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa have called on the Federal Government to ensure the security of lives and property in the area.

In a peaceful protest to the House of Representatives on Thursday, the people urged the government to put an end to the incessant killings and attacks in the community by suspected herdsmen.

Their spokesman, Garba Yedimakudon, said that at the last count, the community had lost about 600 persons and 21 villages were completely razed down in recent attacks.

He said that the youth no longer slept in the comfort of their homes but in the bushes and tree-tops at the risk of snake bites and attacks by other dangerous animals.

Mr Yedimakudon, who is a former chairman of the local government area, said that people no longer slept with their eyes closed in the area.

According to him, every day there are rumours of possible attacks and they turn out to be true.

We are asking the Federal Government to be alive to its primary responsibility of protecting lives and property of citizens.

We are not asking for too much, we ask the House of Representatives to liaise with the Executive to rebuild all the destroyed villages and the displaced people, rehabilitated.

We are in dire need of relief materials, we are not used to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, he said.

Mr Yedimakudon said that the attacks started in 2010 but that it had been consistent since 2016.

The former chairman demanded an immediate stop to the killings as the locals did not have arms for defence.

He said that security agents usually arrived after the attacks had taken place.

We stand by all Lt.-Gen. T.Y Danjuma has said and we believe that there is a collusion and complicity of security agents in the killings.

We do not believe the outcome of the investigative panel set up by the Nigerian Army which exonerated security agencies, he said.

Mr Yedimakudon observed that the panel was constituted by the army, thus making it a judge in its own case.

If the Federal Government wants to know the truth, let them set up an independent panel of inquiry to look into those allegations.

Amnesty International has spoken and they made their evidence public which is not different from the allegations, he added.

Addressing the protesters on behalf of the House, a member, Talatu Yohanna (Adamawa-APC), promised that the lawmakers would look into the matter.A British judge ruled on Thursday that Nigerias Bodo community, which has been involved in a protracted legal battle with Shell over the clean-up of two 2008 oil spills, should retain the option of litigation for another year.

Lawyers for Bodo had accused Shell of trying to kill off the legal case by seeking a court order that would have meant the community had to meet onerous conditions before it could revive its litigation, which is currently on hold.

A London High Court judge, J. Cockerill, ruled that the litigation should remain stayed until July 1, 2019, with no conditions attached should the Bodo communitys representatives seek to re-activate it before then.

We are delighted the court has rejected Shells attempt to restrict the communitys legal rights, said Dan Leader, the Bodo communitys lead UK lawyer.

The message is clear  Shell must clean up this appalling oil spill and the Bodo community will keep on with its legal case until they are confident that it will do so, he said.

The 2008 oil spills devastated the lands and waterways of Bodo, which is just one of numerous communities in the oil-producing Niger Delta that have suffered environmental harm and profound economic and social dysfunction linked to the industry.

In 2015, Shell accepted liability for the spills, agreeing to pay 55 million pounds (83 million dollars at the time) to Bodo villagers and to clean up their lands and creeks.

After years of delays, the clean-up is currently underway, under the auspices of the internationally recognised Bodo Mediation Initiative (BMI).

Shells lawyers had argued at a hearing on Tuesday that the community should only be able to re-activate the legal case should Shell fail to comply with its obligation to pay for the clean-up.

But Bodos lawyers had countered that the community should have unfettered access to the London courts if the clean-up was not completed to a high standard.

Arguing that the pressure of litigation was a key factor in pushing Shell to implement the clean-up, they had asked the judge to keep the legal case on hold until May 2020.

A spokeswoman for Shell said she had no immediate comment on Thursdays ruling.

Oil spills, sometimes due to vandalism, sometimes to corrosion, are common in the Niger Delta, a vast maze of creeks and mangrove swamps crisscrossed by pipelines and blighted by poverty, pollution, oil-fuelled corruption and violence.

The spills have had a catastrophic impact on many communities where people have no other water supply than the creeks and rely on farming and fishing for survival.

At the same time, oil companies have run into problems trying to clean up spills, sometimes because of obstruction and even violence by local gangs trying to extract bigger payouts, or to obtain clean-up contracts.President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday met behind closed doors with Rochas Okorocha, governor of Imo and a former governor of Edo, Adams Oshiomhole, in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Okorochas meeting with the president, which lasted for about an hour, came a few days after he met the president in his country home, Daura, Katsina State, where he complained about the conduct of the ward congress of the All Progressives Congress in Imo.

Mr Okorocha, who was accompanied by Mr Oshiomhole, declined comment on the outcome of his meeting with the president.

NAN, however, gathered that Mr Okorocha may have again lodged a fresh complaint about the way the ward and local government congresses were conducted in Imo.

It would be recalled that Mr Okorocha had on May 7 in Daura told reporters after a closed-door meeting with President Buhari that there was no ward congress in Imo

He said, We expect internal democracy and internal democracy is the way to go. These kinds of funny politics that were played must stop, where people want to carry ballot boxes, steal results looks so primitive.

I intimated Mr President and we will make sure that such things must stop.

Mr Okorocha and his supporters also boycotted the local government APC congress and insisted that a fresh date for ward congress should be fixed before the local government congress.

The governor, while addressing his loyalists, announced that there would be no local government congress in the state until the crisis of the ward congress was rectified.

The Imo state APC Chairman, Hillari Eke, however, told NAN in Owerri on May 14 that the ward and local government congresses were concluded successfully in the state.

The Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had last two weeks attempted to reconcile the governor with the rival faction of the APC in Imo.The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Wednesday, gave N5 million to Fuhad Ogunsanya, the 2018 best graduating student at the Lagos State University, Ojo.

Mr Ambode also announced a scholarship for Mr Ogunsanya to go for masters study outside the country, adding that he would personally finance the students education in any university of his choice, anywhere in the world.

In response to the best graduating students request, Lagos State Government does not generally give scholarship anymore but only bursary. So, I adopt him, the governor said.

His story is too compelling and it reflects on my own story. So, any university he wants to go, I will do it personally; I will be responsible.

In addition to that, because he is the best graduating student, I dash him N5million.

Mr Ogunsanya, a Business Administration major, scored a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.78 to emerge the best graduating student at the university.

He said he had applied to study Accounting but had to opt for Business Administration because Accounting had not been accredited at the time.

Narrating the challenges he had faced in life, Mr Ogunsanya said he failed his Senior School Certificate Examination due to an eye defect he inherited from his father.

The first surgery (on the eyes) was performed before my secondary school education, which was unsuccessful, he said.

The defect went on till I finished secondary school After several months of tests and therapy another surgery was done to remove the cataract because it had spread to the other eye.

To the glory of God, it was a success. The challenge then was how to catch up I had to start afresh like someone who have not attended secondary school before after three years.

Im standing before you all today as an achiever. I am a definition of when there is life there is hope.

Mr Ambode said occasions such as a university convocation deserved necessary attention as the future of any nation could only be guaranteed when its youth, who form a majority of the population, are educated enough to contribute to the economy and the continued sustenance of the country.

Recalling the pledge to construct 6,000 capacity hostel for the institution, Mr Ambode said it was gratifying to report that preliminary works had already been concluded on the project, while work would start in few months, adding that other ongoing projects in the university were on course and would also be delivered on schedule.

Already, preliminary works on the 6,000 capacity hostel for the University which we promised last year have been concluded and in the next few weeks, construction would start.

In addition, the Governments Legacy Projects in the University including the New Senate Building, the Ultra-Modern Library, Students Arcade, LASU Homs (Staff Quarters) and the New Faculty of Management Sciences Buildings are all nearing completion simultaneously.

About 29,710 students graduated with 201 awarded diploma; 21,481 first degrees; 7982 Post Graduate Diploma (PGD); and 46 Doctorate Degrees. 26 students graduated with First Class.

In his opening remarks, the Chancellor of LASU, Adesola Oguntade, said it was gratifying that the governors RSW scheme had kept getting bigger and better.

The Ready.Set.Work (RSW) is an initiative of the Lagos State Government targeted at equipping penultimate and final year students of public tertiary institutions in the state with employability and entrepreneurship skills.

It is rapidly changing the thinking of students from being job seekers after school to job producers even while in school, said Mr Oguntade.

Also, the LASU Vice Chancellor, Olanrewaju Fagbohun, said the graduands have been found worthy in learning and character, saying they have been adequately schooled to contribute to the development of the country.

He said due to reforms put in place, the institution ranked first among state universities in the 2018 maiden edition of National Universities Commission (NUC) ranking, while LASU was also selected by NUC as lead institution for the development of blueprints on how to ensure health security by 2050 and blueprint for transportation in Nigeria.Latest picture of Saudi crown Prince released amid death rumours

AFP, RIYADH :

The Saudi Arabian Royal family has released a photograph of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman amid speculation claiming assassination, according to Daily Mail.

Salman had not been seen since April 21 when Iranian media reported that there had been a coup attempt.

However, rumours that an armed uprising was underway at a Saudi royal palace were dismissed at the time as a drone near the gates being shot down.

Videos were posted on social media which claimed to be of heavy gunfire outside the palace in Riyadh.

Iranian media speculated that Prince Salman had been arrested or that he was even killed during the 'coup'.Iran and Saudi Arabia are fierce rivals in the Middle East with both countries vying for influence in the region, including in Lebanon and Yemen. Iran's Kayhan newspaper has claimed: 'At least two bullets have hit bin Salman in April 21 clashes in Riyadh and it is even possible that he is dead.'

The paper speculated about why Salman was not pictured when new U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo paid his first visit to Saudi Arabia Riyadh in late April - but King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir were pictured. 'There is plenty of evidence to suggest that the absence of nearly 30 days of Muhammad bin Sulman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, is due to an incident which is being hidden from the public,' Kayhan claimed. But now the prince's press spokesman has tweeted pictures of him chairing a meeting of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday approved N5.1 billion for the rehabilitation of Ila Orangun  Oke Ila  Ilale Aka road linking Osun to Ekiti State.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, disclosed this when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the councils meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said the rehabilitation of the 34 kilometers road project which was started by the Osun State Government was abandoned after about three kilometers work on the project.

On allegation by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers that the federal government is plotting to assassinate him, the minister dismissed the allegation, saying that if not because the governor enjoyed immunity from prosecution he would have been summoned by relevant security agency to prove the allegation.

Mr Wike had on Sunday alerted Nigerians that the federal government was plotting to assassinate him in a crowd and claim accidental discharge.

The governor made this known at the third year anniversary thanksgiving service of the Wike administration at Living Faith Church in D-Line, Port Harcourt on Sunday.

He said: Intelligence report available to us as at this morning indicate that they are plotting to assassinate me in a crowd and claim it was accidental discharge.

The minister, however, condemned the allegation, adding that Mr Wike was only enjoying the privilege of being a serving governor.

He said: I think one of the beauties of being a governor is that you enjoy immunity from prosecution and arrest.

Because, I remember a couple of years ago when I made similar allegations I was invited to Force Headquarters.

On the planned resignation of Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, from the Federal Executive Council following his emergence as APC candidate for Ekiti governorship elections, Mr Mohammed said he was not fully aware of such plan.

I think I read it just like you that he will resign this week. If he did say so today is just Wednesday I think we still have the rest of the week to see if he will resign.

But I think really he is the best person that can speak on it, he added.

The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Danbazau, also disclosed that the council approved N582 million for consultancy services for construction of technology building to accommodate data communication command and control centre for the Nigeria Immigration Service.

Mr Dambazau said the completion period of the contract was 22 months.

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Ameachi, revealed that the council approved N1.6 billion for the procurement and installation of 64 tonnes capacity Mobile Crane for Lokoja River Port complex as well as training of staff.

He said the council also approved N280 million for hiring of international advisers saddled with the responsibility of advising the federal government on the financial models to be adopted while negotiating for various railways contracts.

(NAN)The Oyo State Government on Thursday released N200.9 million as payment of the gratuity to 201 civil servants who retired in 2011 and 2012.

The Head of Service, Olawumi Ogunesan, gave out the cheques on behalf of the state government at the Old Ministry of Establishment and Training, Secretariat, Ibadan.

She explained that the payment was an attestation to the fact that the Oyo State Government pays gratuities to pensioners based on merit and without influence.

Mrs Ogunesan, who was represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary, Office of the Head of Service, Adejoke Eyitayo, appealed to those yet to be paid to be patient as the government was working assiduously to pay them soon.

She noted that the Oyo State Government had earlier paid N1.3 billion gratuities to retirees last year. She admonished the beneficiaries to use the money judiciously and be careful with fraudsters.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, two retirees, Adediran Odebisi and Rasheed Akanbi appreciated the Oyo State Government for releasing the cash.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.



DUBLIN, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The "HVAC Controls Market by System (Temperature, Ventilation, Humidity, Integrated Controls), Component (Sensors, and Controllers & Controlled Devices), Implementation Type, Application, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The HVAC controls market is expected to grow from USD 13.63 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach USD 27.04 billion by 2023, at a CAGR of 12.1% between 2018 and 2023.

Factors that drive the growth of the market include the need for efficient use of energy in buildings, growing construction market, increasing adoption of IoT in the HVAC industry, and rising demand for building automation systems (BASs).

The integrated control systems market is expected to grow at the highest CAGR between 2018 and 2023. The integrated control system includes the combination of temperature, ventilation, light, and other control systems. This combined effect enables the user to benefit from the different features of different controls. Integrated control systems are also expected to integrate communication modes such as Wi-Fi, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT) which would help in controlling, monitoring, and maintaining the HVAC systems from virtually anywhere.

The sensors market is expected to grow at the highest CAGR between 2018 and 2023. Sensors are responsible for sensing various elements in the atmosphere and sending this information accurately to controllers, which can then be processed for taking appropriate actions. These sensors also detect whether the actions taken by controllers and controlled equipment have given the desired results. The development of wireless technology and its application in IoT and smart homes is fueling the market for sensors in HVAC controls.

The market for the new construction of the HVAC controls for implementation type is expected to grow at the highest CAGR between 2018 and 2023. Infrastructural developments, increased level of standard of living and focus on the development of energy-efficient HVAC systems are fueling the growth of the HVAC controls market for new construction. Various government regulations to implement energy efficient HVAC system and controls has resulted in the wide adoption of HVAC controls in new buildings.

The HVAC controls market for commercial application is expected to grow at the highest CAGR between 2018 and 2023. The rise in the adoption of smart buildings and green buildings increases the use of smart sensors and HVAC control equipment, such as programmable thermostat, which would save a lot of energy in these buildings.

The application of HVAC controls in commercial buildings ensures switching on or off the HVAC equipment in a particular area, which is not currently occupied. In a huge commercial complex, all the areas are not constantly occupied by a number of people; hence for sensing occupancy of the people in an area, HVAC controls play an important role by enabling efficient use of energy.



The HVAC controls market in APAC is expected to grow at the highest CAGR between 2018 and 2023. Among major countries in APAC, China is contributing immensely to the HVAC controls market. China is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world according to an announcement made by International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2017. It also has a large construction industry, which is driven by the need to meet the increasing demand for HVAC in the country.



Growth in building construction and strict regulations for maintaining high energy efficiency of the HVAC equipment in new buildings are increasing. China plans to have 50% of all the new buildings to be certified green buildings by 2020. This requires an efficient utility of energy, which can be achieved with the use of energy-efficient HVAC systems and HVAC controls.



Major factors restraining the growth of the HVAC controls market include lack of awareness about the benefits of HVAC controls and huge investment for carrying out R&D and product differentiation. Key market players such as Honeywell (US), Johnson Controls (US), Siemens (Germany), Schneider Electric (France), and United Technologies (US) have adopted strategies such as product launches and developments, expansions, acquisitions, agreements, contracts, and partnerships to gain a competitive edge in the HVAC controls market.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Introduction



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Premium Insights

4.1 Attractive Growth Opportunities for the HVAC Controls Market

4.2 HVAC Controls Market, By System (2018-2023)

4.3 HVAC Controls Market, By Component (2018-2023)

4.4 HVAC Controls Market, By Application (2018-2023)

4.5 HVAC Controls Market in APAC, By Component (2018)

4.6 HVAC Controls Market, By Geography (2018)



5 Market Overview

5.1 Introduction

5.1.1 Drivers

5.1.1.1 Need for Efficient Use of Energy in Buildings

5.1.1.2 Growing Construction Market to Boom the Adoption of HVAC Controls

5.1.1.3 Increasing Adoption of IoT in the HVAC Industry

5.1.1.4 Rising Demand for Building Automation Systems (BASs)

5.1.2 Restraints

5.1.2.1 Lack of Awareness About the Benefits of HVAC Controls

5.1.2.2 Huge Investments for Carrying Out R&D and Product Differentiation

5.1.3 Opportunities

5.1.3.1 Growing Demand for Cloud Computing in Hvac

5.1.3.2 Increasing Adoption of Smart Devices

5.1.4 Challenge

5.1.4.1 Complexity in Upgrading the Existing HVAC Systems



6 HVAC Controls Market, By System

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Temperature Control System

6.3 Ventilation Control System

6.4 Humidity Control System

6.5 Integrated Control System



7 HVAC Controls Market, By Components

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Sensors

7.2.1 By Type

7.2.1.1 Temperature and Humidity Sensors

7.2.1.2 Occupancy Sensors

7.2.1.3 Pressure Sensors

7.2.1.4 Flow Sensors

7.2.1.5 Other Sensors

7.2.2 Sensors, By Connection Type

7.2.2.1 Wired Sensors

7.2.2.2 Wireless Sensors

7.3 Controllers and Controlled Devices

7.3.1 Controlled Equipment

7.3.1.1 Control Valves

7.3.1.2 Heating and Cooling Coils

7.3.1.3 Dampers

7.3.1.4 Pumps and Fans

7.3.2 Smart Vents

7.3.3 Controllers

7.3.3.1 VAV Controllers

7.3.3.2 FCU Controllers



8 HVAC Controls Market, By Implementation Type

8.1 Introduction

8.2 New Construction

8.3 Retrofit



9 HVAC Controls Market, By Application

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Residential

9.3 Commercial

9.3.1 Office Buildings

9.3.2 Education Centers

9.3.3 Healthcare Centers

9.3.4 Hospitality

9.3.5 Retail Centers

9.3.6 Others

9.4 Industrial



10 Geographic Analysis



11 Competitive Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Ranking of Players, 2017

11.3 Competitive Situation and Trends



12 Company Profiles



Apollo America

Azbil

Belimo

Daikin Industries

Delta Controls

Distech Controls

Emerson Electric

Honeywell

ICM Controls

Ingersoll-Rand

Jackson Systems

Johnson Controls

KMC Controls

Lennox

LG Electronics

PECO

Sauter

Schneider Electric

Siemens

United Technologies

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/3wths8/27_04_billion?w=5





Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com

9 more drug peddlers killed

Staff Reporter :

Nine suspected drug peddlers were killed in separate incidents of gunfights in Feni, Cumilla, Magura, Narayanganj and Akhaura districts early Thursday during the ongoing anti-narcotics drive.

With the latest ones, a total of 59 people were killed in 'gunfights' across the country since May 12.

In Feni, Samiran Shamim, 30, and Majnu Mia alias Manir, 32, were killed in a shootout with police at Jammura area in Fulgazi upazila around 3:30am, said Humayun Kabir, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Fulgazi Police Station

In Brahmanbaria, an alleged drug dealer was killed in a shootout with police in Akhaura upazila of the district early in the morning.

Deceased Amir Khan was the son of late Suruj Khan, a resident of Chanpur of the upazila, said Akhaura Police Station OC Mosharraf Hossain Tarafder.

A pipegun, a cartridge, a machete and 10 kilograms of hep were recovered from the scene, the OC said.

In Cumilla, two suspected drug pushers were killed in separate incidents of gunfights with police in Chouddagram and Sadar Dakkhin upazilas early Thursday.

Babul alias Lamba Babul, 35, from Chouddagram upazila, was killed in a gun-battle with police in Amanganda Salakanda on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway around 1am, Chouddagram Police Station OC Abul Foysal said.

In another drive, Rajib, 26, a resident of Changini village in Sadar Dakkhin upazila, was killed in a gunfight at Goalmatha in the upazila around 2:15 am, said Nazrul Islam, OC of Sadar Dakkhin Police Station.

In Magura, two gang of drug-paddlers were exchanging gunfights between them over establishing supremacy, a team of police went to Parnanduali Housing Project in the district town around 1:30am and found two bullet-hit bodies of two alleged drug dealers, said Tariqul Islam, Additional Superintendent of Police of Magura.

The deceased were identified as Mizanur Rahman Kalu, 42, a resident of Bhayana village in Sadar upazila and Ayub Ali, 55, a resident of Niznanduali village of the upazila.

In Satkhira, Police recovered the bullet-hit body of a drug peddler in Kaliganj upazila of Satkhira in the morning, said Kaliganj Police Station OC Hasan Hafizur Rahman.

The deceased was identified as Aziz Dalal, 50, a resident of Porandoha village of Sadar upazila, our correspondent reports. A shootergun, five bullets and 48 bottles of Phensidyl were recovered from the scene.

HOUSTON, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Eighty-five high school students in the Greater Houston area have been awarded scholarships through the prestigious RMHC Scholars program due to their outstanding community involvement and academic performance. Recipients received a $2,000 scholarship at the celebratory RMHC Scholars brunch on May 19 at The Briar Club.

The RMHC US Scholarship Program has awarded over $52 million dollars in scholarships since 1985. Of that $52 million dollars, RMHC of Greater Houston/Galveston in partnership with the Greater Houston Operators Association have awarded over $3.2 million dollars for college scholarships to nearly 2,000 high school seniors in our community. The support of the local McDonald's owner/operators is a critical cornerstone to this program and their support is greatly appreciated.

Annually for over two decades, the McDonald's owner/operators of Greater Houston have united in sponsorship for this important program. Their commitment to provide steadfast support ensures dreams of college are granted to some of the most diverse and amazing high school seniors our community has to offer. "As local business people, we are invested in the education of our families, our employees, and our neighbors," said Matthew Kades, co-op president for the McDonald's owner/operators of Greater Houston. "For many years, we have proudly given scholarships to high school seniors from across Greater Houston. This year, for the first time, we are celebrating the BMOA Houston Scholars, HACER Houston Scholars, McDonald's Houston Asia Scholars, and the McDonald's Houston Scholars at a single event. We're excited to celebrate their accomplishments together and help support the next step in their education."

"The caliber of scholarship applicants was so high that the judges for RMHC of Greater Houston/ Galveston had a very difficult time choosing the finalists," stated Tanya Gee, Executive Director of RMHC of Greater Houston/Galveston.

ABOUT RONALD McDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES

Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), a non-profit, 501  (3) corporation, creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. Through its global network of 300 Chapters in more than 63 countries and regions, its three core programs, the Ronald McDonald House, the Ronald McDonald Family Room and the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, and millions of dollars in grants to support children's programs worldwide, RMHC provides stability and vital resources to families so they can get and keep their children healthy and happy. All RMHC-operated and supported programs, enable family-centered care, provide a bridge to quality health care, are a vital part of the health care continuum and give children and families the time they need to heal and cope better together.

ABOUT THE GREATER HOUSTON OPERATORS ASSOCIATION

The Greater Houston Operators Association (GHOA) is a co-operative of local business owners who own and operate more than 300 McDonald's restaurants in Greater Houston. GHOA-owned McDonald's restaurants employ more than 15,000 people in the Greater Houston community. Follow local McDonald's on Facebook McDonaldsHouston and Instagram @McdonaldsHouston.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Karen LaFleur, RMHCGHG

832-421-5180, [email protected]

Julia Davis, CKP

512-966-7011, [email protected]

SOURCE RMHC of Greater Houston/Galveston, Inc."The adoption of today's resolution paves the way for the Secretary General to alert the Security Council to contexts where conflict is threatening food security," said Action Against Hunger Chief Executive Andrea Tamburini. "We are hopeful that political engagement at the highest levels will prevent these situations from deteriorating into major food crises." Action Against Hunger has championed Security Council engagement on this issue as a result of the links between conflict and hunger that the organization has witnessed in its areas of operation.

As the UN Secretary General noted in a May 14, 2018 report, ten of the world's 13 most severe food crises were fueled by conflict in 2016. After more than a decade of steady decline, in the past four years, largely because of an upsurge in conflict, the number of people suffering from hunger in the world rose dramatically from 777 million in 2015 to 815 million in 2016.

"In the past year, an estimated 20 million people were at risk of famine, all of them in countries devastated by violence," said Action Against Hunger Chief Executive Andrea Tamburini. "Famines are never unexpected: they are always manmade. Humanitarian actors cannot resolve conflicts. If we are to avert the alarming reversal in the world's hard-earned progress to end hunger that we are witnessing, the international community must make hunger a global political priority and address the political issues at the root of these conflicts."

Through its discussions on conflict and hunger, Action Against Hunger urges the Security Council to insist on the necessity of upholding international humanitarian law and protecting principled humanitarian action in responding to acute food insecurity. Too often, the humanitarian community sees scorched earth tactics, as well as the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure undertaken by parties to conflict as war tacticswith devastating consequences for the food security and safety of civilians.

"We are in the midst of a perfect storm that threatens to reverse fourteen years of monumental global progress," said Tamburini. "We welcome the Security Council's recognition of its role in supporting political solutions to these crises."

In recognition of the passage of the Security Council resolution today, Action Against Hunger calls upon all actors to agree to concerted action to break the vicious cycle of conflict and hunger. In particular, Action Against Hunger urges a comprehensive approach to break the cycle, simultaneously considering preparedness and the need for adequate agricultural policies at national levels; ensuring that security measures do not threaten livelihoods, worsen food insecurity and fuel political instability and violence; and demanding strict adherence to international humanitarian law, accountability for non-compliance and mobilization at highest levels in cases of use of hunger as a weapon of war.

Action Against Hunger welcomes today's adoption of the new Security Council resolution as a meaningful way to reinforce concrete discussions on the fight against hunger with urgent political decisions to resolve conflicts. Action Against Hunger stands ready to engage with relevant actors to accelerate global efforts to break the cycle of conflict and hunger.

SOURCE Action Against Hunger USA

Related Links

http://www.actionagainsthunger.org

WASHINGTON, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Federation of Government Employees today announced its endorsement of David Garcia for governor of Arizona.

"David Garcia understands that working people in Arizona and across the country have been getting the short end of the stick for far too long," said American Federation of Government Employees District 12 National Vice President George McCubbin III.

The largest union representing federal and D.C. government workers, the American Federation of Government Employees, has endorsed David Garcia for governor of Arizona.

"As governor, David Garcia will fight to invest in public-sector employees and the services that Arizonans expect and deserve. As an Army veteran and lifelong educator, David has seen firsthand what happens when politicians care more about lining their donors' pockets than funding our schools and providing workers with a living wage.

"In April, David marched with Arizona's teachers as they went on strike to demand higher wages and more funding for classroom education. He strongly supports the collective bargaining rights of all public-sector employees and as governor will oppose any effort to strip workers of their rights."

More than 56,000 federal employees live in Arizona  caring for veterans, supporting the military, guarding our borders, and getting Social Security recipients their benefits accurately and on time. About 106,000 active and retired federal employees live in Arizona.

AFGE is the largest federal employee union in the country, representing 700,000 federal and D.C. government workers in all functions of government. District 12 has more than 40,000 dues-paying members in Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 700,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.

For the latest AFGE news and information, visit the AFGE Media Center. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees

Related Links

http://www.afge.org

UTRECHT, Netherlands, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Agrotop, a leading global player in livestock turnkey projects, will showcase advanced vertical integration services specifically designed to meet extreme weather conditions at VIV Europe 2018.

Visitors to VIV Europe, which will take place in Utrecht, Netherlands on June 2022, are invited to Booth #C070, Hall 12 to learn more about Agrotop's full range of solutions for livestock construction projects. The company will present, among others, special solutions designed to meet extreme cold weather conditions in Western and Eastern Europe and also in the Caspian Sea countries.

Agrotop will also showcase at the event an easy-to-use technology enabling broiler and layer farmers to efficiently manage every aspect of their farms. The system, developed by Poultrix, provides farmers with a remote, real-time monitoring system to ensure operational efficiency and reduce costs.

Agrotop's offers the following solutions:

Broiler Houses  integrating all aspects required to reach perfect bird conditions and economic results

Layer Houses  modern layer poultry housing systems combining layer biology knowledge with engineering and cutting-edge technology to reach more egg mass

Mobile Houses  highly durable, heavy-duty constructions in which all parts and elements are designed for movement.

Free Range Houses  organic and barn houses which grow birds in open aviary nests

Breeder Houses  best design for broiler breeders and breeders pullets, to achieve excellent uniformity and higher chicks' production.

Piggeries  perfect flexibility to build the project that matches your company's needs with special emphasis on high resistance to corrosion

"VIV Europe will provide us with an excellent opportunity to present how Agrotop can help farmers integrate engineering, construction, know-how and technology to offer the most advanced livestock construction solutions," said Gavriel Pelleg, Agrotop's CMO and founding partner.

"Agrotop has a proven track record of being an international leader in building quality structures all over the world for pullets and layers that are insulated from extreme conditions outside."

About Agrotop

Agrotop is a leading global player in livestock turnkey projects. The company provides a full range of services for realizing livestock and agro-industry construction projects, while focusing on its clients' visions and maximizing their business results.

To schedule a meeting at VIV Europe 2018 contact us at http://www.agrotop.co.il/

Contact Person

Benjamin van Dijk

International Projects Developer

Agrotop

Mobile: + (972)-54 4921688

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Agrotop

Related Links

http://www.agrotop.co.il/

NEW YORK, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC applauds the 120 members of Congress from both sides of the aisle who signed a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging his swift appointment of a new State Department Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. At a time when anti-Semitism shows no sign of abating, the critical Special Envoy position has been unfilled since January 2017.

The letter, which AJC strongly supported, was initiated by leaders of the Bipartisan Taskforce for Combating Anti-Semitism  Representatives Eliot Engel, Chris Smith, Nita Lowey, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ted Deutch, Marc Veasey, and Kay Granger. In 2014, AJC encouraged the formation of the Taskforce and has backed its efforts since its creation.

Congress has been critically engaged with the Office of the Special Envoy since the State Department unit was created in 2004, when the Global Anti-Semitism Review Act passed Congress with broad bipartisan support.

"Congress plays a vital role in U.S. efforts to combat global anti-Semitism, and one of its most effective instruments has been the creation, maintenance and ongoing interaction with the Office of the Special Envoy. Its very existence sends a powerful signal to world leaders and to vulnerable Jewish communities of America's commitment to confronting this menace," said Jason Isaacson, AJC Associate Executive Director for Policy.

AJC has led advocacy efforts to combat anti-Semitism around the world, with a particular focus on Europe, where AJC maintains offices in Berlin, Brussels, Paris, Rome, Sofia and Warsaw. "Mobilizing governments and civil society and assuring there are adequate tools to combat European anti-Semitism are priority objectives, for which the U.S. Special Envoy is an essential partner," Isaacson added.

The congressional lettersigned by more than one quarter of the House of Representativescomes on the heels of an AJC coordinated letter, signed by more than 1,100 religious leaders across the United States, urging Secretary Pompeo to appoint a Special Envoy. Among the signatories are rabbis, several hundred Christian leaders, and faith representatives of the Baha'i, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh communities. The letter and list of signatories is available at www.ajc.org/envoypetition.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org

TOKYO, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Akita Matsui Trading research department have noted that the five-year forward price for oil futures is on the rise after a period of stability. At the same time, the price of spot oil has moved above the 5-year forward price.

The Brent forward price averaged $63 a barrel last week, outpacing the gains in spot prices, thanks to supply concerns and an OPEC-led deal to limit production, according to fresh industry projections.

Max Harrington, Head of Corporate Equities at Akita Matsui Trading wrote in a note to investors: "The balance between strong production growth outside OPEC, on the one hand, and continued restraint by major producers, on the other, remains the key factor on the supply side."

"With the spot price having now moved above the five-year forward price, one could conclude that a trend change is under way," he added.

Better prospects for economic growth in Asia would fuel strong demand for oil until at least 2023, the survey showed. Key economists at Akita Matsui Trading are forecasting that global oil demand will increase by 7 million bpd during the same period to nearly 105 million bpd. 

Edward Cohn, Director of Investor Services at Akita Matsui Trading, said, "Even if producers' compliance remains elevated over the upcoming years, the explosive growth in U.S. shale oil output accompanied by growth in its export capacity are able to hurt the balance towards weaker prices in the month ahead."

However, doubts over the future of compliance with the output cut deal and rising U.S. production could stem the upward momentum. This would take the world's biggest consumer past top exporter Saudi Arabia and within reach of biggest producer Russia. 

Elsewhere, investors are now expecting that oil prices will be pushed up by fears of the extended stand-off between the United States and several key producers such as Iran and Venezuela, which would definitely hurt its oil exports.

SOURCE Akita Matsui TradingALBANY, N.Y., May 23, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Drivers and Monitors in Albany, N.Y. have voted by a two-to-one margin to become members of Teamsters Local 294. The 172 drivers and monitors transport students for the Albany City School District.

"We are thrilled to see Albany school bus drivers and monitors join our union's movement to create the best possible standards for workers in private school bus industry," said Local 294 President John Bulgaro. "I would especially like to thank Business Agent Rocco Losavio and Organizer Paul Engel. Their hard work and dedication will ensure that these workers are in a very strong position as they head into negotiations with the company."

First Student provides services for more than 7,000 children in the City of Albany. The workers will immediately be covered under the First Student National Master Agreement, which provides workers with safety provisions, a grievance process, paid leave and other benefits. The Teamsters represent thousands of First Student workers all across the country.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.

Contact:

Galen Munroe, (202) 624-6911

[email protected]

SOURCE Teamsters Local 294

Related Links

http://www.teamster.org

ROHNERT PARK, Calif., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- When planning for college, many people try to plan out how to get through school most efficiently. In many people's minds, that would mean planning for being at college for the least amount of time possible and taking as many classes as possible at once. But things happen and taking too many classes or units at once can lead to trouble. Ameritech Financial, a federal student loan document preparation service company, advises students to keep a realistic eye on what is possible for them to handle.

"College is seen as a gateway to the rest of your life, so people want to get through it as quickly as possible. But faster doesn't always mean better," says Tom Knickerbocker, Executive Vice President at Ameritech Financial. The more classes taken at once, the more coursework that is expected of the student. Dropping courses if the workload becomes too much is an option, but after a certain point in the program if paying per class, a refund will not be available. Or if a class is not dropped but failed, the class might have to be retaken, wasting the student's time. Events like that can easily pile up, and that can spell financial trouble for those attending college with student loans.

The best way to avoid such an issue is to take a step back and evaluate the situation with helpful information at hand. If someone needs to be a full-time student, knowing their specific college's definition of what a full-time student is, and then not exceeding that amount of work can be helpful. That trick is especially useful for when first starting college or going back after a while to get used to the workload. Summer courses are another way to get the work done quickly but to not become overburdened during the traditional school year.

Ameritech Financial helps federal student loan borrowers apply for income-driven repayment plans, regardless of how long it took them to complete their education or if they had to take some time off from college. Potentially having more manageable payments after the difficulties of college can be like a breath of fresh air after being stuck inside a classroom all day.

"Knowing the limits of what is possible for an individual is important to ensure that no time or money is wasted. Efficiency is important but overloading yourself to the point where it is costing you something is no longer considered efficient, and that is important to keep in mind," said Knickerbocker.

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

college-student-overwhelmed-by-too.jpg

College Student Overwhelmed by Too Much Class Work

Credit: Elnur/Bigstock

image2.png

Related Links

Ameritech Financial home page

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRza8MbLvuM

SOURCE Ameritech Financial

Related Links

http://ameritechfinancial.com

BAYPORT, Minn., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Andersen Corporation broke ground today on a 60,000 square foot expansion of its manufacturing campus in Bayport, Minn. The $40 million expansion is expected to create at least 40 full-time production jobs to support growing demand for products made with Andersen's proprietary Fibrex material. This expansion will add Fibrex material extrusion capabilities in Bayport to support the sales growth of the Andersen 100 Series product portfolio, one of Andersen's fastest growing product lines.

Andersen Corporation broke ground today on a $40 million expansion of its manufacturing campus in Bayport, Minn. Groundbreaking participants include (l-r): Washington County Commissioner Kriesel, Andersen Director of Sustainability Eliza Clark, Bayport Commissioner Triplett, Andersen Senior VP Chris Galvin, Bayport Mayor Susan St. Ores, Andersen Chairman and CEO Jay Lund, Bayport Councilmembers McGann and Hanson; Andersen VP Scott Koenig, and Tim Reimann of McGough Construction.

"We reviewed several locations and selected to expand in Bayport because of the experienced workforce, the proximity to our 100 Series assembly operations and the ability to leverage available land at our flagship manufacturing campus," said Andersen Corporation Chairman and CEO Jay Lund. "This expansion will add extrusion capabilities in Bayport to support sales growth of our 100 Series, while repurposing much of our North Branch, Minnesota, extrusion plant to support the growth of Renewal by Andersen."

Unique to Andersen, Fibrex material is a blend of wood fiber, mostly reclaimed from Andersen manufacturing processes, and thermoplastic polymer, some of which is also reclaimed. Fibrex material is a high-quality, long-lasting composite that has garnered more than 25 U.S. patents and become a different and better material used in numerous Andersen and Renewal by Andersen product lines.

"By further investing in our Fibrex material extrusion capabilities, we are investing in our ability to deliver the high-performing, dependable and energy-efficient products our consumers expect long into the future," added Lund.

Construction is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2019.

"In conjunction with this building expansion, we are also investing in environmental initiatives, including an infiltration basin for stormwater management and native plantings that will provide water quality benefits to the St. Croix River," said Chris Galvin, senior vice president of manufacturing and logistics for Andersen Corporation. "This combined investment supports the long-term sustainable growth of Andersen's flagship manufacturing site."

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Andersen announced a $10,000 donation to the St. Croix River Association. The grant supports the St. Croix Watershed Protection Fund to help ensure the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway remains an ecological, cultural and community treasure for generations to come.

About Andersen Corporation

Headquartered in Bayport, Minnesota, Andersen Corporation and its subsidiaries manufacture and market window and door products under the Andersen, Renewal by Andersen, Silver Line, American Craftsman, EMCO, Weiland, MQ and Heritage brands. Andersen, a privately held company, was founded in 1903 and employs more than 12,000 people with manufacturing sites in North America and Europe. Andersen has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2018 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year  Sustained Excellence Award. Visit us at andersencorporation.com.

"Andersen" and all other marks are trademarks of Andersen Corporation.

SOURCE Andersen Corporation

Related Links

https://www.andersenwindows.com

THALWIL, Switzerland, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

u-blox (SIX: UBXN), a global provider of leading positioning and wireless communication technologies, and Arduino, providers of the world's leading open-source hardware and software ecosystem, introduced four new boards to their MKR family, delivering enhanced wireless connectivity options for IoT applications. Previously Arduino adopted u-blox for their MKR GSM 1400, now one of the most popular boards of the MKR family for its unique characteristics and robustness.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/552468/u_blox_Logo.jpg )



Arduino introduced the MKR family and form factor to address IoT use cases by focusing on a standard blue print including a hardware crypto chip for enhanced security, a LiPo charger for power management, and an ARM Cortex M0 microcontroller. The MKR family offers a wide range of connectivity options, from low power long range to more traditional options, to satisfy the most stringent user requirements for IoT applications.

One of the boards released is the MKR WIFI 1010, a Cortex M0-based board that provides Wi-Fi connectivity to IoT projects. With a highly optimized design it integrates the globally certified u-blox NINA-W102 stand-alone multi-radio module delivering Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Featuring an open CPU, the NINA-W102 allows Arduino to run their own application right on the module, offloading communication tasks from the user-programmable Arduino CPU and increasing the board's power efficiency.

Two more new boards incorporate the u-blox NINA-W102. The MKR Vidor 4000 is the first-ever Arduino board featuring an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) chip coupled with an innovative development environment, which aims to democratize and radically simplify access to the world of FPGAs. The Uno WiFi Rev 2 aims at making it even easier to deploy products that need Wi-Fi connectivity.

In addition Arduino expanded its cellular offering with the MKR NB 1500, which hosts a u-blox SARA-R410M cellular module providing LTE Cat NB1 and LTE-M cellular connectivity that is pre-certified for global use. Also equipped with an ARM Cortex M0 microcontroller, the MKR NB 1500 is fully geared towards IoT applications with low demands for bandwidth and data volumes and is optimized for ultra-low power consumption, enabling highly efficient battery-powered applications.

The new boards feature industrial grade communication modules with an extended temperature range and superior guaranteed reliability, making them attractive to professional users seeking to develop small volume products or quickly prototype new concepts and ideas.

"In order to grow a full portfolio of connectivity boards for professional IoT use cases, we needed to find a supplier offering a superior quality and easy-to-use, globally certified range of modules in line with our brand strategy. Their roadmap and the compatibility between the products offered by u-blox sealed the deal for us," says Fabio Violante, CEO of Arduino. "We also liked their approach to the educational market, that is in line with our vision."

"For us at u-blox, working with Arduino helps us extend our reach to a broad community of young engineers and tech enthusiasts, who now have an easy and affordable way to access our technology," says Michael Ammann, Senior Principal Market Development at u-blox. "We look forward to further expanding our partnership in the future."

Purchase the new MKR boards on the Arduino website.

Natacha Seitz

PR Manager

u-blox

Phone: +41-44-722-7388

E mail: [email protected]

SOURCE u-bloxTrump cancels Kim summit amid North Korea `hostility`

US President Donald Trump has cancelled a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying the world had "lost a great opportunity for lasting peace".

He said his decision was because of "tremendous anger and open hostility" in a recent North Korean statement.

In a letter to Mr Kim, he said he was still looking forward to meeting him "some day".

It came hours after North Korea said it had dismantled tunnels at its only nuclear test site.

Foreign reporters at the Punggye-ri site in the north-east said they had witnessed a huge blast.

Mr Trump said he had been looking forward to the now-cancelled summit in Singapore on 12 June.

"I was very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have the long-planned meeting," Mr Trump said.

"You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used," he added.

Mr Trump ended his letter by saying Mr Kim should call him if he changed his mind.

"The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history," he said.

Earlier on Thursday, North Korean official Choe Son-hui dismissed remarks by US Vice-President Mike Pence - who had said North Korea "may end like Libya" - as "stupid".

Ms Choe, who has been involved in several diplomatic interactions with the US over the past decade, said the North would not "beg" for dialogue and warned of a "nuclear showdown" if diplomacy failed.Designed for all day wearability, the Velcalite is a thoughtful synthesis of sneaker innovation and modern street style. A tactile and breathable Compiled Mesh pattern across the upperinformed by the Circle Bridge's intricate handrail designand a unique lacing system inspired by the bridge's suspension cable structureset the form and function of this sneaker. At its foundation is ARKK's custom ultra-lightweight Hover-X1 sole unitmaking the Velcalite Summer 2018's most versatile sneaker.

"Copenhagen is a beautiful city, especially in the summertime," explains Kasper Hj Rasmussen, ARKK's Co-founder and Creative Director, "and whether you're exploring the city on a bike, in a canal boat, or by foot, there's always something new and inspiring to discovereven for those of us who live here. The Velcalite is meant to fit this specific kind of adventurous spirit that really comes to life during the long days of the Scandinavian summer."

Versatile, visionary and virtually weightless, the Velcalite CM H-X1 is available in both men's and women's sizes, and is designed for every summer adventure that comes your way.

TECHNICAL SPECS

ARKK Compiled Mesh single layer upper material

No-sew material tongue with rubber ARKK logo

ARKK's Second Generation Hover-X1 Sole Unit

Nylon laces

Available at all ARKK Copenhagen stockists

and the webshop on:

Thursday, May 24, 2018 (10:30 AM EDT / 4:30 PM CEST)

Retail:

$130 USD / 120

For more information visit:

http://arkk.it/new-velcalite-is-here

ARKK Copenhagen designs innovative sneakers that defy the status quo and challenge the perception of what a lifestyle sneaker can be. Rooted in our Scandinavian design heritage, inspired by architecture, and obsessed with details, ARKK sneakers drop four annual collections in over 37 countries worldwide. With a focus on simplicity, precision detailing, and unique materiality, ARKK sneakers are designed to be the functional foundation for today's modern streetwear style.

Contact: PR Specialist, Aasit Thakkar: [email protected] / +1 267 632 6823

SOURCE ARKK Copenhagen

Related Links

http://www.arkkcopenhagen.com

"We've been listening to our members who want to be able to redeem more flight awards, so we're making it easier for them to earn more miles and redeem seats on Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon," said Stephen SY Wong, Chief Executive Officer of Asia Miles. "Whilst we are a diverse travel and lifestyle rewards programme, air travel is still a very popular way to earn and redeem Asia Miles. We want to make it more rewarding so that our members continue to see value in being part of the programme."

The following programme enhancements will come into effect from 22 June 2018:

More miles earned when flying

When members fly Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon, they will earn more Asia Miles on 80% of the airlines' tickets, including those to popular destinations such as Shanghai, Osaka and London. Members will earn miles based on a combination of the cabin class, fare class and distance zone.

When members fly other airline partners, the miles earning mechanism will remain unchanged -- based on a percentage of actual miles flown, determined by the cabin and fare classes.

Improved redemption seat access and changes to flight awards

Asia Miles is increasing the number of available redemption seats on Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon by 20% or more. Members will be able to redeem all Economy Class tickets with fewer or the same miles. Some flight awards on premium cabin classes, especially on longer routes, will require more miles to redeem. All flight awards will be set as one-way so that members can fly to and from a destination in different cabin classes.

Asia Miles is also introducing three enhanced flight award types to choose from -- Standard, Choice, and Tailored. Whether members are looking to get the most value for their miles or select the exact travel dates they want, the three award types will make it easier for members to redeem their preferred tickets.

Better redemption experiences

Asia Miles is also launching a new online flight award booking system to provide members with a more seamless experience across desktop and mobile. At a glance, members will be able to check availability of all flights for chosen dates, cabin class, and award type, making it quicker and easier to redeem.

"We are making a significant commitment to give our members more of the travel and lifestyle experiences they value," said Stephen SY Wong, Chief Executive Officer of Asia Miles.

The changes will come into effect on 22 June 2018. Further information is available on Asia Miles' dedicated website: asiamiles.com/change

For press release and photo download: asiamiles.com/en/media-centre

About Asia Miles

Asia Miles, Asia's leading travel and lifestyle rewards programme, was launched in February 1999 and has more than 10 million members and over 700 programme partners worldwide.

Asia Miles aims to deliver Life Rewarded and offers members extensive opportunities to earn miles by spending daily from flights, hotels, dining, financial services, retail, and many others. With 27 airline partners, Asia Miles members can earn miles when flying to more than 1,000 destinations worldwide. With 400 dining outlets to choose from, Asia Miles offers one of the largest ranges of lifestyle food & beverage options in Asia to earn miles.

In addition to flight awards, Asia Miles members can also redeem miles and enjoy fabulous awards such as hotel stays at 60,000 hotels, car rental services in 20 countries, over 35,000 lifestyle and experience awards.

Asia Miles is open to anyone aged 2 or above and is free to join.

More about Asia Miles: asiamiles.com

SOURCE Asia Miles

Related Links

http://asiamiles.com

MELBOURNE, Australia, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Antisense Therapeutics (the "Company" or "ANP") is pleased to announce the acceptance for publication of previously reported positive Phase II clinical trial data on ATL1103 (atesidorsen) in the leading peer-reviewed medical journal, the European Journal of Endocrinology.

An abstract of the article, titled 'A randomised, open-label, parallel group phase 2 study of antisense oligonucleotide therapy in acromegaly,' is currently available online http://dx.doi.org/10.1530/EJE-18-0138 with the full manuscript to be included in a future print edition and anticipated to be made available free on line in due course.

The article highlights the successful outcomes of the Phase II clinical trial of ATL1103 in acromegaly patients where the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of two subcutaneous dosing regimens of ATL1103 in 26 adult acromegaly patients dosed with ATL1103 for 13 weeks were assessed. ATL1103 met its primary endpoint in the study resulting in a median fall in serum insulin-like growth factor-I (sIGF-I) of 27.8% (p=0.0002) at the twice weekly 200mg dose tested.

The authors of the publication include the clinical investigators from the Phase II study who are prominent endocrinologists from centres in the UK, France, Spain, and Australia. The Principal Investigator of the ATL1103 Phase II study, Dr Peter Trainer, Professor of Endocrinology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, UK, is the lead author of the publication.

Antisense Therapeutics CEO and Managing Director Mark Diamond, said:

"The European Journal of Endocrinology has a global readership of over 70,000 unique users worldwide who access the journal online each month and so we are delighted to have our ATL1103 Phase II data published in a high quality scientific journal that has such a broad reach to the target audience for our acromegaly program. The publication is expected to be very beneficial for the Company's plans to conduct an ATL1103 Early Access Program in Europe and for future initiatives with the drug and also provides important independent validation to the quality of our data and the benefits that ATL1103 may bring to the lives of patients with acromegaly."

Contact Information:

Website: www.antisense.com.au

Managing Director: Mark Diamond +61 (0)3 9827 8999

About Antisense Therapeutics Limited (ASX: ANP) is an Australian publicly listed biopharmaceutical company, developing and commercialising antisense pharmaceuticals for large unmet markets. The products are in-licensed from Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. world leaders in antisense drug development and commercialisation. ATL1102 (injection) has successfully completed a Phase II efficacy and safety trial, significantly reducing the number of brain lesions in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). ATL1103 drug designed to block GHr production successfully reduced blood IGF-I levels in Phase II clinical trials in patients with the growth disorder acromegaly. The Company is planning to conduct a Phase II clinical trial of ATL1102 in DMD patients at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne.

About Early Access Programs Early Access Programs allow biopharmaceutical companies to provide eligible patients with ethical access to investigational medicines for unmet medical needs within the scope of the existing early access legislation. Access is provided in response to physician requests where other treatments have been unsuccessful and no alternative or appropriate treatment options are available to these patients. In Europe, the Company can seek reimbursement of drug supply costs within select countries. In Australia, patient treatment via an Early Access Program would typically fall under the Therapeutic Goods Administration's Special Access Scheme, Personal Import Scheme or Authorised Prescribers pathway.

About Acromegaly Acromegaly is a serious chronic life-threatening disease triggered by excess secretion of growth hormone (GH) by a benign tumour of the pituitary. Oversupply of GH produces excess levels of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I (IGF-I) in the blood causing the abnormal growth of the bones of the face, hands and feet, and enlargement of body organs. In North America and Europe there are approximately 85,000 acromegaly patients with around one half of these requiring life-long drug therapy. A significant number of patients fail to be adequately treated with current medicines due to efficacy, safety or tolerance related issues. The current average cost for 2nd line acromegaly treatment in Europe is approximately A$80K per patient per annum.

About ATL1103 / atesidorsen ATL1103 is a second-generation antisense drug designed to block growth hormone receptor (GHr) expression thereby reducing levels of the hormone insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the blood and is a potential treatment for diseases associated with excessive growth hormone and IGF-1 action. These diseases include acromegaly, an abnormal growth disorder of organs, face, hands and feet, diabetic retinopathy, a common disease of the eye and a major cause of blindness, diabetic nephropathy, a common disease of the kidney and major cause of kidney failure, and some forms of cancer. Acromegalic patients have significantly higher blood IGF-1 levels than healthy individuals. Reduction of these levels to normal is accepted by clinical authorities as the primary marker of an effective drug treatment for the disease. GHr is a clinically validated target in the treatment of acromegaly. In the case of diabetic retinopathy, published clinical studies have shown that treatments producing a reduction in IGF-1 levels retarded the progression of the disease and improve vision in patients. Scientific papers have been published on the suppression of blood IGF-1 levels in mice (Tachas et al., 2006, J Endocrinol 189, 147-54) and inhibition of retinopathy in a mouse retinopathy model (Wilkinson-Berka et al., 2007, Molecular Vision 13, 1529- 38) using an antisense drug to inhibit the production of GHr. In a Phase I study in healthy subjects, ATL1103 demonstrated a preliminary indication of drug activity, including suppression of IGF-1 and the target GHr (via circulating growth hormone binding protein) levels. In a Phase II trial in acromegalic patients, ATL1103 met its primary efficacy endpoint by showing a statistically significant average reduction in sIGF-1 levels from baseline at week 14 (one week past the last dose) at the twice weekly 200 mg dose tested. Antisense has also completed a successful higher dose study in acromegaly patients. ATL1103 has Orphan Drug designation in the US and Europe.

SOURCE Antisense Therapeutics Limited

Related Links

http://www.antisense.com.au

LOS ANGELES, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- AxisWire, the first newswire distribution service and PR tech-suite dedicated solely to the cannabis industry, announced the launch of its platform for all businesses and entrepreneurs who want to expose their brands and connect with journalists to cultivate stories and generate impactful media coverage.

"The cannabis industry has matured to the point that it requires a stand-alone offering to connect communications professionals, brand and the media. AxisWire does just that. We have spent the last 18 months developing both our technological offering as well as building out the most robust media database targeted at the cannabis industry," explained Cynthia Salarizadeh, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of AxisWire. "AxisWire is now primed to stand at the center of all things media for cannabis."

With the introduction of AxisWire, the cannabis industry now has a unique newswire service that provides distribution of press releases to more than 1,700 targeted journalists and producers worldwide, spanning both mainstream and industry-specific news outlets. For journalists looking to gain access to products, experts and spokespeople in the cannabis industry, AxisWire provides a centralized hub for all media inquiries, and is currently supported by top industry reporters and media outlets through its STAR Source Locator (Submit To A Reporter) subscription service. Press releases will be available for journalists to explore and narrow down by category, or have delivered directly to their inbox.

"Having worked with HARO and Profnet for nearly 2 decades, it's clear to me that AxisWire stands right next to these services by providing a great resource for entrepreneurs and others in the space," said Lewis Goldberg, Managing Partner, KCSA Strategic Communications. "This service, allows them to access an affordable, targeted press release distribution platform as well as giving them access to the media who are writing about this space every day. AxisWire gives cannabis entrepreneurs and startups a leg-up in what is quickly becoming a crowded space."

AxisWire was created by Ms. Salarizadeh, managing partner of KCSA Strategic Communications and co-founder of Green Market Report. It is co-founded by Evan Nison of NisonCo., Jared Mirsky of Wick & Mortar, as well as other industry veterans. The board currently includes industry media heavy weights Gaynell Rogers of Treehouse Global Ventures, Debra Borchardt co-founder and CEO of Green Market Report, Jennifer Price founder and CEO of Potnt Agency, and Mr. Goldberg.

"We're excited to be able to help build this platform and use our database and team of 15 employees who are dedicated to cannabis reporter outreach for the newswire and STAR to make it as useful as possible to the industry," said Mr. Nison. "Smaller cannabis companies who may not have been able to retain a PR firm will now have a place to help get the word out, and we're excited to be able to work with them and provide this valuable service."

As the first one-stop-shop for cannabis entrepreneurs to expose their brand through marketing and PR without expensive retainer fees, AxisWire offers a la carte options for total brand awareness campaigns.

"It only makes sense that something like this should exist, especially given the fact that most traditional marketing methods aren't so traditional for the cannabis industry," explained Jared Mirsky, chief marketing officer of AxisWire and founder & CEO of Wick & Mortar. "Because this industry is so new, and brands are often strapped for marketing dollars, we are forced to be even more creative in our approach in helping move our brands forward. I am extremely excited to bring this platform to the forefront for my clients and the industry, and proud to be part of this new venture with AxisWire and our team of cannabis industry leaders."

The site will also serve as an industry news portal, curating information and breaking stories with direct RSS feeds from partnered cannabis publications such as Green Market Report. This platform is poised to help advance industry objectives by assisting entrepreneurs and media representatives in sharing and distributing their stories with precision.

About STAR (Submit To A Reporter):

The STAR Source Locator is the only platform in cannabis of its kind. This service will connect journalists seeking sources and content with entrepreneurs and industry leaders through a vast network of experts in all divisions of the cannabis space. Subscribers will receive story requests directly to their emails and will cut through the random pitching of press, to an effective pitching process that is directed at stories the journalists are actively working on. STAR is free for journalists and is $99.99 per month for subscribers.

About AxisWire:

AxisWire, headquartered in Los Angeles, is the industry's first tech platform designed for cannabis entrepreneurs to expose their brands and cannabis journalists to seek out breaking stories. The platform provides a newswire distribution and PR tech suite of services including press release distribution, press release writing, consulting and compliance services. AxisWire also features the STAR Source Locator specific to the cannabis industry to assist in facilitating story development between journalists and brands. This platform was created and now operating through a collaborative merger of the most influential and innovative PR and marketing firms operating within the cannabis industry. AxisWire is positioned to sit at the center of all things cannabis media. For more information, please visit axiswire.com. Follow us on social media @AxisWire.

SOURCE AxisWire

Related Links

https://www.axiswire.com

NEW ORLEANS, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- B on Canal, a boutique hotel in New Orleans, La., is now open following an extensive multi-million-dollar renovation. Located at 1300 Canal Street, this 1930s building is situated in the bustling central business and theater district, near Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Tulane Medical Center, the Bio District, and within walking distance to the French Quarter. Guests can enjoy the close proximity to the many restaurants, festivals, Mardi Gras celebrations, parades, and museums the Big Easy is renowned for.

B on Canal Premium King Suite B on Canal Lobby Madam's Modern Kitchen + Bar

"It is a great time to be opening in New Orleans and having a presence in the center of it all has us very enthusiastic to introduce the B brand to the city," explains General Manager, Bruce Perone. "B on Canal evokes the charm of the city and provides guests with a unique food and beverage experience, offering a modern take on history that will leave a lasting impression."

B on Canal pays homage to the city's history which can be seen in the property's design and ornate details. The handsomely appointed lobby is reminiscent of a modern-day French boutique from its built-in Roman arches and gold-brushed elevator doors with original medallions, to the black and white custom marble floor, statement chandelier and chrome and crystal light fixtures throughout. ID & Design International, thoughtfully considered each element to embrace hues of rich purple and gray, with suede and velvet textures and delicate baroque patterns. As a nod to the hotel's location, black and white illustrations representative of the Renaissance period mixed with elegant Mardi Gras masks adorn the walls and hallways, appealing to travelers' desires to be immersed in the destination.

The 15-story building houses 155 well-appointed guestrooms and suites ranging in size from 231 to 863 square feet. Each guestroom comes equipped with designer furnishings, combining comfort and simplicity with an elegant flair. B Hotels & Resorts Blissful Bed, 55" HD LED interactive flat-screen televisions, AVEDA spa amenities, and a coffee maker complete the in-room experience. Other B Signature Elements include a B Active fitness center; a B Indulged Spa Suite which offers a variety of pampering services; Monscierge, a digital touchscreen concierge and destination guide (also available via a mobile app,) and complimentary FreeB Wi-Fi is available throughout the public space and the guestrooms.

Meeting and event attendees are also well-served at B on Canal, with more than 1,750 square feet, properly equipped for business or social gatherings and weddings. The ballroom and meeting rooms are dressed in rich drapery with tie back curtains and sheers, buffet cabinets with granite counter tops and mid-century wall sconces, all under an embossed metal ceiling. Positioned at the corner of Canal Street and Saratoga Street, the ballroom has grand views of the theater district located just outside of its windows. Whatever the occasion, audio/visual specialists, catering and wedding professionals, and an attentive service team are available to ensure every moment is a memorable one.

As part of this all-encompassing renovation, B on Canal opens Madam's Modern Kitchen + Bar, a refined casual concept is located on the property, with dining room and bar seating as well as private dining room. Invoking the feelings of a bygone era, guests are immersed in a sensual culinary affair via a curated menu of multi-cultural favorites to suit any size appetite. A highlight to the experience is the option to handpick from the raw bar prominently featuring oyster from local Area 14 and St. Bernard Parish, among other daily seafood specials. Inspired by the surrounding neighborhood's rich past, known as the Storyville era, Madam's namesake was derived from the restaurant's location on Canal Street. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as a fabulous weekend brunch and other special nightly events, creating the ultimate destination for locals as well.

B on Canal offers special rates for Birthday, AAA, AARP, Military/Government as well as seasonal offers with rates starting at $180 per night.

For more information on the hotel and its rates, visit www.boncanal.com or follow B on Canal on Instagram @boncanal and like B on Canal on Facebook www.facebook.com/BOnCanalNewOrleans.

About B Hotels & Resorts

B Hotels & Resorts defines and establishes the next generation of lifestyle hotels, inviting guests to revel in Self-Expression Hospitality, have a unique experience, and express their individuality with no inhibitions. The D(destination)-N(n'vogue)-A(approachability) of each hotel defines a unique identity that welcomes today's business and leisure travelers. Headquartered in South Florida, B Hotels & Resorts targets savvy, sophisticated and experience-driven guests. For additional information on B Hotels & Resorts visit www.bhotelsandresorts.com or contact 954.389.1919.

SOURCE B Hotels & Resorts

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GOLDEN, Colo., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Baby Genes Inc., a leading provider of advanced Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) clinical diagnostics in the Newborn Screening (NBS), Newborn Diagnostic and Family Planning arenas, announced today that its clinical laboratory has received accreditation from the College of American Pathologists (CAP). This accreditation meets the highest standard of excellence in clinical laboratory practices. With this accreditation, Baby Genes Inc. joins a very elite group of recognized organizations that operate at the highest level of quality laboratory standards.

The CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program is a globally recognized program that utilizes teams of highly specialized laboratory professionals as inspectors. During the accreditation process, inspectors meticulously examine the clinical lab's records and quality control procedures. Assessment is also made on equipment, facilities, safety programs, staff qualifications, policies and procedures, and overall management to ensure that the lab meets the stringent requirements of the CAP.

"Baby Genes' motivation to obtain this accreditation was driven by a desire to meet customer needs, to formally demonstrate our commitment to quality and to increase customer satisfaction," said Rich Sjogren, president and CEO of Baby Genes Inc. "We believe that this accreditation and mark of quality will be increasingly important to all the markets and customers we serve, providing them greater confidence in our services so that they can deliver the best possible care for their patients."

"It is exciting to have our commitment to quality and excellence affirmed by the CAP. By joining the elite group of laboratories operating with this accreditation, we look forward to advancing our vision where Next Generation diagnostics are leveraged to prevent children from suffering the ill-effects of genetic conditions that are both identifiable and treatable from the beginning of life," said Robert Daber, Ph.D., DABMG, laboratory director of Baby Genes Inc.

About the College of American Pathologists

The College of American Pathologists (CAP), the leading organization of board-certified pathologists, serves patients, pathologists and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide.

More information about the CAP accreditation can be found at www.cap.org.

About Baby Genes Inc.

Baby Genes Inc. is a CAP Accredited, CLIA-certified diagnostic laboratory that offers advanced newborn testing using Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). The Baby Genes test options can be used as a confirmatory or reflex for babies with abnormal NBS results, as a supplement to state-based newborn screening or as a family planning carrier test for parents. With faster and more robust results, clinicians and parents are enabled to take proactive steps to change a newborn's life forever.

For more information about Baby Genes Inc., please visit www.BabyGenes.net.

Media Contact:

Rich Sjogren

Phone: 303.865.3891

Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Baby Genes Inc.

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HOUSTON, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognizing businesses and non-profits for their achievements and commitment to quality in the workplace, Lifestyles Unlimited was one of 285 companies recognized at the annual Better Business Bureau Awards of Excellence on May 9, 2018.

Recognized, for the first time, as a Houston Better Business Bureau Winner of Distinction for service excellence the founder and CEO of Lifestyles Unlimited Del Walmsley commented, "For 27 years I have focused on the success of my customers. I founded this company in Houston, and it is an honor to receive this distinction from our local Better Business Bureau."

Media Contact:

Maite M Benitez

Phone: 813.435.6973

Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Lifestyles UnlimitedCOLUMBUS, Ohio, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG) will host a conference call live at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday, June 1, 2018 to discuss first quarter fiscal 2018 results.

FIRST QUARTER RESULTS



WHAT: Big Lots, Inc. invites you to listen to the live audio webcast of its First Quarter Conference Call



DATE: Friday, June 1, 2018



TIME: 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time



WHERE: Big Lots is hosting the live webcast through the Investor Relations section of its website at http://www.biglots.com/corporate/investors/. To listen to the call, click Register Now on the Investor Relations page at least 10-15 minutes before the broadcast begins.

If you are unable to join the live webcast, an archive of the call will be available at http://www.biglots.com/corporate/investors/ in the Investor Relations section of our website after 12:00 noon Eastern Time and will remain available through midnight Friday, June 1, 2018. A replay of this call will be available beginning June 1 at 12:00 noon Eastern Time through June 15 by dialing 1.888.203.1112 (Toll Free USA/Canada) or 1.719.457.0820 (Toll International), and entering the Replay Passcode 5522371 .

SOURCE Big Lots, Inc.

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SAN FRANCISCO, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- High Fidelity, the open-source distributed VR platform, today announced that BLOCKv, the leading platform for creating and publishing digital objects on blockchain, is joining the Virtual Realty Blockchain Alliance (VRBA).

Through the VRBA, High Fidelity and BLOCKv will work with other virtual world providers to ensure that digital assets, currency and identity from each platform can be used on the others, enabling the free flow of people and digital possessions between different virtual experiences.

BLOCKv technology will enable digital creations, called Virtual Atoms (or 'vAtoms') to be taken into virtual worlds built using High Fidelity. Those assets could then be used or even modified in-world like any other 3D virtual object. Equally, content owners inside High Fidelity will be able to export their creations to augmented reality applications, where they can be found, experienced and collected by users of BLOCKv.

"Imagine hunting for digital treasure in an Augmented Reality scavenger hunt, and then being able to bring that same object into High Fidelity to show your avatar friends. You could then combine it with other items and export it back into the real world where it can serve as a concert ticket, a rare collectible or a redeemable coupon at retail," said Reeve Collins, CEO of BLOCKv. "The blockchain is the mechanism that will safely and securely connect virtual worlds, which will scale to hundreds of millions of users as consumer-ready VR and AR hardware continues to roll out. BLOCKv is pioneering how this change will intersect with users, companies and places in the real world, and we are delighted to be working with High Fidelity to reshape the digital consumer experience."

"There is great potential for interoperability between virtual worlds, and also between real and virtual worlds," said Philip Rosedale, CEO and founder of High Fidelity. "Many useful things will have meaningful representations in both placesreal and virtual. And being able to bring virtual creations into the real world will create more opportunities and revenues for digital creators, growing virtual worlds faster."

BLOCKv joins Admix, High Fidelity, JanusVR, Somnium Space and SVVR in a growing movement to develop open standards for assets, currency and identity on the blockchain, along with common mechanisms to move this content between different VR and AR worlds.

About BLOCKv

Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, BLOCKv provides a development platform and community for the creation and distribution of dynamic, intelligent, experiential digital objects that bridge the gap between digital and physical worlds, called vAtoms. Built on secure blockchain technologies, BLOCKv's 'smart' digital objects work on any digital platform, are obtainable anywhere, store actual transactional value and are immune from fraud. When combined with the power and name-recognition of major brands, BLOCKv digital objects have the power to transform the landscape of physical, digital and social advertising; micro-transacting; ticketing; gifting; coupons and promotions; and more. For more information, please visit https://blockv.io/.

About High Fidelity

High Fidelity distributes an open source, scalable platform to create 3D virtual worlds. Performers, educators, makers, entrepreneurs and brands can create and host their own social VR experiences. Visitors can take their avatar between virtual worlds with a consistent identity. High Fidelity ensures content rights and ownership with a federated digital asset registry based on blockchain, and powers an economy with its own cryptocurrency, High Fidelity Coin. Based in San Francisco, High Fidelity was founded by Philip Rosedale, creator of Second Life, and is backed by investors including Breyer Capital, GV, HTC, IDG Capital Partners, Kapor Capital, Linden Lab, True Ventures and Vulcan Capital.

SOURCE High Fidelity

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SEOUL, South Korea, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BOScoin (www.boscoin.io, CEO Yezune Choi, BlockchainOS), the first blockchain project from the Republic of Korea, launched the ARIST, a research institute that will engineer and verify platform reliability, scalability, and privacy on the BOScoin mainnet, and appointed Dr. Jonghwan Lee as its Director.

In its whitepaper 2.0, BOScoin set out a clear vision for its future, namely an evolution of Project Financing into Public Financing for a better capitalism - using credit creation thorough participation, impact investment based on voting, and commonization of certain real world assets. In order to implement Public Financing on the blockchain, BOScoin is developing three key technologies and continuing to share visible outcomes with the wider developer community. The following are the key technologies BOScoin is working on to enable Public Financing.

ISAAC Consensus Protocol - A consensus protocol for the BOScoin mainnet, it is based on the mFBA (modified Federated Byzantine Agreement), which brings together the strengths of the SCP (Stellar Consensus Protocol) and the FBA (Federated Byzantine Agreement). This allows data to be safely and efficiently stored on the blockchain. ISAAC is the protocol that will be used on all BOScoin processes and is an acronym of the four steps in the consensus - I nitializing, S igning on, A ccepting, and A ll- C onfirming the process.



is an acronym of the four steps in the consensus - nitializing, igning on, ccepting, and ll- onfirming the process. TRUST Contract - A contract language for Public Financing, it uses OWL (Web Ontology Language) and TAL (Timed Automata Language) technologies to allow ordinary users to easily read and understand the contract. OWL organizes the contract to ensure all relevant parties understand its language, while TAL verifies that all aspects of the contract are accurately processed.



Fully Homomorphic Encryption Based Voting on the Congress Network - The Congress network and the participation of BOScoin holders form a governance system for the Public Financing projects. Public Financing projects initialized on the Congress Network carry information on the purpose of the project, expected returns, project size, price at the point of token creation, amount of allocated tokens, and plans to redistribute to the community. Initialized projects are then signed using the BOScoin fully homomorphic encryption technology. This allows for a fully secret ballot, while preventing Sybil Attacks and ensuring the one-person, one-vote principle is followed.

The BOScoin ARIST (Advanced Research Institute for Social Trust, http://arist.io/), takes on the role of engineering and verifying platform reliability, scalability, and privacy in order to accelerate adoption and commercialization. The institute will hire over twenty mathematics, physics, software engineering, and other experts to research the consensus protocol, trust contracts, privacy technology, and public financing. Located in Daejeon, South Korea, ARIST will also actively cooperate with KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology). KAIST's Dr. Yongdae Kim's team will cooperate to find systematic weaknesses, Dr. Eun-Kyoung Jee's team will focus on stress-testing the software, and Dr. Kibae Kim's team will focus on verifying the Public Financing model.

Dr. Jonghwan Lee, the newly appointed director of ARIST, obtained a doctoral degree in applied mathematics from KAIST and is an expert on combining mathematics and engineering. He will oversee development and testing of Public Financing architecture and related elements.

Dr. Lee said, "The research institute will verify the system's technology, security and privacy, and reliability and scalability from an engineer's perspective, so that the BOScoin Public Financing blockchain project can be successful." He further stated that, "ARIST will organize horizontally around responsible research teams, and become a world leading community institute capable of independent research."

BOScoin's CEO Yezune Choi said, "ARIST's research will lead to successful commercialization of the BOScoin mainnet, BOSnet." He further explained that "with a clear vision and focus on necessary technologies, we will build a structure that allows both active development and technological verification through the research institute, and drive commercial adoption."

About Boscoin

Republic Of Korea's First Blockchain 'BOScoin' is a Global Currency and Credit Creation Project: BOScoin combines PF (Project Financing), the most libertarian concept, with three alternative solutions - credit creation through participation, democratic impact investments, and commonization of certain assets - to form a new PF (Public Financing) concept to power a better capitalism. In April 2018, Boscoin announced Development of a fully homomorphic encryption solution for electronic voting, which guarantees both anonymity (secret ballot) and equality (one person, one vote). In May 2018, Boscoin announced strategic agreement to launch the first public financing project in November with "Energy7", an O2O (online-to-offline) platform that is an innovator in the petroleum distribution industry. BOScoin is focused on technological developments and business partnerships in order to meet its goals of publicly launching the mainnet in the last quarter of 2018.

SOURCE BOSCoin

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Focus on Rohingya children's future; not past: Priyanka

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra calls on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her Gono Bhaban residence on Thursday. Photo PID

Unicef Goodwill Ambassador Priyanka Chopra has called for more global action and support for vulnerable Rohingya children and women urging all to open their hearts with compassion. "Every child deserves a future. Every child deserves an opportunity to contribute to humanity. Please be sympathetic and treat these children as your own," said the Bollywood actress in a crowded pre-departure press conference at a city hotel on Thursday evening. Terming her Cox's Bazar visit as one of her most life-changing trips that she has made along with Unicef, Priyanka said it is heartening to see the immense support that has been provided by the government of Bangladesh. "They have not just opened their hearts but also have made every effort to accommodate as many refugees as they can. We have to care. The whole world has to care and take action," Priyanka said while briefing media following a four-day visit to Cox's Bazar when she met Rohingya children and families living in refugee camps and informal settlements. Responding to a UNB question on her message to Myanmar, she said, "I'm here on behalf of children. I'm too small, I feel, to speak about political situation like this. I'm not someone who believes in a blame game. I think that creates more hatreds and animosities." Priyanka said she would rather look at the future and see, instead of focusing on the violence of the past and responding with anger to hatreds. "I think it's important to focus on the future of these kids. And put our positivity on that direction." Asked whether she will convince Indian government to help Bangladesh more instead of Myanmar, she said the day she will become a politician, she will do all that. "But right now I'm the Goodwill Ambassador of Unicef...when I'll become a prime minister, you watch..." Responding to another question, she said, this is a political problem and they do not have the answer to political problems because they do not have those powers.

Nearly 60 per cent of the more than 700,000 refugees are children, living in desperately difficult conditions - with limited access to permanent shelter, clean and safe water, food and education, she said. Priyanka also journeyed to the border area near Myanmar where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya women, children and men crossed following the escalation of violence in August 2017. In a nutrition centre in Jamtoli makeshift settlement, Chopra saw children being screened for malnutrition.

Unicef Representative in Bangladesh Edouard Beigbeder, in a statement said, said that as the crisis continues to unfold, the international community must not ignore the huge needs of Rohingya children and the new risks they face. "The international community must redouble its efforts to support the Government of Bangladesh to protect and invest in the future of Rohingya children, particularly in their education," Beigbeder said. The government of Bangladesh has generously taken in more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees since August 25th already and has been working with Unicef to deliver life-saving support to the most recent and previous influxes of Rohingya refugees.





PETALUMA, Calif., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Employee performance is important for meeting deadlines and quality requirements. Rewarding strong performance can encourage employees to meet those standards. Equally important, however, is addressing poor performance. Brandon Frere, CEO of Frere Enterprises, admits that dealing with poor performers is one of the worst tasks as a company leader, but it is necessary.

"I like to challenge my employees to exceed their expectations in their work. And when they do, they definitely deserve some recognition," said Frere. "When they don't meet expectations, the best thing to do is to address it and try to help them improve."

Many companies choose to do regular performance reviews for all employees. However, both good and poor performance should be discussed more frequently to reinforce good habits and improve the poor ones in real time. While good performance can be rewarded through praise or recognition, poor performance may need some more attention.

Poor performance can come from a lack of ability to complete the task as expected or low motivation to meet those expectations. Managers should examine each employee's performance for weak points and speak to them to figure out what is harming their performance. Sometimes, employees would benefit from a transfer to a different department in the company.

While working with employees to improve their work will affect the company's bottom line, it will also foster a more loyal workforce as employees see that their employer cares about them.

"It's especially essential that poor performers don't get the same praise that high performers get," said Brandon Frere. "Doing so can breed resentment in those high performers and result in lower-quality work overall. It can be hard to talk about poor performance, but it really can help the company as a whole work toward its full potential."

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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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG) today announced the results of its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, which was held this morning in New York City.

Election of Directors: Shareholders elected the ten directors named in the proxy statement to the Board of Directors: Ernest G. Bachrach, Vinita Bali, Enrique H. Boilini, Carol M. Browner, Paul Cornet de Ways-Ruart, Andrew Ferrier, Kathleen Hyle, L. Patrick Lupo, John E. McGlade and Soren Schroder.

Appointment of Independent Auditors: Shareholders approved the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as independent auditors for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2018, and authorized the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors to determine the independent auditors' fees.

Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation: Shareholders approved this proposal.

The final vote results will be reported in a Form 8-K to be filed by Bunge with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Website Information

We routinely post important information for investors on our website, www.bunge.com, in the "Investors" section. We may use this website as a means of disclosing material, non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, investors should monitor the Investors section of our website, in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, presentations and webcasts. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this document.

About Bunge Limited

Bunge Limited (www.bunge.com,NYSE: BG) is a leading global agribusiness and food company operating in over 40 countries with approximately 32,000 employees. Bunge buys, sells, stores and transports oilseeds and grains to serve customers worldwide; processes oilseeds to make protein meal for animal feed; produces edible oil products for consumers and commercial customers in the food processing, industrial and artisanal bakery, confectionery, human nutrition and food service categories; produces sugar and ethanol from sugarcane; mills wheat, corn and rice to make ingredients used by food companies; and sells fertilizer in South America. Founded in 1818, the company is headquartered in White Plains, New York.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains both historical and forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements reflect our current expectations and projections about our future results, performance, prospects and opportunities. We have tried to identify these forward-looking statements by using words including "may," "will," "should," "could," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "intend," "estimate," "continue" and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual results, performance, prospects or opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. The following important factors, among others, could affect our business and financial performance: industry conditions, including fluctuations in supply, demand and prices for agricultural commodities and other raw materials and products used in our business; fluctuations in energy and freight costs and competitive developments in our industries; the effects of weather conditions and the outbreak of crop and animal disease on our business; global and regional agricultural, economic, financial and commodities market, political, social and health conditions; the outcome of pending regulatory and legal proceedings; our ability to complete, integrate and benefit from acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures and strategic alliances; our ability to achieve the efficiencies, savings and other benefits anticipated from our cost reduction, margin improvement and other business optimization initiatives; changes in government policies, laws and regulations affecting our business, including agricultural and trade policies, tax regulations and biofuels legislation; and other factors affecting our business generally. The forward-looking statements included in this release are made only as of the date of this release, and except as otherwise required by federal securities law, we do not have any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

SOURCE Bunge Limited

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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG) today announced that Soren Schroder, CEO, will address the Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference in New York City at 3:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 31, 2018.

The presentation will be webcast live on www.bunge.com.

Website Information

We routinely post important information for investors on our website, www.bunge.com, in the "Investors" section. We may use this website as a means of disclosing material, non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, investors should monitor the Investors section of our website, in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, presentations and webcasts. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this document.

About Bunge Limited

Bunge Limited (www.bunge.com,NYSE: BG) is a leading global agribusiness and food company operating in over 40 countries with approximately 32,000 employees. Bunge buys, sells, stores and transports oilseeds and grains to serve customers worldwide; processes oilseeds to make protein meal for animal feed; produces edible oil products for consumers and commercial customers in the food processing, industrial and artisanal bakery, confectionery, human nutrition and food service categories; produces sugar and ethanol from sugarcane; mills wheat, corn and rice to make ingredients used by food companies; and sells fertilizer in South America. Founded in 1818, the company is headquartered in White Plains, New York.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains both historical and forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements reflect our current expectations and projections about our future results, performance, prospects and opportunities. We have tried to identify these forward-looking statements by using words including "may," "will," "should," "could," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "intend," "estimate," "continue" and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual results, performance, prospects or opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. The following important factors, among others, could affect our business and financial performance: industry conditions, including fluctuations in supply, demand and prices for agricultural commodities and other raw materials and products used in our business; fluctuations in energy and freight costs and competitive developments in our industries; the effects of weather conditions and the outbreak of crop and animal disease on our business; global and regional agricultural, economic, financial and commodities market, political, social and health conditions; the outcome of pending regulatory and legal proceedings; our ability to complete, integrate and benefit from acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures and strategic alliances; our ability to achieve the efficiencies, savings and other benefits anticipated from our cost reduction, margin improvement and other business optimization initiatives; changes in government policies, laws and regulations affecting our business, including agricultural and trade policies, tax regulations and biofuels legislation; and other factors affecting our business generally. The forward-looking statements included in this release are made only as of the date of this release, and except as otherwise required by federal securities law, we do not have any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

SOURCE Bunge Limited

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SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Compassion & Choices downplayed a preliminary ruling late yesterday by the 4th District Court of Appeals to deny a "stay" request to suspend a lower court ruling to invalidate the End of Life Option Act, noting the law remains in effect and patients can still access it. The Court further ordered that the plaintiffs explain why the Attorney General should not prevail on his arguments.

Kevin Diaz, national director of legal advocacy for Compassion & Choices

Similar to laws in Washington, D.C. and six other states, the California law gives mentally capable, terminally ill adults with six months or less to live to the option to request prescription medication they can decide to take to end unbearable suffering and die peacefully in their sleep.

The appellate court ruling said:

"The parties are ordered to SHOW CAUSE before this court why the relief prayed for should not be granted. Real parties in interest may file a formal return within 25 days of the date of this order. Petitioners shall have 15 days from the date of the filing of the return in which to file a traverse. The parties will be notified when the matter is set for oral argument."

"It is important to note the ruling did not invalidate the law or the court would have said so explicitly in its order, so the law remains in effect until further notice," said John C. Kappos, a partner in the O'Melveny law firm representing Compassion & Choices, which led the campaign to pass the law. "The court did not rule on the appeal of the lower court ruling itself."

"Physicians still are protected under the law to write prescriptions for their terminally ill patients who want the end-of-life care option for medical aid in dying to peacefully end intolerable suffering," said Kevin Diaz, national director of legal advocacy for Compassion & Choices, which filed an amicus brief in the case two years ago. "This preliminary ruling is just one step in what promises to be a long legal battle, so people should not change their current treatment plans because of it."

Last Tuesday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia granted a motion to invalidate the law because he claimed the legislature violated the state constitution by passing it during a special session limited to health care issues. He gave Attorney General Xavier Becerra five days to file the emergency request to reverse his ruling in the case, Ahn vs. Hestrin  Case RIC1607135.

"The enactment fell within the scope of the special session called, in part, to consider efforts to 'improve the efficiency and efficacy of the health care system ... and improve the health of Californians,'" says the attorney general's appeal filed in the 4th District Court of Appeal. "As the Governor indicated, the Act deals with pain, suffering, and the comfort of having the health care options afforded by the Act."

Polling shows 76 percent of Californians across the political and demographic spectrum support medical aid in dying. This majority support includes 82 percent of Democrats, 79 percent of independents, 67 percent of Republicans, 75 percent of whites, Latinos and Asian Americans, and 52 percent of African Americans.

Last June, Compassion & Choices released a report estimating that 504 Californians have received prescriptions for medical aid in dying since it took effect on June 9, 2016. Last July, the California Department of Public Health released a report showing 191 terminally ill Californians received prescriptions from 173 doctors for aid-in-dying medication during the nearly seven month period from June 9, 2016 until Dec. 31, 2016; 111 of those individuals (58%) decided to self-ingest the medication.

California is one of seven states  including Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Hawai'i  as well as the District of Columbia, that have authorized medical aid in dying. Collectively, the populations of these eight jurisdictions represent nearly one out of five Americans (19%).

ABOUT COMPASSION & CHOICES:

Compassion & Choices is the nation's oldest and largest nonprofit organization working to improve and expand health care options at the end of life, with 450,000 supporters nationwide. For more information, visit: CompassionAndChoices.org

Media Contact : Sean Crowley, 202-495-8520-c, [email protected] Latino Media Contact : Patricia A. Gonzalez-Portillo, 323-819-0310-c, [email protected]

SOURCE Compassion & Choices

Related Links

http://CompassionAndChoices.org

LITTLE FALLS, N.J., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CANTEL MEDICAL CORP. (NYSE:CMD) will release the results for its third quarter ended April 30, 2018 on Thursday, May 31, 2018 before the market opens, and hold a conference call to discuss the results at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

To participate in the conference call, dial 1-877-407-8033 (US & Canada) or 1-201-689-8033 (International) approximately 5 to 10 minutes before the beginning of the call. If you are unable to participate, a digital replay of the call will be available from Thursday, May 31, 2018 through midnight on July 1, 2018 by dialing 1-877-481-4010 (US & Canada) or 1-919-882-2331 (International) and using conference ID #: 32582.

An audio webcast will be available via the Cantel website at www.cantelmedical.com. A replay of the presentation will be archived on the Cantel website for those unable to listen live. In addition, the Company will provide a supplemental presentation to complement the conference call. The presentation can be accessed on Cantel's website in the Investor Relations section under presentations.

About Cantel Medical Corp.

Cantel Medical is a leading global company dedicated to delivering innovative infection prevention products and services for patients, caregivers, and other healthcare providers which improve outcomes, enhance safety and help save lives. Our products include specialized medical device reprocessing systems for endoscopy and renal dialysis, advanced water purification equipment, sterilants, disinfectants and cleaners, sterility assurance monitoring products for hospitals and dental clinics, disposable infection control products primarily for dental and GI endoscopy markets, dialysate concentrates, hollow fiber membrane filtration and separation products. Additionally, we provide technical service for our products.

For further information, visit the Cantel website at www.cantelmedical.com.

SOURCE Cantel Medical Corp.

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http://www.cantelmedical.com

CHICAGO, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CarAdvise, a leading automotive repair and maintenance tech company, is teaming up with Plymouth Rock Assurance, a premier provider of home and auto insurance in the Northeast, to provide its Massachusetts auto insurance customers with vehicle care discounts on a transparent and easy-to-use platform.

Plymouth Rock is offering the CarAdvise service to eligible policyholders as an included benefit with Plymouth Rock's Policyholder Perks program. Policyholders who opt into the program and book service through the co-branded Plymouth Rock Garage powered by CarAdvise could save on vehicle repair and maintenance.

A CarAdvise study found those who use the service see an average 21% savings on labor and average savings of 32% on routine maintenance services.* The savings are made possible by volume discounts due to the amount of business that shops receive through the service.

CarAdvise helps to ease frustrations by bringing transparency to an industry that lacks consumer confidence. A CarAdvise study found that less than 20% of consumers trust the auto repair and maintenance process. Yet, 91% of consumers said they trust the car repair and maintenance process more after using CarAdvise.

According to the CEO and Founder of CarAdvise, Greg Tepas, "We are honored to partner with such a quality organization as Plymouth Rock who desires to provide innovative value-added solutions to its members beyond just insurance. The Plymouth Rock Garage, powered by CarAdvise, provides convenience, trust, and will save users significant money on something that every car needs  maintenance and repair."

CarAdvise also provides users with convenience as the service integrates with a national network of more than 20,000 shops including well-known brands such as Firestone, NTB, Midas, Merchant's Tire and Auto Service Center, Tire Kingdom Service Centers, and Sears Auto Centers.

"Owning and maintaining a car can be both costly and time-consuming," said Keith Jensen, Chief Marketing Officer at Plymouth Rock Assurance. "By teaming up with CarAdvise, Plymouth Rock auto insurance customers can save time and money while ensuring they're getting the service they need for their vehicles. It's just another example of how Plymouth Rock delivers more than just insurance to our customers."

About Plymouth Rock Assurance

Plymouth Rock Assurance is a marketing name used by a group of separate companies that write and manage property and casualty insurance in multiple states. Auto insurance in Massachusetts is underwritten by Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation. Each company is financially responsible only for its own insurance products. Actual coverage is subject to the language of the policies as issued by each separate company. For a full description of the programs, features, and coverages, please visit plymouthrock.com.

*Based on a 2017 nationwide survey conducted by CarAdvise including data from hundreds of nationally branded repair shops, dealerships, and independent repair shops.

SOURCE CarAdvise

Related Links

http://www.caradvise.com

DALLAS, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cien Inc, the leading provider of AI-powered sales productivity solutions, today launched its Data Enhancement Services to help companies clean up and, more significantly, augment their CRM data for more effective planning, analysis, and decision-making. Research by the company suggests that data quality remains the biggest challenge facing technology businesses for the third successive year. Over 83% of sales leaders surveyed claim that improving their visibility in their sales data is their top priority for 2018.

Matt Rodgers joins Cien's Advisory Board

Cien's Data Enhancement Services helps companies manage inaccurate, incomplete, or inconsistent CRM records. Using machine learning and natural language processing, Cien is able to contextually understand the semantics of CRM data and align entries according to changing business definitions and processes.

In addition, the company announced that senior CRM expert and professional services executive Matt Rodgers is joining Cien's Strategic Advisory Board. A Stanford University graduate with over 25 years of management experience at companies such as Salesforce.com, Lithium Technologies, Slalom Consulting, and Accenture, Rodgers brings to the board an extensive background in professional services, as well as expertise in the delivery of CRM products and services.

"I'm deeply impressed by the possibilities offered by Cien's technology and am delighted to be joining their Advisory Board. Cien allows companies to easily enhance their CRM data in ways that were previously impossible, then use that augmented data to drive sales productivity," says Rodgers.

"CRM data quality is a huge issue for most organizations and we have been working on this problem for several years. I am very pleased that we can now offer Data Enhancement as a stand-alone service. With Matt on the team, we have a true CRM thought leader, who can help our customers get more out of their existing Salesforce implementations," says Cien CEO, Rob Kall.

About Cien

Cien gives sales leaders an edge by using the power of AI to enhance the quality of their data and increase the productivity of their teams. Available on the Salesforce AppExchange, Cien's app takes into account human and behavioral elements to detect problems, predict outcomes and recommend the shortest path to success. Cien is currently available for Salesforce customers. For more information about Cien, visit www.cien.ai.

Media Contact:

Damien Acheson

[email protected]

305-203-1288

SOURCE Cien, Inc

Related Links

https://www.cien.ai

COATESVILLE, Pa., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- City of London Investment Management Company Limited, which represents clients who are the beneficial owners of approximately 27.6% of the outstanding shares of common stock of The China Fund, Inc. (NYSE: CHN), today announced that China Fund's stockholders elected both of City of London's highly qualified director nominees, Julian Reid and Richard A. Silver, to the China Fund Board as Class I directors at China Fund's 2018 annual meeting, based on a preliminary vote count announced at the meeting.

City of London is encouraged by the overwhelming support received from stockholders for new directors Julian Reid and Richard A. Silver, who were elected by approximately a 2-to-1 margin.

Mr. Reid and Mr. Silver are committed to working constructively with the other members of the Board to improve China Fund for the benefit of all stockholders.

The new directors intend to work with the remaining Board to evaluate all strategic alternatives to reduce the discount to net asset value (NAV) of the share price of China Fund or to otherwise return value to China Fund's stockholders.

As a minority of the Board (currently seven directors), Mr. Reid and Mr. Silver hope for the cooperation of the remaining members of the Board with respect to charting a path forward for China Fund in the best interests of all stockholders.

The results of the vote at the annual meeting are considered preliminary until final results are certified by the independent inspector of elections. We expect that the final results will be disclosed by China Fund in the near future.

City of London is disappointed with China Fund's adjournment of the 2018 annual meeting to August 29, 2018, where City of London's proposal to terminate China Fund's investment advisory and management agreement with Allianz Global Investors U.S. LLC is scheduled to be voted on.

We believe that there was no legitimate reason to adjourn the annual meeting and that the China Fund Board should allow stockholders to vote on the termination proposal as soon as possible .

. We were disappointed that the members of the China Fund Board, other than its Chairman, chose not to attend the annual meeting.

The China Fund Board's continued delay tactics and frivolous lawsuit against City of London are wasting stockholder assets and causing uncertainty in the market, which could drive away demand for China Fund from prospective stockholders.

are wasting stockholder assets and causing uncertainty in the market, which could drive away demand for China Fund from prospective stockholders. City of London is evaluating its legal options with respect to the continued delay of the stockholder vote on its termination proposal.

If you have any questions, please contact our proxy solicitor, Saratoga Proxy Consulting LLC at (212) 257-1311 or toll-free at (888) 368-0379.

SOURCE City of London Investment Management Company LimitedNORTH BILLERICA, Mass., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Boston Business Journal announced that Curriculum Associates has been named to their 2018 "Fast 50" list of the Fastest-Growing Private Companies in Massachusetts for the fourth consecutive year. In addition, Curriculum Associates was named the 44th Largest Private Company in Massachusetts by the Boston Business Journal for the third year in a row. In 2017, Curriculum Associates placed 48th on the list.

The Fast 50 winners were selected and ranked based on a formula that counts revenue growth in the preceding three years. Approximately 130 privately held companies applied for inclusion by submitting nominations that included financial performance, and the Business Journal's Research Department and CPA firm Withum, a Fast 50 partner, evaluated the figures provided to determine the rankings. Only those firms with a headquarters in Massachusetts and revenue of at least $500,000 in 2014 and $1 million in 2017 were considered. Companies that did not show growth from 2016 to 2017 were excluded. The Boston Business Journal announced the rankings at an awards reception on Thursday, May 17, at W Boston.

For nearly 50 years, Curriculum Associates has been on a mission to make classrooms better places for teachers and students. With a focus on reading and mathematics, the company offers an integrated print and digital solution for K12 diagnostic assessment and K8 instruction, making blended learning a reality in the classroom. Curriculum Associates provides more than 7 million K12 students in all 50 states with the best adaptive assessment and personalized learning materials to prepare them for success. Today, Curriculum Associates is one of the fastest-growing companies in the industry, with revenues quintupling since 2012.

"It's an honor to be recognized by the Boston Business Journal as one of the largest and fastest-growing private companies in Massachusetts for the third and fourth years in a row, respectively," said Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates. "Our growth is a testament to the outstanding work done by our team and their tireless dedication to placing children and teachers first."

The Boston Business Journal's 2018 list of the 100 largest private companies in Massachusetts represents a veritable "who's who" of the Bay State's most-recognizable brands and industry powerhouses, along with a number of fast-growing newer entities. Together, they account for more than $134 billion in revenue in 2017.

About Curriculum Associates

Founded in 1969, Curriculum Associates, LLC designs research-based print and online instructional materials, screens and assessments, and data management tools. The company's products and outstanding customer service provide teachers and administrators with the resources necessary for teaching diverse student populations and fostering learning for all students.

About the Boston Business Journal

The Boston Business Journal is Greater Boston's leading source of business news, information and events, reaching readers through the weekly print publication, the website bostonbusinessjournal.com, and email products. The BBJ also prints the annual Book of Liststhe region's top resource for business decision-makers seeking information about potential clients, suppliers, and partners. The Boston Business Journal is published by American City Business Journals, the nation's largest publisher of metropolitan business news.

SOURCE Curriculum Associates

Related Links

http://CurriculumAssociates.com

PUNE, India, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The report "Cyanate Ester Resins Market by End-Use Industry (Aerospace & Defense, Electrical & Electronics), Application (Composites, Adhesives), and Region (North America, Europe, APAC, MEA, and South America) - Global Forecast to 2022", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global cyanate ester resin market is estimated at USD 195.2 Million in 2017 and is projected to reach USD 338.8 Million by 2022, at a CAGR of 11.7% from 2017 to 2022. Cyanate ester resins are used across various end-use industries. They have various applications, such as rubber compounding, glass & ceramics, and pharmaceuticals, due to their excellent properties such as high heat resistance, high strength-to-weight ratio, durability, low shrinkage, flame resistance, low smoke generation, UV stable, and corrosion and chemical resistance.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg )

Browse 87 market data Tables and 40 Figures spread through 131 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Cyanate Ester Resins Market"

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/cyanate-ester-resin-market-142633294.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report

Aerospace & defense is estimated to be the largest end-use segment of the global Cyanate Ester Resins Market between 2017 and 2022.

Among various end-use industries, aerospace & defense is estimated to be the largest end-use industry of the global cyanate ester resin market. Cyanate ester resins are extensively used in the radome application in the aerospace & defense industry. They are also used in manufacturing of air ducts, racing cars, and some critical electrical components close to automobile engines.

Get PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=142633294

Composites is projected to be the largest and fastest-growing application segment in the global cyanate ester resin market.

Composites application segment is projected to be the fastest-growing segment of the cyanate ester resin market between 2017 and 2022. In a composite part, resins bind fibers together, allowing loads to be transferred between the fibers and preventing adverse effects caused by extreme weather conditions, water, or chemicals. Cyanate ester composites have various uses in aerospace & defense aircraft internal and structures, electronic components, and automotive parts. Increasing use of composites in aircraft manufacturing to reduce overall weight of aircraft is expected to drive the cyanate ester resin market for composites application.

Rising demand for cyanate ester resins in North America contributes to the high growth of this market.

In 2016, North America accounted for the largest share of the global Cyanate Ester Resins Market and is expected to grow at the highest CAGR between 2017 and 2022, in terms of value. Currently, the US is the largest market for cyanate ester resins in North America and is expected to continue to lead till 2022. In the US, the demand for cyanate ester resins is expected to increase due to the large aerospace & defense industry, growing use of cyanate ester resins in high end applications, and economic growth. The use of cyanate ester resins is increasing in the aerospace & defense end-use industry because they provide more structural strength than the metallic alloys when used as composite with other materials, low dielectric constant, and are also light in weight. This leads to improved fuel efficiency and performance of aircraft. Cyanate ester resins are commonly used in aerospace radomes.

Key companies profiled in the global Cyanate Ester Resins Market research report include Lonza (Switzerland), Huntsman (US), Cytec Solvay Group (US), Henkel (Germany), Tencate Advanced Composites (Netherlands), and others

Know more about the Cyanate Ester Resin Market:

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/cyanate-ester-resin-market-142633294.html

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 5000 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.

Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" 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.

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SOURCE MarketsandMarketsProvide info on rape of Rohingya women



Myanmar should comply with a UN committee's request for information on the military's responsibility for widespread rape of Rohingya women and girls in northern Rakhine State, said Human Rights Watch and Fortify Rights on Thursday.

The two groups provided the committee with an 11-page joint report on sexual violence committed by Myanmar's security forces against Rohingya villagers in 2016 and 2017.

In November 2017, the independent expert committee monitoring implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), a global women's rights treaty, requested the Myanmar government to submit a report on the situation of women and girls from northern Rakhine State by May 28, 2018.

The CEDAW committee has only requested such an "exceptional report" three times previously.

"The CEDAW committee's rare request for Myanmar to report on sexual violence against Rohingya women and girls outside normal reporting procedures shows the extreme nature of the military's mass atrocities," said Skye Wheeler, women's rights emergencies researcher at Human Rights Watch.

"The government should cease its shameless denials and start openly cooperating with international monitors."

The CEDAW committee request followed numerous reports of Myanmar army-led attacks on Rohingya Muslims, including mass killings, rape and other sexual violence, and widespread arson in hundreds of predominantly Rohingya villages, forcing more than 717,000 Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh since August 2017.

The joint report by Human Rights Watch and Fortify Rights includes information based on hundreds of interviews with Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, including 37 women and girls who were raped in August and September 2017, mostly by gangs of uniformed soldiers.

Witnesses and survivors also saw many other women and girls raped in groups, which amounted to patterns of gang rapes, as well as biting, kicking, and other physical abuse.

Many recounted soldiers killing their elderly parents or children, including by throwing their infants into fires.

The CEDAW committee requested that Myanmar's government provide information on the battalions that carried out the attacks in northern Rakhine State and their commanding officers.

As a party to CEDAW, Myanmar is required to report on its implementation of the convention, including in the case of exceptional reports, which are requested in situations where there is "reliable and adequate information indicating grave or systematic violations of women's human rights."

Myanmar's government claims that it instructed its security forces to respect military codes of conduct that forbid rape. It has repeatedly denied that its forces committed rape, including through biased investigations that lack credibility.

A Rakhine State minister responded to reports of sexual violence against Rohingya last year by saying: "Look at those women who are making these claims - would anyone want to rape them?"

"Myanmar's security forces used brutal gang rapes to terrify and injure as part of their ongoing attack on the Rohingya population," said Matthew Smith, chief executive officer at Fortify Rights. "The authorities' denials, essentially saying Rohingya women are liars, compound the terrible harms inflicted."

The CEDAW committee also requested that the Myanmar government report on any efforts to provide justice and other reparations to sexual violence victims, as well as on access to sexual and reproductive health care for Rohingya women and girls.

Successive Myanmar governments have persecuted the Rohingya for decades, denying them citizenship rights, freedom of movement, and equal access to education and health

The rights bodies said the CEDAW should call on the Myanmar government to ensure unimpeded access for humanitarian aid organizations, journalists, and human rights monitors in Rakhine State.One morning in the winter of 2017, a staff member from DaDa's Shanghai headquarters came into the office early and saw a foreign girl waiting at the front desk with a large suitcase. "Hello! My name is Natalia, I'm a teacher on the DaDa platform," Natalia introduced herself.

Natalia is from Manchester and was a registered teacher on the DaDa online platform. Before coming to China, she had been teaching on DaDa for two years. During her two years on DaDa, Natalia taught 15 Chinese kids and conducted more than 4,000 online lessons. "I came here today to meet my Chinese students, and I also want to see what China looks like in reality," Natalia told us.

While teaching these kids English, Natalia came to know every one of them: their hobbies, their pet's name, their best friends, the food they find delicious, and how China looks in their eyes. As time went by, a strong emotional bond was built between Natalia and her students, and finally, she decided to come to China in person to meet these kids and see China through her own eyes.

Her arrival made the DaDa team very excited and proud. DaDa not only plays a role in creating an online tutoring platform for English learning, it also builds a bridge between two countries and two different cultures.

DaDa's CEO, Mrs. Zhi told us that every day, DaDa receives emails from teachers in North America and Europe expressing their wish to come and meet their students when they visit China and their hope that DaDa can help them make it happen. The online encounters with Chinese students have given them a different outlook of China and inspired them to gain a deeper understanding of China and its culture. "To some extent, DaDa's role as an online English education platform has gone far beyond the scope of teaching English. It is now a platform for establishing emotional connections between Chinese students and foreign teachers and building a bridge between two countries, and two different cultures," said Zhi. "It makes us feel very excited and fulfilled."

"One of my first students was a 5-year-old girl called Icy. When we first met, she was very shy and nervous. She didn't want to speak with me. But over the course of a couple of months, she gained her confidence and started to speak up. Now she greets me every class with a big smile and tells me stories about her day," said Natalia, describing a story from when she had just started to teach on DaDa. She continued, "Another student of mine lives in rural China. Because of this, he had never had an English teacher before. DaDa allowed his parents to connect with a qualified English teacher, which wouldn't be possible in his town. In six months, he's progressed from understanding no English, to being able to answer questions and read independently. For me, seeing this progress in my students is the most valuable thing about this job."

"In the UK, I worked in a management position but always wanted to be a teacher after gaining experience in teaching English abroad. I love working with DaDa because of my students. I have taught most of my students for over a year. I feel that many families are choosing online classes for convenience and the chance to connect with qualified, native English-speaking teachers. I believe that the teachers with DaDa are highly qualified. In fact, many are teachers working within brick and mortar schools in the US and around the world. These teachers choose to work with DaDa because of the convenience of working from home and working around family commitments," Natalia said.

Through support from DaDa, and her love for her Chinese students, Natalia decided to stay. She is now working at DaDa's headquarters in Shanghai and continues to contribute her efforts to empower more Chinese children through companionship and her passion for teaching.

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 1st tier cities in mainland China 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.

SOURCE DaDaLOS ANGELES, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The World Federation Against Drugs (WFAD), a global multilateral community of non-governmental organizations and individuals, held its 6th Annual World Forum Against Drugs in Gothenberg, Sweden on May 14 & 15. The Forum was conducted in conjunction with the European Communities Against Drugs 25th Annual Forum. Together, more than 250 communities and 50 countries participated from around the world.

The events involved in-depth discussions of best practices and strategies for implementing the updated international standards of prevention. For the first time in its history, the organization invited youth to participate in the proceedings and provide their unique challenges and perspectives on drug prevention.

D.A.R.E. America President and CEO Francisco Pegueros, representing D.A.R.E. America/International, a member of the WFAD, joined eight D.A.R.E. Youth Advocacy Board members and presented the positive impact of the advocacy training they had received during the past year, and the individual public advocacy projects each member developed. One such video PSA project presented by YAB member Danielle Littrell was a finalist in a national competition and can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tMsrpKYUUs&feature=youtu.be.

Mr. Pegueros, New Jersey D.A.R.E. YAB member Julia Manning, and D.A.R.E. YABs were joined on stage by Thuraya Ismail, Executive Director, Mentor Arabia Foundation, Lebanon, and Immaculate Nanziri, Senior Social Worker, Uganda Youth Development Link, to present on the topic of "Prevention in a Changing World."

In response to the presentation, Christogonus C. Ibe, Executive Director/Founder, African Youths Initiative on Crime Prevention, Lagos, Nigeria, commented, "I wish to commend you on the great job you are doing through your D.A.R.E programme which has really restored hope and sanity in many homes and communities in America and other countries in the world. I must confess that the presentation of your students was the greatest point of my participation in the conference considering the impact they are making in their different communities."

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program is the oldest and most comprehensive drug prevention curricula in the world taught in thousands of schools throughout America's 50 states and its territories, as well as in 50+ other countries reaching more than 1.5 million students annually. Visit dare.org.

The World Federation Against Drugs works for a drug-free world. Members share a common concern that illicit drug use is undercutting traditional values and threatening the existence of stable families, communities, and government institutions throughout the world. The ECAD is a network of European cities and municipalities. It currently counts as its members over 250 cities in over 20 countries throughout Europe, Turkey and Russia.

CONTACT: Richard Mahan, 1-310-490-2860, [email protected]

SOURCE D.A.R.E. America

Related Links

http://www.dare.org

Two Factors. One Home. Over the past decade, two primary factors have transformed family home dynamics: 1) millennials, those born in the early 1980s through the early 2000s, are waiting longer to leave the nest and 2) there has been an increase in grandchildren and grandparents living under the same roof (i.e., a multigenerational home).

Today, more than 22 percent of young adults ages 2436 still live at home, which is an 11 percent increase in the past 11 years1.

Multigenerational living, an even bigger trend, represents a way of life for 20 percent of the U.S. population2. Today's home dynamic is similar to 1950, when 21 percent of Americans lived in multigenerational households, compared to 12 percent in 1980. With one in five Americans reaching age 65 or older by 20303, multigenerational homes are predicted to steadily increase.

Living TogetherToday and Tomorrow.

Fortunately, some homebuilders are designing with more flexibility and comfort for life's ebb and flow. Stanley Martin Homes, one of the largest new-construction homebuilders in the mid-Atlantic, is now building two homes under one roof for the way homeowners live today and will for years to come.

"Our multigenerational home model allows a balance of support, independence and flexibility as homeowners' lifestyles evolve," says Michael Barrett, Stanley Martin Homes' regional president for the Washington, D.C. metro. "Not exclusive for multigenerational households, the design is ideal to comfortably accommodate live-in caretakers for young children or aging-in-place homeowners."

Features of the Stanley Martin multigenerational design, "The Russell," now being offered exclusively in Northern Virginia and the D.C. metro, features a main-level apartment attached to the main home through a hallway door, and includes a separate entry door, one-car garage, full bathroom, living area, laundry room and kitchenette.

"Having a complete apartment space, private from the main home, this model gives homeowners the ability to generate rental income until they have need for the extra living quarters," Barrett adds.

CLICK HERE to take the virtual tour.

Stanley Martin is now offering multigenerational homes in the following neighborhoods:

To learn more about features, options, pricing and standard features, call 571-327-3109 or click here

About Stanley Martin Homes

Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Stanley Martin Homes builds new condos, townhomes and single-family homes in Maryland, Northern Virginia, Charlottesville, Richmond, Raleigh, Atlanta and Charleston. Founded in 1966, it has been building homes and neighborhoods with quality and craftsmanship for more than 50 years. For more information, visit www.StanleyMartin.com.

Guildmaster Award Winner: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018

MHBR No. 3588

1 Zillow (2018)

2 Pew Research Center (2018)

3 AARP Foundation (2018)

SOURCE Stanley Martin Homes

Related Links

http://www.stanleymartin.com

DANBURY, Conn., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ticker Tocker, a new integrated trading productivity platform to support both leader and novice traders to quickly find, test, learn, share, and/or execute trades, announced its exclusive pilot program launch today. The innovative platform is the brainchild of industry veterans, Stephen Kalayjian and Joseph Murphy, who collectively have spent more than a decade to develop and fine-tune an offering unlike anything available to non-institutional traders in the market. Ticker Tocker was primarily created to support the growth in profitability for investors and leaders. Welcome to the future of trading.

With Ticker Tocker, users can practice any style of trading on nearly any type of asset. The platform currently supports Futures, FOREX, and Equities. Trading styles can range from intraday, scalp, and swing, to even automated trading algorithms. Unlike other platforms, Ticker Tocker is designed to tackle the inefficiencies in today's trading markets by offering greater transparency requiring all leaders to have verified profiles with all performance and trades verified through the platform. The platform is broker agnostic, supporting numerous global brokers including CQG, Interactive Brokers, E*TRADE, TD Ameritrade, Fidelity Investments, and Scottrade, among others.

With four distinct pillars, Charting, Drag & Drop, Leaders and Education, Ticker Tocker is designed to guide its users to be on the right side of the market and it is built with patented trading technology that allows its users to move faster than anyone else.

"Overall, volume is down for brokers across the board and Ticker Tocker grants traders the confidence to trade more by arming them with sophisticated, institutional-level tools, which are designed to be user-friendly so even a novice trader can use them," said Stephen Kalayjian, Co-Founder and Chief Market Strategist at Ticker Tocker. "Our platform provides a transparent, all-in-one solution for leaders to sell products and grants investors the chance to subscribe to a variety of verified trades and educational tools."

Ticker Tocker partnered with Eff Creative Group in 2016 to work together on the strategy, design, development and marketing of the platform. The two companies joined forces to formulate an integrated product which is slated to go live this September.

"It's been amazing working alongside this brilliant team," said Doron J. Fetman, CEO and Founder of Eff Creative Group. "After seeing the power of Ticker Tocker's back-end technology, our team jumped at the opportunity to partner with innovative pioneers in the fintech industry."

Due to the huge level of early interest, Ticker Tocker is initially starting its pilot program to grant exclusive early access by invitation only this July. Those that are selected will pay an initial discounted fee of $50 to gain access. Upon the official launch, subscribers to the platform will be offered a free trial and then monthly subscription fees will be $400 for leader status and $160 for general investor status.

To learn more, or to request an invitation to the pilot program, please visit: www.TickerTocker.com.

ABOUT TICKER TOCKER

Founded by industry veterans Stephen Kalayjian and Joseph Murphy, the concept of Ticker Tocker first came to inception when the duo realized that the trading industry needed a disruptive shift. For both newcomers and industry veterans, the trading world lacked transparency and required programming skills, but with Ticker Tocker the process has been simplified. The platform is compatible with CQG, Inc., E*TRADE, TD Ameritrade, Interactive Brokers, Fidelity Investments, FOREX, TradeStation, OptionsHouse, Scottrade, Tradier, and TradeKing. To learn more, visit: www.TickerTocker.com.

ABOUT EFF CREATIVE GROUP

Eff Creative Group is an award winning Inc. 500 company located in Times Square, New York. A team of experienced innovators, Eff Creative designs, develops, launches and markets groundbreaking digital or consumer products and campaigns for businesses with bespoke market solutions. With offices in New York, Singapore and Hong Kong, a world-class team and exclusive clientele hailing from the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, Eff Creative is a globally renowned vertically integrated creative agency. Eff Creative is experienced in a multitude of industries and is constantly reinventing the world of design, media, and technology through expertly tailored strategy. To learn more about Eff Creative Group, please visit: www.EffCreative.com.

Media Contact:

Sana Javaid

Director of Public Relations

[email protected]

SOURCE Ticker Tocker

Related Links

http://www.TickerTocker.com

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Diverse Computing has been named one of Inc. magazine's Best Workplaces for 2018. The prestigious award is the result of a wide-ranging and comprehensive measurement of private American companies that have created exceptional workplaces through vibrant cultures, deep employee engagement, and stellar benefits.

Out of thousands of applicants, Inc. singled out just under 300 winning companies. Sixteen total companies in Florida were named to the list, with Diverse Computing being the only Tallahassee company to make the cut. This is the second workplace culture award the software company has received in the last year, being named to Florida Trend magazine's Best Places to Work in Florida in 2017.

What does it take to become a company that workers want to be part of? Inc. magazine says it's more than good pay and good perks  it's also about having a clear purpose, a sense of humor, and leadership that makes them all work together.

"We founded this company on integrity, teamwork, and openness," said co-founder Dan Percy. "Our vision back in 2001 was to build a workplace where people actually look forward to coming in every day, where every employee feels supported by a family of people with common goals. We've succeeded in this by prioritizing work/life balance and building a culture of communication and collaboration."

The 2018 Inc. Best Workplaces Awards assessed applicants on the basis of benefits offered and employees' responses to a unique, 30-question survey fielded by each of the applying companies. Responses were evaluated by a research team at Quantum Workplace.

For its results to qualify, each company had to achieve a statistically significant response rate based on employee count. Survey scoring accounts for employer size in order to level the playing field between small and large businesses. All companies had to have minimum of 10 employees and be U.S.-based, privately held, and independent  that is, not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies.

"By including an employee survey into this year's Best Workplaces selection process, we've really raised the bar. Companies that don't score at the very top of their peer group don't make the cut. So, our hats are off to the winners. They all excelled at engaging their workers, making them feel appreciated, and aligning them behind a mission. And remember, that's not just our opinion: The employees told us that themselves," says James Ledbetter, Inc. editor-in-chief.

About Diverse Computing

Diverse Computing is a national leader in developing criminal justice software and compliance solutions. The company keeps officers and the public safe by providing products and services that meet the needs of law enforcement agencies across the country.

CONTACT: Jordan Engelke, 701-219-6207, [email protected]

SOURCE Diverse Computing, Inc.

Related Links

http://diversecomputing.com

LONDON, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Earthport, the global payments specialist, is pleased to announce the appointment of Amanda Mesler as Chief Executive Officer with effect from 1st July 2018. Amanda will join the Board as an Executive Director once the Regulatory Approvals have been received.

Amanda Mesler, Chief Executive Officer at Earthport

Amanda replaces Phil Hickman who had been serving as interim CEO, who will resume his previous role as non-Executive Chairman of Earthport. In conjunction with this appointment, Hank Uberoi will step down as Executive Chairman of Earthport. He will remain on the Board as a Non-Executive Director and Senior Advisor to the CEO and board.

Amanda has over 25 years of experience at senior management and board level for large international companies as well as smaller, high growth enterprises. Currently, Amanda is General Manager at Microsoft, where she recently managed the Enterprise Business in Central and Eastern Europe across thirty-three countries. Amanda will be stepping down from this role in June 2018. Prior to this, Amanda was the Chief Operating Officer of Misys, a private equity backed financial services software company with operations in over 120 countries.

Hank Uberoi, Executive Chairman of Earthport, said: "We are delighted to have such a talented and experienced global technology leader as Amanda join us to guide Earthport in the next stage of its growth. Everyone on the management team and board is excited to welcome her as CEO. I would also like to extend my thanks to Phil for running the company during this interim period and welcome him back into the chairman role. Phil and I very much look forward to supporting Amanda in her leadership of the firm."

Amanda Mesler, commented on her appointment: "I am thrilled to accept this opportunity to become Earthport's CEO. The scale of the opportunity at Earthport is substantial and I am confident that my experience, working for a wide variety of businesses within the technology and fintech sectors, will help the Company reach its true potential as a leading global payments network."

From 2007 to 2012 Amanda was on the Executive Committee and Operating Board of Logica plc, a FTSE 250 business with 4 billion revenues. From 2010 to 2012 she served as Logica's CEO of Global Business Consulting, managing 4,000 employees and a $750m P&L with the remit of growing business led technology services. From 2007 to 2012 she served as Logica's CEO of North America, successfully transforming an unprofitable software business into a high margin solutions business. Clients at Logica included some of the largest enterprises in the world within the Financial Services, Telecommunications and other industries.

Prior to this Amanda worked at Electronic Data Services where she led a $1 billion global business. Amanda also has extensive experience in compliance, having worked at KPMG from 1994 to 1999 where, in 2000, she created the Oil and Gas practice which become the fastest growing practice within KPMG.

Amanda's board experience includes serving as a Non-Executive Director on the Audit and Risk, Remuneration, and Nominations Committees at Pace plc, a former FTSE 250 provider of technology solutions to the PayTV and Broadband industries. She is currently a Non-Executive Director of Ensygnia Limited, a UK based technology company, as well as a Non-Executive director at National Grid plc, a FTSE 100 company. In addition, Amanda plays an active and longstanding role in women's rights advocacy and has engaged in significant work in this arena.

About Earthport:

Earthport provides cross-border payment services to banks and businesses. Through a single relationship with Earthport, clients can seamlessly manage payments to almost any bank account in the world, reducing costs and complexity to meet their customers' evolving expectations of price, speed and transparency.

Earthport offers clients access to global payment capability in 200+ countries and territories, with local ACH options in 65+ countries and an evolving suite of currencies and settlement options.

Earthport continues to invest in the establishment of in-country bank partnerships across the world, bringing together its deep market and regulatory expertise in order to maintain compliant and commercially competitive services.

The result - a global payments network accessed via a single relationship, delivering significant cost and operating efficiencies for banks and businesses servicing high volumes of lower value payments.

Headquartered in London with regional offices in New York, Dubai, Miami and Singapore, Earthport is a public company, traded on the London Stock Exchange (AIM: EPO).

SOURCE Earthport

Related Links

http://www.earthport.com

Europe's 14 best businesses were named last night in the Gala Final of the 2017/18 European Business Awards, sponsored by RSM, the sixth largest global network of independent audit, tax and consulting firms. This year's programme analysed 112,000 companies from 34 countries, spanning a wide range of industries and sectors.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/696198/European_Business_Awards.jpg )



At the exclusive event in Warsaw, over 450 successful business leaders from across Europe came together with politicians, ambassadors and academics to celebrate the remarkable business achievement on show in Europe's biggest and most prestigious business competition.

VIPs presented the trophies to the 12 category winners after a final live judging session, and a further Award was given to the 'European Public Champion'; the overall winner of the public vote. Additionally, Childbase Partnership from the UK received a Chairman's Select Award.

Adrian Tripp, CEO of the European Business Awards, said: "These companies are the gold standard for business excellence. They are also powerful examples of the growth potential for European business in today's highly competitive global marketplace. They deserve their success and we wish them well."

Jean Stephens, CEO of RSM International, long-term sponsors of the awards, said: "At RSM, we believe it is important to support and champion business growth in Europe. The successful companies at this event are a showcase of extraordinary entrepreneurialism, innovation and leadership and are each playing a part in driving growth in their economies. All those involved are a credit to their country and we wish them every success for the future."

THE WINNERS

Category Winner Country The RSM Entrepreneur of the Year Charlie Hansson, Chas Award Visual Management Sweden The ELITE Award for Growth Strategy of the Year John Paul France The Award for Innovation Aker Biomarine Norway The Germany Trade & Invest Award for International Expansion AquaBioTec Malta The Social Responsibility and Environmental Awareness Award Groupe SEB France The New Business of The Year Award Clicars Spain SL Spain The Workplace and People Development Neylons Facility Republic of Award Management Ireland The Customer and Market Engagement Award Riwal Netherlands Prepaid Financial The Digital Technology Award Services UK The Business of the Year Award with Turnover EUR 0 - 25M BeMatrix Belgium The Business of the Year Award with Turnover EUR26M - 150M Bonum Norway The Business of the Year Award with Turnover EUR150M + Tomra Norway European Public Winner True Potential UK The Chairman's Selection Award Childbase Partnership UK

The business competition began last year with over 112,000 business from 34 countries initially considered. Of those, 2898 businesses were then named 'Ones to Watch' in a list of business excellence published in December. After a further review from a panel of independent judges, 289 companies were announced as 'National Winners' for their countries, and finalists for the competition.

RSM firms provide audit, tax and consulting services to clients across the globe. Within Europe, RSM firms have experts in 43 countries who work as an integrated team, sharing skills, insight and resources, as well as a client-centric approach that is based on a deep understanding of clients' businesses.

The European Business Awards' primary purpose is to support the development of a stronger and more successful business community throughout Europe. Sponsors and partners include RSM, ELITE, Germany Trade & Invest, PR Newswire and Bureau Van Dijk.

For further information about the European Business Awards and RSM please go to http://www.businessawardseurope.com or http://www.rsm.global and follow us on twitter at @rsmEBA

About the European Business Awards:

The European Business Awards' primary purpose is to support the development of a stronger and more successful business community throughout Europe.

The European Business Awards programme serves the European business community in three ways:

 It celebrates and endorses individuals' and organisations' success

 It provides and promotes examples of excellence for the business community to aspire to

 It engages with the European business community to create debate on key issues

The European Business Awards is now in its 11th year. This year, it considered over 112,000 businesses from 34 countries. Sponsors and partners include RSM, ELITE, Germany Trade & Invest, PR Newswire, TRACC and Bureau Van Dijk.

Twitter: @rsmEBA

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/businessawardseurope

LinkedIn: the company page "The European Business Awards"

About RSM:

RSM is the sixth largest network of independent audit, tax and consulting firms, encompassing over 120 countries, 800 offices and more than 43,000 people internationally. The network's total fee income is US$5.1 billion.

As an integrated team, we share skills, insight and resources, as well as a client-centric approach that's based on a deep understanding of our clients' businesses. This is how we empower them to move forward with confidence and realise their full potential.

RSM is a member of the Forum of Firms, with the shared objective to promote consistent and high quality standards of financial and auditing practices worldwide.

RSM is the brand used by a network of independent accounting and advisory firms each of which practices in its own right. RSM International Limited does not itself provide any accounting and advisory services. Member firms are driven by a common vision of providing high quality professional services, both in their domestic markets and in serving the international professional service needs of their client base. http://www.rsm.global

About ELITE:

ELITE is a full-service programme designed to share best practice and increase growth opportunities for fast growing companies, with a focus on understanding the capital markets. ELITE is an innovative programme based on exclusive training and a tutorship model, supported by access to the business and financial community. Its aim is to prepare companies for their next stage of growth and investment.

For further information on the programme, companies and the full list of partners, please go to:

http://www.elite-growth.com

About PR Newswire:

PR Newswire is the leading global provider of PR and corporate communications tools that enable clients to distribute news and rich content. We distribute our client's content across traditional, digital and social media channels in real time with fully actionable reporting and monitoring.

Combining the world's largest multi-channel, multi-cultural content distribution and optimisation network with comprehensive workflow tools and platforms, PR Newswire enables the world's enterprises to engage opportunity everywhere it exists. PR Newswire serves tens of thousands of clients from offices in Europe, Middle East, Africa, the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region.

For more information on PR Newswire please visit http://www.prnewswire.co.uk

About Germany Trade & Invest:

Germany Trade & Invest is the economic development agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. The company helps create and secure extra employment opportunities, strengthening Germany as a business location. With more than 50 offices in Germany and abroad and its network of partners throughout the world, Germany Trade & Invest supports German companies setting up in foreign markets, promotes Germany as a business location and assists foreign companies setting up in Germany.

Other partners and sponsors:

Bureau Van Dijk:

Bureau Van Dijk is a Moody's Analytics company which captures and treats private company information for better decision-making and increased efficiency. With information on over 275 million companies in all countries worldwide it is the resource for private company data. Certainty is a highly-prized commodity in business and BVD provides its customers with the best quality data available. Register for a free trial at http://www.bvdinfo.com

Founder Patrons:

The four Founder Patrons are AirX, Megazyme, Alpha Trains Group and Remedica; all members of the European Business Awards community. These successful businesses are gleaming examples of the Awards' core values: Success, Innovation and Ethics. Through patronage, they help to foster and create more successful companies and business communities in Europe. For more information about the founder patrons please visit https://www.businessawardseurope.com/patrons

SOURCE European Business Awards and RSMBRNO, Czech Republic, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Flowmon Networks, a vendor of advanced monitoring and security solutions for network infrastructures, announced today that GEANT has deployed Flowmon DDoS Defender. The solution protects GEANT's infrastructure, Europe's largest and most advanced research and education (R&E) network, against DDoS threats.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/590352/Flowmon_Networks_Logo.jpg )



Together with over 40 National Research and Education Network (NREN) partners in Europe, the GEANT network serves 50 million users and 10,000 R&E institutions, providing them with highly reliable, unconstrained access to computing, analysis, storage, applications and other resources.

"These services are of a mission critical priority for our NREN partners, who were facing continual and increasing threats from DDoS attacks," says Evangelos Spatharas, Head of Security at GEANT.

To deal with the DDoS threat, GEANT decided to further strengthen its security infrastructure and deploy a specialized out-of-path anti-DDoS solution. With its IP backbone transferring petabytes of data every day, regularly operating at speeds over 500Gbps, the ability to monitor such large-scale traffic was a key requirement. Multitenancy, interoperability and full redundancy were all considered a must. After assessing leading vendors in the field, GEANT selected the anti-DDoS solution by Flowmon Networks.

"As a part of GEANT's security-as-a-service platform, Flowmon dramatically reduces response time to an ongoing attack. Thanks to this, the European research and education community can benefit from always available services and can protect their values," comments Frank Dupker, VP of Sales WEMEA at Flowmon Networks.

Flowmon DDoS Defender utilises machine learning when analysing so-called flow data generated from routers, switches and other network equipment. It continuously learns traffic profiles and immediately detects traffic violations caused by distributed denial of service attacks.

The deployment follows a long-term cooperation between Flowmon Networks and GEANT. "What makes our organisations similar is a strong focus on innovation. Flowmon always understands our needs and we can rely on their technology and support at all times," adds Spatharas.

About Flowmon Networks

Flowmon Networks develops network performance monitoring and network security products utilizing information from traffic flow.

About GEANT

GEANT is Europe's leading collaboration on network and related infrastructure and services for the benefit of research and education, contributing to Europe's economic growth and competitiveness. The organisation develops, delivers and promotes advanced network and associated e-infrastructure services, and supports innovation and knowledge-sharing amongst its members, partners and the wider research and education networking community.

Contact information: Lukas Dolnicek, PR & Communications, T: +420-530-510-616

SOURCE Flowmon NetworksWASHINGTON, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- After moving upward for two straight months, existing-home sales retreated in April on both a monthly and annualized basis, according to the National Association of Realtors. All four major regions saw no gain in sales activity last month.

April 2018 Housing Snapshot Lawrence Yun is chief economist and senior vice president of research at the National Association of Realtors(r). Yun oversees and is responsible for a wide range of research activity for the association including NAR's Existing Home Sales statistics, Affordability Index, and Home Buyers and Sellers Profile Report. He regularly provides commentary on real estate market trends for its 1 million Realtor(r) members. (PRNewsFoto/National Association of Realtors)

Total existing-home sales1, https://www.nar.realtor/existing-home-sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, decreased 2.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.46 million in April from 5.60 million in March. With last month's decline, sales are now 1.4 percent below a year ago and have fallen year-over-year for two straight months.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says this spring's staggeringly low inventory levels caused existing sales to slump in April. "The root cause of the underperforming sales activity in much of the country so far this year continues to be the utter lack of available listings on the market to meet the strong demand for buying a home," he said. "Realtors say the healthy economy and job market are keeping buyers in the market for now even as they face rising mortgage rates. However, inventory shortages are even worse than in recent years, and home prices keep climbing above what many home shoppers are able to afford."

The median existing-home price2 for all housing types in April was $257,900, up 5.3 percent from April 2017 ($245,000). March's price increase marks the 74th straight month of year-over-year gains.

Total housing inventory3 at the end of April increased 9.8 percent to 1.80 million existing homes available for sale, but is still 6.3 percent lower than a year ago (1.92 million) and has fallen year-over-year for 35 consecutive months. Unsold inventory is at a 4.0-month supply at the current sales pace (4.2 months a year ago).

Properties typically stayed on the market for 26 days in April, which is down from 30 days in February and 29 days a year ago. Fifty-seven percent of homes sold in April were on the market for less than a month.

"What is available for sale is going under contract at a rapid pace," said Yun. "Since NAR began tracking this data in May 2011, the median days a listing was on the market was at an all-time low in April, and the share of homes sold in less than a month was at an all-time high."

Realtor.com's Market Hotness Index, measuring time-on-the-market data and listings views per property, revealed that the hottest metro areas in April were Midland, Texas; Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Mass.; San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, Calif.; Columbus, Ohio; and Vallejo-Fairfield, Calif.

According to Freddie Mac, the average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage increased for the seventh straight month to 4.47 percent in April (highest since 4.49 percent in September 2013) from 4.44 percent in March. The average commitment rate for all of 2017 was 3.99 percent.

"With mortgage rates and home prices continuing to climb, an increase in housing supply is absolutely crucial to keeping affordability conditions from further deterioration," said Yun. "The current pace of price appreciation far above incomes is not sustainable in the long run."

First-time buyers were 33 percent of sales in April (highest since last July), which is up from 30 percent last month but down from 34 percent a year ago. NAR's 2017 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers  released in late 20175  revealed that the annual share of first-time buyers was 34 percent.

"Especially with mortgage rates going up in recent weeks, prospective buyers should visit with more than one lender to ensure they are getting the lowest rate possible," NAR President Elizabeth Mendenhall, a sixth-generation Realtor from Columbia, Missouri and CEO of RE/MAX Boone Realty. "Receiving a rate quote from multiple lenders could lead to considerable savings over the life of the loan. Ask a Realtor for a few recommendations of lenders to contact to get a quote."

All-cash sales were 21 percent of transactions in April, which is up from 20 percent in March and unchanged from a year ago. Individual investors, who account for many cash sales, purchased 15 percent of homes in April (unchanged from last month and a year ago).

Distressed sales5  foreclosures and short sales  were 3.5 percent of sales in April (lowest since NAR began tracking in October 2008), down from 4 percent last month and 5 percent a year ago. Three percent of April sales were foreclosures and 0.5 percent were short sales.

Single-family and Condo/Co-op Sales

Single-family home sales declined 3.0 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.84 million in April from 4.99 million in March, and are 1.6 percent below the 4.92 million sales pace a year ago. The median existing single-family home price was $259,900 in April, up 5.5 percent from April 2017.

Existing condominium and co-op sales increased 1.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 620,000 units in April (unchanged from a year ago). The median existing condo price was $242,500 in April, which is 3.4 percent above a year ago.

Regional Breakdown

April existing-home sales in the Northeast fell 4.4 percent to an annual rate of 650,000, and are 11.0 percent below a year ago. The median price in the Northeast was $275,200, which is 2.8 percent above April 2017.

In the Midwest, existing-home sales were at an annual rate of 1.29 million in April (unchanged from March), and are 3.0 percent below a year ago. The median price in the Midwest was $202,100, up 4.6 percent from a year ago.

Existing-home sales in the South decreased 2.9 percent to an annual rate of 2.33 million in April, but are still 2.2 percent above a year ago. The median price in the South was $227,600, up 3.9 percent from a year ago.

Existing-home sales in the West declined 3.3 percent to an annual rate of 1.19 million in April, and are 0.8 percent below a year ago. The median price in the West was $382,100, up 6.2 percent from The National Association of Realtors is America's largest trade association, representing 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

NOTE: For local information, please contact the local association of Realtors for data from local multiple listing services. Local MLS data is the most accurate source of sales and price information in specific areas, although there may be differences in reporting methodology.

1Existing-home sales, which include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, are based on transaction closings from Multiple Listing Services. Changes in sales trends outside of MLSs are not captured in the monthly series. NAR rebenchmarks home sales periodically using other sources to assess overall home sales trends, including sales not reported by MLSs.

Existing-home sales, based on closings, differ from the U.S. Census Bureau's series on new single-family home sales, which are based on contracts or the acceptance of a deposit. Because of these differences, it is not uncommon for each series to move in different directions in the same month. In addition, existing-home sales, which account for more than 90 percent of total home sales, are based on a much larger data sample  about 40 percent of multiple listing service data each month  and typically are not subject to large prior-month revisions.

The annual rate for a particular month represents what the total number of actual sales for a year would be if the relative pace for that month were maintained for 12 consecutive months. Seasonally adjusted annual rates are used in reporting monthly data to factor out seasonal variations in resale activity. For example, home sales volume is normally higher in the summer than in the winter, primarily because of differences in the weather and family buying patterns. However, seasonal factors cannot compensate for abnormal weather patterns.

Single-family data collection began monthly in 1968, while condo data collection began quarterly in 1981; the series were combined in 1999 when monthly collection of condo data began. Prior to this period, single-family homes accounted for more than nine out of 10 purchases. Historic comparisons for total home sales prior to 1999 are based on monthly single-family sales, combined with the corresponding quarterly sales rate for condos.

2 The median price is where half sold for more and half sold for less; medians are more typical of market conditions than average prices, which are skewed higher by a relatively small share of upper-end transactions. The only valid comparisons for median prices are with the same period a year earlier due to seasonality in buying patterns. Month-to-month comparisons do not compensate for seasonal changes, especially for the timing of family buying patterns. Changes in the composition of sales can distort median price data. Year-ago median and mean prices sometimes are revised in an automated process if additional data is received.

The national median condo/co-op price often is higher than the median single-family home price because condos are concentrated in higher-cost housing markets. However, in a given area, single-family homes typically sell for more than condos as seen in NAR's quarterly metro area price reports.

3Total inventory and month's supply data are available back through 1999, while single-family inventory and month's supply are available back to 1982 (prior to 1999, single-family sales accounted for more than 90 percent of transactions and condos were measured only on a quarterly basis).

4Survey results represent owner-occupants and differ from separately reported monthly findings from NAR's RealtorsConfidence Index, which include all types of buyers. Investors are under-represented in the annual study because survey questionnaires are mailed to the addresses of the property purchased and generally are not returned by absentee owners. Results include both new and existing homes.

5Distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales), days on market, first-time buyers, all-cash transactions and investors are from a monthly survey for the NAR's Realtors Confidence Index, posted at nar.realtor.

NOTE: NAR's Pending Home Sales Index for April is scheduled for release on May 31, and Existing-Home Sales for May will be released June 20; release times are 10:00 a.m. ET.

Information about NAR is available at www.nar.realtor. This and other news releases are posted in the newsroom under the "About NAR" tab. Statistical data in this release, as well as other tables and surveys, are posted in the "Research and Statistics" tab.

SOURCE National Association of Realtors

Related Links

http://www.realtor.org

CARROLLTON, Texas, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- FASTSIGNS International, Inc., franchisor of FASTSIGNS, the leading sign, graphics and visual communications franchise, announced today that it will be attending and sponsoring the International Franchise Expo from May 31  June 2 at The Javits Center in New York City. FASTSIGNS CEO Catherine Monson will speak at the event and share insights gained during her more than 30 years in franchising.

FASTSIGNS is recruiting franchisees for expansion throughout the U.S. and Canada, particularly in the Northeast, including the New York City metro area and Long Island. The brand also is seeking international partners worldwide to be master franchisees.

"Throughout North America, FASTSIGNS has over 400 markets ready for development, providing ample opportunities for entrepreneurs to join our leading brand. The International Franchise Expo is a strategic way to connect with thousands of entrepreneurs and future business owners both in the U.S. and abroad," said Mark Jameson, EVP of Franchise Support and Development, FASTSIGNS International, Inc. "We are thrilled to be exhibiting at the IFE and look forward to showing prospective franchisees some of our cutting-edge technology and why FASTSIGNS is the top-ranked franchisor in the sign, graphic and visual communications industry."

Entrepreneurs are encouraged to meet Catherine Monson and the brand's franchise development team at booth #214 to learn more about the benefits of being a franchisee. Additionally, FASTSIGNS will demonstrate one of the newest products available to franchisees  the Makitso Sslab 50" digital signage kiosk with 4K touchscreen display. Created by 22Miles, the Makitso Sslab has an adjustable, motorized stand that allows users to change the display from an angled pedestal format to a flat tabletop.

During the three-day event, Monson will speak on a panel alongside other franchise experts on Thursday, May 31 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to discuss issues ranging from the cultural challenges of international expansion to the practical aspects of doing business across borders. On Saturday, June 2 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., Monson will join FASTSIGNS multi-unit franchisee, Clint Ehlers, of Willow Grove and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to share how they work together to achieve a balance between the Franchisor and the Franchisee in order to create a successful brand and position FASTSIGNS as one of the top-ranked brands for franchisee satisfaction for over 10 years. Clint will also participate in additional panels throughout the expo.

In 2018, FASTSIGNS plans to open an additional 45 centers across the U.S. Internationally, FASTSIGNS is continuing to seek qualified candidates to grow its international footprint in target markets throughout the world, including Brazil, Quebec, North Africa, Southeast Asia, India, Europe and Latin America.

FASTSIGNS also offers special incentives to first responders, including paramedics, emergency medical technicians, police officers, sheriffs, and firefighters. This incentive is a 50-percent discount on the franchise fee  a savings of $23,750. FASTSIGNS International, Inc. is pleased to offer first responders this incentive to become a franchisee and to be the only franchisor in their segment to offer a development incentive specifically to first responders.

After 38 years as a first responder in the fire service and law enforcement departments, franchisee Russ Mason opened his first FASTSIGNS location in St. Peters, Missouri, in 2015. "After being a first responder for 38 years, I was looking for a change that challenged me," Mason explained. "Many first responders are very mechanically inclined and business-minded, and the FASTSIGNS business model is well suited for self-motivated and hands-on individuals."

FASTSIGNS International, Inc. was ranked the #1 franchise opportunity in its category and 70 overall on Entrepreneur magazine's 2018 Franchise 500, the world's first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking. Acknowledged by entrepreneurs and franchisors as a top competitive tool of measurement, the Franchise 500 recognizes FASTSIGNS, the only sign, graphics, and visual communications franchise to be recognized in the top 100, for its exceptional performance in areas including financial strength and stability, growth rate and brand power. FASTSIGNS also has been recognized for its franchisee satisfaction by being named a World Class Franchise by the Franchise Research Institute for five consecutive years and has been ranked by Franchise Business Review as one of the "Best of the Best" for franchisee satisfaction for the last 10 years. Additionally, FASTSIGNS also was named to Franchise Business Review's "Innovative Franchises" list in 2017 and a "Best-in-Category" franchise by Franchise Business Review in 2018. The Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) recently recognized FASTSIGNS International, Inc. with a special six-year Franchisees' Choice designation for its strong relationship with Canadian franchisees, as well as extensive franchisee training and support.

For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or 214-346-5679).

About FASTSIGNS

FASTSIGNS International, Inc. is the largest sign and visual communications franchisor in North America, and is the worldwide franchisor of more than 675 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS centers in eight countries including the US, Canada, England, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Grand Cayman, Mexico and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE).

FASTSIGNS locations provide comprehensive sign and visual graphic solutions to help companies of all sizes and across all industries attract more attention, communicate their message, sell more products, help visitors find their way and extend their branding across all of their customer touch points including decor, events, wearables and marketing materials. Learn more about sign and visual graphic solutions or find a location at fastsigns.com. Follow the brand on Twitter @FASTSIGNS, Facebook at facebook.com/FASTSIGNS or LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fastsigns.

CONTACT: Alisha Sheth

Fish Consulting

954-893-9150

[email protected]

SOURCE FASTSIGNS International, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.fastsigns.com

RMG workers` unrest feared

Payment of arrears & eid bonus

Special Correspondent :

The government agencies have beefed up vigilance at key garment industrial zones across the country fearing workers' unrest ahead of Eid centring non-payment of arrear salaries and festival bonuses.

Intelligence agencies and Industrial Police have already prepared a list of 100 vulnerable readymade garment (RMG) factories located in Ashilia, Savar, Tongi, Narayanganj and Chattogram.

They sent the list to the ministries concerned and Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) expressing the apprehension that labour unrests are likely to take place in these RMG units over non-payment of arrear salaries and Eid bonus.

"BGMEA's crisis management cell is closely monitoring the situation of the factories to avert any untoward situation ahead of Eid," Faruque Hassan, Senior Vice-President of BGMEA, told The New Nation yesterday.

He said these factories are vulnerable to workers' unrest, as the owners are not paying their workers on a regular basis.

"We have asked the garment factory owners to immediately pay arrear wages, salaries and Eid bonuses before the Eid holiday begins. The BGMEA will mediate with the owners, workers leaders and workers if any impasse is created in this process," said Faruque Hassan.

When asked, the BGMEA leader said the majority of the vulnerable factories are small and medium in size and many of them are engaged in subcontracting. They are passing through financial hardship resulted from inadequacy or lack of work orders in the wake of stringent safety and compliance rules enforced by the global buyers.

However, BGMEA President Md. Siddiqur Rahman ruled out the possibility of labour unrest.

"I see no possibility of labour unrest, as factory owners have been asked to clear arrear salaries and festival allowances before the beginning of Eid holiday, " he added.

Labour leaders, however, urged the authorities concerned and BGMEA to clear workers' arrear on time to maintain peace in the garment industrial zones.

"Owners of these factories may be adopted various tricks so that they can avoid workers' payment before the Eid. This can lead to disorder in the country's key garment industrial belts," Amirul Haque Amin, IndustriALL Bangladesh Council Chairman, told The New Nation yesterday.

He urged the government and the BGMEA to take immediate steps to clear the workers' due salaries, wages and festival allowances on time to avert any untoward situation.

On Thursday, hundreds of workers of Prepilor Garments in Narayanganj staged demonstration taking to Dhaka-Narayanganj road.

They took to the street in protest of sudden closure of the factory without payment of arrear salaries for three months

Meanwhile, the law-enforcing agencies, including industrial police, have been put on alert to tackle any untoward incident in the readymade garment sector ahead of Eid.



HOUSTON, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- VisioLogix Corporation, headquartered in Houston Texas, has announced the availability of a free cloud-based evidence management service for US law enforcement agencies. The free cloud service which is fully managed by VisioLogix will be available beginning June 15, 2018 for all US law enforcement agencies and comes without a time limit and 10 Terabytes of storage.

Users of the Enterprise Evidence Management System will have full access to the VisioLogix Cloud Customer Care Team which will provide free setup and support. There are no restrictions on Body Worn Camera vendors, in-car DVR's and other digital sources and VisioLogix will provide free software giving agencies the tools to work in the field and automate the ingestion of data into the system.

"Our goal in giving away free software is to support our law enforcement community and provide the best tools and support possible while building a diverse solution capable of integrating a wide variety of vendor hardware so that all agencies can benefit from a centralized system," said Hanh Dang, GM of VisioLogix.

"We are very excited to offer this opportunity to law enforcement agencies and look forward to developing a strong partnership with the community. Agencies can register for the service by going to our web site at www.visiologix.com and clicking on the register link," said Greg Baker, Director of Software Development of VisioLogix.

ABOUT VISIOLOGIX CORPORATION

Formerly known as HD Protech, VisioLogix was established in 2004 in Houston, Texas USA and is a technology innovator with over 40+ years of industry expertise delivering high-quality products. Our focus is on centralized management and control of physical security assets. Years of experience enable us to provide risk reduction and cost containment because we listen to our customer to ensure that their goals are integral to our vision. Our products and services are available worldwide. VisioLogix HQ is in Houston, Texas with manufacturing and engineering facilities in Hong Kong and China.

Contact: Greg Bakery

Phone: 713.590.4542

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE VisioLogix Corporation

Related Links

http://www.visiologix.com

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Future Farm Technologies Inc. (the "Company" or "Future Farm") (CSE: FFT) (CSE: FFT.CN) (OTCQX: FFRMF) is pleased to announce that NexTech AR Solutions ("NexTech"), the augmented reality company it plans to spin off, has secured an exclusive, five-year license to the eLearning education and training platform developed and offered by edCetra Training Inc. ("edCetra"). In addition, NexTech will have an option to buy edCetera itself for the next 12 months.

NexTech issued edCetra 100,000 common shares of NexTech stock at a deemed value of CDN$0.25 per share as the consideration for the exclusive license. If NexTech elects to exercise its option to purchase edCetra, the consideration will be an additional 100,000 shares, provided that the value of the shares at the time of exercise is at least CDN$0.25 per share.

edCetra has reported to NexTech that the platform has been used by Fortune 500 companies such as Imperial Oil, Bombardier and Staples, as well as the Library of Congress and others to educate and train employees. By licensing the technology, NexTech can accelerate its business plan and will spend the next few months customizing it to create an augmented reality ("AR") training and education platform for the cannabis industry, with a plan to expand into other industries in the future. The new augmented reality platform is expected to launch in the next 90 days.

The use of augmented reality as a training and education tool is expected to be a major growth driver for the AR industry. NexTech's management anticipates it will have a first mover advantage since it will provide customization and upgrades to an existing platform. The edCetra license includes the following features and functionality:

Fully realized learning on demand system

Supports multiple file types (video, webinar, text, PDF)

Pay as you go, and subscription enabled

Allows for multiple business models supporting retailers, wholesalers and publishers

Set any price for any piece of content

Out of the box reporting

Core features of the system include digital asset management, user administration, e-commerce and content delivery. Reuben Tozman, President and Founder of edCetra and an expert in the field of educational technology who recently joined NexTech's board of directors, comments, "I am excited to be a part of this next generation platform and help NexTech's technology bring AR to education and training. I see a lot of demand and a bright future for this."

The augmented reality market is set to grow substantially in the near future as companies such as Apple, Google, Microsoft and Intel are now aggressively launching software and hardware to support this dynamic and fast-growing industry. According to ResearchAndMarkets.com, spending is projected to jump from $11.14 billion in 2018 to $60.55 billion by 2023, representing a compound annual growth rate of 40%.

Once the spinoff is complete, Future Farm shareholders will own shares in NexTech AR Solutions, a newly formed company occupying a valuable niche in the cannabis market with augmented reality-enhanced packaging as well an ad-tech driven platform featuring a virtual budtender for dispensaries.

On behalf of the Board,

Future Farm Technologies Inc.

William Gildea, Chairman and CEO

About Future Farm Technologies Inc.

Future Farm is a Canadian company with holdings throughout North America including California, Massachusetts, Florida, Maine, Puerto Rico and Newfoundland. The Company's mission is to advance sustainable agriculture through production of wholesale and retail cannabis products, including hemp. As a leader in its field, Future Farm is committed to using only the highest quality processes and products. Towards this goal, the Company acquires or partners with licensed cannabis operators, and acquires or develops leading technologies in cannabis production, breeding, genetics, and Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). Future Farm's scalable, indoor CEA systems utilize minimal land, water and energy resources. The Company holds an exclusive, worldwide license to use a patented vertical farming technology that, when compared to traditional plant production methods, generates yields up to 10 times greater per square foot of land.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not in any way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

This news release may include forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required under the applicable laws.

For further information, contact

William Gildea

Director

+1-888-387-3761

SOURCE Future Farm Technologies Inc.NEW YORK, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Greenhouse, along with 40 of its customers including Asana, Bombas, Convene, Kabbage, Slice and PolicyGenius, has been named one of Inc. magazine's Best Workplaces for 2018, the publication's third annual ranking in the fast-growing private company sector.

Hitting newsstands today in the June 2018 issue, and as part of a prominent inc.com feature, the award is the result of a wide-ranging and comprehensive measurement of private American companies who have created exceptional workplaces through vibrant cultures, deep employee engagement, and stellar benefits. Out of thousands of applicants, Inc. singled out just under 300 winning companies.

What does it take to become a company that workers want to be part of? Inc. magazine says it's more than good pay and good perks  it's also about having a clear purpose, a sense of humor, and leadership that makes them all work together.

"Hiring and employee experience are some of the most impactful business functions," said Daniel Chait, CEO and co-founder of Greenhouse. "We're thrilled to be recognized as one of Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces. This is a great recognition of our efforts to prioritize company culture, both internally and at our customers, as we strive to provide every Greenhouse employee with an engaging, empowering, and inclusive place to work."



While researching the entries, Inc. and Quantum saw distinct themes develop:



Strong company cultures breed stunning individual and team performance.

Workers at the best companies don't view their employers as sugar daddies. They aren't mesmerized by whatever giveaways seem to be the latest fadbe it gourmet lunches or beer fridges.

When employees feel valued by their organization, they are far more likely to be engaged. This single factor proved to be one of the largest drivers of employee engagement.

"By including an employee survey into this year's Best Workplaces selection process, we've really raised the bar. Companies that don't score at the very top of their peer group don't make the cut. So, our hats are off to the winners. They all excelled at engaging their workers, making them feel appreciated, and aligning them behind a mission. And remember, that's not just our opinion: The employees told us that themselves," says James Ledbetter, Inc. editor-in-chief.

About Greenhouse:

Based in New York City and San Francisco, Greenhouse Software is the leader in enterprise talent acquisition software. Thousands of the smartest and most successful companies like Cisco Meraki, Buzzfeed, J.D. Power, Warby Parker and Airbnb use Greenhouse's intelligent guidance to design and automate all aspects of hiring throughout their organizations, helping them compete and win for top talent. Greenhouse has won numerous awards including #1 Best Place to Work by Glassdoor, Forbes Cloud 100, and Talent Acquisition FrontRunner leader by Software Advice. Greenhouse lives its mission that hiring great employees is a strategic business goal, and is ranked #15 in Crain's New York Best Places to Work 2017. To learn more, visit greenhouse.io.

About Inc. Media

Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today's innovative company builders. Winner of Advertising Age's "The A-List" in January 2015, and the National Magazine Award for General Excellence in both 2014 and 2012. Total monthly audience reach for the brand has grown significantly from 2,000,000 in 2010 to over 20,000,000 today. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com/.

About Quantum Workplace

Quantum Workplace is an HR technology company that serves organizations through employee engagement surveys, action-planning tools, exit surveys, peer-to-peer recognition, performance evaluations, goal tracking, and leadership assessment. For more information, visit www.quantumworkplace.com.

SOURCE Greenhouse Software

Related Links

http://www.greenhouse.io

MENLO PARK, Calif., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert Half Legal and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) have named Christina Drakeford as the Robert Half Legal Scholar and a member of MCCA's Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Program, Class of 2020. She has been awarded $10,000 to use toward law school tuition expenses, in addition to the opportunity to work with MCCA leaders and mentors as she prepares for a legal career.

Currently enrolled at Harvard Law School, Drakeford graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in policy analysis and management. She also was recognized as a Merrill Presidential Scholar, a distinction awarded to the top 1 percent of the University's graduates for their significant scholastic, leadership and community service achievements.

As an undergraduate, Drakeford was the founder and president of the TASC Test Tutors Club, an organization focused on helping immigrants in the community to pass the TASC Test Assessing Secondary Completion high school equivalency examination. She also worked as a judicial intern for Hon. Barbara Johnson-Lee at the Buffalo City Court and served as a research assistant and senior teaching assistant at Cornell, among other activities. She is interested in exploring the intersection of law and business by pursuing a career as a corporate lawyer.

"The legal profession will be well served in the coming years by individuals like Christina, who has demonstrated strong leadership skills and a commitment to excellence, both inside and outside the classroom," said Jamy Sullivan, executive director of Robert Half Legal. "We are honored to work with MCCA and invest in the future of the legal profession by supporting the next generation of promising lawyers."

"The LMJ Scholarship Program is a critical part of MCCA's work to ensure the next generation of legal leaders are as diverse as the world we live in," said MCCA President and CEO Jean Lee. "We are thrilled to have Robert Half Legal's support for advancing the academic and professional careers of outstanding law students like Christina and the diversity pipeline to the legal profession."

Open to diverse students interested in a corporate law career and diversity and inclusion issues, MCCA's Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Program provides financial support for first-year law students who are financially disadvantaged and pursuing a Juris Doctor degree. Program recipients receive a $10,000 award for their first year of law school. In addition, MCCA offers mentoring opportunities for scholarship recipients and helps place them in paid internship positions with corporate law departments during the summer immediately following successful completion of their first year of law school. Each scholarship recipient also receives ongoing professional development.

About MCCA

The Minority Corporate Counsel Association is an organization committed to advancing the hiring, retention and promotion of diverse lawyers in law departments and law firms by providing research, best practices, professional development and training, and through pipeline initiatives. Learn more by visiting mcca.com.

About Robert Half Legal

Robert Half Legal is the premier provider of legal staffing and consulting solutions for law firms and corporate legal departments. With North American and global locations, Robert Half Legal provides a customized approach, including managed review, legal project management and eDiscovery services, to help organizations handle constantly changing workloads. The company offers in-demand expertise across practice areas, as well as highly skilled legal professionals on a temporary, project and full-time basis. More information about our full suite of legal staffing and consulting solutions can be found at roberthalflegal.com.

SOURCE Robert Half Legal

Related Links

http://www.roberthalflegal.com

"We are thrilled to join such an elite and quality company like Golden Gate Sotheby's International Realty. I'm excited not only personally but for my agents, staff and the entire community of Napa Valley. Heritage Sotheby's International Realty has been a staple in Napa for many years and joining Golden Gate Sotheby's International Realty is a natural evolution built on a solid foundation of exemplary customer service and integrity. Joining forces with such a powerhouse will serve the community of Napa in ways unimaginable beforehand," said Norris.

Heritage Sotheby's International Realty was established in 2007 and is one of the most highly respected brokerages in the region, having built a reputation for dedicating its resources to provide the most professional and productive real estate services in Napa Valley.

This union strengthens Golden Gate Sotheby's International Realty's presence in Napa Valley and enhances its network which spans from Wine Country to Marin County, the East Bay, San Francisco, the Peninsula and Silicon Valley. It also furthers the brokerage's President and CEO Bill Bullock's vision for one unified San Francisco Bay Area brand within the Sotheby's International Realty Affiliate networkfueling an increasingly powerful referral network and shared knowledge of markets among the brokerage's nearly 500 agents.

"Our expanding brokerage brings together market leaders in each region we serve to form a powerful network of the finest caliber agents and most talented staff in the industry. With our growth into Napa Valley and union with Heritage Sotheby's International Realty, we can provide the highest level of service and local market access throughout the San Francisco Bay Area," said Bullock.

For media inquiries, please email [email protected]

About Golden Gate Sotheby's International Realty:

Golden Gate Sotheby's International Realty has over 480 agents in 22 offices throughout the San Francisco Bay Area serving the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma and San Francisco. For more information, please visit www.GoldenGateSIR.com

SOURCE Golden Gate Sothebys International Realty

Related Links

http://www.goldengatesir.com

SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hillstone Networks, a leading provider of network security solutions, today announced that its CloudHive has achieved VMware Ready status. This designation indicates that after a detailed validation process CloudHive V2.5 has achieved VMware's highest level of endorsement and is supported on VMware NSX for production environments.

"We are pleased that Hillstone CloudHive qualifies for the VMware Ready logo, signifying to customers that it has met specific VMware interoperability standards and works effectively with VMware cloud infrastructure. This signifies to customers that CloudHive can be deployed in production environments with confidence and can speed time to value within customer environments," said Kristen Edwards, director, Technology Alliance Partner Program, VMware.

"By using Hillstone CloudHive with VMware NSX, organizations can benefit from comprehensive threat visibility and fully automated advanced threat protection for both north-south and east-west traffic inside the data center and to the cloud," said Lingling Zhang, senior vice president, Product and Marketing, Hillstone Networks. "Through our collaboration with VMware, we're joining their industry-leading virtualization and cloud offerings with our first-class security solutions to empower organizations to operate without fear of data loss or a breach."

The VMware Ready program is a co-branding benefit of the Technology Alliance Partner (TAP) program that makes it easy for customers to identify partner products certified to work with VMware cloud infrastructure. Customers can use these products and solutions to lower project risks and realize cost savings over custom built solutions. With thousands of members worldwide, the VMware TAP program includes best-of-breed technology partners with the shared commitment to bring the best expertise and business solution for each unique customer need.

Hillstone CloudHive can be found within the online VMware Solution Exchange (VSX) at here. The VMware Solution Exchange is an online marketplace where VMware partners and developers can publish rich marketing content and downloadable software for our customers.

About Hillstone Networks

Founded in 2006, Hillstone Networks delivers innovative, proven and effective network security solutions to 15,000+ customers worldwide. These include Fortune 500 enterprises, financial and educational institutions, government and service providers. Hillstone has been recognized by Gartner four years in a row in its Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Network Firewalls, and has also achieved NSS Labs "Recommended" status in its 2016 Next-Generation Firewall public test.

About Hillstone CloudHive

Hillstone CloudHive provides micro-segmentation to secure each virtual machine (VM) in the cloud. It provides comprehensive visibility of East-West traffic and provides complete protection to stop lateral attacks between VMs. In addition, the CloudHive security service can scale easily to meet demand without business interruption.

VMware, NSX and VMware Ready are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.

Contacts:

Zeyao Hu

Marketing Manager

[email protected]

SOURCE Hillstone Networks

Related Links

http://www.hillstonenet.com

"While revenue isn't the best way to measure success, it does reflect how much hard work our team has put in over the past year to continue to grow this 78-year-old business," said CEO and President Rob Burton. "And it means that we are adding value to our growing list of repeat clients."

Teams, located across the country, continued to build in the retail, multifamily, healthcare, commercial, industrial, and government segments. Our biggest projects from 2017 included the openings of:

The Ascent at Victory Park, a high-rise, luxury apartment complex in Dallas built for Greystar

Avalon Phase II, part of the award-winning mixed-use development in Alpharetta, GA , in partnership with Avalon and North American Properties

The Morris, a high-rise apartment building in Midtown Nashville, with LMC

And a new office building for Info Tech, part of the multi-million Celebration Pointe development in Gainesville, FL , which we have been working on with Celebration Pointe Holdings since 2015.

ABOUT HOAR CONSTRUCTION

Hoar Construction, established in 1940, has offices in Birmingham, Houston, Austin, Orlando, Nashville, and Washington, D.C. The firm provides professional services in general construction, construction management, design/build, and program management, serving clients in government, healthcare, retail, commercial, multifamily, and industrial markets. Hoar currently has projects in 11states. For more information about Hoar Construction, please visit www.hoar.com or visit us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.

Contact:

Tiffany Fessler

205.423.2334

[email protected]

SOURCE Hoar Construction

Related Links

http://www.hoar.com

MIAMI, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Holland & Knight has established a Cybersecurity, Data Breach and Privacy team within the firm's Litigation Section to better serve clients in this growing area of the law. Partner Scott Lashway and senior counsel Kaylee Cox co-chair the team.

"We have long had significant expertise in this evolving area of the law and have advised companies on some of the most sophisticated cybersecurity issues, cyberattacks and data breaches in the past 15 years," said Steven Sonberg, Holland & Knight managing partner. "Representing clients in this area increasingly requires the firm to advise them of the litigation, investment and compliance risks associated with cybersecurity issues. Scott's and Kaylee's team will complement and work alongside our Cybersecurity and Privacy Policy team, chaired by senior policy advisor Norma Krayem, as well as our regulatory and transactional lawyers and other professionals who routinely represent clients on a broad range of engagements."

"More and more, companies are looking to us for help in such areas as cybersecurity compliance, internal investigations, regulatory enforcement matters, and litigation and class action defense, all areas in which we have significant strengths," said John Hogan, head of Holland & Knight's Litigation Section. "In addition, the EU's GDPR enforcement beginning May 25 will clearly impact our clients in ways not yet fully imagined, but for which we will be fully prepared to assist them in real time and as issues arise."

The new Cybersecurity, Data Breach and Privacy team will continue to utilize the resources of HKLab, an internal innovation lab. HKLab offers technologically sophisticated lawyers who are thought leaders in data security and blockchain.

About Holland & Knight LLP: Holland & Knight is a global law firm with more than 1,250 lawyers and other professionals in 27 offices throughout the world. Our lawyers provide representation in litigation, business, real estate and governmental law. Interdisciplinary practice groups and industry-based teams provide clients with access to attorneys throughout the firm, regardless of location.

SOURCE Holland & Knight LLP

Related Links

http://www.hklaw.com

NEW YORK, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hunt Mortgage Group, a leader in financing commercial real estate throughout the United States, announced today it provided two Freddie Mac Small Balance Loans and a Fannie Mae Conventional Green mortgage to refinance a three-property multifamily portfolio located Bakersfield, California. The Hunt Mortgage Group investment totaled approximately $17 million.

The properties include:

Village Lane Apartments. Hunt Mortgage Group provided a Freddie Mac Small Balance Loan in the amount of $6 million to refinance Village Lane Apartments, a 200-unit multifamily property located at 5101 Marsha Street. The property consists of 33, one- and two-story buildings with 79 one-bedroom units, 120 two-bedroom apartments and one three-bedroom unit.



With the refinance of Village Lane Apartments, the borrower will receive about $300,000 in cash-out proceeds that will be used to further renovate the subject property with green improvements. The borrower has owned the property since 1979 and in 2017 invested $60,000 in solar panels. Property amenities include two laundry rooms and a pool.

River Oaks Apartments. River Oaks Apartments is a 46-unit multifamily property located at 336 Roberts Lane and 314 & 400 Locust Street. Hunt Mortgage Group provided a Freddie Mac Small Balance Loan in the amount of $1.86 million to refinance this property. The borrower will cash out approximately $150,000 at loan closing to renovate and to make green improvements on site. To date, the borrower has already purchased $60,000 in solar panels that will be installed post close.



The property includes 15, one and two-story buildings consisting of all two-bedroom units. Property amenities include a central laundry room with two washers and two dryers.

Park Villa Apartments. Hunt Mortgage Group provided a Fannie Mae Conventional Green mortgage in the amount of $9 million to refinance a 224-unit apartment community known as Park Villa Apartments. The loan will be executed as a Green Rewards Mortgage Loan with the borrower completing energy-saving improvements to the property post close.



The property is located at 1405 White Lane and is comprised of 48, one-story residential buildings, including 223 one-bedroom one-bathroom apartments, (1) two-bedroom, (1) bathroom unit and (1) two bedroom one-and-a-half bathroom apartment. Park Villa Apartments was built in 1973 and has 371 open parking spaces.



In the 2014-2016 timeframe, the borrower spent more than $250,000 on capital improvements, including repaving the asphalt, new carpets and flooring, roof tune-ups, and new water heaters. Property amenities include two outdoor and one indoor swimming pool, clubhouse, business center, fitness center, tennis court, laundry rooms and a BBQ/picnic area.

"The borrowers are experienced commercial real estate owners that reside in Bakersfield and have approximately 40 years of experience in multifamily real estate," noted Chris Warren, Vice at Hunt Mortgage Group. "These sponsors currently own and operate five apartment projects in California with a total of 475 units. The sponsors have owned investment properties over the past 30 years in the area, strongly rooting them to the local community."

The structure of the two Freddie Mac loans is a ten-year fixed-rate loan, with no interest only and a 30-year amortization schedule, and the conventional mortgage has a 12 year with a 30-year amortization term.

"We structured this unique deal that included a combination of the Freddie Mac Small Balance and Fannie Mae Conventional Green products to best serve the needs of the client," added Warren. "We were pleased to work with this quality borrower to provide the financing to improve these three quality properties."

About Hunt Mortgage Group

Hunt Mortgage Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hunt Companies, Inc., is a leader in financing commercial real estate throughout the United States. The Company finances all types of commercial real estate: multifamily properties (including small balance), affordable housing, office, retail, manufactured housing, healthcare/senior living, industrial, and self-storage facilities. It offers Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, HUD/FHA in addition to its own Proprietary loan products. Since inception, the Company has structured more than $21 billion of loans and today maintains a servicing portfolio of more than $13.4 billion. Headquartered in New York City, Hunt Mortgage Group has 232 professionals in 25 locations throughout the United States. To learn more, visit www.huntmortgagegroup.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Brent Feigenbaum

Hunt Mortgage Group

212-317-5730

[email protected]



Pam Flores

773-218-9260

[email protected]

SOURCE Hunt Mortgage Group

Related Links

http://www.huntmortgagegroup.com

Hasina`s India visit and getting water from Teesta

INDIA has kept talks on sharing of water of common rivers with Bangladesh stalled for over eight years holding back the signing of interim agreements on Teesta and Feni Rivers and making negotiations on five more rivers uncertain. India has been declining since 2010 to hold a water resources ministers-level meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission sought by Bangladesh, diplomatic sources said. The ministers are co-chairs of the commission, as per a report of a local daily.

Successive Indian Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Manmohan Singh continued to promise to conclude interim agreements on sharing waters of seven transboundary rivers, Teesta River in particular, in spite of requests of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on almost every occasion they met.

Hasina is expected to reiterate the request to Modi in a meeting at Shantiniketan in West Bengal of India on Friday for concluding the Teesta Agreement as agreed upon by both the governments in January 2011. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is also scheduled to attend a function Visva Bharati University with the two prime ministers.

It is fairly obvious that India will not co-operate in this regard as they have Mamata Banerjee to contend with. To ensure that her vote bank remains devoted to her she will have no choice but to allow West Bengal farmers to have first use of the transboundary rivers as it still remains the cheapest option for irrigating lands. And the Teesta remains the biggest river, and the one with the most volume of flow, so essentially it is something that Mamata wants out of any negotiation.

Teesta's flow in northern West Bengal drops drastically in the lean season, and parts of the river are reduced to a trickle. The Teesta is vital for irrigating 1.20 lakh hectares of land in northern West Bengal and the draft treaty in its current form can seriously impact agriculture in this area. However, giving more of the Teesta to Bangladesh can hurt Banerjee and her party TMC electorally, especially in northern Bengal where they do not enjoy huge popular support among the ethnic Nepalis and Gorkhas, Hindu Bengalis who have arrived from East Pakistan/Bangladesh, tribal communities, and Marwaris who have settled here for trade.

Even though the Indian government has constitutional powers to override West Bengal's position in matters of transboundary rivers, reality dictates that it cannot ignore a border state as strategically and economically important as West Bengal which contributes 40 percent of the GDP of East and North East India. But this situation can't go on forever. The Indian Central Government formulated a plan to put reservoirs in place in West Bengal during the lean season to ensure the flow of water to Bangladesh. It makes no sense for the Indian government to not support the Bangladesh Government--but Mamata is standing in the way. It should not be difficult in this age to put together a technical plan to get water out of the Teesta during the lean season for both Bangladesh and India for their interests.





ICEYE's Series B funding round includes financial backing from previous investors True Ventures, Draper Nexus, Draper Associates, Seraphim Capital and Space Angels. The funding round is joined by new ICEYE investors OTB, Tesi, Draper Esprit and Promus Ventures. To date, ICEYE has raised a total of $53M, including government financing from Finland and the EU's Horizon 2020 program.

"This funding secures our goal of deploying the world's largest SAR satellite constellation before the end of next year," said Rafal Modrzewski, CEO and Co-founder, ICEYE. "I'm most excited for our customers, who can now start to make their plans a reality."

In January, ICEYE successfully completed a historic landmark in aerospace by becoming the first organization in the world to launch a SAR satellite with a launch mass of under 100kg. With darkness or clouds covering two-thirds of the planet at any given time, SAR technology delivers reliable imaging even when optical imaging cannot. Providing timely imaging data to both governments and commercial entities, ICEYE is helping its customers solve some of the world's toughest challenges in sectors such as the maritime industry, disaster management, insurance, finance, security and intelligence.

"ICEYE is developing and deploying SAR satellite technology that has been dreamed about for decades, but which was thought to be impossible to deliver," said Rohit Sharma, venture partner at True Ventures and ICEYE board member. "We are excited to accelerate our three-year-old partnership with ICEYE and lead their current round of financing as they continue to change the way Earth observation data is gathered, analyzed, and delivered."

Following the January 2018 launch of ICEYE-X1, ICEYE is launching two additional satellites this year. ICEYE is aiming for a total of 9 upcoming satellite launches by the end of 2019 and is actively seeking out launch operators to continue the company's rapid acceleration towards the future.

About ICEYE

ICEYE empowers others to make better decisions in governmental and commercial industries by providing access to timely and reliable satellite imagery. The company is tackling this crucial lack of actionable information with world-first aerospace capabilities and a New Space approach. ICEYE's radar satellite imaging service, with coverage of selected areas every few hours, both day and night, helps clients resolve challenges in sectors such as maritime, disaster management, insurance, finance, security and intelligence. ICEYE is the first organization in the world to successfully launch synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellites with a launch mass under 100 kg. For more information, please visit: www.iceye.com

About True Ventures

Founded in 2005, True Ventures is a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm that invests in early-stage technology startups. With more than $1.4 billion under management, True provides seed and Series A funding to the most talented entrepreneurs in today's fastest growing markets. The firm maintains a strong community that supports founders and their teams, helping True companies achieve higher levels of success and impact. To date, True has helped more than 250 companies launch and scale their businesses, creating over 10,000 jobs worldwide. To learn more about True Ventures, visit www.trueventures.com.

About Draper Nexus

Draper Nexus is an early stage venture capital fund focusing on Enterprise Tech and Hardware/Industrials. We bring a collaborative approach to work with entrepreneurs who are harnessing technology and data to transform and unlock value in established industries. We leverage our Corporate LP/industry relationships in Japan and the global reach of the Draper Venture Network to create a customer development advantage for our portfolio companies. For more information, please visit: www.drapernexus.com

About Draper Associates

Draper Associates is an early stage venture capital firm founded by Tim Draper. We invest across industries with a focus on startups that use decentralization and automation to transform industries. Our investments include Coinbase, Ledger, ICEYE, Verge Genomics, AI Motive, Neurala amongst others. For more information visit: www.draper.vc

About Seraphim Capital

Seraphim is a London-based venture capital fund manager. Seraphim invests at Series A stage into IP-led businesses that have the potential to redefine large existing markets or create entirely new ones. Seraphim's latest fund, the Seraphim Space Fund is the world's first specialist space-tech venture fund. We focus on backing both space and aerial platforms collecting and communicating data from above, in addition to the broader enabling technologies that support the full space-tech ecosystem. The $90M fund has pioneered a multi-corporate venture fund model, harnessing the collective experience and expertise of leading space industry players including the likes of Airbus, SES and Telespazio to provide the start-ups the fund invests in with unparalleled access to and guidance from the top echelons of the space sector. Our team includes entrepreneurs who have scaled space-tech companies to billions of users and $billion-valued exits, alongside experienced venture capitalists who collectively have invested in more than 200 early and growth stage companies. For more information, please visit: www.seraphimcapital.com

About Draper Esprit

Draper Esprit is one of the most active venture capital firms in Europe, developing and investing in disruptive, high growth technology companies. We believe the best entrepreneurs in Europe are capable of building the global businesses of the future. We fuel their growth with long- term capital, access to international networks and decades of experience building businesses. We back ambitious teams including Revolut, Trustpilot, Graze, Ledger, Transferwise and Graphcore. In order to provide entrepreneurs with a more flexible approach to funding and to back them for longer, we re-invented the traditional venture capital by ourselves going public in 2016. www.draperesprit.com

About Space Angels

Space Angels is the leading source of capital for early-stage space ventures. Founded in 2007, our portfolio includes many of the most prominent entrepreneurial companies in the sector. Through a robust and streamlined web platform, Space Angels provides unparalleled deal access and comprehensible intelligence to its accredited investor members, making it easy to discover, select, and invest in the most compelling space startups. For more information, please visit: www.spaceangels.com

About OTB

OTB Ventures with over 20 years of partners' international VC and entrepreneurial track record, is a leading venture capital firm in Central & Eastern Europe investing in early growth, post product, high-tech start-ups with unique technologies. OTB Ventures typically provides series A funding to empower and support talented entrepreneurs to scale their businesses globally, while keeping strong focus on technology advancement. www.otb.vc

About Tesi

Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment Ltd) is a venture capital and private equity company that accelerates companies' success stories by investing in them directly and via funds. Tesi always invests together with other investors, providing them with access to high quality deal-flow in Finland. Our investments under management total 1.2 billion and we have altogether 700 companies in portfolio.

https://www.tesi.fi/ @TesiFII

About Promus Ventures

Promus Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Chicago and San Francisco investing in deep-technology software and hardware companies. The firm has invested in more than 65 private technology companies, including areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, space systems, robotics, computational biology, blockchain, autonomous vehicles, computer vision, security/defense, healthtech, fintech, virtual reality/alternative reality and others. For more information, find Promus Ventures at promusventures.com and @promusventures.

SOURCE ICEYE

Related Links

https://www.iceye.com

BOSTON, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- InAuth, a leading digital device intelligence company, today announced it has enhanced its InAuthenticate solution to include malware, root and jailbreak detection and geolocation analysis with encrypted secure messaging. The new features will help businesses prepare for Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2) compliance in the European Union as well as other scenarios that require a secure, second factor of authentication with a seamless customer experience.

InAuthenticate is a message and data transport technology that offers a secure alternative to other two-factor authentication methods, such as email and SMS. InAuthenticate is easy to add to an organization's mobile app and enables strong customer authentication for payment authorizations, logging into accounts, bank transfers, account changes, customer acknowledgments or consent.

Under PSD2's Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS), account and payment service providers must comply with increased security requirements including using Strong Customer Authentication (SCA), when processing payments or providing account-related services. SCA requires that users be authenticated using at least two separate authentication factors, such as:

Knowledge: something they know (a password or PIN code);

Ownership: something they have (a mobile phone); and

Inherence: something they are (biometrics, e.g. fingerprint or iris scan).

Leveraging InAuth's Trusted Path architecture and permanent device identifier, InPermID, InAuthenticate messages are encrypted end-to-end, digitally signed, and protected against repeated attacks. InPermID allows the mobile device to act as a trusted second factor of authentication, satisfying the ownership or "something you have" element of authentication for PSD2 and multifactor authentication. Only a registered device associated with an InPermID can receive InAuthenticate messages, allowing for secure, contextual messages.

InAuthenticate also satisfies many other security requirements of PSD2 by providing device risk analysis, malware detection, anti-tamper protection, and cloak root and hidden jailbreak detection.

Under PSD2, payment services providers are required to have strong customer authentication for online purchases over a certain amount. To verify these transactions, InAuthenticate sends a message about the purchase to the mobile bank app on a customer's registered, trusted mobile device. The customer simply opens and approves or declines the transaction within their bank mobile app.

"InAuthenticate will help clients address the Strong Customer Authentication requirements for PSD2 while mitigating against security threats," said Lisa Stanton, President, InAuth. "Our ability to utilize the device as a second factor of authentication and securely push contextual authentication messages to registered, trusted devices allows account and payment service providers to meet many of the requirements of PSD2."

About InAuth

InAuth is a leading digital device intelligence company deployed in many of the largest financial institutions and merchants 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

Office: (321) 473-7407

[email protected]

SOURCE InAuthNEW YORK, May 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Industrial Cyber Security Market: Overview

This comprehensive report on Industrial Cyber Security (Solutions and Services) Market [(By Component  Hardware Solutions, Software Solutions, and Services; By Security Layer  Network Security, End-point Security, Cloud Security, Application Security and Others; By End Use Industry - Process Industries and Discrete Industries)]  Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2018  2026 by Transparency Market Research, analyzes and provides growth forecast for the industrial cyber security market at the global and regional level which includes Asia Pacific, South America, North America, Middle East & Africa (MEA), and Europe.The report provides analysis for the period 20162026, wherein 2018 to 2026 is the forecast period and the base year is 2017.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05400968



An in-depth and unbiased market assessment has been made to offer readers insightful and accurate analysis.The report focuses on all the major trends and services playing a key role in industrial cyber security market growth over the period 2018 - 2026.



It also focuses on restraining factors, market drivers, and opportunities of the industrial cyber security market's growth during the said period.



The report includes a detailed ecosystem analysis, which offers a widespread view of the global industrial cyber security market.Porter's Five Forces analysis is also provided to understand the competitive scenario in the global industrial cyber security market.



The study incorporates market attractiveness analysis of the industrial cyber security market, wherein the segments, for instance software solutions, hardware solutions, and services, are benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate, and attractiveness in terms of opportunity. In order to give a complete analysis of the overall competitive scenario in the industrial cyber security market, every geographic region mentioned in the report, is provided with an attractiveness analysis.



Overview of the industrial cyber security market, detailing key market trends and dynamics has been included to provide a clear understanding of ecosystem forces.Dynamics includes impact analysis of market restraining factors, drivers and opportunities of the industrial cyber security market.



Additionally, the report also provides analysis of different business strategies being adopted by market leaders of this market. Trends and services related to industrial cyber security solutions along with their applications have also been explained in the report.

Global Industrial Cyber Security Market: Scope of the Report

The study provides a decisive view on the global industrial cyber security market, broadly segmented by component as software solutions, hardware solutions, and services, by security layer as network security, end-point security, cloud security, application security and others, and by end use industry as process industries and discrete industries. Further, the report provides detailed breakdown of the industrial cyber security market across geographic regions, which include North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America, thus providing valuable insights at micro and macro levels.



The report highlights the competitive scenario within the industrial cyber security market, thus ranking all the major players according to their key recent developments and their geographic presence.Insights for the industrial cyber security market are the result of our extensive primary interviews, secondary research, and in-house expert panel reviews.



These market estimates have been analyzed by considering the impact of different economic, political, social, legal and technological factors.



On the basis of country, the North America market is segmented into the U.S., Canada, and Rest of North America. Furthermore, the Europe market is analyzed across France, Germany, U.K., and Rest of Europe. APAC industrial cyber security market is also segmented at country level which includes China, Japan, India, and Rest of Asia Pacific. Middle East & Africa covers the G.C.C., South Africa, and Rest of Middle East & Africa. Similarly, South America region includes Brazil and Rest of South America. This report provides all the strategic information required to understand the industrial cyber security market along with its components, security layer, and end-use industry.



Global Industrial Cyber Security Market: Research Methodology

The research methodology is a perfect combination of primary research, secondary research, and expert panel reviews.Secondary sources such as annual reports, company websites, SEC filings and investor presentations, internal and external proprietary databases, statistical databases, relevant patent and regulatory databases, market reports, government publications, World Bank database, and industry white papers are usually referred for developing preliminary market understanding.



Further, for this report we have specifically focused on data from cyber security breaches survey and industry bodies.



Primary research involves telephonic interviews, e-mail interactions, and face-to-face interviews for detailed and unbiased reviews on the industrial cyber security market across geographies.Primary interviews are usually conducted on an ongoing basis with industry experts and participants in order to get latest market insights and validate the existing data and analysis.



Primary interviews offer new and fresh information on important factors such as market trends, market size, competitive landscape, growth trends, etc.These factors help to validate and strengthen secondary research findings.



Moreover, the data collected and analyzed from secondary and primary research is again discussed and examined by our expert panel.

Global Industrial Cyber Security Market: Competitive Dynamics

The research study includes profiles of major companies operating in the global industrial cyber security market.Market players have been profiled in terms of attributes such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies, and recent developments.



Parameters such as investment & spending and developments by major players of the market are tracked. Some of the key players in the industrial cyber security market are Schneider Electric SE, Rockwell Automation, Inc., CyberArk Software Ltd., ABB Ltd., Cisco Systems, Inc., Symantec Corporation, IBM Corporation, Dell Inc., Honeywell International Inc., Siemens AG, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and Maverick Technologies among others.

The industrial cyber security market has been segmented as follows:

Global Industrial Cyber Security Market

By Component

Hardware Solutions

Routers

Gateways

Ethernet Switches

Other Networking Devices

Software Solutions

Intrusion Detection Systems/Intrusion Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS)

Firewall

Backup And Recovery

Antivirus/Malware

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)Encryption

Virtualization Security

Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Unified Threat Management (UTM)

Application Whitelisting

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)

Others (Patch Update Management, Database Activity Monitoring (DAM))

Services

Maintenance & Integration

Consulting & Training

Assessments and Audits

Managed Services

Risk Management Services

By Security Layer

Network security

End-point security

Cloud security

Application security

Others (database security and web security)

By End Use Industry

Process Industries

Oil and Gas

Chemical

Food and Beverages

Pulp and Paper

Pharmaceutical

Energy and Power

Water and Wastewater Treatment

Discrete Industries

Automotive

Aerospace and Defense

Electronics and Electrical

Medical Devices

Metal and Mining

FMCG

By Geography

North America

U.S.

Canada

Rest of North America

Europe

Germany

The U.K.

France

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

Rest of Asia Pacific

Middle East and Africa (MEA)

GCC Countries

South Africa

Rest of MEA

South America

Brazil

Rest of South America



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05400968



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

Related Links

http://www.reportlinker.com

PITTSBURGH, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- "I disliked the way sweat pooled up beneath my breasts while wearing a conventional bra," said an inventor from Sioux Falls, S.D. "I thought that there had to be a better way to absorb perspiration so that it would not cause discomfort or stain clothing."

She developed the patent pending PERSPIRATION ABSORBENT BRA STRAP to absorb perspiration to keep the wearer dry. The accessory eliminates discomfort caused by sweat. The unit keeps undergarments and apparel from becoming soiled due to perspiration. It prevents sweat stains from forming on clothing as well. The invention also does away with body odor to keep the user smelling fresh and pleasant. Additionally, it spares the wearer from embarrassment.

The original design was submitted to the National Sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 17-JMC-2065, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.

SOURCE InventHelp

Related Links

http://www.inventhelp.com

PITTSBURGH, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pain and stiffness in the lower joints often prevents people from engaging in physical activities they used to enjoy. That is exactly why an inventor from Norwalk, Conn., decided to look for a new way to help these people improve their mobility.

He developed patent pending JOINT FORCER to provide a comfortable way to exercise the hip and knee joints. As such, it relieves joint pain in the lower body and provides the independence to exercise unassisted. At the same time it improves flexibility and helps maintain proper circulation and strengthens muscles in the lower body joints. This innovative piece of fitness equipment is also sturdy, practical and easy to operate. In addition, it is convenient, effective and affordably priced.



The inventor's personal observations inspired the idea. "I saw a doctor on television advise viewers that swimming was the best exercise for hips and knees. However, since not everyone has easy access to a pool, I thought this idea was an even better alternative," he said.

The original design was submitted to the Connecticut office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 17-CPC-299, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.

SOURCE InventHelp

Related Links

http://www.inventhelp.com

TORONTO, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - iSIGN Media Solutions Inc. ("iSIGN" or "Company") (TSX-V: ISD) (OTC: ISDSF), a leading provider of interactive mobile proximity marketing and public security alert solutions is pleased to announce that it is working with its reseller, Rich Multimedia Technologies ("RMT") and its partner 21st Century Moves LLC (21st Century) to bring our Security Alert Messaging ("SAM") and Smart Antenna hardware to Las Vegas, Nevada.

21st Century has partnered with RMT, iSIGN and other selected technology companies to present our technology and hardware in a comprehensive technology solution to allow Las Vegas to meet their goal of being the first United States city to implement a Digital Safe City Initiative. SAM is uniquely positioned to be the primary choice for citywide safety coverage due to its ability to leverage many forms of communication simultaneously to alert citizens with actionable measures based on their current locations.

Discussions have been held with the City, as well as with a candidate running for election in the June 12, 2018 local elections, whose campaign is centered on public safety. Additionally, 21st Century will be presenting SAM to the Clark County School District to have SAM implemented throughout their school system.

"More details will be made available as the project unfolds," stated Mr. R. O. Brooks Freshwadda, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of 21st Century Moves LLC. "With a population of over 2.1 million residents in Clark County and approximately 42 million visitors annually, Vegas is the perfect candidate for a Digital Safe City initiative, with SAM as its core technology."

Clark County School District is the fifth largest school district in the United States, with an enrollment of over 320,000 students in its system of 358 schools and more than 42,000 employees.

About iSIGN Media

iSIGN Media, based in Toronto, is a data-focused, software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that is a pioneering leader in gathering point-of-sale data and mobile shopper preferences to generate actionable data and reveal valuable consumer insights. Creators of the Smart suite of products, a patented interactive proximity marketing technology, iSIGN enables brands to deliver targeted messaging, personalized offers and loyalty perks to consumers' mobile devices in proximity and with real-time proof of redemption. iSIGN's data gathering capabilities provide analytics on price points, typical purchases, in-store dwell time and other shopper metrics that identify emerging consumer behaviors. These insights enable smarter business decisions and provide increased ROI metrics for more transparent marketing. iSIGN delivers relevant, timely messages on an opt-in basis at no charge to consumers, transmitting rich media to consumer mobile devices via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity in complete privacy as opposed to iBeacons, apps, downloads and required surrendering of personal information. Proven to increase brand engagement and customer loyalty, iSIGN generates preference-based, predictive "clean data" without compromising consumer privacy. Partners include: IBM, Keyser Retail Solutions, Baylor University, Verizon Wireless, TELUS and AOpen America Inc. www.isignmedia.com

About 21st Century Moves LLC

21st Century Moves LLC is a solutions-based company whose motto is "21st Century Moves, Demand 21st Century Plans" and is also the mother company to Dust Raiders and American National Consumer Health Management or ANCHM, locally based in Las Vegas, Nevada. www.21stcenturymoves.com

About Rich Multimedia Technologies

Rich Multimedia and its executive team have a 25 year plus proven track record in the telecommunications; advertising; in-airport media and retail travel business. With our partners we represent the leading international brands' and In-airport retail concessionaires. We are committed to working in close partnerships with brands, airport operators and suppliers to bring the mobile traveller on-the-go an unrivalled shopping choice and experience. We are relentless in our search for new concepts that will help develop existing and new markets. www.richmediatechnologies.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may include certain forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations, which involve risks and uncertainties associated with iSIGN Media's business and the environment in which the business operates. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking, including those identified by the expressions "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend" and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but reflect iSIGN Media's current expectations regarding future results or events. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. iSIGN Media assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements.

 2018 iSIGN Media Solutions Inc. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.

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 or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE iSIGN Media Solutions Inc.LOWELL, Mass., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Jabra, a leader in engineering professional headsets and sound solutions, today reported two changes to Senior Leadership. Kelly Nagel, formerly Vice President of Distribution, is being promoted to President and GM for Jabra North America (NA), effective July 1, 2018. This promotion serves as a reflection of Kelly's leadership in aggressively driving sales and channel growth in the North American market. As President and GM for Jabra in North America, Kelly will continue to drive the company's proven growth strategies.

Kelly is an industry veteran with more than 20+ years of IT Channel market experience and joined Jabra in 2016 from OKI Data and Ingram Micro where she held several senior leadership positions, developed strong insights to channel structures and strategies in the U.S. and generated hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue. Throughout her career she has maintained a successful track record of tackling new challenges, including co-launching the Jabra Women's Network earlier this year.

Most Recently, Kelly served as Vice President of Distribution for Jabra, where she helped strengthen the distributor and channel partner ecosystem. As a member of the NA leadership team, she delivered a formidable contribution to the success of Jabra's overarching business strategy.

"Our market strategy has proven to be extraordinarily successful across the last few years, launching Jabra to the title of leading supplier of Unified Communications Headsets worldwide. The appointment of Kelly Nagel to this top leadership position will continue our ambitious expansion in this space," said Rene Svendsen-Tune, CEO of Jabra.

The previous President of Business Solutions, Paul Hamnett, who joined Jabra in 2015, has decided to relocate back to his native U.K. with his family and will voluntarily vacate his post after a very successful tenure. His strong leadership and unparalleled business acumen were mission critical to Jabra's achievement of double-digit growth in a very competitive industry. Paul will remain in the GN Group based in Europe.

SOURCE Jabra

Related Links

http://www.jabra.com

CHICAGO, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS) announced that James (Jim) W. Butman, 60, was elected to the board of directors at the company's annual meeting of shareholders effective May 24, 2018, by the holders of the series A common shares. Butman fills the directorship previously held by David A. Wittwer, former president and chief executive officer of TDS Telecom, whose director term expired on May 24, 2018.

Butman currently serves as president and chief executive officer of TDS Telecom, a wholly owned subsidiary of TDS. He joined TDS Telecom in 1985 and was appointed president and chief executive officer early in 2018. During his tenure with TDS Telecom, Butman has held numerous leadership positions. Most recently, he served as the chief operating officer. Prior to that, he was the group president of marketing, sales and customer operations. He also served as president of TDS Metrocom, the company's competitive local exchange operation, helping it grow into a $250 million business.

"Jim has a proven track record of excellent, energetic leadership and brings significant industry and operational experience from his more than 30 years with TDS Telecom," said Walter Carlson, director and chairman of the TDS board. "With his extensive knowledge of management, sales and marketing, regulatory affairs, and TDS business strategy and business culture, Jim will provide valuable insights and astute counsel to the board of directors."

Butman earned an appointment to the Greater Madison (Wisconsin) Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He has also served on the board of directors of and as treasurer for INCOMPAS, the leading trade association for competitive networks. Butman earned a BBA from the University of WisconsinEau Claire and an MBA from the University of WisconsinMadison.

About TDS

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (TDS), a Fortune 1000 company, provides wireless; cable and wireline broadband, TV and voice; and hosted and managed services to approximately 6 million connections nationwide through its businesses, U.S. Cellular, TDS Telecom, BendBroadband and OneNeck IT Solutions. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Chicago, TDS employed 9,900 people as of March 31, 2018.

SOURCE Telephone and Data Systems, Inc.WASHINGTON, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2018/Jane-Recalls-Strollers-Due-to-Violation-of-the-Federal-Stroller-and-Carriage-Safety-Standard-Entrapment-and-Strangulation-Hazards

Recall Summary

Name of Product: Jane Muum strollers

Hazard: The recalled strollers violate the federal Stroller and Carriage standard. An infant can pass through the opening between the stroller armrest and the seat bottom and his/her head and neck can become entrapped by the armrest, posing entrapment and strangulation hazards.

Remedy: Repair

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled strollers and contact Jane for a free repair. The repair consists of a free replacement armrest. Consumers can continue using the recalled strollers if they remove the armrest and harness the child properly until they receive the replacement armrest.

Consumer Contact:

Jane toll-free at 844-200-7971 anytime to leave message or from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET Monday through Thursday for a live operator, email at [email protected] or online at www.jane-usa.com and click on MUUM USA MODEL for more information.

Recall Details

Units: About 800

Description:

This recall involves the US model of Jane Muum strollers. The recalled strollers have a black frame, a reclining seat or hammock that is reversible and a hood. An insert is sold with the stroller for smaller babies. There is a basket for storage underneath the stroller seat. The recalled strollers were sold in: dark gray and black (S85), light grey and black (S49), blue and black (S46) and green and black (S47). "Muum by Jane" is printed on the front bottom frame. "Muum" is printed on the side frame and on the handle. "Jane" and "Muum," "Jane USA LLC," "Muum US 5399US/S85" or "S47," "S49," "S46" are printed on a label on the leg of the stroller.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported

Sold At: Albee Baby, Baby World, Kidsland, Toys R US, Dainty Baby, USA Baby stores and other stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com and other websites from July 2016 through August 2017 for between $300 and $450.

Importer: Jane USA LLC, a division of Jane Group, of Charlotte, N.C.

Manufactured in: China

About U.S. CPSC:

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals  contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years.

Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission.

For more lifesaving information, follow us on Facebook, Instagram @USCPSC and Twitter @USCPSC or sign up to receive our e-mail alerts. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC's Hotline at 800-638-2772 or teletypewriter at 301-595-7054 for the hearing impaired.

CPSC Consumer Information Hotline

Contact us at this toll-free number if you have questions about a recall:

800-638-2772 (TTY 301-595-7054)

Times: 8 a.m.  5:30 p.m. ET; Messages can be left anytime

Call to get product safety and other agency information and to report unsafe products.

Media Contact

Please use the phone numbers below for all media requests.

Phone: 301-504-7908

Spanish: 301-504-7800

SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Related Links

http://www.cpsc.gov

Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering (KPE) has unwaveringly from its inception in 2015 transformed into a dynamic success story, today hosting one of the largest and most modern armoured vehicle facilities in the world. The factory was originally established to serve the needs of Kazakhstan and surrounding countries; the facility has however, excelled in both quality and efficiency.

The KADEX 2018 International Exhibition presently underway served as an appropriate venue to Paramount Group's announcement of KPE 'graduation' in joining its global supply chain and for the Group's announcement regarding exciting expansion ambitions in country, including the production of components, sub-systems and vehicles within the KPE facilities for Paramount Group's many markets around the world.

In addition to enhancing the technology transfer and local manufacturing model championed by Paramount Group, realized globally through strategic alliances with governments and strong local partners, Paramount Group indeed announces its plans to expand the Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering (KPE) portfolio in to additional arenas where the organization is actively involved, including however not limited to aerospace, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and naval vessels production, creating a further conducive environment for the Eurasian nation's defense and technological industrialization, working alongside the Ministry of Defense in enhancing those industries that have already positioned the country amongst the elite worldwide in capacity.

Ivor Ichikowitz, Group Chairman of Paramount Group said: "Our experience in Kazakhstan has thus far been remarkable, to say the least. In our experience, countries that have a strong resolve to develop their defense industry capability enhance their overall technical competence and contribute to overall economic development. We have seen this happen in Kazakhstan. It is due to the vision of President Nazarbayev that we have together created a platform for sustainable defense industry capability. It remains an honor and privilege to collaborate and expand Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering (KPE) in portfolio and scale, and we look forward to investing in developing new technologies and playing our role in the nation's continued industrialization and development".

Due to the success of the investment in Kazakhstan's defense industry and experience steering Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering (KPE), Deputy Director General Johan Delport has been appointed to the position of Global Head of Paramount Land Systems. Johan's close collaboration with Kazakhstan's defence forces and experience gained from this partnership, one which consistently innovates to match the challenges of a diverse yet often harsh operational environment, has allowed him to perfect the highly-advanced, world-class vehicles presently on display at KADEX, with production on new orders well underway, and further deliveries expected during 2018-2019.

Aibek Baryssov, Head of the Supervisory Board of Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering (KPE) said: "It remains the privilege of Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering (KPE) to collaborate with Paramount Group, an important player within the global defense and security industry. I'm proud beyond words of the exemplary work that we have accomplished in building the KPE brand and hope our success story drives further, cross-sectoral investment opportunities in Kazakhstan in future. We are also very proud to have achieved the high level of quality standards and productivity demanded by Paramount Group in order to be part of its global supply chain".

About Paramount Group

Paramount Group is Africa's largest privately-owned defence and aerospace business. It is a leader in defence and security innovation and is a trusted partner to sovereign governments around the world, providing ground-breaking products, services and consultancy, including support for peacekeeping missions. Please visit www.paramountgroup.com for more information and follow us on Twitter.

Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering (KPE) serves as a joint venture between Paramount Group and Kazakhstan.

Media Contacts

Nico De Klerk, Paramount Group, Tel: +27 76 981 0939, E: [email protected]

Sam Amsterdam, Tel: +1 202 910 8349, E: [email protected]

Nik Zaikin, E: [email protected]

SOURCE Paramount Group

Related Links

http://www.paramountgroup.com

Take action against stone miners for endangering biodiversity in hilly terrains

A NATIONAL daily on Thursday reported that unrestrained stone extraction in 200 streambeds across the Bandarban hill district jeopardized the livelihoods of 11 ethnic groups and extracted a toll on the biological diversity of the forest. Unabated stone mining is taking place right under the nose of the local administration in five upazilas of the hilly locality. But they are seemingly unaware to the possible danger of unplanned stone extraction. However, the illegal practice is not only endangering wildlife and forest biodiversity but also impacting the lives of the people in the hills. At present, there is no alternative but to punish the perpetrators for extracting stones from the streambeds.

People in the hilly terrains are highly dependent on the springs for water for drinking, irrigation, fishing, washing and household chores. The hills also nurture a rich biotic community of snakes, frogs, some deer and pigs. A survey research has discovered that the streams on the hills are drying up as the tributaries are unable to hold the water without the stone bedding, resulting in ecological imbalance.

Locals said they are accustomed to seeing labourers in the streams breaking large boulders with hammers into small pieces and carrying them into vans to be taken away; these stones are mostly used in construction and road repairs. They said such mindless extraction is directly affecting the people residing in the hills. Besides, these streams from the hills meet the Sangu River that stretches over 170 kilometres in Bandarban, crossing Ruma, Thanchi and Ruyangchhori upazilas on both sides. The Sangu River is very important to the people in these upazilas, as they depend on its waterways to carry crops and other essentials. Boat transportation on the river is highly affected as a result of decreased water flow in the hills.

The local administration, officials of the Forest Division and law enforcers play an inactive role in containing the menace. There are widespread allegations that a section of government officials and local headmen are profiting from the illegal business while trucks carrying stone pass different check points without any hassle.

We urge the District Administration to take tough action against the stone miners in a bid to preserve the ecology, biodiversity and human settlements in the hilly terrains.DES MOINES, Iowa, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Kemin Industries, a global nutritional ingredient company that uses science to touch more than 3.8 billion people every day with its products and services, has launched a rebranding of its liquid programmes for the Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health business in order to better address unique solutions for Kemin customer needs.

For several decades, Kemin has had a strong focus on offering liquid solutions for different segments in the agrifoods sector. Over the last few years, the market trend toward applying liquids has been accelerating, as customers clearly appreciate the benefits liquid solutions bring to their operations. Liquid solutions have the advantage of easy application, high efficacy, less manual handling and consistency in application.

With the new branding, Kemin clearly represents its specialized liquid offering for three distinct market segments in order to better tailor the solutions per each segment:

specSMART: bundles the offering for feed raw materials to preserve the quality of the oilseeds from crushing plants; grain treatment to protect the quality of cereals and grains; fish meal treatment to preserve the quality of oils and fats, etc.

millSMART: bundles the liquid offering for the feed milling segment to improve feed quality by reducing process variability, preventing mould, controlling Salmonella and enhancing nutrient availability of animal feed.

and enhancing nutrient availability of animal feed. foragSMART: bundles the offer for the forage segment to preserve the quality of forages.

"While the brand and logo now better represent our current offering, the Kemin approach and interaction with our customers remain the same, but even further strengthened," said GS Ramesh, President of Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health. "Kemin has been recognized as an innovative leader and total solutions provider with its liquid programme. Besides the actual products, a full set of services are associated with the offering, enabling us to develop long-lasting and rewarding customer relationships and ease the implementation of the liquid programme."

"This new service package includes product application services, varying from basic application systems to high-end ones, designed according to the customer's needs. A team of dedicated Kemin engineers installs and maintains these systems," said Riaan Van Dyk, Worldwide Vice President of Marketing and Strategy, Kemin Industries. "A second service that Kemin offers with the liquid programme is our laboratory testing service, where problem identification or solution verification analyses occurs. A third critical service is technical support and advice from dedicated and specialized teams. As part of this re-branding, we are bundling these unique service offerings into one packagethe SMART advisory team."

Today, the Kemin liquid solutions and services are available in more than 60 countries. The new global branding represents the precise and accurate dosing of liquid solutions. With the new branding, Kemin clearly showcases its value offering and commitment to supporting its liquid business strategically and long term, focusing on helping Kemin customers improve their production profitably while enhancing safety, quality and consistency, and reducing variability of their businesses.

"This is a very exciting time, and this new brand reflects our enthusiasm and focus on connecting with our customers' business processes and needs," said Ramesh. "Our brand transformation better represents where Kemin is today and our vision for the future and how we interact with our customers."

For more information on the solutions Kemin offers, visit https://www.kemin.com/en/europe/blog/animal-nutrition-health/kemin-liquid-offering-raw-materials-forages-and-feed-milling

About Kemin Industries

Kemin Industries (www.kemin.com) is a global ingredient manufacturer with a focus on improving the quality of life for over 3.8 billion people each day with more than 500 specialty ingredients made for the human and animal health, pet food, nutraceutical, food technology, crop technologies and textile industries.

For over half a century, Kemin has been dedicated to using applied science to address industry challenges and offers product solutions to customers in more than 120 countries. Kemin provides ingredients to feed a growing population with its commitment to the quality, safety and efficacy of food, feed and health-related products.

Established in 1961, Kemin is a privately-held, family-owned and operated company with more than 2,500 employees globally and operations in 90 countries, including manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, India, Italy, Russia, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.

Media Contact:

Lauren M.G. Burt, Worldwide Communications Manager, [email protected], +1 (515) 559-5589

SOURCE Kemin Industries

Related Links

http://kemin.com

PITTSBURGH, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Kennametal Inc. (NYSE: KMT) announced today the election of Lorraine M. Martin to its board of directors, effective July 1, 2018.

Ms. Martin recently retired as the executive vice president and deputy of Lockheed Martin Corporation's Rotary and Mission Systems.

"Lorraine's experience spans more than 30 years in leadership, international business and manufacturing that will bring significant value to the transformation currently underway at Kennametal," said Chris Rossi, Kennametal president and CEO.

"We are excited to welcome Lorraine to our board and look forward to the unique perspective she will bring from her knowledge in supply chain, aerospace and cyber," added William J. Harvey, Kennametal board member and chair of the nominating / corporate governance committee.

Ms. Martin joined Lockheed Martin in 1988 at Unisys Defense Systems as a program manager for computer security contracts for the Strategic Defense Initiative and YF-23 fighter. She also served as vice president of the C-130, C-5, and Flight Solutions programs. During her nearly 30-year tenure at the company, she took on roles with increasing responsibility most recently including executive vice president and general manager, F-35 lighting II program for Lockheed Martin Corporation's Aeronautics company and vice president and deputy, F-35 program. Prior to that, Martin served as an officer in software intensive technology and development programs as part of the United States Air Force.

About Kennametal

Celebrating its 80th year as an industrial technology leader, Kennametal Inc. delivers productivity to customers through materials science, tooling and wear-resistant solutions. Customers across aerospace, earthworks, energy, general engineering and transportation turn to Kennametal to help them manufacture with precision and efficiency. Every day approximately 11,000 employees are helping customers in more than 60 countries stay competitive. Kennametal generated nearly $2.1 billion in revenues in fiscal 2017. Learn more at www.kennametal.com.

SOURCE Kennametal Inc.

Related Links

http://www.kennametal.com

Positioned to Expand Smart Metering and Related Services in Australia

ZUG, Switzerland and SYDNEY, May 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Global smart metering leader Landis+Gyr (LAND.SW) and Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) today announced an agreement to form a joint venture for the acquisition of Acumen from Australia's largest energy retailer, Origin Energy Limited. The joint venture will be known as intelliHUB Holdings Pty Ltd. The Acumen business includes the existing management and servicing of an already deployed 170,000 meters and a material, long-term contract with Origin Energy for the rollout of additional smart meters across Australia. The parties expect the transaction to close in the coming few months.

The intelliHUB business was established by Landis+Gyr in 2015 in preparation for the mass market rollout of smart meters in Australia under new contestability rules. It benefits from Landis+Gyr's global experience in smart metering technology, systems and operating large scale metering deployments overseas as it has refined the local offering. By acquiring the Acumen business, the combined entity is poised to rollout a significant proportion of the estimated 8 million smart meters to be deployed across NSW, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory starting immediately. Landis+Gyr will be contributing both cash and its intelliHUB business with combined equity value of up to AUD 75 million (approximately USD 57 million at current exchange rates).

Under the new joint ownership structure, the business will benefit from PEP's proven track record in business development to deliver long-term growth, underpinned by strong governance and sustainability. The joint venture has raised a starting position in excess of AUD 500 million of capital to finance the rollout of smart meters in Australia. This comes from a combination of PEP's new AUD 1 billion Secure Assets Fund and a banking consortium of eight leading Australian and global financial institutions.

The business will retain both the intelliHUB and Acumen brands as the combined businesses come together to focus on all facets of residential, consumer and industrial, embedded networks and solar metering services across Australia and New Zealand. The acquisition is an important milestone for Landis+Gyr as it transitions its footprint across Asia Pacific to a multi-faceted business offering market leading products, solutions and services for smart metering rollouts.

In parallel with the establishment of the joint venture, intelliHUB has entered into a five-year meter supply contract with Landis+Gyr with expected volumes of approximately 800,000 smart meters to be deployed to multiple utility customers across Australia and New Zealand.

"Landis+Gyr is the global leader in smart metering and offers the largest portfolio in the industry for utility companies and retailers that help bring the grid into the digital age. We have been investing for several years in our products and solutions for Australia and the partnership with intelliHUB will be crucial to giving the Australian market access to the best of our global smart metering products, solutions and services technologies," said Richard Mora, Landis+Gyr's chief executive officer.

"With deep international experience and having supplied more than 2 million of the 2.9 million smart meters in Victoria, Landis+Gyr has deep knowledge of the Australian market and consumer expectations. In the Power of Choice market structure, bringing together two industry leaders is an ideal solution to meeting customers' requirements. We are very pleased to have partnered with PEP on this acquisition and we are excited to continue to deliver market leading service across the nation and helping consumers better manage their energy," Mora concluded.

Cameron Blanks, Managing Director at PEP said: "The Australian market is just commencing a major widespread deployment of smart metering technology. This requires experienced partners that are acutely focused on the customer experience and getting the most out of this once in a generation technology refresh. We have partnered with Landis+Gyr and we believe this business will create an independent and differentiated experience for energy retailers, providing an exceptional rollout experience with the global leader in metering innovation."

Mr. Blanks added: "We have quickly formed a strong partnership and smooth working relationship with the entire Landis+Gyr team, it has been a pleasure to work with Landis+Gyr's CEO Richard Mora and his colleagues in Australia. Together we have developed a robust model to put our combined expertise towards building and growing the intelliHUB business."

PEP and Landis+Gyr were advised on this transaction by Credit Suisse, Highbury Partnership and Ironstone. Baker & McKenzie and Clayton Utz acted as legal advisers.

About Landis+Gyr

Landis+Gyr is the leading global provider of integrated energy management solutions for the utility sector. Offering one of the broadest portfolios of products and services to address complex industry challenges, the company delivers comprehensive solutions for the foundation of a smarter grid, including smart metering, distribution network sensing and automation tools, load control, analytics and energy storage. Landis+Gyr operates in over 30 countries across five continents. With sales of approximately USD 1.7 billion, the company employs c. 6,000 people with the sole mission of helping the world manage energy better. More information is available at www.landisgyr.com.

About PEP

Pacific Equity Partners is a leading Australasian private equity firm. In addition to successfully managing five private equity LBO funds since its inception in 1998, the firm launched the PEP Secure Assets Fund in late 2017. SAF targets control-based investments across a range of infrastructure sectors including energy, water, transport, health, education and communications that possess a combination of protected cashflows and unrealised growth and performance improvement potential. The team provides strategic management experience and capital resources to maximise the performance of its investee companies through a focus on supporting management to drive operational improvement and realise additional growth opportunities. Further information on PEP and its investee companies can be found at www.pep.com.au.

Disclaimer

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 Landis+Gyr Group AG and those explicitly or implicitly presumed in these statements. Against the background of these uncertainties, readers should not rely on forward-looking statements. Landis+Gyr Group AG assumes no responsibility to update forward-looking statements or to adapt them to future events or developments.

SOURCE Landis+Gyr

Related Links

http://www.landisgyr.com

STOCKHOLM, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Sweden is the hardest country in the world when it comes to making new friends according to The Expat Insider survey 2017. The solution - a follow-up on the "36 questions that lead to love". To help Swedes become world leaders in friendships, staffing and education company Lernia is launching Interaction For Swedes (IFS) - with 36 questions designed to lead to friendship.

Sweden is top ranked in surveys regarding everything from gender equality to environmental issues. However when it comes to making new friends, Swedes are at the bottom of the list. A new survey conducted by the Swedish research company Demoskop, shows that only one third out of all Swedes think it's easy to make friends.

At the same time research shows that new friendships in the workplace is an important tool for successful integration of immigrants. Now Lernia wants to help Swedes become world leaders at making friends. Interaction For Swedes (IFS) is an interaction course with 36 evidence-based questions designed to lead to friendship.

"New friendships in the workplace or at school is the key to breaking down social exclusion in society. Interaction For Swedes is a way to provide better conditions for this to happen. Our aim is that this interaction course will help Sweden become one of the best countries in the world for making new friends," said Elias Wastberg, Head of Communications, Lernia.

The questions have been developed using American psychologist Arthur Aron's research with 36 questions that lead to love. Working alongside with Swedish psychologist Anna Bennich Karlstedt, Lernia has adjusted the questions to lead to friendship.

Learn more at http://www.lernia.se/ifs

Find the 36 questions, photos and press information here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gmf71ij7as0yqri/AAAE8PV1riDFZJXSQhFYQbT1a?dl=0

For further questions, please contact:

Ellinor Irving, +46-72-230-94-44, [email protected]

SOURCE LerniaJACKSONVILLE, Fla., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Florida is known for its beautiful beaches, and if you're looking to catch some waves and catch some rays, Jacksonville has the perfect beach for you.

For Fitness Junkies

Home to more shoreline than any other city in the nation and 80,000 acres of green spaces, Jacksonville is where fitness meets adventure:

Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park at Atlantic Beach: With 1.5 miles of sandy beach, 20 miles of trails and 450 acres of natural woods and dunes, this is ideal for runners, swimmers and both, leisure and mountain bikers.

Huguenot Memorial Park: Locals have nicknamed the park the "Big Jetties" because the park offers access to the jetties used to guide ships from the ocean into the mouth of the St. Johns River. Adventure seekers can enjoy surfing, windsurfing, kayaking and swimming at "The Jetties."

For Party Animals

Jacksonville Beach: The busiest of Jacksonville's beaches, this is a great place to get in on all the action. With waterfront restaurants, live music, and beach shopping, this is the place to be when you're looking to soak up the sun.

For Surfers

Jax Beach Pier: This popular spot for locals offers a variety of breaks to both the left and right of the pier, which helps thin the crowd. Incoming and high tide is best for those looking to ride the waves.

The Poles at Hanna Park: "The Poles," which mark the formal barrier between Hanna Park and Naval Station Mayport, offer impressive breaks year around. This is a local spot for expert to mid-level surfers.

For Nature Lovers

Timucuan Preserve: Comprised of 46,000 acres of wetlands and waterways, the Preserve is ideal for enjoying a variety of water-based activities including boating, fishing, Yoga Paddleboarding/Kayaking, and eco-tours.

Big Talbot: An unspoiled barrier island, don't miss Boneyard Beach, famous for the live oak and cedar tree skeletons resting on the shore.

For Sunbathers

Little Talbot Island: Located on the picturesque Heckscher Drive, away from the hustle and bustle of other Jacksonville beaches, this State Park is a peaceful escape filled with white sands, dunes and salt marshes, perfect for getting a tan and enjoying the ocean views.

Come surf, kayak, paddleboard, swim, dive, boat, fish and relax on Jacksonville's beaches. To learn more about Jacksonville's beach scene go to www.visitjacksonville.com.

Media Contact:

Patty Winters

[email protected]

(904) 421- 9169

SOURCE Visit Jacksonville and the Beaches

Related Links

http://www.visitjacksonville.com

The highlight of the event was the recognition of Dr. James S.C. Chao , founder and Honorary Chairman of Foremost Group and a dedicated philanthropist, with the Lifetime Achievement Award. A moving tribute to her father was delivered by Foremost Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Angela Chao , who shared her father's unwavering commitment to continual improvement in the shipping industry. "My father, while honored by this recognition, felt that it may be too soon, as he has many things he still wants to do!"

The Lloyd's List Awards Dinner brings together maritime professionals from the hemisphere to celebrate industry best practices. In addition to the Lifetime Achievement Award, companies were recognized for the following categories:

Best Fuel Solution Award- Waterfront Shipping

Waterfront Shipping Cyber Security Innovation Award- Naval Dome

Naval Dome Safety Training Initiative- Shell Shipping and Maritime, Americas

Shell Shipping and Maritime, Americas Cruise Safety Innovation Award- Holland America Group

Holland America Group i-Law Maritime Law Award- Norton Rose Fulbright

Port Infrastructure Development of the Year- APM Terminals

APM Terminals Port Operator of the Year- Port Houston

Lloyd's List Intelligence Data Innovation Award- Maersk Line

Maersk Line Best Technology for Cleaner Emissions- General Electric

General Electric Environment Award (dual award)- Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and also CMA CGM

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and also CMA CGM Deal of the Year- Port Corpus Christi

Ship Operator of the Year- International Seaways

International Seaways Company of the Year- Groupe Desgagnes

"These winners reflect the effort and importance industry places on achieving excellence," stated Helen Kelly, Executive Editor for Lloyd's List. "We are intent on celebrating the best practices, and practitioners, in this industry which is the backbone of global trade. It is important to take the time to recognize the major role that maritime plays in our world and the commitment to high standards."

For more coverage of the event, please go to Lloyds List Americas Awards.

Media inquiries: Carleen Lyden Walker +203 260 0480 [email protected]

SOURCE Lloyd's ListLASD is receiving solar energy at no upfront cost and without the use of bond funds using a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) framework with ForeFront Power. Through a PPA, ForeFront Power is responsible for all project financing, engineering, construction, operations, and maintenance for a 20-year project term. As a result, the solar portfolio is expected to save the District over $175,000 annually and up to $2.7 million within the first ten years of operation.

"The Los Altos School District has a history of financial prudence and commitment to providing top-notch education for every single one of our students. The completion of this project immediately begins a cost savings that will contribute to quality education in all of our schools," said Superintendent, Jeff Baier.

Understanding the importance of a stable learning environment, ForeFront Power coordinated closely with LASD to construct and complete the systems during the school year with minimal impact to school activities.

"Not only were our projects successfully completed, but we also gained infrastructure for future electric vehicle charging and improved ADA compliance. The cost savings are crucial and a great benefit for our students and teachers," said LASD Chief Business Official Randy Kenyon. "The ForeFront Power team went above and beyond the original project scope."

ForeFront Power included Data Acquisition Systems (DAS) that integrate with online system performance monitoring software and flat screen televisions that were installed in the front office of each school. All schools will also receive free solar energy lesson plans and curricula through ForeFront Power's exclusive partnership with Schools Power. These lesson plans promote a technical understanding of solar energy as well as career and college readiness training to prepare the next generation of leaders for solar jobs.

"These projects highlight our desire to fully integrate solar energy into the learning environment at each school," said ForeFront Power Chief Strategy Officer, Daniel Taylor. "From shade on the playground to hands-on activities in the classroom, we hope students will understand the myriad impacts of on-site solar energy."

These nine solar projects are expected to offset the equivalent of 1,754 tons of carbon dioxide avoidance or 336 cars taken off the road for the first year of production  per the EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.

For more information about ForeFront Power and solar energy for schools, visit k12.forefrontpower.com.

About Los Altos School District

Los Altos School District operates seven elementary and two junior high schools and is a top-rated school district in the State of California. LASD serves more than 4,500 K-8 students from portions of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View and Palo Alto. All nine schools in LASD have been recognized as California Distinguished Schools and/or National Blue Ribbon Schools. LASD is nationally recognized as a leader in educational innovation and for its many awards. Read more about LASD programs at iLearn Blogspot and follow on Twitter @lasdk8.

About ForeFront Power

The ForeFront Power team has more than a decade of renewable industry experience, serving business, public sector, and wholesale power customers around the world. Our team has developed over 800 MW of capacity across more than 1,000 projects, targeted on assisting public sector agencies and C&I firms to deliver the most impactful behind-the-meter, off-site, and wholesale solutions. ForeFront Power is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd., a global energy infrastructure and investment leader.

Forward Looking Statements

Matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, the words "anticipate", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ from those contemplated, expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained herein. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the expectations of the Company and are subject to various risks and uncertainties.

SOURCE ForeFront Power

Related Links

http://www.forefrontpower.com

KELOWNA, BC, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Marapharm Ventures Inc. (CSE: MDM) (OTCQX: MRPHF) (FSE: 2M0) ("Marapharm" or the "Company") the Company advises shareholders on the scheduled timeline of the remaining final inspections of its Las Vegas, Nevada facilities.

On May 30th, the commissioning and 72-hour mandatory testing of our environmental control equipment will be performed. Water technicians, electricians and the Surna specialists are required to be on standby for collaboration at the site, synchronizing systems while the lights are "burned-in". This calibrated inspection process determines the necessary adjustments of the equipment to perfect the regulation of temperature and humidity, thereby creating state-of-the-art environmental climates. During this time, Marapharm staff will undergo training on the operation of the equipment to optimize energy efficiency.

On June 1st, the State of Nevada, Department of Taxation is scheduled to perform their follow-up final compliance inspections on both facilities. This incorporates a review of security processes, standard operating procedures (SOP's) state regulated inventory control and seed to sale systems. The Company is currently in compliance with these state requirements in our temporary buildings.

On June 4th, the City of North Las Vegas Building Department, the North Las Vegas Fire Department and the Public Works Department will perform their final inspections to "sign-off" on the Certificates of Occupancy, permitting us to transfer our genetics to the new cultivation facilities.

"It was only one year ago that there were no permanent buildings or utilities on our site and our team was rushing to complete the temporary buildings. This was necessary to meet all state and city regulatory requirements to facilitate our recreational licences, which were approved last May, 2017.

Much has been accomplished! I am so grateful for the hard work and adaptability of our team, contractors, and the continued encouragement of our shareholder support in this constantly evolving industry". 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

WASHINGTON, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mark Lomele, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Recology in San Francisco, was awarded the Life Service Award at The ESOP Association's Annual Conference here on May 23.

The Life Service Award is The ESOP Association's most prestigious accolade, and recognizes an individual who has provided outstanding, long term contributions to The Association and the employee ownership community.

Lomele is one of only 18 people to receive the award in the past 27 years.

"Mark has been a tireless champion of employee ownership," said J. Michael Keeling, President of The ESOP Association. "Few people have the ability to see how to shape the future, and even fewer have the commitment to see that vision through. Mark is that rare person who possesses both, and the employee ownership community is stronger for his long term, devoted efforts."

Lomele's greatest gift to the ESOP community may be his service as Chair of the Employee Ownership Foundation. Under Lomele, the Foundation has expanded its commitment to sponsoring rigorous academic research aimed at helping thought leaders and policy experts understand the quantifiable benefits of employee ownership.

"Thanks to the work of the Employee Ownership Foundation under Mark Lomele, we now know that companies with employee stock ownership are 7.3 times less likely to lay off employees than traditionally owned companies," said Keeling. "Findings such as these provide incontrovertible proof that employee owned businesses benefit employees, business, and our communities, and merit the support of our nation's lawmakers."

Lomele also has been a valued member of The ESOP Association's Board of Directors, where he served for two years as Chair and for six others in various roles on the 10-person board.

He leads all employee ownership activities at Recology and has been on the company's ESOP Administrative Committee since 1991. The company launched its ESOP in 1986 and since 1921 has held the exclusive refuse collection license for the city of San Francisco.

ABOUT THE ESOP ASSOCIATION:

The ESOP Association is America's largest employer-sponsored advocacy and education association focused on employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). Founded in 1978, the Association seeks to enhance federal laws governing ESOPs, provide members with expert information, and fund research via the Employee Ownership Foundation (an affiliate). The ESOP Association's members include ESOP companies, companies considering an ESOP, and service providers that assist in setting up and maintaining ESOPs.

SOURCE The ESOP Association

Related Links

http://www.esopassociation.org

Workers of Adamjee Profilor Garments blocked the Dhaka-N\'ganj Road on Thursday demanding arrears and salaries and protested the closure of factory.RESTON, Va., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- MAXIMUS (NYSE: MMS), a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced today it has been awarded a five-year contract renewal for the Disability Employment Services (DES) program by the Australian Department of Social Services. The performance-based contract, which begins on July 1, 2018, has an estimated revenue range of $250 million to $300 million (USD) over five years.

The Company's Australian business unit, MAX Solutions, will continue to help individuals with disabilities, injuries or health conditions to prepare for, find and succeed in sustainable employment. Under an expanded contract, MAXIMUS will provide case management services in 15 additional Employment Service Areas, bringing its nationwide coverage to 197 offices in 55 regions across Australia.

Previously, the Australian Government assigned DES participants to one of the program's contracted providers in each region and allocated the caseload among providers based on each one's star performance rating. Following extensive community consultation involving people with disabilities, providers, employers and disability advocacy organizations, the Government is now providing DES participants greater flexibility to choose among the services and providers available to them.

The Company delivers an integrated approach that enables it to better understand and tailor services to fit the individual needs of DES job seekers who have complex challenges. With demonstrated expertise in employment, support and training services, MAXIMUS offers health services, physical assessments, counseling, skills training and qualifications in addition to job search assistance  often through a single community-style hub.

With a new emphasis on participant choice and control, MAXIMUS will have the opportunity to attract and engage all DES-eligible job seekers within each of its regions. In response, the Company is increasing its utilization of digital technology to ensure best-in-class service delivery by providing customers more convenient ways for them to commence in, communicate with, engage and experience the service.

As the largest provider of employment services on behalf of the Australia Government, MAXIMUS is one of country's longest serving and best performing providers of employment offerings. Over the past three years, the Company has placed more than 54,000 people with a disability or health condition into sustainable employment.

"The renewal and expansion of our DES contract reflects our demonstrated success through strong customer service delivery, technology innovation and increased partnerships with disability confident recruiters and employers. With a 31 percent increase in the number of Employment Service Areas served by MAXIMUS, we now have the opportunity to support even more people in more regions nationwide, delivering the outcomes that matter to the Australian Government," commented Bruce L. Caswell, President and CEO of MAXIMUS.

About MAXIMUS

Since 1975, MAXIMUS has operated under its founding mission of Helping Government Serve the People, enabling citizens around the globe to successfully engage with their governments at all levels and across a variety of health and human services programs. MAXIMUS delivers innovative business process management and technology solutions that contribute to improved outcomes for citizens and higher levels of productivity, accuracy, accountability and efficiency of government-sponsored programs. With more than 20,000 employees worldwide, MAXIMUS is a proud partner to government agencies in the United States, Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit maximus.com.

CONTACT: Lisa Miles 703.251.8637

[email protected]

SOURCE MAXIMUS

Related Links

https://www.maximus.com

PHOENIX, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The numbers are in and Metro Phoenix Bank has received noteworthy rankings from several banking publications. Metro Phoenix Bank (OTCPink: MPHX), headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, is a $181 Million dollar full-service community Bank that championed through one of the most severe recessions in decades and is now rising to the top of the class. Its commitment to the community, consistent business model, outstanding customer care, and expert business knowledge, have set it apart from other banks.

Metro Phoenix Bank has received recognition from the following:

Ranked #1 By S&P Global Among 4,383 Banks Under $1 Billion in Assets.

Based on 2017 statistics of the best-performing community banks under $1 Billion in assets, S&P Global Market Intelligence ranked Metro Phoenix Bank #1. S&P Global rankings were determined by six metrics: pretax return on tangible common equity, net charge-offs as a percentage of average loans, efficiency ratio, adjusted Texas ratio, net interest margin, and loan growth. Go to www.MetroPhoenixBank.com for the full article.

Based on 2017 statistics of the best-performing community banks under in assets, S&P Global Market Intelligence ranked Metro Phoenix Bank #1. S&P Global rankings were determined by six metrics: pretax return on tangible common equity, net charge-offs as a percentage of average loans, efficiency ratio, adjusted ratio, net interest margin, and loan growth. Go to www.MetroPhoenixBank.com for the full article. D|A|Davidson Adds Metro Phoenix Bank to Its Bison Select Bi-Annual Publication.

This publication is limited to 60 micro-cap banks throughout the country. A key focus of Bison's publication is to recognize a subsection of emerging institutions with favorable characteristics that may otherwise be overlooked by the investment community. Go to www.MetroPhoenixBank.com for the full article.

This publication is limited to 60 micro-cap banks throughout the country. A key focus of Bison's publication is to recognize a subsection of emerging institutions with favorable characteristics that may otherwise be overlooked by the investment community. Go to www.MetroPhoenixBank.com for the full article. Metro Phoenix Bank Receives a 5-Star Bauer Rating for 2017 Financial Performance.

A 5-Star rating represents the top performing banks under BauerFinancial selection criteria. BauerFinancial has been reporting on and analyzing the performance of U.S. banks and credit unions since 1983. (www.bauerfinancial.com)

A 5-Star rating represents the top performing banks under BauerFinancial selection criteria. BauerFinancial has been reporting on and analyzing the performance of U.S. banks and credit unions since 1983. (www.bauerfinancial.com) Ranked #3 By DepositAccounts.com Among 5,557 Banks.

Each year DepositAccounts.com evaluates the financial health of every FDIC insured bank in the United States . Each institution is graded on a number of factors including capitalization, deposit growth, and loan-to-reserve ratios for determining a comprehensive health score. MPB ranked 3rd in the nation and was awarded the Top 200 Healthiest Bank distinction for 2018.

Each year DepositAccounts.com evaluates the financial health of every FDIC insured bank in . Each institution is graded on a number of factors including capitalization, deposit growth, and loan-to-reserve ratios for determining a comprehensive health score. MPB ranked 3rd in the nation and was awarded the distinction for 2018. Ranked #8 By Banker's Caddy as the Highest Performing Bank in the United States .

Metro Phoenix Bank ranked #8 on Banker's Caddy 2018 Top 100 Highest Performing Bank list. Banker's Caddy considers banks across the U.S. based on earnings, asset quality, capital, growth and liquidity. Not only did Metro Phoenix Bank rank #8 but it was the only Arizona bank on the 2018 top 100 list.

Bank President and CEO, Mr. Stephen Haggard, commented that "Metro Phoenix Bank has set the bar high for other Arizona community banks and it was not by chance that we achieved these accolades. By remaining steadfast in our mission of consistently providing small- to mid-sized businesses with meaningful solutions, knowing the Phoenix market, and executing on our business plan, we have truly helped businesses grow, including ours."

Contact:

Stephen P. Haggard

President & CEO

602-346-1800

[email protected]

SOURCE Metro Phoenix Bank

Related Links

http://www.metrophoenixbank.com

A highlight of Deloitte's role as presenting sponsor will include a presentation by Janet Foutty, chairman and CEO of Deloitte Consulting LLP, on Monday, June 4. Foutty will focus on the convergence of new technology, changing demographics, and shifting power dynamics in our society. Jobs are changing  and so is the relationship between employer and employee. Foutty will discuss how businesses can lead the redesign of work, the workforce, and the workplace for their own organizations; as well as what companies need to be thinking about in terms of leadership, talent, skills, and technology to keep pace with the exponential change in how we work.

"Society demands more of organizations than ever before, asking for business leaders to take an even larger, more influential role in shaping our connected and mutually-dependent ecosystem," said Foutty. "The pace of demographic, technological and social change is forcing organizations to reimagine how work gets done and what types of skills are needed in order to adapt and have greater success of sustaining long-term growth."

Elizabeth Bramson-Boudreau, CEO and publisher of MIT Technology Review, said, "We're pleased to have Janet Foutty hosting this important discussion. Deloitte is doing vital work to help businesses transform and adapt to new technologies and innovations. The topics Janet will explore are critical to the community of business leaders, innovators, early adopters, entrepreneurs and investors slated to attend EmTech Next this June."

Click here to learn more, see the full conference agenda and register for EmTech Next. Follow the conversation on Twitter using #EmTechNext.

Media who would like to cover the event should reach out to [email protected] to learn more about obtaining press credentials.

About The EmTech Event Series

MIT Technology Review's EmTech Event Series dives into emerging technologies that will drive the new global economy. From mainstage keynotes to Q&As and small discussions, these events provide a curated view of the year's most important developments. EmTech gives attendees the opportunity to discover future trends and learn from the most innovative people and companies in the world. Currently in its 18th year, EmTech events have become a must-attend for entrepreneurs, innovators, policy leaders, media and more. This year's upcoming EmTech events include EmTech Next, June 4-5; and EmTech MIT, September 11-14. Learn more.

About MIT Technology Review

Founded at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1899, MIT Technology Review is a world-renowned, independent media company whose insight, analysis, reviews, interviews and live events explain the commercial, social and political impact of new technologies. MIT Technology Review derives its authority from the world's foremost technology institution and from its editors' deep technical knowledge, capacity to see technologies in their broadest context, and unequaled access to leading innovators and researchers. For 117 years, MIT Technology Review's mission has been to equip readers with the intelligence to understand a world shaped by technology and the impact upon their careers and lives. Subscribe. Follow: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram.

Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of our legal structure.

Media Contacts:

Meredith Chiricosta

BIGfish Communications for MIT Technology Review

[email protected]

617-713-3800

Alicia DiGennaro

Public Relations

Deloitte Services LP

212-436-2416

[email protected]

SOURCE MIT Technology Review

Related Links

http://www.technologyreview.com

Gravitas will be retained for a one-year period and will be tasked with providing a number of services to NanoSphere including capital markets intelligence & guidance, financial & operational analysis of the company, market awareness to a wide network of investors across North America, and recommendations on capital requirements & strategic business decisions.

NanoSphere Health Sciences, which was recognized last week in the Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards as the winner of the 2018 Technology Innovation Award for North America, has rapidly become a leader in nanoparticle medical delivery. The company has seen continuous momentum, having recently received the patent for its breakthrough NanoSphere Delivery System. This delivery platform transports active ingredients in lipid membranes through the skin and mucosa within minutes. It is anticipated to vastly improve delivery in a wide variety of sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals and cannabis. The company has already applied the technology to a line of cannabis products under the brand name Evolve Formulas, with products available in Colorado and soon to launch in California, Arizona and Nevada.

"Working with Gravitas Securities will propel NanoSphere forward, providing us with an extensive network and industry knowledge to help the company reach a broader group of investors. Gravitas will help guide the company through this very exciting time," said Robert Sutton, Chairman and CEO of NanoSphere Health Sciences and Evolve Formulas.

"Gravitas is excited to announce the addition of NanoSphere Health Sciences to its client advisory portfolio. This engagement brings Gravitas to the forefront of non-invasive biodelivery of supplements & nutraceuticals in both the pharmaceutical and animal health industries," said Robert Carbonaro, CEO & Head of Investment Banking.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Emily Kielthy at [email protected] or 702-957-6203.

On behalf of the Board

Robert Sutton, Chairman and CEO

Office: 720-520-4282

Email: [email protected]

Investor Contact:

Victor Goncalves, Executive Vice President

Mobile: 204-997-5517

E-mail: [email protected]

NanoSphere's Commitment to Licensing IP

NanoSphere launched its IP licensing program in 2015 and is entertaining several licensing opportunities via a rigorous evaluation process. For more information about NanoSphere's licensing program, please visit: https://www.nanospherehealth.com/licensing/

About NanoSphere

NanoSphere Health Sciences, LLC, is a biotechnology firm specializing in the creation of the patented NanoSphere Delivery System, a revolutionary platform using nanotechnology in the biodelivery of supplements, nutraceuticals and over-the-counter medications for the cannabis, pharmaceutical and animal health industries, and beyond. NanoSphere Delivery System represents one of the most important developments for advancing the non-invasive and user-friendly delivery of biological agents in over 25 years. For more information on NanoSphere, please visit http://www.nanospherehealth.com.

About Evolve Formulas

Evolve Formulas is the provider of the world's first and only scientifically proven nanoparticle delivery system in cannabis. Evolve's pioneering product, Transdermal NanoSerum, is a fast-acting, ultra-strength transdermal formula infused with nano-encapsulated cannabis and cannabis extracts. NanoSerum immediately penetrates the skin to deliver direct-focused results and intelligently carries a full spectrum of cannabinoids and phytochemicals to receptors throughout the body for systemic healing. Evolve Formula products leverage NanoSphere Health Sciences patented NanoSphere Delivery System. The NanoSphere Delivery System is a revolutionary platform using nanotechnology in the biodelivery of supplements, nutraceuticals and over-the-counter medications for the cannabis, pharmaceutical and animal health industries, and beyond. For more information on Evolve Formulas, visit https://www.evolveformulas.com/. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About Gravitas Securities Inc.

Gravitas Securities is a leading wealth management and capital markets firm comprised of tactical individuals known for their sophisticated sector expertise, commitment to excellence, and a global platform committed to integration and innovation. Gravitas provides a wide range of investment services for retail and corporate clients globally with offices in Toronto and Vancouver, and is represented in the United States through its FINRA representative, Gravitas Capital International, in New York.

Gravitas Securities Inc. is a member of IIROC and CIPF.

The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statement Caution

This news release includes forward looking statements that are subject to assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Statements in this news release which are not purely historical are forward looking statements, including without limitation any statements concerning the Company's intentions, plans, estimates, expectations or beliefs regarding the future. Although the Company believes that any forward looking statements in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such forward looking statements will prove to be accurate. The Company cautions readers that all forward looking statements, including without limitation those relating to the Company's future operations and business prospects, are based on assumptions none of which can be assured, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward looking statements. Readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such risks and uncertainties and should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Any forward looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual events or results could or do differ from those projected in the forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For more information contact:

Emily Kielthy

[email protected]

702-957-6203

SOURCE NanoSphere Health Sciences, LLC

Related Links

http://www.nanospherehealth.com

The 56,339 square foot building provides a permanent, world-class home for the care of the Aquarium's current and future animals and some of its rescue operations. The advanced facility creates every ecosystem of the ocean in the middle of Baltimore City, creating 15,000 gallons of saltwater and freshwater each month.

Home to up to 1,500 animals at any given time, the ample pools provide a place for care and acclimation for species from beta fish to sharks, and expands the capacity for off-exhibit and rescue animal care. The space also features the exhibit fabrication workshop where corals and other elements are intricately handcrafted to recreate the world's aquatic habitats.

"Many Marylanders have fond memories of visiting the National Aquarium as schoolchildren or with friends and family," said Governor Larry Hogan. "The State of Maryland is proud to support the new Animal Care and Rescue Center, which will support the Aquarium's operations and animal care and give students and visitors the opportunity to create lifelong memories in this unique behind-the-scenes space."

A first-of-its-kind in the industry, viewing windows line the Center's primary hallways, allowing a unique opportunity for tour guests, student groups and other visitors to view animal care and welfare work previously unseen by the public. Opportunities to utilize and tour the building will be organized through the Aquarium. Tours for members are slated to begin in July, with general public tours to start in January 2019.

"At the National Aquarium, our highest calling is the health and welfare of the animals in our care. This innovative, new center is our beating heart," said President and Chief Executive Officer John Racanelli. "We are truly grateful for the public and private supporters who have made it possible."

The Animal Care and Rescue Center also provides a headquarters for the National Aquarium Animal Rescue team, celebrating 26 years of response, rehabilitation and release for more than 200 animals. The building specifically houses innovative rehabilitation suites for rescued seals.

"The National Aquarium is a key partner with NOAA's marine mammal stranding network in the Mid-Atlantic and has a strong reputation for providing first-rate care through its animal response, rescue and rehabilitation programs," said Retired Navy Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet, assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and acting under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere at NOAA. "This facility will allow the National Aquarium to expand their ability to educate the public on the critical importance of marine mammal and species conservation in a new and innovative way."

The National Aquarium funded this project through a combination of public and private funds; support that allows the nonprofit to continue its mission to inspire conservation and engage with the local community and beyond.

For more information, visit aqua.org/ACRC

National Aquarium

The National Aquarium is a nonprofit organization focused on changing the way humanity cares for our ocean planet. Through unparalleled exhibits, science-based education programs and hands-on field initiatives, we are creating a new community of hopeful conservationists, driven by our mission to inspire conservation of the world's aquatic treasures. For more information on the National Aquarium, visit aqua.org.

SOURCE The National Aquarium

Related Links

http://aqua.org

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Infotools, a global leader in market research analysis solutions, has released a new publication called The Insider's Guide: Five ways to keep consumer insights at the heart of your organization. The new guide includes a compilation of expert viewpoints from Infotools' leadership, sharing best practices on everything from data democratization to proving the ROI of market research. The knowledge encompasses decades of solving common market research issues and finding success with brands like Coca-Cola, Mondelez and Orange.

Infotools Insider's Guide: : Five ways to keep consumer insights at the heart of your organization

"At a time when stakeholders are demanding more for less, market researchers must deliver on high expectations," said Ant Franklin, CEO of Infotools. "Using the right approach and smarter tactics will make this an achievable goal. In this guide, our veteran experts share their knowledge on how to successfully overcome of some of the key challenges facing our industry."

The Insider's Guide: Five ways to keep consumer insights at the heart of your organization is authored by real researchers with on-the-ground experience. They share their expertise on:

Finding the balance between thorough analysis and fast turn-around.

Creating the right environment for your researchers to do their best work.

Delivering compelling insights for stakeholders through data visualization.

Getting the most out of your research investments.

Keeping a laser focus on delivering value to the bottom line and proving ROI.

Franklin continued, "The bottom line is that our industry needs to start pivoting to meet some fast-paced demands. By sharing our expertise and lessons learned, we can start to create a sea change in our space that leads to business success for clients."

The Insider's Guide can be downloaded here: https://web.infotools.com/five-ways-to-keep-consumer-insights-at-the-heart-of-your-organization

About Infotools

Infotools is an award-winning software and services provider, with particular expertise in processing, analyzing, visualizing and sharing market research data. Established in 1990, and with a presence in the US, Europe, South Africa and New Zealand, Infotools works with some of the world's best-known brands, including Coca-Cola, Orange, Samsung and Mondelez, as well as boutique research agencies such as Big Picture, MDI, and Quantum Market Research. www.infotools.com

Media contact: Marie Melsheimer, [email protected] , +1 541-815-3951

SOURCE Infotools

Related Links

http://www.infotools.com

PALO ALTO, California, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Next Insurance, the leading digital insurance company for small businesses, today announced their new status as a licensed insurance carrier. As a carrier, Next Insurance will now write policies independently, with far more freedom over underwriting, setting of prices, and configuring of policies, providing entrepreneurs and small businesses insurance that is simple, affordable and tailored to their specific needs. Next Insurance now works directly with state insurance regulators to champion innovation never before seen by the small business insurance market, including on-demand coverage, more sophisticated uses of AI/Machine Learning for underwriting, and simpler policy language.

There are almost 30 million small businesses in the US today, accounting for 99.7% of all businesses. According to a recent survey, 44% of small businesses operating for at least a year have never had insurance, posing real risks to businesses in case of a lawsuit and to customers who use small businesses without insurance at great risk. Next Insurance streamlines the small business insurance policy purchasing process, eliminating the need for insurance agents, and offering small business policies online that are easy to understand, comprehensive and highly tailored to each business's needs.

"Becoming an independent, licensed insurance carrier became our goal the day we realized that existing insurance companies do not provide the insurance product that entrepreneurs want and deserve. This is a big step forward towards a more modernized insurance industry," said Guy Goldstein, CEO and Co-Founder of Next Insurance. "We are unique in our ability to understand the nuances of small businesses and their insurance needs, and being a carrier gives us the freedom to provide the most advanced policies on the market. We are impressed with the work of state insurance commissioners, who continue to champion new and innovative ideas to enable insurance offerings that meet the actual needs and demands of each market."

To provide the best possible service to small business clients, Next Insurance offers a range of additional features to customers, at no additional cost. These include the revolutionary Live Certificate, the industry's first real-time certificate of insurance verification, as well as access to an online portal. The portal allows policyholders to add additional insured, update policy or payment information, send verifiable proof of insurance and more.

Next Insurance obtained its first carrier license from the State of Delaware and is currently expanding to all 50 states. As an insurance carrier, Next Insurance will continue to work closely with state insurance commissioners to champion technological innovation, exploring uses of AI/machine learning and other opportunities that will continue to revolutionize the small business insurance market.

About Next Insurance:

Next Insurance is transforming small business insurance with simple, affordable coverage, tailored to the needs of each class of business. Next Insurance offers policies that are easy to buy with instant, 24/7, online access to services such as Certificates of Insurance, Additional Insured and more with absolutely no extra fees. Revolutionizing traditional insurance processes, Next Insurance is utilizing advanced technology to offer the industry's most innovative small business insurance policies. Founded in 2016 by a team of serial entrepreneurs, the company is headquartered in Palo Alto and has received a total of $53 million in venture capital funding from Ribbit Capital, TLV Partners, Zeev Ventures, Munich RE Ventures, Markel, Nationwide, American Express, and others. To see how Next Insurance performed in 2017, click here. To learn more about Next Insurance becoming a carrier, please click here. For more information about the company, visit Next-Insurance.com.

Contact Information:

Brandon Weinstock

[email protected]

+1-914-336-3878



SOURCE Next InsuranceDUBLIN, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The "North America Aviation Market - Growth, Trends and Forecast (2018 - 2023)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Business Jet segment of general aviation is expected to dominate with significant market share in the region. In 2016, there are more than 416,000 general aviation aircraft in the worldwide fleet, ranging from small training aircraft and helicopters to intercontinental business jets. About 210,000 of these or half the market share is occupied by the US. However, deliveries of general aviation aircraft are still way below their 2007 peak levels, both worldwide and in the U.S., because the price per aircraft has doubled.

In 2016, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) selected two unleaded aviation fuels, developed by Shell and Swift Fuels, for testing as part of its effort to qualify and deploy an unleaded aviation gasoline to replace the 100 low-lead avgas currently used in the piston aircraft fleet. Successful transition from leaded to unleaded avgas will mean the continued safety and utility of the fleet and a reduced environmental impact. This becomes more important in the context of recent adoption of Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) framework, which aims to adopt carbon neutral growth from 2021 onwards.



The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) new Part 23 rule is expected to revolutionize standards for airplanes weighing 19,000 pounds or less and with 19 or fewer passenger seats by replacing prescriptive requirements with performance-based standards coupled with consensus-based compliance methods for specific designs and technologies. The rule also adds new certification standards to address general aviation loss of control accidents and in-flight icing conditions. It is also expected to promote regulatory harmonization among the FAA's foreign partners, including the European Aviation Safety Agency, Transport Canada Civil Aviation, and Brazil's National Civil Aviation Authority. Such harmonization may help minimize certification costs for airplane and engine manufacturers, and operators of affected equipment, in turn driving the market.



Commercial Aircraft Sector



North America accounts for one-third of all commercial jets in service in the world today. This large current fleet of airplanes represents a significant market for replacement over the forecast period. It is estimated that the region will require 8,640 new airplanes over the next 20 years, and 65 percent of these will be needed to replace airplanes in the existing fleet. Intra-North America is the largest intra-regional market, accounting for 16 percent of global passenger traffic in 2016. Although the 2.6 percent long-term traffic growth rate forecast for intra-North American is below world average, the size of the intra-North American market provides strong support for single-aisle airplane demand growth in the region.



In long term, the forecast shows international traffic growing faster than intra-North America, roughly 4 percent per year. Small widebody planes, projected to account for 72 percent of total widebody passenger deliveries over the next 20 years, offer the ability for North American airlines to operate additional nonstop flights profitably from hubs as well as secondary markets as they take advantage of these market opportunities.



Key Developments in the Market

January 2018 : Embraer and Wide roe, which is the largest airline in Scandinavia for the E190-E2 aircraft, have agreed on a Flight Hour Pool programme for the new E2 aircraft. The agreement shall contain more than 300 key notable components for the airlines E190-E2 fleet.

: Embraer and Wide roe, which is the largest airline in Scandinavia for the E190-E2 aircraft, have agreed on a Flight Hour Pool programme for the new E2 aircraft. The agreement shall contain more than 300 key notable components for the airlines E190-E2 fleet. January 2018 : World Leading Turboprop manufacturer ATR has announced that they will be adding a brand new Full Flight Simulator (FFS) to its training center in Toulouse, France , which will help the crew members of the company to receive training on the ATR 72-600.

: World Leading Turboprop manufacturer ATR has announced that they will be adding a brand new Full Flight Simulator (FFS) to its training center in , which will help the crew members of the company to receive training on the ATR 72-600. September 2017 : One Aviation has reported flying an aerodynamic, proof-of-concept wing intended for its in-development Eclipse EA700 very-light jet (VLJ). The structure was attached to a modified EA500, with the registration N990NE.

Major players: ATR Aircraft, Cessna Aircraft Company, Hawker Beechcraft Corporation, Bell Helicopters Textron Inc., Airbus, Boeing, Embraer S.A, Bombardier Inc., Pilatus Aircraft, One Aviation Corporation, amongst others.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction

1.1 Research Methodology

1.2 General Study Assumptions



2. Research Methodology

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Analysis Methodology

2.3 Study Assumptions

2.4 Econometric Forecast Model



3. Executive Summary



4. Market Overview And Technology Trends

4.1 Current Market Scenario

4.2 Technology Trends

4.3 Porter's Five Forces Analysis



5. Market Dynamics

5.1 Drivers

5.1.1 Replacement of Aging Aircrafts

5.1.2 Increased Defence Expenditure in the developing countries

5.1.3 Increase in the number of casual fliers

5.2 Restraints

5.2.1 Rising Safety Concerns

5.2.2 Fluctuating aviation fuel prices

5.3 Opportunities

5.3.1 Increased Technological Integration



6. North America Aviation Market, segmented by type

6.1 Commercial Aircraft

6.1.1 Passengers

6.1.2 Feet

6.2 Military Aircraft

6.2.1 Combat aircraft

6.2.2 Non-Combat aircraft

6.3 General Aviation

6.3.1 Helicopter

6.3.2 Piston Fixed Wing

6.3.3 Turboprop

6.3.4 Business Jet



7. Aviation Market, Segmented by Geography

7.1 North America

7.1.1 US

7.1.2 Canada

7.1.3 Mexico

7.1.4 Others



8. Competitive Landscape

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Market Structure & Analysis



9. Company Profiles

9.1 Bombardier Inc

9.2 Embraer

9.3 Boeing

9.4 Airbus

9.5 Cessna

9.6 Lockheed martin

9.7 Beechcraft

9.8 Pilatus

9.9 Finmeccanica

9.10 Bell Aviation

9.11 Sikorsky

9.12 Piper

9.13 Gulfstream



10. Future Outlook of the market



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/zh7tk9/north_america?w=5





Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716



SOURCE Research and Markets

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SAN DIEGO, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Oncternal Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class therapies for rare and common malignancies, today announced a clinical supply arrangement with Pharmacyclics through which Pharmacyclics supplies ibrutinib, a small molecule inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), for a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial combining Oncternal's novel monoclonal antibody, cirmtuzumab, and ibrutinib in patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic leukemia (SLL).

"What we're looking to achieve in the treatment of B-cell malignancies is the production of deeper responses in patients  an outcome that is elusive with current standard of care therapies, despite their effectiveness," said James Breitmeyer, M.D., Ph.D., Oncternal's President and CEO. "We believe the complementary mechanisms of action of cirmtuzumab and ibrutinib could deliver this type of response and bring a new, urgently-needed treatment option to this patient population. We are very pleased that Pharmacyclics' support demonstrates a shared vision to improve the lives of patients with cancer."

Oncternal's CIRLL study ( C irmtuzumab and I brutinib targeting R OR1 for L ymphoma and L eukemia) is now underway, enrolling approximately 117 patients with MCL and CLL/SLL who have not received previous BTK inhibitor therapy. CIRLL is a randomized, open label, dose-finding study designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of cirmtuzumab when given in combination with ibrutinib. The objective is to demonstrate that even more patients treated with the combination of cirmtuzumab plus ibrutinib will achieve complete response, compared to treatment with ibrutinib alone.

Under the terms of the agreement, Pharmacyclics has committed to supplying ibrutinib to Oncternal during the Phase 1b/2 trial. Oncternal is responsible for conducting the clinical trial.

The CIRLL study is being conducted in collaboration with researchers at the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) School of Medicine and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). In addition to UC San Diego, CIRLL study sites include MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston as well as Columbia University Medical Center and Northwell Health in New York. Study details can be found on https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ under the study ID number NCT03420183.

About Cirmtuzumab

Cirmtuzumab is a first-in-class humanized monoclonal antibody that binds with high affinity to a biologically important epitope on ROR1 (Receptor-tyrosine kinase-like Orphan Receptor 1). ROR1 is a type 1 transmembrane protein expressed on the plasma membrane with an extracellular domain that is essential for ligand binding and signal transduction. Cirmtuzumab binds to many different types of cancer cells, but does not recognize normal human tissues. Tumor cells that express ROR1 have stem-cell like features that are associated with the dedifferentiated oncogenic state. When expressed by hematologic malignancies such as mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and small lymphocytic leukemia (SLL), ROR1 acts as a receptor for the tumor growth factor Wnt5a. When cirmtuzumab binds to ROR1, it blocks Wnt5a activation and inhibits tumor-cell proliferation, migration and survival.

About Ibrutinib

IMBRUVICA (ibrutinib) is a first-in-class, oral, once-daily therapy that mainly works by blocking a protein called Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK). BTK is a key signaling molecule in the B-cell receptor signaling complex that plays an important role in the survival and spread of malignant B cells as well as other serious, debilitating conditions.i IMBRUVICA blocks signals that tell malignant B cells to multiply and spread uncontrollably.

More information on IMBRUVICA, including its approved indications can be found on www.imbruvica.com.

About Oncternal Therapeutics

Oncternal Therapeutics is a clinical-stage oncology company developing first-in-class and novel therapies for both rare and common cancers by focusing on targets that are differentially expressed by cancer cells. The company is leveraging its scientific and development expertise, as well as academic collaborations, to rapidly advance its two pipeline products, cirmtuzumab, an anti-ROR1 monoclonal antibody, and TK216, a small molecule that inhibits the biological activity of ets-family transcription factor oncoproteins. In a collaboration with UC San Diego, Oncternal is developing a chimeric antigen receptor expressing T cell (CAR-T) targeting ROR1.

INVESTOR CONTACT

James Breitmeyer

Oncternal Therapeutics

T: 858-434-1113

E: [email protected]

MEDIA CONTACT

Kelly Conlon

First Light Communications

T: 207-233-2430

E: [email protected]

i Genetics Home Reference. Isolated growth hormone deficiency. http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/isolated-growth-hormone-deficiency. Accessed December 2017.

SOURCE Oncternal Therapeutics, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.oncternal.com

Poet Nazrul's birth anniv today

BSS, Dhaka :

The 119th birth anniversary of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam will be observed on Friday.

An elaborate programme has been taken at the national level to mark the day. Different organizations and cultural bodies in the capital and in districts will also celebrate the day amid various functions.

At the national level, the Cultural Affairs Ministry has taken massive programmes jointly in Dhaka, Comilla, Chattogram and the memorable place of the poet at Trishal today.

President Abdul Hamid will attend as the chief guest the birth anniversary programme of the national poet at the state level at Trishal at around 3.30pm today.

The programme of the day will begin with placing of wreaths by the people of all strata and the cultural affairs ministry at the poet's grave on the Dhaka University campus early in the morning.

At Trishal, Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu and Religious Affairs Minister Principal Matiur Rahman will attend the inaugural session of the national level programme as the special guests. Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Cultural Affairs Ministry Begum Simin Hossain Rimi will preside over the function.

The Nazrul Institute and the Shilpakala Academy will organize separate discussions and cultural functions marking the day. The birth anniversary of the national poet will also be celebrated at educational institutions and district headquarters across the country.

Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and private television channels will air special programmes and print media will bring out special supplements highlighting the birth anniversary of the national poet.

On the eve of the day, the Bangla Academy organized a discussion on Thursday at its Poet Shamsur Rahman seminar room. Professor Mohammad Abdul Quaiyum chaired the function.In a cross-country relay, 37 PepsiCo driverswho are also U.S. military veteranstransported an American flag, originally flown on a UH-60M Blackhawk Helicopter in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, between 50 locations spanning the United States. PepsiCo employee group VALOR, which supports veteran PepsiCo employees and veterans in communities across the country, plans the annual event with the goal of bringing the flag across the country in time for Memorial Day.

A video recap of this year's relay can be viewed by following this link.

"Since its creation in 2015, Rolling Remembrance has grown every year, with more and more associates getting involved and helping to raise awareness and funds," said Jim Farrell, Vice President of Logistics, Distribution and Transportation for PepsiCo North America Beverages. "We are proud to be an organization that employs and supports veterans and we are grateful for partners like Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation that allow us to give back."

To donate to Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation, please visit http://www.fallenpatriots.org/rr.

About Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation

Since 2002, Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation has provided approximately $22 million in total assistance, including college scholarships, supplemental grants and educational counseling to more than 1,100 military children who have lost a parent in the line of duty. Nearly 20,000 dependents across America have been left behind by troops killed in the line of duty over the past 35 years. Help today by visiting fallenpatriots.org/rr .

Follow us on:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fallenpatriots

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FallenPatriots

Instagram: https://instagram.com/fallenpatriots/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+FallenpatriotsOrg/posts

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/FallenPatriotsFound

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $63 billion in net revenue in 2017, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose  our fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world around us. We believe that continuously improving the products we sell, operating responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the world is what enables PepsiCo to run a successful global company that creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

SOURCE PepsiCo

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"We are very pleased with the turnout. It was great to hear the positive feedback on these types of unique vacation rentals offered by Petite Retreats from the attendees," said Petite Retreats' spokeswoman Pat Zamora. The Tuxbury Tiny House Village is the latest in a series of unique accommodations Petite Retreats has launched across the country over the past two years. "Petite Retreats has proven to serve the interest of today's travelers who are looking for a truly unique vacation experience that a typical hotel stay can't deliver," Zamora added.

Visitors were treated to free wood-fired pizza, gifted with individual s'mores kits and had the opportunity to register to win a free one-week stay in a tiny house of their choice. Visitors from all over the Northeast made the trip to see tiny houses Emerson, Henry, Clara, Riley, and Murphy in person.

Petite Retreats offers Tiny Houses among its variety of unique vacation rentals, including yurts, cabins, cottages, tents and teepees, across more than 180 RV resorts and campgrounds nationwide. Three additional Tiny House Villages have been opened by Petite Retreats over the last two years, including Mt. Hood Tiny House Village outside Portland, OR, Leavenworth Tiny House Village outside of Seattle, and the Verde Valley tiny houses near Sedona, AZ.

About Petite Retreats

Petite Retreats is a collection of unique accommodations across the U.S., offering one-of-a-kind vacations to guests. Owned and operated by Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE: ELS), Petite Retreats and its affiliates offer vacationers the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors in top vacation destinations, complemented with resort-style amenities. Petite Retreats' unique accommodations consist of tiny houses, cabins, yurts, tents and teepees. Visit www.PetiteRetreats.com for more information.

SOURCE Petite Retreats

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SHANGHAI, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pivotal bioVenture Partners China (Pivotal China), a member of Nan Fung Life Sciences (NLFS) announced today the closing of Pivotal bioVenture Partners China USD Fund I, raising $150 million to incubate and build Life Sciences companies in China. Pivotal China was founded by Mr. Vincent Cheung, who is the Chairman of NFLS and Managing Director and COO of Nan Fung Group. It is led by Dr. Jimmy Wei, Mr. Meng Gao and Mr. Shannon Cheung. Pivotal China will focus on incubating new life sciences companies in China by in-licensing innovative products and technologies that could serve unmet medical needs of the growing China market. Pivotal China will invest broadly in pharmaceuticals, devices and service sectors.

"China is catching up in healthcare innovation," said Dr. Jimmy Wei, Managing Partner of Pivotal bioVenture Partners China. "By creating new companies with entrepreneurs and global partners, Pivotal China fund intends to bring global technologies to China quickly and efficiently. The vision of Pivotal China is to create a life sciences ecosystem to generate synergies among portfolio companies and foster the innovations in China. We are doing this by building one of the most experienced teams among our peers, and by combining a broad global exposure with strong expertise in the local Chinese market. Leveraging on Nan Fung Life Sciences' presence in the US and Europe, we hope to actively source cutting-edge innovative technologies."

Prior to joining Pivotal China, Dr. Jimmy Wei was the Managing Partner at iBridge Capital and the Partner at the KPCB China fund, where he was involved with the formation of companies such as Zai Lab, JHL Biotech, XW Lab and iMab. Prior to joining Pivotal China, Mr. Meng Gao was a Managing Director at Blackstone's Private Equity Group and Mr. Shannon Cheung was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Averest Capital, an investment company focusing on healthcare, TMT and environmental technology sectors and Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of Likang Life Sciences.

About Nan Fung Life Sciences (NFLS)

Nan Fung Life Sciences, part of Nan Fung Group, is a global investment platform focusing on life sciences. Leveraging on Nan Fung Group's strong capital base and long-term commitment to the area, the company is aimed to become the ideal partner for scientists, entrepreneurs, corporations and investors in the life science space. Through direct investments via Pivotal bioVenture Partners funds (both in US and China) and fund investments covering full spectrum of the industry (including therapeutics, medical devices and diagnostics) and across different development stages, Nan Fung Life Sciences has significant presence in both US and Greater China.

About Nan Fung Group

Nan Fung Group, founded in 1954, Nan Fung Group is a conglomerate based in Hong Kong with global interests in real estate development and investment, life sciences and financial investments. Learn more at www.nanfung.com/.

Media and Partners

Pivotal bioVenture Partners China

www.pivotalbiovp.cn/

Winnie Wu, +86-21-3106-3487

[email protected]

WeChat Subscription: PivotalChina

SOURCE Pivotal bioVenture Partners China

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ATLANTA, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc. (NYSE: APTS) ("PAC" or the "Company") today announced that it closed on an aggregate loan investment of up to approximately $11.9 million. This investment is in connection with Oxford Properties' plans to develop a 301-unit Class A multifamily community located in the Nashville, Tennessee MSA. Additionally, with this investment, PAC received an option to purchase the multifamily community following stabilization at a discounted price to market. "We continue to originate multifamily real estate loan investments that provide both attractive current returns and the opportunity to acquire newly constructed properties at a discount to stabilized value," said Jeff Sherman, the Company's Executive Vice President and Director of Multifamily Investments.

About Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc.

Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc. is a Maryland corporation formed primarily to acquire and operate multifamily properties in select targeted markets throughout the United States. As part of our business strategy, we may enter into forward purchase contracts or purchase options for to-be-built multifamily communities and we may make real estate related loans, provide deposit arrangements, or provide performance assurances, as may be necessary or appropriate, in connection with the development of multifamily communities and other properties. As a secondary strategy, we may acquire or originate senior mortgage loans, subordinate loans or real estate loans secured by interests in multifamily properties, membership or partnership interests in multifamily properties and other multifamily related assets and invest a lesser portion of our assets in other real estate related investments, including other income-producing property types, senior mortgage loans, subordinate loans or real estate loans secured by interests in other income-producing property types, membership or partnership interests in other income-producing property types as determined by our manager as appropriate for us. At March 31, 2018, the Company was the approximate 97.3% owner of Preferred Apartment Communities Operating Partnership, L.P., the Company's operating partnership. Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc. has elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, commencing with its tax year ended December 31, 2011. Learn more at www.pacapts.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "trend", "will", "expects", "plans", "estimates", "anticipates", "projects", "intends", "believes", "goals", "objectives", "outlook" and similar expressions. Because such statements include risks, uncertainties and contingencies, actual results may differ materially from the expectations, intentions, beliefs, plans or predictions of the future expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, those disclosed in PAC's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. PAC undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required by law.

Additional Information

The SEC has declared effective the registration statement (including prospectus) filed by the Company for each of the offerings to which this communication may relate. Before you invest, you should read the final prospectus, and any prospectus supplements, forming a part of the registration statement and other documents the Company has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the Company and the offering to which this communication may relate. In particular, you should carefully read the risk factors described in the final prospectus and in any related prospectus supplement and in the documents incorporated by reference in the final prospectus and any related prospectus supplement to which this communication may relate. You may obtain these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, the Company or its dealer manager, Preferred Capital Securities, LLC, with respect to PAC's mShares Redeemable Preferred Stock Offering and Series A Redeemable Preferred Stock and Warrant Unit Offering, and JonesTrading Institutional Services LLC, with respect to PAC's ATM Common Stock Offering, will arrange to send you a prospectus if you request it by calling Leonard A. Silverstein at (770) 818-4100, 3284 Northside Parkway NW, Suite 150, Atlanta, Georgia 30327.

The ATM Common Stock Offering prospectus supplement, dated July 10, 2017, including a base prospectus, dated May 17, 2016, can be accessed through the following link:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1481832/000148183217000110/atmprospectusspring2017.htm

The mShares Redeemable Preferred Stock Offering prospectus, dated January 19, 2017, can be accessed through the following link:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1481832/000148183217000008/a424prospectus-mshares1.htm

The Series A Redeemable Preferred Stock and Warrant Unit Offering prospectus, dated March 16, 2017, can be accessed through the following link:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1481832/000148183217000061/a424prospectus-15bseriesar.htm

SOURCE Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.pacapts.com

ROHNERT PARK, Calif., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In America, it is common to hear that available teachers are scarce and that school districts are struggling to incentivize people to consider teaching as an occupation. Teaching is known to be a rather low-income job with work that doesn't necessarily stop when the school day is over. Furthermore, classrooms are impacted and each child has individual needs that demand the teacher's attention. Teaching is certainly not the most glamorous job, but many educators already in the field would call it fulfilling. Ameritech Financial, a document preparation service company that helps borrowers with student loans apply for income-driven repayment plans, advises of another option for those who qualify for something known as a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).

PSLF is for public servants at appropriate jobs. This includes jobs like full-time firefighters, nurses, and even public school teachers. Every state has different requirements for becoming a public school teacher, but it usually entails steps like getting a bachelor's degree and then applying to a teacher's certificate program. Usually, the prospective teacher will have a degree related to the class that they wish to teach, alongside their own education in how to educate others. "Teaching others, especially the youth of our country, is a great job toward earning public service loan forgiveness. It can be rough when you think about how little money you'd make as a teacher, but the payout just by making a difference in student's life alone can be worth it for some people," said Tom Knickerbocker, executive vice president of Ameritech Financial.

Ten years as a public school teacher, and making the necessary amounts of qualified payments, is a great way to meet certain qualifications toward student loans forgiven and make a lasting impact on the children taught. With more people completing PSLF as the years go by since PSLF's creation in 2007 under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, the word may spread about how to properly complete the program is spreading, making it an option for more people. Having the right kind of loan and keeping strict copies of loan payments is what is needed to get started down the path for PSLF. With just a little effort and arming oneself with knowledge though, while steep, the path for PSLF can be clear.

"Ameritech Financial helps federal loan borrowers apply to income-driven repayment plans, including PSLF. By doing this, we do our part to help those who are striving to help others, so that all the good that is being done is continually being paid forward," said Knickerbocker.

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

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classroom-work.jpg

Classroom Work

mangpor_2004/Bigstock.com

Related Links

Ameritech Financial

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRza8MbLvuM

SOURCE Ameritech Financial

Related Links

https://ameritechfinancial.com

VANCOUVER, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Pure Industrial Real Estate Trust (TSX: AAR.UN) (the "Trust") announces today the closing (the "Closing") of the previously-announced plan of arrangement, pursuant to which an affiliate of Blackstone Property Partners, the Core+ real estate investment unit of Blackstone, and Ivanhoe Cambridge, a subsidiary of CDPQ, acquired all of the issued and outstanding trust units of the Trust (each, a "Unit") for $8.10 per Unit in cash (the "Transaction"). Blackstone Property Partners and Ivanhoe Cambridge will own respectively 62% and 38% of the Trust.

With the completion of the Transaction, the Units ceased trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX") and were delisted from the TSX at close of business today. The Trust will also cease to be a reporting issuer under applicable Canadian securities laws.

Unitholders who have questions or require assistance with submitting their Units in connection with the Transaction may direct their questions to Computershare Trust Company of Canada, which is acting as depositary in connection with the Transaction, by telephone at 1 (800) 564-6253 (toll free in North America) or (514) 982-7555 (outside North America), by facsimile at (905) 771-4082 or by email at [email protected].

For more information on the Transaction, please see the news releases issued by the Trust on January 9, 2018, February 28, 2018, March 12, 2018, March 23, 2018, March 29, 2018 and April 12, 2018 along with the Trust's management information circular dated February 15, 2018 prepared in connection with the Transaction, all of which are available under the Trust's profile at www.sedar.com and on the Trust's website at www.piret.ca.

ABOUT THE TRUST

The Trust is an unincorporated, open-ended investment trust that owns and operates a diversified portfolio of income-producing industrial properties in leading markets across Canada and key distribution and logistics markets in the United States. The Trust is an internally managed REIT and is one of the largest publicly-traded REITs in Canada that offers investors exposure to industrial real estate assets in Canada and the United States.

Additional information about the Trust is available at www.piret.ca or www.sedar.com.

ABOUT BLACKSTONE

Blackstone is a global leader in real estate investing. Blackstone's real estate business was founded in 1991 and has approximately US$120 billion of assets under management. Blackstone's real estate portfolio includes hotel, office, retail, industrial and residential properties in the US, Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America. Major holdings include Hilton Worldwide, Invitation Homes (single family homes), Logicor (pan-European logistics) and prime office buildings in the world's major cities.

ABOUT IVANHOE CAMBRIDGE

Ivanhoe Cambridge develops and invests in high-quality real estate properties, projects and companies that are shaping the urban fabric in dynamic cities around the world. It does so responsibly, with a long-term view to generate optimal, risk-adjusted returns. Ivanhoe Cambridge is committed to creating living spaces that foster the well-being of people and communities, while reducing its environmental footprint.

Vertically integrated in Canada, Ivanhoe Cambridge invests internationally alongside strategic partners and major real estate funds that are leaders in their markets. Through subsidiaries and partnerships, the Company holds interests in more than 1,000 buildings, primarily in the residential, office, retail, industrial and logistics sectors. Ivanhoe Cambridge held more than C$60 billion in assets as at December 31, 2017, and is a real estate subsidiary of the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (cdpq.com), one of Canada's leading institutional fund managers. For more information: ivanhoecambridge.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "should", and similar expressions. This information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the following: statements with respect to the REIT's intention to cease to be a reporting issuer.

The forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on certain expectations and assumptions made by the Trust. Although the Trust believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking information contained in this news release is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because the Trust can give no assurance that it will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking information addresses future events and conditions, by its very nature it involves inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks.

The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents Trust's expectations as of the date hereof, and is subject to change after such date. The Trust disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities regulations.

THE TORONTO STOCK EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR THE ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

SOURCE Pure Industrial Real Estate Trust (PIRET)

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BURLINGTON, Mass., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Qstream, makers of software that uses science, data, and mobile technology to prompt meaningful behavior change, today announced the company is a finalist in the Ascensia Diabetes Challenge, a global innovation competition that is seeking digital solutions to support type 2 diabetes management. Qstream and five other finalists were selected from 116 submissions from entrepreneurs and start-ups around the world offering a range of digital solutions with the potential to revolutionize type 2 diabetes management.

Type 2 diabetes currently accounts for around 90% of the estimated 425 million people with diabetes globally according to the 2017 International Diabetes Foundation's biannual Diabetes Atlas. The Ascensia Diabetes Challenge is designed to uncover innovative new ways to manage the condition that are urgently required to meet the substantial and growing burden to individuals and our healthcare systems. Qstream founder and Harvard Medical School associate professor, Dr. B. Price Kerfoot, presented the results of a recent clinical study that found that patients who were randomly assigned to use Qstream had significantly greater reductions in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), a common measure of long-term blood glucose control, than their counterparts who received the identical content in a booklet format.

"We've created a diabetes-specific Qstream challenge to provide self-management, education, and reinforcement using push notifications and game mechanics to generate strong patient engagement and improve outcomes," said Dr. Kerfoot, MD EdM. "A deployment of Qstream's mobile solution, designed to teach patients about diabetes self-management, delivered reductions in blood glucose comparable to starting a new diabetes medication."

Qstream is a team-based mobile game initially developed at Harvard Medical School that can prompt meaningful behavior change in people. QStream is proven to generate significant and sustained improvements in blood glucose control among patients who use it, and has been proven in more than 20 scientific trials.

"Qstream is thrilled to be a finalist in the Ascensia Diabetes Challenge based on the ground-breaking research of Dr. Kerfoot," said Rich Lanchantin, CEO of Qstream. "We look forward to working with Ascensia to implement our innovative digital solution to improve the lives of people with type 2 diabetes."

About Qstream

Developed at Harvard Medical School, Qstream is clinically proven in more than 20 scientific trials to boost retention and durably change clinical practice patterns to improve patient outcomes.

Leading medical centers, teaching schools and CME providers around the globe rely on Qstream to reinforce education on hospital-acquired conditions, value-based purchasing and HCAHPS, readmissions and transitions of care, patient safety, and more. The Qstream platform is also used by hundreds of leading brands in life sciences, technology, financial services and healthcare to reinforce learning and outcomes. To learn more, visit Qstreamhealthcare.com, or connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Meredith Odgers

[email protected]

+44 (0) 7510 901 319

SOURCE Qstream

Related Links

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MIAMI, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Cruise Line's newest ship, Carnival Horizon, was officially named by godmother Queen Latifah in a ceremony in New York yesterday that showcased the talented young artists from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital whose artwork adorns the Dreamscape, a stunning three-deck-high LED sculpture in the ship's atrium.

Following the ceremony, Latifah squared off against Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl champion Jake Elliott in Lip Sync Battle: Horizon modeled after the hit Paramount Network TV series and rolling out across the Carnival fleet.

Latifah rocked the house with her incredible interpretation of the Weather Girls classic "It's Raining Men," while Elliott had a chance to live out his rock star fantasies performing Whitesnake's arena anthem "Here I Go Again," all performed with back-up dancers from Carnival Horizon's Playlist Productions to a packed house in the Liquid Lounge.

But the big winner was St. Jude Children's Research Hospital which received a $100,000 donation from Carnival representing monies raised from various fundraisers, both onboard and ashore. The funds continue the line's ongoing support of St. Jude with more than $16 million raised in the fight against childhood cancer since the partnership began in 2010.

"Carnival Horizon's naming ceremony was one of our best yet, with Queen Latifah carrying out her duties as godmother then battling it out with Super Bowl champion Jake Elliott of my hometown Philadelphia Eagles in an entertaining Lip Sync Battle," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. "We were also delighted to showcase the wonderfully talented children from St. Jude whose artwork on the Dreamscape will be forever associated with this spectacular ship," she added.

Added Latifah, "My time aboard Carnival Horizon was nothing short of incredible. In addition to having the honor of serving as the ship's godmother, meeting the amazing kids from St. Jude and their families and squaring off against Jake in an all-out Lip Sync Battle is certainly something I will always cherish."

"This is an absolute thrill for our patients and their families to have their artwork featured as a permanent display on this magnificent ship," said Richard Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "The ongoing support of Carnival team members and their customers around the globe for our lifesaving mission plays a critical role in advancing research and treatment for pediatric cancer and other life-threatening diseases."

As the newest ship in the fleet, Carnival Horizon introduces several innovations, including the first-ever Dr. Seuss water park, a new teppanyaki venue, and Smokehouse Brewhouse, a unique dining concept that combines real deal BBQ favorites created by Food Network star and longtime partner Guy Fieri, along with four craft beers brewed on board by brewmaster Colin Presby.

The second in the line's Vista-class series, Carnival Horizon also includes features like SkyRide, an IMAX Theatre, a Havana section with its own Cuban-themed bar and pool, and Family Harbor with extra-roomy staterooms and the Family Harbor Lounge.

Carnival Horizon kicks off a summer schedule from New York with a four-day cruise to Bermuda departing later today. The ship will operate four-day Bermuda and eight-day Caribbean departures from New York through September then reposition to Miami for year-round six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises beginning later that month.

To learn more about Carnival Cruise Line or to make a reservation, visit Carnival.com, call 1-800-CARNIVAL, or contact any travel agent. Follow us on: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

About Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Cruise Line, part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL;NYSE: CUK), is "The World's Most Popular Cruise Line" with 26 ships operating three- to 24-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Cuba, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia. The line currently has three new ships scheduled for delivery  the 133,500-ton Carnival Panorama set to debut in 2019 and two as-yet-unnamed 180,000-ton ships in 2020 and 2022.

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude won't stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food  because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook (facebook.com/stjude), following St. Jude on Twitter (@stjude) and subscribing to its YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/MyStJude).

SOURCE Carnival Cruise Line; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Related Links

https://www.Carnival.com

"I'm especially excited to bring the joys of ebiking to even more of my neighbors," said Daniel Henderson, Rad Power Bikes' Canadian Business Director. "We're building a great place where our growing Vancouver team can not only connect with our community in-person, but better serve our customers all across Canada."

The Vancouver showroom will be Rad Power Bikes' third brick and mortar location, joining the Seattle, Washington headquarters and European showroom in Utrecht, Netherlands. Blending ecommerce and retail has been key to Rad Power Bikes' emergence as North America's largest and most trusted ebike company.

"Putting down roots is just as important to us as it is to our customers," said Mike Radenbaugh, Co-Founder and CEO of Rad Power Bikes. "The first-hand experience and support at the retail showroom will complement our existing foundation in Canada, which includes our bustling online store, free shipping, and white glove home delivery with velofix Direct."

Rad Power Bikes aims to improve people's lives and communities through their lineup of five ebikes, each developed with customer lifestyles in mind. The RadRover fat-tire ebike and RadCity commuter ebike are the most popular throughout Canada. To improve the way businesses transport goods, Rad Power Bikes developed the RadBurro etrike for commercial use. Local businesses including Shift Delivery and www.spud.ca will make eco-friendly last-mile deliveries in Vancouver with the RadBurro. Each of Rad Power Bikes' models comply with Canada's rules and regulations for electric bikes, giving everyone peace of mind that they can safely ride to work, run errands, go on weekend adventures, and more.

ABOUT RAD POWER BIKES

Rad Power Bikes is bringing practical and fun alternative transportation options to the masses. The company was born in rural California in 2007 when the founders launched their first ebike prototypes. In 2015, after noticing that it was nearly impossible to find an affordable, high-performing ebike through traditional bicycle shops, they began selling their own models directly to consumers. Since then, they have been at the forefront of sustainable electric vehicle development and accessibility, and in 2017 were named to Forbes and Inc. Magazine's "30 Under 30" lists. Based in Seattle, Vancouver, and Utrecht, Netherlands, the team of passionate ebike enthusiasts create ebikes that are built for everything and priced for everyone.

SOURCE Rad Power BikesLOS ANGELES, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ralphs is inviting its customers to join in supporting the men and women of the armed forces and their families during its annual Honoring Our Heroes campaign in partnership with the USO.

To honor our heroes, Ralphs and other Kroger-family stores, together with customers and associates, are raising money to support the USO's broad range of programs that assist service members and their families.

This year, customers and associates of Ralphs will be able to show their support for our service men and women from May 23 to July 24 by donating their spare change in specially-marked coin boxes at the check stands in all Ralphs supermarkets. One-hundred percent of all donations will go to the USO.

Ralphs customers will also be able to give to the USO by purchasing a "Honoring Our Heroes" tear pad scan card. The tear pad scan cards are located at all check stands in $1, $3 and $5 denominations.

"The USO supports our military and their families in so many waysfrom being right there for the wounded, injured and ill, to helping those who are on deployment record a bed time story for their children," said Valerie Jabbar, president of Ralphs. "The USO connects with our service men and women every step of the way, and Ralphs is proud to honor our troops and veterans by supporting them."

Honoring Ralphs' Heroes

Ralphs is also recognizing company associates who are active and former military members, including BH Barnett, a resident of Costa Mesa, who works as a barista in the Starbucks at the Ralphs at 380 E. 17th Street in Costa Mesa.

Barnett is a United States Navy veteran. He achieved the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class and served as a prosthetics technician and triage corpsman aboard the aircraft carrier USS America from 1964 to 1968.

Barnett, 75, joined Ralphs in 2008 after retiring from a three-decade career in the dental industry.

Customers can read more accounts of military service like BH Barnett's story of service in the U.S. Navy, and learn how to volunteer with the USO or donate by visiting www.honoringourheroes.com.

Barnett's picture is also being featured on special Honoring Our Heroes signs that are being displayed at all Ralphs supermarkets from Memorial Day through July 4.

About Ralphs

At Ralphs Grocery Company we are dedicated to our purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit . We are more than 22,000 associates serving our customers in 191 supermarkets across Southern California from our headquarters in Los Angeles County. Ralphs is a recognized leader in community service and giving. Last year, we contributed more than $6 million to support education, hunger relief, women's health and local nonprofit organizations in the communities served by the company's stores. Ralphs is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co., (NYSE: KR), one of the world's largest retailers, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more about Ralphs, please visit our web site at www.ralphs.com.

SOURCE Ralphs Grocery Company

Related Links

http://www.honoringourheroes.com

7 Ansar Al Islam men held in city

RAB team detained 7 alleged Ansar Al Islam men along with some Jehadi books and bomb making materials from their possessions from different areas of the city. This photo was taken from RAB Media Centre on Thursday.

Staff Reporter :

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained seven members of banned militant outfit Ansar Al Islam, in a drive conducted in city's Jatrabari, Mugda and Badda areas early Thursday.

The arrested men are Mohibur Rahman, Ershadul Haq, Kamal Uddin, Sifat Mia, Didarul Islam, Rifat Ullah Sabbir Khan and Shital Mia. All members are coordinator of different units of Ansar Al Islam.

A huge amount of explosives, materials for making bombs, jihadi books were confiscated from the possessions of the detainees, Emranul Hasan, Commanding Officer (CO) of RAB-3, told the reporters in a press briefing at RAB Media Center in the city's Kawran Bazar on Thursday afternoon.To be considered for this year's expedition, disabled veterans should apply by July 15, 2018, through the No Barriers Warriors website . Once selected, team members must train for the journey and commit to a nine-day rafting adventure through the Grand Canyon. Participants pay nothing for the expedition; Raytheon underwrites the entire trip.

"I have witnessed the transformative power of No Barriers expeditions," said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, Raytheon Missile Systems president. "These are truly life-changing experiences for veterans seeking to improve their quality of life."

By fusing a comprehensive curriculum involving structured group dialogues with physically challenging activities such as long-distance hiking and rafting, disabled veterans team up to gain new strategies and skills that help them confront and overcome the barriers they face. This is the fifth year Raytheon and No Barriers have partnered for a veteran wilderness expedition. Previous journeys took teams to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and Wind River Range in Wyoming.

About No Barriers USA

No Barriers improves the lives of veterans with disabilities through curriculum-based experiences in challenging environments. Our experiences serve as both an opportunity for growth and a catalyst for change as these brave men and women stretch physical and emotional boundaries, foster camaraderie, pioneer through adversity, and step up and serve others. Through experiences that are one part adventure, one part curriculum and one part physical challenge, we show veterans that what's within them is stronger than what is in front of them. The mission of No Barriers USA is to unleash the potential of the human spirit. Through transformative experiences, tools and inspiration, No Barriers helps people embark on a quest to overcome obstacles, live a full life and contribute their absolute best to the world. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Raytheon

Raytheon Company, with 2017 sales of $25 billion and 64,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 96 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5ITM products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Follow us on Twitter.

Media Contacts

Raytheon

Briana Biondo

+1.520.746.2078

[email protected]

No Barriers USA

Jaime Donnelly

+1.970.484.3633, ext. 316

[email protected]

SOURCE Raytheon Company

Related Links

http://www.raytheon.com

BEDFORD, Ind., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Approximately 1,013 acres of Martin County land -- including hunting land, timber, White River frontage and tillable land  will be offered at auction June 12, with Schrader Real Estate and Auction Company conducting the event. The land, which includes several homes and 286 acres along the White River, will be offered in 21 tracts.

"This land has been cared for and improved in painstaking detail by an owner with a strong commitment to quality. The crushed limestone roads running through the land were built to very high standards and have greatly enhanced access to the property. This commitment is also seen in the homes, shop, barns and other structures, as well as the availability of utilities," said R.D. Schrader, president of the auction company.

"Our bidding method encourages people to bid in any combination of tracts, and there are several groups of tracts that fit naturally together. For instance, we have five tracts making up a 538-acre property that combines large wooded tracts, and a large aerated stocked pond. About 460 acres of that land is Classified Forest," he said.

"One especially attractive piece is a wooded 248-acre tract with several prime high-ground building sites, with power and telephone/Internet. This would make an outstanding personal, corporate or church retreat," said Schrader.

Schrader personnel will be available at the property to accommodate inspections from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 2, and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 6. Internet bidding will be available by prior arrangement.

The auction will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 12, at the Lawrence County Fairgrounds in Bedford. Individuals seeking additional information may visit www.schraderauction.com or call 800-451-2709. A related auction of personal property, including machinery and firearms, will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 16 at 8826 Bear Hill Road, Shoals, 47581.

Schrader Real Estate and Auction Company, based in Columbia City, Indiana, is a leading auctioneer of farmland, real estate and equipment throughout the United States and is a five-time USA Today/National Auctioneers Association Auction of the Year winner.

For more information:

Carl Carter, 205-823-3273

SOURCE Schrader Real Estate and Auction Company

Related Links

http://www.schraderauction.com

PHOENIX, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Gregg Leslie, an expert in media law, has been named the inaugural executive director of the First Amendment Legal Clinic at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. The clinic, opening this fall, will focus on freedom of the press issues. It is funded by an almost $1 million gift from the Stanton Foundation, a private organization established by longtime CBS president Frank Stanton.

"It is an honor to be selected to launch this exciting clinic," said Leslie, who will also be serving as ASU Law's professor of practice of media law. "I'm thrilled to be joining such an energetic and innovative legal community, and I am really looking forward to working with the students to promote and defend First Amendment and press rights. I think this clinic will be a great addition to the school and will benefit both the community and the students who want to immerse themselves in these topics."

Leslie said his interest in the First Amendment predates his enrollment in law school. His passion grew when, first as a student journalist and then as a professional journalist, he ran into challenges with government employees using the law to try to hinder reporting. After graduating from law school, he said he jumped at the chance to work for a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting journalists.

He has been with the Washington, D.C.-based Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press since 1994, serving as legal defense director since 2000. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit association was founded in 1970 by a group of reporters and lawyers when the nation's media faced an unprecedented wave of government subpoenas from the Nixon administration, forcing journalists to reveal confidential sources.

A graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, Leslie has worked for the campaign and transition team of former President Bill Clinton; has served as chairman of the D.C. Bar's Media Law Committee; is a member of the governing committee of the Communications Law Forum of the American Bar Association; and was a member of the American Bar Association's Fair Trial and Free Press Task Force.

"We are excited to have such a savvy and experienced media law expert like Gregg to help launch the First Amendment Legal Clinic," said ASU Law Dean Douglas Sylvester. "A free press is essential to a democracy, making this a critically important venture. Gregg's credentials and accomplishments, and the generous gift from the Stanton Foundation, allows us to take on this mission."

Leslie shares the belief that a free society is largely dependent on a free press.

"The very notion of a democratic society, where people have a role in their own governance, depends on having both access to information about the government and the right to distribute it freely without fear of retaliation or prosecution," he said. "And it's not important that the process be nice and neat. Open, robust political debate will involve angry accusations and sometimes bad information, and it all should be subject to public scrutiny. A free press is essential to that process."

Protecting the First Amendment

Leslie said the twin goals of the clinic will be to protect and defend First Amendment interests and to teach a new generation of lawyers how to help individuals stand up for their First Amendment rights. Students will interact with journalists and others to address the roadblocks keeping them from doing meaningful reporting.

As executive director, Leslie will run the clinic's day-to-day operations, while ASU Law Professor James Weinstein, the Dan Cracchiolo chair in Constitutional Law, will serve as the faculty director.

Weinstein, a noted free-speech author and litigator of several significant free speech cases on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, says Leslie is the perfect fit for the clinic.

"We could not have imagined finding anybody better to serve as the executive director," Weinstein said. "Leslie has a wealth of experience, and he has worked with young people already at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and as an adjunct at Georgetown. We are extremely lucky to have him, and I look forward to working with him."

Leslie shares Weinstein's excitement about the partnership and their shared goals for the clinic.

"Professor Weinstein brings a great deal of intellectual background and professional credibility to this project, and I'm truly looking forward to working with him on a regular basis," he said. "I think his more academic orientation will combine with my practical experience in the field to give the students and the journalists we'll work with the best of both worlds. A partnership like this will benefit everyone."

About the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law

The Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University is one of the country's preeminent law schools. Ranked a top 10 public law school nationally by U.S. News & World Report, ASU Law is a leading provider of comprehensive and personalized legal education. The law school ranks Top 20 in the nation for job placement and No. 1 in the state for student outcomes. Located in a new, state-of-the-art building in downtown Phoenix, ASU Law is steps away from the legal, political, and economic heart of Arizona. For more information, visit law.asu.edu.

Media Contact

Karen Sung

[email protected]

480-727-9052

SOURCE Sandra Day OConnor College of Law at Arizona State University

Related Links

https://law.asu.edu

"When composing our steak pairing, we played with contrasting flavors to enhance the notes of the wine and the dish," said Abdiel Aleman, Vice President of Culinary Development for Ruth's Chris Steak House. "The addition of Gremolata crust to the Petite Filet Mignon adds a hint of zestiness to the steak, which will complement and showcase the nuance of the rich, supple style of Caymus' Cabernet Sauvignon."

Other unique pairings that will be served at the dinner include Crispy Lemon Sole with Cajun Tartar paired with Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc, Crab Soup with Tarragon Cream paired with Mer Soleil Reserve Chardonnay, Pork Belly Confit with Watercress Salad paired with Emmolo Merlot and Chocolate Creme Brulee paired with Red Schooner Malbec.

"Wine is made to be shared with family and friends," said Chuck Wagner, owner and winemaker for Caymus Vineyards. "This dinner is the perfect occasion to enjoy Ruth's favorite steak house selections perfectly paired with wines made by my children and me."

Ruth's TasteMaker Dinners bring together some of the most iconic and up-and-coming winemakers in the industry for a specially curated night of great food, storytelling and making memories around Ruth's signature 500-degree, sizzling plates. Seating for each dinner is limited, so guests are encouraged to plan ahead. Below is the schedule for upcoming dinners and wineries that will be featured in the 2018 series:

August 23 Veuve Clicquot October 18 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

For reservations and more information about Ruth's TasteMaker Dinners, please visit www.ruthschris.com.

ABOUT RUTH'S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE

Ruth's Chris Steak House was founded by Ruth Fertel 50 years ago in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ruth had a recipe for everything  from how to prepare her signature sizzling steaks to how to treat her guests. This timeless formula is a testament to how one neighborhood eatery has become the largest collection of upscale steak houses in the world, with more than 150 restaurant locations around the globe. Ruth's Chris remains true to its heritage, helping guests make their best memories on 500-degree sizzling plates. Ruth's Chris Steak House. This is how it's done.

SOURCE Ruth's Chris Steak House

Related Links

https://www.ruthschris.com

GROSSE POINTE FARMS, Mich., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Saga Communications, Inc. (NYSE American: SGA) today reported that Chris Forgy is being promoted to the new position of Senior Vice President/Operations. Mr. Forgy joined the Company in 1995 and served as Director of Sales for the Company's radio stations in Columbus, OH until 2006. He left the Company from 2006 to 2011 to serve as General Manager of radio clusters for other broadcast companies. Mr. Forgy rejoined the Company as President and General Manager of our Columbus market where he has served until being promoted to his new position.

Edward K. Christian, President and Chief Executive Officer of Saga Communications, Inc. said, "Chris is a world class broadcaster whose contributions to Saga will be very important and strategic as he joins us in the corporate office."

Chris Forgy said, "I have always dreamed of having this opportunity and am looking forward to working directly with Ed as well as with Saga's great team of broadcasters who I have had the honor to work with and alongside of for the past 20 years."

Saga is a broadcasting company whose business is devoted to acquiring, developing and operating broadcast properties. Saga owns or operates broadcast properties in 26 markets, including 75 FM radio stations, 33 AM radio stations and 75 metro signals. For additional information, contact us at (313) 886-7070 or visit our website at www.sagacom.com .

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations and involve certain risks and uncertainties within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "guidance," "intent" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Key risks, including risks associated with Saga's ability to effectively integrate the stations it acquires and the impact of federal regulation on Saga's business, are described in the reports Saga periodically files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K. Readers should note that these statements may be impacted by several factors, including national and local economic changes and changes in the radio broadcast industry in general, as well as Saga's actual performance. Results may vary from those stated herein and Saga undertakes no obligation to update the information contained here.

SOURCE Saga Communications, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.sagacom.com

BOSTON, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Salsify, the leading Product Experience Management (PXM) platform empowering brands to deliver compelling shopping experiences for consumers across every digital touchpoint, today announces that the company has successfully completed a Service Organization Control (SOC) 2, Type 1 examination. Conducted by auditors Schellman & Company, LLC, this objective evaluation of Salsify's technology platform, organization, and processes affirms a high degree of data security and availability, and helps fulfill the compliance needs of the company's rapidly growing global customer base.

"The Salsify PXM platform addresses an array of critical needs for today's brand manufacturers so they can consistently deliver compelling product experiences anywhere they sell online," said Adam Ferrari, EVP of Engineering at Salsify. "With our roster of large, multinational customers expanding significantly in recent years, this SOC 2 Type 1 evaluation underscores Salsify's long-held commitment to meet our clients' exacting data security and availability requirements."

SOC 2 standards are established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and address security controls such as organization and management, monitoring of controls, communications, risk management, and more. By completing the Type 1, security and availability portion of the analysis, brand manufacturers using Salsify to organize, store, collaborate, syndicate, and analyze their product content can feel confident that the Salsify platform is secure and has gone through a rigorous security verification process.

An executive summary of Salsify's SOC 2 Type 1 report is available upon request to Salsify customers and partners under NDA.

About Salsify

Salsify is the world's leading Product Experience Management (PXM) platform, empowering brand manufacturers to deliver the product experiences consumers demand anywhere they choose to shop online. Salsify's platform combines the power of PIM and DAM capabilities, the industry's broadest commerce ecosystem, and actionable insights to orchestrate compelling product experiences through every digital touchpoint. The world's biggest brands including Coca-Cola, Bosch, GSK, Rawlings, and Fruit of the Loom use Salsify every day to stand out on the digital shelf. To date, Salsify has raised a total of $54.6 million in funding, led by Underscore.VC, Venrock, Matrix Partners and North Bridge.

For more information, please visit: http://www.salsify.com.

Media Contact

Andrew Waber

Media Relations at Salsify

[email protected]

SOURCE Salsify

Related Links

http://www.salsify.com

TSX.V: SCZ

FSE: 1SZ

VANCOUVER, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd. (TSX.V:SCZ) (the "Company" or "Santacruz") reports on the operating results from the Veta Grande Project in Zacatecas, Mexico and the Rosario Project in San Luis Potosi, Mexico for the first quarter of 2018.

The Company produced a total of 154,175 silver equivalent ounces in Q1 2018 (Q1 2017  223,968; Q4 2017  139,670). As compared to Q1 2017, the decreased production reflects 30% less tonnes milled at the Rosario Project and a 32% decrease in the average silver equivalent head grade at the Veta Grande Project. As compared to Q4 2017, the increased production reflects an 11% increase in the average silver equivalent head grade at the Rosario Project and a 98% increase in tonnes milled at the Veta Grande Project offset by 22% decrease in the average silver equivalent head grade.

"During Q1 of 2018 management focussed activities on aggressively developing the Veta Grande main ramp in order to access in situ mineralized material from Q3 onwards. This strategy has resulted in lower head grades and reduced metal production for the short run but will pave the way for achieving targeted production for Q3 and beyond." stated Arturo Prestamo. He continued, "At Rosario the millfeed continued to be a blend of development muck and mineralized material from production stopes. During Q2 the percentage of development muck will decrease as more production stopes come online and by Q3 we expect to be at targeted production and head grade levels."

2018 First Quarter Consolidated Production Results



Summary of Production Results 2018 Q1 2017 Q4 2017 Q1 Material Processed (tonnes milled) 48,068 30,975 45,474 Silver eqv. ounce production(1) 154,175 139,670 223,968 Silver production (ounces) 48,102 44,316 92,154 Gold production (ounces) 135 239 326 Lead production (tonnes) 134 94 144 Zinc production (tonnes) 449 412 559 Average Head Grade (g/t Ag Eqv.) 167 194 216

2018 First Quarter Veta Grande Project Production Results



Summary of Production Results 2018 Q1 2017 Q4 2017 Q1 Material Processed (tonnes milled) 34,928 17,657 26,751 Silver eqv. ounce production(1) 71,410 64,987 108,728 Silver production (ounces) 32,413 25,665 57,598 Silver head grade (g/t) 62 78 117 Silver recovery (%) 47 58 57 Gold production (ounces) 56 53 131 Lead production (tonnes) 109 70 99 Zinc production (tonnes) 118 163 177 Average Head Grade (g/t Ag Eqv.) 142 183 209

2018 First Quarter Rosario Project Production Results



Summary of Production Results 2018 Q1 2017 Q4 2017 Q1 Material Processed (tonnes milled) 13,140 13,317 18,723 Silver eqv. ounce production(1) 82,765 74,683 115,240 Silver production (ounces) 15,689 18,652 34,556 Silver head grade (g/t) 43 53 66 Silver recovery (%) 85 82 86 Gold production (ounces) 79 186 195 Lead production (tonnes) 25 23 45 Zinc production (tonnes) 331 249 382 Average Head Grade (g/t Ag Eqv.) 232 209 226





(1 AgEqvOz = (Au*Pau)+(Ag*Pag)+(Pb*Ppb*2205)+(Zn*Pzn*2205)

(Pag)





Metal Prices 2018: Ag $17.00, Au $1,295, Pb $1.00, Zn $1.35 Metal Prices 2017: Ag $16.00, Au $1,150, Pb $1.00, Zn $1.15

Update - Veta Grande Project

Two important initiatives are currently ongoing at the Veta Grande Project. One is the ongoing first phase of a surface drilling campaign consisting of 6,000 metres on the Veta Grande vein and a 3,000-metre underground drill program on the Armados vein. The plan is to complete a 20,000-metre drill program during 2018 funded by Carrizal Mining, S.A. de C.V. To this end, a second surface drill rig is expected on property shortly. With respect to the current program, the first two surface drill holes have been completed and five underground drill holes been completed. Assays are pending.

The other initiative is to drive a second production ramp to access the Armados vein while concurrently continuing with development work on the Veta Grande vein. .

Update - Rosario Project

As disclosed previously, during Q4 2017 the Company took the decision to consolidate all of its Rosario Project mining operations to the Membrillo Prospect. Mine development has now reached Level 3 and mine production is increasing. Management anticipates that the targeted production rate (350 tpd) and head grade will be achieved by the end of Q2.

About Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd.

Santacruz is a Mexican focused silver company with two producing silver projects, Veta Grande and Rosario, and two exploration properties, the Minillas property and Zacatecas properties. The Company is managed by a technical team of professionals with proven track records in developing, operating and discovering silver mines in Mexico. Our corporate objective is to become a mid-tier silver producer.

'signed'

Arturo Prestamo Elizondo,

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

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 information

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information is based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and is subject to certain factors and assumptions. In making the forward-looking statements included in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, assumptions as to the continuation of payments under the Agreement, the expansion of the Vita Grande Project, the Company's financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events, third party mineralized material to be milled by the Company will have properties consistent with management's expectations, that the Company will receive all required regulatory approvals, and that future metal prices and the demand and market outlook for metals will remain stable or improve. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate include, but are not limited to, the risk that any of the assumptions referred to prove not to be valid or reliable, which could result in lower revenue, higher cost, or lower production levels; delays and/or cessation in planned work; changes in the Company's financial condition and development plans; delays in regulatory approval; risks associated with the interpretation of data (including in respect of the third party mineralized material) regarding the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; the possibility that results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to mineral exploration and development activities and to the Company as set forth in the Company's continuous disclosure filings filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information or statements, other than as required by applicable law.

Rosario Project

The decisions to commence production at the Rosario Mine, Cinco Estrellas Property and Membrillo Prospect were not based on a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability, but rather on a more preliminary estimate of inferred mineral resources. Accordingly, there is increased uncertainty and economic and technical risks of failure associated with this production decision. Production and economic variables may vary considerably, due to the absence of a complete and detailed site analysis according to and in accordance with NI 43-101.

Veta Grande Project

The decision to commence production at Veta Grande Project was not based on a feasibility study on mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability. Accordingly, there is increased uncertainty and economic and technical risks of failure associated with this production decision. Production and economic variables may vary considerably due to the absence of a complete and detailed site analysis according to and in accordance with NI 43-101.

SOURCE Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd.

Related Links

www.santacruzsilver.com

SAN RAMON, Calif., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Prescriptions of all kinds are filled out every day for different people, but they can be expensive. Pain relief, hormonal treatment, allergy medication and prescriptions for relief from various disorders are available once prescribed based upon a person's individual needs. If an individual requires that more than one prescription filled or needs a specific brand of medication, the price can jump up further. Financial Education Benefits Center (FEBC), a health and wellness benefits company, believes that everyone should be able to have easy access to prescribed medicines and offers access to third-party discounts on certain prescriptions for its members.

Piotr Adamowicz/Bigstock.com

"Prescriptions help people maintain their day-to-day lives. But like many medicines, they have the issue of getting to be expensive. It doesn't help that not every medicine can be used by every person," commented Jennifer Martinez, manager at FEBC. Due to an individual's different biological structure, they may not be able to buy off-brand medicines. On top of that, each individual may have a different insurance policy and not every policy is favorable towards the cost of prescription refills."

Different options for different people get prioritized as necessities. Sometimes due to costs, prescriptions can be further down on that list or other bits of people's lives may have to be left aside to make room for their needed prescriptions. FEBC believes that nobody should have to choose between prescriptions or something else. With access to discounts on certain prescriptions, FEBC is doing what it can to help others be able to better afford what they need. That way, a higher quality of life is achieved, for less money and struggle.

"There shouldn't have to be a choice made between getting medicine that someone needs and something else just as necessary. We're just doing our part to make that possible by offering prescription discounts in our suite of health and wellness benefits," said Martinez. FEBC members should note that any benefits from FEBC are not insurance and not intended to replace insurance.

About Financial Education Benefits Center

Financial Education Benefits Center is located in San Ramon, California. The membership company has already helped thousands save money and obtain the necessary education required to live a financially healthy life.

Financial Education Benefits Center has partnered with several name brand third-party companies to expand the financial and educational products and services available to its members and to provide a variety of wellness services as well.

Financial Education Benefits Center Newsroom

Contact

To learn more about Financial Education Benefits Center, please contact:

Financial Education Benefits Center

2010 Crow Canyon Place Ste. 100

San Ramon, CA 94583

1-800-953-1388

[email protected]

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Prescribed Medicine

Piotr Adamowicz/Bigstock.com

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Related Links

FEBCP

SOURCE Financial Education Benefits CenterPHILADELPHIA, May 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Seek Capital, a leading provider of small business funding, and Jornaya, the rapidly growing consumer insights platform, jointly announced today that Seek will be leveraging Jornaya's TCPA Guardian and Jornaya Intelligence solutions to ensure TCPA compliance across their marketing efforts and to further enhance the experience for consumers and funding advisors alike.

Seek Business Capital provides consulting services and funding procurement to small businesses across America. It's primary goal is to solve one basic problem: small businesses need fast access to financing! When business owners are searching for funding for their business, they often don't know what is required. Seek's mission is to help business owners by handling the behind the scenes work and put their business in the best possible position to achieve their business funding goals.

Jornaya, as a first-hand witness to the lead event and the consumer's shopping journey across multiple devices, browsers, and web properties, can provide unique insights into lead quality, consumer intent and whether a consumer provided their full and proper consent to receive a call. Brands leverage Jornaya to improve lead quality and performance, have more relevant communication with their prospects and clients, and ensure their marketing is in compliance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

"Seek Capital is a go-to brand for small business looking to secure funding," said Jornaya CEO Ross Shanken. "With Jornaya, Seek can now better understand the consumer's online shopping journey, more effectively work with their lead sources, have more relevant conversations with prospects and improve funding advisor performance. Most importantly, Seek can also ensure and prove that every call they make is in full compliance with the TCPA."

"We're always striving to improve the experience for the consumer and for our funding advisors," said Roy Ferman, CEO of Seek Capital. "Jornaya's unique visibility into the lead event and consumer shopping journey allows our organization to more intelligently and effectively engage with the consumer, creating a better experience for everyone involved and ensuring we are always in full compliance with the TCPA."

About Jornaya

Jornaya is the consumer journey insight platform that provides publishers, marketers, data analysts, and compliance professionals with the highest-resolution view of the consumer buying journey. It is the only technology platform that witnesses both first- and third-party consumer interactions in real time and across devices. Meeting consumers at these moments of intent enables businesses to shorten the distance between data, decision, and action. Jornaya seamlessly integrates with any buyer journey decisioning process or toolkit. Please visit http://www.jornaya.com.

About Seek Capital

Seek Business Capital provides consulting services and funding procurement to small businesses across America. Our primary goal is to solve one basic problem: small businesses need fast access to financing!

When business owners are searching for funding for their business, they often don't know what is required. Our mission is to help business owners by handling the behind the scenes work and put their business in the best possible position to achieve their business funding goals.



Through industry experience and proprietary technology, we are able to evaluate a business on performance and attributes, and provide transparency to the business on their ability to obtain funding.



Our Funding Procurement service allows us to provide a Funding Estimate within 2 hours and same day Funding Approvals.

SOURCE Jornaya

Related Links

jornaya.com

DUBAI, UAE, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

6:00pm, May 14 th, Emirates Towers, Dubai

Grand opening of Coworking Space in Emirates Towers

Servcorp, provider of the world's finest serviced offices and business packages, today launched a flagship Coworking space, located on Floor 41 of the prestigious Emirates Towers, Dubai.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/695617/Servcorp_Logo.jpg )



This all-new facility meets the growing trend towards innovative working styles in the emirate - and positions Servcorp as the brand leader of choice in the flexible workspace and Coworking agendas.

The gala evening was attended by Government representatives including Guest of Honour Mohammed Shael Al Saadi, CEO of Business Development & Strategy, Department of Economic Development (DED). Also featuring a spectrum of VIPs from the Enterprise community, the event provided a highly informative showcase for the foremost Coworking space in Dubai.

Optimum solutions

Floor 41 of Emirates Towers features state-of-the-art design and provides optimum workspace solutions for the full spectrum of businesses - offering SMEs and multinationals alike full connectivity and facilities from Day One. Clients also benefit from an unrivalled quality of environment, with the selection of fine artworks and Servcorp's signature upscale furnishings.

The newly-launched Coworking space also offers the advantages of an A-List, premium location in one of Dubai's premier commercial settings.

The New Age of Coworking

Mohammed Shael Al Saadi explained the Government's commitment to the Sharing Economy model - and how Coworking spaces are an example: "For the last year, one of the special initiatives of the DED has been to identify 162 megatrends which we see impacting the way that Dubai does business. These include, for example, the rise of the Internet of Things and the interaction that Dubai has with neighbouring economies. One of the most powerful of these megatrends is the shift towards Mobile Working. We see this not only as a growing factor amongst SMEs, but also for bigger, international businesses, who are now frequently suggesting that their staff can follow this new working model. There is also a lot of evidence to suggest that amongst Generation Z, this style of working will actually be seen as the preferred norm. Facilities such as the one being launched here respond to and anticipate these working trends and provide solutions that maximise the opportunities of the future economy and its blueprint for business."

Speaking on the event's success, Taine Moufarrige, CEO, Servcorp MEIA, commented: "As industry leader in a highly competitive sector, Servcorp's reputation is built on our 40-year commitment to staying ahead of key market trends and our genuine understanding of the needs of entrepreneurs. One of the most powerful trends that we're now seeing is the shift towards Coworking - for example, it's predicted that in cities like London, by 2025 up to 30% of all office space will be dedicated to Coworking. Here in Dubai, we're seeing a terrific growth in Coworking spaces, but it's important for businesses to ensure that environments of this kind actually provide the services they are looking for. The essence of Level 41 is that it not only offers businesses all the advantages of a Coworking environment, but you also enjoy secure super-speed Wi-Fi, a receptionist team to take your calls and unrivalled infrastructure and IT support. It's an ideal home for every scale of business, from start-up to multinational, and we encourage the nation's entrepreneurs to visit us and discover this exciting new amenity for themselves."

About Servcorp's Coworking opportunity

Servcorp uniquely provides Coworking clients with a comprehensive range of facilities as part of their basic Coworking experience. These include -

- Local phone number assigned instantly

- 5-star address to use on your letterheads and cards

- Free high-speed secure Wi-Fi

- Voicemail to email

- Dedicated receptionist greets callers in your company name

- Unrivalled IT support available 24-7

- Online booking of fully-equipped meeting rooms, video conferencing and boardrooms

- Be part of the Servcorp Online Community - reap powerful networking opportunities with 40,000 clients globally and become a Servcorp 'imagineer'

For enqui ries, contact the Servcorp team on +9714-319-9099

SOURCE Servcorp LimitedRussian missile brought down MH17 over Ukraine

Al Jazeera News :

Investigators say they have 'convincing evidence' to support their report of the incident which killed 298 people.

An international criminal investigating body has concluded that a Russian missile brought down the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

In a report released on Thursday, investigators said they have "convincing evidence" to support their report, but no one has been named as the culprit of the case.

Hundreds perish as Malaysian airliner is shot down in Ukraine

All 298 people onboard the aircraft from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur were killed.

At that time, Russian-backed forces were fighting for control of eastern Ukraine.

Moscow and the Ukrainian anti-government groups it supports, have previously denied involvement in the incident. In 2015, Russia vetoed a United Nations resolution seeking to create an international tribunal to prosecute those who shot down the plane.

Al Jazeera's Rory Challands, reporting from St. Petersburg in Russia, said the new findings from the investigation team have been known for months from reports by citizens journalists.

"The investigation hasn't specificially named names, but it is clear from what they have been saying today that they are pointing the blame

today at the Russian military itself," our correspondent said.

For years, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Russia must be held accountable for the downing of the plane. During the third annivesary of the tragedy, Poroshenko described it as a "barefaced crime".

At the time of the incident, Russian and Ukrainian forces have been fighting after Moscow annexed Crimea.Shell's major, deep-water hubs are well positioned for production expansion through near-field exploration and additional subsea tiebacks. The company expects its global, deep-water production to exceed 900,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2020, from already discovered, established areas.

Editor's Notes:

The well was drilled in Mississippi Canyon Block 612, located approximately 170 miles (273 kilometers) offshore southeast of New Orleans , in a water depth of 7,500 feet (2,280 meters) to a total vertical drilling depth of 29,000 feet (6,780 meters) measured depth.

, in a water depth of 7,500 feet (2,280 meters) to a total vertical drilling depth of 29,000 feet (6,780 meters) measured depth. Appomattox host platform is owned by Shell (79%) and Nexen Petroleum Offshore USA Inc. (21%).

Cautionary Note

The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this release "Shell", "Shell group" and "Royal Dutch Shell" are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" are also used to refer to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. ''Subsidiaries'', "Shell subsidiaries" and "Shell companies" as used in this release refer to entities over which Royal Dutch Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. Entities and unincorporated arrangements over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to as "joint ventures" and "joint operations", respectively. Entities over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor joint control are referred to as "associates". The term "Shell interest" is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

This release contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing management's expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as "aim", "ambition', ''anticipate'', ''believe'', ''could'', ''estimate'', ''expect'', ''goals'', ''intend'', ''may'', ''objectives'', ''outlook'', ''plan'', ''probably'', ''project'', ''risks'', "schedule", ''seek'', ''should'', ''target'', ''will'' and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this release, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell's products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; and (m) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Royal Dutch Shell's Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2017 (available at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov ). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this release and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this release, May 24, 2018. Neither Royal Dutch Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this release.

We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this release that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.

SOURCE Shell

Related Links

http://www.shell.com

DULLES, Va., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Silvercar announced plans to bring its premium rental experience to the Washington DC area at Dulles International Airport, opening May 21. America's capital is a place unlike any other, with majestic monuments and memorials, eclectic neighborhoods, award-winning restaurants, and a bustling art scene. Silvercar provides travelers with an easier way to enjoy all the city has to offer with premium Audi vehicles and a seamless experience. Silvercar will now be available in 22 locations throughout the U.S. including Miami (MIA), Chicago (ORD), New York (EWR, JFK, LGA) and Los Angeles (LAX), providing traveler's familiarity and seamless mobility across the country.

Silvercar continues to deliver on its promise of premium mobility solutions and hassle-free access to personal transportation with a seamless mobile-first booking experience. The award-wining Audi Q5 SUV and best-selling Audi A4 sedan are available for bookings starting today. Customers can get started by downloading the Silvercar app for iPhone or Android, or visit Silvercar.com.

"With more than 15 million annual visitors from around the world coming to see Washington D.C.'s historical monuments, we could not be more excited to provide our customers with premium vehicle rental to experience all that DC has to offer," said Silvercar COO, Chris Donus. "And we're not stopping there, we'll continue our explosive growth strategy to deliver a better customer experience for travelers across the US."

Acquired by Audi in 2017, Silvercar has doubled down on its plans to expand its footprint. The company has opened six new airport locations in recent months, including Orange County, San Diego, Tampa, Salt Lake City, and Orlando.

Silvercar offers new 2017 and 2018 fully loaded Audi A4 sedans and Q5 SUVs with onboard Wi-Fi, navigation, and SiriusXM satellite radioalways included at no additional cost. Audi vehicles also offer excellent driving dynamics with elevated design and advanced technology, including quattro all-wheel drive, Audi virtual cockpit with Google Earth, and Audi smartphone interface. The Audi Q5 is an IIHS Top Safety Pick and received Best Auto Tech award from KBB.

All Silvercar customers will continue to benefit from no fuel upcharges, no mileage restrictions, no additional fees for toll charges, and no fees for luxury Peg Perego car seat rentals. Prices start at $59 per day for the Audi A4 and $79 per day for the Audi Q5.

Follow Silvercar on Twitter and Instagram for the latest.

Silvercar Locations:

Austin, TX (AUS) Chicago, IL (ORD) Dallas, TX (DAL) Denver, CO (DEN) Ft. Lauderdale, FL (FLL) Las Vegas, NV (LAS) Los Angeles, CA (LAX) Miami, FL (MIA) Miami, FL  South Beach Newark, NJ (EWR) New York, NY  Brooklyn New York, NY  Brooklyn Downtown New York, NY - Manhattan Orange County, CA (SNA) Orlando, FL (MCO) Phoenix, AZ (PHX) Salt Lake City, UT (SLC) San Diego, CA (SAN) San Francisco, CA (SFO) Seattle, WA (SEA) Tampa, FL (TPA) Washington DC (IAD)

About Silvercar

Silvercar is a next-generation premium mobility company whose fleet consists entirely of Audi A4s and Q5s. With its sleek mobile app, Silvercar removes the headache of traditional car rental. No lines or counters. No paperwork. No hassles. Just the best in customer service and premium products every time. Silvercar continually earns the highest customer satisfaction and loyalty scores in the industry and with 22 locations at airports and in select urban cores, Silvercar is the largest premium mobility company in North America. The company was acquired by Audi in 2017. For more information, visit www.silvercar.com

SOURCE Silvercar

Related Links

http://www.silvercar.com

PITTSBURGH, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Simio LLC is proud to announce their latest collaboration as an industry partner with the Chicago-based Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII).

As the United States' flagship research institute for applying cutting-edge digital technologies, the DMDII is meeting the challenge of the digital revolution in the manufacturing context to provide U.S. factories with the resources they need to compete effectively in the rapidly changing marketplace.

Vice President of Strategic Alliances

Led by UI LABS, a University and Industry collaboration, the DMDII is a network of 14 institutes, each focusing on a specific area of technology that is revolutionizing manufacturing. Their vision is to fully develop and demonstrate each area before commercial deployment. Giving companies of all sizes a front row seat to see these new developments in action, the DMDII allows them to discover answers to their manufacturing problems through technology that is available today rather than in the distant future.

Simio's collaboration with DMDII brings simulation to the forefront of cutting-edge projects, bringing benefits throughout the product lifecycle - in design and development, on the factory floor and throughout the connected supply chain.

Manufacturers are turning to Simio simulation and scheduling software to analyse real-world conditions at every stage of the production process, helping to improve their business performance and maximize results through resource optimization and risk reduction. An essential tool for the Smart Factory, Simio Simulation Software sits comfortably alongside the other enablers of Industry 4.0.

Vice President of Strategic Alliances Renee Thiesing sees Simio's new technology partnership with DMDII as a great step forward in the advancement of manufacturing innovation.

"As experts in simulation and scheduling software, Simio is a perfectly placed industry partner with DMDII, contributing to the development of new manufacturing solutions and in the process of bringing them to life in the factory of the future," says Ms. Thiesing.

Media Contact:

Eric Howard

Phone: 412.259.5295

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Simio LLCMENOMONEE FALLS, Wis., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- It's one thing to make a list of great places to work. It's another to do so year after year. SKYGEN USA once again demonstrated its commitment to its employees when its company Wonderbox Technologies (now part of the unified SKYGEN USA brand) was named a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 2018 Top Workplace in Southeastern Wisconsin, the sixth time the company has received this prestigious recognition.

This is also the sixth time in seven years a company under the SKYGEN USA brand has secured this award, which is based solely on a voluntary survey of employees. It demonstrates the company's continuing commitment to living its core values of Respect, Ownership, Innovation, and Integrity on a daily basis. SKYGEN USA is focused on powering healthcare for the digital age by offering an innovative portfolio of benefit administration, enterprise technologies, on-demand solutions, and professional services to commercial and government-sponsored health payers for their dental, vision, and medical lines of business.

The Top Workplace award recognizes companies in Southeastern Wisconsin whose employees feel inspired by their organizations and are given the resources and support to do exceptional work. The survey is administered by Workplace Dynamics, LLC, a company focused on helping organizations improve their "organizational health" by providing valuable feedback on employee attitudes toward the industry.

"The past year has been one of tremendous growth and change for SKYGEN USA," said Craig Kasten, the company's CEO and managing partner. "We consolidated our individual companies under a single, unified brand, and we have been aggressively motivating the healthcare industry to adopt technology-enabled solutions that will create greater efficiencies to lower the cost of healthcare while driving higher levels of engagement across the continuum of payers, providers and members. Under those circumstances, it would be easy to lose sight of who we are. It is gratifying to see that our employees still find SKYGEN USA to be a great place to work, and we are committed to doing all we can to ensure that belief continues."

The Top Workplace survey asks employees about factors that are common to organizations that are committed to achieving excellence. SKYGEN USA company Wonderbox Technologies was highly rated in the following key areas:

Employees feel the company executes well and has a culture of high performance

The company sets a clear direction for its future and how it conducts itself

The company creates a strong connection between employees and the company by showing appreciation and by bringing meaning to the work

Over the past year, SKYGEN USA has introduced several new innovations designed to transform the way healthcare benefits are administered. The company released several upgrades to its flagship Enterprise System, which is the only technology platform built from the ground-up for Medicaid that integrates dental, vision, and medical benefits on a single platform, supporting all value-based reimbursement models. It also unveiled new offerings that will allow it to continue to dominate the industry with Medicaid technology and services that power the most efficient payers in the nation.

For example, SKYGEN USA debuted its Enhanced Benefit Management & Analytics service that takes advantage of advanced data warehouse and digital analytics tools that have already saved payers millions of dollars annually in benefit costs. It leverages sophisticated analytics that allow the SKYGEN USA experts to examine large volumes of data and recommend improvements to benefit plan design on a market-by-market basis. The company is also in the process of creating a new "CyberBen" technology strategy for Medicaid. This program is poised to offer "built-in" compliance and automation tools that optimize the business of Medicaid, enabling healthcare organizations to re-allocate more dollars for better access to quality care.

SKYGEN USA further expanded its ability to solve the most challenging issues facing commercial and government-sponsored payers with a set of on-demand solutions that help payers fill strategic gaps in their technology capabilities without having to replace their entire systems. The first to be rolled out was its provider Credentialing Service, which enables providers to enter their credentialing information one time in a database that can then be accessed on-demand by health payers rather than sending credentialing information individually to each payer.

"You can't transform an entire industry, especially one as large and complex as healthcare, without the active, engaged participation of the people who work for the company," said Greg Borca, co-founder of SKYGEN USA. "They have to believe deeply in the mission of the company and be invested in seeing it succeed. Being named to the Top Workplaces list again this year is a tremendous testament to the great team we have, and to the atmosphere we have worked so hard to create. It's why I love coming to work every morning."

Tweet this: [email protected] company Wonderbox Technologies named to @journalsentinel 2018 Top Workplaces list https://bit.ly/2ICgFJa

About SKYGEN USA

SKYGEN USA powers healthcare transformation forward with innovative, next-generation technology-enabled solutions and data analytics that inspire stakeholders to challenge the status quo and create better alignment to drive efficiency, reduce costs, and elevate experiences for all throughout the digital age. It helps payers of all sizes and across all lines of business become the most efficient health plans in the country through a portfolio that includes Benefits Administration, Enterprise Technology, On-Demand Solutions, and Professional Services. SKYGEN USA powers the nation's largest healthcare insurers with clients operating in over 100 markets, serving 35 million member lives on its technology platform, and 10 million member lives through its outsourcing solutions. For more information, please visit www.skygenusa.com.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Linda Bernier

Chief Marketing Officer

SKYGEN USA

[email protected]

SOURCE SKYGEN USA

Related Links

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GULFPORT, Fla., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida, has been named the first American Bar Association Competitions Champion.

For the first time in its 17-year history, Stetson's Dispute Resolution Board achieved a perfect four-for-four record of advancing to nationals in all four dispute resolution competitions sponsored by the ABA. Stetson University College of Law is the first school to achieve this distinction. This year, more than 1,300 students from 156 law schools participated in one or more of the competitions sponsored by the ABA Law Student Division.

The competitions represent all the areas in which the Dispute Resolution Board competes: arbitration, client counseling, and negotiation, in addition to the Moot Court Board competing in the national appellate advocacy competition.

Stetson Law students Jahanna Azarian and Vanessa Denk finished as national semifinalists at the national client counseling competition and placed first at the regional competition. Students Allison Belanger and Christina Huckfeldt finished as national semifinalists in the national negotiation competition after being finalists at the regional competition. Students Max Brown, Caroline Garrity, Olivia Mejido and Meghan Sullivan placed first at the regional arbitration competition. Students Julia Alley and Mark Joseph finished first at the regional mediation competition.

"We are delighted to be recognized by the preeminent organization of our nation's lawyers. Importantly, these skills are the foundation on which our students will build their professional careers to effectively represent clients and advocate for our communities," Stetson Law Dean and Professor of Law Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz told the ABA.

Read more at the ABA here: https://abaforlawstudents.com/2018/05/23/aba-competitions-champion-winner/.

About Stetson University College of Law

Stetson University College of Law, Florida's first law school, has prepared lawyers and leaders since 1900. Today, Stetson leads the nation in blending legal doctrine with practical training, evidenced by its top-ranked programs in advocacy and legal writing. Through our academically rigorous curriculum and commitment to social responsibility, Stetson lawyers are ethical advocates ready to succeed in the legal profession.

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE Stetson University College of LawROHNERT PARK, Calif., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- By age 35, according to experts, Americans should have twice their annual income in retirement savings. That advice took the internet by storm and quickly turned into a meme featuring both realistic and unrealistic accomplishments. It's true that saving for retirement is important, but the magnitude of student loan debt in the U.S. makes that a difficult task for many borrowers. Ameritech Financial is a document preparation company that helps federal student loan borrowers apply for federal income-driven repayment plans that are intended to reduce their monthly student loan burden and potentially support retirement savings.

"Student loans can make any financial advice challenging because such advice depends on extra income," said Tom Knickerbocker, executive vice president of Ameritech Financial. "Student loans often demand a lot of that extra income that is supposed to go toward retirement. What borrowers might not know is that programs offered by the Department of Education might help reduce those payments."

In an article following up the initial "by 35" advice, the author outlines other financial things to take stock of while in the 30s. First on the list is student loans, and third is continuing education, which can add to that student loan balance if students don't have the funds on hand. However, while the advice in the article is to pay extra toward those loans until they are gone, that practice can delay retirement savings for those who can't do both. Delaying retirement savings can greatly limit the amount that grows before retirement age, so it's critically beneficial to start putting money away early.

Instead, borrowers whose student loan payment consumes a large portion of their income, or those who cannot afford their payment at all, may find benefit from federal income-driven repayment plans (IDRs). Such plans calculate payments as a percentage of discretionary income, which uses income and family size information. Eligible borrowers may see a reduction in monthly payments, which can help them put money away for retirement without delay.

"Borrowers who feel that their student loans are competing against their retirement savings might find value in IDRs," said Knickerbocker. "At Ameritech Financial, we help borrowers understand IDRs in the context of their financial situation and goals, and we help with the application paperwork if they decide to try it out."

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]

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Saving for Retirement

Credit: eamesBot/Bigstock

image2.png

Related Links

Ameritech Financial home page

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRza8MbLvuM

SOURCE Ameritech FinancialBERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- For the eighth consecutive year, Summit Medical Group Breast Care Center has achieved the status of Certified Quality Breast Center of Excellence as recognized by the National Consortium of Breast Centers, Inc. This highest-ranking level of certification is part of the National Quality Measures for Breast Centers Program (NQMBC). The distinguished honor represents a commitment to provide the highest level of quality breast healthcare for patients. Summit Medical Group Breast Care Center is among an elite group of breast centers in the U.S. to be named to NQMBC's 2018 list of Certified Quality Breast Center of Excellence. It is one of only two certified centers in New Jersey that has earned the distinction. Summit Medical Group Breast Care Center also holds another national accreditation from The American College of Surgeons  the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC).

With locations in Berkeley Heights, Livingston and Florham Park, Summit Medical Group Breast Care Center offers comprehensive support and care of benign and malignant breast health conditions and all stages of breast cancer. Summit Medical Group Breast Care Center treats newly diagnosed patients, as well as those with recurring disease. Five renowned breast surgeons head a multidisciplinary treatment team that includes medical oncologists, breast radiologists, breast nurse navigators, radiation oncologists, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, pathologists and counselors for nutrition, genetics, and cognitive therapy.

Services include onsite state-of-the-art diagnostics; full breast imaging services, including 3-D mammography and ultrasound; surgical services featuring the latest breast-conserving techniques, and plastic/reconstructive surgery; rehabilitation; and oncology services, including adjuvant, neoadjuvant chemotherapy and immunotherapy, radiation therapy and hormone therapy.

Summit Medical Group patients in northern New Jersey and the New York Metropolitan area also have access to enhanced cancer treatment, as part of our partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Center to offer seamless care from diagnosis to treatment and survivorship. Summit Medical Group's Multi-Disciplinary Clinic provides patients access to a team of breast cancer experts who will review the diagnosis and create a breast treatment plan in one day. This approach allows breast cancer patients to meet all their doctors at the same time and receive their treatment plan during the first visit. Patients can find one-on-one support by six certified Breast Navigators who can talk through questions, fears or concerns and service as liaison with other departments to ensure seamless communication at every point in their care.

The National Quality Measures for Breast Centers were developed by referencing the Health Care Advisory Board's Clinical Quality Dashboard for breast centers, published in 2004. The quality measures reflect more than two years of development and work, culminating in the adoption of more than 30 measures contained in the NQMBC Program. For information on the designation guidelines and process to become a Certified Quality Breast Center of Excellence, visit nqmbc.org.

About Summit Medical Group

Recognized as New Jersey's premier multispecialty medical group, Summit Medical Group has more than 80 locations in seven northern New Jersey counties. Summit Medical Group provides over 800 practitioners who cover more than 80 medical specialties and services, and are focused on delivering patient-centered and coordinated care. Summit Medical Group's unique care model recently expanded nationally with the founding of Summit Medical Group Oregon  Bend Memorial Clinic and Summit Medical Group Arizona. Additionally, Summit Medical Group is the only healthcare provider in northern New Jersey to offer patients access to the world-renowned MD Anderson Cancer Network through Summit Medical Group MD Anderson Cancer Center. For more information, visit www.summitmedicalgroup.com.

SOURCE Summit Medical GroupSANTA ANA, Calif., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In an area with an extremely high demand for housing, Concord Village Apartments, designed by SVA Architects, will meet a critical need. Located at 2400 Salvio Street and 2402 & 2471 Willow Pass Road in Concord, CA, the recently entitled project will bring hundreds of new homes to the San Francisco Bay Area. The development team is now working with Todd Vitzthum, Senior Managing Director of Greystone Real Estate Advisors, Inc. to source an equity partner for the fully approved project in order to complete financing and commence construction.

Ernesto M. Vasquez, FAIA, CEO of SVA Architects, states, "The location of Concord Village Apartments is one of the prime development sites in Concord. It's 2.5 blocks from the Concord BART Station, and 2 blocks from the Concord town square. This project will contribute much-needed, multi-modal, transportation-friendly housing."

SVA Architects' design for Concord Village Apartments features 230 units in studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom floorplans. Common amenities include a bike shop, fitness center, five courtyards, four community lounges, and two rooftop sun terraces with lounge spaceall designed to promote resident interaction and a sense of community. There will also be a "hidden" parking garage wrapped in residential units. All units will have a small deck, and either street or courtyard views. The modern architecture incorporates scored plaster, metal screens, contemporary signage, and urban lighting. The 2.3-acre site, comprised of three parcels, completed acquisition in 2012, and the development has been in design since 2008. The project team includes Brent Nicholson of Seattle, Washington (developer), SVA Architects, Inc. (architect), Fuscoe Engineering, Inc. (civil engineer), and PGA Design (landscape design).

Nicholson states, "The City of Concord has been a fantastic partner in bringing this multifamily project to this phase. With hundreds of homes and an outstanding mixed-use design, Concord Village Apartments will be an asset to the region."

Founded in 2003, SVA Architects has become one of the Country's most innovative and respected design and planning organizations. The award-winning firm specializes in urban planning, architecture, and interior design of public, private, and mixed-use projects. Among the firm's portfolio are civic, educational, residential, commercial and mixed-use developments. The company is headquartered in Santa Ana with offices in Oakland, San Diego, and Honolulu. For more information, visit www.sva-architects.com.

Media Contact: Beth Binger

BCI

Mobile: (619) 987-6658

[email protected]

SOURCE SVA Architects, Inc.

Related Links

http://sva-architects.com

ST GEORGE, Utah, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Switchpoint Community Resource Center was honored by Equality Utah Saturday evening May 19, 2018 at the 8th Annual Equality Celebration ~ All You Need is Love in St George, Utah. Switchpoint received the Excellence in Advocacy award due to their unbiased and nondiscriminatory service to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer southern Utah community.

Switchpoint chairman of the board David Dangerfield accepts Excellence in Advocacy award from Equality Utah. Switchpoint logo

Switchpoint Community Resource Center offers emergency shelter in addition to varied resources and programs to help move people out of poverty. "With our theme this year, it was perfectly fitting to honor Switchpoint for their commitment to providing safe haven for LGBTQ individuals, who often find themselves homeless when they come out to their families," explains Equality Utah event coordinator Linda Stay.

"We are so honored and so pleased to be recognized by Equality Utah," said David Dangerfield, chairman of the board of directors for Switchpoint. "We try very, very hard to make sure that Switchpoint is a safe and a welcoming environment for all folks in our community." Dangerfield, continued, "I know it's a very trite phrase, but it really does take a village to make sure everyone in the village is safe and healthy and happy and progressing."

For more information about Switchpoint and to learn ways you can help please visit https://www.switchpointcrc.org or call Kristen Clark at 435-628-9310

Connect on social media @SGSwitchPoint, @switchpointcrc, #switchpoint #fliptheswitch

About Switchpoint

Switchpoint Community Resource Center has been in existence since 2014 and provides temporary shelter and support for the homeless community in Washington County. Largely run by volunteers, additional services include job-training programs through their Thrift Store, Food Pantry and Bed 'n' Biscuits Dog Daycare Facility. One of the innovative aspects of the facility is an area designated where over 20 nonprofit partners and local government agencies come to offer services to those who visit the center. Beyond food and shelter, the Switchpoint Community Resource Center is a stepping-stone to independence for homeless individuals, making poverty a temporary situation.

About Equality Utah

Equality Utah works to secure equal rights and protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Utahns and their families. In addition, Equality Utah builds community where every Utahn is valued for being who they are regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. For more information please visit https://www.equalityutah.org

Media Contact:

Kristen Clark

435-628-9310

[email protected]

https://switchpointcrc.org

SOURCE Switchpoint Community Resource Center

Related Links

https://www.switchpointcrc.org

NEW YORK, May 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Nigel Melican, managing director of Teacraft Ltd., will receive The John Harney Lifetime Achievement Award at World Tea Expo, to be held June 12-14 (with a pre-conference program June 10-11) at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev. Teacraft Ltd. provides comprehensive service to all sectors of the tea industry, including equipment and machinery supply, beverage consultancy, training and research and development. World Tea Expo is the leading B2B tradeshow focused on advancing the business of tea. Register at WorldTeaExpo.com.

As the 2018 John Harney Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Melican will be recognized for his significant support of the tea industry's growth, innovation and education. He'll receive the honor during the World Tea Awards (#TeaAwards) program at World Tea Expo from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 12.

Melican has more than 30 years of experience in the tea industry. He's worked as a product developer and trouble-shooter with Unilever; and, since 1990, he's been the owner and managing director of Teacraft Ltd. and Nothing But Tea, a specialty tea e-commerce business. Melican's tea technology expertise has assisted clients in 26 countries  from green tea in Australia to antioxidants in Zimbabwe. His particular interest is in planting tea in non-traditional countries, assisting small farmers with techniques for handmade tea production and marketing, and encouraging the use of sustainable tea growing and manufacturing methods. Since 2013, Melican has held tenure of DN Borbora Centenary Chair for Tea Quality and Manufacturing at the Tocklai Tea Research Institute in Assam, India; his special interest there is identifying appropriate mechanization technology for the Indian tea industry.

"Nigel Melican is unique in the world of tea," said James Norwood Pratt, a well-known tea industry author and authority, as well as a past recipient of the award. "As countless producers of tea in wildly different growing regions have learned over his long career  Nigel is our plant whisperer. He simply understands better than anybody what the plant wants and what the leaf has to say. Camellia sinensis has no closer friend in this world than this plant whisperer, our brilliant and intrepid Nigel Melican."

Samantha Hammer, the World Tea Expo event director and World Tea brand leader, said, "It's an honor to present The John Harney Lifetime Achievement Award this year to Nigel Melican. He's a highly-regarded and well respected leader in the tea community, and his efforts have truly made a difference in the industry. Thank you for all that you've done for tea, and congratulations."

Melican noted, "I am hugely appreciative of the great honor that receiving The John Harney Lifetime Achievement Award signifies. This most unexpected recognition of the small part I have played while working in the tea industry that I love is beyond anything I have ever sought. To be included now in the august group of recipients of this award gives me supreme pleasure, which will certainly supplement the drinking of my favorite breakfast cup of Autumnal Darjeeling."

The John Harney Lifetime Achievement Award was formerly called The Cha Jing Lifetime Achievement Award and then re-named in 2015 to recognize the legacy of Harney & Sons' Founder John Harney, who passed away in 2014. Harney was one of tea's most respected professionals  and a previous Cha Jing Lifetime Achievement Award recipient  who helped demonstrate the commercial appeal of sophisticated specialty blends. During his lifetime, Harney earned the respect of traditional and specialty tea vendors worldwide as both a business executive and master blender. The award, in remembrance of Harney, is a community celebration in honor of tea pioneers who helped fuel the market and shape the tea industry of today.

World Tea Expo 2018 will attract more than 3,500 tea community members and vertical market buyers, as well as 200+ exhibitors. The B2B event analyzes the business of specialty tea, evaluates and makes recommendations on the latest trends, and serves up the tools that professionals need to enhance their business and profit from tea and related products.

World Tea Expo 2018 sponsors include: International Tea Importers, ITO EN, QTrade Teas & Herbs, Bitaco Unique Colombian Tea, Dethlefsen & Balk, DMH Ingredients, FloraPharm, Haelssen & Lyon, Roobios Limited, Cirqua, Curtis, Finum, Flavor Waves, Hei Tea, Martin Bauer Group, Millenia Tea, The Tea Spot, TQY Trading Company, Tumblewood Tea and Walters Bay. World Tea Awards and Cocktail Reception Sponsors include: BUNN, Harney & Sons and Owl's Brew.

To register for World Tea Expo or for additional information, visit WorldTeaExpo.com (register early for the best rates). And be sure to follow World Tea Expo on Twitter: @worldteamedia (#WorldTeaExpo or #WTE18).

About Informa Exhibitions

With over 200 trade and consumer exhibitions annually, Informa Exhibitions is a global market leader in such end markets as Boating, Beauty, Construction & Real Estate, Life Sciences, Maritime, Health & Nutrition, Agriculture and Pop Culture. Through face to face and digital channels, its transaction-oriented exhibitions enable communities to engage, experience and do business. In doing so, Informa brings together people who want to buy and sell, network, do business and gain inspiration. Industry insight, coupled with an innovative and entrepreneurial approach, provides Informa Exhibitions customers and partners with the opportunity to create business advantage and access markets.



SOURCE World Tea ExpoIndo-Bangla border in Assam to be sealed by Dec: CM Sonowal

Hindustan Times :

Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday announced that the India-Bangladesh border in the state will be completely sealed by December.

Sonowal made the remarks at a conference marking the completion of his two years in office.

"We promised to the people before the 2016 polls that the border will be sealed. I am happy to announce that the international border between India and Bangladesh in Assam will be sealed completely by December this year," he said."While the riverine areas along the border will be sealed with non-physical barriers, the portion on land will be secured with smart fencing, which will stop infiltration and other illegal cross border activities."

Sonowal has visited the border area thrice since he came to office.

He also said that the BJP-led government in the state had zero tolerance against corruption.

"Regarding the cash-for-job scam in the Assam Public Service Commission, several serving officers, including 19 state civil service officers, seven state police service officers, 11 allied service officers and four others, have been arrested," said Sonowal.

"The CID has also registered seven corruption cases against government officials and arrested 15 serving government officials and public servants.

"Our fight against corruption has also led to a climate for investment in the state. Assam has received investment proposal worth Rs 79,000 crore during the last two years," he said.

The CM said steps have been taken to check rhino poaching. He said that while the number of poaching incidents has decreased over the last two years, the number of arrested poachers has increased.

To study this continuous, real-time method of body temperature measurement, UH tested the feasibility of monitoring body temperature for 17 patients specifically undergoing stem cell transplants and high dose chemotherapy. The patches were applied every 24 hours. Overall, 5,856 continuous hours of body temperature measurements were studied and analyzed.

Unlike other devices and methods (like intermittent temperature monitoring) that provide physicians with only one point of data and offer no continuous monitoring or alerts, this patented device is the ideal, non-invasive, solution for doctors and nurses who need a continuous, smarter way to track, log and respond to fevers quickly.

"This temperature monitoring patch has the potential to improve clinical outcomes for stem cell patients by identifying neutropenic fever and beginning clinical interventions sooner," said Ehsan Malek, MD, UH Seidman Cancer Center.

Although not tested in this study, through TempTraq Connect, a secure, HIPAA-compliant service supported by the Google Healthcare Cloud Platform, the device can be integrated directly into hospital central monitoring systems and electronic health records (EHR) to safely and securely store patient data. Nurses can then view the temperature in their system as frequently as needed and can receive real-time audible or visual temperature change alerts at patient bedsides and/or through the central nursing station. Plus, no more waking patients to take their temperatures, and the hygienic, single-use, disposable design eliminates the hassle, time and cost of sterilizing the device between uses.

The TempTraq system is scalable and can support a single hospital or a multi-hospital/physician group healthcare system.

For more information on TempTraq, please visit www.TempTraq.com.



About Blue Spark Technologies, Inc.

Headquartered in Westlake, Ohio, Blue Spark Technologies, Inc. is the leader in developing thin, flexible, printed power solutions for printed electronic systems, including solutions developed utilizing their thin, flexible proprietary battery technology. Blue Spark Technologies' latest patented innovation, TempTraq, is the only Bluetooth, wearable temperature monitor in the form of a soft, comfortable patch that continuously, safely and comfortably, monitors body temperature for up to 24 or 48 hours and sends alerts to Apple or Android compatible mobile devices.

The company's TempTraq Connect HIPAA-compliant service supported by Google Healthcare Cloud Platform allows parents and caregivers to monitor body temperature from anywhere. It also allows direct integration with health care provider electronic health records (EHR) systems and central nurse's stations, providing a secure method of storing patient health care data.

TempTraq has shown proven efficacy in the most demanding environments, including the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Akron Children's Hospital, as well as several other leading hospitals. The TempTraq system is scalable and can support a single hospital or a multi-hospital/physician group healthcare system.



About University Hospitals

About University Hospitals / Cleveland, Ohio

Founded in 1866, University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of 18 hospitals, more than 40 outpatient health centers and 200 physician offices in 15 counties throughout northern Ohio. The system's flagship academic medical center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, located on a 35-acre campus in Cleveland's University Circle, is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The main campus also includes University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children's hospitals in the nation; University Hospitals MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; and University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. UH is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research programs in the nation, including cancer, pediatrics, women's health, orthopedics, radiology, neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, digestive health, transplantation and urology. UH Cleveland Medical Center is perennially among the highest performers in national ranking surveys, including "America's Best Hospitals" from U.S. News & World Report. UH is also home to Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals  part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development. UH is one of the largest employers in Northeast Ohio with 26,000 employees. UH's vision is "Advancing the science of health and the art of compassion," and its mission: "To Heal. To Teach. To Discover." Follow UH on Facebook @UniversityHospitals and Twitter @UHhospitals. For more information, go to UHhospitals.org.

SOURCE Blue Spark Technologies, Inc.NEW YORK, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The China Fund, Inc. (NYSE: CHN) (the "Fund") announced today the results of elections of new directors at its Annual Stockholders Meeting held on May 23, 2018 ("Annual Meeting"). The proposal by City of London Investment Management Limited to terminate the Fund's investment advisory and management agreements with Allianz Global Investors U.S. LLC will be considered when the Annual Meeting is reconvened on August 29, 2018.

At the Annual Meeting, the Fund's stockholders elected Julian Reid and Richard A. Silver to the Board of Directors (the "Board") for three-year terms, expiring in 2021. Messrs. Reid and Silver replace Joe O. Rogers and Richard Shore, both of whom recently resigned from the Board.

Mr. Reid has more than 30 years of U.S. and non-U.S. closed-end fund experience, including serving as the head of the closed-end fund business for Jardine Fleming Investment Management (at the time, a leading investment management company in Asia, subsequently acquired by JP Morgan) and as the chairman and/or a director of numerous closed-end funds. Mr. Reid has spent over 40 years in the financial services industry spanning Europe, Asia, where he was based for approximately 25 years, and the Americas. He is an Affiliate of the Securities Industry of Australia and has been licensed by the respective regulatory bodies in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia. In 2007, Mr. Reid was named "Small Board Trustee of the Year" by Fund Directions, a U.S. magazine focusing on corporate governance matters, for his work as the independent chairman of The Korea Fund, Inc.

Mr. Silver has more than 30 years of senior executive experience in the investment management industry. Mr. Silver served as treasurer and chief financial officer of all Fidelity Mutual Funds and as executive vice president of Fidelity Investments, during which time he oversaw accounting, financial reporting and related operations for more than 400 mutual funds and 2,300 other investment portfolios. He also served as senior vice president, treasurer and chief financial officer of The Colonial Group, Inc. for nearly 19 years, heading the company's financial services group. In addition, Mr. Silver served as the chairman of the Accounting/Treasurers' Committee of the Investment Company Institute for approximately seven years.

The Fund is a diversified closed-end investment company, which seeks long term capital appreciation primarily through investments in China companies. Shares of the Fund are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CHN."

For further information regarding the Fund and the Fund's holdings, please call (888)-CHN-CALL or visit the Fund's website at www.chinafundinc.com.

SOURCE The China Fund, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.chinafundinc.com

WORCESTER, Mass., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE: THG) today announced it has expanded its surety leadership team to support its growth in commercial surety.

As part of this expansion, Carrick A. Bligh has been promoted to vice president of commercial surety, effective May 1. Bligh brings 14 years' experience to this role. He will oversee all of The Hanover's commercial surety business. Bligh joined the company six years ago as a regional director. Prior to joining The Hanover, Bligh held both surety leadership and underwriting roles at Berkley and Chubb.

At the same time, Theodore G. Martinez will move into the role of chief underwriting officer for commercial surety. Martinez will leverage his 35 years' experience in the industry to help The Hanover expand business with its agent partners and brokers and leverage its underwriting discipline. Martinez joined the company seven years ago.

"Over the last five years, we have developed a broad risk appetite and diverse portfolio that spans all industries within the S&P index," said Bryan J. Salvatore, president of specialty at The Hanover. "By leveraging our internal talent to expand our leadership team, we can continue to deliver on our strategy and create even greater opportunities for our agent partners."

This expansion will also help the company grow and manage its transactional surety business, which supports bonds for individuals, small accounts and surety programs that require trade related needs. The Hanover's expanded operating model will allow the company to address the unique operational requirements within the transactional surety segment.

For more information about The Hanover's surety business, please visit Agent Solutions or contact a local Hanover representative.

About The Hanover

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. is the holding company for several property and casualty insurance companies, which together constitute one of the largest insurance businesses in the United States. The company provides exceptional insurance solutions in a dynamic world. The Hanover distributes its products through a select group of independent agents and brokers. Together with its agents, The Hanover offers standard and specialized insurance protection for small and mid-sized businesses, as well as for homes, automobiles, and other personal items. Through its international member company, Chaucer, The Hanover also underwrites business at Lloyd's of London in several major insurance and reinsurance classes, including marine, property and energy. For more information, please visit hanover.com .

SOURCE The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.hanover.com

GENEVA, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Strategy and Related Feasibility Study Call for the Expansion of the MPP's Mandate to Patented Medicines on the World Health Organization's Model List of Essential Medicines

The Medicines Patent Pool Foundation (MPP) released its five-year strategic plan during a side event at the 71st World Health Assembly this evening. The strategy calls for renewed efforts to reach people living with HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with better-adapted, affordable medicines.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/492480/MPP_Logo.jpg )



Based on a feasibility study also presented at the MPP-partner event, The Path to Universal Health Coverage: Access to Affordable Treatments, the plan supports the expansion of the MPP model to other patented medicines with high medical value, starting with small molecules on the World Health Organization Model List of Essential Medicines (EML).

"Over the past eight years, the MPP has made significant inroads in supporting the scale-up of new antiretrovirals, as well as curative hepatitis C antivirals," said Marie-Paule Kieny, Chair of the MPP Governance Board. "Although our work in HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis is far from completed, we are encouraged by the evidence that suggests the MPP model could be adapted to support millions of people in need of essential treatments for other diseases."

As part of its new strategic direction, recently approved by its Governance Board, the MPP is setting ambitious goals for improving health outcomes by 2022. Targets include treating 20 million people living with HIV with MPP-licensed products, delivering a pangenotypic hepatitis C treatment for US $50 per person, licensing a shortened TB all-oral regimen as well as patented medicines that are on the WHO EML or likely to be included.

"We strongly endorse the new strategy to further improve treatment options for HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis patients," said Lelio Marmora, Executive Director of Unitaid, the MPP's funder. "Since its creation, the MPP has played a valuable role in supporting international efforts to increase access to priority medicines in resource-limited countries."

The Foundation's feasibility study included a series of illustrative case studies on essential medicines in the fields of cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. It highlighted the expected public health value of providing generic access to patented products on the EML as well as products that the WHO EML Committee recognised as having clinical benefits and potential for future inclusion on the List. Finally, the analysis supported the MPP's involvement in promoting access to, and good stewardship of, novel antibiotics to counter antimicrobial resistance.

"WHO welcomes the announcement that the Medicines Patent Pool is expanding its mandate to include patented medicines on WHO's Model List of Essential Medicines in its patent pooling and voluntary licensing initiatives," said Mariangela Simao, WHO Assistant Director-General. "It is a welcome and significant step forward toward improving access to affordable medicines and this is why we strongly advocated for the expansion of the MPP's mandate."

As a next step, the MPP will conduct a prioritization exercise to identify potential treatments for licensing, as well as explore fundraising opportunities to support its mandate expansion.

The MPP was founded by Unitaid, which continues to fund its HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis activities. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation provided funding for the feasibility study.

The MPP 2018-2022 Strategic Plan

medicinespatentpool.org/who-we-are/strategy/

Feasibility Study

medicinespatentpool.org/resource-post/exploring-the-expansion-of-the-medicines-patent-pools-mandate-to-patented-essential-medicines/

About the Medicines Patent Pool

The Medicines Patent Pool is a United Nations-backed public health organisation working to increase access to HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis treatments in low- and middle-income countries. Through its innovative business model, the MPP partners with civil society, international organisations, industry, patient groups and other stakeholders to prioritise, forecast and license needed medicines and pool intellectual property to encourage generic manufacture and the development of new formulations. To date, the MPP has signed agreements with nine patent holders for 13 HIV antiretrovirals, two hepatitis C direct-acting antivirals and a tuberculosis treatment. www.medicinespatentpool.org

SOURCE Medicines Patent PoolWith a prior background as both a software developer and a technology lawyer, Chris joined ThoughtWorks in 2004 as associate general counsel in London. Over the past 14 years he has held a variety of leadership roles across the globe, most recently as managing director of Europe, Middle East and South Asia where he oversaw substantial expansion of the business and its influence.

In addition to driving business results, Chris was previously recognized as an Agent of Change by Management Today for his focus and commitment to driving gender equity in the workplace. As member of the global leadership team, Chris has been instrumental in increasing the representation of women technologists and fostering a workplace that welcomes and celebrates multifaceted experiences and identities.

"Chris enjoys an exceptional reputation for his transformative thinking and servant leadership style. Working with clients across sectors, such as financial services, travel, auto, and retail, he is viewed as a trusted partner that works collaboratively to deliver value to leading organizations grappling with complex technology-led transformations," said Guo Xiao, chief executive officer, ThoughtWorks. "Chris' market knowledge, world view and global experience perfectly positions him to take our North American business to new heights."

"I am honored and grateful to be given the opportunity to lead the business in the region where ThoughtWorks was founded 25 years ago," said Chris Murphy, managing director, North America. "With our heritage in software delivery and engineering excellence, product innovation, and transformational digital leadership, I look forward to continuing my work with clients, helping them obtain a sustained competitive position through the innovative application of technology."

ThoughtWorks has bold plans to accelerate its growth and impact in 2018 and beyond. Anyone passionate about the role technology can play in business and society, can apply to join ThoughtWorks in one of the North American offices. For more details visit thoughtworks.com/careers/us.

About ThoughtWorks

We are a global software consultancy and community of passionate purpose-led individuals. We think disruptively to deliver technology to address our clients' toughest challenges all while seeking to revolutionize the IT industry and create positive social change.

SOURCE ThoughtWorks

Related Links

http://www.thoughtworks.com

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., May 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Since the age of five, "RuPaul's Drag Race" star Gia Gunn knew she was born into the wrong body. It's been a long and difficult journey, but today she's an out and proud transgender woman working towards the final step in her transition: surgery.

She recently launched the #30DaysInTransition campaign, documenting her breast reconstruction surgery with Leif Rogers, MD, FACS on social media.

Gia's Transition Surgery Consultation with Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon Dr. Leif Rogers

The larger than life drag queen is sharing her story to raise awareness and promote safe surgery options for the trans community and beyond. Many have turned to dangerous and illegal procedures to transition their gender, and Gia says she wants people to understand the risks involved, while at the same time providing hope for a solution.

"After many years of struggling with my gender and finally being able to accept the woman I am, I look in the mirror and don't feel the same connection to my body as I do mentally. I know that surgery will not necessarily make me happier but will definitely allow me to gain confidence and I do believe that will show from within."

Gia has undergone three years of hormone replacement therapy, but after meeting with Dr. Rogers in April of 2018 she finally felt ready to embark on surgery.

"Gia is an ideal leader for the transgender community and has made smart, deliberate decisions in how to proceed in her transition process," says Rogers.

Dr. Rogers will give Gia breast implants and transfer fat to her buttocks and hips. These are the first steps in her transition. Dr. Rogers has over 13 years of experience in reconstructive and cosmetic surgery -- delivering the highest quality results for each unique individual. See Dr. Roger's strategy here.

"I admire Gia for her sense of esthetic, which aligns with my own, in that she prefers a natural look, that is congruent with her ethnicity and the appearance of an unaltered female form. She is the epitome of good taste and excellent judgment."

Gia discovered Dr. Rogers on social media -- following him on Instagram and Snapchat for the last year. "I felt comfortable with the idea of him working on me and was convinced that the facility is clean and professional. I'm confident Dr. Rogers will give me the results I want."

Gia has started a GoFundMe kickstarter to raise the $30,000 needed for the surgery, with over $7,000 already donated in the past two weeks. Through her trans activism and success on "Drag Race," she's amassed a loyal fanbase of 425,000 followers on social media.

With over 1.5 million Americans currently identifying as transgender, and Emmy Award-winning TV series like "Transparent" and "Drag Race" making waves in the media, Gia wants to continue to change the way society approaches gender.

Her #30DaysInTransition series on YouTube documents her emotional journey as she gets closer and closer (both physically and mentally) to full transition. Watch her #30DaysinTransition YouTube series here.

Donate to Gia here: GoFundMe kickstarter

For more information on Leif Rogers, MD, FACS or interested in plastic surgery and other cosmetic surgeries in Beverly Hills, California: www.leifrogersmd.com

Contact: (310) 860-8915

9735 Wilshire Blvd, Penthouse Suite, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

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For more information on Gia Gunn:

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VH1's 'Drag Race' Audition Tape

Leif Rogers, MD, FACS in Beverly Hills and Pasadena, California is dedicated to upholding the highest quality standards in reconstructive surgery, cosmetic plastic surgery, and non-surgical aesthetics, to include an optimal balance of artistry with the most sophisticated medical advances. Our commitment to quality extends into every interaction of our patient experience to deliver the level of excellence we ourselves expect from a world-renowned medical practice. By closely connecting with our patients' needs and desires, LRMD identifies the most suitable surgical and non-surgical options that resolve every unique face and body issue, thereby promoting self-confidence.

Dr. Leif Rogers is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a member of the American Society of Peripheral Nerve, as well as numerous professional and community organizations.

Dr. Rogers has taken part in academic research on subjects including anorexia nervosa, breast carcinoma, wound healing, skin grafts, tissue engineering and bone regeneration as well as being a co-author on numerous research articles. His research has been published in such medical journals as the Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery, The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal, and The Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Dr. Rogers has also been privileged to participate in the training of surgical residents at the USC Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

The IV league educated plastic surgeon has also garnered media recognition, having been profiled in non-paid feature articles in New Beauty Magazine and Pasadena Magazine. He also has the distinction of serving as a medical consultant for educational and reality television programming and has appeared on "The Dr. Oz Show," CBS's "The Doctors," "Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best" on WEtv, and "Pretty Hurts" on Logo TV.

PR Contact:

Jillian Wilson

Jillian Wilson Marketing and PR

(914) 815- 4106

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SOURCE Leif Rogers MD, FACSSUGAR LAND, Texas, May 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Trecora Resources (NYSE: TREC), a leading provider of high purity specialty hydrocarbons and waxes, today announced the appointment of John R. (Dick) Townsend as Executive Vice President, Chief Manufacturing Officer. Townsend will report directly to Chief Executive Officer Simon Upfill-Brown.

A transformation plan has been developed to focus on upgrading work processes and implementing organizational changes to drive manufacturing performance. Townsend will lead this effort in his new role, and as a result, will step down from his current Director position on the Company's Board.

"We are excited to add Dick to the Trecora leadership team and expect to benefit greatly from his extensive manufacturing background and knowledge as we implement improvements to both work process and organizational systems," said Simon Upfill-Brown. "Specifically, Dick's experience leading transformational change in manufacturing environments will be of great value as we strive for operational excellence in our facilities. In addition, having served on our Board since 2011, Dick brings a deep understanding of Trecora to his position on day one."

Townsend has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University and over 30 years of experience in the petrochemical industry with Mobil Chemical Company which subsequently became ExxonMobil Chemical Company. During his tenure with both companies, Townsend held the positions of Technical Service Engineer, Technical Department Section Supervisor, Planning Associate, Operations Manager, Plant Manager and Site Manager.

"It has been rewarding to contribute at the Board level as the Company has invested in several large capital projects to position it for success in a growing U.S. chemicals industry. I am now pleased to have the opportunity to apply my experience as part of the management team to ensure we fully capitalize on those investments," Townsend added.

About Trecora Resources (TREC)

TREC owns and operates a facility located in southeast Texas, just north of Beaumont, which specializes in high purity hydrocarbons and other petrochemical manufacturing. TREC also owns and operates a leading manufacturer of specialty polyethylene waxes and provider of custom processing services located in the heart of the Petrochemical complex in Pasadena, Texas. In addition, the Company is the original developer and a 33.4% owner of Al Masane Al Kobra Mining Co., a Saudi Arabian joint stock company.

Investor Relations Contact:

Jean Marie Young

The Piacente Group, Inc.

212-481-2050

[email protected]

SOURCE Trecora Resources

Related Links

http://www.trecora.com

NEW YORK, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Israeli Knesset Member Tzipi Livni, head of the Hatnua party and former Foreign Minister, 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.

Nearly 2,000 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 the largest ever for an American Jewish advocacy organization in Jerusalem.

"We are coming to Israel, to the capital city of Jerusalem, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Israel's rebirth, and to demonstrate by our presence our deep solidarity with, and enduring support, for Israel," said AJC CEO David Harris. "Tzipi Livni, a long-time friend of AJC, will be discussing the meaning of Israel for her and her vision of the country's future."

Livni addressed the AJC Global Forum in Washington, D.C., in June 2013, when she was Israel's Justice Minister and oversaw negotiations with the Palestinians. In an impassioned address, she spoke of the urgency to achieve a negotiated two-nation states solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She also led the Israeli team negotiating peace with the Palestinians when she was Foreign Minister in 2008.

During her extensive political career, Livni has held a variety of Cabinet positions, setting the record for most government roles held by an Israeli woman. She has served as Acting Prime Minster, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Justice, in addition to Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Housing. Livni is currently co-leader of the Zionist Union, which heads the opposition, and is comprised of the Labor and Hatnua parties

The nonpartisan AJC, founded in 1906, maintains its global headquarters in New York City, 22 regional offices across the United States, 11 posts worldwide, including Jerusalem, and 35 international association agreements.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

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http://www.ajc.org

OMAHA, Neb., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- You are invited to listen to Union Pacific Corporation's (NYSE: UNP) 2018 Investor Day presentations. The presentations will be broadcast live over the internet from Omaha, Nebraska, on Thursday, May 31, 2018, from 12:00 p.m. CT until approximately 4:30 p.m.

What: Union Pacific Corporation's 2018 Investor Day



When: Thursday, May 31, 2018, at 12:00 p.m. CT



Where: Union Pacific's website at www.up.com/investor. Alternatively, the webcast can be accessed directly through the following link.



How: Live over the Internet by logging on to the Web at the address above

If you are unable to listen to the live webcast, presentation materials and an audio replay will be archived on Union Pacific's website at www.up.com/investor. An MP3 downloadable audio file will also be available at the same location.

ABOUT UNION PACIFIC

Union Pacific Railroad is the principal operating company of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP). One of America's most recognized companies, Union Pacific Railroad connects 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country by rail, providing a critical link in the global supply chain. In the past 10 years, 2008-2017, Union Pacific invested approximately $34 billion in its network and operations to support America's transportation infrastructure. The railroad's diversified business mix includes Agricultural Products, Energy, Industrial and Premium. Union Pacific serves many of the fastest-growing U.S. population centers, operates from all major West Coast and Gulf Coast ports to eastern gateways, connects with Canada's rail systems and is the only railroad serving all six major Mexico gateways. Union Pacific provides value to its roughly 10,000 customers by delivering products in a safe, reliable, fuel-efficient and environmentally responsible manner.

www.up.com

www.facebook.com/unionpacific

www.twitter.com/unionpacific

SOURCE Union Pacific Corporation

Related Links

http://www.up.com

BRISBANE, Australia, May 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Orocobre Limited (ASX: ORE, TSX: ORL) ("Orocobre" or "the Company") is pleased to announce an updated resource estimate for the Company's Cauchari Joint Venture Project in Jujuy, Argentina based on the Phase II drilling results. The update, prepared by FloSolutions S.A.C, has increased the Inferred Resource to a volume of approximately 1,200 million cubic metres of brine at average grades of 450 mg/l lithium and 4,028 mg/l potassium for 3.0 Mt of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent (LCE) and will be the basis for a Scoping Study/Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) scheduled for completion in this quarter.

The exploration program is being managed by JV partner Advantage Lithium Corp. ("Advantage Lithium") (TSX Venture: AAL) (OTCQX: AVLIF) who hold 75% of Cauchari. Orocobre owns 29% of Advantage Lithium's issued capital and 25% directly in the joint venture.

Highlights:

+6-fold increase of the inferred resource to 3.0 Mt LCE at Cauchari at 450 mg/l Lithium

The updated resource covers a significantly larger area and extends to greater depths in the NW and SE Sectors

Significant potential for additional resource expansion at depth

The brine has excellent chemistry for processing and the Mg/Li ratio averages 2.5, very similar to Orocobre's Olaroz project

Phase III drilling is underway to upgrade this inferred resource and underlying brine to measured and indicated resources for the definitive feasibility study (DFS) scheduled for completion in Q2 2019

Advantage Lithium intends to submit a full technical report within 45 days of this filing, in accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) to support the conclusions presented here.

Richard Seville, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer commented "We are very pleased with the results from the programme so far which has delivered a six times increase on the prior resource estimate. Three million tonnes LCE provides a solid basis for a Scoping Study/PEA and there is a significant exploration target from which we will build our resource base further. We will be completing the Scoping Study/PEA during this quarter and then will progress to a definitive Feasibility Study for a potential 20,000 tonnes per annum of Lithium Carbonate. I commend our partner and JV manager Advantage Lithium and its dedicated management team for delivering this quality programme in such a short period of time and we look forward to continue working with them on the Scoping Study/PEA."

Updated Cauchari Resource

Based on the results of the 2017/2018 drilling programme, the resource at Cauchari has been increased. As advised by independent consultants FloSolutions S.A.C. there is now an Inferred Resource of 1,200 million cubic metres of brine at 450 mg/l lithium and 4,028 mg/l potassium. This is equivalent to 3.0 Mt Lithium Carbonate Equivalent (LCE) (based on 5.32 tonnes of lithium carbonate is equivalent to 1 tonne of lithium) and 9.5 Mt of potassium chloride (based on 1 tonne potassium chloride is equivalent to 1.91 tonnes of potassium). The resource estimate includes both the NW and SE Sectors. This is an expansion of six times the previous estimate of 0.47 Mt of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent. The average grade of the entire resource has increased to 450 mg/l Li and 4,028 mg/l K. Locally higher grades were encountered in the NW Sector in areas such as production hole CAU07 (601 mg/l during 48 hr pumping test) and in the Deep Sand unit in CAU11 (515 mg/l during 48 hr pumping test). The results of the estimation are summarized in Table 1 below.

The brine resource is calculated over the NW and SE Sectors of the Cauchari project and covers an area of 92.6 km2. The brine resource in the NW Sector extends from the brine level below the Archibarca fan to a depth of up to 300 m. The brine resources in the SE Sector extend from the phreatic brine level to a constant depth of 300 m and continue locally as a separate resource volume in the Deep Sand unit between approximately 400 m and 480 m depth (as defined by Deep Sand drilling intercepts in holes CAU11, CAU12 and CAU13). None of the boreholes completed to date have intercepted bedrock (basement) and the resource remains open at depth. A significant exploration target has been defined below the current inferred resources as further discussed below (Table 3).

Table 1: Cauchari Project Lithium and Potassium Resource Estimate; May 22, 2018 Inferred Resources (lithium cut-off of 300 mg/l)

Parameter NW Sector SE Sector Total

Resource area (km2) 35.2 57.4 92.6

Aquifer volume (km3) 6.5 13.9 20.4

Mean specific yield (Sy) 9% 4% 6%

Brine volume (km3) 0.6 0.6 1.2

Element Li K Li K Li K

Mean concentration (mg/l) 465 3,920 443 4,078 450 4,028

Mean grade (g/m3) 44 373 20 184 28 244

Total Resource (tonnes) 288,000 2,420,000 280,000 2,560,000 568,000 4,980,000

Lithium Carbonate (tonnes) 1,530,000 1,490,000 3,020,000

Potash (tonnes) 4,600,000 4,900,000 9,500,000





Notes:

1. JORC definitions were followed for mineral resources.

2. The Competent Person for this Mineral Resource estimate is Frits Reidel, CPG.

3. A lithium cut-off concentration of 300 mg/L has been applied to the resource estimate.

4. Lithium is converted to lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) with a conversion factor of 5.32.

5. Potassium is converted to potash with a conversion factor of 1.91

4. Numbers may not add due to rounding.



Results of the brine chemistry analysis carried out to date indicate that the Cauchari brine is similar in composition to the brine in the adjacent Olaroz Salar from which Orocobre is successfully producing lithium carbonate using conventional lithium processing technology. Table 2 provides a summary of the Cauchari brine characteristics. The lower average lithium concentration of the total inferred resource compared to that of drill holes such as CAU07, CAU11 (and other results released during the Phase II drilling program) reflects the presence of lower concentration brine near surface in the SE Sector such as around holes CAU12, 13 and 14. The brine characteristics and hydraulic characteristics in the upper SE Sector are distinct from those in the NW Sector and the Deep Sand unit. Pumping tests from the NW Sector and Deep Sand have produced excellent flows with lithium concentration >500 mg/l lithium, as reported by the company on the 7th of February and 6th of March 2018. There is a reasonable prospect that the Cauchari brine from these areas could be successfully processed using similar technology to the Olaroz plant.

Table 2: Cauchari brine chemistry characteristics Samples Ratio NW Sector & Deep Sand Upper SE Sector Mg/Li 2.7 2.5 SO4/Li 29.4 69.6

Resource Estimation Methodology

The updated lithium resource estimate for the Cauchari Project is based on the results of seven diamond holes and five rotary holes drilled during the Phase II campaign in 2017/8 and results of four diamond drill holes of the Phase I campaign in 2011. Figure 1 shows a location map of the boreholes completed during the 2011 and 2017/8 drilling campaigns. Brine sample collection during the 2017/8 program consisted of bailed and packer samples in the diamond holes, and packer and pumped samples in the rotary holes. A total of 449 brine samples (including 164 QA/QC samples) were analyzed by Norlabs (JuJuy, Argentina) as the primary laboratory and by Alex Steward Assayers (Mendoza, Argentina) and the University of Antofagasta (Chile) as secondary QA/QC laboratories. Additional brine QA/QC analyses were carried out on centrifuged samples collected by Corelabs in Houston, TX.

HQ core was retrieved during the diamond core drilling from which some 172 primary undisturbed samples were prepared for laboratory drainable porosity and other physical parameter determinations by Geo Systems Analaysis (GSA) in Tucson, AZ. Laboratory QA/QC porosity analyses are being undertaken by Corelabs.

The lithium resource was estimated using SGEMs software with ordinary kriging and applying a 300 mg/l lithium concentration cut-off. The resource estimate was prepared in accordance with the guidelines of National Instrument 43-101 and uses best practice methods specific to brine resources, including a reliance on core drilling and sampling methods that yield depth-specific chemistry and drainable porosity measurements. The resource estimation was completed by independent qualified person Mr. Frits Reidel of Santiago based hydrogeology firm FloSolutions with extensive experience in the estimation of lithium brine resources in Argentina.

Geological Exploration Target

The geological exploration target is estimated to range between 1,430,000 and 3,000,000 t LCE, primarily in the SE Sector beneath the current inferred resource area in the Deep Sand unit to a depth of 600 m. Table 3 provides the details of the geological exploration potential. The upper and lower ranges of the geological potential were bounded by two times the standard deviation around the calculated average lithium concentration of the overlying inferred resources. The Deep Sand unit in the SE Sector was intersected below 360 m in CAU11, CAU12 and CAU13. A preliminary 48 hour pumping test in CAU11 at a pumping rate of 19 l/s indicated that the Deep Sand unit has excellent hydraulic characteristics. The geology of the Cauchari basin suggests there is good potential to convert brine within the exploration target to resources. Similar sand units have been intersected in the neighboring Olaroz project.

Table 3: Cauchari Project  Geological Potential Geological Potential - Lower range (X-2SD) Parameter NW Sector SE Sector Total Resource area (km2) 35.2 57.4 92.6 Aquifer volume (km3) 2.6 12.8 15.4 Mean specific yield (Sy) 11% 5% 6% Brine volume (km3) 0.3 0.6 0.9 Element Li K Li K Li K Mean concentration (mg/l) 281 2,320 281 2,320 281 2,320 Mean grade (g/m3) 31 258 15 122 23 190 Total Resource (tonnes) 80,000 670,000 190,000 1,550,000 270,000 2,220,000 Lithium Carbonate (tonnes) 430,000 1,000,000 1,430,000 Potash (tonnes) 1,300,000 2,900,000 4,200,000

Geological Potential  Upper range (X+2SD) Parameter NW Sector SE Sector Total Resource area (km2) 35.2 57.4 92.6 Aquifer volume (km3) 2.6 12.8 15.4 Mean specific yield (Sy) 11% 5% 6% Brine volume (km3) 0.3 0.6 0.9 Element Li K Li K Li K Mean concentration (mg/l) 594 5,735 594 5,735 594 5,735 Mean grade (g/m3) 66 638 31 301 49 473 Total Resource (tonnes) 170,000 1,650,000 400,000 3,840,000 570,000 5,490,000 Lithium Carbonate (tonnes) 900,000 2,100,000 3,000,000 Potash (tonnes) 3,100,000 7,300,000 10,400,000

The potential quantity and grade of the exploration target is conceptual in nature, and there has been insufficient exploration to define a Mineral Resource in the volume where the Exploration Target is outlined. It is uncertain if further exploration drilling will result in the determination of a Mineral Resource in this volume. The exploration target is where, based on the available geological evidence, there is the possibility of defining a mineral resource. Importantly the exploration target is not to be considered a resource or reserve. It must be stressed the exploration target is based on a series of assumptions and future drilling is required to determine the brine grade and formation drainable porosity values to establish whether a resource can be defined.

Phase III Drilling and Further Resource Expansion

The Phase III resource definition drilling program is currently underway at the Cauchari project site. The Phase III program will include additional diamond holes in the NW and SE Sectors to upgrade the resource classification by Q2 2019 to support the Project's Definitive Feasibility Study. The Phase III drilling program is designed to provide a combined borehole density sufficient to upgrade the current inferred resources to the Indicated and Measured categories. The Phase III drilling is also aimed at further defining resources in the Deep Sand unit.

For more information please contact:

Andrew Barber

Investor Relations Manager

T: +61 7 3871 3985

M: +61 418 783 701

E: [email protected]

Qualified Person's/Competent Person's Statement

The information in this report that relates to exploration reporting at the Cauchari JV project has been prepared by Mr Frits Reidel. Frits Reidel is a Certified Professional Geologist and member of the American Institute of Professional Geologists. Frits Reidel is General Manager and Principal with FloSolutions and is independent of Orocobre. Frits has sufficient relevant experience to qualify as a competent person as defined in the 2012 edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves. He is also a "Qualified Person" as defined in NI 43-101. Frits Reidel consents to the inclusion in this announcement of this information in the form and context in which it appears.

About Orocobre Limited

Orocobre Limited (Orocobre) is a dynamic global lithium carbonate supplier and an established producer of boron. Orocobre is dual listed on the Australia and Toronto Stock Exchanges (ASX: ORE), (TSE: ORL). Orocobre's operations include its Olaroz Lithium Facility in Northern Argentina, Borax Argentina, an established Argentine boron minerals and refined chemicals producer and a 29% interest in Advantage Lithium.

For further information, please visit www.orocobre.com.

SOURCE Orocobre Limited

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http://orocobre.com

BETHESDA, Md., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Calvert Impact Capital (formerly Calvert Foundation), the mission-driven investor dedicated to creating a more equitable and sustainable world, and Urban Advisors, a mission-driven fund manager, today announced the launch of the UP Community Fund, a new impact investing vehicle designed to increase financing available to entrepreneurs of color in the southeastern United States.

Minority business owners have a harder time accessing affordable credit than their non-minority peers, making it more difficult for minority-owned businesses to succeed and build wealth. Minority business owners apply for loans at approximately half the rate of non-minority business owners, and those that apply for loans face a declination rate almost three times that of their non-minority peers. Even when approved, minority borrowers receive rates that are 200 basis points higher than non-minority borrowers.1 The availability and cost of credit lead minority borrowers to seek alternative forms of financing that are often predatory in nature and often hurt the personal credit of the business owners.

This Fund strives to address these financing disparities by seeking qualified minority-owned businesses who  with access to affordable credit  can grow their businesses and expand income and wealth building opportunities for their employees and communities.

The Fund will make loans ranging from $250,000 to $1.2 million available to small businesses and community organizations within its target geographic market  including the metro areas of Charlotte, Atlanta, St. Louis, and Baltimore, among others. The Fund's $12.15 million first close includes Riverside Church, New Resource Bank, MetLife Investment Management, and Calvert Impact Capital as lenders. Calvert Impact Capital is also lead arranger and administrative agent.

"The vision of the UP Community Fund is to create a sustainable financing vehicle that can generate focused and long-term impact in communities of color," said Calvert Impact Capital's VP of Syndications and Strategy Beth Bafford. "We are investing  and bringing other lenders to the table  because of the strength of the Fund's mission and the team's deep experience in lending to under-resourced communities. The UP Community Fund will create economic opportunity in a part of the U.S. that has historically lacked strong financing infrastructure."

The southeast is the least upwardly-mobile region for African-American communities in the United States. The Fund's initial target market was chosen to bring economic opportunity to companies led by entrepreneurs of color as well as those seeking to diversify workforces to create quality employment.

David Sharp, the CEO of the UP Community Fund said, "We are excited to offer a flexible financing solution that has been specifically designed to meet the needs of entrepreneurs of color in the southeast. We will provide both relationship lending and advisory services to build and grow wealth across these communities."

Calvert Impact Capital and Urban Advisors would like to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of the parties who helped make this Fund possible: Morgan, Lewis & Bockius (Calvert Impact Capital counsel), Willkie Farr & Gallagher (Riverside Church counsel), and Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe (Urban Advisors counsel).

1 US Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency Report

About Calvert Impact Capital

Calvert Impact Capital (formerly Calvert Foundation) invests to create a more equitable and sustainable world. Through our products and services, we raise capital from individual and institutional investors to finance intermediaries and funds that are investing in communities left out of traditional capital markets. During our 22-year history, we have mobilized nearly $2 billion of investor capital. Calvert Impact Capital has recently expanded our services to include loan syndications, where we originate and structure loans for institutional and accredited investors seeking environmental and social impact. Since the launch in 2017, we have syndicated more than $130 million of capital across nine transactions. Learn more at https://www.calvertimpactcapital.org/invest/syndication-services.

About Urban Advisors

Urban Advisors is an impact investment consulting firm focused on solving economic inequality for communities and people of color. We have been in the impact investment space for the past 12 years and have participated in over 100 impact investment-related transactions. The UP Community Fund represents an expansion of our impact-focused fund management business. Business owners seeking financing can visit https://www.upcommunityfund.com to learn more about the lending criteria and the process for applying for a loan.

For lender inquiries:

Beth Bafford

800.248.0337, ext 6027

[email protected]

For investment inquiries:

David Sharp

704-252-5296

[email protected]

For press inquiries:

Cindy Stoller

Confluence Partners

917-331-0418

[email protected]

SOURCE Calvert Impact Capital

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SANTA CRUZ, Calif., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- VIASPACE Inc. (OTC: VSPC) today provided a Giant King Grass (GKG) business update and announced plans to explore expansion to the Cannabis/Hemp industry space.

On May 18, 2018, VIASPACE Inc. signed a contract with an industrial customer to utilize Giant King Grass (GKG) as the renewable, high-yield biomass platform for their proprietary carbon-negative process to manufacture hydrogen profitably for the U.S. market. The customer has acquired suitable land in the Southern U. S. and is proceeding with plans to establish their GKG propagation nursery.

VIASPACE is working with a new Giant King Grass animal feed business entity in Florida to use GKG for dairy feed. An initial 5 acres of GKG has been planted with plans to expand to 60 acres as soon as possible. The goal is to continue expansion of the business/acreage to eventually supply nearby dairies that have a combined total of tens of thousands of dairy cows.

VIASPACE has a history of growing its proprietary GKG in California and has developed many positive business connections and relationships in the State of California. With the legalization of Cannabis and Hemp in California on January 01, 2018, VIASPACE has been approached by several different business entities regarding Cannabis and Hemp opportunities in California. Over the past six months, VIASPACE has been exploring the best route to expand and position VIASPACE as a Cannabis/Hemp-related growth business with a public trading pathway for the future. To this end, VIASPACE has engaged Mr. John Carroll as its Chief Agronomist and Mr. Jeff LaBerge as Vice-President of Business Development with their primary focus on the Hemp industry.

VIASPACE and VIASPACE executives have established a special purpose company named "Viaspace California, Inc." which has proprietary access to a strain of Hemp possessing a high Cannabidiol (CBD) content and low levels of THC. The company believes this strain will be ideally suited for growing in lower latitude climates including Southern California. Business objectives include growing and processing Hemp for CBD and other commercial uses, and selling or licensing name-brand Hemp seeds.

VIASPACE Board Chairman and Acting CEO, Dr. Kevin Schewe, commented: "Late last year, we rigorously lowered our business expense overhead and since that time we have been focusing our energies on GKG partnerships and projects that have the most potential to generate revenue for VIASPACE. Simultaneously, we were contacted by many business entities/parties interested in the rapidly emerging California Cannabis/Hemp business space. We explored many various options and believe that Hemp/CBD oil production and Hemp seed sales/licensing business lines provide the best potential for generating significant revenues and gaining more immediate widespread acceptance for U.S. publically traded companies. We remain committed to position VIASPACE to generate revenues and build shareholder value overall."

About VIASPACE Inc.

VIASPACE grows renewable Giant King Grass as a low-carbon fuel for clean electricity generation; for environmentally friendly energy pellets; and as a feedstock for bio-methane production and for green cellulosic biofuels, biochemicals and biomaterials. Giant King Grass is a proprietary, high yield, dedicated biomass energy crop. Giant King Grass when it is cut frequently at 4 to 5 feet tall is also excellent animal feed. The USDA granted approval for planting Giant King Grass throughout the US and cooperates in exporting by performing the required inspections and issuing the phytosanitary certificate needed for import into foreign countries. Giant King Grass is being grown in the US including Hawaii, and many foreign countries. For more information, please go to www.VIASPACE.com or contact Dr. Jan Vandersande, Director of Communications, at 800-517-8050 or [email protected]

Safe Harbor Statement

Information in this news release includes forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without limitation, risks outlined in our periodic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, and other factors over which VIASPACE has little or no control.

SOURCE VIASPACE Inc.

Related Links

http://www.viaspace.com

"We're thrilled to welcome Dr. Compton-Phillips and Ms. Walsh to our board," said Chris Michalik, WellCare's chairman of the board. "From Dr. Compton-Phillips' clinical experience to Ms. Walsh's background in hospital administration, both women bring strong leadership skills, experience in partnering with providers, and a deep understanding of our nation's hospitals and health systemsall of which will be invaluable in supporting WellCare's focus on providing access to high-quality care and services to our more than 4.3 million members across the country."

Dr. Compton-Phillips has served as executive vice president and chief clinical officer at Providence St. Joseph Health since 2015. Previously, she served as chief quality officer at The Permanente Federation (part of Kaiser Permanente). Dr. Compton-Phillips joined Kaiser Permanente in 1993 and held a variety of roles including internal medicine service chief, physician director of the Columbia, Maryland geographic region, physician director for population care and guideline director. Dr. Compton-Phillips serves on the board of Multiscale Health Networks, a joint venture between Providence St. Joseph Health and the Institute for Systems Biology to provide healthcare technology solutions. Dr. Compton-Phillips is a board-certified internist. She received her B.S. in biology from Johns Hopkins University and her medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Kathleen E. Walsh has served as president and chief executive officer of Boston Medical Center since 2010. Previously, she served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for Brigham and Women's Hospital; chief operating officer for Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research; and senior vice president of medical services for Massachusetts General Hospital. She has also held hospital administrator positions in a number of New York City hospitals including Montefiore Medical Center, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, Saint Luke'sRoosevelt Hospital Center, and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation. Ms. Walsh serves on several boards of directors, including the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the Boston Public Health Commission, the Massachusetts Hospital Association, the AAMC Council of Teaching Hospitals, Pine Street Inn, the Greater Boston YMCA Board of Overseers, the Green Ribbon Commission's Health Care Sector and fellow of the Yale Corporation. She received her bachelor's degree and a master's degree in public health from Yale University.

About WellCare Health Plans, Inc.

Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) focuses exclusively on providing government-sponsored managed care services through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans to families, children, seniors and individuals with complex medical needs. The company serves approximately 4.3 million members nationwide as of March 31, 2018. For more information about WellCare, please visit the company's website at www.wellcare.com or view the company's videos at www.youtube.com/user/WellCareHealthPlan.

SOURCE WellCare Health Plans, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.wellcare.com

FELTON, California, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Global Wireless Lighting Market is segmented, by product type, into Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, ZigBee, Bluetooth, and Enocean. High-power LED lighting finds its applications in smart homes. LED lights do have a longer lifespan and consume less power as compared to conventional incandescent or halogen bulbs, and are available in broad range of colors.

LED lights prove to be more effective with respect to digital control. A low-cost LED driver is capable of dimming the lights and even mixing assorted colors. This does open up a plethora of applications in smart homes where lights are all connected through a wireless network to central controller. This implies that lighting in various rooms could be individually optimized, and even altered for suiting the preference of the individual in the room.

Even if enabling wireless connectivity to LED lighting does add to the cost and complexity in comparison with the usage of a simple dimmer switch, the additional control functions overpower these drawbacks. Power consumption is a constraint for wireless controllers. Higher temperature could reduce the LED lighting elements' lifetime, and may need extra components for thermal management and a higher temperature rating for wireless controller in the wireless lighting market.

Space management is of prime concern. As such, "integration of circuits and components" is the priority. It would enable minimization of extra external components alongside LED lighting elements in a fixture, and direct linking to the LED driver. The desire for more refined applications such as color mixing also drives the need for a microcontroller. Microcontroller thus lessens the cost as well as complexity of the fixture design.

Browse 106 page research report with TOC on "Global Wireless Lighting Market" at: https://www.millioninsights.com/industry-reports/wireless-lighting-market

Bluetooth is an increasingly common approach toward addition of wireless connectivity to an LED lighting system. A benefit of Bluetooth is that the higher data rate of 1 Mbit/s lets the other applications such as audio. Addition of a speaker to the fixture does provide additional value by streaming music from a smartphone to any room in the home.

ZigBee serves as an alternative wireless system with respect to LED lighting in the smart home that provides mesh networking; which is based on the 802.15.4 standard. It has a lower bit rate of 250 Kbit/s for low power implementations and lets LED fixtures connect to each other to exercise distributed control. ZigBee Alliance has gone on to define a wireless protocol especially for LED smart lighting, which is backed by the major manufacturers of bulbs. ZigBee Light Link does provide a global standard for easy-to-use and interoperable control products and consumer lighting in the wireless lighting market.

Wireless Lighting Market is segmented, by application into Residential, Commercial, and Public. Wireless Lighting Market is segmented, by Geographical Region into North America, Europe, China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Wireless Lighting Market Key Players include GE Lighting, Echelon, Venture Lighting-LeafNut, Petra Systems, Honeywell, Legrand, TVILIGHT, PHILIPS, Cimcon and Telematics.

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SOURCE Million InsightsWith representatives from Fortune Global 500 companies including Volkswagen, HP, General Motors and Microsoft and more, the Convention will feature forums on the advancement of manufacturing technologies in the areas of artificial intelligence, smart homes, integrated circuits and smart manufacturing.

"Hefei is pleased to host such an important convention," said Zhu Ce, Deputy Mayor of Hefei. "The continued development of global manufacturing and logistics chains is vital to the growth of the world's economy. This event highlights Hefei's role in supporting this development, and will help to integrate our local economy into these ever-evolving channels."

"Among the participating companies from over 70 countries and regions, 21 of them are from countries participating in China's 'One Belt One Road' Initiative," said Liu Guang, Deputy Director of the Anhui Provincial Department of Commerce. "The Convention provides more opportunities for companies in Hefei to cooperate with industry leaders from other countries and regions."

Exhibitors at the Convention will showcase the latest products and technologies in the manufacturing industry. The Convention will feature six exhibitions in total, including the Integrated Exhibition, the International Smart Manufacturing Exhibition, the Domestic Smart Manufacturing Exhibition, the Anhui Import and Export Commodity Fair, the Financial Services Exhibitions, and the Anhui Human Resources Exhibition. The exhibitions will cover 43,000 square meters in the main exhibition hall of the Hefei Binhu International Exhibition & Convention Center.

To create business opportunities for attendees, and to foster deeper international cooperation, the organizing committee will hold a matchmaking event, putting 200 to 250 overseas companies in touch with almost 2,000 Chinese businesses on-site.

Additionally, the Convention will welcome renowned world leaders and officials, including Christian Wulff, former President of Germany and Global Chairman of GASME; Ban Ki-moon, former Secretary-General of the United Nations and President of the Boao Forum for Asia; and Philippe Scholtes, Managing Director at UNIDO, among others.

To learn more about the Convention, visit: http://wmconvention.org/en

About World Manufacturing Convention

Launched by the Global Alliance of SMEs (GASME), the 2018 World Manufacturing Convention is an international platform for discussions on current and future trends of the global manufacturing industry. Co-hosted by the Global Alliance of SMEs, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the Anhui Provincial Government, and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Convention aims to shape the future of manufacturing, and encourage the integration of local businesses into global industrial chains.

SOURCE World Manufacturing Convention Committee official website

Related Links

http://wmconvention.org/en

47 million U.S. adults do not get a restorative night's sleep. For travelers, it's worse. Evidence shows jet lag, unfamiliar routine and the general stress of travel contribute to poor sleep and post-travel illness. A recent University of Texas study found disrupting sleep and impacting circadian rhythm  commonly caused by jet lag  not only leads to chronic fatigue and insomnia but also causes accelerated aging.

"It's simple: sleep is one of the most critical things we offer our guests," said Kate Ashton, senior vice president, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. "Every traveler should be able to wake up ready to conquer the day, so we're engineering our entire guest room experience around rest  from wellness-focused environments and calming atmospheres to the simple comforts of a stylish space."

A New Sleep Experience

Wyndham is the first upscale hotel brand committed to offering guests the Stay Well experience at every hotel across its U.S. portfolio by 2019. Endorsed by Deepak Chopra, the evidence-based Stay Well rooms by Delos infuse wellness into the room with features that minimize the impact of travel on the body and enhance sleep.

"Travel is stressful on the mind and body, making the hotel room  the space we spend the most time in during our travels  a critical environment for our wellbeing," noted Dr. Deepak Chopra, founder of The Chopra Foundation and a Delos Advisory Board member. "By making wellness a priority in the makeup of every Wyndham hotel, the Stay Well experience is fundamentally changing the way we travel  for the better."

Stay Well rooms incorporate state-of-the-art wellness technologies to help improve indoor air quality, sleep patterns and physical comfort, as well as reduce exposure to germs and allergens. Wyndham Hotels and Resorts will offer a wellness experience leveraging the following features:

Air Purification: circulates filtered air in the guest room to reduce pollen, odors, allergens, toxins, and other pollutants from the air.

circulates filtered air in the guest room to reduce pollen, odors, allergens, toxins, and other pollutants from the air. Aromatherapy: optional mood-enhancing scent to improve ambience and mood while promoting relaxation.

optional mood-enhancing scent to improve ambience and mood while promoting relaxation. Circadian Lighting: personalized room light environment that emulates the color of natural outdoor light to enhance sleep quality, energy levels and productivity. The settings include circadian, energize, relax and play.

personalized room light environment that emulates the color of natural outdoor light to enhance sleep quality, energy levels and productivity. The settings include circadian, energize, relax and play. Dawn Simulator: alarm clock that simulates a sunrise, allowing for a more natural waking process through the use of gradual increasing light.

alarm clock that simulates a sunrise, allowing for a more natural waking process through the use of gradual increasing light. Stay Well Mattress: natural memory foam mattress derived from organic cotton, pure hevea milk and essential oils.

natural memory foam mattress derived from organic cotton, pure hevea milk and essential oils. Guided Meditation by Deepak Chopra : Deepak Chopra , a world-renowned integrative medicine and wellness pioneer, provides a welcome message, lending wisdom and insight to the features of the Stay Well experience

Designed for Dreaming

The move comes coupled with a complete redesign for the brands interior by renowned interior architecture and design firm Jeffrey Beers International (JBI). By leveraging soothing blues and muted grays, balancing clean lines and soft curves, and centralizing the room around the bed, the room is designed to promote comfort.

"At JBI we always think first about the guest experience: how people feel when they enter a space," says Architect Jeffrey Beers, founder and CEO of Jeffrey Beers International (JBI). "We've designed with this in mind  how the room balances between clean, modern lines and soft curves. This balance creates a feeling of tranquility and invites you to breathe a sigh of relief when you close the door behind you."

The design is balanced around a gentle harmony of calming elements and chic innovation, combining Beers' architectural background with elegant artistry. Modern elements include magnetic charging stations by the bed and noise-reducing fabric panels, while design contributions like serene abstract wall art and carpet weaving both color and texture like ocean waves create an atmosphere of overall calm. They layout of the room itself, with the bed as its central focus, supplements its most important function: a space for sleep.

About Jeffrey Beers International

Jeffrey Beers International (JBI) is a full-service design studio with an award-winning portfolio of projects spanning a variety of categories. Combining an artist's sense of craft and exploration with a nuanced understanding of the client's vision, JBI's timeless approach to design creates vibrant spaces uniquely informed by the firm's strong foundation in hospitality.

Founded by Jeffrey Beers in 1986, JBI represents the culmination of its founder's rich artistic and cultural background, sophisticated urban sensibilities, and standout design skills. The result is a dynamic and diverse company whose team consists of architects, interior designers, painters, sculptors and graphic designers in order to bring a mix of unique perspectives to every project.

With a level of taste respected and called upon by notable developers including Silverstein Properties, El Ad Group and Extell Development, to projects with venerated hotel brands like One & Only and Hilton Hotel & Resorts, JBI consistently creates transportive, engaging venues. As the firm extends beyond restaurants, hotels and multifamily developments, it is leveraging this expertise to revolutionize other spheres of design as well.

About Wyndham Hotels and Resorts

Part of Wyndham Hotel Group, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, LLC, offers upscale hotel and resort accommodations at more than 100 properties throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, South East Asia, Australia and China. Most Wyndham hotels are franchised by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, LLC or its affiliates. Certain Wyndham hotels are owned or managed by an affiliate of Wyndham Hotel Group, LLC. Additional information and reservations for all Wyndham hotels are available by visiting www.wyndhamhotelgroup.com. Travelers have the opportunity to earn and redeem points through Wyndham Rewards, the brand's guest loyalty program, which can be joined for free at www.wyndhamrewards.com. Wyndham Hotel Group is the world's largest hotel company based on number of hotels, encompassing nearly 8,400 hotels and approximately 723,000 rooms in 83 countries. Additional information is available at www.wyndhamworldwide.com. For more information about hotel franchising opportunities visit www.whgdevelopment.com.

SOURCE Wyndham Hotel Group

Related Links

http://www.wyndhamworldwide.com

DES MOINES, Iowa and ABILENE, Texas, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesway, the fast growing and innovative convenience store chain with locations in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, today announced the launch of the company's new charitable giving program. In support of its steadfast commitment to the U.S. military and first responders, and in concert with the annual celebration of Memorial Day, Yesway will formally launch a National Two Star Partnership with Operation Homefront on May 25, 2018.

As the foundation of the Yesway Gives Back charitable giving program, Yesway is supporting, honoring, and meeting the needs of current and former members of the U.S. military and their families, who have sacrificed so much while fighting tirelessly for our nation's freedom. "Countless numbers of brave Americans have demonstrated their courage and commitment to America and to freedom around the world by serving in the nation's armed forces. In partnering with Operation Homefront, Yesway will celebrate these heroic men and women and thank them for their service," stated Thomas Nicholas Trkla, Yesway's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "It is very important to all of us at Yesway that we make meaningful contributions to the communities we serve. We are very proud to be an Operation Homefront partner, further underscoring our commitment as a company to support our veterans."

Founded in 2002, Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive  not simply struggle to get by  in the communities they have worked so hard to protect. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity oversight groups, 92 percent of Operation Homefront expenditures go directly to programs that support tens of thousands of military families each year. Operation Homefront provides critical financial assistance, transitional and permanent housing and family support services to prevent short-term needs from turning into chronic, long-term struggles. Thanks to the generosity of donors and the support from thousands of volunteers, Operation Homefront proudly serves America's military families.

"Not only will we be making a $50,000 donation in support of Operation Homefront's important and patriotic work, but we are also offering Yesway customers the opportunity to join us in supporting America's military and their families," continued Mr. Trkla. "We will be donating up to an additional $25,000 from a portion of the sale of every bottle of our new Yesway-branded spring and purified water sold in our stores to this terrific organization."

He continued: "It is extremely important to all of us at Yesway to be good corporate citizens  to recognize and actively support those who serve or have served in the military, as well as local charities, civic organizations, and first responders  our fellow countrymen and women who make a difference in the lives of others, and who go above and beyond the call of duty while asking nothing in return. This program is just a small way for our company to say 'thank you' to our troops for their service, sacrifice, and unwavering dedication to our country, and to the family members who support them on the home front every day."

"We are incredibly grateful for Yesway's support of our mission to build strong, stable, and secure military families so they can thrive in the communities they have worked so hard to protect," said Margi Kirst, Chief Development Officer for Operation Homefront. "Yesway and its customers will help us provide critical assistance to military families through a variety of impactful programs that help those who give so much in service to our country."

To mark the formal launch of the partnership, Operation Homefront will join Yesway at a ceremony at the Yesway store located at 5194 Buffalo Gap Road in Abilene, Texas, from 3:00 PM  7:00 PM CDT on Friday, May 25. The company will present Operation Homefront with a donation check and will formally launch the Yesway-branded bottled water sales campaign benefitting Operation Homefront by donating 5 cents from the sale of every bottle of Yesway-branded spring and purified water, up to $25,000. Yesway team members will also be recognized for their military service during the ceremony.

Editor Note: To arrange interviews with Yesway executives, please contact Erin Vadala of Warner Communications at [email protected] or (978) 468-3076. High-resolution images and graphics are available on request.

About Yesway  BW Gas & Convenience, d/b/a Yesway, is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. Yesway recently debuted at #7 on the Convenience Store News "2018 Top 20 Growth Chains" list and was named a "2017 Chain to Watch" by Convenience Store Decisions. Yesway's swiftly expanding portfolio currently consists of 88 stores located in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Yesway plans to acquire, improve, and rebrand 500 convenience stores in selected regions of the United States over the next several years. For more information on Yesway, please visit the company's website at www.yesway.com

SOURCE Yesway

Related Links

http://www.yesway.com

The Ray White bi-annual Auction Under The Stars event last night in Brisbane saw almost $14 million of property changing hands.

Auctioneer Haesley Cush sold 10 properties of the 27 on offer in front of a crowd of 300.

The good news story in Brisbane is the inner north continue to shine, he said.

.145 million through Ray White" />

A two bedroom ground floor courtyard townhouse in New Farm at 7/32 Hazelwood St got away first selling for $780,000 through Ray White New Farm marketing agent Scott Darwon.

Then a luxury five bedroom contemporary Clayfield home at 52 Union Street (top) sold under the hammer for $2.145 million to a Sydney family moving to Brisbane.

This beautiful home was bought by a lovely family from Sydney whose daughters are going to St Margarets, said joint marketing agent Christine Rudolph, of Ray White New Farm.

Ray White New Farm | Spring Hill director Matt Lancashire said the market was not too hot and not too cold.

Theres plenty of people looking to buy in all price brackets in Brisbane and we had action on pretty much everything tonight which shows great confidence in the market and the auction process which creates competition for our vendors, Mr Lancashire said.

Cush said the resurgence of the inner city apartment market was a theme of the current market.

.145 million through Ray White" />

No doubt units have been softer up until now but we saw the comeback of the unit market tonight with strong competition on all the unit stock we had.

We saw good interest on 27/4 Wandoo Street, Fortitude Valley which sold for $537,000."

Other sales included 11 Stafford Street, Windsor sold under the hammer for $1.225 million and 21 Blaikie Street, Hendra at $1.530 million.Yes, the decision belongs on the local level

No, no one should be able to dictate whether people wear masks

Vote

View ResultsGUEST OBSERVATION

Tasmania is in the grip of a rental housing affordability crisis. What do local governments do to help?

Rural areas in particular lack rental options. To find housing, older people living in rural areas may often face a heartbreaking decision to leave their community.

We wanted to know whether local governments recognised this issue and actively helped seniors to continue living in their communities. We found much more. Local governments have not traditionally been recognised as housing providers, yet many of Tasmanias 29 local councils do provide subsidised accommodation.

How bad is the problem?

Local councils have been forced to intervene because the state is in the grip of an affordable housing crisis. In Hobart, rental vacancy rates are as low as 0.3%, the lowest of any Australian capital city. The average weekly rent of A$440 is 30% of median weekly household income. Thats the rental equivalent of being in mortgage stress.

Lack of other options has meant that some families resort to camping out and living in caravan parks while they try to secure rental accommodation. Tasmanias extremely low vacancy rates combined with high rents, lower socioeconomic status, and highly decentralised population means that finding accommodation can be exceptionally difficult.

There are just over 54,000 rental properties throughout Tasmania. Housing Tasmania, the public housing provider, owns about 13,000 of these. Roughly 20,000 are owned and rented privately, as opposed to through a real estate agency.

The estimated shortfall of rental housing is about 5,000 households for Hobart and 29,200 households across the state.

Impacts on older people

The rental housing crisis has particular repercussions for older people who rent. Rising numbers are facing homelessness for the first time. Current health policies aimed at older people remaining in the community rather than in aged care may make matters worse.

Half of the Tasmanian population is 42 or older, the highest median age of any Australian state. Recent research has found that someone renting privately at age 45 is likely to be highly impoverished in retirement.

With housing need increasing, pressure is growing on all levels of government to help resolve the crisis.

What local councils do and why

We invited all of Tasmanias 29 local governments to participate in an online survey. We received responses from 19 local government areas, 12 of which were complete.

Of those that responded, three councils provided local rental accommodation for older people. Two provided this at below-market rent specifically for those on low or fixed incomes. For example, in June 2017, Central Highlands Council advertised residential units for lease to low-income, local retirees.

Asset tests were not always applied. This meant older farmers who needed to be more centrally located for health reasons were able to apply.

Where councils identified that they leased properties targeted at seniors, most of these were bought or built in the 1980s with state and federal funding support. These grant programs no longer exist.

Only one local council indicated it was actively building more accommodation for seniors. When complete, this would provide 60 rental properties. This council had a higher proportion of people approaching retirement combined with a highly decentralised population.

In contrast, another council stated that it believed interest in council-supplied rental accommodation was declining.

This comment tallies with state government statements gathered as part of a 2016 study. The researchers stated that the number of applicants for state-owned seniors housing in the northern region was declining. Consequently, age restrictions were in some cases relaxed to fill vacancies.

Our study also identified regional differences in council approaches. Larger urban-based municipalities were less likely than their rural counterparts to own property targeted at the seniors group. But they were more likely to provide assistance in other ways.

The importance of our findings

Given Tasmanias ageing population, tight rental market and increasing numbers of older women falling into homelessness, these responses require further investigation.

Local governments in Tasmania actually used a surprisingly diverse range of approaches to support local housing of older people. Some provided council land to third parties for building seniors accommodation. Others hosted public forums to highlight sale and rental accommodation suitable for seniors in their council areas.

Less popular forms of financial assistance were rates remissions and fee waivers for planning and building approval fees on applications for seniors and aged care facilities.

Councils also identified that they provided rental accommodation and accommodation support to a range of other cohorts, not just older people.

These findings highlight the importance of better understanding the diverse ways in which local councils can support housing in their communities. The roles of rural councils are particularly important to explore, given the socioeconomic disadvantages entrenched in these communities.

Better understanding the community benefits of such activities may encourage more councils to provide housing. It may also encourage state and federal governments to consider again supporting local governments in providing accommodation, particularly for older people.

Erika Altmann, Property and Housing Management Researcher, University of Tasmania

Lea Coates, Adjunct Researcher, University of Tasmania

Megan Woods, Senior Lecturer in Management, Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, University of Tasmania

The authors acknowledge the contribution of Jen Newman, of Regional Development Australia  Tasmania, to the research and this article.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.What does it all mean?

Governor Lowe noted that while the ascent of the Chinese economy has been positive for Australia, it is also not without its risks: If a major economic shock were to originate from China over the coming years, its origin is most likely to be in the Chinese financial system...the experience is that the build-up of financial risks like those seen in China is almost always followed by a marked slowdown in GDP growth or a financial crisis. It is important to point out that these outcomes are not inevitable and that China is able to learn from the experience of other countries, including Australia... one of these concerns is that during the big run-up in debt, a lot of bad loans were made.

The reform of the Chinese financial system has featured in Reserve Bank statements and indeed it is one of the key international risks for the Australian economy. But it is a case of so far, so good. The Chinese authorities are dealing with the challenges before they materialise  something many other economies havent done, waiting instead until a crisis has developed.

The Chinese economy is rebalancing. The authorities are grappling with an economic juggernaut. Efforts are being made to liberalise and deleverage the financial system. Growth has decelerated but is robust and stable. The current focus is on quality-type growth which targets unemployment of around 4.5 per cent and reduced pollution through supply-side reforms.

Key points from the speech

Chinas economic rise has boosted Australias income and prosperity: In his speech entitled Australia's Deepening Economic Relationship with China: Opportunities and Risks, Dr Lowe is quick to stress the importance of Australias economic ties with its largest trading partner: The deepening of our economic relationship with China has greatly benefited Australia. It has created new opportunities for us and significantly boosted our national income. It was also one of the factors that helped our economy through the global financial crisis.

Deep economic ties and cultural respect can bind the two countries. The Governor states, We will, of course, have differences from time to time, but we will surely be better placed to deal with these if we understand one another well. Building strong connections across business, finance, politics, academia and the community more generally is important to deepening this understanding.

On trade and protectionism: Together, we can also be a strong voice for the importance of an open international trading system and for effective regional cooperation.

On the importance of China as Australias largest trading partner: Our trade with China has expanded very rapidly over the past decade, to the point where China is now Australia's largest trading partner. China accounts for nearly one-third of our exports and around one-fifth of our imports.

Growing export diversification: While Governor Lowe acknowledged the significant contribution that Australias bulk commodities, iron ore and coal (57 per cent combined total exports), make to national income, he stressed that it ... would be a mistake to view the trade relationship solely in these terms. Our exports to China are much more diverse than this.

On Australias services sector bonanza: Over the past decade, Australia's service exports to China have grown at an average annual rate of 15 per cent...the growth has been particularly strong in the areas of tourism and education.

Record Chinese tourists flock Down Under: Last year there were 1.4 million visitors from China to Australia, up from around 400,000 a decade ago...they now account for around 25 per cent of total visitor expenditure in

Australia, a considerably larger share than any other country. said Dr Lowe.

The Governor also emphasises that education is Australias third largest export: On the education front, there are currently around 200,000 Chinese students studying in Australia. Education exports to China now account for around one-third of Australia's total education exports.

The Dining Boom continues: China has become the largest single export market for a range of Australia's manufactured food items. Exports of dairy products and alcoholic beverages have grown especially strongly, as have a range of other food and health-related products (of which vitamin sales are often remarked to be growing strongly).

On Chinas foreign investment: Chinese investment accounts for only a small share of the total stock of outstanding foreign investment in Australia  just 3 per cent.

Strengthening financial sector linkages: The RBA sees first-hand the stronger financial relationship between our two countries. Since 2012, the RBA has had a currency swap agreement with the People's Bank of China, with the goal of giving market participants in Australia confidence that renminbi (RMB) will be available for trade settlement and other payment obligations. The RBA also now holds 5 per cent of our foreign currency reserves in RMB.

Chinese population growth and growing cultural ties to Australia: Over the past decade, the Chinese-born resident population in Australia has grown at an average rate of around 8 per cent per year. According to the latest Census, people born in mainland China account for 2 per cent of Australia's population (around 510,000 people).... Mandarin is now the second most commonly spoken language in Australian homes and Cantonese the fourth most common.

On Chinas economic rebalancing: It is too early to tell whether the authorities will be successful in managing the transition from a growth model heavily dependent upon the accumulation of debt to one where credit is less central. It is a very significant task.

Chinas growing debt load poses significant risks: If a major economic shock were to originate from China over the coming years, its origin is most likely to be in the Chinese financial system...the experience is that the build-up of financial risks like those seen in China is almost always followed by a marked slowdown in GDP growth or a financial crisis. It is important to point out that these outcomes are not inevitable and that China is able to learn from the experience of other countries, including Australia... one of these concerns is that during the big run-up in debt, a lot of bad loans were made.

On shadow banks: Another concern is the growth of the so-called shadow banking system... non-bank financing now accounts for 45 per cent of total debt, up from 25 percent a decade ago....the smaller banks have played an important role in the growth of shadow financing. This is evident in the rapid growth of their claims on non-bank financial institutions...the complex web that has developed in China is characterised by opaque risk transfers, implicit guarantees and complex connections.

China is attempting to deleverage: At a recent policy meeting convened by President Xi Jinping, the leadership called for a gradual reduction in the debt-to-GDP ratio... these various measures provide a strong signal that the Chinese authorities are serious about addressing the vulnerabilities. Consistent with this, the lower economic growth target for 2018 of 6.5 per cent suggests some tolerance for a gradual slowing in growth.Prominent Sydney hotelier Justin Hemmes has been included in this year's Rich List.

Hemmes and his family have amassed a $951 million fortune via the ownership of 70 pubs, hotels, restaurants and venues in and around Sydney, including The Ivy on George Street in the heart of the CBD. No reason for their recent absence from the list was readily offered.

He joins the biggest group of Rich Listers, property magnates, who account for 51 of the 200 names. The family retains property dating back to 1972 when it bought the Angel Hotel for $500,000 on Pitt Street, Sydney.

Hemmes just misses being among the record 76 billionaires on the Financial Review Rich List.

They include billionaire Meriton's Harry Triguboff.

Most of the property names on the list are in the booming residential sector.

The 45-year-old Hemmes is among 12 new names in the 2018 edition which will be published tomorrow.If you are new to iQ you can schedule a demo and learn more about this opportunity.

PSFK iQ - Where Innovators Turn for Research. Our professional-grade research platform is designed specifically for Retail and CX leaders who want to know whats next. Whether youre staying current on trends or need a real-time research partner to help you get ahead, count on PSFK iQ to deliver the info you need to make your next move.Author Kate Messner is known for her honest and sensitive portrayals of challenging topics, and with Breakout she has continued this trend, tackling issues of race and privilege while never losing sight of her true audience: kids. PW spoke with Messner about how she came up with the idea for her new novel, as well as how she decided on the most effective way to craft her story.

Breakout is a novel, but can you tell us about the event that inspired you to write it?

Yes, Breakout is a work of fiction but it was very much inspired by the real-life prison break at Clinton Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison in Dannemora, N.Y., in June 2015. I live 14 miles from the prison, and for 23 days everyone was walking around, living their lives, knowing that two murderers were out there somewhere, hiding in the woods. Police poured in from all over the state to help with the search, and the media showed up, too. This tiny towns entire main street was lined with TV satellite trucks.

I was especially captivated by this story because before I was a writer I was a middle school English teacher, and before that I spent seven years as a television news reporter and producer. Journalism will always be in my blood, and a few days into the manhunt, I was chatting with an old friend from college who asked if I wished I were covering the story. I confessed that I was a little envious of the reporters out at the prison. And he said, So why dont you go? Do you have somewhere else to be today? I didnt, so I grabbed a notebook, drove through the police roadblocks, and attended the morning news conference. Then I went to a little coffee shop across the street from the prison and camped out at a table. The place was mobbed and everyone who walked through the door had a story. I wasnt planning to write a book at that point, but the longer I sat there, the more a story started to take shape in my imagination. So for the better part of three days I hung out at that coffee shop, where I talked with people and listened to their stories.

There were police officers who had just come in from the search, covered in mud and ticks. There were families who lived near the prison whose kids were too scared to sleep in their own beds. One boy came in with his mom wearing his Halloween firefighter costume and big rubber boots, and he wanted to help with the search. There were relatives of inmates who had come from out of town to visit, only to be told no, the prison was on lockdown and would be for a long time. And they were scared for their loved ones, waiting out this manhunt inside the wall. In any situation like this, fear and stress can bring out the very best or the very worst in people, and I think we saw both of those extremes during our three-week manhunt. So I spent those three weeks listening and thinking and writing and thinking some more. By the time the manhunt ended, I was about 50 pages into a very rough draft of the novel that would become Breakout.

The story is told in letters, texts, newspaper articles, and pictures that will all be going into a time capsulehow did you decide on this format?

My first draft of Breakout was written in first-person from the point of view of Nora Tucker, the prison superintendents daughter and an aspiring journalist. But when friends read the draft, there was a common reaction. Everyone wished they could hear more from Elidee, the character who had recently moved with her mom from New York City to be closer to her brother, who is an inmate in the prison. They wondered if I might want to write the story in two voices to include hers, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that perspective was so important in this storyand not only Noras and Elideesso I thought about how I might write this book to include many different points of view. I explained this to my friend Linda Urban and she helped me brainstorm all the different documents that might be part of the end of a school year: morning announcements, text messages, overdue library book notices, etc. Then I started the book over, rewriting with this different structure.

Many drafts later, Breakout is the most unusual book Ive writtenits told entirely through documents that Nora collects for the Wolf Creek community time capsule project. There are letters, poems, photographs, graphic novel pages, petitions, news articles, and even a couple of recipes. Together, those documents tell the story of what happened in Wolf Creek that summer.

Most of the documents come from three girls who narrate the story, each bringing a unique perspective. What inspired you to have multiple narrators and how do you think it changes the story to have each girl share her own view of the events?

For me, having many points of view ended up being essential for this book. I think the power of this structure is the way it challenges readers to imagine what it might be like to be someone else. Narratives with more than one point of view encourage empathy and I think thats one of the best things books can do for young readers and for all of us really. They can help us understand one anothers stories.

When I worked with the new format it was important to me to make sure it was more than just the story of the prison break; it was essential that each character have their own journey, and those journeys, which are all affected by the prison break, are very different. For example, with Nora, the journey is about seeing the quiet racism in her town and in herself and deciding where to go from there. For Elidee, whose brother is an inmate and who has always had the job of being the perfect kid in her family, the journey is about recognizing that her voice matters, too. There are multiple scenes in this book where you read something interpreted by one character, and on the next page, another character tells about the same event but with a completely different perspective. I hope that might bring about some interesting conversations: the idea that we can be in the same room, perhaps hear the exact same words, and yet two people can interpret them in completely different ways depending on their backgrounds and past experiences.

This story shines a light on individual and institutional racism as well as the way people can be blind to their own privilege. What were the challenges of lifting up these topics and how did you address them?

Obviously, one challenge of writing many points of view in this book is that Ive only had the personal experiences of growing up as a white female, and as such, I know I can never fully understand what Elidee feels like, being one of the only brown kids in a nearly all-white school. But part of our job as writers is to do our best to inhabit someone elses world and that requires research and listening. The part of northern New York where I live is not very diverse, and when I taught middle school, I had students who experienced what Elidee did. We talked about this stuff in my classroom and the kids would share stories when they came to my room to hang out at lunch or after school or in writing club. I talked a lot with one black student who used to go to school in this area but moved to a much more diverse school in the city, and she shared her reflectionshow she didnt even realize how much that affected her until she was able to experience spending time in a school where more of her classmates and teachers looked like her. And of course, I had a lot of readers as I was revising this novel as well. Their perspectives helped me to understand as much as I possibly could about all the different voices in this story.

Noras voice was probably the easiest for me because her whole story is about asking the questions that white people have to face about racism in our communities, in the people close to us, and in ourselves. When those questions come up, people tend to react one of two ways. Some push it all away and decide thats just not an issue theyre going to think about while others let those questions in and really sit with them. Its uncomfortable, and that discomfort really shows in Noras letters, I think.

My biggest concern about Breakout actually stems from the positive response its getting. Ive received some notes from teachers and librarians saying this is a book that theyll use to talk about racism with students. And thats greatbut I hope it will never be the only book. In the authors note of Breakout, theres a list of amazing titles that address race and social justice, most written by people of color. And these are the first stories we should turn to for discussions about race and privilege. Readers who are the right age for Breakout should read Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes and Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson and the books in Jason Reynoldss Track series, and so many others. I do think we need books that look at whiteness and how people start to deal with racism in their communities and in themselves, but Id never want those books to become the one narrative.

Breakout by Kate Messner. Bloomsbury, $16.99 June ISBN 978-1-68119-536-0Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney recently embarked on his 2018 Global Tour in China. The five-day tour, which ran from April 26 to 30, covered three major Chinese cities: Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. A total of eight events were arranged by Guangdong New Century Publishing House, the Chinese home of Wimpy Kid since 2009. A major celebration was also held during the tour to mark the series having sold 10 million copies in China. All photos courtesy of Guangdong New Century Publishing House.

Selfie time with fans at the Shanghai American School, the first stop on his China tour.

Student journalists interviewing Kinney in Shanghai on April 26.

Kinney with young fans in Shanghai.

A long queue of readers waiting for Kinney to sign copies of Wimpy Kid at the Shanghai American School.

One thousand fans attended Kinneys talk in Guangzhou on April 28.

Kinney was named the International Reading Ambassador by the Guangdong Institute of Education (specifically, its Committee on Research on Reading Promotion Among Primary and Middle School Students) and the Childrens Channel of Guangdong Radio and Television Station.

Kinney was shown around the Chen Clan Academy in Guangzhou by five student journalists, and met with local storyteller Peng Jiazhi for a brief West-meets-East culture exchange.

Kinney surrounded by Wimpy Kid posters and Chinese editions of the series at the Fuguang Book Store in Guangzhou.

The opening ceremony of a Wimpy Kid-themed exhibition in Guangzhou, where Kinney celebrated the sale of the 10-millionth copy of the series.

Fans presenting their illustrations of Kinney and Wimpy Kid at the Guangzhou Book Center.

Young readers selecting their Wimpy Kid books at the Guangzhou Book Center.

Kinney giving a talk at the Shenzhen Book Center, the last city on his tour.Author Richard Peck, winner of the Newbery Medal and widely acclaimed for his realistic YA novels, died May 23 at his home in New York City following a long illness. He was 84.

Peck was born April 5, 1934 in Decatur, Ill., a place he described in his autobiography for Something About the Author as in middle Middle America. His mother was one of seven siblings, and his maternal grandmother also had many sisters, so as a boy, Peck recalled being surrounded by elders of all ages, many of whom had what he considered fine names. The stories related by the old men who gathered at his fathers Phillips 66 gas station, and the tales of his grandmother, aunts, and uncles were always swirling around him. From my father I learned nostalgia as an art form, Peck wrote in his autobiography. And his fathers experiences growing up in the country also added to the rich storytelling mix.

For his first 18 years, Peck grew up in a house located at the edge of an expansive city park that had a colorful history as a racetrack, county fairgrounds, and an amusement park over the years. He often spoke of the adventures he had while exploring there. Though Peck would eventually live in New York City for most of his life, the distinct sense of place from his boyhood remained with him, and he set most of his novels in the Midwest. In addition to the Peck familys oral traditions, Peck recalled that his mother had read to him from a very young age, making him eager to tackle school and the larger world beyond. I wanted to be a writer before I could read, he said.

At age 16, Peck traveled to New York City for the first time, visiting a distant relative who worked at the United Nations and recalled, This was the place Id been homesick for all along. In his senior year of high school, a particularly tough English teacher challenged Peck to master writing skillsrewriting, meeting deadlines, gathering interesting materialthat he carried with him throughout his career. Peck earned a scholarship to DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., planning to be a teacher. He spent his junior year abroad at Exeter University in England before graduating from DePauw in 1956 with a B.A. in English Literature. After graduation, he served two years in the U.S. Army in Stuttgart, Germany, where he worked as a chaplains assistant largely doing writing, including sermons, and paperwork during a time of peace between the Korean and Vietnam wars. He received a masters degree in English in 1959 from Southern Illinois University and continued his graduate studies at Washington University in St. Louis. He began teaching high school at Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, Ill., in 1961 and three years later moved to New York City to teach English at Hunter College High School in New York City.

Peck credits his years in the classroom as the spark for many of his book ideas. It was junior-high students, the puberty people, who taught me how to be a writer, he wrote in his autobiography. They taught me... that people dont read fiction to be educated. They read fiction to be reassured, to be given hope.

In May 1971, Peck says he turned in his gradebook and pension plan from his teaching job and went home to write a novel. That first work became Dont Look and It Wont Hurt (Holt, 1972), which addresses teenage pregnancy and was adapted as the 1992 film Gas Food Lodging. He hand-delivered the manuscript to George Nicholson, then editor-in-chief of juvenile books at Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Just one day later, Peck says that Nicholson called him and said, You can start your second novel.

Peck maintained a connection to young readers by visiting schools and libraries and giving classroom writing workshops (something he continued throughout his career). In his autobiography, he says that in the 1970s some junior-high readers advised him to include supernatural elements in his stories. He took the idea to heart and added the character of a girl-ghost, glamorous rather than ghastly, to one of his works in progress. Then, in order to balance out the weird, he added a human girl named Blossom Culp. The resulting middle-grade novel The Ghost Belonged to Me (Viking, 1975) quickly became a success and was adapted into the film Child of Glass by Walt Disney Productions. A Blossom Culp series grew to include three other novels as well.

According to his sister, Cheryl Peck of Springfield, Ill., Peck spent time earlier in his life traveling the world as a port lecturer on cruise ships, an experience that inspired his novel, Those Summer Girls I Never Met (Delacorte, 1988). He also taught creative writing on a celebrity cruise ship that sailed between New York City and England.

Pecks young adult novels received wide critical acclaim for addressing such serious topics as rape, suicide, and the death of a loved one. He described his 1998 book A Long Way from Chicago (Dial) as a series of short stories that he shaped into a novel. That book introduces the character of Grandma Dowdel and was about the rhythms of the country town where Pecks own grandmother lived when he was born. The novel was a finalist for the National Book Award and was named a 1999 Newbery Honor. A follow-up, A Year Down Yonder (Dial, 2000), also featured Grandma Dowdel and took place in Illinois where Pecks father was born. A Year Down Yonder won the 2001 Newbery Medal. Pecks most recent novel, The Best Man (Dial, 2016), is described by his publisher as a story of small-town life, gay marriage, and everyday heroes.

Peck went on to write more than 30 novels for young adults as well as several books for adults, including Amanda/Miranda (Viking, 1980), a tale of intrigue and mistaken identity about two women who look alike, inspired by the sinking of the Titanic.

Among Pecks many other honors, he was invited in the early 2000s to accompany then-Librarian of Congress James Billington to Moscow for the first conference on childrens literature to be held there. And in 2002, he received the National Humanities Medalthe first to be awarded to a childrens authorfrom President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. Mrs. Bush additionally invited Peck to be an author-in-residence at three National Book Festivals in Washington, D.C.

Lauri Hornik, president and publisher of Dial Books for Young Readers was Pecks editor for nearly 20 years. She shared a favorite anecdote about Pecks latest work, The Best Man. When we were in the middle of the editing and he realized he didnt have the right ending for the book, he came into my office and had these three pages that he wanted to read out loud to me, and they were what became the final short, perfect chapter of the novel, she said. He read it to me and I started crying and rushed over to hug him and said yes, yes, and his response was, Thats the best editorial feedback Ive ever gotten.

That was sort of the way our author-editor relationship had developed, Hornik continued. More and more it was at the table with our pencils and Richard reading things aloud to me and it was just a very cozy process that I did not have with a lot of authors. It was a luxury that he lived in New York City so I got to spend so much time with him.

Another thing that everyone will remark about Richard is that he was a genius listener, Hornik said. I saw in an interview that he did some years ago that he called himself a born eavesdropper. He was one of these people that if you had lunch with himit didnt matter who you werewhoever had lunch with him would come back from the lunch and say, I just told him my entire life story. He was so delightfully interested in other people, he made it very comfortable for people to tell him things that they wouldnt tell other people. That was a gift of his that he used very well in his fiction writing.

Hell always be Mr. Peck to me, said literary agent Nancy Gallt, who was one of Pecks students at Hunter College High School. He was very inspiring, and funny, she recalled of her teacher. He was a very witty man, and sharp. I remember one time he wanted us to compare two poems, asking us who we would rather be, Celia or Rosamund, and I muttered something about Id rather be named It. And he said, Miss Gallt, in your case, that would be entirely appropriate. 

He also taught short-story writing, said Gallt, and I actually wrote a story that was published. We won second place in Ingenue magazine. He also got a prize and so for the rest of the time he was at Hunter I felt kind of like his pet because he always introduced me saying, Shes quite a writer. Of course that was the last time I wrote anything.

He left the school when I was there, Gallt continued, and I didnt run into him until I had started working at Viking in 1979, when they were publishing his first adult book, Amanda/Miranda. And there he was. I have never called him anything but Mr. Peck.

According to Peck's sister, a memorial service will be held at the New York Society Library on a date to be announced, and a private military burial will take place at Graceland Cemetery in Decatur, Ill.The United States Marine Corps entered World War I as a small arm of naval infantry. Three decades later, the Marine Corps was poised for war with enhanced amphibious and aviation capabilities that proved vital in defeating Imperial Japan. Pivotal to the transformation of the Marine Corps was the Battle of Belleau Wood in 1918. The Battle of Belleau Wood, although on land, led to the development and refining of the Marines amphibious doctrine. The Marine Corps amphibious innovation was motivated in part by a threat to its organizational independence and was aided by lessons in logistics learned at Belleau Wood. Additionally, experiences on the Western Front with artillery and enemy airpower helped motivate the expansion of Marine aviation and artillery, which together led to the development of combined arms capabilities. Without the lessons from Belleau Wood, and the integration of them, the Marines would have been much less adequately prepared for conflict with Japan in World War II.[1]

During the late 18th and all of the 19th century, the Marine Corps served as a naval infantry force, having been created to augment naval forces during the American Revolution. For more than a century, the role of the Marine Corps centered around ship security and boarding operations, as well as land expeditions. The Marine Corps further served as a constabulary and counterinsurgency force in places such as Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua. Throughout the 19th century, Marines fought alongside Army units to bolster regular Army forces. In World War I, the Marine Corps again engaged in such land campaigns and again in support of the Army. However, World War I was, in terms of manpower, the Marines most significant extended experience in conducting land operations, after which the Marine Corps redefined its key functions.[2]

The entry of the United States into the Great War ultimately led to the experiences that enhanced the capabilities of the Marine Corps. When the U.S. entered World War I, the U.S. Army and National Guard had too few trained units available to send to Western Europe. To fill out the remainder of the required force sent overseas, the Marine Corps contributed the 4th Marine Brigade to the fight.[3]

By June 1918, the 4th Brigade had integrated into the Armys 2nd Division. When the Germans made a rapid push towards Paris in the summer of 1918, the commanders rushed the 2nd Division from areas north and west of Paris. On June 1, the 4th Marine Brigade arrived, intending to halt the German attack. Two days later, the Germans unsuccessfully attempted to break the Marines defensive line. While the Marines held off the Germans, retreating French forces gave up the area known as Belleau Wood for which the battle would later be named.[4]

On June 6, the 4th Brigade made two attacks against the German forces in Belleau Wood. Both attacks gained ground, but at a terrible cost. The Germans constructed interlocking fields of machine gun and artillery fire that wreaked havoc on the Marines, especially as the American forces crossed the exposed wheat fields spanning the front of Belleau Wood. What made the German defenses all the more lethal were German observation balloons north of the village of Belleau, from which operators could see all that occurred in the fields. Once in the woods, the Marines continued to make slow, bloody progress while holding out against German counterattacks. After weeks of fighting, on June 26, the Germans were finally cleared out from Belleau Wood. It was then that Major Maurice E. Shearer announced over his radio, BELLEAU WOODS NOW U.S. MARINE CORPS ENTIRELY.[5] The Marines had achieved victory. The lessons drawn from later analysis of this triumph drove the redefining and improvement of fundamental Marine Corps functions. This process of reflection, application, and enhancement prepared the Marine Corps for an even greater challenge in the next world war.[6]

Georges Scott (1873-1943) illustration "American Marines in Belleau Wood (1918)," originally published in the French Magazine Illustrations (Wikimedia)

Admittedly, the Battle of Belleau Wood has been cited by Marines such as Lt. Col. Philip Pierce (Ret.) and Lt. Col. Frank Hough (Ret.) as having stunted the progression of amphibious capabilities.[7] However, further examination reveals that the Battle of Belleau Wood was, instead, crucial to the development of the Marines amphibious mission in the following decades. First, Belleau Wood catalyzed the Marine Corps to embrace its amphibious function as a manner of maintaining its organizational independence. After the Great War, two factions formed within the Marine Corps. One faction held that the performance of Marines alongside the Army earned the Marine Corps great distinction and opened the possibility for Marines to serve as a land force in future campaigns. The opposing faction maintained that duplicating the Armys function (i.e., fighting land battles such as that at Belleau Wood) would result in a loss of the Marine Corps separate identity. The fears of the latter faction, coupled with the growing potential of conflict with Japan, prompted development of the amphibious function of the Marine Corps.[8]

Experiences from Belleau Wood further provided logistical lessons that greatly benefited the Marines amphibious operations in World War II. During the battle, Marines who reached the woods relied on supplies that must have crossed the wheat fields. German artillery made the movement of sufficient supplies nearly impossible, forcing Marines to gather water, food, and ammunition from the dead men around them. This experience led survivors, such as Marine officers Holland Smith, Clifton Cates, Gerry Thomas, and Lem Shepherd, to call for reliable methods of logistical support during amphibious landings. The Marine Corps recognized that a failure to provide supplies, such as that seen in France, would prevent any amphibious operation from being successful. Wargaming and experimentation in preparation for war with Japan reiterated this point and ended in the development of a more effective system for sea-based logistics.[9]

Beyond contributing to amphibious innovation, the Battle of Belleau Wood also significantly impacted the development of combined arms capabilities within the Marine Corps. Moving through the wheat fields revealed to the Marines the importance of supporting artillery fire and aerial bombardmentbasic combined arms. Prior to the first Marine attacks at Belleau Wood, a short artillery barrage had been conducted with the hopes of softening the German defenses. However, the barrage was of shorter length and of lesser strength than typical barrages that had been used by American forces before advances across no mans land. The commanders planning the operation hoped a shortened artillery attack would preserve the element of surprise, at least partially, for the assault force. However the barrage proved inadequate, as German defensive positions exacted numerous casualties on the advancing Marines. Furthermore, the Marines attacking Belleau Wood relied upon a rolling artillery barrage to cover their forward progression, which did not yield the desired effect. The poor performance of artillery in support of the Marines operation made clear the need for greater fire support.[10]

While the Americans on the ground suffered for the inefficacy of their supporting fire, German observation balloons north of the battlefield aided the Germans in their own employment of artillery and machine guns. The German spotting balloons, responsible for providing fire corrections and troop movement data, were so critical that when Marine General Charles C. Krulak researched the events of Belleau Wood nearly a century later, every oral history he encountered from Marine veterans mentioned the balloons at the battle. Unable to get the needed French air support to eliminate the balloons and lacking their own aviation elements in the area, the Marines discovered the importance of possessing organic airpower. The need for better artillery support, in combination with the inability to address enemy aircraft, helped motivate the push for a combat-ready aviation component within the Marine Corps.[11]

The Marine Corps did possess an aviation element in World War I. However, it remained too small to be truly effectual before the Armistice in 1918. At the beginning of the war, the Marine Corps aviation community totaled five officers, thirty enlisted personnel, and not a single airplane. By wars end, the Marine aviation community had expanded to a total of 2,500 personnel and 340 aircraft, although it had virtually no operational history of which to speak.[12]

In isolation, the expansion of the Marine aviation community and the advancements in artillery following Belleau Wood were important, but their true significance lays in their unified employment. Failures, such as the failure to eliminate German balloons at Belleau Wood, motivated advancements in aviation. The inadequacy of the Marines artillery at Belleau Wood prompted developments in artillery. Together, the development and expansion of artillery and aviation were merged in new air-ground, combined arms capabilities. These capabilities provided Marines in World War II with a far greater resource for fire support. Success in the Pacific three decades later was, in large part, a result of the joint air-ground tactics that were derived from the Marines experiences in World War I.[13]

Amphibious assault on Iwo Jima. (Wikimedia)

By the time the United States began conducting military operations against the Japanese in earnest in 1942, the Navy and Marine Corps had already been planning for war with Japan. The leading American strategy during the interwar years was dubbed War Plan Orange, which required an amphibious force to storm Japanese beaches and conquer defended islands. Armed with improvements drawn from the challenges at Belleau Wood, the Marine Corps was ready to act. The Marine Corps put its adaptations and preparations to work with success in numerous landings against Japan. The Marines amphibious doctrine was not perfected, but its merits were demonstrated in operations such as the landings at Tarawa, Guadalcanal, and Iwo Jima. In addition to utilizing its amphibious function, the Marine Corps employed its air-ground capabilities, particularly making using of its expanded aviation component, to contribute to Japans demise. Marine aviators provided close air support for Marines on hostile beaches and also served to protect American naval vessels from Japanese fighters, bombers, and kamikaze planes. Such combined arms were invaluable to the Pacific Campaign.[14] Reflections on the Battle of Belleau Wood provided the Marine Corps with the knowledge that helped prepare the organization for World War II. The transformation that took place between the world wars was directly influenced by the events that unfolded in France during the Great War. Marines in 1918 paid in blood for breakdowns in logistical support, ineffective fire support, and other costly failures. Thankfully, the blood shed at Belleau Wood was not in vain, as the lessons provided there about logistics during amphibious landings, artillery and air support for infantrymen, and other tactical necessities were acknowledged and used by Marines time and again over the following decades. The Battle of Belleau Wood gave the Marine Corps the guidelines that it would need to live by during the darkest hours of the 1940s, and it laid the groundwork for innovations that contributed to Imperial Japans downfall.[15]

Robert E. Schrader IV is a Midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy. Upon graduating with a B.S. in History with the class of 2021, he aspires to become an infantry officer in the Marine Corps. The views expressed are the author's own and do not represent to position of the Department of the Navy, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

This article appeared originally at Strategy Bridge.It's all of a sudden OK, at least in the eyes of The New York Times and other guardians of progressive bias, for an administration to spy on a political campaign. You can thereby stop Russia from doing its thing of electoral interference, they emphasize. Less on their lips is the chance of crooked allegations and turning our republic upside down.Did the Obama administration spy on the Donald Trump campaign because it feared Russian hacking of the 2016 election, or was it just political? The timing of events suggests that it's political.If you had asked me six months ago who I thought would win control of the House of Representatives in 2018, I wouldnt have hesitated before answering, Its early, but Democrats are heavily favored, although conventional wisdom has been very slow to catch up. With a raft of GOP retirements in highly vulnerable open seats, a president with job approval ratings in the 30s, and a generic ballot lead for Democrats in the double digits, it was increasingly difficult to spell out a path to victory for Republicans. In fact, things were bad enough that it appeared their losses could grow into the 40 or even 50 seat range.

Things have changed. If the election were held today, its not clear who would hold the chamber. I might put a thumb on the scale for Republicans, but right now  and it is still early  the House is likely to be close. Once again, conventional wisdom seems slow to catch up, with analysts still discussing the toxic environment for Republicans. There are three things to consider:

1. Trumps job approval has increased.

Ive long taken the stance that elections are fundamentally referenda on the party in power, and specifically on the performance of the president. Other factors, such as exposure and the economy play a role, but the correlation between presidential job approval and electoral outcomes is undeniable.

Trumps job approval hit a low of 37 percent in the RCP Average in mid-December, but since then has gradually improved. As of this writing, it stands at 43.7 percent, which is roughly where it was before Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.

There are a variety of potential reasons for this  the passage of the tax cut rallied Republicans, people are tiring of the Mueller investigation and increasingly of the opinion that it is politicized, and the good economic news is breaking through. The diplomacy with North Korea, even if it fails, contradicts the image of Trump as an irrational warmonger. Regardless of the reasons, his fortunes have clearly improved, and if you agree that elections are referenda, then we would expect them to raise all boats.

2. The generic ballot has moved.

Thus, it is no great surprise that GOP numbers on the so-called generic ballot, which asks some variant of whether people plan to vote for Republicans or Democrats in the next congressional election, have likewise improved. The generic ballot is an imperfect metric, but it is a decent gauge of where the mood of the country is. In mid-December, the Democrats lead was around 13 points. Today it stands at just three points.

This is a problem for Democrats, because to overcome GOP gerrymandering (which, in fairness, has been whittled away by court decisions to a large extent), the clustering of Democratic partisans and the Republican incumbency advantage, many expect that Democrats would have to win the popular vote by five to seven points. I think this overstates the case, but a three-point popular vote win would probably result in a very narrowly divided House in 2019.

3. Special elections are an unproven metric.

Finally, some point to the Democrats performance in special elections as a sign that their voters are energized. This is undoubtedly true. I pointed to a similar phenomenon in late 2013, so I do think special election outcomes are interesting.

But there are three problems here. I did not make specific projections from these in 2013, because we dont have a lot of experience projecting a midterm election from special election results. These are informative datapoints, but until we have more experience seeing how models based upon them perform, we should prefer established metrics like job approval and the generic ballot.

Second, these special elections all involve open seats. The one set of elections that did not involve open seats exclusively  in Virginia and New Jersey  brought about a set of results that are a lot less encouraging for Democrats. They won in Hillary districts and lost Trump districts. If this is replicated in 2018, Democrats would fall just shy of winning the House.

Finally, many of those elections took place when the presidents job approval was at sub-40 levels. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Democrats margin has narrowed as the Republicans position has improved. If the presidents job approval on Election Day (or, as some suggest, in early summer) is what drives election outcomes, using the average special election outcome will result in a lowball estimate of where we end up come November. Again, we should not dismiss these data. But until we have more experience using them, we are better off relying upon tried-and-true techniques.

Can we say with certainty how the Battle for the House will play out? Absolutely not. Six months is several lifetimes in politics. But there is little doubt that the Republicans chances have improved over the past five months, perhaps dramatically so. That is noteworthy, and the CW should adjust accordingly.With the special counsel investigation into Russian election interference now in its second year, Democratic pollsters are offering the party a way to hone a persuasive counterargument to President Trump's revved up rhetoric against Robert Mueller: talk less about the 2016 election and more about indictments handed down thus far.

A new survey by Navigator Research, a group of top Democratic strategists and public opinion experts, finds that while 97 percent of Americans have heard about the Mueller probe, nearly 60 percent don't believe it has uncovered any crimes.

The ongoing investigation has so far resulted in two dozen indictments, including that of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, and a couple of campaign associates have pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators. But the findings of the Navigator survey indicate that while most Americans say the investigation should continue, they don't think it has produced much so far.

Some Democrats worry that sentiment could lead to a downturn in public support for the investigation if left unchallenged. And they point to the president's coalition of supporters on Capitol Hill and in conservative media who have effectively denigrated the investigation as a witch hunt, muddying perceptions of the special counsel.

This week, the president has claimed that federal officials "spied" on his campaign, and ordered the Justice Department to investigate the use of an FBI informant who contacted campaign staff. On Thursday, Trump and Republican lawmakers will meet with officials from the FBI, DOJ, and intelligence agencies to discuss classified material related to the informant.

Republican congressional candidates have embraced Trump's rhetoric, and other polls show increasingly negative views held by GOP voters about the probe. Some surveys have shown a dip in public support for Muellers investigation.

"There is a real information and education challenge for progressives to make sure more people learn that there is a 'there' there," says Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson. "Does it mean it's going to be the focus of an entire ad campaign? Probably not. But there are real arguments that are impactful to voters and ways we can win this argument if we engage."

Democratic pollsters say the more persuasive way to engage voters on the issue is to focus less on Russian meddling in the election and more on the criminal charges that the Department of Justice has brought forth. They argue that the latter evokes results while the former appears to rehash an election that voters have already moved on from.

The group found that centering messages on the results of the probe and the question of whether Trump is hiding something garnered more support than messages about Russian meddling or about Mueller himself.

The survey asked respondents whether they agreed more with one of two statements: that the investigation should continue because no one, not even the president, is above the law or that the investigation has gone on too long and should be shut down. Sixty-three percent agreed with the former; 31 percent cited the latter.

In another message test, the pollster asked if the probe, based on the discoveries it has already made, should continue; 59 percent of Americans say it should while 41 percent said it has gone on too long and should be ended.

But when asked about their concerns that shutting down the probe would lead to further Russian interference in elections, the margin curiously narrowed: 56 percent said it should continue and 44 percent said it should end.

"For those trying to connect with Americans about the investigation and its future, an important first step is reminding them it has already resulted in serious criminal charges for people very close to Trump," the pollsters write in a memo explaining the results.

They acknowledge that Mueller himself has become a polarizing figure, and that public opinion of him is mixed. Surveys suggest that describing him as an experienced former investigator and prosecutor and that he served under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama is significantly more compelling to voters than describing him as a life-long Republican or former head of the FBI.

Democratic strategists and operatives still maintain that focusing on the economy, health care, and various costs of living are key motivators for voters and should be front and center in campaigns. Navigator released similar surveys last month showing a roadmap for Democrats to talk about the economy. But strategists say that views of the special counsel probe as it relates to Trump's orbit and behavior as well as concerns about government corruption can be part of a bigger picture aimed at persuading voters to change course and turn out for Democrats in November.In this series of articles running through July, RealClearPolitics and RealClearDefense take an in-depth look at the intersection of cybersecurity, technology, and warfare in the 21st century. Below is Part 6.

Recently, a malware called Trisis was discovered that was specifically designed to access controls and cause leaks or explosions and sabotage an electric companys industrial control system. This was a warning shot to both the public and private sector, most especially to utility companies that deliver electricity to customers. Industry executives now know they must implement a multilayered strategy to protect against such cyberthreats.

Critical infrastructure is dependent on electricity. If the electric grid were shut down by a cyberattack, crucial functions of daily life ranging from ATM and online banking transactions to heating and cooling your homes  and shopping for food and gasoline  would come to a halt.

As cyberattacks spill over into the physical world and potentially impact life and safety, our layered defenses must also evolve, Mark Orlando, chief technology officer for Raytheons managed security services business, said in an email exchange. It is critical that we pair our layered cyber defenses with the proper oversight, supply chain management, regulatory controls, and user training and awareness to help protect our critical infrastructure.

Multiple tactics exist for the private sector to protect against cyberthreats. A firewall is one type of technology that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing traffic based on predetermined security rules, establishing a barrier between a trusted internal network and untrusted external network such as the Internet.

Identity and access management is another strategy that defines and manages the access privileges of a networks users. Access can be granted or denied based on assigned privileges. After a digital identity has been created, it must be maintained, modified and monitored throughout each users access lifecycle.

Username and password authentication is another component of identity management. Multifactor authentication includes tracking and creating reports about user activities and enforcing policies on an ongoing basis. Requiring more than one method of authentication is powerful because it serves as a risk management strategy and supports threat prevention.

An effective cybersecurity strategy protects data, such as classified or personal information and trade secrets. Encryption uses algorithms that convert data, such as text messages, emails and data uploads, into ciphertext, which are unreadable codes. Because information cannot be accessed and exploited by unauthorized users, confidential data can move from one network to another without being compromised.

Cyber risk access points multiply as companies adopt interconnected and integrated technologies. Sharing cyberthreat information decreases the likelihood that one cyberthreat or attack will affect multiple stakeholders. In theory, one entity identifies a cyberthreat or attack and shares the collected information with public and private sector partners.

Cyber risk access points multiply as companies adopt interconnected and integrated technologies. Sharing cyberthreat information decreases the likelihood that one cyberthreat or attack will affect multiple stakeholders.

Actionable intelligence is then applied to protect partners networks. The intent is for data and systems to become more secure and less prone to cyberattacks with shared intelligence and resources. Without data sharing, it is almost impossible to detect, defend and contain systemic attacks early.

The state of Nevada recently created a Cyber Defense Center to ensure that essential services, such as electricity, are delivered to the public in the event of an outage from a cyber breach. It will act as a nerve center for statewide cybersecurity preparedness, risk assessment, response and threat mitigation resource. Each state in the U.S. should create such a centralized center to streamline cyber operational strategies.

Recognizing the importance of grid security, U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry recently announced the creation of the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response. It is devoted to preparing and responding to physical and cyberthreats on our grid and demonstrates that energy infrastructure is a priority to the nation.

Meanwhile, the Defense Department is building a Cyber Mission Force with over 6,000 personnel across all the branches of service and the National Guard. The teams will conduct defensive and offensive cyberspace operations and information network operations. Almost all the teams have reported that they are ready now, well ahead of the fall target date.

The National Institute of Standards and Technologys National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence builds example solutions using standards-based commercially available products to address energy sector cybersecurity challenges. The term example is used because the solution created by the NCCoE is not the only answer to address an issue  it is an example. These projects include situational awareness, identity and access management and asset management.

Jim McCarthy, senior security engineer at the NCCoEs Energy Sector Projects, shared in a recent email exchange that the center collaborates with utility companies, technology vendors, government agencies and academia to produce example solutions. These solutions can then be adopted by the energy sector and tailored to their environment to address cybersecurity challenges.

In response to the continuous waves of cyberattacks against U.S. corporations, the Active Cyber Defense Certainty Act was introduced in Congress to allow corporations to defend themselves in the cyber domain. The bill would allow private companies to enter an external network without authorization and strike back at attackers. While this sounds prudent, some cybersecurity experts fear that such measures run the risk of ever-greater escalation -- and other unintended consequences.

"My concern is to be leery of putting more gunfighters out on the street in the Wild West." Adm. Mike Rogers, warning against "hacking back" laws

Adm. Mike Rogers, who recently retired as head of the National Security Agency, cautioned Congress against passing laws that make hacking back, as this process is called, standard behavior. My concern is to be leery of putting more gunfighters out on the street in the Wild West, he warned.

International cooperation is also required for companies to effectively protect against cyberthreats. At a conference in Munich earlier this year, representatives of Siemens, IBM, Cisco and Daimler (pictured) signed a charter of trust to focus on security standards and supply chain integrity.

Supply chain cybersecurity is especially important considering that a customer transaction service for U.S. natural gas companies was recently disrupted by a cyberattack. Such forays are conducted to gain information about gas industry buyers and sellers and even issue fake transactions.

Last month, the largest and most complex North Atlantic Treaty Organization international cyber defense exercise took place. Called Locked Shields, it entailed NATO members protecting critical infrastructure and information technology systems from a cyberattack, specifically focusing on disruptions to the electric grid and other critical infrastructure.

Furthermore, European Union members participating on the Permanent Structured Cooperation on Defense are increasingly focused on cybersecurity. They have identified specific projects that address countering cyberthreats and improving cybersecurity, backed by the European Defense Fund and individual member states.

To protect private companies from cyberthreats, a multilayered security approach must be implemented to protect networks from intruders. Cyberthreat protection strategies are tailored to the priorities of each company. A one-size-fits-all solution is not possible. Even when security measures are in place, they must be maintained and tested to ensure they are protected from cyberthreats that change continuously. Cooperation with international partners will boost cybersecurity protections, considering that cyberthreats have no borders.

As vice president of the Lexington Institute, Constance Douris publishes articles and gives speeches about electric grid cybersecurity. You can follow her on Twitter @CVDouris and the Lexington Institute @LexNextDC.There has been a lot of misinformation about both getting out of the so-called Iran deal and getting into a new North Korean agreement. The two situations may be connected, but not in the way we are usually told.

Getting out of the Iran deal did not destroy trust in the U.S. government. Our departure from the deal does not mean that North Korea cannot reliably negotiate with America, although negotiations were stalled this week when President Donald Trump canceled a summit meeting with Kim Jong Un that had been planned for June 12 in Singapore.

In 2015, the Iran deal was not approved as either a Senate-ratified treaty or a joint congressional resolution. Had the deal been a treaty, Trump could not have walked away from it so easily and with so little downside.

Former President Obama knew that he did not have majority congressional support for his initiative. Therefore, he desperately sought ways to circumvent the constitutionally directed authority of the Senate and redefine a treaty as a mere executive order.

Obama got the deal approved by the Iranians in part by paying them ransom for hostages through huge nighttime cash transfers.

A cynical North Korea knew only too well that in the past, President Obama either entered into agreements or avoided them based on his therapeutic notion that human nature was both changeable and essentially noble.

The North Koreans now seem worried that a more unpredictable Trump has a quite different, pessimistic and tragic view that humans are predictably capable of almost anything -- if not strongly deterred.

After Trump's rejection of the Iran deal, North Korea now concedes that it cannot cajole a flawed agreement with the current U.S. president, who is mercurial rather than scripted in his reactions.

North Korea is the stealthy and illegal supplier of ballistic missile and nuclear weapons technology to Iran. Should North Korea enter into a detente with the West, Iran might lose a rogue nuclear patron -- one of the keys to its efforts to get a bomb.

Tough international sanctions work slowly. But despite occasional cheating, they do in the end work well enough to injure economies. The tragedy of the 2015 Iran deal was that an embargoed Tehran had been brought to the brink of social and economic chaos before the deal was struck.

Had the global boycotts continued, Iran might not have had either the cash or the public calm to spend vast fortunes simultaneously on nuclear proliferation, global terrorism and proxy wars in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. Unfortunately, the Iran deal ensured Iranian nuclear proliferation after sanctions had been inhibiting it.

Iran looked at the sweetheart 2015 deal as a rescue. Before Trump canceled it, Iran had planned to use the deal for the next decade to regroup, to earn billions in foreign exchange as sanctions ended, to spread its influence throughout the Middle East, and to ready itself to produce bombs in 2025.

Then, when the agreement expired, Iran would have been far richer, more technologically sophisticated, far more powerful in the region -- and far more likely to get more advanced bombs.

In both the Iran deal and a potential North Korea deal, the United States has enormous leverage -- and it should never forget that fact.

Global sanctions can wreck the relatively small and vulnerable Iranian and North Korean economies. Even American sanctions alone and the ripples from them can injure Tehran and Pyongyang.

The U.S. can also deter Iran and North Korea in a variety of other ways.

New American efforts at missile defense can nullify some of their offensive capability.

Regional neighbors and allies of the United States -- Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt -- have the ability to go nuclear themselves. Yet these pro-American nations stay non-nuclear only because of the restraints imposed upon them by the U.S. That is a condition that in the future can be recalibrated to fit the behavior of Iran and North Korea.

Without China, neither Iran nor North Korea can obtain the diplomatic cover or the technological support needed to build a sophisticated nuclear missile arsenal. And China can be convinced not to endanger its lucrative commerce with the West for the sake of irritating the United States and Europe with rogue nuclear proxies.

Finally, Russia is a regional neighbor of North Korea and Iran. It has no strategic self-interest in having two unhinged nuclear countries nearby.

Before the onset of the hysteria about Russian "collusion," the United States and Russia discussed areas of mutual benefit, such as limiting the number of dangerous third-party nations with nuclear weapons.

For all the evil of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the potential evil of a nuclear Iran and North Korea is greater. It is time to talk about mutual strategic interests with the Russians to nullify a North Korean and Iranian nuclear threat.

In sum, for all their obnoxious bluster, the rogue governments of North Korea and Iran are more vulnerable than ever.The way the Trump administration withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal has consequences, but for the most part Im less concerned about the local fallout than I am about the ripple effects beyond the Middle East. Lets start in Europe.

The response from the European governing institutions to the American withdrawal from the nuclear deal can be best summed up as righteous indignation.



In part this is economic: the Europeans were fast to pour investment into Iran after the deal was codified and are not looking forward to rolling those efforts back.



In part it is political: the Europeans are signatories to the deal, working long and hard to show Europe could contribute to a strategic normalization beyond their borders. No one likes it when another country simply informs you that your efforts dont matter to them and they are imposing their own reality upon a situation.



In part it is personal: French President Emmanuel Macron was sure he had a strong relationship with Trump, and his personal charm offensive a few weeks back was intended to sway Trump to keep the Iranian deal. Such a public rebuke has to sting.



In part it is institutional: bureaucrats are supposed to ignore politics and strategy when making policy, and the folks within the European Commission (said bureaucrats) are the ones most cheesed-off by the Americans dictating of Europes economic and security policies. Commission officials have been talking of counter-sanctions against the United States, as well as offering legal and financial guarantees to firms who still want to do business in Iran.



But the politicians are singing different tunes, not just from the bureaucrats, but from one another. Macron has, as expected, been if anything even more strident than the Commission. On the other end of the spectrum, a few Central European countries sabotaged a French effort to condemn the Americans for moving their Israeli embassy to Jerusalem  in part to stick it to the French, in part because they plan to move their own embassies.



But as seems increasingly the case, the person who matters most is German Chancellor Angela Merkel. While lamenting the end of the Iranian deal, she sees bigger forces at work than merely the future of the Middle East. American policy evolutions/gyrations under the Trump administration have adversely affected many, but none more so than the Germans.

Germany is individually powerful, but anything it does to enhance its national power tends to spark an alliance among its neighbors to tear it down  typically in a cataclysmic war. The only way the Germans  and by extension, the Europeans  have ever found around the problem is to bring in an external security guarantor who forces everyone to be on the same side. Thats the United States.



And so Merkel has watched in increasing horror as the Americans stop treating the Europeans as allies, or even partners, but instead as competitors. The prospect of American secondary sanctions must terrify the chancellor: Germany is the worlds third-largest exporter and nearly half of German goods are traded outside of the EU on markets that are managed by the SWIFT system the Americans plan to use to box Iran in. Even a minor application of American sanctions would be catastrophic to German economic and political stability.



To that end Merkel noted two days after the Americans withdrew from the Iran deal that its no longer the case that the United States will simply just protect us. Lets face it, Europe is still in its infancy with regard to the common foreign policy.



But while her words were a call for Europe to deepen its integration, her actions indicated something very different. If the Americans cannot be trusted to put Europe first, then the Germans have no choice but to act to prevent a broad-scale coalition from containing German interests. That means courting new allies from beyond Europe. And so after making the comments that Europe needed to pull together, Merkel didnt travel to Brussels. Or Paris.



She went to Moscow.



Now dont overreact. Im not saying that Molotov-Ribbentrop v2.0 is just around the corner. What Im saying is that even with seven decades of the most favorable strategic environment the European continent could have ever hoped for, that a meaningful strategic and political merging of the European countries still hasnt happened. That forces the individual powers of Europe to chart their own  individual  destinies. For the United Kingdom that means Brexit. For the Italians that means a new populist government that will veto any effort to further federalize the EU. For the French that means some serious globetrotting to build up an independent strategic position.



And for Germany it means putting some irons in the fire that have nothing to do with Europe whatsoever. That means economic and energy connections to Russia. That means at least giving Russian demands a hearing. That means taking Russian strategic interests into account as concerns the countries between Germany and Russia.



OK, maybe that does sound a bit like a Molotov-Ribbentrop redux.



Never forget that the founding concept of the EU and NATO were to keep the Americans in, the Russians out, and the Germans down. All three of those pillars are gone.



History is moving on.

This is part II of a three-part series by Zeihan on Geopolitics titled 'This Is How the World Ends.' Part I is available here. Follow Melissa Taylor on Twitter @GeopolResearch and Michael Nayebi Oskoui @NayebiOskoui. Reprinted with permission.In 2013, Nicolas Maduro succeeded Hugo Chavez as president of Venezuela. In the ensuing five years, Maduro relied on populism, much like his predecessor did, while driving Venezuelas economy to ruin. And yet he secured a second term over the weekend.

Just next door is Colombia, a country that stands out in South America for not having had a left-wing populist leader in over three decades. It also has an economy poised to challenge Argentina as the second-largest on the continent. With all that Colombia and Venezuela share, geographically and historically, this divergence is striking.

The Paradox of Plenty

The Colombia-Venezuela border is one of the few places in South America without geographic barriers delineating national boundaries. To the north, they share a sliver of lowlands. Both have expansive shores along the Caribbean Sea. Just south, the Andes extend from Colombia into Venezuela. Below that, the Orinoco Basin stretches from southeastern Colombia into central Venezuela. Their geographic similarities create an expectation that they would have similar natural advantages and disadvantages.

Except that Venezuela has a lot of oil. The U.S. Energy Information Administration believes that at 307 billion barrels, Venezuela has the most reserves in the world. It funded the countrys economic development in the 20th century and into the 21st century. The oil business was so profitable that by the end of the 1920s, less profitable activities  even essential ones like agriculture  started to wither away. Today, the government depends on oil for about half its revenue.

More than that, the government depends on oil for its own popularity. When oil prices are high, as they were early in Chavezs presidency, populist measures like high welfare spending are manageable. But when prices crash, they can bring down governments. The low prices of the 80s necessitated the austerity of the 90s, which Chavez capitalized on just as prices were rebounding. In mid-2014, just over a year after Chavezs death (Maduro was his vice president), oil prices started to fall, and Venezuela has been unstable ever since.

Colombia was not blessed with Venezuelas enormous oil reserves (though it has modest reserves of its own), something that forced the country to diversify. To help industrialize the country, the government resorted to import substitution, a policy in which the government heavily subsidizes and protects domestic industries from more advanced foreign competition so that they can grow. Industrialization and, later, services became a large part of the Colombian economy, but unlike in Venezuela, they didnt drown out other economic activities. In addition to its modest oil reserves, Colombia has some of the largest coal deposits in the world and arable land capable of growing cash crops like coffee. Furthermore, oil didnt become lucrative for Colombia until the 1980s. The absence of major discoveries in recent years has kept oil an important part of Colombias economy but never induced the government to abandon a more balanced approach to economic development.

Experiences With Colonialism

Besides their differences in natural resources, Colombia and Venezuela had vastly different experiences under Spanish colonialism, which shaped their respective visions for independence. Both Venezuela and Colombia were part of Spains New Granada colony. (And then, for a little over a decade, present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama formed the independent country of Gran Colombia.) In the latter half of the 18th century, Spain decided to divide its American holdings into smaller organizational territories to more efficiently govern and exploit the colonies. Venezuela was given more autonomy and military authority. And because Venezuelas location makes it one of the first major points of contact with incoming ships on the Atlantic, it had more contact with Europe than other colonies. Colombia, meanwhile, was primarily used as a source of gold and other commodities bound for Spain. Its riches were heavily exploited, its outside interactions were more limited, and it had less autonomy than its neighbor to the east.

The initial fight for independence began with a military junta in Caracas and revolved around Simon Bolivars vision for a pan-American state. Bolivars political model combined monarchy, republicanism and federalism in an attempt to find the right balance between control, stability and unity. He feared that introducing too much liberty to uneducated masses would result in anarchy and thus believed in the necessity of a strong central authority. These were the views of a man raised in the Caracas elite. On the flip side, Colombia generally favored federalism immediately after independence, calculating that centralized control was too similar to the central control of Spain.

After independence, Colombia endured more than a century of disruptive competition between its liberals and conservatives. During a period known as La Violencia (1946-1958), political violence displaced the rural poor, who took up arms to try to defend themselves from constant aggression. These initial rural uprisings gave way to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, and started a domestic conflict that would last over 50 years. Since then, the Colombian government has focused primarily on bringing peace to the country. This is a cause that transcends political parties and therefore has stifled extremism and prevented left-wing populists from arising.

Venezuela was living with its own kind of violence. In its first decades of independence, various strongmen fought for the right to rule. This culminated in the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gomez from 1908 until his death in 1935. The next 15 years featured a series of coup attempts as political activists tried to introduce democracy to the country. Democracy was finally established in Venezuela in 1958, and since then, the staying power of any government has been intricately linked to the performance of the economy, which essentially means oil prices.

Despite their comparable geography and similar origins, forces guided both Caracas and Bogota toward economic management and political structures that are very different from one another. Venezuela has been set in a cycle of boom or bust with its problems buried too deep  both in its history and quite literally underground. Meanwhile, Colombias need to bring about domestic political stability after decades of infighting and to seek a more measured approach to economic development has created a comparatively less volatile political and economic system.By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 05/23/2018



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franchise alums Caila Quinn and Kevin Wendt have weighed in on Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon 's new relationship.Ashley and Jared shocked the world this week when they revealed they are dating after a three-year "are they or aren't they" saga.When Ashley and Jared weren't dating, they both explored other options. Since meeting in 2015 on Bachelor in Paradise 2, each reality TV star has acquired a significant ex -- Jared's ex is Caila from Bachelor in Paradise 3, and Ashley's ex is Kevin from Winter Games.After news broke on an episode of The Story Of Us that Ashley and Jared are now dating and in love, Caila tweeted Tuesday night, "Happy everything worked out in the end. congrats #TheStoryofUs."And Kevin made the following comment Wednesday on a sweet photo of Ashley and Jared on Instagram: "You deserve it Ash. Congratulations to you both."Ashley and Jared had a brief fling before Jared decided he wanted to be friends and then both individuals appeared on Bachelor in Paradise's third season in 2016.On Season 3 of BIP, Jared ignored Ashley's advances and began dating Caila. The couple continued dating once they returned home, and Caila -- who currently resides in New York -- even met Jared's family in Rhode Island.But things fell apart within six weeks, and Caila revealed in August 2016 "mystical forces" caused their split.It was pretty obvious at the time Caila was referring to Ashley, who fell in love with Jared the moment she met him one year earlier. Friends call him often and he answers," Caila previously explained, seemingly taking a shot at Ashley. "And things were brought up that we couldn't really let go of, and it made it really hard to go forward."When asked whether Jared needed to cut ties with Ashley in order to find love, Caila replied, "I hope not."But she went on to say people only have so much room in their hearts, suggesting Jared gave too much space to Ashley and so he didn't have much room left in his heart for anyone else.As for Ashley and Kevin, they met in late 2017 while filming Winter Games, which aired earlier this year. Although Kevin lives in Canada and Ashley is a U.S. citizen, the pair continued their romance in the real world, but it didn't last long.Ashley and Jared revealed on The Story Of Us they officially began dating in March, shortly after Ashley announced her split from Kevin.Ashley apparently knew at the time she broke up with Kevin that Jared wanted her back, but she claims she gave Kevin a fair chance and did not cheat on him , (except for one steamy kiss she had with Jared at an airport while she was with Kevin).It was only after Ashley called it quits on her relationship with Kevin that Jared claims he began wooing and pursuing her with love letters and flowers. Ashley had said she and Kevin just weren't meant to be because their chemistry was lacking.Interested in more news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group,



We're sorry, this article is not currently availableTORRINGTON  Five Points Gallery, located at 33 Main St. in downtown Torrington, will open two concurrent shows, Rikyu- CHA and No Mans Land: Women and Abstraction, that will run from May 31 through July 7.

Rikyu - CHA, a solo exhibition of Raimi Slaters small, exquisite paintings, will be in the TDP gallery. Influenced by Japanese philosophies and working within a minute, six-inch-square for-mat, Slater found freedom in the confines of space. She describes her gouache pieces as ab-stract layers of green light hemmed in by opaque black space.

In the East and West galleries, No Mans Land: Women and Abstraction, is a group show. His-torically, recognized abstract artists predominantly have been men; in this exhibit, Five Points has turned the tables and chosen women as the featured artists. Their works include paintings, drawings, sculpture, constructions, and printmaking.

The artists subject matter and their artistic expression of it runs from war memorials made of glass as a fragile/strong metaphor for life, to intricately sewn bold and colorful abstract designs, to Petri dishes and wrinkled vellum evoking science and the topography of the brain.

The eight artists in the group show are Harriet Caldwell, Susan Hackett, Lyn Horton, Rose-mary Laser, Xanda McCagg, Laura Mosquera, Julie Shapiro and Kate Ten Eyck. (Sadly, Rosemary Laser passed away recently; we are honoring her memory by exhibiting the work she created for this exhibition.)

Five Points Gallery will hold two events in conjunction with the exhibitions: an opening recep-tion on Friday, June 1, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; and an artists Panel Discussion in the gallery on Friday, June 22, at 6:30 p.m. Gallery hours are Thursdays through Mondays, 1 p.m.-5 p.m., and by appointment. There is no admission charge. Five Points exhibitions and educational events are free and open to the public.

The exhibition is sponsored by CVS Health Foundation.

About the Gallery: Located in an historic downtown building, Five Points Gallery (FPG) is a nonprofit contemporary art gallery showcasing professional regional, national and international visual artists. The gallery presents exhibitions in three beautifully renovated exhibition spaces, and has earned a reputation as one of Connecticuts outstanding contemporary art venues. For more information about the gallery, visit www.fivepointsgallery.org.

Five Points is supported in part by the Connecticut Office of the Arts.FALLS VILLAGE  The David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village will host author Carol Ascher on Thursday June 14 at 6 p.m. for a reading and discussion of her local history book, A Chance for Land and Fresh Air, documenting the life and culture of Russian Jewish immigrants in the communities of Sharon and Amenia. This event is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and signing by the author. For more information call the library at 860-824-7424 or visit www.huntlibrary.org. David M. Hunt Library, 63 Main Street, Falls Village, CT 06031.

Through photographs, interviews, and research into local land records and census data, Carol Aschers book, A Chance for Land and Fresh Air, tells the story of thirty Russian Jewish immigrant families who began buying dairy farms in the Ellsworth hills above Sharon beginning in 1907. In the 1920s, as their children reached high school age and the poor soil had many looking for alternative income, the immigrants began moving down from the hills, many to Amenia, New York, a town directly on the train line, where the high school was more welcoming. These families joined the burgeoning summer hospitality business by building kosher boarding houses and small hotels catering to city Jews wanting kosher vacations in the fresh air. By the end of the decade Amenia was a sufficiently busy resort town to support a synagogue. Ascher draws her important and moving story of Jewish rural life in the early decades of the twentieth century from photos and interviews with descendants of Epsteins, Gorkofskys, Marcuses, Osofskys, Paleys, Rothsteins and Temkins. Similar settlements of Russian Jewish farmers took place in other rural communities in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York, as well as throughout the United States and Canada.TORRINGTON  Every dollar spent by the state tourism program generates $8 in revenue for local communities, according to state officials.

In those economic terms, the city stands to benefit by the flourishing art scene that is centered around Main and Water streets.

To help to connect the city to state programs, representatives from the Connecticut Office of Tourism visited the area this week to tour six art and cultural establishments.

Were doing regional outreach... to educate towns about our marketing package, said Jennifer Bove of the tourism office.

She said the program is offered at no cost to municipalities.

There are ways to leverage tourism that garners 40 or 50 times the original outreach, she said.

The Five Points Gallery and the Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory for the Arts are anchors for what has become a downtown art district at Main and Water streets.

We have 500 artists waiting to show, said gallery Executive Director Judith McElhone, during the tour.

Since it opened in 2015, the gallery has expanded to include seven buildings, which house the permanent gallery, pop-up galleries, the Five Points Annex, a space for graduate art students called the Launchpad, and soon a Launchpad extension that will offer a print shop and will give artists access to large presses.

Across the street at the conservatory, the ballet school just held its graduation for 11 students. A total of 40 high school students study there, said ballet master Tim Melady. International students who attend the school are able to live on the premises, he said.

The Noelke Gallery sits in the middle of the expanding Five Points Gallery space. Owner John Noelke told the tour group about the power of a small audiences.

Artists get stimulated by the size of an (art) opening, he said.

Arts and culture bring folks downtown and attract businesses which complement the arts, said Erin Wilson, the citys director of economic development, who attended the tour. This is one of the largest art scenes in Litchfield County.

Other stops on the tour included the Torrington Historical Society, The Warner Theatre, and the public art area on Franklin Street.Cambodias government on Thursday doubled down on threats to prosecute anyone calling for a boycott of this years general election, after the countrys now-dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) told supporters to avoid the polls because it had been banned from participating.



Organizing a boycott of Cambodias July 29 election is in direct violation of the countrys electoral laws and will be dealt with in court, interior minister and vice president of the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) Sar Kheng said during the inauguration of a new administrative building in Pursat province.



Any appeal for civil servants and citizens to vote is appropriate in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution of Cambodia and the law on the election of MPs [members of parliament], Sar Kheng said.



In contrast, those who appeal, incite, or prevent citizens from going to vote to elect their MPs for the sixth legislature, are committing acts in violation of the constitution and the law on election of MPs.



Sar Khengs threats came after Ministry of Interior spokesperson Khieu Sopheak warned over the weekend of legal action against former CNRP officials, who have urged supporters to avoid legitimizing the election after their party was shut down by the Supreme Court in November for allegedly plotting to topple the government and prohibited from taking part in the vote.



Khieu Sopheak told local media at the time that the legal action would include the seizure of assets, and said such a move would be justified because the former officials are no longer residing in the country.



Legal experts have said that calling for a boycott of an election is not illegal in Cambodia and that assets cannot be seized if they are not the proceeds of criminal activity.



Several CNRP officials and activists have fled Cambodia since the party was banned and are currently living in self-imposed exile to avoid facing cases widely seen as politically motivated and tried in a court system beholden to the CPP.



In December Cambodias National Election Committee (NEC)the nations top electoral bodywarned of 5-20 million-riel fines (U.S. $1,240-$4,950) and other criminal punishment for those sowing distrust of the election after RFAs Khmer Service reported on low turnout for voter registration following the dissolution of the CNRP.



CNRP deputy president Eng Chhay Eang on Thursday dismissed Sar Khengs comments as paying lip service to Prime Minister Hun Sen, who seeks a mandate to continue his more than three-decade rule of the country, and said that neither the constitution nor the law on the election of members of parliament include clauses that call for the punishment of those who appeal for a boycott.



Punishments are only provided for those who prevent [people from voting] or incite [them not to vote], he told RFAs Khmer Service.



We are simply calling upon citizens to use their peaceful and legal rights, so there is nothing wrong with such an appeal. It should be those who employ tactics of intimidation against our citizens through various means, such as threatening people who do not vote  that are found in violation of the law.



Hun Sen has repeatedly urged Cambodians to show up for the ballot and, earlier this month, senior CPP official and National AIDS Authority chairman Ieng Mouly was quoted by government-aligned Fresh News media as saying that non-voters love dictators, adding that those whose fingers are not stained with voting ink at the end of the election will be easily identified as guerillas and traitors.



Cambodian citizens will not be intimidated by this  [and] on July 29, they will express their will by not going to vote, Eng Chhay Eang added.



As for those who employ threats, doing so is part of their culture, as they are used to a communist and dictatorial mindset, he said, noting that some among Cambodias current leadership, including Hun Sen, were formerly soldiers under the Khmer Rouge regime.



Court summons



Meanwhile, Tioulong Saumura, the wife of former CNRP President Sam Rainsy, failed to appear in court in the capital Phnom Penh for questioning on Thursday related to charges that she had helped to establish the Cambodia National Rescue Movement (CNRM) as a way around a ban on the opposition party.



The government views the CNRM as an illegal movement and Phnom Penh Municipal Court deputy prosecutor Sieng Sok on March 30 summoned Tioulong Saumura and five other senior CNRM members and founders to testify over the movements formation.



Tioulong Saumura, Sam Rainsy and Eng Chhay Eangwho are all living in self-imposed exile from Cambodiahave failed to appear at the court. Ho Vann, Nuth Rumduol and To Vannchan, have been ordered to appear next week.



Neither Tioulong Somura nor Sam Rainsy could be reached by RFA for comment about their summonses.



Eng Chhay Eang told RFA on Thursday that the Cambodias judicial system, especially the courts, are institutions under Hun Sens power and lack independence from the ruling party, so he and other CNRM members dont find it necessary to attend the hearings.



If we were to confront them, or testify at the courtwhich is widely known as being under Hun Sens controlthey will imprison us and undertake other harmful acts against us, he said.



So regardless of what they are doing, thats their business. We are taking care of our own business, so as to ensure change in Cambodia.



Movement agenda



When asked what agenda the CNRM is pursuing in Cambodia, Eng Chhay Eang said the movement is primarily focused on getting voters to boycott the election in July.



We know that the electoral laws and Cambodias constitution do not require our citizens to vote, so they will use their right to boycott the polls during this fake election process, he said.



The CNRM will also organize Cambodians living abroad to call on the international community not to recognize the results of the election, he added.



These are actions that we need to carry out together, so as to ensure genuine change in the near future, he said.



Amid Hun Sens crackdown on the political opposition, both the U.S. and EU have withdrawn donor support for Cambodias elections, citing government actions seen as limiting democracy in the country.



Last week, the U.S. State Department decried the Cambodian governments decision to prohibit the CNRP from participating in the national elections, saying it would prevent millions of Cambodian voters from exercising their democratic right to vote for candidates of their choice and had [called] into question the integrity of the electoral process.



Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.Chinese students paint portraits of Lei Feng, communist China's most famous model soldier, on bricks at a construction site in Liaocheng, eastern China's Shandong province, March 12, 2017.

The head of an online comedy company banned from China's internet for "insulting" a revolutionary war icon has paid his respects at the hero's monument in the northern province of Hebei, official media reported.

Rage Comics CEO Ren Jian posted a short video of himself and nine colleagues presenting a floral tribute at the Dong Cunrui Martyrs Memorial Park in Hebei's Longhua county on several social media platforms, including news site Jinri Toutiao and video-sharing sites Youku and Bilibili.

Ren also apologized for "insulting [Dong's] heroic deeds and spirit, which had a negative impact on society," the government-backed China News Service reported.

In a letter of apology, Ren Jian blamed the incident on "lax discipline" among the company's employees, whose average age is 26.

"They are young and creative and enthusiastic, but they have not experienced any hardships," CNS quoted Ren as saying. "The incident also revealed that the teams legal awareness is weak and the companys management mechanisms are imperfect."

Ren said he had "conducted self-examination and self-correction" after voluntarily removing all of his company's content.

He pledged that nothing similar would be allowed to happen again.

Rage Comic's account was revoked from major social media and streaming websites after it joked about civil war hero Dong Cuirui.

The company had run afoul of a new law banning any "dishonoring" of the ruling Chinese Communist Party's revolutionary heroes and martyrs, official media reported at the time.

Chinas rubber-stamp parliament, the National Peoples Congress (NPC), passed a law in March criminalizing anyone deemed to have smeared the reputation and honor of the ruling partys canon of heroes and martyrs.

An employee who answered the phone at Rage Comics' offices on Thursday declined to comment.

"I am sorry, but I can't talk to you, because we're not giving interviews," the employee said. "If there are any new developments, they will be publicly announced."

Preserving revolutionary mythology

U.S.-based cartoonist Cheng Tao said the new law is all about ensuring loyalty to the party and to the ideology of President Xi Jinping.

"The law ... doesn't set out clearly defined legal parameters; rather it is aimed at intimidating ordinary people when it comes to the things they say," Cheng told RFA.

"As far as this apology is concerned ... sometimes these things are done as a last resort and sometimes for profit," he said. "[Ren] is being conciliatory in the hope of having the ban lifted, or at least being allowed to survive [in business]."

He said the ruling party is more concerned with preserving its revolutionary mythology than with establishing historical facts.

He cited the case of model worker Lei Feng, whose story is fictionalized, but officially sanctioned and may not be questioned, even when most of it isn't backed up by the historical record. Lei now has his own set of monuments and memorial halls in and around Changsha, provincial capital of southern Chinas Hunan province.

According to lawyer Liu Shuqing, the wording of the new law is vague, making it hard to determine who is regarded as a revolutionary hero or martyr.

"This legislation doesn't stand the test of natural justice," Liu told RFA. "To begin with, who exactly is considered a hero?"

"For a criticism that is factually accurate to be considered defamatory, I think makes this a bad law," he said. "It places restrictions on the constitutional right to freedom of expression."

Earlier this year, Chinas culture ministry launched an administrative crackdown on the spoofing of its revolutionary culture and its heroes, ordering the deletion of thousands of online videos for parodying popular red classics and heroes.

The ministry had already begun investigating and removing videos from online sites after criticism in official media of the spoofing of the communist-era choral classic "Yellow River Cantata" by a number of performers, including a choir dressed in panda suits and singing about year-end bonuses.

The moves are part of a much broader range of measures being rolled out under President Xi Jinping, which some analysts say hark back to the ideological controls of the Mao-era Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (1966-1976).

Reported by Wong Siu-san for RFA's Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.A Chinese civil rights activist has been released after a three-year prison term for subversion with profound memory loss, RFA has learned.



Huang Wenxun, 29, was released after serving a jail sentence handed down by a court in Chibi city in the central province of Hubei, but his friends and lawyer say he no longer appears to recognize them.



Huang had been targeted for his involvement in press freedom protests outside the Southern group of newspapers in the southern city of Guangzhou, after a local propaganda official rewrote the 2013 New Year's Day editorial to remove references to constitutional government.



He was held in prolonged pretrial incarceration after his initial detention by police in the southern province of Guangdong in June 2013.



Known as one of the Chibi Three, Huang was released on May 13, but was held under surveillance before finally being allowed to return to his home in Huizhou city, Guangdong.



But fellow activist Ye Xiaozheng, also known by his online nickname Humian Yizhou ("a boat on the lake"), said Huang didn't know who he was.



"I saw Huang Wenxun yesterday afternoon. Five of us went over there together," Ye told RFA on Thursday. "He said he didn't know who I was. He didn't recognize any of his old friends from Huizhou or his lawyer Sui Muqing."



"He didn't recognize any of them. He said he is suffering from severe memory loss, and he can't remember recent events, either," he said.



According to Ye, Huang was severely sleep-deprived during his entire incarceration, managing to sleep only four or five hours a night.



"We didn't stay long, and left early, because there are surveillance cameras installed all around Huang Wenxun's home, and there are people watching him," he said. "Some of them came over to warn us [not to visit]."



Stopped by police



The activists said they were stopped on their way home from Huang's house and taken down to the local police station for questioning.



"We hadn't driven very far before we were stopped by a police car," Ye said. "The police officer just targeted me. I have taken care of Huang Wenxun's father all these years, and I think the police just wanted to get their own back on me."



Online activist Chen Xiaorong was also among the group that visited Huang on Wednesday.



"He didn't talk like a young person any more: he sounded dull, and his reactions were very slow," Chen said. "I'm not sure but I thought it was maybe due to to medications he had been terrorized into taking."



"I wouldn't expect him to recognize me, but he was very good friends with [Ye]. It was because of him that he devoted himself to fighting for democracy," she said. "But when [Ye] asked him if he recognized him, he said he didn't know who he was."



"It's as if he has forgotten everything in the past five years."



Huang Wenxun was detained around the same time as fellow New Citizens' Movement activists Yuan Fengchu, also known as Yuan Bing, and Yuan Xiaohua, who were sentenced to three-and-a-half and four years respectively last month for "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble."



All three were held in prolonged pretrial incarceration after their initial detention by police in the southern province of Guangdong in June 2013.



Rights groups said at the time that Huang's trial was entirely political in nature, and targeted young activists campaigning for democracy and constitutional government.



Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.A Myanmar army officer has been charged with killing an ethnic Mon villager during an investigation into a domestic dispute in southeastern Myanmars Mon state, after the man got into an argument with a relative, a local police official said Thursday.

Major Aung Ko Ko Min, an officer from the armys Light Infantry Unit 587, was charged with the murder of Tin Soe Myint, a resident of Ale Sait Village on Kalar Gote Island in Ye township on May 15, officer Myint Win from the Ye township police force told RFAs Myanmar Service.

Khin Swe Tint, the dead mans wife, reported the killing to the Lamine Region Police Station, requesting that action be taken against the soldier, he said.

The army has taken Aung Ko Ko Min into custody and has begun an investigation, he said. The officer will be tried in a military court.

The villager Tin Soe Myint got into a fight with his father-in-law [who] reported the fight to the Light Infantry Unit 587, Myint Win said.

Major Aung Ko Ko Min brought Tin Soe Myint to the Light Infantry Unit and shot him dead during the investigation, he said of the villager, who succumbed to four gunshot wounds.

The dead mans family did not learn about Tin Soe Myints death until the following day, and his wife went to the police station on May 18, he said.

The police have asked for a copy of Tin Soe Myints death certificate, and will transfer the case to the military once they have it, Myint Win said.

The case is a rare instance of an army officer being held accountable for a crime despite decades of Myanmars powerful military acting with impunity, especially in areas affected by ethnic conflict and civil war.

The countrys 2008 constitution, drafted by a military junta in power at the time, guarantees that soldiers are immune from prosecution by civilian courts  a protection that gives local authorities little impetus or power to bring the perpetrators of crimes to justice.

The current civilian government led by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi has sought to bring the national military and various ethnic armed groups to the negotiation table to try to end the hostilities and forge lasting peace.

But the efforts of her ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) government have stalled because it has not been able to prevent new offensives and the resulting displacement of civilians, or the ongoing abuses by and impunity of the military.

Though the previous government of President Thein Sein managed to sign a nationwide cease-fire agreement (NCA) with eight of the countrys ethnic armed groups in October 2015, it wasnt until this February that the New Mon State Party (NMSP), the political wing of the 800-strong Mon National Liberation Army (MNLA), agreed to ink the accord.

Though the NMSP is one of two ethnic armed organizations to have signed the NCA under the NLD government, it still struggles to maintain peace in areas it controls in Mon state.

Reported by Kyaw Thu for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.Vietnamese human rights lawyer Vo An Don has been stripped of his license to practice law in a ruling received on Thursday from the national Vietnam Bar Association, Don told RFAs Vietnamese Service today.



The decision upheld a ruling made last year by the local Phu Yen Lawyers Association striking his name from its lists for posting a comment on his Facebook page saying lawyers in Vietnam regularly use payoffs to win cases for their clients.



Don, a lawyer based in Vietnams coastal Phu Yen province, has defended defendants in high-profile cases including blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, also known as Mother Mushroom, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in June 2017 for spreading propaganda against the state.



Speaking to RFA, Don said that the decision made against him at the national level followed moves made locally last year.



On November 26, the Phu Yen Lawyers Association issued the decision to punish me by removing my name from the association, Don said.



I filed a complaint with the Vietnam Bar Association, and after six months I got a response from them that upheld the Phu Yen Lawyers Association decision and said that the Ministry of Justice would revoke my license.



Though he is now allowed to lodge an appeal with the Ministry of Justice in his case, Don said he feels nothing would result from this as he believes orders are coming down from the top to punish him for his work.



Another concern is that he can no longer open a law office, Don said.



But even though I am no longer officially a lawyer and my license has been revoked, I will continue to use my knowledge to help others, because in accordance with Vietnamese law I can still work in civil cases such as marriage, family issues, and trade, he said.



In addition to his work defending Mother Mushroom, Don has represented defendants in other politically sensitive cases, including four Vietnamese citizens who were jailed in December after sailing to Australia in search of work and the wife of a criminal suspect who was beaten to death by police in 2012.



Don has reported regular harassment by authorities in the past, including audits of his law practice and death threats from police and state-linked hired thugs.



Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Viet Ha. Written in English by Richard Finney.Vietnamese Hoa Hao Buddhists stage a protest against local authorities in Phuoc Hung village, Phuoc Hoa commune, of An Phu district in southwestern Vietnam's An Giang province, April 19, 2017.

An appeals court in Vietnam on Thursday upheld the jail sentences of six members of an unofficial branch of Vietnams Hoa Hao Buddhist community convicted in February in the countrys An Giang province on charges of disrupting public order during a confrontation with authorities last year, the daughter of one of the Buddhists said.

Bui Van Trung and Bui Van Tham were sentenced to six years in prison, Nguyen Hoang Nam was given four years, Le Thi Hong Hanh and Bui Thi Bich Tuyen three years, and Le Thi Hen a two-year sentence suspended on account of her poor health.

Security forces set up checkpoints near the courthouse to prevent those who wanted to attend the public trial, Bui Van Trungs daughter Bui Thi Tham, told RFAs Vietnamese Service.

They set up checkpoints about 500 meters (547 yards) from the courthouse, she said.

A number of relatives of the jailed members and authentic Hoa Hao Buddhist followers started out early and managed to get close to the courthouse, but then they [security forces] only allowed those with summons papers to enter, she said.

But the guards did not immediately let those with summonses into the building, and they had to argue with them to enter, Tham said.

Prosecutors allowed arguments by the the convicts and their attorneys, unlike in the lower court trial where arguments from both side were not permitted, she said.

The judges let the witnesses talk a lot, and when the lawyers asked them questions, the judges told the witnesses not to answer them, she said.

Case of religious repression

During the trial at the Peoples Court in the provinces An Phu district on Feb. 9, Bui Van Trung and the others argued that the case involved religious repression, not public order, and Trung demanded another trial based on correct charges according to the law.

The convictions stem from an incident on April 18, 2017, when traffic police at a checkpoint stopped the Hoa Hao Buddhists from going to the Bui familys home to observe the death anniversary of a friend, though authorities did not issue any citations.

Officers seized several motorbikes that the members of the group were riding along with their registration papers, and men in civilian clothes who accompanied the police threatened to beat them.

The following day, traffic police at the checkpoint instructed the men in civilian clothes to impound the motorbikes of two other Hoa Hao Buddhist followers they had stopped. When Bui Van Tham tried to prevent the men from taking the motorbikes, they assaulted him.

In response, dozens of Hoa Hao Buddhist staged a public protest against what they called government repression.

Tham was later charged with disrupting public order under Article 245 of Vietnams Penal Code and resisting people on public duty under Article 257, while the other five were charged with disrupting public order.

On Feb. 8, New York-based Human Rights Watch called on Vietnam to suspend charges against the six and investigate whether police actions against them were taken for discriminatory reasons or religious persecution.

Vietnams government officially recognizes the Hoa Hao religion, which has some two million followers across the country, but imposes harsh controls on dissenting Hoa Hao groups, including the sect in An Giang province, that do not follow the state-sanctioned branch.

Rights groups say that authorities in An Giang routinely harass followers of the unapproved groups, prohibiting public readings of the Hoa Hao founders writings and discouraging worshipers from visiting Hoa Hao pagodas in An Giang and other provinces.

The U.S. State Departments 2016 International Religious Freedom Report, issued in August 2017, said that Vietnamese government authorities restricted the activities of religious groups by assaulting and detaining church members, restricting their travel, and confiscating church land for development projects.

Groups not registered with the state were especially severely treated, the State Department said.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by An Nguyen. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.The U.S. demand that Iran withdraw all its advisers and allied forces from Syria is not on the agenda and not up for discussion, a top Syrian official has told Russian state news agencies.

"Whether Iranian forces or Hizballah withdraw or stay in Syria is not up for discussion because it's the [business] of the Syrian government," Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told RIA Novosti and Sputnik on May 23.

"All these forces oppose terrorism. They are not making an attempt to violate the sovereignty and territory of Syria," he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on May 21 demanded that Iran and its ally, Lebanon's Hizballah militia, pull out of Syria and curb other military activities in the region or face what he said would be the toughest U.S. sanctions in history.

Tehran has already dismissed the U.S. ultimatum.

Iranian military advisers and militia fighters backed by Iran have played a critical role in supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his seven-year civil war against Sunni rebels, which has killed half a million people and driven millions from their homes,

In 2017 and 2018, Syrian and Iran-allied forces, with backing from Russian air strikes, drove rebels out of Aleppo and Damascus -- Syria's biggest cities -- putting Assad in what even his opponents have called a dominant military position.

Assad on May 23 hailed Russia's role in helping Syria clear the last rebel strongholds surrounding Damascus as the Kremlin's special envoy to Syria, Aleksandr Lavrentyev, was visiting the capital.

"Russia's leaders and its people are partners in these victories, which will not stop until the last terrorist is killed and the last terrorist pocket is liberated," Assad said. Syria and Russia frequently refer to all of their armed opponents as "terrorists."

Assad's declaration of victory came less than a week after he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi. Putin at the time said that foreign armed forces should eventually withdraw from Syria, but did not provide any details.

Lavrentyev later told journalists the withdrawal of foreign troops should be done "as a whole" and include not only the departure of both U.S. and Russian forces but the exit of Turkish troops, Iranian, and Hizballah forces, as well.

Mekdad, however, suggested on May 23 that Russia's envoy misspoke.

"I don't think that our Russian friends meant the forces that entered Syria in agreement with the Syrian government," he said.

"Russia demanded the withdrawal of forces that are here without agreement: that is the forces of the U.S., France, Turkey, and other forces that are here illegitimately."

While Russia has been credited with helping Assad turn the tide of the war since it intervened in 2015, Iran has been Assad's closest and most loyal ally throughout the civil war.

Assad's government is now in its strongest position since the early months of the war in 2011, which was sparked by a popular uprising during the Arab Spring. But the Syrian leader remains a long way from achieving his goal of regaining control over all of Syria.

Anti-Assad rebels still control two large contiguous areas of territory in the northwest and southwest. Kurdish and allied Arab militia backed by the United States hold the one-quarter of Syrian territory that lies east of the Euphrates River.

Moreover, the government's gains have brought it to a point where any new military campaign risks putting it in conflict with foreign powers.

Several clashes already have occurred between Syrian and allied Iranian fighters and U.S. forces that have been training and protecting allied forces in northern and eastern parts of the country.

Late on May 23, Hizballah's news agency claimed that U.S. coalition bombers targeted Syrian Army positions in the eastern Syrian desert -- a claim denied by the coalition.

Mekdad said that after having defeated rebel forces in major population areas, Syria's goal is to now to force the rebels out of their few remaining strongholds.

"After ending the direct terrorist danger to Damascus, the door is open to heading north or south," Mekdad said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor based in Britain, reported that Syrian government forces fresh from their victory this week against an Islamic State pocket in south Damascus were moving into the southern province of Deraa.

The pro-Syrian government Damascus newspaper Al-Watan reported that leaflets have been dropped over rebel areas near Deraa urging people to reconcile with the state -- a tactic used previously by the government prior to waging an assault.

In Moscow, Colonel General Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian military's General Staff said on May 23 that with the ouster of rebels from areas they held for years around Damascus, "all the necessary conditions have been created for the revival of Syria as a single, unified state."

With reporting by AP, AFP, and ReutersAt least four people were killed, including a police officer, in a suicide attack on a Baghdad park early on May 24, local media and Iraqi security services said.

Another 15 people were injured in the blast, which took place in the northwest district of al-Shula, they said.

Iraqi police stopped the suicide bomber from entering Saqlawiyah park, but he blew himself up just outside, the Al-Sumaria broadcaster reported, quoting a security source.

During the holy fasting month of Ramadan, people often stay up late and go to restaurants for "sohor," a predawn meal, before they fast from sunrise to sunset.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Based on reporting by dpa and ReutersRussian state-owned energy firm Gazprom has reached an agreement with EU regulators, avoiding fines in an antitrust case that has dragged on for seven years.

The European Commission said in a May 24 statement that Gazprom will have to abide by a set of obligations imposed by the commission that will enable the free flow of gas and competitive pricing in Central and Eastern Europe, where the Russian energy giant is a dominant gas supplier.

These obligations will significantly change the way Gazprom operates in Central and Eastern Europe to the benefits of millions of European consumers when they heat their houses, when they cook their food, and to the benefit, of course, also on European business who rely on gas for their production, EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in Brussels.

The European Union has accused Gazprom of abusing its dominant position as a gas provider in Central and Eastern Europe, allegedly charging customers unfair prices, restricting the free flow of gas, and hindering competitors.

Gazprom expressed satisfaction with the commission's decision to settle its investigation of the firm without fines, with Deputy Chief Executive Aleksandr Medvedev calling it the most reasonable outcome for the well-functioning of the entire European gas market."

However, a Polish diplomat said that a far stricter decision, including a considerable financial fine, would have been fair and well justified given significant market violations committed by Gazprom.

Lithuanias Energy Minister Zygimantas Vaiciunas said Vilnius will continue to look for ways to make Gazprom to indemnify for the estimated losses of about 1.5 billion euros ($1.8 billion) that he said Gazprom inflicted on Lithuanian gas consumers by abusing its dominant position in the country.

Vaiciunas insisted that Lithuania has achieved energy independence from Russia by building an LNG terminal and has no long-term contracts with Gazprom.

The European Commission decision is particularly worrying in the context of the aggressive Russian policy against the EU and its member states, the diplomat added.

The conditions imposed on Gazprom in Central and Eastern Europe included removing restrictions on customers to resell gas across borders and enabling gas flows to and from the three Baltic states and Bulgaria, which the European Commissions statement said are isolated from other EU member states due to the lack of interconnectors.

Relevant Gazprom customers are given an effective tool to make sure their gas price reflects the price level in competitive Western European gas markets, the statement also said.

If Gazprom breaks any of these obligations, the European Commission can impose a fine of up to 10 percent of the company's worldwide turnover, it added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed Russia's appreciation for efforts by European countries to save the nuclear deal with Iran despite the withdrawal of the United States while warning of "lamentable consequences" if it was not preserved.

Putin made the comments at a May 24 news conference in St Petersburg after talks his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron who traveled to Russia to discuss the Iran nuclear deal as well as conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

Bilateral relations "are developing despite all the current complications. Trade is growing," Putin said in comments carried by state news agency TASS.

Macron's trip to Russia is his first one as president and follows a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week.

Putin and Macron met in France last year, just weeks after Macron's inauguration. Putin had met with Macron's rival, Marine Le Pen, in Moscow during the presidential race.



Europe and Moscow are currently on a diplomatic offensive to save the landmark 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, now under threat after the recent U.S. withdrawal -- a rare point of agreement between Russia and EU countries, which have seen relations worsen in recent years over crises in Ukraine and Syria, as well as accusations of Moscow's meddling in foreign elections and the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in Britain.

The French and Russian leaders will "take the time for an in-depth, one-on-one discussion," the French Presidency said in a statement.

On May 24, Human Rights Watch called Macron to raise the issue of rights abuses with his Russian counterpart, following a crackdown on dissent and pressure on minority groups in the country.

Macron must confirm "that France will never accept the increased repression in Russia as 'the new normal'," the rights watchdog said in a statement.

Macron will also address the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The meeting takes place after President Donald Trump on May 8 pulled the United States out of the 2015 pact that placed limits on Iran's nuclear program in return for easing economic sanctions.

Washington is threatening fresh sanctions if Tehran does not comply with a new set of strict requirements.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will also visit Russia later in the week.

Based on reporting by AFP and dpaA Dutch-led international criminal investigation has concluded that the Buk missile that shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine in 2014 came from Russia's 53rd Antiaircraft Missile Brigade.

The Joint Investigative Team (JIT), comprising authorities from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and Ukraine, made the announcement at a press conference on May 24 in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

MH17 was shot down over the conflict zone in Ukraine's Donetsk region on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board.

The JIT "has come to the conclusion that the Buk-TELAR that shot down MH17 came from the 53rd Antiaircraft Missile Brigade based in Kursk in Russia," top Dutch investigator Wilbert Paulissen told reporters. "The 53rd Brigade is part of Russia's armed forces."

Chief Dutch Prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said the team came to the conclusion that Russian weapons were used despite getting no cooperation from Moscow.

"The Russian Federation didn't help us in providing us the information we brought out into the open today," Westerbeke said. "They didn't give us this information, although a Buk from their military forces was used."

Following the JIT news conference, Russia's Defense Ministry reiterated it had nothing to do with the downing of the plane.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the findings were based on "fake data" presented by bloggers and that Moscow's information regarding the case was largely ignored.

"This is an example of baseless accusations aimed at discrediting our country in the eyes of the international community," the ministry said in a statement.

The U.S. State Department said that the United States had "complete confidence" in the findings and called on Russia to admit its involvement.

"It is time for Russia to cease its lies and account for its role in the shoot-down," U.S. spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the global community should be concerned about Russia's involvement in an attack that killed so many people.

"That a sophisticated weapon belonging to the Russian Army was dispatched and used to shoot down a civilian aircraft should be of grave international concern. We are discussing these findings with our partners and considering our options," she said in a statement.

Of the 298 people killed, 196 were Dutch, 42 were Malaysian, and 27 were Australian.

Ultimately, any suspects identified and charged will be prosecuted in Dutch courts -- if they can be arrested and brought to trial.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said in a Facebook post that he would "do everything possible to ensure that the actions of the Russian Federation as a state which supports terrorism get an appropriate assessment" in the International Court of Justice.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte decided to shorten his visit to India by a day and join cabinet talks on May 25 about the new findings, Dutch news agency ANP reported.

Bellingcat, a British-based team of open-source researchers investigating the crash, had already identified the 53rd Antiaircraft Missile Brigade as being the likely source of the missile that investigators say brought down the jet.

It is due to hold a press conference in The Hague on May 25 for the launch of a new report on the probe.

Russia denies interfering in Ukraine's internal affairs, despite compelling evidence that Moscow has provided military, economic, and political support to separatists fighting against Kyiv. Russia and the separatists deny shooting down MH17 and have offered several other theories to explain the incident, all of which have been rejected by investigators.

WATCH -- The Downing Of MH17: What Happened?

The JIT determined in 2016 that MH17 was shot down from separatist-held territory in the Donetsk region by a Buk antiaircraft system provided by the Russian military. The JIT report says the Buk entered Ukraine near Krasnodon and was spirited back into Russia immediately after the airliner was shot down.

The Bellingcat investigation, conducted jointly with the independent Russian website The Insider, said in December it had identified a senior Russian general as a figure of interest in the downing of the airliner.

TIMELINE: Milestones In The MH17 Investigation (click to view)

The Bellingcat investigative group -- which uses sophisticated digital techniques to analyze open-source audio and visual data -- alleged that a man identified on intercepted communications as Delfin (Dolphin) is retired Russian Colonel General Nikolai Tkachyov, who is currently serving as the chief inspector of Russia's Central Military District.

Tkachyov denied that he was Delfin or that he was in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

With reporting by Interfax, Reuters, and AFPPakistan's parliament has approved a constitutional amendment to officially merge its restive tribal areas into the mainstream political system, ending colonial-era laws and giving equal rights to its 5 million inhabitants.

The legislation passed on May 24 will attach Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) to the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, extend the jurisdiction of Pakistani courts to the region, and increase assistance to residents.

The legislation needs final approval from the Senate and the presidents signature -- seen as formalities after it received overwhelming support in the National Assembly.

Among the colonial-era laws that will be abolished are ones that called for the punishment of an entire tribe if one of its members were found guilty of a crime.

In the 19th century, British colonial rulers sliced out a mountainous region from Afghanistan to be run under a combination of civil laws and local traditions.

The special status continued after Pakistan gained its independence in 1947 to accommodate the wishes of tribesmen divided on either side of the border.

The territory has long been seen as a lawless backwater ruled by hostile tribesmen, left to serve as a buffer zone between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Pakistani Army largely regained control of the region in 2014-15, ending much, but not all, of the violence.

The United States has accused Pakistan of allowing the areas to serve as safe havens for militants fighting across the border in Afghanistan, allegations Islamabad has consistently denied.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, dpa, The Nation, and RFE/RL's Radio MashaalUkraine has banned Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti, according to a recently expanded list of prominent Russians and entities subjected to Ukrainian sanctions.

The updated list published on May 24 contains 1,748 individuals and 756 legal entities -- up from 1,228 individuals and 468 legal entities one year ago.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree on May 14 expanding the sanctions to mirror those of the United States, but the document posted three days later on his website did not carry any names.

According to the new sanctions list by Ukraines National Security and Defense Council, the RIA Novosti office and the Interselekt company, which carried out all the agency's economic activities in Kyiv, are banned for three years.

Sanctions include the blocking of assets, limiting or stopping the provision of telecommunications services, and blocking access to their website

Ukraine's decision amounts to "political censorship," RIA Novosti quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying.

The new sanctions were "an indicator of the impotence" of the current Ukrainian "regime," said Dmitry Kiselev, the director of the public media conglomerate Rossia Segodnya, the parent company of RIA Novosti.

On May 17, a Ukrainian court ordered the head of RIA Novosti's branch in Ukraine held for two months on charges of high treason in a case that drew angry criticism from Moscow and expressions of concern from media watchdogs.

Kirill Vyshinsky was detained in Kyiv two days earlier by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), and his apartment and the news outlet's office were searched.

The SBU accused RIA Novosti Ukraine of participating in a "hybrid information war" waged by Russia against Ukraine.

SBU officials said 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 Rossia Segodnya.

Ukraine's expanded sanctions list also includes aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska, Aleksei Miller, CEO of Russia's state-owned gas giant Gazprom, tycoon Viktor Vekselberg, the main owner of the Renova holding group, as well as Igor Rotenberg -- the son of billionaire Arkady Rotenberg, a close friend of President Vladimir Putin -- gold magnate Suleiman Kerimov, and oil tycoon Vladimir Bogdanov.

Restrictions on Deripaska could affect the operation of his Mykolaiv Alumina plant in southern Ukraine -- one of the largest assets of his Rusal aluminum firm.

Kyiv first slapped sanctions on Russian firms and entities after Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.

More than 10,300 people have been killed in the fighting between the separatists and Ukrainian government troops since it broke out in April 2014.

With reporting by AFP and ReutersMOSCOW -- U.S. Ambassador to Moscow Jon Huntsman says he has experienced "frustration" due to the reluctance of some Russian officials to meet with him because of the state of affairs between the two countries.

"Our relationship is not in a good place right now, and it is a source of frustration," Huntsman said in a May 24 interview with Current Time TV.

"The fact [is] that I cant get in a lot of doors to meet some Russian leadersId like to see more Russian leaders.

"Id like to see more Russian opinion leaders, and theyve been instructed to stay away and not interact with meSome of them do, but others dont," he said.

"When I go to places and am not able to see regional or oblast governors, I get a little frustrated," he added.

Huntsman said that during his eight months in Russia he has met with U.S. businesses operating in the country and that many companies ask when relations will improve between the United States and Russia.

"I say to them: 'We have some big issues to resolve, and they arent easy to resolve. But we have to go to work on them, as we are,'" he said.

'Pretty Significant' Differences

Huntsman acknowledged that U.S. sanctions imposed on Moscow for various reasons, including over its actions in Ukraine and for alleged election meddling in the United States in 2016, still divide the two countries.

"What would be important would be to have a conversation to address the underlying reasons for those sanctions," he said, noting that the European Union has also placed financial restrictions on Russia.

"On Ukraine, are we able to deal with violations of international law in Donbas and eastern Ukraine? "That should be addressed. There are a lot of parties that would like to see it addressed," he said. If addressed, I suspect the sanctions may be addressed as well.

"Some of political differences are pretty significant, and we need to narrow the gap on some of those issues," Huntsman added.

The United States, the EU, and other countries imposed sanctions on Russia after it seized and annexed Ukraine's Crimea region and began backing armed separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

The United States has also slapped sanctions on Moscow for its alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and other "malign activity around the globe."

Still, President Donald Trump has expressed a desire to improve relations with Russia, highlighting Moscow's ability to assist in solving pressing matters involving Syria, Iran, and North Korea.

Huntsman was a former governor of the U.S. state of Utah who at one point called for Trump to drop out of the presidential race before being nominated by the president to serve in Moscow.

He was ambassador to Singapore under President George H.W. Bush in 1992-93 and ambassador to China in 2009-11 under President Barack Obama, before returning to the United States to unsuccessfully run for president in 2012.

Current Time TV is a Russian-language TV channel run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.







PRISTINA -- The office of Kosovos President Hashim Thaci says thorough "verification" is needed before he can make a decision on whether to allow an ethnic Serb convicted of corruption in neighboring Serbia to join Kosovo's Constitutional Court.

Because of the suspicions raised about [Radomir] Laban, the president of the Republic of Kosovo will not issue his decree until the competent security and judicial bodies complete the verification," Thaci's office told RFE/RL on May 24.

Opposition politicians and watchdog groups have criticized Kosovos parliament for nominating Laban last week to be a judge on the countrys Constitutional Court as a representative of the ethnic Serb minority.

He was nominated by the Serbian List party that represents Kosovar Serbs, estimated at 5 percent of the population. The Serbian List has ties to Belgrade but at times has shown its independence.

Thaci has two weeks to approve or reject the nomination.

Laban, who has a law degree, was sentenced in 2011 in Serbia to six years in prison for corruption when he was working for the Serbian customs service.

He served half of his sentence in pretrial detention between 2006-09, according to Serb records.

After his trial, Laban was provisionally released pending the start of his sentence, but he instead fled to Kosovo.

In 2017, a Serbian court in the town of Kraljevo issued an arrest warrant demanding he be handed back to Serbia.

The Human Rights Council in Kosovo also called on Thaci to reject the nomination.

Slavko Simic from Serbian List said ahead of Labans nomination on May 18 that he is a candidate of "high moral quality and integrity."

Belgrade and Pristina have strained relations. Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, but the move has not been recognized by Belgrade.

With reporting by ReutersSyrian state media says a military airport near Homs has come under missile attack from "enemy" fire.

The reports said Syrian air defenses confronted the missile attack.

"One of our military airports in the central region was exposed to hostile missile aggression, and our air defence systems confronted the attack and prevented it from achieving its aim," the SANA state news agency said on May 24.

Sana had reported earlier that sounds of explosions were heard near the Dabaa airport near the city of Homs.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government has banned all imports of cotton goods from Turkmenistan, which activists have accused of rampant use of child and forced labor in cotton harvesting.

The Withhold Release Order, filed by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) service on May 18 and made public on May 24, did not specify the reason for the ban.

But members of the U.S. Cotton Campaign, Alternative Turkmenistan News, and International Labor Rights Forum had petitioned the CBP to ban importation of all goods made with Turkmen cotton that was produced with forced labor.

"These three groups alleged that the Turkmen government forces public-sector employees under threat of punishment, including loss of wages and termination of employment, to pick cotton," the Crowell & Moring International Trade Group said on its website on May 24.

U.S. law prohibits the importation of products produced through slave or child labor or by violating labor laws.

"The decision of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service is an important step towards the complete cessation of one of the most egregious practices of using forced labor still left in the world," said Erik Gottwald, director of the International Forum on Labor Rights for Policy Development and Legal Affairs.

Ruslan Myatiev, editor and founder of Alternative Turkmenistan News, said that "annually, the Turkmen government forces tens of thousands of public sector employees, including teachers, nurses, and doctors, to pick cotton, pay a bribe or hire a replacement worker, all under threat of punishment, including loss of wages and termination of employment.

Several leading global retailers, including H&M and IKEA, have said they were no longer using Turkmen cotton and textiles in their products.



Activists have long accused Turkmenistan and some of its Central Asian neighbors of using child and slave labor in their cotton fields and elsewhere.

The 2016 Global Slavery Index listed the countries it said have systematically forced their population into labor, including Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Belarus, China, Eritrea, North Korea, Russia, and Vietnam.

The report said that an estimated 15,800 people were believed to be held in "modern slavery" in Turkmenistan.

With reporting by Current Time TV

When it comes to U.S.-Iranian relations, it is as simple as a game of cat and mouse; specifically, the iconic American cartoon characters Tom and Jerry, according to Iran's highest authority.

The message within the Hanna-Barbera classic is recurring: while the tomcat (Tom), with its superior strength and size, might toy with the mouse, it is the clever and plucky mouse (Jerry) that always comes out on top.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei invoked the two rivals while addressing a gathering on May 23 amid increased tensions after Washington pulled out of the nuclear deal agreed between Iran and world powers in 2015.

"The U.S. has committed all kinds of animosity to hit the Islamic Republic and has plotted various political, economic, military and propaganda schemes" since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Khamenei said. "All their plots have failed -- just like Tom from the well-known Tom and Jerry cartoon -- and they will fail again in the future."

Khamenei's comments, which were not included in state television coverage of the address but were posted in English on his official website, were his first since U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened Iran with "the strongest sanctions in history" if Tehran does not comply with 12 conditions for a new nuclear agreement.

Among the demands were full disclosure of alleged past military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program, the end to its proliferation of ballistic missiles, and the cessation of its support for armed groups in the region that the United States considers terrorist organizations.

Pompeo's remarks on May 21 came two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 deal under which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program, which it claims is solely for peaceful purposes, in exchange for relief from international economic sanctions.

Trump's decision has angered Iranian leaders, with Khamenei directly challenging the American president by saying, "You can't do a damn thing!"

Despite his long-running mistrust of Washington, Khamenei supported the nuclear deal when it was signed with world powers in 2015, even suggesting it could be the basis for further negotiations.

But he soon turned against the accord when it became clear that many of its benefits were still being blocked by residual U.S. sanctions linked to Iran's human rights record and controversial ballistic-missile program.

Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters in the Islamic republic, said last year that the agreement should be torn up if Washington pulled out.

Khamenei's reference to Tom and Jerry is ironic given the supreme leader has often warned of the dangers of American influence on Iranian culture.

But there are obvious parallels to draw on: While the threat of ultimate destruction is always there, Tom seldom actually tries to eat Jerry; the two rarely, if ever, speak to each other; and both appear to take some pleasure from torturing each other.

But there are flaws in the comparison as well. Jerry, for example, has often been portrayed as a devoted American patriot, as evidenced by the award-winning 1943 episode The Yankee Doodle Mouse, in which Tom does his best to snuff out Jerry's ambitions to launch a rocket.

WATCH -- Tom And Jerry: The Yankee Doodle Mouse

It ends, as usual, with Jerry getting the upper hand -- and saluting the stars and stripes.

The U.S. Treasury has imposed sanctions on nine Iranian individuals and entities for helping to supply export-controlled parts and services to sanctioned Iranian airlines.



The Treasury said on May 24 that the "facilitators designated" by its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) provided assistance to sanctioned Iranian airlines including Mahan Air, Caspian Air, Meraj Air, and Pouya Air.

"In so doing, they extend a lifeline to the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF)] and enable the Iranian regime to transport weapons, fighters, and money to its proxies, including Hizballah, and to prop up the brutal Assad regime," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, referring to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"The deceptive practices these airlines employ to illegally obtain services and U.S. goods is yet another example of the duplicitous ways in which the Iranian regime has operated," he added.

The Treasury statement said sanctioned Iranian airlines, particularly Mahan Air, have played a "critical role in exporting the Iranian regime's malign influence."

Mahan Air was sanctioned in 2011 for its alleged support of the hard-line IRGC-QF by helping to ferry operatives, weapons, equipment, and funds to international locations "in furtherance of Iranian state-sponsored terror operations."

The OFAC said it was adding two entities to its sanctions list -- the Iran-based Blue Airways and Turkey-based Otik Aviation -- in connection with Mahan Air.

The Treasury also sanctioned Turkish citizen Gulnihal Yegane and a network of Istanbul-based firms, including Trigron Lojistik, RA Havacilik, and 3G Lojistik, for providing assistance to Mahan Air.

The move comes two days after the Treasury announced sanctions targeting Iranian officials associated with the IRGC-QF and Iran's ballistic-missile programs.

Mnuchin on May 22 said their actions helped enable the Huthi rebels in Yemen to launch missiles at Saudi cities and oil infrastructure and at U.S. Navy assets in international waters.

Sunni-led Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite-led Iran are involved in what has been called a proxy war in Yemen, where Tehran supports the Shi'ite Huthi rebels fighting against the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a hard line on Iran, accusing it of supporting militant violence in the region and of illegally testing ballistic missiles.

He pulled the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal, which provided Tehran with sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear program and vowed to reinstitute tough sanctions against Iran.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling on Iran's close ally Hizballah to cease its military activities in Lebanon, Syria, and elsewhere in the region, media are reporting.

"The maintenance by Hizballah of sizable and sophisticated military capabilities outside the control of the government of Lebanon remains a matter of grave concern," Guterres said in a report sent to the United Nations Security Council last week and reported by AFP and AP on May 23.

The Security Council is scheduled to discuss Guterres' report on May 24.

The UN chief called on the Shi'ite movement "not to engage in any military activity inside or outside Lebanon" in line with a 2004 UN Security Council resolution calling on Hizballah to disarm.

Guterres said Hizballah's involvement in Syria's seven-year civil war also violates the Taif Accords that ended Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war, as well as Lebanon's official policy of "disassociation," or neutrality in regional affairs.

The Lebanese government must prevent Hizballah from "building paramilitary capacity outside the authority of the state," he said. Hizballah by some estimates has more fighters and weapons than Lebanon's own army.

"In a democratic state, it remains a fundamental anomaly that a political party maintains a militia that has no accountability to the democratic, governmental institutions of the state, but has the power to take that state to war," Guterres said.

The UN report follows elections this month that saw Hizballah's allies make gains in the Lebanese parliament, cementing the Iran-backed movement's political dominance.

Guterres called on countries in the region that maintain ties with Hizballah to encourage the Shi'ite group to disarm and transform into a "solely civilian political party."

Designated as a terror group by the United States, Hizballah has been fighting for years in Syria on behalf of government forces and in Iraq alongside paramilitary groups.

Viewed as a proxy for Iran, it also is accused of backing Shi'ite Huthi rebels in their civil war against the government of Yemen.

Guterres call for disengagement from regional conflicts comes as the United States has stepped up its demands that Iran and Hizballah withdraw from Syria and other regional conflicts.

But international efforts to contain the group over the years have largely failed, including several rounds of U.S. and European sanctions, and a monthlong war with Israel in 2006.

Because of Hizballah's periodic battles with Israel, the Jewish state has been in an official state of war for decades with Lebanon and the two Mediterranean neighbors do not have diplomatic relations.

With reporting by AP and AFP

More than 120,000 signatures against Xcacel-Xcacelito hotel development

Tulum, Q.R.  Signatures continue to be collected in opposition of a hotel project that has been proposed in a sea turtle area in the municipality of Tulum.

More than 120,000 signatures have been collected on Change.org in defense of the Sea Turtle Sanctuary at Xcacel-Xcacelito in the municipality of Tulum. The signatures are being collected by Moce Yax Cuxtal civil association in Playa del Carmen to send to the State Congress governor, Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez.

According to Laura Patino Esquivel, member of the association, We are writing a letter that several people have signed to ask the governor to review everything from Xcacel to the State Congress. We have physical signatures, more than 2,000 and 120,000 signatures on change.org. 

As a civil association defending the environmental rights of the state, Patino Esquivel reiterated the associations commitment to the defense of these properties that host more than 5,000 turtles annually from May to November along the state coast.

Secretary of Ecology and Environment of Quintana Roo, Alfredo Arellano said, We are working with them. We are receiving their requests. The site already has an appointment as a Protected Natural Area. What they are requesting is to expand the polygon of the protected area to an area that gives greater certainty to the ecosystems and turtle nesting. That is the main objective of the defense.

We are already reviewing the proposal. Obviously making the polygon bigger requires covering private areas. We are talking to some of them and seeing the possibility of it happening, but in the following months we would have a more tangible result. 

Ricardo Gomez Lozano, regional director of the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas, noted that so far, there has not been a project evaluation on behalf of Palmares del Country SA de CV, the hotel development that has requested permission to build in the area.Restaurant roof in Playa del Carmen catches fire

Playa del Carmen, Q.R.  Police and firefighters in Playa del Carmen were on scene Wednesday for a fire that destroyed a popular bar.

Firefighters were called to the neighborhood of Ejidal on Constituyentes Avenue Wednesday morning when Emergency 911 relayed the message that an establishment was on fire.

The call came through at 11:30 a.m. when employees inside the restaurant-bar noticed the palapa of La Montana was on fire and spreading quickly. People inside were evicted as flames took mere seconds to consume the bars roof.

Civil Protection personnel and Playa del Carmen firefighters arrived to extinguish the rooftop. Although they did managed to douse the flames, the establishment suffered extensive losses. According to preliminary information, the fire is believed to have started from an electrical short.

There were no reports of injuries.MORE than 350 pupils from nine schools came together for an awards ceremony hosted by their academy trust.

Parents, carers, governors and staff enjoyed high tea, presentations and musical performances at the seventh annual Aston Community Education Trust (ACET) Awards Ceremony

The event, held over two-nights, celebreated the achievements of students from the trusts six junior and three senior schools.

There were performances from the ACET choir and by Aston Academy students, Melissa Ingram and Emily Curran.

Students were commended for their contribution to the community, arts, sporting and academic achievements

Governors and trustees presented winners with an award and special certificates.

Beth Jones (16, pictured), from Aston Academy, picked up the most prestigious award of the evening after being crowned student of the year and was handed a 200 cheque, which was sponsored by Maltby Lions.

Swinton Academys student of the year was Nana Andoh-Kesson (15), who received 100, while Patryk Swidnik (16), who was named Shirebrook Academys student of the year, also received the same sum in prize money.

ACET junior pupils of the year were Clark Keiller (9) of Thurcroft Junior Academy, Dan Goddard (11) of Lowedges Junior Academy, Sophie Howard (10) from Springwood Junior Academy, Joshua Jordan (11) of Aughton Junior Academy, Joseph Mills (11) of Temple Normanton Junior Academy, Tilly Mcveigh (6) of Listerdale Junior Academy who all received a book token of 25.

John Barton, trust chairman praised the students for their achievements adding: They are a credit to themselves, their families and their academies.

Brookfield Junior Academy, of Lime Grove, Swinton, will soon be joining the trust.

A TEENAGER who pulled a knife on someone who would not swap an e-cigarette with him has been ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work.

Callum Clarke (18), of Waverley View, Catcliffe, was at Sheffield Crown Court on Monday (21).

He had admitted possession of a bladed article and affray at a previous hearing.

Miss Hannah Walker, prosecuting, said Clarke knew his victim, Daniel Buck, from their time at school.

Mr Buck and his friends were walking over fields near Catcliffe when they approached a fence and saw a group of people which included Clarke, Miss Walker told the court.

Clarke, who was 17 at the time of the offence, saw Mr Buck holding an e-cigarette in his hand and asked if he would swap it with his.

When Mr Buck refused, Miss Walker said, Clarke pulled out a Swiss Army knife and said: What about now?

He also grabbed Mr Bucks arm but did not touch him with the knife.

Mr Buck had felt scared and intimidated and feared for his life, Miss Walker told the court.

Ms Katherine Goddard, mitigating, said Clarke was someone who managed his issues on the whole, extremely well.

She added: He has clearly impressed the author of the pre-sentence report.

Recorder Duncan Smith said what Clarke had done had serious consequences for his victim, adding: It scared him - no doubt it was meant to scare him.WHEN Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get round to opening their wedding presents, theyll find among them a weird and wonderful gift from Rotherham.

Rotherham-based charity Africas Gift donated two wonderbags to the happy couple to help promote their campaign for safe cooking in Africa.

Charity founder Ken Dunn (pictured) handed over the unusual gifts  one with a ring of orange and a camouflage design in a nod to Harrys ginger hair and Army service  to staff at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.

Ken, whose charity organises trips to Lesotho in southern Africa for supporters, said he had enjoyed a crazy day in the capital after travelling from his home in Clifton.

I ended up driving into Buckingham Palace two days before the wedding to hand over the wonderbags in person.

I even had the opportunity of doing a short demonstration of how the wonderbag works with staff from the Duke of Edinburghs office.

Ken said he hoped the royal couple may take a personal interest in the wonderbags  slow cookers which do not use traditional methods such as burning wood  and back the campaign to distribute them in Africa.H D Kumaraswamy while taking oath

JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy was sworn-in as Karnataka chief minister at a grand ceremony attended by a galaxy of top leaders and regional satraps in a rare public show of unity perceived as a possible harbinger of a broad-based anti-BJP alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year. They smiled broadly, shook hands warmly, and even embraced each other at the bonhomie-filled event to herald the advent of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government in the state amid doubts about its longevity.

HDK Sworn In Karnataka CM At Mega Opposition Show Of Unity

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Kumaraswamy, the third son of JD(S) supremo and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Vajubhai Vala on a huge dais outside the majestic Vidhana Soudha, the seat of power in Karnataka. Attired in a 'dhoti' and white shirt, 58-year Kumaraswamy took the oath in the name of God and "Kannada Nadu", as hundreds of his supporters cheered loudly. G Parameshwara, the state Congress chief, and the party's Dalit face were sworn in as Kumaraswamy's deputy.

JD(S) supremo and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda

Kumaraswamy will expand his council of ministers after the trust vote on Friday which he is expected to win without any hiccups. The Congress, which has 78 MLAs, is likely to get 20 ministerial berths and the JD(S) with 37 lawmakers 12. Disparate in ideology but united in the intent of dislodging the BJP-led NDA from power in New Delhi, a bevy of leaders, from UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to NCP's Sharad Pawar, from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to her arch-rival CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, attended the event.

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati, who have sewn up an alliance in Uttar Pradesh, were among the first to arrive on stage. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who recently walked out of the NDA and is now a bitter critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad's son Tejashwi Yadav, former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren of JMM, DMK chief M Karunanidhi's MP daughter Kanimozhi, and RLD leader Ajit Singh were among those present.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav

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Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had flown to Bengaluru yesterday to congratulate Kumaraswamy. The oath-taking proceedings were, however, curt and cold. A glum-faced Vala, who had controversially sworn-in BJP's B S Yeddyurappa despite the clear majority enjoyed by the post-poll alliance of the Congress and JD(S), remained seated and did not even throw a glance at Kumaraswamy when he came and sat next to him. They hardly spoke and a smile flitted across their faces only after Vala had administered the oath to Kumaraswamy. They then went through the motions of exchanging pleasantries and bouquets.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao

Far removed from the cold vibes between Vala and Kumaraswamy, the top leaders on the dais exuded warmth and cordiality. Mayawati and Sonia clasped each other's hands before the BSP supremo put her arm around the UPA leader's waist. Tejashwi, the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly touched the feet of Sonia and Mamata Banerjee as a mark of respect. The meeting and greeting ended with the leaders posing for a group photograph, clasping each other's hands and raising them in a show of solidarity.

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N Chandrababu Naidu

Ahead of the ceremony, N Chandrababu Naidu and Mamata Banerjee called upon all regional parties to come together on a common platform to strengthen federalism. "We will keep in touch with all the regional parties so that we can work for the development of the nation, development of the people and development of the federal set- up also," Banerjee said. "I met Mamata ji and we all have come here to witness the swearing-in ceremony of Kumaraswamy. He is from a regional party and we are very happy that he has become the chief minister of Karnataka," he said.

When asked whether the coming together of leaders of so many non-BJP parties heralded a common front against the BJP and NDA, Naidu said, "We want to promote more and more regional parties. We want to strengthen (regional parties). That is Mamata ji's and our party's mission and that's how we are working." Though Kumaraswamy has managed to be back at the helm of affairs in Karnataka after a decade, managing the contradictions in the coalition may not be a smooth sailing for him after the JD(S) and Congress fought a bitter electoral battle in the state, particularly in the old Mysuru region.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

Kumaraswamy had conceded yesterday that running the coalition government for the next five years would be a "big challenge" for him. The BJP boycotted the oath-taking ceremony and observed a "black day" across the state. It slammed the Congress-JD(S) coalition in Karnataka as an "opportunistic alliance", with party spokesman Sambit Patra dubbing the presence of a host of opposition leaders at Kumaraswamy's swearing-in ceremony as a "celebration of corruption".

Sambit Patra

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said opposition parties were free to "daydream" of taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in elections and feel happy about it following the formation of a government in Karnataka, but the fact was that it was against the popular mandate.Are your friends very pain tolerant? Then it is likely that you are as well, provided you are a male. A recent study, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Pain, along with an Editorial Comment by Dr. Jeffrey Mogil, published by De Gruyter, shows that there is a positive correlation between the pain tolerance of individuals and that of their friends.

In a study from Troms, Norway, called "Fit futures," almost a thousand adolescents in the first year of upper secondary school got tested on pain tolerance in correlation to social relationships. The adolescents named around five friends which formed the social network of the group, and then completed a test for pain tolerance within that group which was the amount of time they were able to endure holding their hand in cold circulating water of 3C.

The analysis of this study revealed that pain tolerance was strongly associated with friendships, i.e. friends tend to have similar pain tolerance levels. Further analysis based on gender revealed that the friendship effect was present for boys only, and only through their male-male friendships.

The authors of the study then revised two possible explanations: One hypothesis is that friends share a similar lifestyle and that this affects pain sensitivity, resulting in similar pain tolerance levels among friends. This possibility was tested by statistically controlling for physical activity and smoking -- two lifestyle factors that are known to affect pain. However, results were unchanged, suggesting that similar lifestyle among friends does not explain the similarity in pain tolerance.

A second hypothesis for this mechanism of social transmission is peer pressure. The adolescents were tested consecutively and it is conceivable that they might brag to their peers about being able to endure the maximum testing time of 105 seconds. If so, one would expect higher pain tolerance among those who were tested later. This effect accounted for some, but not all, of the similarity among friends.

This study is the first to apply social network analysis to pain tolerance and is a contribution to understanding the effect of social factors on pain. If there is indeed a social influence effect in pain tolerance, then this suggests that prevention programs aimed at social groups may have effects over beyond those aimed at individual patients.Researchers at Tohoku University in Japan have investigated an intellectual disorder (ATR-X) syndrome to reveal its cause, mechanism and a potential therapeutic strategy to decrease associated cognitive impairment.

"Disease related neurodevelopmental disorders are rare and there is still a lack of therapy to treat the various syndromes," said Professor Kohji Fukunaga at the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Studies, who led the study.

Alpha-thalassemia X-linked intellectual disability (ATR-X) syndrome is a severe intellectual disability caused by ATRX gene mutations. The researchers found that treatment with 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), which is converted into G-quadruplex-binding metabolites, rescues decreased synaptic plasticity and cognitive deficits seen in ATR-X model mice.

The findings suggest a potential therapeutic strategy to target G-quadruplexes and decrease cognitive impairment associated with ATR-X syndrome.

Among candidate ligands, 5-ALA has been applied clinically with minimal risk and approved for use following intracranial tumor resection in Europe, Canada, and Japan, where it has been used as a photosensitizer in photodynamic diagnostics applied in neurosurgery. These clinical applications potentially reduce the required approval time and cost of clinical trials, as pre-existing absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME) and toxicity data are readily available.

The risk of failure is reduced as data relevant to 5-ALA safety and pharmacology is also available. The G-quadruplexes are involved in the pathology of other diseases and this discovery is expected to contribute to the possibility of new drug targets.

"5-aminolevulic acid is proven to be safe and is already used in supplements in Japan, so we are ready to begin clinical trials," says Fukunaga. "There is also evidence that it may improve autism spectrum disorders which is a common disease in Japanese children."Over the last 30 years, 50% of the world's coral reefs have suffered significant damage due to climate change and acidification with the last three being the worst in reefs recent history. Major coral bleaching events, which transpire when water temperatures are too high, have occurred in the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean and parts of the Red Sea.

Despite this, scientists at Bar-Ilan University and the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Science in Israel's southernmost city of Eilat have demonstrated in previous research that coral reefs in the north Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba, unlike in other parts of the world, are resilient to climate change and acidification due to the history of the red sea since the last glacial maximum.

While this is encouraging, there is growing concern that local disturbances, such as excess nutrients from sewage, fish farms, and flash floods may pose a threat to the coral refuge in the Gulf of Aqaba, a narrow body of water with a relatively dense human population around it. To address this concern the Israeli scientists joined forces with researchers from the Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida and the University of Mississippi to determine how excess nutrients might negatively affect the coral reefs and reduce their resilience to climate change and acidification. Their results were just published in Marine Pollution Bulletin.

Using the Red Sea simulator, a system developed in Israel, the experimentalists altered the conditions in an 80-aquarium, high-tech facility at the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Science and monitored the effects on the coral reefs that are incubated there. They conducted a simulation of future conditions in the Red Sea caused by global warming and acidification, while simultaneously increasing levels of nutrients such as nitrate and phosphate.

When the corals were exposed to climate change and ocean acidification, like in previous research, the researchers saw that they remained extraordinarily resilient. However, when nitrate and phosphate were added, the coral thermal resilience was compromised while algal growth benefited from excess CO 2 and nutrients. Algal dominance over corals in the reef means losing all of the beauty and biodiversity of the coral reefs.

"We added concentrations of nutrients that are ecologically relevant and we noticed that the physiological performance of the corals was compromised. Their resistance to thermal stress was much lower. Their ability to withstand global factors was lower. And we found that the entire microbial community on the coral surface changed," said Dr. Emily Hall, the lead author of the study from the Mote Marine Laboratory.

"These communities are very important for corals. When we see a shift in the microbial community it is cause for concern because this can lead to coral diseases -- just like in the human body, where change in the microbial community can lead to sickness."

"We've shown that local disturbances sometimes compromise the ability of even the most resilient corals to withstand change. Therefore, it is crucial to remove these local disturbances, which also include oil pollution, sewage, coastal development, and other pollutants in order to secure the coral refuge," said Prof. Maoz Fine, of Bar-Ilan University's Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, who supervised the study. "Given the fact that Israel and her neighboring countries -- Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia -- plan to further develop the Gulf and Red Sea coastlines, these activities must be coordinated even though we are in a geopolitical situation that makes it difficult to do so. Coral reefs also contribute greatly to the world economy, so it's important that the cities of Eilat and Aqaba, Jordan -- which rely heavily on the tourism, biomedical, and diving industries -- coordinate and act to preserve them."

Fine is currently conducting additional studies to examine what affect other local disturbances, such as heavy metals, oil pollution, and other pollutants in the Gulf, are having on the coral refuge. "As a small country there is little that Israel can do to reduce global carbon emissions that damage corals, but we can make a real impact by removing local disturbances. If current predictions about climate change continue, we need immediate protection," said Fine.How does a cell know when to divide? We know that hundreds of genes contribute to a wave of activity linked to cell division, but to generate that wave new research shows that cells must first grow large enough to produce four key proteins in adequate amounts. The study, published today in Cell Systems, offers a path for controlling the balance between cell growth and division, which is implicated in countless diseases, including cancers.

"For years we have known that cells must reach a size threshold prior to cell division, but how cells know when they reach that threshold has been a mystery," said Catherine Royer, lead author, along with Mike Tyers of the University of Montreal. Royer is Biocomputation and Bioinformatics Constellation Professor and Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and member of the Rensselaer Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS). "Something sets the threshold and something senses it. This research establishes the mechanism behind this core machinery in budding yeast cells."

The research also resolves the question of why cells with access to a nutrient-poor environment divide at a smaller size. Both findings are related to the abundance of the four key proteins required.

"Many diseases include an element of abnormal cell size and growth, and at the moment we have few means of controlling those aspects of cell growth," said Deepak Vashishth, CBIS director. "This research marks a clear path toward targeting transcription factors to change that outcome. It's a clear example of how translational medicine gets its start at Rensselaer."

Royer and her team, which included researches from Rensselaer and the Universite de Montreal, examined yeast cells, which divide by budding. As with most cells, yeast cells must first synthesize the necessary resources and grow in size, a phase of cell cycle known as G1. About 200 genes must be activated at the end of G1, and the research team examined five proteins -- the transcription factors SBF and MBF, the transcriptional repressor Whi5, and the G1 cyclins Cin1 and Cin2 -- that are collectively required to initiate transcription of those 200 genes.

The researchers used a particle-counting technique to measure the absolute concentration of each of the five proteins present in cells as they grew in size. The technique relies on creating a very small optical volume and scanning "Number and Brightness" microscopy to gather data on light emitted from fluorescent-tagged proteins in a select volume of the cell. Calculations based on the relationship between average light intensity and fluctuations in light intensity reveal the number of molecules in that volume.

Royer found that as the cells grew in size, molecules of four of the five proteins examined reached a number great enough to bind to the estimated 400 binding sites on the 200 genes the proteins control. Commitment to division was triggered when the cell grew large enough to saturate the binding sites.

"In a small cell, there just weren't enough of them to bind to all of the sites. As the cell grows, the concentration remains the same, but having the same concentration in a larger cell means that there are more molecules, and eventually enough to bind to the available sites," said Royer. "It turns out that this system is a simple titration mechanism. It's very straightforward biochemistry."

The team grew cells in growth medium -- a liquid designed to support yeast cell growth -- with different kinds of nutrients. When the team examined cells grown in medium with poor nutrients, they discovered that those cells were "up-regulating," producing more molecules of the four key proteins given their cell size, and therefore triggering commitment to division at a smaller size. The finding explains why cells grown in a nutrient-poor environment are smaller in size.

"It's counter-intuitive, but at a certain level, it makes sense," Royer said. "If you're a yeast cell, and you are in a nutrient-poor environment, your best bet is survival of the colony rather than the individual. And so you divide at a smaller size to support the colony."This item is available in full to subscribers.

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Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.The University of California regents grilled top UC officials Wednesday about why they missed a critical deadline for complying with the recommendations in a 2017 state audit that uncovered $175 million squirreled away in President Janet Napolitanos office.

That hidden money  much of it used for university projects but never disclosed to the regents in the UC presidents annual budget presentation  prompted the auditor to prescribe an overhaul of the $813.5 million presidents office that oversees the UC system.

The annual budget presented by the presidents office was typically about seven pages long, and the regents invariably approved it.

We got used to doing things in a certain way, Regents Chairman George Kieffer acknowledged Wednesday.

As part of the overhaul to be completed in 2020, 10 steps were due by April 30. Among them were the presentation of a thorough and transparent budget, and establishing a process for reining in salaries in Napolitanos office. The audit revealed that perks and pay for people working there far exceeded those of similar state employees.

After the audits release in April 2017, Gov. Jerry Brown withheld $50 million from UC and said he would let it go only when the presidents budget presentation complied with audit recommendations and other reforms  such as halting lucrative retirement perks for new executives.

As the regents will see, the budget (to be presented Thursday) is in line with both best practices and the state auditors recommendations for its presentation, Napolitano told the regents Wednesday at their meeting at UCs Mission Bay campus in San Francisco.

After the regents approve that budget, Brown is expected to tell state lawmakers to let the $50 million go, said H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the state Department of Finance.

But even as UC officials anticipated crossing that threshold, members of the regents audit committee asked why they missed the auditors April 30 deadline for completing 10 steps toward total audit compliance in 2020. State Auditor Elaine Howle announced this month that that UC missed four of the steps. Yet just before the deadline, a consultant hired by the regents to oversee compliance, former state auditor Kurt Sjoberg, said UC was in the clear.

I want to make sure I understand  if youve been working with the auditor all along  why have the expectations not been met? Gareth Elliott, vice chairman of the regents audit committee asked Zoanne Nelson, chief strategy officer in the presidents office, and other UC audit officials.

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Nelson said three of the four steps deemed noncompliant involved the presidents budget, which could not be revealed before Thursday. However, she said that in March her team gave state auditors a detailed template of what they planned to present this week  just without the numbers.

As for the remaining out-of-compliance step  the process for reining in salaries  we thought we were on track because it was believed to be due in 2019, Nelson said.

Regent Ellen Tauscher asked if the problem was a substantive misunderstanding or a matter of semantics.

Nelson said it was the latter. But she said the team would nevertheless work to comply with the remaining salary issue, and that when the auditor takes another look in October, well definitely be able to determine the (new salary) ranges by then.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimovA 200-year-old carving of the war god Ku has returned home to Hawaii after spending untold years abroad and in the hands of private collectors.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and his wife, Lynne, purchased the rare piece at a November auction at Christies in Paris, paying more than $7 million for the figure, which is less than 2 feet tall.

The San Francisco couple then donated the piece to the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, which announced the acquisition this week.

We felt strongly that this kii (Hawaiian for image) belonged in Hawaii for the education and benefit of its people, Marc Benioff said.

The carving, made sometime between 1780 and 1819, had been in the collection of Claude Verite, a Paris art dealer, who apparently acquired it in 1940. Its unclear where the carving was before that.

Similar pieces are found only in museums, said Susan Kloman, head of African and Oceanic Art at Christies, in a description of the piece prior to the auction. She described the carving as an incredible discovery.

When I first saw this figure I was astonished  really speechless, she said. We couldnt imagine that such a work could still exist in a private collection.

Benioff said he learned of the piece only a day before the auction, when Danny Akaka Jr., Hawaiian cultural practitioner and Bishop Museum board member, called to ask for the billionaires help.

The carving was probably part of a temple on the Big Island, where King Kamehameha I prayed to Ku to unify the Hawaiian islands, Benioff said. Missionaries presumably boxed it up along with other sacred Hawaiian relics and sent it to Europe.

It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to return something like this to its home, Benioff added.

It was either going to go back into someones living room for another 200 years, he said, or it was going to go back to Hawaii and be on display for the Hawaiian people.

Benioff, who owns an estate in Hawaii, said he had to beat out a significant bidder, to get the item.

Its a spiritual item, he said. Its not really something that should be held to help the power of one person.

The carving was returned to the islands about a month ago  the land-eater idol arriving about a week before the eruption of the Kilauea volcano  the timing of which was not lost on Benioff.

The Salesforce founder has long had a connection to Hawaii. While an executive at Oracle, he decided to take a sabbatical and rented a beach hut on the Big Island of Hawaii.

He swam with dolphins and embraced the spirit of Aloha, according to Saleforces online information.

The billionaire signs his emails, Aloha, Marc, and likes wearing Hawaiian shirts. His company incorporates the aloha spirit  a belief in treating others with love and respect that translates into a corporate mission that includes spending 1 percent of its profit on philanthropic endeavors.

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Corporate conference rooms have names like Maka Launa or Hala Kahiki, and the top floors of buildings, including the one on San Franciscos new Salesforce Tower, are called the Ohana, or family, floor.

In addition to the donation of art, Benioff has committed to funding 100 percent of Red Cross emergency relief efforts related to the eruption of the Kilauea volcano.

But the billionaire businessman does not typically buy art. This was a departure from his philanthropic endeavors.

But it was a big deal, he said. This is a very, very big deal.

The kii is 20 inches tall and stands in a warrior pose. It is in the Kona style, made by carvers in that area of the largest of the Hawaiian islands during the reign of Kamehameha I, according to the Bishop Museum.

Over the years, many of Hawaiis cultural treasures have resided outside of Hawaii. Some have returned home, others not yet, Akaka said in a statement this week. Today we can celebrate the arrival of this kii to Hawaii and to the Bishop Museum where it will serve as a symbol of great cultural pride as well as a reflection of Hawaiis spiritual past.

The museum plans to make the carving a centerpiece in an exhibition opening in February.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltuckerThe decision to take no action against the police officers involved in the deadly shootings of Mario Woods and Luis Gongora Pat underscores what legal experts said is the inherently high bar prosecutors face in weighing criminal charges in fatal use-of-force episodes.

Following separate investigations, District Attorney George Gascon announced Thursday that his office wouldnt file criminal charges against the officers involved in the shooting deaths of Woods in 2015 and Gongora Pat in 2016. In both cases, it was determined that there was insufficient evidence to prove that the officers had violated the law.

The families of the two men and many community members had called for charges to be filed against the officers, whom some accused of executing the two men.

Some people are sharply critical of what they see as a failure of police and political accountability. Others say officers are responding to harrowing and potentially deadly situations  not instigating them  and that its untenable to prosecute them for doing the toughest parts of their jobs.

There were 80 police officers arrested for murder or manslaughter between 2005 and mid-April of 2017 nationwide, according to research from Bowling Green State University criminologist Philip Stinson. There were 28 convictions stemming from those arrests, only five of which were for murder charges.

We have a serious problem with police excessive force, especially against men of color, said Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of UC Berkeley School of Law, who has advocated for more restrictive use-of-force standards. The question is, how do we hold the police accountable and prevent excessive use of force, while respecting the fact that police have an incredibly difficult job?

Woods was African American and Gongora Pat was Latino. Their deaths, along with a series of police shootings across the country in recent years, have shaken the confidence of minority communities in public-safety officials.

Both Chemerinsky and Gascon support a bill currently before the state Senate Public Safety Committee that would toughen the standards for when police officers may shoot at a suspect.

The bill, AB931, was introduced by Assembly members Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, and Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, following the death of Stephon Clark, who was killed by Sacramento police in March. Clark was unarmed, and his death sparked widespread protests and renewed calls for changes to police procedure. Separately, an Assembly budget subcommittee on Thursday authorized spending $9.7 million to create a new unit in the states Department of Justice to investigate police shootings.

Police officers shouldnt be charged with a crime unless theres sufficient evidence, said Alan Schlosser, senior counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. But the system doesnt seem like it works fairly, and people are going to be upset about that.

Criminal justice experts and legal scholars say Gascons decision not to bring charges in the two San Francisco shooting deaths is emblematic of the wide latitude reserved for police officers in determining whether deadly use of force is justified. When officers are faced with split seconds to make life-or-death decisions, the law is highly deferential to an officers judgment in the moment, said Robert Weisberg, a Stanford law professor and co-director of the schools Criminal Justice Center.

Its always about the reasonable perception of a threat of deadly force. Thats 99 percent of the action in these cases, Weisberg said. Prosecutors and the public, Weisberg said, simply have a lot of faith in the reasonableness of officers, who are trained in when and how to use deadly force.

So youre going to get a fair amount of the benefit of the doubt given to the police when it comes to reasonableness, Weisberg said. It obviously looks especially awful when the victim of a (police) shooting did not have a weapon. But the fact is  in some ways, its harsh to say, but that almost doesnt matter, he said. What matters is if (the suspect) reasonably appeared to have a weapon.

Both Woods and Gongora Pat allegedly refused police demands to drop the knives they were carrying.

District attorneys can also be reluctant to bring criminal charges against police departments, Chemerinsky said, because of the close relationship that often exists between prosecutors and police leadership. Prosecutors depend on the police for evidence in all their cases, he said.

Apart from criminal charges brought by prosecutors, the U.S. Supreme Court has made it challenging for individuals to bring civil suits against police departments and individual officers. Generally, a lawsuit would have to demonstrate that a citys police policies are unconstitutional  written in a way that invites the use of excessive force, rather than permitting it in situations where an officer perceives a reasonable threat of harm.

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Anthony Ribera, director of the International Institute of Criminal Justice Leadership and a former chief of the San Francisco Police Department, said officers make the decision to use deadly force primarily based on self-defense and the defense of the community.

But by no means am I saying that in all use-of-force incidents are the officers correct, Ribera added. The situation dictates that they make a split-second decision, and they dont always make the correct decision. But theyre not making that decision based on animosity for the subject or some sort of criminal intent.

Weber and McCartys bill seeks to curb the unnecessary use of deadly force by implementing stricter rules for when officers are permitted to shoot suspects. Instead of assessing whether an officer acted reasonably in a deadly use-of-force incident, the bill would permit officers to shoot a suspect only when necessary.

The bill, experts said, would be likely to result in greater scrutiny of police shootings, particularly of whether deadly force was truly used as a last resort. Under current law, whether an officer had an alternative is irrelevant, and its not part of the legal standard. AB931, proponents say, would put an emphasis on training for alternatives to deadly force, like de-escalation, for police departments.

Gascon is believed to be the only district attorney in the state to support the bill.

That would be a shift from the current law that talks about police being able to use force under a reasonable officer and a reasonable person standard, which basically puts deadly force in a toolbox with other alternatives, and even if deadly force is not a last resort, if it is reasonable under the circumstances, they get to use it, and thats taken us to where we are today, Gascon said.

If AB931 was law, it would give us the opportunity to do a different legal analysis of these cases, he said. Its not the law today, so it plays no role in hypothetical cases of what we would have done or not done.

Chronicle staff writer Evan Sernoffsky contributed to this report.

Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassaWith speeches and ceremonial shovels, construction began Wednesday at the site of a closed naval air station on what will be Alamedas first major market-rate multifamily development in four decades.

But amid the pomp, some officials expressed concern about the site. Tetra Tech EC Inc., a U.S. Navy contractor accused of falsifying or fraudulently manipulating data during the cleanup of San Franciscos former Hunters Point Shipyard, was also the contractor at the Alameda base.

Two former Tetra Tech supervisors pleaded guilty to swapping clean soil samples for potentially toxic ones at Hunters Point  a project that is to include more than 10,500 housing units, millions of square feet of office space, schools, a hotel and 300 acres of open space in San Francisco. Each was sentenced to eight months in prison.

Fallout from the cleanup scandal continues. Terry Seward, chief of the groundwater protection division of the Bay Areas water quality control board, said he will send a letter Thursday to every active landfill in the region, asking that they go through their records to see if any received material from Hunters Point between January 2006 and December 2015, a period during which they fear radioactive or toxic soil from the San Francisco site could have been trucked to area dumps.

Seward said the Navy also is working to compile waste transportation manifests that will detail where the Hunters Point materials went and when.

Photos by Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

Precisely what Tetra Tech did in the area of Alameda Point planned for development, known as Site A, wasnt clear Wednesday. The developers said they had no involvement with Tetra Tech, and had received safety confirmations from the Navy, state agencies such as the Department of Toxic Substances and their own environmental consultants. City officials said their contractors likewise verified the Navys data.

The Navys environmental coordinator for the Alameda cleanup, Cecily Sabedra, said no evidence of fraud has been found at the East Bay waterfront site.

Through a Navy spokesman, she released a statement saying in part: Tetra Tech was a contractor who performed environmental cleanup tasks throughout the former NAS Alameda, including Site A, for many phases of environmental investigation and cleanup. The Navys internal-review safeguards and the regulatory-review process indicate Alameda data are accurate and the work completed to date at Alameda is protective of human health. Quality assurance and quality control measures, including field oversight and data review by Navy personnel and the regulatory agencies, have been and continue to be in place at Alameda to verify data are accurate and representative of site conditions.

The developers said testing and recertification will continue as old naval buildings and pavement are torn up to make room for the 70-acre development, which is to include 800 residential units, up to 600,000 square feet of commercial space and a ferry terminal that will connect to San Francisco, plus parks and open space.

City Councilwoman Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft said she wants additional assurances that the land is safe. She wrote a list of questions she wants answered for the City Council and public  among them: Did Tetra Tech do testing at Site A? How does Alamedas situation differ from Hunters Point? Should someone retest the soil? Did the Environmental Protection Agency use a radiation scanning van, like the one that The Chronicle reported was used in San Francisco?

Its the responsible, conscientious thing to do, Ashcraft said. You cant be too careful when it comes to public health and safety.

Vice Mayor Malia Vella said she, too, was concerned and that the public deserves to know if anything went wrong during the Navy and EPAs cleanup of the site.

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Still, Vella said, the level of vigilance here has been above and beyond.

Tetra Tech was deeply involved at another portion of the 2,800-acre Alameda Naval Air Station property, Site 2, which is deemed a toxic Superfund site by the EPA. The station was an active military installation for fleet aviation activities from the 1930s to the 1990s.

According to Tetra Techs 200-page remedial action work plan, submitted to the Navy and other government agencies in 2013, Site 2 contained radium-226 and other radioactive materials. In the 1940s, workers coated instruments such as dials using a radioluminescent paint containing the isotope. Rags and paint brushes were then discarded at the site.

Jennifer Ott, the citys director of base re-use, said the site  owned by the Department of Veterans Affairs  will remain closed, because its home to several endangered species.

The land also had been a dumping ground for materials containing asbestos, pesticides, sandblasting grit, medical waste and tear gas agents. Cleaning the area involved Tetra Tech placing a multilayer soil cover over the old landfill.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerovThe multitudes of scooters that appeared on San Franciscos sidewalks in late March could vanish for most of June as the city begins the process of issuing permits to motorized scooter rental companies, authorities announced Thursday.

In a move sure to upset customers and the three companies renting scooters, the city will require Bird, LimeBike and Spin to stop operations on city sidewalks on June 4 and not resume rentals until permits are issued.

As of June 4, they have to be off of the city streets (and sidewalks), City Attorney Dennis Herrera said. In the event they are not taken off the streets the (Municipal Transportation Agency) will take that behavior into account, and I will reserve the right to do anything legally to make sure the law is enforced.

Rachel Starr, a spokeswoman for Spin, said the company would remove its scooters and is working on its application.

LimeBikes also said it would comply.

We are excited to apply for a permit and will comply with the citys request that all electric scooters be removed by June 4, the firm said in a statement.

Bird spokesman Kenneth Baer said: We look forward to working closely with the SFMTA to obtain a permit. In just a short time, tens of thousands of San Franciscans have ridden more than 100,000 miles on Birds. The demand for a way to get around San Francisco that does not add to congestion or carbon emissions is clear, and we look forward to meeting it in the days to come.

Companies will be fined $100 a day, plus fees, for each scooter left in a public right of way after June 4.

Applications for permits, which are limited to five companies, were available beginning Thursday afternoon.

San Francisco supports transportation innovation, but it cannot come at the price of public safety, Herrera said earlier in a written statement.  We can have innovation but it must keep our sidewalks safe and accessible for all pedestrians, he said.

Rental scooters have been a source of controversy since they suddenly appeared on sidewalks by the hundreds at the end of March. In their short time in the city, the two-wheelers have become a divisive issue, drawing passionate fans and enraged foes.

Riders say the scooters, which rent for $1 plus 15 cents per minute, and can travel up to 15 mph, provide an inexpensive, fast and fun way to make short trips around the city, whether between BART and work, to lunch or to attend meetings.

Critics, including advocates for pedestrians, seniors and people with disabilities, along with some merchants, complain that they are often parked blocking sidewalks, ramps and bus stops. Some scooter users ride on sidewalks and without helmets or drivers licenses, in violation of state law.

City officials have taken a middle ground but a hard line, saying they welcome scooters and consider them a valuable way to get around the city, as long as users and companies obey the law and maintain a sense of decorum.

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We support the spirit of innovation that the scooter companies bring to creating sustainable options for getting around, said Ed Reiskin, transportation director for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, and we will be holding them to high standards in the public interest.

After being flooded with complaints, Public Works officials confiscated hundreds of scooters that were blocking sidewalks. The Board of Supervisors granted the SFMTA the power to regulate and require permits for rental scooters, and the city attorney issued a cease-and-desist order banning the rental companies from operating illegally.

The permit process adopted by the SFMTA allows for a one-year trial permit program that allows no more than five motorized scooter rental companies to operate in the city and places a cap on the total number of scooters: 1,250 during the first six months, possibly rising to 2,500 during the second six.

As part of their permit applications, companies must show how they will keep the sidewalks clear of scooters, provide insurance, offer plans for low-income riders, provide trip data to the SFMTA, and protect the privacy of scooter renters and their mobile phone data.

This program is a strong step forward, Herrera said. It provides the framework to ensure that companies operating in the public right of way are doing so lawfully and are accountable.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuanFacebook may be able to help you quit smoking, according to a UCSF study slated for release Thursday.

The study used the worlds most popular social media site to recruit 500 smokers ages 18 to 25. It exposed them to messages about quitting and counseling about quitting, all through Facebook.

The upshot: The Facebook users were 2 times more likely to stop smoking than young adults who were exposed to more traditional online quitting programs  in this case, the National Cancer Institutes smokefree.gov website.

The study, conducted between 2014 and 2016, is one of the first by a U.S. research institution to examine whether social media can help young adult smokers to quit. A 2016 Canadian study had similar findings  that young adult smokers who were targeted by a social media campaign were more likely to stop than those who used a telephone hotline.

The UCSF studys participants joined a private Facebook group in which they could communicate with a trained counselor through a weekly live counseling session, similar to a Reddit-style question-and-answer exchange. Researchers also created daily posts tailored to the participants level of interest in quitting  some expressed a desire to quit immediately, some indicated they wished to quit in the next six months, and others had no plans to quit. The study looked at whether people stopped smoking after three months, six months and 12 months of the Facebook intervention.

Someone who didnt smoke seven consecutive days was considered to have successfully abstained. For verification, participants took a saliva test that detects cotinine, an indicator of nicotine exposure.

Researchers were particularly interested in targeting young adults because that age group does not use traditional quitting programs as often as older adults, even though the programs are accessible online and through texting services.

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In our intervention, people were much more engaged and active, said Danielle Ramo, the studys lead author and director of the research on addiction and digital interventions lab at the UCSF Department of Psychiatry.

Ramo, an associate professor of psychiatry, is now looking into using Instagram to recruit participants for clinical trials to test the effectiveness of social media interventions for tobacco and alcohol for young adults and LGBT adults.

Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_HoFacebook has begun adding interactive Paid for by labels on all U.S. political advertising as the company continues its efforts to blunt intense pressure to do more about rampant election interference by foreign powers.

The labels started appearing on Facebook and its Instagram photo app Thursday, a day after Twitter said it would add labels to tweets and retweets involving U.S. political candidates, beginning next week with races for governor and Congress.

Facebooks labels will appear on ads about candidates and a list of 20 hot topics, with drop-down menus and links leading to information such as who paid for it, a range of money spent and how widely it was seen. There are also bar charts showing the ages, gender and location of people it reached.

Helping people to understand whos trying to influence their vote will help us better defend against foreign interference and other abuse, Katie Harbath, the Menlo Park companys global politics and government outreach director, and public policy director Steve Satterfield wrote in a blog post.

Facebook announced in April that it would start requiring greater transparency for ads promoting political candidates and advocating positions on community issues. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, shortly before he faced a gantlet of questions during two days of testimony before Congress on the Cambridge Analytica scandal, said the company was already requiring advertisers to verify their identities and locations before placing a political ad.

The company is hiring 3,000 to 4,000 employees by the end of the year to review ads, part of a team of 20,000 safety and security workers Facebook previously said it is adding.

The moves are meant to address severe criticism of Facebook for allowing posts paid for by Russian agents leading up to the 2016 presidential election. Zuckerberg initially downplayed those problems for months, but was forced to shift his stance as more information about the extent of foreign interference and news about misuse of personal data of Facebook users became public.

This month, Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee released more than 3,500 Facebook ads created or promoted by a Russian internet agency to stoke racial and political divisions.

The Paid for by labels represent a complete about-face for Facebook, which had lobbied to avoid requirements that political ads be labeled. Under previous rules that are only now being updated, a small items exemption meant to apply to promotional items like pens and buttons let the social network avoid disclosure, under the argument that the ad spaces on its website and app were too small to accommodate labels.

These changes will not prevent abuse entirely, product management director Rob Leathern said in a post. Were up against smart, creative and well-funded adversaries who change their tactics as and when we spot abuse. But we believe that they will help prevent future interference in elections on Facebook.

Clicking on the labels leads to an archive of more information that can also be reached by anyone directly through a Facebook political content ads site, which will include ads the advertiser has run in the U.S. as far back as seven years.

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Facebook has also created an initial list of 20 broad but potentially controversial ad topics that will also require a label. Those topics are abortion, budget, civil rights, crime, economy, education, energy, environment, foreign policy, government reform, guns, health, immigration, infrastructure, military, poverty, social security, taxes, terrorism and values.

We know this needs to be a living and breathing document, Harbath said in a conference call with journalists.

The company rejected calls to ban all political ads because the benefits outweighed the potential harm, Harbath and Satterfield wrote.

We wont always get it right, they wrote. We know well miss some ads and in other cases well identify some we shouldnt. Well keep working on the process and improve as we go.

Benny Evangelista is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: bevangelista@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChronicleBennyUsing police data, medical examiner records and district attorney reports, The Chronicle reviewed 15 years of officer-involved shootings in San Francisco. Such incidents have prompted calls for reforms of the citys Police Department and were central in the resignation Thursday of Police Chief Greg Suhr.

Between 2000 and 2015, there have been 95 reported shootings involving San Francisco police officers, including 40 fatal ones, according to police data (officer suicides and accidental discharges were excluded).

While the number of police shootings in recent years has remained relatively flat, fatal shootings have spiked. Last year San Francisco police shot and killed six people, the highest count in more than 15 years, sparking outcry from some concerned about an escalating use of lethal force.

Suhr acknowledged the increase in an interview with The Chronicle before his resignation, saying: Were trying to figure out what we can do in terms of de-escalation (training), time and distance, anything to not have more officer-involved shootings.

The vast majority of San Francisco police officers go their entire careers without firing a weapon at someone. Since 2000, roughly 160 officers have been named in a shooting, out of a sworn force that has hovered around 2,200. The figure does not include incidents currently under investigation.

Only six individuals were involved in more than one shooting. During his 35 years in law enforcement, Suhr said, he never fired his gun in the line of duty.

The demographics of shooting victims in San Francisco differed from those in most other Bay Area cities. While the shooting deaths of Alex Nieto, Amilcar Perez-Lopez, Mario Woods and Luis Gongora  who were all black or Latino  have been the focus of recent scrutiny, many people fatally shot by San Francisco police over the past five years have been white, according to medical examiner records.

By contrast, nine of the 10 people shot and killed by Oakland Police Department officers over that time period were African American. Of the 15 people fatally shot by San Jose police, almost half were Latino.

Of the eight people fatally shot by San Francisco police since the beginning of 2015, four were Latino, two African American and two white.

More than 60 percent of all fatal shootings by San Francisco police since 2010 involved people with mental health problems or who were acting erratically at the time of the incident, according to past reporting by The Chronicle. The department responds to an average of 400 calls per month involving such people, according to Suhr. Thats a lot of people in a lot of crisis, he said.

Since 2000, most of those shot by officers in San Francisco were reportedly armed, according to police records. Firearms were the most common weapon police faced, followed by moving vehicles and knives. In 11 incidents  two of them fatal  those shot were not known to be armed.

While officers can use lethal force when they feel that their lives, or the lives of someone else, is in imminent danger, the presence of a weapon doesnt necessarily justify a shooting.

It really depends on what is done with the weapon, said John Crew, former ACLU lawyer and police watchdog. The possession of something that could be used as a weapon is an inherently dangerous situation, but that alone isnt a threat of imminent danger of death or serious injury.

While no officer-involved shootings have resulted in criminal charges in San Francisco since 2000, police have determined four of those shootings to be in violation of department policy (excluding suicides and accidental discharges). At least two of those involved officers firing a gun at a moving vehicle, a practice discouraged by federal guidelines and restricted by some police departments.

The Los Angeles Police Department, Miami Police Department and Denver Police Department are among those that prohibit shooting at a moving car unless the driver is armed with another weapon as well. The San Francisco Police Department is considering similar guidelines.

The practice is under renewed scrutiny after a police officer shot and killed an African American woman in the Bayview district Thursday after she crashed her vehicle and was trying to dislodge it from beneath a truck. Police said there was no immediate indication the woman was armed or was driving toward officers when she was shot.

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Mayor Ed Lee reportedly said early reports of the incident made him very uneasy before he asked Suhr to resign.

San Francisco has also seen an increase in less severe uses of force, actions ranging from grabbing a suspect by the wrist to placing one in a choke hold or firing a gun.

In 2009, San Francisco police reported 874 use-of-force incidents, according to records from the departments Early Intervention System, which tracks potential at-risk behavior among officers. The number steadily increased through last year, when it hit 1,051, a 20 percent increase over 2009.

Some districts in the city saw particularly big increases. In the Tenderloin, use-of-force incidents nearly doubled, from 80 in 2009 to 156 last year. In the Mission Police District, the number of incidents increased by 50 percent, from 96 to 145.

If any department had data showing a significant uptick in uses of force  department-wide, station-wide, or among officers using force more frequently than their peers  they should want to know why, Crew said.

Sgt. Stacy Youngblood, who oversees the departments tracking system, said a rise in use of force isnt necessarily a red flag; it could be a reflection of deployment patterns or other factors.

Chronicle staff writer Vivian Ho contributed to this report.

Joaquin Palomino is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jpalomino@sfchronicle.com Twitter: JoaquinPalominoAngels in America Berkeley Reps revival of Tony Kushners epic two-part masterpiece set in the height of the AIDS crisis gives reminders both timeless and timely for our own era of identity politics: We can commune with people with whom we seem to share nothing. We can forgive. Sick and despised, we can nonetheless be warriors for life. Acknowledging what it costs us to move in the world and change it and always desire more than what we have, we can still choose to be alive. Through July 22. Part One: Millennium Approaches, three hours, 35 minutes. Part Two: Perestroika, three hours, 45 minutes. $40-$100, subject to change. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2015 Addison St., Berkeley. 510-647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org.L. Janiak

Beach Blanket Babylon Steve Silvers effervescent revue of send-ups and showstoppers in which Snow White looks for love in an onslaught of pop-culture lampoons and fantastic hats. Ongoing. $25-$130. Club Fugazi, 678 Green St., S.F. 415-421-4222. www.beachblanketbabylon.com. R. Hurwitt

The Color Purple Though the musical adaptation of Alice Walkers novel is an uneasy fit for the #MeToo era, inviting audiences to condemn domestic violence and racism and then congratulate ourselves for being so enlightened, the singing voices in SHNs touring Broadway production are glorious, with superhuman bellows of wretchedly human pain. Belts muster such volume as to practically take tangible form; to absorb them means there almost isnt space for you yourself to take a breath. Ends Sun., May 27. Two hours 25 minutes. $55-$246, subject to change. SHNs Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market St., S.F. 888-746-1799. www.shnsf.com.L. Janiak

An Entomologists Love Story If the notions of femininity on display in Melissa Ross San Francisco Playhouse world premiere are as black-and-white and as retrograde as those in Woody Allens Husbands and Wives, director Giovanna Sardelli nonetheless makes the chemistry between two American Museum of Natural History entomologists into a kind of love. Its a love the pair  exes, coworkers and best friends  can no longer consummate. But its a love all the same, and one they have to redefine as they meet new partners. Through June 23. 90 minutes. $20-$125. San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post St., S.F. 415-677-9596. www.sfplayhouse.org.

L. Janiak

Jesus Christ Superstar The material might be lackluster, its central figures less real people than abstractions, but the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber rock musical about Christs last days has rarely shined as in Ray of Lights all-female production. Just to see so many women onstage, for once, thrills, especially when theyre not defined as love interests for male leads, but by their roles in a cosmic political battle over the future of Rome. Through June 9. 120 minutes. $15-$40. Victoria Theatre, 2961 16th St., S.F. www.rayoflighttheatre.com. L. Janiak

The Magic Bus Antenna Theater presents Chris Hardmans magical mystery tour through the hippie 60s and the Beat and Cold War past, on a bus ride through the city. Veterans of the era might nitpick, but its hard to resist the old clips and 60s music. Ongoing. $40-$59. Meet at Union Square, Geary Street, S.F. 855-969-6244. www.magicbussf.com.R. Hurwitt

Marjorie Prime Jordan Harrisons Bay Area premiere at Marin Theatre Company seeks to map out the reverberations of loss through time  how the scar of one death, years ago, gets imprinted on successive generations, who then mutate and multiply historical trauma with their own fresh ones. If thats the stuff of epic, not of a sleek 80 minutes, its not so bad to be wanting more, and Ken Rus Schmolls expressive cast achieves moments of wrenching poignancy. Ends Sun., May 27. 80 minutes. $22-$60. Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley. 415-388-5208. www.marintheatre.org. L. Janiak

Marrakech Magic Theater Jay Alexanders mien throughout his card tricks, mind reading, number games and feats of extraordinary coincidence is that of a nerd with overweening enthusiasm  enthusiasm you cant help but share. And descending the venues mysterious steps into an all-arabesque lounge (with drinks and appetizers available for purchase) for preshow close-up magic and then entering a tiny jewel box theater for the actual show are experiences in and of themselves. Ongoing. 90 minutes. $45. Marrakech Magic Theater, 419 OFarrell St., S.F. www.sanfranciscomagictheater.com. L. Janiak

The Speakeasy Its Sleep No More without the masks in this walk-through, Prohibition-era theater experience; audiences can play craps and blackjack, sneak through secret passages, quaff period cocktails, take in a dance at a cabaret, then spy on those dancers in their dressing room, via a two-way mirror. A feast for the adventurous  dont try to get in without period attire of your own  The Speakeasy deserves to be a fixture in the Bay Area theater scene. Ongoing. Three hours, 30 minutes. $85-$130. Secret venue near North Beach and Chinatown, S.F. www.thespeakeasysf.com. L. Janiak

Two Minds The Marshs world premiere about the Nobel-winning Israeli psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, who debunked the long-held belief that human beings make decisions rationally, might be better off as a college lecture rather than a play. Despite some sharp characterizations from performers Jackson Davis and Brian Herndon, exposition is baldly declared, and scene upon scene makes cheesy parallels between the pairs professional and private lives. Through June 9. 70 minutes. $20-$100. The Marsh, 1062 Valencia St., S.F. 415-282-3055. www.themarsh.org L. Janiak

The Waiting Period The subject is suicidal depression, but theres nothing depressing about this brilliant solo from Brian Copeland. The 70-minute tale of waiting to get the gun he bought to kill himself is brutally honest, astonishingly funny, urgent, courageous and charmingly told. Through July 29. Free-$100. The Marsh, 1062 Valencia St., S.F. 415-282-3055. www.themarsh.org.

R. Hurwitt

What the Constitution Means to Me For all its sweeping imagination, cutting intellect and conspiratorial warmth, Heidi Schrecks exploration of our founding document isnt quite sure what kind of play it is, even if it has potential to become something great. Directed by Oliver Butler for Berkeley Rep, faux-spontaneous scenes barge in with seemingly no more thought behind them than, Hey, heres something that could fill the stage for a while. Through June 17. 95 minutes. $30-$97, subject to change. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. 510-647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org. L. Janiak

Not reviewed

Bang Bang S.F. International Arts Festival presents all-female Canadian nouveau-cirque ensemble Cirquantique performing a program blending burlesque and circus arts. 8 p.m. Thurs., May 31; 7 p.m. Fri., June 1; 9 p.m. Sat., June 2. $25. Gallery 308 at Fort Mason, 2 Marina Blvd., S.F. 415-399-9554. www.sfiaf.org/ 2018_cirquantique

Barn Owl Evan Johnson and Teddy Hulsker with Libby King collaborate on a new piece at CounterPulse about a gender non-conformer, Harmony, who works to reframe lifes challenges after their mother leaves earth on a UFO with 37 other members of the cult Heavens Gate. 8 p.m. Thurs. through Sat., May 31-June 2. $20-$35. Counterpulse, 80 Turk St., S.F. 415-626-2060. www.counterpulse.org

Best of PlayGround 22 Leading new play incubator PlayGround presents the best short plays from its yearlong Monday Night PlayGround series. Ends Sun., May 27. Free-$41. Potrero Stage, 1695 18th St., S.F. 415-992-6677. playground-sf.org/bestof

Bri Crabtrees Totally Sweet Circus Show with Wolfies Puppet Party A program of circus tricks and antics followed by a puppet show. 7 p.m. Wed., May 30. $15-$20. PianoFight, 144 Taylor St., S.F. 415-205-3219. www.bricrabtree.com

Bright Shining Sea PlayGround Festival of New Works presents the world premiere of Julianne Jigours play in which six characters find their lives intertwined as they face the personal challenges caused by environmental degradation. Through June 16. $26-$41. Potrero Stage, 1695 18th St., S.F. playground-sf.org/brightshiningsea

Can You Dig It?: The 60s Don Reeds solo show recounts his entertaining and at-times outrageous coming-of-age journey, focusing on his formative years in a 1960s Oakland grammar school. Through June 16. $20-$100. The Marsh, 1062 Valencia St., S.F. 415-282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Dry Land Shotgun Players presents Ruby Rae Spiegels story of an unlikely friendship between two girls looking at differing future paths. Through June 17. $25-$32. Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkleley. 510-841-6500, ext. 303. shotgunplayers.org

The $18-Billion Prize Theatre Verite Collective presents Phelim McAleer and Jonathan Leafs new play based on the trial and deposition transcriptsfrom the court case Donziger vs. Chevron Corp. May 18-June 3. $30. Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason St., S.F. 800-838-3006. 18billion.brownpa pertickets.com

Eurydice Main Stage West presents Sarah Ruhls reimagining of the myth of Orpheus seen through the eyes of its heroine. Ends Sat., June 2. $15-$30. Main Stage West, 104 N. Main St., Sebastopol. 707-823-0177. www.mainstagewest.com

Fool La La! Over the Rainbow Unique Derique returns to the Marsh with a new bag of tricks, side-splitting physical comedy and a free 20-minute Hambone and juggling workshop after each family-friendly performance. Through June 30. $15-$100. The Marsh, 1062 Valencia St., S.F. 415-282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Freaky Friday Center Rep presents the musical adaptation of Mary Rodgers 1972 novel about a body swap between an overworked mother and her teenage daughter. Through June 30. $38-$79. Lester Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. 925-943-7469. www.centerrep.org

Hamlet Murder, madness and ghostly visitations stalk Denmark in Shakespeares tragedy, now in a Marin Shakespeare production, as a young prince wrestles with his philosophy and filial obligation. May 25-July 8. $16-$38. Forest Meadow Amphitheatre at Dominican University, 890 Belle Ave., San Rafael. 415-499-4488. www.marinshakespeare.org

The Infinite Wrench San Francisco Neo-Futurists present an evening of two-minute plays exploring the irrepressible, the honest, the odd and the new. 9:30 p.m. Fridays. Ongoing. $14-$19. PianoFight, 144 Taylor St., S.F. www.pianofight.com

Inside Out & Back Again Bay Area Childrens Theatre presents the stage adaptation of Thandhha Lais book about a 10-year-old girl who escapes war-ravaged Saigon with her mother and brothers to start a new life as a refugee in Alabama. Ends Sun., May 27. $15-$27. Bay Area Childrens Theater Center, 2055 Center St., Berkeley. 510-296-4433. www.bactheatre.org

A Lesson From Aloes Weathervane Productions present Athol Fugards story, set during apartheid in South Africa, following a liberal white Afrikaner who believes in resistance, his unsettled English wife struggling with the personal costs, and a black activist who has everything to lose, painting a portrait of loyalty, race, sanity, and survival under an oppressive government. June 3-29. $25-$50. Z Below, 470 Florida St., S.F. 415-626-0453. www.alessonfromaloes.com

Mamma Mia! For its 105th season on top of Mount Tamalpais, Mountain Play presents the musical featuring the jubilant songs of ABBA. 2 p.m. Sundays through June 17. $20-$175. Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre, Mount Tamalpais State Park, Mill Valley. 415-383-1100. www.mountainplay.org

The Mushroom Cure The Marsh presents Adam Strauss solo play following his experiments in vigilante psychopharmacology with the help of hallucinogenic mushrooms. Through June 16. $20-$100. The Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. 415-282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Palace Wreckers, Inc. Its The Oresteia but as a comedy in Gary Graves world premiere, for Central Works, in which two estranged siblings reunite with their mother as shes brought a new man into the house. Through June 10. $15-$38. Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., Berkeley. 510-558-1381. www.centralworks.org

Pitch Perfect Sing & Quote-Along 3 Below Theater presents an interactive showing of the hit film. Costumes and audience participation encouraged. 7:30 p.m. Thurs. and Fri. May 31-June 1; 8 p.m. Sat., June 2; 1 p.m. Sun., June 3. $15-$18. 3Below Theaters and Lounge, 288 S. Second St., San Jose. 408-404-7711. www.3Belowtheaters.com

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert  The Musical Theatre Rhinoceros presents Stephan Elliot and Allan Scotts stage adaptation of the hit film following the adventures of three friends who hop aboard a battered old bus searching for love and friendship and end up finding more than they could have ever dreamed of. Through June 30. $15-$45. Gateway Theatre, 215 Jackson St., S.F. www.therhino.org

Reflections in Black 2018 SF Recovery Theater marks its 20th season with a collection of plays examining the African American experience. 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, June 1-16. $0-$20. PianoFight, 144 Taylor St., S.F. www.pianofight.com

Roman Women We Players presents a new piece highlighting the feminine narrative in the history of the late Roman Republic, through the lens of Shakespeares Julius Caesar. Through June 3. $30-$60. Palace of Fine Arts Rotunda, 3301 Lyon St., S.F. www.weplayers.org

San Francisco, I Love You! For Footloose Presents, Mary Alice Fry directs a series of vignettes about the City by the Bay. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through June 28. $20-50. Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter St., S.F. www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3357555

Scapegoat PlayGround Featival of New Works presents William Bivins new play, blending the real and comic book words, in which one man tests arts ability to create change in the face of another police shooting of an unarmed black man. Through June 17. $6-$41. Portrero Stage, 1695 18th St., S.F. 415-992-6677. playground-sf.org

Sense and Sensibility Town Hall Theatre Company presents Kate Hamills rollicking adaptation of the Jane Austen novel about the misadventures of the Dashwood sisters  sensible Elinor and hypersensitive Marianne  in gossipy Regency England. May 31-June 23. $18-$30. Town Hall Theatre, 3535 School St., Lafayette. 925-283-1557. www.townhalltheatre.com

The Siegel City Lights Theater Company presents Michael Mitnicks new romantic comedy that starts off with Ethan asking Alices parents for her hand in marriage, even though Ethan and Alice broke up two years ago. Through June 17. $19-$44. City Lights Theater Company, 529 S. Second St., San Jose. 408-295-4200. www.cltc.org

Solo Date S.F. International Arts Festival presents the surreal love duet of Taiwanese director Pao-Chang Tsai telling the story of a man who attempts to reconstruct his deceased lover through artificial intelligence and social media. 8:30 p.m. Thurs., May 31; 7 p.m. Fri., June 1; 3 p.m. Sat., June 2. $15-$25. Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Blvd., S.F. 415-399-3554. www.sfiaf. org/2018_pao_chang_tsai

Tableux S.F. International Arts Festival presents Aloysia Gavres movement peice featuring Troupe Vertigo, an all-female group of contortionists, dancers and acrobats. 8:30 p.m. Fri., June 1; 7 p.m. Sat., June 2; 6 p.m. Sun., June 3. $25. Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Blvd., S.F. 415-399-9554. www.sfiaf. org/2018_troupe_vertigo

Three Days of Rain Dragon Theatre presents Richard Greenbergs 1998 Pulitzer Prize finalist about an architecturally significant home and how its authorship and legacy get contested both in the moment and in future generations. Through June 17. $27-$35. Dragon Theatre, 2120 Broadway, Redwood City. 650-493-2006. www.dragonproductions.net

The Tin Women Ross Valley Players presents a comedy based on a true story using humor and pathos to explore loss, family bonds and what it means to be given new life, centered around a woman who receives a heart transplant but wonders whether she deserves it. Through June 10. $22-$27. Barn Theatre, 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross. 415-456-9555. www.rossvalleyplayers.com

Topdog/Underdog For Ubuntu Theater Project, Dorian Lockett and Michael Curry star in Suzan-Lori Parkss Pulitzer Prize-winning play about brothers Lincoln and Booth, one who works as a Lincoln impersonator, the other who deals three-card Monte. Through June 10. $0-$45. Ubuntu Theatre in Berkeley, 2020 Fourth St., Berkeley. 510-646-1126. www.ubuntutheaterproject.com

Two Minds Lynne Kaufmans new drama at the Marsh re-envisions the relationship between Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, psychologists who revolutionized the thinking about how people make decisions. Fridays and Saturdays through June 9. $20-$100. The Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia St., S.F. 415-282-3055. www.themarsh.org

Un-Scripted Theater Improvised Comedy Intimacy Issues, an hour-long improvised play about intimacy and oversharing. 10 p.m. Saturdays through July 7; Dash Improv, an hour of improvised comedy. 10 p.m. Saturdays, ongoing. $10. 533 Sutter St., S.F. 415-332-8738. www.un-scripted.com

Waafrika 123 Nick Hadikwa Mwalukos world premiere with TheatreFirst explores the expansiveness of gender, the complexity of sexuality, the pervasiveness of colonialism and the impact of traditional rituals in a fictional rural Kenyan village. Ends Sat., June 2. $15-$35. Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. www.theatrefirst.com

When Pigs Fly New Conservatory Theatre Center presents Howard Crabtrees larger-than-life musical revue about one mans pursuit of his dreams, all inspired by a conversation between Crabtree and a high school guidance counselor who told him hed put on stage shows When Pigs Fly. Through June 10. $35-$60. New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness Ave. 415-861-8972. www.nctcsf.org

Women In Jeopardy Left Edge Theatre presents Wendy MacLeods comedy about two divorcees who are suspicious of their friends new boyfriend and let their imaginations get the better of them. Ends Sun., May 27. $25-$40. Luther Burbank Center, 50 Mark West Springs Rd., Santa Rosa. 707-546-3600. leftedgetheatre.com2 1 of 2 Courtesy of Jeffrey Vance Show More Show Less 2 of 2 San Francisco Silent Film Festival Show More Show Less



The truth is, you can walk into any of the entries in the Silent Film Festival, because the risk-reward ratio is very much on the side of taking a chance. Yes, you risk a small amount of time and the price of admission, but in return you see something you might never have a chance to see again, and under absolutely ideal conditions  with great projection and a first-class musical accompaniment in a packed, enthusiastic house.

However, you might be risk averse under any circumstances, or maybe you just dont have the time to see everything. So here are five sure things, the five safest bets at the Silent Film Festival. All screenings will take place at the Castro Theatre.Noe Valley filmmaker Laurie Coyles documentary Adios Amor: The Search for Maria Moreno, screening at the Roxie theater as part of SF DocFest, is the culmination of a two-decade investigation into the life of a farmworker organizer whose work was long forgotten.

I realized she had been pretty much erased from what is considered to be the mainstream narrative of farm labor history, Coyle says. That fight for justice in the fields has gone on for many, many decades before Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta and the United Farmworkers.

It was a documentary about Chavez, 1997s The Fight in the Fields, that led Coyle to Moreno. Coyle was an associate producer and archival researcher on that film when she came upon a cache of hundreds of negatives and proof sheets by photographer George Ballis of a striking woman. Moreno, a mother of 12, was the first woman hired to organize for an American farmworkers union in the 1950s.

They were beautiful photographs, Coyle says. She was so intriguing to me. I come from a big family, a family with seven kids, and here was this farmworker who was clearly an organizer, but she had her children in tow in many of the photographs. It struck me that her motherhood was at the core of what she was doing as an organizer.

Over the years, a portrait of Moreno gradually emerged as Coyle met her children and found others who remembered her.

Its not a traditional movement history, Coyle says. Its a not a typical labor heroine story. Its really a story about how through love and humor and a lot of grit, the family got by. I thought it was a really interesting story that challenges a lot of our assumptions and stereotypes about farmworker families, about Mexican American families and about gender.

Adios Amor: The Search for Maria Moreno, 7 p.m. June 8, 12:30 p.m. June 9. $13. Roxie, 3117 16th St., S.F. http://sfindie.com

SFFilm grant winners: Five filmmaking teams are recipients of the inaugural SFFilm Westridge Foundation Grants. The biannual grants fund films in the screenwriting and initial development stage. The grantees are U.S. filmmakers whose projects tackle social issues and are set mostly within the U.S.

The grant recipients are:

Backseat: Lana Wilson, writer-director; Shrihari Sathe, producer. An immigrant mother ignites controversy when she leaves her son alone in her car.

Mandeville: Russell Nichols, writer. An African American youth, whose brother was killed by police, joins an experiment in which he will try to predict  and prevent  murders.

Miss Juneteenth: Channing Godfrey Peoples, writer-director; Neil Creque Williams, producer. A single mother and former pageant queen enters her daughter into the Miss Juneteenth competition, where the crown comes with a college scholarship.

Stay Awake: Jaime Sisley, writer-director; Kelly Thomas and David Ariniello, producers. Teenage brothers have spent their lives trying to help their mother beat her prescription drug addiction, only to see her go missing after a binge.

Taliesen: Maya Perez, writer. Tensions rise when a black couple go to work at architect Frank Lloyd Wrights Wisconsin home, leading to mass murder, in this fact-based drama.

The application period for the next round of SFFilm Westridge Foundation Grants is now open. Deadline is July 10, with a late deadline of July 31. www.SFFilm.org

Film clips

International Science Fiction & Fantasy Animation (16mm), a compendium of classic shorts from around the world, screens one night only, 6:45 p.m. Sunday, May 27, Roxie theater. www.roxie.com

The International Zen Buddhist Film Festival Showcase screens Sundays, June 10-June 24, at the Smith Rafael Film Center, San Rafael. https://rafaelfilm.cafilm.org

Film to Table: Leaning into the Wind  Andy Goldsworthy features a four-course meal along with discussion of the documentary at BAMPFAs Babette. 6:45 p.m. Saturday, June 2. $75, includes wine. Film ticket must purchased separately. www.babettecafe.com

 The SFFilm Documentary Film Fund is accepting grant applications with a late deadline of June 6. $45 application fee. www.SFFilm.org

Pam Grady is a San Francisco freelance writer.When Kevin Brownlow talks today, at age 79, about first falling in love with silent film, its easy to hear in his unconcealed joy the wide-eyed teenager who, back in the early 1950s, was knocked right out when he saw his first silent  a 1916 Douglas Fairbanks comedy.

Brownlow is the worlds pre-eminent silent-film historian, collector and preservationist. On Saturday, June 2, he will celebrate his 80th birthday at the 23rd San Francisco Silent Film Festival by presenting the little-known 1926 film Mare Nostrum at the Castro Theatre.

Set during World War I, the film  which Brownlow calls unmissable  was directed by Rex Ingram and is loosely based on the life of exotic dancer and spy Mata Hari. Ingrams real last name was Hitchcock, said Brownlow with his first of many laughs during a phone call from his home in London. When he met Alfred, he said, Youve got to do what I did and change your name. Youll never get anywhere with a name like that.

Brownlow remembered fondly when he fell headlong for silent cinema, while growing up in the age of Technicolor musicals.

I was at a horrible boarding school in East Sussex, England, after World War II, he said. The only decent thing the headmaster, who had no sound projector, did was to show us (silent) films every third Sunday. I became utterly fascinated.

But when I started talking about them to people, they would inevitably say, Silent films? No, no, theyre awful. Theyre just terribly photographed and ludicrously badly acted. Well, I got quite indignant. I became a one-man campaign to try and persuade people otherwise, that some of these pictures were stunning and just being overlooked by prejudice, a kind of snobbery.

Brownlow asked his parents for a small hand-cranked projector. He learned to edit and began sleuthing in archives and film libraries for reels of silent features. When talkies took over (by 1930), the major studios incinerated an estimated 83 percent of their silent prints, he said. For instance, Paramount made well over a thousand silent features, and they only kept 37 of them. Can you imagine? Thats like a publisher eradicating the work of Dickens or Tolstoy. Just unthinkable.

Working as a roving film collector, as well as a journalist, Brownlow  whos been called the Indiana Jones of the cinema world  interviewed a whos who list of silent-film pioneers  including Buster Keaton, Gloria Swanson, Lillian Gish, Mary Pickford, King Vidor, Frank Capra and many more. He made it his lifes work to preserve and celebrate silent films rich and under-chronicled history.

If you love silent movies, Kevin Brownlow should be your hero, Martin Scorsese wrote in Vanity Fair after Brownlow (whom he nominated) was awarded an honorary Academy Award in 2010, the first ever bestowed on a preservationist.

In addition to directing his own films, including It Happened Here (1964) and Winstanley (1975), Brownlow wrote the definitive book on the silent era, The Parades Gone By  (1968) and a biography of David Lean; directed the 1980 17-part television series Hollywood on the silent era; and founded and still runs Photoplay Productions to restore and present silent-era classics.

He is currently finishing a biography of San Francisco-born film director Sidney Franklin.

Yet towering over these impressive accomplishments is Brownlows six-decades-long restoration of what is widely considered the crowning masterpiece of the entire silent era  Abel Gances 1927 epic Napoleon. Brownlow first encountered just two reels of it, on the European home movie gauge of 9.5mm as a young man. Its hard to even describe in words the amazing fashion in which Gance used the camera, putting it on the back of a horse for a chase across Corsica, and for a storm at sea he had it on a pendulum up on the studio roof.

Brownlow worked on and off until 2000 tracking down fragments of Napoleon footage to meticulously reconstruct the technically sophisticated epic. A 1979 outdoor three-screen projection at the Telluride Film Festival, with Brownlow and 90-year-old Gance in attendance, and a score by Carmine Coppola (commissioned by his son, Francis) has ever since been part of cinema-history lore.

In 2012, the complete 5-hour restoration was shown in the U.S. for the first time at Oaklands Paramount Theatre, with composer Carl Davis conducting the Oakland East Bay Symphony.

It was the best showing we ever had, said Brownlow, expressing his excitement about returning in June to the Bay Area. People always think silent films were accompanied by piano, but at first-run theaters they had huge orchestras.

Its one of many misconceptions about silents that Brownlow is still working hard to discredit. This notion that silent films are simplistic, technically, because they didnt yet know how to do certain things couldnt be farther from the truth, he said. Every visual advance short of CGI (computer-generated imagery) was invented in the silent days  the moving camera, the advance from auto-chromatic to pan-chromatic and even the zoom lens, which was invented for a 1926 Clara Bow film. To this day, people see these films and say, Oh, how modern! Brownlow said with a laugh.

Jessica Zack is a freelance writer who frequently covers art and film for The San Francisco Chronicle. Twitter: @jwzack

San Francisco Silent Film Festival: Wednesday, May 30-next Sunday, June 3. Castro Theatre, S.F.

Mare Nostrum, with introduction by Kevin Brownlow (co-presented by SFFilm): Noon Saturday, June 2. www.silentfilm.orgSan Francisco District Attorney George Gascon declined to file criminal charges Thursday against police officers in two controversial killings, including the 2015 shooting of Mario Woods in the Bayview neighborhood, which prompted widespread protests and sweeping reform efforts in the city force.

Gascon said he will not file charges against five officers who fired at Woods and two officers who shot and killed Luis Gongora Pat in the Mission District in 2016, because both men had knives and there was insufficient evidence to prove the officers acted unreasonably in defending themselves and others.

However, the district attorney expressed frustration over the incidents that put a spotlight on how police use force in San Francisco, saying he did not believe officers should have killed the men but was bound by the law not to press charges. In the Woods case, prosecutors said, cell phone videos showed Woods was not directly threatening officers with the knife when they fired 26 rounds at him.

To the Woods family and the Gongora family, there are not enough words that I can say that are going to bring their loved ones back, Gascon said. Im very sorry they lost a son, they lost a brother, a friend, because I dont believe that was necessary.

The killings, four months apart, ratcheted up tension between the Police Department and many of the communities its officers are assigned to protect. Both Woods, 26, and Gongora Pat, 45, were men of color and the shootings followed nationwide upheaval after police killings including the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.

Attorney John Burris, who sued the city on behalf of Woods family, said he didnt expect criminal charges to be filed but was nonetheless disappointed.

The shooting was excessive and unjustified, Burris said. They shouldnt have been that quick to take a life. They had time to wait. No one was in serious danger.

Gongora Pats family members stood outraged on the steps of the Hall of Justice after Gascons announcement.

This is a very sad day. It is lamentable. It is extremely difficult for us, said Luis Armando Poot Pat, a cousin, with the help of an interpreter. Mr. Gascon is a coward. He is a person who does not represent the citizens. He did not have the courage to do his job.

But Thursdays decision was a huge relief for the officers in both cases, said Tony Montoya, president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association. He said the announcement was a long time coming and vindicated the officers.

These last 2 years have been an emotional roller coaster ride for them, Montoya said.

All of the officers were placed on paid leave, and upon returning to duty were placed in no-public-contact positions while the investigation went on.

They are all looking forward to getting back to the job they love, Montoya said.

The fatal shootings were among several in the city within a short period in San Francisco, leading to the resignation of Suhr in 2016 and prompting the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the police force and its policies.

Woods, an African American man, was killed Dec. 2, 2015. According to a 28-page report by the district attorneys office, officers were called around 4:20 p.m. to Keith Street near Third Street in the Bayview, to check out a report of a stabbing by an erratic man later identified as Woods.

When police arrived, Woods was holding a 4-inch blade, prosecutors said. Two officers reported that Woods told them, Im not going with you and Youre gonna have to fing shoot me.

Nearly a dozen officers soon arrived to form a semicircle around Woods as he stood against a wall. The officers attempted to disarm him with pepper spray and by firing two beanbag rounds and four foam rounds, but Woods refused to drop his weapon and began shuffling slowly to his right along the wall. He was cut off by Officer Charles August, who later told investigators he wanted to prevent Woods from going toward bystanders who were at a bus stop on the block.

As Woods got within about 10 feet of August, he and four other officers  Winston Seto, Antonio Santos, Nicholas Cuevas and Scott Phillips  opened fire, striking Woods 20 times. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Less than two minutes elapsed between initial contact and the shooting, according to the district attorneys report.

Two days after the incident, Suhr told an emotional town hall crowd that Woods had pointed his blade at August. The district attorneys investigation contradicted that claim, but noted that a suspect with a knife can pose a lethal threat and (officers) do not have to wait for an individual to attack them in order to use lethal force.

The medical examiners report said Woods was under the influence of methamphetamine.

Investigators with the district attorneys office consulted with supervisors at the Police Departments Training Academy as well as an independent use-of-force expert, both of whom concluded the officers acted in accordance with their training.

The city Police Commission began revising the departments use-of-force policy after the shooting, putting more emphasis on de-escalation. In February 2016, Suhr and Lee held a news conference announcing further changes designed to defuse situations with knife-wielding suspects.

But on April 7, 2016, police shot and killed Gongora Pat, a Mexican immigrant, on Shotwell Street between 18th and 19th streets in the Mission District.

The incident began shortly after 10 a.m. when workers from the Department of Public Healths Homeless Outreach Team reported that a homeless man was in the area waving a large kitchen knife.

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.

Two police officers and a sergeant sped to the scene and ordered Gongora Pat to drop an 8-inch knife, according to the district attorneys 35-page report on the incident.

Gongora Pat initially dropped the knife but picked it back up, the report said. The officers commanded him again to drop the weapon in English and Spanish before Officer Michael Mellone fired four beanbag rounds at him, officials said.

Thats when Gongora Pat jumped up, knife in hand, and charged at Sgt. Nathaniel Steger, according to the district attorneys report. Eight witnesses confirmed that account, prosecutors said, but other witnesses gave contradictory statements that investigators said were not supported by the physical evidence.

Steger and Mellone opened fire and hit Gongora Pat six times, including a fatal shot to the head, the report said.

The medical examiners report found he was under the influence of methamphetamine at a level high enough to kill or hospitalize a non-habitual user.

The shooting became more controversial after surveillance video from a nearby building emerged and showed that only 30 seconds passed between the time officers exited their patrol vehicles and when they fired.

In the days and weeks after the shooting, a group of demonstrators known as the Frisco Five began a hunger strike and called on Suhr to be fired. Protesters converged on City Hall, clashing with sheriffs deputies as they flooded the rotunda. The building was damaged in a raucous protest that ended in 33 arrests.

Suhr hung on until May 19, 2016, when a police sergeant shot and killed an unarmed car-theft suspect, Jessica Williams, in the Bayview. Within hours, the chief resigned.

On Thursday, Gascon invited Woods and Gongora Pats families to his office to explain his decisions, but both declined to take the meetings.

Mayor Mark Farrell issued a statement Thursday saying he respected Gascons decision and supported the work of the Police Department, while acknowledging the pain that the decision will cause in communities that have for so long been disproportionately impacted by violence.

Gascon has supported AB931, which would require police to use lethal force only when necessary to prevent imminent death or injury and there is no reasonable alternative.

I want the community to understand that Im very disturbed by these uses of force as well as others, and Im going to do everything that I can in order to move the law in a different direction, Gascon said.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffskySan Francisco voters will go to the polls on June 5 to elect a mayor and a District Eight supervisor with an innovative voting method called ranked-choice voting. As in a growing number of cities, voters will select their favorite candidate, but they will also be able to rank their second and third choices in case their favorite does not win.

We use many electoral methods in the United States. San Francisco elects school board members at large, with several seats elected at once, but the city elects the Board of Supervisors from one-seat, geographically defined districts. California holds a November runoff for congressional and state offices between the top two finishers in the primary election, yet a presidential candidate can win Californias electoral votes with only a plurality of the popular vote. Nationally, the electoral college doesnt consider the presidential popular vote at all.

So there is no single method for electing our representatives. But the old methods are often no longer working well. Innovation in our electoral procedures can reduce the paralyzing polarization in our politics by generating more choice for voters, more openness, and more incentives to compromise.

Under ranked-choice voting, winning candidates must appeal to a majority of voters, because if no one gains a majority of first rankings, then the least popular candidates are eliminated one by one. Their voters second and third preferences are then redistributed to the remaining candidates until someone emerges with a majority. The winning candidate often has to build coalitions and win votes from the supporters of other candidates, making it more likely that the winner will listen to what voters think and be more open to compromise.

Because candidates must try to win the second and third preference votes of their opponents in order to win, elections with ranked-choice voting tend to produce less vitriol and negative advertising. And having ultimately won a majority of votes, the successful candidate then has a stronger and broader mandate to govern.

Ranked-choice voting gives voters the freedom to express their real preferences. They no longer have to worry that they might waste their vote by casting it for a longshot. They can vote their conscience or their heart with a first preference, rank their less bad option second and another third. These votes will only be cast if their first (or second) choices have been eliminated.

In the 2011 ranked-choice voting race for mayor, 84 percent of San Francisco voters ranked two or more candidates, and nearly three-quarters ranked three. The percentage of voters ranking candidates has approached 90 percent in cities including Minneapolis, Oakland and Santa Fe.

With ranked-choice votings instant runoff, voters also only have to trudge out to the polls once, maximizing voter turnout. Candidates dont have to raise boatloads of money for a runoff election.

San Francisco has been using ranked-choice voting since 2004. Some critics have called for a return to a top two primary-type system, in which the top two finishers would face off in a runoff election. San Francisco used this method in the past, and New York and other cities continue to use it.

But runoff elections often invite mudslinging showdowns that heighten polarization and voter cynicism and inhibit compromise. If San Francisco were using that method today, the current mayoral race would be more likely to see the top three candidates, London Breed, Mark Leno and Jane Kim, savaging each other in a dogfight to see which of the two would end up in the runoff.

Then the two remaining candidates would seek the endorsement of the losing candidate, who they had just trashed in the first election. The final two candidates would then resume attacking each other, hoping to be the last one standing. This is the cycle of negative politics Americans have grown weary of.

With the instant runoff, candidates and organizations form their coalitions and do their cross endorsements before the election, because there will not be a second election for that purpose. Some have called this kind of cross-endorsement by candidates a way to game the system. But its simply how the ranked-choice voting system works, providing incentives for candidates to compromise, listen and build coalitions.

Of all the political reforms we might adopt to reduce the polarization and venom in our politics, ranked-choice voting is the most promising and most achievable. A growing number of cities agree, and on June 12 Maine will become the first state to use it for its primaries. Its time to expand its use in California and the nation.

Larry Diamond is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Freeman Spogli Institute at Stanford University and co-editor of the Journal of Democracy. To comment, submit your letter to the editor at SFChronicle.com/letters.2 1 of 2 Justin Sullivan / Getty Images Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Michael Short / Special to The Chronicle Show More Show Less



This week, California lawmakers can match words with deeds when it comes to disclosing police misconduct. A bill before the Legislature would end the special protections that seal off personnel records of officers who harm the public, break department rules or face legal trouble.

Incredibly, at a time when law enforcement faces scrutiny over shootings and scandals, the cops involved dont need to be named. Thats due to an overly broad court decision in 2006, known as the Copley case, that shields law enforcement in serious cases. A timid state Legislature, cowed by police groups, has dodged meaningful reform.Charles Dharapak / AP

For causes that unite members of Congress across party lines, theres nothing like doing the bidding of their contributors.

Take the Houses bipartisan vote Tuesday to weaken Dodd-Frank, the banking and consumer reform legislation passed in the wake of the 2008 financial collapse and recession. Not quite eight years after the reform became law, 33 Democrats joined all but one Republican in this act of collective amnesia, induced in no small part by the generous political fundraising and avid lobbying of the financial sector. Passed by the Senate with bipartisan support in March, the bill is expected to be signed by President Trump, whose administration has been busily doing what the big banks want on multiple fronts despite his populist pretensions.A pair of GOP hopefuls showed up in Burlingame on Thursday to stress the need for California Republicans to unify if they want to win in the June 5 primary.

But for John Cox, a candidate for governor, and Steven Bailey, who is running for attorney general, unity means their GOP rivals should wave a white flag, drop out and endorse them.

Spoiler alert: Its not going to happen.

Our campaign and our supporters have reached out to (Orange County Assemblyman Travis Allen), and he has rejected any effort to leave the governors race, Cox said at an event in the offices of the San Mateo County Republican Party.

He said Allen has to realize that all he can do is keep me out of the top two in November.

Allen says hes the one with the best chance of finishing first or second and thus advancing to the general election, even though the party elites want him out.

After President Trump endorsed Cox last week, Allen tweeted, The political establishment misinforming @realDonaldTrump is now actually scared of a TRUE CONSERVATIVE GOVERNOR in California. There is ONLY ONE Californian that can beat @GavinNewsom and the CA Democrats.

Bailey was more circumspect than Cox, saying hes not going to tell his fellow Republican Eric Early, a Los Angeles attorney who is also running for attorney general, what to do. But the message was the same.

Im asking Republican voters to coalesce behind who is in the top two in the polls right now, he said.

And that would be Cox and Bailey, though some pollsters may differ.

This is a big deal for Republicans. While Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and appointed Democratic Attorney General Xavier Becerra are widely seen as the front-runners, the battles for second place  and spots on the Nov. 6 ballot  are wide open.

Democrats Antonio Villaraigosa in the governors race and Dave Jones in the attorney generals contest are better known and better funded than any of the GOP candidates. A rift among Republicans could split the conservative vote and make the fall election an all-Democrats affair.

That would have consequences for Republicans beyond the state races. Several competitive congressional seats are in California, and GOP turnout in the fall could be depressed without Republican candidates in marquee contests such as the governors race. That means that if California Republicans stay home, GOP control of the House could be in jeopardy.

About two dozen supporters and party officials joined the GOP candidates in the tiny party office Thursday, standing in front of banners reading, Support President Trumps Choice/John Cox for Governor, and, Dont Let Democrats Steal Your Vote/Republican Unity 2018.

Liberal Democratic billionaires are trying every trick in the book to keep Republicans out of the general election, Cox said.

The San Diego County businessman is enlisting well-known Republicans and GOP-leaning groups to put pressure on Allen to drop out and to pull his supporters to Cox.

This week, for example, Sal Russo, a top figure in the Tea Party movement, was heard on robocalls to GOP households, telling them that Cox was the only Republican who could win in November.

On Wednesday, Harmeet Dhillon, a San Francisco attorney who is a member of the Republican National Committee, called on Allen to support Cox and drop out.

Since it is not numerically possible for Travis to make it into the top two  something that we Republicans really need for the down-ballot  its time for all Republicans to support the Republican front-runner, including Travis Allen, Dhillon wrote in a Facebook post. He can be a spoiler, or he can be a gracious future candidate and a hero. #Unite.

John Wildermuth and Joe Garofoli are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com, jgarofoli@sfchronicle.comFor 20 years, Joe Airone rode a bicycle through San Franciscos Tenderloin, Castro and Mission neighborhoods, delivering free cannabis to low-income patients with terminal cancer and AIDS.

He made his last stop in December, then shut down his group, Sweetleaf Collective, to avoid paying thousands of dollars in annual taxes under state Proposition 64.

Hes among a handful of charities that have stopped handing out marijuana to severely ill people because they cant afford the taxes their suppliers pass down to them in a new era of legalization.

We gave away more than 100 pounds of cannabis flower to terminally ill patients last year, and we could be taxed on all of that, said Airone, who goes by the name Sweetleaf Joe. He said he routinely wakes up at night in a panic, thinking about all the people whose pain he can no longer help relieve.

On Thursday, state Sen. Scott Wiener introduced a bill to ease tax burdens for groups like Sweetleaf Collective. Wiener sees these charities as unintended casualties of Prop. 64, which sought to regulate medical and recreational cannabis all along the supply chain.

Applying taxes to compassionate care will shut down collectives, and I cant imagine that was the intent of voters, Wiener said.

His bill, SB829  co-written by Assemblyman Jim Wood, D-Healdsburg  would establish a new medical license designation for groups that donate cannabis to people with severe ailments. It would exempt these groups from paying a 15 percent state excise tax on cannabis that they are giving away. And it would allow commercial marijuana farms to donate their surplus crops to these charities without having to pay a cultivation tax.

The way it is now, farmers and other suppliers pass those taxes on to the nonprofits, rather than eating the cost.

The authors of SB829 hope to tie Californias newly regulated cannabis industry back to the states Compassionate Use Act of 1996, which legalized medical marijuana and allowed patients with severe ailments  including AIDS, cancer and glaucoma  to get the drug free of charge.

Sweetleaf was among the many compassionate care programs that emerged after voters approved the 1996 law. Others include the Caladrius Network in Nevada County, which serves parents of catastrophically ill children, and Weed for Warriors, an organization headquartered in Santa Cruz that provides cannabis to veterans coping with injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.

And then there are more informal versions of compassionate care, like the house parties that cannabis activist David Goldman and his husband, Michael Koehn, hosted in their Castro district apartment.

Every two months, the couple invited 25 critically ill people  mostly gay men living with HIV  into their two-bedroom home for free pizza and soft drinks. They would send everyone home with goody bags full of cannabis products: edibles, flowers, concentrates and topical oils for skin.

We never asked for anything in return, said Goldman, who uses medical cannabis to manage his glaucoma. Now we cant do it anymore  we would have to pay thousands of dollars in taxes, and we cant afford that.

Airone has mixed feelings about Prop. 64. Hes grateful that marijuana consumers are no longer deemed criminals. But he says the new tax structure takes pain medication away from people who need it most.

So prohibition has ended for skater dudes, but it began again for all these terminally ill people who we were trying to help in 1996, he said.

As a result, collectives that serve these patients have either shut their doors or gone underground. The new term for this practice is black market philanthropy, Airone said.

Now we have to break the law to save peoples lives, he lamented.

Sitting on the sidelines are patients like Christopher Sullivan, who suffers from complications related to HIV and chronic pain from a past broken neck.

Sullivan lives in San Franciscos Silver Terrace neighborhood, and he relied on Sweetleaf to deliver free cannabis for the past four years. Those deliveries stopped last fall.

Im very low-income, and when I go to the (commercial) dispensaries, the least expensive thing I can find costs $25, he said.

Surviving on a fixed income of $1,100 a month from workers compensation, Sullivan says there is no way he could regularly afford a $25 purchase  plus tax.

Airone and others hope that SB829 will rectify that situation. If it doesnt hit too much opposition, the bill could land on Gov. Jerry Browns desk by August. Because of an urgency clause it could take effect as early as September if the governor signs it.

At that point, Wiener hopes to get Sweetleaf Collective and other nonprofits back up and running. Airone worries that some of his patients wont live to see the change.

I dont check the Sweetleaf voice mail anymore, because I just cant listen to any more people asking when were going to figure this out, he said.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswanDemocratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is maintaining a solid lead in the June 5 primary for governor, with Republican John Cox and Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa in a close fight for the runner-up slot in the top-two primary, according to a new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California.

In the five pre-election polls the nonpartisan institute has taken since December, the one constant has been Newsom, said Mark Baldassare, the organizations CEO and the polls director. His numbers have been very consistent, ranging from 23 percent in December to a high of 28 percent in March. Hes at 25 percent among likely voters in the new survey.

But the second place spot is just as important, since that finisher will join the leading vote-getter on the November ballot. Cox, a San Diego-area businessman, now leads Villaraigosa, former mayor of Los Angeles, 19 percent to 15 percent. Thats up a bit from Coxs 15 percent to 13 percent lead in April.

The top three choices are followed by GOP Assemblyman Travis Allen at 11 percent, state Treasurer John Chiang at 9 percent and Delaine Eastin, the former state schools chief, with 6 percent.

Over the past five polls, the biggest change has been for Cox, who has gone from 9 percent to 19 percent, said Baldassare. The improving numbers for Cox and, to a lesser extent, Allen can be attributed to Republicans getting more comfortable with the two lesser-known GOP candidates.

That number may be understating Coxs current support, since much of the poll was taken before President Trump endorsed Cox on Friday.

Genaro Molina / TNS

About two-thirds of Republicans are backing either Cox or Allen, with 14 percent undecided. Among Democrats, Newsom has support from 42 percent, with Villaraigosa at 19 percent, Chiang at 11 percent and Eastin with 9 percent.

Independent voters are split almost equally among the four leading candidates.

While independents in California are more likely to lean Democratic, theyre more moderate than rank-and-file Democrats, Baldassare said.

Theyre likely to be the wild card in the primary election, he said.

Overall, about 15 percent of likely voters are undecided, which isnt unusual for a statewide primary at this stage of the race, Baldassare said.

The PPIC poll was one of two major surveys released this week. A USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll released Wednesday found Newsom on top among likely voters with 21 percent, followed by Villaraigosa at 11 percent and Cox at 10 percent. A whopping 39 percent of voters were undecided.

In the race for the Senate, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein holds an overwhelming lead in the PPIC survey in her bid for a fifth full term. The former San Francisco mayor leads Los Angeles state Sen. Kevin de Leon, a fellow Democrat, 41 percent to 17 percent, with 36 percent undecided.

No Republican candidate for Senate was listed by name in the poll, since none of the 11 on the primary ballot met the surveys qualification of raising at least $100,000 and having a visible campaign organization, Baldassare said.

Republicans are baffled about what to do, he said. Theyre unhappy without a high-profile candidate.

Among Republicans, 59 percent are still undecided about whom to back in the Senate race, with 59 percent also unhappy with their choice of candidates. The numbers werent much different for independents, with 47 percent undecided and 53 percent dissatisfied with the ballot lineup.

The polls look at California congressional elections, however, provided some worrisome numbers for Democrats looking to flip seven or more GOP-held seats to help the party take back control of the House.

While not looking at individual contests, the survey found Republicans are favored by a 60 percent to 32 percent margin in GOP-held districts. More ominously for Democrats, those numbers didnt change much in 10 competitive districts.

In those competitive House districts, 62 percent of likely voters would rather see a candidate who would work with the Trump administration than push back against the president.

Voters in many of those competitive districts may have supported a Democrat for president two years ago, but this is a different election, Baldassare said. Theres a lot of work ahead for Democrats.

The poll is based on telephone surveys of 1,702 California adults, including 901 likely voters. It was taken May 11-20 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points for likely voters.

John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuthFor those who remember Carly Fiorinas legendary, trippy Demon Sheep ad from her 2010 GOP Senate campaign, this one is for you: A talking cow is set to debut Thursday in a TV/digital spot for Democrat state insurance commissioner candidate Asif Mahmood.

Since its only a 10-second spot, the animated cow gets right to the point, touting Mahmood as the physician, not the politician, for the commission. He wont treat patients like cattle. Vote Mah-moooooood.

Yes, the cow went there.

Mahmood has been a bit of a political searcher ever since he declared his candidacy for lieutenant governor back in early 2017. In his first political run, the Los Angeles physician and Pakistan native introduced himself as a triple threat to President Trump: a Muslim, an immigrant and a Californian.

But in January, Mahmood switched political races, planting his flag in the less-crowded insurance commissioners race.

And now, the talking cow.

The cow has a long way to go to become the viral sensation that the demon sheep was. For those who forgot it  or have spent years in therapy trying  it portrayed Fiorinas Senate primary opponent, former South Bay Rep. Tom Campbell, as a fiscal conservative in name only. A wolf in sheeps clothing.

Created by legendary GOP ad maker Fred Davis, the 3-minute video  an eternity in Internet time  featured a flock of sheep and a man who had to crawl around on all fours in a sheep costume to portray the ads antagonist, a glowing-red-eyed wolf in sheeps clothing. Internet memes dubbed it the Demon Sheep.

Within a day of its release, the ad had been viewed more than 149,000 times on YouTube  a huge number for a political video  and had inspired its own Facebook following, Twitter feeds (@demonsheep), online mash-ups (to Pink Floyd's Sheep) and even a T-shirt line (Yes, Ewe Can. Demon Sheep 2010.).

The cow can only dream of such success. Then again, a viral video is no guarantee of success. Fiorina lost her Senate race to Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer by 10 points.

Joe Garofoli is the San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @joegarofoliDemocratic gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa has picked up an unexpected backer: the 2010 Republican nominee for governor, Meg Whitman.

Some of his Democratic opponents promptly tried to turn it into a weapon against him.

Whitman, the billionaire former eBay CEO who spent $144 million of her own money on her failed run in 2010, is co-hosting a fundraiser Thursday night for Villaraigosa in Silicon Valley. A source close to Whitman whom she authorized to speak for her said, Meg has endorsed Antonio because, although she is a Republican, she believes hes the best candidate for the job. Meg believes that Antonio is stronger than Gavin (Newsom) on both the economy and education, which are both important issues.

Villaraigosa and Whitman share some of the same views on education, particularly their support for charter schools. Joining Whitman at the fundraiser will be Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, who has contributed $7 million to an independent expenditure group run by the California Charter Schools Association Advocates, which is working to elect Villaraigosa.

Their views on immigration, however, have diverged sharply. In 2010, Whitman portrayed herself tough as nails on illegal immigration, and has said she wanted to prosecute illegal aliens and criminal aliens around the state, along with the people who hire them. She has also called for an end to sanctuary laws that limit local cooperation with federal immigration agents.

Villaraigosa, on the other hand, has said the Trump administration is militarizing our immigration enforcement and terrorizing vulnerable people and communities. ... We should focus on working with the immigrant community and implementing comprehensive reform.

Fabien Levy, deputy campaign manager for John Chiang, one of Villaraigosas Democratic rivals in this years race, said, Its fitting that Republican billionaire Meg Whitman has joined up with Antonios Villaraigosa billionaire crew to put on a high-stake, high-dollar fundraiser in yet another attempt to buy this election.

Villaraigosa spokesman Luis Vizcaino chose to focus on the races front-runner in his response.

Unlike Gavin Newsom, who turned over undocumented youth to ICE, Mayor Villaraigosa has and will continue to fight for immigrants, Vizcaino said. Anyone who backs his candidacy knows that he supports DACA, Dreamers and comprehensive immigration reform.

Dont look for Whitmans endorsement to endear Villaraigosa to other California Republicans, said Harmeet Dhillon, a San Francisco attorney who is a member of the Republican National Committee and a former vice chair of the state party.

Who cares what Meg Whitman thinks at this point? Dhillon tweeted Wednesday. This endorsement comes with zero Republican bounce.

Joe Garofoli is the San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @joegarofoliOne of Californias most prominent Republicans says she is voting for John Cox and urged Orange County GOP Assemblyman Travis Allen to support the front-runner in the governors race or drop out.

Harmeet Dhillon, a San Francisco attorney who is a member of the Republican National Committee and a frequent guest on Fox News, noted that recent polls show Cox with a narrow second-place lead over Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa in the June 5 primary. Both men are trailing Democrat Gavin Newsom, the polls indicate. The top two finishers, regardless of party, will advance to the November election.

Dhillon said she has donated money to Allens campaign and likes both him and Cox, but worries that outnumbered California Republicans will split their vote in the primary.

That could result in a two-Democrat runoff in November, which in turn could be disastrous for national Republican hopes of holding the House. Several competitive congressional seats are in California, and GOP turnout in the fall could be depressed without a Republican candidate in a marquee contest such as the governors campaign.

Since it is not numerically possible for Travis to make it into the top two  something that we Republicans really need for the down-ballot  its time for all Republicans to support the Republican front-runner, including Travis Allen, Dhillon wrote wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday night. He can be a spoiler, or he can be a gracious future candidate and a hero. #Unite.

In another post, Dhillon urged Republicans not to be fooled by mailers being sent by an independent expenditure committee backing Villaraigosa that tout Allen. The goal of the independent group: to split the Republican vote so Villaraigosa can advance into the top two.

I supported Travis before, but he cant win this one. I hope I can support him again for another race in the future, Dhillon wrote. Meanwhile, he should disavow these sleazy ads from Republican-haters designed to fool the voters, and drop out so he isnt a spoiler.

Cox, a San Diego County businessman who has run for office several times but never won, secured President Trumps endorsement last week. He has also been endorsed by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield.

Allen, who has been endorsed by more than 20 Republican county committees in California, doesnt sound like hes considering backing Cox. He responded to Dhillon on Thursday by saying, Unfortunately, the establishment Republicans are once again selling out Californians.

Our polling shows us in a tight race to make the top two and advance into the November election, Allen said in a statement. Apparently, the party elites have learned nothing from failing with (former GOP gubernatorial nominees) Meg Whitman, Neel Kashkari and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and are now propping up a four-time failed Chicago politician thats favored by Gavin Newsom and the (Service Employees International Union).

After Trump endorsed Cox, Allen tweeted, The political establishment misinforming @realDonaldTrump is now actually scared of a TRUE CONSERVATIVE GOVERNOR in California. There is ONLY ONE Californian that can beat @GavinNewsom and the CA Democrats.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoliKhris Davis said he hopes to miss the minimum 10 days after the As home run leader was placed on the disabled list with a strained right groin Wednesday.

Davis DL stint is retroactive to Monday, meaning hed be eligible to return next Thursday. He was injured on a swing in Sundays win at Toronto and was diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain.

I could probably come back before 10 days, Davis said,. but I think they just dont want me limping out there. They want me at full strength.

The As called up infielder Franklin Barreto, who started at second base Wednesday night with Jed Lowrie taking Davis usual role of designated hitter. Oakland also promoted Wednesdays starting pitcher Daniel Gossett and reliever Wilmer Font was designated for assignment.

Davis, who leads the majors with 98 home runs since the start of 2016, is batting .235 with 13 homers and 38 RBIs this season. Manager Bob Melvin said the As are not going to bring (Davis) back until we feel like there arent any implications once hes out in the field.

With Davis out, Melvin said the As will break up DH duties between multiple players and likely use Matt Chapman and Matt Olson in the cleanup spot, depending on matchups. Chapman, a right-handed hitter, made his first start batting cleanup Wednesday against Seattle left-hander Marco Gonzales.

Barreto was with the As in April but appeared in just one game without an at-bat. He was hitting .235 with six homers and 17 RBIs at Triple-A Nashville.

Gossett also was recalled from Triple-A Nashville, where he was 4-0 with a 1.63 ERA. Font, who was acquired from the Dodgers on April 25 for minor-league left-hander Logan Salow, has given up 10 homers in 17 innings this season and had a 14.85 ERA with Oakland.

Spot starter: Right-hander Josh Lucas will start for the As on Thursday, Melvin said. After Brett Anderson exited his Friday start at Toronto with a shoulder injury, Lucas threw 32/3 innings, allowing a run on two hits with seven strikeouts.

Lucas has not started a game in the minors or majors (in which he has seven appearances) since 2013. He threw 50 pitches in the Toronto outing and will be on a similar pitch limit Thursday.

Briefly: Right-hander Kendall Graveman was not available to start Thursday because Oakland optioned him to Triple-A on May 15. Players must wait 10 days to be recalled unless a player on the major-league roster goes on the DL.  The As announced several fan initiatives. For Monday through Thursday home games from June through August, two kids 12 and younger will be allowed in free for every purchase of one adult ticket. Also, kids can claim two free tickets for reading four books through the teams Summer Home Run Readers program.

Matt Kawahara is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.Alpha Omega Winery, a St. Helena winery that describes itself as "exud(ing) a sense of place and hospitality," was sued by a former employee over an allegedly wild party on a company-owned yacht, according to a report in the Fresno Bee.

The 2015 cruise around the San Francisco Bay had been auctioned off as a charity fundraiser and won by a group of 25 bidders who were described in the suit as "important investors in Alpha."

Alpha Omega denied the men were affiliated with the winery or its owners. The winery is owned by former lawyer and major Cal Poly San Luis Obispo benefactor Robin Baggett, and has more than 50 investors including California Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare.

According to the suit, Alene Anase had been asked by her employer to work as a server on the cruise, but says what she encountered during the shift was extremely inappropriate. In court documents, Anase describes witnessing prostitution and drug use, and being sexually harassed by the guests on the boat. Alpha Omega settled with Anase for an undisclosed amount in 2016.

Alene's lawsuit alleges the men onboard were "drawing straws" to select a sex worker to hire, and were using cocaine. Later, she says, she saw sexual activity in the bedrooms of the yacht, including men "fondling and sucking" the breasts of the sex workers  some of whom she said seemed too young to consent.

More for you Low-paid women get Hollywood money to file harassment suits

The suit also notes at least one of the unidentified defendants "suggested...she should provide services of a sexual nature to the Doe Defendants." The comment made Anase "extremely uncomfortable and caused her to fear sexual assault."

Anase and a coworker reportedly called the winery repeatedly to request assistance. When they reached the company's director of marketing, however, they were told to simply "lie low."

The suit alleges that after the night's events, Anase sought months of therapy while her coworker did not return to work. When Anase was ready to return to work on a part-time basis, she says the winery would not schedule her for shifts.

Anase sued Alpha Omega for sexual harassment, as well as civil rights violations, intentional infliction of emotional distress and for violation of fair employment laws. Alpha Omega did not disclose the terms of the subsequent settlement, but did tell the Bee that contrary to what was written in the suit, no one on board the boat had any connection to the winery itself or to its owners.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.

If you think San Francisco has changed beyond recognition recently, try this: Take a walk downtown and look closely at the sides of as many buildings as you can. You'll find an ever-changing history of the city, dating back more than 100 years, hiding in plain sight.

SF teems with decades-old, sometimes-elaborate, hand-painted signs and ads, some for businesses that no longer exist. The painters who made them were part of the "gig economy" long before Uber. These corporate murals have a name, "ghost signs," and one local artist took it upon herself to track all 400-plus of them.

Kasey Smith, an artist and part-time tour guide who lives in Oakland, started the San Francisco Ghost Sign Mapping Project in 2011  in part because she was inspired by a similar project in Philadelphia. What started as a quirky photography project turned into a form of urban archaeology that's probably the most extensive of its kind in America.

To this day you can find early-1900s ads for Wrigley's gum, Coca-Cola, beer before Prohibition, and a 7-Up ad on the side of a garage that's held up incredibly well because it's protected from the sun. The most common signs, Smith has found, are for MJB Coffee and Owl Cigars.

Kasey Smith

"If you told me five years ago I would still be working on this, I would have laughed," Smith said during a ghost sign tour of the Tenderloin (see video below), where she used to work. "When I first sought out to do it, I was just going to document the signs as they were. I didn't have any notion that I was going to upkeep it."

Some signs are now faded, obscured by newer buildings, or destroyed from construction. But Smith has found and pinned every ghost sign she could find in SF using Google Maps. She counts over 400, though she concedes there are probably more she hasn't found in the outlying parts of the city.

She started by walking around every block in the Tenderloin and SoMa four times, making note of the type of sign, what brand it represented, and whether it's been restored, faded to the point of indecipherable, or destroyed. When she can't find a sign on street level, she'll look for it from above on Google Satellite View.

It's a project that requires constant upkeep, thanks to the changes to San Francisco's architecture. One sign might be torn down with a building, another might be uncovered after 60 years because the high-rise next to it went down. For example, the "Eat Carnation Mush" ad on Market Street that was revealed in 2011.



Perhaps the newest discovered ghost sign was found in July 2020. A construction crew adding units to a residential building next to Duboce Park uncovered large signage for several brands: Par-T-Pak cola, Rainier beer and Arden ice cream. David Gallagher of OpenSFHistory told Hoodline the building was probably a corner grocery store dating around 1917 that closed around the 1950s.



The ad's tagline for Par-T-Pak, which existed from the 1930 to 1950s: "So rich, so smooth, so satisfying."



Ghost sign enthusiasts didn't have much time to enjoy the new discovery, alas. The construction crew covered it back up, for a future generation to unearth.





Greg Keraghosian

While showing me around in 2016, Smith pointed out one of her most recent discoveries, on the side of Star Market on Geary and Leavenworth. A billboard came down in February, revealing a well-preserved ghost sign with an ad for Rainier beer (brewed in SF from 1916-1920), an old school phone number reading "TUXEDO9," and porcelain text offering coffee and tea.

With no social media or even neon signs over 100 years ago, businesses advertised themselves with hand-painted signs. And the brick construction that went into so many Tenderloin buildings after the 1906 earthquake and fire gave painters the perfect durable canvas. It wasn't easy work, though.

"Starting the turn of the last century there was a profession that was snarkily called the 'Wall Dogs,' because they worked like dogs and they were chained by a safety leash to the wall," Smith said. "They were basically traveling painters. The wall dogs would have their own designs and mix their own paint."

Greg Keraghosian

While many signs were simple lettering jobs for hotels or warehouses, many others show true craftsmanship. Smith's favorite, and perhaps the best-preserved of all, is a large Tenderloin ad for Turkish cigarette Zubelda  offering "The Double Package"  dated to around 100 years ago. It's not even the only Turkish cigarette ad you'll find in the area  they were fashionable with the kids back then.

In the middle of the 20th century, as neon became the popular signage, sign painters were no longer able to find work, and the signs began their decades of decay. But many weren't destroyed completely.

"A place that made sense for advertising in 1915 makes sense for advertising now," Smith said. "So a lot of signs weren't painted over. They were covered by modern billboards."

Kasey Smith

A few murals have returned to their former glory. Backed by a $41,000 city grant, Precita Eyes Muralists in 2011 restored a cluster of ghost signs near the corner of Eddy and Taylor. The ads are for Coke, Original Joe's, United Railways, and Par-T-Pak beverages. And they were done the old-fashioned way, with painters on scaffolds.

Before the pandemic, Smith provided occasional ghost sign tours of San Francisco. Since the pandemic, she has focused on chronicling ghost signs she finds in the more widely dispersed East Bay. This includes a community participation day she led in October 2020, when she invited neighbors to join in and share their finds.

You can follow Smith's latest adventures on her website and on her Instagram account.

Kasey Smith

(Note: These signs and their surroundings are changing constantly, so what you see in the photos may not be exactly how they look now.)We San Franciscans rarely need to leave the city for anything: from urban hiking to restaurants with bloody non-meat burgers, we have it all. Except, that is, for dead people.

In perhaps the most awkward gentrification-related eviction of all time, San Francisco ordered almost all of its dead out of the city by the mid-1900s (new burials were banned in 1901). This owed to public opposition to the city's cemeteries in the western half of the city, which were taking up valuable real estate to a growing population.Gina Pitre had come to dread working at Walmart. A manager, she said, used to touch her inappropriately and make suggestive comments.

Pitre, 56, who earned $11.50 an hour fulfilling online orders in DIberville, Miss., said she felt degraded and angry.

Pitre saw a television news segment this winter about how female Hollywood stars and producers had started Times Up, a group to help women combat harassment. A related initiative, the Times Up Legal Defense Fund, connected Pitre with a lawyer and is helping fund her lawsuit against Walmart and one of its managers.

Hollywood, it appears, is starting to make good on its promise to focus on women outside the limelight and broaden the #MeToo movement.

Filed last month, the lawsuit, one of the first to arise from the Times Up fund, is part of a multipronged approach. Beyond the various legal aspects, the group is working with labor and social activists, as well as communications specialists and others, to publicize the struggles of working women facing harassment on the job.

Actress Susan Sarandon, along with Pitre, female Walmart workers and labor activists, signed a letter to the retailers chief executive, demanding changes in the companys policies and procedures around harassment.

I dont care who you are, said Pitre, who left her job at Walmart last month. There is no cause for disrespect.

Walmart said it had conducted a comprehensive investigation into Pitres complaints and could not substantiate a violation of our Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Policy.

We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind and thoroughly investigate all sexual harassment allegations, the company added.

Since it started in January, the Times Up fund  which is administered by the National Womens Law Center in Washington  has raised about $22 million in donations to help pay for legal representation and other assistance for women facing harassment.

So far, about 2,700 workers have contacted the fund, saying they have been harassed. The largest number of complaints, about 9 percent, have come from the arts industry, followed by workers in the federal government, education and health care. Retail workers made roughly 5 percent of the complaints.

Volunteers at the National Womens Law Center, an advocacy group focused on womens rights, have been reviewing the online complaints and providing many workers with names of lawyers who might be willing to take on their case. The law center does not vet the facts of each case, but relies on the workers lawyers to make sure the claims are sound.

When deciding on funding, the staff uses a set of priorities, including whether the worker is in a low-wage job or in a male-dominated occupation.

We hope to send a message to employers, said Emily Martin, the law centers general counsel. Just because a woman doesnt have a lot of money or connections doesnt mean someone isnt going to stand up for them.

The assistance from Times Up is relatively modest  about $3,000 to help pay the initial lawyer fees. If the case goes to trial, the fund will provide up to $100,000 for fees.

In some cases, publicity is part of the strategy. The National Womens Law Center will provide communications support  connecting women with public relations specialists  to help them call attention to their story.

Martin said publicity could help broaden the impact of the legal cases in combatting harassment. Toward that end, the law center connected Pitre with Our Walmart, a worker advocacy group. This month, Our Walmart sent the letter signed by Pitre and Sarandon to CEO Doug McMillon, calling on the retailer to revamp its harassment procedures.

A Walmart spokesman said in a statement, We have strong policies and procedures in place to address allegations of sexual harassment, and we believe our current practices meet or exceed many of the requests in the letter.

When Pitre started working at Walmart in June 2016, she liked the job, she said. But after a few months, a supervisor started to harass her, including instances when he grabbed her breasts and made unwelcome sexual comments, according to her lawsuit.

Last July, she reported the harassment to a company ethics department, her lawsuit says. Pitre said she was eventually told that the companys investigation was closed, but was never told the outcome.

A Walmart spokesman said the company does not disclose the outcomes of its harassment investigations to anyone, including the employee filing the complaint. The spokesman said this policy is aimed at the privacy and confidentiality of all concerned.

In its letter, Our Walmart demands that the company start informing employees about the results of its harassment investigations.

Pitre had previous experience with harassment. In 2008, she filed a lawsuit in federal court, accusing her former managers at the Boomtown Casino in Biloxi, Miss., of groping her and making sexually suggestive comments, according to her lawsuit.

The case resulted in a confidential settlement and the termination and/or discipline of certain parties at Boomtown Casino, a company spokesman said in an email.

Martin said she was not aware of Pitres earlier lawsuit when the Times Up fund approved funding for her Walmart case. But Martin said it would not have been a factor in the decision.

It is not shocking that this job is not the first job where Gina has experienced some sort of harassment, Martin said.

The Jackson, Miss., office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said it had been unable to conclude that the information obtained in Pitres case showed that Walmart had broken the law. The agency added that its ruling did not mean Walmart was in compliance with the statutes, either.

Michael Corkery is a New York Times writer.Elon Musk, barely a month after his behavior on an earnings call shook investor confidence, hit out on Twitter with a series of combative posts this week, leaving many scratching their heads at best and prompting scrutiny from U.S. labor regulators at worst.

The CEO of Tesla, which is burning cash and struggling to overcome production issues for its mass-market electric Model 3, heaped scorn on media outlets over critical news reporting as well as alluding to picking random dates to unveil new vehicles.

For some reason, this is the best Ive felt in a while, Musk, who has built a showman reputation partly through his frank exchanges on social media, tweeted early Thursday, after his comments set off a storm of responses.

Among the items mentioned in his tweets:

The unveil date of the Model Y was chosen at random for March 15 because the Ides of March sounded good.

He plans a website to rate media credibility possibly called Pravda, the name of the Soviet Unions official newspaper. Actually, the California Secretary of States website shows a Pravda Corp. was registered in October in Delaware. The filing agent and the address listed  216 Park Road, Burlingame  are identical to the name and location used for at least two other Musk entities: brain-computer interface startup Neuralink Corp. and the tunnel-digging Boring Co.

Musk blamed oil companies and traditional automakers for critical news coverage, saying they have more clout than Tesla because of their advertising budgets.

Tesla workers who unionize might lose employee stock options  an idea that could draw scrutiny from U.S. labor regulators.

Musk, 46, has previously called on true believers to help him overcome the haters who question his companys ability to usher in an electric-vehicle age on an ambitious timetable. His recent performance on an earnings call to discuss his companys quarterly business suggested a leader under pressure. He ridiculed representatives of Wall Streets biggest banks asking for more details on how Tesla would meet promises to build more Model 3 sedans and generate cash in the second half of the year.

His latest public comments reveal his mood is still feisty.

For the Model Y, Musk explained he made up the date to introduce the Model Y crossover on March 15, before locking it in as the official date. The Ides of March corresponds to March 15 on the Roman calendar and is infamous as the date of Julius Caesars murder in 44 B.C.

Earlier, he said he was set to create a site where the public can rate the core truth of any article & track the credibility score of each journalist, editor & publication, adding: Thinking of calling it Pravda. The name means truth in Russian.

He also attacked the United Auto Workers union, which is trying to organize workers at Teslas plant in Fremont.

Why pay union dues and give up stock options for nothing? he said about workers at the plant.

The comment could draw scrutiny from the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency that investigates allegations of unfair labor practices. Wilma Liebman, who headed the agency during the Obama administration and has done legal work for the UAW, said she interpreted that as a warning the company would take away workers stock options if they succeeded in organizing the factory.

Carol Matlack, Angus Whitley, Dana Hull and Josh Eidelson are Bloomberg writers. Email: cmatlack@bloomberg.net, awhitley1@bloomberg.net, dhull12@bloomberg.net, jeidelson@bloomberg.netIm Alexa, but you can call me HAL

A Portland couples private conversation was mysteriously recorded by their Amazon Echo and sent to one of their contacts, igniting privacy concerns about the voice-activated gadgets the online retailer wants to make as commonplace in homes as televisions. The two found about it when they received a phone call two weeks ago from one of the husbands employees telling them to Unplug your Alexa devices right now. Youre being hacked, Seattle news station KIRO 7 reported. Amazon told the station that it was an extremely rare occurrence.

Not the last straw for McDonalds

McDonalds isnt ready to stop offering plastic straws, despite environmental concerns. A shareholder proposal to pressure the worlds biggest hamburger chain on the matter was voted down at the companys annual meeting Thursday. Activist group SumOfUs asked for a report about the business risks of using plastic straws at the chains 37,000 locations. McDonalds said it is already working on alternatives and urged shareholders to reject the proposal.

Number of the day

$850,000

Thats was the median price of a Bay Area home in April, setting a record for the second consecutive month. Thats up 2.4 percent from March and 13.3 percent from April of last year, according to a CoreLogic report released Thursday. For details, go to www.sfchronicle.com or see Kathleen Penders Net Worth column in the Sunday Chronicle.

Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff stories and items from our news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com. Twitter: @techchronicleAbout a month after Amazon faced harsh criticism from President Donald Trump, the company is now getting attacked from the other side of the political spectrum.

Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, on Tuesday posted a video online deriding Amazon's treatment of its warehouse workers, juxtaposing that situation against CEO Jeff Bezos' enormous wealth. He called this scenario a clear sign of "a rigged economy."

The video was posted one day after Sanders, an advocate for a higher minimum wage, announced his plans to seek a third term in the Senate later this year.

"Bezos makes more in 10 seconds than the median Amazon employee makes in a year: $28,466," the video stated, referencing Bezos' status as the world's richest person thanks to his 16 percent stake in Amazon.

Sanders in late April also criticized the company, claiming Amazon paid no federal income taxes last year.

But, while Amazon decided to avoid saying anything publicly about Trump's attacks, the Seattle-based online retailer on Tuesday responded to Sanders' video and invited him to tour an Amazon warehouse. Sanders later that day agreed to take the tour.

"Please compare our median pay & benefits to other retailers. We'd be happy for you to come see an FC for yourself," the company said, using the acronym for a fulfillment center.

The company declined to comment further Wednesday.

Sanders and Trump's attacks are part of growing political attention toward Amazon and its business practices, in part because of the company's explosive growth and ramped-up lobbying in Washington. Bezos' increased influence in the nation's capital, with his ownership of The Washington Post, is another factor.

All this negative attention comes during heightened scrutiny of tech giants like Facebook and Google, with particular focus on how they use consumers' data. But so far, customers don't seem that concerned with these political tussles involving Amazon, with the company enjoying positive consumer polling and ever-higher revenue.

In a series of tweets over several days last month, Trump repeatedly called out the company for allegedly underpaying for Postal Service deliveries as well as avoiding paying its fair share in taxes. Trump's accusations culminated in the president signing an executive order to review the Postal Service's finances and operations. He also pushed the postmaster general to double its fees to Amazon, the Post reported last week.

Sanders, too, accused Amazon of not paying enough in taxes, claiming it didn't pay any federal income taxes last year. In its latest annual report, Amazon said it paid $957 million in income taxes last year. An analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy claimed that none of that money went to federal income taxes.

In accepting Amazon's invitation, Sanders said: "I remain deeply concerned about Amazon, an enormously profitable corporation, paying workers wages that are so low that they are forced to depend on federal programs like Medicaid, food stamps and public housing for survival. At a time of exploding profits, I would hope that Amazon would pay everyone who works in your fulfillment centers a living wage."

Blockchain Decoded: CNET looks at the tech powering bitcoin -- and soon, too, a myriad of services that will change your life.

Follow the Money: This is how digital cash is changing the way we save, shop and work.

Copyright 2018 CBS Interactive Inc., a CBS company. All rights reserved. CNET, CNET.com, and the CNET logo are registered trademarks of CBS Interactive Inc. Used by permission.United Airlines is offering its premium passengers a posh new amenity at Los Angeles International Airport.

Its called The Private Suite  an exclusive passenger terminal located across the runways from LAXs main terminals. It opened last year, aimed at a market of private jet flyers and high-end commercial passengers. And now United has cut a deal with the facility to accommodate its preferred customers.

TravelSkills with Chris McGinnis sponsored by See More Collapse

Users wont set foot in the public terminals at all. The Private Suite has its own gated entrance, its own TSA checkpoint  with virtually no lines  and its own flight check-in facilities. Customers are driven from the terminal to their aircraft in BMWs by Private Suite employees. Baggage is also handled seamlessly.

The Private Suite experience will initially be available through select corporate travel booking desks and travel agents, and later available for purchase on united.com or through the United app as part of a premium-cabin ticket fare, United said.

Uniteds announcement was a little unclear about the cost of access. The airline said access to The Private Suite will be included in certain business class fares and that it has negotiated a highly preferential rate for use of the facility.

United customers flying to or from New York/Newark; Aspen, Colorado; Hawaii; London Heathrow; Los Cabos, Mexico; Melbourne and Sydney, Australia; Shanghai; Singapore; and Tokyo Narita who purchase this service will have access to the exclusive co-branded lounge at The Private Suite's terminal on the LAX airfield, United said, without mentioning the cost of purchasing the service. Customers arriving from overseas will be met at the aircraft and escorted to private customs and immigration processing.

On its website, United noted: With this service, you'll save $4,500 on The Private Suites annual membership fee thats normally required for travel with other airlines. In addition, youll enjoy favorable rates when compared to making separate bookings for travel and The Private Suite experience. The airlines new web page about The Private Suite includes a list of FAQs for customers.

Here's a video of the Private Suite experience:

In an era of rising inequality, this place is even more one-percenter exclusive than British Airways' new "millionaire's door" at London Heathrow (which I recently covered).

Last spring the Private Suite teamed up with the posh Waldorf-Astoria Beverly Hills to offer packages that include access to the new VIP terminal. A press release states, "It's a head-of-state experience, with no airport traffic congestion on arrival or departure, no standing in any lines, no long walks down crowded corridors, no waiting at the gate to board and no waiting for baggage."

Any takers?

Read all recent TravelSkills posts here

Get twice-per-week updates from TravelSkills via email! Sign up here

Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis.An Alameda County Superior Court judge will decide whether to postpone the trial of two men charged in the deaths of 36 people in the 2016 Ghost Ship fire  the deadliest blaze in Oakland history.

The trial is scheduled to start July 16, but defendant Max Harris attorneys asked that it be delayed until September or later to allow preparation time with expert witnesses.

Defense attorney Curtis Briggs wants to bring in forensic experts to expose flaws in the fire investigation.

We plan on defending Mr. Harris by using a team of experts that we have recently retained, who will decimate any argument put together by the prosecution, Briggs said after the hearing.

Thursdays hearing marked the first time the co-defendants legal teams were at odds with one another. Derick Almenas defense attorney, Tony Serra, will argue against postponement.

Judge James Cramer set a hearing for June 7 to decide the matter.

Outside the courtroom, Serra said both defendants should have been released from jail before their trial. Serra said his client hasnt fared well in jail, and wants the case to be resolved as soon as possible.

Almena spent weeks on suicide watch, gained about 50 pounds and is on antidepressants, Serra added.

Obviously, the longer you postpone it, the more they will suffer, Serra said.

Earlier in the morning, a judge across the hallway denied a motion to lower Harris bail. Briggs had asked for his client to be released on his own recognizance until the trial, with the condition that he wear an ankle monitor and live in a halfway house.

Harris and Almena are each being held on a $750,000 bond. Both bonds were already lowered once, from $1.08 million.

Judge Kevin Murphy cited a looming state Supreme Court case as grounds for his denial. On Wednesday, the court granted a request to review California judges authority on how they set bail for pretrial defendants. The decision set aside an appellate court ruling, which mandated that a judge consider a persons financial status when determining whether to require payment for pretrial release from jail.

Briggs had based his argument to lower bond on the appellate decision.

Almena, 48, master tenant of the Ghost Ship warehouse, and Harris, 28, the art spaces creative director, are both charged with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter. They each face up to 39 years in prison if convicted.

The Dec. 2, 2016, fire broke out during a music event in the warehouse on 31st Avenue in the Fruitvale section of Oakland. The building had illegally been converted into an artists collective, where tenants were both working and living.

The charges are the result of a six-month investigation that began the night of the fire. Most of the victims were trapped on the second floor as flames and smoke engulfed the building.

Investigators have not determined a cause for the fire but said the warehouse was full of highly flammable materials, including tapestries on the walls and a makeshift stairway made of wooden pallets. A tangle of electrical wires that snaked through the building was fed from a power source in a neighboring auto-repair shop.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.comDeadpool 2: The new Deadpool gets all its nastiness out of the way, concentrating instead on some genuinely funny comedy and a story about Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) actually trying to do something good  save a young mutant from a time-traveling assassin (Josh Brolin) Rated R. 119 minutes.

 Mick LaSalle

Disobedience : Rachel Weisz stars as a New York woman who, on the occasion of her fathers funeral, returns to London and to the Orthodox Jewish circle in which she lived. Soon she is drawn into the lives of her old friends, particularly that of Rachel McAdams as the wife of a rabbi. Intelligent and sober, the movie gives way into a grand passion, in a brilliant English-language debut for Chilean director Sebastian Lelio (Gloria, A Fantastic Woman). Rated R. 114 minutes.

 Mick LaSalle

Pope Francis: A Man of His Word: A compelling documentary about this remarkable pontiff, who has riled some and enthralled others with his plainly and directly expressed views, including that the Roman Catholic Church should be a poor church for the poor. He has also spoken out on environmental issues. The film was directed by Wim Wenders. Rated PG. 96 minutes.

 Walter AddiegoHARTFORD, Conn. Denia Perezs parents brought her from Mexico to the United States illegally when she was 11 months old. Last month, she became among the first of the so-called Dreamers to earn a law degree. And now, she and others are using their lawyerly know-how to take on the system so they can legally practice.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows young immigrants who entered the U.S. before 2007 and before their 16th birthday to go to school under temporary renewable work permits, became law in 2012. That means the first beneficiaries have now had just enough time to graduate from high school, get a bachelors degree and now, in some cases, a law degree.

The problem: Most states require that practicing lawyers be U.S. citizens or have legal residency status.

Relatively few Dreamers have completed law degrees, said Sheila Hayre, a visiting law professor at Quinnipiac University, from whose law school Perez graduated this month. Perez is the only one currently seeking admission to Connecticuts bar. But she and peers who are also getting law degrees are positioning themselves for a fight.

Its just become normal for me to take all these things into consideration when Im planning what to do with my life, said Perez, who plans to take the bar exam in July. But part of me is frustrated and tired of having to jump though all these hoops to continue to live and contribute to this country.

She testified this month, three days after graduating, before a committee of the Connecticut bar, seeking a rule change that would allow her to practice law. Several other states, including California, Florida, New York and New Jersey, have already approved similar changes to open their bars to DACA students.

And the American Bar Association, after hearing from DACA students seeking admission to the bar in several states, adopted a resolution in August that urges Congress to amend federal law, adding language that bar admission should never be denied based solely on immigration status.

We have invested in these kids, Hayre said. So it makes sense to have them contributing to the economy and society as productive members of the community. In a way, its a no-brainer.

But there is opposition. Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow with the Heritage Foundation, said he finds it inconceivable that anyone who is not a legal resident could be permitted to take an oath to uphold the laws of the United States and join the bar.

They are in fact in the country illegally and violating federal law, said Spakovsky, who is a lawyer. I wouldnt want someone who is in the country illegally to defend me, because the Department of Homeland Security could swoop in at any time and remove my lawyer from the country, and then where would I be?

Pat Eaton-Robb is an Associated Press writer.A jet arriving at San Francisco International Airport from Ireland struck a concrete post as it was being towed to its arrival gate on Wednesday afternoon, but no one was injured, an airport spokeswoman said.

Aer Lingus flight 147, inbound from Dublin, had just landed and was being towed by an airport tractor when the tip of the right wing made contact with the post at about 3:15 p.m., airport duty officer Maria Buyco said. Another airport spokesman said the tractor operator had apparently misjudged the distance.Country

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Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of ZimbabweThe best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option.Even Trevor D. Traina, who was raised amid all the pomp and circumstance that San Francisco society can muster, had to have been impressed by the level of decorum at his coronation Thursday morning as U.S. ambassador to Austria.

Arriving by motorcade to the 13th century Hofburg imperial palace in Vienna, the ambassador-designate presented his credentials in the form of a sealed letter from the White House to Alexander Van der Bellen, federal president of the Republic of Austria. Van der Bellen accepted them during a half-hour ceremony marked by an honor guard and anthems.

That marked the start of foreign service for the San Francisco tech entrepreneur, but also the ending for a secretive and grueling yearlong process.

Traina has been vetted and grilled for top-level security clearance, had friends and business colleagues questioned by the FBI, and had 10 years of taxes and financial records inspected for conflicts of interest. Many were found, and he had 90 days to divest of major stock holdings.

Sure, these are a rich persons problems, but Traina did not need the job, or the paycheck. An ambassador is paid from $124,000 to $187,000 a year. While unaware of what his pay would be, Traina described it in general as a government salary. Not market rate, during a recent interview at his Jackson Square office.

In late March, Traina was sworn in at a small ceremony at his home in Pacific Heights. But until Thursdays transfer ceremony in Vienna, he had not been officially accepted by the Austrian government. In between, he was willing to discuss what he went through over the course of a year to pass muster with both the State Department and the U.S. Senate.

He also answered the question every San Franciscan wants to ask. I did not give money to the Trump campaign, he said, but I have given money to a lot of Republican causes over the years.

Traina, who turned 50 on May 16, is a registered Republican. Records kept by the website OpenSecrets.org show he donated $33,900 each, the maximum allowed, to two Republican political action committees in 2017, before his nomination. An additional $31,000 in Republican PAC donations was made in 2017 by Trainas mother, Dede Wilsey, the longtime board president of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

These donations are nothing compared to the deepest-pocketed, but it shows that he is a player, almost overnight, said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan research organization in Washington, D.C.

If patronage was involved in his selection, Traina said he knew nothing about it. Its one of those mysterious processes where it is unclear who gets picked or how, he said.

 Carina Karlovits / HBF

But it did not come as a bolt out of the blue. His maternal grandfather, Wiley T. Buchanan Jr., had been ambassador to Austria in the 1970s under President Gerald Ford. Traina was just 7 or 8 years old and a student at Cathedral School for Boys on Nob Hill when he was taken abroad by his mother for the first time to stay with his grandparents at the same home that he now occupies.

My whole life I have wanted to be an ambassador, because it was what my grandfather did, Traina said. When I was a boy, one of my most formative memories was learning what all the people who work in an embassy actually do. It instilled in me a hunger to be in that process.

From that point on, he went about building his resume for the job. He studied political science at Princeton and international relations at Oxford before coming back to earn a masters from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.

The ambassador, who is also called chief of mission, is the highest-ranking American in that country and serves as the personal representative of the U.S. president. The job requires managing a diplomatic staff of more than 200, while implementing and promoting the presidents foreign policy in Europe.

The fiction is that all you do is throw a lot of cocktail parties and it is about entertaining, Traina said. The fact is that you are really in charge of a very complicated mission with a dozen or two dozen agencies all reporting to you.

Traina is not the first person to figure out that the job of ambassador is more than clinking Champagne glasses. Another San Franciscan, Eleni Kounalakis, wrote a book on the topic, titled Madam Ambassador, and published it in 2015 when she returned from her tour in Budapest as ambassador to Hungary.

Trevor has probably been at the FBI, at the CIA, at the Department of Homeland Security and at the Treasury. That is how it is for everyone I know who has been through the process, said Kounalakis, now a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor of California. You have to get a top-secret SCI (sensitive compartmented information) clearance. Thats the one Jared Kushner couldnt get until recently.

When Traina was first contacted by the White House last summer, he was advised not to tell anyone and to expect a lot of paperwork.

Then more paperwork than even I expected arrived, he said. All kinds of long forms to fill out. One was more than 100 pages long.

He had to hire a lawyer and an accountant to sort it all out, and among the details to be disclosed was every foreign trip he had taken for the past 15 years, with whom he had met and for what purpose. Then the FBI checked it all out independently.

I think 30 people were interviewed, he said. Neighbors from everywhere I have ever lived. I went to school in England. They went there and interviewed people.

This went on for six months before Traina got the call, in December, that he had cleared the FBI background check. In January, he traveled east for five weeks of intense study at the George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center in Arlington, Va.

Trevor was one of my star students, said Robert Mandell, former ambassador to Luxembourg, who runs the training program. It takes from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily to teach his students that you are not a CEO. You cannot fire people easily, Mandell said. You have to learn how to be the leader of a team.

Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

Last fall, Austria elected a 31-year-old chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, who formed a coalition government with the far-right Freedom Party. But one of Mandells lessons is to avoid partisan politics, either in Austria or America.

Politics is hard to avoid, particularly in the appointment process. Some nominees get hung up for months over political grievances in the Senate. But Traina sailed through in record time. He cleared the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by unanimous voice vote on March 20 and was unanimously confirmed by the full Senate one week later.

Then came the pain of divestiture. Elected officials can put assets into a blind trust. Ambassadors dont have that option. Trainas middle initial, D, stands for Dow. He is a descendant of Herbert Henry Dow, founder of Dow Chemical. He was born with stock holdings and added to them early.

I started trading stocks when I was in fifth grade, he said.

He sold his first company, the online shopping service CompareNet, to Microsoft in 1999 and was deep into Amazon.

Almost any prominent American company whose stock I own I have to sell, he said. This was painful for me.

The pain has been eased by shipping over fine-art photography from his vast collection, along with wine made with grapes from vineyards owned by Traina and his wife, Alexis Swanson Traina. She will bring the kids to Vienna once school is out, along with the family Jack Russell terrier and dachshund to run on the lawns Traina can still remember from his childhood visit.

The residence, on the outskirts of town, was built in 1931 in the Bauhaus Modernist style, and it is where President John F. Kennedy first met Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev on June, 3, 1961. A guest wing was added in the 1970s, and Traina can expect a revolving door, said Kathryn Hall, a Berkeley-born lawyer who was ambassador to Austria in the 1990s.

Dignitaries will stay at the residence because it is a secure environment, Hall said. You might have somebody from the NSA (National Security Agency) or Congress.

Hall said there is a household and groundskeeping staff of 15, including a chauffeur to drive Traina in a black Cadillac sedan to the embassy 45 minutes away. He can expect to be there at his desk at least eight hours a day, and then dancing the Viennese Waltz with Austrian society. The formal ball season in Vienna lasts three months, night after night.

Its funny, because I have never been involved in politics or diplomacy, Traina said. But I do want to serve my country.

Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SamWhitingSF Instagram: @sfchronicle_art

Online video

Ambassador Trevor Traina packs up his photography collection for Austria: http://bit.ly/trevortrainaSan Francisco District Attorney George Gascon declined to file criminal charges Thursday against police officers in two controversial killings, including the 2015 shooting of Mario Woods in the Bayview neighborhood, which prompted widespread protests and sweeping reform efforts in the city force.

Gascon said he will not file charges against five officers who fired at Woods and two officers who shot and killed Luis Gongora Pat in the Mission District in 2016, because both men had knives and there was insufficient evidence to prove the officers acted unreasonably in defending themselves and others.

However, the district attorney expressed frustration over the incidents that put a spotlight on how police use force in San Francisco, saying he did not believe officers should have killed the men but was bound by the law not to press charges. In the Woods case, prosecutors said, cell phone videos showed Woods was not directly threatening officers with the knife when they fired 26 rounds at him.

To the Woods family and the Gongora family, there are not enough words that I can say that are going to bring their loved ones back, Gascon said. Im very sorry they lost a son, they lost a brother, a friend, because I dont believe that was necessary.

The killings, four months apart, ratcheted up tension between the Police Department and many of the communities its officers are assigned to protect. Both Woods, 26, and Gongora Pat, 45, were men of color and the shootings followed nationwide upheaval after police killings including the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.

Attorney John Burris, who sued the city on behalf of Woods family, said he didnt expect criminal charges to be filed but was nonetheless disappointed.

The shooting was excessive and unjustified, Burris said. They shouldnt have been that quick to take a life. They had time to wait. No one was in serious danger.

Gongora Pats family members stood outraged on the steps of the Hall of Justice after Gascons announcement.

This is a very sad day. It is lamentable. It is extremely difficult for us, said Luis Armando Poot Pat, a cousin, with the help of an interpreter. Mr. Gascon is a coward. He is a person who does not represent the citizens. He did not have the courage to do his job.

But Thursdays decision was a huge relief for the officers in both cases, said Tony Montoya, president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association. He said the announcement was a long time coming and vindicated the officers.

These last 2 years have been an emotional roller coaster ride for them, Montoya said.

All of the officers were placed on paid leave, and upon returning to duty were placed in no-public-contact positions while the investigation went on.

They are all looking forward to getting back to the job they love, Montoya said.

The fatal shootings were among several in the city within a short period in San Francisco, leading to the resignation of Suhr in 2016 and prompting the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the police force and its policies.

Woods, an African American man, was killed Dec. 2, 2015. According to a 28-page report by the district attorneys office, officers were called around 4:20 p.m. to Keith Street near Third Street in the Bayview, to check out a report of a stabbing by an erratic man later identified as Woods.

When police arrived, Woods was holding a 4-inch blade, prosecutors said. Two officers reported that Woods told them, Im not going with you and Youre gonna have to fing shoot me.

Nearly a dozen officers soon arrived to form a semicircle around Woods as he stood against a wall. The officers attempted to disarm him with pepper spray and by firing two beanbag rounds and four foam rounds, but Woods refused to drop his weapon and began shuffling slowly to his right along the wall. He was cut off by Officer Charles August, who later told investigators he wanted to prevent Woods from going toward bystanders who were at a bus stop on the block.

As Woods got within about 10 feet of August, he and four other officers  Winston Seto, Antonio Santos, Nicholas Cuevas and Scott Phillips  opened fire, striking Woods 20 times. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Less than two minutes elapsed between initial contact and the shooting, according to the district attorneys report.

Two days after the incident, Suhr told an emotional town hall crowd that Woods had pointed his blade at August. The district attorneys investigation contradicted that claim, but noted that a suspect with a knife can pose a lethal threat and (officers) do not have to wait for an individual to attack them in order to use lethal force.

The medical examiners report said Woods was under the influence of methamphetamine.

Investigators with the district attorneys office consulted with supervisors at the Police Departments Training Academy as well as an independent use-of-force expert, both of whom concluded the officers acted in accordance with their training.

The city Police Commission began revising the departments use-of-force policy after the shooting, putting more emphasis on de-escalation. In February 2016, Suhr and Lee held a news conference announcing further changes designed to defuse situations with knife-wielding suspects.

But on April 7, 2016, police shot and killed Gongora Pat, a Mexican immigrant, on Shotwell Street between 18th and 19th streets in the Mission District.

The incident began shortly after 10 a.m. when workers from the Department of Public Healths Homeless Outreach Team reported that a homeless man was in the area waving a large kitchen knife.

Two police officers and a sergeant sped to the scene and ordered Gongora Pat to drop an 8-inch knife, according to the district attorneys 35-page report on the incident.

Gongora Pat initially dropped the knife but picked it back up, the report said. The officers commanded him again to drop the weapon in English and Spanish before Officer Michael Mellone fired four beanbag rounds at him, officials said.

Thats when Gongora Pat jumped up, knife in hand, and charged at Sgt. Nathaniel Steger, according to the district attorneys report. Eight witnesses confirmed that account, prosecutors said, but other witnesses gave contradictory statements that investigators said were not supported by the physical evidence.

Steger and Mellone opened fire and hit Gongora Pat six times, including a fatal shot to the head, the report said.

The medical examiners report found he was under the influence of methamphetamine at a level high enough to kill or hospitalize a non-habitual user.

The shooting became more controversial after surveillance video from a nearby building emerged and showed that only 30 seconds passed between the time officers exited their patrol vehicles and when they fired.

In the days and weeks after the shooting, a group of demonstrators known as the Frisco Five began a hunger strike and called on Suhr to be fired. Protesters converged on City Hall, clashing with sheriffs deputies as they flooded the rotunda. The building was damaged in a raucous protest that ended in 33 arrests.

Suhr hung on until May 19, 2016, when a police sergeant shot and killed an unarmed car-theft suspect, Jessica Williams, in the Bayview. Within hours, the chief resigned.

On Thursday, Gascon invited Woods and Gongora Pats families to his office to explain his decisions, but both declined to take the meetings.

Mayor Mark Farrell issued a statement Thursday saying he respected Gascons decision and supported the work of the Police Department, while acknowledging the pain that the decision will cause in communities that have for so long been disproportionately impacted by violence.

Gascon has supported AB931, which would require police to use lethal force only when necessary to prevent imminent death or injury and there is no reasonable alternative.

I want the community to understand that Im very disturbed by these uses of force as well as others, and Im going to do everything that I can in order to move the law in a different direction, Gascon said.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffskySAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



One person was taken to a hospital for injuries they suffered in a one-alarm fire late Wednesday afternoon in San Francisco's Lone Mountain neighborhood, fire officials said.



The fire was reported at 4:32 p.m. Wednesday in the 200 block of Parker Avenue near Geary Boulevard.



Fire officials said two structures were involved and four people were displaced by the blaze. The cause of the fire is under investigation.



Fire officials said the American Red Cross will assist the residents who were displaced.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon today announced he will not seek charges against officers involved in two high-profile fatal police shootings.



In a report outlining details of the investigations into the fatal police shootings of Mario Woods on Dec. 5, 2015, and Luis Gongora Pat on April 7, 2016, Gascon's office said it could not prove without a reasonable doubt that the officers' actions were unjustified.



"Use of force cases can only be charged if we can prove that it was unreasonable for the officer to be in fear for their life or someone else's," Gascon said in a statement.



"Whether or not the officer could have used another tactic such as non-lethal force, or simply waiting, is not a factor we can even consider under current law," he said.



Gongora Pat, 45, was killed during a confrontation with police in which he was allegedly armed with a knife near the corner of Shotwell and 18th streets. Police identified the two officers who shot Gongora as Sgt. Nate Steger and Officer Michael Mellone.



Woods, 26, was killed on Dec. 2, 2015, when five officers fired their weapons at him near Keith Street and Fitzgerald Avenue after he allegedly refused to put down a knife. The officers were identified by police as Winson Seto, Antonio Santos, Charles August, Nicholas Cuevas and Scott Phillips.



Following the announcement, the family of Luis Gongora Pat and their supporters rallied outside the Hall of Justice and called for Gascon's resignation.



According to the family, they had been given a one-day notice to meet with Gascon ahead of today's announcement, but declined the meeting after they were told that their spokeswoman, Adriana Camarena, and a member of the Mexican consulate would not be allowed to attend.



The mother of Mario Woods, Gwendolyn Woods, did not attend today's rally.



Attorney Adante Pointer, who is representing both families in federal lawsuits, was also in attendance at today's rally and vowed to seek charges in federal court.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.MARTINEZ (BCN)



Martinez residents and city officials are dueling to define open space regulations for new development on the June 5 ballot.



Measure I, a "citizen's initiative," and Measure F, proposed by the City Council, are similar in wording. They both call for voter approval when any changes are made in designated "open space" areas, but their definitions of open space are critically different.



Measure I includes public areas and certain locations, like the Franklin Hills, that have both public and private ownership.



Measure F covers only public areas, and City Council members say the measure is designed to protect private landowner rights to expand while protecting public open spaces in other parcels.



Supporters of each measure have accused the opposition of fear-mongering and misinformation, with the City Council describing Measure I as riddled with mistakes, and Measure I drafters saying Measure F will turn Martinez into a developer's playground.



Tim Platt, proponent of Measure I and founding member of the Martinez Open Space and Park Protection Initiative, said the primary objective of Measure I is to give residents the final say in any development or changes to their community.



He said supporters of Measure I are sympathetic to a growing population that needs housing, but residents still need to maintain a "reasonable" quality of life with open green spaces.



"For us older [residents], boy, that's where we refuel from the pressures of the everyday world," Platt said, dismissing the idea that open space is a "luxury," rather than a basic need.



Platt insisted that Measure I abides by the city's general plan, and would not infringe upon residents who want to expand their home.



He noted that Martinez is the resting place for John Muir, a pioneer for public parks and wildlife protection, and said it's critical for children to have a connection with the physical world in their youth.



Platt cited three different projects as examples of what he said is the City Council's push toward overdeveloping Martinez -- homes at Vine Hill Way, Muir Station Road and Pine Meadow. None of those developments required a public vote, according to Platt.



Proponents of Measure I began petitioning for signatures in April 2017, but the Martinez City Council initially rejected the ballot measure.



A Contra Costa County Superior Court judge ruled that Measure I could remain on the ballot, and the City Council quickly designed Measure F as an alternative.



More than 500 parcels of privately owned land are included in Measure I. California law protects these homeowners from any rezoning, meaning they would not be kicked out of their homes, but Mayor Rob Schroder said Measure I would effectively limit property owners' freedom.



This would include property additions like a barn, "in-law" units, and other accessory units for single-family homes.



He added that the city's general plan is antiquated and hasn't kept up with the needs of the community, which is seeing population growth like the rest of the Bay Area.



Residents from Berkeley, Oakland and nearby cities are moving to Martinez because it is relatively affordable, and Schroder said millennials are attracted to the location because they see it as a "cute little town."



"If people are going to have places to live, we've got to look at some new ways of doing this," he said, explaining that future development will be focused in transit hubs and the city's downtown area, rather than large open spaces like the Franklin Hills.



In addition, Schroder said Martinez has directed $30 million over the next 10 years toward refurbishing its dozens of parks, and the city is not lacking in public space.



Measure I is fueled by a "not in my backyard," mentality that is selfishly opposed to growth in Martinez, Schroder said.



If Measure I passes, Schroder said the city's lawyers will continue to fight it in court.



"It's going to be horrendous to try to implement this poorly written [ballot measure]," he said.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.OAKLAND (BCN)



A rift opened up for the first time between Ghost Ship master tenant Derick Almena and creative director Max Harris in the case in which they each face 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter for their alleged roles in a fire at the Oakland warehouse in December 2016 that killed 36 people.



Tony Serra, the lawyer for Almena, 48, said Almena wants to maintain a July 16 trial date that was previously set in the case because he's tired of being in jail and wants the case to be resolved as soon as possible.



But Curtis Briggs, the attorney for Harris, 28, said he wants to have the trial postponed until September or later because experts he recently hired to study the possible cause of the fire at the warehouse at 1309 31st Ave. in Oakland's Fruitvale district on Dec. 2, 2016, need more time to complete their work.



Briggs said the team of experts will "decimate" the prosecution's case against Harris and Almena.



He said the delay he's seeking is "unfortunate" because Harris and Almena would have to wait in jail a few more months but he said "it would be worth it."



Serra said, "This is the first time we've had any conflict at all. We have many of the same experts and witnesses and are friends."



But he said, "In this instance we are in conflict."



The comments by Serra and Briggs came after Alameda County Superior Court Judge James Cramer scheduled a hearing for June 7 on Harris' motion for a continuance.



Serra said he and the Alameda County District Attorney's Office both oppose the continuance.



A short time earlier, in a courtroom across the hall, Judge Kevin Murphy denied Harris' motion to be released on his own recognizance. Murphy denied a similar motion by Almena on April 20.



Harris had based his bail motion on an appellate court ruling earlier this year that said judges must take a defendant's ability to pay into account when bail amounts are set.



But Murphy said today that he's no longer bound by that ruling because the California Supreme Court agreed on Wednesday to review that ruling.



Murphy said the appellate court ruling "is no longer binding or controlling."



Briggs said he was disappointed by the state Supreme Court's decision to review the appellate court's ruling, saying, "The Supreme Court took that away from us."



Serra said, "We're all disappointed" by the Supreme Court's decision and said he thinks both Almena and Harris should be free while they stand trial because they aren't a danger to society or flight risks.



Almena and Harris both remain in custody in lieu of $750,000 bail.



Almena and Harris face up to 39 years in state prison if they're convicted of the 36 involuntary manslaughter counts.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



The city of San Francisco, already making strides in reducing HIV infections, is adding $4.2 million to it's budget to help fund prevention and health services programs, Mayor Mark Farrell announced today.



The extra funding will help backfill local and federal funding for the critical services and brings the total amount of funding for HIV and AIDS that the city has backfilled to $16.3 million since the 2013 fiscal year.



While the city has successfully reduced its overall HIV infection rate, its redoubling efforts to reduce the rate for underserved people, such as communities of color, trans communities and young people.



"We have made remarkable advances in reducing HIV infections and improving the lives of people living with HIV, but we must continue to fight against this ongoing public health threat," Farrell said in a statement. "I am committed to fighting this disease, and am ensuring that our local government maintains funding levels for critical programs."



The city's budget for HIV/AIDS prevention totals $59.5 million and currently covers preventions, health care services, outreach and engagement.



The new funding from the Mayor's budget includes $2.8 million over two years to cover losses from federal spending cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These funds will pay for disease surveillance and preventions programs, HIV testing and the coordination of syringe access and disposal programs, as well as other initiatives.



The remaining $1.4 million from the mayor's budget will be used over two years to backfill expiring funds from the city's Getting to Zero initiative, a collaborative effort with community-based organizations, the city's Department of Public Health and the University of California at San Francisco, among others.



Getting to Zero, started in 2014, aims to have zero new HIV infections and zero HIV-related deaths in the city by 2025. The program focuses on providing PrEP (pre-exposure prophlaxis) for people who are HIV negative, connecting newly infected people with treatment and retaining those getting treated.



The $1.4 million will also go to fund outreach, prevention and treatment programs tailored for people who experience the most HIV disparities, such as African American and Latino men, young people and trans women. The funds will also support employment and food security programs for people living with HIV, according to the mayor's office.



"San Francisco has pledged to Get to Zero in the battle against HIV/AIDS," SFDPH Health Director Barbara Garcia said in a statement. "Thanks to major accomplishments in care and medication, along with syringe access, community partnerships and world-class research, we are in a good position to reach that goal. But we won't get there if we don't fix the disparities that impact African American, Latino and homeless people in our city. This funding boosts our ability to reach these communities and tailor outreach, prevention and treatment to meet their needs," she said.



According to the mayor's office, new HIV diagnoses tumbled to a record-low 223 in 2016. At the city's peak in 1992, during the AIDS epidemic, 2,332 people in San Francisco were infected.



Currently, it's estimated there are about 16,000 people living in the city with HIV, 26 percent of those are over the age of 60.



Homeless people and injection drug users are at high risk for HIV infections, however, according to the mayor's office, new infections among that group also continue to drop with only 38 HIV positive diagnoses in 2016.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.SAN JOSE (BCN)



Two men in their 20s are in custody after police linked them to a shooting that killed one suspect's father and seriously injured his mother in San Jose on Sunday evening, according to police.



Duong Luu, 25, and Madison Muong, 27, were arrested on Tuesday at their residence in San Jose in connection with the homicide of Luu's father, Thao Quoc Luu, 70, and the attempted murder of his mother.



At 7:38 p.m. Sunday, San Jose police officers responded to the 2600 block of Senter Road on a report of a person shot, police said. When they arrived, police found two victims suffering from at least one gunshot each.



Luu was pronounced dead at the scene and his wife was transported to a hospital with injuries believed to be life-threatening.



A candlelight vigil is being held on Friday evening at the Spanish Cove Mobile Home Park, located in the block where Luu and his wife were shot, beginning at 6:45 p.m. with a religious prayer ceremony and continuing at 7 p.m. with brief remarks.



District 7 councilman Tam Nguyen and San Jose police Capt. Johnson Fong are expected to speak to community members in attendance.



Nguyen's chief of staff Louansee Moua sent out a statement about the ceremony that identified the second victim as Duong Luu's mother.



Tam Nguyen said in the statement that the community was mourning the loss of the volunteer Taichi instructor at the local Vietnamese American Community Center.



"Teacher Thao Luu, a devout Buddhist, dedicated his life to help others and do good for the community," Nguyen said. "He is deeply admired by friends, students and everybody who knows him. He will be missed dearly."



Police are asking anyone with information on the shooting to call Detective Sgt. John Barg or Detective Raul Corral of the department's Homicide Unit at (408) 277-5283.



Those who wish to remain anonymous can call the Crime Stoppers tip line at (408) 947-STOP or click the "Submit A Tip" link at the bottom of the San Jose Police Department's website.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.In the June election, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley is facing a challenger for the first time since she was appointed to her position in September 2009.



Oakland civil rights attorney Pamela Price says in her ballot statement that she's running against O'Malley because she wants to "hold police accountable and remove officers who are not serving the public, end mass incarceration, eliminate the death penalty and ensure that victims of crime receive the full justice they deserve."



Price says, "I will create partnerships with organizations, cities and government agencies to ensure that seniors, youth and poor people are not exploited and over-criminalized. I will strive to give everyone a second chance at a first-class life."



O'Malley, whose father Bill O'Malley served as Contra Costa County's district attorney for 15 years and later was a judge there, joined the Alameda County District Attorney's Office in 1984 and rose through the ranks to become the chief assistant district attorney in 1999.



The Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 at a meeting on Sept. 15, 2009, to appoint O'Malley to succeed Tom Orloff, who surprised the board several days earlier by saying he planned to retire.



O'Malley was then elected without opposition in 2010 and 2014.



In her ballot statement, O'Malley says she's committed to "fighting for women, vulnerable populations, including the elderly, children and people with disabilities and enhancing the rights of victims of crime."



O'Malley says, "Together, we have led the statewide charge against human trafficking through the H.E.A.T. (Human Exploitation and Trafficking) program, which unites prosecutors, police, servicce providers and communities."



O'Malley says, "Alameda County needs an experienced district attorney who understands the balance between keeping the public safe by fighting violent crime while ensuring equality and fairness so our criminal justice system does not discriminate and punish people unfairly."



Price says, "For the last 41 years I have been an advocate for women, people of color, low-income and marginalized communities in their struggle for justice."



She says, "I have the knowledge, skills and experience to manage the office of district attorney and implement my vision of justice done right."



O'Malley is endorsed by some of California's most powerful elected officials, including Gov. Jerry Brown and U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris. Harris formerly worked with O'Malley in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office before becoming a district attorney herself in San Francisco.



O'Malley also is endorsed by all five members of the county's Board of Supervisors and most of the county's mayors.



Among those who've endorsed Price are Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza, a group called Our Revolution that was started by former operatives of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, actor Danny Glover, activist Angela Davis, the California Nurses Association and former Oakland mayor and congressman Ron Dellums.



Price's campaign mailers and advertisements have been funded in part by a group called the California Justice & Public Safety Political Action Committee, which has received major funding from billionaire investor George Soros.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



The California Supreme Court agreed today to review a landmark ruling by a state appeals court in San Francisco that requires judges to consider a criminal defendant's financial situation and non-monetary alternatives when setting bail.



The high court's action doesn't necessarily mean that the high court disagrees with the Court of Appeal's January ruling in the case of San Francisco robbery defendant Kenneth Humphrey.



Rather, it could mean that the court wishes to clarify the lower court decision and set statewide guidelines.



All six of the court's current justices, led by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, signed the order granting review. The state Supreme Court, based in San Francisco, currently has one vacancy, left open since the retirement of Justice Kathryn Werdegar last August.



Cantil-Sakauye has called for bail reform in recent annual addresses to the state Legislature. She also established a bail study work group that last year recommended replacing set bail schedules with a risk-based assessment and supervision program.



San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi, who represented Humphrey, said the state high court's forthcoming decision "will help clarify important questions surrounding the constitutionality of the bail system."



"This is a huge decision because it will determine whether poor people remain in jail while people who can afford to post bail go free. The work group established by the chief justice has already said that our bail system is 'unsafe and unfair' and needs to be replaced, so I don't expect the California Supreme Court would find otherwise," Adachi said.



The state Constitution provides a right to bail unless there is "clear and convincing evidence" that a defendant poses a danger of violence toward others.



In the appeals court decision being reviewed by the court, Justice Anthony Kline wrote that it is unconstitutional for a poor defendant to be "imprisoned solely due to poverty" for not being able to afford bail.



A three-judge appeals panel said that in cases where bail is appropriate, trial court judges must consider a defendant's ability to pay, look at alternatives to money bail, and state their reasons on the record if they conclude that bail is needed to ensure a defendant's future court appearances.



Humphrey, whose bail was originally set at $600,000 in San Francisco Superior Court according to a state bail schedule, was eventually released this month on conditions of wearing an ankle monitor and being confined in a substance abuse treatment facility while he awaits trial.



No date has been set for a state Supreme Court hearing on the case. The court will have 90 days after hearing arguments to issue a written decision.



In the meantime, the Court of Appeal ruling will remain in effect for California. The high court turned down requests by the California District Attorneys Association and the Golden State Bail Agents Association to have the appeals court decision suspended for all defendants except Humphrey until the state Supreme Court issues its own decision.



State Attorney General Xavier Becerra, whose office normally handles appeals in criminal cases, declined to appeal the Court of Appeal decision. San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon asked the high court to clarify the degree to which courts can consider public safety when deciding on bail.



The high court's order accepting the case specified three questions the panel wants to have answered in briefs and arguments:



1) Was the appeals court correct in saying that constitutional rights of due process and equal protection require consideration of a defendant's ability to pay bail?



2) In setting bail, may a trial judge consider public safety? Must it do so?



3) Under what circumstances does the California Constitution permit bail to be denied in cases other than death penalty cases?



Adachi said, "The California Supreme Court has granted review on specific issues relating to the unfairness of the bail system, and I think the issues they have identified need to be answered for the benefit of all Californians and our court system."





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



Following a seven-hour meeting Wednesday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors' Rules Committee selected two people to nominate to fill in empty seats at the city's Police Commission.



John Hamasaki and Cindy Elias have been nominated to serve on the commission. The picks will need to be confirmed by the full Board of Supervisors.



If confirmed, Hamasaki and Elias will begin their four-year terms on June 6, according to Supervisor Malia Cohen's office.



Cohen joined Wednesday's Rules Committee meeting, which is served by Supervisors Norman Yee, Catherine Stefani and Ahsha Safai.



The police commission was without two members after the board declined last week at it's regular meeting to reappoint two commissioners nominated by Mayor Mark Farrell, commissioners Sonia Melara and Joseph Marshall.



The supervisors' 6-5 vote against the reappointments last week was a blow to the commission, as it's now left with only four current members, meaning it doesn't have a quorum and can't meet for the time being.



The move comes as the city is gearing up for a mayoral election in less than two weeks. Use-of-force policy reforms are also taking shape within the Police Department, and there are rumors that police Chief Bill Scott is a candidate to be police chief for the Los Angeles Police Department.



Some supervisors had said the city's new mayor, to be sworn in July after the June 5 election, should have a say in the picks.



Farrell was chosen by the board to serve as mayor until the June election, following the death of Mayor Ed Lee in December. Board president London Breed, Supervisor Jane Kim, former state Sen. Mark Leno and former supervisor Angela Alioto are among the candidates seeking the seat.



In response, Farrell had said he was disappointed by the board's vote and on Thursday resubmitted Melara and Marshall for reappointment, urging the board to "quickly approve these two highly qualified reappointments immediately after the June 5 election."



The commission was already down two members after earlier this year former Commissioner Bill Ong Hing resigned, as did former commission president Julius Turman, who passed away earlier this month.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.A rift opened up for the first time between Ghost Ship master tenant Derick Almena and creative director Max Harris in the case in which they each face 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter for their alleged roles in a fire at the Oakland warehouse in December 2016 that killed 36 people.



Tony Serra, the lawyer for Almena, 48, said Almena wants to maintain a July 16 trial date that was previously set in the case because he's tired of being in jail and wants the case to be resolved as soon as possible.



But Curtis Briggs, the attorney for Harris, 28, said he wants to have the trial postponed until September or later because experts he recently hired to study the possible cause of the fire at the warehouse at 1309 31st Ave. in Oakland's Fruitvale district on Dec. 2, 2016, need more time to complete their work.



Briggs said the team of experts will "decimate" the prosecution's case against Harris and Almena.



He said the delay he's seeking is "unfortunate" because Harris and Almena would have to wait in jail a few more months but he said "it would be worth it."



Serra said, "This is the first time we've had any conflict at all. We have many of the same experts and witnesses and are friends."



But he said, "In this instance we are in conflict."







Two men in their 20s are in custody after police linked them to a shooting that killed one suspect's father and seriously injured his mother in San Jose on Sunday evening, according to police.



Duong Luu, 25, and Madison Muong, 27, were arrested on Tuesday at their residence in San Jose in connection with the homicide of Luu's father, Thao Quoc Luu, 70, and the attempted murder of his mother.



At 7:38 p.m. Sunday, San Jose police officers responded to the 2600 block of Senter Road on a report of a person shot, police said. When they arrived, police found two victims suffering from at least one gunshot each.



Luu was pronounced dead at the scene and his wife was transported to a hospital with injuries believed to be life-threatening.



A candlelight vigil is being held on Friday evening at the Spanish Cove Mobile Home Park, located in the block where Luu and his wife were shot, beginning at 6:45 p.m. with a religious prayer ceremony and continuing at 7 p.m. with brief remarks.







A 19-year-old man who died in a collision on U.S. Highway 101 in San Jose Sunday morning has been identified by the Santa Clara County medical examiner's office as Jonathan Carrillo Lorenzana.



Lorenzana, a San Jose resident, was the passenger in a 1997 Acura TL driven by a 16-year-old that was allegedly involved in a different crash earlier in the evening, according to the California Highway Patrol.



The first crash was on Oakland Road, CHP officials said.



The force of the first crash pushed the Acura onto northbound Highway 101, where it came to rest in the passing lane and the lane next to it near the northbound Interstate Highway 880 on-ramp, CHP officials said just hours after the incident.



A 2007 Toyota Camry going the speed limit in the passing lane was not able to avoid the Acura and hit the vehicle, according to the CHP.



Lorenzana died at the scene.







A man whose body was found by police in a San Jose alley last Friday has been identified, according to the Santa Clara County medical examiner's office.



Police deemed the death of 28-year-old resident Rene Morales suspicious after finding his body on the ground in the 700 block of South Second Street near Interstate Highway 280, officers said.



Officers responded at about 10:30 a.m. Friday to the scene. Police still do not know Morales' cause of death, Officer Gina Tepoorten said this morning.







A San Mateo resident is missing after he fell off a rock while fishing near Gerstle Cove on the Sonoma Coast Wednesday.



Li Shen Su, 65, and four friends were walking on rocks south of Gerstle Cove around 2:30 p.m. when Su slipped and fell into the surf, Sonoma County sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Crum said. Su's friends searched for him without success.



The area has no cellphone service and Su's friends drove south to Fort Ross State Park to contact park rangers, Crum said.



The sheriff's helicopter Henry-1 responded around 4:45 p.m. but did not find Su, Crum said. The U.S. Coast Guard and sheriff's deputies also joined the search.



The helicopter is searching the area again this morning, Crum said.







A 29-year-old Oakland man has been arrested on suspicion of robbery and elder abuse after allegedly stealing purses from two women, including a 93-year-old woman he knocked to the ground last week, Concord police said.



Otto Halafihi turned himself in at a police substation in Patterson in Stanislaus County after Concord police had put out surveillance photos of a suspect in the robberies that were reported around 4 p.m. last Friday in the 1000 block of Sunvalley Boulevard.



The two women, ages 93 and 64, reported having their purses stolen and the 93-year-old had to be hospitalized after being knocked to the ground, according to police.



Police said today that they identified Halafihi as the suspect thanks to tips and leads from the community and detectives learned of his location in Patterson.







An assailant shot a man as he sat in a car parked at San Francisco's Stonestown Galleria mall Wednesday night, according to police.



The incident occurred around 8:10 p.m. in the mall parking lot in the 3200 block of 20th Avenue, police said.



The victim, a 23-year-old man, was sitting the car's front passenger seat when he heard two loud noises and saw the car's window shatter. The victim then realized he had been shot.



He was taken to a hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, according to police.







Sonoma Raceway will honor residents and first responders who were affected by the October wildfires at its biggest race weekend next month, the Toyota/SaveMart 350 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.



As part of the "Sonoma Rising" initiative at the raceway, race fans, community members and businesses can purchase a NASCAR race day ticket for June 24 for $20. The United Way of the Wine Country and Sonoma Raceway will distribute the tickets to local residents.



Community members also can nominate residents who were particularly heroic during the wildfires at SonomaRaceway.com/SonomaRising. The nomination should include the reason why the hero should be selected and include a photo if possible.



The nominees can be first responders, community members or public servants. The winning hero will be recognized during pre-race ceremonies.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.Domestic violence charges against San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster have been dropped, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Nona L. Klippen announced Wednesday afternoon.



Foster has appeared in court numerous times since February, after being arrested when his ex-girlfriend Elissa Ennis alleged that he battered her and threw their dog across their Los Gatos home.



Ennis recanted her claims two days later, telling Los Gatos police Detective James Wiens she had made up the allegations because she was angry that Foster had broken up with her that morning.



Ennis appeared in court Thursday and testified she had lied about Foster punching her in the head approximately 10 times, dragging her out of their house and throwing her down the steps of the Shannon Road home.







A Capitol Corridor train fatally struck a person between Hayward and Oakland on Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.



The strike was reported at 4:22 p.m., Capitol Corridor spokeswoman Priscilla Kalugdan said.



No further information was immediately available.







Five oil companies are due to ask a federal judge today to dismiss a pair of climate change lawsuits filed by the cities of Oakland and San Francisco.



U.S. District Judge William Alsup will hear arguments on the companies' motions for dismissal in his San Francisco courtroom at 8 a.m. today.



The lawsuits filed last year claim the corporations created a public nuisance by producing "massive quantities" of oil and natural gas and promoting their use while knowing they lead to global warming and rising sea levels.



The two cities ask for the creation of abatement funds, possibly in the billions of dollars, to pay for seawalls and other infrastructure to protect against rising seas.







The California Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to review a landmark ruling by a state appeals court in San Francisco that requires judges to consider a criminal defendant's financial situation and non-monetary alternatives when setting bail.



The high court's action doesn't necessarily mean that the high court disagrees with the Court of Appeal's January ruling in the case of San Francisco robbery defendant Kenneth Humphrey.



Rather, it could mean that the court wishes to clarify the lower court decision and set statewide guidelines.



All six of the court's current justices, led by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, signed the order granting review. The state Supreme Court, based in San Francisco, currently has one vacancy, left open since the retirement of Justice Kathryn Werdegar last August.



Cantil-Sakauye has called for bail reform in recent annual addresses to the state Legislature. She also established a bail study work group that last year recommended replacing set bail schedules with a risk-based assessment and supervision program.







The city of San Francisco, already making strides in reducing HIV infections, is adding $4.2 million to it's budget to help fund prevention and health services programs, Mayor Mark Farrell announced Wednesday.



The extra funding will help backfill local and federal funding for the critical services and brings the total amount of funding for HIV and AIDS that the city has backfilled to $16.3 million since the 2013 fiscal year.



While the city has successfully reduced its overall HIV infection rate, its redoubling efforts to reduce the rate for underserved people, such as communities of color, trans communities and young people.



"We have made remarkable advances in reducing HIV infections and improving the lives of people living with HIV, but we must continue to fight against this ongoing public health threat," Farrell said in a statement. "I am committed to fighting this disease, and am ensuring that our local government maintains funding levels for critical programs."



The city's budget for HIV/AIDS prevention totals $59.5 million and currently covers preventions, health care services, outreach and engagement.







The Autopilot feature was not engaged in a Tesla Model S vehicle involved in a deadly crash near Crow Canyon Road in unincorporated Alameda County on Sunday night, company officials said Wednesday.



Keith Leung, 34, died when the blue Tesla apparently went off the roadway while traveling north in the 1100 block of Crow Canyon Road and ended up in a pond, California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Dan Jacowitz said.



Alameda County fire officials responded to the crash at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Jacowitz said.



The Tesla was found with Leung still seated inside and he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Jacowitz.



Tesla officials said in a statement, "We have been able to recover enough data from the vehicle to confirm that Autopilot was not engaged at the time of this accident."







An Oakland man was convicted of second-degree murder Wednesday for firing a shot that killed a mother of four children during a road rage confrontation in East Oakland four years ago.



Jurors deliberated for three days before announcing their verdict against Carl DuBose, 24, for the shooting death of 30-year-old Perla Avina at the corner of 98th and Edes avenues at about 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 25, 2014.



DuBose admitted on the witness stand last week that he fired the shots that killed Avina but claimed he did so in self-defense because he thought her husband Luis Lopez Gallegos had flashed gang signs at him and he thought Gallegos was reaching for a gun.



DuBose said he didn't want to kill anyone and fired only because he was "scared" during the confrontation.







Voters in Alameda County will decide the fate of several tax and bond measures in the June 5 election.



Measure A, a county-wide initiative, would impose a half-cent increase in local sales taxes for the next 30 years to generate about $140 million annually to expand access to childcare and preschool for low- and middle-income families.



In Oakland, Measure D, which also needs a two-thirds majority to pass, would impose a $75 parcel tax to raise about $10 million annually for the city's libraries for the next 20 years.



In Emeryville, Measure C is a bond measure that would tax property owners $49 per $100,000 of their property's assessed value annually for 25 years to generate about $3.4 million a year to fund affordable housing projects in the city.







Two whales that washed up in the Bay Area last week died to due to human-related causes, Marine Mammal Center officials said Wednesday.



A fin whale found near Jack London Square in Oakland on Friday morning died after being struck by a ship, and a gray whale carcass that washed ashore in Marin County later the same day died after being severely entangled.



The fin whale was a 45-foot female juvenile that suffered massive hemorrhaging on both sides after the collision, center officials said. It was towed to Angel Island State Park, where scientists performed a necropsy.



Center officials confirmed the juvenile was the same whale reported to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on May 16, after it was found draped across the bow of a large ship entering the Bay.



The 36-foot adult female gray whale found at Tennessee Valley Beach in Marin County suffered lesions around the back of her neck and both front flippers. She also had two lacerations on the right side and multiple skull fractures consistent with a ship propeller, according to center officials.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



Five oil companies are due to ask a federal judge on Thursday to dismiss a pair of climate change lawsuits filed by the cities of Oakland and San Francisco.



U.S. District Judge William Alsup will hear arguments on the companies' motions for dismissal in his San Francisco courtroom at 8 a.m. Thursday.



The lawsuits filed last year claim the corporations created a public nuisance by producing "massive quantities" of oil and natural gas and promoting their use while knowing they lead to global warming and rising sea levels.



The two cities ask for the creation of abatement funds, possibly in the billions of dollars, to pay for seawalls and other infrastructure to protect against rising seas.



"This threat to human safety and to public and private property is becoming more dire every day as global warming reaches ever more dangerous levels and sea level rise accelerates," Oakland's lawsuit alleges.



The five defendants are the world's largest investor-owned oil companies: Chevron Corp., Exxon Mobil Corp., ConocoPhillips, BP PLC, and Royal Dutch Shell PLC.



They have marshaled an array of arguments claiming the lawsuits should be thrown out because they violate or conflict with common law principles, federal laws and the U.S. Constitution.



"The production of fossil fuels is specifically authorized and encouraged by numerous federal, state and local laws," the companies argued in a brief filed last month.



They also contend they can't be held liable because "they did not control the fossil fuels at the time the alleged nuisance was created -- i.e., when the fuel was combusted."



Instead, there were "billions of intervening third parties," including the cities themselves, that burned the fuels, the companies claim.



The U.S. Justice Department has weighed in on the side of the oil companies in support of dismissing the lawsuits. It said in a friend-of-the court brief that the United States has "strong economic and national security interests in promoting the development of fossil fuels, among other energy resources."



California, joined by New Jersey and Washington, filed a friend-of-the-court brief on the side of the cities, urging Alsup to deny the motions for dismissal.



Oakland and San Francisco originally filed their lawsuits on behalf of the people of California in September in Alameda County and San Francisco superior courts, but the cases were moved to federal court at the companies' request.



In March, Alsup held an unusual public tutorial session on the science of climate change in connection with the lawsuits.



A lawyer for Chevron Corp. said during the session that the San Ramon-based company accepts that climate change is real and is caused primarily by human activity, but said it is "a global issue that requires global debate and engagement."





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.A Washington woman was found guilty Monday of murdering her sister in Contra Costa County, prosecutors announced.



Linda Thomas was convicted of five felony counts for shooting and killing her sister, Zonna Thomas, on Oct. 17, 2015.



Thomas is facing a potential life sentence without the possibility for parole.



The defendant traveled from Washington to visit her sister in Rodeo on Oct. 16, 2015. The next day, prosecutors said she shot her sister in the kitchen and attempted to shoot her brother-in-law after he responded to the shooting.



Prosecutors said she paid for her own obituary in a Washington newspaper before she left town and brought with her packing tape, syringes, zip ties, a flash light, pills, ice tea laced with vodka, a utility knife and a chain.



Deputy District Attorney Rachel Piersig said the murder was planned as a double-murder suicide and Thomas "carefully waited for the perfect opportunity."



"I hope this brings some semblance of closure to the victims involved in the case, especially Zonna's husband Donald."



Thomas' sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 27 in Contra Costa County Superior Court.





Copyright  2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.Warner NH  The New Hampshire Telephone Museum has received a grant from New Hampshire Humanities to present Rebecca Rule and her program, That Reminds Me of a Story, which will be presented on Friday, June 22nd at 7:00 p.m. at the Warner Town Hall, 5 East Main Street.

Rebecca Rule gathers and tells stories in New England, mostly New Hampshire. She is the author of eleven books and currently hosts "Our Hometown" on NHPTV.

Stories speak to us of community. They hold our history and reflect our identity. Rebecca Rule has made it her mission over the last 20 years to collect stories of New Hampshire, especially those that reflect what's special about this rocky old place. She'll tell some of those stories and invite audience members to contribute a few stories of their own. She has even promised to share some party line stories, just for us adds Laura French, New Hampshire Telephone Museums Executive Director.

This program is free and open to the public. Museum members get preferred seating. Refreshments will be provided.

New Hampshire Humanities nurtures the joy of learning and inspires community engagement by bringing life-enhancing ideas from the humanities to the people of New Hampshire. They connect people with ideas. Learn more at www.nhhumanities.org. Additional local support is provided by NHTMs 4th Phridays Series Sponsor, Upton & Hatfield, Attorneys at Law with offices located in Concord, Hillsborough and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

For more information about this program, please call the museum at (603) 456-2234 or email info@nhtelephonemuseum.org.Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and the Astana Financial Service Authority of Astana International Financial Centre (AFSA-AIFC) have signed an agreement to enhance cooperation on financial markets.



The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed at the side of the Annual Conference of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) held in Budapest, Hungary.



The agreement enables both Authorities to further collaborate on joint initiatives and efforts to bolster the growth of the financial markets in Abu Dhabi and Kazakhstan.



It establishes a strategic platform for ADGMs The Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) and AFSAs teams to share expertise and relevant information financial services legislation, regulation, and regulatory practices in each market and to facilitate cross-border group activities and supervision.



The Authorities will also look into mutually beneficial projects and activities that develop human capital capabilities and foster greater growth in both of the financial markets.



Philippe Richard, director of international affairs of FSRA of ADGM said: This MoU marks an important development in our on-going engagement and collaboration with Astana International Financial Centre and its Regulatory Authority. Through closer collaboration and exchanging of expertise and experience, the two regulators will be able to support financial institutions seeking cross-border operations via both platforms and jurisdictions.



Mukhtar Bubeyev, chief policy officer of the AFSA said: We are very pleased to strengthen our partnership with the FSRA by signing the Memorandum of Understanding. Our legal and regulatory frameworks have many synergies and the ADGM have been supporting our aspirations to establish an international financial centre.  TradeArabia News ServiceYou know what they say  don't mint your North Korea peace summit novelty coins until North Korea stops threatening nuclear war.

That's a lesson the White House appears to have learned the hard way this week. With Trump having announced the June 12 summit in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is not to be, the coins minted to commemorate the historic occasion are now on sale at a discount.

MORE: Trump cancels North Korean summit, citing 'open hostility'

"If Summit Does Not Occur You can Request a Refund but Most Supporters Have Said They Want This Heirloom of Political History Regardless of Outcome," the item description reads, a little defensively.

Now the coins and their "perfectly baked enamels" can be yours for the low low cost of $19.95 (and also global stability), down from $24.95, so it would seem the international community's loss is the novelty coin collector's gain in this case. Gold-plated commemorative ornaments are also on sale at $59, down from $85.

Apparently this price cut sparked some interest because the White House Gift Shop site was down for some time on Thursday morning due to high volume of visitors, according to an error message on the page. And the coins only say 2018 on them, so technically, if the summit is rescheduled this year  a possibility Trump has suggested he's open to  they could still be legitimate.

So go ahead and get 'em while you can  the perfect gift! Nothing says "nothing matters and we're all going to die" like souvenirs from a nuclear peace summit that's no longer happening. Also on sale today? An impressive array of bomber jackets. Let's all hope that's not an omen of what's to come.

Filipa Ioannou is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at fioannou@sfchronicle.com and follow her on TwitterThe UAE, represented by the Ministry of Finance (MoF), has signed an agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Tax Evasion with respect to taxes on income and capital, with Saudi Arabia.



The signing took place at the headquarters of the Saudi Ministry of Finance in Jeddah. The agreement reflects the UAEs keenness to strengthen cooperation in tax-related matters, and enhance economic relations with its neighbour.



Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of State for Financial Affairs of the UAE, signed the agreement on behalf of the UAE, while Saudi Arabias Minister of Finance, Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan, signed it on behalf of Saudi Arabia.



The signing took place at a meeting between the ministers, during which they also discussed a number of topics, notably collaborating on the application of the two GCC unified agreements regarding VAT and selective taxation. To ensure synergy, a team will be established to monitor any issues and implement all necessary steps.



Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director general of the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) will be heading the team on behalf of the UAE and Suhail bin Mohammed Abanmi, governor of the General Authority of Zakat and Tax (GAZT) will be heading it on behalf of Saudi Arabia.



Al Tayer said: The UAE and Saudi Arabia are an exceptional example of cooperation and collaboration within the GCC. United by a common goal and mutual interests, the UAE and Saudi Arabia were the first GCC countries to implement value added tax, and have also formed important strategic and trade partnerships. The agreement will further boost relations and enhance the achievement of their developmental goals and economic diversification in both countries.



Al Tayer added that the Double Taxation Agreement signed with Saudi Arabia demonstrates the efforts exerted by the nation to promote the free movement of factors of production, increase investment opportunities, encourage imports and exports, and facilitate the free flow of trade and investment.



It will also promote the exchange of services and flow of capital, as well as contribute to economic diversification and strengthening the partnership between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which will positively affect trade between the two countries in general.



Al Tayer stressed the UAE's commitment to expanding its network of agreements on the avoidance of double taxation, the most important of which is the exchange of information for tax purposes and the adoption of the best international standards related to the application of transparency and exchange of information.



This is aligned with the UAEs dedication to accomplish the principle of fairness for tax-paying individuals and companies, protect the national economy, and implement the decisions of the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes, which supports the UAEs position as a global financial and trading hub.



MoF continues its efforts to strengthen the financial and economic relations of the nation by signing agreements on the Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes , which have a positive impact on attracting foreign investments and expertise that enhance the country's macroeconomic growth rates, Al Tayer said.



The value of real estate transactions for Saudi nationals in the UAE in 2016 alone reached Dh129.9 billion ($35.3 billion), and the number of licenses for economic activities granted to Saudis in the UAE amounted to 10,896 in 2016.



The value of the investments of Saudi nationals and Saudi banks in the UAE amounted to Dh18.66 billion in the same year, while the value of trade between the two countries reached Dh35.11 billion in 2016. Saudi Arabia is ranked third in the world and first in the Arab world as the most important destination for UAE exports, accounting for 45 per cent of the UAE's imports from the GCC and 28 per cent of the UAE's imports from the Arab countries.



The MoF previously signed Agreements on the Avoidance of Double Taxation on income tax with 115 countries. The Ministry is also committed to implementing the highest standards of economic transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes, in accordance with the decisions of the Group of 20 (G20) and the provisions of the Avoidance of Double Taxation agreements with other countries, which included most of the country's economic and commercial partners.  TradeArabia News ServiceOne of the most unusual homes in Bethesda, MDthe so-called mushroom houseis back on the market after an extensive remodel. Its looking for a new owner who will appreciate its unique design, which looks as if it stepped straight out of the pages of a J.R.R. Tolkien novel.

The house last traded hands for $920,000 in 2015, when Brian Vaughn, co-founder of a Virginia-based IT services firm, fell in love with the homes quirky, organic design.

I hate traditional. Its boring. I live in Bethesda for crying out loud, Vaughn told the Washingtonian. I thought it would just be a fun place for parties, and my daughter was 11 or 12 when I bought it. She was nuts for it. She just absolutely loved it.

Exterior Compass

Built in 1923, the house appeared similar to the other homes in the neighborhood. But in the late 1960s, Edward and Frances Garfinkle bought the house and commissioned futurist architect Roy Mason to use wire mesh and durable polyurethane to transform it into something that looks like it grew out of the ground.

Locals call it the mushroom house, the Hobbit house, the Flintstones house, and the Smurf house. It regularly appears in books and on websites listing Marylands many roadside attractions. Countless passersby have stopped to take photos of the house, which Edward Garfinkle once called more effective at slowing down traffic on his street than a speed bump.

Vaughn remodeled the 5,500-square-foot, six-bedroom, six-bath home from top to bottom. He updated the interior, finished the basement, renovated the kitchen and bathrooms, and added a new balcony over the living room. The result is an elegant, modern, and unique house.

Most of the homes walls, doorways, cutouts, and interior windows curve, arch, or are otherwise shaped like circles or ovals.

The open living room has a 30-foot-tall ceiling, curving fireplace, wet bar, projector, and open loft, which Vaughn set up as a jam band area.

Living room Compass

Second story Compass

Loft Compass

Vaughn remodeled the kitchen with dark wood, modern cabinets, a stone backsplash, recessed lighting, and stainless-steel appliances. The previous kitchen had 1970s-era, bright-blue cabinetry.

Kitchen Compass

Elsewhere, he updated the homes bathrooms and interior doors, and added other high-end finishes.

Master bedroom Compass

Bedroom Compass

Game room Compass

He finished the basement, and renovated the homes separate, one-bedroom apartment.

If youre interested in buying the mushroom house, itll likely set you back more than $1.55 million. Realtor Jill Schwartz, a Realtor, is privately marketing the home ahead of listing it publicly, the Washingtonian reports.

The post Maryland's Wild 'Mushroom House' on the Market Again After Extensive Remodel appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.The time for vacationing is now.

American Airlines is the latest in a queue of air carriers releasing crazy deals on flights to European capitals for this summer by selling off seats to Zurich, Switzerland and a handful of German destinations for under $500 roundtrip.

Most American Airlines flights appear to be connecting to British Airways, Finnair or Iberia to finish the trip abroad.

RELATED: Escape to Cincinnati or Houston? These are the best cheap, fun summer travel destinations

RELATED: Looking for a cheap trip this summer? Fly here

Cheap flights from San Francisco International or Oakland International are primarily available on weekdays from mid-August to early September.

Check Google Flights for the best, most inexpensive routes travel to Zurich or the German cities Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Struttgart, Dusseldorf, and Munich.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.

BEIRUT  Air strikes overnight in eastern Syria killed at least 12 pro-government fighters, all reportedly foreign nationals, a war-monitoring group said Thursday. The Syrian government-run media blamed the strikes on the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State.

In Damascus, the SANA news agency said coalition aircraft struck military positions between the towns of Boukamal and Hmeimeh in Deir el-Zour province. It did not report any casualties.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the war through a network of activists on the ground, said the fatalities were not Syrian nationals but foreign fighters. It said the coalition was likely behind the strikes.

The Pentagon said it had no information to substantiate reports the coalition was behind the latest air strikes.

Late on Thursday, Syrian TV reported a military base in central Syria came under attack from enemy fire and that Syrian air defenses confronted a missile attack. It did not give additional details.

Minutes earlier, SANA reported loud explosions at Dabaa airbase in Homs province.

Syrias government forces have relied on support from the Lebanese group Hezbollah and other regional militias, organized by Iran to wage war on Syrian rebels and Islamic State militants.

Their reach in Syria has alarmed the Trump administration in Washington and Netanyahus government in Tel Aviv, which say that Irans expansive networks in the war-torn country threaten Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will not allow Iran to threaten Israel from Syria. The Israeli military is believed to be behind dozens of air strikes in recent years against Hezbollah, Iran, and Syrian military positions.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, days after President Trump revoked Americas participation in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, has threatened Iran with the strongest sanctions in history unless Tehran withdraws all its forces from Syria and terminates its support for Hezbollah.

Iran has dismissed those threats, saying its forces are in Syria at the invitation of President Bashar Assads government.

Just this week, government forces captured the last rebel-held southern and eastern suburbs of Damascus, boosting security in Assads seat of power. Assads forces have been making steady gains since 2015, when Russian launched an air campaign on behalf of his forces.

Philip Issa is an Associated Press writer.BEIJING  No explanation has yet been found for a U.S. government employees report of abnormal sensations of sound and pressure, China said Thursday, as the incident in southern Guangzhou city recalled the experiences of illness-stricken American diplomats in Cuba.

China is already conducting a careful investigation, and we have already given the U.S. preliminary feedback, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said during a regular news briefing.

At this point, we have not yet found any reason or clue leading to the situation described by the U.S., Lu said, adding that China adheres to the Vienna Convention on protecting foreign diplomats.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday that when the U.S. informed China of the incident in Guangzhou, They said all the right things and have demonstrated their willingness to help us identify the vector which led to this medical incident.

The State Department has dispatched a medical team to Guangzhou, where subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure were reported by an American government worker.

The department said Thursday that it is aware of only one employee who has been affected and that there have been no reports of private U.S. citizens experiencing the phenomena.

Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the American employee had shown clinical findings similar to patients with mild traumatic brain injury, known commonly as a concussion.

The worker, who has been sent to the U.S. for additional testing, experienced a variety of symptoms from late 2017 through April, Nauert said Wednesday.

The Chinese state-owned Global Times newspaper said in an editorial Thursday that the investigation into the U.S. government employees condition should be objective. The newspaper said it was inappropriate for the U.S. to connect the incident with what American diplomats underwent in Cuba.

It is completely unthinkable for there to be medical attacks launched against foreigners, particularly diplomats, in China, the Global Times said.

While the symptoms and sensations have varied from person to person, some have permanent hearing loss or concussions, while others have struggled with nausea, headaches, concentration and common word recall.

Yanan Wang is an Associated Press writer.BUNNIK, Netherlands  Detailed analysis of video and photos has unequivocally established that the Buk missile that brought down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine nearly four years ago came from a Russia-based military unit, an international team of investigators said Thursday.

It is the clearest link yet published by the team of the involvement of Russian military in the deadly missile strike.

Prosecutors said they have presented their findings to Moscow and are seeking answers, but so far have not received a response. The international team running the criminal investigation appealed for help from witnesses who can testify about the involvement of the Russian militarys 53rd antiaircraft missile brigade based in the city of Kursk.

Prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said the new conclusion raised new questions: Such as the question about how actively involved the brigade itself was in bringing down Flight MH17.

Russia has always denied involvement in the downing of the jet.

Westerbeke said the Joint Investigation Team is not yet ready to name suspects, but added: I can say that we are now entering the ... last phase of the investigation. When we will be ready, it is not possible to say at the moment because there is still a lot of work to do.

The Boeing 777 passenger jet was headed from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when it was blown out of the sky over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014. All 298 passengers and crew were killed.

Prosecutors said in 2016 that the plane was shot down by a Buk 9M38 missile fired from territory controlled by Russia-backed rebels, using a mobile launcher trucked in from Russia and hastily returned there. Thursdays presentation went a step further by identifying the exact unit allegedly involved and more details of the rocket, and showing a compilation of videos and photos from social media tracing the missile convoys journey.

Investigators also displayed parts of the engine casing and exhaust system of a Buk 9M38 series missile recovered from eastern Ukraine and showed photos of a unique serial number on the missile.

Mike Corder is an Associated Press writer.Luis Posada Carriles, the anti-Castro militant and former CIA operative who made headlines for decades for his failed attempts to topple the Cuban dictator, died Wednesday in Miramar, Fla. He was 90.

The cause was fluid in his lungs and complications of a stroke he had in 2015, his daughter, Janet Arguello, said.

Posada spent nearly 60 years on a quixotic and often bloody mission to bring down Fidel Castro by any means possible. He was accused of using bombs and bullets in a crusade that took the lives of innocents but never did manage to snare that Cuban leader, who died at 90 in 2016.

Posada hopped from country to country, finding refuge in jungles, arming rebels, surviving stints in prison and living on the run off the largess of Cuban exile supporters, then dying a free man at a home for aging military veterans.

My old tired heart has made enough rounds, Posada said in a jailhouse interview with The Miami Herald in Panama in 2003. Im going to eat my steak, drink my wine and struggle for my country. That will be my lifes end.

But others saw it differently.

He was an international terrorist of the first order, said Peter Kornbluh, director of the Cuba Documentation Project at the National Security Archive, who spent decades collecting declassified documents on Posadas ventures.

Luis Posada Carriles was born on Feb. 15, 1928, in Cienfuegos, in central Cuba, one of four children. His father owned a bookstore and printing press.

Posada attended the University of Havana, a few years behind Fidel Castro there. He worked for a time at the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, first in Havana and then in Akron, Ohio.

By 1960, Posada had a prison record in Cuba for anti-Castro activities and was soon working for the Central Intelligence Agency. He almost participated in the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, but the mission, a CIA-backed operation, failed disastrously before his plane could take off and take him to Cuba to join fellow Cuban-exile guerrillas there. He later joined the Venezuelan intelligence service, where the Cuban government media said his job was to be a CIA mercenary.

One of the deadliest events linked to Posada came in 1976, when a Cubana de Aviacion flight exploded off the coast of Barbados, killing all 73 people aboard, including teenagers from Cubas national fencing team.

A November 1976 FBI report obtained by the National Security Archive showed that a trusted informant had placed Posada at two meetings where the bombing was plotted.

Living in Venezuela at the time of the attack, Posada was tried before a military tribune but was acquitted. He remained in prison while prosecutors appealed the ruling, seeking to take the case to a civilian court. But disguising himself as a priest, he escaped.

Posada always insisted that he was innocent of the airplane bombing  what he called an abominable deed.

He ended up spending nine years in prison in Venezuela.

My memories of him are of being a 5- or 6-year-old and visiting him in jail, Arguello said, adding that she saw little of her father in the decades that followed. That was the life he chose.

Posadas next stop was El Salvador, where he participated in the covert Iran-Contra affair, in which the Reagan administration secretly sold arms to Iran and used the proceeds to help rebel forces in Nicaragua, or contras. Posada served as a quartermaster for the rebels.

While in Guatemala in 1990, he was shot  he presumed by Cuban intelligence operatives  with the bullets grazing his heart and tongue and leaving him with a severe speech impairment.

In an interview with The New York Times, Posada admitted to having organized a string of hotel bombings in Havana in the late 1990s that left one Italian tourist dead and 12 people wounded, but he later contended that his comments had been taken out of context.

Posada stayed on the run before reappearing in 2000 in Panama. Castro, who was in Panama for a presidential summit, stunned the world when he announced at a news conference that his old foe was in town, trying to kill him. Shortly afterward, Posada and a group of comrades with terrorism-related records were arrested in Panama City with C4 explosives.

Posada was sentenced to eight years in prison, but the president, Mireya Moscoso, in her last week in office, pardoned him in 2004. He showed up in the United States a few months later.

He had that magnetic quality to him that Im sure explains how he was able to survive all those years, said Posadas lawyer, Arturo V. Hernandez. He was able to establish alliances to help him. You cant do that if everybody hates you.

Exiles sent him money, and they bought his paintings to help him survive. (He had learned how to paint in prison.) They paid bribes to sneak him out of jails and countries and into others.

He was a charmer, said Santiago Alvarez, a longtime Miami activist who has served time in prison for his anti-Castro efforts. He had stories for everything. He made you laugh. He was good company.

Federal prosecutors said it was Alvarez who sneaked Posada back into the United States in 2005, but both men denied that.

Posada was charged with lying to the immigration authorities about the bombings and how he had entered the country, but was acquitted in 2011.

A judge ruled that Posada could not be returned to Cuba or Venezuela, the two countries that eagerly sought his return. So Posada stayed in South Florida, where he remained estranged from his wife, Nieves, their daughter and a son, Jorge. They survive him. Complete information on survivors was not immediately available.

I think I did what I had to do, Posada said in the jailhouse interview with The Herald, in which he renounced terrorism, though he said that he still longed to stomp Castro like a cockroach.

Im doing what I have to do as a Cuban patriot.

Frances Robles is a New York Times writer.PUNGGYE-RI, North Korea North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made good on his promise to demolish his countrys nuclear test site, which was formally closed in a series of huge explosions Thursday as a group of foreign journalists from the U.S., Britain, Russia, China and South Korea looked on.

The explosions at the test site deep in the mountains of the Norths sparsely populated northeast centered on three tunnels at the underground site and a number of buildings in the surrounding area. North Korea held a closing ceremony afterward with officials from its nuclear arms program in attendance.

North Koreas state media called the closure of the site part of a process to build a nuclear-free, peaceful world and global nuclear disarmament. North Korea has conducted all six of its underground nuclear tests at the site.

The dismantling of the nuclear test ground conducted with high-level transparency has clearly attested once again to the proactive and peace-loving efforts of the DPRK government being made for assuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and over the world, the Norths official news agency reported late Thursday.

North Koreas formal name is the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

North Korea also did not invite international nuclear weapons inspectors, opting instead for the impact of the television footage to impress the world.

The event was, indeed, impressive.

The first blast the visiting journalists witnessed came at around 11 a.m. after they made a 12-hour plus trip by train and convoy through the night and over bumpy dirt roads. That explosion collapsed the complexs north tunnel, which was used for five nuclear tests between 2009 and last year.

Two other explosions, at around 2:20 p.m. and 4 p.m., collapsed the west and south tunnels, according to officials.

The journalists were allowed to stay at the site for about nine hours.Time and again we all indulge a celebratory piece of cake for birthdays, weddings and any auspicious occasions. But do you ever stop to think, how the tradition of celebrating with a cake came about? Ever think about all the curious little facts and traditions revolving around cakes and baking?

Today cakes are easily available at any bakery around the block. One can even search and order cake online from websites like Bakeway and such other online portals, and also get it delivered at the doorstep. But in ancient Roman times ?cake? symbolised prestige and was a privilege enjoyed only by the elite class.

According to historians the very first culture to show evidence of baking was in ancient Greek, where cake or ?plakous? was a kind of flat heavy bread made from flour, eggs, milk, honey and nuts. It wasn?t until the Renaissance that the current form of sponge cake that is leavened with beaten eggs evolved. History of cakes is rich with rituals and allegories from different cultures and countries. Here is a small compilation of the 4 curious cake and baking related facts and rituals from all around the globe.

1. Why are cakes round?

Though we now have cakes in innumerable shapes, round cake has always been and still persists to be the popular choice of the people. Cakes traditionally were made in round shape only. Not only for the ease of it but also this shape symbolises the cyclical nature of the Sun and Moon. This is probably the core reason why cakes are so important for any celebration, symbolising the start of a new journey.

2. Why is it called the royal icing?

Cake is never complete without an icing. Did you know this creamy add-on to a cake got it?s accolade of ?Royal? when a white icing was used to decorate Queen Victoria?s wedding cake in 1840? In fact, during the Victorian era it was considered that pristine white frosted wedding cake symbolizes purity of the virgin bride.

3. Where did the tradition of popular tiered wedding cake start?

Ever wondered where and how the tradition of having multi-layered cakes started? It actually has quite a romantic beginning. It all started in late 18th century London when a young apprentice by the name of William Rich, in Ludgate hill fell in love with his master?s daughter. In a pursuit to win her heart and gain approval for marriage, he created a huge multi-layered cake. It was inspired from the the towering spires of St Bride?s Church. Since then it has been quite a fashion to have wedding cakes in multiple layers.

4. How Fondant cakes came to be?

The art of making tall and elaborate wedding cakes has inspired bakers and artists around the globe to create the most beautiful towering masterpiece with fondant. Interestingly enough it is said that the idea of fondant cakes was inspired by a French chef. It was a popular practice at wedding ceremonies in medieval Britain to stack up small spiced buns and scones brought by the guest. The newlyweds would then try to kiss each other over the pile. If the duo succeeded to kiss without toppling it over, it bestowed prosperity and happiness to the couple. Horrified by this crude custom of simply piling buns, a French chef added a classy edge by coating the stack with sweetened flour icing; what later turned out to be the earliest version of fondant.

Cakes have been around since ages, varying from culture to culture, inspiring traditions, and influencing the bakeries and cake artists for centuries. While we all sit back and enjoy the delicious temptation these sweet treat, it is interesting to know the history and all these curious facts that went into the making of the version of cake we relish today.

Read More News:



Nipah kills three; Kerala, Centre take steps to tackle virus



SpaceX to launch twin NASA water cycle tracker satellitesDubai Municipality recently organised a meeting of its general maintenance contractors and suppliers as part of its strategic plan to communicate with suppliers and enhance relations with them.



The meeting was hosted by the contracts and purchasing department at Dubai Municipality as part of the departments annual plan, where the opinions and ideas of suppliers were heard and their suggestions used to develop and improve the working procedures, reported state news agency Wam.



The meeting was attended by Ismail Kazim, the head of the Supplier Relations Section in the Contracts and Purchasing Department; Mohammed Abdullah Abbas, the head of the Technical Services Section in the General Maintenance Department; Abdul Amir Fadhlani, the head of the Government Buildings Maintenance Section, and a large number of contractors dealing with the General Maintenance Department as well as the suppliers of general maintenance materials.



Speaking at the meeting, Kazim said the meeting was held within the framework of mutual partnership to hear their views and suggestions about working with the municipality in the field of maintenance projects and also to review the observations that were monitored by the General Maintenance Department in the bidding process.



According to Kazim, the suppliers were an integral part of the municipality system and its partners in helping reach the goals and achieve future plans for the development of Dubai.



"One of the main objectives of the forum was to strengthen relations, bridge distances and overcome difficulties and obstacles, as it is an opportunity for them to meet the leadership of the municipality and put their comments directly," he stated.



The meeting also focused on ways to develop and improve the work procedures and pricing for maintenance contractors within the framework of the exchange of constructive ideas between suppliers and leaders to develop and improve work procedures, he added.While word of mouth is as important as ever for businesses, that medium of communication has drastically evolved. Chatting up your neighbor or friend during your childs ball practice can still have a small impact, but the internet is the key to getting the word out quick and easy about anything and everything.

People search for literally everything online, be it medical support or grocery items and everything in between. Need a solution to a problem? An online search (of Google) can reveal millions of choices, ratings, reviews and price comparisons in less than 3 seconds.

"While television, radio, and newspaper ads are retaining some of the advertising markets, the #1 driver of traffic to content about anything from news to reviews, is online search." (SOURCE: Manav Sharma, Digital Expert, 2018)

Companies with great digital marketing campaigns have shown at least a 40% increase in revenue after going viral. What does going viral mean? It is the act of being everywhere and anywhere, especially online.

Google, Yahoo, Bing, AOL, Facebook and Twitter all have their online news outlets with much of the country having their RSS feeds. RSS is a type of web feed which allows users to access updates to online content in a standardized, computer-readable format. These feeds can, for example, will enable a user to keep track of many different websites in a single news aggregator. (SOURCE: Digital Trends)

If youre a business, it comes down to one simple word: SEO. Thats your guru, your alma mater, your one-size-fits-all. It is the one thing that you can use to get right to the very top of the business food chain.

What Is SEO?

Well firstly, it stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it means getting your business, product or service to show up on the front pages of popular search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Sounds simple right?

Well, its not. Its a long and arduous process that if done wrong can cause penalties against your website can cause your site to be banished to Google Jail, never to show up on the front page again. SEO expertly executed is a task best left up to the professionals.

Who Gets SEO Right?

The company getting all the much-deserved press is MaxGroup Business Solutions, a ten-year-old company with operational headquarters in Surprise, AZ, a Phoenix metro. Recently recognized, MaxGroup is a business solutions company and is a top 25 Digital Company, thatll help you get your digital marketing on point.

What is the Magic Formula?

SEO is the key, and MaxGroup Business Solutions is there to fix your SEO. How do they do that, you ask?

There are four essential points a search engine results that search engines like Google, look at while ranking your website in their results.

1. Authority: Your website must be a domain that Google can trust to allow it to rank high in the search results. This trust, of course, can be earned, but it is a very tough task that not many can accomplish. MaxGroup Business Solutions has a team of Google certified engineers and their proprietary MaxGroup SEO360 software for mastering the art of search results to achieve record numbers of clients ranking on the first page of search engines.

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Government looking at steps to control fuel prices: Pradhan



Telephone subscribers increased by 2.24% in MarchGreg Balkin and Adam Wells are no strangers to traveling the globe. From weekend excursions in their backyard of the Pacific Northwest to month-long road trips across New Zealand, Adam and Greg are true advocates of living life to the fullest and exploring the outdoors with friends.

What is new and different for them is the concept of the no plan plan. Its easy to come up with a list of reasons why you cant do something or why taking a few days to go x, y, and z simply wouldnt work out.

But, sometimes all it takes is a spur of the moment idea, rallying your compadres and using your travel miles to do something simply for the sake of doing it  no prior experience, no permission or reasoning and absolutely no schedule. Take a breath of fresh air  figuratively and literally.

A weekend camping trip, a road trip, or a far off destination  ditch the excuses, assemble your tribe and make it happen. Your adventure doesnt have to be thousands of miles away from home to have fun, but then again, why the hell not?

Follow along as a group of friends allow themselves to do something for the sake of doing it.To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.

We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.

A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!Wasl Asset Management Group, one of the largest real estate development and management companies in Dubai, will support the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) in Dubai in setting up its computer and physiology labs.

The company recently signed an agreement with MBRU in this regard and the project will be part of a number of initiatives the group has launched to celebrate the UAEs Year of Zayed.

The agreement falls within wasls corporate responsibility programme, which features many initiatives that support different segments of society, especially the education sector in Dubai.

Hesham Abdulla Al Qassim, CEO of wasl Asset Management Group, said: "This year, we have launched a number of initiatives developed specifically to join the UAE community in commemorating our Founding Father's values and achievements, including our agreement with Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences. We are proud of our partnership with the education sector in Dubai, and were happy to support schools and higher education institutions, which earned us the Dubai Endowment Sign for our continued contributions to the sector.

He added: "MBRU contributes to the provision of qualified medical personnel from the UAE and the world, with more than 22 nationalities represented in the student body. wasls support aids the university in fulfilling its academic mission and through the advanced labs students will be equipped with the competencies and skills that qualify them to work and excel in the medical sector.

Dr Amer Sharif, MBRUs vice chancellor, said: We thank wasl Asset Management Group for their contribution towards the new laboratories that will promote research and innovation. 

The new computer lab is equipped with displays, wall screens and 70 computers for the medical students to use. Additionally, the physiology laboratory is used by students, researchers and faculty members to carry out research and specialized studies supported by the latest methods and equipment, as well as by experienced faculty. - TradeArabia News ServiceAl Salem Johnson Controls (York), a leading provider of integrated heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) solutions and equipment, recently organised a training workshop for engineers and HVAC technicians enrolled in the Human Resource Development Funds Training Support Program (HADAF).



The workshop, titled Fundamentals of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning & Cooling (HVAC), highlighted the objective of building a productive and sustainable national specialised HVAC workforce, enabling them to obtain professional certificates required by the labour market and imparting valuable knowledge experiences, said a company statement.



As many as 12 trainees took part in the workshop.



The workshop is part of a strategic partnership between Al Salem Johnson Controls (York) and the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), it said.



It was held at York factory in Al-Hamdaniya District, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and was presented by a Saudi engineer in English and Arabic, it added.



After the workshop, the trainees were given a tour inside the factory where Yorks Saudi engineers working in the factory explained the different production lines and manufacturing processes of cooling and air conditioning units, it stated.  TradeArabia News ServiceThe decision by the OPEC cartel of major oil producers to potentially cool rising prices by increasing production may put extra pressure on Santos to fully outline its growth plans after rejecting a $14.5 billion takeover bid by US private equity firm Harbour Energy.

While opinions are divided over the merits of rejecting the $US5.21 per share bid - which means Harbour is prevented from making a sweetened offer for at least six months - some analysts believe Santos is vulnerable to a volatile oil price.

After oil sanctions were placed on Iran by the US government  one of the key triggers for the oil price spike  the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and Russia are investigating lifting their current curbs on production levels in order to cool the market, Reuters reported.

This is believed to be on top of production increases to replace falling output from Venezuela.

While these oil production cuts were slated to run until the end of 2018, and potentially into 2019, they may be eased as early as next month after reductions well above OPEC's targets were achieved.Westfield boss Frank Lowy says it is harder to be an entrepreneur in Australia now than when he started the shopping mall giant in 1960, hitting out at regulators and "nay-sayers".

At his final Westfield annual general meeting Sir Frank said he and co-founder John Saunders had set up Westfield at a ''special'' time of entrepreneurship in Australia. But he said it would be harder to replicate today.

Westfield investors backed the Unibail--Rodamco bid. Credit:Brendon Thorne

''I think what happens now.. there are too many nay-sayers, too many regulations and too many people that give opinions about things in business that they have no stake in.. they have no skin in the game,'' Sir Frank told Fairfax Media.

''They just give an opinion. I won't name names, but governments just do a job, some good, some not so good.The BGC Group, which was founded in WA and became one of Australia's biggest construction companies, will be sold in an effort to settle a family dispute over founder Len Buckeridge's multibillion-dollar estate.

Len Buckeridge died in 2014, leaving behind a huge estate.

The Perth man died at age 77 in 2014, leaving behind an estate worth $2.5 billion.

The stoush has revolved around objections from some of Mr Buckeridge's 15 heirs to receiving their inheritance in BGC shares, instead of in cash.

BGC is worth $2 billion and has interests across Australia in housing, major construction, building products, mining and property.Banks are not the friend of small business, a Bank of Queensland executive has admitted as he was grilled over mulitple mistake during the loan process for a Wendy's ice-cream franchisee.

The banking royal commission heard on Thursday of a litany of errors in the way the bank issued and administered the loan including contacting the franchisor, Wendy's, without its customer's permission.

Counsel assisting the commission, Michael Hodge, QC, put to Douglas Snell, general manager of product, performance and governance at Bank of Queensland, that the bank had overstepped the mark.

Suzanne Riches lost her two Wendy's ice-cream franchises. Credit:Tracey Nearmy

The danger is that the banker is taking on some role beyond being merely a banker, he is starting to act as an adviser or an assistant to the client, Mr Hodge said. Whatever the advertising campaigns may be, the bank is not the friend of the small business owner - it is there to provide a commercial transaction.Today finds me in a very hot and steamy Beijing where the temperature has reached 32 degrees, with smog threatening. But this city seems to have brushed it off. Its an exciting place to be.

Last night saw a brilliant performance by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra to a very grateful and respectful audience as Sir Andrew Davis, one of the top 10 conductors in the world, took the orchestra through the works of Vine, Bruch and Tchaikovsky. The audience enthusiastically demanded two encores before we all went on to a grand reception. This country really knows how to entertain people.

China has 16 per cent of its population aged over 60 compared with Australias 21 per cent.

Business is banqueting, and banqueting is business in China. Tonights banquet, Im told will be no less than eight courses starting at 6pm and finishing at 7pm. Charlies quick mind works out thats a course every seven minutes. I dare not ask for the vegetarian option for fear of having the same dish eight times over, as happened to a leading Australian educationist recently. I am also advised that there will be two speeches and six toasts of a fiery drink called Baijiu, the most consumed distilled spirit in the world.

This is a very organised place and as we arrived, the news broke that the Chinese government is planning to scrap control on families completely, having imposed the one child policy in 1979 and revised it in 2015 to allow a second child. Perhaps it is recognition that the modern Chinese woman cannot be controlled this way any more.Kuwait's Livestock Transport and Trading (Al Mawashi) is in talks with possible new livestock suppliers amid heightened doubts about the future of Australia's live sheep exports sector.

There is a growing push in federal Parliament  including from Liberal MPs  for the trade to be banned after whistleblower footage broadcast last month exposed shocking levels of death and suffering on voyages to the Middle East.

There's been a public outcry in Australia over cruel practices in the live export of sheep.

Following widespread public outrage, Liberal MP Sussan Ley introduced a private member's bill to phase out the trade. Her move has the backing of Labor and crossbenchers.

The Turnbull government, which opposes Ms Ley's bill, has announced a toughened regime of animal welfare standards, more transparency and harsh penalties for wrongdoing.Rotarian Ian Riseley is finishing up his term as international president. Credit:Monika Lozinska

MEET THE BOSS

With 1.2 million Rotarians around the world, getting to the top is a reasonably big deal. But when Ian Riseley joined as a 31-year-old in 1978 his intention wasnt to climb the ranks.

Id just started my own accounting practice and I was invited to speak to a club on the fascinating topic of current developments in income tax. They seemed like a nice bunch of people, so when they started another club nearby they invited me to join, says the current international president of Rotary.

Like many Rotarians, Riseley joined partly for the business networks and partly for the chance to give back, and hes been widely acknowledged for the latter. Over the years, honours for his volunteer work include the AusAID Peacebuilder Award (in recognition of his work in East Timor), the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to the Australian community, the Distinguished Service Award and the Regional Service Award for a Polio-Free World (from The Rotary Foundation).This is a tale of two very different filmmakers. First, there's Jean-Luc Godard, the onetime enfant terrible of the French New Wave, whose galvanising 1960s work threw most of the conventions of filmmaking out the window  breaking the narrative into shards, addressing the audience directly, breaking things up with blasts of music and colour.

Second, there's the filmmaker sitting before me today: Michel Hazanavicius, the French comedy director who scored a huge, unexpected hit with The Artist, a light-hearted tribute to silent cinema which won the best picture Oscar in 2012.

Hazanavicius' new film Redoubtable is a fictionalised account of Godard (Louis Garrel) at a turning point in his career, as the city-wide protests that swept over Paris in May 1968 prompted him to reject the commercial industry in favour of new, politically radical forms of filmmaking. "Before that he was in the traditional field of cinema," Hazanavicius says. "After that, he never came back in that field. He was a lonely artist looking for something, really in the avant-garde."

While Redoubtable playfully borrows many of Godard's stylistic tricks, its portrait of the great man is not a flattering one. The "Jean-Luc" of the film is a vain man-child scowling behind his black-framed sunglasses, issuing constant high-handed pronouncements, and treating everyone around him like dirt, especially his girlfriend and muse Anne Wiazemsky (Stacy Martin) whose 2015 autobiographical novel One Year Later was the basis for Hazanavicius' script.Of all the surreal moments Jet experienced while recording their debut album Get Born in Los Angeles, watching legendary keyboardist Billy Preston play on the album was near the top of the list. But as they gazed in wonder as the former Rolling Stones and Beatles collaborator laid down perfect piano lines on songs he'd only just heard, frontman Nic) Cester couldn't shake one nagging concern.

"I was naively hoping that he would turn up in an orange skivvy like in the [classic] pictures, but instead he turned up in the worst tracksuit I'd ever seen in my life, which was disappointing," he says, chuckling, from the band's Melbourne rehearsal room, where Jet are finalising preparations for this month's tour to mark the 15th anniversary of Get Born.

Jet are celebrating 15 years since the release of Get Born with a national tour and the live record Get Born: Live at the Forum. Credit:TOM SHEEHAN

More remarkable than Preston's abilities  and dress sense  was the fact that Jet were even in LA in 2003 making their debut.

A few years earlier, Nic and his drumming brother Chris were still working for the family business in a spice factory in Moorabbin, with Nic in the warehouse and Chris doing deliveries.It was passed by referendum in 1983 following a two-year campaign from anti-choice zealots who were concerned the legalisation of contraception almost a decade earlier would eventually lead to the legalisation of abortion. The amendment itself dictates that the state acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right. (For a detailed primer on the 8th amendment, refer to this article in the Conversation UK .)

The history of the 8th amendment is fairly in step with what one might expect from a traditionally Catholic country (although the referendum is expected to get widespread support).

Tonight, our time, Ireland will head to the polls in a groundbreaking referendum that could dramatically increase access to abortion for the countrys citizens. Ireland currently suffers under some of the worlds most restrictive abortion laws, with the procedure completely illegal in all circumstances except those in which the mothers life is at substantial risk. But the vote to repeal the 8th amendment is hopefully set to change all that

Technically, the amendment grants equal personhood to both a fully formed human and a fetus. In reality, it succeeds in granting more rights to the latter than the former, because it removes the autonomy of women and other pregnant people by forcing them to carry a pregnancy to term against their will.

So devoted to the rights of the fetus are proponents of the 8th that there have been numerous stories of women dying because doctors refused to assist in the termination of pregnancies that were posing a quantifiable risk to the mothers life. In 2012, when Savita Halappanavar was 17 weeks pregnant and in the process of miscarrying, her repeated requests for a termination were denied by medical staff at a Galway hospital. Halappanavar died of sepsis shortly after.

Savita Halappanavar.

This is what happens when you elevate the rights of an ideological symbol over that of a human being. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, this is exactly what No campaigners have been doing in the lead up to the vote.

As an unequivocal supporter of the right to abortion for anyone who can become pregnant, it infuriates me to see people shield their misogyny behind bombastic pretensions to morality. A few weeks ago, two print ads appeared for the no campaign that were not only laughably sexist but also grotesquely ignorant. Attributed only to the website www.save8th.ie (not to be confused with Save The 8ths slicker and more "official" campaign site of www.save8.ie), the ads presented both a soldier and a firefighter cradling a child in their arms beneath the slogan, MEN PROTECT LIVES. The ads go on to claim, Children expect to be protected. VOTE NO to abortion on demand.Egis, an international group offering engineering, project structuring and operations services, has been awarded a project management consultancy (PMC) contract for the development of the UAE railway network (Stages 2 and 3).



As part of the deal, the French construction major will assist Etihad Rail, which has been tasked with developing and operating the network.



The existing and currently operated network of 264 km will be expanded between now and 2024 by over 600 km in Stage 2 and 250 km in Stage 3, said a statement from Egis.



The UAE network is part of the GCC rail project and will play a key role in the ongoing growth of conventional rail in the Middle East region.



Following its experience acquired in Stage 1, Etihad Rail aims to bolster its team with the skills of Egis, internationally renowned for its experience in project management and technical expertise in all types of railway project (passenger and freight, conventional and high speed), it added.



Under this agreement, Egis will work in close co-operation with Etihad Rail, its group joining the project ownership team to oversee and supervise the different project contributors: the engineering consultant responsible for preliminary design and construction supervision, the future design-and-build contractors, and third parties.

Egis is 75 per cent owned by the French "Caisse des Depots" and the rest by Partner executives (Iosis Partenaires), and employees (corporate mutual fund). Employing over 13,600 people, including 8,200 in engineering, the group had generated a turnover of 1.05 billion ($1.23 billion) last year.



For the UAE, delivering a project of this scale will demand extensive expertise and co-ordination. The network is a combination of freight and passenger lines which extends over 1,000 km and has nearly 40 railway facilities (logistics sites for freight, passenger stations, stabling and maintenance depots).



On completion in 2024, the network will link Saudi Arabia to the UAE and Oman. The growth and dynamics of the emirates generate major changes in infrastructure, said the company statement.



The Etihad Rail PMC contract is part of the strategy to further develop in the Middle East and more particularly in the UAE.



Egis said this is its third major guided transportation project in the Middle East region. The other two projects are the Doha metro (project management of Red Line extension) and an autonomous transportation system in Dubai (design engineering and construction of the scalable capacity autonomous shuttle system, Bluewaters Ground Rapid Transit System).-TradeArabia News ServiceWhile the rest of us have been worrying about wage stagnation, Australia's rich listers added a cool $49.6 billion to their collective wealth last year, according to the 2018 Financial Review Rich List.

For the 200 members of this exclusive club, it represents a staggering 21.2 per cent rise in their personal fortunes to $282.7 billion. They were led for a second consecutive year by cardboard billionaire Anthony Pratt, who clocked up net wealth of $12.9 billion.

Cardboard billionaire Anthony Pratt remains the richest of the rich. Credit:Bloomberg

Hot on his heels was property developer Harry Triguboff with wealth of $12.77 billion and mining billionaire Gina Rinehart with $12.68 billion.

The trio have collectively added $11 billion to their wealth over the last two years, with most of this fortune falling Mrs Rineharts way thanks to a rising iron ore price. It has helped her more than double her wealth since 2016.Canberra Airport has been likened to a crew of Somali pirates by Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce, who on Thursday derided the airports appalling behaviour.

Maybe the airport should be called The Canberra Pirates because you wouldnt have this in Somalia, Mr Joyce said at an aviation industry event.

You wouldnt have this in other parts of the world. It is unbelievably appalling behaviour.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce, who labelled Canberra Airport's behaviour "absolutely appalling". Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

A Canberra Airport spokeswoman said Qantas was bullying them after a flare-up over flight cancellations.Canberrans who have fallen through the cracks in the National Disability Insurance Scheme will soon be given a lifeline from the ACT government.

As an assembly inquiry heard the harrowing stories of those left behind by the scheme, the Barr government revealed it will pledge $1.8 million in next month's budget to support people with high or complex support needs not "currently being met" by the NDIS.

Karna O'Dea, who cares for an adult son with complex needs, gives evidence at the NDIS inquiry in Canberra on Tuesday.

That will include those in crisis requiring emergency funding for services, as well as those in particularly complex or vulnerable positions. It is understood funds will be allocated on a case-by-case basis and paid directly to service providers on behalf of participants, without going through the NDIS.

Like other states and territories across Australia, the ACT pulled out of the disability sector as the NDIS rolled into town, leaving the capital without a provider of last resort.The mastermind of an armed robbery that saw the guard of an armoured security van shot at close range has been locked up.

Kevin Matangi was shot outside the Mawson Club while working as a security guard in a 2004 attack.

Justice David Mossop on Thursday sentenced David Allen Will, 63, to a decades jail, with a non-parole period of six years.

Will pleaded guilty in the ACT Supreme Court to aiding and abetting the 2004 robbery of a Chubb security van outside the Mawson Club.

The court heard Will conceived and planned the armed heist after he paid a Chubb employee $15,000 for inside information on how the company operated its security vans.Suspended veterinarian Jan Spate pleaded guilty on Thursday to a series of offences, including possessing prescription drugs and pretending to be a registered vet.

Spate, 73, was suspended from practising as a veterinarian in 2016 after a series of complaints were made against her over a seven-year period.

Suspended veterinarian Jan Spate, who has pleaded guilty to a series of vet practice offences. Credit:Rohan Thomson

She was not eligible to reapply for registration until October this year.

However, in November, authorities raided Spate's home and former vet clinic in Hall.It's just before recess and the halls of Lyneham High School are mostly empty.

At one of Canberra's most packed schools, there aren't many classrooms to spare, but neither are there students working in corridors.

Principal Rob Emanuel admits timetabling is a daily juggling act in a school now 31 students over capacity, and he's regularly forced to turn away families who live out of the school's priority enrolment area. But, day-to-day, he reports Lyneham High is bearing the extra load well.

Principal Rob Emanuel at recess in the busy Lyneham High School. Credit:Elesa Kurtz

According to the latest government data, the school is one of 15 across the territory now more than 90 per cent full as enrolments in the public system surge.Life in the years between the two world wars was happy but not always easy for the Carrick family (parents, four sisters, John and his younger brother). At sixteen, John completed his Leaving Certificate at Sydney Technical High School, hoping for a career in chemistry.

As a young soldier, he had seen enough of death to know that life is a privilege and not one to be given up without a fight. Nevertheless, when it came time to go he was prepared and ready.

Sir John Carrick (right) at a ceremony at Shores school in 2008 to recognise the "Thirty-Niners" - men who served in the reserve forces prior to WWII. Credit:Jacky Ghossein,

John Carrick died on Friday, May 18, just three and a half months before his 100th birthday and only months after the passing of Angela, his wife since 1951. He had become frail in body, but he did not go gentle into the night, for his powerful intellect remained as active as ever and struggled to endure.

Further full-time study was beyond the familys resources, but John was able to get a job with the Australian Gaslight Company where he was encouraged to study part-time for an Economics degree at the University of Sydney.

There, he joined the Sydney University Regiment. Like many of his friends, he was concerned about Australias vulnerability. There was likely to be a war, he said, and we thought wed better have some training. He was commissioned in 1939, and he transferred to the AIF in 1940. In the following year he was in command of B Troop, 18th Anti-Tank Battery, in Sparrow Force bound for Timor.

The 1400 men of Sparrow Force, only one of whom (Lieutenant-Colonel Bill Leggatt) had any combat experience, fought bravely but hopelessly against the more than 20,000 Japanese who were dropped on us in February 1942. Forced eventually to surrender, Carrick and most of his colleagues were to spend the next three years as prisoners of war.

Over these years, John Carrick spent time in prisons in Timor, Java and Changi, as a slave near Hellfire Pass on the Burma-Thai railway, and finally in command of some 100 young Australians at a work-camp at Pasir Panjang in Singapore.

The stories of the horror experienced by the prisoners of the Japanese have been well told, but one mans account of how the prisoners at Pasir Panjang learned that the war had ended is a meaningful portrait of their young commander.Let there be no mistake, Andrew Hastie's outburst under parliamentary privilege is a deliberate act to sabotage Malcolm Turnbull's leadership. Can anyone seriously believe that such an incendiary outburst would not normally be discussed with their leader? Illustration: Matt Golding Credit: Andrew Hastie is a member of the far-right of the Liberal party and he, along with others such as Tony Abbott, Eric Abetz and Kevin Andrews will stop at nothing to end Turnbull's leadership. Think about that for just a minute: members of parliament are deliberately undermining their leader in order to further their own ideological beliefs.

They are not in parliament to represent most Australians or to progress Australia, they in parliament to further their own narrow, self-interest. I look forward to an election where the people can decide whether they want Australia to stagnate or to be forward-looking under new leadership. - Maureen Jones, North Rocks China considers itself the dominant power here and as such Australia should be in its sphere of influence. China is Australia's number one trading partner, but does not share its value system. There is palpable tension in the relationship. China is manifestly unhappy with the government because of its proposed legislation opposing foreign interference in a nation's internal affairs and is very angry at the worldwide attention this is getting. It is imperative that Australia holds fast to its commitment to the rule of law however costly that may prove to be in terms of trade. - Michael Kennedy, West Pymble

Congratulations to Andrew Hastie for telling it the way it is. Why is everyone else being so coy about the subversion of our political system by the Chinese? - Deborah Webb, Huntleys Cove It seems to me that with Andrew Hastie, we finally have someone in parliament who is worthy of being there. - Stewart Copper, Maroubra Not just female royals who make sacrifices for love Richard Horsburg implies that the Duchess of Sussex betrayed feminism when she gave up her name and renounced her citizenship (Letters, May 24). However, Prince Philip also gave up his Greek citizenship and his Greek title when he married into the British royal family. Later, when Elizabeth became Queen, he gave up a promising career in the navy. - Tony Brownlow, Cronulla

Perhaps some of the things that the new Duchess of Sussex supposedly found attractive as a 36-year-old feminist paled into insignificance compared with having a husband who has promised "to love and cherish her, honour and protect her, in sickness and in health", according to the Prayer Book service, and with it the offer of "mutual companionship, help and comfort ... both in prosperity and adversity". - Nan Howard, Camden Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, will pursue her feminist causes without her husband's interference. Princes Harry and William are the sons of Princess Diana. She truly related to the people as was so evident with the public outpouring of grief at her death. She was a "hands-on" mother, which her sons have not forgotten. There is little doubt the Duchess of Sussex will carry on her work in a similar manner with her husband's support. - Lorraine Nelson, Frenchs Forest So the Duchess of Sussex is settling into her golden life as a royal wife, though I'm not sure that "life" is the right word. Pity we can't ask the proverbial "Bird in a Gilded Cage". - John Christie, Oatley As the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle could insist upon being referred to as "Your Royal Equal". After all, for a self-professed egalitarian, what does the term "Your Royal Highness" actually denote?- Jacinta McManus, Rozelle Sparkling memories

Is anyone old enough to remember that yesterday, May 24, was formerly known as Empire Day, but more revered for the associated celebration in the evening, Cracker Night, which was high on the not-to-be-missed list for most children. Crackers could be easily bought many weeks before the event, resulting in the storage of an impressive arsenal of fireworks such as double bungers, double happies, tom thumbs, jumping jacks, flower pots, catherine wheels, sky rockets and the like on the night. Accidents could occur and they frequently did! The lack of safety regulations in those times would bring a tear to the eye in utter disbelief for the safety regulators of today. - John Fryer, Ryde Lost in pronunciation So where do we draw the line? Haitch may be a common pronunciation but it is spelled aitch in the Oxford dictionary (Letters, May 24). There are other common examples in everyday speech.

We commonly hear Wensday (Wednesday), Febuary (February), libary (library). Do we accept mispronunciation? I know language is constantly changing but what is acceptable and what is not?- Ronald Grimes, Mona Vale Perhaps we could have an hourly honour of hubris for the heirs of "haitch''? - Jim Stanger, Berry Paula Watson is surely marooned - she's confusing the two meanings of the word. Maroon as in castaway or abandon, and the colour maroon, usually pronounced "marone''. - Rosemary Lee, Glenelg (SA) While we're discussing pronunciation, I'm compelled to ask why we've always persisted in calling our highest mountain Mount Kozzy-osco when my Polish acquaintances assure me it should be correctly pronounced Koh-shuse-ko. - John Lander, Killarney Heights Safe house

Phew, the Opera House is safe ("Go-ahead for Walsh Bay arts hub", May 24)! - Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook Integrated city key to city's future Sydney could be a good global city if it followed world trends of developing good public transport ("We're a state divided by builders and termites", May 24). Building more tunnels is a regressive practice that allows for more cars and trucks on our roads. Other world class cities are prioritising pedestrians and cyclists, thus making cities more liveable and healthier. Stuart Ayres needs to study the amount of time wasted by drivers sitting in "car parks" on our roads, while travelling to and from work. Sydney can always cope with more people if we had a good, efficient integrated transport system. - Jan Wilson, Glebe

If Stuart Ayres is so proud of being a 'builder' why hasn't he travelled out west to discuss the proposed M9 mega motorway and freight rail corridor with the area's residents? This Outer Sydney Orbital will destroy homes, prime agricultural land, heritage farms and historic rural properties and divide communities. This government will not be content until it has filled all of the "open green space" and "natural landscapes" in the Sydney basin with motorways, industrial sites and tightly packed housing. - Jo O'Brien, Camden Public service brain drain John Hewson outlines the problems of a federal public service denuded by spending cuts and efficiency dividends of the talent necessary to manage large scale outsourced projects ("Private sector rushes to board the latest Canberra gravy train", May 24). The states have similar problems. We see it in NSW where the government's incapacity to draw up and manage contracts for complex infrastructure projects such as the Light Rail and WestConnex has it being dragged through the Supreme Court by various contractors as the projects stall. - Geoffrey Briot, Stanmore Grown-up pollies

Congratulations to Penny Wong and Mathias Cormann for showing us, and other politicians, how real grown-ups should behave ("It takes two to regroup after a halt in civilities", May 24). Although on opposite sides of the political fence, they both recognise that they want the same thing: to make Australia a better place. If the "courtesy and mutual respect" shown by them could be mirrored by all other political "leaders", then politicians might find a corresponding surge in their own respect from the general public. - Alan Marel, North Curl Curl Illustration: John Shakespeare Credit: Not so sweet charity Sandy Mackenzie writes of her poor experience with charity marketing (Letters, May 24).

I had a similar experience when I called a charity to opt out of my monthly contribution due to a change in my economic circumstances. I was bombarded with calls, emails and I am still receiving letters two years later after many requests to please stop. Now there is no chance I will ever come back on board with them as they have truly shot themselves in the foot. - John Swanton, Botany I also happily donate to charities but lately the milk of human kindness has been souring. My mail box is full of requests for donations from charities I have never supported and some I have never heard of. I know they are having a tough time and I try to help but I am bombarded with mail and gifts, which I have no intention of using. What a terrible waste of money. - June Dibbs, Mona Vale Do what I do; cross out your name and address, write in large letters "unsolicited mail" then add return to sender. I don't hear from them again. Now I just have to work out how to block incoming calls on my mobile. - Kerry Nunan, Wyoming Sticky fingers

It's a bit rich for Financial Services Minister Kelly O'Dwyer to accuse the CBA of an "out and out gouge" with a proposed new annual fee on superannuation when the government itself takes 15 per cent tax from super contributions ("Slugged: minister slams 'gouging' CBA over fee", May 24). If people are saving for retirement and thus saving the government heaps in future pension payments they, too, should keep their fingers out of the super biscuit jar. - Greg Thomas, Annandale Catholic career men The consequences of the conviction of Archbishop Wilson are far wider than for him alone ("Archbishop found guilty of concealing child sex abuse", May 23). The reverberations will certainly go around the world, as far as the Vatican, but they should be felt in the offices of every other Australian Catholic bishop. To date, like their mostly unworthy predecessors, they have essentially been mere corporate men, whose principal loyalties have not been genuinely pastoral: they have been dogged defenders of the "company" and, of course, their own careers.

If they still have any notion of what constitutes "honour", then they would understand that they have only one choice. They must all follow the example of their Chilean colleagues and offer their resignations to the Pope. - John Carmody, Roseville Attitude adjustment I suppose the PM's affirmative action in retaining Ann Sudmalis will help the gender imbalance for the time being but I doubt it will do much to help in the long run ("Leave her alone: PM flexes his muscle to save MP", May 24). The Coalition's whole attitude to elected women is what needs to change. For the past few years now, nearly every other night we have seen this woman sitting behind the PM at the Despatch Box, nodding sagely at his every utterance. Many times have I thought if I was in this woman's electorate I would gladly welcome a change. Encourage more woman to stand but please treat them with more worth when they get there. - Brian Collins, Cronulla Future planetAn escaped criminal who skipped the country accused of a string of armed robberies across Sydney more than three decades ago has admitted in court to another holdup despite never being charged.

Ian John Steele, 58, had been on the run since the 1980s over his alleged role in a gang of armed bandits that targeted banks, betting agencies and businesses across the city.

Ian John Steele, escaped criminal and bank robber, pictured in 1983. Credit:Fairfax Media

Steele was last year deported from the United Kingdom and charged after detectives met him in Sydney.

He pleaded guilty to more than a dozen offences, mostly linked to stickups between 1982 and 1987.Ian Eastman of South Turramurra was not sure how to feel when he heard that "Telstra services are now 'back to normal'. Should we be worried, or should we wait until services actually improve?"

The number of responses that continue to fill the Column 8 mailbox relating the same experience with Chinese language robo-calls (C8) clearly show that we are in the midst of a new scamming epidemic. However Ralph Davis of Wahroonga can help with at least a rough translation, as the call made to his phone went to voicemail, which he then ran through Google Translate. The message said: "The Chinese Embassy reminds you that you have an important unclaimed wallet. This is the last time we will contact you. Please press 1." It would be reasonable to assume that the messages purporting to be from the Chinese Taxation Office would have a similar content, and we can only hope that the Chinese nationals that would seem to be the target of these messages have largely escaped being taken in by them.

According to Ian Lothringer of Whale Beach: "George Manojlovics euro conundrum (C8) wouldnt have existed in the good old days of the Travellers Czech."

Travel  or the anticipation of  certainly seems to have re-invigorated the mind of one George Manojlovic of Mangerton. "Thursday's Herald (24/5) informs me: 'Half of men aged 33 have run-in with law'. That would have to be the bottom half, because it's the one with the legs."

"Why do our political leaders wave their arms about so much when doing stand-up interviews?" asks Peter Riley of Penrith. "Malcolm looks like he's conducting the 1812 Overture and Gladys seems to be about to take off and fly away. I wonder if there's a disinformation to gesticulation ratio."The Emirates Centre for Transport and Leasing of Emirates Transport (ET) has completed a series of new and renewed three- to five-year contracts signed in April with major customers from the government and private sectors, which are valued at around Dh60 million ($16 million).



Last month, the centre had signed new contracts to offer transport and rental services, manage fleets of nearly 1,500 vehicles, and provide over 300 qualified drivers and technicians, said a statement from ET.



The ET move comes as part of its aims to offer a package of competitive services to support the activities of various companies, organisations and academic institutions, by providing transport services and long-term rentals, it stated.



A fleet of 6,000 vehicles will be driven by 2,000 qualified drivers who have completed relevant training programmes, thus highlighting the ETs efforts to fulfill its contracts and achieve customer satisfaction and happiness, it added.



Tariq AlSedawi, the manager of ET, said the centre's expertise and accomplishments, its commitment to offering quality services, and its wide geographical coverage to ensure services for all its customers have enabled it to achieve record growth and complete the contracts, especially in the areas of transport, communication and integrated logistical services.



ET, he stated, has employed its transport services expertise, in co-operation with leading government and private companies and organisations, by providing consistent transport and rental services for various sectors, including by transporting groups and individuals, as well as food, petroleum, medical equipment and hazardous materials.



"The ET crowned its success by the signing of the contracts last month," he added.-TradeArabia News ServiceA doctor with no mental health training claimed he was under commercial pressure to prescribe ketamine to vulnerable patients during an experimental program designed to treat depression.

Dr Lei Min Chen prescribed ketamine, known as a horse tranquiliser and party drug, to dozens of mentally ill people while working for the Aura Medical Corporation between November 2014 and May 2015.

AMC shut down its Sydney and Melbourne clinics and its director, Associate Professor Graham Barrett, resigned in May 2015, after widespread publicity over its controversial practices.

The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal has found Dr Chen guilty of professional misconduct as part of ongoing proceedings against him brought about by the Health Care Complaints Commission.

The doctor, who worked out of the Sydney office as well as visiting Parramatta, Melbourne and Brisbane, prescribed take-home injections to several patients, and dispensed the drug to patients who had a history of drug abuse  including ice.One of three men accused of growing an elaborate cannabis crop on a south-west NSW property was described as an "expert in soils" who had experience in vineyards, a court has heard.

Businessman Marcello 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 Karoopa farm in Crowther, near Young, from March 2013 to February 2014.

All three are facing trial in the District Court and have pleaded not guilty.

Marcello Casella has pleaded not guilty. Credit:James Brickwood

Police seized 2750 plants from the farm in February 2014 after a months-long investigation that had focused on Mr Casella's friend Luigi Fato."The Dish", CSIRO's famous radio telescope in Parkes. Credit:Parkes Visitors Centre

When the Minister for Education, Simon Birmingham, announced last year that this country would establish a space agency to co-ordinate space related industries, he set off a very Australian reaction: an interstate competition about real estate. South Australia and Western Australia have been quick out of the blocks with offers to host the agency.

The Northern Territory has expressed serious interest. Then come the heavyweights. NSW is putting together a bid with Australias first astronaut, Dr Paul Scully-Power, as a central figure. Victoria is expected to put forward a bid soon. For now, the fledgling body is based in Canberra and inertia being a powerful force in politics as well as physics, it will no doubt stay there for a while.

The case for the agency itself is strong. As we have noted previously, Australia already has a space industry  or rather, industries  but these lack a well-informed advocate inside government, an international face for Australian space research and an entrepreneurial agent able to broker space-based solutions for problems or tasks in the wider economy.

In this age of market-driven thinking, such a function might be thought unnecessary. Certainly there has been significant resistance in Canberra to the idea of such an organisation. But space industries and technology are unique in ways which market forces and information find hard to grasp. Satellite imaging, for example, has applications which make it phenomenally useful, but do not immediately suggest themselves to people in the wider economy.A man allegedly murdered over a rental dispute at a Melbourne Airbnb property was handed a mobile phone to check his internet banking minutes before he died, a court has heard.

Two police officers saw Ramis Jonuzi lying face down outside a Brighton East house at 8.30pm on October 25 last year with the three men accused of killing him crouching by his body. Melbourne Magistrates Court has heard he was in a dispute with the trio over rent money.

Mr Jonuzi, 33, could not be revived. Investigators believe he was strangled and also inhaled blood from a broken nose. Chocolate cake was on the ground near his body and on his face.

Ramis Jonuzi, 33, died at a house in Brighton East after a rental dispute.

The court on Thursday heard that at 8.14pm that night while in the front yard, one of the accused men, Craig Jonathan Levy, passed his mobile phone to Mr Jonuzi so the latter could go online and check his bank account.Parents touting anti-vaccination beliefs may not be so resolute in their conviction  rather, they are likely just trying to fit in with their social group as they enter a new phase of life.

That is the finding of a University of Western Australia study, which interviewed parents from Fremantle and Adelaide  chosen because of their low vaccination rates  and framed their results through the works of sociologists Nicola Ingram and Pierre Bourdieu.

A UWA study has examined the social circumstances surrounding anti-vaccination beliefs. Credit:Fairfax Media

The UWA School of Social Science study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, was compiled after interviews with 32 parents, including 12 who had never vaccinated their children.

Researchers found decisions around vaccinations were linked to food, school choices and birth practices; parents who shunned vaccines were more often in favour of organic foods, Montessori or Steiner schools, and their social groups provided support and advice on health professionals who would sign Conscientious Objector forms so government benefits could be accessed without vaccinating.Confidence in Perths housing market is up, but not everyone is feeling the benefits.

Land market data for the March 2018 quarter released this week by the Urban Development Institute of Australia WA shows an increase in new land values and sales numbers.

Confidence is up but its not translating to construction of new homes.

Institute chief executive Allison Hailes said the average price of new land in Perth was up 4.9 per cent over the last 12 months to $235,000 which was a promising sign of recovery.

While the number of lot sales remains down on last year, the quarterly results are promising, with a 1.6 per cent rise in the number of new lots sold during the March quarter, the third consecutive quarterly rise in a row, she said.Parliament House cleaners say the building's new cleaning contractor will not let them take job applicant documents home to read before signing.

A union representing cleaning staff, United Voice, has accused Dimeo Cleaning Services of possible "unconscionable conduct" if the documents included a contract, asking the industrial umpire to deal with the matter.

Cleaners say they are awaiting written offers of employment from the company, and the department overseeing Parliament House said it told Dimeo it must give staff enough time to seek advice and support before signing employment documents.

Cleaning staff feared losing their jobs, having their shifts changed, or going onto probation after Dimeo emerged earlier this month as the winner of the $46 million contract to clean Parliament House inside and outside.

Staff working for the outgoing indoor cleaning contractor, Limro, say they have received verbal job offers from the new company but were asked to sign documents and provide bank account details and passport numbers before they received a written job offer or contract.Major universities with buildings named after Chau Chak Wing say they have no plans to dissociate themselves from the billionaire accused of funding the bribery of a United Nations official despite emerging grassroots disquiet about the connections.

At least two council members of Sydney Universitys Nicholson Museum - which will next year become part of the new Chau Chak Wing Museum - have expressed a strong desire to the universitys management for the controversial political donors name to be removed from the institution.

The concerns were raised this week after Liberal MP Andrew Hastie used parliamentary privilege to accuse Mr Chau of being an unindicted co-conspirator who provided US$200,000 that was later channelled to the former president of the UN general assembly, John Ashe, in 2013.

Chau Chak Wing during the construction of the new Frank Geary-designed UTS business school in Sydney. Credit:Sahlan Hayes

Mr Chau has denied the allegations.The Opposition Leader Luke Foley has faced an extraordinary attack in question time over his "white flight" comments and warning that many Anglo families were fleeing parts of Sydney.

Question time descended into chaos as the Premier Gladys Berejiklian described Mr Foley's comments as "deeply divisive, dangerous and nasty".

"Today he crossed the line, the language used was desperate and inflammatory and it goes to the heart of the type of person he is," a visibly angry Ms Berejiklian said.

In rowdy scenes, Labor MPs took to their feet to criticise the rulings of the deputy speaker, Thomas George, that saw several opposition members ejected from the chamber. Mr Foley remained seated as ministers stood to attack his comments, reported today by News Corp.The Opposition leader Luke Foley was forced into an embarrassing apology yesterday after warning that "many Anglo families" were fleeing western Sydney as part of a "white flight".

One Labor MP described the comments as a "monumental mistake" while several of his MPs said they were "shocked", "disappointed" and "upset" by Mr Foley's use of the phrase "white flight".

"There are plenty of us, including those with ethnically-diverse electorates, who could not believe it. I think it is fair to say MPs are not happy," one senior Labor source said.

Mr Foley said that "many Anglo families" had been forced to move because their suburbs had been struggling to cope with the "huge burden" of migration.Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, a global leader in the wind power industry, has signed its first agreement with Japan-based Tokyu Land Corporation for two projects in Hokkaido, and will supply 22 of its SWT-3.4-108.



Both nacelles and hubs will be manufactured in Denmark, while the blades will be produced in China and Denmark, said a statement.



The turbines will be delivered in 2018-19 and the first batch has arrived at the port in Hokkaido last April, it said.



Siemens Gamesa will also handle the operations and maintenance services at these facilities for the next 20 years, it added.



Alvaro Bilbao, chief executive officer, Siemens Gamesas APAC Onshore business, said: We are strongly committed to the Japanese market.



We were pioneers in this market and we have established ourselves as the leading supplier thanks to our ability to adapt to our customers' needs, he added.



The contracts were signed in August 2017 and March 2018 and are part of the Order Book announced in the results of Q2 FY2018.



Since entering the Japanese market in 1999, Siemens Gamesa has installed 188 wind turbines in the country (more than 323 MW). The company is also an active player in the operation and maintenance segment.



In addition to Japan, Siemens Gamesa's footprint in Asia Pacific extends to China, South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand, where it has already installed more than 6.6 GW.  TradeArabia News ServiceWith just two words, Opposition Leader Luke Foley made a monumental mistake that could haunt him until next year's March election, as long as he makes it that far.

Foley's colleagues were left horrified (at worst) and surprised (at best) when they woke up to their leader's words on the front page of Sydney's tabloid newspaper.

The connotations of the term "white flight" could not be defended.

His intended message was not the problem. He was arguing that some suburbs in the western suburbs were struggling under the strain of population growth. Too few jobs, not enough services, little support for schools trying to teach children who do not speak a word of English.Labor's hopes of winning a key Victorian federal seat, dented by proposed boundary changes, have been further damaged after the party's candidate pulled out of the race, fearing the toll it would take on her young family.

Spurred by the example of Perth MP Tim Hammond  who cited personal reasons when he quit politics this week  Stefanie Perri has told party members she won't stand for the electorate of Chisholm in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs.

Stefani Perri won't stand for election. Credit:Daniel Pockett

Preselections to find a new candidate will now have to be reopened, which could leave Labor exposed if an early election were called.

Labors attempt to win back Chisholm from first-term Liberal MP Julia Banks is further complicated by a proposed change to electorate boundaries.Australian grandmother Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto has been found guilty of drug trafficking and sentenced to death in Malaysia.

She had been aquitted of the crime in December, but that finding was overturned on appeal on Thursday.

Three judges in Kuala Lumpur's Court of Appeal unanimously found the Sydney woman guilty, sentencing her to death by hanging.

The 54-year-old, from Sydneys west, had faced a prosecution appeal against her acquittal last year on charges of trafficking 1.5kg of methamphetamine into Malaysia.

Although the Holland-based Joint Investigation Team did not say who pulled the trigger, the conclusion that the 53rd anti-aircraft brigade from Kursk, a unit of a "few hundred people," was operating the missile marks a step closer to naming the perpetrators.

Thursday's press conference in the Netherlands for the first time implicated the Russian military, of which Vladimir Putin is the commander in chief, in the catastrophe in July 2014.

A screenshot of a computerised video obtained from the Joint Investigation Team of the launch of a 9M38 BUK missile that shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) over Ukraine on July 17, 2014. Credit:AAP/JIT

Dutch prosecutors identified a Russian military unit earlier on Thursday as the source of the missile that shot down the plane.

St Petersburg: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Moscow will analyse the Dutch findings about the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine that killed 298 people in 2014.

Investigators said they were working toward a court case in the Netherlands against those who fired the missile as well as senior figures in their chain of command. They are reportedly focusing on 100 or so suspects.

The JIT said it had again requested information from Russia, which had failed to tell it of this missile unit's activities, and put out another open call for confidential witness testimony. Russian officials, who have since the plane went down put out a raft of theories to shift the blame to Ukraine, began pushing back against the allegation almost immediately.

Yury Shvytkin, a member of parliament, called the investigation "aggression against our country like that during the Skripal case" and claimed it would have to "at the minimum" find fingerprints on the missile to accuse Moscow.

Mr Paulissen said a "fingerprint for the missile" had been established through seven markings and features on the sides of the launcher. Photographs, videos and witness testimony traced the progress of this launcher in a convoy from Kursk to the Ukrainian border in June 2014, and it was photographed again near the launch site on the day of the catastrophe.

Asked whether there were satellite images of the launch, Fred Westerbeke, the Dutch chief prosecutor, said the investigation had information that it could not reveal at the risk of "showing our cards to the other side". He added that it was entering the "last phase" ahead of possible legal proceedings.London: Britain's Foreign Office on Thursday criticised "childish" Russian pranksters who phoned Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson posing as the leader of Armenia.

The Guardian newspaper said that Johnson was called by Alexei Stolyarov and Vladimir Kuznetsov, known as Lexus and Vovan.

One pretended to be new Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, and the newspaper said that Johnson spoke to them for 18 minutes, discussing topics including the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal.

The Foreign Office believes the pranksters, who have previously caught out other politicians, made the call with the blessing of the Kremlin to "save face" after it was shamed over the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal.London: Iran's top leader has set out a series of conditions for European powers if they want Tehran to stay in a nuclear deal after the US exit, including steps to safeguard trade with Tehran and guarantee Iranian oil sales.

Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei has listed seven demands for saving the nuclear deal. Credit:EPA

US President Donald Trump pulled out earlier this month from the 2015 nuclear deal that lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs to its nuclear program, calling it deeply flawed. European powers see the international accord as the best chance of stopping Tehran developing a nuclear weapon and have intensified efforts to salvage it.

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"European banks should safeguard trade with the Islamic Republic. We do not want to start a fight with these three countries [France, Germany and Britain] but we don't trust them either, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, issuing conditions for saving the nuclear pact on his website.Rio de Janeiro: In a rare move, Brazil is providing armed back-up to indigenous people protecting the world's most threatened tribe from illegal loggers, a decision that campaigners lauded as a "landmark" in efforts to halt deforestation in the Amazon.

Officials moved in to the Brazilian rainforest after a group of from the Guajajara tribe, who call themselves The Guardians of the Amazon, seized a logging gang and burnt their truck, rights group Survival International said.

A soldier stands guard in front of a truck loaded with logs that were illegally cut from the Amazon rain forest. Credit:AP/File

"Over the weekend, a team of Ibama [Brazil's environmental protection agency] and environmental military police arrived in response to The Guardians' call for help," said Sarah Shenker, a senior campaigner with Survival.US Cobalt Receives Final Order Approving Acquisition by First Cobalt

Posted by Publisher Internet

US Cobalt Inc. (TSX-V: USCO, OTCQB: USCFF) (?US Cobalt?) and First Cobalt Corp. (TSX-V: FCC; ASX: FCC; OTCQX: FTSSF) (?First Cobalt?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFF7GH4WKSU&t=7s ) are pleased to announce that US Cobalt has received a final order from the Supreme Court of British Columbia approving the previously announced acquisition by First Cobalt.

The acquisition of US Cobalt will enhance First Cobalt?s position as a vertically integrated pure-play cobalt company with three significant North American assets: 50 past producing mines in the Canadian Cobalt Camp, the Iron Creek Project in Idaho, USA, and the only permitted cobalt refinery in North America capable of producing battery materials.

The Iron Creek Project has a historic mineral resource estimate (non-compliant with NI 43-101) of 1.3M tons grading 0.59% cobalt. A new resource estimate is anticipated by October 2018.

Subject to obtaining all required regulatory and government approvals, it is anticipated that the Transaction will be completed on or about May 31, 2018.

First Cobalt has also agreed to provide a bridge loan to US Cobalt for up to $5 million to maintain the current drill program at the Iron Creek Project until the close of the Transaction. Subject to regulatory approval, the bridge loan will be a demand promissory note having a term of two years and bearing interest at prime plus 1%. Upon completion of the Transaction, the bridge loan will become intercompany debt and terminated. If the Transaction is terminated, First Cobalt may demand repayment of all accrued interest and the principal amount owing under the bridge loan. ?

About US Cobalt

US Cobalt is focused on the acquisition and development of high grade battery metal deposits in North America. The Iron Creek Cobalt Project, located in the prolific Idaho Cobalt Belt, is the focus of a 40-hole, 35,000 foot (10,700 metre) drill campaign to confirm a 1.3M ton grading 0.59% cobalt historical estimate (non-compliant with NI 43-101) and a Resource Estimate prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 is expected on the project in 2018.

About First Cobalt

First Cobalt aims to create the largest pure-play cobalt exploration and development company in the world. The Company controls more than 10,000 hectares of prospective land covering over 50 historic mines as well as mineral processing facilities in the Cobalt Camp in Ontario, Canada. The First Cobalt Refinery is the only permitted facility in North America capable of producing cobalt battery materials. First Cobalt seeks to build shareholder value through new discovery, mineral processing and growth opportunities, with a focus on North America.

On behalf of First Cobalt Corp.

Trent Mell

President & Chief Executive Officer

On behalf of US Cobalt Inc.

Wayne Tisdale

President

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, ?forward-looking statements?) within the meaning of applicable securities laws and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as ?plans?, ?expects?, ?estimates?, ?intends?, ?anticipates?, ?believes? or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results ?will?, ?may?, ?could?, ?would?, ?might?, ?occur? or ?be achieved?. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance and opportunities to differ materially from those implied by such forward-looking statements. In particular, forward-looking information included in this news release includes, without limitation, statements regarding the completion of the Transaction, including the anticipated results of the Transaction and statements regarding the Bridge Loan. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements are set forth in the management discussion and analysis and other disclosures of risk factors for each of First Cobalt and US Cobalt, filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although First Cobalt and US Cobalt believe that the information and assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed times frames or at all. Except where required by applicable law, First Cobalt and US Cobalt disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Historic Estimates

US Cobalt considers the cobalt and copper tonnage and grade estimates above as historical estimates. The historical estimates do not use categories that conform to current CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves as outlined in National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (?NI 43-101?) and have not been redefined to conform to current CIM Definition Standards. They were prepared in the 1980s prior to the adoption and implementation of NI 43-101. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimates as current mineral resources and US Cobalt is not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources. More work, including, but not limited to, drilling, will be required to conform the estimates to current CIM Definition Standards. Investors are cautioned that the historical estimates do not mean or imply that economic deposits exist on the Iron Creek property. US Cobalt has not undertaken any independent investigation of the historical estimates nor has it independently analyzed the results of the previous exploration work in order to verify the accuracy of the information. US Cobalt believes that the historical estimates are relevant to continuing exploration on the Iron Creek property.Annual General Meeting of SMA Solar Technology AG Discharges Managing Board and Supervisory Board and Resolves Dividend

Posted by Publisher Internet

The shareholders of SMA Solar Technology AG (SMA/FWB: S92) granted full discharge to the Managing Board and Supervisory Board for the 2017 fiscal year with a clear majority of over 99% and over 95% at today?s Annual General Meeting in Kassel. The remaining items on the agenda were also passed with a large majority. More than 250 shareholders attended the 2018 Annual General Meeting of SMA Solar Technology AG, and 89% of those with voting rights were present. The Annual General Meeting followed the suggestion of the Managing Board and Supervisory Board and approved the dividend payout of ?0.35 per qualifying bearer share for the 2017 fiscal year.

?SMA again demonstrated its high level of flexibility in the last fiscal year,? said SMA CEO Pierre-Pascal Urbon. ?In 2017, despite the regional shift in demand, SMA was able to generate annual net income at the level of the previous year. For SMA?s future success, we will further strengthen our core business with PV inverters while ramping up our activities in the field of energy management. Our shareholders supported this strategy at today?s Annual General Meeting.? In the 2017 fiscal year, SMA generated sales of ?891.0 million. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounted to ?97.3 million. Net income amounted to ?30.1 million. With a payout totaling ?12.1 million, the payout ratio in relation to net income amounts to 40.2%. The depository banks will begin dividend payments on May 25, 2018.

In light of the development in the first quarter of 2018 and the continued high order backlog, the SMA Managing Board confirms its sales and earnings guidance for the 2018 fiscal year, which forecasts sales of between ?900 million and ?1,000 million and EBITDA of between ?90 million and ?110 million. For the first time, EBITDA includes expenses of more than ?10 million for setting up the digital business. The Managing Board estimates that depreciation and amortization will amount to approximately ?50 million. The future payout rate will be between 30% and 60%.

The presentation and the speech given by the Managing Board at the Annual General Meeting, along with further information, can be found on the internet at www.sma.de/en/investor-relations/annual?general-meeting.

A press picture can be downloaded here?.

Disclaimer:

This press release serves only as information and does not constitute an offer or invitation to subscribe for, acquire, hold or sell any securities of SMA Solar Technology AG (the ?Company?) or any present or future subsidiary of the Company (together with the Company, the ?SMA Group?) nor should it form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract to purchase or subscribe for any securities in the Company or any member of the SMA Group or commitment whatsoever. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States of America absent registration or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

This press release can contain future-oriented statements. Future-oriented statements are statements which do not describe facts of the past. They also include statements about our assumptions and expectations. These statements are based on plans, estimations and forecasts which the Managing Board of SMA Solar Technology AG (SMA or company) has available at this time. Future-oriented statements are therefore only valid on the day on which they are made. Future-oriented statements by nature contain risks and elements of uncertainty. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors can lead to considerable differences between the actual results, the financial position, the development or the performance of the corporation and the estimates given here. These factors include those which SMA has discussed in published reports. These reports are available on the SMA website at www.SMA.de. The company accepts no obligation whatsoever to update these future-oriented statements or to adjust them to future events or developments.

The SMA Group with sales of around ?900 million in 2017 is a global leader for solar inverters, a key component of all PV plants. SMA offers a wide range of products and solutions that allow for high energy yields for residential and commercial PV systems and large-scale PV power plants. To increase PV self-consumption efficiently, SMA system technology can easily be combined with different battery technologies. Intelligent energy management and digital energy solutions, comprehensive services and operational management of PV power plants round off SMA\-\-s range. The company is headquartered in Niestetal, near Kassel, Germany, is represented in 20 countries and has more than 3,000 employees worldwide, including 500 working in Development. SMA\-\-s multi-award-winning technology is protected by more than 1,100 patents and utility models. Since 2008, the Group\-\-s parent company, SMA Solar Technology AG, has been listed on the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (S92) and is currently the only company in the solar industry that is listed in the TecDAX index.EnWave Announces 2018 Second Quarter Consolidated Interim Financial Results

Posted by Publisher Internet

EnWave Corporation (TSX-V:ENW | FSE:E4U) (?EnWave?, or the \Company\  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyKTfx_H0Tk&t=64s) today reported the Company?s consolidated interim financial results for the second quarter ended March 31, 2018.

Second Quarter Highlights:

EnWave increased its worldwide presence in the rapidly growing legalized cannabis sector during the second quarter. The Company expanded its royalty-bearing commercial license agreement with Tilray? to include processing rights for cannabis in Portugal, and received a purchase order for a second 60kW Radiant Energy Vacuum (?REVTM?) machine from Tilray? to be installed in Portugal. EnWave also signed a Technology Evaluation and License Option Agreement (?TELOA?) with another top Canadian cannabis producer and granted the producer an exclusive option to license REVTM for processing cannabis in a country in Europe. These two agreements mark the initial expansion of EnWave?s proprietary dehydration technology into legalized cannabis markets outside of Canada, and the Company is pursuing an aggressive strategy to commercialize REVTM into the worldwide cannabis sector.

During the second quarter, EnWave signed a new royalty-bearing commercial license agreement with Nomad Nutrition, and continued to expand its royalty partnership and machine sales pipeline through joint produce development projects under TELOAs with prospective partner companies in multiple verticals. Currently, the Company has 11 prospective royalty partners actively engaged in TELOA projects and a company in an advanced R&D agreement. EnWave?s strategy regarding these projects is to demonstrate the product innovation and attractive processing economics available through the use of REVTM technology. EnWave has been growing its prospective royalty partner pipeline as it commercializes REVTM across the food, legalized cannabis and pharmaceutical sectors as part of its strategy to build a large, diversified royalty-bearing portfolio.

Further Details Include:

Expanded its royalty-bearing license agreement with Tilray?, a major Canadian medical cannabis Licensed Producer, to include exclusive rights to REVTM technology country of Portugal for processing cannabis. Tilray? also purchased a large-scale 60kW REVTM machine to be installed in Portugal.

Commissioned a 60kW REVTM dehydration unit at Van Dyk?s Specialty Products (?Van Dyk?) in Nova Scotia for the processing if high-value wild blueberry products.

Signed a royalty-bearing license with Nomad Nutrition, a Canadian company focused on distributing premium, shelf-stable, nutrient-packed gourmet products that are made from locally sourced organic ingredients. Nomad Nutrition purchased a small-scale 10kW REVTM machine to initiate commercial production.

Achieved a series of positive product development results in partnership with the US Army Natick Soldier R&D Center as part of an ongoing project to create superior, phytonutrient-rich field rations for soldiers in the field.

Signed a TELOA with a major Canadian licensed producer of cannabis (the ?Licensed Producer) and granted the Licensed Producer the exclusive option to license REVTM for processing legalized cannabis in a European country. The Licensed Producer is renting a pilot-scale machine during the term of the TELOA to facilitate evaluation of the technology.

Signed a TELOA with Seven Seas Fish Company Limited, a leading Canadian seafood manufacturer and international distributor.

Signed a TELOA with Calbee Incorporated (?Calbee?), the largest snack food manufacturer in Japan. Calbee will evaluate the use of EnWave?s technology at its facilities in Japan using lab-scale REVTM

Secured additional Moon Cheese? distribution rotations in Costco?s Midwest, Northwest and Southeast divisions for club format Moon Cheese? and achieved the highest ever single quarter sales for Moon Cheese?.

Renewed its Patent and Know-How Licensing agreement (the ?INAP License?) with INAP GmbH (?INAP?) for an additional 5 years ending October 15, 2022. By renewing the INAP License, the Company strengthened its intellectual property position and retained its competitive advantage in the commercialization of its vacuum microwave dehydration technology.

Acquisition of Remaining 49% of NutraDried:

On February 21, 2018, EnWave completed the acquisition of the 49% non-controlling interest in NutraDried LLP, bringing the Company?s ownership to 100% of the equity interest in NutraDried LLP (?NutraDried?). NutraDried is a wholly owned subsidiary in the business of manufacturing and distributing Moon Cheese?, an all-natural crunchy snack food made using the EnWave?s REVTM technology. The acquisition of the non-controlling interest in NutraDried will allow the Company to pursue additional commercial opportunities using the installed 100kW nutraREV? processing line, as well as enhance the ability for EnWave to use NutraDried?s processing capabilities as a showcase to prospective royalty partner companies. NutraDried is a profitable business segment of the Company, reporting $716,000 in net income for fiscal year 2017, and $1,086,000 for the first half of 2018. On the basis of annualized fiscal 2018 net income, the Company paid a purchase multiple of 2.1x net income to acquire the 49% non-controlling interest.

Key Financial Highlights for the Second Quarter (expressed in $ ?000s):

Achieving gross profit of $1,295 for Q2 2018 compared to $1,028 for Q2 2017, an increase of $267. Gross margin as a percentage of revenue was 31% for Q2 2018 compared to 25% for Q2 2017.

Generated consolidated revenues for Q2 2018 of $4,172 compared to $4,183 for Q2 of 2017, a decrease of $11. Royalty revenues for Q2 2018 increased to $118, compared with $77 for Q2 of 2017.

Continuing to be cash flow positive with cash flow from operations prior to changes in non-cash working capital(*) of $319 for the first two quarters of 2018, compared to negative $46 for the first two quarters of 2017, showing positive cash flows from operations before taking into account changes in working capital.

Building sales pipeline by way of increased S&M expense to $683 compared to $396 for 2017, an increase of $287. EnWave Canada maintained consistent S&M expenses and plans to increase investment into S&M activities to drive revenue growth.

Maintaining R&D expenses with R&D expense for Q2 2018 of $297, compared to $300 for Q2 of 2017, a decrease of $3. The Company continues to invest strategically to strengthen its patent portfolio and to develop new product innovations with commercial potential.

Increasing revenues for NutraDried with Q2 2018 revenues of $2,404 compared to Q2 2017 revenues of $1,342, an increase of $1,062 or 79%. NutraDried continues to increase points of distribution for its all-natural, crunchy Moon Cheese?

Growing net income at NutraDried of $670 for Q2 2018 compared to $92 for Q2 2017, an increase of over 6 times. NutraDried continued to contribute to the growth of the Company. NutraDried?s success solidifies the business case for using REVTM for creating profitable consumer products and new brands for our royalty partners.

EnWave?s interim consolidated financial statements and MD&A are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company?s website www.enwave.net/financials.

(*) Non-IFRS Financial Measures

Cash flow from operations prior to changes in non-cash working capital is not a measure of financial performance under IFRS. This measure is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies and should not be construed as an alternative to net income or cash flow from operating activities as determined in accordance with IFRS. Please refer to the discussion included in the Company?s MD&A for the six months ended March 31, 2018.

About EnWave

EnWave Corporation, a Vancouver-based advanced technology company, has developed Radiant Energy Vacuum (?REV??) ? an innovative, proprietary method for the precise dehydration of organic materials. EnWave has further developed patent-pending methods for uniformly drying and decontaminating cannabis through the use of REV? technology, shortening the time from harvest to marketable cannabis products.?

REV? technology?s commercial viability has been demonstrated and is growing rapidly across several market verticals in the food, and pharmaceutical sectors including legal cannabis. EnWave?s strategy is to sign royalty-bearing commercial licenses with industry leaders in multiple verticals for the use of REV? technology. The company has signed over twenty royalty-bearing licenses to date, opening up nine distinct market sectors for commercialization of new and innovative products. In addition to these licenses, EnWave has formed a Limited Liability Corporation, NutraDried Food Company, LLC, to develop, manufacture, market and sell all-natural cheese snack products in the United States under the Moon Cheese? brand.?

EnWave has introduced REV? as the new dehydration standard in the food and biological material sectors: faster and cheaper than freeze drying, with better end product quality than air drying or spray drying. EnWave currently has three commercial REV? platforms:

1. nutraREV? which is used in the food industry to dry food products quickly and at low-cost, while maintaining high levels of nutrition, taste, texture and colour;

2. powderREV? which is used for the bulk dehydration of food cultures, probiotics and fine biochemicals such as enzymes below the freezing point, and

3. quantaREV? which is used for continuous, high-volume low-temperature drying.

An additional platform, freezeREV?, is being developed as a new method to stabilize and dehydrate biopharmaceuticals such as vaccines and antibodies. More information about EnWave is available at www.enwave.net.

EnWave Corporation

Dr. Tim Durance

President & CEO

For further information:

John P.A. Budreski, Executive Chairman at +1 (416) 930-0914

E-mail: jbudreski@enwave.net ?

Brent Charleton, CFA , Senior Vice President, Sales and Business Development at +1 (778) 378-9616

E-mail: bcharleton@enwave.net ?????

Deborah Honig, Corporate Development, Adelaide Capital Markets at + 1 (647) 203-8793

E-mail: dhonig@enwave.net

Safe Harbour for Forward-Looking Information Statements: This press release may contain forward-looking information based on management\-\-s expectations, estimates and projections. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about the Company\-\-s strategy for growth, product development, market position, expected expenditures, and the expected synergies following the closing are forward-looking statements. All third party claims referred to in this release are not guaranteed to be accurate. All third party references to market information in this release are not guaranteed to be accurate as the Company did not conduct the original primary research. These statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, 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.

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.Mubadala Petroleum, the UAE-based leading oil and gas exploration and production company, and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) have formed a joint venture Gazprom Neft to develop several oil fields in the Tomsk and Omsk regions of Siberia.



RDIF and Mubadala Petroleum will acquire a 49 per cent equity stake in Gazpromneft-Vostok, the operator of the fields. Mubadala Petroleum will hold a 44 per cent interest and RDIF will hold the remaining 5 per cent interest. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory and internal approvals.



The corresponding agreement was announced today (May 24) at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.



Proved and probable reserves of hydrocarbons in the fields are about 40 million tons (approx. 300 million barrels). Oil production was 1.6 million tons in 2017 (approx. 33,000 barrels per day). The produced oil is sold into Russian domestic and international markets, and transported primarily through the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean oil pipeline.



This project is Mubadala Petroleums first investment in the Russian oil and gas sector.



Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said: "RDIF and Mubadala Petroleum investment in a joint venture with Gazprom Neft brings the experience and expertise of our Middle East partners to the Russian oil and gas sector. RDIF, Mubadala Petroleum and Gazprom Neft see this project as the first step in creating a consortium to pursue further significant investments in the sector."



Dr Bakheet Al Katheeri, CEO of Mubadala Petroleum, said: "This investment marks a further step in our long-term growth strategy and sees Mubadala Petroleums entry into Russia. Through this new partnership with RDIF and Gazprom Neft, one of Russias leading operators, we will not only share but also further build on our expertise and capabilities in oil and gas while adding significant oil production to our existing oil and gas portfolio.



Alexander Dyukov, chairman of Gazprom Neft, said: "Our company has vast experience in setting up joint ventures with international partners, but for the first time one of the largest investment funds of the UAE has invested in the Russian assets of Gazprom Neft.



This transaction is of great importance not only for our company, but for the whole industry. The main advantage of Gazpromneft-Vostok is the development of technologies for the search and extraction of hydrocarbons from the pre-Jurassic complex. And it is important for us that our partners believed not only in the present, but also in the future of this asset. The task of beginning cost-effective development of Paleozoic stocks can be more effectively solved within the framework of partnership, combining technological and financial resources, he added.  TradeArabia News ServiceSensor data fusion for more reliable intrusion alarm systems

Intrusion alarm systems are currently facing a growing number of potential error sources in the environment. At the same time, alarm systems must comply with increasingly demanding legal requirements for sensors and motion detectors. As a future-proof solution, detectors equipped with Sensor Data Fusion technology raise the level of security while reducing the risk of cost- and time-intensive false alarms. This article provides a comprehensive overview of Sensor Data Fusion technology. Anti-masking alarms A cultural heritage museum in the South of Germany for decades, the installed intrusion alarm system has provided reliable protection on the premises. But suddenly, the detectors trigger false alarms every night after the museum closes. The system integrators are puzzled and conduct extensive tests of the entire system. When they finally identify the culprit, its unexpected: As it turns out, the recently installed LED lighting system in the museums exhibition spaces radiates at a wavelength that triggers anti-masking alarms in the detectors. Not an easy fix situation, since a new lighting system would prove far too costly. Ultimately, the integrators need to perform extensive detector firmware updates and switch to different sensor architecture to eliminate the error source. This scenario is by no means an isolated incident, but part of a growing trend. Need for reliable detector technology Legal requirements for anti-masking technology are becoming stringent in response to tactics by criminals The number of potential triggers for erroneous alarms in the environment is on the rise. From the perspective of system operators and integrators, its a concerning development because every false alarm lowers the credibility of an intrusion alarm system. Not to mention steep costs: Every false call to the authorities comes with a price +$200 tag. Aside from error sources in the environment, legal requirements for anti-masking technology are becoming more stringent in response to ever more resourceful tactics employed by criminals to sidestep detectors. Whats more, todays detectors need to be fortified against service outages and provide reliable, around-the-clock operability to catch intruders in a timely and reliable fashion. Sensor Data Fusion Technology In light of these demands, one particular approach has emerged as a future-proof solution over the past few years: Sensor Data Fusion technology, the combination of several types of sensors within one detector  designed to cross-check and verify alarm sources via intelligent algorithms  holds the keys to minimising false alarms and responding appropriately to actual alarm events. This generation of detectors combines passive infrared (PIR) and microwave Doppler radar capabilities with artificial intelligence (AI) to eliminate false alarm sources without sacrificing catch performance. Motion detectors equipped with Sensor Data Fusion technology present a fail-proof solution for building security Its not about packing as many sensors as possible into a detector. But its about including the most relevant sensors with checks and balances through an intelligent algorithm that verifies the data for a highly reliable level of security. The result is the highest-possible catch performance at the minimum risk for erroneous alarms, said Michael Reimer, Senior Product Manager at Bosch Security Systems. Motion detectors with sensor data fusion Looking ahead into the future, motion detectors equipped with Sensor Data Fusion technology not only present a fail-proof solution for building security. The comprehensive data collected by these sensors also unlock value beyond security: Constant real-time information on temperature and humidity can be used by intelligent systems and devices in building automation. Integrated into building management systems, the sensors provide efficiency improvements and lowering energy costs Integrated into building management systems, the sensors provide the foundation for efficiency improvements and lowering energy costs in HVAC systems. Companies such as Bosch support these network synergies by constantly developing and optimising intelligent sensors. On that note, installers must be familiar with the latest generation of sensor technology to upgrade their systems accordingly, starting with a comprehensive overview of error sources in the environment. Prominent false alarm triggers in intrusion alarm systems The following factors emerge as frequent triggers of false alarms in conventional detectors: Strong temperature fluctuations can be interpreted by sensors as indicators of a person inside the building. Triggers range from floor heating sources to strong sunlight. In this context, room temperatures above 86F (30C) have proven particularly problematic. Dust contamination of optical detectors lowers the detection performance while raising susceptibility to false alarms. Draft air from air conditioning systems or open windows can trigger motion sensors, especially when curtains, plants, or signage attached to the ceilings (e.g. in grocery stores) are put in motion. Strong light exposure directly on the sensor surface, e.g. caused by headlights from passing vehicles, floodlights, reflected or direct sunlight  all of which sensors may interpret as a flashlight from an intruder. Extensive bandwidth frequencies in Wi-Fi routers can potentially confuse sensors. Only a few years ago, wireless routers operated on a bandwidth of around 2.7GHz while todays devices often exceed 5GHz, thereby catching older detectors off guard. LED lights radiating at frequencies beyond the spectrum of visible light may trigger sensors with their infrared signals. Regarding the last two points, its important to note that legislation provides clear guidelines for the maximum frequency spectrum maintained by Wi-Fi routers and LED lighting. Long-term security But the influx of cheap and illegal products in both product groups  products that do not meet the guidelines  continues to pose problems when installed near conventional detectors. For this reason, Sensor Data Fusion technology provides a reliable solution by verifying alarms with data from several types of sensors within a single detector. Beyond providing immunity from false alarm triggers, the new generation of sensors also needs to comply with the current legislature. These guidelines include the latest EN50131-grade 3, and German VdS class C standards with clear requirements regarding anti-masking technology for detecting sabotage attempts. This is exactly where Sensor Data Fusion technology provides long-term security. Evolution of intrusion detector technology Initially, motion detectors designed for intrusion alarm systems were merely equipped with a single type of sensor; namely passive infrared technology (PIR). Upon their introduction, these sensors raised the overall level of building security tremendously in automated security systems. But over time, these sensors proved limited in their catch performance. As a result, manufacturers began implementing microwave Doppler radar capabilities to cover additional sources of intrusion alarms. First step detection technology In Bosch sensors, engineers added First Step detection to trigger instant alarms upon persons entering a room Over the next few years, sensors were also equipped with sensors detecting visible light to catch flashlights used by burglars, as well as temperature sensors. In Bosch sensors, engineers added proprietary technologies such as First Step detection to trigger instant alarms upon persons entering a room. But experience in the field soon proved, especially due to error sources such as rats and other animals, that comprehensive intrusion detection demands a synergetic approach: A combination of sensors aligned to cross-check one another for a proactive response to incoming signals. At the same time, the aforementioned bandwidth expansion in Wi-Fi routers and LED lighting systems required detectors to implement the latest circuit technology to avoid serving as antennas for undesired signals. Sensor data fusion approach At its very core, Sensor Data Fusion technology relies on the centralised collection of all data captured by the variety of different sensors included in a single detector. These data streams are directed to a microprocessor capable of analysing the signals in real-time via a complex algorithm. This algorithm is the key to Sensor Data Fusion. It enables the detector to balance active sensors and adjust sensitivities as needed, to make truly intelligent decisions regarding whether or not the data indicates a valid alarm condition  and if so, trigger an alarm. Advanced verification mechanisms The current generation of Sensor Data Fusion detectors, for instance from Bosch, feature advanced verification mechanisms, including Microwave Noise Adaptive Processing to easily differentiate humans from false alarm sources (e.g. ceiling fans or hanging signs). For increased reliability, signals from PIR and microwave Doppler radar are compared to determine whether an actual alarm event is taking place. Additionally, the optical chamber is sealed to prevent drafts and insects from affecting the detector, while the detector is programmed for pet and small animal immunity. Sensor cross-verification Further types of sensors embedded in current and future generations of Sensor Data Fusion detectors include MEM-sensors as well as vibration sensors and accelerometers. Ultimately, its important to keep in mind that the cross-verification between sensors serves to increase false alarm immunity without sacrificing the catch performance of actual intruders. It merely serves to cover various indicators of intrusion. Protecting UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in China Intelligent detectors equipped with Sensor Data Fusion are protecting historic cultural artifacts in China from theft and damage. At the UNESCO-protected Terracotta Warriors Museum site, one hundred TriTech motion detectors from Bosch with PIR and microwave Doppler radar technology safeguard the invaluable treasures against intruders. To provide comprehensive protection amid the specific demands of the museum site, the detectors have been installed on walls and ceilings to safeguard the 16,300-square-meter museum site. To ensure an optimal visitor experience without interference from glass walls and other barriers, many detectors are mounted at a height of 4.5 meters (15 feet) above ground under the ceiling. Despite their height, the detectors provide accurate data around the clock while exceeding the performance limits of conventional motion detectors, which clock out at a mere 2 meters (6 feet) catchment area. Integrated video systems The site also presents additional error sources such as large amounts of dust that can contaminate the sensors, as well as visitors accidentally dropping their cameras or mobile phones next to museum exhibits. To distinguish these events from actual criminal activity, the intrusion alarm system is integrated with the museums video security system. This allows for verifying alarm triggers with real-time video footage at a fast pace: In the case of an actual alarm event, the system alerts the on-site security personnel in the control room in less than two seconds. Added value beyond security Sensor Data Fusion technology provides a viable solution for the rising number of error sources in the environment As of today, Sensor Data Fusion technology already provides a viable solution for the rising number of error sources in the environment while providing legally compliant building security against intruders. In light of future developments, operators can leverage significant added value from upgrading existing systems  possibly without fundamentally replacing current system architecture  to the new detector standard. Added value how? On one hand, the detectors can integrate with access control, video security, voice alarm, and analytics for a heightened level of security. These synergetic effects are especially pronounced on end-to-end platforms like the Bosch Building Management system. On the other hand, the data streams from intelligent detectors also supply actionable intelligence to building automation systems, for instance as the basis for efficiency improvements and lowering energy consumption in HVAC systems. New backward-compatible detectors Bosch will release a new series of commercial detectors by end of 2021, based on the latest research on risk factors for false alarm sources in the environment and line with current legislation and safety standards. Throughout these developments, installers can rest assured that all new detectors are fully backward compatible and work with existing networking/architecture. With that said, Sensor Data Fusion technology emerges as the key to more secure intrusion alarm systems today and in the future. TriTech detectors from Bosch For reliable, fail-proof alarms the current series of TriTech detectors from Bosch relies on a combination of different sensor data streams, evaluated by an integrated algorithm. These Sensor Data Fusion detectors from Bosch combine up to five different sensors in a single unit, including: Long-range passive infrared (PIR) sensor Short-range PIR sensor Microwave sensor White light sensor Temperature sensor Equipped with these sensors, TriTech detectors are capable of detecting the most frequent sources of false alarms; from headlights on passing cars to a mouse passing across the room at a 4.5-meter distance to the detector. Whats more, TriTech detectors provide reliable performance at room temperatures above 86F (30C) while fully guarding against actual intrusion and sabotage attempts from criminals.Murrells Inlet Daughters of the American Revolution Carolina Gold Chapter attendees of the South Carolina State DAR Convention are, from lower left, Pat Buchinger, Jan Cyr, Nina Akin, Meg Crampton, Betty Shelly, Regent Pat Kinard of the Rebecca Mott Chapter, Sara Way and Kathy Halm. Not pictured is Julia Mills.Georgetown, SC (29440)

Today

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable.As the bustling commercial port of the country and the second in importance in terms of cruise-ship arrivals, Puerto Corinto has all the facilities to receive cruises from all over the world. Located in an area 15 miles southwest of Chinandega and 40 miles southwest of the colonial town of Leon, Puerto Corinto's great beauty pulls visitors during the Nicaraguan summer. In spite of opportunities for surfing and horseback riding and visits to an annual gastronomical fair, the most popular attractions are found outside Puerto Corinto.

Experience Adventure

The Nicaragua San Cristobal Volcano Summit, located an hour drive from Puerto Corinto, offers a challenging trek up the highest volcano in Nicaragua for panoramic views of the countryside and Pacific Ocean in the distance. Because it's so challenging to navigate the myriad fields, farms and fences that obstruct the path upward, this is considered to be the granddaddy of volcano hikes in the Pacific Region. You can also choose to hike to the crater rim of Volcan Telica, one of the most active volcanoes in Nicaragua. Listen for the simmering roar and peer down into the sea of lava while eating a sandwich on volcanic rocks. The sun sets over the crater and the magnificent golden bloom converges with the glow of fiery heat.

Get Cultured

Only an hour from Puerto Corinto, Colonial Leon and Old Leon is a crumbling city filled with churches, streetscapes and cosmopolitan vibe. Once the capital of Nicaragua, the UNESCO-designated Old City offers sweeping views of the facade of Leons cathedral  the largest in Central America. It blends a mixture of baroque, neoclassical and gothic styles and holds the tombs of notable Nicaraguans, including the celebrated writer Ruben Dario. In Nicaraguas second largest city, you can also visit the City Hall, built in 1935 and damaged during the revolution of 1979. The building was designed in art deco style by architect Marcelo Targa.

Do a Coastal Excursion

Located two hours from Puerto Corinto, the Northwest Coast and the Consiguina Peninsula unfold to a scenic crater that makes up the highest point of the Nature Reserve Consiguina. The volcano is the center point of a trip to this area, but you can also take a horseback ride, fish, lounge by the Consiguina Peninsula beaches or pay a visit to a community of 50 or so houses on the volcanos outskirts. The Consiguina community builds homes entirely out of palm trees, where the palm fronds span the top of the roof all the way to the ground: this architectural style has been present for over 1,000 years.Astronaut Scott Carpenter in Hanger S Crew Quarters During Suiting Exercise

NASA

Original Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter, 88, died on Oct. 10, 2013 following a stroke. Read the Full Story Here.



Above, Carpenter, prime pilot for the Mercury-Atlas 7 flight, is seen in Hanger S crew quarters during a suiting exercise in 1962.

Scott Carpenter, 1925-2013

NASA (via RetroSpaceImages.com)

Original Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter, 88, died on Oct. 10, 2013 following a stroke. Read the Full Story Here.



Above, Original astronaut Scott Carpenter, as seen in 1962 wearing his Mercury spacesuit, died Oct. 10, 2013.

Astronaut Scott Carpenter

NASA

Original Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter, 88, died on Oct. 10, 2013 following a stroke. Read the Full Story Here.



Above, Carpenter, one of the original seven astronauts for Mercury Project selected by NASA on April 27, 1959. Boosted by the Mercury-Atlas vehicle, the MA-7 mission made the second marned orbital flight by the United States, and carried Astronaut Carpenter aboard Aurora 7 spacecraft to orbit the Earth three times.

Carpenter in White Room

NASA

Original Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter, 88, died on Oct. 10, 2013 following a stroke. Read the Full Story Here.



The image above shows Inside Hangar S at the White Room Facility at Cape Canaveral, Florida, Mercury astronaut M. Scott Carpenter examines the honeycomb protective material on the main pressure bulkhead (heat shield) of his Mercury capsule nicknamed "Aurora 7.

Astronaut Scott Carpenter in a Pressure Suit

NASA

Original Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter, 88, died on Oct. 10, 2013 following a stroke. Read the Full Story Here.



Above: Carpenter is wearing a Mercury pressure suit during astronaut training at Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Astronaut Scott Carpenter and Technician Joe Schmidt During Suiting Exercise

NASA

Original Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter, 88, died on Oct. 10, 2013 following a stroke. Read the Full Story Here.



Above: Mercury Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter, prime pilot for the Mercury-Atlas 7 flight, and Crew Equipment Specialist Joe Schmidt are before a suiting exercise. Schmidt is seen checking the gloves on the Carpenter's pressure suit.

Astronaut Scott Carpenter Looks into Aurora 7 Capsule

NASA

Original Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter, 88, died on Oct. 10, 2013 following a stroke. Read the Full Story Here.



Above: Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter looks into his Mercury-Atlas 7 spacecraft, the Aurora 7, before being inserted to begin the launch.

Carpenter Launch

NASA

Original Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter, 88, died on Oct. 10, 2013 following a stroke. Read the Full Story Here.



Above: Scott Carpenter's Aurora 7 Mercury Atlas rocket lifts off from Pad 14, Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 24, 1962.

Earth and Sky Views Taken with Hand-held Camera During Mercury-Atlas 7

NASA

Original Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter, 88, died on Oct. 10, 2013 following a stroke. Read the Full Story Here.



Above: Earth and sky views taken with hand-held camera by Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter during Mercury-Atlas 7 mission.

Earth and Sky Views Taken with Hand-held Camera During Mercury-Atlas 7

NASA

Original Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter, 88, died on Oct. 10, 2013 following a stroke. Read the Full Story Here.



Above: Earth and sky views taken with hand-held camera by Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter during Mercury-Atlas 7 mission.

Astronaut Scott Carpenter Being Recovered from Ocean after MA-7 Flight

NASA

Original Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter, 88, died on Oct. 10, 2013 following a stroke. Read the Full Story Here.



Above: Carpenter, prime pilot for the Mercury-Atlas 7 (MA-7) mission, is seen being recovered from Atlantic Ocean after MA-7 flight. A diver helps Carpenter into a life raft while the capsule floats nearby.Round and Round

NASA

The second American to orbit the Earth, Scott Carpenter, blasted off on May 24, 1962 and made three trips around the planet before he accidentally landed off-course. See archival NASA photos of the historic mission in this photo gallery.



Here: Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter, prime pilot for Mercury-Atlas 7, undergoes centrifuge training to simulate high G-forces during spaceflight. This photo was taken in 1959, three years before his first orbital flight.

Balance Beam

NASA

In this photo taken in 1961, Scott Carpenter participates in a balance mechanism performance test by walking barefoot on a narrow board at the School of Aviation Medicine in Pensacola, Florida.

NASA

At the School of Aviation Medicine in Pensacola Florida, Scott Carpenter finishes another test of balance as he places one foot in front of another to walk in a straight line.

ALFA Trainer

NASA

At NASA's Langley Air Force Base, Project Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter, prime pilot for NASA's second orbital flight, manually controls a spacecraft simulator in the Air Lubricated Free Attitude trainer in preparation for the Mercury-Atlas 7 mission. The astronaut piloting the trainer sees an image of Earth at his feet.

Learning Procedures

NASA

In a procedures trainer at Langley Air Force Base, prime pilot for NASA's second manned orbital flight, Project Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter, trains during a simulated mission.

Resting and Testing

NASA

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter, with biosensors attached to his head, lies in a bed during a 1962 astronaut training activity.

MA7 Discussion

NASA

Astronaut John Glenn, on the left, and Scott Carpenter talk over the Mercury-Atlas 7 mission flight plan. Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth on Feb. 20, 1962  about three months before Carpenter did the same.

Adjustments

NASA

Before the 1962 launch of the Mercury-Atlas 7, astronauts John Glenn, on the left, and Scott Carpenter, prime pilot for NASA's second manned orbital mission, make last minute preparations for the flight.

Learning the Ropes

NASA

In the White Room at Cape Canaveral in Florida, Project Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter trains on how to exit the craft through the top. He holds the "man line" attaching the survival kit to the astronaut in case of a contingent landing. The bag holding the life vest is visible around Carpenter's neck.

New Getup

NASA

In May 1962, during a suiting exercise at Hanger S crew quarters, astronaut Scott Carpenter, Mercury-Atlas 7 prime pilot, sits in a mockup of his pilot seat in his complete suit.

Exit the Vehicle

NASA

A water egress training session prepares astronaut Scott Carpenter for his responsibilities as prime pilot for the Mercury-Atlas 7 mission.(Inside Science)  Exactly how long a neutron lives is currently under debate. Now researchers suggest this mystery could be solved if neutrons sometimes decay into particles of dark matter, the invisible substance thought to make up more than four-fifths of all matter in the universe. A flurry of research is now putting this notion to the test.

Along with the proton and electron, the neutron makes up most of the visible universe. Without neutrons, complex atomic nuclei simply could not be stable.

But once outside an atomic nucleus, a neutron would decay into a proton, an electron and a neutrino after 15 minutes on average, according to existing data. Although the neutron was discovered more than 80 years ago, the precise value for its average lifetime remains an open question.

There are two different ways to probe the lifetime of neutrons. In one, scientists place ultracold neutrons in a bottle and see how many are left after a certain amount of time. In the other, researchers analyze beams of neutrons to see how many decay into protons over a given space and time.

Oddly, beam experiments suggest the neutron's average lifetime is about 888 seconds, roughly 9 seconds longer than what bottle experiments do. "When the lifetime of the neutron is measured by two different approaches, and the results differ, we have a crisis -- is our basic understanding of the laws of physics wrong?" said study senior author Benjamin Grinstein, chair of physics at the University of California, San Diego.

After decades of fine-tuning both experimental approaches, physicists "have found no reason to suspect the discrepancy arises from bad measurements," Grinstein said. "We are left with the very real option that we need to consider changing the laws of physics in a fundamental way."

The researchers now suggest that about 1 percent of the time that neutrons decay, along with breaking down into a few known particles, they also produce dark matter particles. This may help explain one of the greatest mysteries in science.

The existence of dark matter particles was proposed to help explain a variety of cosmic puzzles, such as why galaxies can spin as fast as they are seen to without getting ripped apart. Scientists have largely ruled out all known ordinary materials as candidates for dark matter -- if it exists, the consensus so far is that it is made up of new species of particles that would interact only very weakly with ordinary matter.

Since beam experiments are focused on neutrons decaying into protons, they could not account for the possible mode of decay that produces dark matter particles, and thus they give a different lifetime for the neutron than bottle experiments do.

"It would be truly amazing if the good old neutron turned out to be the particle enabling us to probe the dark matter sector of the universe," said study lead author Bartosz Fornal, a theoretical physicist at the University of California, San Diego. Fornal and Grinstein detailed their findings online May 9 in the journal Physical Review Letters.

The physicists explored several different scenarios of "dark decay" for neutrons, where the neutrons would break down into both dark matter particles and ordinary components such as gamma rays or electrons. "Our proposed new particles are dark in that, like dark matter, they interact feebly with normal matter," Grinstein said.

Fornal and Grinstein's work has so far inspired roughly a dozen studiesexamining its implications. For instance, nuclear physicist Christopher Morris at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and his colleagues searched for gamma rays from a bottle of ultracold neutrons, but couldn't detect anything within the window their instruments could observe.

Another set of tests of this idea has focused on neutron stars, which are superdense clusters of neutrons that can form when giant stars die.

Theoretical particle physicist Jessie Shelton at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her colleagues noted that neutron stars do not cave in to form black holes because their gravitational fields are not powerful enough to crush neutrons. However, if neutrons can decay into dark matter, it may cause neutron stars with sufficient mass to collapse due to their own gravity. This would mean that neutron stars with 70 percent of the sun's mass could collapse into black holes, which is much lighter than previous estimates.

However, Shelton noted that if neutrons can indeed decay into dark matter, they will not give rise to just one kind of particle, but to at least two, and interactions between these new particles might prevent larger neutron stars from collapsing into black holes. "What we see from neutron stars suggests that neutrons decay either into no dark matter particles, or at least two," Shelton said. "Maybe the dark sector of our universe is more rich than we thought."

But future experiments may prove that the neutron lifetime anomaly has nothing to do with dark matter at all, Fornal and Grinstein conceded. A highly precise experiment to analyze neutron properties, such as Perkeo IIIat the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble, France, "seems to be capable of deciding the viability of exotic neutron dark decays," said theoretical physicist William Marciano at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York, an avenue he and his colleagues explored in a study appearing online May 16 in Physical Review Letters.

Another possible test involves examining neutron decay in atomic nuclei. Nuclear physicist Marek Pfutzner at the University of Warsaw in Poland said an experiment scheduled for this summer at the ISOLDE radioactive nuclei beam facility in Geneva will try to observe protons emitted as beryllium-11 decays.

"If we see enough of them, we will strongly reduce the room for dark decay. If we do not see them, the excitement will grow," said Pfutzner.

Inside Science News Service is supported by the American Institute of Physics. Charles Q. Choi is a science reporter who has written for Scientific American, The New York Times, Wired, Science, Nature, and National Geographic News, among others.A conceptual picture of fusion energy inside a tokamak, the doughnut-shaped machine that produces plasma for fusion energy. A new paper has found whistler waves, normally found in the ionosphere, inside a nuclear fusion reactor.

Editor's Note: This story was updated at 1:35 p.m. E.T.

Mysterious, ghostlike "whistler waves" that are normally created by lightning could protect nuclear fusion reactors from runaway electrons, new research suggests.

These whistler waves are naturally found high above ground in the ionosphere  a layer of Earth's atmosphere about 50 to 600 miles (80 an1000 kilometers) above the planet's surface. These ghostly whistler waves form when lightning bolts generate pulses of electromagnetic waves that travel between the Northern and Southern hemispheres. These waves change in frequency as they cross the globe, and when these light signals are converted to audio signals, they sound like whistles.

Now these whistler waves have been discovered in the hot plasma inside a tokamak  the doughnut-shaped machine where nuclear fusion reactions take place  according to a recent study published April 11 in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Because whistlers can scatter and impede high-speed electrons, they could provide a new way to prevent runaway electrons from damaging the inside of a tokamak.

Fusion power

In nuclear fusion reactions, which power the sun and stars, atoms slam together, fusing into larger atoms while releasing energy. For decades, researchers have been trying to harness fusion energy on Earth, using powerful magnetic fields inside tokamaks to corral doughnut-shaped clouds of hot plasma  a weird phase of matter that consists of electrically charged gas.

Inside the tokamak, electric fields can propel electrons faster and faster. But as these high-speed electrons fly through the plasma, they can't slow down. Normally, objects moving through a gas or liquid feel a drag force that increases with speed. The faster you drive your car, for example, the more wind resistance you run into. But in plasma, drag force decreases with speed, allowing electrons to accelerate to near light speed, damaging the tokamak.

Researchers already have a few techniques to mitigate runaways, said Don Spong, a physicist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and a co-author of the new study. They can use artificial intelligence algorithms to monitor and adjust the density of the plasma to prevent electrons from accelerating too fast. If there are still runaways, they can inject pellets of frozen neon into the plasma, which increases the plasma density and slows runaway electrons.

But whistler waves could be yet another way to rein in runaway electrons. "We ideally want to avoid disruptions and runaways," Spong said. "But if they occur, we would like multiple tools available for dealing with them."

Stopping runaways

In the tokamak at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility in San Diego, Spong's research team detected, for the first time, whistler waves being produced by runaway electrons.

Plasma, he explained, is like a piece of Jell-O with many modes of vibration. If some runaway electrons have just the right velocity, they excite one of these modes and trigger whistler waves  similar to how driving an old car at just the right speed can cause the dashboard to vibrate.

"What we would like to do is reverse engineer that process and put those waves on the outside [of the plasma] to scatter the runaways," Spong said.

By better understanding how runaways create whistlers, the researchers hope they can reverse the process  using an external antenna to generate whistlers that can scatter the electrons and prevent them from getting too fast.

The researchers still need to further explore the relationship between runaways and whistlers, Spong said, for example, by identifying what frequencies and wavelengths work best to inhibit runaways and by studying what happens in the denser plasma needed for fusion reactors.

Of course, suppressing runaway electrons is just one hurdle to creating clean energy from nuclear fusion. Right now, fusion reactors require more energyto heat plasma than is produced by the fusion. To reach the breakeven point, researchers still have to figure out how to get plasma to stay hot without having to add heat.

But Spong is optimistic about fusion energy. "I'm a believer that it's achievable."

In 2025, the ITER project in southern France is slated to begin experiments. and scientists hope it will be the first fusion machine to produce more energy than is used to heat the plasma. Several groups have set their sights on achieving net positive fusion energy by 2050. And a new collaboration between MIT and a company called Commonwealth Fusion Systems announced that the partners hope to put nuclear fusion on the grid in 15 years.

Editor's Note: This story was updated to note that light signals, rather than light frequencies, are converted to audio signals.

Originally published on Live Science.WASHINGTON  The Pentagon is looking at the possibility of deploying sensors in space to fill blind spots in the nation's antimissile defense system.

This not a new idea. Six previous administrations have weighed concepts for space-based sensors but none materialized  the exception being two experimental satellites launched during the George W. Bush presidency that are still in orbit.

The Trump administration is expected to seek funds in 2020 to begin work on a constellation of missile-watching sensors. Congress has hinted it would support the plan in light of new warnings that Russia is testing hypersonic ballistic glider weapons that currently would be undetectable after the initial boost phase of their flight. [The Most Dangerous Space Weapons Concepts Ever]

To track these ultra-high speed gliders, the vantage point of space would be advantageous, said Tom Karako, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"We're hearing a lot of good words about a space sensor layer. But as of right now it has not been translated into programs and budgets," Karako told SpaceNews.

The Pentagon is expected to shed light on its future plans in the upcoming Ballistic Missile Defense Review. Defense Department spokeswoman Dana White said last week the review is still going through the approval process and its release is forthcoming.

With both Russia and China said to be close to deploying hypersonic glide vehicles  conceivably with nuclear warheads  the Pentagon does not have a lot of time to study how to build a defense architecture, said Karako. "We have to move out," he said. "We should not wait for the 2020 budget. If we're serious about the need for speed, there should b e an adjustment to the 2019 budget."

Senior defense and military officials have been pushing to get a program started, said Karako. "Mike Griffin [undersecretary of defense for research and engineering] is leaning forward on this pretty hard," he said.

Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves has been a proponent of deploying sensors in space, as has U.S. Strategic Command's Gen. John Hyten.

"MDA could take the lead, but Greaves might bring in the Air Force as well," said Karako. Greaves is a former director of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. "He is a space guy," which makes this a "particularly ripe moment" for MDA and the Air Force to collaborate on this project.

The utility of space sensors has been studied for decades so the Pentagon has plenty of data to draw from. Electronic eyes in low-Earth Orbit would be looking sideways at objects "with the coldness of space behind them," said Karako. "That vantage point is useful. You also can watch objects persistently from birth to death as opposed to ground-based radars which by nature are limited by the horizon."

The Pentagon during the Clinton administration conceived a plan for a 24-satellite LEO constellation to track missiles, but it never got off the ground. The Bush White House ordered two prototype satellites from Northrop Grumman, known as the Space Tracking and Surveillance System. "They're still up there," said Karako. "But they are not very survivable, and two satellites in LEO can't cover the globe."

It is hard to conceive a scenario to defend the United States from hypersonic vehicles that does not involve a layer of sensors in space, Karako said. "You don't have to fill up the Pacific Ocean with lots of radars looking up at the sky. You can do a lot from space."

The problem for the United States is that the existing missile shield designed to thwart a ballistic missile attack cannot handle the "quasi ballistic threat" that would be posed by the next generation of Russian and Chinese weapons. A hypersonic weapon could be launched atop an intercontinental ballistic missile, and it it would glide on top of the Earth's atmosphere to its designated target. The glide vehicles were designed to penetrate U.S. missile defenses by flying around radars and high in the atmosphere above the reach of U.S. interceptor missiles like Patriot. They are aimed "at the gaps and seams of where our missile defenses are able to intercept," said Karako.

The Missile Defense Agency continues to operate both STSS satellites. It requested $37 million in its 2019 budget for operations and sustainment. The satellites were launched in 2007, and have far exceeded their life expectancy. One option for MDA is to build out that constellation. Another is a more distributed architecture of smaller and less expensive satellites.

Karako said the price tag would be significant but it could be offset by spending less money on ground-based sensors. "Populating every island in the Pacific with a radar is not cheap either." The Pentagon has requested $2.5 billion in 2019 for two large radars.

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.The uncrewed Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo ship S.S. J.R. Thompson is captured by a robotic arm at the International Space Station on May 24, 2018. The Cygnus delivered more than 3 tons of supplies to the station's Expedition 55 crew.

An Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station early Thursday (May 24) to deliver more than 3 tons of science gear and supplies  and some goodies for astronauts, too.

NASA astronaut Scott Tingle captured the uncrewed Cygnus spacecraft using the space station's robotic arm at 5:26 a.m. EDT (0926 GMT). It was attached to the an Earth-facing port on the station's Unity module about 3 hours later. The spacecraft is packed with 7,385 lbs. (3,350 kilograms) of science experiments, equipment and basic supplies, like clothing and food, for the station's Expedition 55 crew. But it contained some extra treats for the astronauts, too.

"There's always goodies on board," Kirk Shireman, NASA's space station program manager, told reporters after Cygnus launched into orbit. "We try to fly something that each crewmember likes. So, I'm sure there's something for them to look forward to." [See photos of the Cygnus vehicle's launch into space]

Orbital ATK launched the Cygnus spacecraft Monday (May 21) from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia using an Antares rocket (also built by the company). It is the ninth of 11 cargo delivery missions for NASA by Orbital ATK under a $2.9 billion resupply contract. Dulles, Virginia-based Orbital ATK named this Cygnus the S.S. J.R. Thompson after J.R. Thompson, a NASA veteran and Orbital ATK executive who died last November.

See more

Among the science gear delivered by Cygnus is the Cold Atom Laboratory, which will use lasers to create the coldest spot in the universe on the station. Another experiment includes a sextant to test how the centuries-old navigation tool could be used to navigate spacecraft in an emergency. And an experiment called Biomolecule Extraction and Sequencing Technology will study how long-duration spaceflight affects the DNA of astronauts, plants and microbes.

The Cygnus spacecraft will remain linked to the space station until July, when it will be packed with 3 tons of trash and commanded to intentionally burn up in Earth's atmosphere. Before it burns up, the spacecraft is expected to deploy several tiny satellites, called cubesats, as part of its mission, Orbital ATK representatives have said.

Orbital ATK is one of two commercial companies with NASA contracts to deliver cargo to the International Space Station under the space agency's Commercial Resupply Service 1 program. The other company is Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX, which has flown 14 of 20 planned missions with its Dragon capsules and Falcon 9 rockets for NASA under a contract worth just over $3 billion.

NASA has also picked Orbital ATK, SpaceX and Sierra Nevada Corp. to supply the space station under its new Commercial Resupply Services 2 program.

The International Space Station is currently home to six astronauts and cosmonauts making up the Expedition 55 crew. In addition to Tingle, the crew includes NASA astronauts Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold, Russian cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev and Anton Shkaplerov (who commands the mission) of Roscosmos, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Norishige Kanai.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 9:31 a.m. EDT to include the successful berthing of the Cygnus spacecraft at the space station.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.@SenJohnMcCain(WASHINGTON) -- Former Sen. Joe Lieberman says he was unaware Sen. John McCain regretted not selecting him as his 2008 running mate until the Arizona senator shared that sentiment in his new book and in an upcoming documentary.



I must say, I kind of wondered, but we never talked about it. It was a classic, as close as we are, Lieberman laughed as he spoke to ABC News. What he said in the book meant a lot to me really because he had never said that before, and it was sort of just an expression of our friendship at a difficult time."



In his new book, "The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations," McCain described his regret over not adding Lieberman, a Democrat-turned-Independent, to his ticket at the urging of his advisors.



"They were giving me their best counsel. It was sound advice that I could reason for myself," McCain wrote. "But my gut told me to ignore it, and I wished I had."



Lieberman, a former Connecticut senator who served alongside McCain for 24 years, has visited his friend several times since he was diagnosed with glioblastoma last summer and calls him by phone about once a week. Lieberman said he plans to travel to Arizona this weekend to visit McCain.



Asked if there might be another reunion of the "Three Amigos," the nickname given to McCain, Lieberman and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. in the coming months, Lieberman said, I hope we get to go out together because its the three of us. Its just an extraordinary friendship really and I consider it to be one of the blessings of my life truthfully.



The trio reunited in Arizona last August shortly after McCain's first chemotherapy treatment following his brain cancer diagnosis.



Lieberman also weighed in on the controversy involving the White House staffer who made disparaging remarks about McCain, saying she needs to apologize publicly.



I just think they should have apologized right away and I guess there has been a personal apology to Meghan McCain," he said. John of all people knows, hell always say 'Im far from a saint,' but so we all make mistakes and the best thing to do when you do is to acknowledge it and move on but Im surprised that they havent.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.An artist's rendering from 1994, illustrating the Chicxulub asteroid impact that killed off most of the dinosaurs about 66 million years ago.

Carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere after the impact of the Chicxulub asteroid, which ended the era of dinosaurs some 65 million years ago, warmed the Earth's climate for 100,000 years, a new study has revealed.

The study, based on an analysis of fossil records, suggested that the Earth's overall temperature increased by 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) over that time.

The results raise concerns about how long it will take for the planet to recover from the effects of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, said Kenneth MacLeod, a professor of geological sciences at the University of Missouri and lead author of the new work, published today (May 24) in the journal Science. [How the Dino-Killing Chicxulub Asteroid Impact Was Found]

Scientists have long theorized that after the piece of space rock with a diameter of 6 to 9 miles (7 to 14 kilometers) smashed into the Yucatan Peninsula near today's town of Chicxulub in Mexico, the temperature of the planet first rose sharply for minutes or hours, MacLeod said. After that, it plunged down for months to decades, because the huge amount of dust and soot thrown into the atmosphere by the impact blocked the sun's rays. Eventually, however, carbon dioxide released during the impact led to global warming.

MacLeod's study is the first to present empirical evidence of how long this greenhouse gas-related global warming lasted and how substantial it was.

"We thought that we could resolve this question by looking at fossilized bits of fish teeth, scales and bones from the El Kef section in Tunisia," MacLeod told Space.com, referring to a paleontological site in northwestern Tunisia known for having one of the world's best-preserved fossil records from the period before and after the Chicxulub impact

"This place is known for having a beautiful record across the interval that we are looking at  the so called Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary  the mass extinction event following the Chicxulub impact."

The researchers looked at the concentrations of different oxygen isotopes in the fossils. These isotopes differ in the number of neutrons in the oxygen atom and, according to MacLeod, behave slightly differently from one another.

"One of the differences is, as temperature increases, the amount of the light oxygen isotope, oxygen 16, in a mineral increases relatively," MacLeod said.

"We are measuring the ratio of oxygen 16 to oxygen 18. Every 1 part per 1,000 that the ratio changes correlates to an about 4.5- to 5-degree [C, or 8.1 to 9 degrees F] change in temperature."

The researchers analyzed 40 samples taken from the site in Tunisia: 10 samples from the 50,000-year period before the impact, 20 samples from the 100,000 years immediately after the impact and additional 10 samples from the following 200,0000 years.

"We found that there was a really big difference in oxygen isotopes between these three sets of samples  unambiguous," said MacLeod.

He said he and his team now want to look at fossil samples from other parts of the world and check for similar patterns.

"It's one thing to find 5 degrees [C, 9 degrees F] of warming in North Africa. It's even more impressive to find 5 degrees of warming in North Africa and perhaps 10 degrees [C, 18 degrees F] of warming off the coast of Australia," he said. "That would really strengthen the idea that it's a global signal and a greenhouse gas-related change."

The study, MacLeod said, not only sheds more light on what happened to the Earth's systems after the devastating collision, but it also raises questions about the consequences of current human activities.

"If I were to draw a line under the lessons of this study for the modern era, it would be to contemplate the idea that what we are doing in our lifetimes will affect the Earth for the next 100,000 years, which is pretty daunting," MacLeod said.

Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.It is an experience few people can have on any given trip to the grocery store  seeing the product of a lifetimes work along virtually every aisle.

Anatole Konstantins achievement is all the more remarkable given his penniless arrival to the United States as a refugee of World War II, and a chance encounter at a church social that prompted the idea that would become the foundation of PDC International.

From its South Norwalk headquarters plant, PDC ships machines used by major product companies to shrink-wrap plastic sleeves onto bottles bearing their brands, along with protective seals to deter tampering. The company marked this month both its 50th anniversary and the retirement at age 90 of founder Anatole Konstantin, with his son Neal Konstantin continuing to lead PDC into its second half-century in business as company president.

From standard-issue label sleeves for everyday products like Hellmanns mayonnaise, to more unusual challenges like Stack Wine  pre-filled cups of wine that are sealed, stacked and shrink-wrapped in sets of four for picnics and other events  PDC has designed its machines over the years to evolve alongside the needs of consumer products companies, with for many exterior packaging playing as important a role in generating sales as whats inside.

All of our spouses hate shopping with us, Neal Konstantin said while leading a mid-May tour of PDCs production facility. Were on every aisle saying, Oh, theyre using a shrink label  check that out.

PDC employs more than 50 people, most of them at its headquarters plant tucked behind the Wusthof-Triden distribution facility in South Norwalk. A separate PDC Europe affiliate is in France.

Living hand to mouth

What has become PDCs main business today was not top of mind for Anatole Konstantin heading into the summer of 1968, when he left a machining shop designer to try his hand at consulting with Product Design Corp.

His first significant contract was creating a machine that could automate the assembly of typewriter ribbon cartridges, and as business began to pick up he and his brother Bill took office space on the third floor of the Norwalk Lock Building in South Norwalk.

We got small jobs and sometimes we did not get paid, Anatole Konstantin said. For several years we lived hand to mouth.

The companys fortunes turned with a chance meeting at a church dinner, where Anatole met someone who knew someone at W.E. Bassett, a Shelton-based company that in its day employed thousands of people making nail clippers, tweezers and other grooming tools.

Bassett needed a machine that could create a band to hold together emery boards, which the Konstantin brothers delivered, with the U.S. Patent Office recording a patent for the technique in 1976. After sending out information on the machine to trade publications, a Japanese company inquired about whether a custom-built machine was feasible to apply shrink labeling to bamboo, and PDC found its niche.

It was an auspicious start for Anatole and his brother, who found their way to the United States penniless following a portion of their youth spent on a collective farm in Kazakhstan, the result of their father being seized by Soviet secret police. Anatole Konstantin has authored two books chronicling his early years, A Red Boyhood  Growing Up Under Stalin and Through the Eyes of an Immigrant.

After the deadly Tylenol scare in 1982 and subsequent copycat crimes in which over-the-counter products were laced with poison, PDC began producing machines that could seal bottles in a way to alert consumers of any tampering.

Much of what we do is tamper-evident banding, said Neal Konstantin, who joined PDC in 1984. Every bottle of Tabasco has a seal on it  thats put on by our machines. Maybe 40 percent of what we do is tamper-evident packaging and 60 percent is the application of body labeling that shrinks and conforms around the shape of the package.

Local companies that have used PDC machines include Bic in Shelton, Diageo in Norwalk, Duracell in Bethel and Nestle Water in Stamford, with other household names including Coca-Cola and Pepsico, Kraft and Mondelez International, and Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble.

Another name of note is Silgan, the Stamford-based manufacturer of cans and bottles that like PDC supplies some of the biggest names in the consumer products industry.

Were Norwalkers

Neal Konstantin estimates that some PDC machines have processed sleeve labeling for more than 1 billion bottles, with its systems able to crank out as many as 800 a minute. The company averages about 40 new machines a year for shipment, including a big machine ticketed this week for delivery to a Canadian brewery.

PDC is not the sole source of shrink-sleeve systems for the packaging industry  other manufacturers include Missouri-based Pack Leader USA, which of late has been highlighting its machines for emerging industries like craft breweries and medical marijuana dispensaries; Axon of Raleigh, N.C., which traces its own history to the Tylenol scare; and American Film & Machinery, which this year closed a California plant to relocate to the Minnesota base of parent Engage Technologies.

Neal Konstantin said he and his father have fielded plenty of offers over the years to gauge its interest in being acquired, or in relocating to another state interested in bolstering its manufacturing economy.

We get calls constantly from every state trying to attract us, Neal Konstantin said. Theres no temptation. Were Norwalkers and were successful here.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulmanSTAMFORD  Stamfords Patriotic and Special Events Committee is hosting the citys annual Memorial Day parade on Sunday afternoon.

Parade staging will begin at 11 a.m. at Bedford and North streets near the Stamford police department, and road closures in the area are expected to start around 10 a.m.

At noon, the parade will travel from Bedford and North streets, down Bedford to Atlantic Street and end at Veterans Park.

This years Grand Marshall is First Lt. Lillian R. Catananello Walla, who served as an army nurse during World War II.

Catananello Walla joined the United States Army Nurse Corp in February of 1944 as WWII raged across Europe and the South Pacific.

Initially she worked at Halloran and General Hospital in Staten Island, where they received hospital ships from the war zones. It is here that patients were triaged and sent to appropriate facilities to receive treatment.

On Dec. 1, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, Catananello Walla was sent overseas where she served as a triage nurse in France.

Her medals include the American Campaign Medal, the European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal Rhineland Campaign.

Following the parade, a brief ceremony featuring speakers and a wreath laying will be held.When Jess Lenouvel entered the real estate industry in 2005, she had no idea that in just over a decade, shed find love, build a seven-figure business, and inspire other female entrepreneurs around the world. But she had to overcome her darkest obstacles to get there.

Real estate was in Lenouvels blood long before she realized it was her calling; her mom, Michele Leung, has been an agent in Toronto, Canada, for 35 years. My earliest memories were at the family dinner table eating noodles, listening to stories about the deal my mom was working on, says Lenouvel.

Image credit: Jess Lenouvel



Unsure about her direction after college, Lenouvels mom suggested giving real estate a shot. Lenouvel got her license at 21, and immediately faced her first professional struggle. I looked 16 years old, she laughs. But then I spoke, and clients took me seriously. You prove your worth through your work.

I didnt find real estate difficult. The conversations with clients paralleled what Id heard from Mom the previous decade. I wasnt fixated on the sale and just enjoyed helping people find a hometheir sacred place of refuge and comfort.

Lenouvel also attributes her early success to being female: Women bring a unique asset in business. Theyre usually more empathetic, innately understanding clients fears and needs. They notice minor details and are skilled at reading peoplea crucial skill for any realtor.

Mom taught me how to be a money therapist for example, reframing someones thought process to overcome psychological blocks, empowering them to buy the house they wanted and could afford.

Within 12 months, Lenouvel was making a solid six-figure income. By 24, it seemed like the world was at her feet.

Success, but not happiness.

He was very charming, everybody loved him, Lenouvel sighs, as she opens up about a three-year abusive relationship. But he was threatened by my success. He had a primal urge keep me feeling small.

The abuse was emotional at first. Blatant disrespect, saying I was worthless. Calling me horrible names, cheating on me. Drama and volatility became my daily existence. I stopped seeing my friends.

Then things got ugly. Hed hit me, grab me, push me down the stairs. But he was incredibly remorseful afterward. You think, Oh well, that wont happen again. Its a slippery slopeyour standards slowly erode over time.

You make irrational rationalizations. For example, I was convinced the amount of bruising on my body was a hemoglobin problem. Then my dad, whos a doctor, took my blood and said, Jessica, you have the iron levels of a man; you shouldnt be bruising.

Lenouvels tipping point came on a rainy Tuesday night in 2011 when the abuser was no longer remorseful after hitting her. She called a family friend, told her everything and pleaded for help. She arrived at my condo at 10:30 pm with her six foot two, 200-pound husband who told my ex, Pack your stuff, get out. Like that, it was over.

Image credit: Jess Lenouvel



Sadly, Lenouvels experience isnt unique. According to the World Health Organization, almost 30 percent of women worldwide experience some form of physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.

New beginnings, at a price.

Newly single, Lenouvels confidence was at rock bottom. She felt that learning a new skill was the route to rebuild. With six years of residential selling experience, Lenouvel started working for a developer on November 1, 2011 to learn real estate from a new angle.

I was determined to rise in a male-dominated environment, Lenouvel says. I had to prove that I was capable and worthy of success. I started making good money and felt empowered. But my boss developed feelings for me; I bizarrely transitioned from an abusive relationship into a sexual harassment situation.

Around this time, Lenouvel met her future husband and business partner, Yves (pronounced Eve). Within 30 seconds of meeting, there was no choice; I was madly in love. Six months later, Lenouvel was engaged. After arriving at work the next morning wearing an engagement ring, she was fired.

But shed learned enough during that year to spot a hole in the Toronto real estate market, which was experiencing a development boom. Builders were paying huge commissions to realtors who closed clients on their construction projects, Lenouvel says.

With no income and multiple deposits on her wedding, she started a business with her fiance out of necessity: ShopCondos.

Creating a monster with her No. 1 fan.

According to Lenouvel, many realtors rely on 1970s marketing techniquesdoor knocking, mailing flyers, cold calling. You trade time for poor quality leads. So, ShopCondos was 100 percent online from day one, an outlier in the Toronto real estate market at the time.

Lenouvel wrote sales copy while her fiance designed the website using YouTube tutorials. Google advertising was relatively new at the time, and they sold construction projects off the plan in volume. The result? Seven figures within 12 months. Any self-doubts had evaporated.

But Lenouvel was miserable and overwhelmed. Her biggest year was 220 deals with zero outsourcing. Shed work 15- to 18-hour days, seven days a week for two months and then burn out for a month. I was like a phone that recharged a little, then the battery died. I lost perspective from being so in the business that I couldnt see a way out. I escaped on vacation, but spent the whole time feeling anxious.

With hindsight, I didnt scale properly. Freedom comes from leveraging the talents of others. Its basic hiring. You grow to a certain point. Then you hire and delegate. I feared no one would do as good a job as me. So I did many things outside my zone of geniusstuff I didnt excel at or enjoy. It wasnt the best use of my time.

Women often feel the pressure to be perfect but dont ask for help, thinking they can do everything. But we dont feel supported and get frustrated when we cant manage; its a vicious cycle.

Although Lenouvel was one of the few women excelling in her marketplace, shed lost her passion. I attracted low-quality clients, who wanted the best deal rather than being excited to work with me. I stopped seeing them as people; they just became leads. Thats a deeply unsatisfying way to work when you initially loved the feeling of connecting with clients.

Lenouvel realized there was only one person to blame: herself. She closed ShopCondos in February 2018 after selling over $300 million of property in five years. I immediately felt alive again, says Lenouvel. She and her husband packed their belongings into five boxes, sold the cars, and moved to LA with the cats to be closer to Lenouvels business mentor, Scott Oldford.

New dawn: purpose and love.

My mission is to help realtors scale efficiently and create a life of freedom that every entrepreneur craves. The reality for most entrepreneurs is a hamster wheel to burnout.

Image credit: Derek Simpson



People are jaded from being advertised to, says Lenouvel. Frequency without relevancy is annoying. Your advertising needs to be so specific to attract people who would chop off their arm to work with you.

Real estate marketing is the worst. How many of these terrible, generic, total BS statements do you hear? Buy it before it hits the market! Free home evaluation! First access, VIP pricing, dont miss out! #1 in sales last year! Were not just realtors, were matchmakers!

What if instead, you built a relationship with people? You dont walk up to someone in the street and request immediate sex. But thats how most people sell. Theyre shooting for the one night stand. Make your content relevant, intimate and omnipresent, and youll blow up your business.

The best way to do this, according to Lenouvel, is to market to the small pondfind a niche and decide who your client will be. Thats scary for a lot of agents who say, I sell studios, bungalows, penthouses, and mansionsanywhere from East to West, which translates to, Ill take any deal. Thirty-five years ago, Lenouvels mom specialized in real estate for physicians. Now shes cornered a lucrative market of high net worth clients and never has to work.

Lenouvels new company, The Listings Lab, helps six-figure realtors revamp their business models, taking them to seven figures within 12 months, while still having the time to enjoy lifehopefully with the love of their life. When discussing marriage after tying the knot in 2013, Lenouvel gushes, Its easyif youre with the right person. We have a blast 24/7; its never stifling. We know where we each stand and meld together in a way that makes us better.

Image credit: Lindsey Roman



You dont need to struggle to fit in a mold. It pays to be authentic in business and life. Start sharing your experiences, career advice and personal life on Instagram, with teachable moments. Youll build your brand. People will perceive you as approachable, warm, and trustworthya different persona than most realtors.

And that persona doesnt involve working 15 hours a day.

Follow Jess Lenouvel on Facebook and Instagram.

Related:

Say Yes to Your Financial Destiny

How I Escaped Domestic Violence, Built a Seven-Figure Empire, and Found Love Along the Way

This Founder Used His Last Pounds to Buy a French-English Dictionary. Last Year, His Company Raised 1.2 Million.



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserveda katz | Shutterstock

A federal judge has ruled that when private citizen Donald Trump was elected President Donald Trump, he lost his power to block critics from his @realDonaldTrump Twitter account.

The ruling by Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York found that the Presidents Twitter feed is the digital equivalent of public forum under government control -- no different than an auditorium used for public hearings. Blocking individuals from Trumps Twitter feed simply because he doesnt like their opinions is the unconstitutional equivalent of barring entrance to a public meeting, the judge found. She noted in her ruling that the White House [does] not contest Plaintiffs allegation that the Individual Plaintiffs were blocked from the Presidents Twitter account because the Individual Plaintiffs posted tweets that criticized the President or his policies.STAMFORD  A former intern for the citys police department who has been charged three times with impersonating cops has now been accused of pretending to be a federal law enforcement agent in New York.

Ashwin Mathur, 24, was released Thursday after family members posted his $50,000 bond set by Judge John Blawie, who said he was concerned about the Stamford mans deep-seated compulsion to pretend to be a police officer.

The allegations are getting more and more serious and the defendant does not seem to be getting it, Assistant States Attorney Susan Campbell told the judge.

Stamford police Capt. Richard Conklin said Mathur was arrested on federal charges Wednesday when eight U.S. Marshals agents and city detectives raided his Fieldstone Terrace home. The arrest stems from an incident last summer in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., where police said Mathur told his girlfriend he was a U.S. Marshals deputy.

U.S. Marshals Task Force Supervisor Brian ONeill said Mathur was charged with impersonation of an officer or employee of the United States.

Campbell told Blawie agents found a badge, police car lights and a police scanner in the home Mathur shares with his parents. The items violated his court order to not possess any police equipment.

Mathurs attorney, Michael Corsello, said his client denied having the police equipment and already faces similar charges filed by the local New York police department where the complaint was filed.

This is a young man who suffers from emotional difficulties and we have been and continue to make very substantial efforts to see he gets the proper diagnosis and the help he needs, Corsello said.

While he was interning in the Stamford police records department, Mathur was arrested in July 2015 when he was accused of telling a woman and her husband he was a cop investigating vehicle burglaries. A few days later, police said Mathur pulled a woman over with a blue strobe light in his car and gave her a warning for rolling through a stop sign.

Mathur was kicked out of the Stamford Police Departments intern program for violating procedures by portraying himself as a cop to members of the public.

Mathur, however, was accepted into a court diversionary program for those with psychological problems, which would have erased the two counts of impersonating an officer from his record.

But Mathur was arrested in Westport last year when police said a woman claimed she was sexually assaulted by a man she met online who pretended to be a cop. Mathur was kicked out of the diversionary program and charged with third-degree sexual assault, second-degree unlawful restraint and was slapped with a third impersonation charge.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.comWhat is an Adirondack chair? Famed for its simple wooden design, sloped back, and wide armrests, this chair is perfect perched around fire pits, by lakeside cabins, or anywhere in the great outdoors. But before you kick back in one, you should know that there's actually a whole lot more to the Adirondack chair than just a comfy place to put up your feet! Here's a crash course on the history of this summer seat.

The Adirondack chair came to be in 1903 thanks to a handyman named Thomas Lee, who hails from the (surprise) Adirondack region of upstate New York. He wanted a seat for his lakeside home, so he tinkered with a few designs and then had his extended family test them out.

From there, however, the Adirondack chair's story takes a scandalous twist.



Photo by Taylor Bryan Company

After creating the chair, Lee showed it off to his old pal Harry Bunnell, a carpenter who was apparently looking to make a little side money. So Bunnell made a bunch of Adirondack chairs himselfand sought a patent for the design, calling his seat the "Westport" after the town where he and Lee lived. We doubt these two enjoyed running into each other much after that point, but suffice it to say, Bunnell wasn't the only copycat out there.

"As the chair's popularity increased, other makers began producing similar slatted styles," explains Julie Muniz, a chair expert at ArtMuser. And perhaps as some sort of divine retribution, the name "Westport" was soon subsumed by the name this chair is best known by today.

"Eventually they all started to be referred to as Adirondack chairs," says Muniz.

Adirondack chair styles, costs, and other considerations

Photo by NRD Landscape Design Build

A few Adirondack chairs sport a curved upper portion and some rock back and forth, but the most traditional design stands firm and features a straight back made with three to six slats. The best quality chairs are teak, a wood that'll weather well and last for years. Lesser woods such as plywood and pine are second choice in the materials department. Looking for something cheaper and low maintenance? Plastic Adirondack chairs are lightweight, affordable, and easy to hose off at the end of a sticky day.

Photo by Michael Prokopchak, ASLA

Quality Adirondack chairs cost more, but the payoff is that they'll last for years. Cheaper plastic versions start at $20 at stores such as Home Depot, while high-end pieces can run several hundred dollars, such as the Loll version at Design Within Reach for $480.

Want to build your own? Plans and kits are readily available if you're a DIY type.

"Because this chair doesn't have any complicated joinery, it's fairly easy to assemble," Muniz points out.

If you're looking for just one or two chairs to situate on a grassy knoll, spring for the more expensive options. But if you need a half-dozen or more to pull around the pool or outdoor fire pit, plastic is probably the way to go.

Where to put Adirondack chairs

Photo by Michaelson Homes LLC

Of course, this outdoor chair was made for lakeside lounging, but it can also reside on your covered porch, in a sunroom, or as part of a casual arrangement in a family room or den. Rustic decor is a good match for Adirondack chairs inside the house, say the experts.

If your chairs will be exposed to the elements, make sure they're sealed with a weather-resistant finish, says Muniz. "But even with this coating, you should bring chairs in over the winter months to prolong their life," she adds.

The post What Is an Adirondack Chair? The Scandalous Story Behind This Summer Seat appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.N early six miles from the central Pariss fashionable streets, in the slightly shabby suburb of Saint-Denis, a curious long-haired gent that would look at home in an Asterix comic climbs out of a raspberry-pink Bentley.

He heads into the former printworks of Le Monde newspaper, now a shiny glass building fit to burst with pop art from the likes of David Mach, Jill Greenberg, David LaChapelle and Rankin. This is Jacques-Antoine Granjon, one of Frances most famous billionaires and the countrys answer to Sir Philip Green.

But on this side of the channel he is unknown - despite his online giant vente-privee.com launching here in 2008.

I know in Britain you say, who cares? - you dont even know what our name means. You say: Is it a club? Is it a sex shop? They dont know, he says. You are interested in your own entrepreneurs - Richard Branson. But not me. But I have conviction.

Vente-privee.com  meaning secret sales  flogs everything from De Beers jewellery and Stella McCartney clothes to Reebok and Fred Perry sportswear. Selling end of line brands for a huge discount in flash sales, it has 3 million visitors each day in France.

But Granjon believes the UK market will slowly come round to his idea, hoping that gradually, through word of mouth, he can get Brits as hooked on his website as the French.

Last month the group launched a new line in the UK  wine  and its most recent results revealed sales in the UK were up 22% compared to the previous year. He has got the backing of Harrods owner - Qatar Holding  who bought a stake in the business at the end of last year and he has plans to entice us Brits.

One way to target the UK is to sell more brands that we know and love so new sales have included LK Bennett and Karen Millen and more will follow. But critics of the group say if he doesnt understand the different way Brits shop it will be tough. Critics claim Brits wont buy designer clothing the way the French do, but will splash out on accessories instead, so venteprivee.com must get the offer right.

Granjon has been selling excess stock for big brands since 1985 when he set up his first company with friend Julien Sorbac with a 3,000 loan. By 2000 they saw the potential in online and, with seven investors and friends, launched vente-privee.com in 2001. Digital was a solution, he says. I used to sell inventories to discount places and now I sell them online  but you see it is nothing new.

He is certainly smitten with London. Granjon lived here in his youth - in Reading and later Knightsbridge when punk was big and it was lots of fun despite strikes, Thatcher and the Falklands War. He thinks Brits have a better attitude to life.

He says: London is special, a very unique place.

If you fail in the UK it is ok. But failure is viewed badly here in France. But taking risks and maybe failing is part of life. The British you take risks and you do not mind. It is an Anglo Saxon thing.

He goes on: In the UK you can dress and do what you want. But people judge you all the time in France.

Last month he hosted President Hollande at his 2000-staff strong head office for a two hour tour and bent Hollandes ear about his worries for France and Europe.

Granjon has become a cheerleader for Europe. He explains: I am a true believer of Europe. We should make a great European market  sharing the same vision. I was not so supportive of Europe 20 years ago but now I have realised Europe must share the same future.

When I see what is happening in America and how quickly they develop companies and expand. This is a big threat when they expand into new markets.

Why do we leave this for the Chinese and Americans? We have many great engineers, and creative people. We have all the talented people in the UK, France - across Europe so we need to compete.

Despite being the toast of the French capital, Granjons style is very un-Parisian. He shows off his wealth via his extensive art collection all over his office  unlike many Frenchmen and at odds with most uptight of Pariss inhabitants. He was born in Marseille and his southern roots may account for his rebellious attitude when it comes to doing business.

He was the first in the world to launch the concept of flash sales online, which has been copied around the world. In the UK there is BrandAlley, Achica and Secret Sales among others. But he doesnt seem too concerned about competitors: They are not doing it for the right reasons. Digital is a tool it is not the concept. You have to know what you are doing with it.

Granjon says two sales a year by a brand on its website is the equivalent of the annual turnover of one outlet shop.

He explains: Only those who have the stockists will grow. We are business to brands first and afterwards it is the consumer.

He says he has great relationships with brands that he has built up over the years and unlike many rivals, vente-privee.com reserves the stock that the brand wants to sell but only buys from the brand when it has the orders placed by members  so it isnt left with excess stock itself.

Brands like his business model because it is discreet and doesnt hurt the brands cache as the sales are very quick and once finished they leave no trace on Google searches.

Granjon explains that people shop on his site not because they need something but because he can tempt them: vente-privee.com is a little surprise every day  a pleasure each day to discover.

This surprise might be too much of a secret in the UK  the group doesnt advertise. So will this change?

Granjon says no: Advertising just attracts dis-loyal customers and leads to unprofitable companies.

His tactic to promote vente-privee.com via events and word of mouth will remain. Last year he bought Paris venue Theatre de Paris for 6 million - the perfect location for vente-privee.com to host - and sell tickets for - everything from music concerts to album launches.

Granjon says he isnt about to buy a theatre in London but the group is planning more launches and events here to spread the news about what the company actually does.

We have conviction about the UK, he says. If we keep going, invest, we will grow. The long term is key.

Despite recently selling a stake in the business, Granjon says he has no plans to sell up and leave the group  or France. When the Qataris invested he said he increased his stake and is said to have more than 25% of the company. His wife Eleanor is also one of the founders.

His commitment to the company means he plans to spend more in the area around his HQ.

He has started a mini-community in Saint Denis  the group employs everyone from photographers to music makers to create the fashion shoots and videos needed for each sales launch. Of its 2000 staff, a third are in creative divisions and it is the number one recruiter of models in Europe. He likes the diversity of the suburb. He is planning to build an hotel and says it could be the Brooklyn of Paris.D eutsche Banks new chief Christian Sewing said we must concentrate on what we truly do well as he took the axe to 7,000 jobs on Thursday.

Sewing, who replaced former chief John Cryan last month, is shrinking the investment banks equities sales and trading desks by a quarter.

Deutsche is taking an 800 million (703 million) charge on the reduction plan, which will see the workforce shrink from 97,000 to under 90,000.

The pullback from equities will reduce Deutsche investment banks debt exposure by 100 billion (88 billion), about 10% of its overall exposure.

We remain committed to our corporate and investment bank and our international presence  we are unwavering in that,

Sewing said. We are Europes alternative in the international financing and capital markets business. However, we must concentrate on what we truly do well. He promised to slash the banks adjusted costs by 1 billion this year to 22 billion.

The Frankfurt-based lender has gone from crisis to crisis over the past few years, with four chief executives and co-chiefs in a six-year period.T he words public spirited and hedge fund manager dont often go together, but perhaps Anthony Clake genuinely is both.

The Marshall Wace partner is behind several interesting projects.

He is funding the drones that are making one last search for MH370, the Malaysia Airlines plane which went mysteriously missing four years ago.

He is also behind the Heathrow Hub, the alternative expansion plan for the airport that eschews the controversial third runway in favour of the far simpler, less disruptive option of extending the northern runway so that more planes can take off from and land on it.

The brains behind the plan is Jock Lowe, the longest-serving Concorde pilot, and former director of flight operations at BA.

Both he and Clake are cross and I can see why.

They think neither Heathrow nor the Government gave their plan proper consideration, even though by almost any reasonable measure its cheaper, easier and, moreover, doable.

Heathrow has been trying to expand for decades, an ambition that always fails on the legal, environmental or practical objections of someone or other.

Boris Johnson once told protesters he would lie down in front of the bulldozers to stop the third runway. Less dramatically, Johnson says it is undeliverable.

Chris Grayling, the Transport Secretary, chose the third runway option over allowing Gatwick to expand back in 2016. Since then, predictably little has happened.

Grayling has the Heathrow Hub as his favoured alternative plan, but he seems, perhaps, to have been bullied by the airport.

He told a select committee in February this year that: The extended runway is a very innovative idea, but the main reason it wasnt chosen is the promoters could not provide a written guarantee from Heathrow that they would do it.

So because Heathrow prefers its own much more expensive plan  one that involves massive disruption but ultimately higher profits for Heathrow  a more workable alternative was overlooked.

Why couldnt Grayling just order Heathrow to do the right thing?

Lowe thinks Heathrow gamed the process, putting its own shareholders ahead of the national good. The Hub folk point out that, from 2013, Heathrow has paid out more in dividends  3.1 billion  than it has spent on development. Since it is already the most expensive airport in the world, that cant be right.

Travelling from Heathrow is much better than it used to be. You still sometimes get the feeling that the process could be slicker if the owners were more concerned with efficiency than divis.

So its a good thing that the Heathrow Hub has taken its complaint to the Competition and Markets Authority, claiming the airport is simply abusing its dominant market position to stymie a development which, even if it doesnt offer a complete solution to Britains lack of airport capacity, looks like a sensible start.

Clake might make some money if the Hub is adopted, but the amounts suggested arent enough to be his motivation. Hes rich already. If the Hubs scheme proves a success and is copied elsewhere, Clake could make serious cash. But thats not why hes here.

If Heathrow is right, that a third runway is vital for the UK economy, to ensure London remains a world trading centre, why wouldnt it back the plan thats faster and cheaper?

Clake and Lowe think their plan would cost shy of 10 billion, an amount that could be funded without increasing passenger fees. Heathrows plan is costed at 31 billion by IAG.

Extending the runway sees 242 homes lost. Heathrows plan would lose 783.

It is somehow hard to escape the conclusion that Heathrows foreign owners  shareholders are Spanish, Chinese, Canadian and Qatari  dont entirely have Britains interests at heart.

The CMA should take the complaint of the Heathrow Hub seriously, give us reassurance that the airport has behaved properly, or punish it severely if it decides it has not.M orning all. With Mark Shappers Shapland touring Kievs clubs and bars ahead of the Europa cup final, Im in the Smallcap Spotlight chair for a couple of days, bringing you all the news and goss from the world of market minnows.

So lets kick off with a wee scoop first of all. I hear SRT Marine Systems (ticker: SRT) is out in the market drumming up support for a fundraise at a discount to the current share price, so watch out punters.

Word is, theyre trying to get 5 million together by selling new stock at 22p to 25p a share. Last we heard from the company was in April when it declared revenues would rise 22%.

The shares plunged 10% yesterday but are still at 29p  higher than market sources expect the placing to occur. No prizes for guessing if therell be an official probe into yesterdays price plunge. Of course not; this is Aim.

Mila Resources (MILA), a cash shell run by broker Mark Stevenson, must have a deal going down soon. The share price and volume of trading in this mining investor has gone berserk in the last few days. Check it out

In March the directors declared themselves very excited about potential mining investments in Africa, saying it would be making its first transaction in the near future. This looks like its now on, Im told, with an announcement soon. Fingers crossed it could be a good n. With a price rise like that, it would be nice of them to keep the market informed, no?

A sore point for me, this one: Independent Oil & Gas (IOG) was my stock tip of the year for 2017 after a pal there said it was a winner. Flippin disaster. I tipped the thing at 18.3p in the hope that it would make our readers a fortune in the North Sea. After a rocky year, it ended broadly flat while the rest of my colleagues tips were averaging +40%.

Now, though, its going like a train. Burggraben Holding AG in Zug had been buying up 5% of the stock in the market, leading to the question: what did they know that we didnt? Today we learned that its received four additional blocks in the 30th round of UK licensing in the North Sea.

Key to the new licences is that they should all be able to hook up to the Thames Pipeline. Broker VSA said the blocks materially enhance IOGs portfolio and upped its target price on the stock from 72p to 96p. Maybe I should have made it my tip of 2018.

Smallcap watchers may have spotted that entrepreneur Luke Johnson stepped down from the board of Arden Partners (ARDN) today. He was the chairman and it clearly hasnt gone down particularly well internally.

The board statement declared itself disappointed. Johnson goes with immediate effect. Speculation is he couldnt find anything cheap enough for Arden to buy and bulk itself up with or  equally likely  he couldnt find anyone to takeover Arden at an attractive enough price. Boredom set in for the arch-dealmaker. Pity.

AIM-listed gold explorer Katoro Gold (KAT) has risen 174.5% today. Not bad. Katoro is basically a gold project in Tanzania that was spun out of local coal miner Kibo Mining last year and given its own listing. At the time, Kibo said it was working out whether Katoro was economically viable  a process involving price, tax and the ease of working with the local authorities.

Tanzanian president John Magafuli has been prickly with mining companies, demanding they give more to the country rather than just export all the wealth. Known as the Bulldozer, he won his 2015 election with promises to be tougher on western firms he said were behaving arrogantly and taking too much from the country.

Acacia Mining (ACA) was in the eye of the Bulldozers sights and he quickly started a mega tax battle with the Barrick Gold offshoot. Analysts say Acacia failed to engage with the country and did rival western firms no favours, so Katoros result comes with a sigh of relief

Today, it said it had decided its mine was viable. In a useful bit of guidance on the country, chairman Louis Coetzee said Tanzanias new Mining Commission sat for the first time last week and declared it was open to engaging with companies to make sure their projects can have economic success.

It all bodes well for others in the country like Shanta Gold (SHG.L) which has also taken great strides to get on with the Tanzanian government, employing largely a local workforce. That paid dividends last year when the state gave it a $3.6 million VAT refund that had been long awaited.

I tried Coetzee on his South African mobile but he was off the grid  presumably looking at some of the new projects he also said hes now looking at investing in. The mischief-maker in me wonders if they might include some of Acacias mines in the country. After all, word is that Barrick Gold  which still effectively calls the shots at Acacia  wants to sell up Acacias assets there and ship out. To be honest, its more likely Chinese buyers will take them on, but who knows?

Big money interest came in for yesterdays fundraise at Afritin (ATM). The tin miner which floated in November raised 6 million at 2.8p a share in an offer that was six times oversubscribed thanks largely to the rep of Terence Goodlace  he of Impala Platinum fame. Many people have made good money from Goodlace over the years. Fund manager Miton was a big buyer of the raiser. Rio Tinto said not so long ago that tin is set to benefit from the renewables and batteries market.

This week we revealed Predator Oils (PRD) listing from Novum and Beaufort. Today the stock that started at 2.8p was down at 2.6p. Early days though.N orthern Irelands Unionists are always telling the rest of us that they want to keep their laws aligned with the whole United Kingdom and not with the Irish Republic.

But theres one issue on which they have always been happy to take a lead from Dublin not London  and thats abortion. Until now, that is.

Abortion was legalised in Britain in 1967. But in Northern Ireland it is still banned, except in very limited circumstances.

Those involved even face the threat of imprisonment for life. Women who need abortions have had to travel to Britain  and pay.

But as busy flights from London to Dublin today show, the Irish Republic may be about to embrace change.

Thousands of people are heading home to take part in tomorrows referendum to legalise abortion in the republic. We hope the result is a clear yes.

The case for change is compelling, after all. The referendum has highlighted the antique injustice of rules which force women to travel abroad to have abortions but ban them in the country itself.

More than 160,000 are estimated to have made the trip to Britain since 1980.

Ireland is a wealthy, confident and progressive nation now and modern laws are part of that. Three years ago its voters backed gay marriage.

Polls suggest they will back a right to legal abortions too, although many voters remain undecided.

The Irish Government  backed by all the main political parties  says it will aim to pass legislation by the end of the year if yes wins.

But if reform makes sense in the south, then why not in the north of Ireland too?

The answer has less to do with the rights of women than the state of politics at Westminster. A weak minority Conservative government which depends on the support of reactionary DUP MPs is in no position to bring change.

So can we suggest another way to bring it about? In the Sixties two backbench MPs, the Liberal David Steel and Labours Leo Abse, put forward private members' bills to bring reform on abortion and homosexuality.

Now a Commons vote on abortion in Northern Ireland would surely be won too. A brave MP could make their name this way.

We are, after all, part of one United Kingdom.

How to use 20 billion

Twenty billion. That is the sum the Health Foundation tells us today is the extra funding required every year to maintain the current services of the NHS.

As it happens, 20 billion is also, we have just discovered, the annual amount British firms will have to pay for the Max Fac" customs controls proposed by Brexiteers because they want to leave the EU customs union.

The estimate was provided by the head of HM Revenue & Customs, although (incredible as it sounds) were told that the leading Cabinet ministers who have championed this plan never thought to ask what the price would be.

Imposing such a tax on business, when Britain is now the slowest-growing of the major economies of the world, is not sensible.

The Evening Standard thinks the best answer would be to stay in the customs union, try to match the growth rates of the rest of the EU and fund things such as our healthcare that way.

But if we were a socialist shadow chancellor, as John McDonnell is, we might propose a different idea.

Stay in the customs union, which is already Labour policy, then impose that 20 billion tax on business and use the money to fund public services.T herapy is over-privileged snowflakery, says a reader of this column responding to an item in which I said I had a therapist. Some of the best candidates for therapy, I fear, are shutdown lockjaws who deem it navel gazing. Precisely the sort who might patrol Twitter machine-gunning strangers.

Anyway, theyll be gratified to hear that therapy can indeed be tough  for those reliving trauma it requires courage. Its also widely recognised as an essential adjunct of mental health treatment. For others forced to recalibrate assumptions, passed down generations, or confront unrecognised patterns of behaviour, its hard work. It can also be a preventative step in what might otherwise be a straight path to a breakdown. All round, then, its helpful to air the benefits.

But I mention this as part of a wider point: there seems to be a gaping hole in talk about mental health. Where are the business leaders and ministers addressing their own experiences? The City, with its super-stress, scant-sleep, hard-drinking habits, is silent on this despite statistics showing that the incidence of depression, bi-polar, breakdowns and suicide is as prevalent as anywhere else in society. Similarly, Westminster, with its dark corridors and locked doors, actually and metaphorically.

Writers, artists and musicians will talk with energy about overcoming issues; soldiers about PTSD. Hearing Alastair Campbell say he battled depression while working in No 10, and worked through it, is powerful to other sufferers.

Captains of industry speak eloquently about dyslexia, why not on mental health? Is it taboo? Does the macho masters of the universe culture prevail? Do bosses of public companies fear shareholders will lose confidence if they admit having wrestled demons? Therapy is not a bad place to start. As for politicians, there are plenty whod appear more human if they opened up.

Educations class ceiling stays intact

Its right to berate Oxford University for not taking enough black students, but I am struck that the ethnic minorities graduates I know often went to independent schools. They are, well, posh.

The figures released yesterday  which showed more than a quarter of colleges failed to admit a single black student between 2015-17  say little about their backgrounds. I suspect the full picture is worse if you take out the privately educated.

It is crucial to tackle diversity. But are we still ignoring the elephant: our education system creates class-bound privilege? And class is the glass ceiling that never shatters.

Dad, Pop, Pa... what do you call yours?

Why does Prince Harry call his father Pa? He threw a smiling Thank you, Pa after the Prince of Wales walked Meghan Markle down the aisle. From Harry, this fusty Victorian nursery diminutive  a family tradition: Charles calls the Duke of Edinburgh Pa  sounds like slang.

Ten years from now, perhaps it will be everywhere. Papa made a comeback among Brooklyns hipsters who found Dad too mainstream, according to a Guardian report not long ago, and Pop (as my father called my grandfather) sounds oddly modern.

Prince Harry arriving at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle / PA

Meanwhile, in the swings and roundabouts of word usage, supper has fallen from favour. Only five per cent of the country use it, a YouGov poll found on Tuesday, while the rest are divided between tea and dinner.

Poor old supper. I imagine it withered and died after the curse of over-use during that hot summer of 2013 when all politics was thought to be conducted in Chipping Norton kitchens.

Electric dream still lost on cab drivers

I hailed one of Londons 40 new electric cabs last night, brought in under plans to reduce emissions before 2020. They look like inflated black Minis, have an expanse of glass roof and are noiselessly floaty and futuristic.

For the entire 10-minute journey our driver, Najib, exalted his 70,000 investment, which hes had for a month, while we purred and stroked the seats in appreciation.Y our article [London hospital uses AI to cut A&E queues, May 22] reflects the non-use of natural intelligence. You dont need artificial intelligence (AI) to go through hundreds of thousands of patients [data] at University College Hospitals  to establish what causes its four-hour emergency target to be missed. Natural intelligence shows the reason: A&E attendance has grown from 14 million a year prior to 2003 to 23.4 million in 20162017 without a corresponding increase in resources.

There is definitely need and scope for AI. Having the Turing Institute and other similar efforts will be immensely beneficial. AI already is, or could be, better at spotting local opportunities for benefit  for instance by lowering an individuals waiting time through faster, more accurate diagnosis.

However, AI cant see the forest for the trees, the forest being inadequate levels of medical staff and equipment, as well as the A&E reconfiguration needed as per the Keogh review (2013). If AI-based solutions require even fancier equipment and more staff than we have today, we will have even more problems for A&Es. While AI is being presented as the silver bullet for all ills  with the Prime Minister in tow  people have forgotten how disappointing AI was the first (and second) time around.

Mohan Sodhi

EDITOR'S REPLY

Dear Mohan

You are absolutely right to say that the application of common sense can provide some of the answers to overcrowding in A&Es. More people are seeking care, more have complex conditions and many get stranded (to use the new official term) in hospital for a week or more.

Stopping non-emergencies using A&E and arranging rehabilitation or care packages more quickly will make a difference. But society is ageing and hence demanding more from the NHS.

Where AI comes into its own, though, is when thousands of pieces of data need to be crunched. Much of the data is already collected but little is done with it. AI can spot trends and should be able to see the wood for the trees. It can teach computers how to analyse scans more quickly than humans. It can correlate blood test and electronic monitoring results in real time and alert doctors to deteriorating patients.

AI should enable us to think big.

Ross Lydall, Health Editor

Our understaffed and overcrowded prisons need reform

Prisons Minister Rory Stewart [What I felt when I entered a prison, and how we can make the system right, May 21] writes sympathetically but nowhere does he address the major problems  there are too many prisoners and too few prison staff.

All too often, prisoners are housed in unsuitable, often squalid conditions and include prisoners on remand, a high proportion of whom dont end up with a custodial sentence.

Reports have highlighted these and other issues, which also affect asylum centres. Violence, drug abuse, confinement in cells for long periods and inadequate health provision are not conducive to rehabilitation. Warm words alone will not transform the condition of our jails, which are having a serious impact on prisoners, staff, and ultimately society itself.

Jeremy Beecham

Shadow Justice Minister, House of Lords

The EUs control is hurting theatres

Your arts editor, William Moore, made the picture crystal clear in his response to what he calls the disastrous example of one-size-fits-all  why 17.4 million people voted to leave the EU [Dont let new rules put the lights out at West End theatres, May 22].

It was not because we all hate foreigners and want them to leave. Far from it. Simple, common-sense flexibility would have won the vote for Remain but the EU does not want that; it wants total control.

David Lamb

Oh, what an irony! The theatrical crowd, who were so intolerant of their colleagues and anyone else who dared to think differently by voting Leave, now find themselves the victims of European bureaucracy. Youve got to laugh ... or cry.

David Littlewood

Legislation must reduce the Lords

Over the weekend Theresa May attempted to bury the bad news that she is appointing 13 unelected lords.

It was a cynical attempt to hide what the PM and the Opposition know: new appointments to Parliaments private members club are unpopular and wrong.

According to analysis by the Electoral Reform Society, the House of Lords will be bursting at the seams with more than 1,000 members in just over a decade if its current rate of growth continues.

All parties claim to want to reduce the size of the second chamber. They should act on their word.

It is time for legislation finally to reform this archaic and super-sized second chamber. We have had years of stalling. The main parties must act now.

Darren Hughes

CEO, Electoral Reform Society

The economy and Brexit uncertainty

Your headline Families 900 worse off after Brexit [May 22] is backed up flimsily by Bank of England governor Mark Carneys comment that some of it, and we cant be absolute about it, is arguably ascribed to Brexit.

An alternative headline from the same source would have been Economy continues to grow despite Brexit uncertainty.

Richard YeldhamBack in February, the Duchess of Cambridge and The Countess of Wessex welcomed fashion glitterati, such as Anna Wintour, Stella McCartney and Edward Enninful, to Buckingham Palace to celebrate the launch and inaugural exhibition of The Commonwealth Fashion Exchange.

Now, 31 items from the exhibition are travelling to Ascot to be displayed in the Queen Anne Enclosure and Royal Enclosure for the duration of the Royal Meeting.

The initiative, spearheaded by Commonwealth Secretary General the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland and Livia Firth, founder of sustainability consultancy Eco-Age showcases designs, designers and artisans from across the Commonwealths 53 countries.

Major fashion designers such as Stella McCartney, Karen Walker and Bibi Russell partnered with artisan producers in small nations to create bespoke womenswear looks for the exhibition, to illustrate the power and potential in global co-design and skills exchange.

Duchess of Cambridge hosts Commonwealth Fashion Exchange 1 /8 Duchess of Cambridge hosts Commonwealth Fashion Exchange Kate and Sophie hosted the Buckingham Palace event AFP/Getty Images The two royals welcomed an array of fashion stars to the palace AFP/Getty Images British Fashion Council Caroline Rush (C) and Conde Nast Artistic Director Anna Wintour AFP/Getty Images Supermodel Naomi Campbell dazzled in a green gown AFP/Getty Images American Vogue editor Anna Wintour attended the reception Getty Images The Duchess of Cambridge speaks to British Vogue editor Edward Enninful Getty Images Fashion designer Stella McCartney was among the guests Getty Images Harold Tillman attends The Commonwealth Fashion Exchange Reception Getty Images

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As someone who is passionate about joining the threads of global fashion and creating real partnerships you can imagine how exciting it is to see The Commonwealth Fashion Exchange come to life, says Livia Firth.

Commonwealth Fashion Exchange Buckingham Palace / Commonwealth Fashion Exchange

Fashion and style has always been such an integral part of Royal Ascot and we are passionate about inspiring racegoers with both classic and contemporary styles that are fit for a formal, daytime occasion such as ours, said Juliet Slot, Chief Commercial Officer at Ascot Racecourse. As an event that attracts visitors from around the globe, Im looking forward to seeing the culture and fashion from 53 countries on display for people to admire and appreciate.

Commonwealth Fashion Exchange Buckingham Palace / Commonwealth Fashion ExchangeOn the day of the royal wedding it wasn't only Meghan Markle and Prince Harry who were catapulted into the spotlight, but also the prestigious designers responsible for creating the bride's history-making ensembles.

The Duchess of Sussex later changed into a second ensemble for the couple's evening celebrations, opting for a sleek halter-neck dress by British designer Stella McCartney.

Unsurprisingly, the two creations caused a flurry of excitement on social media, with multiple high street shops quickly recreating the talked-about gowns. But, what impact did this showcase on a global stage have on the brands' social media?

Royal Wedding Day: Meghan's Dress - In pictures 1 /45 Royal Wedding Day: Meghan's Dress - In pictures PA AFP/Getty Images PA Reuters PA Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Meghan Markle arrives at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle PA PA PA Getty Images Meghan Markle arrives at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for her wedding to Prince Harry PA AFP/Getty Images AP Reuters PA EPA Meghan Markle arrives at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle Getty Images Prince Harry Meghan Markle stand together for their wedding in St George's Chapel AFP/Getty Images EPA Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stand in front of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby AP Meghan Markle leaves Cliveden House Hotel in Taplow AP Getty Images Meghan Markle leaves Cliveden House Hotel in Taplow AP

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WWD recently released statistics by InfluencerDB which prove just how powerful the royal wedding, and indeed, '"The Meghan Effect", was on the two chosen brands' Instagram footprint.

Givenchy

Having designed the biggest talking point of the day: the wedding dress, it is unsurprising that the popularity of the luxury French brand has skyrocketed.

The fashion house earned $2.9 million (around 2.1 million) in media coverage after being broadcast to millions of viewers worldwide.

Not only that, but the brand's Instagam 'likes' jumped from 17.7k to 863k as they posted an initial snap confirming that they had designed the dress.The brand amassed an astronomical 12,234,710 likes on the platform overall.

Meanwhile, the exposure had an even more noticeable impact on British designer, Clare Waight Keller.

The 47-year-old accrued $1.7 million (around 1.2 million) in media value and was mentioned on Instagram 827 times.

She also generated over 8,907,933 likes on the social media page, plus the hashtag #ClareWaightKeller now has 6,165 posts, the majority of which are post-royal wedding.

Stella McCartney

Meghan chose another British woman, Stella McCartney, to design her second wedding gown, and although the design wasn't worn for the main event, it held just as much influence on the 'gram.

The day before the royal wedding a snap on @StellaMcCartney reached 8,977 likes and 46 comments, this jumped dramatically to 713k likes and 7,739 comments on the image of Meghan in her sleek McCartney design.

However, on the day Stella also had a helping hand from a few A-list guests who also wore her designs.

The best of the Royal Wedding fashion - in pictures 1 /21 The best of the Royal Wedding fashion - in pictures Amal and George Clooney AP Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford PA Abigail Spencer and Priyanka Chopra Abigail Spencer and Priyanka Chopra Chris Jackson/Getty Images Serena Williams Serena Williams PA Victoria and David Beckham EPA Lady Kitty Spencer REUTERS Cressida Bonas Getty Images Jonny Wilkinson and Shelley Jenkins Getty Images Amal and George Clooney PA Cressida Bonas, who dated Prince Harry Getty Images Pippa and James Middleton PA Caroline Greenwood and Will Greenwood Getty Images David Beckham PA Pippa Middleton with husband James Matthews AFP/Getty Images Carole and Michael Middleton PA Chelsy Davy (c), Prince Harry's ex Getty Images James Blunt and Sofia Wellesley PA Oprah Winfrey PA Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre PA Oprah Winfrey AFP/Getty Images Carole Middleton PA

Oprah's Instagram video of her powder pink outfit received 21.6 million views, meanwhile, Amal Clooney's striking yellow dress helped her top best dressed lists, with Google currently offering 479,000 results for the search 'Amal Clooney Royal Wedding'.

Overall, McCartney generated $2 million (around 1.4m) in media coverage, 1,840 mentions on Instagram and over 9,605,198 likes.

Philip Treacy, Alexander McQueen and Dior were also top performing designers

Royal Wedding hats - in pictures 1 /17 Royal Wedding hats - in pictures Suits actress Abigail Spencer and actress Priyanka Chopra PA Wire/PA Images Amal Clooney and George Clooney PA Wire/PA Images Serena Williams PA Wire/PA Images Duchess of Cambridge Getty Images Oprah Winfrey PA Wire/PA Images Lady Kitty Spencer PA Wire/PA Images Carole Middleton PA Wire/PA Images David Beckham and Victoria Beckham PA Wire/PA Images The Duchess of York PA Wire/PA Images Sarah Rafferty PA Wire/PA Images Princess Eugenie PA Wire/PA Images Princess Beatrice PA Wire/PA Images Prince Harry and Prince William PA Wire/PA Images Doria Ragland PA Wire/PA Images The Queen PA Wire/PA Images The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall PA Wire/PA Images Pippa Middleton PA Wire/PA Images

Philip Treacy created the majority of A-lister headgear on the day with his designs being worn by the likes of Suits star Sarah Rafferty, Princess Diana's niece Kitty Spencer and the Duchess of Cornwall, resulting in $507k (around 380k) in media revenue and 5,143,943 Instagram likes.A gourmet chef is offering City workers a new twist on one of the coolest desserts on Instagram.

Kakigori is a snow-like shaved ice concoction from Japan, traditionally served with matcha.

A recent Australian pop-up in Sydney, serving the treat topped with ice cream, was a runaway success, and images of the dessert are posted by social media users in Japan and New York daily.

Top chef Jason Atherton offers a version with adzuki beans at his high-end London restaurant Sosharu.

Now a health food chef is offering office workers with a sweet tooth the chance to buy a low-calorie, fruity version of the dessert.

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Richard De La Cruz, who previously worked in Michelin-starred restaurants in Spain, designed his kakigori  which have 60 and 90 calories a serving, no artificial flavourings or added sugars  to appeal to the fitness fans who buy Hawaiian poke at his workplace by Fenchurch Street station, Honi Poke.

Each bowl is vegan and consists of shaved ice mixed with handmade fruit puree and is served with diced fruit on the side. Those wanting a slightly richer taste can opt for a pouring sauce made from condensed milk.

De La Cruz, who makes his strawberry and chia seed, tropical guanabana and mango flavours using a high-end Hatsuyuki machine imported from Japan, said: It tastes like snow, not like a slush you get in the cinema... We use our in-house natural fruit syrups and purees, so it is dairy-free.

It is quite difficult to get the equipment. Once we got it, we thought lets go for it, because it is something very nice  it is healthy and refreshing in summer.W hen it comes to cured meats, the Italians usually spring to mind, but its the British cured meat industry thats currently booming.

Meat lovers will be thrilled to hear that some of the very best British cured meats can be found in London at food markets, restaurants and delis.

Heres a roundup of the best places to find British cured meats in the capital.

Borough Market

All the meats: Cannon & Cannon's stall at Borough Market

Meat experts at Cannon & Cannon pitch up every week at the capitals famous Borough Market selling all kinds of UK produce including Suffolk smoky chorizo and dried Worcestershire ham. On Mondays and Tuesdays visitors can find them in Green Market and Wednesday to Saturday at Three Crown Square. With more than eight years in the business, Cannon & Cannon know a thing or two about cured meat and boast a large (and growing) set of artisan producers dotted across England, Scotland and Wales.

E17 Village Market

East London's finest: Black Hand Food's charcuterie offering

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At Hackneys E17 Market, Black Hand Food sell all sorts of delicious British cured meats including an extremely popular fennel salami. Since launching in 2014, Black Hand Food have been passionate about using British free-range produce to ensure their products are of the highest quality.

Partridges Food Market

Caught in action: Matt Atkinson from Cobble Lane Cured

Since 2005, Partridges Food Market on Duke of York Square has grown from just 15 stalls to 70. Just a stones throw from the Saatchi gallery, the market aims to bring Londoners the very best local, British and international produce. Islington based meat curers Cobble Lane Cured sell their produce every Saturday at the popular West London food market and all the meats that they sell are cut, cured and smoked in their North London butchery.

Limpopo

Biltong experts: Limpopo butchers / Limpopo Butchers

South Africa may be famous for its biltong, but Actons Limpopo boasts an all-new British type  thanks to biltong extraordinaire Francois Van Der Zee. Van De Zee spent his childhood in South Africa before moving to the UK at 14-years-old. He draws on these traditional family recipes to create bold biltong flavours such as chilli, mango chutney and barbecue. Cured meat lovers can find Limpopo on Churchfield road, just moments away from Acton Central station.

Hix

The Soho spot: HixT he author Jessie Burton is rooting through a handbag that doesnt belong to her. Look, theres a packet of contraceptive pills from the Seventies, she says, holding up a lilac blister pack triumphantly. Were at the Idea Store library in Whitechapel, in a recreation of the flat where Odelle, the main character from Burtons novel The Muse, lives.

Burton, 35, marvels at the attention to detail. Theres the handwritten letter on headed paper that Odelle receives from The Skelton Institute, and even a recreation of a painting that Burton imagined, Rufina and the Lion. Readers often ask where they could see the painting and I used to have to tell them it doesnt exist.

Its for CityRead, a month-long celebration of literature in which Londoners are invited to read and discuss the same book. The Muse was picked for this year because of the Windrush connection. Odelle, from Trinidad, is part of the Windrush generation, and this is the 70th anniversary of the Empire Windrush ship arriving here. This took on additional significance after members of the Odelles generation were threatened with deportation last month.

Whats happened is a catastrophe, says Burton. It shows an endemic lack of understanding of Britains history. A lot of Windrush emigres say: We are here because you were there. Its telling that no one at whatever level of government stopped to think this would be problematic. Odelle feels she has been educated to believe England is on her doorstep, the Queen is her Queen, shes taught Tennyson, Princess Margaret is her pin-up girl.

Anya Taylor-Joy in the BBCs adaptation of The Miniaturist (Laurence Cendrowicz ) / The Forge/BBC/Laurence Cendrowicz

"Then she comes here and doesnt find such a warm welcome. Now they are extending a doubly frosty welcome. Its a mess. There are a lot of people in the Cabinet who are tone deaf and dont have their fingers on the pulse of most of the Londoners I know.

We are interrupted by a visit from the Norwegian ambassador, who is keen to see the project. Its hard to be earnest about books because it turns people off, says Burton. Books arent traditionally seen as cool. I just write novels I hope people want to read and CityRead tapped into that spirit.

Burton started out as an actress and only began writing seriously when she wasnt getting parts. I was 27 and I wanted it so badly but Id have been a deluded fool to think it was working out. But it is like a drug and you have to wait to be inoculated. These days perhaps we think theres no room to make mistakes but Im grateful I had a go.

She wrote her first novel, The Miniaturist, in secret, while temping as a PA at private-equity firms: They must have thought I was so busy, typing away. It took two years to get an agent. Theyd say I dont see this book going anywhere, this book will get lost.

What kept her going? There was this hunger, this feeling that acting hadnt worked but I know Im a good writer. Im stubborn. You have to be to write a book.

Once she had an agent, it moved fast. There was a bidding war to publish The Miniaturist at the 2013 London Book Fair  it has now sold more than a million copies in 37 countries and was adapted for television last Christmas.

How did Burton feel? I got insomnia because I was so freaked out. Everyone else was delighted for me but it was destabilising. My friends had to process the success for me. I didnt realise writing was not the final stage. You hope the book speaks for you  you write because you want to make sense of the world through your books, so to have to be the representative of it was challenging.

It wasnt all panic, though. I took myself to Liberty and bought some nice objects. And I took a black cab home, which Id never do. I know I speak fairly well and Ive got my Oxford education but I dont come from a place of infinite wealth, so theres always this fear that it might all go.

Burton has become successful at what appears to be a boom time for female fiction writers. The Times Literary Supplements list of the best novelists of the moment is dominated by women but Burton doesnt like labels. Someone asked me in an interview yesterday if The Muse is a womens book, she seethes.

I had to say: What do you really think that means? A lot of creative women, just like a lot of black and minority ethnic writers or creatives in any field, would love to transcend the restrictive taxonomies we put on ourselves. I tend to centre women in my stories but male writers have done that with men for centuries and no one has said, This is a mans book, why have you put so many men in it?

"Unconsciously perhaps, the roles I created in The Miniaturist were dream roles I wanted to play"

I felt more confident as a woman, or not really conscious of my gender, before I went to university. It was only when I went into the wider world that I saw that boys or men, I guess of a particular class or maybe a particular skin colour, moved with a lot more ease. Maybe in 10 years it wont even matter what the name of the author is. Somebody like Kate Atkinson or Hilary Mantel, they are brilliant but theres always been something intangible around them that they are not allowed to assume that universal mantle of authority that male writers have had.

Still, its better than the world of acting. One of the most thrilling things about leaving acting was leaving a quite boring, binary situation where the roles were limited. When I started writing it was like I didnt need to wait for permission. Unconsciously perhaps, the roles I created in The Miniaturist were dream roles I wanted to play.

Burtons novels have been described as historical but again they elude categorisation. I dont aim to give a history lesson. I get flak for intimating that people in the past are just like us. I dont think its that simple but, as a reader, when I was growing up I was thrilled to think I could have been like a Tudor child.

She admits a nerdish element. Im fascinated by the social detail: what did they eat, what did they wear, how did they grieve? Its always an exquisite discovery when you realise there are some things that we have in common with people who are no longer here.

It comes from personal interest. She started The Muse with a story her mother told her when she was eight years old, about her first job, at a shoe shop on Oxford Street. A woman said she didnt need any particular size, took off her shoes and she had no toes. It was like Roald Dahl. I was stuck on how to begin The Muse so I told that. The Sixties London in that book is where my parents lived. Its not just the swinging Sixties, its harder, theres not that much to go round but theres still a spark.

That takes us back to libraries. Burtons architect father and teacher mother took her to the library every Saturday. She chose her allotted seven books, which she would try to read in a week. Its ridiculous libraries are being cut as if they arent essential. Its out-of-touch to assume people can afford books.

Jessie Burton and Cathy Tyson will be interviewed by Sam Baker at The London Library as part of Cityread London's events programme on 31st May.W e know almost nothing about our children before they are born: all we know for sure is that they will change our lives for the good, bad or worse. Perhaps we should behave differently towards a baby boy (less rough and tumble; more coo). Most of us are adequate enough as parents: we are the daily drama most powerfully present in the lives of our children  and our influence will endure into their adulthood.

Michael Chabons delightful new essay collection, Pops, brings a welcome wit and wisdom to the vexed issue of fatherhood. What does fatherhood ask of a man? How should a father prepare his children for the world?

Chabon answers such questions with his accustomed flair for language and eye for the absurd. His parents divorced when he was 11. The concluding essay, a memoir of his paediatrican father, is fraught with sadness. A cultivated New York Jew, Dr Chabon introduced his son Michael to B-movies (The Man with the X-ray Eyes was an early favourite) as well as to avant-garde classical music. Clearly Chabon is grateful to him to this day.

The idea for the book originated two decades ago at a literary party in California. Dont have children, a famous older writer advised Chabon just before he published his first novel in 1988 (the bestselling The Mysteries of Pittsburgh). You can write great books. Or you can have kids. Its up to you.

Pops: Fatherhood in Pieces by Michael Chabon

In his opening essay, The Opposite of Writing, the Pulitzer prize-winning Chabon refutes the idea that children are thieves of time who put the proverbial pram in the hall. In the course of bringing up two sons and two daughters, Chabon has managed to write 14 books. Well done!

The centrepiece is an article Chabon wrote for GQ magazine in 2016 about his sons bar mitzvah present of a trip to Paris for Mens Fashion Week. A clothes aficionado, 13-year-old Abe was more impressed by the catwalk than was his father, who wearied of the models posing in giant Muppet pants and Moonboot-style sneakers.

Brilliantly written, the essay explores questions of paternal tolerance (and exasperation) with a wholly affecting generosity. The rivalry and hidden rage that shadow some father-son relationships is absent from Chabons gentle attempt to understand his son Abes freakazoid sartorial concerns. The essay went viral.

Of course, Chabons cultural liberalism is without any taint of church, family or flag. In his hometown of Berkeley, a mixed-race, politically progressive enclave of northern California, the kids drink decaff gingerbread latte and wear expensive brand-name skatewear. They ought to be grateful, says Chabon, to grow up in Berkeley. (This is well said.) And in a bravura performance, Against Dickitude, Chabon stresses the importance of fathering in a non-dick way.

Sons should learn to empathise with the minds and circumstances of their girlfriends: only then can a self-centred attitude of dickitude be avoided. Who has even half the patience of Pops Chabon?T he murder of Sophie Lionnet bears the hallmarks of a psychosis known as folie a deux, or madness of two, and defined as a shared delusion.

Depressive and borderline personality Sabrina Kouider was the driving force and Ouissem Medouni the willing party.

Even as the facts were laid bare in court, the pair refused to accept what they had done was the product of their warped fantasy.

Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC said that although there was evidence about their mental state, in particular that of Kouider, who was held at a medium secure mental hospital, none of it was a defence for murder.

Sabrina Kouider after being taken into police custody

Other examples of folie a deux include serial killers Fred and Rosemary West, but perhaps the most similar case heard at the Old Bailey involved lesbian child killers Polly Chowdhury and Kiki Muddar in 2015.

The pair were convicted of the manslaughter of Chowdhurys eight-year-old daughter, Ayesha Ali, who died at their home in Chadwell Heath, in August 2013.

Convicted: Ouissem Medouni

Muddar, who like Kouider has a borderline personality disorder, convinced Chowdhury her daughter was evil and they punished and terrorised her with scary masks before she died in the bath.A barrister can keep an unauthorised extension at his 2.4 million home after a court ruled that tearing it down was not feasible.

Property specialist Philip Galway-Cooper and his wife Wendy faced criminal proceedings after building the three-storey extension at their detached Hampstead house.

But a High Court judge found in their favour, leaving Camden council facing a hefty bill for legal costs.

Mr Justice Ouseley admitted the prospect of the unauthorised extension remaining in place was troubling and said he had considerable sympathy for the predicament faced by the council.

Property lawyer: owner Philip Galway-Cooper

However, dismissing the councils appeal yesterday, he said expert engineering evidence revealed that restoring the house to its original condition would fail.

The job would be exceedingly difficult and it was more likely than not that it could not be done, he said. Although restoring the wall might not be a complete and total physical impossibility, it had justifiably been described as not feasible.

Mr Galway-Cooper, 59, and his wife, 60, bought the Victorian property in 2007 and built the three-storey extension at the rear.

Troubling: the three-storey extension was built at the rear of the Hampstead house

Camden council took action, claiming it was built without permission. It issued an enforcement notice in 2014, demanding the couple demolish it by the following September.

The Galway-Coopers were also ordered to restore part of the rear wall  to which the extension is attached  to its original condition by September 2015. Last year, the council mounted a criminal prosecution against the couple at Highbury Corner magistrates court.

Mr and Mrs Galway-Cooper were acquitted after claiming that it was simply impossible to comply with the enforcement notice. Restoring the wall would mean removing a steel frame from the back of the building, with potentially catastrophic consequences.

The house, built on notoriously unstable London clay and sand, was already noticably leaning, the court heard. The work, even if feasible, would cost over 360,000 and putting in pilings to support the house would add another 150,000 to the bill.

The couple, who also own an 18th-century property in Rutland, were acquitted after a district judge found that there was nothing they could do to comply with the notice.

Camden challenged the decision at the High Court yesterday, insisting the couple had not done all that could reasonably have been expected of them.

But Mr Justice Ouseley ruled in the couples favour and ordered the council to pay their 20,000 legal costs and said the council must now decide whether to take any further action.

After the ruling, neighbours said they supported the councils efforts.Retired art consultant Peyton Skipwith, 78, said: I would be satisfied if it was demolished. The whole process has been absolutely outrageous.S tudents at a London college are being given lessons in how to stay away from gangs and violence.

Waltham Forest College, which takes pupils as young as 14, has dedicated a month to raising awareness of gangs after the surge in street violence in the capital. Some timetabled lessons have been replaced with workshops about managing conflict, online safety, healthy relationships and consent.

The college has also been promoting Sadiq Khans campaign against knife killings, London Needs You Alive.

Amir Ahmed, the colleges director of student services, said: This is a hot topic for colleges in London and we have a major responsibility to ensure our students can identify the signs of being in vulnerable positions. By arranging these workshops we are continuing to be proactive and prepare young people well for life in modern Britain.

Student Melisha Etienne

He added that as part of the month of activities the college is running seminars specifically for young women to inform them about the dangers of being recruited into gangs. He said: We told young women how to remove themselves from vulnerable positions. Our students are fully aware of youth violence happening in London. It is a big issue for young people and all our sessions were fully booked.

The college has previously tackled the subject by organising awareness- raising weeks and protect your mate weeks, but this year the activities will last for a month. Mr Ahmed said: We are worried about whats happening in London and we feel we had to do something different. Officers from the

Metropolitan Police have spoken to staff about gang life, local trends, county line drug trafficking and the recruitment of gang members, to help them prevent students getting involved.

Student Paul Taylor

A student conference was also organised where teenagers were given up-to-date crime statistics and debated youth violence. Mr Ahmed said the students welcomed the Mayors London Needs You Alive campaign, in which they were asked to write down their future plans to emphasise the importance of their lives.

Student Union president Terri Stacey-White said: I find these workshops really helpful as I plan to use what I learned in my day-to-day life, even after I finish my studies. I am happy that the college recognises concerns by being responsive to what is happening in London  that clearly demonstrates they take student safety seriously.

Mr Ahmed said: We asked students to stand up if they had been affected by youth violence and everyone stood up. We recognise this is a major issue for us. We do not have a problem on campus and students say they feel safe here. But its whats happening outside the campus and in their areas which is very worrying. We can control what happens on campus but we cant control what happens outside.A trainee paramedic has returned from teaching life-saving skills, including handling suspected heart attacks, at the Everest Base Camp.

Justin Honey-Jones from the London Ambulance Service trekked 76 miles, climbed 17,500 feet above sea level and endured altitude sickness on his Nepal expedition.

However, he said it had been worth the hardship to help train locals and trekkers how to use a defibrillator.

Mr Honey-Jones, who spent 12 months preparing for his visit, told the Standard: Anyone can save a life  its about education.

Trainee paramedic Justin Honey-Jones trained local trekkers in Nepal life-saving medical skills / Sophie Goodchild

I put my body through hell to prove a point. Ive seen people die because members of the public are afraid to use a defibrillator [that shocks the heart back to normal].

Theyre afraid to use them in case they get it wrong. Yet combining cardiopulmonary resuscitation, delivered by a bystander, with an automatic portable defibrillator can increase the chances of survival. This is in addition to realising someone needs help and calling the ambulance service.

The guides who accompanied Mr Honey-Jones  who spent 10 years as a first aid trainer  from Kathmandu to Everest Base Camp and back were among those that benefited from his experience.

The techniques he taught during his 10-day visit last month also included bleeding control, the recovery position and how to stop choking.

Justin aims to raise awareness that life-saving skills can be learned anywhere / Sophie Goodchild

This was despite suffering altitude sickness symptoms such as pounding headaches and shortness of breath.

No access to extensive CPR training exists in the area Mr Honey-Jones visited, and the Nepal Ambulance Service was only launched in 2011.

The NAS receives little government support, according to its charity arm, despite its vital work assisting tens of thousands injured in the 2015 earthquake. Hospitals are days away on foot, and seriously ill people often travel to them in pick-up trucks via unsurfaced roads. Mr Honey-Joness trek helped raise 1,838 for the British Heart Foundation.

The trainee paramedic, who joined the LAS in 2014, volunteers for the charity. He delivers their Heartstart programme which he used to train trekkers and guides on his Nepal trip.

This free initiative teaches the public emergency life-saving skills such as CPR.

Assistant director of operations at LAS Ian Johns said: I hope his efforts will encourage people to learn CPR and how to use a defibrillator. If someone in cardiac arrest is given a shock by a defibrillator, they are more likely to survive.

Everest Base Camp is where climbers go to acclimatise for several months before attempting the earths highest mountain.A businessman who had a stroke at the wheel of his van on a roundabout has thanked his sister-in-law and doctors for saving his life.

Harvey Astell, 51, suffered a blood clot on his brain as he drove home from getting fish and chips with Joanne Goral.

The stroke was so severe it paralysed his body  leaving his foot pressed down hard on the accelerator. He was also unable to speak. But Ms Goral, 34, realised instantly what was happening, pulled on the handbrake to prevent a crash and dialled 999.

The father-of-threes life was saved by emergency treatment but for the first week after the stroke last August he was unable to talk or move, except to open his eyes. He is still recovering but has learned to speak and walk again thanks to intensive rehabilitation including weeks of daily physiotherapy.

Miracle: Harvey Astell and wife Nicky. He thanked her sister Joanne Goral

Mr Astell, of St Albans in Hertfordshire, told the Standard: I shouldnt be here. I cant thank Joanne and the doctors enough. I want to show there is light at the end of the tunnel after stroke.

The motorbike enthusiast is now fund-raising for a specially adapted three-wheel trike so he can complete the London to Brighton run and raise money for the Stroke Association.

Mr Astell was taken to Watford General Hospital where doctors gave him a drug to dissolve the clot, which had travelled from his heart to his brain. Scans revealed the motorbike enthusiast had cardiomyopathy, a condition that weakens the heart muscle. He was then taken to St Georges Hospital in Tooting, which has a specialist stroke unit. Two stents  tiny mesh tubes  were fitted to his heart to keep blood flowing efficiently. A mini defibrillator was put in his chest to keep his heart rhythm normal.

Harvey's now fundraising for a special trike so he can carry on with his motorbike passion.

Mr Astell, who ran an electric gate company before the stroke, will also visit hospital wards and talk to patients with experiences like his.

They said hes a little miracle as they didnt think hed leave the hospital alive, said his wife Nicky, 52, who gave up her job as a school events organizer to care for him. It will take time for him to recover but Harvey will get there.F ashion fans who had queued in the rain for three days for the chance to buy the latest pair of trainers designed by rapper Kanye West were left devastated today when they were sent home empty-handed.

More than a hundred enthusiasts began camping outside Foot Locker in Oxford Street on Tuesday to buy the limited-edition footwear designed by the music star.

The London store is the only retailer in the UK to stock the black Yeezy Bost 350 adidas shoes, which go on sale at the store tomorrow from 9am.

Fans queue up to buy Kanye West's new trainers

But many today claimed the stores staff emerged with tickets which were handed out to a few of the customers, telling the rest there was no point camping any more and to go home.

At around 11.15pm last night, 62 tickets were handed out which people were told would guarantee them a pair of trainers tomorrow.

Witnesses claim shoppers then began to turn on each other and issued threats to people who were given tickets.

Busy: fans camped for days Highlight Nation Music (@HLN_Music) / Highlight Nation Music (@HLN_Music)

Deep Patel, 15, from Redbridge said he was among a group of about 25 people who had been camping outside the store since Wednesday.

Speaking to the Standard, the Wandstead High School pupil described how a crowd of about 100 shoppers turned up at the store last night and pushed to the front of the queue.

He said a manager ignored him when he challenged the move and was subsequently forced to go home empty-handed.

He said: The queue was set up as first come first served. Some people had come from Cambridge four days earlier. I was part of the Wednesday group.

Then last, everyone was started crowding around and about 100 people turned up. I had never seen their faces before. It was really disorganised. Most of us did not get a place in the line. It was just bullies [who pushed in]. There was an intense atmosphere.

He continued: When we complained, he said there was not enough spaces. But I was not going to start a fight over a pair of trainers.

"I wanted them because I have a passion for trainers and I like collecting them.

"I am really disappointed I did not get a pair. I think it should be sorted out.

Others took to social media to vent their anger, with Lee Wong writing: So the camp is over, disappointed faces out here. People got told to go home, there is no point camping any more.

One Twitter user, Ace Boogie, said a manager Handed out tickets to people there for 20 minutes and told everyone else to go home.

One shopper complained: "Camped out for 2 days for the black Yeezy boost 350 at Oxford street footlocker and people who came on the day end up In line @FootLockerEU.

TV presenter Fiona Phillips tweeted: Oxford St Foot Locker just turned away fans whod been queuing overnight - & some for three DAYS - for Kanyes latest Adidas Yeasys.

The trainers were first released in June at 150 and, after quickly selling out, were soon being resold on eBay for up to 400. There were similar queues as shoppers were primed to get their hands on the footwear.

A Westminster council spokeswoman said they were investigating whether their environmental health officers had been in contact with Foot Locker over safety concerns because of the size of the queue.

A council spokeswoman said: Were still trying to establish who asked the crowd to disperse. As far as we are aware there were no health and safety issues brought to our attention.

Popular: the Yeezy trainers

Staff at the Oxford Street store were not answering the phone today but a spokeswoman for Foot Locker said there had been a "pre-registration procedure which followed a first-come, first-serve system" in which wristbands were allocated to customers wanting to buy the Yeezy trainers.

She declined to comment on the alleged queue jumpers.

In a statement, she said: "At Foot Locker we always prepare for hotly anticipated, limited edition releases.

"The adidas YEEZY BOOST 350 will be officially launched in-store and online tomorrow.

"To ensure it was as fair as possible for our customers, we implemented a pre-registration procedure which followed a first-come, first-serve system.

"When crowds became a safety risk at our store on Oxford Street we initiated a further system, along the same principle, to ensure customer safety.

"All customers that followed procedure and received their wristbands will be able to purchase their sneakers when they go on sale tomorrow, dependant on size availability."B oris Johnson held an 18-minute phone call with a prankster claiming to be the Armenian Prime Minister.

The Foreign Office confirmed Mr Johnson had taken the call from a man posing as newly appointed Nikol Pashinyan which was revealed in audio footage.

The Foreign Secretary begins by congratulating the prankster on his success before admitting he had hoped the UK would have better relations with Russia than we currently do.

He later says he is "almost 100 per cent sure" Russia was behind the poisoning of former Soviet spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

Yulia Skripal hopes to return to Russia

The caller, believed to be Russian, goes on to say Mr Pashinyan is due to meet with President Putin in Sotchi.

He says: "I hope he does not poison me with Novichok.

Mr Johnson laughs at the remark alluding to the poisoning of Mr Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, in the clip obtained by the Guardian.

Boris Johnson talks up Donald Trump for Peace Prize

He adds: If I have a message to Putin, its that we dont want a cold war but we do want to see an improvement in the way Russia behaves.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: The Foreign Secretary realised it was a hoax, and ended the call.

We checked it out and knew immediately it was a prank call. The use of chemical weapons in Salisbury and Syria, and recent events in Armenia are serious matters.

These childish actions show the lack of seriousness of the caller and those behind him.T heresa May was today warned that she could have Brexit taken out of her hands as a damning report attacked the Government for dithering on crucial decisions.

In a scathing verdict, a cross-party committee said it was highly unsatisfactory that two years after the 2016 referendum the Cabinet had still not set out new trade arrangements.

The 21-member Brexit Select Committee said time was running out  and an extension of the EU Customs Union, which Mrs May has personally ruled out, may soon be the only viable option. It was echoed by Treasury Committee chair Nicky Morgan, one of the most senior Tory rebels seeking a soft Brexit, who said Parliament may have to step in. In terms of political decision making, the Cabinet has had a long time to make decisions about the negotiating position, and its now looking as if they will be thrown back to Parliament, she said. The clock only starts ticking when a political decision is made  and it could take up to five years. It could well be that Parliament ends up having to make a decision for the Government.

The frustration among MPs came a day after the plan championed by Cabinet Brexiteers, where new technology would replace old-fashioned customs checks, was revealed to cost up to 20 billion  twice as expensive as the annual fees for EU membership.

Mark Carney: Families 900 worse off since Brexit

Mrs May confirmed last night that she plans to stage a series of key Commons votes in June. MPs will be asked to reverse House of Lords amendments that seek to bind the UK to the customs union and Efta, the free trade bloc.

Business leaders at the Institute of Directors and the Confederation of British Industry said it was staggeringly costly.

Mrs May confirmed last night that she plans to stage a series of key Commons votes in June. MPs will be asked to reverse House of Lords amendments that seek to bind the UK to the customs union and Efta, the free trade bloc.

Hilary Benn, chair of the Brexit Select Committee, said it was urgent that the Government shows it has a plan for open borders, adding: We are rapidly running out of time to get new trade and customs arrangements in place.

With both the max fac customs partnership options set to take beyond 2020 to set up, he warned: The UK will in all likelihood have to remain in a customs union with the EU until alternative arrangements can be put in place.

Business leaders reacted with horror today to the warning by Customs and Revenue (HMRC) officials that max fac would cost industry up to 20 billion a year, including 32.50 for each customs declaration. Josh Hardie, CBI deputy director-general, said: If accurate, this would be a staggering burden on business at a time when firms are already reeling from uncertainty.

The IoDs head of Europe and trade policy, Allie Renison, praised HMRC for spelling out the realities, saying: Many businesses trading with the EU are SMEs operating with wafer-thin profit margins.

She added: Businesses urgently need to push on to the substantive trade discussions about the future economic partnership, and have clarity about what proposals the Government is making.

"It was always clear that under the maximum facilitation option, customs declarations would be needed for UK-EU goods trade, introducing a notable new cost and barrier at an overall level to businesses trading with Europe, said Ms Renison.

What is perhaps most surprising about the figures presented by HMRC yesterday was that for all of the potential complexity attached to the new customs partnership proposal, it was projected as being far less costly than proceeding with 'max fac'.

"Its essential to have clear interventions like this to paint a fuller picture of the tradeoffs attached to each of the Governments preferred customs options, because many businesses trading with the EU are SMEs operating with wafer-thin profit margins.

The IoD wants to see the UK retain a high level of ambition for keeping any new trade frictions to an absolute minimum. An assortment of new costs and complexities to existing trade can easily erode those margins.

"Regardless of what unilateral domestic facilitations can be brought in, the reality is that for goods to keep flowing easily, policy agreement with the other side is the first and most important factor in ensuring this continuity. The application of rules of origin to UK-EU trade for manufacturing in particular cannot be fixed with trusted trader schemes given they deter companies from using tariff preferences to begin with. We dont want to see a tariff-free deal undermined by a wave of other new disruptions to trade like this, including on regulatory-related checks.P risoners freed on day release will be used to plug gaps in the workforce left by departing EU migrants as part of an overhaul of rehabilitation policies announced today.

Justice Secretary David Gauke said the inmates would fill vacancies in sectors such as construction, agriculture and catering as the labour market changes because of Brexit.

Other prisoners will be found placements in areas such as manufacturing and retail as ministers seek to transform training and education. Mr Gauke said the work experience would make it easier for offenders to turn their backs on crime and start a new life once they are released permanently.

He added that greater efforts would be made to persuade more employers to hire freed prisoners permanently and the Civil Service will increase its recruitment of former offenders.

A new organisation, the New Futures Network, will be set up to link prisoners due to be released with job opportunities outside.

Incentives, including a National Insurance contributions holiday will also be considered, and education in prisons will be improved.

Mr Gauke announced his new strategy on a visit to Isis prison in Greenwich today. He said that too few prisoners were finding work after release, with only 17 per cent in jobs a year later.

Entering employment would benefit inmates and be good for society as a whole by reducing the welfare burden and the number of future victims of crime.

He argued that the mindset of many employers would have to change because of the dynamics of the labour market, saying: We have a thriving jobs market and demand for workers in some sectors is very high.

Leaving the European Union is also likely to have an impact on the workforce in sectors such as catering, construction and agriculture. By forging closer relationships  employers will be able to fill short-term skills gaps whilst developing potential permanent employees for the longer term.

Todays strategy also states that jobs training for female inmates needs to abandon stereotypes and focus instead on market intelligence about opportunities available outside.C ats and dogs for sale online could be suffering horrendous living conditions, Battersea Dogs and Cats home has warned.

The animal shelter has told potential owners not to be duped into buying a pet through social media or unregulated apps and websites, revealing that 20 per cent of the dogs left at the centre over the past year were originally bought online.

Recent research found a dog advert is created online every two minutes and one appears every five minutes for a cat, suggesting many animals are at risk of harm.

Last month Nimbus, a four-week-old kitten, was collected by his new owner after being bought through a car boot sale app. The kitten was picked up in agony, burnt and covered in his own urine, and it took weeks of full-time treatment by vets and carers at the charity to recover.

Bear, a St Bernard dog, was left at the home in recent weeks after he was bought online from a rogue vendor. He arrived covered in fleas, with an infected eye, warts, and chewing gum in his tail, a charity spokesman said.

Shaun Opperman, Batterseas head vet, said: Nimbus was far too young to be separated from his mother when he was sold online. He came into us in a terrible state as he couldnt clean himself properly and he clearly wasnt being fed properly as he was seriously underweight. Our veterinary team had to step in and play the role of mother, helping him feed and learn to groom himself, as well as administering treatment for his eye infections and upset stomach.

His story goes to show the huge risks people run when they buy online  theres absolutely no guarantee theyre buying whats been advertised and, as in this case, many of the animals sold online have received little or no veterinary treatment, leaving them helpless. We can pick up the pieces for those fortunate enough to come through our gates but there are thousands more sold each day that we will never see.

Both Nimbus and Bear are now well and living with their new owners in London.A n Australian grandmother accused of drug trafficking in Malaysia was sentenced to death after officials found 1.5kg of crystal meth in her bag.

Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto was originally let go by the High Court last December on grounds that she did not know the drugs were in her bag when she was arrested in December 2014.

Exposto, 54, had arrived from Shanghai and was planning to catch a connecting flight to Melbourne when she was detained in Malaysia.

The drugs were discovered when she put two bags through the security scanner when exiting the airport.

Ms Exposto was sentenced to death / Getty

Exposto had said she went to Shanghai to meet a US serviceman with whom she had an online romance, and had been asked to carry a bag full of clothes.

She insisted she was unaware that the bag also contained drugs.

Exposto's lawyer, Tania Scivetti, said a three-member appeals court "found there was merit" in the prosecution's appeal, though it didn't say on what grounds. She said Exposto was shocked but calm.

"It's disappointing as there was clear evidence that she was the victim of an Internet romance scam. She was a drug mule."

Malaysia has a mandatory death sentence for anyone found guilty of carrying more than 50 grams of a prohibited drug.

After her acquittal in December, Scivetti said Exposto was immediately arrested by immigration officials as her visa has expired. Following the prosecution's appeal, she remained in custody because she couldn't afford to pay bail.

Australian Foreign Minister Julia Bishop said her government was aware of Exposto's right to appeal.

"Australia opposes the death penalty in all circumstances for all people," Bishop said in a statement.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries chilled for years after Malaysia hanged two Australians in 1986 for heroin trafficking, a move that then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke denounced as a "barbaric act."

Despite the backlash, Malaysia hanged another Australian heroin smuggler in 1993. Australia responded with a statement expressing the government's deep regret and sadness.D onald Trump has cancelled his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by releasing an extraordinary open letter.

The US President said he had no choice but to cancel the meeting, which was scheduled to take place in June in Singapore, because Kim had displayed "tremendous anger and open hostility in a recent statement".

South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with his top security aids, following the cancellation of the Singapore summit.

While Theresa May said Britain is "disappointed" by the cancellation in a statement.

The letter was released today / AFP/Getty Images

She added: "We are disappointed that the meeting will no longer go ahead as planned. We need to see an agreement that can bring about the completely verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and we will continue to work with our partners to this end."

Mr Trump wrote in a letter, published in full by the White House on Thursday, that he feels it is "inappropriate at this time, to have this long-planned meeting."

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reads a letter by President Donald Trump to Kim Jong Un

He wrote that the cancelled meeting, which had been scheduled for June 12, was a "lost opportunity" and a "sad moment in history"

Mr Trump added: "You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used."

The North had previously threatened to pull out of the summit / Getty Images

He also thanked Kim for the release of the American hostages.

The US president told Kim to get in touch with him if he changes his mind about the summit.

There had been speculation that the summit would be delayed for some time.

According to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the North has not yet responded to the letter.

The North threatened to pull out of the summit earlier this month. The country's vice foreign minister said he had no interest in attending the talks if it was going to be a "one-sided" affair.

In a statement, Kim Kye Gwan also criticised the US Presidents security advisors comments on advice to the Libyan model of nuclear disarmament.

Mr Trump said that the cancelled meeting was a "missed opportunity" / AP

The US had previously offered to help rebuild North Korea if it agreed to give up its nuclear weapons.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that America would be "prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on the par with our South Korean friends."

Earlier today North Korea demolished its nuclear test site. It was announced by Kim ahead of his planned summit with Mr Trump.

North Korea's Kim Jon Un meets South Korea's President Moon Jae-in 1 /18 North Korea's Kim Jon Un meets South Korea's President Moon Jae-in South Korean President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during their meeting at the Peace House at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone REUTERS North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shakes hands with South Korean President Moon Jae-in EPA North Korean leader Kim Jong Un takes hand of South Korean President Moon Jae-in (R) to cross the military demarcation line Getty Images North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in cross the border line at the border village of Panmunjom in Demilitarized Zone AP North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with South Korean President Moon Jae-in Reuters Kim walks with Moon at the Joint Security Area (JSA) on the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) EPA North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in inspect an honor guard after Kim crossed the border into South Korea for their historic face-to-face talks, in Panmunjom AP The two leaders meet at the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea EPA North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in inspect an honor guard after Kim crossed the border into South Korea for their historic face-to-face talks, in Panmunjom AP South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attend the inter-Korean summit Reuters Kim Jong Un (2nd L) and his wife Ri Sol Ju (L) attend a farewell ceremony with Moon Jae-in (2R) and his wife Kim Jung-sook (R) AFP/Getty Images Ri Sol Ju (L), wife of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, and Kim Jung-sook AFP/Getty Images The couple's toast at a farewell dinner at the end of the summit AFP/Getty Images The official dinner at the end of their historic summit AFP/Getty Images An image of flowers is beamed onto the Peace House where the summit had taken place during a closing ceremony AFP/Getty Images Kyu Cho, 27, reads a newspaper with a front page story about the inter-Korean summit REUTERS A woman reads a newspaper with a front page story about the inter-Korean summit REUTERS A man walks past a newspaper featuring a front page story about the summit AFP/Getty Images

The North did not invite international nuclear weapons inspectors to the ceremony.

North Korea took part in a landmark summit with the South in April.

Kim became the first leader of his nation to step foot in the South since the end of fighting in the Korean War in 1953.T he missile that brought down the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine was owned by the Russian military, investigators have said.

The plane was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17 2014 when it was shot down over eastern Ukraine.

All 283 passengers and 15 members of crew were killed after the missile hit caused it to break apart mid-air.

Prosecutors investigating the incident said on Thursday they had identified that the missile used to shoot down the plane came from Russia's armed forces, based in the city of Kursk.

Tragedy: the scene of the MH17 crash in 2014 (BBC/Oleg Vitulkin) / BBC

Russia has always denied any involvement in the incident.

But on Thursday Dutch investigator Wilbert Paulissen, head of the crime squad of Netherlands police, said the missile was part of Russia's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Brigade.

"All the vehicles in a convoy carrying the missile were part of the Russian armed forces", he told a televised news conference.

Flowers laid at the scene of the crash

The investigators says have analysed video images before coming to their decision.

In an interim update on their investigation, prosecutors also said they had trimmed their list of possible suspects from more than a hundred to several dozen.

"We have a lot of proof and a lot of evidence, but we are not finished," said chief prosecutor Fred Westerbeke. "There is still a lot of work to do."

Dutch Safety Board Chairman Tjibbe Joustra speaks in front of the wrecked cockpit of the Malaysia Airlines flight in 2015 / AFP/Getty Images

He said investigators were not yet ready to identify individual suspects publicly or to issue indictments. The question of whether members of the 53rd Brigade were actively involved in the downing of the plane remains under investigation, he said.

Westerbeke called on witnesses, including members of the public, to help identify members of the crew that was operating the missile system. He also asked for tip-offs in determining what their orders were and in identifying the officials in charge of the brigade.

A Joint Investigation Team, drawn from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine, is gathering evidence for a criminal prosecution in the downing of the plane.

Ukrainian workers inspect the debris at the MH17 crash site

The Dutch Safety Board concluded in an October 2015 report that the Boeing 777 was struck by a Russian-made Buk missile.

Dutch prosecutors said in September 2016 that 100 "persons of interest" had been identified in the investigation, while Australian and Malaysian officials had initially expressed hope that suspects' names would be made public in 2017.N orth Korea said it has demolished is nuclear test site after setting off a series of explosions over several hours in the presence of foreign journalists.

The explosions at the site deep in the mountains of the countrys sparsely populated northeast surrounded three tunnels underground and a number of buildings in the surrounding area.

The demolition has been announced by leader Kim Jong Un ahead of his planned summit with US President Donald Trump, which is scheduled to take place next month.

But it came amid further tensions with Washington after North Korea called Vice President Mike Pence a "political dummy" and saying it is just as ready to meet in a nuclear confrontation as at the negotiating table.

People watch a TV screen showing a satellite image of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site / AP

The North's decision to close the Punggye-ri nuclear test site has generally been seen as a welcome gesture by Kim to set a positive tone ahead of the summit.

By inviting a small group of television journalists and other members of the news media, the North is likely hoping to have dramatic images of the closing - including explosions to collapse tunnel entrances - broadcast around the world.

VP: Mike Pence pictured at the Pyeongchang games, has been criticised by the North / REUTERS

The North did not invite international nuclear weapons inspectors to the ceremony.

The first blast visiting journalists witnessed happened at around 1am local time which, according to North Korean officials, collapsed the north tunnel used for five nuclear tests between 2009 and last year.

South Korean journalists arrive at Kalma airport in Wonsan on their way to the nuclear testing site at Punggye-ri / REUTERS

Two other explosions at around 2:20 pm and 4 pm demolished the west and south tunnels, according to officials.

Thursday's demolition also involved the destruction of observation posts and barracks used by guards and other workers at the facility.

The journalists who were allowed to witness the demolition arrived in the morning after an 11-hour overnight train from Wonsan and stayed at the site for around nine hours.

Donald Trump: North Korea summit may be delayed

The outburst at Mr Pence comes on the heels of another sharp rebuke of Mr Trump's newly appointed national security adviser, John Bolton, and has raised concerns that a major gap has opened between the two sides just weeks before the June 12 summit in Singapore.N orth Korea has threatened the US with a nuclear showdown and warned that the country could taste an appalling tragedy if talks between the two countries break down.

The warning comes as the rogue state cast fresh doubt on the planned summit between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump over the future of its nuclear weapons.

The fate of the talks is entirely up to the US, North Koreas foreign minister Choe Son-hui said in statement on Thursday, adding that the two countries could engage in a nuclear-to-nuclear showdown.

We will neither beg the US for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us," the statement read.

Will they, wont they? The much-anticipated summit now hangs in the balance / Getty Images

"Whether the US will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behaviour of the United States."

The summit plan has hit a number of speed bumps recently as both sides have begun taking tougher positions and trading barbs.

US confident summit with North Korea will still go ahead

Mr Trump met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday at the White House for consultations and suggested the summit could be delayed.

But the US later said it is still working on making it happen.

Questions continue to rise over Kim Jong-un's planned meeting with Donald Trump / AFP/Getty Images

Choe, a veteran diplomat and former head of the North America desk at the Foreign Ministry, was responding to comments Pence made to Fox News this week.

Mr Pence had said that it would be a "mistake" for the North Koreans to think they can "play" Mr Trump.

He said both the Clinton and Bush administrations had been "played" by the North Korean government.

North Korea: Ballistic Missile Test - In pictures 1 /22 North Korea: Ballistic Missile Test - In pictures AFP via Getty Images AP AP People watch reports about the launch of the short-range ballistic missiles Getty Images North Korean government shows a test of a missile launch in North Korea AP North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un watching through binoculars as a new-type of tactical guided short-range missile is launched at an undisclosed location in North Korea AFP/Getty Images A test of a missile launch in North Korea AP People watch a TV showing images of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea AP A man watches a news report about the North Korea missile launch EPA North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches a missile test in North Kore AP Kim Jong-Un admires the launching of the Hwasong-15 missile AFP/Getty Images The new missile is thought to be capable of reaching anywhere on the US mainland AFP/Getty Images Missile: the Hwasong-15 missile which is capable of reaching all parts of the US AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images AP AFP/Getty Images Missile test: The launch AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Rocket power: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pictured giving an order to test-fire the newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-15 EPA The Hwasong-15 missile was launched in the early hours of Wednesday AFP/Getty Images

"We offered concessions to the North Korean regime in exchange for promises to end their nuclear weapons program, only to see them break those promises and abandon them," he said, adding that if Pyongyang does not go along with talks to give up its nuclear weapons, Washington could return to the "Libya model."

That suggestion, which was made earlier this month by National Security Adviser John Bolton and also sparked an outraged response from the North, is especially inflammatory to Pyongyang.

The Libya model refers to negotiations in 2004 that led to the shipping of nuclear components to the US from Libya under Moammar Gadhafi.A n autonomous Uber car that fatally hit a woman had seen the pedestrian six seconds before impact, according to a report.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the car "failed to stop because the system that automatically applies the brakes had been disabled".

According to US investigators, the driver did not brake until less than a second after it hit 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg in Tempe, Arizona in March.

The car was travelling at 40mph at the time.

Rafaela Vasquez, 44, was meant to act as a 'safety driver' / Tempe Police

The report found that emergency braking manoeuvres are not enabled while the cars are under computer control.

The company uses a human back-up driver to intervene if the brakes need to be applied.

Rafaela Vasquez, 44, was the car's safety driver at the time of the incident.

Ms Herzberg was pushing a bicycle across the road when she was hit by the vehicle.

A video of the crash showed Ms Vasquez looking down just before the crash occurred. In an interview with the NTSB, she said she had been monitoring the "self-driving interface".

While her personal and business telephones were in the vehicle, Ms Vasquez said neither were in use at the time of the crash.

In a statement Uber said that it has worked closely with the NTSB and is doing an internal review of its self-driving vehicle programme.

Police released this footage of the seconds before the fatal crash / Tempe Police

It has also brought in former NTSB chairman Christopher Hart to advise us on our overall safety culture, and we look forward to sharing more on the changes well make in the coming weeks.

Last week, Uber pulled its self-driving cars out of Arizona. Following the March crash, it suspended testing on its self-driving vehicles in Arizona, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Toronto while regulators investigated.

Daniel Scarpinato, spokesperson for Arizona governor Doug Ducey said that the preliminary report does not provide any decisive findings or conclusions.S ix more families of the Sandy Hook massacre victims are suing right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones after he claimed the shooting was a hoax.

A gunman killed 20 first-graders and six teachers at the Newtown, Connecticut, school in December 2012.

Mr Jones has used his site, Infowars, to claim the shooting was staged by US officials as a means of shoring up support for gun control reforms.

The families of two other victims filed similar defamation lawsuits against Jones last month in Travis County, Texas, where Jones is based.

Protesters held portraits of Sandy Hook shooting victims at the March For Our Lives earlier this year / Getty

Josh Koskoff, a lawyer for the families, said: "He knew his claims were false but he made them anyway to further a simple but pathetic goal: to make money by tearing away at the families' pain.

"This lawsuit seeks to hold Alex Jones and his financial network accountable for those disgraceful actions."

Nigel Farage's interview infowars on show

After the first two lawsuits were filed last month, Jones responded in a YouTube video, saying that the families are being used by the Democrats and the news media and that he believes Sandy Hook "really happened."

He also invited parents who lost their children to his show to have a "real discussion" about guns, and said believes the lawsuits will be thrown out.

The plaintiffs include the parents of four children killed at the school - Daniel Barden, Dylan Hockley, Ben Wheeler and Avielle Richman.

Also suing are relatives of two murdered teachers - school Principal Dawn Hochsprung and first-grade teacher Victoria Soto. FBI agent William Aldenberg, one of the first responders to the scene, is also suing Jones.

Ukip leader Nigel Farage faced criticism in April after appearing being interviewed by Alex Jones via videolink from his LBC studio.A riana Grande has described her relationship with Mac Miller as toxic and defended her decision to split from him.

The pop star hit back at criticism over the split on Twitter when a follower blamed her for Millers recent drink-drive arrest, accusing him of minimising female self-respect.

Despite staying silent over rumours that she had ended her 18-month relationship with the musician, Grande decided to speak out on Wednesday night.

Mac Miller totalling his G wagon and getting a DUI after Ariana Grande dumped him for another dude after he poured his heart out on a 10-song album to her called the divine feminine is just the most heartbreaking thing happening in Hollywood, Twitter user Elijah Flint posted.

Speaking out: Ariana responds to a follower on Twitter

In a lengthy post, Grande responded: How absurd that you minimise female self-respect and self-worth by saying someone should stay in a toxic relationship because he wrote an album about them, which btw isn't the case (just Cinderella is ab me). I am not a babysitter or a mother and no woman should feel that they need to be.

I have cared for him and tried to support his sobriety & prayed for his balance for years (and always will of course) but shaming/blaming women for a man's inability to keep his s*** together is a very major problem. Let's please stop doing that.

Ariana Grande 'Dangerous Woman' Tour in Paris 1 /6 Ariana Grande 'Dangerous Woman' Tour in Paris Ariana Grande 'Dangerous Woman' Tour in Paris Rex Features Ariana Grande 'Dangerous Woman' Tour in Paris Rex Features Ariana Grande 'Dangerous Woman' Tour in Paris Rex Features Ariana Grande 'Dangerous Woman' Tour in Paris Rex Features Ariana Grande 'Dangerous Woman' Tour in Paris Rex Features Ariana Grande 'Dangerous Woman' Tour in Paris Rex Features

She continued: I will continue to pray from the bottom of my heart that he figures it all out and that any other in this position does as well.

Flint later apologised to Grande, saying that he hadnt realised that his post would affect her so greatly.

I had no idea this would go viral and get treated like a story on TMZ, he wrote. It truly doesn't go as deep as you're implying and I truly hope you and Mac get back to living your best lives as soon as possible.

Ariana Grande Surprises Fans During Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Takeover

I'm very sorry I hurt you and I'm sorry you feel my tweet stigmatises women for ending a toxic relationship.

That wasn't my intention at all. I think every woman is equal to a man and has the same exact right to pursue their happiness to the fullest despite the backlash they might receive, including you.

Grande recently described Miller one of my best friends and favourite people on the planet in the wake of their split.

She wrote on Instagram: I respect and adore him endlessly and am grateful to have him in my life in any form, at all times regardless of how our relationship changes or what the universe holds for each of us.S upermodel Emily Ratajkowski joined her co-stars on the red carpet for the Hollywood premiere of new crime thriller In Darkness.

The model and actress, wearing a low-cut polka dot top and bright yellow skirt, was pictured arriving for the screening alongside Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer.

They were joined on the red carpet by fellow cast member Ed Skrein and the films director Anthony Byrne for Wednesday evenings glitzy event.

Ratajkowski, who shot to fame appearing in Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines video in 2013, posed for pictures alongside her co-stars ahead of the premiere.

Emily Ratajkowski and Natalie Dormer arrive for the In Darkness film premiere in Hollywood / Rex Features

The gritty thriller follows a blind musician, Sofia, played by Dormer, who is pulled into Londons criminal underworld after hearing a murder being committed in the apparent above.Countries & Areas

Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia ZimbabweRomania is not facing fiscal sustainability risks and it's very interesting to see that from all the recommendations that our country has received, 68 percent are fulfilled, declared, Wednesday, Public Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici at Victoria Palace.

"I can say, as Finance Minister, that there are statements that are not based on arguments and secondly it's clear that they are statements that serve another purpose, not that of helping, building, trying to propose solutions, and they have the power, purpose, of destabilizing and sadly, creating short term disadvantages. I can give you an example, related to the way Romania is financing itself today, or the cost of financing. Currently, Romania is not facing fiscal sustainability risks [short term fiscal ed. n]. It's clearly said in today's document by the European Commission, and such fake news are contradicted. It's very interesting to see that from all the recommendations that Romania has had in the last years, 68 percent of them are fulfilled and perhaps those that criticize and those that handled the country's governing in 2016 should come and see, how many of the country's recommendations were either delayed, or unfulfilled, a fact that produced effects which are difficult to quantify today, in the years that followed," Teodorovici said.

He specified that Romania currently has three recommendations as a country, and in the European Commission's report it is specified that progress was made in the field of moonlighting, but also in the area of simplifying public procurement."Moreover, last week the commissioner for the internal market [Elzbieta Bienkowska - European Commissioner for internal market, industry, entrepreneurs and SMEs ed. n) clearly said that the documents sent by Romania fro the changes regarding public procurement were accepted by the EC," Eugen Teodorovici said.According to the data presented by the Finance Minister, one of the European Commission's recommendations is to include Romania in the Significant Deviations Procedure from the fiscal rule concerning the budget deficit, so that the country must take all measures in order to ensure an annual adjustment of the structural deficit of 0.8 percent, for 2018 as well as 2019.Romania has to officially reply, in writing, to the European Commission's recommendations made on Wednesday, until October 15.Former Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos said on Wednesday evening that "the piggy bank of the national budget is empty" and the European funds "do not come for the sake of propaganda or lies."

"The third PSD/ALDE [Social Democratic Party, major at rule, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, ALDE, ed.n.]government for more than 16 months has been justifying its inability to absorb European funds for the same reason - the technocrat government. The scandal and the empty words solve nothing and cannot endlessly hide the problems of the government's obvious incompetence. The piggy bank of the national budget is empty, and European funds do not come for the sake of propaganda or lies," Ciolos wrote on Facebook.

At the same time, he distributed a 100 Romania Platform release saying that Romania risks losing 1.6 billion euro for good from the financial allocation for 2014-2020."This amount will be added to the over 1.2 billion euro lost by Romania last year from the allocation for the period 2007 - 2013. The equivalent of the cost of 14 modern hospitals, with over 800 beds each, or the cost of building the Bucharest-Iasi motorway," reads the release."European Funds Minister Rovana Plumb said yesterday that Romania allegedly has an absorption rate of 16pct, given that the EU average is 18pct. Although we are at the middle of the fifth year of the current programming period, Romania has absorbed about 13pct of its financial allocation (+ 4pct pre-financing automatically paid). If we exclude the funds allocated to the National Rural Development Program through the Common Agricultural Policy, the real absorption decreases to 5.6pct, one of the lowest in Europe. Of course, Mrs Plumb puts the blame on the difficult inheritance. Since 2012, PSD / ALDE has had total control over the government and Parliament, except for the year of the technocratic government, when the absorption was the highest. Since then, three governments have passed," the statement said.According to Romania 100 Platform, "the situation is so bad" that the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu, "was obliged to send an official letter to her party colleagues, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila and ministers Lucian Sova and Rovana Plumb, whereby she declares herself "extremely concerned about the planning and implementation of the transport infrastructure projects co-financed by the Cohesion Fund and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).""The incompetence of the PSD-ALDE government, combined with the very low credibility that the current parliamentary majority has in Brussels, increases the risk for Romania to lose large sums of money, including for the next financial period 2021-2027," the release also says.Romania wants a solid transatlantic partnership, with a powerful European Union, Minister-delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu says in an interview to AGERPRES.

He maintains that the more Romanians get involved in what the presidency of the Council of the European Union means, the wider the consensus around this topic will be.

In the interview, the minister speaks of the mediator role Romania must assume in the first semester of 2019, as well as of the possibility of Romania being "a bridge" between the European Union and the United States of America."I believe that the European Union and the United States aren't in competition. They aren't in competition not only in terms of decisions made on a national level, there isn't a competition on a sentimental level between the two either," Negrescu said.Moreover, Negrescu discusses the resources allotted to the preparation of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union, the negotiations on Brexit, as well as the topic regarding Romania's accession to the Schengen area.AGERPRES: There are a few months until Romania takes over the presidency of the Council of the European Union. Concretely, which is the evolution of the human resources, what details can you give us regarding this event? What are the short-term prospects?Victor Negrescu: We have almost seven months until the takeover of the presidency of the Council of the European Union, practically one semester to complete this preparation process. Even more so, starting July we'll take over the shadow presidency of the Council of the European Union, during the Austrian presidency term, and we are prepared for this moment. What does it mean? It means a very significant number of our representatives have already been sent to Brussels, a part of them are being trained to go there in the coming period and to exert this role, in Brussels, while in Romania there have already been concluded several training sessions, precisely to increase the administrative capacity in the European Affairs area. In this context, we are obviously speaking, as we said in the past, of about 1,000 - 1,500 experts who are involved in this process. We are also talking about of a large number of recruitment contests that have been launched lately, including here, at the Foreign Ministry. We are in full swing with the recruitment process, exactly to bring high-quality human resource to our teams. We are positive that we currently have everything that means mechanisms and organisation effort that is initiated and already well organised to manage this presidency, seven months from now.AGERPRES: How many persons are you talking about so far? You were saying that part of the ministry personnel is already in Brussels or is about to leave there. Can we talk about dispatches?Victor Negrescu: Our representatives in Brussels come from the relevant ministries. The Finance Ministry, for instance, to manage the portfolios and activities corresponding to the area it manages is sending representatives to the representation. These persons are trained within the Finance Ministry and the Foreign Ministry, before going to their job at our representation to the European institutions. We are talking about approximately 100 persons who will go and supplement our team in Brussels, making out of our representation one of the most important representations to the European institutions in the history of presidencies of the Council of the European Union, because we wanted to have a high administrative capacity. Great part of the decisions are made in real time in Brussels, when the working groups are managed, and we wished to have, indeed, a consistent presence. However, with this consistent presence it doesn't mean that we, here in the Capital, don't manage things in real time. In this respect, we developed a series of technical and informational mechanisms, which allow us to be in permanent and direct contact with our representatives who will manage the working groups, to assist, guide and help them when they encounter difficulties or when they need our ideas and our advice to fulfill their activities which they are going to carry out during the presidency.AGERPRES: At some point, you have spoken of the lack of experts on European Affairs in Romania, as they worked when our country joined the EU and now they are probably retired. How do you see the quality of experts from the perspective of the recruitments that are taking place or have recently taken place?Victor Negrescu: There is high-quality human resource in Romania. Indeed, we notice the need to train them, to give them a series of practical skills, which, unfortunately, some of them don't have. That is why, in our training programmes we have experts from the Council of the European Union, experts of the European Commission, experts who have conducted activities during other presidencies who come to guide and give the necessary information for the proper management of Romania's presidency of the Council of the European Union. These training sessions, being extremely practical, extremely pragmatic, extremely concrete, help them improve what they will do in the future, be prepared for this moment and understand all the details, because, in the end, we will exert this role of impartial mediator. We will have to facilitate consensus regarding making decisions on a European level, actually persuade the member states to reach a compromise in what our common vision means. To do this, we need our experts to understand the meaning of procedures, negotiations, different visions among the member states, to truly understand all these mechanisms, as well as elements concerning culture, identity, but also different visions that might exist on a European level. We hope these training sessions, and I am positive this is happening, allow those less experienced to be capable to manage this presidency well, at the highest quality and standard levels.AGERPRES: Romania will be a mediator, in 2019, in a unique situation in the history of the European Union - Brexit. You talked, in the EU, about the observance of the rights of the EU citizens, but not depending the social status. Practically, the rights of all EU citizens must be respected in the negotiations for Brexit, regardless of the status. What is the evolution of the negotiations from this point of view?Victor Negrescu: Firstly, we wanted, during these negotiations on the UK leaving the European Union, to manage to reach an agreement. To us it is very important, indeed, that this exit process be done of an orderly, coordinated manner and in full agreement with the vision of the European Union and the British side, as well, aimed at providing at the end of the negotiations as wide as possible rights to the European citizens living in the UK and offering collaboration mechanisms in the commercial and economic areas as consistent as possible and to the benefit of all parties. At present, indeed, we have discussed a series of interest aspects for Romania and in particular regarding the rights of the European citizens, the rights of the Romanian citizens living in the UK. At this stage of the negotiations we see that for the Romanians who are already living in the UK, as well as for those who will go to the UK before the actual exit of the UK from the European Union, their rights, the rights of these citizens, are at least guaranteed through this form of the Withdrawal Agreement. But, in order to be fully secured we must reach a final agreement. Furthermore, we are discussing the future status of the European citizens. At this point, we have been very firm, stating we would want that the European citizens benefit from a protection form that is similar to that offered to European citizens who are already in the UK, so that we don't have additional barriers and make sure that in the end those who are part of the vulnerable groups are protected of a proper manner by the UK law-maker. And we haven't lost time in vain. During the talks with the British partners - direct discussions, on the sidelines of the Council meetings, as well as discussions with the British side representatives here, in Romania - we specified that we very carefully monitor the manner in which these persons will be treated in the process of acquiring the "settled statues," that of having a residence in the UK. Even more so, we offered the endorsement and support for our representatives - specialised in the domestic affairs area or right to labour or consular affairs - to assist them, to accompany them to get this status. Therefore, we are very present there and this autumn we'll go again to the UK to discuss these aspects and to make sure that the administrative procedures are understood and, especially, easy to cover by any European citizen living in the UK.AGERPRES: You were talking about the fact that the UK could use its advantage regarding Defence to negotiate various Brexit aspects. Are there any developments in this sense?Victor Negrescu: The UK currently represents an important supplier of security on a European level and this status is acknowledged by all member states and, especially, by the countries in Eastern Europe. This status doesn't disappear through Brexit. We still have a collaboration within NATO and very many mechanisms of collaboration on a bilateral level, as we even have a strategic partnership with the UK. I am positive that this effort of the British side of continuing to be a security supplier will not disappear after Brexit and it will be kept. We even want it to continue to have collaboration mechanisms in the defence and security area with the British partners, as much as the UK wants this. I am referring here to a partnership between the European Union and the UK partners. As far as I have noticed, there currently are the premises for such common ideas, some common stands and some common projects in regard to the security and defence area. The discussions are still going on. Obviously, this agreement has very many components. I am referring here to the economic components. We believe that each topic, each area represents a negotiation point, but it must be dealt with separately. Namely, today we are discussing security, then we discuss the single market, and we go further to the mechanisms that will allow us a broad interaction. So we aren't talking about different elements, but of a complementarity with very many particular elements for each area that is undergoing a negotiation process.AGERPRES: Doesn't Romania have more challenges from this point of view, the negotiation in the defence context? Two percent of the GDP has already been earmarked for military acquisitions, and Romania has a role on the acquisition market in this area.Victor Negrescu: I would not present it this way. Romania has assumed the responsibility of investing in national defence, but, in fact, [this is] the common defence policy inside NATO. By doing this, Romania becomes what was somewhat acknowledged on a European level - a regional security supplier. This process of improving our military capacities is not related to other aspects. The common defence policy is certainly discussed on a European level. Romania is strongly involved in this process and truly wants that the resources invested on a national level benefit, why not, from funds from the European Union, which, as you have seen, allots funds for a common defence policy and increases these allotments in the perspective of the future European budget. So, to do these things, besides the actual investment, we need national capacity, we need, in this respect, the national companies in the defence are to prosper and develop, we need new companies and new institutes of research to develop. I am convinced that those managing these things, my colleagues, and particularly the defence minister, are making significant efforts to ensure this capacity of Romania to be present in the common defence policy.AGERPRES: You have spoken of Romania as regional security supplier and from this perspective you have repeatedly talked about our country's right to access the Schengen area. What are the developments on this topic? Is there a plausible target as well, especially during the mandate of the Romanian presidency of the EU Council ?Victor Negrescu: In the first place, in this capacity of regional security supplier, Romania comes with an added value to everything that means the construction of the European Union and NATO. Romania is profiled as a credible partner for both institutions and, why not, a connecting bridge between two organisations that have many things in common, and, why not, maybe even a connecting bridge between the European Union, which we are part of and we are proud of this, and our strategic partner, the US. Starting from these premises, we believe that all these efforts, from a military point of view, from a security point of view, from the point of view of the foreign policy, are meant to guarantee this status which, as I told you, is evoked by our partners. It isn't a status we arrogate, it is the result of some efforts made for very many years and of a consensus, I might say, on a national level on what this medium and long-term vision of Romania means. Starting from these premises, Romania obviously wants to feel like a full-fledged partner in these organisations. In regards to NATO, our position has consolidated lately, in regards to the European Union, this is what we are doing. At least, over the past year, we intensified our presence in what the European process means, influencing important decisions, in the sense of our common interest. To be able to be here, in the European Union, as a partner with full rights, the affiliation to Schengen is definitely a priority. This effort to join Schengen isn't the effort of a single minister, it is a collective effort. And it should indeed be, and I am sure it is treated as such (...) be them representatives of the government, representatives of the Presidential Administration, Parliament representatives or civil society representatives - we should all support this process of our country joining the Schengen Area of a coherent and substantial manner. What does it mean? Evoking the fact that Romania has very well secured borders, that Romania is an example in respect to this public safety and citizen safety element, also evoked as a central pillar of our future presidency, mentioning the fact that our country has been among the first states to have introduced European regulations - the passenger transport register on a European level, which is an extraordinary thing, Romania is an example, other more developed states haven't been capable in the end to fully implement it, Romania has an advance in front of the European states - , starting from these premises we have continued dialogue with our European partners. Mrs Prime Minister, in each discussion carried out with our partners, has evoked this desideratum of Romania - that of joining the Schengen area. I have done it, in my turn, even on the occasion of the most recent trilateral meeting in the European Affairs ministers' format, Romania, France and Germany, which took place in Berlin. I evoked this need, for our country to access the Schengen area, as part of this desideratum of ours, of being a member with full rights. At present, the two-staged accession is being studied and the option has been mentioned. We notice from the side of some European partners that there is not reticence, there is a desire of legally checking if this is possible. In the coming weeks and months we expect a first result of this consultation process and as soon as we have it we shall probably be able to think this further, to intensify this effort of communication with our European partners. More than that, Romania has been a constructive factor of generating consensus in regards to the reform of the Schengen area. The Bulgarian presidency has managed this reform of a coherent and proactive manner, with our support. We wanted to conclude the negotiations during the Bulgarian presidency, it seems they will be extended. We hope to conclude this process as soon as possible, during the Austrian presidency, so that this element, which has represented a condition lately, be also finalised, and, we hope, the last barriers to our accession to Schengen disappear.AGERPRES: Romania, together with Hungary and the Czech Republic, has recently blocked the European Commission's intention to make a statement on the status of Jerusalem. Of course, this regards the Foreign Minister's mandate, but you, in Brussels, have to deal with the results of this discussion. How is this thing perceived in Brussels?Victor Negrescu: In the first place, as you have said, my colleague, Mr Minister Melescanu is in charge of the decisions related to foreign policy. There is a collaboration between MAE [the Foreign Affairs Ministry] and the European Union's External Action Service and a discussion which they are carrying with all the European partners when it comes to making a decision. I believe it's best that he and my colleagues evoke this thing. However, as a general rule, there are states that can have different positions. Romania has explained its position and, obviously, it is something that happens now and then when decisions are made on a European level. Decisions have been made in the past which Romania maybe didn't completely agree with or there have been states that opposed decisions proposed by Romania. Therefore, in this context, I believe Minister Melescanu can explain in more detail.AGERPRES: You were saying earlier, during the interview, that Romania might be a bridge between the European Union and our strategic partner, the United States of America. In the light of this situation, regarding the status of Jerusalem, which is going on, if asked in Brussels if Romania was pro-European or pro-US, what would be your answer?Victor Negrescu: Romania isn't in the position to choose. And I believe the European Union and the United States aren't in a competition. They aren't in competition not only in terms of the decisions made on a national level, there isn't a competition on a sentimental level between the two either. I am saying these things because, worldwide, the number of truly democratic states, sharing our common values, is a limited one. We believe we, these states with these democratic values, should work together even more in the coming period to make sure our values and the elements we are keen on - such as the human rights and everything related to the democratic principles - become once more, we can say, positive examples for the rest of the world. Therefore, in this context we want a solid transatlantic partnership, with a powerful European Union, proud of what it is, with a close connection, that has been going on for centuries, with the US, with Canada, to go in the same direction together. But, obviously, when there is such a close friendship, different visions might occur. The important thing is that at the end of the day we all stay together and keep the communication mechanisms. Today there are these communication mechanisms, even if sometimes there can be different visions.AGERPRES: During the Romanian presidency of the EU Council the trends of the EU enlargement in the Western Balkans will also be discussed. There has been a summit on this topic. What is Romania's position? Romania will be a mediator, but, at the same time, it doesn't recognise Kosovo - the main topic in respect to the EU enlargement towards the Western Balkans.Victor Negrescu: I would ask here, certainly, each Romanian if our national position is not to recognise Kosovo, what do the Romanians think. And here we'll notice, as the opinion polls show, that this national vision is shared by Romanians. As such, in this context, we, as promoters of Romania's foreign policy or European policy, must do what is found in Romanians' vision. Now, starting from these premises... Romania's president participated in the summit where Kosovo also participated, there has been a decision in this sense. But I believe we are talking about the Western Balkans in general and we are especially talking about the countries with an immediate accession prospect. I am referring here to Serbia and Montenegro which have made important steps, I am referring to Macedonia, which has conducted some significant reforms recently. So we are talking about these things. Speaking of the Western Balkans we can and must also speak increasingly more of the Eastern Partnership, which will celebrate 10 years since establishment as a collaboration and cooperation format next year. Evoking the Eastern Partnership, we will inevitably speak of the Republic of Moldova and the relation between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova. These regional experiences of ours and this capacity of interacting very well, peacefully and constructively with all the states in the region provide us with this possibility of playing the role of mediator, consensus generator. Generating consensus means to us the participation of all member states. In this sense, we notices that in the latest summit Spain only participated in the informal events and parts of the meeting, they didn't participate in the actual summit, on a prime minister level. In this context, precisely this regional experience of ours will allow us, in the future, we hope, to have all the member states gathered around the same table to make decisions in the common interest of European citizens.AGERPRES: The year 2019, when Romania takes over the presidency of the Council of the European Union, is also an electoral year - on a domestic and external level. There are elections to the European Parliament as well as presidential elections. How plausible is there a balanced environment for the Council presidency?Victor Negrescu: I believe it is up to the political players to decide this, in which manner it can be understood that this presidency represents a highly technical exercise and a responsibility that goes to each member state. Romania has this possibility and this opportunity, that of holding the presidency in the beginning of 2019. We must prove we are capable to manage this presidency with very much professionalism, with very much attention, being impartial mediators, concluding the pending files on the European agenda, preparing the European elections properly, organising a summit on Europe's future and, mostly, being capable, why not, to think those policies, together with our European partners, that bring welfare in the daily life of citizens, as the format we established on our presidency's identity says. So far, in the European Affairs area, we have managed to create a constructive climate. For instance, a few days ago, I was in Romania's Parliament, in front of the three committees in charge of the presidency area - the Special Committee on the Preparation of the Parliamentary Dimension of the Presidency and the two Foreign Affairs committees of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. On this occasion, I presented our interest topics and our vision for our future presidency and we found that everything we have done over the past year - the public consultations, the dialogue with the political parties, the dialogues with the social players, nationwide events have brought up the sought result. The attending formations, all from the parliamentary arch, have unequivocally supported the importance of this presidency and have admitted that our topics have taken over all points of view. Therefore, there is a broad consensus on the interest topics, a consensus illustrating once more that in the European Affairs area we can work together, through a sustained dialogue and an effort we have made over the past 12 months, that of listening to each one, explaining when certain points can raise some reservations and, especially, being very constructive and very focused on the role we'll be holding next year.AGERPRES: The Sibiu summit, the post-Brexit summit, will take place towards the end of the Romanian presidency, to decide how the European Union without the UK will look like. Can you give us some details on the event?Victor Negrescu: Firstly, I would rectify how it's called. I would call it the summit on the future of Europe, the future of the European Union, our common future. This summit is profiled as a positive, constructive event for our common agenda on a European level. And, we hope, that together with our European partners, who proved very much responsibility, we construct a declaration that will remain in the coming years in the European discussions as a landmark of consensual construction of this common future. Romania's government is in charge of organising all these meetings. For this summit, Romania and Romania's government have made and are making significant efforts. We have currently set almost all organisation aspects. I am referring here to the venue of the actual meeting, to the press presence, to other logistics details, some of which can be public today and others not. We have already been working for a few months with the local and county authorities and the prefecture. Everyone is involved in this process, because we want the summit to be a successful one for Romania and this is what we'll seek to do in this preparation process.AGERPRES: One of Romania's challenges as mediator within the Council presidency is the establishment of the multiannual budget, which will be established in the Brexit context. How do you manage this challenge?Victor Negrescu: In the first place, Romania has prepared for this moment of the discussions on the future European budget. We have initiated the working groups on a technical level. We have a coordination mechanism on an institutional level, chaired by Mrs prime minister, we have carried out talks with Romania's Parliament representatives, with representatives of the Presidential Administration, to make sure that when we go to Brussels we speak of the same manner and present ourselves with a common vision, a vision that must take into account both our national interests and the future role of mediator which we shall exert during the presidency. If we are to refer to the national aspect, Romania truly supports, very clearly, very precisely a significant allotment to traditional policies. I am referring here to the cohesion policy and the common agricultural policy, which, in our opinion, generates added vale for all European citizens. One euro invested in cohesion generates 2.73 euro in our common economy. Any resource earmarked for a young farmer generates acquisitions in agricultural technology, which is produced in the entire European space. Consequently, this added values exists, it is very important and must be detailed as much as possible. However, we admit there are also common challenges we must respond to, including in terms of budget. I am referring here to the common defence policy, to the digitisation of Europe, to training European citizens and Romanian citizens, in particular, challenges that must really be equipped with the proper budget resources. That is why, Romania, as much as the allotment for the cohesion and common agricultural projects is still a significant one, has declared its availability to contribute more, as almost all member states have done, and has sought together with the partner states to also identify own resources that could add to the budget.The vision presented by the European Commission is an interesting one because in the end we see that we are talking about a budget comparable to the current budget, so basically no resources are lost, moreover, the budget of the European Development Fund, which was separate from the common budget, has been integrated into the European budget, which, if we are talking in nominal terms, would mean that, in fact, the states aren't contributing more either, although they have committed in this regard. Therefore, we believe that now, we basically have the foundations of a very precise discussion on the future European budget. We await the sectoral proposals which the European Commission is to launch in the next period, in order to discuss very punctual and precise about each individual policy. Because, beyond the amounts, the details are also important. For instance, the simplification of the process of accessing European funds, a less burdensome co-funding for the beneficiaries. Here I have remarked several elements which, perhaps, aren't in this logic, an adequate pre-funding and other components of this kind, which, in fact, will make the European money reach the true beneficiaries, the citizens and local authorities. This is what we would like to happen in these negotiations and, as I have stated, Romania is very strongly involved in this process, both here, in the Capital and in Brussels.AGERPRES: If you were to draw up a list of priorities, what are the major things which Romania should handle first in view of taking over the Presidency of the Council?Victor Negrescu: Firstly, a consistent effort in terms of logistics implies the fulfillment of all administrative operations for preparing this moment - starting with job descriptions for each of our colleagues up to everything that means making public procurements operational and all these elements in a most transparent manner as possible. And this thing is important. A second demarche regards the promotion, both nationwide and at European level, of all of our topics of interest, because the goal is not just to present them for six months, but to make sure that they are embraced prior and subsequently by the future presidencies. A thing that we have already been doing. Romania has presented in Brussels its first contribution for the common programme of our trio, together with Finland and Croatia, it will come up this summer with a final version and we have noticed that there is much availability on behalf of the Secretariat General of the Council in respect to the topics that we have advanced in this logic. Therefore, we are active. In the second part we want to be more present in Brussels, but in order to do these things we have a third extremely important element - informing the citizen, meaning explaining Romanians what this presidency means, what our role at European level means, what are our objectives - and we are organising debates around the country. And the fact that on 9 May, on Europe's Day, we have launched consultations with the citizens and the manner in which they have been organised truly reveals a new dynamics of consultations. We won't come before the citizens just to present them who we are and what we want to do at a European level, but we will seek to consult them. On the occasion of the citizen consultations we have gathered many interesting ideas and we have closely listened to the Romanians who were present, especially the young people who attended these debates. They evoked a series of extremely important topics regarding the future of Europe - they underscored the importance of safety, of rights and freedoms at European level, and yet again, they identified the European budget as an extremely important file during our presidency, thus, the matters which, ultimately, will define our action at European level. We need Romanians to participate in this process, the Romanians around the country, as well as those from the Diaspora, in order to give it a bigger dynamic and make this presidency a successful one.AGERPRES: The unity of our people has always been a topic brought in discussion. In these citizen consultations have you noticed that Romanians are, somehow, united around a topic or the discourse is disparate?Victor Negrescu: I noticed that there is a consensus at the Romanian society level over some important topics and this thing has been transposed in our topics of interest, whether we are talking about the economic and social part, through the Europe of convergence, whether we are talking about security, through Europe's security transposed as the second pillar in our topics of interest, or whether we are talking about the design of Europe on a global scale or whether we are talking about our shared values. All these elements have been picked up from these debates and discussions that have been carried out with Romanians. At the level of society, there is a wide consensus over what interests us and, obviously, a wide consensus around the central elements - the citizens should be the direct beneficiary of our common construction at European level, the European policies should be found in everyday life, in a positive sense of every citizen and, above all, a consensus in terms of the need for cohesion at the level of the community bloc. That is why we believe that the more we get Romanians involved in what this presidency means, the more wide the consensus will be, and the support for our demarches will be even more wider.AGERPRES: Bulgaria will soon end its presidency of the Council. Have you talked with the Bulgarian partners and, if you have, do you remember any useful advice of their experience?Victor Negrescu: Firstly, ever since the beginning of the Bulgarian presidency we have a partnership, because we wanted to work together. We are two countries of Eastern Europe with common ideas, values and goals. In this regard, we have appreciated Bulgaria's efforts to organise this presidency, even on the occasion of the Summit (in Sofia - e.n) some of our colleagues went there and participated, alongside them, in the organisation of this summit - and I really need to thank them for the availability that they have proved. Moreover, we, as a country, have been extremely vocal regarding the common topics of interest. I am convinced that our Bulgarian partners will be just as vocal during the period of our presidency on the topics, as I have stated, which represent a common point in what our standpoints mean. Starting from this premises, I have remarked that the logistic details matter a lot and I have noticed, with some surprise, and, at the same time I hope that it does not happen in our case, the attention or the predisposition to criticize before actually taking part, which we could say that it is unfortunately a bit specific at the regional level. I hope we avoid these situations. This is why, for instance, we created a competition for the logo, in which we involved hundreds of youngsters and over 10,000 people voted, they put out a tender. For defining the motto, we involved the Romanian Academy. They got a number of experts involved and finally chose a motto which is written on the national Parliament building. We tried to develop a more participatory manner in defining every aspect of our presidency so that in the end, whatever happens, the Romanians feel they have been involved in this process.AGERPRES: What is the motto?Victor Negrescu: Cohesion, a common European value.President Klaus Iohannis said Thursday, in Pitesti (North-West of Bucharest) that the Executive needs to make all efforts in order to bring foreign companies to Romania.

"Government authorities need to understand once and for all that foreign investors must not be regarded with adversity, but on the contrary. The Executive should make all efforts in order to bring new high-performing foreign companies in Romania, especially in sectors where we have remarkable competitive advantage and we have enough sectors of this sort," said the head of state, in Pitesti, while at the debate titled "The automotive industry, the engine of economic development. Competitiveness growth factors."

Before taking part in the debate, the president visited an auto parts exhibition.The debate, organised by the Association of Automotive Constructors of Romania, was attended by representatives of the most important companies in the Romanian industry.The development of the infrastructure is the most secure way to enhance the convergence of the country's regions, however, infrastructure has only been a lip service priority in the government programmes, on Thursday said president Klaus Iohannis, on a working visit in the Arges County.

"I welcome you, the most important actors with the automotive industry in Romania, to focus on the Romanian IT sector and in general on the creative industries' potential, those which might place themselves at the innovation's forefront. And yet, in order to efficiently capitalise on the future's industries' technological and innovative opportunities, firstly we should offer credible solutions, with immediate effect, for the standard issues of the development, such as those regarding the role of the infrastructure. (...) I'm perfectly aware that the infrastructure's progress is the most certain way to strengthen unity and convergence among Romania's regions, let alone that it would be an extremely important advantage to Romania. However, infrastructure has only been a lip service priority in the government programmes and I'm not talking only about the last governments," the president said at the "Automotive industry, the key to economic development. Competitiveness growth factors" debate, organised by the Association of Romanian Automobile Makers and Importers (APIA).

According to him, the motorway shortage is equally denounced by the business milieu and the citizens."The Romanians wish for a better living and resort to protests so far hard to imagine so as to draw attention upon these acute matters," the president concluded.Acquittals, legal conflicts of a constitutional nature, the cases in which the limitation period occurred or abuses are not "fake news", Justice Minister Tudorel Toader stated on Wednesday evening, in relation to the affirmations made by the Chief Prosecutor of National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA), Laura Codruta Kovesi at the United Nations.

"Numerous acquittals, especially of late, the three legal conflicts of a constitutional nature triggered in less than one year, the fact that in many cases the exoneration from criminal liability occurred and were not solved within that reasonable deadline, the buses we all see, the fact that one prosecutor or another was yesterday among the elites, praised, appreciated and today is in turn investigated for unjust repression are certainly not fake news. If we want to be honest, we must present the good and the bad that characterise the Romanian justice system, the good things and the bad things which characterise DNA. We should see whether in a rule of law the principle, the requirement, the public welfare which result from the rule of law allow for X well solved cases to tolerate numerous acquittals, abuses and all the rest. I don't think so, as far as I am concerned," Toader said at private TV broadcaster Romania TV.

Chief Prosecutor of DNA Laura Codruta Kovesi stated on Wednesday, in a speech held at the seat of the United Nationa in New York that the entire justice system in Romania has been confronted with "attacks through fake news.""There have been repeated attempts to amend the anti-corruption legislation so as to limit the legal instruments used by the anti-corruption prosecutors or the decriminalisation of certain deeds. There have been situations in which the waver of the immunity of politicians accused of corruption deeds was turned down. Besides these attempts, the entire justice system was confronted with attacks through fake news or through public statements meant to weaken the trust in justice. Romania's greatest challenge is keeping the judges' and prosecutors' independence and legislative stability, these being vital for the anti-corruption prosecutors to be efficient," Kovesi said in the speech held at a debate marking 15 years since the adoption of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), according to a DNA press release.In the first five months of 2018 the National Fund for SME Loans (FNGCIMM) has issued approximately 9,400 guarantees and guarantee promises for this year's First Home Program, and another 700 applications for guarantee are under consideration.

The 1.92 bln lei earmarked for the program early this year have been used to an extent of 49.61 percent, or 954.39 million lei, FNGCIMM said in a Thursday release.

Compared to 2017, the average guarantee offered for first-time home loans increased 7 percent from 94,000 lei to 101,200 lei, and new homes purchased under the program account for 60 percent."Launched in 2009, the First Home Program can be considered among the most successful government initiatives, with a visible positive impact represented by the improvement of youth living standards - as almost 70 percent of the program beneficiaries are aged 25 to 35, and 12 percent are less than 25 of age - and the support of economic development. For almost ten years now, every day 65 young people or families have moved into their first home. The state guarantee provides security and predictability for the personal budget, so that after having taken the first step towards the acquisition of a home, I invite them to be confident and also let their entrepreneurial spirit show. They can have us at their side right from the moment they set the foundation for a company, with tailored guarantee products and simplified and transparent operational flows," said FNGCIMM general manager Alexandru Petrescu.The 2018 First Home Program unfolds via 15 financing banks - Bancpost, BCR, BRD, CEC Bank, Credit Agricole Bank Romania, Garanti Bank, ING Bank, Leumi Bank Romania, Marfin Bank, OTP Bank, Piraeus Bank, Raifeissen Bank, Banca Romaneasca, Banca Transilvania, Unicredit Bank.Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said on Thursday that 288.02 million euros have entered Romania's coffers as reimbursements of payments related to the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

She added that Romania reached 17pct in the absorption of European funds, approaching the European average of 18pct.

"There is more good news: on May 22, 2018, 288.02 million euros were payed into the national accounts of Romania, representing the reimbursement of payments related to the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. This amount is added to the amount of 1.85 billion euros so far received for agriculture. That was possible by granting subsidies on time - and I want to congratulate [agriculture] Minister Daea - and also by a careful follow-up of rural development projects," said Dancila at the beginning of a government meeting .She pointed out that "from the beginning of 2018 Romania has received 2.14 billion euros, representing 67pct of the amount scheduled to be accessed from the EU by Romania's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development."Speaking of European funds, I want to reiterate what Minister Rovana Plumb said last night that Romania has reached 17pct in the absorption of European funds, so we are approaching fast the European average of 18pct," added Dancila.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) has confirmed the death of a Romanian citizen in railway accident that took place on Wednesday night in Italy.

A mobile consular team from the Consulate General of Romania in Turin went to the medical facility where the victims of the railway accident were transported, according to information from MAE.

An investigation into the circumstances of the accident is underway.MAE, through the Consulate General of Romania in Turin, is monitoring the situation as a priority and maintaining contact with the local authorities and the victim's family, being ready to provide consular assistance within the limits of their competencies, including by facilitating the procedures necessary to repatriate the dead body and issuing the death certificate, according to MAE.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the affected Romanian citizens may request consular assistance by calling the Consulate General of Romania in Turin: + 39-011-249-5775; + 39-011-249-5264; + 39-011-249-5064; + 39-011-235-9053; the calls are redirected to the Centre for Contact and Support of Romanian Citizens Abroad (CCSCRS) and taken over by call centre operators 24/7, to the emergecny number of the consular office: + 39-338-756-8134.Two people died and several more were injured following the derailment of a train that took place on Wednesday night in northern Italy, not far from Turin. According to La Repubblica and Torino Today, one of the two victims is a Romanian national residing in Busto Arsizio. According to daily La Repubblica, the Romanian man would have been seriously injured and died immediately after being rushed to a hospital in Turin.The second person who died is the train conductor.The train ran off the rails after hitting a heavy truck that stopped shortly before the train passed; three wagons jumped off the rails on impact, according to television video footage.Gina Haspel has now been confirmed as the new Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) by a Senate vote of 54 to 45. She had previously been approved by the Senate Intelligence Committee by 10 votes to 5, with six Democrats joining all but three of the committees Republicans. Haspel seems fully qualified in terms of her experience to do the job, though it is admittedly difficult to make that judgement because her full professional biography has not been revealed by CIA. Claims by supporters seeking to enhance her record that she was under cover for 32 years are meaningless as many officers who serve at Agency Headquarters in Langley have that status.

Accurate information on Haspel is hard to come by. Access to a top secret memo reportedly prepared by Committee Democrats concerning her possibly illegal activities has been restricted even among Senators. Nevertheless, as the first woman to become head of the Agency one might reasonably say that Haspel has certainly broken through several glass ceilings to obtain her new position.

During the Senate Intelligence Committee hearings Haspel vowed that, if approved, she would never again permit torture to be employed by the Agency. It was, of course, a necessary though empty gesture in that it appears quite clear that she did not demur at torture being used in the past. Intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden expressed his opinion with a tweet when news of the confirmation became public, writing that Gina Haspel participated in a torture program that involved beating an innocent pregnant womans stomach, anally raping a man with meals he tried to refuse, and freezing a shackled prisoner until he died. She personally wrote the order to destroy 92 tapes of CIA torture.

Haspel did indeed do all that and possibly more, but my objection to her is somewhat different. To be sure, torture should never have been employed by any federal government agency, but the confirmation of Haspel sends the clear message that there is no accountability for anyone who is at or near the top of the bureaucracy. Haspels willing participation in running a black site prison where torture was carried out was illegal then just as it is illegal now, no matter what some slimy government lawyer whose job depended on pleasing his boss the president might have said. Gina Haspel could have turned the assignment down if she was bothered by what was going, but ambition drove her to accept the position and all it entails, making her current disavowing of torture a bit hard to accept.

The approval of Haspel by the Senate suggests that there is no crime that a government official cannot get away with if it is justified under the aegis of the war on terror. On that basis alone, Haspel should have been rejected, but instead she has been rewarded by a government that generally prefers to look the other way. Ginas success at avoiding any consequences for her action is reminiscent of the slap on the wrist received by former CIA Director David Petraeus, who revealed highly classified information to his lover/biographer Paula Broadwell.

All of which is not to suggest that government officials never get punished. Lower level officials are fair game when the criminal justice system is seeking to demonstrate that no one is above the law. Former CIA officer John Kiriakou was sentenced to prison after he revealed that torture in secret Agency prisons was taking place. Another CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling was imprisoned for allegedly revealing classified information to journalist James Risen. The government could not even prove that he had done so, but he was convicted anyway because it had to be him.

If it now a matter of public record that running a torture prison is a good career move, supported by both parties in Congress. And it is also interesting to note how fiercely the CIA fought to keep from having to reveal details of Haspels career or even the records of the torture prison. It is unlikely that reports relating to events that took place sixteen years ago could continue to be classified because they would reveal intelligence sources and methods. Rather, they remain top secret because they are potentially embarrassing to the participants, to those who directed and approved the activity and to the organizations involved. In that light, the Haspel confirmations acceptance of zero accountability is a perfect example of precisely what is wrong with the United States government.Caitlin JOHNSTONE

On the fourth of March, in the sleepy British cathedral town of Salisbury, an ex-spy named Sergei Skripal was poisoned by an assassin with the most deadly nerve agent known to man.

The Russian government was immediately blamed by a shocked and outraged world. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson assured the people of Great Britain that Theres no doubt that Moscow was responsible. In a large and sudden leap forward in cold war escalations, Russian diplomats were thrown out of countries all around the globe, including my own Australia, in a show of solidarity with the United Kingdom. It was the largest collective ejection of Russian diplomats in history.

Two months after his earth-shattering assassination, as the world stared spellbound at the weekends immensely popular PR spectacle of a royal wedding, Sergei Skripal was quietly discharged from the hospital hed been staying at. The BBC reports that he is walking and approaching complete recovery.

Wait a second. Havent I seen this Python skit before?

So to recap, an ex-spy who had been retired and strategically irrelevant for years was reportedly poisoned by the Kremlin with Novichok, a scary Russian-sounding word which refers to a group of extremely deadly and fast-acting nerve agents that start shutting down the bodys muscles and respiratory system within 30 seconds to two minutes. Except in the case of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia it was several hours with a leisurely stroll, a meal, and beers in between.

The poison was placed in Yulia Skripals suitcase. Actually no, they got that wrong, it was the air vents in their car. Wait, no, that doesnt work either. Maybe it was administered via weaponized miniature drone! Wait, no, it wasthe familys car door handle. Actually, scratch that, it was the front door of the house. Definitely the front door of the house. Were absolutely sure. Either that or Sergei Skripals favorite Russian cereal. They were given 100 grams of Novichok. Wait, no, thats ridiculous, we retract that. Okay, maybe we have no idea what happened. Oh hey, their pets were completely unaffected by the poison. Lets incinerate them.

Oh, and Johnsons claim that the Porton Down laboratory had assured him Theres no doubt that Russia was behind the poisoning? Turns out that was just a bald-faced lie; Porton Down said no such thing and it was never its job to make such an assessment. Johnson lied, and both the Foreign Office and British mainstream media attempted to cover it up; tweets were deleted, transcripts were re-written, and narratives were given a good spin of historic revisionism by asserting that the UK governments unequivocal insistence that the Kremlin poisoned the Skripals had been merely a suggestion.

And now both Sergei and Yulia Skripal, alleged victims of a poisoning by highly trained assassins using the deadliest nerve agent ever created, are doing fine. But youre still supposed to fear and hate Russia. Just dont think too hard about it or remember too much.

Remember Aleppo? I wouldnt blame you if you didnt; corporate media outlets hardly ever talk about it anymore. Its almost like they want us to forget the horror stories they told us about how the city that had been occupied by good, noble freedom fighters was about to be taken by an army of depraved psychopaths who wanted to rape women, burn children alive, and shoot civilians in their homes. Back at the tail end of 2016, though, it was all you ever heard about. The fall of Aleppo, they called it. If the west didnt intervene to stop Damascus and Moscow from retaking East Aleppo from the good-hearted rebels, everyone there would be raped, tortured, and butchered by the soulless army of the Syrian government.

Well, Moscow and Damascus did recapture East Aleppo, and it turns out that everything we were told about it was a lie. The atrocities the Syrian Arab Army were accused of intending to commit proved to be completely unfounded, those freedom fighters were predominantly cruel Al Qaeda affiliates, and the city is now thriving and bustling with busy marketplaces. But after all the constant apocalyptic alarmism, the mass media outlets whod been warning of all the horrific crimes against humanity which would surely be committed after the fall of Aleppo forgot all about the city once they were proven completely wrong about everything.

Aleppo was pushed down the memory hole. Its a non-thing now. Turns out Gary Johnson was ahead of the curve.

How about Libya? Remember Libya? Libyas that country that got pushed down the memory hole the second the western empire got the regime change it was after. Before Muammar Gaddafi was mutilated in the streets to the sadistic cackles of Hillary Clinton, we were all told with increasing urgency that humanitarian interventionism was needed because Gaddafis troops are doing evil things like taking Viagra to help them commit mass rapes against Libyan civilians. Now Gaddafi is dead, we know that both thecase for humanitarian interventionism and the Viagra-for-rape stories were lies, and Libya is a humanitarian disaster with an open slave trade after western interventionism created a failed state.

Where are all those cries for humanitarian interventionism in Libya now? Now that the nation is infinitely worse off than it was under Gaddafi?

Doesnt matter. Memory hole.

Time and time again, were fed these deceitful narratives to manufacture support for the agendas of the western war machine, and when the truth begins to surface that we were lied to once again, the news churn moves on and were distracted with something else as the old narrative is shuffled back beyond the reach of memory. Maybe a year or two later we wonder to ourselves I wonder what ever happened with that major news story? I should google it, but nothing comes up and most of us shrug and move on.

And now a very suspicious and possibly Christopher Steele-related silence has descended on the matter of the Skripals, to the point where Sergei himself can walk out of the hospital and barely cause a blip in the news, and nobody can talk to either of them but everyone pretends thats perfectly normal. This case which points very clearly to a mountain of lies and cover-ups by the British government and its affiliates is now being shuffled out of the news cycle and replaced with vapid nonsense about Meghans dress and Trumps latest obnoxious tweet.

But we wont let them forget. We wont let the world forget that these steadily increasing imperialist escalations against Russia and its allies were given a hefty bump by lies about what happened in Salisbury. There are plenty of people on alternative media like me who will keep pointing at that big dark hole of unanswered questions and yelling Hey! What about all those lies you guys told us about the Skripals?

This one isnt going down the memory hole, guys. There are some turds that just wont flush. This ones staying around forever. Well keep reminding everyone. We wont let anyone forget.

medium.comThe Open Skies Consultative Commission in Vienna is going to consider the certification of Tu-214ON, the new Russian observation aircraft equipped with advanced digital cameras. It will replace the Tu-154M-LK-1 and AN-30B planes used for Open Skies Treaty (OST) missions. Two aircraft of this type have been built. Russian Zvezda TV channel reported the planes are going through certification tests at Kubinka air base near Moscow till May 29. Its done in accordance with agreed procedures for certifying capabilities to make sure the treaty is complied with.

The OST is a basic confidence building agreement effective since 2002. 34 parties have ratified it to conduct surveillance flights over one anothers territories to monitor military activities, including sites and forces movements.

Russia has asked and received permission to use sophisticated surveillance equipment. Itll have the state-of-the-art aircraft and modern monitoring devices to carry out open skies missions.

On May 10, the US House Armed Services Committee removed the funds for two new aircraft designed for OST flights from the draft of the 2019 fiscal year defense budget. Instead, a new version of the bill was approved to retain nearly $6 million for upgrades to the two existing OC-135B aircraft. A provision was introduced to prohibit the purchase of new aircraft until the disagreements with Russia over the treaty are overcome.

And the reason behind it? If Moscow sees that the US is not interested in the OST, it may make concessions in other spheres to preserve the agreement it needs more than Washington does. This is a good example of cutting off ones nose to spite ones face logic, which is really hard to comprehend. The US crews will have to fly obsolete planes and use outdated equipment to punish Russia for alleged violations of the treaty along with other steps that have no relation to the issue in question at all, such as extraditing Russian nationals indicted in the US for alleged meddling into the 2016 election! Is it reasonable?

OK, American lawmakers want their country to shoot itself into the foot. The USAF will have limited capability to survey Russias territory and the crews will not be safe but why should Moscow care? This is an internal US affair and Russia sticks to the policy of non-interference.

Now a few words about the alleged violations. All flights over Kaliningrad have been restricted by Moscow to the distance of 500km since 2014. Washington considers it a breach. Its understandable, the area is of special interest for US military intelligence as Russias most sophisticated weapon systems are deployed there, including Iskander short range surface-to-surface missiles, S-400 air defense systems and shore based anti-ship missiles. The US says the sublimit of 500 kilometers is not enough for observing the entire region in one flight. But it meets the treatys provisions, providing for the same efficiency of observation as in other flights over Russia and contiguous countries: Poland and the Baltic States. Moscow did restrict the flights because of the problems with the use of the regions limited airspace. It has to guarantee the safety of the aircraft landing and taking off from the Kaliningrad international airport. Its not a breach.

Russia has also introduced no-fly zones in line with its national law. The OST has provisions that allow for deviations under force majeure, or an event beyond a states control. It has never been a problem until the US-Russia relations deteriorated because of Ukraine. America, Canada, Turkey and Georgia have also established restrictions  nobody has raised any objections.

The US considers the restrictions on observation flights near Russias borders with South Ossetia and Abkhazia to be a violation. But Moscow recognized the two republics as independent states. Not being parties to the OST, they are not subject to its provisions. The document says a ten-kilometer corridor along the border of another state must not be breached. Moscow does just that.

The US also says that equipping the Tu-214ON with modern infrared or radar imaging sensors violates the treaty. But the OST does not ban such systems.

Washington does not shy away from openly violating the document. Last year, Russian crews were refused to rest and refuel at Robins air base in Georgia and Ellsworth air base in South Dakota. It puts in question the safety of flights. Since 2018, curbs have been introduced on Russian aircraft flying over Hawaii and Alaska. The missions over the Aleutian Islands have been limited to make the observing aircraft remain within the external boundary of the adjacent zone extending for 24 nautical miles from the coast. This restriction not stipulated by the treaty significantly reduces flight efficiency.

The list can go on. The violations and misunderstandings could be easily solved if there was will but its not the case. There are influential politicians and military leaders in the US who would like this treaty to be scrapped along with other security accords.

America has numerous sophisticated satellites to make it without OST flights but its allies do not. The OST allows them access to the information they wouldnt otherwise have. The absence of the treaty would make them fully dependent on the US for intelligence. Washington considers curbing the OST activities a punch delivered against Russia. It does not care about other 32 nations, which are parties to the treaty. The overwhelming majority of them are Americas close allies. The US may not need the OST but Europe does. It has risen in revolt against the US recently, ready to hit back if a trade war starts, to oppose America on Iran nuclear deal and stand up to pressure to make it buy LNG coming across the ocean instead of much cheaper Russian natural gas to be delivered by the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Europe is not happy about US attempts to tear up all the remaining arms control agreements, including the INF Treaty. Hardly will any European state be willing to host Americas medium range missiles on its soil to become the first strike targets for Russias military.

All the restrictions and attempts to hinder Russias missions in accordance with the OST could trigger a chain reaction which will ultimately bury the treaty against the background of eroding arms control. The OST provides transparency and enhances security. The House Committees decision reflects a trend. One thing leads to another. After all, the OST is used for INF verification. Looks like the Congress is inclined to destroy the whole preventing an unfettered arms race.It may be a while before Iraq has a new government, which is nothing new. The May 12th elections were controversial and more than half the members of the outgoing parliament want to annul the results. They have until June 30th (when their terms expire) to do so. There is some evidence that despite (or because of) the new electronic voting system there was some vote manipulation. The current parliament may also be upset over suspected Iranian efforts to increase control over Iraq.

The real reason for the unexpected elections results is popular anger at corruption. One thing that united all Iraqi voters was anger at the persistent and crippling corruption. Moqtada al Sadr, who was the unexpected winner, had been openly and actively anti-corruption for years and that was why his victorious coalition contained so many non-Shia groups (including communists, who are anathema to Iran). Despite that many Iraqis (and foreign allies) believe Sadr is secretly allied with Iran because the Sadr family has long had ties with Iran and members of the Sadr clan often took refuge in Iran. But that was because the Sadrs were respected Shia clerics and Iran was where the best schools and scholars were. Yet the Sadrs, like most Iraqi Shia Arabs, are Arabs and Iraqis first and that has been proven time and time again. Moqtada al Sadr has seen up close and frequently how a Shia clerical dictatorship works in Iran and was not impressed. He largely kept quiet about this but it was no secret that Sadr did not want a religious dictatorship in Iraq, mainly because it would make the country even more difficult to rule.

Sadr also noted that Iranian Arabs (and Arabs in general) are despised by most Iranians. Meanwhile, Iraq will demonstrate, over the next few months (or more) why it is considered the most dysfunctional country in the Middle East. Iraqi politicians will argue and negotiate in a lengthy effort to for a governing coalition and then for that coalition to select a prime minister and all the subordinate ministers.

Sadr is often described as anti-American but he is generally anti-foreigners in general but is willing to work with other nations if it helps Iraq. Thus there was a recent visit by Sadr to Saudi Arabia to meet with Saudi leaders. The Saudis had long supported the Sunni minority rule in Iraq because it worked and helped contain Iran. With that Sunni minority government gone and not likely to return anytime soon Sadr believes the Saudis still want an Arab government in Iraq that will help keep Iran out of Arabia. Sadr and the Saudis agree on that as do the majority of Iraqis (including most Kurds and Sunni Arabs).

Iran has not given up on Sadr and still refers to him as a friend and brother. Sadr says nice things back but it is what Sadr does that counts and that wont be clear until the new government is formed. This might not happen until the end of the year.

The Wars Continue

The war against ISIL continues but most of the fighting is now taking place near the Syrian border. This is mainly happening west of Mosul and further south in Anbar Province. A growing number of ISIL men are abandoning the Syrian base areas, in part because these are under heavy attack by Kurdish forces and American airpower. But the Iraq/Syria border is also increasingly difficult to get across and has become a kill zone where ISIL personnel are the main target. Meanwhile, ISIL has had some success in establishing themselves in Kirkuk province. This may well be temporary because if Iraq and the Kurdish government in the north settle more of their differences Kurdish security forces could return to Kirkuk province and restore order (eliminate ISIL and any other terror groups). That might not happen until the end of the year or sometime in 2019 so for the moment, ISIL is making the most of their opportunities in Kirkuk.

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 is still fighting in Syria and Iraq. 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 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.

In northern Iraq Turkish warplanes and artillery continue to hit PKK targets in the Kurdish north, killing over fifty PKK members a month. There are some Turkish ground troops in northern Iraq, but these are there mainly to collect intelligence. The Turkish operations against PKK in northern Iraq are still minor compared to their Turkish operations in northwest Syria.

May 23, 2018: In the northeast (Erbil province) Turkish artillery fired from inside Turkey at suspected PKK (Turkish Kurdish separatists) camps inside Iraq. There were no Iraqi casualties but villagers could hear some of the explosions. Erbil is part of the autonomous Kurdish north and this Turkish behavior has become normal since Turkey and PKK went back to war in mid-2015.

May 22, 2018: In the north (Kirkuk province) ISIL gunmen murdered another village leader. ISIL does this to intimidate rural Iraqis into tolerating the ISIL presence and not report ISIL activities to the security forces. ISIL does not control territory in Kirkuk but it apparently has a growing number of people in rural areas intimidated.

In the northwest (outside Mosul) American and Iraqi airstrikes destroyed a complex of ISIL bunkers and tunnels that had been secretly reoccupied by at least ten local ISIL members. American and Iraqi intelligence detected the presence of this sleeper cell and bombed its base. Ground forces followed up to collect intel and dispose of any unexploded ammo and terrorist bombs. Nineveh province, which contains Mosul is still suffering from ISIL terror because the Syrian border is nearby and large groups of ISIL gunmen try to sneak across the border (going either way) and are ready to fight their way through if necessary. This part of the Syrian border is most heavily used by remaining ISIL forces, some of them based in Syria, often less than ten kilometers from the border. Iraqi troops have orders to shoot anyone who tries to cross the border illegally at night. Despite the active defense of the border ISIL continues to cross the in both directions and, until recently, tolerated the losses. Apparently most of the crossings are not detected because ISIL personnel are arrested in Mosul who report they crossed the border several times recently. U.S. supported Kurdish forces in Syria are now seeking to destroy these ISIL base areas and the border security is becoming more formidable.

May 15, 2018: The Iraqi Central Bank is adhering to American sanctions on Iraq by imposing restrictions on Iraqi banks the Americans have shown to be handling cash transfers to Hezbollah and IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps). IRGC operates in Iraq and Syria while Hezbollah is just in Syria and Lebanon.

May 12, 2018: In a surprise (but not unexpected) upset the winner of the parliamentary elections was the Sadr coalition, which won control of 17 percent of the seats in parliament. Sadr is thus able to take the lead in trying to form a coalition government. His main opponents are pro-Iran politicians and the much larger group of corrupt politicians. Moqtada al Sadr has come a long way since 2011 when as a Shia leader and senior cleric Sadr was threatening violence against any American military and police trainers who remained in Iraq once U.S. combat troops withdrew by the end of the year. Sadrs Mahdi Army was defeated by Iraqi forces in 2008 and he was forced to flee to Iran. Sadr returned just before the U.S. troops pulled out and pro-Iranian terror groups become more active. Since then Sadr has been more bluff (and bluster) than real threat, especially to the Americans.

Iran is still controlling Iraqi Shia terrorist groups and Sadr has become more of an Iraqi nationalist than Iranian puppet. By August 2017 Sadr was calling on the Iraqi government to dismantle the Iran backed Shia militias and incorporate loyal (to Iraq) members into the armed forces. The Iraqi prime minister (a Shia), wanted to dismantle these Iran backed Shia Arab militias with more care and take more time doing it. This caution was the result of the (then) upcoming May 12th elections. That vote was expected to be a very concrete example of how much political clout Iran has gained in post-ISIL Iraq. Iran has worked hard to line up political support in Iraq. That Iranian effort failed because at this point Sadr was seen as an opponent of Iranian influence efforts in Iraq. Sadr is also opposed to the Iraqi Shia groups that remained loyal to Iran. One of the things that hurt support for pro-Iran candidates was video on the Internet that purports to show millions of dollars in cash seized at the Iranian border. The money was meant for pro-Iran Iraqis running in the parliamentary elections. Finally, Sadr himself did not run for office and instead served as the administrator, and chaplain, for his coalition.

May 11, 2018: Iraqi officials released details of the recent capture of five senior ISIL leaders (four of them Iraqis), including one who works directly with supreme leader Baghdadi. Also captured was data on ISIL bank accounts, including passwords. The capture was made possible by cooperation between Iraq and SDF (Kurdish led rebels in northeast Syria). Also involved was a sting operation using the favorite ISIL communications app; Telegram.

May 7, 2018: Jordan has agreed to continue the close cooperation with Iraq on border security and the war against ISIL. This cooperation has made Jordan off-limits (for the most part) to ISIL and forced ISIL to rely on Syria alone because the Saudi border was also well protected.

May 6, 2018: Iraqi warplanes carried out more airstrikes against ISIL targets on the Syrian side of the border.

May 4, 2018: One of the new members of parliament from the Kurdish north was a member of PKK. This was a first and will cause some diplomatic problems between Iraq and Turkey.

May 3, 2018: In April 68 civilians and policemen died due to Islamic terrorist violence. All but four of these were civilians. The deaths are down from March when 104 died. That was up a bit from the 91 killed during February and 19 percent of the dead were police. About a third of the deaths occurred in Baghdad. Terror related civilian deaths in Iraq were higher in January (115 dead). Most (78 percent) of the January deaths occurred in Baghdad. The increased casualties are disappointing because the deaths hit a new low (69) in December 2017. With 35 percent of the deaths in Baghdad an old pattern continued. In October when 114 civilians were killed. Most (63 percent) of this violence was equally split between Baghdad (long a Sunni Islamic terrorist target) and Anbar province.

The government has still not resumed reporting casualties among the security forces (military and militias). Civilian deaths were higher (at 196) in September and declined steadily for most of 2017. During the last four months most of the civilian deaths occurred because the victims were near an unexpected suicide bomber attack. Soldiers and police usually can spot and stop suicide bombers but this often means the suicide bomber will set off his explosives before he can he shot dead or captured alive. At that point the bomber is often near civilians who became the casualties instead of the security forces. The government says the January Anbar casualty data will be released once all the data can be collected. With the decline in Islamic terror related deaths other forms of violence are now getting more, long overdue, attention. At the top of the list is tribal feuds. Tribal politics has long been a major factor in Iraqi society, especially the largely Sunni tribes of Anbar and the six major Shia tribes of Basra (the southern province).

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.TICKERS: UGE; UGEIF

Source: Streetwise Reports (5/23/18)

Pardeep Sangha, an analyst with Haywood Securities, reviewed this energy solutions company's first quarter financial results.



In a May 16, 2018 research note, Analyst Pardeep Sangha with Haywood Securities indicated that UGE International Ltd. (UGE:TSX.V; UGEIF:OTC) posted "strong results for Q1/18 with revenue beating our estimate and adjusted EBITDA in line with our expectations."

Q1/18 revenue was $6.1 million ($6.1M) an increase of 10% year over year and 46% quarter over quarter. It exceeded Haywood's estimate of $5.6M. Reported adjusted EBITDA was a loss of $0.1M, equal to Haywood's forecast and better than Q1/17's result of $0.2M. Gross margins in the quarter were 17.9%. "Growth was driven by strong performance in the U.S. and Philippines," Sangha explained.

As of March 31, 2018, UGE had $1.5M in cash and $7.4M in debt. Quarter-end net debt of $5.8M was $1M more than at year-end 2017.

In the near term, Q2/18 "should be a solid quarter," Sangha noted, supported by the Peterborough contract, a $41.2M project backlog and new jobs. Longer term, he projected revenue growth of 31% in 2018 and 36% in 2019.

Sangha concluded that UGE "is experiencing very strong growth and plans to report positive adjusted EBITDA for full-year 2018." Haywood, which expects the same, maintained its Buy recommendation and CA$0.80 per share target price on the company, whose stock is currently trading at around CA$0.37 per share.

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) Doresa Banning compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise reports as an independent contractor. She or members of her household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. She or members of her 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: None. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. As of the date of this article, an affiliate of Streetwise Reports has a consulting relationship with UGE International. Please click here for more information.

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. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of UGE International, a company mentioned in this article.

Disclosures from Haywood Securities, UGE International Ltd., Research Report, May 16, 2018

Haywood Securities, or certain of its affiliated companies, may from time to time receive a portion of commissions or other fees derived from the trading or financings conducted by other affiliated companies in the covered security. Haywood analysts are salaried employees who may receive a performance bonus that may be derived, in part, from corporate finance income.

Haywood Securities, Inc., and Haywood Securities (USA) Inc. do have officers in common however, none of those common officers affect or control the ratings given a specific issuer or which issuer will be the subject of Research coverage. In addition, the firm does maintain and enforce written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent influence on the activities of affiliated analysts.

Analyst Certification: I, Pardeep S. Sangha, hereby certify that the views expressed in this report (which includes the rating assigned to the issuers shares as well as the analytical substance and tone of the report) accurately reflect my/our personal views about the subject securities and the issuer. No part of my/our compensation was, is, or will be directly or indirectly related to the specific recommendations.

Important Disclosures

Of the companies included in the report the following Important Disclosures apply: Haywood Securities Inc. or one of its subsidiaries has managed or co-managed or participated as selling group in a public offering of securities for UGE International Ltd (UGE-T) in the last 12 months.

Other material conflict of interest of the research analyst of which the research analyst or Haywood Securities Inc. knows or has reason to know at the time of publication or at the time of public appearance: n/aTICKERS: AMM; AAU, NSU, WPM

Source: Adrian Day for Streetwise Reports (5/24/18)

Money manager Adrian Day reviews updates at three companies, including a rejected takeover bid.



Nevsun Resources Ltd. (NSU:TSX; NSU:NYSE.MKT, US$3.45) has rejected a notional C$5 joint-bid for the company from Lundin and EuroSun. Under the bid, shareholders would receive C$2 in cash; C$2 in Lundin shares; and C$1 in EuroSun shares. Lundin would get Timok (and other Serbian properties), while EuroSun would get the Bisha mine and other assets in Eritrea, plus Nevsun's cash hoard of $150 million.

Lundin clearly wants what is arguably the best undeveloped copper project in the world. It was Lundin that, in trying to buy part of Timok in 2016, set off Reservoir's right-of-first-offer which saw that company sold to Nevsun. Now it has gone public with its offer for Nevsun after Nevsun apparently rejected the offer after talks throughout this year.

Eritrea complicates issues

The fact that Lundin teamed up with EuroSun, a small Vancouver company, and is prepared to give them all of Nevsun's cash, shows how eager Lundin is for Timok. It also shows how few companies want the Eritrean assets, whether for legal, PR, or human rights concerns. (Technically, the bid for Nevsun comes from EuroSun, but clearly it is Lundin that is leading the charge.)

Nevsun, saying that the Lundin bid undervalued the company, also said any bid would have to be for the whole company. This sounds very much as though the Eritrean assets are being used as a poison pill to prevent someone taking over Nevsun.

Good offer?

We think the bid undervalues Nevsun (particularly Timok), especially since we do not put much value on the EuroSun shares. However, it is by no means derisory. Clearly, Lundin did not go public with its offer just to annoy Nevsun, and we suspect it will come forward with an improved offer. But if Nevsun rejects the offer structure as well as the price, Lundin will have to go hostile, more expensive, time-consuming and problematic.

There could also be another bid for the company, perhaps from Freeport, which is Nevsun's partner on the deep Timok. A company might bid to buy all of Nevsun with a plan to spin off the toxic Eritrean assets.

No doubt, if there is not an improved offer, Nevsun shares will fall back; it was at $2.70 before the bid, after moving up from $2 at the beginning of the year. It wouldn't fall back that far, given the strong PFS released in March, and more recent improvements at the Bisha mine. Worst case would be that Nevsun brings in a partner of some type that reduces the value of Timok to Lundin or a third party. A higher successful bid is not certain, but the risk-reward indicates holding (or even buying) at this level.

Wheaton to get its day in court

Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (WPM:TSX; WPM:NYSE, US$21.67), notwithstanding somewhat mixed resultsslightly lower-than-expected sales but also lower-than-anticipated coststhe outlook is improving. There is forecast 31% growth in "gold equivalent ounces" by 2020, over last year, with additional growth beyond that from the start of Rosemont in 2021 and a possible expansion at Salobo. (Wheaton would have to make an additional capital contribution to maintain its gold stream at the later mine, but in a good market, no doubt would do so.) Near-term growth includes the re-start of the San Dimas mine with its revised streaming deal, and the new pyrite leach project at Penasquito.

Barrick's decision to shelve the massive Pascua-Lama project is a blow to Wheaton's leverage. It has already written down nearly 50% of its investment. And it has the option to end the agreement in mid-2020 and receive $225 million back from Barrick.

The Canadian tax challenge continues to weight on the stock, but a trial date is now set for September, 2019. If Wheaton wins this case, the stock could rally significantly, and we expect it will move steadily higher as we approach this date. A loss, of course, would hurt, though the stock already discounts this to a large extent.

The balance sheet is not as strong as that of the other major royalty and streaming companies, but strong enough with nearly $800 million of available liquidity. The stock has rallied almost 15% since the beginning of March, and we would wait for a pullback to buy more.

Raising more funds to move closer to production or sale

Almaden Minerals Ltd. (AMM:TSX; AAU:NYSE, US$0.76) announced an equity raise of C$7 million, although it already has a strong balance sheet (C$12 million cash as of March 31). This raise should carry the company through to a production decision on Ixtaca a year from now. Funds will be used to make the final payment on a mill purchase; complete and file an environment report, in June; complete the feasibility study by the third quarter of this year; and complete land purchases and other ongoing work on developing the project.

Of course, we are hoping that another company will acquire this gold-silver project, once the feasibility is released and permits received. In the meantime, Almaden is a buy at these prices.

Adrian Day, London-born and a graduate of the London School of Economics, heads the money management firm Adrian Day Asset Management, where he manages discretionary accounts in both global and resource areas. Day is also sub-adviser to the EuroPacific Gold Fund (EPGFX). His latest book is "Investing in Resources: How to Profit from the Outsized Potential and Avoid the Risks."

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Disclosure:

1) Adrian Day: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: Nevsun Resources. I personally am, or members of my immediate household or family are, paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. My company has a financial relationship with the following companies mentioned in this article: None. Funds controlled by Adrian Day Asset Management hold shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: Nevsun Resources, Wheaton Precious Metals and Almaden Minerals. 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 billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: Wheaton Precious Metals. 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. Streetwise Reports requires contributing authors to disclose any shareholdings in, or economic relationships with, companies that they write about. Streetwise Reports relies upon the authors to accurately provide this information and Streetwise Reports has no means of verifying its accuracy.

4) 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 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. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports (including members of their household) own securities of Nevsun Resources, Wheaton Precious Metals and Almaden Minerals, companies mentioned in this article.Pakistani consul general in Houston Aisha Farooqui visited Dr Aafia Siddiqui in Texas prison and rejected the death rumours circulating on social media about the imprisoned scientist.

Farooqui met with the Pakistani scientist at Carswell detention facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The meeting, which lasted about two hours, was the fourth in 14 months, the consul general told this correspondent.

Reports circulating earlier on social media suggested that Aafia Siddiqui had passed away in US captivity.

Rejecting all rumours, Farooqui said the reports making rounds on social media were baseless.

Aafia Siddiqui was indicted by a New York federal district court in September 2008 on charges of attempted murder and assault stemming from an incident in an interview with US authorities in Ghazni, charges which Siddiqui denied.

After 18 months in detention, she was tried and convicted in early 2010 and sentenced to 86 years in prison.

Responding to rumours about her death, Aafia's sister Dr Fauzia earlier this week said that they had not been told anything in this regard by the Government of Pakistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the US prison officials.

Dr Fauzia said that they had had no contact with her sister for the past two years, adding that despite countless efforts, they could not find an answer to their queries from either Pakistani or US officials.Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan arrived at Parliament House on Thursday to attend a National Assembly session on KP-FATA merger.

When asked after how long he was attending a NA session, Imran replied: I do not remember.

"If the assembly would have been run properly, I would have attended sessions daily," he added.

The PTI chairman stressed that it was the responsibility of the prime minister to run the assembly. It is the prime minister who empowers the assembly.

Reacting to Imran's attendance, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah while speaking to media men said, "Seems like Khan Sb has finally remembered the assembly."

"I cannot stop him from coming," Shah said while responding to a question.

"The PTI leader should attend assembly sessions," the leader of the opposition in NA added. "Only those politicians who attend sessions are considered lawmakers," Shah stressed.

KP-FATA merger bill to be presented

An amendment bill clearing the way for the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is set to be presented in the National Assembly today, a day after the parliamentary committee gave it a go-ahead.

A session of the parliamentary leaders chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was held on Wednesday, where the leaders finally agreed upon the amendment bill for the merger.

The session was attended by Barrister Zafarullah, Senate Opposition leader Sherry Rehman, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, and Aftab Sherpao.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party members boycotted the session.

Earlier this week, the amendment was approved by the federal cabinet in a session presided over by the prime minister.

The seats for the KP assembly will increase to 147 from the current 126 after the provinces merger with FATA, according to the proposed 30th Amendment of the Constitution.

The general seats of the provincial assembly will increase from 99 to 117. The seats for women will increase from 22 to 26, and religious minorities seats from three to four.

The KP assembly adopted a resolution on December 14, 2016 in favour of merging FATA with KP with the aim of rehabilitating and reconstructing the infrastructure including roads, communications, power lines, water supply, education and health facilities.

In a meeting on December 26, 2017, the federal cabinet approved the formation of a high-level national implementation committee for FATA reforms.Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif on Thursday urged the nation to stand up if they want real democracy in the country.

In an informal conversation with journalists outside accountability court, Sharif maintained that he acted with restraint and patience at the time of protests.

I could have dismissed my subordinate but I managed the affairs with endurance. I told the court what has to be said. Facts must come to limelight, he asserted.

Nawaz Sharif pronounced that everything has its time and he gave the statements yesterday to bring forth the truth.

Sacking Pervez Rashid and Mushahidullah was a part of forbearance, declared the PML-N supremo.

Earlier, Sharif once again hit back at opponents by terming 2014 sit-in at D-Chowk adventurism to remove him from office. He said that he received warnings cloaked under suggestions during the sit-in to either resign or flee on extended leave.

Who was the umpire who was supposed to raise his finger? asked Nawaz, referring to the frequent statements by Imran Khan mentioning umpires finger in his speeches in the sit-in.

He said during a presser at the Punjab House, Islamabad that dictatorship hurt Pakistan more than anything. He said that whenever a military dictator usurped power from civilians, he brought the whole institution into disrepute. He reiterated that he has nothing but respect for the armed forces of Pakistan.

Panama Papers was just an excuse to oust me. There were no Panama Papers in 1999, he said, I talked about real democracy 20 years ago. I did it again this time and that is my crime.US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that the US officials in Pakistan are not being treated well by the Pakistani government.

While presenting his testimony before the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, Pompeo said: My officers, our state department officers are being treated badly as well, folks working in the embassies and councils [and] in other places are not being treated well by the Pakistani government either.

He remarked that this real problem that needs to be taken measure of.

With regards to the new South Asia strategy of the US, he said we have been clear with Pakistan that ensuring reconciliation, peace, and security in Afghanistan in large part depends on Pakistan's willingness to crack down on terrorist safe havens and instigators of terrorist activity in its own country.

Pompeo also shared that the US has released far less funds in 2018 as compared to the previous year to Pakistan.

Speaking on the issue of Pakistani doctor Shakil Afridi, who had helped US authorities track down al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, Pompeo remarked: I worked diligently on the issue of Dr Afridi in my previous roleunsuccessfully, please know that it is in my heart and it is important and we can do that.

While referring to the planned summit between President Donald Trump and North Koreas Kim Jong Un he said that it depends at this moment on the North Korean leader.

"He asked for the meeting, the president agreed to meet with him," Pompeo said. "Im very hopeful that that meeting will take place."

US President Donald Trump warned Tuesday his landmark summit with Kim may be delayed, while insisting the North Korean leader was "serious" about denuclearization.

Pompeo would not predict whether a deal can be reached at the meeting, but said a "bad deal" is not an option.

He said the United States aims at "complete" denuclearisation by North Korea before it provides any support for the countrys economy, and that Washington wants that to happen quickly."The model that we have laid forth is a rapid denuclearization that will be total and complete," he said.

"We are not going to do trade for trade. Were not going to let this drag out. Were not going to provide economic relief until such time as we have an irreversible set of actions, not words, not commitments, undertaken by the North Korean regime," he said.

"When we get there, in exchange for that, were prepared to do a great deal to help the North Korean people."

Asked what he means by "complete", Pompeo said denuclearisation would encompass Pyongyang giving up its nuclear weapons capability, missile capability, and the technology behind those capabilities, including engines and systems associated with space launch vehicles.US President Donald Trump informed Kim Jong Un Thursday he is cancelling their nuclear summit next month in Singapore, blaming anger and hostility from the North Korean regime for the collapse of the historic event.

Trump and Kim had been due to hold high-stakes talks on June 12aimed at ridding the reclusive state of nuclear weapons, but the meeting was recently thrown into doubt as both sides raised the prospect of scrapping the discussions and traded threats.

Trump's letter came a day after North Korea attacked US Vice President Mike Pence as ignorant and stupid.

Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting, Trump wrote in a letter to Kim released by the White House.

Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place.

Trump also brandished the threat of America's nuclear might in his letter, writing: You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.

The US leader's letter appeared to leave the door open to a future meeting with Kim, however, stressing that he had been very much looking forward to being there. We greatly appreciate your time, patience, and effort with respect to our recent negotiations and discussions relative to the summit, he told Kim.

I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters, Trump said. If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write.

The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history.

The decision came as North Korea said it had completely dismantled its nuclear test site, in a carefully choreographed move portrayed by the isolated regime as a goodwill gesture ahead of the Singapore summit.I am an Irish student studying at Cambridge who, due to the timing of my exams, has unfortunately not been able to return home to vote to repeal the eighth amendment. This is something which is a source of great disappointment for me, as, should the referendum pass, it will be a momentous shift for a country whose politics have, for too long, been dictated by Catholic doctrine.

As has been widely publicised, WomCam has offered a bursary for Irish students who would not otherwise be able to finance a return home to vote. While no anti-choice student seeking the funding has been denied it, the campaign has very much been oriented towards the pro-choice side of the argument.

This has come under fire from many liberal students in the university, who see it as the buying of votes, the disrespect or marginalisation of anti-choice students, or a moralistic and ethically dubious move by CUSU. The disingenuousness of this stance is something that really astounds me. CUSU and WomCam have never stated that they are politically neutral institutions. Rather, it is inherent in their roles that they are radical institutions, who seek to effect change to aid the plight of marginalised students. Certainly, nobody has protested the fact that CUSU funds peoples attendance of left-wing rallies, but does not similarly fund those who choose to attend marches for bigoted or racist causes. This would be nothing short of absurd, and it would be difficult to find anyone who disagrees.

What is fundamental here is that abortion is a gendered issue. The safe, legal provision of abortion to pregnant individuals who seek it for any reason is a necessity in building a society that respects and celebrates bodily autonomy. While not all who fall pregnant are women, the stigmatisation and illegality of abortion is built upon essentialist misogyny. A campaign whose stated purpose is the liberation of women and non-binary individuals has no responsibility to fund political behaviours that directly oppress such individuals.

Furthermore, the narrative of the respectful pro-lifer is one built upon falsehoods. There is no such thing as a respectful pro-lifer. Anti-choice politics are built upon disrespect and mistrust. Any Irish person who has been following the disgraceful tactics of the Love Both campaign will note their constant characterisation of women seeking abortions as bitches and murderers. I ask  what sort of respectful politics involves the characterisation of marginalised groups in this way?

These petty insults are only the beginning. Tactics of the Love Both campaign have included displaying graphic images of aborted foetuses outside maternity hospitals (where many patients may be experiencing miscarriage, stillbirth, or the fear of fatal foetal abnormalities) and universities (where there are bound to be students who have had to use savings or other sources of income to fund the expensive trip to have an abortion privately in England). Their posters have spread falsehoods about foetal development, while absolutely ignoring those who need or want abortions and why that might be of more importance than what age a foetus gains the ability to yawn. I have friends who have been publicly harassed for wearing Repeal merchandise, or canvassing for pro-choice groups such as Amnesty International.

Referendum rhetoric aside, if you are anti-choice, you are on the side of the oppressor. Respect is not something that plays a part in the denial of bodily autonomy to adults who wish to have control over their own uteruses. The respectful pro-lifer is a pernicious myth, and a characteristic of the liberal maxim that there are two sides to every argument. Those who hold this view believe that there is such a thing as a respectful middle ground in debates about oppressive politics. This is simply counterfactual. There is no respectful midpoint between pro-oppression and anti-oppression.

These values lie at the heart of the WomCam bursary for Irish students. WomCam is a movement who seeks to dismantle the institutions that create and perpetuate misogyny. It is not one whose goal is, in any way, to pander to hateful or damaging views or policies. Pro-woman politics are pro-choice politics, and a pro-woman institution is under no obligation to fund those whose methods are anti-choice, and thus, anti-woman.Senate House was the setting of an emergency rally held by Zero Carbon, Cambridge Defend Education and Cambridge UCU this evening, after the university announced an eviction notice to the sit-in at Greenwich House, threatening police action to the protesters.

Around a hundred people turned up to listen to various speakers pressing the importance of divestment and the extreme death and destruction caused by climate change. The threat of police action provoked speakers approaching broader topics, such as the inclusivity of the university and marginalization of the vulnerable not just within the university, but in the wider world.

Zero Carbon leaders accused the university of militarizing the campus against its own students, of protecting their own property rather than democracy. Speakers also referenced the UCU strikes of Lent term and issues of accountability in university institutions, accusing the administration of failing to protect students and fellows.

Protesters chanted slogans that attracted the attentions of passers-by; whose university? Our university, cops off campus. They also held up cardboard signs reflecting these statements and demands. A representative student from UCL was also present.

A Zero Carbon member who wished to remain anonymous gave TCS a statement following the protests dispersal and move to Greenwich House. He said: The university has lost all legitimacy to threaten students with police violence for peaceful protest, with a want of the values of accountability and democracy. The only direction left is to take action and stand up. The University is showing its truce colours; anyone who threatens it is faced with state violence. Us students are not afraidthis University is not theirs to control. It has a huge debt to those people affected by climate change, with millions displaced and dead".Its been almost 18 months since Asus first announced the ROG PG27UQ, a gaming monitor that combines G-Sync, HDR, 144Hz, and a 4K resolution into one dream package. Now, the Taiwanese company says it will finally be available in late June at a price of $1999.99

Last week, Acer opened preorders for the first HDR 4K@144HZ G-Sync monitor, the Predator X27, which also costs $2000. Given that it uses the same 27-inch IPS panel, the PG27UQs specs and price are the same, though Asus says this is the first monitor to come with DisplayHDR 1000 certificationdespite the Predator X27 also reaching 1000 nits brightness.

With the Asus model, buyers get the ROG Light Signal, which casts the ROG logo onto a surface, and Light Signature features. It also comes with an integrated light sensor that automatically adjusts the brightness in darker rooms. Additionally, the LED lighting can be synchronized along with other RGB Aura Sync devices.

The panel, which boasts Quantum-dot technology, is rated for 97% DCI-P3 color gamut and 99% Adobe RGB color gamut. Theres also LED backlighting that dynamically controls 384 zones and factory color calibration.

As with the Predator X27, its hard to imagine this monitor being anything other than spectacular, but that price is still hard to get past. Not to mention the obvious fact that itll take an absolute killer rig to get the most out of a monitor like this. But some may view both devices as forms of future-proofing, ready to take advantage of upcoming graphics cards such as Nvidias GTX 1180.If you browse YouTube on a regular basis, you've likely become very familiar with the many issues some creators face regarding copyright law.

Their videos frequently get slapped with copyright strikes by large corporations, smaller companies and individuals alike on a daily basis, and Google tends to take these matters quite seriously.

It's an interesting bit of irony, then, to see Google turn around and seemingly break copyright law themselves.

According to a report from the BBC, Google didn't pay for a license to use the stock footage in their recently-leaked "The Selfish Ledger" video, which discusses the possibility of the company using "total data collection" and social engineering to manipulate the behaviors of "entire populations."

If you want to learn more about the video, you can read our full write-up here.

At any rate, the film-maker who initially recorded the stock footage in question, Philip Bloom, was understandably shocked to see his content appear in the now-infamous video without being credited or compensated for its use.

"A fair amount of my footage has been licensed for internal use only, so to hear Google not state that they will compensate me for its use is very surprising..."

"A fair amount of my footage has been licensed for internal use only, so to hear Google not state that they will compensate me for its use is very surprising," Bloom said in a statement. "Google via their YouTube platform are pretty strict when it comes to copyright breaches, so this is rather hypocritical of them and most certainly does not set a good example."

So far, Google's public defense seems to be that the video was only intended to be a "thought experiment," and it wasn't meant to be shown to more than a handful of people.

The BBC claims Bloom will follow up on the matter, though, so it's possible Google will be forced to come up with a more appropriate legal argument if the film-maker pursues a case against them.

That said, if a legal case does arise from the situation, it might not be as clear-cut as it appears.

As strange as it might sound, Google could theoretically take advantage of the "fair use" defense under US copyright law to claim the footage was only used for educational or non-profit purposes.Second graders at a school in Louisiana have expressed a dislike for cellphones while completing a classroom assignment. The students' distaste does not arise from some form of technophobia, but rather from their parents' use of the devices.

According to USA Today, elementary school teacher Jen Beason gave her class a prompted writing assignment. Four of the students expressed that they wished phones had never been invented.

I dont like the phone because my [parents] are on their phone everyday  I hate my moms phone and wish she never had one, one student wrote.

Three other children expressed similar feelings.

Beason posted a photo of the student's commentary to her Facebook account, and it was shared more than 261,000 times before she switched it from public to friends only. The post was a real eye-opener for some parents and teachers.

"I dont like the phone because my [parents] are on their phone everyday."

We had a class discussion about Facebook, and every single one of the students said their parents spend more time on FB then they do talking to their child. It was very eye-opening for me, said one fellow teacher.

Indeed, as a society, we have taken our cell phone use for granted. Having the ability to check emails and other platforms that tie us to the rest of the world is both a blessing and a curse. Our ability to stay connected has never been more convenient than the devices that we keep in our pockets, but at what expense?

Going without your cell phone is not easy, as our own Rob Thubron can attest. However, hearing unapologetic youngsters expressing their true feelings about their parents' cell phone use is a wake-up call to other parents. Having kids myself, I try to limit my phone time when I am with them, but thinking about it, I could do better.

What about you? Do you have any limits that you set for yourself that you could share with others?The phase III clinical trial developed by Iran's Pasteur Institute with Cuba's COVID-19 vaccines, Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus, showed excellent results, informed today the Finlay Vaccine... | Read MoreProfessional speaker Robyn Moore loves to captivate her audience.

In an era where jobs are routinely replaced by technology, there is one skill thats hard to imagine being done by something that doesnt have a heartbeat: storytelling.

Everyone knows someone who can spin a good yarn, but whats it like to earn a living telling stories? How do you speak to a roomful of strangers and make them feel anything from entertained to inspired to change their lives?

Professional speaker Robyn Moore knows a story is hitting the mark when her audience has a bugger me moment. Its that moment when they get what Im trying to tell them, she says. They get it in their heart, soul and spirit.

With a vault of thousands of stories from her experiences, Moore chooses those that best suit the particular clients brief. But whether she is speaking to early childhood professionals, engineers or fly-in fly-out workers, the aim is the same.Pop artist Robert Indiana, best known for his 1960s LOVE series, has died at his island home off the coast of Maine. He was 89.

Indiana died on Saturday from respiratory failure at his Victorian home in a converted Odd Fellows hall, a fraternal order lodge, where he had lived for years on Vinalhaven Island, said James Brannan, his attorney.

The Robert Indiana sculpture LOVE in John F. Kennedy Plaza, commonly known as Love Park, in Philadelphia, Monday, May 21, 2018. Credit: AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Friends had expressed concern for his well-being because the reclusive artist had not been heard from for some time. A lawsuit filed in New York City the day before his death suggested he was purposefully isolated by his caretakers.

Brannan declined to comment on the situation.Mr Higgs said they were still asking for information, which was "ridiculous" because the equipment had already made the reverse journey prior to the new system taking effect. We brought them brand new out of Brisbane when they were made and we used to get permits within five days. That was the worst case when we applied at the state level, he said. Now in the same state, for the same equipment we were at loggerheads at 90 days and they were asking for more information. They had more information than what they had when they gave us the permit the first time. In the end we had to pull the pin and get a barge in Darwin and barge them across. Our client managed to get local authorities in Cairns to issue permits to travel from the port to the lay-down area.

Another casualty of the confusing system is Warwick Doolan from Victoria-based Doolans Heavy Haulage. An NHVR oversize over mass permit application. Credit:NHVR Mr Doolan was forced to cancel a job moving rail equipment through South Australia to the Pilbara because of SAs requirement that certain oversize loads must have a police escort. While he received a permit from the national regulator to move the equipment on April 5 he was still subject to SAs strict police escort requirements for certain oversize loads. SA police didnt have the resources for the journey until August. Last year a 64-year-old driver of Doolans was forced to sleep in the cab of his truck in 43-degree heat for four days near Roxby Downs while waiting for a permit to transport equipment from SA to Victoria.

Mr Doolan said the national system will never be harmonised because every state had different oversize requirements and the regulator had no control over the roads they were granting permits to. The whole reason for the NHVR was that it was meant to be a one stop shop, you get a permit in Queensland and take it to Victoria, he said. That will never happen because every state controls their own assets. In NSW you only need police in critical areas, in South Australia you need them for anything over 32 metres. Weve gone back 25 years, its absolutely ridiculous. Grand plan falls flat

The heavy vehicle law and regulator were the result of a 2011 agreement between the Council of Australian Governments to create one set of rules for the heavy vehicle industry. Unlike most national systems however the legislation was not passed at a federal level, but at each individual state level. When the laws and regulator came into effect in 2014 it took four days for the states to ask for the power to process permits back. Currently the regulator processes oversize and over mass permit applications for cross-border journeys and journeys within the ACT, SA, Tasmania and Victoria. NSW and Queensland are yet to relinquish full control, requiring companies to apply directly to them for permits, which was the cause of some of Mr Higgs delays.

One of the biggest issues companies have with the law is the 28 days given to road owners to assess a permit request. This can blow out if the road owner requests more information from the company or objects to an aspect of the request. Heavy haulage businesses report some permit waits of more than three months whereas prior to 2014 they rarely had to wait longer than a week. Losing good men Tasmania has been a part of the system since day one and Steve Ryan from Tasmanian Heavy Haulage said it was impacting their business beyond finances.

For four years weve been going through this pain and its still nowhere near a workable system, he said. Its starting to take a human toll; weve had enough. Were losing good men out of the industry and moving oversize stuff around is a skill set that is few and far between." Mr Ryan said they were also losing work to companies willing to move oversize equipment without a permit, which meant no insurance. The machinery that weve been moving forever in a day is not getting moved in the timely manner that our clients are used to, he said.

Some of them are going and finding illegitimate operators who are willing to do it without a permit so I suppose its bastardising the whole industry. Push from the West WA and the NT have refused to participate in the system  a fact their respective trucking federations are grateful for. Northern Territory Road Transport Association executive officer Louise Bilato said oversize trucking issues were rarely in the spotlight but the situation had gotten so bad something needed to be done. If pastoralists couldnt get their cattle to market because road trains werent given permits to move, they wouldve been dumping cattle manure on Canberra on day one, she said.

Overseas over-mass movements are not being seen for what they are; theyre a major part of the Australian economy used by miners, civil contractors and bridge builders. Western Roads Federation chief executive Cam Dumesny said this issue was crippling the economy. Oversize trucking is being hampered by the national system. The federal government has committed to $70 billion of infrastructure investment and state governments across the country have done the same, but how are we going to get the large construction equipment and bridge beams etcetera to the construction sites? he said. Every infrastructure project is at risk of delays or cost increases if we cannot get the equipment needed to site in a timely and efficient manner.

Ms Bilato and Mr Dumesny met with senators earlier this month and have called for an urgent, focused inquiry into the oversize, over-mass permit system. We dont want this very specific issue, which doesnt have an easy fix, caught up in a full review of the NHVR and two years later were still waiting, Ms Bilato said. The NHVR processed 4617 oversize over-mass permits during the six months from November to April. NHVR did not answer a question on how many oversize permits took longer than 28 days to issue but a spokesman said the average permit processing time was 15.7 days. He said the regulator was aware of significant delays to decisions on a small number of permits where operators were seeking to move equipment in excess of 100 tonnes and they were working to accelerate decisions.

The NHVR is working with over 400 road managers across Australia to ensure local and state government engineers are able to make a decision as quickly as possible, he said. The regulator itself supported a review of the Heavy Vehicle National Law, the spokesman said. It is more than five years since the law came into effect and it is time that it was assessed for its effectiveness in delivering safety and productivity for the heavy vehicle industry, he said. WA Labor Senator Glenn Sterle, a former truckie himself, called the current situation a clusterf--k but said rather than a senate inquiry, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Michael McCormack should fix it. Mr McCormack said he recognised the law was not operating as well as it could and earlier this month the Transport and Infrastructure Council agreed to bring forward a review of the law by two years, from 2020-21 to 2018-19.The Australian National University has smashed its own Guinness World Record for the most people stargazing at multiple venues.

More than 40,000 people across Australia turned their eyes to the sky at more than 280 events across Australia on Wednesday night, with more than 3500 of those at the university's Acton campus.

Jaiden Kim, 8, peers through his telescope during an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most people simultaneously stargazing at multiple venues. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong

That meant the university, in partnership with the ABC, beat its own record of 7960 people across 37 locations, set in August 2015.

As part of the successful record attempt, stargazers simultaneously observed the moon through a telescope for 10 minutes. Remote locations included Birdsville, Uluru, Alice Springs and Broome.Sense and Sensibility. By Kate Hamill, adapted from the novel by Jane Austen. Directed by Geordie Brookman. State Theatre Company South Australia. The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre. May 29 (preview) to June 2, 2018. canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 62752700.

Have you ever imagined Sense and Sensibility on stage with added kazoos, skateboards and roller skates? They all feature in State Theatre Company South Australia's production which is coming to the Playhouse. Anna Steen, who plays Elinor Dashwood, says, "It's not your usual Jane Austen."

Anna Steen, left, and the cast of Sense and Sensibility. Credit:Chris Herzfeld

Kate Hamill's adaptation, she says, distils the story into a two hour and 20 minute theatrical presentation, "as opposed to 10 hours if you were putting the novel on stage".

The ages of the two main sisters have been raised to their 20s (from 19 and 16) and nine actors play all the roles with some of them cross-dressing and playing children.Academics at the Australian National University have questioned the integrity of a proposed course in Western Civilisation which some fear could give "unprecedented" control of the curriculum to an outside philanthropic organisation.

The university is the first to enter into detailed negotiations with the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation to run its new degree and scholarship program, which will be funded as part of a $3 billion bequest from health care magnate Paul Ramsay.

This week, the National Tertiary Education Union demanded the university provide a guarantee of its academic freedom, warning of a potential "backlash" if the final deal is seen to compromise on the ANU's core values or link the university to a "divisive cultural and political agenda".

The move came after former prime minister Tony Abbott, who sits on the board of the centre along with John Howard and Kim Beazley, wrote an article in Quandrant magazine implying the charity would wield control over curriculum and staffing decisions.

According to the ANU's website, decisions on curriculum will be made by a "partnership management committee" consisting of two academic staff from the Ramsay Centre and two university academics, but considered through the normal academic process.A lawyer who acted for bestselling Australian author Colleen McCullough has told a Sydney court she fabricated a document to make it appear McCullough's husband would inherit her estate when he had in fact been cut out of the will.

McCullough's widower Ric Robinson is embroiled in a costly NSW Supreme Court feud with his late wife's executor and a US university over her multimillion-dollar estate, ranging from her art collection to royalties from her 25 books, including the 1977 hit The Thorn Birds.

Author Colleen McCullough in 2008. Credit:Danielle Smith

Piria Coleman, a former solicitor in NSW who is now a barrister in Victoria, acted for McCullough and admitted on Thursday she regarded the author as "the goodie" in the marriage and Mr Robinson as "the baddie".

But Ms Coleman denied she had given evidence designed to cast Mr Robinson in the worst possible light.Three men have been charged following investigations into dangerous driving within wedding and event escort businesses in Sydney.

The men, aged 20, 23 and 24, were arrested in early morning raids by police in western Sydney on Wednesday.

An ongoing Strike Force Raptor investigation into reckless driving, dubbed Operation Trauma, found a number of wedding escort drivers were either disqualified, had suspended licences or were unlicensed.

One of the men arrested during police raids on Wednesday morning. Credit:NSW Police

The investigation also found unregistered vehicles and motorbikes with fake or missing licence plates were being used.When I first arrived as a new migrant to Australia, I witnessed someone at a shopping centre in Brisbane's south speaking firmly and loudly to his female partner.

My Australian friend told me it was a domestic so you stay away, it is none of your business.

Faiza El-Higzi is a member of the Queensland Domestic Violence Implementation Council. Credit:WOW Festival.

A few years later I encountered a serious domestic at a shopping centre parking in Canberras main thoroughfare between a young couple with a newborn baby.

It was the sound of a distressed baby that caught my attention so I walked towards it thinking about those times when my child would be wailing after a couple of hours in the shops doing the weekly grocery run.Underworld boss Rocco Arico has lost a bid to have his convictions for drug trafficking and extortion overturned but will spend up to two years less in jail following a sentencing reduction.

The 39-year-old appeared from prison via videolink in Victorias Court of Appeal on Thursday, expressing no emotion when the judgement was handed down.

Rocco Arico will be eligible for release by 2024.

Arico, who is linked with the Calabrian organised crime gang the 'Ndrangheta (Honoured Society), was sentenced to 14 years prison, with a minimum of 10 years, in 2017 over a string of offences stemming from a botched 2010 cocaine deal involving one of his associates and bikie enforcer Toby Mitchell.

Arico was convicted of assaulting and extorting his associate and long-time friend Con Mattas* over a $350,000 drug debt, waging a campaign of threats, vandalism and fire bombings that eventually led Mattas to turn informer against him.A 36-year-old woman has been charged with attempted murder after a man was severely burnt in suspicious circumstances in northern Melbourne on Wednesday morning.

It is believed the 49-year-old man was asleep alone in an upstairs bedroom of the Macleod home when his wife allegedly walked in and poured accelerant onto him before igniting it.

A police spokeswoman said arson squad detectives had charged the woman on Wednesday night with one count of attempted murder. She was due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday.

Police combing the house on Wednesday found a burnt doona that appeared to have been doused in a flammable liquid after the MFB and paramedics had attended a fire at the home on Wattle Drive in Macleod at 5.40am.The parents of a young Perth woman who took her own life earlier this year have spoken publicly about their daughter's battle with mental illness and their desire to bring about change across WA's mental health sector.

John and Dianne Oliver hope that by taking part in the HBF Run for a Reason this weekend they can also break down the "culture of silence" associated with suicide.

Jenni Oliver took her own life in February.

The Oliver's eldest daughter Jenni took her own life in February after a long battle with depression.

She was 28 years old.It appeared none of the money was transferred to the third party trust as clients were promised, but that management fees were transferred to Mr Goldenberg and used for personal expenses including a $5000 secondhand BMW bought on Gumtree. The investigation showed a Superfunded employee was apparently the same man jailed in 2008 for stabbing his ex-girlfriend five times while she shielded their toddler daughter in her home. The attack occurred in 1998 and he had fled overseas before being extradited to Australia in 2007 to face the charges. The man had received a $10,000 payment from Superfunded and a $98,000 interest in an investment apartment in Mt Pleasant for his unclear role in the business. ASIC had not yet been able to track down this man.

The investigator also found another employee, a relationship manager, had a criminal history and was apparently subject to conditions placed by the Department of Corrective Services. Superfunded marketing material. Credit:Documents supplied to Federal Court. ASICs investigation was very much in its infancy and charges have not yet been laid  injunctions were ordered early to prevent the Superfunded accounts being emptied of clients remaining funds. There was no evidence Mark Goldenbergs father was directly involved in providing financial products or advice, in misleading or deceptive conduct, in the disposal or rolling over of the funds into the new super funds, or in any contravention of the law. It was noted, though, that he had become involved in the new business while surely aware of his sons history. His role was yet to be investigated further and the orders against him were sought on the basis of assessorial liability.

But ASICs documents submitted to the court alleged Mark Goldenberg himself deceived investors and stole their money. They said he falsely indicated he was operating under an Australian Financial Services Licence and was the company director, and alleged he gave investors the impression they needed $100,000 to take part in the scheme, that Superfunded could set up the DIY super funds, and that there were already other investors in the trust. It detailed the relationship between Mr Goldenberg and a mortgage broker, who referred clients to Superfunded, then took their home loan deposits. One young couple had a block of land in Perths far northern suburbs they wanted to build on, but had trouble getting a home loan, the affidavit said. The broker set up a meeting with Superfunded at a freshly painted office upstairs at Chelsea Village Shopping Centre, Nedlands, with Mark Goldenberg. At a later, second meeting a Superfunded logo had appeared on the door.

At both the meetings [Mr Goldenberg] appeared to be nervous and was sweating a lot, notes from Mr Bertrams interviews with the woman read. She later realised his business card bore the surname Gold, while the Superfunded Facebook site gave his name as Golde. The photocopied business card. Credit:Documents supplied to Federal Court. The notes said Mr Goldenberg told the couple while it was illegal to withdraw money from their super for a home deposit, Superfundeds methods were legal. They had between them about $126,000 in super and took his advice to roll in their super and borrow $70,000 back out for a deposit, plus $13,000 to pay off a credit card.

The investigation revealed Mr Goldenberg emailed the broker a statement in September 2017, apparently for a bank account with the $83,000 in the couples names. The bank later informed ASIC this account did not exist. The investigation found $10,000 of this money had been paid to the aforementioned ex-con employee, $5000 to the Gumtree BMW seller, and $11,000 to the mortgage broker to repay a personal loan he had earlier given Mr Goldenberg to relieve his cash flow issues. This broker also received a $2200 referral fee, of which the couple were not aware. Another $11,000 was transferred to Superfunded apparently as fees for a man with the name of another investor.

The ASIC investigator noted that the couple asked for copies of the documents they were signing at the Superfunded office, but were told the printer was playing up and copies would be in the post. They did not receive any copies. They were then supposed to meet with Mr Goldenberg for final paperwork in November 2017 when he cancelled saying his mother had had a heart attack. The woman wrote to the investigator that her and her partner felt like complete fools but they had been caught at a vulnerable time in their lives, after some personal trauma. They had little financial knowledge and were confused by the process, but had trusted Mr Goldenberg and their brokers referral them, and had only slowly become aware of the warning signs. They were now very worried about the rest of their life savings. Investigators found several other numbers for bank accounts ostensibly opened for other clients were also not valid.

On November 3, emails in the affidavit show, Mr Goldenberg told associates he had signed up 14 new clients. He said things were going well and told his associates he had booked them a Melbourne Cup lunch and drinks at waterfront Swanbourne eatery The Shorehouse. ASIC said in its court documents it was reasonably apparent there were insufficient assets to repay investments. Mr Goldenberg made a court-ordered affidavit in December setting out his financial position. It said he was unemployed, had only $14 in a bank account, a $5000 car and $7000 in personal possessions. It said Superfunded and another debtor owed him $48,050 and $74,500 respectively and that he owed $381,200.Chinese-Australian businessman Chau Chak Wing has donated $560,000 to the Australian War Memorial over the past five years, with the memorial's education and music centre bearing his company's name.

Dr Chau has been named as just one of nine fellows of the memorial, alongside longtime volunteers, and other major donors including the CEO of Boeing Dennis Muilenburg and council chairman Kerry Stokes.

Chinese-Australian businessman Chau Chak Wing, who has donated more than half a million dollars to the Australian War Memorial. Credit:Sahlan Hayes

The donations and influence of Dr Chau have been under the microscope this week after MP Andrew Hastie used parliamentary privilege to name him as an unindicted co-conspirator named in FBI documents as CC-3, allegedly involved in the bribery of a senior United Nations official.

Dr Chau has been a major donor to both major political parties, and has also donated $45 million to Australian universities.Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's office distributed a heavily edited transcript of a television interview by Labor MP Linda Burney on asylum seekers, removing her calls for a "time limit" on the offshore detention of refugees, in what the Coalition has dubbed a "fraudulent document".

Ms Burney's office has taken responsibility for what it has described as a "stuff up". But the incident comes at an especially difficult time for Labor on the topic of asylum seekers, with numerous party conferences set to debate softening Labor's position on offshore detention.

Refugees on Manus Island and Nauru have been there for five years and Sky News host David Speers asked Ms Burney on Wednesday whether there should be a time limit to take them off the islands.

Ms Burney said Labor's policy would be decided in coming months, but added: "I think that we are saying most clearly that there shouldn't be indefinite detention. There needs to be a time frame and I'm sure there are people who are working towards that. I think there needs to be a time limit."The former boss of the Australian Border Force has warned Labor's infighting on refugees risks more boat arrivals and deaths at sea, as the alternative government grapples with internal dissent on the ultra-sensitive political issue.

Roman Quaedvlieg, who led the quasi-military agency for two years, said that even a proposal to increase Australia's permanent refugee intake risked more boat arrivals, and predicted public comments from Labor MPs this week would have consequences in the future.

Former Australian Border Force commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The fissure over asylum seekers erupted again on Thursday when Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's office distributed a doctored transcript of a television interview that omitted frontbencher Linda Burney's controversial calls for a "time limit" on offshore detention.

Ms Burney's spokesman took the blame, but a fuming Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton demanded an explanation from Mr Shorten for what he labelled a "fabricated" and "fraudulent" document.The current commissioner, Tim Soutphommasane, will step down in August after a five-year stint and Attorney-General Christian Porter will soon assess applicants to appoint as his replacement. He has dismissed calls not to appoint a successor to Soutphommasane. Soutphommasanes tenure was marked by some controversy. He campaigned strongly (and ultimately successfully) against proposed changes to Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, which makes it unlawful to "offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate" on the basis of race. In doing so, Soutphommasane lined himself up against then prime minister Tony Abbott, many Liberal MPs, the Murdoch press and conservative think-tank the Institute of Public Affairs, which took out full-page newspaper advertisements to lobby for the anti-18C cause. Andrew Bolt fell foul of section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. Credit:Justin McManus The Murdoch press was particularly opposed to the section because its star columnist, Andrew Bolt, famously fell foul of it.

Later, so did its star cartoonist, Bill Leak. In 2016, Leak drew a cartoon for The Australian depicting a drunken Aboriginal father who had forgotten his childs name. A complaint of race discrimination was made, and later withdrawn, with one of the complainants saying she felt bullied by The Australians coverage of her. When Leak died of a heart attack in 2017, some of his supporters reportedly blamed the stress of the complaint as a contributing factor. Soutphommasanes critics say he tweeted "soliciting" complaints following the cartoons publication, and that he promoted more division than harmony. Attorney-General Christian Porter will soon assess applicants for a new race discrimination commissioner. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Porter seemed to nod to these criticisms when he gave an interview saying the next commissioner would need to have "an understanding and empathy not merely for minority groups but for middle Australian values".

Macdonald is surely capable of forming his own views, but it was an interesting coincidence that his declaration of Australia as racism-free and not requiring a race discrimination commissioner came in the same week the Institute of Public Affairs circulated a "research brief" to parliamentarians arguing "Australia must not appoint a commissioner for racial division". (Macdonald's office said the senator had not read the brief when he made his comments, "however [he had] read some Spectator articles that had been raised with him by constituents, enriched by his own experiences".) The IPA believes the entire Human Rights Commission should be abolished, and asserts that it has abused more human rights than it has redressed. But until that happens, it argues the government should leave the race discrimination commissioner role empty. The IPA paper asserts that "refusing to appoint a new race discrimination commissioner would be an acknowledgement that race has no place in Australias national institutions". This point of view is an interesting one and an increasingly prevalent one among hard conservatives (its worth remembering that the IPA is a feeder for Liberal politics: MPs James Paterson, Scott Ryan, Tim Wilson and Tony Smith were all associated with the institute pre-politics).

People who mention race at all, or note racism, or racist incidents, are told that they are the racist ones. To name race as a factor in social conflict is to stoke social division. To call out the problem is to be the problem. It is a tricky rhetorical move, because it forces us to go back to first principles, as though we were drafting the "affirmative" case in a year 7 debate entitled: "Does racism exist in Australia?" That opens the way for people like Macdonald - who has served in the Senate since the early '90s yet doesnt concede he lives in a "bubble" - to claim that there is no racism because he has never seen it. By that logic you could declare me a bacteria-sceptic, or a gravity denier.

Some people have a hard time accepting the concept of subjective experience, particularly when that subjective experience is very different from their own, as subjective experience so often is. It shouldnt have to be said, but the best witnesses to racism are probably not going to be Anglo-Saxon "lifer" senators who live in largely white communities. Macdonald might ask himself why, if racism was no problem, there was such a strong electoral backlash from ethnic communities over the 18C issue, so strong it turned toxic for the government, which was forced to dump its pledge to amend the section. NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley has been lambasted for his remarks about the "white flight" of Anglo families from western Sydney. Credit:Cole Bennetts Macdonalds comments were made the same day The Daily Telegraph published comments from NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley that an influx of refugees into western Sydney, notably Fairfield, has lead to a "white flight" of "many Anglo families" from those suburbs.Senior Australian diplomats raised high-level concerns about a meeting that took place between Kevin Rudd and prominent political donor Chau Chak Wing during a last-minute trip to China by the then foreign minister in 2011.

The concern arose because Mr Rudd failed to tell a single official from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) that he intended to meet Dr Chau.

Kevin Rudd meeting with Chau Chak Wing.

Diplomatic sources who dealt with the incident at the time said DFAT expected to be told and the embassy was concerned to learn of the meeting only via a local contact a week later.

The revelation comes amid a swirling debate about Chinese influence in Australia and after Liberal MP Andrew Hastie used parliamentary privilege on Tuesday evening to connect Dr Chau to the United Front, a Chinese Communist Party organisation which operates overseas with the aim of making politicians and senior business figures more positively inclined towards Beijing.Angela Merkel is the leader of Americas most important ally. The differences between democratic, US-aligned Germany and Communist-ruled China are real. Chinas cutting edge industries now challenge Germanys lead in manufacturing.

But today Angela Merkel is in China, to talk to its leaders in Beijing and to promote German innovation in Shenzhen.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang escorts German Chancellor Angela Merkel past the People's Liberation Army honour guards to welcome her to China on Thursday. Credit:AP

All agree, however, that Australia-China relations are off the rails; on some evidence, more than any time since diplomatic relations began in 1972.

India is a partner of growing importance for the United States, but earlier this month it slammed the door on Australia joining it in military exercises that included the US and Japan. The reason? We are seen as the outlier among American allies, embodying the most extreme anti-China views, and India wants a working relationship with its neighbour.The Turnbull governments refusal to split its $143 billion income tax plan into three stages could stop the Australian Tax Office from cutting rates for 3 million Australians by July 1.

Labor voted to support the income tax plan in full on Wednesday night but has indicated it will seek amendments to stage three of the plan in the Senate, as the Coalition the opposition of trying to halve the total amount of tax relief available to workers.

The Tax Office is empowered to pass tax cuts administratively on the expectation that legislation will pass Parliament, but relies on the public statements of the opposition to assess the likelihood of that happening.

Treasurer Scott Morrison during Question Time. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

The government has packaged modest tax relief of $135 from a start date of July 1, with much more significant tax cuts worth up to $2000 for middle income earners timed from 2024-25 in a bid to get its decade of tax changes through Parliament in one go.A furious row over sneaky tactics has erupted over the date for five federal byelections across four states, as the Turnbull puts its $144 billion in personal tax cuts at the heart of its pitch at the ballot box.

Almost 500,000 Australians will go to the super Saturday polls on July 28, in a decision that wrecks Labors plan to hold its national conference on the same day and has sparked accusations of partisan moves to give the government an unfair advantage.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will hold talks with colleagues on whether to move the national conference, which was scheduled for months and is expected to draw about 1500 attendees, in order to free up volunteers to work for Labor at the polls.

Senator Penny Wong questions AEC Commissioner Tom Rogers on Thursday. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

The decision pushes the byelections back by several weeks to put in new safeguards to prevent candidates falling foul of citizenship rules, but it also gives the government more time to fight the campaign on sweeping tax reforms it wants decided by the end of June.A union boss asked for an external consultant to be involved in an industrial dispute more than a year before he was given a government board job.

Earlier this year, it was revealed Electrical Trade Union boss Peter Simpson forwarded Mark Algie's resume to the private email address of former energy minister Mark Bailey, who sent it to his chief of staff.

Minister Mark Bailey received an email from a union boss suggesting Mark Algie be brought in to work on the merger of Ergon and Energex. Credit:AAP Image/ Dan Peled

Mr Algie was then appointed to the board of Energy Queensland in October 2016.

A Right to Information request reveals Mr Simpson had emailed Mr Bailey's private email address, mangocube6@yahoo.co.uk, on January 14, 2016, lobbying for Mr Algie to be involved in the merger of Ergon and Energex into Energy Queensland.Let's start with those pesky emails and notifications. Don't gloss over them; some sites are using the emails not only to inform you of their updated privacy policies, but also to "ask" for your consent. For example Quora, the questions-and-answers site, sent an email this week saying that its privacy policy had been updated. Toward the end of the message, it tucked in a note that "your continued use of the service will be considered acceptance of our updated terms." A Quora spokeswoman said that in compliance with the new data law, the company sought affirmative consent from users. The company said the email explaining the particular changes in its privacy policy did not require consent, but noted that it would update the language in its email to be less ambiguous. Loading Other sites are using pop-up notifications to seek consent, including a clothing retailer that recently started showing a banner ad that explains how cookies are used for web tracking. The note added that by closing the banner ad or interacting with its website, you were agreeing with the site's data collection terms. The company did not respond to requests for comment.

Here's the problem: Companies clearly know that we rarely (if ever) read privacy policies. They also know that we find notifications to be annoying, because they pop up just as we are in the middle of another task. But if we ignore them, we may be unintentionally giving consent to more of our data being shared than we actually want to give out. "That pop-up fatigue is definitely something I'm worried about, now that these pop-ups are really more important than ever," said Gennie Gebhart, a researcher who follows privacy issues for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Find the new privacy controls If you skipped reading the emails and notifications, you may have missed out on the new privacy controls that internet companies recently introduced. These typically are not very easy to find, but they are worth exploring because there may be new methods to minimise the amount of data you share.

Consider Twitter. The social media company's recent privacy-related email mentioned that people can now more clearly see and control how their data is shared with its business partners. Here's how: Near the very bottom of Twitter's settings menu, there is now a button called "your Twitter data". Here, you can see the number of advertisers that are trying to target you based on your interests. You can also opt out of this so-called interest-based advertising. When I used the tool, I found out that more than 600 advertisers had my contact information, and I chose to no longer share data with the ads program. Facebook, which has been under scrutiny for the improper harvesting of user data by the political profiling firm Cambridge Analytica, has also updated its privacy controls. Loading One of Facebook's newer tools is called "privacy checkup", which can be found in a menu called "privacy shortcuts". When you run the checkup with the Facebook app, it quickly walks you through the people you share your posts with by default, the information you show on your profile and the apps that you share your data with.

Also inside the Facebook app's settings menu is a button labelled "ads". This brings you to your ad preferences, where you can see which advertisers have your contact information and you can control the types of ads that can be shown to you. For example, you can opt out of being shown ads based on information like your relationship status, employer, job title and education history. You can also opt out of being shown ads based on your activity on other Facebook-owned products like the messaging app WhatsApp or the virtual reality system Oculus. Those are just two examples of big social networking sites. What tech products do you use the most? Take a moment to poke around in your privacy settings to see if there are any new restrictions you can put on your data. You can always leave A big part of the new data law is that it requires companies to offer ways for you to pull your data out and take it to a new service. Google, Facebook and Twitter each offer the ability to download your own data, and some of those capabilities have been expanded ahead of the new data law's going into effect.Last week turned dark for Australias Indonesian neighbour when a parent and four young children detonated suicide bombs in front of three churches in the city of Surabaya, East Java. Theirs were not the only bombs discovered that day, nor were they the only family with intent to kill  two other families, fortunately less successful, were later revealed to be part of the same plot. Just days before the Surabaya bombs, terrorist inmates seized control of a Jakarta prison and slaughtered five officers. The police responded swiftly, rounding up suspects across the country. The chilling message was clear that terror is all around.

Armed police at a site where a suspected terrorist was shot dead and four members of his family apprehended after the Surabaya attacks. Credit:Amilia Rosa

Indonesians grappled with these shocking events in different ways. Almost all condemned the acts of terror; nearly none laid blame for the violence on Islam. The narrative distinguishing Muslims from terrorists is dominant  but here ends the agreement. How the country arrived at this juncture and what needs to be done are hotly debated.

One line of argument blames the government for failing to prevent the tragedy. Conspiracy theories abound, including suggestions that the deadly attacks were a ploy to distract attention from other critical issues. Speculation about who orchestrated the attacks, with insinuations of state involvement, have spread to national politics, multiplied and amplified by social media.

Others explain the predicament by linking terrorism to growing intolerance, often so closely as to characterise individuals and groups with intolerant views as radicals and extremists with some even calling for public measures to limit the freedom of movement and expression of those who espouse these views.In a written response, South Korea's Unification Ministry said it was not at this time considering sending back the former spies, adding that the North has not recently asked for them to do so. Seo was born on a small island off the south-western coast of the Korean Peninsula, when Japan was its colonial overlord. During the 1950-53 Korean War he volunteered for the North's Korean People's Army. After the war ended, he settled in North Korea, and eventually became a spy. He was captured in 1961, after he swam across a river into the South for what he said was a mission to "promote Korean unification". Park Hee-seong was the chief engineer for a North Korean spy boat in 1962 when he and three others traded gunfire with a South Korean navy ship off the east coast. He was shot twice and eventually taken into South Korean custody. May 11, 2018: Park Hee-seong speaks during an interview in Seoul. Credit:AP

"I tried to blow myself up with a reserve grenade, but it didn't explode ... so I'm still living here like this," the 83-year-old said, showing an arm bent from a gunshot wound. Most of the spies spent decades in prison. While in custody, they say they were tortured to get them to abandon their communist beliefs. Kim Young-sik, who worked as a radio man on a North Korean spy ship before his 1962 capture, said he broke under torture in 1973. He said a fellow inmate tied him to a board, put a thin towel on his face and poured water from a kettle on his face. "I felt like I was dying," the 85-year-old recalled. "I'm still very angry," he said. "How could they torture me to force me to give up an ideology that I believe is correct?" Guards also forced Kim and others to eat off the floor with their hands cuffed behind their backs, while others said they were spun while hanging from the ceiling, their hands again cuffed behind their backs.

Kim Young-sik, 85, who said he was tortured after his capture by the South Korean regime in 1962. Credit:AP Not all cracked. The 63 men repatriated in 2000 were chosen by Seoul because they never disavowed communism during their decades in prison. They received a heroes' welcome in Pyongyang, with hundreds of thousands of people pouring into the streets. A number of North Korean spies were released from prison after South Korea achieved democracy in the late 1980s, following decades of authoritarian rule. The ex-convicts were given South Korean citizenship, but to this day some are required to report who they meet and what they talk about to police every two months. Most have eked out a living as manual labourers. Those North Koreans who were born in the South say their estranged relatives were often harassed by the police and blackballed so they couldn't work in the government. Kim Young-sik, 85, waters his garden after his interview in Seoul. Credit:AP

Three of Seo's brothers and a sister, who had all stayed in South Korea after the war, served time in prison for not reporting their meetings with him. "I feel sorry to them because they couldn't have happy lives because of me," Seo said. The former spies describe an isolating existence in which they are often looked at with suspicion by neighbours. 'I hate my birthday and holidays the most', says Park Hee-seong. Credit:AP "I hate my birthday and holidays the most," Park said. "I used to stay in my home all day on those days because I knew I would miss my family more if I saw people having a good time outside."

Park had a young wife and a 16-month-old son in North Korea at the time of his 1962 arrest. Like many of the spies, Seo couldn't say goodbye to his wife and two baby sons because his mission required strict confidentiality. Seo, whose wife would be 87 if she's alive, never remarried. Others did. Yang married a South Korean woman about a year after he was set free following 37 years of imprisonment. He didn't apply for repatriation in 2000, though he thinks he'll go back if given a second chance. "My wife understands me but my daughter doesn't. She keeps asking me why I'd go," he said. For most the reason is simple. Despite their decades in South Korea, all of the men who spoke to the AP were unrepentant communists.The HSE recommended the Parliament revisit the abortion law including any necessary constitutional change necessary to save mothers lives. Professor Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, who chaired the inquiry into Savitas death, told Irish radio on Wednesday the Eighth Amendment played a major role in her passing. Loading By the time they decided to do the termination she was in septic shock, and what held them behind was the fear that they might be prosecuted for performing an illegal abortion, he said. The doctors hands are tied. The doctors were still checking the fetus heart beat when they should have been saving the mothers life, he said.

Im very happy that because of that case and other cases  it has come to a referendum so the people of Ireland can see what is just. She didnt get the medical treatment she needed because of the Eighth amendment. Savita Halappanavar's father, Andanappa Yalagi But some experts  including obstetrician Dr Trevor Hayes, a member of Doctors For Life which supports retaining the Eighth Amendment  say it is wrong to blame the Eighth for Savitas death. A pro-life supporter canvasses for a No vote on the streets of Dublin, Ireland. Credit:AP An official inquiry found 13 missed opportunities that could have saved her life, and a general lack of provision of basic, fundamental care. A failure to diagnose sepsis, not the abortion law, was to blame, Hayes said.

He said all necessary treatments to save the lives of mothers were already permitted under the amendment. Of course, pro-choice campaigners argue abortion should be available much more widely than when a mother's life is at stake. The Eighth Amendment was added in a conservative groundswell of resistance against the liberalisation of abortion laws elsewhere in the world in the 1970s and early '80s, amid concerns that Ireland was inching towards legalising or at least permitting abortion in wider and wider sets of circumstances. On a turnout of 54 per cent, the amendment was passed by a 67-32 majority. Pro and anti-abortion posters reflect voters' differences of opinion in Dublin. Credit:AP

Under the law a woman can only get an abortion in Ireland if remaining pregnant could kill her  and this clause is strictly interpreted. Rape, incest or serious birth defects in the fetus are not enough under the law. It is estimated that around 10 Irish women a day travel to the UK to have abortions, though one of the main UK hospitals offering the service to Irish women in cases of fetal abnormality, in Liverpool, recently scaled back access because staffing problems meant it had to concentrate on British patients. An estimated three to five Irish women take illegal abortion pills at home each day  the number is rising with increasing availability on the internet  but using them is punishable by 14 years in prison, though no-one has yet been prosecuted. Minister for Health Simon Harris has said he looked at changing the sentence, but it could not be done because the Eighth was an impediment to change. A woman protests against a demonstration by pro-abortion campaigners. Credit:PA/AP

Gemma Hussey, a former Irish government minister, said anyone who thought Fridays referendum was a foregone conclusion had forgotten the lessons of 1983. All of us who have been through the political maelstrom know there are very few foregone conclusions, she said. There have been so many attempts to undo the damage that was done in 1983. But we have never succeeded. She recalled receiving anonymous letters in red ink with references to we know where you live and we know your children. By all reports, this debate has been more civil.

But polls show support for repealing the abortion ban has now plunged below 50 per cent, from more than 60 per cent in January. A recent Irish Times poll showed 44 per cent support for repeal and 32 per cent wanting to keep the ban. A quarter of the electorate were undecided or unlikely to vote. Loading One of the reasons cited for the changing view has been the governments pledge to introduce legislation allowing abortion for any reason up to 12 weeks, and beyond that in cases of rape, incest, fatal defect or where the physical or mental health of the mother is at risk. The pro-life campaign says Ireland would, suddenly, have one of the worlds most liberal abortion laws (a debatable claim), calling it abortion on demand. Its posters say One in five babies in England are aborted. Dont bring this to Ireland.

Some who had been persuaded the abortion ban was too strict find the alternative, now made clear, to be too permissive. The no side also argues that Ireland is one of the safest places in the world to have a child, and that changing the law could put that at risk. Surveys show a growing number of Irish might not vote at all. The change is noticeable among socially liberal men who, anti-abortion campaigners say, have been lost by the repeal side. They have essentially been telling male voters and older voters consistently  that the only people to whom this referendum is relevant are women of child-bearing age, John McGuirk, a spokesman for the anti-abortion campaign Save the 8th told Politico. And the problem is that lot of those voters have taken them to heart and said, Okay, you dont want us involved.

The polls also show a big urban-rural divide, with the conservatives in the countryside. And the Catholic Church has learnt from its failure in the 2015 gay marriage referendum. The church is losing its old influence on Irish culture and politics, damaged by clerical sexual abuse scandals. Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh told the Catholic news website Crux that the church had looked for lay figures to lead the pro-life campaign. We are fully involved, but our technique is to encourage our lay faithful to be the voices, because they are the people - particularly women, who have very strong feelings on this particular matter, said Martin. There are powerful voices on both sides. I hope the people of Ireland remember my daughter Savita on the day of the referendum, her father Andanappa Yalagi told The Guardian this week.Kilis, Turkey: Turkish authorities should release Australian Islamic State fighter Neil Prakash while it continues to investigate him, his lawyer told a court on Thursday, as the extradition case against him was adjourned yet again.

Prakash insisted via video-link to the court that he was nothing more than an Islamic State footsoldier  a claim he has repeatedly made.

Neil Prakash, who was also known in his fighting days as Abu Khalid al-Cambodi, from an Islamic State propaganda video.

Australia wants the Melbourne born Islamic State fighter to be extradited to face terrorism charges, but the case, which has been in and out of the Turkish courts for months, was delayed again until July 19.

The judge said Prakash would remain in custody as prosecutors gathered more evidence. The case took only 15 minutes, amid technical difficulties.Caracas: Nicolas Maduro hasn't wasted time consolidating power in the aftermath of his disputed victory in Venezuela's presidential election. He has thrown out US diplomats, arrested alleged military conspirators and cracked down on the nation's last remaining critical major newspaper.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after receiving from the National Electoral Council a certificate declaring him the winner of Sunday's presidential election. Credit:AP

The socialist leader won a second six-year term as president of this crisis-wracked country on Sunday despite widespread anger over shortages of food and medicine that have driven hundreds of thousands to leave Venezuela seeking a better life.

His leading challenger and many in the international community accused Maduro of orchestrating a "sham" election through tactics such as banning leading opposition candidates and buying votes by enticing the poor with the promise of a prize.

Maduro quickly struck back at his biggest critic, taking aim at the US embassy.Anyone who has watched an elderly relative slowly die will relate to Peace for Mary Frances, the playwriting debut of Lily Thorne. Thorne has likely taken a cue from the "write what you know" rulebook for this New Group premiere at the Pershing Square Signature Center. Unfortunately, the play, directed by Lila Neugebauer, circles the drain longer than the title character does.

Mary Frances (Lois Smith) has end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and she is determined to die on her own terms. She's in home hospice care being watched over by her feuding daughters Alice (J. Smith-Cameron) and Fanny (Johanna Day). Fanny, a recovering heroin addict who resides in a sober-living community at the local Y, has a mood disorder. Alice, an astrologer with less than $100 to her name, spends money like she prints it herself. A son, Eddie, played by Paul Lazar, is less interested in family squabbles. As Mary Frances's warring children battle for control of their mother's final weeks, Mary Frances herself just wants enough peace to cut the cord.

Thorne is operating in epic, August: Osage County mode. Peace for Mary Frances navigates a head-spinning number of subjects, ranging from end-of-life care to inheritance to the Armenian genocide, with an equally unwieldy number of characters. Alice's grown daughters have their own issues: Rosie (Natalie Gold) has a newborn; Helen (Heather Burns), a TV star, has OCD and anger-management problems. A hospice care worker (Mia Katigbak), a social worker (Brian Miskell), and a home healthcare aide (Melle Powers) complete the vast ensemble.

But you can only get to know so much about people in a two-and-a-half hour play, and the motivations of many characters are wildly shortchanged. Gold is very good as the ostensible voice of reason, while Burns has an impressive, couch-flipping mad scene that goes nowhere. Lazar, meanwhile, does nothing but nonchalantly eat sushi by his dying mother's bedside. The secondary characters probably had more to do in a longer, earlier draft.

Similarly, Peace for Mary Frances never stops feeling like a hastily edited version of a longer play. Thorne spends too much time spinning her wheels; there's only so much for Alice, Fanny, and Mary Frances to fight about, so they just argue about the same things (mostly money) over and over. It's realistic, sure, but it doesn't make for very interesting theater. Neugebauer's usually invisible directorial hand is strangely heavy here as characters come and go from Dane Laffrey's believable split-level set, with movement and action seemingly compensating for the lack of exciting theatrics.

Sparks do fly in the three central performances. Both Smith-Cameron and Day are extremely believable in their desperation and exasperation, and the ever-indomitable Smith does some mighty-fine acting while confined to a bed. While none of them are at their peak, they are enjoyable to watch nonetheless.

Ultimately, Peace for Mary Frances is a relatable experience for those who've dealt with death firsthand. Thorne's first-produced play holds a clear mirror up to reality. It just forgot that its medium is theater.Hyundai Kona Awarded Editors' Choice Honor By Car Magazine







 Kona Named a Top Pick in the Crossover Category

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., May 22, 2018  Hyundai has again underscored its comprehensive quality signature across a diverse car and crossover lineup with another Car and Drivers Editors Choice award, this time for the Hyundai Kona CUV. Hyundai Ioniq and Accent have also received Car and Driver Editors Choice Awards this year.

Kona rides on an all-new CUV platform and is Hyundais first B-segment crossover for the U.S. market, appealing to consumers with active lifestyles of all kinds. Konas urban smart armor exterior styling features voluminous, aggressive body styling complemented by a low and wide stance for great looks and confident handling in a variety of urban and adventure-oriented driving environments. It joins Hyundais successful line-up of Hyundai crossovers for the U.S. market.

Our new Kona crossover is a stylish and functional compact CUV, tailored to the needs of customers who pursue active lifestyles of all kinds, said Mike OBrien, vice president of Product, Corporate and Digital Planning, Hyundai Motor America. Were confident it will set new standards for its segment, with appealing design, cutting-edge connectivity and class-leading available safety features. As we continue to push the limit for driver experience and value, this recognition is a good reminder that we are changing what matters for our customers, said Mike OBrien, vice president, Product, Corporate and Digital Planning, Hyundai Motor America. Car and Driver is one of the most trusted names in automotive journalism and were honored to have the Kona included in their Editors Choice picks.

Car and Drivers Editors Choice awards are selected by combing through the hundreds of vehicles they test and review each year to highlight the standouts in each class. In-depth criteria, including the results of their Buyers Guide in-depth testing, track performance, and value, help to narrow their choices to segment leaders, helping buyers decide which models are worth their consideration.Harvey Weinstein. Photo: Alexandra Wyman/Getty Images For TWC

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have started a criminal probe into the numerous sexual-abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. According to their sources, the U.S. Attorneys office for the Southern District of New York is looking into whether Weinstein lured or induced women to cross state lines for the purpose of committing a sex crime, which is a federal charge. Previously, local authorities in Los Angeles and New York had opened investigations into Weinstein, though neither have led to an arrest  though the NYPD has claimed that they are waiting for DA Cyrus Vance Jr.s approval to make one.

Per the WSJ, Weinsteins lawyer has met with federal prosecutors in an attempt to dissuade them from proceeding and will continue to meet with them. Weinstein still denies any nonconsensual sexual acts. Federal prosecutors had already been looking into possible fraud charges against Weinstein, but expanded their probe recently.27 Dead in Virus Outbreak: Warning Sent Out After Sick Patients Escape Quarantine

An alert was sent out in the Democratic Republic of Congo after two dying Ebola patients were taken to a prayer meeting with about 50 other people, possibly exposing them all to the deadly virus.

They were taken by family members from a hospital in the city of Mbandaka, Reuters reported, citing Dr. Jean-Clement Cabrol, emergency medical coordinator for Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders).

So far, in the outbreak, 27 people have died and more than 50 have been infected.

Both patients were vomiting and infectious, dying just hours later, Cabrol said.

The escape was organized by the families, with six motorcycles as the patients were very ill and couldnt walk, Cabrol was quoted as saying by the news agency.

He added: They were taken to a prayer room with 50 people to pray. They were found at two in the morning, one of them dead and one was dying. So thats 50-60 contacts right there. The patients were in the active phase of the disease, vomiting.

The patients escaped the hospitals isolation ward on Monday, May 21. A third patient who left the ward survived.

Health officials are now trying to trace the drivers and others who came into contact with the Ebola patients, Dr. Peter Salama, head of emergency response at the World Health Organization, told Reuters.

From the moment that they escaped, the (health) ministry, WHO and partners have been following very closely every contact, he added.

Salama noted that the fight to contain the disease has reached a critical point. He noted that Mbandaka, a city of more than 1 million, is located on the Congo River, which leads into the capital Kinshasa, which has a population of 10 million.

All it takes is one sick person to travel down the Congo River and we can have outbreaks seeded in many different locations  that can happen at any moment, its very hard to predict, he said. It is going to be at least weeks and more likely months before we get this outbreak fully under control, Salama said.

The next few weeks will really tell if this outbreak is going to expand to urban areas or if were going to be able to keep it under controls, Salama said, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

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Why is Falun Gong persecuted?

Although its freely practiced in over 70 countries, doing this in China can lead to unlawful arrest, imprisonment, torture, or even death.Alleged MKULTRA Victims to File Lawsuit in Canada

A group of victims and family members affected by the CIAs infamous MKULTRA program is planning to file a class-action lawsuit against several organizations for brainwashing experiments in Canada.

The lawsuit is being prepared by Survivors Allied Against Government Abuse (SAAGA). According to the groups Facebook page, it will sue several organizations who were guilty of or complicit in the brainwashing experiments that took place at Montreals Allan Memorial Hospital and The Douglas Hospital through the 1940s, 50s and 1960s.

The experiments at the hospital are fairly well documented. Scottish psychiatrist Ewen Cameron, with financing from the CIA under its MKULTRA program, subjected patients at the behavioral health center to electroshock treatments, experimental drugs such as LSD, and other controversial methods in an attempt to de-pattern, or wipe the minds of patients, then re-pattern, or reprogram them.

Some of Camerons victims suffered severe mental harm and were unable to function properly afterward. Symptoms included memory loss to the extent that they no longer recognized their own parents, or forgot how to use the restroom and how to speak.

Among the victims was Jean Steel, who was admitted to the Allan Memorial Institute in 1957 for manic depression and delusional thinking. Cameron allegedly subjected the 33-year-old to chemically induced sleep for weeks at a time, as well as electroshock, experimental drugs, and recorded messages played on repeat.

Steels daughter, Alison Steel, filed a lawsuit in 2015, according to Canadas CBC news outlet, and in 2017 received an out-of-court settlement from the Canadian government of $100,000. In 1992, close to 70 patients were also compensated with $100,000 by the Canadian government for the abuses.

In the current case, close to 40 individuals met on May 20 in Montreal to discuss the class-action lawsuit, according to CBC. They are planning to request a public apology and compensation.

While part of the funding for the programs in Canada came through the CIA, they were also funded by the Canadian Health and Welfare Department.

The MKULTRA program has been a focus of heavy controversy for years. In 1973, the CIA destroyed many documents on the program, which was tied to bizarre and often abusive experiments on human consciousness.

A 1983 CIA document on the program, declassified in 2007, states that because of reports that the Soviet Union may have developed the capability to affect human behavior through the use of drugs, the Agency initiated a program of research in this area called MKULTRA from 1953 to 1964.

It states that much of the research was conducted with the drug LSD, and this part was often not classified. The more abusive programs, however, were kept secret.

The 1983 document states, Other MKULTRA research was performed in a questionable manner; research and tests were conducted on individuals who were not witting that they were the subjects

of a research program and that they were being given a drug. According to FOIA request website MuckRock, MKULTRA previously ran under MKDELTA and continued under projects BLUEBIRD and ARTICHOKE.A photo of Christian Garcia hangs on a cross at a memorial in front of Santa Fe High School on May 22, 2018 in Santa Fe, Texas. The makeshift memorial honors the victims of last Friday's shooting when 17-year-old student entered the school with a shotgun and a pistol and opened fire, killing 10 people. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

American School Violence Crisis Demands Moral Courage

After the April 20, 1999 Columbine High School tragedy, I was privileged to speak at venues throughout America to address school violence.

Nearly twenty years ago, I told audiences the same message I am sharing now. Unless we respond with full-force moral courage against our culture of violence, the tragedies will continue.

In one of my graphic slides, it was demonstrated that America is experiencing a crisis of leadership. This crisis has made a head-on collision with a culture of violence.

The head-on collision is compounded by societal dysfunctions. These include the brokenness of American families, our get-high society, superficiality, and the gang mentality.

During my presentations, I also argued that we can only change the course by transforming our educational communities. This can take place through a pedagogy which I refer to as the preventive system. This pedagogy enhances community through moral courage, building trust with students and all community members, and ethical leadership.

The Crisis Continues

Columbine, Virginia Tech, Newtown, Parkland, and now with Santa Fe, the school violence crisis has no end in sight.

Tragically, the ink may not dry on this new article before another school massacre takes place.

America must turn the tide from this scourge of school violence.

We must build on the pillars of courage, commitment, and community to secure our schools.

America must be fully dedicated to this mission and inspire our youth with a bright future, full of hope, security, and character.

In Memoriam: Santa Fe High School Tragedy

Let all of America solemnly pause to honor the victims of the May 18, 2018 Santa Fe tragedy.

Read More American Teachers: Inspire the Heart and Transform the Country

Angelique Ramirez, 15, who was remembered on Facebook by her aunt:

All I know is you will forever be our rainbow baby girl! Every rainbow will represent you, just the same way you lived life and affected everyone who was blessed to be a part of your souls journey.

You touched each and everyone one of us in so many ways, ways you didnt even know. Rest easy my angel, forever the rainbow in our lives, a reflection of what love truly is!!

Kimberly Vaughan, another student whose mother posted on Facebook that she was in art class during the shooting. Her death was confirmed by the Galveston County District Attorney.

Cynthia Tisdale, a substitute teacher remembered by her son Recie as someone who started teaching because she love to help children.

Sabika Sheikh, a 17-year-old exchange student whose body will return to Pakistan. Her father, Aziz Sheikh responded to her death stating There is a general impression that the life is safe and secure in America. But this is not the case.

Chris Stone, a 17-year-old student remembered by his sister as the protector of his sisters and always there if someone needed someone to listen or some cheering-up.

Jared Black, a 17-year-old student who was killed just days before his scheduled birthday party.

Shana Fisher, a 16-year-old student whose mother told a reporter that she keeps expecting her daughter to come through the front door. She added, But shes never going to walk through the front door again.

Glenda Ann Perkins, a teacher whose daughter Ashely stated, I would like the world to remember her as a hero, of course, a hero that gave herself to get other people out and safe in time.

Aaron Kyle McLeon, a 15-year-old student remembered by his friend Kali Reeves, He was just outgoing and super sweet. He definitely didnt deserve this.

Christian Riley Garcia, a 15-year-old student whose picture is posted on Facebook next to a verse from a psalm. The verse was going to be on the threshold to his new bedroom and read, He said, Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.

Final Reflections

The comments of Paige Curry, a Santa Fe student, during a television interview memorialize a heart-wrenching commentary on our school violence pandemic.

Read More Five Preliminary Tips for Improving American School Security

Shortly after being escorted safely out of Santa Fe High School, she told reporters that she struggled to overcome her fear by staying calm.

Responding to the 22nd school shooting in 2018, Paige stated Its been happening everywhere, Ive always kind of felt that eventually it would happen here, too.

America, listen to the heartbreak throughout the nation, the on-going repercussions of our head-on crisis of leadership and culture of violence collision.

America, wake-up, it is time for moral courage, ethical leadership, and the reawakening of the nation.

Vincent J. Bove, CPP, is a national speaker and author on issues critical to America. Bove is a recipient of the FBI Directors Community Leadership Award for combating crime and violence and is a former confidant of the New York Yankees. His newest book is Listen to Their Cries. For more information, see www.vincentbove.com

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.A relative of an Australian victim of Malaysia Airlines jet MH17 touches a memorial that was unveiled outside Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, July 17, 2015. (Reuters/David Gray/File photo)

Australia Says MH17 Perpetrators May Be Tried in Absentia

SYDNEYThe perpetrators who brought down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in July 2014, killing all 298 aboard, may be tried in absentia, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Sunday.

Most of those on board the Boeing 777 were Dutch, but others came from 17 countries, including 38 Australians.

It was shot down by a Russian-made Buk missile over eastern Ukrainian territory held by pro-Russia separatists, the Dutch Safety Board concluded in 2015.

Late in June, the Netherlands said suspects in the case would be tried in a Dutch court, and under Dutch law.

Bishop said every legal avenue was being pursued, and urged Russia to comply with UN Security Council resolution 2166, authored by Australia.

That calls on all states to cooperate to ensure that those responsible for the killing are brought to justice, she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

It may be that there will have be to a trial in absentia, Bishop added.

A foreign ministry spokeswoman was unable to provide additional details.

Moscow, which denies any involvement in the fighting in eastern Ukraine, also denies one of its rockets could have been used against MH17.

The decision on a trial in the Netherlands follows attempts, blocked by Russia in 2015, to set up an international court over the incident.

It is not clear how far Russia will cooperate with a Dutch court if prosecutors name Russian suspects or request information.

Bishops comments come just days after Malaysia expressed hopes that suspects would be known by the end of the year.Chinese Official Gets Lenient Punishment After Poisoning Superior with Pesticide

A crime committed by a Chinese Communist Party official has become a widely discussed topic on Chinese social media because of how easily the official got off the hook.

Xiong Bo, deputy director of the Ningshan County branch of the state-owned firm, China Tobacco, located in Ankang City, in northwestern Chinas Shaanxi Province, tried to poison his superior, Mr. Zhou, by mixing pesticide into a hot water bottle Zhou used, reported Chinese news portal Sina on May 23.

Xiong was passed over for promotion after the branch director left. Instead, someone who did not work at the branch, Zhou, was named Xiongs superior.

Zhou was taken to a local hospital for treatment after drinking from the pesticide-laced bottle. A day later, Xiong turned himself into local police and confessed his crime, saying he only intended to make his superior sick.

When the police bureau presented their evidence before the local prosecutors office to bring manslaughter charges against Xiong, the procuratorate dismissed the case due to lack of evidence. About a month later, when police presented new pieces of evidence, the procuratorate again dismissed the case for the same reason.

The police, citing Chinas public security management punishment law, issued a penalty of administrative detention for 10 days and a fine of 500 yuan (about $73).

Upon release, Xiong was given a severe warning by Party authorities, the Ningshan Commission for Discipline Inspection, an agency that disciplines Communist Party members for bad behavior.

Xiong was dismissed from his position but got a new job at another branch of the company in the same city: the Pingli County branch of China Tobacco.

Xiongs crime took place in November last year but the incident was only publicly reported recently, according to Sina.

On Sina Weibo, Chinas equivalent of Twitter, netizens were upset at both Xiong and the prosecutors office. He admitted to poisoning. How can there be a lack of evidence? asked a netizen from eastern Chinas Shandong Province.

So he only got 10-day detention for attempted murder. What country would have such laws? a netizen from Fujian Province asked sarcastically.

Why can he continue to be a public employee, questioned Chinese writer Wang Zirong from southwestern Chinas Yunnan region.

This is hardly the first time a Party official has tried to kill one of his colleagues. In May, Mr. Hsu, the head of a local court in Xianyang City in Shaanxi Province, and his wife, suffered cutting wounds at their home when Mr. Dong, a work subordinate, attacked them with a knife, reported Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily. Dong was unhappy that a member of his family was laid off by Hsu.

In June 2017, Mr. Zhang, the former party secretary of a village in Xinshao County, in southern Chinas Hunan Province, was beaten to death by people associated with Mr. Liu, the new party secretary who replaced Zhang, reported Radio Free Asia (RFA). Before his death, Zhang tried to stop Liu from tearing down a building in Lius village.Confucius Institutes Under Review in NSWHere Are The Concerns

The content is not available due to expiration.A Chinese employee looking at a solar cell production line at a factory in Nantong in Jiangsu Province in eastern China on March 28, 2018. (AFP/Getty Images)

Congress to Pass Bill Aimed at Blocking China From Buying Up American Technologies

WASHINGTONBoth houses of Congress are set to pass legislation that would strengthen the scrutiny given to foreign purchases of American businesses with technologies critical to national security, making it easier to block such sales. Key proponents of the bill have repeatedly named China as the primary target, as Beijing has continued its aggressive industrial policy and espionage aimed at stealing U.S. technology.

The Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2017, known as FIRRMA, was approved unanimously by the Senate Banking Committee on May 22. The House version of the bill, introduced by Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.), was also approved 53-0 in the House Financial Services Committee. Now that the bill has cleared both Senate and House committees, Congress is expected to pass the bill soon with broad bipartisan support.

The bill would comprehensively modernize and strengthen the process by which the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) reviews acquisitions, mergers, and other foreign investments in the United States for national security risks.

Housed by the Treasury Department, CFIUS is a relatively small agency tasked with reviewing cases of foreign businesses purchasing U.S. firms. Created in the 1970s, CFIUSs ability to protect the American technological edge has been increasingly challenged in recent years, as China makes ever more attempts to buy U.S. firms and technology.

On May 22, an investigative report by the Politico revealed that the existing CFIUS framework failed to review a Chinese business magnates purchase of an American semiconductor company in 2017. The case highlights the difficulty of reviewing acquisition deals that involve individual Chinese investors, some of which could have relations with or are even working for the Chinese regime.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who sponsored the Senate bill, argued, as have other proponents of FIRRMA, that there is an urgent need for action as China vacuums up U.S. technologies whenever it can. China could conceivably use technologies stolen from the United States against it in a conflict, Cornyn said.

Since FIRRMA was introduced in both houses last November, congressional members have been debating and revising the details of the bill, as segments of U.S. industry have raised concerns that it could create excessive restrictions for their doing business with China.

As a compromise, the eventual bill passed by the congressional committees the week of May 21 has scrapped a provision that would subject joint ventures between U.S. and foreign businesses to CFIUS review. Instead, the amended bill would create an interagency process for identifying critical emerging technologies and intellectual property not yet subject to export control.

It is absolutely essential for Congress to tighten CFIUS legislation to protect us from Chinas mercantilist policies, said China and East Asia analyst Gordon Chang. China is stealing American innovations, which are the lifeblood of our economy.

Chang also called for policymakers in Washington to make CFIUS as strict as possible, so as to ensure that every Chinese acquisition of American companies and technology is in the interest of the United States, not of Beijing.

U.S. observers have been increasingly alarmed by Chinas aggressive industrial policy, as exemplified by its Made in China 2025 strategy devised in 2015, which explicitly states that the industrial goal of the Chinese regime is to catch up with rivals like the United States, Japan, and Germany in advanced technologies.President Donald Trump on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on May 21, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

FBI Agents Coming Forward to Speak Against Comey and McCabe, Trump Says

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that FBI agents are coming forward to speak out against the agencys former director, James Comey, and former deputy director Andrew McCabe.

Not surprisingly, the GREAT Men & Women of the FBI are starting to speak out against Comey, McCabe and all of the political corruption and poor leadership found within the top ranks of the FBI, Trump wrote on Twitter. Comey was a terrible and corrupt leader who inflicted great pain on the FBI! #SPYGATE

Not surprisingly, the GREAT Men & Women of the FBI are starting to speak out against Comey, McCabe and all of the political corruption and poor leadership found within the top ranks of the FBI. Comey was a terrible and corrupt leader who inflicted great pain on the FBI! #SPYGATE  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 24, 2018

The presidents comments came the morning after reports surfaced about FBI agents who wanted Congress to issue them subpoenas so that they could speak out against their former bosses. The rank and file at the agency also demand that Comey and McCabe be prosecuted, three people in contact with active field agents told The Daily Caller.

There are agents all over this country who love the bureau and are sickened by Comeys behavior and McCabe and [Eric] Holder and [Loretta] Lynch and the thugs like [John] Brennanwho despise the fact that the bureau was used as a tool of political intelligence by the Obama administration thugs, former federal prosecutor Joe DiGenova told The Daily Caller. They are just waiting for a chance to come forward and testify.

DiGenova said that the agents prefer to receive a subpoena instead of going through official whistleblower channels because they fear political and professional retaliation. A Congressional subpoena also means that the agents legal costs are covered and that they are insulated against backlash within the agency.

They are on their own as whistleblowers, they get no legal protection and there will be organizational retaliation against them, DiGenova said.

Andrew McCabe was fired from the FBI because a Justice Department watchdogs report found that he lied to investigators under oath. Eleven House lawmakers referred McCabe and Comey for criminal investigation for their role in obtaining warrants to wiretap Trump campaign volunteer Carter Page. The warrants were obtained using an unverified anti-Trump dossier funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

I dont blame the agents one bit. I think that the FBI is in a freefall, DiGenova said. James Comey has destroyed the institution he claims to love. And it is beyond a doubt that it is going to take a decade to restore public confidence because of Comey and Clapper and Brennan and Obama and Lynch.

One of the The Daily Callers sources is a counter-intelligence consultant who conducted an interview with an active FBI agent.

Every special agent I have spoken to in the Washington Field Office wants to see McCabe prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. They feel the same way about Comey, the special agent said, according to a transcript provided to The Daily Caller. The administrations are so politicized that any time a Special Agent comes forward as a whistleblower, they can expect to be thrown under the bus by leadership. Go against the Muslim Brotherhood, youre crushed. Go against the Clintons, youre crushed. The FBI has long been politicized to the detriment of national security and law enforcement.

WATCH NEXT:

Now Free, Americans Detained By North Korea Greeted by TrumpHere Is Who Shot Down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17: Report

Dutch prosecutors identified a Russian military unit on Thursday as the source of the missile that shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 296 people on board.

The airliner flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was hit by a Russian-made Buk anti-aircraft missile on July 17, 2014 over territory held by pro-Russian separatists. There were no survivors. Two-thirds of those killed were Dutch.

The Buk that was used came from the Russian army, the 53rd brigade, Chief Dutch Prosecutor Fred Westerbeke told Reuters. We know that was used, but the people in charge of this Buk, we dont know.

Investigators appealed to the public to come forward and help identify members of the crew who operated the missile and determine how high up the chain of command the order originated.This photo illustration shows the logo of Chinese instant messaging platform WeChat on a mobile device on March 12, 2014. (Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images)

IDG Capital Fires Manager in China After His Online Sexual Messages Are Leaked

BEIJING/HONG KONGU.S.-based venture capital firm IDG Capital has fired a top investment manager in China, following leaked messages on social media purporting to show he had made sexual advances toward several women in the course of his work.

Jiang Zuo, also known as Douglas Jiang, joined IDG in 2013 to lead the firms cryptocurrency investments.

In an internal email dated May 22 and verified by Reuters, the firm said it fired the executive immediately after it found his words and actions have seriously violated the values IDG represents and the ethical standards IDG requires.

It did not give further details in the email.

The case emerged following a series of screenshots first leaked on WeChat, a Chinese social media app.

Reuters could not immediately independently verify the authenticity of the messages, nor could it reach Jiang for comment.

Several IDG employees and a company spokeswoman told Reuters that Jiang could not be reached by mobile telephone.

IDG would improve its management system and enhance staff ethics to prevent similar events from happening, the Beijing-based spokeswoman of the firm told Reuters.

Powerful men from Hollywood to Silicon Valley have been ensnared in the #MeToo movement, triggered by accusations by dozens of women of sexual misconduct by U.S. film producer Harvey Weinstein.

Similar public cases in China have begun to surface, particularly among Chinas universities. Several professors accused of sexually assaulting their female students have since been removed from their teaching posts.

By Shu Zhang and Julie Zhu. Epoch Times staff member Annie contributed to this report.Investigators Identify Russian Military Unit in Downing of Flight MH17

BUNNIK, Netherlands (Reuters)  Dutch prosecutors identified a Russian military unit on Thursday as the source of the missile that shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 296 people on board.

The airliner flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was hit by a Russian-made Buk anti-aircraft missile on July 17, 2014, over territory held by pro-Russian separatists. There were no survivors. Two-thirds of those killed were Dutch.

The Chief Dutch Prosecutor, Fred Westerbeke said that the Buk or Russian anti-aircraft missile belonged to the 53rd brigade in the Russian army. But they do not know who was in charge of the Buk.

Investigators appealed to the public to come forward and help identify members of the crew who operated the missile and determine how high up the chain of command the order originated.

The Russian Federation didnt help us in providing us the information we brought out into the open today, Westerbeke said. They didnt give us this information, although a Buk from their military forces was used.

Russia repeated on Thursday that it had nothing to do with the incident. In a statement run on the TASS news agency, the Russian military denied that any Russian missile had ever crossed the border to Ukraine.

Prosecutors showed photos and videos of a truck convoy carrying the system as it crossed the border from Russia to Ukraine. It crossed back several days later with one missile missing. The vehicles had serial numbers and other markings that were unique to the 53rd brigade, based in the western Russian city of Kursk, they said.

In the interim update on their investigation, prosecutors said they had trimmed their list of possible suspects from more than a hundred to several dozen.

Westerbeke said investigators were not yet ready to identify individual suspects publicly or to issue indictments, but that when they do he expects cooperation, or a firm international political response.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte cut short a trip to India to return in time for a cabinet meeting on Friday to discuss the latest findings in the inquiry.

A Joint Investigation Team, drawn from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and Ukraine, is gathering evidence for a criminal prosecution in the downing of the plane.

Ukrainian Army General Vasyl Hrytsak, a member of the investigation team, told Reuters it would be crucial to pinpoint who issued the orders to move the missile system.

The next crucially important step is to identify some members of the military in the 53rd brigade of the Armed Forces of (Russia)who can directly say who was involved in the transfer or operation of the Buk.

The Dutch Safety Board concluded in an October 2015 report that the Boeing 777 was struck by a Russian-made Buk missile.

Eventual suspects are likely to be tried in absentia in the Netherlands after Russia used its veto to block a U.N. Security Council resolution seeking to create an international tribunal to oversee criminal complaints stemming from the incident. The Epoch Times, Alan Cheung contributed to this article. Watch Next: Security Guards Spotted Jogging Around Kim Jong Uns Limo He was in Seoul, South Korea, to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in for sincere, candid talks on denuclearisation.A Malaysian air crash investigator inspects the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, near the village of Hrabove (Grabovo) in Donetsk region, Ukraine, July 22, 2014. (Reuters/Maxim Zmeyev/File Photo)

Investigators Identify Russian Military Unit in Downing of MH17

BUNNIK, NetherlandsProsecutors investigating the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 said on Thursday they had identified the missile used to shoot down the plane as coming from a Russian military unit.

The airliner was hit by a Russian-made missile on July 17, 2014, with 298 people on board, two-thirds of them Dutch, over territory held by pro-Russian separatists. All aboard died.

Wilbert Paulissen, head of the crime squad of the Netherlands national police, said the missile had been fired from a carrier belonging to Russias 53rd Anti-Aircraft Brigade.

All the vehicles in a convoy carrying the missile were part of the Russian armed forces, he told a televised news conference.

Russia has denied involvement in the incident. There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the investigative development.

In an interim update on their investigation, prosecutors said they had trimmed their list of possible suspects from more than a hundred to several dozen.

We have a lot of proof and a lot of evidence, but we are not finished, said chief prosecutor Fred Westerbeke. There is still a lot of work to do.

He said investigators were not yet ready to identify individual suspects publicly or to issue indictments. The question of whether members of the 53rd Brigade were actively involved in the downing of the plane remains under investigation, he said.

Westerbeke called on witnesses, including members of the public, to help identify members of the crew that was operating the missile system. He also asked for tip-offs in determining what their orders were and in identifying the officials in charge of the brigade.

A Joint Investigation Team, drawn from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine, is gathering evidence for a criminal prosecution in the downing of the plane.

The Dutch Safety Board concluded in an October 2015 report that the Boeing 777 was struck by a Russian-made Buk missile.

Dutch prosecutors said in September 2016 that 100 persons of interest had been identified in the investigation, while Australian and Malaysian officials had initially expressed hope that suspects names would be made public in 2017.

Eventual suspects are likely to be tried in absentia in the Netherlands after Russia used its veto to block a U.N. Security Council resolution seeking to create an international tribunal to oversee criminal complaints stemming from the incident.Major Update on 7-Week-Old Baby Tragically Hit by Softball

The two-month-old baby, who was severely injured after being hit by a softball earlier this month, has opened her eyes and showed other positive signs of recovery, a relative has informed supporters via social media.

The babys great aunt, Laura Heise added that baby McKenna Hovenga has also started tracking her mothers face and voice.

Heise said that the infant performed well during a two-hour breathing test on Monday morning.

McKenna did excellent on her third Spontaneous Breathing Trial and went for the full two hours, she posted on the Facebook page Healing for McKenna.

The word is that they will wait until Wednesday to extubate  They want to give her time to regain her strength after what happened on Saturday, when McKenna suffered a seizure.

They really want to have her as awake as possible, while remaining seizure-free before they attempt extubation, she added.

McKenna has been at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, since May 2.

Heise said that doctors at the clinic have noticed some darting eye movement, which could be the result of injury or a side effect of the anti-seizure medication that she is on.

According to Heises earlier post, McKenna hasnt had a seizure since late Saturday. The family is thus hopeful that she will gain more control over her eye movement as she is weaned off the medication.

According to Fox News, McKenna was with her parents at a softball field in Shell Rock when she was hit by a softball, causing a skull fracture. She was rushed to a local hospital and later transferred to the Mayo Clinic.

Doctors have said that recovery will be day-to-day. Scans have indicated a possibility of significant damage in at least one area of her brain.

Heises most recent post was optimistic about McKennas recovery.

She is making some great strides and is coming back to us more and more as each day passes. And for that we could not be more grateful, she wrote.

McKennas recovery continues to be tracked by supporters.

Cards, toys, and blankets from well-wishers all over the world fill her hospital room.

Watch Next:

Why is Falun Gong persecuted?

Although its freely practiced in over 70 countries, doing this in China can lead to unlawful arrest, imprisonment, torture, or even death.Huge Explosions at North Korea Nuclear Site

North Korean state media reported that the communist regime followed through on a pledge to blow up tunnels at its nuclear test site on Thursday, May 24.

North Korea has conducted all six of its nuclear tests at the Punggye-ri site, which consists of tunnels dug beneath Mount Mantap in the northeast of the country.

A small group of international media selected by North Korea witnessed the demolition, which Pyongyang says is proof of its commitment to end nuclear testing.

The destruction of the site began at about 11 a.m. with the blowing up and collapsing of a tunnel and an observation post.

North Koreas state-run news agency KCNA reported there was no leak of radioactive materials or any adverse impact on the surrounding ecological environment.

Dismantling the nuclear test ground was done in such a way as to make all the tunnels of the test ground collapse by explosion and completely close the tunnel entrances, and at the same time, explode some guard facilities and observation posts on the site, KCNA reported.

The South Korean government welcomed the test site destruction by calling it the first meaningful step to realize complete denuclearization which North Korea expressed through including the inter-Korean summit.

South Korean media described how North Korean authorities called out to media to ask if they were ready to film the first blast. They then counted down.

With a heavy boom that shook Mount Mantap, dirt and broken rocks spilled out from the entrance, South Korean media reported.

After some time, another tunnel and other facilities were destroyed, then a third tunnel, and another observation post. About five hours after the operation began, two military barracks were demolished, South Korean media said.

The North Korean offer to scrap the test site has been seen as a major concession in months of easing decades of tension with South Korea and the United States.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Watch Next:

Now Free, Americans Detained By North Korea Greeted by TrumpActress Allison Mack, known for her role in the TV series "Smallville", departs after being granted bail following being charged with sex trafficking and conspiracy in New York, U.S., April 24, 2018. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

Prosecutors Move to Seize NXIVM Properties Used for Sex Trafficking

New York prosecutors filed a court complaint on Wednesday to seize two properties owned by the NXIVM secret society, alleging that the buildings were used for sex trafficking.

In the complaint filed in New Yorks Eastern District court, prosecutors demand to seize two residences in Halfmoon, New York, where Keith Raniere, the secret societys master, lived with several of his female slaves and other NXIVM members.

One of the properties, described as the Grenadier Court Property, was the residence of Smallville actress and NXIVM member Allison Mack. Raniere lived at the other property, referred to as the Hale Drive Property, which he called The Library. The two houses are a short walk apart and a 15-minute drive from the NXIVM headquarters in Albany.

The ownership of one of the properties was traced to Nancy Salzman, one of the most senior members of NXIVM.

Raniere and Mack were indicted on sex trafficking charges last month. Mack was released on $5 million bond. Raniere remains behind bars.

The civil complaint details the plight of Jane Doe 1, who began taking NXIVM classes around 2015. In 2016, Jane Doe 1 was recruited by Mack into the secret society within NXIVM called DOS or The Vow.

Similar to other victims, Jane Doe 1 was required to surrender compromising information about herself and vow to become Macks slave in order to join. After Jane Doe 1 joined, Mack asked for more compromising material, including nude photos.

Eventually, similar to other victims, Mack ordered Jane Doe 1 to meet with Raniere and promise to do anything he asked. The meeting developed into a series of sexual encounters at the Hale Drive Property, the complaint alleges. Jane Doe 1 was afraid that failure to participate would lead to the release of compromising material she gave up to Mack.

Mack told Jane Doe 1 to travel to Halfmoon on a regular basis and eventually had trouble paying for the trips. Raniere then gave her money to cover the travel costs.

The complaint reveals Ranieres anxiety about security at the Hale Drive Property. He required that the shades be drawn at all times and told Jane Doe 1 to cover up her footprints if she walked to the house in the snow. Multiple witnesses reported that there were cameras outside the property, the complaint states.

The court filing also details devious communications between Mack and Raniere regarding their slaves.

On one occasion, Jane Doe 1 saw a text exchange on Macks phone between Raniere and Mack, in which Mack, sent a nude photo she had just taken of all of the slaves on Jane Doe 1s level and Raniere wrote back, All mine? with a smiling devil emoticon, the complaint states.

After senior members of NXIVM left the secret society in 2017 without having their collateral released, Jane Doe 1 thought she could also escape. When she told Mack about her intentions, Mack and other slaves mounted a two-hour intervention to berate her about leaving.

After the intervention, Raniere demanded that Jane Doe 1 pay him back the money he gave her for travel expenses.

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The content is not available due to expiration.A combination photo shows U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (R) in Washington, DC, U.S. May 17, 2018 and in Panmunjom, South Korea, April 27, 2018 respectively. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque and Korea Summit Press Pool/File Photos)

Trump Calls Off Meeting With Kim Jong Un

President Donald Trump canceled the scheduled meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in a letter dated May 24.

We greatly appreciate your time, patience, and effort with respect to our recent negotiations and discussions relative to a summit long sought by both parties, which was scheduled to take place on June 12 in Singapore, Trump wrote.

I was very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting.

After several rounds of major concessions, North Korea changed its tone in recent weeks and pulled out of a scheduled second summit with South Korea. The communist regime also threatened to call off the meeting with Trump. On Thursday, a North Korean official raised the prospect of nuclear war and insulted Vice President Mike Pence.

North Koreas comments about Pence were the last straw that led the White House to cancel the summit, a White House official said on Thursday. The official added that there was still hope for peace with North Korea but the country needed to change its rhetoric to get there.

There is a backdoor thats open still if the North Koreans are willing to walk through it. But it involves some changing of their rhetoric  at a minimum, the official said.

Trump issued a stern warning to the North Korean leader about threatening to use nuclear weapons.

You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used, Trump wrote.

The White House released Trumps letter to Kim hours after North Korea declared that it had demolished its only nuclear test site. In the letter, Trump thanked Kim for releasing three American hostages from prison in North Korea.

That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated, the president wrote.

North Korean state media reported that the communist regime followed through on a pledge to blow up tunnels at its nuclear test site on Thursday.

North Korea has conducted all six of its nuclear tests at the Punggye-ri site, which consists of tunnels dug beneath Mount Mantap in the northeast of the country.

A small group of international media selected by North Korea witnessed the demolition, which Pyongyang says is proof of its commitment to end nuclear testing.

The destruction of the site began at about 11 a.m. with the blowing up and collapsing of a tunnel and an observation post.

North Koreas state-run news agency KCNA reported there was no leak of radioactive materials or any adverse impact on the surrounding ecological environment.

Dismantling the nuclear test ground was done in such a way as to make all the tunnels of the test ground collapse by explosion and completely close the tunnel entrances, and at the same time, explode some guard facilities and observation posts on the site, KCNA reported.

The South Korean government welcomed the test site destruction by calling it the first meaningful step to realize complete denuclearization which North Korea expressed through including the inter-Korean summit.

South Korean media described how North Korean authorities called out to media to ask if they were ready to film the first blast. They then counted down.

With a heavy boom that shook Mount Mantap, dirt and broken rocks spilled out from the entrance, South Korean media reported.

After some time, another tunnel and other facilities were destroyed, then a third tunnel, and another observation post. About five hours after the operation began, two military barracks were demolished, South Korean media said.

The North Korean offer to scrap the test site has been seen as a major concession in months of easing decades of tension with South Korea and the United States.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Watch Next:

Trump: Korea Summit Cancellation Is a Setback for the WorldAustralian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Alexander Downer is pictured as he arrives with the Treasurer of Australia Scott Morrison to meet British Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond (L) at Number 11 Downing Street on Jan. 24, 2017 in London, England. Downer is reported to have elicited information from George Papadopoulos concerning Russia possessing emails from Hillary Clinton. (Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

US Intelligence Presents: Inception, Too

In the movie Inception, dreams are the crime scene. In dreams, people let down their guard. Their subconscious is susceptible to probe or manipulation. Leveraging shared dreams, con artists can extract information from targets and surreptitiously plant ideas in peoples minds.

Inception was generally considered one of the best sci-fi films in the 21 century. Unlike many successful films, Inception is without a sequel. Fans took the matter in their own hands: fanfictions of Inception flourished.

It turns out that U.S. Intelligence is a fan of Inception as well. It wrote its own treatment of inception. Lets call it Inception, too. Information about the story is murky; many plot devices are highly classified. But the ending is always the same: some in the U.S. Intelligence community really hated Trump. They wanted to take him down.

In Inception, too, a peripheral figure in Trump campaign, George Papadopoulos, was the target. In 2016, Papadopoulos was 28 years old and worked as an oil and gas consultant. He joined the Trump campaign in March that year as an unpaid foreign policy adviser.

Papadopoulos encountered Joseph Mifsud, a Maltese, during a trip to Italy in March. On April 26, 2016, Mifsud told Papadopoulos in London that Russia had thousands of Hillary Clintons emails.

Mifsud was said to be close to the Russian government and Putin. However, that could be a smoke screen. Mifsud was seen to hang out with prominent politicians in the United Kingdom, such as Boris Johnson and Theresa May. He was a close associate with Claire Smith of the U.K. Joint Intelligence Committee. They worked together to train diplomats of the Commonwealth countries in a school in Rome. This led some to believe Mifsud actually worked for U.K. Intelligence.

Two weeks after the London meeting, around May 10, Papadopoulos met Alexander Downer, the high commissioner (ambassador) of Australia, in a London bar. Before the meeting, Papadopoulos was introduced through intermediaries (including Mifsud) to a counselor to Downer who serves in Australias London embassy. The counselor reached out to Papadopoulos after his interview with the London Times was published, saying Downer wanted a meeting. During the drunken conversation, Papadopoulos boasted about his knowledge of Russians having Hillary Clintons emails.

On July 22, 2016, Wikileaks started publishing emails from key figures in the Democratic National Committee. Australia, a member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, passed Papadopoulos Bacchic babblings to the U.S. intelligence. On July 31, the FBI opened a counterintelligence investigation into the Trump-Russia collusion.

To recap, the mysterious Joseph Mifsud planted the idea in Papadopoulos head that Russians had Hillary Clintons emails. Under the influence of booze, Papadopoulos blurted it out to Alexander Downer, as if he knew the matter first-hand, as though he were a character in Inception.The hearsay traveled back to the United States. The FBI moved on the intel at unprecedented speed.

Inception, too is clumsy, but it accomplished its goal: turn Trump into a Russia colluder. Till this day, Trump is viewed with suspicion by many Democrats, despite Muellers probe having turned up absolutely nothing on Trump-Russia collusion.

Papadopoulos pleaded guilty for lying to the FBI in October last year. He may not be the only Trump associate who got set up. Carter Page, another volunteer campaign advisor to Trump, may have been the victim of entrapment by U.S. intelligence as well.

The lead antagonist in Inception, too, Joseph Mifsud, vanished. Nobody could locate him, including his Ukraine fiance. He was last heard from on October 31, 2017.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.Wallabies Prop Slipper Banned for Positive Cocaine Tests

SYDNEY  Wallabies and Queensland Reds prop James Slipper has been banned for two months after testing positive for cocaine twice, Rugby Australia (RA) said on Thursday.

The 28-year-old failed drug tests in February and May this year, and said he had been suffering depression.

I have been suffering wellness issues, including depression, for a year and have been receiving professional assistance for the last few months, Slipper said in a statement.

The advice is that I will make a speedy and total recovery.

In no way do my personal circumstances excuse my actions but I recognise now that I was not coping and that I need to properly address these wellness issues.

After a hearing last week, Slipper was given the minimum mandatory suspension in RAs illicit drugs policy, the governing body said in a statement.

He was also fined A$27,500.

We are extremely disappointed to be in this position today with one of our most senior international players having submitted two positive tests for cocaine, RA chief executive Raelene Castle.

We are fully aware that James is dealing with very significant personal issues and we have been working with him since February on these matters.

James has expressed his sincere remorse for his actions and for placing himself, Rugby Australia and the Reds in this very difficult situation.

Slipper, who made his international debut in 2010, has 86 caps for Australia and played more than 100 Super Rugby games for the Reds.

He was a surprise omission from the Reds team that lost 38-34 away to the Wellington Hurricanes last week, with the team citing welfare reasons for his absence.

Loosehead prop JP Smith started in his place.

Slipper is the second Wallabies and Reds player to fall foul of RAs illicit drugs policy in the past six months.

Utility back Karmichael Hunt was suspended by RA for four games earlier this year after he pleaded guilty to possessing a tablet of Xanax. Police dropped a charge of cocaine possession after arresting Hunt in December.

Hunt, who was also banned for six weeks in 2015 after pleading guilty to cocaine possession, has been out of the Reds side since.

By Greg Stutchbury

Watch Next:

Kangaroo Attacks CyclistWoman Calls 911 After a Bear Gets Stuck in Her Car

A woman from Conneticut made a 911 call after she heard noises coming from her parked car.

Linda Morad was perplexed when she saw her cars lights turn on and off and heard the cars horn beep like crazy. She saw someone moving inside the car and rushed to call 911.

I think theres someone in my car, she said in a 911 call released to the media. The lights on and I went out to kind of check it out and I hear noises there.

But the suspect wasnt a burglar, it was a bear.

When police arrived at her home in Canton, they saw the black bear inside her car, opened the door and it scampered into the woods.

Were guessing he used his paw to open the door, Police Capain Lawrence Terra said, reported the Hartford Courant. It looked like he was terrified, by the condition of the car.

The animal had trapped itself in the car and trashed the interior. The damage it caused was astounding.

See it here:

The horn is beeping now. This is getting really creepy, Morad said in the 911 call. The lights are dimming, the horn is beeping like crazy. Im seeing stuff moving around in the car.

Speaking with WFSB-TV, Morad said she was flabbergasted when she realized the suspect was a full-sized bear.

I probably think we both were as scared. Me inside the house wondering what was going on and the bear trying to get out, the poor thing, she said.

There were no injuries, but the car has been written off by her insurance company.

Mosen Morad, Lindas husband, said to the Courant that insurance wont cover everything, and noted, you cant sue the bear.

Morad said the only food left in her Subaru was a banana, which was not taken by the bear.

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Kangaroo Attacks Cyclist5 1 of 5 Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 5 of 5









NORWALK  On an 80-degree Thursday afternoon, Ken Hughes of Norwalk Recreation and Parks stood at the edge of Flax Hill Pond and shielded his eyes from the sun. The body of water stretching before him looked far from refreshing. Its surface was a mottled green, coated with algae.

The cause stretches back roughly five years, when a Public Works project to prevent the pond from flooding the street installed an overflow basin on the waters edge. When water got high enough to reach the basin, it was diverted to storm drains. The fix solved the flooding but also significantly lowered the level of the pond, so much so that the fountain that once bubbled in the ponds heart, oxygenating the water, could no longer function. The shallow water warmed quickly on sunny days, leading to the algae, which killed animals and other plants by depleting oxygen levels as it decomposed and blocking the sun.WASHINGTON - Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, was notified Wednesday that he has been granted a permanent security clearance to view top-secret material - an indication that he may no longer be under scrutiny by the special counsel, who had been investigating his foreign contacts and other activities.

Last month, Kushner sat for about six hours of questioning by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team on a wide range of topics, including his meetings with foreign officials during Trump's transition and Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey, according to Abbe Lowell, Kushner's attorney.

The interview - his second session with the special counsel - came nearly a year after The Washington Post reported that investigators were examining contacts Kushner had with high-level Russians during the presidential transition.

Kushner's permanent clearance was granted by career White House and intelligence officials after the completion of his FBI background check, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. This person confirmed that Kushner was granted a top-secret clearance, a level he had previously held on an interim basis.

Current and former law enforcement officials said it would be very unusual for someone to get a full security clearance if there were an ongoing criminal investigation that had the potential to result in charges for that person.

Mark Zaid, a lawyer who specializes in security clearance issues for government employees, said the decision - absent any new facts coming out - "is a very positive sign for Kushner that he is substantively in the clear with the special counsel's office."

"Theoretically, there could be something so sensitive that the special counsel's office is not sharing it with other agencies, but I think that's less likely," he added.

A spokesman for the special counsel declined to comment.

Government officials and investigators doing background security checks seek and share information with those doing criminal investigations so they are aware of any probes that could embroil or raise concerns about a federal employee seeking a clearance.

Clearance experts said government officials want to avoid giving a clearance to anyone who might be suspected of a crime or face charges.

The FBI's background check into Kushner's financial history and foreign contacts took more than a year, and his clearance level was downgraded in February, becoming a source of uncertainty for the West Wing aide and blocking him from approved access to some of the nation's most sensitive secrets.

"With respect to the news about his clearances, as we stated before, his application was properly submitted, reviewed by numerous career officials and underwent the normal process," Lowell said in a statement. "Having completed all of these processes, he's looking forward to continuing to do the work the president has asked him to do."

The New York Times was first to report Kushner's permanent clearance.

Lowell said Kushner has been voluntarily cooperating with Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Kushner has had two interview sessions with the special counsel's team. The first set of questions, which he answered in November, centered largely on former national security adviser Michael Flynn, according to the person familiar with the matter.

Then, in mid-April, Kushner sat for six to seven hours of questions that covered many topics, including his work on the Trump campaign, the transition and in the White House and about Trump's decision in May 2017 to fire Comey.

The special counsel's questioning focused on Kushner's work with Trump and did not include topics such as Kushner's personal finances or those of his family business, Kushner Companies, according to the person familiar with the matter.

Lowell said that Kushner last year became "one of the first to voluntarily cooperate with any investigation into the 2016 campaign and related topics."

"Since then, he has continued this complete cooperation, providing a large number of documents and sitting for hours of interviews with congressional committees and providing numerous documents and sitting for two interviews with the office of special counsel," Lowell said. "In each occasion, he answered all questions asked and did whatever he could to expedite the conclusion of all the investigations."

In February, Kushner's interim security clearance was downgraded from "top secret" to the far less sensitive "secret" level amid reports that foreign governments had been overheard discussing how easily they felt they could manipulate him, in part because of his company's financial debts.

His financial situation has since improved markedly. Kushner's family business is finalizing a deal to finance its most troubled Manhattan property, 666 Fifth Ave., which faces a deadline early next year for repayment of a $1.2 billion debt. Brookfield Asset Management, a Canadian real estate firm, said this month that it was close to an agreement to invest in the property.

An ongoing criminal investigation into a person would delay a decision on that person's security clearance, said Zaid, the national security lawyer, adding that there can also be counterintelligence concerns so sensitive that the investigators would not share them with the agency handling the security clearance review.

Knowledge of a criminal probe "would generally delay adjudication, and it has been my view that was one of the reasons Kushner's clearance was being delayed, along with a whole host of things given how complicated his case is," Zaid said.

Even with an interim clearance, the president's son-in-law had been allowed for months to see materials, including the president's daily brief, that are among the most sensitive in government.

That dynamic long vexed the administration - so much so that some officials felt uncertain on how to deal with other White House employees in similar straits. At one point, the White House had dozens of workers awaiting permanent clearances before Chief of Staff John Kelly ordered an overhaul of the process.

When he joined the administration, Kushner had to file three updates to his national security questionnaire, a form that guides the FBI background check and asks for information about a person's employment history, finances, family, travel and other matters.

Initially, Kushner did not list his foreign contacts on the form, though he submitted an addendum indicating he was willing to detail them. He submitted another addendum in mid-May 2017 detailing more than 100 calls or meetings with representatives of more than 20 countries. Then, in June, Kushner filed a third addendum acknowledging a meeting he had in June 2016 at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer offering damaging information on Hillary Clinton.

Some experts said that the evolving disclosures might have been disqualifying for another person and that it could explain the delay in granting Kushner a clearance.

But experts also pointed to more innocuous explanations, including that Kushner's extensive travel and overseas contacts, as well as his business interests, are more complex than many incoming government officials' and might have taken more time for the FBI to explore.

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Video: What is a security clearance? And how could one lose it?

Washington Post national security reporter Shane Harris explains what you need to know about security clearances.

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Video: Washington Post national security reporter Shane Harris explains what you need to know about security clearances.(Shane Harris,Patrick Martin/The Washington Post)

Embed code:Today I am a successful entrepreneur, but I started my business begrudgingly. Two years ago, I was forced to start my own company. Forced?

Yes, forced.

In 2016, I had a great job handling public relations for a technology company in San Diego, CA. Id been with the company for about five years and built out the entire PR infrastructure. We were crushing it. We had established ourselves as leaders in our community, and we were winning awards and earning top-tier media attention on a regular basis. Case in point: we made Entrepreneurs Top Company Culture list two years in a row.

I was confident in my value to the organization, and I knew I was good at my job. So my heart didnt sink when the CRO called me into a meeting. We talked at least 10 times a day. As he explained that the company needed to downsize temporarily and allocate resources to other areas, I felt instantly numb. He understood the value of positive publicity. Where was this conversation going?

He didnt ask me to pack my things and go. Changes were imminent, but they hadnt started yet. Instead of sitting back and waiting for the inevitable, he asked if I would consider starting my own business, so I could continue working with the company as an independent contractor.

When success is synonymous with job security.

Before that, starting my own business had never crossed my mind. Growing up, the focus, at home and at school, was on perpetual preparation for entering the workforce. There wasnt much emphasis in the curriculum on entrepreneurship. I had been programed from the start to work for someone else.

Related: Why You Need to Start Your Side Hustle Right Now

Both of my parents worked 9-to-5 jobs for more than 30 years, and I admired their hard work and loyalty. Company benefits like health insurance, a 401k, and paid time-off have real merit. I revered the steady paycheck. To me, success was job security.

A comfortable life was a life well-lived.

Starting my own venture felt entirely at odds with how I measured success. Sure, my employer would sign on as my first client, but for how long? One client was in no way going to be enough to pay my bills and sustain somewhat of a comfortable life. The money concerns were real, but I was even more concerned with my ability to deliver. Providing measurable value is important to me. If and when I got more clients, how would I provide them all true value, without giving them 100 percent of my time?

The CRO hadnt said it outright, but the message was clear: start your own business or you will likely be let go. Should I start scouring Indeed, or searching for a domain name for a company I was being forced to start? Both choices felt risky.

A love affair with comfort.

Now it is clear that going out on my own was a massive step forward for my career and my growth. But at the time, I wasnt sure how to see it, perhaps because it was someone elses idea and not my own.

Related: What Kind of Employee Will Always Have a Job? An Entrepreneur

Comfort and security were rewards hard-won. I was results-driven and hardworking -- but I was comfortable. Comfort was not something to be taken lightly. I had lived the alternative. I had been uncomfortable.

After college, I worked as the deputy district director for a United States Congressman -- the stuff C-SPAN dreams are made of. At first, this role was intense and challenging. The stakes were always high. Because members of Congress are up for reelection every two years, we were in constant campaign mode. It was a 24/7 grind to get out in the community and meet with constituents.

Days began at 6 am with media appearances, followed by meetings all over the district, capped off with after-hour fundraisers that often went until midnight. Then Id wake up and do it all over again. It took about three years to get used to the craziness. When I did, it was comforting. The days were long, but at least they were predictable. There is solace in routine.

When I accepted the role, I thought Id stay on for two years. I stayed for seven, lured by the security that comes from staying in your comfort zone. If we hadnt lost the election in 2012, I would most likely still be in politics today.

Reevaluating success.

As I contemplated my CROs proposal, I thought about how losing the election had forced me to make a change that I wouldnt have made otherwise. Once again, a catalyst was forcing me to grow.

I chose to start my PR agency. I was lucky to have my former employer confirmed as a client from day one, but to me the decision still felt risky, which tells you something about my tolerance for risk. The decision forced me to reflect on how I measured success and what I wanted from a career.

Related: Quitting My $97K Job Saved My Life

I didnt think I had what it takes to start my own business. Thats for other people, I thought. They build those people in a different factory in some far away land. But entrepreneurs dont need to be cavaliers. You can build your business on sound decision-making, and by embracing, and learning from, failure, and taking calculated risks that you can afford to weather.

Two years later, it is hard to identify with that former me -- the one who was afraid to take the reins and step outside his comfort zone. In doing so, my comfort zone expanded!

It is okay to value security and thrive on routine, but I made room in my definition of success for personal and professional development. I do have what it takes to run my own business and, truth be told, I find comfort in that.

Related:

My Love Affair With Comfort and Why I Had to End It

How to Ensure Smooth Business Operations With Multiple Founders on Board?

The How-To: Disrupting The Tightly Controlled Academic Sector



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reservedNORWALK  Days before his departure, Maritime Aquarium President Brian Davis received a standing round of applause from Norwalk Common Council members and their unanimous approval of an agreement designed to help the aquarium survive the replacement of the Walk Bridge.

Davis learned of the states plan to replace the rail bridge, which bisects the aquarium, upon taking the helm of the aquarium in late 2014.

The Walk Bridge project sort of came in early on into my tenure here at the aquarium, Davis said after Tuesday evenings council meeting at City Hall. And tonight really is sort of a massive leap forward for us. Theres just a little more that we have to do in order to finalize the components to be able to get construction under way, and tonight was just the best gift I could possibly receive before Im departing back to Atlanta.

On a unanimous vote, the council approved an agreement between the city and state, allowing the aquarium to move forward with its approved reconstruction of the IMAX Theater and other key components of Norwalks biggest tourist attraction.

Under the agreement, the Connecticut Department of Transportation will pay the aquarium $34.5 million to replace the theater and lost exhibit space, as necessitated by the upcoming bridge replacement. The DOT will pay the city, which owns the property from which the aquarium operates at 10 North Water St., $2.165 million for easements rights.

The aquariums replacement plan calls for building a two-story, 11,939-square-foot addition on the east of the existing main entrance. The space would house a 4D, 178-seat theater, entrance lobby, ticket area and other space. Four-dimensional technology allows theatergoers to feel wind and rain and sense smells.

The aquarium also plans to build a two-story, 8,748-square-foot addition on the east side of the existing building to house the aquariums seals. It would replace the existing tent structure and exhibits along the Norwalk River. A one-story west entry hall with fish tank and 8,241-square-foot mezzanine area would be built along North Water Street.

Councilman Thomas Livingston, a District E Democrat who chairs the councils Land Use and Building Management Committee, described the states agreement to pay for a functional replacement of the theater components as a first. The arrangement, he continued, provides the aquarium $34.5 million rather than simply the theaters appraised value of approximately $22.5 million.

Addressing some peoples concerns that the city could get stuck with the bill if the project exceeds the $34.5 million reimbursement, Livingston read a letter from the aquarium to the city.

It is our understanding that the entire cost of construction for improvements made to the facility necessitated by the Walk Bridge project impact, or otherwise, including any cost overruns, shall be borne by the aquarium, said Livingston, before offering his assessment. So I just hope that lets some people sleep better at night. It does for me, certainly, and I think this is a good arrangement and should be approved.

Maritime Aquarium board Chairman Michael Widland said the agreement represents three years of work by the city in cooperation with the aquarium.

We think it is a great result and will help ensure a healthy aquarium, and we think it will be part of the revitalization of South Norwalk, Widland said.

After the meeting, Davis told Hearst Connecticut Media the aquarium needs one more state-level approval before finalizing its plans and moving forward with construction, hopefully this fall.

Davis will step down Friday to return to Atlanta to be with his family and become executive vice president of operations at Georgia Aquarium, where he worked before becoming president of the Maritime Aquarium in December 2014.

I think that he has done a remarkable, remarkable job in elevating the Maritime Aquarium to a level that only we could imagine, said Mayor Harry Rilling. He has done so much. He has put his heart, soul, blood and sweat and tears and extreme passion into this.

Alluding to the Walk Bridge replacement, Rilling described the past three years as having been challenging for Davis and aquarium staff.

The DOT plans to begin replacing the 122-year-old Walk Bridge, which carries Amtrak and Metro-North Railroad trains over the Norwalk River, in 2019.

The project faces a federal lawsuit from Norwalk Harbor Keeper, a local conservation group that maintains the DOT and federal government did not adequately explore a smaller, fixed-bridge replacement option.

The DOT plans to replace the Walk Bridge with a 240-foot, vertical-lift structure.Have you ever wanted to say yes to an opportunity so bad you could taste it? Did you say yes? What did it feel like?

Jim Riley has spent his entire life saying yes to career changes and unique personal opportunities. Just ask him where he is headed next and you might be surprised at the answer. When we last caught up, Riley was flying to Montana to race a high-altitude Spartan race that was 13-plus miles long and included over 30 obstacles. Now Riley is ranked fourth in the world in Spartan racing in the 50 and over male age group category.

Its people like Riley who are not afraid to start a company from scratch and who are able to make it move mountains in under a year. Thats precisely what Riley did when a business colleague approached him to import wine from Mexico. Eric Morley from Blue C Advertising in Costa Mesa has been traveling to Baja Mexico with Riley for the last 10 years to race off-road trucks and support the orphanages of the region on an annual basis.

Riley never noticed the emerging wine industry growing right under his nose until Morley brought it to his attention. Rileys background is in spirits as the former vice president of public relations at Nolets Ketel One Vodka and owner at his own startup, Azunia Tequila, from which he recently retired. Morley felt the U.S. could use more wine, and the wines from Baja were some of the best he had tasted in years. It did not hurt that the media was pushing the area of Valle de Guadalupe as the Next Napa, according to the Los Angeles Times. So, Morley did what any good businessman would do -- found a guy that knew how to get stuff done.

Morley approached Riley to take a trip down to taste wine and have some adventure. He had a motive. He was going to get these wines imported to the U.S. Soon Riley turned the idea into an opportunity. They were going to create a sustainable business that could help the communitys orphanages on a regular basis.

The business plan was also a way for Riley to test the waters in the crowdfunding category to challenge the marketing support so many people talk about. To date, it has all worked very well. The crowdfunding campaign they launched through StartEngine.com has raised over $228,000, and the fourth-largest distributor in the United States, Youngs Market Company (YMCO), picked the brands up for distribution in California.

Riley and Morley are on the outset of launching their second capital raise and launching another crowdfunding campaign for a craft beer. They are proud to say that over 125 bars, restaurants and retail stores now sell Baja wines due to their efforts. They have even secured some of the top wine outlets such as Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, Costco, Northgate Gonzalez Markets and Vons/Pavilions.

The final step in the wine process will be to increase sales on the direct to consumer website that showcases wines for sale, blogs and tourism. Its a complex system weaved together but easily explained on Rileys new podcast, The Answer is Yes. Riley suggests that voice is the future of marketing and he is putting all his efforts into this podcast and the promotion of saying yes to opportunities such as his Baja wine project. He is also learning to give back more sing some of the techniques I teach.

Riley has been great at tapping into local talent and resources to build a well-rounded business with strong leadership. As this article was being written, Riley and Morley were finalizing their plans to launch a podcast network at the Blue C headquarters. Together they will tell the story of Baja United Wines and help others tell their story. As I left the interview, Riley handed me a bottle of Monte Xanics sauvignon blanc. He said to enjoy one of the hottest selling Mexican wines for the last 30 years -- one that has even graced the menu of legendary restaurant French Laundry in Napa and the luxurious Javiers Cantina in Newport Coast.

Related:

Say Yes to Your Financial Destiny

How I Escaped Domestic Violence, Built a Seven-Figure Empire, and Found Love Along the Way

This Founder Used His Last Pounds to Buy a French-English Dictionary. Last Year, His Company Raised 1.2 Million.



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reservedHow would you rate your company's work-life balance? After all, work-life balance is critical for preserving morale, and it might be more important in your own endeavors than you think.

Related: Work-Life Balance Is Simple. To Succeed at Work, Get a Life.

Rather than speculating about what work-life balance changes would be most appropriate or effective for your office, you could simply examine what "the other guys" are doing. Then emulate the work-life balance moves that made them so successful.

Who are those other guys? According to an Indeed survey that analyzed more than 72 million reviews, the following companies were listed, just this past April, as the best at achieving work-life balance:

1. Keller Williams Realty

Keller Williams Realty was founded in 1983, and is currently headquartered in Austin, though it has more than 900 offices around the world (and 139,000 agents). By agent count, that makes it the biggest real estate franchise in the world. Employees value the company because theyre treated as individual contractors, which means they have virtually unlimited scheduling flexibility and unlimited earnings potential.

Because the company also offers a profit-sharing system and ongoing education opportunities, employees are further incentivized to perform -- all without ever sacrificing their freedom.

2. Coldwell Banker

Coldwell Banker is another real estate company that made it into the top five. Founded in 1906 and headquartered in Madison, N.J., the company has more than 90,000 agents around the world and has developed a reputation for social responsibility. In reviews of the company as an employer, one review described Coldwell as not the type of work you need to take home with you.

Related: Chasing the Myth of Work-Life Balance

Employees there arent expected to stay connected 24-7, and they have the flexibility to work from home and adopt varying schedules to handle personal responsibilities, in addition to work responsibilities.

3. Cisco

The tech giant Cisco has established a fantastic reputation for caring about its employees, in part because of its popular Human Network campaign. Founded in 1983 and headquartered in San Jose, Calif., the company is well known for giving its employees flexibility with hours and the power to launch and pursue their own passion projects at work.

Cisco is also known for respecting family life and allowing employees more freedom to address familial concerns. The company sometimes even allows fully remote positions for mothers and fathers looking to spend more time with their young children.

4. Kaiser Permanente

You probably recognize Kaiser Permanente as the largest managed-care company in the United States. Founded in 1945 and headquartered in Oakland, Calif., this is a company, not surprisingly, that values its employees health. Kaiser Permanente actually sponsors many health initiatives for its employees, offering flexibility for doctors' visits, vacations and time off to make sure employees remain in top physical (and mental) condition.

On top of that, Kaiser Permanente encourages professional growth, with in-house development opportunities.

5. Google

Google isnt a particularly surprising entry on this list, given the enormous publicity its gotten for its unique employee perks. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., Google offers a long list of benefits meant to help employees stay healthy and give them ample time to work on personal projects.

Among other bonuses, Google offers free, gourmet, healthy food; free fitness classes and gym equipment; and massage credits employees can use at any time. It also offers flexible hours and scheduling for most employees, as well as an impressive amount of vacation time so workers can reset and stave off burnout.

Other top companies that made the list included Capital One, Century 21, Nike, Northrop Grumman and Pfizer Inc. Lower on the list were American Express, Fidelity Investments, Dell, Lockheed Martin and Johnson & Johnson.

Related: Adopt These 12 Habits for a Better Work-Life Balance

You may not be able to afford the same work-life balance perks as a billion-dollar international enterprise, but you can learn from the strategies and successes these companies have implemented and seen. Clearly, the lesson here is that the more freedom and flexibility you give employees while maintaining a work culture that favors productivity ... the better.

Related:

How the Entrepreneur Behind a Luxury Sleepwear Startup Looks to Her Founder Husband For Mentorship

These 5 Companies Were Rated Best for Work-Life Balance. Is Yours Anything Like Them?

6 Ways Adopting a 6-Hour Workday Boosts Productivity by Fostering a Happier Workplace



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reservedNORWALK  As the state mulled cutting the Special Transportation Fund by 15 percent, the Norwalk Transit District looked for ways to address the shortfall. The resulting proposals would have impacted over half of Norwalks bus lines.

But after public outcry, including a meeting with state representatives in Norwalk and a rally in Bridgeport attended by Norwalk Transit District staff, the Special Transportation Fund made it through the state legislature unscathed.

As a result, when Kimberlee Morton, chief executive officer of the Norwalk Transit District, addressed possible changes during a public hearing Wednesday evening, they had become less drastic.

We had been looking to cut 15 percent from our budget, but weve been told weve been made whole to the level of funding we had last year, she said.

Proposed fare increases the district had previously shared are now off of the table, as are cancellation of the Main Avenue and Connecticut Avenue Evening Shuttles and less frequent Saturday buses along Wheels Route 11, which serves Norwalk Community College.

However, half a dozen routes are still on the table to be canceled or rerouted. Morton said most canceled routes would be covered by new or rerouted lines. The district hopes to serve people who currently take Wheels 8 with a reconfigured Wheels 7 route and the people who currently take Wheels 12 with a updated Wheels 9.

These changes tonight that weve been talking about are pretty much enhancements, she said.

The one route that may be cut without a replacement is the Wheels 1. That is just a management decision about being productive and being able to take those resources and put them in other places we think are going to serve more people, Morton said. Cutting the route would save $161,655 a year.

After pushback at the public hearings, the staff promised to look at the stop-by-stop data for the Wheels 1 route to see exactly where stops are being made. While every hour 10.49 passengers ride the bus, which connects Norwalk Hospital to the Wall Street District and Taylor and Ponus Avenues, the district believes most of that use is people heading to the hospital, which a reconfigured route would start serving. The data could give an idea of how many people will be impacted by parts of the route that would not be replaced.

We believe its a handful, unfortunately, of people that its very difficult to sustain, Morton said.

One of those people had attended every information session and public hearing about the route changes and was there Wednesday evening as well. A Norwalk resident who immigrated from Greece almost 20 years ago, Fotini Tamouridis relies on the Wheels 1 to get to go grocery shopping, get to appointments and travel to the Salvation Army. She keeps the Wheels 1 schedule folded in her wallet to help get around.

Especially in the wintertime, I cannot walk far away, Tamouridis said. I buy groceries. I buy watermelons. I go shopping twice a week. I dont want to stay inside  Im 74 years old.

Terry Edwards, who does not take Wheels 1, also said she may be impacted. Her stop may shift from right outside her house to a 15 minute walk away, meaning she would have to wake up earlier for her daily commute.

Theyre going to do what theyre going to do anyway, Edwards said. You just got to deal with it.

More Information Revised proposed changes to Norwalk's public buses Fare increases, cancellation of the Main Avenue and Connecticut Avenue Evening Shuttles and less frequent Saturday buses along Wheels Route 11, which serves Norwalk Community College, are off the table. Remaining proposed changes to the bus service are as follows: Wheels Route 1: Full service suspension Wheels Route 4: Service reduced to peak times only Wheels Route 7: Route reconfigured to offset Wheels 8 suspension, will run less frequently Wheels Route 8: Full service suspension; service to the East Norwalk Railroad and Calf Pasture beach will be via the Wheels Route 7 Wheels Route 9: Route changed to service the Norwalk Hospital, SoNo Train Station and Washington area Wheels Route 12: Full service suspension; service to the Norwalk Hospital and SoNo Railroad will be via the new Wheels Route 9; service to Brien McMahon and Roton Middle School will be via the new Highland Avenue Express Shuttle Highland Avenue Express Shuttle: A new commuter shuttle connecting Wall Street, South Norwalk Railroad Station, Brien McMahon High School and Roton Middle School in the morning and evening See More Collapse

In contrast, Michael Jeter was cautiously optimistic. Basically from what Im hearing, theyre not changing a lot, he said. But when asked if the changes would impact him, he was unsure. I cant tell, he said. The only way to tell is to wait and see.

Morton said the changes would go before the board of directors before becoming final. These changes will not be made until at least August 1, she said. Proper notification will be provided.

rschuetz@hearstmediact.com; @raschuetzDespite its popularity, Twitter decided to kill the Vine video platform. At its peak, Vine had hundreds of millions of active users and countless content producers. Like Twitter, Vine focused on keeping its message short. People had only six seconds to tell their story. Despite the short length of the videos, or perhaps because of it, viewers loved the content. When you only get a few seconds, you need to make sure every second really counts.

Yet in spite of Vines success, Twitter wound the platform down toward the end of 2016. Old content would be preserved, but new content was no longer allowed to be uploaded. In other words, Vine was converted into a de facto museum. Twitter had invested $30 million into Vine but decided that the project was a lost cause.

While Vines run was short-lived, it was also fruitful. Vine paved the way for many of the worlds most influential social media influencers, such as Logan Paul, Curtis Lepore, Amanda Cerny and King Bach. Yet in spite of all that momentum, Twitter decided to do away with the platform overnight, shocking much of Vines audience.

A raft of Vine refugees.

Of course, content producers would continue to produce content, but they needed a new platform. Vines closure created a huge number of Vine refugees, content creators without a home. Many of these creators had built large audiences and followings. A fair number had commercialized their own personal brand.

Suddenly, all of that was gone. Yes, Twitter enabled Vine-like features for its own platform. But Twitter is already crowded, and its a less than ideal platform for video content and content creators.

Related: Twitter's Business May Finally Be Trending in the Right Direction

So where did all the Viners go? Some gave up, of course. Others moved to different video platforms, such as Youtube, Facebook and Instagram. Indeed, many of the more proactive Viners had been branching out before Vine itself was shut down.

While Twitters official announcement seemed to emerge out of left field, the companys apathy toward Vine was becoming obvious. Engagement numbers were declining, new feature rollouts and updates became less common and stagnation was in the air. In fact, you might recall that many of the top Viners banded together in an effort to force Vine to up its game. Twenty-one of the top Viners, including Jon Paul Piques and Marcus Johns, gave Vine an ultimatum give us $25 million dollars and implement a list of changes or we walk. Vine declined, and many of the stars did walk.

You can now find many of the biggest names on other social media platforms, however. Jon Paul Piques has over nine million Facebook followers and two million Instagram followers. Marcus Johns has nearly 1.4 million likes on Facebook and another million on Instagram. They are both still producing videos and content, as are many other former Viners.

Related: This Viral Marketing Video Reached 250 Million Views in Just 48 Hours

By and large, the content is still good. Viners can still make us laugh, cry, giggle or, when they feel like it, they can tick us off as well. Yet Facebook and Instagram have always lacked the focus of Vine. For those of us who preferred Vine, its hard not to wonder whether the social media world would be better if the platform was still around.

Snakt? (Or where is Vine 2.0?)

Vines probably not coming back, as Twitter has shown little interest in reviving the platform. However, new entrants may be able to fill that empty spot in the social media sphere. Rumors from Reddit and other sources suggest that Snakt -- the video app from attorney Tristan Snell and startup phenoms Melinda Wang and Laura Scott-Bonnick -- has been inking deals with some of the biggest names, such as King Bach and Klarity.

Snakt appears to be moving into pole position as far as being the next Vine is concerned. Besides former Viners, Snakt has also attracted Flo Rida and other big names. Like Vine, Snakt focuses on short videos. Unlike Twitter, Snakt is committed to remaining content creator focused.

Related: GoPro Is Giving Away $5 Million a Year to Content Creators Who Produce Amazing Work

YouTube has also attracted some Viners, but Googles platform has been demonetizing independant video content. Googles message seems to be Be really, really big, or go home. Thats a bit of a problem for new content creators; how can you get big if you cant get started? Its like those job ads for entry-level jobs that require five years of experience. It simply doesnt make sense.

Vines founder Dom Hoffman is also rumored to be working on a sort of Vine 2.0, but so far little has materialized. Vine-like platforms remain few and far between, with Snakt being the only one that stands out. Still, Vines success suggests that a Vine-like platform will emerge, perhaps Snakt, perhaps another brand. Right now, its a race to build momentum, but content platforms have some influential allies on their side: the content producers themselves. So long as content platforms cater to content producers, success will remain obtainable.

Related:

How a 'Flow' Mindset Can Make Your Financial Life Easier

Where Have All The Viners Gone?

How One Entrepreneur's Journey to Find Purpose Grew Into a Global Movement



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reservedWhen Paul Tran visited New York as a twentysomething in 2012, hed skip the tourist attractions and head straight for a Halal Guys food cart. The budding brand was a local obsession, dishing out chicken, gyros and famous white sauce. Tran would carry platters of food on his flights back home to California, filling the cabin with an aroma that, though delicious, was perhaps too aggressive for cross-country air travel.

Related: 5 Affordable Franchises You Can Start for Less Than $10,000

Then one day, the Halal Guys came to him. He was working for the franchise development company Fransmart, helping to scale chains like Qdoba and Five Guys. Halal Guys became a client, looking to open its first brick-and-mortar stores -- and in 2014, instead of helping as a consultant, Tran left his job and signed on as the first U.S. franchisee, setting up shop in Southern California. Today the brand has close to 70 locations; Tran and his partners own nine and plan to consistently open eight more each year.

When you were working with Fransmart, did you ever consider becoming a franchisee?

Ive been an entrepreneur and restaurateur before, and I love the experience. I think in the back of my head, I knew Id eventually jump back in. Every time wed take on a new client at Fransmart, it felt like a new business experience, so I got my entrepreneurial fix. But Halal Guys was just way too strong -- I couldnt sit on the sidelines.

Related: The 7 Cheapest Franchises on the Entrepreneur Franchise 500 List

Was it tough bringing Halal Guys to the West Coast?

People were familiar with the brand, but they didnt know we were coming to California. So we needed to get the best real estate -- the corner lots, the prominent locations. Thats very expensive, and even if you can afford it, its usually occupied by best-in-class brands like Chipotle, Panera, Starbucks. We went against conventional wisdom and went to the small suburb of Costa Mesa, which is actually a thriving food hub. For the first month, there were three-to-six-hour waits, all day, every day. We did eventually enter markets like downtown L.A. and West Hollywood, but Costa Mesa is still our strongest store.

Youve worked in the franchise world for a long time. What fresh lessons have you learned as a franchisee?

Its easy to think that in franchising, everythings already done and you just need to be good at executing. But emerging brands learn along the way. Halal Guys is not a franchise where you just plug and play. It requires a lot of excitement, passion, perseverance and patience. Franchisees and franchisors both need to have a lot more compassion.

You recruited four business partners to help build this brand in California. What did you consider in building the team?

Half of us have growing families, and were all still pretty young. Im 35, and the others range in age from 27 to 40. We went into business knowing that we wanted to be able to enjoy our lives. Thats the reason we have a five-person partnership -- its worth sharing profits if it means you can attend your kids music recital or travel with your family.

Related: 5 Affordable Restaurant Franchises You Can Start for 5 Figures

Because you all were young, did Halal Guys hesitate to bring you on as multi-unit franchisees?

They definitely took a chance on us. So how do we make them proud and ensure that were not making a ton of mistakes from inexperience? We invested in really strong management. We spent a lot of money to hire a 75-unit area manager from Panera and really gave him the reins. Weve also recruited managers from other well-known chains. We dont want this to be a mom-and-pop operation; we want this to be a world-class operation. Because of that, we lost a little bit of money on the front end, but its been paying back in dividends.

Related:

Why This Halal Guys Fan Quit His Job to Open the Brand's First Franchise

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She Wanted Better Lash Extensions, So She Made Her Own -- and Then Built an International Franchise



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reservedEDWARDSVILLE  The new nature preserve that opens soon on New Poag Road is unique. It is home to the only old growth forest in Madison County, and one of only two in the entire Metro East area.

"It is essentially an undisturbed old growth forest, which is highly significant for a lot of different wildlife," says Mary Vandevord, president and CEO of Heartlands Conservancy. The agency wrote the grant application on behalf of the city of Edwardsville. Last week, the City Council approved the $986,290 award from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation that allows the city to purchase the 71-acre property from Nancy Taber.

The property, which is adjacent to Bohm Woods State Nature Preserve, will be known as the William C. Drda Woods, named for Taber's father.

The purchase will allow the city to protect giant hardwood trees and dozens of rare migratory birds such as the cerulean warbler. During the winter, the cerulean warbler winters in mountainous areas in South America.

"It's a quite beautiful, striking blue bird," Vandevord said Monday. "It's one of a whole bunch of species in Bohm Woods that are on the state's list of "those in greatest need of conservation." So preserving the property next to it and reforesting it "will actually help preserve those species because they will be protected from noise, light and other things that would cause them not to want to habitate there. It's actually a really important piece in the migration of birds from South America up to the north."

The acquisition is "highly significant from a state-wide perspective," Vandevord said. The property there has been designated as a Grade A forest, which applies to less than 1 percent of wooded areas in the state.

Money for the grant comes not from state coffers but from the ICECF, an independent foundation formed in December of 1999 with a $225 million endowment provided by Commonwealth Edison.

The group's mission has been to improve energy efficiency, advance the development and use of renewable energy sources, and protect natural areas and wildlife habitat in communities across Illinois.

Jolie Krasinski is program director for ICECF. She is impressed "by the strong commitment of the city administration and the people of Edwardsville to protect and care for nature." She wished the three partnering organizations "great success in creating a new, publicly accessible natural area at this location." The project "is in good hands, and thoughtful management can result in a high quality preserve, worthy of its connection to Bohm Woods Nature Preserve."

The grant comes with an additional grant of $10,000 to be applied to habitat restoration, she said.

The application met all the criteria for such a project. There were several other factors that made it a compelling grant opportunity, she said in an email message:

 The property has a direct connection to Bohm Woods Nature Preserve, and the statewide significance of the natural resources, including some old growth trees;

 The public-private partnership between the city of Edwardsville, the Illinois Nature Preserve Commission, and the Heartland Conservancy (and the fact that the habitat "will be protected in perpetuity via a conservation easement"); and

 the strong community support for the project.

To be eligible for the grant, the city had to agree to keep the property open, although reasonable restrictions to protect sensitive habitat are allowed. It must also be managed as a wildlife habitat and not as a ball field or a green space area.

Heartlands Conservancy will retain ownership of the easement in order to protect the habitat and restrict some uses and development, Krasinksi noted.

In the last three decades, the Heartlands Conservancy has preserved nearly 9,000 acres in southwestern Illinois, Vandevord said. They include helping preserve parts of the Choteau Island complex, and a project to preserve the Arlington Wetlands in Pontoon Beach.

Vandevord praised Edwardsville officials, particularly Mayor Hal Patton, for seeing the William C. Drda Woods application process through to completion.EDWARDSVILLE  Eighth grade students from Liberty and Lincoln Middle School participated last Friday in a live Skype video conference with two astronauts currently on the International Space Station. The NASA International Space Station In-flight Education Downlink was a part of a full day of NASA Day activities coordinated with volunteers from the Riverbend Astronomy Club, EHS Science Club, SIUE STEM Center, Boeing, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and NASA.

Dan Hartman, International Space Station Deputy Program Manager; Becky Kamas, STEM on Station Activity Manager and Carla Santiago, Deputy Education Director, were all visiting Liberty Middle School from NASA's International Space Station to ensure that the Skype video conferencing logistics were in sync with the Johnson Space Center, which was hosting the live link.

While a gymnasium full of eighth graders watched live, pre-selected eighth graders approached the mic to interact with International Space Station astronauts Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel.

The District 7 students spent about 20 minutes asking the astronauts a variety of questions about their daily life and their work aboard the orbiting space station.

Their question and answer Skype session was aired live over NASA TV.

"It was on NASA TV live and over the next couple of days they will replay it on NASA TV. They'll end up uploading it to YouTube where it will be permanently, and they'll send a link out," Hartmann said.

"Typically we maybe do about 20 of these events a year. But since we have the extra crew member on board on, I'll say the American segment, from a crew typically of three, we went to four. That's given us more time and opportunity to do this for the students," Hartmann explained.

Edwardsville District 7 was selected for the NASA downlink from among thousands of other schools who also submitted proposals to be given this opportunity.

"I don't know of any other one in Illinois, but there's a whole selection process that these go through to get this opportunity," Hartmann explained. "Edwardsville submitted a great proposal, got evaluated and got selected."

Hartmann pointed out that there's numerous educational programs that schools can participate in through NASA.

"There's programs where high school kids build hardware that we actually use on board the International Space Station, or they will build hardware and the crew members will use it in training in Houston," he noted. "And the kids love it. It's just a very unique opportunity for them."

Hartmann emphasized how the two astronauts the students spoke to are literally on a working space station and the uniqueness of speaking to them.

"These two guys who were on the screen, Ricky and Drew, were actually outside on Wednesday performing an EVA  which is they are in their space suits and went outside the International Space Station and did some repairs on the space station," he stressed. "That's very tiresome and very grueling. They rested yesterday and got ready for this event."

Following the downlink, the Liberty and Lincoln eighth grade students broke into smaller groups and visited 19 different learning and demonstration stations the remainder of the day where they learned about things such as solar structure, flares, sunspots, black holes and gravity, supernovas, meteors, why the moon has numerous craters, asteroids and lunar mapping.

Volunteers from the Riverbend Astronomy Club, EHS Science Club, SIUE STEM Center, Boeing employees and National Geospatial Intelligence Agency employees led the activities at the stations located throughout the school.

The day-long event supported the eight grade science curriculum, enhanced daily STEM education and increased student knowledge about the International Space Station.EDWARDSVILLE  Authorities have charged a California man with money laundering after state police found more than $263,000 in a car he was driving.

Charged with two counts of money laundering is Daniel J. Hovland, 36, of Hayward, Calif. He is accused of transporting criminally derived property and carrying the property in bundles with rubber bands to avoid a transaction requirement. Bail was set at $200,000.

The charge came after a state trooper stopped a 2018 Toyota Camry, driven by Hovland April 26 on Interstate 70 in Collinsville. The details of the case became public Friday.

He was stopped for improper lane use, and told an officer he was traveling from "out east" back to California. However, he was unable to specify exactly from where "out east" he came.

Police brought in a drug dog who alerted on the Camry. Hovland told police he had $6,000 in his position. Police searched the car and found a suitcase in the trunk containing a large amount of bundled cash. Officers also found seven cell phones in the car.

Hovland declined to be interviewed without an attorney present. The Madison County State's Attorney's Office filed suit under a state law that allows law enforcement authorities to obtain assets believed used in the drug trade.

The suit claims Hovland was unable to explain the money and that he did not have a legitimate source of income for that amount of money. The suit claims the cell phones were intended for use in concealing the proceeds from some form of unlawful activity.In recognition of National Historic Preservation Month, Edwardsville's Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) will showcase some of Edwardsville's historic buildings in a series of articles during the month of May.

.

900 and 1029 St. Louis Street

The Stolze Brothers Homes

.

Two of the most elaborate homes on St. Louis Street were built by brothers Albert and Edward Stolze in 1923 and 1925.

The first house completed was the Spanish Revival-inspired house at 900 St. Louis St. built for Edward Stolze. The 11-room brick home was designed by architect Charles Pauly, Jr. of Granite City and built by contractor John Schwager at a cost of $25,000 (roughly $350,000 in today's dollars). The trim on the house was originally yellow instead of green, but otherwise it looks much the same as when it was built.

The following year, Edward's oldest brother, Albert, purchased property to build the home at 1029 St. Louis St. The house was built on part of Lot 105 of the Terry & Coles Addition which at the time had more than a 100-foot frontage and was 300-foot deep, reaching north to Randle Street. This house was one of several designed by local architect Michael Kane. It was a blend of Italian Renaissance styles with terra cotta ornamentation and a tile roof. It was completed in 1925.

Edward and Albert Stolze were two of 10 children born to John and Louisa (Grebel) Stolze between 1876 and 1900. Their father was born in Germany and came to the United States in 1852 as a young child with his parents. Louisa's parents were also from Germany, but immigrated earlier so that Louisa was born in 1856 in Edwardsville.

When he was a young man, John worked with his father, Frederick Stolze, who was in the lumber and building industry in the Alton area. In the early 1870s, John bought a small lumber yard at the corner of Buchanan and Vandalia Streets, across from the German Catholic Church (St. Boniface), and went into business for himself. The company grew rapidly and would develop branches in towns all over Madison County. Many family members were active in the business so in 1932 the company was divided. Stolze Lumber Company was placed under the management of Edward Stolze and included lumber yards in Wood River, Granite City and Belleville. A new firm, Illinois Lumber Company organized under the management of Albert Stolze, included the yards in Edwardsville, Staunton, and Benld. By this time the Edwardsville operation had a retail location at 225 E. Vandalia St., and the lumber yard had been moved down the street to 514 E. Vandalia St. Illinois Lumber Company was later sold to R. P. Lumber, but not before providing an excellent income for generations of the Stolze family.

John and Louisa raised their family in a large beautiful house built in 1885 across from City Park, where CVS Pharmacy is now located. John was involved in many other commercial enterprises in Edwardsville. These included terms as Edwardsville's mayor and as an alderman, plus he was the majority owner and president of the Edwardsville Water Company. In addition to the sale of lumber, Stolze Lumber Company had a planing mill and construction company that built dozens of homes and commercial buildings in Edwardsville.

The Stolze family was very social, being acquainted with all the best families in Edwardsville and often marrying into those families. They frequently entertained and were known for their musical abilities. Sons Albert and Edward, who are the focus of this article, both played in various bands and orchestras in their youth, and Albert was known as a talented vocalist.

They were also a strong Catholic family that attended St. Boniface Church. One son, Clement Stolze, chose the priesthood for his vocation.

Edward Stolze built the home at 900 St. Louis St. for his bride, Marie Gardner, whom he married in 1923, the same year the house was completed. The couple had three sons, William, Robert and Thomas. Like many of his siblings, Edward grew up in the lumber business. He was a student of architecture at Christian Brothers College in St. Louis. He became a successful businessman, managing numerous lumber yards and served as president of the Edwardsville Water Company. These ventures eventually led to the banking industry where he served 20 years as a director of the Bank of Edwardsville followed by 10 years as president of the organization. Stolze served consecutively as president of the Bank of Edwardsville and president of Stolze Lumber Company. In December 1942, he died suddenly at his office at the bank of a heart attack. He was only 55 years old and his three boys were ages 11-17.

Marie placed the house on the market in 1964. The advertisement read, "For Sale by Original Owner. 900 St. Louis St.  Beautiful, Georgian-style brick residence on one acre wooded site with ancient oaks and well-kept shrubs as background. This impressive home has large living room with fireplace, full walnut paneled dining room, sunroom, large screened porch. Complete G. E. kitchen, 5 bedrooms, 2 baths, oil heat, 2-car garage." The house was purchased in 1965 by the Henry and Shirley Malench family who lived there for many years. Marie retired to Florida where she died in 1981 at the age of 86. She was a widow for almost 40 years.

Albert Stolze was nine years older than his brother Edward. He married Hildagarde Weber, of St. Louis in 1905 so by the time they moved to their new home at 1029 St. Louis St., their family was well established, the youngest being born in 1917. They had three children, Irma, Paul and Evelyn.

The oldest of his siblings, Albert became president of Stolze Lumber Company after the death of his father, and later became president of Illinois Lumber Company when it was established in 1932. Like Edward, he also died of a heart attack in 1942. On Jan. 22, 1942, he was at home for lunch when he collapsed. He was 63 years old. His widow remained in the home, and in 1947 her oldest daughter, Irma, and her husband Russell Keller, moved into the expansive home with her. Hildagarde passed away in 1963 and her family placed the house on the market the following year. The realtor was Hilda's son-in-law, George Little, Jr.

The 1964 advertisement for 1029 St. Louis St. read, "Extra Special Listing for the family who has everything EXCEPT that extra special PRESTIGE home. Trees; spacious lot; brick exterior; tile roof. Double entry closets on way into first floor with large living room with Italian marble fireplace, study, sunroom, dining room, breakfast room, kitchen, hallway, closets and  bath. Open stairway to second floor with 4 bedrooms, dressing room, sleeping porch, ten closets and 2 full baths. Stairway to unfinished, insulated third floor storage areas. Full basement has large rumpus room with bar. One attached garage and one separate garage. Drive by 1029 St. Louis St. for a location view, then if you want this home and think you can afford it, call for details and appointment."

Unlike Edward's house at 900 St. Louis St., Albert's home at 1029 St. Louis St. has had many owners since it sold in 1964. Although these homes sold in the 1960s there remained other members of the Stolze family nearby on Grand Avenue, Randle Street and Charles Street.

These two homes, built for brothers, are two of the most architecturally elaborate on a nationally-recognized street of beautiful homes. Edwardsville was fortunate to benefit from the building legacy of the Stolze family on St. Louis Street as well as in other residential and commercial neighborhoods of the city.

.

Information for this article was obtained from resources at the Madison County Archival Library, the Madison County Recorder's Office, and the the Edwardsville Public Library. If you have questions about this article, contact Cindy Reinhardt at 618-656-1294 or cynreinhardt@yahoo.com.44 minutes ago

Mexico presents plan to shutter private power plants

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexicos president presented details on Monday of a proposal that is likely to squeeze out hundreds of private power generating plants and may provoke complaints under the Mexico-U.S.-Canada free trade accord. The constitutional reform presented by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador would cancel contracts under which 34 private plants sell power into the national grid.

Read ArticleIndigenous youth reflect on identity ahead of Native American Day

Washington High School students share why they're proud to be Native in lieu of Native American Day Parade cancellation this year.Robbie Robertson: Wheels Reader

Occupation: Heavy truck mechanic

The Vehicle: 1935 Ford panel truck

I love fat fenders on a hot rod.

Having moved from Pickering to Ventura, California, in 1980 I decided to look for an old car or truck to purchase. A newspaper ad yielded a 1936 Ford pickup. I bought it and a month later Im driving around town when I spot a 36 Ford 1/2-ton panel truck. Im toast. Being into custom vans and early panel trucks, I had to have one of that vintage.

A year later, I flat tow the pickup to my parents house in Pickering. I carried out a major two-year restoration of the pickup, all the while looking for a half-decent panel truck to restore, which took seven years to find.

Renowned eastern Ontario auto restorer, the late Noel Hamer, found my truck in the country north of Quebec City. It was in very poor condition with the bottom three inches of body steel missing. If it hadnt been a fairly rare body style, it should have been sent to the scrap yard.

Noel arranged the sale of my pickup, and the purchase and delivery of the panel truck, which I planned to rebuild as a 50s-style hot rod.

It cost a ton of money to rebuild, but I got lucky finding a few good metal guys to do the work. Body and mechanical parts were sourced from all over North America, as far as Texas, California, Pennsylvania and British Columbia.

While the rear fenders and gas tank came from Nevada, I found the grille/rad shell closer to home at Minakers Auto Parts in Milford, Ont., before their junkyard was picked clean and closed around 2007.

Theres a lot of neat engineering in this vehicle that is hidden from view. Its got a Chevrolet tilt steering column with a Lecarra banjo steering wheel, 86 Honda reclining bucket seats and a Sony AM/FM/CD stereo hidden in the glove box. The spare tire and side mount were modified to be fully functional. The original fabric insert roof was filled using the roof skin off a 70 Chev Suburban. The windshield frame is a chrome custom option. Mirrors and outside door handles are from 32 Ford sedans.

The 37 Ford sedan rear tail lights sit on custom-built mounts, providing rear signals and brake lights, and its got 30s and 40s era aftermarket arrow-style lamps mounted on the front bumper brackets, serving as turn signals.

Stainless steel dual exhaust and straight through mufflers give the trucks modified 1950 Ford flathead V8 a great sound and lots of go. The 1935 year of manufacture original Ontario licence plates are a neat detail. The wiring harness was completely hand built by me from front to rear and I put in a thermostat controlled electric engine cooling fan.

The longest drive to date found me taking the truck on a three-day, 1,530-kilometre trip to the Albany area of upper New York state to attend a custom van show. This 82-year-old truck rides just like a new car and gives surprisingly good gas mileage.

I spent a lot of time in scrapyards and automotive flea markets rebuilding the truck on a budget and it took approximately 15 years to finish. I tell people who ask that it took two houses, a divorce and a little girl to complete.

Show us your Candy: Got a cool custom or vintage car? Send us high-res, horizontal pictures (at least 1 MB) of you (and your family) with your beauty, and tell us your story in 300 to 600 words, giving us all the details of how you found your car and why you love it so much. We like photos  the more the better  of the interior, trim, engine, wheels, and emblems. Email wheels@thestar.ca and type Eye Candy in the subject line. Google Toronto Star Eye Candy to see classic cars featured in the past.MONTREAL  The federal governments decision to block a Chinese state-owned companys proposed $1.5-billion takeover of Aecon Group Inc. signals Canadas infrastructure sector has joined the oilsands, defence and aerospace industries in requiring special security protection, said a Canadian security expert.

The Aecon decision suggests that any major takeover of a major Canadian critical infrastructure company would be looked at very closely on national security grounds, said Wesley Wark, director of the Security and Policy Institute at the University of Ottawa.

Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains confirmed the government decided to block the Toronto-based companys deal to be acquired by CCCC International Holding Ltd. after markets closed Wednesday.

Ottawa announced a full national security review of the transaction in February as experts urged the government to proceed cautiously when weighing any investment bids by Chinese state firms and to be as transparent as possible in reviewing the proposed deal.

This is really about following the advice and the feedback given to me by the national security agencies, he said in an interview.

I never have and never will compromise on national security but at the same time we are open to investments, and trade and economic opportunities not only with China but with many other countries in the world, he said after speaking to students at Montreals HEC business school.

Bains declined to directly comment on whether the decision signals the government is taking a new approach to protecting Canadas infrastructure sector.

This is not about one country or one transaction. This is a robust process that we have in place under the Investment Canada Act.

Read more:

Federal government blocks China firms proposed takeover of Aecon

Bains didnt provide details about what specifically prompted the decision and spokesman Karl Sasseville said Thursday that the government cant comment on specifics when it comes to national security issues. He also said that under the Investment Canada Act, each transaction is evaluated based upon its facts and merits.

Aecon has a long history of participation in Canadian construction and engineering projects such as the CN Tower, Vancouvers SkyTrain, the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Halifax shipyard.

The Aecon takeover bid was the test case and other large companies would also likely face a deep security review, depending on the nature of the purchaser, Wark said.

While that doesnt mean all takeovers would be ruled out, concerns over state-owned companies, especially Chinese ones, extends to other acquisitions in the construction sector by foreign buyers, he said in an interview.

I think the big news coming out of Aecon is that critical infrastructure protection is going to get a very, very close look at in almost all circumstances.

Wark said the government made the correct decision and possible retaliation from the Chinese government depends on how the decision is explained to them by Ottawa.

Former Conservative industry minister Tony Clement said the government made the responsible decision. But he tweeted that the move raises questions about other Chinese state-owned enterprises flying under the radar and purchasing strategic assets below the automatic review trigger.

Aecon shares plummeted in Thursday trading and closed at $14.67, down $2.67 or 15.4 per cent  their lowest level since late August, when the company announced it was launching a strategic review that included a potential sale.

The stock market was already pricing in a certain degree of deal uncertainty before the announcement, with the companys share price on Wednesday about 15 per cent below CCCC International Holding Ltd.s offer price of $20.37 per share, said financial analyst Frederic Bastien of investment firm Raymond James.

Bastien said the price could fall even lower as the stock moves from hedge and arbitrage funds back into the hands of fundamental investors. However, he noted that the company is still in a better position than it was a year ago.

Takeout or not, we argue the construction giant is a stronger company now than it was prior to the transaction announcement, and will eventually be valued as such, he wrote in a report.

The company announced in October that it had signed a deal to be acquired by CCCC International, but the agreement has been controversial ever since.

Some Canadian construction companies, including PCL Constructors Inc., Ledcor Group and P.W. Graham & Sons Construction, had voiced their opposition to the deal.

They declined to comment Thursday, but the association representing them said that the decision signalled the federal governments confidence in the Canadian construction industry.

We are happy that the government recognizes the fact that government-owned or controlled entities have no place to compete against private and publicly-traded companies in the Canadian construction industry, stated Mary Van Buren, president of the Canadian Construction Association.

The company said it was disappointed with the governments decision and will continue to be a leading player in the Canadian construction and infrastructure market.

CEO John Beck will remain in his position until a permanent replacement is found, while the sales process it had initiated will end.

Analyst Derek Spronck of RBC Capital Markets said he believes other buyers are unlikely in the near term and the company will move forward as a stand-alone company.BEIJINGChina and Japan both condemned Thursday the Trump administrations decision to launch an investigation into whether tariffs are needed on imports of vehicles and automotive parts into the United States.

Chinas Commerce Ministry said Beijing would firmly defend its rights and interests against what it called the Trump administrations abuse of national security provisions in trade.

Japans minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Hiroshige Seko, said Japan, which accounts for about 40 per cent of U.S. vehicle imports, will continue to remind U.S. officials that any trade measures must conform to the rules of the World Trade Organization.

If such a measure is taken, it would be an extremely far-reaching trade sanction that would put the global market into turmoil, Seko said. We are extremely concerned.

U.S. President Donald Trump invoked a provision authorizing the president to restrict imports and impose unlimited tariffs on national security grounds, known as Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.

The move comes as talks with Canada and Mexico over the North American Free Trade Agreement have stalled.

Read more: Trump says Canada is very spoiled and very difficult on trade

In Beijing, Commerce Ministry spokesperson Gao Feng told reporters that abusing national security provisions would undermine the multilateral trade system and disrupt the order of international trade.

China will pay close attention to the progress of the U.S. investigation, conduct a comprehensive assessment of the possible impact and firmly defend our legitimate rights and interests, Gao told reporters at a news conference.

Japanese automakers did not issue individual comments, but referred to Global Automakers, based in Washington, an industry group of international automakers that includes the Japanese. Global Automakers Chief Executive John Bozzella said the move would merely hurt American consumers.

The U.S. auto industry is thriving and growing. Thirteen, soon to be 14 companies, produced nearly 12 million cars and trucks in America last year. To our knowledge, no one is asking for this protection. This path leads inevitably to fewer choices and higher prices for cars and trucks in America, he said in a statement.

Last week, Japan went to the World Trade Organization to warn of possible retaliation for tariffs on steel and aluminum, which Trump imposed in March. Japan is the only major U.S. ally that was not granted a temporary exemption from the tariffs. Japan estimates they will cost it about 50 billion yen ($450 million U.S.) a year.

China is a relatively minor player in the U.S. auto import market, ranked 10th in dollar terms, but its massive car industry is eager to expand abroad. In auto parts exports to the U.S., China was ranked second last year.

Mexico is the top exporter of passenger vehicles and light trucks to the U.S followed by Japan, Canada, Germany and South Korea, according to the Department of Commerce.

A person familiar with the discussions said the president has suggested seeking new tariffs of 20 to 25 per cent on automobile imports.

Critics fear other countries will retaliate with trade sanctions of their own and question whether the move would ever be effective given the lengthy review required and legal challenges ahead.

Read more about:The $35-billion Canada Infrastructure Bank has found its chief executive officer, with Pierre Lavallee soon taking the helm of an agency Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hopes will spur widespread spending on things like transit and trade links.

Lavallee will be announced Thursday as the new president and CEO of the Toronto-based bank and is scheduled to start on June 18. He was formerly senior managing director and global head of investment partnerships for the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), where he spent six years.

The arms-length, government-financed lender will have a lot of flexibility as to where in the balance sheet we can position ourselves to spur relatively large-scale revenue-generating projects, Lavallee said in an interview Wednesday. He said the bank could build on the global reputation of Canadas pension funds, that projects will be assessed case-by-case and that the bank can be creative in how it structures a deal.

Read more:

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Infrastructure bank studied as funding option for U.S.-Canada high-speed rail

CPP Investment Board fund posts 11.6% return

There is a real demand for infrastructure assets that I think the bank can help attract into Canada, and this is both from Canadian institutional investors and foreign institutional investors, Lavallee said. Its really not everyday someone offers you the ability to lead the startup and build out of an institution like that.

The bank is mandated to invest in revenue-generating projects in three categories: public transit, green infrastructure and trade-and-transportation. Finance Minister Bill Morneau has said the banks goal is to leverage its funding  drawing five or six dollars of private money for every one of its own.

Open mind

The infrastructure bank was a key platform commitment by Trudeaus Liberals in the 2015 election, but was launched only last year. It hasnt yet invested in a project, though the enacting law has been passed and the board selected.

Setting up a major agency takes time, Lavallee said, and I personally dont feel like its actually been a long time, but thats one mans view. Morneau has said $15 billion of the banks capital will be concessional capital, or direct funding to push projects to approval, while the remaining $20 billion will be for loans or equity stakes.

Lavallees appointment comes with one Canadian infrastructure project in the spotlight: Kinder Morgan Canadas Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion. The federal government is in talks with the company to somehow backstop the project after the company threatened to walk away in the face of provincial opposition.

Lavallee demurred when asked if the bank could invest in Trans Mountain or other pipelines, declining to comment on a specific project but citing the mandate to invest in revenue-generating projects from the three categories. Were keeping a very open mind, so I expect that there will be lots of opportunities that will come our way over time, he said.

Transformational projects

Infrastructure projects are notable for how long they take, and typically take more time than a buyout. I wish I could tell you this is a few weeks cycle-time, but the reality is, its going to be several months and the timing is going to be very project-specific, he said, adding the focus will be on a smaller number of big projects, rather than a large number of smaller-scale ones. We are going to focus on relatively large transformational-type projects.

Lavallee will lead strategy and day-to-day operations of the bank while reporting to the board. At CPPIB, Lavallee led a team managing about $94 billion in assets, the bank said in a statement. He was previously executive vice-president at Montreal-based Reitmans Canada Ltd. and a partner with Bain & Co.

With an exceptional combination of investment and public-sector expertise, Pierre is well placed to set the strategic course and direction of Canada Infrastructure Bank and develop a high-performing management team, Janice Fukakusa, the banks chair said. Annie Ropar, incoming chief financial officer and chief administrative officer, begins June 1.Elon Musk, barely a month after his behaviour on an earnings call shook investor confidence, hit out on Twitter with a series of combative posts this week, leaving many scratching their heads at best and prompting scrutiny from U.S. labour regulators at worst.

The chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., which is burning cash and struggling to overcome production issues for its mass-market electric Model 3, heaped scorn on media outlets over critical news reporting as well as alluding to picking random dates to unveil new vehicles.

For some reason, this is the best Ive felt in a while, Musk, who has built a showman reputation partly through his frank exchanges on social media, tweeted early Thursday, after his comments set off a storm of responses.

Heres a rundown of his latest tweets:

Unveil date of the Model Y chosen at random for March 15 because the Ides of March sounded good

Plans website to rate media credibility possibly called Pravda, the name of the Soviet Unions official newspaper

Blames oil companies, traditional automakers for critical news coverage

Suggests Tesla workers who unionize might lose employee stock options, an idea that could draw scrutiny from U.S. labour regulators

Musk, 46, has previously called on true believers to help him overcome the haters who question his companys ability to usher in an electric-vehicle age on an ambitious timetable.

Read more:

Elon Musks pay deal gets copycat in pitch for Taser-maker CEO

Tesla Model 3 gets new high-end versions as buyers wait for $35K base price

His recent performance on an earnings call to discuss his companys quarterly business suggested a leader under pressure.

He ridiculed representatives of Wall Streets biggest banks asking for more details on how Tesla would meet promises to build more Model 3 sedans and generate cash in the second half of the year.

His latest public comments reveal his mood is still feisty.

For the Model Y, Musk explained he made up the date to introduce the Model Y crossover on March 15, before locking it in as the official date. The Ides of March corresponds to March 15 on the Roman calendar and is infamous as the date of Julius Caesars murder in 44 BC.

Earlier, he said he was set to create a site where the public can rate the core truth of any article & track the credibility score of each journalist, editor & publication, adding: Thinking of calling it Pravda. The name means truth in Russian. Plans for the site appear to have been under way since October.

He also attacked the United Auto Workers union, which is trying to organize workers at Teslas plant in Fremont, California.

Why pay union dues and give up stock options for nothing? he said about workers at the plant.

The comment could draw scrutiny from the U.S. National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency that investigates allegations of unfair labour practices.

Wilma Liebman, who headed the agency during the Obama administration and has done legal work for the UAW, said she interpreted that as a warning the company would take away workers stock options if they succeeded in organizing the factory.

Read more about:HALIFAXPolice in the city are investigating reports of shots being fired.

In a release issued just before 7 p.m. Wednesday, Halifax Regional Police said they were at the scene of a possible weapons call in the 2500 block of Brunswick St.

Calls came into police at 5:55 p.m., the release said, about several reports of shots fired in the area of Brunswick St. and North St.

Police say several people were seen fleeing the area as well. There there have been no reported injuries.

The investigation is in its preliminary stages and further information will be released when available, the statement goes on to say.

No other details were provided but police do ask anyone with information to contact them or Crime Stoppers.

Read more about:HALIFAXThe terms of reference for the public inquiry into the deaths of Afghanistan war veteran Lionel Desmond and his family have been released.

The inquiry will examine whether Desmond had access to appropriate mental health services, and whether his family had access to domestic violence intervention services.

The province promised a judicial fatality inquiry last December, almost a year after Desmond fatally shot himself and his mother, wife and 10-year-old daughter in Upper Big Tracadie, N.S.

Desmond was diagnosed with PTSD after two harrowing tours in Afghanistan in 2007.

The inquiry will also look at whether health care and social services providers who interacted with Desmond were trained to recognize occupational stress injuries or domestic violence.

The date for the inquiry has not been announced, but it will be held in Guysborough, N.S., near the community where the deaths occurred.

A judge and Crown lawyer have not yet been appointed.

Read more:

Nova Scotia government announces inquiry into veterans murder-suicide

Family of Lionel Desmond wants answers from feds over veterans murder-suicide

Six months after Nova Scotia murder-suicide, family members call for inquiry

Read more about:YELLOWKNIFEAlberta has refused to endorse the official statement stemming from the western premiers meeting in Yellowknife because it didnt include support for the Trans Mountain pipeline.

The final communique deals with issues such as pharmacare and legalization of marijuana.

Alberta deputy premier Sarah Hoffman said without the wealth that would flow from the expansion of the pipeline, all discussions on such issues are moot.

All of this costs money and we have one way to ensure we have that money and those resources, and that is for us to move forward with this project in the national interest. Thats what I came here to do, said Hoffman, who was attending the meeting Wednesday in place of Premier Rachel Notley.

Unfortunately we didnt get consensus on Trans Mountain today.

Alberta sees the federally approved pipeline, which would triple the amount of oil flowing from Albertas oilsands to the British Columbia coast, as key to unlocking lucrative overseas markets.

Read more:

No suitors emerge for Trans Mountain stake as Kinder Morgans deadline looms

B.C. sues Alberta over oil blockade law, hints at fuel contingency plans

Notley to skip premiers conference to focus on pipeline deal

B.C. Premier John Horgans minority government is fighting the expansion in court. The province is worried about the threat of a major spill and the capacity to clean it up.

He said his position remains the same after the meeting.

Certainly Alberta made their case as they always do in a strong and passionate way, and I laid out my concerns about risk and the court cases that we are currently enjoined in, he said. Beyond that, we did make great progress on a range of other issues important to British Columbians and western Canadians.

The pipeline has driven a deep wedge between Alberta and B.C. and their respective NDP governments.

The Alberta government has passed legislation that allows it to reduce oil flowing to B.C., which could drive up gas prices and other fuel-related costs.

Notley said Tuesday she was skipping the meeting because her time was better spent in Edmonton making sure the project goes ahead.

Pipeline owner Kinder Morgan has ceased all non-essential spending on the project until it receives assurances it can proceed without delays. The company has set May 31 as a deadline for getting those guarantees.

Notley has argued that the lack of a pipeline is taking $40 million a day out of the Canadian economy.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister didnt express his direct support for the pipeline, but said free trade between the provinces is important.

Weve got to get some of these 150-year-old issues dealt with and sooner rather than later, he said. We are taking money off the kitchen tables of Canadians every single day because we are not working effectively together as premiers.

Read more about:VANCOUVERThe province will invest $115 million over the next three years to increase the number of nurse practitioners across the province, announced Health Minister Adrian Dix on Wednesday.

In a news conference held at the University of British Columbia Life Sciences Centre, the minister said they will be funding 200 new positions for nurse practitioners, which will help to bring improved access to health care to the 780,000 people in B.C. who dont have primary care providers. Nurse practitioners can perform many of the same functions as family doctors, and can diagnose and treat patients, order tests and prescribe medications.

The health minister said B.C. has not done as well as other jurisdictions, with only eight nurse practitioners out of every 100,000 people, compared to 16 in the Prairie provinces and 20 in Ontario.

In B.C., we have been slow to promote nurse practitioners, said Dix. Nurse practitioners are a patient-centred solution to improving access  not to more care, but better care.

Dix also announced an additional $1.2 million in funding toward a total of 30 more seats in the provinces three nurse practitioner programs at UBC, University of Victoria and University of Northern British Columbia, for a total of total of 75 seats.

Elizabeth Saewyc, director of the UBC School of Nursing, said nurse practitioners can be independent providers of primary health care and can help fill the need for primary health care, especially with the provinces aging population.

Nurse practitioners deliver high-quality primary health care for people at every stage of life, she said. We see a growing need for nurse practitioners across B.C., especially for patients with complex chronic conditions who need extra support in managing their health.

Read more about:HALIFAXAt the height of his mental illness, Breton Umlah believed his family and friends were members of a shadowy intelligence agency, and he desperately wanted to join them.

Diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a young man, Umlahs search for the agencys top secret building led him to a house in Halifax, where he scaled a fence, broke his ankle in a fall and  in great pain and emotional anguish  promptly took off his clothes.

I was on a cocktail of medications that made me very manic, and that caused me to go psychotic, he said in a recent interview, recalling the night in May 2012 when police charged him with four offences, including trespassing and mischief.

On that particular night, I was not who I am ... I was sick and my behaviour was not me.

What happened next set Umlah, now 32, on a little-known path to recovery.

His story is the subject of one of three fascinating short films produced by criminology professor Jamie Livingston at Saint Marys University in Halifax. The videos, part of Livingstons Forensic Mental Health Success Stories project, are currently circulating through social media and are available online.

Read more:

Not criminally responsible: Some common misconceptions

People with mental illness too often landing in prison instead of hospitals, experts say

Each year, about 850 Canadians living with mental illness are deemed by a judge to be not criminally responsible for their illegal actions. Thats less than 0.25 per cent of the 350,000 criminal cases that come before the courts every year.

Its a pretty rare defence, says Livingston, whose videos focus on this branch of the justice system. And its kind of a mysterious process as well.

A judge eventually found Umlah not criminally responsible for his actions due to a mental disorder  a legal finding typically referred to as NCR. Instead of a jail term, Umlah went through the forensic mental health system.

He spent more than four months at the East Coast Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in the Halifax area, where he was given treatment for his mental illness and closely monitored in a medium-security setting.

The focus was on rehabilitation, not punishment.

But Umlahs experience with the forensic system wasnt easy.

This isnt just a hospital where youre given privileges right away, he said, adding that the hospitals mentally ill offenders can be challenging to deal with. Youre constantly observed and controlled. Youre only allowed so much freedom ... Its not fun.

It would be almost two months before Umlah was allowed to leave the hospital for extended breaks.

Eventually, a review board granted him an unconditional discharge. But Umlah continued to receive support from Community Mental Health Service and Connections Halifax, a provincial program which offers life-skills training and medication monitoring.

I started to thrive after that, he says.

Today, Umlah works as a production manager for a small business in Halifax, and he occasionally makes presentations to Halifax Regional Police officers, telling them about his experiences with mental illness and recovery.

People need to be made aware that success is possible for people who have mental illness, he says.

Under the Criminal Code, an accused can be declared not criminally responsible if their mental disorder renders them either incapable of appreciating the nature of their actions or unable to understand that their actions were wrong.

The special verdict triggers an ongoing assessment process by a Criminal Code Review Board that is designed to seek rehabilitation and reintegration into society while ensuring protection of the public. The board can provide a range of orders, including absolute discharges, conditional discharges or detainment in a secure forensic hospital that can be extended indefinitely.

For those declared NCR, they tend to spend more time under some form of control than those processed through the traditional criminal justice system, Livingston says.

In the regular corrections system, about 40 to 60 per cent of those convicted of a crime will reoffend, Livingston says. Within the NCR system, the recidivism rate is about half that level  at about 10-20 per cent.

Livingston, who met Umlah about four years ago, says he interviewed 12 people before deciding on three stories that highlight successes within the NCR system.

I think these videos can contribute to that larger social project of enlightening people about those who struggle with mental illness, and trying to break down some of the myths surrounding treatment services, he says.

Bretons story is told through a series of compelling, colourful images drawn by an artist as the story unfolds. Though it is Umlahs story, the pseudonym Ryan is used.

I have no problem with my name being associated with the video ... Im proud to spread awareness, Umlah says. The response has been overwhelmingly positive.

The second story follows Heather, a mother whose mental illness leads to an NCR designation, a yearlong stay at the forensic hospital and a gradual recovery in the community as her family is slowly reunited. Her emotionally charged journey is illustrated through a series of beautiful paintings that appear on the pages of a childrens book.

The book, Dear Sam, opens with Heather telling her oldest son: This is the story of how your mom got lost, where I went, who Ive been and who I am.

The third story, told through spoken word poetry, is about Matt, a man whose battles with manic episodes, hallucinations, anxiety and depression lead to an arson charge and, eventually, a successful recovery with the guidance of the forensic health system.

They dont always tell you the part about resilience, poet Andre Fenton tells viewers. They dont always tell you the part when (Matt) went to nursing school. They dont always tell you the part when someone chooses to branch out, make a complete 180. Now he is the one helping people just like him.

Despite its enviable success rate, the work of the forensic system is rarely portrayed in a positive light in the media.

Whenever theres an article about someone that has been through the forensic system ... they dont really show followup, says Umlah. They dont really show where the person goes after the NCR finding by the courts.

He says the short film about his six-year journey to mental wellness is something hed like to share with a wider audience.

These films can change lives because they can really change a persons view of a part of the world that is often cast in dark light, he says.

Correction - May 24, 2018: This article by The Canadian Press has been edited from a previous version that mistakenly said that about 0.5 per cent of the 350,000 criminal cases that come before Canadian courts end with a finding of not criminally responsible.

Read more about:Superior Court Justice Alfred OMarra ruled in October that the federal government could continue to jail failed refugee claimant Ebrahim Toure, who had already spent more than four years in indefinite detention, because there was still a reasonable prospect he could be deported to his native Gambia.

The judge based his decision in large part on what federal immigration authorities described as a pending interview with Gambian officials, which OMarra said could conceivably lead to a breakthrough in the case and Toures removal.

Nearly eight months after OMarras ruling, Toure is still locked up at the Immigration Holding Centre, while the pending interview with Gambian authorities has yet to materialize. Its unclear if it ever will.

Toures lawyers, meanwhile, were back in court Wednesday to appeal OMarras decision, arguing there is not and never was a reasonable prospect of Toures removal from Canada.

Toure, 47, is Canada's longest serving immigration detainee. He is not charged or convicted of any crime, but he has now spent more than five years behind bars because Canada has been unable to deport him, which his lawyer, Jared Will, said in court on Wednesday is well outside the range of what can be considered a reasonable and proportionate time to keep someone in administrative detention. The only obstacle to Toure's deportation is that he doesnt have any identity documents and Gambia has refused to issue him any.

Toure has said he wants to be deported and that he has given immigration officials all the information he has.

READ MORE:

Caged by Canada

The government, meanwhile, has accused him of intentionally thwarting their efforts to remove him. They believe his name is actually Bakaba Touray and officials say he is withholding information that could help them confirm his identity.

Toure spent the first four-and-a-half years of his detention in a maximum-security jail, where he was treated the same as sentenced criminals and those awaiting trial. He was transferred to the less-restrictive Immigration Holding Centre in October after OMarras October ruling, which found that while the government could still detain Toure, holding him in a maximum-security jail was grossly disproportionate to the purposes of ensuring his deportation and amounted to cruel and unusual treatment.

Toure is not considered a danger to the public. The basis for CBSAs decision to place him in maximum-security jail rather than the Immigration Holding Centre  was a 13-year-old conviction for selling pirated DVDs and CDs in Atlanta, for which he served no jail time.

Lawyers for the federal government argued Wednesday that OMarra erred in part of his decision. While they are not seeking to have Toure sent back to a maximum-security jail, they did ask Ontarios Court of Appeal  Justices David Doherty, Harry LaForme and C. William Hourigan  to overturn OMarras ruling that placing someone in Toures position in maximum-security jail violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Activists with the migrant justice organization No One Is Illegal and members of Toronto's Gambian community filled the Osgoode Hall courtroom and held a short rally before proceedings began, carrying 1,915 tulips  one for each day Toure has spent in detention.

There is no timeframe for the appeal courts decision.

Much of the days arguments focused on what level of cooperation an immigration detainee should be expected to provide to authorities seeking his deportation.

Will disputed the governments allegation that his client Toure has been uncooperative, but he argued that even if he was not cooperating, the alleged non-cooperation does not justify indefinite detention.

Will argued that a CBSA officer previously testified that all Toure needs to do to cooperate is admit that his name is Bakaba Touray.

So lets say he did that, Will said. There is no evidence whatsoever that would make his length of detention any less uncertain.

The government argued that Canadas immigration detention system affords detainees a meaningful process of review by way of monthly hearings at the quasi-judicial Immigration and Refugee Board. A 2017 Star investigation found the hearings to be procedurally unfair and stacked against detainees.

At Toures last detention review, the CBSA said they had recently taken the extraordinary step of hiring an international investigations organization to assist their probe into Toures identity.

The Star asked the CBSA the name of the organization. The CBSA refused to disclose the information.

Toure is scheduled to have his next detention review Thursday.

Read more about:OTTAWAThe countrys largest civil service union called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday to intervene in stalled talks aimed at compensating federal government employees affected by the Phoenix pay system fiasco.

Those talks are suddenly going nowhere, with government negotiators saying they havent been told how to proceed, said the Public Service Alliance of Canada.

The leaders of 17 unions issued a letter to Trudeau in February, demanding compensation for civil servants who have suffered as a result of the pay crisis.

For more than two years, tens of thousands of federal workers have been affected by problems plaguing the Phoenix system, which was supposed to streamline pay services across government.

Some havent been paid at all for months at a time while others were paid either too little, or too much.

In its 2018 budget, the Liberal government promised to work with the unions to deal with the mental and emotional stress caused by Phoenix.

Read more:

Public services minister opens new N.B. pay centre, says troubled Phoenix pay system is improving

Phoenix pay system problems drop slightly, but bigger decline unlikely until late spring

Civil servants across Canada hold rallies against Phoenix pay system after Liberals promise replacement

The unions have not disclosed the amount of compensation they are seeking, nor has the government said what its prepared to offer.

The unions are seeking damages for their members for stress, the time spent dealing with pay issues and the catastrophic financial losses caused by Phoenix pay problems.

Auditor general Michael Ferguson said fixing the troubled Phoenix pay system should be a top priority for the federal government. Public Services Minister Carla Qualtrough admits it took time to get to the bottom of the issues. (The Canadian Press)

While there appeared to be movement as talks got underway last month, they have since come to a standstill, PSAC national president Chris Aylward said in a statement.

Government representatives at the table say they are waiting for a mandate, Aylward said. Well, its time Prime Minister Trudeau gave them one.

Public Services and Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough has said her department would continue working closely with public sector unions to limit the financial hardships faced by government workers.

She has also apologized to employees for the ongoing pay problems.

The compensation talks have been spearheaded by the Treasury Board Secretariat, which said Wednesday it would negotiate in good faith at the bargaining table, not in public or through the media.

The costs associated with Phoenix, including the $309 million spent to set up the system, continue to escalate as the government hires compensation advisers and other staff in efforts to stabilize the problem.

The budget also committed $16 million to determine whether a new pay system could be found to replace Phoenix.

The auditor general is to release a report next week detailing what went wrong with the system.VICTORIAAn audit of healthy eating and physical activity programs in British Columbias schools makes eight recommendations aimed at improving co-ordination by the ministries responsible.

The independent review by Auditor General Carol Bellringer says the ministries of health and education created the programs to improve the eating habits and activity levels of youth.

But Bellringer says the ministries must do more to work together and with other partners.

Bellringers report says the ministries didnt adequately inform B.C.s health authorities and school districts about strategies, such as the School Fruit and Vegetable Nutritional Program, or funding available for student meals.

The report says the lack of communication means many districts havent prioritized the initiatives, potentially affecting the health of students and increasing their risk for future chronic diseases.

Recommendations to improve ministry management of the programs include increasing access for vulnerable students, monitoring for effectiveness and ensuring the programs and policies can be easily implemented.

Bellringer believes the programs should be highlighted because they are aimed at children and offer a great opportunity to shape the future health of B.C. residents.

Schools are an ideal setting, because they can reach almost every child in B.C. and, by extension, their families, Bellringer says in the release.

Read more about:OTTAWA  The federal government is not ready to create a special police task force for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, a key demand from the ongoing national inquiry that will go unmet as the Liberal administration decides in the coming days whether to grant the process more time and money.

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett cast doubt on the idea of a national police task force in an interview last week. Her office confirmed Wednesday that the government will continue to look at it, but will not announce plans to create such a unit when it responds to the national inquirys interim report, which was published almost seven months ago on Nov. 1.

The report included a list of recommendations that included the call on Ottawa to work with the provinces and territories to create a Canada-wide police task force that could assess or reopen missing and murdered cases, and review previous investigations.

Bennett told the Star that the idea of a special task force has merit, but it would be difficult to set up.

The idea of creating an all-new body that has a mandate to oversee every police force in the country and every jurisdiction, again, is quite complicated, and requires lots of consultation, Bennett said.

Francyne Joe, president of the Native Womens Association of Canada, said many families of missing and murdered women and girls feel a special police task force would help their healing and closure. Such a task force, staffed by third-party investigators, could also potentially glean more information from investigations in communities where there is a lack of rapport or even a distrust of police, Joe said.

Its important for the (inquiry) and the families to have a separate organization that isnt biased toward any of the police, she said, adding she is concerned the government is already moving too slowly to fulfil the recommendations from previous national inquiries, including the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Id like to see some changes starting to be made now, Joe said.

Bennett, meanwhile, said other recommendations in the inquirys interim report will likely be fulfilled. These include calls to establish a commemoration fund for the missing and murdered, consider restoring the Aboriginal Healing Foundation that dissolved in 2014, and increase support for Indigenous organizations to participate in the inquiry. Those are specific areas that we are trying to respond in a positive way, the minister said.

In terms of police work, Bennett said cases involving the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which in 2014 concluded almost 1,200 Indigenous women went missing or were killed between 1980 and 2012, could be reviewed or reopened by a special missing and murdered unit led by Assistant Commissioner Shirley Cuillierrier.

The unit that (Cuillierrier) has set up within the RCMP to take referrals from the commission on cases is, I think, a really good thing, so that will be taken into consideration in terms of the recommendation of a police task force, Bennett said.

The inquiry also has a research team tasked with reviewing how police investigated missing and murdered cases, but the process doesnt have the power to reopen cases on its own.

The Liberal government in Ottawa will soon announce whether to grant the inquiry another $50 million  on top of the original $54-million budget  and two more years to complete its mandate of studying the root causes of systemic violence against Indigenous women and girls, and recommending ways to make life safer for a segment of the population where murders occur at much higher rates than the Canadian average. The inquirys current deadline is Nov. 1.

Bennett told the Star last week that a decision on the extension can be expected within a week or two, and that the government is hoping to make its official response to the interim report at the same time.Dawn Harp and Lars Androsoff were fully confident flooding didn't threaten their home near southern British Columbia's Kettle River.

Then the couple awoke at 1:30 a.m. on May 11 to the sound of floodwaters flowing beneath their Grand Forks home's floorboards.

"I never thought this would happen in a million years," said Androsoff, 42.

But climate change researchers say this month's B.C. floods, and the record-setting New Brunswick floods before them, are a glimpse into the future for people who live near Canada's many rivers.

Residents who thought their homes were safe must either move to higher ground or take flood-proofing steps, while governments have to accelerate the creation of flood risk maps and zoning rules, they say.

"The most recent flooding in New Brunswick and south-central British Columbia are reminders we can no longer 'cheat the system' on flood risk," Blair Feltmate, who leads a federally appointed panel studying climate adaptation, said in an email.

"Cheating has caught up to us."

Harp, who is being treated for lung cancer, and Androsoff, a certified meat cutter at a local facility, had hoped a nearby dike would protect them when they bought their house seven years ago, but it was overcome by the rushing waters that had surged through southern B.C.

The 45-year-old says if she'd have known the flood risk, she "wouldn't have bought the home."

Like most residents of the neighbourhood of North Ruckle, or the flooded areas of New Brunswick, they have no insurance for the loss of most of their possessions.

In early May, some residents of Saint John, N.B., isolated by rising floodwaters, walked through strong currents in knee-deep water to get out of their neighbourhoods (The Canadian Press)

Feltmate says as the waters recede in B.C. and New Brunswick, it's important public attention stays focused on better preparation for the next round of rising waters  so fewer citizens like Androsoff and Harp are caught off guard.

"Every day we don't adapt is a day we don't have," says Feltmate, an environmental scientist and head of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, which completed a 2016 study that showed just six per cent of 2,300 Canadians living in high risk flood zones were aware of the potential devastation they faced.

Feltmate is among the advocates arguing there's an urgent need for easily accessible, high-resolution flood risk maps that precisely point out potential damage to properties; zoning rules that strictly restrict developments in vulnerable areas; and help for residents to move or prepare.

Governments must move more swiftly on these and numerous other preventative measures, such as ensuring home inspectors are trained to recognize flood risk and warn homebuyers, he says.

For those caught in rising waters, the price is financially and emotionally devastating.

"I'd rather go through a fire than a flood," said Androsoff. "I've been through the 1998 Salmon Arm (forest) fire when we had it and it was nothing compared to this ... With fire you can at least wet things down. Water is way worse. We couldn't do anything."

Insurance Bureau of Canada figures bear the personal experiences out to the wider scale. From 1983 to 2008, annual flooding insurance claims ranged from $200 to $500 million annually, but have consistently been over $1 billion annually since 2009.

Feltmate says basic basement floods  either from rivers or isolated downpours such as occurred in Burlington, Ont., in August 2014  have become the single largest cost of climate change-related damage in Canada. His research institute has estimated the average basement cleanup costs $43,000.

These are the kind of expenses uninsured New Brunswick residents are also grappling with after the rise of the Saint John River to historic levels, touching as many as 12,000 homes and cottages and resulting in an early estimate of $80 million in damage.

Meanwhile, in B.C., thousands of residents are returning to homes this week marked with red or yellow signs indicating a health inspection is necessary before they're reoccupied.

Sean Allen, a mechanic who lives in Maugerville, N.B.  a community downstream of Fredericton on the eastern shore of the Saint John River  already has estimates of over $100,000 for the river water damage to his home, which he'd believed was safe when he first moved in.

When he purchased his home 22 years ago, he said, he was told the river hadn't been that high in the past.

"It's a kilometre from the shore," he said. Now he's considering moving if he can receive enough disaster relief from the province to pay out his mortgage.

Read more:

Troops arrive in B.C. as federal assistance approved for flooded areas

Most Canadians dont know their flood risk, insurance experts say

Flood-ravaged B.C. homeowners hoping for the best as some evacuations end

Feltmate says provincial flood maps that have the latest climate change models factored in could help people avoid similar fates, provided governments move to encourage citizens to regard flood protection as a necessity of any home purchase.

Karine Martel, a spokeswoman for Public Safety Canada, says "in many parts of Canada they (maps) are either unavailable or out-of-date due to land-use changes and projected changes in climate."

Ottawa is working on standards for the updated maps, and is providing funding to provinces and territories in part through a $2-billion national disaster mitigation program introduced in the last federal budget, she said.

Spokespersons for the B.C. and New Brunswick governments said work is underway to improve the resolution of maps, with New Brunswick saying the higher "modernized and updated" maps are expected by 2020.

However, the wider issue is whether provinces will prevent development in areas already known to be at risk, and whether it will become mandatory for real estate disclosure statements to reveal flooding danger, says Feltmate.

Brian Burrell, who worked as a hydrotechnical engineer in the New Brunswick government during a flood mapping program from 1981 to 1994, says a rough outline of the high water marks of past floods were made available in his province, but they didn't prompt regulatory reforms once published.

He said successive governments failed to end development or to create financial disincentives for building on the flood-prone areas, though some cities did bring in some zoning restrictions.

"There was a lot of discussion about flood plain management that never got to a definitive government program," he said. "It's one thing to have policy, it's another to have a program."

In his travels across Canada, Feltmate says he consistently encounters resistance from homeowners and developers who aren't eager to have fresh restrictions that devalue their properties, and politicians who are worried about the political fallout.

Daniel Henstra, a senior fellow at the centre for international governance innovation at the University of Waterloo, says the flooding in both provinces demonstrates that Canadian homebuyers currently don't have access to "an effective system to make people aware of their property's flood risk."

The political scientist argues in a recent study that in addition to accurate, precise risk maps, there's a need in Canada for "clarity on who should be responsible for disclosing flood risk and when." For example, in California, property sellers are required to tell potential buyers if the property is located in the 100-year flood zones.

If money is spent on mitigation and prevention, Canadians and governments will save billions of dollars in years to come, said Feltmate.

"What we have found is that for every dollar spent by a homeowner to mitigate flood risk, they will on average save $8 to $12 over a decade from basement flooding that doesn't occur if they act on these recommendations," he said.

But for thousands of Canadian homeowners like Androsoff and Harp, there's uncertainty whether they'll get another chance to prepare, as they piece together their lives again.

They plan to apply for disaster relief from the province, and await word on whether their home can be repaired and kept safe.

"We have a travel trailer, a home on wheels. Other than that, it's one day at a time," Harp said.

Read more about:MONTREALQuebecs federation of journalists is denouncing the conduct of a far-right group after a handful of people stormed the Montreal newsroom of Vice Quebec.

A half-dozen members of Atalante gained entry to the media organizations newsroom on Wednesday afternoon in an effort to intimidate journalists.

Vice Quebec said in a story published after the attack the majority of the protesters from the staunchly anti-immigration group were sporting Fleur-de-lis masks.

It said the Quebec City-based group dumped leaflets and clown noses all over the newsroom and awarded journalist Simon Coutu a trophy for being a garbage media.

Atalante said on its Facebook page it was responding to a report last week about the increased presence of extreme right-wing groups this summer in Montreal and the resistance of anti-Fascist groups to the situation.

There has been mounting rhetoric in recent months as asylum seekers continue to come into Canada in large numbers through an open stretch of the Quebec-New York border.

Read more:

Supreme Court to hear Vice case that pits media freedoms against police powers

Media must not be turned into an investigative arm of police, Vice lawyer tells Supreme Court

The group claimed on its social media account that Vices report last week was stirring up violence in an already tense climate, but the media outlet argues the matter is of public interest.

For us, the extreme right is an important phenomenon that deserves to be covered, Vice Quebec editor-in-chief Philippe Gohier said in a telephone interview.

We do not intend to stop covering that just because there are people who are trying to intimidate us.

Stephane Giroux, president of the Quebec federation of journalists, called the impromptu newsroom visit a direct attack on press freedom and he encouraged reporters to denounce all forms of intimidation.

A group can adopt any ideology they want, its not for us to judge, Giroux said in an interview. But from the moment (people) intimidate and incite violence against journalists, the messenger is being attacked and that is unacceptable.

Giroux suggested Vice file a police complaint, but Gohier said the matter would be discussed internally before deciding what to do next.

No one was injured and there was no apparent damage inside the offices.

Premier Philippe Couillard also reacted to the incident, saying Thursday it amounted to intimidation.

This goes against freedom of expression, he said in Montreal. What these people have done is attack freedom of expression.

Yes, freedom of expression includes the right to say anything, and sometimes even stupid things, but we have the right and the duty to answer that.

Read more about:MONTREALA new study of Canadians and other westerners who joined the ranks of the terror group Daesh in Syria and Iraq urges authorities to work more closely with families as a means of staying abreast of the activities of radicalized individuals and potentially countering their dangerous mindset.

Co-author Amarnath Amarasingam said in an interview that families are often treated as intelligence assets by police and government agents rather than what they typically are, which is blindsided and traumatized victims battling depression, anxiety, despair and self-doubt. Education, empathy and support from officials can empower families and turn them into useful partners.

As the war winds down ... a lot of these guys are going to try to leave and it would be important from a national security perspective to keep in touch and know where theyre going, said Amarasingam said, adding he has already seen fighters shifting away from Syria and toward other conflict zones in Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Parents can be useful resources in that respect if theyre willing to share intel  and they usually are.

The study was done by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue based in London, England, led by Canadians Amarnath Amarasingam and Lorne Dawson, who are running a study of western foreign fighters out of the University of Waterloo.

Of the 30 so-called foreign fighters interviewed for the study, nearly three-quarters said they maintained contact with family and friends back home, the report noted. Twenty-seven interview subjects were men, while three were women. Eleven of them were Canadian.

One of them was Shayma Senouci, a young student from Montreal who disappeared in mid-January 2015 along with several other young Quebec Muslims.

Senouci slipped out of the country on a flight bound for Turkey with no indication that anything was amiss, except a Jan. 15, 2015 posting looking to sell a silky white graduation dress for $300.

But the report cites one of Senoucis friends who received an email explanation from the girl five months after she fled to Syria.

I left because I felt imprisoned in this country. I felt dirty and deadly, an accomplice for the killings and the humiliations of Muslims worldwide, Senouci wrote, according to the report.

One of Senoucis fellow travellers, Mohamed Rifaat, was having trouble meeting the expectations of his parents at school, but he drew admiration from his friends and a sense of pride after reinventing himself as a devout Muslim. He was so outspoken and charismatic that others started referring to him as Sheik Rifaat.

For another, Imad Rafai, his more open and active religiosity coincided with the rise of Daesh, but was propelled by the corrosive debate in Quebec over legislation that proposed banning public sector workers such as doctors, teachers and bureaucrats from wearing religious symbols such as the hijab. The ban was part of the proposed Charter of Values legislation that was introduced but never passed into law.

The conflict raging in Syria and the political situation at home gave rise to what Amarasingam described as a perfect storm situation.

Shayma Senouci said something interesting to her friends. She said: I may have been in school and studying to be a doctor but I just didnt see a future here, Amarasingam said. That, I think, is very troublesome when a young person feels like being successful in a very non-religious way, like getting a job and getting ahead, is not going to be possible because of their religious identity.

The phenomenon in Quebec and elsewhere indicates that there are a host of issues and factors in addition to the existence of the sophisticated propaganda of Daesh and other Islamist groups that can play into the radicalization of an individual.

In a sense, the report says, the call of jihadists  amplified by social media  manages to find candidates among vulnerable individuals who are having a really hard time finding themselves.

Though Daeshs territory has all but been reclaimed in Syria and Iraq, the insights and experiences of radicalized youth still has value, Amarasingam said.

As we know from history, whether it be the Spanish Civil War or Afghanistan or Chechnya, Bosnia or Somalia, theres always a subset of youth who are going to try and get involved in foreign conflict, he said.

Were already seeing a bit of movement in places like Afghanistan and a blip of it in the Philippines where (Daeshs) ability to attract foreign fighters is still very much present.

Read more about:In the aftermath of the Yonge St. van rampage, Toronto responded to hate and toxic misogyny with compassion, beginning with the first responders who descended on the chaos to save lives, Mayor John Tory said one month later.

At council Thursday, Tory acknowledged police officers, firefighters, paramedics, special transit constables and city staff for their response to the attack April 23 that killed eight women and two men, and injured 16 others.

I offer our thanks for your response that demonstrated absolutely without exception professionalism, courage and compassion for our residents, Tory said. Councillors stood and gave a long, loud round of applause to the 50 or so uniformed men and women in attendance.

On the floor and in the audience, people cried.

What happened between Finch and Sheppard Aves., Tory said, was mostly, tragically, an attack aimed at women.

Alek Minassian, the 25-year-old man facing 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder, allegedly posted to his Facebook account shortly before the van attack a reference to the misogynist incel movement. The lead homicide investigator, Det.-Sgt. Graham Gibson, previously told the Star theres no evidence the driver expressly aimed the van at women.

Such hatred directed at women, the misogyny, particularly some of the toxic misogyny weve seen spreading online, is absolutely unacceptable in Toronto, Tory said on Thursday. As elected officials we have a responsibility to speak out about it.

In the days that followed the van attack, faith leaders, city staff and elected officials planned the interfaith vigil for Sunday. About 30,000 people attended, Tory said. Thousands of others watched it on TV.

Councillor Joe Mihevc was part of that planning team, and said that while the vigil was a success, they missed something: the misogynist terror at the root of this tragedy. This was a terrorist attack on women.

Perhaps we didnt give it the full weight we should have. The homework for us all is to reflect on this and recommit to building a Toronto community safe for women.

In the weeks since the attack, first responders have focused on their mental health. Councils acknowledgement of their work helps with the healing process, said Fire Services Chief Matthew Pegg afterwards.

Today is a very important part of the healing process, Pegg said. Its nice Mayor Tory and council took time to acknowledge women and men who work so hard every day, but extraordinarily hard that day.

TTC special constable Bill Perivolaris was one of the first on scene and attempted to revive a number of victims.

It did impact me because these were innocent victims, said the TTC veteran. Being recognized by city council means a lot to us. It means they recognize our professionalism and our dedication to the city.

Torontos deputy police chief says the officer who peacefully arrested the suspect in April's deadly van attack doesnt want to be called a hero. Peter Yuen says Const. Ken Lam has a mindset to help as many people as possible. (The Canadian Press)

Councillor John Filion, whose ward the van attack happened in, said this work and the generosity of countless others has reaffirmed Torontos identity.

We just saw remarkable examples of heroism and resilience, of empathy and compassion, of kindness and generosity. We saw a real raising up of the soul and outpouring of humanity, Filion said to the council chamber.

To date, $3 million have been raised for the Toronto Strong fund, said Tory.

The city has dispersed $500,000 to families directly impacted by the van attack to cover immediate financial needs, said city spokesperson Andrea Martinelli.

A steering committee is working to determine the allocation of the remaining funds in a timely manner and based on a needs assessment that takes into consideration all those who were killed, injured and directly affected, she said.

Read more about:What happens when you increase the number of places alcohol is sold?

That was the question raised this week when Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne called the Progressive Conservatives plan to allow booze in corner stores reckless. Her remarks prompted backlash and mockery, with many on social media saying her response was alarmist.

The Liberals recently opened up sales of alcohol to grocery stores in Ontario but stopped short of making it available beyond that, arguing it would lead to an increase in human costs. Conservative Leader Doug Ford, however, says its a move that other provinces have found works for consumers. (NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has said the current system is socially responsible and works well.)

The Star asked experts in public policy, health and economics for their take on the effects of allowing booze sales in corner stores.

If you have any recognition about the heath issues around liquor youd be crazy to put it into private convenience stores and increase its physical access under a profit motive, Greg Flanagan, an economist who studied the Alberta deregulation of retail alcohol sales, said.

The debate is not new, Flanagan said. Time and time again, the issue has cropped up in elections and policy discussions, dividing the population.

Its following this continuing notion that alcohol is just another product, Flanagan said. Theres no recognition of the costs, never mind the human factors or the costs to the public.

Dr. Robert Mann, a senior scientist at CAMH, said there is a direct correlation between the availability or accessibility of alcohol and public health and safety issues.

If more alcohol is made available, consumption increases, he said, that leads to more drinking and driving, more alcohol-related deaths and suicides and homicides.

Mann added that a recent estimate of the cost of alcohol-related harms amounted to more than $3 billion annually. After tobacco, alcohol is the leading contributing factor to death and injury in Canada, he said.

At present, Quebec and Alberta are the only provinces that allows the sale of beer and wine in corner stores.

The discussion over the sale of alcohol in convenience stores is restarting in Quebec, however, after a 14-year-old girl was found dead in a stream in March after consuming two sugary, high-alcohol beverages from a local store.

The Star spoke to four experts who all said the main concern of selling alcohol in corner stores is the possible sale to minors and the increase in contraband and bootleg products. The risks also include higher likelihood of break-ins and robberies.

Its our favourite recreational drug, Timothy Stockwell, a University of Victoria professor whose research focuses on substance use issues, said. It causes 15 to 20 per cent more harm than cannabis and we have stricter regulations around cannabis.

In his research, Stockwell has found the increased sale of alcohol in corner stores adds especially to health inequalities and impairs public safety in low-income neighbourhoods theyre located in.

A study Stockwell performed in 89 local health areas in British Columbia over several years found that with a 44-per-cent increase in the number of stores that sold alcohol, came a proportional rise in alcohol-related deaths and hospitalizations.

He has found some 14,800 deaths in Canada are caused by alcohol  a number he estimates will increase with more private sales.

People love the idea of convenient alcohol, Stockwell said. But it compromises public health and public safety.

The Conservatives, however, say any new locations selling booze would be regulated similar to the LCBO.

Its time to acknowledge that Ontario is mature enough for this change and ready join other jurisdictions in making life a little more convenient, Ford said.

Consumers will soon be able to grab a bottle of wine in the same location where they get their groceries for an evening dinner with guests, or grab a case of beer around the corner from where they live, so they can entertain friends, he said.

I believe in doing whats convenient for the people, and not whats convenient for the government.

But regulation can be costly, Flanagan said. The costs to the government of surveillance, monitoring and administration are often larger than the revenue of the sales, just as it was with cigarettes.

It just doesnt make sense.

Read more about:Two people have been arrested after Toronto police say 103 laptops worth nearly $200,000 were stolen from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

Between March 16 and May 17, police said the laptops were stolen from a secure room at CAMH over five separate occasions.

The computers, worth $194,000, were brand new and had no client or patient information on them, police said, adding that some had been advertised on a Kijiji account.

On Wednesday, police said they arrested two suspects, one of whom was a contract employee working for CAMH in the IT department.

Keerthikan Arulanandarajah, 26, of Ajax, is charged with theft over $5,000 and trafficking in property obtained by crime.

Leshawn Bhatia, 37, of Mississauga, is charged with possession of property obtained by crime for the purpose of trafficking and possession of proceeds of crime.

They will appear in court at Old City Hall on June 25.Police have now identified the woman fatally stabbed at an apartment at Spadina Rd. and Kendal Ave. on Wednesday as 21-year-old Abbegail Elliott.

Police found Elliott with life-threatening injuries on Wednesday afternoon at 70 Spadina Rd., where they were called to investigate the sound of gunshots around 4:30 p.m.

They rushed her to hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries, police reported.

Police said they were initially unsure whether the Toronto residents injuries were from a stabbing or a shooting, but have since said they were consistent with a stabbing.

Two men were seen running from the scene.

Const. Jordan Brooks told the Star on Wednesday that police had been dispatched to the same address on Monday after gunshots were heard around 5:20 p.m. Its a guy and a girl, he said, but added that police knew little else as of Wednesday afternoon, including whether the incident was domestic.

One resident, who declined to give his name, showed the Star a video he described as being an altercation earlier that week, with multiple women and a man scuffling in a parking lot.

Homicide is now investigating the stabbing, and seeking the publics help in identifying the suspect or suspects, police said.An autopsy has confirmed a toddler pulled from a hot car in a Burlington parking lot Wednesday evening died from being exposed to high temperatures for an extended period of time, Halton Regional police said Thursday.

No charges have been laid while the investigation continues.

There still remain many questions about the 3-year-old boys death. What is known is that police received a 911 call from an hysterical man about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday after the boys lifeless body was found in the back of a grey Ford Escape parked at Crossroads Christian Communications on North Service Rd. at Kerns Rd.

Despite resuscitative efforts, first responders pronounced the boy dead at the scene.

Temperatures in Burlington reached a high of 26 C, according to Environment Canada.

A prayer vigil was held Thursday morning at the centres chapel, and 100 Huntley Street, Crossroads flagship television show, opened Thursday with an emotional call for mourning and prayer for the boy.

This was a child whose family is a precious part of the team of our building owner, a family who is in deep pain right now as they mourn the loss of their young son, said a visibly shaken Cheryl Weber, a host of the show.

By Thursday afternoon, a small memorial marked the parking lot where the boy was found. Two stuffed animals rested on the concrete, surrounded by bouquets of flowers.

Police have not said who made the tragic discovery or how long the boy may have been in the car.

The Halton police homicide unit is leading the investigation because of a protocol that mandates all sudden deaths of children under 5 be investigated by police.

This is an inconceivable tragedy and right now we are focusing on the community and healing, Sgt. Dana Nicholas said. Any time a child dies, it is devastating to the family, community as a whole and to first responders.

Crossroads no longer owns the 1295 North Service Rd. building. It was sold to a numbered Ontario corporation in March, according to property records. That corporation is owned by a Campbellville business owner Shawn Saulnier.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Crossroads noted the buildings new owners are working closely with authorities while walking with their team through tremendous grief.

We continue praying fervently for them and their families, our community, and our staff as we are all affected by this deeply tragic situation, said Carolyn Innis.

In Canada, there are no national statistics about the number of heatstroke deaths in vehicles, but there are deaths every year.

In the United States, there have been 749 heatstroke deaths of children in vehicles since 1998, according to the website noheatstroke.org. In 54 per cent of those cases, the child was forgotten by a caregiver. In 27 per cent of cases, the child was playing in an unattended vehicle. Most of the children were 3 years old or younger.

Concerned about the phenomena, Dr. Anthony Crocco, medical director and head of pediatric emergency medicine at McMaster Childrens Hospital, took the hot car challenge last summer to raise awareness about how quickly things can go wrong.

He lasted about 15 minutes in the car, never allowing himself to get into that dangerous heatstroke range.

Young children are especially at risk of heatstroke because they dehydrate faster and cannot get out of the situation on their own, Crocco said.

There is no safe amount time to leave child in a hot environment, he said.

The first stage is heat exhaustion, in which someone is sweating and agitated, Crocco said.

The problem is when someone stops sweating  that can quickly go from heat exhaustion to stroke, he said.

With heatstroke, someones core temperature rises so high they become lethargic and the body starts to shut down. Death can be caused by seizure or organ failure.

In the emergency department, they treat kids every year for heat exhaustion and heatstroke, he said, adding that it doesnt just happen in cars.

The amount of time it takes for a situation to turn deadly can vary significantly depending on the child, temperature and other conditions.

Every heat exposure death is a tragedy and its usually an accident, Crocco said.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning article published in the Washington Post in 2009, Fatal Distraction, recounted the heartbreaking stories of people who had accidentally killed their babies.

 Death by hyperthermia is the official designation. When it happens to young children, the facts are often the same: An otherwise loving and attentive parent one day gets busy, or distracted, or upset, or confused by a change in his or her daily routine, and just  forgets a child is in the car, the Gene Weingarten story reads.

The Canada Safety Council warns drivers to look twice before locking and always keep cars locked to prevent children from climbing in and becoming trapped.

It may come as a surprise that more than half of the children left in hot cars were trapped there unintentionally, forgotten in a moment of absent-mindedness, or trapped after playing unsupervised in an unlocked vehicle, the hot car warning reads.

The safety agency also suggests placing your cellphone, purse or wallet in the back seat, a strategy that requires you to turn around and check the back seat whenever you leave the vehicle.

With files from Fatima Syed and Clare Rayment

Read more about:A Centennial College residence was opening its doors to summer occupants Thursday  but the new arrivals werent students.

Rather, the school is housing refugee claimants in their dormitories, as part of the citys plan to cope with an influx of refugees arriving in Toronto.

Multiple floors and around 400 beds in the crisp, bright Centennial Place residence have been designated by the city to temporarily house refugees  100 or so families  under a contingency plan for emergency social services, which will also see rooms filled at Humber College in Etobicoke.

It is likely that we will be seeing families, Stephanie Etkin, a manager with Red Cross disaster management, told the Star in the hours before the newest residents arrived.

The suite-style Centennial dorms were an amenable layout to housing families together, she said. We are anticipating that we will be seeing children and some babies and some big families, but were anticipating and ready for any sort of makeup.

The plan is a response to unprecedented events and emergency situations, according to the city. Torontos shelter system has reached its capacity to accommodate new refugee arrivals, according to a press release Wednesday.

Read more:

Facing refugee influx, Toronto triggers emergency shelter plan

Ottawa must help Toronto with influx of refugees

Mayor John Tory says Ottawa has offered nothing to help deal with Torontos refugee crisis

Toronto has a long history of welcoming refugees but the city can no longer absorb the cost and impact of the increasing numbers of refugee claimants coming into the country, Mayor John Tory wrote.

City staff say some of the claimants crossed the border in Manitoba, but most came via Quebec. Last month, after Quebec said it was overwhelmed, federal officials said they started a triage plan to fast-track newcomers to Ontario.

On Thursday, the Centennial campus whirred as usual  students huddled together in computer labs, sat in hallway floors, knees up and laptops out, or chatted idly in the bright afternoon sun. Some students were staying in the residences over the summer months for classes, conferences or work in the city. There arent plans to integrate them with their neighbours yet, Etkin said.

But their living quarters will be the same.

Each suite has four rooms, with a small common area and a basic kitchen. The set-up would be great, Etkin said, for a large family or two small ones. Resources will be set up in common areas in the corner of each floor, including one for the Red Cross  which anticipates fielding questions about anything from legal aid to making refugee claims to getting food and clothing.

As you can imagine, no matter where you come from or your circumstances  and sometimes it can be a very traumatic or difficult circumstance, or whatever the case may be  youre arriving to a new metropolitan city, and it can be a bit challenging to know where to go and how to connect appropriately, Etkin explained.

The Red Cross, one of several organizations banding together as a safety net for the new arrivals, has been operating a first contact program for refugees since 2001. We look at safety and security and ease and efficiency of operations, she said of potential housing situations, noting that the enclosed green space on campus was a plus. It just sort of hit all the marks, she said.

As of June 1, the city will also begin using 400 beds at Humber College in Etobicoke. Ontario has committed up to $3 million in Red Cross staffing costs as part of the anticipated total cost.

For the next 75 days, the contingency plan will cost $6.3 million. Then, in early August, the rooms will have to be returned for students as they flood back to campus. At that time, the city may require municipal facilities, including active community centres, to house refugees living in the dorms.

Since April 19, the city says, 368 refugee claimants have entered Torontos shelter system. At the current rate, they project that refugee claimants will make up more than 53.6 per cent of shelter populations in the city by November. They anticipate $64.5 million in incurred costs by the end of 2018 from providing motel housing for refugee claimants.

We have triggered our emergency protocol to help these families in their time of need, with some support from the Government of Ontario, but require the federal government to take immediate steps to permanently relieve this unprecedented pressure on the Citys shelter system, Tory wrote in the release.

Read more about:DURHAM  Durham College says it will be taking immediate action to revise and amend its policy on political activity for employees.

Last week, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) slammed the college, saying it was violating academic freedom and democratic rights after an email was allegedly sent to employees by Durham College president Don Lovisa that referenced a policy that says employees may not engage in political activity  inside and outside the workplace.

The OPSEU College Faculty Division sent a letter to Lovisa on May 18, demanding a retraction of the policy.

Their policy is a serious violation of academic freedom and our democratic rights, said RM Kennedy, OPSEUs college faculty division chair. College faculty work hard to encourage our students civic engagement. You would think a college president would be more careful to respect and protect academic life on campus.

Durham College said in a statement on Wednesday that a Community Elections and Political Activity policy was developed several years ago to guide employees on balancing professional and personal activities when it comes to politics.

The policy was shared with employees as a reminder, in the lead-up to the June 7 provincial election.

Read more:

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Horwath promises 4,500 more nurses in NDPs first year of government

PC Leader Doug Ford participated in collection of bogus party memberships, audio recording suggests

Since then, it has been raised that some of the policy language is creating confusion rather than clarity, specifically regarding when, where and how DC employees participate in political activities, the statement notes. We regret any concern this has caused and are taking immediate action to have the policy reviewed and amended.

OPSEU isnt the only organization that expressed concern  in a May 22 letter to Lovisa, David Robinson, executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), calls the policy a serious violation of academic freedom and basic democratic rights and says universities and colleges are places where debates on matters of public concern must be encouraged, not stifled.

Both OPSEU and CAUT note that colleges are not public bodies or crown agencies, and that their employees are not public servants as defined by the Public Service of Ontario Act  which means their political activity should not be restricted.

DC is committed to honouring academic freedom and unequivocally supports the rights of students and employees to participate in the democratic process  more than that, it is encouraged, the statement from the college notes. Each election period and throughout the year, the college makes a point of providing opportunities for members of the campus community to engage with political leaders by hosting activities such as all-candidates debates, candidate campus tours and town halls, among others.

The controversy at Durham College comes days after pressure from OPSEU saw Northumberland County back down from a similar policy, which attempted to ban municipal employees from taking part in the upcoming elections during their off-hours.

OPSEU president Warren (Smokey) Thomas said he will continue to respond if he hears of other employers trying to suppress democratic participation. Voter turnout is at an all-time low in this province, he noted. The last thing we need is ill-informed managers making a bad situation even worse.A man who tried to steal a bike in the Kensington Market area was sent to hospital instead after a confrontation with the owner, police say.

A 36-year-old man tried to steal a bicycle on Dundas St. W., near Bathurst St. at around 2:30 a.m. Thursday, and pulled out a knife when the bikes owner confronted him, police said.

The bike owner defended himself with a knife sharpening rod, injuring the attacker, Toronto police said.

The suspect was sent to hospital with minor injuries and is in police custody. The bike owner sustained minor hand injuries.

The suspect faces charges of attempted theft, assault with a weapon and threatening death, police said.

He will appear in court at Old City Hall on Thursday morning.A third suspect has been arrested in connection with the assault of a man with autism at Missisaugas Square One back in March, Peel police say.

Jaspaul Uppal, 21, surrendered himself to the local police department in Abbotsford, B.C. on May 19. The move came after a Canada-wide warrant was issued earlier this month. Uppal arrived at Pearson Airport last night under Peel police custody.

On March 13, police were called to the bus terminal of the Square One shopping centre at around 10:45 p.m.

Three men had surrounded the 29-year old victim and punched and kicked him before fleeing the scene. The victim was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

The assault was captured in a six-second video, which was released by police.

Parmvir Singh Chahil, 21, and Ronjot Singh Dhami, 25, were arrested earlier and charged, days after the surveillance footage was released. All three suspects have been charged with aggravated assault. They were visiting Toronto from B.C.

Uppal will appear in court in Brampton Thursday at 9 a.m.

Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to contact 12 Division Criminal Investigation Bureau at (905) 453-2121 Ext 1233 or Peel Crime Stoppers.

Correction - May 24, 2018: This article was edited from a previous version to update a headline that misspelled Mississauga.

Read more about:A regular collection of tales from the campaign trail.

Kathleen Wynne has a new plea for voters: I can do better.

Trailing her main rivals for the premiers chair by a double-digit margin in the polls, the struggling Liberal leader is using a new ad to try and mount a comeback bid in the last 14 days of the campaign.

A new ad released Wednesday with an appeal for donations pictures her with friendly crowds, often at party events, and jogging.

How can I make life better for you? Thats what I think about when I get up to run at 5 in the morning, Wynne intones. That work never stops. Better never stops. Neither will I.

Liberal campaign director David Herle said the ad comes as Doug Fords Conservative campaign is drifting down to its base level of support and anti-Ford voters pick a lane. He claims the NDP has failed to close the deal over Horwaths $1.4 billion platform accounting error, plan to close the Pickering nuclear plant and refusal to use back-to-work legisation to end long strikes.

Read more:

Horwath and Wynne trade shots over labour policy

Opinion | Editorial: Ontarios opioid crisis should be a top election issue

Youth-quake in Niagara West election, as four candidates are under 30

This is the moment to make our case  unabashedly and unapologetically, Herle wrote in a note to supporters.

Fully-costed platform on its way, Ford says

The Ontario election is two weeks away, but theres still ample time for the Progressive Conservatives to unveil a campaign platform.

Absolutely, said Tory Leader Doug Ford when asked if his party would share its plans for governing the province before the June 7 vote.

Stay tuned, its going to be fully costed, Ford said Wednesday in the NDP-held riding of Essex.

Well have a fully-costed platform before this campaign is over, the PC leader said.

Its coming, but I think weve been pretty responsible and putting a dollar figure behind every single item that we announce, he said, conceding a Tory government would run a deficit.

Ive been pretty clear that we arent going to balance the first year, maybe not the second year, said Ford.

But we will balance maybe the third or fourth year. Our goal is to balance the budget.

Poppy politics

The anti-poppy musings of Mississauga Centre NDP candidate Laura Kaminker left two Toronto residents riled enough to protest party leader Andrea Horwath on Wednesday night.

Someones got to stand up for veterans, said Peter Jelbert, who served as a corporal with the Royal Canadian Regiments third infantry batallion for seven years, with a 2010 tour in Afghanistan.

Jelbert and his spouse, Alahna MacFarlane stood outside a west-end coffee shop in Davenport riding with a Canadian flag free poppies attached to printouts of In Flanders Fields.

They accused Horwath of hypocrisy for not firing Kaminker after calling on PC Leader Doug Ford to scrap candidate Tanya Granic Allen in the same riding for Islamophobic and anti-gay social media posts.

Horwath, who has defended Kaminkers views as free speech, took a poppy from them.

I respect your opinions, your right to be here. I always wear one. Im always at Remembrance Day, Horwath said.

Vote now:

Read more about:Portable pensions for workers to take with them from job to job would be created under a provincial Liberal government, leader Kathleen Wynne says.

The Liberals, if elected June 7, would also remove barriers, so that outsiders could buy into existing pension plans  even if they have no connection to the company, she said.

Given the changing economy, we have to evolve the supports that people have as well, Wynne said at a campaign stop in downtown Toronto at Wattpad, an online publishing site where writers post their work to be critiqued by other users.

The parents and grandparents of the young people who work here may have gone into a company and worked in that company for 35, 40 years, and come out with a pension that is allowing them to have a dignified retirement.

Thats not the case for the young people who are working today, she said. The changing economy puts that decent retirement into jeopardy . The reward for a lifetime of hard work shouldnt be the prospect of spending your golden years struggling to make ends meet.

Vote now:

She noted the Ontario government had pushed the federal government for enhancements to the Canada Pension Plan, but there are still gaps.

We are going to take the next steps, so that, no matter where you work, you will be able to look forward to a more secure retirement. That is the objective.

The Liberals, she added, would support the creation of portable pension plans, that stay with one worker from one job to the next, allow others to join successful plans and also strengthen the power of the pension regulator to intervene where pensioners are treated unfairly.

Ontario's three main party leaders squared off earlier this month in a debate. Andrea Horwath, Kathleen Wynne and Doug Ford were asked after the debate how they plan to combat criticisms they face. (The Canadian Press)

When a company is in trouble, we are going to strengthen the ability of the regulator to intervene and make sure (pensioners) interests are taken care of, giving them greater priority if the company goes bankrupt.

The pledge is a response to the plight of Sears retirees, who saw their benefits decrease after the company went under. Earlier this year, the Liberals promised to give them up to $500 extra a month.

She said the Progressive Conservatives have not talked about pensions at all, and the NDP would not be willing to work with the private sector.

Wynne said more details on private-sector pensions will be released in the Liberals formal platform, which will be out in the next few days.

About a third of working Ontarians are enrolled in a pension plan, but, among younger workers ages 25 to 34, its only about one-quarter.

Wynne said the Liberals will also increase the power of pension regulating authorities to intervene when Ontarians believe they are not receiving the pension benefits they were promised.

The premier pledged to grant access to private-sector pension plans to workers, such as contractors or part-timers, who may not qualify for them.

Read more about:Doug Ford has denied any wrongdoing after being secretly taped assuring coffee-shop patrons that they do not have to pay for Progressive Conservative memberships, a breach of party rules.

Ford, who was recorded helping Etobicoke Centre PC candidate Kinga Surma in the 2016 party nomination, also insisted Thursday he did not intimidate runner-up Pina Martino by following her to her home.

The Tory leader and Surma were surreptitiously taped by an unidentified man while recruiting new members at an Etobicoke Tim Hortons outlet.

Ford denied the bogus membership allegations, saying he had never purchased $10 PC memberships for any candidate.

But he did not dispute the authenticity of the audio recording and said he had no plans to fire Surma, despite the apparent breach of party rules on membership sales.

This happened close to two years ago, he said at a local auto parts factory in Tillsonburg. We went through an appeals process. The appeal was totally dismissed. This is the Liberals two weeks before the election trying to change the channel.

In the recording, Ford and Surma are heard approaching customers at the coffee shop, asking them to become members.

Ford says, It doesnt cost ya anything. Surma then asks them to fill out forms, with Ford adding: You dont have to fill that out  if youre interested, well do it for ya.

Ford was also accused of intimidation tactics by Martino, which he dismissed as false.

The Liberals, who are trailing both the Progressive Conservatives and NDP in public opinion polls, also released an affidavit by Martino, who lost the 2016 nomination to Surma, in which she accuses Surma and Ford of duping dozens of people into party memberships and covering their fees.

Martino said she visited scores of homes of apparent members, but the residents had no clue theyd been signed up.

Thursdays revelations were the latest in a string of questionable nomination tactics and candidate woes for the PCs, including allegations of ballot-box stuffing under former leader Patrick Brown. One nomination in Hamilton WestAncasterDundas remains under police investigation.

Under Fords leadership, Mississauga Centre candidate and former leadership rival Tanya Granic Allen was recently let go because of offensive online posts.

Another candidate, Simmer Sandhu, resigned last week after a data breach at toll highway owner 407 ETR was uncovered, affecting 60,000 customers. Sandhu has said he will vigorously defend himself. Police are investigating.

Ontarios Liberal party is alleging that Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford may have violated election laws by selling bogus party memberships. Ford calls the allegations a Liberal attempt to change the channel. (The Canadian Press)

Read more:

NDP calls for Elections Ontario to probe 12 PC nominations

As Horwaths poll numbers rise, Doug Ford focuses his attacks on the NDP

Horwath and Wynne trade shots over labour policy

The bitter nomination contest in Etobicoke Centre has been a source of internal party strife since it was decided in November 2016.

Just days before losing the nomination to Surma, Martino filed a formal complaint with the party, accusing Surma of discreditable conduct and alleging that Ford followed her home and tried to intimidate her, according to an email Martino wrote to the partys lawyer.

The email is dated Nov. 18, 2016  three days before the nomination vote  and is addressed to Mike Richmond, counsel for the PC party.

Have your say

In it, Martino says she has been subject to attempts to intimidate me by Doug Ford, including his following her home after she had attended to personal business at 22 Division of the Toronto Police Service today. Further, he waited in the vicinity of my home and followed me a second time as I attended to other business.

Contacted by phone last week, Martino refused to comment. I dont want to talk to the media, she said, before hanging up.

Both Richmond and Martinos lawyer, Geoffrey Janoscick, who was copied on the email, declined comment.

On Thursday, Ford denied following Martino or trying to intimidate her by waiting outside her home in his black SUV.

That never happened.

When a reporter questioned him about the nature of your relationship with Surma, who once worked for his late brother, former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, the Tory leader said he and his family have worked with many candidates over the years.

Let me tell you, we have helped, our family, in Etobicoke Centre, weve helped, for the last 30 years, candidates, Ford said. You know the candidate that Kinga was running against? We supported her. I personally donated to her campaign. Our family helped her. We helped people for 30 years.

A senior Conservative source, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, confirmed that Martinos 2016 complaint was received by the party, but we ignored it because we didnt want to alienate Doug.

Martinos affidavit lists 60 people she met in the course of canvassing the riding that told her they had not paid for their membership and, in many cases, had no idea they were party members at all. They said they had been visited by Surma or Ford, or in some cases the two of them together, and informed of a nomination meeting. They said they had not paid any membership fee and, in some cases, had not signed a membership form.

In addition to serving as an adviser to Rob Ford when he was Toronto mayor, Martino was also chief of staff to longtime PC MPP Jim Wilson and Brown. Several veteran Conservatives interviewed this week by the Star said they were surprised when she lost the nomination.

In the 2016 email, Martino says she provided the party with substantial and credible evidence of discreditable conduct on the part of Kinga Surma without providing specifics. It is the mandate and responsibility of the PNC to consider my complaint and, once it is substantiated, to disqualify Ms. Surma as a nomination candidate, she wrote.

The PNC is the partys Provincial Nomination Committee, which hears complaints related to nomination contests.

Neither current PC party president Jad Badwal nor Rick Dykstra, who was president at the time of the Etobicoke Centre nomination, responded to requests for comment.

In the email, Martino wrote that she is not interested in the partys apparent efforts to mediate the conflict as this is not a situation that can be mediated.

Surma did not respond to interview requests left with her campaign office on Wednesday or Thursday. She did not attend an all-candidates debate in her riding on Wednesday night.

Ford showed an extraordinary degree of involvement in Surmas campaign, said Liberal campaign co-chair Deb Matthews, adding the party took steps to independently verify the audio and is confident in its veracity, though she did not provide specifics.

These practices contradict the rules and regulations that Mr. Ford, as leader, has pledged to enforce, Matthew said.

In Regent Park, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she is shocked at how the allegations about Ford and suspicious PC nominations are piling up.

Its a stinking mess, she told reporters. There are too many questions and the questions seem to grow every day, she added. Its worrisome to see someone run for premier of the province and have all these questions swirling.

Matthews said the allegations of Ford following Martino home, to say the least, this paints a disturbing picture of Doug Ford, a man who wants to be elected premier of this province.

In Toronto, Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne called the accusations arising out of the recording very serious.

I think that people need to know about information like this if there have been breaches in terms of nominations ... People need to know about (politicians). They need to know how we behave, they need to know what our records are.

Matthews said the allegations of paying for memberships not only violate party rules, but if someone else is paying it could violate election laws by making secret donations.

She said the current controversy surrounding Ford is entirely in a league of its own. This is where Doug Ford talked to people, told them to sign here, you dont have to pay. Oh dont bother filling in your address, and then saying you dont even have to vote.

This is in a complete league of its own.

With files from Rob Ferguson

Read more about:Food bank use in Toronto dipped by 16,000 visits between January and March this year, the first time in four years there has been a decrease during this time period, according to Torontos Daily Bread Food Bank.

The most remarkable aspect of this drop is that the largest decrease is among households that rely on social assistance, said the food banks research director, Richard Matern.

Total visits dropped to 186,835 during the first three months of the year, a decline of 8 per cent when compared to the first quarter of 2017, according to an update report, released Thursday.

Daily Bread credits several social policy changes for the drop, including an easing of provincial welfare rules over the past year, indexing of the Canada child benefit last July, and Ontarios minimum wage boost to $14 on Jan. 1.

It is the first time food bank use has dropped during the first quarter  the post-holiday period when visits usually spike  since 2014, when Daily Bread began compiling data in this way, he noted.

Although the report covers just the first three months of the year  full results will be released in the food banks annual report in September  the trend shows what can happen when federal and provincial social policy measures are aligned, Matern said.

While the economy has been strong, there have also been numerous social policy initiatives, mostly at provincial level, that may have had an important impact on those struggling with hunger and poverty, he said. It is something voters need to keep in mind during the provincial election.

The latest polls indicate that the Progressive Conservatives and NDP are running neck and neck in the June 7 election.

Last year, there were 990,970 visits to food banks in Toronto. While food-bank use has been trending down from a high of almost 1.2 million visits in 2010, it is still well above pre-recession levels of the mid-2000s when there were between 700,000 and 800,000 visits annually, he noted.

This years first-quarter decrease among households receiving social assistance was particularly noteworthy because this group is more likely to be living in poverty and going without food, Matern added.

People who rely on social assistance  Ontario Works (OW) or Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)  represented 64 per cent of food-bank users in 2017.

In the first three months of this year, there was an 11-per-cent decrease among OW recipients and a 7.2-per-cent dip in food-bank visits from people living on ODSP, according to the report.

The drop in food-bank use among the working poor and seniors relying on old-age pensions was less dramatic, with both decreasing by just over 3 per cent.

Januarys minimum wage increase and introduction of automatic enrolment for the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors may have reduced food-bank visits among these groups, the report says.

Other changes that could account for the overall decrease in food bank use include:

Full exemption of child support payments from social assistance claw-backs in early 2017 means support is no longer deducted dollar for dollar.

A rise in the annual exemption for cash gifts to $10,000 from $6,000 for people on social assistance in September 2017 in recognition of the support people receive from family and friends when they are experiencing financial difficulties.

An increase in liquid assets in early 2018 for people on social assistance to $10,000 from $2,500 for OW and to $40,000 from $5,000 for ODSP.

The introduction of free college and university tuition for low-income students last September along with changes to the Ontario Student Loan Program (OSAP) to allow those on social assistance and studying full time to keep 100 per cent of any earnings. (About 10 per cent of food-bank users are college and university students.)

The introduction of free prescription drugs for everyone under 25 in January 2018. (While not specifically targeted to people living in poverty, past research shows parents give up food to pay for childrens needs, including prescription medication.)

Although it is difficult to attribute the decrease in food bank visits to any one change, research in Newfoundland and Labrador showed a significant decline in food insecurity  particularly among those relying on social assistance  from 2007-12 when that province enacted multi-year poverty reduction efforts including many of the recent measures adopted in Ontario, Matern said.

There is no silver bullet to reducing poverty, Matern said. It is not just a strong economy or one policy or benefit.

Ongoing reform of social assistance, more universal benefits such as prescription drugs for the working poor and seniors, affordable housing and collaboration at all levels of government are needed to reduce poverty and hunger in Ontario, he added.LONDON  Yulia Skripal, who was poisoned with her ex-spy father in a nerve agent attack, said Wednesday her recovery has been slow and painful, and that she hopes to return to her home in Russia someday.

In her first appearance on camera since the poisoning that sent U.K.-Russia tensions soaring, Skripal said she and her 66-year-old father Sergei were lucky to have both survived this attempted assassination.

They spent weeks hospitalized in critical condition after they were found unconscious in the English city of Salisbury 90 miles (145 kilometres) southwest of London, on March 4.

Britain blames Russia for poisoning the Skripals with a military-grade nerve agent  a charge Russia vehemently denies. The incident has sparked a Cold War-style diplomatic crisis between Russia and the West, including the expulsion of hundreds of diplomats from both sides.

Yulia Skripals statement appeared designed in part to address claims from Moscow that Britain has effectively kidnapped the pair and prevented Russian officials from visiting them. But the Russian Embassy in London said it remained concerned that Skripal was being held against her will.

Yulia, 33, was discharged from the hospital in April, and her father last week. Both have been taken to an undisclosed location for their protection.

She said she had arrived to visit her father in Salisbury the day before the attack.

After 20 days in a coma, I woke to the news that we had both been poisoned, she said.

During their slow and extremely painful recovery, she has been struggling to come to terms with the devastating changes thrust upon me both physically and emotionally, she said.

I dont want to describe the details, but the clinical treatment was invasive, painful and depressing, she said.

In the longer term, I hope to return home to my country once she and her father have both recovered, she added.

Sergei Skripal is a former Russian intelligence officer who was convicted of spying for Britain before coming to the U.K. as part of a 2010 prisoner swap. He had been living quietly in Salisbury when he was struck down.

Britain says the Russian state poisoned the Skripals with a Soviet-designed nerve agent dubbed Novichok that likely was smeared on the door handle of Sergei Skripals suburban house.

The international chemical weapons watchdog has backed up Britains conclusion that the Skripals were poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent, but has not determined where it was produced.

Hundreds of counterterrorism officers and support staff are working on the case, but police have not yet identified any suspects.

Moscow accuses Britain of failing to provide any evidence for its claims and of stonewalling Russian requests for information.

Russias ambassador to London has accused the U.K. government of breaking international law by not granting Russia consular access to them. Britain has said it is up to the Skripals to decide whether they want to meet with embassy officials.

The Russian Embassy in London issued a statement that said, We are glad to have seen Yulia Skripal alive and well.  However, the video shown only strengthens our concerns as to the conditions in which she is being held.

The statement said she appeared to be reading from a text initially written by a native English-speaker. It added that the U.K. is obliged to give us the opportunity to speak to Yulia directly in order to make sure that she is not held against her own will and is not speaking under pressure. So far, we have every reason to suspect the opposite.

Yulia Skripal requested that she and her father be given privacy.

We need time to recover and come to terms with everything that has happened, she said.

Im grateful for the offers of assistance from the Russian Embassy, but at the moment I do not wish to avail myself of their services.

Also, I want to reiterate what I said in my earlier statement that no one speaks for me, or for my father, but ourselves, she said.

Read more about:ROMEItalys premier-designate Giuseppe Conte spent his first day on the job Thursday finalizing his proposed cabinet list as European officials vowed to judge deeds, not words, from a decidedly euroskeptic and populist Italy in their ranks.

Conte, a law professor and political unknown, received a mandate from President Sergio Mattarella on Wednesday to try to form a government after the 5-Star Movement and anti-immigrant League pitched him as their candidate for premier after two months of political deadlock.

Speculation swirled Thursday over his proposed cabinet list, which he must present to Mattarella before the government can be sworn in and put to confidence votes in parliament. League leader Matteo Salvini doubled down in insisting on his pick for economy minister, Paolo Savona, saying Italians should cheer that someone will finally represent their interests in Brussels.

It seems that in the past he had some doubts about the use or effectiveness of the euro, Salvini said in a Facebook Live post. But Salvini said he would be proud to work alongside someone with Savonas experience: The 81-year-old was industry minister in the 1990s and has held a series of positions in government, industry and banking.

Conte, meanwhile, spent Thursday in scheduled consultations with a steady stream of political leaders, with both left and right expressing concern about the 5-Star-League government program he has vowed to implement.

Beatrice Lorenzin, former health minister and head of a small leftist party, urged the incoming health minister to make decisions based on science and evidence  a reference to the 5-Star pledge to undo the expanded obligatory vaccination program that was a hallmark of Lorenzins tenure and passed during a deadly measles outbreak.

Read more:

Four takeaways from Italys chaotic election

Can Italys populist parties rule the country as they ruled the vote?

Italys League and 5-Star parties make significant progress towards forming a government

In Brussels, meanwhile, finance ministers gathering for a Eurogroup meeting expressed relief at Contes pledge to respect Italys European commitments.

We all took positive note of the first declarations of the president of the Italian council (of ministers) who committed to respect the European rules, said French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire. It is a positive signal and we want to work constructively with Italy and we will judge it on its actions.

As recently as last week, Le Maire had warned that the eurozones financial stability could be threatened if a populist government blows Italys deficit commitments.

The 5-Star-League government program calls for a host of budget-busting measures, with little detail on financing, including a basic income for needy Italians and a two-tier flat tax that is expected to add to Italys debt load, already Europes heaviest after Greece.

Emerging from Mattarellas office Wednesday, Conte vowed to implement the program, saying Italians were waiting for a government of change and that he couldnt wait to get to work to deliver it.

But he also sought to reassure allies and markets that Italy would respect its European and international obligations, particularly as the EU begins budget negotiations.

Deeds count more than words, responded Margaritis Schinas, spokesman of the European Commission, when asked at the daily briefing about Contes assurances.WASHINGTONTop law enforcement and intelligence officials briefed congressional leaders from both parties Thursday about the FBIs use of an informant in the Russia investigation  a highly unusual concession to Congress all but ordered by President Donald Trump.

House Republicans close to the president  led by Rep. Devin Nunes of California, the Intelligence Committee chairperson  had been pressing unsuccessfully for weeks for access to material related to the informant, issuing a subpoena and threatening to hold top Justice Department officials in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn it over.

Their case exploded into view when Trump seized on disclosures about the informant late last week, accusing the FBI, without evidence, of planting a spy in his campaign. He demanded in recent days that the Justice Department investigate the matter and turn over records to Congress, ignoring warnings from law enforcement officials in his administration, that sharing the documents would put the informant and foreign intelligence partners at risk.

White House officials had at first arranged for only Nunes to be briefed. But Republican Senate leaders, including Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, and Richard M. Burr of North Carolina, the Intelligence Committee chairman, pressed the White House to change the audience to the so-called Gang of Eight, the select bipartisan group with whom the governments most sensitive intelligence is shared.

The senators, who have quietly objected to Nunes tactics in the past, were successful, at least in part. Administration officials held two separate briefings Thursday: one for Nunes at the Justice Department and another on Capitol Hill for the Gang of Eight.

Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, who has been criticized for not reining in House Republican attacks on the Russia inquiry and federal law enforcement, defended the unusual meetings.

Inherent in the Intelligence Committees work is the responsibility to ask tough questions of the executive branch, he said in a statement. That is why we have insisted and will continue to insist on Congress constitutional right to information necessary for the conduct of oversight.

The details continued to be fluid Thursday. At the last minute, Rep. Adam B. Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, was also included in the first meeting. He was there in place of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, who received a last-minute invitation.

John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff, who Trump asked to help organize the meetings, attended both sessions, as did Emmet T. Flood, a lawyer representing Trump in the Russia investigation. Their presence was highly unusual in a sensitive congressional oversight briefing, and it raised the possibility that top aides to the president could gain access to closely held information about an investigation of the president and his associates.

Both men left the rooms after initial remarks, according to two officials familiar with the meeting.

Lawmakers remained uncertain Thursday morning about what material would be shared. Republican allies of Nunes were downplaying expectations that they would be satisfied, and Democrats continued to press for the exchange to be called off.

Nunes has been quiet about what exactly he hopes to learn about the informant, saying only that his request is part of an oversight investigation into potential political bias and abuse of power within the Justice Department as it relates to the Russia investigation. Democrats say that the entire episode  including the presidents involvement  is the latest gambit by Nunes and Trump to undermine the special counsel, Robert Mueller and gain information about his inquiry.

Christopher A. Wray, the FBI director; Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general and Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence were scheduled to brief Nunes first. The same officials were then to head to Capitol Hill to brief members of the Gang of Eight.

Speaker Paul D. Ryan, who was scheduled to travel to Texas for a fundraiser Thursday afternoon, planned to attend the noon meeting, as well, rather than the Gang of Eight session, an aide said.

Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the top Senate Democrat, continued to push Thursday morning for the first meeting to be scrapped altogether, calling Nunes a known partisan out to undermine Muellers investigation.

What is the point of the separate briefing if not to cause partisan trouble? he said.

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, who has worked closely with Burr on the panels own Russia investigation, accused the White House of brokering a Republican-only briefing to serve their political purposes.

If they insist upon carrying out this farce, the White House and its Republican allies in the House will do permanent, long-standing damage to the practice of bipartisan congressional oversight of intelligence, Warner said. They will also be sending a terrible message to anyone who works in, or with our nations intelligence community that the White House will always prioritize partisan politics over protecting the people who help keep this country safe.

The Republican senators did not comment publicly.

Trump continued to rail against law enforcement on Twitter on Thursday, repeating unsubstantiated claims that the FBI had planted a spy in his campaign. Large dollars were paid to the Spy, far beyond normal, he said, without citing evidence, before referring to the matter as one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history.

The informant, an American academic who served in past Republican administrations, approached at least three Trump campaign advisers who had been in contact with suspected Russian agents. People familiar with the matter said that the use of the informant  a common FBI tool  was to glean information about what the aides knew about the Russian efforts to hack into Democratic emails, not to spy on Trumps campaign.

Read more about:PUNGGYE-RI, KOREA, DEMOCRATIC PEOPLES REPUBLIC OFNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un made good on his promise to demolish his countrys nuclear test site, which was formally closed in a series of huge explosions Thursday as a group of foreign journalists looked on.

The explosions at the test site deep in the mountains of the Norths sparsely populated northeast were supposed to build confidence ahead of a planned summit next month between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump. But Trump cancelled the meeting on Thursday, citing tremendous anger and open hostility in a North Korean statement released earlier in the day.

The blasts were centred on three tunnels at the underground site and a number of buildings in the surrounding area. North Korea held a closing ceremony afterward with officials from its nuclear arms program in attendance.

The group of journalists that witnessed the demolition, which touched off landslides near the tunnel entrances and sent up clouds of smoke and dust, included an Associated Press Television crew.

North Koreas state media called the closure of the site part of a process to build a nuclear-free, peaceful world and global nuclear disarmament.

The dismantling of the nuclear test ground conducted with high-level transparency has clearly attested once again to the proactive and peace-loving efforts of the DPRK government being made for assuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and over the world, the Norths official news agency reported late Thursday.

North Koreas formal name is the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

Read more:

Trump cancels U.S.-North Korea summit with Kim Jong Un

Kim announced his plan to close the site, where North Korea has conducted all six of its underground nuclear tests, ahead of a summit with South Koreas President Moon Jae-in in April and the planned summit with Trump next month.

But even as North Korea made good on its gesture of detente, it lobbed a verbal salvo at Washington, calling Vice-President Mike Pence a political dummy and saying it is just as ready to meet in a nuclear confrontation as at the negotiating table.

Trump responded by cancelling the summit, saying in a letter to Kim, Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting.

North Koreas decision to close the Punggye-ri nuclear test site had generally been seen as a welcome gesture by Kim to set a positive tone ahead of the summit. In a statement earlier Thursday, South Koreas National Security Council called the closing the Norths first measure toward complete denuclearization.

Not everyone was as optimistic, however.

The closing of the site is not an irreversible move and would need to be followed by many more significant measures to meet Trumps demand for real denuclearization.

North Korea also did not invite international nuclear weapons inspectors, opting instead for the impact of the television footage to impress the world.

The event was, indeed, impressive.

The first blast the visiting journalists witnessed came at around 11 a.m. after they made a 12-hour plus trip by train and convoy through the night and over bumpy dirt roads. That explosion collapsed the complexs north tunnel, which was used for five nuclear tests between 2009 and last year.

Two other explosions, at around 2:20 p.m. and 4 p.m., collapsed the west and south tunnels, according to officials. North Koreas state media stressed that those two tunnels could have been used to carry out more tests at any time, countering reports that the Punggye-ri site had been rendered largely unusable after the six tests already conducted there.

Also blown up were observation posts and barracks used by guards and other workers at the facility. A tunnel on the eastern side of the facility had already been shut down after an initial nuclear test in 2006.

North Korea said the demolition of the facility did not cause any leakage of radioactive materials or have any adverse impact on the surrounding ecological environment.

The journalists were allowed to stay at the site for about nine hours.

Getting to the remote site required an overnight train ride from Wonsan, a port city east of the capital, Pyongyang. In typically secretive fashion, officials instructed the media not to open the blinds that covered the windows of their train cars. They also were not allowed to shoot photos from the vehicles they took to the site from the nearest train station, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) away.

Back in Pyongyang, the outburst directed at Pence, issued in the name of a top Foreign Ministry official, came on the heels of another sharp rebuke of Trumps newly appointed national security adviser, John Bolton, and raised concerns that a major gap had opened between the two sides.

Choe Son Hui, a vice minister of foreign affairs, was quoted by the state-run news agency as slamming ignorant and stupid comments Pence made in an interview with Fox News that compared nuclear-capable North Korea to Libya. Libya gave up its nuclear program at an early stage only to see its longtime dictator overthrown and brutally killed years later.

The summit plan had hit a number of speed bumps recently as both sides began trading barbs and taking tougher positions.

Trump met with South Korean President Moon at the White House on Tuesday for consultations, and suggested then that the summit could be delayed or called off entirely.

Read more about:NIGERIANigerian soldiers and self-defence forces have raped women who were rescued from the Boko Haram extremist group, Amnesty International alleged in a new report Thursday that Nigerias military swiftly dismissed as false.

The report alleges that thousands of women and girls were separated from their families in camps in northeastern Nigeria, and abused. Some were raped in exchange for food and others were beaten and called Boko Haram wives, the report says.

The report is the latest allegation of human rights abuse by Nigerias security forces as they try to combat the Islamic extremist group that has displaced millions of people over the years and killed or abducted tens of thousands.

The Amnesty International report, based on more than 250 interviews as recently as April, says the alleged abuses occurred as Nigerias military pushed to reclaim territory from Boko Haram starting in 2015.

Thousands of civilians freed during the operations were ordered into displacement camps where thousands of people died between late 2015 and late 2016 from lack of food, water and health care, the human rights group says. That situation improved once aid groups began raising the alarm.

Many of these women and men said that they had suffered brutally under Boko Haram and were hoping to be rescued, only to find themselves attacked by the military, the report says. Women have been affected in disproportionate and gender-specific ways and continue to face ongoing discrimination and violence.

Nigerias government rejected the Amnesty report as short on credibility, while the military in a separate statement called it part of a malicious trend by the human rights group.

Boko Haram continues to carry out deadly attacks in northeastern Nigeria despite repeated claims by the government and military that its insurgency has been crushed. The extremist groups attacks often are carried out by women or children who have been kidnapped and indoctrinated.

The Amnesty International report says hundreds of women and girls have been detained in deplorable conditions and often without charge in military barracks in Maiduguri city, the birthplace of the Boko Haram insurgency, as suspicions among authorities remain high against people freed from territory held by the extremists.BUNNIK, NETHERLANDSDetailed analysis of video and photos has unequivocally established that the Buk missile that brought down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine nearly four years ago came from a Russia-based military unit, an international team of investigators said Thursday.

It is the clearest link yet published by the team of the involvement of Russian military in the deadly missile strike.

Prosecutors said they have presented their findings to Moscow and are seeking answers, but so far have not received a response. The international team running the criminal investigation appealed for help from witnesses who can testify about the involvement of the Russian militarys 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade based in the city of Kursk.

Prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said the new conclusion raised new questions: Such as the question about how actively involved the brigade itself was in bringing down Flight MH17.

Russia has always denied involvement in the downing of the jet.

Westerbeke said the Joint Investigation Team, or JIT, is not yet ready to name suspects, but added: I can say that we are now entering the ... last phase of the investigation. When we will be ready, it is not possible to say at the moment because there is still a lot of work to do.

The Boeing 777 passenger jet was headed from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when it was blown out of the sky over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014. All 298 passengers and crew were killed.

Prosecutors said in 2016 that the plane was shot down by a Buk 9M38 missile fired from territory controlled by Russia-backed rebels, using a mobile launcher trucked in from Russia and hastily returned there. Thursdays presentation went a step further by identifying the exact unit allegedly involved and more details of the rocket, and showing a compilation of videos and photos from social media tracing the missile convoys journey.

Investigators also displayed parts of the engine casing and exhaust system of a Buk 9M38 series missile recovered from eastern Ukraine and showed photos of a unique serial number on the missile. Team members said that careful analysis of video and photos from social media traced the journey of the Russian missile convoy into Ukraine and identified the missile launcher system.

The displayed missiles serial number gave them a fingerprint identifying it and where it was made but investigators said they could not yet say with certainty that it was the exact missile used to down MH17. They appealed for witnesses to come forward with more information about the missile.

All findings from this forensic investigation confirm the earlier conclusion of the JIT that Flight MH 17 was shot down by 9M38 series missile, said Jennifer Hurst of the Australian Federal Police.

In a written statement, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said: That a sophisticated weapon belonging to the Russian Army was dispatched and used to shoot down a civilian aircraft should be of grave international concern. We are discussing these findings with our partners and considering our options.

Ultimately, any suspects identified and charged will be prosecuted in Dutch courts  if they can be arrested and brought to trial.

Of the 298 people of more than 30 nationalities killed, 196 were Dutch, 42 Malaysian and 27 Australian.

Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok welcomed the newly released findings.

This is an important piece of the puzzle, Blok said. I am very impressed by the evidence that has been collected.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he was cutting short a visit to India so he could chair a cabinet meeting to discuss the findings.

His Belgian counterpart, Didier Reynders, called on all countries to co-operate fully with the investigation so that those responsible can be brought to justice.

Read more about:WASHINGTONDonald Trump lapped up his supporters prediction of a Nobel Peace Prize. His critics said his North Korea overture would fall to pieces.

Well, it crumbled.

The U.S. presidents cancellation of his planned Kim Jong Un summit, delivered in the form of a public Thursday letter that read at times like the handiwork of a jilted teen suitor, was much like his decision to accept the summit in the first place: impulsive, self-centred, surprising to key allies  unadulterated Trump, for better or worse.

For worse, foreign policy experts say.

Trumps letter blamed the cancellation on Kim Jong Uns return to open hostility.

Republican members of Congress said Trump deserves credit for walking away, instead of trying to play a bad hand.

Seasoned analysts tended to agree that he made the right final move. The summit, they said, was doomed to disaster.

But they said that was partly because Trump had mishandled the file from the start.

Goat rodeo, said Jeffrey Lewis, an expert on Asian non-proliferation issues, using a phrase that roughly translates to unholy mess.

Amateur hour, said Aaron David Miller, who advised six secretaries of state on the Middle East.

Trump, who fashions himself a master dealmaker, has so far struggled to make deals on the world stage. Across many issues, from North Korea to NAFTA to trade with China, he has been plagued, experts say, by a similar set of self-inflicted problems.

Read more:

North Korea offers U.S. time and opportunity to reconsider summit

One is his obvious disregard for policy specifics. Because he does not settle debates for his staff, said Ilan Goldenberg, director of the Middle East security program at the Center for a New American Security, they end up promoting their own distinct agendas.

National security adviser John Bolton spoke of using a Libya model for North Korean denuclearization. Given that Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi was killed after he gave up his weapons, the phrase was so certain to alarm Kim that some analysts thought Bolton was deliberately trying to sabotage the summit.

When Trump tried to offer reassurance by rejecting a Libya model, it was clear that he did not know what the phrase meant.

Preparations for this summit were insufficient, Miller said. The message discipline was horrible.

Experts also say Trump has been plagued by a fact-gathering and decision-making process that frequently involves few voices outside his own head. On North Korea, the president, who famously said nobody knew that health care could be so complicated, sounded again as if he was operating without the basic political history that could have been given to him by dozens of aides.

When he accepted Kims meeting offer within an hour of hearing it, he appeared to believe he had earned a rare opportunity rather than gifted the regime the prize of a legitimacy it had long sought. When he boasted that Kim had agreed to denuclearization, he seemed unaware that North Korea had broken identical promises in the past.

Trump has also shown little interest in telling allies what he does know. He declined to give South Korea advance warning that he was calling the meeting off  forcing a very perplexed President Moon Jae-in, who had visited Trump just two days prior, to hold an emergency midnight meeting.

(As for the North, The Associated Press reported last night that the regime says its still willing to sit down for talks with the U.S. at any time, at any format. Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan said in a statement that North Korea is willing to give the U.S. time and opportunities to reconsider talks.)

In this file video from May 22, U.S. President Donald Trump says the planned Singapore summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un "may not work out." (The Associated Press)

The president doesnt listen. He just goes off and does his own thing, said Goldenberg, who served in the Obama administration. Rogue operating  doesnt work in foreign policy.

Consultative and policy-minded presidents such as Obama also made serious policy blunders. Miller credits Trump for his handling of Iraq; a NAFTA deal remains very possible; Trump did secure the return of Americans taken prisoner by the regime. Trump and his team expressed hope that a Kim summit could be held eventually.

Well see what happens, Trump said at the White House. As usual, it did not seem as though he had a plan in mind.

Read more about:In 2006, Alexander Litvinenko, a former officer of the FSB  the successor of the Soviet-era KGB  sipped on tea with two old colleagues at the Millennium Hotel in London. A few weeks later, he lay dying in a British hospital, doctors unable to treat the radioactive poison the agents had slipped into his cup.

Litvenenko, who once described Putins Russia as a virtual mafia state, had been exiled to the United Kingdom after exposing state-sponsored domestic terrorism and corruption within the Kremlin. As U.S. analyst Michael Weiss has written, Litvenenko had come to believe that mobsters were functioning as quasi-state institutions and that they could murder and steal with impunity because they were also tasked with doing so by the FSB.

Litvenenkos belief was well founded. Throughout the 2000s, it was not uncommon for corporate offices in Russia to be stormed by private armed militias or federal forces cloaked in black balaclavas. One high-profile case from that era saw Kremlin-backed agents seize reams of corporate documents from a large foreign investment firm, Hermitage Capital.

These documents were then used by organized criminals who, with the support of various state officials, robbed the Russian people of USD $230 million in an elaborate tax-refund scheme. Sergei Magnitsky, the young lawyer who discovered and reported this staggering fraud, was jailed, savagely beaten and denied life-saving medical treatment. He died less than a year later.

A more recent, but less well known travesty, is currently playing out in the courts of Guatemala, where Igor and Irina Bitkov, together with their children, are experiencing first-hand, the brutal reach of Putins mafia-state.

In 2005, a pulp and paper company owned by the Bitkovs borrowed funds to upgrade their mills. Their trouble began shortly after, when a senior bank official asked that a controlling share of the company be sold to him for less than a quarter of the banks own valuation. The Bitkovs demurred, but pressure from various Kremlin-connected officials began to mount.

In 2007, their 16-year-old daughter Anastasia was kidnapped, drugged and repeatedly raped. She was released two days after the Bitkovs paid a $200,000 ransom to the police. Russian lenders then forced the Bitkovs business into bankruptcy, where it was sold off for a fraction of its value.

Threatened with arrest and death, the Bitkovs decided to flee. They spotted an ad from a Panamanian law firm offering services to those wishing to emigrate to Guatemala, a country with no extradition treaty with Russia. In 2009, the family received Guatemalan passports through the firm, and started new lives in their adopted country.

But as the Magnitsky affair illustrates, the Russian mafia-state neither forgives nor forgets. In 2014, VTB Bank, a Russian firm appearing on Canadian and U.S. sanctions lists, tracked the Bitkovs to Guatemala. The bank then co-opted a United Nations-sanctioned body, the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), to prosecute the Bitkovs.

In what was described in Russian media outlets as co-ordinated actions by VTB Bank and CICIG in Guatemala, the Bitkovs were convicted of possessing incorrectly issued passports. For this administrative offence, Igor Bitkov received a 19-year prison sentence; Irina and Anastasia got 14 years each while the youngest Bitkov, a toddler named Vladimir, was sent to a Guatemalan orphanage. Anastasia has since attempted suicide five times.

Of the 3,000 other individuals who obtained Guatemalan passports through the same law firm and in the same way as the Bitkovs, none have ever been charged.

Mercifully, a Guatemalan appeals court recently overturned the Bitkovs baseless convictions, determining that they had committed no crime. Despite this finding, the trial judge  at the apparent urging of VTB Bank and CICIG  continues to find ways of keeping them behind bars.

Upon their release, however, the Bitkovs may face an even worse fate. As Anastasia has written in a letter from prison: We have no identification or travel documents whatsoever. The most likely scenario if we stay in this country, is that we might be expelled to the border, where the Russians will pick us up.

The Bitkovs have publicly stated that they wish to claim asylum in Canada, something they can only do on Canadian soil. By providing a single-use travel document for the Bitkov family, Canada can help save them from the atrocities of the Russian mafia state and send a clear message to Putin and the world: Canada stands with the Russian people and will support honest Russians who risk their freedom and their lives in pursuit of justice, transparency and the rule of law.

Gary Caroline is a Vancouver-based lawyer and president of The Ofelas Group. Marcus Kolga is a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute Centre for Advancing Canadian Interests Abroad and a co-founder of the Ofelas Group. Both are working on the Bitkovs release.

Read more about:Newsflash: a person with a high profile job just showed up at work with her new baby. In Canada this apparently still merits front-page coverage in a national newspaper.

Of course, the baby in question, Oliver by name, is awfully cute, which alone might justify a page one photo. But its his mothers job that has people talking. Karina Gould is the minister for democratic institutions in Justin Trudeaus Liberal government and shes the first federal minister to give birth while in office.

This is a milestone of sorts in the unfolding story of gender and politics in Canada. But, if anything, it shows how far Parliament still lags behind other workplaces and other countries, despite the gender-parity rhetoric so favoured in Liberal Ottawa.

At this point pregnant politicians are old hat. Here in Ontario, for example, Laurel Broten gave birth to twins while serving as a minister at Queens Park more than a decade ago. New Zealand even has a pregnant prime minister: Jacinda Ardern is expecting her first child in June and plans to take a six-week mat leave.

Other countries are also used to seeing MPs breastfeeding their tots while taking care of business. Australian senator Larissa Waters broke that barrier in Canberra last year, and lactating lawmakers have been spotted in parliaments from Argentina to Spain, Iceland, Scotland and Strasbourg. A notable exception, ironically, is the so-called Mother of Parliaments at Westminster, which still struggles with the issue.

Ottawa, though, is way behind the curve. Our House of Commons doesnt even have an official parental leave policy. Gould and other MPs whove given birth have to take time off under medical or family leave policies and are officially allowed only 21 days off before having their pay docked.

The Trudeau government promised to change this in its last budget, as well it should. Young Olivers visit to Parliament Hill should serve as a reminder to get on with the job.Tough questions for Horwath, Editorial, May 23

Your editorial suggests legislating York University strikers back to work is the only option to value the public interest.

It is not. Striking is a right that we should all protect because it is in the public interest. Legislating strikers back to work infringes on basic workers rights.

It is not the fault of the York strikers if university studies have become a commodity more than a learning experience and that students cant think past their credits accumulation, their wallet and that of their parents and cant see that the strikers are currently creating a lot of their own future labour relationships and conditions.One way of looking at it is that Car2Go is just the latest victim of Toronto city councils encouragement.

On Thursday, the free-floating car-sharing company that allows rentals by the minute that are effectively similar to hailing a cab that you drive yourself (pick one up from wherever you are, park it and end your rental at your destination), announced that as of May 31 it would be closing up shop in Toronto. The company blamed restrictions and fees recently passed by Toronto city council that make its business model unworkable.

That was not the stated goal of the city council actions they are referring to. On the face of it, the goal of the free-floating car share pilot was the opposite. As Mayor John Tory said in a statement in response to the companys announcement, This pilot is intended to expand the car sharing options available to Torontonians, making it easier for them to park and car share near where they live.

I have written recently  about my fears of what may soon happen to proposals to allow laneway housing in Toronto  that our city council has a habit of loving things to death. They see something they want to encourage and then, in trying to allow it, put so many restrictions and burdens on anyone actually trying to do it that they cause it to disappear.

Those of us with long memories will recall the ballyhooed Toronto a la Cart food program during the 00s, which set out to allow all kinds of foods  not just hotdogs!  to be sold on city streets. The result of that fiasco was a limited run for a very few hand-picked operators using city-dictated equipment to produce city-micromanaged menus, and ultimately the bankrupting of just about every entrepreneur who participated.

The more recent famous example was regulations to encourage food trucks in Toronto, in such as way as to ensure that these food vendors never provide any competition whatsoever to any existing bricks-and-mortar restaurant. Which means you dont see too many food trucks around.

Read more:

Car2Go to suspend operations in Toronto at end of month

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One well-intentioned restriction after another is added to the encouragement until it becomes such a burdensome or expensive hassle that no one would ever do it.

It may have seemed that technology might dazzle the city out of this habit. Dealing recently with similar tech-based service providers, Toronto city council recently created regulations to satisfy Uber and Airbnb, even though doing so displeased the conventional competitors and labour critics of those companies. But in the case of Car2Go, the sticking point is about parking. Which is never going to be easy to get unstuck about in Toronto.

Car2Gos free-floating model of car sharing pretty much depends on people being able to park them in any legal parking space. People take them one way and then park them, and they become available for anyone else to pick up and use from that spot.

However, theres a legitimate concern in some permit-only residential areas that street parking is already in short supply. Homeowners in areas with no garages or parking spots on their property complain that they will not be able to park in front of their houses because these rental jobs are taking all the spots.

Others argue in favour of the staff report claim that services like this reduce vehicle ownership rates  making it viable for people to not have a family car. A bunch of homeowners on the same street without cars might make use of one or two shared cars that only take up a couple of spots. Which might reduce demand for the street parking spots overall.

In any event, city council sided  as it virtually always has  with the personal parking Chicken Little brigade. They sought to ban car-share services from parking in areas where permit parking is more than 95 per cent subscribed. They further allowed that community councils could ban car-share permits from any other street on an ad hoc basis. And the rate for car share permits for services like Car2Go to be allowed to park in the other areas was set at $1,500 per vehicle.

Car2Go claims in its announcement that about half of its current customer trips start or end in one of the areas that would now be prohibited. But further, it seems to me, a model like this depends on easily understood rules about where you can or cant park. Trying to figure out, as a customer, on the fly, whether the street youre on exceeds some permit-subscription threshold (which arent posted on street signs or anything at the moment) doesnt make it easy. It makes it hard.

Of course, another way of looking at this is that this isnt a model that can or should work in Toronto (even though it has been accepted and allowed in other cities). Car2Go has, for a few years, operated in violation of existing laws against parking overnight on residential streets, accumulating millions in fines as part of the cost of doing business. Like other disruptive companies before them (notably Uber), they set up an illegal business model and demanded the city change the law to suit their practices. Now that it hasnt done so to their satisfaction, theyre leaving.

Throughout this process Car2Go has chosen confrontation over collaboration with City Council, Tory said in his statement. While their decision to suspend operations in Toronto is unfortunate, it is their decision alone to walk away from a clear path towards regulations that would allow them to operate in our city in a reasonable, compatible way. Im confident that other car sharing companies willing to work with us and to operate in this manner will succeed in Toronto.

Im biased in as much as this was the only car-sharing pricing and rental model that has ever been useful to me  and its one I have taken advantage of on many occasions. I think its a shame that a company already invested enough in the city to have 80,000 customers here and a city council whose stated goal was to make it easier for them to do business couldnt work something out. Even for a pilot period, where if the idea is to test something, you might have fewer restrictions at first so you can see what problems actually emerge.

But then were talking about parking. Expecting something reasonable when it comes to parking policy, in this city, is almost always too tall an order.

Read more about:The plight of the displaced and Canadian compassion for those in need have played a central role in the brief history of Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader and prime minister.

They have served him well.

His call to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees and his challenge for us to live up to the values that we cherish as a country helped turn the 2015 election campaign in his favour after Stephen Harpers reaction to the tragic death of young Alan Kurdi was deemed too clinical.

Mere weeks after his election, video of Trudeau welcoming a Syrian refugee family at Torontos Pearson Airport, handing a teddy bear to a toddler, garnered invaluable exposure worldwide.

He appointed an immigration minister, Ahmed Hussen, with a compelling personal story, having been born and raised in Somalia before settling in Torontos Regent Park as a teenager.

And there was the now infamous January 2017 tweet a day after U.S. President Donald Trump initially sought to ban refugees and visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries.

To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength, Trudeau tweeted with the hashtag #WelcometoCanada

But empathy can take you only so far and social media can be a double-edged sword.

After a flow of asylum seekers over 17 months  not a flood, but also not insignificant  Liberal inaction is not serving would-be refugees, those in legitimate immigration queues, junior governments or Canadians in general.

Since the beginning of last year, more than 27,000 asylum-seekers have walked across the Canada-U.S. border, escaping Trumps threats to end their status in the U.S. or simply fleeing what they believe is a hostile environment for new arrivals.

Many wrongly believe they can walk across an unofficial border crossing and begin a new life in compassionate Canada.

The government has dispatched ministers and senior officials to countries that were the source of the influx, including Haiti and Nigeria. They sent Haitian-born MP Emmanuel Dubourg to Miami with a message for would-be asylum-seekers from Haiti, Africa and Central America  there are laws in this country and they may be sent back.

There is scant evidence the messaging has worked.

At issue is a loophole in a Canada-U.S. agreement that compels asylum-seekers to make that application in the first country in which they arrived. It was entered into by a former Liberal government to deter asylum-shoppers.

But the agreement pertains only to official border crossings, not the well-trod unofficial points of entry into Manitoba and, most notably, Quebec, the now famous Roxham Road entry from New York state to Canada.

The government says it is working at the highest levels with the U.S. to deal with asylum-seekers who are abusing U.S. travel documents, expediting work permits for these arrivals, and moving them on to other cities, including Toronto, or other parts of the country which needs workers.

The rate of refusal after hearings is also increasing.

But these are people, not statistics, and a compassionate country doesnt help a would-be refugee by seizing them at the Quebec border and then busing them to Toronto or, worse, sending traumatized claimants to small towns to work without the needed linguistic or legal support.

Finally, Liberal mismanagement of this file has meant off-loading the problem and its costs on junior governments, which has caused resentment in Quebec and is now bursting the system in Toronto.

The city is using college residences to house new arrivals, but they will soon be full, then given over to students, creating a domino effect which means refugee claimants will be housed in existing shelter facilities, forcing hardship for those already using those facilities.

Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel has kept the heat on the government, demanding it close the loophole in the Safe Third Country agreement. But there is little impetus for the Trump administration to negotiate. It is happy to see the backs of those asylum-seekers.

Rempel also called for federal legislation deeming the entire Canadian border subject to the conditions of the pact, but that would surely have to be negotiated as part of a bilateral agreement.

Canada is but a puddle in a worldwide ocean of the displaced in 2018.

But government inaction and off-loading has created a problem larger than the numbers of those who would seek a new life here.

And Rempel may be sadly correct on one thing  continued mishandling of this file could severely test this countrys deep well of compassion for newcomers.

Tim Harper is a former Star reporter and freelance national affairs columnist. Follow him on Twitter @nutgraf1

Read more about:VANCOUVERWhen Joy Ortiz arrived in Canada, she had already been away from her three young daughters for six years, working in Hong Kong as a live-in nanny.

With that experience on her resume, she planned to work in Canada as a nanny until she could apply for permanent residency and bring her kids over. Canada, she hoped, would mean a better life for her children.

Soon after she arrived under the now-defunct live-in-caregiver program, Ortiz found she had to fight to stay here  an ordeal that included her arrest and an ensuing legal battle with her former employer.

Earlier this month, a B.C. court ordered the former employer to pay Ortiz seven months wages in severance. The decision means employers of migrant caregivers, who are rarely taken to court, could face legal consequences if they violate employment contracts.

Ortiz hopes it will also inspire other migrant workers to follow in her footsteps.

I want them to be brave and fight for all your rights as a nanny, she said in an interview with StarMetro on Tuesday. Just dont let them ruin your life.

Ortiz found a job as a nanny in Canada in late 2014, and arrived in Vancouver under a live-in-caregiver work permit. But when she got here, the employer told her she was no longer needed, which made Ortiz work permit invalid.

So, on the advice of a family member, she looked for another job in Canada, even though her permit only allowed her to work for the family she was initially hired by. This led to her being hired as a nanny by Vancouver woman Sandy Shokar, who runs the diamond dealership Diamond Deals.

Their arrangement was under the table, since Shokar needed a nanny right away, Ortiz needed a job, and the application for hiring Ortiz, which Shokar submitted, would take months to process.

It was a good job, Ortiz said: Shokar and her husband were kind and the son, he was really a lovely boy. We get along really good. Even if it was my day off hed still look for me.

But before Shokars application to hire Ortiz came through, the Canadian government began a crackdown on foreign nationals who were in the country on invalid work permits. Thats when Canada border service agents came to Ortizs door and arrested her.

They looked like police to me, Ortiz said. I just didnt know what to do. I just tried to work for my kids  thats all. I didnt do any crime.

The agents took Ortiz in a black car to an immigration holding centre, where she spent the night.

Three days after the arrest, Shokar took Ortizs name off her application to hire a foreign-national nanny. Months later, according to court documents, Shokar told Ortiz: This isnt going to work.

I thought this is the end of it  Im going to go back to the Philippines, Ortiz said. I cant fight for it anymore.

With help from the Migrant Workers Centre, a not-for-profit agency that advocates and provides legal support largely for caregivers, Ortiz sued Shokar, claiming she had been fired without cause and was owed severance.

A B.C. court ruled May 2 that Shokar fired Ortiz without cause. Ortiz was awarded seven months pay, at a rate of $10.50 per hour.

It was a rare case that dealt with the question of what employers are obligated to do when they terminate migrant workers employed in their homes.

Bethany Hastie, assistant professor at UBCs Allard School of Law and an expert in precarious labour, said the decision could set an important precedent.

There havent been many court cases that have determined the validity and scope of whats enforceable under those contracts, said Hastie. It could result in more cases where there have been violations under those contracts coming before the courts.

Within the decision, Hastie said, the judge helps build a more nuanced and more contextual understanding of the status of migrant workers and the obligations that employers take up by hiring them.

Part of that was the judges decision that Ortiz was owed severance pay not only on the basis of her without-cause termination, but also because, as a temporary foreign worker, it would take her between three and six months to get a new valid work permit.

Natalie Drolet, executive director and staff lawyer of the Migrant Workers Centre, said the case helps expand the public record of the precarious circumstances arising from work permits attached to single employers.

Hopefully this case will send a strong message to employers that they have a responsibility to abide by the ... rules, Drolet said.

Ortiz is ready to move on. She now lives with her husband, who sponsored her to get a Canadian open work permit. Shes hoping to go to nursing school, the discipline she pursued when she was in the Philippines.

More importantly, after 10 years away from them, Ortiz three daughters are coming to Canada.

Im very very much excited because after 10 years of being away from them this is it, she said.

Read more about:VANCOUVERA former candidate for the federal Liberal party who has worked for several short-term rental companies wants to become Vancouvers next mayor.

Taleeb Noormohamed is announcing his intention to seek Vision Vancouvers mayoral nomination this evening. Noormohameds career has included business development stints at a number of tech companies; recently, hes been an investor and an advisor to tech startups like Twyla (art prints), Wheelhouse software (the smartest way to price your short-term rental) and Tripping.com, a short-term rental site.

Between 2012 and 2015, Noormohamed worked as vice-president of global business development for HomeAway, a short-term rental site owned by Expedia.

In 2011, Noormohamed ran unsuccessfully for a federal Liberal seat. He said hes running with Vision Vancouver because, like the federal Liberal party, Vision represents a big tent for people who share centrist values.

Seeing the struggles of the various startups hes advised is what inspired him to run for mayor, Noormohamed said.

Ive been helping a lot of really great startups get off the ground, he said.

Its been pretty tough for them to make a go of it, whether its finding office space or raising capital, making sure theyve got the ability to support their teams in the right way. Thats a lot of what got me thinking about this: how do we look at the whole question of sustainability in the city.

The City of Vancouver recently moved to officially allow, but also regulate, short-term rentals after hearing concerns that short-term rental listings on sites like Airbnb were taking apartments and secondary suites out of the long-term rental market. With a below one per cent vacancy rate, Vancouver has been experiencing a severe rental housing crisis that has led to soaring rent rates and increased evictions.

Im really proud of my time at HomeAway, said Noormohamed when asked how he would address the concerns many Vancouver residents have about short-term rentals. He said the companys focus differs from Airbnb: HomeAway focuses on vacation rentals like recreational property, rather than urban apartments, and works closely with governments to make sure they are complying with regulations and taxation, Noormohamed said.

On what is likely to be the biggest issue of the upcoming civic election  housing affordability  Noormohamed said he wasnt yet ready to talk in detail about his policy ideas.

But, he said, its a combination of not just trying to reduce the cost of housing, but really looking proactively at everything from housing, to employment, to wage and thinking about how the city itself lifts itself up.

Vision Vancouver is one of four left or centre-left parties that will be vying for votes in the upcoming election. Ian Campbell, a chief of the Squamish Nation, announced on May 14 that he would also be seeking Visions mayoral nomination. Visions nomination meeting is scheduled for June 24.

Read more about:VANCOUVERIn the chaotic moments during a mass shooting or a vehicle plowing through a crowd, as first responders attempt to identify what is happening, the average civilian on the scene is frighteningly alone.

He or she will likely be left to their own devices to protect themselves, local experts say.

The situation: Police, fire and ambulance responders are already on the way.

The 911 call-takers are trying to source through the information as a flood of calls arrive describing a scene of horror as an aggressor tears into innocents.

Take a school shooting, for example. Its a scenario agencies in the Lower Mainland trained for as recently as September 2016, when more than 100 people  among them first-responders and actors  played out how they might respond to an active shooter at a place of learning.

In these moments, the first point of contact may be a 911 call, said Oliver Gruter-Andrew, CEO of the E-Comm 911 and dispatch service.

As callers report information, he said, call-takers type the information out, line by line, creating a picture for dispatchers who must decide what type of incident is unfolding and what resources to send.

As this happens, police across the city are already deploying, said Chief Const. Adam Palmer of the Vancouver Police.

At a school shooting scenario, the first officer on scene may be the school resource officer, who will respond alone if the situation demands it, Palmer said.

As other officers arrive, whether its a mix of tactical officers, canine units, traffic police or general patrol, police are instructed to group into small units, called pods, and move in.

Nineteen or 20 years ago ... the theory was to wait outside and control the area, Palmer said.

The course we take now is not to wait. We get there. We go in right away.

What is an active deadly threat?

Meanwhile, casualties may be climbing.

Samantha Wilbur, interim director of operations with B.C. Emergency Health Services, said the nearest ambulance units would be immediately deployed to wait near the scene, just outside the police cordon.

Calls are made to hospitals for emergency departments to prepare for a flood of patients.

More ambulances are called in, and depending on the severity of the incident, potentially dozens of vehicles or more could be involved. Then the paramedics wait for the all-clear while staying out of the line of fire.

As this happens, a potential casualty count is tallied, a plan is prepared for how to quickly enter the scene to provide medical aid as soon as its safe.

Even in active-shooter incidents, theres a role for firefighters, who will also arrive on scene.

Vancouver assistant fire chief Scott Morrison said the primary role for fire officials in these situations may be to provide mapping and key access to police.

Fire departments in Vancouver generally have access to building maps and keys, particularly for larger structures such as highrises, stadiums, hospitals, malls and industrial buildings.

But even as all this is happening, for the civilian at the scene of the active deadly threat, seconds can feel like hours.

It will take several minutes for police and first responders to arrive, Palmer said.

His departments message is simple.

If this happens to you, run.

If running is not an option, hide.

If you cant hide, fight. And if you must fight, find something to arm yourself with and attack to incapacitate.

The instructions are reinforced by a video released by the Vancouver Police on Wednesday to teach the public how to react before first-responders are on scene.

The video was made after analyzing similar deadly aggressor incidents around Canada and the world  including the Toronto van attack on April 23 that left 10 dead and more than a dozen injured.

We just want people to be prepared, Palmer said.

Just putting your head in the sand and pretending that everything is going to be fine is also not an option.

Read more about:VANCOUVEROne of Vancouvers mayoral hopefuls is proposing stricter new conflict of interest rules that would apply not only to elected officials but to their spouses as well.

Kennedy Stewart, an NDP MP who is running as an independent mayoral candidate, said the proposed rules would be more like the stricter regulations that are already in place for federal politicians. A conflict of interest occurs when elected official makes a decision that could benefit themselves, friends, family members or business interests.

With the conflict of interest rules we have federally, I sit down with the conflict of interest office, I proactively disclose everything every year, but so does my spouse, Stewart said. If theres a public complaint, the commissioner will investigate.

As is the case in federal politics, an independent B.C. conflict of interest commissioner investigates complaints but does not handle municipal complaints.

Stewart is also proposing a municipal lobbyist registry for Vancouver  a safeguard that politicians and democracy experts have been calling for years at the municipal level. The need for a municipal lobbyist registry recently came to the fore when details emerged about recent lobbying activities undertaken by Hector Bremner, a Vancouver city councillor who also intends to run for mayor before he became a councillor.

That prompted a conflict of interest complaint being filed against Bremner. His party, the Non-Partisan Association, recently rejected him as a mayoral nomination candidate in part because of those allegations, which have not yet been proven.

As an example of how the federal system works, Stewart said, Finance Minister Bill Morneau was investigated twice by the conflict of interest commissioner. He was cleared in one case but was found to be in a conflict in the second case and had to pay a fine.

It protects the public, but it also protects officials because theres often this lingering feeling that somethings not right and the commissioner can settle that, Stewart said.

Stewart is also proposing that politicians and key city staff be prohibited from accepting government contracts or lobbying for 12 months after leaving their positions.

Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, said Stewarts proposal is a step in the right direction but doesnt go far enough. The proposed year-long ban after politicians or staff leave their positions isnt long enough, he said, especially considering that city staff usually doesnt change over the same way provincial cabinet ministry staff does after a party loses control of government. Hed like to see a ban of three to five years, depending on the position.

He also warned that the person investigating conflict of interest complaints needs to be truly independent. Thats not the case with Vancouvers current system, where the mayor or deputy mayor appoints an investigator for each specific complaint.

Stewart is not the first politician to call for changes to municipal disclosure rules. Andrea Reimer, a Vision Vancouver councillor who is not running for re-election, made a motion over a year ago to ask the province to create a municipal lobbyist registry. In April, Reimer made a motion to require councillors to disclose who their consulting clients are.

Correction - May 25, 2018: This article was edited from a previous version that misstated Duff Conachers surname.

Read more about:EDWARDSVILLE  Madison County States Attorneys Tom Gibbons filed charges Friday against two Alton brothers stemming from a shooting last month at a nightclub in Venice.

Vincent Gordon, 32, and Vontarius Gordon, 31, are facing multiple charges in connection with the June 28 shooting.

On June 28, a physical altercation between Vincent Gordon and a female patron occurred at the C & M Lounge, according to a release from the States Attorneys Office. He is alleged to have punched the female in the face, which led to a confrontation between multiple people that eventually spilled out into the parking lot.

At that time, Vontarius Gordon began shooting into the crowd with a semi-automatic handgun, hitting people on the parking lot, the C & M Lounge itself and a vehicle, the release said. It is also alleged that Vincent Gordon began firing shots with his own weapon, an assault rifle. Both men fled the scene before police arrived.

Officers with the Venice Police Department, in conjunction with investigators from the Illinois State Police (ISP), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Granite City Police Department worked the case and were able to identify the brothers as the shooters.

Both men are facing six counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, a Class X felony, for the six victims who were injured at the scene. None of the injuries were life-threatening. They also face two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 felony, for shooting the Lounge and a vehicle on the parking lot. Finally, both men were on parole and were therefore charged with one count of unlawful possession of weapons by a felon, a Class 2 felony.

Bond was set at $1 million by Associate Judge Neil Schroeder.

Vincent Gordon is currently in custody at the Madison County Jail in Edwardsville. He is awaiting transfer to Missouri for his parole violation on a kidnapping conviction. Vontarius Gordon, who was convicted in Illinois for aggravated battery with a firearm, has already been transferred to Menard Correctional Center on his parole violation.

Gibbons thanked Assistant States Attorney Crystal Uhe, chief of the Criminal Division, and the officers from the multiple police departments for sorting out a difficult case that led to Fridays charges.

We are very fortunate that no one was killed that night, said Gibbons. It was a very chaotic scene and thanks to the diligent work of everyone involved, both of these violent men are back in custody.

Maximum penalty for a Class X felony is 6-30 years in prison; maximum for a Class 1 felony is 4-15 years in prison and 3-7 years on the Class 2 felony.

The charges, as well as the statements made by the States Attorneys Office, are based upon probable cause. The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.ALTON  Two days after police found two men shot to death in an Alton Acres apartment, authorities announced Wednesday they have a suspect in custody and he is facing six felony charges.

Although what brought us together was the deaths of two young men, I have pride in how swiftly they handled this case, Alton Police Chief Jason Jake Simmons said of the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis, Alton police, Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System Special Response Team, Madison County States Attorneys Office, Madison County Coroners Office and Illinois Department of Corrections, among others.

Simmons was the first to speak at the Wednesday afternoon press conference in the satellite courtroom at the Donald E. Sandidge Alton Law Enforcement Center, 1700 E. Broadway. Toward rear of the room, sat relatives of the two slain men, Elijah S. Ingram, 30, and Derrick J. Vaughn, 28, both of Alton.

I hope the developments of today help you find some peace tonight, Simmons said to the family members. The relatives declined to talk to a reporter after the press conference.

Lt. Kris Tharp, of the Madison County Sheriffs Department and deputy commander of the Major Case Squad, then announced the arrest without incident of suspect Vincent Gordon, 35, of the 900 block of Easton Street in Alton early Wednesday morning. He then read off the following felony charges:

 First degree murder, four counts, (Class M)

 Unlawful possession of weapons by a felon (Class 2)

 Escape (Class 3)

Madison County Associate Judge Janet Heflin set bond of $5 million.

At time of the press conference, Gordon remained upstairs in Alton City Jail.

After the press conference, Tharp declined to describe what prompted the deadly shootings or confirm certain social media accounts but restated that the men knew each other. The victims, who did not live at the public housing complex, died in an apartment at 3156 Lawn St.

Police found the mens bodies after responding to a 10:31 p.m., 911 call about shots fired.

The criminal charges say Gordon allegedly shot Vaughn in the head, and Ingram multiple times about his body, intending to kill both men.

The weapons possession charge says Gordon illegally had a 9 mm handgun while he was on parole or mandatory supervised release. The final count, escape, is that IDOC had conditionally released Gordon through an electronic monitoring program and he had removed the device, in violation of the law.

Simmons thanked the victims relatives, friends and the public for providing tips that so quickly led to Gordons identity and arrest.

Madison County States Attorney Tom Gibbons said if Gordon is convicted of the crimes, We anticipate this is a mandatory life sentence case, so the suspect never again will walk our streets.

Gibbons, as did Simmons and Tharp, expressed condolences to members of the victims families.

I am surrounded by people who care as much as myself in seeing justice in this case, he said, particularly praising efforts of Assistant States Attorney Lauren Heischmidt of his offices Violent Crimes Unit.

A contingent of at least 20 investigators stood to Gibbons left, crowded in the corner at front of the courtroom. Mayor Brant Walker also stood with the corps of law enforcement officers. All three law enforcement officials lauded the cooperation and close relationships between police agencies that expedited investigators solving the case.

The ILEAS Tactical Team and homicide investigators arrested Gordon at his home at about 3:43 a.m. Wednesday.

A man living nearby, who came to watch the mass convergence of law enforcement officers  using at least one of the large tactical transport vehicles  said police entered one home in the 900 block of Easton at about 2:30 a.m. He said they then went to a second house on the block, apparently still seeking the suspect because he heard officers ask for cover.

The man told The Telegraph that police vehicles had boxed in a Pontiac Grand Prix on 10th Street, but it is unclear if the car belonged to the suspect. Simmons confirmed that the arresting team had used flash bangs, explosives police commonly use for distracting suspects or dispersing people from structures.

According to the IDOC website, Gordon was paroled from Graham Correctional Center on March 22 after being sentenced to a six-year prison term Feb. 21, 2017 on a conviction of felon in possession of a firearm.

In July 2015, Gordon and his younger brother Vontarius Gordon, were charged with six counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, a Class X felony; two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm/occupied building, a Class 1 felony; and one count of unlawful possession of weapons by a felon, a Class 2 felony, all related to a shooting at C&M Lounge in Venice.

Vincent Gordon had been involved in an altercation with a female patron, with authorities saying he punched her in the face, which led to a confrontation between multiple people that eventually spilled out into the parking lot.

At that time, Vontarius Gordon began shooting into the crowd with a semi-automatic handgun, hitting people on the parking lot, the lounge itself and a vehicle, according to a 2015 Madison County States Attorneys Office press release.

Authorities also alleged that Vincent Gordon began firing shots with his own weapon, an assault rifle. Both men fled the scene before police arrived. No one was seriously injured in that incident.

Madison County Court records show Gordon had three, 1st degree robbery charges in 2000 from St. Louis City, for which he was put on probation; and three charges of armed criminal action that were not prosecuted. He was convicted in Madison County in 2004 of reckless homicide with a motor vehicle and reckless homicide and sentenced to three years in prison.

He was placed on two years court supervision on a driving under the influence of alcohol charge in 2003 in St. Clair County, the court records say.

Reach Linda N. Weller at 618-208-6450 or on Twitter @Linda_WellerST. LOUIS  Renovation of the Merchants Bridge and replacement of the I-270 Chain of Rocks Bridge along with related highway improvements between Illinois Route 111 and Interstate 70 remain two of the top transportation-related projects in the St. Louis region, according to officials with St. Louis Regional Freightway.

Mary Lamie, executive director of St. Louis Regional Freightway, and Mike McCarthy, president of the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis and chairman of Freightways Freight Development and Needs Analysis Committee, talked about those priorities during FreightweekSTL, a four-day conference that ended Thursday.

Infrastructure is a national issue, McCarthy said, adding it is also the key to economic development. The trick is to identify the most important (projects).

He said the groups four main criteria are economic impact, intermodal impact, efficiency and safety.

The regions top project is the rehabilitation of the Merchants Bridge, a rail bridge between the city of Madison and St. Louis. It is one of two rail bridges in the St. Louis area.

The bridge was built in 1889, and without significant improvements would probably have to be taken out of service in the next 10 years, McCarthy said. The Merchants Bridge is the sixth busiest rail bridge on the Mississippi River.

He noted that the bridge is also limited because only one train can cross at a time.

The $200 million project would be funded through a combination of private funds and federal money.

That includes a U.S. Department of Transportation Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant applied for in November, with announcements on funding expected sometime this summer.

The project is a perfect example of a public/private partnership, he said, adding that if construction started this year the project could be finished by 2022.

Lamie talked about other projects, including the proposed I-270 work.

She said the entire project would cost about $1.2 billion, and is considered a mega-project that would take about 17 years to complete without a concerted effort by stakeholders to emphasize the need for the project and funding.

Another very important project is the replacement of the Lenox Tower and track realignment in Mitchell.

The Lenox Tower was built in 1924 and controls major railroad junctions serving Amtrak and five Class-A railroads using antiquated switching equipment.

She said the system is unable to accommodate any growth, and severely limits the 66 trains that go through the area daily.

Locally, $22.5 million in improvements at Americas Central Port was also listed.

Other Illinois projects include:

 MidAmerica St. Louis Airports distribution improvements - $45 million.

 Improvements on I-64 from Green Mount Road to Illinois Route 158 in OFallon - $20 million.

 Kaskaskia Regional Port District improvements - $8.2 million.

 Illinois Route 3 access improvements near Sauget - $147 to $192 million.

 I-255/Davis Street Ferry Road interchange in Dupo - $40 million.

 I-255/Fish Lake (Ramsey Road) interchange, Columbia - $27 million.

 Illinois Route 158 expansion from Illinois Route 161 to Illinois Route 177 in Shiloh - $10 million.

Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447.JERSEYVILLE  A Calhoun County man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six years in prison on several drug-related charges, including attempting to falsify a drug test.

Colby Linderman, 24, of the 600 block of Snedeker, Kampsville, was sentenced to six years with the Illinois Department of Corrections and three years supervised release after pleading guilty to several charges. He was transferred to IDOC that day.Planning, preparing and deliveringlessons to students and ensuring high standards of professional quality ofteaching and learning of the subjects.

Plan, prepare and conduct lessons

according to the set standards of all Watoto schools and implements

teaching programs that are consistent with the ethos of the school.Uganda BroadcastingCorporation (UBC) is the public broadcaster of Uganda. It was founded as aresult of the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation Act, 2004, whichmerged the operations of Uganda Television (UTV) and Radio Uganda. It startedbroadcasting on November 16, 2005.The Danish RefugeeCouncil (DRC) is a private, independent, humanitarian organization working onall aspects of the refugee cause in more than 36 countries throughout theworld. The aim of DRC is to protect refugees and internally displaced persons(IDPs) against persecution and to promote durable solutions to the problems offorced migration, on the basis of humanitarian principles and human rights. DRCworks in accordance with the UN Conventions on Refugees and the Code of Conductfor the ICRC and NGOs in Disaster Relief.For more of the

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https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJoblineThe Office of theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14,1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. UNHCRs mandate under the Statuteof the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is to leadand co-ordinate action for international protection to refugees; seek permanentsolutions for the problems of refugees and safeguard refugee rights and well-being.UNHCR has an additional mandate concerning issues of statelessness, as it isgiven a designated role under Article 11 of the 1961 Convention on theReduction of Statelessness.It was many people's favourite look of the day, and now you can get your hands on a very decent replica of the sultry second Stella McCartney wedding dress Meghan Markle wore for the evening reception at the British royal wedding - and for a lot less than the designer version!

It was only a matter of hours before people were sharing the similar styles to the bride's stunning white Givenchy gown (Irish designer Shauna Fay even managed to create a stunning replica of the guna in just 24 hours!) with the likes of Pronovias, Rosa Clara and Romona Keveza all name checked as go-to designers for similar styles to Meghan's clean, minimalist look.

And now eagle-eyed fashionistas have managed to seek out a strikingly similar style to the bride's second Stella McCartney dress - and it's perfect for brides on a tight budget.

The high neck 'extreme split' front maxi dress by Faith is stocked by Boohoo.com and - with 20% off - is available for a very purse friendly 24.00.

Expand Close The newly married Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, leaving Windsor Castle after their wedding to attend an evening reception at Frogmore House. Photo: Steve Parsons/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp The newly married Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, leaving Windsor Castle after their wedding to attend an evening reception at Frogmore House. Photo: Steve Parsons/PA Wire

Of course, at twenty-four quid it's probably not going to have the same fit and feel of Meghan's bespoke Stella, but it might well be worth a fitting anyway.

The dress comes in three colours - white, lilac and red, so even if it's not your big day you've still the option to 'Sparkle like Markle' (sorry).

Expand Close Mr & Mrs: the new Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle sports a bespoke Stella McCartney halter-neck gown at the after party of her wedding to Prince Harry. Photo: AFP/Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Mr & Mrs: the new Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle sports a bespoke Stella McCartney halter-neck gown at the after party of her wedding to Prince Harry. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

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Meghan wore the dress for the couple's exclusive evening reception at Frogmore House, which saw 200 selected guests from the day joining Harry, Meghan and host Britain's Prince Charles for a night of music and dancing.

Expand Close Irish designer Shauna Fay has designed a replica of Meghan Markle's Stella McCartney wedding dress | Photo by Rashida Keenan / Facebook

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Whatsapp Irish designer Shauna Fay has designed a replica of Meghan Markle's Stella McCartney wedding dress | Photo by Rashida Keenan

Meghan accessorised the dress with a stunning statement aquamarine ring from the late Princess Diana's collection, believed to be a special gift from Harry to his new wife, and a a pair of Aquazzura satin shoes which had baby blue soles.

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Designer of the sleek second dress Stella McCartney, who said she felt "humbled" to be chosen to dress Meghan Markle for her wedding reception.

Promoted: See the latest boohoo.com offers and deals on Independent Discounts

She told WWD: "I am so proud and honoured to have been chosen by the Duchess of Sussex to make her evening gown and represent British design, it has truly been one of the most humbling moments of my career and I am so proud of all the team on this stunning sunny royal day."

Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, was also dressed in Stella McCartney to celebrate her daughter's marriage to Harry, wearing a scarlet red, long-sleeve silk dress with suede sandals and a brass coloured box clutch bag.

Stella also dressed a number of stars who attended the wedding service including Amal Clooney in a yellow silk midi dress and Oprah Winfrey in a blush pink dress with a lace trim.The Obamas are the epitome of #relationshipgoals for a lot of couples out there, and just when you thought they couldn't get any sweeter, Michelle goes and shares something like this.

The former US first lady and her husband, President Barack Obama, will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary this year and clearly Michelle is feeling loved up as she shared a sweet throwback photo of their big day.

The cute wedding photo illustrates a fun, intimate (and a little bit risque) moment of the couple's big day where Barack is seen taking off his smiling bride's garter as she giggles on a chair.

Not only did Michelle give people a look inside their big day, she also added an anecdote that made her followers completely swoon.

"You cant tell it from this photo, but Barack woke up on our wedding day in October, 1992 with a nasty head cold," she wrote.

"Somehow, by the time I met him at the altar, it had miraculously disappeared and we ended up dancing almost all night.

Twenty five years later, were still having fun, while also doing the hard work to build our partnership and support each other as individuals. I cant imagine going on this wild ride with anybody else."

All together now - Awh!A coil of dark braids. Colourful Mexican dress. And a signature unibrow.

Sixty-three years after her death, Mexican artist Frida Kahlo has achieved a level of fame she never reached in her lifetime, her image emblazoned on mugs, T-shirts, keychains and even underwear. But scholars and the painters descendants lament she has been reduced to a set of distinctive physical features that often overshadows her actual work.

The debate heated up this spring when toymaker Mattel released a Barbie in Kahlos image, over protests from her family.

The Barbie and other merchandise do not capture Kahlos complex legacy as a feminist icon, a disabled woman who channeled her pain into art, an ardent communist and an inspiration to the LGBT community, scholars say.

Frida Kahlo is not a product or a brand. Frida Kahlo is not a doll, said photographer Cristina Kahlo, the artists great niece. For us, it is important to maintain the image of Frida Kahlo as the painter that she was.

This month, a new project aims to return the focus to her art. Alphabets Google, working in collaboration with the Kahlo family, has dedicated a portion of its Arts and Culture app to the artists life and work.

The search giant partnered with 33 museums to digitise Kahlos most famous paintings and bring new work into the public eye. The app also features rare letters, diary entries and sketches, in addition to a virtual tour of her famous blue home.

The Kahlo family played an active role. US artist Alexa Meade and Mexican musician Ely Guerra collaborated on a piece of living art honouring Kahlo, working under her great nieces guidance.

These projects that are related to Frida from a cultural point of view, spreading her painting, works and story are projects I like and feel comfortable participating in, Cristina Kahlo said.

The museums and cultural institutions that Google partnered with managed the rights. Google says no money changed hands.

Kahlos husband, artist Diego Rivera, established a trust supervised by the Banco de Mexico to operate museums dedicated to the couples work, and the trust also oversees the copyright to the works.

Kahlos brand and image are more contentious. In the early 2000s, one of Kahlos nieces, Isolda Pinedo, and her daughter, Mara Romeo, assigned rights to the Kahlo brand to a company known as the Frida Kahlo Corporation, according to court papers.

Tension boiled over in March when Mattel released a Kahlo Barbie, licensed by the Frida Kahlo Corporation.

Cristina Kahlo, great-niece of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo | Reuters

In a case launched by family members, a Mexican civil court judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the sale of the doll and other products licensed by the Frida Kahlo Corporation in Mexico. Mattel asked a federal court to lift the injunction, and a ruling is expected in June, a Mattel spokeswoman said.

This Barbie doll is meant to honour Frida Kahlos great legacy and we hope it will be back on shelves in Mexico soon, Mattel said in a statement.

Pablo Sangri Gil, a lawyer for Romeo, told Reuters the Barbie was an example of the Frida Kahlo Corporation operating without consulting with the family, in violation of the rights agreement.

In turn, the Frida Kahlo Corporation sued Romeo this month in a Florida federal court, alleging that she violated the contract by licensing Kahlo-branded products of her own.

Gil said he had not been formally notified of the Florida lawsuit.

The feud underscores the challenges of managing celebrity legacies, said Jonathan Faber, CEO of Luminary Group, a licensing firm.

Guitarist Jimi Hendrixs family battled over his image, licensing duelling products. A memorial fund for Princess Diana tried to block Franklin Mint from selling dolls and other memorabilia modelled after the royal, but a US court ultimately allowed the products to stay on shelves.

Kahlo, who died at age 47, gained greater prominence with the publication of a landmark biography in the early 1980s, and her popularity has only grown since.

In contrast with many famous male artists, Kahlo is better known for her appearance than her work, scholars say. They welcome a return to the art.

Kahlo has become a Halloween costume, said Oriana Baddeley, a professor at University of the Arts London.

There is irony in her reincarnation at the hands of Mattel, said Charlene Villasenor Black, an art history professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.

How many other communist Barbie dolls are there? she said.

-ReutersBillionaire Anil Agarwal often talks about his dream to turn his London-listed company Vedanta Resources into a global resources giant. He has already bought stakes in big mining companies, such as Anglo American Plc, and says he plans to spend at least $1 billion on investments in Africa.

But in his home country, where he rose from a scrap dealer to a metals magnate, court-imposed fines, costly plant and mine shutdowns, and public protests against his businesses for allegedly polluting the environment, have held back his lofty ambitions and hurt the companys valuation, according to bankers and analysts.

The struggle with opponents took a particularly ugly turn on Tuesday when police opened fire on protesters seeking to shut down Vedantas copper smelter in Thoothukudi, killing 10. Two more people died on Wednesday, and the state government has transferred senior police and administrative officials from the city.

Vedanta said in a statement it regretted the incidents and was working with authorities to ensure the safety of its employees, facilities and the surrounding community.

This can lead to investors becoming more conscious against investing in the company which can hurt long-term sustainability of some of the businesses, said Shriram Subramanian, managing director of proxy advisory firm InGovern, adding that the violence in Thoothukudi suggested they werent listening to concerns about the environment and health issues.

Agarwal, who holds a 71.4 per cent stake in Vedanta, told the Financial Times in an interview published on Wednesday that he plans to step back from running the company.

Temporary halt

Agarwal said on Twitter earlier this month that his company was the victim of a foreign conspiracy aimed at keeping India reliant on imports. He did not name any specific countries or companies.

Certain vested interests will prefer India to remain import dependent and use our country as their market, making India spend hard-earned foreign exchange and lose millions of jobs, he said, in reference to a court-ordered stoppage of iron ore mining in Goa state, the campaign against the Thoothukudi copper plant and a shortage of bauxite for an aluminium smelter.

A court on Wednesday put a temporary halt to Vedantas much-delayed plan to nearly double capacity at the Thoothukudi plant, which would make it one of the biggest copper smelters in the world.

Residents and environmental activists say emissions from the plant, Indias second biggest, are polluting the air and water, affecting peoples health.

Vedanta has denied the allegations and said it was working on restarting the plant as soon as possible. Analysts say copper contributes around 8 per cent to the consolidated operating profit of the company.

At about eight times, the company has the lowest price to earnings ratio among eight top London-listed resources companies, including Anglo American, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton and Glencore, according to Thomson Reuters SmartEstimate.

Vedanta analysts are split on their recommendation on the stock: five rate it strong buy or buy, while three have placed hold on the stock and two have tagged it a sell.

Element of fear

Several investment bankers said that Vedantas management did have a strong reputation for turning around businesses and keeping costs under control.

Still, there is always an element of fear among the investors, said an international banker in reference to the various controversies it is entangled in. The banker, who has previously advised the company, declined to be named.

Vedanta, whose acquisitive journey started with Agarwal buying a copper company in 1979, now has businesses spread across the world, including India, Africa, Ireland and Australia. It was the first Indian company to list in London in 2003.

But that listing meant it became the target of a sustained campaign by a London-registered environmental group called Foil Vedanta, which holds demonstrations outside Vedantas annual meetings in London.

The government-run Norwegian Pension Fund dropped Vedanta from its investment portfolio in 2007, partly because of environmental issues in India. In 2014, the fund dropped Vedantas then unit, Sesa Sterlite.

Norways Council on Ethics, which makes recommendations to the pension fund, said it did a particularly thorough assessment of Vedanta Resources in 2016 and found grounds to stay away from it. Edinburgh-based investment fund Martin Currie has also sold off its Vedanta shares on ethical grounds.

In Thoothukudi, Vedantas copper plant has been shut for more than 50 days and will remain closed until at least June 6 because the local pollution regulator has said the facility is not complying with environmental rules.

Several cases have been filed against the plant since it started in 1996, and Indias top court in 2013 fined it about $18 million for breaking environmental laws.

The next year, Vedanta lost a battle to mine bauxite in the a lushly forested area, Niyamgiri hills in Odisha state, that the Dongria Kondh tribe there considers sacred.

The rejection forced the company to not only import expensive bauxite for an aluminium plant in the same state but to also delay its expansion.

ReutersThe US Commerce Department said on Thursday it launched an inquiry that could allow the Trump administration to impose tariffs on auto imports over national security concerns.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced he initiated a so-called Section 232 investigation on auto trade, which would provide the legal basis to impose tariffs, if his department finds imports threaten US national security, after speaking with Donald Trump on the matter.

"There is evidence suggesting that, for decades, imports from abroad have eroded our domestic auto industry," Ross said. "The Department of Commerce will conduct a thorough, fair, and transparent investigation into whether such imports are weakening our internal economy and may impair the national security." In a separate statement released by the White House, Trump said he had "instructed" Ross to "consider" kicking off the probe.

"Core industries such as automobiles and automotive parts are critical to our strength as a nation," Trump's statement said.

The Trump administration had used the same justification to slap steep tariffs on steel and aluminum.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Trump was asking for vehicle import tariffs as high as 25 per cent.

Trump has frequently railed against China's high import duties on foreign cars, and in the course of recent negotiations President Xi Jinping offered to cut the rate to 15 per cent from 25 per cent.

The Journal, citing sources in the auto industry, said the plan to retaliate likely would face significant opposition from trading partners and auto dealers that sell imports.Santa-Banta jokes or sardar jokes were hugely popular until a PIL in the Supreme Court was filed a few years ago, calling for their ban as the jokes were perceived as an insult to the Sikh community.

It is not just the stereotypical jokes that seem to have upset the Sikhs. They seem to be miffed with the way they are being portrayed in films, and any slippage on what they believe to be the factual history of the Sikh Gurus.

And now, the Akal Takht, the highest temporal authority of the Sikhs, has set up its own board to censor films that have anything to do with Sikhs or Sikhism. Generally described as the Vatican of the community, the Akal Takht has said the decision follows a dire need to check distortion of facts pertaining to the Sikh Gurus and Sikh history in movies.

A few weeks ago, the Shiromani Akali Dal got into a confrontation with the Congress government in Punjab over the syllabus pertaining to Sikh history in the text books prescribed for the Punjab school education board examinations. A committee was set up to look into it.

And prior to that, the state government announced the setting up of a Punjab Sabhyacharak Commission to check vulgarity in Punjabi songs.

The current move by the Akal Takht follows the release of a film titled Nanak Shah Fakir, based on the life and lessons imparted by Guru Nanak. While the Supreme Court had cleared the release of the film by Harinder Singh Sikka, whom the Takht excommunicated in April last, there was a demand that it be banned. The demand was raised by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and many other religious bodies.

Now the Akal Takht has made it mandatory for all filmmakers entering the territory of films based on Sikhism and Sikh religious heritage, to submit scripts to the 21-member Sikh Censor Board for clearance. The Takht has made it clear such approvals will be required for documentaries as well as animated films.

Says Punjabi writer Nirupama Dutt: Such religious censorship boards will play havoc with secularism in a republic like ours , adding that Sikhism in particular is a progressive and practical religion, that has yet to evolve. She has not seen the film, but says it was very well received all over the state, simply because it took the message of Guru Nanak across effectively.

But equally, to have a commercial reach, Punjabi film producers tend to use stories around the life and times of the Gurus. The biggest grosser in the history of Punjabi films has been Nanak Naam Jahan Hai.Salman Khan's Race 3 is one of the most anticipated blockbusters this year. While Bhai fans eagerly wait for the action thriller directed by Remo D'Souza, they were in for a surprise treat from Salman Khan on Thursday.



The actor released the audio of the song 'Selfish' from Race 3. The song is sung by Atif Aslam and Iulia Vantur, a Romanian anchor rumoured to be Salman's love interest. What makes the song interesting is that Salman Khan turns lyricist with this song. While expectations about the song were sky high, it seems to have turned out quite in the opposite direction. Ek baar baby selfish hoke apne liye jio na, so goes Salman's lyrics for the song.



Meant to be a romantic song, the lyrics don't stand up to it. So much so, that even the soulful rendering by all-time-favourite Atif Aslam cannot save the song. Atif Aslam is loved for his back to back hit numbersPehli Nazar Mein and Be Intehaanboth from the Race series. The music for the song has been composed by Vishal Mishra. Atif and Iulia's voices do not complement each other, and the song goes for a toss. In fact, after the first stanza, one loses track of the songquite unusual for an Atif Aslam number.



Speaking to media about his tryst as a lyricist, Salman Khan said: "While discussing the creative for the song, I penned down a few thoughts on paper in sync with the plot of the film, which is about the selfishness within the family.



"When the music director Vishal Mishra heard it, he got extremely excited and said he will come back with a tune for the same. I said, 'But this is a part of a conversation and not lyrics'.



"However, he insisted to use the thoughts as it is for the song. Everyone loved the thoughts and wanted it to be used for the song."



Twitterati, too haven't taken kindly to the song. From calling it cringe-worthy, to terming it the worst song of the decade, some even slam the Race 3 team for ruining the good music the franchise had created over the years. Some even trolled Iulia Vantur for her voice. There are, however, fans who support who are in awe of the 'romantic' lyrics.

Just listened #Race3's #Selfish song and this is the first Atif Aslam track I didn't like at all. Salman Khan's weak lyrics doesn't suit his voice. In fact the lyrics is funny at some point. And for God sake, how can someone even give Lulia Vantur a chance to sing? Horrible voice  Rahul Raut (@Rahulrautwrites) May 24, 2018 Installed #Gaana just to listen the Gaana Exclusive #Selfish by #AtifAslam from #Race3.



Uninstalled it as soon as the song ended.

The torture level was too high on this one!!!!!  Sohom (@sohompramanick) May 24, 2018 "Ek baar baby.. selfish hoke apne liyo jeeyo naa"

This lyrics is so so fucked up. The sudden use of English words, particularly "Baby" sounds so cringe worthy. Who wrote the song ? #selfish #Race3  Liberated !! (@iNipunK) May 24, 2018





That really is no relief for Salman Khan who has impressed fans by crooning numbers like Main Hoon Hero Tera, Hangover, Jumme Ki Raat in recent times. Maybe, Bhai should stay away from the written word.



Karan Lalit Bhutani, whose debut directorial Phamous will release on Friday, says it is an attempt to experiment with the western genre, which he feels has been unexplored so far in Indian cinema.

The film's actors Pankaj Tripathi, Kay Kay Menon and Jimmy Sheirgill, are hopeful that with the exposure to world cinema, the audience will be receptive towards the genre, which explores a power struggle in a rugged rural terrain.

Bhutani has earlier assisted Tigmanshu Dhulia, known for Paan Singh Tomar, set in Chambala factor common to Phamous.

"Being a student of film studies, I have always had a huge influence from western cinemafilms like The Good The Bad and the Ugly. In India, the western film is not well-explored genre and keeping the iconic film Sholay aside, we really do not have many examples of films in this genre. So it was a conscious decision to try out this genre in my debut film," said Bhutani.

In the film, Kay Kay plays Kadar Singh who has a desire to gain power but is clear about his conscience and morals.

"He can kill someone for a moral reason. Yes, he is such kind of a guy. He is clear in his head that he wants the power and at the same time does not want to compromise on morality," Kay Kay said of his role.

Asked what makes this genre so attractive, he said: "This film of western genre, has its own charm. There are people who love to watch such film. This genre has its own style and that works."

Bhutani said: "In such films, the bad guy is larger than life... The hero is an aspiring villain. So in this film, Kay Kay and Jimmy are depicting such characters."

To that, Jimmy added: "My character in the film is a young educated guy of Chambal who realises that like every other household and every other man, even he should have a gun. That will make him a 'asli mard (real man' who will be able to protect the family. But how his desire to own a gun to become 'phamous' puts him into trouble, is the story of my character."

As the film revolves around power struggle, emphasising on the mood of the film and treatment of characters, Pankaj said: "My character is a very dark man who everybody would hate at the end of the film. But the treatment of the character is with so much complexity that audience will get hooked onto it. Such characterisation happens in this genre of film."

A question arises that unless this genre of film is not accepted by the large mass audience, how will it gain popularity, and unless the genre becomes popular, why would more filmmakers take the risk to make such film?

It may be a niche genre, but that can be extended if more such films are made, said Jimmy.

Kay Kay said: "You cannot make film thinking about what audience is going to think, how to impress the audience and accordingly you write a script. No, that is wrong completely. One should write a good story and make a film with integrity. Then it should be released for audience. Then the audience should watch and decide."

As a director, what is Bhutani's expectation from the film?

"I think a film does not fail, its budget does. So I should make a film in such a budget where I should have the confidence that my producer will get its return. Beyond that, I cannot say much because the fate of the film is not in my hands," said the Quentin Tarantino fan.Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Singapore and Indonesia from May 29 to June 2.

This is the prime minister's first visit to Indonesia, and with this visit, the present NDA government will have covered all the ten ASEAN countries, in the last four years. PM Modi had been to Singapore twice as prime ministeronce for an official visit and once for the funeral of late president Lee Kuan Yew in 2015.

Defence cooperation will figure majorly in the prime minister's outreach to both the nations. India already has good defence ties with both the countries, given that they are close maritime neighbours. The closest distance between Andaman islands and Sabang in Indonesia is 90 nautical miles.

PM Modi will also interact with the officers and crew of an Indian Navy ship that is visiting the Changi naval base in Singapore.

In Singapore, the prime minister will be delivering a talk at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an important security and foreign policy meet for track one diplomacy. This will be the first time an Indian prime minister will speak at the venue. PM Modi will articulate his philosophy of Sagarmala (naval cooperation) and India's regional security concerns.

There are chances of some bilaterals at Singapore on the sidelines of Shangri-La Dialogue since the event sees participation of leaders of several countries.

With China's navy extending its outreach, India is keen on upping maritime ties with its close neighbours. Preeti Saran, Secretary East, said the ASEAN nations have been appreciative of India's position about the primacy to ASEAN in the Indo-Pacific region.

Modi's tour will start from Jakarta where foreign ministry officials say there are agreements likely in defence, space and science and technology.

An important part of the PM's itinerary will be attending a kite festival in Jakarta, which is jointly being organised by the Kite Museum of Ahmedabad.

All the three important religions of Indonesia, Hinduism Buddhism and Islam came through India, and so the he cultural links between the two nations are strong. So are the economic ones, with India Inc providing 2.5 lakh jobs in Indonesia. The future cooperation could be in areas of space, security and infrastructure.At a time when the Pakistan Army is repeatedly violating the ceasefire accord, the country's senior-most maritime security official will be in New Delhi to hold bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart. This would be the first visit by any Pakistani security delegation after Indian Army's 2016 surgical strike.

The chief of Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) Rear Admiral Zaka Ur Rehman will in Delhi on Sunday to hold talks at the Indian government's invitation. On the agenda will be the illegal trafficking and fishermen issue. Ministry experts believe that this could be a first step in easing tension between the two neighbours.

The annual maritime dialogue between the two coastal security agencies could not take place last year after India decided to put on hold the talks due to diplomatic unease caused by the death sentence awarded to former Indian Aavy officer Kulbhushan Jhadav by Pakistani military court.

However, now, Indian government has sent a formal invite to Rear Admiral Zaka Ur Rehman to hold talks. He was scheduled to come last year in April.

"Formal invitation has been sent to Pakistan and they have agreed to join the talks scheduled for May 28," director general, Indian Coast Guard, Rajender Singh confirmed to THE WEEK.

In July 2016, Singh had gone to Islamabad to discuss maritime issues, including the fishermen issue, apart from cooperation in search and rescue operations.

The Indian Coast Guard and PMSA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on October 3, 2005, that came into effect on March 16, 2006, envisaging cooperation between ICG and PMSA through exchange of information on Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) violations, apprehended vessels, marine pollution, natural disasters/calamities, combating smuggling, illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and piracy, and coordination in search and rescue and return sea passage.

It also established a communication link which is operational. Under the provisions of the MoU, directors general of ICG and PMSA meet periodically. The MoU was extended for five years in 2016, seeking to combat illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and piracy, smuggling and coordination in search and rescue, and return sea passage.

Significantly, a four-member Indian delegation is already in Islamabad to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation-Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (SCO-RATS) Legal Experts meeting. Legal experts from countries like China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan are discussing terror threat faced by the region, and efforts to enhance counter-terrorism mechanism.Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held wide-ranging talks with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte during which both sides decided to deepen engagement in a range of areas including trade, investment, energy and agriculture.

After the talks, Modi, in his media statement, said his commitment towards economic reforms will remain strong.

He said besides bilateral matters, he and Rutte discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Modi also hailed the Netherlands for becoming part of the International Solar Alliance."I had called upon the Netherlands to join the International Solar Alliance and I am happy to tell you that the country has become a member of it today," Modi said.

In his comments, Rutte said there was a huge scope for the two countries to deepen cooperation in areas of trade and investment, clean energy, agriculture and smart cities.

This is Rutte's second visit to India as prime minister and he is accompanied by a strong business delegation. His last visit to India was in June 2015.

Rutte's visit comes within a year of Modi's trip to the Netherlands in June last.

India and the Netherlands have a bilateral trade of USD 5.39 billion and they are likely to focus on increasing it further.

The Netherlands is the fifth largest investor in India with a cumulative investment of USD 23 billion from 2000 to December 2017. The country is also home to a 2,35,000-strong Indian diaspora, the largest in mainland Europe.

Earlier, Rutte had tweeted in Hindi saying he is happy to be in beautiful India.

"India and the Netherlands have shared close relations for the past 70 years which have strengthened over the passage of time. Eager to meet @narendramodi," he wrote on Twitter.

Rutte arrived here today on a two-day visit to India.Former judge of Calcutta High Court, Justice (Retd) C.S. Karnan on Wednesday met dalit leader Jignesh Mewani to speed up the work for his party, Anti Corruption Dynamic Party. The function was organised by the All India Dalit Youth Association.

In a statement issued later in the day, Karnan did not specify where he met Mevani, but said that many important people along with Mevani were present at the convention.

"Today it makes me very happy in sharing the dais along with some high dignitaries, one of whom is our brother (Jignesh) Mevani, MLA of Gujarat. This special meeting was arranged by All India Dalit Youth Association," said Karnan.

The former judge, who was sentenced to six month jail in a contempt case by the Supreme Court last year, also announced Rs 10,000 assistance to the each of the affected families in Thoothukudi of Tamil Nadu where 12 anti-Sterlite protesters were killed in police firing on Tuesday.

"In the sorrowful incident at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu, our party expressed deep sorrow at the loss of so many lives who are mainly agricultural workers. So our new party has announced a cash assistance of Rs 10,000 to each of the affected family," he said.

Karnan, in the upcoming issue of THE WEEK magazine, which would hit the stand on Friday, said in an exclusive interview that Supreme Court judges who convicted him were "no less than barbaric".

This is the first time he has made such outburst against the court after his release on December 21, 2017.

"They are tormentors and they are barbaric. I cannot compare them with any other thing apart from this," he said and added that by sending him to jail, the Supreme Court has crashed his prestige and social status.

"The Supreme Court harassed me in maximum and demeaned me in the court and in the general public.... My prestige and high bearings as a high court judge had crashed down to its lowest level," he said.

Karnan said the apex court has not only did a caste discrimination, but lowered its image in the eyes of the general public.

By declaring monetary assistance to Thoothukudi victims and extending all kinds of chords to other dalit leaders in the country, Karnan is making all out attempt to be part of the chorus which goes against the Narendra Modi government. However, he is yet to make any word against Modi and is making calculative steps.Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister of G. Parameshwara on Thursday accused the BJP of manipulating the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in the recently culminated assembly polls.

Addressing the media in Bengaluru, Parameshwara asserted that his party will approach the Election Commission in this regard.

"Some of our leaders and I personally feel EVMs have been manipulated by the BJP. Many Congress leaders lost at places even where Congress had a stronghold. We will complain to the Election Commission," Parameshwara said.

Talking about forming the government in alliance with the JD(S), Parameshwara said the party high command took the decision to restrict the "dictatorship of the prime minister".

He claimed that the Congress- D(S) alliance will mark the beginning of a new era.

Parameshwara also confirmed that Congress leader Ramesh Kumar will be the speaker of the Karnataka assembly.

Parameshwara rebuffed the reports suggesting that he got the seat of the deputy chief minister because he is a dalit.

He further said the JD (S) will support the candidate of the Congress party in Rajarajeshwari Nagar assembly constituency poll.

The Election Commission had earlier deferred the election in RR Nagar after a cache of voter cards were recovered from a flat in Bengaluru.An upbeat Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Thursday expressed confidence about winning the trust vote on Friday and proving that his JD(S)-Congress coalition government has the majority in the new assembly.

"I am confident of winning the trust vote on the assembly floor as we have the numbers in our favour," Kumaraswamy told reporters in Bengaluru, a day after he took oath in front of the state Secretariat in the city centre.

Congress state unit president G. Parameshwara took oath as the deputy chief minister.

As directed by Governor Vajubhai Vala on May 19 after inviting him to form the government, Kumaraswamy will move the confidence motion in the assembly at 12.15 pm and ask the new Speaker to conduct the floor test.

With a combined strength of 117 legislators in the 225-member assembly37 of the JD(S), 78 of the Congress and two other MLAsKumaraswamy has six more votes than the halfway mark of 111 required for majority, excluding the speaker. Three seats are vacant

The BJP, which emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats in the May 12 elections, fell seven short of the halfway mark to save its three-day government on May 19, resulting in its chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa resigning before the floor test.

"The assembly will begin the special session for the floor test post-noon after election of the new speaker. The opposition BJP has fielded its senior legislator S. Suresh Kumar against Congress nominee K.R. Ramesh Kumar," an official of the state legislative secretariat told IANS.

As decided by the coalition partners, the JD(S) will name one of its senior legislators to the deputy speaker's post after the speaker's election.

All the legislators of both the ruling parties continue to stay at star hotels in the city under the watch of their respective leaders till Kumaraswamy wins the trial of strength.

"We have asked all our MLAs to stay together in the city for one more day to ensure their presence in the assembly to avoid cross-voting or abstention during crucial voting on the confidence motion," a Congress official told IANS.

Both the parties have issued whips to their respective lawmakers to vote in favour of the motion when put to vote.

Kumaraswamy plans to expand his ministry next week after the Congress submits the names for its quota of 21 Cabinet posts and he selects 11 of his legislators to fill the JD(S) quota of Cabinet posts.

"Discussions on the cabinet expansion and who will be the ministers will be held during the weekend as the leaders will be free after the trust vote on Friday," a JD(S) official said.An alleged case of corruption against its official has stumped the Union home ministry after it came to light that Pankaj Mishra, a senior secretariat assistant in the foreigners division, was allegedly accepting bribe from Pakistani immigrants to grant them long-term visa (LTV).

The case has possible national security ramifications as granting of long-term visas to Pakistani immigrants involves high level of diligence and checks by multiple security agencies. It was under Home Minister Rajnath Singh that the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) division had relaxed rules for granting long-term visas to religious minorities suffering persecution in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan. While earlier the LTV granted a five-year stay, the changes allowed them to stay for an indefinite period if their case requirements were met.

The ministry has swung into action to examine how such LTVs were being granted after Rajasthan ATS clamped down on this alleged bribery racket last week where Mishra was found complacent.

The MHA on Thursday suspended Mishra even as it launched a preliminary inquiry under the Central Secretariat Rules to examine the case of alleged misconduct by Mishra.

Three others were arrested along with Mishra. They were identified as Ashok, Govind and Bhagwan Ram, who were Pakistani immigrants looking for extension of their visas under the LTV category.

Sources said Mishra had traveled to Rajasthan for some other official work when he was arrested for allegedly accepting bribe from the Pakistani immigrants.

The MHA inquiry will be done by a senior officer of the level of joint secretary to examine whether it is a fit case of censure or dismissal under the CSS rules. The committee, which will be constituted to conduct the inquiry, will also give Mishra a chance to explain himself by serving a showcase notice first.

Incidentally, Mishras case has become a huge embarrassment for the MHA as he has been serving in the ministry for more than five years, holding critical posts. He was in the MHAs media wing for many years, organising the ministrys meetings and drafting press releases before he was transferred to the crucial FCRA wing.

The MHAs FCRA wing has been in the news for wrong reasons for the last two years. In 2016, Anand Joshi, working as an under secretary in the division, was quietly shunted out when senior officials realised that he had arbitrarily issues notices to at least 20 NGOs drawing huge foreign funding, and was organising meetings with them later.

Joshi was arrested months later and the CBI was handed over the investigation. A similar modus operandi is learnt to have been adopted by Mishra, who was allegedly stalling the process of granting LTVs by referring it to different departments and in the interim meeting the immigrants and allegedly demanding bribe.

The MHA is expected to work on a war footing now to plug the gaps in the functioning of its crucial departments.The adage that failures can teach many lessons seems quite...Indian officials have crossed the border into Pakistan to talk about terror. A three-member legal team arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday to attend a regional meeting of the Shanghai Corporation Organisation for legal experts.

The legal experts will discuss terrorist threats facing the region and the ways and means to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation between SCO member states,'' a press release issued by the Pakistan Foreign Office stated. The RATS (Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure) aims to promote better coordination among members on terrorism.

This is the first time that such a meeting is taking place in Pakistan. India, however, is not the only country to send a delegation. There will be representatives from Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, China and Uzbekistan.

But, for once, there will be no pussyfooting around terror with India and Pakistan boundas the meeting mandatesto create a framework to reduce terrorism. This meeting comes close on the heels of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's statement that any comment calling for peace from Pakistan will be taken seriously. Sitharaman was reacting to a suggestion made by Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa that the Kashmir issue could be solved peacefully through talks.

And to add to the almost-cordial atmosphere, India has finalised a team of doctors to visit Pakistani jails. Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj in October 2017 had mooted an idea, as a way to break the ice, to move forward on 'humanitarian issues'. On the agenda was the possible release of elderly prisoners, women, children and mentally unsound patients lodged in Pakistani jails.

The two countries had agreed to move forward on this proposal in March, but it has taken almost two months for a panel of doctors to be finalised. While the recent events do suggest a slight softening of relations, it may be too early to believe that peace is round the corner.

India, it is believed, is playing the waiting game to see what happens in the general elections in Pakistan in July and seems unwilling, at the moment, to engage seriously with Islamabad. And even the Track-II diplomacy initiatives like Neemrana Dialogueheld earlier this month in Islamabadhave failed to gain any traction.Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi remained tense for the third day on Thursday as one more person injured in police firing in protests against the Sterlite factory died, taking the toll to 13.

Selvasekar succumbed to his injuries in the district hospital, as the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board issued an order to disconnect power supply to Sterlite and to close the plant with immediate effect.

Normal life was affected in Thoothukudi, with shops closed and people remaining indoors even as the protest against police action spread across the state on Thursday, with demonstrations in districts like Erode, Ramanathapuram and Thiruvarur.

In Thoothukudi, police have stepped up patrolling to stop people from forming groups in public places while internet connection has been shut in the district and neighbouring areas.

On Tuesday, police firing killed 11 people, most of them from nearby villages who were demanding the closure of the Sterlite Copper smelter plant they said was destroying the farm lands and leading to severe health issues in the area.

Another person was killed on Wednesday in fresh firing while hundreds of injured are admitted in hospitals.

Meanwhile, TN Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswamy broke his silence over Sterlite violence, and blamed the opposition parties and anti-social elements for the violence that brought down the city to its knees.

Terming the incidents as "unfortunate," he condoled the deaths and said all past agitations for the closure of the Sterlite plant were peaceful. "This time around it (protest) turned violent. It was due to instigation by some political parties and owing to infiltration by anti-social elements," Palaniswamy, who is under relentless attack from the opposition, said.

Recalling steps taken by the AIADMK governments for the closure of the plant, Palaniswamy said the "deliberate" violence was meant "to bring disrepute to the government and put it under pressure".

He said the state government was making efforts for the closure of the plant since 2013, when late J. Jayalalithaa was the chief minister. "As far as Amma's government is concerned, we respect people's feelings," he said, adding all legal steps were under way to shut the Sterlite plant, and cases were pending before the Supreme Court and High Court.Sochi is a resort town on the Black Sea. Among the southernmost destinations in Russia, it has warm beaches and even boasts of palm trees and tea estates. In a country where winters are bleak, a destination this warm and pretty is a jewel. Russia's high and mighty go there annually for vacations; Sochi also forms the perfect backdrop for the personalised brand of diplomatic outreach.

Russian President Vladimir Putin puts his summer break to good use as every year, he invites world leaders for tete-a-tetes, away from the pressure of outcomes, agreements and deals that state visits end up being. In these balmy settings, it is easy to break the ice in frosty relationships and even easier to warm up to nations which matter.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited for a special meet with Putin on May 21, but he isn't the only world leader that Putin hosted this year. There has been a steady stream of world leaders heading to Sochi one after another, for a pleasant talk and a yacht ride on the Black Sea. These include Germany's Angela Merkel, Japan's Shinzo Abe, France's Emmanuel Macron and Syria's Bashar al Assad.

So what made Modi's visit so special? For starters, it was the first time that he had gone on a working visit to Russia. And the backdrop in which he went is rather important. The ministry of external affairs announced Modi's visit a few days prior to departure, which is not out of character. But even before the official announcement of a trip, there is usually a buzz, which was missing this time, indicating the Sochi summit was a sudden plan.

The official statement from the Indian side does not go into the specifics discussed, though it says that the two sides exchanged views on international and regional issues and held deep discussions on major international issues. The statement also said the two agreed on the importance of a multipolar world order.

All this indicates that the US in general, and, more specifically the repercussions of Donald Trump's pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal, must have been one of the major international issues discussed, as the move has far-reaching ramifications. Iran has become an important player now, with India's heavy involvement in the Chabahar port, and with both India and Russia being stakeholders in the North-South Transport Corridor,'' said former air chief marshal S. Krishnaswamy.

As part of its move against Iran, the US intends to impose sanctions against those countries that still support Tehran's nuclear programme. India imports a lot of oil from Iran. These are not sanctions endorsed by the United Nations, just US-imposed ones, but affected countries will have to work out how to move ahead through this development.

India and Russia have a special and privileged strategic partnership; indeed the Russians are often called India's all-weather friends. But in recent years, as India expanded its diplomatic outreach, there have developed some areas of strain, and even divergence. On the one hand, India has gone shopping for military equipment to other countries, specially the US and France. Russia, on the other hand, has supplied military aircraft to Pakistan, India's main adversary. Moscow cosying up to Beijing has caused New Delhi's brow to be raised. And Russia's outreach to the Taliban has rung alarm bells in India.

Observers feel that both sides must have felt it timely to exchange views, specially in the face of emerging international developments that are likely to pose a challenge to both. Even with a good friend, it is important to keep up and nurture the relationship. India's growing engagement with the US is most welcome, but it should not be allowed to diminish our long-standing and deep-rooted friendship with Russia. Such protocol-free meetings between our top leaders are important and will further enhance the strong bilateral ties that we have built,'' said former Indian ambassador to Moscow Ajai Malhotra.

Modi and Putin will have several occasions to meet this year, but coincidentally all of them are slotted for the second half of the year. There is the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meet in Qingdao in June, the BRICS meet in Johannesburg in July, the bilateral summit in New Delhi in October and the G-20 meeting in Argentina in November.

Meetings convened on the sidelines of multilateral summits are inevitably of rather short duration and do not necessarily lead to much getting done. And at annual summits, there is the entire gamut of cooperation that needs to be painstakingly reviewed in a formal setting. Informal meets, like the one in Sochi, provide an excellent opportunity to discuss and appreciate each other's views on important issues of common concern and secure a meeting of minds on them, Malhotra added.

Modi is known to build up his diplomacy on personal rapport with leaders who matterand show the personal snub, too, to those who don't. Before Sochi, he had gone on a similar summit to Wuhan, too, to clear a lot of the bad vibes that developed between China ad India over the past year. With Putin, Modi's ties are rather old; the two first met in 2000. Even as chief minister of Gujarat, Modi had made his first overseas trip to Russia. He went to Russia thrice as CM, at a time when many countries did not grant him visas to visit.

One visible outcome from the Sochi trip was the decision to institute a Strategic Economic Dialogue between NITI Aayog and Russia's ministry of economic development for synergy in trade and investment.

That Indo-Russian ties extend to every sphere will be re-emphasised next month with the arrival of the first consignment of liquefied natural gas under an agreement between Russia's Gazprom and India's Gas Authority of India Limited.Investigators probing the 2014 downing of flight MH17 said on Thursday for the first time that the missile which shot down the plane over eastern Ukraine travelled from a Russian military brigade.

The Joint Investigation Team "has come to the conclusion that the BUK-TELAR that shot down MH17 came from 53rd Anti-aircraft Missile Brigade based in Kursk in Russia," top Dutch investigator Wilbert Paulissen said.

"The 53rd Brigade forms part of the Russian armed forces," he told reporters at a press conference in the Netherlands.

The Malaysian Airlines flight was blown out of the sky over conflict-wracked east Ukraine on July 17, 2014 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

All 298 passengers and crew, most of them Dutch, were killed in the disaster. But there were 17 nationalities on board including Australians, Britons, Malaysians and Indonesians.

The investigators had previously concluded that the plane was brought down by a Russian-made BUK missile system brought in from Russia and fired from territory in Ukraine held by Moscow-backed rebels. But they have stopped short of directly saying who pulled the trigger.

Now the team has painstakingly recreated the route taken by the missile convoy from Kursk across the border into Ukraine using videos and photos.

Paulissen added the team had "ascertained that the BUK-TELAR has a number of unique characteristics. These characteristics as such served as a type of fingerprint for the missile." Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in the downing of the Boeing flight 777, putting the blame instead on Kiev.

The probe being led by The Netherlands is focusing on some 100 people suspected of having played an "active role" in the incident, but investigators have not yet publicly named any suspects.

Chief investigator Fred Westerbeke said Thursday the probe was now in its "last phase" but added there was "still work to be done".

Over the past years "we've gained a lot of proof and evidence but we are not ready yet" to move towards bringing charges, he told the press conference.

Dutch officials have announced that the trial of any suspects arrested in the shooting down of flight MH17 will be held in the Netherlands under an agreement reached with the countries leading the joint probe.North Korea hit out at US Vice President Mike Pence today, calling him ignorant and stupid as the reclusive state made a renewed threat to cancel an upcoming summit between the two countries.

Choe Son Hui, vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, released a statement via the state-run KCNA news agency lambasting a recent media interview Pence gave to Fox News.

I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the US vice-president, she said in the statement.

In his Monday interview with Fox, Pence warned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that it would be a great mistake to try and play Washington ahead of a planned summit with President Donald Trump next month in Singapore.

He also said North Korea could end up like Libya, whose former leader Muammar Gaddafi was killed in an uprising years after giving up atomic weapons, if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal.

Choe responded to that interview with an angrily worded statement in which she slammed the unbridled and impudent remarks from Pence, adding Pyongyang would not be forced to the table by threats from Washington's leadership.

We will neither beg the US for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us, she said.

In case the US offends against our goodwill and clings to unlawful and outrageous acts, I will put forward a suggestion to our supreme leadership for reconsidering the DPRK-US summit, she added, using the initials of North Korea's official name.China on Thursday dismissed as "shocking" and "baseless" a media report that President Xi Jinping has asked Pakistan to relocate the Mumbai terror attack mastermind and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed to a West Asian country, amid mounting international pressure on Islamabad to act against him.

According to the report, a close aide of the prime minister of Pakistan said that Xi made the suggestion to Shahid Khaqan Abbasi during their meeting on the sidelines of the Boao Forum in China last month.

"At a 35-minute meeting, at least 10 minutes of the discussion dealt with Saeed. The Chinese President was keen on pressing the Prime Minister to find an early solution to keep Saeed away from the limelight," an unnamed close aide of Abbasi was quoted as saying.

Reacting to it, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson's office said the report was "shocking and baseless".

"It is shocking and baseless that's all we can say," the official from the spokesperson's office said, declining to comment further on the report.

Considering the close relations enjoyed between China and Pakistan, there is sense of disquiet here over the report in the backdrop of the current tussle between the Pakistan government headed by Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) and the powerful military.

Earlier this month, Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who has been disqualified to hold public office for life by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case, admitted Pakistan's involvement in 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

Without naming Saeed and Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar's militant organisations operating in the country with impunity, Sharif said: "Militant organisations are active in Pakistan."

"Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill over 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can't we complete the trial," he said in an interview to Dawn newspaper, which created furore in Pakistan.

Saeed carries a $10 million American bounty for his role in terror activities. He is the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people, including six US nationals, were killed.

While Saeed has been declared a global terrorist by the United Nations after the Mumbai terrorist attacks, China has put repeated technical holds on India, US, UK and France's efforts in the UN to list Azhar as a terrorist for his involvement in the Pathankot terrorist attack.

The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack. It has been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014.

The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since and the US, since 2012.

-PTIAs a warning to the western nations, and in particular the US, Russia test-fired four Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles from the nuclear submarine Yuri Dolgoruky on May 22.

Fired from the submarine in a submerged position from the White Sea, the missiles successfully hit targets on the Kura range in the Kamchatka Peninsula.

The press service of the Russian Northern Fleet said the test confirmed the combat readiness of the Project-955 Borei strategic submarine.

The Yuri Dolgoruky is the lead strategic nuclear submarine of the Project 955 Borei class and it was the first salvo launch from this type of submarine. The submarine is capable of carrying up to 16 Bulava sea-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles, in addition to torpedoes.

The Bulava missile is capable of carrying 10 warheads of 150 kilotonnes each to a distance of 10,000 kilometres. The missile can easily strike the US mainland in case of a war.

The salvo launch is significant as both the Bulava and the Borei are the first 'post-Soviet' nuclear weapon systems to enter the Russian navy as most existing submarines and missiles were designed and built in the Soviet era. The salvo launch shows increased Russian confidence in the Bulava, which has experienced multiple test failures in the last 15 years.

Vladimir Putin has been ramping up Russia's nuclear capabilities in response to the US deploying ballistic missile defense systems in Europe. Diplomatic ties between the countries took a turn for the worst after poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the UK.Ralph Lauren Corp. engages in the design, marketing, and distribution of premium lifestyle products. The firm offers apparel, accessories, home furnishings, and other licensed product. It operates through the following segments: North America, Europe, and Asia. The North America segment consists of sales of Ralph Lauren branded apparel, accessories, home furnishings, and related products made through the Company's wholesale and retail businesses in the U.S. and Canada, excluding Club Monaco. The Europe segment caters to sales of Ralph Lauren branded apparel, accessories, home furnishings, and related products made through the Company's wholesale and retail businesses in Europe and the Middle East, excluding Club Monaco. The Asia segment covers the sales of Ralph Lauren branded apparel, accessories, home furnishings, and related products made through the Company's wholesale and retail businesses in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. The company was founded by Ralph Lauren in 1967 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

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Ltd., Alere Medical Pakistan (Private) Limited, Alere Medical Private Limited, Alere North America LLC, Alere Oy Ab, Alere Philippines Inc., Alere Phoenix ACQ Inc., Alere Pte Ltd, Alere S.A., Alere S.r.l., Alere S/A, Alere SAS, Alere San Diego Inc., Alere Scarborough Inc., Alere Spain S.L., Alere Switzerland GmbH, Alere Technologies GmbH, Alere Technologies Holdings Limited, Alere Technologies Limited, Alere Toxicology AB, Alere Toxicology Inc., Alere Toxicology S.r.l., Alere Toxicology Services Inc., Alere Toxicology plc, Alere UK Holdings Limited, Alere UK Subco Limited, Alere ULC, Alere US Holdings LLC, Alere s.r.o., Alisoc Investment & Co, Amedica Biotech Inc., Ameditech Inc., American Generics S.A.S., American Medical Supplies Inc., American Pharmacist Inc., Antares S.A., Apica Cardiovascular Limited, Aquagestion Capacitacion S.A., Aquagestion S.A., Arriva Medical LLC, Arriva Medical Philippines Inc., Arvis Investments Limited, Atlas Farmaceutica S.A., Avee Laboratories Inc., Axis-Shield AD III AS, Axis-Shield AD IV AS, Axis-Shield AS, Axis-Shield Diagnostics Limited, Axis-Shield Ltd., BBI Animal Health Limited, BBI Diagnostics Group 2 Public Limited Company, Banco de Vida S.A., Bioabsorbable Vascular Solutions Inc., Bioalgae S.A., Biohealth LLC, Biosite Incorporated, Bosque Bonito S.A., Branan Medical Corporation, Brandex Europe C.V., British Colloids Limited, CFR Chile S.A., CFR Interamericas EL Salvador Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, CFR Interamericas Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CFR Interamericas Panama S.A., CFR Pharmaceuticals, California Property Holdings III LLC, CardioMEMS LLC, Caripharm Inc., Cephea Valve Technologies, Cephea Valve Technologies Inc., Colibri Medical Aktiebolag, Comercializadora y Distribuidora CFR Interamericas Honduras S.A., Concateno South Limited, Concateno UK Limited, Consorcio Tecnologico en Biomedicina Clinico-Molecular S.A., Continuum Services LLC, Cozart Limited, Dextech S.A., Diagnostik Nord GmbH, Distribuciones Uquifa S.A.S., Domesco Medical Import-Export Joint-Stock Corporation, Duphar International Research B.V., Endocardial Solutions, Epocal (US) Inc, Esprit de Vie S.A., European Chemicals & Co, European Drug Testing Service EDTS AB, European Services S.A., Evalve Inc., Evalve International Inc., FARMINDUSTRIA S.A., Fada Pharma Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Fadapharma del Ecuador S.A., Farmaceutica Mont Blanc S.L., Farmacologia Em Aquicultura Veterinaria Ltda., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV Ecuador S.A., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV S.A., Fernwood Investment S.A., First Check Diagnostics LLC, Focus Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Forensics Limited, Forestcreek Overseas S.A., Fournier Pharma Corp., Fournier Pharma GmbH, Fournier Pharmaceuticals Limited, Framed B.V., Gabmed GmbH, Garden Hills LLC, Global Analytical Development LLC, Globapharm & CO LP, Glomed Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Golnorth Investments S.A., Gynocare Limited, Gynopharm Sociedad Anonima, Gynopharm de Centroamerica S.A., Gynopharm de Venezuela C.A., Hi-Tronics Designs Inc., IDEV Technologies Inc., IG Innovations Limited, IMTC Finance B.V., IMTC Holdings B.V., IMTC Technologies Inc., Ibis Biosciences LLC, Igloo Zone Chile S.A., Igloo Zone S.L., Inmobiliaria Naknek S.A.C., Innovacon Inc., Instant Tech Subsidiary Acquisition Inc., Instant Technologies Inc., Instituto de Criopreservacion de Chile S.A., Integrated Vascular Systems Inc., Inverness Canadian Acquisition Corporation, Inverness Medical (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Australia Pty Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Hong Kong Limited, Inverness Medical Innovations SK LLC, Inverness Medical Investments LLC, Inverness Medical LLC, Inverness Medical Shimla Private Limited, Inversiones K2 SpA, Inversiones Komodo S.R.L., Ionian Technologies LLC, Irvine Biomedical Inc., Kalila Medical, Kangshenyunga S.A., Knoll UK Investments Unlimited, LLC VeroInPharm, Laboratoires Fournier S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano Lafrancol S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano del Ecuador S.A., Laboratorio Internacional Argentino S.A., Laboratorio Synthesis S.A.S., Laboratorios Lafi Limitada, Laboratorios Naturmedik S.A.S., Laboratorios Pauly Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Laboratorios Recalcine S.A., Laboratorios Transpharm S.A., Laboratory Specialists of America Inc., Lafrancol Dominicana S.A.S., Lafrancol Guatemala S.A. Sociedad Anonima, Lafrancol Internacional S.A.S, Lafrancol Peru S.R.L, Lake Forest Investments LLC, Lightlab Imaging Inc., Limited Liability Company Abbott Laboratories, Limited Liability Company Abbott Ukraine, Limited Liability Company VEROPHARM, Lung Fung Hong (China) Limited, Mansbridge Pharmaceuticals Limited, MediGuide LLC, MediGuide Ltd., Medscreen Holdings Limited, Metropolitana Farmaceutica S.A., Midwest Properties LLC, Murex Argentina S.A., Murex Biotech Limited, Murex Biotech South Africa, Murex Diagnostics Inc., Murex Diagnostics International Inc., Natural Supplement Association LLC, Negocios Denia Sociedad Anonima, Neosalud S.A.C., Nether Pharma N.P. C.V., NeuroTherm LLC, Normann Pharma-Handels GmbH, North Shore Properties Inc., Novamedi S.A., Novasalud.com S.A., Nutravida S.A., OJSC Voronezhkhimpharm, Omnilab Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OptiMedica, Orgenics France SAS, Orgenics International Holdings B.V., Orgenics Ltd., PBM-Selfcare LLC, PDD II LLC, PDD LLC, PT Alere Health, PT. Abbott Indonesia, PT. Abbott Products Indonesia, Pacesetter Inc., Pantech (RF) (PTY) LTD, Pembrooke Occupational Health Inc., Penagos S.A., Pharma International Sociedad Anonima, Pharmaceutical Technologies (Pharmatech) S.A., Pharmatech Boliviana S.A., Polygon Labs S.A., Quality Assured Services Inc., RF Medical Holdings LLC, RTL Holdings Inc., Ramses Business Corp., Recben Xenerics Farmaceutica Limitada, Redwood Toxicology Laboratory Inc., Rich Horizons International Limited, SC VEROPHARM, SJ Medical Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., SJM International Inc., SJM Thunder Holding Company, SPDH Inc., Saboya Enterprises Corporation, Salviac Limited, Scanax AS, Sealing Solutions Inc., Selfcare Technology Inc., Shandong Abbott Dairy Product Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Medical Devices Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shanghai Si Fa Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Sinensix & Co., Spinal Modulation LLC, St. Jude Medical, St. Jude Medical AB, St. Jude Medical ATG Inc., St. Jude Medical Argentina S.A., St. Jude Medical Asia Pacific Holdings GK, St. Jude Medical Atrial Fibrillation Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Brasil Ltda., St. Jude Medical Business Services Inc., St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Colombia Ltda., St. Jude Medical Coordination Center, St. Jude Medical Costa Rica Limitada, St. Jude Medical Europe Inc., St. Jude Medical Export Ges.m.b.H., St. Jude Medical GVA Sarl, St. Jude Medical Holdings B.V., St. Jude Medical India Private Limited, St. Jude Medical International Holding, St. Jude Medical LLC, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings II, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings NT, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings SMI S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings TC S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Mexico Business Services S. de R.L. de C.V., St. Jude Medical Middle East DMCC, St. Jude Medical Operations (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC, St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc.,      ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics.Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

Numerous communities in New York have already had their water supplies poisoned by these chemicals, and if the Trump administration has more evidence that PFAS are harmful to peoples health, then they need to come clean and tell the public, Gillibrand said last week. No New Yorker should ever have to fear that their drinking water is going to make them sick, and New Yorkers deserve to see the results of this study immediately.SCHENECTADY  David Giacalone is encouraged by the fact that a dirt lot next to the bus shelter facing State Street in Gateway Park where the city's Statue of Liberty replica is supposed to be remains vacant.

"My thought is this: if they have put new plantings there that they don't plan to bring her back, but they haven't," said the Stockade resident. He's led a sort of one-man charge to have the sculpture returned to his neighborhood park before it was put into storage years ago as the park was revamped. "I'm happy to see that there is nothing new planted on that spot."

Furthermore, he said the Gateway Plaza Implementation Plan from 2012 features photos showing the statue at the park.

But the 58-year-old Lady Liberty could also end up facing the pond with her back to Lenox Road, visible from any direction as part of a planned memorial for veterans at Steinmetz Park in the Goose Hill neighborhood.

"If it comes, it comes, and if it doesn't, it doesn't," said Camille Sasinowski Wednesday when asked about the statue. " One way or the other, we're focusing on the memorial."

A while back, she called Mayor Gary McCarthy inquiring about the 8-foot-4 statute coming to Goose Hill after reading a newspaper article about it.

The mayor, she said, told her he would consider the idea.

For the past two years, the sculpture has remained mothballed at the city garage on Foster Avenue.

Sasinowski said Wednesday that with or without Lady Liberty the fund-raising efforts are continuing for the roughly $25,000 memorial honoring veterans who lived in Goose Hill.

The memorial will feature a seating area, the American flag and a tablet bearing the names of about 140 veterans with roots in Goose Hill who were honorably discharged, Sasinowski said.

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Sasinowksi said having Lady Liberty at the park would be a great history lesson for youngsters from nearby Yates Elementary School who visit the park with their classes.

"I really felt as though it was a place that it would fit, and that would be it, no animosity, no nothing," she added.

Sasinowski pointed out that the statue will need a new base and footing, which she estimated could cost tens of thousands of dollars.

McCarthy said he has other priorities.

"It's just I haven't been focused on it, we're just doing other things," he said, adding "we're reviewing options." He declined to say when he might make his final decision public.

In March, he told that Times Union that the new Gateway Plaza design was not "conducive for the statue, so we're looking to move it to Steinmetz Park, which seems to be the direction it's going."Detroit

The autonomous Uber SUV that struck and killed an Arizona pedestrian in March spotted the woman about six seconds before hitting her, but did not stop because the system used to automatically apply brakes in potentially dangerous situations had been disabled, according to federal investigators.

In a preliminary report on the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday that emergency braking is not enabled while Uber's cars are under computer control, "to reduce the potential for erratic vehicle behavior."

Instead, Uber relies on a human backup driver to intervene. The system, however, is not designed to alert the driver.

The findings, which are not final, should be a warning to all companies testing autonomous vehicles to check their systems to make sure they automatically stop when necessary in the environment where they are being tested, said Alain Kornhauser, faculty chairman of autonomous vehicle engineering at Princeton University.

Uber, he said, likely determined in testing that its system braked in situations it shouldn't have, possibly for overpasses, signs and trees. "It got spoofed too often," Kornhauser said. "Instead of fixing the spoofing, they fixed the spoofing by turning it off."

In the Tempe, Ariz., crash, the driver began steering less than a second before impact but didn't brake until less than a second after impact, according to the NTSB, which does not determine fault.

A video of the crash showed the driver looking down just before the vehicle struck and killed 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg.

Uber said in a company release that it has worked closely with the NTSB and is doing an internal review of its self-driving vehicle program. The company also has brought in former NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart as a safety advisor. "We look forward to sharing more on the changes we'll make in the coming weeks," the release said. The company declined further comment.

The report comes a day after Uber pulled its self-driving cars out of Arizona, eliminating the jobs of about 300 people who served as backup drivers and performed other jobs connected to the vehicles. Uber had suspended testing of its self-driving vehicles in Arizona, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Toronto while regulators investigated the cause of the March 18 crash.

Sensors on the fully autonomous Volvo XC-90 SUV spotted Herzberg while the car was traveling 43 miles per hour and determined that braking was needed 1.3 seconds before impact, according to the report.

A diagram in the NTSB report shows that the Uber system determined that the SUV needed to brake when it was at least 65.6 feet from Herzberg; it was traveling 39 mph at impact. Kornhauser said that was enough distance for the SUV to stop, or to slow considerably to mitigate damage from the crash.

Herzberg was pushing a bicycle across a boulevard in the darkness when the crash occurred on a part of the road that had no crosswalk and was not lighted, the report said.

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She was wearing dark clothing and did not look in the direction of the vehicle until just before impact. A toxicology report showed that she tested positive for methamphetamine and marijuana, according to the NTSB. Also, the bicycle had no side reflectors and the front and back reflectors were perpendicular to the Uber SUV.

Uber also disabled the Volvo's factory-equipped automatic emergency braking system when the vehicle is in autonomous mode, the report said.

In an interview with the NTSB, Uber's backup driver said she had been monitoring the "self-driving interface." While her personal and business telephones were in the vehicle, she said neither was in use at the time of the crash.

The NTSB said that all other aspects of the SUV's self-driving system were running normally at the time, and there were no faults or diagnostic trouble messages.

The agency, which can make safety recommendations to other federal agencies, said that information in the preliminary report can change as the investigation progresses and that no conclusions should be drawn from the report.

The report doesn't provide "any decisive findings or conclusions," said Daniel Scarpinato, spokesman for Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey. "We await the more thorough and final investigative report. Uber's self-driving vehicle suspension remains in place."

Amanda Jacinto, a spokeswoman for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, said no decision has yet been made on charges against the driver or Uber. She wouldn't comment on the NTSB report.The Evangelist, the official publication of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, has rejected an advertisement for a documentary about women, focusing on the Catholic parish in the Hilltowns.

"A Calling," directed by Nick Viscio, features Sister Mary Lou Liptak, the parish life director of St. Lucy/St. Bernadette Church in Altamont, and local Catholics, including parishioners and nuns working for social justice.

"Everyone has a calling," she told the Times Union last week. "The film intertwines the story of my calling to serve in our parish and the stories of those whose calling took them in places they perhaps could not have imagined."

The film will have its public premiere Friday night at Proctors GE Theater in Schenectady.

Viscio said he contacted the Evangelist about running an advertisement for "A Calling" a month ago and following a few email exchanges didn't hear anything more after May 3. communication went dead after that.

"We got word through one of the sisters in the film that the Diocese was not going to put our ad in, that they were uncomfortable," he said Thursday. "It's disappointing, I can't understand why the diocese wouldn't take pride in (the film)."

When asked why the weekly newspaper did not run the advertisement, Mary DeTurris Poust, director of Communications for the Diocese, said in an email that the decision "was made by the Evangelist, independent of the diocese."

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"However, it would not be unusual for a Catholic publication to hold off on running an ad for a film related to the Catholic Church that its publisher or editor have not screened," she wrote.

Viscio, who is a parishioner of St. Lucy/St. Bernadette, said in a press release that the film "is a powerful untold story that will change your perspective of women in the Church."

Since the diocese started the role of parish life directors, he said, "women have been leading, but are seldom held up, as the prominent example of the change that they represent."

The feature-length film was shot in the Altamont church and at other local places, including the state Capitol. It was screened on May 16 at the church for the film's participants and their families. It will be shown at Proctors at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. with proceeds going to the parish.Parades and services are planned throughout the Capital Region in the coming days to pay tribute to the nation's deceased veterans.

THURSDAY

Cohoes: Parade, step off at 7 p.m. Veterans Memorial Park, east along Columbia Street, north along Remsen Street to Canal Square and finish at the review stand. http://www.cohoes.com.

Greenwich: Parade, 6 p.m., begins with a ceremony at the Bridge over the Battenkill River, moves along Main Street to Abeel Avenue to the VFW Post 7291 building. http://www.greenwichchamber.org.

Rotterdam: Parade, 6:30 p.m. Starts at Mohonasen High School and ends at Sunrise Boulevard. http://rotterdamny.org.

Saratoga Springs: Parade, Congress Park, East Congress Street, Saratoga Springs. 6:30 p.m. Free. Staging on North Broadway, proceed through the center of city and finish in Congress Park with a ceremony at the memorial.

Schoharie: Parade 6:30 p.m. Free. Main Street, memorial ceremony follows at Main and Spring streets.

FRIDAY

Colonie: 10 a.m. Annual Postal Service Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony, Patriots Way near the customer entrance of the Albany General Mail Facility, 30 Karner Road. Opening remarks, playing of taps, singing of national anthem. Honors postal employee Jean Dubois, Navy veteran who died in 2005.

SATURDAY

Ballston Spa: Parade, 9 a.m. Wreath ceremony at the bridge over the Kayadeross Creek, then parade along Milton Avenue to Front Street, ending at the Memorial Park on Low Street. Parade organized by American Legion Post 234 and VFW Post 358. 518-885-5711.

East Greenbush: Parade, 10 a.m. From Spare Time Bowling to Greenbush Cemetery, 264 Columbia Turnpike or Hays Road Cemetery for memorial services. http://melvinroads1231.org.

Lake George: Parade, 11:30 a.m., ceremony at noon in Shepard Park on Canada Street.

MONDAY

Albany: annual parade at 10 a.m.on Central Avenue between Partridge Street and the state Education Building. hosted by the Tri-county Council of Vietnam Era Veterans.

Colonie: Albany Roman Catholic Diocese Bishop Edward Scharfenberger celebrates Mass, 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Angels Cemetery, 1389 Central Ave. Veterans invited to serve as lectors and Eucharistic ministers or participate in the presentation of gifts.

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Halfmoon: Annual ceremony at 11 a.m. at the Halfmoon American Legion Mohawk Post 1450, 275 Grooms Road, Halfmoon. Refreshments follow.

Bolton Landing: Parade, 10 a.m., Rogers Memorial Park, 4928 Lake Shore Drive, Bolton Landing. 518-615-0446.

Lansingburgh: 22nd annual parade at 11 a.m., starting at 123rd Street and 5th Avenue, Lansingburgh. 518-221-3428.

Rotterdam: Service, 2 p.m., Rotterdam Town Hall. An Open House, hosted by VFW Post 1895 and its auxiliary members, will follow at 609 Draper Ave. http://rotterdamny.org.

Colonie: Wreath laying, West Albany Memorial Park, Fairfield Avenue, Colonie. Noon Monday, May 28. The 19th annual wreath-laying event is hosted by the West Albany Italian Benevolent Society and Ladies Auxiliary.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30

Warrensburg: Parade, 9 a.m., starts at Warrensburg Firehouse, 18 Elm St., Warrensburg.

Not mentioned here? Send your holiday event listing to tucitydesk@timesunion.com.HEMPSTEAD  Democrats had President Donald J. Trump in their sights as their annual state convention wrapped up Thursday on Long Island.

New York is the alternative state to Trumps America, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo proclaimed in his concluding remarks, when he formally accepted the partys endorsement to seek a third term.

On Wednesday, Cuomo and celebrity activist Cynthia Nixon squared off in a procedural fight for the support of the Democratic establishment, which resulted in a one-sided knock out for the incumbent governor. But they are expected to square off again in September after Nixon said she will using the petitioning process to wage a primary against Cuomo.

Aside from some veiled references to Nixon, the governor focused on November and a potential showdown with Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, who officially received the Republican backing at their state convention in Manhattan on Wednesday.

Cuomo described Molinaro as mini-Trump and said he represented extreme conservatism. He argued that moderate Republicans were a thing of the past and that Albany Republicans were now pushing the Trump doctrine.

The governor also highlighted his progressive credentials, citing a list of self-proclaimed accomplishments during his first two terms as he pivoted to a vision for the next four years. He identified a gender identity anti-discrimination law, additional gun control measures and equitable school funding as some of his top priorities.

Nixons campaign pushed back against Cuomos version of history with fact checks during the speech that challenged his liberal bona fides.

Former Vice President Joe Biden defended the governors progressive record during his lengthy endorsement speech at the convention on Thursday.

While first touting his own progressive values, he said, Andrew Cuomo has never backed away from his progressive principles.

Bidens meandering but well-received remarks touched on Mario and Matilda Cuomo, provided a critique of the phony populism being pushed by Trump, and made an argument for government to create opportunities for all Americans.

Democratic Agenda

In addition to endorsing candidates on Wednesday, the state Democratic Party also adopted a series of positions, including support for the legalization of marijuana.

Nassau County Democratic Committee Chair Jay Jacobs, the former head of the party, said on Thursday that the marijuana measure is a reflection of society and local elected officials. "It's the sense of the party," he said. "It's not a mandate to candidates."

Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie agreed that New Yorkers' view on marijuana is evolving and said there has been polling that demonstrates the shift. A Siena Research Institute poll from April found that 52 percent of New Yorkers support legalization.

Heastie said the Assembly Democrats have discusses marijuana legalization, but argued it needed to be considered in the larger context that included criminal justice reforms. Heastie said the state should also address the fallout of putting people in jail or saddling them with criminal records for marijuana possession.

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Heastie said revenue from marijuana legalization could go to the general fund and there should be some targeted spending in communities impacted by marijuana crimes.

Last month, Nixon came out in favor of marijuana legalization. Cuomos view on the topic has evolved  he previously called it a gateway drug but this year he championed a study on legalization.

The Democrats also backed a resolution to kick Brooklyn Sen. Simcha Felder out of the party. The largely symbolic position, which can only be implemented at the county level, is in response to his support for the Republican majority in the state Senate.

Here you have someone who took the Democratic line, ran on it, won on it and immediately stood with the Republicans, said Jacobs, who has been chairman of the Nassau County Democratic Committee since 2001.

A separate resolution committed the state party to backing any primary challenger to Felder.

The Democrats put aside a resolution that would open their primaries to voters who werent affiliated with a party, which is a position pushed by the far-left wing of the party. Jacobs said it is a horrible idea and wished it came up for a vote so it could have been defeated overwhelmingly.

The party is not an open vessel, he said.

Jacobs said he does support rolling back restrictions in state law that require an unaffiliated voter to join the Democratic Party months before a primary election.

David.Lombardo@timesunion.com  518.454.5427 - @poozer87ROTTERDAM  A public information meeting for the Empire State Trail plan's effect on Rotterdam will be 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 7, at the Rotterdam Junction Volunteer Fire Co. station, 1215 Main Street.

According to a Department of Transportation letter on the town website, the trail, when completed by the end of 2020, will create a 750-mile bike and walking path from New York City to Canada and Albany to Buffalo.ALBANY  Even as a number of school districts are looking at doing so, the federal government is warning against creation of charitable trusts and other measures designed to counter new federal limits on tax deductions that came with the Trump/GOP tax cuts.

As a result, efforts by some high-tax school districts to ease the deductibility loss may be on hold.

Our recommendation is to take a wait and see approach given the uncertainty surrounding their legal status, especially given the IRS's recent pronouncement, Michael Borges, executive director of the state Association of School Business Officials said in an email Thursday, after the federal Internal Revenue Services warning came out earlier in the week.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo in April signed legislation that would let school districts set up charitable trusts that homeowners could donate to. Since such donations can be deducted from income taxes, the idea was to retain the historically large deductions that people get when they write off their school taxes.

That was needed because the new federal tax cuts came with a $10,000 cap on the deductibility of state and local taxes. Numerous homeowners, largely in the New York City suburbs of Westchester and Rockland counties as well as Long Island, pay annual school property taxes above $10,000. Losing that deductibility would be equal to a substantial tax hike and there are fears the increase could spark an exodus of people to lower-tax states.

The IRS, however, is now warning that it plans to scrutinize and issue guidance on the use of charitable contributions.

"Despite these state efforts to circumvent the new statutory limitation on state and local tax deductions, taxpayers should be mindful that federal law controls the proper characterization of payments for federal income tax purposes," the IRS warned in a notice issued on Wednesday.

There is no timetable for developing the new guidelines, however.

Municipalities as well as school districts could also set up charitable trusts under New Yorks plan, but much of the interest has focused on school districts since they typically consume a good two-thirds of most homeowners property tax bills.

Cuomo and other governors of Democratic-led states including New Jersey and California have repeatedly described the $10,000 deductibility limit as a political attack. Such states tend to have higher taxes and therefore use the deductions to a greater degree.

In addition to creation of charitable foundations, lawmakers in New York also want to allow employers to pay an added payroll tax in lieu of the state income tax paid by employees who earn more than $40,000. That could counter instances where high earning employees would see a higher tax bill if they could only deduct the first $10,000 of income tax payments.

All of these proposed workarounds have drawn criticism from observers who view them as overly complicated and legally questionable.

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As we have made clear in our research, state workarounds are legally dubious and make the tax code more complex and regressive, said Jared Walczak, senior policy analyst for the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C. group that studies tax policy.

Among the problems cited by Walczak is case law that says contributions are supposed to be for charitable reasons, which wouldnt include public school systems.

On the other hand, experts like Borges note that other states allow federal credits for donations to private or charter schools. Voiding school contributions in general could endanger that.

New York budget officials have tacitly admitted their workarounds may not fly. The 2018-19 state budget references what could be a "material expense" to the state if the IRS disallows the plans.

Politics arent far from the surface in these discussions. Several mostly Republican-led states including Florida, Georgia and Arizona allow tax credits for those who donate to private or charter school scholarship funds.

New York doesnt allow such credits, although state Republicans as well as some school reform activists have long pushed for that.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTUNEW YORK CITY  New York Republicans designated two men that have never held elected office as their candidates to run for state comptroller and attorney general during the party's annual nominating convention on Thursday in Manhattan.

Keith Wofford, a New York City attorney who announced earlier this week he would run for attorney general, was selected as the GOP nominee.

Political operative Jonathan Trichter, who until earlier this week was a registered Democrat, easily won the party's backing to be the Republican candidate for state comptroller.

Wofford emerged with more than 50 percent of the weighted vote following a county-by-county roll call.

Another candidate, attorney Joseph Holland, received more than 25 percent of the committee's delegate votes, which entitled him to be on the Republican primary ballot in September. But Holland declined to accept the designation and instead endorsed Wofford, telling reporters that he wanted to unify the party and help a Republican win the attorney general's seat for the first time since Dennis Vacco in 1998.

"The special circumstances deserved this kind of response," Holland said.

The candidates had decided in advance that there would be no primary, and the winner of Thursdays delegate vote would be the GOP nominee for attorney general. However, it's still possible for a candidate to petition on to the ballot for the Republican primary in September.

In his acceptance speech, Wofford said he would focus as attorney general on tackling public corruption, illegal drugs and violence.

"This seat is ours for the taking and we're here to take it," he said.

Wofford is co-managing partner of the 320-attorney New York office for an international law firm, Ropes & Gray, and focuses his work on bankruptcy and creditors' rights. Originally from Buffalo, he is also a graduate of Harvard Law School.

The attorney general's position became an uncertainty when Eric Schneiderman, a Democrat who was expected to coast to re-election, abruptly resigned this month, less than four hours after The New Yorker published a story alleging that he had physically assaulted women.

The state Democratic Party backed New York City Public Advocate Letitia James as its candidate this week for attorney general, although she still faces a September primary from at least two women, law professor Zephyr Teachout and former Cuomo administration official Leecia Eve.

After hand-wringing from some Republican county chairs about the possibility of nominating Trichter as the party's state comptroller candidate, he unanimously won the party nod.

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It helped his cause that Trichter, a longtime Democratic political operative who worked for former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, changed his voter registration from Democrat to Republican on Tuesday, just two days before the vote. He announced the party switch to GOP delegates in a question-and-answer session Thursday morning.

Some Republicans, such as Onondaga County GOP Chairman Tom Dadey, had criticized the fact that state GOP Chairman Ed Cox was backing Trichter even though he was a registered Democrat.

Attorney Manny Alicandro, who had been in the once-crowded Republican race for attorney general, decided on Thursday morning to make a bid instead for comptroller against Trichter. But he was apparently unable to get last-minute traction among Republican delegates and bowed out before the vote, leaving Trichter as the lone candidate.

"Well, that was easy," Trichter said, accepting the party nod. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I need a drink."

Another Republican could also still petition to get on the ballot, but observers said it's very likely Trichter will take on Democratic Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, who is a strong favorite to win re-election.

Trichter at one point had hinted at challenging DiNapoli in a Democratic primary. But Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long had been in Trichter's corner even before he registered as a Republican this week.A pig was taken into police custody after it was accused of stalking a human, who was so perplexed by his four-legged pursuer that he called 911 to report it.

"Yes," police said, "a pig."

The unusual case unfolded Saturday morning when a man called 911 and said that he was being followed on his way home from an Amtrak station in Ohio.

It made for a surreal emergency call.

"North Ridgeville Police," the dispatcher answered.

"Uh, hi, I'm walking from the Elyria train station to my house in North Ridgeville and a random pig just came up and started following me," the caller said.

Dispatcher: "A pig, you said?"

Caller: "Yes."

And then: "It seems very keen to stay with me, so . . ."

The dispatcher chuckled, then composed herself and told the man she would send an officer to the scene.

The North Ridgeville Police Department later suggested that it was at least a little skeptical about the call.

The man, according to police, said "he was being followed by a pig and didn't know what to do."

"A pig. Riiiight," the department wrote in a lighthearted Facebook post.

But, you know, protect and serve and all, and so, police said, "night shift responded to the obviously drunk guy walking home from the bar at 5:26 in the morning. He was at least drunk enough to call the police on himself while hallucinating."

And yet . . .

"Upon arrival, they found a very sober male walking eastbound on Center Ridge near Maddock Rd. from the actual Amtrak train station in Elyria, not the bar. Oh, and he was being followed by a pig."

Ryan Singley, the caller who reported the oddity, told Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS that the animal was friendly.

"It was staying close to me, rubbing against my legs, and was trying to climb up my legs to get me to pet her," he told the station, adding that the animal seemed pretty good-natured.

"She was very sweet and nice, and the responding officer was in good spirits about the whole thing," Singley said.

North Ridgeville Police Capt. Marti Garrow told The Washington Post on Monday that the pig is somebody's pet and that it had dug itself out of its fenced-in yard.

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Garrow said officers took the animal, which he said weighs between 35 and 50 pounds, to a dog kennel until its owners could pick it up.

The pig, identified by police as Zoey (or perhaps Zoe), has been returned to its home, he said.

In the end, police were not oblivious to the humor.

"We will mention the irony of the pig in a police car now so that anyone that thinks they're funny is actually unoriginal and trying too hard," the department said.

- - -

Video link:

https://wapo.st/2s2tT6PALBANY  Nearly a year after a New York City man bought the hulking eyesore punctuating the city skyline, the Central Warehouse continues to accrue back taxes while no plans for revitalizing it have been submitted.

Evan Blum purchased the vacant building off Montgomery Street for $1 in August under the name Phoenix of Albany LLC from Sunmark Federal Credit Union, according to Albany County records. At the time, Blum touted turning the 11-story warehouse into a massive art project on the outside and a hub for local artists to display their work inside.

When Blum bought the former food cold-storage site, he assumed the delinquent taxes that date back to 2011. The property has since accrued additional charges, bringing the total to $332,512, county records show.

Its all going to get resolved shortly. What were doing, were going to pay little by little, Blum said Thursday. Were in the process of finishing getting approvals that we need to get so we can generate funds.

Blum wasnt specific about what those approvals entail, but there are no building permits submitted to the city Building and Regulatory Compliance Department and no plans for reuse have been submitted to the planning department.

Albany County officials said the property isnt eligible for a payment plan to pay the back taxes incrementally because of how long theyve been left unpaid.

Im wrestling with a very unwieldy beast at the moment, Blum said. Were working on many things that are going to be very positive. It just requires a little bit of patience, and then everything will get taken care of.

Mayor Kathy Sheehan said she last spoke with Blum in February about grant opportunities he could possibly pursue.

"We know that this is a building that's going to require some help to be able to bring it back online, and we want to be as helpful as we can," she said, noting that the planning department as well as Capitalize Albany Corp. stands ready to assist.

Nothing has been submitted.

"Right now, we're not seeing any movement whatsoever, so it is a concern," Sheehan said.

Located between downtown and Interstate-787, the 500,000-square-foot building with its many broken windows is hard to miss. It has been vacant since at least the 1990s and repeatedly tagged by graffiti artists.

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For decades, the building has bounced to various owners with promises to put the property back into productive use  from retail to loft apartments. Yet nothing has panned out; developers facing a major rehab that possibly includes the removal of asbestos. Its gone into foreclosure at least twice, county records show.

"Clearly this is a key building that we want to see revitalized," Sheehan said, noting projects already in the works in the area like the Albany Skyway and Capital Repertory Theatre moving to the warehouse district. "Oftentimes these things can take longer than we anticipate and go more slowly than people want, but certainly there are funding resources available that have deadlines attached to them."

Blum remained confident that his plans will come to fruition, which is part of his growing eclectic business that involves plucking pieces of history from buildings in New York City before demolition.

The New York Times recently described Blum's business, Demolition Depot & Irreplaceable Artifacts, as having the nation's largest assortment of historic windows, doors, toilets, tubs and light fixtures, and even entire saloon bars, building facades and paneled room interiors once owned by the rich and famous.

Were going to do this in phases. First phase is to clean up the place, make it look presentable and get it to function, Blum said. I believe it will transform the arts scene up there.ALBANY  State labor officials, Gold Star mothers and other loved ones of fallen veterans gathered at the state office campus Wednesday to honor U.S. veterans.

The state Department of Labor hosted the the 25th annual Memorial Day Ceremony at 12:30 p.m. at the memorial stone for fallen members of all services outside Building 12.BETHLEHEM  Many visitors to Pine Hollow Arboretum in Slingerlands miss the most spectacular flowers because they sprawl across the rolling hills behind the home of its late founder, the beloved pediatrician Dr. John W. Abbuhl, who died in January. His widow, Kay, still lives in the house and the dogs bark when visitors approach.

But Kay Abbuhl wants visitors to open the wrought iron gate to the back yard  and acres of white and magenta azaleas, pink peonies the size of grapefruit, lily pads on a green pond, horse chestnut trees topped with red blossoms and endless purple, blue and gold wildflowers. A green heron with feathers that shimmer like polished jade eats frogs by one of the ponds. Each leaf on the tricolor chestnut tree is pink, white and green.

"Just ignore the barking," Abbuhl said as she greeted visitors.

Abbuhl is donating her home at the end of quiet Pine Hollow Road to the arboretum and the public. She will move into the small house on Maple Avenue  currently the entrance of the arboretum  which now serves as an administrative office for the director and volunteers. Admission to the arboretum will still be free.

Pine Hollow Arboretum Where: The visitors center is at 16 Maple Ave, Slingerlands, N.Y. 12159. But visitors are welcome even when the center is closed. Pick up a map behind the center at the kiosk by the patio. Grounds open: Daily, dawn to dusk, 365 days a year. Visitor Center hours: Open, when possible, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays, noon-6 p.m. Sundays, April thru October. Admission: Free, but a donation of $5 is deeply appreciated. More info: www.pinehollowarboretum.org See More Collapse

"We call this the birthplace of the arboretum because this is where Dr. Abbuhl planned the trees he would plant and the layout of the paths," said arboretum Director Lauren Axford as she stepped through the gate onto a flagstone patio facing a hillside waterfall and man-made pool. "His first love was trees but when he saw the wildflowers, he was inspired."

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Multi-colored blooms splashed across the hill as bright as an exploded paintbox. Late blooming snowdrops and a path from the patio wind down a hill and past ponds, forest glades and meadows blanketed with wildflowers. Lily-of-the-valley and jack-in-the-pulpit hide in the shade under an incense tree whose peeling bark exudes a sweet scent. Dr. Abbuhl built a half moon bridge over one pond that he patterned after Claude Monet's in Giverny, France, after the Impressionist painter was rich enough to have a dream house surrounded by flowery fields.

"We have artists who set up their canvases out here in the fields and by the ponds and there are a group of poets meeting up there," Axford says nodding toward the top of the hill. "We want to open the arboretum up for more events this year after we move into the bigger house. And there is a lot of work projects we would love to do if we can get some grants and volunteers."

Her hardworking groundskeeper has pulled up several trashbags full of wild garlic mustard, a edible but invasive plant. And Axford would love anyone who has a use for it to come harvest it so it won't take over an entire pasture. But one of the arboretum's charms is its wildness. And the spring blooms are at their peak for the next two weeks. After that, they will be replaced by whatever Mother Nature chooses for summer.New York

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro won the Republican nomination for New York governor on Wednesday, promising that if elected he would take on corruption and entrenched special interests while working for "everyday New Yorkers" of every political affiliation.

The 42-year-old Molinaro is a former state lawmaker whose political career began at age 19 when he was elected mayor of the Hudson Valley community of Tivoli. Delegates to the state Republican convention nominated him on the first day of the two-day gathering in a Manhattan ballroom.

"I don't come from wealth or fame. I wasn't born into a political dynasty. I'm no film or television star. I'm just an everyday New Yorker with a calling and some hard-earned know-how," Molinaro told delegates in his acceptance speech. "I have no interest in ideology for ideology sake. That doesn't solve problems, people do."

Molinaro's comments targeted two potential rivals in November: two-term Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat and son of the late Gov. Mario Cuomo, and "Sex and the City" star and political activist Cynthia Nixon, who is challenging Cuomo in the September primary.

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Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in New York by more than 2-1, meaning Molinaro will have to appeal to voters from outside his party if he hopes to prevail. Republicans haven't held a statewide office in New York since former Gov. George Pataki left office in 2006.

Pataki addressed the convention shortly before Molinaro accepted the nomination. He called Albany the nation's most corrupt capital city and dismissed talk about Molinaro's uphill challenge, noting that he was also considered a longshot when he defeated the elder Cuomo in 1994.

Molinaro, who is married and has three children, initially announced he would not run for governor but changed his mind. He quickly emerged as the GOP front runner.Albany police have been assisting in the search for a Vermont murder suspect since the mans car was discovered in the city last week.

On May 18, Albany Police discovered a Nissan Pathfinder belonging to Leroy Headley on Sherman Street. Police confirmed the discovery on Thursday.You know what they say  don't mint your North Korea peace summit novelty coins until North Korea stops threatening nuclear war.

That's a lesson the White House appears to have learned the hard way this week. With Trump having announced the June 12 summit in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is not to be, the coins minted to commemorate the historic occasion are now on sale at a discount.

MORE: Trump cancels North Korean summit, citing 'open hostility'

"If Summit Does Not Occur You can Request a Refund but Most Supporters Have Said They Want This Heirloom of Political History Regardless of Outcome," the item description reads, a little defensively.

Now the coins and their "perfectly baked enamels" can be yours for the low low cost of $19.95 (and also global stability), down from $24.95, so it would seem the international community's loss is the novelty coin collector's gain in this case. Gold-plated commemorative ornaments are also on sale at $59, down from $85.

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Apparently this price cut sparked some interest because the White House Gift Shop site was down for some time on Thursday morning due to high volume of visitors, according to an error message on the page. And the coins only say 2018 on them, so technically, if the summit is rescheduled this year  a possibility Trump has suggested he's open to  they could still be legitimate.

So go ahead and get 'em while you can  the perfect gift! Nothing says "nothing matters and we're all going to die" like souvenirs from a nuclear peace summit that's no longer happening. Also on sale today? An impressive array of bomber jackets. Let's all hope that's not an omen of what's to come.

Filipa Ioannou is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at fioannou@sfchronicle.com and follow her on Twitter[May 23, 2018] New York University Scientists Trace Cybercrime Banking Networks and Win Best Research Paper Award

New York University researchers at the Anti-Phishing Working Group's (APWG) cybercrime research conference, in San Diego California, demonstrated their method for exposing bank accounts used to clear payments for purchase of counterfeit goods on the Internet, and brought home the conference award for best electronic crime research paper. The paper, "Bullet-Proof Payment Processing," describes how the research team deployed secret shoppers to purchase counterfeit goods online and trace the venues that mediated the payments for their purchases to locate the merchant accounts that cleared the stealth customer's payments. The authors, Dr. Damon McCoy and Hongwei Tian of New York University's Tandon School of Engineering and D. Sean West and Stephen M. Gaffigan of SMGPA found that their research program wasn't as simple as shooting tracers in the cloud, as the corrupt merchants quickly responded with evasive action. "Anything you try - they adapt to - and try to stay in business," said Dr. McCoy on the floor of the 13th annual APWG Symposium on Electronic Crime Research last Thursday after receiving the award on behalf of his team. "We found these third parties who we know are serving counterfeit goods merchants, with expertise in setting up shell companies and merchant accounts at banks. These facilitators and payment processors know that people like us are trying to detect and close down those merchant accounts and want to detect and block our test purchasers," McCoy said. McCoy said disrupting the payment mechanisms is singularly efficient because of the degree of resources that have to be expended in their replacement, including fake companies and bank accounts that require extensive cost and process to restore. Replacing a website or suspended domain name is relatively trivial in comparison, McCoy observed. Honorable mention was also awarded to Pranshu Bajpai, Michigan State University, Aditya K Sood, SecNiche Security, and Richard Enbody, Michigan State University for their paper "A Key-Management-Based Taxonomy for Ransomware." These researchers' work are exemplars of the kind of applied research that has been proceeding from the symposium since its inception in 2006 at the APWG's annual conference in Orlando, Florida, which focused initially on the technologies of cybercrime and defenses against it. APWG eCrime is one of the only peer-reviewed academic conferences to focus on research of electronic crime as its own discipline. The competition was fierce from researchers from industry and academia, with accepted papers from Michigan State University, University of Washington at Bothell, Arizona State University, Nile University, University of Ottawa, Forcepoint, Cisco Umbrella Research, New York University / SMPGA, University of Oxford, Universidat Nacional del Sur, IBM, PayPal (News - Alert) , PhishMe, SecNiche, and Data Metrics. Since 2006, the scope of the topical spaces formally cited on the sympoium's call for papers (CFP) has expanded incrementally while maintaining the insistence on relevance to the principal focus on cybercrime. This year, the CFP added to the subjects of interest at the conference: user psychology, crypto currencies and public policy dimensions of cybercrime research.



APWG Secretary General Peter Cassidy, founder of the conference, said, "As an applied research conference for academia and industry, we pursue expansion of scope only to the extent that the topics are representative of the experience in the field. The next extension of our CFP will likely include artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies." The Symposium on Electronic Crime Research was conceived as a comprehensive venue to present state-of-the-art basic and applied research into electronic crime, engaging every aspect of its development as well as technologies and techniques for electronic crime detection, related forensics and prevention.

The symposium brings together the most heterogeneous community of counter-cybercrime stakeholders to confer over the latest research, to foster collaborations, to provide a convenient venue for funding agencies to connect with leading principal investigators in the field - and to introduce leading minds to member companies of the APWG who may employ them. About the APWG The APWG, founded in 2003 as the Anti-Phishing Working Group, is the global industry, law enforcement, and government coalition focused on unifying the global response to electronic crime. Membership is open to qualified financial institutions, online retailers, ISPs and Telcos, the law enforcement community, solutions providers, multi-lateral treaty organizations, research centers, trade associations and government agencies. There are more than 2,200 companies, government agencies and NGOs participating in the APWG worldwide. The APWG's <www.apwg.org> and <education.apwg.org> websites offer the public, industry and government agencies practical information about phishing and electronically mediated fraud as well as pointers to pragmatic technical solutions that provide immediate protection. The APWG is co-founder and co-manager of the Stop. Think. Connect. Messaging Convention, the global online safety public awareness collaborative <https://education.apwg.org/safety-messaging-convention/> and founder/curator of the eCrime Researchers Summit, the world's only peer-reviewed conference dedicated specifically to electronic crime studies <www.ecrimeresearch.org>. APWG advises hemispheric and global trade groups and multilateral treaty organizations such as the European Commission, the G8 High Technology Crime Subgroup, Council of Europe's Convention on Cybercrime, United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Europol EC3 and the Organization of American States. APWG is a member of the steering group of the Commonwealth Cybercrime Initiative at the Commonwealth of Nations. Among APWG's corporate sponsors are: Among APWG's corporate sponsors include: AhnLab, Area 1, AT&T (T), Afilias Ltd., Avast!, AVG Technologies, Axur, Baidu Antivirus, BANDURA Systems, Bangkok Bank, BBN Technologies, Barracuda Networks, BillMeLater, Bkav, Blue Coat, BrandMail, BrandProtect, Bsecure Technologies, CSC Digital Brand Services, Check Point Software Technologies, Claro, Cloudmark, Comcast, CrowdStrike, CSIRTBANELCO, Cyber Defender, CYREN, Cyveillance, DNS Belgium, DigiCert, Domain Tools, Donuts, Duo Security, Easy Solutions, PayPal, eCert, EC Cert, ESET, EST Soft, Facebook, FeelSafe Digital, FEBRABAN, Fortinet, FraudWatch International, F-Secure (News - Alert) , GetResponse, GlobalSign, GoDaddy, Google, Hauri, Hitachi Systems, Ltd., Huawei, ICANN, Identity Guard, Infoblox, IronPort (Cisco), Infoblox, Intel (INTC), Interac, IT Matrix, iThreat Cyber Group, iZOOlogic, KnowBe4, LaCaixa, Lenos Software, LookingGlass, MX Tools, MailChannels, MailJet, MailChimp, MailShell, MailUp, MarkMonitor (TRI), Melbourne IT, MessageLevel, Microsoft (MSFT), MicroWorld, Mimecast, Mirapoint, NHN, NZRS, MyPW, nProtect Online Security, Netcraft, Network Solutions, NeuStar, Nominet, Nominum (News - Alert) , NZRS Limited, Public Interest Registry, Panda Software, Phishlabs, PhishMe, Planty.net, Prevalent, Prevx, Proofpoint, Psafe, RSA Security ( EMC (News - Alert) ), Rakuten, RedMarlin, Return Path, RiskIQ, RuleSpace, SalesForce, SecureBrain, SendGrid, S21sec, SIDN, SilverPop, SiteLock, SnoopWall, SoftForum, SoftLayer, SoftSecurity, SOPHOS, SunTrust, SurfControl, Symantec (News - Alert) (SYMC), TDS Telecom, Telefonica (TEF), ThreatSTOP, TransCreditBank, Trend Micro (TMIC), Trustwave, UITSEC, Vasco (VDSI), VADE-RETRO, VeriSign (VRSN), Wombat Security Technologies, ZIX, and zvelo. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180523006498/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 23, 2018] AllSpark - a new blockchain ecology for content creators, advertisers and social media users - releases its white paper

SHANGHAI, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- AllSpark launches a brand-new ecology designed to merge the worlds of content creation, digital media and marketing using blockchain technology. Using blockchain to bring in a new era of connectivity Despite leaps in the quality of Internet technology, most content creators and communicators in the age of social media can't obtain deserving benefits. All the while, the cost of advertiser marketing is getting higher and higher. To remedy the problems faced by today's digital media industry, AllSpark will introduce a non-profit industry chain based on Wanchain's code. It will have transaction privacy protection and Ethereum smart contract features already implemented by Wanchain, all while utilizing an improved DPOS principle. What differentiates AllSpark from other industry-related blockchains is its ability to form a perfectly reciprocal relationship between advertisers, content creators and self-media. A portion of the dividends generated by each transaction on the chain is allotted to each party in the production relationship, according to the specific terms laid out in the smart contract. The Foundation of the AllSpark chain will initially create a series of general smart contract templates for user convenience. As the AllSpark ecosystem develops, professional DApps will provide related templates from which they can profit, thus creating an environment where the utility and complexity of smart contracts will steadily increase. Regarding storing various content, AllSpark introdues an IPFS distributed storage contract. Users will feel comfortable storing their content on local servers, cloud servers, or third-party DApp servers because of a decentralized storage mechanism that will protect the copyrights of content creators. In addition, smart contracts, similar to Ethereum/Wanchain, can support content creators, distribution channels, advisors, or content consumers to handle confirmation of interest and forced distribution on the AllSpark chain, thus protecting the interests of all parties involved.



To ensure that AllSpark is in compliance with various countries' regulations, the AI provided at the initial stage will be used to monitor all incoming contents. That way, the AllSpark platform is in full compliance with laws related to reviewing and controlling open content around the world. Fully empowering individual creativity and communication

The operating principle of AllSpark is to enable the supply-and-demand relationship between content and information to form a stable connection with value, ensuring the safety and validity of all steps along the blockchain. Smart and effective use of advertisers' money The traditionally trustless relationship between advertisers and publishers presents a perfect opportunity for blockchain to intervene. Monitoring ROI will be fully transparent; measuring the successes and failures of a campaign will be much simpler. Regarding DApps In the early stage of network development, AllSpark will provide a universal DApp that supports standard functions, including wallet functions, content upload functions, content evaluation functions, transaction settlement, and data query functions. With the development of the ecology, AllSpark encourages and invites more ecological stakeholders to provide users with more personalized DApps. An elite team integrates global media resources AllSpark's core team has rich experience in global digital media operations, working as an agent of platforms like Baidu, Tencent, Google, and Facebook in China. AllSpark works closely with more than 90 thousand self- media and publishes 7 thousand pieces of content on various platforms daily. AllSpark also boasts an elite team of experts and consultants from companies like Twitter, Microsoft, Citrix, iQiyi, and more. Due to its exceptional advantages, AllSpark has obtained the favor of many cornerstone investors including WANFund (a Wanchain investment fund), Leading Capital and Lianmeng Investment Group. https://t.me/allsparkchat

https://twitter.com/allsparkchain

https://www.facebook.com/allsparkchain

https://www.allsparkchain.com Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20180523/2141216-1 SOURCE AllSpark

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 23, 2018] AllSpark, a revolutionary new blockchain ecology for content creators, advertisers and social media users, released its white paper.

SHANGHAI, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- AllSpark launches a brand-new ecology designed to merge the worlds of content creation, digital media and marketing using blockchain technology. "Blockchain created a new era where you can accomplish incredible things with your ideas," AllSpark co-founder Yuan Jing said. "The idea of AllSpark is to gather all of humanity's creativity in a place where it can be shared to generate value. We want to make everybody's social network produce value while simultaneously minimizing the cost of all advertisers around the world." With the advent of blockchain technology comes the opportunity to create lasting solutions to problems once thought unsolvable. If blockchain is to fix the problems plaguing content creators, sharers and advertisers, it will be a solution that can successfully enclose all three into one single, reciprocal ecosystem. Using blockchain to bring in a new era of connectivity With the rapid development of Internet technology, the media sector has long since moved from linear to multi-dimensional, network-based communication systems. But despite these leaps, most content creators and communicators in the age of social media cannot obtain deserving benefits. All the while, the cost of advertiser marketing is getting higher and higher. These woes are solved on AllSpark's distributed platform because content creators, content communicators, and content consumers can freely complete content matching transactions by freely setting up different transaction mechanisms. Ultimately, the free market mechanism determines the value of the content, so that content creators and communicators receive economic returns. AllSpark Chain is a non-profit industry chain. The in-depth customization based on Wanchain's code will draw on the transaction privacy protection and Ethereum smart contract features already implemented by Wanchain. At the same time, it utilizes an improved DPOS principle to carry out certain transformations. Regarding storing various content, AllSpark introduces an IPFS distributed storage contract. Users will feel comfortable storing their content on local servers, cloud servers, or third-party DApp servers because of a decentralized storage mechanism that will protect the copyrights of content creators. In addition, smart contracts, similar to Ethereum/Wanchain, can support content creators, distribution channels, advisors, or content consumers to handle confirmation of interest and forced distribution on the AllSpark chain, thus protecting the interests of all parties involved. The Foundation of the AllSpark chain will initially create a series of general smart contract templates for user convenience. As the AllSpark ecosystem develops, professional DApps will provide related templates from which they can profit, thus creating an environment where the utility and complexity of smart contracts will steadily increase. Also, more DApp technique providers will emerge to present whole new methods of transforming traditional Apps into DApps on the AllSpark Chain. In addition, the AI provided at the initial stage will be used to monitor all incoming content. That way, the AllSpark platform is in full compliance withlaws related to reviewing and controlling open content in various countries. The evaluation mechanism of AllSpark is also an integral part of the chain's design. It's possible to evaluate original content through the positive incentive mechanism of rewards, which helps the sharer and consumer to better identify top-notch content and thus decide on a proper reward.



By employing blockchain to build a distributed platform for content creation, AllSpark solves the problems facing content creators and distributors that were previously unsolvable. On the AllSpark platform, content creators, distributors, and consumers can participate in a revolutionary economy of pure content trading wherein various mechanisms of their choice are established. Thereafter, the free market will determine the content's value and related creators and distributors can see proportionate returns. The AllSpark Token

The AllSpark Token (ASK) plays multiple roles in the AllSpark platform: The first is the original "fuel" of AllSpark's public chain, providing package incentives and fueling smart contract consumption; it is an essential Utility Token. ASK is also a countermeasure for all parties in the chain to confirm and allocate equity. The value of ASK is used to measure the distribution of rights and interests of all parties. In addition, ASK is the most convenient tool for transnational collaboration and sharing of benefits. At present, cross-border cooperation and settlement is a huge issue under traditional conditions. With ASK, the difficulties in cross-border settlement can be solved smoothly. Finally, ASK is an essential driving force for ecological incentives; for content uploads, rewards for excellent evaluations, and completion of collaborative tasks. Fully empowering individual creativity and communication If the Internet is what shapes self-media, then it will be the bottom-layer technology of blockchain that provides a platform where everyone can realize their full potential. The operating principle of AllSpark is to enable the supply-and-demand relationship between content and information to form a stable connection with value, ensuring the safety and validity of all steps along the blockchain. This leads to the protection of creator copyrights and creates value in information transformation. Through AllSpark, top-level creators will earn a higher income and are further incentivized to create better content. AllSpark doesn't only focus on content creation and distribution; it can also transform conventional production relations and production patterns throughout many industries. In other words, AllSpark can also be applied in all industries by matching incongruent demands. Smart and effective use of advertisers' money The traditionally trustless relationship between advertisers and publishers presents a perfect opportunity for blockchain to intervene. Monitoring ROI will be fully transparent, so measuring the successes and failures of a campaign will be much simpler. The entire process from autonomous authoring (UGC) to individual distribution (self-sharing) to C-side acceptance of information payment is monitored by the blockchain system. In conjunction with confirmation, smart control protection is provided for commercial transformation of advertiser content. Regarding DApps DApps are an important part of the AllSpark ecosystem. In the early stage of network development, AllSpark will provide a universal DApp that supports standard functions, including wallet functions, content upload functions, content evaluation functions, transaction settlement, and data query functions. With the development of the ecology, AllSpark encourages and invites more ecological stakeholders to provide users with more personalized DApps. DApps will include those designed for vertical content, such as music, advertising cash-outs, and those used to match content creators, communicators and advertisers. Other DApps, such as those providing copyright transactions, content search, data analysis, social networking, etc., will also emerge and find their place in the AllSpark ecosystem. An elite team integrates global media resources AllSpark's core team has rich experience in global digital media operations. The project development company has 11 years of experience as a digital media agency and is an overseas agent for Baidu, Tencent, Google, and Facebook in China. Since 2015, the companies controlled by the AllSpark team have started their own media operations and advertising business in cooperation with more than 90,000 self- media. Since 2017, the team has provided content for the largest news apps in China, including Tencent News (240 million MAU) and Baidu (420 million MAU). It provides an average of 7,000 pieces of content each day on various platforms. The various original content creators amass a team of 5,000 individuals and teams. AllSpark also has an elite team of experts and consultants, including former Twitter Greater China Managing Director, Microsoft Greater China Vice President, current Citrix Global Vice President Kathy Chen, current Vice President of iQiyi , Xiao Chen, plus more than ten relevant industry elites. Based on the extensive industry experience accumulated over many years, the founding team recognizes the rigorous demands and pain points of the digital communication industry. AllSpark can solve the many problems in each sector of this industry by integrating resources from all concerned parties, thus realizing the ambitious plans of the first AllSpark batch. Due to its exceptional advantages, AllSpark has obtained the favor of many cornerstone investors including WANFund (a Wanchain investment fund), Leading Capital and Lianmeng Investment Group. In short, AllSpark can enable all creativity and distribution to produce value and be shared by all human beings. Telegram Chat: https://t.me/allsparkchat

Twitter: https://twitter.com/allsparkchain

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allsparkchain

Website: https://www.allsparkchain.com Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20180523/2141167-1 SOURCE AllSpark

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 23, 2018] Bangkok's suburban train will boost its capacity by up to 40% with Thales

State Railway of Thailand entrusts the safety of the Red Line suburban train to Thales' ETCS

entrusts the safety of the Red Line suburban train to Thales' ETCS As the first electrified main line for railways on the SRT network, the ETCS system will ensure highest safety standards and boost capacity by up to 40%

It will be the third ETCS project in Thailand BANGKOK, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Thailand's main rail operator, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), will adopt the European Train Control System (ETCS), ensuring the highest safety standards of operation. Through a contract signed with Nippon Signal, Thales will deliver the ETCS on two section of the Red Line suburban train in Bangkok, totaling a distance of 41 km. The Red Line commuter train system is a suburban rail project proposed by the SRT to address traffic congestion and encourage a shift from road transport to urban rail. The line is expected to serve 131,000 commuters daily when it goes into service. As part of Bangkok's Mass Rapid Transit Master Plan which aims to develop an urban rail transit network to serve metropolitan Bangkok and its surrounding urban areas, the Red Line is the first line which is fully integrated into SRT's conventional main line rail network. On the Red Line, new electrical commuter trains will run as well as long distance passenger trains. It will consist of the following two lines: North Line (from Rangsit to Bang Sue) and West Line (from Bang sue to Taling Chan). The Thales ETCS system will ensure the highest safety standards for railway transport on the complete line. 25 new electric multiple unit trains and two existing nonelectrified vehicles will be equipped with Thales ETCS on-board system, resulting in a total of 53 on-board units. Being fit for the future, they will run in a pure Level 1 configuration but can easily be adapted for Level 2. The Red Line sections to be equipped are partly built in a four-track alignment and the remainder as a double-track line. The signalling part is planned to be finished in 2020.



Thales stands ready to support SRT's plans for growth. With proven signalling competencies and international market knowledge based on previous partnerships with Nippon Signal and earlier ETCS installations for SRT in Thailand, Thales hopes to enhance the technology and expertise delivered to the Thai transportation industry. "As Thailand develops its transportation infrastructure to support a growing urban population, Thales continues to be a committed partner to the country, as we've done for close to 30 years across various businesses. We are supporting Thailand's ambitions in developing a robust urban rail network, and providing systems that ensure the highest level of safety to the SRT's commuters. We look forward to working closely with our partner Nippon Signal to bring the Red Line to the Thai people."

-- Tommy Ayouty, Country Director of Thales in Thailand.

Notes to editors: about the European Train Control System (ETCS)

ETCS was developed to promote interoperability across Europe but it is being rapidly adopted by operators worldwide whether they have borders to cross or not. More trains : ETCS boosts the capacity of existing networks by up to 40%.

: ETCS boosts the capacity of existing networks by up to 40%. Reliability improvements : radio-based communications and reduced infrastructure means there's less to go wrong.

: radio-based communications and reduced infrastructure means there's less to go wrong. Open supply market : trackside and on-board equipment is produced by multiple suppliers in a competitive market place.

: trackside and on-board equipment is produced by multiple suppliers in a competitive market place. Impact on life cycle cost: elimination of trackside equipment, including signals; means reduced maintenance costs. About Thales

The people we all rely on to make the world go round -- they rely on Thales. Our customers come to us with big ambitions: to make life better, to keep us safer.

Combining a unique diversity of expertise, talents and cultures, our architects design and deliver extraordinary high technology solutions. Solutions that make tomorrow possible, today. From the bottom of the oceans to the depth of space and cyberspace, we help our customers think smarter and act faster - mastering ever greater complexity and every decisive moment along the way. With 64,000 employees in 56 countries, Thales reported sales of EUR15.8 billion in 2017.

About Thales in Thailand

Thales has been present in Thailand since the early 1990s and the Group opened its representative office in Bangkok in 2005. In Thailand, Thales has significant programmes and achievements in the civil and defence sectors and works closely with key Thai partners across the markets of aerospace, defence, space and transportation. SOURCE Thales

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 23, 2018] Ant Financial partners with China Everbright Bank and Everbright Technology to facilitate the bank's digital transformation

HANGZHOU, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 23, Ant Financial Services Group ("Ant Financial") has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with China Everbright Bank Co., Ltd ("China Everbright Bank") and Everbright Technology Co., Ltd. ("Everbright Technology"), a fintech subsidiary of China Everbright Group, to facilitate China Everbright Bank's digital transformation. Under the agreement, Ant Financial will share its financial-grade technological capabilities and knowhow with China Everbright Bank to help it develop private and hybrid cloud platforms, scalable open financial architecture, Internet finance architecture, and mobile architecture, as well as AI-driven applications, smart risk management systems, and financial-grade biometric verification. Speaking at the Ant Fortune Open Platform Conference in 2017, Ant Financial's CEO, and now also Executive Chairman, Eric Jing, said, "Every aspect of the technology we have developed will one by one be opened up to current and potential partners. For us, the only criterion as to whom we partner with is whether that partnership is innovaive enough to deliver value to users."



Ant Financial's technology-based solutions allow financial institutions to deliver services, from payments to risk management, efficiently and at scale. In payments, for instance, Alipay, the mobile payment and lifestyle platform under Ant Financial, was comfortably able to process a record breaking 256,000 transactions per second at the peak of the 2017 Single's Day Shopping Festival. On May 18, 2018, Huabei, Ant Financial's consumer finance service, announced it would partner with various financial institutions, including banks, to provide consumer financing solutions. Launched in December 2014, Huabei offers a revolving line of credit to Alipay users for online and offline purchases.

In the same month, Alipay introduced two new money market funds managed by Zhong Ou Asset Management and Bosera Asset Management to Yu'e Bao, a spare cash management platform within the Alipay app. About Ant Financial Ant Financial Services Group is focused on serving small and micro enterprises, as well as individuals. Ant Financial is dedicated to bringing the world more equal opportunities through building a technology-driven open ecosystem and working with other financial institutions to support the future financial needs of society. Ant Financial and our partners serve 800 million users worldwide. Brands under Ant Financial Services Group include Alipay, Ant Fortune, Zhima Credit and MYbank. For more information on Ant Financial, please visit our website at www.antfin.com or follow us on Twitter @AntFinancial. Media Inquiries

Bell Wang

International Communications

+86 13810385201

yixing.wl@antfin.com

Fanny Wu

International Communications

+86 13910268281

chen.wc@antfin.com SOURCE Ant Financial

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] Point Nine Announces Highlights of Second Annual Conference for 'Investor Services and Regulation: Challenges of the Buy-Side'

LIMASSOL, Cyprus, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Investor Services and Regulation: Challenges of the Buy-Side" Conference took place on April 27th, 2018 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Limassol, Cyprus. Point Nine aimed to use the conference to share their guest speakers and panelists' knowledge with the local market, and to bring international key players into contact with local market participants. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/694342/Point_Nine_Logo.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/694343/Point_Nine_Second_Annual_Conference.jpg )

The conference offered an agenda that focused on fundamental aspects relating to Investor Services, such as the advanced knowledge and understanding of the latest regulation and compliance issues affecting the buy-side. The event hosted various delegates from financial institutions based in Cyprus and also distinguished speakers from abroad, including MUFG, Commerzbank, Deutsche Boerse AG/Clearstream Banking S.A, CME and others. The conference's primary focus can be summarised through the benefit of advanced knowledge and understanding of the latest regulation and compliance issues affecting the buy-side, and the key insights and guidance for the practical considerations of the buy-side from renowned professionals. The conference then concluded with an overview of the fnd industry and guidance on the process required for the establishment of a fund in Cyprus.



With content suitable for delegates ranging from Alternative Investment Fund Managers to Members of the Board of Directors, key speakers included: Andreas J Yiasemides , Partner, PwC Cyprus: The role of the fund administration and the tax implications in Cyprus

, Partner, PwC Cyprus: The role of the fund administration and the tax implications in Fabian Klar , Vice President, Business Development Management, REGIS-TR S.A.: SFTR - A harder version of EMIR?

, Vice President, Business Development Management, REGIS-TR S.A.: SFTR - A harder version of EMIR? Jonathan Thursby , Global Head, CME Group: Global Repository Service

Global Head, CME Group: Global Repository Service Ben Griffiths , Managing Director, Global Head of Fund Financing, MUFG Investor Services: Fund Financing

, Managing Director, Global Head of Fund Financing, MUFG Investor Services: Fund Financing Dr Andreas Charalambous , Director of Financial Stability, Ministry of finance of Cyprus .

Dr Hagen Tiller said: "The conference provided a very good overview of the upcoming regulatory challenges but also of the business opportunities. The panel discussion made clear that after EMIR and MiFID2/R there is still work to do in particular with regard to SFTR. A new reporting methodology with new data fields need information from different systems and data sources and require the implementation of new reporting processes. All panelists agree that there is hardly enough time for the implementation if the respective projects have not already started."

Damien Gillespie commented: "This excellent conference covered a wide range of subjects, including current financial industry trends whilst reviewing upcoming regulation and new technology developments. Cyprus is a growing financial services centre and is well positioned to benefit. The Point Nine team hosted a fantastic event, well done to all the team." About Point Nine Point Nine is an industry leader in post-trade processing and regulatory reporting. Founded in 2002, Point Nine partners with both buy side and sell side firms to help them address the ever-expanding challenges of post-trade processing and regulatory reporting. A fully cloud based fintech provider, Point Nine currently offers technology and managed services to more than 70 customers across the globe including Hedge Funds, Asset Managers, Brokers and Banks. For more information, please visit http://www.p9ft.com. Contact

Andreas Roussos

Andreas.roussos@p9ft.com

+357-25752991



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] VantagePoint Software Donates $10,000 to Shriners Hospitals for Children

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla., May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VantagePoint Software, the global leader of artificial intelligence trading technologies, announced a $10,000 surprise donation to Shriners Hospitals for Children. The donation is in addition to weekly donations VantagePoint has been making since June 2017.

Everyone at VantagePoint Software feels honored to support Shriners Hospitals for Children. Shriners is recognized as one of the worlds greatest philanthropies because they are devoted to expert care, research, and improving the lives of children, Lane Mendelsohn, President of VantagePoint said. Shriners provides excellent care, regardless of a familys ability to pay. Knowing that were helping this cause makes us all feel great. Market Technologies, the company behind VantagePoint Software, which has been family owned and operated for nearly 40 years, began donating a percentage of its software sales to Shriners Hospitals for Children on a regular basis in June 2017. Mendelsohn surprised VantagePoint Software customers and Shriners associates by presenting a $0,000 check during VantagePoints annual three-day Power Trader Seminar at the companys Tampa headquarters.



We began the partnership with Shriners 10 months ago and have continued supporting this worthy organization because our employees find it extremely fulfilling, Mendelsohn said. We see the successes and positive difference Shiners is making for children and we feel strongly about being a part of that. The Mendelsohn family has invested over $629,634 since 2007. Market Technologies, which also offers 100% paid healthcare, and free breakfasts for employees, was recently recognized as a 2018 Top Workplace by The Tampa Bay Times and a Best Place To Work by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. The award was based on anonymous surveys completed by employees.

Learn more at https://www.vantagepointsoftware.com/ or by calling 800-732-5407. About Market Technologies

Headquartered in Wesley Chapel, Fla., Market Technologies, creator of VantagePoint Software, is a pioneer and leader in trading software research and software development. VantagePoint forecasts Stocks, Futures, Forex, ETFs and cryptocurrencies with proven forecasting accuracy of up to 86%. Using artificial intelligence, VantagePoints patented Neural Network processes predicts changes in market trend direction up to three days in advance, enabling traders to get in and out of trades at optimal times with greater confidence. MEDIA CONTACT

Jen Aquilino

Communications Specialist

JenA@vantagepointsoftware.com

8139730496

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] Protalix Announces Exchange and Discharge of Remaining 2018 Notes

CARMIEL, Israel, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (the Company) (NYSE American:PLX) (TASE:PLX) announced today that $3.42 million of the aggregate principal amount of the Companys outstanding 4.5% Convertible Senior Notes due 2018 (the Notes) will be exchanged for 2,613,636 shares of the Companys common stock and $2.27 million in cash. Additionally, the Company announced today that it has delivered the necessary funds under the indenture governing the Notes to effectively discharge the remaining outstanding Notes. Additional details regarding the exchange can be found in the Companys Form 8-K to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

About Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. Protalix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of recombinant therapeutic proteins expressed through its proprietary plant cell-based expression system, ProCellEx. Protalixs unique expression system presents a proprietary method for developing recombinant proteins in a cost-effective, industrial-scale manner. Protalixs first product manufactured by ProCellEx, taliglucerase alfa, was approved for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2012 and, subsequently, by the regulatory authorities of other countries. Protalix has licensed to Pfizer Inc. the worldwide development and commercialization rights for taliglucerase alfa, excluding Brazil, where Protalix retains full rights. Protalixs development pipeline includes the following product candidates: pegunigalsidase alfa, a modified version of the recombinant human alpha-GAL-A protein for the treatment of Fabry disease; OPRX-106, an orally-delivered anti-inflammatory treatment; alidornase alfa for the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis; and others. Protalix has entered into an ex-United States partnership with Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A. for the development and commercialization of pegunigalsidase alfa. Protalix maintains full rights to pgunigalsidase alfa in the United States.



Forward-Looking Statements To the extent that statements in this press release are not strictly historical, all such statements are forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The terms expect, anticipate, believe, estimate, project, plan, should and intend and other words or phrases of similar import are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future experience and results to differ materially from the statements made. These statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations as to such future outcomes. Drug discovery and development involve a high degree of risk. Factors that might cause material differences include, among others: failure or delay in the commencement or completion of our preclinical and clinical trials which may be caused by several factors, including: slower than expected rates of patient recruitment; unforeseen safety issues; determination of dosing issues; lack of effectiveness during clinical trials; inability to monitor patients adequately during or after treatment; inability or unwillingness of medical investigators and institutional review boards to follow our clinical protocols; and lack of sufficient funding to finance clinical trials; the risk that the results of the clinical trials of our product candidates will not support our claims of superiority, safety or efficacy, that our product candidates will not have the desired effects or will be associated with undesirable side effects or other unexpected characteristics; risks related to the ultimate purchase by Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz of alfataliglicerase pursuant to the stated purchase intentions of the Brazilian Ministry of Health of the stated amounts, if at all; risks related to the successful conclusion of our negotiations with the Brazilian Ministry of Health regarding the purchase of alfataliglicerase generally; risks related to our commercialization efforts for alfataliglicerase in Brazil; risks relating to the compliance by Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz with its purchase obligations and related milestones under our supply and technology transfer agreement; risks related to the amount and sufficiency of our cash and cash equivalents; risks related to the amount of our future revenues, operations and expenditures; risks related to our ability to maintain and manage our relationship with Chiesi Farmaceutici and any other collaborator, distributor or partner; the risk that despite the FDAs grant of fast track designation for pegunigalsidase alfa for the treatment of Fabry disease, we may not experience a faster development process, review or approval compared to applications considered for approval under conventional FDA procedures; risks related to the FDAs ability to withdraw the fast track designation at any time; risks relating to our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, to pay interest on or to refinance our outstanding notes or any other indebtedness; our dependence on performance by third party providers of services and supplies, including without limitation, clinical trial services; our ability to identify suitable product candidates and to complete preclinical studies of such product candidates; the inherent risks and uncertainties in developing drug platforms and products of the type we are developing; the impact of development of competing therapies and/or technologies by other companies and institutions; potential product liability risks, and risks of securing adequate levels of product liability and other necessary insurance coverage; and other factors described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The statements in this press release are valid only as of the date hereof and we disclaim any obligation to update this information, except as may be required by law.

Investor Contact Marcy Nanus

Solebury Trout

646-378-2927

mnanus@soleburytrout.com

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] Phase Four Signs Contract with NASA to Vet its Propulsion System for Upcoming Small Satellite Missions

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Phase Four, a provider of electric radio frequency (RF) thrusters for in-space propulsion, today announced that NASA has purchased one of Phase Four's second-generation RF thrusters to vet its capabilities for small satellite propulsion. The Phase Four thruster is part of an Integrated Propulsion Assembly (IPA) that contains: propellant storage and management, engine control electronics, power processing, and a thruster in one integrated solution. NASA will utilize the P4 propulsion solution to gain operational flight experience that demonstrates Phase Four's capability to meet NASA's upcoming small satellite mission goals. The IPA will be delivered to NASA in 2019. "Propulsion systems are one of the most challenging and expensive components in a satellite, so we're excited by the potential to bring a cost-effective solution to NASA's upcoming SmallSat missions," said Jason Wallace, VP of Operations at Phase Four and Program Manager for this NASA contract. "We look forward to working closely with NASA to field the next generation of the Phase Four thruster." Based in El Segundo, CA, Phase Four builds an electrode-less RF thruster, the smallest plasma propulsion system aailable, which can be scaled for Cube- and SmallSat constellation satellites to larger, bus-sized satellites. Released on April 16, performance test results by The Aerospace Corporation reveal that Phase Four's RF thrusters measured on-par with today's costly state-of-the-art Hall Effect Thrusters (HET).



"This is a milestone for us and for the industry as it underscores NASA's commitment to small satellites as a serious platform for space exploration and scientific research," said Simon Halpern, Founder and CEO of Phase Four. "Our team continues to build products that are shaping the future of space and exploration, and with this contract, we will provide small satellites with the kind of affordable in-space mobility that will enable NASA to conduct a wider range of missions than currently possible." About Phase Four

Based in El Segundo, California, Phase Four is enabling the exponential growth of satellite constellations by solving the satellite's costliest problem, the propulsion system. The company's electrode-less RF thruster is the smallest plasma propulsion system available today, and can be scaled for use from CubeSat to SmallSat to school bus-sized satellites. By eliminating the most common failure points in incumbent technologies - electrodes, high-voltage electronics, and complex fabrication - Phase Four has built a system that is reliable and offers high-performance with baked-in manufacturability. Designed with tomorrow's satellites and constellations in mind, the P4 RF thruster brings SmallSat the same performance levels of large satellites, in a simpler form factor. Phase Four is proof that high performance can come in small packages. Visit us at: www.phasefour.io

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/phase-four-signs-contract-with-nasa-to-vet-its-propulsion-system-for-upcoming-small-satellite-missions-300654094.html SOURCE Phase Four

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] FinancialForce Announces Global Sales and Implementation Partnership with Appirio

SAN FRANCISCO, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FinancialForce, a leading customer-centric ERP cloud vendor built on the Salesforce Platform, announced a global sales and implementation partnership with Appirio, a Wipro company. This will help enable companies competing in the new services economy to leverage FinancialForce cloud technology to respond more rapidly to customer demands.

The burgeoning new services economy demands a shift in the way businesses reach, and serve, customers. Professional services companies must find the right balance in revenue growth and customer satisfaction to increase agility and drive success. The partnership will offer enhanced customer-centricity to professional services teams or companies. Appirios deep experience with the Salesforce Platform, coupled with FinancialForces PSA solution, provides a total solution to customers. It will help service organizations cope with the many pressures regularly encountered, including optimizing billable utilization, revenue, average project margin, customer satisfaction and backlog management. Appirios strategy has many synergies with FinancialForce, making it an ideal global partner to offer customer-centric solutions to the market, said Johnny Ola, Vice President, Global Alliances and Business Development at FinancialForce. With the prevalence of everything-as-a-service business models, ere confident we will continue to offer a global, industry-leading solution to enable customer success. Were excited to drive further growth and success with this partnership.



Braden Larmon, Vice President Global Alliances at Appirio added, Partnering with FinancialForce was a natural evolution for us. We are both committed to ensuring professional services companies have the best chance of success and can compete effectively as everything-as-a-service models continue to thrive. We look forward to working together offering robust solutions to customer-centric companies around the world. FinancialForce PSA is the highest customer-rated PSA solution for enterprise organizations and offers a single services app for all project stakeholders. It offers increased visibility for customers across sales, services delivery and finance to help keep projects on time, customers happy and reports up-to-date.

FinancialForce and Appirio have a long history of working together. In 2011 FinancialForce acquired PS Enterprise from Appirio to form what is now FinancialForce PSA. Appirio is now a FinancialForce PSA customer which uses the solution as their own consulting operations system. As FinancialForce continues on its growth path, the company is gearing up for Community Live, an annual gathering of customers, industry leaders, and product experts for a dialogue on business strategy, educational sessions, and networking. The conference will take place from June 25-27 in Las Vegas, NV. For more information on Community Live and to register to attend, visit https://communitylive.financialforce.com. Salesforce and others are among the trademarks of salesforce.com, Inc. About FinancialForce

FinancialForce is the leading cloud ERP and PSA provider for the new services economy. The #1 ERP native to the Salesforce Platform, FinancialForce unifies data across the enterprise in real-time, enabling companies to rapidly evolve their business models with customers at the center. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco, FinancialForce is backed by Advent International, Salesforce Ventures, Technology Crossover Ventures, and UNIT4. For more information, visit www.financialforce.com. About Appirio

Appirio, a Wipro Company, helps customers improve worker and customer experiences with outcome-oriented consultants who bring the latest digital thinking and unmatched cloud experience. We create actionable strategies that deliver results quickly, and help organizations adapt to a new experience-driven era. We do this by harnessing the power of one of the worlds largest crowdsourcing communities and thousands of pre-built solution accelerators. Appirio is a trusted partner to some of the worlds largest brands, including YP, Cardinal Health, Coca-Cola, eBay, Facebook, Home Depot, Sony PlayStation, Moen, and IBM. Media Contacts:

Julie Walsh

Senior Media Relations Manager, FinancialForce

jwalsh@financialforce.com

+44(0)7580 313 951 Gergana Pomerantz

Public Relations Manager

gpomerantz@appirio.com

415.529.8901

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] Glance Comments Again on Unfounded Dissident Allegations

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Glance Technologies Inc. (CSE:GETCN) (OTCQB:GLNNF) (FKT:GJT) (Glance or the Company) today commented for the second time on certain unfounded allegations cited by dissident shareholder Penny Green against Glances Chief Executive Officer Desmond Griffin.

Glance notes that the allegations cited by Ms. Green are from an old lawsuit that was dismissed with the same force and effect as if judgment dismissing the action against the defendant [Mr. Griffin] had been pronounced after trial of [the] action on its merits. The plaintiff, a former employer of Mr. Griffin, consented to the dismissal on that basis. Glance initially rebutted these allegations in its Sets the Record Straight news release dated May 16, 2018. Glance also commented that Ms. Green is herself the subject of notable court-filed allegations. The allegations have not been proved. Nonetheless, if true, the allegations indicate conduct unbecoming of a director of a publicly traded company. Glance will further discuss these court-filed allegations later in this news release. The Unfounded Allegations Mr. Griffins work for another employer was no secret Contrary to Ms. Greens assertions in her news release dated May 22, 2018, Mr. Griffins work for his former employer was no secret. It was publicly disclosed to shareholders: In Glances Management Information Circular dated May 1, 2018;

In Glances Management Information Circular dated April 19, 2017; and

Along with the lawsuit referenced by Ms. Green, in Glances prospectus dated August 3, 2016, used for its initial public offering. In addition, Ms. Green herself was well aware that Mr. Griffin had another employer in the early days of Glance, and well before March 2016. For example, in an email sent on January 19, 2016 a lawyer in Ms. Greens law firm provided a draft prospectus to Glance director Kirk Herrington and with a copy to Ms. Green. The cover note reads in part: Penny wanted to give you an update on Glances progress and current status That draft prospectus included a biography of Mr. Griffin that included a reference to the employer in question. On February 4, 2016, Ms. Green herself emailed a similar draft prospectus to a non-Glance party and with a copy to Mr. Griffin. This draft of the prospectus still had the biography of Mr. Griffin with the reference to the employer.



And yet, Ms. Green now claims to only have learned of the employer in March 2016, and to have been shocked by the secret. Thats simply not credible given the evidence to the contrary. Ms. Green knew of the quick dismissal of the lawsuit Ms. Green should be well-aware that the referenced lawsuit was dismissed just 18 days after it was filed, and that the dismissal was with the same force and effect as if judgment dismissing the action against the defendant [Mr. Griffin] had been pronounced after trial of [the] action on its merits. Ms. Green should know because she was present for the negotiations of the dismissal terms. In keeping with her well-established disrespect for full, true and plain disclosure, on multiple occasions she mentions only the allegations and not the quick dismissal, including her news release dated May 22, 2018 and in her dissident circular dated May 11, 2018 (the Dissident Circular). Ms. Green also fails to mention, when discussing the settlement, that non-competition clauses and expiration of employee options upon departure are standard terms for employment contracts. Mr. Griffin had the contractual right to work part-time for Glance In his employment contract dated November 1, 2015 and continued on February 6, 2016, Mr. Griffin was granted the right to work only part-time for Glance. The contract, signed by Ms. Green, reads in part as follows: The Company acknowledges that [Mr. Griffin] currently works with other companies in advisory, operational, and board of director roles. The Company further acknowledges that these other roles may continue and acknowledges that [Mr. Griffin] may work with other companies in the future while also fulfilling his role with the Company. Ms. Green now claims she was led to believe that Mr. Griffin was working for Glance on an exclusive basis. That is simply not credible given the express terms of Mr. Griffins employment contract, signed by Ms. Green. The non-compete has expired and has not hurt Glance The referenced non-compete has expired and, contrary to Ms. Greens assertion, the non-compete has not hurt Glance. Glance would not have changed any of its development priorities during the time period the non-compete was in force to pursue the vertical referenced by Ms. Green. By maintaning its development priorities, Glance Pay has delivered a compelling technology platform true to its original vision. Glance Pay has an exciting technology roadmap in development including, among other things:



a downloadable merchant app;

ordering from your table capabilities at restaurants; and

a rewards based cryptocurrency platform. Notable Allegations Against Ms. Green Ms. Greens legal fight with her landlord

Since Ms. Green has referenced lawsuit allegations, Glance believes shareholders should be made aware of a legal action involving Ms. Green, the landlord of her rented home, and other parties. The case is ongoing in the British Columbia Supreme Court. Ms. Green, as plaintiff, initiated the legal action on November 20, 2017. She alleges that her landlord and 14 other named defendants, many of them tradespeople, conspired against her. She also alleges that her landlord defamed her, among other claims. The landlord in turn made allegations in a response filed on February 1, 2018 while Ms. Green was an officer of Glance. These allegations, if proven true, suggest conduct unbecoming of a director of a publicly-traded company (in particular, the allegations made in paragraph 16 of that response). For the convenience of shareholders, the landlords response has been posted to Glances website here and Ms. Greens original claim has been posted on Glances website here, and other information is available at https://glance.tech/agm18/. The full complement of case filings are also available at British Columbia Court Services Online at https://justice.gov.bc.ca/cso/index.do (Civil File Number S1710773). One similarity and three differences in the two cases For context, Glance notes one similarity between the case of Ms. Green and her landlord and the case of Mr. Griffin and his former employer: none of the allegations have been proven in court. However, Glance points to three important differences between Ms. Greens case and that of Mr. Griffins former employer: The case involving Ms. Greens landlord is ongoing and the disposition of the allegations is therefore uncertain. In contrast, the case against Mr. Griffin was dismissed (which Ms. Green neglected to mention); The case involving Ms. Greens landlord has already continued for more than seven months. In contrast, the case against Mr. Griffin was dismissed after just 18 days (which Ms. Green neglected to mention); and The case involving Ms. Greens landlord consists of hundreds of pages in approximately a dozen court filings so far. In contrast, the case against Mr. Griffin consisted of just one 12-page filing of unproven allegations made by the plaintiff, followed by a brief, two-page case dismissal (which Ms. Green neglected to mention). Differences in approach to disclosure Glance also notes a difference between its disclosure involving Ms. Greens case and her disclosure involving Mr. Griffins case. The difference is that Ms. Green is not providing full, true and plain disclosure to shareholders, while Glance is. The difference in approach is evident from the following: Glance has provided shareholders with direct access to both the notice of claim and response filed in respect of Ms. Greens case. In contrast, Ms. Green posted and referenced only the claims against Mr. Griffin. She neglected to post, or even mention, the quick dismissal of the case against Mr. Griffin. Glance notes, now for the fourth time, that the allegations against Ms. Green have not been proven. In contrast, Ms. Green provided no such notice in the Dissident Circular. Both that Dissident Circular and Ms. Greens press release dated May 22, 2018 reiterating the same points from the Dissident Circular neglect to mention that the case against Mr. Griffin was dismissed. Vote the BLUE proxy We ask you, our shareholders, to vote only the BLUE proxy FOR Glances five nominees. Do not let the direction of Glance fall into the hands of Ms. Green and her dissident nominees. During the proxy fight Ms. Green has notably failed to provide shareholders with full, true and plain disclosure. Do not take the risk that Ms. Green and her dissidents, if elected, will continue to fail in that essential obligation. Please read Glances proxy fight materials filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and on Glances website at https://glance.tech/agm18/ and then vote only the BLUE proxy well in advance of the proxy voting deadline on June 8, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. (Pacific time). Shareholders are advised to disregard any materials sent by Ms. Green or any of her representatives. Even if you have already voted the GREEN proxy, it is not too late. A later-dated BLUE proxy will suspersede any previous votes cast. Shareholders who have yet to receive their BLUE form of proxy or voting instruction form are advised to follow-up with their broker to request the 16-digit control number associated with their BLUE Glance voting instruction form. Shareholders with questions about voting their shares or who require assistance should contact DF King at 1-855-487-9247 (toll free) or by email at inquiries@dfking.com. The meeting will be held at 1200 Waterfront Centre, 200 Burrard Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 12, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. (Pacific Time). About Glance Technologies Inc. Glance Technologies owns and operates Glance Pay, a streamlined payment system that revolutionizes how smartphone users choose where to shop, order goods and services, make payments, access digital receipts, redeem digital deals, earn great rewards & interact with merchants. Glance offers targeted in-app marketing, geo targeted digital coupons, customer feedback, in-merchant messaging and custom rewards programs. The Glance Pay mobile payment system consists of proprietary technology, which includes user apps available for free downloads in IOS (Apple) and Android formats, merchant manager apps, a large scale technology hosting environment with sophisticated anti-fraud technology and lightning fast payment processing. Glance has also recently purchased a blockchain solution and is working on a rewards-based cryptocurrency. For more information about Glance, please go to www.glance.tech . For more information, contact: Investor Relations

1-866-258-1249

investors@glancepay.com Paola Ashton

VP Business Development

604-839-0337 Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively forward-looking information) within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: may, believe, thinks, expect, exploring, expand, could, anticipate, intend, estimate, plan, pursue, potentially, projected, should, will and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. These forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, relate to, among other things, that the dissident nominees, if elected to the board of directors (the Board), may fail to provide true, full and plain disclosure to shareholders, Glances technology roadmap in development of a downloadable merchant app, ordering from table capabilities and rewards based cryptocurrency program. Although Glance considers these forward-looking statements to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect, and the forward-looking statements in this release are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Such risk factors include, among other things, risks related to Glances ability to develop successfully all products in its technology roadmap. Forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are in addition based on various estimates, forecasts and projects as well as expectations, beliefs and assumptions, including, without limitation, that if the dissident nominees are elected to the Board, they may take certain actions that could result in negative consequences for Glance, and that Glance will be able to successfully develop all products in its technology roadmap. For additional information with respect to these and other factors and assumptions underlying the forward looking statements in this press release, see the section entitled Risk Factors in the most recent Prospectus of Glance, which may be accessed through Glances profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Glance cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by Glance is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking information, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] Canada Welcomes the International Clean Energy Community to Vancouver in 2019

COPENHAGEN, Denmark and MALMO, Sweden, May 24, 2018 /CNW/ - Canada is committed to the global transition to a low-carbon economy. Transforming how we produce, use and transport energy will enable us to fight climate change while also supporting strong economic growth. Parliamentary Secretary Kim Rudd, on behalf of the Honourable Jim Carr, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, today announced that Canada will host the 10th annual Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM10) and 4th annual Mission Innovation (MI4) in Vancouver, British Columbia, the week of May 27, 2019. To set the stage for CEM/MI 2019, Canada will contribute $1 million to the CEM Secretariat to support its continued work and efforts to advance clean energy globally. PS Rudd attended this year's CEM/MI Ministerial, which was co-hosted by the Nordic countries and the European Commission. CEM and MI are global forums to advance the development and deployment of affordable clean energy, technology and innovation worldwide. They bring together energy ministers from approximately 24 member countries and the European Union, and provide a robust stage to accelerate global clean energy innovation and uptake. PS Rudd announced Canada's participation in the following initiatives and campaigns: Smart Energy Challenge: A CanadaU.K.-led initiative to support breakthrough projects in smart grid and energy storage adoption designed to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy, whereby Caada will contribute $10 million and the U.K. up to 6 million, totalling just over $20 million .

A CanadaU.K.-led initiative to support breakthrough projects in smart grid and energy storage adoption designed to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy, whereby will contribute and the U.K. up to 6 million, totalling just over . International Renewable Energy Agency: Canada announced its intention to join IRENA, the largest global intergovernmental organization promoting the widespread deployment of the sustainable use of renewable energy.

announced its intention to join IRENA, the largest global intergovernmental organization promoting the widespread deployment of the sustainable use of renewable energy. Clean Energy Education and Empowerment "Equal by 30" Campaign : A CanadianSwedish effort to advance gender equality and encourage governments and the private sector to sign on to the principles of "equal pay, equal opportunity, equal leadership by 2030."

: A CanadianSwedish effort to advance gender equality and encourage governments and the private sector to sign on to the principles of "equal pay, equal opportunity, equal leadership by 2030." Nuclear InnovationClean Energy Future: An initiative led by Canada , the United States and Japan to bring nuclear to broader low-carbon energy discussions, including a focus on innovative applications such as nuclearrenewable hybrid energy systems and small modular reactors.

An initiative led by , and to bring nuclear to broader low-carbon energy discussions, including a focus on innovative applications such as nuclearrenewable hybrid energy systems and small modular reactors. Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS): A 10-country initiative to accelerate the use of CCUS technologies and increase commercialization and market opportunities for products derived from CO 2 .

A 10-country initiative to accelerate the use of CCUS technologies and increase commercialization and market opportunities for products derived from CO . Global EV Pilot Cities Program: A global initiative to provide opportunities for cities to showcase their leading EV activities in a global context. To date, seven Canadian cities have joined this international network: Surrey and Richmond, B.C. ; Calgary, Alberta ; Winnipeg, Manitoba ; Montreal, Quebec ; Halifax, Nova Scotia ; and Stratford , P.E.I.

A global initiative to provide opportunities for cities to showcase their leading EV activities in a global context. To date, seven Canadian cities have joined this international network: and ; ; ; ; ; and , P.E.I. Power System Flexibility Campaign: a global effort to bring more renewable energy into a smarter grid.



Quotes "Canada will continue to work with partner countries, international organizations and the private sector where clean energy innovation can drive economic growth and help build a low-carbon future. And we need to accelerate these efforts, through strengthened multilateral collaboration, if we are to meet our climate change commitments and enable a clean energy future."

Kim Rudd,

Parliamentary Secretary to Canada's Minister of Natural Resources Associated Links https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/cem-mi-vancouver2019/21121 Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan) NRCan's news releases and backgrounders are available at www.news.gc.ca. SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] Pasternack Signs RF Design as Official Distributor for South Africa & Namibia

IRVINE, Calif., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pasternack, a leading provider of RF, microwave and millimeter wave products, has signed RF Design of Cape Town as an authorized distributor of Pasternack products in South Africa and Namibia. RF Design joins an extensive roster of international distributors that have partnered with Pasternack to increase the company's sales channels and provide value-added services for customers in the RF market worldwide. As an official distributor of Pasternack products, RF Design will now be able to offer their customers access to the industry's largest selection of RF, microwave and millimeter wave products available with same-day shipping from the United States. "Expanding Pasternack's presence into the South African market has long been viewed as a great opportunity for our business. Partnering with RF Design, the premier RF distribution company in South Africa, is an exciting development and will be mutually beneficial for our businesses," explains Norm Brodeur, Director of Global Distriution at Infinite Electronics. "By enlisting this top-notch supplier of RF and microwave components, we will effectively be able to extend our product reach, technical support and customer service channels, and have a visible presence in South Africa and Namibia."



For more information about Pasternack, please visit www.pasternack.com. For inquiries, Pasternack can be contacted at +1-949-261-1920. For more information about RF Design, please visit www.rfdesign.co.za. For inquiries, RF Design can be contacted at +27 21 555 8400.

About Pasternack: A leader in RF products since 1972, Pasternack is an ISO 9001:2008 certified manufacturer and supplier offering the industry's largest selection of active and passive RF, microwave and millimeter wave products available for same-day shipping. Pasternack is an Infinite Electronics company. About RF Design: RF Design was established in 1988 as a supplier of RF/microwave components in Cape Town, South Africa. They have grown to represent a balanced portfolio of the world's premier wireless data communications, RF/microwave component and sub-systems manufacturing companies with branches in all the major commercial centers of Gauteng, Cape Town and Durban. RF Design focuses on customer-driven solutions, with the highest priority on value added technical support. Press Contact: Peter McNeil

Pasternack

17792 Fitch

Irvine, CA 92614

(978) 682-6936 x1174 View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pasternack-signs-rf-design-as-official-distributor-for-south-africa--namibia-300653891.html SOURCE Pasternack

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] Hcareers is Acquired by Virgil Holdings, Inc.

Virgil Holdings, Inc. recently announced that it has acquired Hcareers, the premier North American recruiting brand and platform in the hospitality sector, from DHI Group, Inc. (NYSE: DHX). The investment serves as a growth engine to expand Hcareers' capabilities as the next-generation career navigation, development and recruiting platform in the hospitality and restaurant industry. Funding was led by Genesis Park, a Houston-based private equity firm. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524005347/en/ "Today's job seekers want more than a job posting. They are seeking a personalized career navigation experience that provides visibility into a career path that will land them their dream job," said Ron Mitchell, CEO of Virgil. "At the same time, employers need more ynamic candidate search and engagement tools that deliver the candidates they need and reduce time to hire."



Virgil's proprietary technology solves these needs by creating greater transparency into the career navigation process. Through this technology, job seekers are able to gain an understanding of how their skills match to careers they desire based on competency scores, and recruiters are able to communicate the talents they are looking for and find candidates that have demonstrated those qualifications. These capabilities will be available to Hcareers clients later this year. "Nearly every major hotel brand depends on Hcareers to fill hospitality positions as it has the largest hospitality talent pool in North America," said Peter Shaper, founding partner of Genesis Park. "Given today's competitive market for talent, we are excited to invest in a platform that will give employers innovative options to get the talent they need. We look forward to continuing to serve the hospitality industry and to be the destination of choice for hospitality professionals."

About Virgil Holdings, Inc. Virgil Holdings Inc. owns and operates Virgil Careers, a career navigation and recruiting platform that utilizes proprietary machine learning algorithms and micro-assessments to match job seekers to the perfect career path, employment opportunity and developmental resources. Virgil automatically generates a competency-based profile that enables corporate recruiters to quickly identify and contact the right candidates for their open roles. Through a SaaS (News - Alert) model, Virgil serves a diverse customer base including individual job seekers, corporate recruiters, job boards, higher education, trade associations, workforce agencies and nonprofits. For more information, visit www.virgilcareers.com. About Genesis Park Genesis Park is a Houston-based lower middle market buyout firm founded in 1999 that focuses on investments in the Southern U.S. The firm is actively involved in portfolio companies and places a strong emphasis on solving operational problems and professionalizing management and systems. The Genesis Park partners have worked together for more than 17 years investing and building businesses in information technology, software, energy services, telecommunications, financial and healthcare industries. The team's deep Texas roots, operating experience and extensive network gives it unique advantages to bring to portfolio companies. For more information, visit www.genesis-park.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524005347/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] Hisense's Zhou Houjian and Huawei's Kevin Ho to Keynote CES Asia; Focus on Mobility, 5G and Connectivity

The Consumer Technology AssociationTM (CTA) today announced that Hisense Chairman Zhou Houjian and Huawei's (News - Alert) president of Handset Product Line Kevin Ho will deliver separate keynote addresses at the upcoming CES AsiaTM 2018. As CES (News - Alert) Asia drives the expansion of technology into new areas like artificial intelligence, vehicle technology, AR, VR and more, Chairman Zhou and Mr. Ho will discuss the future of innovation at their respective companies through connectivity and mobility during Asia's premier tech event. " Hisense (News - Alert) and Huawei have become major global brands by challenging the status quo and creating innovative product solutions that engage, entertain and connect consumers around the world," said Gary Shapiro (News - Alert) , president and CEO, CTA. "We are thrilled to welcome Chairman Zhou and Mr. Ho to the CES Asia keynote stage and are eager to learn from these experts who are leading the charge to harness the potential of 5G through various implementation strategies and connection opportunities." Chairman Zhou will deliver a keynote address on the opening day of CES Asia 2018 at 9:30 AM Wednesday, June 13, following an address from CTA's Shapiro. Mr. Zhou will discuss the development of Hisense display technology and future innovation that will shape the direction of the industry. Zhou Houjian, Chairman of Hisense Co., Ltd., has been instrumental in building Hisense into a global brand known around the world. After more than 20 years, Hisense has grown from a television factory with a sales income of less than 500 million yuan to a large enterprise group with annual sales revenue of over 100 billion yuan. Mr. Kevin Ho will take the CES Asia keynote stage at 1:15 PM, Wednesday, June 13. His address will focus on the future of mobile imagery. Mr. Ho will discuss how Huawei is pioneering mobile imagery with breakthrough designs, artificial intelligence, and future new technologies that will continue to revolutionize user experiences. President of the Handset Product Line of Huawei Device, Ho is responsible for product strategy, research and development, integrated operation and delivery, with the mission of ensuring sales success of Huawei's handset products. Prior to his current position, he was Director of the Global Wireless Solutions (News - Alert) Department for Huawei Technologies. Chairman Zhou and Mr. Ho join Alibaba A.I. Labs' Ms. Miffy Chen and BYTON co-founders Dr. Carsten Breitfeld and Dr. Daniel Kirchert as confirmed CES Asia keynote speakers. All CES Asia keynotes will be located in the Kerry Hotel, Shanghai Ballroom 2-3. Additional keynote speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. CES Asia 2018 is the premier event for the consumer tech industry in the Asian market and is driving the expansion of technology into new areas, spanning 20 product categories, featuring innovation that will improve lives around the world. An opportunity to experience China's evolution as an innovation pioneer, CES Asia is expected to draw more than 40,000 in attendance, including more than 1,200 members of the globalmedia. A curated show for global brands and cutting edge startups, some 500 companies with the latest in AI, augmented and virtual reality, audio/video, connectivity, digital health, vehicle tech and more will exhibit on the show floor.



Hisense and Huawei will both exhibit at CES Asia, joining other notable exhibiting companies. Registration for CES Asia is open. Visit CESAsia.com for more information on how to exhibit at CES Asia.

Owned and produced by International CES (Shanghai) Exhibition Co. Ltd. and co-produced by Shanghai Intex, CES Asia 2018 will run from June 13-15, in Shanghai, China. The premier event for the consumer technology industry in Asia, CES Asia showcases major brands and innovative companies across several vertical markets in the Asian marketplace. Visit CESAsia.com for the latest show news, information, photos, b-roll and more. Note to Editors: High-definition video b-roll from CES Asia 2017 is available for easy download on CESAsia.com. Journalists traveling from outside of China will require a J-1 or J-2 visa. For questions about exhibiting at CES Asia, contact Brian Moon at bmoon@CTA.tech or +1 703-907-4351. About CES Asia: Owned and produced by the International CES (Shanghai) Exhibition Co. Ltd. and co-produced by Shanghai Intex Exhibition Co., Ltd (Shanghai Intex), CES Asia is the premier event for the consumer technology industry, showcasing the full breadth and depth of the innovation value-chain in the Asian marketplace. Key global businesses come to this new event to grow and reinforce their brand by showcasing the latest products and technologies to consumer tech industry executives, foreign buyers, international media and a limited number of consumers from China. Attendees have exclusive access to some of the largest brands from China and around the world, while celebrating the innovation that defines the consumer technology sector. About International CES (Shanghai) Exhibition Co. Ltd. and CTA: International CES (Shanghai) Exhibition Co. Ltd. is a wholly foreign-owned enterprise by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), a trade association representing the $351 billion U.S. consumer technology industry, which supports more than 15 million U.S. jobs. More than 2,200 companies - 80 percent are small businesses and startups; others are among the world's best known brands - enjoy the benefits of CTA membership including policy advocacy, market research, technical education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CTA also owns and produces CES - the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. Profits from CES are reinvested into CTA's industry services. About Shanghai Intex: Shanghai Intex Exhibition Co., Ltd was originally the exhibition organizing business of Shanghai Intex, a pioneering exhibition organizer established in 1995. Shanghai Intex is jointly overseen by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Shanghai and PNO Exhibition Investment (Dubai) Limited. Starting in 1998, Shanghai Intex has organized over 100 trade shows and conferences with a sum total exhibition space in excess of 2 million sqm. Shanghai Intex is comprised of professional teams with a wealth of experience in organizing major international events, covering the creative industry, healthcare, lifestyle, advanced manufacturing and consumer electronics. UPCOMING EVENTS CES Asia 2018 - Register

June 13-15, Shanghai, China

June 13-15, Shanghai, China CEO Summit

June 24-27, Barcelona, Spain

June 24-27, Barcelona, Spain CES Unveiled Amsterdam

September 27, Amsterdam, Netherlands

September 27, Amsterdam, Netherlands CES Unveiled Paris

October 3, Paris, France

October 3, Paris, France CES 2019

January 8-11, 2019, Las Vegas, NV View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524005849/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] A.M. Best Affirms Credit Ratings of MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings, Inc.'s Main Operating and U.S. Subsidiaries

A.M. Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) of "aa" of Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company, Limited ( MSI (News - Alert) ) and Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Company Limited (ADI) (both domiciled in Japan). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. Concurrently, A.M. Best has affirmed the FSR of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term ICRs of "aa" of Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company of America (MSIA), Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance USA Inc. (MSU) and Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Company of America (ADIA). The outlook of these ratings is stable. All of these companies are domiciled in New York, NY and are direct subsidiaries of MSIG Holdings (Americas), Inc. A.M. Best also has affirmed the FSR of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term ICR of "a-" of ADI's subsidiary, Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance (China) Company Limited (ADIC) (China). The outlook of these ratings is stable. The aforementioned companies are owned ultimately by MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings, Inc. (MS&AD), a major non-life insurance group based in Japan. MSI's ratings reflect its balance sheet strength, which A.M. Best categorizes as strongest, as well as its strong operating performance, favorable business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM). MSI's level of risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), is at the strongest level, supported by a large adjusted capital and surplus base, and moderate underwriting leverage. The BCAR score remains at the strongest level even under stressed scenarios. As the lead rating unit of MS&AD, MSI also benefits from the group's positive combined balance sheet strength assessment. MSI's operating performance has improved significantly over the past five years, and it has been one of the best performers among Japan's major non-life insurers in underwriting and overall profitability, over the same period. The company's five-year average return on equity is one of the highest among Japan's major non-life insurers. Nevertheless, A.M. Best expects volatility in profitability to remain moderate, as MSI has exposure to natural catastrophes in domestic and overseas markets. MSI is fully owned by MS&AD and is, on its own, the third-largest non-life insurer in Japan in terms of premium revenue in fiscal year 2016. The company has substantial overseas operations and continues to expand in these markets to improve growth prospects and diversify geographically. The company's ERM is appropriate for its risk profile. Equity investment risk, the company's largest risk, is controlled partially through the gradual disposal of invested equities. MSI has been increasing its expertise in catastrophe risk management, and risks are mitigated by a comprehensive reinsurance program. MSI is well-positioned at its current rating level. Negative rating actions could occur if an unfavorable trend develops in operating performance or in the event of a large-scale catastrophe that significantly impacts the company's capitalization. The ratings of MSI have been extended to MSIA, MSU and ADIA, as these companies hold a strategic role within the organization as U.S. domestic insurers, and receive the benefit of strategic direction and explicit support provided through internal reinsurance. The ratings also reflect their strong risk-adjusted capitalization and additional implicit support provided by the parent. Effective Jan. 1, 2015, MSIA, MSU and ADIA operate under a pooling agreement. This further strengthens the relationship among the U.S.-based entities and vertically through the organization.



The ratings of ADI reflect its balance sheet strength, which A.M. Best categorizes as strongest, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate ERM. ADI's ratings also consider the strategic importance to its parent company, MS&AD.

ADI's risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by BCAR, is at the strongest level and supported by the company's moderate underwriting leverage. Although ADI has a high proportion of equity investments, its risk-adjusted capitalization remains at the strongest level under equity stress scenarios. High exposure to domestic natural catastrophes is addressed by the company's appropriate reinsurance program. ADI has reported profitable operating performance in recent years. Although underwriting performance has improved over the past five years, volatility remains moderate, as evidenced by the negative impact of large losses from overseas natural disasters in fiscal year 2017. On the expense side, maintenance costs have been on a declining trend, driving the expense ratio lower. Nevertheless, the company's overall profitability, as measured by adjusted return on equity, continues to trail its peers. Most of ADI's business is concentrated in its domestic market, where it is one of the four-largest players in terms of net premium written. The company benefits from its long-standing business relationship with Nippon Life Insurance and Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota), MS&AD's major shareholders. Overseas expansion has been limited, and its concentration in its domestic market leaves the company exposed to natural catastrophes and low premium growth. ERM is considered appropriate to ADI's risk profile and is managed by MS&AD. ADI's major business is auto insurance, a product line in which it has expertise. Its largest risk is investment risk; to manage this, ADI has been gradually disposing of its invested equities. ADI is one of the major operating subsidiaries of MS&AD. Many of the company's operations, such as ERM, corporate functions and part of product development, are integrated into MS&AD. ADI is well-positioned at its current rating level. Negative rating actions could occur if there is a significant deterioration in operating profitability or an unfavorable trend develops in operating performance. Negative rating actions also could occur in the event of a large-scale catastrophe that significantly impacts the company's capitalization. The ratings of ADIC reflect its balance sheet strength, which A.M. Best categorizes as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. The ratings also reflect the wide range of support the company receives from its parent, ADI, which is wholly owned by MS&AD. ADIC receives a high level of support from its parent in the form of business generation and capital injections. The strong business relationship between ADI and Toyota helped establish ADIC's motor reinsurance inward business in 2016. As a result, ADIC recorded positive underwriting results in fiscal years 2016 and 2017. A.M. Best expects the company's close ties with its motor reinsurance business source will secure a stable and steadily growing stream of underwriting income in the medium term. In addition, ADI injected capital twice into ADIC in 2015 to support the rapid growth of premium income, as well as replenishing capital loss following the sizeable losses caused by the Tianjin explosions. Partially offsetting rating factors include ADIC's business concentration risks, as the motor reinsurance inward business accounts for the majority of ADIC's underwriting book. In addition, uncertainties in the political and regulatory environment in China add a layer of risk to ADIC's business profile. Positive rating actions could occur if ADIC continues to demonstrate favorable and stable operating results while improving its risk-adjusted capitalization by retaining profits. Negative rating actions could occur if there is material deterioration in the company's risk-adjusted capitalization due to faster-than-forecast premium growth or an adverse deviation from its forecast underwriting performance. Ratings are communicated to rated entities prior to publication. Unless stated otherwise, the ratings were not amended subsequent to that communication. This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on A.M. Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see A.M. Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Understanding Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper media use of Best's Credit Ratings and A.M. Best press releases, please view Guide for Media - Proper Use of Best's Credit Ratings and A.M. Best Rating Action Press Releases. A.M. Best is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright  2018 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524005961/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] ITC Capital Partners, LLC Acquires Argo Contact Centers

LEWISTON, Maine, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On October 1, 2017, ITC Capital Partners, LLC and LJMN Holdings, LLC partnered in the acquisition of Argo Contact Centers, adding BPO Contact Center Services to the ITC Capital Partners and LJMN portfolio of businesses. ITC Capital Partners brings a rich history of successful enterprises, while LJMN is leveraging the expertise of three industry leaders who have deep technology, software, services and BPO track records.

Michael Nessler, Lou Jablonski and Mark Veyette are providing leadership and direction to the newly acquired business and will focus on growth, strategic acquisition and integration of essential components. ITC Capital Partners portfolio includes a broad array of services that provide valuable solutions in the Contact Center and BPO space. These include: Utilization of social media and video technologies to recruit, assess and ultimately hire the best talent available.

Leading edge LMS, Training, Messaging and Communication tools that significantly improve employee training effectiveness.

Security applications that decrease fraud and protect client information during live service interactions.

Payroll applications that provide flexible payment options to employees, resulting in reduced attrition and absenteeism. ITC Capital Partners and LJMN are foused on leading edge technology solutions that will enable Argo to package services to improve clients overall business results. Argo will begin introducing new and expanded services to its clients immediately.



Press Contact: Patricia DeFosse

Argo Contact Centers

Business Development Manager

tricia@argocontact.com

info@argocontact.com

About Argo Contact Centers Argo Contact Centers is an outsourced customer contact services provider that has operated since 2003. Operating centers in Maine; Georgia; near-shore; as well as Work@Home, Argo supports a wide variety of clients in numerous industry groups. Argo was acquired by ITC Capital Partners, a privately held equity firm with a 100-year history, based in West Point, Georgia. Among the key differentiators that would support this position is the belief that core values coupled with a business systems approach to the contact center industry, would yield a better level of service, and a greater opportunity to enhance the market position of the customers it serves. This significant shift in management, together with several other attributes, contributes to the Argo difference. About ITC Capital Partners, LLC ITC Capital Partners, LLC was formed based upon the successful investment history of the ITC Holding Company, LLC which was founded in 1896. ITC Capital Partners, LLC invests in entrepreneurs whose ideas and values are consistent with those of our founders. We partner with innovative leaders with unique ideas, strong management teams and demonstrate ability to assist us in achieving our strategic goal of a minimum long term return to our shareholders of 20% annually. A video accompanying this announcement is available at //www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0f2108be-8ef2-4866-bbb7-827cd35276d1

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] FOSSID Awarded Grant for Artificial Intelligence in Open Source Auditing by Sweden's Government Agency for Innovation

STOCKHOLM, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- FOSSID, the world's largest database for scanning open source code and snippets, today announced it is being awarded a grant of 2 Million SEK (US $250,000) to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies into its database and code-scanning tools. The grant is being awarded by Vinnova, Sweden's government agency focused on research and innovation. The FOSSID AI For Open Source Auditing Project will combine the largest and highest performing knowledge base of open source on the market to dramatically cut costs in the software auditing process, reduce risks for tech companies and accelerate overall innovation. "We believe that FOSSID was chosen because of its vast data- and knowledge-base and the technology it already possesses to create the first open source scanner to automatically audit and identify code without human intervention," said Jon Aldama, VP Products at FOSSID. "FOSSID is poised to lead the integration of AI technologies for advancing open source software auditing and compliance." FOSSID's database management system and source code harvest techniques can store petabytes of code without any human interaction, allowing the company to build the biggest pen source knowledge base in the industry and perform scans real time. The database today stores 37 million projects.



"We're beginning to see the potential of AI to transform industries like healthcare and retail, but its potential for accelerating the identification of vulnerabilities in the world's largest code bases is unprecedented," said Oskar Swirtun, CEO and co-founder, FOSSID. "FOSSID aims to be the first AI-powered open source software identification solution. The Vinnova grant will support our efforts in this regard." FOSSID's most recent blog: http://fossid.com/2018/05/07/software-code-is-data-and-its-very-very-big/

Vinnova's press release: https://www.vinnova.se/en/news/2018/05/59-miljoner-till-innovation-i-sma-och-medelstora-foretag/ About FOSSID

FOSSID is the world's largest database for scanning open source software licences and vulnerabilities. It was founded in 2016 by a team of software engineers and compliance managers who grew tired of existing auditing and compliance tools. Today FOSSID serves some of the world's largest technology companies with a database that stores 37 million projects, trillions of lines code and  trillion code snippets. For more information, please visit: http://www.fossid.com Media Contact

Jennifer Cloer

reTHINKit PR

503-867-2304

jennifer@rethinkitpr.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fossid-awarded-grant-for-artificial-intelligence-in-open-source-auditing-by-swedens-government-agency-for-innovation-300654511.html SOURCE FOSSID

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] FASTSIGNS Recruiting Franchise Candidates At International Franchise Expo In New York May 31 - June 2

CARROLLTON, Texas, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- FASTSIGNS International, Inc., franchisor of FASTSIGNS, the leading sign, graphics and visual communications franchise, announced today that it will be attending and sponsoring the International Franchise Expo from May 31  June 2 at The Javits Center in New York City. FASTSIGNS CEO Catherine Monson will speak at the event and share insights gained during her more than 30 years in franchising. FASTSIGNS is recruiting franchisees for expansion throughout the U.S. and Canada, particularly in the Northeast, including the New York City metro area and Long Island. The brand also is seeking international partners worldwide to be master franchisees. "Throughout North America, FASTSIGNS has over 400 markets ready for development, providing ample opportunities for entrepreneurs to join our leading brand. The International Franchise Expo is a strategic way to connect with thousands of entrepreneurs and future business owners both in the U.S. and abroad," said Mark Jameson, EVP of Franchise Support and Development, FASTSIGNS International, Inc. "We are thrilled to be exhibiting at the IFE and look forward to showing prospective franchisees some of our cutting-edge technology and why FASTSIGNS is the top-ranked franchisor in the sign, graphic and visual communications industry." Entrepreneurs are encouraged to meet Catherine Monson and the brand's franchise development team at booth #214 to learn more about the benefits of being a franchisee. Additionally, FASTSIGNS will demonstrate one of the newest products available to franchisees  the Makitso Sslab 50" digital signage kiosk with 4K touchscreen display. Created by 22Miles, the Makitso Sslab has an adjustable, motorized stand that allows users to change the display from an angled pedestal format to a flat tabletop. During the three-day event, Monson will speak on a panel alongside other franchise experts on Thursday, May 31 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to discuss issues ranging from the cultural challenges of international expansion to the practical aspects of doing business across borders. On Saturday, June 2 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., Monson will join FASTSIGNS multi-unit franchisee, Clint Ehlers, of Willow Grove and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to share how they work together to achieve a balance between the Franchisor and the Franchisee in order to create a successful brand and position FASTSIGNS as one of the top-ranked brands for franchisee satisfaction for over 10 years. Clint will also participate in additional panels throughout the expo. In 2018, FASTSIGNS plans to open an additional 45 centers across the U.S. Internationally, FASTSIGNS is continuing to seek qualified candidates to grow its international footprint in target markets throughout the world, including Brazil, Quebec, North Africa, Southeast Asia, India, Europe and Latin America. FASTSIGNS also offers special incentives to first responders, including paramedics, emergency medical technicians, police officers, sheriffs, and firefighters. This incentive is a 50-percent discount on the franchise fee  a savings of $23,750. FASTSIGNS International, Inc. is pleased to offer first responders this incentive to become a franchisee and to be the only franchisor in their segment to offer a development incentive specifically to first responders. After 38 years as a first responder in the fire service and law enforcement departments, franchisee Russ Mason opened his first FASTSIGNS location in St. Peters, Missouri, in 2015. "After being a first responder for 38 years, I was looking for a change that challenged me," Mason explained. "Many first responders are very mechanically inclined and business-minded, and the FASTSIGNS business model is well suited for self-motivated and hands-on individuals." FASTSIGNS International, Inc. was ranked the #1 franchise opportunity in its category and 70 overall on Entrepreneur magazine's 2018 Franchise 500, the world's first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking. Acknowledged by entrepreneurs and franchisors as a top competitive tool of measurement, the Franchise 500 recognizes FASTSIGNS, the only sign, graphics, and visual communications franchise to be recognized in the top 100, for its exceptional performance in areas including financial strength and stability, growth rate and brand power. FASTSIGNS also has been recognized for its franchisee satisfaction by being named a World Class Franchise by the Franchise Research Institute for five consecutive years and has been ranked by Franchise Business Review as one of the "Best of the Best" for franchisee satisfaction for the last 10 years. Additionally, FASTSIGNS also was named to Franchise Business Review's "Innovative Franchises" list in 2017 and a "Best-in-Category" franchise by Franchise Business Review in 2018. The Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) recently recognized FASTSIGNS International, Inc. with a special six-year Franchisees' Choice designation for its strong relationship with Canadian franchisees, as well as extensive franchisee training and support. For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson (mark.jameson@fastsigns.com or 214-346-5679). About FASTSIGNS

FASTSIGNS International, Inc. is the largest sign and visual communications franchisor in North America, and is the worldwide franchisor of more than 675 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS centers in eight countries including the US, Canada, England, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Grand Cayman, Mexico and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE). FASTSIGNS locations provide comprehensive sign and visual graphic solutions to help companies of all sizes and across all industries attract more attention, communicate their message, sell more products, help visitors find their way and extend their branding across all of their customer touch points including decor, events, wearables and marketing materials. Learn more about sign and visual graphic solutions or find a location at fastsigns.com. Follow the brand on Twitter @FASTSIGNS, Facebook at facebook.com/FASTSIGNS or LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/fastsigns.







CONTACT: Alisha Sheth

Fish Consulting

954-893-9150

asheth@fish-consulting.com

View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fastsigns-recruiting-franchise-candidates-at-international-franchise-expo-in-new-york-may-31---june-2-300654567.html SOURCE FASTSIGNS International, Inc.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] Samsung Launches AI Centre in Toronto

Toronto lab to help lead global AI research & development; joins UK, and Russia as part of a network of Global AI Centres TORONTO, May 24, 2018 /CNW/ - Samsung Research America (SRA), announced that it is establishing a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) centre in Toronto, as part of a new venture to tap into and contribute to the flourishing AI industry growing in Canada's largest city. The opening of the Toronto AI Centre comes on the heels of the company's global announcement of two additional and newly established AI Centres in Cambridge, UK and Moscow, Russia. The Toronto Centre will work in partnership with the company's Silicon Valley team to pioneer AI research and development for the region. Located in Toronto's downtown core at MaRS Discovery District, the new Samsung AI Centre will contribute to building the connected future by accelerating the adoption of intelligence on multiple devices ranging from household appliances to cars. The Toronto AI Centre is a part of a network of research Centres dedicated to research and development in the field of AI. The Centre is the second Samsung AI Centre to be established in North America, with the other in Mountain View, California. The North America AI Centres are led by senior vice president, Dr. Larry Heck, a renowned expert in machine learning for spoken and text language processing, who also co-leads the expansion of Samsung's AI Centres around the globe. "Toronto and the GTA are epi-centres of machine learning and one of the world's foremost hubs for AI research and development. Home to not only world-class talent, but also some of the most innovative start-ups in the artificial intelligence field," said Dr. Larry Heck, Co-Head of Global Artificial Intelligence Research. "We are looking forward to contributing to this vibrant AI community and to help push the field forward as we move towards our goal of making all Samsung connected devices intelligent by 2020." With a rich history in innovation and discovery, Toronto serves as an ideal place for research and development for speech recognition, where machine-learning technology was applied many years before it was widely applied to other fields. The vision is thatthe Samsung AI Centre will now serve an important role in the advancement of AI with a focus on language understanding and computer vision technologies that will ultimately reduce the friction between the user and the device/service, whether it be mobile phones, TVs, appliances, or cars.



The Toronto centre will be led by Dr. Sven Dickinson, newly appointed as the head of the Toronto lab, professor on leave and past chair of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. Dr. Dickinson is an expert in computer vision technologies, especially in the field of object recognition. He will play an integral part in Samsung's research of core AI technologies that entail language, vision and other multi-modal interactions. Samsung will officially celebrate today's announcement of the Toronto AI Centre with an opening ceremony and presentations at MaRS Discovery District from key Samsung business leaders and special guests including Samsung's CEO of Consumer Electronics, Hyun-suk Kim, the Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of International Trade, Dr. Larry Heck, Senior Vice President of Samsung Research America, and key stakeholders and partners from major universities in Canada.

"Canadian ingenuity and innovation is getting noticed and together with our investments in skills and superclusters focused on next generation products like artificial intelligence, the world's investors are choosing Canada. Congratulations to Toronto and to Samsung for recognizing Canada is the place to be!" said Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of International Trade. Key contributing factors for the location selection include the availability of key AI talent, including leading AI researchers at the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo who have had longstanding relationships with Samsung. Establishing an AI Centre in Southern Ontario also enables Samsung to better collaborate with regional start-ups and expand the current ecosystem. As one of the world's largest urban innovation hubs, MaRS Discovery district supports promising innovators and ventures tackling key challenges in the sectors of cleantech, finance & commerce, and work & learning. In addition, and importantly, the vast MaRS community fosters cross-disciplinary collaboration which drives breakthrough discoveries and new solution for global audiences. "We are proud to welcome Samsung to MaRS," said Yung Wu, CEO, MaRS Discovery District. "We both recognize the important role Toronto  and Canada  play as a destination for innovation talent, research and start-ups. We look forward to collaborating and connecting with the Samsung team on a variety of exciting opportunities as this project comes to life." Today's announcement compliments earlier 2018 news of plans to launch additional AI centres in North America. Dr. Darin Graham will spearhead the opening of new labs in Canada as the head of Samsung's Canadian AI Operations. Until recently, Dr. Graham helped lead the creation and formation of the Vector Institute  the renowned Canadian AI research institute, as a member of the founding team. The opening of AI centres in Canada will allow Samsung to expand its outpost for industry collaboration and talent recruitment in the major AI hubs in North America. "Investments like this are proof that Canada is truly a world-leader in artificial intelligence. Our talent and innovation ecosystem make us an attractive place for companies to grow and create well-paying jobs for Canadians. Our government is proud to partner with companies like Samsung, as we continue advancing our machine learning knowledge and further establish our place on the world stage as an AI leader," said the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. To date, Samsung has had great success in leveraging Canada's unique R&D talents for global impact. The Company's Vancouver-based R&D centre has contributed to a number of in-market innovations and more than doubled its workforce, since opening with over 100 employees. With the addition of the AI centre in Toronto, the company plans to increase the R&D in Canada from current 100 to 200 in the near future. Additional developments and talent in Canada have been recognized through Samsung Electronics Canada subsidiaries, AdGear Technologies Inc. in Montreal and SigMast Communications Inc. in Halifax, Nova Scotia. About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at news.samsung.com. SOURCE Samsung Electronics Canada Inc.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] BioKansas Selects Luann Jung as 2018 Kansas BioGENEius Challenge Winner

BioKansas announced Luann Jung as the winner of the Kansas BioGENEius Challenge on Thursday, April 27, 2018 at Aratana Therapeutics. Luann, a senior from Manhattan High School, presented her research project entitled Genomic Indicators for Type II Diabetes, in which she developed novel computational methods that result in faster and more accurate analysis of genetic variants associated with type 2 diabetes. As the winner of the Kansas BioGENEius Challenge, the premier competition for high school students conducting research in biotechnology across the region, Luann will advance to Boston, MA, to comete against other peers in the International BioGENEius Challenge at the BIO International Convention on June 4 - 7, 2018. Kansas has had two students in the last seven years go on to win the International BioGENEius Challenge.



Luann is a recent graduate of Manhattan High School and will attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT (News - Alert) ) in the fall, where she plans to continue studying computer and data science. The Kansas BioGENEius Challenge is administered by BioKansas, the life science trade association in the state of Kansas representing more than 160 member organizations across the human, plant, animal and industrial biosciences and is sponsored this year by KCALSI, MilliporeSigma, Merck Animal Health, Hill's Pet Nutrition, KCAS, Missouri Valley PDA, Arvest Bank, and Aratana Therapeutics. Ninety-two student projects across the state were peer reviewed by scientists and leaders in the biotech industry for the award and 6 scholarships ranging in $150-$600 were awarded to Kansas BioGENEius Challenge Finalists.

If you would like more information about BioKansas or the Kansas BioGENEius Challenge, please visit www.BioKansas.org View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524006145/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] BookJane Celebrates Adding Pacific Reach as a New Investor and Zahra Salisbury Joining Our Board of Directors

BookJane Inc. ("BookJane") today announces that Pacific Reach Properties Ltd. ("Pacific Reach"), a Vancouver-based private investment fund, has made an investment in BookJane. With the investment, Pacific Reach is appointing Zahra Salisbury to join BookJane's Board of Directors. BookJane, since its founding in 2016, has been committed to providing the highest quality caregivers to its 500 business clients from its 3000 and forever expanding pool of certified professional caregivers. Through use of its technologies, BookJane is able to deliver services at a level of efficiency that is unprecedented in the caregiver industry. "Our technologies differentiate us from other caregiver companies, but with our recent SaaS (News - Alert) -based contract wins with Comfort Keepers and Amica, we believe we have an opportunity to really change the caregiver industry," stated Curtis Khan, CEO and Founder of BookJane. "With this new investment from Pacific Reach, we can accelerate the development of a comprehensive technology-based solution that will dramatically improve how our business customers and the caregiver industry as a whole, can attract, retain and efficiently utilize their internal staff." Zahra Salisbury remarked, "Pacific Reach is very excited to be part of this journey with BookJane. We believe there is a critical need in the industry for their services and teir technologies. Pacific Reach is proud to provide BookJane with the capital needed to accelerate their growth, but more importantly, help change an industry that is in need of innovation. I look forward to personally joining the Board and contribute in any way I can."



"We are very fortunate to have Zahra join our Board. Her background and relationships in the senior housing industry has already provided us with a number of new opportunities and I believe this is only the start of what she will bring to our organization," Khan added. Salisbury is part of the Jamal Family that founded Retirement Concepts Senior Services and sold it in 2017 after more than 30 years in the seniors housing industry. Pacific Reach is the Jamal Family's new company with an emphasis on hospitality and multi-family housing; however, the company does make strategic investments in select early stage companies including BookJane and Maple. Salisbury holds a Master of Science degree in Health Policy and Management from Harvard University, and has previously worked for McKinsey & Company (News - Alert) , the World Health Organization, GrowthWorks Capital and Ernst & Young Corporate Finance.

About BookJane Inc. BookJane is a visionary startup that through the use of its technologies, is addressing the inefficiencies in finding certified caregiver professionals when needed. Initially developed for internal use, BookJane's technologies is now being deployed as a SaaS platform for business customers' internal use in the United States and Canada. With the investment commitment from Pacific Reach, BookJane just completed their Angel Financing round. About Pacific Reach Properties Ltd. Building on more than two decades of real estate experience, Pacific Reach Properties acquires, improves and professionally manages multi-family and commercial properties throughout North America while maximizing tenant experience and investment returns. For more information on BookJane, please visit www.bookjane.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524006170/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] Announcing the 2018 D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning

Kitchener, Canada, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE), in partnership with D2L, are proud to present five outstanding post-secondary educators with the 2018 D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning. Selected from an international pool of applicants, the award recognizes these outstanding educators who are redefining the learning experience of students through innovative practices: Lyn Baldwin, Department of Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers University

Bernard Charlin, Department of Surgery, University of Montreal

Alec Couros, Faculty of Education, University of Regina

Stephen MacNeil, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Wilfrid Laurier University

Barbara Sinclair, Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University Each year we have an amazing group of individuals who are nominated for the D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning and our adjudication committee is tasked with the difficult decision of determining the recipients. This year was no different, and we have five talented individuals who provide a glimpse into their classrooms, showcasing their innovative practices, and giving all of us something to aspire to in our own teaching, said STLHE President, Denise Stockley. The world is changing at a breakneck speed  and we are thrilled to honour five leading educators that are demonstrating significant innovation and inspiring the future of learning. Please join us in celebrating their achievements in making learning experiences better and enabling students to excel, said John Baker, President and CEO of D2L. This years award recipients are at the forefront of innovation both within their academic institutions and higher education more broadly. Congratulations to: Lyn Baldwin, Thompson Rivers University

By integrating drawing and creative writing into her botany courses, Dr. Baldwin reaches outside her discipline to engage students in deep and meaningful learning. In her natural history and ecology classes, her innovative use of place-based pedagogy provides important scaffolding to contextualize abstract and theoretical concepts. Her students use the tools of both art and science to transform and translate their learning beyond the classroom. Through the Pedagogy of Place community of practice she initiated, Dr. Baldwin developed and field-tested many place-based teaching assignments. These and others are now available through the STLHE Green Guide: Place-Based Education: An Inter and Multidisciplinary Approach. Bernard Charlin, University of Montreal

Dr. Charlin has made exceptional contributions to Health Sciences teaching and learning nationally and internationally. Recognizing the challenges of teaching and developing clinical reasoning skills in medical students, he developed an innovative aproach to explore the nature of clinical reasoning using knowledge modeling and a concordance test (an assessment approach that helps determine whether students have successfully organized information to make accurate clinical decisions). He developed the Concordance of Judgment Learning Tool that allows students and professionals-in-practice to compare their judgment(s) with that of experts, and learn from their reasoning and justifications. This innovation has been widely adopted in the health professions. In 2015, Dr. Charlin received the Duncan Graham Award for Lifelong Contributions to Medical Education.



Alec Couros, University of Regina

Dr. Couros is a well-known pioneer in the field of open education and online learning. His innovative courses feature educational technology-facilitated student engagement such as the #ETMOOC lipdub assignment where creative relationship-building occurs among 12,000 students from different countries. Not only do his assignments result in his Education students creating effective personal learning networks that transcend the boundaries of the course, but his students also gain competence using a wide spectrum of educational technology tools, while establishing their online identity. Student self-assessments and reassessments both empower his students and facilitate mentoring opportunities as they continue to learn and exchange ideas with experts from around the world. Stephen MacNeil, Wilfrid Laurier University

Dr. MacNeil is a consummate innovator and institutional leader who is nationally recognized for his theoretically sound pedagogical innovations in chemistry education. His research-based metacognitive co-curriculum, for example, introduces students to the concept and importance of metacognition, while learning about organic chemistry. Weekly learning task inventories and learning task lists paired with asking students to rate their confidence when responding to clicker questions and to predict their grade one week and 24-hours prior to test-taking, challenges them to reflect on and assess their learning (perceived and actual) and overall test preparedness. Two-stage collaborative testing and blended/flipped classroom methods with a focus on formative assessment are also signature to Dr. MacNeils teaching. Through his national leadership roles, Dr. MacNeil seeks to build capacity in chemistry education research.





Barbara Sinclair, Western University

Barbara Sinclair is a passionate educational leader. Her dedication to incorporating simulation in nursing education, while still a relatively new approach, resulted in technology-enhanced simulation being integral to all four years of Westerns nursing curriculum, thus providing students the opportunity to apply theory to practice and master essential nursing skills in a safe environment. Her electronic health (eHealth) record simulation system, for instance, engages students in complex case scenarios with a focus on patient safety and medication errors. Similarly, a collaboration with a fourth year student to develop an electronic medication administration record (eMAR) incorporating barcode technology, now aids nursing students in learning how to administer medications using technology they will encounter in Canadian healthcare facilities. D2L award recipients will be recognized at the annual STLHE conference (June 19-22) on Wednesday, June 20 during the Societys award ceremony. Each recipient receives a two-year STLHE membership, a certificate of recognition, and funding to support travel and attendance at the conference and the D2L award retreat. Refer to the STLHE website to learn more about the D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning or contact the STLHE Awards Chair  Valerie Lopes . ABOUT THE SOCIETY FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (STLHE)

STLHE strives to be the pre-eminent national voice and a world leader for enhancing teaching and learning in higher education. STLHE supports research, its dissemination, increased awareness and application of research through scholarly teaching and learning. Visit the STHLE website at https://www.stlhe.ca for more information. ABOUT D2L

D2L believes learning is the foundation upon which all progress and achievement rests. Working closely with organizations globally, D2L has transformed the way millions of people learn online and in the classroom. Learn more about D2L for schools, higher education and businesses at www.D2L.com . D2L PRESS CONTACT

Virginia Jamieson, Vice President of PR and AR, D2L Ltd., 650-279-8619, Virginia.Jamieson@D2L.com



Twitter: @D2L

 2017 D2L Corporation.

The D2L family of companies includes D2L Corporation, D2L Ltd, D2L Australia Pty Ltd, D2L Europe Ltd, D2L Asia Pte Ltd, and D2L Brasil Solucoes de Tecnologia para Educacao Ltda.

All D2L marks are trademarks of D2L Corporation. Please visit D2L.com/trademarks for a list of D2L marks.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] Power Products Acquires King Innovation

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Power Products, LLC announces its acquisition of King Innovation. Based in O'Fallon, Missouri, King Innovation is a recognized leader in the design and manufacture of innovative construction grade products for the irrigation, electrical, gas utility and landscape lighting markets. King Innovation will become part of Power Products' Electrical Construction and Maintenance Division (ECM). "The acquisition of King provides us with a broad offering of innovative and proprietary products and supports our strategic initiative to grow rapidly in the electrical channel and expand into adjacent channels. We are very excited to welcome King's management and employees to the Power Products family," said David Scheer, CEO Power Products. Mike Masino, President of the ECM Division, added "The acquisition of King is a great addition to the ECM Division, and combined with Gardner Bender, Sperry Instruments, Bergen Industries, and Calterm, creates a unique strategic platform for our distributor, retailer, and catalog partners. Furthermore, King's industry leading range of products expands our electrical category providing further value to our end-usr customers in the commercial, residential, and industrial markets."



Herb King, CEO of King Innovation, commented, "I am very enthusiastic about King Innovation becoming part of the global Power Products family. King's full line of DryConn waterproof and dry location connectors and other products for the contractor and DIY markets will benefit greatly from Power Products' broad channel access. By combining resources of both companies to accelerate innovative new product development, I am very excited about future growth opportunities for King." King Innovation will continue to operate its R&D, manufacturing, and all customer support functions from its headquarters in O'Fallon, Missouri under the direction of Frank Vlasaty, President.

About Power Products LLC:

Power Products LLC, headquartered in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, is a global, diversified electrical products platform with locations in The Netherlands, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada and the United States. The Power Products portfolio consists of leading brands for a variety of aftermarket and OEM customer segments in electrical construction and maintenance, recreational marine and specialty vehicles, industrial power, and transportation. About King Innovation:

Founded in 1988, King Innovation specializes in the development, design and manufacture of construction grade electrical and irrigation products for the residential, commercial, utility, irrigation and landscape lighting markets. For further information please contact:

David Wiesemann, Vice President of Product Development and Marketing, ECM Division, Power Products LLC. Dave.Wiesemann@powerprodllc.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/power-products-acquires-king-innovation-300654706.html SOURCE Power Products, LLC

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] Pandora Announces Convertible Note Exchange Transactions

Pandora (News - Alert) (NYSE: P) today announced that it has agreed with certain holders of its existing 1.75% senior convertible notes due 2020 (the "2020 Notes") to exchange an aggregate of $192.9 million principal amount of 2020 Notes for a new series of 1.75% senior convertible notes due 2023 (the "New Notes"), as described more fully below (the "Exchange"). The Exchange is being undertaken to extend the maturity of a portion of the 2020 Notes. After completion of the Exchange, $152.1 million aggregate principal amount of 2020 Notes will remain outstanding, and $192.9 million aggregate principal amount of New Notes will be outstanding. Convertible Note Exchange Pandora has entered into privately negotiated agreements with a limited number of holders of 2020 Notes to exchange an aggregate of approximately $192.9 million principal amount of 2020 Notes for an equal principal amount of New Notes. The Exchange is expected to close on or about June 1, 2018, subject to customary closing conditions. The New Notes will be senior unsecured obligations and pay interest semiannually in arrears at a rate of 1.75% per annum on June 1 and December 1 of each year, beginning on December 1, 2018. Prior to the close of business on the business day immediately preceding July 1, 2023, the New Notes will be convertible at the option of the holder into cash, shares of the company's common stock or a combination thereof, at the company's election, only upon satisfaction of certain conditions and during certain periods and thereafter at any time until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date. The initial conversion rate per $1,000 principal amount of the New Notes will be established based on a 35% premium to the price at which shares of the company's common stock are sold to the underwriter in the underwritten offering of borrowed shares by or on behalf of certain of the exchanging noteholders, described below. The New Notes will mature on December 1, 2023, unless earlier converted, repurchased or redeemed. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the New Notes, the company's common stock or any other securities, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The offer and sale of the New Notes and any shares of the company's common stock issuable upon conversion have not been regisered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws. The New Notes may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and any applicable state securities laws.



Registered Block Trade In connection with the Exchange, Pandora announced an underwritten offering (the "Offering") of approximately 6,373,275 borrowed shares of its common stock, with Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC acting as sole bookrunner. The shares of common stock to be sold in the Offering are being borrowed from third parties and sold by Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (i) as underwriter and principal on behalf of certain holders participating in the Exchange and/or (ii) on behalf of itself and/or its affiliates, in each case, to facilitate the establishment of short positions by such exchanging holders relating to Pandora's common stock to hedge their investments in the New Notes. With respect to any shares of Pandora's common stock sold short by Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, on behalf of itself and/or its affiliates, in the Offering, Pandora expects Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and/or its affiliates will concurrently enter into privately negotiated transactions relating to Pandora's common stock in an equal notional amount (including derivative transactions) with certain exchanging holders to facilitate hedging of the New Notes by such holders. Pandora will not receive any proceeds from the Offering, and as the Offering is based on borrowed shares, the Offering will not increase the amount of outstanding shares of its common stock.

The Offering will be made only by means of an effective shelf registration statement that has previously been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the " SEC (News - Alert) "). Any offer, or solicitation to buy, if at all, will be made solely by means of a prospectus and related prospectus supplement filed with the SEC. You may obtain these documents without charge from the SEC at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, you may request copies of these materials from Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, c/o Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, New York 10014 or by email at prospectus@morganstanley.com. This announcement is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any of these securities and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation, or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale is unlawful. "SAFE HARBOR" STATEMENT. This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the completion of Pandora's convertible note exchange and its underwritten offering of borrowed shares of its common stock. There are no assurances that these proposed transactions will be completed, and they may not be completed due to certain factors, including, but not limited to general economic and market conditions. ABOUT PANDORA Pandora is one of the world's most powerful music discovery platforms, offering a personalized experience for each of its listeners wherever and whenever they want to listen to music-whether through earbuds, car speakers or home audio/video equipment. Pandora is available as an ad-supported service, a radio subscription service called Pandora Plus and an on-demand subscription service called Pandora Premium. When a listener enters a single song, artist, comedian or genre to start a station, the Pandora service instantly generates a station that plays music or comedy it thinks that listener will enjoy. Powered by its proprietary personalization technologies, including the Music Genome Project and its playlist generating algorithms, its service then further tailors the listener experience based on listener reactions to the recordings it picks. In addition to incorporating its music selection technology, Pandora Premium gives listeners the ability to search and play any track or album as well as offering unique playlist features tailored to each listener's distinct preferences. Founded by musicians, Pandora also empowers artists with valuable data and tools to help grow their careers and connect with their fans. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524006328/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] Former Rolls-Royce Executive Andrew Dickinson Joins ConversionPoint Technologies as Advisory Board Member

IRVINE, Calif., May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ConversionPoint Technologies, a leading e-Commerce technology group, has appointed Andrew Dickinson to its advisory board.

Dickinson brings to ConversionPoint an award-winning track record of significant achievements from a number of senior financial and operational roles at Rolls-Royce, including an extraordinary record of 100% on-time delivery, productivity improvements of more than 10%, and a 500% improvement in safety. His global business experience spans Germany, Brazil, Singapore and the UK. Dickinson was CFO of Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace in Derby, UK, where he was responsible for the finance, commercial, compliance, risk and IT functions globally for the $10.8 billion division with 24,000 employees. Within the finance department, he led a team of more than 350 finance professionals. Andrew is an outstanding global senior executive and entrepreneur, with a tremendous breadth of international knowledge and experience in business leadership, operations and finance gained at a FTSE 100 company, noted Robert Tallack, CEO of ConversionPoint. He will be a tremendous asset with his large company financial background as we grow ConversionPoint. Commented Dickinson: ConversionPoint is exceptional in how it has brought together various technologies to solve fundamental pain points in todays e-Commerce world. Where before, companies had to cobble together various data stories, ConversionPoint is creating an innovative SaaS-based solution that unifies different data points in the buyer journey to tell a complete story. No longer will sellers have to guess where the conversion point is with their customers or wonder what ROI marketing efforts have created. Im fortunate to join the companys advisory board at this pivotal ime in its evolution, and as it sets out on an aggressive growth path that is destined to transform the e-Commerce landscape.



Dickinson earlier served as general manager at International Engine Component Overhaul (IECO) in Singapore, a joint venture between Rolls-Royce and Singapore Airlines Engineering. During his tenure, the company achieved top and bottom-line growth and perfect on-time delivery performance. The company won several industry awards, which recognized its pursuit of innovation and productivity improvement. Prior to IECO, he served as finance director of N3 Engine Overhaul Services, where he was responsible for the establishment and general management of a $135 million repair and overhaul facility on a greenfield site in eastern Germany. He oversaw the building of a new facility and testbed, the development of a company culture, the recruitment and training of 400 employees, the design and implementation of company processes and procedures, and the negotiation of third party financing to fund the companys growth.

Before N3 Engine, he served as director of finance and administration at Rolls-Royce in Brazil, accountable for setting strategic direction and providing company leadership. He was directly responsible for several departments, including finance, procurement, legal, information technology, facility management, health and safety and occupational health. Dickinson holds a BA with Honors in Accounting and Finance from Liverpool John Moores University, and is a chartered Institute of Management accountant. His appointment is the second addition to the ConversionPoint Technologies Advisory Board. The company recently announced the addition of the global licensing leader, Tim Rothwell, to the board. About ConversionPoint Technologies ConversionPoint Technologies, Inc. is a group of e-Commerce technology companies changing how brands, advertisers and agencies connect with, acquire and retain customers. Powered by AI-enabled media optimization, CRM, and robust post-purchase platforms that automate product delivery and remarketing, the ConversionPoint companies offer proprietary technologies to increase conversions, lifetime customer value, and return on ad spend. Solutions are available for selling direct (.com), via online retailers and Amazon. Connect on Twitter, LinkedIn or ConversionPoint.com Important Cautions Regarding Forward Looking Statements Except for historical information contained herein, this press release may contain forward-looking statements, which reflect the expectations of management of ConversionPoint Technologies, Inc. with respect to potential future events. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of such risks and uncertainties. Company Contact:

Amy Chilla

ConversionPoint Technologies Inc.

Tel (949) 573-7830

amy@conversionpoint.com

Investor Relations:

CMA

Ron Both/Geoffrey Plank

Tel (949) 432-7566

cpti@cma.team



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] Radian CEO to Participate at the Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Mortgage Finance and Asset Management Conference

Radian (News - Alert) Group Inc. (NYSE: RDN) announced today that Rick Thornberry, chief executive officer, will be participating in a fireside chat at the Keefe, Bruyette & Woods 2018 Mortgage Finance and Asset Management Conference, which is being held at The Westin Grand Central hotel in New York City on Thursday, May 31, 2018 at 10:05 a.m. Eastern time. The fireside chat will be webcast live and accessible by visiting http://wsw.com/webcast/kbw43/rdn/ or Radian's website at http://www.radian.biz/page?name=Webcasts.



A replay of the presentation will be available for approximately 90 days. ABOUT RADIAN

Radian Group Inc. (NYSE: RDN), headquartered in Philadelphia, provides private mortgage insurance, risk management products and real estate services to financial institutions. Radian offers products and services through two business segments: Mortgage Insurance, through its principal mortgage insurance subsidiary Radian Guaranty Inc. This private mortgage insurance helps protect lenders from default-related losses, facilitates the sale of low-downpayment mortgages in the secondary market and enables homebuyers to purchase homes more quickly with downpayments less than 20%. Mortgage and Real Estate Services, through its principal services subsidiary Clayton, as well as Entitle Direct, Green River Capital, Red Bell Real Estate and ValuAmerica. These solutions include information and services that financial institutions, investors and government entities use to evaluate, acquire, securitize, service and monitor loans and asset-backed securities. Additional information may be found at www.radian.biz. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524005028/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. to Attend the KBW Mortgage Finance and Asset Management Conference

Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. (NYSE: GPMT), a commercial real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on directly originating, investing in and managing senior floating rate commercial mortgage loans and other debt and debt-like commercial real estate investments, announced today that Jack Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, President and Director is scheduled for a conference panel presentation discussion at the KBW Mortgage Finance and Asset Management Conference being held Thursday May 31, 2018 at the Westin Grand Central in New York, NY. The conference panel presentation, which is scheduled to begin at 10:05 a.m. EST on May 31, 2018, will include a discussion of the company's business fundamentals and investment strategy, as well the general market environment. The presentation will be webcast and made available on Granite Poit's website at http://www.gpmortgagetrust.com in the Investor Relations section under the Events and Presentation link. The replay will be available for 90 days.



About Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc.

Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc., a Maryland corporation, is a real estate investment trust that is focused on directly originating, investing in and managing senior floating rate commercial mortgage loans and other debt and debt-like commercial real estate investments. Granite Point is headquartered in New York, NY, and is externally managed by Pine River Capital Management L.P. Additional information is available at www.gpmortgagetrust.com. Additional Information

Stockholders of Granite Point and other interested persons may find additional information regarding the company at the Securities and Exchange Commission's Internet site at www.sec.gov or by directing requests to: Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc., 590 Madison Avenue, 38th floor, New York, NY 10022, telephone 212-364-3200.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524006172/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][May 24, 2018] Molina Healthcare Selected for Medicaid Contract Awards in All Eight Regions of the State of Washington Reprocurement

Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE: MOH) today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Molina Healthcare of Washington, Inc., has been chosen as an apparently successful bidder by the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) to negotiate and enter into managed care contracts for all eight additional regions of the state's Apple (News - Alert) Health Integrated Managed Care (IMC) program. With this announcement, Molina is one of only two managed care organizations selected for the IMC program in each of the state's 10 regional service areas and all 39 counties. "These awards are a testament to Molina Healthcare of Washington's excellent track record of providing high quality, accessible, and affordable health care," said Joe Zubretsky, president and chief executive officer for Molina Healthcare, Inc. "We look forward to our continuing partnership with the HCA to serve members across the state through the Integrated Managed Care program." The new contracts will allow selected managed care organizations to provide the full continuum of behavioral and physical health services that are available to beneficiaries for each of the eight regional service areas. "We are honored to have the opportunity to provide fully integrated managed care in every region of the state," said Peter Adler, president of Molina Healthcare of Washington. "The success we have already seen serving members in the North Central and Southwest regions illustrates how effective whole-person care can be in improving health outcomes for some of the most vulnerable members of our communities while also controlling costs for our government partners." Molina currently provides Medicaid physical health services throughout Washington state and fully integrated behavioral and physical health services in the North Central and Southwest regions of Wahington. Molina Healthcare of Washington was selected by HCA for the following regions: Greater Columbia, King, North Sound, Pierce, and Spokane beginning January 1, 2019; and Salish, Thurston-Mason, and Great Rivers beginning January 1, 2020. Molina's current membership in the newly awarded regions totals approximately 605,000. Combined with previously awarded regions, Molina's Medicaid membership in Washington is currently in excess of 748,000.



About Molina Healthcare Molina Healthcare, Inc., a FORTUNE 500 company, provides managed health care services under the Medicaid and Medicare programs and through the state insurance marketplaces. Through its locally operated health plans, Molina Healthcare serves approximately 4.1 million members as of March 31, 2018. For more information about Molina Healthcare, please visit our website at molinahealthcare.com.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This press release contains "forward-looking statements" regarding the selection of Molina Healthcare of Washington to negotiate and enter into managed care contracts for eight additional regions of the state's Apple Health Integrated Managed Care Program. All forward-looking statements are based on current expectations that are subject to numerous risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially. Such risk factors include, without limitation, a failure of the parties to finalize and execute the new contracts, a delay in the start date for the new contracts, a reversal of the contract awards in connection with a successful protest by another bidder, and results and performance issues under the new contracts that are materially less favorable than those under the existing contracts. Additional information regarding the risk factors to which we are subject is provided in greater detail in our periodic reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. These reports can be accessed under the investor relations tab of our website or on the SEC's (News - Alert) website at sec.gov. Given these risks and uncertainties, we cannot give assurances that our forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, or that any other results or events projected or contemplated by our forward-looking statements will in fact occur, and we caution investors not to place undue reliance on these statements. All forward-looking statements in this release represent our judgment as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to conform the statement to actual results or changes in our expectations that occur after the date of this release. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524006424/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]A new filing in a lawsuit launched in 2015 against Facebook claims that the company developed a malicious and fraudulent scheme to exploit the data of its users friends to earn billions of dollars and force competitors out of business. The company suing Facebook, Six4Three, is a former startup alleging that Facebook defrauded it in the same way.

Facebooks Scheme To Save Its Ad Revenue

The new filing by Six4Three says that Facebooks desktop advertising revenues were in sharp decline in 2012, as users were rapidly switching to using Facebook on mobile instead of their PCs. Zuckerberg responded to this issue by forcing third-party developers to buy mobile ads or risk having their access to data at the core of their business cut off, according to the filing.

The filing also says that Facebook was luring third-party developers with promises of long-term access to both users and their friends data. As we know now, this decision has proven to be catastrophic, as it allowed companies such as Cambridge Analytica to harvest the data of tens of millions of people by asking for consent for data collection from only a few hundred thousand people.

It also shows that, unlike Zuckerbergs attempt to paint this as another error, it was actually a decision made on purpose so that the company could increase its revenues.

The court documents state the following:

The evidence uncovered by plaintiff demonstrates that the Cambridge Analytica scandal was not the result of mere negligence on Facebooks part but was rather the direct consequence of the malicious and fraudulent scheme Zuckerberg designed in 2012 to cover up his failure to anticipate the worlds transition to smartphones.

The documents also claim that Facebook was targeting successful developers who were using the Facebook APIs, looking to extract money from them, co-opt them, or destroy them. Six4Three alleges that up to 40,000 companies were defrauded in this way by Facebook.

Facebook Cant Decide If Its A Platform Or A Publisher

In the recent Cambridge Analytica Congressional hearings, Zuckerberg said that Facebook is a neutral platform. The company doesnt want to be seen as a publisher, because that could put it under stricter regulations. However, the company constantly exercises editorial rights to censor or alter content on the site.

In Facebooks recent submission to the court, the company seems to have embraced its editorial/publisher role in order to defend itself against Six4Threes lawsuit:

Six4Three is taking its fifth shot at an ever expanding set of claims and all of its claims turn on one decision, which is absolutely protected: Facebooks editorial decision to stop publishing certain user-generated content via its Platform to third-party app developers.

Sandy Parakilas, a former Facebook executive who worked for the company in 2011 and 2012, recently became a whistleblower and said that Facebooks leadership simply didnt want to know how users friends data was being abused. In a UK parliamentary hearing, Parakilas said:

They felt that it was better not to know. I found that utterly horrifying. If true, these allegations show a huge betrayal of users, partners and regulators. They would also show Facebook using its monopoly power to kill competition and putting profits over protecting its users.

Facebook wasnt able to convince the court to drop Six4Threes lawsuit, so a trial data was set for 2019.For a while now the word has been that Apple dropped the idea of building its own self-driving car in order to develop software that it could license to other companies. Of course, thats a hard pill to swallow considering the stance it takes will all of its software and its hardware exclusivity. Now, word has it that Apple has joined forces with Volkswagen which includes a deal to turn some of VWs T6 Transport vans into self-driving pods to haul around Apple employees.

Getting into bed with the Germans one way or another it seems...

What are Volkswagen and Apple Doing in Bed Together?

Giant company Apple wants to control both data and design  some kind of partnership thats set to be.

According to the New York Times, Apple has an itch to get into bed with the Germans. Its propositioned both BMW and Mercedes to strike a deal in developing a self-driving electric car. According to NYTs sources, these propositions have occurred over the past couple of years, but neither would agree to hand over control of data and design. Big surprise there, huh? Giant company Apple wants to control both data and design  some kind of partnership thats set to be.

Well, once the big boys told Volkswagen to take a hike, the brand dropped its expectations and designed to head over to the bargain bin, or as you know it, Volkswagen. Theres no word as to what the specifics of the Apple-Volkswagen deal are, but its said to be taking up a lot of resources on Apples end.

For now, thats about all we know, but its undoubtedly clear that Apple is very interested in working with a German automaker. According to 9-to-5mac Apple has up to 50 cars roaming California roads and has been all up in the DMV as well. I wouldnt hold my breath expecting an Apple iCar to sit in your driveway, accenting your MacBook, iPod, and iPhone, but its pretty clear that Apple isnt stepping away from the self-driving car game quite yet.

What all of this will eventually manifest will be a mystery for some time to come, but it will be interesting to see what comes out of this deal. Maybe an Apple iCar will happen. If it does, itll be years down the road, but its still fun to think about.

Further Reading

Read our full speculative on the 2021 Apple iCar.

Read more Apple news.

Source: New York TimesThe ATPC, OHCHR and FES Geneva initiated a partnership to analyse the human rights implications of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The final joint report The Continental Free Trade Area in Africa: A Human Rights Perspective was launched in July 2017 focusing on specific case studies, stakeholders and human rights.

The three partnering organisations* have agreed to focus the next phase of the triangular partnership on assessing the inclusion and human rights implications of digital trade in the context of Africas trade policy underpinned by the AfCFTA.

The digital economy and the dynamism generated by digital trade solutions presents significant opportunities but also challenges that need to be addressed in a way that is consistent with inclusion, transparency, people-centred governance and the attainment of human rights.

The ATPC, OHCHR and FES are co-organising a Conference on The Digital Economy in Africa: Implications for Inclusion and Human Rights which will take place on 31 May to 1 June 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The purpose of the conference is to brainstorm preliminarily on the scope of the organisations joint research work on human rights and digital trade in the context of the AfCFTA.

The conference will be organised in sessions, each dedicated to a selected topic to allow for in-depth discussion based on different experiences shared by participants. The topics of the eight thematic sessions are:

Digital futures: new challenges and opportunities Human rights in an age of digital revolution Digital trade landscape in Africa I: trends in business and policy Digital trade landscape in Africa II: special focus on informal, micro, small and medium enterprises in digital trade Digital trade and the right to work Digital trade and gender equality Digital trade and youth Global, regional and national governance of digital trade to foster human rights

Following the conference, the three partnering organisations will prepare a short meeting report outlining the key messages and next steps for the triangular partnership, which may include preparing a human rights analysis of digital trade, with policy recommendations for the next round of AfCFTA negotiations and for policy-makers and entrepreneurs in this area.

* African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) East Africa Regional Office, and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Geneva Office.

Background

Why digital trade?

Digital trade  defined here as the use of digital technologies to facilitate businesses  is growing rapidly in Africa, implying significant changes for the way African countries trade and industrialize. The digital economy, which thrives on communication and human networks is being embraced across the continent; by entrepreneurs, businesses and governments.

Governments increasingly rely on digital platforms for the delivery of services, and the provision of public information. Digital trade has created opportunities for the integration of African firms into global value chains (GVCs) through facilitating widespread marketing and distribution of goods and services within Africa, and between the African continent and the rest of the world.

Why inclusion and human rights?

While digital trade can have a transformative effect on African economies, a human rights approach is crucial to look at larger issues of connectivity across the continent and within countries, access to and use of technology platforms, tools and services; privacy and data protection and; the impact of digital trade on a range of human rights in terms of its realisation, promotion and protection, including right to work and education.

Digital trade can provide many opportunities that promote or realise human rights within the international and regional human rights framework. This includes pushing overall demand for closing digital divides, creating improved ICT infrastructure and overall better infrastructure to promote development solutions and through creation of jobs and employment.

In terms of human rights risks, however, technology must generally be made available, affordable and accessible, with equality and non-discrimination underpinning these rights of access and use, to enable participation in development and more generally in political, social and economic spheres. Digital trade can also have gendered impacts, which need to be assessed and dealt with.

Article 3 of the African Union pdf Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want (333 KB) provides a legal underpinning for considering human rights in Africas digital economy agenda  it expresses the continental aspiration of an Africa of good governance, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law.

Achieving inclusive and human rights consistent digital development in Africa impacts several policy areas. However, for the purposes of the collaborative work between ATPC, OHCHR and FES, the following five important areas are prioritized: Employment, MSMEs, Agriculture, Industry and Services; Women; and Youth.The African Development Bank is delivering on its goals and making good progress towards achieving its development and operational targets according to the 2018 Annual Development Effectiveness Review (ADER), which was released at the Banks Annual Meetings in Busan, Republic of Korea.

Every year, ADER scrutinizes the Banks operational effectiveness and its organizational efficiency, using the Banks results measurement framework for 2016-2025. It brings together evidence of strengths and weaknesses to provide management with a clear understanding of what has worked well and what the Bank must do better to achieve its High 5 development goals.

The report shows that the African Development Bank is delivering on its commitment to help Africa achieve the Banks High 5 priorities, said Charles Boamah, Senior Vice-President. The Bank continues to strengthen its effectiveness as an organization, while scaling up its operations.

This years ADER has a special focus on industrializing Africa. There are good reasons to be optimistic that industrialization is achievable in the coming years. Africa is open for business, with stable economies and supportive business environments, said Bank President, Akinwumi Adesina. It has a young and growing workforce that is increasingly global in outlook. Urbanization and the rise of the African middle class are opening up new consumer markets, which act as a magnet for investors.

In 2017, companies had improved access to transport, energy, and skills, which expanded their ability to do business across the continent. The Bank contributed to these improvement: it provided 14 million people with access to transport  well above its target  while building or rehabilitating 2,500 km of roads in 2017 and also helped 210,000 small and micro businesses access finance, which benefitted 2.6 million people.

This level of performance is promising, but we must continue driving operational delivery and impact, said Simon Mizrahi, Bank Director for Delivery, Performance Management and Results.

The Bank is scaling up its efforts to accelerate the pace of industrialization, supported by its presence in 38 countries and by timely and quality operations. This backbone and experience position the Bank well to mobilize more resources from institutional investors around the world for industrial development.

Executive Summary

This is an important period for both Africa and the Bank. For Africa, the coming few years are a window of opportunity to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Building on nearly two decades of strong economic growth and rapid urbanisation, Africa needs to achieve industrial development and structural economic change to create jobs at scale and promote prosperity across the continent. For the Bank, our contribution to Africas economic transformation is through our High 5 strategies, which we began implementing in 2016: Feed Africa, Light up and power Africa, Industrialise Africa, Integrate Africa and Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa. We have also been implementing an ambitious programme of organisational reforms, to help us maximise our development results and achieve greater value for money.

The theme of this years ADER is industrialisation. African governments and their international partners now recognise that industrial development is a precondition for meeting many of the SDGs. It is, however, a complex objective with many components. Building on the findings of our 2017 report Industrialise Africa: Strategies, Policies, Institutions and Financing, we look first at the progress Africa has made in recent years on industrial development, and at how the Banks operations are contributing to that progress. We then review progress on the other High 5 areas, and on our cross-cutting priorities of governance, fragility, gender and climate change  in each case, exploring how they link to the goal of industrialising Africa. We then present the third and fourth levels of our Results Measurement Framework, assessing our progress on improving the management of our portfolio and strengthening our own capacity as an organisation to deliver results for our clients and shareholders. In the final section, we look forward to what we expect to contribute to Africa's development in the coming years.

Industrialise Africa

Africas youthful labour force and rapidly expanding towns and cities are opening up new opportunities for industries that can supply growing consumer markets and participate in global value chains. Foreign direct investment has risen rapidly and is increasingly directed towards manufacturing and services. Some key indicators of industrial development  including industrial output, global competitiveness and economic diversification  are not yet moving forward across Africa as a whole. At the national level, however, there are positive developments: South Africa, Algeria and Mauritius are all industrialising rapidly, and Ethiopia and Morocco are building nationwide networks of industrial parks.

To take advantage of this window of opportunity, Africa needs to double its industrial output over the next decade, while enhancing economic diversification and improving competitiveness. This will require stable macroeconomic conditions, a better business climate, effective legal frameworks, healthy financial institutions, cheaper and more reliable infrastructure services and supportive trade policies.

Under its pdf Industrialise Africa strategy (5.68 MB) , the Bank is supporting African business in international value chains, helping governments develop industrial policies and strengthen their business environments, and investing in infrastructure with high economic returns. In 2017, we provided 14 million people with access to transport  well above our target  while building or rehabilitating 2500 km of roads. We helped 210 000 small and micro businesses to access finance, benefiting 2.6 million people. Examples of effective programming have included the Africa Capital Works Fund, which provides companies with extra liquidity to scale up their operations, and support for Ethiopias Derba Medroc Cement Plant, which has led to a 70% reduction in the price of cement.

The Bank is scaling up its efforts to support industrialisation, including through some innovative partnerships. In 2018 we will launch the Africa Investment Forum, which will help to mobilise resources from institutional investors around the world for priority infrastructure investments. In Ethiopia, Cote dIvoire, Tanzania and Madagascar, we have launched new projects to support public-private partnerships for infrastructure development, and we are partnering with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization to help a number of pilot countries establish industrial parks and special economic zones.

Integrate Africa

Industrial development depends on economic integration to create economies of scale across Africas national markets. With Africas combined population of 1.2 billion and GDP of $3.4 trillion, the potential gains from integrating the continent are huge. At present, however, intra-African trade is just 14.2% of total goods trade, partly because of the high costs of trading across borders. Africas regional economic communities continue to promote integration, but more progress is needed in areas such as visa liberalisation.

The Bank is one of the champions of economic integration. We are a major investor in cross-border infrastructure: in 2017, we built or rehabilitated 414 km of cross-border roads and built one-stop border crossings to facilitate trade. Our major transport corridor projects  for example, between Tanzania and Kenya, and linking Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique  are unlocking regional trade and creating economic opportunities for communities along the route.

Our strategic framework for economic integration focuses on three pillars: infrastructure connections, trade and investment promotion, and financial integration. Besides investing our own resources, we are helping to mobilise private and public finance into strategic projects. In the past year, we approved a $100 million loan to the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund  a public-private partnership that has invested $1.2 billion in 70 infrastructure projects in 49 countries. We have helped to design complex financial transactions to crowd in commercial finance, using risk guarantee instruments  for example, for the development of air transport in Cote dIvoire. We are also investing in regional power projects.

Cross-cutting and strategic areas

Africas economic growth slowed to 2.2% in 2016 because of lower commodity prices, but remained at a solid 4.5% in lowincome countries. There has been an increase in public debt since the 2008 global financial crisis, and a number of countries are now participating in IMF programmes. There has been a slight increase in the overall quality of governance, as measured on the Mo Ibrahim Index, with particular improvements in economic governance, but corruption remains a challenge. Africas fragile states still present the most severe governance challenges, although there has been strong progress in the Central African Republic since the end of the civil war.

Improving domestic resource mobilisation is essential to funding the recurrent and capital spending needs associated with industrial development. In 2017, the Bank helped a number of countries to improve their public financial management and procurement systems and to build transparency and accountability in the public sector. While revenue mobilisation across the continent is generally improving, this trend will need to accelerate in the coming period.

Women are central to the African economy, performing the majority of agricultural activities, owning a third of firms and, in some countries, accounting for 70% of employees. Yet continued gender equality imposes a significant barrier to womens economic opportunities. The gender equality index showed a slight improvement in 2017, but with a long way to go. Under its pdf Gender Strategy (2.41 MB) , the Bank is supporting African women with electricity connections and by improving access to clean water, and enhancing agricultural opportunities. We are supporting the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa and other financial inclusion programmes.84-year-old Ione Christensen of Whitehorse, Yukon, has had her starter for 60 years. She knows that it traveled with her grandfather in 1897.

Every Saturday night, Ione Christensen makes waffles. She uses flour, water, oil, cornmeal, eggs, and a portion of sourdough starter that's been in her fridge for more than sixty years. But that's only the length of time she has had the starter -- it's far older than that, estimated to be at least 120 years of age.

Currently it's kept in an assuming plastic container with a label reading, "100-year-old Yukon sourdough. PLEASE DO NOT THROW OUT." But the label itself is at least 20 years old, Christensen estimates. She does know that the starter traveled with her grandfather in 1897. As she told the CBC for a documentary project last fall:

"Her great-grandfather and his three brothers brought it with them, over the Chilkoot Pass. They traveled across Canada from New Brunswick to the Klondike gold fields, in the Yukon, their eyes glinting with gold fever... Hordes of people, mostly men, flooded into Dyea, Alaska, on ships from San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver. The port of Dyea was the start of the trail [and this] is where Ione figures her great-grandfather picked up the sourdough that sits on her counter today."

CBC's mention of Christensen's starter caught the attention of Belgian baker Karl de Smedt, who works for the Puratos World Heritage Sourdough Library in St. Vith, Belgium. So far the 'library' has 87 sourdoughs from 20 countries, the goal of which is to "preserve baking knowledge and sourdough heritage." de Smedt traveled to Whitehorse, Yukon, to visit Christensen, enjoy her waffles (which he deemed delicious), and collect a sample for the library. The sample will be labeled "106" and put on display as one of the library's oldest specimens. Part of it will be sent to researchers in Italy who sequence and study the sourdough's DNA profile.

Puratos -- Karl de Smedt displays a specimen at the sourdough library/via

Christensen is pleased by the attention her starter is receiving. "Its a family pet, if you will." Indeed, sourdough starters do require steady attention to be kept alive. Until fairly recently, they were crucial if anyone wanted fresh bread, which is why de Smedt described people in the past as "slaves to their sourdough," needing to feed it every few hours. Modern yeast extraction has eliminated that need, but has paid the price in flavor.

"In baking, a starter is a culture of yeast and bacteria that converts starch molecules into sugars. During this process, the yeast also produces carbon dioxide, which in turn helps the bread rise. It is a critical  if under-appreciated  component of baking, said De Smedt." (via the Guardian)

Meanwhile, Christensen laughs at the fact that her starter's fame might eclipse her own accomplishments. She was the first female mayor of Whitehorse in 1975, Commissioner of Yukon after that, a Canadian senator, and a recipient of the Order of Canada in 1994.

What will happen to her starter when she's gone? Christensen has two sons and she told CBC that "it will go to whoever ends up cleaning out her fridge." But in the event they're not quite so diligent at feeding the 'family pet' as their mother was, Canadians can rest assured that a portion will be kept for posterity at the sourdough library in Belgium.Treehugger and our third-party partners use cookies and process personal data like unique identifiers based on your consent to store and/or access information on a device, display personalized ads and for content measurement, audience insight, and product development. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Treehugger.com, including your right to object where legitimate interest is used, click below. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. List of Partners (vendors)The Trinidad and Tobago Government is estimated to have spent $13.74 billion more than it collected in fiscal 2021, as its total expenditure is projected at $50.79 billion and its total revenue and grants is estimated at $37.05 billion.THE budget debate came to an abrupt end on Saturday with both the Government and Opposition blaming each other for the collapse.The people debating the 2022 budget are supposed to represent us. They are from among us andI wouldn't hold my breath for good priced airfares that tie of year. IT is the most expensive time to fly.

Are you only interested in cities? The best parts of Australia is outside cities.

If you are only interested in cities, you could do 4-5 in 3 weeks, but you would need to fly between them.

Public transport is good in cities, not so good outside the cities.

BTW, accommodation in Sydney around NY will also be very expensive.

Edited: 3 years agoThe Hudson Valley is long and filled with way too many things to do on a first time 3 day trip so we found a B&B in Hudson, NY, The Croff House B&B, and explored the area around the little town and enjoyed a wonderful stay. We picked Hudson because Amtrak and Enterprise have a package that allows you to drop the car off at the train station which made it very convenient.

Our trip started in New York City and we got the train at Penn Station. We booked business class tickets which gave us a quiet car and large seats. There are a limited number of seats and we did not have to stand in the long line waiting for regular seats on the train. The train tracks are along the Hudson River and provide a view of estates, landscapes and the water which makes it a delightful trip.

After checking into the B&B, we spent the afternoon exploring Hudson. Then we drove to Rhinebeck and had dinner at Le Petit Bistro which really requires reservations. There are lots of little towns and this one was on our list. The next day we spent the entire day at Franklin Delano Roosevelt House and Museum in Hyde Park. This is a wonderful historical site in a beautiful setting. We also visited Val Kill, Eleanor Roosevelts nearby house. The second night we had great pizza at Baba Louies which was within walking distance of our B&B.

The next day we drove back to the Roosevelt museum because the tickets are good for 2 consecutive days and the history lover wanted to spend more time in the World War II exhibit. Then we drove to the Vanderbilt Mansion museum which was just spectacular. The grounds and furnishing inside were a real contrast to Roosevelts house. Both the Roosevelt House and the Vanderbilt mansion were furnished with original furniture and decorative items.

We drove back to Hudson for a time certain tour of Olana State Historic Site just outside of Hudson. This is a house built by the artist Frederic Church. The house is situated on a hill overlooking the Hudson River Valley and there are outstanding views. It is a unique house with unusual architectural details and lots of interesting art pieces collected by the artist. Dinner was at Ca Mea restaurant which was within walking distance of the B&B.

On our last day we drove around and looked at some of the sites along the river and then took the Amtrak back to Penn Station. Transferred over to the LIRR at Penn Station to get to JFK and stayed at the Hilton JFK for the night before flying back to Los Angeles.

There are a lot of outside activities in the Hudson River Valley but it rained the entire time we were there so plan B was exploring historical places. We wanted a unscheduled weekend in a quiet place and Hudson was perfect. It is almost an hour drive to Hyde Park from Hudson but we enjoyed the scenery, the lilac bushes, and the Dogwood Trees in bloom everywhere. The driving distances between places can be long and the roads are highways not freeways so the traffic is slower. We plan to go back to Hudson but we would add a another day and split the trip and pick up a car in Tarrytown or Poughkeepsie and explore a different part of the valley.Hi all,

We have roughly 10 days in Vietnam, and trying to figure out a reasonable itinerary.

Thinking of flying into Danang from HK, and then going to Hoi An, Hue, Phong Nha cave, Ha Long Bay, Hanoi (+/- Sapa).

How many days would be reasonable to allot for each location?

We like traditional architecture/cultural/historical sites, beach, caves, food.

Thanks!Hi,

I'm traveling with my family to Japan on September 2018, below is my iterinary

Day 1 - Reach Narita and travel to Kyoto and settle

Day 2 - Explore surroundings of Kyoto

Day 3 - Universal studios

Day 4 - Start from Kyoto to tokyo and stay in tokyo and explore some parts in tokyo

Day 5 - Explore tokyo

Day 6 - Explore tokyo and settle near Narita

Day 7 - Start from Narita.

I will be reaching Narita in the afternoon. I'm planning to go Kyoto on the day same day and I've to get the JR voucher prior to reaching Japan right? I can also get the JR pass from the airport center and reserve the seat in train to Kyoto right?

Also please suggest any improvement in the iterinary and any more suggestionsWe went to Reno for six days in May. The weather was pre Memorial. We drove from our home and over Donner Pass there was snow and hail, but luckily it did not stay on the ground. There were some impressive rain showers in the Reno area.

We had comped stays - 2 nights at Atlantis; 2 nights at Silver Legacy; and 2 nights at Eldorado. Of the three, we liked the room at Atlantis the best. Silver Legacy had some odd housekeeping issues They had a coffee maker in the room, but only one cup to serve coffee in. And mid stay housekeeping was iffy at best. The room at the Eldorado was the smallest room we had ever stayed there - but it was nicely updated and comfy bed. I was surprised though how tiny the room was as usually they comp us much nicer rooms to stay at.

We went to several shows:

1) We went to Cirque Paris at the Eldorado. If you have comp tickets be sure to call in advance to reserve them. You can no longer get them at the ticket desk at the resort even if your account says you are to receive two free tickets. The show was average.

2) We went to Reno Little Theater. We had a very good time at this theater, which has been in Reno for 88 years.

3) Carrot Top (who usually headlines in Las Vegas) was in Sparks for one night at the show room at the Nuggett. So fun!

4) And we had a great time at the concert at the Grand Sierra seeing Cheap Trick and Poison. Three hours of great music. The audience was having an amazing time so fun night.

Meals

For meals, we did Happy Hour one night at Bistro Napa at Atlantis. Good wine and good food.

We ate at the various restaurants at the Atlantis (Manhatten Deli, Cafe Alfresco, and Purple Parrot.) All were good options and since we used comps all the better.

We also had a very nice fine dining meal another night at Bistro Napa - this is always a favorite of ours to go to.

One morning we went to a local bakery Rounds, which is by the Atlantis. They have good breakfast bagel sandwiches.

At the Eldorado we dined at Roxy's - always good, and I love their High Roller Wine Flight. They also have good souffles. We also dined at Milles24 - there was slow service due to a shift change at night, but the food was ok. At the Silver Legacy we dined at their 24 hour restaurant, Cafe Central Their huge bowl of wor won ton soup was very good.

This time we focused more on the casino restaurants, but Reno has lots of good local restaurants as well.

Other Activities:

We went to the Galaxy Theater in Sparks and saw the Avengers one day and next day saw Deadpool2. Good movies. The luxury recliners are comfortable but after being there for several years ,many of the recliners are showing some leather age issues. I still like this movie theater to go to.

Another day we drove down to Minden, Nevada to see the snow covered mountains and go to Carson Valley Inn. This is a small casino and if you played 50 points (easy to do) they were giving away free things on Thursdays. This time it was a free cap day. We dined at Katies, which always has some reasonably priced meals. This time they had a turkey dinner which cost less than $7.00 for a full meal.

We also drove out to see the wild horses east of Sparks (take I80) and saw the horses in the industrial park area (i.e. Tesla battery, etc.). We were so happy to see dozens of wild horses this year and some very very young horses as well. Nice!

We did play the slots. My husband was lucky and I seemed to stay about even. My favorite casino to play this time was Atlantis. The slots seemed tighter than last time at the Eldorado and Silver Legacy (however my husband came out ahead so it may have just been my luck.). There was a good variety of slot machines.

I did expect to spend more time outside, but given the rains, spent some but not as much time as we had expected. We did go to their Spring Version of Hot August Nights which was held in the downtown area.

We had a good time in Reno.

Edited: 3 years ago-:- Message from Tripadvisor staff -:-

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What To Do During Layovers?

Vacation Apartment Rentals Violate NYC Laws

Hotels: Kitchenettes and kitchens in 100+ Manhattan Hotels

Hotels: Two queen beds plus a kitchen/kitchenette

Hotels: Guests under 21 years old (but at least 18)

Hotels: Which ones charge an additional Resort or Facilities Fee

Hotels: When is the best time to go for cheaper rates?

What are the Must-See's and Must-Do's?

How Do I Ride the Subway (UPDATED)?

Tips, Hint and Suggestions for First Timers

SCAMS to avoid in NYC

What Will the Weather Be Like During My Trip?

Any Good Websites for Researching My Trip?

How Safe is New York?

Where to Eat in NYC

Where to eat in NYC - Part 2

Celiac in the City? (gluten free)

Which Area Should I Stay In?

Is There Cheaper Lodging Outside Manhattan?

How Much Do I Tip People?

Are the New York Pass, Explorer Pass or CityPass worth it?

How Do I Hail a Taxi?

Public restrooms/toilets. Where do you go when you GOTTA GO?

Where are the best areas for shopping?

How do I find Discount Tickets for Broadway Shows?

Events for Halloween 2019 in NYC

Thanksgiving 2019 in NYC: What to Do & Where to Eat

Christmastime in NYC 2020: Dates for the Trees-Windows-Markets-Ice Skating+MORE!

Christmas Day 2019 in NYC: What to Do & Where to Eat

What Should I Do on New Year's Eve?

How Will I Survive the Cold Weather?

Where are the Farmers Markets and Street Fairs?

What is there to see and do near WTC/SOL/Brooklyn Bridge/SI ferry?

What should I know about visiting the 9/11 Memorial and Museum?

What Is There to See and Do in Brooklyn?

How Do I Get to the Brooklyn Bridge?

What Is There to See and Do in Queens?

Exploring neighborhoods - where should I go and what should I see?

Which is the best? ESB or TOTR or OWO?

Which are the significant churches in Manhattan?

Hidden Gems in the city - not so touristy

How do I get from NYC to the Meadowlands and back?

I'm Getting Married in NYC...what do I need to do?

Should I Buy Knock-Off Purses?

What to Do with Kids and How to Do It?

What should we do at night -- especially with kids or under 21's?

Places to eat (and drink) with a view

Where is the Old FAQ?

Trip Reports: Families with Young Kids - Add yours!

Trip Reports: Groups of Friends - Add yours!

Trip Reports: Couples - Add yours!

Trip Reports: Families with Teenagers - Add yours!

Trip Reports: Solo Travelers - Add yours!

Trip Reports: Families of Adults - Add yours!If you go to Empire State at 8am with a pre-bought tickets for the Main Deck you should be fine.

Mid day lines can be hours wait especially in the summer. If you show up just before 8am w/ tix in hand, you should be waiting less than a half hour. I would personally only buy from the official (esbnyc) site. You should politely avoid people trying to sell tickets out front of ESB.

Also TimeOutNY kids is a good calendar of special events for little ones.

Have Fun!

Edited: 3 years ago- Manduli claimed Ruto was an insecure man on a self-development mission

- The fastidious fashionista vowed to vote for Raila instead, if he vies in 2022

- Manduli commended Raila and Uhuru for agreeing to end their political bickering

- The Uhuru-Raila pact however caused jitters within Jubilee with some fearing it could jeopardise Ruto's 2022 bid

- Ruto is understood to be a top contender in the 2022 presidential race and is gearing up for takeover from Uhuru

Veteran politician and former Miss Kenya, Orie Rogo Manduli, has poured cold water on Deputy President William Ruto's 2022 presidential bid.

The fashionista categorically stated the deputy president will never be president of Kenya and she had her own reasons why she thought Ruto is not the man for the top office.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

Orie Rogo Manduli vowed she will vote for opposition leader Raila Odinga if he vies again in 2022. She did not have kind words for Deputy President William Ruto: Orie Rogo Manduli/Facebook.

READ ALSO: Never seen before photos of Orie Rogo Manduli without her legendary head-wrap

"Who is Ruto? He will never be president. He can get it from me. The deputy president has been busy on a self-development mission and all of a sudden he wants to be president? He is feeling insecure," Manduli said while appearing on Citizen TV's JKL talk show on Wednesday, May 23.

Interestingly, she promised to give opposition leader Raila Odinga her vote should he consider vying again in 2022.

READ ALSO: Jionee mwenyewe: Maisha ya Jeff Koinange yadhibitisha pesa ni sabuni ya roho

Manduli commended the former prime minister for agreeing to put aside his political differences with President Uhuru Kenyatta for the sake of peace and unity in the country.

"The handshake is the best thing that the president and Raila did. They brought peace, tranquility and common sense," she said.

READ ALSO: Uhuru, Ruto in bad terms - Jubilee leaders

Though a section of Kenyans would agree with Manduli on the handshake deal, others were not amused when Uhuru and Raila signed the unity pact.

There were concerns within the ruling Jubilee Party that the handshake was a political ploy to stop Ruto from becoming president.

The skepticism became clearer when Raila decided to hold private talks with retired presidents Daniel arap Moi and Mwai Kibaki, days after meeting Uhuru post the chaotic 2017 polls.

READ ALSO: Never seen before photos of Orie Rogo Manduli without her legendary head-wrap

The expectation is that since Deputy President William Ruto supported President Uhuru Kenyatta both in 2013 and 2017, it would be time for Uhuru to return the favour. Photo: William Ruto/Facebook.

Source: Twitter

The president, and even Raila, had to come out and clear the air. They said their peace agreement had nothing to do with 2022 when Ruto would contest for the presidency.

Ruto is perceived as a top contender in the 2022 race and majority of his supporters, especially from the Rift Valley region, his backyard, are expecting Uhuru to support him.

The expectation is that since the DP supported Uhuru both in 2013 and 2017, it would be time for Uhuru to return the favour.

What TUKO.co.ke is yet to fully establish is whether or not Ruto will have to face-off with Raila in the 2022 political duel.

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.

Join TUKO TV - subscribe right now! - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko- Ann Wambere was one of the more than 40 suspects grilled at the DCI offices over the new scamdal

- She owned one of the companies said to had fraudulently received cash from NYS yet supplied air

- A number of other companies were paid millions but nothing was supplied

- Some of the suspects told the detectives they had never bid for tenders but still got paid

- The ongoing probe at NYS was initiated after it was alleged over KSh 9 billion had been stolen

- It's feared this could be the biggest NYS scam since the infamous KSh 791 million theft scandal in 2015

Fresh disturbing details have emerged in the ongoing probe into the KSh 9 billion scam at the National Youth Service (NYS).

A number of suspects who were summoned by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to shed light on the alleged multi-billion heist shocked detectives when they admitted they received millions of cash from the youth empowerment programme for supplying nothing.

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READ ALSO: Willis Raburu wa Citizen TV ampagawisha mkewe kwa mapenzi kocho kocho (picha)

The DCI also summoned top NYS officials, among them Public Service PS Lilian Omollo and the NYS Director General Richard Ndubai, both of who stepped aside on May 18.Photo: TUKO.

READ ALSO: CEO, 5 top managers suspended over Ksh 1.9 billion heist at the cereals board

Reports seen by TUKO.co.ke on Thursday, May 24, also showed NYS allegedly paid at least KSh 1 billion to individuals who had never bid for tenders to supply anything.

Among the suspected beneficiaries of the NYS loot was a lady who identified herself as Ann Wambere Wanjiku Ngirita.

Ngirita, a 30-year-old business woman and owner of Annwaw Investment, reportedly told the detectives her company received KSh 59 million from the NYS.

According to a report by the Daily Nation, Ngirita visited the NYS offices, asked for a procurement officer, requested to supply goods and that was how she ended up with millions in her bank account. But that was not the most disturbing part of her confession.

READ ALSO: 40 suspects lined up for grilling over alleged theft of Ksh 9 billion at NYS

Ngirita's company, Daily Nation reported, had no physical address.

She secured the NYS business deal using her office-less company's Certificate of Registration of Business and a tax compliance certificate from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).

In this case, Ngirita shared a lot in common wth Josephine Kabura of the 2015 NYS scandal. Both ladies secured multi-million deals with the NYS.

Kabura may have gotten away with it, but Ngirita may not be that lucky given that she reportedly admitted having fraudulently received money from the youth empowerment programme.

READ ALSO: I predicted the latest KSh 10 billion NYS scam - Mutahi Ngunyi

And just like in Ngirita's case, TUKO.co.ke established a number of other companies, including Kunjiwa Enterprise, Firstling Supplies Limited, Kalabash Food Supplies, ArkRoad, and Ameri Traders, were also paid millions.

Directors and owners of the said firms were among the 40 plus suspects summoned by the DCI for questioning.

The DCI also summoned top NYS officials, among them Public Service and Youth Affairs Principal Secretary (PS) Lilian Omollo and the NYS Director General Richard Ndubai, both of who stepped aside on May 18 to pave way for investigation.

READ ALSO: Fake companies involved in fresh NYS scam unmasked, over 10 bank accounts frozen

The ongoing probe, initiated by the DCI, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and other agencies in 2017 following new fraud allegations, has so far found at least 36 companies were used to steal money from the NYS.

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.

Join TUKO TV - subscribe right now! - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko- The immigration department declared Miguna persona non grata and banished him to Canada

- The fiery lawyer cancelled his return ticket a week ago after government refused to give him a passport

- He was proposed for the position of Nairobi deputy governor by Sonko

- Migunas troubles started when he administered a controversial oath of office to Raila

National Resistance Movement (NRM) self-styled general Miguna Miguna's return to Kenya was thrown into limbo after it emerged immigration officials had ordered international airlines to blacklist him.

Miguna was bundled into a Dubai bound flight and later reconnected to his adopted country Canada in March 28.

He claimed he had been drugged before he was kicked out of Kenya.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

An official letter dated Wednesday, May 23, doing the rounds on social media and seen by TUKO.co.ke was addressed to Qatar airways asking the carrier not to accept the fiery lawyer into any of its flights to Kenya.

The alert from Kenyan Airport Authority indicated Miguna was declared persona non grata by the immigration department.

READ ALSO: Miguna sensationally claims Raila was too drunk when he visited him at JKIA

An official letter dated Wednesday, May 23, indicated the deported lawyer was declared persona non grata by the immigration department. Photo:Courtesy.

READ ALSO: Willis Raburu wa Citizen TV ampagawisha mkewe kwa mapenzi kocho kocho (picha)

"Per the update received from the Kenyan immigration authorities, the below person is not permitted to enter Kenya and has been blacklisted by the Kenyan authorities.

" Staff be vigilant and ensure the above customer is not accepted for travel on any flights to Kenya," read the letter.

Efforts by TUKO.co.ke to get a clarification from Kenya immigration office on the same were futile by time of publishing this story as our messages remained unanswered.

Miguna howver said he was yet to be served or receive the same letter and has since instructed his lawyers to establish its authenticity.

READ ALSO: Sell-outs, I see you - Miguna lashes out at those behind his woes

When police produced Miguna at Milimani High Court Judge Luka Kimaru told him he had the option to sue the police following his illegal detention. Photo: Nation.

READ ALSO: I was drugged - Miguna speaks after being deported

Miguna was deported twice on separate dates despite a court ruling in his favour.

The second deportation came hours after he was released from police custody following his dramatic arrest on Friday, February 2.

He was due in court twice but on both occasions, police failed to present him in court.

When they finally did on Tuesday, February 6, Milimani High Court Judge Luka Kimaru told him he had the option to sue the police following his illegal detention.

He also suspended any criminal proceedings against the former Nairobi gubernatorial candidate.

Migunas troubles started the moment he defiantly administered a controversial oath of office to Raila Odinga as the Peoples President at packed Uhuru Park grounds on Tuesday, January 30.

He would later taunt the Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i daring the government to arrest him for his role in the Raila mock coronation.

In a surprise move, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko nominated controversial barrister for the position of deputy governor though he flatly rejected the nomination.

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.

High Court Judge Luka Kimaru orders for the release of Miguna Miguna - on TUKO TV.

Source: Kenya Breaking News Today- The Agriculture ministry is grappling with a major scam involving senior officials and politicians

- Opposition party ODM said the stolen money was a scheme by Jubilee allied politicians to finance 2022 elections

- The government has already suspended eight senior officials over the saga

The theft at the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) is meant to collect money to bankroll the upcoming General Election which is four years away, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has claimed.

According to Sifuna, the mind boggling theft where Ksh 1.9 billion was allegedly pocketed by a few individuals at the expense of toiling farmers is meant to finance the 2022 presidential campaigns.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

A tweet by the ODM leader seen by TUKO.co.ke on Thursday, May 24, indicated eight prominent politicians from the Rift Valley region were among those who walked away with the loot.

READ ALSO: Farmers from Ruto's backyard say he's useless, quiet as government makes them poor

According to Sifuna, the Ksh 1.9 billion which was allegedly pocketed by a few individuals at the expense of farmers is meant to finance the 2022 presidential campaigns. Photo: Edwin Sifuna/ Facebook

READ ALSO: 15 mega corruption scandals in Kenya which have never been resolved

"Prominent politicians from the Rift Valley are reportedly among eight traders paid 1.9 billion from the NCPB at the expense of farmers," Sifuna said.

He alleged that a cabinet secretary whom he did not mention, had said they needed KSh 200 billion for the 2022 elections.

Sifuna claimed going by the reported scandals, KSh 11.9 billion had been already collected for the elections.

READ ALSO: CEO, 5 top managers suspended over Ksh 1.9 billion heist at the cereals board

According to Sifuna, the individuals linked to the NYS scandal were the same ones looting the NCPB money at the expense of the farmers.

The theft details came out weeks after farmers in Uasin Gishu hit out at Deputy President William Ruto for neglecting their plight at the expense of his 2022 presidential bid.

Initial report by TUKO.co.ke indicated the agitated farmers wondered why the DP would move to Central Kenya and other regions to waive loans for coffee and other cash crops farmers who failed to repay, while maize and wheat farmers continued to grapple with poverty.

READ ALSO: Mpango wa kando afikishwa mahakamani kwa kumuuma mama kidole wakipigania mume Mombasa

Several senior officials were on Monday, May 21, sent on compulsory leave as probe into the costly and embarrassing scam at the NCPB kicked off.

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. Peter Pepe Interview:

From a Conductor to 13.5 Million Business Owner - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko- The NCIC chair blamed politicians for making his work hard

- Kaparo said politicians refused to allocate his commission enough money to operate

- He shifted blame to the media for publishing and helping propagate hate messages

The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has bamed politicians and the meadia for its inability to end hate speech.

Chairman, Francis Ole Kaparo, said politicians fanned the flames of ethnicity, tribalism and clanism for political gains while the media spread the vitriol by giving politicians prominent coverage.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

READ ALSO: Agony for Makereka Primary school pupils in Nyandarua forced to study in flooded classrooms

Francis Kaparo said politicians fan ethnicitity for selfish gains. Photo: Francis Kaparo/ Facebook

In reports by KNA seen by TUKO.co.ke, on Wednesday, May 24, Kaparo said it was difficult to deal with hate speech, claiming it had been devolved, yet his commission ran on a small budget.

Currently, we operate on an annual budget of KSh 400 million which is a drop in the ocean, he said adding that the commission has 60 personnel including seven investigators.

READ ALSO: Lupita ashindwa kujizuia, abebwa na jamaa ndani ya mkahawa; ni mpenziwe?

As long as our politics is ethnic based, it would be difficult to enhance national cohesion and integration,"Kaparo added.

He was speakig during a retreat with members of the Parliamentary Committee on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunity held at English Point Marina in Mombasa.

READ ALSO: Uganda to abolish assured monthly pay, civil servants to earn for each day worked

The former National Assembly Speaker welcomed the significant handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga saying it would lead to meaningful change in the country.

Kaparo said it was always the wish of the NCIC to see leaders engage in national dialogue, since they had a crucial role to play in unifying the country and fostering peace.

The parliamentary committee chairperson, Maina Kamanda, warned politicians out to scuttle the Uhuru-Raila historic handshake, explaining by doing so, they would be reversing the gains made.

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.

ALSO WATCH: Lady In a Groceries Shop (Animated Video Joke) | Tuko TV

Source: TukoThe United National Congress is upset over what was, at least for them, an unexpected end to the Budget Debate in Parliament on Saturday. But it isn't the only one sharing that sentiment.The situation in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in eastern Ukraine remained difficult over the past day. The armed hostilities continued along the entire contact line.

This is reported by the press center of the JFO Headquarters.

"Russian-occupation forces, neglecting the Minsk agreements, violated the ceasefire regime 38 times, firing mortars on Ukrainian positions eight times," the report reads.

The tensest situation was observed near Krymske (42.5km north-west of Luhansk), Troitske (69km west of Luhansk), Zaitseve (67km north-north-east of Donetsk), Butovka coal mine (11.4km north-west of Donetsk), Hranitne (57km south of Donetsk), Opytne (11.5km north-west of Donetsk), Pavlopol (30 km northeast of Mariupol).

Two Ukrainian servicemen were wounded in fighting. They were delivered to hospital and provided with necessary medical assistance. According to the intelligence, two militants were killed and three more were wounded.

No casualties among Ukrainian troops have been reported today.

olMembers of the NATO-Ukraine Joint Working Group on Defense Technical Cooperation discussed the results of the cooperation and plans for further work.

This was reported by the press office of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

"As part of the deepening of practical partnership between Ukraine and NATO in the defense and technical sphere, on May 23, 2018, the 26th regular meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Joint Working Group on Defense Technical Cooperation took place in Odesa," the report reads.

The delegation of Ukraine was headed by First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Chairman of the Interdepartmental Commission on the policy of military and technical cooperation and export control Oleh Hladkovsky; the NATO delegation was led by Assistant Secretary General for Defense Investment Camille Grand.

The parties discussed the results of cooperation in the field of armaments, clarified the priorities within the framework of the Roadmap for NATO-Ukraine Defense-Technical Cooperation and the tasks for its implementation in the second half of 2018.Two Ukrainian servicemen were wounded in the Joint Forces Operation area in eastern Ukraine over the past day.

Defense Ministry Spokesman Dmytro Hutsuliak said this at a briefing on Thursday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The situation on the frontline remains unchanged. Militants of the Russian occupation administrations slightly decreased the number of attacks. But as a result of combat actions, two our servicemen suffered wounds of various degrees of severity. Medical assistance is being provided to them, he said.

Hutsuliak added that militants launched 38 targeted attacks on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces over the past day.

iyUkrainian producers and investors support the replacement of the income tax with the tax on withdrawn capital, and international partners are willing to provide consultative assistance in this issue.

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko at a meeting with media representatives stated that this issue was discussed during the talks of Ukrainian producers with investors, the presidents press service reports.

We have really raised this issue today during a meeting with Ukrainian producers. And we were convinced of the strong support of those producers who invest in Ukraine, create new jobs," he said.

President Poroshenko also noted that the issue was discussed during the talks with President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid the day before, since it had long been introduced in Estonia.

"The recommendations of Estonia are the following: first - it did not lead to a reduction of budget revenues. Second - it works very effectively in the countries of the European Union. Third - they are ready to give us advisers and protect the effectiveness of this tool together with us. Fourth - discrediting this tax on the part of individual lobbyists will not succeed," he stressed.

According to Poroshenko this step will simplify the taxation system and stimulate investments in Ukraine. He also added that it should be taken into account in budgetary planning, as it is a powerful and effective tool to ensure economic growth.The Government of Moldova has adopted two resolutions on the liberalization of road transport and air services with Ukraine, the government's press service has reported, according to Ukrinform's correspondent in Moldova.

"Moldovan freight carriers will no longer pay taxes for transit across Ukraine. On the basis of the approved documents, the international carriage of goods both bilaterally and in transit for vehicles conforming to EURO III and above will be carried out in a liberalized regime without the need to hold authorizations for international carriage. Previously, these authorizations cost between 8 and 12 euros per race," the report says.

Statistical data shows that 80 percent of transit shipments are conducted via Ukraine.

The report also notes that Moldovan-Ukrainian cooperation in the field of aviation will also be developed. Air fares will be freely established in accordance with the principles of fair competition. At the same time, the number of companies operating flights between the two countries will be increased.

Bilateral documents in the road transport and aviation sectors were signed on the sidelines of the Kyiv Security Forum on April 12 this year, in the presence of Moldovan and Ukrainian Prime Ministers Pavel Filip and Volodymyr Groysman.

opThe International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, expects to strengthen cooperation with Ukraine, primarily in private sector and agriculture.

The IFC representatives discussed this at the meeting with Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman, the Government portal reports.

"We are very interested in the development of private sector projects. We are looking forward to cooperation in the field of renewable energy and in the agricultural sector. It is an extremely promising area," said Stephanie von Friedeburg, the Chief Operating Officer for IFC.

In turn, Groysman recalled that the relationship agenda, including on specific projects of support for the reforms and certain industries, had been formed at his recent meeting with the World Bank directors.

He also briefed the interlocutors on the latest innovations introduced by the government in the agricultural sector, primarily with regard to support for small farming.

Groysman also told about the great potential of cooperation in industry, primarily in the context of its technological renewal, and urged the IFC experts to join the modernization of Ukrainian economy and industry.

olConstruction of modern airports and modernization of the existing ones is one of the main tasks of the infrastructure development in Ukraine for the near future.

Infrastructure Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Omelyan said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

"Currently, I am trying to convince the government and the parliament to budget for the next year at least UAH 10 billion for the construction of at least 4-5 takeoff runways in different parts of Ukraine. If such funding is provided for at least 3-4 years, we will have 25 full-fledged new airports in Ukraine," the minister said.

The Infrastructure Ministry experts believe that every Ukrainian region should have its airport. The program for the development of regional airports has already been drafted, and the talks with the international investors on the possibility of attracting additional financing, including credit funding, are ongoing, Omelyan noted.

olThe European Commission believes that now is the time to hold the next round of trilateral talks between Ukraine and Russia, with the mediation of Brussels, on the terms of Russian gas supplies.

Vice-President of the European Commission for the Energy Union Maros Sefcovic said this in a statement released on the eve of his meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman in Brussels, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

"Constructive and stable cooperation between Russia and Ukraine in the field of energy is of utmost importance for the European Union. In this context, I have always underlined the need for a continued, long-term transit of Russian gas through Ukraine to the EU in a reliable and commercially viable way. Therefore, I have reached out to both, Ukrainian and Russian partners, and invited them for trilateral talks which in the past, proved to be effective in reaching tangible, successful results," Sefcovic said.

According to him, such talks, supported by the EU member states, should start as soon as possible in order to take stock of the gas matters important for involved parties and to look into gas transit via Ukraine beyond 2019.

As reported, at the end of March, Nord Stream 2, a company whose founder and sole shareholder is Gazprom, received permission to build a section of the gas pipeline in the waters of the German exclusive economic zone in the Baltic Sea. The Government of Finland permitted the construction of the gas pipeline in its exclusive economic zone. The construction of the disputed gas pipeline section began in Germany in early May.

Nord Stream 2 intends to complete the construction of the gas pipeline by the end of 2019. About 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year is to be supplied via this pipeline from Russia to Germany.

Ukraine, the Baltic States and Poland strongly protest against the construction of Nord Stream 2.

opHungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto held a meeting with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell, during which they discussed a language dispute with Ukraine.

This was reported on the website of the Hungarian Government.

Hungary highly appreciates the assistance of the United States in the interests of solving the conflict that has developed with Ukraine because of legislation that violates the rights of minorities, Minister Szijjarto told reporters in Budapest on Wednesday following talks with the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State.

Mr. Szijjarto said he had confirmed to his negotiating partner that Hungary does not have an interest in prolonging the dispute, but in finding a solution to the conflict.

Hungary would like to see that 150 thousand Transcarpathian Hungarians are able to live in peace and legal security, and that Ukraine stops violating its international and bilateral commitments, the minister declared.

As known, Hungary has already blocked the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission at the ministerial level for the third time, thus expressing its claims regarding the language article of the Ukrainian law on education.

ishOn Saturday, May 26, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko will meet with Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borissov, who will be on a visit to Ukraine.

This was reported by the press service of the head of state.

The parties will discuss a wide range of topical issues on the bilateral and international agenda, including in the context of the Bulgarian presidency in the European Union from January 1, 2018.

The Ukrainian president and the Bulgarian prime minister will also discuss preparations for the 20th EU-Ukraine Summit to be held in Brussels on July 9, 2018.

ishEvery year on May 24, all Slavic countries commemorate Saints Cyril and Methodius, as well as the Day of Slavic Writing and Culture. In Ukraine, the holiday was established in accordance with a presidential decree of September 17, 2004, on the day of commemoration of Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius  representatives of the Enlightenment, who played a prominent role in the development and formation of Slavic writing and culture, patrons of Europe.

Cyril (827-869) and his older brother Methodius (815-885) are Bulgarians by origin. They were born in the Macedonian city of Thessalonica (present-day Greece) in the warlord's family. Unlike Cyril, who was one hundred percent humanist, Methodius was in military service, but such a career did not satisfy him, so he became a monk and later the abbot of a monastery in Asia Minor. Subsequently, the brothers united in educational activities. They translated liturgical books into the Slavic language, they themselves wrote original works, preached Orthodoxy, opposed the German Catholic clergy, opened schools at the churches, and trained students. They arranged the Slavic alphabet and translated the Gospel into the Old Church Slavonic (Old Bulgarian) language.

The Glagolitic script, with Cyril believed to be its author, formed the basis of Cyrillic. The alphabets of many Slavic peoples were formed on its basis. Romanians and Moldovans have until recently used the Cyrillic alphabet, but then they switched to Latin. In October 2017, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a decree on the transfer of the Kazakh language to the Latin alphabet.

This year, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, after meeting with Polish historian and journalist Ziemowit Szczerek, on his Facebook page called for discussing the introduction of the Latin alphabet in Ukraine, along with the Cyrillic alphabet.

Among the Slavic countries Cyrillic is currently used by Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.Today, May 24, Russia has sent the 77th "humanitarian convoy" to the occupied territories of Donbas.

This is reported by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.

"The 77th humanitarian column of trucks is going to the Russian-Ukrainian border," the Russian Emergency Ministry said.

The convoy consists of two columns  one headed for Donetsk, another one  for Luhansk.

The column of trucks will deliver over 400 tons of allegedly "humanitarian aid, namely children's food kits and equipment for emergency response."

ishEstonian President Kersti Kaljulaid arrived in Kramatorsk on Thursday as part of her trip to Donetsk region, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Hennadiy Zubko has reported on Facebook.

"Today I visit Donetsk region with Estonian President, Mrs. Kersti Kaljulaid. This is the first woman leader of a foreign state visiting the combat zone. The situation in Donbas and the restoration of the region are the subjects we are discussing. We will also meet with residents of the liberated territory and internally displaced persons. Already in Kramatorsk, at the airfield which was fired on by militants on February 10, 2015. The second volley hit residential districts of Kramatorsk. Military and civilians were killed and wounded," the statement reads.

The head of the Donetsk military and civil administration, Pavlo Zhebrivsky, also reported a meeting of the Estonian president in Kramatorsk.

opThe Ukrainian capital is hosting Kyiv Art Week (May 18-27) ahead of Kyiv Day, which is traditionally celebrated in the last weekend of May. Kyiv Art Week is an international event, which involves state and municipal museums, private and public galleries, as well as cultural centers.

The event is being held on the initiative of Ukrainian cultural institutions and cultural workers with the support of Kyiv City State Administration and is aimed at increasing the interest of Ukrainians in art and of representatives of the global art scene in Kyiv as a European cultural brand.

A separate noteworthy event is the Kyiv Art Fair international fair of contemporary art, which started on May 23 as part of Kyiv Art Week at the Toronto-Kyiv International Hotel and Office Complex and will last until May 27 inclusive (100 Velyka Vasylkivska Street). One can see at the fair the expositions of 34 galleries from Ukraine, Georgia, Germany, Denmark, Poland, and Britain. Each exposition will present 10-20 works, among them the works of Academy Awards nominee, Lithuanian Antanas Sutkus and Polish artist Alicja Kwade, whose work was included in the top five projects of the Venice Architecture Biennale 2018. A series of lectures on contemporary art, concerts and activities for children will be held at the Toronto-Kyiv complex as part of the fair.

A detailed program can be found here.Five Ukrainian sailors, who were held captive in the Niger delta for almost a month, have returned to Ukraine. One more Ukrainian will fly home after undergoing treatment in the Netherlands.

"Today, five Ukrainian sailors, who were held captive by pirates in the Niger delta for almost a month, have returned to Ukraine. One more Ukrainian will arrive after undergoing treatment in the Netherlands," Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin wrote on Twitter.

The Ukrainian minister thanked the Dutch and Nigerian friends for their help and support.

olThe parties stressed the importance of accelerating the negotiation process on the conclusion of a free trade agreement between Ukraine and Turkey.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko held a phone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Read alsoPresident Poroshenko holds phone conversation with Merkel

The leaders of the two countries exchanged views on the topical issues of the bilateral and international agenda, Poroshenko's press service said.

The parties stressed the importance of accelerating the negotiation process on the conclusion of a free trade agreement between Ukraine and Turkey.

They also discussed ways to expand mutually beneficial cooperation in energy, aviation and defense spheres.

The president of Ukraine thanked the president of Turkey for his unwavering stance in support of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and protection of the rights of the Crimean Tatars.Lutsenko said last autumn FBI Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller demanded information from the PGO during his investigation into suspected collusion between members of the Donald Trump pre-election headquarters and Russian special services.

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko has denied NYT's information about blocking the investigation into the Manafort case.

Read alsoThree U.S. senators concerned over NYT report claiming Ukraine not cooperating on Russia probe

"Speculations around the so-called freezing of the Manafort case, which were voiced by the American leading edition [The New York Times], are completely untrue. Indeed, the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) of Ukraine has [criminal] cases, in which Manafort appears. We have conducted a number of investigations and at least four times requested international legal assistance from our American colleagues that we received," he told Voice of America on May 23 during his visit to the United States.

He said last autumn FBI Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller demanded information from the PGO during his investigation into suspected collusion between members of the Donald Trump pre-election headquarters and Russian special services.

"Nevertheless, as the prosecutor general, I addressed to Special Prosecutor Muller through the U.S. Embassy in February of this year with the proposal of full assistance in this case, up to the creation of a joint investigation group. We have done our best for us and our American colleagues so that this case be investigated according to the current legislation, including international conventions," Lutsenko added.Poroshenko expects that in the near future the Dutch Prosecutor's Office will be able to file a prosecution against the individuals involved in shooting down the plane.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has commented on the investigation into the downing of flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, saying the "home address" of the Buk-murderer was identified.

Read alsoInvestigators say identify Russian military unit in MH17 downing  Reuters

"Due to concerted actions of the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and Netherlands, with facilitation of our partners from several other countries, we managed to identify the 'home address' of the Buk-murderer: the 53rd anti-aircraft missile crew of the Russian armed forces," he wrote on Facebook after the Joint group investigating the MH17 tragedy had presented additional evidence that Russia had supplied the anti-aircraft complex, which shot down the MH17 aircraft, the presidential press service has reported.

"There is every reason to expect that in the near future the Dutch Prosecutor's Office will be able to file a prosecution against the individuals involved in shooting down the plane," the president added.

Poroshenko emphasized that Ukraine, in turn, would do everything possible for the actions of Russia, as of the state supporting terrorism, to be properly assessed in the UN International Court of Justice in the framework of the proceedings initiated by the Ukrainian party at the beginning of the last year.

"Evil will be punished and justice will be restored," the president said.Putin, in turn, chose a more formal way of communication.

French President Emmanuel Macron has referred to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin with the informal "you" during their recent meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, and proposed finding a solution on Ukraine.

"Thank you, dear President, dear Vladimir! Also thank 'you' and 'your' delegation for accepting us here in St. Petersburg," Macron told Putin before French-Russian talks on May 24, an UNIAN correspondent in Russia has reported.

Read alsoAll Normandy Four leaders may meet in early June  Poroshenko

Macron recalled that it had been one year since the beginning of an intensive exchange "at our level" between France and Russia in Versailles.

"A year has passed, and I decided last fall to accept your offer to come here, to St. Petersburg. Today I'm very happy about it," he said.

"Beyond our bilateral relations, I think, today we have a moment when we, the two countries with a special status as permanent members of the UN Security Council and with very strong, deep historical ties  we have very strong ties in the sphere international policy, and I believe thanks to them, we can find solutions and work together in all areas, be it Ukraine, the Middle East, Iran or Syria, or be it, as we think, a multilateral approach to international policy," Macron said.

According to him, the parties can "work together and consolidate forces to find joint initiatives."

Putin, in turn, chose a more formal way of communication.

"Mr President, colleagues, welcome to St Petersburg. I want to thank you for accepting our invitation and coming to the St Petersburg Forum. We will use this opportunity to have a full-fledged discussion of Russian-French relations," he said.

Putin stressed he was set to speak with Macron about "key international issues, which France and Russia are interested in resolving."

After the talks, the two parties will sign joint documents.

Macron came to Russia on an official visit. He is accompanied by the First Lady. He is also scheduled to attend the St Petersburg International Economic Forum as an honorable guest.According to intelligence data, two occupiers were killed and three others were wounded.

Russia's hybrid military forces mounted 38 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with two Ukrainian soldiers reported as wounded in action (WIA).

Read alsoOSCE records nearly 220 explosions in Donbas within one day

"The situation was most tense near the villages of Krymske, Troyitske, Zaitseve, Hranitne, Opytne and Pavlopil, and Butivka coal mine," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in an update on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on May 24, 2018.

According to intelligence data, two occupiers were killed and three others were wounded.

"The Russian occupation troops once again violated the ceasefire near the village of Stanytsia Luhanska, so that no withdrawal of troops could take place in this area in accordance with the previously reached agreements," the press center said.

No casualties are reported among the Ukrainian military since the beginning of the day.Wilbert Paulissen, head of the crime squad of the Netherlands' national police, said the missile was fired from Russia's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Brigade.

Prosecutors investigating the downing of flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 said on Thursday they had identified the missile used to shoot down the plane as coming from Russia's armed forces.

Wilbert Paulissen, head of the crime squad of the Netherlands' national police, said the missile was fired from Russia's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Brigade, Reuters reported.

Read alsoThe Times: Russian leaks reveal spin on MH17 disaster

"All the vehicles in a convoy carrying the missile were part of the Russian armed forces," he told a televised news conference.

Russia has denied involvement in the incident.

UNIAN memo. All 298 people on board flight MH17 were killed when it was struck by a missile on July 17, 2014, and crashed into fields in the part of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russia's proxy forces. Two-thirds of the passengers on the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur were Dutch.

The Joint Investigation Team's preliminary report concluded that the plane was shot down by a BUK missile "controlled by pro-Russian fighters". It was also established that the Buk launcher had been brought from Russia and then hastily taken back.

The JIT conclusions have been disputed by Russia claiming that it was the Ukrainian forces who were responsible for the plane's downing.Deputy Chairman Senate Saleem Mandviwalla on Thursday said that Parliamentary relations between Pakistan and Canada should be strengthened

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th May, 2018 ) :Deputy Chairman Senate Saleem Mandviwalla on Thursday said that Parliamentary relations between Pakistan and Canada should be strengthened.

He expressed these view during a meeting with members of Federation of Forum of Canada. A three member delegation of the Senate under the leadership of Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla met with the Forum of Federation.

During the meeting senate delegation discussed future collaboration between Forum of Federation and Senate to strengthen Parliamentary relations.

Deputy Chairman Senate, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla said that Pakistan is a member of Forum of Federation since 2012.

This forum supports matters related to the fiscal reform, natural resource management and major issues of diversity. Mandviwalla said that Senate is looking forward to work with the Forum of Federation to learn and share their experience in regards to provincial autonomy especially after the 18th amendment.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Thursday handed over a draft list of polling stations to all returning officers (ROs)

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th May, 2018 ) :The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Thursday handed over a draft list of polling stations to all returning officers (ROs). According to ECP, these ROs will further check these lists and after necessary changes if required they will release the preliminary list.

On which the concerned voters of relevant polling stations will submit their objections and suggestions to the district returning officers (DROs). Under the law, the DROs will make decisions on these objections and later they will issue the final list of polling stations.

It is pertinent to mention here that the ECP has placed the draft list of polling stations on its website in order to make the process more transparent. The commission has requested all political parties and general public to check the draft list of polling stations.

It also asked to share necessary suggestions with the concerned ROs so that the voters can cast their vote at time of polling without any hurdle.In an investigation against the revenue authorities on allegations of fake allotments of land in Thana Boola Khan taluka of Jamshoro district findings of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) have led to cancellation of allotment of thousands of acres of land

HYDERABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th May, 2018 ) :In an investigation against the revenue authorities on allegations of fake allotments of land in Thana Boola Khan taluka of Jamshoro district findings of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) have led to cancellation of allotment of thousands of acres of land.

The NAB's spokesman Rizwan Soomro informed in a statement here on Thursday that on the basis of irrefutable evidence the bureau has got more than 10,000 acres of state land cancelled by the revenue authorities of Jamshoro.

The NAB estimated value of the said land at around Rs.75 billion, he added. Soomro told that the investigation was in the final stage after which reference would be filed against the accused persons.

The spokesman recalled that the NAB Karachi in a series of raids on April 17 had arrested 3 accused persons in a mega land fraud case from Jamshoro district.

He identified them as a Revenue Officer of Hyderabad Ghulam Nabi Mallah, City Surveyor from Directorate of City Survey Hyderabad Liyar and a private person Hanif Lalani.According to him, they were allegedly involved in illegal acquisition of 731 acres of land, worth Rs.11 billion, in Thana Bula Khan taluka. Soomro said that piece of land was also part of the said 10,000 acres.At least one person was killed and three women injured in separate incidents of firing in different areas of Mandi Bahauddin on Thursday

Mandi Bahauddin, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th May, 2018) : At least one person was killed and three women injured in separate incidents of firing in different areas of Mandi Bahauddin on Thursday.

Police said that unidentified armed men barged into a house, opened indiscriminate fire killing one Riaz Ahmed, sleeping at house of his brother located at village Majhi in Malakwala police station jurisdiction, Mandi Bahauddin.

The culprits fled the scene after committing the crime and the body was shifted to hospital for postmortem.

A merciless man Waseem attacked his sister and her two daughters with sharp edged weapon after refusal by sister to mutate her share of land in his name.

Tahira Yasmeen and her two daughters Khadija Fatima and Mahrooz Fatima were injured in the attack. The injured were rushed to THQ Hospital Phalia where Tahira Yasmeen was referred to Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital Gujrat due to critical condition. The police after registering separate cases into both incidents at concerned police stations have started the investigation.Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique on Thursday said Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) did play main role in weakening democracy in the country.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th May, 2018 ) :Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique on Thursday said Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) did play main role in weakening democracy in the country.

"We all know very well that who were calling for umpire," the minister said while responding to various points raised by PTI central leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the National Assembly. The minister said the Parliament was dubbed as 'fake' and politicians were allegedly called as 'thieves' without any evidence.

He said the Parliament was defamed during the sit-in and derogatory remarks were passed for parties, sitting in this august House. "Not only fence of the Parliament premises was broken but the gate of the Prime Minister House was also damaged while Imran Khan congratulated vociferously Tahriul Qadari after attacking Pakistan Television," he said.

He said difference of opinion was the hallmark and essence of democracy but PTI did sow seeds of hatred, resulting hurling of shoes and ink on politicians besides a slapping incident in tv talk-show.

He said that it was Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) who had brought back PTI members to this House after tendering resignation during the sit-in. Regarding Pervaz Musharraf exit from the country, the minister said everyone was well aware that the name of former dictator was removed from the Exit Control List (ECL) in line with legal proceedings.

The minister said he was totally against the disqualification procedure of all politicians including Jehangir Tareen.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

The recently appointed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alleged on Wednesday that the American officials in Pakistan are "not being treated well by the Pakistani government"

Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th May, 2018) : The recently appointed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alleged on Wednesday that the American officials in Pakistan are "not being treated well by the Pakistani government".

"My officers, our state department officers are being treated badly as well, folks working in the embassies and councils [and] in other places are not being treated well by the Pakistani government either," Pompeo remarked while presenting his testimony before the US House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The top US official declared that this "real problem" needs to be addressed. With regards to the new South Asia strategy of the US, Pompeo accused Pakistan of having terror havens on its soil. "We have been clear with Pakistan that ensuring reconciliation, peace, and security in Afghanistan in large part depends on Pakistan's willingness to crack down on terrorist safe havens and instigators of terrorist activity in its own country," he added.

The former CIA chief also shared that the US has released far less funds in 2018 as compared to the previous year to Islamabad, which appears in line with Donald Trump's policy revealed through a tweet in January, this year.

Regarding imprisoned Pakistani doctor Shakil Afridi, who had helped US authorities track down al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, Pompeo remarked that he had worked diligently on the issue of Dr Afridi in his previous role unsuccessfully.

"Please know that it is in my heart and it is important and we can do that," he asserted. Pompeo's assertions come on the heels of fraught relations between Islamabad and Washington, the core reason behind which is security-related affairs and the situation in Afghanistan.

The ties became more turbulent after a US colonel Joseph Emanuel ran a red light and killed a motorcyclist in Islamabad, last month, following which he was blacklisted, however, was allowed to fly off to the US, a week later.

Washington had also enforced travel restrictions on Pakistani diplomats earlier this month, following the fatal accident in Islamabad; the move was reciprocated by Pakistan as well. The restrictions imposed by Pakistan included introducing a similar travel permission regime for the US Embassy/Consulate staff in Pakistan, treating US diplomatic cargo at Pakistani airports and ports strictly in accordance with the provisions of Article 27 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (which does not provide for an exemption from scanning) and implementing strictly the rules (already shared with the Embassy on 27 April 2018) governing interaction between Pakistan government officials and foreign diplomats".

Pakistan also withdrew facilities being extended to the US Embassy/Consulates, including use of tinted glass on official vehicles and rented transport, use of non-diplomatic number plates on official vehicles, use of diplomatic number plates on unspecified/rented vehicles, use of biometrically unverified/unregistered cell phone SIMs, hiring or shifting of rented properties without prior NOC, installing radio communication at residences and safe houses without prior NOC and overshooting visa validity periods and having multiple passports.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) ambassador to Pakistan Hamad Obaid Alzaabi hosted an Iftar dinner at a local hotel here Thursday

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th May, 2018 ) :The United Arab Emirates (UAE) ambassador to Pakistan Hamad Obaid Alzaabi hosted an Iftar dinner at a local hotel here Thursday. It was attended among others by the ambassadors of various countries and community members from various sections of the society.Like other parts of the globe,World No-Tobacco Day will be marked on May 31 across the world including Pakistan which will focus on informing people about health problems associated with tobacco use and to draw attention to the health problems that tobacco use can cause.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th May, 2018 ) :Like other parts of the globe,World No-Tobacco Day will be marked on May 31 across the world including Pakistan which will focus on informing people about health problems associated with tobacco use and to draw attention to the health problems that tobacco use can cause.

World No Tobacco Day is a day for people, non-governmental organizations and governments organize various activities to make people aware of the health problems that tobacco use can cause. These activities includes ,Public marches and demonstrations, often with vivid banners.

Advertising campaigns and educational programs are aimed at to encourage people to stop smoking. Moreover, laws restricting smoking in particular areas may come into effect and wide reaching health campaigns may be launched.

Tobacco is a product of the fresh leaves of nicotiana plants. It is used as an aid in spiritual ceremonies and a recreational drug. It originated in the Americas, but was introduced to Europe by Jean Nicot, the French ambassador to Portugal in 1559.

It quickly became popular and an important trade crop. Medical research made it clear during the 1900s that tobacco use increased the likelihood of many illnesses including heart attacks, strokes, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), emphysema and many forms of cancer.

This is true for all ways in which tobacco is used, including, Cigarettes and cigars, Hand rolling tobacco, Bidis and kreteks (cigarettes containing tobacco with herbs or spices), Pipes and water pipes,Chewing tobacco, Snuff, Snus (a moist version of snuff popular in some countries such as Sweden), Creamy snuff (a paste consisting of tobacco, clove oil, glycerin, spearmint, menthol, and camphor sold in a toothpaste tube popular in India), Gutkha (a version of chewing tobacco mixed with areca nut, catechu, slaked lime and other condiments popular in India and South-East Asia) etc are harmful for health .

On May 15, 1987, the World Health Organization passed a resolution, calling for April 7, 1988, to be the first World No Smoking Day. This date was chosen because it was the 40th anniversary of the World Health Organization.

On May 17, 1989, the World Health Organization passed a resolution calling for May 31 to be annually known as World No Tobacco Day. This event has been observed each year since 1989. The theme for 2018 world no tobacco day is "Tobacco and heart disease" and it will focus on how the tobacco affects the health of the heart and cause heart attacks and other cardiovascular diseases like stroke, which are the world's leading causes of death.

The theme also promotes the actions which can be taken by the people and health organizations to prevent the problems caused by the tobacco to the heart.(@Aneesah05582539)

Early elections are the only way for crisis-gripped Nicaragua to restore peace, the head of the Organization of American States said Wednesday, after a spate of recent anti-government unrest left at least 76 dead.

Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th May, 2018 ) :Early elections are the only way for crisis-gripped Nicaragua to restore peace, the head of the Organization of American States said Wednesday, after a spate of recent anti-government unrest left at least 76 dead.

"Anyone who thinks there is a solution for Nicaragua other than an electoral one is seriously wrong," said Luis Almagro, head of the Washington-based pan-American group. Almagro said he was calling for a "free, fair and transparent electoral process" in the Central American nation led by leftist President Daniel Ortega.

Initially triggered by now-aborted reforms to the near-bankrupt social security system, Nicaragua's protest movement has broadened into a rejection by many Nicaraguans of Ortega along with his wife and vice president Rosario Murillo.

Demonstrators have voiced frustrations 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.

Ortega is a former Sandinista guerrilla who first ruled between 1979 and 1990, before returning as president 11 years ago. He kept power by maintaining leftist rhetoric while keeping ties with a powerful private industry and continuing to trade with the United States.

But that arrangement looks to be falling apart, with business groups distancing themselves from him over the violence exhibited by his police against protesters, and the military saying they will not repress the people.

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 coming under sharp domestic and international criticism over the use of security forces to put down the protests -- and curbs on independent media to report them.

Yet on Monday, thousands of demonstrators pushed for his immediate resignation. Ortega and Murillo were elected in November 2016 for a term that ends in January 2022.(@Aneesah05582539)

A Ukrainian public radio journalist has been jailed for at least eight years in Belarus for being a secret service agent in Kiev, the Ukrainian government told AFP Wednesday.1511805588-7345

Kiev, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th May, 2018 ) :A Ukrainian public radio journalist has been jailed for at least eight years in Belarus for being a secret service agent in Kiev, the Ukrainian government told AFP Wednesday.

"Pavlo Sharoiko has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison in Belarus," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maryana Betsa told AFP, without specifying what he was found guilty of or when the verdict was announced.

"We are monitoring his situation closely and ensuring that his rights are protected," added Betsa. No information could be obtained immediately from the Belarussian authorities.San Francisco, CA (UroToday.com) Treatment-induced secondary cancers are well described following radiotherapy for prostate cancer. While the majority of the literature has focused on external beam radiotherapy, the risk associated with brachytherapy appears to be somewhat less. To date, only the association between low dose rate brachytherapy and secondary cancers has been examined. However, high dose rate brachytherapy is increasingly being utilized. In a moderated poster at the American Urologic Association Annual Meeting, Dr Miyaji and colleagues from Kurashiki, Japan described their single center experience with secondary bladder cancers following high dose rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT), with or without external beam radiotherapy (EBRT).The authors present a matched case-control study of patients who developed bladder cancer following treatment of localized prostate cancer. They first identified 1023 patients who underwent HDR-BT between 1998 and 2014. Of these, 83 patients received HDR-BT alone and the remainder received concomitant EBRT. Prior to July 2006, patients received 24 Gy/4 fractions of HDR-BT with 36.9 Gy of EBRT to the prostate. Subsequently, the treatment regime was changed to 18-20 Gy/2 fractions with 39 Gy of EBRT. Over the same period, 285 patients at their institution underwent radical prostatectomy.The authors designed their case-controlled analysis to include only metachronous tumors, which could feasibly be treatment-induced. Therefore, they excluded cases where bladder cancer was diagnosed within 2 years of the prostate cancer treatment and patients with a history of urothelial carcinoma prior to prostate cancer treatment.They identified 16 patients newly diagnosed with bladder cancer. All patients were found to have microscopic hematuria and underwent TURBT which confirmed non-muscle invasive disease.Using a 1:8 match based on age at the time of prostate cancer treatment and duration of follow-up, 128 controls were identified. Logistic regression analyses examined the association between prostate cancer treatment modality and the development of bladder cancer while accounting for smoking history.Of the 16 patients diagnosed with bladder cancer, 1 underwent RP and 15 underwent HDR-BT (13 HDR-BT with EBRT and 2 HDR-BT alone). In the control group, 36 (28%) patients underwent RP and 92 (72%) underwent HDR-BT +/- EBRT. On logistic regression analysis, HDR-BT, as compared to radical prostatectomy, was associated with a significantly increased likelihood of bladder cancer diagnosis (OR 5.38, 95% CI 1.02-99.32, p=0.047). Time to diagnosis of bladder cancer was 56 months (24-160 months) since prostate cancer treatment.The authors conclude that HDR-BT may increase the incidence of bladder cancer and should be included in the informed consent process for patients considering HDR-BT.Presented By: Yoshiyuki MiyajiCo-authors: Tota Nakatsuk, Hiroyasu Takasaki, Seitetsu Kin, Shin Ohira, Masaichiro Fujita, Shinjiro Shimizu, Shohei Tsukimori, Mikako Kaifu, Ryoei Hara, Tomohiro Fujii, Atsushi NagaiWritten by: Christopher J.D. Wallis, Urology Resident, University of Toronto, Twitter: @WallisCJDat the 2018 AUA Annual Meeting - May 18 - 21, 2018  San Francisco, CA USADedicating Thursday morning's Mass at the Casa Santa Marta to the noble Chinese people celebrating Our Lady of Sheshan, Pope Francis invites the faithful to be careful with riches, which can seduce and enslave.

Pope Francis dedicated the Mass on Thursday to the noble Chinese people who are celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Sheshan, Mother of China.

In his homily, the Holy Father invited us to keep our hearts far away from riches, because they are given to us so that we may give them to others.

Poverty is at the heart of the Gospel

He drew inspiration from the Epistle of James, which tells how the wages that the rich withhold from their workers cries out to God for justice.

Pope Francis said the scripture passage speaks forcefully to the rich and is a reminder of what Jesus himself told them.

Woe to you who are rich. If someone today were to preach these words, the media the next day would write: That priest is a communist. But poverty is at the center of the Gospel. Preaching about poverty is at the heart of Jesus message: Blessed are the poor is the first of the Beatitudes. It is the identity card with which Jesus presents himself in the Synagogue when he returns to his town of Nazareth. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. But we have historically given in to the weakness of not preaching about poverty, believing it to be a social or political question. No! It is the Gospel, pure and simple.

Love God with your whole heart

Pope Francis then reflected on why Jesus preaches so forcefully about the issue of poverty. Riches are a sort of idolatry, he explained, and lead to seduction.

Jesus himself, the Pope said, pointed out that no servant can serve two masters. He said riches capture you and dont let you observe the first commandment, which is to love God with your whole heart.

Riches, he said, also go against the second commandment because they destroy the harmonious relationship between people.

Pope Francis said some people confuse St. James with a union boss but affirmed that he wrote under inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Even here in Italy people are left without a job in order to preserve capital investments. This goes against the second commandment, so: Woe to you, Jesus warns. Woe to you who exploit others and their work by evading taxes, not contributing to their pension funds, and not giving them paid vacation. Woe to you!... If you dont pay, your injustice is a mortal sin. You are not in Gods grace. Its not I who say it, but Jesus and James the Apostle. Thats why riches keep you from observing the second commandment, which is love for your neighbor.

Pray and do penance for the rich

In conclusion, Pope Francis said riches can make people slaves, so all should pray a little more and do penance for the rich.

You are not free regarding riches. To be free regarding riches you must distance yourself from them and pray to the Lord. If the Lord has given you riches, they are to be given away, in order to do many good things for others in His name. But riches often seduce us, and falling into this seduction, we are made slaves to them.Archbishop Alfred Xuereb, the new Apostolic Nuncio to South Korea and Mongolia celebrated Mass with Pope Francis Thursday morning, before he flies to Seoul on Sunday at the start of his diplomatic mission.

The Holy Sees new diplomat who is begin his mission in South Korea in a few days time is hopeful about improving relations between the two Koreas despite many obstacles that need to be overcome.

Growing hope



The peace process between the two Koreas, which began with the historic meeting between the two Korean leaders on 27 April, gives great hope, Archbishop Alfred Xuereb, Apostolic Nuncio to South Korea and Mongolia told Vatican News in an interview.

The road is still at an early stage and will certainly be a long one with many obstacles to overcome, he noted. Pope Francis, he said, has invited the entire Church to support the parties concerned to build peace and offer the coming generations a future of harmony and prosperity.

Archbishop Xuereb will be in Seoul on Sunday at the start of his diplomatic mission. By way of farewell, he celebrated Holy Mass with Pope Francis Thursday morning during which the Holy Father assured him and the Church in Korea and Mongolia his prayers and blessing.

The Maltese archbishop is taking up his diplomatic mission amid improving relations between the two Koreas, who are technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

Under a rigidly totalitarian regime, North Korea has exacerbated its closely maintained isolation from the rest of the world with its nuclear ambitions. Washington and Pyongyang have been at loggerheads for months over the North's nuclear and missile programmes, with US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un trading insults and threatening war.

However, since last November, North Korea has not carried out any nuclear and missile test, and some very dramatic positive developments have been taking place between the two neighbours. Trump and Kim are scheduled for a historic meeting on June 12 in Singapore.

Church committed to Korean reunification



In his interview, Archbishop Xuereb noted that over the past 23 years, the Catholic Church in South Korea has been gathering every Tuesday at the feet of the Virgin Mary in Seoul Cathedral to implore the grace of reunification. I am sure that She from Heaven turns a benevolent gaze toward her children in Korea, said the 59-year old archbishop.

The division of the Korean peninsula took place at the end of Japans 35-year colonial rule in 1945 after Japans surrender at the end of World War II. Soviet troops occupied the area north of the 38th parallel, and US troops the south, with the north leaning towards Communism and the south towards democracy.

The trust administrators from the US and the USSR were supposed to arrange for nation-wide elections to reunify Korea in 1948, but neither side trusted the other and hopes for re-unification and independence never materialized.

Archbishop Xuereb who has served Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI and now Francis, agrees with Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, according to whom a great hope has been kindled on the Korean peninsula.

Archbishop Xuereb said that the Catholic Church has a very important role in this process of reunification and, following the mandate of the Divine Master, continues to evangelize and offer its contribution also at the diplomatic level in order to achieve the objectives so desired.

Korea close to Pope's heart



Pope Francis has been closely following developments in the Korean peninsula. He visited South Korea, 13-18 August 2014, on the occasion of the 6th Asian Youth Day. On the final day, he dedicated his Mass in Seoul's Myeongdong Cathedral to reconciliation on the Korean peninsula. He urged all Koreans to reject a "mindset of suspicion and confrontation" and find new paths to build peace.Africans across the globe mark Africa Day on 25 May each year. This year the theme of many of the events celebrating the occasion focus on the 2018 Nelson Mandela Centenary that invites all people to play a part in building a society inspired by the values of the global icon  Nelson Mandela.

By Linda Bordoni

May 25th is Africa Day. It marks the founding in 1963 of the Organization of the African Unity, which 38 years later evolved into the African Union.

The OAUs original mission was to bring freedom to African countries that were still under colonial rule in the 60s, defend their sovereignty, uphold human rights and restore the dignity of African people.

The African Union has grown to include the 55 nations of the African Continent, all of whom celebrate their own diverse culture and traditions as well as their unity on Africa Day, which is dedicated this year to the 100 Years from Nelson Mandelas birth.

Beyond Africa Day, celebratory events for the Mandela Centenary are scheduled to take place throughout the year, spearheaded by South African Embassies and Institutes worldwide.

They aim to highlight Mandelas legacy and continue to build the type of society that he worked so tirelessly for.

Linda Bordoni spoke to the South African Ambassador to Italy, Shirish Soni, who emphasized the role played by the Catholic Church in support of the anti-apartheid movement and spoke of how its core values continue to inspire those African leaders and policymakers who believe in building a just and equal society:

Listen to the interview with Ambassador Shirish Soni

Ambassador Soni says Pope Francis is someone who understands the struggle of the poor and of the oppressed and underscores the value of his message which calls on all actors of society to combat social and economic inequality.

Pope Francis and Nelson Mandela: the power of forgiveness

We believe we have a great leader in the Church, and people in the Church are continuing to do good work and they will partner with various institutions to execute this he said.

Ambassador Soni says he believes Nelson Mandelas shining example and Pope Francis powerful message of forgiveness and reconciliation resonate strongly with each other.

He remembers being present during many of Mandelas speeches including one in his own region where, he says, there was much resistance to Madibas requests to throw away guns and arms and seek reconciliation.

His lesson of forgiveness was so powerful he said, also because it was not instrumental to him gaining votes  in fact it resulted in him losing votes  but he knew it was right.

Ambassador Soni also remembers working with Nelson Mandela and witnessing his deep commitment to serve his people at the risk of his own life.

Building peace and democracy 'brick by brick'

Ambassador Soni concedes that the continent is still wracked by violence and division but says the mission of a militant goes beyond the achievements of his own lifetime and perhaps even of the lives of his children.

It's work in progress  we have to keep serving throughout our lifetime to build a better world he said.

The journey and the hard work continue, he said: Each day we have to place a brick on this wall of peace, democracy, development, security and stability.





brand name. But there is no benefit for the public out of that. It is only a challenge for the manufacturers like us. The roller needs to be changed. We are asked to print in double color. And eventually the printing cost will also be high. Besides, only Schedule H and Schedule 1 are the prescription drugs and Schedule G is non-prescription drugs. But we are asked to mention that too as prescription. But people do not usually look into those details while buying a drug. They take what the doctors prescribe them to. It is implemented merely just to show that they are doing something for the public. If it is really going to benefit the public we will be happy to accept it. Buy there is no use out of these recommendations. And its an unwanted expenditure for us too. Sethuraman, Chairman  Tamil Nadu Drug Manufacturers Association expressed so.Hans-Georg Henke during an interview with the Western Press at which he presented a conflicting account of the events that led to this episode.

A sixteen-year old German anti aircraft soldier of the Hitler Youth, Hans-Georg Henke, taken prisoner in the state of Hessen, Germany. He was a member of the Luftwaffe anti-air squad who burst into tears as his world crumbled around him. His father died in 1938 but when his mother died in 1944 leaving the family destitute, Hans-Georg had to find work in order to support the family. At 15 years of age he joined the Luftwaffe.As a son of a former Communist sympathiser, Hans-Georg himself joined the Communist party and went to live in Finstewald in East Germany after the war. Unlike the hordes that crossed from East to West Germany during the period before the erection of the Berlin Wall, Hans-Georg did the exact opposite. Perhaps it is for this reason that he changed the story of why he was crying so inconsolably in these photographs. According to the story that Henke maintained throughout his life  he died in 1997  he was based in Stettin with a battery of 88mm guns. As the Russians advanced so the German forces were pushed back towards Rostock. It was here where the Russians finally overran their unit, that these photographs were taken.The alternative story is given by an American photo-journalist John Florea. He alleges that he took these photographs in Hessen, in the village of Huttenberg-Rechtenbach, which is just north of Frankfurt am Main.The area in which the photos of Hans-Georg were taken is incontrovertibly Hessen. A number of photos taken clearly show areas of the town which still exist today. Furthermore as these photos indicate, he was bearing boots when captured and not, as he alleged later, with rags on his feet.On another aspect there is also a difference of opinion. John Florea is adamant that Hans-Georg is not sobbing because his world had crumbled but rather due to combat shock after being overrun by the American forces.The sole motive for Henke dissembling on this issue must relate to the fact that he elected to join the Communist Party and live in East Germany. The East German Communists regarded all those who had surrendered to the Americans as a potential third force. To cover his tracks, Henke changed the story from being overrun by Americans to being captured by the Russians.Notwithstanding that, these photographs have been used extensively to illustrate the effect of the world crumbling around the German populace.The effect of the defeat on a normal youth like Hans-Georg was probably initially worse and that of a member of the Hitler Jugend but probably many members of the Hitler Youth would have been deeply embittered for the rest of their lives.Hence they would have found it difficult to come to terms with Germanys collapse and defeat.(Photos by John FloreaThe LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images, via The Casual ObserverIts off  at least for now.

President Donald Trump has canceled his planned June 12 summit in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"I was very much looking forward to being there with you (in Singapore)," Trump said in a letter to Kim released by the White House. "Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate at time time to have this long planned meeting."

The last straw, according to a White House official, was an insult of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence earlier Thursday in a statement by North Koreas vice foreign minister, Choe Son Hui. She called Pence a political dummy and warned  in rhetoric typical of that uttered by Pyongyang  of a nuclear confrontation.



Trump in his letter, responded in kind, referencing U.S. nuclear capabilities so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.



The White House official says there is a backdoor that's open still if the North Koreans are willing to walk through it. But it involves some changing of their rhetoric ... at a minimum.



Trump, in his letter, also left the door open, telling Kim that if he changes his mind "having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write."



In Seoul, Kim Eul-kyeom, who is a spokesman for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, told reporters officials there are trying to figure out what President Trumps intention is and the exact meaning of it.

North Korea had threatened to pull out of the unprecedented summit after U.S. officials called for a Libya model approach, which involved the countrys total nuclear dismantlement before any concessions were granted. Pyongyang has called for a gradual process that links early concessions to incremental denuclearization measures.

The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history, Trump concluded.



Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in Senate testimony on Thursday, shortly after Trumps letter was made public, said the United States still wants a complete denuclearization of North Korea.



North Korean counterparts over the past several days had not responded to inquiries from the summit planners on the American side, said Pompeo.



We were fully, fully engaged over the past weeks to prepare for this meeting, Pompeo replied to senators during questioning. We were rockin.



Pompeo later added  when asked about his meetings in Pyongyang with Kim Jong Un on the subject of reaching a deal about complete North Korean denuclearization there was little doubt in my mind that he understood the scope of what we were asking for.



The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ben Cardin, told reporters he still thinks that diplomacy is the best path as I havent seen anything to date that would change the need for direct discussion.



The speaker of the House of Representatives, Republican Paul Ryan, in a statement, said: The North Korean regime has long given ample reason to question its commitment to stability. We must continue to work with our allies toward a peaceful resolution, but that will require a much greater degree of seriousness from the Kim regime.



Ryan added that Congress has provided significant tools to hold North Korea accountable, and it is important that the United States not relent in this maximum pressure campaign.



Ben Rhodes, deputy national security advisor during the administration of Barack Obama, said on Twitter that Trump has never once explained what he is trying to achieve in North Korea and how is going to achieve it. All he has done is raise expectations which gives leverage away to everyone else (see Chinas trade talks).

This is an inflection point in the administration policy toward North Korea, according to Vipin Narang, associate professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of MITs Security Studies Program.



One camp may prefer to see if working level diplomacy can get things back on track, and maybe eventually get to a summit. Another camp may try to use this as evidence that diplomacy is doomed to fail, and that denuclearizing North Korea by forceattacking a nuclear weapons poweris the only remaining option, Narang, an author of two books on nuclear strategy, tells VOA News. If North Korea resumes long range missile or nuclear tests, it would sharply embolden and empower the latter camp. So if Kim is truly interested in some deal -- well short of disarmament obviously -- his smartest move now is to exercise restraint.



North Korea, on Thursday, shut down its Punggye-ri nuclear test site on Thursday to demonstrate its commitment to denuclearization.



About 30 invited foreign journalists watched explosions of an observation tower at Punggye-ri.



While the complexs closure is viewed as significant symbolically, analysts say it does not seriously inhibit North Koreas ability to conduct future nuclear tests.Nigerias military has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity including torture, rape and killing civilians during its fight against Islamist insurgency Boko Haram, human rights group Amnesty International said Thursday.

The crimes were perpetrated for years and have continued despite a presidential inquiry established last August whose findings have not been made public, said the watchdog.

In a statement, the Nigerian military described Amnestys findings as a false report on fictitious rape incidents in IDP (internally displaced person) camps in the North East region of Nigeria.

A presidency statement said Amnestys report lacks credibility.

Amnesty report

The 89-page report is based on hundreds of interviews and is replete with accounts of sexual violence, torched villages and other abuses.

The soldiers, they betrayed us, they said that we should come out of from our villages, said a woman whose name was given as Yakura in the report. They said it would be safer and that they would give us a secure place to stay. But when we came, they betrayed us. They detained our husbands and then they raped us women, said Yakura, who fled Andara village, Borno state, in December 2016.

Nigeria has waged a nine-year war against Boko Haram and its now more powerful offshoot, Islamic State West Africa. The country has fought alongside Cameroon, Chad and Niger and been supported by the United States, Great Britain and France.

The conflict has killed more than 30,000 people and spawned one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises.

For years, rights groups, aid organizations and journalists have documented military abuses, with little resulting action from the armed forces.

Many deaths

According to Amnestys report, interviewees said that when the military conducted operations in their villages, they burnt down homes and opened fire at remaining residents indiscriminately.

Often the military would forcibly take people to camps for people displaced by the conflict, the report said. People the military detained without food and water would die, the watchdog said.

Many of the women were held for six months to two years without charge, some were tortured and beaten, and some, along with 32 children, died, the report said.

One woman whose name Amnesty gave as Aiya detailed her experience after arriving at a displacement camp, where she was sent to the prison: I was pregnant and I went into labor. I found the toilet and I had my baby next to it. No one helped me. At the beginning, I didnt know if my baby was alive or dead.

Hunger and sickness still kills people in displacement camps, where sexual violence has been and continues to be perpetrated on a wide scale, the report said, adding that many women are forced to have sex in exchange for food and supplies.Experts are doubtful whether the United States could guarantee that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would remain in power if North Korea denuclearizes as President Donald Trump promised during his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Despite North Koreas threat to cancel the summit with the U.S. scheduled for June 12, Trump met with Moon in Washington to prepare for talks with Kim. Speaking with reporters, Trump said that despite the anticipation surrounding the Singapore summit, theres a very substantial chance it wont work out for June 12.

At the same time, Trump attempted to reassure Kim that the North Korean leader would stay in power if North Korea denuclearizes, indicating the U.S. will not seek a regime change in Pyongyang.

I will guarantee his safety, yes, Trump said. He will be safe. He will be happy.

Peace treaty

Ken Gause, director at the International Affairs Group at the Center for Naval Analyses, said providing a security guarantee for Kims regime would require more than Trumps promise. The guarantee would need to be buttressed by a signed peace treaty with North Korea, giving the assurance that the U.S. would not attack or invade the country.

Trumps word is not enough, Gause said. I think [North Korea] will need a peace treaty, ratified by Congress, and a Chinese security guarantee in order to ensure the U.S. doesnt do regime change in the future.

For nearly seven decades, South Korea and North Korea have been technically at war after agreeing to a truce to end the hostilities of the Korean War in 1953. Seoul and Pyongyang never signed a formal peace treaty. The U.S., as one of the signatories of the armistice that stopped the fighting but did not end the war, would require ratifying a peace treaty along with North Korea and China, the other signatories of the armistice. Then the peace treaty would have to be formalized by the United Nations. South Korea never signed the armistice but adhered to it.

Robert Gallucci, chief U.S. negotiator during the 1994 North Korean nuclear crisis, also thinks providing security assurance would first require normalizing relations with North Korea through a peace treaty.

So, the North Korean objective of normalizing the relations between North Korea and the U.S. manifest in a treaty of peace replacing the armistice makes most sense to me, Gallucci said. If the U.S. and North Korea have normal relations, then the U.S. will, I think, be more credible, respecting North Koreas sovereignty and developing the relationship.

Four nos, security guarantee

According to Dennis Wilder, former National Security Council senior director for East Asian affairs during the George W. Bush administration, Trumps guarantee of Kims safety is very equivalent to what Mr. Tillerson said about Four Nos.

In August, while trying to urge North Korea to come to the negotiating table, former secretary of state Rex Tillerson laid out four actions that the U.S. would not take against North Korea. His remarks came after North Korea tested a second intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in defiance of a United Nations ban.

Tillerson ensured the North that the U.S. will not seek a regime change, a collapse of the regime, an accelerated reunification of the peninsula, or an excuse to send [U.S.] military north of the 38th parallel.

Wilder added that although the U.S. can promise not to attack or invade the country, it cannot protect Kims regime against any of the Norths own potential internal conflicts.

Of course, we cant guarantee the existence of his government completely, said Wilder said. I dont believe (we are) saying that we will protect Kim against his own people.

Gary Samore, former White House coordinator for arms control and weapons of mass destruction in the Obama administration, agreed that the U.S. cannot promise any protection against internal threats that might come with economic reforms as North Koreans become more prosperous, or political reforms that might follow down the road.

Political threat to Kim Jong Un is not just foreign threat. There are also potential domestic threats, Samore said. So, for example, if there are political uprisings or political instability in North Korea, the U.S. cant guarantee any credibility that we would ensure the survival of Kims regime, and North Korea knows this.

Robert Manning, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said the security guarantee that the U.S. provides to the North should be confined to its own action against the country. Beyond security guarantees not to attack North Korea or support any efforts at regime change, there is little the U.S. can credibly offer to protect Kim from internal opposition or threats, nor should it, Manning said.

Summit

Most of the issues involving any security guarantee that the U.S. can give Kims regime seem to be contingent on whether Pyongyang accepts certain conditions or terms of a denuclearization deal that Trump hinted have been offered to the North.

During his meeting with Moon, Trump said the U.S. is looking for certain conditions and that it would be nice to have an all in one denuclearization deal that could be achieved over a very short period of time, indicating the U.S. might not proceed with the summit if the North does not accept what the U.S. suggested. Kim favors a step-by-step denuclearization process that would proceed in phases.

Although the announcement of a potential delay casts a pall over the summit, experts are not altogether pessimistic.

Gause said the summit will be delayed until Washingtons absolutist demand for North Koreas complete denuclearization is bridged with Pyongyangs phased approach to denuclearization where both sides would be expected to make upfront compromises.

Until we can find an option that works for both sides, the summit might have to be delayed, Gause said.

Manning thinks there will be a summit, but emphasized that Trump should have dealt with contradictions in the expectations of Washington and Pyongyang before agreeing to meet with Kim.

The possible delay in the summit will create a politically anxious situation for Moon, who has been brokering the summit between Trump and Kim, because the planned Singapore summit will take place the day before South Koreas provincial elections, according to Douglas Paal, vice president for the Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Although Moons party is enjoying unprecedented support after the Olympics and the Inter-Korean summit, Paal said, President Moon must be very anxious after [Tuesdays] meeting with Trump, since the careful ballot could come apart with rancorous relations over the Kim-Trump summit.

In what appears to be a positive signal, Pyongyang changed its position at the last minute and allowed South Korean journalists to visit North Korea to observe the closing of its Punggye-ri nuclear test site where it conducted all of its nuclear tests.

Eight South Korean journalists arrived in North Korea Wednesday and will be joining press groups from the U.S., Britain, China and Russia to witness the dismantlement of the site, scheduled to take place through Friday.

Soyoung Ahn contributed to this report that originated with VOAs Korean Service.When it comes to rhetoric about North Korea, U.S. President Donald Trump has been the master of both the bellicose taunt and soothing benevolence, often in close proximity to each other.

Trump's duality on the reclusive communist pariah nation was on display again Thursday as he canceled the planned June 12 summit in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

On the one hand, Trump told Kim that he was "very much looking forward to being there with you." But then he said he was canceling because, "Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting."

Trump warned, "You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used."

Still, wait a minute, Trump seemed to say. "I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me," he said, adding his thanks for releasing three Americans who had been held in North Korea. He held out hope to get together in the future, saying, "If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write."

Mostly, through his 16-month presidency and in the years before he transformed himself from a New York real estate mogul into a Republican presidential contender, Trump warned of the dangers of a nuclear North Korea. His barbed comments about Kim and North Korea's broken promises in years past to denuclearize echoed the sentiment of many U.S. politicians, but often included an extra helping of ridicule.

Trading insults

In 2013, two years before he announced his presidential candidacy, Trump warned former President Barack Obama to be cautious with Kim, calling the North Korea leader a "whack job."

During a debate in the run-up to the November 2016 presidential election, Trump assailed Kim as a "maniac" who "actually has nuclear weapons."

He said that if Kim came to the United States, "I'd accept him, but I wouldn't give him a state dinner like we do for China and all these other people that rip us off."

At another point in the campaign, Trump seemed accepting about the possibility of assassinating Kim, saying in an interview he could "get China to make [Kim] disappear in one form or another."

As president, through much of his first year in office in 2017, Trump regularly excoriated Kim, including at the U.N. General Assembly. On various occasions, Trump called him a "sick puppy" and "Little Rocket Man," and questioned why Kim would call him a dotard, or a weak-minded old person.

"Why would Kim Jong Un insult me by calling me 'old,' when I would NEVER call him 'short and fat'?" Trump retorted.

Fire and fury

As North Korea carried out numerous missile and nuclear tests last year, Trump became more bellicose, saying, "Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!"

Trump warned that if North Korea attacked the U.S. or its allies, he would launch "fire, fury and, frankly, power, the likes of which this world has never seen before."

The U.S. leader rebuked former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for suggesting that negotiations with North Korea could be fruitful and lead to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, saying he was "wasting his time."

"The U.S. has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. Talking is not the answer!" Trump declared.

Talks on, then off

But late last year and into 2018, Trump watched as South Korea welcomed North Korean athletes at the Winter Olympics and said it was his administration's imposition of economic sanctions against North Korea that forced it to open talks with South Korea.

Trump said he, too, would be open to negotiations with North Korea.

In March, when South Korean envoys conveyed a message from Pyongyang that it was willing to meet with Trump, he accepted immediately. In recent weeks, there were direct, high-level talks between Kim and Mike Pompeo, first in his role as director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and then as secretary of state, all aimed at arranging the summit in Singapore.

Pompeo returned from Pyongyang with three Americans who had been detained by North Korea on spurious charges. Details were being worked out for the U.S.-North Korea summit. One U.S. group even minted a medallion commemorating the would-be meeting.

But then North Korea attacked U.S. calls for unilateral denuclearization, criticizing the views of Trump national security adviser John Bolton and describing U.S. Vice President Mike Pence as a "political dummy."

For Trump, that was enough. With his signature on a single-page letter, he called off the summit.By Imran Inamdar, TwoCircles.net

Apart from fasting, the pious month of Ramadan is also seen as an ideal time to spread the messages and teachings of Islam and Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). In an attempt to promote the same, Muslims of Maharashtra are celebrating the month of Ramadan with other fellow marginalised communities. Yavatmal-based activist Subhan Ali and his team of volunteers, under the banner of Prophet Mohammed for All, are collecting funds to provide new clothes to nearly 10,000 Dalit and Adivasi children of Maharashtra.

Speaking with Twocircles.net, Subhan Ali said, Prophet Muhammed was sent by Allah as a Rahamatualameen (Cherisher of the Universe). During his time, he spread the message of peace, brotherhood and communal harmony. He set an inspiring example before us. He used to maintain good relations with other communities and also donate his Zakat (compulsory charity) and Sadqa (voluntary charity) to the people of other religions as well. This is a small effort on our part to help and include Dalit and Adivasi children also in our celebrations.

Support TwoCircles



Ali added that the initiative had received a very good response from members of all communities, especially Muslims. Apart from clothes, we also aim to provide Sheer Khurma party to about 1 lakh Dalit and Adivasi brothers and sisters, he added.

According to Subhan, Muslim activists from Pune, Baramati, Solapur, Karmala, etc. have started working aggressively to make this mission a huge success. We have already received commitments of about 2,000 clothes. Maratha and Dalit activist are extending their cooperation equally well, he added.

Babu Rao Ghongde, a social activist from Hingoli District warmly welcomed this initiative. Speaking with TwoCirlces.net, he said, We usually celebrate our festivals with our relatives, we invite high-profile people to our home but these Muslim youths are inviting downtrodden people. I have no words to thank these youths. This initiative will surely help to spread the real character of Prophet Muhammad Saheb and his teachings.

Dr Ravindra Rathod, a practising Ortho surgeon in Parbhani city, said, I am quite sure that this move will help boost brotherhood, social relations among Muslims and marginalized and eliminate misconceptions about Islam and Muslims. People will understand that the political system which divides us is the main culprit here.

Subhan Ali and his state-level team have also been running the Danga-Mukt Maharashtra Campaign (Riot-free Maharashtra) since the last two years. This team has successfully organised Shivshahi Sankalp Melava at Raigad on September-27 in 2016 which was attended by thousands of Muslims.

Editors note:

If someone wants to help Subhan Ali and his team in their endeavours, please contact Subhan at 9511222211.Heavy rains have left hundreds of people dead and hundreds of thousands more displaced across various parts of East Africa. Kenya, Somalia and Rwanda are the worst hit. The flooding comes as the region tries to recover from a severe drought in 2017 that threatened millions of people.

Across Kenya, Rwanda and Somalia, the death toll from the flooding has surpassed 400, with many thousands more forced to flee their homes to escape rising waters.

Rwanda's Ministry of Disaster Management puts its death toll at just over 200 in a period of four months.The number includes 18 killed this month as a result of landslides triggered by heavy rains.



In Somalia, the Juba and Shabelle rivers have burst their banks.



Justin Brady, head of the U.N. Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Somalia, said the situation has left those affected by the flooding vulnerable to malnutrition and disease.



"We have had a number of deaths reported at different junctures in the flooding.," he said "I believe right now we are looking at about 220,000 people who are temporarily displaced due to the flood waters and until those recede, those people will remain displaced and in need of humanitarian assistance. We may see that number climb up in the short term with flooding spreading down stream as flood waters move towards the Indian Ocean."



Earlier in the week, at least 15 people died in Somaliland when heavy rains caused by tropical cyclone Sagar swept through the Horn of Africa. The cyclone system has caused heavy rains in both the Puntland and Somaliland regions of Somalia, and then moved along the coast to Djibouti.



Brady said those areas were especially hard-hit by drought the last three years.



"So you already had a very low level of resilience of the population," he said. "There are several districts that were most affected. The government is continuing to refine the number of people in need and initially it was around 670,000. That number has come down as I understand, but it's a case of being able to get into areas."



In Kenya, the Red Cross said at least 200 people have died as a result of the heavy rains. In the biggest catastrophe, a dam burst last week on a commercial farm in the Rift Valley, killing at least 48.



Emergency appeals have been launched by the affected governments and NGOs for humanitarian assistance.Tom Kelly grew up on a Northern California farm and once thought of becoming a cowboy before World War II got in the way.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces instead, and on March 11, 1944, the 21-year-old 2nd lieutenant was aboard a B-24 bomber with 10 others when it was struck by Japanese anti-aircraft fire and plunged into the Pacific Ocean.

When the plane Kelly and his fellow crew members called Heaven Can Wait was found at the bottom of a bay off the coast of Papua New Guinea, a wave of exhilaration  albeit one mixed with grief  washed over his family, including many members too young to have ever met him.

This discovery of where the wreck is, of seeing pictures and videos of the wreck on the floor of Hansa Bay. My goodness, it brings closure in a way we didnt expect, Scott Althaus of Chicago said.

On Memorial Day 2013 Althaus launched what would quickly become a family-wide project to learn everything relatives could about the young man who grew up thinking hed be a cowboy but then, inspired by his military service, decided he wanted to be a pilot instead. He was the bombardier on Heaven Can Wait.

He was a very gregarious man. He kept up correspondence with I think 38 different people stateside while he was overseas. He was just everybodys friend, very well liked,said Althaus, Kellys first cousin once removed. It would have been something to see what he would have done after coming back from the war if that had been his outcome.

A year ago Kellys family turned over what they learned to Project Recover, a team of marine scientists, historians, archaeologists, divers and others who seek out military crash sites connected to cases involving those listed as Missing in Action.

The organization announced the find Monday, and said its search was aided greatly by what the family provided, including eyewitness narratives, military reports, flight documents and even diary entries from crew members on planes flying in formation with Kellys when it was hit.

This also marked the first time that an MIA family had provided his group such support, said Eric Terrill, Project Recovers co-founder and leader of the search.

The results from our efforts in Hansa Bay have stirred a mix of lasting emotions within our team and drives home the need to recognize the sacrifices that service members and their families make in protecting our freedoms,'' said Terrill, who works at San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

The findings are being turned over to the Department of Defense's POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which seeks to recover remains of MIAs.

Althaus said if his cousins body is retrieved the family hopes he might someday be buried in his hometown of Livermore, California.

For now, however, the family is simply rejoicing in having finally found him.

A professor of political science and communications at the University of Illinois, Althaus area of expertise is political opinion and news coverage of war. It was his research into the subject that led him to try to learn the life story of the cousin he never met. Like many family members he was born after Kelly died. Others, including his mother, were small children when they last saw him.

One of the wonderful things that came out of this effort to just figure out what happened on March 11, 1944, was really bringing the family together across lines that we didnt communicate through very often, he said. And to bring these stories to life.

Hes hoping that this Memorial Day other families might do the same.When a federal jury in Alexandria, Virginia, convicted a Latvian software developer last week of running an underground clearinghouse for computer hackers, U.S. prosecutors highlighted it as an example of their commitment to combating cybercrime.

"This verdict demonstrates our commitment to holding such actors accountable," said acting U.S. Attorney Tracey Doherty-McCormick. "I commend the work of the agents and prosecutors both in the United States and in Latvia, who worked together to bring him to justice."

Not mentioned was the role played by Trend Micro, a Japanese cybersecurity firm that collaborated with the FBI to hunt down the developer, Ruslans Bondars, and an accomplice, Jurijs Martisevs, who jointly operated Scan4You, a site that helped hackers test their malware.

In a report released after the verdict, Trend Micro offered an inside look at how it identified Scan4You in 2012, took a trove of data about the site to the FBI in 2014, and then worked closely with agents as they built a case against the two men.

Trend Micro says it has supported nearly 20 law enforcement cases around the world.

"In this case, our global threat intelligence network and team of researchers provided an invaluable resource for the FBI as it homed in on this notorious [counter antivirus] service," said Ed Cabrera, chief security officer for Trend Micro.

The case highlights how the FBI and private cybersecurity firms, once wary of working together, have in recent years started teaming up to combat cybercrime, a problem that costs the world an estimated $600 billion a year.

"The value that the private sector brings to law enforcement investigations is almost incalculable," said John Boles, a director at consulting firm Navigant who previously worked as an assistant FBI director and led the bureau's global cyberoperations.

A decade ago "there was almost hesitation on both sides of the fence to cooperate, but somewhere along the line as the scales have tipped, everybody realized it's a global issue," Boles said.

In 2011, the FBI created the Office of the Private Sector within the Cyber Division, making private-sector collaboration a key pillar of its cybercrime-fighting strategy.

Since then, the bureau has made more than a dozen major arrests in cybercrime cases, many with help from the private sector, according to Boles. While cybercrime investigations are often initiated by the bureau, some start with a tip from the private sector.

Unusual activity

That was the case with the Scan4You investigation.

In 2012, Trend Micro researchers, while investigating a hacker group, noticed a flurry of unusual activity on their threat radar: Somebody using Latvia IP addresses kept checking the company's web reputation system, a program that blocks malicious websites.

That led them to another discovery: regular checks of Scan4You URLs against Trend Micro's web reputation system emanating from Latvia. The goal: to determine whether Scan4You's scanning scripts could detect malware.

"By 2014, we had a deeper understanding [of Scan4You] and began that relationship with the FBI," Cabrera said.

The collaboration would continue for the next three years as Trend Micro researchers and FBI agents gathered evidence about Scan4You, its operators and its users.

Scan4You was an underground service that allowed hackers to upload their malware to see whether it could be detected by more than 35 antivirus engines. At its peak in 2016, Scan4You was the largest service of its kind, boasting more than 30,000 customers.

The service allowed cyber scofflaws to test all manner of malicious software, ranging from so-called crypters, a type of software used to conceal malicious files, to remote access trojans, programs that allow a remote operator backdoor access to a computer.

'World's most destructive hackers'

Among Scan4You's customers were "some of the world's most destructive hackers," according Doherty-McCormick, the Virginia prosecutor.

One customer used Scan4You to test malware that was later used to steal about 40 million credit card and debit card numbers, costing one U.S. retailer $292 million, according to court documents.

A Russian hacker used Scan4You to develop Citadel, an infamous botnet used by cybercriminals to steal $500 million from bank accounts. The FBI worked with Microsoft to break up the network.

But Scan4You was not a very lucrative operation. As researchers dug deeper, they discovered that Bondars and Martisevs were affiliated with "some of the longest-running cybercriminal businesses" and "involved with one of the largest and oldest pharmaceutical spam gangs known as Eva Pharmacy," according to Trend Micro.

Bondars, a longtime Latvian resident of Ukrainian citizenship, designed and maintained the site.

Martisevs, a Russian national living in Latvia, provided customer service and promoted the site on cybercriminal forums.

The pair's deep involvement in an assortment of criminal activities gave them something that helped with their scanning service: cyber-cred.

"These threat actors gained the respect of many other cybercriminals who trusted them and used their malware scanning service," the report says.

The end for Scan4You came with the 2017 arrests and extradition of Bondars and Martisevs to the United States. Shortly after their arrest, Scan4You went dark.

In March, Martisevs pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Bondars. Last week, Bondars was convicted of three counts related to his role in Scan4You.

Scan4You's downfall has taken the biggest service of its kind out of commission, but just how big a blow to cybercrime it represents remains to be seen.

Typically, when a site like Scan4You goes offline, its users flee to copycat sites. That has yet to happen, Cabrera said.

"This is a big blow to cybercrime, helping to disrupt countless threat actors and prove there are consequences to their actions," he said.The Los Angeles County jails are run by the sheriff, but the Mexican Mafia wields the power in the underworld behind bars.

The organization made up of leaders from various Latino gangs operated like an illegal government, collecting taxes on smuggled drugs, ordering hits on people who didnt follow their rules and even calling the shots on street crimes, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

Their clout was diminished as 83 members and associates were charged in a pair of sweeping federal racketeering conspiracies that alleged drug dealing, extortion, violent assaults and murders.

We just delivered a blow to a cold-blooded prison gang and their associates, U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna said during a news conference.

New leaders inevitable

In an effort to disrupt the gangs stronghold, the suspects will be held in federal facilities, and those in custody in state prisons will be moved, authorities said.

Sheriff Jim McDonnell acknowledged that others will follow in their wake, as leadership in the gang that operates in most prisons and jails in the state is always changing.

There will be new leaders, thats kinda how the whole system works. Its hierarchical, McDonnell said. When one goes to jail or passes away then someone else backfills their spot just like any multilevel organization.

Started in 1950s in juvenile jail

The so-called gang of gangs  an organization of imprisoned Latino street gang leaders who control operations inside and outside California prisons and jails  started in the 1950s at a juvenile jail and grew to an international criminal organization that has controlled smuggling, drug sales and extortion inside the nations largest jail system.

These Mexican Mafia members and associates, working together to control criminal activity within (LA County jails), have become their own entity or enterprise and effectively function as an illegal government, an indictment said.

The gang was also able to control street crime by using wives, girlfriends and lawyers to help relay orders to be carried out by members who were not incarcerated, an indictment said.

In some instances, gang members would deliberately get arrested on low-level charges so they could smuggle drugs into the jail and be released days later.

Operation Dirty Thirds

Because the Mexican Mafia controlled drug trafficking in the jails, they got the first shot to sell their supply of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin or marijuana, prosecutors said. Other groups had to wait and give a third of their contraband to the Mexican Mafia leadership.

The fee, known as a thirds tax, gave the name Operation Dirty Thirds to the investigation that led to the indictments and arrest of 32 people Wednesday. Another 35 defendants were in custody and 16 were fugitives.

The gang enriched itself through drug sales, taxes on drugs and even collected a share of purchases on candy bars, deodorant and other items at the jail commissary, the indictment said, adding that the gang was able to exert control by threatening and carrying out violence if people didnt pay up or follow the rules.

The gang members were accused of committing vicious beatings, stabbings, kidnappings and murders in retaliation, Hanna said.

The indictment alleges crimes between 2012 and 2016, when a grand jury was convened and before President Donald Trump took office.

Trump has focused on gang violence but has singled out MS-13, pointing to the gangs gruesome crimes in a push for stronger immigration policies.

While MS-13 is associated with the Mexican Mafia, the majority of the crimes listed in the indictments Wednesday are alleged to have been committed by members affiliated with other street gangs.

Mostly US citizens

The jail indictment said Jose Landa-Rodriguez and two now-deceased members of the Mexican Mafia controlled operations in the jail between 2012 and 2016.

Landa-Rodriquez, 55, is accused of sanctioning murders, assaults and the kidnapping and planned murder of a relative of a gang member who defied him, prosecutors said.

Landa-Rodriguez is not a U.S. citizen, though nearly all of the other defendants charged in the indictment are citizens, Hanna said.

A second higher-up, Luis Vega, 33, ordered a murder and directed assaults against those who showed disrespect or didnt obey rules, the indictment said.

One of the groups facilitators was attorney Gabriel Zendejas-Chavez, who was able to carry messages to the gang members while operating under the shield of attorney-client privilege, the indictment said. He is also accused of enabling a plot to extort $100,000 from the Mongols outlaw motorcycle gang.

Zendejas-Chavez was arrested Wednesday. A woman who answered the phone at his office was unaware of the arrest and didnt comment.French and Rwandan leaders vowed to work together on key African security issues Wednesday, as they sought to move forward after bitter differences over Rwanda's 1994 genocide.

Standing alongside his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, French President Emmanuel Macron said the two leaders had agreed to work "pragmatically" on issues of mutual concern, especially on African hot spots like the Sahel, Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic.

Referring to years of tension over the Rwandan genocide, Macron said it was not a question of underestimating the past, but rather assuming it and trying to overcome it.

He spoke at a joint news conference following talks between the two presidents, who also met with tech executives.The two leaders will attend a Paris tech forum Thursday that showcases African startups, among other talent.

French contribution hailed

Kagame, who was re-elected to a third term last year and is the current African Union president, said France has made a positive contribution in Africa.

"Your views have coincided with my views and the views of many in Africa that there is more need to work together in true partnership, as well as trying to encourage and empower Africans to play a very significant role in their affairs," Kagame said to Macron.

Rwanda released a report last year accusing France of complicity in the genocide that killed 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus. France has previously admitted making mistakes but never apologized for its role.

Macron said he would not appoint a French ambassador to Rwanda for now, calling it too early. But he said France was working to declassify key archives of the genocide, and that French and Rwandan researchers would work together in documenting a collective memory of the killings.

Macron also threw his support behind the candidacy of Rwanda's foreign minister, Louise Mushikiwabo, as the next head of the Paris-based International Francophonie Organization. While Kagame speaks English, Macron says about half of Rwandan citizens can speak French.In Thailand, the Giant African Snail, once condemned as a slimy pest that ruins crops, is now being bred for the same reason some people found them so unappealing in the first place  their slime. Experts say the slime produced by these giant snails is full of collagen and other ingredients that can regenerate skin cells for use in the cosmetics industry. VOA Correspondent Mariama Diallo reports.Malaysias Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, back in power after a 15-year hiatus, says his first 20 years in office were fairly easy compared to what is confronting him now  massive debt in a country with an international reputation for corruption.

Mahathir returned to power on May 9 in a spectacular election upset that saw him unite with his former opposition foes to overthrow a prime minister  Najib Razak  who is accused of helping to steal billions from his country in one of the biggest corporate frauds in history. Najib denies all the charges.

Well my first 20 years as prime minister was fairly easy. I inherited a system that is already there. All I had to do is to introduce new ideas so that we can expedite the growth and development of Malaysia, the 92-year-old Mahathir told VOA in an exclusive interview.

But here I am dealing with a country that has been actually destroyed. Its finances have been destroyed. The system of government has been ignored and not used and a new system, or rather an authoritarian system has been introduced, he said.

Najib, a one-time ally of Mahathir, served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018 and has been battling corruption charges since 2015 when billions of dollars were reported missing from a state investment fund under his control. This week, police wheeled scores of suitcases  which they said were filled with jewels, cash and hundreds of luxury handbags  out of Najib's residences.

No longer protected by his office, Najib has spent hours this week testifying before an anti-corruption commission.

"I have answered all their questions to the best of my abilities, he said as he emerged from a six-hour session on Thursday.

The alleged corruption has hit the country particularly hard because much of the missing money was borrowed. But Mahathir said he is working with his party to decide out how to mitigate the damage and that he believes he has found ways to wipe about $50 billion off the more than $250 billion debt.

The previous government has accumulated huge amounts of borrowings from other countries, from foreign banks, and even from local sources, so the first thing that we need to do of course is to ensure that we are able to service the loans, at least, and to try to reduce the principle that has been borrowed, Mahathir said.

He also quashed any suggestion he was having second thoughts about abolishing a deeply unpopular fake news law introduced by Najib in the lead-up to the election. But he added that some controls needed to remain on the media to prevent the incitement of racial tensions.

On the heels of a meeting with Chinese ambassador Bai Tian, Mahathir remained firm on his pledge to renegotiate infrastructure deals Najib signed with Beijing that involved heavy borrowing with little local benefit.

But he said he was confident this could be done without jeopardizing the two countries important relationship.International investigators looking into the shootdown of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine four years ago have identified the Russian military brigade that they believe owned the missile used to bring down the Boeing 777.

WATCH: Henry Ridgwell's video report





Its the first time the Joint investigation Team, or JIT, which is made up of prosecutors from the Netherlands, Ukraine, Malaysia and Australia, has suggested Russian involvement.



Two-hundred-and-83 passengers and 15 crew members were killed when the aircraft was shot down on July 17 2014. The incident happened about three hours into the journey from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

The JIT already had released evidence suggesting the plane was hit by a Russian BUK surface-to-air missile that had crossed into eastern Ukraine from Russia. At a press conference Thursday in The Hague, chief prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said they had pinpointed the origin of the missile launcher used, saying they had evidence that would "stand in a courtroom."



Today the JIT concluded the BUK missile launcher that was used to shoot down MH17 originated from the 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade of the Russian armed forces, Westerbeke told reporters.



The conclusions echo those made by the independent investigative website "Bellingcat," which is using open source evidence such as videos and photographs posted online, purportedly showing the BUK launcher after the attack, with one weapon missing.

Westerbeke said the investigation was in its last phase and repeated earlier calls for witnesses and evidence, promising anonymity to anyone who comes forward. He said they were interested in the chain of command that led to the BUK launcher firing the missile.



We call today by the means of the media for the help of the public to answer questions about the control and use of this BUK launcher as well as about the missile that was launched, said Westerbeke.



With Russia using its seat on the United Nations Security Council to block an international tribunal, any future trial likely would be held in the Netherlands.

The possibility that Russia would extradite or allow its citizens who are suspected of participating in the destruction of the plane, to participate in an international investigation seems very, very unlikely, said Andrew Foxall, head of the Russia program at policy analyst group The Henry Jackson Society.

He adds that the MH17 investigation should prompt Western nations to maintain sanctions on Russia.



Were now 2018, four years on from the illegal annexation of Crimea, the destabilization of eastern Ukraine, the destruction of MH17, and there are Western countries who seemingly would like to return to business as usual with Russia. Fortunately, the Western position has held thus far, but theres no guarantee that it will hold in the long run, said Foxall.



Moscow has consistently denied any involvement, and suggested the Ukrainian military shot down the plane. Investigators repeatedly have dismissed any evidence presented for this claim.A newly launched strike by Iranian truckers in seven of Irans provinces appears to have alarmed the government, jolting officials into trying to persuade the drivers to return to work.

The Iranian state-run news agency Tasnim quoted a transport official on Wednesday as saying it is reasonable for truck drivers to demand greater fees for transporting cargo to compensate for their rising costs. The official, Dariush Amani of Irans Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization, said the cargo fees paid to the drivers should be increased by 15 to 20 percent.

It was not immediately clear how or when such a cargo fee increase would be implemented. The official who proposed it works under Irans Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.

Iranian truckers began the strike Tuesday in the provinces of Fars, Hormozgan, Isfahan, Kerman, Khorasan Razavi, Lorestan and Qazvin, according to Iranians who notified and sent images to VOA Persian. In the images, the striking truckers displayed signs complaining of the rising costs of insurance, road tolls, commissions, repairs and spare parts as wages stagnate.

Iranian state media said the strike continued into Wednesday, with gasoline truck drivers refusing to supply gas stations in the provinces of Fars and Isfahan in the morning hours. The reports said public concerns about gasoline shortages resulting from the strike led to long lines at gas stations in the cities of Shiraz and Isfahan, the capitals of Fars and Isfahan provinces.

But, the Iranian news agencies quoted officials of the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company as saying they quickly agreed to address the truckers concerns in both provinces. The reports said the fueling of gas stations in the regions returned to normal later Wednesday.

Irans Islamist rulers long have worried that gasoline shortages could trigger social unrest. The 2-day-old strike is the first mass protest by Iranian truck drivers since anti-government demonstrations began sweeping Iran last December.

This report was produced in collaboration with VOAs Persian Service.The Kremlin on Thursday said that Alfa Bank principals were not representing interests of the Kremlin or President Vladimir Putin at a recent closed-door meeting with the leadership of a major Washington think tank.

VOA reported Wednesday that the Atlantic Council hosted an off-the-record round-table dinner for two oligarchs listed on a U.S. Treasury-issued registry of 210 wealthy Russians identified as close to Putin, which was published in January.

The private event, which was internally billed as an open-ended discussion about the Russian economy in an era of escalating sanctions, featured billionaire bankers Pyotr Aven and Mikhail Fridman of the previously U.S.-sanctioned Alfa Group, Russias largest private lender.

Aven's and Fridman's attendance drew criticism from a dozen prominent anti-Kremlin thinkers and activists, who published an open letter condemning the event as an ethical breach.

The meeting should take place only on the condition that the oligarchs do not get to select the audience along with a friendly moderator, and that critical questions can be asked, said the open letter, which also expressed concern that Aven and Fridman arrived in the U.S. capital to try to affect U.S. sanctions policy.

The Atlantic Council, which published the critical letter on its own website in tandem with its response defending its decision, said the dinner was not a sweetheart platform, and that the think tanks private meetings are known for their candor, possible because they are private.

Atlantic Council officials, who have routinely hosted or cited the work of signatories to the critical letter, pointed out that all Alfa principals were removed from an updated list of Russian billionaires targeted by U.S. sanctions.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Aven and Fridman were representing their own business interests.

They are by no means Putin envoys, Peskov was quoted as saying in Russian news reports. In this case they represented one of the largest business entities in Russia and only this entity. Of course they cannot represent the president of Russia.

On Tuesday, Riga-based Meduza reported that Aven and Fridman had planned to meet with several congressmen to relay the Kremlin's current position on sanctions and countersanctions.

Both men are named in the controversial Steele dossier, which details alleged connections between President Donald Trump's election campaign and Kremlin operatives, and both men are named in CAATSA, the U.S. sanctions law tied to allegations of Kremlin interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. Neither was ever sanctioned individually, and both have filed multiple defamation suits over being named in the Steele dossier.

Despite Alfa Groups well-established ties to Putin  Aven openly acknowledges a friendship with the Russian president that spans decades, and Reuters has reported that children of Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov work for his company  the Alfa principals were notably absent from the updated list of Russian entities sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury on April 6.

Ekho Moskvy radio on Thursday cited unnamed sources familiar with the Atlantic Council talks, who said that that Aven and Fridman predicted Russias economy would continue its decline despite high oil prices, largely as a result of irreversible structural changes and brain drain.

Aven and Fridman have a combined estimated wealth of nearly $20 billion.

This story originated in VOA's Russian service.TCN News

New Delhi: Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has expressed a deep anguish over the killing of protestors in Thoothukudi of Tamilnadu. In a press statement issued on Thursday, SDPI has alleged that the Tami Nadu government is now under the remote control of unknown forces and is far away from the interests of Tamil people.

SDPI National President A. Sayeed demanded that Palaniswami government in Tamilnadu should quit in the wake of the killings of a dozen peaceful protestors in police firing on 22 May in Tuticorin. Sayeed demanded a fresh election in the state.

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Most of the persons killed in targeted police firing, including women, were peacefully demonstrating against the high handedness of the government in providing undue favors to Sterlite Copper smelter plant of Vedanta Group in Tuticorin in Tamilnadu, running a core factory producing four tons of pollutant daily thus by creating all types of environmental problems in the area which caused total scarcity for the drinking water and fresh air for breathing, said the press statement.

Sayeed reiterated that the residents knocked at every door for getting the relief but no heed was given to the grievances. The social activists with local residents in these circumstances were forced to organize peaceful protests but the government dealt with them by opening directly indiscriminate fire killing the protesters. The government intends to spread a reign of terror to muzzle the people and their voice, said Sayeed.

Governance in Tamilnadu is controlled by forces which do not represent the people of the state. It is essential that the Palaniswami government shall resign and elections be conducted giving way for peoples mandate.Its a sight you dont expect in Cape Town, where the city administration has threatened to turn off the taps because of prolonged, severe drought: children careening down gushing slides into pools of fresh water.

This is Water World, a fun park based entirely around  water, of course.

Manager Markham Adams says 12 years ago the owners found a water source beneath their feet.

Our water we use in the slides is all well point water. Its off the municipal grid; its been off for the last eight, nine years, he says. That means the city allows the park to remain open.

In Cape Town, some businesses that depend on water either are finding their own sources, like Water World, or are struggling to stay open, as the city endures one of the most serious droughts ever in South Africa.

Some people are turning into water entrepreneurs by dodging the law.

Earlier this year, the citys administrators imposed tighter water use restrictions, at one point urging residents to use no more than 50 liters of water per day  about eight toilet flushes' worth  to cope with one of the most devastating dry periods in the citys history.

The drought had been so severe that the government predicted it would cut off taps by June. However, strict conservation efforts by residents and businesses, plus the onset of rains, has pushed whats called Day Zero back indefinitely.

Still, the usage rules remain tight, and that makes earning a living tough for many people.

Car washes go on

At a filling station in a Cape Town suburb, police have arrived, threatening to shut down its car washing service.

But the owner tells a local news channel he has a license to wash cars using gray, or recycled, water.

I find it extremely frustrating that legitimate businesses get continuously harassed in this manner, and nothing gets done about informal and illegal car washes blatantly using water in broad daylight, the owner says.

Far from middle-class havens, in Cape Towns Khayelitsha township, Phillip Tatsi, 26, and his fellow street-side car washers say they are making do.

When the rain is raining, we fetch water and we wash cars, even taxis, Tatsi says.

But even without rain, Tatsi says, the sewers of the overpopulated shack land are always bursting with wastewater.

That water, it flows every day, it doesnt stop. We go there, we take the buckets and we take water. After [that], we go and wash the cars, he says.

Black market for water

At an industrial zone on the outskirts of Cape Town, a muscular young man sweats as he packs a truck with containers of water.

He and his partner dont have a license to sell water, but they transport their illegal cargo to buyers across the city.

He agreed to speak to VOA about his trade anonymously.

A bucket [of water] is five rand [40 U.S. cents]; a JoJo [tank] is 150 [$12], then the last one now is 200 [rand] [$17], he says.

He says he has a contact who works in a factory that legitimately uses a lot of water. Once its used, he repackages it and sells it to supermarkets as pure spring water, which, of course, it isnt.

A tired woman buys 15 liters of the recycled water at a store where the men sell their wares.

I voted for a better life in South Africa and having no water is not a better life, she says. I am sorry; I did not know that this water was illegal. But my family needs it.

The woman says her family is too large to make do with the city council's water allocation, and she cant afford to pay the fines for exceeding the households limit.

In Khayelitsha township, David sits with a group of men drinking beer and lounging on buckled white plastic chairs.

We dont get [handouts] from the government. We just hustle on our own, he says.

Davids current hustle is to fill as many discarded canisters as possible at a tap shared by hundreds of people in his community.

On a good day, David says, he makes 200 rand selling water. Thats a lot of money for someone whos been unemployed his entire adult life.

Water crimes

But illegal entrepreneurs like David fuel the frustrations of many Capetonians as they struggle with the water shortage.

At community water points across the city, residents voice disdain for water profiteers.

One man complains that the profiteers fill drums of water, and slow down the lines at the taps, so tempers rise.

Yo, too much conflict, too much conflict  because here in South Africa, theyve got too much thief guys, he says. And they fight each other, bringing violence to the tedious chore of fetching water.

A senior city official, Jean-Pierre Smith, says the local government is aware of water crimes.

Smith says his administration is under pressure to stop people from exploiting the four-year drought.

Weve been enforcing our own bylaws with everything from car washes to residents who are still hosing down driveways and washing out wheelie bins [trash receptacles] on the sidewalks and filling up swimming pools, he says.

Legally or not, people in Cape Town have come up with ways to cope with the drought. Adams says that at Water World, now that the drought is really biting, mothers and their children often arrive in the early evening.

They pop in here at about 5:30 and theyre in here for about 15 minutes and the moms jokingly say theyve had their bath for the night! he says.Italian President Sergio Mattarella has asked little-known lawyer and academic Giuseppe Conte to seek to form a new populist government that many migrants in Italy fear will mean deportation for them.

Conte, who has no political experience, met Thursday with all the groups in parliament to discuss his plans.

His name was put forward by Luigi Di Maio, leader of the 5-Star Movement, which obtained the largest number of votes in the March general elections, and by Matteo Salvini, head of the second-largest party, the League. The two parties have formed a coalition that will enable their government to have a majority in both houses of parliament.

After meeting with Mattarella, Conte said he accepted with reservation the mandate to form a government. Conte added that if he managed to carry out this task, he would present a program to parliament based on the interests of the majority political parties.

Conte's list of government ministers is unlikely to be presented before late Friday. The Cabinet lineup is still undergoing changes.

The appointments of the heads of the two main parties appear certain: 5-Star Movement leader Di Maio will head the Labor Ministry to enact his pledge to boost welfare for the poor, and the League's Salvini will head the Interior Ministry to pursue his promised crackdown on illegal immigration.

Conte was quick to declare that Italy is rightly awaiting the birth of a government. He said the new government would be one of change.

Change, however, comes with concern, especially in the immigrant community.

Salvini, in his electoral campaign, often warned of the dangers of uncontrolled immigration, including arrests and violent protests.

Instead, immigration must be regulated, he says, even if that means deporting up to 500,000 illegal immigrants.Thousands of people continue to flee violence in the troubled Central African Republic and the United Nations says many lack access to humanitarian care. Its response plan requesting $515 million launched in January is barely 10 percent funded.



Hundreds of Central Africans sing in the Cameroon border town of Garoua Boulai to officially welcome 30 of their fellow citizens who crossed over from the C.A.R. to Cameroon within the past week.



It has become a weekly event to welcome people fleeing the carnage and socially integrate them into their community or reunite them with family members.

Among the newly arrived is 37-year-old Pierre Magnou. He said he and his family were targeted by armed gangs firing automatic weapons and burning houses in areas of the C.A.R capital, Bangui, two weeks ago.



He said in October 2017, he, his wife, and two children returned from Congo where they were in exile and settled in their PK5 Muslim-dominated neighborhood, thinking peace had returned.



But he said bloody conflicts between Muslim Seleka fighters, Christian anti-Balakas and some segments of the population continue in his country.

Not wanting to live in uncertainty, he said they decided to flee until the U.N. peace mission completes what he said is an unending task of bringing peace.

The downward spiral



The Central African Republic descended into bloodshed after longtime leader Francois Bozize was overthrown in 2013 by a predominantly Muslim rebel alliance called the Seleka. Christian militias called the anti-Balaka emerged in response, accelerating a cycle of sectarian violence.



In February 2016, Faustin-Archange Touadera, who promised to bring peace in the troubled nation, was elected president.



C.A.R. minister of humanitarian activities Virginie Baikoua visited Cameroon last week. She said violence has continued because it is hard to bring the various armed factions together for true dialogue.



She said one of the most serious problems they have is the circulation of arms. Young people need a lot of education to understand that they are strong enough to contribute to the development of their country by working, not killing, she added.



U.N. coordinator for humanitarian affairs for the C.A.R. Najad Rochdi said the number of people needing urgent assistance has increased dramatically this year due to the resurgence of violence.



"One quarter of the population is in a situation of vulnerability, fragility, and therefore, it is very easy for them to be recruited by either the armed groups or the criminal gangs," she said. "Eighteen percent of children under five are dying. That is 18 percent of the future generation of Central Africans who today are not given the chance to live.Not even to go to school, just to live, which is the basic right of a human being."

She said 2.5 million C.A.R. residents are in dire need of humanitarian assistance.North Korea is saying it will reconsider a summit with President Donald Trump if the U.S. continues with what it calls "evil acts."

Pyongyang was reacting to comments by Vice President Mike Pence who appeared on Fox News Monday to warn Kim Jong Un he would be making a "great mistake" to play around with the United States before the talks.

Pence also said North Korea could wind up like Libya if Kim does not make a deal.

Libya has been been in political and social turmoil since it gave up its nuclear ambitions and its longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi was killed.

North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hiu made no attempt to soften her government's offense, calling Pence's words "unbridled and impudent."

"As a person involved in U.S. affairs, I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing from the mouth of a U.S. vice president," the state run news agency reported Thursday.

Choe also hinted that the North does not need a summit with Trump.

"We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us."

Trump said Wednesday the U.S. will know by next week whether he will meet with Kim on June 12 in Singapore as scheduled.

"It could very well be June 12th," Trump Wednesday. "If we go, it'll be a great thing for North Korea."

Trump had earlier said if the June 12 date does not work out, the summit could be held later.

Verifiable denuclearization

North Korea previously hinted it may call off the summit because of U.S. demands it unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the House Foreign Affairs Committee Wednesday he is "very hopeful" there will be talks, but said whether they happen is "ultimately up to Chairman Kim."

Pompeo, who has already met with Kim twice, told the lawmakers the U.S. position has not changed and there will be no easing of sanctions on North Korea "until we see credible steps taken toward the complete, verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

He said the U.S. will not hesitate to walk away from the talks if a bad deal is on the table.

'Now is the time'

But visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters at the State Department that Beijing believes the summit should take place as scheduled.

"If you want to solve the problem, now is the time. If you want peace, now is the time. If you want to make history, now is the time," Wang said.

Meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday approved travel to Singapore by a North Korean delegation for the summit.

Sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program and missile tests include a travel ban on a large number of senior North Korean officials.North Korea shut down its Punggye-ri nuclear test site on Thursday to demonstrate its commitment to denuclearization in advance of the planned U.S.-North Korea summit. The development came hours before President Donald Trump called off the highly anticipated meeting.

The South Korean government welcomed the North's unilateral nuclear concession to help facilitate a broader agreement with the United States to completely end its nuclear weapons program in exchange for ending punishing sanctions and security guarantees.

"We are hoping that this action will become the opportunity for complete denuclearization in the future," South Korea Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kyu-duk said.

However, while the closure of the nuclear test complex is a significant symbolic gesture, analysts are skeptical it will seriously inhibit the Kim Jong Un government's ability to carry out further nuclear tests in the future.

"That renders the test site unusable, but not forever and it's not like North Korea has a shortage of mountains or people to make new tunnels," said Jeffrey Lewis, the director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, during an interview with Vice News.

Nuclear discontinuance

North Korea conducted all six of its nuclear tests at the Punggye-ri underground site that includes at least two extensive tunnel systems, according the 38 North website that monitors the North's nuclear activities. Each nuclear test conducted at the site was progressively more powerful, with the first bomb detonated in 2006 producing an estimated 1-2 kiloton yield, much less powerful than the 16-kiloton bomb the United States used on Hiroshima during World War II, and the last test in 2017 producing close to a 250-kiloton yield.

There were reports that the last nuclear test in September of 2017 triggered a tunnel collapse rendering the site unusable, but analysts say there were still two other tunnels that could be used for future tests.

Earlier this year North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country no longer needed to conduct tests, because it had completed its goal of developing nuclear weapons.

The official Korean Central New Agency said this month that the dismantlement of the Punggye-ri nuclear test ground would involve collapsing all of its tunnels with explosions, blocking its entrances, and removing all observation facilities, research buildings and security posts.

And KCNA said outside observers would be allowed to watch the closure, "in order to ensure transparency of discontinuance of the nuclear test."

Shutdown skeptics

South Korean media organizations reported the closure of the Punggye-ri site in the early evening of Thursday. Nuclear weapons experts will have to study satellite images of the blasts to determine the extent of the site closure.

Some analysts have speculated the North would stop short of complete dismantlement and instead seal only the portal entrances to the tunnels, so that workers could later dig out the entrances to make the site operational again, if the government ever wants to resume nuclear tests.

Critics have voiced concern that the closing of the Punggye-ri site does not constitute irreversible denuclearization measures the United States is demanding, and note that in 2007 North Korea disabled its Yongbyong nuclear reactor as part of a deal to end its nuclear program for economic aid, only to restart that facility years later.

North Korea backed out of its initial plan to allow in nuclear weapons experts to observe the closure of the site.

Outside inspectors might have learned a lot about the power and impact of the nuclear tests by studying radiation levels at the site. By shutting down the site, critics argue, North Korea is actually hiding data that would confirm its nuclear capabilities.

A 38 North analysis that was posted online Wednesday said the nuclear site closure was, "tantamount to destruction of evidence and site sanitization."

Journalists journey

North Korea did invite a small group of international journalists from the United States, South Korea, China, Russia, and the United Kingdom to view the closure of the nuclear site.

Tom Cheshire, the Asia correspondent for Sky News, who is one of the selected journalists covering the closure of the nuclear site, said North Korean authorities confiscated dosimeters that many reporters brought with them to measure radiation at the site.

Most of the journalists flew from Beijing to the coastal city of Wonson on Tuesday. South Korean reporters were initially barred from coming, as the North took on a more confrontational tone over a range of concerns from hardline U.S. denuclearization demands to the U.S.-South Korea military exercises underway.

On Wednesday the South Koreans were allowed to join the other journalists. In the afternoon they began an 18 hour journey, which included a 12 hour train ride, four hours on a bus, and a two hour hike to the viewing station recently constructed near the Punggye-ri site.

They will have very little limited ability to contact the outside world until they return to Wonson on Friday.

Unilateral concession

The closing of the country's nuclear site could help reassure the United States the North is committed to work out an agreement to end its nuclear program.

North Korea recently threatened to pull out of the upcoming U.S.-North Korea nuclear summit to be held in Singapore after U.S. officials called for a Libya model approach, which involved the country's total nuclear dismantlement before any concessions were granted, and was followed by the overthrow of the country's leader Muammar Gaddafi some years later.

North Korea has called for a gradual process that links early concessions to incremental denuclearization measures.

On Thursday North Korea's vice foreign minister said the future of the summit between Pyongyang and Washington is "entirely" up to the United States, and condemned a media interview by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in which he compared the North to Libya.

"We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us," said Vice Foreign Minster Choe Son Hui, according to a KCNA report.Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri has been named to form a new government following consultations by President Michel Aoun with top members of parliament at the presidential palace in Baabda.

Hariri said Thursday that he would try to form the government quickly after listening to the demands of various political factions. He told journalists the main tasks of the new government would be to tackle corruption, economic reform and the Syrian refugee crisis.

Hariri, whose father, former Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri, was assassinated in 2005, has served two terms as head of government amid bickering among political and sectarian factions.

Alluding to the discord between Sunni and Shiite political factions, he insisted Lebanon has narrowly avoided a sectarian conflict, similar to the one raging in Syria.

He said he would now work to try to build a country that Lebanese want and deserve while keeping the many regional threats at bay. He urged people to remain united, saying only unity will protect Lebanon from strife.

Hariri also touched upon the serious economic problems facing a new government and the expectations of the country's citizens and creditors.

He said in addition to dealing with the Syrian refugee crisis, the new government would need to carry out administrative and economic reforms to benefit the people and the country's many investors, who would like to see a return on their money.

Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut, told VOA that Hariri tried to alleviate the country's debt several months ago at a donor conference in Paris, but the debt remains massive.

"The Lebanese debt goes back to the days of his late father, when he borrowed something like $40 billion," Khashan said. "And the figure has jumped to more than $75 billion right now."

Khashan stressed that the one major issue Hariri avoided mentioning was that he is "under pressure from both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia not to include Hezbollah in his new government." However, he said the problem would be surmounted and that Hezbollah was "eager to form a new government quickly."

Both the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council have enacted new economic sanctions against Hezbollah, which has played an active role in defending the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.Desperate to feed their family, Ramesh Jaipal's parents sold him to a business in Dubai to help train and scrub camels for 10,000 Pakistani rupees a month.

He was 5.

"I deserved love, I deserved education and I deserved a family, but I was scrubbing camels and racing them in the scorching temperatures of 106 degrees (Fahrenheit/41 degrees Celsius)," Jaipal told VOA.

Because the United Nations was retrieving boys and girls like Jaipal from servitude and returning them home, he was able to go to school, but only up to the eighth grade.

Jaipal was also a rickshaw driver, a motor mechanic's assistant, a newspaper vendor, a shoe polisher and a car washer until he worked his way up the education ladder, receiving master's degrees in political science and sociology from Shah Abdul Latif University in Khairpur, Pakistan.

This year, Jaipal, 34, completed the most recent leg on his worldwide journey: as a fellow in the prestigious Hubert Humphrey Fellowship program to study law and human rights at American University's College of Law.

"I can never forget that I was once a camel jockey.  Today, I know for a fact that I am the only one among the thousands who would race for their lives like me, to make it to this point. Studying in America is a privilege, and only I have it among all of my fellow jockeys. It is an honor and it surely is a dream that is fulfilled."

The fellowship, administered by the U.S. Department of State, provides a $1,500 to $1,700 monthly stipend for study and living expenses.

"My family was dirt poor. I was the only son of my parents at the time, and I was hired on a salary of 10,000 Pakistani rupees [$200] a month," he recalled. "What more could my father ask for? He had to feed a family of four at the time."

Jaipal and his family are Dalit Hindus who lived in one of the poorest districts of Pakistan's predominately Muslim Punjab province, he told VOA in an interview at his apartment in Silver Spring, Maryland. For decades, southern Punjab has been a target for child trafficking.

According to reports, more than 3,000 children as young as 3 years old from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Sudan were smuggled to United Arab Emirates to serve as jockeys for the popular camel-racing sport in the oil-rich Gulf states. UNICEF and other nongovernmental organizations have returned many of these children to their families.

Jaipal says young children like himself were underfed and inadequately clothed, lacked strength and energy, and faced substantial health risks. That made them perfect for the job.

"I was fit for the job because I was physically unfit," he explained. "I was weak, and I was underweight, and I could make a camel run very fast. The sheikhs, who would train us, would not know Urdu, but they did know how to say 'maaro' or 'hit the camel' in my [native Urdu]. They would hit me to teach me so that I could hit the camel to make it run even faster."

When he was 8, he was forced to race an untrained camel in the desert. He suffered a head injury when the camel tried unsuccessfully to throw him off his back  an injury he still suffers from today. Despite his head trauma, Jaipal was forced to work a few more years. In 1995, when he was 11 years old, he was rescued by UNICEF and other child advocates.

Returned to parents who sold them

"Call it extreme poverty, lack of education or blame it on the system, but the truth is that most of the children who would go for this sport to UAE were actually sent there because the parents would sell them," said Sarim Burney, chairman of a trust that battles human trafficking in Pakistan. "And we would hand over these children to such parents upon their return."

No children are trafficked or smuggled from Pakistan to UAE for camel racing anymore, Burney says. But he remains concerned that several of the recovered children remain missing.

"I wish we could put a check on how these children were later treated by their parents," Burney said.

Jaipal says part of his life's mission will be to fight against child abuse in Pakistan today.

According to the 1998 Pakistani census, Jaipal's home district of Rahim Yar Khan has a population of 200,000 Meghwar people, also known as Dalits, or lower-caste Hindus. Jaipal says that the kidnapping and forced conversion of little Hindu girls to Islam has risen at an alarming rate in South Punjab and parts of Sindh.

"As a result, people have stopped sending their girls to school.  Here in America, I have learned how to lobby for a cause," he said.

Jaipal, with all his ambitions and dreams, is soon returning to his family in Pakistan.

"The exploitations and excesses I have faced in my country and by my family is my internal issue. I will keep fighting," he said.

"A day will come when the people of my community and of all the minorities of Pakistan won't have to face what I faced. My scars and wounds that I endured along the way will keep me remembering that I belong to Pakistan, which to me is the best place on Earth."Pakistan's national assembly passed a historic constitutional amendment Thursday, paving the way to bringing the restive Federally Administered Tribal Areas, known as FATA, into the political mainstream, just a week before the end of its tenure. The bill will be taken up Friday in the Senate.

Until now, the area bordering Afghanistan was treated as a separate administrative unit with limited interference from the Pakistani government. It was loosely governed by local tribal law and British-era regulations. It also lagged behind the rest of the country in terms of infrastructure and basic facilities like schools and hospitals.

The region was home to various militant groups that had entrenched themselves over decades, starting with the Afghan war against the Soviet Union in the 1980s.

After U.S.-led forces toppled the Taliban in Afghanistan, many runaway members of al-Qaida, the Taliban and other militant groups were believed to have taken refuge in these tribal regions, using friendships and links they had developed during the "Soviet jihad" and subsequent Taliban rule.

"The tribal area was used as a special area to create Afghan resistance against the Soviet Union. ... Then the militant groups recognized the loopholes in the law and based themselves here," said political analyst Hassan Askari Rizvi.

Ever since the Taliban insurgency against the American and NATO presence in Afghanistan gained ground in the early 2000s, the United States and Afghanistan have repeatedly alleged that militants carrying out attacks in Afghanistan have havens in Pakistan, especially FATA.

Over the last 10 years, Pakistan's military has carried out multiple operations in the area and claims it has eliminated the havens.

"Our assessment is that the regular safe havens are no more there. Still, these people come and go to Afghanistan," Rizvi said. He said this was easy to do since the regular Taliban fighters, unlike the top leadership, were not easily identifiable. They could cross the border and live in the tribal area with a relative or in a refugee camp.

The militancy, and the military operations to clear it, created grievances among the local population, giving rise to a youth-driven movement for the rights of FATA called the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement.

A leader of the movement, Mohsin Dawar, said the merger on its own would not solve their grievances. The movement is calling for the formation of a truth and reconciliation commission to listen to the grievances of the local population and find a solution.

During his address to the assembly, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the most urgent need of the area was to bring it to par with the rest of the country in terms of development. He called on the House to commit to provide FATA with almost $9 million a year for the next 10 years for development.

Efforts to change the status of the area had been ongoing for almost four years; however, the bill was delayed because of opposition from two of the government's allies in the parliament. They wanted FATA to become an independent province with its own provincial government, chief minister and governor.

The current bill calls for the area to be merged into the neighboring Khyberpakhtunkhwa (KPK) province.

The transition period will last several years.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said North Korea stopped taking part in bilateral consultations that would have been necessary for a productive summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.

Pompeo provided additional insight into Trump's decision to cancel the historic encounter in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Moments after Presidents Trump's letter to Kim Jong Un was made public, he placed blame for scrapping the summit squarely on Pyongyang.



"I regret the statements that the North Koreans have made over the past few days," he said, "and the fact that we've not been able to conduct the preparation between our two teams that would be necessary to have a chance for a successful summit."



Democratic Senator Bob Menendez said the administration should not have been surprised that North Korea is acting as North Korea often does in international negotiations, and that stumbling blocks were foreseeable.



"Many of us were deeply concerned that the lack of deep preparation that is necessary before such a summit is even agreed to was not taking place," said Menendez. "And now we see the consequences of that. And I'm not sure that constantly quoting the Libya model is the diplomatic way to try to get to the results that we seek in North Korea, because that didn't work out too well for [former Libyan leader Moammar] Gaddafi."



By contrast, Republican Senator Cory Gardner spoke as though Kim, not Trump, had put the summit on hold.



"Kim Jong Un has walked away from a historic opportunity for peace and should be held accountable for his decision," he said. "In the internal debate that must be taking place within Kim Jong Un's mind  between Kim the propagandist and Kim the peacemaker  it's clear that Kim the propagandist prevailed internally, and that peace lost out to that propaganda."



Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen asked Pompeo what the administration will do next regarding North Korea. The secretary of state replied, "Situation normal," implying the status quo remains. He added that the American-led pressure campaign on Pyongyang will continue.An international media rights group says European powers seeking to preserve the Iran nuclear deal should use their talks with Tehran to press for an end to its harassment of journalists.

In a report published Thursday, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said the current international focus on Iran's economic ties with Europe "could represent an opening to engage on press freedom."

European diplomats have held talks with Iranian officials in recent weeks to try to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers. The United States withdrew from the deal on May 8, calling it defective and prompting Iran to say it was assessing whether the deal remained in its national interest.

CPJ Middle East and North Africa program coordinator Sherif Mansour said those engaged in negotiations with Iran should make media rights a priority.

"[Iranian] President [Hassan] Rouhani needs to be held to the press freedom commitments he made," Mansour said.

The CPJ report calls on European governments and institutions to make press freedom an "explicit and essential element of conversations with Iranian officials in bilateral and multilateral meetings."

CPJ also urged the U.S. government to ease sanctions that it says impede journalists seeking access to software for circumventing Iranian government censorship and surveillance.

On a positive note, the CPJ report said its annual December census of Iranian prisons found the number of journalists detained in Iran was just five in December 2017, the lowest mark in a decade. But the report said journalists who report criticisms of Tehran still face harassment and intimidation.

A statement issued by EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini in January in response to a surge in anti-government protests in Iran said human rights "always have been a core issue" in the EU relationship with Iran. She said peaceful demonstration and freedom of expression are "fundamental rights that apply to every country, and Iran is no exception."

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert issued a statement in March expressing concern about "grave conditions" facing the press in Iran, as detailed in a report by a U.N. special rapporteur. She called on Iran to respect its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to guarantee the freedom of expression, including for members of the press.It's off  at least for now.

President Donald Trump says he has canceled his planned June 12 summit in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, blaming recent statements by Pyongyang.

"I believe that this is a tremendous setback for North Korea and, indeed, a setback for the world," said the president in noontime remarks in the White House Roosevelt Room prior to signing an unrelated bill.

The president also warned that the military forces of the United States are "more ready than we have ever been before," along with allies South Korea and Japan, should North Korea take any "foolish or reckless acts."

On Thursday morning, the White House released a letter Trump wrote to Kim saying: "I was very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate at this time to have this long-planned meeting."

According to a senior White House official, "the president dictated every word of the letter himself."

North Korea's reaction was subdued and conciliatory.

WATCH: Trump Pulls Out of Summit With N. Korea: What's Next?

The North's official news agency put out a statement by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan saying, "We had set in high regards President Trump's efforts, unprecedented by any other president, to create a historic U.S.-North Korea summit. We tell the United States once more that we are open to resolving problems at any time in any way."

But the statement said Trump's decision was not in line with the world's wishes and that Kim made the utmost effort to hold the summit.

The North Koreans were a no-show for a preparatory meeting in Singapore last week, part of a trail of broken promises, lack of good faith and poor communication prompting the president's decision, according to administration officials.

"We simply couldn't get them to pick up the phone," a White House senior official told reporters during a background briefing Thursday afternoon.

The last straw, according to the White House, was an insult of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence earlier Thursday in a statement by North Korea's vice foreign minister, Choe Son Hui. She called Pence a "political dummy" and warned  in rhetoric typical of that uttered by Pyongyang  of a nuclear confrontation.

In his letter, Trump responded in kind, referencing U.S. nuclear capabilities "so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used."

The Pentagon said it is poised for any "provocative actions" by Pyongyang.

"We are in a boxer stance, we are ready to respond," Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, director of the U.S. military's Joint Staff, told reporters Thursday.

Trump emphasized in his on-camera remarks that sanctions and "the maximum pressure campaign will continue" to be applied on North Korea, while expressing hope Pyongyang's leadership would decide to join the community of nations.

Trump's letter caught allies by surprise. The president did not call South Korean President Moon Jae-in or Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to inform them of it, White House officials confirmed.

Moon hastily convened a middle-of-the-night meeting of his top security officials before expressing "deep regret" over the summit's cancellation, urging direct talks between Washington and Pyongyang and adding that denuclearization of the Korean peninsula should not be delayed.

North Korea had threatened to pull out of the unprecedented summit after U.S. officials called for the so-called Libya model approach, which involved that African country's total nuclear dismantlement before any concessions were granted.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in Senate testimony Thursday, when asked about his meetings in Pyongyang with Kim concerning North Korean total denuclearization, responded that "there was little doubt in my mind that he understood the scope of what we were asking for."

A number of analysts tell VOA News there could still be a Trump-Kim summit soon.

"Don't cancel your reservations for Singapore just yet," former U.S. deputy secretary of state Anthony Blinken told VOA's Korean Service. "This is unlikely to be the final word. President Trump and Kim Jong Un are engaged in a high-stakes game of chicken based on the shared assumption that the other wants and needs the summit more."

According to Massachusetts Institute of Technology associate professor of political science Vipin Narang, "This is an inflection point in the administration policy toward North Korea."

Narang, an author of two books on nuclear strategy, told VOA News that "one camp may prefer to see if working-level diplomacy can get things back on track, and maybe eventually get to a summit. Another camp may try to use this as evidence that diplomacy is doomed to fail, and that denuclearizing North Korea by force  attacking a nuclear weapons power  is the only remaining option."

The hardline camp would be emboldened and empowered by any future North Korean nuclear or long-range missile test, predicts Narang. "So, if Kim is truly interested in some deal  well short of disarmament, obviously  his smartest move now is to exercise restraint."

Trump has responded to North Korea in "a particularly ham-handed way," according to John Feffer, the director of the Foreign Policy in Focus project at the Institute for Policy Studies. "Trump didn't just cancel the summit. He sent a veiled threat of using nuclear weapons. I hope this won't be his only opportunity to help resolve the conflict with North Korea."U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to make "radical" changes to U.S. aid practices by withholding government assistance from countries that allow criminals to sneak into the United States. Trump spoke Wednesday at a forum in New York, a U.S. state that is battling gang activity. New York officials briefed Trump on the progress they have made in dismantling the violent Mara Salvatrucha gang, also known as MS-13. VOA's Zlatica Hoke reports.U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday a different structure is needed in trade negotiations with China, but he did not provide further details on the kind of change he seeks.

Our trade deal with China is moving along nicely, Trump said in his Twitter post Wednesday morning, but in the end we will probably have to use a different structure in that this will be too hard to get done and to verify results after completion.

The stock market reacted negatively after Trump cast doubt on trade negotiations with China but ultimately trimmed its losses, ending the day in the positive territory and gained 52.40 points, or 0.21 percent.

Trump said on Tuesday he was neither pleased nor satisfied with how the recent trade talks with China went, but added, Theyre a start.

After two days of trade talks between the two countries in Washington last week, China agreed to substantially reduce the $375 billion annual trade surplus it has over the U.S. by buying more American goods, but there was no mention of any specific import and export targets in the statement agreed to by the two countries.

On Capitol Hill, concerns appear to be mounting on Trumps approach to trade talks with China.

Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas cautioned Wednesday that the United States needs to remain steely-eyed and make sure China isnt playing us for fools.

Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan warned, It's important we not only talk tough about China, but actually be tough with China.

I am really concerned about the presidents hemming and hawing over the last few days when it comes to China. Im worried that President Xi [Jinping] is crafting a much better deal than President Trump, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Tuesday.

On trade with China, Schumer added that he is closer to the presidents view than he was to the views of former Presidents Barack Obama or George W. Bush.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and a longtime critic of China, said Wednesday that the U.S. needs a structural rebalance of trade with China, not a dollar rebalance.

In a Twitter post, Rubio said he has urged Trump to follow his initial instincts on China, and he also asked Trump to listen to those who understand that a short-term trade deal that sounds good but poses long-term danger is a bad deal.

According to U.S. media reports, infighting between free-trade advocates and protectionists within Trumps trade team has led to contradicting policy pronouncements and public statements on trade negotiations with China.

For example, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the United States would hold off on imposing tariffs on China. But U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said hours later the tariffs were still on the table. Earlier this month, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, known for his protectionist views, reportedly feuded with Mnuchin on his approach to trade talks during their trip to Beijing.

The recent rounds of trade talks are aimed at avoiding a full-blown trade war between the United States and China.

In April, Trump imposed tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods, and the Chinese retaliated with tariffs of their own. Trump announced he had instructed the U.S. trade representative to consider whether tariffs on another $100 billion worth of Chinese goods would be appropriate following China's announcement.

Michael Bowman contributed to this report.China and Japan are criticizing U.S. President Donald Trumps decision to launch an investigation into the effect of vehicle imports on national security.

Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng told reporters Thursday that abusing national security clauses undermines the multilateral trade system and disrupts normal international trade.

Japans trade minister, Hiroshige Seko, said if the U.S. probe results in new tariffs that would bring turmoil to the global market.

Trump has already cited national security in levying tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum imports.

I instructed Secretary Ross to consider initiating a Section 232 investigation into imports of automobiles, including trucks, and automotive parts to determine their effects on Americas national security, Trump said in a statement Wednesday after meeting with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

Trump is seeking to levy tariffs as much as 25 percent on automobile imports. Trump, who has pledged to revive American manufacturing, has launched a series of trade actions, demanding China import more American goods, starting talks to renegotiate NAFTA and imposing the tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

Trump hinted at the action earlier Wednesday, tweeting: There will be big news coming soon for our great American Autoworkers. After many decades of losing your jobs to other countries, you have waited long enough!

The Wall Street Journal, citing sources in the auto industry, said the plan to retaliate likely would face significant opposition from trading partners and auto dealers that sell imports.

It also is unlikely to pass muster with the World Trade Organization.

The top five auto importers are key U.S. allies: Mexico, Canada, the European Union, Japan and South Korea.The Uganda Police Force is facing stiff resistance over a proposal that would allow officers to hold suspects beyond the maximum of two days before they are granted bail or appear in court. While police say the change will only affect terrorism suspects, opponents say those accused of petty crimes will be held longer too.



Police say certain crimes, such as terrorism, require cross border investigations to acquire evidence and witnesses. Authorities are seeking support from parliament to amend Article 23 of the Constitution so that police can hold terrorism suspects for seven to 14 days before producing them in court.



Patrick Onyango, the deputy spokesperson of the Uganda Police, said sometimes, analyzing samples picked up at crime scenes needs time because "for us we also use another government analytical laboratory. They also need time."

"Sometimes they say, 'we are overwhelmed with ... the samples you bring to us.'" he added. "So we were requesting, members of parliament, that in certain cases they need to amend the constitution to allow us to keep suspects for at least more than 48 hours."



Before the proposal can advance, it must receive support from the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee. Jova Kamateka, who chairs the committee, is skeptical. She said police already flout the rule.



"They have failed to honor the rule in small, small cases," she said. "And we think that even the rule as it stands now, you can take a suspects to court and say you are not ready, and ask for extension. Secondly, our police cells  we don't have that much space."

Last year, as police investigated the murder of Felix Kaweesi, the former assistant inspector general of police, suspects spent more than five months behind bars without appearing in court.



Several other suspects, including opponents of President Yoweri Museveni, have also been held in police custody for more than 48 hours before appearing in court or being granted bail.



The Uganda Human Rights Commission, a government body, has continuously faulted police for ignoring the rule. The chairperson of the commission, Meddie Mulumba, said any effort to thwart terrorism should uphold fundamental principles of human rights.



"Yes, we abhor terrorism, we abhor violent crimes," she said. "But we are saying police should be facilitated, should be trained, should use scientific methods of investigations. What is it that they want to do in the police cell without scrutiny of the public that they cannot do in a prison? Because, all we are trying to say, arrest this person, in 48 hours, take this person to court, this person is remanded."



Police maintain that as long as investigations are ongoing, suspects in what they consider sensitive cases will stay in custody to prevent new crimes from being committed.Ukraine is bitterly denying a BBC report that it paid Donald Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, $400,000 to set up a meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

Poroshenko's office called the story a "blatant lie, slander and fake." Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko told VOA he was "very sorry" to hear that even "the most notable Western media outlets don't abide by the principle of balanced reporting and don't attempt to get the other side of the story."

According to the BBC, Poroshenko desired to meet with Trump in 2017.

He wanted to open a so-called back channel to Trump because Ukrainian lobbyists in Washington could arrange only a brief photo opportunity and handshake. Poroshenko wanted much more, something that could be portrayed as full talks with the U.S. president.

The BBC said two Poroshenko intermediaries paid Cohen at least $400,000 and as much as $600,000 to set up the meeting.

There is no indication Trump knew about the payment.

There has been no comment from the White House on the BBC report. Cohen and the two Ukrainian intermediaries have denied it.

Cohen is being investigated for alleged money laundering and campaign finance violations tied to hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an affair she claims to have had with Trump in 2006.

VOA's Ukraine service contributed to this report.The International Atomic Energy Agency said Thursday Iran is complying with restrictions on its nuclear program in accord with the 2015 international agreement. The inspectors' assessment is the first since U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the pact.



The United Nations atomic watchdog said Tehran is staying within limits on the level to which it can enrich uranium, the size of its stock of enriched uranium and other strictures. But it chided Iran for limiting "complementary access" inspections.



The U.N. assessment came as the U.S. imposed new sanctions on Iran in an effort to force the Islamic Republic back to the bargaining table to negotiate new terms of the nuclear agreement, curb its ballistic missile tests, end its military advances in the Middle East.



The U.S. says in coming months, it will reimpose sanctions it and other countries dropped when Tehran agreed to restrain its nuclear program  measures that hobbled the Iranian economy. But the five other signatories to the Iran nuclear accord  Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia  all have said they continue to support the deal.



Thursday's sanctions targeted nine individuals and companies for providing support to Iranian airlines that previously had been blacklisted.



The U.S. Treasury Department said Tehran-based Mahan Air was cited for playing a "critical role in exporting the Iranian regime's malign influence," saying it has "routinely" flown fighters and supplies to Syria in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

In a statement, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, "Countries and companies around the world should take note of the risks associated with granting landing rights and providing aviation services to the airlines used by Iran to export terrorism throughout the region."



"The deceptive practices these airlines employ to illegally obtain services and U.S. goods is yet another example of the duplicitous ways in which the Iranian regime has operated," Mnuchin said.



The U.S. sanctions also targeted three other Iranian carriers, Caspian Air, Meraj Air, and Pouya Air, as well as Turkish nationals and entities for assisting the Iranian airlines.



The sanctions are aimed at preventing Iran from buying U.S.-export controlled components to sustain their air fleets.The United Nations  in a joint report by the UN Human Rights Office and the U.N. Support Mission in Libya  condemns widespread, indiscriminate attacks by all armed groups in Libya against healthcare facilities and personnel, saying they could constitute war crimes.

The U.N. agencies have recorded 36 attacks on medical facilities, personnel or patients between May 2017 and May 2018. But, U.N. human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani notes monitors are severely restricted in their movements in Libya and the actual number of attacks is probably significantly higher.

Armed groups, including those formally integrated into the ministries, have assaulted, threatened and even unlawfully deprived healthcare workers of their liberty. Doctors and other hospital staff face insults, intimidation and beatings by fighters who are seeking preferential treatment for the injured members of their armed groups and their relatives.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, describes as utterly shameful behavior the threats against doctors and attacks against medical facilities that prevent sick and wounded people from receiving timely treatment.

His spokeswoman, Shamdasani, says these actions affect some of the most vulnerable people in Libya.

These attacks are obviously a major violation of international law and a tragic disregard for our common humanity, intentionally directing attacks against medical facilities and personnel, willfully killing or harming sick or wounded people may constitute war crimes, she said.

The U.N. calls on all parties in the conflict to minimize hits on medical facilities and workers during military operations. It also calls on Libyas interim Government of National Accord to hold accountable those who attack and threaten healthcare providers.The prospect of firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr wielding the greatest influence of any Iraqi leader over the formation of a government in Baghdad would have prompted panic in Washington years ago.

In the wake of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and ouster of Saddam Hussein, al-Sadrs Mahdi army butchered Sunni Muslims in Baghdad and resisted Coalition forces. In inflammatory sermons, Al-Sadr urged his followers to attack American soldiers and to throw out foreign occupiers.

But as he negotiates the shaping of a coalition government two weeks after his blocs strong showing in the May 12 parliamentary elections, winning 54 seats, the most of any of the electoral alliances, U.S. officials arent as ruffled as once they might have been.

They are pinning their hopes, they say, on al-Sadr continuing to move away from his old sectarian militancy and to emerge as a more inclusive Iraqi nationalist and, most importantly for Washington, remaining an outspoken opponent of Tehran.

This week, al-Sadr, who didnt compete as a candidate, has signaled his readiness for Haider al-Abadi, the moderate Shiite leader and a U.S. ally in the fight against the Islamic State group, to continue as prime minister, heading a more inclusive government. U.S. officials say they hope al-Sadrs bloc, the Sairoon Alliance for Reform, which includes a ragtag of Sunni factions united behind an anti-corruption message, can help bridge Iraqs sectarian division.

In testimony Tuesday before a congressional foreign affairs panel, analyst Tamara Cofman Wittes of the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, highlighted what she called a glimmer of hope offered by the Iraqi elections, saying the outcome presented a fragile but important counterpoint to a region in turmoil.

Al-Sadrs Sairoon bloc won a dozen seats more than prime minister Haider al-Abadis alliance, which came in third behind the Fatah Alliance, a Tehran-backed coalition of militia groups from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

New parliament



Cofman Wittes says while the outcome election for the 329-seat parliament holds risks, it also offers opportunities with security gains having increased citizens appetite for pragmatic policies and nationalism growing in relative importance to divisive sectarianism. But a new coalition government needs to deliver on change and must improve the economy, she cautions.

If citizens needs arent addressed, they might simply give up on electoral politics and on the government itself as a source of solutions to their day-to-day problems. Extremists could exploit this frustration, she says.

This week, Brett McGurk, the U.S. special envoy, has been visiting Iraq, pressing a U.S. wish list of continuity on the countrys political leaders, arguing for economic reform and a continuation of a U.S. military presence to help ensure IS doesnt regroup. In December 2017 Iraq declared victory over the hardline Sunni militant group.

The danger from the jihadists, who have carried out sporadic attacks in the past few weeks, particularly in the north, around Iraqs second city Mosul, remains and was underscored Thursday when at least four people were killed and 15 wounded in a suicide attack in a Shiite district in Iraqs capital Baghdad.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, although it bore the hallmarks of IS suicide bombings.

Al-Sadrs spokesman indicated midweek to Western reporters that the radical cleric would have no objections to U.S. troops remaining in Iraq to train Iraqi soldiers and to assist in mopping up IS cells  something he said would have to be formalized in an agreement with a new government.

While U.S. and other Western diplomats express wary optimism about al-Sadr, hoping for the best and prodding for an inclusive reform-minded coalition government, Iranian state-run media have been expressing alarm.

Tehran's fears



Tehran fears the populist cleric will seek to undercut the Islamic Republics influence in Iraq by marginalizing Irans allies and allowing regional Sunni countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, to make inroads into Iraqi politics and economy at the expense of Tehrans interests, says Ahmad Majidyar of the Middle East Institute, a U.S.-based policy research group. Iranian officials said prior to the elections that a secular government in Baghdad wouldnt be acceptable to Tehran.

Al-Sadrs strong performance on the ballot day prompted Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Irans elite Quds Force, to immediately travel to Baghdad, in an apparent effort to pull together a broader alliance between Irans Shiite allies and other willing parties for a coalition government amenable to the Islamic Republic, he notes.

One of McGurks biggest challenge may remain in brokering an agreement between Baghdad and Iraqi Kurds generally and to persuade four Kurdish opposition parties to accept the results of the May 12 elections. On Tuesday, in the Iraqi Kurdistan city of Sulaimani, the special envoy was told by Kurdish opposition leaders that they remain resolute in demanding a re-run of the elections, arguing the polls were marred by voter fraud.

The overall challenge for whoever heads a new Iraqi government, once tortuous negotiations are concluded, will be to deliver change. In a tweet following the elections al-Sadr promised, We will not disappoint you. But the new government will not have a working majority in the parliament and will face likely efforts not only by the more sectarian-minded lawmakers to sabotage reform, but also from change advocates, who will not want their own patronage networks disrupted with the appointment of technocrats to government jobs.

Overhauling dysfunctional state entities and trying to diversify a sickly economy by attracting foreign investment would be a tall order even for a government with a strong parliamentary majority.Two signatures. That's all that's needed to force a wide-ranging House debate  and votes  on border security and the immigration status of 700,000 undocumented young people brought to the U.S. as children.

Since moderate Republicans opposed House leadership two weeks ago with a rare discharge petition to force a so-called "queen of the hill" debate (House rule based on the most votes) on immigration, the measure has steadily accumulated support within their own party. The petition needs 218 signatures to start that debate and  with the assumption that all 193 House Democrats will sign on  Republicans need just two more signatures.

But that effort now goes on hold as Congress leaves town for an 11-day holiday recess, giving all sides breathing room to figure out what comes next. Many of the 23 Republican signers of the petition face tough re-election races in their districts this November.

The debate over Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients has challenged lawmakers since last September, when U.S. President Donald Trump ended the program, calling on Congress to find a permanent legislative solution.

Lawmakers will return to Washington facing an immediate deadline. Representative Jeff Denham, a California Republican who is one of the leaders of the petition effort, told reporters that June 7 would be the absolute last moment to allow the petition to mature before lawmakers run up against a seven-week summer recess.

Denham said talks with House leadership and the House Freedom Caucus, a conservative voting bloc seeking significant security concessions in return for a citizenship path for DACA recipients, have been productive.

"We've had an agreement in principle," Denham said of a deal that would provide a 12-year path to citizenship for DACA recipients, known colloquially as Dreamers. "Now it's trying to put that information on paper. So, assuming we can continue to move forward, that is something we would bring to our conference on the 7th when we have our two-hour immigration meeting, but we're prepared to move the votes if the talks break down."

But it's debatable whether a bill that makes it through the House "queen of the hill" process can survive the Senate to reach Trump's desk to be signed into law. House Speaker Paul Ryan has repeatedly described the effort as "futile," arguing that he wants to bring an immigration bill up for a vote that has a real chance of passage.

"There's a real sense of trying to come together with a variety of opinions and find some bill that gets to 218 [votes]," Representative Mark Meadows, a North Carolina Republican who is chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, said outside a weekly Republican meeting Tuesday.

The Freedom Caucus supports legislation put forth by Representative Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican. It's a conservative approach to DACA recipients that also features significant funding for border security and a sharp cutback in legal immigration.

All sides will have to make major concessions to gather enough support, since the Goodlatte bill would not get support from House Democrats.

"The details matter," Representative Pete Aguilar, a California Democrat who is one of the co-sponsors of a bipartisan solution for DACA recipients, and a signer of the discharge petition that could bring a bill to the House floor, told reporters Thursday. "It seems right now that they just keep getting bogged up on whether Dreamers should have a path to citizenship. It seems like they're never going to get to a bill in their conference that gets to 218."

The discharge petition puts House Democrats in the unusual election-year position of supporting an effort that could help their Republican colleagues' re-election bids. But after months of inaction, Aguilar told reporters policy, not politics, is the concern right now.

"We've got to worry about helping those hundreds of thousands of young people in our communities who live with uncertainty and anxiety. They're not worried about the political season coming up," he said. "It's our job to fix it for them."Senior U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials are set to give separate briefings to two sets of lawmakers Thursday in connection with the investigation into Russias meddling in the 2016 election.

In the first session, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, National Intelligence Director Dan Coats and FBI Director Christopher Wray will meet with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes and Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Trey Gowdy.

The White House arranged those talks with the two Republican lawmakers, who want more information about an FBI informant who had contact with Trump campaign officials during the 2016 race.

Democrats complained the meeting was inappropriate and asked for an expanded session that would include the so-called Gang of Eight bipartisan group of senior members of both parties.

That request was granted, but not in place of the Nunes and Gowdy talks, and will take place a few hours after the Republican-only session.

The expanded talks will include Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Paul Ryan, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, and the ranking Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence committees, Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Adam Schiff, according to the Justice Department.

Foreign policy scholar

Trump has seized on the FBIs use of Stefan Halper to talk to three of his campaign associates as part of the Russia probe, claiming Halper was working to spy for political reasons in order to help Democrat Hillary Clinton win the election.

Halper is an American foreign policy scholar at Britains University of Cambridge, and worked as a secret informant to report on foreign affairs conversations he had with the three Trump advisers: Carter Page, Sam Clovis and George Papadopoulos. Decades ago, Halper served in three Republican U.S. administrations in various domestic policy roles.

The FBI, at the time it used Halper as an informant, was looking into Trump campaign links to Russian interests during the latter stages of the 2016 campaign, part of what eventually became special counsel Robert Muellers ongoing criminal investigation. Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about his contacts with Russians.

Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion between his campaign and Russia.

Russia election meddling

Last year, the U.S. intelligence community assessed that Russia carried out an influence campaign meant to disrupt the election and help Trumps chances of winning.

After Trump earlier this week demanded the FBI and the Justice Department disclose confidential records about the use of Halper, Rosenstein and Wray agreed to Thursdays meeting with Nunes and Gowdy to show them the information.

Trump told White House reporters he was not undercutting the Justice Department by making his demand for the information about Halper.

Were cleaning everything up. This was a terrible situation, he said. I want total transparency ... because this issue supersedes Republicans and Democrats.

Defense contracts

It has not been disclosed how much the FBI paid Halper. But U.S. financial records show that since 2012 Halper has had contracts with the Defense Department for more than $1 million for research and development in the social sciences and humanities, although the money did not go solely to him. He hired other academics to help with the research and prepare reports.

Trump said in another tweet, using his oft-repeated pejorative for his 2016 Democratic challenger, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Rosenstein has also asked the Justice Departments inspector general to investigate the FBIs use of Halper.

If anyone did infiltrate or surveil participants in a presidential campaign for inappropriate purposes, we need to know about it and take appropriate action, Rosenstein said.

Senior U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials are set to give separate briefings to two sets of lawmakers Thursday in connection with the investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election.

In the first session, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, National Intelligence Director Dan Coats and FBI Director Christopher Wray will meet with House Speaker Paul Ryan, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes and Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Trey Gowdy.

The White House arranged those talks with the three Republican lawmakers who want more information about an FBI informant who had contact with Trump campaign officials during the 2016 race.

Democrats complained the meeting was inappropriate and asked for an expanded session that would include the so-called Gang of Eight bipartisan group of senior members of both parties.

That request was granted, but not in place of the first talks, and will instead take place a few hours after the Republican-only session.

Expanded talks



The expanded talks will include Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, and the ranking Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence committees, Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Adam Schiff, according to the Justice Department.

Trump has seized on the FBI's use of Stefan Halper to talk to three of his campaign associates as part of the Russia probe, claiming Halper was working to "spy for political reasons" in order to help Democrat Hillary Clinton win the election.

"Starting to look like one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history. SPYGATE - a terrible thing!" Trump said Thursday on Twitter.



Halper is an American foreign policy scholar at Britain's University of Cambridge, and worked as a secret informant to report on foreign affairs conversations he had with the three Trump advisers  Carter Page, Sam Clovis and George Papadopoulos. Decades ago, Halper served in three Republican U.S. administrations in various domestic policy roles.

The FBI, at the time it used Halper as an informant, was probing Trump campaign links to Russian interests during the latter stages of the 2016 campaign, part of what eventually became special counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing criminal investigation. Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about his contacts with Russians.

Trump's collusion denial

Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion between his campaign and Russia.

Last year, the U.S. intelligence community assessed Russia carried out an influence campaign meant to disrupt the election and help Trump's chances of winning.

After Trump earlier this week demanded the FBI and the Justice Department disclose confidential records about the use of Halper, Rosenstein and Wray agreed to Thursday's meeting with Nunes and Gowdy to show them the information.

Trump told White House reporters he was not "undercutting" the Justice Department by making his demand for the information about Halper.

"We're cleaning everything up. This was a terrible situation," he said. "I want total transparency ... because this issue supersedes Republicans and Democrats."

Clapper: no spying on Trump's political operations



In his Thursday tweet, Trump claimed that former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who served under former President Barack Obama, "has now admitted that there was Spying in my campaign. Large dollars were paid to the Spy, far beyond normal."

But Clapper said in television interviews this week there was no spying on Trump's political operations. Rather, he told CNN, "What it was about was trying to determine what the Russians were doing. We should all be concerned about that."

It has not been disclosed how much the FBI paid Halper. But U.S. financial records show that since 2012 Halper has had contracts with the Defense Department for more than $1 million for research and development in the social sciences and humanities, although the money did not go solely to him. He hired other academics to help with the research and prepare reports.

Trump said in Wednesday tweet, "Follow the money! The spy was there early in the campaign and yet never reported Collusion with Russia, because there was no Collusion. He was only there to spy for political reasons and to help Crooked Hillary win," Trump's oft-repeated pejorative for his 2016 Democratic challenger, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Rosenstein has also asked the Justice Department's inspector general to investigate the FBI's use of Halper.

"If anyone did infiltrate or surveil participants in a presidential campaign for inappropriate purposes, we need to know about it and take appropriate action," Rosenstein said.This week marks six months since Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa took office, after Robert Mugabe gave in to military pressure and resigned.

During the weekend, the 75-year-old Mnangagwa told supporters that since he took over, a lot had improved.

He says Zimbabwe's annual foreign direct investment had been around $400 or 500 million, but for the past five months it has gone to more than $15 billion committed to investment in the country, with international companies and countries such as Canada, South Africa, China, Britain and the United States coming to invest in power generation and water.

Last Tuesday, the British gave $100 million to aid toward trying to eliminate Zimbabwe's cash crisis, Mnangagwa said.

The country's methane gas reserves have improved as well, he added.

"After about three and half years, we should be able to produce eight million liters of fuel per day," Mnangagwa said. "The country only consumes five million [liters] per day  three million surplus per day. Zimbabwe will prosper, it is going to develop. Zimbabwe will shine not only in SADC [Southern African Development Community], but also in Africa because Zimbabwe is in good hands. Our political party ZANU-PF is a revolutionary party, it caters for the interests of the people."

Chido Masasai, an unemployed former media student, says Zimbabwe's people have yet to see the money the president is talking about. She says there is still a shortage of cash, and the black market continues to operate.

What she does see is a greater expression of political views  a significant change from the Mugabe era when authorities regularly harassed the president's critics and opponents.

"But in terms of freedom of expression, a lot more people are liberal with their views and opinions. You find that there are a lot of political parties that have come into the fore," Masasai said.

Harare-based economist John Robertson says it is too early for Zimbabwe's economy to fully recover from Mugabe's populist policies, which drove away most foreign investment.

"The economy is still in great difficulty, but remember that the difficulties we face were built slowly into the system by 38 years of very badly chosen economic policies, and I think that the media is largely responsible in increasing the expectations of the population beyond what was reasonably possible within a short period of time," he said.

Robertson added that Mnangagwa might make major policy changes, such as compensating white farmers for land that was confiscated during the Mugabe years, and ensuring that black farmers can get bank loans instead of depending on government handouts.

"I think this is why the president is waiting for the elections," he said. "Behind him he would have increased amounts of courage to make changes that will prove unpopular to the people who thought they achieved what they were expecting."

The president is expected to announce a date for the elections soon, which could place in July or August.Its off  at least for now.

President Donald Trump says he has canceled his planned June 12 summit in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, blaming recent statements by Pyongyang.

I believe that this is a tremendous setback for North Korea and, indeed, a setback for the world, said the president in noontime remarks in the White House Roosevelt Room prior to signing an unrelated bill.

The president also warned that the military forces of the United States are more ready than we have ever been before, along with allies South Korea and Japan, should North Korea take any foolish or reckless acts.



Trump expressed hope that Pyongyangs leadership would join the community of nations.

On Thursday morning the White House released a letter Trump wrote to Kim saying: I was very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate at this time to have this long-planned meeting."

The last straw, according to a White House official, was an insult of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence earlier Thursday in a statement by North Koreas vice foreign minister, Choe Son Hui. She called Pence a political dummy and warned  in rhetoric typical of that uttered by Pyongyang  of a nuclear confrontation.



Trump in his letter, responded in kind, referencing U.S. nuclear capabilities so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.



The White House official says there is a backdoor that's open still if the North Koreans are willing to walk through it. But it involves some changing of their rhetoric ... at a minimum.

Until then, Trump emphasized in his on-camera remarks, sanctions and the maximum pressure campaign will continue to be applied on Pyongyang.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in hastily convened a middle-of-the-night meeting of his top security officials before expressing deep regret over the summits cancellation, urging direct talks between Washington and Pyongyang and adding that denuclearization of the Korean peninsula should not be delayed, according to the Blue House.

North Korea had threatened to pull out of the unprecedented summit after U.S. officials called for the so-called Libya model approach, which involved that African countrys total nuclear dismantlement before any concessions were granted.

Pyongyang has floating several proposals, including a gradual process linking early concessions to incremental denuclearization measures. It also quoted Kim a little more than a month ago saying the countrys nuclear weapons are a treasured sword that will be a firm guarantee by which our descendants can enjoy the most dignified and happiest life in the world.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in Senate testimony on Thursday, said the North Koreans over the past several days had not responded to inquiries from the summit planners on the American side.



We were fully, fully engaged over the past weeks to prepare for this meeting, Pompeo replied to senators during questioning. We were rockin.



Pompeo later added  when asked about his meetings in Pyongyang with Kim Jong Un on the subject of reaching a deal about complete North Korean denuclearization there was little doubt in my mind that he understood the scope of what we were asking for.

The secretary-general of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, is expressing hope all the parties will have for nerves of steel so that one can put in place a process of dialog capable of achieving our shared objective which must be peaceful denuclearization and verified denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

The Pentagon said Thursday it is ready to respond to any "provocative actions" from North Korea.

"We are in a boxer stance, we are ready to respond," Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, director of the US military's Joint Staff, told reporters.

A number of analysts tell VOA News there could still be a Trump-Kim summit soon.

Dont cancel your reservations for Singapore just yet, former U.S. deputy secretary of state Anthony Blinken tells VOAs Korean Service. This is unlikely to be the final word. President Trump and Kim Jung Un are engaged in a high stakes game of chicken based on the shared assumption that the other wants and needs the summit more.

According to Vipin Narang, associate professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this is an inflection point in the administration policy toward North Korea.

Narang, an author of two books on nuclear strategy, tells VOA News that one camp may prefer to see if working level diplomacy can get things back on track, and maybe eventually get to a summit. Another camp may try to use this as evidence that diplomacy is doomed to fail, and that denuclearizing North Korea by force  attacking a nuclear weapons power  is the only remaining option.

According to Narang, if North Korea resumes long range missile or nuclear tests, it would sharply embolden and empower the latter camp. So, if Kim is truly interested in some deal  well short of disarmament obviously  his smartest move now is to exercise restraint.

Trump has responded to North Korea in a particularly ham-handed way, according to John Feffer, the director of the Foreign Policy in Focus project at the Institute for Policy Studies. Trump didn't just cancel the summit. He sent a veiled threat of using nuclear weapons. I hope this won't be his only opportunity to help resolve the conflict with North Korea.



Three Albanian Brown Bear cubs have found a new home in Rome's Bioparco after being seized from "unsustainable living conditions" in captivity, in an international rescue operation involving bear associations, the Rome Bioparco and Albanian state authorities. The bear cubs are two male brothers, Gianni and Sam, and Mary, a female, all of whom were rescued from illegal private collections after being snatched from their mothers at a very young age.Political novice to implement M5S-Lega contract for government of change

President Sergio Mattarella has given little-known university law professor Giuseppe Conte a mandate to form a government embracing the populist Movimento Cinque Stelle (M5S) and right-wing Lega.

The 54-year-old expert in private law had been indicated by M5S and Lega leaders Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Salvini as the person best placed to implement their political programme, set out in the so-called contract for a government of change.

Speaking after receiving the government-formation mandate, Conte said he would be the "defence attorney" for the Italian people.

"I am a professor and lawyer, I have defended cases of various people and now I defend the interests of Italians in all EU and international fora, dialoguing with EU institutions and with the other countries, I propose to be the defence attorney of the Italian people, he said.

Contes nomination ends two and a half months of political deadlock and negotiations after elections on 4 May gave victory to M5S and Lega but without either party having enough seats in parliament to govern on their own.

The prime minister-designate has no previous experience in politics, although media reports suggest he comes from a left-leaning and pro-European background.

Conte, who teaches at Florence university and at the private LUISS university in Rome, came under fierce public scrutiny prior to his nomination after foreign media raised doubts about parts of his CV.

He also drew criticism for acting as a lawyer for the family of the girl who became the symbol of the discredited Stamina stem-cell treatment in 2013.

Conte must now put together a team of ministers for approval by the head of state before the new executive can be sworn in and seek a vote of confidence in parliament.

However, most of the ministerial posts may have already been decided by Di Maio and Salvini during long negotiations, and it remains to be seen how much independence Conte will actually have, both in picking his team and in executing the government programme.

The M5S-Lega contract proposes a basic income, flat tax and pension reform, expelling half a million irregular immigrants and focusing on border protection and security at the expense of migrant reception and integration, scrapping the TAV high-speed rail line with France, lifting mandatory school vaccinations, and renegotiating EU budget regulations, among other things.

By Laura ClarkePlease enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue.

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Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349Blair, who founded and later sold a successful prescription- drug-benefits company, raised just $49,009 from 167 donors during that reporting period. A political newcomer, he said he has had to use his own money to get his name and his message out to voters, and up to now has focused on voter outreach, not fundraising. Hes spent nearly $700,000 on his media campaign this year, records show.We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us, she said, returning to the military threats that were the hallmark of bilateral relations in 2017. Whether the U.S. will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision. . . of the U.S.First it was Wall Street analysts. Then, short sellers, and then the United Auto Workers. Now, the media is the subject of billionaire Elon Musk's ire.

Elon Musk is taking aim at the media after negative Tesla coverage, Credit:Bloomberg

Journalists are critical of electric-car maker Tesla because oil and traditional auto companies are some of the biggest advertising spenders, the chief executive officer wrote in a flurry of tweets Wednesday afternoon. The public no longer respects the media because of "holier-than-thou hypocrisy" and lies, he said.

Musk, 46, was riled by a Robert W. Baird analyst report that said "increasingly immaterial" headlines were dominating Tesla news cycles. The first of his tweets spurred reactions from several journalists who compared Musk with President Donald Trump.Melbourne is home to more than a million dogs and cats, with around 65 per cent of households having a pet - theres little doubt animals are part of the fabric of our city.

The human-animal bond is very real and can have a huge impact on our health and emotional wellbeing. Credit:Wolter Peeters

This is why the steps announced by the Victorian government to relax residential tenancy laws to make pet ownership more attainable for renters are important for so many people.

At Lort Smith, we see this as a welcome move which will deliver immense benefits to the health and wellbeing of Victorians.

Our animal hospital and adoption centre are in North Melbourne, surrounded by an ever greater density of apartment buildings and student accommodation. This has given us a unique insight into the restrictions forced on many would-be pet owners.In his speech, the Speaker said the July 28 date was described as "optimal" by the AEC.

Wong is currently grilling the electoral commissioner Tom Rogers over the choice.

Labor is focusing on the 79-day gap between resignation and byelection, apparently not a record but significantly larger than recent byelection examples.

A tense Rogers is pushing back against Wong's line of questioning:

"Senator, just so I understand it, several members of the House have resigned, resigned as a result of failing to follow procedures and now, somehow, the AEC is being fingered as being responsible for the outcomes of this and, I'm sorry, I'm not taking it."

Wong says "this looks partisan" and asks why the five byelections are being delayed by school holidays when the Bennelong byelection, a Liberal-held seat, was held during NSW school holidays.

Rogers refers to his advice to the Speaker, which noted the AEC was able to conduct byelections in school holidays "if you so direct" but they do create additional difficulties for voters who are travelling.

Wong then says the advice was "very carefully written" and "gives the Speaker cover". She is immediately accused by Cormann of bringing into question the integrity and non-partisanship of an independent statutory officer.Labor's Darling Range candidate Colleen Yates has come under intense scrutiny over an online resume as she seeks to replace Barry Urban in a byelection triggered by his resignation.

Fresh doubts have emerged over the educational background of Labor's Darling Range candidate after two universities in the United States contradicted claims she made in an online resume.

Colleen Yates listed degrees from Washington University in St Louis in her LinkedIn profile and said she had studied at Fort Lewis College and the University of Phoenix.

But Washington University said it did not grant Ms Yates a degree and Fort Lewis College had no record of her ever enrolling at the university.

The new revelations came after Labor was forced to defend Ms Yates for listing an MBA from the University of Western Australia on her now-deleted LinkedIn profile despite never attaining the degree.Checkmate indeed. Characterising these new plots of land as artificial, or man-made, or below low-tide exposure is just hand wringing. The land masses are there and they are occupied.

The same could be said about the hand wringing over the 1200 hectares of land mass China has created in the South China Sea ; a situation aptly described by a serving senior Australian defence official I know as being beyond a checking move, its checkmate.

Cattle ranchers in south-east Arizona, where I grew up, have an expression: You cant roll your sleeves and wring your hands at the same time. The ranchers usually directed this phrase towards government officials who were vacillating on an issue. The point was, quit lamenting about the what-ifs and the what-might-have-beens; accept the facts, roll up your sleeves, and get on with the job.

Some would argue that Australia, the United States and others in the region have done more than just wring their hands by conducting naval and air freedom-of-navigation activities. Maybe so, but the fact remains China continues to expand its operations and project its power in the region from these constructed islands, despite the patrols and the international rhetoric condemning their creation. In just the latest example, China has landed long-range bombers that could cover a large area of the waters.

To date, the collective strategy towards China has been focused on countering its activities. Such an approach tends to leave one constantly on the back foot, reacting instead of leaning forward. And, the strategy is one dimensional  reliant almost exclusively on military power.

So how do Australia and its partners get on the front foot? By aggressively engaging China to connect with them in and around the South China Sea. For example, China recently established a base in Djibouti to ensure the safety of its commercial shipping from piracy in the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia. However, according to 2017 and 2018 statistics from the United Nations and the International Maritime Bureau, these waters are not the worlds most perilous seas. The sea lanes around the Malacca Straits and in the Java and South China seas are where pirate attacks occur most often.

So why not engage China to use these new land masses in the South China Sea as bases for joint or combined operations with regional partners to block piracy and/or people smuggling? Additionally, such joint/combined bases could be used as forward staging areas for conducting humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations.Washington: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday he's "very hopeful" that a planned US-North Korean summit will proceed but laid the fate of the historic meeting squarely with Kim Jong-un, who won't be reassured by US demands for "rapid denuclearisation."

The decision about whether the June 12 meeting in Singapore between Kim and President Donald Trump happens is "ultimately up to Chairman Kim," Pompeo told the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Lawmakers' questioning of Pompeo followed Trump's comment on Tuesday that "there's a very substantial chance" the meeting would not proceed as scheduled.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Credit:AP

Trump told reporters on Wednesday, "whatever it is, we will know next week about Singapore and if we go I think it will be a great thing for North Korea."

Amid the uncertainty, a White House team is headed to Singapore this weekend to work on logistics for the trip. White House spokesman Raj Shah said the effort would be led by Joe Hagin, deputy chief of staff for operations. Shah noted that an advance team goes out ahead of all scheduled presidential teams.Attention now turns to Meghan's "new role", and how she will carry it out. But how will we, the public, respond as the Duchess of Sussex steps into her royal shoes? And how long will it be before our applause for the former Ms Markle's grace and composure - the cry that "she's a natural" - give way to a lament that she's "such an actress"? Because make no mistake, for all the rapturous post-wedding praise, the backlash, if it hasn't already started rumbling, is certainly about to begin.

Even those of us who view the new duchess as a good thing - a feminist, who had a job and has been around the block - can see where the fault lines may start to appear. Credit:PA

History suggests we have form here. At the outset, Diana, Princess of Wales, was deemed a suitably innocent future Queen. Before long she became a naive maniac. Sarah, Duchess of York was great fun - until she was rebranded as too much of it. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge was a picture-perfect bride but later dismissed as a "jointed doll" by the writer Hilary Mantel, and no one even spares a thought for Sophie, Countess of Wessex, praised for being an ordinary middle-class girl, before being ignored for being one.

Even those of us who view the new duchess as a good thing - a feminist who had a job and has been around the block - can see where the fault lines may start to appear.

Actress is top of the list - for the Duchess of Sussex is always acting, that's what makes her so good at it all. Consider the occasion when the "Fab Four" - William, Kate, Harry and Meghan - talked about mental health. The less fabulous three were frequently caught looking bored. Ms Markle's face was never other than rapturous with angelic interest. It was an incredible performance, but a performance nonetheless.London: Yulia Skripal survived an assassination attempt that British authorities blame on Russia. But the daughter of one of Russia's most famous spies says she wants to return to her country "in the longer term", despite the poisoning.

"The fact that a nerve agent was used to do this is shocking," Skripal told Reuters. "My life has been turned upside down."

Yulia, 33, and her father Sergei Skripal, 66, a former colonel in Russian military intelligence, were found unconscious on a public bench in the English city of Salisbury on March 4.

Yulia said on Wednesday her recovery has been "slow and painful".

In her first appearance on camera since the poisoning that sent UK-Russia tensions soaring, Skripal said she and her father were "lucky to have both survived this attempted assassination."Pernille Teisbaek has made "Scandi Chic" a business model: as an "influencer" she promotes major fashion brands and also wrote a fashion book. An E-mail chat about style, career and her role as a mother.

In 2016 Pernille Teisbaek founded her influencer marketing agency, in 2017 followed a baby, a book publication and the wedding with Philip Lotko, co-founder of the label Rains. Wha ... t happens in 2018? Quelle: MANGO

Pernille Teisbaek is the figurehead of the Scandi Chic, nice and minimalistic. In 2017 she published the book "Dress Scandinavian" (Ebury Press) - a style guide for the Nordic chic. Her more than ten-year long career in the fashion business, first as an editor, then as a blogger and finally as co-founder of the influencer marketing agency Social Zoo have predestined her for this. Being a roly-poly she reappeared on the scene shortly after giving birth to her first child.

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Pernilles latest fashion coup: Being a part of Mangos digital project "Mango Journeys", a series of short films that show inspiring women in their personal surroundings - like Man Repeller founder Leandra Medine or art director Julia Restoin Roitfeld in New York. In her version of the films Pernille Teisbaek shows her favourite places in Copenhagen, her everyday environment, her home, the source of her inspiration and creativity.

In a short e-mail chat the young mother and fashion expert explains what a typical day looks like for her and what it means to dress scandi and not boring. Unfortunately, she wouldn't reveal what her biggest fashion mistake was - and whether she already has plans for the period after her influencer career. Too bad, really.

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ICONIST: What does "a Day with PernilleTeisbaek" looks like?

Pernille Teisbaek: It starts with a cosy family breakfast before we all head out of the door. Then I will take my bike and go to a museum or gallery that inspires me, my work and my home. Rest of the day I spend at my office with the team from Social Zoo, before heading home to pick up my son from kindergarten.

She loves to ride her bike through Copenhagen - the bicycle capital par excellence Quelle: MANGO

ICONIST: How has your life changed since you became a mother in 2017? How do you experience motherhood?

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Teisbaek: My life has changed as I now prioritize spending more time at home with my son, which was a change I looked forward to. I love being a mum and a family - my husband is a great support. We are now a team that help each other proceeding our careers, while prioritizing our son above all.

ICONIST: A few months after the birth of Billy, you were back at the Fashion Weeks. How long did you take time for yourself and your family?

Teisbaek: I was back at the first fashion week after six months and a wedding, so I felt ready to be inspired. My husband and son came with me to both - London and Paris Fashion Week, which worked out great.

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ICONIST: What do you say if your son tells you in ten years that he wants to become an influencer?

Teisbaek: Im supporting my son with whatever he wants to do in life.

About the needs of travellers Global Diary Travelling in style is a state of mind

The base of any good scandi outfit: A simple top looks effortlessly chic Quelle: MANGO

ICONIST: Recently your fashion book "Dress Scandi" appeared. What does typical Nordic design look like?

Teisbaek: Its more classic and minimalistic, but with a twist that makes it interesting and fun.

ICONIST: Which Danish newcomer label should we keep an eye on?

Teisbaek: I really like a new brand called Carcel as its sustainable, which is something I keep in mind as much as I can.

ICONIST: The Scandi look is loved by many for its laid-back vibe. Why is that?

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Teisbaek: I think people like seeing something they can relate to and that inspires their everyday wardrobe.

ICONIST: At the moment Scandinavian minimalism is very popular in fashion. Have you always dressed like this?

Teisbaek: Yes, Ive kept my love for the Scandinavian style for many years.

ICONIST: If you only have one piece of hand luggage for a week, which items of clothing should it contain?

Teisbaek: Of course depending on where Im going, but if its a weekend in Paris I would bring: Jeans, Blazer, t-shirt, heels, knit, shirt, sneaker and jewelry.

Apropos Paris Networking There is a feminist club in the middle of Paris!

ICONIST: Do you still like shopping yourself?

Teisbaek: I primarily shop online, but if I have time during travels I often go furniture shopping.

Do follow us under the name ICONISTbyicon on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.BRIDGEPORT  Whether or not Dennis Bradley would make a good state Senator for Connecticuts largest city, the 34-year-old Democrat, lawyer and school board member has the look and moves down.

As delegates to Wednesdays nominating convention for the 23rd state Senate District struggled to get organized, the well-dressed Bradley made the rounds in the meeting room inside Testos Restaurant, shaking and slapping hands, fist-bumping, blowing kisses and kissing cheeks.

And after he easily won the nomination by a voice vote, Bradley used part of his acceptance speech to urge the audience to attend a June event to become bone marrow donors for a teenager battling leukemia.

To look at death at 16 years of age, we cant stand for that, Bradley told the crowd.

Shante Hanks, a former staffer for Congressman Jim Himes who on Tuesday was nominated to run for state representative, watched the convention from the sidelines. Hanks got to know Bradley when he was a caseworker for Himes focused on immigration and Hispanic outreach.

He said he wanted to be Bridgeports Corey Booker, Hanks said, referring to the charismatic former mayor of Newark, N.J., and now that states first African-American U.S. Senator.

But potentially standing in the way of Bradleys state Senate ambitions are two individuals who, ironically, have lived in Bridgeport longer  Bradley moved here 11 years ago  but have to collect signatures to force a summer primary against him.

Activist and former Bridgeport NAACP President Carolyn Vermont and Aaron Turner, who was an aide to retiring 23rd District Senator Ed Gomes, are hardly newbies to town. Vermont has been involved in the city for more than 40 years  its a long time investing in this community, she said  and Turner, 30, was born and raised here.

Turner and Vermont attended Wednesdays convention. But when the call for nominations came, only Bradleys name was submitted and seconded, then approved with a loud voice vote.

Turner and Vermont said they entered the restaurant knowing the night was Bradleys.

Bradley acknowledged Vermonts service during his speech, calling for a round of applause.

Asked afterward why he was more qualified to represent Bridgeport in the state legislature than a pair of opponents who have more history in the city, Bradley said his knowledge of the law and ability to negotiate will let him get right to work.

Also present was Gomes, the octogenarian labor and political warrior known for butting heads with local Democratic power brokers. Gomes lost his seat in a 2012 primary, then waged a successful comeback as a Working Families third party candidate.

And that same party helped him win 2016s Democratic primary when Bridgeports powers-that-be sought to again sideline him.

Gomes called Wednesdays convention the biggest farce in the world.

Were not worried, Gomes, a Turner supporter, said of his former aides campaign. I havent been nominated and still won. Were going out to the streets, to the people.

Bradley also did not appear affected by a just-launched state Elections Enforcement Commission investigation into his alleged involvement in last falls Stratford mayoral campaign. The 23rd Senate district includes some Stratford neighborhoods.

Turner forwarded screen shots of alleged texts Bradley sent Oct. 4 to then-Stratford mayoral candidate Stephanie Philips and two of her supporters. In those texts, Bradley allegedly offered a $5,000 campaign contribution in return for a position with the town and other political favors to help him with this years Senate bid.

Bradley in an interview with Hearst Connecticut Media initially said he did not recall sending such texts, and also claimed they were being taken out of context to make it appear he was doing something wrong.

Bradley referenced the controversy during his speech Wednesday as tabloid journalism and pledged, Were not going to politic where we go at each others throats and say nasty things about each other.As President Trumps chief of the Small Business Administration, Linda McMahon spends a fair portion of time worrying about how to help bricks-and-mortar stores stay afloat in the age of Internet shopping.

If youre a store owner, you hate seeing potential customers come in, try something on and then leave. You know theyre ordering it online, maybe at a substantial discount.

So how can bricks-and-mortar compete with that?

McMahon, in a speech last week before the National Press Club, cited a personal example: A store in her hometown (which happens to be Greenwich) that carries a lot of the same brands that bigger stores do.

She told the luncheon crowd its very convenient for her because they know what my schedule is like, theyll often stay open later, theyll provide seamstress service for getting my clothes fitted.

That kind of service makes so much difference, and you cant do that online.

Almost certainly a lot of amens were being mumbled throughout the room.

But what is the name of this amazing store where McMahon gets this personalized service?

Sorry, her press spokeswoman replied, cant give that out to you because rules prohibit endorsements from high-ranking government officials.

That leaves us wondering which store in Greenwich and environs provides that kind of service and understanding? The universe cannot be that vast, right?

My business-writer colleague, Macaela Bennett, put in a call to the folks at the Carlisle store on Greenwich Avenue. Carlisle seemed the most likely suspect  theyre all about personalized service and empowering women.

No, they dont recognize McMahon as a client, they told Bennett.

Too bad, because a deserving high-end dress shop isnt getting the plug it deserves.

So if you are the store (or you know someone who is), let us know so that we can spread the good news  even if the I-dotters and T-crossers at SBA cannot!

Dodd-Frank rollback

With Republicans controlling Congress and the White House, staunch advocates of Dodd-Frank fear a return to the dark days before the Great Recession when high-flying financial cliques with their sketchy derivatives and toxic mortgages drove the U.S. economy into the ground.

The House vote Tuesday to clip the 2010 laws wings even further was hardly reassuring.

President Trump is all about demolition of the law that brought unprecedented scrutiny to banks large and small, tweeting Wednesday Big Changes to DODD FRANK.

Of the 193 Democrats in the House, 33 voted with majority Republicans to whittle back Dodd-Frank. Having passed the Senate, the bill now goes to Trumps desk for enactment.

Among those 33 was none other than Rep. Jim Himes, he of the Goldman-Sachs pedigree who co-authored a key section of Dodd-Frank as a first-term member of the House Financial Services Committee.

Weve seen this movie before with Himes in a starring role, bucking his party to trim back the very law he helped orchestrate. He had no regrets then and, in a phone conversation Wednesday, it appears he still has none.

Lets not lose the forest for trees, and the forest here is this bill involves very careful regulatory relief for small banks, with $10 billion in assets or below, Himes said. Nothing that has happened in the last nine years has come anywhere near the same ZIP code as gutting Dodd-Frank.

The bill is an answer to the prayers of smaller banks nationwide, who argue they should not be viewed under the same microscope as the Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citibank and the rest of the big leaguers.

OK, so if this bill does not represent a gutting of Dodd-Frank, what and where is the dividing line with a bill that does (or would)?

I dont know exactly where it is, but it is a million miles from the bill passed (Tuesday), Himes said.

dan@hearstdc.comThere are moments when I long to be German.They eat pretzels stuffed with cheese for breakfast, they have the best cakes in the world, and some of the greatest ever composers. And they believe in culture. The German government has just announced its intention to boost arts spending by 23 per cent or around 300 million euros a year. It is wonderful.

If I'd been anywhere near her, I'd have hugged the minister for culture Monika Grutters. Even better than the announcement of such an increase is her reason for doing it. "Culture is the foundation for our open and democratic society," she said. Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah.

Compare that with the UK where the minimal support from the government to the arts is always the first thing to be snipped in any austerity round. And the first thing to be mocked too. As if art and culture are dirty words, of value only to a snooty elite.

I am so tired of it. It makes me so depressed that the big announcement of this week in theatre funding in Britain was that the excellent New Diorama Theatre is going to change its programming model so it will reduce the number of companies presented in its new season from around 30 to seven, in order to make a game changing difference for the most talented groups.

How nice it would be if artists didn't feel they were carrying around the begging bowl

With limited funding, the theatre in north London, will "demonstrate confidence" in artists by giving them 10,000 in upfront investment, a standard five-week run, a full tech week and press and marketing for each show. This should allow them to be in a position for them to develop their show for mid-scale venues. Partners include the Royal and Derngate in Northampton, the Barbican and 59E59 in New York.

It is not a bad plan and has been widely welcomed. But if you put it another way, it is going to cut loose 23 reasonably talented groups who might just need a leg on the ladder and now won't get it. And they are only doing that, because there isn't enough money to help more. How nice it would be if there were dozens of New Dioramas all around Britain giving support to dozens of companies, and if artists with ideas didn't feel they were carrying around the begging bowl every time they wanted to get a project off the ground.

I know there are problems with the German model. I have had enough friends who have worked in German institutions to know that the plentiful funding doesn't always breed innovation and enthusiasm; sometimes it triggers complacency and stasis. But it can also support work of profound depth and exploration. And how wonderful it must be to work in a country where people in power think what you are doing matters and don't mock your endeavours. How great to be supported and loved.

The post-war consensus that a country needed the arts paved the way for the great explosion of writing

There have been glorious moments in British culture where governments backed the power and significance of culture. The post-war consensus that a country needed the arts paved the way for the great explosion of writing and creativity in the late '50s and '60s; in the same way the backing that came from the Blair government, meant that our theatres were rich with work that broke new ground and an entire generation of playwrights (whose work we still enjoy now) didn't have to starve in a garret to write their first play.

It was still hard, yet that comparative plenty has slowly been eroded. We are still riding the wave of the developments that were made then; with the arts being bottom of everyone's agenda and the flow of financial support slowing to a trickle, I doubt the picture in 20 years will be as rosy.

More importantly we are absolutely back to the bad old days where believing in the transporting power of a play, or its right to comment on society, is regarded as somehow the province of a pampered class. It's OK to like cinema, big, empty spectacles that mean nothing; but suggesting that it might actually be worth investing in a piece of theatre, or an art exhibition, or heaven forfend a dance work, and that everyone has a right to see such things, is somehow seen as a sign that you are hopelessly naive and idealistic.

So hurrah for the Germans. Culture is central to society. It matters and with every library closure, with every cut to a local authority arts budget, and every small chop to the Arts Council grant, we are saying that culture doesn't count. And making ourselves poorer and smaller in spirit in the process.Its no secret the mining industry in Manitoba is experiencing tough times. Whats also becoming clear is there is growing frustration within the industry over the slow response from the province.

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Its no secret the mining industry in Manitoba is experiencing tough times. Whats also becoming clear is there is growing frustration within the industry over the slow response from the province.

There are numerous reasons for the downturn  including the coincidental timing of the end-of-life cycles for a couple of mines and the lengthy slump in commodity prices.

But there has been concern for some time over lagging exploration activity, high tax rates and a persistent feeling that the province is not as engaged as it should be in the development of an industry that has contributed significantly to the economic development of the province.

Rather than double down on efforts to shore up the industry and attract new exploration, many in the industry are more concerned than ever that mining has become a low priority for the PC government.

"Amongst our membership, there is a feeling that our industry is in a precarious position in Manitoba, and the signals we are getting is that the province is not supportive," Andrea McLandress, executive director of the Mining Association of Manitoba Inc., said.

Those are strong words from a typically conservative industry group which has worked closely with the provincial government for decades.

But some of those "signals" are fairly obvious. The budget for the resource-development division of the Department of Growth Enterprise and Trade is down almost $1 million this year, senior management positions in the department are being left unfilled and one position has recently been filled by someone with no experience in the sector. Spending on the geological survey, crucial for the attraction of new exploration, is down eight per cent this year.

As if to acknowledge both the precariousness of the industrys situation and the dive its taken in the governments list of priorities, the province recently announced it will no longer hold the annual Manitoba Mining and Minerals Convention it has held for decades, passing it off to the Manitoba Prospectors and Developers Association.

"It was not a complete surprise," association president Ken Klyne said. "There has been rumours. We are just organizing some meetings now to see if the organization is up for it."

There is no argument the industry is troubled. At the beginning of last year, there were seven active mines in the province (not counting quarries and peat moss mines). The Birchtree nickel mine in Thompson closed last year, the True North gold mine in Bissett closed at the beginning of this year and the Reed Lake copper mine is closing at the end of the year. The 777 mine in Flin Flon is slated to close in 2021. Vales nickel smelter and refinery in Thompson will close this year. The north will lose about 1,200 jobs over the course of a couple of years.

But there is no consensus as to what could turn things around.

Mineral-exploration spending in Manitoba  vital to the future of the industry as it takes from 10 to 15 years to go from prospecting, to exploration, to project development  has been lagging far behind other provinces with similarly rich mineral resources, like Saskatchewan, for a few years. Manitoba mining tax rates are higher than in Saskatchewan and Ontario, and ongoing uncertainty around the resolution of disputed land claims and protected areas continues to plague the province.

In an article after the release of the Fraser Institutes annual survey of mining companies this year  which saw Manitoba fall from second to 18th position in the ranking of the relative attractiveness of mining jurisdictions  Ken Green, one of the authors of the report, wrote, "Mining investors have a gloomy outlook for Manitobas mining industry compared to other provinces, as policy uncertainty is deterring investment."

"Its death by 1,000 cuts," is how one former veteran Manitoba mining industry official put it.

There is clearly no silver bullet.

McLandress said the industrys message to government has been pretty consistent over the years.

"We are looking for changes to the tax structure, some clarity and simplification on regulatory requirements and better transportation infrastructure," she said.

Ryan Land, manager of corporate affairs and organizational development at Vales Manitoba operations in Thompson, said modest early retirement incentives and fairly rigorous re-training initiatives are softening the impact of job losses occurring in Thompson.

"Not to minimize by any extent the effect on people, but I think morale is on a bit of an uptick," he said. "It turns out there is still a community here."

But he bemoans the fact there is no longer a provincial ministry with the sole responsibility of mineral development. (For many years, there was a stand-alone Department of Natural Resources with its own deputy and assistant deputy ministers. Since the election of the current Progressive Conservative government, those responsibilities have become part of Growth, Enterprise and Trade.)

"We understand and support the provinces efforts in trying to figure out an economic development strategy in the north," he said, referring to the Look North initiative that continues to bring community leaders together in the north to mine fresh ideas.

"But the real work is about creating the competitive conditions to attract investments within existing companies, so that the companies operating here today can make the business case to attract investment in our operations," he said. "And step two is to create conditions to have new exploration happening in the province. What we need to do in the province is get more drills turning."

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Blaine Pedersen, minister of growth enterprise and trade, acknowledged that the minerals resource branch is undergoing a transformation with the goal of "re-prioritizing and re-energizing" it.

"There is going to be lots of positive things happening here," Pedersen said. "We are going to empower the people who are working in the department to be able to do their jobs better and work closer with the industry. Yes, it has been tough times. We think we are coming out of the tougher times."

A process to create a new First Nations mineral-development protocol  headed by Ron Evans, former grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, and Jim Downey, former deputy premier and cabinet minister  is just wrapping up its work.

"We are trying to remain optimistic," McLandress said. "With the Look North process, and with the First Nations mining protocol, we are looking to see what happens in the next few months."

martin.cash@freepress.mb.caHeritage advocates are hoping a national spotlight will spur Winnipeg into action on the poor condition of its archives.

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This article was published 23/5/2018 (1237 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Heritage advocates are hoping a national spotlight will spur Winnipeg into action on the poor condition of its archives.

The former Carnegie Library at 380 William Ave., which used to house the City of Winnipeg Archives, was listed Wednesday by the National Trust for Canada as one of 10 historic sites most "endangered" in 2018, due to neglect or lack of funding.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS City of Winnipeg Archives at 380 William Ave.

Chris Wiebe, the trust's manager of public policy and government relations, used to live in Winnipeg, and fondly remembered the old building. The Carnegie Library has been sitting vacant since a downpour in 2013 caused roof damage, which screeched planned redevelopment to a halt.

"Its one of those iconic buildings in the city and its been sort of waiting for some kind of revival in the last number of years. I guess there was increasing concern from people within Winnipeg and other observers... that its been sitting there, waiting for a new use," Wiebe said.

"With the list, we like to focus on places where theres hope -- and that listing can be kind of an inspiration to do something better with the site. So the former archives, the Carnegie Library, seemed like a really good fit on that front. It could use a refocusing of public attention on that particular place to try to find a better solution."

Currently, the city's archives are distributed among two smaller locations: the Corporate Records Centre at 311 Ross Ave. and leased space at 50 Myrtle St.

Temporary materials are located at Ross, while permanent and long-term archival materials are being stored at Myrtle, said a spokesman for the City of Winnipeg.

Canada's top 10 endangered places list for 2018 (from west to east) Click to Expand Victoria High School (Victoria)  "Seismic upgrades threaten the oldest high school in Victoria."

A. Minchau Blacksmith Shop (Edmonton)  "Weak legislation and inadequate financial incentives place this Old Strathcona boom town gem at risk."

Moose Jaw Natatorium (Moose Jaw, Sask.)  "Iconic Depression-era swimming facility will disappear if creative solutions for its renewal aren't found."

Muscowequan Residential School (Lestock, Sask.)  "Local Indigenous community fighting to save this crumbling residential school as a testament to resilience."

Carnegie Library (Winnipeg)

St. Mary's Pulp and Paper Mill (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.)  "Monumental pulp tower in historic industrial complex needs investment and vision to prevent its loss."

White House (Stratford, Ont.)  "A majestic home risks losing its larger-than-life portico and its spacious grounds, key elements of its character that have made it a prominent local landmark."

Royal Victoria Hospital (Montreal)  "The future of this historically significant, yet largely-abandoned complex is in limbo."

Covered bridges (New Brunswick)  "These iconic structures are being lost across the province to flooding, maintenance issues and lack of expert attention."

1029 Tower Rd. (Halifax)  "Located just outside a heritage conservation district, this beautiful 19th-century cottage may fall prey to densification pressure." -- source: National Trust for Canada

The city is currently looking "to find a proper long-term solution to storing archives, which optimally preserves these materials on a long-term basis and provides more ideal access and service to citizens," he said.

Kevin Walby, an associate professor in the department of criminal justice at the University of Winnipeg, said the redistribution of archives may "seem pretty minor to average citizens, but it is a pretty significant issue."

"Its the documentary heritage of the city. It has justice implications for all kinds of groups. And if we lose those records, its just not a best practice, its kind of a shame," he said.

"Especially when you see other cities that are even smaller than Winnipeg really invest in their archives, make it a cultural site, make it a site where people not only travel there to do research, but go there for talks, go there to connect to other community groups. It becomes a kind of destination.

"You cant make a destination out of the warehouse on Myrtle. You cant make it a cultural site, because its a kind of nondescript metal shed, essentially."

Cindy Tugwell, executive director of Heritage Winnipeg, nominated the library for the trust's 2018 "endangered" list. She said she is tired of inaction surrounding the space.

"We have not got a straight answer (from the city), we dont know," Tugwell said. "All we know is that when that roof damage happened, there was a legal battle going on as to who would pay for it."

Tugwell believes the archives should be relocated to their original site on William Avenue.

"Were rather upset because past governments over two decades  past mayors and councillors  protected the archives in that building. And now Mayor (Brian) Bowman has come along and shut it down," she said. (Bowman was first elected in October 2014.)

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The Carnegie Library was Winnipeg's first public library, built in 1905. The construction was funded by a $75,000 grant from American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who, during the turn of the last century, paid for the construction of thousands of libraries around the world, including 126 across Canada and two others (Cornish and St. Johns) in Winnipeg.

"Its an endangered building and certainly an important enough building for people across Canada to be concerned," Tugwell said.

Other Manitoba places to make the cut on the trust's annual "endangered" list include: Winnipeg's warehouse district (2014), James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (2008) and King Building (2007), and Brandon's Dominion Exhibition Display Building II (2009).

-- with files from Aldo Santin

jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @_jessbuWinnipeg police have not yet confirmed who died in a case being investigated by the homicide unit at 625 Buckingham Road, but family and friends of the homeowners say they believe the couple who lived there, Lorne and Angela Turner, were the two people killed.

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This article was published 23/5/2018 (1237 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police have not yet confirmed who died in a case being investigated by the homicide unit at 625 Buckingham Road, but family and friends of the homeowners say they believe the couple who lived there, Lorne and Angela Turner, were the two people killed.

One relative of Angela Turner's, who asked not to be named, said the family is struggling to cope. The couple had three adult sons, two of whom live in Winnipeg.

"Weve had this experience in our family already," she said.

Turner's father, David Bray, was murdered in 1973, according to Free Press archives.

Angela Turner was passionate about breeding ragdoll cats and was well-known across Canada for her award-winning felines.

Two of Angela's fellow cat breeders, who live in Alberta, spoke highly of her in interviews.

Laurie Nicholson, who lives south of Calgary, said she was "a very friendly person," who also worked part-time at a seniors' residence.

"She was quite bubbly, very outgoing. She worried a lot about things, you know, just like anybody else. She worried about her cats, if the cat was big or had to go to the vet," Nicholson said.

DeKoel Smith, who lives in Nanton, said she spoke to Angela on the phone nearly every day.

Smith didn't want to re-hash their last conversation, but wants the public to know how her friend was "wonderful... you couldnt get any more genuine than Angie."

"I want everybody to remember her for the outstanding breeder that she was and the very fine person that she was. She was a mother, she was a daughter, she was a wife and she was a very good friend," Smith said.

Lorne Turner was a custodian at Westdale School. The Pembina Trails School Division sent a note home to students' parents and guardians about the school's loss.

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"We have recently learned of a tragic situation where two people were found deceased in a Charleswood home. We are told one of the adults is Westdales custodian," the note read.

"Out of respect for the integrity of the ongoing investigation, we are not in a position to share much more. We do want to say that our thoughts go out to those impacted during this difficult time. We would kindly remind our community that rumours and conclusions are not helpful in times like these," the school division said, concluding with an offer of help from the student services team for anyone who needed.

Forensic investigators have been examining the Turners' home after receiving a call from a neighbour worried about the homeowners' well-being Monday.

Animal services workers were seen carrying more than a dozen kennels to and from the house Tuesday. A spokesperson for the Winnipeg Humane Society confirmed Wednesday the cats that were in the home "are now in our care and are all safe and healthy. We're now providing them with the attention needed as we work on next steps with the police."

jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @_jessbuBrian Pallister and his fellow Western Canadian premiers are demanding that Ottawa set a precise date for the legalization of recreational cannabis.

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This article was published 23/5/2018 (1236 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brian Pallister and his fellow Western Canadian premiers are demanding that Ottawa set a precise date for the legalization of recreational cannabis.

Manitoba has been lobbying the federal government to set a definite timeline so that provinces, retailers and police services are better able to prepare.

Speaking to reporters at the conclusion of a western premiers meeting in Yellowknife, Pallister declined to suggest a specific timeline for legalization  although in the past he has called on the federal government to delay implementation by a year.

He suggested he will have more to say on the issue, when all Canadian premiers meet in New Brunswick in July, if the federal government has yet to set a date or addressed outstanding concerns such as the need to establish a roadside test for impairment as well as a tracking system for cannabis production and handling prior to sale.

"We cant move ahead with the legislation of a substance and put ourselves in the bizarre situation of not being able to actually have the police equipped to measure whether someone is intoxicated or impaired in their driving," Pallister said. "We need to have answers to these questions from the government."

The implementation of the federal Cannabis Act was one of a half-dozen issues discussed by western provincial and territorial leaders at a two-day conference that was overshadowed by the feud between Alberta and British Columbia over the proposed Trans Mountain pipeline. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley shunned the event, saying she was too busy working on a deal to ensure the pipeline is built. She sent deputy premier Sarah Hoffman, who refused to endorse the premiers five-page closing statement.

On the cannabis file, Pallisters fellow-western premiers agreed that Ottawa must provide "specific details on the implementation timeframe" once the Act receives royal assent. They said the feds must quickly approve a saliva screening test, ahead of legalization, to assess cannabis impairment, allow time for equipment to be purchased and training to be done and provide financial assistance.

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The premiers want "enhanced collaboration" on Ottawas part to ensure product is tracked from the time seeds are planted until it is sold. And they want the federal government to boost federal funding for public education and awareness.

"The federal government has to get its act together and it has to get a system established that allows the provinces, where the lions share of work is being done, to effectively protect their distribution system for cannabis against illegal competition," Pallister said. "That hasnt happened to date."

The Senate is scheduled to vote June 7 on the Cannabis Act (Bill C-45). Ottawa has said it will then give provinces eight to 12 weeks to prepare for retail sales, but it has been no more specific than that.

B.C. Premier John Horgan indicated at the meeting that his province needed three to four months to gear up for legalization, Pallister said. Other provinces indicated they needed a similar timeframe, he added.

"Im hoping over the next few weeks that the federal government steps up, does its job; we get answers, we get clarity," Pallister said.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.caOTTAWA  Federal and provincial politicians pointed fingers at each other Wednesday as Churchill reached the one-year mark of being cut off from its railway lifeline.

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This article was published 23/5/2018 (1236 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Federal and provincial politicians pointed fingers at each other Wednesday as Churchill reached the one-year mark of being cut off from its railway lifeline.

Historic snowfall followed by a rapid melt washed out portions of the Hudson Bay Railway just north of Gillam on May 23, 2017.

In the House of Commons, Conservative transport critic Kelly Block decried how the federal Liberals responded to the short-lived group iChurchill, which hoped to take over the railway and shuttered Port of Churchill from Denver-based Omnitrax.

The Calgary-based bidding group had emerged publicly this month, but cancelled its bid Tuesday, saying Ottawa preferred the negotiations it has led since September with local groups.

"Rather than considering all offers to get this railway up and running, the prime minister is picking winners and losers," Block claimed during question period. "Why are the Liberals interfering and limiting the options for this line to get running again?"

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded by reading out a statement about Ottawas support for Churchill and that the government wont conduct negotiations in public.

"But if the member opposite really wants to help, she can call on her friend, Merv Tweed, former Conservative MP at Omnitrax, and tell him to make the right deal for Canadians and for Churchill," Trudeau shot back, referring to Omnitraxs Canadian head.

NDP MP Niki Ashton held a Q-and-A session streamed on Facebook, telling residents of her northern Manitoba riding Churchill has been cut off for too long and it was time for Ottawa to nationalize the railway and port.

However, Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr told reporters ongoing talks aimed at transferring the assets into local hands were going well. "Were very hopeful that the line will be up; its very important. The government of Canada is absolutely unswerving in its commitment to the people of Churchill," he said.

Manitoba Sen. Patricia Bovey gave an impassioned, detailed speech to the Red Chamber to mark the anniversary.

"It marks a crisis which has extended far longer than it ought," she said. "Hardships escalate for families, workers; the whole community and all who travel there."

Bovey recalled flying up to Churchill last January and being diverted to Nunavut due to a mechanical issue  which she said illustrated the problem of transferring food, supplies and medical patients by air.

"I wonder what the cost of all this continues to be, in both dollar and human terms? How does this compare to the cost of repairing the line at the outset?" said Bovey, who toured Churchill last summer and has planned another visit in early July to the northern Manitoba town of 900.

In the provincial legislature, NDP Leader Wab Kinew said the people of Churchill are asking him why the province hasnt helped them.

"Theyre now wondering if it will be another year. We owe more to the people of Churchill than this government has given them," Kinew told the legislature. "The rail line can be fixed  and it must be fixed."

Kinew said Premier Brian Pallister has a chance at the western premiers conference this week to build a united front. "Its never too late to do the right thing," he said.

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Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler told the house the province has been telling the Liberal government for the past year to get the line fixed, "urging them to do the right thing."

Kinew asked the Tory government to join the NDP in its complaint to the Canadian Transportation Agency, which might compel Omnitrax to complete repairs along the line and/or compensate locals.

"The NDP cant have it both ways," Schuler said, adding when the NDP was in power, it gave $20 million to Omnitrax  not to Churchill  referencing a 2008 contract.

Ottawa signed a similar contract, and has sued Omnitrax to get that money back  a move the province hasnt followed. In the northern Manitoba town on the shore of Hudson Bay, residents were set to gather Wednesday at the train station for an evening rally and documentary screening.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca nick.martin@freepress.mb.caEating was a tough task for the two Ghana men who lost their fingers to frostbite in a much-publicized crossing into Canada at Emerson in December, 2016.

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This article was published 23/5/2018 (1237 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Eating was a tough task for the two Ghana men who lost their fingers to frostbite in a much-publicized crossing into Canada at Emerson in December, 2016.

They would strap a spoon onto their wrist with a Velcro contraption but they could only use one utensil at a time.

That promises to be one major change now that the men have received prosthetic fingers. Razak Iyal, 34, received his last Friday and Seidu Mohammed, 25, on Tuesday.

The mechanical devices are known as M-Fingers and include dexterous fingers controlled by movements of the wrist, a process the men said is not as complicated as it sounds.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Ghanaian Razak Iyal's new prosthetic fingers.

"We are very excited and happy. It's going to help us overcome some challenges we face and will make a huge impact in our lives," said Mohammed.

Iyal has already learned how to pick up a utensil, a cup, open drawers and the fridge.

"It's changing my life totally because we've been struggling to do things. The easiest thing to do is look for someone to help you," said Iyal.

There will be much occupational therapy ahead, however. One of the huge challenges to not having fingers is when you drop something, say a coin or a card while getting on a bus, you can't pick it up. That will come with time by using the new fingers.

"You have to work on it," said Iyal. He can lift up objects weighing up to seven pounds, he's been told.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Ghanaian Razak Iyal, who lost fingers to frostbite crossing the border to Canada, tries out his new prosthesis.

"It's like a glove," he said. "The doctor told me to use it like a tool" that he puts on or takes off as needed.

The two men crossed into Canada from the United States seeking asylum on Christmas Eve. They suffered severe frostbite crossing the border in frigid conditions. Both have been granted refugee status.

Without their fingers, it has been a task just to dress themselves without help. The M-Fingers will help make them be more independent in that regard but probably not completely.

Iyal has an advantage in that he still has his own thumb. That has made a tremendous difference. Iyal has been able to live on his own but Mohammed does not.

For Mohammed, just to take a drink was difficult. He had to put his lips around a glass, grab it with his teeth, and then raise and tilt back his head.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Ghanaian Razak Iyal, who lost fingers to frostbite crossing the border to Canada, tries out his new prosthetic fingers.

The men had been using phones and computer keyboards by attaching a type of pen to their wrists. It will take effort to master tasks using fine motor skills with their prosthetic hands.

"We hope to work. We are tired of being at home because of our situation," said Iyal. The Society of Manitobans with Disabilities has been trying to find them jobs, and the M-Fingers will make them more employable.

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The men are extraordinarily grateful to Manitoba Health, which footed the bill for the prosthetic fingers, costing $8,000 to $10,000 per hand.

"They are both quite overwhelmed with joy," said Frank Indome, vice-president of the Ghanaian Union of Manitoba.

Many good Samaritans dropped by their hospital beds when the situation of the Ghana asylum seekers losing their fingers was first publicized, including doctors, and helped them through the process of applying for prosthetics, Indome said.

"We want to take this opportunity to thank Manitoba Health," said Iyal. "We also thank the people of Manitoba and of Winnipeg. They have supported us from the day we got here. We have a lot of good people around us."

Peter ten Krooden, a prosthetist at Anderson Orthopedics, fitted the men with their prosthetic devices.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.caWhat makes health care in our country uniquely Canadian? Its certainly not the goal to ensure universal access to care regardless of ability to pay. That goal is shared by at least 28 other high-income countries around the world.

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Opinion

What makes health care in our country uniquely Canadian? Its certainly not the goal to ensure universal access to care regardless of ability to pay. That goal is shared by at least 28 other high-income countries around the world.

Its certainly not that our universal health-care system is the best in the world. While Canada ranks among the top spenders in international comparisons, it ranks poorly on a number of important indicators of performance, including the availability of physicians, hospital beds, diagnostic medical technology and wait times.

No, were unique because of the way we do universal health care. Or rather, what Ottawa prevents or discourages doctors, patients, entrepreneurs, provincial policy-makers and politicians from doing. Unlike more successful universal health-care systems, Canada has very little private-sector activity in the financing and delivery of physician and hospital care. And we have no patient cost-sharing or user fees.

Why? Largely because of the Canada Health Act, which governs federal transfers to the provinces for health care.

Some Canadians revere the health act as the guardian of our universal health-care system, enshrining our right to medical treatment and protecting us from the perils of private involvement. In reality, however, the act is a vaguely defined financial tool that empowers the federal government to prevent provincial governments from tailoring health-care policy to better serve their residents.

Consider how health-care systems in Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Germany and the Netherlands operate. All their citizens have access to care regardless of ability to pay, just like Canadians. But wait times are much shorter, with far greater access to physicians and hospitals, all for about the same amount we spend. In each of these countries, patients share in the cost of health-care services, have access to private for-profit hospitals within the universal system and have a private parallel alternative to the government system, if they wish to use it.

But in Canada, the law explicitly prohibits cost-sharing with the threat of withholding part or all of the federal money for health care.

In fact, perhaps surprisingly to many Canadians, the law says provinces may allow private parallel care and insurance, and employ private providers (hospitals, surgical clinics, etc.) in the delivery of universally accessible services, such as in Australia (where 39 per cent of hospitals are private for-profit) and Germany (where 43 per cent of hospitals are private for-profit).

And yet no province has chosen to go down this path. Indeed, only one per cent of Canadian hospitals are private for-profit. And Canadians generally dont have a privately funded alternative to the government system. Even worse, provincial governments actually enforce laws to crack down on private clinics that treat patients who were failed by the public system.

Why? Because if they dont, Ottawa can withhold funds by selectively interpreting and enforcing the health act, which recently happened in British Columbia. This glaring lack of clarity allows the federal government to intervene in provincial decision-making, perhaps for political purposes.

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Consequently, due to the act and its interpretations, weve seen decades of policy paralysis, with provinces constantly under threat of penalty for exploring policy options that may run afoul of the federal governments wishes.

Provinces wanting to emulate health policy leaders such as Australia or Sweden, which understand the private sector is not a threat but rather an important partner in a high-performing universal system, must weigh the benefits of reform against the risk of Ottawas response and reduction in transfers. Only provinces that toe the federal line are assured of their federal transfers.

The real losers here, though, are Canadians who need health care. Theyre stuck waiting in some of the longest queues for medically necessary care in the developed world, queues that are longer than theyve ever been. Theyre stuck with poorer access to physicians, hospitals and medical technologies compared to patients in other developed countries, without the option to seek care outside the government system, an option commonplace in other countries. This despite our remarkably high health-care costs.

The health act is a problem. Our health-care system is clearly failing in many ways and theres little the provinces can do about it, lest they be penalized by whoever rules in Ottawa  now or in the future.

Bacchus Barua and Nadeem Esmail are economists at the Fraser Institute.

 Troy MediaThe Socialist Equality Party (UK) and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality are holding a series of meetings titled: War, lies and censorshipFree Julian Assange!

In the wake of the US-British-French missile strikes on Syria, a campaign is growing in the political and military/intelligence establishments in the UK and US for a wider war that would threaten a nuclear conflict with Russia and Chinawith Israel playing the role of chief provocateur through its bloody repression of the Palestinians and threats against Iran.

These war preparations are propelled by more than soldiers and missiles: they are powered by lies.

All the major news outlets are working overtime to sell the public a re-hash of the weapons of mass destruction narrative used to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

This is the reason for the turn to censorship of the Internet, targeting the World Socialist Web Site and other anti-imperialist and anti-war voices on the fraudulent pretext of fighting fake news and Russian meddling.

This also accounts for the stepped-up persecution of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange, who remains in the Ecuadorian embassy in London where he has been confined for the past six years.

The Ecuadorian government has cut Assange off from communicating with the outside world, blocking his access to the Internet, phone communications and visitors. If he leaves the embassy, he faces arrest and extradition to the US, where he faces likely charges of espionage and even the death penalty for the crime of exposing American war crimes.

The World Socialist Web Site has called for the formation of an International Coalition of Socialist, Anti-War and Progressive Websites to fight against this attack.

The ruling elite knows there is mass opposition to their criminal designs. But the drive to war and dictatorship can only be stopped by merging working class opposition to social inequality with the struggle against imperialism.

Make plans to attend a meeting in your area. Full details below.

Bradford

Saturday May 19, 2 p.m.

Kala Sangam Art Centre, St. Peters House

1 Forster Square, BD1 4TY

London

Sunday May 20, 1:30 p.m.

London Irish Centre, 50-52 Camden Square,

NW1 9XB, (nearest tube: Camden Town)

Manchester

Tuesday May 22, 7 p.m.

Friends Meeting House, Room G1

6 Mount St, M2 5NS (behind Manchester Central Library)

Sheffield

Wednesday May 23, 7 p.m.

Central URC Church,

60 Norfolk Street, S1 2JB

Oxford

Saturday May 26, 2 p.m.

Fusion Arts, 44b Princes Street

Cowley Road, OX4 1DD

Liverpool

Wednesday May 30, 7 p.m.

Liverpool Quaker Meeting House

22 School Lane, L1 3BT

Cambridge

Saturday, June 2, 2 p.m.

Anglia Ruskin University

Lord Ashcroft building, Room 214 (second floor)

Dublin

Wednesday, June 6, 8 p.m.

The Graduate, Killiney Shopping Centre

Rochestown Ave, Killiney, Co. DublinDespite vocal discontent at a membership meeting last month, the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) is pushing ahead with a union-management plan to impose a new teaching-focused job classification and cut real wages at Sydneys Macquarie University.

These are two of the central strategic goals of the interest-based bargaining being undertaken by the union and the management to strike an enterprise agreement (EA). The deal will enable the university to impose the cost-cutting and restructuring dictated by the federal governments latest $2.2 billion cuts to university funding nationally.

A joint email circulated last month by the universitys human resources director Nicole Gower and NTEU branch president Alison Barnes, announced significant progress on the major strategic topic of academic job families. Gower and Barnes also declared in principle agreement on a 2 percent annual pay rise over the four years of the proposed EA.

Job families is a scheme to allow management to double the teaching load, from 40 percent of workload to 80 percent, for at least a quarter of the academic staff. The 2 percent wage increases will be below the cost of living rises for family households, driven by soaring utility, transport and housing prices.

The NTEU is proceeding with these measures in spite of opposition at the one and only university-wide meeting held last month for members after many months of backroom talks. The meeting was sparsely-attended, indicating growing disgust with the role of the NTEU and other trade unions in policing decades of worsening conditions.

Younger academics, those already trapped in teaching-focused positions, and casual teachers, in particular, voiced disbelief at the unions assurances that the new job families classification would be voluntary. They pointed to the super-exploited conditions, including heavy teaching loads, that they have been forced to endure. There was also hostility to the cuts in real pay.

This mounting disaffection is significant. Over the past three decades, union-negotiated EAs have produced a marked deterioration in conditions for university workers, including high levels of casualisation and intolerable workloads. The unrest at Macquarie is an expression of the intensifying resistance by educators internationally, including teachers across the United States, to budget cuts, low pay and increasingly intolerable conditions.

The current bargaining process demonstrates a further shift in relations between the NTEU and management. In the past, the NTEU worked closely with university managements via enterprise bargaining, but told its members that the ever-worsening conditions had been forced upon it by circumstances outside its control.

As the WSWS has reported, under interest-based bargaining the unions work directly with management to determine their common interests, working intimately together to inflict the outcome on their members. At other major workplaces, wholesale restructuring, along with sweeping job and pay cuts, have been the result.

Already, the NTEU is working with managements to implement the latest federal government funding cut, which will see about 20,000 student places unfunded nationally by next year. This will be on top of multi-billion dollar cuts inflicted by the last federal Labor government in 2012 and 2013.

At Macquarie University, teaching-focused positions were initially created through the 2011 EA, followed by the 2014 EAs introduction of 24 Scholarly Teaching Fellows (STFs). The job families classification of Teaching and Leadership positions will provide the university with a much larger pool of teaching-only positions.

A traditional academic workload has been 40 percent research, 40 percent teaching and 20 percent administration. An 80 percent teaching load means more than a doubling of teaching hours. Additional teaching duties, such as tutorials and marking, are weighted so that an academic can be allocated many extra hours, creating the conditions of a teaching factory.

The NTEU-UWS joint email on April 28 celebrated the alliance between the union and management, with both parties speaking positively about the experience. The email also thanked Fair Work Commission (FWC) deputy president Anna Booth, a former union boss, for her involvement and guidance in this new method of deal-making.

The FWC, established by the last Labor government, has helped impose huge cuts to pay and conditions in other industries, including printing and transport, and this year banned a stoppage by New South Wales rail workers.

Gower and Barnes stated: The principles of interest-based bargaining have also guided the provisions on implementation of the agreement, staff consultation and engagement. This points to the establishment of mechanisms for ongoing collaboration between the NTEU and the management, at every level, to enforce the EA and monitor and suppress any opposition to its implementation.

Speaking as true partners, Gower and Barnes said: We intend to provide further briefings for academic staff in the coming months to provide more detail on these mattersplease keep an eye out for an invitation to your faculty/department session.

This means another series of joint meetings convened by the union and department heads, which serve only to divide staff members into departmental groups and intimidate opposition through the presence of departmental chiefs.

The email misleadingly asserted that workers will have the opportunity to vote on any new proposed agreement. In reality, the union and management intend to present their EA as an accomplished fact and will do everything in their power to prevent any rank and file rebellion.

Important lessons need to be drawn from the struggles of teachers in the US and lecturers in Britain, who have undertaken historic strike action this year, only to see their unions agree to essentially the same conditions their members had rejected.

To take forward the fight against ever-accelerating corporate restructuring, academics and university staff must break with the NTEU and organise rank and file committees, completely independent of the unions, and turn out to students and other sections of the working class facing similar attacks.

To sustain and develop such a struggle requires an alternative, socialist perspective, one that rejects the subordination of education to the requirements of the corporate and financial elites. A workers government would pour billions of dollars into education at all levels, from day-care to post-graduate study, to guarantee the social right of all young people to a free, first-class education and the social right of all staff to decent, well-paid and secure positions.Luis Posada Carriles, a CIA-trained killer responsible for the worst terrorist act carried out in Latin America in the twentieth century, died in a veterans home outside of Miami Wednesday morning. He was protected by Washington until the end, living freely in the US despite extradition demands from several countries to face charges of mass murder.

Previously classified CIA files released in November of last year in connection with the declassification of documents related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy confirmed the long-standing charges that Posada was responsible for organizing the murder of 73 civilians in the 1976 bombing of a Cubana de Aviacion airliner.

The CIA had recruited Posada Carriles in 1965 after he had served two years in the US Army.

He had previously been trained by the CIA at its secret paramilitary camps in Guatemala in preparation for the abortive Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. The agency classified him as a demolitions expert.

From 1964 to 1968, he was involved in a series of bombings, assassination attempts and other covert activities against the Cuban government.

In 1973, according to one of the recently declassified CIA files, the agency suspected him of working with known drug traffickers to smuggle cocaine into the US. Despite above info indicating WKSCARLET-3 [the agencys code name for Posada Carriles] involved [in] this case, agent worth salvaging and we should make effort to do so, the file concluded.

Posada obtained Venezuelan citizenship and, with the CIAs backing, became a senior officer in the countrys secret police, the DISIP, in the early 1970s, carrying out the torture and extra-judicial murder of suspected leftists. It was from his office in Caracas that he plotted the airline bombing.

Previously declassified CIA documents indicate that the agency was well informed about the plan to carry out a major terrorist attack against Cuba. They cite a meeting in the Dominican Republic between Posadas long-time anti-Castro collaborator and fellow terrorist Orlando Bosch where the plot was hatched, as well as a confidential source who reported that just days before the bombing, Posada had declared, We are going to hit a Cuban airliner.

The two men arrested for planting the explosives on the plane were both employees of a private detective agency that Posada ran in Venezuela. Posada was himself subsequently arrested and spent eight years in Venezuelan prisons before escaping in 1985 with the aid of US Cuban exile groups with close ties to the American government.

From Venezuela, he was sent to El Salvador, where he worked out of the US-run air base at Ilopongo, organizing the shipment of arms and money to the contra army attacking Nicaragua as part of a secret and illegal operation run out of the White House by Col. Oliver North. There is substantial evidence that the same planes used to run the guns down ran drugs back to the US to raise funds for the CIA-backed terrorists. He also found work as a security officer in the Guatemalan military dictatorship, which at the time was waging a genocidal US-backed counter-insurgency campaign.

In 1997, Posada organized a terrorist bombing campaign in Havana, Cuba, that claimed the life of an Italian tourist and wounded a dozen others. And in 2000, he was arrested in Panama after being discovered there with 200 pounds of explosives during a visit to the country by Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

The Venezuelan government repeatedly demanded that Washington comply with international treaties and extradite Posada Carriles to face trial before a Venezuelan court for the 1973 airline bombing. Cuba also called for his extradition for the same offense.

The US government refused to send him to either country on the pretext that he could face torture. Aside from the fact that Posada was himself implicated in torture under a previous Venezuelan regime, at the time the CIA, including its new director Gina Haspel, was carrying a torture program at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, as well as at secret black sites around the world.

Nicaragua had also requested his extradition to face charges there related to his activities in support of the CIA-backed contra mercenaries. Washington also rejected this request.

Posada Carriles was tried on immigration charges after illegally reentering the US in 2005. A federal judge dismissed an indictment in 2007, freeing him, and in 2011 he was acquitted on all charges after being accused of perjury, obstruction of justice and immigration fraud for lying to US authorities about how he got into the country and denying that he was involved in the 1997 Havana bombing campaign. He was not accused of the bombing itself or any of the other murderous acts he committed over his long career as a CIA agent and asset, only with failing to tell the truth to immigration officials.

In the course of the trial, the government filed a motion to gag Posada and his attorneys on the question of the terrorists long relationship with the CIA, claiming that it was irrelevant.

Posadas lawyers had insisted that his CIA ties had continued for at least 25 years, meaning that he had remained either an agent or asset of the US spy agency for at least another decade after the bombing of the Cuban passenger jet.

The 13-week trial, marked by repeated motions for delays and ultimately won by Posada and his attorneys, stood in stark contrast to the usual drumhead hearings for other undocumented immigrants, in which defendants are marched in en masse, summarily disposed of and sent back across the border.

Similarly protected by the US government was Posadas fellow terrorist and organizer of the airline bombing, Orlando Bosch. He was pardoned in 1990 by then-US President George H.W. Bush while serving a sentence for a bazooka attack on a Polish freighter in the Miami harbor. The blowing up of the Cuban jet took place while Bush senior was director of the CIA.

The careers of both Posada Carriles and Boschand their protection by the US intelligence apparatusstand as a damning indictment of the criminal methods employed by US imperialism in its protracted campaign to suppress social struggles and revolutionary challenges throughout Latin America.

They likewise expose the fraud of the so-called war on terrorism, the banner under which Washington has justified repeated wars of aggression abroad as well as the assault on democratic rights at home. The US government has regularly employed state terrorism to pursue its global imperialist interests, while zealously protecting those responsible for these bloody crimes.Twenty-seven Puerto Rican students, who are attending New York University (NYU) through a program to aid survivors of Hurricane Maria, have requested that the NYU administration extend the program, citing the poor recovery and continued economic instability on the island.

The students were accepted for the spring 2018 semester as part of the NYU Hurricane Maria Assistance Program (HMAP), which allowed students at several universities in Puerto Rico to attend NYU for one semester. The program required that students continue to pay tuition to their home institution, while NYU would provide them with housing, food, health insurance and $200 worth of credit at the university bookstore.

NYU President Andrew Hamilton, in November 2017, announced the HMAP, stating that the university was pleased to make it possible for at least some of Puerto Ricos college students to be able to carry on their studies here while their home institutions recover.

Similar programs were also implemented at Tulane University, Cornell University and Brown University.

The HMAP recipients have noted in an open letter to Hamilton that the program was established in order for us to continue our studies while our home institutions, and country, recovered from the destruction witnessed by the world after the passing of Hurricane Maria. Like you, we hoped our country and home institutions would have returned to their pre-natural-disaster state by this time. Unfortunately, the efforts to rebuild our Puerto Rico have been superficial at best and neglectful at worst.

The open letter goes on to request that the students accepted as part of the program be extended from its original one-semester plan to a two-semester plan.

So far, the open letter has received 69 signatures, predominantly from NYU students. Two separate open letters, which included similar appeals, shared with NYU faculty and student groups have received 54 signatures and 32 signatures, respectively.

However, on May 2, Hamilton denied the students request to stay.

The appeal by the students is based on the widely recognized facts that the islands infrastructure and university system have remained devastated since Hurricane Maria hit in September of last year.

According to the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) 2018 Fiscal Plan, the UPR, which includes 11 campuses, has suffered roughly $132 million worth of damage as a result of hurricanes Maria and Irma. Enrollment in the university also dropped by over 3,000 students between the 2017 and 2018 financial years.

The UPR also recently announced that it has plans to raise tuition. According to the plan, a credit for undergraduate students will more than double from $57 to $115 in the coming year and will rise to $157 per credit by 2023.

Many HMAP recipients have voiced uncertainty that they will be able to continue their studies at all if they are forced to return to the island.

Priscilla Malavet, a journalism student at UPR Rio Piedras in San Juan, who was able to attend NYU last semester, told BuzzFeed, When I get back home I dont know what will happen. Im in the honors program, and we have to take certain classes to complete a thesis. I think I have to drop out of being an honors student because doing classes and a thesis, I cannot pay for it. Its not just my classesits paying for gas, electricity, apartment, water. Its a lot of things you have to do.

In fact, many residents of Puerto Rico still have difficulty getting basic necessities such as electricity. It is estimated that roughly 22,000 residents remain without power, and the islands electric grid continues to remain unreliable. Despite this, the US Army Corps of Engineers, which was tasked with restoring the electric grid after Hurricane Maria, is preparing to leave the island.

Puerto Ricos infrastructure will likely be further devastated as this years Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1. North Carolina State University has already forecasted that there will be 14 to 18 named storms, out of which 7 are expected to reach hurricane strengthwhich is defined as having a wind force of 74 miles per hour.

Many students that attended NYU through HMAP have expressed concerns that returning to Puerto Rico will ruin their mental health. Carlos Matos, an electrical engineering student from the UPR, told City Limits, I get triggered by flashlights. A lot of the professors at home wont understand you having anxiety episodes, even after Maria. A lot of professors, or the administration themselves wont understand depression.

Angela Elliston, a student at UPR Rio Piedras, also told City Limits, I get triggered by knocks on the door. My heart just drops. She described the still damaged condition of her family home, noting, My mom is trying to fix it and shes trying to find loans and insurance. The roof is a drain. When it rains, the water just falls from there. We have electricity in the house but we dont have a light because the water came in from thereits dangerous.

NYU is swimming in wealth and is one of the largest private landowners in New York. The administration has exhibited no reluctance to destroy whole neighborhoods as they seek to expand in the city or utilize near-slave labor to build a satellite campus in Abu Dhabi. NYU has the closest ties to the US military-intelligence complex and is an active participant in war preparations, as has been recently exposed by the International Youth and Students for Social Equality.

NYUs Board of Trustees includes dozens of ultra-rich figures such as Laurence Fink, who is the chairman and CEO of the asset management firm BlackRock, which has invested in the continued exploitation of Puerto Rico. In 2017, BlackRock held more than $110 million in Puerto Rican debt.

While NYU has claimed that extending the HMAP program would cause harm to the Puerto Rican universitys recovery efforts, for obvious reasons the administration remains silent on the devastating austerity demanded by the major financial firms to which NYU is tied.

The decision by the NYU administration to end HMAP and send students back to Puerto Rico while the island remains devastated is a reflection of the hypocrisy and callousness of the major American corporate university, which is among the largest private institutions of higher learning in the country.After a major morning Twitter dump, President Donald Trump proudly declared to reporters on the White House lawn that they too are now using the name Spygate with regard to his campaign to discredit Robert Muellers investigation into Russian election meddling.

We now call it Spygate. Youre calling it Spygate,' Trump beamed inaccurately, on the South Lawn.

The master of media manipulation held another of his tantalizing impromptu news conferences as he walked toward Marine One, heading to an event in New York where he said he plans to regale the crowd with more stories about the MS-13 gang. White House is calling it an immigration event. Same thing, in Trumpworld.

Not wasting time, one off-camera reporters asked what proof Trump had as to his claims that his campaign was spied on by the FBI.

It was exactly the question Trump had hoped for.

All you have to do is look at the basics and youll see. It looks like a very serious event. But well find out, Trump began.

Turning to tomorrows meeting between Trumps GOP hero Devin Nunes and intelligence officials, Trump said, When they look at the documents, I think people are going to see a lot of bad things happened. I hope its not so, because if it is, theres never been anything like it in the history of our country. I hope  I mean, if you look at Clapper, he sort of admitted that they had spies in the campaign, yesterday, inadvertently. But I hope its not true. But it looks like it is.

Take away the I hope its not so gag and youve pretty much got House Intel Chair Nunes talking points to the world after tomorrows meeting, in which he and Oversight Chair Trey Gowdy will meet with senior Justice Department, FBI and intelligence officials about demands for docs related to a confidential intelligence source.

Story continues

Or, as Trump calls the source, spy.

Trump claims the FBI spied on his campaign, tweeting this morning:

Look how things have turned around on the Criminal Deep State. They go after Phony Collusion with Russia, a made up Scam, and end up getting caught in a major SPY scandal the likes of which this country may never have seen before! What goes around, comes around! Trump tweeted lots more where that came from, culminating with his hair-on-fire tweet: WITCH HUNT!

Trump, and other Republicans, have demanded an IG investigation of FBI on the matter.

Getting back to the South Lawn Q&A, another reporter said former FBI Director James Comey has taken issue with Trumps morning Twitter output.

Trump called Comey a liar which, he said, will come out in the IG report.

Asked who he thought was responsible for it  the reporter did not specify what it was  adding, helpfully President Obama? Trump responded, I would certainly hope not, but I think it going to be pretty obvious after a while.

He insisted hes not undercutting the FBI and DOJ, rather cleaning everything up.

What Im doing is a service to this country. And I did a great service to this country by firing James ComeyA lot of people have said it.

Asked about tomorrows meeting with Nunes, Gowdy, Ed OCallighan, Christopher Wray and Dan Coats, Trump insisted everybody wants this solved, adding, a lot of bad things have happened. He insisted theyre all going to be in the room tomorrow and what I want is total transparency adding that even Democrats want transparency at this meeting that he insisted supersedes a party.

No Democrats have been invited to tomorrows meetings, though several have said a Dem should attend.

No reporter asked Trump about that.

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Stephen Colbert Takes Viewers Down Donald Trump's FBI Conspiracy Theory Rabbit HoleHarvey Weinstein will be charged with a sex crime  the first criminal charge since his sexual-harassment scandal broke in October 2017.

Law enforcement officials tell the Associated Press that the disgraced movie mogul will surrender on Friday in New York for allegedly assaulting Lucia Evans, who has claimed that he forced her to perform oral sex on him in 2004. Weinstein has been accused of sexual assault, harassment, and/or misconduct by more than 80 women. He has denied any accusations of nonconsensual sex.

Harvey Weinstein attends a pre-BAFTA party hosted by Charles Finch and Chanel at Annabels on Feb. 11, 2017, in London. (Photo: Getty Images)

Evans was one of the many women to tell her story to the New Yorker last year. An aspiring actress at the time, Evans met Weinstein at his Miramax office in Tribeca, where she believed they would discuss acting opportunities. After she went into his office alone, she told Ronan Farrow, Weinstein pulled out his penis and allegedly forced her to perform oral sex on him. I said, over and over, I dont want to do this, stop, dont, she claimed.

A grand jury has been hearing evidence in the case for weeks following a months-long inquiry by New York police into allegations of assaults by Weinstein. The exact charges that Weinstein is expected to face werent immediately clear. The Oscar-winning producer was most recently photographed in Malibu on Wednesday by TMZ.

The news comes one day after the Wall Street Journal reported that Weinstein was under federal investigation. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York is purportedly looking at whether Weinstein lured or induced any women to travel across state lines for the purpose of committing a sex crime. He is also facing separate criminal investigations in Los Angeles and London.

Tarana Burke, the founder of the #MeToo movement, tells Variety this move is super cathartic for a bunch of the survivors, or even survivors who are not necessarily victimized by him.

Rose McGowan, who alleged Weinstein raped her in 1997, says: I, and so many of Harvey Weinsteins survivors, had given up hope that our rapist would be held accountable by law. Twenty years ago, I swore that I would right this wrong. Today we are one step closer to justice. We were young women who were assaulted by Weinstein and later terrorised by his vast network of complicity. I stand with my fellow survivors. May this give hope to all victims and survivors everywhere that are telling their truths.

Story continues

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:Dr. Mae Jemison, the first black woman in outer space, fell in love with science at an early age. Decades later, she's encouraging girls of all ages and backgrounds to engage in STEM education and is sharing insight on how to overcome obstacles.

She also wants young girls to be reminded that science is all around them. "I want you to go outside and look up because you're looking to space and infinity. ... Remember right now we're on a spaceship. I felt connected with infinity, she said. I felt connected with the entire universe when I was in space and I feel that connection now and I hope one day you do as well."

Her path to making history wasn't an easy one but her love of science helped fuel her success.

As a young girl in Chicago, she knew two things for sure: that she wanted to be an astronaut and that there were no black female astronauts.

"I grew up in the 1960s, and the United States didnt have women astronauts," Jemison, 61, told ABC News. "There were no women of color in the astronaut program. I just assumed I would go up."

She remembers looking up at the stars in wonder, which pushed her unwavering interest in science.

She also said she remembers feeling privileged to have teachers and family members who believed in her dreams.

As the youngest child, her days were filled by spending time in libraries studying science and astronomy.

"I was lucky enough to have teachers who taught me about [19th century black surgeon] Daniel Hale Williams and that [19th century inventor] Elijah McCoy built the cotton gin; a black person. I remember reading in books about the woman who did the original work on DNA, crystallography," she said.

She would carry her childhood dream of being an astronaut with her as she pursued higher education, earning a bachelor's from Stanford University in 1977 and a doctorate in medicine from Cornell University in 1981.

After serving as a Peace Corps medical officer in Sierra Leone and Liberia, she made the decision to apply for the opportunity she'd always dreamed of: a spot in the astronaut program. "I just wanted to be a scientist. I wanted to learn about the world and I always assumed I go into space," Jemison explained.

Story continues

Not much had changed in regards to the program's diversity. There were still no black women.

In 1987, Jemison was one of 15 selected for the prestigious NASA program. And the first black woman chosen, five years later, became the first to reach outer space.

Jemison encountered resistance and obstacles along the way but said she always remained true to her dreams and remained confident

"Even though folks might doubt me, I didn't doubt myself," she explained.

Her advice to younger girls today? Don't be fazed by those who try to limit your dreams.

"People can put obstacles in front of you, and you have a choice," she said. "You can sit there and try to make them change or you can go around it."

After leaving the astronaut corps in 1993, she used her dynamic background and experience as an engineer, physician and astronaut to help educate, inspire and reach back into the community. Jemison is now collaborating with Bayer Crop Science on "Science Matters," a campaign aimed at encouraging kids of different ages and backgrounds to learn about agricultural science.

There have been significant challenges in bringing STEM education to underserved communities and communities of color, Jemison said.

"The obstacles to achievements are usually not the kids -- it's the parents, it's the adults, it's the society around them, she added.

Jemison said she believes it's important for others to know minorities have always been woven into the fabric of the science community, even if their accomplishments arent widely noted, adding that exposure, expectation and experience are key to changing the narrative.

"We have been in science all along, even when people didn't want us involved," she said. "I want folks to understand that they have the right to be involved. They don't have to ask."

On Saturday, May 19, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, walked down the aisle at St. Georges Chapel to marry Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, wearing a custom wedding dress designed by Clare Waight Keller for storied French fashion house Givenchy. Hours later, she stepped out to head to the wedding reception in a custom Stella McCartney gown.

Just days later, an Irish bridal shop and a designer whipped up nearly identical copies of both of Markles memorable wedding looks. For the long-sleeved, boat-necked Givenchy gown, Shauna Fay of Newry, Ireland and the Elody Bride shop teamed together to craft its distinctive silhouette. Their team also put together a copy of Markles veil, which came in at an extravagant 16 feet embroidered with flowers to represent the many different Commonwealth countries. As for the tiara? On her big day, Markle wore an unusual bandeau style diamond topper that dates back to Queen Mary. Donna Mackin Millinery put together a similar piece for the bridal shops recreated look, complete with a diamond centerpiece worth 50,000 from Jack Murphy Jewellers.

But one dress wasnt enough for Markle on her big day  and nor was the bridal shop willing to stop at just one full look. Fay also put together a replica of the McCartney halter style that the Duchess of Sussex donned for her exit to Frogmore House and the rest of the wedding festivities. They then whipped together a photo shoot to show off the recreated styles.

All done for fun and to promote all the lovely ladies in business involved in making the look, Fay captioned her Instagram images of the finished pieces.

Check out their work, below.Dan Palmer, left. (Photo: Courtesy of Dan Palmer)

Dan Palmer, a professional musician, was playing at a charity event back in 2003, when he decided to do a good deed: donate blood at the events mobile clinic. That decision would end up changing  and possibly saving  his life.

So I donated blood, he tells Yahoo Lifestyle. And then six weeks later I received a letter in the mail saying I had hepatitis C and that Im never allowed to donate blood again.

The news came as shock, which was quickly followed by fear. It freaked me out, says Palmer, who splits his time between Sacramento, Calif., and Carson City, Nevada. I had friends who had hepatitis C who had been through the old treatment, which had been hellacious, and there wasnt a lot of knowledge [about the disease] with health professionals then.

But with no other options, Palmer went through the drug treatment regimen at the time  interferon and ribavirin. That treatment was hell, he recalls.

For many people with hepatitis C, their journey with the disease ended there, resulting in a cure post-treatment. But for Palmer, it was only the beginning of his long path to regaining his health.

Thats because the particular hepatitis C genotype Palmer had  genotype 3  is notoriously hard to treat, research shows, and its not commonly found in the U.S. Hepatitis C has seven different genotypes, in fact, with genotype 1 being the most common in the U.S., constituting about 70 percent of all infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although Palmer doesnt know for sure how he became infected with hepatitis C, he believes he contracted it from a former girlfriend. Twelve years after Id broken off a relationship, a girlfriend called me and said that she had [hepatitis C], Palmer shares. Sexual transmission is very rare, so it could have been from sharing a toothbrush or a razor.

Doctors didnt know how Palmer would respond to treatment with his particular genotype, and he says he couldnt get into any clinical trials because most were focused on genotype 1. Genotype 3 is not so easy to cure, he says.

Story continues

After weeks of treatment, Palmer found out that the drug regimen didnt work. His only hope? A liver transplant. After coming close to finding a donor three other times, Palmer finally received a liver transplant in June 2015.

But he still wasnt out of the woods. While the surgery replaced his ailing liver, the virus was still in his blood  and it soon started to damage his new liver.

Six months post-transplant they saw something in my blood work, did a liver biopsy, and discovered I was already at level 2 fibrosis, he explains. There are only four levels, and the fourth is end-stage liver failure.

So Palmer was put on a drug treatment regimen again, this time one that included some newer medications. He took the medications for 12 weeks, coping with side effects including nausea, depression, and fatigue along the way. I took my last dose and it was not five minutes later that my phone rang, he recalls. It was my nurse, saying, Weve decided to extend you for another 12 weeks.'

Thats because new research showed that a longer course of the medications is best, according to Palmer. So if I had stopped it originally, [the virus] could easily have come back, he says. I dont know where Id be if Id failed that treatment again.

That was three years ago and Palmer has had no complications since then. As he puts it, The outcome has been spectacular.

He adds: Even my level 2 fibrosis is reverted now. My liver is probably healthy again. I was cured of what would have been a death sentence.

Palmer, who is now 56 and is part of the American Liver Foundations national patient advisory committee, has made it his mission to help others ever since.

Ignorance is the great enemy, he says. Thats why Ive been so adamant. Ive spoken openly about hepatitis C and my need for a liver transplant and blogged extensively about my journey.

Palmer says people with hepatitis C have to be proactive. He also recommends taking a caregiver or loved one with you to every doctors appointment. When you go to see that doctor you need to have a written list of questions you want answers to so you wont forget anything. And two, most doctors see if youre earnest and honest in your quest for information and you dont waste their time, theyll look at your list and say, Do you have any more questions? You can also write down your answers.

And if something your doctor says doesnt feel right, Palmer recommends getting a second opinion, along with reaching out to online hepatitis C support groups about what worked for them.

If one person can hear this and it helps them go to the doctor or get a second opinion or encourages them to take someone with them to one of their appointments, says Palmer, its a win.

May is Hepatitis Awareness Month. Read more about the disease on Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.Ireland is voting on whether or not to repeal the countrys Eighth Amendment. (Photo: Getty Images)

Irish citizens are flying home from around the world to vote in the referendum on whether to overhaul the legislation that currently outlaws abortion in almost all circumstances.

Posting under the hashtag #HomeToVote, hundreds of women and men are sharing the journeys they are making on Twitter.

Citizens on both sides of the argument are traveling from as far afield as Sydney, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, and Los Angeles to cast their ballots on Friday.

The referendum will ask voters to have their say about whether to repeal Irelands Eighth Amendment, a law banning abortion except in a small number of circumstances.

Im coming #hometovote! Thirty hours from Bangkok to Dublin on a mission to repeal that eighth and get my bodily autonomy #voteyes #together4yes #repeal #RepealThe8th pic.twitter.com/CKgLO0NDxk  Louise Barry (@made0fglitter) May 23, 2018

Boarding a 13 hour flight from Buenos Aires to London. London to Dublin tomorrow. No one at airport knows what my repeal jumper means. No one here knows why I'm travelling. If this feels isolating for me, can't imagine how lonely it must be 4 her, travelling 2 the UK #HomeToVote  Ciaran Gaffney (@gaffneyciaran) May 22, 2018

All the way from Sweden to Kerry, a 12 hour journey to cross a big fat YES on the ballot paper #HometoVote #repealthe8th pic.twitter.com/psC2utM3K5  Nora (@tea_and_biccies) May 23, 2018

I'm so delighted two of my kids have come home from college to vote NO and maintain Ireland as being the safest place on planet earth for expecting mothers & bright eyed children #hometovoteno #prolife #savethe8th #savethe8thvoteno #hometovote #dublin #cork #limerick #waterford  John Ruane (@johnruane_) May 24, 2018

Niamh Downey, an account executive living in London, is flying back to her hometown of Dundalk in order to vote yes to repeal the amendment.

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Her two younger sisters are also flying home to cast their ballots, with one traveling from Valencia, Spain, and the other also from London.

There are a lot of No posters around my hometown, Downey said, referring to the campaign to oppose abortion.

For me the concern was that more liberal counties such as Dublin may come across as having a lead for Yes in the polls, but I think perhaps that there might be a stronger No contingency in my hometown.

Were flying home simply to vote; Ill be back [in London] on Saturday.

Niamh Downey is traveling from London to Ireland to vote to repeal the Eighth Amendment. (Photo: Courtesy of Niamh Downey)

The #HomeToVote movement on Twitter has made for poignant reading for those flying back to their Irish hometowns.

Its very emotional reading through [the hashtag] on Twitter, Downey said.

I feel a reassurance that, perhaps, these Irish expats are going to swing this vote, because at the minute its very close.

This is a highly emotive debate, and I do understand and appreciate that, but its a very simple and clear decision for me. Ive had family members and friends impacted by the Eighth Amendment.

Women have died. They have had no choice since 1983 and before that.

Karen Fahy, 26, is also flying from London to vote but is in favor of upholding the ban on abortion.

She told the BBC that she doesnt want abortion to be the first and only choice for women who have unplanned pregnancies.

We should be investing and providing support for women in crisis pregnancies, she said.

In those very difficult situations when theres a very severe disability, we should provide more child benefit and support women in education.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

How Miss USA contestants answered #MeToo, Boy Scouts, and other serious questions

Death threats against abortion providers have doubled since Trump took office

What you should know about abortions via webcam

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.Photo credit: Max Mumby/Indigo - Getty Images

From ELLE

Back in February, Meghan Markle said during her appearance at the Royal Foundation Forum that women's empowerment would be her focus as a royal-after the wedding, of course. "So yeah, I guess we wait a couple months and then we can hit the ground running," she said. The ceremony is now done, along with Markle's first event as a full-fledged member of the family with Prince Harry, which happened Tuesday.

Markle is now set to go on her honeymoon, but shortly after that, expect to see the Duchess of Sussex out on multiple solo events and announcing her own project she's already working on, royal expert and ABC News royal contributor Omid Scobie told ELLE.com.

"Meghan is keen to start working as soon as they return from honeymoon," Scobie said. "She has been quietly working on a project that will be announced later this year. Meghans first solo engagements will see her visiting a number of small charities and grass roots organizations across the UK as she continues to decide what her first patronage will be. We know that shes a keen feminist, its written in her official bio on the official Royal Family website-a first!-and shes interested in issues that affect youth in the UK, such as gang culture. It will be exciting to see how she uses this very influential platform she now stands on.

There are two definite events Harry and Markle will be at: Harry and Meghan have Trooping the Colour on June 9 [Queen Elizabeth's official birthday celebration], which will give us that wonderful balcony moment we have all come to look forward to every year, and then theres Order of the Garter on June 18," Scobie said.

The two are also have multiple oversea trips planned: With Harry appointed by the Queen as Commonwealth Youth Leader and Meghans poignant inclusion of all 53 Commonwealth countries in the design of her veil, much of their joint work will focus on issues that span the entire Commonwealth Nation," Scobie said. This, of course, means they will undertake a lot of travel over the next year. Theyre likely to do a short overseas visit before the fall and in October, theyll be in Sydney for the Invictus Games that will then continue into a tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga."

Story continues

"Kensington Palace says the next six months for Harry and Meghan will be very busy so its no doubt going to be a challenging, but also very rewarding, time for the couple.

You Might Also LikeParis (AFP) - Failing to cap global warming at two degrees Celsius or less could cost the world economy tens of trillions of dollars over the next 80 years, researchers warned Wednesday.

Four-fifths of countries and 90 percent of the global population stand to reap major economic benefits by avoiding costs linked to higher temperatures, they reported in the journal Nature.

Such costs stem from more frequent and severe extreme weather, lower yields in agriculture, and negative health impacts.

The 196-nation Paris climate treaty calls for holding the rise in Earth's surface temperature to "well under" 2 C (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and 1.5 C if possible.

The lower target was included in light of severe climate impacts after only 1 C of warming, including deadly heatwaves, droughts, and storms surges made more destructive by rising seas.

A UN special report due in October will detail likely damage in a 1.5 C world, and help leaders decide if the target is within reach.

But few efforts have been made to quantify the impact of different temperature goals on long-term economic growth.

"Achieving the more ambitious Paris goals is highly likely to benefit most countries -- and the global economy overall -- by avoiding more severe economic damage," said senior author Noah Diffenbaugh, a professor at Stanford University's School of Earth.

Over the course of the century, the global economy in a 1.5 C world would generate an additional 20 trillion dollars in GDP compared to one in which temperatures rise by 2 C, the study found.

There would be exceptions: the economies of Russia, Canada, Nordic and Baltic nations, and central Europe would all take a hit in a 1.5 C scenario.

Diffenbaugh and colleagues made their calculations by studying how economic performance over the last 50 years, measured by GPD, matched changes in temperature around the world.

Then, using climate model projections, they calculated how overall economic output is likely to change in the coming decades as temperatures warm to different levels -- 1.5 C, 2 C and 3 C.

Story continues

- GDP a 'useful metric' -

Voluntary national pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, annexed to the Paris Agreement, would see the thermometer go up 3 C by 2100, the UN has estimated.

That scenario -- described by many scientists as catastrophic -- would lower per capita economic output up to 25 percent by century's end, according to the study.

Outside experts reacted favourably to the research but noted the findings depend heavily on underlying assumptions.

"GDP is a useful metric to assess the benefits of limiting global warming," said Wolfram Schlenker, a professor at the Columbia University's Earth Institute.

But predicted impacts of global warming would be even greater, he said, "if the non-market benefits of reduced fossil-fuel use -- for human health and ecosystems, for example -- were considered."

Nor does the Stanford team allow for the possibility of catastrophic changes, such as an acceleration in the melting of the Greenland or Antarctic ice sheets, which could lift sea levels by many metres in the coming centuries.

At the same time, however, the study may underestimate the costs associated with engineering a wholesale shift to a low-carbon global economy.

"The results should be interpreted with caution," said Bob Ward, policy director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment in London.

"They have not taken into account the additional costs of reducing emissions to meet the stronger [1.5 C] target, which could be substantial, particularly if negative emissions technologies are needed."

Scientists say it is unlikely the 2 C target -- much less 1.5 C -- can be met solely by reducing carbon pollution, giving rise to the need to pull excess CO2 out of the air.

But all of the "negative emissions" technologies proposed so far remain problematic.Lagos (AFP) - Amnesty International on Thursday urged Nigeria to act on claims soldiers and members of the civilian militia have raped women and girls in remote camps for people displaced by Boko Haram but the government said the rights monitor was repeating false accusations.

"This... is just a wild goose chase report, in essence... the report seemed like the one in 2015, and the one in 2016, and the one after that year, the same things being recycled again and again," presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said.

Amnesty said it had gathered multiple testimonies about alleged abuse by the security forces, including claimed that soldiers coerced vulnerable survivors into having sex in exchange for food.

But despite long-standing complaints about sexual violence and repeated promises by the Nigerian authorities that they would address concerns, "no tangible action" had been taken.

In November 2016, police vowed to look into allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation in the camps but several months later, the military rejected the allegations.

"It is not always clear if these investigations were carried out and no reports have been made public," the London-based rights group said in a statement.

Amnesty's Nigeria director, Osai Ojigho, said it was time for President Muhammadu Buhari "to demonstrate his frequently-expressed commitment to protect the human rights of displaced people in northeast Nigeria.

"The only way to end these horrific violations is by ending the climate of impunity in the region and ensuring that no-one can get away with rape or murder."

- Rape widespread -

Women and girls, many of whom have been separated from their families, are vulnerable to sexual abuse and say rape is widespread both in and outside the camps, according to aid agencies.

Some non-profit organisations run family planning clinics, providing contraception, and say there are high numbers of sexually transmitted infections, abortions and unwanted pregnancies.

Story continues

"Scores" of women told Amnesty that soldiers and civilian militia members coerced them into becoming "girlfriends", which meant them being available for sex.

In return they got food.

Sexual exploitation was at an "alarming level, as women remain desperate to access sufficient food and livelihood opportunities", the group added.

"Sex in these highly coercive circumstances is always rape, even when physical force is not used, and Nigerian soldiers and (militia) members have been getting away with it," said Ojigho.

- 'Alarming level' -

According to the latest available figures to April 30, nearly 1.8 million people have been displaced within Nigeria by the Boko Haram insurgency, which has killed at least 20,000 since 2009.

Including figures from neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger, the number of people forced to flee their homes by the violence reaches nearly 2.25 million, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

Military gains have wrested back control of areas previously held by the Islamist militants, laying bare the extent of the damage to farming and fishing on which most locals depend.

By the end of March, 3.5 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance, the UN said. Malnutrition cases with medical complications are expected to rise in the upcoming rainy season.

Amnesty said thousands of people had died from starvation due to a lack of food at the camps over the past four years, without specifying an exact number.In 1708, a Spanish galleon carrying 600 people and laden with gold, silver and emeraldsthought to be worth as much as $17 billion by todays standardswas sunk by British ships during a battle off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia.

More than 300 years later in November 2015, the San Jose, which is often referred to as the holy grail of shipwrecks, was discovered by an international team of scientists and engineers in collaboration with the Colombian Navy.

On Monday, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Maritime Archaeology Consultants (MAC), who both helped to find the wreck, released the first information describing how exactly the galleon was found. Up until this point, many aspects of the discovery have been covered up out of respect for the Colombian government, which is keeping the exact location of the wreck a secret.

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This is because Colombian authorities are worried that other parties will try to claim the treasure for themselves, given its enormous value. In fact, the loot has already been the subject of political and legal battles involving several nations and private companies, the Associated Press reports.

Among those interested is a U.S-based salvage company known as Sea Search Armada (SSA). Immediately after the Colombian government announced the finding in 2015, SSA staked a claim to the wreck, arguing that they had actually identified it first in 1982.

In a long-running legal dispute, the government has dismissed the companys claims and refused them permission to salvage the wreck on the basis that it lies in Colombian waters. They have argued that the ship is not where SSA says it is and have challenged the company to prove its location.

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Spain has also claimed the wreck as its own, highlighting that the ship flew under the countrys flag and was crewed mostly by Spaniards. Historically, this argument has often proven successful when it comes to winning the rights to shipwrecks and their cargo in international courts.

Story continues

To complicate matters even further, other experts have argued that the treasure on board the shipwreck should not leave Colombia because it resulted from the conquest of the Americas.

All this precious cargo was taken away from the indigenous people, Charles Beeker, a director of the Center for Underwater Science at Indiana University, who has worked with the Colombian government, told National Geographic.

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In light of these disputes, UNESCOthe U.N.s cultural heritage organizationrecently urged Colombia not to commercially exploit the wreck in order to preserve the history it represents. The country is not signed up to the U.N Convention on the Law of the Sea, which would subject it to international standards and require it to inform UNESCO of what it plans to do with the wreck.

Among the new details that were released on Monday, WHOI announced that the galleon was found around 2,000 feet below the surface using sonar instruments onboard an autonomous underwater vehicle known as REMUS 6000, which helped to uncover the wreckage of Air France 447 in 2011.

Capture

REMUS image, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

REMUS captured several images of the San Jose that showed distinctive dolphin engravings on the ships cannons, enabling researchers to identify it.

The wreck was partially sediment-covered, but with the camera images from the lower altitude missions, we were able to see new details in the wreckage and the resolution was good enough to make out the decorative carving on the cannons, said Mike Purcell, a WHOI engineer and expedition leader. MACs lead marine archaeologist, Roger Dooley, interpreted the images and confirmed that the San Jose had finally been found.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekPresident Donald Trump just got one more reason not to visit this Southern California city.

West Hollywood  which has continuously gone out of its way to denounce Trump  presented adult film star Stormy Daniels with the key to the city on Wednesday while proclaiming the day Stormy Daniels Day.

Adult film star Stormy Daniels received a key to West Hollywood, California, on Wednesday for taking on President Donald Trump's administration. (Photo: Mike Blake/Reuters)

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was honored for her leadership in the #RESIST movement  in particular for being a national figure in the resistance to the Trump Administration, the city said in a statement.

In these politically tumultuous times, Daniels has proven herself to be a profile in courage by speaking truth to power even under threats to her safety and extreme intimidation, the statement read.

Stormy Daniels stands next to West Hollywood Mayor John J. Duran after receiving a key to the city on May 23, 2018. (Photo: Mike Blake/Reuters)

The 39-year-old actress and director, who was recognized at the Santa Monica Boulevard sex shop Chi Chi LaRues, won national fame after alleging that shed had an affair with Trump in 2006. Daniels has continued to tell her story, though she said someone threatened her over it.

In a tweet leading up to Wednesdays event, West Hollywood Mayor John Duran shared that right-wing hate mail is pouring in over his citys decision to recognize Daniels. It tells me I am doing something right! he tweeted.

Haha! Giving the key to the City to @StormyDaniels today & the right wing hate mail is pouring in. Been doing LGBT rights for over 30 years. Right wing hate mail is the compass that tells me I am doing something right! Happy Stormy Daniels Day! #StormyDaniels #Resisters #WeHo  JohnDuran (@JohnDuran) May 23, 2018

West Hollywood, also known as WeHo, has been frosty to Trump for some time. In 2016, its then-Mayor Lindsey Horvath wrote a letter to the then-presidential candidate, informing him that his campaign of violence and intimidation is not welcome in our city.

Story continues

I demand that you renounce calls to violence and consider the role you play in shaping public discourse, specifically with the words you choose and the behavior you exhibit and encourage, Horvath stated. We do not have to agree or like one another, but as Americans and political figures in the public eye, we share a responsibility to lead by example.

In June 2017, West Hollywoods City Council also passed a resolution that called on the U.S. House of Representatives to begin initiating Trumps impeachment. The resolution cited a number of reasons, including his revenue from his businesses both in the U.S. and abroad; his refusal to release his tax returns; nepotism; concerns about collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and possible obstruction of justice with the firing of former FBI Director James Comey.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

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Also on HuffPost

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Buenos Aires (AFP) - At least one man was killed Wednesday when an old theater that was under renovations collapsed in the downtown area of the Argentine city of Tucuman, police said.

"We are in the middle of rescue work removing the rubble. We are working with firefighters the police and city officials. There is one man who has died, over 18, who has not yet been identified," a police officer in the northern Argentine city told local media.

The site of the incident, the exact cause of which remains unknown, was not far from the provincial legislature.

Local media reported that a loud blast was heard and smoke could be seen rising above the former theater.

It first opened in 1923 as a candy store, then became a theater and finally an adult cinema before it closed for good in 1995.If you thought being pregnant for nine months was bad, try it for more than two years.

A baby Asian elephant was born at the Chester Zoo three months late, which left its mom, Thi Hi Way, pregnant for 25 months before delivering.

"Nature always has that incredible ability to surprise you," the zoos collections director, Mike Jordan, said in a statement.

With the longest gestational period of all mammals, an elephant is expected to carry a baby for about 95 weeks, or a year and a half.

Jordan explained that when zookeepers noticed Thi Hi Way missed her due date, they assumed she was resorbing her calf, a process of the fetus breaking down within the womb. It's a process many elephants in the wild go through.

Her hormone levels, her behavior and drop in weight gave us every indication she may have been resorbing the calf, he said.

But, the calf arrived earlier this month in an uneventful delivery, surprising zookeepers.

"The new youngster was up on his feet, suckling from mom and bonding closely with the rest of the family herd," Jordan said.

The new addition marks an important milestone in conservation, the zoo said. Asian elephants, native to South and South East Asia, are endangered in the wild due to habitat loss and poaching.

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Related Articles:Education Secretary Betsy DeVos provoked an outcry Tuesday when she said schools can choose to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement on potentially undocumented students.

I think thats a school decision, its a local community decision, DeVos told the House Education and the Workforce Committee. I refer to the fact that we have laws and we also are compassionate. I urge this body to do its job and address and clarify where there is confusion around this.

DeVos was responding to a question from Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) about whether she thinks school leaders should call ICE on students or their parents.

Advocacy groups immediately protested her answer, pointing out that under the Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe, all children  undocumented or not  are entitled to a free public education. Some demanded that DeVos issue an immediate clarification in light of this fact.

Elizabeth Hill, press secretary for the U.S. Department of Education, provided HuffPost with a clarification of DeVos remarks on Wednesday. Her position is that schools must comply with Plyler and all other applicable and relevant law, said Hill.

During the hearing, DeVos did note that the 1982 Supreme Court decision requires public schools to educate all students, including those who are undocumented. Still, she repeatedly said it was a schools decision if it wanted to call ICE on kids and their parents.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos likely just discouraged children from going to school. (Photo: Leah Millis / Reuters)

MALDEF, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, issued a statement saying that DeVos should resign for abject incompetence if she does not issue an immediate clarification that emphasizes the holding in Plyler. The organization also said it stands ready to hold accountable through legal challenge anyone in public education who attempts to report a student to ICE.

DeVos comments could have a chilling impact on undocumented students attending schools, said Andrea Senteno, legislative staff attorney for MALDEF, on Wednesday. Indeed, around the country, schools have seen substantial drops in attendance after ICE raids at local businesses.

Story continues

We are very concerned her statement yesterday leaves open to interpretation what the law actually is for schools and administrators and those in the community, Senteno said. There are going to be students and family members who are not going to know what that means.

The Education Department needs to make publicly clear what the current law is and what students rights are, said Senteno.

The American Civil Liberties Union also blasted DeVos comments at the hearing.

Lets be clear: Any school that reports a child to ICE would violate the Constitution. The Supreme Court has made clear that every child in America has a right to a basic education, regardless of immigration status. Secretary DeVos is once again wrong, said Lorella Praeli, director of immigration policy and campaigns for the ACLU, in a statement.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of MALDEF legislative staff attorney Andrea Senteno.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.London (AFP) - British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson discussed dealing with Moscow in an 18-minute phone call with Russian pranksters impersonating the prime minister of Armenia in a recording posted online Thursday and confirmed by the foreign ministry as genuine.

During the hoax, which purportedly occurred last week, Johnson congratulates the caller -- whom he thinks is new Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan -- before promptly turning to Britain's frayed relations with Russia.

"We have to stand firm against them though I appreciate that your geography dictates a balancing act," Johnson said, offering "support and encouragement" and an invitation to visit the UK.

"It's very important, I think, prime minister that we don't have a new Cold War," he added on the call, advising "determination and firmness" in dealing with Moscow.

"We will continue to tighten the squeeze on some of the oligarchs who surround Putin," he said, adding Britain would seek new sanctions against key figures around the Russian president.

When the Pashinyan imitator noted that there were a lot of Russian oligarchs in Britain, Johnson agreed: "You throw a stone in Kensington and you'll hit an oligarch.

He added: "But some of them are close to Putin and some of them aren't."

A Foreign Office spokesperson said staff "checked it out and knew immediately it was a prank call".

"The Foreign Secretary realised it was a hoax, and ended the call," it added in a statement.

In the audio recording posted on YouTube, Johnson appeared to hang up following 18 minutes of conversation, after growing suspicious of the caller's claims Putin was funding British opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The hoax appears to have been staged by Vladimir "Vovan" Kuznetsov and Alexei "Lexus" Stolyarov, a pair of pranksters known as "Vovan and Lexus".

Story continues

The duo have made a habit of fooling politicians and pop stars into fake phone calls, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, US Senator John McCain and Elton John.

Their antics have mostly targeted Russia's foes, leading to accusations they are working on the orders of the Kremlin or the nation's security service, the FSB, which they both have denied.

During the latest call, Johnson is questioned about the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury in March.

Asked about British confidence in their assessment that Putin was behind the assassination attempt, Johnson said: "We're, like, almost 100 percent sure."

The Foreign Office spokesperson said: "The use of chemical weapons in Salisbury and Syria, and recent events in Armenia are serious matters.

"These childish actions show the lack of seriousness of the caller and those behind him."(Reuters) - British police said they arrested a 19-year-old man on Wednesday evening for the offence of "preparation of terrorist acts". The arrest was made in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, and the man was taken into custody at a police station in South London, London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement http://bit.ly/2IJX5qr. The event is linked to the arrest of an 18-year-old man last week for allegations of preparing for "terrorist acts", as well as the arrest of a 20-year-old woman on Wednesday in South London for failure to disclose information about "acts of terrorism", according to the statement. The police said it is continuing its search at Bishop's Stortford. Further details were not provided. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler)Flags of Taiwan (2nd-R) and Burkina Faso (R) are seen inside the Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei - REUTERS

Burkina Faso has cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, following intense Chinese pressure on African countries to break with what it regards as a wayward province.

Taiwan now has only one diplomatic ally left in Africa  the tiny kingdom of Swaziland - and formal relations with just 18 countries, many of them poor nations in Central America and the Pacific.

The foreign ministry's statement made no direct mention of China, but said "the evolution of the world and the socio-economic challenges of our country and region push us to reconsider our position".

Taiwanese and Chinese officials had no immediate comment.

China is Africa's largest trade partner, with massive investments in mining, construction and banking, although it has been less active to date in Burkina.

In March China said it was in the best interests of self-ruled Taiwan's allies to recognise an "irresistible trend" and ditch Taipei in favour of "one China" ruled by Beijing.

Burkina is the fifth country to cut ties with Taiwan since Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen Tsai came to office in 2016, following the Dominican Republic, Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe and Panama.

The Vatican is possibly next, as the Holy See and China edge closer to an accord on the appointment of bishops there.

Taiwan says the Republic of China, its official name, is a sovereign country with the right to develop relations with other countries.By Thiam Ndiaga and Jess Macy Yu OUAGADOUGOU/TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan lost its second diplomatic ally in less than a month on Thursday when Burkina Faso said it had cut ties with the self-ruled island, following intense Chinese pressure on African countries to break with what it regards as a wayward province. Taiwan now has only one diplomatic ally left in Africa  the tiny kingdom of Swaziland - and formal relations with just 18 countries worldwide, many of them poor nations in Central America and the Pacific like Belize and Nauru. The Burkinabe foreign ministry's statement made no direct mention of China, but said "the evolution of the world and the socio-economic challenges of our country and region push us to reconsider our position". Speaking at a hastily arranged news conference in Taipei, President Tsai Ing-wen said Taiwan would not engage in "dollar diplomacy" and denounced Beijing's methods. "China toys with dollar diplomacy and promises huge sums of money to entice many countries to build relations," Tsai said. "I want to emphasise again that China's pressure will only lead to Taiwan's ties with its partners in the international community getting closer. We will not cower at all." Taiwan has accused China of luring its friends away with offers of generous aid packages. China denies this, and says Taiwan is a part of China with no right to formal diplomatic ties with any other country. Speaking shortly before the president, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said he had offered his resignation to her. Wu said that Taiwan cannot compete with China's financial resources. "I along with our country's people feel sad, angry and regretful," he said. "China grabbing our allies and giving us pressure in the diplomatic space will not shrink the distance across the (Taiwan) strait and will not let cross-strait relations walk on a peaceful, friendly path." The finance ministry said it would immediately end its aid programs in Burkina and that Taiwan would close its embassy there. China's foreign ministry said in a brief statement it welcomed Burkina to "join in China-Africa friendly cooperation as soon as possible". GROWING HOSTILITY Taiwan is China's most sensitive territorial issue. China's hostility to Taiwan has grown since Tsai's election as president in 2016, as Beijing fears she wishes to push for the island's formal independence, a red line for China. She says she wants to maintain the status quo. China is Africa's largest trade partner, with massive investments in mining, construction and banking, though it has been less active to date in Burkina. China is hosting a summit of African leaders in September in Beijing, where it will likely offer new pledges of aid and preferential loans. In March, China said it was in the best interests of Taiwan's allies to recognize an "irresistible trend" and ditch Taipei in favor of "one China" ruled by Beijing. Burkina is the fourth country to cut ties with Taiwan since Tsai came to office, following the Dominican Republic, Sao Tome and Principe and Panama. The Vatican is possibly next, as the Holy See and China edge closer to an accord on the appointment of bishops there. Taiwan says the Republic of China, its official name, is a sovereign country with the right to develop relations with other countries. Some countries have switched back and forth between Beijing and Taipei several times. This is the second time Burkina has cut ties with Taiwan. It last did so in 1973, before resuming relations with Taipei in 1994. (Reporting By Thiam Ndiaga and Jessica Macy Yu; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Nick Macfie)(Reuters) - Canada has blocked a proposed takeover of construction company Aecon Group Inc by a unit of China Communications Construction Company Ltd <601800.SS>, a Canadian government official told Reuters on Wednesday. The decision was taken on national security grounds, Bloomberg reported, citing a statement from Canadian Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains. CCCC International Holding Ltd, the overseas investment and financing arm of China Communications, had offered to buy Aecon for C$1.51 billion ($1.18 billion) in October. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had earlier said his government will closely monitor security issues when it decides whether to allow the deal, examining the implications for intellectual property protections. Aecon is known for building Canada's iconic CN tower in Toronto. (Reporting by Taenaz Shakir in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a 50-year-old passenger who went overboard on Tuesday morning while riding the Carnival Paradise cruise ship with his family. The man, identified by authorities as Brian Lamonds, went missing just 85 miles west of Fort Myers, Florida.

"Coast Guard Key West watchstanders received a call at approximately 10 a.m. from the cruise ship stating the man was missing and reportedly went overboard from the Carnival Paradise," a statement from the Coast Guard said.

It's unclear what led Lamonds, 50, to go missing. A slew of emergency responders have been called to help search for the Greensboro, North Carolina, native. In a statement, the Coast Guard said its Air Station Clearwater MH-60 helicopter crew had been deployed, as was its HC-144 Ocean Sentry Aircraft Crew.

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In a statement to Newsweek, Carnival Corporation & PLC said it was working with authorities.

"The Coast Guard was notified and is currently conducting a search for the guest," a company representative said. "We are cooperating fully with all authorities. Our Care Team is providing support and assistance to the guests family."

Since 1995, nearly 300 people have gone missing while aboard cruise ships, according to Market Watch. International Cruise Victims, an association formed by survivors of cruise ship disasters, successfully pushed Congress in 2010 to adopt rules requiring luxury cruise lines to install "man overboard" detection systems, though it's unclear if the ship Lamonds was aboard had the technology.

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Launched in 1972, Carnival Corporation & PLC has more than 100 ships sailing under 10 different brand names. Each year, more than 11.5 million passengers travel aboard the ship, according to its website.

Story continues

The U.S. Department of Transportation noted that one other person has gone missing from a Carnival cruise in 2018.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

05_07_Carnival

John Halley/Reuters

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekAnti-abortion demonstrators at the Supreme Court. (Photo: Andrew Holbrooke/Corbis via Getty Images)

Ever since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, American Catholics have been identified in the public mind as the leading opponents of abortion. But as heavily Catholic Ireland prepares for a referendum on abortion policy, data suggests that American Catholics, as distinct from the church hierarchy, are fairly closely aligned with the rest of the country on the issue.

Evangelical Protestants, who overwhelmingly oppose abortion but lack Catholicisms formal hierarchy, have taken the lead on grassroots activism, while Catholic bishops lead in Washington at the policy level. As individuals, American Catholics tend to follow their own conscience  wherever it may take them.

According to the Pew Research Center, 53 percent of Catholics in the U.S. think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, whereas 44 percent think it should be illegal. The American public in general is only slightly more supportive of access to abortion services: 57 percent think it should be legal in all or most cases, while 40 percent think it should be illegal. In contrast, 70 percent of white evangelical Protestants want abortion to be illegal in all or most cases. Only 55 percent of black Protestants share this view.

Ireland, an overwhelmingly Catholic country to which many American Catholics trace their ancestry, is holding a referendum Friday on whether to repeal the countrys ban on abortion: Yes votes go toward lifting the prohibition, and no votes go toward keeping it in place. The outcome is likely to be close, but the mere fact of putting the issue on the ballot suggests that the division between lay people and the church hierarchy is not limited to the U.S.

Although evangelicals lead the anti-abortion movement at the ballot box and on the street, the well-organized and powerful Roman Catholic hierarchy still plays a major role on Capitol Hill and behind the scenes.

The Catholics for Choice (CFC) advocacy group presents itself as a counterbalance to the Vatican and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on matters concerning sexuality and reproductive health. CFC makes the case for abortion access within the context of Catholic faith.

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CFC vice president Sara Hutchinson Ratcliffe said the formal hierarchy thinks of itself as the sole arbiter on moral decisions for its community but that the faiths teachings on conscience mean individuals must be free to follow their own and allow others to do the same.

The difference is the evangelical parishioners may follow their pastors when they tell them how to vote, but Catholics not only dont do that, we also fundamentally disagree with our hierarchy whos wielding this power, why theyre doing it and how theyre doing it, Ratcliffe told Yahoo News.

Catholicism is the largest religious denomination in the United States, with 70.4 million members  22 percent of the population. But as of January, there were only 284 active bishops.

Ratcliffe said the USCCB acts as the bishops lobbying arm and tries to speak for the whole faith, but, she says, the Catholic Church actually involves all of us and what we believe. Even going back to 1973, when Roe v. Wade was decided, Ratcliffe thinks a good portion of Catholics thought abortion should be legal, understanding it to be a personal, moral decision.

USCCB, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Yahoo News, has repeatedly rejected CFCs claim to Catholic identity and argued that its an arm of the abortion lobby whose efforts seek to undermine the churchs authority. According to the bishops, CFC rejects and distorts Catholic teaching.

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, the archbishop of New York and chairman of USCCBs committee on anti-abortion activities, said in a statement, As the U.S. Catholic bishops have stated for many years, the use of the name Catholic as a platform to promote the taking of innocent human life is offensive not only to Catholics, but to all who expect honesty and forthrightness in public discourse.

The USCCB has set five goals for the current period: evangelizing, family and marriage, human life and dignity (which includes opposing abortion), encouraging vocations to the priesthood and promoting religious freedom.

The Rev. James Martin is an American Jesuit priest who recently wrote a book, Building a Bridge, about the importance of compassion for LGBT Catholics within the church. He said the polling data on abortion is surprising because the hierarchy has in no way withdrawn from the abortion debate.

Among the Catholics who are active in the pro-life movement and have protested and written, I dont see any pullback on that. But that has always been a particular subset of the Catholic population. Not everyone is as active in the pro-life movement, Martin told Yahoo News.

James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor at large of America Magazine, on May 21. (Photo: Richard Drew/AP)

Martin described himself as 100 percent pro-life because he believes in the dignity of all life, and thats not only unborn children in the womb but also the lives in LGBT people, so its all consistent.

Pope Franciss pastoral pronouncements have been celebrated by liberal Catholics. In the past two months Francis has said caring for the poor is as important as opposing abortion and reportedly told a gay man, God made you like this and he loves you.

On the LGBT comment, Martin said, Pope Francis is basically saying what every reputable psychologist, psychiatrist and biologist says, which is that people do not choose their sexual orientation, so it is not only a pastoral statement but it is also a true statement.

But Ratcliffe said theres a strong disconnect between Franciss stated vision for the churchs future and the USCCBs political agenda in the U.S.

Not only do the bishops not follow his lead in that way, they really have doubled down on their agenda, Ratcliffe said. The Catholic bishops really have moved an agenda, starting in 2011 on redefining what religious liberty means in this country, and theyve convinced the Trump administration in particular  although, to some extent the Obama administration as well  that their version of religious liberty must be, if not followed, certainly acknowledged.

The earliest Gallup poll on Christian views of abortion was conducted in 1975, just two years after Roe v. Wade. Of Catholic respondents, 32 percent said abortion should be illegal in all circumstances, 50 percent said it should be legal under certain circumstances, and 17 percent said it should be legal under any circumstances. Of Protestant respondents, 21 percent said abortion should be illegal in all circumstances, 58 percent said it should be legal under certain circumstances, and 18 percent said it should be legal under any circumstances.

This data suggests that evangelical opposition to abortion has undoubtedly intensified since the mid-1970s, whereas the lay-Catholic opinion has remained comparatively consistent.

According to Ratcliffe, evangelicals might oppose reproductive rights in larger numbers but they are not as well organized. Catholic bishops, she said, are still active in the halls of power, whether its getting members of Congress to repeat their talking points, helping to write various amendments on congressional committees or encouraging the Trump administration to install high-level conservative Catholics in Health and Human Services, the White House or the Domestic Policy Council.

The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization, reportedly spent over $1 million to oppose same-sex marriage before the historic Supreme Court decision legalizing it nationwide.

According to a CFC survey, nearly 6 in 10 (59 percent) of Catholic voters said the views of their bishops in the U.S. are not relevant when deciding whom to vote for in presidential elections. Four in 10 said the bishops views were important. Two out of 3 Catholics would disapprove of religious universities denying employees or students insurance for birth control on the grounds that its a sin. Seventy-four percent would oppose (including 59 percent strongly opposing) a law that would allow companies to deny services to an employee or customer based on the owners religious beliefs.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is absolutely still behind the scenes and in the halls of political power, wielding influence thats undue based on what the vast majority of Catholics think about these issues, Ratcliffe said.

Ratcliffe agreed that evangelical leaders such as Franklin Graham and Rick Warren have been important players in the current abortion debate but thinks the Catholic hierarchy remains more influential on the issue.

I would argue that conservative Catholic organizations in conjunction with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are still very much at the front of that pack.

The Rev. Rusty Lee Thomas, the national director of Operation Save America, a Protestant evangelical conservative organization that opposes abortion, Islam and homosexuality, said in the early 70s that the anti-abortion movement was seen as primarily Catholic but that evangelicals have become more active and outspoken in the anti-abortion movement since then.

A Sunday service at Congregacion Leon de Juda, an evangelical church in Boston, in 2012. (Photo: Stetson Freeman/The Christian Science Monitor via Getty Images)

The Roman Catholic Church has always condemned abortion as sinful, but evangelicals do not have a comparable hierarchy and claim to follow only the Bible, which never mentions abortion. It does, however, contain subtle references to life in the womb.

It was a slow process as more evangelicals got involved to end this holocaust in the United States of America. More doors had opened to the evangelical churches. Specifically, in the last four or five years, the vision and mission has spread tremendously within the evangelical church, Thomas told Yahoo News.

More and more, he said, evangelicals are taking their message to the streets, government officials and abortion providers, which he called death camps. He said the strategy now is to work on ending abortion one state at a time. Invoking the Protestant doctrine of the lesser magistrate, which posits a lesser rulers authority to rebel against a tyrant, Thomas is calling upon local and state governments outlaw abortion and gay marriage regardless of federal law the same way progressive states have legalized recreational marijuana despite federal law.

The anti-abortion movement started to make larger strides on the local and state level in 2010. By January 2016, the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization committed to reproductive health, reported that 27 percent (288) of all 1,074 abortion restrictions enacted since Roe v. Wade came after 2010. And this hasnt slowed down. A Planned Parenthood report in March showed that the first three months of 2018 alone saw half of all states attempt to introduce at least one abortion ban.

Its worth nothing that the states at the forefront of this anti-abortion push dont have many Catholics in them.

In a newsletter that was excerpted in New York Magazine, Harold Meyerson, the executive editor of the American Prospect, noticed that the eight states with the largest Catholic populations  Rhode Island (42 percent), Massachusetts (34 percent), New Jersey (34 percent), New Mexico (34 percent), Connecticut (33 percent), New York (31 percent), California (28 percent) and Illinois (28 percent)  were among the 17 states that had not enacted any abortion restrictions since 2010.

Meyerson pointed out that the states with the lowest number of Catholics  Mississippi (4 percent), Utah (5 percent), West Virginia (6 percent), Tennessee (6 percent), Alabama (7 percent), North Carolina (9 percent), Georgia (9 percent), South Carolina (10 percent), Kentucky (10 percent), Idaho (10 percent) and Virginia (12 percent)  were among the 33 states that did pass abortion restrictions.

Its no longer the case, and it has not been the case for a long time that you can attempt to win significant blocks of Catholic voters with an anti-abortion stance, Meyerson told Yahoo News. I dont think thats actually where most American Catholics are at, and secondly, theres very little data showing that this is that important an issue to them. They tend to rank other issues  economic issues and among liberal Catholics certainly social justice issues  higher than the abortion question.

In the 2016 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump got more Catholic votes than Democrat Hillary Clinton: 60 percent to 37 percent. But Hispanic Catholics supported Clinton over Trump by a wider ratio, 67 percent to 26 percent. Although Catholics are still most heavily concentrated in the Northeast, theres been a recent increase in the South and Midwest. Much of the growth in the Catholic population is because of immigrants or the children of immigrants, many from Latin America.

Mark Gray is a senior research associate at the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, a social science research center affiliated with Georgetown University that studies Catholicism. By and large, he said, the big topics for Catholics at any moment tend to be the same as for the public at large, whether that be the economy, terrorism, health care or something else.

If you look at the most important problem or issue in an election, they tend to be identical to the general population, so theres not a different set of issues that Catholics are concerned about that non-Catholics arent, Gray told Yahoo News.

Gray, who also directs CARA Catholic Polls, said his research bears out that Catholics and the American public in general have similar opinions on abortion but that theres an important nuance to keep in mind.

If you just ask a single question about abortion, youre not really measuring peoples attitudes. Its just too complex of an issue, he said. Its really not a yes/no question for almost everyone.

Abortion rights activists face anti-abortion demonstrators in January 2013, the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. (Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

Read more from Yahoo News:Women and children fetch water at a refugee camp in Yola, Nigeria - AP

The use of British troops to train Nigerian forces must be reviewed after it emerged soldiers are subjecting women and girls escaping from Boko Haram to vile abuse, according to a report published on Thursday.

Nigerian security forces have carried out systematic patterns of violence and abuse against the young women and children they claim to have rescued, alleges Amnesty International.

Women told Amnesty they were raped in exchange for food and thousands of people, including children, have starved to death in camps set up by the Nigerian army after they were freed.

But the human rights charity also blames British forces for not doing enough to protect women and girls.

If it turns out that British troops have been training or supporting any of the units involved in these crimes, a UK investigation must immediately take place and British military training to those units should be suspended said Oliver Feeley-Sprague, Amnesty UKs military, security and policing programme director.

Released Nigerian school girls who were kidnapped from their school in Dapchi, in the northeastern state of Yobe Credit: PHILIP OJISUA/AFP

This evidence must serve as an urgent warning to the UK government and the British forces currently training and supporting a military that is using its power to horrifically abuse the very people its meant to be protecting, he warned.

The report, entitled They betrayed us, is the result of a two-year investigation and interviews with more than 250 people. It examines what happened to the hundreds of thousands of people, especially women, who fled or were forced from areas controlled by Boko Haram.

In some cases, the abuse appears to be part of a pattern of persecution of anyone perceived to have a connection to Boko Haram. Women reported being beaten and called Boko Haram wives by the security officials when they complained about their treatment.

The report says women and girls were selected for soldiers to abuse. Women reported they were too afraid to refuse demands for sex.

It is absolutely shocking that people who had already suffered so much under Boko Haram have been condemned to further horrendous abuse by the Nigerian military, said Osai Ojigho, director of Amnesty International Nigeria.

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Nigeria is Africa's most populous country with around 180 million people and its second largest economy. Trade with the UK is worth 4 billion a year. The Department for International Developments aid budget for Nigeria was 225 million last year.

However, conflict blights the oil-rich delta region and there is a violent Islamist insurgency in the north-east of the country. The Foreign Office warns that the risk of terrorist kidnaps is high and advises visitors to avoid places where there are political or other large public gatherings.

Theresa May met with President Buhari of Nigeria at Downing Street in April, where she reiterated the two countries close and longstanding defence and security cooperation. The Prime Minister said she was saddened so many girls had been affected by the security situation in Nigeria.

A violent Islamist insurgency blights the north-east of the country Credit: Tom Saater

Around 70 British military personnel train Nigerian forces in leadership and general infantry skills. They provide specific training to combat gender-based violence.

A Government spokesperson said: "The military training and assistance to the Armed Forces of Nigeria has consistently emphasised the importance of adherence to internationally recognised Rules of Engagement, as well as the importance of International Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.

Boko Haram is an Islamist terrorist group operating in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger. The group has been fighting a nine-year insurgency to establish a sharia state and remove western influence from the country. It pledged allegiance to Isil in 2015.

How the Nigerian government is fuelling Boko Haram's kidnapping industry

In March Boko Haram used small arms, anti-aircraft weapons and rocket propelled grenades to attack a military base. Nine members of the Nigerian security forces and three UN personnel were killed.

In February three suicide bombers detonated devices at a fish market in the town of Konduga. Nineteen civilians were killed and over 70 others wounded.

Boko Haram kidnapped around 300 girls from their school in the north-western town of Chibok in 2014, as they gathered to take exams. The militants objected to them receiving education, claiming it corrupted Muslim values. Some girls managed to escape and around 100 were controversially freed last year in exchange for five militants commanders, in negotiations brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross.BEIJING (Reuters) - The former president of the People's Insurance Company (Group) of China Ltd was jailed for 11 years for taking bribes, state media reported on Thursday, the latest senior executive brought down by Beijing's anti-graft campaign.

Wang Yincheng, who was also a vice Communist Party secretary at state-owned PICC, was found guilty of receiving 8.7 million yuan ($1.36 million) in bribes from 2006 to 2016 in exchange for helping individuals and companies with project contracts, giving staff promotions and hiring their children, the official People's Daily reported.

The newspaper cited a verdict made by the Intermediate Court of Fozhou.

Wang also faces 1 million yuan in fines and confiscation of his illegal gains, the court said.

Reuters could not reach Wang or his representatives for comment.

Wang is the latest senior financial executive to be caught in Chinese President Xi Jinping's far-reaching fight against corruption.

Xi has presided over the anti-graft drive since coming to power in late 2012, punishing more than a million party members and jailing top military figures. Retired security tsar Zhou Yongkang became the most senior official toppled for corruption since 1949.

China's top leaders have pledged to intensify a crackdown on financial risks this year. A number of senior financial officials and executives, such as Anbang Insurance Group Co's ex-chairman Wu Xiaohui, have been jailed under that campaign.

Wang was placed under investigation by the Chinese Communist Party's anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), in February 2017.

The CCDI expelled Wang from the Communist Party in July after investigations found serious violations of party discipline - a euphemism for corruption.

The commission said Wang tried to bribe CCDI officials during the investigation.

It said Wang "pursued extravagant pleasures", took advantage of PICC facilities for private use, used company funds to pay for personal travels, and changed overseas business schedules in order to play golf.

($1 = 6.3909 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Shu Zhang and Beijing Monitoring Desk; Editing by Paul Tait)Dhaka (AFP) - Shootouts across Bangladesh left nine alleged drug dealers dead Thursday, police said, as authorities stepped up a crackdown that now has claimed at least 52 lives in 10 days and drawn criticism from rights groups.

The campaign comes as Bangladesh struggles to contain a surging drugs trade, particularly in methamphetamine pills known as "yaba".

However, human rights groups say many of the deaths are the result of extra-judicial killings.

Two of the nine were killed in gun battles between rival drug dealers in Magura, district police chief Ilias Hossain told AFP.

Four people died in southeastern Feni and Comilla and a further three were killed elsewhere, officials said.

In Chittagong on Wednesday a son and a daughter held a press conference to accuse the elite Rapid Action Battalion police unit of killing their father.

The unit -- which authorities say has so far killed 19 drug dealers during the crackdown -- has denied the allegations, but the campaign has caused widespread disquiet.

Even the state-run National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) this week expressed "grave concern" at the anti-drug drive, saying it does not support "any extra-judicial killings".

Huge numbers of the "yaba" pills have crossed into Bangladesh from neighbouring Myanmar, a major producer. Authorities last year seized a record 40 million pills but said an estimated 250-300 million others entered the market.For months, strategists have advised Democratic candidates to stay away from the investigation into the Trump campaigns contacts with Russia during the 2016 election.

The thinking was that voters care more about bread-and-butter issues like jobs, terrorism and trade, and arguments about Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian meddling would prove a distraction.

In special elections over the past year, Democratic candidates like Jon Ossoff in Georgia and Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania barely mentioned the investigations, as part of a broader strategy of avoiding talking about Trump almost entirely.

That consensus seems to be fraying, if not crumbling, however. Democrats have begun talking more about the Trump Administrations legal troubles, and lawmakers are headed into the Memorial Day recess ready to bring it up.

One reason is that Trump himself is obsessed with the probe, which tends to focus the news cycle on the Russia story anyway. Another reason is that Muellers team has started to collect a few scalps, securing five guilty pleas. And yet another reason is that the liberal wing of the party is already enthusiastic about the issue.

So how did Democrats decide to embrace the Russia story? Through lots of very careful polling, focus groups and roundtables with strategists.

Democratic leaders believe that they have figured out a way to discuss the investigations without playing into Trumps claims that its a witch hunt. Part of that is by focusing attention on Trumps response, which they believe is so transparently partisan that voters who have remained on the fence will soon have to choose sides.

Consider a session scheduled for Thursday between the FBI Director Christopher Wray, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and senior Justice Department official Ed OCallaghan and two House Republicans, Reps. Trey Gowdy and Devin Nunes to review confidential information about the FBI investigation.

No Democrats were invited, despite Trumps claim that the meeting is part of his goal of total transparency.

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This meeting is completely improper, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer wrote, demanding that a broader bipartisan group of eight lawmakers be invited to the meeting.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders dismissed Democratic complaints about being shut out. To my knowledge, the Democrats have not requested that information, so I would refer you back to them on why they would consider themselves randomly invited to see something theyve never asked to, Sanders said Tuesday.

For Democrats, talking voters through a complicated story involving FISA warrants, Australian diplomats and informants would be a tough sell, but they think they can convince them that there is something fishy about Trumps response to the investigation.

On Monday, congressional Democrats rolled out a series of campaign-focused anti-corruption proposals branded A Better Deal for Our Democracy. Separately, Democratic strategists with ties to party Leadership are urging candidates to talk about the investigation, but with careful language.

Americans want to know what this administration is hiding, said Andrea Purse, a Democratic strategist. Across the board, it is clear the public wants answers, and they want Trump and his aides to be held accountable for their corruption.

In talking about this, Democrats argue, its important to hone in on specifics over broad claims.

The better focus is on the cover-up, obstruction of justice, and crimes have been uncovered and will continue to be uncovered, as opposed to trying to wage what I think folks see as a battle of the past, said Nick Gourevitch of Global Strategy Group. Instead of focusing on the details of 2016s elections, he said, Democrats would be wise to put greater emphasis on whats going on today, what crimes have been uncovered.

Surveys show many Americans remain unaware of the facts. One, conducted by Global Strategy Group, GBA Strategies and Navigator Research and released Wednesday, shows 41% of respondents said the Mueller probe has found no crimes. Among Republicans, that number is 85%.

In fact, former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, former campaign aide Rick Gates, former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos and London lawyer Alex van der Zwaan have all pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI as part of plea deals with Muellers team, while Muellers team has indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies on charges of interfering with the election.

The same survey, however, shows risk for Democrats who talk too much about Russia. The poll found 48% of Republicans do not believe Russia had anything to do with the 2016 elections, and that number is 23% when asked of independent voters. In this, Trumps strategy of discrediting the investigation is working.

When the Democrats survey asked if voters trust Mueller or his team, the FBI or the Department of Justice to handle the investigation, the biggest response was none of the above, with 45%.In a series of early morning tweets, President Donald Trump on Wednesday praised Tomi Lahren after a woman threw a glass of water at the conservative commentator at a Minnesota restaurant.

"Everybody is with Tomi Lahren, a truly outstanding and respected young woman! @foxandfriends," Trump tweeted shortly before 7:30 a.m. local time. He referenced Lahren's guest appearance on his favorite early morning program, where she recounted her "attack" at a hip-hop themed brunch.

"Unfortunately there was a group of people probably around my age that thought it would be funny to throw water at me and then start chanting profanity and, again, not something that I'm not used to but really disheartening," Lahren recounted Wednesday morning on Fox and Friends.

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She continued, "At the end of the day I'm a person, too, and I do get humiliated and embarrassed just like anyone else, but I'm tough, my family is tough, we can handle it," Lahren said on the morning show.

Lahren's account matches that of restaurant staff. According to Jeremy Jackson, a security guard at Union Restaurant in Minneapolis, the Fox News commentator was attempting to eat brunch with her mother and some family on Saturday. As she was leaving the restaurant, a woman splashed her with water while passersby shouted "F--k that b---h."

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I said [to Tomi], Id like to separate you all if can, please.' And she responded, Youre just going to kick me out for them throwing water? Unbelievable,'" Jackson told the news site The Blast

He told Lahren that she wasnt being kicked out, but the commentator decided to leave on her own accord. Lahrens mother also got into the fray, briefly confronting the anonymous woman who splashed her daughter with water.

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A flood of support came for Lahren after TMZ first reported the water-tossing incident. Although most of it came courtesy of Trump supporters, a few of the presidents most ardentand controversialcritics also stepped in to defend Lahren.

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I couldnt disagree more with @TomiLahren, but I dont think its cool to resort to physical actions to make your point, wrote comedian Kathy Griffin, who previously said, "The first amendment is a beautiful thing - use it."

In response, Lahren acknowledged the support from both sides of an ever-increasing ideological divide.

I appreciate the words of support- even from those who normally dislike me. Free speech is a gift- no need to resort to that kind of attack, she tweeted. Lahren also responded to Trumps social media shout-out with an American flag emoji.

The 25-year-old rose to fame via TheBlaze, where she was a critic of progressive issues, particularly those on college campuses. After she was suspended from the site for making a comment seemingly in support of abortion rights, the South Dakota native landed a spot on Fox News as a contributor. She has millions of followers across her social media accounts.

tomi-lahren

Ronen Tivony/NurPhoto via Getty Images

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekThe masthead of U.S. President Donald Trump's @realDonaldTrump Twitter account in July: Handout via REUTERS

President Donald Trump cannot block critics on Twitter as doing so violates their right to free speech under the First Amendment of the US Constitution, a federal judge has ruled.

The ruling from Judge Naomi Buchwald said that discussions arising from Mr Trump's tweets should be considered a public forum, as the messages are governmental in nature". Judge Buchwald rejected an argument from the Department of Justice that Mr Trump's own rights under the First Amendment allowed him to block people with whom he did not want to interact with.

Blocking users as a result of the political views they have expressed is impermissible under the First Amendment, Judge Buchwald wrote in the order, adding the president cannot use Twitter in a way that infringes on the corresponding First Amendment rights of those who have criticized him.

A handful of Twitter users had sued after the president blocked them in response to critical tweets. The resulting case turned on the questions posed by Mr Trumps unprecedented use of Twitter to announce policies, elevate allies and lambaste foes

As Judge Buchwald wrote, the legal challenge entails the First Amendments application to the distinctly twenty-first century medium of Twitter.

However, the judge stopped short of directly ordering Mr Trump - or those who work for him - to unblock users, saying it was not necessary to enter a legal thicket involving the power court can hold over the president. The lawsuit had also named Mr Trump's social media director, Dan Scavino, as a defendant.

Because no government official is above the law and because all government officials are presumed to follow the law once the judiciary has said what the law is, we must assume that the president and Scavino will remedy the blocking we have held to be unconstitutional, she wrote.

The White House has defended Mr Trumps continued of his personal Twitter account - despite inflammatory statements that have generated repeated controversies - by saying it is a conduit that allows him to speak directly to the American people. The decision noted that his tweets often drawn thousands fo responses.

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The users whom Mr Trump blocked cannot, as a result, view or directly reply to tweets that amount to public pronouncements by the president.

Given that public context, Judge Buchwald wrote that freezing out users who dissent from the presidents viewpoint violates their rights by restricting a real, albeit narrow, slice of speech.

The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, which represented the blocked plaintiffs, lauded the decision.

Were pleased with the courts decision, which reflects a careful application of core First Amendment principles to government censorship on a new communications platform, the institutes executive director Jameel Jaffer said in a statement. The presidents practice of blocking critics on Twitter is pernicious and unconstitutional, and we hope this ruling will bring it to an end.

The Department of Justice said in a statement that it disagreed with the decision and was contemplating its next move.

The president's prolific Twitter usage has already posed a series of thorny free speech questions.

After Mr Trump threatened North Korea with nuclear war and shared prejudiced messages from a far-right British party, Twitter fielded questions about whether the president was violating policies prohibiting abuse and incitement to violence.

In response, Twitter has said that messages from world leaders like Mr Trump are inherently of public interest and argued that blocking those users or censoring certain messages would not silence that leader, but it would certainly hamper necessary discussion around their words and actions.Everything tastes better with an egg on top, right? And, great news, a recent study published in the journal Heart suggests that people who eat an egg every day have a lower risk of developing heart disease.

Heres the deal: Scientists looked at a sample of more than half a million healthy adults aged 30 to 79 from ten different locations in China. They asked the participants how often they ate eggs. About nine years later, they followed up and found that the people who ate eggs daily had a lower risk of disease overall.

Specifically, the people who ate eggs regularly had a 26 percent lower risk of hemorrhagic stroke, a 28 percent lower risk of dying from ahemorrhagic stroke and an 18 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.

And there you have it: Hard (boiled) proof that your daily avocado toast deserves an egg on it.

RELATED: 14 Totally New Ways to Make EggsElon Musk is not happy with Tesla's (TSLA) recent media coverage, to put it mildly.

The Tesla CEO said Wednesday on Twitter that the public no longer respects "big media companies" because they "lay claim to the truth, but publish only enough to sugarcoat the lie."

He also said President Donald Trump was elected because no one believes reporters anymore.

Then he said reporters are under constant pressure to produce work to attract advertising dollars from "fossil fuel companies" and other carmakers.

Finally, Musk said he plans to create a site where the public can "rate the core truth of any article and track the credibility" of every reporter over time.

Pravda, which means truth in Russian, was the name of the official paper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Tesla was not immediately available for comment.

Musk referred to a research note from Baird analyst Ben Kallo published Wednesday morning, which said the media landscape may have become saturated with "increasingly immaterial" negative reports about Tesla, and that the shares could climb if and when Tesla executes on its goals.

It also comes days after reviewer Consumer Reports decided not to recommend the Tesla Model 3 midsize sedan , after it found the vehicle had the longest stopping distance of any contemporary car it has tested.

WATCH: Musk criticizes the mediaLike it or not, Game of Thrones is coming to an end. Which means that when season eight of the HBO drama finally airs in 2019, fans are going to have to say goodbye to each and every one of their favorite characters.

And as can only be expected from the show that gave us the Red Wedding and Hold the door, it sounds as though not all of those goodbyes will be pleasant ones.

In an interview with Vanity Fair that was published on Wednesday, Emilia Clarke seemed to hint that Daenerys Targaryens last scene will almost certainly be controversial. It fed me up, she said of shooting her characters final on-screen moments. Knowing that is going to be a lasting flavor in someones mouth of what Daenerys is . . .

For her part, it seems like no one will miss the Mother of Dragons more than Clarke herself.

The transformation of Daenerys is the greatest gift Ive been given as an actor, 100 percent, she recently told The Hollywood Reporter. Daenerys is so much a part of who I am, and I am so much a part of who she is, so its this incredibly frightening thing to walk away frombut at the same time, unbelievably exciting.Brussels (AFP) - The EU on Thursday dismissed British "fantasy" on solving the Irish border problem after Brexit talks in Brussels this week and warned it would be hard to make progress by a key summit in June.

The warning by a senior EU official came as UK lawmakers said Britain may have to extend its post-Brexit transition period as far as 2023 to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.

The official, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity, said that they were "concerned" by the fact that Britain did not seem to accept the consequences of its decision to leave the EU.

"I have the impression the UK thinks everything has to change on the EU side so everything can stay the same for the UK," the official said, summing up three days of talks with British negotiators.

Brussels has said there needs to be progress on a solution by the June 28-29 EU summit to prevent the return of border checks between EU member Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland.

"Progress on Ireland seems elusive, substantive progress even more so," the official said.

The EU has proposed a "backstop" solution under which Northern Ireland would remain under the bloc's rules, but Britain says that would effectively create a border between the province and the rest of the UK.

British counter proposals for the whole of the country to stay in the EU's customs union after it leaves the bloc -- while leaving other EU regulations and the control of the bloc's top court -- are in return rejected by Brussels.

"We have to do away with the fantasy that there is an all-UK solution" of Britain staying in the customs union to avoid a hard Ireland border, the official said.

Britain also had unrealistic expectations on the extent of a future defence relationship, and on its wish to stay in the Galileo satellite navigation programme, the EU official added.

The official meanwhile said that the British negotiators had not formally mentioned any extension of the current transition period, which is due to run from Britain's departure in March 2019 until the end of 2020, and refused to comment on press reports.

Britain's Brexit parliamentary committee said in a report Thursday that the government's failure to draw up a Brexit blueprint may mean the country will be forced to remain in the EU's customs union past 2020.

British Prime Minister Theresa May's cabinet is in deadlock over two options for customs arrangements -- although the EU official said they expected formal British proposals within weeks.By Brendan Pierson

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former town official in New York's Nassau County was found not guilty on Thursday of taking bribes from a restaurateur, as jurors continued to weigh the fate of the county's former top elected executive charged in the same case.

Former Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto was acquitted following a trial in federal court in Central Islip, New York, according to John Marzulli, a spokesman for federal prosecutors. Marzulli declined to comment on the verdict.

"We are over the moon with Mr. Venditto being acquitted," said Marc Agnifilo, Venditto's lawyer. "Its a great day for him and our jury system."

The jury said on Wednesday afternoon that it had not yet reached a decision regarding former Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano or his wife, Linda Mangano, who were on trial alongside Venditto.

John Carman, a lawyer for Linda Mangano, said of Thursday's acquittal that Venditto's lawyers had "brilliantly exposed the government's flawed theory of guilt."

A lawyer for Edward Mangano could not immediately be reached.

Prosecutors charged Mangano and Venditto with accepting bribes and kickbacks from Oyster Bay restaurateur Harendra Singh in exchange for favorable treatment, including government contracts and loans. They said the bribes included a no-show job for Linda Mangano.

Singh was charged separately in 2015, pleaded guilty and testified at the trial. He was a major fundraiser for New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio, who was also investigated for possible corruption by state and federal authorities but ultimately not charged.

(Reporting by Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Dan Grebler and Tom Brown)Paris (AFP) - Ten families from Europe, Kenya, and Fiji have filed suit against the European Union, seeking to limit global warming's threats to their homes and livelihoods, their lawyers said Thursday.

They insist the bloc must do more to limit climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions, and point to drought, glacier melt, sea level rise and flooding that will only worsen as temperatures rise.

The plaintiffs before the EU's top court, the European Court of Justice are "families living near the coast, families owning forests in Portugal, families in the mountains that see the glaciers melting, families in the north that are affected by permafrost melting," their lawer Roda Verheyen told AFP.

They "are already being impacted by climate change, already incurring damage... and they are saying: 'EU, you have to do what you can to protect us because otherwise our damage will be catastrophical'," Verheyen said.

The claim, nicknamed the "People's Climate Case", is the first of its kind brought against the EU, the group's lawyers said.

Previously, suits were filed against individual governments.

In Paris in 2015, the world's nations agreed to limit average global warming to under two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels.

This would be achieved by limiting emissions of planet-warming gases emitted by burning fossil fuels coal, oil and gas.

Under the pact, nations submitted voluntary emissions-cutting pledges. But these are forecast to still leave the planet on track for warming of 3.0 C -- a level scientists warn will entail more frequent super-storms, longer droughts and an island-swallowing rise in the sea level.

The average global temperature has already climbed about 1.0 C, researchers said.

The EU has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.

This goal is inadequate to protect the plaintiffs "fundamental rights such as the right to life, health, property, and occupation," said the Climate Action Network (CAN) lobby group backing the court bid.

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- World leader? -

Petru Vlad, a 50-year-old father of three who farms 100 sheep and a dozen cows in the mountains of central Romania, complains about dwindling water supplies due to changing rainfall patterns.

"There is no more water," he told AFP.

And the vegetation his herd feeds on has also changed. "Now there is only grass with tough roots better able to survive the drought," he said.

"Through this case, I am not seeking to be compensated, but mainly to alert the authorities in the EU of the situation," added Armando Carvalho, a Portuguese forester who saw all his trees destroyed by wildfires in 2017.

Wildfires are predicted to become more commonplace as forest cover dries out in an ever warmer world.

"The EU carries responsibility for these issues as a world leader," insisted Carvalho.

The 30-odd plaintiffs want the Luxembourg-based court to compel the European Parliament and EU's executive council of ministers to significantly upgrade a number of emissions-curbing directives.

They also want the court to rule that climate change is a human rights issue, and that the EU "is responsible to protect their rights, also the rights of today's children and future generations," said the CAN.

The plaintiffs include a family from the Italian Alps which has seen ice-based tourism dwindle due to warmer winters, one from a German island disappearing under rising ocean waters, and a group of Sweden's indigenous Sami herders whose reindeer increasingly struggle to find food.

Also in their midst is a family from Kenya affected by heatwaves and desertification, and Fijians plagued by seasonal cyclones and declining fisheries due to coral bleaching.

"Climate change is felt everywhere in the world, there's a global responsiblity," CAN representative Wendel Trio said of the decision to include non-European plaintiffs.

It could be several months before the court announces whether it will hear the case, officially submitted on Wednesday.

German NGO Protect the Planet is carrying the costs of the application.

burs-abd/mlr/bmm(PARIS)  French President Emmanuel Macron took on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other internet giants Wednesday at a Paris meeting to discuss personal data protection and taxes as France pushes for tougher European regulations.

Macron welcomed Zuckerberg and the leaders of dozens of other tech companies, including Microsoft, Uber, and IBM, at a Tech for Good conference meant to address how they could use their global influence for the public good.

The meeting came as Facebook, Google and other online giants are increasingly seen by the public as predators that abuse personal data, avoid taxes and stifle competition.

Macron, who also met privately with Zuckerberg at the presidential Elysee palace, said beforehand that he would keep asking the Facebook co-founder to make commitments.

France defends the idea of tough regulations such as a 3 percent digital tax on tech companies gross revenue in the European Union, Macron said, adding that its crucial that internet giants pay taxes. He also wants new regulations to combat extremist propaganda online and cyber-bullying.

Privacy was another issue Macron raised with Zuckerberg and the other tech executives in one-on-one meetings and at a group lunch in the presidential palace with philanthropists and politicians.

Zuckerberg came to Paris after facing tough questions Tuesday from European Union lawmakers in Brussels, where he apologized for the way the social network has been used to produce fake news and interfere in elections.

Facebook didnt take a broad enough view of our responsibilities, he said, adding: That was a mistake, and Im sorry for it.

But Zuckerberg also frustrated the EU lawmakers as the testimonys setup allowed him to respond to a list of questions as he sought fit.

Macron sees himself as uniquely placed to both understand and influence the tech world. Frances youngest president, Macron has championed startups and aggressively wooed technology investors.

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But Macron is also one of Europes most vocal critics of tax schemes used by companies like Facebook that deprive governments of billions of euros a year in potential revenue. And Macron has defended an aggressive new European data protection law that comes into effect this week. The so-called GDPR regulation will give Europeans more control over what companies can do with what they post, search and click.

Several companies took advantage of the meeting to announce new initiatives.

Microsoft said it would extend the new European data protection law to its clients worldwide. Google committed $100 million over the next five years to support nonprofit projects such as training in digital technologies.

Uber said it will finance insurance coverage to better protect its European drivers in case of accidents at work, serious illness, hospitalization and maternity leave. And IBM announced the creation of 1,400 new jobs by 2020 in France.

Tencent, Chinas biggest tech company by market value, presented online education programs to bring art classes and other resources to rural students around China, and projects to dispel rumors online and teach users to be more discerning.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe called Wednesdays announcements a turning point for companies that were navigating somehow on the edge and are now choosing to bear their responsibilities.

Its unclear, however, whether Zuckerbergs Europe trip will lead to shifts in Facebook practices. And concerns remain that technology companies will abuse their unprecedented power over consumers, notably as new innovations emerge.

Macron, Zuckerberg and others are expected to attend the Vivatech gadget show in Paris on Thursday.Ms Abrams has already made history as Georgia's first black and first woman nominee for a major party - REUTERS

Georgia could be set to elect the first black female governor in US history after lawyer Stacey Abrams won the Democratic primary for the race.

Ms Abrams has already made history as both the first black candidate and the first woman to be nominated by a major party in the southern state.

The 44-year-old lawyer will face a Republican candidate in November's high-stakes election.

A Democrat has not been elected governor in the deeply conservative state since 2003.

Ms Abrams, who won 75 per cent of the vote in Tuesday's Democratic primary, said: We are writing the next chapter of Georgias history, where no one is unseen, no one is unheard and no one is uninspired.

President Trump won Georgia, whose capital city Atlanta is a magnet for immigrants from across the world, by just five percentage points in the 2016 presidential race.

Ms Abrams is a rising star of the Democrats' progressive wing Credit: AP

However Ms Abrams has suggested she is unlikely to target rural white voters who have abandoned the Democratic party, telling voters that attempts to "convert" Republicans into Democrats had previously failed.

Three other southern states - Kentucky, Arkansas and Texas - also elected female nominees in Democratic primaries on Tuesday ahead of the midterm elections.

The US currently has just six female governors, but the increase in successful female candidates in various political races has been seen in the context of the 'Me Too' and 'Times Up' movements.

That was certainly the view of Amy McGrath, a former fighter pilot, who won a Kentucky primary for a seat in the US House of Representatives.

"It's more, this time, this climate, right now," she told CNN before her win against Jim Gray, mayor of Lexington. "It's very clear that people are looking for more women."

Ms Abrams, who has a law degree from Yale University and a masters from the University of Texas is considered a rising star within Democratic party's progressive faction.

Story continues

Hillary Clinton, whom Ms Abrams strongly backed in the presidential election, recorded a robocall for her ahead of Tuesday's race.

A number of other prominent Democrats, including Bernie Sanders and Kirsten Gillibrand, have backed the Georgia nominee.

Ms Abrams, who was elected to Georgia's state House of Representative in 2006, has also written eight romantic novels under the pen name Selena Montgomery.By Riham Alkousaa and Caroline Copley BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's small-to-medium-sized firms, or Mittelstand, are scrambling to work out how to maintain business in Iran after a meeting between Germany's foreign minister and his U.S. counterpart dashed any hopes of a breakthrough on the nuclear accord. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has threatened to impose the "strongest sanctions in history" against Iran after President Donald Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal this month. Faced with the prospect of being blacklisted by the United States if they defy sanctions, many German companies are awaiting guidance from Berlin about how they can honor contracts and continue financing operations in the Islamic Republic. Around 1,000 German Mittelstand firms have business ties to Iran and 130 firms have set up branches in the country. They are now faced with "draconian penalties" if they breach sanctions, said Mario Ohoven, president of the German Association for Small and Medium-Sized firms. Even companies that don't have direct U.S. business ties could be put on a blacklist for breaching secondary sanctions. This would prevent them from doing business with U.S. companies, for example receiving shipments from the United States, said Philipp Andree, an Iran expert at Germany's DIHK Chambers of Industries and Commerce. German steel plant maker SMS Group signed a $400 million deal in February last year to expand capacity of an Iranian steel plant. However, it has put its plans on ice and is wrapping up its business in the country. A German software company which has struck a co-operation partnership in Iran said it was trying to work out how to honor its contracts while not annoying its partners in the United States. "We are seeking dialogue with German politicians. On the one hand we want to fulfil our contracts, but on the other hand cannot afford to violate U.S. commercial demands," said the manager who did not wish his company to be identified. As well as issues around money transfers, the sharp depreciation in the Iranian rial posed a problem, he added. German foreign minister Heiko Mass said after meeting Pompeo on Wednesday that there was no compromise in sight, underscoring the deep divisions that remain between the United States and Europe, which wants to keep the nuclear deal alive. BFB Pharma Handel GmbH, an exporter of nutritional supplements that has been active in Iran for 14 years and does most of its business with the country, said it started facing difficulties last year. "We are a very small company and we depend of course on monthly money transfers. When there is no money coming, one can become insolvent," said Chief Executive Manutschehr Bonehie. "Many companies are suffering from this. The government should find a way for Mittelstand companies." "BLUNT SWORD" Having been stung by U.S. penalties in the past for busting U.S. sanctions, Germany's largest banks, which have operations in the United States, have shied away from financing business with Iran, leaving it up to smaller credit unions and the European-Iranian Trade Bank to transfer funds. But, in a blow to many smaller exporters, DZ bank, the umbrella organization of German cooperative bank chain Raiffeisen-Volksbanken, said last week it would suspend financial transactions with Iran on July 1. Patrizia Melfi, director of the international competence center for six regional Volksbanken that have specialized in transactions with difficult countries, said they would continue to process transactions from Iran. But she said a problem could arise if Iran is cut off from the global payments network SWIFT. "One solution could be for the Iranian central bank to transfer the money to an account at the Bundesbank (German central bank) from which it could then go to individual firms," she said. Last week, the European Commission proposed that EU governments make direct money transfers to Iran's central bank to avoid U.S. penalties to bypass the U.S. financial system. It has also suggested renewing a sanctions-blocking measure to protect European businesses in Iran. Ohoven of the German Association for Small and Medium-Sized firms said the blocking statue was a "blunt sword" and it would make more sense to lobby at the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control to ensure financing channels remained open for business with Iran. Germany's cultural and commercial ties with Iran date back to the 19th century. It used to be one of the Islamic Republic's most important trading partners, but exports deteriorated from a high of 4.4 billion euros ($5.16 billion) in 2015 to 1.8 billion in 2013. In 2017, sales rose 15 percent to almost 3 billion euros, making Iran Germany's 50th most important trading partner. Some Mittelstand firms remain sanguine about business prospects for the time being. Eleven German companies plan to travel to the Iran Health trade fair in Tehran in June, said Jennifer Goldenstede, head of foreign trade and export promotion, at high-tech industry association Spectaris. "I think they will use the trade fair as an opportunity to get a handle on the situation and speak to traders," she said. (Additional reporting by Hans Seidenstuecker in Frankfurt and Noah Barkin in Berlin; Editing by Susan Fenton)A Grizzly bear mother and her cub walk near Pelican Creek in the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming: KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images

State wildlife officials have approved Wyoming's first grizzly bear hunt in 44 years.

The decision allows hunters to shoot and kill as many as 22 grizzlies in total in a wide area to the east and south of Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.

It comes after the Trump administration decided to de-list the animal as a threatened species in the region, an idea formerly proposed in 2016, under the Obama administration.

The move was based on US Fish and Wildlife Service findings which suggested the bears' numbers had recovered sufficiently in recent decades that federal safeguards were no longer necessary.

Since the decision, environmental activists have sued the US government in an attempt to restore the grizzly's federal protected status, arguing climate change and poaching still threaten the species' viability.

The region, which also includes parts of Montana and Idaho, is home to around 700 of the bears.

Montana has not yet allowed grizzlies to be hunted, but Idaho will allow one to be hunted in September.

Slow to reproduce, grizzlies number fewer than 2,000 in the lower 48 states, compared to an historic high of 100,000 before widespread shooting, poisoning and trapping had reduced their numbers to just several hundred by 1975, when they were placed under federal protection.

They are also at the heart of a cultural divide between Native Americans, who revere the bears, and ranchers and others who see them as potential threats to livestock and a potential impediment to further mining, logging and fossil energy development.

The decision, approved 7-0 by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission, was denounced by tribal leaders.

"This is a sacred being that is central to our religious and life ways," said Brian Jackson of the Blackfoot Confederacy. "This is not a hunting issue; this is a killing issue."

But others welcomed the opportunity to hunt in order to keep grizzly numbers in check.

"I know 'management' seems to have gotten a dirty name. But that's the way we have to do it if want these animals to continue in the state," said Charles Price, a rancher and former Game and Fish commissioner. "Hunting must be part of the management system."

Story continues

It comes as Mr Donald Trump's administration proposed scrapping rules banning hunters from using bait to lure grizzly bears into the open.

Previously, bear-baiting was decided to be potentially unsafe and inconsistent with federal laws.

Additional reporting by agenciesBy Marco Garcia PAHALA, Hawaii (Reuters) - The restive Kilauea Volcano belched clouds of ash into the skies over Hawaii's Big Island twice more on Wednesday as civil defense authorities reported that pressurized geothermal wells at a nearby power plant had been spared from approaching lava. The latest back-to-back upheavals of ash from the main summit crater of Kilauea -- one before dawn and another several hours later -- came on the 21st day of what geologists rank as one of the biggest eruption cycles in a century from one of the world's most active volcanoes. The earlier ash plume rose to a height of 8,000 feet (2,438 meters), while the later one reached about 5,000 feet (1,524 meters), authorities said. Intermittent explosions of ash from the summit, believed to be driven by underground bursts of steam deep inside the throat of the crater vent, are occurring about twice a day, with smaller blasts in between, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) vulcanologist Wendy Stovall told reporters. The Hawaii County Civil Defense agency warned in its latest bulletin that residents downwind of Kilauea should take care to avoid exposure to ash, which can cause eye irritation and breathing difficulties, particularly in people with respiratory problems. "The ash has just been nonstop every day since the summit has been erupting," said Tiahti Fernandez, 24, as she sat in a car parked outside her father-in-law's home in the tiny farming village of Pahala, 26 miles (42 km) southwest of the summit crater. "Every day we have to wash our cars and wash down the patio because the ash just covers everything," she said over the crowing of four roosters tethered to a chicken coop in the yard. "The air quality has been so bad that everybody has been walking around with a (dust) mask." A fine layer of brownish-gray ash coated vehicles and other surfaces, and an ash plume rising from the volcano summit was visible in the distance through the hazy air. Emissions of sulfur dioxide gas, harmful if inhaled, also remained at high levels from newly opened lava-spewing fissures in the ground running through populated areas on the eastern flank of the volcano, authorities said. "Residents in the affected area should be prepared to take leave of the area with little notice due to gas or lava inundation," the civil defense bulletin warned. CRISIS AVERTED AT GEOTHERMAL PLANT One potential hazard that appeared to have been brought under control was at the Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) plant, which provides about a quarter of the Big Island's electricity. Lava from an active fissure nearby had flowed onto the property early this week, posing the risk of toxic gases being released in the event molten rock encroached into any of several pressurized deep-underground wells. Utility crews racing to quench the wells with cold water and plug them with mud had managed to mostly secure the site. The civil defense agency reported on Wednesday, "there is no immediate threat to any of the wells at PGV." The facility also received a respite from Mother Nature. Accumulations of cooled, hardened lava created a thick, 30-foot (9.14-meter) high wall of solid volcanic rock channeling fresh lava streams from fissures to the south, away from the PGV plant, USGS scientists said. Authorities also were monitoring hazards from noxious clouds of acid fumes, steam and fine glass-like particles -- called laze -- emitted when lava flows pour into the ocean on the island's southern end. Laze -- a term combining the words "lava" and "haze" -- is formed when molten lava, reaching temperatures of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,093 Celsius), reacts with sea water. Although potentially fatal if inhaled, Stovall said the danger was confined to the immediate vicinity of laze plumes themselves. Kilauea rumbled back to life on May 3 as it began extruding lava and sulfur dioxide emissions through a series of fissures, marking the latest phase of an eruption cycle that has continued nearly nonstop for 35 years. The occurrence of new lava vents, now numbering about two dozen, have been accompanied by earthquakes and periodic eruptions from the summit crater. At least 44 homes and other structures have been destroyed, and a man was seriously injured on Saturday when a chunk of lava shot out of a fissure and struck him in the leg. Some 2,000 people remain under evacuation orders due to lava flows and sulfur dioxide gas. Civil defense officials said contingency plans for further evacuations were being prepared with National Guard officials in case they become necessary. (Additional reporting by Jolyn Rosa in Honolulu; Writing and additional reporting by by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Sandra Maler and Michael Perry)Kirstjen Nielsen says: I do not believe Ive seen that conclusion that the specific intent was to help President Trump win

Kirstjen Nielsen said: I do not believe Ive seen that conclusion that the specific intent was to help President Trump win. Im not aware of that. Photograph: Erin Schaff/Reuters

Donald Trumps homeland security secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, told reporters on Tuesday she was unaware of intelligence assessments that Russia favored Trump over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.

I do not believe Ive seen that conclusion that the specific intent was to help President Trump win, she said. Im not aware of that.

Nielsens comments stand at odds with the US intelligence community, which concluded in 2017 that Russia tried to influence the 2016 election to benefit Trump. Last week, the Senate intelligence committee said it agreed with that assessment.

Nielsen was speaking to reporters after briefing House lawmakers on election security efforts.

The House intelligence committee reported last month that though Russia did interfere in the US election and wanted to hamper the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, it had not seen evidence the interference was meant to help Trump.

The chairman of the House panel, Devin Nunes, has been extensively criticised for his closeness to the Trump White House. His committee said intelligence agencies failed to use proper analytic tradecraft when they assessed the intentions of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

Nielsen, who was reported earlier this month to have considered resigning over criticism from Trump regarding immigration policy, said she generally had no reason to doubt any intelligence assessment.

Six people were pulled alive from the wreckage of a private jet Tuesday after it apparently overshot a runway in Honduras and nearly broke in half.

Despite the startling photos posted online by Honduran firefighters, no one was killed in the crash.

According to reports, five of those aboard were Americans, four of whom worked for the Texas-based pawn shop company EZCORP. The fifth American was a crew member and a sixth survivor was a Venezuelan crew member.

"The company is coordinating to make sure the employees and crew are receiving proper medical attention," EZCORP said in a statement.

The Gulfstream G200 was traveling from Austin, Texas, to Toncontin International Airport in Tegucigalpa when the aircraft overshot the notoriously treacherous runway, EZCORP said.

Video from the scene showed people pulling victims out of the damaged fuselage while others sprayed the plane with fire extinguishers.

The injuries were mostly minor, with one employee and one crew member sustaining more extensive injuries, according to EZCORP.

The company said it is working to make sure the employees and crew are receiving proper medical attention.

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Related Articles:Here are some of the companies Yahoo Finance is watching today.

Hormel (HRL) tops our list. The Hormel Bacon and Skippy peanut butter maker missed on earnings and revenue for its second quarter but reiterated its outlook for the rest of the year. Despite the miss, Hormels CEO noted record sales in its refrigerated foods division  with net sales up nearly 15% from a year ago.

TD Bank (TD) is posting beats on revenue and net income for its second quarter. The Canada based bank also reported a 17% jump in its Canadian retail business year over year thanks to a boost in trading volumes and the use of digital tools to pre-approve mortgages.

Victoria Secrets parent company, L Brands (LB), beat on EPS and net income for its first quarter, and the stock is sliding after the company cut its profit outlook. Earlier this month, L Brands alluded to making too much of its popular Pink brand merchandise.

Deutsche Bank (DB) is slashing its workforce. The German bank is cutting 7,000 workers worldwide by next year in hopes to make the lender profitable again. This is CEO Christian Sewings first big move since taking over for ousted chief John Cryan last month.

And finally, Uber says it booked a whopping 55% more rides and food deliveries from a year ago. Uber also says its finally in the black after selling its Southeast Asian and Russian operations, netting $3 billion. The self-released report comes as Uber reportedly preps for a 2019 IPO.A dramatic fight over immigration has underlined the divisions among House Republicans as they approach the midterm elections under a lame-duck Speaker.

For the last two weeks, a bloc of moderate Republicans have joined with Democrats to try to force a vote to force a series of votes on immigration policy, defying their own congressional leadership and infuriating other members of their party. The group is trying to sidestep GOP colleagues by using an arcane procedural measure, known as a discharge petition, which can push a bill to the floor with the backing of a majority of House members signatures.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the petition needed just four more Republican signatures, assuming it has the unanimous consent of Democrats, who have long pushed for a vote on a proposal to preserve the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects from deportation some immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

Forcing the vote would be a remarkable rebuke to House Speaker Paul Ryan, who has urged Republicans not to sign the petition. Its futile, Ryan argued. The rank-and-files willingness to go against Ryan speaks to the growing frustration among G.O.P. moderates with House leadership as well as with their right-wing colleagues in the House Freedom Caucus.

Its been nearly nine months since President Donald Trump announced that he would rescind DACA and asked Congress to fix the Obama-era executive action. In that time, neither chamber of Congress has found a legislative solution. Its time for Congress to do its job and have the debate that it has avoided for years, Rep. Jeff Denham, a California Republican helping to lead the push, wrote in an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times.

Conservative Republicans are clamoring for a vote of their own: on a hardline bill sponsored by retiring Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia that would cut legal immigration to the U.S. by nearly half. Last week, a faction of these conservatives, led by Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, who chairs the Freedom Caucus, sunk an $867 farm bill as an act of protest in the face of inaction.

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It was an embarrassment for Ryan, and the success of the discharge petition would only compound it. In the wake of his retirement announcement last month, rumors of an imminent coup against him have swirled on Capitol Hill, despite his insistence that he would hold onto the speakership until the end of his term in January.

Hanging over all this is the prospect of steep losses in this Novembers midterm elections, with party elders steeling for a potential Democratic wave. But the schism on immigration is spreading to the donor community, threatening some rank-and-file members clinging to their seats. Politico reported on Wednesday morning that John Rowe, a prominent Republican donor, would cut funding to Republican lawmakers who declined to support the moderates discharge petition.

House conservatives are still hoping the petitioners wont have the numbers. Do they even have the votes? [Its a] non-issue if they cant find four, says GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Others say that while they understand some Republicans in districts with sizable Hispanic populations might need to adopt a moderate stance on immigration, the majority of the party answers to a more conservative electorate.

To pass with predominately Democratic voters would be a violation of the Speakers promise, Meadows said Wednesday, and certainly wouldnt be in keeping with what the overall conference wants.

But Meadows told reporters that this was not a veiled threat to Ryans speakership. The whole narrative that his job is at risk just is not accurate, he said. I can tell you at this point that the speaker will be the speaker until he decides to leave, which I fully expect will be after the November elections.Indian police on Tuesday killed 12 demonstrators after opening fire on thousands of people demanding the closure of a copper factory due to pollution concerns, a police officer said.

Protesters rampaged for hours in the southern state of Tamil Nadu calling for the closure of the plant owned by British-based mining giant Vedanta Resources.

"We have confirmation of 12 people being killed in police firing. We fear the toll may rise," the officer told AFP from the state capital Chennai.

An unknown number of protesters were injured in the skirmishes, he said.

Some 20 police were also injured in the clashes in Tuticorin, about 600 kilometres (375 miles) south of Chennai.

The shootings caused immediate outrage. Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition Congress party, said it was "state sponsored terrorism".

Protesters stormed the office of the top local administrator and set it ablaze after they were denied permission to hold a rally at the smelting plant.

The police officer said efforts to disperse the 5,000 strong rock-throwing group through a baton charge and tear gas volleys failed. Police then fired live ammunition, he added.

Another officer said more than 110 vehicles were burnt during the disturbances that lasted nearly four hours.

Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami ordered an inquiry into the shootings but defended the police.

"The police had to take action under unavoidable circumstances to protect public life and property as the protesters resorted to repeated violence... police had to control the violence," he said in a statement.

The families of each victim would be offered one million rupees ($14,700) compensation, he added.

- Controversial factory -

Residents have been protesting for months against the plant run by a Vedanta subsidiary, Sterlite Copper.

Environmentalists and locals allege the plant is contaminating water resources, a charge denied by the company.

The protests have intensified after Vedanta, owned by an Indian billionaire but with its head office in London, sought to expand the plant.

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The plant -- which is currently non-operational -- has a 400,000-tonne annual capacity.

It was shut briefly after an alleged gas leak in March 2013 that left hundreds with breathing difficulties, nausea and throat infections.

India's federal green court allowed it to be reopened.

The company maintains that it adheres to environmental standards and accused vested interests of spreading "false propaganda" about its operations.

Tamil Nadu is one of India's most industrialised and prosperous states and similar protests over environmental concerns have turned deadly.

Tuticorin witnessed violent demonstrations in 2012 over a nuclear power plant in neighbouring Kudankulam district that left one person dead.

Thousands of protesters blocked roads to prevent supplies reaching the Russian-built plant, concerned about safety standards. One of the plant units is operational.

In 2016, the Indian arm of global consumer goods giant Unilever settled a 15-year-old suit with hundreds of its former employees over mercury contamination at a thermometer factory in Kodaikanal.

The factory was shut in 2001 after it was found to have disposed mercury waste with following proper protocol.North Korea's test of a Hwasong-12 intermediate range missile in August 2017 - KCNA via KNS

International journalists on Wednesday set out on an arduous journey to witness the dismantlement of North Koreas nuclear test site, Punggye-ri  an event that experts predict will be more about PR than substance.

The departure of about 22 Chinese, American, Russian and British journalists, including a Sky News team, from the North Korean port city of Wonsan, was delayed in order to wait for the arrival of eight more South Korean journalists from Beijing.

The South Koreans had initially been dropped from the trip after a diplomatic spat between North and South over military drills, but that decision was suddenly reversed early on Wednesday. It followed a threat from President Donald Trump that a June summit with Kim Jong-un could be called off.

Journalists on the trip revealed that they face a 12 hour train ride, followed by four hours on a bus and then a two hour hike to reach the remote test site in the mountains of Kilju County, North Hamgyong province.

Tom Cheshire, Sky News Asia correspondent, described a surreal first day after the first batch of journalists were flown to Wonsan on a charter flight from Beijing on Tuesday.

Satellite images of the Punggye-ri test site on May 7 2018 Credit: DigitalGlobe/ScapeWare3d/DigitalGlobe/Getty Images

His teams satellite phone and radiation dosimeter  a device to measure the level of nuclear radiation they would absorb  were immediately confiscated at the airport, he revealed.

Officials assured us that the test site is completely safe so we would not need it, despite our repeated protests, he wrote.

Even after arrival, the journalists were being kept in the dark about their schedule, he continued. What is sure is that it will be what the North Korean regime want to show. A government minder is by our side every minute.

Mr Cheshire said their hotel in the port city, which until recently was a base for artillery drills and missile launches, was intended to be a luxury resort and had the overpowering smell of fresh paint.

#breaking Bus carrying South Korean journalists arrives at our hotel in Wonsan. We depart for the Punggye Ri nuclear site in a few minutes. See you when we come out! pic.twitter.com/9FsO3JHeZv  Will Ripley (@willripleyCNN) May 23, 2018

The visitors were offered a "bizarre banquet" in a large hall. Music  a violin cover of Frank Sinatras My Way  was piped in. On the menu: everything from fondue to steak, as well as fried turtle and shark fin soup, and row after row of silver cutlery, he said.

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In a country that has suffered so much from famine and poverty, and which continues to suffer, it was a dislocating experience.

The journalists are expected to be able to film the dismantlement of Punggye-ri, the only active nuclear weapons test site in the world, from a viewing platform at a safe distance.

The exercise is intended by Pyongyang to show good faith over a moratorium on nuclear and missiles tests that it announced in April, amid a diplomatic thaw with South Korea and ahead of a summit with President Trump in Singapore that is still planned for June 12.

Since 2006, the North Korean regime has conducted six nuclear tests in tunnels beneath Mount Mantap, close to Punggye-ri. The most recent, on September 3 last year, caused a 6.3 magnitude earthquake.

According to several reports, the blast, which was almost 17 times the size of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima at the end of World War II, may have caused the site to partially collapse, raising concerns about the stability of the mountain itself.

In October, the Japanese media reported that a tunnel under construction had collapsed, killing up to 200 workers.

North Koreas decision to close the site has been welcomed by the US and South Korea as a positive diplomatic gesture.

But scientists and nuclear experts, who have not been invited to the closing ceremony, have warned that the demolition of Punggye-ris tunnels will also destroy valuable evidence and data about the Norths weapons programmes.

North Korea's nuclear history: key moments

Cheryl Rofer, a chemist who has worked all over the world on the disassembling and decommissioning of nuclear and chemical weapons, said that much information about the countrys bombs could be gleaned by allowing experts access.

I would want to bring some capability of taking samples, and I would also want to bring a geologist with me. Id want to have a radiation counter, I would want to go into the tunnel to see if parts of it have caved in at the back, she told CNN.

Isotope measurements could tell you about the design of the device, it would tell you what kind of bombs theyre making, what theyre making them out of, how much uranium and plutonium is in the bombs. We might be able to infer what theyre planning and the shape of their progress, she said.A top Iranian general has warned the U.S. that his forces are prepared for any potential military action as President Donald Trump threatens to escalate his campaign against Tehran.

Major General Iranian Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, chief of staff for Iran's armed forces, made the remarks to parliament Wednesday as the country braced for further U.S. sanctions. The Trump administration has accused Iran of destabilizing the Middle East through support for foreign militias and developing ballistic missile technology, but Iranian officials have emphasized their commitment to a 2015 nuclear deal that the U.S. withdrew from earlier this month despite international pleas to remain.

"America is a disloyal, atrocious, criminal, isolated, angry enemy with disloyal, corrupt leaders whose salaries are paid by the Zionists and the MKO [People's Mujahedin of Iran] terrorist group," Bagheri said, according to the official Iranian National News Agency.

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"This is while Iran as a big nation is faithful to its promises and remains committed to the international laws," Bagheri said. He added, "Today Iran has reached its peak of power" and would not wait for permission to pursue its domestic and regional interests.

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ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images

Trump's May 8 exit from the multilateral nuclear agreement, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has triggered further regional instability. Shortly after Trump's announcement, Israeli jets struck suspected Iranian military sites in Syria, followed by a rocket attack targeting Israeli forces in the occupied Golan Heights. Israel responded with the largest wave of airstrikes against Syria since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

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The White House has defended Israel, which is widely believed to be behind a years-long campaign of airstrikes against Iranian and pro-Iran positions in Syria. Countries such as Russia and China, which have joined Iran in backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against rebels and jihadis, have urged both sides to show restraint.

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Related: Iran goes against Russia, says its staying in Syria as U.S. military threatens new actions

Russia and China, along with France, Germany and the U.K., are signatories to the 2015 nuclear agreement and called on Trump not to abandon it. In the U.S.'s absence, these nations have embarked on extensive negotiations with Iran in an attempt to save the deal as the regional flare-up threatened to erupt into an all-out conflict.

The U.S., which supported the 2011 uprising against Assad that precipitated the seven-year war in Syria, has targeted Syrian government sites in the wake of alleged chemical attacks and has launched airstrikes against pro-Syrian government fighters amid clashes in southern and eastern Syria. After Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed to launch "the strongest sanctions in history" against Iran on Monday, the Pentagon said it was considering "new actions" targeting the revolutionary Shiite Muslim power.

Ismail Kowsari, the deputy commander of the Sarollah Revolutionary Guards base in Tehran, responded to Pompeo's first major policy speech by calling on Iranians to unite and "deliver a strong punch to the mouth of the American secretary of state and anyone who backs them."

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INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR/MAPS4NEWS/ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES/REUTERS

Despite calls from the U.S. and Israel to withdraw, Iran has said it would remain in Syria as long as the Syrian government welcomed its presence. Tehran emphasized its stance after fellow Assad ally Russian President Vladimir Putin told the Syrian leader that all foreign fightersincluding Iranians and those supportive of Iranshould eventually leave as Syria's armed forces claimed consecutive victories. The Syrian government considers only Russian and Iranian intervention to be legal and has called on the U.S. and Turkey to withdraw their troops immediately.

"This topic is not even on the agenda of discussion, since it concerns the sovereignty of Syria. We cannot let anyone even raise this issue. Those who ask for something like thatand this is definitely not our Russian friendsare considering the possibility of intervention in all parts of Syria, including the support of terrorists in Syria and elsewhere in the region," Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told Russia's state-run Sputnik News.

Mekdad said that the Syrian government "highly appreciates" the contribution of Iranian and Russian forces to the fight against insurgents and said "the United States must stop supporting terrorists and respect Syria's sovereignty and choice of the Syrian people."

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekLONDON, May 23 (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader said it seeks peace with Europe to save the nuclear deal after the U.S. withdrawal, but experience had shown France, Germany and Britain followed Washington on sensitive issues.

"We don't want to start a fight with Europe but these three countries have shown that they will follow America in the most sensitive issues," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying on Wednesday his website.

Referring to former U.S. President George W. Bush's comments in 2002 when he branded Iran as part of an "axis of evil", Khamenei said history has proved to Tehran that "flexibility with enemies makes them bolder."

(Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; editing by John Stonestreet)By Raya Jalabi BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Thursday that allegations of fraud in national elections held last week will be investigated, according to a statement from his office. The electoral list of Moqtada al-Sadr, a populist Shi'ite cleric, unexpectedly won the biggest number of seats in the May 12 ballot. The fraud claims have centered on the city of Kirkuk - although there have been reports of irregularities in multiple provinces - and focused on the tabulation system in electronic voting machines that were used for the first time during the election. A special committee appointed by the cabinet will investigate the allegations, Abadi's office said. Some candidates have also expressed concerns about voter intimidation and reports of chaotic distribution of ID cards, which they claim disenfranchised hundreds of thousands of people. Following several days of complaints - including a call for an investigation by the UN's senior envoy to Iraq, Jan Kubis - the country's electoral commission said on Monday it had invalidated ballots from 103 polling stations in five provinces. The investigatory committee, which will include advisers from the security and intelligence sectors, will have access to all documents pertaining to the electoral process, including from the electoral commission. The commission could not immediately be reached for comment. (Reporting by Raya Jalabi; editing by John Stonestreet)The eighth amendment to Irelands constitution, which faces repeal in a national referendum on May 25, gives a mother and her unborn child an equal right to life and prevents any relaxation of the countrys near-total ban on abortion. This means that Irelands law on abortion is among the strictest in Europe and the world, though it does make some allowances for risk of loss of life of pregnant woman.

Though Fridays contentious referendum could be a major milestone in the history of abortion in Ireland, this is far from the first time the majority-Catholic country has confronted the issue. The last 40 years have seen many twists and turns in both public attitudes and the law.

Here are the key moments to know:

1983: The Eighth Amendment Referendum

While deliberately terminating a pregnancy has been a criminal offense in Ireland since 1861, the modern debate can be traced back to the 1970s, a time when regulations about abortion were changing in many places.

The U.K. had legalized abortion up to 28 weeks in 1967, and the U.S. Supreme Court had essentially legalized abortion in 1973 in Roe v. Wade. Alarmed by the trend, conservative politicians and the Catholic Church wanted to preempt any attempt to loosen the Irish ban. They launched an active campaign to introduce a constitutional amendment to that purpose, which culminated in a referendum in 1983. At that time, about 67% voted in favor of the eighth amendment  the very amendment up for repeal this week. The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn, the amendment reads, and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.

1992: The X Case



Some groups continued to protest the ban in the years following the referendum, but it was not until 1992s X Case that the abortion issue exploded back into the spotlight. A 14-year-old girl, known in the media only as X, was raped and, realizing she was pregnant, decided to travel to the U.K. to have an abortion. Her family told police about the plan, to find out if they could do a DNA test after the abortion to prove the paternity of the girls rapist. Instead, Irelands Attorney General blocked her from traveling abroad via an injunction. The girl became suicidal and her case quickly made it to the countrys Supreme Court, which lifted the injunction and ruled that abortions could take place where there was a real risk to the life of the mother, including from suicide.

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Since then, several attempts to remove suicide as grounds for abortion  including a referendum in 2002  have failed. But the Supreme Courts ruling did not make it into legislation for another 20 years.

The X case did lead to some change, though. Two referendums in November 1992 made it legal to travel abroad to seek abortions and to share information about foreign abortion services within Ireland. Some 170,000 women are estimated to have traveled out of Ireland for an abortion since 1980.

2012: Savita Praveen Halappanavar

The death of Savita Praveen Halappanavar in October 2012 once again brought global media attention to the countrys strict laws on abortion.

Halappanavar, 31, was admitted to a hospital in Galway while having a miscarriage. She repeatedly asked staff to terminate her pregnancy but they refused, telling her that Ireland was a Catholic country. She died at the hospital, from severe sepsis, five days after she had started miscarrying. The case angered many who had previously been apathetic about abortion law and reinvigorated the abortion-rights movement in Ireland.

2013: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act

The attention surrounding the Halappanavar case, as well as a 2010 ruling by the European Court of Human rights that Ireland was violating Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights by failing to enact the ruling from the 1992 X Case, spurred legislators to act. In 2013, they introduced the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act, allowing abortions in circumstances where there was a risk to the life of the mother.

Since then, the United Nations Human Rights Commission has criticized Irelands abortion laws as cruel and inhumane. Prime Minister Leo Varadkar announced the referendum on repealing the eighth amendment a few months after entering office in 2017.

Polls suggest the result will be close. If the eighth amendment is repealed, Varadkars government will likely legalize abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.Associated Press

Its a risky move by President Joe Biden that could come back to haunt him  and future presidents  in the hyperpartisan world of Washington politics. Democrat Biden has agreed to a request from Congress seeking sensitive information on the actions of Republican Donald Trump and his aides during the Jan. 6 insurrection, though the former president claims the information is guarded by executive privilege. The move by Biden isn't the final word; Trump says he will challenge the requests, and a lengthy legal battle is likely to ensue over the information.Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel said Thursday it will give final approval to the construction of 2,500 new homes in the occupied West Bank, the first tranche of settlements since the controversial US embassy move to Jerusalem.

The announcement was slammed by the Palestinians, as prospects of a peace accord between the sides appeared as distant as ever.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced his intention to request final approval from a planning committee for the building of 2,500 new homes in 30 West Bank settlements.

"The 2,500 new units we'll approve in the planning committee next week are for immediate construction in 2018," Lieberman said in a statement, adding he would also seek the committee's approval for a further 1,400 settlement units for later construction.

Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said Washington was complicit in the latest move.

"The continuation of the settlement policy, statements by American officials supporting settlements and incitement by Israeli ministers have ended the two-state solution and ended the American role in the region," he said in a statement published by official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

The 2,500 units include 400 homes in Ariel, 460 in Maale Adumim, 330 in the Etzion bloc, and a retirement home in Elkana, according to Lieberman.

Israel's West Bank planning committee was set to convene on Wednesday next week to discuss the request, though this was not officially confirmed.

"We're continuing the development momentum of the Judaea and Samaria settlements and are approving thousands of new units," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on his Twitter account, using the biblical term for the West Bank.

"We will soon approve more units."

- 'Torpedoing peace prospects' -

Israel's West Bank settlements are considered illegal under international law and are bitterly opposed by Palestinians.

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Neighbouring Jordan, along with Egypt one of only two Arab states to have signed a peace treaty with Israel, slammed the latest move.

"Unilateral Israeli measures, in particular settlement plans, are systematically aimed at torpedoing any prospect of peace," Information Minister Mohamed Momani wrote in an Arabic-language statement.

In a recent appeal to the International Criminal Court, the Palestinian foreign ministry called Israeli settlements "the single most dangerous threat to Palestinian lives and livelihoods".

Thursday was the first major settlement announcement since the US moved its embassy to Jerusalem on May 14, a move that infuriated Palestinians and intensified protests on the Gaza border, with 60 killed in clashes with Israeli forces that day.

Israel sees the entire city as its undivided capital, while the Palestinians want the eastern sector as the capital of their future state.

The Palestinians have said that in light of US President Donald Trump's decision to move the embassy, they could no longer trust Washington in its traditional role of brokering a peace deal with Israel.

Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now said that data, including Thursday's announcement, showed a leap in settlement-building during Trump's term so far.

"In the year and a half since President Trump took office some 14,454 units in the West Bank have been approved," the NGO said in a statement.

That, it added, "is more than three times the amount that was approved in the year and half before his inauguration (4,476 units)."

- US ambassador blasted -

US ambassador to Israel David Friedman maintains, however, that Trump "hasn't failed on the ultimate deal," the term the US president has used to describe peace with the Palestinians.

In a Wednesday interview with Israeli Channel 10, Friedman said Trump was working on a deal, which was expected to be presented "within months".

While Israel would expect to retain certain settlements in any two-state peace deal, longstanding international consensus has been that their status must be negotiated.

Friedman, who is Jewish and a longstanding supporter of Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, is deeply unpopular among Palestinians.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in March labelled him a "son of a dog".

And on Wednesday Abbas's adviser for religious affairs, Mahmud Habbash, called Friedman a "terrorist settler", in comments published by WAFA.

That came after a picture was published in Israeli and Palestinian media of the ambassador being presented with a provocative photo of annexed east Jerusalem with the revered Al-Aqsa mosque erased and replaced by a simulation of a Jewish temple.

A US embassy statement said the doctored image was pushed in front of Friedman without his consent during a visit to a charitable institution in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv.An Israeli minister has struck back against European criticism surrounding attacks on protesters demonstrating against Israeli violence in Gaza.

Israel's deadly response to recent Palestinian protests against the Israeli and U.S. governments has drawn local and international outrage. Jafar Farah, the head of Haifa-based NGO Massawa, was injured as Israeli security forces responded last week to a protest against Israel's killing of dozens of up to 111 Palestinians during two months of unrest at the border with Gaza.

The European Union has condemned Israel's use of deadly force in Gaza. In a statement Tuesday, the EU called for "a swift investigation into circumstances surrounding" Farah's injury and detainment in Haifa. Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz castigated the EU's response.

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"Let them go to a thousand thousand hells," Steinitz told a local radio station, calling the EU hypocritical, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz. "The EU is now sucking up to Iran and will help [Tehran] against U.S. sanctions."

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JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images

Steinitz reportedly accused the EU of "harassing" Israel, while "Iran is carrying out executions, torturing homosexuals, violating women's rights, supporting terrorism and [Syrian President Bashar] al-Assad, who is spreading chemical weapons to his people."

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Steinitz claimed that Israel had already opened an investigation into its crackdown on last week's Haifa protests, during which Israeli police can be seen beating handcuffed demonstrators in videos, and said he "sent to hell the European Union which doesn't really represent the European nations. This is an organization that no one is leading and is less friendly to Israel than the European states themselves."

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Farah's knee was broken during the protests and he was arrested along with about 20 others. Jafar Farah and his son, Basel, who was also present at the demonstrations, accused the Israeli police of brutality and claimed Israeli forces broke the elder Farah's knee after he inquired about his son's condition.

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"The only democracy in the Middle East does not need to break legs," Basel told the official Army Radio on Monday.

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MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images

Israel and the U.S. have accused Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas to be behind the recurring "Great March of Return" protests, in which tens of thousands of Palestinians have demanded to reclaim the lands they inhabited prior to the creation of Israel in 1948. The U.S., Israel and the EU consider Hamas to be a terrorist organization, and at least one of its officials has claimed some of the protesters killed were members of the group.

The United Nations Human Rights Council, however, has summoned an investigation into the deaths, most of which occurred during a May 14 protest against the U.S. decision to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, considered by both Israelis and Palestinians to be their capital. The controversial condemned 128 to 9 in a U.N. resolution in December.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekJerusalem (AFP) - Israel's supreme court ruled Thursday in favour of demolishing a Palestinian Bedouin village in the occupied West Bank, despite a campaign by European governments to save it.

Campaigners said the hearing had been the final appeal open to the village of Khan al-Ahmar, located close to several Israeli settlements east of Jerusalem.

It was unclear when the demolition of the village home to around 180 residents would take place.

In its ruling the court said it found "no reason to intervene in the decision of the minister of defence to implement the demolition orders issued against the illegal structures in Khan al-Ahmar."

The residents would be relocated elsewhere, it added, in a move critics say amounts to forcible transfer.

The court ruled that the village was built without the relevant building permits.

Such permits are nearly impossible to obtain for Palestinians in Israeli-controlled areas of the West Bank.

"This verdict takes away the absolute minimal protection the Bedouin communities received until recently from the court," Shlomo Lecker, the lawyer representing the village, said in a statement.

"By any standard of international humanitarian law, the verdict is an approval by the Israeli court of a crime against humanity."

The decision was likely to be met with anger by European governments, who had been fighting to save the village.

Last week the head of the British consulate-general in Jerusalem visited the village and said in a video clip published online that the planned demolition was a "matter of great concern for the UK and indeed for the European Union."

Earlier Thursday Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced 2,500 new settlement units in the West Bank.

All settlements are considered illegal under international law.Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the military's use of lethal force against Palestinians during protests and clashes on the Gaza border.

In the 41-page ruling published by the justice ministry Thursday night the panel of three justices unanimously rejected a petition by Israeli and Palestinian rights groups to restrain the army's use of snipers firing live ammunition.

Chief Justice Esther Hayut accepted the government position that the Gaza protesters were not peaceful civilian demonstrators but part of the "armed conflict" between Israel and the Gaza Strip's Islamist rulers Hamas.

But she said that despite the ruling the army should continue its internal review of the events and of its procedures.

The rules of engagement came under international fire after Israeli forces shot dead at least 62 Gazans on May 14, when thousands of Palestinians protested as the US officially moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the "violence of the Israeli armed forces against the protesters".

UN and European Union demands for an independent investigation were echoed by Britain, Germany and Switzerland.

Israel has rejected the idea and the United States, its strongest backer, has blocked moves for a probe at the United Nations.

Ireland and Belgium summoned the Israeli envoys in their capitals, while South Africa recalled its ambassador to Israel.

With at least 2,400 other Palestinians wounded, it was the bloodiest day of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the 2014 Gaza war and the peak of a campaign of protests launched on March 30.

Israeli forces have killed 121 Palestinians in those clashes. One Israeli soldier has been reported wounded over the same period.

Five Israeli NGOs and the Gaza-based Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights had argued in the court that international law bars the use of lethal fire against unarmed demonstrators.

The army has accused Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel since 2008, of seeking to use the protests as cover to carry out attacks.

It says that live fire is only used as a last resort after non-lethal means have failed to stop actions it considers "a real danger" to Israeli troops and civilians living near the border with Gaza.Rome (AFP) - Italy's prime ministerial nominee Giuseppe Conte on Thursday was locked in consultations to form a cabinet after being endorsed to lead a populist coalition government.

Conte's appointment could herald an end to more than two months of political uncertainty in the eurozone's third-biggest economy but the coalition's eurosceptic and anti-immigrant stance has alarmed senior European officials.

President Sergio Mattarella on Wednesday approved Conte's nomination to be prime minister of a government formed by the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the far-right League.

Little-known lawyer Conte survived a battering in the press over claims he exaggerated his CV.

On Thursday he held meetings with delegations from political parties in order to put together the country's new government.

According to the media he could present his cabinet to the president on Friday.

The list of ministerial candidates must be endorsed by Mattarella before it can seek parliamentary approval.

Italian media reported that League chief Matteo Salvini would become interior minister while Five Star leader Luigi Di Maio would be in charge of the economic development ministry.

Conte, 53, struck a conciliatory tone towards Europe when speaking to journalists at the presidential palace.

"I'm aware of the necessity to confirm Italy's place, both in Europe and internationally," said the prime ministerial nominee, who cast himself as the "people's lawyer".

"My intent is to give life to a government of the people that looks after their interests. I'm ready to defend the interests of Italians in Europe and internationally, maintaining dialogue with European institutions and representatives of other countries."

EU Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said Thursday it was a "fairly good sign" that Conte had called for dialogue.

"I continue to believe Italy will remain a core country of the eurozone," he added.

Story continues

- EU concerns -

Mattarella had reportedly been concerned about plans by the two coalition parties to name staunch eurosceptic Paolo Savona as economy minister.

A joint government programme unveiled by the parties on Friday pledges anti-austerity measures such as drastic tax cuts, a monthly basic income and pension reform rollbacks.

Di Maio and Salvini claim the measures will boost growth.

But EU officials have voiced concern that Italy could trigger a new eurozone crisis by refusing to stick to public spending and debt targets set by Brussels.

On Thursday the European Central Bank (ECB) -- which holds around 17 percent of Italy's 2.3-trillion-euro ($2.7-trillion) debt -- warned the country against reckless spending.

"A loosening of the fiscal stance in high-debt countries could impact the fiscal outlook and, by extension, market sentiment" towards governments when they try to sell bonds, the ECB said in its biannual financial stability report.

The government programme also includes plans to speed up expulsions of illegal immigrants and crack down on trafficking.

Nearly 700,000 people have landed in Italy since the migrant crisis exploded in 2013.

Bullish League leader Salvini has responded forcefully to criticsm of the programme. On Thursday he appeared to take aim at Brussels.

"Finally, we're getting off the ground. I hope there are no more attempts, from Italy or abroad to stop the change: Work first, security first," he tweeted.

"#ITALIANSFIRST. We will never again be anyone's slaves."

In Hungary, daily newspaper Magyar Idok -- which is close to eurosceptic Prime Minster Viktor Orban -- said in an editorial that it approved of the new government, adding it "could not do any harm in the battle against Brussels and in the run-up to the 2019 European elections".

- 'Worrying programme' -

At the March 4 election, Five Star became the country's largest single party in parliament with nearly 33 percent of the vote.

The nationalist League won 17 percent within a right-wing coalition that topped the polls.

Unhappy with the Five-Star League programme, the League's former allies -- including Forza Italia, the party of political heavyweight Silvio Berlusconi -- have placed themselves in opposition to the nascent government.

The coalition has a 32-seat majority in the lower Chamber of Deputies, but just a razor-thin six-seat majority in the Senate.

That could be reduced even further if senators such as Salvini are given ministerial roles.

Forza Italia has denounced the government programme as "worrying". The centre-left Democratic party (PD) said on Wednesday that it marked "the birth of a far-right government, with a far-right programme".

Centre-left former premier Matteo Renzi said his PD party would be the "civil opposition" to Conte.Scott B. MacDonald

Security, Europe

The Italian Freccie Tricolori aerobatics team perform prior the start of the Italian F1 Grand Prix in Monza, northern Italy September 6, 2015. REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito

Italy has the potential to be the next big crisis to face Europeand its new leadership knows it.

Italy's Political Problems Could Wrack the EU

Italy has finally formed a new government. The March 2018 elections left behind a radically different political landscape for Europes third largest economy, knocking out the pro-European center-left Democrats, with voters giving over 50 percent of their votes to two radically different parties, the Five Star Movement and League (and its allied parties). After over more than two months of negotiations, the duo have thrashed out their differences and agreed to form a government, taking Italy on a new path. Although there have been questions raised over the new alliances prime ministerial candidate, law professor Giuseppe Conte, the future direction of Italyat least in the short termwill is the hands of the political outsiders.

The Five Star and League do not easily align to the traditional political divide of right and left; rather they are populist, anti-establishment, anti-European Union, pro-Russia, and favor the loosening of the countrys fiscal restraints to achieve a faster pace of growth. They are also anti-immigration, the League more so than the Five Star. There is an expectation that an early policy initiative will be to tighten immigration. And both parties have a sizable core who favor taking Italy out of the Eurozone and seeking forgiveness of a portion of the countrys public sector debt. Italys debt is equal to 132 percent of GDP and, as such, it is a drag on economic growth.

The probability of a Five Star-League government, with spending and tax cuts, as well as its stated rejection of EU budget rules has left European markets in a nervous condition and widened spreads between Italian and German sovereign bonds.

The pending new governments views have also stirred up other European governments, which have little interest in reliving the financial turmoil sparked by the Greek sovereign debt crisis from 2009 to 2012. The French finance minister Bruno Le Maire was quick to warn his new colleagues in Italy, stating, If the new government took the risk of not respecting its commitments on debt, the deficit and the cleanup of banks, the financial stability of the entire euro zone will be threatened.

Story continues

League leader Matteo Salvini promptly responded to the French finance minister, saying that the warning was unacceptable interference. He added, I didnt ask for votes . . . to continue on a path of poverty, precariousness and immigration: Italians first!

According to Corriere della Sera, one of Italys leading newspapers, the cabinet-in-waiting is composed of Florence University law professor Giuseppe Conte as prime minister, with Five Star leader Luigi Di Maio serving as a joint minister of economic development and labor, while Salvini would be interior minister. Contes resume, however, has raised some questions about the validity of certain academic credentials, which could undermine his credibility and has complicated the transition process. Italys president, Sergio Matterella, has final say on the proposed new government and is taking his time.

Once in office, the first major challenge is going to be the economy. Italys next government inherits an economy that is finally growing. After an anemic 0.9 percent expansion in 2016, one of the slowest in Europe, the pace picked up in 2017 to 1.5 percent. According to the International Monetary Fund, real GDP growth is forecast to expand at 1.5 percent in 2018 and slow to 1.1 percent in 2019.

A key point of concern by the Five Star and League is that such weak growth rates do not bode well for reducing unemployment, which was declining but was still a high 11.3 percent in 2017. What makes this worse is that IMF projections through 2019 do not see Italian unemployment falling under 10.0 percent. Consequently, the pending new government will feel a high degree of pressure to take a different approach from tight fiscal policy, which means that it could find itself at odds with the European Union expects its members to have a fiscal deficit target of 3.0 percent and under. Italys fiscal deficit was 2.3 percent in 2017, under the EU target.

If the next Italian government opts to spend more, it could breach the target, which puts it in conflict with the EU. At the same time, if the fiscal deficit balloons out, then investor confidence could erode, which is not a positive development for a country with a total financing need equal to 22.2 percent of GDP in 2018 and 22.1 percent in 2019. And those IMF estimates are undertaken with the view that the countrys banks continue to function without another crisis.

The new Italian government is likely to test the current EU system. How it does this is important. If it takes an aggressive approach similar to that followed by the first Syriza government in Greece in 2015, Europe could be in for a bumpy ride. Greeces prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, and his finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, did much to upset what they perceived as the European establishment, led by the conservative Germans, whom they saw imposing heavy-handed austerity on Europe and their country in particular.

Greeces confrontational strategy backfired into a test of wills with Germany, the worlds fourth largest economy. A country of eleven million people and a small economy (with a large debt), Greece was forced to make tough decisions ultimately swallowing tough austerity measures and structural adjustment in return for a massive bailout. In the case of Italy, however, change in EU policies could be pursued in a less sensational and acrimonious fashion by using its leverage as Europes largest debtor and third largest economy after Germany and France. In this case, size does matter.

And then there is the issue of whether a Five Star-League government will be able to remain united in governing Italy. The parties have a number of differences, with the Five Star being based in the south and central parts of Italy and the League in the north. Both parties are populist, but the league is more conservative and the Five Star is more leftist. Governing could be a real challenge and the new prime minister will have to work hard to find compromise in his cabinets policies.

Despite all of the complications facing the pending new government, the countrys mood is hopeful. A clear majority of Italians are supportive of the countrys promised new direction. According to Demos, a polling company, 60 percent of voters had a favorable or very favorable opinion of the Five Star-League coalition. The share of Italians who were opposed or very opposed to the new government accounted for only 34 percent. Along these lines, the new government believes that it has a popular mandate to enact change.

Italy has the potential to be the next big crisis to face Europe and its new leadership knows it. Consequently, while there may be a certain level of rhetoric out of the new administration, policy changes are likely to be gradual though heading away from EU policy guidelines. While this will be popular at home, it will cause a certain amount of worry in the rest of Europe. The real determiner for Italy is going to be access to markets. If Italian assets undergo a substantial depreciation and investor confidence erodes, then the government will have to take notice and rectify the situation. Playing chicken with the financial markets runs the risk of leaving Italy isolated and setting the stage for a larger European-wide financial crisis. Italy is too big to let fail, something of which Rome, Brussels and Berlin are keenly aware. Tough choices lie ahead for Italys new team and the rest of Europe. We wish them luck.

Scott B. MacDonald is a Senior Managing Director at KWR International. The views expressed here are his own and do not necessarily represent those of KWR International.

Image: The Italian Freccie Tricolori aerobatics team perform prior the start of the Italian F1 Grand Prix in Monza, northern Italy September 6, 2015. REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito

Read full articleTwo parents in New York will finally get to know what empty nest syndrome feels like.

On Tuesday, Michael Rotondo, 30, was ordered by State Supreme Court Justice Donald Greenwood to move out of his parents house after living there rent free for eight years, the Syracuse Post-Standard reports.

Christina and Mark Rotondo of Camillus, near Syracuse, sent their son numerous eviction notices and even gave him $1,100 to help him find a new place, WSTM, a local news channel, reports.

Despite being taken to court, Michael Rotondo still didnt get the hint.

While in court, Rotondo refused to directly speak to his parents and argued with Greenwood for a half an hour that he was entitled to an additional six months before eviction, citing a legal case he found on the internet that appeared to back his claim.

Greenwood reportedly praised Rotondos legal argument but sided with his parents and ordered him to move out, calling his demand for six more months outrageous.

Rotondo fired back, calling the judges order outrageous.

He plans to appeal the decision, according to ABC News.

Im not bothering them by living here, Rotondo said in an interview with Good Morning America on Wednesday. Its little to no cost to them, and considering how much theyve harassed me, I think its the least that they should be required to do, which is just let me hang here a bit longer and use their hot water and electricity.

In filings to the Supreme Court of New York State, Rotondos parents sent him five written notices that date back to February, one of which asks him to remove his broken car from their property.

In another note, obtained by WSTM, the parents offer him $1,100 so you can find a place to stay and suggest that for money, he could get a job or sell some of his belongings like his stereo and weapons.

There are jobs available even for those with a poor work history like you, the letter reads. Get one  you have to work!

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.A prank call to Boris Johnson has triggered a diplomatic row after the Kremlin was accused of being behind the desperate stunt.

The Foreign Secretary was caught out by a Russian prankster who kept him on the phone for 18 minutes by pretending to be the new Prime Minister of Armenia.

Mr Johnson unwittingly discussed President Vladimir Putin and the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal before he rumbled the hoax and ended the call.

The Foreign Office believes the pranksters, who have previously caught out other politicians, made the call with the blessing of the Kremlin to save face after it was shamed over the Salisbury attack.

A recording of the phone call, which happened last week, was put online the day after Yulia Skripal made her first public statement about her poisoning, in which she said she had been the victim of an attempted assassination.

It also came on the day that Dutch investigators revealed evidence that a Russian military missile shot down flight MH-17 over Ukraine in 2014.

The pranksters had tried to contact the Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson by email days earlier, posing as the Armenian defence minister, but alert Ministry of Defence officials did not fall for the trick.

Alexei Stolyarov and Vladimir Kuznetsov, who call themselves Lexus and Vovan, are the two men who made the call to Mr Johnson last week.

Their previous victims include Sir Elton John, the Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the US Energy Secretary Rick Perry.

They are understood to have convinced the Europe minister Sir Alan Duncan in a previous call that one of them was Nikol Pashinyan, the Armenian premier. It enabled them to get through to Mr Johnsons private office in a second call.

Speaking in English with a Russian accent, the caller asked Mr Johnson for advice on what he should say to Vladimir Putin when he met him, as well as discussing the Skripal case.

Mr Johnson responded by saying that we will continue to tighten the squeeze on some of the oligarchs who surround Putin, adding: You throw a stone in Kensington and youll hit an oligarch.

Story continues

Nikol Pashinyan: the real Prime Minister of Armenia Credit: SERGEI GAPON /AFP

He also said Britain was almost 100 per cent sure Russia was behind the Salisbury poisonings and said: If I have a message to Putin, its that we dont want a cold war but we do want to see an improvement in the way Russia behaves.

A senior diplomatic source said: This seems to be the latest desperate attempt by the Kremlin to save face after it was internationally shamed in the wake of the Skripal attack.

Boris rumbled them pretty quickly and ended the call. It is tragic to see a major international power reduced to failed pranks you would usually only see on Trigger Happy TV.

Stolyarov and Kuznetsov have previously denied links to the Russian security services.

The Telegraph understands that the hoaxers contacted Sir Alan, who was taken in by them and arranged for the "prime minister" to call Mr Johnson's private office.

Sir Elton John thought he was talking to Vladimir Putin Credit: Getty

Mr Johnson believed he was answering a routine call to congratulate a new national leader.

Sources close to Foreign Secretary insisted he quickly realised something was wrong and started asking questions to verify the caller's identity before ending the call.

Details of the call were first published in the pro-Kremlin newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, in which Stolyarov said Mr Johnson had been a "smart diplomat, an intellectual" who did not fall into the trap of making indiscreet comments.

He added that it was "probably the first time the person we talked to was not a fool".

When the hoaxers called Sir Elton, they convinced him he was talking to Vladimir Putin and that the Russian President had agreed to meet him to discuss LGBT issues.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "Obviously this shouldnt have happened and an investigation is underway to determine the circumstances around this call and to make sure that this does not happen again.

Front Bench promotion - end of articleThe U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, slammed the liberal media in an op-ed for Fox News, accusing the press of supporting the Islamist organization Hamas over President Donald Trump.

The op-ed, published a week after the U.S. moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, argued that the media had helped overshadow the embassy opening by focusing on the death of Palestinians who were protesting that day on the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

The opening ceremony was a beautiful and uplifting event attended by hundreds and watched by millions. As the ceremony proceeded, there were a few sporadic, peaceful protests from among the hundreds of thousands of Arabs living in Jerusalem. The West Bank remained calm, Friedman wrote.

Trending: U.S. Coalition: If Iraq Asks Us to Leave, Our Leaders Must Make 'Right Decision'

The apparent success of the embassys opening ceremony enraged the liberal media. Could this be yet another diplomatic triumph by President Trump? The prospect was unbearable. Hamas to the rescue. These thugs, acknowledged nearly universally as a terrorist organization, had been rioting in Gaza over the past six weeks for purported reasons not connected to the embassy move. They were more than willing to provide the media with a dark side to an otherwise uplifting story, Friedman continued

Palestinians in Gaza had been protesting their dismal living conditions for weeks in the lead-up to the U.S. embassys opening ceremony. Most of the protests were peaceful, yet some young Palestinian men threw rocks and burned tires near the border with Israel. Others tried to fly burning kites over the border.

Don't miss: Michael Avenatti Says Law Firm's Bankruptcy is 'Irrelevant,' Not Related to Stormy Daniels Case

Story continues

The Israeli military said that the protesters were encouraged and organized by Hamas, and that some intended to storm the border fence to attack nearby Israeli settlements. At least 60 protesters were killed on the day the U.S. Embassy opened in Jerusalem, including a baby girl who was suffocated by tear gas.

Speaking after the violence took place, a senior official in the Israeli defense force said that Hamas had won the public relations war by sending protesters to their death. Members of the international community, however, accused Israel of perpetrating human rights abuses by targeting unarmed protesters.

Most popular: Sinkhole Appears Outside White House

Several media outlets broadcast photographs and videos of the violence on a split screen next to images of President Trumps daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner attending the embassy opening. This decision was criticized by Friedman, who said the liberal media vilified everyone associated with the embassy move and glorified the poor Hamas terrorists.

Opening an embassy in Jerusalem and recognizing the city as the capital of Israel was controversial across the Muslim world because it appears as if the U.S. accepted Israels claim to the entirety of the city. The eastern half of Jerusalem has long been envisioned as the future capital of a Palestinian state, if and when a two-state solution is reached between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The Trump administration continues to argue that it has not taken a position on a two-state solution or who should control Jerusalem in the future.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekPresident Trump departs after Wednesdays discussion of MS-13 on Long Island. (Photo: Evan Vucci/Associated Press)

At the Morrelly Homeland Security Center on Long Island Wednesday, President Trump accepted praise from local officials, law enforcement and parents of MS-13s teenage victims for his commitment to crack down on the violent street gang that has wreaked havoc on pockets of the New York City suburbs in recent years.

The event was billed by the White House as a roundtable on immigration loopholes that enable MS-13 to infiltrate our communities. But at times it almost seemed as though the purpose was to validate the presidents description of MS-13 members as animals.

I called them animals the other day, and I was met with rebuke, Trump said, referring to backlash over his use of the word in a context that some listeners took to mean undocumented immigrants in general. He later insisted that he was referring specifically to MS-13 members.

They said they are people, Trump said of Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, who criticized his language. They are animals.

Going around the table, Trump received repeated reassurances that his use of the word animals to describe members of the gang, whose primary activity is violence, was accurate.

The Long Island event drew protesters against MS-13. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Though MS-13 originated in Los Angeles in the 1980s and is currently active in only a handful of communities around the United States, Trump has long touted the violent acts committed by this group of primarily Central American immigrants as proof of his claim, which he repeated on Long Island Wednesday, that the U.S. has the worst immigration laws of any place anywhere in the world.

Trump, accompanied by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, pointed to laws designed to protect vulnerable unaccompanied minors seeking asylum at the border as loopholes exploited by the gang, which now operates primarily out of El Salvador. Rosenstein did acknowledge, however, that these problems are nuanced, noting that not only are we letting people in who are gang members. Were also letting people in who are vulnerable. Many of these alien children who have no parents, no family structure  are vulnerable to recruitment to MS-13.

Story continues

Evelyn Rodriguez and Robert Mickens, whose slain teenage daughters Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens have become perhaps the most high profile victims of MS-13, both called for more resources, particularly in the public schools, to help prevent vulnerable immigrant teens, like those charged in their daughters deaths, from being recruited by violent gangs.

These kids are coming in unaccompanied, said Rodriguez. They dont know who to turn to. Theyre afraid. Theyre coming from a country that they were afraid with their law enforcement, people they couldnt trust. Here we have to make sure that the resources and the programs are there for them.

Elizabeth Alvarado and Robert Mickens, whose daughter, Nisa Mickens, was killed by MS-13 gang members, at the roundtable Wednesday. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said the department has already begun to place strong emphasis on community relations and a significant investment in gang intervention strategies, with a particular focus on unaccompanied alien children. She credited this multifaceted approach for the arrests of more than 200 MS-13 gang members since September 2016.

There has not been an MS-13 murder in Suffolk County since April of 2017, she said.

But Trump stuck to his darker view, threatening to cut foreign aid to the home countries of foreign-born MS-13 gang members, saying those governments encourage gang members to emigrate and refuse to take them back when the U.S. tries to deport them.

They dont want the people that were getting, Trump said. Every time someone comes in from a certain country, were going to deduct a rather large sum of money.

After about an hour of conversation about the brutality and savage violence of the horrible people that constitute the MS-13 menace, Trump concluded Wednesdays panel by praising Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for aggressively carrying out his crackdown.

The ICE guys are a lot rougher than the MS-13 guys. Theyre rougher, theyre tougher, theyre meaner, Trump said. It would be wonderful if we could talk nicely and softly, but the only language they understand is toughness.

Read more from Yahoo News:Strel'na (Russia) (AFP) - French President Emmanuel Macron hailed "direct and frank" talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after the pair discussed Syria, Ukraine and the Iran nuclear deal outside Saint Petersburg on Thursday.

In a press conference following the leaders' wide-ranging first meeting in Russia, Putin also said he regretted US President Donald Trump calling off his plans for a summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

"We had counted on that a significant step towards a de-escalation on the Korean peninsula would be taken and a start made on denuclearisation," Putin said.

Trump announced Thursday that he would not go ahead with the meeting with Kim set for June 12 in Singapore, and would instead pursue Washington's campaign of "maximum pressure" through sanctions on Pyongyang.

Meanwhile, Macron said he wanted the "non-proliferation process to continue" and hoped Trump's decision was just a blip.

Trump's earlier withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement had provided another rare point of convergence for Moscow and Western capitals, with both Macron and Putin reaffirming their commitment to the deal.

The ongoing crises in eastern Ukraine and Syria, where Russia and France have intervened on opposing sides of the conflict, were less comfortable topics for the two leaders.

Nevertheless, the French president said he "respected the strengthened role Russia has taken on in the region and in the world, in particular the Middle East".

"I expect that Russia will respect also our interests, our sovereignty and that of our European partners," the French president added.

Before the press conference, ministers from France and Russia celebrated a raft of commercial deals between the two countries.

The most significant of these was a deal that will see the French energy group Total increase its role in liquefied natural gas projects in the Arctic with Russian firm Novatek to the tune of $2.5 billion.

Story continues

- 'Lying propaganda' -

The trip is Macron's first to Russia as president and follows a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week. Europe and Moscow are making diplomatic overtures to save the Iran deal, now under threat after the recent US withdrawal.

Putin handed Macron's wife Brigitte flowers as he greeted the couple late in the afternoon at the Konstantin Palace, a former residence of Peter the Great set some 20 kilometres (12 miles) outside Saint Petersburg.

The meeting comes almost exactly a year since the freshly elected Macron hosted Putin in Versailles, when the French leader accused Russian media of producing "lying propaganda" during a joint press conference.

The visit will also see Macron address the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The talks take place after US President Donald Trump in early May controversially pulled the United States out of the 2015 landmark pact with Iran that placed limits on its nuclear programme in return for easing economic sanctions.

"Russia shares the position of the majority of the international community including Western leaders" when it comes to the Iran deal, said Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Moscow Center.

The West has realised that a dialogue with Putin is "inevitable" in order to preserve the accord, he said.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will also visit Russia at the end of the week.

"Merkel and Abe have already begun a thaw with Moscow and Macron is scared of losing the advantage that France has always had with Russia," Baunov added.

International investigators on Thursday said a missile that downed a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine in 2014 belonged to a Russian brigade. Moscow rejected the accusation.

Before Macron's trip, Human Rights Watch also implored him to raise the issue of rights abuses with his Russian counterpart, following a crackdown on dissent and pressure on minority groups in the country.German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang defended the Iran nuclear deal on Thursday, with Li hinting a collapse in the pact would complicate negotiations to disarm North Korea.

The pair also launched a spirited defence of free trade -- another issue that the global community feels is under attack from US President Donald Trump's strident rhetoric -- during their meeting at the opulent Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Earlier this month Trump reimposed US sanctions on Iran that had been eased as part of an agreement aimed at halting Tehran's nuclear programme.

Li warned that abandoning the deal with Tehran "will not just impact Iran, but also have a negative impact on (the ability) to solve other hot international issues through peaceful negotiations".

He did not mention North Korea by name, but analysts have warned that Trump's move has dented Washington's negotiating credibility ahead of his scheduled meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next month.

The German leader also sounded the alarm about the economic impact of the move on Europe.

Supporters fear the reimposition of US sanctions could hit European firms that have done business with Iran since the 2015 accord was signed.

If European companies pull out or shrink operations in Iran to avoid falling foul of US law, it would "create an opportunity for businesses in other countries to step in and play a greater role", Merkel said.

At a meeting with President Xi Jinping, Merkel welcomed Chinese moves to reduce automobile import tariffs and allow foreign carmakers to own a majority stake in joint ventures with Chinese partners.

"We mustn't rest on our laurels" Merkel told Xi, noting the "world is changing very quickly" and the question of market access and reciprocity was becoming more important as Chinese firms push into Germany.

European and American leaders have long complained that it is difficult to do business in China.

Story continues

The Chancellor reiterated Berlin's demand for Beijing to ease barriers on foreign investment, saying the two countries would sign a memorandum of understanding to offer mutual access to each others' markets for autonomous vehicles.

"China and Germany are on the path of promoting multilateralism and bolstering free trade," said Merkel, who was accompanied by an industry delegation of 18 German executives.

Merkel was expected to take up the case of Liu Xia, the widow of Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo, who remains under house arrest without charges nearly a year after her husband died of cancer in custody.

"We have found a dialogue mechanism where difficult questions can be raised," she said.The 30-year-old man who has been evicted from his parents' home says things got pretty tense Tuesday night after a judge ruled against him during a court appearance.

"We don't really talk or communicate, Michael Rotondo told Inside Edition of his parents, Christina and Mark Rotondo.

He said he and his parents usually try to avoid each other.

The uncomfortable scene came after a judge ruled in favor of the parents, saying Rotondo has to move out of the Syracuse, N.Y. home.

He described the judge's ruling as "an attack."

The house is modest with 1,920 square feet with four bedrooms. Rotondo says it is difficult avoiding contact with his folks.

"We would only be in the kitchen at the same time to get our food and go someplace else," he said.

The eviction of a grown man whose parents say they've had enough of his freeloading ways is making headlines across the country.

The so-called "Failure to Launch" syndrome, popularized by the Matthew McConaughey film about a guy living comfortably in his parents' home, is a growing phenomenon.

According to studies, one in three Americans between the ages of 18-34 still live with their parents, which equates to about 24 million people.

Rotondo says he is "not a burden" to his folks, adding he doesn't cost them anything besides "some electricity and some hot water."

"I don't see why I have to be thrown out on the street," he added.

Rotondo says he plans to ask the judge to give him three months to figure things out.

He says he doesn't expect to work the situation out with his parents, adding, "I want to get out of the house and move on."

On Tuesday, Rotondo acted as his own attorney, he said he was never expected to contribute to expenses or to help with chores at his parents' home, where he has lived for the past eight years.

His parents gave him five written notices to get out, they said. The notes were included in their court action.

Story continues

In one written on Feb. 2, the parents wrote: "Michael, after a discussion with your mother, we have decided that you must leave this house immediately. You have 14 days to vacate. You will not be allowed to return. We will take whatever actions are necessary to enforce this decision. Mark and Christina Rotondo."

On Feb. 18, the parents offered Michael $1,100 to find a new place. They also offered to help him find somewhere to live, and told him he needed to find a job, saying, "There are jobs available even for those with a poor work history like you."

The parents had no comment as they left court. Their son had argued with the judge and at one point approached the bench without permission.

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Related Articles:On Wednesday, Milwaukee police released body-cam footage from a January arrest of Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown over a parking violation in a Walgreens parking lot.

Brown, who appeared calm throughout the footage, found himself surrounded by at least five police officers who converged on him and dragged him to the pavement (around the 8:00 mark of the above video) after ordering him to take his hands out of his pocket. He was then hit with a Taser.

The video drew almost universal condemnation. Milwaukee police chief Alfonso Morales apologized for officers who acted inappropriately in a statement he read at a news conference. Mayor Tom Barrett said he was offended by what he saw and pledged to work toward better police-community relations.

I am very sorry the Milwaukee police treated him in the fashion he was treated, Barrett said.

While police chief Alfonso Morales apologized for the police brutality against Sterling Brown, the Milwaukee police union looked to blame others. (AP)

The Bucks stood firmly by Brown, condemning the abuse and intimidation that Sterling experienced at the hands of Milwaukee Police that was shameful and inexcusable.

This was a no-brainer. What the police did was bad and wrong. It should have been universally shouted down. And it almost was.

Then the Milwaukee Police Association stepped in, issuing the following statement decrying the sensational nature of the Brown incident.

The Milwaukee Police Association, union for rank-and-file officers, has released a statement on the Sterling Brown video/arrest: pic.twitter.com/Jb5fV7SzxX  Ashley Luthern (@aluthern) May 24, 2018

Use of Force will never look pretty, but it is  unfortunately, a necessary component of policing. The cause or need for force is always dictated by the subject confronting the police officer. 



Inevitably every Use of Force will be scrutinized and often opinion gets in the way of fact. Unfortunately, society and local leaders only take issue when the situation is sensational, or the individual is of prominence. Our officers are routinely injured during Use of Force applications; rarely is there an outcry of support from civic leadership.

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Nowhere in the above statement is there any responsibility pointed toward the officers who used excessive force over a parking violation.

Rather than accept any fault for actions of the police officers, the police union chose to stand behind the thin blue line and spread the blame on others. Rather than look for ways make progress on the plague of incidents involving police officers and black Americans, the MPA chose to protect its own.

Of course, its a police unions job to stand behind its officers no matter what. That doesnt make it the right thing to do. And in this instance, its certainly not.

After deflecting blame from the offending police officers, the statement finds its scapegoat, the city of Milwaukee.

City leadership and the former chief [who never supported proper staffing] truly need to self-examine. Our force is so drastically understaffed that negative outcomes are inevitable!



Force is minimized significantly when situations are properly addressed immediately. However, because officers are frequently mandated to work alone they are at greater risk to be compelled to use higher levels of force. The city may be complicit in the death of subjects, or in the greater use of force in many situations that have occurred. This is due primarily, or solely, because a one-officer squad responded; and/or ill-equipped officers responded.

So the reason that at least five police vehicles and at least as many police officers were on the scene to handle a parking violation for a black citizen was because of understaffing. Got it, MPA. That makes total sense.

The Milwaukee Police Association did not once directly address Sterling Brown in its statement regarding his arrest. (Milwaukee PD)

The only point in the MPAs response that comes close to addressing the real problem here is the note about ill-equipped officers.

The police who handled the Brown arrest  an arrest that led to zero charges being filed  definitely fall under the blanket of ill-equipped.

The Milwaukee police department  like every other police department in the United States  is surely full of honorable, talented, hard-working and ethical officers doing good work for their community. And if the police truly need more support from the city, then thats absolutely something that should be addressed.

But none of that excuses what happened on Jan. 26 in that Milwaukee Walgreens parking lot or in the countless other documented and undocumented incidents of police brutality across the U.S.

Until police unions can look to their own to find solutions when problems arise, it seems unlikely that true progress will be made.

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By Michael Martina and Lesley Wroughton BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An American citizen working at a U.S. consulate in China has reported suffering from "abnormal" sounds and pressure leading to a mild brain injury, the U.S. embassy said on Wednesday and China said it was investigating the incident. The embassy, which issued a health alert to Americans living in China, said it could not link the case to health problems suffered by U.S. government staff in Cuba dating back to late 2016. In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was concerned about the "serious medical incident" and raised it with China's visiting State Councillor Wang Yi. "We notified China of what took place as best we know it and they have responded in a way that is exactly the right response," Pompeo told a news conference with Wang. "We're working together to resolve (this) ... I hope we can figure it out," Pompeo said. Earlier, he told Congress that the incident in China was "medically similar" to one suffered by U.S. diplomats in Cuba. Wang, speaking through a translator, said Beijing was investigating the incident, adding "we haven't found any organization or individual has carried out such a sonic influence." "We don't want to see that this individual case will be magnified, complicated or even politicized. We hope people will not associate it with other unnecessary matters," he cautioned. The unnamed U.S. citizen assigned to the consulate in the southern city of Guangzhou had reported various "physical symptoms" dating from late 2017 to April this year, the U.S. embassy in Beijing said in an email. The worker was sent to the United States for further evaluation. "The clinical findings of this evaluation matched mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI)," the embassy said. Pompeo said medical teams were heading to Guangzhou to investigate the incident. HEALTH ALERT The U.S. government on Wednesday issued a health alert to Americans in China, warning them about what it described as "subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure". "While in China, if you experience any unusual acute auditory or sensory phenomena accompanied by unusual sounds or piercing noises, do not attempt to locate their source. Instead, move to a location where the sounds are not present," the emailed alert said. China's nationalistic Global Times tabloid said in a commentary late on Wednesday that it was "very inappropriate" that the United States issued a public health alert despite only having a "vague understanding" of the situation. It said it was "inconceivable" that China would carry out targeted attacks on the health of foreign diplomats. "We firmly believe that there is not much possibility of any 'background' to the American consulate official's 'brain injury'," it said. The U.S. government in October expelled 15 Cuban diplomats from the United States for what it said was Cuba's failure to protect staff at the U.S. embassy in Havana from mysterious health incidents at one point thought to possibly have been acoustic "attacks". Staff there reported symptoms including hearing loss, dizziness, fatigue and cognitive issues, though Cuban officials dismissed the idea of acoustic strikes as "science fiction" and accused Washington of slander. The cause of those incidents remains unresolved. The Canadian government in April said it would remove families of diplomats posted to Cuba after Canadian personnel there in 2017 also reported similar health symptoms. (Reporting by Michael Martina in Beijing; Additional reporting by Lesley Wroughton and Patricia Zengerle and David Alexander in Washington and Philip Wen in Beijing; Editing by Susan Thomas and Darren Schuettler)Democrats may have no idea yet who will be topping their presidential ticket in 2020; as many two dozen potential candidates have hinted they might run against Donald Trump. But due in large part to these White House wannabes, the partys new, post-Barack-Obama platform is already coming into focus, and its full of unabashedly left-wing ideas that represent a sharp break with Hillary Clintons technocratic tendency toward nine-point plans and a growing embrace of bold, Bernie Sandersstyle liberalism.

You have to have a small number of big, easy-to-understand ideas, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., recently told Yahoo News. Trump had those. Bernie Sanders had those. But it didnt seem to me that the Clinton campaign did. I dont know that anybody in Connecticut could have listed a specific economic proposal from the Clinton campaign. They had great ideas. The ideas just didnt light anybodys fire.

Left to right: Sen. Brian Schatz, Sen. Chris Murphy, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Sen. Sherrod Brown and Sen. Tammy Baldwin. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: AP, Getty Images, AP(4)).

Whether the emerging Democratic platform lights anybodys fire remains to be seen. Its far to the left of anything the party has proposed since the 1970s, and sounds more like the to-do list of a Scandinavian parliament than Bill Clintons triangulated politics or even Obamas careful, consensus-seeking progressivism.

But in the age of Trump, Democrats arent just looking for the man or woman who can depose the disrupter in chief. Theyre also looking for a message that can break through and connect with voters who defected or stayed home in 2016.

Here are some early, eye-popping ideas that could define that message in 2020:

_____

Medicare access for all

Democrats have aspired to establish a universal health care system for much of the last 100 years. In 2008, the debate between Obama and Hillary Clinton was about how to expand private insurance to as many Americans as possible; in 2016, Sanders introduced single payer into the presidential conversation, even as Clinton continued to campaign on improving Obamacares private insurance exchanges.

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Since then, however, the partys leading lights have moved rapidly in Bernies direction  particularly as Trump and his Republican allies have made it clear that focusing solely on Obamacare, which the GOP has undermined at every turn, would be an unproductive way to proceed.

That isnt to say Democrats now agree completely with the Vermont senator. Sanders still wants to phase out private insurance entirely and replace it with a single government-run plan that provides coverage to all Americans  Medicare for all, as he calls it. And he may still run in 2020. But forcing everyone to give up their current coverage would create very real challenges, both practical and political. Thats why much of the rest of the potential Democratic field seems to be coalescing around a less disruptive alternative to Sanderss vision: what you might call Medicare access for all.

Sen. Chris Murphy. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photo: Getty Images)

The idea is simple. As detailed in the Choose Medicare Act, which was introduced in April by Murphy and Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, individuals and large businesses should be allowed to buy coverage through Medicare. Private insurance wouldnt go away. You could keep your existing coverage if you wanted. But if you didnt, youd have the option of choosing the popular public plan for elderly Americans instead.

Murphy and Merkley are both considered possible 2020 contenders, as are several of their co-sponsors: California Sen. Kamala Harris, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. So dont be surprised if this modified single-payer proposal becomes a big part of the 2020 campaign.

_____

Federal job guarantee

In 2016, Clinton lost for two reasons: Working-class minorities didnt turn out for her the way theyd turned out for Obama and, Trump peeled off just enough of the working-class white vote in just the right places  Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin  to eke out an Electoral College victory.

As a result, Democrats have been searching for a silver bullet of sorts: a big, easy-to-understand idea that would appeal to all working-class voters, regardless of race.

And now some Dems think theyve found it: offering every American a government job at a living wage.

The shift has been sharp enough to induce whiplash. In 2016, neither Sanders nor Clinton mentioned a federal job guarantee; in fact, youd have to go back to the 1970s, and before that the New Deal, to find a time Democrats were even discussing the idea, let alone attempting to implement it.

But thats all changed. First, liberal wonks starting floating the notion. Then, in an interview, Kirsten Gillibrand signed on. Finally, in April, Cory Booker introduced pilot program legislation that would give 15 local areas federal money so they could guarantee all their residents a job paying at least $15 an hour, plus paid leave and health benefits. Sanders also introduced job-guarantee legislation around the same time.

Sen. Cory Booker (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photo: AP)

The entire party isnt on board yet, and there are real downsides to a broader jobs guarantee: a price tag that could approach half a trillion dollars, for one thing, along with uncertainty about what participants would actually do. (The early focus is on infrastructure work, childcare and eldercare.)

Yet for the 2020 crowd, the upsides might be too tempting to resist. In policy terms, a jobs guarantee could effectively eliminate recessions, and many economists believe it could boost wages as well  a top progressive priority at a time of rampant income inequality.

The politics also look promising. A recent poll showed that a majority of Americans like the idea; among Clinton voters, approval is nearing 70 percent. Meanwhile, Republicans who make less than $25,000 per year are more supportive than Democrats who make more than $150,000  which suggests that the Democratic dream of a cross-racial, working-class coalition could be within reach.

Expect to hear a lot more about guaranteed government jobs between now and 2020. Sens. Harris, Gillibrand, Merkley and Elizabeth Warren all co-sponsored Bookers bill.

_____

Corporate freeloader fee

Barack Obama once called economic inequality the defining challenge of our time, and most of his would-be Democratic successors seem to agree.

I do my very best to fight for working people in this job, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown told Yahoo News last October. And that means all workers  whether you punch a time sheet or swipe a badge, make a salary or earn tips. Whether youre on payroll, a contract worker, or a temp  working behind a desk, on a factory floor, or behind a restaurant counter. The fact is, all workers across this country are feeling squeezed.

To that end, Brown, a possible 2020 contender, has proposed what is perhaps his partys most potent statement of principle for the age of inequality  a message to anxious workers that at least one party wants to make it less profitable for big companies to pay so little.

He calls it a corporate freeloader fee: a carrot-and-stick approach to big companies that slash labor costs to pad their profits.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photo: AP)

Companies that pay a living wage and provide health benefits and retirement benefits and dont outsource their jobs  they should get a lower tax rate, Brown recently explained. But the companies that pay $10 or $11 [an hour], so that their employees get food stamps and Medicaid and Section 8 housing vouchers? Those companies should pay a corporate freeloader fee, because taxpayers have to subsidize those corporations wages.

The chances of Browns corporate freeloader fee actually becoming law? Nil, under the current regime, and not much higher even if the Democrats take over. Both parties are loath to offend the business community.

But that doesnt mean that he (and perhaps even some of his fellow Dems) wont campaign on the idea in the years ahead. When Browns legislation came up for a floor vote last year, every Senate Democrat supported it.

_____

Debt-free college

The idea of free public-college tuition was one of the flashpoints of the 2016 Democratic nominating contest. Sanders backed it; Clinton did not.

My late father said, If somebody promises you something for free, read the fine print, Clinton snapped at the time.

Eventually, though, Clinton adopted something like Sanderss position, promising to cover public-college tuition for families making up to $125,000 as a way of reaching out to his voters after the winning the primary.

Now the rest of the party seems to heading in the same direction. In fact, Democrats might go even further in 2020, if the latest legislation from Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz is any indication.

Schatzs Debt-Free College Act of 2018, introduced in March, differs from Sanderss approach in that it wouldnt cover everybodys public-college tuition. And it differs from Clintons plan in that it wouldnt stop at covering tuition for those beneath a certain income threshold; it would cover all of their other college-related expenses as well, including room, board and books.

Sen. Brian Schatz (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photo: AP)

Thats because we ought to cover the full cost of college for people who cant afford it before we cover tuition for people who can, Schatz recently explained.

Schatzs needle-threading proposal solves a tricky political problem  and could become the Democratic Partys default college-affordability plan as a result. A 2016 Gallup poll, for example, found that less than half of Americans  or just 47 percent  supported the idea of tuition-free college, and that it was especially unpopular among the white working-class voters who flocked to Donald Trump and whom Democrats are now working hard to court.

The reason: because blue-collar voters assumed that only elites would benefit from the policy. Schatzs proposal counters that perception, denying freebies for upper-income students (unlike Sanders) while promising more support for their lower-income counterparts than Clinton. Sens. Gillibrand, Booker, Harris, Merkley, Warren and Brown have all signed on as co-sponsors.

_____

Public banks

Imagine if your local post office wasnt just a post office, but a bank as well. Thats the vision behind New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrands new Postal Banking Act, which would transform Americas vast network of U.S. Postal Service facilities into places where low-income Americans with inadequate access to commercial banking could open accounts, cash checks, deposit money and obtain low-cost, short-term loans.

Both Sanders and Warren have touted the idea in the past, but Gillibrand is the first senator to introduce legislation. The goal would be to steer the 34 million unbanked and underbanked American households away from the for-profit payday lending system, in which workers  many of whom are black or Hispanic  routinely shoulder triple-digit fees to borrow money for bills that come due before their next paycheck because they dont live near a traditional commercial bank or cant afford to maintain an account at one. They often descend into permanent debt as a result.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photo: AP)

With 30,000 locations nationwide  including nearly 18,000 in so-called banking deserts  the postal service could provide an alternative that makes it a little less expensive to be poor in America.

You need bold ideas to fix some of the structural challenges that we have in our economy today, Gillibrand told HuffPost in April. So if you are going to be tinkering around the edges and picking around the margins, you are literally never going to fix the problem.

_____

Child allowance , European-style labor laws, democracy dollars and more

Not every new Democratic idea is as big and bold as, say, a federal job guarantee. But nearly all of them are bigger and bolder  and more liberal  than what the party was proposing just a few years ago.

For instance, along with Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, Ohios Sherrod Brown has floated by far the most ambitious child allowance plan  in recent memory  $3,000 per year in tax credits for each child ages 6 to 18, and $3,600 per year for each child ages 0 to 5, with no strings attached. (Currently the U.S. is one of the only developed countries in the world without such an allowance.) If implemented, Brown and Bennets plan would lift 5.3 million children out of poverty, slashing the overall child poverty level by 45 percent.

There are also a bunch of new pro-labor ideas gaining steam in Democratic circles  most of which draw inspiration from policies in Europe, where a national or industry-wide approach has supplanted individual workplace-level organizing. In March, Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin proposed that public companies let their workers directly elect one-third of the corporate boards members; the following month, the Center for American Progress called for the creation of national wage boards tasked with setting minimum wage and benefit standards for specific industries. These ideas might seem pie-in-the-sky today, explained Voxs Dylan Matthews, but they could easily become part of the next Democratic presidents agenda.

From left, Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Ro Khanna. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Getty Images, AP (2))

Even the typically staid issue of campaign-finance reform has come in for a shakeup, with Rep. Ro Khanna of California, whose district includes Silicon Valley, introducing a plan that would give every American citizen $50 virtual democracy dollars to donate to the presidential, Senate and House candidates of their choosing  a plan that would, if every 2016 voter participated, generate $7 billion in campaign contributions, outpacing the $6.8 billion donated that year by private interests.

Most of these ideas would, of course, carry a hefty price tag, so it isnt hard to imagine the 2020 GOP attack ads: How will Democrats pay for all of their big-government promises? But even there, Dems seem to be learning a lesson from Trump and his Republican allies, who last year passed a corporate tax cut that will add an estimated $1 trillion to the deficit by 2019.

Im happy to have that conversation with my colleagues in Congress, explained Khanna, who is also arguing for a massive, $1.4 trillion expansion of the earned income tax credit (EITC) for low- and middle-income Americans. I also look forward to learning more about the House Republican offsets to pay for their $5 to $7 trillion worth of tax cuts for corporations and the very wealthy.

I dont play the pay-for game, Brian Schatz agreed. After the Republicans did the $1.5 trillion in unpaid-for tax cuts  I just reject the idea that only progressive ideas have to be paid for. We can work on that as we go through the process, but I think its a trap.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:It would seem that all the royal festivities came to an end after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially tied the knot on Saturday, but dont put away your fascinators just yet, because another royal wedding is soon approachingthe highly anticipated union of Princess Eugenie and her fiance Jack Brooksbank.

Queen Elizabeths seventh grandchild, Eugenie, and her longtime love are set to exchange vows in the fall.

The couple announced their engagement in January, just a few months after Markle and Harrys November engagement. Then in February, Eugenies father, Prince Andrew, revealed his second daughter and Brooksbank decided on a wedding date of October 12.

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The couple is also expected to marry in the same location as Markle and Harry.

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The marriage of Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie to Mr. Jack Brooksbank will take place on 12th October 2018, Andrew, the queens second son, wrote on Twitter. As previously announced, the wedding will take place at St. Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle.

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The 28-year-old princess and her beau dated for seven years before Brooksbank popped the question while on a January vacation in Nicaragua. In their first interview after announcing their engagement, Eugenie told BBC Brooksbanks proposal caught her by surprise despite their longstanding history together.

The lake was so beautiful. The light was just a special light I had never seen. I actually said, This is an incredible moment, and then he popped the question, which was really surprising even though we have been together seven years, she said.

Story continues

Down on one knee, Brooksbanks proposed with a pink padparadscha sapphire engagement ring surrounded by diamonds, similar to the Burmese ruby Andrew designed for Eugenies mother, Sarah, Duchess of York.

Eugenie added: I was over the moon. [It was a] complete surprise. But it was the perfect moment, we couldnt be happier.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekBy Paul Carsten ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's military has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity including torture, rape and killing civilians during its fight against Islamist insurgency Boko Haram, human rights group Amnesty International said on Thursday. The crimes were perpetrated for years and have continued despite a presidential inquiry established last August whose findings have not been made public, said the watchdog. In a statement, the Nigerian military described Amnesty's findings as "a false report on fictitious rape incidents in IDP (internally displaced person) camps in the North East region of Nigeria." A presidency statement said Amnesty's report lacks credibility. The 89-page report is based on hundreds of interviews and is replete with accounts of sexual violence, torched villages and other abuses. "The soldiers, they betrayed us, they said that we should come out of from our villages," said a woman whose name was given as Yakura in the report. "They said it would be safer and that they would give us a secure place to stay. But when we came, they betrayed us. They detained our husbands and then they raped us women," said Yakura, who fled Andara village, Borno state, in December 2016. Nigeria has waged a nine-year war against Boko Haram and its now more powerful offshoot, Islamic State West Africa. The country has fought alongside Cameroon, Chad and Niger and been supported by the United States, Great Britain and France. The conflict has killed more than 30,000 people and spawned one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. For years, rights groups, aid organizations and journalists have documented military abuses, with little resulting action from the armed forces. According to Amnesty's report, interviewees "said that when the military conducted operations in their villages, they burnt down homes and opened fire at remaining residents indiscriminately." Often the military would "forcibly" take people to camps for people displaced by the conflict, the report said. People the military detained without food and water would die, the watchdog said. Many of the women were held for six months to two years without charge, some were tortured and beaten, and some, along with 32 children, died, the report said. One woman whose name Amnesty gave as Aiya detailed her experience after arriving at a displacement camp, where she was sent to the prison: "I was pregnant and I went into labor. I found the toilet and I had my baby next to it. No one helped me. At the beginning, I didn't know if my baby was alive or dead." Hunger and sickness still kills people in displacement camps, where "sexual violence has been and continues to be perpetrated on a wide scale," the report said, adding that many women are forced to have sex in exchange for food and supplies. (Additional reporting by Felix Onuah; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)North Korea says it has demolished its nuclear weapons test site (Rex)

North Korea says it has carried out the demolition of its nuclear test site with a series of explosions over several hours.

The blasts at the site, deep in the mountains of the Norths sparsely populated north east, were centred on three tunnels into the underground site and a number of observation towers in the surrounding area.

The planned closing was previously announced by Kim Jong-un ahead of his summit with Donald Trump next month.

The explosions at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site were centred on three tunnels into the underground site and a number of observation towers in the surrounding area (Wikipedia)

Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un are set to meet in June (Reuters)

The Norths decision to close the Punggye-ri nuclear test site has generally been seen as a welcome gesture by Mr Kim to set a positive tone ahead of the summit.

However, it would need to be followed by many more significant measures to meet Trumps demands for real denuclearisation.

The North did not invite international inspectors to witness the demolition  but did invite foreign journalists.

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While the demolition may be welcome news, it came as the North called Vice President Mike Pence a political dummy, and saying it is just as ready to meet in a nuclear confrontation as at the negotiating table.

Pyongyang was trying to push back against comments suggesting North Korea may end up like Libya if it does not move forward quickly and irreversibly with concrete measures to get rid of its nuclear weapons.

Choe Son Hui, a vice minister of foreign affairs, was quoted by the Norths state-run news agency slamming as ignorant and stupid comments Mr Pence made in an interview with Fox News that compared the nuclear-capable North to Libya.

The demolition came as the North calling Vice President Mike Pence a political dummy (Rex)

Libya gave up its programme at an early stage only to see its longtime dictator overthrown and brutally killed years later.

The summit plan has hit a number of speed bumps recently as both sides have begun trading barbs and taking tougher positions.

Trump met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday at the White House for consultations and suggested the summit could be delayed or even called off entirely.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pictured on April 9, 2018. (Photo: KCNA/Reuters)

North Korea has escalated its war of words with the U.S., repeating a threat on Thursday to call off the planned June 12 summit with President Donald Trump and warning that a nuclear showdown could instead be on the table.

In a statement published by North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency, the Norths vice minister of foreign affairs, Choe Son Hui, blamed reckless remarks made by top U.S. officials as the reason behind Pyongyangs second thoughts.

Choe took aim at Vice President Mike Pence in particular, calling him a political dummy whod offended North Korea with his unbridled and impudent comments. Pence had warned in a Fox News interview on Monday that Pyongyang could follow the Libya model if leader Kim Jong Un doesnt make a deal  a reference to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who met a brutal end following his decision to denuclearize after negotiations with the U.S.

North Korea has long expressed distaste at comparisons with Libya. Pyongyang has said that its nuclear capabilities are far more advanced than Libyas ever were  and has stressed its expectation that it be treated as a nuclear state on equal footing with the U.S. and other nuclear powers.

Choe echoed this scorn in her statement Thursday, saying North Korea has no interest in meeting the same tragic fate as the northern African nation.

I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the U.S. vice president, Choe said, referring to Pences Libya comments, according to a Wall Street Journal translation.

In case the U.S. offends against our goodwill and clings to unlawful and outrageous acts, I will put forward a suggestion to our supreme leadership for reconsidering the [Kim-Trump] summit, Choe added, saying that it was up to the U.S. to decide whether it wanted to negotiate in a meeting room or encounter us [in a] nuclear-to-nuclear showdown.

KCNA: "We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us. Whether the U.S. will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decisionof the U.S."  Jonathan Cheng (@JChengWSJ) May 24, 2018

Still, North Korea on Thursday invited journalists to witness what appeared to be the demolition of its main nuclear test site. The Associated Press and South Korean media reported several explosions at the secluded Punggye-ri location.

Story continues

This is the second time in about a week that North Korea has threatened to withdraw from the U.S. summit  deviating starkly from a monthslong trend of warming relations.

Last week, Pyongyang abruptly canceled talks with South Korea and cast doubt on the meeting with Trump after taking issue with recent joint military exercises undertaken by Seoul and Washington.

Kim Kye Gwan, another top North Korean official, said in a statement last Wednesday that Pyongyang would be forced to reconsider the Trump meeting if the U.S. insisted on unilateral nuclear abandonment.

Criticism of the Libya model also came up in Kims statement, with the official criticizing White House national security adviser John Bolton for suggesting the U.S. would urge Pyongyang to rapidly dismantle its entire nuclear program as Libya did years ago.

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, Kim said.

Trump suggested Tuesday that hed be open to a phased dismantling of North Koreas nuclear program  a departure from his earlier demand for total and immediate denuclearization, reported The New York Times.

Also on Tuesday, Trump, who met with South Korean President Moon Jae In at the White House, said there was a very substantial chance that the summit with Kim Jong Un could be postponed.

Were moving along. Well see what happens. There are certain conditions we want to happen. I think well get those conditions. And if we dont, we wont have the meeting, Trump told reporters, without specifying what those conditions would be.

On Wednesday, Trump told Fox News there was a good chance that the summit would take place.

U.S. President Trump says of pending summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un that there is a chance it will work out, and a substantial chance it wont work out, but that doesnt mean it wont work out over a period of time, adding that theres a good chance meeting will be held. pic.twitter.com/2xJnwLhkNZ  Breaking News (@BreakingNews) May 22, 2018

North Korea experts said they still expect the summit to happen, though the journey to get there may be rocky.

In effect, President Trump is getting a mini-lesson in talking to the North Koreans even before he talks to the North Koreans, Jung Pak, a Brookings Institution fellow and former CIA analyst, told the Times this week.

Mintaro Oba, a former state department expert on the Koreas, suggested last week that Trump keep calm and carry on, and that the Norths threat to cancel is par for the course.

The question is whether theyre willing to go so far as to go through with it, or whether theyre mainly trying to gain some leverage [or] test how much we want the summit, he wrote on Twitter.

This has been updated to include reports of North Koreas nuclear test site demolition.

Also on HuffPost

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with a member of the special delegation of South Korea's President in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 6, 2018.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets members of the special delegation of South Korea's President.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un greets a member of the special delegation.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets members of the special delegation.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with a member of the special delegation.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (not in picture) meets members of the special delegation.

A dinner is prepared for members of the special delegation of South Korea's President.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets members of the special delegation.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un

North Korea has cast further doubt over a planned summit between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump, after threatening that Pyongyang could make the US taste an appalling tragedy.

In a statement released Thursday, North Korean vice foreign minister Choe Son-hui claimed that a nuclear-to-nuclear showdown could be on the cards if the two countries cancel a planned summit.

Whether the US will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decisionof the us, she starkly warned.

We will neither beg the US for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us.

The stark warning comes after US Vice President Mike Pence previously warned that North Korea could end up like Libya if a nuclear deal is not agreed.

A medal released to mark peace talks between Trump and Kim Jong Un

In the early 2000s, then Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi agreed to abandon the countrys nuclear capabilities in exchange for sanctions relief.

He was overthrown by Washington-backed rebels only years later.

Mr Pence said: There was some talk about the Libyan model last week, and you know, as the President made clear, this will only end like the Libyan model ended if Kim Jong Un doesnt make a deal.

The proposed nuclear site that North Korea will close down

In response, Choe described his comments as ignorant and stupid.

The heightened war of words comes as North Korea today prepares to close its only known nuclear test site today  although it is still expected to retain its nuclear arsenal.

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Earlier this week, President Trump also hinted that the talks could be cancelled.

Were moving along. Well see what happens. There are certain conditions we want to happen. I think well get those conditions. And if we dont, we wont have the meeting,North Korea has issued a strong response to recent statements made by Vice President Mike Pence to Fox News in an interview aired on Sunday, warning that it's up to the U.S. to avoid a nuclear showdown.

The statement, published on Thursday on the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and attributed to deputy foreign minister and longtime negotiator Choe Son Hui, called Pence's remarks "ignorant and stupid" and dubbed the vice president a "political dummy" who was jeopardizing the peace talks.

In the interview, Pence repeated threats made by other members of President Donald Trump's administration, such as national security adviser John Bolton, in relation to the planned summit between the president and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un scheduled to take place in Singapore on June 12.

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Pence said Trump would still walk away from the negotiating table should Kim not be serious about denuclearization on U.S. terms. "It would be a great mistake for Kim Jong Un to think he could play Donald Trump," Pence said.

"There was some talk about the Libyan model last week, and you know, as the president made clear, this will only end like the Libyan model ended if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal," said Pence.

05_24_Pence_DMZ

Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters

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Any references to the Libyan model since it was first brought up by Bolton in an interview with Radio Free Asia at the end of March have drawn ire from North Korea, where the ruling Kim family saw the execution of Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein under a U.S.-backed government and the killing of Libyan dictator Muammar el-Qaddafi at the hands of U.S.-backed rebels as examples of what happens to regimes that do not obtain nuclear weapons capabilities.

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Choe's statement made that sentiment plainly clear. "We could surmise more than enough what a political dummy he is as he is trying to compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya that had simply installed a few items of equipment and fiddled around with them," she wrote, referring to North Korea by its official name Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

"In order not to follow in Libya's footstep, we paid a heavy price to build up our powerful and reliable strength that can defend ourselves and safeguard peace and security in the Korean peninsula and the region," she added.

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Choe also threatened to use those weapons the country has spent so many years acquiring in the face of economic sanctions should the U.S. continue to "offend" the regime. "We can also make the U.S. taste an appalling tragedy it has neither experienced nor even imagined up to now," she wrote.

Even though a North Korean delegation recently failed to show up at a pre-summit meeting in Singapore, according to Choe the future of the Kim-Trump summit is dependent on the U.S.the two countries are expected to send officials to the island city this weekend to nail down the plans for the meeting.

"Whether the U.S. will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States," Choe wrote, adding that she would otherwise personally suggest Kim to reconsider the summit with Trump.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekPolice say a suspected shooter who had barricaded himself inside an apartment complex in Panama City, Florida, has been brought "down". The incident is related to a "suspicious death" investigation in a nearby county.

It is unclear how many people may have been injured in the shooting, but at least one person has been transported to a nearby hospital with what a government official called a "flesh wound".

Police later identified Kevin Holroyd as the suspect in the shooting, and it was not clear if he was killed or only injured after they broke through a barricaded door into the apartment he was in.

Witnesses have said that they saw Swat team members responding to the active shooting incident, and that they heard more than 50 shots fired.

"[The suspect] is barricaded inside an apartment, and at this time they're still trying to make contact," Caitlin Lawrence, the public information officer for the City of Panama City, told The Independent earlier in the day before police breached the apartment.

Kim Coram, the co-owner of the nearby restaurant Charlie Coram's Place, told The Independent that the gunfire stopped just after 1pm local time, but that she and her customers heard several rounds of fire, with 20 to 30 shots each round. Ms Coram said that her restaurant locked down after they heard those shots, and that there are police cars, unmarked police, ambulances, fire trucks, and an armoured Swat vehicle on the scene. She also said a drone and police helicopter are in the air above the apartment complex.

"The shooter unloaded 20 or more shots in the armoured vehicle," Ms Coram, whose brother is on the Swat team, said.

The police response to the active shooter blocked off traffic on at least one road, leading to congestion in other parts of the city. Local publications have posted photos that show police lying on the ground or taking cover behind vehicles with their firearms drawn.

Story continues

A video posted online by a woman who appears to be a resident of the apartment complex shows a chaotic scene with fire fighters and others kneeling on the ground while dozens of gun shots can be heard. At one point, a police officer rushes through the woman's home wearing a bullet proof vest while carrying what appears to be an automatic rifle.

The Bay County Sheriff's office confirmed that their officers are working alongside the local police force to end the active shooter situation earlier in the day. Reports indicated that the nearby Walton County Sheriff's office had deployed its Swat team to assist in the shoot out response.

Ive spoken with Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford to offer any state law enforcement assistance his office may need. FDLE, Florida Highway Patrol & FWC officers are currently assisting.  Rick Scott (@FLGovScott) May 22, 2018

The public information officer for the Walton County Sheriff's Department confirmed that they were assisting with the incident in Panama City. Florida Governor Rick Scott said that he has spoken with local officials to inform them that his office is prepared to provide them with any assistance from state police.

"I've spoken with Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford to offer any state law enforcement assistance his office may need," Mr Scott wrote in a tweet.

The Florida Department of Law, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were all providing assistance, according to Ms Lawrence. The intersection near the apartment is one of the busiest in the area, she said.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday that foreign sales of precision-guided missiles to nations such as Saudi Arabia, which has been criticized for killing civilians during its campaign in Yemen, can help to reduce civilian deaths. "It is this administration's judgment that providing precision-guided munitions actually decreases the risk," he told a congressional hearing. Reuters reported on Tuesday that the Trump administration has asked Congress to review the sale of more than 120,000 precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Plans to sell the laser-guided weapons to Saudi Arabia has raised concerns from some members of Congress over American weapons being used in the Saudi-led campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen and the deaths of thousands of civilians there since March 2015. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Bill Trott)President Donald Trump is mounting an increasingly aggressive attack on investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, charging that the Obama Administration actively spied on his campaign.

The attacks, which began last week and have continued on a steady drumbeat in the days since, reference recent reporting that an FBI informant sought to learn more about the Trump campaigns contacts with Russia in 2016.

In a series of tweets Wednesday morning, Trump argued that this could be one of the biggest political scandals in history. He has urged the Department of Justice to investigate whether the FBI actually penetrated the campaign, and asked his Chief of Staff John Kelly to invited top Justice Department, FBI officials and Republican lawmakers to the White House to review classified documents relating to the matter. (No Democrats were invited.)

Look how things have turned around on the Criminal Deep State. They go after Phony Collusion with Russia, a made up Scam, and end up getting caught in a major SPY scandal the likes of which this country may never have seen before! What goes around, comes around!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2018

SPYGATE could be one of the biggest political scandals in history!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2018

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But intelligence analysts caution that theres little public evidence so far to back up Trumps explosive arguments about what happened.

Accusations that the FBI was spying on the Trump campaign  rather than spying on foreign spies, which is its job  erase the important distinctions between counterintelligence and criminal investigations, Asha Rangappa, a former FBI agent who now teaches at Yale Law School, wrote in an op-ed last Sunday in the Washington Post.

Story continues

Heres a quick look at the controversy.

How did the FBI use an informant on the Trump campaign?

Trump should be happy that the FBI was SPYING on his campaign No, James Clapper, I am not happy. Spying on a campaign would be illegal, and a scandal to boot!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2018

On Friday, the Washington Post and the New York Times reported that FBI agents sent an informant to talk to two Trump campaign advisers  Carter Page and George Papadopoulos  after it had received evidence of suspicious contacts with Russia. (The informant also met with Trump campaign aide Sam Clovis.)

According to the Times, the FBI used an informant, rather than sending its own agents to do interviews, because it feared a more aggressive approach might lead to leaks that an investigation was underway, which could improperly influence the election.

The informant, an American academic working in the United Kingdom, offered Papadopoulos $3,000 to write a research paper on a disputed gas field in the eastern Mediterranean and come to London to discuss it, then asked him over drinks at a high-end hotel what he knew about Russian involvement in the hacked Democratic National Committee emails, according to the Times.

The informant also talked with Page during a symposium at a U.K. university and several times in the Washington, D.C. area, and met with Clovis for coffee in Northern Virginia, according to the Post.

Rangappa noted that using an informant is a standard technique for law enforcement and intelligence services who are trying to learn more during an investigation, arguing that it is different from spying done on foreign adversaries.

A source is being used as a way to prevent infiltration by a hostile foreign power of the campaign, she told TIME. The term spy as applied to the FBI suggests they were the ones doing the infiltration, and I dont think there is any basis to suggest that.

Who is the FBI informant?

The Post and the Times declined to name the informant, noting that U.S. intelligence officials have warned that revealing his name could expose him to risk. Some conservative outlets have identified him by name, however.

The Post identified the informant as a retired American professor who has worked with the FBI and the CIA for years and helped the Russia investigation before and after Special Counsel Robert Muellers appointment. The Times reported that he is well known in Washington circles and served under previous Republican administrations.

Where did the idea of a campaign spy in the Trump campaign originate?

White House allies and supporters have floated the idea that a human source improperly assisted the FBI investigation for weeks.

In early May, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) asked the Justice Department for all documents about a U.S. citizen who helped the special counsel investigation. This appears to be the beginning of the current fight.

In a May 12 column in the conservative National Review, editor Andrew McCarthy openly questioned whether the FBI had a spy in the Trump campaign, citing testimony from Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson last fall.

In the testimony, Simpson testified that FBI agents told his coworker, former British spy Christopher Steele, that they found his research on Trump credible because they had other intelligence that indicated the same thing including from a human source from inside the Trump organization.

When that testimony became public on Jan. 9, sources from Fusion GPS told NBC News that Simpson had misspoken in his testimony and the human source was actually just an Australian diplomat who once had drinks with Papadopoulos and not anyone within the Trump organization.

But by last week, Trump had picked up the argument and began tweeting that the FBI had placed a spy in his campaign.

Reports are there was indeed at least one FBI representative implanted, for political purposes, into my campaign for president. It took place very early on, and long before the phony Russia Hoax became a hot Fake News story. If true - all time biggest political scandal!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 18, 2018

How does this tie into Trumps other arguments about the FBI?

Trump has long argued that both the FBI and Muellers investigations into Russian meddling and possible collusion with his campaign in the 2016 election are phony, a witch hunt and a hoax. Hes also claimed that the investigations are part of a deep state conspiracy to undermine both his campaign and his administration.

Trump has never presented any concrete evidence to back up these claims. As Rangappa, the former FBI agent, notes, the FBI was conducting a counter-intelligence informant that was most certainly trying to protect the Trump campaign, not undermine it.

The goal there would be to protect national security by figuring out what Russias intentions were and their efforts to infiltrate our political processes, she explained, noting the use of an informant was a way to keep the investigation from becoming public. They could have been more overt or direct, but that would have raised questions for the public or the media.

This is not the first time Trump has made broad claims about the investigation. In 2016, he alleged that President Barack Obama for wiretapping Trump Tower, an assertion for which the Department of Justice later said in a court filing there was no evidence.

Rangappa said questions about whether the FBI was spying on the Trump campaign are overshadowing the questions about what Page and Papadopoulos were doing in the first place.

The narrative of the FBI spying only makes sense if you dont believe there was a legitimate national security threat, said Rangappa.(WASHINGTON)  President Donald Trump escalated his efforts to discredit the Russia investigation Wednesday, saying the FBI has been caught in a MAJOR spy scandal over their use of a secret informant to determine whether some of Trumps campaign aides were working with Russia ahead of the 2016 election.

SPYGATE could be one of the biggest political scandals in history! Trump said in an early morning Twitter tirade.

Trump and his GOP supporters in Congress are now demanding information on the outside informant, claiming it is proof that the Obama administration was trying to spy on his campaign for political reasons. The White House has negotiated rare access to classified documents for Trumps congressional allies in a briefing expected Thursday.

Look how things have turned around on the Criminal Deep State. They go after Phony Collusion with Russia, a made up Scam, and end up getting caught in a major SPY scandal the likes of which this country may never have seen before! What goes around, comes around!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2018

SPYGATE could be one of the biggest political scandals in history!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2018

Look how things have turned around on the Criminal Deep State, Trump tweeted Wednesday. They go after Phony Collusion with Russia, a made up Scam, and end up getting caught in a major SPY scandal the likes of which this country may never have seen before! What goes around, comes around!

The presidents comments came a day after he increased pressure on the Justice Department, declining to say whether he has confidence in Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Over the weekend, Trump demanded that the Justice Department investigate the FBI and Justice Departments handling of the Russia probe.

Story continues

The Justice Department agreed by expanding an open, internal investigation to determine whether there was any politically motivated surveillance. And the White House said that Trump chief of staff John Kelly would organize the meeting with House lawmakers to review the documents, although he and other White House staffers would not be present.

FBI Director Christopher Wray, National Intelligence Director Dan Coats and Justice Department official Edward OCallaghan will meet with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes and House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Trey Gowdy.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said no Democrats were invited because they had not requested the information, despite calls from lawmakers for the briefing to be bipartisan.

The top Democrat on the House intelligence panel, California Rep. Adam Schiff, said the briefing should have been done through the bipartisan Gang of 8, which includes Republican and Democratic leaders and the top Republicans and Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence panels. That group regularly receives classified briefings.

The New York Times was the first to report that the FBI had an informant who met several times with Trump campaign officials who had suspicious contacts linked to Russia.

The Justice Departments internal probe began in March at the request of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and congressional Republicans. Sessions and the lawmakers urged Inspector General Michael Horowitz to review whether FBI and Justice Department officials abused their surveillance powers by using information compiled by Christopher Steele, a former British spy, and paid for by Democrats to justify monitoring Carter Page, a former campaign adviser to Trump.

Horowitz said his office will look at those claims as well as communications between Steele and Justice and FBI officials.

___

Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Jill Colvin, Eric Tucker, Darlene Superville and Jonathan Lemire contributed to this report.Gun-control advocates are threatening to boycott Publix Super Markets over the companys donation to a gubernatorial candidate in Florida who has called himself a proud NRA sellout.

Publix, a large grocery chain in the southeastern U.S., reportedly gave $670,000 to Adam Putnam, who is running in the Republican primary as voters choose a replacement for the departing GOP Gov. Rick Scott. Putnam, who currently serves as Floridas commissioner of agriculture, opposed stricter gun-purchasing regulations passed by the state legislature and signed by Scott following the Parkland school shooting.

Activists in the state have taken to social media with calls to #BoycottPublix unless the Lakeland, Florida-based company withdraws its campaign donation. Some shoppers tweeted photos of receipts from other grocery stores in support of the boycott. There were, however, no signs as of this week that a large number of shoppers were abandoning the store, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Publix said Tuesday it supports political candidates who are pro-business, and the vast majority of its overall giving is focused on organizations that support young people, education and helping the hungry and homeless in local communities.

As the largest private employer in the state of Florida, and with the majority of our stores and our corporate headquarters located here as well, we have a history of supporting candidates focused on job growth and a healthy Florida economy, Publix said in a statement provided to FOX Business. We regret that some of our political contributions have led to an unintentional customer divide instead of our desire to support a growing economy in Florida.

The company also said its evaluating its processes to ensure that our giving better reflects our intended desire to support a strong economy and a healthy community.

The NRA hadnt respond to a request for comment from FOX Business at the time of publication.

Publix, a popular grocery chain that has received accolades from customer satisfaction surveys, was ranked by Forbes as the seventh-largest private company in the U.S. last year based on annual revenue. Publix recorded about $34.6 billion in retail sales in 2017 and employs more than 190,000 people, according to company statistics. Publix has more than 1,100 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Story continues

In the wake of the Parkland school shooting, gun-control activists have called out companies that have business relationships with the NRA or donate to Republican candidates. United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and other companies have severed ties with the NRA. The organization has said those decisions were a shameful display of political and civic cowardice.

Putnam has been a fierce critic of gun regulations, telling the NRAs television outlet, NRATV, that he doesnt support raising the minimum age to buy a rifle to 21 or instituting a three-day waiting period for all firearm purchasesmeasures included in Floridas gun bill.

If you are 18, you can fight and die for this country, Putnam said in the interview. And yet, you wouldnt be able to be trusted at the same age to go to the sporting goods store and purchase a shotgun to go dove-shoot.

Related ArticlesRachel Cusk is not a radicalat least not anymore. Critics lambasted her as a bad mom when she asserted that marriage and motherhood deprive women of any sense of self in her memoirs A Lifes Work (2002) and Aftermath (2012). Years later, shes still writing about the anguish of divorce and parenting, but those ideas have been better received as a trilogy of acclaimed novels: Outline (2015), Transit (2017) and, now, Kudos (June).

It took me a while to figure out why the memoir was malfunctioning, Cusk says. I realized if you use yourself as an example, people turn you into the exception. She believes women will go to great lengths to disguise their own ambivalence about motherhood, and that by exposing their suffering with her own story she gave readers someone to admonish. That made me angry. Their response sent the message to any woman struggling with motherhood that she would be attacked.

So she turned to writing fiction that draws directly from her own life. The series centers on Faye, a divorced author living with two children in Britainjust like Cusk. The novels dont really have a plot. Faye travels to Greece in Outline, gut-renovates her home in Transit and attends a German literary festival in Kudos. Cusk has made Faye a silent cipher. She says little as friends and strangers monologize about their failed marriages.

Delving into one of Cusks novels has the voyeuristic appeal of eavesdropping on a strangers therapy session. The literary world has embraced the style, a mashup of fiction and autobiography, as a brilliant innovation. I was eager to find a new form that was less confrontational, says Cusk. Theres not that much difference for me as a writer. Its just adjusting the frame.

In Kudos, the trilogys final installment, Faye (like Cusk) has remarried, although she shares no details about her new partner. When a friend asks Faye why she chose to resubmit herself to the repressive laws of marriage, Faye replies, I hoped to get the better of those laws by living within them.

Story continues

Cusk has never been one to work within the system. But in Kudos, she asserts that freedomfrom marriage, from obligation, from the patriarchyhas its drawbacks. A man tells Faye that for decades he tallied his income on a spreadsheet labeled freedom in anticipation of early retirement. But when he finally quit his job, he found domestic life unsatisfying. Another character remarks that people who leave their toxic families become lonely. You pursue freedom or love or some principle, but theyre like mountains in the distance that never seem to get any closer, says Cusk. You realize at a certain age that refrigerator magnet idea: Its the journey, not the destination.'

The costs of freedom also take on a political import: the U.K.s divorce from the European Union haunts the novel, set shortly before the Brexit vote. Fayes seatmate on a plane interprets signs lobbying voters to leave or remain as a personal comment on his own marriage. The private consciousness was enacted on the public stage, says Cusk of Brexit, including the trauma. Cusk hints that society should rebuild its structures rather than seek liberation from them. That process may begin with righteous anger, as when Fayes friends share stories about abusive exes and question gender roles. With #MeToo, were witnessing an unraveling of an old morality, Cusk says. Now what replaces it?

Faye and her friends are still trapped in archetypes: the angry feminist who fights against marriage, or the martyr who sacrifices herself to the institution. But Cusk wonders in Kudos whether theylike Medea, Antigone and other women of Greek tragedycan achieve honor through that suffering. Cusk remains hopeful that being honest about pain can lead to salvation. I have found freedom is in fact truth, she saysalthough she is still determining how to communicate that truth. Shes done with the style of Kudos. Im always on the move artistically, she says, to find what the language of our world will be.[caption id="attachment_13547" align="alignleft" width="620"]

Stacey Abrams (from left), Casey Cagle and and Brian Kemp (Photos: John Bazemore/Todd Kirkland/John Amis/AP)

Stacey Abrams (from left), Casey Cagle and Brian Kemp (Photos: John Bazemore/Todd Kirkland/John Amis/AP)[/caption] After Tuesday's primaries, Georgias gubernatorial race is down to three candidates, each with their own unique platform and perspectives on how to run the state. What these three politicians do have in common, though, is having high-powered legal help behind them. The Daily Report examined the campaign expenditure reports of Democratic candidate and former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams and Republican runoff candidates Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp to see which law firms their campaigns paid for legal services between Jan. 1, 2017, and the present. A caveat: Publicly available reports on candidate spending appear not to extend past March 31 of this year, so the list is likely not comprehensive. The expenditure reports do not name specific lawyers or indicate the type of work performed, and in most cases the firms opted not to fill in the blanks for us. But there are numerous reasons candidates will want to hire attorneys during a statewide campaign, said Eric Tanenblatt, leader of Dentons global public policy and regulation practice. "Political campaigns require legal counsel on a variety of matterseverything from the establishment of the campaign organization to making sure it is complying with campaign contribution laws and regulations," said Tanenblatt. He added that other possible reasons to hire legal help include ballot security and any alleged voter irregularities, plus financial disclosure and ethics issues. Brian Kemp Kemp has turned to Dentonspaying the global megafirm $30,000 in legal fees between April 2017 and February 2018, according to his campaigns publicly available expenditure reports. To legal and political observers in Georgia, Dentons may not be a surprising choice. In 1980, Gordon Giffin, later a U.S. ambassador to Canada, founded the political law practice at Long Aldridge & Norman (its successor, McKenna Long & Aldridge, later became part of Dentons), making it one of the oldest practices of its kind in Atlanta. The group at Dentons is composed of lawyers with deep expertise in campaign, election, lobbying and ethics law who have represented numerous federal and statewide candidates in both major political parties, including in gubernatorial races, in virtually every election cycle for many years, Tanenblatt said. Until he left Dentons to become the Trump administrations deputy White House counsel for compliance and ethics in January 2017, Stefan Passantino headed the firms political law, ethics and disclosure team. Benjamin Keane, a Washington, D.C.-based partner, is now leading the firms political law efforts and is legal counsel to the Kemp campaign, Tanenblatt said. Keane served as outside deputy national campaign counsel to the presidential campaign committee of former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, according to his Dentons bio. He also was vice-chair of the Republican National Lawyers Association's Presidential Ballot Access Initiative, which coordinated and disseminated legal guidance on Republican Party ballot access obligations and procedures to all 2016 presidential candidates. Keane could not be reached for comment about his work with the campaign or whether any other Dentons lawyers have joined him on the campaign. Stacey Abrams Abrams, who is the only lawyer among the remaining candidates, also turned to the nations capital for some of her campaign legal work. According to the online expenditure reports, Abrams campaign paid $5,000 in legal and professional fees late last year to D.C.-based Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein & Birkenstock, which bills itself as a law firm focused on advising clients involved in the business of politics. A firm spokesperson could not be reached for comment about which of its dozen or so attorneys did campaign-related work for Abrams. Daily Report affiliate, the National Law Journal, has described Joseph Sandler, one of the firms founding members, as a veteran election law expert who, during the 2012 election season, signed on as general counsel to Democracy Partners, a 19-member political consulting firm. The NLJ reported that the consultancy's mission at the time, in the organization's own words, was to elect Democrats and "create issue campaigns that turn progressive principles into progressive policy. Sandler, who specializes in nonprofit and political law, lobbying regulations and government ethics, served from 1993 to 1998 as in-house GC of the Democratic National Committee and general counsel to the DNC through his law firm until 2008, the NLJ reported. Casey Cagle So far, Cagle seems to be keeping his legal team local and familiar. His campaign paid for about $1,450 in legal services this past November to Atlanta firm Strickland Brockington Lewis, which has represented Cagle's campaigns since 2006, Anne Lewis, one of the firm's founding members, said in an email. "Im the lead attorney, but as in all firms, other firm attorneys assist when necessary," she said. According to its website, Strickland Brockington Lewis has about a half-dozen lawyers. The firm is no stranger to high-profile election and political legal work. Lewis and co-founding member Frank Strickland both have served as the state Republican Partys general counsel, a role Lewis still holds. The pair also won a U.S. Supreme Court case in 2004 against a Democratic-drawn redistricting plan. According to online campaign expenditure reports, the other gubernatorial candidates who didn't make it through past primary day also paid legal fees to various firms and lawyers.WASHINGTON  An effort by House Democrats to find out why the Justice Department wants a citizenship status question on the 2020 census was blocked Wednesday by their Republican colleagues, even as some lawmakers vowed to continue investigating the genesis of the controversial new question.

In a letter sent to the U.S. Census Bureau last year, the Justice Department argued that the purpose of the question was a reliable calculation of the citizen voting-age population in localities where voting rights violations are alleged or suspected. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross later said he would honor the request.

Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Jae C. Hong/AP, AP, iStockphoto/Getty Images

But many advocates and experts say the question is unnecessary and, worse, politically motivated. Writing in the San Francisco Chronicle , the California attorney general, Xavier Becerra, and its secretary of state, Alex Padilla, argued that the question would discourage noncitizens and their citizen family members from responding to the census, resulting in a less accurate population count. Such an undercount could benefit Republicans during the decennial redrawing of district lines by counting fewer people in Democratic-leaning districts.

Eighteen states, including California, are suing President Trumps administration regarding the question.

In a parallel effort earlier this month, first-term Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., a member of the House Oversight Committee, accused the Trump administration of disgraceful political games and introduced a request for information that would have forced the Justice Department to turn over documents related to its decision to ask the controversial question.

Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., speaks at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the 2020 Census on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)

The House Oversight Committee had already been investigating the census, but Democrats have sought to make that inquiry more muscular. Last week, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., attempted to subpoena John Gore, a top attorney in the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division. Gore, who has helped Republicans in gerrymandering efforts, failed to show up at a May 8 committee hearing, causing a rare bipartisan outrage. He is coming to talk whether he wants to or not, fumed Rep. Trey Gowdy , R-S.C. Gore showed up to answer questions 10 days later, but Maloney tried to subpoena him anyway. Her motion failed .

Story continues

The motion by Gomez, which would have required Gores office to produce documentation of how it decided on the citizenship question, met the same fate Wednesday, failing in a partisan 20-16 vote. That vote followed a charged debate in which Democrats accused the Trump administration of attempting to suppress voter rights. Republicans, for their part, noted that citizenship had once been part of the census, and argued that its reintroduction would only abet the cause of representative democracy.

Democrats argued strongly for the Gomez motion. The census is supposed to be a nonpartisan endeavor, said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. Gomez said he wanted to know whether anti-immigration advocates like Stephen Miller, a senior White House adviser, or Kris W. Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state who was formerly head of a short-lived voter fraud panel, were involved in the effort  or whether Trump himself perhaps was.

The citizenship question would hit people in the face who are legally in this country, argued Eleanor Holmes Norton of Washington, D.C., arguing that Republican states would also fall victim to undercounts. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., chided his Republican colleagues on more political grounds. Not one for one minute would you have tolerated that non-response from the Obama administration, he said of Gores evasive testimony the previous week.

But today its different, Connolly said, because Trump is president.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif.  accompanied by Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., second from left; Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., third from right; Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., second from right; Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., right, and others  speaks about new census question at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)

Republicans, meanwhile, said Gomezs measure was unnecessary. Rep. Mark Meadows, R.-N.C., assured Gomez that the House Oversight Committee would do a full inquiry into the citizenship question  in time. The census, the 2020 census, Meadows said, will not happen for over two years, and if we cannot accommodate for just a few weeks, I just find troubling. Others Republicans indicated that they had no problem with the question, with Rep. Paul Mitchell, R-Mich., criticizing Democrats for succumbing to a the-sky-is-falling mentality fostered by some news outlets.

At times, the debate veered into the broader question of voting rights. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., a Harvard-trained lawyer, said that alien suffrage was common in the United States in the 19th century and was still allowed in some municipalities. Raskin pointed out that it was actually Republicans who, in the pre-modern nation, had supported the rights of noncitizens to vote.

I thank my friend Professor Raskin, Gowdy said in response. That is the most number of nice things Ive heard about the Republican Party said in five minutes in the time I have been here.

Im glad you took it as praise, Raskin joked back. But then the joking was over, and the time for voting came.

Read more from Yahoo News:Rohingya militants massacred Hindu villagers during last year's uprising in Myanmar's Rakhine, Amnesty International said Wednesday in a report that sheds fresh light on the complex ethnic rivalries in the state.

The killings took place on August 25, 2017, the report said, the same day that the Rohingya insurgents staged coordinated deadly raids on police posts that tipped the state into crisis.

Myanmar's military responded to the insurgent raids with harsh reprisals that forced some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims out of the mainly Buddhist country where they have faced persecution for years.

The UN says the army crackdown amounted to "ethnic cleansing" of the Rohingya, with soldiers and vigilante mobs accused of killing civilians and burning down villages.

But the Rohingya militants have also been accused of abuses.

Those include the mass killing of Hindus in the far north of Rakhine, where the military took reporters -- including AFP -- to witness the exhumation of putrid bodies from a shallow grave in September.

The militants, known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), denied responsibility at the time.

But Amnesty International said Wednesday that a new investigation had confirmed the group killed 53 Hindus "execution-style" -- mostly children -- in the Kha Maung Seik village cluster in northern Maungdaw.

"Accountability for these atrocities is every bit as crucial as it is for the crimes against humanity carried out by Myanmar's security forces in northern Rakhine state," said Tirana Hassan, crisis response director at Amnesty International.

- Victims rounded up -

Citing interviews with eight survivors, the rights group said dozens of people were rounded up, blindfolded and marched out of town by masked men and Rohingya villagers in plain clothes.

"They slaughtered the men. We were told not to look at them... They had knives. They also had some spades and iron rods," 18-year-old Raj Kumari told Amnesty.

Story continues

He said he hid in the bush and watched as his father, brother and uncle were killed.

The report said that in a separate village nearby called Ye Bauk Kyar, 46 Hindu men, women and children disappeared on the same day. It cited information from local Hindus who believe they were killed by ARSA.

While Rakhine was home mainly to Buddhists and Muslims before the crisis, it also has a small but longstanding Hindu minority -- many of whom were brought in by British colonisers looking for cheap labour -- as well as several other smaller ethnic groups.

"The killers fled to Bangladesh, there are many witnesses but we have not had any justice," Hindu community leader Ni Maul told AFP from Rakhine state.

"People have less interest in these killings," he added, compared to reporting on the atrocities against the Rohingya.

Myanmar has faced a flood of international condemnation for its persecution of the Rohingya, who are stateless and have been targeted by bouts of communal violence.

The government denies any widespread abuses and has accused rights groups of a pro-Rohingya bias, while highlighting the suffering of other ethnic groups swept up in the violence.

"It is important that the international pressure on Myanmar won't favour ARSA's actions," government spokesman Zaw Htay told AFP when asked about the Amnesty report.

But David Mathieson, an independent analyst, said the report should strengthen the argument for Myanmar to allow independent investigations into the crisis.

Authorities have severely restricted media access to the conflict zone and barred UN investigators from entering the country.

"Failing to grant access to humanitarian aid workers and researchers and journalists will continue the official culture of denial, which has zero credibility in the eyes of the world," he told AFP.This week, Russia launched its largest ballistic missile tests since the Cold War, shooting four nuclear-capable missiles from underneath the White Sea, located on the northwest coast of Russia.

The Russian Northern Fleet officially reported that the underwater cruiser Yuri Dolgoruky successfully launched four Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles, all of which hit their targets on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russias Far East. The Bulava missiles can carry multiple nuclear warheads and can reach a range of around 5,700 miles.

The missiles were launched as tensions ratchet up to Russias east in the run-up to a landmark meeting in Singapore between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The two men had been slated to meet on June 12, but now leaders from the U.S. and North Korea have cast doubt on whether they will eventually meet and discuss North Koreas nuclear weapons program. Countries like Japan have been preparing contingency plans in case the meeting falls apart. The U.S. Navy sent one of its deadliest warships to Japan this week, a vessel that could help protect Japan from a North Korean attack by shooting down warheads.

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Russia is generally wary of Japan purchasing U.S. military equipment, and has repeatedly accused the U.S. of violating international arms treaties by selling missile defense systems to Japan and Russias other neighbors. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Russia later this week, where he is expected to discuss North Korea and a response to a potential conflict in the region.

Soviet and Russian researchers had been developing the Borei-class submarines since the late 1980s. Subsequently, around 27 Bulava missile launches were carried out between 2005 and 2018, 15 of which were considered successful. Russia has been working to modernize its navy for years, and has poured ample resources into refurbishing its navy since the fall of the Soviet Union. But experts say the country's shipbuilding industry is plagued by corruption and that many ships are poorly maintained.

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The Russian navy is also considerably smaller than the U.S. Navy, with around 66 fewer destroyers and just 61 submarines compared to 70 in the U.S.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekWhite House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has a curious relationship with facts. (Photo: Saul Loeb / Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says it bugs her when people accuse of her lying to the press.

It certainly bothers me, she told The New York Times in a Wednesday article. Because one of the few things you have are your integrity and reputation.

But Sanders has told lots of lies, and its not hard to give examples. PolitiFact cites four times the White House press secretary gave objectively false information.

She said in a November briefing that diversity visa immigrants are not vetted (false). She said in an October briefing that Chicago, which has high rates of gun-related crimes, has the toughest gun laws in the country (pants on fire!). She claimed in July that President Donald Trump has in no way, form or fashion has ever promoted or encouraged violence (false), despite videos showing otherwise. In March 2017 she said multiple news outlets reported that when he was president, Barack Obama ordered wiretapping of Trump (false).

Some of the things Sanders has said are laughably untrue.

She insisted this month that the Trump administration is committed to a free press  right after Trump hinted at stripping reporters of their credentials and claimed, once again, that mainstream news outlets critical of his presidency are fake news.

In May 2017, she claimed there was not ever an attempt to blame Trumps firing of FBI Director James Comey on Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, despite a statement that week from thenpress secretary Sean Spicer putting the blame squarely on Rosenstein.

Look at all the reporters' hands in the air. Why can't they get factually correct answers? (Photo: Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images)

In her defense, Sanders job sounds bananas. She has to provide accurate information given to her by a president who lies all the time. And in this White House, the level of chaos and turnover has been so high, its not hard to imagine that something that may be true in the morning is no longer true by that evening.

Theres a difference between misspeaking or not knowing something than maliciously lying, Sanders said in the Times piece.

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But part of her dishonesty is in her unwillingness to acknowledge when the president has said something that just isnt true.

When a reporter asked Sanders in October why Trump kept falsely saying that the U.S. is the highest-taxed nation in the world, she gave a hilariously nonsensical answer. In July, when Trump randomly criticized Rosenstein for being from Baltimore, even though he is from Philadelphia, Sanders couldnt even admit that was wrong. She said Trump was making a general statement.

Reporters confronted Sanders earlier this month about why she falsely told them that Trump did not reimburse his lawyer, Michael Cohen, for $130,000 in hush money to adult-film star Stormy Daniels just before the November 2016 election.

You said, on March 7, There was no knowledge of any payments from the president, and hes denied all of these allegations, CNNs Jim Acosta said during the May 3 press briefing. Were you lying to us at the time, or were you in the dark?

Sanders said only that Trump still denies the allegations by Daniels.

I gave you the best information that I had, and Im going to continue to do my best to do that every single day, she said.

As Sanders does her best to be truthful, theres one group she has no problem calling out as liars: all 16 women who say Trump sexually assaulted them.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.South Korea appears to have been caught unaware by President Donald Trumps decision to pull out of next months summit with North Korea. We are attempting to make sense of what, precisely, President Trump means," said South Korean presidential representative Kim Eui-kyeom in a statement Thursday morning.

South Korean president Moon Jae-in told reporters that he was "very perplexed by the situation," and that "it is very regrettable that the North Korea-U.S. summit will not be held on June 12 when it was scheduled to be held," according to Yonhap News Agency.

Trump made a surprise announcement that he would no longer be participating in the historic nuclear summit in a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Thursday. Please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place. You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used, he wrote.

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo could not say whether or not South Korea knew about The White Houses intent to pull out of the talks before the letter was released publically. Moon has reportedly called a late night meeting with his top aides to try to make sense of the situation.

Moon had a momentus and successful meeing with Kim Jong Un around the Korean Demilitarization Zone earlier in the month, and was at the White House to speak with Trump about the upcoming summit on Tuesday.

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Thanks to your vision of achieving peace through strength, as well as your strong leadership, were looking forward to the first-ever U.S.-North Korea summit. And we find ourselves standing one step closer to the dream of achieving complete denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and world peace, he told President Trump. But he warned the president that, the fate and the future of the Korean Peninsula hinge on this."

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Preparations for the summit began to break down Wednesday evening when a North Korean official called Vice President Mike Pence ignorant and stupid for saying that North Korea would suffer a similar fate to Libya if it did not end its nuclear program.

"In case the U.S. offends against our goodwill and clings to unlawful and outrageous acts, I will put forward a suggestion to our supreme leadership for reconsidering the DPRK-U.S. summit," said North Korean Vice Foreign Affairs Minister Choe Son Hui.

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Ahead of the summit, North Korea released three American prisoners and reportedly demolished its Punggye-ri nuclear test site. A number of foreign reporters, including Americans, were in North Korea to witness the destruction of the site when president Trump released the letter.

GettyImages-961422988

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Updated to include a statement from President Moon.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekIntensification of military cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan was one of the main topics at talks between Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Uzbek Defense Minister Abusalom Azizov. Russia is ready to modernize Uzbek army with latest military equipment, including air defense systems, as well as help to train Uzbek soldiers. According to experts, Russia's goal is to strengthen military cooperation with Uzbekistan and minimize military presence of the United States and Turkey in the region.

"Uzbekistan sees Russia as a country that has authority all over the world, and wants to develop cooperation with it in all directions," Defense Minister of Uzbekistan Abdusalom Azizov said on Tuesday during talks with head of Russia's defense Ministry Sergey Shoigu. He highlighted Russian-Uzbek military and technical cooperation, noting that Tashkent is ready to develop military ties with Moscow.

Last year, Uzbekistan adopted a new military doctrine, which, taking into account developments in the world, stresses defense policy as one of the main directions. Doctrine demonstrates defensive character, openness of the republic's foreign policy, as well as its desire to have constructive relations with its closest neighbors. At the same time, Uzbekistan distances itself from military-political alliances and coalitions. This doctrine doesn't envisage participation of Uzbek army in military operations abroad and deployment of foreign military bases on the territory of this country. Uzbekistan also doesn't wan't to restore its participation in the CSTO.

According to Global Firepower, in 2015 Uzbekistan was recognized as the most powerful military nation in Central Asia and it maintained this status until 2017. This year it moved from the 48th position to 36th, significantly improving. Experts associate this with increase in defense spendings, which this year will reach arout 4% of national budget or more than 1.4 billion dollars, as well as with supply of new weapons to Uzbekistan.

Russian Federation Vladimir Putin's visit to Uzbekistan in 2014 allowed to restructure Uzbek debt and open new opportunities for cooperation. Tashkent signed a contract with Moscow for supply of 12 Mi-35 combat helicopters. For the next decade, Russia will remain the main supplier of small arms and equipment to Uzbekistan. Tashkent bought armored vehicles from Astana and agreed to develop military-industrial complex with Turkey. "Since 2017, Tashkent set its sights on creation of joint ventures on the basis of free economic zones, which will allow it to produce its own military products, primarily small arms of various caliber, ammunition, automobile armored vehicles, as well as uniforms and personal protective equipment. Around 50-70 million dollars will be provided for implementation of these projects from the state budget. It plans to attract local and foreign investments up to 120 million dollars, including through provision of serious tax incentives," political scientist, member of the Scientific Council of the Institute for Central Asian and Afghan Studies Igor Pankratenko said in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza.

Such position of Tashkent, according to him, allows Ankara to create joint defense enterprises for production of small arms, automobile armored vehicles and personal protective equipment that are used in Turkish army. Expert believes that there's every reason to assume that cooperation will be much faster compared to similar negotiations with India. Uzbekistan has already established special fund for financing such projects.

As for the United States, Tashkent and Washington signed a five-year military cooperation plan. Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at a meeting with Donald Trump that he will continue to support transit of US military cargos to Afghanistan through Uzbekistan's territory. Previously, the United States were supported by Kazakhstan. President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed an agreement that allows the US Navy to use the Kuryk and Aktau Caspian ports for cargo transportations. After that, these cargos will be transported through the Uzbek railway to Afghanistan.

Russian side is concerned about activities of militants in the northern provinces of Afghanistan and possibility of hostilities in the countries of Central Asia. "Of course, this concers is associated with all the risks and threats that exist near the borders of Uzbekistan. We can't help but notice the growing threat of international terrorism that is moving from Syria to neighboring countries, including Uzbekistan," Shoigu stressed. Minister also noted that military and technical cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan is "very important".

Russian minister suggested to "prepare more military specialists who, if necessary, could protect national security interests." "We're ready to continue to share not only our experience, but also help to train specialists. That's we propose to increase the number of those military specialists who are currently studying at our educational institutions," Shoigu added.A prominent Southern Baptist Church leader who is known to have made inappropriate comments about abuse and womens bodies was removed from his position early Wednesday after thousands of evangelical women signed a petition calling for his ouster.

Paige Patterson, formerly the head of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, was demoted to president emeritus of the church after a 13-hour board meeting on Tuesday, according to a statement.

He will receive compensation for the position. The statement didnt refer specifically to his comments about women, but said the discussion about the new leadership direction focused on challenges facing the institution, including those of enrollment, financial, leadership and institutional identity.

Dr. D. Jeffrey Bingham, dean of the School of Theology, was appointed as interim president. He currently serves as the vice president of the North American Patristics Society.

More than 3,200 women affiliated with Southern Baptist churches and beyond signed a petition calling for decisive action this month.

We are shocked by the video that has surfaced showing Dr. Paige Patterson objectify a teenage girl and then suggest this as behavior that is biblical, the letter says.

We are further grieved by the dangerous and unwise counsel given by Dr. Patterson to women in abusive situations. His recent remarks of clarification do not repudiate his unwise counsel in the past; nor has he offered explanation or repentance for inappropriate comments regarding a teenage girl, the unbiblical teaching he offered on the biblical meaning of womanhood in that objectification, and the inappropriate nature of his own observations of her body.

A 2000 audio clip resurfaced online recently in which he counseled physically abused wives to pray through the situation, stay in abusive relationships, be submissive in every way and try as hard as possible not to get divorced.

I had a woman who was in a church that I served and she was being subject to some abuse and I told her, I said All right, I want you to do this every evening,  Patterson said. Get down by your bed as you go to sleep, get down by the bed when you think hes just about asleep, pray and ask God to intervene. I said, Get ready because he may get a little more violent when he discovers it.

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He has also joked in the past about how everyone should own at least one woman and has spoken inappropriately about the body of a 16-year-old girl, defending the comments by claiming its what the Bible says.

And he reportedly encouraged a woman who had been sexually assaulted not to go to the police and instead told her to forgive the assailant, the woman told The Washington Post.

Although some Southern Baptists have urged Patterson to resign, others have defended him. A petition defending him, which garnered almost 600 signatures, referred to the resurfacing of Pattersons past comments as malicious attacks and wrong.

Paige Patterson has suggested that female victims of abuse should remain submissive. (Photo: Fort Worth Star-Telegram via Getty Images)

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.President Trump reportedly told a friend this week that he wanted to brand the FBI informant who met with members of his presidential campaign as a spy because he believed the term would stick. On Thursday morning, Trump used the term three times in a single tweet while repeating his false claim that former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper had conceded the bureau was spying on his campaign in 2016.

Clapper has now admitted that there was Spying in my campaign, Trump tweeted. Large dollars were paid to the Spy, far beyond normal. Starting to look like one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history. SPYGATE  a terrible thing!

His next tweet included the hashtag #SPYGATE.

On ABCs The View Tuesday, Clapper was asked whether the FBI was spying on the Trump campaign.

No, they were not, Clapper replied. They were spying on  a term I dont particularly like  but on what the Russians were doing. Trying to understand were the Russians infiltrating, trying to gain access, trying to gain leverage or influence  which is what they do.

Last week, the New York Times reported that in the summer of 2016, the FBI dispatched an informant to talk to two Trump campaign advisers  George Papadopoulos and Carter Page  after the agency received evidence that the pair had suspicious contacts linked to Russia during the campaign.

According to the Associated Press, Trump told confidants in recent days that the revelation of an informant was potential evidence that the upper echelon of federal law enforcement has conspired against him. And Trump told one ally this week that he wanted to brand the informant a spy, believing the more nefarious term would resonate more in the media and with the public.

President Trump has chosen to brand his latest conspiratorial claims. (Photo illustration by Yahoo News; photos: AP (2), Getty Images)

The president first used the term spy while quoting the chyron of a Fox News segment.

Wow, word seems to be coming out that the Obama FBI SPIED ON THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN WITH AN EMBEDDED INFORMANT, Trump tweeted on May 17.

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During a Sunday morning tweetstorm, Trump called for a federal probe into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes.

But by midweek, Trump seemed ready to launch his SPY brand, stamping SPYGATE on his conspiratorial claims.

If the person placed very early into my campaign wasnt a SPY put there by the previous Administration for political purposes, how come such a seemingly massive amount of money was paid for services rendered  many times higher than normal  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2018

Look how things have turned around on the Criminal Deep State. They go after Phony Collusion with Russia, a made up Scam, and end up getting caught in a major SPY scandal the likes of which this country may never have seen before! What goes around, comes around!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2018

SPYGATE could be one of the biggest political scandals in history!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2018

A lot of bad things have happened, Trump told reporters on the South Lawn on Wednesday. We now call it Spygate. Youre calling it Spygate.

On Thursday, the president even added the hashtag to his routine while chastising former FBI Director James Comey and ex-acting FBI head Andrew McCabe.

Not surprisingly, the GREAT Men & Women of the FBI are starting to speak out against Comey, McCabe and all of the political corruption and poor leadership found within the top ranks of the FBI, Trump tweeted. Comey was a terrible and corrupt leader who inflicted great pain on the FBI! #SPYGATE.

Comey, for his part, pushed back on Trumps description of the informant as a spy.

Facts matter, Comey tweeted on Wednesday. The FBIs use of Confidential Human Sources (the actual term) is tightly regulated and essential to protecting the country. Attacks on the FBI and lying about its work will do lasting damage to our country. How will Republicans explain this to their grandchildren?

Trump responded to Comeys comments in an interview that aired Thursday on Fox & Friends.

How is he going to explain to his grandchildren all of the lies, the deceit, all of the problems he has caused for this country? Trump said. I think of the things that Ive done for the country, the firing of James Comey is going to go down as a very good thing. The FBI is great. I know so many people in the FBI. The FBI is a fantastic institution, but some of the people at the top were rotten apples. James Comey was one of them.

Read more from Yahoo News:Stacey Abrams became the first black woman nominated by a major political party in America for the position of governor when she was selected by the Democrats in a primary on Tuesday night to fight for Georgia in the November midterm elections.

And that means if the 44-year-old wins the contest for Georgia, securing the governorship from the incumbent Republican party, she will make even bigger history to become Americas first black female governor.

Team Abrams just won our primary election, and this victory belongs to you, the former state house leader posted to Facebook after her victory.

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Everyone who stood with us and fought for progress in the face of doubt. Everyone who believed that a little black girl who sometimes had to go without lights or running waterwho grew up to become the first woman to lead in the Georgia General Assemblycould become the first woman gubernatorial nominee from either party in Georgia's history.

Stacey Abrams

Photo by Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

Tonight's victory was only the beginning. The road to November will be long and tough, but the next step is one we take together.

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Abrams defeated Stacey Evans, a Democratic member of the Georgia House of Representatives, to secure the nomination. Congratulations, @staceyabrams. It was an honor to run in this historic primary against you. Now its time to rally behind our nomineelets turn Georgia blue, yall, Evans tweeted.

Abrams grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi, before her parents moved her and her five siblings to Atlanta, where her mother and father studied divinity at Emory University and became United Methodist ministers, according to Abramss campaign biography.

Story continues

Abrams has degrees from Spelman College, the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas and Yale Law School. She has at various times been a tax attorney, state legislator, author of eight romantic novels and beverage entrepreneur, among other pursuits.

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In 2010, she became the first woman to lead either party in the Georgia General Assembly and the first African-American to lead in the House of Representatives, her biography says.

Abrams is standing on an avowedly liberal platform, which some say is a risky move in a state like Georgia, where a pitch to moderates in the center may be a wiser strategy.

Its still a red state, even though its getting more purple every year, Kerwin Swint, chairman of the political science department at Kennesaw State University, told the The New York Times.

But the Georgia governorship has only been in Republican hands since 2003. Before then, from 1872, it was held by a Democrat. Abramss task is to test just how purple Georgia has becomeand maybe even return the governorship to the Democrats.

Abramss Republican rival for the governorship will be either Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle or Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who are heading for a July runoff for the GOP nomination for Georgia governor.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekUpdate: Stacey Abrams became the first Black woman to win a major party's nomination for governor after her victory in Georgia's Democratic primary Tuesday night. This paves the way for her to become the first Black female governor in the U.S. should she win the general election on November 6.

This story was originally published on May 22, 2018, at 11:49 a.m.

The Georgia primary elections are on Tuesday night, and Stacey Abrams looks to be the favorite for governor on the Democratic ballot. Her name-fellow opponent, Stacey Evans, leads a moderate campaign targeted at swing voters. But Abrams, who is backed by EMILYs List, Planned Parenthood, and NARAL  as well as Hillary Clinton, and progressive senators like Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Kamala Harris (D-CA)  has her sights on minority voters, young people, and single women. (One of the five white, male Republican candidates is touring the state in a "deportation bus," so that's where things are on the GOP side.)

If elected, Abrams would become the first Black female governor in the U.S., as well as one of still few women to assume the executive position. This is a sign of the times: According to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, 46 women filed to run for governor this year, which beat the previous record of 34 candidates in 1994. There are 22 states that have never had a female governor, including California and New York.

My victory is our victory.

In this video, writer and image activist Michaela Angela Davis interviews Abrams about her political journey, her biggest fears, and how the candidate would like America to see her. "It's been an extraordinary opportunity, but really hard," she tells Davis. "I call, I say, 'Here's what I'm doing,' they sound very excited, and then they say, 'But is Georgia ready for a Black woman?'" These doubts, she stresses, are a reflection of people's fears.

Story continues

Throughout the campaign, Abrams says, she's found herself in many spaces where people didn't expect to see her. "I've gone into Kiwanis clubs where there is no one in there who is expecting to see me, and they're not certain how I got in, and they're trying to find the door so they can usher me out," she says. "And I have to give them the exact same me that I give in beauty salons. I need them to hear me, and to hear something in what I say that they can find reflective of their needs."

What does the woman who could be the first Black female governor want America to know? "My leadership is not a diminution of anyone else. My election means that we've moved forward and more people now have access. My victory is our victory."

2018 will see an unprecedented number of female candidates in ballots across the country. More than 500 women are currently running for the House, Senate, or governorships  and that's without taking into account the number of candidates vying for local and statewide seats. Refinery29 is committed to spotlight female candidates, but particularly women of color, who have risen up to the challenge to say: "It's our turn."

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?

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Trump Found Time To Tweet About Tomi Lahren, But Not The Waffle House HeroThe US has seen a massive influx of unaccompanied minors coming to the US in recent years: Getty

A new report suggests that there has been a startling increase in the number of instances where US Border Patrol officers have abused children seeking shelter in the United States from violence and poverty in Central America.

The report, based on more than 30,000 pages of Border Patrol reports obtained by chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) through Freedom of Information Act requests, alleges a "pattern of inimidation, harassment, physical abuse, refusal of medical services, and improper deportation between 2009 and 2014." The report follows after a previous disclosure from the ACLU that detailed 116 incidents where officers were alleged to have physically, sexually, or psychologically abused children between the ages of five and 17.

A quarter of those cases were reports of alleged physical abuse, while half were alleged verbal abuse, including death threats. Half of the cases involved alleged denial of necessary medical care. Eighty per cent of the cases included allegations that the children were not provided adequate food and water. The agency has denied the claims as "baseless".

In one of those complaints, a child was allegedly run over by a [Customs and Border Patrol] truck causing crushing damage and significant trauma to the childs leg. The child, whose age was not disclosed in a complaint, was later diagnosed with a broken leg, and Border Patrol agents were accused of not properly caring for the injury.

In other reports, Border Patrol agents reportedly used tasers to inflict pain on children in violation of policies prohibiting the use of the electric shock devices except in specific circumstances, like when a suspect is evading arrest or acting violently. One complaint alleged that a child was asked if he knew what a taser was before he was shocked with the device, causing great harm.

Taken together, the documents allege a startling apparent tolerance for violence against children at a time when the US is seeing a significant influx of unaccompanied minors arriving at its border seeking protection from violence and poverty in their home countries. The ACLU says that it began requesting the documents after immigrant watchdogs noticed an increase in the number of stories of abuse.

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Dan Hetlage, a spokesperson with the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), took issue with the ACLU's findings.

"The false accusations made by the ACLU against the previous administration are unfounded and baseless. The 'report' equates allegations with fact, flatly ignores a number of improvements made by CBP as well as oversight conducted by outside, independent agencies, including the [Department of Homeland Security] Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties over the last decade," Mr Hetlage said in the statement emailed to The Independent.

"The OIG has already completed an investigation and found these claims unsubstantiated and did not observe misconduct or inappropriate conduct. CBP takes seriously all allegations of misconduct, but without new specifics is unable to check to commence reasonable steps to examine these assertions and address the accusations levied, the statement continued.

A statement from Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Katie Waldman largely mirrored that from CBP, and reiterated that the OIG had investigated the claims previously, and that the allegations in the documents "are without merit", and are "a collection of patently baseless allegations".

The OIG report mentioned by the two agencies addressed concerns of substandard detention conditions for child immigrants  which is alleged in the ACLU report  in 2014. The OIG conducted 57 unannounced visits to 41 different facilities, and "did not observe misconduct or inappropriate conduct by DHS employees during our unannounced visits", the report reads.

In 2016, the rate of incoming child migrants increased by over 100 per cent compared to the year before, with 20,455 unaccompanied minors arriving at the US-Mexico border. That rate forced the US to increase its capacity for processing the children as they arrive.

Border Patrol has seen a massive increase in size over the past twenty four years, with a jump from just 4,000 agents then to over 20,000 today. That growth was attained through hiring surges, which was accompanied by an increase in the number of reports of agents using excessive force, and of fatal shootings at the border.

The reports obtained by the ACLU cover a period of time during the administration of former President Barack Obama, but the US has seen changes that immigration advocates say have created an increasingly hostile environment for unaccompanied minors arriving in the US.

That has included an assortment of policies that were adopted in the first year of President Donald Trumps administration, including new restrictions on unaccompanied minors who are seeking asylum in the US, and rewritten guidelines for judges during deportation proceedings.

Those policies, generally, have been justified by arguments that incoming minors are allowing gangs like MS-13 to grow.Steve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist, claimed the black civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. would be proud of President Donald Trump.

Bannon, whose relationship with Trump soured after he left the White House in August 2017 during a politically rocky period, made the comments to the U.K.s BBC Newsnight program in an interview set to air Wednesday night in Britain.

Donald Trump has the lowest black unemployment in history, Bannon said. Donald Trump has the lowest hispanic unemployment in 25 years.

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If you look at the policies of Donald Trump, OK, anybodyMartin Luther King would be proud of him and what he's done for the black and hispanic community for jobs.

Steve Bannon

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Bannon, who describes himself as an economic nationalist, went on to suggest that King would be happy that Trump "finally stopped the illegal alien labor forces coming in and competing with them every day and destroying the schools and destroying the healthcare."

The unemployment rate for black people hit a record-low 6.6 percent in April 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hispanic unemployment was at its record-low rate of 4.8 percent in the same month.

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But both rates have been in steady decline since peaking around 2011, and that fall has not accelerated alongside Trumps presidency, which is partly defined by its vaunted crackdown on illegal immigration.

Dems did nothing for you but get your vote! Trump tweeted in January, noting the falling unemployment rates for black and hispanic people.

Martin Luther King "would be proud of" Donald Trump.



Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon insists @realdonaldtrump has done a lot for black and Hispanic people. Full IV tonight 22:30 @BBCTwo #newsnight pic.twitter.com/I1kAYS1jMH  BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) May 23, 2018

Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated aged 39 on April 4, 1968, just over 50 years ago after a long and successful nonviolent campaign for black civil rights. A Christian minister and skilled orator, his famous I Have A Dream speech is widely regarded as one of historys finest.

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Two of Kings childrenBernice King and Martin Luther King IIIdid not respond to a request for comment.

Despite a fractious relationship between the two, Bannon continues to push the Trump agendashaped by him both as campaign manager and then as White House chief strategistafter leaving the administration.

Bannon told the journalist Michael Wolff in his book charting the Trump presidency so far, Fire and Fury, that the infamous 2016 Trump Tower meeting between the campaign, including Donald Trump Jr., and a Kremlin-linked Russian lawyer was treasonous, or unpatriotic, or bad shit.

President Trump hit back at Bannon, who is former executive chairman of the hard-right pro-Trump organ Breitbart News. Trump called him Sloppy Steve and said he lost his mind, adding that he's only in it for himself.

But Bannon later said on his radio show that he still thinks Trump is a great man and that he continues to support him day in and day out despite the war of words between the pair.

Nothing will ever come between us and President Trump and his agenda, dont worry about that, said Bannon, who has recently been touring Europe to learn from populist and hard-right electoral successes in places such as Hungary and Italy. Dont worry about us and Trump and the MAGA agenda. We are tight on this as weve ever been.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekQamishli (Syria) (AFP) - Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria on Thursday announced the capture of French jihadist Adrien Guihal, known as the voice that claimed 2016 attacks in France for the Islamic State group.

"The SDF's intelligence services conducted an operation on May 19 that led to the capture of a group of IS jihadists led by Adrien Guihal, known as Abu Osama al-Faransi," the Syrian Democratic Forces said in a statement.

Guihal was thought to be among the most dangerous members of the large French contingent in the ranks of the Islamic State group, whose self-styled "caliphate" spanned huge swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria before collapsing last year.

The Kurdish forces controlling northeastern Syria have detained dozens of French IS members who have gone underground in recent months, including well-known figures such as Thomas Barnouin and Emilie Konig.

The SDF statement said Guihal was detained together with his wife, who was not identified, in the area of Raqa, IS's former Syrian "capital" which the US-backed SDF took last year.

He made headlines when he was recognised as the man behind the voice that claimed responsibility for the July 2016 attack that killed 86 people in the French city of Nice.

He is a veteran member of France's jihadist networks however.

- Uncertain fate -

He converted to Islam while he was still in his teens and became acquainted with the brothers Fabien and Jean-Michel Clain, central figures in French jihadist circles, more than 10 years ago.

According to a profile in French daily Liberation, Guihal learnt Arabic in Cairo and became very active in online jihadist forums.

He was detained in France in 2008 on charges of planning an attack in France to protest against the French military presence in Afghanistan and was sentenced in 2012 to four years in prison.

He was released that same year.

According to Liberation, he immediately started forming another jihadist cell in the Paris region and eventually managed to reach Syria in the spring of 2015.

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IS conquered swathes of Syria in 2014 and eventually proclaimed a "caliphate" about the size of Britain after taking Iraq's second city of Mosul and overrunning vast expanses of territory in both countries.

Hundreds of jihadists, including converts like Guihal, streamed into the pro-state headed by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Around 300 French jihadists, including at least 12 women, have been killed in Iraq and Syria, according to French security and other sources speaking to AFP in March this year.

Another 40 or more French nationals are being held by held by the SDF and their fate is a controversial issue in France, whose authorities seem reluctant to bring them home for trial.

France argues that any adults among them should be tried where they are, so long as they face a "fair trial".

Rights groups and lawyers for the families of the jihadists say none of them are getting due process in the Kurdish-run part of Syria.

There is also some concern that the Kurds, who feel they have been abandoned by their erstwhile Western allies since the collapse of the IS "caliphate", might let dozens of dangerous loose if their home countries refuse to repatriate them.A Syrian youth takes a photo on top of a bullet-riddled water container on the destroyed Thalateen Street in the Yarmuk Palestinian refugee camp on the southern outskirts of the capital Damascus - AFP

A dozen pro-regime fighters were killed in an air strike on Syrian army positions a monitor said Thursday, claiming the attack was carried out by the US-led coalition, but the Pentagon denied the report.

State media reported the overnight air raid in an area where both the regime and coalition have been battling holdout jihadists, but said it only caused material damage.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a broad network of sources across Syria, said the strike had hit army positions south of Albu Kamal, a town on the border with Iraq.

"At least three vehicles were destroyed by the strike," said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman.

He said the 12 pro-regime fighters killed were not Syrians, but he could not provide more details on their identity.

A military source quoted by state news agency SANA said "some of our military positions between Albu Kamal and Hmeimeh were hit this morning in an aggression by American coalition warplanes".

A United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation military observer uses binoculars near the border with Syria in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights Credit: BAZ RATNER/Reuters

The Pentagon denied the strikes were carried out by the coalition fighting the Islamic State group.

"These reports are false, the coalition did not strike any Syrian army positions in eastern Syria," said Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner.

"The coalition's mission is to defeat ISIS (IS) in designated parts of Iraq and Syria, and to set conditions for follow-on stability operations. This mission has not changed."

Less than 24 hours after the overnight strikes, missiles targeted a weapons depot belonging to Lebanon's Hezbollah movement at an airbase in the central province of Homs, according to the Observatory.

A member of the pro-government forces puts a portrait of the Syrian president on a military weapon Credit: LOUAI BESHARA/AFP

Its director Abdel Rahman said the missiles "would have been fired by Israel".

SANA said Syrian air defences had intercepted the missiles in Homs, but reported explosions in the area.

Albu Kamal and Hmeimeh lie in Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor province, where Russian-backed Syrian troops and the US-led coalition have been waging separate offensives against IS.

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A "de-confliction" line in place along the Euphrates River since last year is meant to keep the two assaults from crashing into each other.

Loyalist troops are present west of the river while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are on the east.

A military source from forces allied to Syria's government said the strikes had targeted two regime military positions near a frontline with IS.

Syrian security forces enter the town of Rastan in the central Homs province on May 16, 2018 after rebels and their relatives were evacuated Credit: LOUAI BESHARA/AFP

"There are no Iranian or Lebanese fighters among the dead," the source said.

Iraqi Shiite militia are also fighting alongside Syrian regime forces in the area.

The Observatory said the government was sending reinforcements.

It was not immediately clear whether jihadists were active in the area at the time, nor whether the pro-regime casualties may have been accidental.

The coalition has carried out several deadly strikes against Syrian government forces and allied fighters in recent months.

In February, coalition bombing raids in Deir Ezzor province killed at least 100 regime and allied fighters, including Russian nationals, in retaliation for an attack on SDF positions.

And in September 2016, US-led strikes on regime military positions in the east left more than 60 Syrian troops dead. The coalition later said it had mistaken the fighters for IS jihadists.

Syria: timeline of British involvement since 2013

The Islamic State group has lost nearly all the territory it once controlled in Syria and Iraq but it still holds some villages in the Euphrates Valley area.

On Monday, Syrian troops and allied forces ousted IS from the last districts it held in the capital Damascus.

After a fierce month-long battle, an evacuation deal saw the remaining jihadists bussed out of the city towards small pockets of land still held by IS in the Badiya, a vast desert area stretching from central Syria to its eastern border with Iraq.

The day after the transfer, IS fighters in the Badiya attacked a nearby government position, leaving more than two dozen Syrian troops and allied fighters dead.

The Observatory said the IS fighters responsible were from the group that had just been transferred out of the Yarmuk area in southern Damascus.BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian state media said a military airport near Homs city had come under missile attack which was repelled by its air defense systems on Thursday. "One of our military airports in the central region was exposed to a hostile missile attack, and our air defense systems confronted the attack and prevented it from achieving its aim," state news agency SANA said. SANA earlier reported sounds of explosions heard near the Dabaa airport, about 20 km (12 miles) southwest of the central Syrian city of Homs and 10 km (6 miles) from the Lebanese border. Syrian state media did not comment on the origin of the missile attack. Israel, which fears Iran and Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah are turning Syria into a new front against it, has struck targets in the country many times during the war, hitting the Syrian army, Hezbollah and what it has characterized as Iran-backed positions. An Israeli military spokeswoman declined to comment. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops belonging to Hezbollah and other militias allied to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are stationed in the Dabaa military airport. It had no information on casualties. Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner, when asked about reports of the attack, said the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria did not carry it out and the coalition does not target Syrian government positions. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington in Beirut; Additional reporting by Dan Wiliams in Jerusalem and Idrees Ali in Washington; Editing by Angus MacSwan)Compared to the past, Turkey did not take sides in the Iraqi general elections held this month, according to Bilgay Duman from Ankara-based Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM). Experts cite many factors about the surprise election victory of the bloc led by Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Turkeys neutral stance in the election is certainly not one of them. As for the reasons for Turkeys neutral stance compared to the past, one possible explanation could be the view among many Iraqis and members of the international community that the elections would be a competition between Iran and the United States. As Hurriyet Daliy News writes in an article "What do Iraqs election results mean for Turkey?", in the period before the election, Turkey had improved its ties with the government of Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, who was on good terms with both Washington and Tehran. Once seen as the front-runner, al-Abadis bloc ultimately finished third in the race.

In its quest to target the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) presence in Iraq, Turkeytried to use the leverage of both Iran and the United States in Iraq. The formers support is important as it has strong presence in the field. The latters support is equally important not only in terms of its leverage over the central government thanks to the military and financial assistance it provides Baghdad for its fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) but also because of the actionable intelligence it can provide to chase the PKK in Iraq.

From this angle, al-Abadis loss might have come as bad news for Turkey. But looking at how al-Sadr has been characterized by media outlets as a long-time adversary of the United States who also opposes Iranian influence in Iraq, his electoral victory should not be seen as necessarily a bad option for Turkey. The Turkish government is now in a wait and see mood, said Duman from ORSAM.

What matters for Turkey is a functioning government in Baghdad. This requires al-Sadr to form an inclusive coalition government avoiding ethnic and sectarian alienation. According to some observers, the election results can be interpreted as Iraqi voters moving away from identity politics and toward issue-based politics.

Iraqi politicians have been forced to form cross-sectarian coalitions to remain relevant. But if voters have indeed crossed ethnic and religious lines while voting - and if indeed Iraqi politicians take this message - this might be the beginning of a benign period for Iraq, which has been ravaged by sectarian divisions for over two decades. But the future of the new government depends on Tehran.

We will not allow liberals and communists to govern in Iraq, Ali Akbar Velayati, the senior adviser on foreign affairs to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is quoted to have said in February, referring to the alliance al-Sadr forged for elections.

Al-Sadr is equally unpopular with Washington, as he was first to form a Shiite militia that fought against U.S. troops and led two uprisings against the American military presence. No doubt al-Sadr will have to strike a delicate balance between Tehran and Washington. It is at that stage that Turkey may be able to find a role to play behind the scenes.Taipei (AFP) - Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen lashed out at China on Thursday after Burkina Faso broke diplomatic ties with the island, the second country to do so this month.

The move, which has been welcomed by China, comes after the Dominican Republic switched recognition to Beijing earlier this month, leaving Taiwan with only 18 diplomatic allies around the world.

Although it was not immediately clear if Burkina Faso and China would establish diplomatic relations, officials in Taipei said it was only a matter of time and blamed Beijing for the setback.

"China's crude behaviours to undermine our sovereignty have already challenged the bottom line of Taiwan's society. We will not tolerate it anymore," President Tsai told reporters without elaborating.

Tsai accused Beijing of using "dollar diplomacy" to lure away the island's allies.

She added that Beijing's moves reflected "insecurity and lack of confidence.... The more crude their behaviour, the more it sparks international repulsion".

The foreign ministry in Beijing said in a statement that "we welcome Burkina Faso's early accession to the Sino-African friendship and cooperation family based on the one-China principle."

Relations between Taiwan and China have worsened since Beijing-sceptic Tsai came to power as her government refuses to acknowledge that Taiwan is part of "one China".

China still considers Taiwan to be a renegade province to be reunified, by force if necessary, even though they split in 1949 after a civil war.

The two have been engaged for years in a diplomatic tug-of-war in developing countries. Economic support and other aid are often used as bargaining chips for diplomatic recognition.

Taiwan can now claim only one ally in Africa -- eSwatini (formerly Swaziland). Burkina Faso was the fourth country to cut ties with Taipei since Tsai took office two years ago.

The Dominican Republic announced on May 1 the termination of its 77-year diplomatic relationship with Taiwan to recognise China.

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The small African nation of Sao Tome switched recognition to Beijing in late 2016, followed by Panama in June last year.

- Raising pressure -

Burkina Faso said earlier Thursday that it was severing diplomatic ties with Taiwan for the second time. The country terminated relations with Taipei first in 1973 but restored them in 1994.

"But today, changes in the world, the current socio-economic challenges facing our country and our region call on us to reconsider our position," said Foreign Minister Alpha Barry.

The decision prompted Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu Thursday to tender his resignation, pending Tsai's approval.

Wu said that Taipei was cutting relations with Burkina Faso "to safeguard our sovereignty and dignity" and halting bilateral aid and cooperation programmes.

According to some reports, last year Beijing allegedly offered $50 billion to Burkina Faso to establish relations but the landlocked west African state turned it down.

Tsai dropped a plan to visit the country in April during her first trip to Africa since taking office after its president was unable to receive her, citing scheduling conflicts.

Wu said Taipei already felt "a little unease" at that time.

Tsai's government is trying to enhance Taiwan's international profile but faces a concerted attempt by Beijing to shrink its space on global platforms.

Beijing has stepped up pressure on her government by blocking Taiwan from attending a growing list of international events and staging a string of military drills around the island.

Taiwan has accused the World Health Organization of giving in to pressure from China after it was not invited to a major meeting that is underway in Geneva.TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan has broken relations with Burkina Faso after the African nation said it had cut diplomatic ties with the self-ruled island, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said on Thursday. Wu, speaking at a news briefing, expressed regret at the decision, and added that Taiwan cannot compete with China's financial resources. China claims Taiwan as its territory, and says the democratic island has no right to formal ties with any foreign country. Taiwan and China have competed for influence internationally for decades, often dangling generous aid packages in front of poorer nations, though Taiwan is increasingly unable and unwilling to match Chinese aid offers. (Reporting by Jess Macy Yu; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie)By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Texas Governor Greg Abbott sought consensus on firearms in a second round of talks on preventing gun violence on campus on Wednesday and may look at "red flag laws" to keep guns out of the hands of people deemed by a judge to be danger to themselves or others. After last week's fatal shooting of 10 people in a Houston-area high school, Abbott invited the Texas State Rifle Association, affiliated with the National Rifle Association, and Texas Gun Sense, which favors tighter gun laws, to join him in Austin, the state capital. Abbott, a Republican, said the panel on Wednesday discussed ways to address mental health issues at schools, safe storage measures for firearms at homes and the so-called red flag warning laws. We focused on trying to build bridges between sides that may not always see eye to eye, working collaboratively on one goal, and that is making sure that we are going to keep our students, our schools and our communities safer," Abbott, a supporter of gun rights, told reporters after the closed-door meeting that lasted about two hours. Alice Tripp, legislative director of the Texas State Rifle Association, told reporters after the meeting she found "no common ground" with groups at the session supporting tougher gun laws. "Crimes are not stopped by laws," she said. Gun control advocates at the meeting believe bipartisan support in the state's Republican-controlled legislature can be found on some of the items mentioned by Abbott. There were no commitments per se but there were a lot of discussions," Ed Scruggs, board vice chair of Texas Gun Sense said after the meeting. Abbott said any changes to state laws would need to protect Second Amendment rights to bear arms as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. The legislature is out of session until January 2019, making it nearly impossible for the state to implement and fund any major changes from the talks. In contrast to Florida, where the killing of 17 teens and educators at a school in February sparked a youth-led movement calling for new restrictions on gun ownership, the Texas tragedy saw many elected officials and survivors alike voicing support for gun rights. Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, has been charged with murder in the killing eight students and two teachers during a rampage at Santa Fe High School on Friday - the latest in a string of deadly school shooting in the United States this year. Victims of mass shootings and their family members are scheduled to take part in the final session on Thursday. (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Lisa Shumaker)Army Lt. Gen. Austin Scott Miller has been tapped to be the next commander of U.S.-led military forces in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said, as waves of attacks continue to rock the wartorn nation after nearly 17 years of conflict.

Miller, who spent much of his 35-year career commanding Special Operations forces, will step from the shadows to lead a war effort that has seen few strategic successes since President Donald Trump announced his new strategy nine months ago.

The selection of Miller indicates the Trump Administration may be rethinking its conventional approach. Millers background draws on decades of experience in commanding clandestine commando teams, working with foreign partners, and collaborating with intelligence agencies to target terror groups  often resulting in drone strikes and nighttime raids.

For the past two years, Miller commanded U.S. Joint Special Operations Command, the secretive organization that oversees the militarys elite counterterrorism units, including Navy SEAL Team Six and Army Delta Force. His forces are credited with helping dismantle ISIS militant networks across Iraq and Syria by killing and capturing thousands of insurgent leaders. He has also developed an international task force to track foreign fighter flows and terror plots across the globe.

The Pentagon declined to comment on Millers appointment, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. A formal announcement is expected in the weeks ahead.

Miller, 57, will need to harness his extensive resume in counterterrorism operations to curtail the bloodshed and crush the mosaic of insurgent groups intent on toppling the Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis government. He will also have to draw on his previous experience overseeing U.S. Army training programs in hopes of continuing build up the Afghan military.

Miller has his work cut out for him. Afghan forces remain riddled with corruption and heavily reliant upon American intelligence and firepower to maintain a semblance of control of their country. The central government held just 56% of the countrys 407 districts, as of Jan. 31, according to the latest report by the Special Investigator General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, a U.S. government watchdog. Insurgent groups control or influence about 15% of the districts, while the remaining 29% are contested.

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The Taliban and a local ISIS affiliate have recently launched a series of high-profile attacks that have killed hundreds inside densely populated cities, including Kabul. Last week, Taliban fighters stormed the western capital city of Farah province and were repelled by Afghan ground forces only after U.S. commanders rushed air support from MQ-9 Reaper drones and A-10 attack jets. Just days earlier, ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack that killed at least 8 people and wounded dozens in a government building in the eastern city of Jalalabad.

In short, Americas longest war has no end in sight.

Miller is well acquainted to Afghanistans problems. He was among the first American troops inside the country after hijackers attacked the World Trade Towers and Pentagon in 2001. He later directed a Pakistan-Afghanistan Coordination Cell in Washington in 2007. He returned to Afghanistan for 16 months in 2010 and 2011 when he led an effort to train, arm, and equip local forces under the Village Stability Operations and Afghan Local Police programs. In his last rotation through the country, from June 2013 to June 2014, he was in command of all special operations in Afghanistan.

Michael Mullen, a retired Navy admiral who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Millers rare mix of combat experience, oversight of training missions, and interest in Afghan culture makes him the best athlete the military has to offer in taking command in Afghanistan. We all know its a tough environment  and its going to continue to be that way, but I cant think of a better officer than Scott Miller for the president to choose for the job.

Miller graduated from West Point in 1983 and served in the 82nd Airborne division, the 2nd Infantry Division, the 75th Ranger Regiment and Delta Force. It was in Delta Force, a unit that the military doesnt officially acknowledge exits, that Miller led ground forces to retrieve American troops under siege in the infamous 1993 Battle of Mogadishu. His actions were documented in the book and subsequent film, Black Hawk Down. Miller was awarded a Bronze Star with a V for valor during the harrowing 19-hour episode that left 18 Americans dead and 73 injured.

He took command over Delta Force beginning in the summer of 2005, a blood-soaked period in Iraq when sectarian tensions were high and U.S. special operators were conducting daily kill/capture missions against the insurgency, according to Relentless Strike, a book documenting the secret history of Joint Special Operations Command.

Millers most public role came in 2014 when he was commanding general of U.S. Army training at the Maneuver Center of Excellence in Fort Benning, Ga. It was during that time he oversaw Army Ranger School and the process in 2015 that led to three female officers  1st Lt. Shaye Haver, Capt. Kristen Griest, and Maj. Lisa Jaster  earning Ranger tabs for the first time in history. It was a significant moment for gender integration in the military and came on the heels of a policy change to open combat jobs to women in the Army.

Miller once again stepped from public view when he took on the top spot as a three-star general at Joint Special Operations Command headquartered at Fort Bragg, N.C. in March 2016. He will earn a fourth star as commander in Afghanistan, if confirmed by Congress.

Miller is set to replace Gen. John Nicholson, who has been in command since March 2016. Although the post is typically a two-year stint, Nicholson has faced headwinds from Washington the whole way through. In his first year, the Obama Administration pressured him to reduce 1,400 troops. In his second year, he had to convince Trump to send 4,000 troops back and approve an intensified strategy against insurgents.

Still, NBC News reported last summer that Trump considered firing Nicholson for lack of progress. Thus far, the Trump Administrations strategy to reinforce the countrys security while launching more airstrikes in support of Afghan forces has done little to stop the militants advance or pressure the Taliban to negotiate a peace agreement. The Taliban, funded in large measure by the opium trade, now controls wide swaths of Afghanistan.

Ronald E. Neumann, a retired U.S. diplomat who has served as ambassador to Afghanistan, Bahrain and Algeria, said repeated policy changes toward Afghanistan by successive administrations has resulted exacerbated the countrys problems. I dont know if anyone can solve Afghanistans problems, he said. If the Trump Administration stays committed, Im confident Scott Miller will deliver positive results.

There are about 14,000 U.S. and 6,500 NATO troops inside Afghanistan. The figure is far fewer than the 2010 peak of more than 100,000 U.S. troops, but Americans are still fighting and dying. Eleven U.S. soldiers were killed in combat during 2017; two have been killed in 2018; and more than 2,400 have been killed since 2001.Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump violated the US constitution by blocking Twitter users who disagree with him, a federal judge ruled Wednesday in a case closely watched for implications for online free speech.

Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald said the blocking of Trump critics -- which prevent them from seeing and interacting with the president's tweets -- violated the free speech rights of those users guaranteed in the Constitution's First Amendment.

In a 75-page opinion, the New York federal judge said the users "were indisputably blocked as a result of viewpoint discrimination" and that this was "impermissible under the First Amendment."

The ruling comes in response to a lawsuit filed by a group of Twitter users and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.

The lawsuit contended that because Trump uses Twitter for a variety of policy announcements, his account is "a designated public forum" that cannot exclude people due to their political views.

The judge acknowledged that even though the president has certain free speech rights, he cannot violate the rights of other Twitter users.

"While we must recognize, and are sensitive to, the president's personal First Amendment rights, he cannot exercise those rights in a way that infringes the corresponding First Amendment rights of those who have criticized him," she said in her opinion.

Buchwald stopped short of accepting the request for an injunction against Trump and his social media aide, Dan Scavino, who was also named in the complaint, saying she expected the White House to abide by her "declaratory" ruling.

- Not above the law -

"Because no government official is above the law and because all government officials are presumed to follow the law once the judiciary has said what the law is, we must assume that the president and Scavino will remedy the blocking we have held to be unconstitutional," she wrote.

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Jameel Jaffer, the Knight Institute's executive director, welcomed the ruling, saying it "reflects a careful application of core First Amendment principles to government censorship on a new communications platform."

Jaffer added in a statement, "The president's practice of blocking critics on Twitter is pernicious and unconstitutional, and we hope this ruling will bring it to an end."

There was no immediate reaction from the White House.

In the lawsuit, the seven individual plaintiffs, which included a University of Maryland professor, a Texas police officer and a New York comic, said they were blocked from the @realDonaldTrump account after posting tweets critical of his policies.

Although they were still able to see the tweets without logging in to Twitter, and to quote Trump's tweets in their own messages, their comments were excluded from the threads that make up a public "conversation."

The case could affect other social media interactions involving public officials.

The Knight Institute said it was lodging an appeal in the case of a Virginia resident blocked on Facebook by a local public official.

A supporting brief in the New York case argued that the case is important in guaranteeing political speech.

"In light of social media's importance to modern life, President Trump's practice of blocking individual users robs them of a singularly valuable opportunity to make their speech heard," said the brief filed by the Georgetown University Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection.White House Chief of Staff John Kelly (R) and White House lawyer Emmet Flood (L) arrive to attend a briefing with members of the so-called 'Gang of Eight' at the U.S. Capitol May 24, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Mark Wilson via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Top congressional lawmakers and a White House attorney met with Justice Department officials on Thursday to discuss classified information about an FBI informant involved in the investigation into Russias alleged meddling in the 2016 election. Democrats have denounced the sit-down as inappropriate and contrary to the rule of law.

Republicans had requested the information for weeks, issuing a subpoena and warning top DOJ officials that if they refused they would hold them contempt of Congress.

Emmet Flood, the White House attorney dealing with the Russia investigation, attended part of the classified briefing and was spotted leaving the DOJ headquarters alongside House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), and White House chief of staff John Kelly. None of the men took questions from a contingent of reporters standing watch.

The White House later said in a statement that Kelly and Flood made brief remarks at the beginning of the meeting to relay the Presidents desire for as much openness as possible and departed before it actually began.

The unusual meeting had become highly politicized in recent days as President Donald Trump, a possible subject of the probe, ratcheted up attacks against the investigation, the Justice Department and the FBI. He has claimed that the FBI had infiltrated and spied on his 2016 presidential campaign when the agency reportedly used an informant to make contact with Trump campaign advisers who allegedly had suspicious contacts linked to Russia.

The president demanded the Justice Department investigate the accusations and turn over any relevant documents to Congress.

White House involvement in an investigation Justice Department investigation is rare. Trump has routinely broken norms about how the White House interacts with the Justice Department, which is supposed to have a degree of independence. While the presidency can certainly shape the direction of the Justice Department through nominations and help broadly outline priorities, the White House is not supposed to be involved in individual cases.

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Typically, administrations are eager to steer clear of any actions which might give an appearance of politicization of the Justice Department.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence committee, said the meeting on the classified information had not changed his view that the FBI followed proper procedures during their investigation.

Nothing we heard today has changed our view that there is no evidence to support any allegation that the FBI or any intelligence agency placed a spy in the Trump campaign or otherwise failed to follow appropriate procedures or protocols, Schiff told reporters after the meeting.

Justice Department officials initially invited only Nunes and committee member Gowdy to review the classified information regarding the FBI informant and the agencys purported monitoring of Trump campaign officials. Democrats immediately criticized the move, accusing the GOP of politicizing intelligence by initially excluding Democrats from the classified briefing.

Never has there been anything so disrespectful of the Congress than what theyre doing today, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters Thursday. The California Democrat said she had directed Schiff to attend in her place so as to make sure henchmen of the president do not interfere with the investigation.

Justice Department officials also briefed other members of Congress  the bipartisan Gang of Eight composed of congressional leaders and the top members of the intelligence committees from both parties on Thursday afternoon. Kelly and Flood made similar remarks in that meeting as well before departing shortly after they began.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, later criticized their presence at the latter meeting.

Theres never been a Gang of Eight meeting with that kind of White House presence, he said.

Also on HuffPost

Members of Congress are seen wearing black in the Rayburn Room of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., ahead of the State of the Union address.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), center, poses with members of Congress wearing black in support of the "Me Too" movement.

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and other House Democrats wear black.

Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.) wears black with a "Time's Up" pin and a "RECY" button.

Members of Congress pose with Rose Gunter, the niece of sexual assault survivor Recy Taylor, to show solidarity with men and women who are speaking out against sexual harassment and discrimination.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.The Trump administration must provide North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with comfort and security in order to achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday.

Ensuring Chairman Kim that we want good things for the North Korean people, we have a good chance to get denuclearization, Pompeo said, adding that the key to successful negotiations with North Korea is to convince the rogue regime that it will remain in power if it gives up nuclear weapons.

President Donald Trump was scheduled to meet with Kim Jong Un to discuss North Koreas nuclear weapons program on June 12 in Singapore, but recently leaders of both countries have cast doubt on whether the meeting will take place. During a meeting with South Koreas President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday, Trump said that discussions about whether to hold the summit were still ongoing.

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We'll see what happens. There are certain conditions we want to happen. I think we'll get those conditions. And if we don't, we won't have the meeting," Trump said.

Meanwhile, North Korea has clearly stated that it does not want to hold the meeting if the condition for its success is complete denuclearization. North Korean media also deployed harsh rhetoric in response to joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea, which take place each spring. And most recently, a delegation from North Korea skipped a scheduled meeting to plan the summit in Singapore.

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But Pompeo, who has traveled to North Korea twice and met with Kim Jong Un, said he is optimistic the meeting will go forward.

"Our eyes are wide open to the lessons of history, but we're optimistic that we can achieve an outcome that will be great for the world," Pompeo said. "Our posture will not change until we see credible steps taken toward the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula."

Story continues

Likewise, officials from South Korea have also suggested that the meeting will likely go forward after the U.S. and South Korea finish joint military exercises. On Tuesday, South Korean president Moon appeared to use flattery to persuade Trump that the meeting must go forward.

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Thanks to your vision of achieving peace through strength, as well as your strong leadership, we're looking forward to the first-ever U.S.North Korea summit. And we find ourselves standing one step closer to the dream of achieving complete denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and world peace, Moon told Trump on Tuesday.

All this was possible because of you, Mr. President. And I have no doubt that you will be able to completeaccomplish a historic feat that no one had been able to achieve in the decades past.

951576490

The White House via Getty Images

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekPresident Donald Trump urged attendees at a Tuesday night gala for a top anti-abortion organization to vote in November, issuing a stern warning about what might happen if they dont.

If Democrats gained power, they will try to reverse these incredible gains, these are historic gains, Trump told the audience at Susan B. Anthony Lists annual Campaign for Life event, referring to the strides made by his administration to defund abortion providers like Planned Parenthood and generally limit abortion services in the U.S.

Every day between now and November we must work together to elect more lawmakers who share our values, cherish our heritage, and proudly stand for life, Trump said.

Standing ovation as @POTUS Donald Trump announces the new #ProtectLife rule to prohibit Title X funding going to any org that performs or promotes abortion at #SBAgala pic.twitter.com/KpJk4NsxLm  Susan B Anthony List (@SBAList) May 23, 2018

Earlier on Tuesday, the Trump administration formally unveiled a proposal to restrict federal funding to family planning programs that provide or refer patients for abortions.

The president extolled the new rule.

For decades, American taxpayers have been wrongfully forced to subsidize the abortion industry through Title X federal funding, so today we have kept another promise, Trump said to a cheering crowd. My administration has proposed a new rule to prohibit Title X funding from going to any clinic that performs abortions.

Under the new policy, there must be a physical and financial separation between groups that receive funds disbursed under Title X  the only federal program dedicated solely to funding family planning and reproductive health services  and programs in which abortion is presented or provided as a method of family planning.

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The rule would prevent organizations like Planned Parenthood from getting Title X funding to cover non-abortion services like birth control or cancer screenings. As The New York Times notes, it would also prevent doctors from advising women about where they could go to receive an abortion.

Planned Parenthood lambasted the new policy as a nationwide gag rule.

This is one of the largest-scale and most dangerous attacks weve seen on womens rights and reproductive health care in this country. This policy is straight out of the Handmaids Tale  yet, its taking effect in America in 2018, Dawn Leguens, the groups executive vice president, said in a statement referencing the dystopian Margaret Atwood novel and Hulu series in which women are forced into reproductive servitude.

JUST IN: @realDonaldTrump just imposed a gag rule to cut funds to any health care provider that refers their patients for abortions.



The effect:

1) violates medical ethics

2) prevents women from getting full, accurate health care

2) takes care away from millions#NoGagRule pic.twitter.com/Zr2vdJT1oR  Planned Parenthood Action (@PPact) May 22, 2018

Since taking office, Trump  together with Vice President Mike Pence  has stridently pushed an anti-abortion agenda.

On his first full day as president, Trump reinstated the Mexico City policy, often referred to as the global gag rule, which blocks foreign non-governmental organizations that perform or promote abortion from accessing U.S. federal funds. In April 2017, his administration repealed an Obama-era law that barred states from defunding organizations that provide abortions.

Trump has not always opposed abortion rights. In 1999, he told NBC News that he was very pro-choice. On the campaign trail, however, Trump said his stance on the issue had evolved.

As NPR noted, his flip-flop initially was a red flag for anti-abortion groups like Susan B. Anthony List.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, the groups president, was among several conservative women who urged voters in Iowa in 2016 to support anyone but Trump, warning that he could not be trusted on abortion.

But at the gala on Tuesday, Dannenfelser had nothing but praise for Trump, calling him the most pro-life president in history.

She also urged attendees to vote for anti-abortion Republicans in November, saying a pro-life Senate would have a fighting chance to  overturn that great stain on our national conscience, Roe v. Wade.

Trump  who, according to CNN, is the first sitting president to address the Campaign for Life gala  echoed this sentiment in his speech, telling attendees to vote for life.

Your vote in 2018 is every bit as important as your vote in 2016, he said, reading from prepared remarks before veering off-script.

Im not sure I really believe that ... I dont know who the hell wrote that line, he joked. But its still important, remember.

Trump just stepped all over GOP midterm messaging.



Your vote in 2018 is every bit as important as your vote in 2016  although Im not sure I really believe that, Trump ad libs. I dont know who the hell wrote that line. pic.twitter.com/tk6G7CfD4H  Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) May 23, 2018

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story indicated The Handmaids Tale is a Netflix show instead of a Hulu show.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.The proposal to scrap the 2015 restrictions would give Alaskan state wildlife managers the discretion to decide what kinds of bear-hunting methods are permitted across 20 million acres of national preserve lands: Reuters

Donald Trumps administration has proposed scrapping rules that ban hunters from killing wolves and pups in their dens, hunting black bears with dogs and using bait to lure grizzly bears into the open.

An Obama-era stricture blocked the practices, dubbed appalling by campaigners, on federal lands in Alaska but was at odds with the states own policy.

The rollback is being pushed by interior secretary Ryan Zinke, an avid hunter. It may mean hunters being allowed to resume the practice of using spotlights outside the dens of black bear sows and their cubs to make it easier to kill them, government documents showed.

They could also use motor boats to hunt swimming caribou, another of the methods banned three years ago, if the change is implemented.

It is the latest in a line of environmental and other measures introduced by Mr Obama that Mr Trump has moved to scrap. They have included restrictions on emissions from coal burning, US participation in the Paris climate agreement and water pollution rules.

Last November the billionaires administration lifted a ban on the importation of elephant hunt trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia.

In 2005, Alaska began allowing grizzly-baiting for the first time since it gained statehood as part of a predator-control programme to boost populations of big game animals popular with hunters such as moose in the states vast interior.

Hunters have used anything from stale doughnuts and lard to dog food mixed with honey to attract the animals into the open and make them easier to shoot.

The proposal to scrap the 2015 restrictions would give state wildlife managers the discretion to decide what kinds of bear-hunting methods are permitted across 20 million acres of national preserve lands.

Congressman Don Young, a Republican, called the 2015 rules an illegal Obama-era power grab.

Kitty Block, of the Humane Society of America, said the methods the Obama administration outlawed were some of the worst and most appalling. Mr Zinkes plan would mean handing over some of our most precious wildlife to trophy hunters, she added.

Story continues

Anna Frostic, a lawyer for the animal rights group, told NBC News: These federal lands are havens for wildlife and the National Park Service [NPS] is mandated to manage these ecosystems in a manner that promotes conservation.

This proposed rule, which would allow inhumane killing of our native carnivores in a misguided attempt to increase trophy hunting opportunities, is unlawful and must not be finalised.

The NPS, part of Mr Zinkes Department of the Interior, said its proposed rule would bring sport hunting regulations in national preserves in line with those of the state, in furtherance of two orders already signed by the secretary.

The purpose of those orders was, in part, to increase outdoor recreation including hunting and improve the management of game species and their habitat, NPS said. Mr Zinke had directed greater collaboration with state, tribe, and territorial partners, it said in the document announcing the proposed new rule.

NPS has reconsidered its earlier conclusions and determined that these previously prohibited practices can be allowed consistent with the goal of aligning its rules with those of the state, the agency added.

It had previously decided bear-baiting was biologically unsound, potentially unsafe, and inconsistent with federal laws.

US interior secretary Ryan Zinke poses alongside a taxidermied grizzly bear (Ryan Zinke)

Environmental groups immediately attacked the new proposal, saying bear-baiting and other hunting and trapping practices the measure would permit are inhumane and disruptive to the natural predator-prey dynamic in Alaskas preserves.

But Lisa Murkowski, the Republican Alaska senator, said that making decisions on hunting was clearly our right and our responsibility, and Alaskans take that very seriously. She added, according to The Washington Post: I thank the administration for recognising this and working to properly align federal regulations.

Democrat Earl Blumenauer, of Oregon, said the plan was outrageous and said the hunting practices had no place in our national forests. He added in a video posted to Twitter: Without wildlife, national parks are just scenery. This is what draws people.

It is immoral because these animals suffer. Its ecologically a disaster because these are the species that keep things in balance.

Mr Zinkes roll-back plan



The list of practices previously banned



Taking any black bear, including cubs and sows with cubs, with artificial light at den sites

Harvesting brown bears over bait

Taking wolves and coyotes (including pups) during the denning season

Taking swimming caribou

Taking caribou from motorboats under power

Taking black bears over bait

Using dogs to hunt black bears

Alaska officials have said that increased killing of predators such as grizzlies was necessary to increase opportunities for successful hunting of moose and other game creatures favoured by sport hunters.

Americans have until 23 July to make comments on the plans.

Additional reporting by agenciesThe new provincial governors of Armenia will be appointed in the near future; there is nothing new yet on this topic. The new Minister of Territorial Administration and Development, Suren Papikyan, on Thursday told about the abovementioned to reporters outside the government building, News.am reported.

Within the scope of the powers given to him by the Constitution, the [new] Prime Minister [Nikol Pashinyan] will submit the [respective] makeup to the government, he noted.

The minister added, however, that he did not see anything bizarre in the fact that that the provincial governors who are former ruling Republican Party of Armenia members have not resigned to this day.

They are [still] in office because they are [still] governors, Papikyan explained. Now there will be a decision to change [them][and] we will change them. All [of them] need to be changed without exception.President Donald Trump on Wednesday rushed to the defense of conservative commentator Tomi Lahren, who was heckled in a restaurant and had water thrown at her.

Trumps tweet in support of Lahren came just days after the weekend brunch incident and shortly after she spoke out about it on Fox & Friends. But as many pointed out on Twitter, he never sent a tweet in support of James Shaw, the hero who stopped the Waffle House shooter. Four people were killed and several others injured in the attack in Tennessee last month, including Shaw, who grabbed the guns barrel, disarmed the shooter and chased him out of the restaurant  an act credited with saving lives.

Trump called Shaw three weeks later, a conversation Shaw described as a little lackluster.

Trump was also blasted for failing to recognize victims of other headline-making incidents:

It took the White House 22 days to acknowledge Waffle House hero James Shaw, who stopped a shooter, unarmed, and then raised $250k for the victims.



It took Trump 24 hours to personally acknowledge white supremacist Tomi Lahren for getting a drink thrown on her. pic.twitter.com/Xo6U2qOCFJ  Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) May 23, 2018

Never forget that Trump never tweeted about James Shaw or Stephon Clark or the men who were arrested at Starbucks but he rapidly tweeted a full-throated defense of Tomi Lahren after she had a little water thrown at her in a restaurant.  Toure (@Toure) May 23, 2018

Trump's more concerned about Tomi Lahren being splashed with water than Flint still being entirely without safe water.  Alt Fed Employee (@Alt_FedEmployee) May 24, 2018

Trump has shown more outrage over Tomi Lahren having a drink thrown at her than he did over the Vegas, Parkland and Santa Fe shootings combined.  Bryan Behar (@bryanbehar) May 23, 2018

Mosque in Minnesota gets bombed:



Trump: still not even a mention from Trump almost a year later.



Tomi Lahren gets half a cup of water thrown at her



Trump: AMERICA STANDS WITH TOMI!!!  Kevin and Benedict (@kevandbenedict) May 23, 2018

donald trump has shown more compassion for tomi lahren getting half a glass of water spilled on her, than victims of school shootings.  Hasan Piker (@hasanthehun) May 23, 2018

James Shaw Jr was injured while tackling the Waffle House shooter, saving lives in the process.



Tomi Lahren got some water thrown at her from a paper cup.



One of them is a HERO.

The other is a ZERO.



Can you guess which one @realDonaldTrump tweeted his support for? pic.twitter.com/as3IEuhz2t  BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) May 23, 2018

Trump shows more support for Tomi Lahren having some water splashed at her than he does for dozens of schoolchildren gunned down in their own classrooms. One hateful blonde lady means more to him than our nations kids murdered in cold blood.  Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) May 23, 2018

It took Donald Trump less than a day to show support for Tomi Lahren who had a drink thrown at her arm...



It also took Donald Trump three weeks to show support for James Shaw Jr. who disarmed a mass shooter and saved lives...



I wonder why   Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) May 23, 2018

It took less than 24 hours for Trump to tweet support for Roseanne's TV ratings, Kanye going full MAGA and Tomi Lahren getting a drink thrown at her.



Trump never tweeted support for Waffle House hero James Shaw Jr., who disarmed a mass shooter with his bare hands.  Adam Best (@adamcbest) May 23, 2018

Hmm, I wonder why Trump didnt just throw a roll of paper towels to Tomi Lahren?  pic.twitter.com/iQ0t9QcBN3  Linda Childers (@lindachilders1) May 23, 2018

Also on HuffPost

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.By James Oliphant and Lesley Wroughton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would know next week whether his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would take place on June 12 in Singapore as scheduled, casting further doubt on plans for the unprecedented meeting.

White House aides are preparing to travel to Singapore this weekend for a crucial meeting with North Korean officials to discuss the agenda and logistics for the summit, U.S. officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Visiting Washington, Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi told Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that if the United States seeks peace with North Korea and wants to make history, "now is the time" for the two countries' leaders to hold their first-ever summit.

The U.S. delegation, which includes White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joseph Hagin and deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel, was being dispatched after Trump said on Tuesday there was a "substantial chance" the summit would be called off amid concerns Pyongyang is not prepared to give up its nuclear arsenal.

Asked on Wednesday whether the summit would go ahead, Trump told reporters: "It could very well happen. Whatever it is, we'll know next week about Singapore. And if we go, I think it will be a great thing for North Korea."

But he added: "We'll see."

Trump did not say, however, whether the preparatory talks between U.S. and North Korean officials in coming days were expected to clarify the situation.

Pompeo said on Wednesday the United States is prepared to walk away from nuclear negotiations with North Korea if the summit heads in the wrong direction.

Pompeo said he was "very hopeful" the summit would take place but said the decision was ultimately up to Kim, who the secretary of state has met twice in less than two months.

Trump raised doubts about the summit in talks on Tuesday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who came to Washington to urge Trump not to let a rare opportunity with reclusive North Korea slip away.

Story continues

It was unclear whether Trump was truly backing away from the summit or whether he was strategically coaxing North Korea to the table after decades of tension on the Korean peninsula and antagonism with Washington over its nuclear weapons program.

The White House was caught off guard when, in a dramatic change of tone, North Korea last week condemned the latest U.S.-South Korean air combat drills, suspended North-South talks and threatened to scrap the summit if Pyongyang was pushed toward "unilateral nuclear abandonment."

North Korea's vice foreign minister said the future of the summit between Pyongyang and Washington was "entirely" up to the United States.

"We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us," said Choe Son Hui, according to a report by North Korea's central news agency on Thursday.

Choe said she could suggest to leader Kim that North Korea reconsider the summit if the United States offended the North's good will.

If the summit is called off or fails, it would be a major blow to what Trump supporters hope will be the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency.

'BAD DEAL IS NOT AN OPTION'

Pompeo insisted the Trump administration was "clear-eyed" about North Korea, which has a history of making promises in negotiations and then backtracking.

"A bad deal is not an option," Pompeo said in his written opening statement for a House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. "If the right deal is not on the table, we will respectfully walk away."

Pompeo, who was director of the CIA before becoming secretary of state in April after Trump fired Rex Tillerson, is the highest-ranking Trump administration to meet Kim. On his most recent trip he brought back three Americans who had been held by North Korea.

Pompeo said a U.S.-led sanctions pressure campaign would not be eased until North Korea gives up nuclear weapons. We have made zero concessions to Chairman Kim and have no intention to do so, he said.

"Our posture will not change until we see credible steps taken toward the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," he said.

Meeting Wang later in the day, Pompeo said the United States expects all countries, including China - North Korea's main trading partner and ally - to "meet their obligations" to enforce sanctions on Pyongyang.

Trump suggested on Tuesday that Kim's recent meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping had influenced Kim to harden his stance ahead of the summit. China's foreign ministry said, however, that Beijing had played a positive role on the Korean peninsula.

Also on Wednesday, a United Nations Security Council committee approved travel by North Korean officials to Singapore for the summit, diplomats said. Singapore had asked the U.N. sanctions panel for a blanket waiver for the North Koreans' participation.

(Reporting by James Oliphant, Patricia Zengerle and Lesley Wroughton; additional reporting by Christine Kim and Cynthia Kim in Seoul; Matt Spetalnick, John Walcott and David Brunnstrom in Washington and Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Bill Trott and James Dalgleish)President Donald Trump - AP

Donald Trump accused the FBI of being involved in a scandal he branded "Spygate" following its reported use of a retired Cambridge university professor to glean information about whether his presidential campaign colluded with Russia.

Mr Trump, writing on Twitter, escalated his recent attacks on the agency, referring to what he called the "Criminal Deep State".

It came after Stefan Halper, a retired professor and Life Fellow at Magdalene College, Cambridge, was named in US media reports as an FBI source who approached three Trump campaign advisers in the summer of 2016.

The professor has made no comment on the reports. The FBI declined to comment.

Mr Trump, who did not name the professor himself, wrote: "SPYGATE could be one of the biggest political scandals in history!"

He added: "If the person placed very early into my campaign wasnt a SPY put there by the previous Administration for political purposes, how come such a seemingly massive amount of money was paid for services rendered - many times higher than normal..

"Look how things have turned around on the Criminal Deep State. They go after Phony Collusion with Russia, a made up Scam, and end up getting caught in a major SPY scandal the likes of which this country may never have seen before! What goes around, comes around!"

Mr Trump also suggested that agencies other than FBI may have "spied" on his campaign.

He quoted a Fox News legal analyst saying: "Its clear that they had eyes and ears all over the Trump Campaign."

James Comey, who was FBI Director at the time of the alleged events, and later fired by Mr Trump, hit back.

On twitter he wrote: "Facts matter. The FBIs use of Confidential Human Sources (the actual term) is tightly regulated and essential to protecting the country.

"Attacks on the FBI and lying about its work will do lasting damage to our country. How will Republicans explain this to their grandchildren?

Democrats accused Mr Trump of using the episode in an attempt to undermine and distract from the inquiry being led by special counsel Robert Mueller into whether there was collusion between his presidential campaign and Russia.pravda

Wikipedia Commons

Elon Musk went on a Twitter rant on Wednesday afternoon, criticizing the media for allegedly publishing lies.

At one point, he tweeted that he plans to start a site called "Pravda" that would rate the credibility of news organizations.

Pravda is the name of a Russian newspaper that served as the official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Although it launched in the early 20th century, its mission in later decades was to be the mouthpiece for Vladimir Lenin and then Joseph Stalin.

It still exists today under Russia's modern Communist party, but not many people read it. Another publication, called the Pravda Report, does not have Communist ties and publishes both real news and conspiracy theories.

Elon Musk is apparently hoping to take a page out of the Soviet playbook.

It all started when, on Wednesday afternoon, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO criticized the media in a series of tweets.

"The holier-than-thou hypocrisy of big media companies who lay claim to the truth, but publish only enough to sugarcoat the lie, is why the public no longer respects them," he wrote.

Several minutes later, Musk followed up by tweeting that he plans to start a site that would rate the credibility of news organizations. He wrote that he would consider calling the site "Pravda," a word that means "truth" in Russian.

"Pravda" references the Russian newspaper of the same name, which launched in Moscow in the early 20th century and published daily. It still exists today, but has a much lower circulation and comes out three times per week. The paper is now run by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the country's modern Communist party.

From 1918 to 1991, the original Pravda served as the official mouthpiece of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. When Vladimir Lenin and (later) Joseph Stalin ruled Russia, the paper was used to spread their ideas as propaganda.

Story continues

During the Soviet era, Pravda was distributed nationwide. Featuring articles on Communist theory and programs, it attempted to avoid sensational news.

There's also the Pravda Report, another publication with a similar name that English speakers may be more familiar with. Existing solely as an online site at Pravda.ru, it covers both straightforward news (often with a Russian nationalist slant) as well as conspiracy theories. A few headlines in the past decade have included "AIDS: 21st Century's Biggest Hoax" and "Aliens forced Americans out from the Moon." Unlike today's Pravda, the Pravda Report has an English-language site and is not connected to the Communist party.

This is not the first time Musk has railed against the media. Earlier this week on Twitter, he also criticized journalists from Reveal, the nonprofit investigative news organization that ran a story claiming Tesla didn't report several factory injuries. Tesla workers have also accused Musk of shutting down efforts to unionize, and BuzzFeed recently leaked emails that show Musk slamming their organized labor effort.

On Twitter, a number of journalists and other commenters have compared Musk's latest tweets to those of President Donald Trump, who frequently criticizes the media for stories he perceives as negative.

The Verge reporter Andrew J. Hawkins, for example, called Musk a "media-baiting Trump figure" on Wednesday.

Musk replied: "Thought youd say that. Anytime anyone criticizes the media, the media shrieks 'Youre just like Trump!' Why do you think he got elected in the first place? Because no ones believes you any more. You lost your credibility a long time ago.'"

Musk might be serious about launching his own "Pravda." As freelance reporter Mark Harris pointed out on Twitter, documents from California's Secretary of State show that one of Musk's agents incorporated Pravda Corp in October 2017.

NOW WATCH: Steve Jobs made 3 AM phone calls to argue about Apple ads

See Also:In May 2016, a Minnesota man was hunting for mushrooms in a forest near the Mississippi River when he stumbled upon something a little more unusual than fungi. Nestled dead in the underbrush was what looked like a single newborn baby fawn, carrying two heads on one body.

The baby deer was actually a pair of conjoined female twins with a body about 23 inches (60 centimeters) long from tail to heads. Their body was patterned with the telltale spots of other white-tailed deer and appeared to have been recently groomed. Yet the fawns lay alone, dry and freshly dead on the ground with no signs of their mother in sight. [Photos: See the World's Cutest Baby Wild Animals]

The mushroom hunter delivered the deer to the nearby Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, knowing he had discovered something remarkable. Now, a new case study published in the April issue of the journal The American Midland Naturalist explains just how remarkable the conjoined fawns truly are. According to the new study, this discovery marks the first documented case of two-headed white-tailed deer twins brought to full term and birthed.

"It's amazing and extremely rare," study author Gino D'Angelo, assistant professor of deer ecology and management at the University of Georgia, told The Independent. "We can't even estimate the rarity of this."

A CT scan of the fawns (A) revealed where their shared spinal column split into two individual necks and heads. A necropsy (B) showed twin sets of organs, including two hearts nestled in the same sac (a). Gino DAngelo et al/University of Georgia

For their new study, D'Angelo and his colleagues conducted computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans on the conjoined twins, then conducted a full necropsy.

The MRI scans revealed that the twins shared a single spinal column that forked into two distinct necks and heads about halfway up. During the necropsy, researchers found that the fawns had two hearts nestled inside a single pericardial sac. They had two esophagi and forestomachs (the first compartment of the stomach where food is partially digested to be regurgitated as cud), one of which ended in a closed-off tube.

Story continues

"Their anatomy indicates the fawns would never have been viable," D'Angelo told The Independent. "Yet, they were found groomed and in a natural position, suggesting that the doe tried to care for them after delivery. The maternal instinct is very strong."

D'Angelo said he suspects the fawns were likely delivered stillborn  but the mere fact that they were delivered at all is a scientific first. According to the new study, most female white-tailed deer carry twins, but observations of conjoined twins are extremely rare in the scientific literature. A 2008 review of studies looking as far back as 1671 found only 19 cases of conjoined twins in nondomestic land mammals, just two of which were white-tailed deer. In both cases, the mother doe and her children all died while the twins were in utero.

Originally published on Live Science.

Editor's RecommendationsOn May 11, a West Australian farmer shot and killed his wife, daughter and four grandchildren, then called the police to report it. He shot himself before they arrived. Mass shootings are extremely rare in Australia, which regulates firearms heavily; this was the nations first incident in which a gun was used to kill more than five people in 22 years.

A week later, a 17-year-old student at Santa Fe high school in Texas opened fire on his classmates, killing 10 people, including a teacher and a foreign-exchange student, before he was apprehended and disarmed by school safety officers. It was the 22nd shooting in an American school this year.

The reactions to the two incidents could not be more different.

Most Australians of all political stripes, including gun owners, accept the core tenets of its firearms legislation and gun buyback program, which was instituted by a conservative government in 1996 after a gunman killed 35 people in a shopping center in Tasmania. At the time, it was the worst such event in history; it has since been surpassed many times over, including in Las Vegas and Orlando. This does not mean Australians no longer like shooting. The country punches well above its weight in Olympic medals for the sport. It also does not mean Australians have excessive belief in their leaders; only 45% of them said they trusted their government in a 2017 OECD survey.

So, after the West Australian shootings, the national discussion did not center on whether gun laws should be stricter or looser. Guns are permissible but heavily licensed in Australia. Farmers are generally allowed certain weapons to protect their crops and livestock, but the guns have to be locked up and ammunition must be stored separately. Very few credible proposals were put forward to further restrict their access.

The focus instead was squarely on what made the apparently well-liked farmworker Peter Miles break. Was he an ordinary person whose mental health had been compromised by depression or the drugs he was taking for it? Or should he be held in disrepute as another perpetrator of domestic violence? (Most of the victims of multiple shootings in Australia since 1996 have been members of the same family either in a murder-suicide or a dispute with neighbors.)

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In stark contrast, the reactions to the mass shooting at a high school in Santa Fe were all over the place. The Lieutenant Governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, variously laid blame for school shootings with school design (too many doors), violent video games, a culture that devalued life, unarmed teachers and irresponsible gun-owners; the Texas Police Chief Art Acevedo pleaded with people to stop saying guns werent the problem, while a Santa Fe student, Monica Bracknell insisted that in fact guns werent the problem.

Oliver North, the newly installed president of the NRA, opined that school shootings were brought on by the over-consumption of psychiatric drugs like Ritalin, and of violent movies. We are trying like the dickens to treat the symptoms, not the disease, he said. Others have laid the blame on toxic masculinity and bullying.

Meanwhile, Kelly Clarkson, a Texan, channeled many peoples frustrations when as host of the Billboard Music Awards on May 20, she called for a moment of action rather than a moment of silence. In that vein, Texas Governor Greg Abbott says he will convene a series of round-table discussions on school shootings and has spoken up (again) in favor of stronger background checks and more metal detectors at schools. MSNBC host Hugh Hewitt offered a fashion solution: a ban on students wearing overcoats.

In other words, every time theres a shooting in America, each person brings out his or her favorite ax and warms up the grinding wheel, irrespective of the circumstances that led to the event. Gun violence is a handy symptom for any societal ill that one faction would like to see taken more seriously: the real problem is not guns  its men or drugs or sin or technology or mental illness or adolescence. Instead of taking action, those in leadership busy themselves playing whack-a-mole with root causes that do not line up with their views of the world.

Here is an advantage of addressing the availability of guns: its a variable that can be controlled. Once there are sufficient safeguards in place to create a bottleneck through which guns can be obtained only with planning and forethought and patience, and are then required to be stored in sensible ways, other problems are thrown into relief and can be dealt with in an orderly fashion. To channel Oliver North: once you treat the most obvious and distressing symptom, then you can begin to rule out a whole bunch of potential theories on what the real disease is.

If the Santa Fe shooter lived in a country in which guns had to be kept in a secured safe with ammunition locked up elsewhere, for example, theres a much better chance that he would have had to get past an adult who loved him and could have diverted him from his tragic course. In fact, Lt. Gov. Patrick pleaded with parents to secure their weapons. Texas has a negligent storage law, but it only covers cases in which children younger than 17 can get access to weapons, even though the mental condition that leads to murderous intent has no age limit.

As the horrible familicide in West Australia has proved, well-thought-out firearms legislation does not prevent every single mass shooting. But it can make teasing out the reasons why a person might use a gun to kill a little easier to discern, and for solutions to that problem to come at a much lower cost of life.A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed an undocumented immigrant in Texas on Wednesday after the agent was allegedly attacked by a group of people, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency has said.

The Border Patrol told the Los Angeles Times that the person fatally shot was a woman, while local activists claimed she was around 16 to 24-years-old.

The Laredo Sector Border Patrol said in a statement that the border patrol agent, who has yet to be identified, responded to a "report of illegal activity" in Rio Bravo, on his own at around 12:22 p.m.

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HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP/Getty

The agent "discovered a group of illegal aliens" when he arrived at the scene, the agency sector said.

It said "initial reports" indicated that the agent was attacked by a number of people armed with "blunt objects."

That's when the agent "fired at least one round from his service-issued firearm, fatally wounding one of the assailants," the Laredo Sector said.

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#USBP Laredo Sector Border Patrol Statement, More information https://t.co/wvwOB7adIs

The incident is currently under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Texas Rangers. pic.twitter.com/SD7mFdao7r  CBP South Texas (@CBPSouthTexas) May 23, 2018

At some point, a number of other Border Patrol agents arrived at the scene. They called for EMS and administered first aid until the Rio Bravo Fire Department arrived.

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They also apprehended three undocumented immigrants believed to be connected to the incident, which is now under investigation by the FBI and Texas Rangers.

Laredo activist Priscilla "Lagordiloca" Villarreal posted video of the scene to Facebook, showing FBI agents speaking with local law enforcement officer.

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Villarreal said she believed the woman shot was between the ages of 16 and 24 and said she was shot "in the head with a single gunshot."

CBP has not responded to a request for more information on the incident.

A recent analysis found that the U.S. government has had to pay out more than $60 million in settlements between 2005 and 2017 over deaths, injuries and wrongful detentions involving Border Patrol agents.

The analysis, published by the Guardian newspaper said CBP agents were involved in 97 "fatal encounters" since 2003.

Since then, the government has had to settle at least 20 wrongful death claims from families of people killed in interactions with Border Patrol agents.

While most of the government's settlements were found to be related to reckless driving, the majority of fatal encounters involving CBP agents were caused by bullet wounds.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekThe U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) said Tuesday that it only planned on staying in Iraq as long as it was welcome after an opponent of foreign military presence won local elections.

The remarks come after a political bloccomprised of Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, communists and othersmanaged to secure the plurality of votes in last week's Iraqi election, raising uncertainties for the future of the U.S. and other foreign militaries helping local forces battle the remnants of ISIS in the war-torn country. Italian army Brigadier General Roberto Vannacci, who serves as deputy commanding general for training the joint land forces component of the coalition, said there has been no change in policy yet, but if there was, it would be up to political leaders at home.

"We are here by the request of the Iraqi government. And regardless of who won the election, I think that if this request will continue to be addressed to the coalition, the coalition will remain," Vannacci told reporters during a weekly press briefing at the Pentagon Tuesday.

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"As you know, we are military and we don't make these kind[s] of decisions. These are political decisions. So I think that whenever we will be told by the Iraqi government that we will have to leave, the politicians of our nations will take the right decision," he added.

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Sadr's Sa'iroun Lil Salaah (March toward Reform) bloc, which includes the Iraqi journalist who threw a shoe at former President George W. Bush in 2008, managed to secure a plurality of 52 seats in the Iraqi Council of Representatives. The coalition beat rival Fatah (Conquest) coalition, which has close ties to Iran and received 47 seats, and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's Nasr (Victory) block, which obtained 42. Government-building negotiations are expected to take months and, once formed, the new parliament will elect the next president and prime minister.

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Sadr himself did not run for prime minister, but his surprise lead has given him in unparalleled clout over a country plagued by conflict since a 2003 U.S. invasion. He comes from a prominent family opposed to late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, but Sadr also mobilized the Shiite Muslim Mehdi Army militia that targeted U.S. soldiers during a U.S. military occupation following Hussein's ouster and execution.

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Sadr has recently distanced himself from Iran, but has also called for a withdrawal of U.S. troops. The U.S. and its coalition allies have already been forced to work alongside the reformed Mahdi Army, known as the Peace Companies since 2014, and other Iran-backed militias as they tackled their mutual foe ISIS. With the jihadis largely defeated, Washington and its ally Saudi Arabia have stepped up their campaign against Iran and U.S. officials have reportedly reached out to Sadr's camp.

"They asked what the position of the Sadrist movement will be when they come to power. Are they going to reinvent or invoke the Mahdi Army or reemploy them? Are they going to attack American forces in Iraq," top Sadr aide Dhiaa al-Asadi told Reuters Tuesday.

"Theres no return to square one. We are not intending on having any military force other than the official military force, police forces and security forces," he added.

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Essam Al-Sudani/Reuters

The current government, headed by Abadi, considers both the U.S. and Iran to be close allies. Abadi has coordinated with both in the fight against ISIS and has launched strikes in neighboring Syria in conjunction with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces as well as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a close ally of Iran and Russia.

During Tuesday's press briefing, Vannacci said that "the Iraqi security forces have already proven that they are more than ready and capable of securing the country" thanks to the extensive support offered by the coalition.

"We are growing up a professional, self-contained and self-sustainable force. And the Iraqis have demonstrated to us that they are in the right way to achieve this endstate," he added. "What will happen to the future resides on the end of the Iraqis. And the coalition will continue to support them as long as they need, and as long as we are requested to do so."

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekThe U.S. has disinvited China from upcoming pan-Pacific naval exercises, citing its growing military presence in disputed waters of the South China Sea.

Pentagon spokesman Marine Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Logan accused China Wednesday of deploying "anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, and electronic jammers" in a contested set of islands and islets known as the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. As a result, Logan said that China was no longer welcome to attend the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) multinational naval drills.

The United States is committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific. Chinas continued militarization of disputed features in the South China Sea only serve to raise tensions and destabilize the region," Logan said, according to the U.S. Naval Institute.

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"As an initial response to Chinas continued militarization of the South China Sea we have disinvited the PLA Navy from the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise. Chinas behavior is inconsistent with the principles and purposes of the RIMPAC exercise," he added.

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Zeng Xingjian/Defense Department

RIMPAC was first held in 1971 and has been described as "the world's largest international maritime exercise" by the U.S. Navy. It was held annually until 1974, when it became a biennial drill. Plans for this year's 26th RIMPAC were finalized last month with over 1,000 personnel from 27 nations set to participate, including debut appearances from Brazil, Israel, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

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Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. has adopted a tougher stance against Chinese interests in the South China Sea, where Beijing has made vast territorial claims opposed by neighboring countries. The U.S. has also accused China of establishing secret military bases on the islands, where China publicly announced for the first time last week it landed its nuclear-capable H-6K bombers.

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China has adopted an unprecedented maritime military posture as a warning to its rival government in Taiwan. China claims the self-ruling island nation as one of its own provinces and has repeatedly threatened to take it by force. Since 1972, the U.S. has recognized China as the sole legitimate government, but has offered arms to Taiwan. Diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Taiwan were expanded with the passing of the Taiwan Travel Act in March, a move that infuriated Chinese officials.

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An Fengshan, a spokesman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said last week that China's intensified military mobilization was intended to show that "there is no way out for 'Taiwan independence.'"

A comprehensive Asia Power Index released earlier this month by the Lowy Insitute ranked China second only to the U.S. in terms of strength. In some categories, China beat the U.S., where Navy Admiral Philip S. Davidson told Congress last month that "China is now capable of controlling the South China Sea in all scenarios short of war with the United States."

China has accused the U.S. of interfering in Asian affairs and attempting to expand its own military prowess abroad. The U.S., which maintains some 250 military bases surrounding China, has installed advanced missile defense systems in allied Pacific nations such as Japan and South Korea. China and Russia have boosted bilateral political and military ties in response to a growing U.S. presence in the region. The two top U.S. military rivals are set to hold their own annual joint war games in the Yellow Sea later this year.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek(WASHINGTON)  The United States and South Korea are laboring to keep the U.S. summit with North Korea on track even after President Donald Trump abruptly said theres a very substantial chance it wont go off as planned.

The fate and the future of the Korean Peninsula hinge on the meeting, South Koreas president told Trump in an Oval Office meeting Tuesday.

The summit, scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, would offer a historic chance for peace. But there also is the risk of a diplomatic failure that would allow the North to revive and advance its nuclear weapons program.

U.S. officials say preparations are still underway. Were driving on, said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday.

Trumps newfound hesitation appeared to reflect recent setbacks in efforts to bring about reconciliation between the two Koreas, as well as concern whether the self-proclaimed deal-maker can deliver a nuclear accord with the Norths Kim Jong Un.

Trump said Kim had not met unspecified conditions for the summit. But Trump also said he believed Kim was serious about negotiations, and South Korean leader Moon Jae-in expressed every confidence in Trumps ability to hold the summit and bring about peace.

I have no doubt that you will be able to  accomplish a historic feat that no one had been able to achieve in the decades past, Moon said.

Trump said he didnt want to totally commit himself on whether North Korea should denuclearize all at once or in phases. It would certainly be better if it were all in one, Trump said, before adding, You do have some physical reasons that it may not be able to do exactly that.

Trump suggested the summit could be delayed rather than canceled: It may not work out for June 12, but there is a good chance that well have the meeting.

He did not detail the conditions he had laid out for Kim but said if they arent met, we wont have the meeting. His spokeswoman, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said Trump was referring to a commitment to seriously discuss denuclearization.

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Skepticism about the Norths intentions have mounted in recent weeks after Kims government pulled out of planned peace talks with the South last week, objecting to long-scheduled joint military exercises between U.S. and South Korean forces. The North also threatened to abandon the planned Trump-Kim meeting over U.S. insistence on rapidly denuclearizing the peninsula, issuing a harshly worded statement that the White House dismissed as a negotiating ploy.

Trump expressed suspicion that the Norths recent aggressive barbs were influenced by Kims unannounced trip to China two weeks ago  his second in as many months. Trump said hed noticed a little change in Kims attitude after the trip.

I dont like that, he said.

The president said he hoped Chinese President Xi Jinping was actually committed to the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, calling him a world-class poker player. Trump said he was displeased by Chinas softening of border enforcement measures against North Korea.

Trump encouraged Kim to focus on the opportunities offered by the meeting and to make a deal to abandon his nuclear program, pledging not only to guarantee Kims personal security but also predicting an economic revitalization for the North.

I will guarantee his safety, yes, Trump said, noting that promise was conditioned on an agreement to complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization. Trump said if such an agreement is reached, China, Japan and South Korea would invest large sums to make North Korea great.German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Berlin and Beijing, both signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, are standing by the multilateral accord after Washingtons withdrawal.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the deal is officially called, "is far from ideal but other options are even less stable," Merkel said during a joint press conference with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing.

"That is why we will continue to respect this agreement," PressTV cited her as saying.

Merkel further highlighted Beijings future role to fill in the trade vacuum after the re-imposition of economic bans against Iran. "Sanctions will likely lead some European companies to pull out of Iran," she added.Dr. Richard Gallagher is a board-certified psychiatrist in New York, a professor at the New York Medical College in psychiatry, and is on Columbia Universitys faculty.

He also has a unique side job  for more than two and a half decades, hes been the clergys go-to doctor for cases of demonic possession.

In this weeks episode of Yahoo News Unfiltered, we take a look at one psychiatrists mission to provide his patients with the help they need, even if its an exorcism. By assigning what some may call a controversial diagnosis of demonic possession, Gallagher confronts the oft-held notion that religion and science are like oil and water, stating that what is religious is not exactly anti-scientific and that society should accept that there may be something more here.

Gallaghers journey into the world of exorcisms began by accident: More than 25 years ago, a priest reached out for his psychiatric opinion about a woman who said she was assaulted by invisible forces. The woman and her husband were devout Catholics, and they believed they were being attacked by evil spirits. At the time, although Gallagher was a practicing Catholic, he approached the priest with skepticism. To his surprise, the priest liked that. Well, if we didnt think you were skeptical, Dr. Gallagher, the priest told him, we wouldnt have wanted to use you.

When Gallagher examined the woman, he found multiple bruises that would spontaneously appear. It didnt seem to be explainable on the basis of any medical or psychiatric pathology, he recalls. She appeared to me to be completely sane. I had never seen a case like that before. Gallagher had determined that there was no medical cause for her injuries.

She was, he came to conclude, attacked by an evil spirit.

A girl screams while being allegedly possessed by demons during an exorcism ritual performed in Colombia. (Photo: Jan Sochor via Getty Images)

Ever since then, Gallagher has been approached by many leaders from different faiths, including Muslim and Hindu clergy members, to give scientific advice about whether a patient is mentally ill or under demonic possession. He has also spent many years as the scientific advisor on the governing board for the International Association of Exorcists, an organization that was formally recognized by Pope Francis in 2014. Of his many thousands of consultations, however, he has concluded only around 100 cases were related to demonic activity.

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Gallagher said that to determine whether or not a person is possessed, he looks at whether he or she exhibits certain strict criteria. He explains, The essence of a possession is a person going into a trance and a demonic sounding voice coming out of them, attacking the people, attacking religion, usually using very crude and violent language, like, Leave her alone. Shes ours  this type of thing. Other behaviors include superhuman strength, speaking ancient languages, and knowing secrets of people that a person would never know otherwise. Gallagher said he himself experienced the last phenomenon: A woman he examined, who turned out to be one of his biggest cases, knew personal information about him. I know your mother died of ovarian cancer, she said. Which was true, said Gallagher. It was pretty creepy, but also pretty remarkable.

At least 60% of Americans believe there is a hell and the devil, and 57% believe in demonic possession, according to a 2016 Gallup poll and a 2012 Public Policy Polling survey. Believing in the existence of the devil and of demonic possessions is common in many other countries as well; recently, exorcisms have been on the rise in Mexico, and at the beginning of 2018, more than 200 priests traveled to Rome for an annual Vatican training on performing exorcisms. There are countries around the world, Haiti, Madagascar Throughout history, most cultures, certainly most major religions, theyve always had a belief, he said. In fact, they have an official belief in evil spirits and the ability of evil spirits occasionally, on rare situations, to attack people.

There are definite criteria; theres definite evidence, although the evidence  while massive throughout history  is of an historical nature, he added.

An illustration of an ouganga (medicine man) performing an exorcism on a shaman in Central Africa, 1863. (Image: De Agostini Picture Library via Getty Images)

Gallagher believes he has seen more cases of possession than any other psychiatrist in the world. After having been asked by people  including a former president of the American Psychiatric Association  to record his experiences, Gallagher decided to write his upcoming book, Demonic Foes. Using pseudonyms to protect the patients identities, he goes into detail about the demonic cases he consulted on. Thats really where I present the fruits of my research over many years, he said.

Suffice to say, Gallagher has faced his fair share of criticism in light of his religious psychiatric consultations while also being an academic scientist, with some calling his diagnoses controversial. There is nothing in what Im saying that is in any way anti-scientific. I believe in science. I trained at an American medical school. I use the results of scientific studies every day of my life, he asserts. I just have had a rare window or rare opportunity to study these things a little more rigorously than most doctors would have.

And, in Gallaghers opinion, many critics ask for impossible levels of proof instead of conducting research themselves. A lot of people will say to me, Well why dont you videotape this stuff? As if an evil spirit is going to parade before the camera for YouTube, he says. Many critics  theyve never seen a genuine case. Theyve never even spoken to an official exorcist. I dont think thats very scientific of them.

Gallagher thinks of himself as first and foremost a doctor. I didnt go into this field volunteering. I was asked to help suffering people, he said. I dont want to prevent people who need psychiatric help from getting it.

But then, he added, there are these rare cases no amount of medical help is going to deliver them of an evil spirit.A French Rafale fighter jet lands on the deck of France's aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle operating in the eastern Mediterranean on December 9, 2016, as part of an international coalition against the Islamic State group (AFP Photo/)

Beirut (AFP) - A dozen pro-regime fighters were killed in an air strike on Syrian army positions a monitor said Thursday was carried out by the US-led coalition, but the Pentagon denied the report.

State media reported the overnight air raid in an area where both the regime and coalition have been battling holdout jihadists, but said it only caused material damage.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a broad network of sources across Syria, said the strike had hit army positions south of Albu Kamal, a town on the border with Iraq.

"At least three vehicles were destroyed by the strike," said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman.

He said the 12 pro-regime fighters killed were not Syrians, but he could not provide more details on their identity.

A military source quoted by state news agency SANA said "some of our military positions between Albu Kamal and Hmeimeh were hit this morning in an aggression by American coalition warplanes".

The Pentagon denied the strikes were carried out by the coalition fighting the Islamic State group.

"These reports are false, the coalition did not strike any Syrian army positions in eastern Syria," said Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner.

"The coalition's mission is to defeat ISIS (IS) in designated parts of Iraq and Syria, and to set conditions for follow-on stability operations. This mission has not changed."

Less than 24 hours after the overnight strikes, missiles targeted a weapons depot belonging to Lebanon's Hezbollah movement at an airbase in the central province of Homs, according to the Observatory.

Its director Abdel Rahman said the missiles "would have been fired by Israel".

SANA said Syrian air defences had intercepted the missiles in Homs, but reported explosions in the area.

Albu Kamal and Hmeimeh lie in Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor province, where Russian-backed Syrian troops and the US-led coalition have been waging separate offensives against IS.

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A "de-confliction" line in place along the Euphrates River since last year is meant to keep the two assaults from crashing into each other.

Loyalist troops are present west of the river while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are on the east.

A military source from forces allied to Syria's government said the strikes had targeted two regime military positions near a frontline with IS.

- Repeated incidents -

"There are no Iranian or Lebanese fighters among the dead," the source said.

Iraqi Shiite militia are also fighting alongside Syrian regime forces in the area.

The Observatory said the government was sending reinforcements.

It was not immediately clear whether jihadists were active in the area at the time, nor whether the pro-regime casualties may have been accidental.

The coalition has carried out several deadly strikes against Syrian government forces and allied fighters in recent months.

In February, coalition bombing raids in Deir Ezzor province killed at least 100 regime and allied fighters, including Russian nationals, in retaliation for an attack on SDF positions.

And in September 2016, US-led strikes on regime military positions in the east left more than 60 Syrian troops dead. The coalition later said it had mistaken the fighters for IS jihadists.

The Islamic State group has lost nearly all the territory it once controlled in Syria and Iraq but it still holds some villages in the Euphrates Valley area.

On Monday, Syrian troops and allied forces ousted IS from the last districts it held in the capital Damascus.

After a fierce month-long battle, an evacuation deal saw the remaining jihadists bussed out of the city towards small pockets of land still held by IS in the Badiya, a vast desert area stretching from central Syria to its eastern border with Iraq.

The day after the transfer, IS fighters in the Badiya attacked a nearby government position, leaving more than two dozen Syrian troops and allied fighters dead.

The Observatory said the IS fighters responsible were from the group that had just been transferred out of the Yarmuk area in southern Damascus.US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China, 9 November 2017: REUTERS/Thomas Peter

The State Department has said a US government employee in China reported subtle...but abnormal ear pressure, possibly pointing to a similar situation experienced by American diplomats in Cuba.

The agency emailed a notice to all US citizens in China about the employee at the consulate in Guangzhou who said there were subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure. It advised Americans to contact medical professionals if they experience any unusual auditory or sensory of phenomena accompanied by unusual sounds or piercing noises.

The incident harkens back to when nearly two dozen US employees working in Havana had sought medical treatment between December 2016 to May 2017 for headaches, ear pain, dizziness, and hearing issues.

Symptoms, sounds and sensations reportedly varied dramatically from person to person. Some have permanent hearing loss or concussions, while others suffered nausea, headaches and ear-ringing. Some are struggling with concentration or common word recall, The Associated Press has reported.

A subsequent FBI investigation did not reveal evidence of a sonic attack.

However, the reports put the largest strain on US-Cuba relations since former president Barack Obama forged closer ties in 2014.

Between September and October 2017, US President Donald Trump expelled 17 Cuban diplomats from the US, ordered US staff in Havana to come back, and issued a travel warning to the small, island nation - all implying the administration believed Cuba had some role in the mysterious illnesses of the diplomats.

Cuba, for its part, denied any wrongdoing and attributed the illnesses to a possible psychological cause.

The State Department said it is not aware of any similar situations in China and did not identify the person who reported the systems or when that information was relayed to the agency.

Jinnie Lee, a spokeswoman for the United States Embassy in Beijing, told the New York Times that the employee in question reported experiencing a variety of physical symptoms from late 2017 until April of this year.

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The embassy was told that the clinical findings of this evaluation matched mild traumatic brain injury, Ms Lee said, but stopped short of further details in order to protect the employees privacy.

Ms Lee indicated the Chinese government is also investigating the matter. Nearly 2,000 US employees are stationed in the country and are closely watched by Chinese security.

The report comes at a crucial time in US-China relations as well. Trade negotiations between the two economic giants are taking place as well as preparations for an upcoming summit between Mr Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

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 the hermit kingdom.Bamako (AFP) - Two armed groups have formed in central Mali on either side of an ethnic rift that has caused violence to flare, their leaders told AFP on Thursday.

Over the past three years, nomadic Fulani people and farmers from the Dogon ethnic group have engaged in tit-for-tat violence, partly rooted in a dispute over cattle grazing.

"We have the numbers that it takes to defend our parents against the militias, notably the Fulanis, who attack them," said David Tembine, the leader of a Dogon vigilante group.

It calls itself Dana Amassagou, "which means 'The Hunters Who Confide in God'," Tembine said.

Separately, an organisation calling itself the Alliance for the Salvation of the Sahel has also formed to protect Fulani civilians from both Mali and neighbouring Burkina Faso "against abuses", Yessouf Diallo, one of the group's leaders, told AFP.

Central Mali is a vast area where the state is near-absent and jihadists, blamed for exacerbating the dispute, roam with little constraint.

In its latest quarterly report on Mali, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said protection of civilians in the region has "further deteriorated".

Jihadist groups have "exacerbated" the violence between the two communities, causing an unprecedented number of civilian causalities in their operations targeting Malian and foreign forces, the report added.

The Fulani community routinely accuses the authorities of tolerating, or even encouraging, abuses against them by hunter groups as part of their fight against jihadists, which the government denies.

The unrest in the former French colony stems from a 2012 Tuareg separatist uprising against the state, which was exploited by jihadists in order to take over key cities in the north.

Although French forces removed the Al-Qaeda-linked groups from places such as Timbuktu, the insurgents have morphed into nimbler formations operating in rural areas, sometimes winning over local populations by providing basic services and protection from bandits.

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Meanwhile, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, announced at a press conference on Thursday it would send a special team from its human rights division to inquire into violence that occurred last Saturday in Boulkessi, a town near the border with Burkina Faso.

A Malian soldier and at least 12 other people were killed in violence that occurred during an army patrol on a market.

The army says the 12 were "terrorists" who had been "neutralised," but local residents say they were civilians.

The Malian army is often accused of making arbitrary arrests and carrying out extra-judicial executions in its fight against jihadists.Virginia state Sen. Jennifer Wexton. (Photo: Salwan Georges/Washington Post via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  For Democrats looking to retake the U.S. House of Representatives, Virginias 10th Congressional District is a prime target. Hillary Clinton won it in the 2016 presidential election and the Republican incumbent suffers from tepid approval ratings.

But before Democrats can pop the victory champagne, they first need to decide what kind of candidate, and race, they want to run.

State Sen. Jennifer Wexton would normally have the clearest path to winning a crowded Democratic primary on June 12 and facing Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock in the general election. She represents about half of the largest county, Loudoun, in the 10th district, and has been on the ballot three times since 2011, helping solidify her name in the minds of voters.

Wexton has developed a reputation in Richmond as a serious lawmaker, and has the endorsement of Gov. Ralph Northam and a host of state legislators, as well as from the two Democratic congressmen from northern Virginia, Gerry Connolly and Donald McEachin.

But Wexton has faced stiff competition in fundraising from three other Democratic primary foes, trailing one and barely edging out two others.

Most observers think Wexton is still the frontrunner, and that her chief competitor is Alison Friedman, an anti-human trafficking activist who worked in the Obama State Department. But without any real public polling, its impossible to discount two other candidates, Army officer Dan Helmer and another former Obama administration official, Lindsey Davis Stover.

Alison Friedman, one of six Democrats running for the nomination to challenge Rep. Barbara Comstock in Virginias 10th Congressional District. (Photo: Jahi Chikwendiu/Washington Post via Getty Images)

Friedman has raised the most money  over $1.3 million as of the last reporting period  though a good portion of it has been from donors outside of Virginia. Wexton has raised over $900,000, with Helmer close behind at just under $900,000 and Stover at around $850,000.

Former federal prosecutor Paul Pelletier has raised around $400,000, and although the sixth candidate, scientist Julia Biggins, has raised only about $100,000, she has been endorsed by One Revolution, the outside group that was started in 2016 to support Sen. Bernie Sanderss presidential candidacy.

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The surprising depth of candidates and the amount of money raised for each is just one of many indications of how energized Democrats have been by the rise of Donald Trump.

Wextons built-in advantage includes the fact that she has already won the kind of vote share shell need to succeed on June 12. In an unsuccessful run for Loudoun County Commonwealths Attorney in 2011, she received 24,000 votes. In this years primary, six Democrats are competing for an estimated 40,000 votes, give or take a few thousand.

The question is, will Wextons status as an elected official prove an asset, or will the hunger for political neophytes seen in other parts of the country be as strong here?

Helmer, an Army lieutenant colonel who left active service three years ago but remains active in the reserves, told Yahoo News that the most important criterion for the Democratic primary is having a candidate who can beat Barbara Comstock.

Incumbent Rep. Barbara Comstock. (Photo: Chris Kleponis/Getty Images)

Comstock is running for her third term and is a formidable politician who has far out-raised all the Democrats, with almost $3 million as of the last reporting period. Barbara Comstock has beaten every politician she has come up against, Helmer said. Its going to take someone with a different profile who can contrast themselves.

A spokeswoman for Friedman, who also has never run for office, also said that experience in office and endorsements from other elected officials may not deliver much of an advantage. It seems, based on the past year or so, that people are more excited about candidates who are coming from outside the establishment, said Wellesley Daniels, Friedmans communications director.

The 2017 Democratic primary for governor offers important insights. Northam defeated challenger Tom Perriello handily in Fairfax County, by 20 points. And one quarter of the registered voters in the 10th district are from Fairfax County. But a greater percentage of the district, about 44 percent, comes from Loudoun County, where Northam beat Perriello by only three points. The takeaway is that voters closer to the city were more supportive of Northam than of Perriello, the younger candidate who ran on a more progressive message. Northams appeal was that he would be a gets things done candidate in the general election against Republican Ed Gillespie, according to Northams campaign manager, Brad Komar.

I think Sen. Wexton is very much in that mold, Komar told Yahoo News, adding, The typical Fairfax County primary voter is a 72-year old woman who has voted in primaries for the last 15 years and is going to vote in Democratic primaries for the next 15 years. This is somebody who is proud of the Democratic team and actually feels ownership of the team in Virginia going back to Mark Warner in 01.

Theres a lot of pride in this Democratic leadership team in Virginia. So theres definitely an advantage to being seen as part of that, he said.

Fairfax County also has a heavier concentration of government workers and contractors than is the case further away from D.C., in Loudoun County.

Virginia state Sen. Jennifer Wexton. (Photo: Steve Helber/AP)

Loudoun, meanwhile, is a more transient place dominated by rapid population growth over the past two decades. Its Panera-land, said Geoffrey Skelley, associate editor of the Crystal Ball at the University of Virginias Center for Politics. Democrats there may be just as liberal as those in Fairfax, but less rooted in tradition and less deferential to the political establishment.

If thats where most of the Democratic votes are coming from, maybe that doesnt give Wexton as much of an advantage, Skelley said.

But Komar, who is now overseeing a PAC supporting the governors legislative agenda in Richmond, said that because Wexton already represents much of Loudoun County, her name-recognition advantage there, combined with a natural appeal to Fairfax County voters, puts her in the drivers seat.

If she can win over Fairfax Democrats and keep a hold of her base, shes in a very strong position to win the primary, Komar told Yahoo News.

The issue that has most consistently dominated the primary is gun violence. School shootings in Parkland, Fla., on February 14 that killed 17 people, and in Santa Fe, Texas, on May 18 that killed 10 people have created a massive wave of support for gun control measures.

This is a potential liability for Wexton, who is the only candidate in the June 12 primary who has had to take votes and is on the record regarding gun control. Friedman and Helmer in particular have criticized Wexton for supporting a compromise measure pushed by then Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, in 2016. The deal increased restrictions on gun ownership for domestic abusers and required voluntary background checks at gun shows but expanded the right to carry a concealed weapon in Virginia.

Helmer recently released a video showing him buying a semi-automatic rifle at a gun show in the 10th district that he said was functionally similar to the weapons he carried in Afghanistan as an active service Army officer. The video garnered Helmer media attention and he said that it showed that the 2016 attempt to close the gun show loophole was not effective.

[Wextons] record on guns is very mixed, Helmer said. I will never vote to liberalize gun laws in this country.

Friedman has focused her criticism around the gun issue on Comstock, who has an A rating from the National Rifle Association.

Wexton has said Helmer is trying to cherry-pick my record and said she has cast dozens of votes in the Virginia legislature against Republican attempts to expand access to firearms. She has an F rating from the NRA.

The debate over what is achievable in passing legislation to address the gun issue, and the criticism from first-time candidates of the only person in the field with legislative experience, will reveal how much Democratic voters prize political experience over fiery rhetoric and idealism.

Results from around the country have shown plenty of enthusiasm for fresh faces among Democrats. But its clear that even though Sanderss outsider candidacy appealed to a sizable swath of voters in 2016, the Democrats have retained more pragmatism in the minority than Republicans did during the tea party movement that began in 2009 and which has to some degree roiled the GOP in every election since.

In the U.S. Senate, not one of the 11 Democratic incumbents who are running for reelection in states targeted by Republicans are facing contested primaries. House primaries have been more fractious, and there has been backlash among some elements of the progressive grassroots when the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has endorsed or otherwise supported candidates.

But in the race where DCCC involvement drew the most attention  the Texas Seventh Congressional District  their preferred candidate, Lizzie Fletcher, won the primary this past Tuesday. And in elections where Democratic voters have bucked the party establishment choice, such as in Kentuckys Sixth District this week, the voters choice  former Navy fighter pilot Amy McGrath  was as strong a general election candidate as the other Democrat, if not stronger.

So Democratic voters across the country have shown a willingness to buck the party establishment choice, but usually only if the alternative is as likely if not more so to beat the Republican.

The proximity of Virginias 10th District to D.C. may limit the reach of any outsider candidacy.

If you view yourself as connected to Washington, you may not want to vote against Washington, Komar said.

Read more from Yahoo News:Both Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt (left) and President Donald Trump are vocal climate change deniers. Pruitt has said the debate on climate change is "far from settled." Trump has famously described global warming as a myth perpetuated by China. (Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images)

The Trump administration spent time last year mulling over what its public position on climate science should be  and, according to a report published Wednesday by The Washington Post, outrightly ignoring new research was one option that officials considered.

Citing an internal memo drafted in September by President Donald Trumps then-top energy and environmental aide, Michael Catanzaro, the Post reported that White House officials had discussed whether to consider having a firm position on and a coherent, fact-based message about climate science  specifically, whether, and to what extent, anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases are affecting the climate system, and what level of concern that warrants.

Three options were reportedly presented in the memo: The first was to conduct red team/blue team debates to highlight uncertainties in climate data; the second was to review scientific studies under the Administrative Procedure Act; and the final option was to simply ignore, and not seek to characterize or question, the science being conducted by Federal agencies and outside entities.

An option to endorse scientists findings was not put on the table.

No formal policy ever did materialize from the memo or subsequent discussions on the issue. Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt was reportedly an advocate of holding red team/blue team debates to publicly critique climate science, but that idea was ultimately blocked by the White House, reported The New York Times in March.

Remember that "red team, blue team" debate on climate change that Scott Pruitt proposed for E.P.A.? Here's who killed it (at least for now).https://t.co/MDn5rCC8Qg  NYT Climate (@nytclimate) March 9, 2018

As the Post noted, the Catanzaro memo offers a glimpse into the challenges faced by the Trump administration on the issue of climate change. While White House officials continue to publicly downplay climate data and adopt policies to expand fossil fuel production in the U.S., federal agencies have continued to publish research showing that climate change is real, man-made and a growing threat to the U.S.

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On Friday, for instance, the National Park Service published a report that said the effects of climate change, like rising sea levels and intensifying storms, could damage park sites across the country. The reports lead researcher had earlier accused the Trump administration of attempting to censor the study by removing all mentions of human-caused climate change.

Following public outrage, the paper was quietly published with the climate change references intact.

On Wednesday, Democratic lawmakers reacted with fury to the Posts report.

Unacceptable and immoral, wrote Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) on Twitter.

Ignoring the overwhelming evidence only sets us back further in addressing this serious threat, said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).

"Ignore," distort, or censor. Those are the options the Trump White House is considering to deal with the overwhelming consensus on climate change. Unacceptable and immoral. We need a vision and a plan to #ActOnClimate, not willful ignorance. https://t.co/cT6O0sxXvX  Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) May 24, 2018

Climate change is real. It impacts New Hampshire every day. Ignoring the overwhelming evidence only sets us back further in addressing this serious threat. https://t.co/vh080HazeO  Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (@SenatorShaheen) May 23, 2018

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Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.The United States will keep pressure on North Korea to come to the negotiating table and abandon its nuclear weapons program, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday after President Donald Trump canceled his planned summit with the North, USA Today reported.

The pressure campaign continues, Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

He said sanctions will continue to squeeze North Korea's economy, along with diplomatic efforts to possibly reschedule a summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which had been set for June 12 in Singapore.Memorial Day events

Yakima

 Marine Corps League Memorial Day parade; 10 a.m. Saturday: begins at Yakima and Sixth avenues, proceeds down Yakima Avenue to Naches Avenue.

 Marine Corps League Memorial Day ceremonies; 1 p.m. Saturday: Sarg Hubbard Park, 111 S. 18th St.

 Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 379 and American Legion Post 36 Memorial Day service; 10 a.m Monday; Tahoma Cemetery, 1802 Tahoma Ave.; invocation, presentation of wreaths, guest speaker, rifle salute, playing of taps.

 Astria Regional Medical Center Memorial Day celebration and flag dedication ceremony 12:15 p.m. Thursday; front entrance of the hospital, 110 S. Ninth Ave.

Sunnyside and Outlook

 Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3482 Memorial Day ceremony; 9 a.m. Monday at Outlook Cemetery, 4901-5401 Gap Road; laying of wreaths, recitation of names of deceased, guest speaker.

 VFW Post 3482 Memorial Day ceremony; 11 a.m. Lower Valley Memorial Gardens, 7800 Van Belle Road; laying of wreaths, recitation of names of deceased, guest speaker.

Grandview

 American Legion Post 57 laying of wreaths; 8 a.m. Saturday at Grandview Cemetery on Cemetery Road.

 American Legion Post 57 Memorial Day ceremony; 11 a.m. Monday at Grandview Cemetery on Cemetery Road; guest speaker, special honors for recently deceased World War II veteran Milton Ramsey; rifle salute; playing of taps.

 Retrieval of flags; 6 p.m. Monday.

Zillah

 American Legion Post 130 Memorial Day ceremony; 11 a.m. Monday; Zillah Cemetery, 100 First Ave.; missing-man table-setting ceremony; prayer; speech; rifle salute; playing of taps.Three events from the recent days should ring serious alarm bells among Israels decision makers.

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The first event, which received widespread media coverage, was the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) meeting last week. Unsurprisingly, the UNHRC voted to set up a commission of inquiry into last weeks events on the Gaza Strip border.

The United Nations Human Rights Council (: AFP)

Following the decision, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Dr. Zeid Raad Al-Hussein is expected to appoint an international committee to investigate the violations of human rights and international law in the occupies Palestinian territories.

We should pay attention to the wide definition of the mandate that will be given to the committee, which is expected to be a rerun of the notorious Goldstone Commission. Well discuss this broad definition later on.

A second event took place on Tuesday in The Hague, where Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki met with the International Criminal Court (ICC)s chief prosecutor and asked her to open an investigation against Israel. The immediate context of the request was recent events on the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, but this time the appeal included a request for a much broader investigation.

Palestinian Foreign Minister al-Maliki met with the International Criminal Courts chief prosecutor (Photo: AFP)

Al-Maliki demanded that the ICC, which already launched an investigation against Israel in 2015, investigate Israels crimes concerning the expansion of the settlement enterprise and what the Palestinians refer to as land theft.

The Palestinians are demanding that, as part of the investigation, the ICC take action against senior Israeli officials who they say are personally responsible for the activity in each of these fields.

A third event, allegedly unrelated but actually very related, was Tuesdays European Union (EU) statement urging Israel to launch an immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the wounding of Jafar Farah, director of Mossawa Centerthe Advocacy Center for Palestinian Arab citizens in Israelwho was arrested over the weekend during a protest in Haifa against Israels handling of the Gaza border riots.

Mossawa Center Director Jafar Farah in court Saturday. The human rights activist said a cop broke his leg on purpose (Photo: Ahiya Raved)

The Israel Police doesnt have a great track record, to say the least, when it comes to police violence, and the issue should be thoroughly investigated. But all this has nothing to do with the EUs appeal.

After all, the EU didnt urge Israel to investigate the wounding of Meni Naftali during a protest in Petah Tikva or the wounding of Aryeh Eldad and Moti Yogev during the evacuation of Amona. This appeal has to do with the specific context of the protest in which Farah was arrested.

These three events are related not because of their specific content, and not because of the people behind them. The UNHRC is not the ICC, and the ICC is not the EU. Most EU countries didnt even support the UNHRCs decision on an investigation against Israel; unfortunately, they didnt oppose it either.

These events are related because they reflect a trend the Palestinians have been putting a lot of effort into for years, but now, in light of the Gaza events, it is being reinforced. Im talking about the Palestinian attempt to internationalize the conflict, and largely to legalize it as well.

The goal is to move the conflict management arena from the southern border and Judea and Samaria to the UN building in New York, to Geneva, to The Hague and to Brussels.

European Parliament building in Brussels (Photo: AFP)

The Palestinian hope, which isnt irrational, is that moving the conflict to the international stage will change the balance of power: While on the Gaza border Israel enjoys a numerical, technological and qualitative advantage, in the international arena the equation changes.

As part of this strategy, the Palestinians are trying to replace the conflict management language as well: To stop talking diplomatically and start talking legally. Their assumptionwhich isnt groundless, unfortunatelyis that the international language of law, which is highly affected by the hostile legal-academic language against Israel around the world, will cause damage to Israel.

This is the arena in which Israel must invest a considerable and decisive part of its efforts. Winning on the Gaza border is very important, but also relatively easy.

Winning in The Hague and in Geneva is much harder. Efforts must be put into time and resources too, but they must focus decision makers attention.AdalahThe Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights, has accused the police of racist and discriminatory behavior following last week's arrests in Haifa during a protest in solidarity with Gaza.

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In a letter sent to the Police Internal Investigations Department (PIID), the organization claimed police officers beat handcuffed detainees, prevented them from receiving medical treatment, ridiculed the medical staff treating them and even hurled raciast and derisory comments at them.

In its letter, Adalah asked the PIID to open an immediate investigation against the policemen who were stationed at the protests and the police station that evening, "in light of the harsh violence directed at those present."

Protest in Haifa in solidarity with Gaza (Photo: Gil Nechushtan)

The policeman suspected of attacking Jafar Farah , the director-general of the Mossawa Center that promotes the rights of Israel's Arab citizens, was interrogated once again at the PIID offices and has been removed from his post for several days while the invetigation is underway.

The letter claimed that the police treated the protest as a demonstration without a permit and therefore arrived there with reinforcements.

"Police forces surrounded the area with roadblocks, and formed a ring around the protestors, preventing them from entering or leaving the area," the letter claimed.

It then noted that none of the protesters were violent or even shouted inciting slogans. Nevertheless, it alleged, the police "decided to disperse the participants with great violence, which was manifested at first by pushing the crowd into a very narrow space, and then with the use of indiscriminate physical force against them."

Police forces at Haifa protest (Photo: Police spokesmanship)

Adalah asserted that "the detainees, who were handcuffed, suffered severe violence on their way to and from the police stationmany of them asked for immediate medical treatment, but were denied it."

The organization went on to claim that even during their stay at the police station, where they spent the night, and until they were brought to Kishon Detention Center the following day, "the detainees were subjected to severe violence, hostile and vengeful treatment and humiliation by the police."

"Today we'll have a party, we're going to f*** you up," one officer allegedly shouted at the detainees. He, together with another, allegedly cursed, spat and shouted at their detainees incessantly and without provocation, calling them "sons of wh***s."

Citing examples corroborated by eyewitnesses, mainly people who were arrested at the protest and other fellow demonstrators, Adalah said one person filming the event had his shirt violently ripped by a policeman who threatened he will "break his arm" should he refuse to cooperate.

Together with a policeman, they pushed, cursed, spat and shouted at the detainees, it affirmed.

Haifa protest (:  )

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It then noted an alleged incident in which another detainee was lashed with plastic cuffs after requesting medical treatment, and another detainee who was hurt after riding in the back of a police cruiser whose driver ran through several red lights, only to crash into a vehicle at an intersection near the police station.

"He could not even walk but was not taken for treatment," the letter said, noting that despite his injuries he was hauled to the station and manhandled by an officer there. "He bled for two hours before they took him to a hospital. He was handcuffed during his stay in the hospital with handcuffs that left him bruised. At the doctor's request, they were removed twice but were returned immediately."

At the station, the letter noted, the detainees were "handcuffed with plastic cuffs  that were tightened in a manner that blocked the flow of blood to their hands. In some cases, when some of the detainees complained about it, policemen came and tightened them even more." The cuffs were not removed when the detainees were speaking to their lawyers, even though none of them had shown any violent tendency one way or otherwise, the statement said.

Violence and racism at the hospital

The letter went on to claim that Farah was "standing on both legs," when he entered the police car after being arrested, but left the police station hobbling.

"At the station, one of the policemen kicked him, without any justification, and according to X-rays and CT scans done at the hospital, which were also taken late, he suffered a compression fracture in his left leg and a suspected ruptured aorta, apparently due to severe beatings to the chest and abdomen," it detailed.

Jafar Farah (Photo: Zohar Shachar)

"Throughout the treatment, there were police officers who, according to the hospital staff, ridiculed and verbally abused the hospital's staff members, inter alia, with reference to the Arab and Muslim identity of some of them," the letter continued.

"Thus, for example, a nurse wearing a Hijab was told that she was 'clearly inciting everyone,' an intern who asked that Farah's cuffs be removed was told that his decision 'will be examined by a court' and, if found medically baseless, threatened the court will 'pay it back' for his transgression. Policemen than mocked him for shaking when writing his medical order to uncuff Farah."

Farah, Adalah said, remained cuffed despite medical protocols, was released early despite his doctor's opinion due to police pressure and was prevented from speaking to a lawyer.

A test of self-restraint

The police said that the officer who was interrogated by the DIP was removed for only a few days from the job "as part of the proper conduct of an investigation."

In its response, the Israel Police said that "insofar as there is concrete evidence supporting the claims (made by Adalah), they should be transferred to the PIID and not serve as a media headline without substantiation in reality." It also noted that the policeman who allegedly attacked Farah was interrogated by the PIID and removed for "only a few days" from his post "as part of the proper protocol."

Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh, though, made a much sterner remark in response, stressing that being a policeman requires self-restraint, and that whoever is found lacking it, will find himself out of a job.

Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

"I know that most good people ... in all sorts of positions, in a test of self-control, are unable to pass it, so we have to be careful," he said. "Self-control is one of the biggest and most complex challenges of a cop."

Alsheikh then mentioned the incident when a policeman was caught on camera beating a Palestinian truck driver, noting that he was an elite soldier in the IDF's Duvdevan commando unit and later an officer at the Israel Police Special Patrol Unit (Yasam), and calling him "the salt of the earth," but made clear he utterly failed "the test of self-control," and was therefore investigated and dismissed.

"Anyone who does not stand (the test of self-restraint)will find himself out of the police," he reassured.

Case against accused officer bolstered over social media outbursts

While not being particularly active on social media as of late, the Facebook account of the policeman suspected of attacking Farah reveals his troubling positions regarding Israeli Arabs and Palestinians.

In December 2015, he shared a post calling the Palestinians a "made up people." Two months earlier, the officer shared a picture of shuttered shops at the market of the Old City of Acre, which were closed by their Arab owners in solidarity with the Palestinians at the height of the "Knife Intifada"a wave of lone-wolf terror attacks that lasted for months.

The officer's Facebook post

"To all the snowflakes who support the market in Acrehere's your slap in the face; they're all terrorists who exploit your money for violence, crime and terror and laugh at you behind your back," he wrote.

The officer's fellow policemen asked the media not to besmirch his name and wait until the investigation is complete.

"If it turns out that there was nothing, it would still be irreversible damage to the guy," said an officer and associate of the suspect. "This guy is a fighter, he was a paratrooper, and loyally served in the Yasam. His father was also a policeman and devoted his life to the police and the state. His is a good family man that does not deserve to be judged before things are fully understood."More than 66,200 Syrian refuges have returned to Eastern Ghouta, the head of the Russian Center for Syrian reconciliation, Maj. Gen. Yuri Yevtushenko, said.

According to him, it was possible due to improving humanitarian situation.

He stressed that every day Russian military police units deploy observation posts in the Eastern Ghouta, Eastern Qalamoun, Yarmuk, al-Rastan and Talbiseh in order to prevent provocations and provide security of civilians, they also patrol the area.

Over the past month, the Russian Reconciliation Centre has held 41 humanitarian actions providing more than 95 tons of food supplies, bottled water, and the bare necessities to the Syrian population.The Palestinians have joined two United Nations agencies and the global convention to halt the spread of chemical weapons, a UN envoy said Wednesday, despite a threat of US funding cuts.

At the United Nations, the Palestinians have the status of a non-member observer state that allows them to seek membership of agencies and become a party to international treaties.

Nickolay Mladenov, the UN coordinator for the Middle East, told the Security Council that the Palestinians had joined the Geneva-based UN trade organization UNCTAD, Vienna-based industrial development agency UNIDO and the Chemical Weapons Convention.British police said they arrested a 19-year-old man on Wednesday evening for the offence of "preparation of terrorist acts".

The arrest was made in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, and the man was taken into custody at a police station in South London, London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

The event is linked to the arrest of an 18-year-old man last week for allegations of preparing for "terrorist acts", as well as the arrest of a 20-year-old woman on Wednesday in South London for failure to disclose information about "acts of terrorism", according to the statement.

The police said it is continuing its search at Bishop's Stortford. Further details were not provided.WASHINGTON - Europe and the United States remain deeply divided over how to proceed after Washington's exit from the 2015 Iran nuclear accord, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Wednesday after back-to-back meetings with two senior US officials.

Maas issued his sober assessment after a meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, saying the two officials had restated their known positions, but no new information emerged.

"I think we're still far away from a compromise," said Maas, who met earlier with John Bolton, US President Donald Trump's new security adviser, who is known for his hawkish views. "We're pursuing two completely different paths."Border Police soldiers arrested overnight Wednesday a Palestinian terrorist who opened fire on them near Jerusalem.

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The terrorist was spotted by lookout soldiers, prompting a car chase that concluded with the soldiers crashing into a military vehicle.

No one was injured among the security forces, but the terrorist was left in light condition.

(Photo: Border Police Spokesperson's Unit)

Close to 2:30am, the terrorist shot at a force manning a checkpoint near Al-Khader west of Bethlehem.

He was spotted by the troops from the Nitzan Battalion who were stationed in the area.

During the chase that ensued, the reinforced military vehicle was shot several times, with one bullet hitting the window of one of the passengers. After the security forces ran the terrorist over, he continued to attempt to flee the scene. However the security personnel fired rounds into the air and arrested him.

After his arrest, the Israeli force carried out a body search during which they found a knife. An FN handgun was also found in the area, which the forces believe was likely used during the shooting attack.

(:  ")

The terrorist, who was in his 20s from Beit Sahour, also near Bethlehem, was given medical treatment at the scene.

The swift pursuit by the fighters and the identification of the terrorist by the lookout brought the incident to an end without any injuries sustained among our forces and the terrorist was arrested, a Border Police statement read.

The soldiers are prepared and deployed during all hours to thwart terror and to protect the security of Israeli citizens, it added.The Palestinians have joined two United Nations agencies and the global convention to halt the spread of chemical weapons, a UN envoy said Wednesday, despite a threat of US funding cuts.

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At the United Nations, the Palestinians have the status of a non-member observer state that allows them to seek membership of agencies and become a party to international treaties.

The move will raise the Palestinians' profile in international diplomacy and comes amid a rift with President Donald Trump's administration over its decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The Palestinians want to make east Jerusalem the capital of their promised future state.

Nickolay Mladenov, the UN coordinator for the Middle East, told the Security Council that the Palestinians had joined the Geneva-based UN trade organization UNCTAD, Vienna-based industrial development agency UNIDO and the Chemical Weapons Convention.

"On May 15, Palestine acceded to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the Convention on the Prohibition, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons," Mladenov said.

The envoy did not address whether the decision will have an impact on funding from the United States for these agencies and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

The United States withdrew in 1996 from UNIDO, a little-known agency that promotes "inclusive and sustainable industrial development," according to its website.

The OPCW and UNCTAD rely on voluntary contributions from UN member-states to fund its activities as well as regular funding for its budget.

The United States withdrew some funding for UNESCO when the Palestinians joined the cultural and education agency in 2011 and last year pulled out of the agency altogether.

The Trump administration has also cut funds to the UN Palestinian refugee agency, leaving UNRWA struggling to fill a major gap in its education and health programs.

The OPCW announced in The Hague earlier that Palestine will become the 193rd state to join the chemical weapons convention.

Only four countriesIsrael, Egypt, North Korea and South Sudanhave yet to ratify the chemical weapons convention, which aims to eliminate an entire category of weapons of mass destruction.

The Palestinians angered Israel when they became a state-party to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2015.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki this week met with the ICC chief prosecutor to push for an investigation of Israeli war crimes after more than 60 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, the worst violence since the 2014 war.

The United Nations granted Palestine non-member observer state status in 2012, but an upgrade to full membership would require unanimous backing from the Security Councilan unlikely outcome, given the near-certainty of a US veto.An IDF soldier was critically wounded early Thursday during an arrest raid at the al-Am'ari Refugee Camp on the outskirts of Ramallah in the West Bank.

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Around 5am, a force from the elite Duvdevan Unit entered the camp to arrest a wanted Palestinian. While they were there, violent rioting erupted, with different objects being hurled at the troops.

A marble slab was thrown from the window or the roof of a house in an alley, hitting the soldier's head.

File photo (:  ")

"His helmet was destroyed; he fell on his back and suffered another blow. So he was hit hard in the head and was evacuated," an IDF official said.

"This was a necessary raid to arrest several terrorists who carried out attacks in the past. The soldier was wearing full protective gear, including a helmet, and while he was standing close to one of the homes the marble slab was thrown down at him," the IDF official explained.

His fellow soldiers evacuated him out of the camp, and he was taken to the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Karem for treatment.

The rest of the force was able to complete the mission and arrest the wanted man.

IDF troops leaving the refugee camp

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The IDF is investigating the incident.

The IDF official said that "the terrorist who dropped the marble slab was not arrested. The force didn't open fire at the source and didn't identify it." He rejected claims changes had been made to the rules of engagement, noting "The reason the soldiers didn't open fire at the terrorist who dropped the marble slab was because he was not identified." He rejected claims changes had been made to the rules of engagement, noting "The reason the soldiers didn't open fire at the terrorist who dropped the marble slab was because he was not identified."

This was not an unusual occurrence. IDF troops operating in the crowded Palestinian camps often come under attack, with heavy objects thrown at them, including furniture and even washing machines.

The operation, which is based on Shin Bet intelligence, is part of the IDF's Judea and Samaria Brigade's wide scale activity to thwart attacks during the month of Ramadan, after recent years saw many deadly attacks during the Muslim holiday.

The IDF official explained that "despite the relative quiet, in reality there has been an increase in popular terrorism and shooting incidents since the beginning of Ramadan last week. Our mission is to thwart the attacks deep in the field before the terrorists can come in contact with civilians."Extreme right-wing activists hung on a Jaffa landmark overnight Wednesday a picture of the terrorist Abed al-Karim Adel Assi, who in February stabbed to death 29-year-old Rabbi Itamar Ben Gal in Ariel in a terror attack.

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In a video that was recorded of the incident, the director of the ultra-nationalist group Ozma Yehudit, Tzvi Sukkot, together with another activist, can be seen ascending the iconic Jaffa Clock Tower on a ladder and stringing up a cutout of the terrorist, pictured only in underwear standing beside a noose.

Activists hang picture (:  )

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The act was carried out as part of a campaign calling for the death penalty to be imposed on terrorists. Former MK Michael Ben-Ari, who is also a member of the group, said that the image was taken from an art exhibit prepared with a student from the Shenkar school of art, design and engineering.

Sukkot, a resident of Yitzhar in the West Bank, was arrested last year for allegedly carrying out a "price tag" incident after claiming to witness two Palestinians handcuffing a man and forcing him into a vehicle.

Human dignity and human rights belong to human beings and not to the scum of mankind who took a knife and slaughtered a father of four small children and left behind a young widow, who is the one who received all possible rights in this case, he said.

It is worth us knowing how to give respect to the lives of the citizens of Israel and not to walking murdered of this kind, he added.

Rabbi Ben Gal (Photo: Yair Sagi)

Police, who promptly removed the picture and launched an investigation, said that the situation constituted an escalation and a blow to public order.

Attorney Itamar Ben Gvir, who also serves as one of the heads of Ozma Yehudit, criticized the police for their response. The Israel Police is losing its senses and becoming the thought police, he scathed.

Tzvi Sukkot (L)

If anyone is invited to an investigation, we will see to it that the police is sued for tens of thousands of shekels. The Israel Police is not in charge of thoughts of citizens, he added.

Abed al-Karim Adel Assi

At the end of March, the Central District Attorneys Office filed to the Lod District Court an indictment against Assi, who carried out the stabbing near the entrance to the settlement of Ariel in the Samaria region of the West Bank on February 5. Ben Gal is survived by his wife, Miriam, and their four children.

Following a prolonged manhunt, Assi was caught in Nablus a month-and-a-half later, along with several other suspects who helped him hide.North Korea carried out what it said is the demolition of its nuclear test site Thursday, setting off a series of explosions over several hours in the presence of foreign journalists.

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The explosions at the nuclear test site deep in the mountains of the North's sparsely populated northeast were centered on three tunnels into the underground site and a number of observation towers in the surrounding area.

The planned closing was previously announced by leader Kim Jong Un ahead of his planned summit with US President Donald Trump next month.

The demolition came as the North lobbed another verbal salvo at Washington, calling Vice President Mike Pence a "political dummy" and saying it is just as ready to meet in a nuclear confrontation as at the negotiating table.

The North's decision to close the Punggye-ri nuclear test site has generally been seen as a welcome gesture by Kim to set a positive tone ahead of the summit. Even so, it is not an irreversible move and would need to be followed by many more significant measures to meet Trump's demands for real denuclearization.

By bringing in the foreign media, mainly television networks, the North is apparently hoping to have images of the closingincluding explosions to collapse tunnel entrancesbroadcast around the world.

The North did not invite international inspectors to the ceremony, which limits its value as a serious concession.

The outburst at Pence, issued in the name of a top Foreign Ministry official, comes on the heels of another sharp rebuke of Trump's newly appointed national security adviser, John Bolton, and has raised concerns that a major gap has opened between the two sides just weeks before the June 12 summit in Singapore.

Kim Jong Un during missile test (Photo: EPA)

In both cases, Pyongyang was trying to push back against hard-line comments suggesting North Korea may end up like Libya if it doesn't move forward quickly and irreversibly with concrete measures to get rid of its nuclear weapons.

Choe Son Hui, a vice minister of foreign affairs, was quoted Thursday by the North's state-run news agency slamming as "ignorant" and "stupid" comments Pence made in an interview with Fox News that compared the nuclear-capable North to Libya. Libya gave up its program at an early stage only to see its longtime dictator overthrown and brutally killed years later.

The summit plan has hit a number of speed bumps recently as both sides have begun trading barbs and taking tougher positions. Trump met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday at the White House for consultations and suggested the summit could be delayed or even called off entirely.

President Trump talks about North Korea ()

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Even so, both sides still seem to want to hold the meeting, which would be unprecedented.

Success in talks would be a huge accomplishment for Trump. Meeting with the US president as an equal on the world stage would be a major coup for Kim.Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz said Thursday his call for US recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights were part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's talks with the Trump administration.

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Katz told Reuters on Wednesday that the proposal for an American endorsement of Israels 51-year-old hold on the Golan is now topping the agenda in bilateral diplomatic talks with the United States.

In an interview with Ynet on Thursday, Katz explained that he spoke to the international news agency as part of Israel's campaign to win over public opinion in the US.

Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz (Photo: Avi Muaelm)

"The message is clearand it's the prime minister's and the government's positionwe want American recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan. My statement is meant to send a message to the American public opinion," he said.

Katz declined to say how the talks with the White House on the matter are going, noting "I never speak on behalf of the Americans. But I can say there is great support of this idea in broad circles in the US, including in the House of Representatives, among others."

He explained the rationale behind the move, saying that "Following the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the move of the American embassy to Jerusalem, and particularly in the wake of the cancelation of the nuclear agreement with Iran and the strategic stance the US it taking against Iran and its spread in the area, I think American recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the Golan is the best answer to Iran's attempts to establish a military front against Israel."

The intelligence minister went on to say that Iran "is threatening, while we grow stronger. And in this instance, the message is very importantit also strengthens our security and diplomatic hold in the Golan Heights, an important area security-wise, which is a part of the State of Israel. It's also a message to Iran and everyoneyou can threaten us, but the State of Israel and our allies will only grow stronger."

"It's time for the US to recognize the historic truth, the historic fact, and strengthen Israel," he added.

Katz also had a message to Europe concerning the Iranian nuclear deal and the attempts to salvage it. "The Europeans need to stop being the weak link," he said.

US President Donald Trump; Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (Photos: Reuters)

The United States withdrew from the nuclear deal, reimposing sanctions on Tehran, and later set 12 conditions to Iran for the removal of these sanctions. In response, Iran on Wednesday set seven conditions of its own to staying in the agreement.

"(Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei is basically telling the Europeans: 'Be some sort of militias under Iran's Shiite sponsorship.' He's telling them: 'You won't object to the development of missiles, you will commit to buying oil,'" Katz said. "This is the scornful answer they got from Khamenei. Not 'thank you very much,' not appreciation. He feels contempt towards Europe, which, despite its strength, behaves as weak and begs a murderous dictatorship to keep the deal. They need to sober up from their illusions, join Trump in putting effective pressure on Iran, and it'll work."

Addressing the recent violence on the Gaza border, Katz rejected reports that Israel and Hamas were negotiating a ceasefire, and that there are discussions on proposals from Egyt and Qatar. "It's not true," he insisted.

Katz said the IDF was able to stop Hamas's attack, and now, "under the assumption this will die down, Israel needs to discuss this and make strategic decisions."

He said he believes such a discussion will take place soon. "My proposal on separationbuilding an island, distancing the security threat and getting rid of the Gaza issuewill be raised in this discussion. I've been fighting for it for years. Today there's a far greater readiness."

"I don't believe we need Gaza. We don't need responsibility over them, and we also don't need to shut them down," he added.Dozens of Haredim belonging to a radical fringe sect congregated outside the military court in Jaffa on Thursday afternoon to protest against the arrest of an IDF female defector.

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The case was being discussed inside the court during the time of the relatively small demonstration.

The participants from the ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem Faction carried placards protesting against the girls continued arrest.

Jerusalem Faction Haredim protest in Jaffa (:  )

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Its immoral to draft women, choose death over female conscription, were among the signs being waved, while some protesters shouted abusive slogans, including Nazis at soldiers and policemen at the scene.

(Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Arriving on buses from Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh, the protesters also compared Israel to North Korea, while waving signs that read: Release the girl of Israel, Chen Bat Sara, who is sitting in prison because she has no desire to draft into the IDF.

(Photo: Motti Kimchi)

A heavy police presence was deployed to the scene to enable the protest to take place. The forces also thwarted an attempt by the crowds to damage the fence outside the military courts compound.

(Photo: Motti Kimchi)

There is a medical recommendation to release her from military service, said the soldiers lawyer, Miri Yaakov Gavish.

(Photo: Motti Kimchi)

As a matter of principle, they should have held a hearing by a religious committee in two weeks, but since this is a medical matter, it is now redundant, Gavish said. She will be released from prison in another week and a half.Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he asked the Armenian President to dismiss the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, in connection with his going on to another job.

"The decision was made in a climate of mutual agreement, Pashinyan added. "New appointment - [and together] with [incumbent chief] Mr. Movses Hakobyan - of the chief of the General Staff will be take place today, by the end of the day," News.am cited Pashinyan as saying.

"Tomorrow, the new chief of the General Staff will be introduced to the armed forces," he added.Czech Republics Minister of Foreign Affairs Martin Stropnicky slammed the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group Thursday, saying that it was responsible for the violence and bloodshed that has beset the Gaza border in recent weeks.

No country would accept provocation of these kinds, he said.BEIRUT  Lebanon's Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri said on Thursday the new national unity government he has been tasked to form must commit to the state's policy of staying out of regional conflicts.

Hariri spoke after President Michel Aoun had designated him on Thursday to be Lebanon's next prime minister. Lebanon held parliamentary elections on May 6.

Lebanon's parliament speaker Berri said on Thursday the consultations on forming the new government would take place on Monday.Czech Foreign Affairs Minister Martin Stropnicky issued a public statement on his ministry's website Thursday in which he said Hamas alone was responsible for the deaths of Palestinians during Gaza Strip border protests in recent weeks.

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The partisan statement, titled "Gaza  Telling things as they really are," could be said to be a rare occurrence for a European leader. In it, Stropnicky wrote that "no country would reconcile itself to such provocations."

There was no "causal relationship" between the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem and the violence near the border, the minister opined. "The relocation of the US embassy was thus only used by the terrorist organization Hamas to exacerbate even further the events it had organized long before," he said.

Czech Foreign Affairs Minister Stropnicky said Hamas alone was responsible for the deaths in the Gaza border protests (Photo: AP)

"The fact is that Hamas, which is also recognized by the European Union as a terrorist organization and which still does not recognize Israel, is the only true ruler of the Gaza Strip, and as such is fully responsible for the form and objectives of the violent actions that have occurred on the border between Israel and Gaza in recent weeks," he continued.

"Attempts to break through the fence and infiltrate Israel could thus be construed as terrorism," he stated. "Hamas even admitted that most of those killed were members of the group."

Stropnicky then went on to say that it was "plain to see how Hamas was treating Gaza's populace. Hamas operatives burned the Gazan side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, through which humanitarian assistance is sent to Gaza."

"It's also important to note the minute detail that Hamas habitually sends children to the riots' focal points, so it could blame Israel for the deaths of children in front of the world," the Czech accused.

Minister Stropnicky concluded by elucidating on his conclusion, that "Hamas simply does not care about the strip's citizens or about improving conditions therein, and is more preoccupied with receiving as much attention from the international community as possible so as to sway its stance."

The Gaza border protests. Stropnicky said Hamas often sends children to their forefront hoping they would be killed (Photo: EPA)

"Such conduct will not improve the situation in Gaza and will certainly not contribute to settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It's time to call a spade a spade," the statement announced.

Israel's Ambassador to the Czech Republic Daniel Meron responded to the Czech statement, saying he "congratulated the foreign affairs minister for uncovering the truth regarding the sources of violence in our region."

Stropnicky's statements, Ambassador Meron said, reflected the "special relationship between the two countries and the fact that Israel and the Czech Republic shared values and a common past. Exactly 70 years ago, the Czech Republic assisted Israel in its War of Independence, and is now continuing to assist us in the war on propaganda."

Czech President Milos Zeman is considered an avowed supporter of Israel and was one of the first leaders in Europe to welcome US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Czech President Zeman spoke out on Israel's behalf on numerous occasions (Photo: AP)

Zeman also voiced his support this past December for moving his own country's embassy to the Israeli capital, and attacked the European Union's decision to speak out against Trump's statement, an act he deemed to be " cowardly ."

The Czech president went so far as to say the embassy move will be happening " incrementally " during a reception for the 70th anniversary of Israel's founding held last month at Prague Castle.SEOUL  South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with his top security and other aides after US President Donald Trump canceled his June 12 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un earlier on Thursday, a spokesman for Moon said.

Blue House press secretary Yoon Young-chan said Moon was meeting with his foreign minister, defense minister and his chief of staff, among others.LONDON  Britain is disappointed at the cancellation of the planned meeting next month between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday.

"We are disappointed that the meeting will no longer go ahead as planned. We need to see an agreement that can bring about the completely verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and we will continue to work with our partners to this end," the spokeswoman told reporters.US President Donald Trump announced Thursday that his historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, slated to take place June 12 in Singapore, was canceled. In a letter to the North Korean leader, Trump wrote he hoped the two could still meet in the future.

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The cancelation of the planned summit, Trump wrote, was a "missed opportunity" that constituted a "truly sad moment in history."

President Trump's statement on North Korea ()

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In a spoken statement hours later, President Trump declared he was "waiting" to see if the North Korean leader will again "engage in constructive dialogue."

President Trump (L) announced he was canceling his planned summit with North Korea's Kim (Photo: AFP)

He also said that until that happened, tough sanctions on Pyongyang would continue and the US-led "maximum pressure campaign is continuing."

Turning to a more combative stance himself, President Trump said the US military was "ready if necessary" to respond to "foolish or reckless acts" by North Korea.

Trump also said he's been in touch with South Korea and Japan and that both allies were willing to bear much of the financial burden "if such an unfortunate situation is forced upon us."

In a later televised statement, Trump said the US military was 'ready if necessary' to respond to 'foolish or reckless acts' by North Korea (Photo: AP)

After Trump's letter was made public, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, testifying on Capitol Hill, said North Korea had not responded to repeated requests from US officials to discuss logistics for the summit.

He told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the lack of responses was an additional reason for Trump's decision.

Pompeo added the North's attitude had changed markedly since he returned from a trip to Pyongyang earlier this month during which he met with Kim and oversaw the release of three Americans being held there.

Trump's letter to Kim was published by the White House Thursday afternoon. "I was very much looking forward to being there with you," the president said of his meeting with Kim. "Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting."

Trump then urged Kim to "not hesitate" if he changed his mind regarding their summit.

Trump's letter to Kim (Photo: AFP)

"If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write. The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history," he lamented.

After years of tensions running high, North Korea showed a rare willingness to open channels of dialogue in the past few months, and to hold talks on denuclearization . Last month, a historic summit took place between Kim and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in.

The isolated country then made an obligation to halt its nuclear weapons tests and to close its test site which was demolished before the eyes of foreign journalists earlier Thursday.

Concurrently with the aforementioned gesture and conciliatory tone of some statements, however, North Korean officials continued threatening the United States.

The White House was quick to capitalize on the summit's public relations, issuing a commemorative coin (Photo: EPA)

The "most recent statement" Trump was referring to, for instance, was most likely a threat published by North Korea Thursday, in which it warned it would pull out of the summit next month and warned it was ready for a nuclear confrontation if need bewhile also mocking Trump's Vice President Mike Pence.

In a statement released by North Korean media, Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui called Vice President Pence a "political dummy" for comparing North Koreaa "nuclear weapons state"to Libya, where Muammar Gaddafi gave up his unfinished nuclear development program, only to be later killed by NATO-backed fighters.

A White House official later said that North Korea's reaction to Pence's comments were the "last straw" that led the White House to cancel Trump's planned summit, which Trump said later will not be held "for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world."

North Korea previously blasted VP Pence, saying he was a 'political dummy,' later said to be the 'last straw' leading to the US pullout (Photo: AFP)

"You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used," the president concluded his statement.

Earlier in the day, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply concerned" by the cancelation of the planned summit.

Guterres told an audience at the University of Geneva that he was urging the parties to keep working "to find a path to the peaceful and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

Guterres' comments came as he laid out his disarmament agenda Thursday, warning that nuclear agreements between states are threatened like never before.

UN Secretary-General Guterres said he was 'deeply concerned' by the summit's cancelation (Photo: AFP)

A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Theresa May, meanwhile, said Britain was disappointed at the cancellation of the planned meeting.

"We are disappointed that the meeting will no longer go ahead as planned. We need to see an agreement that can bring about the completely verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and we will continue to work with our partners to this end," the spokeswoman told reporters.

She added nuclear powers must do more to promote disarmament, putting a particular onus on Russia and the United States to remedy a world "going backwards" in this area since right after the Cold War.

Foreshadowing the cancelation, Trump said Tuesday during a White House meeting with South Korean President Moon there was a significant chance of the meeting being postponed.

Moon arrived in Washington for consultations, in an effort to convince his American colleague to not give up such a rare chance for dialogue.

South Korea's Moon (L) arrived in Washington earlier this month to dissuade President Trump from withdrawing from the summit (Photo: AP)

It was still unclear whether the US will actually pull out of the meeting at the time of Trump's statement, or whether it was merely a strategic play meant to bring Kim to the negotiations table.

The meeting's cancelation could be said to be ea blow to the president's supporters, who extolled his diplomatic breakthrough on North Korea and went so far as to say he should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The president's political opponents, on the other hand, were quick to seize the opportunity to criticize him, saying the cancelation was a "victory for Kim."

Top Democrat Pelosi said the cancelation was a 'win' for Kim (Photo: AP)

The top Democrat in the US House of Representatives said Trump's cancelation of the summit was good for the head of the reclusive nation, adding Trump had legitimized a "thug" and the head of a "police state."

"I think it's a good thing for Kim Jong Un," Nancy Pelosi told reporters. "He got global recognition and regard. He's the big winner. And when he got this letter from the president saying, 'OK, never mind,' he must be having a giggle fit right now, there, in North Korea."

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.BERLIN  Germany's small-to-medium-sized firms, or Mittelstand, are scrambling to work out how to maintain business in Iran after a meeting between Germany's foreign minister and his US counterpart dashed any hopes of a breakthrough on the nuclear accord.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has threatened to impose the "strongest sanctions in history" against Iran after President Donald Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal this month.

Faced with the prospect of being blacklisted by the United States if they defy sanctions, many German companies are awaiting guidance from Berlin about how they can honor contracts and continue financing operations in the Islamic Republic.

Around 1,000 German Mittelstand firms have business ties to Iran and 130 firms have set up branches in the country. They are now faced with "draconian penalties" if they breach sanctions, said Mario Ohoven, president of the German Association for Small and Medium-Sized firms.Welfare Minister Haim Katz will be indicted for bribery, pending the holding of a hearing, a statement by the State Attorney's Office said Thursday.

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The Tel Aviv District Attorney's department of taxation and economy crimes notified the minister that Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit was considering indicting him for bribery, fraudulently obtaining benefits under aggravated circumstances, fraud and breach of trust offenses.

The attorney general's decision was said to have reached his decision based on a recommendation by State Prosecutor Shay Nitzan and District Attorney Liat Ben Ari Sheweky.

Welfare Minister Katz will face an indictment for bribery, fraudulently obtaining benefits, fraud pending hearing (Photo: Hadas Parush/Flash90)

The prosecutor's office also notified capital markets man Mordechai Ben Ari that he may also be indicted pending a hearing on similar offenses, as well as for insider trading.

Katz has been a Knesset member since 1999except for a short intermissionand a minister starting May, 2015. Between 2005 and 2006 and then again from 2009 to 2013, Katz also served as chairman of the Knesset's Labor and Welfare Committee, giving him significant power in promoting legislation and matters of significant public importance.

The Tel Aviv District Attorney said that according to suspicions, provided to both the minister and Ben Ari, Katz held a "quid pro quo" relationship with the capital markets man from 2010 to 2015 that included the mutual exchanged of benefits.

At the time, Ben Ari was a financial adviser for Equitala prominent public holdings company owned by moguls Koby Maimon and Haim Tsuff.

As part of their relationship, Ben Ari allegedly provided benefits worth millions of shekels, while Katz promoted the businessman's affairs while abusing his public position.

Businessman Mordechai Ben Ari said to have all but managed minister's investment portfolio in return for benefits (Photo: Amit Sha'al)

The state prosecutor said that Ben Ariconsidered an expert on investment portfolio managementinstructed Katz on how to manage his own portfolio with alarming regularity, to the point where it could be said he was effectively managing it himself.

Said management was allegedly carried out without any monetary compensation on the part of the minister and without any formal regulation of their relationship, contrary to accepted procedure.

As part of their relationship, Ben Ari was said to have recommended the purchase securities belonging to an Equital subsidiary, constituting an abuse of internal knowledge on future developments he was only privy to due to his position within the parent company.

The State Attorney's Office further maintained that Katz and Ben Ari carried out coordinated stock market deals for significant sums, in a manner engineered to procure considerable benefits for the veteran Likud minister.

"Ben Ari's expertise and considerable involvement in Minister Katz's securities portfolio netted the minister millions of shekels in gains," the prosecutor's decision said.

AG Mandelblit decided to indict Katz pending a hearing (Photo: EPA)

Katz was also said to have opened a trust account administrated by Ben Ari when he was appointed welfare minister, but withheld the administrator's identity in contravention of protocol.

"Economic ties between the two included the mutual expectation and understanding that Ben Ari will be able to leverage the minister's public office, his authorities and the accessibility his role provided to receive benefits for him or Equital," the decision added.

In return for benefits, Israel Securities Authority investigators claimed, Katz exercised his power and authority as a public official to promote and assist Ben Ari in his affairs.

Among other alleged improprieties, Katz was said to have acceded to the businessman's request in passing a bill with immense economic potential for both Ben Ari and Equital.

"Minister Katz held discussions about the bill, initiated and even drafted by Ben Ari himself, in the Welfare and Labor committee that he chairs, and invited him to attend its hearings as the sole expert on the matter," prosecutors said.

(Photo: Hadas Parush/Flash90)

"This was done while withholding her personal and business relationship with Ben Ari, who he presented as an impartial expert despite the significant economic interest in promoting the bill," they added.

His actions were carried out, the prosecutor's office concluded, while in a severe conflict of interests between his public roles and personal interests.

Katz's attorney maintains relationship was merely 'friendly'

Attorney Navit Negev, who represents the minister, said he and Ben Ari were "very close friends for years now. Presenting their relationship as one of bribery is wrong and absurd. In all of his actions as minister and MK, Katz worked for the public's interest."

Regarding the law Katz allegedly passed to benefit Ben Ari, Negev said it was meant to "right a wrong. It was intended to preserve the interests of small investors and protect them from possible manipulations by company majority owners. Attempt to dress the law up with impure motives is destined to fail."

Ben Ari's attorneys, meanwhile, said they had only recently received the notification of the hearing and have yet to properly examine it.

Nevertheless, they stated, "Our client intends to make his case as part of the hearing process, and we believe that at its conclusion the State Attorney's Office will also reach a conclusion that there is no reason to indict."

Katz's son Yair was also investigated on improprieties in elections for the head of the IAI's workers' union (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Police had already announced its intentions this past February to indict Minister Katz after sufficient evidence was found pointing to fraud and extortion under threats offenses.

Two years ago, sources from within the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) reported that the minister pushed for his son Yair to be appointed chairman of the aerospace and aviation giant's workers' uniona position Katz himself filled for years.

Yair Katz, voted into the position earlier this month, was also arrested in the past on suspicion of involvement in the affair. Police claimed that contractors who worked with the IAI provided both bribes and benefits to the company's senior officials in order to sway various tenders.

Some of the suspects, it was alleged, even provided services to the senior officials' homes.An explosion was heard Thursday evening in the Dabaa military airfield in the Syrian province of Homs, near the Syrian-Lebanese border, Syrian state news agency SANA reported. The source of the blast was initially unclear.

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Syrian state media added the military airport had come under a missile attack, which was repelled by its air defense systems.

"One of our military airports in the central region was exposed to hostile missile aggression, and our air defense systems confronted the attack and prevented it from achieving its aim," SANA said.

File photo

The Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen network reported that the strike involved four missiles.

Israel Air Force activity in the skies over Lebanon was simultaneously reported.

Israel, which fears Iran and Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah are turning Syria into a new front against it, has struck targets in the country many times during the war, hitting the Syrian army, Hezbollah and what it has characterized as Iran-backed positions.

An Israeli military spokeswoman declined to comment.

File photo. Syrian fighter jets at Dabaa

Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner, when asked about reports of the attack, said the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria did not carry it out and the coalition does not target Syrian government positions.

British-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops belonging to Hezbollah and other militias allied to Syrian President Bashar Assad are stationed in the Dabaa military airport. It had no information on casualties.

A news site affiliated with Syrian opposition forces previously reported that the Syrian regime had begun turning the Dabaa airfield, located some 30 kilometers west of Homs, into a "civilian" airportin conjunction with Iranian forces.

The regime's goal in so doing, the report maintained, was to provide an alternate airport to the one already operating in the capital of Damascus, as it was under incessant attack by rebel groups.

Simulation of the Dabaa airfield as a civilian airport

The airport was then supposed to receive the supplies vital to the regime's survival from its allies in Moscow and Tehran.

Syrian opposition forces overtook the airport and surrounding environs at the outset of the Syrian civil war, however, but regime force wrested back control of it several years later.

Overnight strike in Syria

At least twelve combatants from forces loyal to the regime of President Bashar Assad were killed early Thursday in a strike attributed to US-led coalition forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

The pro-regime fighters were not of Syrian descent, the Observatory's director Rami Abdurrahman said. A different official told SANA, however, that those killed were not Iranians or Lebanese fighters.

Explosion at a Hama weapons depot Friday

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Abdurrahman did not state the victims' nationalities, and they may have been Iranians.

The strike was carried out in the region of Al-Bukamal, on the Syrian-Iraqi frontiera region hit numerous times by coalition forces while it was controlled by the Islamic State.

"Three vehicles were also destroyed in the strike," the director revealed.

American security officials, meanwhile, disavowed any ties to the strike, which was also attributed to the US by a military media unit run by Lebanon's Hezbollah terror group.

"Several military positions between Al-Bukamal and Hmeimim were targeted by the American coalition's fighter jets," the Syrian news agency said, quoting a military official.

The media unit run by Hezbollah, a military ally of Damascus, said the strikes were near T2, an energy installation located near the border with Iraq and about 100 km (60 miles) west of the Euphrates river where the coalition is backing ground forces against the Islamic State.Iran continues to comply with the terms of its nuclear deal with world powers despite the US withdrawal, but could be faster and more proactive in allowing snap inspections, the UN atomic watchdog policing the accord said on Thursday.

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In its first such report since US President Donald Trump announced Washington's pullout on May 8, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran remained within limits on the level to which it can enrich uranium, its stock of enriched uranium and other items.

But the IAEA seemed to rebuke Iran for dragging its feet on so-called "complementary access" inspections under the agency's Additional Protocol, which Iran is implementing under the deal. Such inspections are often carried out at short notice.

IAEA inspectors at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility (: AP)

"Timely and proactive cooperation by Iran in providing such access would facilitate implementation of the Additional Protocol and enhance confidence," it said.

The report came with France, Britain and Germany scrambling to salvage the deal's core bargain of sanctions relief in exchange for restrictions on Tehran's atomic activities. Trump is re-imposing US sanctions against Tehran, threatening to scupper the deal and prompt Iranian retaliation.

President Trump's statement on withdrawal from nuclear deal

X

The IAEA has repeatedly defended the deal, saying it created "the world's most robust verification regime".

Speaking at a news conference with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg, French President Emmanuel Macron said the report went in the "right direction and was comforting".

Diplomats who follow the agency said an inspection last month went down to the wire, but a senior diplomat also familiar with the IAEA's work said on Thursday the report was not taking Iran to task.

"There was no problem. It's just an encouragement. The IAEA wants to make sure that there won't be any problem," he said, adding that there had been no change in Iranian behavior either over the first quarter of 2018 or since Trump's announcement.

Trump sees various " flaws " in the deal, including that many of its restrictions lapse over time and that it does not address Iran's ballistic missile program or its role in regional conflicts like the wars in Syria and Yemen.

Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei set out a series of conditions for his country's to stay in the nuclear deal (Photo: AFP)

Some Western companies such as French oil giant Total have already said they may have to quit Iran because of the US move. Senior officials from the other countries that signed the dealFrance, Britain, Germany, Russia, China and Iranare meeting in Vienna on Friday to discuss next steps

At a meeting with the European Union's foreign policy chief in Brussels last week, the French, British and German foreign ministers pledged to preserve the deal by trying to keep Iran's oil and investment flowing, but acknowledged they would struggle to provide the guarantees Tehran seeks.

Iran's supreme leader set out a series of conditions on Wednesday for Iran to stay in the deal, including that European banks should safeguard trade with the Islamic Republic.Relations between Moscow and Paris are evolving against all odds, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in the Konstantinovsky Palace in St. Petersburg, TASS reported.

"I would like to thank you for accepting our invitation to attend the St. Petersburg Forum," Putin said. "We will use this opportunity to thoroughly discuss bilateral relations, which are evolving despite all the current difficulties and our trade keeps growing," he added.

The Russian president pointed out trade between the two countries had grown by about 25% in 2017, "and the upward trend is still there in the first months of 2018."

Putin suggested that Macron and he discuss key global issues "that both France and Russia are interested in resolving."

Macron said Paris and Moscow can maintain dialogue and find solutions to global issues such as the situation in Ukraine, the Middle East, Iran and Syria.

"We are countries that have a special status as United Nations Security Council permanent members, we also have deep historical ties, as well as ties in the international policy area," Macron said. "That said, I believe that we can find solutions and work together on all the issues, be it Ukraine, the Middle East, Iran or Syria," the French president added.ST. PETERSBURG  Russian President Vladimir said on Thursday that Moscow regrets the cancellation of the summit between the United States and North Korea.

Speaking after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in St. Petersburg, Putin said he hoped the summit would take place nonetheless.

Earlier on Thursday US President Donald Trump called off a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un scheduled for next month, citing Pyongyang's "open hostility."ST. PETERSBURG  France and Russia want to create a coordination mechanism between world powers to push ahead with finding a political solution in Syria, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday.

Macron said the idea was to coordinate efforts carried out by the Astana process that comprises Russia, Turkey and Iran and the "small group", which was initiated by France, and comprises Britain, Germany, Jordan, the United States and Saudi Arabia.

"We need to be talking about the situation after the war. The key is to build a stable Syria," Macron said at a news conference alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Macron said the two agreed that focus should be on a new constitution and setting up inclusive elections that would include all Syrians, including refugees.WASHINGTON  Russian President Vladimir Putin says North Korea had fulfilled its promises ahead of the planned summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.

Trump canceled the summit on Thursday, citing "hostility" from North Korea.

But Putin said the North Korean leader "did everything that he had promised in advance, even blowing up the tunnels and shafts" of the country's nuclear testing site. "After which, we heard about cancellation of the summit by the United States."

Putin said: "In Russia, we took this news with regret, because we had very much counted on it being a significant step in sorting out the situation on the Korean peninsula and that it would be the beginning of the process of denuclearizing the whole Korean Peninsula."Sydney is on the cusp of being one of the worlds leading cities  but it may fail to live up to its promise if it is does not consistently benefit from investment, leadership, and institutional support to address its emerging weaknesses, according to a report commissioned by the Property Council of Australia.

The report ranked Sydney on the second tier of contender cities, alongside San Francisco, Boston, Toronto and Madrid, based on more than 300 benchmarks.

The research found that Sydney is perceived globally as being a top ten city, so our brand is strong, yet when looking at performance across key benchmarks, our performance is not ranked as highly, Property Council NSW Executive Director Jane Fitzgerald said.

Conducted by international cities expert Greg Clark, the study found that key strengths of the NSW capital lie in its student economy, lifestyle, and internationally renowned brand. However, it also stressed the need for improvement in transport, congestion, the citys low density and fragmented local government.

In particular, the study said Sydney should maintain the rate of infrastructure investment to manage the challenges of a fast-growing city and address the symptoms of poorly managed growth: housing unaffordability and congestion.

It also called for the creation of more high amenity and medium density locations across the greater Sydney region, and the update of local planning policies.

Clarks report shows us that we need to face the facts; Sydney isnt operating as well as it could, and we need to get our planning and city policies right to ensure we dont fall behind comparable cities across the world  we have made inroads, now we need to deliver outcomes, Fitzgerald said.

Related stories:

Are you the property investor's best friend?

Paperless conveyancing up from 4% to 42%News

Washington, DC - U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan visited Brasilia on May 22, accompanied by Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs Manisha Singh and Acting Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Francisco Palmieri.

The Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Secretary General Marcos Galvao, hosted the Deputy Secretary and his delegation in a working lunch and a meeting where they discussed several aspects of the U.S.-Brazil partnership.

During the meeting, Ambassador Marcos Galvao and Deputy Secretary John Sullivan launched the U.S.-Brazil Permanent Forum on Security. This initiative is a result of consistent cooperation between the United States and Brazil on fighting transnational crime, and based upon the strengthening of collaboration of law enforcement and security agencies in both countries.

Deputy Secretary Sullivan led the U.S. government delegation that included U.S. Ambassador to Brazil P. Michael McKinley, Acting Assistant Secretary Palmieri, representatives from the U.S. embassy, and attaches from the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Defense.

Ambassador Marcos Galvao, Secretary General of Foreign Affairs, led the Brazilian government delegation that included representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defense, the Institutional Security Cabinet, and the Extraordinary Ministry of Public Security.

The Forum will be coordinated by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Department of State and aims to foster interagency teamwork and design operating strategies based on six pre-defined areas: drug trafficking, arms trafficking, cybercrime, money laundering and financial crimes, terrorism, and institutional cooperation.

The first working meeting of the Forum will take place later this year, in Washington, DC.

During the visit, the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary discussed other priority objectives in the bilateral relationship in accordance with the "U.S.-Brazil 10-point Agenda", such as commerce and investment, space cooperation, and defense. The Secretary General and Deputy Secretary were pleased to highlight the recent exchange of diplomatic notes completing the process for the U.S.-Brazil Open Skies Aviation Agreement. They likewise welcomed the resumption of negotiations on a Technology Safeguards Agreement. The occasion also served the purpose of exchanging ideas on the most relevant regional issues, including the regions response to the political, economic, and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, following the May 20, elections that lacked legitimacy, transparency, and credibility, as well as global matters, especially support of the de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The meetings showed the broad, dynamic, and productive nature of the U.S.-Brazil partnership, highlighting the commitment to keep working on initiatives that correspond to the economic prosperity and security of both societies.News

Washington, DC - Vice President Mike Pence spoke today with President of Egypt Abdel Fattah Al Sisi to reinforce the strong partnership between the United States and Egypt.

Vice President Pence expressed support for President Sisis release of more than 300 prisoners, including American citizen Ahmed Etiwy. The Vice President also raised concerns over other arrests of non-violent activists in Egypt and the two leaders underscored the need to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza as well.News

Washington, DC - Imagine getting a prerecorded robocall claiming to be from a data service provider for Google giving you final notice that If you do not act soon, Google will label your business as permanently closed. Second only to a fire alarm going off, that constitutes an ASAP emergency for many small business owners. But those robocall warnings arent from Google. According to a lawsuit filed by the FTC, the ones were challenging are from Florida-based Point Break Media and a network of 12 other companies and individuals  entities not affiliated with Google.

The FTC alleges that the threat the business is being removed from Google is untruthful, as are the promises Point Break makes to peddle a pricey suite of verification and search engine optimization services.

According to the complaint, Point Breaks pitch falsely aligns its services with Googles Google My Business service. People associate Google My Business with that box on the right of search pages that includes the companys name, address, hours of operation, photos, etc. A business owner can gain control of that listing through a verification process run by Google (link is external). It takes just minutes. Its free and always has been.

But according to the lawsuit, the defendants charge small business owners between $300 and $700 for a service falsely represented to prevent the business from being removed from Google or pushed so far down the search engine that no one will find you. The complaint also alleges that Point Breaks telemarketers falsely claim to offer businesses a list of keywords that no other business will be able to use. If business owners pay, the defendants call back later to upsell what they call their Citation Program. The FTC alleges that in many instances, the defendants falsely promise that by joining the Citation Program, the business will become the first search result or one of the top results  for an initial fee of as much as $950 and monthly charges ranging from $99 to $170.

The lawsuit also alleges that the defendants finagled with business owners bank accounts. As the complaint recounts, in October 2017, Bank of America Merchant Services closed Point Breaks merchant account because of its predatory services, scare tactics and processing history with high chargeback ratios. How did the defendants respond when they lost the ability to accept credit card payments? The FTC says they dipped directly into customers bank accounts without consent or authorization.

The FTCs complaint makes for interesting reading, including excerpts from the defendants telemarketing scripts, sales pitches to an undercover FTC investigator, and detailed allegations of how the corporate and individual defendants coordinated their activities. A federal judge in Florida granted the FTCs request for an ex parte temporary restraining order with an asset freeze and receivership.

Even at this early stage, there are steps small businesses can take to protect themselves from B2B deception.

Your businesss best defense is a clear picture of how B2B deception works. Maybe its all those CSI-style shows, but one of the best ways to protect yourself from questionable pitches is to understand how they operate. Alert your employees, social and professional networks, and other business owners in your community that some fraudsters target small businesses with messages falsely claiming a company is about to lose its URL, trademark, business license, etc. Also, let your staff know that no robocaller can make any promise or guarantee that they can get your business a top search result or preferred placement on an online map. The FTC has more information about spotting deceptive B2B promotions.

Add this to the imposter roster. Youve probably received robocalls claiming to be from the FBI, immigration authorities, IRS, etc., threatening you if you dont pay up. Thats not how legitimate law enforcement agencies operate  and its not how major companies work either. For example, Google will not call you to threaten to remove your company from search listing. The modus operandi of imposter scams is constantly morphing, but the FTC has resources to help you spot the tried-and-untrue versions, as well as variations of the scheme.

Tune in to the tell-tale signs of a business rip-off. Theres no one-size-fits-all way to identify an offer that isnt on the up-and-up, but the FTC has seen recurring themes. When callers step on the gas with Act now! pitches, its a sign for you to pump the brakes. If theyre eager to get your credit card or bank account number, pressure you for personal information, or push for immediate payment using methods like money transfers or gift cards, put your wallet on lock-down.Arizona News

Tempe, Arizona - Attorney General Mark Brnovich, along with the DEA Phoenix Division and the Tempe Police Department announced the takedown of a major methamphetamine trafficking ring. Five people were indicted for their alleged involvement in the drug trafficking ring that operated in Tempe, Tolleson, Avondale, and West Phoenix.

Isabel Ceniceros-Alvarado, Jesus Ceniceros-Quiroz, Jesus Eduardo Castro-Ceniceros, Jose De Jesus Moreno-Ayala, and Jesus Antonio Fornes are facing 27 felony charges including Possession of Dangerous Drugs for Sale, Conspiracy, Illegally Conducting an Enterprise, Money Laundering, and Misconduct Involving Weapons.

The charges are based on a joint investigation by the DEA Phoenix Division and the Tempe Police Department which began in October 2017. Isabel Ceniceros-Alvarado is accused of being the ringleader involved in the distribution of approximately 50 pounds of meth per month. The defendants allegedly earned more than $100,000 a month in illegal drug sales. Law enforcement seized more than 30 pounds of meth and 18 illegal firearms when the defendants were arrested on May 2, 2018.

All defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.Arizona News

Phoenix, Arizona - Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced a State Grand Jury indicted Matthew Kevin Dunlap, 40, and Marisa Ann Claire, 37, on charges related to sexually abusing a 7-year-old girl.

Dunlap was indicted on 33 counts, including Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Sexual Conduct with a Minor, and Furnishing Harmful or Obscene Materials to a Minor. Claire was indicted on 4 felony counts, including Molestation of a Child, Sexual Conduct with a Minor, and Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.

The alleged abuse began in 2016 in Coconino and Yavapai counties. Dunlap is accused of taking videos of the sex acts on his phone and/or tablet. Claire allegedly participated in at least 2 instances of abuse on video. The allegations came to light when the victim told her parents about the videos and her parents called police. Both Dunlap and Claire were living in the Phoenix area when arrested. Dunlap is also accused of possessing additional child pornography.

The Sedona Police Department investigated this case in cooperation with the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

The Arizona Attorney Generals Office and Sedona Police are encouraging anyone with information related to this case to call Detective Stevens at 928-203-5010.

Attorney Generals Office Senior Litigation Counsel Blaine Gadow is prosecuting this case.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.Arizona News

Phoenix, Arizona - On May 3, Governor Doug Ducey signed the #20x2020 plan into law, providing a 20 percent increase in teacher pay by school year 2020.

Arizona teachers have earned this raise, said Governor Ducey. And the #20x2020 plan delivers.

School districts in Arizona have the flexibility to allocate these new dollars to meet the specific needs of their district.

See what pay raises school districts across the state have planned for this upcoming school year as part of the #20x2020 plan, so far:Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he discussed with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron the situation following the US withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal, TASS reported.

"We exchanged opinions on the situation that has developed as a result of unilateral moves by the US to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Irans nuclear program," he said.

Putin said he had discussed with Macron the situation in the southeast of Ukraine.

"We emphasized the importance of strict compliance with the Minsk agreements to ensure a stable comprehensive settlement of the crisis in Ukraine," the Russian president said after the talks.Latest News

Washington, DC - Wednesday, Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan met with Brazilian Presidential Foreign Policy Advisor Fred Arruda.

The Deputy Secretary reaffirmed the importance of our strong bilateral relationship and expressed appreciation for Brazils support in advancing mutual priorities in the region and globally. During the meeting, they discussed how best to address the deteriorating situation in Venezuela, especially the lack of credibility and legitimacy of the elections on Sunday, May 20.Latest News

Fort Lauderdale, Florida - The UK Information Commissioners Office has fined the University of Greenwich 120,000 ($160,000) for leaving a server that linked to a school database unsecured. The universitys response: we forgot that server even existed.

Heres how everything transpired. Way back in 2004 at an academic conference hosted by the Universitys Computing and Math School (CMS), a student was asked to create a microsite. The site included a feature for academics to upload documents anonymously via URL. Remember that detail because it will be important later. After the conference nobody shut down the server. So it just sat there, only instead of becoming sentient like mayonnaise does when you leave it in a refrigerator that long, the server just puttered on, missing crucial patches and updates, and probably collecting dust until 2013 when an enterprising hacker discovered it and made use of that anonymous upload feature to breach it.

That went unnoticed, too.

It also went unnoticed in 2016 when hackers used SQL flaws and some PHP exploits to breach the Universitys network several more times.

While the microsite itself was worthless to the intruders, the database it was linked to was worth quite a bit. Thats because it contained personal data on over 19,500 people affiliated with the university, including students, staff, alumni and even conference attendees. More than just run-of-the-mill personal data, the database also contained more sensitive categories of personal data, too  things like learning disabilities, medical issues and extenuating circumstances provided by students to satisfy absences and missed exams.

In the end it was one of the hackers him or herself that tipped everyone off to the breach when the data got posted to Pastebin.

A cautionary tale for GDPR compliance

Ok, so thats an embarrassing mistake for a university to make, but frankly its not inexplicable. For larger enterprise organizations and institutions like universities with massive digital infrastructures, this sort of thing isnt unheard of. Thats why this makes for a good cautionary tale as we are just days away from the EUs General Data Protection Regulation becoming enforceable. Here is what the UK Information Commissioners Office said regarding the $160,000 fine:

Whilst the microsite was developed in one of the Universitys departments without its knowledge, as a data controller it is responsible for the security of data throughout the institution.

You can toss the first half of that sentence out as its merely a polite concession. No, unlike a mullet the business part of this statement is in the back. As a data controller your are responsible for the security of all the data throughout your organization. There is a lot of ambiguity within the GDPR, but not about this. Ignorance is not an excuse that the DPAs  like the UK ICO  are going to abide.

And moving forward, the penalties are really getting cranked up. 120,000 Euros is going to seem quaint compared to the 10,000,000-20,000,000 (or 2-4% of Total Revenues) that a violation like this under the GDPR would be worth.

Heres the other thing, there will likely be neer-do-wells looking to exploit exactly these sorts of situations, by finding forgotten about IPs and either breaching them or extorting their owner with threats of reporting them to their DPA. Not that they werent already doing that, but the GDPR provides even more leverage.

So, with just days before the GDPR becomes enforceable, take the time to do one last sweep, making sure to take stock of everything  even legacy sites or servers that have been deprecated from use.

Because forgetting anything could end up being extremely costly.Yuma News

Yuma, Arizona - On Wednesday, at approximately 12:02 p.m., Yuma Police Officers responded to a report of a disturbance with shots fired in the area of the 2000 Block of S. Avenue A.

The initial investigation revealed that multiple shots were fired in the 2000 block alley way between Avenue A and 11th Avenue. Two subjects are currently at Yuma Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. There were three vehicles involved in this incident.

On Wednesday, May 23, 2018 at around 1:30 p.m. one of the suspect vehicles was located in Somerton, AZ. Due to the severity of the crime, the Yuma Police Department Special Enforcement Team was deployed to the area of Somerton Avenue and Fulton Street to make contact with the suspect. At approximately 5:00 p.m. 33 year old Daniel Munoz was taken into custody and later booked for attempted second degree murder, aggravated assault and criminal damage.

The investigation is ongoing.

The Yuma Police Department encourages anyone with any information about this case to please call the Yuma Police Department at (928) 373-4700 or 78-Crime at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous.Puberty rites in Ghana are some of the deep-rooted cultural activities that many of our communities take part in. Of course there have been influences of education, modernization, and missionary counter-teachings, but still, these practices have not faded. It is no wonder many people across the globe flock to our country, on yearly basis, to witness these magnificent initiation events.

Source:Jubtrip

What is puberty rites in Ghana

Puberty ceremony presents an opportunity for an adolescent young boy or girl to be fully recognized as an adult in our society. This stage, which is typically characterized by physical growth and maturity as well as emotional changes in youngsters, is regarded critical in our communities. This is the time they need to be intensively reminded of the cultural values and be taught their roles as young adults.

Basically, it is through these puberty rites in Africa that girls are given highlights of the traditional ideals of womanhood. They are given the rights to marry, but still, have to be shaped to become good wives. Boys, on the other hand, are encouraged to step up and be responsible for their families. In general, they are prepared in matters of marriage, childbearing, sexual life and family responsibilities.

READ ALSO:10 oddest traditions still used in Africa

Source:Open Ghana Media

Interestingly, male puberty rites in Ghana are not as common as their female counterparts. For example, certain communities such as Akan and Krobo, from southern and eastern regions, it is only girls who undergo these ceremonies. However, puberty rites in northern Ghana include both girls and boys.

Well, these rites are not that regular for boys because, unlike girls, the lads are taught from a very young age how to be brave and responsible. For instance, Sisaala tribe in the upper west region of our country, boys always walk in the company of men. They are taught every aspect of manhood responsibility except for sex- which comes later on when they are fully matured. All in all, the significance of puberty rites among these communities is still acknowledged.

Even though the teachings are more or less the same, puberty rites in different cultures are conducted in their own unique styles. The dress code, rituals and period for the ceremonies all differ from one community to another.

Generally, many of them used to last for months, but due to interference from the modern generation, they gradually shrank to just a few days. Technological advancement has also played a huge role in the practices, for instance, in Krobo tribe marks used to be made on the back of the hands of the participants. This has been replaced with photography.

Source:Today Newspaper

Examples of puberty rites in Ghana

A country that is comprised of quite a number of ethnic tribes and clans, there are various types of puberty rites in Ghana that are fascinating. The Ga-Dangme people, particularly the Krobo tribe is one of the popular communities with a captivating ceremony known as Dipo. Dipo puberty rites are usually held between the month of February and May. On the other hand, puberty rites among the ewe are referred to as Nugbet while Bragoro or Brapue is among the Akan. They are all very popular, judging from the fact that puberty rites from Ghana are part of tourist attraction.

Source:cogadfw.org

Onlookers-many of them being tourist-never want to miss the rituals and traditional dances. They travel to Krobo towns every year to feast their eyes. The bead industry consequently, thrives during these times.

READ ALSO:First Lady; Gender Ministry Intensify campaign against FGM

How puberty rites are performed in Ghana

The fascinating aspects mainly lie in the chronological order of the puberty rites and rituals. One activity leads to another in a very organized way until the climax of the rite, before coming to an end with congratulatory remarks to the participants. Here are some of the communities with their versions of the puberty rites.

Puberty rites among the Akan

The Bragoro which is also referred to as Brapue is conducted after a girls first menstruation. Typically, its the girls mother who announces the news as she prepares for the ceremony. A girl who is set to be initiated is called Sakyima or Brani.

Before the rite takes place there is some spiritual and material preparation that has to be conducted. The spiritual arrangement of the event involves finding out if the girls soul, locally known as kra conforms with the activities of the events. As for material preparation, it usually requires things like food items, money, chicken among others.

While still in the preparation mode, the girl to be initiated is presented to the queen-mother who simply carries out an inspection to check if she is pregnant or not. Virginity is regarded as purity in the community and hence it is highly valued.

Source:Olivier Asselin

Girls who happened to be impure before initiation used to be cast out alongside the man who impregnated her. But then again, things have so far changed as special rituals are now conducted to make a girl pure again-even after losing virginity.

The day the ceremony finally takes place, an announcement is made very early in the morning by the mother. She beats an old pan or a metal part of a hoe to announce it. It usually never takes long for people to assemble. Puberty ceremony songs or rather Brannwom' are played as people gather around.

The first rite for the ceremony is called enstoolment. It is conducted by an old woman who has a reputation for having many children in the village. The initiates take her bath, covers her head all the way to the waist but leaves her face exposed. She is placed on a stool three times; sitting and standing repeatedly. It is the third time that she sits still without standing. The stool is usually placed on a mat covered with a blanket or the traditional kente cloth.

A brass basin locally referred to as Yaawa is filled with water that has Odwen leaves while an egg is immersed in it. A dry okro fruit is also placed just beside the initiate. All these items are symbolic and highly significant to the community.

A woman sits beside the Yaawa. She sprinkles water on the girl with Odwen Ahaban or rather leaves of Odwen. It is believed that the sprinkling of water is meant to drive away the evil spirit that may make her barren and be protected. Being a celebration, there is a lot of jubilation and merrymaking as women sing and move around the girl.

Libation is then poured on the ground with palm wine to give thanks to the ancestors and gods for protecting the girl up to her puberty age. Gifts from friends, parents, and relatives are presented to her as the celebration continues. All the gifts are showcased around her.

After enstoolment, ti-ya or rather hair cutting follows next. She is given a special haircut as it shaped into a unique style called Dansinkran-which is basically a traditional Asante women hairstyle. The father pays for this exercise and is regarded as capital for the initiate. The, as well as toenails, are also cut as she dresses in a white cloth with her breasts exposed. Beads are also wrapped around her on the neck, wrists, and ankles.

The next rite is the ritual bath. Ideally, it is supposed to be performed near a river or stream. But then again, in a situation where no river happens to be flowing within, water can be simply put in a Yaawa for the same function.

READ ALSO:Positive and negative cultural practices in Ghana

Her head including her face is covered with a cloth as she gets carried to the stream or river. Once on the river banks, the woman in charge carefully removes her cloth and dips her in the water for three consecutive times as a special prayer is made to the spirits of the water informing them of their presence and purpose.

The Brani is then seated on a stool as lime is squeezed so that the juice drips on her head. Eto which is mashed yam, an egg and three leaves of edwono' tree is thrown into the river. There are some communities that go ahead and burry parts of the finger and toes nails as well as pieces of hair at the river bank.

This whole exercise is done by four women and they use a new sponge, lime juice, and soap to bathe her. Once she is clean and transformed' into a woman, she is dressed in a rich kente cloth with a pair of new Ahenema' sandals to complement her new look. Her hairstyle is again reshaped nicely. She is then carried home like a queen under a colorful umbrella as bragoro songs are melodiously sung.

When she gets home, she is then introduced into Anoka-mouth touching ceremony. The food items are basically elephant skin, banana, mashed yam, boiled eggs and roasted groundnuts. This is usually a dedication ceremony. Libation is first poured to honor the ancestors and then food items are put into her mouth for her to taste. Each food is followed by a prayer. For instance, when she tastes the elephant skin, the officiating woman prays and says May the elephant give you her womb so that you bear many children.

The initiate's head is then covered with a cloth as a boiled egg is put into her mouth. She has to swallow the egg as a whole without chewing or biting it. She has to do the same with the mashed yam. It is believed that if she bites or chews any of those items she may become barren!

Coming to the climax of the ceremony, there is one more activity. She holds the hands of two children, a boy, and a girl. According to the instructions given to her, she gently releases her grip on those children as they rush to a big bowl of eggs and mashed yams. As soon as the two touch the food, all other children on the sideline also rush and scramble for it.

The initiate is then blindfolded and asked to touch two of the children. It is believed that if she is able to touch a boy and girl, she will have children of both sexes.

The ceremony comes to an end with a feast for the initiate and her friends. There are festivity and merry-making in the air. Eventually, after it has officially ended, the Sunday of the initiation week is Ndaase, a thanksgiving day.

The newly transformed woman dresses in a rich kente cloth and is accompanied by her friends who are equally well-dressed to the homes of people made the whole ceremony a success.

READ ALSO: Top 10 Ghanaian Festivals and Dates of Their Celebration

Puberty rites among the Krobo

Puberty rites among the Ga, particularly the Krobo people, equally involves a series of performances just like the Akan community. Even though there are a number of differences in them, some activities are somehow similar. For instance, they also perform a ritual bath, special haircut as well as mouth tasting ceremony. A series of libation is also poured to honor the gods.

It takes place in the month of February. Announcements are made for any parent with a daughter at puberty age to bring her forth and let them be transformed into Krobo woman.

Source:Ghana: Entre Busua Inn et Ezile Bay Village

Advantages of puberty rites in Ghana

Well, the significance of puberty rites in Ghana can be easily noticed from how serious and religious the ceremonies are conducted. Everything is in order while respect and acknowledgment are still given to the gods.

The Importance of puberty rites can also be seen from how a girl acquires knowledge about ideal womanhood. Her cultural traditions such as dressing, dancing, and drumming are further instilled in her. She also brings honor not only to herself but her parents and family as well. As for men they are now given the right to marry and take care of their families.

In conclusion, puberty rites of passage in Ghana are not only part of Africas pride but they are meant to educate the youngsters on the responsibility that comes with their biological maturity. Self- respect is one of the values that is constantly taught for them to become the future leader.

Source: Yen- Police department say it never detained a one-year-old child in the Volta Region for allegedly poisoning her 5-year-old brother

- Residents in the Central Tongu District had claimed the arrest as strange considering the age of the girl

- Mother of Princess Gokay called for justice to prevail especially when she believes her daughter did nothing wrong

The Ghana police service says it has not arrested nor arraigned before the court a one-year-old girl in the Volta Region.

In a press statement, the police service makes the case that Princess Goka left with her mother, Judith Yevuyibor, after visiting the police station.

"Kuma Lawrencia of Adidome came to the station with her 14 years old daughter Fiayibor Heartwill and reported an assault case against Judith Yevuyibor, mother of 18 months old girl Judith Yevuyibor the mother of 18 months Princess Goka went together with her daughter but none of them were detained," the police revealed.

READ ALSO: 5 public officials who are likely to be worried after Anas expose

Earlier Report:

It was earlier claimed that a court in the Volta Region arraigned a one-year-old girl following accusations of wanting to poison her uncles son.

Reports claimed that Princes Gokay was arrested by the police in the Central Tongu District of the Volta Region. This development, though confirmed untrue, left residents of the area in utter shock as they wondered how a toddler could commit such crime.

The son, who is a 5-year-old boy, is sick and bedridden and the Todays Newspaper claimed that the toddler appeared before the Mafi Adodime Magistrate Court to answer the charge of attempted murder.

Mother of the one-year-old lady, Esinam Yevuyibor, narrated the story to Today Newspaper in Accra as she vented frustration and anger over the issue.

We were shocked at the forced charge preferred against the little girl by the police officers because Princess who cannot talk or knows her left from the right could do such thing to her sick brother, she told Today amidst tears.

READ ALSO: Countryman Songo's name appears in Anas' Number 12 video?

The troubled mother stated that her daughter has not been happy ever since her playmate was taken ill. She revealed in an interview with the newspaper that Princess has been paying regular visits to him in his room and often plays with him and wondered how she could take a bottle containing a poisonous substance to kill Kwabla.

Check out trending news on Dumelo's wedding, J.B. Danquah and many more:

Do you have amazing and critical stories for us to publish? Reach out to us on Facebook and Instagram.

Source: Yen News- Top investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, is reported to have revealed a part of his face

- There is however uncertainty as to his identity as he is rumoured to have body doubles

Ghanaian investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, is reported to have unknowingly revealed a part of his face.

According to a report by MyNewsGH.com, its team succeeded in capturing Anas mouth area as well as the rim of his name.

Even with this new development, there is still uncertainty with respect to his identity as it is rumoured he works with a number of body doubles for security reasons.

Anas Aremeyaw Anas with his face partially exposed

READ ALSO: 5 answers Ghana's need from Nana Addo after the GFA scandal

The identity of possibly Africas most revered investigator has become the subject of intense debate, as it has been kept secret for so long.

Anas latest expose, titled Number 12, is scheduled to be premiered at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) on June 6, 2018.

In the buildup to the show, there has been a lot of anxiety, as the Ghanaians, and possibly the whole world wait with bated breath as the date for the show draws closer.

READ ALSO: 5 Ghanaians possibly living in fear after Kwesi Nyantakyi's arrest

Renovation of Nana Addos GHc9.5m private residence:

We are looking for unique stories and photos about developments happening in your area. Get in touch with YEN on Facebook or Instagram

Source: Yen Ghana- Lawyer for some of the accused alleges that Major Mahama and co were protecting illegal miners

- Cross-examination to be continued on June 5 later this year.

In the ongoing criminal case against the alleged killers of Major Maxwell Mahama, a shocking allegation has been made. A lawyer for a section of the accused is telling the court that the dead soldier was actually protecting illegal miners.

Mr Bernard Shaw, the lawyer in question, told the court that Major Mahama and 30 other members of the military were there to protect an illegal company. The company's name was given as Canada and Ghana Mining Company (C&G).

READ ALSO: Facebook users tell YEN.com.gh what Songo should do now after the arrest of Nyantakyi

According to Mr Shaw, the company had been instructed to cease mining in the area by the Minerals Commission. The lawyer added that the commission had written to the C&G on 30th January, 2017.

Widow of the late soldier during his wake

Major Maxwell Mahama was a member of the 5th Infantry of the Ghana Armed Forces. On May 29, 2017, while on official duty, he was lynched at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region. The mob claim they mistook him for an armed robber.

Fire was set to his body.

Amidst a national outcry, a trust fund was set up in his name to take care of his family. He was given a state burial and promoted in army rank after death. Murder charges were brought against 14 people after investigations.

READ ALSO: Anas unhappy with Akufo-Addo over Kwesi Nyantakyi video

Mr Bernard Shaw made his accusations against the military when he cross-examined some members of the late Major Mahama's infantry. This included second-in-command to the late soldier, WO2 Kwesi Sabi.

The cross-examination will continue on June 5 this year.

Check out some of the trending news in Ghana in YEN.com.gh's video below:

Do you have amazing and critical stories for us to publish? Reach out to us on Facebook and Instagram.

Source: YenRussian government will not change the tax regime during the next six-year period, First Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on the sidelines of the 2018 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

"The state should create stable conditions. First, it includes taxes. We are talking about not changing taxes in the next six-year period," TASS cited Siluanov as saying.

The minister explained that they plan to lower taxes which have a negative impact on business, as well as simplify the procedure governing relations between a large number of small business owners, self-employed or individual entrepreneurs and those working in the grey economy with the state.

A professor of the RANEPA Chair of Economics and Finance of the Public Sector, Lyudmila Pronina, speaking to a correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that t is unlikely that the government will refrain from increasing the tax burden for such a long period. "Previously, the conceptual changes in the tax system were announced, they discussed various tax maneuvers, including on VAT and insurance premiums. The draft law on reducing the excise taxes for gasoline and other fuels by 20-30% has been practically prepared, which will make it possible to contain the growth of logistics costs and, consequently, the growth of commodity prices. Most likely they will neither introduce a progressive scale nor increase the rate. At the same time for the extractive industries, especially oil and gas ones, the laws clearly state a gradual increase in the severance tax. In terms of oil, a tax increase of 498 rubles per ton was laid by 2020. The customs duty on oil exports is likely to be increased as well," she predicts.

"In addition, the government may increase the tax burden on businesses through other mechanisms, including through insurance contribution rates. Now the tax code includes insurance contributions to budget funds - the Pension Fund, the Social Insurance Fund, the Federal Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund, and it is possible that they will be increased. Other expenses related to the property, as well as a fee for its maintenance, rent and sale, will be also increased, although there are chances to reduce certain costs. First of all, I mean the recalculation of the property cadastral value - the coefficients will be changed for a more accurate cation of cadastral value," Ludmila Pronina drew attention.

"Please note that since last year the tax burden on the processing sector, including food processing, has increased by more than 10% due to the increase in excise duties. Even if excise taxes for fuel are reduced, others will continue to grow, especially on alcohol and tobacco products. The situation looks better for small business: entrepreneurs either pay a single tax or work under a simplified procedure. As a matter of fact, we already have thousands of programs to support small and medium-sized businesses, but it is still difficult to understand when and how they will be implemented," the professor of the RANEPA Chair of Economics and Finance of the Public Sector concluded.The 22nd annual International Economic Forum (SPIEF) kicks off in Russias city of St. Petersburg at the ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Center and will last for three days.

The events of the forum have been banded together under the motto of "creating an economy of trust". Digitalization, measures to spur economic innovations and development of human capital will become the main issues up for discussion during the first day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

This years forum is expected to gather about 15,000 participants representing 70 countries.

The participants of the forum expect the discussions to mention, in this or that form, Russian president Vladimir Putins new May decree, in which he called to step up Russias technological development and use of digital technologies, and tasked the government with making Russia one of the worlds top five major economies with economic growth rates above the worlds level.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Putin will meet with members of the Russian Direct Investment Funds International Advisory Board and international investors. Heads of about 40 major investment funds from 20 countries, including France, Japan, China, India, Italy, the United States, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey are expected to attend.

The first day of the forum will also feature several roundtables, devoted to bilateral Russian-Chinese and Russian-European relations.

All events of the SPIEF-2018 will be divided in four categories: "The Global Economy in an Era of Change," "Harnessing Russias Growth Potential," "Human Capital in the Digital Economy" and "Technology for Leadership."

This year, the first day of the forum will begin with a business breakfast, headlined Doing Business in Russia: What has been achieved and whats next? The participants will discuss the business climate in Russia, state support for businesses, including foreign ones, as well as measures to make the business climate more favorable and remove administrative barriers.

One of the forums most intense debates may unfold during a panel discussion, headlined Putting Russian Economy on a Sustained Path of Growth: Challenges and Solutions. Russian Audit Chamber Chairman Alexei Kudrin, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde, Russian Central Bank Chief Elvira Nabiullina, First Deputy Prime Minister Anton Siluanov and Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin are expected to take part.

The participants will discuss what structural transformations, required to boost economic growth rates; where can the resources be found to speed up this process; which budgetary policies will secure trust in macroeconomic institutions while providing the conditions necessary for accelerated growth and what might act as the next driver of economic growth, TASS reported.

National and territorial branding should become an important tool of Russias economic development, according to participants of a session headlined "Made in Russia: National and Regional Branding as Tools for Economic Development and Promoting Russia around the World." Numerous initiatives have emerged at both the federal and regional levels in recent years, but they have failed to produce significant results on a national scale.

Besides, the Russian Export Centre will organize a roundtable debate on developing non-resource exports. The Russian Export Centres new head, Andrey Slepnev, will take part in the discussion.

Moreover, the US Trade Chamber in Russia and the EY company will for the first time present the results of their research into trade and economic ties between US and Russia.

A vast section of discussions will traditionally be devoted to the development of the social sphere, media and environment. Panel discussions on the development of human capital, including amid rapidly development technologies, international labor market transformations and robotization, are scheduled to be held within the framework of the forums business program.

The social sector-themed discussions on the first day will be centered around medicine and healthcare. The panel discussion, headlined "Pathways for the Medicine of the Future: Who Will Treat People in 30 Years Time?" will bring together Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Paltsev, Project Leader of the Biomarker Transfer Department at the Medical University of Vienna Kurt Krapfenbauer, President of the Harbin Medical University Yang Baofeng and other prominent figures for a debate on what kind of healthcare system can we expect in 30 years.

Heads of Russian regions will also take part in SPIEF-2018, including in events on Russias bilateral relations with France, Finland and other nations. Many Russian regions and cities will showcase their investment potential at the exhibition area.US President Donald Trump has called off June 12 meeting with leader of North Korea Kim Jong-un, saying that he hopes to meet him "some day", Sputnik reported.

"I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting," Trump said, referring to a meeting with Kim Jong-un slated for June 12. "Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place," read Trump's letter to Kim Jong-un, released by the White House.

The US president has blamed the cancellation on North Korea's "tremendous anger and open hostility" expressed in Kim's latest statement.

In the letter, Trump also told Kim "do not hesitate to call me or write" if Pyongyang changes its mind regarding the planned summit.United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced deep disappointment on Thursday at the cancellation of the planned meeting next month between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, announced earlier by the White House, Reuters reported.

Guterres, in remarks delivered at the University of Geneva, said: I am deeply concerned by the cancellation of the planned meeting in Singapore between the President of the United States and the leader of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

He urged the parties to continue their dialogue so as to find a path to the peaceful and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.HA NOI  Vietnamese businesses lack a proper strategy to build brands, a survey by British brand consultant Mibrand has found.

An online survey last month of 200 small and medium-sized firms in Ha Noi and HCM City in many sectors like IT, finance and banking, retail, insurance, healthcare, and dining services found most of them building their brands by themselves but without having the tools for it.

Among the biggest problems Vietnamese firms face when building brands are the lack of an instruction toolkit and standard methods to assess outcomes, Phung Thai Duong of Mibrand said.

Some companies do hire a professional agency or consultancy to help with the branding, but face challenges like high fees, the outside experts not having a thorough understanding of the companys situation, and inability to evaluate the outcomes since they are not provided the tools for it, he said.

Businesses should only hire an agency for branding once they have scaled up. For newly established businesses and start-ups, it is not a good choice.

Nearly 90 per cent of the firms in the survey said they were in need of a branding strategy but developing it was not an easy task.

The reasons include not all members of the management understanding the significance of branding and the marketing teams lack of practical experience in developing a long-term plan for branding, making it hard to persuade the management to spend money on marketing activities.

An executive from Golden Path Academics Viet Nam, which operates in the education sector, said when the company was established in 2011 its marketing and communication activities were done quite simply without any strategies making it hard to find customers.

It had also lacked expert branding strategists, the executive said.

Lai Tien Manh, director of Mibrand, said to have an effective long-term branding plan businesses need to position and reposition their brands, acquire branding experts, and constantly improve branding behaviours based on assessing and measuring the effectiveness of communication and marketing activities.

He said the last task can now be done with the help of Branding 4.0 Toolkit and Brand Beat Score developed by his company.

These tools offer a solution to companies for building and managing brands. They also help companies address challenges related to communications such as helping them develop ideas for long-term communications strategies.

Companies should develop a branding strategy that meets the needs of their target consumers and business activities and also helps improve the marketing teams capacity, he added.  VNSHCM CITY  HCM City and Chinas Shandong Province aim to facilitate bilateral trade by holding more networking events, encouraging investments between both sides, and signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), promising more support in the future.

During a conference held at HCM City on Wednesday, numerous businesses in different fields from Shandong and Viet Nam met to find potential partners.

Vo Tan Thanh, director of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industrys HCM City branch (VCCI), said that Viet Nam and China have had a close business partnership for 68 years.

According to VCCI, in 2017, bilateral trade between the two countries was over US$93.6 billion (30 per cent higher than 2016), accounting for 22 per cent of Viet Nams total bilateral trade.

Viet Nam exported over US$35.4 billion to China (61.6 per cent higher than 2016), focusing on products such as seafood, rice, rubber, garments and mobile phones.

As of March 2018, China ranked seventh among countries investing in Viet Nam, with nearly 1,900 projects valued over $12.4 billion.

In addition, according to Wei Xichen, consul general of Chinese Embassy in HCM City, many Chinese companies are interested in working with Vietnamese companies in fields such as rubber, fishery processing and tailoring.

Compared to other markets, China is very open to Vietnamese goods without having many requirements, as long as the goods are of high quality, he said.

China is especially fond of Viet Nams basa fish, cashew, coffee beans, peppers and dragon fruit.

Shandong is one of Chinas most populated and economically developed regions, with a 2017 GDP of over $1 trillion, ranked third in China, according to Liu Xiaojiang, deputy chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT)  Shandong Sub-council.

The province also excels in fields such as agriculture, mechanics, construction and food processing.

The province considers Viet Nam to be one of the most important business partners in ASEAN. In 2017, bilateral trade between Shandong and Viet Nam was around $5.5 billion, Liu said.

Vietnamese firms have been encouraged to visit Shandong to find more opportunities to work with local businesses.

The International Imports Exhibition in Shanghai, to be held in November, has invited Viet Nam to attend.

The VCCI and CCPIT also signed an MoU to foster trade, promising to increase collaboration efforts and networking opportunities for firms so they can find reliable long-term partners.

According to VCCI, Viet Nam and China aim to reach a two-way trade of over $100 billion by 2018.  VNSHA NOI  The State Securities Commission (SSC) will promote the standardisation of corporate governance for public companies this year.

There are also plans to issue the Code of Corporate Governance to improve the framework for the Vietnamese securities market in line with international practice.

Le Cong ien, director of SSCs Public Enterprises Supervisory Department, delivered the statement at the workshop on investor relations held in Ha Noi on Wednesday.

In 2018, the SSC is tasked with building the revised Securities Law, which should be submitted for the National Assemblys review in the sixth meeting in October.

ien said the institution and maintenance of good corporate governance practice is an important issue in the revised law. This is also a critical topic in economic action programmes, business communities in most countries in the world.

Good corporate governance helps improve business performance and contributes to the prosperity of the economy in general, ien said.

According to Phan uc Hieu, deputy director of Central Institute for Economic Management under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the average corporate governance quality of Vietnamese companies is much lower than the common ground in the region.

Viet Nams corporate governance scorecard of the six ASEAN countries was the lowest and lagged far behind the surrounding countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, Hieu said investor relation is also a very new issue for listed companies here.

There are very few companies aware of this problem, let a lone take actual action to implement this programme, Hieu said.

He said in the countries with high corporate governance quality, managers will apply the practice for the benefit of the company, even if the law does not require it.

According to Hieu, as the corporate governance in Viet Nam is at a very early stage, the State invention is necessary to make sure companies comply with good practice.

In 2017, the Government issued Decree No 71/2017/N-CP and the Ministry of Finance issued Circular No 95/2017 on corporate governance applicable to public companies. The law introduction has demonstrated the Government and market regulators willpower to develop good corporate governance practice, at the same time creating legal framework for improving the quality of goods on the stock market.

SSC and two stock exchanges have also made efforts to popularise and raise corporate awareness of enterprises, as well as encourage businesses to adopt good practice through training programmes and annual assessment on corporate governance of listed companies.

Hieu also suggested the Government create the right environment and mechanism to develop the intermediaries or organisations that observe and evaluate companies, or carry out activities to protect the interests of shareholders. For example, in Malaysia, there are associations or companies established to protect shareholders.

Such organisations would put pressure on companies to adopt better practice and mechanism to protect shareholders interests, Hieu said.

Nguyen Anh Phong, deputy general director of the Ha Noi Stock Exchange, said good investor relations would bridge the gap between companies and their shareholders, at the same time supporting companies to raise capital from the securities market.  VNSHA NOI  Viet Nam Technological and Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Techcombank) shares will list its shares on the HCM City Stock Exchange (HOSE) on June 4.

This would make Techcombank the countrys seventh biggest firm by market value.

Techcombank CEO Nguyen Le Quoc Anh told the pre-listing conference held in Ha Noi on Wednesday that over 1.1 billion shares coded TCB will be traded on HOSE at a starting price of VN128,000 (US$5.62) per share.

The shares are allowed to move 20 per cent higher or lower than the reference price on the first day of listing.

At the price, the bank was valued at VN149 trillion ($6.5 billion), making it Viet Nams second-biggest listed bank after State-owned Vietcombank at VN192 trillion ($8.4 billion).

Techcombanks capitalisation is even higher than that of the BIDV and Vietinbank, whose charter capital is three times higher in comparison.

Last month, Techcombank raised $922 million in one of the countrys biggest initial public offerings (IPO). Singapore wealth fund GIC, Fidelity Management and Research, and Dragon Capital are among the funds coming in as cornerstone investors.

Techcombank also planned to raise charter capital by three times from the current VN11 trillion ($481 million) to VN35 trillion ($1.5 billion) after its listing debut to better compete with not only local rivals but also regional ones. It would organise an abnormal shareholder meeting on June 14 to approve the charter capital listing.

It will issue more than 2.3 million common shares with par value of VN10,000 each ($0.4) to increase its charter capital.

We plan to pay dividends to shareholders after six to eight weeks after listing on HOSE, Anh said.

The CEO added that 2018 was a year of robust activity for Viet Nams stock market as the economy showed strong growth.

We believe this is a suitable time to list Techcombank after nearly two years of preparation to bring the best profit to our shareholders, he said.

He added that Techcombank has not yet decided to list shares on foreign stock markets.

The bank is now owned 22.5 per cent by foreign investors. Viet Nam limits foreign ownership in local banks to 30 per cent.

The lender also planned to invest $300 million over the next five years into its transformation of IT technologies to help it continue taking the lead in term of technology.Nguyen Xuan Minh, chairman of Techcombank Securities and Head of Techcombanks Investment Banking Division, said Techcombank aimed to increase retail lending to 50-55 per cent of total loans, up from 40 per cent in the coming years while reducing the proportion of corporate loans.

As the ASEAN Economic Community forms, our competitors are not only local banks but also regional ones from Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. We target to be able to compete with the regional banks, he said.

Last year, the banks total asset was VND269.3 trillion and integrated pre-tax profit was VN8 trillion, double than 2016. The return on equity (RoE) surged to 27.7 per cent  the highest level among banks in Viet Nam.

The 25-year-old bank provides a broad range of banking products and services to more than 5.4 million Vietnamese customers. It has an extensive network of 315 branches across the country.  VNSHA NOI  PetroVietnam should actively provide the Vietnam News Agency with official latest news, especially regarding sensitive issues so that the outlet can disseminate information, orient public opinion, and reject inaccurate stories.

VNA General Director Nguyen uc Loi made this statement at a ceremony following the signing of a cooperation agreement between the agency and the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) in Ha Noi on May 23.



Speaking at the signing ceremony, VNA General Director Loi lauded PetroVietnam as one of the pillar groups of the Vietnamese economy, contributing to the State budget and ensuring national energy security.



PetroVietnam also makes important contributions to maintaining national security and safeguarding sovereignty of islands and sea around the country, he said.



The VNA General Director said that VNA is providing accurate, objective, reliable and up to date news to domestic and foreign press outlets.



He noted that VNA also provides important publications such as reference news and special reference news for agencies, adding that VNA is now a strong national news agency in Southeast Asia and is striving to become a multimedia corporation with various news forms.



PetroVietnam Chairman Tran Sy Thanh said PetroVietnam always receives support from press agencies, especially VNA  a national press agency with prestige at home and abroad, and a contingent of reporters across 63 cities and provinces nationwide, with 30 bureaus abroad.



He said PetroVietnam workers are drilling oil day and night at sea and fulfilling the noble task of affirming national sovereignty. Despite recent difficulties, it remains one of the corporations that contribute most to the State budget and economic growth.



Thanh added that partnership with VNA will strengthen public trust in State-owned enterprises, contributing to improved transparency in information and public supervision on businesses, as well as promoting the image and stature of PetroVietnam during the national development course.  VNSHA NOI  A Vietnamese delegation has arrived for the 22nd St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2018) which opened at the Expoforum Convention and Exhibition Centre in Saint Petersburg City, Russia.

The event is being held from May 24-26 under the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin. About 10,000 delegates from more than 120 countries attended the forum.

The Vietnamese delegation is led by Nguyen Van Binh, who is Politburo member, Secretary of the Central Party Committee and Head of the Central Economic Commission of the Communist Party of Viet Nam.

Representatives at the forum represent the largest Russian and foreign companies, State leaders and politicians, heads of government, deputy prime ministers, ministers and governors of provinces.

SPIEF serves as a platform for dialogue on key issues in the world economy, regional integration and the development of new industrial and technological sectors, as well as on the global challenges facing Russia and other nations.

Under the forums central theme Creating an Economy of Trust, delegates will discuss the impact of digital technology on all aspects of life, including hot issues such as artificial intelligence, gene therapy and technology excellence in medicine.

The SPIEF-2018s activities focus on four main themes, including The Global Economy in an Era of Change; Russia: Utilising Growth Potential; Human Capital in the Digital Economy; and Leadership Technologies.

TASS news agency, an information partner of Vietnam News Agency, is the main information partner and image provider for the forum. TASS is also the coordinator of the Advisory Board on Foreign Investment in Russia at the forum.

Delegates held round-table discussions on investment issues, relations between Russia and China, and relations between Russia and European countries. The most awaited event on the opening day was the meeting between President Putin and members of the International Expert Council of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and representatives of the international investment community. It is expected that the 40 largest fund managers in the world from 20 countries will attend the meeting.

In 2017, SPIEF gathered 14,000 delegates representing 143 countries around the world. In the framework of the forum last year, 400 investment deals worth nearly two trillion roubles (US$32.5 billion) were signed.  VNSTRA VINH  The Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh targets 4,000 enterprises by 2020, with more than 30 per cent and 15 percent of them owned by woman and ethnic minorities, respectively.

This was announced at a conference in the locality on Wednesday, held by the provincial Department of Planning and Investment and Tra Vinh SME Development Projects management authority. The event discussed plans to support the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).



According to Pham Van Be Sau, deputy director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment and Tra Vinh SME Development project, local SMEs are set to create 22,000-25,000 jobs per year from now until 2020, bringing a monthly income of VN4.5-4.7 million for each labourer.



These SMEs are expected to contribute 50 per cent and between 45-50 per cent to the provinces gross regional domestic product (GRDP) and the local budget, respectively.



Tra Vinh is currently home to 2,153 enterprises, 98 per cent of which are SMEs, firms that usually struggle to access support policies, preferential loans, technologies and consumption markets.



To promote SMEs development, local authorities will continue to perfect policies to create a healthy business environment.



Attention has been paid to providing financial assistance to enterprises and building and upgrading infrastructure systems.



Start-up activities have been fostered in the locality to encourage household businesses to transform into enterprises.



Sau said Tra Vinh planned to spend VN2.66 trillion (US$116.7 million) to support local businesses during 2018-20.



From 2012-20, SMEs operating in the province are allowed financial assistance worth CAD12.1 million ($9.4 million) for their production and business activities, including CAD11 million worth of non-refundable assistance funded by the Canadian Government.  VNSThe Law on Special Administrative-Economic Zones (SAEZs) will continue to be discussed at the fifth session of the 12th National Assembly. The law is expected to create a breakthrough to attract investment.

The proposed special administrative economic zones include Van on in the northern province of Quang Ninh, Bac Van Phong in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa and Phu Quoc in the southern province of Kien Giang.

On the sidelines of the NA session on Tuesday, deputy Bui Sy Loi from the central province of Thanh Hoa speaks to reporters about the issues related to the special zones.

What do you think about the Governments plan to build special administrative economic zones?

The special administrative economic zones that the Government is proposing and the National Assembly will discuss are located in three regions to explore their own advantages. Construction of the SAEZs is the policy of the Party, the State and the National Assembly. We want to build the special zones to create a driving force for socio-economic development.

Special administrative economic zones in Quang Ninh, Khanh Hoa and Kien Giang are the places to establish breakthrough policies and mechanisms. I think the construction of the SAEZs is very important.

There are some concerns about the empowerment of autonomy for the special administrative economic zones. What is your opinion?

Called special administrative economic units, the zones must have the right of self-decision making on issues that might not yet be regulated by laws but are not against the Constitution.

Many people worry that giving autonomy to the zones leaders would lead to abuses of power, so we must have sanctions to combine rights with responsibilities. Higher authority means greater responsibility.

If we do not do that, then how can we develop the country? I hope this NA will discuss and finalise the law so that we can build the special zones and facilitate the countrys development. This is also the desire of the localities.

The planning of three SAEZs has caused land prices in these areas to rise rapidly. How can the Government control the situation?

This is a matter of economic rules. People will seek investment to make profit in a place where they see a lot of business potential. However, authorities must manage and implement policies properly. The Government must not let some people abuse the policy and create vested interests. Violations must be handled strictly.

Once we establish a special economic zone, it is good to have investors come there and develop projects. However, we need to study policies carefully, especially those related to land to prevent profiteering.

According to the project of establishing the three SAEZs, the mobilised capital is estimated to amount to more than VN1.5 quadrillion, how could the State budget regain the investment capital while the Government offers many preferential tax policies for the implementation of projects in the zones?

Actually, capital to be invested in building the zones is not completely sourced from the State budget. The State capital is just a primer, a motivating force and it must be recovered.

It is important that the State calls for private investors and creates attractive mechanisms and motivation for investors to join the process of socio-economic development.

To avoid tax evasion, authorities must appraise projects, assess their impacts and thoroughly consider their effectiveness before granting licences.

What are the social issues that will arise when developing SAEZs?

Not only in special economic zones, but also in big cities, social problems such as prostitution and drug abuse can occur. The important thing is that the authorities have to foresee the problems and issue policies and mechanisms to curb the social evils.

We cannot compromise social issues to focus on economic development. This is a matter of concern.

In addition, in such a special zone, social security must also be ensured to attract high-quality human resources and investors.  VNSiStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- President Donald Trump traveled to Long Island for the second time in less than a year to hold a roundtable on the brutal MS-13 or Mara Salvatrucha gang whose members Trump recently referred to as "animals."



"We're here today to discuss the menace of MS-13, a ruthless gang that has violated our borders and transformed our once peaceful neighborhoods into blood-stained fields," Trump said.



White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said the goal of the roundtable was to address "immigration loopholes that enable MS-13 to infiltrate our communities."



Trump said he plans to cut foreign aid to countries that allow gang members to enter the United States.



We are working on a plan to deduct a lot of the aid. We are going to deduct a rather large amount of money from what we give them. They dont want the people we are getting in their country, Trump said. "Despite all of the reports I hear I don't believe they're helping us one bit."



Trump acknowledged the parents of two teenage girls, Nisa Mickens and Kayla Cuevas, who were brutally killed in September 2016 by MS-13.



The parents, Evelyn Rodriguez and Freddy Cuevas and Elizabeth Alvarado and Robert Mickens, were also the guests of first lady Melania Trump at Trump's State of the Union Address.



MS-13 has been on Long Island, where Trump spoke, for decades but now it is the largest gang on the island with an estimated 2,000 members. Between 2016 and 2018, police suspect MS-13 played a role in at least 25 killings on Long Island.



Trump often conflates the gruesome and heinous crimes of MS-13 with border control and immigration policies, claiming lax immigration laws allow gang members to cross into the United States.



And while MS-13 currently has its roots in Central America, the gang actually began in Los Angeles in the 1980s. Currently, it is estimated to have around 30,000 members in the world, and, according to the FBI, more than 10,000 in the United States, a number that has remained constant since 2006.



Many MS-13 members living in the U.S. have immigrated from El Salvador and Central American countries, but most are legal U.S. citizens.



Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said seven of the 13 gang members who murdered Mickens and Cuevas were unaccompanied alien children who came into the country.



According to June 2017 congressional testimony from the then-acting Customs and Border Patrol chief Kevin McAleenan, between 2012 and 2016, "of the approximately 5,000 individuals apprehended by USBP with confirmed or suspected gang affiliations since FY 2012, 159 were (UACs) unaccompanied alien children. Of those 159, approximately 56 UACs were suspected or confirmed to be affiliated with MS-13."



On average the U.S. saw about 41,000 children crossing alone per year during that time period. Many are targeted for gang recruitment once living in the U.S.



Trump recently came under fire for calling people in the MS-13 gangs "animals." In response, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said "calling people animals is not a good thing."



I called them animals the other day and I was met with rebuke," Trump said. "They're not people, these are animals, and we have to be very, very tough."



Thomas Homan, Acting ICE Director, defended Trump's comment and said was being "kind" by calling MS-13 members animals. "Animals kill for survival and MS-13 kills for sport," Homan said.



Trump was also joined by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein who has recently been targeted by Trump. Rosenstein and Trump shook hands before the program began.



"I feel totally confident that this problem will be eradicated," Trump said. Later Wednesday, Trump travels to New York City for a fundraiser.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.QUANG NAM  Two rare large-antlered muntjac have been photographed in a forest in Quang Nam Province, providing hope for the future of the species.

Scientists and conservationists of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Vietnam captured the images of the mammals, WWF-Vietnam announced Wednesday.

It said a camera trap was set up in the forest under a biodiversity monitoring and assessment activity supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

This species has only been spotted on film in three protected areas in all of Viet Nam since the year 2000. The new photos from Quang Nam Province  which include photographs of both a male and a female  provide hope for the species that is on the brink of extinction, according to WWF-Vietnam.

It is amazing news, said Phan Tuan, director of the Forest Protection sub-Department of Quang Nam Province.

The two individuals are both mature and of reproductive age. These images prove that the species still survives in the province and give us hope that there might even be a breeding population.

The large-antlered muntjac, which was discovered by scientists in 1994, is only found in the Annamites mountain range bordering Viet Nam and Laos. But illegal hunting, mostly using snares, has decimated the species in the area.

Snaring is common in the forests of central Viet Nam. From 2011 to 2017, government rangers and WWF Forest Guards removed more than 100,000 wire snares from the Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Nam Saola Nature Reserves.

In 2016, in response to the decline of the species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)s Red List of Threatened Species of the large-antlered muntjac was changed from endangered to critically endangered.

Efforts have been continuing among conservationists to protect the large-antlered muntjac in the wild.

However, in recognition of the overwhelming pressure the species faces and the fact that its populations are critically low, the Government and international NGOs are planning to establish a captive insurance population for this species and the saola, also known as the Vu Quang ox, spindlehorn or Asian bicorn  one of the worlds rarest large mammals. One saola was spotted in Vu Quang Nature Reserve in 1999 and another in Quang Nam Province in 2013.

The saola species is another recently-discovered endemic ungulate that is even rarer than the large-antlered muntjac and may be approaching extinction.

Dr Benjamin Rawson, the conservation director of WWF-Vietnam, noted: Large-antlered muntjac do not currently exist in captivity, so if we lose them in the wild, we lose them forever.

Scientists are racing against time to save the species. Addressing the snaring crisis to protect wildlife in the forests of central Viet Nam and setting up captive assurance populations are vital if we are to succeed.

Another camera trap funded by USAID also recorded other conservation priority species including Owstons civet, Asiatic black bear, Annamite striped rabbit and the pangolin.

Finding these rare and beautiful species gives new hope for Viet Nams precious biodiversity treasures, said Nguyen Van Thanh, who led the field survey.

Although populations of all ground-dwelling mammals and birds have declined from snaring, our results show that the forests of Quang Nam Province still harbour globally-significant biodiversity, he added.

The findings of this study will help the Forest Protection sub-Department of Quang Nam develop better management and law enforcement plans to save these species and their habitats.

The Leibniz-IZW and WWF-Vietnam survey teams are expanding the systematic camera trapping plans to other areas in the region, including places with high biodiversity potential in the province of Thua Thien-Hue.  VNSHCM CITY  The HCM City Medical Tourism Guide with basic information about travel and healthcare in the city was released on May 23.

The guidebook in Vietnamese and English has the names, addresses and phone numbers of 14 health facilities in the city, including the HCM City Heart Institute, Dermato-Venereology Hospital, HCM City Paediatrics Hospital, Odonto-Maxillo-Facial Hospital, Otalaryngology Hospital, University Medical Centre, Traditional Medicine Institute, Tu Du Hospital, Hoan My Hospital, and the City International Hospital.

Ten thousand copies will be distributed to tourist information and support centres, travel agents, hotels, and hospitals in the city.

The health facilities registered to be listed in the guidebook and were chosen after meeting the 24 criteria stipulated by the Department of Health related to facilities, medical staff, check-up and treatment, and prices, Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai, chief of the Department of Health office, said.

With a number of quality public and private hospitals, capable doctors, and low cost of treatment, the citys hospitals have attracted a large number of international visitors coming for healthcare, she said.

Many hospitals offer advanced treatment in areas like organ transplant, robotic surgery, cardiovascular surgery, endoscopic surgery, obstetric and gynecological diseases, dentistry, and others.

Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, deputy director of the Department of Tourism, said the citys medical tourism potential remains untapped.

To fulfil the potential, the two departments have co-operated to promote medical tourism and the guidebook is part of that co-operation, she said.

The city would focus on promoting medical tourism in neighbouring markets such as Cambodia and Laos and to overseas Vietnamese, she said.

Last year, Viet Nam attracted around 80,000 foreign tourists who came for health checks and treatment and spent US$2 billion.

In HCM City almost 40,000 foreign tourists received medical services costing $1 billion.  VNSNEW YORK  Warner Bros is set to produce an animated film based on an early book by the author of the Game of Thrones saga, a source familiar with the matter told AFP on Wednesday.

The report, which first appeared on the specialty website Deadline, says that author George R.R. Martin will produce the film based on The Ice Dragon, published in 1980.

The book, written for young people, appeared well ahead of Martins Game of Thrones series and does not take place in the land of the Seven Kingdoms, the setting of the Thrones medieval fantasy series.

George R.R. Martin fans are eagerly awaiting the sixth Game of Thrones series, titled The Winds of Winter, which has been promised since 2012.

In late April, the author announced that readers will have to wait at least until 2019 to see the book published.

Martin has fallen so far behind in his book writing that the hit HBO TV series has already gone past the storyline in the books.

The much anticipated eighth and final season of HBOs Game of Thrones is expected in 2019.  AFPHoang Hai, deputy director general of the Ministry of Finances Debt Management and External Finance Department, speaks to Customs Online on the need to have a level playing field for Vietnamese enterprises when it comes to receiving loans.

What new things does the draft revising of the Governments decree on provision and management guarantee compared to the present Decree?

One of the most noticeable points in the draft revision of the decree is the merging together of all contents relating to the guarantees of loans and bonds issued by the Viet Nam Development Bank (VDB) and the Viet Nam Bank for Social Policy (VBSP).

In other words, the Governments policy on guarantee management is now all contained in one decree, instead of two as in the past. The decree will encompass normal guarantee management and the guarantee on the issuance of Government bonds, including by VDB and VBSP.

Under the new decree, the list for prioritised industries and occupations to receive the Governments guarantee has been removed. A key factor for erasing such a guarantee condition is to protect the safety of public debt.

In the past there were three tiers of guarantee (70 per cent; 60 per cent and 50 per cent of the total investment), under the new decree there will only be two tiers: 70 per cent and 60 per cent.

In the past, all loans guaranteed by the Government were free of charge, as were the bonds issued by VDB and VBSP, whereas under the new draft decree, the borrowers have to pay a 0.2 per cent interest each year.

Do you think the policy will cause negative impacts on the cash flow of many enterprises and economic groups?

It is indisputable that in the past the issuance and management of Government bonds were rather simple. Any project having contributed to the countrys socio-economic development, or which was operated effectively, particularly in prioritised fields, would be likely to get the Government bonds. But, under the new policy, things will be different, the procedures will become stricter.

The new policy will help to avert risks for the Governments reserved debt obligation (the Governments debt guarantees). Viet Nam is now classed as a middle income country, and its credit coefficient has improved, as a result we are now playing in a level playing field with other nations.

The government will only give support to projects which are important to the nation, particularly in the field of national defence. This is in line with the 2017 Law on Public Debt Management.

Will you please talk a little bit about how the decree is structured to ensure it can be effectively implemented?

Government guarantee debts are an issue that has captured the special attention of the Government and the National Assembly, hence why the compiling of the decree requires so much attention, ranging from collecting and preparing documents to ensuring the financial capacity for a project which asks for the Governments guarantee.

To make things easy, the draft decree will outline which documents enterprises will have to provide if they want to access government loans.

We hope the decree is completed and officially comes into life, as it means well able to create a level playing field for all enterprises. The enterprises can then approach any bank or financial institution for loans, as it is in a free market economy.  VNSHA NOI  Top lawmakers yesterday urged for adjusting the jurisdiction of courts and competence of peoples committees at special administrative and economic zones.

Discussing the draft Law on Special Administrative and Economic Zones of Van on, Bac Van Phong and Phu Quoc at the ongoing 14th National Assembly (NA)s fifth session, deputies said a flexible policy on local authorities would create favourable conditions for not only the three special zones but also the three respective localities (Quang Ninh, Khanh Hoa and Kien Giang provinces) and the whole country.

The deputies pointed out a gap in regulations on the organisation and jurisdiction of Peoples Court and other judicial agencies at special administrative and economic zones (SAEZs) as the draft law retains the competence of courts at district levels.

Accordingly, all complaints of locals against the actions of Peoples Committee and chairmen of Peoples Committee would be handled by courts at provincial levels. The delegates said that this regulation should be considered in the context of SAEZs dynamic development, the potential increase of civil and administrative cases, especially cases related to land, site clearance and project compensation.

According to deputy Nguyen Thi Thuy from the northern province of Bac Kan, the number of complaints against administrative decisions of the local Peoples Committee to the court in the last three years significantly increased, notably in Phu Quoc District, where the figure doubled.

The draft law only increases the SAEZs courts role in civil cases, but not administrative cases, leading to the provision that the courts can handle civil cases, even very complicated ones but have no jurisdiction to solve complaints at the same level, Thuy said.

Thuy, also a member of the NA Judicial Committee, noted that in terms of geographical conditions, all three SAEZs are far from the centres of Quang Ninh, Khanh Hoa and Kien Giang provinces.

For instance, to get to Kien Giang Peoples Court, residents and investors from Phu Quoc District have to cross 120 km of sea. If the first verdict of the provincial court is appealed or protested, the appellate trial shall be resolved by a higher court, which are only in Ha Noi, a Nang and HCM cities. Residents and investors will struggle to continue to defend their legal rights, Thuy said.

Deputies proposed that the justice organ of the special zones should be authorised to deal with administrative cases related to the SAEZs peoples committees and Peoples Committee chairmen. The model of administration for the special zones in the draft law won the approval of most deputies.

Specifically, the Peoples Council of a special zone will have no more than 15 deputies with a majority being full-time deputies and without any standing board or supporting units. The Peoples Committee will have only one Chairman and two Vice Chairmen. The Peoples Council and Peoples Committee of a special zone will share a supporting office and specialised units.

However, deputy Nguyen Ngoc Phuong from the central province of Quang Binh asked to reduce the number of papers the Chairman of the Peoples Committee are required to sign.

Deputy Vu Thi Luu Mai from Ha Noi urged re-considering the stipulation that the Chairman of the Peoples Committee of a special zone is authorised to approve investment projects belonging to Category A. She said those projects at present must go through many layers of verification and assessment as they bear great significance to the national economy and security. Caution should be taken when giving such power to an individual, she said.

Meanwhile, deputy Truong Trong Nghia from HCM City urged eliminating the regulation of land allocation for 99 years, saying no investment project has such a lifespan.

This term is in fact an additional incentive for investors to transfer after completion of the project or to change the project midway without having to return the land, he said.

Emphasising the territoriality of the three special zones related to islands, Nghia said that investment in the exploitation of sea areas and water resources must comply with the Law on Borders, Law of the Sea and Law on Water Resources.

In response to NA deputies concerns, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung asked for careful consideration, however he emphassied the law needed to be promulgated soon and could be adjusted after taking effect.

Regarding the allocation of land for 99 years, Dung proposed keeping this in the draft because this is also the policy and practice many countries have implemented. Regulations on land acquisition will be clear and strict so that investors cannot take advantage of them, he said.

Planning- related laws discussed

National Assembly deputies on Wednesday afternoon discussed a draft law to amend 13 planning-related laws, insisting such changes were necessary.

The 13 laws include Law on Electricity, Law on Energy Efficiency and Conservation, Law on Tobacco Control, Law on Food Safety, Law on Pharmacy, Law on Notarisation, Law on Investment, Law on Investment Public investment, the Law on Science and Technology, the Law on Construction, the Law on Urban Planning and the Law on Cultivation.

Stressing on the need for supervising the implementation of planned projects, deputy Pham Minh Chinh from HCM City suggested a regulation on compulsory displays of the planning. Accordingly, the display must show the planning orientation and peoples supervision of planning.

Chinh also urged for more decentralisation on the implementation of planning.

"By doing so, the central Government will just be responsible for issues within the scope of functions, tasks and powers while localities will take responsibilities for issues of their own," Chinh said.

Deputy Tran Anh Tuan from HCM City asked for quick review on planning to solve the problem of delayed projects which have seriously affected local peoples lives.

Deputy Tran Van Mao from Nghe Anh Province suggested the draft law should also study the assessment of the practical and uniformity between the Law on Construction and the Law on Urban Planning before adoption to ensure suitability, avoid duplication, overlapping, creating conditions for enterprises in licensing investment procedures, project planning.

Agreed with Mao, Le Quang Huy, deputy head of the National Assembly Committee of Science, Technology and Environment, said the amendments should match with urban development.  VNSKhanh Linh

HA NOI  Duong Thu Hien, a fourth grader at Nhan Chinh Primary School for hearing-impaired children in Ha Noi, looked attentively at a slideshow featuring a stranger using candy to persuade a little girl to follow him.

The story was among many situations likely to lead to child sexual abuse that the school, in co-operation with non-profit organisation KID+, introduced to deaf and hard-of-hearing children on Tuesday.

Next to the slideshow, two teachers were role-playing as the stranger and the little girl, using sign language to re-tell the story and how to handle such incidents.

This was the first time Hien, as well as other 40 primary students at the school, were provided with essential knowledge about child sexual abuse, its risks and social skills to protect themselves. The three-word rule of No, Go, and Tell, which was repeatedly mentioned during the class, would help keep her and her friends out of danger.

The class was among many activities that KID+ has run for children with disabilities, who are highly vulnerable and face barriers to obtaining an equitable education.

KID+ was set up in May, 2017 as a team of young volunteers who seek support from specialists in social work, psychology and children protection to help give child sexual abuse prevention to children.

With funding from Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, the team has organised their programme for more than 400 students at three primary schools for hearing-impaired children in Ha Noi, including Xa an, Nhan Chinh and Hy Vong (Hope) since this March. Children have been taught about child sexual abuse prevention and sex education through group discussion, game shows and drawing competitions.

Nguyen Thi Trang, the projects co-ordinator, said education on child sexual abuse prevention was still limited among children with disabilities. Among the three schools the team had run their programme in, only one had talked about the knowledge with their students.

They are children who often cant speak or their speech is not well-developed. Ive had many conversations with parents whose children were hearing-impaired in Ha Noi and Quang Binh Province. Most spent little time trying to talk to their kids when they were little. When their kids grew up, they could hardly communicate with their kids as they did not know sign language, she said.

This has created a big gap between parents and children. Thus, they would keep silent if they unfortunately became victims of child sexual abuse, she said.

Due to their vulnerability, children with disabilities face high risk of being victims of physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

Figures from the Ministry of Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs in 2016 showed that more than 1,210 cases of sexual abuse children were reported, and 84 per cent of the victims were girls.

In the first eight months of last year, 716 cases were reported, and up to 92 per cent of the victims were girls.

On average, three cases of child sexual abuse were reported each day.

According to the World Health Organisation, children with disabilities faced three times higher rates of being abused than their peers.

Trang said these children needed to be equipped with knowledge to recognise and address child sexual abuse.

Trang said sign language was the only method for hearing-impaired children to communicate. Thus, the team needed support from teachers for lessons as they were close to their students and knew the best way to make them understand about the lessons. The team has organised training courses for teachers improve the knowledge and skills of organizing class activities with the training from experts.

Linh Thi Son, teacher at Nhan Chinh Primary School for hearing-impaired children said that it would be very difficult for students to study child sexual abuse by themselves due to a shortage of learning resources.

The training module and the animation stories, with the support of short and simple words and sign language, made the 180 minute-long lesson easier and more interesting.

They (students) get the concept much easier as the teaching methods have been modified to fit the learning style of the hearing-impaired children. They can tell the risks and know how to protect themselves from danger. Thats the most important thing, she said.

Son cited the rule of No, Go and Tell as an example. The rule was easy to remember for her students.

Trang, the project co-ordinator, said that they wanted their project to contribute to the development of the community in a stable way.

She said the language barrier was the biggest problem between deaf people and others. Most parents even did not know how to communicate with sign language.

As a result, the project designed classes for parents to improve their knowledge to protect, better take care and together with schools to educate their kids.

Trang said that the team planned to bring more classes to children with disabilities in the future. In July, the team will talk about child sexual abuse to blind children at Nguyen inh Chieu Secondary School in Ha Noi.

This means more students will be taught how to protect themselves.  VNSHCM CITY  Evidence of smuggling has been uncovered at two major ports in HCM City, with prohibited goods found in several containers left unclaimed during the past month.

A container of 95 air conditioners, 279 used bicycles missing several parts and three motorbikes was discovered by customs officials at the Sai Gon Ports Area 1 at the beginning of April, the Hai Quan (Customs) newspaper reported. They are all goods banned from import.

Prior to that, a container of 271 used air conditioners and 26 used refrigerators worth some VN1.7 billion (US$74,600) was discovered at Cat Lai Port. It was addressed to HTP Import-Export Trading Company Ltd located in the northern province of Bac Ninh, but the company refused to claim the goods because they never ordered them.

However, investigations from customs officials showed that the company was listed as the recipient in the manifest of the ship the goods were in, and the items found in the container matched those listed in the manifest.

This indicated smuggling, according to the ports customs officials. The case has been transferred to the investigation police of HCM City.

Some 200 other containers filled with goods banned from import have been left unclaimed at the Cat Lai Port for more than 90 days. Investigations are underway.

Apart from common banned goods, thousands of containers of imported scrap and metallic waste have also been left unclaimed at the port.

Alarmed by the situation, officials from the HCM City Customs Department have applied measures to prevent non-standard scrap from being imported into Viet Nam by dishonest customs declarations.

The departments Customs Control Team discovered that several enterprises had successfully imported non-standard scrap to the country without import permits. One of their tricks is to list the scrap as used plastic films in the manifest, and present a customs declaration for used plastic films to claim the scrap when it arrives at the port.

On the massive amount of scrap imported into Viet Nam, Pham Quang Nam, the teams vice captain, said that it is nearly impossible to return non-standard scrap and metallic waste to exporting countries since they are low-value goods, and some enterprises in Viet Nam were even paid to import them.

Trying to destroy them in Viet Nam would create negative impacts on the environment, he added. This is a major obstacle for customs agencies in preventing trash to be imported to the country.

Le inh Loi, deputy director of the HCM City Customs Department, said that shipping carriers should take responsibility for what they carry.

They shouldnt be shipping goods from one country to another then leave them there without knowing who would come to get them, he said.  VNSQUANG NINH  Authorities have rejected an investors proposal to build a chemical factory near the UNESCO World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

The project was proposed by Tan Tien trading business and production limited company, which is headquartered in Ha Noi.

The economic zone management committee of Quang Ninh Provinces Peoples Committee rejcted the construction of the factory which was projected to annually manufacture 20,000 tonnes of Sodium hydroxide along with 20,000 tonnes of powder Poly Aluminium Chloride (PAC) and 3,600 tonnes of Javen (Natri hypochlorit) bleach.

The project was proposed to be located near Cua Luc River which flows into Ha Long Bay. Tourism agencies and planning, environmental experts have been worried that environmental incidents might occur and hurt the provinces tourism and service sector.

The committee will carry out investment procedures at another location if the company is still willing to invest in the factory.

The decision was made after the provincial economic zone management committee worked with the projects investor, the ministries of natural resources, environment, industry and trade, scientists and local authorities.

Since 2013, Tan Tien has operated a chemical and coal dust manufacturing factory at Viet Hung industrial zone in Quang Ninh Province. In 2015, it submitted a proposal to construct a factory to make Sodium hydroxide and other commercial products.

In May 2016, economic zone management committee of Quang Ninh Provinces Peoples Committee granted a certificate of investment registration for the project.

In March 2017, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment approved a report assessing the environmental impacts of the project.

The provincial economic zone management committee met with Tan Tien about the projects pollution risks. The two sides agreed to retrieve the investment registration certificate.

The company then applied for a new factory project manufacturing Sodium hydroxide, PAC and Javen, the project authorities have rejected.  VNSKIEN GIANG  Illegal mineral exploitation in Phu Quoc district in Kien Giang province has defied the local government for many years, reported online newspaper vov.vn.

Illegal exploitation has severely affected the districts environment and risked public safety.

Dozens of unlicensed areas for exploitation of sand, gravel, and red soil exist along the road stretching from uong Bao hamlet in Duong To commune to An Thoi township.

Exploiters have brazenly pitched tents for miners ignoring the authorities.

Recently, police apprehended groups of people transporting soil and red gravel in trucks without licenses in Suoi a hamlet in Duong To commune and Ben Tram hamlet in Cu Duong commune.

Earlier this month, the police had caught several people red-handed while illegally exploiting minerals in Suoi May hamlet in Duong To commune.

Police officer Le Hoang Tuan told the newspaper that illegal mineral exploitation had been increasing because of the high demand of sand, red soil and gravel for construction.

Meanwhile, red soil on the island has become scarce, he said.

According to Tran Van Dung, deputy chief of Phu Quoc Police, since the beginning of this year, the police have discovered 77 cases of illegal mineral exploitation, arrested 83 exploiters and seized 78 trucks along with other equipment.

The fine for illegal exploitation is VN300 million (US$13,000), Dung said.

Referring to measures to counter illegal mineral exploitation, he said the police would cooperate with other authorities to supervise mineral exploitation in the district.

He added that traffic police would enhance patrolling to monitor illegal exploitation and transportation of minerals.

However, local people say that illegal exploitation activities are being carried out more discreetly and artfully to avoid the authorities.

Besides, exploiters are not worried about lenient sanctions, they said.  VNSHOA BINH  The National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC), in co-ordination with the Honda Viet Nam Company, has launched a programme aimed at delivering 20,000 helmets to motorists across the country.

The launch marked the fourth consecutive year that the NTSC and Honda Viet Nam have collaborated in running the programme, which was established to help improve driver awareness and reduce the risks and consequences associated with traffic accidents.

Traffic accidents cause losses of VN300 billion (US$13.1 million) per day, Khuat Viet Hung, standing deputy chairman of the NTSC, said at the programme launch held in the northern province of Hoa Binh Wednesday afternoon.

About 80 per cent of children who die in traffic accidents are high school students, and 76 per cent of the victims drive electric bicycles to school by themselves without driving licenses, Hung said.

Statistics compiled by the committee show that after 10 years of implementing a rule that requires motorbike drivers to wear helmets,, more than 90 per cent of adults complied with the regulation.

The wearing of standard helmets has played an important role in reducing traffic accident fatalities to less than 9,000 people per year, said Hung.

It has also helped reduce cases of brain injuries by more than 500,000.

However, the compliance rate for children remained low at only 35-40 per cent, Hung said.

The World Health Organisation in Viet Nam also said that while the rate of people wearing helmets in the country was high, only about 70 per cent wore standard helmets.

One of main reasons why accidents involving children have increased in the country recently is quite a lot people, especially children, are not aware of the importance of the helmets, Hung said.

Under the programme, 20,000 helmets will be delivered to people through education programmes and competitions related to traffic safety and driving skills.

Nearly 100,000 helmets have been delivered to people in the programmes first four years.  VNSROME  Italys president on Wednesday approved little-known lawyer Giuseppe Contes nomination to be prime minister of a government formed by far-right and anti-establishment parties.

"The President of the Republic has tasked me with the role of forming a government," Conte said to reporters after a nearly two-hour meeting with President Sergio Mattarella.

Contes appointment could herald an end to more than two months of political uncertainty in the eurozones third-biggest economy -- but the coalitions eurosceptic and anti-immigrant stance has alarmed senior European officials.

However, 53-year-old Conte, unveiled on Monday as anti-establishment Five Star Movement and nationalist Leagues pick for premier, sought a more conciliatory tone towards Europe when speaking to journalists at the presidential Quirinal palace.

"Im aware of the necessity to confirm Italys place, both in Europe and internationally," said Conte, who cast himself as the "peoples lawyer".

"My intent is to give life to a government of the people that looks after their interests. Im ready to defend the interests of Italians in Europe and internationally, maintaining dialogue with European institutions and representatives of other countries."

Conte, who hails from Five Star, said that he would present head-of-state Mattarella with his cabinet, which has been the subject of days of tough negotiations between Five Star and the League, within "the next few days".

The list of ministerial candidates must be endorsed by Mattarella before it can seek parliamentary approval.

Italian media reported that League chief Matteo Salvini would become interior minister while Five Star leader Luigi Di Maio will be in charge of the economic development ministry.

EU concerns

Mattarella was reportedly concerned about the plan to name Paolo Savona as economy minister.

Minister for industry between 1993-94, Savona, 81, was staunchly opposed to the signing of the Maastricht Treaty and has said he considers the euro currency a "German cage".

The joint government programme unveiled by the parties on Friday pledges significant anti-austerity measures such as drastic tax cuts, a monthly basic income and pension reform rollbacks, which Di Maio and Salvini claim will boost growth.

EU officials have voiced concern that Italy could trigger a new eurozone crisis by refusing to stick to public spending and debt targets set by Brussels.

Pierre Moscovici, the EU Economic Affairs Commissioner, said on Wednesday that Italy must deliver a "credible" response on how it will reduce its debt, the eurozones second largest in proportion to GDP.

The Milan stock exchange lost 1.31 per cent on Wednesday, while the difference in yield on Italian 10-year sovereign bonds compared to Germanys has increased 60 base points to 191 in just eight days -- a sign of increasing investor concern for Italys financial stability.

The government programme also plans to speed up expulsions of illegal immigrants and crack down on trafficking.

Nearly 700,000 people have landed in Italy since the migrant crisis exploded in 2013. European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters in Brussels: "We judge governments as governments not on what they announce but on what they will do. But we remain attentive to safeguard the rights of the Africans who are in Italy."  AFPWASHINGTON  US President Donald Trump on Thursday cancelled a planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, citing the latters "tremendous anger and open hostility."

Trump informed Kim of the cancellation in a letter released by the White House.

"We greatly appreciate your time, patience, and effort with respect to our recent negotiations and discussions relative to a summit long sought by both parties, which was scheduled to take place on June 12 in Singapore," the letter said.

"Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting."

He did not say which statement he was referring to, but last week Pyongyang started to issue a series of written warnings against US calls for "unilateral" denuclearisation. The regime took particular offense at talk of a Libya-model for denuclearisation, which would see the regime give up its nuclear weapons programme before getting sanctions relief.

"Please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place," Trump wrote in the letter. "You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used."

Trump said he was looking forward to meeting Kim and felt a "wonderful dialogue" was building up between them.

"Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you," he wrote. "If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write. The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history."

Trump still thanked Kim for releasing three American prisoners earlier this month, calling it a "beautiful gesture" that was very much appreciated.

Deeply concerned

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday said he was "deeply concerned" as US President Donald Trump cancelled a widely anticipated nuclear summit next month with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"I am deeply concerned by the cancellation of the planned meeting in Singapore between the President of the United States and the leader of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea," Guterres said as he presented a new UN disarmament agenda in Geneva.

"I urge the parties to continue their dialogue to find a path to a peaceful and verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula," he added.

Trump and Kim had been due to hold high-stakes talks on June 12 aimed at ridding the reclusive state of nuclear weapons, but the meeting was recently thrown into doubt as both sides raised the prospect of scrapping the discussions and traded threats.

Trumps letter came a day after North Korea attacked US Vice President Mike Pence as "ignorant and stupid."

The decision came as North Korea said it had "completely" dismantled its nuclear test site, in a carefully choreographed move portrayed by the isolated regime as a goodwill gesture ahead of the Singapore summit.  YONHAP/AFPThe Museum of Flights combat veteran Boeing B-52G Stratofortress will soon move from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, to the Museums West Campus at Boeing Field in Seattle. The aircraft has been in open storage at Paine Field since she retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1991. She rolled off the Wichita, Kansas production line in 1960 as 59-2584, and served in Strategic Air Command for her entire career. The bomber took part in the Linebacker II bombing campaign over Vietnam in December, 1972, an operation which led directly to the negotiations for the U.S. to depart the conflict. Nicknamed Midnight Express, 59-2584 flew 15,305 flight hours before shutting down for the last time. The aircraft, while recently cleaned up and repainted, is still in need of further work before she will be ready for display. Over the past few weeks, the museum has had the massive bomber disassembled, with some components making their way by road to Seattle in recent days. This effort has been a part of the museums Project Welcome Home , a plan to create an outdoor Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park at the museum

As the museums press release continues The projects grand finale will be June 2-3 , when the final sections (two 100-foot wings and the 170-foot-long fuselage) will be trucked on separate flatbeds to Boeing Field. The plane will be restored and put on permanent display in a new exhibit, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park, opening this fall.

To minimize traffic congestion during their 40-mile journeys on I-405 and I-5 freeways, the large, rare and eye-catching cargo will make the 2-hour trip between midnight and 4 a.m. The wings arrive first. The fuselage will be trucked on June 3 , and will be staged near its destination so the public can join in a welcoming celebration in the Museums Aviation Pavilion at 8 a.m. , when its drive will be completed in view of fans, veterans and City of Tukwila officials. The outdoor welcoming is free, and the Museum will open for business an hour early-9 a.m. with free admission to U.S. veterans.Avengers and Veterans, Warbirds and Patriots Invade Peru, Illinois

By Greg Morehead

Imagine what it would have been like to stand on a carrier deck as a squadron of World War Two Navy torpedo bombers prepare for a mission, their engines simultaneously running as the pilots scan their gauges and test their flight controls. In 2018, there is only one place in the world where one could experience the ground shaking rumble and awe inspiring din that 19 year old flight deck crewmen witnessed daily on US Navy aircraft carriers during WWII. Now 75 years later, very few of those brave men are still alive, yet a few were among the many onlookers.

What started as a birthday party for TBM owner Brad Deckert three years ago has grown to become a significant warbird gathering in Northern Illinois; this year dubbed the TBM Avenger Salute To Veterans. Taking center stage at the event were eleven TBMs that were parked side by side at Illinois Valley Regional Airport (KVYS) in Peru. They stretched from one end of the ramp to the other, while an impressive collection of other warbirds filled out the ramp, including: two F-86 Sabres, MiG-17, A-26 Invader, F4U-4 Corsair, FM2 Wildcat, Boeing Stearman, Nanchang CJ-6, six T-6 Texans, two T-34s and a Fairchild PT-19. It is an amazing feat to gather about half of the countrys actively flown TBMs in one location, and another feat to attract roughly half of the local population. The Peru/LaSalle combined population is nearly 20,000 and about half that many people showed up to watch warbirds and honor veterans.

Brad and Jane Deckert, owners of combat veteran TBM-3E BuNo 85828, are active warbird operators who are loved within the community. The friendship factor is a major reason fellow TBM owners have been drawn to the Deckerts hometown hangar, although there are a few other considerations that encouraged owners to invest their time and money to make the journey.

Operating a rare, 75 year old airplane requires financial resources, a broad skill set, and extensive aviation experience; however, learning the many pitfalls and solutions of operating a particular type of aircraft can only come through firsthand experience. Owners shared their experiences and asked questions in a round table discussion moderated by John Lane, who operates Airpower Unlimited, the well known restoration and maintenance shop in Jerome, Idaho.

Taking advantage of a great learning opportunity is always worth the time, but the money required to attend could have been a deal breaker for many TBM owners. The financial support of local government and businesses made it possible for TBM owners in distant locations to make the journey. The city of Peru was impressed with the 2016 event and saw the benefit as their community showed up by the thousands, prompting a financial commitment that was translated into fuel necessary to feed the voracious appetites of so many Wright R-2600 radial engines. If not for local financial support, this amazing event would not be possible. Translating the donations into necessary items, and managing the logistics of a complex public event was successfully accomplished by the airports FBO, Midwest Avtech, managed by Chuck Studer and administered by airport staff and volunteers.

Warbirds and veterans go hand in hand and people who love the hardware have an equal affinity for the men and women who go into harms way under the American flag. Veterans are honored at every air show, but this modest airport and community presented a thanks to veterans that was second to none thanks to Bill Miller Sr. and Dave Lourie. Prior to the flying portion of the event, two long rows of American flags were held by willing conscripts from the crowd. Smiles, waving hands, and tears greeted the 400 veterans from all branches of service as they walked down the flight line, between the flags that gently rolled and whipped in the breeze.

For various reasons unrelated to the event, the number of aircraft planning to take a spot on the ramp was slightly lower than scheduled, which is pretty standard for a warbird gathering. Aircraft break and weather does its best to remind us there are greater powers. Despite a few no-shows, the sky was buzzing all afternoon. Some TBMs were attending the gathering for the first time and a few from previous years were absent, netting eleven. They included:

Owner Aircraft Pilot(s)

Owner Aircraft Pilot(s) Brad Deckert TBM-3E Bu.85632 Brad Deckert Mark & Allen Yaggie TBM-3E Bu.53829 John Sinclair CAF Rocky Mountain Wing TBM-3S Bu.53503 Barry Hancock Simmons Aviation Svcs TBM-3E Bu.85650 Mark Simmons CAF Missouri Wing TBM-3 Bu.53353 Jordan Brown, JP Mellor Thomas Buck TBM-3U Bu.53768 Tom Buck Charles Cartledge TBM-3 Bu.91436 Charlie Cartledge Michael Kopp TBM-3E Bu.85882 Michael Kopp, Matt Cooper Tim Savage TBM-3E Bu.91521 Rick Siegfried, John Lane, Tim Savage

John Mosley TBM-3E Bu.91726 Daniel Mosley, Paul Barnett Darrel Berry TBM-3U Bu.69325 Darrel Berry

Tim Gillian, a well known T-6 pilot and owner, expertly described the events of the day for the spectators. Four TBMs launched and joined up for a missing man pass to officially open this Salute To Veterans. Three T-6 Texans then joined up and showed the crowd various formations. Gillian described each pass and how the pilots train and fly today much as cadets did 75 years ago. T-6 lead pilot Rick Siegfried had to stand down due to a mechanical concern, leaving the flight to John Shuttleworth, Doug Partl, and JP Mellor.

While most spectators did not know the special significance, warbird enthusiasts looked on in anticipation as John OConnor flew in and made several passes in his newly finished AU-1 Corsair wearing a unique gray paint scheme before departing the show without landing. Then Mark Novak and Tim Savage launched in Savages A-26 Invader as Mike Gillian arrived on the scene in his FM-2 Wildcat.

Jet fighters are always top crowd pleasers, so all eyes looked on as Paul Keppeler in his F-86 and Jeff Kaney in his MiG-17 launched for a jet adversaries demonstration, making some beautiful formation and hi speed solo passes. While the jets kept the crowd looking skyward, Darrell Berry taxied out in his magnificent TBM-3E. Once airborn, Berry joined up in formation with two T-34s from his collection. Both T-34s trailed smoke as each took opposing wing positions. The vic formation gave photographers ample opportunities to grab some great photos while Novak and Savage taxied out and took off in the Invader. Paul Ehlen took off in the crowd favorite F4U-4 Corsair and Mike Gillian took off in his gorgeous Wildcat. A unique formation resulted; the A-26 took the lead position with the Corsair on the right wing and F-86 and Wildcat on the left wing.

The finale of the event was the mass start-up, taxi, and flight of ten TBMs. The rumble was felt as much as heard when all ten engines were running at the same time  an awesome experience. The young generation learned that day that a past generation had things that blew the top off the cool meter. One can imagine the surprise of a young person as an Avenger began to taxi and those huge wings unfurled directly in front of them. One by one the Avengers took off, their flamingo like gear folding outwards into the wings during climb-out. Four of the big birds joined up in formation, including Barry Hancock in the Rocky Mountain Wings airplane, Paul Barnett in the Mosley TBM, John Sinclair in the Yaggie TBM, and Rick Siegfried in Tim Savages Avenger. The balance of the gaggle followed each other around the pattern so there was always an Avenger rumbling past.

That evening as pilots, crews, volunteers, and VIPs mingled, Airport Manager Chuck Studer was speaking with media as friend and TBM owner Brad Deckert stood nearby. Chuck said, The veteran parade was so well received that even if we didnt fly the TBMs, it was still a big success. Brad gave him a look that only a close friend can get away with and said with playful sarcasm, Oh, okay. Thanks a lot. Of course the friends were teasing and clarification was unnecessary. One cannot witness the flight of a warbird without imagining the world and the men when they were instruments of war, and the sacrifices made in epic struggles of life and death. Tim Gillian, the events emcee , shared, Already there are many photos online and one was very moving; a World War Two veteran had his hand on our airplane, with the flag flying over his head, and his head was down. It was moving. That one image captured a powerful moment for an aging American hero, one of many experienced during the successful 2018 TBM Avenger Salute To Veterans.

Addendum: When WarbirdsNews asked about the event, Brad Deckert commented, The TBM gathering/salute to veterans was a huge success by all measures. We have an increasingly uncommon situation here in Peru Illinois where we have tremendous city, airport, and community support. I have never been associated with anything quite like this anywhere else. We couldnt have picked a better venue to have this one-of-a-kind event. I think we can look forward to [similar events for] many years to come. I would also like to send out a special thanks to the non-TBM warbirds that show up and add so much.

WarbirdsNews would like to offer our profound thanks to Warbird Digests editor, Greg Morehead for providing this terrific article, and the marvelous images within it. We thought our readers might also like some of the additional images from Gregs photo-flight in Jordan Browns C-45 camera ship (many thanks to Jordan too!).In a recent press release, Docs Friends has announced three additional tour stops for their Boeing B-29s 2018 air show season. The organizations Superfortress, known as Doc, will now stop in Cleveland, Ohio, followed by visits to Eau Claire and then Madison, Wisconsin this summer.

May 31: Cleveland, OH | Burke Lakefront Airport

June 16-17: Chippewa Valley Air Show | Eau Claire, WI

July 21-22: Heavy Bomber Weekend | Madison, WI

The full 2018 tour schedule for Doc can be accessed HERE. The summer tour of the restored B-29 Superfortress includes nine stops in five states. Our mission is to honor the Greatest Generation and connect and educate current and future generations with the rich history of the B-29 as it relates to our nations history, said Josh Wells, Docs Friends spokesman. While our tour season kicks off in less than a week, we are still in negotiations with a few other air shows and tour stops that will be announced soon. We are also working closely with the FAA on a Living History Flight Exemption (LHFE), which will allow us to offer rides to those who want to experience the thrill of flying in a piece of one-of-a-kind history.

While Docs Friends cannot take reservations or discuss detailed plans for the LHFE program at this time, more information will likely be released soon. Meanwhile, construction continues, and is on schedule, for the new B-29 Doc Hangar and Education Center. CLICK HERE to see the overall budget and construction schedule. The new facility being built at Wichitas Eisenhower National Airport will be finished in November of this year.

For more info and to support Docs Friends, visit www.b-29doc.comEmail To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required.

Your Full Name: (optional)

Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required.By The Associated Press May. 23, 2018 | 09:06 PM | NEW YORK, NY

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that President Donald Trump is violating the First Amendment when he blocks critics on Twitter because of their political views.

U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald in Manhattan stopped short in her written decision of ordering Trump or a subordinate to stop the practice of blocking critics from viewing his Twitter account, saying it was enough to point out that it was unconstitutional.

"A declaratory judgment should be sufficient, as no government official  including the President  is above the law, and all government officials are presumed to follow the law as has been declared," Buchwald wrote.

The judge did not issue an order against Trump, and the plaintiffs did not ask for one. But in cases like this, plaintiffs can, in theory, go back and ask for such an order, and if it is not obeyed, the violator can be held in contempt.

Buchwald said she rejected the assertion that an injunction can never be lodged against the president but "nonetheless conclude that it is unnecessary to enter that legal thicket at this time."

The case was brought last July by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and seven individuals blocked by Trump after criticizing the Republican president.

Kerri Kupec, a spokeswoman for the Department of Justice, said in an email: "We respectfully disagree with the court's decision and are considering our next steps."

Jameel Jaffer, the Knight Institute's executive director, said in a release that his organization was pleased.

"The president's practice of blocking critics on Twitter is pernicious and unconstitutional, and we hope this ruling will bring it to an end," he said.

Comedian Dana Goldberg, who says she was blocked by the president but was not a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said she looks forward to getting access restored.

"As a comedian, I really feel like it's my job right now to speak truth to power. I have a voice and a platform to use it, and I would rather challenge him on every false and misleading statement than stay silent. It will save me some time if I'm unblocked. I can just check his Twitter feed instead of Google his morning tirades," she said.

The lawsuit was filed after Trump blocked some individuals from @realDonaldTrump, a 9-year-old Twitter account with over 50 million followers, after each of them tweeted a message critical of Trump or his policies in reply to a tweet he had sent.

Justice Department lawyers had argued it was Trump's prerogative to block followers, no different from the president deciding in a room filled with people not to listen to some.

Buchwald ruled that the tweets were "governmental in nature."

"The President presents the @realDonaldTrump account as being a presidential account as opposed to a personal account and, more importantly, uses the account to take actions that can be taken only by the President as President," the judge said.

The judge noted that another defendant, Daniel Scavino  the White House's social media director and an assistant to the president  can unblock those followers without the president needing to do it himself. The judge dismissed Sarah Huckabee Sanders as a defendant in the case after it was established she does not have access to Trump's account.

Buchwald also said she recognized the impact on the individuals by Trump's action was not "of the highest magnitude." She said the First Amendment protects people even from trivial harm.

After a hearing this year, the judge had suggested that Trump mute rather than block some of his critics. At the time, a Justice Department attorney agreed that muting would enable Trump to avoid a tweet he doesn't want to read.

Twitter users can block people, which prevents them from seeing the user's feed while logged in. Or they can mute the person, which keeps the user from seeing that person's tweets and reply messages in their feed.Pompeo Hopeful N. Korea Talks Will Still Happen

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By The Associated Press

May. 23, 2018 | WASHINGTON, DC

By The Associated Press May. 23, 2018 | 11:22 AM | WASHINGTON, DC

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday he was "very hopeful" that the U.S.-North Korean nuclear summit would take place as planned next month, although he laid the meeting's fate squarely on Kim Jong Un.



The decision about whether the June 12 meeting in Singapore between Kim and President Donald Trump happens is "ultimately up to Chairman Kim," Pompeo told the House Foreign Affairs Committee.



Lawmakers' questioning of Pompeo followed Trump's comment Tuesday that "there's a very substantial chance" the meeting would not proceed as scheduled.



Pompeo said the North Korean leader "asked for the meeting, the president agreed to meet with him. I'm very hopeful that meeting will take place."



The former CIA director, who has met twice with Kim since the start of April, told the committee that it's his hope that when Trump and Kim confer, "we can get the North Koreans to make this strategic shift about how best to serve the country  that the nuclear weapons program isn't in fact the thing that keeps the regime in power, but the thing that prevents the regime from being in a place it wants to be with economic success."



Pompeo said he had raised the issue of human rights with Kim "and it will be part of the discussions as we move forward." Asked by lawmakers whether he had a commitment from Kim to make it the part of a deal, Pompeo said, "We have broad outlines of what it is that each nation is prepared to do."



The summit would offer a historic chance for peace. But there also is the risk of a diplomatic failure that would allow the North to revive and advance its program.



Trump's newfound hesitation appears to reflect recent setbacks in efforts to bring about reconciliation between the two Koreas, as well as concern whether the self-proclaimed deal-maker can deliver a nuclear accord with Kim.



"The fate and the future of the Korean Peninsula hinge" on the meeting, South Korea's president, Moon Jae-in, told Trump in an Oval Office meeting Tuesday.



Trump said Kim had not met unspecified "conditions" for the summit. But Trump also said he believed Kim was "serious" about negotiations. Moon expressed "every confidence" in Trump's ability to hold the summit and bring about peace.



"I have no doubt that you will be able to ... accomplish a historic feat that no one had been able to achieve in the decades past," Moon said.



Trump said he didn't want to "totally commit" himself on whether North Korea should denuclearize all at once or in phases. "It would certainly be better if it were all in one," Trump said, before adding, "You do have some physical reasons that it may not be able to do exactly that."



Trump suggested the summit could be delayed rather than canceled: "It may not work out for June 12, but there is a good chance that we'll have the meeting."



He did not detail the conditions he had laid out for Kim but said if they aren't met, "we won't have the meeting." His spokeswoman, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said Trump was referring to a commitment to seriously discuss denuclearization.



Skepticism about the North's intentions have mounted in recent weeks after Kim's government pulled out of planned peace talks with the South last week, objecting to long-scheduled joint military exercises between U.S. and South Korean forces. The North also threatened to abandon the planned Trump-Kim meeting over U.S. insistence on rapidly denuclearizing the peninsula, issuing a harshly worded statement that the White House dismissed as a negotiating ploy.



Trump expressed suspicion that the North's recent aggressive barbs were influenced by Kim's unannounced trip to China two weeks ago  his second in as many months. Trump said he'd noticed "a little change" in Kim's attitude after the trip.



The president said he hoped Chinese President Xi Jinping was actually committed to the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, calling him a "world-class poker player." Trump said he was displeased by China's softening of border enforcement measures against North Korea.



Trump encouraged Kim to focus on the opportunities offered by the meeting and to make a deal to abandon his nuclear program, pledging not only to guarantee Kim's personal security but also predicting an economic revitalization for the North.



"I will guarantee his safety, yes," Trump said, noting that promise was conditioned on an agreement to complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization. Trump said if such an agreement is reached, China, Japan and South Korea would invest large sums to "make North Korea great."past daily news Sep 13 (1) Sep 09 (15) Sep 06 (12) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (10) Aug 31 (17) Aug 29 (14) Aug 26 (13) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (12) Aug 19 (21) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (10) Aug 10 (10) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (10) Aug 06 (10) Aug 05 (8) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (14) Jul 29 (1) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (10) Jul 22 (11) Jul 19 (16) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (10) Jul 15 (13) Jul 12 (7) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (11) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (8) Jun 28 (7) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (8) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (9) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (9) Jun 18 (8) Jun 15 (9) Jun 13 (13) Jun 11 (11) Jun 09 (19) Jun 06 (10) Jun 04 (10) Jun 03 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (5) May 30 (5) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (7) May 26 (6) May 25 (4) May 23 (6) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (7) May 19 (9) May 18 (4) May 17 (6) May 16 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29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1)Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. 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For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here.34,400cts medium and higher quality rubies exported and independent experts appointed to produce a maiden JORC Resource at Montepuez Ruby Project



Montepuez Ruby Project Operational Update

Sydney, May 24, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Mustang Resources ( ASX:MUS ) ( OTCMKTS:MTTGF ) is pleased to announce that it is exporting a further 34,400 carats of medium and higher grade rubies to its sales office in Thailand. The rubies were recovered as part of Mustang's bulk sampling operations at its Montepuez project in Mozambique from January to May 2018.This parcel includes 10,238cts recovered from the processing of 22,180 tonnes at 46 cpht from the recently discovered Block B at Montepuez.The whole parcel will be graded and is planned to be sold in Thailand as part of ongoing market development and test sales activities.Key Points- Mustang currently exporting a further 34,400cts of medium and higher quality rubies to Thailand from its Montepuez project- Exported rubies planned to be sold through the Thailand office as part of the Company's ongoing market development and test sales campaign- Newly discovered "Block B" delivered 10,238cts from the processing of 22,180 tonnes at a grade of 46 carats per hundred tonnes (cpht) since April 2018- Independent experts Sound Mining Solutions appointed to undertake Resource modelling in preparation for a maiden JORC Resource in the December quarter 2018- Pitting and exploration activities increased to define further extensions of secondary ruby deposits- Plant upgrades scheduled to start in June 2018 to double processing capacity through the installation of an additional rotary pan, which is expected to reduce processing costs and total cost per carat- Subject to a favourable maiden JORC Resource, exploration results and economic evaluation, Mustang aims to start commercial-scale mining operations in the first half of 2019- Delegation from Thai Department of Commerce inspected the project in Mozambique and gave their full support to Mustang and future auctions in Thailand.Mustang is also pleased to announce that it has appointed independent consultants Sound Mining Services (SMS) based in South Africa to start geological and resource modelling based on the comprehensive exploration and bulk sampling to date.SMS will model and interpret the data with the aim of establishing a maiden JORC Resource for the Montepuez Ruby project in the December quarter of 2018.Mustang has been increasing it exploration and pitting activities to provide additional data for the Resource and geological modelling and to define further extensions of the various ruby-bearing gravels on its licence areas.Montepuez Ruby Project Development Plan and MilestonesThe Company has now scheduled significant capacity upgrades for its ruby processing plant. These will start in June 2018. The upgrades will double the plant's processing capacity and are expected to significantly reduce processing costs (and therefore total costs) per carat through the installation of an additional rotary pan.Following completion of these upgrades and the successful completion of the current exploration phase and subject to a favourable maiden JORC Resource, further exploration results and economic evaluation, the Company is targeting to commence commercial-scale mining operations in the first half of 2019 in accordance with the terms and conditions of the mining concessions.Mustang Managing Director Dr. Bernard Olivier said: "We are pleased to report continuing progress on the development of the Montepuez Ruby Project. Our revised exploration and development strategy is now well on track."We look forward to completing the maiden JORC Resource and economic viability work later this year which, along with the planned plant capacity increase, we hope will pave the way for commercial-scale production operations to start in the first half of next year."A delegation of 15 representatives from the Thai Department of Commerce visited Mustang's Montepuez Ruby Project. The Permanent Secretary, the Thai Ambassador to Mozambique and the Vice-President of the Thai Gem and Jewelry Traders Association were members of the delegation, together with other senior individuals from the gem industry in Thailand.The Company was very pleased that the delegation was impressed by the ruby project and that it considers the project is run by Mustang on a highly ethical basis and is 'world-class' in all respects. The Thai Permanent Secretary of the Department of Commerce, Mrs Nuntawan Sakuntanaga confirmed that the Thai Government is very supportive of the project and of Mustang seeking relevant official approvals to conduct regular ruby auctions in Thailand in 2019.To view figures, please visit:About New Energy Minerals Ltd

New Energy Minerals Ltd (ASX:NXE) (FRA:GGY) is an ASX listed junior mining company, that recently announced the divestment of the Company's Caula vanadium - graphite project and the Montepuez Ruby project in Mozambique.The firms newly created Aon Weather & Climate Risk Innovation network will assist clients to meet demands to evaluate the potential impact of climate risk and weather on their operations, and develop comprehensive risk financing strategies to improve resilience. The network brings together sector knowledge, experience and expertise from across Aon  supported by advanced data, analytics and partnerships with innovative firms  to offer a dedicated center of excellence that will assist clients in risk assessment, risk mitigation, and risk transfer. Focused on quantifying risk, lowering the cost of capital for climate mitigation solutions, and closing the capital efficiency gap in infrastructure and chronic weather risks, the network builds on the risks identified by the G20s Financial Stability Board recommendations on climate risk disclosure. Aon has a proven track record in assisting governmental and intergovernmental entities to reduce their exposures to natural catastrophe events; for example, in February the firm completed the largest ever earthquake catastrophe bond on behalf of the World Bank, which also represented the largest ever sovereign risk transfer. Kurt Cripps, Global Head of Weather at Aon Benfield, said: Given that most businesses are exposed to weather volatility at different points in their operations, there is clearly a demand for tailored and effective climate and weather solutions. Our data and technology enables us to offer firms customized parametric solutions that provide protection for the climate volatility and weather events most likely to adversely impact their revenues and profitability. Independent studies have shown that for the vast majority of businesses, adverse weather can impact profitability on a day-to-day basis, while climate risk has become a core concern for many clients, as well as investors, who demand the companies in which they invest have a robust risk mitigation strategy in place. Greg Lowe, Global Head of Resilience and Sustainability at Aon, said: There has been a shift in the landscape regarding how companies, investors, and regulators view weather and climate risk. Collectively, this growing awareness has brought insurance tools, such as catastrophe modelling and hazard maps, and instruments, such as catastrophe bonds, to the fore. In light of this, we have decided to strategically combine the capabilities that we have across our firm to address what has been identified as a critical change for businesses and society. Aon has already made significant progress in providing tailored weather solutions to clients. Its parametric weather products  made possible through advanced satellite imaging technology, ground-based data, and actuarial analysis  are assisting businesses in sectors as diverse as construction, energy (renewable and non-renewable), and retail to protect themselves against weather events that could adversely affect revenues. Aons Impact Forecasting division has estimated that weather events in 2017 caused USD344 billion in global economic loss  a loss which was largely insured. Meanwhile, the supply chain disruption from events such as the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Thai floods reinforced the exposure the global economy has to natural disasters.



Called Got it covered? Insurance in a changing climate, the report by the Asset Owners Disclosure Project (AODP), part of responsible investment organisation ShareAction, examines 80 of the worlds largest insurers, with assets worth $15 trillion. Based on their management of material climate risk, insurers are rated from AAA if they show climate leadership, to D if their approach is limited. The lowest X rating is given to those showing no evidence of addressing climate issues. Results show that the UK takes two of the top four spots in the climate leaders category. The top-rated insurance firms are AXA followed by Aviva, who received a AAA rating, and Allianz and Legal & General, who were awarded AA. Legal & General was also the most improved insurer in the index, moving up eight rating bands from last year. Japanese firm Tokio Marine also shot up six rating bands to a BBB rating, having been rated D in 2017. AODP analysed insurers disclosures based on industry (TCFD) recommendations covering: climate strategy, climate risk management, and targets. The research drew on both publicly available information and private survey responses. The report records improvement in the rating of Japanese insurers since the last survey in 2017, driven by their transparency on climate-related risks. Over a third of assessed insurers have jumped to a higher rating band, with Tokio Marine joining the leaderboard as the only non-European insurer. Four Japanese insurers rank above the highest-ranked US insurer. One factor that could have contributed to this is the ripple effect on the Japanese financial ecosystem created by Japans largest asset owner, the Government Pension Investment Fund, integrating environmental, social and governance factors into its investment processes. In contrast, all but three of the assessed US insurers received D or X ratings, the two lowest ratings, including Prudential Financial and AIG, who scored a D. This is in spite of climate disclosure rules being in place since 2010, much earlier than in Europe. In the results of the first industry stress test of its kind, published by Californias Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones earlier in May, analysed insurers were revealed to be heavily exposed to coal, with portfolios consistent with a trajectory of six degrees of global warming. The famous statement made by Thomas Buberl, the Chief Executive of AXA, that a four-degree world is not insurable makes this climate risk negligence by the US insurers look particularly culpable. In Europe, an active debate around climate disclosures as well as pressure from civil society help explain why European insurers continue to dominate the 2018 leaderboard. Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, was the first regulator to acknowledge climate change as a financial and potentially systemic risk. Mark Carneys address to the insurance sector in 2015 singled out the industry as fundamental to economic and social stability in the face of climate change. However, even European insurers efforts have been slammed by campaigners, who deem them insufficient to keep global temperature rises to well below two degrees Celsius. Insurers are some of the worlds largest institutional investors; their investments and underwriting activities affect a multitude of communities and economies. Global campaigners, such as Unfriend Coal, point out that even top-rated insurers in AODPs leader category do not always exercise their power as shareholders and underwriters but instead continue supporting high carbon businesses whose activities are inconsistent with the globally agreed two-degree goal. In terms of low-carbon investments in assets like renewable energy, AODP has calculated the aggregate allocation to be roughly $70bn, less than 0.5% of assets and dramatically shy of the $1.1trn needed per year by all parties in order to transition at pace towards a prosperous low-carbon economy. Over two thirds of European insurers and considerably fewer American and Asian insurers report publicly on their low-carbon investments, with the European average being 0.79% of total assets. Christiana Figueres, a former Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, had issued a challenge to institutional investors to allocate one per cent of their total assets into clean technologies and renewable energy by 2020. One per cent is a modest ask, yet the majority of assessed insurers are not yet close to it. It is now two years since the then UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the insurance industry to address climate risks by doubling sustainable energy investments while decarbonising existing portfolios and supporting the Sustainable Development Goals. AODPs analysis found that only six to eight per cent of the assessed insurers have met all these challenges; the majority fail on all three of Ban Ki-moons challenges. Pavel Kirjanas, AODP Project Manager at ShareAction and report author, says: This year, AODP has put the insurance industry in the spotlight. We applaud the leading and innovative approaches taken by the sectors leaders. Unfortunately, there is no time to celebrate. While the world is being shaken by climate-induced catastrophes, the worlds largest insurers keep pressing the snooze button. US insurance companies seem complacent about portfolios that put us on a disastrous six-degrees pathway. He added, This is no longer a matter of forming a climate belief, its a matter of responding to facts. The world is transitioning to a low-carbon economy at an unprecedented pace. Climate ignorance is simply not prudent. Dave Jones, Californias Insurance Commissioner, says: We look forward to using the information contained in this report as we monitor insurance companies response to climate risk and as we consider additional regulatory steps to make sure that insurers are considering and addressing climate risks. Further, making climate risks transparent will help ensure that climate-related financial issues are routinely reflected in business and investment decisions. Sue Reid, Vice-President for Climate & Energy at Ceres, says: If major US insurers continue to lag behind their global peers on addressing climate-related risks, they will be unable to deliver on their promise of providing a crucial safety net for their customers. This report provides a compelling wake-up call: to build resilience, insurers in the US and around the world must integrate climate risk considerations into their products and investments alike, without further delay. Jad Ariss, Group Head of Public Affairs and Corporate Responsibility at AXA: Being a sector leader of the 2018 AODP Insurance Index is a recognition of AXAs commitment to address climate change both as an insurer and an investor, in line with the TCFD recommendations. Indeed in 2018, we have published our first comprehensive climate-related investment and insurance report leveraging innovative indicators to assess climate-related financial risks and opportunities. Zelda Bentham, Group Head of Sustainability at Aviva, says: We continue to value the work and insight that the Asset Owners Disclosure Project report provides and would like to the thank the AODP for awarding Aviva a AAA rating in their Global Climate Index of Insurance Companies. It is clear from the report that there is much more to do. Increased action on addressing climate risk is needed throughout the insurance sector value chain, on both the asset and liability side, if we are to continue in our role as societys risk manager. Katharina Latif, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Allianz, says: As an institutional investor and insurer we are supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy with both our insurance solutions and investments. Climate action is a strategic priority for us and we, therefore, engage investee companies as well as international policy-makers to walk the talk. Our recent climate action announcements are another proof point for Allianzs leadership position in AODPs ranking. We hope the report helps more peers develop ambitious climate strategies. ClientEarth Insurance Industry lawyer Stephanie Morton says: "The AODP report demonstrates that insurers are beginning to internalise the significance of climate-related financial risks. It is also clear that there is a long way to go. Insurers are heavily exposed to the risks of climate change: extreme weather events are becoming more intense and as efforts to mitigate climate change step up, we are seeing a growing risk of stranded assets - investments that dont end up delivering returns. Insurance professionals and those who advise them need to be factoring these realities into their underwriting and investment decisions. Many insurers are still perilously exposed to the systemic financial risks posed by climate change. This could severely undermine the stability of the sector, with grave consequences for society." Peter Bosshard, finance program director at the Sunrise Project and coordinator of the Unfriend Coal campaign, says: "The AODP report shows that the insurance industry is starting to take the risks of climate change to their insurance services and investments more seriously. Going forward, responsible insurers need to urgently address the reverse risks which their investments and insurance services for the fossil fuel industry pose to the climate."  AXA, Aviva, Allianz, and Legal & General come top in a new global insurance ranking on climate.

 Progress across the industry as a whole leaves the Paris Agreement goals currently unattainable.

 All but three US insurance firms assessed have no plans in place to decarbonise their portfolios or address climate-related financial risks.

 Japanese insurers have made notable improvements on climate risk disclosure, and now rank above US firms in addressing climate risks in their portfolios.

 Less than 0.5% of assets invested by the worlds 80 largest insurers are in low-carbon investments that provide solutions to climate change, despite the insurance sector being highly exposed to its financial risks.

Download Insurance in a Changing ClimateDAVAO CITY, Philippines  The children advocacy group Salinlahi on Tuesday hit the Department of Health (DOH) for its refusal to release into public the list of names of children who were vaccinated with Dengvaxia from 2016 until 2017.

In a statement released to the media, Salinlahi Secretary General Eule Rico Bonganay said DOH insisted the issue on privacy when it declined to make public the list of names in a recent deliberation on the budget for Dengvaxia victims in the House of Representatives.

The DOH should consider that many children were vaccinated without the consent of their parents, it is important to release the master list for the people to effectively monitor their children, Bonganay pointed out.

He argued that the DOH must not use the privacy issue as it will hinder the people in protecting their children amidst the public health disaster caused by Dengvaxia vaccination.

The House approved during the deliberation the proposed P1.16 billion medical support fund for Dengvaxia victims.

Salinlahi noted down that a total of 87 children who were given at least a dose of Dengavaxia vaccine already died.

Despite the debacle, the government continues to reject proposals of releasing the names of those children vaccinated.

It is also difficult to verify the number of children who are now experiencing health problems after receiving Dengvaxia vaccine sans the master list, Bonganay stressed.

The Dengvaxia budget deliberation exposes the rotting public health situation in the Philippines, it is enraging that it costs the lives of 87 children and put the lives of about 900,000 children in danger for the government to tackle these issues. With or without Dengvaxia, public health care must be prioritized by the state! the statement added. Read more here.Chaldean Patriarch Congratulates Surprise Iraqi Election Winner

The Chaldean Patriarch, Louis Raphael I Sako, has telephoned Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr to congratulate him on his unexpected victory in the country's recent parliamentary elections. The Patriarchate also said that Sako told Sadr he hoped for a government that promotes the common good of all the Iraqi people. According to the Patriarchate, Sadr thanked Sako for his words and pledged to "support Christians", the Vatican-linked news agency Fides reported. No single candidate won anywhere near enough seats to control the majority of the 329-seat parliament, and Mr Sadr's bloc won the greatest number with only 54 seats. The bloc led by Hadi al-Amari, a militia leader who fought against Iraq during its war with Iran, came second with 47 seats. The bloc headed by Haider al-Abadi, Prime Minister since 2014, fared worse than expected, with 42 seats, but won the multi-sectarian province of Nineveh, which includes many Christian towns and the city of Mosul where, under his overall command, Iraqi forces led the military defeat of IS last year. However Mr Sadr did not stand as a candidate himself and has said he will not become prime minister, meaning he instead can function as something of a "kingmaker". Although Christians were killed or forced to flee Baghdad in 2006 and 2007 as his Shia militias sparked furious fighting with Baghdad's Sunni populations, he has distanced himself from his Iranian former backers, saying he regards their influence in Iraq as destabilising. Rend al-Rahim, a former Iraqi ambassador to the US, told Al Jazeera that this result "indicates that at least in Mosul province there is renewed hope for a better future and an acknowledgement of the role of Abadi and the Iraqi army in liberating Nineveh". According to The New York Times, Mr Sadr favours Mr Abadi to continue as prime minister. Mr Abadi is a moderate Shia who has partnered with the US in the fight against Islamic State. Mr Sadr met both him and Mr Amari at the weekend as part of negotiations for forming a government, and after meeting Mr Abadi he said their meeting showed that the next government "will be inclusive, we will not exclude anyone". The Al Monitor news website noted that on 21st May, Mr Sadr tweeted, "I am Muqtada. I am Shiite, Sunni, Christian, Sabean, Yazidi, Islamist, civil, Arab, Kurdish, Assyrian, Turkmen, Chaldean and Shabak. I am Iraqi. Do not expect me to side with any sect against the other to renew enmities and lead to our demise. We are headed toward a comprehensive Iraqi alliance." Although the country's Christians had only five seats to fight over, the results show a significant shift. Fides reports that four of the five successful candidates belong to the Chaldean Church, and that the Assyrian Democratic Movement, the longest-running Christian party, will have no representation in parliament. Two of the five seats were won by candidates from the Babylon Brigades militia: Aswan Salem Sawa in Nineveh, and Burhanuddin Ishak Ibrahim in Baghdad. In Kirkuk, the seat was won by the Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Council's Rihan Hanna Ayoub, and in Erbil the seat was won by Hoshyar Karadag Yelda, a candidate for the Chaldean coalition. The only non-Chaldean, Immanuel Khoshaba, of the Assyrian Rafidain coalition, won the seat reserved for Christians in the governorate of Dohuk. It is thought that since the emigration of around 70 per cent of Iraqi Christians since the US-led invasion of 2003, Chaldean Catholics are now more numerous than Syriacs and Assyrians. Patriarch Sako, who has been positioning himself as the leader of all the country's Christians, urged the Christian politicians "to develop a new vision and unite the stances to safeguard our small quota and its independence, which in turn protects our dignity and unity". Meanwhile, it was announced on Sunday that the Patriarch is to be made a cardinal, increasing his recognition in the Western Church. His predecessor, Emmanuel Delly, received the cardinal's red hat in 2007 at the age of 80, as a sign of Pope Benedict XVI's "spiritual closeness and affection" for Iraqi Christians then engulfed amid the Sunni-Shia violence that had erupted in Iraq. Patriach Sako is to be made a cardinal on 29th June.Helicopters and personnel from the Royal Canadian Air Forces 450 and 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadrons completed an exercise to validate their capabilities in anticipation of an eventual deployment of a Task Force to Mali.

Since its most recent upgrade, the CH-147F has increased its internal fuel capacity, allowing it to fly twice as far as previous models (Picture source: RCAF)

The pre-deployment preparation achieved the integration of the CH-146 Griffon and CH-147F Chinook helicopters, the validation of the Forward Aeromedical Evacuation capability, and certification of the Headquarters team. The scenarios were designed to prepare the Task Force to operate in a complex environment that mirrored the realities of the peace support operation planned for Mali.

On March 19, 2018, Canada announced its commitment to deploy a Task Force made up of medium utility and heavy lift transport helicopters for up to 12 months to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). Planning and preparations have been underway since that time, with a view to deploying the Task Force in August 2018. This Task Force will provide two CH-147F Chinook helicopters from 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, based in Petawawa, Ont. and four CH-146 Griffon helicopters from 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, based in Edmonton, Alta. Aircraft spares could also be made available to the Aviation Detachment.

In Mali, the CH-146 Griffon helicopters will serve as an armed escort for the Chinooks as they carry out critical mission requirements as part of MINUSMA. Canadian Armed Forces will provide MINUSMA with a number of medically-trained personnel who will facilitate medical evacuations for partners and allied forces on the ground and provide logistical support for the mission.

The CH-147F Chinook is an advanced multi-mission, medium to heavy-lift transport helicopter. It is used to transport equipment and personnel during domestic or deployed operations. Since its most recent upgrade, the CH-147F has increased its internal fuel capacity, allowing it to fly twice as far as previous models.



The CH-146 Griffon is a Utility Tactical Transport Helicopter (UTTH) that has been in service since 1995. The Griffon's primary role is tactical transportation of troops and material. It is also used at home and abroad for: search and rescue (SAR) missions, surveillance and reconnaissance, counter-drug operations and armed escort for other helicopters.

Canadas contribution will join 57 MINUSMA partner countries in their continued efforts to bring sustainable peace and stability to Mali and the Sahel.Jilda Hall has been coming to the Florida Museum of Natural History for years. She used to bring her son when he was a kid. Now, she brings her grandson, Thomas.

Hall held Thomas by the hand. She led him through a hallway of glass frames filled with butterflies Wednesday afternoon. She explained to her grandson how butterfly specimens at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity used to be displayed in drawers when his father was a child.

I hope (my son and grandson) are able to learn from things other people have curated and donated, Hall said as Thomas ran ahead of her to continue exploring. Maybe someday, my grandson will be a collector and a donor, too.

The Hall family may soon benefit from more extensive research done at the McGuire Center after a donation of more than 70,000 specimens was made to the museum last year for research. Two lifelong collectors of butterflies and moths, Ed Knudson and Charles Bordelon, called their donated inventory the Texas Lepidoptera Survey Research Collection.

Bordelon died in 2016, but he and his partner decided to donate the collection to the museum before his death, according to the museums website.

Collections coordinator Andrei Sourakov said the McGuire Center houses one of the worlds largest collections for lepidoptera  butterflies and moths  with its millions of specimens.

The donation is not an exhibit for public viewing, but it will help UF receive grants for the study and improvement of lepidoptera collections, Sourakov said. It will also attract entomologists who want to start their own collections with the reassurance they will be studied.

When people collect all their lives, they want to put the collection somewhere where it will be used, Sourakov said.

Sourakov said the collection will help researchers study lepidoptera genetics and environmental changes, identify undescribed and unseen species and better understand the effect of global climate change on their habitats.

By studying genetics of butterflies and moths, people learn a lot about genetics of other organisms, he said. Including ourselves.

By day, collectors like Knudson and Bordelon may go out into fields with nets to capture specimens. By night, they use sheets and black lights that attract the moths.

As Sourakov pulled a thick red field guide of North American lepidopteras off a nearby bookshelf, he explained how important it is that Knudson and Bordelon correctly illustrated and organized the species similarly.

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The most important thing about the donation, Sourakov said, is that collectors want their decades-long project to be studied and preserved, not kept under lock and key collecting dust.

Collections are used in so many numerous ways that are limited only by the imagination of the people who use them, he said.

Follow Angela on Twitter @angdimi and contact her at adimichele@alligator.org.With the rain Gainesville has experienced this past week, mosquitoes will begin populating the area  especially if residents dont follow the recommended procedures.

Mosquitoes usually come out in early April, said Chip Skinner, public works spokesperson for Gainesville Mosquito Control. The increase in rain this month has encouraged mosquito breeding.

As of Tuesday, there have not been any mosquito-related illnesses reported within the city, according to Skinner. However, mosquito-related illnesses have been reported in livestock in surrounding counties, he said.

Residents can limit mosquito breeding habits by emptying water in stored boats, flower pots and saucers, trash cans, discarded tires and wading pools. People must also change the water in bird baths weekly and pet dishes daily.

Mosquitoes prefer slow or stagnant water to lay their eggs. According to cityofgainesville.org, one tablespoon of water can breed more than 200 mosquitoes. In the summer months, it only takes three or four days to complete their life cycle.

One program that helps the Alachua County Health Department warn the general public about where mosquito-related illnesses can be found is the Sentinel Chicken Surveillance Program.

The department sends out six flocks of chickens to areas like Hawthorne, Alachua and Newberry. The chickens blood is periodically tested from May to November to determine which counties have mosquito-related diseases.

Anthony Dennis, the environmental health director at the Florida Department of Health in Alachua, said this information is used to warn the general public in that area.

The county is alerted when a chicken tests positive for an illness. The chicken is removed from the flock and replaced with another healthy chicken.

If a chicken is infected, the caretaker brings it home. At the end of the surveillance period, the primary caretaker keeps all of the chickens, Dennis said.

Chickens are the perfect sentinels because they are not affected by the virus, even when they test positive for a mosquito-related disease, Dennis said.

Follow Alana Wilson on Twitter @alanawilson0313 and contact her alanawilson0313@ufl.edu.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe NowStudents voiced their distaste for previous Student Body President Smith Meyers vetoes during Tuesdays Student Government meeting.

During a public debate, students with disabilities spoke out against the veto of one of the six vetoed bills that were discussed May 15. It would have required closed captioning for videos released by SG social media accounts.

The veto prevents non-native English speaking, autistic, hard of hearing and other students from having equal access to SG information, student speakers said.

Some senators criticized the lack of debate before the vetoes, while other senators opposed this view and said what happened was not unusual.

We have shown a history of embracing objections and being willing to debate over any sort of fundamental disagreement, Senator Trevor Pope (Impact, District C) said during debate.

Two chair positions were also filled during the meeting.

The positions were left vacant after the senators appointed to them in March stepped down to pursue work outside of Gainesville over the Summer, Student Senate President Danielle Grosse said.

Senator Clay Hurdle (Impact, Graduate) received the rules and ethics committee chair position. Senator Libby Shaw (Impact, Journalism) received the SG Judiciary Committee chair position.

During the meeting, Shaw presented her goals as the new judiciary chair.

She said her most important goal is creating a womens caucus in the Senate so womens voices are heard.

At UF were over half female, and its not such in the Senate, Shaw said.

Follow Gillian Sweeney on Twitter @gilliangsweeney and contact her at gsweeney@alligator.org.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe NowA lawsuit was filed Tuesday against Florida Secretary of State, Ken Detzner, concerning his interpretation of early voting laws.

Among the plaintiffs is Megan Newsome, a 22 year-old UF alumna who now works as a researcher for UFs physics department.

During her undergraduate career at UF, Newsome was an ambassador for the Vote Everywhere program of the Andrew Goodman Foundation.

With my title as an ambassador, I registered over 3,000 voters, and we shuttled over 100 students to vote during the 2016 election, Newsome said. Newsome was also asked to look into the issue of early voting.

In 2014, FL Statute 101.657, often referred to as the early vote statute, was updated to include early voting locations where approved, Newsome said. Students asked to use the Reitz Union as an early voting location, and Detzner said no.

In November 2017, Newsome wrote an op-ed to draw attention to the issue. Guy Cecil, chairman of Priorities USA Foundation and UF alumnus, read the op-ed and decided to get involved.

Priorities USA Foundation is focused on making sure access to the ballot box is protected and expanding, Cecil said. They are providing the legal and financial resources to the League of Women Voters of Florida and the student plaintiffs against Detzner.

Cecil said there is nothing in the statute that prohibits public universities from serving as an early voting location, and that Detzner wrongly interpreted (Statute 101.657) in the most conservative way possible and in a way that actually restricts and discourages access to the ballot box on the part of young people and college students.

For there not to be access to an early vote location on campus, its not just unnecessary, Cecil said. It is from our perspective intentionally making it more difficult for those students to vote."

Patricia Brigham, president of the League of Women Voters of Florida, says the state should be making it easier for college students to vote, not harder.

A lot of these students that live on campus in dorms dont always have a car and may not be close to a polling center to vote early or to vote on election day, Brigham said. We believe that these students should not be hindered from casting their vote if they need to do so early. They should be supported.

Follow Sloan Savage on Twitter@sloanasavageand contact her atssavage@alligator.org.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe NowGainesville Police arrested a woman May 8 and have been uncovering more crimes she has allegedly committed targeting the elderly.

Keyasha Patterson, 22, has 12 charges from GPD including using stolen credit cards in April and May.

Patterson allegedly stole the first victims purse at Walmart, located at 5700 NW 23rd St., on April 4 around noon. It contained her Social Security card, her driver's license and her credit card.

Soon after, a fraudulent charge of $61.01 was made at Murphy Express gas station, according to the report. At 7:16 p.m. the card was declined for $265 at DTLR on North Main Street. On April 5, it was declined for $1 at Sunoco.

Patterson is seen on surveillance video at Murphy Express and DTLR, according to the report.

The victim, 89, then allegedly let Patterson into her home to use the phone on the evening of April 21, according to the report. Patterson allegedly stole the victims new purse, which contained the victims replacement credit card and $200 in cash.

About 30 minutes later the credit card was charged $262.88 at Tommy Hilfiger in Celebration Pointe, according to the report. Surveillance video identified Patterson using it.

On the morning of April 29, a second victim, 84, asked what Patterson was doing when she walked out of his room at Brookdale Senior Living Facility, according to the report. She said she was looking for someone and had the wrong room.

The victim saw his drawer partially open and his wallets missing, according to the report. The wallets had the victims ID, Social Security card, $600 in cash and a debit card. The victim called 911 soon after.

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As Patterson was leaving the facility, a GPD officer arrived. The victim pointed out Pattersons car and the officer pulled her over.

The officer did not find the victims belongings on Patterson or in her car. Patterson was cited for driving with a suspended or revoked license without knowledge and was released.

Charges of $20 at a Shell gas station and $10.29 at a Wendys were made on the victims stolen card April 30. The card was declined for $700 at a Value Pawn & Jewelry, $402.95 at a Family Dollar and $1 at a Best Western hotel.

Surveillance video shows Patterson at the Family Dollar, according to the report.

An officer obtained an arrest warrant for Patterson for scheming to enter two elderly victims residences and steal their wallets May 1, according to the report. She used the debit cards at two stores on the same date.

When Patterson was arrested May 8, her wallet contained the first victims Social Security card and more, according to the report. She denied stealing anything from Brookdale.

Patterson has been in Alachua County Jail since May 8 due to additional charges from the Alachua County Sheriffs Office and GPD. The Alligator only has reports from GPD. She currently has a $420,000 bail.

Follow Devoun Cetoute on Twitter @devoun_cetoute and contact him at dcetoute@alligator.orgPosted on: May 24, 2018 5:18 PM

The Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, was introduced as a member of the House of Lords, the upper house of the British Parliament, earlier today. From its earliest days as an advisory council to monarchs, the House of Lords has included Church of England bishops amongst its membership. Today, 26 bishops are included amongst its members: the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and the Bishops of London, Winchester and Durham. The remaining 21 are chosen by seniority, in the order that they first became diocesan bishops. In a ten-year transition arrangement, eligible female bishops will be appointed to the House of Lords ahead of eligible male bishops. But as Bishop of one of the top five sees, Sarah Mullally becomes the most senior female bishop in the House of Lords.

Bishop Sarah, formerly the Chief Nursing Officer for England, was named as Bishop of London, in succession to Richard Chartres, last December. She had already been consecrated and was serving as Bishop of Crediton in the Diocese of Exeter at the time of her appointment. She was installed at a service in St Pauls Cathedral on 12 May  International Nurses Day.

Today as I respond to the Call of Christ to a new ministry I recall my first calling to follow Christ; to know him and make him known to the world, she said. In the words of St Augustine For you I am your bishop but with you I am a Christian

In her sermon, she spoke of the importance of building relationships, saying: If we want to improve public health today, if we want to improve the life chances of those who are still left behind and failed by our education system, if we want to reduce the horrifyingly high number of young deaths from knife and gun crime occurring in this wonderful city, we have to build relationships, and if we want to see more people transformed by the love of God then we have to reach out, to build relationships.

She asked the congregation to join her in fostering in the Diocese of London a church which is rooted in scripture and tradition but not afraid to re-imagine the future.

On appointment as Bishop of London, in addition to becoming a member of the House of Lords, she will also be a member of the Privy Council  the ancient body that still advises the monarch and which retains limited power to legislate outside of Parliament.Posted on: May 24, 2018 10:57 AM

A planned summit between the US and North Korea next month looks increasingly to be in doubt, as rhetoric between the two nations increase. But churches on the peninsula are continuing their plans for a prayer vigil outside the US embassy in Seoul ahead of the scheduled 12 June meeting between US president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore. The regional ecumenical group the National Council of Churches in Korea has planned the prayer vigil to express its hope for lasting peace on the peninsula.

This week, President Trump indicated that the meeting might be cancelled or postponed, telling reporters: we're moving along, and we'll see what happens. There are certain conditions that we want, and I think we'll get those conditions. And if we don't, we don't have the meeting. And frankly, it has a chance to be a great, great meeting for North Korea and a great meeting for the world. If it doesn't happen, maybe it will happen later. Maybe it will happen at a different time. But we will see.

The US Vice President Mike Pence warned that this will only end like the Libyan model ended if Kim Jong-un doesnt make a deal. Those comments were widely seen as a threat by North Korean officials. The US lifted sanctions on Libya after its former leader, Muammar Gaddafi, agreed to decommission the countrys chemical and nuclear weapons programme. A few years later he was overthrown and killed in a US-backed uprising.

Today (Thursday), North Koreas foreign minister Choe Son-hui warned of a potential nuclear showdown, saying: Whether the US will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision . . . of the US, she said. We will neither beg the US for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us.

While stark, the language is not unusual in taunts between the two countries; and progress towards peace continues to be made. Today (Thursday) a group of western journalists are in Punggye-ri to witness the destruction of what North Korea says is one of its nuclear test sites. There was a huge explosion, you could feel it, Sky News Tom Cheshire reports from the site. Dust came at you, the heat came at you. It was extremely loud. It blew an observation tower to complete smithereens.

Ahead of the planned meeting  which is currently still planned for 12 June  the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) will hold a candlelight prayer meeting on Thursday 7 June in Seouls Gwanghwamun Square, just outside the US embassy. It expects 300 people to join.

The NCCK is also calling upon its member churches and partners around the world to organise prayer gatherings on the same day, or sometime before the summit. The NCCK has suggested that Korean Christians spend one minute in prayer each day from 6 to 12 June.

Prayer cards featuring the flag symbolising a unified Korea, that was used in the Pyungchang Olympic games, are being distributed in churches, encouraging people to pray for the end of the Korean war, the realisation of a peace treaty, denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula as well as in the world, and a lifting of the sanctions against North Korea, along with humanitarian cooperation to meet urgent needs.

The World Council of Churches is supporting the prayer call and is inviting Christians around the world to join in the prayers. The WCC will hold a candlelight prayer service at noon CEST (10 am GMT) on 7 June at the chapel in its Ecumenical Centre in Geneva.Posted on: May 24, 2018 12:16 PM

The opposition groups in South Sudans civil war have rejected a draft compromise agreement and pulled out of peace talks. Government and opposition groups were in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to find a solution to the ongoing conflict. This week, in the first part of the talks mediated by the Anglican Archbishop of South Sudan, the sides reached agreement on a cessation of hostilities; but in the second part of the talks, led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), collapsed when parties rejected a compromise plan put forward by IGAD.

On his return to Juba yesterday, before the second part of the talks collapsed, Archbishop Justin Badi Arama said We went to Addis Ababa as a delegation of the South Sudan Council of Churches to pray, remind and encourage our political leaders at the peace talks. As a church we engaged the political leaders and encouraged them to talk openly to each other as they discuss the outstanding issues and we clearly told them to discuss and to take into consideration the suffering of their people in South Sudan.

We are sincerely thankful to all the members of the different parties that went for the talks, we thank them for the way they had the trust and demonstrated that respect for the church. As a result of it we have brought a small goat for South Sudanese and a big bull is still behind in Addis Ababa, our politicians are struggling to bring it here.

The small goat is that with the trust that the parties have for the church they have recommitted themselves to honour the cessation of hostilities agreement and to silence the guns, that is what we achieved and have brought as a church. Our message to all South Sudanese is that the church is ready to continue to support and engage political leaders through its action for peace; let them continue to pray so that all the parties will be able to co-operate and compromise to sign the peace agreement this week that the big bull of peace may be brought back to our country.

Otherwise, if we dont pray hard, the bull I left them it has big horns they might struggle to bring it, but by prayers we trust that we will achieve peace.

The role of the churches was praised by IGADs Special Envoy to South Sudan, Dr Ismael Wais. In the closing session of the talks, he said that the churches involvement had come about as a result of the parties request for intra-South Sudanese consultations.

He said: It is on that basis that at the resumption of this Phase of the Forum the internal dialogues among the South Sudanese stakeholders were facilitated by our spiritual leaders  the South Sudan Council of Churches. It was important that this track was also given due consideration, to explore a home-grown South Sudanese solution.

In that regard, I sincerely thank the South Sudan Council of Churches for their tireless effort to facilitate this dialogue over the past days of the Forum. I know it was not easy but this is what we have been going through for the past 11 months! I encourage the faith-based leaders to continue praying for this process and the country, and preaching peace and reconciliation to our people of South Sudan here and back home.

He described the rejected IGAD proposals as a considered effort to identify common ground between the different negotiating positions and urged the parties to continue considering them. Opposition groups described the draft proposals as representing the governments position; while the government said that it only partially accepted them.(ANSA) - Milan, May 24 - The EXPOSEC International Security Fair, Latin America's main event and technological showcase for the security sector, opened at the Sao Paulo Expo Exhibition & Convention Centeron May 22. Now in its 21st edition, the three-day fair organised by Cipa Fiera Milanoin partnership with ABESE (Brazilian Association of Security Electronic Systems Companies) presents new products and services in the Electronic, Private, Personal, Property and Corporate Security segments.

The inaugural event took place on May 22 at Pavilion 5 at 12:30 local time with representatives of the various segments in attendance. "Our partners are fundamental for promoting our proposal for this fair, which features among the 20 major business fairs in Brazil as well as being the biggest in the security sector," said Cipa Fiera Milano director Rimantas Sipas.

In parallel, the 2018 edition of the COBRASE - Brazilian Congress of Security from May 22-24 is addressing, together with professionals in the sector, the application of the best practices of business security in several segments. The three-day programme presents case studies, insights from leading experts, advanced technologies to minimize risk, and effective strategies to tackle attacks in the digital world within an international context. During the congress entrepreneurs will be able to swap experience concerning the use and integration of technologies for security solutions. Course and Congress.

Also on May 22, from 9 am to 12 pm the course Mapping of Vulnerability in Enterprise Security was held by the security consultant and editor of Revista Security, Luiz Carlos Gabriel.

The main objective was to identify the security management process and the preventive procedures that can mitigate the risks inherent to business.

In addition, the course sought to provide theoretical and practical knowledge on how to map the real vulnerability situation in enterprise security, applying the corrective means in an economical way in eliminating or mitigating risks.

Also as part of Exposec, on May 23 and 24, from 9 am to 1 pm Cipa Fiera Milano in partnership with the ESS - Escola Superior de Seguranca, is promoting the first ESS Congress on Safety and Hospitality, focusing on hospitals, shopping centers and hotels.

The planned presentations include contingency plans for major catastrophes, a master plan aligned with security, and integration among public agencies for safety around the premises. Speakers include representatives of the Hospital das Clinicas, Albert Einstein, Beneficencia Portuguesa, and Eldorado and Vila Olimpia shopping centers.

(ANSA) - Rome, May 24 - Growing concern for the environment and the search for electricity diversification tied to industrial development has led to renewable energy production throughout the world. The use of solar energy, one of the main objectives of the 21st edition of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21), is a trend that gained extra momentum in the Brazilian market after French president Emmanuel Macron decided to mobilize one trillion USD for the sector until 2030 to help emerging nations.

"The initiative is very interesting. It adds a bit of extra value to the solar energy market in Brazil, especially since the country is growing ever more," ANSA was told by Luis Gustavo Li, manager of LGL Solar Treinamentos.

He added that "the potential for solar energy in Brazil is enormous." "From what I have seen, even among our students, is that people are talking ever more about the sector and also this is leading to growth in the market," he said. Brazil's request to join the International Solar Alliance (ASI), invited by the presidency of the National Congress on February 26, has led to some hope within the sector in the country and some growth. In January, the Associacao Brasileira de Energia Solar Fotovoltaica (ABSOLAR) announced that the country has surpassed the 1 GW of capacity installed in solar energy projects. The association added that this amount had been achieved by only 30 countries I the world and that it was due to auctions held by the government between 2014 and 2015. ABSOLAR chairman Rodrigo Sauaia said that "Brazil is over 15 years late in the use of photovoltaic solar energy, but we are able to be one of the top countries in the world in this market". According to a report published by the Agencia Nacional de Energia Eletrica (ANEEL), the outlook for the current year is for solar energy production to double in Brazil, since most of the 67 solar facilities planned for 2021 will start producing this year. The issue will be one of the themes of EnerSolar + Brasil, a trade fair held by Cipa Fiera Milano, which will take place from May 22 to May 24 at Sao Paulo Expo in San Paolo, Brazil. The fair will present the latest developments in the sustainable energy sector.

ROME - A drop in migrant landings has continued for the 11th consecutive month. Interior ministry data shows - as the date quickly approaches for a handover from Marco Minniti to his successor, to be chosen by the M5S and League government - that 10,808 arrived in 2018, compared with 50,524 in the same period of 2017 (-79%). Since July 1 last year, there have been 46,423 migrant landings, 115,315 fewer than the July 2016 to May 2017 period. In May, so far, some 1,314 migrants have arrived via sea: 90% fewer than May 2017. In reference to those from Libya, the drop is even greater at -97%, with only 443 landings compared with the 12,753 in May 2017.12 Syrian loyalists killed in US-led coalition strike Clashes resume along Iraqi border

(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, MAY 24 - At least 12 loyalist soldiers and Iran-backed rebels were killed in an air strike carried out by the US-led coalition that is supporting Syrian Kurdish forces in eastern Syria on Thursday morning.



The National Observatory for Human Rights in Syria reported that the strike was launched just before dawn against an offensive front towards the eastern bank of the Euphrates river.



The report could not be confirmed by independent sources on the ground. On Wednesday evening Syrian loyalist forces, which also include Iran-backed rebels, had announced the launch of the battle to reclaim the area of the Euphrates still held by ISIS. Two weeks ago Syrian Kurdish forces backed by the US launched their own offensive on the eastern bank of the Euphrates against the last remaining pockets of resistance by ISIS on the border with Iraq. (ANSAmed).



Online magazine Kaleydoskop presented in Istanbul Project focuses on Turkish cultural production

(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, MAY 24 - The online review 'Kaleydoskop - Turchia, cultura e societa' is being presented on Thursday at the Italian Institute of Culture in Istanbul.



Co-founded and directed by lecturer in Turkish language and literature at the L'Orientale University in Naples, Lea Nocera, the magazine aims to portray Turkey in a new light that goes beyond the stereotypes, with special attention given to its varied cultural production. The website kaleydoskop.it contains unpublished stories, photographic essays, illustrations, stories and cinema, theayte and publishing news, among other things. The project, which was launched by a group of academics in autumn 2017 with support from a crowdfunding campaign, will be presented by Nocera herself in dialogue with repubblica journalist Marco Ansaldo. (ANSAmed).



TEL AVIV - The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) has lashed out after Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman announced that thousands of more settler homes were planned for the West Bank. ''Israel's stated intention to build thousands of illegal homes for (Jewish, Ed.) settlers illustrates the true nature of Israeli colonialism, its expansionism and its operating outside of legal boundaries,'' PLO executive committee leader Hanan Ashrawi said.

''It is evident that the recent provocative and unlawful moves adopted by the United States, Guatemala and Paraguay (the transfer to Jerusalem of their embassies, Ed.) have emboldened Israel to move forward with enhancing its illegal settlement enterprise, thereby finalizing the total annexation of the occupied West Bank,'' he said.

Ashrawi called for an investigation of ''clear violations of international law by Israel'' by the International Criminal Court, an appeal previously made by Foreign Minister Riad Malki.Marysville, CA (95901)

Today

Windy with sunshine. High 69F. Winds NNW at 25 to 35 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 47F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.Dubai Airports, in partnership with Samsung Electronics and AirportLabs has rolled out an advanced cloud-based Flight Information Display solution along with System on Chip (SoC) display technology at Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC) airports.

The upgrade is the result of an initiative undertaken by Dubai Airports in 2016 to adopt a cloud-based FIDS to replace a fragmented system across the facility and achieve flexible, environmentally-sound and cost-effective operations. By upgrading the system with Samsungs SoC based displays, Dubai Airports team can now operate its new VisionAir FIDS software without external PCs  a consolidated approach that is already reducing both the airports electrical footprint and operational costs.



Commenting on the project, Michael Ibbitson, Executive Vice President of Technology & Infrastructure at Dubai Airports said, As the worlds busiest international airport that is operating at nearly full capacity, we understand that the most efficient way to accommodate growth without physically expanding the infrastructure is by deploying smart technologies and enhancing processes. Information and communication are critical elements of airport operations and we are positive this new display system will go a long way in helping us deliver a smooth experience consistently for the millions of customers that pass through our airports each year.



By offering a single, dedicated platform for cloud based content management, FIDS solution boosts customer service with timely, efficient and visually impactful information delivery, said Seog-gi Kim, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. We are thrilled to partner with Dubai Airports and we look forward to demonstrating how our Smart Signage displays and VisionAir FIDS solution can revolutionise communications and productivity within the transportation industry.



Some of the advanced capabilities of the new system include the ability to run it from an internet browser without the need for any local software installation. It allows enabling of screen layouts and content for specific zones within the airport from a mobile device or from the control room. The system allows collaborative content management giving airlines, ground handlers or other airport service partners some level of control in managing different types of content such as branding, passenger advisory, as well as operational messaging, flight information and advertising. The system can also help reduce energy consumption through control of backlight.

"Bogdan Stanescu - CTO AirportLabs said When we built VisionAir we saw it as a key building block for the next generation travel experience and so we are truly excited to be working with such a forward-thinking organisation as Dubai Airports to get closer to this vision. We are sure that our system coupled with Samsungs SoC based displays will be a great contribution to the airports operational efficiency whilst at the same time ensuring that their passengers have a consistently seamless and rewarding experience.



As part of the project a total of 2,700 display screens were also replaced across Terminal 3, Concourses A, B and C.Its been quite a while since Mrs. T and I last paid a joint visit to a museum, but we felt we couldnt afford to miss, which is up through June 10 at the New Britain Museum of American Art., who died in 1924, is one of my favorite turn-of-the-century American artists, but nowadays his work is for the most part known only to specialists, and Ive never had the opportunity to see more than one or two of his paintings at a time. This exhibition, drawn from the permanent collections of the NBMAA and the Prendergast Archive & Study Center at the Williams College Museum of Art, is by way of being a full-scale joint retrospective of the work of the Prendergast brothersit contains a hundred-odd works of various kindsand youll come away from it with a clear sense of Maurices exceptional quality. (Charles was a talented artist, but he wasnt in his brothers league.)

Mrs. T and I have similar but by no means identical tastes in art, so it surprised us that we singled out the same piece, an 1899 glass-and-ceramic-tiles mosaic called Fiesta Grand Canal, Venice, as our best-in-show pick. That said, American Post-Impressionists: Maurice & Charles Prendergast is full of striking work, and theres nothing in it that isnt worth seeing and pondering. Maurice was one of the first American painters to be strongly influenced by Cezanne, but his mature style was entirely original and immediately distinctive. He is also the only painter of importance I can think of who was deaf, and I cant help but wonder whether that fact, and the resulting social isolation that his handicap imposed on him in his later years, had something to do with certain aspects of his style, among them his habit of painting vividly colored crowd scenes in which the individual figures are all faceless. Were they faceless because they were silent to him? I wonder.

The NBMMA is a small, attractively housed Connecticut collection to which Mrs. T and I are both partial, and it would be worth visiting even if it werent hosting so fine a show. Small museums very often hang limited-edition prints of exceptionally high quality that are rarely on display in larger, better-stocked institutions, and we were tickled to discover that a handsome impression of one of our own pieces, a 1972 lithograph by Fairfield Porter called, was proudly hung in a first-floor gallery. Yale University Press was kind enough to allow me to reproduceon the dust jacket of, and it pleased me no end to see it at the NBMMA. It was as if wed unexpectedly bumped into an old friend in one of the galleries.

We were tickled in a different way when we arrived at the museum and discovered that having attained the august age of sixty-two, both of us now qualify for the NBMMAs senior discount. Needless to say, I dont think of myself as a senior citizenI rarely feel much older than fifty or so, and most people seem to think Im quite a bit younger than I look at first glanceand it had never before occurred to me that the time had finally come when I could get two dollars knocked off the price of admission to an art museum. So here it is at last, the distinguished thing, I muttered to myself as I stepped up to the front desk and confessed to beingwell, middle-aged.

How old you think she is? Franny said, Well, lets see. She looks pretty good for her age. Id say shes fifty-two. You think she looks that old? You asked me how old I think she is, not how old I think she looks.

That same night I ran across the following passage in, my favorite Elmore Leonard novel, in which a young photographer and an even younger beauty-product saleswoman are speculating on the age of a retiredmovie star whom they have just met:

If you think that exchange pulled a deep sigh out of me, youre right.Mumbai is the city where people from all over the country come together and are comfortable with each other.

Ajay Kamalakaran was born in India, educated in the US, and made in Russia, in fact, in a very remote part of Eastern Russia that even the Russians dont know much about! This is the island of Sakhalin where he spent several years, and the experiences and memories of which he has brought out in a book Globetrotting for Love and Other Stories, from Sakhalin Island.

The book was launched in Bangkok recently, as also in several cities in India (Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bhopal, Bangalore). The slim book consists of highly readable tales about the multi-national community who lived in this unique, oil-rich island, including many Indians.

The Russian Ambassador to Thailand HE Kiril Barsky arranged an Intellectual Tea Meeting in Bangkok, to meet the lively Indian writer, who regaled his audience with exciting tales about a little-known Russian island.

Globetrotting For Love And Other Stories From Sakhalin Island By Ajay Kamalakaran Times Group Books, pp 136, Rs 179

Excerpts from an interview:

On Mumbai:

My roots are in Palakkad, Kerala, and I love going there. But I am totally a Mumbai boy! Mumbai is the city where people from all over the country come together and are comfortable with each other. The rest of India should be more like Mumbai! It is the real India, with its beauty and its ugliness. Mumbai has Bollywood and it also has Dharavi (slums), and both are important to the city. I was born in Mumbai, did my Masters degree in banking, and always keep going back there.

On New York:

I did most of my schooling in the American megapolis, since my father worked as a banker there. I have some American qualities Im go-getter, I take responsibility for my life, and I still have an American accent!

On Sakhalin:

I was always fascinated with the undiscovered parts of the world. And when I enrolled to study Russian at the Russian Cultural Centre in Mumbai, I heard about Sakhalin. The next thing I knew was I was in a flight to Sakhalin (in 2003), and enrolled at the Sakhalin State University, for a Russian language course. When they started an English-language newspaper, the Sakhalin Times, I became its Editor, and worked there for four years.

On Sakhalins location:

Sakhalins capital city, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is almost nine hours by flight from Moscow, so, the Communist or European influences were not so strong there. In fact, Japan, Korea, China are much closer to Sakhalin than Moscow or St. Petersburg! There are strong Korean and Japanese influences there, even today. Thats why its one of the most multi-cultural parts of Russia. Sakhalin is a long island, which spans almost 950 kms, from north to south!

On his amazing travels around Russia:

One of my greatest adventures was travelling by surface transport, from one end of Russia to the other. It was a 45-day journey with two close friends  From Sakhalin all the way to St. Petersburg. It was not easy, as we had no cell phones or google maps, then. From Sakhalin, we went to Khabarovsk, Siberia, Irkutsk (known as the Paris of Siberia) Lake Baikal, Novosibirsk, and then, Moscow, St Petersburg. It was one of the greatest adventures of my life!

On Bengaluru:

I left Sakhalin in 2007, and worked in Bengaluru with Reuters, as a business reporter, where I wrote on bankruptcy cases, mergers and take-overs, for two years. Then I freelanced for various international publications, including Die Presse of Austria, and travelled around the country to do interviews. I met many interesting individuals, including Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, with his impeccable communicative skills. From 2011 to 2017, I was the Asian consulting editor for a unique Moscow-based publication Russia Beyond the Headlines which kept my connection with Russia alive.

On Sakhalin today-

I went back to Sakhalin in 2013 and found a tremendous transformation there. It had world-class infrastructure and facilities, largely due to the oil and gas projects there.

The two major changes that impressed me were the visible reduction in alcoholism, and vast improvement in public health. Among the many Asian communities there, were Indians, due to the ONGC project there. There were multi-cuisine restaurants, including Indian ones. Thats why tourism boomed in Sakhalin, especially as there were many flights to the island (including many chartered ones) from Seoul, Hong Kong and Sapporo in Japan. The beautiful city of Vladivostok, known as the San Francisco of Russia, is only an hour and 20 mins away!

On the uniqueness of Sakhalin:

What is great about Sakhalin? Its marvelous landscapes, both in summer and winter. The island has four beautiful seasons, and is studded with mountains, seas, lagoons. It also has 16,000 lakes! For the outdoors person, theres plenty to do  skeeing, ice fishing, snowboarding, whale watching. There are historical churches, museums, many cultural programs like music concerts, puppet shows, theatre productions, even an exciting film festival!

On the Russian people:

In my opinion, the Russians are among the friendliest in the world, and hospitality is a very important part of their culture. They have a soft spot for Indians, and I always felt very welcome there. I was asked to jump queues, even at airport security in smaller Russian cities, because I was a visible Indian! Indian expats tend to play the race-card when they are abroad, and claim they feel discriminated against. But I never ever felt this, in all my years in Russia.

On why he wrote the book:

I wanted to document my experiences on the island, which was going through its most interesting phase when I lived there. I was both a local and an expat, as I could speak Russian and so, was integrated into the local community. But since I spoke other European languages, I could merge with the expats as well.

In many ways, Sakhalin was a microcosm of the world, but the world did not know it. My book has been released in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Russia, Ukraine. Its also on sale in the US, UK, Canada, Japan and Australia.

On his present plans:

Im writing a novella that is set in Moscow. I also want to have a base in Sri Lanka, which is culturally close to Kerala and has also preserved many Indian traditions. It would be great to spend the summer in Russia and the winter in Sri Lanka, with many trips in between, to India and Thailand!

On what is Home to him:

Home is where you feel good, and I feel good in so many countries! But India is definitely the place I love the most. The greatest thing about being Indian is that you find connections with every part of the world, which is why I feel at home everywhere. There are so many Russians who speak Hindi. The streets of Thailand have so many Hindu images. So many Indian traditions are kept alive in Sri Lanka. Its great to be a migratory bird, and fly from one country to the other.

The writer is a critic and commentator on films and culture based in Bangkok, ThailandThe director, who had helmed Junior NTRs Jai Lava Kusa, was booked on the basis of a complaint on Wednesday.

Hyderabad: A case of rash driving was registered against Telugu film director K S Ravindra after he allegedly rammed his car into another vehicle at Jubilee Hills area here, police said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred on Monday night.

A private company employee in his complaint stated that Ravindra had hit his car and sped away, they said.

Based on the complaint, a case was registered under IPC Section 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) against the film director, police said.

Also, the complainant alleged that Ravindra was drunk at the time of the collision, police said, adding: "It needs to be verified and we will do that after tracing him."

"As of now, it is a hit-and-run case, and we'll serve the accused a notice," the police said.The two aircraft were just '300 feet' away from each other at the time of the incident, which took place on May 21.

IndiGo confirmed the incident, which is now being investigated by aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). (Photo: Representational Image)

Mumbai: A mid-air disaster was averted last week when an IndiGo plane and an Indian Air Force (IAF) jet were on a collision course in Chennai airspace, setting off an RA warning for IndiGo pilot to steer the aircraft to a safer distance, a source said.

The two aircraft were just 300 feet away from each other at the time of the incident, which took place on May 21, the source said.

Resolution advisory (RA) is an auto-generated warning in the cockpit for the pilot to manoeuvre the aircraft and avoid collision.

IndiGo confirmed the incident, which is now being investigated by aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

However, there was no response from the IAF.

IndiGo aircraft VT-ITW operating on the Visakhapatnam-Bengaluru route and an Indian Air Force jet were on a collision course as the two aircraft were at a distance of just 300 feet from each other. The planes were at an altitude of 24,000 feet in Chennai airspace. IndiGo Airbus A320 flight was on the climb, the source said.

The mishap was averted at around 9.49 pm on May 21, the source added.

An IndiGo flight 6E- 647 (Vizag-Bengaluru) was involved in a resolution advisory at flight level 240, on May 21, IndiGo said in a statement.

Pilot followed the laid standard operating procedures, the statement said, adding this matter was immediately brought to the notice of the regulator as per the prescribed protocol.

The incident is being investigated by the DGCA, it said.The accused was intercepted after his arrival from Bangkok on Wednesday.

During questioning, the passenger admitted that he had smuggled three kilograms gold valued at approximately Rs 93.32 lakh during his past visits. (Photo: File | Representational)

New Delhi: A man was arrested at Delhi airport by customs officials for allegedly trying to smuggle into the country about one kilogram gold by hiding it in his rectum.

The accused was intercepted after his arrival from Bangkok on Wednesday.

"A detailed personal and baggage search of the passenger resulted in the recovery of 998 grams of gold, equivalent to Rs 31.04 lakh, which the passenger had concealed inside his rectum," a statement issued by the customs department on Thursday said. During questioning, the passenger admitted that he had smuggled three kilograms gold valued at approximately Rs 93.32 lakh during his past visits, it said.

"Thus, the passengers has been involved in illegal clearance of gold collectively weighing 3.9 kg, valued at approximately Rs 1.2 crore," the customs department said, adding the accused has been arrested and the gold seized.It has been observed that off late there is a proliferation of beggars on streets of Srinagar which creates massive nuisance for public.

'Begging being an offence under the Act (Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Beggary Act I960), it is imperative that strict necessary action under law be initiated against the offenders,' order stated. (Photo: AFP | Representational)

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government has banned begging at public and religious places in Srinagar and directed the police to arrest the offenders.

The order, issued by Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar, Syed Abid Rasheed Shah on Wednesday, said Srinagar being the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir holds a great importance in the socio-economic landscape of the state and so it is contingent upon the administration to take all measures necessary to make the district more citizen friendly and to prevent public nuisance at all costs.

"Begging being an offence under the Act (Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Beggary Act 1960), it is imperative that strict necessary action under law be initiated against the offenders," it stated.

The deputy commissioner said, "It has been observed that off late there is a proliferation of beggars on the streets of Srinagar which creates massive nuisance for the general public."

The order stated any person found soliciting alms in a public place, or in or about a mosque, temple or other place of public worship, whether or not under any pretence and entering on any private premises for the purpose of soliciting alms shall be immediately arrested under Section 4 of the Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Beggary Act, 1960 read with Section 61 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Act 1989.

Those exposing or exhibiting with the object of obtaining or extorting alms, any sore, wound, injury, deformity or disease whether of human being or an animal shall also be arrested, it said.

"Also, any person found having no visible means of subsistence and wandering about or remaining in any public place or in a temple, mosque or other place of public worship in such condition or manner as makes it like that the person doing so exists by soliciting alms or allowing himself to be used as an exhibit for the purpose of soliciting alms, does not include soliciting money or fee or gift for a purpose authorized by law or authorized in the prescribed manner by the District Magistrate, shall also be arrested," it read.

The deputy commissioner directed senior superintendents of police, Srinagar and Budgam, to implement the order in letter and spirit and report the number of such arrests on daily basis.Both leaders held one-on-one talks before joining their respective delegations for expanded discussions.

India and Netherlands are expected to sign a number of agreements post the talks. (Photo: ANI)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Netherlands counterpart Mark Rutte at the Hyderabad House on Thursday morning before going in for delegation-level talks.

Both leaders held one-on-one talks before joining their respective delegations for expanded discussions.

India and Netherlands are expected to sign a number of agreements post the talks.

This will include an agreement related to the International Solar Alliance which was officially founded on March 11.

Ministry of External Affiars spokesperson Raveesh Kumar took to official Twitter handle to inform about the meeting.

"An important partner in our flagship initiatives! PM @narendramodi welcomed the PM of Netherlands, Mark Rutte at the Hyderabad House ahead of the bilateral talks. This is the 2nd visit of @MinPres Rutte to India. Netherlands is the 4th largest investor in India in diverse sectors", Kumar tweeted.

An important partner in our flagship initiatives! PM @narendramodi welcomed the PM of Netherlands, Mark Rutte at the Hyderabad House ahead of the bilateral talks. This is the 2nd visit of @MinPres Rutte to India. Netherlands is the 4th largest investor in India in diverse sectors pic.twitter.com/RnWFtAeKZ0  Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) May 24, 2018

The two leaders are then scheduled to take part in a Chief Executive Officers' round table conference at Hyderabad House itself.

In the evening, Prime Minister Rutt will address a public event organised by Carnegie India at Hotel Taj Diplomatic and also participate in Clean Air India, startup event.

He will then participate in an agro event before proceeding to Bengaluru.

On Friday, the Netherlands' Prime Minister will call on Karnataka's governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala.PM Modi is also likely to sign key agreements in various sectors with Indonesia and Singapore.

This will be the prime ministers first official visit to Indonesia and his second official visit to Singapore. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Indonesia and Singapore from May 29 to June 2 where he will hold bilateral talks with leaders of both the nations on key issues, including the defence sector, a Ministry of External Affairs official said.

The prime minister is also likely to sign key agreements in various sectors with both the nations.

In Singapore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver the keynote address at the Shangri-La dialogue on June 1, said Secretary East Preeti Saran.

She said this is the first time that an Indian prime minister has been invited to deliver the keynote address.

Saran said the dialogue gives the prime minister an opportunity to articulate his thoughts about Indias policy on peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region, which she said will be the focus of his keynote address.

The prime minister is also likely to share his philosophy on Sagarmala during the keynote address, she added.

This will be the prime ministers first official visit to Indonesia and his second official visit to Singapore.A Pakistani mobile phone given to him to contact the ISI and some SIM cards were recovered from him, officials said.

The arrested person, Ramesh Singh, worked as a cook at the house of an Indian diplomat in Pakistan for nearly two years and allegedly bugged his house with the help of the ISI to get sensitive information. (Representational image)

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh anti-terror squad (ATS) has arrested a suspected ISI agent from Pithoragarh in a joint operation with the Uttarakhand police and Jammu and Kashmir's military intelligence unit, an official said in Lucknow on Thursday.

The arrested person, Ramesh Singh, worked as a cook at the house of an Indian diplomat in Pakistan for nearly two years and allegedly bugged his house with the help of the ISI to get sensitive information, the UP ATS official said.

Ramesh has confessed to his role in anti-national activities, he added. A Pakistani mobile phone given to him to contact the ISI and some SIM cards were recovered from him, the official said.West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reportedly did not seem much happy with the traffic arrangements made for the ceremony.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appears to have lost her cool and reprimanded Karnatakas DGP for being made to walk to reach the Vidhana Soudha for the swearing-in ceremony. (Photo: ANI | Screengrab)

Bengaluru: The grand swearing-in ceremony of Janata Dal Secular leader H D Kumaraswamy as the Karnataka Chief Minister was seen as a show of opposition unity ahead of 2019 general elections. Most of the non-BJP leaders were in attendance for the gala ceremony, but West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee reportedly did not seem much happy with the traffic arrangements made for the ceremony.

Mamata Banerjee appears to have lost her cool and reprimanded Karnatakas Director General of Police (DGP) for being made to walk to reach the Vidhana Soudha for the swearing-in ceremony, in a video shot by news agency ANI.

In the video, the Trinamool Congress supremo enters the venue and gestures her displeasure to Karnataka police chief Neelamani Raju, as she walked on a red carpet rolled out for the dignitaries.

Moments later, the chief minister was seen speaking to Kumaraswany and his father former prime minister H D Deve Gowda who welcomed her. She then proceeded to the seating area.

#WATCH: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee reprimands DIG Neelamani Raju as she came to Karnataka Vidhana Soudha for oath taking ceremony because reportedly had to walk a few metres, also expressed discontentment to HD Deve Gowda & HD Kumaraswamy. #Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/WZ2n0QVE9b  ANI (@ANI) May 23, 2018

Among those who attended the ceremony were Congress president Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Uttar Pradesh chief ministers Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

Kejriwal and some leaders of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) didn't seem to have any reservations walking to the oath-taking ceremony.

AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha, who accompanied the Delhi chief minister, tweeted saying they chose to walk to beat the traffic.

Bengaluru traffic beats every city in the country. We walked to the swearing-in venue. Beautiful weather made up for it though. pic.twitter.com/PT9nauyWuk  Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) May 23, 2018

After H D Kumaraswamy took oath as Karnataka Chief Minister and G Parameshwara of the Congress was sworn in as his deputy. The leaders from various parts of the country sharing the same dais then got numerous photographs clicked to send out a strong message that in 2019 it would be the BJP against a united opposition.After the talks, PM Modi, in his media statement, said his commitment towards economic reforms would remain strong.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte at the signing of the International Solar Alliance agreement at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Thursday. (Photo: Pritam Bandyopadhyay)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held wide-ranging talks with visiting Dutch Prime Mark Rutte on Thursday after which both sides inked 51 pacts  many of them between private entities  in areas such as knowledge institutions (including training for diplomats), water management, agri food and horticulture, hi-tech/IT/space, life sciences & health, smart cities, business and sustainability.

Both leaders also condemned the global menace of terrorism, with a joint statement put out saying the two leaders deplored the violence caused by Al Qaeda, Daesh/ISIS, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Tayabba, and their affiliates as well as terrorist groups threatening peace and security in South Asia and Europe. The JeM and LeT are based in Pakistan while the Hizbul Mujahideen is a terrorist outfit in the Kashmir Valley. The strong joint stand against terror is being seen as a veiled message to Pakistan without naming it.

The Netherlands also signed the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA)  a global initiative led by India  and became the 64th signatory member country. The joint statement issued hailed the Netherlands as Indias Gateway to Europe.

After the talks, PM Modi, in his media statement, said his commitment towards economic reforms would remain strong. He said besides bilateral matters, he and his Dutch counterpart discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest. Mr Modi also hailed the Netherlands for becoming part of the ISA. I had called upon the Netherlands to join the ISA and I am happy to tell you that the country has become a member of it today, PM Modi said.

In his comments, Dutch PM Rutte said there was a huge scope for the two countries to deepen cooperation in areas of trade and investment, clean energy, agriculture and smart cities.Minister says virus localised, asks people not to panic.

New Delhi: Union minister of state for health Ashwini Choubey on Thursday said the outbreak of Nipah virus in Kerala is a localised occurrence and people need not panic, amid reports of dead bats being found on the premises of a government school in Himachal Pradesh.

He said the dead bats have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) for investigation.

Samples of dead bats have been sent for testing to NIV, Pune, to ascertain the reason behind their deaths. Without laboratory reports it cannot be said that these bats have been killed by Nipah virus, Mr Choubey said, adding that he has already spoken to the Himachal Pradesh administration over the matter.

The administration in Nahan sub-division of Sir-maur district in Himachal Pradesh has geared up to curb spread of the virus, and a special meeting of officials from different departments were held.

Meanwhile, a senior health ministry official said the death toll due to outbreak of Nipah rose to 12 in the southern state of Kerala, with one more person succumbing to the deadly virus in Kozhikode this morning.

According to the ministry, of the 12 deaths so far due to the virus, nine people died in Kozhikode district and three in Mall-appuram. Besides, about 160 samples have been sent for testing at the virology institute. Eighteen people with specific symptoms are admitted at hospitals in Kozhikode.'At around 6:27 am, she was found lying lifeless in a pool of blood in the console room of Cath laboratory,' hospital spokesperson said.

A 23-year-old nurse was found dead with her throat slit at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi hospital in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir. (Representational Image/ANI)

Jammu: A 23-year-old nurse was on Wednesday found dead with her throat slit at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (SMVD) hospital in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, a senior police officer said.

A murder case was registered against her male colleague, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, who was also found in a serious condition near her body inside the laboratory of the super speciality hospital at Kakryal, Reasi Senior Superintendent of Police Tahir Sajad Bhat told news agency PTI.

Hospital spokesperson Man Mohan Harjai said Vishali, who hails from Himachal Pradesh was on night duty at the intensive thoracic unit (ITU) of the hospital and at about 3:30 am took a break, after informing the concerned shift in-charge. When she did not turn up for duty even after lapse of almost two hours, the other staff on duty called her many times, he said.

At around 6:27 am, she was found lying lifeless in a pool of blood in the console room of Cath laboratory. Pavan Chauhan (23), a critical care assistant in the hospital, was found with cut in his both wrists and was subsequently admitted in the hospital, Harjai said.

On receiving information, a police party rushed to the scene and recovered the body, the officer said.

Bhat said a murder case was registered against Chauhan after it came to the fore during preliminary investigation that he had killed the nurse by slitting her throat open before trying to commit suicide.

"Both were nursing orderlies and used to work together, he said, adding, Once the man is discharged from the hospital he will be questioned to ascertain the motive behind his taking such a step.

Another police officer, involved in the investigation, said the duo were reportedly perturbed as their families objected to their relationship.

The SSP said a police party was posted outside the ward where Chauhan is undergoing treatment as he was under police custody.

The body was taken for postmortem and will be handed over to her family after completion of formalities, he said.The Assam CM said that the previous Congress regime had decentralised the corruption to the village level.

Guwahati: The BJP-led alliance government in Assam marked two years in power on Thursday.

Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced that the International Border between India and Bangladesh in Assam would be completely sealed by December this year.

Informing that the riverine border along Banglad-esh will be sealed with non-physical barriers, Mr Sonowal said that the portion of land would be fortified with smart fencing which is going to stop infiltration as well as the cross-border crimes and illegal activities.

Addressing a press conference on the eve of completion of two years of his government, Mr Sonowal said, We promised to the people before the 2016 polls that the border will be sealed. I am happy to announce that the Intern-ational Border between India and Bangladesh in Assam will be sealed completely by December this year.

Reiterating the policy of zero-tolerance against corruption, Mr Sonowal said, We have busted the biggest ever scam in Assam Public Service Commission and arrested 19 state civil service officers, seven state police service officers, 11 allied service officers and four others, including the chairman.

Asserting that drive to end the corruption would continue, he said, The CID has also registered seven corruption cases against government officials and arrested 15 serving government officials and public servants.

Pointing out that his sustained drive against corruption has also boosted the revenue collection in various departments like excise, forest and GST, Mr Sonowal said, Our fight against corruption has also led to a climate for investment in the state. Assam has received investment proposal worth `79,000 crore during the last two years.

The chief minister, who also released a book  Parivartan  on the occasion, said that they have also identified more than 4 lakh bogus job cards and cancelled them. The Assam CM said that the previous Congress regime had decentralised the corruption to the village level.

As usual Mr Sonowal skipped a direct reply about the stand of the government on the Citizens-hip (Amendment) bill 2016 but reiterated, If I cannot protect the peoples interests, there is no point to my staying on as chief minister. He said that his government would not do anything that will go against their interest.The JD(U) reacted sharply to Tejashwis statement and asked him to declare his assets for the benefit of all unemployed youths of the state.

Patna: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadavs open challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have upset many in the ruling coalition in Bihar.

The BJP on Thursday reacted strongly to the statement made by Tejashwi against the Prime Minister, terming it baseless and unfortunate.

The RJD leader, in a statement on Thursday in Patna, dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to accept his challenge to provide employment to youth, relief to farmers, and assurance to dalits and Minorities of no violence. The statement was made in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi accepting Indian skipper Virat Kohlis challenge to share his fitness video on the twitter.

The JD(U) reacted sharply to Tejashwis statement and asked him to declare his assets for the benefit of all unemployed youths of the state.

In a reply, JD(U) spokesperson Niraj Kumar said, I know that he will not accept the fitness challenge like others but he should at least explain how he managed to become the owner of property worth several crores at such young age. He should accept my challenge and declare his assets for the benefit of unemployed youths of the state.

For Lalu Yadav, power means promoting family interest but for our party, BJP, its Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, BJP spokesperson Sanjay Tiger said.

Tejashwi has been running the RJD in the absence of his father Lalu, who is serving a jail term in connection with the fodder scam.Modis 5-day tour begins May 29, key pacts on agenda.

New Delhi: In order to further bolster ties with Asean nations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a five-day visit to Indonesia and Singapore from May 29 to June 2 during which he will deliver a keynote address at the prestigious Shangrila Dialogue in Singapore on June 1 on Indias role in the Indo-Pacific region. He will also speak on Indias Sagar Mala initiative.

According to this initiative, with an aim to harness Indias 7,500 km long coastline, 14,500 km of potentially navigable waterways and strategic location on key international maritime trade routes, the Government of India has embarked on the ambitious Sagar Mala Programme which aims to promote port-led development in the country. The concept of Sagar Mala was approved by the Union Cabinet on 25th March 2015.

The Prime Minister is also likely to sign key agreements in various sectors with both the nations.

This will be the first time that an Indian Prime Minister has been invited to present the keynote address at the renowned international conference that discusses security issues. Significantly, India will also be discussing important defence-related issues with both countries. This comes after top leaders from all 10 Asean nations had visited India this January for talks and to participate in Indias Republic Day celebrations.

It may be recalled that the Indo-Pacific region has been in the limelight, after initial talks between India, Australia, the US and Japan for maritime cooperation in what is referred to as the proposed Quadrilateral. The move was widely seen as one to counter Chinas dominance south-east Asia.

PM Modi will first reach Indonesia, the country with worlds largest Muslim population, on May 29. Indonesia has age-old cultural links with India encompassing Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic influences.

Ministry of external affairs (MEA) secretary (East) Preeti Saran described Indonesia as Indias closest maritime neighbour, with a distance of just 90 nautical miles separating the territory of that country from Indias Andaman and Nicobar Islands. She said Indian imports from Indonesia included coal and crude palm oil while exports comprised goods such as agricultural products including bovine meat.

Mr Modi will hold talks on May 30 with Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Later, he will meet members of the Indian community and also attend a CEOs forum. There are some agreements under discussion in the area of defence-based science and technology that are still being negotiated, Ms. Saran said.

The following day, on May 31, Mr Modi will reach Singapore. He will visit an India-Singapore Enterprise and Innovation Exhibition on technologies, including artificial intelligence.At the same time he tried to reach out to dalits.

New Delhi: With an eye on 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the eve of his governments fourth anniversary tried to reach out to the farmers and poorest of the poor. The Prime Minister spoke about his governments success in delivering services to the rural population and poorest of the poor. At the same time he tried to reach out to dalits.

In a series of tweets on Thursday, Mr Modi shared details of the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, terming it as a unique movement initiated by the government to take the fruits of development to the poorest of the poor in 16,850 villages from April 14 to May 5 as a tribute to B.R. Ambedkar.

As a part of the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, he said that various teams ventured into villages and ensured complete coverage of seven leading Central government schemes.

This movement is a great example of effective service delivery at the doorstep and furthering ease of living. During 21 days of Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, 7.53 lakh Ujjwala connections distributed; 5,02,434 households electrified under Saubhagya Yojana; 25.03 lakh LED bulbs distributed across 16,682 villages; Immunisation of 1,64,398 children and 42,762 women under Mission Indradhanush, he said.

Belting out figures, the Prime Minister said from April 14 to May 5, 20,53,599 Jan Dhan beneficiaries were added; 16,14,388 Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana beneficiaries were added and another 26,10,506 beneficiaries were included under the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana.

He said the project was a success due to the active participation of ministers, MPs, MLAs, representatives of various local bodies, officials of the state governments, topmost officers of the central government, civil society members and self-help groups. I thank them all.

The Modi government will complete four years on May 26.Of the 78 MLAs, 16 are Lingayats, so the community may get not less than three berths

Bengaluru: The All-India Congress Committee president, Rahul Gandhi has summoned the partys senior leaders to New Delhi to finalise the names of leaders who would join the cabinet of the coalition government.

Together with UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, Mr Gandhi was present in the swearing-in of chief minister, H.D. Kumaraswamy and his deputy G. Parameshwara on Wednesday. During the meeting at a private hotel, Mr Gandhi told the party senior leaders to come to Delhi on Friday night. After the floor test, senior leaders will fly to Delhi. Mr Gandhi has asked them to bring the list of aspirants for cabinet berths. He also asked the party to draw up a list of candidates who want to contest the council elections on June 11, sources in the party said.

This is a clear indication that the party high command did not want to leave the selection to state leaders whom the Delhi leaders did not fully trust would do the right thing.

As it is, everybody is coming out in the open and speaking about DCM posts. So, the central leaders decided they would take the call on the selection of the candidates and send a clear signal and avoid confusion, sources added.

Congress got 22 berths in the 34-member ministry since Dr Parameshwar had already joined the cabinet, the party has to shortlist names for the 21 berths. Since JD(S) won more seats in old-Mysuru region, Congress cannot give more representation to MLAs and MLCs from this region, sources said.

Of the 78 MLAs, 16 are Lingayats, so the community may get not less than three berths. The party has to also think of fulfilling the social justice. The party central leadership is likely to respect, CLP leader, Siddaramaiah by approving the names of his choice, sources said.Child was discovered by adoptive mum and was rushed to Vanderbilt hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Vehicles heat up through the greenhouse effect, the combination of heat from the exterior surfaces of the vehicle and sunlight entering through the windows can turn it into an oven unbelievably fast.

A tragic incident saw a one-year-old baby girl die after being left in the car in sweltering heat by her adoptive father, who forgot about her.

The one-year-old was abandoned in the familys truck, strapped to a seat, outside a home in East Nashville, US, police have confirmed.

The child was discovered by her adoptive mum and was rushed to the Vanderbilt hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Here's why you should not leave children in cars:

Both children and pets can succumb to heat if left unattended in cars. Parents should never leave their children and pets unattended in a parked vehicle on a hot day, even with the windows rolled down. Its the suns rays that warm the car through conduction, not necessarily the outside air temperature itself.

Vehicles heat up through the greenhouse effect, the combination of heat from the exterior surfaces of the vehicle and sunlight entering through the windows can turn it into an oven unbelievably fast. Children, pets, and anyone whos vulnerable to the heat can develop heat stroke within minutes.

Authorities have confirmed that the father had forgot about the child" after dropping her sibling off at day care.

Metro Nashville Police said in a tweet that the tot was left in the vehicle all day.

The identities of the child and adoptive parents have not been confirmed and the police is still investigating the tragic death.

This is however, not the first case of child negligence. Earlier this month, a baby boy and girl twins died after being "accidentally" left in a hot car in Virginia.

Also, last year, a seven-month-old baby died after being left in a car during a 25C heatwave in what was viewed as a tragic accident.Estonia is more than cathedrals, castles, citadels.

Estonia is not just the land of cathedrals, castles and medieval citadels. Its also a land of forests, lakes, bogs, swamplands and rivers. Over 50 % of the country is covered with forests and makes one want to drive into the country rather than just visit the capital Tallinn.

Having been conquered and ruled by the Danish, Swedish, Germans and the Russians, Estonia only regained Independence as recently as 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Old Town Tallinn, with its red roof tops, squares, steeples and cobbled streets is a prime example of Medieval Europe. The best way to see the Old Town is on foot and I took one of the free walking tours conducted by some very well informed young student guides.

An enormous explosion crushed the bedrock layers of up to 50 m in depth and the ejected material formed the wide circular Kaali Crater.

One can spend days exploring the Old town, but for me a few hours is more than sufficient .I made a beeline to the less touristy districts Kalamaja, the bohemian Mecca of Tallinn and Telliskivi, the creative city. Located in a former industrial complex, I found innumerable eating and drinking places, photo galleries, boutiques, quirky stores and not to forget a large number of very interesting and kitsch street art.

Its a crime not to head out of Tallinn to explore more of this gorgeous country. Renting a car, my next stop was Narva, 235kms from the capital, stopping at the highest waterfall in Estonia, Jagala and also "Viru Raba", one of the most accessible bogs in Estonia. There is a 3.5 kms walking trail and it takes you through dark murky water and I promise you fantastic photo opportunities.

I also visited Sillamae, an old Stalinist city, which was once a nuclear weapons facility and wears a deserted look now but presents an interesting peep into the not so distant past. Narva a very significant city, although you will hardly see any tourists there, is situated by the Russian border and is home to most of Estonias Russian population. Two dramatic architectural marvels on opposite banks of the River Narva, one belonging to Estonia and one to Russia vie for attention. The Estonian Castle of Order of Germanic Knights and the Russian fortress of Ivangorod are a sight to see when lit up at night.

Angla windmills are typical trestle windmills characteristic of the island of Saaremaa. They were built at the beginning of the 20th century.

The next day is an easy drive to the university town of Tartu, making pitstops at the mighty Lake Peipus and the elaborate Orthodox Puhtitsa convent. Lake Peipus is the fifth largest lake in Europe and is home to The Old Believers, a group of people who fled Russia in the 17th Century to avoid religious persecution and still maintain their old traditional ways.

Tartu is the oldest city in Estonia and seamlessly integrates the old and the new. It is a pretty town filled with historic buildings, relaxing parks and quirky sites too. Not to miss is the Leaning House, which sits in the main Town Hall Square. This once sinking house has a very noticeable lean with a gradient of 5.8 degrees, which is more than that of the Pisa Tower. Another must see is the St Johns Church. This Gothic brick building is unique on a pan European scale. Decorated with 1,700 unique terracotta sculptures on the inside and outside, I have never seen a church with so much character.

Heading to the Parnu, Estonias most famous beach resort town, windy rainy weather greeted me and was not conducive for any outdoor activity. I drive my car onto a humongous ferry that is only a 25-minute ride to Muhu and Saaremaa Islands. Cars, buses, trailers etc. are all effortlessly driven onto this ferry and this is the only way to get to these islands.

Muhu, the smaller of the two islands, is connected to Saaremaa by a beautiful bridge with open waters on either side making for a spectacular drive. There are a number of interesting things to see and do on these islands other than the regular beach activities in summer .The Timber Windmills of Angla in the middle of fields seem out of place but make for an interesting visit to give you an insight into the bygone farm life on the island.

The magnificent cathedral domes and elaborate, wooden buildings the Puhtitsa Convent in Kuremae are a must-see for anyone touring this area. Founded in 1891, it is Estonias only Orthodox convent.

The very bizarre Kaali meteorite craters are most fascinating. According to various estimations, these carters are 3,500-7,500 years old. The largest of these carters was formed when a large piece weighing 20-80 tons crashed into earth at a speed of 10-20kms per second. In ancient times this carter/lake was considered a sacred body of water and a sacrificial site.

Time stands still in the fishing village of Koguva. The beginnings of the village can be traced to 1532, while the dwellings are only some 200 years old .It is like a fairy tale village with the green moss covering every inch of the village stone fence. Tiny dwellings, so quaint and pretty, one can witness the remarkable examples of Estonian peasant architecture. A reminder of how life was not very long ago .The un-spoilt quietness of that village is still tugging at my heart.

I was able to spend an unhurried seven days in Estonia, crisscrossing this breathtaking country. Each corner of Estonia is different. The islands offer a totally different experience than the expansive forests. Tallinns medieval Old Town is steeped with history while the waterfront Kalamaja has intimate vinotheques, alternative art cafes and music events. Once in Estonia you are only a stones throw away from Latvia and Lithuania.

(The writer is a travel and car enthusiast who did a road trip from Coimbatore to London in 2017)Two of the party MLAs  Amantullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal  were arrested in the case.

New Delhi: After questioning chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi police on Wednesday sent a notice to deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, asking him to join the investigation in the case of alleged assault of chief secretary Anshu Prakash in February. Mr Sisodia will be questioned on Friday at 11 am.

The deputy chief minister was sent the notice on Wednesday to join the probe, days after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was questioned for over three hours in connection with the matter, police said.

Mr Prakash was allegedly attacked during a meeting at Mr Kejriwals official residence on February 19. The police said the chief minister was present when the alleged assault took place. The police have already questioned 11 AAP MLAs present at the chief ministers residence for the meeting.

Two of the party MLAs  Amantullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal  were arrested in the case. The MLAs were later sent to 14-day judicial custody, which was further extended by 14 days. Later both the leaders were granted bail by the Delhi high court.

Last month, Mr Kejriwals private secretary Bibhav Kumar and party volunteer Vivek Kumar were also questioned in connection with the case. Mr Kejriwal, his former advisor V.K. Jain and Sisodia were also present in the meeting. Mr Jain was also questioned in the case.

On February 23, a police team had examined the CCTV system installed at the chief ministers 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 bureaucrats.

A Delhi court had on Tuesday sought the response of the city police on an application by Mr Kejriwal seeking a copy of a video and his statement recorded by the probe agency on May 18 in connection with the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash in February.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal issued a notice to the Delhi Police and directed the investigation officer (IO) and the DCP to file a response to Mr Kejriwals plea by May 29. It also directed the IO to be present before the court.

In his application, moved through advocate B S Joon, Mr Kejriwal said that after the proceedings on the day, the police made a statement before the media that Mr Kejriwal had evaded certain questions by not giving proper answers, which was fully incorrect.Agency sleuths search 12 locations, including 4 offices of IT firm.

New Delhi: The CBI on Wednesday registered an FIR against 17 persons, including 10 employees of Sify Technologies Pvt Ltd, in connection with the leak of paper for the combined graduate level examination (CGLE) of Staff Selection Commission (SSC).

The agency sleuths carried out searches at 12 locations, including four offices of the Sify Technologies Pvt Ltd in Chennai, Noida, Mumbai and Okhla (New Delhi) besides the residence of one of its employees, Sant Prasad Gupta in Sheikh Sarai area in the national capital, sources said. The search operation of the agency also covered seven examination labs in Patna, Shimla, Ambala and Jaipur and three places in Delhi. In the CGLE-2017, more than 30 lakh candidates across the country had applied for just over 8,000 vacancies.

It is alleged that the paper of the second tier of the Combined Graduate Level (CGL), 2017, which took place on February 21, 2018 and its answer key were allegedly leaked and became viral on social media before examination began. The agency has also named seven students in the FIR who had appeared in the examination on the basis of the screenshot of the question paper which was allegedly leaked and became viral on social media. The examination papers were set in such a way that an examinee got the questions in a certain sequence, sources alleged. The CBI managed to locate seven students who would have received those questions in that particular pattern.

These students have been named as accused and their complicity would be decided during the course of investigation which has begun now, sources said. Sant Prasad Gupta, custodian of the question bank at Sify, along with nine other employees of the company who were site managers at seven examination centres where the leaked paper had reached, have also been named in the FIR, sources said. The contract for conducting on-line CGL examination for recruitment of the Group B and C services in the central government was given to the Sify Technologies on April 12, 2016. Prior to that, the examination was conducted in optical marks reader (OMR) mode, the FIR said.

During the enquiry, it surfaced that the Sify was entrusted with various duties to conduct examination which included identification and preparation of test centres across the country, preparation of question paper sets, sanitising each computer and the lab used in the examination to prevent any communication from the computers used by examinees, it said.The results show that the BJP is fast emerging as an alternative to the TMC in Bengal.

Kolkata: Senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya on Wednesday said West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee should stop dreaming of becoming the next prime minister as her ambitions will never be fulfilled.

She is dreaming of becoming the next prime minister by bringing together various regional parties. But her ambitions will never be fulfilled. She had tried it earlier in 2014 also, but failed, he said.

He advised Ms Banerjee to concentrate on governance instead as the performance of BJP in rural polls have clearly indicated that the countdown of the TMC government has started in Bengal, Vijayvargiya, the BJPs national general secretary and in-charge of West Bengal, said. Ridiculing Ms Banerjees remark of democracy wins on the fast-paced political developments in Karnataka last week, he said that after the terror that was let loose during the recent panchayat polls, the TMC should refrain from using the word democracy.

On one hand, you talk of democracy and on the other, you dont allow opposition parties to take part in electoral process. This doublespeak has been exposed, he said.

The TMC chief had greeted JD(S) leaders H D Deve Gowda and H D Kumaraswamy as well as the Congress after BJP leader and Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa announced his resignation without facing a trust vote on Saturday.

Democracy wins. Congratulations Karna-taka. Congratulations Deve Gowda Ji, Kumaraswamy Ji, Congress and others. Victory of the regional front (sic), Banerjee had said in a tweet.

Speaking on the results of the panchayat polls in Bengal, Vijayvargiya said despite the reign of terror, the BJP has performed well in the polls.

Despite so much violence, we have won so many seats. The results show that the BJP is fast emerging as an alternative to the TMC in Bengal. The party will further increase its base in the state ahead of next Lok Sabha polls, he said.

The ruling TMC has scripted a resounding victory in West Bengal rural polls bagging more than 85 per cent of the seats, while the BJP came a distant second, emerging as the main opposition in the state.This would be Mr Modis maiden visit to the varsity after becoming the prime minister.

Santiniketan: The stage is set for the historic 49th convocation of the Visva-Bharati University which will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina on Friday, varsity officials said on Thursday.

Mr Modi, who is the charya or Chancellor of the Central university, will inaugurate the Bangladesh Bhavan  a symbol of cultural ties between India and Bangladesh - with Hasina and hold a bilateral meeting there, they said.

Multi-layer security arrangements have been put into place in Santiniketan, which is situated in Bolpur sub-division of West Bengals Birbhum district, the police said.

This would be Mr Modis maiden visit to the varsity after becoming the prime minister. The last time a chancellor was present at a convocation at Visva-Bharati, which was founded by Rabindra Nath Tagore, was in 2008 when Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister.

This will the first convocation of the Central university in five years, Sabujkali Sen, the officiating vice-chancellor of Visva-Bharati, said.

Apart from Mr Modi and Ms Hasina, governor K.N. Tripathi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will also attend the convocation programme.

According to Mr Sen, this will be for the first time in four decades that the chief minister of Bengal will be present at a convocation programme. The last chief minister to have attended a convocation was Siddhartha Shankar Ray. Mamata Banerjee will be the first chief minister to share the dais with the acharya and other dignitaries during the convocation programme, Mr Sen said.

Ms Hasina will arrive in Kolkata on the morning of May 25 and then leave for Santiniketan, about 160 km from the city, sources at the Bangladesh deputy high commission said.

After the meeting with Hasina, Mr Modi will travel to Jharkhand where he will lay the foundation stone of various projects of Central and state governments at an event in Sindri. The projects include revival of Sindri Fertiliser Project of Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Ltd, Ranchi City Gas Distribution Project by GAIL, AIIMS, Deoghar, development of Deoghar airport and Patratu super thermal power project of 3x800 MW capacity, an official statement said in Delhi.

Mr Modi will also witness the exchange of MoUs for jan aushadhi kendras and later address the gathering.In Ranchi, the Prime Minister will interact with the district collectors of aspirational districts of Jharkhand.

Ms Hasina will visit Kazi Nazrul University in Asansol in West Burdwan district where she will be conferred with an honorary D.Lit on May 26.Chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed unhappiness over the decision and said she was shocked

Santiniketan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not confer the Desikottam, Visva-Bharati Universitys highest award, during its convocation ceremony on Friday due to paucity of time, an official said.

The announcement, however, drew a sharp reaction from West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

Sabujkali Sen, officiating vice-chancellor of the university, said there were previous instances when the award had been conferred to international dignitaries not at the annual convocation, but during special convocation programmes organised by the university.

For the time being, the award ceremony is being deferred due to paucity of time. In the 60s too, the award was not conferred due to paucity of time. It was later conferred to eminent personalities, Mr Sen told newsmen here.

Chief minister, however, expressed unhappiness over the decision and said she was shocked.

In April, the Visva-Bharati academic council had proposed to honour Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, author Amitav Ghosh, poet Gulzar, writer Suniti Kumar Pathak, Rabidra Sangeet exponent Dwijen Mukherjee, physicist Ashok Sen and painter Jogen Chowdhury with the Desikottam award.

The university executive council had approved the names in May.

Ms Banerjee, who arrived here on Thursday, said, I am unhappy. Those who were supposed to get the award were not getting it. Amitabh Bachchans name was there, Dwijen Mukherjees name was there. They are above politics. They deserve it (the Desikottam). They should have got it.

I do not want to go into the reasons why they are not getting the award. I am shocked, she said.

The chief minister said it was not new for her to attend the (Visva-Bharati) convocation.

This time I have come here as the Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh will be there. The convocation is not the place for doing politics. And Visva-Bharati is our pride, she asserted.Meanwhile farmer groups have stated that they are going to agitate during the meeting on May 29 as they do not want to give their lands.

Mumbai: An environment consultation meeting with public for the proposed Mumbai - Ahmedabad bullet train project is going to be held in Gadkari Rangayatan, Thane on May 29 amid confusion over its complete impact on Palghar and Thane among residents and activists working to prevent land acquisition.

They claimed that complete EIA report stating the impact of the project on environment and lands is not available online. As such they have demanded more transparency in the process.

Another public consultation for Mumbai areas will also be held on May 30 at Mumbai suburban district collector office at Bandra. Around 353 hectares of land in Maharashtra will be acquired for the 508 km long Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. The corridor will pass through as many as 109 villages that the bullet train corridor would pass Palghar district.

We do not have complete information on which specific lands will be acquired in these districts and how many farming lands will be lost for the project because they have not mentioned in the feasibility report uploaded on the website. Even the report is not complete. As such there is no transparency in the consultation process, said Brian Lobo, member of Kashtakari Sangathna, a farmers organisation opposing the bullet train.

There is no complete lay-out provide details of the coastal regulation zone (CRZ) areas and environmentally sensitive areas that it is going to pass through. As such the citizens attending consultation meeting will not be able to provide suggestions and objections for the project. In the website too, all documents regarding impact on environment is not uploaded, one has to go to district collector office to collect them, said Samir Vartak, an environment activist from Palghar.

The estimate cost for the project is 1.08 lakh crore out of which Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA) will provide financial aid of Rs 88,000 crores.

Meanwhile farmer groups have stated that they are going to agitate during the meeting on May 29 as they do not want to give their lands.Apart from Amravati, the BJP also bagged the Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli local bodies seat.

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena emerged the biggest winner the Maharashtra Legislative Council biennial polls even as the BJP tried to ensure its defeat by supporting NCP candidates. The results for five MLC seats were declared on Thursday, out of which the Sena won two of the three seats it contested.

Counting of votes was held Thursday for five of the six local bodies seats where biennial elections to the Council were held on Monday. The Shiv Sena won the Nashik and Parbhani-Hingoli local bodies seats.

Minister and BJP leader Pravin Pote retained the Amravati local bodies seat. I thank all the voters for reposing their faith in me. It is a vote to the BJP leadership in the state and at the Centre, he said soon after the result was announced. Apart from Amravati, the BJP also bagged the Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli local bodies seat. Both the seats have been retained by the BJP, while both Shiv Sena seats are its gain.

The ruling BJP and the Shiv Sena had contested the polls in an alliance. The Congress and the NCP had also tied-up for the biennial polls. However, according to sources, the BJP had supported the NCP candidates in Nashik and Konkan in order to defeat Sena, which has been at loggerheads with the state and Union governments on several issues.

The BJP had supported NCP candidate Aniket Tatkare who won in the Konkan constituency. He is the son of former minister Sunil Tatkare against whom chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had levelled allegations of corruption when in the BJP was in the opposition. The counting for the Beed constituency has been postponed because of a case pending before the Bombay high court.

According to sources, the BJP wanted to settle scores with Shiv Sena for fielding late BJP MP Chintaman Vanagas son in Palghar Lok Sabha by-poll against the BJP candidate. However, BJPs tactics did not work in Nashik where the Shiv Sena candidate Narendra Darade got 412 votes against all odds. He defeated NCPs Shivaji Sahane by 200 votes. Later, Mr Darade claimed that his victory became possible because of blessings of NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal.

Shiv Sena candidate Viplav Bajoria secured 256 votes and won by 35 votes from Parbhani-Hingoli constituency.

In Konkan constituency, Aniket Tatkare of NCP got 620 votes and defeated Rajiv Sable of Shiv Sena who got 306 votes. Mr Tatkare was helped by BJP MP Narayan Rane. However, sources said that Mr Tatkare would have won even without Mr Ranes support.

Reacting to results, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said, I thank everyone who voted for us. In Konkan, BJPs votes went to NCP. Whether it was BJP's official decision, or whether their MP acted against the party is the topic for the BJP to ponder upon.'It's a fairytale, a real rags to riches story,' Dolores Doherty who had initially rescued him told a news agency.

Last week The Queen is believed to have ridden to Windsor alongside Meghan's rescue dog. (Representational image/ Pixabay)

The brown and white beagle, Guy, who had moved in to Kensington Palace with the Duchess of Sussex last year was always known to be arescue dog. However, new information has emerged revealing that Guy was days away from being put down before being rescued by Markle.

A Dog's Dream Rescue, the dog shelter in Toronto that took Guy in, has described how he was placed in a 'kill shelter' after being found wandering in the woods in Kentucky in 2015.

Volunteers from the charity organised for Guy to be driven across Canada to an adoption event where Markle spotted him and immediately took him home.

Speaking about it Dolores Doherty, who runs the shelter said that Guy was living in a shelter after being found lost in a Kentucky forest and is now living in a forest.

'It's a fairytale, a real rags to riches story,' she told AFP of the incredible story.

The beagle had only been in Canada for one day when Meghan, who was living in Toronto and filming her television series 'Suits,' spotted him at an adoption event.

According to Doherty, Meghan was on the lookout for a companion for her other dog Bogart, a German shepherd mix.

Doherty recalls that while they had shown Markle another dog whom they thought was a better match, she saw Guy and immediately wanted to take him home.

In November the rescue organisation took to Facebook to celebrate Guy's new life, upon reading that Meghan was engaged to Prince Harry.

'Well it's official! Spring of 2018 will mark the date that one of our rescued Beagles will become part of the royal family!' they wrote.

Last week The Queen is believed to have ridden to Windsor alongside Meghan's rescue dog.

A pooch bearing a striking resemblance to her beloved beagle, Guy, was spotted in the back of the monarch's car as she rode through Datchet.

It was spotted by Lainey Gossip in a video posted by MailOnline and shared widely on Twitter.

The bride-to-be took Guy with her when she relocated from Toronto to London last year to live with Harry at Kensington Palace.

However, she had to leave behind Bogart who was deemed to old to fly overseas.The movement against the Citizenship Amendment Bill had started full blast.

Assam is currently witnessing its biggest-ever uprising after the six-year-long agitation against illegal migrants from Bangladesh ended on August 15, 1985 with the signing of the Assam Accord between the agitationists and the government  both the Centre and the state. The Assam Accord stipulated March 25, 1971 (the day Bangladesh was born) as the cutoff date for detection and expulsion of the illegal migrants. This meant any migrant from Bangladesh who has been staying in this country having illegally entered India after this date must be detected and sent back to the country of origin.

For the past 33 years, the issue has been alive and has been a dominant theme of electoral politics simply because only a few thousand people have been actually sent back to Bangladesh with or without Dhakas consent. From 1985 till February 2018, a total of 29,738 foreigners (read Bangladeshis) have been pushed back and deported. Official figures show that only 75 people have been deported to Bangladesh from Assam after March 2013. Now, while those who have been deported must have been done with Dhakas consent, those pushed back must have been just asked to cross over the border. Obviously, this category is unlikely to have the consent of the Bangladesh government.

In this backdrop, all successive governments in Assam and the Centre have been facing the blame of having failed miserably to detect and expel illegal Bangladeshi migrants from Assam and the rest of the Northeast. All these years, the Congress had faced the charge of turning a blind eye to the presence of migrants in Assam who the party was accused of using as a bloc votebank. Perfume baron Maulana Badruddin Ajmal launched the All-India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in 2005 and the party was immediately seen as one banking on this chunk of voters and supporters  Bengali-speaking Muslims of Bangladesh or East Bengal origin. So when the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014, hopes soared that illegal migrants from Bangladesh would be finally detected and expelled.

Nothing of that sort has happened in the last four years of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and the two years of the BJP-led government of Sarbananda Sonowal in Assam. The only thing that has happened and gained momentum is the process of preparing an updated National Register of Citizens (NRC), that is expected to weed out the illegal migrants and have only bonafide citizens in the list in view of the stringent checks and scrutiny mechanism put in place. If one thought the NRC exercise itself was mired in controversy because of instances coming to light of people using fake documents to get their names included in the list, more surprises were to follow.

Then came this controversial decision by the Centre that would further complicate Assams citizenship conundrum. In 2016, the Narendra Modi government mooted a proposal to facilitate granting of citizenship or stay rights to Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Buddhists, Jains and Christians from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The NDA governments argument was that these minorities, particularly Hindus from these countries, have only India to turn to in the event of persecution, and, therefore, must be helped. New Delhi took into account the fact that people from these communities who entered India either without valid travel documents or travel documents that have expired are considered illegal migrants, and hence not eligible to apply for Indian citizenship. The new idea was to allow such people to apply for Indian citizenship.

The proposal was immediately met with strong opposition in Assam. The amendment to the Citizenship Act 1955 to include this provision would mean Assam or the country was ready to allow Hindus from Bangladesh who had entered even after the 1971 cutoff date to be eligible for Indian citizenship. Groups like the All Assam Students Union (AASU), which was at the forefront of the Assam agitation, and parties like the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which incidentally is an ally of the BJP in Assam, opposed the move, saying that they were not prepared to let any illegal migrant stay in Assam, irrespective of whether they were Hindus or Muslims. They said citizenship cannot be conferred on the basis of religion. The movement against the Citizenship Amendment Bill had started full blast.

Soon it turned out that the opposition to the proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill has become the Sonowal governments biggest political challenge so far. Its alliance partner, the AGP, that has three ministers in the Sonowal ministry, has threatened to quit the ministry if the government goes ahead in actually coming up with the bill. Assams two broad geographical entities  Brahmaputra and Barak Valleys  have been sharply divided over this issue. The Assamese-dominated Brahmaputra Valley has risen in revolt against the proposed bill, whereas the Bengali-majority Barak Valley has generally welcomed the idea because the category of people who are sought to be granted citizenship are Bengalis. Politicians in the Barak Valley seem to be happy because this category of people would comprise a big chunk of the electorate. This divide has seen Congress leaders in the Barak Valley going against the official party line of opposing the proposed bill, and coming out openly in its support.

Student groups from the entire Northeast, under the banner of the influential North-East Students Organisation (NESO), have come together in opposing the bill. This has resulted in a joint demonstration by eight apex student groups from the region in Guwahati and protests in their respective states. The decision by the National Peoples Party-led government in Mepghalaya led by Conrad Sangma, of which the BJP is a constituent unit, has added pressure on chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal. The question being asked by groups and individuals is simple  if the Meghalaya government can take a Cabinet decision opposing the proposed bill, why cant the Sonowal government take a similar decision. The scale of the protests has compelled Mr Sonowal to say more than once in the past few days that he or his government would do everything possible to safeguard the interests of the people of Assam. But here the question arises whether he is talking about protecting the interests of people in the Brahmaputra Valley, who are largely opposing the amendment, or those of the Barak Valley, who are generally welcoming it. The debate is open.Congressman Dana Rohrabacher said Pak should first release Shakil Afridi -- a doctor who helped the CIA hunt down Osama bin Laden in 2011.

Washington: The American financial assistance to Pakistan is under review, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told lawmakers on Thursday and accused Islamabad of treating US diplomats "badly".

Pompeo was responding to questions from Congressman Dana Rohrabacher who said the US should stop providing any financial assistance to Pakistan until it releases Shakil Afridi, a doctor who helped the CIA hunt down Osama bin Laden in 2011.

"With respect to Pakistan, we released far fewer funds in 2018 than in the year prior. The remainder of the funds available are under review. My guess is that that number will be smaller still," he told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Rohrabacher said he sees no "reason" in giving any financial aid to Pakistan if it still keeps Shakil Afridi in jail. Pompeo said he worked "diligently" on the issue of Afridi in his previous role as the CIA Director, but acknowledged that he has been "unsuccessful" so far.

"Please be aware that it's at my heart and I know it's important and we can do that. We can achieve that outcome," he said.

Rohrabacher intervened by saying that the situation is getting "worse" in Pakistan. "These people in Karachi and the Sindhs and the others, they're now facing these people who are killing their leaders or killing their people who believe in certain things that are different than the radical Islamic philosophy of some of the people in the Pakistani government," he alleged. Besides financial assistance issue, Pompeo said, the US also needs to take note of treatment meted out to American diplomats by Pakistan.

"Our State Department officials are being treated badly as well. Folks working in the embassies and in the consulates and other places are not being treated well by the Pakistani government either, a real problem that we need to take the measure of also," he said.

Congressman Brad Sharman hoped that the US State Department would reach out to the leaders of Pakistan about the "forced disappearances in Sind".American citizen working at US consulate in Guangzhou reported suffering from 'abnormal' sounds, pressure leading to mild brain injury.

The embassy, which issued a health alert to Americans living in China, said it could not link the case to health issues suffered by US government staff in Cuba dating back to late 2016. (Photo: FIle)

Beijing/Washington: An American citizen working at the US consulate in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou has reported suffering from "abnormal" sounds and pressure leading to a mild brain injury, the US embassy said on Wednesday and China said it was investigating the incident.

The embassy, which issued a health alert to Americans living in China, said it could not link the case to health issues suffered by US government staff in Cuba dating back to late 2016.

In Washington, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was concerned about the "serious medical incident" and raised it with China's visiting State Councillor Wang Yi.

"We notified China of what took place as best we know it and they have responded in a way that is exactly the right response," Pompeo told a news conference with Wang. "We're working together to resolve (this) ... I hope we can figure it out."

Earlier, he told Congress that the incident in China was "medically similar" to one suffered by American diplomats in Cuba.

Wang, speaking through a translator, said Beijing was investigating the incident and "we haven't found any organization or individual has carried out such a sonic influence."

"We don't want to see that this individual case will be magnified, complicated or even politicized. We hope people will not associate it with other unnecessary matters," he cautioned.

The unnamed American citizen assigned to the consulate in Guangzhou had reported a variety of "physical symptoms" dating from late 2017 to April this year, the US embassy in Beijing said in an email.

The worker was sent to the United States for further evaluation. "The clinical findings of this evaluation matched mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI)," the embassy said.

The State Department was taking the incident very seriously and working to determine the cause and impact, the embassy said. Pompeo said that medical teams were heading to Guangzhou to investigate the incident.

The State Department added that the Chinese government told the embassy it was also investigating and taking appropriate measures.

"We cannot at this time connect it with what happened in Havana, but we are investigating all possibilities," a US embassy official told Reuters.

The US government on Wednesday issued a health alert to Americans in China, warning them about the incident it described as "subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure".

"While in China, if you experience any unusual acute auditory or sensory phenomena accompanied by unusual sounds or piercing noises, do not attempt to locate their source. Instead, move to a location where the sounds are not present," the emailed alert said.

The US government in October expelled 15 Cuban diplomats from the United States for what it said was Cuba's failure to protect staff at the US embassy in Havana from mysterious health incidents at one point thought to possibly have been acoustic "attacks".

The staff there reported symptoms including hearing loss, dizziness, fatigue and cognitive issues, though Cuban officials dismissed the idea of acoustic strikes as "science fiction" and accused Washington of slander.

The cause of those incidents remains unresolved.

The Canadian government in April said it would remove families of diplomats posted to Cuba after Canadian personnel there in 2017 also reported similar health symptoms.The trip, Macron's first to Russia as president, will see Iran's nuclear deal as well as conflicts in Syria and Ukraine being discussed.

A year ago Emmanuel Macron (L) hosted Vladimir Putin in Versailles, with the French leader accusing Russian media of producing 'lying propaganda' during a joint press conference. (Photo: AFP)

Saint Petersburg: French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Saint Petersburg on Thursday to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, with the Iran nuclear deal as well as conflicts in Syria and Ukraine on the agenda.

The trip is Macron's first to Russia as president and follows a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week. Europe and Moscow are making diplomatic overtures to save the Iran deal, now under threat after the recent US withdrawal.

The French and Russian leaders will "take the time for an in-depth one-on-one discussion", according to the Elysee.

Macron will be accompanied by his wife Brigitte during the trip, which will also see him address the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The meeting comes almost exactly a year since the freshly elected Macron hosted Putin in Versailles when the French leader accused Russian media of producing "lying propaganda" during a joint press conference.

This time Putin will welcome the French president to the Konstantin Palace, a former residence of Peter the Great set some 20 kilometres (12 miles) outside Saint Petersburg.

The talks take place after President Donald Trump in early May controversially pulled the US out of the 2015 landmark pact with Iran that placed limits on its nuclear programme in return for easing economic sanctions.

Washington is threatening stinging fresh sanctions if Tehran does not comply with a set of strict new demands.

Saving the deal provides a rare point of agreement between Moscow and European countries, which have seen relations tank in recent years over crises in Ukraine and Syria, as well as accusations of meddling in foreign elections and the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in Britain.

"Russia shares the position of the majority of the international community including Western leaders" when it comes to the Iran deal, said Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Moscow Center.

The West has realised that a dialogue with Putin is "inevitable" in order to preserve the accord, he said.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will also visit Russia at the end of the week.

"Merkel and Abe have already begun a thaw with Moscow and Macron is scared of losing the advantage that France has always had with Russia," Baunov added.

Sticking points

But there are a number of sticking points that will prevent a full rapprochement between Paris and Moscow.

Chief among them is Syria, where at least 350,000 people have been killed since war broke out in 2011.

Moscow intervened in 2015 to prop up its ally President Bashar al-Assad -- in a move generally seen as decisive in turning around the multi-front conflict -- while France has participated in strikes on regime targets.

Another issue is the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which broke out after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and has so far claimed at least 10,000 lives.

Paris and Moscow, along with Berlin, signed peace agreements in Minsk in 2015 that aimed to bring the fighting to a close but there is currently no end in sight.

On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch also implored Macron to raise the issue of rights abuses with his Russian counterpart, following a crackdown on dissent and pressure on minority groups in the country.

He must confirm "that France will never accept the increased repression in Russia as 'the new normal'," the NGO said in a statement.

But the talks between the two presidents will not be the only bilateral activity of the day, as a raft of commercial agreements are also set to be signed during the economic forum.

The presence of the French president at the forum "legitimises visits by business people. Those who are worried about the risks, sanctions or criticism are covered to a certain extent by the president," analyst Baunov said.

"If anything, the political leadership will get criticised for this rapprochement and not the business community."A military source of forces allied to Syria's govt said the strikes had targeted two regime military positions near a frontline with IS.

The US-led coalition has carried out several deadly strikes against Syrian government forces and allied fighters in recent months. (Photo: Representational)

Damascus: Syrian state media reported early Thursday that an aerial attack by the US-led coalition had hit several military positions in the country's east, but said there were no casualties.

"Some of our military positions between Albu Kamal and Hmeimeh were hit this morning in an aggression by American coalition warplanes," said a military source quoted on state news agency SANA.

The source told SANA the attack only caused "material damage."

Albu Kamal and Hmeimeh lie in Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor province, where Russian-backed Syrian troops and the US-led coalition have been waging separate offensives against the Islamic State group.

A "de-confliction" line in place since 2017 is meant to keep the two assaults from crashing into each other and runs along the Euphrates River.

Regime troops are present west of the river while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are on the east.

A military source of forces allied to Syria's government said the strikes had targeted two regime military positions near a frontline with IS.

"Daesh then launched an attack on the positions. The strikes and attack left a number of Syrian fighters dead and caused material damage," the source said, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

"There are no Iranian or Lebanese fighters among the dead," the source said.

The coalition has carried out several deadly strikes against Syrian government forces and allied fighters in recent months.

In February, coalition bombing raids in Deir Ezzor province killed at least 100 regime and allied fighters, including Russian nationals, in retaliation for an attack on SDF positions.

And in September 2016, US-led strikes on regime military positions in the east left more than 60 Syrian troops dead. The coalition later said it had mistaken the fighters for IS jihadists.

There was no immediate comment on Thursday from either the US-led coalition or the SDF, which are fighting to clear IS from a final series of villages on the eastern bank of the Euphrates.

IS overran swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, but separate offensives across both countries have seen its grip on territory shrink dramatically.

On Monday, Syrian troops and allied forces ousted IS from the last districts it held in the capital Damascus.

After a fierce month-long battle, an evacuation deal saw the remaining diehard jihadists bussed out of the city towards small pockets of land still held by IS in Syria's Badiya.

The Badiya is the vast desert stretching from the country's centre to its eastern border with Iraq.

The day after the transfer, IS fighters in the Badiya launched an attack on a nearby government position, leaving more than two dozen Syrian troops and allied fighters dead.The Shiite leader calls for protection of oil sales and for safeguarding trade. And EU countries must not ask for negotiations on the ballistic missile program or on activities in the region. The distance between Washington and Brussels remains deep. German Minister: we are following "two different paths".

Tehran (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei has dictated the conditions under which the country will remain in the nuclear agreement (the JCPOA) with China, Russia and Europe, after US President Donald Trump's decision to cancel it and introduce new sanctions. Among the elements of greatest interest for the highest Shiite authority are the protection of oil sales and the safeguarding of trade.

In recent days, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced "the hardest sanctions in history" against the Islamic Republic. The position of the main European leaders - Germany, Great Britain and France - which intend to respect the pact signed in 2015 is different.

This is the backdrop to the recent diplomatic voyage to Brussels of the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the choice of the European Union (EU) to brush up on a pro-Cuba norm; the objective is to protect their companies from the "extraterritorial application" of the new sanctions imposed by the White House.

In his speech, ayatollah Khamenei emphasizes that the European powers should protect Iran's oil sales from US sanctions and continue with the purchase of oil. Furthermore, EU banks must safeguard trade with the Islamic Republic. Finally, France, Germany and the United Kingdom should commit not to ask for negotiations on the ballistic missile program and on activities in the region, two key points for Washington.

If these requests are not met, he said, the country will resume uranium enrichment activities. And there will no longer be any agreements that provide for the presence of the United States. "The Islamic Republic - concluded Khamenei - can no longer make agreements with a government that violates international treaties with such ease".

Meanwhile, the distance between Washington and Brussels in terms of Iranian nuclear remains deep, as confirmed by the head of the German diplomacy Heiko Maas. "We are still very far from a compromise - said the Foreign Minister at the end of a meeting with Pompeo - we are following different paths". Finally, Maas himself praised the "great solidarity" of all the European countries signing the nuclear agreement and the entire European Union that want to keep the JCPOA alive and continue negotiations with Tehran.Around 8 am on 25 August, ARSA attacked the village of Ah Nauk Kha Maung Seik, killing 20 men, 10 women and 23 children, 14 of whom under 8. All 46 inhabitants of the village of Ye Bauk Kyar have also disappeared. Some 99 people are thought to have been killed. Myanmar complains about the failure of the international community to condemn the violence.

Naypyidaw (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Amnesty International has released new evidence of a gruesome massacre of Hindus by Rohingya militants in Rakhine State last year, making it the first international rights group to shed light on what it calls the largely under-reported human rights abuses by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).

In a press release this morning, Amnesty said that ARSA killed up to 99 Hindu women, men and children and abducted Hindu villagers in August of last year. Previously, the Islamist group had denied any responsibility in the matter, calling on the Myanmar military and other Rakhine ethnic groups not to blame the victims, i.e. the Rohingya.

Since the start of the latest chapter in the crisis in the western Myanmar state, Buddhists and Hindus have blamed the Muslim armed group for a number of atrocities, evidence of which came to light when some mass graves were discovered.

In recent months, the Rohingya question has drawn the attention of the international community. As a result of pressure from Islamic countries and Western powers, Myanmars civilian government has had to face the issue but its failure to censure the actions of its powerful Armed Forces has sparked criticism.

By contrast, condemnations of ARSA have been relatively modest. The lack of international opposition to ARSA recently prompted Myanmars ambassador to the UN to accuse some of its members of only listening to one side of the story and failing to acknowledge the other sides abuses.

Accountability for these atrocities is every bit as crucial as it is for the crimes against humanity carried out by Myanmars security forces in northern Rakhine State, Tirana Hassan, Amnestys crisis response director, is quoted as saying in the groups press release.

Amnesty focused on killings and abductions in the village of Ah Nauk Kha Maung Seik, a village in the Kha Maung Seik tract, and Myo Thu Gyi village in Maungdaw Township, a major scene of violence.

Its investigation found that at about 8 am on 25 August, ARSA attacked the Hindu community in Ah Nauk Kha Maung Seik. According to a detailed list of the dead, given to Amnesty International, the victims from Ah Nauk Kha Maung Seik include 20 men, 10 women and 23 children, 14 of whom were under the age of 8, the press release says.

It goes on to say that eight Hindu women and eight of their children were abducted and spared, after ARSA fighters forced the women to convert to Islam. Survivors were forced to flee with the fighters to Bangladesh several days later, before being repatriated in October with the aid of Bangladeshi and Myanmar authorities.

Also on 25 August, all 46 Hindus  men, women and children  disappeared from the neighbouring village of Ye Bauk Kyar.

Members of the Hindu community in northern Rakhine State believe they were killed by the same ARSA fighters. The total death toll in both villages is believed to be 99.

The bodies of 45 people from Ah Nauk Kha Maung Seik were unearthed in four mass graves in late September. The remains of the other victims, the 46 from Ye Bauk Kyar, have not been found.

After violence broke out in Rakhine, Pope Francis expressed compassion for the suffering of the people of Rakhine. During his visit to Myanmar (27-30 November 2017), the Holy See also provided contributed cash to the local Catholic Church to help cope with the crisis.

In his address to the people of Myanmar, the pontiff declared that the future of their country must be "peace, a peace based on respect for the dignity and rights of each member of society, respect for each ethnic group and its identity".

Through Caritas Myanmar, the Church is also involved in development projects in ten villages inhabited by different ethnic groups and religions.Some members of the Sangha Supreme Council are led out in handcuffs. Police raid five major temples. Investigators note that large funds were illegally transferred to outsiders. The abbot of Wat Sa Ket had 10 bank accounts, through which he funnelled 130 million baht or US$ 4 million.

Bangkok (AsiaNews/Agencies)  About 200 police commandos carried out coordinated raids in various Buddhist temples, arresting senior monks for alleged embezzlement of state funds.

Those arrested include members of the Sangha Supreme Council, which governs Buddhist monks and plays a role similar to that of the College of Cardinals in the Catholic Church.

Armed with arrest and search warrants, police at 6 this morning swept into five religious complexes: the temples of Wat Sam Phraya, Wat Sa Ket and Wat Samphanthawong in Bangkok; Wat Onoi in Nakhon Pathom, 55 km west of the city; and Wat Kudeethong in Sing Buri, 126 kilometres north of the capital.

In the temple of Wat Onoi, police arrested activist Abbot Phra Buddha Isara, known for his support for Bangkok Shutdown, a protest movement against the Yingluck Shinawatra government, in 2013-14.

He was held on a charge of supporting robbery during the demonstrations led by the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC).

At Wat Sam Phraya, the authorities ordered the arrest of the abbot, Phra Phrom Dilok, and his secretary, Phra Atthakit Sophon.

The two are accused of embezzling temple funds. Phra Phrom Dilok is also a member of the Sangha and ecclesiastical governor of Bangkok.

Two other members of the Council face the same accusation: Phra Phrom Sitthi, abbot at Wat Sa Ket and Phra Phrom Methee, assistant abbot at Wat Samphanthawong. Both remain at large.

Phra Sri Khunaporn and Phra Wichit Thammaporn, assistant abbots of Wat Sa Ket, have also ended in handcuffs. Together with Tawit Sangyu, a temple official, they are accused of embezzling funds from a Buddhist school and money laundering.

Investigators suspect that Wat Sa Ket stole money from two Buddhism-related projects worth 69 million baht (US$ 2.150,000), transferred to third parties.

Police report that the abbot had 10 bank accounts, through which he funnelled 130 million baht (US$ 4 million). All accounts are now frozen.

Police also issued arrest warrants for seven other monks at Wat Sam Phraya, Wat Sa Ket and Wat Samphanthawong, again on allegations of embezzlement and money laundering.

General Maitree Chimcherd, commander of the Crime Suppression Division, said that most of the funds allocated to Wat Sa Ket, Wat Sam Phraya and Wat Samphanthawong were illegally transferred to outsiders.

In Wat Kudeethong temple, police arrested deputy abbot Phra Khru Wilas Kijjanukul for allegedly stealing and selling three important ancient images of the Buddha, taken from two temples in Sing Buri.

All arrested senior monks were taken to the headquarters of the Crime Suppression Division in the Thai capital for questioning and legal procedures.

In recent years, the image of Thailands dominant religion (90 per cent of the population) has suffered from a string of sexual and financial scandals involving monks.

Under growing pressure from the military government and religious leaders, the country's Buddhist monks have begun a new cycle of reforms to clean up their temples and corrupt communities.

Since September of last year, senior monks have issued orders to impose harsher discipline on the countrys 300,000 monks in its 40,000 temples.Explosions began at 11 am and ended at 4 pm destroying three of four tunnels. Tunnel 1 had been abandoned years ago. The operation was videotaped, and images will be available tomorrow, when reporters reach Wonson. Critics express doubts because no nuclear expert was present and radiation levels were not measured after equipment was confiscated. The dismantling had been announced ahead of the summit between Kim and Trump, but the US president said the latter would not take place because of Pyongyangs "hostile" behaviour.

Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies)  North Korea destroyed the Punggye-ri nuclear test site with a series of explosions. Journalists present phoned in the news but radiation levels could not be measured.

The operation began at 11 am (local time) after North Korean authorities asked reporters if they were ready to film the first blast. Then the counted down started.

With a heavy boom that shook Mount Mantap, dirt and broken rocks spilled out from the entrance, South Korean media reported.

A CNN crew at the remote mountain site in the country's north witnessed explosions at nuclear tunnels 2, 3 and 4, from observation decks about 500 metres away.

Before the explosions, the journalists said they were invited to look inside three of the four tunnels.

The North Portal, also referred to as Tunnel No. 2, was the first to go. Two other tunnels were destroyed around 2.17 pm, followed by the barracks, observation towers and other facilities in the area.

The explosions ended two hours later. The journalists said without clarifying whether Tunnel No. 1, or the East Portal, was destroyed as well.

Among the four tunnels in the zone, the East Portal had been abandoned earlier, this according to 38 North, a US-based website. North Korean authorities said that the tunnel was closed in 2006, after it was used for one test.

Plumes of smoke soon covered the mountain.

Reporters and television crews from the United States, China, Russia and Great Britain were invited to witness the ceremony. It is not clear if Kim Jong-un was present.

After the show, journalists travelled to Wonsan, a city on the east coast of the country.

Located in the north of the country, below Mount Mantap, the Punggye-ri site became famous because six nuclear tests were carried out in it, the last one in September, raising concerns and fears about a possible nuclear war.

In recent weeks, some Chinese experts had speculated that the site was already unusable because of those tests.

However, Kim Jong-un apparently said that only two tunnels were already out of use, a claim backed by US intelligence.

South Korea is cheering the news. "(We) expect it to serve as a chance for complete denuclearisation going forward," said Noh Kyu-duk, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The destruction of the nuclear site was seen as an important step ahead of the summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump, scheduled for 12 June in Singapore. However, the latter appears to have been cancelled, or at least postponed.

US President Donald Trump just announced that the meeting will not be held because of North Koreas "hostile" behaviour.

For their part, sceptics criticised Pyongyang's decision not to invite nuclear experts who, unlike journalists, would have been able to assess if the explosions were deep enough to completely destroy the tunnels.

They apparently asked some journalists to measure radiation levels. However, the equipment they carried was seized by North Korean officials.The Bureau of Immigration reiterated forfeiture of her missionary visa. The nun will have to leave the country by tomorrow. Her lawyer filed an appeal with the Justice Department. The authorities accuse the nun of taking part in anti-government political rallies in the cities of Davao and Tagum.

Manila (AsiaNews/CBCPNews)  The Filipino government has rejected the appeal of Sister Patricia Fox (pictured), an elderly Australian missionary, against her deportation.

The 71-year-old superior of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion in the Philippines asked that the forfeiture of her missionary visa on 23 April be reversed.

The week before, the nun was arrested for participating in anti-government demonstrations and released after a day.

Following an investigation ordered by Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte, the Bureau of Immigration Office (BI) ordered the nun to leave the country within 30 days.

Sister Patricia has lived in the Philippines for 27 years, working among farmers and indigenous peoples.

Recently, she had taken part in an international investigation and solidarity mission among the peasants and Lumad people living in the southern island of Mindanao to look into alleged violations of their rights.

The authorities accuse the nun of participating in political gatherings in the cities of Davao and Tagum.

In a three-page document, the Bureau of Immigration reiterated its decision yesterday, noting that its order is final and executory. We will not entertain any further Motion for Reconsideration, said BI Commissioner Jaime Morente.

Sister Patricia will have to leave the Philippines by tomorrow. However, BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval clarified that the complaint for deportation against Fox in engaging in political activities is still pending as it is separate from the agencys action forfeiting her visa.

She said that pending resolution of the deportation complaint, Fox could still return to the country as a tourist after she leaves as she is not yet in the bureaus blacklist.

The BI dismissed Foxs assertion that the Bureau forfeited her visa without due process and that allegations that she engaged in political activities were not backed with solid evidence.

It reiterated that Fox acted beyond allowed activities under her visa by working outside Quezon City, the place where she claimed she would render her missionary works when she applied for her visa.

Lawyer Jobert Pahilga, Foxs counsel, said they will appeal the BIs latest order before the Department of Justice (DOJ) this week.

He said that he had already expected the BI to deny the motion for reconsideration, which is why as early as last week, they already had prepared an appeal.by Melani Manel Perera

About 50 families have been camping in the ruined church since 23 April. Their land was occupied by the military during the civil war. The displaced people are asking for help to build 200 temporary homes and transport to get drinking water from three kilometres away. They need eight tanks, 50 toilets, street lamps to light the road, and 15 solar panels and systems to keep the water sources clean.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - After being allowed to return to the island of Iranaitheevu, Tamil Catholics must now also have the right to rebuild their homes, this according to NGOs that met at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES) on Tuesday in Colombo with Tamil representatives who came especially for the occasion.

For the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO) and the Praja Abhilasha Joining Hands Network (PAJHN), the government must meet their basic needs and allow people to resettle on their land. This is an unescapable necessity that the government must satisfy.

The goal of the meeting was to focus attention on the sad fate of Tamil Catholics, who have been waiting since 23 April to take possession of their land, which the Navy and the Army seized during the civil war.

A month ago, 50 families landed on the twin islands of Iranaitheevu, on the northwest coast of Sri Lanka (Kilinochchi district), from where they were forcibly displaced in 1992.

They were authorised to return after a year of street protests. Since April, women, children and elderly have camped out in the old broken-down church waiting for the authorities to accept their demand.

Two of the islands leaders, A. Anthony and Mudiyappu Emmiliampillai, spoke about the immediate needs of their community. They said the community needs immediate help to build 200 temporary homes and transport to get drinking water from three kilometres away. They need eight tanks, 50 toilets, street lamps to light the road, and 15 solar panels and systems to keep the water sources clean.

"For these people it is a great and courageous victory, but at the same time tiring, said Francis Raajan, local PAJHN coordinator and secretary, speaking to AsiaNews. After so many failed efforts since the end of the conflict, we really appreciate the struggle that has been going on since May 2017 and then since 23 April."

For Anthony Jesudasan, coordinator of NAFSOs North-South Peace Dialogue, "the most critical aspect is that the government has not yet established any plan for the resettlement process. There should be a mandatory mechanism."

According to those present at the meeting, the government should take responsibility for relocating these people. It is not enough to give them the right to rebuild; the authorities should provide at least some basic items like temporary tents, drinking water, toilets and food. These must be granted in any case to give the Tamils the possibility of resettling wherever they want.

Raajan and Jesudasan note that evacuation did not take place because the displaced wanted it or needed to. Thus, the government should assume responsibility for properly relocating them.

Finally, participants said they would organise similar meetings to ensure that public attention does not turn away from the suffering of the Tamil.An NGO claims 12 pro-government fighters were killed. State media report only material damage. The affected area is near the Euphrates where an offensive against the Islamic State group is underway. Source in the capital tells AsiaNews that people feel safer, but it will take a long time to heal wounds.

Damascus (AsiaNews)  The winds of war are still blowing across Syria. Syrian state media reported that the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State hit Syrian army positions in eastern Syria early on Thursday, a claim the US military has denied.

According to some sources, the strikes targeted Irans Revolutionary Guard, which backs Syrias government. However, top US officials said they could not substantiate the claim.

Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has an extensive network of informants on the ground, said that at least 12 pro-government foreign fighters were killed in the airstrike.

"Some of our military sites between Albu Kamal and Hamimia were exposed at dawn today to aggression launched by US coalition jets," state news agency SANA reported, citing a military source.

The sites are in Deir Ezzor province, near the border with Iraq, not far from the area still under the control of the Islamic State group. Government media did not mention casualties, only material damage.

The area was recently attacked by the Islamic State, which targeted regular Syrian forces.

We have no operational reporting of a U.S.-led coalition strike against pro-Syrian regime targets or forces, a spokesman for US Central Command told media.

Another Pentagon spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: We have no information to substantiate those reports.

Meanwhile, Syrian forces, including pro-Iranian militias, announced the start of an offensive to retake areas along the Euphrates still held by the Islamic State.

For the past two weeks, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, backed by the US-led coalition, took territory on the east side of the river not far from the border with Iraq.

In Damascus, some calm returned to the city and its suburbs after government forces took control of an enclave south of the capital still in the hands of the Caliphate.

After an intense battle and an evacuation agreement, Syrian troops entered the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk and the nearby neighbourhoods of Qadam, Tadamun and al-Hajar al-Aswad.

For the first time since March 2011, when war broke out, the whole city is in the hands of Bashar al-Assad's forces supported by pro-Iranian militias and Lebanons Hezbollah and its armed militia.

Source in Damascus told AsiaNews that the situation has greatly improved, and "there is a general feeling of greater security among people". However, the war remains in peoples consciousness and the fear of new violence lingers.

"We are still under pressure, the source said. Even (in the unlikely case that) the war should end soon, it will take a long time to heal wounds and overcome pressure and the widespread feeling of insecurity. It will not be easy to get through it." (DS)Zhu has been missing since 29 April after he was seized for picking quarrels and stirring up trouble. This is an excuse according to an activist friend. Zhu was not alone at the commemoration but he is the only one who was not released. In 2013, he challenged the "suicide" verdict of a Tianamen dissident.

Beijing (AsiaNews/RFA)  Zhu Chengzhi (pictured right), an activist who has not been heard of since April 29, is under "residential surveillance" in a secret place after he was charged with picking quarrels and stirring up trouble for visiting the tomb of Lin Zhao, a dissident from the Mao Zedong era.

Zhu Chengzhi was seized on 29 April at the Lingyan Shan hillside cemetery on the outskirts of Suzhou, alongside fellow activists who had laid wreaths to mark the anniversary of Lin's execution for alleged counterrevolutionary crimes.

Lin is an important symbol for Chinas pro-democracy movement. She criticised the supreme leader and was executed in 1968 at the age of 36 after refusing to plead guilty to charges.

Zhus daughter, who lives in Hangzhou, received notification from police on Monday that her father was under "residential surveillance", said Hunan rights activist Yi Zhengan.

"We don't know where he is being held under residential surveillance," Yi said. "We think it may be in Suzhou, but we can't be sure."

"Residential surveillance at a designated location" can be used for up to six months in cases the authorities say are linked to state security.

State security charges like subversion and "revealing state secrets," are increasingly used against critics of the ruling Chinese Communist Party and are also used to justify denying access to a lawyer or family visits.

Rights groups say that detainees held in secret locations are at risk of torture and other forms of mistreatment.

For Hunan-based activist Chen Siming, the visit to Lin Zhaos tomb is an excuse to silence Zhu. "Four people went to commemorate Lin Zhao on Apr. 29, and they released the other three on the same day," he said,

Zhu became one of China's most prominent rights activists after he spoke out in connection with the suspicious death in police custody of labour rights activist Li Wangyang (pictured left) in 2013.

On that occasion, he challenged the official verdict, according to which Li, disabled, hanged himself. This cost Zhu six months of residential surveillance on suspicion of "subversion".Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun with gusty winds. High 67F. Winds NW at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low around 45F. WNW winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.For Immediate Release, May 24, 2018 Contacts: Jared Margolis, Center for Biological Diversity, (802) 310-4054, jmargolis@biologicaldiversity.org

Jake Thompson, Natural Resources Defense Council, (202) 289-2387, jthompson@nrdc.org

Mark Hefflinger, Bold Alliance, (323) 972-5192, mark@boldalliance.org

Gabby Brown, Sierra Club, (202) 495-3051, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org

Patrick Davis, Friends of the Earth, (202) 222-0744, pdavis@foe.org

Dustin Odgin, Northern Plains Resource Council, (406) 228-1154, dustin@northernplains.org Groups Challenge Trump Administration's Rubber-stamping of Keystone XL Permit Judge Hears Arguments That Approval Violated Environmental Laws, Relied on Outdated Science GREAT FALLS, Mont. Environmental and landowner groups today argued in federal court that the Trump administrations rubber-stamp approval of a cross-border permit for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline violated environmental laws and should be vacated. The lawsuit challenges the U.S. Department of States inadequate and outdated environmental review of the pipeline. That review relied on an old environmental impact statement from January 2014 and failed to consider key information on the impacts of the 1,700-mile pipeline, which would carry up to 35 million gallons of oil a day from Canadas tar sands  one of the worlds dirtiest energy sources  across critical water sources and wildlife habitat to Texas refineries. Plaintiffs Northern Plains Resource Council, Bold Alliance, Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Sierra Club filed the lawsuit in March 2017. The case is being argued in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. Beginning in February, the court ordered the Trump administration to disclose additional documents related to the project, which the court found had been improperly withheld. Last night, on the eve of oral arguments, landowners and pipeline opponents hosted a rally at Elks Riverside Park on the banks of the Missouri River. Featured speakers included Bill Whitehead, chair of the Water Commission of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes; Dena Hoff, farmer and irrigator on the Yellowstone River; Stuart Lewin, board member and officer of Missouri River Citizens, Inc.; Art Tanderup, a Nebraska farmer and landowner on the proposed KXL route; and Joye Braun, organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network. Rally attendees then marched across the Missouri river, past the federal courthouse in Great Falls where todays hearing was held, to West Bank Park on the bank of the Missouri River. The communities being threatened by the Keystone XL pipeline deserve a full accounting of its impacts, and the law requires it, said Sierra Club Senior Attorney Doug Hayes. "The Trump administration thought they could avoid a full analysis of Keystone XL in order to score a quick political win, but they are not above complying with the law. Our environmental laws exist to protect the American people, and federal agencies cannot flout these laws for the benefit of a foreign oil company. In approving Keystone XL, the Trump administration unlawfully ignored that it would be a disaster for our climate, wildlife and clean water, said Jared Margolis, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. Regulators failed to fully consider this pipelines profound threats to the environment and endangered species, including the iconic whooping crane, which would be devastated by the projects power lines. The government failed to do its job, and this terrible project must be stopped. Keystone XL threatens the Ogallala aquifer and fragile Sandhills in Nebraska, as well as the migratory route of our beloved and endangered whooping cranes, and the outdated environmental review does not even encompass new land and endangered species habitat on the proposed Mainline Alternative route in Nebraska, said Mark Hefflinger, communications director for Bold Alliance. The Trump administration barreled into office eager to appease big polluters, and fast. So fast it acted illegally by approving the KXL project even before it had an approved route, said Jackie Prange, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council. But no route will ever be safe. Wherever it goes, this dangerous pipeline will always pose an unacceptable risk to water supplies for farmers, ranchers, indigenous people, and communities. We intend to stop it once, and for all. Trump evaded the law to rush the construction of Keystone XL pipeline, ignoring the direct danger this dirty project puts our communities and environment in, said Marcie Keever, legal director at Friends of the Earth. We cannot stand by while Trump and Big Oil imperil water supplies, threaten endangered species, destroy forests and accelerate climate change. Keystone XL is an environmental disaster waiting to happen and this administration cannot ignore the law to avoid assessing the risk this pipeline poses. Our struggle with Keystone XL has gone on so far and so long that it can be easy to miss the original, basic facts. The fact is, when I gave a negative answer to the question, Do you want a pipeline to cross your land? I was asked by a Keystone XL fieldman if I really wanted to take on a multibillion-dollar corporation. I guess I do, since the pending pipeline was forced on me and on my land, said Don Brown, a Montana landowner whose ranch would be crossed by the proposed pipeline, and Northern Plains Resource Council member. I took this to be a threat of condemnation where my constitutional right to protect my property is violated. Photo by Dustin Ogdin, Northern Plains Resource Council. This image is available for media use. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.Gerhard Fritz

Can you share some insight into the strategy behind Shoprites ambitious expansion on the African continent?

What do you believe are the main hurdles preventing/deterring SA retailers from setting up shop in other regions on the continent?

When operating in other markets, how much focus does Shoprite place on sourcing from local suppliers?

Shoprite Uganda

Which region has proved the most difficult for the Shoprite Group to penetrate?

At this point in time, which market outside SA would you say holds the most promise for the Shoprite Group, and why?

What have been your key lessons learned from doing business in Africa?

In light of #AfricaMonth , Gerhard Fritz, Shoprite's COO of non-RSA outlets, reflects on the highs, lows and learnings of the Group's more than the two-decade-long foray into Africa.We opened our first supermarket outside of South Africa in Windhoek, Namibia in 1990. In 1995 our first Zambian store was opened. We target countries that have real economic drivers  minerals, oils and tourism  sustaining economic activities.Outside of South Africa, we now have more than 460 outlets in 14 African countries, including Nigeria and Angola. Were entering the Kenyan market later this year, a move we believe will strengthen our presence in East Africa.The greatest obstacle is the rules and regulations governing inter-country trade. Its easier to import goods from Europe than other African countries. One reason for this is that each country has its own bureau of standards and unlike in the European Union there is no uniformity regarding this.Also, there are no big manufacturing industries in Africa and a shortage of foreign currency in African countries. With the slowdown in the world economy, there is not much demand for raw materials like copper, diamonds and gold  minerals richly available in Africa. Furthermore, direct investment into Africa has slowed to a trickle as a result of a stronger American economy.That said, these hurdles do not deter us as and were committed to making further inroads into the African retail market.We buy local as far as we can. In Zambia and Nigeria 80% of goods in our stores are sourced locally. We also run campaigns in African countries encouraging local suppliers to do business with us. In Uganda, it is 'Buy Uganda. Build Uganda' and in Nigeria we run the 'Made in Nigeria' campaign.Penetration into the East African market has been very challenging. A lot depends on our success in Kenya. However, Uganda is showing some steady growth. We opened a new Shoprite store (our third) there last month. Another store opening is planned in the coming weeks with a fifth supermarket scheduled to open its doors before the end of the year.Shoprite was the first retailer to introduce countries such as Nigeria and Angola to world-class shopping, whilst in the East African countries there are already established supermarket chains, so competition is stiff.North African countries hold the most promise. However, those are also the countries with the closest ties to Europe. Even though Shoprites had a presence in Nigeria and Angola for 12 and 15 years respectively, these countries still have a lot to offer the retail sector.Shoprite was the first South African retailer in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2012 and we still only have one store there  the ongoing conflict in the country has limited our growth.Perseverance and flexibility are key to success in Africa. Doing business in Africa is expensive and there is no immediate return on investment. The business environment is also constantly changing, so the ability to adapt quickly is critical.African markets are in the process of formalising and we are welcomed by local governments because we pay taxes, create employment and facilitate the development of the local people. That is certainly one of our biggest achievements: creating opportunities for career development where we trade. This one cannot measure in profit, but it is wonderful to see people and their countries develop.Together with Amazon, Huge and international advocacy platform Global Citizen, Cannes Lions will host its first two-day "Change for Good" Hackathon, to be held live on 19-20 June at the 65th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

 StockSnap via Pixabay

Encapsulating the spirit of Cannes Lions

Creating empathy and change with technology

A complete Festival pass to enjoy all that the Festival has to offer;

Hands-on mentorship from some of the worlds most prominent industry leaders and change influencers;

Real-time expertise in creative, UX design and product development from Huge;

On-the-ground solution architects from Amazon Web Services and Amazon Alexa will be available to make ideas a reality;

The opportunity to work on a cause with Global Citizen;

The winning team will have the opportunity to work with Global Citizen, Amazon Web Services, Amazon Alexa and Huge to launch and promote their solution.

Teams from across the globe will be invited to join forces and imagine and build solutions that will further six Global Citizen campaigns, including: No Poverty, Food and Hunger, Health, Education, Gender Equality, and Clean Water and Sanitation.Ascential Events CEO and chairman-elect of Cannes Lions Philip Thomas, commented, Launching an initiative like this is exciting on many levels. It perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the Festival  bringing together creative experts from across our industry to innovate as a positive force for good  thats the kind of creative magic that happens at Cannes Lions. We cant wait to develop this with Amazon, Huge and Global Citizen.Cross-disciplinary teams with strong creative, strategy and technology representation are encouraged to apply to participate in the Hackathon, and contestants from all agencies, brands and regions are welcome. As an investment in the future of the festival and in the next generation of leaders, each team should include at least one member under 30 in the five-person team.The culture of Huge is built around enabling positive change through innovation, and we are excited to bring our proven Hackathon framework to Cannes Lions and apply our expertise, along with the talents of some of the worlds most creative teams, to advance global social good using Amazons powerful technologies. We are humbled by the opportunity to work with Global Citizen on their life-changing global agenda, commented Michael Koziol, global CEO of Huge.Of the applications received, seven teams will be chosen to compete in the first-of-its-kind Hack, with the winners announced on the Interactive Stage inside Lions Innovation (Palais II) on Wednesday, 20 June at 15:30.Teams selected to participate in the Hackathon will benefit from:The winning team will be selected by an esteemed judging panel on the Lions Innovation Stage."We're deeply involved with technical transformation and innovation at Global Citizen so it is a wonderful privilege to be working with the Cannes Lions, Huge and Amazon teams on a hackathon that help further our goals and create a positive impact on the world, said Mark Lehmann, chief technology officer of Global Citizen. The sky is the limit in creating empathy and change with technology!"The full list of selected teams and the judging panel will be determined and notified on 29 May. Any team wishing to apply can do so hereWan-Ifra has announced the 2018 Laureates of the Women in News Editorial Leadership Award.

Barbara Kaija, group editor-in-chief of New Vision Press and Publishing Company and Noura al Hourani, lead Arabic editor at Syria Direct.

Large voice for the voiceless

Previous Laureates

The Women in News Editorial Leadership Award recognises an exemplary contribution of a woman editor to her newsroom  and under her leadership the contribution of her newspaper  to society. Editors from Syria and Uganda will receive the Award recognising their exceptional leadership in their newsroom during the Wan-Ifra Women in News Summit, Estoril, Portugal, on 6 June 2018.Barbara Kaija, group editor-in-chief of New Vision Press and Publishing Company in Uganda, has been named the 2018 Africa Laureate. Noura al Hourani, lead Arabic editor at, has been named the 2018 MENA Laureate."This acknowledgement by Wan-Ifra is recognition for all women in the media in Africa. My win, is a win for all women in the newsrooms at Vision Group and all women in the media in Uganda. I am humbled to join the few women laureates in newsrooms in Africa and I pray that this will grow into a large army and large voice for the voiceless in our society, said 2018 Africa Laureate Barbara Kaija.On being named a winner, 2018 MENA Laureate Noura al Hourani said: "Today, we must strive to empower women at all levels and ensure that they are properly represented in leadership roles--politically and professionally, especially in the Middle East. I am incredibly grateful to Syria Direct for providing me with my first opportunity to lead, and I want to thank Wan-Ifra for your support and encouragement for women to be role models."The Women in News Editorial Leadership Award is part of Wan-Ifras Women in News initiative, made possible through support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Award recognises one Laureate from MENA and one Laureate from Africa, annually.Previous Laureates include: Toyosi Ogunseye, former editor of thein Nigeria, Karima Kamal, columnist and contributing editor for the Egyptian daily, and Pamella Sittoni, editor of the International Desk for the Nation Media Group and managing editor forThe 2018 Laureates will be honoured at the Wan-Ifra World News Media Congress, World Editors Forum, and Women in News Summit, taking place in Estoril-Cascais, Portugal from 6-8 June. For more information on the programme of the conference, click hereFinalists for the New York Festivals International Radio Program Awards have been announced.

Creativity and innovation

Dramas, Mini Series and Comedy Specials

Music Specials and Sound Art

Talk/Interview Special

Digital Content, Podcasts and Audio Books

The New York Festivals Radio Program Awards honours the Worlds Best Radio Programs, receiving entries from radio stations, networks, and independent producers from around the globe.NYFs grand jury selected 353 finalists from entries submitted from 31 countries worldwide. Entries were judged by the 2018 grand jury on production values, organisation, presentation of information, creativity and use of the medium. All entries achieving finalist status proceed to the trophy round.From audio books, podcasts, and sound art to documentaries, drama, and breaking news, said Rose Anderson, VP/executive director of New York Festivals Radio Program Awards. The international grand jury members once again selected finalists whose content exhibited creativity and innovation.RTE Ireland saw a robust 38 entries advancing. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation moved forward with 25 entries, the BBC saw 15 entries advance and SiriusXM saw 10. Penguin Random House UK, Radio New Zealand, and TBI Media UK each saw 9 entries achieve Finalist status. To view the entire list of 2018s Radio Awards Finalists, please click here Documentaries provided listeners with entertaining stories with a distinctive view and voice. Entrants advancing: Brook Lapping/BBC Radio 4, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, RTE Radio 1, Trevor Dann's Company Ltd, Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), ORF Austrian Broadcasting Corp., and Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Dramas achieving finalist status include: From Eden by Stephen Jone RTE Drama On One Ireland; Blood on Satan's Claw Bafflegab Productions UK; The Hours Corporation For Independent Media/BBC Radio 4; and Donjon - Duck Heart Swiss Radio and Television. Mini Series advancing include: This Is Country Music - Brad Paisley TBI Media; Tumanbay Goldhawk Productions/BBC/Panoply; and After Tuskar Rock Eoin Brennan/Newstalk/Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. Comedy Specials advancing include: Joan Rivers: A Life In Comedy SiriusXM and Colm O'Regan Wants a World Wide Word RTE.Music Specials and Sound Art captivated listeners, Finalists include: Magic at the Musicals TBI Media; Aaj Bhi Sare Jahan Se Achcha Radio Mirchi; Bing Crosby Tribute Concert JAZZ. FM91; Strauss & Bernstein from Hill Auditorium New York Philharmonic; Ode to an Enigma: How Bobbie Gentry Ghosted Us All Ben Manilla Productions; and Bruce Springsteen: Long Walk Home Lonesome Pine Productions. Sound Art Finalists include the following companies: Deutschlandradio, Naleppa Audio Productions, and protophonic.Breaking news reported on headlines issues from around the globe and Talk/Interview Special showcased a broad spectrum of topics. Companies achieving finalists status include: Westwood One, Radio Television Hong Kong, ABS-CBN Corporation, Radio Mitre S.A., George Washington University, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, W Radio Colombia, and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.The popularity of Digital Content, Podcasts and Audio Books is on the rise. Digital Content entrants advancing include: BBC Radio 2, The Guardian, Ebow Productions, Radio Mitre S.A., and Radio Free Asia. Podcast moving forward include: Intelligence Squared US Debates, Soulpepper Theatre Company, Bloomberg News, Swedish Radio, Radio New Zealand, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, ESPN Films, and BBC. Audio Book entrants achieving finalist status include: Penguin Random House UK, Radio Mirchi India, and Horbuch Hamburg.To view the complete list of 2018 Radio Program Awards finalists please click here New York Festivals Worlds Best Radio Programs will celebrate 2018s award-winners on 18 June at the annual 2018 awards ceremony taking place at Manhattan Penthouse in New York City.Healthcare is getting increasingly high tech, and nurses in Africa are at the forefront of using innovative solutions to improve patient care.

Integration of technology

Big data

It starts at training level, where nursing schools are including information technology and health informatics (acquiring, storing, retrieving and using of healthcare information to foster better collaboration among a patient's various healthcare providers) in their curricula.According to Professor Sharon Brownie, dean of the School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa at the Aga Khan University, nursing students are being taught to work with electronic patient record and management systems including electronic patient booking systems; notification of lab results; health information messaging platforms; population health databases such as those for breast screening, vaccination, notifiable diseases; and, use of everyday platforms, like WhatsApp, for patient communication and patient education.The integration of technology within the sector has become a priority for most governments. In South Africa, for example, the Department of Health has created a policy document outlining an eHealth Strategy focused on improving patient information and technology systems.Medical professionals are also learning from other regions where new technology has been implemented successfully. In the UAE, for example, the implementation of a fully integrated electronic medical record (EMR) system has put the region firmly at the forefront of technological innovations which save lives and prevent disease.Implemented in all government health facilities in 2017, the EMR has cut patient waiting times and allows patients to consult with their doctors even when they are not in the same location.Associate Professor Jane Leanne Griffiths, the chief nursing information officer at the Dubai Health Authority, explains that the implementation of EMR has assisted nursing staff in executing their daily functions.Within the healthcare sector in general, big data is the buzzword when it comes to analytics. It allows healthcare workers to identify important health trends and make decisions based on these findings.Griffiths says these analysis techniques are used to identify potentially infectious diseases by examining outbreaks in other parts of the world. These findings are then used to identify potential cases in their own patients, aiding early detection.One of the key positive spin-offs of implementing an EMR is the big data and analytics that can be used to make ongoing strategic health decisions. This potential for this data to be used as a platform to leverage other technologies such as home care, artificial intelligence and blockchain is almost unlimited, says Griffiths.Big data also plays a key role in nursing education. She says informatics skills are being taught in light of the importance of big data and analytics which in the nursing context is mainly focused on epidemiology, statistics and population health research, says Brownie.She stresses the importance for educators to stay current and to keep up with trends. Educators need to be active in continuous review and update of curricula and all teaching learning materials to ensure they are contemporary and forward thinking on technological matters.On Friday, 18 May 2018, Cape Town's marketing set descended on the Park Inn Radisson, for Meltwater's latest Biz Breakfast session with Treeshake's Dave Duarte on the art of social storytelling.

The year was 1656. Deep in the Scottish Highlands, two men were chopping wood for winter. One took a break every two hours, the other chopped away tirelessly until his hands were blistered and sore. Eventually, he noticed the pile next to his more rested friend was twice the height of his own. Incredulous, he asked, How is that possible, youve worked half my time?! To which his friend replied, While you continued to chop wood, I was sharpening my axe.

Steer clear of 'social Polyfilla' stories

Its important ask people what stories are important to them. #outsideinsight pic.twitter.com/bXOPpeEzXZ  Marketing & Media SA (@Biz_Marketing) May 18, 2018

Wildfire: Packaging your story; Bonfire: Conversation and community - what subjects are people already talking about?; Fireworks: Launches, stunts, building excitement. Anticipation and Surprise are the key elements #outsideinsight pic.twitter.com/4KgWYEIUhP  Marketing & Media SA (@Biz_Marketing) May 18, 2018

Wildfires far-reaching success lies in how you package the story, working on the craft to make it easy to consume and share. With the bonfire, its best to find out what people are already talking about on social to form long-term relationships with them. You need to show up on social every day or that spark dies. Then theres the firework, which takes lots of effort to build and is quite spectacular when set off.

Storymaking vs storytelling. Everything you do makes your story. Storymaking gives a platform for others to tell their stories. #outsideinsight pic.twitter.com/jowS8gqo52  Marketing & Media SA (@Biz_Marketing) May 18, 2018

You want it to be like drugs, scheduled to give a hit. It doesnt really matter what your brands specific schedule is as long as you have one, but if your dope is just talcum powder it wont be effective.

Wesley Mathew, head of marketing at Meltwater, began with a fitting introduction in keeping with the storytelling theme, starting with one of his ownMathew said its a good fable explaining where marketers go wrong today. We chop away at those expected KPIs but seldom stop to see how we can tell our story better.Duarte himself then took to the front of the stage.He said that from a corporate context, it makes you feel less alone. So be careful of your brand only talking from that We angle of personal success and help your readers and consumers feel like the hero in the story. Talk about stories people want to talk about. Youd think this is an obvious step but most brands blindly follow the rules without adding any creativity, which Duarte calls social Polyfilla that clogs up our timelines and doesnt achieve anything. The formulaic approach definitely does work, but you need to add a little something extra:Then Duarte asked the big question What content types warrant the best engagement for corporates on social media  announcements, questions or competitions?Theres no doubt that competitions are the clear winner, but readers are also motivated by stories that arent just a sell.Even if you have the best brand story to tell, remember that the telling of the story is only half of its success as your listeners complete the narrative based on how they receive it.Duarte shared three types of social media stories:Surprise and anticipation are key with any form of storytelling, and its not about balance but what works best for your brand.Bonfires are the most rewarding but hardest to grow, while fireworks work well for big issues like fundraisers to expand the reach.Duarte said this is one of his favourite quotes at the moment: From Alistair King of King James Group its about branding but definitely applies to storytelling, tooDuarte says the story doesnt necessarily end once you put down your pen at the marketing desk. Through your storytelling, you need to give your audience a chance to add to and also tell your story in their own words.Just think of the way the concept of #DayZero was drummed into Capetonians' heads at the end of last year. Duarte feels the image of proposed water collection points released in January did more than all the written posts in scaring many into drastically dropping their consumption levels.He also spoke of the concept of crafting your headline and the importance of pulling out different aspects, rewriting the same post headline 25 times to find the most compelling headline.But do your bit to help Google be a better librarian. Be authoritative and keep up with culture.That said, while the craft and how we frame things matters, remember that over-optimised isnt always the best way. Write in a way that appeals to readers, not bots  were still human (for now). Duarte also shared Daniel Kahnemans study on crisis management, where people registered the pain they experienced during colonoscopies.Duartes presentation was followed by a Q&A session with the following highlights:When it comes to, John Sanei said:So you need to put out as much content as you can, at the quality level youre happy with.Duarte added that its a good idea to prepare ahead of time so you have content ready and waiting, and dont be shy to ask others to help share your content.Also, remember that frequency not always based on time but about occasions  we expect news of the Absa Cape Epic once a year around the time of the event, or something from Nandos when theres a political fiasco.Lastly, when asked how he, Duarte said it hardly ever happens when hes sitting at his desk. He encourages storytellers to attend events and be inspired beyond your own industry. Also, take care of your body, and be aware of the context and culture you put yourself in.An excellent morning that left our storytelling skills refreshed. Click here for more on Meltwaters Biz Breakfasts, track the latest news in their press office , and follow Meltwater and Duarte on Twitter for the latest updates.This job expired on 31 May 2018.WASHINGTON (PTI) Alleging that Beijing is engaged in "destabilising behaviour" in the South China Sea, the Pentagon on Thursday kicked out China from its annual maritime military exercise.



Asserting that the US is committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific, the Pentagon said China's continued militarisation of disputed features in the South China Sea only serve to raise tensions and "destabilise" the region.



"As an initial response to China's continued militarisation of the South China Sea, we have disinvited the PLA Navy from the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise. China's behaviour is inconsistent with the principles and purposes of the RIMPAC exercise," Lt Col Christopher B Logan said.



The Department of Defense, he said, has strong evidence that China has deployed anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems and electronic jammers to contested features in the Spratly Islands region of the South China Sea.



Logan said China's landing of bomber aircraft at Woody Island has also raised tensions.



"While China has maintained that the construction of the islands is to ensure safety at sea, navigation assistance, search and rescue, fisheries protection and other non-military functions, the placement of these weapon systems is only for military use," he said.



The Pentagon called on China to remove the military systems immediately and to reverse course on the militarisation of the disputed South China Sea features.



"We believe these recent deployments and the continued militarisation of these features is a violation of the promise that President Xi made to the United States and the World not to militarise the Spratly Islands," Logan said.



Separately Congressman Mac Thornberry, who is Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said this year's National Defense Authorization Act or NDAA prioritizes military readiness and strengthens key partnerships while also underscoring that the long-term strategic competition with China is a principal priority for the US.



The NDAA bolsters the Department of Defense's efforts to plan for and provide the necessary forces, military infrastructure, logistics capabilities and bilateral and multilateral training in the region through the Indo-Pacific Stability Initiative.



It invests in critical military capabilities to deter aggression and respond rapidly to crisis and supports strong missile defense systems to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, including the DoD's development of new capabilities and efforts to provide for a layered defense of the homeland.



The NDAA as passed by the House Armed Services Committee renames the US Pacific Command to US Indo-Pacific Command to emphasise the Commands' responsibility across the Pacific and Indian Oceans and requires the Department of Defense to conduct a study on the operational requirements needed for language expertise in Korean, Chinese Mandarin and Russian, and a plan to address any shortfalls.



An internet imagery.

COIMBATORE (PTI): ISRO said it was looking at participation of a consortium of industries in the space agency's plan to launch 12 to 18 rockets each year.



"ISRO wants the industries to come forward and develop the finished product from raw material to processing, integration, testing and launching of rocket from Sriharikota, in our plan to launch 12 to 18 rockets each year," said S Pandian, Director of Indian Space Research Organisation Propulsion complex at Mahendragiri near Kanyakumari.



Speaking at the seventh edition of three-day SUBCON-2018 organised by the district industries association on Wednesday, he said space technology has to be taken to the unreachable in terms of remote-sensing, education, tele-medicine, defence and communication.



Stating that the country is looking for transponders to cope with the demand, he said the number of TV channels on air was inadequate to meet the requirements of a family in modern times.



"The goal of ISRO is to reach out to the unreachable," Pandian said.

UB, Buffalo Museum of Science to offer live exhibit of dance and song on how microorganisms impact the body

Performances to include live dance, love songs about bacteria, immersive installations for visitors

Anne Burnidge, artistic director of Anne Burnidge Dance and associate professor in the UB Department of Theatre and Dance in the College of Arts and Sciences

Merging art and science, the work offers an evocative, kinesthetic experience for the audience as an embodied inroad to complex scientific ideas. 

BUFFALO, N.Y.  The University at Buffalo and the Buffalo Museum of Science have partnered to offer a live dance installation that explores the human microbiome and its impact on health, mood and love.

Presented by Anne Burnidge Dance, the performances, Balancing Act and What We Leave Behind, will merge art and science through choreographed dance sequences with yogurt, love songs about bacteria and installations that range from microbe ball pits to miniplots of grass and dirt.

A living biological art piece, Mud (Lake Ontario) by Canadian artist Nicole Clouston will also be on exhibit during the performances.

The goal: to reveal the inner workings of the millions of microscopic friends who call the human body home.

All public performances will be held June 2, 3, 9 and 10 at the Buffalo Museum of Science, 1020 Humboldt Parkway, Buffalo. Performances are scheduled at 11 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Price is included with the cost of admission.

The performances will alternate between the two segments, Balancing Act, a 35-minute routine that invites guests to walk alongside dancers as they move through vignettes, and What We Leave Behind, a 45-minute show for seated audience members.

On June 7, from 6-9 p.m., the Buffalo Museum of Science will also host Science After Hours: Tiny Worlds Inside, an event that features an immersive performance with dancers, guest speakers from UB, and the opportunity for visitors to peer into cellular depths at microscope stations and listen to inner gurgles with stethoscopes.

Science After Hours: Tiny Worlds Inside is open to visitors age 21 or older. Tickets are $16 with 10 percent off for Buffalo Science Museum members. To register, visit https://bit.ly/2IDveIj.

More than 100 local schoolchildren will receive special viewings of the performance, along with hands-on learning activities at the museum.

The project is supported and sponsored by the UB Community of Excellence in Genome, Environment and Microbiome (GEM). The performances were forged in close collaboration with scientists Jennifer Surtees, PhD, GEM co-director and associate professor in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, and former Jacobs School faculty member Lixin Zhu, PhD.

Looking at mixed messages in the media about nutrition, age, stress, exercise and other factors that affect our health, this choreographed work seeks to initiate and participate in the dialog about healthy lifestyle practices and the role that human microbiota play in maintaining balance, says Anne Burnidge, artistic director of Anne Burnidge Dance and associate professor in the UB Department of Theatre and Dance in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Merging art and science, the work offers an evocative, kinesthetic experience for the audience as an embodied inroad to complex scientific ideas.

About Balancing Act and What We Leave Behind

Balancing Act is an examination of the gut microbiomes effect on mood, love and health through a series of choreographed vignettes, folk songs, video montage and spoken text. Performers will portray competing messages regarding health in the media, the struggle between good and bad microbes, how microbes impact romantic attraction and more.

The audience will be led on a guided tour through the installation, as dancers perform with yogurt, sing the fermentation blues and explore the effects of too much sugar. A microbe ball pit and miniplots of grass and dirt  made of fabric and plastic mulch  used by dancers during the performance will be available for children to play in afterward.

Balancing Act is a component of a broader creative investigation of the human body as a host ecosystem for microbial communities, titled What We Leave Behind. The project explores the adaptability of microbiomes to changing environments, revealing themes of diversity, mutation, symbiosis, antibiotic resistance and resiliency.

Anne Burnidge Dance features performances by Courtney Barrow, Elyssa Bourke, Alexia Buono, Stephani Foraker, Nancy Hughes, Monica Karwan, Rachel Keane, Brooke Laura, Michaela Neild and Cynthia Pegado.

For more information about Balancing Act and What We Leave Behind or the upcoming performances at the Buffalo Museum of Science, visit buffalo.edu/gem/balancingact. More information about Science After Hours: Tiny Worlds Inside is available at sciencebuff.org.Dear Reader,

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Digital EditorAs the new government assumed office in Karnataka, a senior IT industry figure expressed hope that it would focus on governance issues and work towards transforming into a true global city.

The former Chief Financial Officer of Bengaluru-headquartered IT major Ltd, V Balakrishnan said Karnataka deserves a strong and stable government which focuses on governance issues.

The governance of city, he said, had taken a backseat in the last few years.

"The crumbling infrastructure, garbage issues, electricity, roads, etc., are making the city unlivable for its citizens", Balakrishnan told PTI.

"The brand is important not only from an IT industry perspective but also for Karnataka state and India as a whole".

He expressed hope that the new government would focus on governance issues in Bengaluru with top most urgency and priority, and make it a true global city.

"The starting point may be the change in regulations to elect a mayor directly by people with a fixed term of five years with adequate powers. This will bring in ownership and accountability," he said.

Successive governments, he said, have neglected the city and there is total lack of development in Bengaluru.

Bengaluru is rightly called the "Silicon Valley of India" and deserves the governance that fits this tag, Balakrishnan added.How do you react to the past 48 hours developments, including the court order to stop work on the phase-II expansion? We appeal to the government to ensure the safety of our employees, facilities and the surrounding community. We received the Court order just now and have not been given time to respond. We will go through it and decide on what next to do.

What is Sterlite doing to address the concerns? We have been engaging with the local community. Around 70 per cent of the employees are from Tamil Nadu; of that, 70 per cent are locals. We have also done lots of CSR ...About seven years ago, the chief executive of a multinational company had said his company chose Tamil Nadu because the state was peaceful and it maintained the law-and-order situation well. Today, after a spate of protests and violence in the state, his opinion has changed.

A Tamil Nadu non-native, he once considered settling down here for good, but now he is looking for an opportunity to leave. This is not an isolated instance; many of the industrial units in Tamil Nadu, mainly looking for social harmony, would now prefer expanding outside the state. Already struggling to attract ...Cab-hailing firm will re-invest profits in its products and technology, emerging markets like and to scale up its Eats and JUMP businesses globally, its chief executive said.

In an email to employees, Khosrowshahi said the company's core has continued to perform very well and the number of trips on the platform grew 43 per cent, while bookings grew 55 per cent to $ 11.3 billion compared to last year.

Uber's net revenue grew 67 per cent to $2.5 billion, while it cut losses to half compared to a year ago, he said.

"We are deliberately reinvesting our profits. Even with these impressive results, we're not going to let up on the gas. We expect to reinvest our profits back into our products and tech, emerging markets like the and India, as well as big bets like scaling Eats and JUMP globally," Khosrowshahi added.

Besides, the company said it would hold a secondary stock sale for employees and existing investors.

"...a new third-party tender offer led by Coatue, TPG, and Altimeter Capital will launch next week. Eligible employees will be able to sell shares to these investors at $40 per share, which implies a valuation of approximately $62 billion," he said.

The improvement of the company's financial performance comes after months of controversies, including allegations of sexual harassment and lawsuits from drivers and employees.

Khosrowshahi, who took over the reins of in August last year replacing founder and former Travis Kalanick, has been focussing on turning around the company and has taken multiple steps in that direction.

In India, the company is locked in an intense battle for market leadership with homegrown player Interestingly, Uber and have Japanese conglomerate as a common investor.

Khosrowshahi has said the company is committed to investing further in the Indian market but is also keeping a sharp eye on "eventual profitability" as the US-based cab aggregator ramps up operations in the country.

is already among the top three markets (besides the US and Latin America) for Uber. The company has been pumping in substantial funds to fuel its growth in

In 2015, Uber announced an investment of $1 billion in the country to expand its services. It has also set up a response and support centre in with an investment of $50 million.For the first time in many years, the government has decided against increasing the number of general manager-level positions in public sector banks (PSBs). After a recent review, the department of financial services (DFS) sent a letter (dated May 16) to 19 PSBs that the ceiling on the number of number of GMs will not be raised. "The matter has been considered and decision taken," it stated.

In 2016, the government had decided to increase the maximum number of GMs at PSBs to 465, from a ceiling of 442 and 420 fixed in 2013 and 2011, respectively. The finance ministry ...As decided by the coalition partners, the JD(S) will name one of its senior legislators to the Deputy Speaker's post after the Speaker's election.

All the legislators of both the ruling parties continue to stay at star hotels in the city under the watch of their respective leaders till Kumaraswamy wins the trial of strength. "We have asked all our MLAs to stay together in the city for one more day to ensure their presence in the Assembly to avoid cross-voting or abstention during crucial voting on the confidence motion," a Congress official said. Both the ...Deutsche Bank is slashing more than 7,000 jobs to cut costs and restore profitability, while keeping its international reach as its new CEO seeks to reassure investors and clients. Germanys biggest bank said global headcount would fall to well below 90,000 from 97,000, with a 25 per cent cut in equities sales and trading jobs, which are mainly in New York and London and where it has been losing ground to US rivals. Deutsche Bank to cut more than 7,000 equities sales, trading jobs . Christian Sewing, who became CEO in a management reshuffle last month, said the bank was ...US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he asked his commerce secretary to considering opening an investigation into the effect of vehicle imports on national security, a move that could lead to the imposition of tariffs. "I instructed Secretary (Wilbur) Ross to consider initiating a Section 232 investigation into imports of automobiles, including trucks, and automotive parts to determine their effects on America's national security," Trump said in a statement after meeting with Ross. "Core industries such as automobiles and automotive parts are critical to ...Uber cut its losses almost in half and its ride bookings jumped 51 per cent since one year ago, the Silicon Valley ride-services firm said on Wednesday, showing that months of scandal and retreating from overseas markets have not slowed its business. Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] also reported a one-time gain of $2.5 billion income that came largely from selling its business units in Russia and Southeast Asia, a sign of how expensive Uber's overseas operations can be when it tries to go up against local competitors. The overall improvement of the company's finances, ...Amidst the news of the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala, more than 18 dead bats were discovered on Wednesday in the premises of a government school in Himachal Pradesh's Nahan, triggering a panic among locals.

Officers of the Health Department, Animal Husbandry Department and Forest Department arrived at the Burma Papadi School, following a directive from the Deputy Commissioner, and took samples from the dead bats for further investigation.

However, the officials denied rumours of fears of the virus as of now.

The district's Chief Medical Officer, Dr Sanjay Sharma, although the bats are present in the area every year, this year their numbers are significantly higher.

"The principal of the school and the students said that bats come here every year, and eventually perish, however, this year, their numbers are far greater than in previous years," Sharma said.

"We have informed the teachers, students of the school about the virus, its symptoms, preventive measures. We told them to avoid physical contact in case of an outbreak, as this is a communicative disease," he added.

Suparna Bharadwaj, the principal of the school, said, "In this situation, there is a panic in the people after this episode, as the way the bats are dying, Napa Virus's fears cannot be sidelined. The students were informed of the disease, it's preventive measures, so we will exercise all precautions in case of an outbreak and inform as many people as possible."

The death toll in the deadly Nipah virus outbreak has so far, risen up to 10, Kerala health minister K.K. Shailaja confirmed.

Earlier, Kerala Governor P. Sathasivam appealed to the people of the state to not to panic over the rumours being circulated about the spread of the virus and requested everyone to follow the advisories issued by the State Health Department.

Also, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state government is closely monitoring the outbreak and taking steps to prevent its further spread.

Taking cognizance of the issue, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J.P Nadda also directed to constitute a team of six doctors to probe the outbreak of the virus.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The 4th Smart Cities India 2018 expo opened its doors today with over 300 exhibitors from India and abroad showcasing innovative products and solutions for smart cities. The three day expo at Pragati Maidan was inaugurated by CR Chaudhary Union Minister of State for Commerce & Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, and Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare.

Reiterating the Government's commitment to meet the Housing for All by 2022 Mission targets, Chaudhary said, "Development of any nation depends on basic infrastructure. A smart city provides 24/7 power, clean energy, potable water, efficient transportation, education, healthcare and housing to all its residents. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream of having a roof over every Indian's head by 2022 is to provide affordable housing to all." He further spoke about a new India where housing, transportation and connectivity are the key. "The pace of building highways has accelerated to 25 km a day under the Government's roadways push." On the role of starts ups in smart cities, he said, "Around 10,000 start ups have been registered across the country and they have a major role to play in building smart cities with their innovative technology, products and solutions."

Speaking about the Government's initiatives to improve ease of doing business, the minister pointed out, "For foreign direct investment, the Government has brought sweeping changes by simplifying rules and regulations. As a result, now custom clearances happen round the clock."

As many as 99 cities have been selected for development as smart cities under the Smart Cities Mission, which is aimed at urban transformation and comprises of key projects such as digitally integrated smart city centres, street re-design, installation of solar rooftop on buildings, etc. Reaffirming that buildings, solar, transport and water make smart cities, Chaubey exhorted people to fulfill Mahatma Gandhi's dream of a clean and hygienic India. "First step towards a healthy and developed India is to create a clean India. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has become a mass movement, and people are joining this Jan Andolan." The sanitation champion, who built 33,000 toilets in three years in his home state, Bihar, also stressed on the importance of housing for all, the impact of the various health schemes launched by the Government and how significant it was for India to collaborate with other nations to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As per 2011 census, 31 percent population lives in urban areas, and by 2030, 50 percent of India's population would reside in urban areas. Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban affairs reiterated that with more people migrating to cities in coming decades, urbanisation presents many challenges. "Given the huge opportunities present in the challenges, the PM launched three schemes viz., Swachh Bharat, Skill India and Housing for All to address them." Under the Housing for All scheme, 46 lakh houses have already been sanctioned; 7 lakh houses have been completed; and 2-3 lakh houses are being sanctioned every month. He further added, "That every household in India will get a proper toilet and the entire country will be open-defecation free (ODF) by October 2018."

The inaugural ceremony also had H.E. Daniel Carmon, Ambassador of Israel to India, deliver a Special Address where he spoke about collaboration between nations to build sustainable cities of the future. "Each country has a different set of urban challenges, and every country has its own set of tools to address these challenges. No one country has all the solutions. So we need to integrate the solutions from different nations for building a sustainable future." He encouraged all to take advantage of the networking opportunities present at the Smart Cities India expo and reach out to the world.

Organised by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), the NASSCOM Centre of Excellence - IoT and Exhibitions India Group, the 4th Smart Cities India 2018 expo co-locates five major verticals that make up our smart city framework - Buildings, Solar, Smart Cities, Transport and Water.

LC Goyal, Chairman and Managing Director, ITPO, said, "The Government and citizens need to put their efforts together to make our cities smart and sustainable." Speaking about the exhibition industry in India, he said that the recently set up New Delhi Convention and Exhibition Bureau centres that will attract international events. "Three state-of-the-art exhibition halls in Pragati Maidan will be ready by February 2019," he added.

Smart Cities India expo has been at the forefront of bringing global partnership opportunities to public and private sectors in India over the last four years. Featuring multi-track thought provoking conferences and community-driven workshops, this year's event is no different.

"While collaboration is the key to smart sustainable cities of the future, the potential for new age technologies to tackle social, economic and environmental challenges is vast," said Prem Behl, Chairman, Exhibitions India Group, adding that the expo will explore opportunities within smart cities while facilitating long term partnerships.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)As many as 13 people have been killed and 102 people have been injured in the anti-Sterlite protests in Thoothukudi.

"A total of 13 people have died, including 11 men and 2 women. 102 people have been injured out of which 19 are severe cases. Vehicles worth Rs 1 crore 27 lakh have been burnt down," said Shailesh Kumar, IG (South Range).

Also, the electricity supply to Sterlite Industries was cut off as informed by the District Collector.

"We have cut Sterlite's electricity. The government is also not willing to let it run. We have cut the electricity that itself shows that we want to shut it down," said the Collector.

The people in the city have been contending that the plant would further pollute the water and pose environmental hazards.

Police have been deployed in large numbers in the sensitive coastal areas.

Till now, 67 people have been arrested for indulging in violence and will be produced in front of the magistrate for causing damage to public property and indulging in violence

Internet services have also been temporarily shut down in Thoothukudi and will remain suspended for another five days in the city.

The agitation turned violent after protesters were barred from marching up to the plant following which they began to pelt stones and toppled police vehicles.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Amid the ongoing anti-Sterlite protest, Supreme Court lawyer, G.S. Mani on Thursday filed a writ petition in the court seeking registration of an FIR and investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Thoothukudi Collector, Superintendent of Police and other police officials.

At least 13 people have died in the protest until now, and over 60 have been injured when the agitators in the district started protesting against the construction of a new smelter plant by Sterlite Copper.

In Chennai, The Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi (TVK) held a protest in the afternoon today, condemning the police firing during protests in Thoothukudi that lead to the death of 13 people.

Collector Sandeep Nanduri informed that 65 people have been arrested for indulging in violence and 68 have been arrested for causing damage to public property during the protests.

"65 people have been arrested and remanded for indulging in violence during SterliteProtests in Thoothukudi. Another 68 people have been arrested & will be produced in front of the magistrate for causing damage to public property & indulging in violence," said Nanduri.

People in Thoothukudi are protesting against the company's expansion plans for the past few months, alleging that it would further pollute the groundwater and cause serious environmental hazards.

The protest took a violent turn on Tuesday killing nine and injuring 65 people in police firing. Later four more people died.

At present internet is suspended in the area & Section 144 (prevents assembly of more than 4 people) is imposed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Bonphul Air Products, the developer of OxyMax, India's first-and the world's second-oxygen optimiser, on Thursday raised Rs 2 crore in an angel investment round from Rx Infotech and Karmesh Global Technologies.

This ten-month old start up had, in October last, received an undisclosed amount of seed capital from Faridabad-based investor Satish Bhatia.

"The company will use the invested funds for expansion of its product portfolio, and widening its sales and marketing network. The company also plans to infuse funds into technology development, and roll out highly customised solutions for users in different verticals like hospitals, schools, shopping malls," said COO and co-founder Narendra Bisht.

"Bonphul has the right combination of technology expertise, acumen and domain knowledge to win the customers need for good quality air. We are delighted to collaborate with Bonphul and look forward to the exciting next phase of growth," said Atul Gupta, director, Rx Infotech.

"The narrative on air pollution has, sadly, remained limited to particulate matter PM 2.5. I really admire the Bonphul team's desire to take a comprehensive view of indoor air quality and tackle the most important problem of all - the falling levels of oxygen in our cities and in our homes," said Saurabh Rastogi, director, Karmesh Global Technologies.

OxyMax is a path-breaking product that operates in a split mode, with an outdoor unit and an indoor unit.

The outdoor unit harvests oxygen from the outside air and pumps it indoor, where it is dispensed by the indoor unit.

This increases the oxygen level in the indoor air from its current level to 21 percent, creating an environment of freshness and vigour.

Good quality air-what is called Mountain Fresh-is a mixture of about 21 percent oxygen, 78 percent nitrogen and one percent other gases.

However, in most cities, the oxygen level in air is far lower; outdoors it would be around 18 percent, indoor even less. This leads to a whole host of problems: some immediate and some long-term.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)United States President Donald Trump, who cancelled the upcoming summit with North Korea on Thursday, said that calling it off is a lost opportunity for the latter and the

According to local media, during remarks at the White House, Trump termed the summit's cancellation a 'tremendous setback' for the North Koreans and the alike.

"The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history," Trump said in a letter to Kim Jong-un.

As per a release by the White House on May 24, United States President Donald Trump blamed the 'hostility' and anger displayed by North Korea regarding the US-South Korea Max military drills for calling off the summit.

"Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, l feel it is inappropriate at this time to have this long-planned meeting," Donald Trump said.

Trump further took a dig at Kim Jong-un by saying that "You talk about your nuclear capabilities. But ours are so massive and powerful that l pray to God they will never have to be used".

He further extended his gratitude towards Kim for releasing three US prisoners Kim Hak-song, Tony Kim and Kim Dong-Chul who were held captive on charges of espionage or for doing "hostile acts" against the North Korean government.

"I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated," Trump added.

He further said that "If you change your mind having to do with this summit, don't hesitate", as referred to canceling of the summit as a missed opportunity.

Earlier on Thursday, it was reported that Kim had threatened to back off from the summit following the military drills as he was quoted by Fox News saying, the United States doesn't stop committing 'unlawful and outrageous acts'.

Earlier on May 23, Donald Trump had said that the fate of the planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would be decided next week.

The two leaders were expected to discuss denuclearisation of North Korea in the now-canceled summit.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)One Central Reserve Police Force jawan was killed and another injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Chhattisgarh's village on Thursday.

The mortal remains of deceased Rajesh Kumar Bind were flown down to Ambedkar hospital for postmortem, according to sources.

The injured jawan named Manik Pinri belongs to 206 Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA). He has been admitted to Balaji Hospital in Raipur.

In a similar incident on May 20, a total of seven jawans lost their lives in a deadly IED blast in Dantewada district.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Delhi court will on Thursday hear the case in connection with the death of Sunanda Pushkar.

Earlier on May 14, the Delhi Police filed a charge sheet in the court and named Sunanda's husband and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor as accused, under sections 306 (Abetment of suicide) and 498A (Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Tharoor, however, dismissed the charge sheet filed by Delhi Police as "preposterous".

He took to Twitter to voice his disagreement with the charges against him.

"I have taken note of the filing of this preposterous charge sheet &intend to contest it vigorously. No one who knew Sunanda believes she would ever have committed suicide, let alone abetment on my part. If this is conclusion arrived at after 4+ yrs of investigation, (contd.)," the Congress leader tweeted.

"it does not speak well of the methods or motivations of the Delhi Police. In oct 17, the Law Officer made a statement in the DelhiHighCourt that they have not found anything against anyone & now in 6 months they say that I have abetted a suicide. unbelievable!," the tweet read.

Sunanda was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a suite of a five-star hotel in Delhi on the night of January 17, 2014.

On February 23, Tharoor said he was looking for a conclusion in his wife's death case.

Incidentally, on that day, Tharoor's statement came hours after the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Delhi Police on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy's appeal challenging the Delhi High Court order dismissing his plea for a Special Investigation Team (SIT)-led probe into the case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), Cardinal Oswald Gracias, on Thursday urged the minority communities not to carry the minority complex, saying, "We are all Indians and all Indians have equal rights and all the Indians live together and make the country great."

Cardinal Gracias, who ranks amongst the top in the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church in India, added that the Christians are not under attack in the country.

"I do not think that the Christians are being attacked all over the country. That's surely not (the case). I am comfortable and Christians are comfortable (here). India is a very big country. It's unfortunate that there are misguided elements who create problems," Cardinal Gracias told ANI.

The Cardinal also dwelled upon at length on communal harmony and its significance.

"We need communal harmony and we all should work very much for accomplishing the same. All of us, every citizen of the country, every political party, should work together in pursuit of it. We want the progress of the country at heart. That is the final aim. Every citizen has the duty and the moral obligation to work together for the country." he added.

The top prelate's comments have come in the wake of a recent controversy surrounding the Delhi Archbishop's circular to Delhi churches and other Christian institutions, asking to hold prayers and observe a fast on Fridays for the sake of the nation.

Cardinal Gracias, who was one of the 22 Cardinals who selected Pope Francis in 2013, said that "Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself told me that if there is any problem just knock at my door."

However, he opined that the government should give a message that the incidents of violence against minorities will not be tolerated and that the law should take its course.

Speaking about the letter by the Archbishop of the Delhi Archdiocese, Anil Joseph Couto, the 73-year-old priest said that it has been given "unnecessary importance" adding that it has been "exaggerated" and "misunderstood."

"It is the letter written only for Delhi people. Second, it has been exaggerated little bit. I have spoken to Archbishop of Delhi and I believe he has been misunderstood. Exaggerated, misunderstood, perhaps, it should not have come at the time of the Karnataka elections but then it is a bit unfair to the Archbishop of Delhi."

The Delhi Archbishop's letter drew a lot of flak earlier this week. "As we look forward towards 2019, when we will have 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," the letter read.

While Archbishop Couto maintained that every government should protect the country's people and the constitution, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that, "India is one of those countries where minorities are safe and no one is allowed to discriminate on the basis of caste and religion.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk lashed out at media following critical coverage of his electric car company Tesla.

The billionaire said "big media companies" only "lay claim to the truth" but instead they publish sugar-coated lies.

Tesla has faced a number of challenges in recent months, including missed production goals, questions about the company's financial health, concerns about working conditions at the factory in California's Fremont, where the company makes its cars and tests the safety of their vehicles.

Taking aim at reporters, Musk derided their stories as a "disinformation campaign" aimed at harming his business. The billionaire then said reporters are under constant pressure to produce work to attract advertising dollars from "fossil fuel companies" and "other carmakers", who, unlike Tesla, advertise their companies heavily.

Musk's tweet received a reply from Verge reporter Andrew J. Hawkins, who called Musk a "media-baiting Trump figure."

"Musk continues his slow transformation into a media-baiting Trump figure screaming irrationally about fake news. Hope it works out for you dude!" Hawkins wrote.

"Thought you'd say that," Musk replied. "Anytime anyone criticizes the media, the media shrieks 'You're just like Trump!' Why do you think he got elected in the first place? Because no ones believes you any more. You lost your credibility a long time ago."

Further, Musk wrote that he would start a website which would evaluate "the core truth of any article & track the credibility score over time of each journalist, editor & publication."

Musk said he would consider naming the website "Pravda", a name shared by the former, official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

"We welcome constructive criticism, but those who care for journalistic integrity should strive for truth above all. Unfortunately, the writers at Reveal paint a completely false picture of Tesla and what it is actually like to work here," the company said in a statement to Reveal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In the first quarter of 2018, Kaspersky Lab's anti-phishing technologies prevented more than 3.7 million attempts to visit fraudulent social network pages, of which 60 percent were fake Facebook pages.

The results, according to Kaspersky Lab's report, 'Spam and phishing in Q1 2018', demonstrate that cybercriminalsare still doing what they can to get their hands on personal data.

Social network phishing is a form of cybercrimethat involves the theft of personal data from avictim's social network account. The fraudster creates a copy of asocial networking website (such as a fake Facebook page), and tries to lure unsuspecting victims to it, forcing them to give up their personal data - such as their name, password, credit card number, PIN code, and more - in the process.

At the beginning of the year, Facebook was the most popular social networking brand for fraudsters to abuse, and Facebook pages were frequently faked by cybercriminals to try and steal personal data via phishing attacks. This is part of a long-term trend: in 2017, Facebook became one of the top three targets for phishing overall, at nearly eight percent, followed by Microsoft Corporation (6 percent) and PayPal (5 percent).

In Q1 2018,Facebook also led the social network phishing category, followed by VK - a Russian online social networking service - and LinkedIn. The reason for this is likely to be the worldwide 2.13 billion active monthly Facebook users, including those who log in to unknown apps using their Facebook credentials, thereby granting access to their accounts. This makes unwary Facebook users a profitable target for cybercriminal phishing attacks.

The distribution of different types of social network phishing detected by Kaspersky Lab in Q1 2018.

This all reinforces the fact that personal data is valuable in the world of information technology -both for legitimate organizations and attackers. Cybercriminals are constantly searching for new methods tohit users, so it's important to be aware of fraudster techniques to avoid becoming the next target.For example, the latest trend is spam emails related to GDPR (Europe's General Data Protection Regulation). Examples include offers of paid webinars to clarify the new legislation, or invitations to install special software that will provide access to online resources to ensure compliance with the new rules.

"The continuous increase in phishing attacks - targetingboth social networks and financial organizations- shows us that users need to pay more serious attention to their online activities. Despite the recent global scandals,people continue to click on unsafe links and allow unknown apps access to their personal data. Due to this lack of user vigilance, the data on a huge number of accounts gets lost or extorted from users. This can then lead to destructive attacks and a constant flow of money for thecybercriminals," said NadezhdaDemidova, lead web content analyst at Kaspersky Lab.

Kaspersky Lab experts advise users to take the following measures to protect themselves from phishing:

 Always check the link address and the sender's email before clicking anything - even better, don't click the link, but type it into your browser's address line instead.

 Before clicking any link, check if the link address shown, is the same as the actual hyperlink (the real address the link will take you to) - this can be checked by hovering your mouse over the link.

 Only use a secure connection, especially when you visit sensitive websites. As a minimum precaution, do not use unknown or public Wi-Fi without a password protection. For maximum protection, use VPN solutions that encrypt your traffic. And remember: if you are using an insecure connection, cybercriminals can invisibly redirect you to phishing pages.

 Check the HTTPS connection and domain name when you open a webpage. This is especially important when you are using websites which contain sensitive data - such as sites for online banking, online shops, email, social media sites etc.

 Never share your sensitive data, such as logins and passwords, bank card data etc., with a third party. Official companies will never ask for data like this via email.

 Use a reliable security solution with behavior-based anti-phishing technologies, such as Kaspersky Total Security, to detect and block spam and phishing attacks.

Other key findings in the report include:

Phishing:

 The main targets of phishing attacks have remained the same since the end of last year. They are primarily global Internet portals and the financial sector, including banks, payment services and online stores.

 About USD 35,000 USD was stolen through one phishing site that appeared to offer the opportunity to invest in the rumored TelegramICO. Approximately $84,000 USD was stolen following a single phishing email mailshot related to the launch of 'The Bee Token' ICO.

 Financial phishing continues to account for almost half of all phishing attacks (43.9%), which is 4.4 percent more compared to the end of last year. Attacks against banks, e-shops, and payment systems remain the top three, demonstrating cybercriminals'desire to access users' money.

 Brazil was the country with the largest share of users attacked by phishers in the first quarter of 2018 (19 percent). It was followed by Argentina (13 percent), Venezuela (13 percent), Albania (13 percent), and Bolivia (12 percent).

Spam:

 In the first quarter of 2018, the amount of spam peaked in January (55 percent). The average share of spam in the world'semail traffic was 52 percent, which is 4.6 percent lower than the average figure of the last quarter of 2017.

 Vietnam became the most popular source of spam, overtaking the U.S. and China. Others in the top 10 included India, Germany, France,Brazil,Russia, Spain, and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

 The country most targeted by malicious mailshots was Germany. Russia came second, followed by United Kingdom, Italy, and the UAE.

To learn more about spam and phishing in Q1 2018, read our blogpost on Securelist.com.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)To protest against the continuous rise in the fuel prices, Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar on Thursday rode a horse-driven tonga to the North Goa Collectorate.

"Driving by a two-wheeler or a car is getting more and more expensive for the common man. That is why we used a tonga driven by a horse to travel to the Collectorate," Chodankar told ANI.

"The Centre has made a record of the highest rates of petrol and diesel. I don't think anyone would be able to break this record. The Central government has cheated the poor people. They have forced us to go back in time and ride tonga. Through this protest, we want them to bring fuel price under Goods and Services Tax (GST)," he added.

He was joined by former Chief Minister of Goa Digambar Kamat, opposition leader Chandrakant Kavlekar and Congress MLA Alex Reginald.

Petrol prices rose by 30 paise in most metropolitans on Wednesday, leaving common man hassled.

In Mumbai, petrol was sold at Rs. 85 per litre, whereas in New Delhi, the rate has crossed Rs. 77 for a litre.

Following the hike in fuel prices, workers of various opposition parties including Congress, All Assam Students' Union (AASU), Trinamool Congress (TMC), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) are staging protests in various parts of the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Gal Gadot is all set to partner with former Warner Bros. executive Sue Kroll for a movie based on Peter Kornbluh's Politico article 'My Dearest Fidel'

The 'Wonder Woman' star, who is co-producing 'My Dearest Fidel' with Kroll and husband Jaron Varsano, might also star in the film.

It will portray how ABC journalist Lisa Howard engaged in what Kornbluh described as "intimate diplomacy" with Castro, Cuba's revolutionary leader.

"I'm so excited to bring this story to life with great creative partners in Gal, Jaron, Peter and Chris," Kroll said Wednesday in a statement, as reported by the Hollywood Reporter.

"This is a remarkable true story, anchored by an incredible woman, and lends itself to a dramatic and thrilling cinematic experience."

Gadot, on the other hand, said, "When I first read Peter's article, I was entranced by his thrilling account of a complicated, fascinating woman in the midst of a high-stakes, real-life drama. I knew immediately that I had to be involved creatively with telling Lisa Howard's story, and am thrilled to be producing this film with Sue.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday thanked lawmakers and central and state officials for making Gram Swaraj Abhiyan a success.

The Prime Minister took to Twitter and wrote, "Gram Swaraj Abhiyan was a success due to the active participation of Ministers, MPs, MLAs, representatives of various local bodies, officials of the state governments, topmost officers of the Central government, civil society members and Self Help Groups. I thank them all."

Prime Minister's tweet came two days after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah held a press conference in this regard and released various figures related to the campaign.

Prime Minister Modi said the aim of the Abhiyan was to take the fruits of development to the poorest of the poor in 16,850 villages from April 14 to May 5 as a tribute to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Sharing the key details of the campaign, he wrote on Twitter, "During 21 days of Gram Swaraj Abhiyan: 7.53 lakh Ujjwala connections distributed. 5,02,434 households electrified under Saubhagya Yojana. 25.03 lakh LED bulbs distributed across 16,682 villages. Immunisation of 1,64,398 children and 42,762 women under Mission Indradhanush."

"From 14th April to 5th May 2018: 20,53,599 Jan Dhan beneficiaries were added. 16,14,388 Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana beneficiaries were added. 26,10,506 beneficiaries were added under Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana," he added.

The Prime Minister further emphasised that the movement is a great example of effective service delivery at the doorstep and furthering ease of living.

He wrote, "As a part of the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, various teams ventured across the villages and ensured complete coverage of 7 leading Central Government schemes. This movement is a great example of effective service delivery at the doorstep and furthering ease of living. "

With the campaign, the Centre seeks to "promote social harmony, spread awareness about pro-poor initiatives of government reach out to poor households to enroll them as also to obtain their feedback on various welfare programmes".

As part of the campaign, the Centre seeks to enroll eligible beneficiaries in 21,058 identified villages across 530 districts under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Saubhagya, Ujala scheme, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Mission Indradhanush.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)During an Investigative Agency interrogation, Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Zaibullah on Thursday revealed that Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed and Zakir Oman Naqvi delivered motivational talks at two seperate occasions.

"At two separate occasions, Hafeez Saeed and Zakir Oman Naqvi gave us an motivating talk. We were also given two months training in the snow," he told NIA.

Hafiz Saeed has been named as the mastermind of the Mumbai attack in 2008, in which more than 160 people lost their lives.

The international community, led by the United Nations and the United States, has declared Hafiz Saeed a global terrorist. In 2012, the U.S. placed a USD 10 million bounty on him.

Further taking responsibility of killing two Indian soldiers, Zaibullah said, "I was posted in Indian border area but the Indian Army fired and we had to return. We also went to Chatabata post, planted put mines on army's supply route, blasted the mines in which 2 Indian army jawans were killed."

He was captured on April 6.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Strengthening rural public systems in three Tamil Nadu blocks made more people utilise their services while reducing their out-of-pocket expenditure on outpatient care, an assessment of a government-run pilot project by the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M), has found.

Thanks to better public facilities, fewer people accessed private facilities for outpatient care, the study conducted in one block each in Krishnagiri, Pudukkottai and Perambalur districts, found.

This has clear policy implications because Indians out-of-pocket spending on is the sixth highest among 50 low-middle income countries, as IndiaSpend reported on the basis of two studies published in the medical journal The Lancet. Of the Rs $42.6 billion spent out of pocket in 2013-14, 32% or a third was for outpatient care, according to data from the health ministry.

Health costs caused 52.5 million Indians to slip into poverty in 2011almost half the worlds population similarly impoverished each yearas IndiaSpend reported on January 30, 2018.

Yet, outpatient care was left out of the vast National Health Protection Scheme, dubbed Modicare, that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced in his budget speech in February 2018. The programme would provide 100 million families with an annual insurance cover of Rs 500,000 each. However, critics pointed out, by not covering outpatient carethe largest component of out-of-pocket expenditureit would fail to help those it seeks to target.

The governments rejoinder is that various schemes already cover out-of-pocket expenditure. The maternity care programme Janani Suraksha Yojana provides food to pregnant women and one accompanying caretaker during hospitalisation; government-run mobile medical units and ambulance services provide free transport to and from public facilities; and the public healthcare system provides free vaccines, contraceptives, drugs and tests for HIV, TB, malaria, leprosy etc., union health minister Jagat Prakash Nadda told IndiaSpend in this March 18, 2018, interview.



The intervention

In preparation for rolling out universal health coverage, the state government of Tamil Nadu launched a pilot project in early 2017 in Shoolagiri block of Krishnagiri district, Viralimalai block of Pudukkottai district and Veppur block of Perambalur district.

Structure Of Indias Public Health System Health Sub-Centres (HSCs) are the first point of contact for rural Indians with the countrys public health system. An HSC caters to 5,000 people and is supposed to stock medicines for diarrhoea, malaria and vaccines for children. It has 3-4 staff and the capacity for basic investigations such as haemoglobin estimation and urine test for albumin and sugar. However, an estimated 22% of HSCs across India are short of auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) and 46.4% are functioning without a male health worker, according to the 2015 rural health statistics. Consequently, rural Indians either turn to private practitioners58% rural Indians preferred private healthcare, according to the 71st round of the National Sample Surveyor to secondary and tertiary public facilities, which are often overburdened. Higher up in the hierarchy are Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres, and General Hospitals.

The pilot made sure HSCs had water, electricity and toilets, a proper consultation room and quarters for nurses. Further, staff shortages were identified and two village health nurses (VHNs) were allotted to each HSC.

Basic diagnostic services such as for blood sugar, hypertension and fever, as well as adequate drugs, were made available, including drugs for non-communicable diseases.



The results

The pilot led to a significant fall in out-of-pocket expenses for outpatient care in various public facilities77% in Shoolagiri block (from Rs 261 per visit to Rs 59), 92% in Viralimalai (from Rs 351 to Rs 26) and 83% in Veppur (from Rs 395 to Rs 67), according to the study.

In HSCs, particularly, out-of-pocket expenditure was lesser still: Rs 5.9 per visit in Shoolagiri, Rs 2.9 in Viralimalai and Rs 5.16 in Veppur.

Utilisation of HSCs improved: 17.8% of all outpatients in Shoolagiri block, 14.8% in Viralimalai and 23.1% in Veppur used an HSC, up from just 1% before the intervention.

Outpatient attendance in HSCs also increased: each HSC served 10 outpatients per day in Shoolagiri, 13 in Viralimalai and 10 in Veppur. There had been fewer than three outpatients per day before the intervention.

Similarly, fewer people from these blocks sought outpatient care in private facilities. In Shoolagiri, the percentage of people who visited a private facility for outpatient care dropped from 51% to 21%; in Viralimalai from 47.8% to 24.2%; and in Veppur from 40.9% to 23.9%.

There was also a fall in the overall financial burden on patients due to expenses on drugs: until December 2017, the pilot had dispensed drugs worth Rs 105 million through HSCs to hypertension and diabetes patients.

These are two of the most common non-communicable diseases in rural India. One in five adults is affected by hypertension and one in 20 by diabetes, this March 2018 article in India Development Review said. Nearly 70% of out-of-pocket expenditure in rural areas is on medicines for non-communicable diseases, according to this August 2016 paper.





is an analyst with IndiaSpend.)

We welcome feedback. Please write to respond@indiaspend.org. We reserve the right to edit responses for language and grammar.



American author Stephen King on Thursday revealed why United States President Donald Trump has blocked him on microblogging platform Twitter.

"I might have said he had his head somewhere where a certain yoga position would be necessary to get it there. And that was it, man. That was it," King told "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert, according to Fox News.

The 'It' author further revealed that in response he had also blocked Trump. King, in fact, has also blocked United States Vice President Mike Pence, whom he called "creepy".

Earlier on May 24, a Federal Judge ruled that Donald Trump cannot block his critics on Twitter, as doing so violates their right to free speech under the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald, of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, said that Trump's Twitter account is a public forum and blocking people who reply to his tweets with differing opinions constitutes viewpoint discrimination, which violates the First Amendment, according to The Hill.

The court's ruling came as a major win for the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, which brought the lawsuit on behalf of seven people who were blocked from Trump's account because of opinions they expressed in reply tweets.

Buchwald, in her 75-page opinion, suggested that Trump could have ignored their tweets.

"No First Amendment harm arises when a government's 'challenged conduct' is simply to ignore the [speaker], as the Supreme Court has affirmed 'that it is free to do," The Hill quoted Buchwald as saying.

"Stated otherwise, 'a person's right to speak is not infringed when government simply ignores that person while listening to others,' or when the government 'amplifies' the voice of one speaker over those of others," she added.

The lawsuit against Donald Trump had also named White House social media director and assistant to the president Daniel Scavino.

Buchwald, however, did not order Trump or Scavino to unblock the individual plaintiffs in the case or prohibit them from blocking others from the account based on their views as the plaintiffs' had asked.

"Because no government official is above the law and because all government officials are presumed to follow the law once the judiciary has said what the law is, we must assume that the President and Scavino will remedy the blocking we have held to be unconstitutional," Buchwald wrote.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India and the Netherlands on Thursday reiterated their "strong" condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

Both the leaders also affirmed that terrorism cannot be justified on any grounds whatsoever it may be and should not be associated with any religion, creed, nationality or ethnicity. They also called upon all countries to work towards rooting out terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, disrupting terrorist networks and their financing channels, and halting cross-border movement of terrorists including foreign fighters, the statement read.

The two sides agreed that terrorist and extremist organisations need to be denied space to radicalise, recruit, and conduct attacks on innocent people. They deplored the violence caused by Al Qaeda, Daesh/Islamic State (IS), Jaish-e-Mohammed, HizbulMujahideen, Lashkar-e-Tayabba, and their affiliates as well as terrorist groups threatening peace and security in South Asia and Europe.

The Leaders also called for an early conclusion of negotiations and the adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the United Nations, as an instrument for a global alliance of nations against terrorism which would reinforce the message that no cause or grievance justifies terrorism.

Both sides agreed to deepen and enhance the scope of the ongoing bilateral dialogues on security issues and to hold the next round of counter terrorism dialogue in The Hague in the second-half of 2018.

The two sides also agreed to hold the bilateral cyber dialogue in 2018 with the intention to discuss issues including internet governance, and data protection, cyber security policy and Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) cooperation and international capacity building. The leaders welcomed the deepening of cooperation on cyber-security through the signing of a MoU between The Hague Security Delta and Hyderabad Security Cluster, India's first Cyber Security Cluster. They noted with appreciation the launch by the Government of Karnataka of a Centre of Excellence, in which The Hague Security Delta will be an international partner.

Reflecting the growing strategic trust between the two countries, the Leaders noted the progress made by the two sides in finalizing the text on the Agreement on Mutual Protection of Classified Information in the field of Defence.

According to the statement, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening disarmament and global non-proliferation efforts. The Netherlands congratulated India's accession to the MTCR, Wassenaar arrangement and the Australia Group. In order to further strengthen global non-proliferation, the Netherlands reaffirmed its strong support to building consensus among regimes' members on the issue of India's membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group; recognizing that India's accession will add value to the aims and objectives of these regimes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India and The Netherlands on Thursday agreed to bolster their cooperation in the field of information and technology, science and technology, and health sectors.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte recalled their previous meetings in Delhi and The Hague in 2015 and 2017 respectively.

They appreciated the ongoing expansion in Indo-Dutch economic engagement, many of which are focused on the multiple transformative initiatives of Prime Minister Modi.

The leaders commended the 10th anniversary of the Indo-Dutch collaboration in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). They appreciated the increased focus on public-private partnerships, and the linking of ecosystems to help drive innovation.

With a mission-oriented, impact-focused approach, the cooperation is aimed at addressing common societal challenges and open new markets in areas such as water, health, agriculture, and high-tech systems and Information Technology (IT).

India also welcomed the Netherlands as the partner country for the TechSummit in 2019.

Both the prime ministers acknowledged the successful bilateral research cooperation between India's Department of Science and Technology, Department of Biotechnology and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology with the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).

They recommended the organisations to structure their cooperation in sectors such as affordable medical devices, urban water systems, big data and Internet of Things (IoT).

The two leaders discussed the importance of collaboration in the global fight against Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) and commended the joint efforts made by the relevant health departments and agencies of the two countries in identifying areas of cooperation under India's National Action Plan on AMR.

They also took note of the selection of Krishna District in the state of Andhra Pradesh for the implementation of a pilot project using the 'One Health' approach under the Indo-Dutch collaboration on AMR.

India and the Netherlands expressed a desire to explore a closer partnership to leverage emerging digital technologies to increase transparency and trust for societal benefits and to enhance security in digital applications across sectors of mutual focus.

The two prime ministers called for further collaboration between the nations in the space sector and underlined the importance of space technology as an area of focus for finding solutions to deal with challenges in areas such as food security and climate change.

Prime Minister Rutte is currently on a two-day visit to India after arriving here earlier on Thursday.

He will proceed to Bengaluru on Friday, where he is scheduled to meet Governor of Karnataka, Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala.

Prime Minister Rutte is also scheduled to visit Shell Technology Centre and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Bengaluru.

After these engagements, he will leave for the Netherlands on Friday evening.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Radha Mohan Singh has met Carola Schouten, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Netherlands in Krishi Bhawan and expressed his desire to further strengthen the existing partnership between the two countries in agriculture and allied sectors.

Singh reiterated the Centre's resolve to double the income of farmers by 2022 and the initiatives taken and stressed on the need for infusing modern technology in India's agriculture.

He further added that the Netherlands is a global leader in the construction of greenhouses as well as in the cultivation of flowers, plants and vegetables, and the diversification of agriculture sector into areas like livestock and plant-cultivation sectors.

Singh expressed happiness at the regular convening of Joint Working Group, the fifth having been held in March this year, where discussions on a wide range of issues took place and extended the Action Plan till 2021.

The Union Agriculture Minister further said a major success of the Indo-Dutch collaboration has been the commissioning of the Centre of Excellence (CoEs) for vegetables at Baramati in Maharashtra. The second CoE for flowers at Talegaon, Maharashtra will be ready soon.

The remaining others are in various stages of completion and the focus is on making technology affordable to the small and marginal Indian farmers.

Singh said other identifiable areas of interest for further cooperation such as technology for crop residue management and cooperation in the field of bovine breeding; dairy development, animal health and porcine development are also being looked into.

Earlier, during the joint statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte, the two leaders on Thursday welcomed the intensifying of Indo-Dutch collaboration in the field of agriculture.

They commended the successful operationalisation of the first Indo-Dutch Centre of Excellence (CoE) in vegetables in Baramati in Maharashtra. Both called for early completion of works in the remaining CoEs.

India appreciated and welcomed the Dutch desire to further strengthen cooperation in boosting productivity of apples, manufacturing food processing equipment, breeding high-yielding vegetable seeds, providing capacity building and training to dairy farmers, cooperating in the areas of bovine genetics and food safety and supporting sustainable and climate resilient agriculture to mitigate water shortages and end the practice of stubble burning.

India invited the Netherlands to explore the feasibility of assisting in setting up food valleys and invest in cold chain as well as food processing facilities and undertake capacity building programs in India.

Both sides have noted the finalisation of a concrete joint action plan under the MoU on technical cooperation in the field of spatial planning, water management and mobility management with a focus on smart city development.

The two leaders noted with satisfaction the MoU signed between the Maharashtra and Amsterdam in the area of sustainable urban development, including waste2energy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India and Nepal's joint military exercise Surya Kiran-XIII will be held at Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district from May 30 to June 12.

The exercise would comprise of nearly 300 soldiers from both Nepali and Indian armies who would share their respective experiences of counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations.

Surya Kiran is a bi-annual event which is hosted alternatively by Nepal and India.

Incidentally, Surya Kiran has highest troop participation as compared to other international military exercises with India.

The aim of this exercise is to conduct battalion level joint training with emphasis on counterterrorism operations in mountainous terrain.

Additional training for disaster management and relief work will also be imparted as part of the exercise.

The joint military exercise is expected to enhance the level of defence cooperation and strengthen Indo-Nepal bilateral relations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Two policemen and a civilian were injured in a grenade attack at a bus stand on Jammu's BC road on Thursday night.

Speaking on the same, Vivek Gupta, SSP Jammu said, "Sound of the blast was heard during patrolling. Subsequently, we came to know that two police personnel have been injured. Both of them are undergoing treatment. We are analysing and investigating the case."

On Wednesday, as many as six civilians were injured in a grenade attack on Wednesday in Bijbehara in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag.

Earlier in May, terrorists in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir hurled a grenade at police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel deployed at the Tahab Chowk, injuring one CRPF personnel.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)American sensation Jennifer Lopez released her new Spanish song, "El Anillo" and it is all about women demanding what they want.

In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lopez said, "The song is just symbolic of how we should look at ourselves, that we're not just queens, we're goddesses and people have to fight to be in your life. And you have to understand your worth and value."

While the star is entering the next chapter of her career with new music, she's closing another. Calling the final season of NBC police drama 'Shades of Blue' as "the most intense of the three," Lopez explained the "bittersweet" feeling of leaving Harlee Santos behind to Hollywood Reporter.

In her "El Anillo" music video, which translates to "The Ring," Jennifer is a literal queen in gold, whose love and devotion must be won over by potential suitors.

She is also gearing up second season of 'World of Dance', which will premiere on May 29 at 10 p.m. on NBC.

.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee's lawyer Surya Mukundaraj on Thursday sought registration of a complaint against Bharatiya Janata Party's BS Yeddyurappa, alleging criminal conspiracy to win the floor test in Karnataka Assembly.

Mukundaraj wrote to Police Superintendent (Bengaluru Urban Wing, Anti-Corruption Bureau), seeking registration of complaint against the Yeddyurappa and others alleging criminal conspiracy and corruption to win the floor test in the Karnataka Assembly.

Yeddyurappa announced his resignation as chief minister on May 19 ahead of the floor test that was scheduled for the BJP government to prove majority at the state assembly.

Ahead of the scheduled floor test, the three-day Karnataka Chief Minister in his address stated that irrespective of whether his government was in power, he would continue to serve people until his last breath.

The floor test was to be conducted on the instructions of Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala after the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance also claimed the right to form the government in the state on the basis of the 117 seats it had as compared to the 104 seats that the BJP had.

On May 19, Janata Dal (Secular) leader, HD Kumaraswamy was invited by Vala to form the government in the state after Yeddyurappa stepped down.

Kumaraswamy was sworn-in as the 24th chief minister of Karnataka on Wednesday, marking the beginning of the JD(S)-Congress alliance in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) late Tuesday night quizzed Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (CGPCC) President Bhupesh Baghel in a case relating to an alleged sex CD, featuring state Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Rajesh Munat.

Last year, an FIR was lodged by the Chhattisgarh Police Baghel and journalist Vinod Verma in state minister sex CD case.

The FIR was registered under relevant sections of IT act.

Verma, who was arrested in connection with extortion and blackmailing case, had then said that he has a sex CD of the Chhattisgarh minister, "and that is why the state government is not happy with me."

An FIR was filed against Verma by a person named Prakash Bajaj, who accused the journalist of blackmailing him over a certain 'vulgar' video that features his boss.

However, Munat said the sex CD, which Verma claimed to have against him, was fake.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena have won two seats each in the biennial elections to the Legislative Council (MLC) in Maharashtra.

The two parties stood victorious from Local Authorities Constituencies in the state.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won one seat while counting for one seat of Beed/Osmananbad has been withheld by the Election Commission following a court order.

Dr. Ramdas Aambatkar from Wardha-cum-Chandrapur-cum-Gadchiroli and Pravin Pote Patil from Amravati won the two seats.

Shiv Sena candidates Narendra Darade won from Nasik while Viplav Bajoriya will now represent Parbhani-Hingoli seat in the upper house.

NCP's Aniket Tatkare will represent the party in Raigad-cum-Ratnagiri-cum-Sindhudurg.

The result for Osmanabad/Beed has been put on hold. The counting will take place later.

Voting to the six seats of the Maharashtra legislative council's biennial election was held on Monday. The major parties had entered the poll in a seat-sharing agreement.

The election was held as three members of the NCP, two of the BJP, and one of the Congress, are retiring from the upper house of the state legislature on June 21.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Netherlands Mark Rutte has arrived in India for a two-day official visit.

Rutte is scheduled to meet a Business Delegation at Hotel Taj Diplomatic and then participate in the Clean Ganga Event at Hotel ITC Maurya.

Prime Minister Narendra Nodi will meet with Mark Rutte at Hyderabad House at about 12:00 pm.

Rutte will also attend a CEO roundtable conference at the Hyderabad House. He will then sign press statements at the venue at about 02:30 pm.

Mark Rutte, will next address a public event organised by Carnegie India at Hotel Taj Diplomatic and also participate in Clean Air India, a startup event.

Lastly, he will participate in an agro event, before proceeding to Bengaluru.

Rutte is scheduled to meet Governor of Karnataka, Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala.

He is also scheduled to visit Shell Technology Centre and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Bengaluru.

Around 10 in the night on May 25, he will leave for Netherlands.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Netherlands Mark Rutte will arrive in India on Thursday for a two-day official visit.

On May 24, he is expected to arrive in India at around 9 am.

Rutte will then meet a Business Delegation at Hotel Taj Diplomatic and then participate in the Clean Ganga Event at Hotel ITC Maurya.

Prime Minister Narendra Nodi will meet with Mark Rutte at Hyderabad House at about 12:00 pm.

Rutte will also attend a CEO roundtable conference at Hyderabad House. He will then sign press statements at the venue at about 02:30 pm.

Mark Rutte, will next address a public event organised by Carnegie India at Hotel Taj Diplomatic and also participate in Clean Air India, a startup event.

Lastly, he will participate in an agro event, before proceeding to Bengaluru.

Rutte is scheduled to meet Governor of Karnataka, Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala.

He is also scheduled to visit Shell Technology Centre and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Bengaluru. Around 10 in the night on May 25, he will leave for Netherlands.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Central High-level Team, appointed by the Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda to probe the outbreak of Nipah Virus in Kerala, observed that the disease is not a major outbreak and is only a local occurrence.

A statement released from the Centre asserted that the team further fine-tuned the draft guidelines, case definitions, and advisory for healthcare workers, information to the general public, advisories for sample collection and transportation accordingly.

The Central Team also held meetings with the District Collectors and the medical and para-medical staff of the hospitals in Kerala today to review the condition of the admitted patients and to consider the further course of action to be taken to prevent the disease from spreading.

The statement further stated that the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare is closely monitoring the situation.

So far, the rare and deadly virus has claimed 11 lives in Kerala. The state's health department has issued an advisory for people travelling to the state. It has urged travellers to be extra cautious while visiting Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kannur districts.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)North Korea on Thursday has reportedly threatened to back away from the upcoming summit between its supreme leader Kim Jong-un and United States President Donald Trump.

North Korea will pull back from the upcoming summit between the two countries if the United States doesn't stop committing 'unlawful and outrageous acts', Fox News quoted South Korean media as saying.

Earlier on May 23, Donald Trump had said that the fate of the planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would be decided next week.

Speaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, Trump said, "We will know next week about Singapore".

In the coming days, US officials are expected to meet with the North Korean counterparts to finalise the plans of the summit, The Hill reported.

On Tuesday, the US President said the scheduled North Korea-US summit is likely to get delayed in the wake of recent instances of inter-Korean disagreements.

Earlier on May 18, North Korea had threatened to call off the summit with the US due to the latter's on-going military drills with South Korea and also cancelled high-level talks with South Korea due to the same reason.

The high-level talks were meant to take place on the southern side of the truce village of Panmunjom in the heavily guarded Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) as a follow up to the inter-Korean summit held last month.

As reported by the North Korean Central News Agency last week, military drills called 'Max Thunder' took place between the US and South Korean air forces in the Korean Peninsula which has negatively impacted inter-Korean relations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pakistani troops on Thursday again resorted to unprovoked firing along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Pakistani force violated the ceasefire in the Kamal Koot area of Uri sector in Baramulla District.

The Pakistan army violated ceasefire by firing from automatic weapons and shelling mortars along the line of control (LOC).

Meanwhile, as many as three civilians were killed and several injured in a ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba sector on May 23.

Due to constant firing in Samba and Kathua districts, a number of houses were damaged.

Also, one civilian was killed and two others were injured on Wednesday after Pakistan resorted to heavy shelling in Kathua's Hiranagar sector.

Pakistan has been violating ceasefire and resorting to heavy shelling in Hiranagar, Samba, Ramgarh, Arnia and Suchetgarh sectors in the state over the last few weeks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka G. Parameshwara on Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of manipulating the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in the recently culminated assembly polls.

Addressing the media here, the Deputy Chief Minister asserted that his party will approach the Election Commission in this regard.

"Some of our leaders and I personally feel EVMs have been manipulated by BJP. Many Congress leaders lost at places even where Congress had a stronghold. We will complain to the Election Commission," Parameshwara said.

Talking about forming the government in alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD-S), the Deputy Chief Minister said the party high command took the decision to restrict the "dictatorship of the prime minister".

He claimed that the Congress- JD (S) alliance will mark the beginning of a new era.

The Deputy Chief Minister also confirmed that Congress leader Ramesh Kumar will be the speaker of the Karnataka assembly.

Parameshwara also rebuffed the reports suggesting that he got the seat of the Deputy Chief Minister because he is a Dalit.

He further informed that the JD (S) will support the candidate of the Congress party in Rajarajeshwari Nagar assembly constituency poll.

The Election Commission had earlier deferred the election in RR Nagar after a cache of voter cards were recovered from a flat in Bengaluru.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit West Bengal on Friday to inaugurate Bangladesh Bhavan along with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Prime Minister Hasina will arrive in India on May 25 to embark on her two-day visit to West Bengal on the invitation of Prime Minister Modi. She will be later joined by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also expected to attend the event.

The three leaders will then attend the convocation ceremony of the Visva-Bharati University at Santi Niketan.

As per certain reports, both Prime Ministers are further expected to hold bilateral meetings.

Further, Bangladesh Foreign Minister, Education Minister, Cultural Affairs Minister will be accompanying Prime Minister Haseena, as per The Daily Star.

A formal meeting is expected to be conducted between the two Prime Ministers.

The Bangladesh Bhabhan features a museum that showcases Rabindranath Tagore's association with Bangladesh, the Liberation War of Bangladesh and Indo-Bangla relations.

It was built at a cost of Rs 25 crore which was provided by the Bangladesh government.

A fund of Rs 10 crore would be given to help to maintain the museum premises.

Reportedly, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will also be signed between Visva-Bharati and the Secondary and Higher Secondary Division of the education ministry of Bangladesh.

Prime Minister Hasina is also scheduled to visit Netaji Bhawan in Kolkata, the ancestral home of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

She will return to Bangladesh on Saturday night.

According to The Daily Star, relations between Bangladesh and India are stronger than the past, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said.

On May 23 Foreign Minister Ali had ruled out all speculation of Teesta deal and made it clear that there was no progress regarding the Teesta river water sharing agreement.

Following the visit to West Bengal, Prime Minister Modi will be visiting Jharkhand's Sindri on Friday to lay the foundation stone of various projects of the Indian Government and the state government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed his happiness over The Netherlands joining the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

As per official website of The International Solar Alliance, it is to provide a dedicated platform for cooperation among solar resource rich countries where the global community, including bilateral and multilateral organizations, corporate, industry, and other stakeholders, can make a positive contribution to assist and help achieve the common goals of increasing the use of solar energy in meeting energy needs of prospective ISA member countries in a safe, convenient, affordable, equitable and sustainable manner.

Prime Minister Modi said this decision by The Netherlands to join the ISA will add a new chapter to Indo-Netherlands bilateral relations.

"India and Netherlands have shared close relations in the United Nations Security Council and also with respect to multilateral exports. The ISA will add a new chapter" Prime Minister Modi added.

He further informed that both India and Netherlands have conducted three bilateral summits starting from 2015, when Prime Minister Rutt visited India for the first time followed by Prime Minister Modi's visit to The Netherlands in 2017, and now in 2018.

Prime Minister Modi said "We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations, shared our view on both regional and global developments and further met the top CEO's of both countries."

The Netherlands has advanced technology for energy production and "has gained immense experience in the field of energy and the entire must be benefited by them", he added.

"India's is the fifth highest foreign direct investor in the Netherlands is moving towards to rise to the third highest position with respect to the same" and continued saying that several Dutch companies have been operating in India since years, Prime Minister said.

Prime Minister Modi said "The Netherlands has proven to be an attractive destination for the Indian investors as he reiterated the relevance of agro-processing sectors in the process of developing the Indian economy "which will help to double the farmers' income."

He said, "During Indian Tour, The Netherlands participated as a 'focused country'. I further expect it to participate in a similar tour in 2019".

Prime Minister Modi further informed that the first-ever Indo-Dutch Excellence Center has been built in Varanasi to help to create advanced technologies for producing vegetables.

The Netherlands will be participating as a partner country in the India Tech Summit 2019, he informed.

Prime Minister Modi concluded his opening remarks by expressing his gratitude towards The Netherlands government for helping multiple Indians to evacuate from the deadly September 2017 Irma Hurricane that claimed the lives of at least 24 people.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi held met his Netherlands counterpart Mark Rutte at the Hyderabad House on Thursday morning before going in for delegation-level talks.

Both leaders held one-on-one talks before joining their respective delegations for expanded discussions.

India and Netherlands are expected to sign a number of agreements post the talks.

This will include an agreement related to the International Solar Alliance which was officially founded on March 11.

Ministry of External Affiars spokesperson Raveesh Kumar took to official Twitter handle to inform about the meeting.

"An important partner in our flagship initiatives! PM @narendramodi welcomed the PM of Netherlands, Mark Rutte at the Hyderabad House ahead of the bilateral talks. This is the 2nd visit of @MinPres Rutte to India. Netherlands is the 4th largest investor in India in diverse sectors", Kumar tweeted.

The two leaders are then scheduled to take part in a Chief Executive Officers' roundtable conference at Hyderabad House itself.

In the evening, Prime Minister Rutt will address a public event organised by Carnegie India at Hotel Taj Diplomatic and also participate in Clean Air India, startup event.

He will then participate in an agro event before proceeding to Bengaluru.

On Friday, the Netherlands' Prime Minister will call on Karnataka's governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to travel to Indonesia and Singapore from May 29 to June 2 on official visit, confirmed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

During this visit, the Prime Minister will deliver the key note address at Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in Singapore on June 1, said MEA Secretary (East) Preeti Saran.

Prime Minister Modi will also hold bilateral talks with leaders of the two nations on key issues, which is inclusive of the defence sector.

Whist this will be the Prime Minister's first official visit to Indonesia, it will his second official visit to Singapore.

The Prime Minister's visit comes barely days after his one-day informal summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia's Sochi on May 21.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E. Palaniswami on Thursday blamed opposition parties, NGOs and anti-social elements for the killing of the 13 people in anti-Sterlite protests in Thoothukudi on May 22.

"The entire episode which happened was primarily because of certain political parties, NGOs and anti-social elements, who took protesters to a wrong path," the chief minister told reporters here.

"If someone is attacked, the natural course would be to defend and safeguard themselves. This is what has been done by the police in response," he added.

Earlier in the day, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president M.K. Stalin was detained after he held an agitation outside Tamil Nadu secretariat over the killings of the agitators who were protesting the construction of new Sterlite's copper smelter plant in Thoothukudi on Tuesday.

A clash also broke about between DMK workers and the police when the former were demanding the resignation of chief minister E. Palaniswami, holding his government responsible for the killing of the protesters.

The people in the city have been contending that the plant would further pollute the water and pose environmental hazards.

The DMK has already announced that it will observe a statewide shutdown on Friday to protest against the action taken by the police.

Police have been deployed in large numbers in the sensitive coastal areas.

Till now, 67 people have been arrested for indulging in violence.

Internet services have been temporarily shut down in Thoothukudi and will remain suspended for another five days in the city.

The agitation turned violent after protesters were barred from marching up to the plant following which they began to pelt stones and toppled police vehicles.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Federal Judge on Wednesday ruled that United States President Donald Trump cannot block his critics on microblogging platform, Twitter, as doing so violates their right to free speech under the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald, of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, said that Trump's Twitter account is a public forum and blocking people who reply to his tweets with differing opinions constitutes viewpoint discrimination, which violates the First Amendment, according to The Hill.

The court's ruling comes as a major win for the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, which brought the lawsuit on behalf of seven people who were blocked from Trump's account because of opinions they expressed in reply tweets.

Buchwald, in her 75-page opinion, suggested that Trump could have ignored their tweets.

"No First Amendment harm arises when a government's 'challenged conduct' is simply to ignore the [speaker], as the Supreme Court has affirmed 'that it is free to do," The Hill quoted Buchwald as saying.

"Stated otherwise, 'a person's right to speak is not infringed when government simply ignores that person while listening to others,' or when the government 'amplifies' the voice of one speaker over those of others," she added.

The lawsuit against Donald Trump had also named White House social media director and assistant to the president Daniel Scavino.

Buchwald, however, did not order Trump or Scavino to unblock the individual plaintiffs in the case or prohibit them from blocking others from the account based on their views as the plaintiffs' had asked.

"Because no government official is above the law and because all government officials are presumed to follow the law once the judiciary has said what the law is, we must assume that the President and Scavino will remedy the blocking we have held to be unconstitutional," Buchwald wrote.

Meanwhile, Rebecca Pilar Buckwalter Poza, Judicial Affairs Editor at Daily Kos, who was blocked by President Donald Trump took to Twitter to express her delight.

"I sued the President, and I won," she wrote.

The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University also lauded the decision.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The much-anticipated United States-North Korea summit, that was scheduled to be held on June 12 in Singapore, now stands canceled.

As per a release by the White House on May 24, United States President Donald Trump blamed the 'hostility' and anger displayed by North Korea regarding the US-South Korea Max military drills for calling off the summit.

"Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, l feel it is inappropriate at this time to have this long-planned meeting," Trump said in a release.

Trump further took a dig at Kim Jong-Un by saying that "You talk about your nuclear capabilities. But ours are so massive and powerful that l pray to God they will never have to be used."

He further extended his gratitude towards Kim for releasing three US prisoners Kim Hak-song, Tony Kim and Kim Dong-Chul who were held captive on charges of espionage or for doing "hostile acts" against the North Korean government.

"I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated, Trump added.

He further said that "If you change your mind having to do with this summit, don't hesitate", as referred to canceling of the summit as a missed opportunity.

Earlier on Thursday, it was reported that Kim had threatened to back off from the summit following the military drills as he was quoted by Fox News saying, the United States doesn't stop committing 'unlawful and outrageous acts'.

Earlier on May 23, Donald Trump had said that the fate of the planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would be decided next week.

The two leaders were expected to discuss denuclearisation of North Korea in the now-canceled summit.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday hosted a roundtable here, on immigration and the MS-13 gang, renewing his pledge to take out the violent street gang.

"Today on Long Island, we were all moved to be joined by families who have suffered unthinkable heartbreak at the hands of MS-13. I was truly honored to be joined again by the courageous families who were my guests at the State of the Union," Trump wrote on Twitter.

He even lashed out at the Democrats for refusing to close loopholes.

"Crippling loopholes in our laws have enabled MS-13 gang members and other criminals to infiltrate our communities - and Democrats in Congress REFUSE to close these loopholes, including the disgraceful practice known as Catch-and-Release. Democrats must abandon their resistance," Donald Trump wrote.

The MS-13 gang is reportedly responsible for 27 murders in the country.

This is the second time that Trump has traveled to the area to talk about MS-13.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigators on Wednesday questioned White House senior adviser Jared Kushner about a potential collusion with Russia, his contacts with foreign nationals and potential obstruction issues, which also include the firing of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey.

Abbe Lowell, who has represented Kushner in the Russia investigation, told CNN that questions asked of Kushner during the April interview were "the appropriate topics that Bob Mueller and his team were looking at".

Robert Mueller, who is investigating the alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 United States election, has planned to wrap the probe into whether President Donald Trump obstructed the Russia inquiry by September 1, the president's lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani had told Fox News, earlier.

According to the report, the date however is conditional as it comes with the clause from Mueller, which states, "if he is able to interview Trump by mid-July".

Mueller's office released a timeline of its investigation to him two weeks ago while he was negotiating with prosecutors over whether Trump would testify, according to Giuliani.

The former mayor of New York City urged that the investigation should end soon so that it doesn't affect Republican chances in November's midterm elections.

Giuliani also urged the swift wrapping of the probe in the backdrop of former FBI Director James Comey revelation in the last days of the 2016 presidential race that he was reopening the investigation into Hillary Clinton's email server, according to several media reports.

"You don't want another repeat of the 2016 election where you get contrary reports at the end and you don't know how it affected the election," Giuliani had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta on Thursday visited the border area of Jammu and Kashmir's RS Pura sector to meet families affected due to ceasefire violation by Pakistan.

"We will ensure that people at relief camps do not face any problems. I will also meet the Prime Minister within a week and discuss the situation with him" said Gupta.

Meanwhile, schools in Kathua district will also remain closed as Pakistan continues to violate ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC).

"The firing has been on for the past 2-3 days, schools within 0-5 km range of LoC to remain closed till the time firing continues," said Deputy Commissioner Rohit Khajuria.

Earlier on May 18, Pakistan violated ceasefire along the LoC in RS Pura and Arnia sectors, killing a total of five people including one Border Security Force jawan and four civilians.

Following the heavy shelling, the district administration had sent a bulletproof vehicle to border village Bobiya and evacuated the people to safe place.

Pakistan has been violating ceasefire and resorting to heavy shelling in Hiranagar, Samba, Ramgarh, Arnia and Suchetgarh sectors in the state over the last few weeks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for restructuring of balance sheet of Scooters India Limited, Lucknow (SIL) by way of:

i. Reduction of equity of Rs. 85.21 crore in the share capital of SIL held by Government of India against accumulated losses.

The reduction would be deemed to have taken effect as on 31.03.2013 and

ii. Freezing the interest on the Non-Plan loan of Rs. 1.89 crore released to SIL during 2012-13 from the date of its release to the company and conversion into equity of the outstanding principal amount of Rs. 1.89 crore.

With this approval, the balance sheets of Scooters India Limited from 2012-13 onwards will be regularised and further restructuring will be effected accordingly. This is also expected to clear a hurdle in the process of disinvestment of the company.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Rupa & Company gained 3.4% to Rs 447.45 at 10:11 IST on BSE after net profit jumped 70.47% to Rs 39.89 crore on 10% rise in total income to Rs 420.70 crore in Q4 March 2018 over Q4 March 2017.

The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 23 May 2018.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 85.52 points, or 0.25% at 34,430.43.

On the BSE, 13,000 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 3,521 shares in the past two weeks. The stock had hit a high of Rs 469.90 and a low of Rs 444.80 so far during the day. The stock had hit a record high of Rs 590 on 15 June 2017 and a 52-week low of Rs 350.35 on 26 March 2018.

The mid-cap company has equity capital of Rs 7.95 crore. Face value per share is Rs 1.

The board of directors of the company has recommended a dividend of Rs 3 per share for the financial year ended 31 March 2018.

Rupa & Company is a leading undergarments manufacturer and a leading hosiery and knitwear company in India.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)CSC SPV and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) signed an MoU for providing financial support to CSCs across the country in the auspicious presence of Minister of Electronics & IT and Law & Justice, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad.

During the meeting, Hon' Minister Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad said that, I am happy that SIDBI has come forward to support CSCs across the country to promote rural entrepreneurship, and with financial support new avenues of opportunities will come up for CSCs.

Praising the efforts of CSCs in improving women's health and hygiene through Stree Swabhiman initiative, he said that, CSCs are doing outstanding work by providing low-cost sanitary napkins to girls and women in rural India. There are 110 sanitary napkins manufacturing units and till the end of this year each block will have one.

Referring DigiGaon Dhanaudi Kalan in Gautam Buddha Nagar, UP, Shri Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary, MEITY said that, As CSCs across the country have gained momentum, financial support by SIDBI will undoubtedly create new opportunities for them.

Dr.

Dinesh Kumar Tyagi CEO, CSC SPV asserted that, Financial support by SIDBI will in long run help upgrade the potential of existing CSCs along with creating new opportunities to rural population.

Through the MoU, the SIDBI seeks to extend financial support to the Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) of Common Services Centers, with minimum one year of operation, under the Direct Financing Window of SIDBI.

Under the Direct Financing Window, CSC SPV will approve the list of VLEs, within 25 km distance of SIDBI Branch Offices, who require financial support. To avail the loan, the VLEs need to submit their CSC project, with maximum project outlay of Rs. 3.50 lakh and term loan requirement not exceeding Rs. 2 lakh per project.

Through the MoU, both CSC SPV and SIDBI seek to work together to bring more citizens under the ambit of financial inclusion. Moreover, it also seeks to enhance the financial viability of CSCs by including additional services in their bouquet of products.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Yes Bank has received approval from National Stock Exchange to be empanelled as 'Settlement Bank' for National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCCL), a wholly owned subsidiary of NSE.

YES BANK will provide comprehensive Settlement & Clearing services suitable to the members by leveraging its state-of-the-art Technology platform coupled with superior service excellence and constant innovation.

The services will include electronic funds transfer (ETF) facilities and 'anywhere' banking. YES BANK will provide facilities including issuing bank guarantees, credit facilities and inter-bank funds transfer as well as free of cost funds transfer across centers for NSE' s members.

YES BANK is already an empanelled Clearing Bank for the BSE, NCDEX and MCX.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)One person was killed and 27 others were injured on Wednesday in an explosion of fireworks materials at a home in northern Spain, the Vice President of the Galicia region said.

Alfonso Rueda told reporters at the scene that the police bomb squad is verifying that there is no further danger from additional explosives so that rescue services can begin removing the wreckage and determining if there are any other victims.

"At this time, we cannot confirm more than one victim. We don't know if there are more," Efe quoted him as saying. He added that nobody has been reported as missing in the wake of the blast, which leveled as many as 10 homes.

Several dozen houses were damaged to varying degrees within a radius of 1 km of the blast site.

Both Rueda and Tui Mayor Carlos Vazquez Padin said that they did not know that the house where the blast occurred was being used to store pyrotechnic materials.

In addition to rescue and debris removal tasks, emergency personnel are working to provide lodging for the dozens of people whose homes were completely destroyed or damaged to the extent that they are uninhabitable.

The explosion occurred at about 4:25 p.m., after which several witnesses alerted emergency services that they had heard a huge boom and saw a column of smoke in Paramos parish, some 10 minutes from downtown Tui.

Initially, it was thought that the blast had occurred at a fireworks company, but eventually it was determined to have taken place at a house where pyrotechnic materials were being stored without the knowledge of the authorities or neighbours.

--IANS

qd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)There's only one year more to go for the BJP-led regime before another test at the hustings. But is the country any nearer to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promised 'acche din' (good days)?

Four years ago, the country had voted the present regime to power on hopes of better days in all socio-economic-political spheres. But despite some strong structural reforms like GST, and gut-wrenching changes like demonetisation, the jury may still be out on how good it has been, according to economists and others experts.

Despite India's GDP growth of 7.2 per cent in the third quarter (October-December) of 2017-18, some economists feel that the demonetisation drive, avowedly taken to "cleanse the system" of black money, had ended up damaging the country's economy instead.

"Demonetisation was a terrible mistake by the government, for which the common people paid the price. It has reduced people's trust in the banking system, as they were denied their own money during the period of cash crunch. It takes so much time and work to build institutions and policies -- it is so much easier and faster to break things," Jayati Ghosh, Economics Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), told IANS.

The government decided to ban 1,000 rupee and 500-rupee notes on November 8, 2016, taking away 86 per cent of the total currency in circulation. "May be this move had served the government's purpose politically, but economically it was a bad one," Ghosh added.

Echoing similar views, Arun Kumar, former professor of economics at the JNU, told IANS that when the NDA government came in, the Indian economy was already on an upward trajectory. The quarter, in which the government took over, the growth climbed to eight per cent. In October 2016, India was the fastest growing economy in the world when China slowed down a bit.

"But then the government administered a shock to the system with demonetisation. It had a negative impact on the unorganised sector that comprise 45 per cent of production and 93 per cent of employment in the country. According to some estimation, 50-80 per cent of that got damaged," he said.

Kumar, who is now Chair-Professor with the Institute of Social Sciences, added: "Government did no survey at that time and hence no data is available. Even data from International Monetary Fund and World Bank, which rely on government data, do not show any estimates (on impact)."

After demonetisation, credit off-take in the country declined sharply. "Between November-December 2016, it was at historic low of 60 years. Investment into the country also took a big hit," he said.

However, Ranen Banerjee, Partner & Leader, Public Finance and Economics, at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has a different take on some of the benefits flowing from the action.

"Demonetisation had positive impact as far as digital payments were concerned. It shot up sharply during that period but came down subsequently. The level is still higher earlier. But demonetisation as a measure did not deliver all the results that it was supposed to deliver," Banerjee said.

The government's other major thrust, though, on Goods and Services Tax (GST) -- rolled out on July 1 last year, got better billing. Economists are hopeful that it will bring in beneficial changes once the hiccups are over. Banerjee says GST would change the entire landscape of tax compliance in the country by creating a multiplier effect. "GST was a bold move which is showing positive results," he added.

Ghosh, though, thinks GST goes against the grain of federalism. "A unified system is not so necessary in a federal structure -- for example, the US does not have it and still has a very modern economy. In a federal structure you have to allow states to have some money raising power. Further, GST implementation has been really bad."

Kumar said: "Introduction of GST has hit the unorganised sector badly. Even in Malaysia where GST was introduced in 2015-16 at 26 per cent, government decided to scrap it. The organised sector is rising at the expense of unorganised sector. Disparity is rising."

Industry chambers have by and large welcomed government initiatives, especially the decision on GST. "The overall economy is strong with GST having settled down and reforms firmly on the right path," Chandrajit Banerjee, Director-General of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), told IANS.

Over the last four years, according to him, the government had systematically addressed major "pain points" for the economy such as ease of doing business, non-performing assets of banks, foreign direct investment rules, infrastructure construction and exit of failing enterprises.

"The government's mission-mode development campaigns have delivered notable results, adding to overall growth multipliers. The firm level and sectoral level numbers look promising for the next year in terms of orders booked and capacity utilisation," said CII's Banerjee.

Former economics professor at Indian Statistical Institute, Dipankar Dasgupta, who holds that the economy was yet to recover from the hit it took because of demonetisation, says that on GST he was hopeful that with time it will stabilise. "In the other countries where it was introduced there were teething problems too," he said.

The government also took up the job to cleanse bad loans of banks. It is pumping in Rs 2.11 lakh crore as capitalisation, spread over two years. But a number of banking scandals and rising non-performing assets (NPA) may have reduced the faith of people in the bank system, after the shock of demonetisation. "We have declining deposits in the banking system due to people's rising mistrust," says Ghosh. Dasgupta says recapitalisation should be followed with caution so that it does not widen the fiscal deficit.

The government, though, has got support in its effort to tackle the issue of NPAs. The bankruptcy law has put everyone on notice. "People are taking the issue of NPAs seriously trying to resolve it. Companies are opting for out of court settlement. Propensity to comply has increased as borrowers know that there will be consequences on not servicing a loan," Banerjee of PriceWaterhouseCoopers said.

Yet, overall the promise of the golden pot at the end of the five-year rainbow, as promised by Modi in his of speeches -- where he had painted the BJP rule in attractive hues -- has not materialised in four years. BJP's best salesman may have oversold the hope.

"I do not blame this government for not being able to deliver 'achhe din'. Which government since Independence has?" asks Dasgupta rhetorically.

(Aparajita Gupta can be contacted at aparajita.g@ians.in)

--IANS

ag/hs/ky/tb

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)After the exposure of a racket in the sale of carcass meat collected from dumpyards, the civic authorities on Thursday seized around 70 kg of rotten fish during a surprise check on the city's southern outskirts.

A shop was sealed by the Budge Budge Municipality officials on charge of storing rotten fish in refrigerators for a long duration.

"We found two big freezers storing almost 70 kg fish and 4-5 kg meat," said a municipal official who was part of the raiding team.

"Everything was stale, though frozen with lots of ice. While inspecting, we could see insects crawling in the meat. I am sure the fish was stored for a long time," she added.

"We conduct suprise checks in area markets from time to time. The carcass meat racket also came to light in our locality first during the surprise check. After that, we had been continuing with our inspections, during which we got a tip-off about fish being stored in two big refrigeratos in the area," said the official.

The carcass meat racket was busted last month after authorities raided animal dump yards in Budge Budge and a few other places.

A dozen people have since been arrested for alleged involvement in the racket, wherein carcass meat was collected from dumpyards in and around the city and stored in cold storage and later supplied to city restaurants and departmental stores.

"It is not that the carcass meat racket and the rotten fish business is thriving only at Budge Budge. It is just that we are the ones who have caught hold of the culprits first," she added.

Legal action is being taken and the municipality has also lodged a complaint with police.

--IANS

bnd/ssp/tsb/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Army on Thursday opened fire at a group of militants on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, forcing them to retreat to Pakistan, police said.

Soldiers noticed suspicious movements on the LoC in Gogledara area of Keran sector early in the morning.

"The group of infiltrating militants was challenged after which an encounter started. The militants were finally forced to retreat to the Pakistani side," a police officer said.

The winding LoC divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

--IANS

sq/him/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A 54-year-old Australian woman has been sentenced to death by hanging after a Malaysian court unanimously overturned a 2017 acquittal of drug smuggling charges.

Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto's lawyers said a three-judge panel unanimously threw out the previous ruling.

"An appeal will be filed in the Federal Court -- the final appeal," Exposto's lawyer Muhamed Shafee was quoted as saying by CNN on Thursday. He called his client "a strong person".

The grandmother and mother of four was arrested in December 2014 while transiting through the Malaysian capital on a flight from Shanghai to Melbourne. She was found in possession of 1.1 kg of crystal methamphetamine and faced a mandatory death penalty under Malaysia's draconian drugs laws.

Exposto claimed she had no knowledge of the drugs in her bag and had been scammed by a boyfriend she met online, according to CNN affiliate, SBS News.

In 2017, she was found not guilty of drug trafficking by the Malaysian High Court. Prosecutors appealed, however, preventing Exposto from leaving Malaysia and returning to her home in Sydney.

The ruling came despite changes to Malaysian law in 2017 which made the death penalty no longer mandatory for drug mules. The country carried out four executions in 2017, down from nine the year before.

--IANS

and/soni/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Supreme Court on Thursday denied the Centre's plea seeking modification of its earlier order in which the government was asked to invite suggestions for 15 days from the public before amending the Master Plan of Delhi-2021, saying authorities must appreciate that the "people of Delhi come first".

A bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Navin Sinha directed the Central government to "expeditiously" implement its May 15 order in letter and spirit, keeping the interest of the public of Delhi in mind.

The top court said Delhi is being "ravaged" by unauthorised encroachment and illegal constructions with impunity and slammed the authorities, including the Delhi Development Authority, for not carrying out their statutory duties.

"It is painful to require the issuance of directions to statutory authorities to carry out their mandatory functions in accordance with the law enacted by Parliament. Unfortunately, the situation in Delhi warranted such a direction due to the apathy of the civic authorities," it said.

The court on May 15 directed the Central government to invite objections from people for 15 days and said the final decision before amending the Master Plan should be taken keeping the interest of the people of Delhi and future generations in mind as well as the statutory requirements.

Later, the Central government sought modification of the order, saying it had earlier invited objections or suggestions for three days and there was not need to invite objections again.

The bench raised questions on the January 31 decision of the Central government reducing the period for inviting suggestions and objections from people from 90 days to just three days.

Calling it "perhaps an intent to satisfy some lobbies", the bench said: "It must be appreciated that the people of Delhi come first."

The apex court said it is for the purpose of "taking the public in Delhi into confidence and working for their benefit" that an opportunity was granted to the Central government to invite public objection.

Noting that an overwhelming 741 objections and suggestions were received by the Central government over a limited period of three days, the bench said it indicates the concern of the public in Delhi which is vitally interested in the proposed amendments.

The court also took objection to the Centre's submission which pointed out the public order situation necessitated the amendment to the rules in Master Plan.

"Apart from submitting that there were riots in Delhi, nothing further was stated and not a single instance of any riot in any part of Delhi was pointed out to us nor any FIR placed before us.

"We were also not told of any exigency that could affect the interest of the public which necessitated curtailing the period of 90 days for filing objections by the public to only 3 days," said the court.

The bench added: "Unfortunately, instead of taking the people of Delhi into confidence, a bogey of public order and rioting has been sought to be communicated to us as if the law and order situation in Delhi was getting out of control."

Earlier, the court came down heavily on the Central government and other authorities on complete breakdown of law and order over the strikes and 'dharnas' against a sealing drive in the national capital.

The apex court on March 6 put a stay on proposed amendments to the Delhi Master Plan that sought to protect traders from a sealing drive by increasing the floor area ratio (FAR).

The Master Plan-2021 is a blueprint for urban planning and expansion in the metropolis to ensure overall development and the proposed amendments are aimed at bringing a uniform FAR for shop-cum-residential plots and complexes on par with residential plots.

FAR is the ratio of a building's total floor area (gross floor area) to the size of the piece of land on which it is built.

An STF was also formed by the Central government to monitor issues relating to unauthorised constructions in Delhi and will take steps to demolish them.

The court was hearing pleas relating to the validity of the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006 and subsequent legislation protecting unauthorised construction from being sealed in Delhi.

--IANS

gt/him/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday said the government is working on a long-term solution to contain rise in prices of petroleum products in the country.

"Goods and Service Tax (GST) is one way being looked into to ease the situation. Besides, many other options are being explored for both short- and long-term solutions," Pradhan told media persons here.

He said there were several reasons contributing to petrol and diesel price rise including the uncertain political conditions in oil exploring countries and the international market.

"Some of them include fluctuations in international market and depreciation of Indian rupees against the US dollars. The Centre is working out a plan to control the increase in fuel prices," he added.

Pradhan also asked the Odisha government to cut its 26 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on fuel to bring the rising petrol and diesel prices under control.

"Both Centre and state have roles in controlling fuel price. In October last year, the Centre cut excise duty by Rs 2. Now it is the turn of the state government to cut the VAT it is collecting on fuel. If Odisha cuts its VAT like Goa, the price will come down," said the Minister.

While Odisha was collecting 26 per cent VAT on fuel, Goa was taking only 12 per cent, he added.

Reacting to the statement of the Petroleum Minister, Odisha Finance Minister Sashi Bhushan Behera said he was trying to hide his inefficiency to control the hike in fuel prices.

"In Odisha, only 26 per cent VAT on fuel is being collected which is among lowest in the country. The Centre's excise tax is much more than the state's tax. The Union Minister is making such statements only to shrug off his responsibility," said Behera.

The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has decided to stage demonstrations across Odisha for three days against the steep rise in fuel prices. The party would stage sit-ins in all 314 blocks from May 28 to 30, said party General Secretary Sanjay Das Burma.

Congress activists, on the other hand, staged a demonstration on Thursday at different filling stations in Cuttack protesting against the fuel price hike.

--IANS

cd/nir

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The US has withdrawn an invitation to China to participate in what has been described as the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise, the Pentagon has announced.

A Pentagon spokesman said in a statement on Wednesday that "China's behaviour is inconsistent with the principles and purposes of the RIMPAC exercise", and it has "disinvited the PLA (People's Liberation Army) Navy from the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise", reports CNN.

Held every two years in Hawaii, the RIMPAC exercise involves more than 20 countries from across the world, including India, Australia, Japan and the UK.

The decision to withdraw China's invitation was made by Defence Secretary James Mattis in coordination with the White House, according to a defence official, after Beijing's recent deployment of missile systems and the first landing of a Chinese bomber on an island in the South China Sea.

The official told CNN that the US has its own imagery showing China's deployment of anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles and jammers on disputed islands.

Carl Schuster, Hawaii Pacific University professor and former director of operations at the US Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Centre, told CNN the decision to withdraw the invitation showed "the days of appeasement are over".

"We are now willing to take strong action diplomatically... We're telling the Chinese that there will be diplomatic and potentially economic consequences for further aggression in the South China Sea," he said.

Last week, China said that it landed long-range bombers for the first time on an island in the South China Sea, the latest in a series of maneuvers putting Beijing at odds with its neighbours and Washington over its growing military presence around disputed islands.

Participating in the last RIMPAC in 2016 were 45 ships, 200 aircraft and more than 25,000 people from 26 nations.

--IANS

ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A CRPF trooper was killed and another injured when Maoists triggered a powerful blast targeted at security personnel in a forested area of Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, officials said.

Sub-Inspector Rajesh Kumar Bind was killed when the improvised explosive device (IED) exploded around 7.45 a.m. between Pushwada and Tamilwada when the 206 Cobra Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force was on a routine operation.

Constable Manik Pinri was injured, CRPF Deputy Inspector General M. Dinakaran told IANS.

"The mortal remains of Rajesh Kumar were taken to the Ambedkar Hopital in Raipur for post-mortem while Pinri was admitted to Balaji Hospital," he said.

The CRPF's 74 Battalion later recovered an IED from the site.

"A team of 150 CRPF personnel was heading towards the forested Tamilwada area following inputs about the hideouts of Maoists. Bind and Manik were tasked to clear hidden landmines. The IED exploded when Bind's leg was caught in a wire connected to the IED. Rajesh's leg was blown off while Manik received splinter injuries," another CRPF official said.

A resident of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, Bind, 30, joined the CRPF on September 9, 2007. He was inducted into the elite Cobra Battalion in July 2015.

A graduate from Allahabad University, Bind completed his basic training in Cobra in 2008 and had served in Allahabad, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand and Assam.

Later in the day, Bind's body was sent from Raipur to Lucknow by air and will be further moved by road to his village in Meerganj.

The attack came just a day after Maoists blew up a farmhouse of a BJP MP with IEDs in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district.

In a similar IED blast on March 13 also in Sukma, nine CRPF personnel were killed and nearly 10 seriously injured when Maoists blew up a vehicle carrying troopers of the 212 Battalion of the CRPF.

Two Chhattisgarh policemen were killed and six others injured in a gun battle with the Maoists at Bhejji in Sukma on February 18.

--IANS

rak/tsb/mr

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A massive blaze broke out near a hospital here on Thursday morning but there were no injuries, the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) said.

The DFS said it got a call at around 2.40 a.m. about the fire at a waste disposal barn in Vasundhara Enclave in east Delhi. The barn is about 50 meters away from Dharamshila Narayana Super Specialty Hospital.

Some 20 fire tenders were pressed into service to extinguish the blaze.

Efforts were made to prevent the fire from spreading further amid concerns that the hospital complex was near the waste barn.

"Given the magnitude of the fire, Dharamshila Narayana Hospital extended help by providing more than two lakh litres of water. With the combined efforts of the fire tenders and the hospital, the fire was completely under control by 8.30 a.m.," a hospital spokesperson said.

--IANS

sar/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A massive blaze broke out near a hospital here on Thursday morning, a fire department official said. The official said they received a call at around 2.40 a.m., and 20 fire tenders were pressed into service to extinguish the blaze that broke out in a building behind the Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital in Vasundhara Enclave. The fire was doused at 5.30 a.m. and no injuries were reported. The main building of the hospital was safe, the official added.

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Digital EditorIndia and The Netherlands on Thursday agreed to boost bilateral trade and investment and strengthen cooperation across multiple sectors, including agriculture and food processing, water management and science and technology, following a bilateral summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte.

Jointly addressing the media with Rutte after attending an India-Netherlands CEOs Round Table that followed the bilateral summit, Modi said that hundreds of Dutch companies have been operating in India for many years now.

"The Netherlands is the fifth largest source of the total foreign direct investment made in India till now," he said.

"And in recent times, it has even risen to become the third largest source."

Modi said that in the same way The Netherlands is a very attractive investment destination for Indian companies.

According to figures released by the External Affairs Ministry, India and The Netherlands have a bilateral trade of $7.621 billion (April 2017-Feb 2018).

Stating that the interaction with the CEOs of the two countries was very productive, the Indian Prime Minister said: "I am happy that the business community of The Netherlands is enthusiastic about the new opportunities arising in India. I have assured them of my strong commitment to the economic reforms."

On his part, Rutte said that ties between India and The Netherlands have become very close both on the economic and the political sides.

"Many Indian companies, which are active in The Netherlands, are helping us to build a more successful and more resilient society," he stated.

According to a joint statement issued following the summit, Modi and Rutte acknowledged the role of the private sector in boosting trade and investment relations and underlined the opportunities for intensive Indo-Dutch collaborations under India's flagship initiatives such as Make in India and StartUp India.

"Highlighting the role of youth in enhancing future collaboration in innovation and startups, the leaders welcomed the launch of the StartUpLink initiative by Invest India and the Netherlands Embassy in Delhi," the statement said.

In his address, Modi said that agriculture and food processing hold special significance for India as these are related to the country's food security.

"At the same, the target of doubling the income of Indian farmers is also of great significance," he said.

Stating that The Netherlands have great experience in these areas, he expressed happiness that the Indo-Dutch Centre of Excellence on vegetables has started functioning in Baramati, Maharashtra.

"We are working on setting up more such centres," Modi stated.

Highlighting The Netherlands' role in urban development in India, he said water management projects in Delhi and Vadodara were progressing well.

The joint statement said that innovation, technology and governance being key-ingredients in Indo-Dutch water cooperation, the respective institutions of the two countries have joined hands in several projects including a waste2wealth approach to solid waste and waste water in the Hindon Basin, in assisting leather industries in Kanpur and Unnao to adopt eco-friendly technologies, and in conservation of water through efficient agriculture practices in the sugarcane industry of Uttar Pradesh.

"Both sides agreed to intensify their resolve to enhance cooperation under the aegis of the MoU (memorandum of understanding) in the field of water management signed in June 2017 with focus on the Clean Ganga campaign," it stated.

Modi also said that Indo-Dutch cooperation in science and technology has completed 10 years and expressed confidence that this will be further strengthened when The Netherlands will participate as the partner country in the Tech Summit to be held in India in 2019.

Following Thursday's summit, the Dutch Prime Minister also signed the framework agreement of the India-initiated International Solar Alliance (ISA) in the presence of Modi.

Launched by Modi and then French President Francois Hollande at the Paris climate summit in 2015, the ISA was conceived as a coalition of solar resource-rich countries to address their special energy needs and provide a platform to collaborate on dealing with the identified gaps through a common, agreed approach.

It is open to all 121 prospective member countries falling between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.

Modi said that the benefits of technology, experience and mastery The Netherlands has acquired on solar energy should be shared with the whole world.

According to the joint statement, the two leaders also reiterated their strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

"They deplored the violence caused by Al Qaeda, Daesh/ISIS, Jaish-e-Mohammed, HizbulMujahideen, Lashkar-e-Tayabba, and their affiliates as well as terrorist groups threatening peace and security in South Asia and Europe," it stated.

Apart from Rutte signing the ISA framework, India and The Netherlands also signed a wide range of agreements and initiatives across different sectors like knowledge institutions, water, agrifood and horticulture, hi-tech, IT and space, life sciences and health, smart cities, business, and sustainability.

--IANS

ab/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India and The Netherlands on Thursday explored cooperation across multiple sectors at a CEOs Round Table attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte.

"Explored strengthening cooperation in sectors like agriculture & food processing, horticulture, water management, logistics, life sciences & health, among other areas," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

"Netherlands is the fourth largest investor in India in diverse sectors," Kumar said in an earlier tweet.

The CEOs Round Table was preceded by a bilateral meeting between Modi and Rutte at Hyderabad House here.

Rutte arrived here on Thursday morning on a two-day visit to India that will also see him going to Bengaluru.

This is his second visit to India since June 2015, but the first after being re-elected as Prime Minister in 2017.

The Dutch leader's visit comes within a year of Modi's visit to The Netherlands last June.

According to figures released by the External Affairs Ministry, India and The Netherlands have a bilateral trade of $7.621 billion (April 2017-Feb 2018).

The Netherlands is also home to a 235,000-strong Indian diaspora, the largest in mainland Europe.

Rutte's visit is expected to boost the economic and political cooperation between India and The Netherlands.

--IANS

ab/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Declaring India to be an "obvious candidate" for a seat in the UN Security Council (UNSC), the Netherlands on Thursday said it would do its utmost towards finalising an EU-India free trade agreement (FTA) with Holland providing the perfect pivot for India to expand its trade relationship with Europe.

At an interactive session here organised by industry chamber CII, the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte also said that in the face of the current wave of geo-political instability, especially in the Middle East and the protectionist moves of the US, it is important to make efforts to strengthen both multilateral trade and UN institutions.

Rutte arrived here on Thursday morning on a two-day visit to India that will also see him going to Bengaluru.

"India is an obvious candidate for a permanent seat in the UNSC...it is surprising that India isn't a member in this day and age," he said in his address at the CII event.

"A Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA) between the European Union (EU) and India is long overdue. I will make a personal investment in the EU-India relationship and try my best to revive the talks. Both India and EU are missing out on a lot of opportunities here," he said.

Negotiations for the BTIA, or a free trade agreement, started in 2007 but were put on hold in 2015. In all, 16 rounds of negotiations have been held.

"We have a particular interest in this issue, because 20 per cent of Indian exports to the EU enter through Dutch ports. This role of a European hub has been bolstered by Brexit," Rutte said.

"The improvements in ease of doing business have been welcomed by Dutch businesses. At the same time, business tells me it is still difficult to set up branches of their companies in the (Indian) states.

"Red tape can be quite cumbersome, and I do believe there is some room for improvement," he added.

Rutte's delegation, which includes 15 CEOs and about 220 members in the business delegation, is the biggest ever Dutch trade mission to India.

Following a summit here between Rutte and Prime Minister Narendra India earlier on Thursday, the countries agreed to boost bilateral trade and investment and strengthen cooperation across multiple sectors, including agriculture and food processing, water management and science and technology.

Jointly addressing the media with Rutte after attending an India-Netherlands CEOs Round Table that followed the bilateral summit, Modi said that hundreds of Dutch companies have been operating in India for many years now.

Replying to a query on the summit, Rutte said the discussions also touched on the "situation in the region" and Modi's recent visits to other countries, which would include the informal summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday at Sochi, where the unofficial agenda was to discuss the situation arising out of the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, according to Indian officials.

"There is an arc of instability and unpredictability...a war is on in Syria and there is the unpredictability of the new American administration," he said.

"In this situation it is important to be well embedded in the multilateral institutions like the WTO (World Trade Organisation, the UN and the EU..we need all these. Only bilateral agreements will make the world more unstable."

He described the Iran nuclear agreement as not a "perfect deal" but which is important to keep alive for some more time

"We will work with the EU, Russia and Turkey to keep the Iran nuclear agreement going after the US withdrawal," he said.

--IANS

bc/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Indonesian Transport Ministry has issued a warning to airliners alerting them about volcanic ash from the country's most active Merapi volcano in Java island, ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan said on Thursday.

The warning was issued at 3.56 a.m. on Thursday by the AirNav Indonesia, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the spokesman as saying. "The airliners are advised to be cautious about the volcanic ash," he said.

A further evaluation would be undertaken after the issuance of the advice, said Bambang.

Mount Merapi, located at the borders of Central Java province and Yogyakarta province, erupted earlier on Thursday with an ash column spewed as high as 6,000 metres into the sky.

Residents in the affected areas have been advised to use masks, the National Volcanology Agency said. Mount Merapi, the most active one of Indonesia's 129 active volcanoes, has regularly erupted since 1948.

--IANS

and/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Thursday that he would request approval from a planning committee for the construction of 2,500 new housing units in settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank.

"The 2,500 new units we'll approve in the planning committee next week are for immediate construction in 2018," Lieberman said, adding he would also seek the committee's approval for a further 1,400 settlement units for later construction.

Lieberman pointed out that 1,400 houses were to be immediately built across Judea and Samaria, the Biblical names for the West Bank, in an attempt to expand the Israeli settlements there, Efe news reported.

Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory to be illegal, since international law prohibits an occupying power from transferring its population to territory under occupation.

In addition, the UN, the EU and many other countries consider the settlements to be one of the main obstacles to reaching a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine.

--IANS

soni/him/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Fortis Healthcare (FHL) has said that a consortium of Manipal-TPG has extended the validity of its "modified" new offer to invest in the company.

As per a late night BSE filing on Wednesday, FHL said that its Board has received a letter from Manipal-TPG for extending the validity of their "modified" new offer till June 6 from the earlier date of May 29.

"We understand that the FHL board is still in the process of considering the modified new offer... in order to provide FHL board with sufficient time to consider our modified new offer, we propose to extend the validity of our modified new offer...," the Manipal Global Health Services said in a letter to the company's Board.

On May 14, the Manipal-TPG consortium had received the "modified" new offer which proposed to values the company at Rs 9,403 crore at a share price of Rs 180 per share.

Earlier, Malaysia's IHH Healthcare Berhad had extended the validity of its "Enhanced Revised Offer" to invest in the company to May 29.

IHH has proposed to invest directly into the company at Rs 175 per share cost.

However, the company's Board on May 10 decided to recommend the offer of the Munjal-Burman consortium for sale of its business to the shareholders for their approval.

Fortis' board had received offers from suitors such as Hero Enterprise Investment Office, Burman Family Office, Fosun Health Holdings, Malaysia's IHH Healthcare Berhad, Manipal Hospital Enterprises and Radiant Life Care for infusion of funds.

In addition, the validity extension of Manipal-TPG's offer comes as the healthcare major's shareholders voted Director Brian W. Tempest out from the company's Board.

The company's shareholders voted out Tempest during the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) which was held on Tuesday. The EGM had sought shareholders approval on a resolution filed by a minority shareholders' group to induct and remove certain Board members among other clearances.

The resolution had sought Fortis' shareholders approval to replace Tempest, Harpal Singh, Sabina Vaisoha and Tejinder Singh Shergill from the company's Board.

Prior to the EGM, Non-Executive Director Harpal Singh and Non-Executive Independent Directors Shergill and Vaisoha resigned on Sunday citing personal reasons.

--IANS

rv/qd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Manipur has emerged as the new source of cross-border human trafficking in India where 174 children go missing every day and half of them remain untraced.

On the eve of the International Missing Children's Day, child rights group CRY in a report said that young Indian boys and girls were being trafficked via Myamar to countries like Singapore after luring them with lucrative job offers.

"Manipur has become not only a source state for cross-border human trafficking but it is also being used as an easy transit route. Children are soft and easy target," the CRY report quoted Keisham Pradipkumar, member of Manipur Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MCPCR), as saying.

The report highlighted a story of a Manipuri girl, Julie (name changed), who had bagged a job opportunity abroad.

It said an employment agency took her and seven other girls to Myanmar on their way to Singapore. Their identity documents were forged in Yangon and that was when they sensed trouble.

"They were forced to lodge in a hotel in Yangon. Julie managed to call home from there," said the report.

The family contacted a child rights group in Manipur that informed the state police and took help from the Indian Embassy in Yangon. The children were rescued and six persons were arrested.

"I know I am lucky enough to be back with my family. Not everyone is as lucky as me," Julie was quoted as saying.

The report citing the data on missing children by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) said 1.11 lakh children were reported missing in 2016 and 55,625 of them remained untraced.

The data analysis by CRY suggests that more than half of all missing children in the country are concentrated in just West Bengal, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar.

"West Bengal tops the list with accounting for a whopping 15.13 per cent of all missing children in the country in 2016, while Delhi closely follows with 13.14 per cent."

On the close linkage of missing children to organised crimes, Puja Marwaha, chief of CRY, said: "It is deeply disturbing that our children go missing and we can't bring them back home.

"The evidences on ground and numbers that indicate a large number of missing children are actually trafficked, kidnapped or abducted."

The report said the organized crime of trafficking was next largest form of trans-national illegal trade after arms and drugs.

"India is no exception as it is rapidly 'gaining' the status of a vast and 'low risk' market for the procurement and use of children for a range of exploitative needs, from organ trade and child labour to commercial sexual exploitation."

The report said that the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018 was on its way "one can be hopeful that the country will take robust steps in addressing the issue squarely and for good".

--IANS

som/sar/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday claimed that many leaders from various parties in Maharashtra are ready to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) soon.

"Several leaders are enthusiastically queuing up to join the BJP. Just wait and watch," Fadnavis said, while welcoming former Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator Niranjan Davkhare to the party fold.

He added that the BJP was always ready to accommodate people who were doing good work for the people and society and the entry of a youth leader like Davkhare "would be an asset to the party".

"What Maharashtra has achieved in the past four years was never seen in the earlier two decades. Similarly, in the past 25 years, the one government that has stood behind the people like the Himalayas is the present (Modi) government," Fadnavis said.

Today's development came amidst fresh political speculation that another NCP legislator and Mathadi labour leader, Narendra Patil, was likely to cross over to the BJP soon.

On Wednesday, jolted by Davkhare's move to quit the party and his membership of the Legislative Council, the NCP retaliated by suspending him from the party membership for six years for anti-party utterances and activities.

Davkhare, 39, is the son of the late NCP leader Vasant Davkhare, who was among the closest aides of party President Sharad Pawar, and a former Deputy Chairman of the Upper House, besides holding other important posts.

"Sharad Pawar is a great leader. However, I wanted the opportunity to work under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Davkhare said as BJP state President Raosaheb Patil-Danve formally inducted him into the party.

On quitting, Davkhare had on Wednesday said he was "feeling very sad to leave the NCP", whose birth and growth he had witnessed along with his father, "but I am totally fed up with the local intra-party politics".

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has announced another round of elections to two Graduates and two Teachers Division constituencies in the Upper House to be held on June 8.

The four retiring members are: Apoorva P. Hiray (BJP) from Nashik Division Teachers constituency, Kapil Patil (JD-U) of Mumbai Division Teachers constituency, Deepak Sawant (Shiv Sena) from Mumbai Division Graduates constituency and Davkhare from Konkan Division Graduates constituency.

However, it is not clear if Davkhare will be given BJP ticket to contest the bye-polls to the Upper House next month.

--IANS

qn/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Union Home Ministry has suspended an official who was arrested last week for his involvement in illegalities in granting Indian citizenship or extending Long Term Visa (LTV) to Pakistani immigrants.

Deputed in the Foreigners Division of the Home Ministry as Senior Secretariat Assistant, Pankaj Kumar Mishra was suspended days after an internal inquiry was ordered against him to probe his role into allegation that he sought and took bribe from Pakistani immigrants.

"Misra has been suspended on the allegation of demanding and accepting money to issue long term visa to Hindu minorities from Pakistan. An internal inquiry against him is still on. We are taking action to find out the loopholes and to plug them," a Home Ministry official said.

The Ministry's move comes after it received some initial inputs about Mishra from Rajasthan Police's Anti-Corruption Bureau which arrested him along with three Pakistani immigrants -- Ashok, Govind and Bhagwan Ram -- last week.

In its report to the Ministry, the Rajasthan Police said Mishra was part a "bribe-for-visa" racket which had been operating in the region for several years in connivance with government officials, who used an extensive network of agents, many of whom were Pakistani Hindu immigrants.

Every year, a large number of Pakistani Hindu migrants travel to India allegedly to escape religious persecution in their country. Several such families have settled in Rajasthan, especially Jodhpur.

--IANS

rak/him/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday received his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte here ahead of bilateral talks.

Stating that the Netherlands is important partner in India's flagship initiatives, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweetted that Modi welcomed the Rutte at Hyderabad House ahead of the talks.

"Netherlands is the fourth largest investor in India in diverse sectors," Kumar said

Rutte arrived here on Thursday morning on a two-day visit to India that will also see him going to Bengaluru.

This is his second visit to India since June 2015, but the first after being re-elected as Prime Minister in 2017.

The Dutch leader's visit comes within a year of Modi's visit to The Netherlands last June.

According to figures released by the External Affairs Ministry, India and The Netherlands have a bilateral trade of $7.621 billion (April 2017-Feb 2018).

The Netherlands is also home to a 235,000-strong Indian Diaspora, the largest in mainland Europe.

Rutte's visit is expected to boost the economic and political cooperation between India and The Netherlands.

--IANS

ab/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi will go on state visits to Indonesia and Singapore from May 29 to June 2 during the course of which he will engage with the leadership of the two southeast Asian nations, it was announced here on Thursday.

This will be Modi's first official visit to Indonesia and second to Singapore.

He had been to Singapore in March 2015 to attend the state funeral of the city state's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and then again in November the same year for his first official visit.

Briefing the media here, Preeti Saran, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, said that Modi's visits reflect India's deepening relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) region within the framework of New Delhi's Act East Policy and also in terms of security in the Indo-Pacific region.

While Indonesia hosts the Asean Secretariat, Singapore is the current Chair of the regional bloc.

Giving details of Modi's programme, Saran said that he will reach Indonesia on May 29 and and hold a summit with the country's President Joko Widodo the next day in Jakarta.

The two leaders will then inaugurate a kite festival jointly organised by Museum Layang Layang of Jakarta and the Kite Museum of Ahmedabad.

Modi will also address a CEOs forum and the Indian community in the southeast Asia's largest nation. There are around 100,000 people of Indian origin and around 7,000 NRIs in Indonesia.

Saran said that Indonesia is India's largest trading partner within the Asean with bilateral trade standing at around $18 billion. "Around 250,000 jobs have been created by Indian companies in Indonesia," she said.

From Indonesia, Modi will reach Singapore on May 31 and will begin his engagements by visiting an India-Singapore Enterprise and Innovation Exhibition.

He will then participate in a business and community event where he will talk about India's economic engagement with Asean. Modi will also participate in a CEOs Round Table with the top 20 CEOs of Singapore.

On June 1, Modi will call on Singapore President Halimah Yacob and then hold a summit with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He will also visit Nanyang Technological University, regarded as the top technological university in Asia and the 11th best in the world.

Later, he will deliver the keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to do do in the Track I annual inter-governmental security forum.

On June 2, he will unveil a plaque of Mahatma Gandhi and visit some cultural sites. Thereafter, he will visit the Indian Heritage Centre.

Before departure for India, Modi will go to the Changi naval base.

Saran called Singapore an important partner for India in terms of security, economy and technology. There are around 8,000 Indian companies registered in the city state and it is also home to around 800,000 people of Indian origin.

--IANS

ab/soni/him/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)North Korea will reconsider the planned summit with the US if Washington sticks to "unlawful and outrageous acts," Pyongyang's Vice Foreign Minister said on Thursday.

In a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Choe Son-hui said that whether the June 12 summit between its leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump will happen as scheduled entirely rests on the decision and behaviour of Washington, reports Yonhap News Agency.

"Whether the US will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behaviour of the US," Choe said.

"In case the US offends against our goodwill and clings to unlawful and outrageous acts, I will put forward a suggestion to our supreme leadership for reconsidering the summit," she added.

The threat came after South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Trump held a summit in Washington on Tuesday where the latter suggested the summit with the North might not take place on June 12.

North Korea has ramped up criticism of the US for forcing "unilateral" denuclearisation.

The Trump administration maintains that it seeks the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear programme, with no promise of concessions until that process is in motion.

The North reportedly wants a phased and synchronous approach.

Choe singled out US Vice President Mike Pence and slammed him for mentioning a Libya-style approach and military option against the North in a recent media interview.

"US Vice-President Pence has made unbridled and impudent remarks that North Korea might end like Libya, military option for North Korea never came off the table, the US needs complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearisation, and so on," she said.

"As a person involved in the US affairs, I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the US Vice-President."

Pyongyang last week suspended its contacts with Seoul and altered the cordial tone used in recent months with South Korea and the US.

--IANS

ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)With the death of one more patient who tested positive for Nipah virus (NiP) on Thursday morning, the disease has claimed 12 lives in Kerala, officials said.

The death of Moosa was confirmed at a private hospital where he was being treated. Early this month, two of his sons and a relative also passed away. They were the first cases of NiP that were reported last week.

Meanwhile, though the incidence of patients coming for treatment with symptoms of NiP is on the decline, Kozhikode Collector U.V. Jose has banned till May 31 all public meetings and even training courses including tuitions to avoid assembly of people.

The health department said on Thursday that a total of 160 samples were sent for testing to Pune. Of the 22 results that had come, 14 had tested positive.

Meanwhile the authorities have come out with a protocol to be carried out when the last rites of victims of NiP are carried out.

While cremation is favoured as the best method to stop the further spread of infection, in case families opt for burial, the body will have to be covered in a polythene bag and then put into a very deep pit.

The Kozhikode Medical College has 136 patients while nearby Malappuram district has 24 who are under observation.

A large number of medical professionals and health experts deputed by the Centre, the state government and the private sector are working in Kozhikode and Malappuram by meeting those who are under observation besides carrying out awareness programmes, an official said.

The authorities in Kozhikode on Thursday decided to take action against two staff members at the state-owned crematorium here for not cooperating with the conduct of the last rites.

Transmission of NiV takes place through direct contact with infected bats, pigs or other NiV-infected persons.

--IANS

sg/mr/soni

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Google on Thursday announced that users can get their Class 10 and 12 results delivered directly to Android smartphones even if they are not connected to the Internet on that day.

Since 2016, Microsoft has partnered with the Central Board of Secondary (CBSE) to display the board examination results on www.bing.com.

Beginning this year, users can avail the feature on "SMS Organizer", the tech giant wrote in a blog post.

To get CBSE Class 10 and 12 results on SMS Organizer, users first need to download the app and then register for CBSE results.

On the result day, the pre-registered users will receive a notification for the result, clicking on which their score card will appear.

Since the scorecard data is sent via an SMS, users will be able to see it even if they do not have Internet connectivity on result day, the post said.

The results will also be available on Bing for parents, teachers and students to easily search and get the score cards.

"Over the last few months, we have been working with multiple boards in India to deliver the results of the various exams they conduct, on Bing apart from their own websites," the company's blogpost revealed.

"So far exam results for Class 10 - Andhra Pradesh SSC board, Class 10 - Telangana SSC Board and Class 10 and Class 12 - Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad are available on Bing."

Earlier, Google had partnered with CBSE for the JEE Main exam results and other exam-related information.

Students could quickly, securely and seamlessly locate their score on their smartphone or desktop using Google Search.

"We are collaborating with Google for smooth dissemination of results through an easy and secure platform," Rama Sharma, Senior Public Relations Officer, CBSE, had said in a statement.

The tech giant has also introduced an improved Search experience for other popular exams like GATE, SSC CGL, CAT.

Students searching for these competitive exams will find important information such as test dates, registration dates, important links, and other key information right within Google Search.

--IANS

rt/ksc/him/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Manipur Police on Thursday said it nabbed over 70 undocumented persons suspected to be illegal immigrants. The arrests came a few hours after a stern warning by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh over illegal migrants entering the state after passing through various police booths.

The arrested persons also include three minor Rohingya girls who were staying in a destitute home in Imphal.

On Wednesday, Singh who is facing the impact of the sustained campaign by Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) instructed police to step up the process of rounding up immigrants and undocumented persons while trying to sneak into Manipur.

"In case some suspicious persons are rounded up the police officers of the stations they had crossed undetected will be made accountable," the Chief Minister said.

Over 60 undocumented persons were detected on Thursday at Mao, the first police station bordering Nagaland.

"They had been asked to return to wherever they came from," said a police officer.

Police at Jiri, the headquarters of Jiribam district bordering Assam also nabbed six persons of suspicious nationalities.

"They had been pushed back," indications are that they may be Rohingyas.

Meanwhile three Rohingya girls were chased out of a destitute home in Imphal east district. Local women came to know of the presence of these girls and agitated demanding their removal.

An official said that police had arrested the girls earlier but being minor girls they were left in the destitute home before their case was settled. However, the women activists said that their presence in the locality was not welcome.

The Chief Minister had expressed his surprise at the presence of 10 Ronhingas in rented rooms at Hatta in the heart of the Imphal city.

--IANS

il/ahm/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday took to the streets in Mumbai and other places in Maharashtra to protest against record prices of petrol and diesel.

Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam led a huge protest march of party activists and citizens from Santa Cruz East on the busy Western Express Highway to the Mumbai Suburban District Collectorate in Bandra East.

En route, the protestors -- carrying banners and placards -- raised slogans against the central government.

They recalled the old tweets of Narendra Modi when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister, Sushma Swaraj and other BJP leaders when they were in opposition, as well as those of Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar who had strongly criticised the then UPA government over increased fuel prices.

"Now, it's the Congress turn to question them, just like many are doing on the social media, over their complete silence even as the prices of petrol and diesel have touched all-time high in the country and in Maharashtra," Nirupam said.

He and other speakers pointed out that the shooting petrol and diesel prices had hit not only the commuters, but also the household spendings as vegetables, grains and other essentials had shot up by more than 25 per cent, which was nothing but "looting the people of the country daily".

"The Congress has been demanding since long to bring petrol and diesel within the Goods and Services Tax purview, which can easily reduce the huge burden of local cesses and dealer commissions and bring a significant decrease in fuel prices. For doing this, the government doesn't have to depend on global prices of oil, as it is claiming now," Nirupam said.

NCP state President Jayant Patil attacked the Centre, saying "the costliest fuel in the world is sold in India, and in India, the costliest fuel is sold in Maharashtra."

"The fuel prices in the country have broken all records. The promise of 'Achhe Din' was a 'jumla' and the BJP leaders who used to protest loudly in the past don't even give a simple explanation for this now," Patil said sharply.

Protests were also held in Pune, Dhule, and other cities in which the Congress and NCP workers, common people, small businessmen and farmers participated in large numbers, braving hot weather conditions.

At some places, the protestors symbolically 'hanged' motorcycles or scooters which they couldn't afford to ply any longer. At other places, protesters rode bicycles to highlight the zooming fuel prices while many others walked along.

On Thursday, petrol and diesel prices in Amravati stood at Rs 86.52/Rs 74.15, in Aurangabad Rs 86.23/Rs 73.91, in Solapur Rs 86.14/Rs 73.84, in Nashik Rs 85.95/Rs 73.84, in Akola Rs 85.57/Rs 72.08, in Navi Mumbai Rs 85.35/Rs 73.02, in Mumbai Rs 85.29/Rs 72.96, and in Pune Rs 85.01/Rs 71.58 respectively.

--IANS

qn/tsb/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Taking a cue from the fitness challenge gone viral on Twitter, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring down petrol and diesel prices or face country-wide agitation.

"Dear PM, Glad to see you accept the @imVkohli fitness challenge. Here's one from me: Reduce fuel prices or the Congress will do a nationwide agitation and force you to do so.

"I look forward to your response," Gandhi tweeted with the hashtag #FuelChallenge, a fitness campaign where people post their exercise regime on social media and challenge others to do the same.

Petrol prices in Mumbai breached the Rs 85 a litre mark on Thursday and was sold at Rs 85.29 per litre. The price of the fuel is already at an all-time high in Mumbai along with Delhi and Chennai and is now creating new benchmarks daily.

Diesel prices too have reached unprecedented levels and set new records across the country. In Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, it was sold at Rs 68.53, Rs 71.08, Rs 72.96 and Rs 72.35 per litre respectively.

--IANS

mgu/him/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday demanded that the Centre address the problems faced by the common man due to rising fuel prices in the country.

"We want the central government to take care of the problems faced by people due to escalating fuel prices," Banerjee told reporters here in Birbhum district.

She requested the Centre not to look at the issue of petrol and diesel price increases as a matter of

"In politics, one has to keep in mind the practical scenario. is not for today, but for tomorrow also," said the Trinamool Congress supremo.

Calling it a "people's issue", the Chief Minister said that every person should join the protests against the hike.

Banerjee said that during her visit to Bengaluru on Wednesday for H.D. Kumaraswamy's swearing-in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, she had requested leaders of all opposition parties present there to protest jointly on the fuel price issue.

"I requested all leaders I met that we should protest jointly. During the tea break, I spoke to Sonia ji (Congress leader Sonia Gandhi), Telugu Desam Party chief (Chandrabadu) Naidu, (Bahujan Samaj Party supremo) Mayawati, and (Samajwadi Party chief) Akhilesh Yadav. I told them we should take out rallies, and protest against the petrol price hike."

"I don't want to get into a quarrel with the Centre on this issue. But I feel, on issues like these which affect the people, we shouldn't do politics, but our focus should be to protect the interests of the people."

The TMC government has already chalked out a protest programme against the Centre on the issue.

Top party leaders are scheduled to hold a protest rally in Kolkata on Friday. Similar protests wil be held in the districts on Saturday and Sunday.

--IANS

ssp/tsb

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The missile that brought down a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 people on board, belonged to the Russian military, Dutch investigators said on Thursday.

For the first time, the Dutch-led team said the missile had come from a unit based in western Russia, the BBC reported.

All people on board the Boeing 777 died when it broke apart in mid-air flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

It was hit by a missile fired from rebel-held territory in Ukraine. Russia said none of its weapons was used.

But Wilbert Paulissen, a Dutch official from the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), told reporters: "All the vehicles in a convoy carrying the missile were part of the Russian armed forces."

He said that after studying all available photos and footage, investigators had been able to trace the convoy to Russia's 53rd Brigade, which consists of 300 people based in the city of Kursk.

Dutch prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said that a few dozen people of interest had been identified, adding that the probe into who was responsible for downing flight MH17 was now entering its final phases.

Flight MH17 left Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport on 17 July, 2014 and was due to arrive at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia on the following day.

The plane lost contact with air traffic control about 50 km from the Russia-Ukraine border. It crashed in the Donetsk area, in territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists.

Footage was later released by the Ukrainian government suggesting that a Russian-made Buk missile had been moved across the Russian border the next day.

--IANS

soni/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Stringent security arrangements are in place for the 49th convocation of the Visva-Bharati University here, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina slated to attend the event on Friday.

This will be Modi's first visit to Santiniketan -- the sprawling campus housing the university built by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in Bolpur sub-division of West Bengal's Birbhum district.

Besides an advance team of SPG personnel, Rapid Action Force, crack commandos and a large number of state police personnel have been deployed to ensure fool-proof security. Sniffer dogs are doing the rounds of the venues -- the convocation arena as also the Bangladesh Bhavan, which would be inaugurated on Friday.

Modi would inaugurate the Bangladesh Bhavan, besides holding an unofficial "summit" with Hasina.

Both Modi, Chancelleor of the university, and Hasina would address the convocation.

West Bengal Governor K.N. Tripathi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will also be present at the convocation.

Hasina's sister Rehana, and a large team of Bangladesh ministers, would attend the programme.

Hasina will arrive in Kolkata at 9 a.m on Friday and head to Santiniketan.

The Bangladesh Bhavan at Santiniketan would display books and photographs on the Bangladesh Liberation war, house a library, a state-of-the-art archival centre and a seminar hall, besides a sprawling space for cultural get-togethers.

On Saturday, Hasina would be awarded an honorary D.Litt by the Kazi Nazrul University in Asansol of West Burdwan district.

She would also visit Jorasanko Thakur Bari, where Tagore was born, and Netaji Bhavan, the ancestral house of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, in south Kolkata.

--IANS

ssp/nir

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)North Korea said on Thursday that the future of the summit with the US is "entirely dependent" upon Washington, after both countries threatened to cancel or delay the historic encounter scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.

"Whether the US will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behaviour of the United States," said Choe Son-hui, a North Korean Vice Foreign Minister.

Choe's statement comes at a time of uncertainty about whether the meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will eventually take place.

Pyongyang last week threatened to pull out of the summit due to the White House's pressure to impose a "unilateral" denuclearization model, while Trump spoke Tuesday of a possible postponement.

In the statement released on Thursday, Choe added that "in case the US offends against our goodwill and clings to unlawful and outrageous acts, I will put forward a suggestion to our supreme leadership for reconsidering the DPRK-US summit."

Choe also mentioned the words of US Vice President Mike Pence in a recent television interview in which he again pointed to a Libya-style approach for North Korea's denuclearization.

"US Vice-President Pence has made unbridled and impudent remarks that North Korea might end like Libya. (...) I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the US vice-president," the North Korean Vice Foreign Minister said.

Pyongyang last week suspended its contacts with Seoul and altered the cordial tone used in recent months with South Korea and the US.

Trump admitted on May 22 that the summit with Kim could be delayed and insisted that Pyongyang must meet certain conditions for the historic meeting to go ahead.

--IANS

qd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)After successfully spending 194 days at sea and becoming the first all-women naval crew to have circumnavigated the globe, the six-member crew of the Indian Navy's sailing vessel "Tarini" are now looking forward to solo sails.

On Thursday, naval officers Lt. Commander Vartika Joshi, Lt. Commander Pratibha Jamwal, Lt. Commander Swathi Patarpalli, Lt. Aishwarya Bodapatti, Lt. S.H. Vijaya Devi and Lt. Payal Gupta were presented with the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2017 by Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi.

Sharing their future plans, the women officers said that they were planning to go for solo circumnavigation and also talked on the difficulties faced by them during their journey.

"The most difficult stretch was probably the south Pacific ocean where we faced winds which rose close to 120km per hour and the waves were as high as 89 metres. It took us almost 90 hours to get out of the zone," Commander Jamwal said.

Another trouble the team faced was that when they were hardly 2000 miles short of India, they had to take a detour and sailed the boat to the nearest port, Port Louis in Mauritius.

However, not just the hurdles that they had to face, the members also had good moments during the course of their journey.

"We did miss our families but we had made a family of six members in the boat. We cooked, did stitching, even baked cakes and celebrated birthdays inside the boat," Bodapatti noted.

Starting their journey on September 10, 2017, the team landed in Goa on May 21 who were received by Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba and other top naval officers. On Wednesday, the team also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

--IANS

som/nir

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Actress Thandie Newton says she will protect her actress and daughter Nico Parker like a lioness in Hollywood.

Parker is preparing to make her acting debut in Disney's live-action "Dumbo" next year. And Newton spoke about her daughter when she appeared on "This Morning", reports people.com.

"She's one of the leads in 'Dumbo'. She was 12 years old when she made the film," Newton said.

"She's been on endless sets. It is not that she takes it for granted, but it is not a world that she feels she is not entitled to be in," said Newton, who also has daughter Ripley, 17, and son Booker, 4.

The star, who is also seen in "Westworld" -- season two of which will air in India on Star World in June -- understands the industry can have a lasting impact on an impressionable teenager.

"She has her mum right there like a lioness checking that everything is looked after," Newton said.

"You can't stop the industry (from) operating the way it has unless the truth comes out."

On the work front, Newton is looking forward to "Solo: A Star Wars Story". She plays first major black female character in the "Star Wars" universe.

"I feel this great relief, excitement for the women coming into this industry now," she said.

Solo: A Star Wars Story" tells the story of how Han Solo met his future copilot Chewbacca before the events in the original 1977 "Star Wars". The film is the second anthology film after 2016's "Rogue One". The project is directed by Ron Howard.

It also stars Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Donald Glover, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Paul Bettany. The film will release in India on May 25.

--IANS

sug/rb/ahm/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi remained tense for the third day on Thursday as one more person injured in police firing in protests against the Sterlite factory died, taking the toll to 13.

Selvasekar succumbed to his injuries in the district hospital, as the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board issued an order to disconnect power supply to Sterlite and to close the plant with immediate effect.

Normal life was affected in Thoothukudi, with shops closed and people remaining indoors even as the protest against police action spread across the state on Thursday, with demonstrations in districts like Erode, Ramanathapuram and Thiruvarur.

In Thoothukudi, police have stepped up patrolling to stop people from forming groups in public places while internet connection has been shut in the district and neighbouring areas.

On Tuesday, police firing killed 11 people, most of them from nearby villages who were demanding the closure of the Sterlite Copper smelter plant they said was destroying the farm lands and leading to severe health issues in the area.

Another person was killed on Wednesday in fresh firing while hundreds of injured are admitted in hospitals.

Meanwhile, construction work for a proposed second facility near to the existing unit was stopped after an order by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday.

The company said it will decide on further action after going through the order.

--IANS

str/him/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Tripura University on Thursday suspended an Assistant Professor on charges of violating the protocol a day earlier during its convocation where Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu was the chief guest.

"Hindi Department Assistant Professor Jai Kaushal, 37, has been suspended for violating the protocol during the convocation," Tripura University Registrar Sanit Debroy said.

He said that after the convocation speech of Naidu, Kaushal, who was anchoring the event, had asked Tripura Minister Ratan Lal Nath to speak. As he was speaking, Kaushal passed a paper slip asking the Minister to stop.

"As per the standard protocol, after the chief guest's convocation speech, there can be no speech except the Vote of Thanks by the Registrar," Debroy said.

He said that an inquiry committee would be constituted to examine the entire episode.

An irritated Nath, who was representing Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, snubbed the Assistant Professor and others at the venue and complained to Vice Chancellor Anjan Kumar Ghosh that the university had insulted the state government.

The varsity's 11th convocation was held after five years. As many as 142 scholars received Ph.D. degrees and around 400 students from different streams got gold and silver medals.

The varsity, set up in 1987, was made a central university in July 2007.

--IANS

sc/tsb/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)United States President Donald Trump's cancellation of his talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is a set back to his personal diplomacy and to the denuclearisation process in East Asia, even as Pyongyang showed it was destroying its nuclear test site.

Hours before Trump's dramatic announcement, North Korea destroyed the site where it had conducted six nuclear tests in Punggye-ri.

In his letter to Kim that was released by the White House, Trump said the "tremendous anger and open hostility" in a recent North Korean statement as the reason for cancelling the meeting scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.

He was apparently referring to a statement by North Korea's vice-foreign minister Choe Son Hui circulated by Pyongyang's official news service, KCNA, in which she said: "We can also make the US taste an appalling tragedy it has neither experienced nor even imagined up to now."

Trump responded in his letter to Kim: "You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God that they will never have to be used."

The meeting may have been sabotaged by Trump's newly appointed National Security Adviser John Bolton, an extreme hardliner known for his intemperate rhetoric, who proposed a "Libyan model" for dealing with North Korea - which upset the Pyongyang leadership that sensed a possible betrayal.

The planned meeting was also beset by uncertainties from the North Korea side.

Pyogyang threatened earlier this month to pull out of the talks if the US and North Korea went ahead with their joint military exercise, Max Thunder, which took place anyway.

There is also a China factor that Trump had been alluding to.

When North Korea threatened to call off the talks because of the military exercise, Trump alluded to Beijing's influence saying: "If you remember two weeks ago, all of a sudden out of nowhere Kim Jong Un went to China to say hello again - second time - to President Xi."

As Pyongyang's key ally, Beijing can influence Kim and Trump had earlier, in fact, welcomed a meeting between Xi and Kim in March that appeared to set the stage for the Trump summit.

Trump's decision to pull out of the nuclear agreement with Iran also strained his credibility with Pyongyang.

A historic meeting with Kim and an agreement on denucealisation of North Korea would have have boosted Trump's mangled standing both at home and abroad, and, therefore, the cancellation is a personal setback to him and his unorthodox style of conducting international affairs.

Despite resuming talk of nuclear weapons, Trump kept lines of communication open by keeping a civil tone in his letter to Kim, whom he had once derided as "little rocket man".

"I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and, ultimately, it is only the dialogue that matters," Trump said.

He added that the meeting "for the good of both parties and to the detriment of the world will not take place".

He also thanked Kim for releasing three American prisoners.

Bolton had said that "we have very much in mind the Libya model from 2003, 2004" in dealing with North Korea.

Vice President Mike Pence amplified it by saying that "if Kim Jong Un does not make a deal" he could end up in a Libyan scenario.

Muammar Gaddafi shutdown his nuclear programme and handed over some elements of it to the US, but was overthrown in 2011 after US and its European allies attacked Libya and killed

Trump disowned Bolton's statement declaring, "the Libya model is not the model that we have at all when we're thinking of North Korea."

But that did not mollify the North Koreans.

In her statement, Choe called Pence a "political dummy" and said: "As a person involved in the US affairs, I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the US vice-president."

Preparing for the planned summit, Trump had held consultations with leaders around the world, including Xi, and met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House this week.

Despite destroying its nuclear test facilities, North Korea maintains a nuclear arsenal -- developed with Pakistan's help -- and a powerful missile system capable of reaching the US.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)

--IANS

al/ahm/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the summit scheduled with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on June 12 in Singapore has been cancelled.

In a letter to Kim, Trump said he made the decision based on the "tremendous anger and open hostility" in a recent North Korean statement.

The meeting, which would have marked the first face-to-face encounter between a sitting US President and a North Korean leader, was set for June 12.

The news came as North Korea made a show of dismantling a nuclear test site, but also on the heels of some sharp words from the North Korean government about America's denuclearization demands.

North Korea had abruptly cancelled talks with South Korea out of anger over joint military tests with the US in the Korean peninsula.

While Trump had repeatedly played up the historic significance of the meeting, he also often leavened his optimism with a cautious "we'll see".

Much of the letter was written in conciliatory terms, including praise for North Korea's recent release of three American prisoners, Trump also appeared to issue a threat that conjured memories of his war of words with Kim last year.

"You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used," Trump wrote in the letter tweeted by White House.

Trump left the door open for arranging a new meeting with Kim.

"If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write," the President wrote. "This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history."

Trump said it would be "inappropriate" to hold the summit as scheduled in Singapore, adding he was very much looking forward to meeting him "some day".

--IANS

ahm/mr/soni

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump and one of his closest advisers, received a permanent security clearance on Wednesday, dispelling doubts about his possible recent loss of clout in US relations with Mexico, China and Israel.

The FBI completed its thorough investigation of Kushner's financial activities and foreign contacts, a task taking more than a year and which had to be finalized before the husband of Trump's oldest child Ivanka could re-obtain permission to access the most closely guarded US secrets, Efe reported.

"His application (for security clearance renewal) was properly submitted, reviewed by career officials, and went through the normal process," Kushner's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement.

"Having completed these processes, Mr. Kushner is looking forward to continuing the work the President has asked him to do."

Lowell did not say what level of clearance Kushner had been granted, but sources familiar with the matter told The Washington Post that it is a "top secret" authorization, which would enable the young real estate mogul to view very sensitive US government intelligence information.

Last February, Kushner lost the temporary top secret clearance he had enjoyed since Trump came into power in January 2017, and his access to sensitive intelligence information was curtailed, although he did retain a lower clearance level, that of "secret".

That move was the result of a decision by White House Chief of Staff John Kelly to withdraw the temporary top secret clearances from those employees who had held them for more than eight months without the required background investigations on them having been completed.

In Kushner's case, the delay in the FBI investigation of his background combined with the investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller into his contacts with Russian officials raised speculation about whether he could be subject to blackmail, a situation that could put the confidential information he might know at risk.

The White House said in February that Kushner's loss of top secret clearance would not affect his diplomatic activities, and apparently it has not done so.

Kushner has been intimately involved in US negotiations to recraft the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada, and last week he travelled to Israel to inaugurate the new US Embassy in Jerusalem.

--IANS

qd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)US President Donald Trump ordered the Commerce Department to start a study into determining the need to impose import duties on autos and parts.

"I instructed Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, to consider initiating a Section 232 investigation into imports of automobiles, including trucks, and automotive parts to determine their effects on America's national security," Efe news reported quoting Trump as saying in a statement on Wednesday, after meeting Ross to discuss the current state of the US car industry.

The largest exporter of cars to the US is Mexico, followed by Canada, Japan, Germany, and South Korea, according to data from the Department of Commerce.

Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, an agreement that he had threatened to break during the election campaign.

Also during the campaign, Trump made the preservation of the auto industry one of the pillars of his protectionist economic proposals, a promise that allowed him to win in Michigan, where most of the auto industry is concentrated.

Since Trump came to power, the Commerce Department has initiated more than 100 investigations over unfair competition, many of which have ended in the imposition of tariffs.

One such investigation resulted in the Trump administration imposing a 10 per cent tariff on aluminium and a 25 per cent tariff on steel, although he exempted some allies like Argentina, Brazil, Australia and South Korea.

--IANS

and/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The EU said any unilateral US auto tariffs based on national security would be against World Trade Organization rules after President Donald Trump launched a probe into American vehicle imports, raising the stakes for the bloc as it bids for waivers from White House levies on steel and aluminum.

Trump has demanded a reduction in the EU's 10 per cent tariff on American car exports and repeatedly threatened to impose levies on European auto imports if the bloc retaliates against US steel and aluminium tariffs, Efe news reported.

"It is very difficult to asses what does it mean or what is behind this," European Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen said in Brussels on Thursday.

The commission -- the EU's executive arm -- has been negotiating with US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to secure an exemption from US tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium since Trump's decision in early March.

The bloc received temporary waivers, expiring June 1, but has struggled to convince the White House not to punish its longstanding European allies.

Brussels has engaged Washington and promised to enter into duty-slashing trade talks in exchange for unlimited waivers.

Meanwhile, the bloc also prepared a list of American products that could swiftly face 2.8 billion euros of levies unless Trump exempts the EU, and asked to join China's WTO challenge against US tariffs, which were also based on national security and deemed illegal by Beijing and Brussels alike.

"Whether the new announcement further complicates the trade negotiations or not, we don't know," Katainen said, adding that the EU doesn't expect additional hardships in the wake of Trump's autos announcement.

"We have indicated very clearly to our US friends that we are always ready to discuss improving the trading environment, as we have been trying to do for many years."

--IANS

soni/ahm/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The US has expelled two Venezuelan diplomats, ordering them to leave the country within 48 hours, in a retaliatory move against Caracas's decision to remove two American diplomats, the media reported.

The Venezuelan Charge d'Affaires in Washington D.C., Carlos Ron Ramirez, and the deputy consul general of the Venezuelan consulate in Houston were declared personae non grata on Wednesday by the State Department, reports Efe news.

According to a department statement, the decision was made in response to Venezuela's decision to oust the US Charge d'Affaires in Caracas, Todd Robinson, and his second in command, head of political affairs Brian Naranjo.

Both Ramirez and Robinson were the most senior diplomats representing their respective diplomatic missions in Washington D.C. and Caracas as both countries have not exchanged ambassadors since 2010.

On Tuesday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced the expulsion of the two diplomats during an event in which he was proclaimed winner of the recent presidential elections in Venezuela, and accused Robinson of acting as a "conspirator" in his country.

The State Department said in the statement that "the accusations behind the Maduro regime's decision are unjustified".

It also pointed out that the diplomats expelled by Caracas "have carried out their official duties responsibly and consistent with diplomatic practice and applicable provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations".

"We reject any suggestion to the contrary," the statement added.

Earlier on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had warned the Maduro administration on Wednesday that Washington would respond "proportionately" to Venezuela's expulsion of its diplomats.

--IANS

ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that the US is "not trustable" and will be defeated in its fresh anti-Iran move, media reports said.

All successive US governments are not bound to their obligations, Khamenei said during a meeting with senior Iranian officials, referring to the US withdrawal from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal.

The US has "deep enmity with" Iran, he said, adding that Washington intends to "destroy the power factors of the Islamic republic", Xinhua reported.

"Since the beginning of the Islamic revolution (in 1979), the US has not given up its enmity against the Islamic republic. They have harnessed all political, economic, military and propaganda measures against Iran," Khamenei said.

Meanwhile, the supreme leader pointed out that the US has failed in its all previous plots against Iran in the past four decades.

"Like the cat in Tom and Jerry (animated series), they will lose again," he said.

Khamenei made the remarks two days after a speech by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in which he threatened to impose the toughest sanctions on Iran if the Islamic state does not change its course of action domestically and regionally.

Pompeo urged Tehran to report to the International Atomic Energy Agency about its nuclear program, end proliferation of its missiles, and stop supporting terrorist groups in the Middle East.

--IANS

qd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)China on Thursday rejected as "baseless" a report that it had asked Pakistan to shunt out Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed to some West Asian country.

"The report is shocking and baseless," the Chinese Foreign Ministry told IANS.

According to a news report in The Hindu, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in March to relocate international terrorist Saeed to some West Asian country.

Saeed is the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack that killed 166 Indians and foreigners and has been declared a global terrorist by the UN, India and the US.

Under international pressure to crack down on terror outfits, Pakistan had banned the JuD in February this year.

China has been accused of shielding its "all-weather friend" Pakistan on the terror front. China has an investment of over $50 billion in infrastructure projects in Pakistan.

China frequently hails Pakistan for contributing to the fight against global terrorism and counsels the world to "acknowledge" Islamabad's efforts.

New Delhi and Kabul accuse Islamabad of sheltering terrorists.

--IANS

gsh/mr/soni

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Twelve people were killed in the volatile Muslim-majority district of PK5 in the Central African Republic's capital Bangui in clashes after a grenade went off, the Red Cross said today.

The UN peacekeeping mission in the unstable country said it had launched an investigation into the violence which erupted on Wednesday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)For the first time, at least 13 transgender persons will contest the general elections in Pakistan this year with two of them contesting for the National Assembly, a media report said.

Transgenders were included for the first time in the census, published in August. The survey identified only 10,418 transgender people out of a population of nearly 208 million in Pakistan.

The importance of the participation of the trangenders was discussed yesterday at a national consultation where their political inclusion and empowerment for social progress was highlighted, the Express Tribune reported.

The consultation was organised by All Pakistan Transgender Election Network (APTEN) in collaboration with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The meeting was attended by all the potential candidates and representatives from their assigned constituencies, it said.

Of the 13 transgender candidates, two will contest for National Assembly and the rest for provincial assembly seats, the report said.

Pakistan's election commission on Monday proposed July 25-27 as possible dates for holding the general elections in the country.

The Election Act 2017 under Article 48 A and B transgender community are included in the vulnerable community which means that they shall not be required to stand in queue and will be given priority of right to vote, Qamar Naseem, member of the Chief Minister's Special Community on Rights of the Transgender Persons (K-P) and member of the National Task Force said.

"The polling station staff will ensure that they will cast their votes as soon as they will reach the polling station," he said.

Naseem further said that last time four transgender persons contested general election but they could not do it in proper order.

However, this year the community has constituted APTEN which will provide them (transgender) a platform from where they will contest election in an organised manner, the report said.

"It is about time that the transgender community of Pakistan has rightful representation," Naseem said, adding that the announcement of candidacy and contestation in elections by transgender persons is historic given the staggering rates of violence and discrimination faced by trans-people throughout the country.

Additional Director General (Gender Affairs) Nighat Siddique said, "In the upcoming electoral process, the ECP will ensure a friendly and inclusive system for the transgender community not only as voters but also as candidates."



It is a great achievement that transgender persons have been included in the upcoming elections and the commission will formulate a viable strategy to facilitate transgender community in the electoral process as voters and candidates, she added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Two Palestinians wounded in clashes with Israeli troops on the Gaza border died today of their wounds, Palestinian health officials in Gaza and the West Bank said.

The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said that Ahmed Qutoosh, 23, was shot by soldiers "several days ago" east of Bureij, in the central Gaza Strip, without giving further details.

In the West Bank city of Hebron, medical officials told AFP that 21-year-old Mohanad Abu Tahun had been wounded in the Gaza clashes and transferred to the city's Al-Ahli Hospital yesterday.

They did not say on which date he was shot.

He was one of many Gaza casualties moved out of the coastal territory for treatment after the bloody border clashes left hospitals there overwhelmed. Violence peaked on May 14, with at least 62 Palestinians killed by Israeli gunfire when thousands of Palestinians protested as the US officially moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Tensions between Israel and Gaza have spiralled since March 30, when Palestinians began protesting for the right to return to the homes their families fled or were expelled from in 1948, during the war surrounding the creation of Israel.

A total of at least 121 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since then, according to Palestinian medical officials.

No Israelis have been killed during that time.

Israel says its actions are necessary to defend the border and stop mass infiltrations from the territory.

It accuses Hamas, with whom it has fought three wars since 2008, of seeking to use the protests as cover to carry out violence.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Three persons were arrested for allegedly raping a woman near a deserted suburban railway station in the city's Park Circus area, police said today.

According to the victim's complaint at the Sealdah GRP, the three accused persons forced themselves on her when she was relieving herself near the Park Circus railway station in Sealdah South Section around midnight last night, a senior officer said.

"The woman, a resident of Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas district, alleged that three persons started following her when she was waiting at the Park Circus station to catch a train back home. She was returning home after visiting a relative admitted at the National Medical College and Hospital," the officer said.

The three accused, all in their early 20s, allegedly raped her when she went out of the station premises to answer nature's call, the officer said.

Hearing her cries for help, locals rushed to the place and rescued her. Later, she lodged a complaint with the Sealdah GRP, he said.

"We are probing into the woman's complaint. It seems there are some discrepancies in her version. Medical tests are being conducted," the officer said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Seven districts of Assam and Tripura in the North East have been included in the 86 geographical areas offered in the ninth round of bidding for City Gas Distribution (CGD) networks by Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB).

In Assam, Kamrup (Metro) and Kamrup in Brahmaputra Valley and the three districts -- Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj of Barak Valley -- have been included, PNGRB Chairman D K Saraf said at the Ninth CGD Bidding Round Roadshow held here today.

In Tripura, West Tripura and Gomati district have been included in the geographical areas for bidding, he said.

The Assam Gas Company Limited (AGCL) already provides Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Piped Natural Gas (PNG) to six districts of Upper Assam -- Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat.

"Gas production in North East is, however, much less than requirement and so the Barauni-Guwahati pipeline is the extension of the Urja Ganga pipeline and will supply gas from Guwahati to all state capitals of the North East," he added.

The Centre has accorded top priority to CDG as it is a a green fuel and will lead to sustainable and clean economy, Saraf said.

Assam Education and Guwahati Development Minister Siddharta Bhattacharya said that the state government will ensure full security and cooperation of government agencies to the investors.

In the Ninth CGD Bidding round, PGNRB has offered 86 geographical areas in 22 states and Union territories, covering 29 per cent of population and 24 per cent of the geographical area.

With the final authorisation of this round of bidding, gas distribution would reach 286 districts spread over 25 states/UTs, covering 60 crore or 49 per cent of the country's population and 35 per cent area.

PGNRB is organising roadshows across the country at 14 locations with Guwahati being the sixth and three at intetnational locations -- Dubai, London and Singapore.

The roadshow, organised in collaboration with Central and state governments, is aimed at creating awareness among the people and ensure that the objectives are achieved.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)An Afghan official says the Taliban have attacked a military outpost in northern Faryab province, killing three soldiers and wounding six.

Regional army spokesman Mohammad Anif Rezai says the attack took place in Shirin Tagab district early today.

He says reinforcement were sent but were unable to reach the site because of land mines and Taliban ambushes along the way.

Rezai says intense fighting is still underway and that the government has ordered 40 commandos airlifted to help the soldiers at the outpost.

He says that so far, five insurgents have been killed in the fighting and seven wounded.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but the Taliban have lately stepped up their assaults on Afghan troops and government officials as part of their spring offensive.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Madras High Court today declined to modify its order directing the Tamil Nadu government to preserve until further orders the bodies of those killed during the anti-Sterlite protest at Tuticorin on May 22.

A vacation bench of justices T Ravindran and P Velmurugan rejected the state government's plea for modifying the court's order and directed it to file its counter by May 30.

The government submitted no purpose would be served in preserving the bodies and cited opinion of experts that in case of injuries on bodies, it would lead to rapid decomposition even in cold storage.

Such cases of mass preservation would accelerate decomposition, the government said.

In his petition filed on behalf of the Home Secretary, the DGP, the district collector and the SP of Tuticorin, M Murugan, joint secretary Home (Strictly Confidential) department, submitted that a team of government doctors has already conducted and completed the post-mortem of two bodies.

He said the post-mortem was being conducted in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court in the presence of necessary authorities and by competent doctors.

Experts have said the autopsy should be done as quickly as possible to prevent decomposition of the body leading to its impact on the post-mortem, he submitted.

Experts in Anatomy and Forensic Medicine have also stated that the body preserved by embalming or by any other chemical preservation will not benefit the purpose as it will produce colour changes and mask other signs, thus defeating the purpose of the preservation, Murugan said.

He said when the government and all concerned were earnestly working to bring the situation back to normal, keeping the bodies of unfortunate victims without disposal itself may become a focal point of unnecessary unrest.

Further, the relatives of two deceased persons on whom post-mortem has been completed, were insisting that the bodies be handed over to them. They have also issued consent letters in this regard.

In light of these circumstances, the bodies can be handed over to the relatives, he submitted.

If the bodies were embalmed and kept under preservation, there was every possibility of the public gatecrashing into the hospital and creating law and order problems.

When the modification plea came up, the counsel for petitioners submitted that no such plea for handing over of bodies was made by any relatives of the victims.

The court then adjourned the matter to May 30.

The bench had yesterday passed an interim order directing the authorities to preserve the bodies of those killed on May 22, until further orders.

The order was passed on a PIL from three advocates, who, among other things, sought an interim direction to authorities to appoint a team of private doctors to conduct re-postmortem with the process being recorded.

Violence broke out on May 22 during protest for the closure of Vedanta group's Sterlite Copper plant in Tuticorin over pollution concerns with police opening fire, resulting in the death of 10 people.

A man was also shot dead in police firing yesterday following fresh clashes between security personnel and locals.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Kerala High Court judge Justice B Kemal Pasha today criticised the manner in which High Court judges were appointed, saying appointment of judges was not a family property to be partitioned.

In a full court reference held on the eve of his retirement, Justice Kemal Pasha said, "I do not believe that judgeship should be allotted to each and every religion, caste or sub caste."



In his address, he said he had learnt from media that some names from the Bar have been recommended for elevation.

"If the names given by the media are correct. I can very well say that most of the judges of this court including me have no good fortune to see even the faces of some of those persons. Is it good for the judiciary?" he asked.

Justice Pasha said competent lawyers eligible to be elevated are there among the members of the Bar.

"To pick and choose some persons who are not at all competent to be judges and to recommend them for elevation will point fingers towards the system," he said.

He said a judge is being considered as a minister of this temple of justice.

"The duty to impart justice is nothing but a divine function also. When persons who have to perform divine functions are to be selected, they should have the capacity for it," Justice Kemal Pasha said.

Justice Pasha also criticised judges aspiring for job from government post retirement.

Noting that the government was the major litigant before the courts of law, especially before the High Court, he said when a judge is expecting a post retirement job from the government, normally he will be in a position not to invite displeasure from the government, at least in the year of his retirement.

"There is a common complaint that such judges are not dared to invite displeasure from the Government by expecting such post retirement jobs."



"I believe the words of hon'ble Mr Justice S H Kapadia and hon'ble Mr Justice T S Thakur that any judge shall not accept any salaried job under the government, at least for a cooling period of three years from his/her retirement," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)General officer Commanding (GoC) of 2 Mountain Division, Major General Gajinder Singh today sought the intervention of Arunachal Pradesh government in facilitating coordination between the state police, central para-military forces and the army in counter-insurgency operations along the inter-state boundary, an official communique said.

Maj Gen Singh, who heads the Division based at Dinjan in Assams Tinsukia district bordering Arunachal Pradesh, held a meeting here with Chief Minister Pema Khandu during the day and discussed issues related to army presence and its activities in the eastern parts of the state, it said.

He said intelligence sharing and logistic support from the state machinery is of utmost necessity for successful operations for tackling cross-border insurgency.

The GoC assured the chief minister that the Army is committed to welfare and safety of civilians during operations and is ready to lend its assistance for welfare measures through medical camps, pre-recruitment trainings and other exercises, the communique said.

Khandu assured the GoC that the state government gave top-most priority to safety and security of its citizens and is committed to cooperate with the army in all its endeavours.

He appreciated the 2 Mountain Division for conducting the first recruitment rally at Jairampur in Changlang district and hoped that more would follow, specially in Tirap, Changlang and Longding, it said.

To requests of the GoC on camping facilities, firing ranges and land acquisition, the chief minister assured that the issues would be taken up with the concerned officials and resolved, the communique said.

He requested Singh to take up more extensive programmes for locals that would not only benefit them but also work as a confidence building measure.

We are proud of the Indian Army and are always ready to be of any help," the communique quoted the chief minister as saying.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu today stressed the need to legalise harvesting and trade of medicinal plants in the state to save the crops from over-exploitation, an official release said.

Chairing a review meeting of the state forest department here, Khandu said, "Hundreds of medicinal plants face threats of extinction because of over-harvesting and destructive collection techniques."



A mechanism should be devised to facilitate farmers to grow endangered medicinal plants for sustainable income, the chief minister said.

"The forest department should bring out a policy to legalise trade of therapeutic herbs, which in turn would also enable the state government to earn revenue," Khandu asserted.

Responding to the department's grievances, the chief minister sanctioned Rs 15 crore for forest regeneration works in the state and announced the creation of 200 forest guard posts.

He also said that a minister would be appointed by tomorrow for effective decision-making and smooth functioning of the forest officials.

The CM congratulated the state's Bugun tribal community for winning the India Biodiversity Award in the "Conservation of wildlife species" category.

The award was conferred on the community by National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) for its effort to conserve rare wildlife resources.

The government alone cannot protect the nature, the participation of local communities is equally important, Khandu said, urging people to take up eco-friendly measures for conservation of biodiversity.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Ascendas Property Fund Trustee, the trustee manager of Ascendas India Trust (a-iTrust) today said it will acquire two commercial buildings owned by Phoenix Infocity located in Hitech City in Hyderabad for a consideration of around Rs 1,350 crore.

"Ascendas property Fund Trustee has entered into a forward purchase agreement with Phoenix Infocity (together with related companies) to acquire two buildings, aVance 5 and 6, with a combined leasable area of 1.8 million sq ft, in aVance Business Hub," the company said in a statement here.

For this acquisition, a-iTrust along with its affiliates will provide construction funding through inter-corporate deposits and debentures issued by the master developer amounting to Rs 887.40 crore.

""a-iTrust will complete the acquisition by buying 100 per cent of the shares in the master developer once the property achieves 90 per cent leasing. The total purchase consideration, inclusive of the construction funding, is not expected to exceed Rs 1,350 crore," it said.

In addition to aVance Business Hub, Phoenix has plans to develop aVance Business Hub 2, which sits on 14.4 acres of land and comprises seven buildings to be developed over 5-9 years and a-iTrust has entered into a separate agreement with the company to acquire five out of these.

"These five buildings will be acquired individually when completed, subject to required leasing levels being met, among other conditions," it said.

aVance Business Hub comprises 10 buildings with total leasable area of 4.6 million sq ft, of which nine buildings with 3.4 million sq ft have been completed and leased to leading IT companies the likes of HCL, Cognizant, IBM and Amazon.

"To date, a-iTrust has acquired four buildings aggregating to 1.5 million sq ft. The Trust also has a right of first refusal to acquire four other buildings totalling 1.2 million sq ft," it said.

Commenting on the acquisition, Sanjeev Dasgupta, CEO of the Trustee-Manager said, "this acquisition will allow us to deepen our presence in Hyderabad, which is currently witnessing robust rental growth arising from healthy demand from global IT companies."



He further said the Trust portfolio will increase to 16 million sq ft once it completes the acquisition of Aurum IT SEZ and aVance 5 and 6.

"The opportunity to acquire an additional five buildings in future will allow the Trust to enjoy even greater economies of scale in Hyderabad, and further strengthen its competitiveness in the market," Dasgupta added.

While aVance 5 having a leasable area of 1.16 million sq ft, it is under construction and expected to be completed by the second half of 2019, and aVance 6 with 6.4 lakh sq ft leasable area, is completed and 98 per cent leased to Amazon.

"Both buildings will be acquired together after the completion of aVance 5, subject to required leasing levels being met, among other conditions," the company said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)An Australian grandmother who said she was tricked into carrying drugs into Malaysia after falling for an online romance scam was yesterday sentenced to death after an earlier acquittal was overturned, her lawyer said.

Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto was arrested in December 2014 while in transit at Kuala Lumpur airport with 1.1 kg of crystal methamphetamine stitched into the compartment of a backpack she was carrying.

The 54-year-old was cleared in December of trafficking after a High Court judge ruled she did not know she was transporting the drugs.

But prosecutors challenged the decision and an appeals court overturned the acquittal yesterday, and found her guilty, her lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told AFP.

Anyone caught with at least 50 grams (1.75 ounces) of crystal meth is considered a trafficker in Muslim-majority Malaysia, and death by hanging is mandatory in the case of a conviction.

Shafee slammed the ruling as "perverse" and said Exposto would make a final appeal to the country's top court.

"I thought there was an overwhelming case for the defence. I am shocked with the decision," he said.

The mother of four argued she did not know about the hidden stash of "ice". She said she had been fooled into carrying the bag after travelling to China to see someone she met online called "Captain Daniel Smith", who had claimed to be a US serviceman.

After engaging in a long online romance, Exposto had travelled to Shanghai to see "Smith".

But she did not succeed in meeting her supposed love interest while there and ended up being given a bag by a stranger, who asked her to take it to Melbourne.

When she arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport to change flights, she mistakenly went through immigration as she was unfamiliar with the airport.

She voluntarily offered her bags for customs inspection and the drugs were discovered.

There are at least 900 people on death row in Malaysia, officials have said, but executions have been rare in recent years.

Malaysian lawmakers have voted to amend legislation so that capital punishment is no longer mandatory in drug-trafficking cases.

But the changes have not yet come into force as they must be passed by the upper house.

Two Australians were hanged in Malaysia in 1986 for heroin trafficking -- the first Westerners to be executed in the country -- in a case that strained relations.

In 2013 Dominic Bird, a former truck driver from Perth, was acquitted of drug trafficking charges after he was allegedly caught with 167 grams of crystal methamphetamine.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Some of the stations on the upcoming Janakpuri West-Kalkaji Mandir section of the Delhi Metro's Magenta line that are in the vicinity of the Outer Ring Road have drop-points for auto-rickshaws and cars, a DMRC official said today.

From Vasant Vihar to Nehru Enclave, which will be located in the vicinity of the Outer Ring Road, adequate traffic management arrangements have been at the entry and exit points of the stations as per the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) guidelines, Anuj Dayal, the executive director, corporate communications, DMRC, told reporters here.

Separate auto and car drop off facilities have been made at the entry points. All the stations also have bus stands within 100 metres of the entry/exit points, he added.

At Vasant Vihar, Panchsheel Park and Nehru Enclave, auto stand facilities have also been put in place while at IIT, cycle paths have been created so that the students from IIT can cycle to the station.

At all stations, there will be provision for the parking of vehicles of handicapped passengers near the lifts which will be connected with the help of a ramp. Adequate signages will be put up at all drop off points, auto parking stands, handicapped parking spaces for the convenience of the passengers, said the official.

All necessary design changes notwithstanding space constraints have been effected to make space for drop-off points for autos, cars, intermediate public transport etc, he added.

Another official said that they will be seeking police's help in enforcing the lane system outside the metro stations.

The Janakpuri West-Kalkaji Mandir section, comprising 16 stations, will be the longest opened so far in Delhi Metro's Phase 3.

The 25.6-kilometre corridor will be formally opened by Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on May 28 from the Nehru Enclave metro station.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A 29-year-old woman police constable from Maharashtra's Beed district will undergo a sex change surgery at St George's Hospital in south Mumbai tomorrow, a doctor treating her said today.

The constable Lalita Salve, who prefers to be called Lalit, had met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in March and sought the state government's permission to undergo the surgery. The government recently gave its nod for it.

Salve received a letter from the state home department on Sunday allowing her to go on leave to undergo the surgery. After receiving the letter, she got herself admitted in the state-run St George's Hospital on Tuesday.

"Tests were performed on Salve, including an X-ray scan, ECG examination and blood tests, to know her medical fitness for the surgery. She is confident and feeling much better," Arjun Ujagare, her maternal uncle who travelled to Mumbai from Beed with her, said.

"Plastic surgeon Dr Rajat Kapur and his team will perform the surgery," said a doctor at the hospital.

According to Dr Kapur, Salve's operation should not be called a sex reassignment surgery as Salve is already biologically a male.

"Salve was born with small external genitalia that her parents mistook for a female's and brought the child up accordingly. Tests done in the past few years have revealed Salve was genetically male with XY sex chromosome," he said.

Dr Kapur has been treating Salve for over a year when he was posted in J J Hospital in Byculla. As he is now posted in St George's Hospital, Salve decided to get admitted there.

Salve had met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in March for permission to undergo the surgery. She had also sent an application to the state Director General of Police (DGP), requesting permission.

She had earlier approached the state police department to allow her leave for the operation. The department had then turned down her plea as the eligibility criteria for men and women constables are different, including height and weight.

In November last year, she had moved the Bombay High Court seeking a direction to the DGP to grant her leave for the surgery. However, the high court had directed her to approach the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal since it was a service matter.

She had also consulted doctors at the state-run J J hospital in Mumbai for the sex reassignment surgery.

Salve, born in June 1988, noticed changes in her body about four years ago and underwent medical tests, which confirmed the presence of Y chromosome in her body, according to her petition filed in the high court.

While men have X and Y sex chromosomes, women have two X chromosomes.

Doctors had said she had gender dysphoria and advised her to undergo a sex reassignment surgery.

She was inducted in Maharashtra Police in 2010 as a woman police constable. Salve is currently attached to Damini Pathak, a specialised unit. Salve has said that she would like to be re-inducted into the police as a male constable.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A delegation of cycle manufacturers led by Rajya Sabha MP and Punjab BJP President Shwait Malik met Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri in Delhi today.

According to Malik, he apprised Puri of the dent made by the huge import of cheap Chinese bicycles and parts. Puri was told that over 1.65 crores of bicycles were manufactured in the country annually. India is the second largest bicycle manufacturer in the world with more than 4,000 industrial units, the delegation said.

Malik said the concept of public bike sharing in China led to a manufacturing spurt in that country.

"But due to unregulated public bike sharing system, this system has come at a halt in China. Due to this, there is a capacity surplus and a huge inventory of bicycles in China. So now they are trying to sell these cheap reconditioned old bicycles in India," he said.

He added that under the smart city project four crore bicycles will be indented into the system under the public bike sharing concept and China is trying to make use of this opportunity.

Malik said that these reconditioned, recycled and old bicycles are no-where in comparison to the quality of the bicycles manufactured here but due to low price, they will affect the sales of Indian manufacturers.

In a release, Malik said Puri was apprised that if the demand of four crore bicycles generated due to smart city project was allowed to be met from reconditioned cheap Chinese bicycles then manufacturers here are going to face massive losses.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Taking a jibe at the show of unity among leaders of various opposition parties in Karnataka during the swearing-in ceremony of HD Kumaraswamy, Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Om Prakash Rajbhar today termed it as a gathering of spent forces.

"All the spent forces had gathered (dage huye kaartoos ikathaa huye hai). They have seen the outcome of the 2017 UP Assembly elections -- be it the BSP, SP or the Congress. None of these opposition parties are active throughout the country," Rajbhar told reporters.

Referring to the party leaders who had attended the swearing in ceremony in Bangalore, he said some political party is active in Maharashtra, some in Tamil Nadu and some in Delhi.

Rajbhar, who heads BJP ally Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, exuded confidence that BJP and his party will emerge victorious in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal marked his government's two years in power today by listing out the achievements of the BJP-led coalition in the state.

In keeping with the promises made to the people, the government has taken effective measures to make the state "economically vibrant" and "free from the scourge of illegal migration, insurgency and corruption", he told reporters at a press meet here.

The government is committed to serve its people with integrity, Sonowal said.

"Assam has taken initiatives to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) under the directions of the Supreme Court. Ours is the first and only state in the country undertaking this exercise to document bonafide citizens of the state," he said.

Asked about the widespread protests in Assam over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, he said, "The government of Assam will not go against the interests of its people."



The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill seeks to grant citizenship to persecuted minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan after six years of their residence in India.

The CM urged government officials to adopt a policy of "zero tolerance towards corruption".

"The state has ordered probe into various cases of corruption to root out the social evil from government machinery. It has arrested 74 government officials, including two serving IAS officers, Director of Information and Public Relations and CEO of Zilla Parishad, for their involvement in corrupt activities."



Referring to the cash-for-job scam that rocked the state last year, he said, "Apart from the chairman and two members of Assam Public Service Commission, 20 state civil service officers, seven police officers, nine allied service officers and five other government employees have been arrested in the case."More than four lakh "bogus job cards" issued by the previous Congress government have been cancelled, Sonowal said, adding that his government has given jobs to 45,000 youths through a transparent process.

Due to proactive steps taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the pace of several important projects has been accelerated in the state, he said.

"India's longest Dhola-Sadia bridge across rivers Brahmaputra and Lohit triggered new economic revolution in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and entire Northeast," he asserted.

The BJP-led government's initiatives in primary, secondary and tertiary sectors have prompted "resurgence in the development narratives" of the state, Sonowal told reporters here.

"Efforts to bring about overall development in the state have gathered momentum. The global investors' summit held here recently has generated a positive environment for industrial growth in Assam," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Bombay High Court today refused interim relief from arrest to actor Maria Susairaj in a cheating case.

She had earlier served a three-year sentence in the 2008 murder case of TV executive Neeraj Grover.

A vacation bench of Justice Ajey Gadkari said it would hear the plea for urgent interim relief only if the applicant (Susairaj) was willing to deposit Rs 1 crore.

"... No interim relief otherwise. The application shall be posted for hearing on June 15," the court said.

The Kannada actress had earlier this week filed an anticipatory bail plea in the high court.

In April, she was booked along with nine others by Thane police for allegedly cheating some people, including businessmen, of Rs 15 crore.

The police has so far arrested four people in the case.

In 2011, Susairaj was convicted by a sessions court for destroying evidence in the Grover murder case.

Her fiance and former naval officer Emile Jerome was convicted for Grover's killing and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Susairaj was awarded a three-year sentence and released soon after as she had already been in jail for that period during the case trial.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson discussed dealing with Moscow in an 18-minute phone call with Russian pranksters impersonating the prime minister of Armenia in a recording posted online today and confirmed by the foreign ministry as genuine.

During the hoax, which purportedly occurred last week, Johnson congratulates the caller - whom he thinks is new Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan - before promptly turning to Britain's frayed relations with Russia.

"We have to stand firm against them though I appreciate that your geography dictates a balancing act," Johnson said, offering "support and encouragement" and an invitation to visit the UK.

"It's very important, I think, prime minister that we don't have a new Cold War," he added on the call, advising "determination and firmness" in dealing with Moscow.

"We will continue to tighten the squeeze on some of the oligarchs who surround Putin," he said, adding Britain would seek new sanctions against key figures around the Russian president.

When the Pashinyan imitator noted that there were a lot of Russian oligarchs in Britain, Johnson agreed: "You throw a stone in Kensington and you'll hit an oligarch.

He added: "But some of them are close to Putin and some of them aren't." A Foreign Office spokesperson said staff "checked it out and knew immediately it was a prank call".

"The Foreign Secretary realised it was a hoax, and ended the call," it added in a statement.

In the audio recording posted on YouTube, Johnson appeared to hang up following 18 minutes of conversation, after growing suspicious of the caller's claims Putin was funding British opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The hoax appears to have been staged by Vladimir "Vovan" Kuznetsov and Alexei "Lexus" Stolyarov, a pair of pranksters known as "Vovan and Lexus".

The duo have made a habit of fooling politicians and pop stars into fake phone calls, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, US Senator John McCain and Elton John.

Their antics have mostly targeted Russia's foes, leading to accusations they are working on the orders of the Kremlin or the nation's security service, the FSB, which they both have denied.

During the latest call, Johnson is questioned about the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury in March.

Asked about British confidence in their assessment that Putin was behind the assassination attempt, Johnson said: "We're, like, almost 100 percent sure."



The Foreign Office spokesperson said: "The use of chemical weapons in Salisbury and Syria, and recent events in Armenia are serious matters.

"These childish actions show the lack of seriousness of the caller and those behind him.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)An Army captain was killed while another officer was injured when their vehicle rammed into a power pole in the outskirts of Jammu city early today, police said.

The 26-years old Captain Rakshit and Lt Ranvijay Singh, who were travelling in the SUV, hit the pole at Akalpur Morh.

Rakshit succumbed to injuries in a hospital, they said, adding the body has been handed over to the Army after postmortem at GMC Hospital.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)China today extended currency swap agreement with Pakistan amid reports that Beijing has given a USD one billion loan to Islamabad to avert a foreign currency crisis.

The People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, said today it had extended a currency swap agreement with the State Bank of Pakistan.

The swap is sized at 20 billion yuan (USD 3.1 billion) or 351 billion Pakistani rupees, according to a statement from the bank.

The two parties believe the extension will facilitate bilateral trade and investment to help economic development in the two countries.

Valid for three years, the agreement can be extended upon mutual consent.

A currency swap deal allows two institutions to exchange payments in one currency for equivalent amounts in the other to facilitate bilateral trade settlements and provide liquidity support to financial markets, state-run Xinhua agency reported today.

In an interview with The Financial Times, the State Bank of Pakistan Governor Tariq Bajwa confirmed the loans were made by Beijing-backed banks in April on good rates.

"The money strengthens the financial, political and military ties between the two countries," the top Pakistani banker was quoted as saying by the paper.

"Chinese commercial banks are awash with liquidity," Bajwa said.

Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves have dropped from USD 18.1 billion in April last year to USD 10.8 billion in May this year.

According to the report, Pakistani officials also hope that borrowing from Chinese banks will save the nation from seeking help from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Lending money to Pakistan also favours China, said FT quoting Pakistani officials, as it does not wish to disclose details of the loans that are part of the China-Pakistan Economic Cooperation (CPEC) project.

China is investing almost USD 60 billion on building infrastructure in Pakistan. However, Beijing is reluctant to reveal the sum it is lending to Islamabad as part of the CPEC project.

According to the FT report, prior to last month's loan of USD one billion, Pakistan had borrowed almost USD 1.2 billion from Chinese banks since April, 2017 and more loans might follow.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Central Information Commission has rapped two senior Indian Air Force officers for not furnishing timely and accurate information on expenditure incurred on foreign visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi using the force's aircraft, calling it a case of "the gross lack of knowledge or perhaps limited knowledge".

"(The) Commission is irked by the unexplained delay of two months in receiving the RTI application upon transfer from Respondent No.1 (Air HQ to Western Air Command) despite it being sent through registered post," Information Commissioner Divya Prakash Sinha noted while hearing the complaint of Commodore Lokesh Batra (retired).

Batra had approached the Commission with a complaint against the IAF, saying it has delayed by seven months the response to his application seeking to know expenditure incurred on foreign visits of the prime minister using its aircraft for the purpose.

He also said the IAF first stated it did not have information related to his query seeking to know the public authority which bears the expenditure for the IAF aircraft, but after seven months stated that expenditure in respect of IAF aircraft conveying the Prime Minister abroad is met by the Embassy of India (Defence Attache') in that country.

"...Commission observes that both Respondents (officers of IAF HQ and Western Command) failed to apply their mind in the matter to ascertain the availability of information on para 2(b) (details public authorities bearing expenditure of IAF aircraft during foreign travels of the PM) of the RTI application with the concerned Directorate of Indian Air Force," Sinha said.

He, however, spared the officers -- Wg Cdr Suman Adhikari of IAF HQ and Sqn Ldr S.S. Elamurugu of Western Air Command -- from penalty, saying it could not find any mala fide in delaying the response.

In the absence of any material on record to prove that the transfer letter was deliberately delayed or was misplaced, the Commission does not find any reason to initiate action against either of the respondents, he said.

"Similarly, the fact that appropriate information has not been provided by the Respondents is attributed to the gross lack of knowledge or perhaps limited knowledge of the process of debit on account of various expenditure components of foreign visits of the PM," Sinha said.

On December 28, 2016, Batra had filed an RTI application with the Air Headquarters seeking to know the details of the foreign travels of Prime Minister Modi using IAF plane and expenditure incurred on them.

He had also sought to know the details of public authorities bearing the expenses of IAF Aircraft on these visits.

The Air Force had provided details of date, duration and destination of foreign visits but did not give details of public authorities which bears the expenditure on account of IAF aircraft during the foreign visit of the Prime Minister.

Deciding the first appeal, filed before a senior officer in the IAF, the appellate authority transferred his petition to the Western Air Command to answer details of public authorities which bears the expenditure.

"I went through huge harassment to contact CPIO in Western Air Command. In spite of the fact that the Appellant (himself) is a 'Veteran' of 36 years Commissioned service in Armed forces; it was getting impossible to find contact details of the CPIO of Western Air Command HQ. The reason being that the web site provide only one telephone number and that too of telephone exchange operator that phone number too was oudated," Batra said.

After five months of RTI being filed, he was informed by the Western Air Command that the information was not available with them and may be available with Air HQ (RKP)D Accts) and transferred it back to IAF HQ, he had told the Commission.

Nearly seven months after the RTI application, the Western Air Command which had transferred its application to the Air HQ informed him that the expenditure incurred during conveying the PM abroad is met by Embassy of India (Defence Attache) placed at host nation, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)An air strike on Syrian army positions in eastern Syria overnight killed at least 12 pro-regime fighters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said today.

The Britain-based monitoring group said the strike was carried out by the US-led coalition in an area south of Albu Kamal which has repeatedly been attacked by the Islamic State jihadist group.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hundreds of Congress activists on bullock carts staged a protest here today against the rise in prices of petrol and diesel.

The protesters tried to enter into the collector's office, but were stopped by police.

Later, a delegation submitted a memorandum, addressed to the President, to District Collector Ajai Kumar.

The rise in prices of petrol and diesel is unprecedented and highest in the world, yet there is no efforts to curb it," Congress leader Pradeep Mathur said, addressing the protesters.

In the memorandum, the Congress requested the president to direct the central government to cut fuel rates.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Congo's Ministry of Health said today the number of confirmed Ebola cases has reached 30, including 8 deaths in the 3 affected health zones in the country's Equateur province.

The ministry gave the toll after surveillance teams in the capital, Kinshasa, were deployed along the Congo River to monitor people coming in there.

Health brigades have also been set up at various entry points to Kinshasa and other cities as part of prevention, said the World Health Organisation's Congo representative Allarangar Yakouide.

"We want to ensure that ports and airports are effectively protected," he said.

A wave of panic hit Kinshasa yesterday, after rumours of an Ebola case admitted to the Kinshasa General Hospital.

But Yakouide quickly denied it, saying that no cases are confirmed in the capital. He warned against spreading false reports which "could create panic and undermine the effectiveness of the response to the Ebola outbreak."



As of today, Congo's health ministry reports a total of 58 cases of hemorrhagic fever: 30 confirmed Ebola cases, 14 probable and 14 suspected. It said that it was unable to confirm if a death in Bikoro was Ebola after the local residents refused to allow officials to take blood samples.

Border health officers monitored passengers arriving at Ngobila Beach in Kinshasa, which serves as the crossing from Brazzaville, Republic of Congo into Congo. Health workers yesterday began registering passengers arriving, and took their temperatures.

"We ask all those who work in different services here at the beach, even state agents all must be behind the Health Department ... if it (Ebola) reaches your neighbor, it can also reach you," said Alphose Buka, a state official working at the beach.

Health workers detained a woman who did not have a vaccination card.

Antho Buka, who sells meat and fish at the Wahi market at a port in Kinshasa said she was surprised residents in Kinshasa are worried about Ebola, since it is in the northwest Equateur Province.

"Our relatives in Mbandaka have informed us that Ebola is in Bikoro, but here in Kinshasa, we do not have recorded cases, not even."



Georgette Boluka also said that with all the teams going into Bikoro and the Equateur Province to fight Ebola, she hopes it will not spread.

"From radios and televisions, we know that the so-called Ebola is out in a village, in Bikoro ... that is the epicenter and we know that doctors have been sent there," she said, adding that she is reassured that victims will be properly quarantined.

However, two infected patients who fled from an Ebola treatment center in Mbandaka, a Congo city of 1.2 million people, later died, Medecins Sans Frontieres said yesterday.

Emergency coordinator for MSF, Henry Gray, said that "forced hospitalisation is not the solution to this epidemic," and more community engagement is needed to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

This is Congo's ninth Ebola outbreak since 1976, when the disease was first identified. The virus is initially transmitted to people from wild animals, including bats and monkeys. It is spread via contact with the bodily fluids of those infected, including the dead.

Dr Peter Salama, WHO emergencies chief warned yesterday that "The next few weeks will really tell if this outbreak is going to expand to urban areas or if we're going to be able to keep it under control."



Experts are following three separate chains of transmission, he said.

One is associated with a funeral that took place near Bikoro, another with a health care facility in Iboko and experts are gathering data related to a church ceremony, he said.

WHO said it is also accelerating efforts with nine countries neighboring Congo to try to prevent the Ebola outbreak from spreading to them.

WHO began vaccinations this week and is using a "ring vaccination" approach, targeting the contacts of people infected or suspected of infection and then the contacts of those people.

More than 600 contacts have been identified, WHO said.

There is no specific treatment for Ebola. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding.

The virus can be fatal in up to 90 per cent of cases, depending on the strain.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Adhir Chowdhury today slammed the Centre for the steep hike in fuel prices and said the Congress would observe a day's protest on the issue on Saturday.

The rising crude prices in the international market have prompted state-owned oil companies to raise domestic prices for 11th day in a row.

Petrol prices today went up to Rs 80.12 a litre and diesel Rs 71.08 a litre in Kolkata.

Describing the steep hike in petroleum prices as an "anti-people policy of the Centre", Chowdhury alleged that it was done to suit the interests of the oil companies.

"The West Bengal Congress will observe May 26 as protest day against the fuel price hike," he said adding the day would also be observed in protest against violence during panchayat polls.

Stating that the prices of diesel and petrol are higher in West Bengal compared to states like Delhi and Goa, Chowdhury said the state government should play its role by reducing taxes to give relief to people.

States tax the oil on ad valorem basis. On an average, they tax petrol at 27 per cent, according to the country's premier thinktank NITI Aayog.

"The state cannot evade it's responsibility. The CM had earlier said on another issue that charity begins at home. Why it then it can't lower its tax on petrol and diesel to lower the petroleum prices in Kolkata, which is one of the highest in the country," Chowdhury said.

While the ruling TMC has been protesting against the hike nationally, it was not doing enough to lower the prices in the state by reducing its own share of taxes, he said.

To a question on Mamata Banerjee advocating a federal front of regional parties at the national level without the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year, Chowdhury said, "She is talking on an outlandish theme".

"Without Congress, no credible front is possible against BJP in the country," he said.

He said Mamata Banerjee became a leader in the early days of her career because of support from late Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.

To another question on his discussion with Congress district leaders today, Chlowdhury said "We had discussed on issues related to panchayat poll violence and future course of action".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Conservancy workers sacked by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as their names were misspelt in documents submitted to the Supreme Court that sought permanent status for their jobs, today held a protest against the civic body's decision.

They were joined at Azad Maidan, the protest venue, by conservancy workers from Thane and Navi Mumbai municipal corporations who have been dismissed for similar reasons.

The BMC made some of these workers permanent nine months ago after the Courts order but later found discrepancies in spellings of some names in documents submitted to the SC and therefore removed the workers from the service, the workers union claimed.

The workers have accused the BMC of not following due process while terminating their services.

The three civic bodies employ thousands of conservancy workers who sweep streets, clean sewers, collect garbage and transport it to dumping grounds. A majority of these workers are not permanent civic employees and are hired through a network of contractors and sub-contractors.

Milind Ranade, General Secretary of the Kachra Vahtuk Shramik Sangh, the workers' union, said over 1,400 sweepers lost jobs recently.

"The Sangh filed a case in the industrial tribunal of Mumbai in 2007, on behalf of 2,700 workers. It reached the Supreme Court which asked corporations to regularise their jobs," he said.

Manohar Janardhan Jadhav of the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation said, "We are sweepers and don't know English language. The officers are sacking us, saying our names don't match with the names mentioned in the list of 2,700 people to be regularised."



BMC's additional municipal commissioner Vijay Singhal said the civic body was following Supreme Court's guidelines.

"We are giving jobs to everyone whose name matches with the list given by the Court," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A policeman and his associate were arrested for allegedly demanding and taking bribe from a truck owner, the police said today.

The truck owner approached the Vigilance Branch of Delhi Police with a complaint that sub-inspector Amit Kumar posted at Punjabi Bagh police station in west district had taken a bribe of Rs 2.80 lakh from him and was demanding more, the police said.

The policeman was demanding Rs 2.20 lakh more from him for not taking action against him on a verbal complaint of a transporter regarding theft of his goods in transit.

On this information, a raiding team was immediately constituted by the Vigilance Branch. On May 23, the complainant brought an installment of Rs 50,000 for payment to the policeman.

At that time, the complainant received a phone call from the office of transporter Shekar Kumar that SI Amit Kumar would meet him in Phool Bagh, the police said.

Shekar Kumar played the role of mediator and facilitated payment of the bribe.

As soon as the policeman received the bribe money, the raiding team nabbed him and the transporter, they added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)An official of the CRPF's elite CoBRA unit was today killed and another jawan injured when a pressure bomb, planted by Naxals, went off in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, the police said.

The blast occurred around 7.45 am in a forest near Puswada village when a road opening party of the 206th battalion of CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) - a specialised unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) - was out on patrolling, a senior police official told PTI.

"Sub-Inspector Rajesh Kumar, belonging to CoBRA 206th battalion, was killed in the explosion while constable Manik Tinpare of the same unit sustained minor injuries," he said.

The road opening party had launched the operation between Timilwada to Dornapal, around 500 km away from here, he said.

While the security personnel were cordoning off a forest near Puswada, the CoBRA official came in contact with a pressure improvised explosive device (IED), planted by Maoists beneath the dirt track, that exploded leaving the two personnel, including him, injured, he said.

Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and the injured personnel were brought to field hospital of the CRPF in Chintagufa where Kumar succumbed to his injuries, he said.

The injured jawan will be airlifted to Raipur for further medication, he said.

A combing operation has been launched in the area to nab the ultras, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia will be quizzed tomorrow after he agreed to join the investigation in the chief secretary assault case, police said today.

Sisodia was yesterday sent a notice to join the probe, days after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was questioned for over three hours in connection with the matter.

In a reply to the Delhi Police, Sisodia said that he will be joining the investigation on Friday at 4.30 pm, they said, adding the proceedings will be video recorded, they said.

A Delhi police team will visit Sisodia's residence at Mathura Road tomorrow, a senior police official said.

"You (Sisodia) are required to attend investigation and be available at your residence/office on May 25 at 11 am. In the event, such timing is not convenient to you due to official exigencies, kindly intimate an alternate time," the notice had said.

Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash was allegedly attacked during a meeting at Kejriwal's official residence on February 19. Police said the chief minister and the deputy chief minister were present when the alleged assault took place.

Kejrial was quizzed on Friday. The police have already questioned 11 AAP MLAs present at the chief minister's residence for the meeting.

Two of the party MLAs -- Amantullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal -- were arrested in the case.

Last month, Kejriwal's private secretary Bibhav Kumar and party volunteer Vivek Kumar were also questioned in connection with the case.

Kejriwal, his former advisor V K Jain and Sisodia were also present in the meeting. Jain was also questioned in the case.

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 bureaucrats.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) will provide financial support to village level entrepreneurs who operate the Common Service Centres that act as access points for delivery of electronic services.

An MoU to this effect was signed between SIDBI and Common Service Centres (CSC) in the presence of Minister for Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad here today.

The existing VLEs (village level entrepreneurs) who have been operating CSCs for at least one year and looking to expand their operations are eligible for availing the financial support under the MoU, which is initially eyeing 50,000 VLEs.

"Indians trust entrepreneurship and they are entrepreneurs by temperament. This MoU will promote entrepreneurship in CSCs further by supporting their expansion," Prasad said.

CSCs are working in 1.8 lakh gram panchayats and are set to reach 2.5 lakh gram panchayats by end of this year.

Positioned as strategic cornerstones of Digital India programme, as many as 2.91 lakh CSCs operate in the country today.

The MoU with SIDBI seeks to enhance financial viability of the CSCs by including additional offerings in their bouquet of products that currently includes services like banking, pensions, digital literacy and telemedicine.

Under the direct financing window, CSC SPV will approve the list of VLEs who require the financial support. To avail the loan, the VLEs need to submit their CSC project with maximum project outlay of Rs 3.50 lakh and term loan requirement of up to Rs 2 lakh per project.

Prasad today also met Dean Douglas, global CEO of Syniverse Technologies Services, which provides mobile communications solutions.

"We are investing more in India and we are focused more on India. We have been in India for 10 years and we think we can do a lot to help with communications and technologies that exist, particularly in rural India," Douglas told reporters after the meeting.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Seventeen people were missing and hundreds of others evacuated from their homes today after Cyclone Mekunu hit the Yemeni island of Socotra, causing severe flooding and damage, officials said.

Neighbouring Oman is preparing for landfall tomorrow, with national weather experts expecting Mekunu to intensify to a category two cyclone from category one, after it hit Socotra last night.

The missing people had been in two boats that sunk and three vehicles swept away by floods, said Ramzy Mahrous, governor of Socotra, an island paradise 350 kilometres (220 miles) off Yemen in the Arabian Sea.

Yemen's internationally recognised central government early today declared Socotra a "disaster province" and Mahrous said it could not handle relief efforts on its own, with the number of missing expected to rise.

"The coastal areas were submerged by floods causing heavy damage to homes," with more than 10 villages in Socotra's south and east cut off, Mahrous told AFP.

Four people on one of the sunken boats were rescued while three of the missing had vehicles swept away by flooding, Fisheries Minister Fahad Kafin told AFP.

Around 150 families were evacuated to government facilities after downpours flooded houses and streets, trapping people in their homes, he said.

Some residents carrying children tried to escape through the flooded streets, an AFP correspondent said.

Authorities called on humanitarian organisations and the Saudi-led military coalition that is battling Huthi rebels in the country to help, according to Yemen's state-run agency Saba.

"Socotra is a disaster province due to human and material damage at all levels and requires urgent aid," said Rajeh Badi, a spokesman for Yemen's internationally recognised government. President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi called Socotra's governor and promised to aid rescue efforts.

Yemeni relief officials called on international aid agencies to "send medical teams urgently" to Socotra and other areas in southern Yemen expected to be hit by the cyclone.

Millions of Yemenis are living in dire conditions as a result of a long-running civil conflict, which since 2015 has pitted a Saudi-led coalition against the Iran-backed Huthi rebels.

But Socotra has been spared involvement in the violence, which has claimed nearly 10,000 lives since March 2015 and triggered what the United Nations has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

In November 2015, Socotra and south Yemen were hit by cyclone Chapala which injured more than 200 people.

In neighbouring Oman, authorities announced they were taking "necessary precautions".

Authorities put the police and army on alert to deal with the strong cyclone.

State-run Oman television said authorities evacuated hundreds of residents from a small island off the southern city of Salalah, capital of Dhofar province.

Provincial health authorities decided to evacuate the main public hospital and move them to other hospitals to ensure the facility can cope with cyclone victims.

A statement by Oman's Meteorological Directorate today said weather maps show the cyclone intensifying to category two before making land.

It expects the centre of the cyclone to hit the coasts of Dhofar and Central provinces, some 1,000 km south of the capital Muscat.

It predicted winds will reach nearly 150 kmph in some areas.

In 2007, Cyclone Gonu tore through Oman, killing at least 49 people and causing damage estimated at USD 3.9 billion (3.3 billion euros).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Shootouts across Bangladesh left nine alleged drug dealers dead today, police said, as authorities stepped up a crackdown that now has claimed at least 52 lives in 10 days and drawn criticism from rights groups.

The campaign comes as Bangladesh struggles to contain a surging drugs trade, particularly in methamphetamine pills known as "yaba".

However, human rights groups say many of the deaths are the result of extra-judicial killings.

Two of the nine were killed in gun battles between rival drug dealers in Magura, district police chief Ilias Hossain told AFP.

Four people died in southeastern Feni and Comilla and a further three were killed elsewhere, officials said.

In Chittagong yesterday a son and a daughter held a press conference to accuse the elite Rapid Action Battalion police unit of killing their father.

The unit -- which authorities say has so far killed 19 drug dealers during the crackdown -- has denied the allegations, but the campaign has caused widespread disquiet.

Even the state-run National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) this week expressed "grave concern" at the anti-drug drive, saying it does not support "any extra-judicial killings".

Huge numbers of the "yaba" pills have crossed into Bangladesh from neighbouring Myanmar, a major producer.

Authorities last year seized a record 40 million pills but said an estimated 250-300 million others entered the market.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin a five-day visit on Tuesday to Indonesia and Singapore, two of India's strategically key partners in the region, with an aim to deepen defence ties, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.

Announcing the visit, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said a raft of agreements including in areas of defence and security are expected to be inked during Modi's visit to these two countries, which are members of powerful regional grouping ASEAN.

India and Indonesia are likely to sign a pact on defence cooperation as a similar agreement inked years ago had expired.

Secretary (East) in the MEA Preeti Saran said the prime minister will arrive in Indonesia on May 29 and will leave for Singapore from there on May 31 for a three-day visit.

In Singapore, Modi will hold bilateral talks with his Singaporean counterpart and deliver the key note address at the Shangri-la dialogue which is expected to be attended by top leaders from several important countries.

Asked about Singapore's apparent reservations over formation of a quadrilateral coalition among India, the US, Australia and Japan, she said there has been a "deep sense" of appreciation among the ASEAN nations about New Delhi's views about peace and security in the region.

"We give primacy and importance to ASEAN's unity and ASEAN's centrality in the region," she said.

Singapore is a key member country of the 10-nation ASEAN grouping with which India has been intensifying its defence and security ties.

The US, Australia and several other leading powers have been favouring a greater role by India in the Indo-Pacific region where China has been flexing its military might.

About Modi's visit to Indonesia, Saran said the country is India's closest maritime neighbour and there will be discussions on ways to deepen maritime cooperation, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.

Earlier this year, both countries held their first security dialogue during which areas for boosting military cooperation were identified.

Asked whether Indonesia will give Indian navy ships access to deep sea port in Sabang, Saran did not give a direct reply, but said discussions have been underway on enhancing overall connectivity and cooperation.

Boosting trade and enhancing connectivity will be another focus area of Modi's visit to Indonesia, which will be his first to the country as PM.

Saran said the prime minister's engagement in Jakarta will include his address at a gathering of Indian community and at a forum of top businessmen.

He will also inaugurate a kite festival jointly organised by a leading Indonesian museum and Kite museum of Ahmedabad. The kite festival will depict common theme of Ramayana and Mahabharata, showcasing cultural links between the two countries.

On June 1, Modi will hold extensive talks with Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong besides addressing CEOs of top 20 companies of the country during which he is expected to highlight the reforms initiated by his government to boost the economy.

Saran said both the countries are likely to ink a number of pacts in the areas of defence, space and skill development.

In Singapore, the PM will attend a business and community event, will participate at an interaction with president and board members of the Nanyang university, one of the premier educational institution globally, and inaugurate a plaque at a place where Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were immersed.

In 1948, Gandhi's ashes were sent to various parts of India and the world, including Singapore.

A key highlight of Modi's visit to Singapore will be his address at the Shangri-La dialogue.

Modi is the first Indian PM who has been invited to deliver key note address at the forum, said Saran, adding he is expected to delve into India's view on peace and security in the region.

The prime minister is also likely to share his philosophy on 'Sagarmala', a project to develop a string of ports to strengthen maritime connectivity, during the keynote address.

On June 2, Modi is scheduled to visit Changi naval base. He will also visit an Indian ship which will be in Singapore as part of bilateral naval exchanges.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Germany's largest lender Deutsche Bank said today it will slash over 7,000 jobs globally and dramatically scale back its investment banking activities as it seeks to turn the page on years of losses.

The announcement fell on the same day as the bank's annual general meeting, where newly appointed chief executive Christian Sewing tried to reassure investors Deutsche is ready to do what it takes to return to profitability.

"We are not yet where we should be. Therefore we must act, and we must act swiftly and forcefully," Sewing told a sceptical audience in Frankfurt.

In a statement ahead of the meeting, Deutsche said the number of full-time positions globally would fall from 97,000 "to well below 90,000", adding that the personnel reductions were already underway.

Deutsche did not mention which countries would be affected, but said a quarter of the jobs in its equities and sales trading business would be scrapped.

The jobs cull is the first big decision taken by Sewing, who unexpectedly replaced CEO John Cryan in early April.

Sewing had already signalled he was planning deep cuts at Deutsche's trouble-plagued investment banking arm, and shift the focus to more stable business activities such as retail banking, particularly in Europe.

"We remain committed to our corporate and investment bank and our international presence," Sewing said.

"We are Europe's alternative in the international financing and capital markets business. However, we must concentrate on what we truly do well." As part of the revamp, Deutsche said it will reduce the investment bank's exposures by over 100 billion euros (USD 117 billion), or around 10 per cent.

Deutsche also plans to step up its cost-cutting drive, aiming to reduce adjusted costs to 22 billion euros in 2019, compared with 23 billion this year.

"Overall, we see today's announcement as the right step," JPMorgan analysts said in a client note.

Investors were unimpressed however, with Deutsche shares plunging 4.7 per cent to 10.38 euros by 1545 GMT, against a DAX index of leading German shares down 0.6 per cent.

The mood was testy at today's shareholder gathering, which saw investors vent their anger over the bank's poor earnings results, high bonus payouts and last month's turbulent leadership reshuffle.

Former CEO Cryan was unceremoniously ousted after coming under growing pressure from leading shareholders and supervisory board chief Paul Achleitner, who accused the Briton of taking too long to get the financial giant back on track after it posted its third year of losses in 2017.

Sewing, a Deutsche veteran, has vowed to refocus Deutsche on retail banking and asset management, seen as more stable sources of income, while slimming down its share trading and other investment banking activities.

In corporate banking, Deutsche plans to slash its commitment to the United States and Asia, and focus more on Germany and Europe.

Other items on Deutsche's restructuring to-do list include fully integrating subsidiary Postbank into its German retail banking operations and further reducing its massive holdings of financial derivatives.

But Sewing struggled to win over the crowd in Frankfurt.

Ingo Speich, a fund manager at Union Investment, said the bank's state of health remained "worrying", likening Deutsche to a "giant with feet of clay".

"How can you cut back operations and reduce costs without massively losing market share and revenues?" he asked Sewing.

Deutsche's woes can in part be traced back to its bold attempt to compete with Wall Street investment banks in the years leading up to the financial crisis -- which left the German giant saddled with a toxic legacy of risky assets and costly legal challenges.

Although ex-boss Cryan was credited with neutralising the worst legal threats, including by paying billions in fines and compensation, he failed to drag the bank back into the black.

Deutsche even reported a bigger-than-expected net loss of 735 million euros in 2017, which it blamed mainly on US President Donald Trump's corporate tax reform.

By early 2018, disgruntled investors had driven the bank's share price to below half its 2015 level, prompting supervisory board chairman Achleitner to look for a new top manager.

Achleitner has since come in the firing line himself for overseeing years of failed strategies at the bank.

Shareholder advisor Hermes EOS said in a statement earlier this week that Deutsche should "start to consider plans for the succession of Paul Achleitner", calling for "more effective leadership and management stability" at the bank.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Scores of workers belonging to the DMK and other political parties were arrested today for trying to stage a picket in various places in the district to protest against Tuticorin 'police firings' and the detention of DMK Working President M K Stalin in Chennai.

Security was beefed up here apprehending protests by political parties against the killing of 11 people during anti-sterlite protests in Tuticorin.

Nearly 500 DMK workers were held in several places.

While 200 DMK workers were arrested in Pollachi, 100 were held in Mettupalayam, police said.

In nearby Tirupur, about 40 CPI-M and AIYF workers were held in two different areas, they said.

The VOC Park Grounds, where an agitation was organised in January last year over jallikkattu (bull fight), was brought under tight security blanket since last night.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Department of Telecom today cleared sale of standalone mobile towers of Idea Cellular for Rs 4,000 crore to the Indian arm of American Tower Corporation (ATC), according to official sources.

"Idea-ATC deal has been cleared," an official source told PTI.

ATC Telecom Infrastructure had signed pact with Vodafone India and Idea in November 2017 to buy their standalone towers for Rs 7,850 crore.

The standalone tower businesses of Vodafone and Idea have a combined portfolio of nearly 20,000 towers.

ATC has already completed acquisition of Vodafone India's mobile tower for Rs 3,850 crore, which added nearly 10,200 to its portfolio.

Deal closure with Idea will further add around 9,800 towers to the portfolio of ATC Telecom Infrastructure.

The clearance of this deal also bring merger of Idea-Vodafone closer to the regulatory approval.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Spanish rapper Valtonyc, due to begin a three-and-a-half year jail term for "glorifying terror", insulting the king and issuing threats, was nowhere to be found today as debate over free speech raged in the country.

According to media reports Jose Miguel Arenas Beltran -- better known as Valtonyc -- has left the country, but there was no official confirmation and his whereabouts remained a mystery.

"We've been three weeks without any from him," Mulay Embarek, a member of the 24-year-old's support group said in Brussels at an event on freedom of expression in the European parliament.

If it is confirmed, Valtonyc's escape will come just months after Catalan separatist leaders went into self-exile to escape Spanish authorities over their role in a failed secession bid.

He is just one of several Twitter users and rappers who have recently been judged -- and some sentenced to jail -- for glorifying terror or insulting the king in their comments or song lyrics, causing mounting concern over free speech in Spain.

Valtonyc was sentenced last year for lyrics published online in 2012 and 2013 at a time when he was a little-known rapper in the Balearic Islands.

These included: "Let them be as frightened as a police officer in the Basque Country" and "the king has a rendezvous at the village square, with a noose around his neck."



The reference to the Basque Country hinted at violence by ETA, the separatist group that for decades staged attacks across Spain that left hundreds of officials and civilians dead.

He also rapped against Jorge Campos, the head of Actua Baleares, a party that defends Spanish unity.

Valtonyc has since been hit by another complaint by Campos over a recent concert in which he shouted: "Kill a fucking Civil Guard (police) officer tonight."



The rapper had been free on bail pending the scheduled start of his prison term today.

But on Wednesday, he posted a cryptic tweet: "Tomorrow they will knock down the door of my house to put me in jail. For some songs. Tomorrow Spain is going to make a fool of itself, once more.

"I'm not going to make it easy for them, it's legitimate and an obligation to disobey this fascist state. Here, no one surrenders."



His lyrics have divided opinion, with some saying they should not land him in jail in a democracy, while others stress that free speech has its limits.

It's "not permission to say whatever one wants," said Antonio Torres del Moral, a constitutional law specialist.

But for Xavier Arbos, a constitutional law professor at the University of Barcelona, there is a clear "regression with regards to freedom of expression" in Spain.

"We're sending a message that groups which feel offended can restrict (people's) freedoms via criminal law, and that's very negative," he told AFP.

"The penal code must be the last resort and must be used under the principle of minimal intervention." In March, Amnesty International said a Spanish law banning "glorification of terrorism" had created a "chilling" environment in which people are increasingly afraid to express alternative views or make controversial jokes.

Earlier this week, Spanish Oscar-winner Javier Bardem also sounded the alarm over free speech in Spain as he came out in support of fellow actor Willy Toledo who is due to be questioned by a judge for alleged blasphemy.

"It seems to me that being able to (legally) punish (an opinion) is a setback that harks back to the era of Franco," Bardem told reporters in Madrid, referring to the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) today protested outside the office of the University Grants Commission (UGC) here over reports of forced autonomy to DU colleges.

DUTA president Rajib Ray said the Delhi University (DU)has its own statutory autonomy inscribed in its founding Delhi University Act, and any move that "violates its founding act, statutes and ordinances is legally tenable".

"We held a demonstration outside the UGC office while its Full Commission Meeting was on. Senior UGC officials informed us this morning that the item on granting autonomy to



St Stephen's and Hindu College has been dropped from the agenda of the meeting.

"This deferral is, however, no guarantee against the Centre's plan to privatise the premier public-funded higher educational institutions," he said.

Ray said the protest would continue, including boycott of evaluation, until the UGC assures that autonomy will not be forced on colleges.

He also asked the Commission to withdraw its March 5 notification on roster, and restore the status quo on reservation in appointments.

The DUTA chief added that the advertised posts in the Delhi University should also be filled immediately.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Netherlands government, institutions and businesses can help India deal with air pollution caused by stubble burning around the national capital, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said today.

"It (stubble burning) is happening at two places bordering Delhi. It is creating lot of pollution in winters. I have mentioned in the CEOs forum that we are partnering with Dutch institutions and companies and players here...to see how we can do this," he said here.

He was speaking at an agriculture seminar on 'doubling farmers income and the Dutch contribution', organised by industry body CII.

Citing certain examples, he said there are practical solutions to resolve the problem.

"Agriculture minister, her team and other departments and business community are partnering here to make this work... But it will not be a one push button. But we want to help (India) fight the air pollution," the prime minister said.

This is Rutte's second visit to India as prime minister and he is accompanied by a strong business delegation. His last visit to India was in June 2015.

Delhi and neighbouring areas face air pollution from crop burning in Haryana and Punjab.

He also said that they are involved here in setting up a centre of excellence for agriculture and training farmers to produce high yield vegetables. "We export apple trees to Kashmir" that is helping farmers to increase produce.

Speaking at a session, Dutch Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Carola Schouten said their agri sector is big and highly innovative.

"We can help countries like India to secure their own food supply. By exporting technology and know-how, in the form of seeds, genetics, cold storage technologies, ingredients and food processing equipment," she said.

"In doing so, I believe, we can also contribute significantly to the goal of doubling farmers' income," she added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has cut short his visit to India and returning to the Netherlands tonight, official sources said.

Rutte arrived here today on a two-day visit.

The Dutch Prime Minister is returning to his country due to some urgent reasons, the sources said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rutte held delegation-level talks to step up economic and political ties between the two countries.

The Dutch PM was scheduled to visit Bengaluru tonight to attend some programmes there tomorrow.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Realty firm Embassy group today announced entry into mid-income housing and will invest about Rs 300 core over the next four years on a residential project in the city.

The company has tied up with Amazon India to develop 826 smart homes in the 12-acre project, Embassy group CMD Jitu Virwani told reporters here.

"We are known for luxury homes. Now we want to make our brand accessible to everyone," he said.

These smart homes would come pre-installed with an Amazon Echo device in a price range of Rs 36-81 lakh, Virwani said.

Elaborating on the project, Embassy group Sr Vice President (Residential Business) Reeza Sebastian said the project 'Embassy Edge' is part of 288-acre township Embassy Springs located near airport in North Bengaluru.

This is the first time in recent years that the company is launching flats for below Rs 1 crore here, she said.

The construction work will start soon and the project will be completed in the next four years, Sebastian said.

Amazon India country manager for Alexa Experience and Devices Puneesh Kumar said the company is partnering Embassy group to offer Alexa-enabled smart homes to customers.

He did not disclose the order book of this contract with Embassy.

The Echo devices are smart speakers powered by the Alexa Voice service, which can turn living space into voice-enabled smart homes.

Embassy group is one of the leading real estate developers in the country. It has developed over 45 million sq ft of prime residential and commercial projects.

The company, in joint venture with global investment firm, Blackstone has developed business parks covering about 34 million sq ft of office space.

Embassy group is also into hospitality and industrial parks business. It has recently entered into co-working space.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The CPI(M) today called upon all secular and democratic forces to dislodge the Narendra Modi-led BJP government in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

"In West Bengal, 'Modi Hatao, Desh Bachao, (Defeat Modi, Save Country) and TMC Hatao, Bengal Bachao' will remain our stand," CPI(M)General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said here today.

When the elections will near "appropriate electoral tactics will be adopted with the objective of maximising pooling of anti-BJP votes," Yechury told a press meet here.

"We will ask all secular, democratic forces to ensure the BJP government is defeated whenever the general election takes place," he said.

He said ousting the BJP from power in Delhi and TMC in Bengal was necessary "as their agendas overlap to a great extent".

Hinting at the alleged nexus between the BJP and TMC, he said, "There are certain questions that remained unanswered like the RSS' claim to have reached 90 per cent areas of the state and why the central government does not proceed with Sarada, Narada, Rose valley cases?"



Asked about sharing the stage with non-BJP leaders including Mamata Banerjee at H D Kumaraswamy's swearing-in ceremony in Bengaluru yesterday, Yechury said it was not his decision and he was there to honour an invite sent by the host.

"If you are in a rail compartment with someone also sitting there, you can't ask why that person is also there," the veteran leader said.

Asked about Banerjee's idea of a non-Congress federal front with regional parties to take on the BJP in the 2019 polls, Yechury said, "When election comes, all sorts of talks happen. In India, is dominated by regional forces in various places as you cannot have uniform structure. We fight people in different parts as they are our main adversary."



"All the formations and arrangements are made in a post-election scenario. But both TMC and BJP have to be fought and defeated as they are two sides of the same coin," he said.

On Panchayat polls in Bengal where his party fared very poorly, Yechury said people resisted to the violence "unleashed by the ruling TMC".

Alleging that both TMC and BJP are playing of communalism, he said, "It is no longer competitive communalism, but competitive polarisation of people. This is dangerous for Bengal."



On surging fuel prices in the country, Yechury demanded immediate lowering of excise duty to relieve the common man.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Ten families from Europe, Kenya, and Fiji have filed suit against the European Union over global warming threats to their homes and livelihoods, their lawyers said today.

They insist the bloc must do more to limit climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions, and point to drought, glacier melt, sea level rise and flooding that will worsen as temperatures rise.

The plaintiffs before the European Court of Justice are "families living near the coast, families owning forests in Portugal, families in the mountains that see the glaciers melting, families in the north that are affected by permafrost melting," their lawer Roda Verheyen told AFP.

They "are already being impacted by climate change, already incurring damage... and they are saying: 'EU, you have to do what you can to protect us because otherwise our damage will be catastrophical'," Verheyen said.

The claim, nicknamed the "People's Climate Case", is the first of its kind brought against the EU, the group's lawyers said.

Previously, suits were filed in a bid to pressure individual governments to take tougher climate action.

In Paris in 2015, the world's nations agreed to limit average global warming to under two degrees Celsius over pre-Industrial Revolution levels.

This would be achieved by limiting emissions of planet-warming gases emitted by burning fossil fuels coal, oil and gas. Under the pact, nations submitted voluntary emissions-cutting pledges.

But these are forecast to still leave the planet on track for warming of 3.0 C -- a level scientists warn will entail more frequent super-storms, longer droughts and an island-swallowing rise in the sea level.

The average global temperature has already climbed about 1.0 C, researchers said.

The EU has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030.

But the plaintiffs claim the goal is inadequate to protect "their fundamental rights such as the right to life, health, property, and occupation," according to the Climate Action Network (CAN) lobby group backing the court bid.

Petru Vlad, a 50-year-old father of three who farms 100 sheep and a dozen cows in the mountains of central Romania, complains about dwindling water supplies due to changing rainfall patterns.

"There is no more water," he told AFP.

And the vegetation his herd feeds on has also changed. "Now there is only grass with tough roots better able to survive the drought," he said.

"Through this case, I am not seeking to be compensated, but mainly to alert the authorities in the EU of the situation," added Armando Carvalho, a Portuguese forester who saw all his trees destroyed by wildfires in 2017.

Wildfires are predicted to become more commonplace as forest cover dries out in an ever warmer world.

"The EU carries responsibility for these issues as a world leader," insisted Carvalho.

The 30-odd plaintiffs want the Luxembourg-based court to compel the EU and its member states to significantly upgrade a number of emissions-curbing directives.

They include a family from the Italian Alps which has seen its ice-climbing tourist business dwindle due to warmer winters, another from a German island disappearing under rising ocean waters, and a group of Sweden's indigenous Sami herders whose reindeer struggle do cope with ever-higher temperatures.

Reindeer feed on lichen and moss that grow under light, grainy snow. With warmer temperatures in the Arctic there is more snow, which compacts into a hard layer on the ground, meaning the animals cannot get to their food.

The group also includes a family from Kenya affected by desertification, and Fijians plagued by seasonal cyclones and declining fisheries due to coral bleaching.

"Climate change is felt everywhere in the world, there's a global responsiblity," CAN representative Wendel Trio said of the decision to include non-European plaintiffs.

It could be several months before the court announces whether it will hear the case, officially submitted yesterday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)At Tabassum Hasan's election office in Shamli town, it is clear that she is much more than the Rashtriya Lok Dal nominee for the Kairana Lok Sabha bypoll.

Apart from the RLD flags, the flags of the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party greet visitors there.

They bear witness to the fact that she is the joint candidate of the opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh, hoping to show that the defeat of the BJP in the Lok Sabha bye-elections in Gorakhpur and Phulpur in March was no fluke.

Barely a kilometre away is the office of the BJP candidate Mriganka Singh. It displays photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah.

The May 28 bye-election was called after Mriganka Singh's father Hukum Singh, a veteran politician from western UP, died in office.

Tabassum Hasan too is banking on family connections. Her Shamli office displays a portrait of her late husband Munnawar Hasan, who had represented Kairana both in the state assembly and the Lok Sabha.

The RLD office also has a picture of Jat leader Chaudhary Charan Singh, whose son Ajit Singh heads the party. But in western UP, even the BJP cannot afford to ignore his legacy. Its election brochures too carry his picture.

Invoking Charan Singh may be the only thing that the two women have in common.

Both have divergent views on the exodus of Hindu families from Kairana, a claim made by Mriganka Singh's father which became a major issue in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election.

The exodus of Hindu families from Kairana has stopped, she says.

Before the 2017 UP Assembly elections hundreds of Hindu families had fled from Kairana out of fear and harassment. However, after the BJP government under Yogi Adityanath was formed, the law and order scenario in the region has improved, she says.

But Tabassum Hasan, a former BSP MP who later joined the SP and then the RLD , says, There was no exodus from Kairana in the first place.

Both Hindus and Muslims have been living here in harmony for generations. The exodus issue was flagged only to divert attention from important issues, to add a communal colour to the elections and divide voters, she says.

The BJP candidate is also seen by many as a local, thanks to her father's standing in the area, though a 2017 election affidavit shows she is enrolled as a voter in Muradnagar assembly constituency. Her father's home is in Kairana.

Mriganka Singh, the daughter of our former MP Hukum Singh is certainly one among Kairana residents, while Tabassum Beghum is comparatively not familiar with this place, says Ajeet Singh, a tea seller on the busy Kairana-Shamli road.

Mahendra Singh, a grocery merchant in the city, feels that the entry of another woman in the fray may have queered the pitch for the BJP candidate.

Had there been no female challenger to Mriganka, she would have had a cake-walk, he says.

Mriganka Singh's Shamli election office is abuzz with activity. Party workers drop in to collect election material. Men take turns at the hookah. At board at the entrance lists the candidate's campaign schedule. A dais has been set up for party leaders to address workers.

At least 2,000 dedicated party workers are engaged in door-to-door campaigning for the party candidate, claims Puran Chand Jatav, the office in-charge. He says her visit to the camp office a few days back led to a traffic jam on the street outside.

There are fewer people at the RLD office. Laxmi Chand, who looks after the day-to-day affairs there, says most party workers are out voters personally.

The coming together of four political parties against the BJP has definitely made the election interesting. And I am confident that the joint opposition candidate will win from here, he says.

Sitting next to him, Abdul Hakeem Khan says he has never seen an election in which the ruling party is challenged by a joint opposition. This is the beauty of our democracy, he says.

Both are confident that Kairana's daughter-in-law Tabassum Hasan will defeat "Kairana's daughter".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The FBI has put a spoke in the wheel of a major Russian digital disruption operation potentially aimed at causing havoc in Ukraine, evidence pieced together from researchers, Ukrainian officials and US court documents indicates.

Yesterday, network technology company Cisco Systems and antivirus company Symantec warnedthat a half-million internet-connected routers had been compromised in a possible effort to lay the groundwork for a cyber-sabotage operation against targets in Ukraine.

Court documents simultaneously unsealed in Pittsburgh the same day show the FBI has seized a key website communicating with the massive army of hijacked devices, disrupting what could have been and might still be an ambitious cyberattack by the Russian government-aligned hacking group widely known as Fancy Bear.

"I hope it catches the actors off guard and leads to the downfall of their network," said Craig Williams, the director of outreach for Talos, the digital threat intelligence unit of Cisco that cooperated with the bureau. But he warned that the hackers could still regain control of the infected routers if they possessed their addresses and the right resources to re-establish command and control.

FBI Assistant Director Scott Smith said the agency "has taken a critical step in minimizing the impact of the malware attack. While this is an important first step, the FBI's work is not done." Much about the hackers' motives remains open to conjecture.

Cisco said the malicious software, which it and Symantec both dubbed VPNFilter after a folder it creates, was sitting on more than 500,000 routers in 54 countries but mostly in Ukraine, and had the capacity to render them unusable a massively disruptive move if carried out at such a scale.

"It could be a significant threat to users around the world," said Williams. The US Justice Department said the malware "could be used for a variety of malicious purposes, including intelligence gathering, theft of valuable information, destructive or disruptive attacks, and the misattribution of such activities."



Ukraine's cyberpolice said in a statement that it was possible the hackers planned to strike during "large-scale events," an apparent reference either to the upcoming Champions League game between Real Madrid and Liverpool in the capital, Kiev, on Saturday or to Ukraine's upcoming Constitution Day celebrations.

Ukraine has been locked in a years-long struggle with Russia-backed separatists in the country's east and has repeatedly been hit by cyberattacks of escalating severity. Last year witnessed the eruption of the NotPetya worm, which crippled critical systems, including hospitals , across the country and dealt hundreds of millions of dollars in collateral damage around the globe. Ukraine, the United States and Britain have blamed the attack on Moscow a charge the Kremlin has denied.

Cisco and Symantec both steered clear of attributing the VPNFilter malware to any particular actor, but an FBI affidavit explicitly attributed it to Fancy Bear, the same group that hacked into the Democratic National Committee in 2016 and has been linked to a long series of digital intrusions stretching back more than a decade. The US intelligence community assesses that Fancy Bear acts on behalf of Russia's military intelligence service.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Congress leader and former MP Meenakshi Natarajan has resigned from Madhya Pradesh Congress's manifesto committee, apparently peeved by the induction of her 'bete noire' Rajendra Singh Gautam into a party panel.

The development comes ahead of Congress president Rahul Gandhi's visit to Mandsaur district of the state on June 6 to mark the first anniversary of the death of six farmers in police firing.

State Congress chief Kamal Nath today sought to downplay the issue, saying he had spoken to Natarajan and a solution will be found.

Natarajan, former Mandsaur MP and a close confidante of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, quit the party manifesto committee yesterday, sources close to her said.

When asked whether she had withdrawn the resignation, she said today, "I would not make any public statement on the party's internal issues. I do not talk about party's issues outside.

"I am preparing for Rahul ji's visit right now," she told PTI.

Talking to the media later, Nath insisted that Natarajan had not resigned from the committee.

"She has not resigned. I had a talk with Meenakshi ji. These sort of things keep happening. Meenakshi is our respected leader. She had been in Parliament. Everyone will be heard and a solution would be found," he said.

"Picking someone for a panel is a small issue. Such things happen," he added.

Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot had on Tuesday announced the formation of various committees as the Assembly elections in the state were due later this year.

Natarajan was appointed chairperson of the manifesto committee, while Gautam was made a member of the state coordination committee.

However, a day after the appointment, Natarajan and her supporters including, Congress MLA from Mandsaur Hardeep Singh Dang and district unit vice president Mahendra Gurjar, resigned from their organisational posts.

Dang told PTI that he had quit as a delegate of the All India Congress Committee (AICC).

"Meenaksh ji should be taken into confidence while taking decisions pertaining to Mandsaur-Neemuch," he said.

Notably, Gautam had rebelled against Natarajan in 2009 when she was chosen as the party's candidate from Mandsaur Lok Sabha constituency.

Rahul Gandhi is slated to visit Piplya Mandi village in the district on June 6 and address a rally.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former Congress MP from Mandsaur, Meenakshi Natarajan, has resigned from the party's manifesto committee following the induction of her 'bete noire' Rajendra Singh Gautam into a party coordination panel.

The development comes ahead of Congress president Rahul Gandhi's visit to Mandsaur scheduled on June 6, the first death anniversary of six farmers who were killed at a village here in police firing during a protest last year.

Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot had on Tuesday announced formation of the party's different committees in view of the MP Assembly elections due later this year.

Natarajan, known as a trusted lieutenant of Gandhi, was appointed chairperson of the Congress' manifesto committee, while Gautam was made a member of the party's state coordination committee.

However, just a day after the appointment, the former Lok Sabha member and her supporters -- including Congress MLA from Mandsaur's Suvasra constituency, Hardeep Singh Dang, and party's district vice president Mahendra Gurjar -- resigned from their various organisational posts yesterday.

Gurjar said Dang tendered his resignation as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) delegate.

When contacted, Natarajan said, "I would not make any public statement on the party's internal issues."



Notably, Gautam had during the 2009 Lok Sabha polls rebelled against the Congress when Natarajan was chosen as the party nominee from Mandsaur.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will visit Piplya Mandi village in the district on June 6, the first death anniversary of six farmers who were killed in police firing during a protest there last year.

He is expected to hold a condolence meeting-cum-rally during his visit, a state Congress leader said yesterday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In separate incidents, a 12-year-old minor girl was allegedly raped for the past four months by five boys at different places at Pungunur, about 90 km from here, police said today.

The boys in the age group of 17 to 12 years were arrested today following a complaint from the girl's mother.

The woman had shifted to Pungunur from Karnataka following her husband's death three years ago.

The boys were produced before a court which sent them to a juvenile home at Tirupati, police said.

Andhra Pradesh Home Minister N. Chinarajappa, who was here to open three model police stations in Chittoor district, has condemned the crime.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former first lady Michelle Obama today unveiled the book cover of her highly anticipated memoir 'BECOMING'.

The book is scheduled to be published globally on November 13.

Michelle selected the cover photo for her book jacket from a photo shoot that was done earlier this year in Washington by renowned portrait photographer Miller Mobley, publisher Penguin said in a statement.

The 54-year-old former first lady shared on her Instagram account four previously unpublished family photographs that illustrate moments in her personal journey of becoming the woman she is today.

"I'm thrilled to share with all of you the cover for BECOMING," Michelle said.

"The process of writing this book has been so personally meaningful and illuminating for me. As I prepare to share BECOMING this fall, I hope you'll also think about your own story, and trust that it will help you become whoever you aspire to be. Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own," she said.

In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerising storytelling, Michelle invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped herfrom her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world's most famous address, Penguin said in a statement.

With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived itin her own words and on her own terms, it said.

"Warm, wise, and revelatory, BECOMING is an unusually intimate reckoning from a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations and whose story inspires us to do the same," the statement added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals is in "advance stages" of implementing Rs 2,000-crore worth of projects, including a Rs 1,800-crore caustic soda plant that it is co-developing with National Aluminium Company (NALCO).

"The company is in advance stage of implementing various projects worth Rs 2,000 crore on hand. They included setting up a Rs 1,800 crore caustic soda plant, establishment of 33,870 TPA food grade phosphoric acid unit at Dahej and a hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) plant, also at Dahej," its managing director PK Gera told PTI.

NALCO and GACL had launched a joint venture to set up a Rs 1,800-cr caustic soda plant at Dahej in Gujarat in 2015.

Meanwhile, the company today reported a net profit of Rs 221.06 crore in the March quarter, against Rs 87.10 crore in the same quarter last year.

Its sales turnover was at Rs 684.46 crore, against Rs 509.96 crore.

For financial year 2017-18, the company reported a net profit of Rs 535.02 crore, against Rs 308.10 crore in the previous year, while its sales turnover stood at Rs 2,417.70 crore, against Rs 2,020.25 crore.

"This has been the result of the continuous efforts on cost control and on maintaining production and sale of its quality products at very competitive rates," Gera said.

The company today also recommended a dividend of Rs 6.50 per share.

Gera said the company during 2017-18 achieved a total production of 15,39,430 MT of various products in its basket, against 15,50,572 MT in the previous year, despite the unanticipated plant maintenance and shutdowns.

He further stated that, the company has during the year commissioned chloromethanes upgradation and de-bottlenecking project at Vadodara complex.

The company's scrip ended down 0.56 per cent at Rs 625.20 on the BSE today, against 0.93 per cent increase in the benchmark.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The properties of two absconding accused in the gangster Vicky Tyagi case have been attached, a CBI-CID officer said.

The properties of the two accused, identified as Vikas Choudhary and Shah Nazeer, were yesterday attached under section 83 of the CrPC as per the order of a local court, CBI-CID Inspector Ombir Singh said.

Vicky Tyagi was gunned down in the courtroom during a hearing in another case here on February 16, 2015. Shooter Sagar Malik was arrested from the spot while Brijbir Singh was nabbed the next day.

Police had registered a case against 11 people, including four police officials.

The Uttar Pradesh government had handed over the probe to CB-CID, which, on February 27 last year, had given clean chit to Brijbir, citing lack of evidence against him.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said today that he was rolling out the privacy controls demanded by European regulators to Facebook users worldwide because "everyone cares about privacy".

Speaking at the VivaTech trade fair in Paris a day before new European data protection rules come into force Zuckerberg said Europe's history had made its citizens particularly wary when it comes to data collection.

"There are specific points about history in Europe. If you're a German citizen and you grew up here you're worried about the Stasi (former East German secret police).

"That's more recent in your memory than what we have in the US or other folks around the world." But "everyone cares about privacy. That's not only here, that's a global thing," Zuckerberg said, confirming he would extend the protections demanded by the EU's General Data Protection Regulation- including on facial recognition - to Facebook's two billion users worldwide.

"We've been very clear that we'll roll out the same controls all around the world," he said, adding that "good regulation" would increase user trust in how tech giants use their data.

For weeks Facebook has been asking European users if they agree to be targeted by advertisers and allow Facebook to use a facial recognition tool on their photos and videos.

It will now put those questions to all its users.

"Starting this week, we're asking everyone on Facebook to review important information about privacy and how to control their experience," Erin Egan, the company's privacy manager said in a statement.

But while users in Europe must answer the questions to be able to access their accounts Facebook users in the rest of the world will be able to repeatedly skip the questionnaire.

Zuckerberg's remarks in Paris came two days after he apologised to European lawmakers for not doing enough to prevent the spread of fake and the misuse of users' information.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova rejoiced Thursday after a man who allegedly attacked her with a knife in 2016 was taken into custody but her spokesman said the case was not yet over.

"Naturally this is good for Petra Kvitova, but the whole case will be over for her only when the culprit has been sentenced," spokesman Karel Tejkal told AFP.

Czech media reports said a man had been detained on May 22 based on an anonymous tip-off and taken into custody on Thursday.

"The district court in Prostejov decided to take a suspect into custody today in the case of P.K.," the website of the DNES broadsheet quoted Zuzana Buresova from the court as saying Thursday.

The public Czech Television said the man was a 54-year-old drug addict, adding Kvitova had identified him as the attacker before travelling to Paris to play at the French Open starting on Sunday.

"We will not comment or confirm any information. We may only say the case has been reopened and the police are working on it," Czech police spokeswoman Eva Kropacova told AFP.

Police shelved the investigation in 2017.

The 28-year-old world number eight suffered career-threatening injuries to her playing left hand as she fought off a knife-wielding intruder at her home in the eastern Czech town of Prostejov in December 2016.

Despite grim forecasts by doctors, who even warned she might lose her fingers, the 2011 and 2014 Wimbledon champion returned to the sport in time for the 2017 French Open.

Kvitova sank from 11th in the world when the crime occurred to 29th at the turn of 2017 and 2018, but she has since climbed back into the top ten, also owing to back-to-back wins at Prague and Madrid at the turn of April and May.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The government has reiterated a demand for USD 3.8 billion dollars from Reliance Industries, Shell and ONGC following an English court ruling over government share from the Panna-Mukta and Tapti fields in western offshore.

In a regulatory filing, RIL said the government had on May 2017 sought USD 3.8 billion as its share from the western offshore field and has "recently repeated its demand".

The liability is to be split between the three companies in proportion to their stake in PMT. State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has 40 per cent interest while RIL and Shell hold 30 per cent apiece.

The demand pertains to interpretation of the contract for the Panna-Mukta and Tapti (PMT) oil and gas fields in the Arabian Sea.

In December 2010, BG Exploration & Production India Ltd and RIL, initiated an arbitration against the Government of India (GoI) after a dispute over the state's share of profit and royalty from Panna-Mukta and Mid and South Tapti contract areas off the west coast.

"The Arbitration Tribunal determined a number of disputes in a final partial award on October 12, 2016, which was accompanied by two dissenting opinions," RIL said in the filing.

BG, which was subsequently acquired by Shell, and RIL initiated proceedings under English Arbitration Act 1996 to challenge the arbitration award before the English Commercial Court in November 2016.

On May 2, 2018, the Court delivered its final judgement, remitting a significant issue for redetermination by the Tribunal within three months while disposing off eight other issues, RIL said without giving details.

The Arbitration Tribunal has scheduled a hearing to determine the remitted issue and will thereafter deliver an award, it said.

"On May 25, 2017, GoI, in disregard to the arbitration proceedings and pending English court proceeding, claimed - USD 3.8 billion from the contractor consortium of BG, ONGC and RIL (RIL share being USD 1.15 billion). This amount was calculated by GOI on its own purported interpretation of the arbitration award," RIL said.

It insisted that before taking up the issue of quantification of liability, the Tribunal has to decide the issue which is remitted by the English court to it.

BG-RIL propose to file an application to the Tribunal for increase of Cost Recovery Limit which they are entitled to do under the Production Sharing Contracts.

"Tribunal can consider the issue of quantification of liability (if any) only after these two issues are decided," RIL said. "Several issues relating to the claim made by GOI are subject to pending arbitration proceedings.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Two police personnel were injured in a grenade attack by suspected militants at the bus stand in Jammu tonight, while a similar attack took place at a CRPF camp in Srinagar in which no one was injured, police officials said.

There was a grenade attack in the bus stand area tonight (by suspected militants), Jammu Senior Superintendent of Police Vivek Gupta told PTI.

He said two police personnel were injured in the attack. They have been hospitalised.

The area has been cordonned off and searches launched to track down the suspected militants, the SSP said.

It is after a long time that a grenade attack has taken place in Jammu.

Meanwhile in Srinagar, militants tonight hurled a grenade towards the CRPF camp but there was no loss of life, police said.

Militants lobbed a grenade on the CRPF camp at Braripora in Nawakadal area of the city, a police official said.

He said there was no loss of life due to the explosion.

Further details were awaited, the official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Three police personnel, including an SHO, were injured in a grenade attack by suspected militants at a bus stand in Jammu tonight, while a similar attack took place at a CRPF camp in Srinagar in which no one was injured, police officials said.

There was a grenade attack in the bus stand area tonight (by suspected militants). The grenade was thrown at a police vehicle, Jammu Senior Superintendent of Police Vivek Gupta told PTI.

He said three police personnel were injured in the attack.

Two of them have been hospitalised, while the SHO received minor injuries, Gupta said.

According to eyewitnesses, they were waiting for their bus to leave for New Delhi when a sudden blast took place and they ran for cover.

The police vehicle was probably the target but the grenade missed it and exploded near the vehicle, the witnesses said.

Soon a number of people gathered at the bus stand area and raised anti-Pakistan slogans.

The area has been cordoned off and searches launched to track down the suspected militants, the SSP said.

Meanwhile in Srinagar, militants tonight hurled a grenade towards the CRPF camp but there was no loss of life in the incident, police said.

Militants lobbed a grenade on the CRPF camp at Brari Pora in Nawakadal area of the city, a police official said.

He said there was no loss of life due to the explosion.

Further details were awaited, the official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A delegation of Gujarat Congress today met Governor O P Kohli on the issue of alleged atrocities against Dalits in the state and urged him to direct the BJP government here to take steps for the safety and security of the community.

Congress leaders, led by state unit chief Amit Chavda, Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani and former Union minister Selja Kumari, today met Kohli in Gandhinagar and handed over a memorandum of demands seeking his directions to the government for prompt and effective steps to curb such incidents.

Citing the recent incident of a Dalit rag-picker who was allegedly beaten to death in Rajkot, they alleged that such "atrocities are increasing with each passing day because of the insensitive approach of the BJP government towards Dalits and lack of will to take stern action against the perpetrators".

Citing other incidents like Una flogging, the Congress leaders also alleged in the memorandum that the government was not fulfilling its promises of setting up special courts for such cases and allotment of agricultural lands to Dalits.

The opposition party also demanded that the government should build separate crematoriums for Dalits as they are not allowed to perform last rites at common crematoriums in several districts.

"Police must take swift action and file the charge-sheet within two months in the atrocity-related cases," their memorandum said.

The party also demanded that districts where such cases are surfacing frequently, should be declared "sensitive".

Earlier in the day, Selja Kumari and Dhanani visited Parnali village in Surendranagar district and consoled the relatives of 35-year-old Dalit rag-picker Mukesh Vaniya, who was allegedly beaten to death by five persons in Shapar industrial area in Rajkot earlier this week.

Talking to media, Kumari said Dalits in Gujarat are suffering under the BJP rule.

"Recently, Dalits of Una, who were thrashed, have to changed their religion. Despite that, they did not get any justice. Is this the Gujarat model?" Kumari asked.

Later, Selja along with Chavda and other senior leaders also sat on a 'dharna' near Ambedkar statue in Saragpur area of Ahmedabad here to register their protest against the Rajkot incident.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Catholic Bishops' Conference of India president Cardinal Oswald Gracias today met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed with him various issues concerning the Christians in the country.

A home ministry official described the 20-minute meeting as a "courtesy call" by Gracias, who has recently took over as the president of the CBCI, the apex decision-making body of the Indian Catholic Church.

However, sources said, the Cardinal apprised the home minister about a number of issues which have been matter of concerns for the community.

The meeting came in the wake of Gracias' reported comments that there was "growing anxiety" among minority communities "because the government is not acting enough" to protect them.

He had also said there have been "more attempts" to polarise society in the last four years. The Narendra Modi government assumed office four years ago.

The Archbishop of Delhi Anil Couto had also said "turbulent political atmosphere" has been prevailing in the country. The Archbishop had also appealed to launch a prayer campaign ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Reacting to Couto's comment, the home minister had said India does not discriminate against anyone on the basis of religion or sect, and such things will never be allowed in the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The University of Hyderabad today launched a new Master of Technology (MTech) programme in information security with 'Cyber Security' as a specialised stream.

It is a two-year full-time programme to be conducted from the academic year 2018-19, a press release said.

Online applications will be invited from GATE-qualified candidates of 2016, 2017 and 2018 from June 7 to June 30, the press release said.

Each admitted student will receive AICTE-GATE fellowship, it said.

The programme also has provision of additional five seats for employees with a minimum two years of work experience in IT companies, the release said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The department on Thursday cleared sale of standalone mobile towers of Cellular for Rs 40 billion to the Indian arm of American Tower Corporation -- paving the way for the merger of and India.

"Idea- deal has been cleared," an official source told PTI.

Queries sent to and did not elicit any reply.

(American Tower Corporation) Infrastructure had signed a pact with India and Idea in November 2017 to buy their standalone towers for Rs 78.5 billion. The deal excluded holding of and Idea in Indus Towers.

The standalone tower businesses of Vodafone and Idea have a combined portfolio of nearly 20,000 towers, which included around 10,200 towers of Vodafone and the rest of Idea.

With the closure of deal with Idea, ATC Infrastructure will have around 68,000 mobile towers in its portfolio.

The clearance of this deal will also bring merger of Idea-Vodafone, which will create the country's biggest mobile operator with over 430 million subscriber, closer to the regulatory approval.

According to sources, DoT wanted to clear Idea, Vodafone and ATC tower sale deal before approving the merger of Idea-Vodafone as change in the structure of the organisations would have created complexity in document work.

Idea has already accounted the proceed of Rs 40 billion that it will get from ATC for the debt that it will carry forward to the merged entity with Vodafone.

The Aditya Birla group firm has also option to sell its 11.15 per cent stake in Indus Towers for a cash consideration of around Rs 65 billion.

The lower level of debt and operational cost in the merged entity is expected to stabilise the position of both Idea and Vodafone in the Indian telecom market, which is reeling under heavy debt and facing intense tariff war.Idris Elba is all set to feature in and direct the modern retelling of Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" for Netflix.

Sources tell Variety, the 45-year-old star will also produce and compose music for the currently untitled film.

Based on the classic 19th century gothic romance novel, the plot revolves around Quasimodo, a hunchback, who falls in love with the gypsy Esmeralda.

Elba will play Quasimodo.

This will be the "Luther" actor's second directorial venture, after "Yardie" which releases this year.

"The Current War scribe Michael Mitnick will write the modern-day version, with Fred Berger and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones co-producing for Automatik, along with Green Door's Ana Garanito.

"The Hunchback..." has been adapted a number of times, with Disney's '90s animated classic featuring voices of Demi Moore and Kevin Kline being the most famous example. The film's score was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Armies of India and Nepal will carry out a two-week long military exercise beginning Wednesday in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh region with an aim to deepen counter-terror cooperation.

The Indian Army said the 'Surya Kiran' exercise is expected to enhance the level of defence cooperation between the two militaries.

It said the focus of the exercise will be to enhance cooperation in conducting counter-terrorism operations in mountainous terrain.

Around 300 soldiers from Nepal and equal numbers from India are expected to participate in the exercise.

"Indian and Nepal Army would be sharing their experiences gained during the conduct of various



counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations," the Army said in a statement.

"The joint military exercise will enhance the level of defence cooperation which will further strengthen the bilateral relations between the two nations," it said.

The exercise is taking place nearly three weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Himalayan nation during which both the countries decided to boost their cooperation in a range of areas including defence and security.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held wide-ranging talks with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte during which both sides decided to deepen engagement in a range of areas including trade, investment, energy and agriculture.

After the talks, Modi, in his media statement, said his commitment towards economic reforms will remain strong.

He said besides bilateral matters, he and Rutte discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Modi also hailed the Netherlands for becoming part of the International Solar Alliance today.

"I had called upon the Netherlands to join the International Solar Alliance and I am happy to tell you that the country has become a member of it today," Modi said.

In his comments, Rutte said there was a huge scope for the two countries to deepen cooperation in areas of trade and investment, clean energy, agriculture and smart cities.

This is Rutte's second visit to India as prime minister and he is accompanied by a strong business delegation. His last visit to India was in June 2015.

Rutte's visit comes within a year of Modi's trip to the Netherlands in June last



India and the Netherlands have a bilateral trade of USD 5.39 billion and they are likely to focus on increasing it further.

The Netherlands is the fifth largest investor in India with a cumulative investment of USD 23 billion from 2000 to December 2017. The country is also home to a 2,35,000-strong Indian diaspora, the largest in mainland Europe.

Earlier, Rutte had tweeted in Hindi saying he is happy to be in beautiful India.

"India and the Netherlands have shared close relations for the past 70 years which have strengthened over the passage of time. Eager to meet @narendramodi," he wrote on Twitter.

Rutte arrived here today on a two-day visit to India.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pitching for united global action to deal with terrorism, India and the Netherlands today asked all countries to work towards rooting out terror networks, disrupting their financing channels and halting cross-border movement of terrorists.

The issue figured prominently during talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte as both leaders affirmed that terrorism cannot be justified on any ground and should not be associated with any religion, creed, nationality or ethnicity.

In a joint statement, the two countries named Pakistan based terror outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Tayabba along with Al Qaeda, Daesh/ISIS which are threatening peace and security in South Asia and Europe.

It said Modi and Rutte also called for an early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the United Nations as an instrument for a global alliance of nations against terrorism.

"The leaders called upon all countries to work towards rooting out terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, disrupting terrorist networks and their financing channels, and halting cross-border movement of terrorists including foreign fighters," the statement said.

The Netherlands reaffirmed its strong support to building consensus among members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group for India's bid for membership of grouping, the statement added.

During their extensive talks, both the countries also decided to step up their cooperation in a range of areas including in trade and investment, security, cyber space and agriculture.

In his media statement, Modi said there is huge scope for ramping up trade ties between the two countries and talked about economic reforms being undertaken by his government to promote growth.

"I am strongly committed towards economic reforms," he said.

The Netherlands reaffirmed its strong support to building consensus among regimes' members on the issue of India's membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the statement added.

After the talks, Rutte signed the framework agreement for the International Solar Alliance, making the Netherlands the 64th country to be part of the India-promoted initiative.

Reflecting the growing strategic trust between the two countries, the leaders also noted the progress made by both sides in finalising the text of the agreement on mutual protection of classified information in the field of defence.

On the trade front, the two leaders underlined the significant role that Netherlands can play as India's "Gateway to Europe".

India is the fifth largest source of FDI into the Netherlands and the Netherlands is the fourth largest source of FDI for India.

"Both sides also agreed to consider putting in place a reciprocal fast track mechanism to resolve issues confronted by businesses and to promote greater two-way bilateral investments," said the joint statement.

Modi and Rutte expressed support to "re-engage" actively towards timely re-launching of negotiations for a comprehensive and mutually beneficial EU-India Broad Based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA), the joint statement said.

The negotiations between the two sides are stalled due to differences on a range of sticky issues.

According to the statement, Modi and Rutte also called for responsible and calibrated monetary policies to improve the global economic and financial governance architecture.

"The leaders reaffirmed the crucial role of the rules-based multilateral trading system, and the importance of enhancing free, fair, and open trade for achieving sustainable growth and development," it said.

On security cooperation, both sides agreed to deepen and enhance the scope of ongoing bilateral dialogues on security issues and to hold the next round of counter terrorism dialogue in the Hague in the second-half of 2018.

"We had very productive talks today about the political situation in the region, the European Union, discussing our bilateral economic relationship," Rutte said in his press statement.

The two sides announced a wide range of MoUs and initiatives across different sectors including in areas of agri-food and horticulture, IT, space, life sciences, health, and smart cities.

"The two countries are working very closely in many areas on the economic and political side. We are a much smaller country but the friendship and cooperation is intense at the moment," Rutte said.

A 200-member strong business delegation is accompanying Rutte besides four cabinet ministers.

Earlier in the day, Modi and Rutte attended a meeting of top CEOs. Rutte said the business community explored opportunities in areas of clean air, Ganga rejuvenation and projects related to smart cities.

There was a visible bonhomie between the two leaders as Rutte referred to Modi as "Dear Narendra" and Modi addressed the Dutch prime minister as "My friend Mark"



"Be it on the phone, if there is friendship, it is always good to talk and build on that friendship," Rutte said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)India and the Netherlands today made a case for resumption of negotiations for the long-stalled proposed free trade agreement with European Union (EU).

The negotiations for EU-India Broad Based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA)have been held up since May 2013 and both the sides are yet to bridge substantial gaps on crucial issues.

India and the Netherlands "expressed support to the efforts of both sides to re-engage actively towards timely re-launching of negotiations for a comprehensive and mutually beneficial EU-India BTIA, and agreed to explore opportunities for further cooperation that will be generated by the next EU-India Summit," a joint statement said.

The Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte is here on a two-day visit.

Since June 2007, India and the EU have completed 16 rounds of talks and five stock-taking meetings on the proposed pact, officially dubbed as BTIA.

The negotiations have witnessed many hurdles with both sides having major differences on key issues like intellectual property rights, duty cut in automobile and spirits and liberal visa regime.

The joint statement, issued after the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rutte, said that both the sides agreed that India and the EU should deepen their cooperation on multilateral and security issues, as well as on economic, trade and climate change issues.

The two leaders also called for investments in physical, digital and social infrastructure to enable the current and future generations to have a purposeful life.

Later speaking at an event, Rutte said the two leaders discussed the key issues of terrorism and cyber security and pitched for joint efforts between India and the EU to counter terrorism and violent extremism, observing that these threaten Europe as much as India.

He also supported India's bid for a permanent seat on the expanded UN Security Council.

India the obvious candidate for a permanent seat in an expanded Council. "In fact, it is incredible in this day and age that India isn't yet a permanent member," he said.

Rutte said more needs to be done by India on the ease of doing business front, even as he applauded the country's jump in the World Bank's ease of doing business index rankings.

"They (Dutch) business community are telling me that it is still difficult to set up a branch of your company within another state in India can a lot of time. Generally the red tape, to get due permissions," he said.

Besides, Rutte observed that India is still largely absent from the strategic agenda of the EU and its member states, terming it a big mistake.

He applauded India's increasing leadership on climate change, adding however, that both countries' need to make use of each other's knowledge in areas like waste water treatment, bio-diversity and renewable energy.

Meanwhile, the joint statement underlined the opportunities for intensive Indo-Dutch collaborations under India's flagship initiatives such as Make in India and StartUp India.

In the field of agriculture, India invited the Dutch side to explore the feasibility of assisting in setting up Food Valleys and invest in cold chain as well as food processing facilities and undertake capacity building programs in India.

The bilateral trade between the countries increased to USD 6.96 billion in 2016-17 from 6.6 billion in the previous fiscal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In the wake of Nipah virus cases in Kerala, the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has written to the Queensland government in Australia asking it to provide an antibody developed there to test if it can "neutralise" the virus in humans.

The antibody has not been tested on humans so far.

"We have asked them to give their monoclonal antibody for conducting a test in India to find out if it can neutralise the Nipah virus in humans.

"In Australia, it has only been tried in vitro (happening outside the body in artificial conditions, often in a test tube) and has been found to be effective. But it has not been tested on humans," said ICMR Director General, Dr Balram Bhargava, while clarifying that it will not lead to creation of vaccine.

ICMR is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research.

"We are preparing a dossier on what will be methodology and what would be the regulatory process so that we can fast track the process," he said.

According to Dr Bhargava, Australia is ready to share as it will help generate data on the efficacy of the antibody.

"It is not yet sure how much it will be effective," he said, adding the infection caused by Nipah virus has a high mortality rate (50-70 pc).

According to National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, the drug ribavirin has been shown to be effective against the viruses in vitro, but human investigations to date have been inconclusive and the clinical usefulness of the drug remains uncertain.

The death toll due to outbreak of Nipah virus rose to 12 in the southern state of Kerala, with one more person succumbing to the deadly virus in Kozhikode this morning, said a Health ministry official.

Meanwhile, there are reports of dead bats being found on the premises of a government school in Himachal Pradesh, samples of which have been sent for testing to NIV, Pune, to ascertain the reason behind their deaths.

According to the health ministry officials, of the 12 deaths in Kerala so far due to the virus, nine people died in Kozhikode district and three in Mallappuram. Besides, about 160 samples have been sent for testing at the virology institute.

While 18 people with specific symptoms are admitted at hospitals in Kozhikode, 22 patients with suspected Nipah cases, all from Malappuram district, are admitted at Kozhikode Medical College for observation.

"They are all contacts of the confirmed cases and their lab results are awaited. Also, 95 families are under surveillance," a health ministry official said.

Nipah virus (NiV) infection is a newly emerging zoonosis that causes severe disease in both animals and humans. The natural host of the virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family, Pteropus genus.

Currently, there is no vaccine or drug for the treatment of the NiV infection. The treatment for human cases is supportive and management treatment along with intensive supportive care.

The virus spreads through close contact with people's secretions and excretions. Eating food which may have the droplets of saliva and urine of infected bats can lead to the transmission of the virus.

Earlier, cases of Nipah virus were reported from Siliguri in 2001 and Nadia in 2007 in West Bengal and around 47 deaths were reported.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Observing that is different from traditional American allies for whom the US was the key security provider, a think-tank expert on Thursday told the lawmakers that New Delhi would "never" want a relationship of dependence or one in which the US has to incur all costs.

" would never want a relationship of dependence or one in which the US has to incur all costs," Aparna Pande, Director, Initiative on the Future of and South Asia at the Hudson Institute, a top American think-tank, told the US lawmakers during a Congressional hearing.

Testifying on 'Asia's Diplomatic and Security Structure: Planning US Engagement' at the hearing, organised by the sub-committee on Asia Pacific of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, She said India's growing economic and security relationships and interest in the Indo-Pacific region was aligned with its deepening partnership with the US.

"However, India is different from traditional American allies whether in Europe, Latin America or Asia for whom the United States was the key security provider," Pande said.

She said India wants to maintain its own security capabilities and does not wish to become a "burden" on the US taxpayer.

"It seeks a relationship that helps build India's resources and capabilities so that India can play a bigger role in the Indo-Pacific," Pande said.

Treating India as a country critical to American interests, the United States could think about a special partnership with India whereby New Delhi could be exempt from many of the export control regulations that govern military sales, she told the lawmakers.

"Thus, India would be able to develop military capabilities with the US technology without adding to America's burden of cost," she said, adding that any attempts to balance ties between India and other South Asian states, notably Pakistan, should be abandoned to enhance India's capacity to confront China.

According to Pande, the economic and military rise of China over the last two decades poses a "challenge" to American preeminence.

Noting that China is gradually creating a new Asian order with Chinese primacy at its heart, she said US strategy needs to be one of renewed engagement with its partners and allies across the region -- India, Japan and South East Asia -- to construct a configuration that will be able to counter the Chinese march.

"Currently, China's economic and military rise faces no structured challenge. Japan's military role is inhibited by its Constitution while many in Australia and the United States have, for years, assumed China to be a benign power and have invested in an economic relationship favouring their potential challenger," Pande said.

With a population of more than one billion, she said, India is also the country with sufficient manpower to match with that of China. "Thus, India would have to be central to any security architecture designed to contain China or aimed at ensuring that China does not transform its considerable economic clout into threatening military muscle in the Asia-Pacific," Pande said.

Amy Searight, Senior Advisor and Director, Southeast Asia Program Center for Strategic and International Studies, said India is an important maritime democracy that has long been a net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region, but it has increasingly turned its strategic focus to East Asia, moving from a 'Look East' to an 'Act East' policy of more active engagement in East Asia security affairs.

Although India still has a way to go to live up to its potential as a strategic and economic partner for Southeast Asia, it has forged much stronger strategic ties with many countries in the region, including the US, Japan, Australia, and Vietnam, Searight said.

She said India's growing voice in regional security dialogues is a welcome development since it vocally supports principles such as freedom of navigation and deep respect for international law.

Michael Swaine, senior fellow in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Asia Program, told the US lawmakers that as long as China continues to grow and develop overseas interests, it will resist, in an increasingly determined fashion, the US efforts to sustain predominance by negating Beijing's efforts to project power along China's maritime periphery, viewing such efforts as a direct threat to its own security.

The resulting intensifying security competition, already well underway -- as reflected in the recently issued US Security Strategy -- will further polarise the region, inject zero- sum calculations and fears into almost every US or Chinese initiative, and generally force other Asian states to choose between Beijing and Washington on many issues, something they definitely do not want to do, Swaine said.Indian Oil Corp (IOC), the country's largest oil firm, today said it plans to invest Rs 1,387 crore towards construction of various projects in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over the next few years.

"In Andhra Pradesh, we have plans to invest Rs 827 crore. And in Telangana, we have plan to invest Rs 560 crore in next two-three years," IOC (Telangana and Andhra Pradesh) Executive Director Rahul Bhardwaj told reporters here.

"We propose to invest Rs 500 crore for setting up of a state-of-the-art oil terminal in Nalgonda for which 67.33 acre land has already been acquired and we are in the process of acquiring 10 more acre," he said adding Rs 60 crore investment will be made for enhancement of LPG capacity at the Cherlapalli and Thimmapur bottling plants.

On greenfield projects in Andhra Pradesh, he said 60 acres land has been acquired for construction of new terminal near Visakhapatnam and project estimation cost is Rs 320 crore.

Similarly, for construction of new terminal in Guntakal around 83 acre has been acquired and this project has already started at a cost Rs 350 crore, he said.

Bhardwaj further said apart from these, Vijayawada terminal augmentation project and revamping of Vizag terminal are being taken up under brownfield projects.

On the Paradip-Hyderabad Pipeline Project with capacity of 4.55 million metric tonnes per annum (mmtpa), he said at present work on acquisition of land at different places is on and at most of the places it has been acquired.

"As per the target by 2020 we will be able to commission this line Paradip-Vizag-Vijayawada-Suryapet-Hyderabad."



Executive Director and All India Head for Corporate Communications and Branding, Subhodh Dakwale said the company has contributed Rs 3,838 crore to the state exchequer of Telangana and Rs 3,171 crore to the Andhra Pradesh government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Ireland's Indian-origin Prime Minister Leo Varadkar today made a last-ditch effort in his campaign to lift a ban on abortions, as the country gets set to vote in a referendum on the crucial issue tomorrow.

In what is seen as the first major test of his leadership since he took charge as 'Taoiseach' a year ago, Varadkar has been urging voters to ensure a high turnout in the referendum on repealing the Eighth Amendment of the Irish Constitution which severely restricts access to abortions.

The case of Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old Indian dentist who died of blood poisoning at Galway University Hospital in Ireland in October 2012 after she was denied a life-saving abortion, is among the cases being highlighted by campaigners in favour of a "yes" vote.

"I do hope we will see more people taking part in this referendum, an exercise in democracy," Varadkar said.

"Ultimately laws are just written in black and white, they are text in a piece of law but what has to be behind those laws is individuals, people's families and how those laws have affected them in the process," the leader of the liberal-conservative Fine Gail party said.

While the two main parties of Ireland, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, are not taking official positions on the referendum, politicians are permitted to campaign on a personal basis.

If Ireland votes "yes", the government intends to allow terminations within the first 12 weeks, subject to medical advice and a cooling-off period, and between 12 and 24 weeks in a restricted fashion.

Halappanavar's father Andanappa Yalagi said, "I hope the people of Ireland remember my daughter Savita on the day of the referendum, and that what happened to her won't happen to any other family."



"I think about her every day. She didn't get the medical treatment she needed because of the eighth amendment. They must change the law," he told The Guardian by phone from his home in Karnataka.

Tomorrow, Irish voters will decide whether to change the constitutional amendment that enshrines the equal right to life of the mother and her unborn child. That has resulted in many women being forced to travel abroad on a daily basis, mainly to neighbouring Britain, for terminations.

Meanwhile, a campaign on social media with a hashtag #hometovote has been mobilised by "yes" supporters, who want to get as many Irish voters as possible casting their vote.

There has been a big surge in voter registration ahead of the referendum and according to the latest polls, 56 per cent of the country will vote to repeal the eighth amendment, while 27 per cent oppose reform and around one in seven are undecided.

If people vote to repeal, the Irish government is proposing that women could access termination within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. After that, abortions will only be allowed until the 24th week of pregnancy if there is a risk to a woman's life, or a risk of serious harm to the physical or mental health of a woman.

Terminations would also be permitted in cases of fatal foetal abnormality.

Under the current law, an unborn child has the same right to life as the mother, with the maximum penalty for accessing an illegal abortion fixed at 14 years in prison.

Abortion was already illegal in Ireland, a predominantly Catholic nation, under the Offences against the Person Act of 1861. In 1983, pro-life activists who feared that this could be changed lobbied the government for a referendum to further strengthen the rights of the unborn, which was passed with 66.9 per cent voting 'Yes' and 33.1 per cent voting 'No'.

The campaign to repeal the Eighth Amendment, which effectively has its roots as far back as 1983, has picked up speed in recent years, especially after the success of the same sex marriage referendum in the country in 2015.

If Ireland votes 'Yes' to repeal the Eighth Amendment, the existing article of the Constitution which was inserted in 1983, and the 1992 additions, will be replaced with this text: "Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy."



The Catholic church has strongly opposed repealing the amendment and Irish bishops warned in a joint statement: "We believe that the deletion or amendment of this article can have no other effect than to expose unborn children to greater risk and that it would not bring about any benefit for the life or health of women in Ireland."Campaign group Save The 8th claims that politicians are "effectively seeking a licence to kill pre-born babies, and to introduce an abortion model that is in many ways even more extreme than the British regime".

But the repeal campaign says the amendment puts lives at risk, also due to unregulated use of illegal abortion pills, often imported after being bought online, presents unacceptable dangers to women when taken without medical supervision.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner has been finally granted permanent security clearance, renewing his access to some of America's most sensitive secrets, media reports said today.

Married to Trump's daughter Ivanka, 37-year-old Kushner is a special advisor to the President and his special envoy on the Middle East Peace Process.

The permanent security clearance for Kushner had been pending since last year.

"Having completed all of these processes, he's looking forward to continuing to do the work the president has asked him to do," Kushner's attorney Abbe D Lowell said in a statement.

Kushner's application was "properly" submitted, reviewed by numerous career officials and underwent the normal process, he said.

According to The New York Times, Kushner was issued permanent security clearance by career staffers of the FBI, after the investigative agency completed its background check against the president's son-in-law.

Kushner was among several White House officials who spent the first year of the administration working on provisional clearances, meaning he was allowed to view classified information while his FBI background check was pending, the daily said.

Those clearances were stripped in February under a new White House policy, it said.

In another report, The Washington Post said the FBI's background check into Kushner's financial history and foreign contacts took more than a year, and his clearance level was downgraded in February, becoming a source of uncertainty for the West Wing aide, and blocking him from approved access to some of the nation's most sensitive secrets.

Lowell said Kushner last year became "one of the first to voluntarily cooperate with any investigation into the 2016 campaign and related topics", the daily reported.

"Since then, he has continued this complete cooperation, providing a large number of documents and sitting for hours of interviews with congressional committees and providing numerous documents and sitting for two interviews with the office of special counsel," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)After posting a massive loss in the March quarter, private carrier Jet Airways today said it may see a rise in debt for the next one or two quarters.

"The (March) quarter had negative cash flow generation. May be for a quarter or two you would see the debt going up. There could be a short-term blip in terms of rise in the debt," Jet Airways chief financial officer and deputy chief executive officer Amit Aggarwal said during a post-earnings analysts call.

He said the airline has already reduced its debt by Rs 3,000 crore over the last two-and-a-half year, adding that the overall strategy of reducing debt would continue on an ongoing basis.

As on March 31, 2018, the airline's gross debt stood at Rs 8,424 crore, of which Rs 2,054 crore was aircraft related, Agarwal said.

With Jet Airways incurring a huge fourth-quarter loss of Rs 1,036 crore on high oil prices and weaker rupee, its auditors have said the "appropriateness of assumption of going concern" for the company depends on its ability to raise necessary funds, among other factors.

The Naresh Goyal-owned full service carrier reported a quarterly loss for the first time in eleven quarters.

Jet Airways' chief executive officer Vinay Dube said that the airline will be inducting 11 Boeing 737 Max aircrafts in the fleet by March next year with the first two expected to arrive next month.

"We have recently placed orders for additional 75 B737 Max aircrafts, taking the total Max order book to 150. These aircrafts will start inducting into our fleet from this year, with two joining the fleet in June," he said.

For financial year 2017-18, the airline reported a standalone net loss of Rs 767.62 crore, against a net profit of Rs 1,482.52 crore earlier.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Kerala High Court today referred



a batch of petitions seeking to impose restrictions on media in reporting and discussing matters related to law and crime, to a larger bench.

A division bench of Justices P N Ravindran,



A M Shaffique and K Harilal directed the constitution of a larger bench to decide the various issues raised in the case.

The bench observed that the issues raised required larger consideration in view of judgements of the constitution bench of the Supreme Court and division bench of the Kerala High Court.

The writ petitions were filed seeking different reliefs, including imposition of restrictions on media in reporting legal and crime matters.

The petitioners also alleged that the media indulged in activism and restrictions were required to check the excesses on its part.

Various media houses, party to the litigation, objected to the imposition of restrictions, and argued that there were sufficient enactments, including the Press Council Act and Cable TV Network Regulation Act to prevent the abuse of media.

They also cited the existing laws on defamation and other remedies available to sue those who misuse the media platform.

Further imposition of restrictions amount to curtailment of freedom of press, they said.

The petitions were filed in the wake of a series of clashes that took place between lawyers and journalists in various court premises in Kerala.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.): In a moving gesture, nurses and nursing students in Kerala lit candles and joined hundreds of people in paying tribute to their colleague Lini Puthussery, who died of Nipah virus after contracting it from her patients.

Lini, a nurse of the Perambra taluk hospital, was infected when she took care of three members of a family in Changaroth, who later died of nipah virus.

Another member of the family, Moosa, died this morning in Kozhikode.

The tribute was paid at a gathering organised by the Kerala Health department here last night.

Health minister, K K Shylaja, Finance minister, Thomas Isaac and Labour minister, T P Ramakrishnan, were among those who turned up to remember the young nurse and her sacrifice.

Describing the loss as 'deeply painful,' Shylaja said Lini was a nurse, who loved her patients immensely.

Unmindful of her own health, she cared for them and would always be remembered for her sacrifice.

The nurses, cleaning staff and field workers were the 'wealth' of the state's health sector, the minister said.

The government will take steps to ensure the safety of its workers. They will be given training for this, she added.

Finance minister, Thomas Isaac said Lini had surprised everyone by her sacrifice.

Lini in her last letter to her husband had said she would not be able to meet him, he said adding she was aware what was going to happen to her.

Her family decided not to accept an offer of help from London, saying their (Kerala) government will take care of them, Isaac said.

"We are happy to hear that," he added.

Labour minister, T P Ramakrishnan, said Lini was a sincere person and a role model to all.

Lini's husband, Sajeesh, who works in Bahrain, rushed to Perambra on hearing about her condition, but by then it was almost too late.

The LDF government has offered Sajeesh a job and a financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh each for their two children aged 2 and 5.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)"Black Panther" star Lupita Nyong'o says she led a petition in high school so that her female counterparts could wear make-up.

The 35-year-old actor said she had no interest in getting dolled up herself, but wanted the right for others as her peers would not be adversely affected by wearing make-up.

"I went to an all-boys school for high school, and they had girls in the last two classes. This is a school with 700 boys and a handful of girls.

"At one point, there was an archaic rule that said that girls could not wear makeup to school. I was angry that the powers that be were trying to basically oppress and control the small female population. It infuriated me to the point that I started a petition," Nyong'o told InStyle magazine.

"I said to myself, 'Look, if a woman wants to wear makeup to school to feel confident in an environment where she's a minority, why not? It doesn't actually change whether or not she's able to take in the information being given to her in the classroom'," she recalled of her time at St Mary's School in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Oscar-winning actor, who still believes makeup is barely an accessory, made history when went to become the first black ambassador for Lancome in 2014.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said she would hold a meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday, but the Teesta river water sharing issue would not be discussed.

"We will be meeting in Kolkata before she (Hasina) leaves for Bangladesh the day after tomorrow. There is no place for discussion on Teesta river," Banerjee told newsmen here.

The chief minister said that she shared a very cordial relationship with Hasina and no geographical or political boundary can create differences between West Bengal and Bangladesh as they have the same culture and language.

"I admire Hasina-di most and she loves me. Our relationship is very honest and everlasting. I hope the relation between India and Bangladesh will grow stronger with time," she said.

Banerjee had earlier said that the Teesta river was the lifeline of north Bengal and there was very little water in it. She had said other trans-national rivers could be diverted to meet Bangladesh's water needs.

The Teesta water sharing issue was discussed by the two countries in New Delhi on April 9.

The chief minister is in Shantiniketan to participate in the Visva-Bharati convocation tomorrow. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina will address the programme.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A man was arrested at Delhi airport by customs officials for allegedly trying to smuggle into the country about one kilogram gold by hiding it in his rectum.

The accused was intercepted after his arrival from Bangkok on Wednesday.

"A detailed personal and baggage search of the passenger resulted in the recovery of 998 grams of gold, equivalent to Rs 31.04 lakh, which the passenger had concealed inside his rectum," a statement issued by the customs department today said.

During questioning, the passenger admitted that he had smuggled three kilograms gold valued at approximately Rs 93.32 lakh during his past visits, it said.

"Thus, the passengers has been involved in illegal clearance of gold collectively weighing 3.9 kg, valued at approximately Rs 1.2 crore," the customs department said, adding the accused has been arrested and the gold seized.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A man was today kidnapped by unidentified persons from his house, close to the Indo-Bangladesh border, in Meghalaya's South West Garo Hills (SWGH) district, police said.

The man, identified as Palgun Arengh of Rimtangpara village, was kidnapped in the early hours today, they said.

According to his wife, the man was called out of his house by unknown persons. He went out of his house but did not return.

When he did not return for quite sometime, his wife went looking for him and that is when she realised that he had been kidnapped, superintendent of police, MGR Kumar, said.

Police teams from Purakhasia outpost have been mobilised to trace the man, the SP SAID.

"We are not sure if he has been taken across the border and all border personnel have been alerted," the SP added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Maoist rebel, involved in several cases including the attack on NALCO's bauxite mine at Damanjodi in 2009 in which 11 CISF personnel were killed, today surrendered before the police in Malkangiri district.

The hardcore female Maoist, identified as K Lakshmi alias Sweta alias Kumari, was carrying a reward of Rs 4 lakh on her head, a senior police official said.

Malkangiri superintendent of police Jagmohan Meena said she will be provided with monetary assistance as per the 'Surrender and Rehabilitation Scheme' of the state government.

Financial assistance will also be provided to her for building a house, pursuing studies and obtain training in a trade/vocation of her choice, he said.

Kumar, a resident of Arabeti vullage under Kalimela Police Station limits, was working as an Area Committee Member of Gumma Area Committee of Malkangiri-Koraput-Vishakha-Border division (MKVB) under the Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) from 2008 to 2018.

She is the wife of Dhananjaya Gope of Gumma Area Committee of MKVB Division, the SP said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The director of a private medical college here has been arrested for allegedly cheating students.

Ramesh Badlani (70), director of Modern Institute of Medical Sciences, was arrested by Delhi police from a hotel in the national capital yesterday, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Harinarayanachari Mishra told reporters here.

He was brought here today.

Badlani was absconding and police had announced a reward of Rs 20,000 for any information leading to his arrest.

He is accused of collecting fees of upto Rs five lakh from more than fifty students for admission to medical and nursing courses at the institute, and discontinuing the classes later citing financial difficulties.

The college staff too wasn't allegedly paid their salaries.

The students who had taken admission to the institute held a protest last month, following which police registered a case under IPC sections 420 (cheating) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) against him.

Badlani has a degree in dentistry and had worked in the US in the 1980s before returning to India, police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Home Ministry official, who was arrested for allegedly demanding and accepting bribe during granting of long-term visa to Pakistani immigrants, has been placed under suspension, officials said today.

The ministry is also conducting an inquiry to find out whether there were lacunas in clearing the pending cases of Pakistani immigrants applying for Indian citizenship or extending long-term visa (LTV), and how to improve the whole process.

The official,P K Mishra, a senior secretariat assistant in the Foreigners Division of the Home Ministry, who was arrested along with three others by the Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau last week, has been placed under suspension, an official said.

As per the government rules, any official arrested for any offence and in police custody for more than 48 hours deemed suspended from service.

Mishra was allegedly exploiting the process of delay in taking decisions on grantingIndian citizenship or extending long-term visa to Pakistani immigrants while demanding and accepting bribes, another official said.

He was not the deciding authority but was part of processing the applications.

The home ministry has also received a report from the Rajasthan Police on the arrests and the alleged racket of "bribe-for-visa", the official said.

Rajasthan police officials said the alleged racket was operating in the region for several years in connivance with government officials, who used an extensive network of agents, many of whom were Pakistani Hindu immigrants.

Three other people arrested were Ashok, Govind and Bhagwan Ram, all Pakistani immigrants.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A 14-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped by her neighbour and his two friends, has immolated herself with the family claiming that the police initially refused to act on her complaint here.

Her neighbour Tahir, the main accused in the case, was arrested today, while his two friends, Nissar and Sarfaraz, were on the run, a police officer said.

According to the police officer, the girl, a resident of Sikandar Aurangabad village under Shivala Kalan police station of Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor district, had gone to her neighbour's house asking for a kitchen utensil in the evening of Tuesday.

The main accused allegedly called his two friends and raped her.

After the girl reached home, her parents informed police about the incident at night.

The police did not take the matter seriously, her family alleged.

Late at night, the girl poured kerosene on her and set herself ablaze, her family claimed.

She was rushed to a doctor's clinic for treatment but died yesterday.

The girl's brother lodged a complaint with the police yesterday.

A case has been registered, the police officer said.

Superintendent of Police Umesh Kumar Singh visited the village yesterday and promised action against the erring police officials.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)International investigators probing the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 revealed today for the first time that the missile used to shot down the plane was transported from a Russian military brigade.

The Joint Investigation Team "has come to the conclusion that the BUK-TELAR that shot down MH17 came from 53rd Anti-aircraft Missile Brigade based in Kursk in Russia," top Dutch investigator Wilbert Paulissen said.

"The 53rd Brigade forms part of the Russian armed forces," he told journalists at a press conference in the Netherlands.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Sunni extremists in Pakistan have demolished a historical mosque belonging to the Ahmadiyya community in Punjab province, the latest attack on the minority group in the Muslim-majority country.

A persecuted minority sect, the Ahmadiyya community was declared non-Muslims in Pakistan through a constitutional amendment in 1974 during the tenure of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

The latest mob attack took place in Sialkot last night.

As the local municipal administration started demolishing a private property of an Ahmadiyya follower, about 600 miscreants demolished the nearby mosque later.

Ahmadiyya spokesman Saleemuddin said in a statement that the mob launched the attack at about 11 PM and it continued till 3 AM (local time).

"The place of worship and the house that has been demolished by the mob in Sialkot have great historical significance for members of the Ahmadiyya community all over the world," he said.

The police kept on watching the vandalism and did nothing to prevent the attackers, Saleemuddin alleged, adding that it shows the state institutions have surrendered before the elements that are exploiting in the name of religion in order to fulfil their vested interests.

"Ahmadiyya places of worship have been under attack in the past as well, and so far not even a single culprit has been brought to justice," Saleemuddin alleged.

Ahmadiyya people are not allowed to call their place of worship as mosques.

Former president General Ziaul Haq had made it a punishable offence for Ahmadiyyas to call themselves Muslims or to refer to their faith as Islam.

The community is also banned from preaching as well as from travelling to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage. They are also not allowed to publish any material propagating their faith.

Members of the community in Pakistan have often been targeted, including in terror attacks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The domestic cellphone industry has flagged possible duty evasion in imports of the completely built unit (CBU) of mobile phones, suspected of Chinese origin, from Asean countries under the free trade route.

In a letter to Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia, Indian Cellular Association (ICA) said there is a possibility of customs duty evasion in import of CBUs from Asean countries at zero duty as the mobile devices contain more than 65 per cent material from non-Asean origin.

Government has imposed 20 per cent import duty on mobile phones to promote indigenous manufacturing of the devices as they have security implications.

"We wish to bring to your notice the possibility of substantial case of customs duty evasion in the case of import of CBU of mobile phones from Asean countries, specially Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand, at nil rate," ICA National President Pankaj Mohindroo said in the letter.

India has signed free trade agreements with Asean countries which covers Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Brunei.

Besides, there is a special dispensation for the Philippines which is charged a duty of 2-6 per cent. Other nine countries are largely under the special dispensation of zero duty.

Mohindroo said the zero-duty treatment is available only after a government appointed agency of the exporting country gives a certificate that the device is of Asean origin.

ICA said a product is considered to be of Asean origin if it is produced by its member country, local content by direct method should be 35 per cent and non-ASEAN material can be 65 per cent in the device.

Mohindroo said ICA feels that very few mobile phones are made in Asean.

"Even if the final product is assembled in Asean, the components of the parts are certainly of China origin. Thus, outside material is more than 65 per cent which means that the duty of 20 per cent is being evaded to claim nil duty for an item which fails to fulfil the origin criteria," he said.

ICA had demanded immediate investigation into the matter and examination of flight data from Asean countries, as mobile phones are mainly imported by air.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi today welcomed his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte to India and said he looks forward to holding talks with him later in the day.

Rutte's visit comes within a year of Modi's trip to the Netherlands in June last.

"India welcomes you Prime Minister Rutte. I look forward to our talks today," Modi tweeted in English and Dutch.

Earlier, Rutte had tweeted in Hindi saying he is happy to be in beautiful India.

"India and the Netherlands have shared close relations for the past 70 years which have strengthened over the passage of time. Eager to meet @narendramodi," he wrote on Twitter.

Rutte arrived here today on a two-day visit to India.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Noted environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal today sought appropriate action against a sugar mill for the alleged spillage of molasses into the Beas river in Punjab that killed a large number of fish besides damaging the aquatic ecosystem.

Seechewal made the demand a day after a probe committee found violation of norms related to the storage of molasses by the sugar mill.

The 56-year-old environmentalist also sought legal and penal action against factories in Ludhiana and Jalandhar for discharging industrial effluents in the Sutlej river.

Seechewal, who is also known as Eco Baba, was accredited with the rejuvenation of Kali Bein, a 160-km rivulet located in Doaba region, which had turned into to a "filthy drain" because of effluents.

"Action should be taken against the sugar mill for the violation and compensation should be sought from the mill for the death of large number of fish in Beas," Seechewal told PTI today.

If the stipulated parameters were not followed by the sugar mill, then definitely action taken as per the law, he said.

A large number of fish were found dead in Beas on May 17 after molasses from a sugar mill reportedly leaked into the river in Punjab's Beas town, about 40 km from Amritsar.

The leakage also contaminated the canal-based water used by people in Muktsar, Faridkot and Fazilka districts for drinking purposes.

Mixing of molasses with water, it is suspected, had led to the reduction of oxygen level in river, thus killing tonnes of fish and destroying aquatic ecosystem in Beas. The sugar mill reportedly had termed this incident as an accident.

The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) yesterday issued a notice to the Chadha sugar mill over the molasses leakage incident, seeking its reply on why action should not be initiated for the alleged violations detected by the probe committee.

Yesterday, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh warned against any laxity or leniency in the matter.

Opposition parties including SAD had accused Congress led government of protecting the owner of sugarmill.

Seechewal, who is Padma Shri awardee, also expressed concern over the rampant discharge of industrial effluents and untreated waste into the Sutlej.

"Industry in Ludhiana and Jalandhar is releasing dangerous industrial effluents into the river and it has been happening despite the matter being raised with concerned authorities time and again," said Seechewal.

Besides, sewage by some municipal committees was also being discharged into the river, he said.

"Release of effluents into Sutlej river is dangerous and it is also one of the reasons for the growing number of cancer cases in the state," he emphasised.

Seechewal has also earned accolades for developing an underground low cost sewerage system that collects sewage water from ponds and treats it in a natural way and this water is then used for irrigation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav has sought permission from the Uttar Pradesh estate department to stay in his government bungalow for another two years.

The development comes days after the department served notice on him and five other former chief ministers, asking them to vacate their government bungalows within 15 days following a Supreme Court order.

Estate officer Yogesh Kumar Shukla said Mulayam Singh Yadav had yesterday sent a letter seeking two years' time to stay in the 5, Vikramaditya Marg bungalow, which has been forwarded to the law department.

He said the letter earlier sent by his son Akhilesh Yadav to stay in his bungalow for two years has also been forwarded to the law department.

On May 21, Akhilesh Yadav wrote a letter to the estate officer, saying he should be allowed to live in his 4, Vikramaditya Marg residence for two more years as he does not have any other suitable residential premises to accommodate the security he enjoys as a former chief minister.

"The administration has also provided me Z-plus security cover (including NSG commandoes) for which I need adequate space. Being the current national president of Samajwadi Party, I have various visitors," Yadav had written.

The Supreme Court had on May 7 said former chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh cannot retain government accommodation after demitting office, observing that a CM was at par with a common man once his or her term ends.

Following the order, the Uttar Pradesh government on May 17 issued notices to six former chief ministers to vacate their official bungalows.

The notices sent by the estate department has asked them to vacate their bungalows in 15 days, a senior official said.

Those served notices are Narayan Dutt Tiwari, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Kalyan Singh, Mayawati, Rajnath Singh and Akhilesh Yadav.

The Supreme Court was hearing a petition filed by NGO Lok Prahari, challenging the amendments made by the erstwhile Akhilesh Yadav government to the UP Ministers (Salaries, Allowances and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1981, which allowed former chief ministers to retain their government bungalows for lifetime.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Mumbai municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta today appeared before the Bombay High Court and assured that the court's directions on a plea by some tenants of a building in south Mumbai would be complied with.

Vacation judge Justice S J Kathawala had summoned Mehta after the civic body failed to comply with directions passed by the court on a petition filed by tenants of the century-old Bhatia Building in south Mumbai.

Mehta today appeared before Justice Kathawala, and assured the judge that the corporation would follow the court's orders and submit a report.

The tenants had alleged that the landlords were carrying out unauthorised construction on the ground floor which had damaged the building's foundation beams.

Last month, the landlords assured the court that they would not carry out further work, and would repair the damage caused to the foundation.

The petition had also claimed that excavation work on a plot behind the building was also causing cracks.

The high court then directed that a committee of experts from the municipal corporation and the state housing agency MHADA should visit the building and ensure that no excavation work was carried out.

The court asked the committee to submit a report.

However, the court was informed two days ago that excavation work on the plot was still going on.

The revelation invited the court's wrath on the municipal body.

The authorities were putting tenants' lives in danger, Justice Kathawala said, asking the commissioner to be present.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)N D Tiwari's wife today sought a year's time from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to vacate the government bungalow allotted to the Congress veteran, saying he was ill and in the last stages of life.

Tiwari is among six former UP chief ministers asked to vacate their Lucknow bungalows following a Supreme Court order.

In a letter to Adityanath, Ujjwala Tiwari said her husband has been undergoing treatment at Max Hospital, Saket in New Delhi for eight months and she too was seriously ill.

"In such difficult and uncertain circumstances, it is not possible for either me or my son Rohit Shekhar Tiwari to be away from Delhi for a long time," the letter in Hindi said.

"Though I and my family honour the Supreme Court order, you are also aware that Mr Tiwari is in the last stages of his life and anything could happen any time," she said.

Also citing Tiwari's contribution to the nation, she said the family should be given at least a year's time to vacate the house at 1A Mall Avenue in Lucknow.

She said the bungalow also houses the Pandit Narayan Dutt Tiwari Sarwajan Vikas Foundation'.

Tiwari was chief minister of UP four times and the first elected chief minister of Uttarakhand.

He was admitted to the Delhi hospital on September 20 last year after suffering a brain stroke.

The Uttar Pradesh government issued notices on May 17 to former chief ministers to vacate their official bungalows following the Supreme Court order.

Narayan Dutt Tiwari, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Kalyan Singh, Mayawati, Rajnath Singh and Akhilesh Yadav were asked to vacate them.

While Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh indicated their willingness to do so, the others have expressed reluctance.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In a relief to Jaiprakash Associates, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal today stayed the NCLT order which had directed the realty firm to return nearly 760-acre land to its subsidiary Jaypee Infratech.

The appellate tribunal also admitted the petition filed by the three lenders -- Axis Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and ICICI Bank, and issued notices to the resolution professional (RP) of the Jaypee Infratech.

A two member NCLAT bench headed by Chairman Justice S J Mukhopadhyaya said that the finding of NCLT that fraud has been committed on the mortgaged property by Jaiprakash Associates to the banks was not based on 'evidence' or 'in accordance with law'.

"The impugned order dated.... passed by designated authority (NCLT) Allahabad in so far as direction to ROC is concerned remains stayed," the appellate tribunal said.

NCLAT has also said that Anuj Jain, RP of debt-ridden Jaypee Infratech, may file reply, including evidence if any that mortgage is fraudulent or that mortgage was created in collusion with the directors or partners of the company.

It further said: "During the pendency of appeal Corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP) would continue".

During the proceedings, the tribunal also observed: "NCLT is not a civil court...it has no right to declare an instrument illegal".

NCLAT has posted the matter on July 13 for next hearing.

Passing an order on May 16 NCLT had asked JAL to return nearly 760 acre land to its subsidiary Jaypee Infratech, declaring the transfer of the land as "fraudulent" and "undervalued".

NCLT had directed JP Group's flagship firm Jaiprakash Associates to release and discharge interest created over the patch of land to lenders, including ICICI Bank.

The order had come over a petition filed by Jaypee Infratech's resolution professional (RP) Anuj Jain in the NCLT, seeking direction over the transactions entered by the company's promoters, creating mortgage on its 858 acre to secure debt for Jaiprakash Associates.

In the 77-page order, the tribunal had listed out the details of six parcels of land totalling 759 acres land in Agra and Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh.

However, the NCLT directed to return only 759 acre out of total 858 acre as it found that the transaction related to 100 acre in Aligarh district was entered before the start period of CIRP .

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A little-known lawyer charged with forming Italy's next Italian government -- after over two months of political uncertainty -- will on today begin work on his cabinet.

Italy's president yesterday approved Giuseppe Conte's nomination to be prime minister of a government formed by the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the far-right League.

Conte, who hails from Five Star, said that he would present President Sergio Mattarella with his cabinet, which has been the subject of days of tough negotiations between Five Star and the League, within "the next few days".

The list of ministerial candidates must be endorsed by Mattarella before it can seek parliamentary approval.

Italian media reported that League chief Matteo Salvini would become interior minister while Five Star leader Luigi Di Maio would be in charge of the economic development ministry.

"The President of the Republic has tasked me with the role of forming a government," Conte told reporters on Wednesday evening after a nearly two-hour meeting with President Mattarella.

Conte's appointment could herald an end to the political limbo in the eurozone's third-biggest economy -- but the coalition's eurosceptic and anti-immigrant stance has alarmed senior European officials.

However, 53-year-old Conte, unveiled Monday as anti-establishment Five Star Movement and nationalist League's pick for premier, sought a more conciliatory tone towards Europe when speaking to journalists at the presidential Quirinal palace.

"I'm aware of the necessity to confirm Italy's place, both in Europe and internationally," said Conte, who cast himself as the "people's lawyer".

"My intent is to give life to a government of the people that looks after their interests. I'm ready to defend the interests of Italians in Europe and internationally, maintaining dialogue with European institutions and representatives of other countries."



Mattarella has reportedly been concerned about plans by the two parties in negotiation to name Paolo Savona as economy minister.

Minister for industry between 1993-94, Savona, 81, was staunchly opposed to the signing of the Maastricht Treaty and has said he considers the euro currency a "German cage".

A joint government programme unveiled by the parties on Friday pledges significant anti-austerity measures such as drastic tax cuts, a monthly basic income and pension reform rollbacks, which Di Maio and Salvini claim will boost growth.

EU officials have voiced concern that Italy could trigger a new eurozone crisis by refusing to stick to public spending and debt targets set by Brussels.

Pierre Moscovici, the EU Economic Affairs Commissioner, said on Wednesday that Italy must deliver a "credible" response on how it will reduce its debt, the eurozone's second largest in proportion to GDP.

The Milan stock exchange lost 1.31 percent Wednesday, while the difference in yield on Italian 10-year sovereign bonds compared to Germany's has increased 60 base points to 191 in just eight days -- a sign of increasing investor concern for Italy's financial stability.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A high-level meeting chaired by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, today reviewed the steps taken by the state government to contain the outbreak of Nipah virus, which has claimed 11 lives so far.

Directions have been given to continue vigil and to strengthen the state's monitoring mechanism, besides increasing awareness about the virus and strengthening precautionary measures, a government press release said.

Those who attended the meeting included state Health Minister K K Shylaja, Chief Secretary Paul Antony, the chief Minister's private secretary M V Jayarajan and Chief Principal Secretary to the CM, Nalini Netto.

A committee led by the chief secretary will monitor the situation continuously. Ribavirin tablets, an anti-viral medicine are being distributed and officials have been asked to send the medicines to all affected areas, the release said.

To discuss issues relating to outbreak of the virus, an all-party meeting has also been called at the Kozhikode collectorate tomorrow in which representatives of political parties, MPs and MLAs will participate. Health minister Shylaja, Labour Minister T P Ramakrishnan and Transport minister A K Saseendran, will attend the all-party meeting.

Later in the evening, a meeting of heads of local bodies will also be held.

A central team of experts, who rushed to provide assistance to the state government immediately after the outbreak of the virus and health ministers of other states have expressed satisfaction with the steps taken by the LDF government so far, the statement said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) has extended the deadline for submission of expression of interest to June 8 from May 25 and also relaxed eligibility norms for 1GW offshore wind capacities to be set up off the Gujarat coast.

The NIWE, which is an autonomous body under Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, had invited expression of interest (EoI) last month for 1GW offshore wind capacities to be set up off the Gujarat coast.

In corrigendum issued today, the NIWE said the interested bidder can submit their EoI proposal by 1700hrs on June 8, 2018 instead of May 25, 2018.

Relaxing the eligibility criteria, the corrigendum stated that the global entities having experience of installing offshore wind projects of more than 250 MW will be eligible.

Initially, the NIWE had said the global entities having experience of installing offshore wind projects of more than 500 MW will be eligible.

The EoI notice provided that the final selection of developer of the first offshore wind farm will be taken up through competitive bidding only. But now the shortlisted parties will be consulted for preparation of bidding documents.

Earlier, the coordinates were given for setting up the offshore wind capacities. Now, it provides that the project site may not be restricted to the coordinates given earlier. The interested bidder may select any location within the EEZ (exclusive economic zone) of India subject to clearance from concerned ministries/departments as per National Offshore Wind Energy Policy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)There has been over 300 per cent increase in the incidents of cross-border firing along the India-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir this year so far, leading to maximum deaths and injuries to BSF personnel in the last five years, an official data said.

According to the data accessed by PTI, over 300 unprovoked firing incidents have taken place this year till now, leading to the killing of five Border Security Force (BSF) personnel and injuring 34 of their colleagues who were deployed along the frontier areas of the international border in Jammu region.

In comparison to this, a total of 111 unprovoked cross-border firing instances took place last year along this front while the figures were 204 incidents (in 2016), 350 (in 2015) and 127 during 2014.

Two personnel of the border guarding force were killed and seven injured due to sniping and mortar shelling last year while three BSF personnel were killed and 10 injured in such incidents in 2016.

Similarly, a BSF jawan was killed and five were injured in 2015 and two of its men were killed while 14 were injured in 2014 at this border front in Jammu and Kashmir.

The BSF had launched three special operations -- Rustam (2016), Arjun (2017) and Bheem (2019)-- as part of the government mandated 'befitting reply' policy for retaliation of such firing incidents.

The latest spell of these incidents began when Pakistan Rangers and their other units started shelling areas along the IB from May 15 and till now 11 people including 9 civilians and 2 jawans have been killed and over 60 people, including over 48 civilians injured.

The guns were relatively silent today along the IB in Jammu after nine days, a senior official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Gwyneth Paltrow has praised ex-boyfriend Brad Pitt for confronting Harvey Weinstein after she told him that the producer had tried to misbehave with her in a hotel room in 1995.

In a New York Times article published last year, Paltrow and many other female stars had accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct.

Weinstein had called Paltrow for a meeting in his hotel room after she signed "Emma" and offered to massage her shoulders and lure her into his bedroom.

"I was blindsided. I told (Pitt) right away and I was very shaken by the whole thing, and I had signed up to do two movies with (Weinstein)," she told Howard Stern on his radio show.

Paltrow, 45, revealed that Pitt, 54, threatened to kill the producer after she told him about her "weird" encounter with the producer.

An angry Pitt approached Weinstein on the opening night of a Broadway's Hamlet in 1995.

"He (Pitt) told me exactly what he said. He said, 'If you ever make her feel uncomfortable again, I'll kill you.' It was great."



"It was the equivalent of throwing him against the wall, energetically. It was so fantastic because what he did was, he leveraged his fame and power to protect me at a time when I didn't have fame or power yet. He's the best," Paltrow said.

Weinstein, a heavyweight Hollywood producer, had a spectacular fall from grace after numerous women accused him of sexual harassment and sexual assault.

The revelations against him sparked global anti-harassment movements such as #MeToo and Time's Up.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Alleging that Beijing is engaged in "destabilising behaviour" in the South China Sea, the Pentagon today kicked out China from its annual maritime military exercise.

Asserting that the US is committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific, the Pentagon said China's continued militarisation of disputed features in the South China Sea only serve to raise tensions and "destabilise" the region.

"As an initial response to China's continued militarisation of the South China Sea, we have disinvited the PLA Navy from the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise. China's behaviour is inconsistent with the principles and purposes of the RIMPAC exercise," Lt Col Christopher B Logan said.

The Department of Defense, he said, has strong evidence that China has deployed anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems and electronic jammers to contested features in the Spratly Islands region of the South China Sea.

Logan said China's landing of bomber aircraft at Woody Island has also raised tensions.

"While China has maintained that the construction of the islands is to ensure safety at sea, navigation assistance, search and rescue, fisheries protection and other non-military functions, the placement of these weapon systems is only for military use," he said.

The Pentagon called on China to remove the military systems immediately and to reverse course on the militarisation of the disputed South China Sea features.

"We believe these recent deployments and the continued militarisation of these features is a violation of the promise that President Xi made to the United States and the World not to militarise the Spratly Islands," Logan said.

Separately Congressman Mac Thornberry, who is Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said this year's National Defense Authorization Act or NDAA prioritizes military readiness and strengthens key partnerships while also underscoring that the long-term strategic competition with China is a principal priority for the US.

The NDAA bolsters the Department of Defense's efforts to plan for and provide the necessary forces, military infrastructure, logistics capabilities and bilateral and multilateral training in the region through the Indo-Pacific Stability Initiative.

It invests in critical military capabilities to deter aggression and respond rapidly to crisis and supports strong missile defense systems to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, including the DoD's development of new capabilities and efforts to provide for a layered defense of the homeland.

The NDAA as passed by the House Armed Services Committee renames the US Pacific Command to US Indo-Pacific Command to emphasise the Commands' responsibility across the Pacific and Indian Oceans and requires the Department of Defense to conduct a study on the operational requirements needed for language expertise in Korean, Chinese Mandarin and Russian, and a plan to address any shortfalls.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the convocation of Visva Bharati University at Shantiniketan tomorrow in the presence of his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina.

He will also inaugurate the Bangladesh Bhavan a symbol of cultural ties between India and Bangladesh at Shantiniketan. Hasina will also be present at the event, an official statement said here.

Later in the day, Modi will travel to Jharkhand where he will lay the foundation stone of various projects of central and state governments at an event in Sindri.

These include revival of Sindri Fertilizer Project of Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Ltd, Ranchi City Gas Distribution Project by GAIL, AIIMS, Deoghar, Development of Deoghar airport and Patratu super thermal power project of 3x800 MW capacity, the statement said.

He will also witness the exchange of MoUs for 'jan aushadhi kendras' and later address the gathering.

In Ranchi, the prime minister will interact with the district collectors of 'aspirational' districts of Jharkhand.

Launched by the PM in January, the transformation of aspirational districts' programme aims to quickly and effectively transform these districts to raise the living standards of their people.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not confer the 'Desikottam', Visva-Bharati University's highest award, during its convocation ceremony tomorrow due to paucity of time, an official said.

The announcement, however, drew a sharp reaction from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Sabujkali Sen, officiating vice-chancellor of the university, said there were previous instances when the award had been conferred to international dignitaries not at the annual convocation, but during special convocation programmes organised by the university.

"For the time being, the award ceremony is being deferred due to paucity of time. In the 60s too, the award was not conferred due to paucity of time. It was later conferred to eminent personalities," Sen told newsmen here.

The West Bengal chief minister, however, expressed "unhappiness" over the decision and said she was "shocked".

In April, the Visva-Bharati academic council had proposed to honour Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, author Amitav Ghosh, poet Gulzar, writer Suniti Kumar Pathak, Rabidra Sangeet exponent Dwijen Mukherjee, physicist Ashok Sen and painter Jogen Chowdhury with the 'Desikottam' award.

The university executive council had approved the names in May.

Banerjee, who arrived here today, said, "I am unhappy. Those who were supposed to get the award were not getting it. Amitabh Bachchan's name was there, Dwijen Mukherjee's name was there. They are above politics. They deserve it (the Desikottam). They should have got it".

"I do not want to go into the reasons why they are not getting the award. I am shocked," she said.

The chief minister said it was not new for her to attend the (Visva-Bharati) convocation.

"This time I have come here as the prime ministers of India and Bangladesh will be there. The convocation is not the place for doing politics. And Visva-Bharati is our pride," she asserted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The ED today filed its first charge sheet in the over USD 2 billion PNB fraud case involving diamantaire Nirav Modi and his associates stating that over Rs 6,400 crore of bank funds were allegedly laundered abroad to dummy companies by him and others.

It alleged that a sum of USD 50 million, out of these monies, was "diverted" to Modi's father Deepak Modi who is reported to be based in Antwerp in Belgium.

Officials said an about 12,000-page charge sheet or prosecution complaint, with the operative part being about 80 pages, has been filed before a special court here under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

"The court will soon take cognisance of the charge sheet," a senior official said.

A total of 24 accused have been listed in the charge sheet, filed under section 45 of the PMLA, including Nirav Modi, his father, brother Neeshal Modi, sister Purvi Modi, brother-in-law Mayank Mehta and the designer jewellers' firms--Ms Solar Exports, Stellar Diamonds and Diamonds R Us.

"These firms and Modi's Firestar group of companies had fraudulently obtained Rs 6,498 crore through Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) issued by the Punjab National Bank, Brady House branch in Mumbai," the central probe agency said in a statement.

The funds so obtained, it said, by the three were "partly utilised for payment to various overseas companies and also for offsetting earlier LOUs".

"It was revealed during investigation that the payments were made to 17 overseas entities in Hong Kong, Dubai and the USA since 2011 in the guise of export and import," the agency said in its charge sheet.

It added that its probe revealed that all these overseas firms are "dummy companies" of Nirav Modi and the directors and shareholders of these companies were "dummy directors" and were employees or ex-employees of Firestar group of companies who were working on directions of Nirav Modi and his other trusted officials-- Shyamsunder Wadhwa (Firestar vice president who was arrested by the ED in the case), Aditya Nanavati, Mihir Bhansali (US-based partner of Nirav Modi) and Saju Poulose.

It said the modus operandi of money laundering was to show manufacturing activities in these dummy overseas companies by over-valuing invoices and inflating balance sheets.

"The export and import was also not genuine and was just rotational transactions. The jewellery exported from India was dismantled and diamonds and pearls were taken out and the gold and silver was sent for melting," it said.

The melted metals, the ED said in the charge sheet, were re-exported to Dubai and India and diamonds and pearls were also separately re-exported to India.

The whole process, it said, was carried out without any substantial value addition and was only carried out for inflating the turnover of Indian companies in order to acquire maximum credit facilities from the banks.

"Till date, diversion of the proceeds of crime to the extent of USD 629.21 million has been traced to several group companies, relatives, other dummy companies under Nirav Modi's control," the ED said.

It added that on the basis of this information, the ED has sent Letters Rogatories (LRs) to 15 countries till now for seeking evidences.

The agency would soon file a second charge sheet against Modi's uncle and jeweller Mehul Choksi and his businesses, who are also accused in this case.

The ED had registered an FIR, called the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), in this instance on February 14.

The CBI had also filed two charge sheets in this case early this month.

Nirav Modi, who is absconding and has not joined the ED probe in the case till now, and others are being probed under various criminal laws after the fraud came to light this year following a complaint by the Punjab National Bank that they allegedly cheated the nationalised bank to the tune of over Rs 13,000 crore, with the purported involvement of a few employees of the bank.

Both Nirav Modi and Choksi are said to have left the country before criminal cases were lodged against them.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)US President Donald Trump, known to use Twitter to announce major policy decisions of his administration, today misspelled the North Korean leader's name, referring to him as "Kim Jung Un".

While the White House released Trump's letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to reporters, the US president later tweeted his letter from his personal Twitter account.

In the tweet, he misspelled the North Korean leader's name, referring to him as "Kim Jung Un".

But the White House letter has Kim's correct name and addresses him as the Chairman of the State Affairs Committee of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

President Trump had boasted during the campaign that he has the "best words." If the past 14 months in the White House are an indication, he and his team also have the worst spelling, the Washington Post had said recently.

Among the many casualties of Washington's protocols in the Trump era has been rigorous attention to the accuracy of the printed word whether it's the president's typo-filled tweets or the White House's error-prone releases, the paper had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Actor and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Priyanka Chopra today sought to draw the world's attention to the plight of Myanmar's Rohingya refugees, as she met Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and lauded the country for its response to the massive humanitarian crisis.

Chopra, who arrived in Bangladesh on Monday on a four-day visit, also visited and met some of the displaced Rohingyas of Myanmar living in the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, a town on the southeast coast of the country.

"The world should learn from Bangladesh," a spokesperson from the prime minister's office quoted Chopra as saying during her meeting with Hasina.

The prime minister's additional press secretary Nazrul Islam said the Bollywood star particularly praised Hasina for shouldering the burden of over a million "forcibly displaced" ethnic minority population of Myanmar during her courtesy visit at the premier's Gonobhaban residence this afternoon.

Chopra, 35, who visited the Rohingya camps for the second time, shared her comparative experience of interacting with the children there, saying over the months they overcame the trauma of violence they witnessed at their homeland, the official said.

"Earlier, when I visited the Rohingya camps I asked the children to draw a picture ... they drew pictures of arms, gunfire and mortar shell from roving helicopters.

"As I told them to do the same this time they drew pictures of sun, animals and nature," Chopra said, terming the change as a "testimony of their inside healing".

"And it was possible due to your motherly shelter and security," she told Hasina.

The prime minister's sister, Sheikh Rehana, and family members were present during the call on.

Chopra, however, feared the Rohingya children still were exposed to a hazardous situation in their camps.

On behalf of the UN's children emergency relief fund, she called upon the international community to extend all out support for the Rohingyas.

The "Quantico" star told Hasina that she was concerned about the possibility of a "generation loss" of a particular ethnicity as a large number of children have no access to education and passing their days roaming around.

"The children may go astray and even become extremists if they are deprived of the opportunity of having education," Chopra feared.

Hasina told Chopra that her government has given shelter to the Rohingyas solely on humanitarian ground as people of Bangladesh experienced the same situation in 1971.

Hasina also said that her government has been making efforts to give the Rohaingyas all support, but it was not possible alone for Bangladesh to mitigate their sufferings and UNICEF and other international agencies should come forward with more support.

According to the UN, the humanitarian crisis caused by escalating violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State has forced close to seven lakh Rohingyas to cross the border into Cox's Bazar.

Not only has the pace of arrivals since August last year till April this year has made this the fastest growing refugee crisis in the world, the concentration of refugees in Cox's Bazar is now amongst the densest in the world.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Contractual sanitation workers of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), on a protest demanding regularisation of jobs and better wages, dumped garbage outside prominent buildings such as Shastri Bhavan and Rail Bhavan in Lutyens' Delhi today.

"We have dumped the garbage so that attention is paid to our demands," a protesting sanitation worker said.

Shastri Bhavan houses the offices of various ministries such as HRD Ministry and Women and Child Development Ministry.

The protesting workers also dumped garbage outside NDMC's Convention Centre.

Devendra, another protesting sanitation worker, said, "I have been working with NDMC for 15 years now. My job has neither been regularised nor my wages have been increased."



Garbage dumps affected traffic in some areas.

"Poor workers spilling the garbage on road in NDMC area, traffic getting choked. Just near RK Ashram metro towards Gole Market. Entire stretch with stench. Why poor need to agitate under a Rich NDMC?" a Twitter user posted.

NDMC areas are home to the high and mighty of the city, housing bungalows of Union ministers and parliamentarians, many top industrialists, among others. Parliament House, buildings of all the ministries, Supreme Court, High Court and residences of Supreme Court judges, senior bureaucrats and senior military officers are in NDMC areas.

NDMC officials, when contacted, refused to comment on the matter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Home Minister Rajnath Singh today ordered stepped up vigil along the international borders, amidst heightened tensions with Pakistan on the western frontier.

A home ministry spokesperson said the directive has been given at a high-level meeting which took stock of the progress of construction of border fencing, roads and outposts along India's borders with neighbouring countries.

The home minister has directed all officials concerned to maintain constant vigil and security on the borders, the spokesperson said.

At least 11 people were killed and 60 others injured during nine days of intense shelling by Pakistani troops along the Indo-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir till yesterday.

The shelling and firing stopped yesterday afternoon along the international border.

With regard to the Indo-Pakistan border, the home minister expressed satisfaction that 97 per cent of the sanctioned border fencing work has been completed.

Singh also reviewed implementation of pilot projects on Comprehensive Integrated Border Management Systems (CIBMS) on non-physical barriers.

He also stressed on utilising space technology for strengthening border guarding and policing.

The home minister stressed that coastal security is of utmost importance and appreciated action taken by the state governments and Union Territories for operationalisation of 194 coastal police stations duly equipped with boats and other equipments.

He underlined the need for better cooperation among various agencies engaged in maintaining coastal security.

Singh directed that the next phase of the coastal security scheme should be expedited in consultation with stakeholders like the Navy, Coast Guard, state governments, etc.

He complimented proactive role being played by Central Armed Forces and Navy and Coast Guard and directed that vigil may be maintained on all borders including coastal areas while protecting all legitimate and humane considerations of local population.

Identifying that land acquisition remained an issue, he called for expediting the same especially along the country's eastern borders.

Expressing satisfaction over the working of six newly established Integrated Check Posts, Singh called for construction of 13 more ICPs along Indo-Nepal, Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Bhutan borders. These Integrated Check Posts will facilitate cross border trade and movement of people.

The meeting was attended by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, Special Secretary (Border Management) B R Sharma besides others.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Rohingyas should not live in India and neither should those who sympathise with them, BJP leader Vinay Katiyar said today, days after Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra visited Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh.

The actor, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, visited the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar on Monday and described the crisis as "horrific".

The 35-year-old actor also urged people to help the affected children.

VIPs should not visit there (Rohingya refugee camps). This sends out a wrong message... Priyanka ji should not have gone there. These people (VIPs) should avoid going there. Rohingya Muslims should not live here and nor should those who sympathise with them, Katiyar said.

He added that Rohingya Muslims had killed thousands of Hindus and humiliated their daughters so they should be sent out of the country.

According to the United Nations, nearly 300,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar's Rakhine state to go to Bangladesh after a fresh wave of violence erupted when militants attacked police posts. The Rohingyas allege that the military and Rakhine Buddhists responded with a brutal campaign against them.

Amnesty International has claimed in a recent report claimed that Rohingya militants massacred Hindu villagers during last year's uprising in Rakhine.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)South Korean President Moon Jae-in convened emergency talks with his top security aides late today after US President Donald Trump cancelled his planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Seoul's Yonhap agency reported.

Moon summoned his chief of staff, top security advisor, intelligence chief, unification minister and others to the presidential Blue House at 1130 pm (local time), his press secretary Yoon Young-chan said in a message to reporters, according to Yonhap.

Officials in Seoul "are trying to figure out what President Trump's intention is and the exact meaning of it", Yonhap reported, quoting presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom, following Trump's decision to pull out of the high-stakes meeting agreed for June 12 in Singapore.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The 16-day long strike by sanitation workers in Haryana was today called off after the state government conceded to most of the demands including hike in salary and allowances.

"The agitating Safai and sewer karamcharis in Haryana have decided to call off their strike," Haryana Urban Local Bodies Minister, Kavita Jain told reporters here.

Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Krishan Kumar Bedi, and Minister of State for Cooperation, Manish Grover, also jointly addressed a press conference along with Jain after a meeting with office-bearers of the Municipal Workers Union and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, here today.

Both unions announced their decision to end the strike.

The Safai and sewer karamcharis of municipal bodies in Haryana will now get a lump sum salary of Rs 13,500 per month. Besides, it has also been decided to end the practice of contractual engagement and absorb the employees in the payroll of the department, the ministers told reporters.

Giving details, Jain said the broom allowance would be raised from Rs 2 to Rs 150 per month and safai allowance from Rs 350 to Rs 1,000 per month.

"It has also been decided to increase the allowance being given in lieu of work on a holiday from Rs 600 to Rs 1,000 and washing allowance from Rs 240 to Rs 440 per month," she said.

She said the government had already set up a separate directorate of fire services. The vacancies of fireman would be re-advertised to provide benefit to contractual fireman employed at present.

They would be given time to meet the revised qualifications like education till class 12, fire fighting course and heavy driving license. Till then, they would not be removed, she said.

Regarding regularisation of the services of contractual employees, a committee will be constituted to formulate a policy. It would also include office-bearers of the two employees' unions. Employees bereft of the benefit of equal work, equal pay would get the benefit, Jain said.

The Urban Local Bodies Department has decided to create a web portal application under which any employee of the department who feels that he or she should get the benefit of equal work, equal pay, can apply. The case would be decided within two months, she added.

Earlier, in a bid to end the strike, the Haryana Government had set up a committee under the chairmanship of Jain, to hold meetings with leaders of the striking workers and work out on agreement on their demands.

Krishan Kumar Bedi and Manish Grover were members of the committee.

Notably, garbage has piled up at several places across the state as the standoff between the striking employees and government continued over past fortnight.

Prior to today's meeting, talks between the state government and the representatives of the striking employees on past two occasions had failed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Saudi air defences today intercepted a ballistic missile over the southern city of Jizan after it was fired from rebel-held territory in neighbouring Yemen, a Saudi-led military coalition said.

Debris from the missile landed in residential areas of Jizan without causing casualties, coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency.

Yemen's Huthi rebels claimed the attack via their outlet Al-Masirah, saying the "Badr 1" missile had targeted Jizan's port.

The insurgents have in recent months ramped up missile attacks against neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition against them.

Another rebel missile was intercepted over Jizan on Monday and two rebel missiles targeted the southern city of Khamis Mushait on Saturday, according to Maliki, who said there were no casualties.

Saudi Arabia earlier this month tested a new siren system for the capital Riyadh and the oil-rich Eastern Province, in a sign of the increasing challenge posed by the rebels' arms.

Riyadh accuses its regional rival Tehran of supplying the Huthis with ballistic missiles, a charge Iran denies.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other allies intervened in Yemen in 2015 to push back the rebels and restore the internationally-recognised government to power after the Huthis ousted it from swathes of the country including the capital Sanaa.

The conflict has left nearly 10,000 people dead and more than 55,000 wounded, according to the World Health Organisation.

More than 2,200 others have died from cholera and millions are on the verge of famine in what the United Nations says is the world's gravest humanitarian crisis.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Researchers from a Scottish university have demonstrated a novel parasite behaviour which offers a potential new target for malaria diagnosis and intervention.

The new discovery in the parasite's biology is revealed across a set of three studies led by the University of Glasgow's Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, which are published in 'Nature Communications', 'Science Advances' and 'MBio' journals this week.

Malaria, a blood borne disease caused by single cell parasites, remains a major global public health issue with millions of cases, and nearly half a million deaths every year.

The researchers have discovered that malaria parasites can occupy sites outside the bloodstream, specifically in the bone marrow and spleen where red blood cells are formed.

The studies show in animal models and human infection that this is the major niche for the development of malaria transmission stages and a significant reservoir for the parasite's replicative stages.

The researchers demonstrate, for the first time, the movement of blood stage parasite forms and their migration across the vascular barrier to other parts of the body.

Further, the work demonstrates that localisation in the bone marrow and spleen allows the parasite not only to build a "reservoir of infection", but also to gain additional protection from certain antimalarial drugs including the current frontline drug artemisinin.

The findings from these new studies show why malaria parasites invading the bone marrow and spleen, where red blood cells are formed, could be crucial to targeting the disease.

Professor Andy Waters, Director of the Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, said: "These papers together represent a step forward in our understanding of the behaviour of the malaria parasite. It is possible that bone marrow serves as the reservoir of infection avoiding the immune system and preferentially producing and releasing gametocytes so that when mosquitoes appear the disease can be retransmitted".

Professor James Brewer, Chair in Basic Immunology at the Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, said: "These findings will also allow us to potentially find new drug targets for the disease, redefine what drugs have to achieve in terms of parasite killing and find new ways to fight back against the malaria parasite".

Malaria is a blood borne disease caused by single cell parasites that invade, grow and then replicate in red blood cells, which then burst releasing new parasites that initiate a new blood stage cycle of invasion a process which makes malaria such a deadly disease.

Malaria is transmitted by female mosquitoes which themselves become infected when they take up parasites from an infected person as they take their blood meal.

However, this human to mosquito transmission is only achieved if a small subset of blood borne parasites have escaped the cycle described above and instead have developed into a specialised form (a gametocyte) for transmission.

Matthias Marti, Professor of Parasitology, said: "Malaria has a complex lifecycle which involves stages within the Anopheles mosquito, and within the human host, and past research to develop effective therapeutics targeting transmission has specifically focused on the mosquito stage.

"In close collaboration with the lab of Prof Volker Heussler (University of Berne, Switzerland) we have unravelled novel biological features of the parasite in its natural bone marrow and spleen environment, and we anticipate that these exciting findings will open up a new area of research. At the same time, we will evaluate the potential of our study for a new target for malaria diagnosis and intervention".

'A cryptic cycle in haematopoietic niches promotes initiation of malaria transmission and evasion of chemotherapy' is published in 'Nature Communications'; 'Bone marrow is a major parasite reservoir in Plasmodium vivax infection' is published in 'MBio'; and 'Plasmodium gametocytes display homing and vascular transmigration in the host bone marrow' is published in 'Science Advances'.

Two of the three studies were performed in an international collaborative effort including groups led by Prof Volker Heussler (University of Berne, Switzerland), Prof Terrie Taylor (College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi), Profs Dyann Wirth, Manoj Duraisingh and Curtis Huttenhower (Harvard University, Boston, USA), Prof Tom Wellems (National Institute of Health, Bethesda, USA) and Dr Nicanor Obaldia (Gorgas Institute, Panama).

The Glasgow work was funded by the Wellcome Trust, the MRC and BoneMalar. The work of Prof Marti is funded through an European Research Council grant worth around 2.3 million euro.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The search for MH-370, the Malaysia Airlines flight which vanished on March 8, 2014, is in its final week, authorities in that country have informed a Pune resident whose wife was on the ill-fated aircraft.

Prahlad Shirsath, husband of Kranti Shirsath, however, said he would never give up the hope that some about the plane would surface one day.

The aircraft vanished with 239 people on board en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

The Malaysian government had entered into an agreement for the search of MH370 with Ocean Infinity Limited, an American exploration firm, in January this year.

"Today I received an email from the Malaysian government informing that the search operation is in the final week," Shirsath told PTI.

The 90-day search for MH370 by Ocean Infinity which started in January ended in April without any finding. It was extended till May 29 on the Malaysian government's request, the email said.

"We hope that Ocean Infinity would be able to find the aircraft. We will continue to engage the authorities to get more updates on this, including what happens next, and will keep you informed," the email added.

Besides Kranti Shirsath, four other Indians -- Vinod Kolekar, Chetana Kolekar, Swanand Kolekar and Chandrika Sharma -- were on board the missing aircraft.

"Since the plane went missing four years ago, this is the fifth or sixth search operation to trace its remains. Every time it begins, we have new hope, which turns into despair eventually," Shirsath said.

He as well as relatives of other missing passengers receive regular weekly updates from the Malaysian government about the search, he said.

"Even if the present search operation is likely to end on May 29, I am hopeful that someday we will hear about the missing plane," he said.

The family has already received the death certificate of his wife from the Malaysian government, he said.

"We, the families of the missing passengers, still appeal to Malaysian government to continue the search," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today attacked his "loudmouth" rivals, in an apparent reference to RJD and its leaders who have been very vocal in his criticism since he joined hands with the BJP, and said he believed in working for people unlike his detractors.

Campaigning for his party for the Jokihat assembly by-poll in this north Bihar district, Kumar dismissed allegations that he had given up secularism by joining hands with the BJP. He underscored his government's commitment to maintaining harmony and highlighted measures taken for the betterment of the minorities.

"Nobody should harbour any illusions," Kumar told electors in the Muslim-dominated assembly segment. "My government is committed to upholding social harmony and those who try to cause disturbances are never spared."



His comments come in the backdrop of communal tensions various parts of the state witnessed during the Ram Navami earlier this year.

Commencing his speech with Ramzan greetings, the JD(U) national president pointed out the "lack" of spread of education and budgetary allocation for minority communities in Bihar until he assumed power in 2005.

"Some loudmouths have the habit of talking big. When they come to you, you must question them on these counts. You must also ask them why they did not muster the courage to ban sale and consumption of alcohol, which is transforming lives since we enforced prohibition two years ago", he said.

Lalu Prasad's RJD and its leaders, especially Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav, have been attacking the JD(U)-BJP government over liquor ban for the past two years, saying it was targeting the poor sections of the society.

The May-28 by-poll at Jokihat has been necessitated by the resignation of sitting MLA Sarfaraz Alam, who quit the party earlier this year and got elected to the Lok Sabha from Araria on an RJD ticket.

The Araria Lok Sabha seat had fallen vacant upon the death of his father Mohammad Taslimuddin. The RJD has fielded Alam's younger brother Shahnawaz in the by-poll.

The chief minister also took a swipe at Alam saying, "While I thank the people of Jokihat for having blessed us with victory in two consecutive assembly polls, I am sad that Sarfaraz deserted us and ran away".

Among others who addressed the rally was BJP spokesman Syed Shahnawaz Hussain.

Hussain told reporters, "Our candidate will win the by-poll hands down in a befitting reply to those who believe in dynasty "



Meanwhile, talking to reporters in Patna, Tejashwi Yadav accused the JD(U) chief of fielding "a tainted candidate, named in cases relating to heinous offences like murder, rape and loot".

The JD(U) has fielded Murshid Alam, a former Panchayat Mukhiya, who had joined the party a couple of years ago.

Yadav's allegations were rubbished by JD(U) MLC Ashok Chowdhury, currently in Araria for poll campaign, who pointed towards the criminal background of Mohd Taslimuddin.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A bipartisan group of more than two dozen Senators today urged the Trump administration to safeguard critical military and dual-use technology from China.

There can be no question that China seeks to surpass the US both economically and militarily and become the world's foremost superpower, and neither the federal government nor the private US companies should aid and abet that effort, the senators wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

"As such, we implore you to reject any proposal to soften restrictions on the transfer to China of US-made military technologies and advanced dual-use technologies, including semiconductors," said the letter, which among others was signed by Senators Chuck Schumer, Marco Rubio, Dianne Feinstein, Susan Collins, Sherrod Brown, Mark Warner, Ted Cruz, Kamala Harris Chuck Grassley and John Cornyn.

"We urge you not to compromise lawful US enforcement actions against serial and pre-meditated violators of US law, such as ZTE," the lawmakers said.

They said it was particularly critical when the violators are state-owned and part and parcel of China's policies and practices designed to strengthen the country's national security innovation base and essential tools of efforts to spread China's influence in other countries that pose national security threats to the US.

"Export control and sanctions laws should not be negotiable, because fidelity to the rule of law is a key part of what distinguishes the US from a country like China that is ruled by a Communist dictatorship," the letter said.

To support its military modernisation, the Senators argued, China uses a variety of methods to acquire foreign military and dual-use technologies.

Several cases emerged in 2016 of China using its intelligence services and employing other illicit approaches that violate US laws and export controls to obtain national security and export-restricted technologies, controlled equipment and other materials, they said.

"Clearly, the Chinese Communist Party regards these sensitive technologies as essential for China's military modernisation and is accelerating its efforts to acquire such technologies through both legal and illegal means, including cyber theft, civil-military integration policies, coercion through joint ventures with foreign companies, targeted investment and exploitation of the access of private Chinese nationals to such technologies," wrote the Senators.

"We must guard against such efforts and remain vigilant in protecting our national security innovation base," they said.

Speaking on the Senate floor, Senator Marco Rubio alleged that the Chinese state-directed telecommunications firms like ZTE pose a threat to the US.

"It's time to wake up to this threat because we have two ways forward. There can be a balanced relationship between two great powers, leading to a world that is stable and secure in prosperity. Or we can have an imbalanced world in which a rising power in China does so at the expense, at the direct expense, of a falling status quo power in the United States," he said.

Rubio urged President Donald Trump to take this issue seriously, listen carefully to those in his own administration who understand this threat holistically for what it is.

"I urge them to move in a direction that recalibrates the structure of our relationship with China economically, and that does not allow not just ZTE but numerous other telecom communications from continuing to grow and spy at our expense," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Chhattisgarh Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel and a party spokesperson have been questioned by the CBI in connection with the alleged circulation and possession of a "sex CD" allegedly featuring a state minister.

In October last year, a controversy had erupted in the state politics following a "sex CD" allegedly involving Public Works Department Minister Rajesh Munat surfaced after the arrest of a senior journalist Vinod Verma in Ghaziabad of Uttar Pradesh by the Raipur Police.

A CBI team quizzed Baghel last night for about two-and-a-half hours at the Officers' Mess in Police Lines here, while party spokesperson R P Singh was questioned this afternoon, an official of the probe agency said.

Talking to PTI, Baghel said, "I was summoned to appear at the Camp Office of the CBI in Police Lines last evening where I was interrogated for about two-and-a-half hours."



He, however, did not divulge much details about the interrogation and accused the ruling BJP of "using" the probe agency for political gains.

"The Congress is going to start its campaign tomorrow from Jhiram Ghati on the fifth anniversary of ghastly Naxal attack on its leaders in 2013 there. The BJP was not in a good condition in Bastar, and therefore it has been making such attempts to prevent the Congress by using the CBI for political gains," Baghel said.

He said his party had raised several question when the alleged sex CD issue surfaced in October last year, but all those are still unanswered.

He demanded that the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) should also be brought under the purview of CBI probe in the CD case as the "fake" and "real" CDs were allegedly distributed there.

Asserting that he will cooperate with the agency in the investigation, Baghel said he had sought the CBI probe into Jhiram valley naxal attack, Indira Priydarshini bank scam and Antagarh bypoll fixing tape case in the state, but those were not considered.

Meanwhile, talking to reporters today Chief Minister Raman Singh said the CBI was doing its duty and it was the agency's responsibility to bring out the truth.

"Those who had shown the CDs while holding a press conference will naturally be interrogated. It is the responsibility of the CBI to bring out the truth and it was doing its duty. The agency has been interrogating all the persons related to the case," the CM said.

"Congress itself demands CBI probe and when the investigation is being conducted, it has been raising questions over it," he added.

According to the Raipur Police, a case of blackmail and extortion was registered at Pandri police station based on a complaint by BJP leader Prakash Bajaj, who had said that he "was being harassed over phone by an unidentified caller who told him that he had a CD of his 'aaka' (master)".

After the investigation, a search team was sent to Delhi and Verma was arrested from Ghaziabad on October 27, 2017, the police had said. They had claimed to have recovered 500 CDs, pen drives etc.

After Verma was arrested, the sex video allegedly involving PWD minister Munat surfaced in Raipur, triggering a political storm with the Congress and the BJP targetting each other on the issue.

Munat had then lodged a complaint against Baghel and Verma at the Civil Lines police station in Raipur for allegedly tarnishing his image through the "fake" CD.

The Chhattisgarh government had then recommended a CBI probe into the row.

Verma was granted bail by a CBI court in Raipur in December last year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif today sent a legal notice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal for issuing a statement that accused him of laundering USD 4.9 billion to India.

The notice was in reference to a NAB press release issued after a item published by a local newspaper incorrectly referenced the World Bank's 2016 Migration and Remittance Book to say that India's foreign exchange reserves increased by USD 4.9 billion due to huge cash inflows from Pakistan attributable to money laundering by the Sharif family, Dawn reported.

In the notice to the NAB chairman, sent through his lawyer Barrister Manzoor Dogal, Sharif described the press release as an attempt to influence the upcoming elections, the paper said.

The PML-N supreme leader demanded that Iqbal tender an apology for his "insulting" press release and pay Rs 1 billion as damages within the next 14 days.

He further demanded that the NAB chairman's apology be published in all leading Urdu and English newspapers as well.

According to the legal notice, if the NAB chairman does not tender an apology or does not pay damages, legal action will be taken against him.

On May 17, a different lawyer, A.K. Dogar, had sent a legal notice to Iqbal on Sharif's behalf. In that notice, the NAB chief was asked to either apologise or resign from his post as NAB chief.

Taking notice of a newspaper article based on a "flawed" report of the World Bank, NAB had said it has started looking into whether ousted premier Sharif was involved in the alleged laundering of USD 4.9 billion to India.

The World Bank had promptly responded and stated that "the report does not include any mention of money laundering nor does it name any individuals", while the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had said the estimates showed in the WB report were based on "assumptions" which did not reflect reality.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)An angry Nawaz Sharif today warned that those who dragged his daughter Maryam to Pakistan's anti-corruption court in the Panama papers case will bear the consequences of their actions.

Three corruption cases were launched last year against the deposed Pakistan prime minister and his family on their posh properties in London which were allegedly bought in 1990s when he served as premier.

Sharif's daughter Maryam, sons Hassan and Hussain and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar are co-accused in the Avenfield case filed by the National Accountability Bureau.

Addressing the media outside the accountability court, Sharif claimed that Maryam, considered to be his heir apparent, had no connection with politics, but yet she is being dragged into court cases.

Sharif, 68, said that it was "painful" for him to see his daughter testifying as an accused in the witness box.

"What could be worst than dragging her into court out of revenge and spite," he said.

"In this ruthless game, you are even involving our daughters. Don't choose a path which makes it impossible to return from," he told his detractors. "Everyone will have to bear the consequence of this behaviour," the three-time prime minister, who was disqualified by the Supreme Court last year, said.

"Maryam has no connection to the era for which we are being punished. They are questioning her about Gulf Steel. She was only a year old at the time," he was quoted as saying by the Express Tribune.

Earlier, Maryam, 44, recorded her statement in the Avenfield case.

The accountability court had prepared a questionnaire for Sharif, Maryam and her husband to answer as their final words in the Avenfield case.

Sharif read out his answers in court during the last two hearings. Maryam also blamed strained civil-military relations for the outcome of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report.

Both father and daughter have maintained that the members of the investigation team probing the Sharif family were impartial and had been influenced by others to manipulate the outcome.

Maryam, while recording her statement, raised multiple objections against the JIT that had investigated her family's business dealings on the orders of the Supreme Court.

Maryam termed the inclusion of two officials of intelligence agencies in JIT "inappropriate" and questioned the competence of the entire team.

She brought to the court's notice that retired Brigadier Muhammad Nauman Saeed, a director in Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was also "a member of the committee that had probed the issue of Dawn Leaks, which had intensified civil and military tension."



Maryam testified that neither the JIT report nor the response to requests seeking mutual legal assistance (MLA) purportedly sent by the JIT to the UK and Saudi Arabia were produced before the court.

When quizzed over the establishment, running and sale proceeds of Gulf Steel Mills, Maryam said that she was hardly one year old when the mill was established. She also said she had no information about the operations of the mill and how its shares were disposed of.

Last month, the Supreme Court, in a landmark judgement, declared Sharif ineligible to hold public office for life, ending the political future of the three-time premier ahead of this year's general elections in July.

Sharif was disqualified to hold the office of the prime minister by the Supreme Court on July 28, 2017 in the Panama Papers case. He was disqualified for not being "honest and righteous" as he failed to declare in 2013 a salary he got from the company of his son in the UAE.

In February, the apex court also disqualified Sharif as the head of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Should we ask monkeys not to procreate or bite people till the government comes out with a method to sterilise them, the Delhi High Court asked today.

It also pulled up the Centre for importing oral immune-contraception vaccines for testing on the simians without getting approvals for carrying out the sterilisation trials.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar noted that the vaccine imported from the United States was primarily used to sterilise horses and have not been used on monkeys anywhere in the world.

"Why did you import the vaccine if the permission for trials has not been received," the court asked the government.

"Till the time you (Centre) get the permissions, shall we ask the monkeys not to procreate and tell them not to bite people," it asked.

The bench said the issue of controlling the monkey population was pending since 2001 and the Centre was yet to develop a mechanism to reduce their numbers. Agriculture activities in northern India has been stopped and even central Delhi has become increasingly unlivable.

It was hearing a PIL filed in 2001 by advocate Meera Bhatia seeking directions to the authorities to take steps to deal with the menace of monkeys and dogs in the city.

The bench noted that even the Delhi government and a committee set up on court orders to develop an action plan to control the simian population, have not taken any steps.

It directed the committee to hold a meeting in a day and come out with a time line within which it would take steps to sterilise the monkeys.

The court said a member each from NGO Wildlife SOS and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) would be part of this panel, which will also draw up a project estimate for sterilisation of the monkeys and will forward it to the central government.

The WII was directed to ensure that it applied for all requisite permissions within three days and the central agencies were asked to process these applications within four weeks.

The bench listed the matter for further hearing on May 31.

During the arguments, Wildlife SOS told the court it had successfully carried out surgical sterilisation by laproscopy of 500 monkeys in Agra and said it could replicate the results in the national capital too if it received the cooperation of the authorities.

The Delhi government, on the other hand, said that surgical sterilisation was ruled out as it was found to be invasive.

Wildlife SOS also told the court that monkey population rapidly increases in urban areas due to the easy access to food, especially in garbage, as compared to forest areas where they have to forage for food.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In a scathing attack on the BJP, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray today said there are no ideals left in the party and claimed that anyone with money power can join it.

However, soon after making the allegations, the Shiv Sena chief distanced his party members from being termed as "money bags" and said they are "honest" workers who don't get lured by money. He also alleged that the saffron flag party is not "saffron anymore".

Thackeray said this while addressing a poll rally at Mokhada town for his party's candidate Shrinivas Wanaga for the upcoming Palghar Lok Sabha bypoll on May 28.

Shriniwas Wanaga is the son of late BJP MP Chintaman Wanaga, whose death earlier this year necessitated the bypoll to the Lok Sabha seat in the neighbouring Palghar district.

"The saffron flag under which you had been working with Chintaman Wanaga is not saffron anymore. There are no ideals left in that party. You get entry into the party if you show a (money) bag. The honest people I have with me are my money bags. We do not get lured by money," Thackeray said.

The BJP has been upset with the Sena for giving ticket to the late leader's son.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had recently said the BJP was planning to field someone from the Wanaga family in the by-election.

Thackeray, whose party is an ally of the BJP at the Centre and in Maharashtra, said it was "unfortunate" that the Palghar seat fell vacant due to Chintaman Wanaga's death.

"Had the BJP given a ticket to his son Shrinivas, I would have myself come to campaign for him," he said.

Taking a dig at the chief minister, Thackeray said he must have thought the poor man from an "adivasi" (tribal) family would not be able to do much and toe the BJP's line ultimately.

"The CM must have thought (Shrinivas) Wanaga does not have money, neither will he have any support. Who will ask him? But he did not realise that we are not the ones to count wealth with money. We count wealth with the size of one's heart," he said.

"When the Wanaga family came to us, they told me the BJP mistreated them and that he (Shrinivas) did not wish to join any other party because his father stood with saffron," he said.

Thackeray said Chintaman Wanaga had opposed the Mumbai -Ahmedabad bullet train, the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, the Wadhwan port project and the acquisition of tribal land for government projects.

"The BJP is using the photos of late Chintaman Wanaga on one hand, while on the other, is bent on defeating his son. Feels bad looking at all this. Shrinivas's win will be the victory of loyalty," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Six persons who allegedly beat a 32-year-old man to death on suspicion of being a "thief" on the city outskirts, were today arrested, police said.

On May 22, N Balakrishna, an auto-driver, had gone to his relative's house at Jiyapally village.

A group of people caught hold of him and beat him up, Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh M Bhagwat said.

The group then took him to a spot near the Panchayat office, where again some more locals beat him up, the Commissioner said.

A relative of the victim and his friends tried to shift him to a hospital but he succumbed to injuries on the way.

The villagers beat up the victim indiscriminately suspecting him to be thief without giving him a chance to disclose his identity, Bhagwat said.

Efforts were on to nab the other absconding accused in the case, police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The stage is set for the historic 49th convocation of the Visva-Bharati University which will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina tomorrow, varsity officials said today.

Modi, who is the 'acharya' or chancellor of the central university, will inaugurate the 'Bangladesh Bhavan' - a "symbol of cultural ties between India and Bangladesh" - with Hasina and hold a bilateral meeting there, they said.

Multi-layer security arrangements have been put into place in Santiniketan, which is situated in Bolpur sub-division of West Bengal's Birbhum district, the police said.

This would be Modi's maiden visit to the varsity after becoming the prime minister. The last time a chancellor was present at a convocation at Visva-Bharati, which was founded by Rabindra Nath Tagore, was in 2008 when Manmohan Singh was the prime minister.

This will the first convocation of the central university in five years, Sabujkali Sen, the officiating vice-chancellor of Visva-Bharati, said.

"We are very happy that so many dignitaries will be present at the convocation. Henceforth we will try to hold convocations every year like other central universities," Sen told reporters.

Apart from Modi and Hasina, West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will also attend the convocation programme.

According to Sen, this will be for the first time in four decades that the chief minister of Bengal will be present at a convocation programme. The last chief minister to have attended a convocation was Siddhartha Shankar Ray.

"Mamata Banerjee will be the first chief minister to share the dais with the acharya and other dignitaries during the convocation program," Sen said.

According to official sources, around 150 delegates from Bangladesh, including media persons, will arrive tomorrow for the convocation program and the inauguration of the 'Bangladesh Bhawan'.

The prime ministers of the two neighbouring countries would hold a meeting after the end of the inauguration program at 1 pm, official sources said.

Hasina will arrive in Kolkata on the morning of May 25 and then leave for Santiniketan, about 160 km from the city, sources at the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission said.

The Bangladesh Bhavan at Santiniketan will house a library, a state-of-the-art archival centre and a seminar hall, besides a sprawling space for cultural get-togethers.

Apart from the literary works of Tagore, the centre will also showcase books and photographs on the Bangladesh Liberation War and India's role in it.

After the meeting with Hasina, Modi will travel to Jharkhand where he will lay the foundation stone of various projects of central and state governments at an event in Sindri.

The projects include revival of Sindri Fertilizer Project of Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Ltd, Ranchi City Gas Distribution Project by GAIL, AIIMS, Deoghar, development of Deoghar airport and Patratu super thermal power project of 3 x 800 MW capacity, an official statement said in Delhi.

Modi will also witness the exchange of MoUs for 'jan aushadhi kendras' and later address the gathering.

In Ranchi, the prime minister will interact with the district collectors of 'aspirational' districts of Jharkhand.

Hasina will visit Kazi Nazrul University in Asansol in West Burdwan district where she will be conferred with an honorary D.Lit on May 26.

During her visit to the country, the Bangladesh premier is also likely to visit Jorasanko Thakur Bari, Tagore's ancestral home in north Kolkata and Netaji Bhavan, the ancestral home of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, in south Kolkata, official sources said.

"India and Bangladesh share deep cultural ties. This bhawan will become a centre for excellence in terms of cultural exchanges between both the countries and will further strengthen the ties between both the countries," Bangladesh Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor said.

Noor along with senior Bangladesh official today visited the Bangladesh Bhawan and took stock of the final arrangements.

A Visva-Bharati official said the central university would gift a replica of the first edition of Tagore's 'Gitanjali', which was published in 1912 in London, among other souvenirs to Modi.

Hasina would be gifted a set of 'Rabindra Chitrabali' -- Tagore's paintings in four volumes -- along with other gifts.

Banerjee would be presented with a set of 'Rabindra Chitrabali' along with Tagore's photographs and a bilingual edition of 'Gitanjali', the official added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)DMK working president M K Stalin was today detained while holding a protest at the state secretariat against Tuticorin police firings which claimed 11 lives, even as Chief Minister K Palaniswami blamed opposition parties for "instigating" violence in the port city.

Demanding the resignation of Palaniswami and sacking of state police chief T K Rajendran over large-scale arson and violence in Tuticorin, about 600 km from state capital Chennai, Stalin staged a sit-in with party MLAs at Fort St George complex.

Even after police removed the agitators from the secretariat premises, they continued the protest at Rajaji Salai, right in front of Fort St George.

Raising slogans like "we want justice" and "shame on the government," the protesters demanded immediate resignation of the Palaniswami government.

Violent protests erupted in the city on Tuesday and Wednesday as locals took to streets demanding closure of a copper factory of the Vedanta group over pollution concerns.

Though no fresh violence was reported from anywhere in the city today, it remained on edge. Some reports said a man injured in police firing had died but there was no official word on it.

Unconfirmed reports said cases were registered against Stalin, actor-politician Kamal Haasan and MDMK leader Vaiko for allegedly violating prohibitory orders during their visit to Tuticorin yesterday.

The government yesterday ordered suspension of internet services in Tuticorin and adjoining districts of Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari for five days to prevent spread of rumours through social media and help restore peace.

Palaniswami, meanwhile, broke his silence over the Tuticorin incidents, and blamed the opposition parties and anti-social elements for the violence that brought down the city to its knees.

Terming the incidents as "unfortunate," he condoled the deaths and said all past agitations for the closure of the plant were peaceful.

"This time around it (protest) turned violent. It was due to instigation by some political parties and owing to infiltration by anti-social elements," Palaniswamy, who is under relentless attack from the Opposition, said.

Recalling steps taken by the AIADMK governments for the closure of the plant, Palaniswami said the "deliberate" violence was meant "to bring disrepute to the government and put it under pressure".

He said the state government was making efforts for the closure of the plant since 2013, when late J Jayalalithaa was the chief minister.

"As far as Amma's government is concerned, we respect people's feelings," he said, adding all legal steps were under way to shut the Sterlite plant, and cases were pending before the Supreme Court and High Court.

Tuticorin witnessed large-scale violence and arson on Tuesday which led to the killing of 10 people in police firing. Protests erupted once again yesterday, prompting police to open fire again, killing one person.

Stalin said DMK and ally Congress's MLAs boycotted today's meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of the state legislature ahead of the start of the Assembly session on May 29.

The Leader of Opposition assailed the chief minister for not visiting the families of the victims of police firing, and said the shifting of the district collector and police chief hardly mattered, as it did not amount to any action against them.

"The Chief Minsiter is not bothered about the people. He should immediately resign. Director General of Police T K Rajendran must also be removed or he should resign," Stalin said, adding Congress MLAs made these demands at the BAC meeting and walked out.

"The government is in limbo," he said, and demanded a judicial inquiry into the incidents by a sitting judge of the Madras High Court.

The government had yesterday constituted an inquiry commission headed by retired HC judge Aruna Jagadeesan to probe the circumstances leading to violence and subsequent police firing.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The National Green Tribunal has directed the Uttarakhand government to submit within four weeks percentage-wise compliance report on steps taken by it to clean the River Ganga in the stretch between Gomukh and Haridwar.

A bench headed by acting NGT Chairperson Justice Jawad Rahim asked the state government to make a categoric statement about the stage of compliance rather than indicating what work was under progress.

The green panel has directed the state government to file the report of compliance by July 19.

"On behalf of State of Uttarakhand it is submitted that the compliance report filed by them indicates substantial compliance, however it is pointed out by the counsel Vijay Hansaria that various directions of the Tribunal are yet to be complied with in totality.

"The counsel on behalf of State of Uttarakhand, submits they require four weeks time to compile all the information and file to the satisfactory of the Tribunal. We accept his request and grant them time till July 19, 2018 for filing the report of compliance after serving copy in advance of 10 days to the counsel M C Mehta for examining it and file their response by the next date of hearing.

During the hearing, advocate Mehta, who has filed the plea for Ganga rejuvenation, pointed out that only one officer, S D Singh was deposing in all the affidavits whereas the directions refers to several other departments of the government.

He contended that in case of any default, appropriate action in accordance with law has to be taken and therefore one person deposing affidavits in respect of all other departments is "not in the real spirit of the directions of the tribunal".

The Uttarakhand government, however, submitted that Singh was appointed as nodal officer and the State will be bound by his statement.

Noting the submissions, the tribunal said," submissions taken on record and we make it clear that in case of any default the affidavit filed by the said officer shall be construed as the affidavit filed by the secretary of the state concerned. He will be exposed to all actions in person."



The NGT had earlier rapped the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for not filing compliance report on the steps taken by the Centre and the UP and Uttarakhand governments to clean the river Ganga in the stretch between Gomukh and Unnao.

The green panel, in a detailed judgement, had passed a slew of directions to rejuvenate Ganga, declaring as 'No Development Zone' an area of 100 metres from the edge of the river between Haridwar and Unnao and prohibiting dumping of waste within 500 metres from the river.

The tribunal had said the government has spent over Rs 7,000 crore in two years to clean the Ganga which still remains a "serious environmental issue".

The order, running into 543 pages, had said "till the demarcation of floodplains and identification of permissible and non-permissible activities by the state government of this judgement, we direct that 100 metres from the edge of the river would be treated as no development/construction zone between Haridwar to Unnao in UP."



'No-development zones' are areas where no construction including commercial or residential buildings can come up.

It also imposed a complete prohibition on disposal of municipal solid waste, e-waste or bio-medical waste on the floodplains or into the river and its tributaries.

Regarding shifting of tanneries located in Jajmau cluster in Kanpur, the tribunal had sought an action plan from the leather units, failing which "the UP government shall be duty bound to close the tanneries and shift the same to Banthar, Unnao or any other developed site which it considers appropriate."



The tribunal reiterated its earlier order of ban on mechanical mining in Ganga and said "no in-stream mechanical mining is permitted and even the mining on the floodplain should be semi-mechanical and preferably more manual" .

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Delhi court today transferred the Sunanda Pushkar death case, in which her husband and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has been chargesheeted for abetting her suicide, to a special court designated to try lawmakers.

Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmendra Singh transferred the case to Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal, who will take up the matter on May 28.

"Since he is a sitting Member of Parliament, matter is being sent to the special designated court for politicians, that is ACMM Samar Vishal. Matter be taken up on May 28," the court said.

The Delhi Police had on May 14 accused Tharoor, the Lok Sabha MP representing Thiruvananthapuram, of abetting Pushkar's suicide and told a city court that he should be summoned as an accused in the four-and-half year-old case, claiming there was sufficient evidence against him.

In a nearly 3,000-page charge sheet, the police named Tharoor as the only accused while also alleging that he had subjected his wife to cruelty.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria today announced the capture of French jihadist Adrien Guihal, known as the voice that claimed 2016 attacks in France for the Islamic State group.

"The SDF's intelligence services conducted an operation on May 19 that led to the capture of a group of IS jihadists led by Adrien Guihal, known as Abu Osama al-Faransi," the Syrian Democratic Forces said in a statement.

Guihal was thought to be among the most dangerous members of the large French contingent in the ranks of the Islamic State group, whose self-styled "caliphate" spanned huge swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria before collapsing last year.

The Kurdish forces controlling northeastern Syria have detained dozens of French IS members who have gone underground in recent months, including well-known figures such as Thomas Barnouin and Emilie Konig.

The SDF statement said Guihal was detained together with his wife, who was not identified.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu today tendered his resignation after Burkina Faso announced it was breaking diplomatic ties with the island.

"I have already verbally tendered my resignation to the president," Wu told a press conference.

It is the second country to dump Taiwan within weeks after after Dominican Republic switched recognition to Beijing earlier this month, leaving the island with only 18 diplomatic allies around the world.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Telugu Desam Party would play a key role after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said today.

"All political parties came there (Bengaluru yesterday). We met all and spoke to them...after 2019, nobody would be able to do anything without Telugu Desam Party. Ours is a key role," Naidu said.

Naidu had attended the swearing-in ceremony of JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy as Chief Minister of Karnataka in Bengaluru yesterday, which was also attended by the leaders of almmost all non-BJP parties.

Naidu was addressing 'Mahanadu', the party's annual conclave, organised by the TDP's Telangana unit.

He recalled that he had said in 1996 that the TDP would play a key role at the Centre after elections.

TDP did play an important role in forming the United Front then, he said.

"I am saying today in Hyderabad, in Exhibition Grounds (venue for the conclave). We held many meetings here. You remember. TDP will have a key role in India after 2019," Naidu said.

Responding to sloganeering by cadres, Naidu said he was not interested in the Prime Minister's post.

TDP would emerge strong in Telangana also, Naidu asserted.

The party has weakened in Telangana since 2014 with many of its MPs joining the ruling TRS.

It was TDP which laid the foundation for Hyderabad to emerge as a major centre for IT and other signficant areas, Naidu said.

BJP, which was a pre-poll ally of TDP for the 2014 elections, had not done justice to Andhra Pradesh and also Telangana during the last four years, Naidu alleged.

In brief comments to reporters after the conclave, he said regional parties would gain in strength in the days to come.

"Regional parties would gain strength and work for national interest. (We) will safeguard state's interest," Naidu said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Fifteen anti-junta activists were charged with sedition today, a crime carrying seven years in jail, their lawyer said, for staging a protest this week to mark the fourth anniversary of the last coup by Thailand's generals.

The protest on Tuesday was small by the standards of Thailand's rambunctious street politics, but still dominated the headlines in a country wearying of junta rule.

A few hundred people tried unsuccessfully to march on the seat of government in Bangkok to call for promised elections - a poll which the junta keeps pushing back.

The suspects included protest leaders Rangsiman Rome, Ekachai Hongkangwan and Sirawith Seritiwat - perennial thorns in the side of the military which toppled the civilian government on May 22, 2014.

The junta has since banned protests and political gatherings of more than five people.

On top of sedition, the activists were also charged with the "illegal gathering of more than 10 people, obstructing traffic and causing a disturbance", Pawinee Chumsri, of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights who are representing the group, told AFP.

Sedition is punishable by a maximum of seven years in prison.

Prayut Chan-O-Cha, the former army chief who is now prime minister, has hinted elections will be held in February next year.

But his timetable for polls has slipped several times and his opponents are unconvinced elections will be held soon.

Large sections of society -- including the Bangkok middle class -- have tired of rule by a conservative military that has intruded into the lives of ordinary people whilst overseeing a widening of the kingdom's rich-poor wealth gap.

Critics say in four years the junta has been opaque in its financial dealings, seeded wide patronage networks and failed to address rampant corruption - despite seizing power from the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra vowing to do so.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The release date of "The Shining" sequel, "Doctor Sleep" has been set as January 24, 2020, Warner Bros announced.

The film has been developed from Stephen King's 2013 horror novel of the same, a sequel to the iconic 1977 story "The Shining", according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Mike Flanagan is directing the movie, which follows an adult Danny Torrance, who is battling alcoholism and dealing with the trauma of what happened to him as a child in the haunted Overlook Hotel in Colorado.

The 1980 original movie, also presented by Warner Bros, starred Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd and Scatman Crothers. Nicholson starred as Jack Torrance, a writer who agrees to become the caretaker of the Overlook Hotel in Colorado during its off season. Duvall played his wife Wendy and Lloyd played his son Danny.

The studio has postponed the release of Mark Wahlberg-starrer "The Six Billion Dollar Man" from May 31, 2019 to June 5, 2020.

The release of "Godzilla 2" has been moved to May 31, instead of March 22 of next year.

This year, "Crazy Rich Asians" has been preponed by two days to August 15.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Delhi Division of Northern Railway conducted a ticket-checking drive today, collecting penalties amounting to more than Rs 17.17 lakh, a statement from the zonal railway said.

"The Delhi division has constantly been endeavouring to increase passenger revenue. A major reason for leakage in the railway revenue is ticket-less travel. A ticket-less passenger not only causes loss to railways, but also infringes upon the rights of passengers travelling on proper ticket," it said.

During the ticket-checking drive, 3,843 cases of ticket-less travel, unbooked luggage, irregular ticket were detected and penalty amounting to Rs 17.17 lakh was realised, it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A top army official today sought the intervention of Arunachal Pradesh government in facilitating coordination between state police officers and military personnel along the interstate border, especially during anti-insurgency operations, an official release said.

During a meeting with Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Major General Gajinder Singh, the General-Officer-Commanding (GoC) of 2 Mountain Division, said intelligence sharing and logistics support from the state machinery were necessary to tackle cross-border insurgency.

Singh, who heads the infantry based at Dinjan in Assam's Tinsukia district, also discussed with the chief minister army presence and its activities along the interstate border, the release said.

He pledged Army's commitment towards safety and welfare of common people.

The security personnel were more than willing to help the civilians by organising medical camps and pre-recruitment trainings, the GoC said.

The CM, on his part, assured Singh that the state government accorded topmost priority to the security of its citizens and was committed to cooperate with the army in its endeavours.

He appreciated the 2 Mountain Division for conducting the first-ever recruitment rally at Jairampur in Changlang district and expressed hope that more such exercises would follow in Tirap and Longding.

Referring to the requests of GoC for camping facilities, firing ranges and land acquisition, the chief minister said these issues would be taken up with the officials at the earliest.

He requested Singh to initiate confidence-building programmes for the local residents.

"We are proud of the Indian Army and always ready to be of any help," the release said quoting Khandu.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has urged the Union government to order a CBI probe into the murders of two journalists in the state last year, sources in the chief minister's office said today.

Deb spoke to Minister of State (MoS) PMO, Jitendra Singh, over phone on Wednesday and urged him to initiate the inquiry following a meeting with members of the Agartala-based Forum for Protection of Journalists (FPJ) at the state secretariat yesterday, officials said.

On September 20, 2017, television journalist Santanu Bhowmik was hacked to death while covering a political event in Mandwi, about 25 km from here.

The then ruling CPI-M had accused the supporters of the tribal party Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) of being involved in the murder. The IPFT had denied responsibility and instead demanded a CBI inquiry into the murder.

In the second incident, senior crime reporter Sudip Dutta Bhowmik was shot dead inside the headquarters of the 2ndbattalion of Tripura State Rifles (TSR), a state paramilitary force, on November 21,2017.

The then Left Front government had formed a special investigation team to probe the death but the scribe's family and the FPJ had demanded a CBI probe.

The BJP had promised before the February state assembly poll that they would hand over the case to the central investigating agency if voted to power.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Tripura Chief Minister and BJP leader Biplab Kumar Deb today visited the residence of S R Sreejith who died allegedly in police custody last month, and announced Tripura government's solatium of Rs five lakh to his family.

The death of the 26-year old allegedly due to custodial torture in Varappuzha police station last month had triggered widespread condemnation by the opposition including the Congress and BJP in Kerala.

The state BJP had staged a protest in Varappuzha, claiming Sreejith was a party worker.

Deb, who reached Sreejith's residence this morning accompanied by state BJP leaders, consoled the family and said a financial aid of Rs five lakh, on behalf of the Tripura government, would be given to his family.

The cheque of Rs five lakh to be sent to the BJP state unit will be handed over to Sreejith's family by party leaders, he said.

Talking to reporters, Deb, who is in the state to campaign for the BJP candidate in Chengannur Assembly bypoll, criticised Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for not visiting the family of Sreejith so far.

"You are the chief minister of a state, not a party. You should visit the family. I request Vijayan-ji to visit the family and meet his kin," he said.

He said nothing would happen to Vijayan's chief ministership if he visits his family and consoles them.

An administrator should shed arrogance, Deb said.

Describing as brutal the death of Sreejith in police custody, he alleged police was given direction by the ruling party leaders to pick up the youth and torture him.

The Tripura CM visited the family a day after Sreejith's wife Akhila B P joined government service.

Earlier, a compensation of Rs 10 lakh and a Kerala government job appointment letter were handed over to Sreejith's wife.She has been appointed in the Parvur Taluk office in the post of village assistant.

Sreejith , who was taken into custody in connection with the death of a person, had died in a private hospital.

Five police personnel - a circle inspector, a sub-inspector and three members of the Rural Tiger Force (RTF) were arrested in connection with Sreejith's death.

Facing flak from the opposition, the state government constituted a special investigation team (SIT) headed by IGP, S Sreejith to probe the death.

The then Ernakulam Rural Superintendent of Police A V George, transferred to the Thrissur Police Academy after Sreejith died on April 9, was suspended based on the report of the SIT which found lapses on his part.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Tripura Central University suspended an assistant professor and formed a committee today to probe the alleged incident of insult of the state Higher Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath by him during the institute's convocation ceremony on Wednesday.

The varsity registrar, Sanit Debroy said the assistant professor of the Hindi department Jai Kaushal was suspended last night after the convocation.

Kaushal was the anchor at the ceremony and had reportedly invited the higher education minister to deliver his speech after the address by the chief guest Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu.

Nath had attended the convocation as the minister-in-waiting in the absence of Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb.

As per the university protocol no speech is allowed in convocation ceremonies after the address by the chief guest, Debroy told PTI.

The gaffe was realised shortly after Nath had began his speech and a chit was sent to him by an undislosed person asking him to stop.

The minister stopped his speech and left the dias after it.

Nath had said that he took offence over the incident and alleged that he was deliberately insulted in the convocation programme.

"I did not want to sit on the dais as I knew there are many protocols in university convocations. I saw that my name was not there as a speaker but had agreed to speak on the request of the university authorities, Nath told PTI.

The minister said since he held a position in the state government, he felt he should pardon the person.

Describing the incident as an "unwanted" one, he said such a breach of protocol should not recur in the future.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In a surprise move, US President Donald Trump today cancelled his proposed summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on June 12 in Singapore and blamed Pyongyang's "tremendous anger" and "open hostility" for his decision.

Trump's announcement came hours after North Korea carried out what it said is the demolition of its nuclear test site today.

"I was very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting," Trump wrote in a letter to Kim which was released to the press.

"Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place," Trump said in his letter dated May 24.

"You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used," he said, in an apparent warning to the North Korean leader.

Washington has made it clear it wants to see the "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation" of the North. But Pyongyang has vowed it will never give up its nuclear deterrence until it feels safe from what it terms US aggression.

"I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters. Someday, I look very much forward to meeting you," wrote the US President.

Trump, however, kept the door open for future talks with Kim.

"If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write. The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history," Trump said.

He also thanked Kim for the release of the three American hostages who are now home with their families in the US.

"That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated," he said.

The Americans -- Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak-song and Kim Sang Duk, also known as Tony Kim -- were freed on May 9 by North Korea while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on a visit to Pyongyang to finalise the details of the Trump-Kim summit.

The trio had been jailed for anti-state activities and placed in North Korean labour camps.

In his letter, Trump appreciated the North Korean leader for his efforts towards the meeting.

"We greatly appreciate your time, patience, and effort with respect to our recent negotiations and discussions relative to a summit long sought by both parties, which was scheduled to take place on June 12 in Singapore. We were informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant," he said.

In April, Trump had stunned the world by accepting an invitation to meet Kim in an unprecedented sit-down.

Trump and Kim had previously traded insults and threats.

The summit would have been the first ever meeting between a sitting US president and North Korean leader.

Trump's announcement today coincides with North Korea's move to demolish its underground nuclear test site deep in the mountains of the sparsely populated northeast.

Earlier, North Korea's vice-minister of Foreign Affairs Choe Son Hui slammed a media interview in which US Vice President Mike Pence warned Kim that it would be a "great mistake" to try and play Trump.

Pence also said North Korea could end up like Libya, whose former leader Muammar Gaddafi was killed by US-backed rebels years after giving up atomic weapons, "if Kim doesn't make a deal".

"I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the US vice-president," Choe said in a statement released by the state-run KCNA agency.

"We will neither beg the US for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us," she said, adding she would recommend Kim cancel the talks if Washington continues to make such threats.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)US President Donald Trump today cancelled his proposed summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on June 12 in Singapore and blamed Pyongyang's "tremendous anger" and "open hostility" for his dramatic decision.

Trump described the cancellation of the summit as "a tremendous setback" for North Korea and warned that the US military is ready to act should Pyongyang take any "foolish and reckless" action.

His announcement came hours after North Korea carried out what it said is the demolition of its nuclear test site today.

"I was very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting," Trump wrote in a letter to Kim which was released to the press.

"Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place," Trump said in his letter dated May 24.

"You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used," he said, in an apparent warning to the North Korean leader.

Washington has made it clear it wants to see the "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation" of the North. But Pyongyang has vowed it will never give up its nuclear deterrence until it feels safe from what it terms US aggression.

Later, Trump said that he has spoken to his Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his military leadership and that both South Korea and Japan are prepared for any eventuality and the two countries have agreed to bear the substantial cost of any such military action against North Korea.

"Our military, which is by far the most powerful anywhere in the world that has been greatly enhanced recently as we all know, is ready as necessary," he told reporters at the White House.

But he hinted that there is still some possibility of a June 12 summit meeting with Kim in Singapore or even at a later date. "If and when Kim Jong-un chooses to engage in constructive dialogue and actions, I am waiting."



In his letter, Trump said, "I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters. Someday, I look very much forward to meeting you."



"If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write. The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history," Trump wrote.

He also thanked Kim for the release of the three American hostages who are now home with their families in the US.

"That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated," he said.

The Americans -- Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak-song and Kim Sang Duk, also known as Tony Kim -- were freed on May 9 by North Korea while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on a visit to Pyongyang to finalise the details of the Trump-Kim summit.

The trio had been jailed for anti-state activities and placed in North Korean labour camps.

In his letter, Trump appreciated the North Korean leader for his efforts towards the meeting.

"We greatly appreciate your time, patience, and effort with respect to our recent negotiations and discussions relative to a summit long sought by both parties, which was scheduled to take place on June 12 in Singapore. We were informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant," Trump said.

He also posted his letter to Kim on his personal Twitter account and wrote "Sadly, I was forced to cancel the Summit Meeting in Singapore with Kim..."



In April, Trump had stunned the world by accepting an invitation to meet Kim in an unprecedented sit-down.

Trump and Kim had previously traded insults and threats.

The summit would have been the first ever meeting between a sitting US president and North Korean leader.

Trump's announcement today coincides with North Korea's move to demolish its underground nuclear test site deep in the mountains of the sparsely populated northeast.

Earlier, North Korea's vice-minister of Foreign Affairs Choe Son Hui slammed a media interview in which US Vice President Mike Pence warned Kim that it would be a "great mistake" to try and play Trump.

Pence also said North Korea could end up like Libya, whose former leader Muammar Gaddafi was killed by US-backed rebels years after giving up atomic weapons, "if Kim doesn't make a deal".

"I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the US vice-president," Choe said in a statement released by the state-run KCNA agency.

"We will neither beg the US for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us," she said, adding she would recommend Kim cancel the talks if Washington continues to make such threats.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)President Donald Trump today ordered a probe to determine if the import of vehicles, including trucks, and auto-parts was hurting the US' national security, a move that may lead to imposition of new tariffs on foreign manufactured automobiles in the world's second-largest auto market.

Trump has instructed US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to consider initiating an investigation under Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act to find if tariffs or other restrictions were needed on imported cars, after he met him at the White House to discuss the current state of US automobile industry.

In March, the Trump Administration had used the same legal justification to slap steep tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminum imports. The administration had also threatened tariffs on Chinese goods over intellectual property complaints.

The investigation will determine whether imports of automobiles, including sports-utility vehicles (SUVs), vans and light trucks, and automotive parts into the US threaten to impair the national security.

"I instructed Secretary Ross to consider initiating a Section 232 investigation into imports of automobiles, including trucks, and automotive parts to determine their effects on America's national security," Trump said in a statement.

"Core industries such as automobiles and automotive parts are critical to our strength as a Nation," he said.

The move is likely to fuel new tensions with US trading partners like Canada, Mexico -- the major car exporters to America, as new tariffs could raise the costs for overseas automakers to export vehicles.

Canada, Mexico, China, Germany and Brazil are the biggest exporters of auto-parts to the US.

Reacting to the step, Chinese Commerce Ministry said it will "firmly defend" its rights and interests against what it called the Trump administration's abuse of national security provisions in trade.

Abusing national security provisions would "undermine the multilateral trade system and disrupt the order of international trade," Ministry spokesman Gao Feng told reporters in Beijing.

Gao said China would follow progress of the investigation, assess the possible impact and "firmly defend our legitimate rights and interests."



According to the US government figures, about 12 million cars and trucks were produced last year, and the country imported 8.3 million vehicles worth USD 192 billion.

Of the 12 million imported vehicles, 2.4 million were from Mexico and 1.8 million Canada. Both countries are part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta), which the Trump Administration wants to renegotiate in a bid to boost the US manufacturing sector.

The US is the second-biggest export destination for German auto manufacturers after China, while vehicles and car parts are Germany's biggest source of export income.

"There is evidence suggesting that, for decades, imports from abroad have eroded our domestic auto industry," Ross said, adding that the Department of Commerce will conduct a thorough, fair, and transparent investigation into whether such imports are weakening US' internal economy and may impair the national security.

During the past 20 years, imports of passenger vehicles have grown from 32 per cent of cars sold in the US to 48 per cent. From 1990 to 2017, employment in motor vehicle production declined by 22 per cent, even though Americans are continuing to purchase automobiles at record levels, the Department of Commerce said.

Now, American-owned vehicle manufacturers in the US account for only 20 per cent of global research and development in the automobile sector, and American auto part manufacturers account for only seven per cent in that industry, it said.

Noting that the automobile manufacturing has long been a significant source of American technological innovation, the Department of Commerce said, this investigation will consider whether the decline of domestic automobile and automotive parts production threatens to weaken the internal economy of the US by potentially reducing research, development, and jobs for skilled workers in connected vehicle systems, autonomous vehicles, fuel cells, electric motors and storage, advanced manufacturing processes, and other cutting-edge technologies.

Following today's announcement, the Department of Commerce will investigate these and other issues to determine whether imports of automobiles and automotive parts threaten to impair the national security, the Department said.

A notice will be published shortly in the Federal Register announcing a hearing date and inviting comment from industry and the public to assist in the investigation, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Describing the cancellation of the June 12 summit meeting with Kim Jong-un as "a tremendous setback" for North Korea, President Donald Trump today warned that the US military is ready to act should Pyongyang take any "foolish and reckless" action.

Trump said that he has spoken to his Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his military leadership in this regard and that both South Korea and Japan are prepared for any eventuality and the two countries have agreed to bear the substantial cost of any such military action against North Korea.

"Our military, which is by far the most powerful anywhere in the world that has been greatly enhanced recently as we all know, is ready as necessary," he told reporters at the White House.

He said the cancellation of the Singapore summit is a "tremendous setback" for North Korea and the world.

"Based on the recent statement of North Korea, I've decided to terminate the planned summit in Singapore on June 12th. While many things can happen, and a great opportunity lies ahead, potentially, I believe that this is a tremendous setback for North Korea, and, indeed, a setback for the world," he said.

But he hinted that there is still some possibility of a June 12 summit meeting with Kim in Singapore or even at a later date.

"If and when Kim Jong-un chooses to engage in constructive dialogue and actions, I am waiting," he said.

Trump said the very strong sanctions imposed by the US on North Korea will continue.

"Hopefully, positive things will be taking place with respect to the future of North Korea. But if they don't, we are more ready than we have ever been before," he said.

North Korea has the opportunity to end decades of poverty and oppression by following the path of denuclearization, and joining the community of nations, the president said.

He hoped that Kim will ultimately do what is right not only for himself but, perhaps most importantly, what's right for his people, who are suffering greatly and needlessly.

"All of the Korean people, North and South, deserve to be able to live together in harmony, prosperity and peace. That bright and beautiful future can only happen when the threat of nuclear weapons is removed. No way it can happen otherwise," he said.

"But no matter what happens and what we do, we will never, ever compromise the safety and security of the United States of America. I want to make that statement; feel very, very strongly about it," Trump said.

"Hopefully everything's going to work out well with North Korea. And a lot of things can happen, including the fact that it's possible that the existing summit could take place, or a summit at some later date. Nobody should be anxious. We have to get it right," Trump said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Describing the cancellation of the June 12 summit meeting with Kim Jong-un as "a tremendous setback" for North Korea, President Donald Trump today warned that the US military is ready to act should Pyongyang take any "foolish and reckless" action.

Trump said that he has spoken to his Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his military leadership in this regard and that both South Korea and Japan are prepared for any eventuality and the two countries have agreed to bear the substantial cost of any such military action against North Korea.

"Our military, which is by far the most powerful anywhere in the world that has been greatly enhanced recently as we all know, is ready as necessary," he told reporters at the White House.

He said the cancellation of the Singapore summit is a "tremendous setback" for North Korea and the world.

But he hinted that there is still some possibility of a June 12 summit meeting with Kim in Singapore or even at a later date.

"If and when Kim Jong-un chooses to engage in constructive dialogue and actions, I am waiting," he said.

Trump said the very strong sanctions imposed by the US on North Korea will continue.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Turkey today hit back at a Greek court's decision to grant political refugee status to two Turkish officers who fled to Greece after a 2016 failed coup, accusing Athens of protecting "terrorists."



A group of eight Turkish officers escaped to neighbouring Greece after the July 2016 attempted overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey says they should be extradited because they are "terrorists", but the requests were rejected by the Greek Supreme Court, stoking tensions between Ankara and Athens.

Greece's top administrative court, the Council of State, made the decision to grant asylum on Wednesday after rejecting an appeal lodged by the Greek government.

The Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement that Greece "protects and shelters putschists" as officials strongly condemned the decision.

Turkish European Union Affairs Minister Omer Celik said the Greek legal system has "ruled to protect the terrorists who attempted a coup to overthrow Turkish democracy".

He said the decision was the "most embarrassing ruling possible for any country".

The top administrative Greek court on Wednesday found in favour of the co-pilot of the helicopter which flew the men over the border, and the decision also applies to another one of the men.

A Greek judicial source said the Greek government has launched an appeal against the second ruling -- the result of which will apply to the next six officers.

"We hope that the Greek judiciary will refrain from repeating the same mistakes," the Turkish foreign ministry said.

Turkey claims the soldiers are members of the movement led by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey accuses of ordering the attempted putsch.

The eight officers deny any involvement in the coup attempt.

Relations between the two NATO allies have been further strained after the pre-trial detention of two Greek soldiers since March.

The soldiers were arrested after crossing the border into Turkey but claim they got lost in the fog. A Turkish court on Tuesday ruled the soldiers should remain in jail.

The number of Turks seeking asylum in Greece increased tenfold between 2016 and 2017, reaching 1,827.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Police have arrested two persons including a woman for allegedly cheating a man of Rs 3 lakh by promising him US dollars at half of the exchange rate.

Mohammed Rafik Ali, resident of Grant Road in south Mumbai, had lodged a complaint in this regard.

Imran Dadan Ansari (21) and Farzana Amarulla Shaikh (35), whom he had met recently, offered to sell him the US currency at half its market rate, Ali told police.

They called Ali to Tunga village in Powai yesterday, and showed him a bundle of dollars wrapped in a handkerchief, he said.

Ali took the bundle and gave them Rs 3 lakh. Later he found that the bundle had only two dollar notes, and the rest were pieces of plain paper, as per his complaint.

Ali informed a friend of his, who knew the duo, and also lodged a police complaint.

Ali's friend spotted the accused at the Kanjurmarg railway station and had them apprehended with the help of Railway Police, said senior police inspector Anil Pophale of Powai police.

The accused are suspected to have duped others in the same way in Thane and Navi Mumbai too, inspector Pophale said.

A court today remanded them in police custody till tomorrow, the officer said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The police has booked two persons on charges of trafficking after they sent a 49-year-old woman to Muscat where she was allegedly harassed while working as domestic help for an Arab family, an official said today.

According to the complaint filed by the woman, a resident of the Ambernath township here, she was looking for a a job and the two accused, who were known to her husband, helped in arranging work for her in Muscat, a police spokesperson said.

On January 27 this year, the woman left for Dubai and met an agent there.

The agent later sent her to Muscat, where she worked as a domestic help for an Arab family that allegedly harassed her mentally and physically, the police official said.

Later, her family approached the government authorities concerned and with their help, the woman returned to India last month, the police said.

Based on the woman's complaint, the Amberbath police yesterday registered offences against the two accused under IPC sections for cheating and trafficking, the official said, adding that no arrest has been made so far.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The city police arrested two persons and seized panther skin worth Rs 8 lakh from them, an official said today.

Acting on a tip-off, the police laid a trap near the Check Naka and apprehended the two men yesterday, senior police inspector Jairaj Ranavare, of crime unit V, Wagle Estate, said.

The police recovered a sack from them which contained the panther skin, valued at around Rs 8 lakh, he said.

The accused -- identified as Mohan Sakate, 29, and Shivdas Pote, 39, both from Baramati in Pune district -- were booked under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, the police added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A tyre trader was allegedly shot dead by two bike borne men while he was returning home from his shop in Rajnagar district centre, police said today.

The deceased identified as Rajeev Chauhan was shot at his temple late last night, Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Krishna said.

He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

Police have booked five named and two unidentified people in this case, the SSP said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Uttar Pradesh anti-terror squad (ATS) has arrested a suspected ISI agent from Pithoragarh in a joint operation with the Uttarakhand police and Jammu and Kashmir's military intelligence unit, an official said here today.

The arrested person, Ramesh Singh, worked as a cook at the house of an Indian diplomat in Pakistan for nearly two years and allegedly bugged his house with the help of the ISI to get sensitive information, the UP ATS official said.

Ramesh has confessed to his role in anti-national activities, he added.

A Pakistani mobile phone given to him to contact the ISI and some SIM cards were recovered from him, the official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The US Ambassador to Israel says the Trump administration's Middle East peace plan is months away.

David Friedman spoke with Israeli media at the new US Embassy in Jerusalem today. He said the plan will be launched "within months" but had no exact date.

The administration had reportedly aimed to roll out the plan next month.

Friedman told Channel 10 TV today "It's not finalised ... there's an awful lot of listening going on." He says: "It's not just the substance but also the timing and the presentation." Trump has promised to pursue the "ultimate deal" between Israelis and Palestinians.

Palestinians were outraged by Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital along with the embassy move and have rejected the US as peace broker.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The US and China agreed on continuing with maximum pressure campaign against Pyongyang ahead of the June 12 Singapore summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong un, top diplomats of the two countries said today.

The June 12 Singapore summit between Trump and Kim was the main topic of discussion between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi when the duo met at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department here.

"We talked about preparations for the President's June 12 meeting with Kim Jong-un. I had a chance to hear China's perspective and appreciated their observations on the opportunity that is before the United States, the DPRK and the world," Pompeo told reporters at a conference.

He said the US and China discussed "our firm commitment" to maintain pressure on North Korea and to continue fully enforcing all relevant UN Security Council resolutions related to Pyongyang until they see and achieve the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

"We confirm today that we continue to expect all countries, including China, will meet their obligations and fully implement those measures," Pompeo said, adding that China, the US, the South Koreans and Japan were all "fully committed" to a bright future for the DPRK if Pyongyang was willing to denuclearise.

"Until that time arrives, the pressure will continue. I emphasised the President's firm determination to secure a balanced and fair trade and investment relationship. We know that the discussions are ongoing. Our trade teams will continue their regular engagements on these very important matters to each of our two countries," the top American diplomat said.

Wang said he listened to the analysis of Pompeo on the recent development of the situation and his perspectives. "China is firmly committed to denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. This position will not change," he said.

At the same time, Wang said, we believe that in achieving the process or the goal of denuclearisation, it was necessary to address the legitimate security concerns of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea or DPRK at an appropriate time, and along with the realisation of denuclearisation, it is important to establish a long-term and effective peace mechanism on the Korean Peninsula.

He said China firmly supports the meeting between the US and the DPRK leaders.

"Direct contact and dialogue between the leaders is key to addressing the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, Wang said.

"We look forward to seeing the meeting take place as scheduled and be successful. We believe that President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un are fully able and they have the wisdom to make the right decision and bring peace to the Korean Peninsula and bring good to the world," he said.

Wang said China firmly honours its due international obligation. "We will continue to fully and strictly implement UN Security Council resolutions on the DPRK and continue to work to maintain peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The latest US decision on disinvitation of China from the annual maritime military exercise is a "very unconstructive" move, Chinese Foreign Minister and Councilor Wang Yong said today, hoping that the Pentagon would change such a "negative mindset".

"The Pentagon's decision on disinvitation of Chinese military in the RIMPAC exercise, we find that a very unconstructive move, non-constructive move. It's also a decision that's taken lightly. It's unhelpful to mutual understanding between China and the US," he told reporters in a joint conference with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo here.

Wang said both the US and China are "big" countries and are "well positioned" to have greater cooperation at the sea. "Mil-to-mil exchanges will help to increase mutual trust. It will also help us to make greater efforts towards world peace and stability," he said.

On the militarisation in the South China Sea, Wang said, "China is only building civilian and some necessary defense facilities on its own islands".

"That is the right to self-defense and preservation of every sovereign state. It is a normal deployment and has nothing to do with militarisation, just like the US has military presence in Hawaii, in Guam," he said.

Wang said the Chinese deployment was at a "much smaller scale than the US".

"It's just out of necessary defense purposes. We don't hope to see any exaggeration or hype-up of this matter," Wang said.

Pompeo said this was an issue of discussion between the two leaders. "I will leave to DOD to talk about that. Only to say that we have expressed consistent concern about militarisation of the South China Sea. We had a chance to talk about that. And I will leave it to our militaries to talk about their efforts together," said the US Secretary of State.

Earlier in the day, alleging that Beijing is engaged in "destabilising behaviour" in the South China Sea, the Pentagon kicked out China from its annual maritime military exercise.

Asserting that the US is committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific, it said China's continued militarisation of disputed features in the South China Sea only serve to raise tensions and "destabilise" the region.

"As an initial response to China's continued militarisation of the South China Sea, we have disinvited the PLA Navy from the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise. China's behaviour is inconsistent with the principles and purposes of the RIMPAC exercise," Lt Col Christopher B Logan said.

The Department of Defense, he said, has strong evidence that China has deployed anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems and electronic jammers to contested features in the Spratly Islands region of the South China Sea.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The US has "no role" in the resolution of the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan despite Islamabad seeking third party intervention by Washington, a top American South Asia expert has said.

Alyssa Ayres, a senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, said that the US would like New Delhi and Islamabad to resolve the issue through dialogue but understands challenges of that scenario given the presence of terror outfits on Pakistani soil.

Pakistani leaders have repeatedly sought the US intervention in resolving the Kashmir dispute, but India had said that there was no room for third party mediation.

Delivering the 4th New India Lecture on "India's Role on World Stage", organised by the Consulate General of India here in partnership with the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), she said "There is no role for the US (in settling India-Pakistan disputes)."



"This is not like a shuttle diplomacy in the Middle-East where countries that have problems with each other seek the US involvement to try and reach a resolution," Ayres said, while speaking on a range of issues impacting India-US ties in a session moderated by former US Ambassador to India Frank Wisner.

She said that it has been clear over the years that while Pakistan would like the US support and mediation, New Delhi very actively doesn't want that.

"So you cannot play a role, if both parties to the dispute are not seeking that role," she added.

Ayres said that India and Pakistan should be talking more but it is hard to do that when one country feels that the other is not acting in good faith and is at best allowing terrorists to regroup and at worst harbouring them?



"Of course that's difficult. This is one of the most challenging relationships that I can see on the global stage," she said.

Ayres stressed that the US has been very forceful in urging Pakistan to end the problem of terrorism.

"We should also not forget that the problem of terrorism in Pakistan is affecting the ability to create a secure environment in Afghanistan where the US has deployed troops, where India is doing economic development and the international community is trying to help Afghanistan become stable enough to support a stable government and develop the economy," she said.

On the future of India-US relations, Ayres said India was "vitally important" for the US but the two nations are going to face some challenges.

For managing India-US relations going forward, the US needs to "get away from this idea of thinking that India and US are on a trajectory to become allies".

"I think it is a mould that is very easy for us in the US to slip into thinking about positive partnerships with countries as necessarily on a trajectory to an alliance," she said.

Ayres suggested that the two nations should really think about their relationship "much more like a joint venture in business where we have some declared areas of deep partnership and convergence and also some areas where we know are going to be problems", such as Russia and Iran.

She termed the security and defense aspects as one of the most important areas of the US-India partnership going ahead.

Ayres, however, added that the two will continue to be more challenged on the economic front "where we have got a lot of frictions, some big, some small but none of them easy. We have to continue to manage those frictions".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)US President Donald Trump today cancelled his proposed meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on June 12 in Singapore, citing Pyongyang's "anger" and "hostility" as the reason behind his decision.

Trump's announcement came hours after North Korea carried out what it said is the demolition of its nuclear test site today.

In April, Trump had stunned the world by accepting an invitation to meet Kim in an unprecedented sit-down.

Trump and Kim had previously traded insults and threats.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Trump Administration was seriously preparing for the success of the June 12 Summit meeting with North Korea, but there was not much response from Pyongyang, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said today.

Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Pompeo said that North Korea did not respond to repeated requests from American officials to discuss logistics for Singapore Summit, which now has been cancelled.

"I don't believe in that sense that we're in a position to believe that there could be a successful outcome. I think that's what the president communicated pretty clearly in his letter," Pompeo told lawmakers responding to a question after President Donald Trump in a letter to Kim announced to cancel the June 12 Singapore summit with him.

"I can add to that. Over the past many days, we have endeavoured to do what Chairman Kim and I had agreed, which was to put teams, preparation teams together to begin to work to prepare for the summit and we have received no response to our inquiries from them," Pompeo said.

He refuted the notion that the US was not ready for the summit.

"The American team is full prepared. I think we're rocking. I think we're ready. I think we're prepared for this meeting. I think President Trump's prepared for this meeting. We were fully, fully engaged over the past weeks to prepare for this meeting. So I disagree with your assessment that the Americans are not ready," he said.

In the last several weeks, Pompeo has met Kim twice. He travelled to Pyongyang quietly as a CIA Director and then as the Secretary of State early this month. In all, Pompeo met Kim for over three hours, during which he stressed the need of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

During his second visit, he was able to secure the release of three American prisoners in North Korea.

Pompeo said that policy of maximum pressure on North Korea would continue till there is a normalization in the relationship. At the same time, Pompeo hoped that the two countries can quickly return to possibility of Summit. In the interim, "the pressure campaign continues," he said.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said the North Korean regime has long given ample reason to question its commitment to stability. "We must continue to work with our allies toward a peaceful resolution, but that will require a much greater degree of seriousness from the Kim regime," he said.

At the same time, Congress has provided significant tools to hold North Korea accountable, and it is important that the United States not relent in this maximum pressure campaign, Ryan asserted.

Observing that the goal is to peacefully end North Korea's nuclear threats, Congressman Ed Royce said the administration should continue to look for opportunities while applying maximum diplomatic and financial pressure against Kim.

"Our allies including South Korea and Japan need to stand with the United States. There can be no daylight between us," said Royce, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

"North Korea has a long history of demanding concessions merely to negotiate. While past administrations of both parties have fallen for this ruse, I commend the president for seeing through Kim's fraud," Senator Tom Cotton said.

Indian American Congressman Ro Khanna urged Trump to reconsider his decision to cancel his meeting with Kim.

Supporting Trump's decision, Senator Marco Rubio said that for two weeks now, Kim has been trying to sabotage the summit and set the US up to take the blame.

"If other leaders in North Korea want a better future, they should get rid of Kim Jong Un as soon as possible," Rubio said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The US released "far fewer funds" to Pakistan in 2018 and it may even come down next year, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo indicated today as he accused Islamabad of treating American diplomats "badly".

Accusing Pakistan of harbouring terror groups like the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network within its border and showing unwillingness to take "decisive actions" against them, the US in January suspended more than USD 1.15 billion security assistance to the country.

The freezing of all security assistance to Pakistan had come days after President Donald Trump, in a new year tweet, accused Pakistan of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists in return for USD 33 billion aid over the last 15 years.

Pompeo, while responding to questions from Congressman Dana Rohrabacher who said the US should stop providing any financial assistance to Pakistan until it releases Shakil Afridi, a doctor who helped the CIA hunt down Osama bin Laden in 2011, said that the US released less funds this year.

"With respect to Pakistan, we released far fewer funds in 2018 than in the year prior. The remainder of the funds available are under review. My guess is that that number will be smaller still," he told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Rohrabacher said he sees no "reason" in giving any financial aid to Pakistan if it still keeps Afridi in jail.

Pompeo said he worked "diligently" on the issue of Afridi in his previous role as the CIA Director, but acknowledged that he has been "unsuccessful" so far.

"Please be aware that it's at my heart and I know it's important and we can do that. We can achieve that outcome," he said.

Rohrabacher intervened by saying that the situation is getting "worse" in Pakistan.

"These people in Karachi and Sindh and the others, they're now facing these people who are killing their leaders or killing their people who believe in certain things that are different than the radical Islamic philosophy of some of the people in the Pakistani government," he alleged.

Besides financial assistance issue, Pompeo said, the US also needs to take note of the treatment meted out to American diplomats by Pakistan.

"Our State Department officials are being treated badly as well. Folks working in the embassies and in the consulates and other places are not being treated well by the Pakistani government either, a real problem that we need to take the measure of also," Pompeo said.

Congressman Brad Sharman hoped that the US State Department would reach out to the leaders of Pakistan about the "forced disappearances in Sindh".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The US State Department has issued a health alert to its employees in China after one of them experienced a possible sonic attack and suffered a mild traumatic brain injury, an incident termed as "very similar" to suspected attacks on American diplomatic staff in Cuba.

The Trump administration said they are taking these reports seriously and have taken up the matter with Chinese officials.

"A US State Department government employee in China recently reported subtle and vague, but abnormal sensations of sound and pressure," the US Embassy in China said yesterday.

"We do not currently know what caused the reported symptoms and we are not aware of any similar situations in China, either inside or outside of the diplomatic community," it said.

Embassy spokeswoman Jinnie Lee said the employee had suffered a "variety of physical symptoms" between late 2017 and April 2018 while working at the US consulate in the southern city of Guangzhou.

The employee was sent back to the US, and on May 18 the embassy learnt that they had been diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), she added.

The health warning from the State Department recalled a series of so-called "sonic attacks" on American diplomats in Cuba. Those incidents, still unexplained, prompted the withdrawal of most American embassy personnel from Havana in 2016.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo today said he was concerned about the incident and has brought it to the notice of his Chinese counterpart State Councilor Wang Yi.

"It's a serious medical incident. We want to make sure and take care of every one of our officers serving overseas. We've learnt about it only recently. We are still trying to identify all the circumstances surrounding it," he said.

"We are working to figure out what took place both in Havana and now in China, as well," said Pompeo, who called medical details in both locations "very similar and entirely consistent" with each other.

The report of the mysterious incident comes at a sensitive time for US-China relations. The Trump administration recently threatened to impose steep tariffs on imported goods from China unless Beijing pledges to make big cuts in its trade surplus with the US. China, in turn, retaliated with higher tariffs on farm products and auto parts.

China, Pompeo said, has offered to assist the US in investigating how this came to be. "The State Councilor Wang and I had a moment to talk about how we can endeavour to figure out what happened here to ensure that something like this doesn't happen again in their country," he said.

Wang said China has been investigating this matter in a "very responsible" manner.

"We haven't found that any organisation or individual has carried out such a sonic influence. We will stay in communication with the US through diplomatic channels, and we would suggest that US side can also carry out some internal investigation," he said.

Wang said they do not want to see that "this individual case will be magnified, complicated, or even politicised".

"We hope people will not associate it with other unnecessary matters. China will, in accordance with the law, protect all the lawful rights and interests of foreigners in China, especially those of diplomats.That's our firm commitment," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today exhorted the students of the Mizoram University to stay true to their roots and respect the customs and traditions of the country.

Delivering a lecture this morning after inaugurating the administrative building of the university, the vice president said students should be well-versed in their mother tongues before learning a foreign language.

He stressed the need to eradicate poverty and illiteracy to bridge the urban-rural divide in the country.

Naidu, during his maiden visit to the state as vice president, expressed hope that Mizoram University, which bagged the 81st spot in the National Institutional Ranking Framework, would become an hub for the northeast region in the years to come.

"If APJ Abdul Kalam, who distributed newspapers at one point of time, could become the president of India and Narendra Modi, who sold tea at railway platforms, could become the Prime Minister, any hard working students can achieve high positions in life," he asserted.

The vice-president, who was here for the day, also laid foundation stones for boys and girls hostels at the university.

"If you work hard with dedication, you will excel in your studies," he told the students.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)By Aishwarya Venugopal and Svea Herbst-Bayliss(Reuters) - Billionaire investor William Ackman said on Wednesday that his hedge fund had taken a roughly $1 billion stake in Lowe's , revealing his third large investment this year. Ackman disclosed the stake at a New York conference, said two attendees at the private event on condition of anonymity.The news came hours after Lowe's affirmed its annual financial targets but reported slightly weaker-than-expected first-quarter results. The company's stock price had been moving higher most of the morning and continued to climb after Ackman's ...ROME (Reuters) - An Italian court has thrown out a request by two former Leonardo executives, and the company, not to appear in a New Delhi court as defendants in a bribery case relating to a large 2010 helicopter contract with the Indian government.The ruling, seen in court documents, means Giuseppe Orsi, former chief executive of the Italian state-controlled defence group, and Bruno Spagnolini, former head of helicopter unit AgustaWestland, will have to appear at a court hearing in India scheduled for May 30.If they do not present themselves, the Indian court could issue an international ...When the Indian government announced a surprise $32 billion bailout plan for the nation's state-controlled banks last October, credit rating firms and the nation's central bank saw it as a huge step to getting the industry back to robust health - and lending more to businesses and consumers. But their optimism may have been majorly misplaced judging by the latest numbers coming out of the banks. And that may, in turn, crimp economic growth in Asia's third-largest economy. Thirteen state banks have reported combined losses of $8.6 billion for the year to March - including ...By Clement Uwiringiyimana and Joe BavierKIGALI/ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Early last year, weeks after Donald Trump was sworn in as president, a little known American trade association filed a petition with the U.S. Trade Representative. That seven-page letter set Africa in the cross-hairs of the new administration's 'America First' trade ideology, pitting the world's largest economy against tiny Rwanda over an unlikely U.S. export: cast-off clothes. In March, the USTR warned Rwanda it would lose some benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), America's flagship trade legislation ...By David Shepardson and Jeff MasonWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is considering a proposal to impose new tariffs on imported vehicles, invoking a national security law used to impose tariffs on aluminium and steel, an administration official and three industry officials briefed on the matter said.Another administration official said the move was aimed partly at pressuring Canada and Mexico to make concessions in talks to update the North American Free Trade Agreement that have languished in part over auto provisions, as well as pressuring Japan and the European Union, which ...By David Shepardson and Jeff Mason(Reuters) - A Trump administration investigation of car and truck imports raised the threat on Thursday of renewed conflict over trade policy for an industry that thrives on stability and sent stocks in Asian and European automakers down.U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Thursday the investigation was still in its early stages but that other countries' high, artificial barriers such as tariffs and other interventions have skewed the marketplace. "Now it's very difficult to get back to a reciprocal arrangement," Ross said in an interview on CNBC, ...Banga Batundu W. Musa

Konye was a no go zone Tuesday May 22, 2018. The Subdivision found in Meme Division in the South West region was the centre of gun battles between separatist fighters and Defense forces. The fighters attacked and burnt public buildings while the military responded by burning houses of civilians.

The new office of the Divisional Officer was the target when armed men believed to be Ambazonia fighters stormed Konye Tuesday afternoon shooting indiscriminately in the air.

They attacked Telca Cocoa and set the store ablze including the office of the Kumba town credit Union, Konye Council business centers were also destroyed by the fighters.

Military response was also dramatic as they also shot indiscriminately; burning down houses and killing civilians, a boy of about 18 years old was shot dead around Kokaka-Konye. Reports say the young boy was in the bush with his friends where they have taken refuge, but he boy left the bush for the village where he wanted to collect some items used in preparing food but as he approached the village, he was shot dead.

On Wednesday May 23, 2018, military invaded two villages in Njikwa Subdivision, Momo Dvision in the North West region. They descended on villages of Oshie and Ngwo early Wednesday burning down houses, market stalls and surrounding houses.

They made same act in Ngwo and burnt down shops at the central market including that of a popular business man in the village.

Several people have fled into bushes as gunshots rattled throughout the night of Tuesday breaking Wednesday.

The militarys actions comes just few days after men suspected to be Ambazonia fighters visited the two villages killing some Gendarmes caused others to flee. It also precedes the burning of a brewery vehicle around evil forest in Momo Division.Mancho Bibixy Archives

The Yaounde Military Court has adjourned the case pitting Radio animator, Mancho bibixy and six others against Civil party, to tomorrow Friday May 25, 2018. The adjournment came after hours of presentations by legal representatives of both parties in a dark court room punctuated by power failure.

Barrister Emmanuel Simh, sitting in for Lead Counsel of the defense, Barrister Benard Muna, said Court was joking with the future of young and dynamic Cameroonians but told Judges that only time will tell. According to him, his clients were fighting for a just course and instead of thanking them; the State has arrested and now tagging them terrorists.

Barrister Simh said the detainees have braved the odds throughout their detention period, moving to and from the court, an example of resilience demonstrated by patriotic Cameroonian youths, he said. The legal Mind concluded by telling the Judge to be reasonable with her decision, calling on her to use her conscience.

He equally thanked all for their unflinching support especially lawyers who offered pro-bono services.

Barrister Claude Assira on his part told the judge that the accused cannot suffer for a crime which was committed in Limbe while they were arrested in Bamenda.

He also wiped aside the huge claims as damages by civil party saying it doesnt reflect the cats alleged to have committed.

Barrister Louisa on her part focused on the social background of the accused pleading on the court that any damaging decision will be disastrous for their families and love ones.

Thursdays court session was marred for hours by power outage as discussions took place in a dark room. Power only retuned hours into the hearings.Following is a press release signed by the Minister of External Relations.

ADS





The Minister of External Relations, H.E. MBELLA MBELLA, informs the national public opinion that he summoned the Ambassador of the United States of America to Cameroon, H.E. Peter Henry BARLERIN, on the 22nd of May 2018.



This follows a statement issued by Ambassador BARLERIN on Friday 18 May 2018, after an audience the latter was granted by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Cameroon. In the said statement, the Ambassador notably accused the Cameroonian army of targeted assassinations in the North-West and South-West Regions, while advising the Head of State not to stand for the upcoming presidential elections in order to secure his legacy, following the examples of former Presidents Nelson MANDELA and George Washington.



The Minister of External Relations expressed the Cameroonian government's strong disapproval of the Ambassador's outing, which flouts all diplomatie practices and shows disregard, both in form and in content, for rules of civility and the law.



As to what concerns the form of the Ambassador's remarks, it is important to recall that Ambassadors are Envoys Extraordinary of a Head of State to another Head of State. Discussions between a Head of State and an Ambassador therefore represent privileged moments in the diplomatie relations between the two countries, and must be treated with utmost confidentiality.



Concerning the content, the Minister of External Relations refuted Ambassador BARLERIN'S totally unfounded allegations concerning the actions of Cameroon's defence and security forces who, in spite of almost daily harassment and serious human and material losses, have constantly kept, with professionalism and rigour, the rules of engagement and international humanitarian law, in a bid to safeguard the lives and freedoms of citizens, as weil as peace, stability and the territorial integrity of Cameroon.



The Minister also seized this opportunity to remind the Ambassador that the Head of State is the guarantor of the stabillty and the constitution of Cameroon.

Ambassador BARLERIN was called upon to respect the Cameroonian people,



notably their sovereign right to choose their leaders, first among whom is the one whose duty it is to rule the country.



He was reminded that H.E. Paul BIYA is not in power by force, for he has always been elected in all fairness in various presidential elections, against numerous and worthy candidates. The Cameroonian people have, in all level-headedness and pragmatism, chosen to continually entrust the Head of State with the responsibility of leading the great and exalting task of building a nation.



The presidential elections coming up this year shall, as usual, be organised following applicable democratic rules, and Cameroonians will at that moment be given the possibility to freely express their choice. They will elect whomsoever they judge apt to guarantee their security and welfare, while assuring the country's development, in justice and in peace. A candidate will never be imposed on the country from abroad.



The Ambassador was equally informed that the Head of State has always expressed his determination to be remembered by Cameroonians as the one who brought democracy and development to Cameroon.

Closing the discussion, the Minister of External Relations evoked the cooperation ties between the United States of America and Cameroon, which have always been excellent till date, while hoping that the Ambassador shall contribute to the latter, like his predecessors before him.



Finally, the Minister of External Relations equally underscored the fact that the Cameroonian people remain highly attached to their sovereignty, which leaves no room for any foreign power to interfere or be involved in their internal affairs.



ln response, the Ambassador, while pleading that his statements were misinterpreted by the Press, stated that he had taken note of the objections of the Minister of External Relations, and made it clear that he did not come to Cameroon to effect a change of leadership. He expressed his hopes to make a contribution towards the stability of Cameroon, and stated that under no circumstances would he share the points of view of secessionists.



Yaounde, 22 May 2018

Lejeune MBELLA MBELLA| BY Ricki Green |

The AANA has today announced a strategic alliance with PwC, CMO Advisory which will enable both parties to share their considerable expertise to deliver insight, solutions and capability development for AANA Members. The first focus of the strategic alliance will be on enabling a revised media contract template.

Says John Broome, CEO, AANA: In 2016, The AANA made a commitment to provide its members with the tools to enable them to navigate the complexity of achieving media transparency. The resulting media contract template and accompanying guidance notes were the first key deliverable, which we know have been widely used by our members.

In releasing the first contract and guidance notes, the AANA invited the industry to provide on-going feedback to help improve their usefulness and relevance. We will take that feedback on board in this next stage and look forward to on-going engagement so that the template remains contemporary.

Our UK counterparts at ISBA also worked with PwC on developing their recent framework and guidance notes. We will be tapping into that experience to ensure we can fast-track our processes and deliver the relevant best practice advice from the UK to our members here, the AANAs CEO, The process will invite input from our members, agencies, the Media Federation of Australia and other industry partners in order to revise the current versions for todays landscape.

PwC said it was delighted to be able to support the AANAs commitment to help achieve better transparency in media buying.

Says Mike McGrath, managing partner, CMO, PwC Australia: We both come to this with aligned views about shared accountability. Drawing on the support of the ANA, ISBA, AANAs Media Reference Group and its wider membership, we will take a collaborative approach to enable a revised media contract framework that seeks to further strengthen client and agency partnerships.| BY Ricki Green |

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced the launch of The Work, a new digital resource aimed at providing the global creative communications industry with the intelligence they need to do better business.

The Work is a unique digital platform that offers intuitive ways to search over 200,000 global pieces of creative work, curated playlists, and spotlights on the work of individual brands and agencies. This database of creativity is organised intelligently to allow businesses to access the worlds greatest work by accolade, industry sector, brand, agency, geography or individual.

Each piece is framed by its data, context and insights, making The Work an invaluable platform that will enable creatives and marketers to do better work through collaboration, fast research, and  crucially  the ability to crack a brief quickly. The platform digitises the huge wealth of creative work that Cannes Lions recognises, transforming creative history into a powerful tool to inform future smart decision-making.

Says Philip Thomas, CEO, Ascential Events and chairman-elect, Cannes Lions: Every year at Cannes Lions, our juries judge tens of thousands of global entries, resulting in the greatest collection of creative, game-changing work from across the world. Our research shows time and again that the more creative your business is, the better your return on investment. The launch of The Work brings a unique and fundamental digital platform to the market which offers more intelligent and efficient ways of working, to increase creative output and ultimately, drive better business.

The Work will officially launch at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June 2018. Built from user insights from 250 global agency and in-house stakeholders, along with data science and data engineering, The Work is the result of a mission to build a user-centric platform that gives a platform for creative work to inform future business performance. Cannes Lions owner Ascential is planning to leverage insights from the tool with other data in due course, such as e-commerce performance data, to offer brands holistic views of performance.

Says Duncan Painter, CEO, Ascential: Ascentials mission is to unlock the future for our customers through our business-critical intelligence. The launch of The Work marks the next step on the journey to digitise the Cannes Lions platform to provide valuable insights to its customers. The Work sits alongside other Cannes Lions launches, such as the Cannes Lions Creative Leaders Programme and Cannes Lions Masters for Brands, which are all aimed at helping businesses remain future-focused.| BY Ricki Green |

David Jones has today launched an integrated ATL campaign to mark 180 Years of Style in Australia, as it celebrates its 180th birthday with customers.

Created in collaboration with Emotive, the multi-channel campaign pays homage to the iconic stores role in shaping style in Australia and features the department stores ambassadors and partners Adam Goodes, Jessica Gomes, Victoria Lee, Neil Perry and Carla Zampatti, alongside the most influential people in Australian fashion, editor-in-chief of Vogue Edwina McCann and editor-in-chief of Harpers Bazaar Kellie Hush.

Central to the campaign is an evocative 60-second film that tells the David Jones story  which lives in the happy memories of so many Australians  through a heartfelt birthday toast, delivered by the talent. Some fondly recollect visiting the Spring Flower Shows and marvelling at the annual Christmas window displays, whilst others admire David Jones innovation and commitment to the latest globally inspired designs throughout the years. The 180th milestone birthday campaign is not only a commemoration of the brands history and its relationship with Australians, but also a toast to the future of an organisation that has stood the test of time and continues to evolve.

Says David Thomas, chief executive officer, David Jones: Its an incredible milestone for David Jones to celebrate 180 years. When you look back at our history, David Jones has been part of Australias fabric since almost the beginning and a driving force for style throughout the decades. Everyone has a story about David Jones, and its an honour and a privilege to play a role in the momentous occasions and rites of passage of so many Australians. We are lucky to work with the best in the business in food, fashion and beyond and we are delighted they could collaborate with us on this campaign to celebrate our birthday. We hope our customers will enjoy celebrating with us in store and online over the next four days.

A major News Corp partnership will amplify the David Jones 180 Birthday campaign nationally online, in print and in store. The partnership will see the film amplified across News Corp digital network and also includes a full-colour wrap of the metro mastheads in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide featuring a hero image from the campaign, along with a timeline featuring key David Jones milestones through history.

The campaign assets will also be leveraged through David Jones own channels, including social media, website and eDM as communications go to customers about the various 180 celebrations kicking off from today that they can participate in.

Customer celebrations include 180 Birthday parties in CBD stores (Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on the 24th May; Perth and Adelaide on 25th May) where customers will enjoy complimentary sparkling wine, food and live DJs along with a range of special offers, instore appearances and activations.

David Jones has also created a Facebook Messenger Bot to help customers navigate instore celebrations  a go-to guide for discovering everything from the pop-ups and live events, to the gifts with purchases and limited time offers. Customer can find the Bot by searching for David Jones in their Facebook Messenger App.

Paying homage to its history in Sydney, David Jones is hosting a public exhibit of 45 artworks by Sir Charles Lloyd Jones, grandson of Welsh founder David Jones and the companys longest running chairman, on display in the windows of its Market Street store until 28th May.

Those wishing to celebrate online with David Jones can post a range of fun, limited-edition, David Jones 180 Birthday GIFs on their Instagram Stories (simply search davidjones) and David Jones invites all customers to share their celebrations with the hashtag #DJsTurns180.

Special 180 Birthday offers will run from Thursday 24th May to Sunday 27th May in all stores and online, and David Jones American Express Cardholders have additional benefits including additional savings, and the ability to 180,000 points when they spend $180 on their card.

A campaign hub has been created online for customers, housing information on birthday celebrations and offers in each state: www.davidjones.com.au/180birthday.

The campaign launches nationally today.

Film Creative & Production: Emotive

Audio Post-production: Rumble

Grade: Matt Fezz

Stills: Hugh Stewart

Media: Carat

PR: David Jones| BY Ricki Green |

As part of the Towards Zero strategy, the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) in partnership with the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) and Green Man Grants are putting the call out to young Victorians to help change the way we think about using mobile phones in cars.

Created by Melbourne agency, Taboo, the Split Second Film Competition invites creatives aged between 18-25 to create a 45 second road safety message designed to challenge young peoples distracted driving attitudes.

Find out more about the Split Second Film Competition and how to enter at miff.com.au/splitsecondfilmcomp

Judged by a panel of film and advertising industry professionals, the lucky winner will receive a $50,000 production budget from Green Man Grants and have their idea produced by award-winning production house, +ape. The winner will also receive $5,000 prize money and have their film shown across 500 MIFF screenings during the festival, from 2-19 August, and the regional travelling showcase.

Artistic director of MIFF, Michelle Carey, said that she hopes this competition will inspire a new generation of creative talent.

Says Carey: This is a great opportunity for the next generation to use their creative minds for something good. We cant wait to see their take on communicating the dangers of distracted driving to their peers and MIFF audiences throughout this years festival.

Meg Jacobs, senior manager, Towards Zero Engagement, said involving young people in campaigns is the key to ensuring the road safety message gets through to young drivers.

Says Jacobs: We want young Victorians to speak up and have their say on how we can keep them and their peers safe on our roads.

Split Second empowers young people to create a short film that will cut through and send a message that there is a time and place to use your phone, and driving is not one of them. We know that a film made by a young person will resonate more with their peers than something that comes from the TAC or Government.| BY Ricki Green |

VisitCanberra is offering a taste of Canberra, in a new marketing campaign created by The Works designed to showcase the convenience and diversity of experiences on offer in the nations capital.

Fresh from being ranked third in Lonely Planets Best Cities to Visit in 2018, Canberra in a Can vending machines, containing specially created branded cans, will appear in Melbourne and Sydney between 25 and 31 May 2018.

Each can has a gift across five different flavoured cans  The Taste Chaser, Culture Vulture, Horizon Broadener, Eventalicious and the Family Funster  highlighting some of the regions most exciting tourism product offerings.

The cans contain free experiences, tickets, vouchers, offers and discounts ranging from tickets to the National Gallery of Australias Cartier: The Exhibition to a night at Jamala Wildlife Lodge, and from a Make-Your-Own glassworks experience at Canberra Glassworks to accommodation at some of Canberras most exciting hotels.

Says Paul Swann, creative partner, The Works: Canberra offers loads of great experiences, conveniently located close to one another and easily reachable from Sydney or Melbourne. The range of custom drinks cans, filled with tickets and vouchers, that we have created for the campaign enable people to access the best of Canberra in a fun and convenient package.

The integrated campaign, which includes PR, social and video, builds on VisitCanberras One Good Thing After Another marketing platform, also developed by The Works.

Says Katherine Fraser, group marketing manager, VisitCanberra: Awareness of Canberra as a tourism destination is our biggest challenge. By literally putting the huge range of experiences on offer into the hands of consumers, Canberra in a Can demonstrates that Canberra really does have one good thing after another and is a great weekend destination.| BY Lynchy |

iProspect Hong Kong has won the digital business for Daniel Wellington APAC  a leading lifestyle brand with watches at its core.

Under the appointment, iProspect will provide digital media planning for Daniel Wellington across key markets including Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan with the Hong Kong office acting as the regional hub.

Allen Chen, Regional Marketing Manager of Daniel Wellington APAC said, iProspect demonstrated a strong understanding of our business and just like us, they have great ambition and energy. Most importantly, we were impressed with their performance expertise and strong network coverage. We are excited by the journey ahead together with iProspect as we continue to build on our strong momentum.

We are honoured to be appointed as Daniel Wellingtons choice of partner, said Lawrence Yang, Managing Director of iProspect Hong Kong. It is a true testament to their confidence in our performance and digital marketing solutions. We are very much looking forward to helping Daniel Wellington accelerate their growth in the region.SEX FILES: You might need some traction, but daters are officially back in action

Id like to use this platform to officially announce that Im back in the land of the living. Since becoming fully vaccinated this summer, Ive been catching up with other fully vaccinated friends and have even gone on a few dates.Thursday, May 24, 2018 at 9:24AM

Starting today, Prime Music is bringing Alexa wake word capability to the Amazon Music mobile app, providing customers with a full integration of voice capabilities. Now, when customers open the Amazon Music app, they can ask Alexa to play music wherever they go without touching to talk  a completely hands-free listening experience!

When the Amazon Music app is open and in the foreground on any iOS and Android smartphones, customers can safely utilize all of the innovative voice features they use on Echo devices to play music by mood, genre, artist or song title and much more, no searching or browsing required. Customers can now simply say Alexa, to play, pause, move back and forth between songs, and much more.

On your way to work, or running errands in the car? Simply ask, Alexa, play the latest song by P!nk without browsing the app to find that new track you recently heard on the radio.

In the middle of a run? Just ask, Alexa, play the Dance Hits playlist for a cardio soundtrack.

Heading into hour three of that road trip? Ask, Alexa play the Indie Rock Road Trip playlist and shell serve up a brand new Amazon Music playlist featuring Arcade Fire, The Killers and Portugal, The Man.

Looking for the perfect pop song while cooking? Ask, Alexa, play Theres Nothing Holding Me Back by Shawn Mendes.

Busy with weights at the gym and want to get pumped up? Ask, Alexa, play the Hip-Hop for lifting playlist.

Alexa in the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android with tap-to-talk functionality first launched in the US, UK and DE in September 2017, with an expansion to Canada last month. Since then, providing hands-free listening in the app has been one of the top requests by Amazon Music customers. And today, Amazon Music is making mobile music streaming even better by enabling this new functionality for customers in the US and CA.

To get started with hands-free music listening with Alexa in the Amazon Music mobile app, Prime Music listeners in Canada can update the app for iOS or Android today or download from the Apple or Google Play app stores. Customers can always turn the feature on or off through the Amazon Music apps settings.Photo: Wayne Moore - File Photo Colin Basran

Kelowna's mayor is expected to announce he will be seeking a second term in council's big chair.

Colin Basran has called a news conference for Thursday morning on the rooftop of the city's Innovation Centre.

In a news release Wednesday, Basran will be making what is called a "personal announcement regarding his political future."

Basran served one term on city council before winning the mayor's chair vacated by Walter Gray four years ago.

It was also on a rooftop four years ago then-councillor Basran declared his intention to run for mayor a first time.

While Basran is set to unveil his political future, the mayor of the Central Okanagan's second largest community is still staying mum.

West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater recently told Castanet he's holding firm on his intention to wait until the summer to decide whether he will seek a fourth term. Findlater has been mayor since 2008.

Former councillor Gord Milsom has already declared his intention to seek the mayor's chair in West Kelowna.

As for council seats, Luke Stack, Charlie Hodge and Ryan Donn have all indicated they intend to seek re-election in Kelowna. The other five have not yet made a final decision.

In West Kelowna, Rick de Jong, Rusty Ensign, Rosalind Neis and Bryden Winsby have all stated they intend to run again. Carol Zanon and Duane Ophus are still weighing their options.

Voters will go to the polls Saturday, Oct. 20.Photo: Contributed

When many Canadians think of Parliament Hill from a political perspective, one of the most common images is Question Period.



While Question Period is an important part of our democratic process, it is also the most adversarial and partisan activity within the House of Commons.



Question Period alone does not reflect some of the other very important parliamentary activities that occur.



One of those important parliamentary activities occurs after a bill passes second reading and moves to committee stage review.



Committee stage review is one of the most important parts of the process where a parliamentary committee representing members from all major political parties will scrutinize every aspect of a proposed bill on a clause by clause basis.



It is also during this committee review where expert witnesses and other affected individuals can provide input that may or may not lead to amendments to the proposed legislation before it returns to the House of Commons for third reading debate.



An example of the importance of committee stage review can be evidenced by a recent meeting of the Finance Committee that was scrutinizing the Liberal government's budget Implementation Act (BIA), Bill C-74.



Despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus election promise to not use omnibus budget legislation, the Finance Committee has been studying a 560-plus page BIA that is, very clearly, another broken promise from the Prime Minister.



One controversial measure that was discovered by the Finance Committee was buried so deeply in this BIA bill, that even Liberal members on the Finance Committee were unaware it existed.



What was this measure?



It has been summarized as legislation that will ease penalties for corporate crime.



Division 20 of the bill proposes that prosecutors can suspend criminal charges against companies in certain cases of corporate wrongdoing.



Ultimately, as this clause proposes an amendment to the criminal code, many view it as a measure that has no business being in a budget related bill and is better suited to be examined by the Justice Committee, where more appropriate examination can occur.



So why propose these changes?



The Liberal government has not indicated why this legislation has been hidden inside the BIA, however, other interests have suggested this approach to suspend criminal charges could encourage more companies to come forward to self-report corporate crimes.



My thoughts?



These are important proposed changes that on the surface are alarming and as a result deserve further scrutiny.

Because of this, I have encouraged all parliamentarians at Finance Committee to support having this clause examined separately by the Justice Committee.



It is important to hear constructive arguments from both sides.



It can be argued that the opportunity to reach a remediation agreement may offer restitution to victims without litigation in cases where wrongdoing may have occurred but the chances of a successful conviction are slim.



However, critics believe this approach could actually increase corporate crime and undermine public confidence in the system.



I remain of the view that while this proposal involves important criminal code amendments, it does not belong within a budget implementation bill.



My question this week:

Should large scale Criminal Code amendments be restricted to bills that come before the Justice Committee or do you agree with the Liberal government these can be part of a budget bill, as part of an overall plan?

I can be reached at [email protected] or call toll free 1-800-665-8711.Photo: Contributed

An RCMP investigation is ongoing following a sexual assault in the Newton area of Surrey on May 21.

At 4:45 a.m. Monday morning, a woman was grabbed from behind by an unknown male and sexually assaulted. She was walking east on 72 Avenue at 134 Street at the time.

The woman managed to break free from her attacker and he ran away westward on 72 Avenue.

The suspect is described as a South Asian male, 35-40 years old, 5'10" tall with medium length hair and a clean-shaven face.

Surrey RCMP Special Victims Unit is handling the investigation and will be looking into whether the attack is related to other recent assault reports.

They ask the public to be aware of their safety, keep their heads up and be alert, walk with others when possible and plan their routes to avoid isolated areas.

Anyone with information relating to this crime is asked to call the RCMP at 604-599-0502, or visit solvecrime.ca.Photo: Steve Tobias

Investigators with the B.C. Wildfire Service still have not determined a cause of a wildfire that scorched over 3,200 hectares of bush north of Princeton last summer, forcing hundreds from their homes.

A freedom of information request this month by Castanet News seeking the fire cause and origin report for the blaze was bounced back because the investigation is still active.

The fire was sparked in early July 2017 and declared fully contained near the end of the month. Hundreds of firefighters, including some from Australia, fought the blaze.

A government staffer could not estimate when the investigation would be complete, but investigators have been working through a backlog from last years record-breaking fire season.Castanet's Evening Update for Wednesday, May 23, with reporter Wayne Moore.Photo: Sharon Laughlin Townsends big-eared Bat is one of the bat species people may encounter during the annual bat count.

Little is known about the bat populations in the Okanagan and Similkameen, and a provincial non-profit group is asking for volunteers to help collect the most basic information.

The annual bat count begins next month, and the BC Community Bat Program is asking for residents to help count bats at roost sites in the region.

No special skills are needed, you can be any age, and you can relax in a deck chair while counting," ecologist Paula Rodriguez de la Vega said.

During the count, volunteers wait outside roost sites and count bats as they swoop out at sundown. They then record numbers and basic details of weather conditions.

If volunteers don't have a bat roost site on their own properties, they will be matched at sites as close by as possible.

The BC Community Bat Program said one to two counts are done between June 1 and 21 before pups are born, and one to two more take place between July 11 and August 5 when the pups begin flying.

The program said there is some urgency to collect basic data on bat populations in B.C. with the White Nose Syndrome being detected in bats near the province.

WNS is a fungal disease first discovered in New York in 2006, and Rodriguez de la Vega said it's believed to have killed more than seven million bats since then.

In March 2016, the disease was detected just east of Seattle, and has now spread within Washington state... We never known when it is our last year to obtain population estimates before White Nose Syndrome causes widespread declines in western North America," she said.

Further details on the program's bat counts can be found here.Photo: CTV

Police are investigating after dramatic showdown between parents and a man who allegedly took pictures up a young girl's skirt in Coquitlam.

aCellphone images taken by the parents show a man being handcuffed by RCMP after they accused him of filming the seven-year-old child.

"He had not just footage of my daughter, but also other children, and only children," the mother said after she confiscated the man's phone.

"He had knelt down and gotten this low angle shot as she tied her shoes. It's videos of her panties," she told CTV. "There was no second guessing what he had done."

The group confronted the alleged voyeur inside a department store after the mother said her daughter was trying on some rollerblades.

The 69-year-old Surrey man is under investigation, but was released without charges.

 with files from CTV VancouverPhoto: CTV

UPDATE 9:00 a.m.

A little girl, believed to be just under two years of age has died after she was found unresponsive in a backyard swimming pool in Mission B.C.

The toddler allegedly wandered away from Melissa's Bright Beginnings Childcare Centre on Wednesday which sparked a large police search in the neighbourhood.

The girl was eventually found in a nearby pool and airlifted to hospital, but couldn't be saved.

ORIGINAL 6:42 a.m.

RCMP are now investigating a tragic incident in Mission B.C.

A two-year-old girl was found unresponsive in a backyard pool, located right next door to her daycare.

The pool where the girl was found is located beside Melissas Bright Beginnings Childcare Center. The girl was reported missing which sparked a search which led police to the backyard pool.

A post on social media indicates a massive outpouring of grief and condolences for the parents and family of the little girl and indicates the girl drowned. However RCMP have not released a statement on the girls condition as of Thursday morning.

Insp. Ben Rodrigue said the RCMPs first priority is to assist those involved.

As you can imagine, this is really traumatic for everybody, he told CTV News Vancouver on Wednesday. Family members, as well as the daycare employees, our main focus right now is to provide them with support.

-with files from CTVPhoto: YouTube

Conservation officers are investigating after video has emerged of a drone operator chasing a flock of Canada geese on Vancouver Island.

The video shot on May 8 shows the drone buzzing the scared geese in Campbell River.

The Wildlife Act makes it an offence to harass wildlife with a mechanical device, Conservation Officer Steve Petrovcic told CTV.

The video appears to have been shot in a restricted area for drone flying.

You have the Campbell River Spit right there, so you have sea planes and ... helicopters coming out," Petrovcic said.

The video ends abruptly after the drone collides with another drone in mid-air, and Conservation officers say they'd like to speak to both operators.

 with files from CTV Vancouver IslandYouTube Peel Regional Police

The third man involved in a vicious beating of an autistic man that sparked outrage across the country has now been arrested.Jaspaul Uppal, 21, of no fixed address has now been charged with aggravated assault in the March incident captured on video at a bus terminal in Mississauga, west of Toronto.

Uppal was the subject of a Canada-wide arrest warrant, turned himself in to police in Abbotsford, B.C. on Saturday, and is due to appear in a Brampton, Ont. court for a bail hearing Thursday.

Peel Regional Police would like to thank the Abbotsford Police Department, specifically their Gang Crime Unit and the RCMP for their assistance, the police force said in a statement Thursday.

The surveillance video released by Peel Regional Police shows three men surrounding and brutally assaulting the unidentified man who was sitting at the bottom of the stairwell putting on his roller blades.

Ten days after the attack, Windsor police arrested Parmvir Singh Chahil, 21. Three days later, Peel Regional Police arrested and charged Ronjot Dhami, 25, whose last known address was in Surrey, B.C. Both men were charged with aggravated assault.

Chahil is currently out on bail, while Dhami remains in custody.

-With files from CTVPhoto: Facebook

Summerland's Justin Kripps, who is fresh off of winning an Olympic gold medal in bobsled earlier this year, will be a part of the Penticton Peach Festival in several facets this summer.

Kripps will be involved in the opening ceremonies on August 8 and will be signing autographs that day at Okanagan Lake Park. He'll also be leading the Peter's Bros grand parade on August 11.

The 31-year-old was born in Hawaii but grew up in Summerland, and said he attended Peachfest "all the time" as a kid, and comes back constantly for the event as an adult.

I remember as a kid it was so fun because there were all these people in town and so much energy. It was a big deal when I was a kid and I still feel that way when I check it out as an adult," Kripps said.

Kripps and Ontario's Alex Kopacz tied for gold in two-man bobsled in PyeongChang  Kripps' first medal in his third Olympic appearance.

We are so proud of all of our Olympic athletes from the Okanagan and happy to have Justin share his gold medal with everyone at the Penticton Peach Festival, Peachfest president Don Kendall said.

Kripps shared his gold medal with students at schools in Summerland recently, and said being able to do that came "full circle" for him.

"I remember being in a class and being so inspired when we had Olympian Curt Harnett speak to us when I was young, he said.

The 71st Peachfest takes place from August 8 to 12 this summer.Photo: Canadian Armed Forces

Canadian Armed Forces soldiers in B.C. to assist with flooding response will begin going home today.

The troops will return to their base in Edmonton in staggered departures, the province says.

They already packed up in the Okanagan earlier this week and will begin leaving the Kootenays as well. The last troops will leave on Saturday, allowing for changing conditions should the flood situation worsen.

A contingent of more than 100 B.C.-based troops will remain in Chilliwack to support flood-response in the Fraser Valley, if needed.

Additional rescue resources from the Armed Forces and Canadian Coast Guard, including watercraft and aircraft, will remain available to support provincial efforts, if needed, and can be deployed in as little as 24 hours.Photo: The Canadian Press

The City of Vancouver and Squamish Nation have lost legal challenges aimed at quashing an environmental assessment certificate issued by the British Columbia government for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

The B.C. Supreme Court issued separate written judgments today in the cases.

The previous B.C. Liberal government issued the certificate in January 2017, about two months after the federal government gave the project the green light.

The city argued the province failed to engage in proper public consultation or take into account relevant environmental considerations in seeking an order to set aside the certificate.

But Justice Christopher Grauer ruled the province's decision to issue the certificate was reasonable as he dismissed the petition and ordered the city to pay costs to Trans Mountain, a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan Canada.

He also found the province conducted appropriate and sufficient consultation with the First Nation.

The judge said in the city's case, the B.C. government took a "very limited position and made no submissions on the merits of the judicial review."

The province's NDP government opposes the pipeline. Premier John Horgan said his government reviewed the litigation after it took power last summer and received legal advice that it had a responsibility to defend the integrity of the Crown.

"We found ourselves on the opposite side of Squamish and Vancouver," he said.

Since the NDP came to power last summer, the provincial government has also joined a legal challenge of the federal approval of the pipeline expansion, which was heard by the Federal Court of Appeal last fall. A decision has not yet been released.Not only can it be dangerous to cross train tracks at a random spot, it is also illegal.

Doing so can net a fine of $115. So too can failing to obey railway crossing controls, such as a stop sign or flashing lights.

The CN Rail Police and the RCMP were reminding people of this during a blitz Thursday in Vernon.

We are targeting people who are crossing the tracks illegally, said Sgt. Andrew Spanos, of the CN Rail Police.

Spanos, along with a member of the RCMP, were at the Polson Mall parking where many people cross the tracks from Polson Park.

So many people have done it, there is a path from the park to the cinema parking lot.

The other thing that we are looking for today is motorists that are failing to obey the control devices at railway crossings, said Spanos, noting the CN Rail Police have the same authority as the RCMP.

In B.C. last year, there were approximately 20 incidences of train versus vehicle and trespassers.

Across Canada, there were 222 incidents last year, resulting in 72 fatalities.

It's an offence under the railway safety act to walk over the railway tracks and the fine is $115, said Spanos.Kelowna's mayor says he wants a chance to finish what he's started.

With that, Colin Basran made official what most have known for months  he's seeking a second four-year term to lead the city.

Basran says Kelowna's economy is thriving, town centres are bustling, and arts and culture blossoming.

"I am not willing to risk this transformation," Basran said to about 200 supporters on the rooftop of the downtown Innovation Centre. "You have worked too hard to initiate this progress, and it is with your support today that I want to make sure we do not lose this positive momentum."

Basran was elected mayor nearly four years ago, after serving one term as councillor.

While he checked off several accomplishments of the current council, he says one issue stands at the forefront for the next council to tackle.

"Social issues, for sure. We need to work to find homes for everybody in our community, make sure they are supported and make sure they can be the best they can possibly be."

"It's expensive, it will take a lot of political will and, at the end of the day, it'll be the right thing to do," he said.

Basran touted Kelowna as having the number one job market in the country and being one of the fastest-growing regions in the country.

It also has the fourth most expensive housing costs in the country, making it a challenge to attract younger workers to the city.

"But, we keep chipping away at it with every new development application, working with BC Housing on below-market-rent housing. There are a number of different strategies we are working towards to create housing."

Basran is the first candidate to declare his intentions to seek the mayor's chair. Voters go to the polls Oct. 20.

In 2014, without an incumbent in the race, eight people ran for the mayor's chair. In 2011 and 2005, five people ran, while in 2008 and 2002, there were only two names on the ballot.Photo: Contributed

Growers are anticipating a record cherry crop in the Okanagan this summer.

A combination of ideal weather conditions through the bloom period and new production methods has resulted in an estimated 12 million pound crop, the BC Tree Fruits Cooperative says.

Consumers will start seeing Okanagan cherries in stores starting the end of June.

The estimated crop is expected to exceed last season's. In 2017, the yield fell short of initial estimates, at 10.1 million pounds, due to weather challenges across the region.

In addition to cherries, BC Tree Fruits is anticipating a very good peach, nectarine, prune, plum and table grape crop, with volumes either slightly up or similar to last year.

Mother nature served our growing regions with ideal weather conditions through bloom into the post-bloom period, which has resulted in a lot of fruit on the trees, says marketing manager Chris Pollock. Our growers are excited and prepared for great summer fruit crops this year.

The primary market for that fruit is Western Canada, but the valley also exports to the United States and abroad.[]B: 20180524 17:16:34 





Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited



A Supplemental Announcement Relating to Debt Reorganizations

During Normal Operation of Business



Involving Partial Related Transactions



The Company, all the members of the Board of Directors, supervisors and top management hereby guarantee the truth,

accuracy and completeness of the information disclosure, no any false records, misleading statements and major

missing contents.



The seventh session of the board of directors of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited (the Company)

held the sixth meeting to review and consider the Companys debt reorganization occurred during the

normal operation of business throughout 2017, and disclosed the Announcement of Wafangdian

Bearing Company Limited Relating to Debt Reorganization During Normal Operation of Business

Involving Partial Related Transactions on 26 April 2018. Set out below are the details of the

supplemental announcement:







1.The Company entered into a Debt Reorganization Agreement with 100 suppliers, including

Zhangjiakou New Century Rubber Products Company Limited*(

), pursuant to which, these suppliers agreed to make compromise in respect of the debts owed by the

Company during the normal operation of business after arms length negotiation. This transaction

enabled the Company to record gains from debt reorganization of RMB5,304,472.04.







2. A total of six related parties are involved in this reorganization, among which, Wafangdian Bearing

Group Precision Retainers Co., Ltd.*(), Wafangdian Bearing

Group Precision Rolling Elements Co., Ltd.*(),

Wafangdian Bearing Group Equipment and Technology Engineer Co., Ltd.*(

) and Wafangdian Bearing Group National Bearing Engineer Technology Research

Center Co., Ltd.*() are all the

wholly-owned subsidiaries of Wafangdian Bearing Group Company Limited which is the largest

shareholder of the Company. Wazhou Group High-end Auto Bearing Co., Ltd.*(

) and Dalian Wazhou Jinzhou Machinery Co., Ltd.*()

are the holding and associate subsidiaries of Wafangdian Bearing Group Company Limited. For further

information of the related parties, please refer to the announcement of the Company disclosed at the

website of www.cninfo.com.cn on 26 April 2018 - Announcement of Wafangdian Bearing Company

Limited Relating to Execution of Daily Related Transactions for 2017 and Planning of Daily Related

Transactions for 2018.







For details of the aforesaid two matters, please refer to the detailed description of debt reorganization

as set out in theReply from Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited for the Enquiry Letter of 2017

Annual Report:









3. This debt reorganization is conducted on a normal operation basis, which means there is no material

legal impediment for the respective party to conduct the debt reorganization.







4. The debt reorganizations between the Company and related parties and debt reorganizations

between the Company and third party suppliers are separate from each other and are not subject to

mutual precondition, thus no package deal is constituted.







5. There is no other relationship between the counterparties of the debt reorganization and the

Company or the top ten shareholders of the Company in terms of title, business, assets, creditors right

and debts and personnel which may cause or have caused that interest is created in favor of the

counterparties or the Company. All the debt reorganizations would be made by the Company on an

equal and fair basis, with no exception.







6. The main reason accounting for the debt reorganizations is the capital shortage of the Company in a

short run due to the impact of general market conditions. In order to mitigate capital pressure, the

suppliers agreed the Company to make payments to them at certain discounts which are determined

after arms length negotiation between the parties subject to the acceptable level for their operations.

Save as those as agreed in the reorganization agreements, there is no other agreement or arrangement

disclosed. Debt reorganization involving related parties shall not be viewed as equity transaction.







7. The Company entered into debt reorganization agreements with 100 suppliers including subsidiaries

of Wazhou Bearing Group in 2017, pursuant to which, debts of the Company were reorganized on a fair

and equal basis with no exception.This transaction represents the purchase of goods payment or labor

cost arising from the Companys normal business at market price, therefore it is a fair transaction of

business nature.







8. The subsequent payment arrangement will be made by the Company taking into account (i) the

amount owed to the suppliers as of the settlement period; (ii)actual collection of capital of the Company

during the period. The capital is mainly sourced from the actual capital collected by the Company from

sales of bearing products, which belongs to normal capital payment business, thus brings no impact on

the Companys normal operation.







This is the supplemental announcement to elaborate all the required details.







The Board of Directors of



Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited



24 May 2018













 Wafangdian Bearing Company LimitedA Supplemental Announcement Relating to Debt ReorganizationsDuring Normal Operation of BusinessInvolving Partial Related TransactionsThe Company, all the members of the Board of Directors, supervisors and top management hereby guarantee the truth,accuracy and completeness of the information disclosure, no any false records, misleading statements and majormissing contents.The seventh session of the board of directors of Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited (the Company)held the sixth meeting to review and consider the Companys debt reorganization occurred during thenormal operation of business throughout 2017, and disclosed the Announcement of WafangdianBearing Company Limited Relating to Debt Reorganization During Normal Operation of BusinessInvolving Partial Related Transactions on 26 April 2018. Set out below are the details of thesupplemental announcement:1.The Company entered into a Debt Reorganization Agreement with 100 suppliers, includingZhangjiakou New Century Rubber Products Company Limited*(  ), pursuant to which, these suppliers agreed to make compromise in respect of the debts owed by theCompany during the normal operation of business after arms length negotiation. This transactionenabled the Company to record gains from debt reorganization of RMB5,304,472.04.2. A total of six related parties are involved in this reorganization, among which, Wafangdian BearingGroup Precision Retainers Co., Ltd.*(), Wafangdian BearingGroup Precision Rolling Elements Co., Ltd.*(),Wafangdian Bearing Group Equipment and Technology Engineer Co., Ltd.*() and Wafangdian Bearing Group National Bearing Engineer Technology ResearchCenter Co., Ltd.*() are all thewholly-owned subsidiaries of Wafangdian Bearing Group Company Limited which is the largestshareholder of the Company. Wazhou Group High-end Auto Bearing Co., Ltd.*() and Dalian Wazhou Jinzhou Machinery Co., Ltd.*()are the holding and associate subsidiaries of Wafangdian Bearing Group Company Limited. For furtherinformation of the related parties, please refer to the announcement of the Company disclosed at thewebsite of www.cninfo.com.cn on 26 April 2018 - Announcement of Wafangdian Bearing CompanyLimited Relating to Execution of Daily Related Transactions for 2017 and Planning of Daily RelatedTransactions for 2018.For details of the aforesaid two matters, please refer to the detailed description of debt reorganizationas set out in theReply from Wafangdian Bearing Company Limited for the Enquiry Letter of 2017Annual Report:3. This debt reorganization is conducted on a normal operation basis, which means there is no materiallegal impediment for the respective party to conduct the debt reorganization.4. The debt reorganizations between the Company and related parties and debt reorganizationsbetween the Company and third party suppliers are separate from each other and are not subject tomutual precondition, thus no package deal is constituted.5. There is no other relationship between the counterparties of the debt reorganization and theCompany or the top ten shareholders of the Company in terms of title, business, assets, creditors rightand debts and personnel which may cause or have caused that interest is created in favor of thecounterparties or the Company. All the debt reorganizations would be made by the Company on anequal and fair basis, with no exception.6. The main reason accounting for the debt reorganizations is the capital shortage of the Company in ashort run due to the impact of general market conditions. In order to mitigate capital pressure, thesuppliers agreed the Company to make payments to them at certain discounts which are determinedafter arms length negotiation between the parties subject to the acceptable level for their operations.Save as those as agreed in the reorganization agreements, there is no other agreement or arrangementdisclosed. Debt reorganization involving related parties shall not be viewed as equity transaction.7. The Company entered into debt reorganization agreements with 100 suppliers including subsidiariesof Wazhou Bearing Group in 2017, pursuant to which, debts of the Company were reorganized on a fairand equal basis with no exception.This transaction represents the purchase of goods payment or laborcost arising from the Companys normal business at market price, therefore it is a fair transaction ofbusiness nature.8. The subsequent payment arrangement will be made by the Company taking into account (i) theamount owed to the suppliers as of the settlement period; (ii)actual collection of capital of the Companyduring the period. The capital is mainly sourced from the actual capital collected by the Company fromsales of bearing products, which belongs to normal capital payment business, thus brings no impact onthe Companys normal operation.This is the supplemental announcement to elaborate all the required details.The Board of Directors ofWafangdian Bearing Company Limited24 May 2018WABC-TV(NEW YORK) -- Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are now investigating allegations of sexual abuse against disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein, a source familiar with the probe confirmed to ABC News.



The New York Police Department, Manhattan District Attorneys Office, New York Attorney Generals Office, Los Angeles Police Department and U.K. authorities have previously acknowledged investigations of allegations by dozens of women, which Weinstein denies.



Federal prosecutors rarely investigate individual sex assault allegations but, in general, there are federal statutes that cover sex trafficking, child exploitation or use of interstate commerce to promote unlawful activity. If Weinstein was found to have lured women across state lines for an illicit purpose, federal prosecutors could bring a case.



Manhattan federal prosecutors were already investigating Weinstein in connection with potentially questionable financial transactions tied to a charity.



The existence of the federal investigation was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.



Weinsteins lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, told the Journal that he has met with federal prosecutors in Manhattan in an attempt to dissuade them from proceeding and will continue to meet with them in coming weeks, the paper reported. Mr. Weinstein has always maintained that he has never engaged in nonconsensual sexual acts, Brafman told the Journal.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Senator Lamar Alexander on Thursday said legislation advanced by the Senate Appropriations Committee is good news for 340,000 Tennessee farmers, and will also help Tennessee fight the opioid crisis.

The bill I voted for today is a win for Tennessee farmers because it funds the Farm Service Agency, Rural Development programs, and agricultural research at Tennessees universities, Senator Alexander said. The bill also includes $425 million to help provide access to broadband for rural communities, and nearly $3 billion for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is responsible for ensuring the food Americans eat every day is safe.

I also want to thank Senator Hoeven for including two priorities I have been working on as Chairman of the health committee to help fight the crisis and support medical innovation. The bill strengthens FDAs authority to identify and intercept illicit drugs, such as fentanyl, at International Mailing Facilities to help fight the opioid crisis. Each year, more than 1,000 Tennesseans die from opioid abuse or overdosethis epidemic takes more Tennessee lives than car accidents or gunshots do.

The Fiscal Year 2019 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill supports U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agriculture, rural development, and conservation programs that benefit farmers across Tennessee. Tennessee is home to more than 66,000 farms and nearly 11 million acres of farmland.

The bill also provides a total of $2.9 billion for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is responsible for protecting public health by assuring the safety and efficacy of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nations food supply, and cosmetics. The bill also includes $59 million for FDA to help fight the opioid crisis, and provides $70 million to the FDA as authorized in the 21st Century Cures Act, legislation Congress passed, and President Obama signed into law in 2016. Alexander was the chief architect of the 21st Century Cures Act, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called it the most important legislation of the year.

The Fiscal Year 2019 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill is consistent with the spending limits included in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 approved by Congress, and signed by President Trump, in February. The legislation is now ready to be considered by the full Senate.He added: While we are disappointed, we remain firmly of the view that this property can be a catalyst for economic and social growth in southeast Chicago, and while we feel that we need to step out of the transaction now, we remain open to possibilities that would allow us to reactivate our interest in this property in the future, directly or with partners. We wish U.S. Steel every future success with this site.The bill raises the maximum rates that currency exchanges can charge to cash a check, but also requires that businesses cap fee increases for those on public assistance. Additionally, the bill stipulates that check-cashing businesses examine whether the fees are unduly burdensome to minority groups like people of color and the elderly, who tend to rely on these services the most.As it seeks to expand to other markets, Four Corners will have the considerable financial backing of one of Chicagos most successful real estate developers. The company is a division of Sterling Bay, whose high-profile deals in recent years include McDonalds headquarters move to Chicago from west suburban Oak Brook and Googles Midwest headquarters nearby in the fast-growing Fulton Market district. Four Corners co-founders Menna and Andy Gloor are Sterling Bay principals.To qualify, Rivian must have 35 new employees in Normal by December, 465 employees by 2021 and 1,000 new employees by 2024. The automaker also must hit undisclosed capital investment targets, all of which must be met to gain the annual tax incentive, Jacquelyn Reineke, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, said Thursday.An announcement of a formal investigation into the alleged need for such industrial protection could come as soon as this evening, one industry executive said. Shares of European carmakers fell more than 1 percent on the news.Simona Mangiante and George Papadopoulos are photographed in Chicago on March 2, 2018, after their wedding. A federal judge agreed May 23, 2018, to begin the process of preparing to sentence Papadopoulos, a former adviser to President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign. (Handout)5) When you cant be bothered to be entirely outside, the retractable roof at Octavio Cantina & Kitchen has you covered, literally. Sit at the expansive bar or in one of the booths while sipping the restaurants frozen cocktails. The Mezcal Firing Squad is made with Banhez mezcal, Angostura bitters and house-made hibiscus grenadine, and is garnished with a lime wheel. The Playa Blanca Margarita is made with Libelula Tequila, Combier triple sec, coconut creme and lime, and is garnished with a blood orange crisp. 5310 N. Clark St., 773-293-1223, mrgchicago.com/restaurant/octavioUpstairs, the Champagne Room (with its own bar, lined with Champagne bottles) is designed for private events but also used for overflow seating. I would decline another opportunity to dine in this room; its crowded, far noisier and, during my dinner here, I was sandwiched between a table of six people who could not sit still and another at which two women, meeting presumably for the first time in ages, stood inches from my arm and had a prolonged conversation. Did I mention that this room has its own bar?The Japanese style is called mizuwari, according to critically acclaimed mixologist Julia Momose, who is opening a Japanese-style bar called Bar Kumiko in Chicagos West Loop. You start with a glass filled with ice  the colder the initial vessel, the better, to maximize carbonation. After the glass becomes frosted, the original ice and any water that has melted are discarded to avoid dilution. New ice  large chunks or a spear  is added, then the whisky. Soda water is poured carefully between glass and ice (not on top of the ice), and using a bar spoon, the bartender lifts the ice ever so slightly to allow the whisky and soda to mix. Too large a stir risks releasing carbonation. A little more soda is added to fill the glass, and the final result is a delicately refreshing concoction, with bubbles that dance on your tongue and an earthiness that grounds you.3) Aspiring Pokemon trainers who want to be the very best (cue theme song) can travel to the Pokemon Pop-up at Replay Lincoln Park and immerse themselves in the pop culture phenomenon. The bar will transform into a Pokemon Center, Pokemart and Pokestop for Pokemon Go players. If youre a trainer who can handle your liquid courage, take on the Replay Pokemon League Challenge: Youll receive a Trainer Card with spaces for eight badges corresponding with eight themed shots, like the Thunder badge, made with Citrus Stoli, orange liqueur and fresh citrus. If you collect all eight, you can challenge one of the Elite Four trainers at the Pokemon Stadium to play a video game, and if you prevail, youll receive a prize pack. (rumor has it that its a limited edition bicyclefrom Heritage Bicycles). There will also be wild Pokemon hidden around the bar with codes for discounts, giveaways and secret menu drinks. 3 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday; noon Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday; and noon Sunday to 2 a.m. Monday. The pop-up continues every day through June 3. 2833 N. Sheffield Ave., 773-665-5660, replaylincolnpark.comAs for the Kentucky straight bourbon: it's just OK. Relatively high corn content (and very low rye) lends I.W. Harper a fairly pronounced sweetness that makes for relatively simple drinking. Despite the expected notes of caramel and vanilla, Harper doesn't show much wood or age, and winds up with a fairly one- dimensional finish. The biggest problem is the price: at $34.99, it's not hard to find more complex and satisfying bourbons at about half the cost.He says, even as his star rose, he found the supposedly progressive independent film world almost an adversarial community with few filmmakers of color. He recalls endless emails from agents who code language, who say my work lacks scope, as in, Were interested in Bradford but worried he only knows how to expose black skin. These people dont know, if you can expose black skin correctly, you can expose anything. I mean, until David Lowery came along, I never expected to work with a white filmmaker. For his part, Lowery, who made the acclaimed drama A Ghost Story and the Disney remake Petes Dragon, said, I am obsessed with texture. I want movies you feel you can reach out and touch, and Bradford does that, but also, the truth is, you have to want to spend five months joined at the hips with a (cinematographer), and after one breakfast with him, he was so generous I felt like we were related.A lot of people probably look at me kind of funny, you know, being confined to one place for the rest of your life, Sister Amata says, filming herself. But its still very freeing being here, mostly because you know its whats supposed to be and its right. The elder nuns are permitted one hour each evening to talk freely, and we see them play a Bible-inspired game of Jeopardy: The two types of punishments results in What is eternal punishment and temporal punishment? Meanwhile, a German shepherd snores loudly in the background, which is hilarious; this the loudest and liveliest the monastery gets all day, and the dog is passed out.Like the isolated man of faith in Robert Bressons Diary of a Country Priest (1951), Toller has embarked on a yearlong experiment of keeping a journal for his private confessions, doubts and prayers. Early in the film Toller is visited by Mary (Amanda Seyfried), a pregnant parishioner married to a fierce environmental activist (Philip Ettinger) recently returned to town, and utterly adrift. With climate change raging, unchecked, he does not see the point of bringing a child into the world. The early, artfully sustained scene between the husband and the minister is pretty amazing, slipping in bits of exposition (we learn of Tollers son, a casualty of the Iraq war; Toller himself is a former military chaplain) while Toller murmurs to us in voice-over about the ecstatic thrill of having his beliefs and ideology questioned, tested, probed.On Chesil Beach is built upon the fact of how quickly and definitively two people who love each other can run aground in a failure to communicate, to open up, to work through their demons. (McEwan is quite clear about the source of Florences sexual anxiety.) The movie never settles on a mood or a rhythm for the flashback/present tense seesawing. This is director Cookes first feature; his stage training serves him well in the individual exchanges, and theres fine work from Emily Watson (as Florences stern mother), Samuel West (as her bullying father), Anne-Marie Duff (Edwards mother, who suffers a freak accident and loses touch with reality) and Adrian Scarborough (Edwards kind, diffident father, just muddling through). Yet to take one example: The way Cooke films the freak-accident flashback, its played periliously and unintentionally close to a sight gag.I would go to different clubs and hear UFO in the background on different records and think someone was stealing from me, Renee says. Coming from the Bronx in the 70s where you had all the drugs and gangs, you took that as a personal insult  somebody is stealing my stuff. You deal with it as best you can, but you cant let it get you down, because otherwise youd never make music again.Well-attended events which travel between spaces can get a bit unwieldy. They become like an aggressive game of musical chairs; everyone wants a seat with the best view and only the strongest survive. I knew going into this performance that it could potentially be a little like Black Friday at Walmart. Fortunately, most dance patrons are polite and considerate, and Id known to call ahead and save myself a seat. Those who dont have that luxury are left to duke it out for their spots, and it helps to just go with the flow and be good-spirited about the thing (after all, its free ).After treatments and surgeries stretched on for months, both parents took leaves of absence from their full-time jobs to care for Emma, while trying to keep life as normal as possible for their three other children. As medical costs piled on top of the mortgage, utility bills and other living expenses, Emmas disease quickly transformed the middle class, dual-income family into one wondering how it would make ends meet.1. Look voraciously, buy with precision. "Most people buy a piece here, try to figure out what goes with it, buy a piece there  that's really hard to do. It takes forever, and then ultimately things don't work as well." Instead, Clancy says, "go to every store you can think of, take a picture of everything you like, print them out and look at them together. See what works. Then buy, after doing your research." Set decorators use storyboards to get a visual that shows them exactly what they are looking for and how it goes with the other pieces. When they turn to Craigslist, they have clear targets in mind.Tianna Liu showed an adorable knitwear collection for the under-12 set that looked prime for boutiques. In punchy shades of green, blue and yellow, these were pieces made for kids, but with age-appropriate style. I just wanted to make something colorful and fun thats mix and match and that reminds you of your childhood, Liu said backstage after the show.The sage and other brush along the trail may have thinned or thickened over time, but the vista is undoubtedly the same as that seen by the adventurers who made the 2,000-mile, six-month-long trek to the Oregon Territory in the American West. A tan-and-green valley covers the foreground, and the majestic and imposing forested Blue Mountains dominate the sky.WOW canceled the flight, and we missed our connecting flight to Pittsburgh. The next available WOW Air flight didn't depart Paris until three days later, and WOW would not endorse our tickets to another airline. My one daughter was starting law school in three days and could not wait for the next flight. She found a flight to New York that day at considerably more cost, and then rented a car and drove to Columbus, Ohio, just so she would get back in time. My wife, other daughter and I finally found a flight through another airline that flew out the next day.People thought, or maybe they hoped, we would just go away, said Ellen Meeks Rendulich, one of the organizers of a grass-roots group dubbed Citizens Against Ruining the Environment. We didnt get 100 percent of what we wanted, but whats coming out of those smokestacks now is nothing compared to what it used to be like.Population trends for the past couple of years prompted some experts to question whether Houston could unseat Chicago as the third-largest U.S. city. And its even sparked a little ribbing. This spring, journalists in both cities got into a spirited back-and-forth over which one reigned supreme  including mention of the census count  when Houston announced it was getting its own version of the Bean. Called Cloud Column, Houstons stainless steel sculpture was created by Anish Kapoor, the same artist who designed Millennium Parks Cloud Gate, which went up in 2004.The Governor's Office of Executive Inspector General, which monitors the states four regional transit boards, made its report about the former employee public on Monday. The Tribune is not naming the man, who resigned from his job earlier this year before he could be fired, because he has not been criminally charged in connection with the case.When they went missing, they were last seen 3 p.m. Tuesday and did not return home from Audubon Elementary, located at 3500 N. Hoyne Ave. in the Roscoe Village neighborhood, according to Officer Christine Calace, a Chicago police spokeswoman.Wangs attorney had pointed out the lack of DNA evidence presented at the trial. He also said the womans testimony was inconsistent, claiming she was angry because she didnt get the kind of massage she wanted but that she still thanked Wang as she left. The lawyer said Wang gave police a video of the massage, although it was missing about two minutes.He attacked 23-year-old Robbin Brandley after a jazz piano concert in 1986 at an Orange County community college and stabbed her to death in the parking lot. Two years later, he picked up Julie McGhee, a 29-year-old prostitute, and drove her to a remote area, had sex with her, shot her in the head and left her body in the desert, authorities said.Hampton said one key loophole that needs to be closed is how to protect campaign workers from sexual harassment. As part of Madigans political organization, Hampton was a campaign worker for legislative candidates when harassment took place. Hampton provided text messages from Kevin Quinn that showed a relentless series of entreaties to go out with him and her declining. In one message, he called her smoking hot.To put forward this money at this time, when our city and our neighborhood is crying out for resources, and put it toward new glass and new cement and a new swimming pool for cops, is really a slap in the face of those black youth that have been organizing for an end to racist policing, he said.Please dont look at this as a gun bill. Dont look at who is against this bill, Reick said. Take a look at what this bill does, not what you think its going to do. Dont let the perfect be the enemy of the good here.Emanuel, though, has still maintained the emails are not a public record under the law. He made the arrangement, in which his personal attorney determines which emails are released, as part of a settlement with the BGA. The Tribune has continued its legal action against the mayor, and last week a Cook County judge sided with the newspaper and ruled that Emanuel violated state law by withholding for nearly a year and a half emails sent and received from his personal accounts that related to city business.Letting people have their say, thats how democracy works, thats what makes a strong democracy, Shiller said. Frankly, the mayor and the aldermen (who support the academy) may end up coming out on top in this, but then why not go through the proper process and do this the right way?"It's a matter of character for me," Keenan said in an interview with The Associated Press. "If we can't trust him in telling the truth to the cops, then how do we trust him on health care policy, how do we trust him on public lands?"Protesters display placards during a rally outside the Chinese Consulate to protest China's deployment of missiles on the Philippine-claimed reefs in the South China Sea on May 10, 2018, in Makati, Philippines. (Bullit Marquez / AP)"A hotel manager can't simply open your room and say [to police or agents], 'Have a look at whatever you want to look at,' and leave," Zehnle said. "I left a key with a pet-sitter . . . the pet-sitter has limited authority to feed the pet," not to let in whomever he wants, whenever he wants, he said.In this July 6, 2011, photo, a grizzly bear roams near Beaver Lake in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. Wyoming will allow grizzly bear hunting for the first time in decades. (Jim Urquhart / AP)The Dayton Daily News reports Piqua police say the department received a call Tuesday morning about a man threatening to shoot up a school and use explosives. Police say William Ingle was arrested a few hours later and has been charged with making a false alarm.Voters cast their ballots at Chase Street Elementary for Georgia's primary election in Athens, Ga., May 22, 2018. (Joshua L. Jones / AP)While working on the report, law students at the University of Chicago Law School spent the last year reviewing complaint after complaint of children apprehended and detained by CBP officials. One document describes a child laying on the ground as a Border Patrol agent came up to him and tased him in the stomach. The agent then put his foot on the childs leg and pushed down, kneed the child in the stomach twice and kicked him into a thorn bush. Another document describes an agent running over a child with his car and punching the child in the head and body several times. Several documents describe children deprived of food and potable water, held in freezing cells and using bathrooms with overflowing toilets. (These records are available to the public at the ACLU San Diego/Imperial website.)The house was in disarray with a liquor cabinet tipped over with several broken bottles scattered on the floor. Pictures were knocked off the wall, a glass table was partially tipped over and a TV was partially pulled off the wall. Kitchen appliances were thrown all over the floor.One thing aldermen had said in the past was that the situation was a bit unfair to Aurora residents in DuPage, Will and Kendall counties. Mayor Richard Irvin had pointed out that the situation was even more unfair for DuPage residents of Aurora, because they paid the tax toward the Election Commission, even though they did not use it.Aurora officials found out this week that five census tracts  four of which comprise a chunk of the near East Side and the fifth of which is on the near West Side  are eligible for the program and were approved by the U.S. Treasury.At Long Beach Elementary in Montgomery, one of the district schools where that training is underway, taking the new approach could mean pairing a fourth-grader with a second-grader to read. It might mean providing a reflection time for a student who needs to calm down, or assigning a teacher an individual student to check in with each day for a time. Some students might not get enough sleep at home because parents are working third shift or babies in the home are crying all night, and could have time set aside for a nap at school.In the 1850s, the debate reignited over whether new territories Kansas and Nebraska should be open to slavery. The Missouri Compromise said no. But Douglas drove through popular sovereignty, which said the voters should decide  after all, his argument went, whats a democracy for?Its statement cited a 2002 report by then-Bishop Edward Slattery in which he apologized from the bottom of my heart for the dioceses handling of the complaint against Lewis. The bishop said then that it had been a mistake to return Lewis to active ministry after the 1994 accusation and, also in 2002, the bishop asked for and received Lewis resignation from the Tulsa diocese.One of the new vehicles will be fully marked as a squad cruiser and used by the department for patrol duty. It will be loaded with additional equipment to handle emergency situations. That extra equipment will be acquired from Tinley Park-based Police Department Systems Inc. and will cost an additional $9,469, officials said. It also will have an in-car camera system to be installed by Watch Guard of Allen, Texas. At a cost of $6,445, the system is meant to record video that can be used by police as evidence in criminal cases.The main concern is that though the railroad crossing in question is located on a side street, it sees large numbers of foot traffic coming from a nearby senior home as well as young children who have to use the crossing to get to school and back, DeLuca said in the release.Colorado's love for SUVs is stronger than ever, even as climate warms

SUVs have long been popular in Colorado, but ownership has exploded over the last decade as the number of passenger cars on the roads has dwindled.Chin a has finally signed up to the Convention on International Transport of Goods Under Cover of TIR Carnets (TIR Convention; TIR stands for Transports Internationaux Routiers or International Road Transports), a multilateral treaty that streamlines administration for international road transport. This brings the total number of signatories to the TIR to 74, including 73 states and the EU.

The occasion was marked yesterday at a ceremony in Dalian, one of six TIR-ready Belt and Road gateways. The TIR will enhance interconnectivity between countries across the region and improve transportation along the routes.

TIR has been a long time coming and will significantly improve transport logistics across China and the Belt and Road Routes, said Chris Devonshire-Ellis, founder and chairman of Dezan Shira & Associates. He continued, It paves the way for huge investment opportunities in trucking logistics, maintenance, and facilities for drivers across the Eurasian region.

The TIR Convention is an international customs transit system to move goods:

in sealed vehicles or containers;

from a customs office in one country to a customs office in another country;

without time or labor intensive border checks at intermediate borders.

The Convention achieves the above while at the same time providing customs authorities with the mechanisms required for security and guarantees.

In addition to road transit, the TIR system accommodates customs by road, rail, inland waterway, and maritime transit as long as part of the transport is conducted by road.

The TIR ceremony in Dalian was concluded with an inaugural truck journey from Dalian to Manzhouli on the China-Russian border, before heading by road to Chita, Ulan Ude, Irkutsk and Novosibirsk in Western Siberia, a distance of some 5,600km.

Russia and China agreed to establish the Primorye 1 Transport Corridor last year, which opens up landlocked Heilongjiang to Vladivostok Port on Russias east coast. The new TIR system will enable both Russian and Chinese drivers to use the route uninterrupted. The new system also allows for much needed trucking via Mongolia, with a vastly improved transit trucking activities on the Tianjin-Ulaan Baatar-Ulan-Ude route.

The use of TIR by China has the potential to increase the total trade volume among China and other Belt and Road countries by up to USD 13.6 billion, representing 1.4 percent of Chinas total volume of trade exports. The activation of TIR will see Chinese goods going global with greater efficiency, while foreign imports will be faster and safer. The development illustrates Chinas commitment to developing new international routes and open borders, and the two-way opening up of international road transport.You are here: Arts

Acclaimed Chinese director Jia Zhangke said Wednesday that his latest film "Ash Is Purest White" will be shown in Chinese cinemas starting September 21.

The film, whose Chinese name translates to "Sons and Daughters of Jianghu," tells a turbulent love story spanning 17 years, that involves figures in the criminal underworld.

Set in modern times, the couple -- Qiao and Bin -- experience gang fights, separation, prison, betrayal but eventually live up to the trust and convictions of "Jianghu," a Chinese term for society that is often used in martial arts literature.

The film premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival on May 11, as the only representative of Chinese cinema in the official competition.

Jia, from north China's Shanxi Province, rose to acclaim with his directorial debut, "Xiao Wu," in 1997. His "Still Life" won the Venice Film Festival's top award, the Golden Lion, in 2006.The Forbidden City is shaping a new image for itself after almost six centuries.

The imperial palace, also known as the Palace Museum, is expanding its appeal to the smartphone generation.

"I believe we are the best digital museum in the world," said museum curator Shan Jixiang at a press conference earlier this month.

Shan was referring to a digital exhibition which opened last October atop Duanmen Gate, the main entrance to the palace grounds.

Visitors may walk directly into the emperor's residence and, through VR, see everything as it was in its heyday, even to the extent of being able to talk with a senior minister with the help of artificial intelligence.

The Palace Museum houses close to 1.9 million antique items.

"A lot of the Palace is not accessible to the public, but through VR, nowhere is off-limits, even the Hall of Three Rarities, a 4.8-square-meter chamber where Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) housed his most treasured calligraphy," Shan told Xinhua.

The digital gallery at Duanmen opened in 2015, displaying items that are too old and fragile for real display, said Shan.

The "National Treasure" exhibition in February, the first in 2018, was immensely popular during the Lunar New Year holiday. Giant LED screens were set up in a square inside the complex, showing nine antiques from nine different museums across the country.

The exhibition was in conjunction with a China Central TV weekly show, also named "National Treasure", which was well received among viewers.

In March 2017, the museum released a documentary, "New Diary of the Forbidden City," about the restoration of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. The first two episodes have been seen over five million times on a popular streaming site.

"These documentaries help us understand and feel history," a viewer commented.

Digitalization of the museum started 20 years ago, when it established a center for information electronization. Starting 2001, the museum opened websites in Chinese and English, as well as a youth version.

Last March, the Palace Museum announced it would digitalize its entire collection and make the images available to the public. The museum photographs each item from different angles and uploads them online, according to Shan.

In February 2015, the museum launched an app to showcase its collection. The app highlights one item from the collection every day.

Nine apps have been released so far. One of them, named "Exhibitions at the Palace Museum," provides panoramic views of exhibition halls as well as detailed information of items on display. It gained over 500,000 downloads in 2017, Shan said.

This year, the museum released a mini program on WeChat, China's largest social media platform. Through GPS and realtime visitor statistics, the program advises visitors on the best route through the museum on a delicate "hand-painted" map.

Via the Internet, innovation and new technologies, the museum shares with the younger generation splendid traditional culture it embodies and represents, said Shan.



Philip Roth, the iconic American writer who had "offended" readers with pungent satire throughout his long literary life, has died at the age of 85 on Tuesday.

Roth's literary agent, Andrew Wylie, said the author died in a New York hospital of congestive heart failure.

A towering figure in American literature, Roth was the author of more than 25 books that helped shape the course of American letters in the second half of the 20th century. He always tried to tackle the most profound questions of American society, such as identity, authorship, morality and mortality.

His iconic style of writing exudes fierce satire and uncompromising realism. His novels, including the Pulitzer-winning "American Pastoral," confront readers in a bold, direct style that scorned false sentiment or hopes for heavenly reward.

Although Roth is often considered as one of the biggest literary figures never to win a Noble Prize, he received many major literary honors, including two U.S. National Book Awards, one Pulitzer Prize and one Man Booker International Prize for lifetime achievement.

Roth was born into a middle-class Jewish family in 1933 in Newark, New Jersey, where many of his books were set.

He received a master's degree in English literature at the University of Chicago and shot to literary fame in his 20s.It is China's long-standing policy to expand imports to meet Chinese people's ever-increasing consumption demands and to promote high-quality economic growth, the Ministry of Commerce said Wednesday.

China-U.S. economic ties are highly complementary and bilateral trade has great potential, the ministry said in a press release in response to media reports which quoted U.S. government officials as saying that China would significantly increase imports of U.S. agricultural and energy products.

China welcomes high-quality, competitive U.S. products into its market, said the press release.

Commenting on U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross' upcoming visit to China, the ministry said in line with the consensus reached through consultations in Washington, both sides will earnestly implement the contents of the joint statement, including the purchase of agricultural and energy products.Chinese authorities are looking to replicate the latest successful practices in its pilot free trade zones (FTZs) around the rest of the country.

In a circular published Wednesday, the State Council asked local authorities to adopt 27 practices that are now applied in the existing 11 FTZs as a way to pursue high-quality development and develop a modernized economy.

The practices include expanding the transport area of international ships, offering online registration for general taxpayers, facilitating inspection and quarantine for empty cargo containers shipped by sea, and sharing of enterprise information.

The State Council also ordered three practices to be replicated in particular sectors like regulation innovation for customs.

FTZs are a way of testing new policies to explore new development models and better integrate the economy with international practices.

China established its first FTZ in Shanghai in 2013. The total number of FTZs was brought to 11 after seven new FTZs were launched in April last year.

Up to 153 practices piloted in the FTZs have so far been replicated to other regions or sectors, the State Council said.A year since an inspection by President Xi Jinping, also chairman of the Central Military Commission, the People's Liberation Army Navy has made massive strides in transforming itself into a world-class force, experts said.

In the past 12 months, the Navy has conducted a number of warfare drills in open seas, taken part in bilateral or international naval exercises, made several overseas visits and established the nation's first overseas support base.

It has also commissioned or tested new advanced hardware and invested heavily in research and development in cutting-edge technologies in order to follow Xi's instructions to boost the Navy's overall capability and joint operation ability and make full use of innovation in science and technology.

Wu Peixin, a military observer in Beijing, said the Navy's growth over the past year has been "obvious", and the force has been open and transparent in making its development public.

"It has commissioned many new weapons and equipment, some among the best in the world," he said, adding that the nation now has a better ability to protect its overseas interests thanks to the increasing naval prowess.

On May 24, 2017, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visited PLA Navy headquarters in Beijing. He said the Navy should continue to speed up its transformation into a world-class force, ordering all Navy commanders to honor their mission of building a modern, strong navy.

Xi said the Navy's development is strategically important and crucial to national interests and security. He asked the Navy to focus on strengthening its combat capability and carrying out joint operation exercises in line with modern naval warfare. He demanded that the Navy use systematic thinking in making development plans.

Innovation in science and technology must be used to inject momentum into the Navy's sustainable growth, he said during the inspection a year ago.

Continued attention

Xi's attention on the Navy can be traced to his first days as the Party's top leader in late 2012.

On Dec 8, 2012, less than a month after Xi was elected top leader of the Party and the military, he boarded a destroyer that took him to the South China Sea. It was his first inspection of a PLA unit as Central Military Commission chairman.

In the next nine months, Xi made two visits to Navy units, boarding new naval vessels such as a new-generation nuclear-powered submarine and the aircraft carrier CNS Liaoning.

In his latest speech on the Navy, given at a grand sea parade last month, Xi reiterated that the Navy must race against time and spare no efforts to become a world-class force because the country needs a strong navy, stressing that it is an essential pillar to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Addressing over 10,000 Navy personnel from a giant combat ship in the parade, Xi asked members of the service to uphold the Party's leadership, deepen military reform, enhance innovation in science and technology, develop new types of fighting forces, build modern naval warfare systems and improve the capability to undertake diversified military operations.

Xi ordered the Navy to continue to focus on combat training and stay on high alert to safeguard the national interests and make more contributions to the peace and stability of the region and the world.

Intensified training

In the past year, the Navy has striven to fulfill Xi's instructions by intensifying military drills and going deeper into blue water.

In April, the Navy carried out its largest parade in the South China Sea, involving a vast armada of 48 ships, including the Liaoning, and six nuclear-powered submarines as well as 76 naval aircraft. The parade, viewed by Xi, displayed the latest achievements in the Navy's modernization drive.

Since May 2017, the Liaoning carrier battle group, a symbol of China's rising prowess at sea, has undertaken two long-range combat exercises, aiming to verify and enhance the collaboration and coordination among ships in the group and between ships and carrier-borne aircraft.

"Such operations have examined the battle group's offensive and defense systems and fostered commanders' ability to make decisions under complicated circumstances," said Gao Zhaorui, chief of staff of the carrier battle group.

Ding Yang, a J-15 carrier-borne fighter jet pilot, said that combat training over open seas hones aviators' response capabilities and supports crew preparedness and commander skills.

In March, two PLA Marine Corps forces, totaling over 10,000 personnel, traveled about 2,000 kilometers to Yunnan and Shandong provinces in a long-range mobility exercise, which military observers called the corps' largest training operation.

In July, China established the Djibouti Logistics Support Base, the nation's first of its kind. The base, managed by the Navy, is tasked with supporting naval escort, peacekeeping operations and humanitarian missions in Africa and western Asia. Navy personnel stationed there have conducted several live-fire drills.

The Navy has also been active in conveying China's goodwill to other nations in the past year. A three-ship fleet made a 176-day voyage to 20 countries in Asia, Africa and Europe from late April to mid-October, setting a record for the Navy.

Chinese naval flotillas also participated in multiple international drills in the Pacific Ocean and executed live-fire exercises in the Mediterranean and Baltic seas during joint exercises.

Improved arsenal

In the past year, the Navy commissioned the nation's largest supply vesselthe first Type 901 class comprehensive resupply shipenabling the Liaoning carrier battle group to sail farther away. Military observers said the ship displaces more than 45,000 metric tons, making it almost two times heavier than the Type 903 class, now the pillar of the Navy's supply force.

The country's first domestically designed aircraft carrier, launched in April 2017, completed its maiden sea trial last week.

The ship, the largest and most sophisticated naval vessel in China, displaces at least 50,000 metric tons and has stronger fighting capabilities than the Liaoning. Analysts anticipated that it will be delivered to the Navy within a year if sea trials are successful.

The Navy is expecting delivery of a 10,000-ton guided-missile destroyer, widely believed to be the mightiest of its kind in the world. The first in the Type 055 class, the destroyer carries over 100 vertical launch cells capable of firing air-defense, missile-intercepting, anti-ship and anti-submarine missiles. Several Type 055 ships are under construction, and the first is expected to soon begin its first sea trial, according to media reports.

Navy researchers also have developed electromagnetic launch technologies that give Navy ships a futuristic, game-changing weaponan electromagnetic railgun. Experts say the weapon is capable of revolutionizing future naval warfare with power, range and speed far superior to explosive-powered guns.



The 2018 China Poverty Reduction International Forum was held on May 23rd in Beijing. About 200 participants from 28 countries, including high-ranking officials, representatives from international organizations, experts and entrepreneurs at home and abroad as well as trainees from developing countries, attended the event to discuss how to combat global poverty through knowledge sharing.

The 2018 China Poverty Reduction International Forum was held on May 23rd in Beijing. [Photo by Yang Jia / China.org.cn]





Themed as "Sharing and Promoting Cooperation, Joining Hands in Poverty Reduction", the forum mainly focused on how China's experiences could contribute to a world with no poverty and zero hunger.

The Global Solicitation and Challenge Prize on Best Poverty Reduction Practices was launched at the forum. The campaign is seeking meaningful poverty reduction case studies from both organizations and individuals working around the world in poverty alleviation, and will select 100 most impactful case studies for recognition. From May 23 to August 23, applicants could submit case studies following the "Writing Standards of Poverty Alleviation Case Studies" in presenting meaningful, clear and concise information, with no less than 5,000 words. A preliminary evaluation committee will select case studies to be submitted to the final selection committee to review. In October the organizers will announce the list of winners. Meanwhile, case studies will be uploaded to the database for public dissemination.

As the first global solicitation of poverty reduction case studies, this campaign has involved many international organizations, and is the latest attempt to deepen and innovate on global partnerships on poverty reduction.

In addition, China Institute for Poverty Reduction of Beijing Normal University presented research findings of using China Shared Development Index to evaluate the shared development between different areas. That includes areas with different levels of poverty, from different regions in the east, central and west, as well as from different cities. As the first indicator system of its kind in the country, the index has provided a new perspective for resolving challenges in development.

The China Poverty Reduction International Forum has been held for 3 consecutive years. Fang Zhenghui, Vice President of the China International Publishing Group, said, "Since 2016, the forum has been scaling up with fruitful achievements. China Poverty Reduction International Forum has now become a major platform for knowledge sharing on poverty reduction among the international community."

Chen Zhigang, Deputy Director of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, believed that the forum had introduced China's experiences to the world, contributing greatly to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Bekele Debele, Acting Country Director for China, Mongolia and Korea, World Bank, pointed out that China had rich experience referable and transferable to many other countries. "Such experiences vary from long-time rapid economic growth to targeted poverty reduction," he said, "We applaud that China has contributed 70% of global poverty reduction in the past four decades and will continue as a major contributor in this regard."

Vincent Martin, FAO Representative in China and DPR Korea, further explained that China had been an active and strong partner towards international poverty eradication through the sharing of its expertise. "As China's experience has shown, a focus on rural transformation is needed to help the poor move from subsistence and casual wage labour to full employment and higher incomes, including in other sectors."

Matteo Marchisio, Country Director and IFAD Representative for China and Mongolia, said that China was exemplary in poverty reduction. "China's successful experience in reducing poverty has generated a bulk of knowledge to share with the rest of the developing world. It could be the immediate, tangible contribution that China can make to the global commitment to end poverty and achieve sustainable development by 2030."

Qu Sixi, WFP Director in China, maintained that Asia especially China had set a shining example for the world in poverty alleviation. "With unremitting efforts, China has made remarkable achievement and become one of the few countries achieving objectives of both MDG and World Food Summit in reducing the number of hunger people," he said.

Benedict Bingham, Country Director, Resident Mission in the PRC, ADB, believed the forum was very timely and constructive, saying that "the China Poverty Reduction International Forum provides a useful and powerful platform allowing us to share experiences learned from the country's efforts on this front."

In 2016, the Global Poverty Reduction & Inclusive Growth Portal (GPIG) was launched at the forum. With two years of development, it specializes in sharing policy research, data, country profiles and news on poverty reduction and South-South Cooperation. The forum in 2017 has seen the launch of Global Poverty Reduction Online Knowledge Sharing Database. With a standard template, a tree structure and a sharing system, this is another innovative approach to promote poverty alleviation.

The forum was co-hosted by the China Internet Information Center (CIIC), International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC), World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), World Food Programme (WFP), and Asian Development Bank (ADB). It was jointly organized by China.org.cn, China Development Gateway, and Chinese Voice Think Tank, while supported by China Institute for Poverty Reduction Research at Beijing Normal University, and China Institute for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture (CISSCA).The Global Solicitation and Challenge Prize on Best Poverty Reduction Practices was jointly launched by the China Internet Information Center (CIIC), International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC), World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), World Food Programme (WFP), and Asian Development Bank (ADB) at the 2018 China Poverty Reduction International Forum.





As the first global solicitation of poverty reduction case studies, this campaign has involved many international organizations, and is the latest attempt to deepen and innovate on global partnerships on poverty reduction.

The campaign is seeking meaningful poverty reduction case studies from both organizations and individuals working around the world in poverty alleviation, and will select 100 most impactful case studies for recognition.

According to the organizers, applicants can submit their case studies either in English or Chinese, with no less than 5,000 words. Participating case studies must fulfill at least one (1) of the following criteria:

1.It must clearly demonstrate results in poverty relief and other relevant effects

2.Demonstrate applicability in the wider poverty reduction context, such as in other geographies or economies

3.Advance the conversation around poverty reduction practices (such as in failed projects or those with mixed results)

Authors should also follow the "Writing Standards of Poverty Alleviation Case Studies" (http://south.china.org.cn/content/index/id/7166.html) in presenting meaningful, clear and concise information.

The campaign will last for three months from May 23 to August 23. A preliminary evaluation committee will select case studies to be submitted to the final selection committee to review. In October the organizers will announce the list of winners. Meanwhile, case studies will be uploaded to the database for public dissemination.

Wang Xiaohui, Editor-in-Chief of CIIC, calls on more people and international organizations to join hands, to share their experiences and provide ideas in improving poverty reduction.

Generating wider attention

Matteo Marchisio, Country Director and IFAD Representative for China and Mongolia, points out that by soliciting best practices and by supporting this initiative, IFAD and other development organizations can raise awareness for the database among both development groups and among developing countries. "If more organizations and more countries can feed the database, knowledge can be shared more broadly," he said.

Zhang Guangping, Deputy Director General of IPRCC, said "Through this campaign we can collect first-rate poverty reduction case studies from around the world, enriching our database and facilitating international exchanges."

Incentivize to learn

Benedict Bingham, Country Director, Resident Mission in the PRC, ADB, believes that this campaign incentivizes people who work in poverty reduction to go through the arduous process of reviewing what they've done, and communicating it to others. "It is setting up incentives for people to collate, distill, package and present the information", he said. "The case studies will all be part of this rich fabric of shared learning that will be important to the government agenda, not just in China but outside of China as well."

Vincent Martin, FAO Representative in China and DPR Korea, stresses the importance of knowledge sharing as well. "Knowledge sharing in poverty reduction is absolutely essential and can happen through dialogues and discussions between countries facing the same challenges. It is based on sharing documented, evidence-based experiences and finding mechanism to localize practices. This is at the heart of the work we are doing with our partners in China and abroad, as a key contribution to reach the SDGs," he said.

Meet the SDGs

Bert Hofman, World Bank Country Director of China, Mongolia and Korea, said "I hope that the challenge prize will inspire many people around the world to share their examples and best practices in poverty alleviation. We are looking forward to seeing these examples and sharing them wider so that we can meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals."

Qu Sixi, WFP Country Director in China, also says the campaign is to assemble good practice on poverty reduction from institutions and individuals around the world. "We undoubtedly inspire innovation in this regard, which will contribute to a better world with no one left behind."



Wang Yincheng, former president of the People's Insurance Company (Group) of China Limited (PICC), was sentenced to 11 years in prison Thursday for accepting bribes of over 8.7 million yuan (1.36 million U.S. dollars).

Wang's illegal gains will be retrieved and turned in to the national treasury. He was also fined 1 million yuan, according to a statement by the Intermediate People's Court of Fuzhou, in Fujian Province.

The court found that between 2006 and 2016, Wang took advantage of his positions at PICC and its subsidiary to seek illegal benefits by helping others obtain contracts, secure promotions, or seek jobs.

Wang accepted gifts and money worth over 8.7 million yuan, either directly or through relatives, the statement said.

It said the court handed down the sentence while considering the fact that Wang confessed to his crimes, showed repentance, and was cooperative in returning all his illegal gains.

Wang pleaded guilty at the court and said he would not appeal against the conviction.

Wang was placed under investigation for "suspected serious disciplinary violation" by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China in February 2017.



French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Washington D.C. signifies a changing reality, and a redrawing of the world order as we know it post 1945. France is the U.S.'s oldest ally. France was the only country to help the U.S. gain independence from the British. But over time, the Anglo-American alliance began to form the bedrock of Western political order. Especially after 1945, as the United States turned into a global hegemon, with the shrinking British Empire acting initially as an equal and eventually as the primary ally to establish what we know as the liberal order. The French, on the other hand, proud of their history as an independent great power, chose to stay away from NATO under de Gaulle and took an independent approach to nuclear deterrence. British nuclear deterrence was meanwhile tied to the United States. That seems to be changing, as post-Brexit France recovers its position as the primary ally of the United States. Macron's diplomacy seems to solidify that trend.

Macron and Trump are in no way similar. Macron is broadly progressive, and value oriented. He thinks of France as a nation that needs to shed its past and accept its position as the new leader of the Western world. With British isolationism, Russian revanchism and German caution, it is the ideal moment for France to reform itself as a great power and take the mantle of Western leadership. Macron talks about human rights, about protecting democratic values across the West, about interventions, about climate change, about reforming the EU and is open about dealing with China and the transfer of technology. Macron's policy is, in a way, a continuation of those of Bush, Blair, Cameron and Sarkozy.

Trump is a break from that. Trump is mercantile, understands trade as zeros sum and doesn't care about human rights. Trump also doesn't care about the Wilsonian burden of America as the great global guarantor of goods and freedom. Trump is open to negotiating with regimes which have been considered toxic by other American administrations, and Trump can be persuaded to have a deal as long as there is tangible profit for American taxpayers and American business. Trump is of course no bleeding pacifist, as his unilateral use of military force displays. But Trump doesn't care about ideology promotion and is reluctant and much more practical about interventions. The fascination that exists between Trump and Macron is therefore one of charisma. Trump is charmed by Macron and his decisive ways of sorting out problems, something that the British  with their parliament and their cautions  lacks. Macron has a freeing effect on Trump.

This is understandable as French foreign policy is solely the remit of the French government, without any influence of domestic politics. Something which neither Britain, due to its political culture and system, nor Germany, due to its history, can afford. It is also dangerous, as Trump can be easily persuaded, which means he can be also easily manipulated. The last two times the French persuaded the Americans into anything led to disaster. Libya is the primary example of this. Macron might be able to persuade Trump on some unilateral and utopian and foolhardy adventure in Middle East for his own ideas of democracy promotion, but the outcome of that is already evident from the last fifteen years.

But what is extraordinary about this is how Macron seems to be dealing with Trump: A sense of grandeur and a tinge of importance, mixed with charm and charisma and flattery. And most importantly, showing Trump that his and American interests are unharmed. I don't know if Macron will be able to persuade Trump to stick to the Iran nuclear deal. If he can, it will be something like a miracle. But there's a lesson to be learned, for other countries here.

Sumantra Maitra is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SumantraMaitra.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. Flash

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that the United States is "not trustable" and will be defeated in its fresh anti-Iran move, local media reported.



All successive U.S. governments are not bound to their obligations, Khamenei said during a meeting with senior Iranian officials, referring to the U.S. withdrawal from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal.

The United States has "deep enmity with" Iran, he said, adding that Washington intends to "destroy the power factors of the Islamic republic."

"Since the beginning of the Islamic revolution (in 1979), the U.S. has not given up its enmity against the Islamic republic. They have harnessed all political, economic, military and propaganda measures against Iran," Khamenei said.

Meanwhile, the supreme leader pointed out that the U.S. has failed in its all previous plots against Iran in the past four decades.

"Like the cat in Tom and Jerry (animated series), they will lose again," he said.

Khamenei made the remarks two days after a speech by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in which he threatened to impose the toughest sanctions on Iran if the Islamic state does not change its course of action domestically and regionally.

Pompeo urged Tehran to report to the International Atomic Energy Agency about its nuclear program, end proliferation of its missiles, and stop supporting terrorist groups in the Middle East. Flash

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday that Washington should abide by its commitment to the one-China policy.

Wang made the remarks while speaking at a press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after their meeting.

He made a stopover in Washington D.C. on his way back from Argentina on Wednesday.

Wang noted that the Taiwan issue concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as China's core interests.

For his part, Pompeo said the United States' one-China policy remains unchanged and the U.S. policy on this issue is consistent, when asked by a reporter whether there are changes to the one-China policy as the U.S. side has taken a series of negative acts on the Taiwan issue recently.

Wang said the reporter's question reveals doubts of the Chinese society on the U.S. policy on the Taiwan issue.

Wang said he noticed that Pompeo has clearly said there is no change to the one-China policy.

China urges the U.S. side to stick to the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three Joint Communiques, and prudently and properly handle Taiwan-related issues, so as to preserve the overall interests of China-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.



 Flash

Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Wednesday named law professor Giuseppe Conte as Italy's new prime minister, tasking him with a mandate to form a new government.



Conte was put forward by the rightwing League and the populist Five Star Movement, the two top vote-getters in Italy's March 4 election, as their choice for prime minister earlier this week.

"The president of the Republic has conferred a mandate to form a government on Professor Giuseppe Conte," presidential secretary Ugo Zampetti said after the president and the professor met for almost two hours. "Professor Conte has accepted."

"I am aware of the need to confirm Italy's European and international placement," a visibly nervous Conte said in a four-minute speech shortly after that. "The government will have to engage straight away in ongoing negotiations on the European budget, asylum rights reform, and completion of (EU) banking union."

As a lawyer, Conte said, he has "pled the cases of many people" in his life so far.

"I will now defend the interests of all Italians, in every forum, both European and international," he said. "I propose to become the defense lawyer of the Italian people."

Conte added that he will meet with Mattarella in "the coming days" to present him with a list of cabinet ministers.

A relatively obscure academic aged in his early 50s, Conte teaches private law at Florence University and has zero experience in politics or public administration.

He will lead a coalition seeking radical tax cuts, generous welfare spending, and a roll-back in pension reforms -- a program that has sparked turmoil on financial markets and driven Italy's borrowing costs up in recent days.

His candidacy hit a snag Tuesday after international media reported that he had inflated or misrepresented some of the claims on his lengthy curriculum. However, the League and the Five Stars stood by him.

After Conte and Mattarella discuss the cabinet line-up, the next step is for the new government to win a confidence vote in each house of parliament -- the 315-member Senate and the 630-member Chamber of Deputies.

The timing of this vote will depend on how long Conte will need to form his cabinet, but could take place sometime next week, local media said.

According to press reports, the rightwing-populist executive will be made up of 18 ministers, with League chief Matteo Salvini to enforce his party's anti-immigrant policies as interior minister and Five Star leader Di Maio to roll out the Movement's flagship pledge of a universal basic income, as the head of a possible joint labor-industry ministry.

Today's move follows on a number of false starts and failed consultations, almost 80 days after the general election that delivered no clear winner and left parliament divided into three blocs -- the center-right, the populists, and the center-left.

Conte first emerged from relative obscurity days before the general election, when Di Maio introduced him in a televised event as the Movement's candidate for the post of "civil service, de-bureaucratization and meritocracy minister."

"Traditionally, my heart has always beaten to the left," Conte said on a recent talk show, meaning that he has leftist political sympathies. Flash

Former S. Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday appeared at the first trial over corruption charges, including bribery and embezzlement.



Dressed in black suit and white shirt, Lee entered the courtroom at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, holding a document envelope.

Lee, who had served the five-year presidency that began in early 2008, was taken into custody on March 22 for multiple corruption charges.

The conservative president was charged with taking about 10 million US dollars in bribes and embezzling tens of millions of U.S. dollars in DAS, a local auto parts manufacturer which prosecutors believe is actually owned by Lee under the borrowed name of his brother.

Lee said in a prepared statement, taken from the envelope, that the prosecutors' indictment on his charges was excessive, reiterating his claim that DAS belongs to his brother.

He also denied the charge of receiving bribes from the Samsung Group, the country's biggest family-run conglomerate, calling it a "shock and insult" to him.

Lee's successor Park Geun-hye, the first S. Korean president impeached while in office, was sentenced to 24 years in jail and fined some US$17 million at the first trial over corruption charges. Flash

The U.S. State Department on Wednesday announced a decision to expel two senior Venezuelan diplomats in the United States in retaliation of Venezuela's earlier expulsion of two U.S. diplomats.

In an announcement, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said that the expelled are the charge d'affaires of the Venezuelan embassy and the deputy consul general of the nation's consulate in the midwestern U.S. city of Houston.

The two diplomats have been declared personae non grata, and directed to leave the United States within 48 hours.

The action was made to reciprocate the Venezuelan government's "decision to declare the Charge D'affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. embassy in Caracas personae non gratae," the statement read. Flash

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Thursday reacted strongly to the remarks by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence that DPRK might end like Libya, warning it would reconsider whether to attend a scheduled summit with U.S. president next month.

Choe Son Hui, the DPRK's vice foreign minister, said she would put forward a suggestion to DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un for reconsidering the DPRK-U.S. summit scheduled for June 12 if the United States continues with hostile remarks and actions, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

"In case the U.S. offends against our goodwill and clings to unlawful and outrageous acts, I will put forward a suggestion to our supreme leadership for reconsidering the DPRK-U.S. summit," she said.

This is the second time within days for Pyongyang to warn Washington that it might cancel the summit scheduled to take place in Singapore next month because of provocative anti-DPRK remarks by top U.S. officials.

DPRK last week expressed anger at remarks by U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton that United States would use the "Libya model" to denuclearize the country.

"Whether the U.S. will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States," said the vice minister who is in charge of holding dialogue with the United States.

Calling the remarks of Pence "ignorant and stupid," she said that Pence should seriously consider the "terrible consequences of his words" before making such remarks.

"We could surmise more than enough what a political dummy he is as he is trying to compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya that has simply installed a few items of equipment and fiddled around with them," she said.

The vice minister also renewed previous warnings that the DPRK is capable of defending itself with its nuclear and missile strength.

"To borrow their words, we can also make the U.S. taste an appalling tragedy it has neither experienced nor even imagined up to now," said Choe in rare tough words used after the DPRK and the United States started dialogue a few months ago.

She said the DPRK developed its nuclear and missile capabilities only not to repeat such tragedy as has occurred in Libya.

"In order not to follow in Libya's footsteps, we paid a heavy price to build up our powerful and reliable strength that can defend ourselves and safeguard peace and security in the Korean Peninsula and the region," she said.

The official also expressed doubt about the ulterior motive behind the U.S. move to ask for dialogue with the DPRK and "what the U.S. has calculated to gain from that."

"It is the U.S. who has asked for dialogue, but now it is misleading the public opinion as if we have invited them to sit with us," she said.

"We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us," she added. Flash

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, with both sides pledging to promote a healthy and stable development of bilateral ties.



Wang made a stopover in Washington D.C. on his way back from Argentina on Wednesday.

Wang said he had a candid and in-depth discussion with Pompeo and both sides believe that the China-U.S. relationship is the most important bilateral relationship to each other.

China-U.S. cooperation far outweighs differences and opportunities they encounter far outweigh challenges, he added.

Both sides highly recommend the strategic guidance of the two heads of state on the bilateral ties, and are ready to implement consensuses reached by the two presidents, including respecting each other's core interests and major concerns, and properly handling the Taiwan issue and other sensitive issues, Wang said.

The two countries should stay away from disruptions and overcome difficulties in order to promote a healthy and stable development of bilateral ties, he added.

Both sides agree that the recent intense consultations on trade issues are constructive and have achieved positive and important outcomes, Wang said.

It is important that the two sides are willing to do addition instead of reduction to ease and finally solve their trade imbalance, Wang said, adding that he hopes those consensuses will be implemented as soon as possible through further and detailed consultations.

Wang said the two nations are willing to enhance their cooperation on international and regional issues, and to facilitate a political settlement of hotspot issues.

He hopes that with joint efforts, the cooperation list between the two countries will be extended, and the list of differences will become shorter and shorter.You are here: World

 Flash

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday blew up the tunnels of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site located in the northeast of the country, and officially announced its dismantlement.

The three tunnels of the test site were blown up by 16:00 local time (0700 GMT), according to Xinhua reporters on site.

Pyongyang invited overseas journalists from China, Russia, the United States and Britain to witness the site's dismantlement.

Following the explosion, the DPRK will remove all observation facilities and research institutes, withdraw guards and completely close the surrounding testing area.

The DPRK conducted six nuclear tests at Punggye-ri between October 2006 and September 2017.

The Third Plenary Meeting of the Seventh Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea made the decision last month that the country will discontinue its nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic rocket test-fire from April 21, according to an earlier report from the official Korean Central News Agency.

The testing grounds will be dismantled to ensure transparency, the report said.By Joseph Sipalan, Reuters | May 23, 2018

A private search by a U.S. firm for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which went missing in 2014 in one of the world's biggest aviation mysteries, will end on Tuesday, Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke said on Wednesday.

Flight MH370, carrying 239 people, disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.

Malaysia had agreed in January to pay Houston-based Ocean Infinity up to US$70 million if it found the plane during a 90-day search in the southern Indian Ocean.

The hunt for the Boeing 777 was previously expected to end in June, as the 90-day agreement did not cover time taken for refueling and resupplying search vessel Seabed Constructor.

However, Ocean Infinity had finished scouring its targeted search area in April and had requested an extension until May 29, Loke said.

"This morning I raised this (request) in cabinet and we agreed to extend to May 29," he told reporters in Putrajaya, Malaysia's administrative capital. Asked it that mean no further extensions, he said: "Yes."

Newly elected Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad had earlier said Malaysia would review and possibly end its agreement with Ocean Infinity, amid other moves to cut government spending.

Mahathir, 92, ousted the long-ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, led by ex-premier and former protege Najib Razak, in a stunning election upset on May 9.

Loke, who was sworn in as minister on Monday, said the government would release a full report on the investigation into MH370's disappearance after the offshore search was completed, but had not yet determined a date for the report's release.

Voice 370, a group representing the relatives of those aboard the flight, had called on the new government to review all matters related to MH370, including "any possible falsification or elimination of records related to MH370 and its maintenance".

"I'm not privy to whatever details that may not have been revealed, but as minister, I am committed to releasing all details to the public," Loke said.

The decision to engage Ocean Infinity came after Australia, China and Malaysia ended a fruitless AUS$200 million (US$159.38 million) search across a 120,000 square-km (46,332 square miles) area in the Indian Ocean last year, despite investigators calling for the target area to be extended 25,000 square kilometers (9653 square miles) north.

The Seabed Constructor has covered 86,000 square kilometers (33,205 square miles) so far but has yet to identify any significant findings, Ocean Infinity said in its weekly search update on May 15.



CAAC | May 22, 2018

From May 14 to 15, 2018, the CAAC delegation headed by CAAC Deputy Administrator Dong Zhiyi and the Egyptian Civil Aviation delegation led by Mr. Khaled Abdel Monem, Under Secretary of State for Air Transport, Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority, held a new round of aviation talks in Cairo. The two sides conducted extensive and in-depth discussions and exchanges, reached agreement on expanding traffic right arrangement and signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

Egypt marks an important hub country on the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. In recent years, China and Egypt have witnessed increasing demand in economic and trade cooperation, tourism and personnel exchanges, and rapid growth in air transport market between the two countries. The aviation talks, having expanded bilateral traffic right arrangement, will provide conveniences to air transport enterprises of China and Egypt in launching new or increasing flight frequencies. As a result, it will make positive contributions to further strengthening connectivity between China and Egypt and China and Africa, and facilitate personnel changes and economic and trade ties between the two countries.

At present, EgyptAir operates flights originating from Cairo to Beijing and Guangzhou with 13 flights a week. Sichuan Airlines plans to launch Chengdu-Cairo flight in October this year with 2 flights a week.China has contributed more than any country to global poverty reduction, and its practices can be used as a model by the rest of the world, foreign participants at the 2018 China Poverty Reduction International Forum said in Beijing on Wednesday.

China has pulled about 800 million people out of dire poverty in the past four decades, and it has not gone unnoticed. Bekele Debele, the World Bank's acting country director for China, Mongolia and Korea, said it is the biggest and fastest poverty reduction achievement in human history.

He said China's efforts contributed considerably to the 2015 United Nations goal of cutting the number of the world's poor in half, and support the World Bank in its pledge to eradicate extreme poverty globally by 2030.THE HAGUE - Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki asked prosecutors at the International Criminal Court on Tuesday to launch a full investigation into accusations of Israeli human rights abuses on Palestinian territory, saying the evidence was "insurmountable".

Maliki submitted a so-called "referral", giving the prosecutor at The Hague-based court the legal basis to move beyond a preliminary inquiry started in January 2015.

The referral seeks an investigation into Israeli policies in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip since Palestine accepted the ICC's jurisdiction in 2014, Malki told reporters.

This includes Israeli settlement policies in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as bloodshed in the Gaza Strip. Israel and Gaza's ruling Hamas militant group fought a 50-day war in 2014, and in recent weeks, Israeli gunfire has killed more than 100 Palestinians during mass protests along the Gaza border since March.

The ICC has the authority to hear cases of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of the 123 countries that have signed up to it.

Israel has not joined the court, but because the Palestinians have, Israelis could be targeted for crimes committed on Palestinian lands.

Israel rejected Tuesday's move as "legally invalid", saying the court lacks jurisdiction because the Palestinian Authority is not a state and Israel abides by international law.

At the United Nations, the Bolivian ambassador on Tuesday expressed the hope that the Security Council would be able to adopt a resolution on the international protection of Palestinian civilians.

After the latest round of violence in Gaza between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, Kuwait circulated a Security Council draft resolution, which would provide for the deployment of "an international protection mission" for Palestinian civilians.

"We fully back the Kuwaiti proposal. We believe it's timely for the international community to uphold its responsibility in terms of protecting Palestinians," Sacha Llortenti, the Bolivian ambassador, told reporters.

"We hope that sooner than later we will have the draft on the floor to be voted on."

However, it is widely believed that the United States, an ally of Israel, will veto the draft should it proceed to a vote. The US, a permanent member of the Security Council, has veto power.

Reuters - Xinhua - AP

(China Daily 05/24/2018 page11)GENEVA - China is on the verge of eliminating malaria, a senior health official has told a side-gathering during the World Health Assembly, at which Beijing was praised for its efforts in helping other countries fight the lethal disease.

Cui Li, vice-minister of China's National Health Commission, on Tuesday addressed an event titled "Country-led and country-owned efforts on malaria elimination to achieving universal health coverage" in Geneva during the forum.

"In 2017, for the first time, zero indigenous cases were reported in China, thus the efforts have had a significant impact on the country's elimination road map," Cui said at the annual event, which was co-sponsored by China.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus thanked China for its sponsorship role along with Myanmar and Sri Lanka and praised China for what is doing to fund the fight against malaria.

Tedros said that since the year 2000, good progress had been made, but "we are at the crossroads", while noting that the fight against malaria needs to be sustained.

"We have more than 200 million cases of malaria a year and more than 90 percent of them are in Africa, so the focus on Africa is important," said Tedros, an Ethiopian who had specialized in malaria before taking the helm of the WHO last year.

Chinese officials explained that to fulfill and assess the elimination process and achieve the goal of certification by the WHO, the country has adopted county, prefecture and subnational verification since 2012.

Cui said that the Ministry of Health jointly with 12 ministries issued its National Malaria Elimination Action Plan 2010-2020 in June 2010, to kick off the country's campaign to eradicate the disease.

She said the overall goals of the campaign were set to achieve complete elimination in the country by 2020.

Also on Tuesday, health officials from China, Myanmar, Cambodia, Lao, Thailand and Vietnam, along with WHO representatives, signed the Ministerial Call for Action to Eliminate Malaria in the Greater Mekong Subregion before 2030.

The document was originally drawn up in Nay Pyi Taw on Dec 8, affirming a "One Region, One Strategy" as its guiding principle for malaria elimination.

It commits the national governments to adequate domestic budgetary allocations for malaria elimination efforts from 2015-30.

The call for action seeks to explore innovative financing mechanisms that tap diverse resources, that may include the business sector (corporate social responsibility), taxation of tobacco and alcohol and special levies on tourism, for example.

The document pledges its signatories to work together with relevant entities to develop and implement cross-border elimination strategies and action plans that concretely address malaria-related needs.

These include challenges for the populations at risk of malaria in border and cross-border areas.

Xinhua

(China Daily 05/24/2018 page11)10:37 | Lima, May. 24.

Both government officials stressed the importance of bringing new business opportunities and taking advantage of the existing potential and complementarities between the two economies.

Within this framework, they agreed to intensify coordination for a quick start of negotiations towards a trade agreement that will lay the foundations to elevate the bilateral relationship to a new level of cooperation.We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

Go to formLeader of the Ontario Liberal party Kathleen Wynne, centre, speaks to her supporters in Thunder Bay on Wednesday as Michael Gravelle, left, MPP Thunder Bay-Superior North, and Bill Mauro, MPP Thunder Bay-Atikokan, look on at Gravelles constituency office on Algoma Street.We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message.Asociatia Obsteasca DEMOS anunta concurs pentru angajarea unui expert/grup de experti/a unei companii care sa presteze servicii pentru lansarea afacerii socialeAccording to the report titled "Trade relations between Spain and Latin America in 2017," Spanish shipments to Peru increased 50.6% last year.

Similarly, imports from the Inca country saw a 51.8% rise, the highest rate in terms of trade registered in the entire region.

"In 2017, Spain managed to expand both exports and imports with the Colombia-Peru axis, with which it has (signed) various trade and economic partnership agreements, increasing its trade surplus by 44% compared to 2016," the report read.

"This rise in exports to Peru has been particularly significant over the recent year thanks to its great economic strength ()," the business school added.

The study also indicated both, Peru and Colombia, have registered high economic growth figures over the past two decades and enjoy a strategic position as a gateway to the Asia-Pacific region.

It must be noted Spain's total exports and imports to/from Latin America grew 12.5% and 25%, respectively, in 2017.

Plus, the European country posted a trade balance deficit of 1.742 billion (about US$2.043 billion).

As is known, Peru is a member of the Andean Community , the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) , and along with Colombia, Chile, and Mexico make up the Pacific AllianceQuesto comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

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Friday, June 26. India had no issues chasing down 260 against Ireland and it should be a challenging pitch for the bowlers. We started the month $220 in the red, but the struggle was just starting. The World Health Organization is meeting to decide whether the virus outbreak is a public health emergency.

The shops are filling up nicely with toys and gifts, and adverts are already lighting up our TV screens.It can be an expensive time of the year for families, especially if you're on a budget or buying for children.However, there are plenty of retailers offering payment plans, which let shoppers spread the cost of items in instalments.Included in the list is Toys R Us, which is offering an interest free scheme that lets you pay for your order over four to 12 weeks.Alongside the toy giant, there are a whole host on online retailers offering payment plans too.

JENNINGS COUNTY, IN (WAVE) Two young girls were killed in a crash in Jennings County on Friday."I don't know why God took them so early, Timothy Creamer, the children's father, said. Doctors found 100% of his artery was clogged.Doctors told him very few people survive the condition.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is toxic.It was clear from the signs in front of people houses that they didn want the chemical near their neighborhoods.Frame said he wished he known about the plans from the start.we weren in the notification zone, we were in the evacuation zone if they have a problem! Frame said.He said he'll be watching the county government in the future because the zoning for that spot has already been approved.Most Popular StoriesMost Popular StoriesMore>>Two different families say armed men tried to trick them into opening their front doors to rob them.Two different families say armed men tried to trick them into opening their front doors to rob them.VA study shows parasite from Vietnam may be killing vetsVA study shows parasite from Vietnam may be killing vetsUpdated: Tuesday, November 21 2017 8:46 PM EST2017 11 22 01:46:13 GMTA half a century after serving in Vietnam, hundreds of veterans have a new reason to believe they may be dying from a silent bullet test results show some men may have been infected by a slow killing parasite while fighting in the jungles of Southeast Asia.A half a century after serving in Vietnam, hundreds of veterans have a new reason to believe they may be dying from a silent bullet test results show some men may have been infected by a slow killing parasite while fighting in the jungles of Southeast Asia.Canadian mother sentenced to 3 years in prison after child dies from strep throatCanadian mother sentenced to 3 years in prison after child dies from strep throatUpdated: Tuesday, November 21 2017 6:03 AM EST2017 11 21 11:03:42 GMTCanadian woman was sentenced to three years in prison after her 7 year old son died from a treatable throat infection..

Girls! Time to Shop up to 60$off designer Girl Dresses and Women Dresses at Jollyhers online store until May,31 ,2018.

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Neem Extracts Market: Global Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024

Global Neem Extracts Market: By Product Type (Seed Extract, Bark Extract, Leaf Extract), By Application (Pharmaceutical, Agriculture, Animal Feed, Cosmetics, Others), and Geography  Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024

Global neem extracts 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: Global Neem Extracts Market

Neem extracts are derived from neem tree such as leaves, bark, and seeds. Neem extracts have significant medicinal values and used in the pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and agriculture sectors.

Free sample of this report is available upon request @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/neem-extracts-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx

Market Dynamics: Global Neem Extracts Market

Increase in the awareness about the use of natural personal care products is a key factor drives the global neem extracts market. Moreover, rise in adoption of bio-fertilizers in agriculture segment, technological advancements in the neem extract, and increase in R&D for innovation of newer products, and easy availability of raw materials are anticipated to fuel the global neem extracts market. However, demand supply gap for neem extracts, lack of quality raw materials, and high cost of products are expected to hinder the growth of global neem extract market.

Market Scope: Global Neem Extracts Market

Global neem extracts market is segmented based on product type and application

Based on the product type, the market is segmented into the following:

 Seed Extract

 Bark Extract

 Leaf Extract

Based on the application, the market is segmented into the following:

 Pharmaceutical

 Agriculture

 Animal Feed

 Cosmetics

 Others

Free TOC of this report is available upon request @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/neem-extracts-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu

Regional Analysis: Global Neem Extracts Market

Geographically, global neem extracts market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. North America neem extracts market is expected to dominated the revenue share owing to increase in the usage of bio-fertilizers, rise in number of end user industries, and government initiations for usage of natural products instead of chemical compounds are expected to propel the market. Due to stringent regulations for the usage of chemical fertilizers in Europe, rise in the usage of personal care and cosmetic products, and increase in the livestock farming is expected to drive Europe neem extracts market. However, Asia Pacific neem extracts market is expanding at robust CAGR owing to better availability of the raw materials, rise in agriculture farming in India and China, and high awareness about the medicinal values of neem extracts are bolster the market.

Ask Analyst for Full Information about this report @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/neem-extracts-market/#ulp-14mlyhjMGhVjZqa3

Competition Assessment: Global Neem Extracts Market

Some of the players in the global neem extracts market include:

 Fortune Biotech Ltd (India)

 Agro Extracts Limited (India)

 Neeming Australia Pty. Ltd (Australia)

 Ozone Biotech (India)

 The Indian Neem Tree Company (India)

 PJ Margo Pvt. Ltd (India)

 I.D Perry India Ltd. (India)

 Parker India Group Pvt. Ltd. (India)

 Trifolio-M GmbH (Germany)

 Bros India Group (India)

Get access to full summary @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/neem-extracts-market/

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Website @https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.comSTOCKHOLM, Sweden, May 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The EQT VIII fund ("EQT" or "EQT VIII") has entered into an agreement to acquire Facile.it ("Facile" or "the company") from Oakley Capital and other minority owners. Oakley Capital will re-invest into the company while EQT VIII will have a majority ownership. Founded in 2008, Facile is Italy's leading online destination for consumers to compare prices for motor insurance, energy, telecoms and personal finance products. Today, Facile helps approximately 20 million users to compare prices and save money on key elements of their household expenditure, providing access and comparison to products from 80 providers. Facile has achieved an average annual top-line growth of 21% over the past five years and in 2017 the company generated approximately EUR 66 million in sales. EQT VIII will support the continued development of Facile's growth strategy. In addition to getting access to both operational and financial resources, the company will also be able to leverage EQT's deep TMT sector expertise, Italian presence and global network of Industrial Advisors. Facile's current management team, including CEO Mauro Giacobbe, will continue to lead the organization, building on a strong track record of growth. "We are impressed by Facile's management team and the high quality of the company's service offering. Facile holds a true market-leading position in the online price comparison space, which it has successfully built over the past decade by helping millions of consumers to make smarter purchases. EQT looks forward to supporting Facile and the management team in their continued growth journey and expansion, both online and offline", says Dominik Stein, Partner at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT VIII and Head of EQT TMT sector team. Mauro Giacobbe, CEO at Facile comments: "We are very excited to have EQT as our new owner and look forward to working together closely. EQT's industrial approach, global presence, local angle and broad network will be of great value to Facile as we embark on our next phase of growth. We believe that EQT's entrepreneurial spirit will play an important part in our future success". Federico Quitadamo, Director at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT VIII, concludes: "EQT believes that Facile has the potential to continue grow significantly and look forward to partnering with the strong management team to accelerate the company's expansion and consolidate its leading position in Italy across verticals and channels. The acquisition of Facile confirms EQT's commitment to expanding its franchise in Italy and the continued pursuit for future investment opportunities in the country". The transaction is expected to close in June 2018. The parties have agreed not to disclose the transaction value. Contacts Dominik Stein, Partner at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT VIII, +49A 892A 554 99 508 Federico Quitadamo, Director at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT VIII, +41A 442A 666 802 EQT Press office, +46 8 506 55A 334 About EQT EQT is a leading investment firm with approximately EUR 50 billion in raised capital across 27 funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership. More info: www.eqtpartners.com A About Facile.it Facile.it is Italy's leading online destination for consumers to compare prices for motor insurance, energy, telecoms and personal finance. Today, Facile helps approximately 20 million users to compare prices on key elements of their household expenditure providing access and comparison to products from 80 providers. Facile.it has achieved an average annual top-line growth of 21% over the past five years and in 2017 generated approximately EUR 66 million in sales. More info: www.facile.it A CONTACT: This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com http://news.cision.com/eqt-ab/r/eqt-acquires-italian-online-price-comparison-platform-facile-it,c2529625 The following files are available for download: http://mb.cision.com/Main/87/2529625/847088.pdf Press release EQT VIII Facile 180523 A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.Delegation led by Armenias Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan partook in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Defense Ministers Council meeting held on Wednesday in Astana. As the press department at the ministry of defense reports, delegations from the defense administrations of CSTO member states, General Secretary of the CSTO Yuri Khachaturov and the Chief of the Joint General Staff of the CSTO, Colonel-General Anatoli Sidorov attended the meeting.

May 24, 2018, 12:55 Defense minister attended CSTO Ministerial Council in Astana

STEPANAKERT, MAY 24, ARTSAKHPRESS:The Council participants discussed agenda issues and signed agreements aimed at expanding the military cooperation within the bloc and further development of the organizations military component.

In the scope of the Council session, Minister Tonoyan held bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu. The parties expressed readiness to exert joint efforts to develop Armenian-Russian allied strategic relations both bilaterally and in the scope of CSTO.Armenias National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker, the Head of Armenian-Slovak Friendship Group Eduard Sharmazanov left for Bratislava. As the Parliament press service reported, in the scope of the visit Sharmazanov will have meeting with the Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic Andrej Danko and the head of Armenia-Slovak friendship group.

May 24, 2018, 14:59 Sharmazanov to deliver remarks at Parliamentarians against Genocide exhibition in Bratislava

STEPANAKERT, MAY 24, ARTSAKHPRESS:Sharmazanov is set to deliver remarks at the exhibition entitled Parliamentarians against Genocide which is held on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.The issue of holding snap parliamentary elections in Armenia should be discussed and resolved in the National Assembly, President Armen Sarkissian told reporters on Thursday.

May 24, 2018, 17:33 Armenia's Sarkissian comments on possible snap elections, his relations with PM Pashinyan, reporters

STEPANAKERT, MAY 24, ARTSAKHPRESS:According to Mr Sarkissian, there are two key subjects that are to make a decision over the issue  the Armenian people and the peoples respective body in the National Assembly.

If such a decision is adopted, the Presidents duties will be to do everything possible within his powers to make sure the elections are fair and just, he said.

Asked whether there are political prisoners in the country, the president said: There should be no political prisoners in Armenia.

Armen Sarkissian noted that he had received documents from human rights organizations in this regard and they will soon be submitted to the relevant ministries. Now we need to wait for the Armenian government to make decisions if there are some assessments regarding the amnesty, he said.

Commenting on the question whether it is easy to work with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the president said: In the person of Nikol Pashinyan, I discovered for myself a talented, quick-thinking, willing and diligent person, with whom I pursue very good working relations. My impression is we have bilateral respectful and constructive working relations. I do not spot any problem in working with him; on the contrary, I believe we can successfully work together.

Mr Sarkissian was also asked to speak about his recent meeting with the children. The president should feel like a child with children, should behave like a teenager with teenagers, talking to them and dancing with them if needed," he sad.

"He should act like an adult with adults and like a soldier with soldiers, however I do not know how he should behave himself with reporters, maybe we should be free and frank and reply to the questions. When I cease to be President I can say what you want me to say, now I have to say what is right and is within the scope of the Presidents powers, the president concluded.by Mathias Hariyadi

Nathanael, 8, and his elder brother Vincentius Evan, 12, the children who died in the attack against St Mayr Immaculate Catholic Church, were laid to rest. Their seriously injured mother took part in the service on a stretcher. "We forgive those responsible," said Kurnianto, son of another victim. The Pentecostal community remembers the sacrifice of Daniel, who died trying to stop an attackers van.

Jakarta (AsiaNews)  Indonesian Christians have joined in mourning the families of the victims of the attacks against three Christian churches in Surabaya (East Java).

In the last few hours, funerals and memorial services have been held for those who lost their lives in the suicide attacks claimed by the Islamic State (IS) and carried out four days ago by a terrorist family.

The funeral (picture 2) of Nathanael, 8, and his elder brother Vincentius Evan, 12, was held the other day. The two died in the attack against St Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Surabayas Ngagel neighbourhood. Their mother, Wenny Angelina, suffered serious wounds and was taken to hospital, where she remains closely monitored by medical staff.

With other family members, mother and children had just gotten out of the car driven by the father, when the terrorists set off the bomb in front of the parish church. Evan died instantly. Nathanael succumbed hours later in hospital where he was supposed to undergo surgery to amputate a leg.

The doctors allowed Wendy to say goodbye to her two sons before they were buried (pictures 3-4). She took part in the service on a stretcher, taking drugs and fluids through a drip feed.

The doctors allowed her to leave the hospital for only four hours because she is still very ill and needs to be closely monitored.

"We forgive those responsible. My mother is now in the house of the Lord, said Kurnianto, the son of another victims. With his family, Kurnianto arrived in the city the day after the attacks to collect the body of his mother Lim and bring her back to Tangerang (Banten), where the family comes from.

She was in town on business and, although her hotel was closer to the cathedral, a target of a failed attack, she decided to go to Sunday Mass at St Mary Parish Church.

This was perhaps God's plan, her son said. She had decided to go to the church in Ngagel, which, according to what people say, is one of the oldest in Surabaya".

CCTV camera footage shows that, at the time of the explosion, Lim was close to the suicide bombers' motorcycle when it blew up at the entrance to the place of worship.

"On behalf of my mother, I apologise if she made mistakes during her life. Please pray for her now that she is in heaven, he said.

My message is: please do not judge any religion because no religion asks the faithful to do bad things. God help Indonesia," he added.

For its part, the Pentecostal community mourned Daniel, a teenager who on the morning of the attacks was helping his father steer worshipper to park their cars near church.

He and a security agent, Giricatur, lost their lives trying to block an attackers minivan when he tried to drive into the church compound. Although it did not get in, the blast still killed many people.by Kamran Chaudhry

The archbishop of Karachi will first wear his cardinal biretta during the consistory of 29 June. Pakistan has been without a cardinal since 1994. Mgr Coutts served in half of the country's dioceses. "He is a Ramadan gift for us, says Muslim doctor.

Lahore (AsiaNews)  Muslim politicians and activists have joined Pakistans Christian minority to welcome the countrys new cardinal, the archbishop of Karachi, Mgr Joseph Coutts.

In a surprise move in yesterday's Regina Caeli, Pope Francis announced that he was appointing 14 new cardinals, three of whom from Asia, during the consistory of 29 June.

The pontiff stressed that the places from which the new cardinals come from "express the universality of the Church, which continues to proclaim the merciful love of God to all men and women of the earth".

When they heard about the appointment, Pakistani Christians praised the Lord. Pakistan has been without a cardinal since the death in 1994 of its first prince of the Church, Mgr Joseph Cordeiro, who had served as archbishop of Karachi since 1958.

Fr Bonnie Mendes, former executive secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Pakistan, spoke to AsiaNews about the appointment.

"We are very excited, he said. It was long overdue. The Church of Pakistan was depressed after facing years of persecution. We were overlooked when Archbishop Patrick D'Rozario of Dhaka was appointed as a cardinal in 2016 along with three other Asians."

"Mgr Coutts is the right man, he added, and has been a leader for three decades. He talks in a sensible and calculated manner in both national and international forums."

Emmanuel Neno, executive secretary of the Pakistani bishops' Catechetical Commission is happy for the Christians of Pakistan.

We are a religious minority in Pakistan but now our voice will be heard properly in the Universal Church. We thank the Holy Father for caring for the small churches, he said. Mgr Coutts has been bishop in half of the dioceses of the country. He knows his flock and their concerns.

Several Muslim politicians also joined the wave of congratulations. The first one was Khawaja Saad Rafique, Federal Minister of Railways.

The appointment of Mr Joseph Coutts as a Cardinal is a matter of great pleasure for the Christian community of Pakistan. Mr Joseph Coutts is the pride of the Christian community and our beloved Pakistan. Congratulations to the Christian community, he tweeted on Sunday.

For Dr Sadia Umer, coordinator at the women empowerment programme of the Catholic United Religions Initiative (URI) Pakistan, the news provides "a beautiful image" to the country.

Everybody views our country with suspicion, blaming us for terrorism, said the Muslim gynaecologist. However, Pope Francis is different. He is genuinely sincere in inter-religious dialogue and see us all as humans. The new cardinal is a Ramadan gift for us.Shortly before PMQs, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Deputy Speaker, quietly took a seat in the upstairs gallery (just a few feet from where your sketchwriter perches).

The engaging Sir Lindsay is not often seen in the Chamber when Speaker John Bercow is in the Chair.

This is tactful of him. Since 2010 he has been a model Deputy Speaker, fastidious about not getting in the way of the less estimable Bercow.

What, then, was Sir Lindsay doing in the House for PMQs? It was certainly unlike him to sit upstairs.

John Whittingdale (Con, Maldon) began by saying that in December one of his constituents had taken her own life. Her name was Natalie Lewis-Hoyle. She had been the daughter of Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Deputy Speaker (above, leaving the Coroners court in Chelmsford, Essex)

All would become clear when we reached the eighth name on yesterdays Order Paper list of MPs chosen to put questions to Theresa May.

The name was that of John Whittingdale (Con, Maldon). As Mr Whittingdale stood, the House stilled. Many Members must have been told what he was about to raise.

He began by saying that in December one of his constituents had taken her own life. Her name was Natalie Lewis-Hoyle.

She had been the daughter of Councillor Miriam Lewis and our Right Honourable Friend, the Member for Chorley.

Once Mrs May had said her bit, some women sitting near Sir Lindsay reached out for him, to squeeze his arm and let him know that they were thinking of him

The Labour MP for Chorley, Lancs, is Sir Lindsay.

Mr Whittingdale explained that 28-year-old Natalie had been in a coercive relationship and suffered mental abuse in what is known as gaslighting.

He asked if Theresa May agreed that we need to raise awareness of this particular kind of abuse, and will she support Miriam Lewis in establishing the Chat With Nat website in memory of Natalie to help and advise those affected by this behaviour.

Mrs May did agree. She did so without milking the moment. Without melodrama she expressed her deepest sympathies for councillor Lewis and Sir Lindsay and said she would be happy to offer them her full support.

During these exchanges Sir Lindsay remained impressively still, though there was vulnerability in his face. Once Mrs May had said her bit, some women sitting near Sir Lindsay reached out for him, to squeeze his arm and let him know that they were thinking of him.

At that point, I think many of us would have burst into sobs, but Sir Lindsay is a sturdy Lancastrian.

A big-hearted one, too. Only this week he was tweeting movingly about a beautiful young woman from Chorley who had died in the Manchester Arena attack last summer. He did that as one who had lost his own beautiful young daughter, yet he did not make anything of his personal disaster.

The rest of PMQs amounted to little. The highlight was an outburst by the SNPs Pete Wishart (Perth & N Perthshire) who attacked the House of Lords as 800 cronies, donors and aristocrats in that circus down the corridor.

It could be pointed out, ahem, that the SNP was last week happy to jump on Lords amendments to try to bash the Press.

PMQs were followed by points of order which again dwelt on the bad behaviour of Speaker Bercow. Last week he called Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom various abusive things, not all of them printable.

Andrew Bridgen (Con, NW Leics) rose to enquire if, given Mr Bercow had slandered Mrs Leadsom as a liar, it was now in order for other MPs to refer to colleagues as liars (something that is at present banned).

Speaker Bercow claimed he was extremely grateful to Mr Bridgen for his question but had no wish to discuss the matter further, thangyew.

Kenneth Clarke (Con, Rushcliffe), who once employed Mr Bercow as an aide and is frequently given special licence by the Speaker, tried to help by suggesting it was normal for an MP to mutter that a colleague was stupid. It may well be. But it is not at all normal for a Speaker to do so, complete with F words and in an overbearing, misogynistic manner.

On a day we heard of gaslighting, only an old fool like Ken Clarke would fail to see that.Twitter users have accused Anthropologie of cultural appropriation after the retailer released a tote bag that bears a striking resemblance to the pattern on a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf.

Twitter user @Saressaa sparked the debate when she tweeted: 'Did @Anthropologie really put handles on a keffiyeh??? And then proceeded to call it an 'En Shalla Tapestry Tote' for $148??????....So if y'all are profiting off of Palestinian labor/resistance, are you donating any $$ back to people getting their bodies blown apart in Gaza? Houses demolished in the West Bank?'

She added: 'The description on the site says it's perfect for a 'beach adventure' when we know the critical symbolism behind it. $148 for what? I respect the craft of each brand bc a lot goes into it but not when innocent people's blood is just background noise.

Disrespect? Twitter users have accused Anthropologie of cultural appropriation after it released a tote bag that bears a striking resemblance to the Palestinian keffiyeh scarf

Shocked: Twitter user @Saressaa kicked off the conversation after she tweeted: 'Did @Anthropologie really put handles on a keffiyeh???'

Controversy: The tote bags by brand En Shalla were on sale for $148 but have since been removed from the site

'There are literally old Palestinian men who struggle to sell 7attas for some money in their own occupied land so this just doesn't seem right at all to me.'

This month, 60 Palestinians in Gaza were killed while they protested the US opening its new embassy in Jerusalem.

The protests began as Israel celebrated the 70th anniversary of its founding and the Palestinians simultaneously commemorated the 70th anniversary of Nakba Day, the day they fled their homes in the Arab-Israeli War of 1948.

The keffiyeh has been a symbol of Palestinian nationalism since the late 1930s and was also worn by Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, Yasser Arafat.

Several others rushed to the comments section to offer their support.

Twitter user @earthhtosarah wrote: 'Tbh Anthropologie it's one of theeee most racist stores I've everrr walked into doesn't surprise me that they'd do something like that.'

Symbolism: The keffiyeh has been a symbol of Palestinian nationalism since the late 1930s and was also worn by former Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, Yasser Arafat

Angry: One man shared that he was very upset about the tote

Name calling: Another person tweeted that they weren't surprised this happened and even called Anthropologie 'racist'

Cultural difference: This person tweeted that their culture 'is not your tote bag!'

While @shabbirie shared: 'Yes also my culture is not your tote bag!'

And @fromshadows added: 'They put handles on a keffiyeh... -_- can a meteor just destroy the world now, please?'

However, this is not the first time the Keffiyeh has been used in the West as a fashion trend - in the 1980s, the scarf became popular with punks.

It was then picked up again in the early 2000s and seen as the ultimate hipster accessory, stocked in stores like Topshop and Urban Outfitters.

In a statement to Teen Vogue, the brand addressed the accusations and explained that they had removed the product which was designed by a brand named En Shalla.

'The tote was sourced from a third-party brand, which designed and manufactured the item. To address our oversight, we pulled the tote and apologize for any offense it may have created.'

The bag had been described on the site as 'a beautiful tapestry-inspired print'.

'Blending traditional Moroccan techniques with a thoroughly contemporary aesthetic, En Shalla offers a curated collection of high-end, ready-to-wear styles that complement any wardrobe,' it added.Ten months after she gave birth to her little boy, Jessica Zalums felt personally low.

The mother-of-one, from Sydney, had struggled to get her pre-baby body back - and felt as though she had lost her 'mojo'.

Taking matters into her own hands over the course of April, Jessica embarked on a 30-day cleanse free from alcohol, caffeine, sugar and started to follow a nutritional cleansing program.

Just one month later, the 28-year-old has lost more than three kilograms of weight, shaved five centimetres from her waist and two centimetres from each thigh.

Even better than this, she said she feels better than ever - and has the abs to prove it.

Mother-of-one Jessica Zalums (pictured) from Sydney has shed an impressive three kilograms in 30 days - and also shaved five centimetres from her waist, showing off her abs (pictured before and after)

Jessica (pictured) spoke to FEMAIL about how she did it - and why she feels she now has the body of her mid twenties back

The 28-year-old gave up caffeine, sugar and alcohol for 30 days - and while the beginning was difficult, she said that she soon felt as though she had more natural energy

Speaking to FEMAIL, Jessica explained that she embarked on the cleanse in the middle of April for a number of reasons.

'I felt I hadn't had my mojo fully back for two years since I gave birth to my beautiful baby,' she explained.

'I also wanted to lose a kilo or two of stubborn stomach fat I hadn't managed to get rid of, shed a few centimetres from the areas where the stubborn fat was like my tummy and thighs, and also gain back energy that doesn't rely on caffeine.'

And so, the mother-of-one - who previously weighed 63.5 kilograms - gave up sugar, caffeine and alcohol, spending the first six days of the cleanse 'flooding' her body with nutrients.

'This basically means I ate balanced wholefoods and the right amount of fat, carbs and protein at each meal,' she said.

She followed this with one day of 'supported intermittent fasting designed to help eliminate impurities'.

Jessica flooded her body with nutrients, eating plenty of superfood smoothie bowls (left) and lean protein and vegetables (right - with no deprivation whatsoever

Jessica (pictured) didn't change up her workout routine at all, instead going to the gym three times a week and going on one long walk - she lost more than a kilo within a week

Jessica Zalums' cleanse day on a plate BREAKFAST: A superfood chocolate smoothie. MID MORNING: Banana with peanut butter. LUNCH: Superfood bowl of lean protein, complex carbs and vegetables. MID AFTERNOON SNACK: Veggie sticks and hummus. DINNER: Lean protein like salmon, complex carbs and veggies. DESSERT: Peppermint tea and dark chocolate. Advertisement

Following the 'flooding' and the fasting, Jessica resumed a regular eating plan, whereby she ate plenty of protein, fresh fruit and veg:

'A typical day on a plate would be a superfood chocolate smoothie for breakfast, a mid morning snack of a banana with peanut butter, a superfood bowl for lunch, a snack in the afternoon of veggie sticks and hummus, a dinner of lean protein, complex carbs and veggies, and then peppermint tea and dark chocolate for dessert,' she said.

This was coupled with the same exercise she'd always done - three gym sessions a week and one long walk.

'I didn't change this from before I started the 30-day cleanse, but this was what surprised me the most about my results,' Jessica said.

'It really goes to show it is 80 per cent nutrition and 20 per cent exercise.'

'The first four mornings without caffeine I had hugely bad headaches,' she said. 'My body had to really adjust to having natural energy, and I had to improve my digestion without having so many acidic foods'

But, the mother said, that after day five she felt a 'massive shift' and the 'fog started to lift and I started to wake without snoozing' - she also said she became less bloated at this point

While at the beginning, the mother said it was hard, she soon did start to feel good in her body.

'The first four mornings without caffeine I had hugely bad headaches,' she said. 'My body had to really adjust to having natural energy, and I had to improve my digestion without having so many acidic foods.'

But after about five days, Jessica said she noticed a switch in her body and mind.

'After day five, I felt a massive shift,' she said. 'That is when the fog started to lift and I started to wake without snoozing.

'My stomach also stopped looking so bloated around this point.'

Jessica (pictured before and after previous weight loss post childbirth) has previously detailed how she lost some weight following the birth of her baby

Tips for women trying to lose baby weight * Love your body before and after. Do a programme because you love your body, not because you want to change it. * Follow a programme, to help to give you accountability and direction. * Always have something healthy to eat on hand, whether it's chopped-up vegetables in the fridge or Bircher muesli. * Carry healthy food around with you in a nappy bag so you're not caught out. * Make time to do a healthy food shop. * Invest in a slow cooker, so you can prepare something slowly throughout the day and be prepared for the so-called 'witching hours' of parenthood - between 5 and 7pm, when things get really busy. * Don't cut any food groups. If you're craving dark chocolate, allow yourself a square. * Eat wholesome nutritious foods and remember it's 80 per cent diet, 20 per cent exercise. * Reintroduce exercise slowly after giving birth. Advertisement

Within a week, the 28-year-old said she had lost more than a kilogram.

'I also noticed the centimetres were coming off my waist,' she said. 'And I felt so much better. My mindset really shifted into loving my food.'

By the end of 30 days, Jessica said she had shifted three kilograms, moving from 63.5kg to 60.2kg.

'I finally feel as though I have my old body that I had in my mid 20s,' Jessica said.

'My energy is consistent, without highs and lows from caffeine - and I wake feeling well rested.'

She added that she has also found it easier to tone up, even though she didn't change how she exercised.

Speaking previously to FEMAIL about her tips for mothers wanting to tone up and lose their baby weight, Jessica said you need to love yourself, no matter what:

'Love your body before and after,' she said. 'Do a programme like this because you love your body, not because you want to change it.'

The 27-year-old also recommends following a programme. She runs the Wellness Collective, which helps other mums with accountability and giving them direction.

'This is a lifestyle rather than a quick fix,' she said. 'It's about your mindset as much as your body.'

Speaking about her tips, Jessica (pictured pregnant) said it's all about having something healthy on hand so that you can snack on it when you get hungry

When it comes to practicalities, the new mother recommends that you always have something healthy on hand that you can snack on, whether it's chopped-up vegetables in the fridge, or bircher muesli:

'Cook when you have the extra time during the day and keep things in the fridge,' she said.

'Make time for a healthy food shop. I go to the farmers' markets on a Friday and am never caught unaware, carrying health bars around with me in a nappy bag.'

The 27-year-old recommends investing in a slow cooker - so you can prepare something slowly throughout the day, and be prepared for the so-called 'witching hours' of parenthood - between 5 and 7pm, when it's super busy, you need to feed your baby and get them down for the night.

'It's a good idea to have a meal ready to go for then,' she said.

Lastly, make sure you don't deny yourself a food group, as then you'll start to crave it.

'If you want a square of dark chocolate after dinner, go for it,' she said. 'You've only got one body, after all.'

Now, Jessica wants to help other women and mums stay accountable to their health goals and nourish their bodies, kicking off a winter 30 day cleanse on 3 June. For more information, please click here.Instead, we are exposed to the story of a wayward society lacking in cohesion and a hot bed of violence cultivated in the blackwashed hyperbole with which the Australian media relayed the tragic events of 2004.

Palm Islands status as former penal colony was never imparted during my Australian school education, and to come across it is revelatory.

This handful of words is part of a large, bold statement that introduces the online visitor to a calendar of activities in which the Bwgcolman (many tribes, one mob) of Palm Island will reflect on the past, celebrate the present and look to the future.

BRISBANE  2018 marks the centenary of the first forced placement of people on Palm Island and we, the Palm Island Community, are inviting you to Share Our Journey as we hold a series of events.

Touted as the Palm Island riots, repetitious coverage of smoke billowing from a police station paired with angry members of the indigenous population walking the streets conveyed the communitys outrage over the suspicious death in custody, less than an hour after arrest, of Mulrunji (Cameron Domadgee).

Missing from the reporting was the turbulent, heartbreaking and unpublicised history of Palm Island, specifically the nature of the relationship between indigenous and white Australia.

Against this backdrop, the escalating outrage of the indigenous community - when their pleas for arresting officer Sergeant Christopher Hurley to be removed from Palm Island - are better understood. After a controversial career Hurley retired from the police medically unfit early last year.

SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, in the courtyard of the Avid Bookstore in Brisbanes West End, the launch of literary journal Griffith Reviews First things First afforded another, much-needed occasion to continue unravelling the historical impact of colonisation and, at its centre, the inter-generational implications for the indigenous population of Australia.

Author and lecturer in Australian social history and health, Dr Joanne Watson, delivered an overview of her featured essay, A century of activism of heartache: the troubled history of Palm Island.

Watson provided a comprehensive account of resistance to 1800s colonial intrusion and the subsequent frontier war tactics used against the traditional home of the Manbarra and Buluguyban people. She focussed her oration on the language that saturated media coverage of the Palm Island riots.

Watson made reference then Queensland police minister Judy Spence describing Palm Island as a dysfunctional community where few people had any sense of social obligation. Then premier Peter Beattie referred to a dysfunctional council that should get off their bums. It seems the spin doctors had decided dysfunctional community was a useful slur.

The council to which Beattie referred is Palm Island Community Council, established in 1968 after decades of penal rule. Thousands of Queenslands indigenous people had been deported to the island. Watsons advocacy over 30 years for the Palm Island community points to white Australias continuing failure to address indigenous disadvantage and its brutal history.

As Jack Jeweller wrote in Overland, this lack of progress is due to historical subjugation - systemic control, everyday racism, institutional racism and containment by police. Jeweller concluded that the outrage surrounding Mulrunjii wasnt just because of the brutality but also the lack of transparency and the evident collusion involved with the investigation surrounding his death.

The hopelessness experienced by the Bwogcolman people is a logical outcome of nearly a century of containment.

A recent opinion piece by Luke Pearson, founder and chief editor of @IndigenousX, comments on the trajectory of indigenous Australians affairs under the Abbot and Turnbull governments. Both agendas were plagued by bureaucratic incompetence and malfeasance, he writes, adding that it is the historical and present-day treatment of Aboriginal people that are causal factors that need to be addressed, not Aboriginality.

We ought to seek out new stories, concludes Pearson, stories that bring depth, understanding and compassion and which seek to find solutions rather than scapegoats.

AS I REFLECT on this point, I cannot help but cast my eyes to Papua New Guinea.

A recent article by Francis Nii looked at the aftermath of Jubilee Australias report on the resource curse impacts that have descended on PNG since the money started to flow from liquefied natural gas developments.

Right on cue, there followed a volleying of blame shifting and finger pointing between key players Oil Search Limited, Exxon Mobil and the PNG government.

In attributing community discontent and violence to inaction by the government of paying royalties to landowners, Oil Search chairman Rick Lee is reported to have said, Clearly its the lack of distribution [of funds], not the lack of payment [by Oil Search], that is the cause of it.

Unfaltering in its quest to erase corporate responsibility, the company loftily advocated more transparency in the handling of the gas project royalties and trumpeted the benefits of publishing a detailed public breakdown of payments as a mechanism for curbing corruption.

Simultaneously, in an interview with Radio New Zealand, an ExxonMobil official said it had invested $US246 million to build infrastructure, develop social programs and implement skills training.

Huli woman

As fast as lightning, PNG government petroleum minister Dr Fabian Pok issued stern words to Oil Search not to shift blame while doing some blame shifting of his own: In PNG LNG project, ExxonMobil on advice from Oil Search Limited, rush(ed) on Section 47 requirements and relied on social mapping reports as complete and pushed ahead with the project development.

Perhaps reeling from the shock, a subsequent media release from Oil Search adopted a different tone and language, segueing to a position no longer isolated from the PNG government and declaring it was committed to PNG and will continue to work with the State, the developer, its joint venture partners and the communities to ensure the benefits are distributed as soon as possible.

This back-pedalling by vocal white men was signed and dated by Oil Search communications manager Ruth Waram, a Papua New Guinean woman no less. But this failed to hide who had control over the narrative.

And yet, amongst all the politicking and unravelling of opaque dealings and dismal accountability, the real story is about the Papua New Guineans who have had to live with the consequences of the decisions made by whoever was responsible for this gross mismanagement.

The Monthly magazines May 2018 issue delivered a timely snapshot of this through Jo Chandlers outstanding long form journalism.

Entitled The Resource Curse: Papua New Guineas boom gas project is burning up, he article reviews the US$19 billion liquefied natural gas project from the first meeting between ExxonMobil and PNG representatives in Brisbane in February 2010 to the present-day anger and anguish replete with unpaid royalties, toxic and violent law and order problems and the steady disintegration of the lives of the people of Hela Province who host the LNG project.

While the PNG government, ExxonMobil and Oil Search issue glowing statements of their performance in bringing social and economic benefits to PNG, the people of Hela say otherwise. Men, women and children gaze on a blank landscape, once promised to be rich with tertiary campuses, roads and all manner of other benefits.

Passivity is not within the repertoire of the Huli people of Hela. We are the women of Hela, but we are not benefiting, Janet Koriama, president of the Hela Council of Women, tells Chandler.

Koriama recounts her conversation with ExxonMobil and government personnel when she travelled to Port Moresby in search of answers about where the big money had gone. Her questions were unanswered, and they remain unanswered. She blames to the government: Our own sons, who were educated, who were supposed to put it all together.

Janet Mbuda, a highschool teacher from Hides, drew attention to the young men. Their mindset is spoiled, she says, describing teenage boys who left school following the disruption that stalks the gas project. They can kill anyone. The white men, the black men, they dont care

Chandler refers to an earlier essay when she told of how Powerpoint slides shown by PNG specialists to ExxonMobil in February 2010.

The final slide said: I will be 18 years old in 2022 and, if I have not been educated and I am still a subsistence farmer living in relative poverty, I am going to be really angry! I may be armed and dangerous!

The words were juxtaposed with imagery of a small Huli boy crouched by the side of the road with a barefoot youth bearing a high-powered automatic rifle.

The article articulates the feelings of the should-have-been beneficiaries: the women, the young men, the children of Hela Province. It offers a deeper understanding of the plight of those forced into the trajectory of a grim future.

These voices of the indigenous people must be fostered and elevated above all. When the final story is told, it would be ideal if the needs of the people were seen to have overshadowed corruption, blame-shifting and scapegoating and that there had been a steady movement towards inclusive solutions.

This ideal narrative would show that Western operators and the PNG government had eventually chosen to commit to delivering on all those promises made to the people of Hela so many years ago.

This essay was prepared under the My Walk to Equality Writer Fellowship 2018 sponsored by Paga Hill Development Company. Attendance at the Griffith Review 60: First Things First launch (Avid Bookstore, West End) and the purchase of a copy of The Monthly (May 2018) were undertaken as literary activities of the fellowship. The fellowship commenced in mid-March 2018 and will conclude at the end of September 2018. Information and regular updates of activities undertaken by fellowship recipient, Rashmii Bell, may be found here or via Twitter: @amoahfive_ohYour fridge is one of the most important appliances in the home and what's inside can say a lot about your lifestyle.

For Australian personal trainer and mother-of-four Sophie Guidolin, her fridge is stocked full of fresh fruit and vegetables, pre-prepared meals for the week and dairy products.

Testament to the incredibly healthy lifestyle she and her family live, the 29-year-old was honest about where she indulges on the calorie front - namely, the cheese department.

Scroll down for video

For Australian personal trainer and mother-of-four Sophie Guidolin (pictured), her fridge is stocked full of fresh fruit and vegetables, pre-prepared meals for the week and dairy products

She'll opt for a Tamar Valley yoghurt to use in her banana bread recipe to make the bread thick and moist - even though the brand has a considerably high fat content

She has five different varieties of cheese in the cold cabinet.

Cottage cheese, which she said is 'high in protein', is currently her toddlers favourite snack food and Sophie uses a reduced fat variety of fetta in her salads.

The family also has light ricotta cheese, tasty cheese and mozzarella sitting in the side door.

Testament to the incredibly healthy lifestyle she and her family live, the 29-year-old was honest about where she indulges on the calorie front - namely, the cheese department

Other dairy products, including yoghurt, are a firm favourite of the family's - with the Yopro brand one of Sophie's go-to food items

Other dairy products, including yoghurt, are a firm favourite of the family's - with the Yopro brand one of Sophie's go-to food items.

She'll opt for a Tamar Valley yoghurt to use in her banana bread recipe to make the bread thick and moist - even though the brand has a considerably high fat content.

If her sons are heading to school sport in the morning and are feeling a little peckish after breakfast Sophie offers them a Nudie smoothie as they're running out the door.

If her sons are heading to school sport in the morning and are feeling a little peckish after breakfast Sophie offers them a Nudie smoothie as they're running out the door

She uses Chobani's dips - which are also high in protein - regularly, holding up the spiced capsicum flavour during the course of the vlog

'It's like an Up and Go but without the additives,' she said in the Youtube video.

She uses Chobani's dips - which are also high in protein - regularly, holding up the spiced capsicum flavour during the course of the vlog.

'At 150 calories it is a great snack choice,' she explained.

Almond and oat milk varieties are nestled in the side door and probiotic sachets for her twins.

The happy family are big meal planners, with that week's orange chicken curry sitting pride of place in the centre

As for fruit and vegetables Sophie always keeps a tupperware container filled with cut-up fruit, like watermelon and rockmelon

As for fruit and vegetables Sophie always keeps a tupperware container filled with cut-up fruit, like watermelon and rockmelon, in the middle of the fridge, avocados, a fruit drawer filled with peaches, plums, pears, kiwi and apple and standard veggies in the crisper.

Her husband Nathan uses lean cut beef mince - often for mexican rice, lasagne and burgers - while Sophie cooks chicken breast to store in the fridge each week to add to her sons school wraps.

The happy family are big meal planners, with that week's orange chicken curry sitting pride of place in the centre.Queen Rania of Jordan has proved herself to be every bit the proud mum following her daughter's graduation.

Princess Salma, 17, graduated from the International Academy in Amman earlier this week and was joined by her family to celebrate.

Rania, 47, shared several pictures from the big day including a family photograph which saw the queen posing in a gorgeous blue silk dress.

Queen Rania has celebrated her daughter Princess Salma's graduation in a series of touching family photos

Captioning the photo she wrote: 'All grown up but you will never outgrow my heart Incredibly proud of you, today, and every day.'

Salma was flanked not only by her mother but father King Abdullah II, and brothers Hussein, Crown Prince of Jordan and Prince Hashem.

A noticeable absentee was Salma's older sister Princess Iman, who is currently away studying at Georgetown University in Washington DC.

Rania, 47, shared several pictures from the big day including a family photograph (pictured) featuring Salma's father King Abdullah II, and brothers Hussein and Hashem (left)

The mother-of-four also posted four Intimate photographs of her helping her daughter prepare for the day

Captioning the images, which she shared on Instagram, Rania wrote: 'Will always treasure these moments'

The mother-of-four also shared four touching portraits of her helping Salma to get ready ahead of her graduation.

Captioning the Instagram post she wrote: 'Will always treasure these moments.'

It seems that Rania was feeling particularly nostalgic as she ahead of the landmark occasion, sharing a sweet snap from Salma's nursery graduation on Monday.

She wrote: 'It feels like just yesterday that you took your first steps, said your first word, left for your first day at school This week, you graduate, but you will always be my precious little Salma.'

On Monday Rania shared a throwback snap of Salma graduating from pre-school writing 'it feels like just yesterday that you took your first steps, said your first word, left for your first day at school'

Rania was not the only one to pay tribute to the princess with her older brother Hussein taking to Instagram to wish her well.

Sharing a video of the siblings sharing a secret handshake on stage he wrote: 'Today at my little sisters graduation. Congrats Salma!'

The Jordanian royals are prominent social media users with Rania boasting 4.5 million Instagram followers while her eldest has 1.5 million.Confident Princess Charlotte took charge of the other bridesmaids at Harry and Meghan's wedding, it has been revealed.

The three-year-old was overheard telling one of the other flower girls 'No - you cant go yet' during the ceremony at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, on Saturday.

A guest described Charlotte as being 'really sweet' and 'organised' as she performed her bridesmaids duties at the wedding.

It comes after the youngster won over hearts with her enthusiastic waving outside the chapel following the ceremony.

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Princess Charlotte took charge of the other bridesmaids at Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding, it has been revealed

The confident three-year-old was overheard telling a fellow bridesmaid 'No you cant go yet'

Speaking to People, a guest said: '[Princess Charlotte] was really sweet.

'There was one girl who wanted to go and she said, "No - you cant go yet. We have to wait until we are asked." She was really organised!'

The guest also revealed how the Cambridge's nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo was seen trying to 'bribe' one of the bridesmaids with smarties and Peppa Pig to ensure she was well behaved during the ceremony.

Ahead of the wedding, the Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan's best friend Jessica Mulroney were seen organising the bridesmaids and page boys outside the chapel.

Charlotte won over hearts with her cheeky antics, which included her sticking her tongue out

Charlotte, who was one of six bridesmaids, arrived in the car with father Prince William

The young royal was described by one of the wedding guests as being 'really sweet'

As they walked down the aisle, Charlotte was seen holding hands with fellow flower girls Florence Van Cutsem, three, and Zalie Warren, two.

Although both Charlotte and her older brother George, four, were seen walking down the aisle behind Meghan at the start of the service, eagle-eyed royal watchers noticed that the pair were missing as Harry and Meghan left the chapel.

However, the pair had simply joined their parents further behind in the procession.

Charlotte was described a 'show-stealer' as she waved enthusiastically to crowds outside the chapel, as well as sticking her tongue out when arriving in the car.

In contrast, big brother George, who is thought to be more shy than his sister, looked less happy with the attention.

It comes after Charlotte melted hearts as she waved to cameras outside the Lindo Wing as she arrived with her brother and father to see new arrival Prince Louis.A young woman feared she would be left paralysed for life after she was involved in a high speed car crash while travelling without a seat belt.

Megan Goad, now 22, appeared in the Channel 4 series 24 Hours in A&E, for which she was filmed being rushed into St George's Hospital in London with a suspected spinal injury, complaining that she couldn't feel her legs.

She had removed her seat belt because she 'felt sick' after drinking on a night out.

Unfortunately that was the exact moment her friend, who was driving, lost control of the vehicle and hit a tree seeing Megan hit the windscreen.

Luckily for Megan, despite initial worries she may never walk again, she made a full recovery and declared to her father that she 'wouldn't be drinking for a long time'.

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Megan Goad feared she had been left paralysed following a high-speed car crash after she hit the windscreen when she'd removed her seat belt

Then 20, Megan had been rushed into St George's Hospital as doctors worried her injuries were more serious when she said she couldn't feel her legs

Megan recalled the crash and how she had desperately tried to escape the wreckage but couldn't move

'[I was in the car and] I thought was going to be sick so I took my seatbelt off. But that was the very moment he must have lost control,' she explained.

'It was one of those dark winding roads where you can't see well. That split second decision changed everything.

'I remember being in the ambulance and not being able to move my legs and I remember, before, trying so hard to get out of the car but not being able to.

'If I had just worn a seat belt I would have been okay.'

When Megan reached the hospital trauma surgeon Dr Marwa el-Zanfaly carried out a series on checks on her, poking Megan's thigh with a pin, but she worryingly said she couldn't feel a thing.

Marwa described Megan as a patient who 'bulls-eyed' the windscreen which means 'the person hits glass so hard that it smashes in a dart-board shaped crack'.

Megan's sister Abby, then 17, received the phone call from the police who told her that she could have potentially life-threatening injuries

Hospital trauma surgeon Dr Marwa el-Zanfaly was worried Megan's injuries could be extremely serious after learning she wasn't wearing a seat belt

Megan had a worrying encounter with ecstasy when she had gone to another party and had drunk a spiked punch

Her sister Abby, then 17, received the gut-wrenching phone call from police who told her that Megan had been involved in a serious car accident with potentially life-changing injuries.

Abby had to wait for their father Rob, who is separated from their mother, to arrive at the hospital as Marwa shared the worrying extent of Megan's injuries.

Outgoing Megan was warned by her father Rob to calm down her hedonistic lifestyle: 'She has always been a sociable girl, it got a bit more serious when she got older.'

Abby added: 'We never really saw her that much, she would always come home and be hungover and ill.

'Earlier this year she went to London to go out for her friend's birthday a lot of them she didn't know at all, I said to her you don't really know these people it's not going to be a good idea, but she said she knew what she was doing and went anyway.

'She drank some punch and it was spiked with ecstasy.'

Megan's father Rob had worried about his daughter's hedonistic lifestyle and warned her to calm down

Megan went for an MRI scan to determine if she would ever walk again, but it was later revealed that she made a full recovery

Rob explained: 'I think it was maybe a joke, but it backfired really, she ended up collapsing in a taxi on the way to the club and she had to get rushed to hospital.'

Megan wept on the hospital bed as she insisted she was 'not drinking for a long time', as her father told her that she was 'out of control' and had seen a big change in her behaviour.

'I feel like I might have been able to stop this if I'd still been at home, I bare some responsibility for that,' Rob added.

Megan went for an MRI scan to determine if she would ever walk again, but it was later revealed that she made a full recovery.

She said: 'The accident definitely brought us a lot closer together.

'I think it's important that I give them a hug and tell them I love them every day because you don't know what is round the corner and what is going to happen.'

24 Hours in A&E returns next Wednesday on Channel 4 at 9pmWith a new baby, a pair of newlyweds and some major renovations, there's a lot happening at Kensington Palace this year - so it's no surprise its residents have had a steady stream of visitors of late.

And the young royals got a visit from a certain VIP guest on Thursday when the Queen herself stopped by.

The 92-year-old monarch was spotted leaving the London residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who recently welcomed their third child, Prince Louis.

Wearing a pale blue boucle ensemble and sunglasses, the monarch cut a smart figure as she sat in the back of her chauffeured car.

Coming through! The young royals got a visit from a certain VIP guest on Thursday when the Queen herself stopped by at Kensington Palace

After attending Harry and Meghan's nuptials, Carole Middleton got another royal fix on Wednesday when she dropped into Kensington Palace in west London

It is also the marital home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who tied the knot at Windsor Castle just five days ago.

Royals including Princess Eugenie and the Duke and Duchess of Kent are also based at Kensington Palace.

Earlier this month, the Mail revealed that Harry and Meghan intend to move out of the cosy two-bed Nottingham Cottage as soon as possible and into Apartment 1 - a stunning 21-room wing of the palace currently undergoing extensive renovations.

Soon after their engagement, the Queen's cousin Richard - the Duke of Gloucester, 73 - whose three children are now grown up, offered to vacate his 21-room Apartment 1 at the palace so Harry and Meghan could have it.

The Queen's visit today comes just a day after Middleton matriarch Carole, 63, was spotted leaving the palace.

Kate's parents are seen arriving at Meghan and Harry's Windsor Castle wedding last weekend - with Carole opting once again for her favourite designer, Catherine Walker

Kate and William welcomed Prince Louis of Cambridge on April 23 at St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington, completing their family of five.

Carole and husband Michael were among the first family members to visit the little prince after he was taken back to Kensington Palace last month.

The grandmother of three, along with children James and Pippa, has since been spotted dropping in at the palace on a string of occasions as well as helping out with the school and nursery run.

George and Charlotte are frequent visitors to Bucklebury Manor, Kate's family home, where they can play in the 18-acre grounds and collect eggs from the chickens.

According to sources, the Middletons are 'virtually retired' from the day to day running of their business, Party Pieces, and able to help whenever needed.

Carole Middleton looked spring like and elegant in a fresh shade of mint green

On Saturday, the Middletons joined hundreds of well-heeled guests descending on Windsor Castle to witness Prince Harry tie the knot with Meghan Markle.

Carole wore Catherine Walker - a favourite designer of the late Princess Diana, and the same label she wore at Kate's wedding to William in 2011.

She opted for an elegant coat dress in a fresh shade of mint green, topped off with a co-ordinating statement hat.

In fact, the entire Middleton family were invited to the royal nuptials including pregnant Pippa and her husband, and James.She is currently on a three day royal visit to Luxembourg with her husband King Willem-Alexander.

And Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, 47, made sure she was flying the flag for Dutch style when the couple joined the country's Grand Duke and Grand Duchess on a visit to an historic blast furnace in the city of Belval on Thursday.

Maxima accessorised her cream trousers and champagne jacket with a statement gold headband for the trip with Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria-Teresa.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, 47, looked striking in a champagne-coloured suit in Luxembourg

Maxima and her husband King Willem-Alexander, 51, are currently on a three day visit to the country

Maxima wore a blouse with frilled sleeves with high waisted trousers in the same shade, and a champagne coloured jacket draped over her shoulders.

She added nude heels with a block heel and embellished with bows.

Maxima and King Willem-Alexander were given a tour of the industrial city by their royal hosts, along with the Minister of Family and Integration, Corinne Cahen.

Maxima looked animated as she took in the sights during the tour.

The royal accessorised with an eye-catching headband that resembled a gold halo

She also wore delicate matching earrings and wore dark black eyeliner for the event

The couple were having a tour of Belval, which is known as the 'city of Science and blast furnace'

King Willem-Alexander looked smart in a blue suit as he joined his wife on the visit

The couple were joined by Grand Duke Guillaume, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, King Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg

Yesterday Queen Maxima wrapped up the royals' first day in Luxembourg in spectacular style, attending a glittering banquet hosted by the country's royal family.

Dressed in a show-stopping gown, she put on a stunning display at the Grand Ducal Palace.

She donned a jaw-dropping tiara festooned with diamonds to match her earrings and brooch, which she teamed with the canary-yellow frock.

The couple were joined by Grand Duke Guillaume, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, King Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg.

And vying for the limelight was Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, who plumped for a powder pink gown with an embellished bodice.

Yesterday the glamorous Dutch royal stunned in a jaw-dropping tiara festooned with diamonds to match her earrings and brooch, which she teamed with a bright yellow gown

Twinning! Queen Maxima and her husband, King Willem-Alexander, wore matching shades of yellow for the formal state banquet at Luxembourg's Grand Ducal Palace tonight

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg pose

Maxima looked rather regal as she shmoozed her way through the multiple course meal

Chin chin! She beamed as she toasted with a glass of champagne alongside the other guestsA professional ballerina has candidly documented her struggles with depression on Instagram while trying to succeed in an industry that focuses on body image.

Sydney Magruder Washington is a third-generation dancer who lives in New York City with her wife while working as a professional ballerina.

About three years ago, she decided to start posting about mental health and her own struggles with accepting herself because she realized there was a lack in people talking openly about depression and anxiety.

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Candid: Professional ballerina Sydney Magruder Washington has used her Instagram to talk about her own struggles with mental illness

Strong: She decided to open up about her world as a dancer and someone who struggles with mental illness in hopes it could help other people

'I was sharing mostly because Im kind of an open book,' Sydney told Health Magazine. 'I wanted to crush my own shame about how I felt about it.'

Sydney uses her Instagram account to connect with her followers about her life - including being a part of the black, LGBT, and dance community.

'I dont know anyone who identifies exactly how I do, and thats fine,' she told the magazine. 'But I wish I had had someone to talk to about specific issues that I've had to work out on my own. Thats why I share with others who come after me.'

She also has used it to open the conversation about mental health, including her battle with major depressive disorder and panic disorder.

In one of her posts, Sydney explained how her new medication to help with her anxiety and depression has caused her to gain weight. This has added stress to her life because she works in an industry that expects the dancers to be thin.

'You want to know why I feel uncomfortable? Because I live and breathe in an industry (and in a world, really) that mandates thinness as a requirement for employment, basically,' she wrote on Instagram.

'As I am tempted towards relapse I feel a surge of anger - why does ballet exclude people on the basis of their weight? Why do we mandate such an unrealistic body type?'

Beautiful: Sydney said she has struggled to find others to look up to who are also black, in the LGBT community and a professional dancer. She hopes to be a role model for others

Impressive: The ballerina calls herself a '#MentalHealthWarrior'. She uses her posts to let people know that it is OK to talk about mental illness

Warrior: 'Mental illness makes me differently abled, but it does not make me less worthy,' she wrote in a recent post on Instagram

The ballerina calls herself a '#MentalHealthWarrior' on Instagram as she tries to let other people know it is OK to have these disorders.

'Mental illness makes me differently abled, but it does not make me less worthy,' she said in a post.

'Therapy, medication, hope, determination, and GOD HIMSELF are a lot mightier than the cruel words of a joyless person.'

While Sydney understands there is a trend with using natural substances to help with mental illness, she is unafraid to post the benefits of taking Western medication.

In the past, she has shared the different medication she takes and encouraged her followers to comment about their own preference as a way to open up the conversation.

'I take 4 different medicines (3 in the morning and 1 in the evening) in order to feel and function my best,' she wrote.

Sydney's honesty and commitment to normalize mental illness has garnered her more than 30,000 followers on Instagram. Many of whom offer words of encouragement for the dancer on the posts.He is celebrating his 50th birthday in just two days' time, and has spent the week attending a string of special events held in his honour.

And Prince Frederik of Denmark looked delighted as he joined his family to unveil a new set of commemorative portraits tonight.

Frederik was joined by his mother Queen Margrethe, his wife Princess Mary, and their children Prince Christian, 12, Princess Josephine, 10, and twins Princess Isabella and Prince Vincent, seven.

There was one notable absence in the family line-up, however; Frederik's father, Prince Henrik, who passed away in February at the age of 83 following a long battle with dementia.

Prince Frederik of Denmark (far right) looked delighted as he joined his family to unveil their portraits Ralph Heimans (fourth left) at Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark on Thursday

Australian-born artist Ralph Heimans was also in attendance at the special reception at Frederiksborg Castle in Hilleroed.

Princess Mary cut a stylish figure fuchsia A-line dress which was cinched in at the waist, and featured a ruched hemline and balloon sleeves.

She teamed the dress with stylish T-bar sandals and wore her hair in loose blow-dried waves.

Mary was joined by her mother-in-law Margrethe, who opted for a pastel pink shift dress and white court shoes, tying her hair in an elegant chignon.

The Prince, 49, was joined by his mother Danish Queen Margrethe, 78, (seen) his wife Princess Mary, 46, Prince Christian, 12, Princess Josephine (seen), 10, and twins Princess Isabella (seen) and Prince Vincent, seven

Ralph was also in attendance, posing alongside the family as they admired their portraits (portrait of Frederik seen)

Meanwhile Princess Josephine, 10, wore a pretty pink lace dress and her hair in a half ponytail as she embraced her little sister Isabeella, who looked sweet in a baby blue lace dress.

Prince Christian and Vincent looked smart in suits and ties, matching their father, who looked dapper in a fitted suit and blue tie.

The family admired the opulent paintings, which were painted at the National History Museum in Hilleroed.

The new portrait will form the center of an exhibition with portraits by Australian visual artist Ralph Heimans.

The exhibition 'Ralph Heimans Portraits' shows a significant part of the artist's production, which includes a portrait of Crown Princess Mary, members of the British Royal House and international personalities.

Princess Mary cut a stylish figure fuchsia A-line dress which was cinched in at the waist, and featured a ruched hemline and balloon sleeves (far right)

The family admired the opulent paintings, which were painted at the National History Museum in Hilleroed

The love story between Princess Mary and Prince Frederick has been well documented; the couple met in a Sydney bar and Mary, born in Tasmania, moved to the northern hemisphere to be with Frederik.

In December, in a candid interview with Australian Women's Weekly, the Crown Princess revealed that moving to the other side of the world was difficult.

She said: 'I did experience a feeling of loneliness - short-term - when I first moved to Denmark,' she told the magazine.

'Moving to Denmark was a huge change in my life - a new culture, new language, new friends, and another way of life.' 'So, I see it as quite natural that at times I felt quite alone or a little bit like I was on the outside looking in.'Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding has now been given the mini-me treatment after a pair of tots recreated some of the most iconic moments from their nuptials.

Toddlewood, a series created by New York City-based artist Tricia Messeroux, enlists toddlers to dress up as celebrities from prominent event.

For Tricia's latest shoot, she dressed-up a mini-Meghan and Prince Harry to recreate the royal wedding, complete with a reverend and a cellist.

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Adorable: Toddlewood cast two lookalike tots to recreate Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding

Stunning: Both of the tots were dressed in outfits that were similar to what Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wore when they tied the knot

Duchess in the making! The adorable tot had her hair tied back in a messy bun and even had a sparkly tiara to wear

It was cuteness overload after Access released a sneak peak video of the Toddlewood photo shoot.

Toddlewood found a mini-Meghan Markle and outfitted her in bright white gown that has a similar design to the custom-made Givenchy gown the Duchess of Sussex wore to walk down the aisle.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry's pint-sized doppelganger was the spitting image of the Duke of Sussex in an all-black ensemble with a ginger scruff painted onto his young face.

The adorable pair held hands as the posed in front of an arc of flowers, which is similar to one Harry and Meghan walked under to meet the adoring crowd after their wedding.

'I feel like the Duchess of Sussex,' mini-Meghan adorably told Access.

All smiles: An Access video showing a glimpse into photo shoot showed the tots appearing to have a great time dressed up as royalty

Mini-me! The young tot looked like the spitting image of Meghan Markle in her own white gown and tiara

Recreation: The Toddlewood photo shoot even included a young kid to play the role of cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason

Cute: There even was a child to represent American Bishop Michael Curry, who gave the sermon at the royal wedding

When asked where she got all her royal knowledge, the tot responded: 'My mom got a book for me about Prince Harry and Meghan.'

The little girl's brown hair was clipped back into a messy bun and she even had a shiny tiara to match the one Meghan wore on Saturday at Windsor Castle.

To prepare for the royal photo shoot, Toddlewood did a casting call to find lookalikes that would fit the parts.

Besides casting Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, the group also found toddlers to imitate American Bishop Michael Curry, who gave a sermon at the royal wedding, and cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason.

However, it is unclear if we will see a tot recreate Queen Elizabeth II, Kate Middleton or Prince William's looks from the wedding.

Toddlewood has yet to release the pictures from the shoot, but from the video it looks to be cuteness overload at the royal level.

People who listen to loud music or suffer depression could be at a higher risk of developing dementia, according to new research.

Two studies have found that poor mental health and hearing loss can both age the brain prematurely and increase the chances of someone getting dementia.

Scientists say hearing loss  even if it is so minor it is not diagnosed  causes people to use more of the brain to process speech, which ages it faster.

People with depression, meanwhile, have worse mental decline as they get older when compared to those with better mental health, according to a study.

The researchers of both studies  one from the UK and one from the US  hope the discoveries will help people better protect themselves from cognitive decline.

The studies expose links between dementia and common conditions.

The World Health Organization says more than 300 million people worldwide have depression and around 466 million have hearing loss.

People with depression have a greater decline in their brain function as they get older, researchers say, and people with a hearing loss 'drain' their brains by trying harder to hear

Researchers at the University of Sussex say depression speeds up the ageing of the brain, increasing the likelihood of memory and thinking problems.

They examined the results of 34 studies on 71,000 people including those who had symptoms of depression or diagnosed clinical depression.

They found that depressed people have worse brain function in later adulthood than people without the condition.

Study author Dr Darya Gaysina said: 'This study is of great importance  our populations are ageing at a rapid rate and the number of people living with decreasing cognitive abilities and dementia is expected to grow substantially over the next thirty years.'

Scientists at the Ohio State University in Columbus, meanwhile, found hearing loss speeds up the brain's decline by using more effort to understand what someone is hearing.

People with normal hearing only use one side of the brain to process sounds, whereas those with a hearing loss at any age may use both sides.

This applies even to young people with subtle hearing problems, which can be caused by loud music in headphones or at concerts, or working with power tools.

Working harder to hear 'drains the brain's resources'

Because the brain realises it cannot hear as well as it used to, it compensates by working harder to understand, which is more strenuous.

'This isn't about the ear,' says lead researcher Yune Lee. 'It's about the brain, the cognitive process, and it shouldn't be happening until people are at least older than 50.

'We can't be sure but we suspect that what happens is you put so much effort into listening you drain your cognitive resources, and that has a negative effect on your thinking and memory and that can eventually lead to dementia.

WHAT IS DEMENTIA? A GLOBAL CONCERN Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of progressive neurological disorders, that is, conditions affecting the brain. There are many different types of dementia, of which Alzheimers disease is the most common. Some people may have a combination of types of dementia. Regardless of which type is diagnosed, each person will experience their dementia in their own unique way. Dementia is a global concern but it is most often seen in wealthier countries, where people are likely to live into very old age. HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED? The Alzheimers Society reports there are more than 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK today. It is estimated that the number of people living with dementia in the UK by 2025 will rise to over 1 million. In the US, it's estimated there are 5.5 million sufferers. A similar percentage rise is expected in the coming years. As a persons age increases, so does the risk of them developing dementia. Rates of diagnosis are improving but many people with dementia are thought to still be undiagnosed. IS THERE A CURE? Currently there is no cure for dementia. But new drugs can slow down its progression and the earlier it is spotted the more effective treatments are. Source: Dementia UK Advertisement

'Letting [hearing loss] happen early in your life could be like spending your retirement money when you're in your 30s. You're going to need that down the road.'

Dementia affects over 850,000 people in the UK, according the the Alzheimer's Society  one in 14 of over-65s, and one in six people over 80.

Most commonly associated with forgetfulness, people with dementia may also struggle to think clearly, have difficulty speaking or moving about, and their moods and personality can change.

There is no cure for dementia but if diagnosed early it can be slowed down.

'People with depression shouldn't despair'

Dr Gaysina added: 'Our findings should give the government even more reason to take mental health issues seriously and to ensure that health provisions are properly resourced.

'We need to protect the mental wellbeing of our older adults and to provide robust support services to those experiencing depression and anxiety in order to safeguard brain function in later life.'

Researcher Amber John, who carried out this research for her Ph.D. at the University of Sussex adds: 'Depression is a common mental health problem  each year, at least 1 in 5 people in the UK experience symptoms.

'But people living with depression shouldn't despair  it's not inevitable that you will see a greater decline in cognitive abilities.

'Taking preventative measures such as exercising, practicing mindfulness and undertaking recommended therapeutic treatments, such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, have all been shown to be helpful in supporting wellbeing, which in turn may help to protect cognitive health in older age.



How the research was carried out

The British study used past data to look at the cognitive performance of people without dementia, and compared it in groups with and without depression.

They found brain power declined faster among people with depression, regardless of whether they developed dementia.

It has already been claimed that depression and anxiety can raise the risk of dementia, but the new study shows that it could be this decline in cognitive performance  the premature ageing of the brain  which causes that.

Their research was published in the journal Psychological Medicine today.

In the US study, 35 participants aged between 18 and 41 had MRI scans while listening to noises.

It found that those with hearing impairments which were not bad enough to rule them out of the study used more of their brains when listening.

While those with normal hearing use the left side of their brain to comprehend what they hear, people with even subtle hearing loss used both sides and even the front  the frontal cortex  something normally seen in older people.

The researchers worry that as hearing problems progress people put more effort into trying to understand what they hear, which affects the abilities of their brains in future.

Their findings were published on Monday in the journal eNeuro.Shanghai (Gasgoo)- After undergoing a plenty of hardships and difficulties, yuan-denominated Chinese stocks, known as "A-shares" was finally included into global market research and index company MSCI's emerging market (EM) index. Chongqing Changan Automobile was also added into the MSCI China A inclusion index recently.

Multiple investors considered this is a chance for Changan to see stock price rise. However, an executive from Changan stated that entering into China's A-share MSCI inclusion will exert little impact on individual shares in a short term, but in the future, Chinese blue-chips like Changan will benefit a lot from entering into MSCI inclusion, because foreign inflows will continue to surge into the country's stock markets.

Being added into MSCI index meets Changan's expectation, because the automaker boasts good word of mouth in capital market for a long time, according to the executive of Changan.

Data showed that Changan keeps profitable for 10 years in a row. It gained profit of more than RMB 10 billion in 2016. In recent days, Changan ranked 79th with a brand value of RMB 35.6 billion on the list of Top 100 Chinese Listed Companies by Brand Value 2018. Strikingly, it ranked 5th in auto industry. What's more, the company also performed steadily in stock market, making Changan to be added into the MSCI A-share inclusion in the first batch successfully.Pesticides increase the risk of Parkinson's by up to 250% by disrupting energy levels in cells in the same way as the disease

Previous studies have showed an increased risk of Parkinson's among farmers and others exposed to two pesticides commonly used in farming, paraquat and maneb.

The new research shows how low-level exposure to the pesticides can disrupt cells in a way that mimics the effects of mutations known to cause Parkinson's disease.

'People exposed to these chemicals are at about a 250-percent higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease than the rest of the population,' said Scott Ryan, a professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Guelph in Canada.

'We wanted to investigate what is happening in this susceptible population that results in some people developing the disease,' said Professor Ryan.

Parkinson's affects more than one million people in North America and about 145,000 people in the UK.

People exposed to two pesticides, paraquat and maneb, are at about a 250-percent higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease than the rest of the population, research shows

Study directly looks at pesticide effect on human cells

Most of the previous studies were based on either animal studies or on epidemiological data. The Guelph scientists say they are the first to investigate the effect of the agrochemicals on human cells.

The experiment used stem cells from people with Parkinson's disease that had a mutation in a gene called synuclein that's highly associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's.

In addition, the study used normal embryonic stem cells in which the risk- associated mutation was introduced by gene editing.

From the two types of stem cells, Professor Ryan and his team made dopamine-producing neuronsthe specific nerve cells affected in Parkinson's diseaseand exposed them to the two pesticides.

Exposure to pesticides prevented energy-producing parts of the from moving to where they were needed, depleting the cells of energy

Pesticide impairs energy-producing mechanism in cells

Because of that exposure, energy-producing parts of the cells were prevented from moving to where they were needed, depleting the dopamine-producing cells of energy.

Neurons from the Parkinson's patients and those in which the mutation was introduced were impaired at doses below the lowest observed effect level previously reported by the U.S. Environment Protection Agency.

By comparison, higher doses were needed to impair function in normal neurons.

The upshot: people with a predisposition for Parkinson's disease are more affected by these low level exposures to pesticides and therefore more likely to develop the disease.

Neurons from the Parkinson's patients and those in which the mutation was introduced were impaired at doses below the lowest observed effect level previously reported by U.S.regulators

Farmers and those living near farms at greater risk

'This is one of the reasons why some people living near agricultural areas are at a higher risk,' said Professor Ryan.

He said the findings indicate that public health officials need to reassess current acceptable levels for these two agrochemicals.

'This study shows that everyone is not equal, and these safety standards need to be updated in order to protect those who are more susceptible and may not even know it.'

The study was published in the journal Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.Smoking cigarettes damages the muscles in your body, a new study has found.

The smoke directly reduces the number of blood vessels in leg muscles and limits the amount of oxygen and nutrients they can receive.

Previous studies have shown that smoking makes muscles weaker because lungs become inflamed by cigarette use, restricting your ability to exercise and perform activities.

However, this study, conducted by researchers from California, Brazil and Japan, is the first to show the direct impact of smoking on the muscles.

Smoking cigarettes damages leg muscles in your body by reducing the number of blood vessels, a new study has found

Past research has shown that cigarette smoke narrows your body's arteries, reducing both the flow of blood to your heart and your lung capacity - making you work harder during physical activity.

This limits your ability to perform certain exercises and ability to grow your muscles.

However, researchers have been now able to show how the effect is far greater than we once thought.

For the study, the team exposed mice to smoke from tobacco cigarettes for eight weeks, either by inhalation or by injecting mice with a solution bubbled with smoke.

In the study, the team found a 34 percent decrease in the capillary-to-muscle fiber ratio of calf muscles in mice exposed to smoke.

Capillaries are the smallest blood vessels in the body. A high capillary-to-fiber ratio allows blood to more fully permeate muscle tissue.

However, the study shows that because blood vessels have been diminished, the rate of blood flow to muscles is reduced - depriving them of oxygen and nutrients.

And when muscles are deprived of these two substances to use for energy, they are weakened and unable to perform a great amount of physical activity.

This a a risk factor for many long-term diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and diabetes.

Fatigue resistance also diminished by up to 43 percent in these mice, meaning muscles more quickly feel weak, painful and tired.

Although the researchers found muscle damage in the legs to be the most pronounced, they could not identify exactly which chemical in cigarette smoke was responsible.

They point out that cigarettes contain approximately 4,000 chemicals, many of which are harmful carcinogens.

'It is vitally important that we show people that the use of tobacco cigarettes has harmful consequences throughout the body, including large muscle groups needed for daily living,' said Ellen Breen, an associate research scientist of the University of California, San Diego.

'[We need to] develop strategies to stop the damage triggered by the detrimental components of cigarette smoke.'

The research is particularly vital on the heels of a recent study that found leg exercises boost the production of grey matter cells in the brain.

The study, conducted at Milan University found that weight-bearing exercise boosts the production of healthy neural cells, essential for the brain and nervous system.

Cutting back on exercise makes it difficult for the body to produce new nerve cells, which are some of the very building blocks that allow us to handle stress and adapt to challenge in our lives.

Because legs contain the body's largest muscles, they are of particular relevance for muscular fitness and more important than other for stimulating brain activity.WYNTERTIDE by Andrew Caldecott (Jo Fletcher 14.99)

WYNTERTIDE

by Andrew Caldecott (Jo Fletcher 14.99)

Were back in the extraordinary world of Rotherweird in this assured and beautifully handled sequel that cooks up a banquet of dark delights.

Once again, we are captivated by the compelling alchemy of plot, place and people: the quirks, the mysteries, the saintliness and the sheer bloody evil.

History is a dangerous subject in Rotherweird, so dangerous that 21st-century Britain must never know of its existence, and the inhabitants themselves are forbidden to investigate their own heritage.

But diabolic, forgotten powers are rising again.

Clues abound in Latin, in anagrams, in codes and mysterious paintings and an unlikely alliance of teachers, antiquarians and natural scientists must work out who is setting them, in order to save the town from its ancient nemesis.

THE POPPY WAR

THE POPPY WAR by R.F. Kuang (Harper Voyager 16.99)

by R.F. Kuang (Harper Voyager 16.99)

A once-great empire riven by squabbling warlords; the evils of opium; a militaristic island neighbour intent on domination.

Parallels with modern Chinese history resonate deeply and darkly in this blood-soaked epic of orphans and empresses, gods and shamans.

Its an outstanding debut. We start small, cheering the irresistible rise of the orphan Fang Runin, as she wins a coveted place at her countrys military academy.

Overcoming her lowly status, she fights her way to becoming a member of a drug-fuelled, elite warrior sect, each with access to the gods, each blessed  or cursed  with extraordinary powers.

And, with the empire itself under threat, Rin must face her toughest challenge: working out how ruthless she must be to win.BOOK OF THE WEEK

BLOOD LETTERS

by Lian Xi (Basic Books 25)

On the outskirts of Suzhou, near Shanghai, theres a tomb in a cemetery that has a surveillance camera trained on it, keeping a perpetual eye on visitors.

Once a year, on the anniversary of the deceased, plain-clothes policemen arrive to block access to the tomb and to rough up any persistent pilgrims.

Its the tomb of a remarkable woman called Lin Zhao, who was shot by firing squad at the age of 35 in 1968, at the height of the Mao regime.

In death even more than in life, writes the author of this important biography, Lin Zhao has become a nemesis of the Communist state.

A letter of protest that Lin wrote from her prison cell to the editor of the Peoples Daily newspaper, never sent and long-suppressed, appeared on the internet in China in 2004.

Author Lian Xi shares the torture Lin Zhao (pictured) experienced during her protest against the Mao regime before her death at age 35 in a new biography

It caused a sensation and became a manifesto for dissent in China today.

So this is still an incendiary and live story and some of it cant yet be told. All Lins interrogation records, documenting the hours and hours of questioning, probably conducted under torture, are still filed away as part of the criminal evidence in her case.

But Lin was an inveterate protester and letter-writer and, astonishingly, the letters she wrote to her mother from prison, though they were confiscated at the time and not sent, were saved and eventually returned to the family.

Those letters were written not in ink, but in blood. As a punishment for her refusal to comply with the rules of the brutal Shanghai Municipal Prison, where she was incarcerated for being an impatient counter-revolutionary, Lin was deprived of ink. That was not going to stop her.

She had grasped the evils and depravities of Maos regime and refused to keep silent. In her freezing cell, she pricked her thumbs, dripped the blood into a small plastic spoon and wrote to her mother with a bamboo pick, a hair clip or the plastic handle of her toothbrush sharpened against the concrete floor, sometimes on a strip of bedsheet, rather than paper.

Alas, Mama, they have communised China into a country of beggars. When the morning light of freedom shines upon the vast land of this country, we shall pour out our hearts to each other.

That yearned-for moment of reunion never came.

To make us appreciate Lins bravery, Lian Xi, who has pieced together her life story, reminds us just how rare it was in Maos regime for anyone to dare to speak out. Lin was the rare one who stood upright in an era when the entire country prostrated themselves.

Lin was partly furious with herself as during the fifties she had loved Communism to the extent that she referred to Chairman Mao (pictured) as Dear Father

It was so much easier to keep quiet and go along with it all  and so much safer for the rest of the family.

There was a Chinese scholar in the prison, a once-renowned Yale Shakespeare expert, who submitted to copying and learning by heart reams and reams of Maos Little Red Book, in order to earn remission points. Lin refused to do any such thing. When were most angry, its often because were angry with ourselves  and, reading between the lines, its clear that Lins fury was directed partly at herself. As a student in the early Fifties, she had fallen head-over-heels in love with Communism  to such an extent that she referred to Chairman Mao as Dear Father and reported her own father to the Government for illegally listening to an American radio programme.

A revolution is not a dinner party, Chairman Mao declared. It is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another.

Landlords were made to wear tall paper hats and paraded through the streets, denounced by jeering crowds.

Lin, at first, thought this a necessary stage towards the birth of a fairer society.

Mao encouraged students to voice their feelings about the regime as a ploy to identify Rightists (Pictured: A democracy demonstration in front of Mao's portrait)

Then Mao pulled a really dirty trick. He announced a movement with the slogan: Let a hundred flowers bloom. Students were encouraged to voice their feelings about the less nice aspects of his regime, which many did, including Lin.

It turned out to be a ploy to enforce the snakes out of their lairs. All who had dared to voice protests were labelled Rightists. Many were sent off to exile for years of redemption through labour in the frozen north.

Lin managed to evade that exile; but her brief, passionate love affair with a student called Gan Cui was brutally cut off when he was banished to work on a construction battalion seven days journey away  an exile that would last for 20 years. The two never saw each other again.

Lin was arrested in 1960 for her contribution to an underground magazine, in which shed written a poem calling Maos regime the Fascist rule of a centralised state and ridiculing his Great Leap Forward as a Great Leap Backward.

On hearing of his daughters arrest, Lins father committed suicide by taking rat poison. His darkest fear about where Lin Zhaos adolescent pursuit of communism might lead her was realised.

Lin predicted an escalation of violence brought on by Maos (pictured) 1966 exhortation to remove old customs

A simple and efficient method of torture was used as a matter of course in Chinese prisons: handcuffs, and not one pair but two, the upper and lower arms cuffed together behind the back. At one point, after causing trouble, Lin was put into double handcuffs for six-and-a-half months.

With no public trial or defence lawyer, she was sentenced to 20 years. Cajoled and tortured to confess, she refused.

Most other inmates were soon begging for a chance to confess, so as to have an easier life. Not Lin, even though she was ill with recurring and worsening TB.

Out of handcuffs, she took five months to compose a long letter to the Peoples Daily. Mao must be the first to bear responsibility for the tragedy of our land swarming with famished refugees and the corpses of the starved filling up the valleys, she wrote.

BLOOD LETTERS by Lian Xi (Basic Books 25)

She predicted the course of the regimes escalating orgy of violence brought on by Maos 1966 exhortation to smash the four olds: old ideas, old culture, old customs and old habits of the exploiting class.

She kept the prison guards in a state of perpetual exasperation with her shouting, her ranting and her refusal to comply.

Her cheerful spirit was never crushed: she sketched her favourite Disney characters (Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse) on a flattened toothpaste tube using a small nail. From October 1967, she was writing one blood-inked protest per day to the prison authorities.

The Military Control Committee authorised the death sentence, pronouncing her truly a diehard, unrepentant counter-revolutionary.

Her Christian faith kept her going, to the end. Let me turn over all my pains, hopes and dreams to my Lord, she wrote.

Forced to wear a monkey king cap  a rubber hood placed over her face with slits for the eyes  she was taken out to the prisons execution ground and shot.

The next morning, officials arrived at her mothers door to deliver the news  and to demand a 5-cent bullet fee, as her daughter had wasted a peoples bullet. Maos officials knew just how to inflict the highest degree of pain on bereaved families of the condemned.

They, though, are now forgotten, while Lin Zhao is remembered; revered for her refusal to be silent in the face of Maos inhumane regime. This book is a worthy tribute to her.PAINTING THE SAND by Kim Hughes GC (Simon & Schuster 8.99)

PAINTING THE SAND

by Kim Hughes GC (Simon & Schuster 8.99)

Kim Hughes had all the qualifications to become a soldier: An unhappy home, lack of job prospects, academically weak and a love of guns and explosions.

And, in the Army, he encountered something that fascinated him: bomb disposal. Despite failing at school, I had hidden depths of determination and resilience that the Army was drawing to the surface.

Kims skill would be tested to the limit during a six-month tour of Afghanistan in 2009, during which he defused 119 improvised explosive devices  including dismantling seven of them, without protective clothing, in one go, for which he received the George Cross.

This gripping memoir gives a vivid account of a job whose daily routine is peril, tragedy and black humour and where his most valued bit of kit was a humble paintbrush.

WAITING FOR THE ALBINO DUNNOCK by Rosamond Richardson (W&N 9.99)

WAITING FOR THE ALBINO DUNNOCK

by Rosamond Richardson (W&N 9.99)

at a crossroads in her life, Rosamond Richardson was lost and uncertain which way to go when a chance encounter with a fellow traveller in Greece opened a door to a new world.

Her companion, James, suggested a tortoise-hunting expedition among the ruins at Mycenae.

They found no tortoises, but James proved to be a skilled and knowledgeable birdwatcher.

When the walk was over, Rosamond felt radiant with happiness . . . as if Id fallen in love again. I had: with a new love, of the avian variety.

Her lyrical memoir of a year of birdwatching in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Greece is a life-enhancing record of birds (and books).

One of the joys of watching birds, she writes, is that it has taught me new ways of looking and seeing. I have come to trust the randomness of life, the certainty of uncertainty.

THE AMATEUR by Mandy Merrifield (Verso 9.99)

THE AMATEUR

by Andy Merrifield(Verso 9.99)

The people in this country, said politician Michael Gove in 2016, have had enough of experts.

Merrifield agrees and, in this thought-provoking book, he suggests an alternative: The nemesis to the professional expert: the amateur.

We think of amateurs as people who do things as a hobby, rather than a living, he argues. However, he challenges that, describing them as people with an alternative sensibility . . . dedicated to doing things well, yet without any great reward.

The ideas of amateurs may seem quirky or eccentric, yet they have often proved visionary.

Jane Jacobs, who took on New York city planners during the Sixties, and environmental activist Rachel Carson were dismissed as housewives by hostile professionals, yet today, their ideas are widely accepted.

This elegant polemic is a persuasive manifesto for amateurism.Social media users are being tempted by Ponzi schemes promising to make them large amounts of quick money, we can reveal.

We have been alerted to get-rich-quick pyramid schemes, promoted by users on Facebook and its messenger service, which claim that those who sign up and put money in can then reap the rewards of signing others up below them.

One says: 'Looking for 10 people who want to turn 50 into 6050, PM [private message] only)

Action Fraud UK confirmed that one of the adverts fits the description of a Ponzi scheme - the scams named after Italian Charles Ponzi, who raked in large sums in 1920s America.

Social media users are trying to recruit others into Ponzi schemes, as these screenshots show

The schemes have been dubbed 'money flipping' and involve paying to gain a place on the bottom row of a pyramid.

Eventually, the participant moves to a slot where a new row of people signing up then pays them money directly - delivering their profit.

A This is Money reader who alerted us to the get-rich-quick schemes, said they had seen one scheme where people paid 50 to join and another where people paid 129.

Pyramid selling schemes are illegal and people who establish, operate or promote them can be prosecuted under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

The bold claims could tempt people into schemes, with participants telling others how they have made money.

Eventually, however, like the original Ponzi scheme nearly 100 years ago, it is likely to fold leaving many people out of pocket.

Our reader replied to a promotion to find out more as part of our investigation. Upon sending a private message, he was given a convoluted explanation as to how the scheme works.

He was told that it works by signing-up more individuals below your level to pay-in, so you rise up the pyramid and take a cut.

You pay to join with your payment going to someone on the next rung up on the pyramid. You then help recruit others to build the next layer of the pyramid. The people you then recruit have to do the same and so-on-and-so-forth.

The reply said: 'When you pay your join fee you start on the bottom row, that fills up the four bottom spaces and you move up.

'It's a team effort so everyone recruits people because it means that everyone moves up to the cash out spot, you don't have to worry about recruiting until your payment proof is there.

'I'm cashing out every 24 hours, being doing it two days, two more people and I'll have made 1000.'

Pyramid scheme: We have been alerted by a reader over concerns social media users may be tempted into getting involved with schemes such as the above

We have also been sent another screen shot of something called '$175:$700'  again the idea being that you recruit more people below you in the pyramid to make money.

The reader who alerted us to the schemes said: 'A trend I have noticed that worries me is flipping money on social media.

'A user offers a chance for others to turn say 50 into 200. All it takes is to convince other Facebook users to pay you 50 and tell them then to recruit further.

'It is the most basic pyramid scheme, and in these schemes 70 per cent of the "investors" will lose their money while some will take a profit.

'It wasn't something I had heard of until recently, but apparently it's popular around America and spreading this way too.'

Rather than being advertised directly on Facebook, the schemes appear to be being promoted through posts on people's feeds and its messenger service - passed on by the digital equivalent of word of mouth.

Nonetheless, this type of promotion violates the terms of service for sites like Facebook and should be reported to the firm.

We contacted Facebook, which said that fraudulent activity would break its community standards if reported. The best way to report such activity on Facebook is by using the drop down link on the top right of the post.

This is Money contacted Action Fraud UK, the body in which customers are encouraged to contact if they fall victim to a scam.

It confirmed that the above fit the description of a Ponzi scheme and says that there was a 45 per cent rise in reporting of such scams in the 2017/18 financial year compared to the one before.

GET IN TOUCH Have you seen a Ponzi scheme advertised on social media - or perhaps have got involved in something similar? Get in touch: lee.boyce@thisismoney.co.uk

The social media adverts come after This is Money has been sounding the alarm about the worrying growth in 'money mules' often recruited online in the same way.

We recently revealed that Lloyds Bank has set up a crack team to deal with the problem which sees individuals allow their bank account to be used to facilitate the movement of illegal funds.

Ponzi schemes have been around in all shapes and sizes for decades.

Earlier in the month, a Mississippi man stole more than $100million from hundreds of victims in a Ponzi scheme that stretched across multiple states, according to authorities.

Ponzi schemes are named after Charles Ponzi. Operators of the scheme promise high returns on investments  but instead of investing funds, they use their cash to pay off earlier backers and take a cut.

As the scheme grows, the number of victims and the size of combined losses grow significantly.

Ponzi set up an investment scheme to exploit differences in the price of postage stamps in Italy and the US. However, he ended up using new investors' cash to pay existing investors. At the height of his success in 1920, Ponzi was making $250,000 a day - a mammoth sum for the era.

When his scheme collapsed, Ponzi pleaded guilty to fraud and was sentenced to five years in a federal prison.Owners of VW cars affected by the dieselgate scandal have until 26 October to make a claim for compensation, it has been confirmed.

The High Court Justice confirmed the deadline for the group litigation order on Tuesday.

An estimated 1.2 million UK models are believed to be affected by the German car-maker's misconduct when it was found to have fitted diesel cars with 'defeat devices' to reduce emissions during official tests.

Claim deadline: Owners - and former owners - of VW models affected by the dieselgate scandal have until Friday 26 October 2018 to sign up to claim for compensation, the High Court Justice confirmed this week

The impacted cars include Volkswagens, SEATs, Skodas and Audis manufactured between 2009 and 2015.

The deadline of 26 October was ordered by the HM Courts and Tribunal Service on Tuesday.

It leaves owners - and previous owners - of these vehicles just over 150 days to make a claim that lawyers say could result in compensation of up to 100 per cent of the car's purchase price.

Those affected who haven't already put their name down can do so by signing a claims petition before the October deadline.

The VW dieselgate scandal is likely to become the largest group action the UK has ever seen.

To cope with the enormous volume of owners, a Steering Committee has been created, led by consumer action law firms Slater and Gordon and Leigh Day.

The scandal was first revealed in September 2015 after Volkswagen was discovered to have installed illegal software in its EA189 diesel engines.

Some 1.2 million UK cars are estimated to have been fitted with illegal defeat devices. This includes Volkswagens, SEATS, Skodas and Audis

The devices would activate during type-approval European emissions testing cycles, but not operate under normal driving conditions.

Volkswagen must be held to account for its reprehensible actions and we need as many people to join the action as possible Aman Johal, director of Your Lawyers

That means the pollution produced while in the hands of consumers is significantly higher than that during official tests.

Harmful output - namely nitrogen oxide (NOx) - was found to be up to 40 times higher than law permits.

It's these toxic emissions that are believed to be linked to thousands of premature deaths across the world every year.

More than eight million vehicles across the globe have been impacted in total and the scandal led to the car maker having to strike a $17.5billion (14.1billion) deal with US owners to buy back around 350,000 affected vehicles and compensate owners.

These models are now being held in dieselgate 'car graveyards' across the United States.

The class action steering committee taking on VW said it will fight for owners to hold the manufacturer accountable for its actions in the UK to the same extent as in the US, including a multi-billion-pound settlement

Volkswagen AG has paid more than $7.4 billion to buy back about 350,000 vehicles in the US. It is now storing thousands of models in what have been dubbed 'car graveyards'

However, there are no similar plans to reimburse owners in the UK, with the under-fire car manufacturer claiming that the issue could be remedied with a software update that would be applied to all impacted models.

These fixes have led to more criticism, with cases of updates causing new issues, proving not to reduce emissions and - in the most extreme situations - resulting in a number of near-death experiences for some owners.

The class action steering committee said it will fight for owners to hold Volkswagen accountable for its actions in the UK to the same extent as in the US, including a multi-billion-pound settlement.

Gareth Pope, Head of Group Litigation at Slater and Gordon, said: 'It is time for VW to admit they deliberately lied about the cars they were selling.

'It is astounding that VW can pay out $14 billion in criminal and civil sanctions in the United States and then turn around to English and Welsh drivers and say tough luck, you get nothing.

'Its not fair and VW need to come clean and admit they lied to their customers in this country about their cars complying with strict emissions regulations, when this was never the case.'

What the group litigation order aims to prove 1. Whether VW knowingly or recklessly made false representations in relation to vehicles manufactured with EA 189 engines affected by the NOx issue, with the intention of deceiving Claimants, on which those Claimants relied and were caused to suffer loss. 2. Whether there was any breach of the implied term of satisfactory quality in contracts relating to affected vehicles between Claimants and VW. 3. Whether Claimants have any right to redress in relation to affected vehicle under Part 4A of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. 4. Whether there was an unfair relationship between Claimants who entered into finance agreements with the VW in respect of affected vehicles such that a remedy ought to be ordered. 5. Whether VW acted in breach of obligations under EC Regulation 715/2007 in relation to affected vehicles so as to give rise to an actionable claim in damages as a breach of statutory duty or a sui generis tort. 6. Whether Claimants have suffered any recoverable loss in respect of any cause of action above. Source: HM Courts & Tribunals Service

Aman Johal, director of Your Lawyers, which has also been pushing for owners to be compensated, said: 'The group action against Volkswagen is now live and I urge owners and former owners of affected vehicles to sign up.

'Volkswagen must be held to account for its reprehensible actions and we need as many people to join the action as possible in order increase the pressure upon Volkswagen to do the morally right thing and compensate owners and former owners.

'As a lawyer who has put my life and soul into fighting Volkswagen ever since news of the scandal first broke, I pledge that I and my firm will fight for as long as is required to achieve justice for English and Welsh consumers.'

A VW spokesperson responded saying: 'Our consistent position has been that the instigation of UK legal proceedings was both premature and unfounded, and that we will robustly defend any such litigation.

'There is no legal basis for customer claims in connection with the diesel matter.

'Our UK customers have not suffered any loss or damage as a result of the NOx issue.

'The vehicles are safe and roadworthy, and perform as advertised.

'The required approvals are available and have not been withdrawn.

'Implementation of the voluntary service campaign is ongoing.

'The residual value of the vehicles has been not affected as a result of the diesel issue.

'We have implemented the technical measures in over 840,000 vehicles in the UK (out of 1.2 million affected) and in approximately 6.4 million vehicles across Europe, with the overwhelming majority of customers in question fully satisfied.'Advertisement

Alice Sumo is unique  a midwife whose love, care and dedication has helped create a 'town called Alice' with grateful mothers naming an extraordinary 1,000 babies after her.

For during nearly three tumultuous decades in Liberia's Montserrado County that has seen civil war, humanitarian crisis and Ebola scar her homeland, Alice, whose name means 'peace', has worked through all the dangers to deliver babies.

Her magnificent legacy is that in the tough rural community where she works in the north west of the country there are more than 1,000 children called Alice together with their local male equivalents of Alex and Ellis.

Aid workers believe it is without precedent that so many children have been named after one midwife.

Alice Sumo is a midwife whose love, care and dedication has helped create a 'town called Alice' with grateful mothers naming an extraordinary 1,000 babies after her. Here she is pictured outside White Plains Clinic, Liberia, with other girls named Alice

During three tumultuous decades in Liberia's Montserrado County that has seen civil war, humanitarian crisis and Ebola scar her homeland, Alice has worked through all the dangers to deliver babies like two-day-old Alex (pictured) named after her

Alice delivered four cousins, all named after her, pictured smiling as they play together in the river near White Plains, Liberia

Now 48, Alice delivered her first baby at gunpoint on a roadside during the civil war of 1990, before she had even qualified as a midwife after seeing a gunman standing over a pregnant women threatening to kill her if she did not stop screaming.

Alice recalled: 'She was screaming and screaming. There was an armed man there shouting, 'Is there nobody to help? We'll kill the woman because we don't want her screaming. When I heard him say that I said 'No! Don't kill her, I can do the delivery.

'I wasn't fully qualified but the woman kept screaming and the gunmen said, 'If you don't do the delivery right and something happen to that woman, I will kill you.' I said, 'Oh don't kill me, I will do my best.' I was afraid, but I carried on her delivery.'

There was no razor blade to cut the cord so I bust a bottle and I cut the [umbilical] cord with that. But then the baby became quiet and the man said, 'But why the baby not crying? I will shoot you!' I said 'no!' and I slapped the baby, and the baby cried, 'waahhhhhh!'. I said, 'There you go'. '

That was the first of thousands of successful deliveries and she is proud never to have lost a child or mother during a birth that at times have been lit with the torch from her mobile telephone because there was no electricity and conditions were so basic.

Now 48, Alice says she loves providing women with the love, care and support they need when they are giving birth. She helped with the arrival of, you guessed it, Alice, four, pictured playing near her home outside White Plains, Liberia

Alice has helped thousands of women give birth and is proud of the fact that none of them - mothers or infants - have died. Picture: Alice examines Comfort, 30, who is nine months pregnant, at the White Plains Clinic in Liberia

During the Ebola crisis in 2014 and 2015, Alice, pictured holding 18-day-old baby Alex, was one of few midwives to continue working, even though it meant she and her children were temporarily ostracized by the community she loved

During the Ebola crisis in 2014 and 2015, Alice was one of few midwives to continue working, even though it meant she and her children were temporarily ostracized by the community she loved.

She said: 'My neighbours were afraid of me, they never used to allow their children to come to me. I felt bad, but I had to accept it. I used to tell my children 'don't come too close to me, just stay away from me'. You know Ebola broke plenty of things.'

Wearing heavy protective suits which made her itch and sweat, she said she was often the only person in the delivery with a mother.

'I would say my little prayers and go to work. Others were afraid, some nurses started rejecting patients. Mothers couldn't hold their babies (because of Ebola), that used to hurt me. You know that first cry, you want to hold your baby, but they couldn't.

'I've been a midwife for 30 years. I love to see the woman going through her labour pain, it is a very natural thing from God.

'As you see her, she needs help. I give her that care, bring what she needs. You need to massage her back, talk to her, show her that somebody cares for her, when she's in that labour you nurture her, you talk to her.

'She feels somebody is there by her, she will have that courage, that encouragement to push her baby out, and she will be smiling even though the pain will be there. She will have some confidence. That's why I love that stage of pushing the baby, I love it so much and the first sound of the baby cry. Yeah! I love that. It's so amazing.'

Born into a rural community where it took nine hours to reach the main road, Alice recalls many mothers and children dying in birth. She is one of eight children and only four survived.

Alice knows the pain of loss too  one of her three children died in a motorcycle accident and she is widowed.

It was 'the pain' of villagers and their babies dying that motivated her to go to school and then train as a midwife  and she was both surprised and delighted when quickly babies were named after her.

'I said 'oh wow' because with some of them I didn't even know that they had named the baby after me! When you go to the market everybody is called Alice of Alex or Ellis. The last time I counted it was 862 Alices but now it has increased to 1,000 plus!

'To me the name Alice is an action name. Alice people are active people, they are caring people, they are loving people. A, the first letter in the alphabet. A for action.

'It's not all about my name. I think parents name their children after me, number one because of my job, my hard work. They love the passion I have, the concern I have for my patients, because whether in the rain or in the sun, I'm looking for my patient to see that they are doing fine. I think this is what they have seen, that love, that concern, that's why they are naming their children after me.

'The most important part of my legacy is that when the baby is born mother and baby are healthy and they go home - that is a good legacy. It makes me to feel proud, makes me to feel good that I have done a wonderful job.'

Alice remembers the first two decades as a midwife were tough. Heavily pregnant women would have to walk up to eight hours from their villages in the bush to visit a makeshift clinic.

Alice, pictured with girls named after her, remembers the first two decades as a midwife were tough. Heavily pregnant women would have to walk up to eight hours from their villages in the bush to visit a makeshift clinic

In the rainy season, they would have to cross the fast-running river by canoe, some even whilst in labour. The clinic then consisted of just one room, which meant no privacy for women in labour, and infections spread easily. Septicemia was a major problem and mortality rates were high.

With no electricity, Alice would often have to hold a phone in her mouth to provide the only light by which she could deliver babies at night. That changed dramatically in 2013 thanks to the British-based charity Save the Children which built, furnished and equipped five maternal health clinics and facilities in Liberia.

One of these was the clinic near the Liberian capital Monrovia where Alice now works as Officer in Charge, providing free family planning support, antenatal and postnatal care to mothers and babies, delivers babies, and runs immunisation programmes.

The charity has provided additional training to Alice and the team helping to develop community links with the clinic and educate hard-to-reach areas about the value of medical help over traditional medicines.

Among its many assets is a vaccinations facility with a solar powered fridge to keep them at the right temperature.

Save the Children also provided a hand pump for clean water next to the clinic, which serves the local population, and a motorbike enabling volunteers and staff to reach remote areas and to transport patients.

Such is her dedication that sometimes in the rainy season, Alice, pictured going to work on a motorbike, would have to cross the fast-running river by canoe, some even whilst in labour

With no electricity, Alice, pictured visiting a one-month-old baby named after her and her mother Sarah, would often have to hold a phone in her mouth to provide the only light by which she could deliver babies at night

'Before Save the Children built the clinic, in the same room we were carrying on antenatal care, doing deliveries, and giving family planning out, it was not safe. It used to bother me, because were no privacy.

'I used to go from village to village looking for women in labour, because to walk for them was not an easy thing. Sometimes they used to call me I used to go deliver along the road, people can't relate to that.

'Since the clinic was built there is no danger, and there is no infection, the place is sterilised, and everything is in-tact. Now we have privacy, is the important thing. Now my patient can walk all around, and then they have the post-partum ward, and they have the antenatal side. I know that everything is fine, perfect right now. 'The labour ward is the power house because that where dignitaries are born, presidents of the nation are born. So that labour ward is the power house, because it gave birth to lot of people, lot of people are born in the labour ward, so I call it the power house.'

Simon Wright, Save the Children's Director of International Development, said: 'Alice's incredible story is a fitting tribute to those midwives who work tirelessly to deliver babies and save lives in some of the most challenging conditions around the world.

'It also speaks volumes about the generosity of the British public, because through money raised here, we were able to build and equip the clinic where Alice works, and where thousands of mothers have given birth in a safe and private environment.

'In a country where one in three women gives birth without a skilled medical professional by their side, this clinic and the midwives who work there are a reminder of the life-saving results that aid can have.'

Alice remembers how she delivered her first baby at gunpoint on a roadside during the civil war of 1990, before she had even qualified as a midwife after seeing a gunman standing over a pregnant women threatening to kill her if she did not stop screaming. Pictured Etta, 24, sits on a bed in her home in Liberia with her first daughter who was named after the midwife

The midwife, who delivered Alice, four (pictured), said: 'To me the name Alice is an action name. Alice people are active people, they are caring people, they are loving people. A, the first letter in the alphabet. A for action.'

He added: 'In 2016, one in 15 children died before their fifth birthday in Liberia. This is a heart-breaking statistic when we consider that child mortality there and around the world could be greatly reduced by simply improving free access to healthcare. That's why this week Save the Children is at the World Health Assembly in Geneva calling on countries around the world to commit to Universal Health Coverage  which would enable children and families access to the healthcare they need without suffering financial hardship.

'Spending on health in most low-income countries is well below the required amount to provide basic services, so we're asking Governments, even the poorest, to increase their health budgets to at least 5% of GDP.'

Alice's legacy is the hundreds of children who are alive today thanks to her. This could be your legacy too. Like Alice, you could change the future for hundreds of children around the world and in the UK, by leaving a gift to Save the Children in your will.

Find out more by visiting the website.This is the soon-to-be-married couple who allegedly injured the throat of a female police officer after they were pulled over for a late night breath test.

Kassandra Monica Chilcott, 30, and her fiance Daniel James Dwane, 33, allegedly became aggressive when police made the routine traffic stop in Wagin, south-east of Perth.

Less than 48 hours later the couple faced the Narrogin Magistrates Court, in regional Western Australia, each charged with one count of assaulting a public officer.

It's alleged that during the incident about 11pm on Saturday, a female Senior Constable was attacked 'to the head and throat' by Chilcott, as a male officer spoke to her boyfriend.

Kassandra Monica Chilcott (left) and her fiance Daniel James Dwane (right) allegedly attacked two police officers who pulled them over for a random breath test about 11pm on Saturday

Chilcott (left), 30, allegedly injured the throat of a female police officer. When a male police officer attempted to intervene, Dwane (right) allegedly wrestled the officer to the ground

Chilcott allegedly continued to assault the officer by 'further kicking and striking'.

When the Senior Constable's male partner came to her aid he was allegedly wrestled to the ground by Dwane.

'The Sergeant then attempted to assist the female officer but was further assaulted by both the woman and the man,' a police spokeswoman claimed.

After using capsicum spray to subdue the couple, police called for back-up.

Additional officers soon arrived at the scene and an ambulance rushed the injured officers to hospital.

'Both officers were conveyed to Wagin Hospital where they were treated for lacerations and bruising injuries and later released,' the police spokeswoman said.

The two police officers used capsicum spray to subdue the couple, before calling for back-up. Both officers were taken to hospital with minor injuries (Stock image)

The soon-to-be-married couple faced Narrogin Magistrates Court, in regional WA, on Monday each charged with with one count of assaulting a public officer.

The couple are understood to be prominent members of their local community in Wagin (above)

It's understood no weapon was involved in the incident and injuries to the officers were caused during the scuffle.

Police later clarified that the female officer's throat was not cut. She was treated for bruising and lacerations.

The couple are understood to both be active members of the local community, with Chilcott a business consultant for her family-owned company.

When contacted by Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday, Chilcott declined to comment.

The couple did not enter a plea before the Narrogin Magistrates Court on Monday and were ordered to reappear in the same court next month.A former head of the Southern Baptist Convention was ousted on Wednesday as president of a Texas seminary after it has emerged that he advised an abused woman to stay with her violent husband and pray.

The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary board of trustees said in a statement that 75-year-old Dr Paige Patterson was dismissed following a 13-hour meeting 'to move in the direction of new leadership for the benefit of the future mission of the Seminary.'

The board named Patterson president emeritus with unspecified pay and will allow him and his wife to continue to live on campus as theologians-in-residence.

Ousted: Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson was removed Wednesday as president of the school following allegations that he made abusive and demeaning comments to women

His departure comes 15 years into his tenure as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas (pictured)

The statement does not directly address Patterson's alleged comments.

He is accused of remarking on a 16-year-old girl's body, saying female seminarians should work hard to look attractive and that abused women should almost always stay with their husbands.

The comments led to a letter from a group of 3,200 'concerned Southern Baptist women' dated May 6 to the board, asking trustees 'to exercise the authority you have been given by the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention and to take a strong stand against unbiblical teaching regarding womanhood, sexuality, and domestic violence.'

Patterson issued an apology four days after the scandal over his remarks erupted.

'I wish to apologize to every woman who has been wounded by anything I have said that was inappropriate or that lacked clarity,' the statement said. 'Please forgive the failure to be as thoughtful and careful in my extemporaneous expression as I should have been.'

Patterson rose to prominence in the 1970s while leading a conservative takeover of the estimated 15-million-member Baptist Convention. He helped to pass resolutions that ban women as pastors and declare the Bible is without error, as well as teaching that women should be submissive to their husbands.

It emerged this month that Patterson he advised an abused woman to stay with her violent husband and pray, instead of seeking a divorce

He was appointed president of the Texas seminary in 2003.

The controversy around Patterson ignited when the Baptist Blogger posted an interview with the pastor from 2000, in which he recounted how he advised a female member of his congregation who was being abused by her husband to turn to prayer and 'be submissive' in every way instead of seeking a divorce.

'I said, "All right, I want you to do this every evening,"' Patterson said. '"Get down by your bed as you go to sleep, get down by the bed when you think he's just about asleep, pray and ask God to intervene."'

According to a Washington Post story, a woman claims Patterson previously encouraged her not to report a rape to police and told her to forgive the man who allegedly raped her after she invited him into her apartment

'I said, "Get ready because he may get a little more violent when he discovers it,"' he continued. 'Sure enough, she came to church one morning with both eyes black.'

Patterson boasted that this story had a happy ending because the husband later went to church asking for forgiveness and seeking salvation.

Afterwards, a 1997 Atlanta-Journal Constitution article resurfaced in which Patterson was quoted as making saying jokingly: 'I think everybody should own at least one [woman].

In a sermon from 2013, Patterson urged Christians to keep marital problems in the church and out of the legal system, lest they keep a judge from becoming a Christian.

On Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that in 2003, Patterson told a student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina who said she had been raped that she should not go to the police and advised her to forgive her alleged assailant. The woman was then put on academic probation. the time, was instead put on academic probation.

The statement issued on Wednesday by the seminary's board of trustees addressing Patterson's ouster said that 'evidence exists that Dr. Patterson has complied with reporting laws regarding assault and abuse.'Shanghai (Gasgoo)-On May 21, Baoneng Group has assigned a team to enter into the base of Changhe Suzuki in Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province. In addition, Baoneng has reportedly determined to acquire stakes of Changhe Suzuki, but it hasn't disclosed the news yet by far, according to a source from Changhe Auto.

It is said that the cooperation between BAIC Group and Suzuki has already been defunct, because Suzuki Motor refused BAIC's requirement of introducing one new model in Changhe Suzuki per year, after BAIC reorganized Changhe Auto.

Another source said that Baoneng Group has dispatched staff members to conduct due diligence in Changhe Auto at the end of 2017 with an aim to acquire Changhe Suzuki's Jiujiang-based factory and the manufacturing qualification of Changhe Suzuki passenger vehicles, and has reported to Jiangxi Provincial Government. As exposed by the person who briefed this matter, the abovementioned news will not be unveiled until both parties' senior executives permit.

Changhe Suzuki has abandoned by its parent company Suzuki long ago. The JV's another parent company, Changhe Auto suffered substantial sales slide in the past two years. According to the data from China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), Changhe Auto saw YoY sales slump of 17.7% to 87,387 units in 2017. During the first four months in 2018, the automaker delivered 16,963 vehicles, slumping by 29.1% over the previous year.

On one hand, Changhe Auto posted sluggish sales growth. On the other hand, Suzuki Motor has no intention on adding investment. Therefore, Changhe Suzuki is in dire need of Baoneng to salvage its sales, an auto industry analyst said.

Baoneng Automobile was founded in March, 2017. On Dec. 21, 2017, Baoneng acquired 51% stake of Qoros with a total of RMB 6.63 billion. Several days ago, Baoneng Group was rumored to acquire stake of Chery Auto with a total of RMB 25 to 27 billion, and aims to be the biggest shareholder of the automaker. However, Chery Auto and Baoneng both denied the rumor later.

On May 15, Yao Zhenhua, chairman of Baoneng Group, together with other senior executives of Baoneng, visited German companies like Bosch in Stuttgart and also discussed the future cooperation and key technologies in alternative power, intelligent connected vehicles and new materials. One of the visit's purposes was to promote the establishment of Baoneng and Qoros's European technology center.A former Marine convicted of killing three women in Illinois was found guilty Wednesday for the murder of five women in southern California more than two decades ago.

Orange County jurors convicted Andrew Urdiales of five counts of murder with enhancements for attacking a volunteer usher after a college piano concert and picking up four prostitutes, driving them to remote or deserted areas, having sex with them and killing them.

The verdict raises to eight the number of women killed by the 53-year-old ex-Marine.

Urdiales was previously convicted of killing three women in Illinois in 2002 and 2004. He was given a death sentence that was commuted to life without parole after Illinois barred the death penalty.

Andrew Urdiales, a former Marine, was convicted for killing five women in California more than two decades ago

Urdiales was previously convicted of killing three women in Illinois

He was extradited to California in 2011 to stand trial in the murders of five women in Riverside, Orange and San Diego counties between 1986 and 1995. For these killings, California prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

The penalty phase of the trial will begin Thursday for jurors to evaluate whether to recommend a death sentence for Urdiales or life without parole.

Charles Erwin, the father of victim Tammie Erwin, said he supports Urdiales getting the death penalty.

Tammie Erwin was found dead in Riverside County on April 15, 1989. The 18-year-old was the youngest of the victims.

According to NWI.com, Urdiales told California police in a taped-confession that he picked Erwin up in Palm Springs while she was working as a prostitute and he was stationed at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms. He said he shot the teen multiple times in the head after they had sex.

Tammie Erwin (left) and Robin Brandley were among the victims killed while Urdiales was living in California

Mary Ann Wells (left) and Lynn Huber were also killed. Wells was killed in California and Huber was killed in Illinois

Julie McGhee (left) and Laura Uylaki were also victims. McGhee was killed in California and Uylaki was found murdered in Illinois

'Because of the nature of his crimes, the way he did the girls, like they were just trash, just throw them away,' Charles Erwin said about the possibility of Urdiales getting the death penalty, the outlet reports.

Jack Reilley, the father of of victim Robbin Brandley, told ABC7 that he has been waiting for this day for 32 years. His daughter was 23 years old when she was killed by Urdiales as she was leaving a jazz piano concert in 1986 at an Orange County community college.

'I've never hated anyone before, ever in my life, but, boy, sitting there looking at him, I felt pure hate,' Jack Reilley said.

His other victims included Mary Ann Wells, who was found dead in San Diego and Julie McGhee and Denise Maney who were found in the desert areas of Riverside County.

Denise Maney (left) and Cassandra Corum were also killed by the fomer Marine. Maney was killed in California and Corum was killed in Illinois

Jennifer Asbenson was the only victim who survived the attack

Police said the victims had been working as prostitutes. The three women in Illinois he was previously convicted of killing were also prostitutes, authorities said. They were identified as Cassandra Corum, Laura Uylaki and Lynn Huber.

He was also accused of attacking Jennifer Asbenson, who survived.

Authorities said Urdiales, who moved to Southern California in 1984 as a 19-year-old Marine, killed four of the women while in the military and the fifth while vacationing in Palm Springs in 1995.

The California murders went unsolved for more than a decade until Urdiales was arrested after he returned home to Illinois.

Authorities stopped Urdiales in 1996 and found a weapon in his truck that he wasn't allowed to carry, prosecutors said. The next year, authorities matched the weapon to the one used to kill the Illinois women and arrested him for those murders.These are the amazing scenes following a crash where a Range Rover which became lodged in the roof of a lorry in Staffordshire.

The incident happened yesterday on the A5127 near Lichfield around 3.30pm.

Emergency services found the lorry on its side with the driver trapped - but on closer inspection they saw the emergency hazard lights of the Range Rover blinking inside the truck .

The HGV crashed onto its side on the outskirts of Lichfield in Staffordshire

Amazingly, the passenger and driver of this Range Rover struck by the truck walked away unharmed while the driver of the truck had to be cut free from his cab

The Air Ambulance service tweeted: 'On scene at A5127 nr Lichfield for a car under a lorry: working with West Midlands Ambulance Service, Staffordshire Fire and Staffordshire Police.'

A spokeswoman for the West Midlands Ambulance Service told the Birmingham Mail: 'We were called just after 3.30pm to the junction of Birmingham Road and Knowle Lane after reports of a lorry on its side.

'On arrival the occupants of a car also involved in the incident were out of the vehicle and walking around. But the lorry driver, a man in his 20s, was trapped in his vehicle for around 60 minutes.

'Our crews worked with Staffordshire Fire Service to release him.He sustained a suspected shoulder injury and a facial injury. He was given pain relief on scene and was fully immobilised.'

The driver was taken to hospital by ambulance.More than a quarter of ten-year-olds could be at risk from paedophiles because they broadcast live videos via social media, a poll has found.

Research for children's charity Barnardo's found that 57 per cent of 12-year-olds and 28 per cent of ten-year-olds had shared live videos on sites such as Facebook Live, YouTube and Snapchat, which claim to have a minimum age of 13 for users.

Barnardo's recorded a 38 per cent increase in children turning to its child sexual exploitation services since last year.

Children's charity Barnardo's found that 57 per cent of 12-year-olds shared live videos on social media

Nearly half of the children it helps have been groomed online, with two-thirds of them then sexually abused offline.

Javed Khan, the chief executive of Barnardo's, said: 'Tech companies are simply not doing enough to keep children safe. They need to put robust age-verification rules in place.'

The YouGov poll of 1,000 children aged ten to 16 found that 39 per cent were worried that strangers could contact them if they posted live content.

A Facebook spokesman said: 'Our priority is the safety of people on Facebook and people under 13 are strictly prohibited from having an account.'

Thus comes after a report by the Internet Watch Foundation that 98 per cent of the children involved in sexual abuse content over live-streaming are assessed to be 13 or under.

Javed Khan of Barnardo's says that tech companies are not doing enough to keep children safe

Fred Langford, Internet Watch Foundation Deputy CEO, said: 'Our latest live-streaming report contains shocking figures, as does Barnardo's, and shows that we now more than ever need to protect children using live-streaming services.

'The backgrounds in the videos we studied mostly showed that the youngsters were in very ordinary 'home' settings - somewhere like their bedrooms, or a bathroom. Critically, no adult appeared to be present in the images we saw.

'This form of grooming is complicated and only possible because of the 'anonymity' the internet offers. An offender may be, for example, a 40-year-old man. But by abusing a legitimate internet site to create a false profile, he could appear online as a 12-year-old schoolgirl.

'We know that this information will be terrifying for most parents. That's why we are trying to warn parents, carers and professionals working with children about the potential abuse of live-steaming technology by offenders.'The Ohio cheerleader who is facing charges including aggravated murder and involuntary manslaughter for allegedly burying her newborn daughter in the backyard last May has been freely roaming around town for the past month, leaving some residents in a rage.

Brooke 'Skylar' Richardson was put on modified house arrest last month, with the judge ruling she would have a curfew of 9pm through 7am and be supervised via GPS monitoring and random home visits

That was shocking news to one woman, who saw Richardson just two days later and wrote: 'My husband and I saw the teenage girl from Carlisle who killed and buried her own baby. She was at the restaurant we were at, talking on her iPhone. How is someone who is awaiting trial for aggravated murder not in jail?!'

A few days later a woman snapped her at a McDonald's drive thru, and she has also been seen playing with her dog outside her home.

One woman has now spent close to a year tracking her every move and is frequently critical of the family's actions.

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Brooke 'Skylar' Richardson is facing charges including aggravated murder and involuntary manslaughter for allegedly burying her newborn daughter in the backyard last May, but has been freely roaming around town for the past month, leaving some residents in a rage. She is seen left at her prom before her arrest and right in court in June 2017

She was put on modified house arrest last month, with the judge ruling she would have a curfew of 9pm through 7am and be supervised via GPS monitoring and random home visits. However, residents have spotted her being driven around in her family car

Kayla Madsen was horrified when she spotted her in a restaurant and questioned why she wasn't in jail

She is seen walking around her neighborhood with an electronic ankle monitor

Richardson's modified release came after her defense team sought a ruling to bar prosecutors from presenting testimony from an obstetrics-gynecology practice's medical staff, citing physician-patient privilege that she won't give up.

Prosecutors argued that the privilege doesn't apply in this case, but were ultimately shot down and forced to delay the start of the trial without that crucial evidence.

There is no timeline as to when the trial will start again.

Authorities first learned of the baby from a doctor Richardson had visited just a few weeks before she gave birth.

The remains were found soon after, and prosecutors believe that Richardson buried the baby shortly after giving birth.

Richardson was full term when she gave birth tot he girl, delivering the child in her bathroom just within days after her senior prom last May.

County Prosecutor David Fornshell said Skylar, as she is known, and her family had been worried about community reaction to her out-of-wedlock pregnancy.

'Skylar and her family, particularly her mother, were pretty obsessed with external appearances and how things appeared to the outside world,' he said early in the proceedings.

Authorities first learned of the baby from a doctor Richardson (pictured in court) had visited just a few weeks before she gave birth. The remains were found soon after, and prosecutors believe that Richardson buried the baby shortly after giving birth

There is no proof however that she burned the child, and her defense continues to claim the child was delivered stillborn

One woman has now spent close to a year tracking her every move and is frequently critical of the family's actions. She is seen greeting a neighbor outside her home with her dog

'You have a situation where, you know, she's a cute high school, recent high school graduate; she was a cheerleader described (as) a good girl by her attorney as you heard after the arraignment. And I think that kind of perception is one that Skylar wanted to perpetuate and her mother wanted to perpetuate.'

The story line of an appearances-driven cheerleader who would kill, burn and bury her newborn, as authorities alleged, took off.

There is no proof however that she burned the child, and her defense continues to claim the child was delivered stillborn.

Two Facebooks pages have been dedicated to the case and critics of the family have shot and posted video and photos of the family and their home, often with sharp commentary.

Her defense attorneys have blasted prosecutors for 'a false narrative' that sensationalized the case.

They say she didn't kill the baby, and that an expert witness concluded there was no sign of burning or of trauma that would have caused the baby's death.

What started as an 18-year-old high school girl who was frightened and saddened because of giving birth to a stillborn baby whom she named Annabelle and then telling her doctor of the stillborn and burial in the backyard turned into something sinister and grotesque,' they said in a motion to move the trial.'

Judge Donald Oda declined the change of venue request, saying he would try to seat a jury first.

Then, the trial was called off.

In the interim that case has gained attention through a lengthy piece Cosmopolitan and the aforementioned Facebook pages, which are updated multiple times throughout the day with new messages and hundreds of comments.A thrill seeking cat was taken for a ride he will never forget on Friday.

Nebraska woman Ronda Rankin saw the fearless feline clinging to a car for dear life as the vehicle zoomed down a highway at 60 miles an hour.

Footage taken from inside Ms Rankin's car showed the cat, appropriately named Rebel, meowing and shaking his head as the wind pushed back against his face.

Rebel had adopted a low crouch to ensure his stability as the people in the van he clung to continued on, unaware of their extra passenger.

Pictured: Rebel the cat was seen clinging for dear life to the top of a van traveling 60mph along a Nebraska highway

Ms Rankin told KETV her daughter was the first one to initially spot the unusual situation, and at first the Nebraska mom didn't believe her.

'My daughter says, "There's a cat on that van", and I was like, "Oh no, that's a raccoon",' she said.

'When my husband pulls up closer, I'm like, "Oh my God, no, that's a cat".'

The family honked their horn to catch the attention of the people in the van, and shouted out 'there's a cat on the roof!' multiple times before the driver understood.

Ms Rankin said the woman on the roof looked startled and said: 'oh my god' before slowing down and pulling over.

On Wednesday, Ms Rankin excitedly told Facebook friends the cat, named Rebel, was home safe and sound, and in good health.

'They [KETV] found the owners. Cat is perfectly fine!!!' she wrote.

One owner told the broadcaster Rebel would have been on top of the van when they left home on Friday, but she was too short to see him on the roof.

'I thought I heard my cat meowing,' she said.Parents were notified via text message after an accident at a school camp left a boy airlifted to hospital with neck and head injuries.

John Scott's son attended the Marist College Ashgrove camp at Adventure Alternatives with a 14-year-old boy who suffered from head and neck injuries during a high ropes activity.

Mr Scott, who said his son is a good friend of the injured boy, said to the ABC: 'I was in the bank and I got a text saying: "there's been an accident  camp's been abandoned, pick up your son this afternoon".'

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The boy, believed by the media to be Connor Petterson (pictured), was airlifted Lady Cilento Children's Hospital by the Rescue 500 at midday May 23

The ABC radio presenter said his son was doing another climbing activity and was well away from the accident when it happened.

He said that besides the text he had no received any other information from the school.

Mr Scott said: 'It's a very sad thing but the school has done the best they can by the kids  that's my observation.

'They told them exactly what had happened and that the boy was getting the best care he could be.'

The boy, believed by the media to be Connor Petterson, was airlifted Lady Cilento Children's Hospital by the Rescue 500 at midday May 23.

The Marist College Ashgrove student was found to have critical head and neck injuries by paramedics

The four-day camp was underway at Adventure Alternatives in Woodford in Queensland's Sunshine Coast hinterlands.

Adventure Alternatives said in a statement to Daily Mail Australia: 'All of us at Adventure Alternatives are absolutely devastated by this incident and our primary concern right now is for Connor, his family, the school community and our own staff involved in this incident.

'It is far too early to speculate on why this occured but please know we are determined to understand the causes fully and will do whatever is required to prevent something like this occurring again.

'We have been, and will continue to work closely with the authorities to provide them with all the information they require.

'We will update you as soon as we have further information.'

In a statement posted to Facebook spokesperson for the school Stephen Porter said: 'We regret to inform you that there has been an accident on the Year 9 camp where a student was injured

In a statement posted to Facebook spokesperson for the school Stephen Porter said: 'We regret to inform you that there has been an accident on the Year 9 camp where a student was injured.

'The parents of the injured boy have been informed and are in attendance at the hospital.

'As of a result of the accident we have made the decision to cancel the remainder of the Year 9 camp and the boys will return to the College this afternoon.'

Mr Porter said that details of what happened are still coming to light and asked to keep the family 'in your prayers at this time'.

Workplace health and safety staff are investigating what happened, according to the ABC.

Mr Porter said that details of what happened are still coming to light and asked to keep the family 'in your prayers at this time' (Pictured: Marist College Ashgrove, stock image)

MCA headmaster Peter McLoughlin has spent time with the family in hospital, according to The Brisbane Times.

Counselling services will be offered to other students about the accident.

The school revealed today that the boy is still in hospital and 'is receiving the best of care'.

The statement said: 'The College has brought in a number of Counsellors from other schools around Brisbane to assist. Prayer and counselling services are available for all students and staff. The Year 9 students are receiving counselling support.

'In the days and weeks after this incident, the College will continue to provide the students and staff with all the prayer and support services they require.'A 12-year-old boy cut his face in three places after he was handed a razor and told to shave his moutache for school photos.

Brisbane's Mansfield State High School has come under fire for giving the student the razor in February and telling the boy to 'just swipe down' even though he had never used one before.

The boy called his father later that afternoon and told him that he had been made to shave unsupervised and had blood all over his face.

A boy cut his face in three places after he was handed a razor and told to shave (pictured is one of the abrasions to his face)

'We have taught him that when a teacher asks him to do something, just to do it and he has done it  and that has fallen back on us,' the father told the Brisbane Times.

'We are a Hindu family and the tradition is that when a child gets to the age when he is required to shave ... then the father says a little prayer with him and we bless him and you give him a gift and a token of love and off they go  that is the tradition,' he said.

His son was then unable to participate in a swimming carnival because the injury to his face became infected.

The father explained the traumitising impact the incident had on his 12-year-old who became distressed his friends would see his face.

The 12-year-old student's father says the incident his left his son traumatised (pictured is the facial hair that the school wanted removed for photo day)

He has now missed an important rite of passage and the man fears the whole ordeal will have a long-lasting impact on his child.

The school's school policy states that boys 'must be cleanly shaven at all times' and have not commented publicly on the incident.

'If he was required to shave, if you presume for a minute that the silly policy allows it, then not caring, not providing first aid, not supervising the child for the first time with holding a razor and letting them take a razor to the toilet themselves and letting them shave by themselves without any shaving lotion or cream  in my view, they have not met the clear standard of care that a teacher needs to show,' the boy's father said.

The school's executive principal, Karen Tanks told him that measures would be taken to meet the requests for his son but the frustrated father wants the policy to be reviewed.

Mansfield State High School (picture) is being criticised for giving the razor to the student

'If this is a policy and if it has happened across other schools, or statewide or countrywide, someone needs to review it to protect these kids because it is going to form an image in their minds for the rest of their lives.'

Queensland Council of Civil Liberties president Michael Cope said he couldn't understand the point of the particular policy.

He said the school should have consulted with the parents before instructing the student to shave for the first time without supervision.

A statement from the Department of Education said the Ethical Standards Unit had been made aware of the incident.Pauline Hanson says immigrants are forming ghettos in parts of Australia and the situation is becoming so bad there will be 'no-go zones' that even the police will avoid.

Appearing on the Today show on Thursday, the One Nation Party leader praised New South Wales Opposition leader Luke Foley for starting a conversation on the 'white flight' from parts of Sydney.

Mr Foley said on Wednesday white families were being forced out of western Sydney suburbs, such as Fairfield, after it took in 6000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

'I've been saying this and I said it 20 years ago. I said there'll be places in Australia that we won't even recognise as being Australian,' Senator Hanson said.

Pauline Hanson says immigrants are forming ghettos in parts of Australia and the situation is becoming so bad there will be 'no-go zones' that even the police will avoid

'I said they're forming ghettos and that is exactly what is happening and people are starting to talk about it.'

Senator Hanson again backed the NSW Opposition leader, and claimed 'people are forced out of their homes that they grew up in'.

'They don't want to live in these suburbs anymore because [immigrants] are not assimilating,' she said.

Senator Hanson warned the situation would only become more extreme as the Australian government accepted more immigrants.

NSW Opposition leader Luke Foley (pictured) said on Wednesday white families were being forced out of Sydney suburbs due to mass immigration

Members of Sydney's Muslim community celebrate Eid with morning prayers at Lakemba Mosque in Sydney

'There'll be ghettos here, and there'll be places like there are in France and Sweden and other countries around the world that will be no-go zones,' she said.

'We won't even go in those places, the police will be told not to go in those zones. Even now, the police don't want to go in those areas.

'Good on Luke Foley, because it needs to be debated.'

Senator Hanson acknowledged it was a sensitive subject, but said it was an important conversation people needed to stop tip-toeing around.

'Let the people have their say. Stop shutting us down because the lefties believe that you're offending people,' she said.

'Let the people have their say. Stop shutting us down because the lefties believe that you're offending people,' Senator Hanson said

Mr Foley said on Wednesday he was particularly concerned about Sydney's south-west suburbs taking in a disproportionate number of refugees and forcing white Australians out.

'It's all right to come up with a grand gesture of we'll take 10,000 Syrian or Iraqi refugees but where's the practical assistance?' he told The Daily Telegraph.

'I'm saying, what about that middle ring of suburbs that have experienced, if anything, just a slow decline. In terms of employment, in terms of white flight - where many Anglo families have moved out?'

'I'm not prepared to see the people of those suburbs denied opportunities that are taken for granted elsewhere.'

Cabramatta in west Sydney is one of the suburbs in what Mr Foley called a 'middle ring' of struggling areas

In January, it was announced at least half of the 12,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees coming to Australia would be settled in Fairfield City Council, a trouble-prone area with nine per cent unemployment and high levels of drug use.

Fairfield and the surrounding area is home to more than 200,000 people, many from non-English speaking backgrounds.

Fairfield has settled 75 per cent of the Syrian and Iraqi refugees moving to western Sydney.

One of the fastest growing areas in Australia is Cobbitty-Leppington in Sydney's south-west, due to high immigration.

Iraqi-born residents make up more than a third of the recent arrivals, which is more than 10 times the Sydney average of three per cent.The locked-up leader of the Nomad bikie gang was just trying to 'put a roof over his young family' and 'live the Australian dream' of home ownership when he committed mortgage fraud, a Sydney court has heard.

Sleiman 'Simon' Tajjour and his wife Susan Nehme commissioned a friend to help Tajjour secure almost $1.3 million in bank loans in 2015, Burwood Local Court heard on Wednesday.

Tajjour wanted to buy a home in Greystanes for his wife and children but his criminal history had made it hard to secure a loan under his own name, AAP understands.

Nomad bikie gang leader Sleiman 'Simon' Tajjour (pictured left) has pleaded guilty to charges of mortgage fraud in attempt to chase the Australian home owners dream providing for family

The friend allegedly falsified her father's signature on one of the papers and the trio was charged.

Tajjour has pleaded guilty.

'He wanted to ensure his children had a family home,' Tajjour's lawyer Omar Juweinat told the court.

'It was something he had to do to live the Australian dream of owning your own home.'

Mr Juweinat questioned how much blame his client deserved in an era of dodgy bank managers.

'One might rhetorically ask where his level of culpability lies in light of the recent findings of the royal commission into the banking sector,' he said.

The court heard the fraud occurred while he was serving a good behaviour bond for breaching anti-bikie consorting laws.

Mouhamed and Sleiman Tajjour's house (pictured above) in western Sydney's Merrylands

Mr Juweinat said his client's role in the scheme was 'marginal but relevant' and called for a lengthy good behaviour bond, while the crown's prosecutor said Tajjour had applied pressure to other players in the process.

Tajjour is currently held on remand in a Nowra correctional facility while awaiting sentencing for his role in an alleged massive drug ring police say involves his cousins, the Ibrahims.

Nehme, who was too ill to appear in court on Wednesday, will be sentenced on Friday with Tajjour and a mortgage broker who worked on the loan.A recently obtained 'shame file' has revealed dozens of alleged sex crimes involving Australian Defence Force personnel - less than five years after the 'Jedi Council' sex ring controversy.

The incidents - which include allegations of rape, revenge porn, drink-spiking and child abuse - were reported within the space of just six months, following a series of reviews into Defence Force culture, the Herald Sun reports.

One such review in 2013 exposed a large fraternity of military personnel who called themselves 'the Jedi Council' and shared explicit, derogatory and demeaning emails among themselves.

In spite of such controversies and internal investigations in the past, recent figures show that the Defence Force received more reports of sexual misconduct in 2017 than any other year in half a decade, with 265 reported incidents.

Dozens of alleged sex crimes involving Australian Defence Force personnel have been exposed in a recently obtained 'shame file', as 2017 is revealed to be the worst year for reports of sexual misconduct in half a decade

Allegations include drink-spiking and sexual assault, filming a woman without consent during an 'intimate act' and child abuse

ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT IN THE DEFENCE FORCE INCLUDED: A man sent sexually explicit pictures of himself on Snapchat to a 13-year-old girl, who sent similar photos back A member spiked the drink of a colleague and sexually assaulted them A man filmed a woman during 'an intimate act' without her consent A naked man confronted a woman in the shower and proceed to try and get into her living area A member sexually abused a child in their care Advertisement

Those included 59 cases of sexual assault and 28 cases of aggravated sexual assault involving violence, the use of weapons or the performance of the act in front of others.

One man was accused of filming a woman without consent during an 'intimate act', another allegedly sent explicit pictures of himself to a 13-year-old girl and received similar photos back, while another member was accused of sexually abusing a child.

All of the shocking incidents were revealed after a freedom of information request.

Further reports include a member who had been posted to Iraq allegedly showing pornographic content to a local and touching their genitals.

Another alleges that a man sent pictures of his genitals and a member's face 'depicting a sexual act' to a female colleague.

Most of the suspected offenders were men, though several women were also investigated.

Most of the suspected offenders were men, though several women were also investigated

The Jedi Council scandal in 2013 saw more than 170 defence personnel sacked or disciplined over allegations of sharing explicit content - including images of a woman having sex taken without her knowledge or consent.

Following the incident, chief of army Lieutenant General David Morrison delivered a scalding video address to the Australian Defence Force declaring that he would be 'ruthless in ridding the army of people who cannot live up to its values.

'Those who think that it is OK to behave in a way that demeans or exploits their colleagues have no place in this army,' he said.

'If that doesn't suit you, get out.'

The Defence Force issued a statement on Wednesday night declaring that it was taking steps to reform its culture and improve relevant processes to encourage people to come forward

Just two years earlier, a young cadet secretly filmed himself having sex with a female cadet and broadcast the footage vision via Skype to several of his colleagues.

The Defence Force issued a statement on Wednesday night declaring that it was taking steps to reform its culture and improve relevant processes to encourage people to come forward.

'Unacceptable behaviour is not, and will not, be tolerated in our Defence organisation,' the statement said.In order to maintain this blog I have to pay for its upkeep including a hosting company, support services, virus and other malicious hackers. If you appreciate what I write please make a donation.Parliament is to debate sweeping reforms of the House of Lords next month amid rising concern that peers have overstepped the mark in their opposition to Brexit.

MPs will hold the debate after a petition calling for the abolition of the Upper Chamber attracted more than 166,000 signatures.

Calls for reform intensified yesterday after the Daily Mail published polling showing 76 per cent of voters believed peers were out of tune with the will of the British people. Five in six voters said they wanted to see the Lords reformed.

In response, Downing Street last night warned the Lords it would not accept attempts by peers to thwart Brexit. The Prime Ministers spokesman said that some of the 15 Lords amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill had been unacceptable.

Parliament is to debate sweeping reforms of the House of Lords next month amid rising concern that peers have overstepped the mark in their opposition to Brexit

He added: The Government is delivering on the decision made by the country in the referendum to leave the EU and will not accept attempts to stop this.

Some of the amendments do not respect the purpose of the Bill, which is to give certainty to leave the EU by transferring EU law into UK law. No one in the Upper Chamber should be in any doubt about our determination to deliver on the will of the British people and to take back control of our laws, borders and money.

Jeremy Corbyn went further, pledging to replace the Lords with an elected second chamber.

At the last election his party had said it would hold a constitutional convention to determine Lords reform. But the Labour leader last night called for the Upper Chamber to be scrapped completely, saying: It is a democratic necessity to abolish the unelected and outdated House of Lords and replace it with an elected second chamber.

We cannot continue to let political insiders, who the public cant get rid of, have so much influence over our countrys laws.

'The next Labour government will renew our democracy and take power back from out-of-touch elites. Senior Tory MPs also backed Lords reform. Former Brexit minister David Jones said peers were in the last chance saloon after their dismembering of the Governments Brexit legislation.

Jeremy Corbyn pledged to replace the Lords with an elected second chamber. At the last election his party had said it would hold a constitutional convention to determine Lords reform. But the Labour leader last night called for the Upper Chamber to be scrapped completely

Mr Jones said he had not been surprised by the strength of concern reflected in the Mails poll.

People are absolutely furious with the Lords  I have people stopping me in the street to talk about their conduct, he said.

They have demonstrated their detachment from public opinion in recent weeks in the most arrogant way. In doing so they have put themselves in a very perilous position. I would support constraining their power because the way they have behaved has shown complete contempt for the views of the public.

Ex-Cabinet minister Owen Paterson said there was no question the Lords had overstepped the mark and needed reform.

He said: Parliament made it very clear that it was handing the decision on Britains EU membership to the people. Now that decision has come down in a way the Establishment does not like it is trying to stop it.

Writing in the Mail today, the Lord Speaker Lord Fowler hits back at criticism. The former Tory Cabinet minister acknowledges the Lords is too big, but insists reforms are already under way to trim its size.

And he claims it would be wrong to axe the Lords because of a disagreement over Brexit, saying: We are a strong enough parliamentary democracy to permit differences of view, honestly held.Norman Fowler: 'The process of reduction is now under way  and I should emphasise that this is being done without the benefit of Government legislation, but rather by peers themselves. The size of the House is now falling and will continue to fall'

Yesterdays Daily Mail reported a poll which it said suggested that the House of Lords was outdated, outsized and out of touch with the British public. Let me set out five short reasons why I do not believe the House of Lords should be discarded in this way.

First, the Daily Mail poll suggests that seven in ten voters believe there should be fewer peers than the current 780. I totally agree. That is why I set up a special committee under Terry Burns to propose how we could reduce it.

They suggested an overall cap of 600 members, not to be exceeded, and limited terms of service for new peers. In a debate last December, the Lords itself endorsed that report.

The process of reduction is now under way  and I should emphasise that this is being done without the benefit of Government legislation, but rather by peers themselves. The size of the House is now falling and will continue to fall.

Second, it is ludicrously unjust to characterise peers as dinosaurs in ermine. We may have an older membership than the House of Commons but with age comes experience and we have acknowledged experts in virtually every area and a far greater level of expertise than any other senate I know of in the world.

In defence we have distinguished military leaders like Alan West, the former First Sea Lord, Richard Dannatt, the former Chief of the General Staff and Jock Stirrup from the RAF, who was also Chief of the Defence Staff. Or if we take health, we have figures like Robert Winston and Ara Darzi.

In the law, we have former Lord Chief Justices like Igor Judge and John Thomas. Among the historians and broadcasters, we have Peter Hennessy, Joan Bakewell and Melvyn Bragg. For obvious reasons, the depth of knowledge here vastly exceeds anything available in the younger House of Commons.

'With age comes experience and we have acknowledged experts in virtually every area. We have distinguished military leaders like Alan West, the former First Sea Lord, Richard Dannatt (left), the former Chief of the General Staff and Jock Stirrup from the RAF, who was also Chief of the Defence Staff. Or if we take health, we have figures like Robert Winston (right) and Ara Darzi'

Third, there has been criticism of the House for pressing amendments on the Brexit Bill, but this ignores the fact that the final decision on all these amendments rests with the Commons  the elected chamber. Our only power is to ask the Commons to consider again. It would be odd if this Bill  of profound importance  was the only Bill which escaped such scrutiny.

It should be added that of the 201 amendments which were made to the Bill in the House of Lords, 178 of them were proposed by the Government, again underlining the importance of the Second Chamber in improving legislation.

Fourth, the vast majority of peers are hardworking and honest. I in no way defend anyone who has been shown to abuse the allowances system. I will refer any substantive complaint to the Commissioner for Standards for independent investigation.

As for the 305 allowance itself, you might remember that the many peers who live outside London require either a hotel room or lodgings for the night, and have to meet this expense and any secretarial expenses out of this flat allowance. Everyone who claims has to sign a declaration that they have undertaken genuine parliamentary work.

Fifth, on the question of cost, the overall cost of the Lords is approximately 100million a year, compared with the Commons which is over 200million a year.

Moreover, the annual cost of each member based on the average allowances claimed is 22,000 a year, less than a third of an MPs salary, let alone their additional expenses.

The Lords cannot simply be written off as enemies of the referendum or enemies of Brexit  there are many views in the House on those subjects as there are on a range of issues. I was in the House of Commons for over 30 years and I cannot recall ever hearing calls for its abolition on the grounds that members held views which were considered out of step.

We are a strong enough parliamentary democracy to permit differences of view, honestly held  particularly with the safeguard that the final decision rests with elected MPs.While staring at our computer screens, it's easy to get distracted and dream about sipping cocktails on the beach.

Now new research has found the one sneaky activity that wastes 7.6 million working hours every week.

Two thirds of Aussie workers are guilty of researching and booking their next holiday during work hours, according to research by finder.com.au which surveyed more than 2,000 people.

A typical worker spends an average of 57 minutes a week planning and booking holidays instead of working.

Two thirds of Aussie workers are guilty of arranging travel during work hours according to new research by finder.com.au (stock image)

Aussies are searching travel plans at the office instead of working and it is costing businesses a massive $14.6 billion annually (stock image)

This procrastination is costing Aussie businesses $280.8 million in wages every single week, adding up to a whopping $14.6 billion annually.

Travel expert at finder.com.au, Angus Kidman told news.com.au that holiday promotions might be the reason for this figure.

'Perhaps its because its all too easy to be distracted by two-for-one airfare deals and other sales that are coming straight to your inbox  and these are often announced during work hours,' he said.

'[F]ive or 10 minutes here and there adds up and employees need to be researching or booking travel during breaks if they want to avoid an awkward meeting with HR down the line,' said Angus Kidman (pictured), travel expert at finder.com.au

'But five or 10 minutes here and there adds up and employees need to be researching or booking travel during breaks if they want to avoid an awkward meeting with HR down the line.'

The figures showed that men were more guilty of vacation hunting, with 67 per cent confessing to organising getaways at work, compared to 61 per cent of women.

The research showed female employees also spent less time searching for fun in the sun, averaging 50 minutes a week, while males used 64 minutes.

Research shows that Tasmanian workers are the most productive, with only 59 per cent of workers admitting to booking travel in the office, followed by Victorians

Tasmanian employees are the most productive, with only 59 per cent of workers admitting to booking travel in the office.

The worst culprits are West Australians, as 72 per cent confess to a cheeky holiday search.

Gen X is the most responsible when it comes to self control in the workplace. Only 57 per cent of Gen X workers admit they arrange travel at work. While older and younger workers just can't help themselves.

Gen Y are the cheekiest, with 70 per cent saying they research travel at work, with Baby Boomers not far behind with 60 per cent looking at bookings.The Emperor of Abyssinia had been drinking the anise-flavoured spirit arak all evening and was very drunk.

He knew a large British force was approaching his fortress, and was worried what would happen if he were to refuse to give up the 60 British, German and French hostages he had been holding captive for several months.

Just before 49-year-old Tewodros II retired to his sumptuous tent, he ordered the hostages to be brought to him, as well as another 300 to 400 Abyssinian prisoners, among whom were rival chieftains he had been holding in chains for well over a decade.

At first, Tewodros was merciful and ordered the release of about 100 Abyssinians (in what is now Ethiopia).

However, some of the remaining captives  most of whom were members of the Gallas tribe  complained that they too should be freed.

British armies fought a number of campaigns against indigenous forces in Africa in the 19th century, including in Ethiopia

The Emperor's mood immediately changed, as witnessed by one of his servants.

'The King jumped up in a rage and, being drunk, he ordered them all to be put to death,' the servant later stated.

'He commenced the work himself by cutting one of the bound women in two with his sword. Then, drawing his pistol, he shot two more.'

What took place next was more horrific still. Although the European captives  including women and children  were spared, they were forced to watch while more than 300 Abyssinians were shot, hacked to death or thrown alive over a precipice.

After the massacre, Tewodros went to bed but awoke after just three hours and started praying, seemingly in regret.

Although he claimed to be a devout Christian, no God would have been hoodwinked by his claim that his drunkenness absolved him of responsibility.

The Emperor was shortly to meet his reckoning in the form of a British/Indian force led by the redoubtable Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Napier.

This gold and gilded copper crown with glass beads was taken from Ethiopia after the British won the war there. It is now held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London

It was 150 years ago this year when Napier's expedition arrived at Tewodros's fortress at Magdala, in central Abyssinia, after a 380-mile march across some of the most inhospitable terrain on earth.

Napier's orders were simple  to rescue the European hostages. His foray to Abyssinia in 1868 was a huge gamble, however.

Like the Falklands conflict, it meant fighting a face-saving campaign with a small force thousands of miles from home.

If Napier lost, the dent in British prestige would have been immeasurable.

But Napier was to win famously, losing just two men in the ensuing battle, while Tewodros forfeited not only the lives of some 700 men but also his own.

Furthermore, all the European hostages were rescued, with not one suffering a scratch.

Despite the evident success of what seems to have been a justifiable rescue mission, the legacy of that extraordinarily bold campaign is being hotly contested even today.

The reason lies in many museums and libraries throughout Britain, in the form of some 500 priceless pieces of treasure and valuable manuscripts plundered from the Abyssinians by the British after their victory.

One institution that holds several of these artefacts is the Victoria & Albert Museum, which is currently featuring them in a small exhibition, including a magnificent gold crown and a solid gold chalice.

A looted golden chalice that was taken from Abyssinia, Africa and now belongs to the V&A

Speaking before the opening of the exhibition last month, the museum's director, former Labour MP Tristram Hunt, raised the possibility of the items being returned to Ethiopia.

Stating that he would 'stand by to assist' if the African country wanted its treasures back, Dr Hunt said that 'the speediest way, if Ethiopia wanted to have these items on display, is a long-term loan  that would be the easiest way to manage it'.

Furthermore, in an article he wrote for the V&A website, Dr Hunt added that the exhibition 'marks the beginning of what we hope will be an ongoing dialogue about the history of these objects and their place in our national collection today'.

You do not need to be a cynic to reckon that Dr Hunt  who has only been in post for just over year  seems somewhat eager to start parcelling up these items and calling a removals firm.

If the V&A does send back its treasures from Magdala, it would be following the lead taken by the students' union at Jesus College, Cambridge, which in 2016 voted for a bronze cockerel taken in the 19th century from Benin City in present-day Nigeria  worth as much as 1 million  to be removed from the college's dining hall and sent back to the country it came from.

Of course, the V&A carries a lot more weight than a gaggle of students, and if Dr Hunt does return the Ethiopian items, this will doubtless only strengthen the hand of those calling for the return of countless other treasures, including the Elgin Marbles.

Former Labour MP Tristram Hunt (pictured), who is now the director at the V&A, raised the possibility of the items in the museum being returned to Ethiopia at a recent exhibition

But is there really a case for the Magdala treasures to be taken from the V&A, Windsor Castle, the British Museum, British Library and the National Archives of Scotland, and air-freighted to Addis Ababa?

To answer that, we need to know why and how the Abyssinian Campaign was fought  and like many of Victoria's wars, the expedition arose from complex origins.

In 1863, Tewodros suffered an enormous fit of pique when the British Government refused even to acknowledge his request for military assistance against his sworn enemies, the Egyptians.

Regarding this as a mark of disrespect, Tewodros held several European missionaries and some British diplomats hostage.

When he wrote to Queen Victoria demanding a response, the Foreign Office sat on the letter and didn't reply, largely thanks to dithering and inefficiency.

Tewodros became more incensed. He was a sovereign, and had even been presented with a revolver by Victoria in 1854, with a personal inscription expressing her gratitude for the kindness Tewodros had shown a British emissary.

By August 1867, with too much face to lose on both sides to find a diplomatic solution, the British Government thought it best to go to war.

As author and journalist G.A. Henty observed in his book about the campaign, 'it was not a war for which any enthusiasm was felt; there was no national glory to be gained, no national advantage; but a national stain was to be wiped off, and a party of our countrymen rescued'.

The task fell to Sir Robert Napier and the Bombay Army, and the following month, 13,000 British and Indian troops sailed to the Red Sea, where they landed at Zula with more than 40,000 horses, mules and even elephants.

To land so many men and so much equipment, Napier organised the construction of a port and a railway, and by the end of January 1868 the force was ready to start its trek of nearly 400 miles to Magdala.

Pictured: The Victoria & Albert Museum in London is where several Ethiopian artefacts are currently kept

Hampered by a lack of water, the troops had to march on half-rations and by the time Napier arrived towards the end of the first week of April, his men were exhausted.

What faced them was a redoubtable stronghold. The fortress was on a plateau some 2,000ft high, and Napier wasn't sure his men would be able to scale its heights, let alone fight when they reached the top.

Furthermore, Tewodros and his army were not a mere rabble of spear-waving natives but a uniformed force, with artillery.

On April 10  Good Friday  Tewodros decided he would attack first, and sent a large force down from the fortress.

Despite their bravery, the Abyssinians were routed by the British, who were better disciplined and also had two quite new pieces of technology  breech-loading rifles and rockets.

The latter inflicted appalling damage on Tewodros's men. When G.A. Henty examined the battlefield, even his hardened stomach was turned by the state of the bodies.

'Very ghastly were their wounds,' he wrote. 'Here was a man very nearly blown to pieces with a shell; near him another, the upper part of whose head had been taken off by a rocket.'

For two days there was a lull, and after many messages had been exchanged between Napier and the Emperor, all the hostages were released by Easter Sunday.

However, Napier wanted to teach Tewodros a lesson, and on Monday, April 13, he attacked the fortress.

Under heavy bombardment, the British raided the heights, with a drummer and a private (both Irishmen) winning Victoria Crosses for scaling a cliff and forcing an entrance through a gateway into Magdala.

The British found little appetite for a fight once they had entered the fort proper, not least from Tewodros himself, who placed the revolver given to him by Queen Victoria into his mouth and blew the back of his head off.

His body was a gruesome sight, but not as frightful as those of the hostages he had massacred, whom G.A. Henty saw over the edge of the precipice.

'There they lay  men, women and little children  in a putrefying mass,' he wrote. 'It recalled to our minds the horrible cruelty of the tyrant.'

What happened next is where today's controversy lies. Over the next few days, the British soldiers plundered the fortress and nearby churches of all their treasures, then set fire to Magdala.

Many armies plunder, of course, and the British may have felt they deserved some material reward after the nation spent an astonishing 9 million  the equivalent to 5 billion today  rescuing some 60 British and European hostages.

Also participating in the sack of Magdala was a representative of the British Museum, Richard Holmes, who bought many of the treasures from the British troops.

The money raised  some 5,000, worth about 3 million to 4 million today  was then shared equally among the NCOs and men.

When Napier returned home, he was treated as a hero and made a lord  1st Baron Napier of Magdala.

Yet not all were so keen on what the British had done, not least Gladstone himself, soon to become prime minister.

He 'deeply lamented, for the sake of the country, and for the sake of all concerned, that these articles . . . were thought fit to be brought away by a British army', and suggested they should 'be held only until they could be restored'.

No doubt Tristram Hunt would agree. However, some would maintain the treasures were payback  scant at that  for an expensive expedition to free our people, and indeed Abyssinia, from a tyrant.

Booty wasn't the only thing the army brought back. The orphaned seven-year-old son of Tewodros, Prince Alemayehu, was transported to Britain and cared for by an army officer, his upbringing paid for by the Government.

Feted by the great and the good, Alemayehu met Victoria. Sadly, he died just 12 years later, his passing mourned by the Queen, who allowed him to be buried at Windsor Castle, where his remains still lie.

A plaque marks his vault with the inscription: 'When I was a stranger, you took me in.'

Perhaps the last word on this extraordinary tale should go to the fictional Sir Harry Flashman, who fights at Magdala in the last of George MacDonald Fraser's celebrated Flashman novels, Flashman On The March.

True to form, the womanising coward  the former bully at Rugby School in Tom Brown's Schooldays  careers his way across the wilderness, seducing a beautiful tribeswoman and fighting for his life against savage warriors in a riotous re-telling of this barmy colonial adventure.

At the very end of the book, Flashman can be found musing to Napier: 'Wouldn't mind suggesting to Her Majesty's ministers that next time they get a letter from a touchy barbarian despot, it might save 'em a good deal of trouble and expense if they send him a civil reply by return of post . . .'A loophole that lets schools escape official Ofsted inspections has left nearly 300 unchecked for ten years or more.

A National Audit Office report warns that some of these may now be slipping behind academically

Schools rated outstanding are let off re-inspections unless their results show a serious dip or parents begin to complain.

Some outstanding schools have escaped Ofsted inspections for the past 10 years

The loophole has allowed 1,620 schools to avoid inspection for more than six years

The aim is to let high-flying schools concentrate on teaching without having to worry about inspections.

But the NAOs audit of Ofsted found that 1,620 schools had not been inspected for six years or more, including 296 which have gone without for more than a decade and a small number for up to 13 years.

Now Ofsted itself wants an end to the exemption because it lets schools avoid inspection forever if they stay below the radar after an outstanding rating.

Director of corporate strategy Luke Tryl said some schools may now have slipped to middling, adding: We dont think the exemption is sustainable. It is one of the biggest factors undermining confidence in the reliability of our judgements.

Ofsted is unable to close the loophole by itself and is lobbying for a change in the relevant law so inspectors would visit outstanding primaries every six years and secondaries every five to seven years.

The NAO findings also raise the prospect of some outstanding schools failing Ofsteds new British Values criteria.

Under rules introduced after the Trojan Horse Islamic extremism scare, all schools must teach gender equality, tolerance of gay people and respect for democracy.

The report also found Ofsted was missing inspection targets amid high staff turnover and falling budgets  the watchdog spent 52 per cent less in real terms in 2017-18 than it did in 1999-2000.

Ofsted says that at the turn of the millennium, a team of 16 to 17 inspectors would go into secondary schools for a whole week every six or seven years. Now a good school gets two inspectors for one day every four years. One in special measures gets four inspectors for two days with a re-inspection within 30 months.

Mr Tryl said: Were at the limit of what we can do. We cant pretend that were offering the same level of inspection.Britain is demanding 1billion back from the EU amid fury at a German-backed plot to shut the UK out of the Galileo satellite project.

Ministers are incandescent at the move and insist Brussels must repay the 12 per cent the UK has contributed to the budget for the government and military navigation system.

There are also mounting signs of splits in the EU over the hard line taken by officials including Jean-Claude Juncker's enforcer Martin Selmayr - with France, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the Baltic states understood to be concerned.

A German-backed clique of Brussels officials in the European Commission is fighting to exclude Britain from the Galileo satellite project

A paper issued by the UK government voiced 'strong objections' to the behaviour of the EU over Galileo.

It warned that cutting Britain out of the project would break the divorce deal struck between Theresa May and Mr Juncker in December.

UK taxpayers have contributed more than 1 billion to the budget of the scheme, about 12 per cent of the total.

'The exclusion of these UK sunk costs was agreed on the basis that the UK would retain full access,' the paper said.

'Should the UKs future access be restricted, the UKs past contribution to the financing of space assets should be discussed.'

There are complaints that Mr Selmayr, the commission's top mandarin, and his allies could be acting beyond their remit, according to The Times.

Mr Selmayr wrote to Sir Tim Barrow, Britain's ambassador to the EU, in April with the aim to end British involvement in Galileo without proper consultation.

At the centre of the row, the Brussels clique wants to refuse Britain access to the codes that control the satellite system.

This theoretically allows the EU to switch off the military component of the service at will, which some EU member states believed would create a security threat.

'It is not acceptable that security is sacrificed to a clique that wants to use Brexit as, what they call, a 'pedagogical exercise' in showing the benefits of EU membership and the cost of leaving,' one European diplomat said.

'Germany particularly is taken with this idea. Other countries with greater security interests, like France or Spain, are more pragmatic.'

Led by Martin Selmayr (pictured), the commission's top mandarin, the Brussels group is causing some concern among diplomats who believe they could be acting beyond their remit.

At the centre of the row, the Brussels clique wants to refuse Britain access to the codes that control the satellite system

Mr Selmayr, the head of the so-called 'clique', is close to German economy minister Peter Altmaier.

'This really is not treating people properly,' representatives of EU states said of the commission's failure to respond to Britain's request for clarification.

'Britain is still a full member of the EU and to ignore requests made through the proper channels is shocking.

'There is sympathy for Britain at being treated in this peremptory way.'The two men who savagely raped a virgin medical student in an alleyway avoided justice for more than six years.

Ryan David George, 33, and Jack Scott Turner Winship, 26, were eventually caught thanks to two clues linking them to the crime scene in West End, inner Brisbane.

After failing to catch the perpetrators of the horrific April 2011 rape for years, police used DNA found on a cigarette butt and the victim's underwear to arrest the pair.

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The two men who savagely raped a virgin medical student in an alleyway avoided justice for more than six years (pictured is Jack Turner Winship)

This CCTV image shows the two rapists on the night of the attack in the inner Brisbane suburb of West End in April 2011

This image shows the rapists being taken into custody. At their sentencing on Wednesday, a court heard the woman's harrowing victim impact statement

The court heard CCTV footage and phone intercepts also helped police catch the rapists, who must have thought they had gotten away with the crime,The Courier Mail reported.

'It [the rape] had a relatively high amount of media [attention] in April 2011 [that quickly)] died down,' said Crown Prosecutor Dzenita Balic during the trial.

'[Turner Winship] must have thought it disappeared ... from his perspective he knew of the complaint but he certainly didn't come forward to suggest he was the person with her [the victim] in the alley.'

During the investigation police described the violent rape as one of the worst they had ever dealt with.

'She was most aggressively raped in the worst way that I have seen in my service,' Inspector Rod Kemp told reporters shortly after the sexual assault.

The victim, 20, who was dragged into a dark alley near the corner of Melbourne and Manning streets after bending down to fix her shoe, was hospitalised after the rape.

George and Turner Winship raped and sexually assaulted her between bins and air-conditioning units for at least eight minutes, their trial heard.

During the investigation police described the violent rape as one of the worst they had ever dealt with (pictured is a comfit image of the pair released by police after the brutal attack)

Ryan George and Jack Turner Winship (pictured) targeted a 20-year-old in a dark Brisbane street in 2011

At the pair's sentencing at Brisbane District Court on Wednesday, the woman's victim impact statement was read.

The medical students, who was walking down a well-lit main road to catch a bus before the attack, said the attack left her nauseated and suffering flashbacks.

'I cannot sleep and when I do I wake up minutes or hours later,' she wrote.

'I sincerely hope I'm through the worst but history can't be erased.'

The woman, who cannot be identified, suffered blood loss after the attack, and was taken to hospital with internal and external injuries, including to her genitals.

'There was pain, searing to the core,' she said in her statement.

The father of Jack Scott Turner Winship (left) leaves the Supreme Court in Brisbane, Wednesday, May 23, 2018

The men had argued that all interactions with the university student were consensual.

But the jury disagreed on Tuesday evening and found them guilty after a week-long trial.

Judge Gregory Lynham sentenced the men to a maximum eight years and six months in jail.

'Your offending can only be described as abhorrent and despicable,' he said on Wednesday.

At the opening of their trial, the jury were shown crime scene pictures of alley walls that were smeared with blood, which was later confirmed to belong to the victim.

Ms Balic said the victim was a virgin before the attacks and cried in pain while being assaulted.

The parents of Ryan David George leave the Supreme Court in Brisbane, Wednesday, May 23, 2018

There was never any question Winship and George were in the alley with the woman or that Winship had sexually interacted with her.

When he gave evidence, he claimed the woman was consenting and had been passionately kissing him and George moments after they crossed paths.

'She was enjoying herself,' Winship told the court.

He denied his victim appeared drunk and had also bragged about the rape to friends at a pub.

After she was raped, she left the alley and approached Michael Hayward.

He recalled the woman coming to him 'out of it', with blood on her lower thighs and hands, and telling him, 'These guys are trying to hurt me.'

Mr Hayward ran to catch the pair and one of them bragged about a sexual encounter.

He told the jury he was surprised by how 'jovial and cavalier' they were.

They will be eligible for parole in July 2022.North Korea's vice foreign minister has slammed Vice President Mike Pence for his 'unbridled and impudent remarks that North Korea might end like Libya'.

Choe Son Hui also said the future of the summit between Pyongyang and Washington is 'entirely' up to the United States, as she condemned Pence's interview with Fox News.

'We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us,' said Choe Son Hui, according to a report by North Korea's central news agency on Thursday.

She added: 'I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the US vice-president.

North Korea has called Mike Pence 'ignorant and stupid' for comments he made comparing the state to Libya. The vice president is pictured on Wednesday in Connecticut

'We could surmise more than enough what a political dummy he is (Pence), as he is trying to compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya that had simply installed a few items of equipment and fiddled around with them.'

Choe Son Hui, North Korea's vice foreign minister, said: 'We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us'

Choe said she could suggest to leader Kim Jong Un that North Korea reconsider the summit, set for June 12 in Singapore, if the United States offends the North's good will.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump said the fate of the summit would be decided 'next week'.

Pence was a focal part of the initial stages of diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea.

He sat and watched the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Olympic games in February with Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un earlier this year.

The vice president made the controversial remarks about the North and Libya on Monday in an interview with Fox New's Martha MacCallum.

'You know, there was some talk of the Libyan model last week. And as the president made clear, this will only end like the Libyan model ended if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal,' he said.

'It would be a great mistake for Kim Jong Un to think he could play Donald Trump.'

I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the US vice-president. We could surmise more than enough what a political dummy he is (Pence), as he is trying to compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya that had simply installed a few items of equipment and fiddled around with them North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui on Mike Pence's interview

'We really hope that Kim Jong Un will seize the opportunity to dismantle his nuclear weapons program, and do so by peaceable means'.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday Washington is prepared to walk away from the talks if it heads in a bad direction.

'A bad deal is not an option,' Pompeo said in his written opening statement for a House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. 'The American people are counting on us to get this right. If the right deal is not on the table, we will respectfully walk away.'

In his first public testimony in Congress since becoming secretary of state last month, the former Republican House member was questioned for more than three hours about a variety of world hotspots, focusing largely on North Korea and Iran but with tough talk also for NATO ally Turkey.

The vice president made the controversial remarks about the North and Libya on Monday in an interview with Fox New's Martha MacCallum

Vice President Pence watches the joint march by the athletes of both Koreas at the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Olympics in PyeongChang earlier this year

Choe said she could suggest to leader Kim Jong Un that North Korea reconsider the summit, set for June 12 in Singapore , if the United States offends the North's good will

Pompeo expressed hope the North Korea summit will take place on June 12 in Singapore as scheduled after Trump said there was a 'substantial chance' it will be called off amid concerns Pyongyang will not give up its nuclear arsenal.

He said Trump would be leading the talks but declined to discuss how many people, or who, would be on the summit team.

Pompeo, who was CIA director before becoming secretary of state after Trump fired Rex Tillerson, has met twice with Kim in Pyongyang. On his most recent trip he brought back three Americans who had been held by North Korea.

Pompeo also addressed tensions with Iran over its nuclear program, saying Washington was seeking to meet with European and other allies on the way forward after Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 Iran deal earlier this month.

He said he intends to meet with allies in June to discuss next steps to stop what he described as all of Tehran's nuclear and non-nuclear threats.

'We're not very far along ... A number of discussions have taken place below the foreign minister level,' Pompeo said.

In a major speech on Monday, Pompeo demanded sweeping changes or said Tehran would face the 'strongest sanctions in history' unless it changes its behavior.

Committee members repeatedly asked Pompeo about Americans held in Iran. Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear accord prompted concerns among families of American prisoners held by the Islamic Republic that it will be more difficult to win their release.

A satellite image provided by DigitalGlobe shows the Punggye-ri test site in North Korea as journalist prepare to visit the site ahead of its dismantling

North Korea is expected to demolish the site any day now as part of the peace process

It is located North Hamgyong Province and is the only known nuclear facility in the countryTyshon Johnson (pictured), 25, was arrested in NC on Tuesday after escaping from a jail in SC with two other inmates

An inmate has been apprehended after he was found outside a gas station with a rifle, five days after he and two other prisoners escaped from a South Carolina jail when a power outage opened their cell doors.

US Marshals arrested Tyshon Johnson, 25, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Tuesday more than 200 miles from the Orangeburg-Calhoun Regional Detention Center that he escaped from around 9.38pm Saturday night.

Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said Wednesday that Johnson was found in a stolen Ford Explorer that was parked at a Shell gas station around 2pm on Tuesday.

Officers then surrounded the vehicle and took him into custody, according to WLTX. A rifle was found behind the driver's seat.

Ravenell said Johnson was reaching for the rifle when he was apprehended, and he said he has 'no doubt he was going to try and use it'.

Johnson had been on the run since Saturday when he escaped along with Curtis Green, 20, and Christopher Boltin, 27.

Ravenell said all three men had a plan and help from both inside and outside the facility.

'There's no doubt there was actually a plan,' Ravenell said.

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Johnson had been on the run since Saturday when he escaped along with Curtis Green (left), 20, and Christopher Boltin (right), 27. Green is still on the run but Boltin has been recaptured

The inmates were able to overpower a prison guard along with dozens of fellow inmates at the Orangeburg-Calhoun Regional Detention Center after a brief electrical shortage freed them from their cells by opening the automatic doors

Boltin was recaptured after stealing a car with his father, Hoyte, who was helping him from the outside. They have both been charged and are in custody.

Hoyte Boltin, 51, is facing a felony charge of aiding an escapee, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.

Green and Johnson were both in custody on separate murder charges and were both awaiting their next court dates. Green remains on the run.

Johnson was accused of fatally shooting a man at his home in 2011 as part of an armed robbery, while Green is accused of shooting dead a man whose car he was trying to steal in 2015.

They were able to overpower a prison guard along with dozens of fellow inmates after a brief electrical shortage freed them from their cells by opening the automatic doors.

Two cells were opened and the men were among nine who tried to escape.

Boltin was captured after stealing a car with his father, Hoyte (pictured), who was helping him from the outside. Hoyte also was arrested

It is not clear if it was a glitch or if the prisoners orchestrated the power outage themselves.

As guards struggled to regain control of the jail, Green and Johnson fled on foot.

They used their blankets to climb over the electrical barbed wire and have not been seen since they ran into the woods which surround the facility.

Other inmates have since told police that the pair were plotting their escape for days and that they planned to go to Florida if they ever made it out, according to Live 5 News.

After the power outage on Saturday, another six inmates tried to jump the fence at the jail but were unsuccessful.

Police said they stole the officer's mace and 'mauled' him as he tried stop them from escaping.

It is the second time in a year that an inmate has been able to escape from the old-fashioned jail.

They are asking any member of the public who sees Green not to approach but to call authorities instead.Fines for 'train surfing' will soar to $5,000 as the WA government cracks down after shocking footage of a man jumping off a moving train emerges.

The incredible footage shows a man jumping from the roof a moving train crossing Fremantle Bridge.

He then plunges 10 metres into the Swan River, narrowly missing a concrete pillar as he splashes into the water.

WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti has confirmed the fines will increase from a maximum of $200 to $5,000 in an attempt to reduce similar 'dangerous incidents', according to Perth Now.

The WA government is cracking down on 'train surfing' and is planning to raise fines for the offence from $200 to a maximum of $5,000 after footage emerged of a man (pictured) jumping off the roof of a moving train into the Swan River

'The recent train surfing and bridge-jumping incident on the Fremantle line is an example of the stupid behaviour we need to stop,' said WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti (pictured a man who police want to talk to regarding a train surfing incident)

'There has been a number of recent high-profile incidents that could have easily resulted in serious injury or death,' she said.

'The recent train surfing and bridge-jumping incident on the Fremantle line is an example of the stupid behaviour we need to stop.'

'If something goes wrong, it drastically impacts a lot of people  commuters, first responders and Public Transport Authority staff to name a few  and thats why we need to prevent it happening,' she said.

WA Police have released CCTV images of a man who is 'light skinned, medium build, 25-35 years of age and with ginger hair' (pictured)

CCTV footage from WA Police shows a red headed man (pictured) laying on his belly on top of a moving train in Fremantle, Western Australia

Most trespass offences related to train infrastructure and PTA property are covered by the Government Railways Act 1904, which sets a maximum fine of $200.

However, the WA Government will use section 48 of the Act to increase the maximum fine to $5,000.

The video, posted to Facebook in April, shows a shirtless man jumping off a moving train carriage as it crosses a rail bridge in Fremantle, Western Australia.

The shocking footage was posted on Facebook and shows a man (pictured) leaping off a moving train and plunging 10 metres into the Swan River

According to WA Police, at about 10.20am on April 7, the man was seen walking north on Stirling Highway, before loitering in the car park of the train station for several minutes.

He then jumped over a fence, crossed the railway tracks and climbed up the outside of a recently arrived Fremantle bound train.

The footage shows the man standing on the last carriage of the train. Slowly gaining his balance, he rises from a squat and gestures to the camera.

Catapulted by the speed of the moving train, the man plunges towards the Swan River at incredible speed, narrowly avoiding a smash into a nearby concrete pillar

Leaping off the moving train, he plunges into the water, narrowly missing a concrete pillar which is moored in the water.

Following the incident, WA Police released CCTV footage showing a shirtless, red headed man crossing train tracks and laying on his belly on top of the train.

Police described the man as 'light skinned, medium build, 25-35 years of age and with ginger hair'.

A spokesman for the WA Police confirmed that police are investigating the footage and that the man pictured has not been found

A spokesman for the WA Police confirmed that the man has not been found and that investigations are ongoing.Thank you for reading!

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.A Greens senator is being slammed for allegedly misunderstanding the history of Australia's national day.

Sarah Hanson-Young incorrectly associated Australia Day with Captain Cook's landing at Botany Bay on April 29, 1770.

January 26 actually commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet at Port Jackson in 1788, and the raising of the British flag by Governor Arthur Phillip at Sydney Cove.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young (pictured) is being slammed for allegedly misunderstanding the history of Australia Day

Ms Hanson incorrectly associated January 26 with Captain Cook's landing at Botany Bay on April 29, 1770 - when in fact it celebrates the arrival of the First Fleet at Port Jackson in 1788, and the raising of the British flag by Governor Arthur Phillip at Sydney Cove

Senator Hanson-Young apparently got her facts mixed up in a recent press release, accusing Communications Minister Mitch Fifield of ignorance for not being able to name the traditional owners of Botany Bay, the Dharawal people.

'Despite an important national debate about changing the date of Australia Day away from Captain Cook's landing at Botany Bay, the government has decided to spend taxpayer money it is stripping from the ABC on yet another monument to Captain Cook on the land of the Dharawal people,' Senator Hanson-Young said.

A spokeswoman for Senator Hanson-Young has since taken responsibility for the mistake and confirmed that the senator had not read the press release before it was sent out

'The Liberal government is waging a culture war against not only the ABC, but both the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in our community who speak out against the divisive commemoration of the colonialism that caused the 200 years of displacement and pain to our First Peoples.'

A spokeswoman for Senator Hanson-Young has since taken responsibility for the mistake and confirmed that the senator had not read the press release before it was sent out.

But Senator Fifield has already hit back after the press release, suggesting that Senator Hanson-Young's comments 'highlight the importance of teaching and commemorating Australian history'.

Liberal backbencher Eric Abetz (pictured) took the inaccuracies as evidence that the Greens aren't qualified to speak on the politically contentious subject of Australia Day

Liberal backbencher Eric Abetz, meanwhile, took the inaccuracies as evidence that the Greens aren't qualified to speak on the politically contentious subject of Australia Day.

'For months, we've been lectured about how Australia Day is supposedly all sorts of things yet we now discover that the Greens don't even know what they're opposing,' Senator Abetz said.

'The tragic thing is that this is the best that the Australian Greens have to offer up to voters.

'It's easy to have a black-armband view of Australian history if you don't even know the basic facts.'Advertisement

Two people were killed and many others injured after a train hit a large truck that was stuck on a railway crossing, causing multiple carriages to derail.

The accident, in which the train driver was killed, occurred late Wednesday in northern Italy close to Turin, with three of the train's carriages coming off the rails, according to television footage.

'The regional train 10027 Turin-Ivrea hit a heavy goods vehicle that had stopped on a functioning railway crossing after crashing through the barriers,' RFI, which manages Italy's rail network, said in a statement.

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The latest images from northern Italy this morning show the destruction caused after a train collided with a big-rig truck in Caluso, near Turin, late last night

Two people died in the accident including the train driver and a passenger, who didn't make it after being helicoptered to Turin hospital with injuries

18 others were left injured, one believed to be critical and four in serious condition

The truck was caught on the tracks after it was unable to brake in time when the level crossing barriers came down

The big-rig's rear end was totally wiped out in the crash spraying goods all over the road

It is believed a van had passed through the level crossing just before the truck reached the tracks

'According to early information, the driver of the train was killed and many other passengers have been injured,' the statement added.

According to the AGI news agency, the second victim was taken to a Turin hospital by helicopter with severe injuries but he did not survive.

At the time of the accident he was in a van accompanying the heavy goods vehicle, other media reported.

Multiple carriages were derailed with some piling on top of each other

A firefighter observes the mangled wreckage which caused several parts of the train to turn upside down

The vehicle is registered to Lithuania and was on the way to a nearby warehouse at the time of the accident

'Everything happened so fast, I felt the train break suddenly and then I found myself in hell and around me everything was black,' Paolo Malgioglio, 23, told le Corriere della Sera newspaper.

According to La Stampa newspaper, eye witnesses said the vehicle, which was registered in Lithuania, looked to be a particularly large and heavy truck.

The van that was in front of it passed safely through the level crossing but when the barriers started to come down, the vehicle failed to brake in time and came to a stop on the tracks, the newspaper said.

Emergency services spent the night scouring the train in the hope of finding survivors

The collision occurred at around 11.20pm local time

Many other people have been hospitalised, including four who are in a serious condition, local media reported.

AGI said one female passenger was in a serious condition after sustaining a head injury but she remains conscious.

It comes after another accident in April 2017 in the north that killed two people and resulted in the temporary closure of the main railway line between Italy and Austria.

In July 2016 a collision between two trains in the south of Italy left 23 people dead and 52 others injured.The model, social media star and girlfriend of bikie Ben 'Notorious' Geppert has been captured on camera pretending to point a gun at police during a big night out.

Allaina Jones, who also goes by the surname Vader, made headlines again this week when the Gold Coast home she shares with the ex-Hells Angels enforcer was raided.

When police burst into at the couple's apartment they found Jones, 27, naked, with a male officer tackling her to the ground as others subdued Geppert, 26.

Just a month earlier, the mother-of-one was and a friend hit the town, jumping in front of a police car in her high heels.

Allaina Jones (pictured) has been caught on camera pretending to point a gun at a police car during a night out on the Gold Coast

Jones (right) and her bikie boyfriend Ben 'Notorious' Geppert (left) have developed a massive Instagram following. The pair are currently behind bars, after bail was refused on separate charges this week

In knee-high boots, a tight fitting dress and with a souvlaki in hand, Jones first greets the camera with an: 'Oh hello!'

Moments later a police car patrolling the party district drives past, catching the eye of the social media star.

Keen to put on a show, she steps out into the middle of the road and strikes a gun pose in the headlights of the police vehicle.

Unimpressed officers call her over to the passenger side window for a chat, as Jones' friend boasts to the camera: 'Oh they know her off by heart... she lives in that cell'.

After unsuccessfully attempting to hail a taxi, Jones runs out into the middle of the road and slides onto the bonnet of an unsuspecting white car.

Eventually she is pulled off the road by her friend, before walking to the camera and slamming her cousin Rikki-Louise after their public falling out with earlier this year.

Jones (left) and a friend put on their high heels and tight fitting dresses for the night out in the Gold Coast party district

A police car patrolling the party district called Jones over, to which her friend said: 'Oh they know her off by heart... she lives in that cell'

Jones (left) sits on a bench eating a souvlaki, while her friend (right) attempts to hail a taxi

Queensland Police arrested Jones (pictured) and Geppert (left) during a raid on their home on Tuesday. When officers arrived at their address they found Jones naked inside the apartment

Unable to catch a cab, the pair finally give up and begin the walk home in their heels.

But it was far less of a celebration for Jones and Geppert this week, with the pair both refused bail in the Southport Magistrates Court on separate charges.

Jones is facing charges of biting and stomping on the head of a woman during a May 17 road rage incident on the Gold Coast.

Her lawyer Ashkan Tai told the court 'it's just not a case of road rage' and that the 40-year-old woman had approached her car first.

Geppert has been accused of harassment, drug offences and domestic violence.

Jones (right) and Geppert rose to fame during an online fight with her cousin Rikki-Louise (left) earlier this year

Jones (pictured) was this week refused bail over an alleged road rage incident last Wednesday

Geppert allegedly threatened to kill the woman and her dog during a barrage of text messages.

He is also accused of threatening police who tackled his naked girlfriend in the raid this week.

Mr Tai claimed that during the raid police had also taunted Geppert about drug use after allegedly finding steroids and cannabis inside his home.

In response, Geppert allegedly responded: 'Take my handcuffs off if you are going to be tough guys,' the Gold Coast Bulletin reported.When his first multi-million dollar project struggled to break even in 2008, rumours swirled Justin Hemmes was on the verge of bankruptcy.

A decade later, the 45-year-old pub baron has amassed a $951million fortune via his 70 venues across Sydney - and earned himself a spot on the 2018 Rich List.

Hemmes will debut in 78th position in the Australian Financial Review's list of the wealthiest people in the country, to be published on Friday.

The business magnate just missed out on joining a record 76 billionaires on this year's list. His net worth three years ago was estimated at around $200million.

Sydney pub baron Justin Hemmes (pictured with partner Kate Fowler) will debut this year's Australian Financial Review rich list

Among the 45-year-old's extecnsive portfolio is the Ivy Bar (pictured) in the heart of the city

The 45-year-old pub baron (pictured with Lara Bingle in 2011) has amassed a $951million fortune via his 70 venues across Sydney

The Merivale CEO's trendy venues scattered across the city include The Ivy, the Coogee Pavilion and the recently purchased Queen Victoria Hotel in Enmore.

The Ivy, his first major project, reportedly came within a whisker of being absorbed by the banks after it opened at the height of the Global Financial Crisis in 2008.

Hemmes, who denied his financial problems at the time, rode out the GFC and has since has become the undisputed Sydney king of pub restoration.

When his father John Hemmes died in 2015, he was left in charge of the empire Hemmes Snr had built from scratch. It was named after his wife, Merivale.

Hemmes is seen kissing his partner Kate Fowler at the 2018 Australian Open in Melbourne

Hemmes will debut in 78th position in the Australian Financial Review's list of the wealthiest people in the country. He is pictured after purchasing what he renamed the Coogee Pavilion

His swanky bars scattered across Sydney include The Establishment (pictured) on George St

Just days after his father's death, Justin purchased the Newport Arms on the northern beaches for a reported $50million.

'Well, he certainly wouldn't have wanted me to stop working. He wouldn't want that at all,' Hemmes told The Daily Telegraph at the time.

That purchase came amid the $6million securement of the Paddington Arms and his famous purchase of the Beach Palace, which he renamed the Coogee Pavilion.

Hemmes' 10th pub procurement in the space of three years came when snapped up Bondi's Royal Hotel for $25million last November.

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE HEMMES FAMILY Justin Hemmes is the only son of Merivale Group founder and nightclub mogul John Hemmes. Hemmes Snr left the Netherlands following World War II with $20 in his pocket and started a new life in New Zealand. He then moved to Australia where he met his wife Merivale and built a fashion brand in her name. The pair had two children, Justin and a daughter, Bettina. 'I grew up in a very exciting life. My parents got so much pleasure out of the smallest things,' Justin told Harper's Bazaar Australia. 'They also had a group of really interesting friends. Wherever we went, whatever we did, it was always exciting, colourful and larger than life.' Hemmes Snr grew Merivale into a portfolio of more than 50 restaurants, bars, pubs and hotels in Sydney. When he died in 2015, Justin took over the hospitality giant. He has since changed Sydney's social scene more than any other businessman or woman. Advertisement

Hemmes is pictured with sisters Denise Grant (left) and Caroline Grant (right) back in 2005

The successful businessman purchased the Collaroy Hotel (pictured) for a reported $21million

Coogee Pavilion in Sydney's eastern suburbs underwent a multi-million dollar makeover

The same year he bought the Alexandria Hotel for a reported $10million, Mascot's Tennyson Hotel for $37.5million and Collaroy Hotel for $21million.

Hemmes, who shares two daughters with partner Kate Fowler, 27, has spent also nearly $2million on properties in the small town of Berrara on the NSW south coast.

He boasts ownership of the largest number of bars in Sydney and though he remains tight-lipped on his future plans, he has hinted his spending days are far from over.

The Australian Financial Review 2018 Rich List will be published in print and online on Friday.

The 45-year-old Sydney businessman is pictured arriving at the 2011 APRA Music Awards

Hemmes bought the Paddington Arms (pictured) is the city's east in 2014 for around $6millionA father-of-two was locked up for eight months awaiting trial for rape amid delays in the disclosure of evidence which eventually saw the case dropped.

Robert Adlington is the latest man to have his name destroyed by false rape claims as key mobile phone evidence went unexamined.

The 53-year-old said he lost his landscaping business, house and reputation while languishing behind bars awaiting trial for charges which were eventually dropped.

He described the ordeal as 'torturous' as he was locked up with convicted murderers and other violent criminals and almost committed suicide.

Robert Adlington, 53, was locked up in Nottingham Prison (pictured) for eight months awaiting trial for rape because police didn't disclose text messages that proved his innocence

He repeated pleaded with officers to check his accuser's phone for the sexual messages he insisted would prove their liaisons were consensual.

'Oh darling, that was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. Let's do it again  only harder,' one read, according to the Daily Express.

Another read: 'I don't need sleep, I only need you babe XXX' and a third begged him to 'join me in the shower'.

Mr Adlington said despite his life being ruined while he faced decades in jail because of a failure by police, no one has apologised to him.

'I now need to try and rebuild my life but I feel I have lost almost everything and nobody has even had the decency to say sorry,' he said.

'It has cost me everything my home, my business, my good name, everything... Surely a 'sorry' is the least I deserve for having my life destroyed?'

His is the latest in a series of cases in which delays to the disclosure of key evidence has seen men kept for months on bail or tried before cases were dropped.

Police and prosecutors charged Mr Adlington with a series of crimes, he believes to keep him locked up while they built their case.

The 53-year-old repeated pleaded with officers to check his accuser's phone as the racy texts like these, would prove their liaisons were consensual

Mr Adlington was first arrested last May and charged with arson with intent to endanger life over a car set on fire near his home.

His accuser's lover told police he was sleeping in the car and awoke to find it on fire, in what Mr Adlington believes was a conspiracy to frame him.

Instead of being granted bail as expected, a Derby magistrate remanded him in custody after prosecutors argued he was a 'serious danger'.

He was sent to Nottingham prison while the Crown Prosecution Service shuffled around the charges against him.

Mr Adlington's is the latest in a series of cases in which delays to the disclosure of key evidence has seen men kept for months on bail or tried before cases were dropped. Liam Allan (pictured) spent two years on bail for rape while police sat on key text messages

First they dropped the arson charges but accused him of making threats to kill, before later adding the arson charges back on.

Then in August the threats to kill charges were dropped and a charge of harassment added, until October when three counts of rape were introduced.

At every appearance Mr Adlington pleaded not guilty but each time he was denied bail and sent back to prison.

It took until January 11 for his lawyers to finally receive the text messages from police which led to the case being thrown out by a judge on the first day of his trial.

'I could have been looking at spending 30 years inside a cell if those messages had not finally been disclosed,' Mr Adlington said.

'I knew I was innocent but nobody else did until those messages finally arrived and proved what I had been telling the police from day one.'

Lessons Derbyshire Police's Detective Chief Superintendent Kem Mehmet said it reviewed its investigation to an independent regional review team.

Prosecutors said they dropped the case five days after getting the text messages from the police 'at the request of the CPS after receiving a defence statement'.

'We are content that we complied with our disclosure obligations in this case and that the prosecution was promptly discontinued after we received new material and concluded the evidential test was no longer met,' the CPS said.A young woman allegedly hid 200 MDMA capsules inside condoms and smuggled them into a dance festival.

Trisha Nguyen, 19, appeared in Burwood Local Court on Thursday, charged with supplying an indictable quantity of drugs and drug possession.

Police arrested Nguyen at the Midnight Mafia Music Festival at Homebush, in Sydney's west, as she was making her way into the venue.

A young woman allegedly hid 200 MDMA capsules inside condoms and smuggled them into a dance festival

Trisha Nguyen, 19, appeared in Burwood Local Court on Thursday, charged with supplying an indictable quantity of drugs and drug possession

Police arrested Nguyen (left) at the Midnight Mafia Music Festival at Homebush, in Sydney's west, as she was making her way into the venue

She was one of thirteen people charged with drug supply at the event which was held on May 5 and attended by more than 14,000 people.

Police allege Nguyen had '200 MDMA capsules wrapped in condoms and hidden in her person'.

Outside court, Nguyen, who hid her face behind her friend's woollen scarf, did not comment on the charges.

She must report to police every Monday as part of her bail conditions.

The matter was adjourned until next month.

Police said Nguyen had '200 MDMA capsules wrapped in condoms and hidden in her person'President Donald Trump is known for firing off tweets about his critics, different current event topics and anything else that crosses his mind  but often times his Twitter posts are littered with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

In a Dictionary.com report released on Wednesday, the site found that there was a huge jump in dictionary searches every time POTUS misused a term or spelled a word wrong.

According to the site, most people searched for the words in an attempt to fact-check the president.

Dictionary.com released a report stating that every time president Donald Trump misspells a word searches of the mistake skyrocket on the site

One of the most popular misspelled searches on Dictionary.com, according to the report, was honered

Dictionary.com said searches for tapp climbed 46,300 per cent after the March 4 tweet

Trump also confused the words 'heel' and 'heal'. Dictionary.com said searches for heel jumped more than 761 per cent

His Twitter typos are making Americans examine what they know about words and spelling, the report stated. When we examined search data for misspelled words, comparing it to the dates of many of the presidents spelling gaffes, a pattern emerged. Each misspelling sparks a surge in searches on site, specifically searches for that exact configuration of letters.

One of the most popular misspelled searches on Dictionary.com, according to the report, was honered.

In a January 2017 tweet, shortly after Trump took office, he tweeted his excitement about becoming president but misspelled the word honor.

I am honered to serve you, the great American People, as your 45th President of the United States, he posted, and then quickly deleted.

Dictionary.com reported that searches for honered climbed 3,850 per cent after the tweet was posted.

Trump was also ridiculed for a spelling mistake he made during a March 2017 tweet attacking former president Barack Obama.

How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy, Trump posted.

Did you catch the error? Tap  the correct spelling  doesnt have two ps. Dictionary.com said searches for tapp climbed 46,300 per cent after the March 4 tweet.

In May of 2017, the president managed to confuse an entire nation when he included covfefe in an early-morning tweet

Trump also called US senator Bob Corker 'liddle', but many people think the president meant 'little'

In May of 2017, the president managed to confuse an entire nation when he included covfefe in an early-morning tweet.

Despite the constant negative press convfefe, Trump wrote. It wasnt until hours later that Trump deleted the tweet to add: Who can figure out the true meaning of covfefe?? Enjoy!

The made-up word stumped many people. Some Twitter users guessed that the president meant to say coverage. Others thought he was saying that he desperately needed coffee.

Then-White House press secretary Sean Spicer refused to explain the mysterious tweet, only saying that that the president and a small group of people know exactly what he meant.

Dictionary.com reported that searches for covfefe skyrocketed and helped the never-before-seen word earn a place on the sites list of words for 2017.

Other Trump Twitter errors that caused an increase in dictionary searches include the time he confused council with counsel.

In another May 2017 tweet Trump wrote: Ask Sally Yates, under oath, if she knows how classified information got into the newspapers soon after she explained it to the W.H. Council. He quickly deleted the tweet and replaced it with the correct word, counsel, meaning legal advisor.

Trump also confused the words heel and heal. In August 2017, POTUS tweeted: Our great country has been divided for decades. Sometimes you need protest in order to heel, & we will heel, & be stronger than ever before!

Later that same day Trump, or someone from his team, took down the tweet to correctly say heal.

Dictionary.com said searches for heel jumped more than 761 per cent.

In his latest, Twitter blunder Trump misspelled First Lady Melania Trump's name as 'Melanie'

Two White House official aides said staffers sometimes post tweets for Trump but intentionally include errors to mimic the presidents style

Just two months ago, Trump was called out for a spelling mistakes when he fired off an insult at Alec Baldwin after the actor played the president on an episode of Saturday Night Live.

Alex Baldwin whose dieing mediocre career was saved by his terrible impersonation of me on SNL, now says playing me was agony. Alex, it was agony for those who were forced to watch. Bring back Darrell Hammond, funnier and a far greater talent, Trump posted.

Twitter users quickly pointed that Alec is the actors name and dieing is not a word  the actual spelling is dying.

Trump, once again, deleted the tweet but not before Dictionary.com saw a 1,279 per cent spike in searches for dieing.

Unfortunately, Trump still doesnt use spellcheck before posting a tweet. On Saturday, he sent a welcome home tweet to First Lady Melania Trump after she was released from the hospital following surgery but called her Melanie.

According to the Boston Globe, two White House staffers claim Trumps Twitter blunders are done on purpose.

Two official aides told the outlet that staffers sometimes post tweets for Trump but intentionally include errors to mimic the presidents style.Ivanka Trump ditched her thigh-high skirt for a more casual look as she spent the evening with her two sons.

The first daughter was spotted with the two youngsters, Joseph and Theodore, as they arrived to her Washington, DC, home Wednesday evening shortly before 7pm.

Ivanka was seen carrying two-year-old Theodore as four-year-old Joseph walked in front of her.

She sported a pair of blue jeans, a white blouse and black shoes, an outfit quite different from her early morning attire.

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Ivanka Trump ditched her thigh-high skirt for a more casual look as she spent the evening with her two sons

The first daughter was spotted with the two youngsters, Joseph and Theodore, as they arrived to her Washington, DC, home Wednesday evening shortly before 7pm

She sported a pair of blue jeans, a white blouse and black shoes, an outfit quite different from her early morning attire

Ivanka showed off her legs in a midi skirt with a thigh-high slit as she left her Kalorama home Wednesday morning around 9am.

The first daughter sported the all-black outfit as she held a pile of newspapers and her laptop in her hand.

Ivanka, 36, wore a casual crew neck T-shirt tucked into the budget-friendly $49.90 Zara wrap skirt, which featured white stitching and a large button at the waist as she made her way to work.

In addition to the stitching and button detail, the skirt has a large front slit that bared Ivanka's legs as she made her way to the SUV parked outside of her home.

The senior adviser topped off her outfit with a pair of black slingback heels and black frame sunglasses.

She wore minimal jewelry aside from stud earrings and a red string bracelet on her left wrist.

On the go: Ivanka Trump, 36, bared her legs in a Zara wrap skirt with a high slit as she stepped out of her DC home on Wednesday morning around 9am

New York chic: The first daughter wore an all-black outfit as she made her way to work

Though she hasn't spoken about the purpose of the string, it does bear a resemblance to the type of red string that Kabbalah practitioners wear to ward off the 'evil eye'.

It looked like Ivanka let her hair dry naturally  something she was a fan of doing before she became first daughter.

When she was working in New York City before her father was elected president, the businesswoman had a penchant for heading into her Trump Tower office with her hair wet.

'I don't own a blowdryer  I don't know how to use it,' she told Harper's Bazaar in 2015. 'Most mornings, I walk to work with my hair wet.'

Now the mother-of-three has a team of stylists to get her ready when she pleases, but she still chooses her own looks from time to time.

Ivanka's husband, Jared Kushner, got a bit of an earlier start on Wednesday. The 37-year-old senior adviser was seen heading to work around 7.15am.

While his wife stepped out of the bottom gate of their home and made her way to the Secret Service SUV parked at the curb, Jared opted to use the front door.

Leaving: She was seen making her way to the Secret Service SUV parked outside of her home

Earlier riser: Ivanka's husband, Jared Kushner, got a bit of an earlier start on Wednesday

Heading to work: Wearing a navy suit, Jared, 37, was seen leaving the front door of their home around 7:15 a.m.

Wearing a navy suit and a dark tie, the father-of-three flashed a smile while walking down the steps of their home.

Ivanka made a much quicker exit on Friday morning when she headed to work in her Secret Service SUV, leaving straight from her garage to avoid the rain.

The first daughter was seen sitting in the back of the black SUV, looking out the window as she departed a little after 9am.

She was photographed gazing outside, her long hair down on her shoulders, while she was whisked away to work.

Ivanka was pictured later in the day attending the Prison Reform Summit at the White House.

She listened as her father, President Donald Trump, addressed the crowd, acknowledging a deadly school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, before resuming his speech.

Ride: Ivanka made a quick exit on Friday morning as she headed to work in her Secret Service SUV, avoiding the rain inside her vehicle

Glimpse: The first daughter was seen sitting in the back of the black SUV, looking out the window as she departed a little after 9am

On Friday morning, Ivanka's husband and fellow White House adviser, Jared, opted to brave the elements in a rain coat.

Jared was all smiles as he left around 7.30am, walking the short distance between his house in the upscale neighborhood of Kalorama and his own Secret Service car.

He returned to Washington, DC earlier that week after he helped inaugurate the new US embassy in Jerusalem.

Both Ivanka and Jared have come under fire for celebrating the opening while deadly clashes erupted, with Israeli soldiers killing dozens of Palestinians in Gaza.

Jared was photographed on May 18 returning to his home in DC, getting out of an SUV as a Secret Service agent held the door open for him and strolling into his home.

Greeting the day: Meanwhile, Ivanka's husband and fellow White House adviser opted to brave the elements in a rain coat

In high spirits: Jared was all smiles as he left around 7.30am, walking the short distance between his house in the upscale neighborhood of Kalorama and his own Secret Service car

Mingling: Ivanka was pictured later on Friday attending the Prison Reform Summit at the White House, during which her father gave a speech

Power couple: Jared and Ivanka sat next to each other near CNN's Van Jones

Tuning in: Ivanka (pictured next to Jeff Sessions) listened as her father addressed the crowd, acknowledging a deadly school shooting in Texas before resuming his speech

Snap: Jared was pictured taking a selfie with a guest after the Prison Reform Summit

On Monday May 14, the day of the new embassy's inauguration, the world witnessed scenes of jarring contrast.

Israeli forces killed nearly 60 Palestinians, most by gunfire, and injured more than 2,700 during protests along the Gaza border, while a few miles away Israel and the US held a festive inauguration ceremony for the new diplomatic post in Jerusalem.

The high toll in Gaza revived international criticism of Israel's use of lethal force against unarmed protesters, while the opening of the embassy, condemned by Palestinians as blatantly pro-Israel, further dimmed prospects of what President Trump had once touted as plans to negotiate the Middle East 'deal of the century'.

The Gaza Health Ministry said 58 Palestinians were killed, including 57 by Israeli fire and a baby who died from tear gas inhalation.

More than 2,700 were hurt, 1,360 by gunfire, the ministry said. Of the wounded, 130 were in serious or critical condition.

Israel has defended its actions, saying troops were defending its border. It also accused Hamas militants of trying to carry out attacks under the cover of the protests.

Back: On Tuesday, May 15, Jared was photographed returning to his home in Washington, DC, after he helped inaugurate the new United States embassy in Jerusalem

Embassy: Both Ivanka and Jared have come under fire for celebrating the opening (pictured) while deadly clashes erupted, with Israeli soldiers killing dozens of Palestinians in Gaza

Jarring: The festivities in Jerusalem (left) were a stark contrast to the bloodshed on the Gaza border (right) where dozens of protesters were killed by Israeli snipers

Address: Jared delivered a speech at the inauguration ceremony for the embassy that struck many as callous and cold-hearted. Pictured is a young child overcome by tear gas

The Israeli military said its aircraft had struck 11 'terror targets' in a Hamas military compound a day earlier, and that tanks targeted two Hamas posts.

It said protesters used 10 explosive devices and firebombs against troops and that shots were fired at soldiers positioned along the border.

While in Israel, Ivanka and Jared served as the face of the administration. The power couple was photographed hobnobbing with senior Israeli officials in a celebratory dinner after the inauguration.

Jared, 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 cold-hearted.

While Jared was speaking, Israeli soldiers were gunning down Palestinians who protested en masse near the fence that rings the Gaza Strip.

He suggested the terror group Hamas was responsible for bloodshed in Gaza that raged while speech after speech wore on.

'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.

Advisers: The trip gave the pair an opportunity to serve as the face of the administration

Event: The power couple was photographed hobnobbing with senior Israeli officials in a celebratory dinner after the inauguration. Jared is seen above looking on as wife Ivanka shakes hands with Naftali Bennett, Israel's minister of education

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 Jared's words, which were broadcast worldwide.

Jared said on Monday that the US showed the world it could be trusted by opening its Israeli embassy in Jerusalem.

'When President Trump makes a promise, he keeps it,' Jared said at the embassy's opening ceremony.A yoga enthusiast got more than she bargained for when she was dumped by a freak wave mid pose as her legs waved in the air.

The woman was practicing yoga on the golden sand as she was gently nudged by some calm waves which did not appear to phase her.

The bikini-clad blonde sat on the shallow shore while surrounded by rocks and began limbering up before getting swept away.

A yoga enthusiast (pictured) got more than she bargained for when she was dumped by a freak wave mid pose as her legs waved in the air

The woman was practicing yoga on the golden sand as she was gently nudged by some calm waves which did not appear to phase her (pictured)

The bikini clad blonde got into position for a shoulder stand (left) before she was smacked in the face with a strong wave while her legs remained in the air (right)

Wearing a leopard print bikini, the woman leaned forward to touch for toes as she glanced towards the stirred up ocean.

After getting into position for a shoulder stand, the unaware woman was smacked in the face with a strong wave while her legs remained in the air.

The salty water washed over her head which was fully submerged while the rest of her body remained untouched.

The woman quickly jumped up gasping for air as she stared at the camera showing off her soggy blonde locks.

Dripping wet, the yoga enthusiast sprung up to attend her camera - which appeared to be sitting on a rock just centimeters away from the crashing waves.

The bronzed beach goer was seen laughing at North Curl Curl, Sydney, shortly after the unfortunate incident in early April.

The salty water washed over her head which was fully submerged while the rest of her body remained untouched (pictured)

The woman, who was wearing a leopard print bikini, quickly jumped up gasping for air as she stared at the camera showing off her soggy blonde locksPatients have been left outraged after a medical centre charged MORE money for them to see female GPs.

The Melbourne clinic, Myhealth North Eltham, has come under scrutiny after it was found charging patients more for standard consultations with female GPs than it does for a consultation with male GPs.

A sign displayed in the clinic showed the discriminatory pricing policy - and it's attracted criticism online.

Patients have been left outraged after a medical centre charged MORE money for them to see female GPs. The clinic's pricing list is pictured above

The photograph was uploaded to Twitter with the caption: 'This is so f***ed. My friend goes to Eltham North Clinic in #Victoria, and they've just instituted extra fees for female doctors because "women's issues take longer". Surely this is illegal ... if it's not illegal, it's still outrageously sexist.'

The post was shared online by the user's followers, who also vented their anger.

One user said: 'If you're asking people who are paid 30 per cent less to fill that 30 per cent wage gap, it doesn't help. It means even greater financial inequality for those at the bottom.'

Another added: 'I don't think this is the scandal you think it is. I'd pay more to see a female colleague knowing they get ~30% less take home pay than their male counterparts. On top of fewer opportunities, and institutional/societal sexism.'

According to Fairfax, Federal Health Minister Greg is calling for an urgent investigation of the matter.

The Melbourne clinic, Myhealth North Eltham, has come under scrutiny after it was found charging patients more for standard consultations with female GPs than it does for a consultation with male GPs

A sign displayed in the clinic showed the discriminatory pricing policy - and it's attracted criticism online (pictured)

The clinic (pictured) is reportedly charges more according to The Age because women's issue takes longer

The clinic is reportedly charging more because women's issues take longer, according to The Age.

This also adds to a large number of women preferring female GPs over male GPs.

Kristen Hilton, Victoria's Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner told The Guardian, the Melbourne clinic may be breaking the law and it can be considered discriminatory for charging patients more to see female GPs.

'It is against the law for doctors to treat someone unfavourably because of their gender,' Ms Hilton said.

The clinic refused to comment on the pricing policy when called by Daily Mail Australia.A father has tragically died from a heart attack while working out in Thailand where he was celebrating his second wedding anniversary.

Harley Fowler, 32, reportedly collapsed during his exercise regime in Phuket and was unable to be resuscitated.

The crossfit trainer's death comes 'completely unexpected' to family and friends who say the Auckland man had no prior medical conditions.

Harley Fowler tragically died from a heart attack while working out in Thailand (pictured with wife Amanda)

The 32-year-old reportedly collapsed during his exercise regime in Phuket

CrossFit Hibiscus owner John Taurua told Daily Mail Australia his beautiful wife Amanda is absolutely devastated by Harley's untimely passing.

He said family will arrive in Thailand to be with her through this difficult time before 'decisions have to be made'.

Harley also leaves behind a two-year-old son Kalani as well as step sons Jakey and Jordan.

Mr Taurua, who has known Harley for five years and worked with him every day, said the community is upside down.

'He was training every day, not drinking alcohol. He was in the best shape of his life,' he told NZME.

'He was a big, gentle giant. That is what everyone would say. And he had a real clown sense of humour, but would help out anyone in the world.'

The crossfit trainer's death is 'completely unexpected' to family and friends (pictured with his adorable 2-year-old son)

Family will fly to be with wife Amanda as money is raised to bring their loved one home

'We cancelled classes last night but the whole gym turned up, we said a few prayers, and just remembered him.'

The gym owner and his wife Quanita have created a GiveALittle page to fund bringing Harley's body back to New Zealand.

'We just want to be able to help them in any way we can.

'We need to get him and Amanda home where they belong among family and friends.'Scott Baio wont face criminal charges for allegedly sexually assaulting Nicole Eggert while the two starred in the sitcom Charles in Charge - even though authorities find her accusations to be credible.

The statute of limitations prohibits prosecutors in Los Angeles County from indicting Baio, whose alleged crimes took place in the late 1980s.

At the time, the law allowed for assault cases to be tried only if the alleged crimes took place within a three-year statute of limitations.

In California, the law has since been changed. There is no statute of limitations on rape and sexual assault, however the new law cannot be applied retroactively to cases where the statute has expired.

'I always knew this case was beyond statutes of limitations and unfortunately the DA would not be able to prosecute Scott Baio,' Eggert told TMZ.

A source told the web site that officials in the DA's office found Eggert to be 'credible' and Baio's crimes were 'potentially prosecutable' were it not for the statute of limitation.

Scott Baio wont face criminal charges for allegedly sexually assaulting Nicole Eggert while the two starred in the sitcom Charles in Charge - even though authorities find her accusations to be credible. Eggert is seen left and Baio is seen right

'However I also knew the importance of laying the groundwork for any future victims of Baio's that may come forward and to warn parents who might unknowingly allow their children to be alone with this molester.'

Eggert said it all started when she was 14 back in 1986 on the set of Charles in Charge, the television show she worked on with Baio, who was then 25.

'He immediately took to me and befriended me and earned my trust. And then he started expressing his love for me. And talking about marriage in the future,' Eggert told Megyn Kelly back in January.

'And then I was still 14, before my 15th birthday, we were at his house in his car in his garage. And he reached over and he penetrated me with his finger. And that is when the sexual touching and abuse started after that.'

She went on to claim that these incidents 'probably happened once a week' until she was 16, along with kissing and groping that she believes the pair's co-stars on the program saw at the time.

Baio has firmly denied Eggert's allegations and said that the two did not engage in any sexual activity until she was of age.

Eggert meanwhile said she hid the truth to protect others on the set of Charles in Charge and because she was ashamed about what happened for years.

'I had never experienced anything like that before either, so he was playing on not only my emotions but my hormones and all of those things,' said Eggert, now 46.

Eggert said it all started when she was 14 back in 1986 on the set of Charles in Charge, the television show she worked on with Baio, who was then 25

'And the issue with him is that he was our boss. And he was telling me, you know, 'You can't tell anybody, this is illegal, I'll go to jail. The show will be over. Everybody will be sued," you know? "You'll be out of a job, you'll ruin everybody's life.'

Eggert then added: 'It's scary. It's intimidating, especially when you're that young.'

As for the producers and other actors on set, Eggert said they had to be aware of the kissing and groping but she does not think they knew about the sexual abuse.

'There was a bit of like -- this person loves me. I trust this person. And that he cares about me and I'm safe,' said Eggert of her feelings for Baio at the time.

'And it wasn't until, you know, getting a little bit older that I started to realize this not -- this is not love.'

She said that the two did not have sexual intercourse until she was 17 and Baio was 28, and that she only told a few close friends at the time of the initial abuse.

Baio disputes this as well and says Eggert was 18, which is the legal age of consent in the state.

He provided proof of that in the form of an interview that Eggert did with The Dirty, in which she said that it was long after the show wrapped in 1990 when she and Bario had sex.

Eggert explained why she had kept this a secret for so long, and why she stressed in the past that she had never had sexual contact with Baio until she was of age.

'But my truth is I wasn't ready to tell my story and for me it was protecting the show and protecting that whole legacy that nothing happened there,' Eggert told Kelly.

'That was my delusion and that was my cover-up always. And, you know, that's not the first time I covered it up. I always lied about it.'

Eggert wasn't the only Charles in Charge cast member to accuse Baio of inappropriate conduct.

Co-star Alexander Polinsky (center) also accused Baio of abuse. 'I was sexually harassed by Scott Baio and ultimately assaulted by him between the ages of 12 and 15 years old,' Polinsky told reporters during a news conference alongside Eggert (left) and attorney Lisa Bloom (right)

Co-star Alexander Polinsky also accused Baio of abuse.

'I was sexually harassed by Scott Baio and ultimately assaulted by him between the ages of 12 and 15 years old,' Polinsky told reporters during a news conference alongside Eggert and attorney Lisa Bloom.

He went on to allege that Baio once threw hot tea in his face, cut a hole in his dressing room door so he could expose himself to the youngster and even pulled down Polinsky's pants in front of 100 people on set one day.

Polinsky said that in his first season on the show he saw Eggert sitting on Baio's lap and jumped up to join them, assuming he was telling story.

Baio allegedly responded by calling him a 'f***ot.'

Then there were the highly-sexualized talks which were in no way appropriate.

'I was so naive, I innocently hopped on his lap expecting to hear a story about Fonzie or Happy Days,' said Polinsky.

'Scott was a hero to me. Instead of telling us a story, he threw me off him angrily calling me a f***ot while Nicole laughed.'

He added: 'I felt confusion, shame and then fear when I realized that I had judged the situation wrong. It was not innocent. It was sexual in nature.'

Polinsky also said he witnessed Baio behaving inappropriately toward Eggert.

Baio has denied all of the allegations made by Eggert and Polinsky.

'Scott denies every single claim of inappropriate behavior and there is absolutely nothing when you examine the facts and the evidence and the claims that have been made - almost every one of them can be refuted with evidence,' a representative for Baio told Variety.

Baio accused Eggert of Polinsky of embarking on a 'media tour' because they were 'hungry for publicity.'The mother of a young man who vanished in the outback has shared the eerie one-word text message she received the day before he went missing.

Rachel Penno, whose only son Jayden Penno-Tompsett has not been seen since New Year's Eve, believes someone else may have sent the out-of-character text.

Jayden, 22, disappeared during a road trip near the outback town of Charters Towers in remote northern Queensland, and Ms Penno has been looking for him ever since.

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Rachel Penno (pictured), whose only son Jayden Penno-Tompsett has not been seen since New Year's Eve, believes someone else may have sent the out-of-character text

Jayden (pictured, left, right) was reported missing three days later, triggering a search of bush and farmland within an 85kilometre radius, but police found no sign of him

After Ms Penno texted Jayden to ask him if he was safe, she received a single word in reply: 'Yeah'.

That message - which struck her as strange - was the last she heard from her son, with her replies going unanswered, A Current Affair reported.

'He normally would have elaborated. He would have said "Yeah, I'm at blah blah" or "Yeah, I'll call you later". It was the last I heard from him,' she said.

Ms Penno has since gone to extraordinary lengths to find Jayden, hiring a private investigator and even asking psychics for help.

After Ms Penno texted Jayden to ask him if he was safe, she received a single word in reply: 'Yeah' (pictured is a reproduction of the text message exchange)

Ms Penno has since gone to extraordinary lengths to find Jayden (pictured), hiring a private investigator and even asking psychics for help

'I'd do anything to get him back, whatever it takes,' she said.

There have been rumours Jayden sent a snapchat message on January 1, which could mean someone has his phone or password.

Jayden's road trip companion Lucas Tattersall is the last person to see him alive, and has told police Jayden ran into the bush.

According to Mr Tattersall, the pair argued before Jayden stopped their red Nissan Pulsar sedan by the side of a dirt road and left the vehicle.

Mr Tattersall drove off and when he returned later there was no sign of Jayden, he told investigators, who have described Mr Tattersall as 'more than helpful'.

Jayden's (pictured) road trip companion Lucas Tattersall is the last person to see him alive, and has told police Jayden ran into the bush

Mr Tattersall (pictured) drove off and when he returned later there was no sign of Jayden, he told investigators, who have described Mr Tattersall as 'more than helpful'

Jayden was reported missing three days later, triggering a search of bush and farmland within an 85kilometre radius, but police found no sign of him.

Mr Tattersall later posted about the incident on social media, responding to people who said he should never have left his friend alone in the bush.

'I'm sorry to tell you but if someone wants to just up and leave and f*** off then that's what they are gonna do,' he wrote on Facebook, according to News.com.au.

'[You] don't understand how hard I tried to help Jayden when I with him and calm him down so we can sort this out.

'He is my mate and I'm hurt too please stop making out I'm just some heartless p**** that left him out there to die.'

Jayden (pictured) is described as Caucasian in appearance, 175 centimetres tall and has mousy brown hair

Ms Penno is travelling back to north Queensland to look for Jayden again, and has set up a GoFundMe page to help with her expenses.

'All I can do is keep going and searching,' she said.

Jayden is described as Caucasian in appearance, 175 centimetres tall and has mousy brown hair.

He was last seen wearing a black singlet, navy blue board shorts and black and red thongs and was travelling in a red Nissan Pulsar with NSW registration CN3 2ZB.Actress Jessica Walter claims that her Arrested Development co-star Jeffrey Tambor verbally harassed her on set.

Walter said in an interview with The New York Times that Tambor 'never crossed the line on our show, with any, you know, sexual whatever. Verbally, yes, he harassed me, but he did apologize'.

She said she had to 'let go of being angry at him,' adding that she wanted to give him a chance at being friends.

Walter told the newspaper: 'In like almost 60 years of working, I've never had anybody yell at me like that on a set. And it's hard to deal with, but I'm over it now.'

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Actress Jessica Walter (left) claims that her Arrested Development co-star Jeffrey Tambor (right) verbally harassed her on set

Walter (pictured with the Arrested Development cast) said in an interview with The New York Times that Tambor 'never crossed the line on our show, with any, you know, sexual whatever. Verbally, yes, he harassed me, but he did apologize'

The actress made the comments during a raw sit-down the Times alongside cast-mates Jason Bateman, Tony Hale, David Cross and Tambor himself.

Hale said in the interview that they've 'all had moments,' to which Walter responded: 'But not like that, not like that. That was bad.'

The allegations against Tambor surfaced in November 2017 when two transgender women he worked with on the Amazon series Transparent accused him of sexual harassment.

He lost his job as transgender matriarch Maura Pfefferman on Transparent in the wake of the allegations made by his ex-personal assistant Van Barnes and his Transparent co-star Trace Lysette.

Earlier this month, Tambor admitted that 'lines got blurred' when it came to Barnes, who accused him of patting her behind and saying she wasn't 'taking care of him sexually'.

'I dispute her account,' Tambor told THR.

'I did raise my voice at times, I was moody at times. Sometimes I didn't talk at all. There were times when I was tactless. But as for the other stuff, absolutely not.'

The allegations against Tambor, who plays George Bluth (in character) on the comedy sitcom, surfaced in November 2017 when two transgender women he worked with on the Amazon series Transparent accused him of sexual harassment

Although the Emmy winner has denied the allegations on numerous occasions, he has apologized for any action that was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being sexually aggressive or if I ever offended or hurt anyone'

The San Francisco-born actor also denied rubbing his genitals against Lysette and allegedly telling her: 'My God, Trace, I want to attack you sexually.'

Despite those allegations, Tambor did get to keep his job on Arrested Development on which he plays George Bluth, the patriarch of the Bluth family on the comedy sitcom.

Although the Emmy winner has denied the allegations on numerous occasions, he has apologized for any action that was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being sexually aggressive or if I ever offended or hurt anyone.

Tambor has since been submitted for a Primetime Emmy Award consideration for his role on Arrested Development.

According to Deadline, Netflix submitted the 73-year-old actor for the TV Academy's category outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series on Tuesday.

Series creator Mitch Hurwitz has sided with the two-time Emmy winner.

'These are accusations that he denied. I've worked with him for 20 years, I've never seen that behavior,' the 54-year-old showrunner told ET last week.

'Amazon didn't share with me any of what they discovered [in their investigation], and so it was very easy for me to say no, of course I'm not going to end Arrested Development and throw out all our work based on accusations.

'I dispute her account': Earlier this month, Jeffrey admitted that 'lines got blurred' when it came to ex-personal assistant Van Barnes (pictured March 7), who accused him of patting her behind and saying she wasn't 'taking care of him sexually'

The San Francisco-born actor also denied rubbing his genitals against Transparent co-star Trace Lysette (pictured May 1)

'I don't think we want to live in a world where accusations alone determine everyone's fate.'

The Wayne State University grad's castmates Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Walter, and Cross also expressed solidarity with Jeffrey while attending the fifth season premiere in Los Angeles.

'I don't condone any actions,' David told ET.

'It doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to just stop being somebody's friend, you know? I support him as a human being as a person.'

The 54-year-old stand-up comedian - who plays Tobias Funke - was also submitted by Netflix for the supporting actor category as well as Hale, Will Arnett, and Michael Cera.

The 70th Primetime Emmy Awards nominations will officially be announced on July 12, and the LA ceremony - airing September 17 on NBC - will be hosted by SNL's Michael Che and Colin Jost.

The first half of the 16-episode fifth season of the Orange County-set mockumentary sitcom starts streaming next Tuesday on Netflix.

The murder-mystery surrounds the death of Bluth Company shareholder Lucille Austero (Liza Minnelli), who slept with her rival Lucille Bluth's (Walter) sons Gob (Arnett) and Buster (Hale).

The original Arrested Development, centered on the riches-to-rags Bluths, ran for three critically-acclaimed, cult-favorite seasons (2003-2006) on Fox before switching over to Netflix.A young man accused of child cruelty towards Queensland toddler Mason Lee has walked from jail after all charges against him were dropped.

Ryan Robert Barry Hodson was originally accused of the manslaughter of the 21-month-old alongside Mason's mother Anne Maree Lee and stepfather William Andrew O'Sullivan.

It was revealed last week he would plead guilty to the downgraded offence of child cruelty.

But after Brisbane Supreme Court Justice David Jackson questioned the legality of the charge on Thursday, his lawyer said he had reversed his decision.

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Ryan Hodson is pictured leaving court after child cruelty charges against him in relation to the death of Queensland toddler Mason Lee were dropped

Mason Lee was just 21-months-old when he died in June 2016. His mother and stepfather have been committed to stand trial for manslaughter

Hodson was discharged and allowed to walk from the court after Crown prosecutor Vicki Loury conceded she was unable to make out the elements of the offence.

Hodson was discharged on all counts after spending 400 days behind bars.

Mason Lee was just 21-months-old when emergency services found his lifeless body at O'Sullivan's home at Caboolture, north of Brisbane in June 2016.

A post-mortem examination revealed Mason had multiple injuries at the time of his death, included a broken leg, a broken tailbone and a ruptured small intestine that slowly poisoned him as it leaked faeces into his abdomen.

Ryan Mason (pictured middle) spent 400 days in jail before charges against him were dropped

Mason Lee (pictured) was just 21-months-old when emergency services found his lifeless body at a Caboolture home in June 2016

Ryan Hodson's girlfriend hid her face from cameras outside Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday

A committal hearing heard the toddler suffered a rupture to his small intestine, believed to have been caused by blunt force trauma.

The Supreme Court was told on Thursday morning that Hodson was just 17 when he moved into O'Sullivan's home a few weeks before Mason died.

Justice Jackson said according to the statement of facts, Hodson was left alone in the house briefly with the toddler three times on the day before he died, when O'Sullivan went out.

The judge said in order for Hodson to be charged and convicted of child cruelty, it needed to be shown Mason was in his 'lawful care or charge'.

'He moved into the house  he was either a lodger or a boarder,' Justice Jackson was quoted in the Courier Mail.

'There is no statement that he ever agreed to take care of Mason Lee and no statement he ever did anything by the way of changing a nappy or (giving him a) bottle.'

Earlier, Justice Jackson was scathing of plans to allow Hodson to plead guilty, saying it would set a 'dangerous precedent for other teenagers living in a home with a child.

The court heard Hodson remains a witness in the case against Lee and O'Sullivan, who have been committed to stand trial for manslaughter.

Justice David Jackson said in order for Ryan Hodson (second left) to be charged and convicted of child cruelty, it needed to be shown Mason Lee was in his 'lawful care or charge'Robert Van Hook was convicted of the fatal 1985 strangling and stabbing of David Self, who he met in a gay bar

A condemned killer is asking the Ohio Parole Board for mercy, saying he experienced a 'homosexual panic' of self-revulsion before killing a man he picked up at a bar more than 30 years ago.

Death row inmate Robert Van Hook was sentenced to die for fatally strangling and stabbing David Self in Cincinnati in 1985.

Van Hook fled to Florida afterward, where he was arrested and confessed.

At the time of the killing, Van Hook was suffering from long-term effects of untreated mental, physical and sexual abuse as a child and was depressed that his life seemed to be falling apart, his attorneys argue.

He also was 'troubled by increasing questions about his own sexual identity,' his federal public defenders said in a May 17 filing with the parole board.

They also said he was improperly questioned by a Cincinnati police detective after he was arrested in Florida, and should have been provided an attorney.

The parole board planned to hear arguments on Thursday for and against Van Hook's clemency request. Republican Gov. John Kasich has the final say. Van Hook's execution is set for July 18.

Prosecutors dismiss Van Hook's 'panic' claim as nonsense, saying he made a practice of luring gay men to apartments to rob them.

'This is a man who had cynically manipulated homosexuals for years. He posed as a gay; he frequented bars that were gay and he preyed on vulnerable victims who were gay,' the Hamilton County prosecutor's office said in a Tuesday filing with the board.

Prosecutors also note Van Hook has an extensive history of violence while incarcerated, including stabbing a fellow death row inmate in November.

Van Hook is on death row at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville

The so-called 'gay' or 'homosexual panic' defense has come under fire in recent years.

Five years ago, the American Bar Association urged governments to pass laws limiting the defense, saying a victim's sexual orientation or gender identity should not be blamed for a criminal defendant's violent reaction.

Earlier this year, Illinois became the second state after California to prohibit the defense. The Rhode Island House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to ban it.

Authorities say Van Hook, 56, met Self at the Subway Bar in downtown Cincinnati on February 18, 1985 and after a couple of hours they went to Self's apartment.

Van Hook strangled the 25-year-old Self to unconsciousness, stabbed him multiple times in the neck and then cut his abdomen open and stabbed his internal organs, according to court records.

Van Hook stole a leather jacket and necklaces before fleeing, records say.

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Van Hook's death sentence in 2009.



A warning has been issued to stay away from a registered sex offender who failed to give officers his address and has not been seen since.



Nejat Ceylan, 50, may be living in the Roxburgh Park area, in Melbournes north, but police on Thursday said they have been unable to find him.

Ceylan last made contact with police on May 9 however has since disappeared.

Nejat Ceylan (pictured), 50, may be living in the Roxburgh Park area, in Melbournes north

Although he is now free, as part of his reporting obligations he is required to keep police updated on his residential address and on any plans to travel or move homes.

He is described as about 170cm tall, with a medium build, brown eyes, grey hair and beard.

Police have released an image of him in the hope that someone recognises him and can provide information about his whereabouts.

Anyone who sees Ceylan is asked to call Triple-0 immediately.Two Toronto police officers, who allegedly consumed pot edibles and then called for backup after hallucinating, are now facing criminal charges.

Const Vittorio Dominelli, 36, and Const Jamie Young, 35, were arrested on Tuesday.

Dominelli and Young from Toronto's 13 Division were in the city's north end around 1am on January 28 conducting plain-clothed surveillance when they allegedly ingested the pot edibles.

Two Toronto police officers, who allegedly consumed medical marijuana and then called for backup after hallucinating, are now facing criminal charges. Const Vittorio Dominelli (left), 36, was arrested on Tuesday

Dominelli (pictured) was arrested along with 35-year-old Const Jamie Young. Dominelli and Young from Toronto's 13 Division were in the city's north end around 1am on January 28 conducting plain-clothed surveillance when they allegedly ingested the pot edibles

Shortly after reportedly eating the edibles (file image), one of the men called for help after he felt like he was going to pass out and the other one reportedly ended up in a tree

Shortly after, one of the men called for help after he felt like he was going to pass out and the other one reportedly ended up in a tree.

A third officer from a neighboring division was called to the area to help the officers.

On arrival the female officer slipped on ice and sustained a serious head injury, which turned out to be a concussion. The Toronto Police Association confirmed she would be okay.

The officers were treated at a local hospital. They were then placed on paid suspension until an investigation by the Professional Standards Unit was conducted.

The two officers are now facing obstruction of justice and breach of trust charges, according to CBC.

Toronto police are alleging that the pair 'attempted to obstruct, pervert or defeat the course of justice, by destroying or converting to their own use, evidence'.

Police further accuse the officers of committing breach of trust on the same day.

Authorities said that in the days before the incident, Toronto police carried out a raid at the Community Cannabis Clinic.

A third officer from a neighboring division was called to the area to help the officers. On arrival the female officer slipped on ice and sustained a serious head injury, which turned out to be a concussion. Dominelli is pictured with a Mario mascot

The officers are now facing obstruction of justice and breach of trust charges. Toronto police are alleging that the pair 'attempted to obstruct, pervert or defeat the course of justice, by destroying or converting to their own use, evidence'. Dominelli is seen with an acoustic guitar

President of the Toronto Police Association, Mike McCormack (pictured), declined to comment on specific details regarding the incident

Sources told the CBC that the pot edibles the officers ingested are believed to have come from that dispensary.

President of the Toronto Police Association, Mike McCormack declined to comment on specific details regarding the incident.

Const Dominelli seems to be an active user on social media, however since the incident his Twitter profile was deleted and his Instagram account was set to private.

McCormack said in January that there were concerns regarding some officers' social media presence.

'I am always concerned when something belittles what we do in policing and doesn't represent us in the right light.

'I don't want the public to be under the misconception that we have a bunch of officers who have nothing to do but use social media,' he added.

Dominelli, who has 13 years of service, and Young, 35, who has 2.5 years of service, are scheduled to appear in court on June 7.Sir Frank Lowy has signed off as chairman of Westfield after almost 60 years at the helm of the shopping centre empire.

His resignation follows news of a $33 billion takeover by Paris-based retail giant Unibail-Rodamco, with a staggering 97.5 per cent of shareholders in Westfield Corp voting in favour of the deal.

Mr Lowy, who founded and built the Westfield group up from scratch in Sydney's west in the 1960s, strongly urged shareholders to vote for the takeover, Nine News reports, describing it as a 'highly compelling' prospect.

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Sir Frank Lowy has signed off as chairman of Westfield after 60 years at the helm of the shopping centre empire, following news of a $33 billion takeover by Paris-based retail giant Unibail-Rodamco

'All shareholders in the new group will benefit from economic exposure to a much larger and geographically diverse portfolio than they have today,' Mr Lowy said during a meeting.

'I believe that the strategic positioning of the new group is unique and that it will play a major role in the ongoing evolution of the retail industry.'

The newly created company will have an asset portfolio worth $95 billion Australian dollars, including 104 shopping centres across 13 different countries that will all carry the Westfield branding.

Mr Lowy, who founded and built the Westfield group up from scratch in Sydney's west in the 1960s, strongly urged shareholders to vote in favour of the takeover as he described it as a 'highly compelling' prospect

Australian and New Zealand Westfield shopping centres, however, will remain under the control of current operators Scentre Group, who took over the chain's portfolio outside America and Europe in 2014.

Westfield will meanwhile be delisted from the Australian share market.

It was an emotional Frank Lowy who took to the podium on Wednesday to announce his sign off and thank everyone for their support 'throughout what has been an incredible journey.'

He stated that he has no regrets, only faith in the future of Westfield, as he bids goodbye to the company.

Australian and New Zealand Westfield shopping centres will remain under the control of current operators Scentre Group, who took over the chain's portfolio outside America and Europe in 2014 (pictured: Sydney Westfield)One of Australia's major cities has been slammed with experts describing it as dangerous and hot.

Queensland may be known for its all-year-round sunny weather but its capital Brisbane has been shunned by city planners.

South Bank Corporation chair Catherin Bull claimed Brisbane was far from being a 'real city' because it compromised pedestrian safety.

Experts have slammed one of Australia's major cities, describing it as dangerous and hot

The sunshine state may be known for its all-year-round sunny weather but Brisbane (pictured) has been shunned by city planners

'I'm going to be very brutal here and say our experience is often just plain ugly,' Ms Bull said at an industry debate.

'Ugly, hot and exposed to traffic and cyclists, unsafe, inconvenient and complex.'

While iconic South Bank is one of the most picturesque destinations in the city, it was criticised for not having enough shade, Brisbane Times reported.

A recent survey revealed about 30 per cent of people wanted more trees to improve walking tracks across the river city.

Among the worst walks were controversial Fortitude Valley and the roads surrounding The Gabba precinct.

Ms Bull claimed for Brisbane to become a 'real city', work would need to be done to make it an enjoyable place for pedestrians.

South Bank Corporation chair Catherin Bull claimed the Queensland capital was far from being a 'real city' because it compromised pedestrian safety

Ms Bull described the capital (pictured) as 'ugly, hot and exposed to traffic .. and unsafe'

A recent survey revealed about 30 per cent of people wanted more trees to improve walking tracks across the river city although many praised South Bank (pictured)

Opinions on the warm city were divided online as some agreed the capital's weather was unpleasant.

'The weather. It is boring,' one person claimed.

'Brisbane is very boring. Pretty to look at but that's it,' another said.

'Hate that it's flogged to tourists as the "New World City" but you can't even go to your local supermarket after 9pm,' one commented.

'I can't stand ... how horrible and run down places like Fortitude Valley have become,' another suggested.

Brisbane was previously described as 'below average in the context of Australian cities' by chief city planner Brent Toderian, who planned Vancover between 2006 and 2012, and claimed the capital needed to life it's game.

Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra all ranked higher than Brisbane globally last year after the city came in 36th, ABC News reported.Birthday wishes

Call 281-422-8302 or email david.bloom@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun.

Happy Birthday WishesA man has been charged after allegedly attempting to sneak in 59 kilograms of cocaine, disguising it in frozen fish containers.

The 48-year-old was arrested at Sydney International Airport last night when a bag examination revealed the illicit substance.

The man allegedly imported the drugs from Peru to Sydney, in a total of three times during September 2017 and March 2018.

59 kilograms of cocaine were seized at Sydney International Airport hidden in fish containers

The police discovered the drugs after removing panels on the side of the refrigerated container, revealing the now fishy substance.

The drugs were separated between two containers weighing approximately 29 and 30 kilograms after an in-depth inspection was carried out today.

According to the Australian Federal Police, the drugs are believed to be valued up to $20.6 million.

They have announced that the man was charged with the offense of importing a border controlled drug.

The man is set to face Sydney Central Local Court on May 30.

The Australian Federal Police uncovered the drugs stashed in the side of the container

A reported 59 kilograms of cocaine was discovered during the inspection at Sydney AirportCynthia Nixon's longshot candidacy for the governorship of New York suffered a setback on Wednesday.

The Sex and the City star managed to get just 5 per cent of the vote from delegates at the state Democratic Party convention at Hofstra University in Hempstead.

The party delegates overwhelmingly supported the powerful incumbent, Governor Andrew Cuomo, who won 95 per cent of the votes.

Nixon, the political newcomer, needed at least 25 per cent to automatically get her name on the primary ballot.

Sex and the City actress Cynthia Nixon's longshot candidacy for the governorship of New York suffered a setback on Wednesday after she won just 5 per cent of votes at the Democratic Party convention at Long Island's Hofstra University

Now her only chance to get on the ballot is to gather thousands of signatures.

Hillary Clinton delivered an apparently heartfelt speech praising women 'who are making their voices heard like never before' this election year and then snubbed Nixon to endorse Cuomo for New York governor.

'I'm also really inspired by women who are making their voices heard like never before,' she said to huge applause at the New York state Democratic convention at Hofstra University in New York on Wednesday.

At least 482 women are running for Congress or governor this year, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, including Nixon, who, if elected, would be New York's first woman governor and the second openly bisexual governor of any state.

Hillary Clinton endorsed Andrew Cuomo for New York governor, snubbing Nixon after a speech filled with praise for women. Cuomo, the two-term governor, ended up winning 95 per cent of the vote

Nixon was also at the state Democratic convention where Clinton spoke but here meeting room wasn't equipped with a microphone.

Cuomo rushed on stage after Hillary Clinton's endorsement to give her a large bouquet of pink and purple roses and thank her for carrying the torch for women.

But while Clinton, who would have been the first female president if she had won in 2016 touted the work of suffragists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who fought for women's right to vote at the Seneca Falls Convention in New York in 1848, she put her political weight behind Cuomo's quest for a third term in the governor's office.

Clinton campaigned in 2016 on shattering what she repeatedly called the highest 'glass ceiling' in the world.

'We are lucky as New Yorkers because we stand on the shoulders of brave trail blazers and history makers, so our charge today is to pick up that torch, carry it high, carry it proudly,' Clinton said, adding it's 'not for ourselves alone but for generations to come. We're not going win every fight, take it from me, but if we stand together for the values we share we will get there together.'

Cuomo rushed on stage after Clinton's remarks to give her a large bouquet of pink and purple roses and thank her for carrying the torch for women.

'It was so inspirational. You talk about carrying the torch - you carried the torch,' he said. 'You are the one who really showed so many girls and women their potential and encouraged them to stand up.'

Clinton also endorsed Cuomo's lieutenant governor, Kathy Hochul, for re-election.

She praised Cuomo, who served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development under her husband's administration, as someone with 'his passion and determination.'

She described visiting Puerto Rico with him in 1998 after Hurricane Georges struck the island and noted: 'I saw how committed he is to solving problems.'

She praised his work for Puerto Ricans, who are a huge minority presence in New York City and will be an important voting bloc in the September 13 Democratic gubernatorial primary.

Nixon was also at the state Democratic convention but her voice wasn't heard as loudly as Clinton's and Cuomo's.

The meeting room assigned to the Progressive Caucus, where Nixon is popular figure, wasn't equipped with a microphone, the New York Post reported.

The executive committee next door, which is controlled by Cuomo, had a sound system.

When the Post asked the 'Sex and the City' actress if she had gotten a fair shake, she laughed and said: 'I think that it's important to show up. It's important that, at the Democratic convention, there is at least one actual Democrat running for governor.'

'We are lucky as New Yorkers because we stand on the shoulders of brave trail blazers and history makers,' Hillary Clinton told New York Democrats at their state convention.

Andrew Cuomo praised Hillary Clinton: 'It was so inspirational. You talk about carrying the torch - you carried the torch.'

Former secretary of state Madeleine Albright famously introduced Hillary Clinton at an event in New Hampshire during the 2016 Democratic presidential primary, telling the crowd: 'There's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other!'

Clinton's rival on the left, Bernie Sanders, ended up winning that state's Democratic presidential primary although he ultimately lost the nomination to Clinton.

In her endorsement of Cuomo over Nixon, Clinton could face the wrath of the liberal left, who have not forgotten the post-2016 revelation from former Democratic National Committee chief Donna Brazile that the party worked to get Clinton the nomination over Sanders.

Sanders has not endorsed Nixon but the group he founded, Our Revolution, has backed her bid to oust Cuomo from the Democratic nomination.

Ironically, the Sex and the City actress endorsed Clinton over Sanders in the 2016 contest.

'I will be supportive of Hillary. I was an Obama supporter in 2008. I'm a Hillary person now,' Nixon told Bloomberg News in 2015.

Clinton remains popular in New York, where she served as senator from 2001 to 2009.

She has not been too involved in the 2018 election however.

She recorded a robo call for Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who won the party's nomination Tuesday night and would be the nation's first black governor if she wins election.

Cuomo is her first major endorsement.A dead shark's carcass was left at a doorstep in a sickening prank in a coastal town in the Northern Territory.

The Darwin resident Tess Kelly told ABC she found the dead, metre-long shark near her doorstep.

The shark carcass was half filleted with its head and tail attached but the body was missing.

A dead shark's carcass (pictured) was left at a doorstep as a possible smelly prank in Fannie Bay

The Fisheries NT principal research scientist Thor Saunders said the incident was a littering offence as the shark was left filleted and discarded.

Mr Saunders believes the shark was caught before it was eaten.

'Typically if people cut sharks up for bait they use the whole lot and just chop [the whole thing] up into little pieces ... whereas if someone's eating it they'll generally take the fins as well as filleting it,' Mr Saunders said.

The coastal suburb is home to a number of shark species which are considered to be benign as they prey on small marine life.

Mr Saunders believes if the shark was caught around Fannie Bay it would fall under one of two species 'graceful shark' as opposed to 'blacktip sharks' which tend to occupy waters further out.

The Fisheries NT principal research scientist Thor Saunders (pictured) it's a littering offence

The coastal suburb Fannie Bay (pictured) is home to a number of shark species which are considered to be benign as they prey on small marine life

There was another dumping incident last week at the town of Rapid Creek in Darwin.

'Unfortunately we've had a few dumping incidents that we get reported to us and water police do as well,' Mr Saunders said.Malaysia Airlines flight 370 has been missing ever since it vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014 with 239 passengers on board.

Four years after the horror flight, relatives of those on board the perished plane are still searching for answers.

Voice 370, a group of victims' relatives, have this week called on the Malaysian government to release the full cargo manifest.

Danica Weeks (right), the widow of Australian passenger Paul Weeks (left), said she wanted information about more than two tonnes of cargo described as 'radio accessories and chargers'

Australian Jennifer Chong, pictured with husband Chong Ling Tan who vanished on MH370, is also a member of Voice 370

Voice 370 has called for an investigation into tracking, search, rescue and recovery efforts (Pictured: Debris believed to be an outboard wing flap belonging to MH370)

The call comes after it was announced the physical search for the plane would officially end next week.

Danica Weeks, the widow of Australian passenger Paul Weeks, said she wanted information about more than two tonnes of cargo described as 'radio accessories and chargers'.

She said the cargo was omitted from the manifest, and victims' relatives wanted transparency.

'It's just incredible that we have a situation where an airline has taken people's money to fly them from one destination to another and we still don't know exactly was in that plane's cargo,' Ms Weeks told News.com.au.

'I mean it's been four years and we have still not seen the full manifest. We still don't know what 'radio accessories' means. We have asked repeatedly for a full list of everything that was on that plane and the airline has been unable to produce that.'

In a letter constructed by Voice 370 they called for 'a comprehensive review of all matters related to the disappearance of MH370 an investigation into any possible falsification and or elimination of records'.

Voice 370 also called for an investigation into tracking, search, rescue and recovery efforts, the publication reported.

The plane's cargo has been at the centre of discussion since it was revealed there were 200kg of lithium batteries on board.

The plane's cargo has been at the centre of discussion since it was revealed there were 200kg of lithium batteries on board (Pictured: Australian Transport Safety Bureau working with Malaysian investigators)

Malaysia Airlines former CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya revealed the information at a press conference on March 20, 2014.

After the cargo manifest was released, there were discrepancies found.

The airline later announced the batteries only made up a small fraction of the 2453kg total, and the rest was labelled 'radio accessories and chargers'.

Ms Weeks said the discrepancy greatly concerned her and other relatives of those on board.

The heartbroken widow said she hoped the new Malaysian government would be more transparent with the investigation.

Investigators believe the sport where the lines meet is where MH370 likely entered the southern Indian Ocean off Western Australia

New Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said he hoped the mystery would soon be resolved so relatives of those lost could have closure.

The director of a seabed hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on Tuesday disagreed with a new book's conclusion that the pilot likely flew the plane beyond the search area to deliberately sink it in unexplored depths of the Indian Ocean.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau believed the airliner mostly likely ran out of fuel and crashed after flying far off course.

The Bureau believed all 239 passengers and crew on board were likely long dead inside a depressurised cabin and cockpit.Lessons tell staff how to produce 'creative posts' that are not 'stilted and corny'

It is hardly an essential element of British democracy.

But social media obsessed MPs have been told they can expense the cost of a training course on the photo-sharing app Instagram.

Parli-Training, an external company that provides classes for MPs staff, is offering the one-day course for 420 plus VAT.

Some MPs - such as Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss - have taken to Instagram naturally.

But others have struggled to get to grips with the new forms of communicating with voters.

Some MPs - such as Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss - have taken to Instagram naturally with no need for lessons. But others have struggled

An email advert for the course, titled Instagram for Parliamentary Staff, asks MPs: Would you like your staff to have the ability to produce creative posts without appearing stilted and corny, attracting ridicule?

Would your team benefit from learning how to increase the number of followers you currently have on Instagram?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then why not send your staff to attend Parli-Trainings Instagram training course for parliamentary staff.

The course will run one day next month from 10am to 3.30pm and includes a one hour lunch break.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), which oversees their expenses, will allow them to reclaim the cost, the Times reported.

According to Parli-Trainings advert, MPs the training falls within Ipsas criteria for staff training.

James Price, campaign manager at the Taxpayers Alliance, said: If MPs want to promote themselves on social media, that should be done in their own time.

It is ridiculous that anyone thinks this course is a legitimate expense.

A spokeswoman for Parli-Training said: This is a vocational training course with no party political element. We dont see anything untoward about this.

An Ipsa spokesman said: MPs staff are able to claim for training courses that are connected to parliamentary business.

Social media obsessed MPs have been told they can claim back on expenses the cost of a training course on the photo-sharing app Instagram

'Claims made by MPs or their staff are checked by Ipsa to make sure they meet the principles of the scheme.

The training is available to all MPs from across parties.

Earlier this month it emerged Conservative Party funds were being spent on lessons for MPs to show they are real people by posting animal pictures on social media.

In an attempt to refresh their image and attract younger voters, the Conservatives were instead trying to project their playful side on Instagram.The 30-year-old New York man who was ordered by a judge to move out of his parents' home after he repeatedly refused his folks' request to leave lashed out at his mom and dad in an interview following his hearing on Tuesday.

Michael Rotondo, clearly upset by the judge's order, told TMZ that his parents, Christina and Mark Rotondo, are not good people for forcing him to vacate their Camillus home.

I just think that when you attack someone you love  I dont think good people do that,' he said.

The 30-year-old father-of-one also told the outlet that coming back to his folks' house after their hearing was 'the same'.

We didnt talk before, we dont talk now. Its not much different,' he said, adding that they 'don't really' have a relationship.

Michael Rotondo, 30, spoke with DailyMail.com after he was ordered out of his parents' home by a judge in Onondaga County, New York court on Tuesday

His parents,Christina and Mark Rotondo, are pictured on the right. They say they have been trying to kick him out of their house for months

The only thing that we really deal with now is them trying to get me out. And myself saying I dont think its really fair I have to all of a sudden be without a place to live.

On Tuesday, Rotondo was ordered to leave his parents' home, although he has not yet been given a specific date for when he has to vacate the property. Rotondo had been living rent-free at the home for nearly a decade.

He told TMZ that once he does leave there will be no relationship at all with parents.

In an interview with DailyMail.com after the hearing, Michael said that his issues with his parents are tied to his custody battle over his son.

Michael says he lost custody of his son, whose age he wouldn't disclose, back in September. The boy now lives with his mother full time, who Michael says he was never married to, or in a relationship with.

He says he immediately filed an appeal as a 'poor person' so that his court fees could be waived going forward. But he says his parents complicated matters when they said he needed a job and health insurance if he was to continue living with them.

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The Rotondos say their son has been living with them for the past eight years, without paying rent or contributing in any way

Michael refused, saying that his job at the moment was getting his son back.

When they offered to pay for his health insurance, Michael explained that he couldn't take that money because it would compromise getting the 'poor person' status.

Shortly after, he says his parents stopped providing food for him, and cut off his cellphone. They also said he couldn't use the laundry machines in the house anymore.

His parents also went to court to try to get visitation of their grandchild. Michael says it was two days after that hearing that he got his first letter, in which his parents said they had 'decided that you must leave this house immediately'.

The went on to send him four more letters, but Michael refused to budge.

Michael says his troubles with his parents are connected to the custody battle over his son

Michael, seen leaving court on Tuesday, lost custody of his son last year but wouldn't say why

Michael says he hasn't always lived at home. He says about eight years ago he lived in an apartment for a year and a half. He says it was around that time that he became a father.

He eventually moved back in with his parents though when he lost his job.

When asked where he was working at the time, Michael said he didn't 'want to disclose' his work history.

DailyMail.com did discovered that he used to work at a Best Buy, and that he is suing the company for discrimination, saying he was fired when he said he couldn't work Saturdays since that is when he had visitation with his child. He is seeking nearly $340,000 in damages, pay and attorney's fees from the big box store.

He said he went to college, but didn't finish his degree. He started off studying engineering at Onondaga Community College, but switched to business when he 'couldn't hack the math'.

The couple have written five letters to their son over the past three months, informing him that he must leave the home

The couple are now trying to get their son kicked out of their home through an ejectment proceeding

In his letter, written on February 18, the couple offered some advice to their son to help him find a new place to live

On March 5, the couple threatened that they would 'take any appropriate actions necessary to make sure you leave the house as demanded'

The most recent letter regarded Michael's car, which they say they want off their property

Michael also wouldn't go into detail about how he lost custody of his son, but insists he is a 'great father' and that the court ruling was 'unreasonable'.

The judge in that case said he could see his son, but only in therapeutic environments. And the boy's mother has to approve.

Michael said he doesn't think his son is 'better off in any way' over the decision.

DailyMail.com tried to reach out to Michael's parents on Tuesday, but whoever was at the home hung up the call.

FAILURE TO LAUNCH SYNDROME According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly one in three millennials are living with their parents - a situation that has coined it's own term, 'failure to launch' Failure to launch isn't a diagnosable mental health illness, but it describes a commonaility among millenials who find it hard to start their adult lives. There are many reasons why this happens, from economic reasons to poor work ethic and low self-esteem. Failure to launch appears to impact men more than women, many of whom are not taught the sort of skills needed to live alone - such as cooking, cleaning and laundry. In extreme cases, children can become depressed and start abusing drugs and alcohol if they find a lack of job prospects and continue to have to live at home. This can make it even harder for them to fly the coop in the end. Dr. Michael Ascher, a clinical associate in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote an article about the issue for the Huffington Post in 2015. Dr. Ascher said parents can help their failure to launch children by giving them responsibilities, hiring a life coach to help them with achieve their goals, getting them a therapist and buying medications to help with any anxiety or depression they might have. Advertisement

In court on Tuesday, Michael argued that there was a legal precedent that his parents had to give him six months notice in order to kick him out.

The judge said that precedent had been overturned in another case, and said six months was an 'outrageous' amount of time to ask for. Michael responded that it was 'outrageous' to evict him.

The judge also ordered adult protective services to investigate.

Michael left court frustrated, refusing to speak to his parents and saying he didn't think the judge read the case fully, according to CNY Central.

'I am just so outraged,' he said outside court, adding that he has been taunted by conservative groups for being a 'liberal millennial'.

It was not decided in court on Tuesday when Michael must be out of the house. But he says he plans to appeal, so any enforceable order likely won't be written until that case is over.

His parents home is owned by his mother, who bought it in 1988. The four-bedroom home is worth an estimated $218,000 according to Zillow.

Over the past three months, the Rotondos have given their son five written notices to move out, but he has ignored their orders.

They initially tried to get him evicted, but learned that since he is a family member, he would have to be removed from their home through an ejectment proceeding.

In a response to his parents' court filings, Michael - who turns 31 in July and is acting as his own lawyer - says his parents have not given him a reason why he is being kicked out, or enough time to find a new place.

He claims in his response that in the eight years he has lived with his parents, he 'has never been expected to contribute to household expenses, or assisted with chores and the maintenance of the premises, and claims that this is simply a component of his living agreement'.

In a redacted filing, Michael also said he runs his own 'successful' business, calling it 'the overwhelmingly superior choice for the economic well being over the working of a full-time job'.

Michael is pictured center right with his parents and sister in happier times

The Rotondos first asked their son to leave in a letter written on February 2

His father wrote that 'after a discussion with your Mother, we have decided that you must leave this house immediately'. They gave him 14 days to vacate, saying he 'will not be allowed to return'.

'We will take whatever actions are necessary to enforce this decision,' the letter read.

When he had not moved out two weeks later, his parents followed up with another letter, telling him he had been 'evicted'.

'You have heretofore been our guest and there is no lease or agreement that gives you any right to stay here without our consent,' they wrote.

They then gave up another 30 days to leave.

The couple wrote a third letter five days later, offering Michael $1,100 to find a new place to stay and some advice on how to get a new apartment - such as selling 'any weapons you may have' for rent money (he later said he took that money and used it for expenses).

'There are jobs available even for those with a poor work history like you. Get one-- you have to work!

Rotondo's son is pictured left and right. He lost custody last year

'If you want help finding a place your Mother has offered to help you,' the letter reads.

On March 5, the couple wrote a fourth letter saying they 'have seen no indication that you are preparing to leave'.

'Be aware that we will take any appropriate actions necessary to make sure you leave the house as demanded,' they wrote.

Their most recent letter was written on March 30, concerns Michael's car, offering him money to fix it so that it can be taken off their property.

'I feel bad for both of them, because hes not learning anything by staying at home and hes just wasting their time and money,' one neighbor said, according to WRAL.

Michael appears to be no stranger of the civil court system.

In a separate case, he claimed his rights to due process were violated in family court, but that case was thrown out in November of last year.Thousands of pages of documents released by the Las Vegas police on Wednesday painted a vivid picture of the chaos that seized the city in the moments and hours after a lone gunman opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers, with the shots coming so rapidly that some officers thought they were under a full-scale assault.

Other officers raced casino-to-casino, debunking reports of multiple shooters and false bomb threats on the Las Vegas Strip while colleagues put themselves in harm's way to protect wounded and fleeing people during the October 1 massacre that left 58 people dead and hundreds injured.

'As I was lying on top of them people were trampling over top of us trying to escape the area,' wrote one officer, identified only as M. Amburgey.

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New details: Police in Las Vegas on Wednesday released dispatch logs and additional officer reports about the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history

Some officers on the ground thought they were under a full-scale assault because the bullets were coming so rapidly from this window at the Mandalay Bay resort and casino

About 2,100 pages of police reports, witness statements and dispatch logs made public under court order shed new detail on how officers and hotel security responded to the worst massacre in modern US history.

It was the third release this month of what Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo has said could become weekly disbursements of public records sought by media outlets.

Lone gunman: The deadliest mass shooting in modern Us history was carried out by Stephen Paddock, 64, who was killed by police

'We saw people get trampled and saw many bleeding people,' wrote a woman who had been working in the VIP area of the Route 91 Harvest Festival, an open-air concert venue with 22,000 people. Witness names were blacked out, so their accounts could not be verified.

More than seven months after the attack, the documents did not answer the question of motive. Police and the FBI said they would not comment on the newly released information and that the shooting is still under investigation.

Authorities have said Stephen Paddock acted alone when he opened fire from his high-rise hotel room into the concert grounds below, and that the attack had no link to international terrorism.

One account raised more questions about when police reached Paddock's room at the Mandalay Bay resort and why they waited more than an hour to enter it.

'When we got off on the 32nd floor, we heard active shooting still going on,' said a hotel employee who said he accompanied a Las Vegas police officer.

Authorities have said gunfire stopped before police reached the 32nd floor, and that Paddock killed himself before officers reached his door.

In this Oct. 2, 2017 file photo, a woman sits on a curb at the scene of a shooting outside a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip. Tales of horror and heroism emerged Wednesday

In another report, a hairstylist told police that a client with the last name Paddock spoke in the months before the shooting about an open-air concert venue being susceptible to attack.

The stylist said she asked a woman she believed to be Paddock's girlfriend, Marilou Danley, if she knew what the client was talking about.

'She's like, "Oh, what, about somebody shooting into a crowd and, you know, wanting to hurt a lot of people?"' the stylist told police.

Authorities said Danley was in the Philippines during the shooting. While Danley had been called the only person of interest in the case, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, elected head of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said earlier this year that he did not expect criminal charges against her.

Among the tales were officers' accounts of preparing to face a large-scale attack by multiple shooters.

A patrol officer identified as A. Mitre prayed as he and his partner raced to the scene. Mitre said he wanted to run away but reminded himself, 'You have to stop the threat, you have to save them.'

'I would've bet my paycheck there was an assault team on the ground, in full tack gear and  going to overrun us at any moment,' Officer M. Bordoni wrote in his report.

Hairstylist told police that a client with the last name Paddock spoke in the months before the shooting about an open-air concert venue being susceptible to attack

Officers described crouching behind patrol vehicles on the Las Vegas Strip, unable to determine where gunfire was coming from while a vehicle window shattered and bullets hit the ground.

A rookie officer, Brady Cook, was wounded in the arm. Detective Casey Clarkson was struck in the neck.

Officer Charleston 'Charlie' Hartfield,. a 34-year-old Army veteran who attended the concert with his wife on his night off, also died in the attack.

Other officers, shielded by a block wall, reached concertgoers. An officer described trying to help a woman with blood gushing from a gunshot to her eye while a man held her head, asking for help.

Gunfire began again, the officer said, 'and I heard impacts hitting in front of me. At this point, everyone started screaming and I told everyone to move.'

Police tried to help people despite being unclear where the gunfire was coming from and facing reports of multiple shooters.

The officer met with a rushing crowd said he responded to calls about active shooters at the New York-New York casino-hotel, the Tropicana across from the concert venue, and the Paris Las Vegas. No shooters were found.

Authorities were so on edge that a woman was detained after presenting a Stratosphere security guard with a box she said was for police. Officers had a drug-sniffing dog check the package to determine it was indeed doughnuts. The woman said she was just trying to perform a 'random act of kindness.'

A list of dispatch calls offered a minute-by-minute account of witnesses' initial reports, with 911 calls beginning at 10.08pm. One operator reports being told that people were being trampled and that as many as 20 people had been shot.

Authorities say Paddock, 64, a real estate investor and high-stakes gambler, had amassed an arsenal of nearly two dozen assault-style rifles and numerous high-capacity ammunition magazines in his room where he broke the windows and fired into the crowd.

Police have not yet released 911 calls, and have said they have hundreds of hours more of witness cellphone recordings and footage from officers' body-worn cameras.Australia Post's bizarre new concept store only sells beauty and health products as well as baby formula which will be shipped to China.

The store with Chinese writing angered many after it was revealed they would not sell stamps but would focus on selling items of high demand in Asia.

The small shopfront is tucked away in Chatswood, New South Wales, and has a sign above the door stating 'Direct mail to China' in Chinese text.

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Australia Post's bizarre new concept store (pictured) is only selling beauty products which will be shipped to China along with baby formula so shoppers can make a profit

Shoppers have been slammed in recent months for buying bulk numbers of the baby formula to sell for a profit online to China, leaving local customers who need the baby formula without

Products including sippy cups, pregnancy vitamins, feminine wipes, dish washing liquid and skin care brands like Natio and Sukin stocked the shelves according to Business Insider.

Photos show sunscreen, chew-able vitamins and health products lining the shelves.

Inside the store is multiple shelves signed with of 'Baby and Maternity' formula and 'Food and Milk'.

Accompanying the highly sought after stock was a table and flat packed cardboard boxes ready for the 'Daigou' process.

Daigou, a term for international shoppers who send luxury products back to China, created controversy after they stormed supermarkets to bulk buy baby formula to resell for profit which left mothers in Australia struggling.

Pictures and videos have shown how people are targeting supermarkets and pharmacies as they stock up on the product.

Now the Australia Post concept store may be giving Chinese consumers another avenue with easier access to send it internationally.

Beneath the image, one commenter previously noted: 'It's getting sent there anyway, Australia post might as well be the ones making the profit.'

Chatswood is known to have a large Asian population, explaining why the post office carries a Chinese sign.

Shoppers have been slammed in recent months for buying bulk numbers of the baby formula to sell for a profit online to China, leaving local customers who need the baby formula without.

So enormous is the demand from China that Aptamil was forced to increase the production of its formula by 50 per cent in just three months.

Many major supermarkets have had to set a limit per customer - but crowds of Asian shoppers reportedly go through the checkout and return to buy more tins of the product.

The Chatswood store appears to be capitalising on the trend in a suburb with a significant Chinese population and community.

In the 2016 Australian census, 20.7 per cent of Chatswood's population was found to be Chinese by birth.

Many major supermarkets have had to set a limit per customer - but crowds of Asian shoppers reportedly go through the checkout and return to buy more tins of the product

The next most common countries of birth were South Korea 6.5 per cent, Hong Kong 5.3 per cent, India 3.5 per cent and Taiwan 2.8 per cent.

Reddit users have pointed out that by stocking the 'white gold' themselves, Australia Post is simply catering to a lucrative market of buyers who are looking to ship the formula overseas - with profits going straight into their pockets.

'It's a good time to be making quality baby formula,' one commenter astutely notes.

A spokesperson for Australia Post told Daily Mail Australia that the company 'plans to open a concept store this month to test customer demand for selected products to be sent to China.

'This planned store is not a post office. It will sell a limited number of lines, such as health and beauty products, in conjunction with international freight options.

'This is a limited trial and will operate in one location only.'Students were sent home with a letter from convicted Archbishop Philip Wilson

Parents are outraged after students were sent home with a letter from the most senior Roman Catholic cleric in the world to be convicted of covering up child sex abuse.

Archbishop of Adelaide Philip Wilson was convicted on Tuesday in the Newcastle Local Court, north of Sydney, of concealing the sexual abuse of two altar boys by a paedophile priest in the 1970s.

Students at Mary McKillop school in Penola took home the letter to parents which asked recipients to 'pray' for him after being found guilty.

Mary McKillop school pupils took home the letter (pictured) to parents from Wilson

A mother, who wishes to remain nameless, told News.com.au said she was 'disgusted' by the note and found it concerning that it was sent home with children.

'All other parents I've talked to are appalled at the lack of remorse, and lack of empathy towards the victims,' she said.

After explaining the 'great' things his work had achieved, the end of the note said: 'Please continue to pray for me.'

The Director of Catholic Education SA, Dr Neil McGoran, told Newscorp that the letter was sent purely to inform the catholic community about the archbishop's decision.

'The purpose of the pastoral letter from Archbishop Wilson to communities, including school communities, was to inform them of his decision to step aside and to reassure them that the essential pastoral aspects of the life of the Archdiocese of Adelaide would continue,' Mr McGoran said.New South Wales Labor leader Luke Foley has apologised for his 'white flight' comments.

Mr Foley had previously said white families have been forced out of south-west Sydney suburbs due to mass immigration, and that he was particularly concerned about the area taking in a disproportionate number of refugees.

'I'm saying, what about that middle ring of suburbs that have experienced, if anything, just a slow decline. In terms of employment, in terms of white flight - where many Anglo families have moved out?,' he told the Daily Telegraph.

New South Wales Labor leader Luke Foley has apologised for his 'white flight' comments

Mr Foley had previously said white families have been forced out of south-west Sydney suburbs due to mass immigration (Pictured: Members of Sydney's Muslim community celebrate Eid with morning prayers at Lakemba Mosque)

He apologised for the 'white flight' comments, telling Ten News 'he won't use that term again'.

'Some people find it offensive, so I apologise. I want the entire focus to be on growing jobs and building better schools and TAFEs in these suburbs,' Mr Foley said.

'I meant no offence, but some people have told me today that they find the term pretty unpalatable, so I certainly won't use it again, and I apologise.'

He said he used the term 'white flight' to refer to an international phenomenon where residents leave communities and new residents move in.

'These people know I stand for greater opportunities for them. I've been a champion of taking the Syrian and Iraqi refugees.'

Mr Foley said new immigrants to Australia needed support for their children to learn English, as well as opportunities to seek employment.

Fairfield and the surrounding area in Sydney's south-west is home to more than 200,000 people, many from non-English speaking backgrounds.

In January, it was announced that at least half of the 12,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees coming to Australia will be settled in Fairfield City Council.

Iraqi-born residents make up more than a third of the recent arrivals, which is more than 10 times the Sydney average of three per cent.An Australian grandmother has been sentenced to death by hanging in Malaysia on drug smuggling charges, but says she was duped into it by an online boyfriend.

Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto, 54, from Sydney, was caught with methamphetamine in her bag as she caught a connecting flight to Melbourne in 2014.

The grandmother and mother-of-four told officials she was on her way back from Shangahi where she met a U.S. serviceman with whom she had an online romance.

She claims she was asked to carry a bag full of clothes, but was unaware it also contained 1.5kg of crystal meth.

Exposto was initially found cleared of any wrongdoing but on Thursday an appeals court overturned the verdict and sentenced her to death.

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Australian grandmother Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto (white shirt) has been sentenced to death in Malaysia on drug smuggling charges

The mother-of-four was caught with 1.5kg of crystal meth in her bag in an Malaysian airport

Exposto was initially found cleared of any wrongdoing but on Thrsday an appeals court overturned the verdict and sentenced her to death

Exposto's lawyer, Tania Scivetti, said a three-member appeals court 'found there was merit' in the prosecution's appeal, though it didn't say on what grounds. She said Exposto was shocked but calm.

'It's disappointing as there was clear evidence that she was the victim of an Internet romance scam. She was a drug mule,' Scivetti said, adding that they have appealed to Malaysia's top court.

Malaysia has a mandatory death sentence for anyone found guilty of carrying more than 50g of a prohibited drug.

The prosecution in the appeal argued Exposto had been wilfully blind, that her defence was made up and she had engaged in a 'sly game'.

Shafee responded, telling the court that Exposto was an innocent carrier hoodwinked by an internet romance scam.

After her acquittal in December last year, Scivetti said Exposto was immediately arrested by immigration officials as her visa has expired. Following the prosecution's appeal, she remained in custody because she couldn't afford to pay bail.

Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto, 54, has been sentenced to death by hanging

The grandmother and mother-of-four told officials she was on her way back from Shangahi where she met a U.S. serviceman with whom she had an online romance

Australian grandmother Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto pictured in court in 2017

Exposto was handcuffed in court where she was consoled by her lawyers and Australian Embassy officials after the verdict.

She had claimed she was the victim of a set-up after she was found with the drugs in her bag after arriving on a flight from China in 2014.

Exposto's lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, told her Thursday's sentencing was a temporary setback and 'you will win and you will walk away' following a further appeal.

He said a new appeal will be lodged in the Federal Court on Friday.

'It's the most shocking decision ever,' Shafee said.

Australian Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto arrives at the magistrates court in Sepang, near Kuala Lumpur on January 23, 2015

She had claimed she was the victim of a set-up after she was found with the drugs in her bag after arriving on a flight from China in 2014 (she is pictured in 2015)

She claims she was asked to carry a bag full of clothes, but was unaware it also contained 1.5kg of crystal meth

'It's a perverse judgment, no reasons were provided. The High Court judge examined every detail in the evidence and in today's decision they simply reversed the decision without reason and sentenced her to death.'

He also said there remains the prospect that the case could become politicised given the return of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad to the helm of Malaysian politics.

Relations between Australia and Malaysia soured under Mahathir amid the hanging of Australian drug runners Kevin Barlow and Brian Chambers in 1986.

'That's a danger because Mahathir still holds a peculiar view of Australia,' Shafee said.

In a statement on Thursday evening Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said 'Australia opposes the death penalty in all circumstances for all people'.

She said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade would continue to provide full consular assistance to Ms Exposto in Malaysia following the overturning of her acquittal and imposition of the death sentence.

Australian national Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto (white shirt) is escorted by Malaysian customs officials as she arrives at the Magistrate Court in Sepang on April 30, 2015Jeremy Corbyn was accused of snubbing IRA victims today as he made his first visit to Belfast since becoming Labour leader.

Mr Corbyn used his trip to call for a customs union with the EU and insist that the Good Friday Agreement must not be put at risk.

But the intervention was overshadowed after he made clear that he still backs Irish unification - forcing him to promise that he would not push through a referendum on breaking up the UK if he becomes PM.

The DUP also claimed he had failed to respond to an invite to meet those who had been injured and lost relatives at the hands of Republican terrorists.

Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell sent an invite to Mr Corbyn to meet families of IRA victims ten days ago but was ignored by the Labour leader's office.

Meanwhile, one of Mr Corbyn's own MPs launched a searing attack on his track record on Northern Ireland today - saying he had campaigned for an IRA 'victory'.

Mr Corbyn insisted he was not 'advocating' the break-up of the UK as he made his first visit to Belfast since becoming leader today

In 1984, a decade before the first IRA ceasefire, he met with Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams in London and, a year later, he opposed the Anglo-Irish Agreement saying it strengthened rather than weakened the border

In a speech at Queen's University, Mr Corbyn insisted he was not 'advocating' the break-up of the UK.

Corbyn claims he has a Commons majority for his customs union plan Jeremy Corbyn claimed today there is a majority in the Commons for his plan of keeping a customs union with the EU after Brexit. Recreating similar arrangements on cross border trade would likely allow existing business ties to continue unchanged - but would also probably block Britain's ability to strike new trade deals. The Labour leader insisted the Brexiteer vision was a 'pipe dream'. Speaking in Belfast he said: 'Labour will not support any Brexit deal that includes the return of a hard border to this island. But we are also clear there must be no border created in the Irish Sea either. 'That is why Labour has put forward a plan that would go a long way to solving this issue, a plan for which I believe there is a majority in Westminster.' Advertisement

Asked whether he would want a referendum on Irish unification if he became PM, Mr Corbyn said: 'That would be a decision that could be made within the terms of the Good Friday agreement.

'If that is the wish, then clearly such a poll would happen. I'm not asking for it, I'm not advocating it.

'What I'm asking for is a return to the fullness of the Good Friday agreement which would open up the opportunities and possibilities for the future of Ireland as whole.'

Demanding the government keeps Britain in the EU customs union after Brexit, Mr Corbyn said: 'Opposition to the idea of bringing back a hard border to this land isn't just about avoiding paperwork or tariffs, it's about deep-rooted cultural and community ties.

'An open border is a symbol of peace, two communities living and working together after years of conflict, communities who no longer feel that their traditions are under threat.'

Unionists have long been suspicious of Mr Corbyn because of his Republican sympathies.

The veteran left-winger invited two IRA members to parliament just weeks after the Brighton Bombing in 1984.

In a speech at Queen's University (left), Mr Corbyn said there was 'deep rooted' opposition to a hard Irish border. DUP MP Gregory Campbell (right) accused him of snubbing an invite to a meeting with IRA victims

Ahead of his visit, a spokesman for Mr Corbyn said: 'He over the years made his position clear that the majority of of those people across the island of Ireland wanted to see a united Ireland, but in the context of the Good Friday Agreement that can only come about through the constitutional process.'

Labour MP accuses Jeremy Corbyn of wanting IRA 'victory' in Northern Ireland Labour backbencher Ian Austin A Labour MP launched a searing attack on Jeremy Corbyn's track record on Northern Ireland today - accusing him of campaigning for an IRA 'victory'. In an article on the PoliticsHome site, Ian Austin condemned Mr Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell for having views on Northern Ireland that were 'completely outside the mainstream of the Labour Party'. 'It might be ancient history for lots of the party's new young recruits, but lots of older people will never forget what they said about the IRA during a brutal war which saw bombs planted and people murdered in shopping centres, hotels and pubs,' he wrote. 'A few weeks after the IRA blew up the Grand Hotel in Brighton and murdered five people at the Tory party conference in 1984, Jeremy Corbyn invited two suspected IRA terrorists to the House of Commons. When the man responsible for planting the bomb was put on trial, he demonstrated outside the court. 'As recently as 2003, John McDonnell said 'those people involved in the armed struggle' should be honoured - people who he said had used 'bombs and bullets'. 'Let's be really clear about this. It is not true to claim as John McDonnell does, that he did 'everything I possibly could to secure the peace process in Northern Ireland'. 'It is just not true. People like him and Jeremy Corbyn were campaigning for a victory for the Republican cause, not working for a peaceful agreement between the two bitterly divided sides.' Advertisement

The spokesman insisted the Labour leader endorsed the mechanism in the Good Friday Agreement for triggering a referendum on breaking up the UK - and believed there was a majority for unification.

The DUP accused Mr Corbyn of refusing to meet the victims of IRA terrorism during his visit today.

Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell said he invited the Labour leader to sit down with some of those bereaved and injured 10 days ago, but received no reply.

'Unfortunately having emailed the invitation on the morning of 14 May, hand delivered that invitation and personally invited him in a face to face interaction yesterday, I am still without any substantive reply,' he said.

'Yesterday afternoon Mr Corbyn's office emailed me asking for my direct number. I supplied it but I have never received a call. This appears to be a blatant and deliberate snub to innocent victims.'

Labour sources insisted the arrangements for Mr Corbyn's trip had been in place for 'weeks' and the meeting could not be fitted in at a 'late stage'.

In an article on the PoliticsHome site, Labour MP Ian Austin condemned Mr Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell for having views on Northern Ireland that were 'completely outside the mainstream of the Labour Party'.

'It might be ancient history for lots of the party's new young recruits, but lots of older people will never forget what they said about the IRA during a brutal war which saw bombs planted and people murdered in shopping centres, hotels and pubs,' he wrote.

'A few weeks after the IRA blew up the Grand Hotel in Brighton and murdered five people at the Tory party conference in 1984, Jeremy Corbyn invited two suspected IRA terrorists to the House of Commons. When the man responsible for planting the bomb was put on trial, he demonstrated outside the court.

'As recently as 2003, John McDonnell said 'those people involved in the armed struggle' should be honoured - people who he said had used 'bombs and bullets'.

'Let's be really clear about this. It is not true to claim as John McDonnell does, that he did 'everything I possibly could to secure the peace process in Northern Ireland'.

'It is just not true. People like him and Jeremy Corbyn were campaigning for a victory for the Republican cause, not working for a peaceful agreement between the two bitterly divided sides.'

Recent polls suggest support for unification in Northern Ireland is running at just 21 per cent.

A referendum on unification requires a majority in both the Republic and Northern Ireland, not just across the entire Island of Ireland.

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured in Belfast today) still backs a united Ireland and believes the idea is supported across the island

It could only be triggered by the Northern Ireland Secretary in London - and only then if there is widespread support for the poll, likely to be demonstrated by a resolution of the Northern Ireland Executive.

Mr Corbyn is due to speak at to speak at Queen's University in Belfast, where the IRA gunned down 29-year-old law lecturer Edgar Graham in 1983.

He has been challenged by the DUP to use the visit to condemn Irish Republicans - the political wing of which he was a rare supporter of in Westminster during the Troubles.

Mr Corbyn said last year he 'never supported the IRA', but as a backbencher he was close to Sinn Fein throughout the Troubles and shared platforms with convicted terrorists.

The Labour leader will suggest that Tory Brexit plans are a threat to the current peace.

Conservative Party deputy chairman James Cleverly said this week that he believed Mr Corbyn's planned Queen's University visit showed a 'deep lack of respect'.

'It's deeply concerning that Jeremy Corbyn is considering showing up where Edgar Graham was killed by the IRA,' the Conservative MP told the Mail on Sunday.

'It shows a callousness and deep lack of respect.

'Corbyn gave cover to the IRA while they were bombing and shooting our citizens.'

Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, a united Ireland can only be brought about with the majority consent of people in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Mr Corbyn's spokesman said that during his visit he would seek to 'engage with all communities and people across Northern Ireland' on both the peace process and Brexit, as well as 'the need for a transformation of the economy in Northern Ireland as in the rest of the UK in a way that works for all communities'.A dog walker who left a client's pet to die in a sweltering hot car for six hours while she boarded a cruise has withdrawn her appeal against the animal cruelty charge conviction recorded against her.

Mother-of-two Katarzyna Rynas, from Sydney, was fined $3000 and ordered to pay the owners of a four-year-old keeshond another $3000 in compensation after she pleaded guilty to animal cruelty, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Her lawyer told Downing Centre District Court on Friday he was instructed to withdraw an appeal hearing listed for next month, according to the publication.

Four-year-old keeshond Beau died after he was locked in a dog walker's car for six-and-a-half hours last December

Lilly Miljkovic, pictured with Beau, wrote a heartbreaking social media post at the time of her beloved dog's death

The court had previously heard that Rynas, 46, 'forgot' that she had left Lilly Miljkovic and Rod James' beloved keeshond Beau locked in her work car when she boarded a cruise to Vanuatu.

Magistrate Jacqueline Milledge described Rynas' actions as a case of 'extreme neglect', The Daily Telegraph reported.

NSW Police said at the time Beau was believed to be in the pet minder's car for six-and-a-half hours before being found on Old South Head Road in Rose Bay in Sydney's eastern suburbs last December.

Glenn Herne smashed the car window in a failed attempt to save the animal.

'He was rigid and still as a plank. His fur came out in my hand when I lifted him up. He was falling apart. The car was very small, warm and smelly so I put him on the grass,' Mr Herne told 9 News at the time.

An inconsolable Ms Miljkovic posted a heartbreaking social media post at the time of Beau's death.

Beau was locked in a car (pictured) for six-and-a-half hours in Sydney's eastern suburbs before a passer-by smashed the car window in a failed attempt to save the dog

'He was pure love and joy not only to us as his parents but those that he crossed paths with on his daily adventures. One of my most treasured memories is of a little girl so mesmerised by him saying 'Mummy look!! The doggy is a real floating cloud,' she wrote.

'Please share this post, Beau is not a statistic nor a stock shot but our cherished boy and we don't want his death to be in vain. To our Best Boy...you have left a void that is just too much to bear...mumma and daddy love you so much.'

Beau's death prompted police to put out an urgent warning against leaving pets in cars.

'He was pure love and joy not only to us as his parents but those that he crossed paths with on his daily adventures,' Lilly Miljkovic posted . She's pictured with partner Rod James and their beloved pooch Beau

It also sparked a Change.org petition to ensure acts of animal cruelty and neglect that cause the death of any animal in New South Wales incur a mandatory jail sentence.

Titled Beau's Law, it has since attracted more than 20,500 signatures.

'We also need to have a pet abuse registry to ensure animal abusers are never allowed to own pets again,' the petition states.A young woman claims she 'feels like she is living in a foreign country' after an influx of refugees from Syria and Iraq were housed in her home suburb.

Jasmin, 22, told Daily Mail Australia she has lived in and around Fairfield, in Sydney's south west, all of her life but she is beginning to feel like she is the foreigner.

'I think we should just send them all back to their own country.

Jasmin, 22, told Daily Mail Australia she has lived in and around Fairfield, in Sydney's south west all her life but she is beginning to feel like she is the foreigner

This comes after NSW Labor leader Luke Foley blamed the 'white flight' in the suburb on the influx of refugees from Syria and Iraq

More shops have popped up in town offering Halal options - and sporting Arabic writing

'It is so f***ing s**t I feel like I don't live in Sydney anymore - everyone just speaks Arabic, it feels like I have moved to Afghanistan.'

Jasmin, who requested her surname not to be published, spoke out after NSW Opposition leader Luke Foley claimed the influx of 6,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq was leading to 'white flight' from the area.

'I'm saying, what about that middle ring of suburbs that have experienced, if anything, just a slow decline. In terms of employment, in terms of white flight - where many Anglo families have moved out?'

Mr Foley added: 'I'm not prepared to see the people of those suburbs denied opportunities that are taken for granted elsewhere.'

An Iraqi shop assistant, who didn't want to be named for fear of losing his job, agreed the area was becoming a hot-bed for Middle Eastern refugees.

'You can't get a job in here unless you speak Arabic - because 90 percent of our customers only speak Arabic - it is getting too much.'

Jasmin, left, said the Foley government should send the foreigners in her town back to their own countries

Wasan, pictured holding a holy book cover and a coffee set, has been in Australia for four years - she came from Iraq and got a job in retail because of her bi-lingual skills - she speaks English and Arabic

Shops offering 22 carat gold in traditional Middle-Eastern styles have also popped up in town

A sign of the main street where Arabic writing and English writing work side by side

The man has been in Australia for four years after leaving his own war-torn country.

'It honestly isn't right - most people here now are from Iraq or Syria,' he said.

Another man, Neville Stephenson, an 83-year-old from the Fairfield council area said he avoids going into the city's main street and shopping district.

'It is too crowded - and I am really worried the area will be the slums of tomorrow.

Neville Stephenson, an 83-year-old from the Fairfield council area said he fears the area will become the slums of tomorrow following the influx of refugees

'It is too crowded - and I am really worried the area will be the slums of tomorrow,' a man said

'It is turning into a Middle-Eastern enclave and it feels like we have been targeted by them - so now they all want to come here,' a local man said

'It is turning into a Middle-Eastern enclave and it feels like we have been targeted by them - so now they all want to come here,' he said.

Some of the older Syrian, Iraqi and Iranian men meet every morning to play cards and dominoes in the main street.

They revealed how they escaped their damaged countries to find 'bliss' in Australia.

Adam Sorayan, 88, has been in Australia for one year and one month, he was 'forced out of Iraq for being a Christian'.

'It was dangerous and there was nothing but trouble for me because I wasn't a Muslim,' he said.

Some of the older Syrian, Iraqi and Iranian men meet every morning to play cards and dominos in the main street

Two women look at the fruit and vegetables on sale in the Fairfield CBD

Adam Sorayan, 88, has been in Australia for one year and one month, he was 'forced out of Iraq for being a Christian'

'I lived there for 86 years and I miss it - but I love Australia. It is beautiful and it is safe and I have made a lot of friends here,' he said.

Samuel Aziz is of Syrian background but grew up in Iran and has lived in Australia for five years - coming here as a refugee.

He spends his days watching the other men play games in the main street.

'I don't like to play because they all bet and I don't like gambling but I watch and I translate for them. There are people from Syria and Iraq and Iran and more and more coming every day.

'Some of them work, but others are like me and too old,' he said.

Samuel Aziz is of Syrian background but grew up in Iran - he has lived in Australia for five years - coming here as a refugee

Sometimes the men play for fun - other times they bet groceries or money

This man, from Greece, is proud to be an Australian - and has lived here for 50 years

An Australia-born woman, known as Olga, doesn't mind the growing numbers of Syrian and Iraqi refugees in her suburb.

'They have to go somewhere - and I don't think it is just happeneing here - it is happening right across Australia,' she said.

She speaks Arabic because her late husband was Lebanese so says the 'language barrier' doesn't effect her like it would other Australians.

Foley has since apologised for using the term 'white flight' but stands by his belief that more preparations need to be made so similar suburbs can cope with an influx of refugees.

An Australia-born woman, known as Olga, doesn't mind the growing numbers of Syrian and Iraqi refugees in her suburb

'They have to go somewhere - and I don't think it is just happeneing here - it is happening right across Australia,' a woman saidSeveral prominent monks and worshippers have been snared during a police operation to crackdown on illegal financial dealings in Buddhist temples.

Thai police made the arrests after raiding four temples today, in the year's biggest such operation, as part of the military government's latest bid to reform Buddhism.

While more than 90 per cent of Thailand's population of 69 million follows Buddhism, its image has been tarnished by money and sex scandals involving monks.

Thai Buddhist monk Phra Buddha Issara, centre, is escorted by police officers at the Criminal Court in Bangkok, Thailand on May 24

Phra Buddha Issara, a Thai Buddhist monk, was one of the core leaders of anti-government protesters against the government of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in 2013-14

Phra Buddha Issara, 62, is an activist monk who led street protests in 2014 and launched a campaign to clean up Buddhism, but gained enemies

'This is the investigation stage... it will all come down to facts and evidence,' police official Thitiraj Nhongharnpitak, of the Central Investigation Bureau, which is investigating the monks, told reporters.

More than 100 police commandos raided four temples in Bangkok, the capital, and the adjacent central province of Nakhon Pathom, early today.

Among those arrested was Phra Buddha Issara, 62, an activist monk who led street protests in 2014 and launched a campaign to clean up Buddhism, but gained enemies by publicly naming other religious leaders he accused of wrongdoing.

He was held over a robbery alleged to have been committed during the anti-government protest in 2014, police said.

Other Buddhist monks being taken to the crime suppression division for questioning in Bangkok on May 24, following police raids of four temples in Thailand

Thai police escort Buddhist monks Phra Promdilok (left), the abbot of Sam Praya temple and Phra Attakitsophon (right) out of the crime suppression division after questioning in Bangkok

Phra Phrom Dilok, 72, a member of the Sangha Supreme Council, which governs Buddhist monks in Thailand, was arrested over alleged embezzlement of temple funds, they added.

Two other senior monks, Phra Sri Khunaporn and Phra Wichit Thammaporn, both assistant abbots of Bangkok's Golden Mount temple, were also arrested over alleged embezzlement.

A representative for Buddha Issara, who declined to be identified, expressed concern.

'We are concerned because we do not know what Phra Buddha Issara is being charged with,' he told Reuters.

Representatives of the other three monks did not immediately respond to Reuters' telephone calls to seek comment.

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said the arrests were about getting to the bottom of the allegations.

'This is part of the investigation,' Prawit said.

Thailand's temples, which earn billions of dollars every year from donations, have been embroiled in scandals ranging from murder, sex and drugs to shady financial dealings.

Under pressure from the junta, Thailand's body of Buddhist monks has been trying to clean up its own act since last year, by enforcing tougher discipline for more than 300,000 monks.

The military took power in a 2014 coup it said was needed to restore order after months of anti-government protests, and has promised to hold elections next year, despite postponing the date several times.

Buddhist monks are highly respected in Thailand and taking action against them was historically considered taboo.

But recent scandals have forced authorities to rethink how they handle allegations against Buddhist religious leaders.A former Bandidos bikie enforcer has been savagely bashed with the seat of an exercise bike by a group of inmates in a high security Queensland prison.

Jacques Teamo, 48, was beaten by up to seven prisoners and had to be taken to Princess Alexandria Hospital in Brisbane on Monday after being assessed by medical staff.

It is understood Mongol bikie members were involved in the bashing with the jail housing both rival bikie gangs.

Jacques Teamo, 48, was beaten by up to seven individuals and had to be taken to Princess Alexandria Hospital in Brisbane on Monday

It is understood Mongol bikie members were involved in the bashing with the jail housing both rival bikie gangs

'The prisoner was assessed by medical staff at the centre before being transferred for further treatment,' a spokesman told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

Teamo is being held at the jail after allegedly assaulting a 29-year-old man at the Pacific Fair Shopping Centre on the Gold Coast earlier this month.

In 2012 at Robina Town Centre, also on the Gold Coast, Teamo was shot by Mark James Graham, a member of the Mongols motorcycle club who was sentenced to 12 years and three months in prison.

Teamo was later expelled from the Bandidos and club members were reportedly given a 'shoot on sight' order.

Club members were apparently furious over the Robina shooting and over a brawl in Broadbeach that Teamo had allegedly been involved with.

While the matter is still under investigation, it is understood no one has been charged.Russia has accused Britain of holding Yulia Skripal prisoner and forcing her to read a prepared statement after the spy's daughter spoke out for the first time since being poisoned with military-grade nerve agent in Salisbury.

Speaking about Yulia's video statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today: 'We have no reason to trust or believe in this.

'As before, we don't know what sort of condition Yulia Skripal is in, we don't know whether she made this statement of her own free will or whether she was pressured.'

The Russian embassy in London said it was 'glad to have seen Yulia alive and well' but has 'concerns as to the conditions in which she is being held.'

Diplomats repeated their demand to be allowed to see Yulia 'to make sure that she is not being held against her will and is not speaking under pressure.'

'So far, we have every reason to suspect the opposite', the statement concluded.

Scroll down for video

Yulia Skripal, the daughter of Russian double-agent Sergei who was poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent in Salisbury, spoke out for the first time since the attack on Wednesday

Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said of Yulia's statement on Thursday: 'We have no reason to trust or believe this'

Russia claimed that Yulia is being held against her will in Britain and that she was forced to read a prepared statement denouncing her homeland

In Russia, the country's staunchly pro-Kremlin media also spun the narrative that Yulia was being forced to denounce her homeland.

Yulia spoke to Reuters from an undisclosed location in London because she is still under the protection of the British state, with footage of the interview released on Wednesday.

Bearing the scar of an emergency tracheotomy on her neck, the 33-year-old said she was 'lucky to be alive' following what she described as an 'assassination attempt'.

But she declined to point the finger of blame directly at the Kremlin, despite the fact that the UK and its allies have said they hold Russia responsible.

Yulia spoke in Russian during the interview and subsequently signed two handwritten copies of her statement, one in Russian and one in English, to affirm that the words were her own.

But Russia claims that words had been put in her mouth.

In a statement released by the country's UK embassy, diplomats said: 'Obviously, Yulia was reading a pre-written text.

'More than that, judging by quite a few elements, the text was a translation from English and had been initially written by a native English-speaker.

'The handwritten letters signed by Yulia in Russian and English confirm this impression.

'With all respect for Yulia's privacy and security, this video does not discharge the UK authorities from their obligations under Consular Conventions.

'The UK is obliged to give us the opportunity to speak to Yulia directly.'

During her speech, Yulia said that she was 'grateful for the offers of assistance from the Russian Embassy' before adding 'at the moment I do not wish to avail myself of their services.'

'Also, I want to reiterate what I said in my earlier statement, that no one speaks for me, or for my father but ourselves,' she added.

Putin's spokesman Peskov claimed that Yulia may have been put under pressure by the British in her video statement.

'We cannot be completely sure about her condition, whether there is any pressure on her, whether she made the statements of her own free will,' said Dmitry Peskov.

Russia's pro-Kremlin media also spun the narrative that Yulia was speaking against her will. Political expert Igor Shatrov (left) said the video was a 'new act' in a provocation against Russia, while chemical weapons expert Igor Nikulin (right) was quoted saying that no-one has previously been seen looking so good after a chemical weapons attack

Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian parliament, said Yulia's video recording left 'a host of unanswered questions'

Despite the poisoning, Yulia Skripal says she wants to return to her country', detailing the harrowing attack in a hand written letter. 'The fact that a nerve agent was used to do this is shocking,' Skripal said. 'My life has been turned upside down'

Yulia spoke in Russian during her interview and signed two copies of her statement, one in Russian and one in English, to certify that the words were her own. But Russia said her statement appeared to have been written by a native English speaker before being translated

He complained: 'Until now, the UK side has not complied with the Vienna Convention.

'Up to this point, Russia has not been provided with consular access to Yulia Skripal.'

He said that despite the broadcast there had been no live interviews with her.

The Kremlin found it impossible to know if what she said 'can be reliable and trusted'.

He alleged: 'It is all happening amidst gigantic provocation from the British side, which does not have any comparisons in the world.'

In Russia, newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda cited political expert Igor Shatrov said the video was a 'new act' in a provocation against Russia choreographed by Britain.

Magnitsky amendment Britain will be able to impose sanctions on people who commit gross human rights violations under a so-called 'Magnitsky amendment' backed by members of parliament on Tuesday. The amendment to a new Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill going through parliament passed without a vote as it was backed both by the ruling Conservatives and the main opposition Labour Party. Lawmakers referred to it during their debate as the Magnitsky amendment, in reference to Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who was arrested in 2008 after alleging that Russian officials were involved in large-scale tax fraud. He died in a Moscow prison in 2009 after complaining of mistreatment. Advertisement

'Who wrote the text? Did she? Or MI6? In my opinion, Yulia was forced to make tougher statements about Russia,' he said.

'It is obvious that the young woman is scared for her life - and the life of her father.

'But who is the source of this threat?

'It seems to me, it is those who are in charge of her now.'

Chemical weapons expert Igor Nikulin was quoted saying that no-one has been seen previously having looking so good after a chemical weapons attack.

'I have never seen anybody who survived after poisoning with such a gas,' he said.

'But we have to admit, she does look well.

'I suppose, serious professional experts have been working with her.

'And a lot is possible in two months.

'I am more confused that it was not her press conference (rather than a video statement).

'It makes us think that (the British) are hiding something from us.

'Maybe they are afraid that Yulia may say something they don't want.'

Psychologist Anatoly German claimed Yulia was reading words that had been penned for her.

'Yulia looks determined but lost, like a schoolgirl who learned a poem by heart, and was called to the blackboard in the classroom to recite it without mistake,' he said.

'She wrinkles her forehead, she looks aside very often.

'She must say this text up the end but it won't give her satisfaction, maybe just some relief. Like  'well, I've said that now'.

'The whole text and her monotone intonation tell us that it was not an improvisation but something that was repeated before and probably was 'improved' during these rehearsals.

Yulia and her father Sergei Skripal, a former colonel in Russian military intelligence who betrayed dozens of agents to Britains MI6 foreign spy service, were found unconscious on a public bench in the British city of Salisbury on March 4

Mr Skripal, recruited by British spies while in Spain, ended up in Britain after a Cold War-style spy swap that brought 10 Russian spies captured in the United States back to Moscow in exchange for those accused by Moscow of spying for the West

'There are almost no word combinations and sayings that naturally come out in a normal speech and reveal the personality.

'Of course, some things can be explained by the nervousness of the young woman - some mechanical-looking gestures, her monotone voice.

'But there is a feeling that this text is artificial, non-personalised, written and edited by other people.'

He concluded: 'Watching this video, we cannot say that at this very moment Yulia is very scared.

'But obviously she is suffering from the consequences of her stress.

'Reading her face we see that she is stunned and not sure of herself.'

Surgeon Sergey Goryachev identified the mark on her neck as evidence of a tracheotomy.

It indicated that Yulia and her father breathed in a 'strong neuro-paralytic substance (and) most likely they had throat spasms'.

Prominent Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian parliament, said Yulia's video recording left 'a host of unanswered questions'.

The pro-Kremlin politician said Russia was 'glad to see that Yulia is alive and well' and that Moscow was 'ready to render all necessary assistance for her to return home'

However hen added: 'I still believe that a full and independent investigation is needed into the United Kingdom's illegal actions against Russia over the Skripal case.'

He alleged: 'The video address might as well be staged with an aim to conceal the truth about the March 4 incident in Salisbury.

'That's why the Russian diplomatic mission's demands to meet with Yulia are rightful and justified.'

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday night that he thought Yulia Skripal was speaking under duress.

'We have not seen her or heard from her,' he said when asked to comment on the story.

Russia's ambassador in London, Alexander Yakovenko, has repeatedly demanded to see Yulia, who was a Russian citizen when she was poisoned.

'As I try to come to terms with the devastating changes thrust upon me both physically and emotionally, I take one day at a time and want to help care for my Dad till his full recovery. In the longer term I hope to return home to my country' Yulia said

A two inch scar was visible across her windpipe as she spoke - thought to be from an emergency tracheotomy performed by paramedics battling to save her life

Detailing the harrowing attack her hand written letter, Miss Skripal said: 'The fact that a nerve agent was used to do this is shocking. My life has been turned upside down.'

Despite the poisoning, Miss Skripal said she wants to return to her home country some day.

Miss Skripal's appearance comes just days after Russian president Vladimir Putin taunted Mr Skripal following his release from hospital, remarking he would have 'died on the spot' had he been attacked with a military-grade toxin.

Putin wished Mr Skripal 'good health' during a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week.

But he added: 'God grant him good health... If a military-grade poison had been used, the man would have died on the spot. Thank God he recovered and that he left (hospital).'

Mystery surrounds the attack. The motive is unclear, as is the logic of using such an exotic nerve agent which has overt links to Russia's Soviet past

Sergei, thought to be the main target of the attack, is a former colonel in Russian military intelligence who betrayed dozens of agents to MI6.

'We are so lucky to have both survived this attempted assassination. Our recovery has been slow and extremely painful,' she said in her written English statement.

'As I try to come to terms with the devastating changes thrust upon me both physically and emotionally, I take one day at a time and want to help care for my Dad till his full recovery. In the longer term I hope to return home to my country.'

Prime Minister Theresa May said the Skripals were poisoned with Novichok, a deadly group of nerve agents developed by the Soviet military in the 1970s and 1980s. May, along with many other world leaders, blame Russia for the poisoning.

It was the first known use of a military-grade nerve agent on European soil since World War Two. Allies in Europe and the United States sided with May's view and ordered the biggest expulsion of Russian diplomats since the height of the Cold War.

Russia retaliated by expelling Western diplomats. Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement and accused the British intelligence agencies of staging the attack to stoke anti-Russian hysteria.

Mystery surrounds the attack. The motive is unclear, as is the logic of using such an exotic nerve agent which has overt links to Russia's Soviet past.

Russian officials question why Russia would want to attack an ageing turncoat who was pardoned and swapped in a Kremlin-approved 2010 spy swap.

'I don't want to describe the details but the clinical treatment was invasive, painful and depressing,' she said in Russian.

Yulia's father was discharged from hospital on May 18. At one point doctors feared both patients could have suffered brain damage. He is no longer in a critical condition, Salisbury hospital said.

Miss Skripal was speaking from a secret location in London as she is under the protection of the British state. She was discharged from Salisbury District Hospital about five weeks after the poisoning and has not been seen by the media until now

Miss Skripal spoke in Russian and supplied a statement that she said she had written herself in both Russian and English. She signed both documents after making her statement

Born as a citizen of a superpower, Yulia grew up as the Soviet Union crumbled and then in the chaos that followed its 1991 collapse.

Her Facebook page says she started studying at Moscow's School No. 63 in 1991 before gaining admission to Moscow State Humanities University in 2001, a year after Putin was first elected as Russian president.

In December 2004, her father was arrested by Federal Security Service agents on suspicion of treason: passing secrets to Britain's MI6 intelligence agency.

Miss Skripal, recruited by British spies while in Spain, ended up in Britain after a Cold War-style spy swap that brought 10 Russian spies captured in the United States back to Moscow in exchange for those accused by Moscow of spying for the West.

Yulia arrived in Britain from Russia at London's Heathrow Airport at about 1440 GMT on March 3 on one of her regular visits to her father. The pair were found unconscious a day later.

'I am grateful to all of the wonderful, kind staff at Salisbury hospital, a place I have become all too familiar with. I also think fondly of those who helped us on the street on the day of the attack.'

Yulia Skripal full press statement Yulia Skripal says she wants to return to her country 'in the longer term', despite the poisoning Good day, my name is Yulia Skripal. I came to the UK on March 3rd to visit my father, something I have done before. After 20 days in a coma, I woke to the news that we may have been poisoned. I still find it difficult to come to terms with the fact that both of us were attacked in a such a way. The fact that a nerve agent was used to do this is shocking. We are so lucky to have both survived this attempted assassination. I don't want to describe the details but the clinical treatment was invasive, painful and depressing. Our recovery has been slow and extremely painful. I am grateful to all of the wonderful, kind staff at Salisbury hospital, a place I have become all too familiar with. I also think fondly of those who helped us on the street on the day of the attack. I was discharged from hospital on April 9th and continue to progress with treatment but my life has been turned upside down. As I try to come to terms with the devastating changes thrust upon me both physically and emotionally, I take one day at a time and want to help care for my father until his full recovery. In the longer term I hope to return home to my country. I wish to address a couple of issues directly and have chosen to interrupt my rehabilitation to make this short statement. I ask that everyone respects the privacy of me and my father. We need time to recover and come to terms with everything that has happened. I'm grateful for the offers of assistance from the Russian Embassy but at the moment I do not wish to avail myself of their services. Also, I want to reiterate what I said in my earlier statement: that no one speaks for me, or for my father, but ourselves. I would like to thank again everyone involved in my continued care, in this difficult period of my life. My priority remains on my recovery and my father's health. Thank you for your attention. Advertisement

Yulia Skripal's family welcomes her video appearance as proof she is 'alive' - by Will Stewart in Moscow Yulia Skripal's family tonight welcomed her video appearance as proof she is 'alive'. Her cousin Viktoria, 45, who has been twice refused entry to Britain to meet Yulia, 33, and her father Sergei, 66, said: 'The whole family was incredibly happy to see the video as it least it confirms that she is alive. 'This alone is such a joy.' The family had expressed fears - because she had not been seen since early March - that she and her father were dead. 'The main message for us was that she did say she wanted to be back home, back to Russia,' said Viktoria. 'I'm having so many calls from all over the world that I didn't even have time to watch it properly and discuss the video from the family until you sent me the file I saw Yulia. 'Judging by what I saw, it looks like she tracheostomy, you can see a scar on her neck. 'And the timing of that video release is so close to her grandmother's appeal was begging UK authorities to let her speak to her son and granddaughter. 'The timing of this video, it came right after the grandmother's appeal. 'We just wish we could speak direct to them. 'So far we have had no direct calls from her, and nor a call or message from Sergei.' She vowed: 'We will continue to fight for our chance to talk to them, to see them.' And she added: 'You can also see that she's trying to speak with her own words, but this is still a script. 'Was it given to her? ' AdvertisementAdam Bradford, 25, from Sheffield, said his happy life was shattered overnight with the revelation that his father, David, 61, had stolen 50,000 from an ex-employer to fund his all-consuming habit

A young entrepreneur has revealed he nearly killed himself in the aftermath of his father's 500,000 to online slot machines.

Adam Bradford, 25, from Sheffield, said his happy life was shattered overnight with the revelation that his father, David, 61, had stolen 50,000 from an ex-employer to fund his all-consuming habit.

His dad was jailed for two years for fraud in 2014 - and it was only then his son discovered his parent's gambling problem.

As new legislation to cut the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals to 2 was passed, the Bradfords are both campaigning for the restrictions to extend to the 'silent killer' of online gambling.

Adam said: 'I'm the son who, at 21, became the dad. I had to look after my family, help us to survive and spend every penny I had on keeping a roof over our heads.

'It was a toxic situation. I lost my youth, and the chance to be a normal 21-year-old.'

Still on the brink of losing the family home - bought for 30,000 in 1983 and now worth 250,000, but remortgaged for 300,000 by his dad - while Adam welcomes any initiative to address gambling, he says the government's latest move is not nearly tough enough.

'I'm glad the issues are on the agenda. We're edging ever closer to properly cracking down, but there's still a huge problem with online gambling,' he explained.

'It's freely advertised and you're only ever a click away from your next bet. Links to sites, incentivised with a free bet, are splashed across social media, which most teenagers use. We're priming our young people to get hooked on gambling.

'I know the industry makes billions, but that's not a good enough reason to risk lives. Online gambling is a silent killer. It nearly killed me, and I don't even gamble.'

Growing up, Adam, who admits to sinking into suicidal depression after David was jailed, recalls a happy childhood with his dad, his mum Denise, 66, and twin brothers Alex and Ryan, 22.

Living in a modest home and able to afford a holiday every year, enjoying a respectable middle classed existence, he never felt that finances were a worry.

Growing up, Adam, who admits to sinking into suicidal depression after David was jailed, recalls a happy childhood with his dad, his mum Denise, 66, and twin brothers Alex and Ryan, 22

As new legislation to cut the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals to 2 was passed, the Bradfords are both campaigning for the restrictions to extend to the 'silent killer' of online gambling

No one realised that David, who had started gambling at 19, had become a hopeless addict and was funding his habit with everything from payday loans to grand scale fraud.

Speaking back in 2015, after being released from prison on license, the former finance controller and school governor said: 'The terrifying thing is that you can spend 100 every 20 seconds, 300 a minute and 18,000 an hour. It's almost unrestricted.

'I knew one man who'd been gambling from the age of 12, who every week, spent a whole week's wages in one hour.

'Personally, I was like a hamster on a wheel thinking that a big win was just around the corner.'

And when Adam looks back on his early life, he can now see that signs of his father's increasingly serious addiction were there for all to see.

When he was around 10, he remembers David's work pattern becoming frenetic as he went from job to job.

'I didn't know what was happening at the time, but I now realise that was him trying to make as much money as possible to fund his habit,' said Adam.

'When I think back on our family holidays too, I remember him spending countless hours in arcades on the slot machines. Being so young, though, I just thought that's what adults did.'

Desperate to cover his tracks, David turned to crime, swindling 50,000 out of his company by submitting invoices more regularly than he should have done, so he was paid more than he earned - a fraud which went unnoticed for around 18 months

With debts secretly mounting, David took out payday loans and credit cards - even managing to remortgage the family home without anybody knowing.

'The mortgage now is well over 300,000. The house only cost my parents 30,000 originally,' said Adam.

'We're on the brink of losing it. We've got no idea what will happen or where we'll go then.'

Desperate to cover his tracks, David turned to crime, swindling 50,000 out of his company by submitting invoices more regularly than he should have done, so he was paid more than he earned - a fraud which went unnoticed for around 18 months.

After bosses called him in to address his invoicing irregularities, an internal investigation was launched, then the police were called.

'The rest of the family had no idea that we were in a crippling situation, that was about to explode in our faces,' said Adam.

'The day before everything happened, Dad was talking to my mum for ages in the kitchen and I got this sense things were horribly wrong.

'He then came in to my brothers and I, saying, 'I've got something to tell you. I need to go to court tomorrow.'

'We were obviously all shocked and worried, but he said it was something to do with a former company that he needed to give advice on, making it sound like he was more of a witness.'

Far from it, the next day  April 11, 2014 - David was jailed.

When, hours after the hearing, he had still not made contact, his wife and sons were distraught with worry.

Adam added: 'He hadn't even told us which court he was at, so we were in complete turmoil waiting to hear.'

Then, at around 4:30pm that afternoon, David's solicitor called.

'He told us, 'I'm really sorry, but he won't be coming home tonight. He's received a two year sentence for fraud,'' Adam recalled. 'It made me realise how little we knew about him.'

Sobbing and hugging each other for comfort as they waited for a call from David, the family combed the house, searching for answers.

When Adam looks back on his early life, he can now see that signs of his father's increasingly serious addiction were there for all to see

And, as David was being processed at Altcourse Prison in Liverpool, Adam found some documents confirming the remortgage and threatening repossession due to unmet payments.

'I had to tell Mum that the house she thought she owned wasn't hers anymore,' he said. 'Everything he did just made me wonder if Dad really loved us, or if he just used us to keep up appearances.'

Over the next few days, Adam pieced together what had happened by speaking to local journalists and requesting a copy of the court records, before going to visit his dad in jail.

Painting a grim picture, he said: 'He was put in a category B prison, with murderers and rapists.

'When we saw him, he didn't seem scared though. He just seemed blank. He was reduced to this thin, pale man in an orange tabard, who we were allowed to speak to for 30 minutes before he was marched back to his cell.

'We worried about him every single day in there. Once we were on the phone to him when we heard all this shouting and then the line went dead.

'Turns out one prisoner had stabbed another to death behind him. Thinking about your dad being in a place like that was incredibly tough.'

In the wake of his dad's imprisonment, Adam began suffering with his own mental health  so much so, he even made an attempt on his life.

Working tirelessly running a marketing business to keep the family afloat, he found the constant struggle too much to handle - finally seeking help for his increasingly black depression three months after his dad was locked up.

But, when, eight months into his sentence, David was released and welcomed back into the family home, it was as a recovering addict - which he remains to this day, not having gambled in four years.

Adam added: 'While dad was in jail, we'd all learned more and realised this is an addiction. The right thing to do was to give him the chance to rebuild the family.'

Now, father and son have formed a formidable team - campaigning together to change gambling laws  particularly surrounding online sites.

Growing up, Adam, who admits to sinking into suicidal depression after David was jailed, recalls a happy childhood with his dad, his mum Denise, 66, and twin brothers Alex and Ryan, 22

Today, they are due to deliver a letter to Culture Secretary Matt Hancock, calling for the crackdown on high street betting shops to be extended to the internet and for a complete advertising ban.

They are also calling for funds from the increase in Remote Gaming Duty tax, announced by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, to 'cover any negative impact on the public finances' because of the changes, to be used to help recovering addicts and their families.

'There's no need for advertisers to run rampant. If you want to gamble, you know where to go,' said Adam.

'There's no support out there for families like mine, and that needs to change. The effects of this will last a lifetime. We've lost friends, because people have struggled to accept that we genuinely had no idea.

'But a gambler doesn't come home drunk or high. Mum and Dad didn't have a joint account and, like any addict, he went to great lengths to cover his tracks.

'We will help him all we can, but he also has to help himself, which I think he's doing. We check his bank account every day, but we can't be his keepers, and it does make my heart sink that he can log on at any time and make another bet.

'Living with the fear that, with just 1, this can start all over again is hard. Now, I'm just hoping that telling my story will help others.'Chloe Buckland, 26, leaves Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester after avoiding jail

A model who smuggled cannabis into a jail has gone free after telling police she was forced to become a drugs mule by a hoodlum who threatened her after they met on Facebook.

Chloe Buckland was caught sneaking in 50g (1.8oz) of the drug for an inmate at Buckley Hall prison in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, after falsely claiming she was visiting her cousin.

Guards were suspicious because the 26-year-old former fashion student looked 'anxious and nervous' as she met inmate Ian Smith at the Category C jail. He was later searched in a side room and found to have a wrap of cannabis in his pocket.

Buckland - a regular on Liverpool's nightclub scene - later showed a number of abusive texts she had received to police saying she had been hounded by the hoodlum known only as 'Joel' after she met him through social media.

She alleged he told her to convey drugs into jail but when she refused he sent her threatening messages warning he would burn down her family home and she begrudgingly gave in to his demands.

Buckland was caught sneaking in 50g (1.8oz) of cannabis for an inmate at a prison in Rochdale

At a covert meeting at Kirkdale train station in Liverpool she was told to pick up the drugs from a mystery fixer who was waiting in a car. She then made the drop at the jail the following morning.

At Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester, Buckland, of Bootle, Merseyside, showed no emotion as she admitted bringing prohibited articles into prison.

She was sentenced to six months in jail suspended for 18 months and ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work.

Nicoletta Amatino, prosecuting, said: 'A guilty plea was entered on the basis she was coerced into bringing the articles in through text messages, which were provided to police.

'This has affected her mental health and she has been diagnosed with chronic anxiety. She feared for her safety and the safety of her family.

'She received no financial gain and had no understanding of the operation or the size of the operation. She was sent messages which were threatening, one of them was threatening to burn her house down.

'She told the police these were from a man called Joel. The defendant had replied quite forcefully to these messages at first.. '

The incident occurred on June 29 last year when Buckland attended the jail falsely claiming Smith was her cousin.

Former fashion student Buckland, 26, falsely claimed she was visiting her cousin in prison

Miss Amatino added: 'The attention of the prison staff was directed towards the defendant because she was presenting herself to be very nervous.

'The prisoner Ian Smith was detained after the visit and was taken to the sterile area for a search, in which a pouch was found in his hand.

Buckland was sentenced to six months in jail suspended for 18 months and ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work

'Inside the pouch was the drug, cannabis resin with the amount of 47.73g. The defendant was interviewed some time later and she made admissions as to what happened.

'She explained that she had been in contact with somebody on social media called Joel. She met him in one occasion and he would contact her asking her to take drugs into prison, he was controlling her and being threatening towards her.

'She attended Kirkdale train station at 10pm the night before, and was given a package by a male driving a car, she didn't even see his face.

'She was reluctant to take the package into Buckley Hall, but she was concerned about her family and she was afraid to inform the police or prison staff. She is 26 and has no antecedence record.'

In mitigation, defence counsel Miss Stella Hayden said: 'This offence was out of character and she has shown clear remorse. She has evidence to support how this came about and she was susceptible to his threats.

'She had been treated for anxiety has been receiving counselling and she has suffered after having two miscarriages.

Buckland visited Buckley Hall prison in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, on June 29 last year

'She was suffering with verbal threats which were made to her and her family. She is anxious to put this matter behind her as she wants to move her life forward and focus on addressing her health.

Sentencing, Judge Angela Nield told Buckland: 'Ordinarily offences of this nature call for a deterrent sentence as well as a punishment.

'Conveying a drug into prison has consequences, not simply as a result of who uses the drug but from the many ways it is used in prison from bartering to gaining. It can also cause arguments, often physical, between prisoners.

'But you appear before this court today as a young woman who has never committed any previous offences. You were left struggling with your own mental health, most notably anxiety, and you were vulnerable.

'You became a target for an individual who made threats towards you after you initially refused his request to convey cannabis into prison.

'Often people tell the court they were coerced into this type of matter - but it is wholly unusual for somebody to have such graphic evidence to support their case, evidence of threats through lots of text messages which became more and more violent.

'Threats against you and your own family, even threats to burn your house down, threats which you thought would be carried out.

'You did have the opportunity to go to the police and even at the last moment to speak to the prison services to tell them of your unfortunate mission.

'Prison officers could see you were highly anxious when you attended prison.. You have expressed significant remorse. They were able to intervene at an appropriate time to prevent the drugs from entering into the prison system.

'You have told the court of the pressure you were under and I accept you have expressed your significant remorse.'Theresa May is laying down the gauntlet to Tory Eurosceptics and Remainers as she fights to find a way through the Brexit standoff.

The Prime Minister is set to face down rebel MPs who want to stay in the EU customs union permanently.

But in return she will demand that Brexiteers swallow an extension in ties until 2023.

The high-stakes move emerged as the Times reported that the government will bring the crucial EU Withdrawal Bill back to the Commons within weeks - paving the way for a potentially decisive showdown.

Downing Street insisted today there would only be a single transition period that ends in December 2020.

In other developments, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn claimed today there was a majority in the Commons to keep Britain in a customs union with the EU.

Theresa May (pictured in the Commons yesterday) has been scrambling to hold her party together amid increasingly bitter infighting over Brexit

Mrs May has been scrambling to hold her party together amid increasingly bitter infighting over Brexit.

The Cabinet has been split on whether to back a 'Maximum Facilitation' customs scheme, favoured by Boris Johnson among others, which would rely on technology and trusted trader schemes to keep borders fluid.

Other ministers, including Mrs May, have been urging a 'customs partnership' that would see Britain collect duties on behalf of the EU and then offer businesses a rebate.

Corbyn claims he has a Commons majority for his customs union plan Jeremy Corbyn claimed today there is a majority in the Commons for his plan of keeping a customs union with the EU after Brexit. Recreating similar arrangements on cross border trade would likely allow existing business ties to continue unchanged - but would also probably block Britain's ability to strike new trade deals. The Labour leader insisted the Brexiteer vision was a 'pipe dream'. Speaking in Belfast he said: 'Labour will not support any Brexit deal that includes the return of a hard border to this island. But we are also clear there must be no border created in the Irish Sea either. 'That is why Labour has put forward a plan that would go a long way to solving this issue, a plan for which I believe there is a majority in Westminster.' Advertisement

However, at least a dozen Tory backbenchers are thought to be ready to join Labour in demanding the UK stays in a full customs union - enough to overturn Mrs May's wafer-thin Commons majority.

They say keeping close ties is the only way to prevent harm to the economy and avoid a hard Irish border.

Brussels has dismissed both the government's options as 'magical thinking' - although Irish PM Leo Varadkar has hinted that a partnership could be made to work.

The difficulties facing Mrs May were underlined yesterday when the chief executive of HM Revenue & Customs warned that the 'Max Fac' blueprint could take three years to implement.

Jon Thompson also told MPs the model could cost business up to 20billion.

The Cabinet Remainers' option of a customs partnership would take even longer fully to implement at five years, he said - but the costs would be significantly lower at around 3.4billion.

The transition period currently agreed in principle with the EU will last from March next year to the end of 2020.

Downing Street said today the Government's 'intention' was for the future partnership to be agreed and ready to come into effect when transition ends.

Jeremy Corbyn used a speech in Belfast today (pictured) to claim there was a majority in the Commons for his plan to maintain a customs union with the EU after Brexit

According to the Times, Mrs May is now expected to ask Brussels for an extended customs and regulatory alignment period that would stay in place from 2021 to at least 2023.

WHEN WILL BRITAIN BE OUT OF THE EU? Britain triggered Article 50 on March 29, 2017, starting a two year process for leaving the EU: March 2018: Outline transition deal agreed, running for about two years June 2018: EU summit that Brussels says should consider broad principles of a future trade deal. October 2018: Political agreement on the future partnership due to be reached Early 2019: Major votes in Westminster and Brussels to ratify the deal March 29, 2019: Article 50 expires, Britain leaves the EU. Transition is expected to keep everything the same for about two years December 31, 2020: Transition expected to come to an end and the new relationship - if it has been agreed - should kick in Advertisement

By that time technological solutions should be ready to ensure there do not need to be physical checks at the Irish border and elsewhere.

Mr Corbyn used a speech in Belfast today to claim there was a majority in the Commons for his plan to maintain a customs union with the EU after Brexit.

He said: 'Labour will not support any Brexit deal that includes the return of a hard border to this island. But we are also clear there must be no border created in the Irish Sea either.

'That is why Labour has put forward a plan that would go a long way to solving this issue, a plan for which I believe there is a majority in Westminster.

'Lets not give up years of hard fought cooperation and stability for the pipe dream prize of race-to-the-bottom free trade deals with the likes of Donald Trump.

'Opposition to the idea of bringing back a hard border to this land isnt just about avoiding paperwork or tariffs, important though that is, its about deep rooted cultural and community ties.

'An open border is a symbol of peace, two communities living and working together after years of conflict, communities who no longer feel that their traditions are under threat.'

The chief executive of HM Revenue & Customs, Jon Thompson, told MPs yesterday that the Eurosceptics' favoured 'Max Fac' blueprint for future links could take three years to implement

The Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, pictured on a visit to Chile yesterday, has backed the Max Fac customs blueprint and urged Mrs May to 'get on with' leaving the EU

Amid continued uncertainty about the Government's position in Parliament on Brexit issues, Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom today announced new business for MPs that makes no mention of leaving the EU.

Reports had suggested the EU Withdrawal Bill could return to MPs after the Whitsun recess as ministers try to strip 15 defeats inflicted by peers off the laws.

But there was no sign of the crucial legislation when she made her weekly business statement.Jeremy Corbyn is due to make his first visit to Northern Ireland since becoming Labour leader, where questions about his previous links to IRA are expected to be raised.

The Labour MP will address students at Queen's University Belfast, where he will praise the Good Friday peace treaty signed by Tony Blair. He will then visit the Irish border tomorrow, where he will outline his party's plans for a customs union.

Yet Corbyn's previous history of talking to the militant republicans during the Troubles still angers unionists.

The Labour leader has denied his support for the IRA and said he only spoke to Sinn Fein, the IRA's political wing, to advance the peace effort.

In a BBC interview, he said: 'I never met the IRA. I obviously did meet people from Sinn Fein as indeed I met people from other organisations, and I always made the point that there had to be a dialogue and a peace process.'

Corbyn's spokesman hinted the Labour leader is in favour of a united Ireland too, which will anger some unionists.

Pressed on Mr Corbyn's views on Irish reunification, his official spokesman said: 'Over the years he has made his position clear that the majority of those people across the whole island of Ireland wanted to see that outcome, a united Ireland.

MailOnline brings you the latest updates.

To read this in the app, please click here.A man accused of asking young girls for sexually explicit photos will face court next month after police arrested him today.

The 18-year-old man from Bathurst, New South Wales, was arrested by detectives from Strike Force Trawler who executed a search warrant on his home earlier today the Central Western Daily reported.

Police will allege the man had explicit conversations online with two girls aged 10 and 11.

An 18-year-old Bathurst man accused of asking young girls for sexually explicit photos will face court next month after police arrested him today

He has been charged with two counts of using a carriage service to send indecent communication to a person under 16 years and two counts of using a carriage service to solicit child pornography.

Detectives seized the man's computer, mobile phone and other electronic devices during the Thursday raid.

He was granted bail by the Bathurst Local Court with strict conditions and is set to appear again on June 25.

He was granted bail by the Bathurst Local Court with strict conditions and is set to appear again on June 25

Police will also allege the man tried to solicit explicit pictures form the two young girls and took part in an explicit video call with one of the girls.

Strike Force Trawler was formed to combat sexual abuse and exploitation of children by using technology and telecommunications, such as covert online investigations.

Police said anyone with information about internet predators should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.A former Australian Defence Force Private is behind bars after she was found guilty of conspiring to rob a RSL in Sydney's northwest in a get-rich-quick scheme.

Sarah Royna tried to flee camera crews when she appeared in Penrith Local Court on Thursday and later wept in the courtroom when she was told that she would be taken into custody.

The 26-year-old pleaded guilty to armed robbery after she held up the Australian Defence Credit Union at the Richmond Royal Australian Air Force military air base with a replica pistol and balaclava in 2014.

Scroll down for video

Former Australian Defence Force Private Sarah Royna appeared in Penrith Local Court on Thursday, where she was remanded in custody while she awaits sentencing

The court heard that Royna fled with $2,685 to a getaway vehicle with her co-accused and former colleague Tayla Stahl-Smith.

Royna denied but was found guilty of a second charge of conspiring to rob nearby Windsor RSL a week after the armed robbery.

The court heard Royna texted Stahl-Smith with 'an idea'.

'It's almost as easy as the last one that worked,' she said.

Stahl-Smith gave evidence against her former friend and told the court they 'scoped out' the RSL, and went to Parklea Markets to buy two knives to be used with the toy pistols they already had, 9 News reported.

The court that Sarah Royna conspired with her co-accused to rob Windsor RSL (pictured) a week after the armed robbery

'I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt there was an agreement to rob Windsor RSL with a dangerous weapon,' Judge Stephen Hanleywas quoted by the ABC.

'The plan to carry out the Windsor RSL [robbery] falls within commission of offence even though it was not carried out.'

Stahl-Smith is serving a suspended sentence for her involvement in the first robbery.

Judge Hanley described Stahl-Smith as a 'frank' and reliable witness and Royna as the 'instigator and planner'.

Royna has been remanded in custody until she is sentenced on October 2.The daughter of a Russia billionaire businessman, who has close links to Vladimir Putin and co-owns London's biggest private home, has urged Britain not to give her father a visa.

Olga Litvinenko, 34, accused her father, Vladimir, of making his fortune through his personal relationship with the Russian president - whom he has known since the 90s.

The call comes amid signs a wider crack down is already under way on wealthy Russians in Britain - with delays in issuing a new visa to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

Olga Litvinenko, 34, accused her father, Vladimir, of making his fortune through his personal relationship with the Russian president - whom he has known since the 90s

Mr Litvinenko has been called 'Russia's richest professor' by opposition figures and is the rector of the St Petersburg Mining Institute

Ms Litvinenko, who fled Russia in 2011, claims that her father is one of the owners of Witanhurst in Highgate - London's biggest private home (pictured)

Mr Litvinenko has been called 'Russia's richest professor' by opposition figures and is the rector of the St Petersburg Mining Institute.

He has an estimated wealth of more than 749million and headed Putin's presidential campaign in St Petersburg in 2000, 2004 qand 2012.

In a letter to the Home Office, a copy of which has been seen by The Times, Ms Litvinenko also urged the Home Office to block two other men, both wealthy individuals and close friends of her father, from being granted UK visas.

Mr Litvinenko has always denied allegations of corruption and it is unclear if Mr Litvinenko currently possesses an investment visa.

Ms Litvinenko, who fled Russia in 2011, claims that her father is one of the owners of Witanhurst - London's biggest private home.

The Highgate mansion is said to echo the grandeur of Versailles: a 25-bedroom mansion with a 70ft-long ballroom, whose yellow, blue and gold ceiling took six months to paint and gild.

The Georgian Orangery, a three-storey addition, has a basement with massage rooms, a gym and a swimming pool fit for Olympic athletes.

Ms Litvinenko is currently fighting with her father over custody of her daughter, Ester-Maria, eight, who she has not seen since 2010.

British ministers are facing demands to hammer Russian oligarchs with tough sanctions today as the new Magnitsky law comes into force.

Campaigners and MPs want the government to make immediate use of the powers to hit allies of Vladimir Putin linked to human rights abuses.

The issues with Mr Abramovich's visa case are separate to the Magnitsky measures. Sources close to the billionaire have reportedly denied he is being asked to prove where his money comes from, instead blaming normal visa processing delays.

But with relations between the countries the worst for decades, security minister Ben Wallace has made clear he expects more oligarchs will find life 'trickier' in London in the future.

Campaigners and MPs want the government to make immediate use of the powers to hit allies of Vladimir Putin (pictured) linked to human rights abuses

The issues with Mr Abramovich's visa case are separate to the Magnitsky measures. Sources close to Mr Abramovich have reportedly denied he is being asked to prove where his wealth comes from and he is just experiencing normal visa processing delays

The Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act containing the Magnitsky measures is due to get Royal Assent later, and allows Whitehall to take swingeing steps including freezing assets when people are linked to human rights abuses.

The sanctions were named to commemorate Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who claimed in 2008 that fraud was being committed by corrupt Interior Ministry officials.

Mr Magnitsky was arrested shortly after, accused of stealing the money himself and died a year later in jail after what supporters claim was a systematic torture campaign.

Five of the Russians named in US list as Putin's cronies who have links to Britain Alisher Usmanov (estimated wealth: 9.6bn) Born in what is now Uzbekistan, Mr Usmanov has interests in metals and mining as well as some of Russia's biggest telecoms and internet firms. He is also a part-owner of Arsenal FC in and president of the International Fencing Federation. Last year, he won a libel case against Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny over a video regarding Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's alleged secret wealth. Mr Usmanov was jailed for six years in 1980 on charges of fraud and 'theft of socialist property' in the Uzbek SSR. But his conviction was quashed in 2000 when independent Uzbekistan's supreme court said it was 'unjust'. Roman Abramovich (estimated wealth: 8.3bn) Perhaps best known internationally as the owner of Chelsea FC, he made his fortune in oil and aluminium during the chaotic years that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Mr Abramovich has since embraced a glamorous lifestyle, with vast private yachts, art deals and his ownership of Chelsea, which he bought in 2003 and turned into title contenders in England. His former business partner, Boris Berezovsky, accused Mr Abramovich of harassing him with 'threats and intimidation' in 2008 so he would sell shares at a lower price than their value. Mr Berezovsky later brought a High Court suit against Mr Abramovich in London, seeking over 3billion in damages, but it was dismissed in 2012. Arkady Rotenberg (estimated wealth: 8.3bn) Mr Rotenberg is Mr Putins former judo partner, and hit the headlines in Britain last month after he lost a battle to stay anonymous following a court dispute in London with his ex-wife over money. Mr Rotenberg and his ex-wife Natalia were locked in a legal dispute after he argued that he should not have to make a divorce payout to her because his assets within the EU were frozen. The long-term acquaintance of Mr Putin cannot come to Britain, where his ex-wife now lives in Surrey, because of European Union sanctions. Most of his money comes from Kremlin-awarded contracts given to his engineering company, including a current project to build a bridge between Russia and Crimea. Four years ago EU ministers froze funds - and imposed a 'ban on staying' in EU territories - against people whose 'actions' threatened the independence of Ukraine. Oleg Deripaska (estimated wealth: 4.6bn) Mr Deripaska, who is said to be a close ally of Mr Putin, raised an estimated 1billion through his energy firm EN+ after floating it on the London Stock Exchange last year. But MI6 raised concerns over the flotation by the 49-year-old father-of-two who has links to military hardware production. In 2008, Mr Deripaska was listed by Forbes as the ninth richest man in the world, worth about $28billion. But when the financial crisis hit he almost went bankrupt, before bouncing back with the help of the Kremlin, according to some reports. He hit the headlines in 2017 when he was found to have ties with Paul Manfort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman. And last year David Cameron's former energy minister Greg Barker was appointed chairman of EN+, with critics saying the move was further worrying evidence of the 'revolving door' between Whitehall and the City. Lord Mandelson was an acquaintance of Mr Deripaska, who hosted him on his super-yacht, where the pair holidayed alongside Nat Rothschild, then shadow chancellor George Osborne and Tory fundraiser Andrew Feldman in 2008. Vladimir Potanin (estimated wealth: 11.7bn) Vladimir Potanin, one of Moscow's most prominent tycoons, is known in the Britain press for his former marriage to Natalia Potanina. The couple divorced in 2014 after a 31 year marriage, and she was denied 2.9billion claim by a Russian court because she made it too late. But she launched a separate legal battle for a world-record 11.7billion against him and there is speculation that she will end up moving her claim to London, where she has a home. Mr Potanin has previously told courts that he is no longer a billionaire, and is down to his last millions, living on a salary of 373,000 a month. Meanwhile, Oleg Deripaska is currently taking Roman Abramovich to court in London to prevent the latter from selling his stake in mining firm Norilsk Nickel to rival Mr Potanin. Mr Potanin, who is chief excutive of Norilsk Nickel, is being represented by former attorney general Lord Goldsmith, who is said to have charged other Russian billionaires nearly 1,000 an hour. Advertisement

The US magnitsky's law has since been extended to include allegations beyond that particular case

Financier Bill Browder, who employed Mr Magnitsky and campaigned for parliament to pass the law, said there should be 'swift and robust action' by the UK government and 'top Putin oligarchs should be on that list'.

The US version of Magnitsky 'definitely affected the psychology of Putin, and if the British government were to do anything less it would tell Russia it can keep killing people on British soil', he told the Guardian.

John Penrose, a Conservative backbencher and former minister, also said it was time for the UK to follow the US lead.

'Given the extensive intelligence sharing and security co-operation between Britain and USA, if we don't announce our own sanctions pretty soon it will look extremely odd.

'The UK needs to publish a British equivalent of the US's list right now.'

The law would stop individuals known to be corrupt or who abuse human rights from travelling to and living in Britain, and politicians backing it say this will help stop London becoming a destination for dodgy Russian money.

The US passed its Magnitsky Act in 2012.

It initially imposed asset freezes on individuals linked to that case - but was later extended to those who had profited from other human rights abuses.

The US list includes Mr Abramovich and other senior business figures like Oleg Deripaska. There are no suggestions that either would feature on a British version.

The UK is only the third country to adopt similar measures, after Estonia followed the US in 2016. MPs passed an amendment introducing the powers in February, despite some resistance from the government.

Canada and the EU have been considering their own versions.

Security minister Mr Wallace was asked during an interview yesterday if there would be 'more cases over the next few weeks' where wealthy oligarchs were finding it a bit more 'tricky' to live in London.

'I think I can say yes. We have put in place a series of powers through legislation,' he said.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson suggested this week that was looking at Donald Trump's recent decision to target dozens of tycoons, companies and key allies of Mr Putin.

'The truth is actually that I think the effect of some of those sanctions particularly on some individuals has been very marked, and I've noted that, but we have our own systems and our own approach,' Mr Johnson told reporters on a trip to south America.

'There is a broader question about what the UK can do to crack down on people close to Putin who may have illicit or ill-gotten wealth.'Police are investigating mobile phone footage posted online showing a woman brazenly using her mobile phone while behind the wheel.

Officers from Newcastle City Police District received the mobile phone footage of what appears to be a female P-plater driving whilst using her mobile phone.

Police have been told the incident occurred about 2.50pm on Wednesday on University Drive, in the Newcastle suburb of Callaghan.

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Police are investigating mobile phone footage posted online showing a women brazenly using her mobile phone while behind the wheel

The witness, who filmed the footage, attended Waratah Police Station and reported the incident.

Police have asked anyone with information to come forward.

Video shows the woman driving a red Holden Commodore with a red P-plate attached to the front of the vehicle, near Newcastle, north of Sydney.

She is chatting away on a mobile phone, before another driver alerts her to the fact there is a police car trailing behind her.

A P plater has been caught using her phone while behind the wheel - while a police officer follows right behind her

The other driver toots their horn at the woman, who then looks up before holding her phone up and then continuing with her call, laughing with her passenger.

She then drops the phone onto her lap and keeps driving.

The other driver then toots their horn two more times.

'There's a cop there,' the driver says. 'Does she not see the cop behind her?' the passenger then replies.

Video shows the woman driving a red Holden Commodore with a red P-plate attached to the front of the vehicle, reportedly near Newcastle, north of Sydney

The passenger of the other car winds down her window and leans out to speak to the P-plate driver.

'See the cop? There's a cop behind you, they're going to get you,' she said, before winding her window back up.

The footage was uploaded to the 'Bad drivers caught on dashcam' Facebook group.

The footage was uploaded to the 'Bad drivers caught on dashcam' Facebook group

The person who posted the video said it had been reported to the Waratah police station, near Newcastle.

'The thing that drew my attention... was her erratic driving before I even knew she was on her phone, and before I knew she was a red P-plater,' they said.

'Wasn't until we pulled up next to her I saw both she and her front seat passenger on their phones. Who was watching the road?'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted New South Wales Police for comment.The Victorian Labor Party is calling for a vote to change Australia Day because they claim the current date is offensive to Indigenous people.

A motion to shift Australia Day from January 26 to May 9 has been put forward.

The draft notion circulating, set to be debated and voted on this weekend, indicates the push is because the date is 'offensive to Indigenous people.'

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Protesters are seen at an Invasion Day Rally in Redfern, Sydney, Friday, January 26, 2018

Christie Booth (left) and June Solar during the annual Australia Day Ferrython on Sydney Harbour, Friday, January 26, 2018

Participants during the Australia Day parade down Swanston Street in Melbourne, Friday, January 26, 2018

The notion recommends that May 9 be the alternative date because 'on that day in 1901 marks the first meeting of the Commonwealth parliament, when Australia became a self-governing and independent commonwealth.'

Minister for Citizenship Alan Tudge told Ray Hadley on Thursday that it's the entire Labor Party and the Greens who are against Australia Day.

'We think, and most Australians think, Australia Day on January 26 is a terrific day which unites us all. It should stay on that day,' he told 2gb.

'The Greens and the Labor party should stop trying to tear down our national heritage and our national symbols and these key important days.'

The federal Labor leader, Bill Shorten, has empathised with the concerns of Indigenous people about 26 January but has made it clear he does not support changing the date, The Guardian reported.

The Australian flag and Aboriginal Flag fly side-by-side on the Sydney Harbour Bridge

A Helicopter flying the Australian Flag is seen over the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Friday, January 26, 2018

Protesters are seen at an Invasion Day Rally in Redfern, Sydney, Friday, January 26, 2018

In a poll conducted by The Australia Institute in January, indicates that 56 per cent of Australians don't mind when Australia Day is held, as long as there is a day to celebrate the nation.

A total of 46 per cent of voters disagree that the current date of Australia Day is offensive to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, compared to 37 per cent who agree.

Another question revealed 49 per cent of voters think Australia Day should not be on a Day that is offensive to Indigenous Australians.

A poll conducted by The Australia Institute in January asking about Australia Day

The debate ignited again in August 2017 when two Melbourne city councils, Darebin and Yarr, voted to end the formal celebration of Australia Day on January 26.

In the following month, a third council, Moreland, also voted in favour of dropping the celebration of Australia Day.

In 2016, the Cirt of Freemantle decided to cancel the Australia Day fireworks display, for a 'culturally inclusive' celebration on January 28.

Flinders Island Council has celebrated Australia Day on an alternative date for several years, Reconciliation Australia revealed.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Bill Shorten for comment.A 58-year-old man who repeatedly called a black woman a 'monkey' during a vile rant on the Long Island Rail Road has been charged with a hate crime.

Edward Ruggiero, from Long Island, was caught on camera racially abusing passenger Soraya Orelien, telling her to 'shut the f*** up, you f****** loudmouthed monkey m***********' .

He launched his explosive rant on the 25-year-old after claiming she was talking too loudly.

Edward Ruggiero, from Long Island, was caught on camera racially abusing a female passenger

Soraya Orelien, 25, was the victim of a shocking racist tirade on the LIRR last month

When another young black woman came to Orelien's defense, Ruggiero said: 'I can't listen to your f****** black a** no more. You f****** loudmouthed b****.

'At least I got a f****** mother. Do you know who your mother is? You don't know who your mother or your father is because you're a f****** monkey, that's why.'

Ruggiero was charged with a hate crime and is being held pending arraignment in Queens Criminal Court, the Queens DA said.

He was charged with third-degree menacing as a hate crime and second-degree aggravated harassment, the New York Post reports.

Orelien said she felt 'disgusting' when the man was screaming at her and wants him to be punished

During his shocking tirade, Ruggiero said: 'At least I got a f****** mother. Do you know who your mother is? You don't know because you're a f****** monkey, that's why'

He could face up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

'The bigotry and hatred that the defendant is accused of manifesting and acting upon have no place in a civilized society  especially in Queens County, the most culturally diverse county in the nation,' Queens DA Richard Brown said in a statement.

'No one should be subjected to the vile words and intimidating actions the defendant is accused of tormenting the victim with.

'Crimes of hate will never be tolerated here and when they do, regrettably occur, those responsible will be brought to justice.'

Miss Orelien was headed home to Lynbrook after going to classes at her Manhattan college.If you knew me, you know I always wanted to have the last word. I'm sure in most circumstances this was an exceptionally annoying trait but I'm hoping at times endearing?

Today is no different. Life is so fragile and so beautiful. Never in my worst nightmares would I have ever imagined I would be taken so soon - ripped away from every single beautiful person here.

I wanted to be the miracle kid on the front cover of National Geographic but that wasn't meant to be. Someone up there must need me more for some reason. To look over you all.

I had so much more to do. I wanted to join boards, write more policy and change the world for the better, fundraise more, mentor and 'make a difference' as they say.

So I'm going to give it a go here instead and give you my learnings from my short life.

What would I have told my pre-cancer self if I knew my end was so near? What would I have appreciated more? What advice would I give to my loved ones?

If you want something, go get it, now, trust me, you don't want to be writing this speech. Stop procrastinating...

There are three rules: 1. If you do not go after what you want, you will never have it. 2. If you do not ask, the answer will always be no. 3. If you do not step forward, you will remain in the same place

And most importantly, my golden rule: In a world where you can be anythingbe kind. And don't let anyone make you cruel. No matter how badly you want to give the world a taste of its own bitter medicine, it is never worth losing yourself.

You never know what struggle someone is going through in their own lives.

In the past year I learnt that more than ever. Trivial things which bothered people paled into insignificance while fighting cancer. It made me want to shake people and say 'if it won't matter in five years don't waste five more minutes on it' but it's all about perspective and finding my inner kind and understanding got me through that struggle.

In a weird way I consider myself lucky despite some serious struggles in the past decade. Everything was a lesson and everything made me stronger...more understanding of people and appreciation of what I do have.

The love and support I got while sick was gobsmacking. The gifts, the money raising, the calls, texts and overall love fest really helped me get through the journey. I had no idea so many people cared, about me and my family. My appreciation will never be able to be put into words but know each act of kindness touched my soul.

We're all impeccably lucky here. We have all had a world-class education, upbringing and opportunity - so much opportunity. We're in the minority.

I said at my grandmother's funeral that we don't realise it. She had my father in a refugee camp. No fancy private hospital doctors or drugs. In the 40's you were lucky to graduate from year 3. I picked my degree out of a glossy mag. The vast gap and obvious opportunity I've been handed is just unreal comparably.

I ate the best food, travelled to the four corners of the world, surrounded myself with some of the best humans to ever grace this earth and thrived on a challenging career - what more could a girl want?

Yes I wanted a family of my own, a long healthy life with Pat, more travel, more time to appreciate every Christmas, birthday, olympics, election, glass of fine wine, bowl of pasta and serve of apple crumble.

But I'm not going to say to you to appreciate all these things in case you die. That's too predictable. Instead I say don't over analyse life and fear a horrible fate. Just live your full wonderful lives and don't give mortality a second thought. I was unlucky but you're not.

Terminal or not you should be reaching for the stars, taking advantage of the amazing life you've been handed. Not because you might die! Dying is easy. Life is hard..but ridiculously rewarding. Challenge yourself.

Do that gym session you think you can't do or run that half marathon, travel to that random country, challenge your boss, girls smash that glass ceiling and stop trying to fit into glass slippers, go for that job, eat that Xmas pudding and enjoy it. Over indulge in happiness. Because you're alive not because you might die.

Don't settle. At work, in that relationship, with anything. Keep fighting to get what you want. The best decisions I made in life weren't easy but they were the ones where I found the strength to not settle. And the happiness and sense of achievement I got in return was worth the pain.

I wish I'd figured this out earlier in life. God always opened up a window when I knew shutting the door was the right thing to do so trust and this will happen for you too. Don't be scared. Life is short.

I loved people. There are so many extraordinary and complex amazing people to absorb and discover in the world. Notice them.

I hope even today, a day which is traditionally supposed to be a sad day, that I can provide a link, for everyone here today. Be with each other. Find comfort in each other. Reach out and touch somebody today. For me. Remember me.

I would have loved nothing more than to be with you all with a cold glass of wine in hand celebrating life. Introduce yourself and hug my mum, Dad brother and sister then go home and hug your family - say hello to someone you don't know today. I guarantee every person here is an amazing individual.

To my family, I was who I was because of you. The love I was afforded was second to none and if only every child was given that kind of stable love, this world would be a better place. Continue to love each other just as much as I loved every single one of you, organise all those annoying dinners I would insist on and remember that family always comes first.

At birth and all the way through to death. We're one. I am in a better place with our beautiful grandparents eating endless pastizzi, ravioli and sarma. You've done everything for me. Now focus on you and your lives! We've never seen tragedy like this. Make your bond stronger through it!

Patrick - you'll hate this but I need to say it publicly. You made me the happiest I have ever been. You changed my life. You and your beautiful family gave me a sense of belonging that I have never felt outside of my own family. I dreamt of a big beautiful family with you, to grow old with you and I hate that this insidious disease ripped our dreams away from us.

You have a church filled with love here for you and me equally - embrace it. Every person here loves you as much if not more than me. I'll always be in your soul and you in mine. Nothing can ever take that away from us. Real love stories never end.

To every other single person in this room. Each and every one of you touched my life in some special way, and I hope I touched yours too. Don't forget those moments and notice future moments with each-other - they're important. Trust me.

Duncan Gay, A man I looked up to, who believed in me and mentored me, quoted Winnie the Pooh on his exit from Parliament recently and I couldn't agree more with what he said: 'How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.'

Thank you for coming today. I hope I'm here in spirit. If there is a way I can look over all of you and give a good word to the big fella I will, particularly when it comes to the Tigers or Man United winning a season... I love you all and miss you already. This isn't good bye though. It's see you soon.

Until we meet again.

Where I have gone I am not so small, my soul is as wide as the world is tall.

I have gone to answer the call, the call of the One who takes care of us all.

Wherever you look, you will find me there, in the heart of a rose, in the heart of a prayer.

On butterflies' wings, on wings of my own, to you, I'm gone but I'm never alone. I am home.Investigators today revealed the evidence they believe proves Russia was responsible for downing Flight MH17, killing 298 people, including 80 children.

The Malaysia Airlines jet was on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down by a Russian BUK missile over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014.

The international team of investigators have now been able to link the missile found in the wreckage of the downed jet to a Russian military unit which was operating within Ukraine at the time.

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Russian projectile: The damaged Russian missile that shot down flight MH17, killing all 298 people on board, is put on display in Bunnik, Netherlands, today

A serial number on a part of the BUK-TELAR rocket that was fired on the MH17 flight is show during the persconference of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), in Bunnik

It is the clearest link yet published by the team to the involvement of the Russian military in the deadly missile strike.

Parts of the missile had been seen before, but today investigators displayed parts of the engine casing and exhaust system of the missile, including the unique serial number and Russian writing.

The missile's serial number and Cyrillic writing - 'Opera Izdelia' and 'Data Sborki 15:13:86' which means 'Device support, Assembly date 15:13:86' - had given the team a 'fingerprint' identifying it and where it was made.

While investigators had known that the missile was Russian made, they had previously not been able to determine if it had been fired by Moscow forces.

Prosecutors showed photos and videos of a truck convoy carrying the system as it crossed the border from Russia to Ukraine. It crossed back several days later with one missile missing. The vehicles had serial numbers and other markings that were unique to the 53rd brigade, an anti-aircraft unit based in the western Russian city of Kursk, they said. They were able to link the missile found in the wreckage with the missile launch system.

'The Buk that was used came from the Russian army, the 53rd brigade,' Chief Dutch Prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said. 'We know that was used, but the people in charge of this Buk, we don't know.'

Investigators appealed to the public to come forward and help identify members of the crew who operated the missile and determine how high up the chain of command the order originated.

Evidence: Russian writing can be seen on the side of the damaged missile put on display

Found it: Investigators analysed video and photos from social media tracing the journey of the Russian missile convoy, pictured, into Ukraine which identified the missile launcher system

Vladimir Putin speaks with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte during a meeting in St. Petersburg, today as the Russian defense ministry issued a statement saying their military is innocent

Prosecutors said they have presented their findings to Moscow and are seeking answers, but so far have not received a response.

Instead, the Russian defence ministry chose to release a statement on Thursday afternoon, rejecting the findings publicly.

'Not a single anti-aircraft missile system from the Russian Federation has ever crossed the Russia-Ukraine border,' the defence ministry said in a statement carried by local news agencies. Later, Moscow said the findings were an attempt to discredit the nation.

'It is clear that these gratuitous accusations are an attempt to discredit our nation in the eyes of the international community,' the Russian foreign ministry said.

The ministry accused Ukraine of being behind the disaster in which 298 people died, saying it had presented evidence that 'showed the involvement of Ukrainian units using (Soviet-designed) BUK missiles'.

Speaking at today's press conference, Dutch investigator Wilbert Paulissen said the Joint Investigation Team had 'come to the conclusion that the BUK-TELAR that shot down MH17 came from 53rd Anti-aircraft Missile Brigade based in Kursk in Russia.

'All the vehicles in a convoy carrying the missile were part of the Russian armed forces,' Mr Paulissen told a press conference in Bunnik, Netherlands, today.

The investigators had previously concluded that the plane was brought down by a BUK missile fired from territory in Ukraine held by Moscow-backed rebels, but had stopped short of directly saying who pulled the trigger.

The probe being led by The Netherlands is focusing on some 100 people suspected of having played an 'active role' in the incident, but investigators have not yet publicly named any suspects.

Chief investigator Fred Westerbeke said Thursday the probe was now in its 'last phase' but added there was 'still work to be done'.

Horror: Debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 is shown smouldering in a field on July 17, 2014 in Grabovo, Ukraine near the Russian border

Hit: This graphic shows how the BUK missile hit the passenger jet over Ukraine

Over the past years 'we've gained a lot of proof and evidence but we are not ready yet' to move towards bringing charges, he told the press conference.

Dutch officials have announced that the trial of any suspects arrested in the shooting down of flight MH17 will be held in the Netherlands under an agreement reached with the countries leading the joint probe.

BUK are a series of surface-to-air missile systems developed by the Soviet Union and subsequently Russia.

The missile was made by the Dolgoprudny Research and Manufacturing Enterprise in Moscow in 1986. The JIT has established that this involves a missile of the 9M38 Buk-series, which are fired by BUK-TELAR launchers.

The Joint Investigation Team analysed the missile and the military convoy it previously claimed was responsible. It said the convoy contained six BUK-TELAR missile launchers, which it said combined with characters on the missile produced a number of characteristics so unique it could be considered as a fingerprint. Some of the characters were stamped while others were hand-written or hand-engraved.

It reported: 'This fingerprint has been compared with numerous images of BUK-TELARS, both Ukrainian and Russian ones. The only BUK-TELAR on which this combination of characteristics also was found, is a BUK-TELAR that was recorded several times when it joined a convoy of the 53rd brigade on 23  25 June 2014.

'Consequently, the JIT presumes that within the 53rd brigade and within the circle around it, people have knowledge about the operation in which that particular BUK-TELAR was deployed and about the persons that were involved in it. Therefore, the JIT calls on insiders and eyewitnesses to share their information with the investigation team. Also information about the instruction of the BUK-TELAR's crew matters greatly for the criminal investigation.'

MH17 crashed in Grabovo, Ukraine an area near the Russian border which at the time was under the control of pro-Russian militias.

The plane was shot down in the early stages of the Ukraine War, which began with the Russian annexation of Crimea - a military muscle-flexing exercise by President Vladimir Putin attempting to show off his strength to the West.

This and the anti-government 'revolution' that had shaken the capital Kiev for months, sparked protests by pro-Russian groups in the Donbass region in the east.

Last shot: This photo shows Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 leaving Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on July 17, 2014

Downed: The reconstructed wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 which was shot down by a Russian missile over eastern Ukraine in July 2014 is seen in The Netherlands

Downed: The jet crashed near the Russian border, in southeastern Ukraine

This escalated into a full-blown armed conflict between pro-Russian separatists, backed by Moscow, and the Ukrainian government which is still ongoing.

Ukraine and its Western allies have long accused Russia of funnelling troops and arms across the border to fan the flames of the conflict.

Moscow has denied the allegations despite overwhelming evidence that it has been involved in the fighting and its explicit political support for the rebels.

It came just a few months after another Malaysia Airlines disaster: the disappearance of Flight MH370.

The Malaysia Airlines jet disappeared in March 2014, with 239 mostly Chinese people onboard while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Yesterday, the Malaysian government announced that the search for the plane will end on Tuesday, and there will be no more extensions.

A U.S. firm had been hired by the government on a 'no find, no fee' basis in January to carry on the fruitless search for the wreckage.

A joint hunt by Australia, China and Malaysia across a 46,332 square miles area in the Indian Ocean ended last year.North Korea has dismantled its nuclear test site, in a planned move portrayed by the isolated regime as a goodwill gesture.

It is not known to what extent the northeastern Punggye-ri facility has been demolished, but foreign journalists invited to witness the destruction described a series of 'huge explosions'.

The explosions at the nuclear test site deep in the mountains of the North's sparsely populated northeast were reportedly centered on three tunnels into the underground site and a number of observation towers in the surrounding area.

The demolition was seen as a goodwill gesture ahead of Kim Jong-un's planned summit with Donald Trump next month, but that summit has now been canceled.

Blown up: This satellite image from yesterday shows the Punggye-ri test site in North Korea, which has now reportedly been demolished

The tunnel complex below Mount Mantapsan is believed to be based on old Soviet and American designs and is used for North Korea's nuclear tests. After the latest and most powerful test, in September last year, the mountain shifted - leading to speculation that part of the complex collapsed and rendered in unusable

'There was a huge explosion, you could feel it. Dust came at you, the heat came at you. It was extremely loud,' Sky News' Tom Cheshire, who was among the journalists invited, wrote on the British broadcaster's website.

Mr Cheshire added that the entrances to the tunnels had been 'theatrically rigged' with plastic explosives and 'wires everywhere'.

Yonhap news agency, citing South Korean reporters at the scene, said multiple explosions were heard throughout the day, beginning at 11am (3am GMT) until 4.17pm.

Punggye-ri has been the staging ground for all six of the North's nuclear tests, including its latest and by far most powerful one in September last year, which Pyongyang said was an H-bomb.

Playing nice: The demolition of the nuclear test site was seen as a goodwill gesture by Kim Jong-Un ahead of a summit with the US, but that has since been called off

A North Korean airport official is seen guiding South Korean journalists upon their arrival at North Korea's Kalma airport in Wonsan yesterday

Experts are divided over whether the demolition will render the site useless.

Skeptics say the facility has already outlived its usefulness with six successful nuclear tests in the bag and can be quickly rebuilt if needed.

Jeffrey Lewis, of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, also told Vice News that North Korea has two further tunnel complexes running into adjacent mountains that are undamaged from previous tests.

North Korea also did not invite any independent observers, raising speculation that it was simply destroying evidence of its nuclear program with the blessing of the United States.

This is also not the first time that North Korea has demolished one of its nuclear facilities without hampering the country's progress in building a nuclear bomb.

In 2008, a cooling tower at the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center was demolished in front of the eyes of the world's media.

The tower was part of the complex that produced polonium used in the country's first nuclear test, and at the time was seen as a symbolic move toward disarmament.

Youngbyon had ceased operating the year before after a series of complex negotiations between North Korea, China and the US.

But it is believed North Korea only closed the site having enriched enough material for several nuclear tests, only to reopen it years later when it needed more.

The country claimed to have restarted the site in 2015, and in 2016 the International Atomic Energy Agency agreed that the plant was probably operational.

In 2008 North Korea destroyed the cooling tower at Yongbyon, the facility where they were enriching plutonium for their nuclear program, only to reopen the site a few years later

The South Korean journalists are part of a contingency of foreign reporters who will have been witnessing the demolition of the nuclear testing site at Punggye-ri

The demolition comes amid reports that dictator Kim Jong Un will be hiding his nuclear arsenals in a mountainous region of North Korea to avoid satellites being able to detect them.

NK News reports that that the regime has designated Chagang Province a 'Special Military-first Revolutionary Zone'.

The region, which borders China, will reportedly be fortified and access restricted to ensure that Kim can hide its weapons and materials in tunnels beneath the mountains there.

A high-level source told the news website: 'Nuclear weapons can be hidden anywhere, but the North Korean authorities have chosen, it seems, a place where even satellites will have difficulty locating them.'

North Korea cancels historic summit with Trump after 'ignorant and stupid political dummy' Mike Pence compared the country to Libya

President Donald Trump called off his summit with Kim Jong-un on Thursday after North Korea hurled insults at Vice President Mike Pence.

Trump said it would be 'inappropriate' to hold talks at this time after the Kim regime again tested the limits of his patience.

'You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never be used,' he said in a letter to Kim that the White House distributed.

North Korea's vice foreign minister had slammed Pence for his 'unbridled and impudent remarks that North Korea might end like Libya.'

Choe Son Hui also said the future of the summit between Pyongyang and Washington is 'entirely' up to the United States, as she condemned an interview Pence gave to Fox News.

North Korea has called Mike Pence 'ignorant and stupid' for comments he made comparing the state to Libya. The vice president is pictured on Wednesday in Connecticut

Trump said in his letter to Kim that as a result of the 'tremendous anger and open hostility' demonstrated by North Korea in the latest back and forth, he was pulling out of the June 12 meeting to discuss Pyongyang's nuclear program.

'I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting,' Trump said. 'Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place.'

Choe Son Hui, North Korea's vice foreign minister, said: 'We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us'

The U.S. president went on to say that he hopes to meet Kim one day and that the good dialogue that was building up between the two nations prior to the recent provocations remains promising.

Trump's letter to Kim followed a string of threats from the North to call off the summit that had been brokered to discuss a commitment to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The president told DailyMail.com on Wednesday that he'd know whether he was moving forward with the Singapore summit 'next week.' That was before North Korea's latest volley, which included the assault on Pence.

'We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us,' said Choe Son Hui, according to a report by North Korea's central news agency on Thursday.

She added: 'I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the US vice-president.

'We could surmise more than enough what a political dummy he is (Pence), as he is trying to compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya that had simply installed a few items of equipment and fiddled around with them.'

Choe said she could suggest to leader Kim that he reconsider the summit, if the United States offends the North's good will.

Pence was a focal point in the initial stages of diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea.

He attended the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang Olympic Games in February alongside Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong. He did not talk to the North Korean emissary during the games, instead previewing during the trip another round of U.S. sanctions.More than 70 areas of Britain have seen the biggest surge in the non-UK born population, new data revealing the changing face of Britain shows today.

In some parts of the country the number of people born abroad has soared by as much as 10-fold. There are 77 places where the number has increased at least 6 per cent.

Boston in Lincolnshire is the most changed place in Britain between 2007 and 2017. The town's population of people born overseas has soared from 3 per cent to 29 per cent.

Many of the places with the biggest change were also the most strongly supportive of Brexit.

Today's data from the Office for National Statistics also reveals there are more Romanians living in Britain than Irish for the first time.

And the population in parts of London is due to expand by nearly a fifth over a decade as immigration helps push England's population to 58.5million.

The swelling capital is expected to be the biggest contributor to growth in numbers over the coming years, according to official estimates released today.

London is set to have 9.54million residents - just short of Megacity status - by 2026, up 774,000 from the middle of 2016. The 8.8 per cent net increase drives an England-wide growth of 5.9 per cent.

More than 70 areas of Britain have seen the biggest surge in numbers of non-UK born people, new data revealing the changing face of Britain shows today. The places changing fastest are shown in darker blue

London is expected to be the biggest contributors to growth in England in the coming years, according to official estimates released today

The ONS's latest mid-term population forecasts show that migration from abroad will add 754,000 to the size of London by 2026.

Another 771,000 is as a result of the birth rate being higher than the death rate.

However, the rise in numbers will be offset by 757,000 Londoners moving to other parts of the UK.

Five of the 10 authorities where growth is expected to be highest are in London.

Which areas have changed the most? Between 2007 and 2017 the number of foreign born residents changed the most in the following areas: Boston 3 per cent to 29 per cent Harlow 4 per cent to 21 per cent Barking and Dagenham 24 per cent to 38 per cent East Staffordshire 4 per cent to 17 per cent Northampton 12 per cent to 24 per cent Advertisement

Tower Hamlets is on track to be home to 354,000 by 2026, up by 17.8 per cent.

Barking and Dagenham will grow 15.4 per cent to reach 240,000, while numbers in Hackney are expected to rise 13.3 per cent to 309,000.

All the regions in England are expected to get bigger.

The East of the country is due to rise 7.3 per cent to 6.57million over the decade, and the South West will see a 6.6 per cent increase to 5.88million.

In the South East numbers will top 9.54million by mid-2026, up some 6.4 per cent.

The North East is set to have the lowest growth at 1.9 per cent.

Only 15 local authorities in England are expected to see numbers fall.

Separate figures issued by the ONS today show that the rise in EU nationals living in the UK continued in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum. The EU8 are the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia. The EU2 are Romania and Bulgaria.

Barrow in Furness is predicted to be down 4.6 per cent to 64,400, and Copeland 4.2 per cent 66,400.

Romanian becomes second most common non-British nationality among UK residents Romanian has become the second most common non-British nationality in the UK, figures show. The number of Romanian nationals living in the UK in 2017 was estimated to be 411,000 - a jump of 25 per cent on the previous year, and the largest increase for any country. Polish remains the most common non-British nationality, with an estimated one million in the UK. Romania has overtaken the Republic of Ireland and India to move from fourth to second place in the list. Some 350,000 Irish nationals lived in the UK in 2017, while there were 346,000 Indians. The figures, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), show the total number of non-British nationals living in the UK in 2017 was 6.2million, up 4 per cent on 2016's total of six million. That is a smaller rise than that recorded between 2015 and 2016, when the number rose by 8 per cent. Nicola White of the ONS migration statistics division said: 'Non-UK born and non-British populations continued to increase in 2017, as more people continued to come to the UK to live than move to live abroad for a year or more.' Advertisement

Of the 3.23million increase forecast in the population of England, nearly half - 1.72million - is accounted for by immigration.

The rest is almost all down to the gap between birth rate being higher than the death rate.

The proportion of local authorities where more than a quarter of people are aged 65 or over is expected to treble, from a ninth to a third.

ONS population expert Andrew Nash said: 'While the overall populations of all regions in England are projected to increase over the next decade, reasons for these increases vary greatly depending on where you live.

'For instance, projected population change in London is mainly caused by natural change  the difference between the number of births and deaths  and not migration.

'This is because London's net inflow of international migrants is offset by a similar number of people moving to other parts of the UK.

'That contrasts with the North East, where growth is mostly down to migration.

'What's also clear is that the population is ageing in all regions, with the number of people aged 65 and over growing considerably faster than younger age groups.'

Meanwhile, the ONS has released separate figures on the breakdown of the UK population by country of birth and nationality.

The non-UK born population rose from 9.2million in 2016 to 9.4million last year and the non-British population went up from 6million to 6.2million.

Romanian has become the second most common non-British nationality in the UK, figures show.

A heat map produced by the ONS shows in blue regions where the population is forecast to grow by 2026. The orange areas will see population fall

The number of Romanian nationals living in the UK in 2017 was estimated to be 411,000 - a jump of 25 per cent on the previous year, and the largest increase for any country.

Almost 100 towns will be one third OAP by 2026 Almost 100 towns and cities will have a third of their population as pensioners in less than a decade. The startling rise in the age of 97 places was revealed in new popultion forecasts today. It compares with 36 areas which had 25 per cent of their population aged over 65 in 2016. The projections said that the number of over-65s in London will grow by nearly a quarter by 2026. There will also be increases of a fifth or more in the older population in the East, the South East, and the East Midlands, and in the South West the forecast increase in people over 65 is 19.9 per cent. Advertisement

Polish remains the most common non-British nationality, with an estimated one million in the UK. Romania has overtaken the Republic of Ireland and India to move from fourth to second place in the list.

Some 350,000 Irish nationals lived in the UK in 2017, while there were 346,000 Indians.

Nicola White of the ONS migration statistics division said: 'Non-UK born and non-British populations continued to increase in 2017, as more people continued to come to the UK to live than move to live abroad for a year or more.

'Poland-born residents and Polish nationals were the most common populations from outside the UK. However, the largest increases in population were seen from those born in Romania and those with Romanian nationality.'

Alp Mehmet, Vice Chairman of Migration Watch UK, said: 'There is still no sign of a net outflow of EU-born people as a result of Brexit.

'Indeed, they are still coming in significant numbers and contributing to a population increase which is simply unsustainable.'The company behind a camp where a Brisbane schoolboy was critically injured on a high ropes course says it was a freak accident and had nothing to do with its equipment or staff competency.

Connor, a Marist College Ashgrove student, suffered facial and neck injuries on Wednesday morning and was flown to the Lady Cilento Children's Hospital in a critical condition.

Connor's parents urged prayers for their son's recovery.

Scroll down for video

The boy, believed by the media to be Connor Petterson (pictured), was airlifted Lady Cilento Children's Hospital by the Rescue 500 at midday May 23

'Our son, who was involved in an accident while on a school camp yesterday, remains in hospital and is receiving the best of care,' they said in a statement released by the hospital.

'Prayers for our son and our family would be greatly appreciated.

'We ask that everyone respects our family and friends' privacy at this time.'

Adventure Alternatives managing director Todd Samorowski defended his company's professionalism and safety after Connor Petterson, 14, became entangled in high ropes at Stanmore, north of Brisbane.

'This was an unforeseen incident,' Mr Samorowski said in a statement on Thursday.

'It had nothing to do with the misuse or failure of any safety equipment, instructional or participant error.

Mr Porter said that details of what happened are still coming to light and asked to keep the family 'in your prayers at this time' (Pictured: Marist College Ashgrove, stock image)

'This incident also had nothing to do with our continued level of safety, our professionalism or the safety of any of the activities we run and will continue to run in the future.'

They later issued another statement removing previous comments.

'It is far too early to speculate on why this occurred but please know we are determined to understand the causes fully and will do whatever is required to prevent something like this occurring again,' the updated statement said.

Marist College Ashgrove cancelled the remainder of the four-day Year 9 camp and is offering counselling to students.

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland officers attended the campsite, near Woodford, on Wednesday and returned on Thursday to continue investigations.

In a statement posted to Facebook spokesperson for the school Stephen Porter said: 'We regret to inform you that there has been an accident on the Year 9 camp where a student was injured

Education Minister Grace Grace said the incident had touched parents and families around the state.

'This must have been a terribly traumatic experience for all involved,' she said in a statement.

Ms Grace stressed any recommendations from the investigation would be implemented promptly.

'The safety of Queensland students is always paramount and we will leave no stone unturned to get to the bottom of how and why this incident occurred,' she said.A four-year-old school girl drowned and two other classmates suffered minor injuries after falling into a cesspit when the concrete surface covering the area caved in while they were playing on top of the structure in a playground in Brazil.

Rescuers fought to save the young student named as Hannah Laranjeira, working to revive her for almost an hour, but she tragically died at the scene from her injuries.

The other victims survived by clinging onto the edge of the tank when the covering crumbled and collapsed inwards. They were treated by paramedics for minor bruising and superficial wounds.

The young student, named as Hannah Laranjeira, drowned after falling into the sewer tank which measured around one-metre deep

The child had died by the time rescuers arrived an hour later

The accident was caused when the concrete surface covering the waste collapsed inwards

The tragedy happened on Wednesday (23) morning at the Professor Lais Sousa Vieira Nobre Children's Education Centre in Fortaleza, north east Brazil.

A group of children were playing together on the concrete surface covering the sewage tank when their combined weight apparently caused the top to collapse, sending the three youngsters plunging into the liquid waste below.

Captain Juliane Freire of the fire department said: 'The tank is at least a metre deep and when the surface gave way, three children fell in. Two of them were pulled to safety almost immediately by day care staff but Hannah, who died, was found trapped at the bottom of the tank when we arrived.

'Her arm had been caught in a ring at the base of the pit when she sank down. Ambulance crew tried their best to revive her, but she did not recover as she had already suffered serious injuries after being submerged for a length of time.'

Hannah's two friends survived by holding on to the sides before being pulled out by day care workers

One of the survivors, five year old Maria Leticia de Sousa, explained to SBT news what happened.

She said: 'I was playing with my friends when the floor suddenly fell in. I grabbed onto the edge of the pit to stop myself from sinking.'

Her mother revealed her daughter, who suffered bruises and scratches to her legs, is still in a state of shock and refuses to return to the school.

Scores of parents gathered outside the day care centre as news spread of the accident.

Scores of parents gathered outside the school in Fortaleza as news of the accident spread

The mayor is set to launch a full investigation into the incident which happened at the Professor Lais Sousa Vieira Nobre Children's Education Centre

Many accused the local authority of allowing the school's structure to fall into disrepair as military police were forced to protect staff from a lynch mob after they accused them of negligence.

An angry parent, who did not want to be named, lamented: 'How could this have happened? We bring our children to school to be educated and never expect them to die while they are there.'

Roberto Claudio, mayor of Fortaleza announced he was launching a full investigation into the tragedy and promised to carry out urgent 'structural risk analyses' of other educational units to reassure students, parents and teachers of their safety.

In a statement, Fortaleza local authority said it 'sympathises with the pain of the family and considers it an unacceptable tragedy that deserves the most rigorous investigation.'

Parents of the child who died refused to comment and asked to be allowed time to deal privately with their loss.

Elpidio Nogueira, secretary of human rights and social development said support and assistance is being given to the deceased school girl's family.Jayd Gordon, pictured, has denied charges of burglary and theft during his trial at Maidstone Crown Court following a break-in at Nicole Bass's flat in Dartford, Kent on June 9 last year

A man accused of burgling the home of a reality star while she posted pictures of herself partying in Las Vegas told a court he did not know who she was.

Jayd Gordon, 30, said he had 'never known about' TOWIE and Ex on the Beach personality Nicole Bass until the trial.

Miss Bass was on holiday in Las Vegas when her flat in Dartford, Kent, was broken into and trashed last June.

Gordon claimed he had not seen photos of the 26-year-old posing in the desert resort city on her Instagram account.

He denies burglary and theft. His co-accused, Nicholas Cato, 31, admitted the charges last week on the fourth day of the trial.

Maidstone Crown Court heard heads were chopped off Miss Bass' soft toys on her bed, and paint, food and other items were thrown around.

Property including designer clothes, a Rolex watch and Pandora jewellery were stolen.

Miss Bass returned to her rented flat earlier than planned because of an accident and discovered her 30,000 Mercedes GLA AMG was missing from the underground car park.

Miss Bass, who has a social media following of 500,000, told Twitter followers: 'I was just completely baffed (sic). I was thinking: Where has my car gone?'

'[The flat] was trashed. It wasn't just as if they burgled my flat, they had absolutely violated it.'

Automatic number plate recognition cameras picked up the stolen car in convoy with a VW Tiguan between Dartford and London on June 8 and 9.

Gordon and Cato were stopped in the VW, which belonged to Gordon's girlfriend, in Sydenham on June 13.

Nicole Bass, who has a social media following of 500,000, told Twitter followers: 'I was thinking: Where has my car gone?'

Miss Bass had updated her fans online that she was on holiday in Las Vegas when her flat was burgled and trashed and her car was also stolen

Miss Bass told Maidstone Crown Court: 'It wasn't just as if they had burgled my flat, they had absolutely violated it'

The reality TV star said she had parked her 30,000 car in its designated spot and left the keys on her living room table

The stolen Mercedes was found in Sydenham on June 23.

Miss Bass claims she was so upset about the burglary that she immediately moved out and sold the car.

Police found photos of some of the stolen clothes on Cato's phone. Prosecutor Nina Ellin suggested they had been photographed so that they could be sold.

When arrested on June 13, Gordon said he declined to give police his phone PIN because he had intimate photos of him and his partner on it.

Miss Bass said she moved out of the flat immediately after seeing the damage

He told police: 'I am absolutely shell shocked. It's sick man.'

Gordon told jurors: 'I initially didn't want to say anything to incriminate myself or anybody.

'I hadn't done a burglary.

'Generally, I was caught by shock, I didn't know what to say.

'I had a feeling of revulsion. It is horrible. I didn't know the burglary and theft had taken place.'

Gordon admitted he was with Cato on two journeys to Dartford on June 8.

'He asked me to drop him off in Dartford to meet a friend and a few lady friends,' he said. 'I wasn't interested in meeting them.'

They pulled up in a cul-de-sac but the friend was not there and they returned to Lewisham.

Gordon, of Catford, south east London, claims Cato then wanted to return to Dartford as the friend would be there.

They went to the same road and the friend got into the car while Cato and two women arrived 'went out of sight' for about 20 minutes before returning in a Mercedes.

'I got out at looked at it,' he said, 'It was brand new. I liked the car. I looked inside. I said: 'It looks nice.' I got back in the Tiguan.

Property including designer clothes, a Rolex watch and Pandora jewellery were stolen while Miss Bass was holidaying in Vegas

The court heard at the time of the break in, Ms Bass had 320,000 followers on Instagram

Miss Bass said several expensive items were stolen including a Rolex watch, Valentino heels and some designer jackets

'My co-defendant basically told me 'Let's go'. The man and two women got into the Mercedes. We were probably doing 90mph. The Mercedes was going fast as it overtook me.

'I was trying to beat it, but I couldn't. We made our way to London. The Mercedes ended up being parked in Brockley.

'The two females left the vicinity. His friend got back into my vehicle. We went on to McDonald's in Deptford, but it wasn't open.

'They gave me some (petrol) money. Mr Cato gave me probably 10 in change. His friend gave me a number of coins and a note as well. It seemed like more than 40 quid in total.'

Cato, of Brockley, south east London, is due to be sentenced after the trial of Gordon.

The trial continues.A drug addict who abducted his pregnant ex-girlfriend and their two young children before being caught up in a dangerous police chase has been jailed for four and a half years.

Damien Keith Hall, 28, was left teary eyed as his sentence was handed down in the Adelaide District Court and could be heard telling one of his daughters he loved her as he was taken away by police.

In November of 2016, Hall went to the home of his former girlfriend while brandishing a fake gun and forced her and their two children, aged three and seven months, into his car - threatening her neighbour as he did so.

Damien Keith Hall, 26, (pictured) who took police on a wild chase with his girlfriend and her children in the car has been sentenced to four and a half years jail

A police pursuit followed and officers eventually cornered Hall at the Rundle Mall in Adelaide.

The court heard that when he was cornered he climbed into the back seat and in between his two daughters before deciding to climb back into the front of the car.

When officers approached the vehicle Hall held the fake gun to one of his daughter's throat and threatened to kill her, forcing one officer to take a single shot at Hall's leg.

In November of 2016, Hall went to the home of his former girlfriend while brandishing a fake gun and forced her and their children into his car, threatening her neighbour as he did so

Judge Gordon Barrett said the officer was forced to act 9 News reported.

'You were holding your daughter on the left hand side and in your right hand you were holding the cap gun, pointing it to the throat of your distressed and crying daughter,' he said.

The police chase came one year after Hall indecently assaulted a sleeping women, for which he had already pleaded guilty and sentenced for today.

His victim was still too distraught to appear in the court for the sentencing.

A police pursuit followed and once officers had Hall cornered at the Rundle Mall in Adelaide and he threatened to kill his own daughter forcing an officer to fire a single shot which brought the chase to an end

Hall was initially facing a 20 year sentence for the police chase, 8 years for the indecent assault and another 18 years for siege offences.

During the trial Hall's defence lawyer, Yan Robson, told the court his client suffered from drug addiction and was under the influence during each offence. He also told the court his client was in fear while in police custody.

'After his arrest he was held at the City Watch House where, unfortunately and perhaps understandably, he was in fear of the police officers who were going about their business,' she said.

During the trial Hall's defence lawyer, Yan Robson, told the court his client suffered from drug addiction and was under the influence during each offence

Hall's defence lawyer, Yan Robson, told the court his client suffered from drug addiction and was under the influence during each offence, he also told the court his client was in fear while in police custody

Miss Yan also said her client had taken the time to write letters of apology to each of his victims and acknowledged the 'suffering theyve endured at his own hands'.

She said her client had intentions of becoming more community-minded upon his release by helping to teach people 'what not to do with their life' so they could avoid ending up in the same place as him.

'He seeks to stop the cycle, acknowledge his wrongdoing and, significantly, try to ensure his own children dont suffer the same sort of experiences that he has she said.This is the heartwarming moment an abseiling firefighter catches sight of a trembling dog which had become trapped on a tiny cliff ledge for six days.

The rescuer cries out in delight as he spots the animal 50 metres below the precipice.

The dehydrated hound was coaxed from the cliff, unharmed but starving, in Rio dos Bugres - a mountainous region between the cities of Imbuia and Ituporanga in south Brazil.

Emergency services began to search for the poor pooch, named Neguinho, after its owner raised the alarm.

They launched an operation which lasted two days.

Just when they had begun to give up hope they discovered the dog on Monday morning, huddled in a crack on a rock face.

Head-cam footage shows the moment the fire officer gently tempts the mutt out of the tight gap.

It took hours of preparation before rescuers could safely rappel down the mountainside and grab hold of the animal.

The exhausted pup was eventually hoisted up in a harness.

Neguinho disappeared on May 15 during a run through the woods.

The crew started the search on Sunday but had to retire when fading light in the early evening made it too risky to continue.

Firefighters abseil down the side of a mountain in Brazil in search of the dog

One of the firefighters cries out as he finally spots the dog, huddled on a tiny ledge

The operation was resumed first thing Monday morning and, after several hours of searching, the dog was found.

It was returned to its grateful owner at around 9am.

Officer Luis Fernando Alves, one of the three firefighters involved in the rescue mission, said: 'The owner told us his dog had suddenly vanished near the cliff edge while out for a walk. He refused to give up hope and we were optimistic of finding the animal alive.

'We went to the area where he last saw Neguinho and listened for any noise from him.

Pictured: The three firefighters involved in the rescue operation with a still-shaking Neguinho

Now, the owner says, he will keep his faithful dog on a lead when he takes it for a walk

Neguinho looks timid as the firefighter pose with the dog's owner after the rescue operation

'But he was very quiet probably because he was too weak and hungry after being in a vulnerable position for so long and being exposed to the elements.

'He was also quite far down, and we couldn't hear him whimper even when we called his name.

'We took it in turns to scale down the rock face through dense bush to search for him. It was laborious, time-consuming and dangerous but worth the result.

Back home, the famished canine quickly wolfed down his first dinner in six days.

According to his owner, Neguinho is slowly getting back to his old self - but is still displaying a 'few nerves after his frightening escapade'.A mother and her autistic daughter have been left fuming after they were unable to board a Jetstar flight because the daughter's service dog didn't have a ticket.

Doris Dehm was travelling from Melbourne to Sydney with her 16-year-old daughter Anna and service dog Dalma but was unable to board the flight when a Jetstar employee told them they had to pay for a ticket for Anna's service dog.

Ms Dehm has flown Jetstar multiple times and understands their policy and guidelines for national and international flights.

Doris Dehm was travelling from Melbourne to Sydney with her 16-year-old daughter Anna and service dog Dalma

They were unable to board the flight when a Jetstar employee told them they had to pay for a ticket for Anna's service dog (stock image)

'I know when travelling with a service dog you can't check in online, and we were at the special needs area when a Jetstar staff member told me I cannot board because the dog didn't have a ticket,' Ms Dehm told Nine News.

Dalma has been with Ms Dehm and Anna since 2013 and is a certified guide, hearing and assistance dog, and had all relevant documentation.

Jetstar's policy indicates, 'On Jetstar and Jetstar Asia, we'll accept dogs from approved training organisations.'

The staff member continued to tell Ms Dehm that even though it was a service dog, it needed a seat which required her to buy a ticket, saying it's company policy and she has to pay.

It was at this time Ms Dehm requested to speak to the manager only to be informed the employee she was speaking to was the manager, Nine News reported.

Jetstar's policy indicates, 'On Jetstar and Jetstar Asia, we'll accept dogs from approved training organisations'

Anna, who was watching the incident unfold in front of her suddenly began to get agitated and was rocking back and forth while holding her ears.

Ms Dehm didn't want to escalate the issue and went to another counter to pay for the ticket, but the Jetstar employee allegedly told Ms Dehm's behaviour was 'inappropriate'.

After calming down a bit, she went to another counter the price and was told the ticket was $348 and couldn't and wouldn't pay that much for Dalma.

After that Anna started to scream and Ms Dehm alleges she wasn't offered any help from Jetstar employees.

Daily Mail Australia spoke to a Jetstar spokesman who said they have apologised to Ms Dehm and Anna (stock)

Daily Mail Australia spoke to a Jetstar spokesman who said they have apologised to Ms Dehm and Anna and have implemented training for their teams to ensure their policies are applied correctly.

'We apologised to Doris and Anna after a team member at the airport mistakenly told them there was a cost to travel with a service dog, the Jetstar spokesman said.

'We carry hundreds of service dogs each year and our policy has always been that there is no charge for this.

'The mistake was quickly identified by airport managers, and the customers were immediately refunded for their fares, with alternative flights offered at no cost.

'We acknowledge this error was upsetting for Doris and Anna, and weve implemented further training for our teams to ensure our policies are consistently applied so this doesnt happen again.'A murder investigation has begun after the remains of Mormon student were found in a canyon in Utah three years after she disappeared.

Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado, who was originally from Chiapas in Mexico, had only been in the United States for three weeks when she vanished.

The 26-year-old was in Utah to study English after completing a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado was originally from Chiapas in Mexico

The 26-year-old texted her sister after leaving a language school but then vanished

After leaving Nomen Global Language Center in Provo she sent a text to her sister in Mexico at 1:30 p.m. but she never made it to her home, two miles away in the city, the Deseret News reported.

The authorities have now confirmed that skeletal remains found on Friday in the Hobble Creek Canyon area are those of Salgado

She was identified using dental records and a homicide investigation is underway.

Her body was found by a man driving up Hobble Creek Canyon above Springville who had to go to the bathroom and pulled off on the side of the road and went into some bushes.

He discovered the body there and then contacted the Utah County Sheriff's Office.

Police had few leads over the years about what happened to her, despite intense searches, pleas to the public and a reward for information.

Salgado's body was found in bushes in Hobble Creek Canyon by a man who stopped to go the bathroom (file picture)

Her uncle Rosemberg Salgado made several pleas for information from the public about his missing niece.

The investigation into what happened to Salgado extended went beyond Utah.

Investigators have been to her hometown in Mexico, where her parents live, and to the areas in Mexico where she served as a missionary.

Last month her brother Rosenberg Salgado told the Salt Lake City Tribune: 'We have hope and we have faith.

'The Lord is going to help us find her. You always have to think positive.'A Florida woman who disappeared on Mother's Day is now believed to have died even though no body has been recovered, according to police.

Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper says investigators have obtained new evidence that indicates 34-year-old Joleen Cummings is dead, according the Florida Times-Union reports.

Mother-of-three Cummings, 34, has not been seen or heard from since May 12, when she left work at Tangles beauty salon in Yulee.

Kimberly Kessler, 50, who went by the fake name Jennifer Sybert (left), has been named a suspect in the May 12 disappearance of her co-worker Joleen Jensen Cummings, 34 (right)

Kessler was hired at Tangles hair salon a month before Cummings vanished on Mother's Day on May 12

Her ex-husband Jason Cummings raised the alarm two days later, after she failed to pick up their three children from his home for a Mother's Day celebration that Sunday.

Leeper says they have arrested Kimberly Lee Kessler, Cummings' co-worker at a northeast Florida salon, on suspicion of stealing Cummings' Ford Expedition.

Kessler is also now a suspect in Cummings' disappearance.

Cummings was last seen May 12 leaving the salon in Fernandina Beach where she worked.

She was supposed to meet her ex-husband the next day to pick up their children but never showed.

Leeper said that last person to have seen Cummings alive the night she disappeared was a co-worker whom Cummings knew as Jennifer Sybert.

Sybert joined the staff at the salon about a month prior and gave the owner a fake home address, the sheriff said.

Kessler has been charged by the FBI with possession of a counterfeit passport for allegedly stealing a dead teenager's identity

Cummings' SUV was found abandoned outside a Home Depot on May 15, and surveillance video showed Sybert parking the vehicle at 1.17am that morning and then calling for a cab from a nearby gas station.

There was no sign of the vehicles missing owner.

In a bizarre twist, the investigation has uncovered that Sybert's real name is Kimberly Kessler, from Butler, Pennsylvania, and that she had been using a fake Social Security number.

News4Jax reported, citing the sheriff, that the 50-year-old Kessler purloined the identity of a 13-year-old girl who died in a car crash in Germany and was laid to rest in Pennsylvania.

Deputies found Kessler on May 16, living out of her black KIA Soul parked between two semi-trucks at a rest stop on I-95 in St Johns County.

Kessler admitted that she did not have Cummings' consent to drive her SUV and was arrested on a charge of grand theft auto. Leeper said she is considered a suspect in Cummings' disappearance.

The FBI also has charged her with possession of a counterfeit passport stemming from the alleged identity theft.

Kessler is being held in the county jail under her assumed name on $500,000 bail.

Earlier this month, Cummings' mother made an emotional Facebook post saying it has been a week since her three kids have seen their mother.

A candlelight prayer vigil was held for her at the Journey Church of Yulee.

'There has been a public outcry to help find my daughter. If you really care and want to help, please come pray with us to bring Joleen a Mother, Sister, Daughter and Friend home!' she wrote.

Just days before she vanished, Ms Cummings had such a huge fight with her ex-boyfriend Jason Gee that neighbours called police

Jason Cummings reported his ex-wife missing after she didn't meet him at a nearby Winn-Dixie to pick up their children on May 14.

She 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.

Five days before she vanished, Ms Cummings had such a huge fight with her ex-boyfriend Jason Gee that neighbors 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 neighbor 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.

Ms Cummings told police her ex-boyfriend broke things inside the house during the argument.

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

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.Ex-offenders could help bolster the UK's workforce after Brexit, the Justice Secretary claimed today as he unveiled new training scheme to cut re-offending.

David Gauke for a 'culture change' in how employers perceive former prisoners. His plans could see more inmates let out temporarily to go to work to improve their job prospects after release.

Mr Gauke said ex-prisoners could fill jobs in catering or agriculture if Brexit delivers the planned curbs to low skill migration.

Under the reforms, ministers are also considering offering National Insurance 'holidays' to businesses which hire individuals who have served their sentences. Another scheme to recruit them directly into the Civil Service is being drawn up.

The Government will continue to support pilot projects where prisoners are given laptops or tablets in their cells so they can take part in education classes.

David Gauke (pictured in Downing Street on Tuesday) for a 'culture change' in how employers perceive former prisoners

Announcing the measures, Mr Gauke said:'The dynamics of the labour market should focus the minds of employers.

'We have a thriving jobs market and demand for workers in some sectors is very high.

'Leaving the European Union is also likely to have an impact on the workforce in sectors such as catering, construction and agriculture.'

Mr Gauke cited figures showing that only 17 per cent of ex-offenders are in PAYE work a year after coming out of jail and only half of employers say they would even consider employing a former prisoner.

Calling for a 'culture change', he said: 'I want employees, from the shop floor to the boardroom, to call out and challenge employers who turn a blind eye to attracting and representing ex-offenders in their workplace.

'I think the public mood has changed somewhat in recognising that when an offender comes out of prison we, as a society, don't want them to return to crime and re-offend.'

Mr Gauke's comments came as he launched a drive to improve the chances of prisoners leading law-abiding lives after release and reduce re-offending rates estimated to cost society 15 billion a year.

Mr Gauke cited figures showing that only 17 per cent of ex-offenders are in PAYE work a year after coming out of jail (file image of Pentonville Prison)

A key area of focus is the release on temporary licence scheme (ROTL), under which prisoners can be let out for short periods, normally towards the end of their sentence.

The programme was designed to help prepare offenders for life on the outside by taking part in work or training and firming up family links.

Peter Dawson (file image), director of the Prison Reform Trust, said the strategy is 'full to the brim with good intentions'.

But between 2013 and 2017 ROTL numbers dropped by more than a third, producing nearly 200,000 fewer releases involving 4,000 fewer prisoners.

Campaigners have suggested a key factor in the 'under-use' of the scheme is fear of disproportionate criticism in the small numbers of cases that go wrong.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said new research indicates that, for prisoners given at least one release on temporary licence, additional releases were associated with 'small but significant' reductions in re-offending rates.

'These findings strongly suggest that there is a beneficial impact from workplace ROTL,' the MoJ's strategy document said.

'We need to make sure that, where the risk to the public is low, more prisoners are gaining work experience through workplace ROTL.'

Officials are consulting on ways to 'enhance governors' discretion' and improve access to ROTL, but the Government stressed that no changes would be introduced which could jeopardise public safety.

The Government wants more firms to follow the example of Timpson (file image), which has for years recruited ex-prisoners and led training schemes in jails

The MoJ also said ex-prisoners could be recruited directly into the Civil Service, and it was committed to considering how to take forward a Conservative manifesto proposal for a one-year holiday on employer National insurance contributions for firms taking on ex-offenders.

A new organisation, the New Futures Network, will be set up to persuade employers to recruit former prisoners, while governors will be given the power to commission education and training programmes in their establishments.

The MoJ will also look at the role of the incentives and earned privileges system behind bars and further steps to increase the use of technology in cells and on wings for educational purposes.

Presenting the blueprint at HMP Isis in south-east London, Mr Gauke said: 'I want prisons to be places of hope and aspiration that propel offenders into employment, and ultimately help to reduce the number of victims of crime in the future.'

Peter Dawson, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said the strategy is 'full to the brim with good intentions'.

'But almost none of those good intentions set a date for when they will be delivered, or how many people will benefit. We have heard many of these promises before,' he added.A student who was forced to have an abortion after being taken by her family to Pakistan when she got pregnant by her Italian boyfriend has been returned to Italy.

The 19-year-old, identified as Farah, had been studying in Verona when she became pregnant.

Her family tricked her into going back to Pakistan in February and she was only rescued by Pakistani police in Islamabad last week.

'They sedated me, tied me to a bed and forced me to have an abortion,' said Farah in text and audio messages she managed to sneak to her friends in Italy, according to Italian news reports.

Farah, 19, has returned to Italy after accusing her family in Pakistan of tricking her to come home and forcing her to have an abortion

She said her parents had tricked her into returning to Pakistan for her brother's wedding and then forced her to abort her child. She wrote of being afraid for her life.

Farah's case had attracted a lot of interest in Italy following the recent strangulation death in Pakistan of Sana Cheema, an Italian of Pakistani origin who police suspect was killed by her family because she refused an arranged marriage.

Italy's foreign minister proudly announced the return to Italy on Thursday.

Farah didn't have Italian citizenship, only a residency permit. Nevertheless, the foreign ministry activated Italy's embassy in Islamabad after Verona authorities heard from Farah's friends that she had been tricked into going home and was forced to have an abortion.

Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano tweeted Thursday that Farah was safely back in Italy, and he thanked Pakistani authorities who had removed Farah from her family's Lahore-area home and brought her to the Italian embassy in Islamabad.

Farah's case had attracted a lot of interest in Italy following the recent strangulation death in Pakistan of Sana Cheema, an Italian of Pakistani origin who police suspect was killed by her family because she refused an arranged marriage

Pakistani policemen walk beside the grave of Italian national of Pakistani origin Sana Cheema, who was allegedly killed by her family members

Alfano had previously said that Italy acted in Farah's defense as a matter of respecting her human rights and 'fundamental rights based on the equality of men and women.'

Once in the embassy, Italy arranged for Farah's Pakistani passport to be renewed - her family had destroyed the one she traveled with - and issued her a visa to return to Italy.

Farah's case prompted an outpouring of solidarity from Italian politicians from across the political spectrum eager to prevent a repetition of the Cheema case. Verona's social services office, which had received complaints from Farah previously about her abusive father, guaranteed her needs will be met and safety ensured.

Left-leaning lawmaker Laura Boldrini, the former house speaker, praised Farah for raising her voice and 'making us understand that when a woman rebels against those who want to oppress her, she will never be left alone.'

Right-wing leader Giorgia Meloni, who has demanded a harsher crackdown on illegal immigrants, went so far as to call for Italy to grant Farah citizenship.Advertisement

An historic stately home that was gutted by fire in a suspected arson attack will collapse unless urgent repairs are carried out, a report today reveals.

Parnham House in Beaminster, Dorset, was partially destroyed by a huge blaze in April last year, with its multi-millionaire owner Michael Treichl suspected of starting the blaze deliberately.

While he was on police bail having been arrested for arson, Mr Treichl, 68, was found drowned in Lake Geneva, Switzerland in an apparent suicide.

Parnham House in Beaminster, Dorset, was partially destroyed by a huge blaze in April last year, with its multi-millionaire owner Michael Treichl suspected of starting the blaze deliberately

While he was on police bail having been arrested for arson, Mr Treichl, 68, was found drowned in Lake Geneva, Switzerland in an apparent suicide

Parnham House is owned by hedge fund manager Michael Treichl, pictured, a scion of a wealthy and highly regarded family of bankers

Now a report by Historic England has stated work has yet to start on the Grade I listed property more than a year on from the blaze.

And if nothing is done soon then the landmark building could be lost entirely.

The remains of the Elizabethan manor house was placed on Historic England's At Risk register last October but it has now been prioritised as category A, meaning there is an 'immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric'.

In the report Historic England said: 'Since the fire last year, Historic England has been working tirelessly to secure the future of Parnham House.

'We are working on how Parnham House might be saved. Even in its current condition, the property could be attractive to a buyer with the means and passion to restore it.

'Sadly, the longer the building is left, the more vulnerable it becomes to dilapidation.'

The report got on the say the majority of the building's roof and internal structures are lost but much of the external fabric survives.

It says the fire has created 'serious immediate stability issues' and 'collapse is likely to continue due to increased loading from fallen debris, decay and softening all caused by water ingress'.

The reports warns that internal access will not be possible until the external walls are stabilised and said the work had been 'indefinitely delayed' but did not say why.

The huge fire started at the 15m house in the early hours of April 15, 2017 and about 100 firefighters tackled the blaze at its peak.

In the aftermath Mr Treichl, a hedge fund manager, and his former model wife Emma vowed to rebuild the historic home and he submitted plans for a temporary spiral staircase to allow access to the first floor areas of the staff accommodation wing so work could be carried out.

Parnham was brought into the ownership of the Strode family in the mid-1500s who lived in the property for 200 years

The remains of the Elizabethan manor house was placed on Historic England's At Risk register last October but it has now been prioritised as category A, meaning there is an 'immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric'

The reports warns that internal access will not be possible until the external walls are stabilised and said the work had been 'indefinitely delayed' but did not say why

It has been a private home, a country club, an army base in the Second World War, a nursing home and a woodwork school before the Treichls bought it. Pictured above, Emma Treichl from Parnham House

But following his death in June nothing has been done to the house.

The Treichls bought the house in 2001 from furniture designer John Makepeace and spent 10million restoring and modernising the 500-year-old property.

It was considered to be one of Dorset's oldest and most important stately homes.

Parts of the current house date back to mid-1500s when it was owned by the Strode family for 200 years and in 1645 Lady Strode was brutally killed by a soldier under the command of Colonel Thomas Fairfax - commander-in-chief of the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War.

It has been a private home, a country club, an army base in the Second World War, a nursing home and a woodwork school before the Treichls bought it.

Dorset Police confirmed following Mr Treichl's death that they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the fire and had concluded their investigation.MI6 will cast off its macho James Bond image in an attempt to bring more women, working parents and ethnic minority recruits into Britain's elite foreign spy service.

Bond was famed for his 'licence to kill', flashy lifestyle and bedding lovers in exotic places all over the world.

But MI6's first TV advertising campaign released today highlights the 'soft' skills it is looking for in new staff.

There are also changes to eligibility rules, with the upper age limit of 55 set to be scrapped, while recruits born in Britain can now join MI6 even if both parents were migrants.

It comes as Britain's foreign intelligence service has seen an upsurge in interest since the Salisbury nerve agent attack on the former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, blamed by the Government on the Kremlin.

In the new advert, the opening shot could come straight from a Bond movie, with a shark gliding menacingly through the blue waters of an aquarium.

The opening shark sequence of MI6's first ever TV advert could be from a Bond film but it is aimed at finding more working parents, especially women, and ethnic minority candidates

MI6's first TV advertising campaign released today highlights the 'soft' skills it is looking for in new staff.

MI6 admits that Bond's macho image and love of bedding women (pictured played Daniel Craig)

It then cuts to a child who steps back in momentary alarm before turning to his mother who sweeps him up smiling in her arms.

The voice over says: 'We are intelligence officers but we don't do what you think. It is not keeping your cool in the shark tank, it is picking up the silent cues that matter.'

It ends: 'MI6 - secretly we are just like you'.'

As a woman watches 'silently for clues' - the advert ends with the pay-off: 'MI6 - secretly we are just like you'

The advert is the latest move from the British security services to reach out to more diverse applicants.

Earlier this year the Royal Marines featured a commercial showing recruits training during a gruelling exercise.

Midway through they stopped to allow one person time to pray.

At a briefing for journalists at MI6 headquarters, the agency's head of recruitment, herself a mother with 20 years in the service, said the advertisement deliberately sought to subvert the Bond image.

'The concept was to play on the Bond image but to explain very clearly that this was not James Bond,' she said.

'In many respects the people we are recruiting have sets of skills that are common to many people in the population.

'MI6 can take advantage of this Bond image and then turn it on its head.'

She said they were looking for new intelligence officers who had a 'blend of emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills' combined with a 'strong sense sense of integrity and creativity'.

The agency is currently looking to recruit 800 new staff by 2021.

MI6 chief Alex Younger said it was essential they were able to continue to attract the very best candidates

A senior director of the service said that a bringing in a more diverse workforce would help counter the dangers of 'group think'

However MI6 chief Alex Younger said it was essential they were able to continue to attract the very best candidates, including women and members of the black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities who previously might not have considered applying.

'The principal underlying capability that we have is our people.

'We have to sustain that situation and we have to recruit more,' he said.

'It is about having the widest possible choice of the best talent in the country.

'I want people who would have never have thought about joining MI6 to think about joining MI6.'

At a briefing for journalists at MI6 headquarters, the agency's head of recruitment, herself a mother with 20 years in the service, said the advertisement deliberately sought to subvert the Bond image

According to the latest official figures from March 2016, 24.1%s of senior staff and 37.8% of non-senior staff were women while there were no BAME members among the senior ranks and they accounted for just 6.8% of the non-senior staff.

A senior director of the service said that a bringing in a more diverse workforce would help counter the dangers of 'group think'.

'We are looking for people who are brave enough to speak up,' he said.

Elaine, a mother of three, who joined MI6 five years ago after a successful career in retailing, said she had wondered how she would fit in as a BAME woman.

However she had found she had been able to work against the 'full range of targets' while she said the agency's approach to flexible working compared favourably with her previous employer.

'I have been able to use my difference to my advantage,' she said.

'I wanted to do something that made a difference and this absolutely ticked that box.'This woman certainly won't forget her graduation day in a hurry - after it became doubly special when her boyfriend of five years popped the question.

Sadie Marie Davila, 24, was left stunned as she posed for photographs after her graduation, after her long-time boyfriend went down on one knee.

Sadie, a registered Nurse at Midland Memorial Hospital, answered 'yes' to her now-fiance Fabian Aranda.

He asked her to marry him at her graduation from Midland College, Texas, on May 11.

The couple met in high school and have been together for almost five years.

Fabian wanted to wait and decided it was time to propose, the same day she graduated.

Fabian Aranda proposed to his now-fiancee Sadie Marie Davila, 24, at her graduation ceremony in Texas

Doubly happy: The bride-to-be sports her ring as well as a bouquet and certificate of graduation

Thankfully she said 'yes' and the happy couple will get married on their anniversary, on September 21, next year.

Sadie said: 'I did not expect it at all.

'When I turned around I was still kind of in shock.

'It didn't hit me until he got down on his knee.

'I was like 'are you serious' because I had been waiting for this moment for a while!'

Sadie Marie Davila show off her new ring - gifted to her by her boyfriend of five yearsDr Jo Barton, from Essex, works in her local A&E in Harlow

A 'nightmare teen' who battled alcoholism and depression and left school without any qualifications has turned her life around and become a qualified doctor.

Jo Barton, 32, who lives in Sawbridgeworth, Essex, left school in Harlow at the age of 14 without any GCSE's or qualifications to her name.

The troubled teen, whose mother suffered from severe mental health issues, then entered a 'pit of depression' where she drank on a daily basis and lost her way.

But, in an incredible display of hard work and determination, she has turned her life around and become a fully qualified doctor - working in her local A&E in Harlow.

Revealing her extraordinary journey from the pits of depression an admired profession, Ms Barton explained: 'We didn't have my mum about as she was in the hospital being sectioned.

'My teenage years are where it all went wrong really. I left school at 14, halfway through year 10, and I ended up skipping a lot and I wasn't living at home.

'I got into alcohol at an early age - about 13 - and I was drinking every single day. I think I was probably depressed but I didn't know it at the time.'

Ms Barton (left as a troubled teen) has turned her life around and become a fully qualified doctor (right)

Struggling to deal with the pressure of a mother battling with bipolar disorder and with no one to speak to, she turned to alcoholism.

'I turned to alcohol and then I began to rebel and that got me into lots of trouble as a teenager.'

Her father had moved away from the area so she says she and her sister were often left alone. However, after years of depression and gaining a 'reputation' in Harlow, she sought a clean break and became determined to start a new life.

She began searching for any job she could find and with no qualifications, found only waitressing available to her.

'I think I wanted to start a new life,' she said. 'But because I had a reputation - it was either that or staying depressed.

'I got my first job at 17 at a restaurant in Great Dunmow. It only lasted four weeks because I was a really bad waitress. It was my first job, it was long hours, and they fired me after four weeks.'

Despite the brief nature of her very first role, the restaurant job wasn't all bad for Ms Barton as she met her partner there, who she is still with 15 years later.

Without any qualifications, and a relatively empty CV, Ms Barton explained that she eventually turned to looking at healthcare jobs because the advertisements said no previous experience was necessary.

While working she could also train towards her National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in care

Soon she managed to land a job as a health care assistant at St Catherine's Care Home in Broxbourne.

While working she could also train towards her National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in care.

In her two years at the care home Ms Barton managed to achieve her NVQ as well as getting key skills in English and Maths.

While at the care home Ms Barton said her confidence grew but she soon wanted more and set about finding a path into hospital care.

She managed to get a part time job on an X-ray ward at Princess Alexandra Hospital and landed a place on an Access to Nursing course at a college in Enfield, North London.

Because of the financial constraints Ms Barton ended up working for 60 hours a week as she tried to balance professional and academic commitments.

'You don't really get support in college and I just got on with it,' she explained.

'I had about one meal a day and that's effectively how I survived. There were lots of times I wanted to quit but if I did that then I would have got nothing.'

She added: 'My final year was a very tough year for me. My mum had been well for a few years but she got taken off of tablets and she got sectioned again.

'I was commuting each way trying to visit my mum but also studying for my final exams.'

Despite the demanding college years, Ms Barton managed to pass her exams.

Sadly, her graduation day wasn't as happy as it could have been as her proud mother was unable to attend due to anxiety attacks.

She managed to get a part time job on an x-ray ward at Princess Alexandra Hospital and landed a place on an access to nursing course at a college in Enfield, North London

Soon after, her passion for medicine progressed, and, after watching a number of surgeries, decided her next goal was to become a qualified doctor.

Ms Barton found an Access to Medicine course but required Maths and English GCSE's so she first had to complete them both via home study courses.

Once she had completed her two GCSE's, Ms Barton was accepted on to the course and moved to Norwich. She then applied for a university place to study medicine, but failed to gain acceptance on to any courses.

Instead, she was offered a biomedicine course, but didn't feel it suited her so once again applied for a degree in medicine.

Finally, Ms Barton was accepted on to a six-year degree at St George's Hospital in London where she graduated from three years ago.

She now works in Q&E at Princess Alexandra hospital in Harlow, and she has already set her mind on her next task - to become a GP.

'I felt like I needed a better work life balance so I decided to apply for GP training.

'I was working nights and I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life.'

'I just want people to know that if you come from nothing there are options if you are willing to put the effort in,' she said

Ms Barton's journey has not been without its struggles.

But is keen to use her personal journey as an inspiration to others.

'I just want people to know that if you come from nothing there are options if you are willing to put the effort in,' she said.

'It's just staying focused and staying in education. It was a struggle and I am not going to tell anyone it is easy - I used to study for my exams on the Central Line! It's the way that you think about it. Always, what was in my head was, if I don't do this then it's all gone and I am back to square one.

'If I give up then I am going to be left with nothing. If I had a normal life, and I went to school, I don't know what I would be doing now,' she added.

'I kind of found medicine and I don't think I would have found it if I had a normal life. I am quite good with depressed patients and that's because of my past. But I am not your average doctor, as I'm quite common, and I think that helps.

'I just hope that other people can see it the way I thought it was.'Britain has seen a huge rise in sextortion victims with tens of thousands of people said to be at risk after being secretly filmed carrying out sex acts.

Some 1,304 cases were reported by UK police forces to the National Crime Agency last year - almost three times more than the number of 428 in 2015.

Sextortion involves organised criminal groups using fake dating profiles to befriend victims and encourage them to live stream sex acts.

Sextortion involves organised criminal groups using fake dating profiles to befriend victims and encourage them to live stream sex acts (file picture posed by model)

Victims are often contacted through dating websites and believe they are in a genuine relationship, and are then persuaded to perform sex acts online.

These are recorded by the criminal gangs who then threaten to share the footage with the victim's friends and family unless they are paid.

The NCA estimates the number of people who have suffered sextortion is much higher than their figures show, with victims failing to report the crimes to police.

At least five suicides have been linked to sextortion, which is predominately committed by overseas criminal gangs, according to the agency.

Men aged over 60 or between 17 and 25 are said to be the biggest targets, with an increasing number of British Armed Forces personnel being sextorted.

John Branney, from the NCA's anti-kidnap and extortion unit, said: 'The upward trend in cases of sextortion and the devastating effect on victims are extremely worrying.

The National Crime Agency, based in this building in Vauxhall, London, described the upward trend in cases of sextortion and the effect on victims are 'extremely worrying'

'Due to the nature of the crime we know there are a huge number of cases that go unreported and that the figures released today are just the tip of the iceberg.

The upward trend in cases of sextortion and the devastating effect on victims are extremely worrying John Branney, National Crime Agency

'The release of these figures aims to highlight sextortion as a growing crime and help potential victims by showing them how they can protect themselves and what to do if they are targeted.

'We want victims to know that they are not alone and urge them to contact the police where they will be treated sensitively and in confidence.'

Fred Langford, from the Internet Watch Foundation, said: 'Our Indecent Images of Children Campaign, created in partnership with the Marie Collins Foundation, NSPCC and HM Government, seeks to educate young men aged 18 to 24 on the laws around sexual images of under 18s online.

'Within the campaign, one of the topics we cover is sextortion, as young men are particularly vulnerable to being targeted and falling victim to it online.

'We want to encourage young men to be aware of the risks online, and to speak up if they find themselves being exploited or vulnerable to blackmail.'A student is suing his school district, claiming First Amendment rights were violated after he was asked to cover up a T-shirt supporting Donald Trump's border wall.

Addison Barnes wore the t-shirt to a People and Politics class, which was discussing immigration, but was told to cover it up when asked by a teacher.

The 18-year told Fox 12 the assistant principal pulled him out of class because his shirt offended students and a teacher at Liberty High School in Hillsboro, Oregon.

Scroll down for video

Addison Barnes with the offending T-shirt, which he was told the cover up

The 18-year-old said the assistant principal pulled him out of class

The T-shirt included the words Donald J Trump Border Wall Construction Co. and a quote from the president: 'The wall just got 10 feet taller.'

'She gave me the option - either I cover the shirt up or I get sent home,' he said of the January 19 incident.

'And then a few minutes later I decided, you know this isn't right. I have my First Amendment and it's not right what they're doing.'

Barnes instead left the school, who deemed his absence a half-day suspension, though that was later rescinded, according to KOIN.

Barnes said he is aware of the school district's dress code but said he was asserting his First Amendment Rights.

The lawsuit was filed in Oregon's federal court claims Liberty is suppressing political free speech.

'If somebody else disagrees with me politically, I think they should be able to express their viewpoints just as I should be able to express my viewpoints in school,' he said.

In Liberty High School's Parent-Student Handbook, it makes no mention of banned political clothing.

However, in Hillsboro School District's Standards of Student Conduct it outlines a more defined set of guidelines.

Liberty High School in Oregon makes no mention of banned political clothing but the school district has more defined guidelines

'Clothing decorated or marked with illustrations, words, or phrases that are disruptive or potentially disruptive, and/or that promote superiority of one group over another is not permitted,' it says.

Barnes told KGW-TV, material promoting other political points of view are tolerated at the school.

'I had a teacher who had a pro-sanctuary-city poster in her room which was up all year, yet as I wear a pro-border wall shirt, I get silenced and suspended for wearing that,' he said.

His attorney Mike McLane added: 'The high school, ironically named Liberty High School, had violated his free speech rights.'The Australians shot down on flight MH17 were killed by Russian soldiers, it was officially confirmed today.

Flight MH17 was headed from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia when it was shot down by a BUK missile over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014.

The missile was fired by a Russian anti-aircraft missile brigade based in the city of Kursk, near the Ukrainian border, Dutch investigator Wilbert Paulissen told a press conference today.

All 298 passengers and crew, which included mainly Dutch citizens but also Brits, Malysians and Australians, were killed in the disaster.

Here we picture the Australian citizens and residents who never made it home.

Emma Bell (left), originally of Lithgow in NSW, was a passionate teacher who was returning from a trip to Europe to start the new school term in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. Jack O'Brien (right) of Sydney, was 25. His family said he was 'loved so much'

Dutch language teacher Dafne Nieveen (left) was killed while flying home to Perth. Melbourne-based IT security consultant Marco Grippeling (right) is one of 10 Victorian residents killed in the MH17 flight disaster

Dutchman Itamar Avnon (left) was on a trip to Israel for a wedding and stopped over in Amsterdam to visit friends before boarding MH17 Flight. He was studying Australia. Emiel Mahler and girlfriend Elaine Teoh (right), both 27, were on their way to a wedding in Malaysia but lived in Melbourne

Liliane Derden (left) was a public servant from Canberra whose two daughters changed their Facebook profile pictures to photos of their mother in a touching tribute. Gary Lee, a retiree, ran a Chinese restaurant while his wife Mona (right) was a schoolteacher

Retired Wollongong couple Michael and Carol Clancy (left), in their 60s, were on a three-week European holiday. Gerry Menke and his wife Mary (right) owned an abalone pearl company in Mallacoota. Their business recently won a prize at the East Gippsland Business Awards

Shaliza Dewal (left), 45, and her Dutch husband Hans Van Den Hende (centre) were travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with their three children, Piers, 15, (top right) and Marnix, 12, (top back) and daughter Margaux, 8, (top centre)

Left: Edel Mahady was returning to Perth for the start of the school term at Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School, Kelmscott. Right: Helena Sidelik was travelling home from a friend's wedding in Europe, back to the Gold Coast where she lived

Recently retired couple Wayne and Theresa Baker had two sons, aged in their 20s. The Bakers were based in Buddina on the Sunshine Coast but also lived in Darwin

Left: Nick Norris was travelling with his three grandchildren. Centre: Victorian real estate agent, Albert Rizk. Right: Marie Rizk was travelling with her husband on board MH17

Children Mo, Otis and Evie Maslin from Perth, who perished in the terrorist attack on MH17, were travelling home with their grandfather, Nick Norris, after a family holiday

Arjen Ryder and wife Yvonne from Albany, Queensland, were travelling together. Right: Victor Oreshkin was a religious man who was involved in church ministry

NSW resident Sister Philomene Tiernan (left), and Frankie Davison and her husband, Liam (right), were on the plane

Recently retired pathologist Roger Guard (left) and his wife Jill (right) from Toowoomba in Queensland, have also been identified from the MH17 flight

Mr Horder and his wife Susan, both 63, of Albany Creek, were among the Queenslanders aboard flight MH17 when it was shot down

Fatima Dyczynski's lifelong dream of moving to Perth ended when the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine

Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said in a statement: 'Today the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), of which Australia is a member, has released findings that provide further evidence of Russias pivotal role in the tragic downing of MH17 on 17 July 2014.

'The JIT, which also includes member nations - Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine - has concluded that the BUK missile system that was used to down MH17, belonged to the Russian Federations 53rd Anti-Aircraft Military Brigade.

'This follows earlier findings of the JIT that the BUK missile system was taken from Russia to eastern Ukraine and back after the downing, and that the missile launch site was an agricultural field controlled by pro-Russian fighters.

'That a sophisticated weapon belonging to the Russian Army was dispatched and used to shoot down a civilian aircraft should be of grave international concern. We are discussing these findings with our partners and considering our options.

'We have full confidence in the independence of the JIT and in its thorough investigation.

'Australia and our JIT partners are united in pursuing justice for those who lost their lives, including 38 people who called Australia home, and their loved ones, and to hold to account those responsible for this atrocious act.'

Russian projectile: The damaged Russian missile that shot down flight MH17, killing all 298 people on board, is put on display in Bunnik, Netherlands, today

Wilbert Paulissen said in the press conference today: 'The Joint Investigation Team has come to the conclusion that the BUK-TELAR that shot down MH17 came from 53rd Anti-aircraft Missile Brigade based in Kursk in Russia.

'All the vehicles in a convoy carrying the missile were part of the Russian armed forces.'

The investigators had previously concluded that the plane was brought down by a BUK missile fired from territory in Ukraine held by Moscow-backed rebels, but had stopped short of directly saying who pulled the trigger.

Now the team has painstaking recreated the route taken by the missile convoy from Kursk across the border into Ukraine using videos and photos.

Paulissen added the team had 'ascertained that the BUK-TELAR has a number of unique characteristics. These characteristics as such served as a type of fingerprint for the missile.'

Evidence: Russian writing can be seen on the side of the damaged missile put on display

Horror: Debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 is shown smouldering in a field on July 17, 2014 in Grabovo, Ukraine near the Russian border

Last shot: This photo shows Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 leaving Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on July 17, 2014

The probe being led by The Netherlands is focusing on some 100 people suspected of having played an 'active role' in the incident, but investigators have not yet publicly named any suspects.

Chief investigator Fred Westerbeke said Thursday the probe was now in its 'last phase' but added there was 'still work to be done'.

Over the past years 'we've gained a lot of proof and evidence but we are not ready yet' to move towards bringing charges, he told the press conference.

Dutch officials have announced that the trial of any suspects arrested in the shooting down of flight MH17 will be held in the Netherlands under an agreement reached with the countries leading the joint probe.

Downed: The reconstructed wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 which was shot down by a Russian missile over eastern Ukraine in July 2014 is seen in The Netherlands

BUK are a series of surface-to-air missile systems developed by Soviet and subsequently Russia, who has always denied involvement in the downing of the jet.

MH17 crashed in Grabovo, Ukraine an area near the Russian border which at the time was under the control of pro-Russian militias.

The plane was shot down in the early stages of the Ukraine War, which began with the Russian annexation of Crimea - a military muscle-flexing exercise by President Vladimir Putin attempting to show off his strength to the West.

This and the anti-government 'revolution' that had shaken the capital Kiev for months, sparked protests by pro-Russian groups in the Donbass region in the east.

This escalated into a full-blown armed conflict between pro-Russian separatists, backed by Moscow, and the Ukrainian government which is still ongoing.A man who sent a string of 47 violent text messages containing graphic images and threats to kill his former coworker overreacted when he was told he was a cuckold, a court has heard.

Lawyers for Lindsay Dean Hutchinson, 32, said he was provoked into sending the threats to former co-worker Sandy Godden in the early hours of March 7, 2015, The Advertiser reported.

Hutchinson's lawyer Gilbert Aitken, told the Adelaide District Court that his client's relationship with Mr Godden was 'not good' when they started working together.

Lawyers for Lindsay Dean Hutchinson, 32, said he was provoked into sending the threats to former co-worker Sandy Godden

Hutchinson's relationship with Mr Godden was 'not good' when they started working together (pictured texts)

Hutchinson sent threatening text messages to Mr Godden while he was intoxicated (pictured)

'Things got bad when he finally stood up for himself. He had stern words ... with Godden and from that moment he felt that there was, to be frank, some sort of vendetta happening,' the court heard.

When Hutchinson left his job, he was still in possession of a company pressure cleaner.

Mr Godden's lawyer told the court his client was asked to retrieve it which began over a series of texts.

It was then Mr Godden suggested Hutchinson was not the father of his children. This caused Hutchinson to send the 47 threatening text messages while he was intoxicated.

Threats included texts saying Mr Godden was 'dead, dead, dead, you're so dead'.

The Judge said he would not be sending Hutchinson to jail and needs to think of the sentence carefully (pictured Adelaide District Court)

Hutchinson was found guilty of using a carriage service to make a threat to kill.

'He overreacted to the suggestion that he was a cuckold...he understands and accepts what he did was wrong,' Mr Aitken told Judge Jack Costello.

The Judge said he would not be sending Hutchinson to jail and needs to think of the sentence carefully.

'I need to think very carefully about the nature of the sentence that I impose, but it will not be one which involves him having to serve any immediate time,' The Advertiser reported.

Hutchinson will be sentenced next month.A Socastee, South Carolina couple were arrested on Monday, after cops found the girlfriend's two kids living in a house littered with trash, animal feces and and an 'unbearable' stench of cat urine.

Jenny Paradis, 44, and her 22-year-old boyfriend Joshua Vaught were charged with two counts each of unlawful neglect of a child. Paradis was hit with an additional charge of mistreatment of animals.

Her two children - who appear to be sons according to her Facebook photos - were taken from the home and placed them in emergency protective custody.

Jenny Paradis, 44 (left), and her 22-year-old boyfriend Joshua Vaught (right) were arrested in Socastee, Florida on Monday

The couple were taken into custody on neglect charges when officers would Paradis' two sons living in horrific conditions. Paradis is pictured above with her boyfriend and two kids

A Department of Social Services case manager asked police to conduct a check of a home on Enterprise Road in Socastee on Monday because of a 'strange odor that was possibly drug related,' according to the incident report.

When officers arrived on the scene, they encountered Vaught and a neighbor removing bags of trash from the home and putting them in the back of the truck. The neighbor then called Paradis and told her to return to the home with the kids.

While they were waiting for Paradis to return, cops went through the home, which they found in a startling state.

Before they even entered the home, they noted a 'vehicle drive shaft, piles of trash with maggots and a large pile of cat litter that contained feces' on the front porch.

The family's home was covered in trash, animal feces and had an 'unbearable' smell of cat urine. Vaught said the conditions had been the same ever since he moved in in October 2017

'It should be noted that there was a strong odor of cat urine while standing outside near the front porch,' an officer wrote in the report. 'Several' cats were seen walking freely in and our of the house through a hole in the kitchen window, the report stated.

Inside the home, the odor was just as 'unbearable'.

The floor was 'covered in animal urine and feces', dishes were piled up in the kitchen sink and there was no air conditioning.

'The house was full of various insects. There were several animals in the home that were in poor condition, to include a pit bull, wild squirrel and a cat with an infected wound on its head,' the officer wrote in the report.

In the bedroom where the children slept, there was no room for bed space 'due to dirty clothes and trash'.

Paradis' two sons were covered in bites and sores. They were placed in emergency protective custody

Vaught told officers that the living conditions have been the same since he moved in, in October 2017.

When Paradis showed up at the scene with her kids, she said that she knew her children should not be living there but 'she just didn't feel like cleaning due to being tired'.

Cops spoke to the kids too, who were covered in bites and sores. According to the report, there are 'apparently bed bugs in the home and possibly fleas'. The children told officers that they 'do bathe but sometimes the bathroom is full of spiders'. One of the children said he tries to help his mom clean the house. Officers also noted that one of the kids was wearing Vaught's shoes because he didn't have any.

Jail records show that Vaught appears to have posted bail on Tuesday, while his girlfriend is still incarcerated.

'At no point during the six months of living in these conditions did [Paradis and Vaught] attempt to resolve the issues or request assistance,' the report states.

The children were placed in protective custody, and officials said they would be receiving medical treatment.

The animals were also taken into custody, since they were not being properly taken care of and were not up to date on their vaccinations.

Jail records show that Vaught appears to have posted bail on Tuesday, while his girlfriend is still incarcerated.The Pentagon has pulled its invitation for China to join maritime exercises in the Pacific because of Beijing's 'continued militarization' of the South China Sea amid increased tensions between the two nations.

China hit back at the decision, calling it 'very non-constructive' and saying it was taken without due reflection.

Held every two years in Hawaii, the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises involved more than 20 countries including India, Japan, the UK and - for the past two events - China.

The Pentagon has pulled its invitation for China to join its Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises (A Royal Canadian Navy frigate steams alongside the USS John C. Stennis during the 2016 Rim of the Pacific maritime exercise)

China was invited to join the RIMPAC, which the Pentagon is the biggest military exercise in the world, under the Obama administration as a way to boost relations with Beijing and encourage the country to stop the militarization of a group of disputed islands in the South China Sea.

But Defense Secretary James Mattis has chosen to withdraw their invitation this year, after China landed a Chinese bomber on one of those islands, as well as their recent deployment of missile systems.

'China's continued militarization of disputed features in the South China Sea only serves to raise tensions and destabilize the region,' Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Chris Logan said.

'We have disinvited the PLA Navy from the 2018 Rim of the Pacific Exercise. China's behavior is inconsistent with the principles and purposes of the RIMPAC exercise.'

China's Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi said the US decision to exclude it from RIMPAC was 'very non-constructive.'

'It's also a decision taken lightly and is unhelpful to mutual understanding between China and the US,' Wang said at a press conference with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after the two met in Washington.

Pompeo did not comment on the matter, saying only that the pair had had a 'good discussion' about American concerns of militarization of the South China Sea.

China's Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi (pictured with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo) said the US decision to exclude it from RIMPAC was 'very non-constructive

Defense Secretary James Mattis (pictured) has chosen to withdraw their invitation this year, after China landed a Chinese bomber on a disputed island in the South China Sea

China has deployed anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems and electronic jammers to 'contested features' in the Spratly Islands region of the South China Sea, Logan said.

'While China has maintained that the construction of the islands is to ensure safety at sea, navigation assistance, search and rescue, fisheries protection and other non-military functions, the placement of these weapon systems is only for military use,' Logan said, noting that the landing of a Chinese bomber on Woody Island had only exacerbated strains.

The decision to pull China's invitation comes amid new tensions between Beijing and Washington.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was not satisfied with talks aimed at averting a trade war with China.

Trump also escalated tensions with North Korea today after he called off a planned nuclear disarmament summit with Kim Jong Un after the communist leader insulted VP Mike Pence.

He also challenged dictator the dictator Kim to scrap his nuclear ambitions in favor of joining the civilized world and escaping the West's economic stranglehold.

Trump's letter to Kim on Thursday boasted of America's gargantuan nuclear arsenal, and he drove the point home at the White House.

'Hopefully everything's going to work out well with North Korea, and a lot of things can happen, including the fact that perhaps  and we'd wait  it's possible that the existing summit could take place or a summit at some later date,' Trump said before a bill-signing event in the White House's Roosevelt Room.

'Nobody should be anxious,' he counseled. 'We have to get it right.'

And on Tuesday, he suggested that Chinese President Xi Jinping might have played a role in North Korea's recent threats to withdraw from a planned summit with the US.

China claims most of the South China Sea, believed to hold vast oil and gas deposits and through which $5 trillion in trade passes annually. It has built up islands and military installations across the region.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims in the sea.

The US Navy periodically conducts 'freedom of navigation' operations in which naval vessels sail close to the Chinese-claimed militarized islets.

Satellite imagery of the Fiery Cross Reef located in the South China Sea. Fiery Cross is located in the western part of the Spratly Islands group where China has created military bases

Logan said the Pentagon had urged China to remove its military installations 'immediately' and to 'reverse course' on its militarization of the sea.

Given China's growing military confidence and its heavy investment in the South China Sea, such a move is highly unlikely.

Logan added that Xi had broken a promise he made to the international community that China would not militarize the Spratly Islands.

According to the Navy, this year's RIMPAC was originally slated to include more than 1,000 personnel from 27 countries.

An invitation to the exercises, which are held in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California, carries some political weight as it offers legitimacy and acceptance to participating military forces.

Thailand was disinvited in 2014 following a coup.

RIMPAC began in 1971 and was held annually until 1974, when it switched to every two years due to its large scale. The founding nations are Australia, Canada and the United States.

China has participated twice previously, in 2014 and 2016An Australian council has announced it plans to replace male pedestrian crossing symbols with female signs.

Brimbank Council in Melbourne has asked for female 'walk and don't walk' figures at crossings in a move to 'improve gender equality'.

Mayor Margaret Giudice told the Herald Sun the initiative would 'show women and girls that they are important and valued in our community'.

Brimbank Council in Melbourne has asked for female 'walk and don't walk' figures at crossings in a move to 'improve gender equality'

An Australian council has announced it plans to replace male pedestrian crossing symbols with female signs

'We know that improving gender equity leads to very positive outcomes for organisations and for our community research shows societies with greater gender equity have lower rates of violence towards women and children,' she said.

The council has put forward Perth Ave and Ballarat Rd as the first crossing to get the new female lights.

The request will be submitted to VicRoads this week.

But Ratepayers Victoria vice president Frank Sullivan said the council was 'out of touch' and needs to address more pressing issues.

'Councillors have got to realise what they are elected to do... they are completely out of touch and they're moving into things that don't concern them,' he told the Herald Sun.

The push comes after the installation of 10 female pedestrian lights in Melbourne's city centre year.Australia's most wanted ISIS terrorist fathered three children with two wives while he was fighting in Syria and Iraq.

Neil Prakash, 27, was apprehended in 2016 when he crossed the border of Syria into Turkey and made the claims to Turkish officials.

Turkish officials revealed the information to News Corp and said they believed his story is consistent and likely true despite not being able to locate his two jihadi brides and three children.

Two of the children would be 20 and 21 months old now and all three of his alleged children would also be eligible for Australian citizenship.

Australia's most wanted ISIS terrorist fathered three children with two wives while he was fighting in Syria and Iraq

Neil Prakash, 27, was apprehended in 2016 when he crossed the border of Syria into Turkey and made the claims to Turkish officials

Efforts to have Prakash extradited to Australia to face charges of being a member of a terrorist organisation and 'incursions into a foreign state with the intention of engaging in hostile activity have been stalled.

His case was adjourned for a third time when the Kilis Criminal Court delayed his next hearing until July 19, and with Turkish elections coming up further delays are expected.

Prakash is awaiting sentencing in Turkey on charges of being part of a terrorist organisation and Turkish authorities need to establish his whether he committed any crimes against Turkey while fighting with ISIS.

If he is convicted for his actions he will face a lengthy prison sentence in a Turkish prison which would delay any extradition to Australia even further.

Neil Prakash, 27, was apprehended in 2016 when he crossed the border of Syria into Turkey and made the claims to Turkish officials (pictured during a recent hearing in Turkey)

Prakash has openly admitted openly and several times to being an active member of Islamic State and when questioned during the 15 minute hearing in Turkey he again made the admission.

'On the first charge of being a member of ISIS, that is true, but the second charge (committing a crime against the state in Turkey), I had nothing to do with,' he said.

He challenged the court to continue its investigations because 'I had nothing to do with that charge'.

Prakashs court-appointed lawyer Mehmet Alper Unver attempted another application of parole for his client which was denied.

He will continue to be detained in the Gaziantep prison where he has remained since his arrest in October of 2016.

Prakash is the most senior Australian member of ISIS to be captured alive after appearing in a number of Islamic State propaganda videos in which he encouraged other followers to launch deadly attacks.

If or when he is extradited back to Australia he would be the first senior figure to be both extradited and charged under legislation which was introduced in 2015.An abortion debate that has inflamed passions in Ireland for decades will come down to a single question on Friday: yes or no?

The referendum on whether to repeal the country's strict anti-abortion law is being seen by anti-abortion activists as a last-ditch stand against what they view as a European norm of abortion-on-demand.

Pro-abortion supporters are advocating it as a fundamental moment for declaring an Irish woman's right to choose.

Opinion surveys suggest a continuing change of attitudes in Ireland, a traditionally Roman Catholic country that surprised many by voting in favor of same-sex marriage in 2015.Facebook has unveiled a set of new rules requiring buyers of political ads to provide the last four digits of their social security number as a way to verify that they live in the United States.

The move comes after it was revealed that the social media platform allowed a Russian troll farm to spread fake news and propaganda in the form of sponsored ads targeting users based on their personal data, allegedly to sway public opinion in the run-un to the 2016 presidential election in favor of Donald Trump.

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before the US Congress in April about allowing the personal data of 87million users to be harvested for political purposes by the British consulting company Cambridge Analytica, which was working for the Trump campaign.

Facebook has unveiled new rules requiring buyers of political ads to provide personal information verifying that they are from the US

Under the new guidelines, ad buyers have to provide the last four digits of their Social Security number, along with a photo of an Id card and US mailing address

Zuckerberg is currently on a tour of Europe to apologize for his company's failure to protect user data and root out fake news.

Under Facebook's new guidelines, which were announced in March, anyone who wishes to run an ad related to politics, or other hot-button issues like guns, immigration, civil rights, economy and terrorism, will have to provide the last four digits of their Social Security number, along with a photo of a government-issued identification card and a US mailing address.

If the information checks out, the user will be mailed a code authorizing the purchase of Facebook ads.

Facebook tells CNN, which first reported the story, that users' personal information used in the verification process will be deleted within about six weeks.

The new rules also apply to ads focusing on such hot-button issues as immigration, guns, abortion and civil rights

The move comes after it was revealed that the social media platform allowed a Russian troll farm to spread fake news and propaganda in the form of sponsored ads like this one ahead of the 2016 election

All ads advocating for or against political candidates, and even those simply mentioning a candidates name, will be accompanied by a 'paid for by' tag.

Ads focusing on the other topics from a list of 20 polarizing issues that Facebook released last month, including abortion, immigration and 'values,' will be subjected to the same verification process.

Facebook plans to hire as many as 4,000 additional employees who will be tasked with reviewing and verify political ads.

Mea culpa: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (pictured on Wednesday in Paris) is currently on a tour of Europe to apologize for his company's failure to protect user data and root out fake news

In addition to the more rigorous verification process, the social media giant plans to harness artificial intelligence to block malicious accounts before they can spread misinformation.

Facebook is not alone in having to grapple with the aftereffects of Russian interference ahead of the midterm elections in November.

On Wednesday, Twitter announced it is adding special labels to tweets from some US political candidates ahead of this years midterm elections.

Twitter says the move is to provide users with authentic information and prevent spoofed and fake accounts from fooling users. The labels will include what office a person is running for and where.

Both the candidates account and the tweets from it will get labels. The labels will appear on retweets as well as tweets off of Twitter, such as when they are embedded in a news story.

The labels will start to appear next week for candidates for governor and Congress. Twitter wouldnt say whether it will extend this outside the U.S., where elections interference has also been a big issue.

The San Francisco-based company is working with the nonprofit, nonpartisan Ballotpedia to help identify the relevant Twitter accounts.Boris Johnson: Hello, good afternoon it's Boris Johnston here.

Pranksters posing as Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan: Ah, good afternoon foreign secretary, do you hear me?

Johnston: Yes I hear you very well, who is that?

Pranksters: This is prime minister -

Johnston: Prime minister may I congratulate you very sincerely on your remarkable success and I very much hope that the UK and Armenia can strengthen relations forthwith.

We were watching what happened and I was particularly impressed by your role in keeping the protestes that took place peaceful - I think it's been a great success and I congratulate you and I want you to know that the UK is here to help and to continue on a democratic path.

Of course we understand the difficulty of the balancing act that you must do between Russia and the West but we want to offer you all the advice and support that we can. So Prime Minister I was just ringing to say many congratulations.

Pranksters: Thank you a lot Mr Secretary and let me apologise for this urgent call and thank you for the time on your day off. Believe me it's very important for me. Thank you for your congratulations of course, we work work strong and I hope -

Johnston: It seems notable example of a peaceful, democratic process.

Pranksters: Thank you and this Thursday I talked to Sir Duncan and had a very fruitful talk. Of course I would like to (inaudible) with Europe and I spoke already with President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and I understand it's a long-term prospect and we need to make many steps and I hope that the UK will help us and you may count on our humble support, for example in the UN.

Johnston: Well Prime Minister Pashinyan I'm so happy to hear that and you can definitely count on the UK and I admire your vision and what you're trying to achieve, obviously we had hope to have better relations with Russia than we currently do, I'm afraid that Russia seems to be unable to resist malign activity of one kind or another and we have to stand firm against them.

I appreciate that your geography dictates a balancing act and we understand that, but our offer is that for support and encouragement and develop particularly our trading and investment relationships, and it would be great to welcome you to the UK whenever that would be convenient for you, I imagine you have a lot on your plate at the moment.

Pranksters: Yeah, thank you invitation and in one month I was shape a new government. As you know I have a meeting with [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin in Sochi next week and I need to be prepared. I hope he will not poison me with Novichok.

Johnston: (Laughs nervously) Well it's very important, I think, prime minister, that we don't have a new Cold War, you know, I don't want that, nobody in the UK wants that. I personally feel that Russia has made a terrible mistake with what they did in Wiltshire, what they did to try to kill Sergei and Yulia Skripal with Novichok, their behaviour is generally very, very disruptive and it's bad for Russia and if I have a message to Putin it's that we don't want a Cold War but we do want to see an improvement in the way Russia behaves.

Pranksters: I agree and as you know I just only talked to him by telephone, probably you know him better, what should I expect from him, how should I behave - could you give me your advice?

Johnston: I think the only thing that the Russians respond to is determination and firmness so I think you should be very clear with him about your ambitions and the vocation you see for Armenia, but you should stress that this does not amount to a threat to his interests and that he should not meddle.

Pranksters: Yeah but you know there is already war in Syria for example and and you know it's not Cold War but the war is going, and by the way are you sure that Putin ordered to poison Skripal, it's a very dark story.

Johnston: We are very sure.

Pranksters: You are sure, ok, I think it's not in his interests -

Johnston: I can tell you we're pretty... we're almost 100 per cent sure.

Pranksters: Mhmm ok and do you think it is not in his interests before the World Cup and nobody knows that Skripal... Russia finds excuses and say that Britain has hidden Skripal and destroyed evidence and calls it a frame-up. How can we support you in this case?

Johnson: Well, we would be very happy to share with you some more of the evidence that we may be able to produce in due course, we will be able to do more to illustrate that but I think it's very important for the Russians to know that certainly the UK is absolutely determined to stand firm against them.

And we will continue to tighten the squeeze on some of the oligarchs around Putin. I think the most effective so far have been not just the sanctions for Ukraine, but the sanctions on people like Mr [Oleg] Deripaska and we will continue to look at ways that we can tighten our grip, introduce fresh sanctions those who may have ill-gotten gains who are associated with Vladimir Putin, we will continue to do that.

Pranksters: There are a lot of Russian oligarchs the UK, you know, so I think you can find -

Johnston: Yeah, you throw a stone in Kensington and you'll hit an oligach. But some of them are close to Putin and some of them aren't, it takes some time.

Pranksters: But there was no solid evidence against Russia. The director of the OPCC (Office for the Police and Crime Commissioner) said that this gas con be produced in any country. Maybe he's wrong but what do you think about new sanctions against Russia.

Johnston: They confirmed it was definitely Russia, they confirmed it was a Novichok, no one else has produced a Novichok that we know of. So, you know, personally I have no doubt.

Pranksters: Ok, you know because we were a part of the Soviet Union and we also had some bases in our country in Soviet periods, we have some documents - we also could share it with you - and it's documents regarding that gas so we researched Novichok but only to create antidotes.

Johnston: How interesting, that would be very interesting. I would love to come and see you in Armenia and find out about that. But we would certainly like to share in any information you may have about that, or to find out about Armenia's Novichok experiences.

Pranksters: Yeah, but I also know that that UK also created an antidote so it's open information and so we did the same so if your research, if you develop Novichok in cases to create antidote it's legal, and I had some documents -

Johnston: Oh really, well we'd be very interested to see what you have.

Pranksters: But where are the Skripals now, in the UK or...?

Johnston: To the best of my knowledge they're in the UK right now, yes.

Pranksters: I hope that they will be ok, that everything will be ok with them.

Johnson: I hope so.

Pranksters: And I am also concerned about [U.S. President Donald] Trump, Iran is our neighbour and so withdrawal from the deal will make the situation even more dangerous. I talked to President Junker and he promised to continue is efforts to convince Trump not to do it but, I'm afraid it is useless. Trump won't listen to anyone, maybe except Mr Putin.

Johnston: (Laughs) Well I don't know what communications Mr Putin had with Mr Trump, but certainly we were unable to persuade him to keep America in the existing JCPoA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) but we will do our best to keep the deal going, so the UK remains committed to the deal and we will certainly want to, try to protect the regional security of, and indeed to stop Iran securing a nuclear weapon. That remains our objective and I hope we can count on your cooperation to achieve that as well.

Pranksters: Yeah, absolutely, you can be sure that we will support and I am also ready to come to the UK if I will have the time and schedule. I'm also worried about the situation in Syria now, we also could cooperate our politics in the UN together to pressure -

Johnston: Let's do that

Pranksters: To pressure Russia... they showed some evidence, that boy from Douma, they showed movies from Douma were fakes, with the child, probably you know what was in them.

Johnston: I didn't see that, but... (stammers) it seemed to be very conclusive that chlorine gas was used by the regime and almost certainly with Russian knowledge.

Pranksters: They showed a video with bombs and it was written, like it was made in Salisbury, how do you think, is it fake or not?

Johnston: I think that was fake, yes.

Pranksters: Well, I'm looking forward to your visit to Armenia and we can discuss the prosects of our cooperation. By the way I'm a fan of your poetry, your epigrams, I really like the one about [Turkish] President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan (Johnson laughs), it was bold... "fellow from Ankara". Welcome to our country.

Johnston: (Still laughing) You're very kind. Thank you prime minister and thank you very much for taking the phone call and I look forward to seeing you in London in due course, whenever you find the time.

Pranksters: I also would like to welcome you to our country too, and please try our wine and our [in audible Armenian dish].

Johnston: I shall.

Pranksters: And the last thing that I would say is, and I'm not sure if I should share this information because I'm not absolutely sure about it.

As you know, I talked to Mr Putin by telephone and he was quite open. He said that he's a very powerful man and that even in the UK he has his people and power. He says that he has influence over the leader of the Labour Party, Mr [Jeremy] Corbyn.

Johnston: Really, well that... did he tell you that?

Pranksters: Yes, he told me, yes he told me that.

Really, he told you that he was influencing Jeremy Corbyn?

Pranksters: Yes, absolutely.

Johnston: Did he go into any detail, or did he just say that Jeremy Corbyn was somebody he was able to influence?

Pranksters: Well, I don't know but he said that Mr Putin's goddaughter Ksenia Sobchak, who is a host for low-quality TV programmes, she visited London the other day and met with people of Mr Corbyn and gave them money from the Kremlin. I'm not sure if Putin was trying me on but you and your intelligence must be aware.

On Monday in Sochi we will try to find out details if he feels free to talk, I can get in touch with you and share the information - and please don't make our telephone talk public yet.

Johnston: Yes, so, Ksenia Sobchak... was she stood against Putin in the election, didn't she?

Pranksters: Yes, but it was a fake campaign as you know, she's daughter of [Anatoly] Sobchak, he was a mayor of St Petersberg... so it's very important information and I hope that it will be confidential to us.

Johnston: Yes, of course, I'll keep that confidential. But what is the suggestion, that Ksenia Sobchak went to London and she met some people from the Labour Party?

Pranksters: Yes, as I know, yes. I hope you will talk with your intelligence to discuss and see what she did.

Johnston: This is extremely interesting, prime minister, I'm sure our intelligence will be listening on this line and they will draw the relevant conclusions, I;m sure. Thanks you very much for that interesting tidbit of information -

Pranksters: And you know the last I spoke with the President of Ukrine, Petro Poroshenko, recently -

Johnston: How is he?

Pranksters: Uh yes, he's ok and he had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki and there was an accident, he fell down poisoned, but he had a special antidote he carries with him always. Did you hear about Opohmel?

Johnston: No?

Pranksters: It's O-P-O-H... opohmel

Johnston: O-P-O-H...

Pranksters: M-E-L, opohmel.

Johnston: Opohmel?

Pranksters: Yes, it's useful and you also could be interested in it, I would just like to advise you to use it. Maybe you will ask your assistants... Hello? Something happened.

Transcribed by Nic White for MailOnlineA man was stabbed to death Wednesday night at a luxury apartment building on Staten Island.

Cops were called to the Urby building in the Stapleton neighborhood around 11:45pm, and found a 42-year-old man stabbed in the torso in a third-floor apartment.

The unidentified victim was rushed to Richmond Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A 42-year-old man was stabbed to death inside a luxury Staten Island apartment building Wednesday night

Police are allegedly looking for a black man who may be responsible for the victim's death

The deadly incident took place at the Urby apartment building in the Stapleton section of Staten Island

His identity has not been released, pending notification of his family members.

Police are looking for a black male suspect, but would not release further details on his description.

Currently they have no motive for the crime, but believe the stabbing was over some sort of dispute.

The murder happened just hours after Fleet Week kicked off, and many of the ships visiting the city are docked nearby.

Cops say the victim did not live in the apartment.

The Urby building where the murder took place is among a new crop of luxury apartments that have been trying to draw a younger crowd to Staten Island.

The building includes amenities such as a saltwater pool, a residential farm, a community kitchen, and a cafe.

Rent ranges from $1,800 for a studio to nearly $3,500 for a three-bedroom apartment.

There are other Urby apartment buildings in Jersey City and Harrison, New Jersey as well.

The Urby is one of a few new State Island apartment buildings trying to draw a younger set to the New York City boroughAdvertisement

Many of America's major housing markets remain racially segregated, including many cities that boast about being a 'melting pot,' according to a new study.

Milwaukee, New York City and Detroit were at the top of the list of metropolitan regions with 'significant patterns of residential segregation,' according to the analysis of U.S. Census data by apartmentlist.com.

The problem was more prevalent in areas - like New York - with limited affordable housing, where minority populations are often concentrated in specific neighborhoods.

SCROLL DOWN FOR INTERACTIVE MAP

In Milwaukee, residential segregation is illustrated by the stark divide between the dark blue sections of the map, where minority populations are concentrated, and the light blue sections which are overwhelmingly white. By contrast, the map for Seattle shows a more broad spectrum of shades between the two extremes, indicating greater racial integration

Ranking segregation across American cities Most Segregated Milwaukee Cleveland Detroit New York City Buffalo St. Louis Birmingham Memphis Philadelphia Los Angeles Least Segregated Portland, Oregon Seattle Las Vegas Raleigh, North Carolina Oklahoma City Austin Salt Lake City Orlando Riverside, California San Jose Source: apartmentlist.com Advertisement

Milwaukee was found to be the most segregated of all major American metro areas. Minorities make up 32 percent of the population, but nearly 56 percent of them live in areas that are less than 25 percent white. The issue is even more pronounced when looking just at Milwaukee's black population, of which nearly 75 percent live in minority-concentrated areas, according to the report by apartmentlist.com.

The ranking system is not a measure of diversity, but a calculation of the extent to which integration has occurred - regardless of each city's actual overall demographics. That is why predominately white cities - such as Portland, Oregon, Seattle and Salt Lake City are among those ranked as least segregated.

Housing costs and the perception of value have contributed to segregation, said Alden Loury, director of research for Metropolitan Planning Council, a Chicago-based urban planning think tank.

'You can look at the same house, the same age, same number of bedrooms, same square footage, but if the house is somewhere in the (predominately white) north side of Chicago it would be three times as valuable as the same house on the (largely black) south side of Chicago,' he said.

The study found major gaps in home ownership between white and black households. Nationwide, about 72 percent of white households owned homes, compared to roughly 57 percent of Asian households, 48 percent of Hispanic households and 42 percent of black households.

'The presence of residentially segregated neighborhoods affects all minority groups, but the issue is most extreme for black households,' said Chris Salviati, the housing economist for apartmentlist.com, in the report.

'Black populations are the most segregated minority group in all of the nation's 25 largest metros except for Phoenix, where the Hispanic segregation index is highest,' he said.

That matters, because 'the neighborhoods in which we grow up play an important role in our success as adults,' Salviati said.

Segregation of black communities is a part of American history that at one time was formalized through exclusionary zoning and restrictive covenants that explicitly barred black families from moving into white neighborhoods. Redlining  the historic practice of denying a home loan to minorities deemed a poor financial risk  also helped shape the current state of segregation.

The legacy of those practices is evident by where segregation was most pronounced - cities with populations that have grown the least since 1970.

People who live in neighborhoods with high concentrations of minorities are more likely to struggle paying the rent, because while housing in those neighborhoods are an average of 12 percent below average, incomes are 28 percent below average. The disparity helps perpetuate the cycle of poverty and segregation, Salviati said.

Essentially: Minority renters have lower incomes, but aren't paying proportionally lower rents - all of which makes it harder for them to move into more prosperous (often white) communities.High school senior Megan Pohlmeier was given a US Army sash by her recruiter but told she couldn't wear it during graduation

A Nebraska high school has come under fire for not letting a graduating teen wear her US Army sash during the ceremony.

Megan Pohlmeier, 18, was given a black and gold US Army sash by her recruiter at the Grand Island office days before Hasting Senior High School's graduation.

The teen said she asked her school's principal Thomas Szlanda if she could wear the sash during the ceremony and he said no.

'It was something I worked really hard to earn. They told me ''no'' and did not really give me a reason,' Pohlmeier told the Omaha World-Herald.

Then when her father called the school, Principal Szlanda gave the same response.

Discouraged, the teen settled on wearing the sash tucked under her graduation gown to take photos with it on after the ceremony.

However, while the graduates were lining up to walk across stage, the principal noticed the sash under her gown.

'He pulled me out of line and said, ''I talked to you and your father and you are not to be wearing that. If I see you wearing that again, you will not receive your diploma,''' she said.

Pohlmeier respected the principal's orders and did receive her diploma.

She decided to tuck the sash under her gown for pictures after the ceremony but the principal saw the sash and pulled her out of line at graduation

The incident has sparked fury by online users after the Facebook post above went viral

A Facebook post about the incident went viral with more than 10,000 shares.

One woman Shawna Ewoldt called the behavior 'unacceptable', saying Pohlmeier is 'Army strong and I am proud of her!'.

'The brave young woman willing to make sacrifices for her country, deserves much better than this!', the post read.

Hastings Public Schools Superintendent Craig Kautz said that the school could not have denied Pohlmeier her diploma, only her request to wear the sash.

'At the time, we were trying to get around 250 graduates lined up alphabetically and have the graduation start at exactly 2pm,' Kautz said. 'At a certain point, I think, in all of the discussion that occurred, the principal was just saying, ''Get the sash off and get in the graduation line or don't go through the graduation ceremony.'''

Hastings Public Schools said in a Facebook post that students are not allowed to wear any accessories on their gowns except for those earned from the school, typically for scholastic success.

'No student was allowed to display any symbol of any organization other than those symbols earned while attending Hastings Senior High,' the post reads.

'She earned her diploma, so we are not going to deny her that,' Kautz said. 'The only thing we would deny her is the ability to go through the graduation ceremony. Our graduation ceremony, as it states in our (student) handbook, is voluntarily. It is not something that is mandated to get the diploma.'

Pohlmeier said the principal 'belittled' her by pulling her out of line and making a scene.

Though she did walk and receive her diploma, the graduate said she believes things could have been 'handled better'.George Zimmerman is back in a Florida courtroom as he faces a criminal charge for stalking in Seminole County.

The good news for Zimmerman is the stalking charge is only a misdemeanor, which means that he is looking at no more than a year in jail and a $10,000 fine.

The bad news for Zimmerman is he has no way to pay that fine, as he filed an application requesting a public defender because he is $2.5 million in debt.

He states in that application that he has no cash, savings, checking account, investments, equitable property or a job.

The 34-year-old Floridian also has no income and does not receive unemployment or social security.

Zimmerman was not required to explain how he spent $2.5 million in the documents, which was enough to land him a public defender in the case.

Rock bottom: George Zimmerman (above in pool with cigar) is $2.5 million in debt, has no cash, savings, checking account, equitable property, job or source of income he says in court docs

No money, no problems: Zimmerman did not have to explain just how he managed to spend $2.5 million, and his application for a public defender was granted by the court

This all stems from an incident last year when Zimmerman lashed out at private investigator Dennis Warren over the Christmas holiday.

Warren told police he had wanted to see if Zimmerman wanted to be interviewed for a documentary about Trayvon Martin and reached out to the him with a phone call.

In that report, obtained by DailyMail.com, Warren stated that he called Zimmerman once in September and left a voice message.

Zimmerman was angry over a Trayvon Martin documentary (Martin above)

Zimmerman responded three months later, by placing 55 phone calls to Warren, sending 67 text messages, recording 36 voice mails and writing 27 emails according to the the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.

And all in just nine days.

Those texts came after Zimmerman heard that Warren had also reached out to his uncle about the documentary, Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story.

That project was being developed by the Weinstein Company, with Jay Z producing and a script that is partially based on Lisa Bloom's book, Suspicion Nation: The Inside Story of the Trayvon Martin Injustice and Why We Continue to Repeat It.

When Zimmerman learned about Warren's outreach he texted one of the film's producers, Mike Gasparro, and said: 'Help Mrs. Warren out and give him a heads up, I'm going to find him. And I'm bringing hell with me'

Court records also reveal he later sent another message, reading: 'DENNIS IS A F****NG P**** WHO BOTHERED MY UNCLE IN HIS HOME ... He's well on his way to the inside of a gator as well, 10-4?'

And it did not stop there, with Zimmerman then texting Warren directly, writing: 'Answer your phone, P****!' and "I'll see you before you realize it.'

He also threatened to show up at Warren's home, feed him to an alligator (again) and sent a link to a story in which he stated: 'I know how to handle people who f*** with me, I have since February 2012.'

That was when Trayvon Martin was killed by Zimmerman, who was a neighborhood watch captain.

Warren eventually told police and when an officer called to speak with Zimmerman, court documents claim that he said: 'You f***ing c***, what do you want?' and 'What are you calling me for you f***ing w****?'

When the officer asked Zimmerman if he was aware of who he was talking to, he replied: 'You are the f***ing blonde c*** who arrested me on Samantha [Scheibe, his ex].'

He then added: 'You have been involved with me since that Martin kid.'

Class photos: Zimmerman in 2015 following his arrest for aggravated assault with a weapon (right) and in 2013 following a disturbance at a home (right)

Straight muggin: Zimmerman in April 2012 (left) and February (right) in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting

Arrested development: Zimmerman in two other mugshots, including one from 2005 (right)

The 34-year-old was accused of murdering Martin, a 17-year-old unarmed black teenager, in Sanford, Florida in February 2012, but he claimed he had acted in self defense.

The Department of Justice cleared him of Civil Rights violations in connection with youngster's death earlier this year - and Zimmerman responded by saying he did not feel guilty for the killing.

'Only in a true life-and-death scenario can you have mental clearness to know that you cannot feel guilty for surviving,' he said in a video released by his law firm.

Since his acquittal, Zimmerman has been arrested several times by Lake Mary police.

In July 2013, just weeks after his acquittal, he was pulled over for speeding in Texas and had a firearm in the glove compartment of his vehicle.

'Don't play with your firearm, OK?' an officer told him before he was sent away with a warning.

In September 2013, his estranged wife, Shellie Zimmerman, called 911 and claimed he had attacked her father and threatened him with a gun. She decided to not press any charges.

Then in November 2013, Zimmerman was arrested for domestic violence against his new girlfriend, Samantha Scheibe. She later dropped the charges.

Nearly a year later, in September 2014, Zimmerman was arrested for a road rage incident involving Matthew Apperson.

In January of 2015, he was arrested for allegedly hurling a wine bottle at his girlfriend during a domestic dispute. No charges were filed in that case.

Then, in May of 2015, Apperson was arrested for firing a gun at Zimmerman while he sat in his car. Zimmerman avoided being shot and only suffered minor injuries.

Apperson was charged with attempted second degree murder and used Florida's 'stand your ground defense' - the same defense Zimmerman used in his trial when charged with Martin's murder.

He was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison.President Donald Trump said Thursday, hours after calling off a planned nuclear disarmament summit with North Korea, that the event planned for June 12 in Singapore isn't completely dead.

But he warned Kim Jong-un that the United States military stands ready to jump into the breach if he tries anything 'foolish.'

'Hopefully everything's going to work out well with North Korea, and a lot of things can happen, including the fact that perhaps  and we'd wait  it's possible that the existing summit could take place or a summit at some later date,' Trump said before a bill-signing event in the White House's Roosevelt Room.

'Nobody should be anxious,' he counseled. 'We have to get it right.'

Moments earlier he declared that he had 'decided to terminate' the meeting and challenged dictator the dictator Kim to scrap his nuclear ambitions in favor of joining the civilized world and escaping the West's economic stranglehold.

'All of the Korean people, North and South, deserve to be able to live together in harmony, prosperity and peace,' Trump said, but 'that bright and beautiful future can only happen when the threat of nuclear weapons is removed. No way it can happen otherwise.'

'If and when Kim Jong-un chooses to engage in constructive dialogue and actions, I am waiting,' he continued, punctuating the last three words.

'In the meantime, our very strong sanctions, by far the strongest sanctions ever imposed, and maximum pressure campaign, will continue as it has been continuing.'

President Donald Trump said Thursday at the White House that a nuclear summit with North korea's dictator, which he had canceled hours earlier, might still take place  but he warned Kim Jong-un that America's military might stands ready to keep him in check

Kim was to meet with Trump on June 12 in Singapore but Trump called off the meeting in a strongly worded letter after a North Korean official hurled insults at Vice President Mike Pence

'You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never be used,' Trump wrote to Kim

Trump said he's talked with Defense Secretary James Mattis (pictured), who assured him that America's military might is locked and loaded

'Ready to fight tonight': Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White told reporters that the Defense Department stands ready to intervene on the Korean peninsula

Trump's letter to Kim on Thursday boasted of America's gargantuan nuclear arsenal, and he drove the point home at the White House.

'I've spoke to General Mattis and the Joint Chiefs of Staff,' he said. 'And our military, which is by far the most powerful anywhere the world  that has been greatly enhanced recently, as you all know  is ready if necessary.'

'Likewise I have spoken to South Korea and Japan, and they are not only ready should foolish or reckless acts be taken by North Korea, but they are willing to shoulder much of the cost of any financial burden, any of the costs associated by the the United States, in operations if such an unfortunate situation is forced upon us.'

'Hopefully, positive things will be taking place with respect to the future of North Korea,' Trump told an audience of one watching in Pyongyang. 'But if they don't, we are more ready than we have ever been before.'

Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White told reporters that the Defense Department represents one prong of Trump's 'maximum pressure' strategy, which combines economic sanctions, diplomatic tension and the weight of a constant military presence.

'We are ready to fight tonight. That's always been the case,' said White.

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio threw a Twitter jab at Kim, writing that withdrawing from talks 'is 100% the right decision.'

'In the words of a wise man, Congratulations, you just played yourself,' Rubio added, addressing him directly.

'#KJU doesnt want a deal. He has deliberately sabotaged the talks over the last two weeks & was setting us up to take the blame.'

Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, took a shot at Kim on Twitter, saying the North Korean despot never wanted to negotiate and 'was setting us up to take the blame'

On the Democratic side of the aisle, New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez chided Trump in a statement that read: 'The art of diplomacy is much harder than the art of the deal.'

'We should have never legitimized a pariah regime without first setting clear boundaries,' Menendez argued. 'But in hastily agreeing to a summit and then being the one to walk away, President Trump must understand he has now weakened and further isolated the United States. Our allies and partners in the region are left questioning our reliability. Our leverage is less today than it was yesterday.'

Menendez is the highest ranking Dmeocrat on the powerful Foreign Relations Committee.

The president had called off his summit just hours earlier after a North Korean official hurled insults at Vice President Mike Pence.

Trump wrote that it would be 'inappropriate' to hold talks after his regime again tested the limits of his patience: 'You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never be used.'

North Korea's vice foreign minister had slammed Pence for his 'unbridled and impudent remarks that North Korea might end like Libya.'

Choe Son Hui also said the future of the summit between Pyongyang and Washington was 'entirely' up to the United States.

Trump wrote to Kim that as a result of the 'tremendous anger and open hostility,' he was pulling out of the June 12 meeting.

'I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting,' Trump wrote. 'Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place.'

North Korea called Vice Presidnet Mike Pence 'ignorant and stupid' for comments he made comparing the state to Libya. The vice president is pictured on Wednesday in Connecticut

Kim's government had just hours earlier publicly destroyed much of its Punggye-ri nuclear test site.

Trump went on to say he hoped to meet Kim one day, and that previous dialogues between the two nations remained promising.

Trump's letter to Kim followed a string of threats from the North to call off the summit that had been brokered to discuss a commitment to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Choe Son Hui, North Korea's vice foreign minister, said: 'We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us'

The president told DailyMail.com on Wednesday that he'd know whether he was moving forward with the Singapore summit 'next week.' That was before North Korea's latest volley, which included the assault on Pence.

'We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us,' said Choe Son Hui, according to a report by North Korea's central news agency on Thursday.

She added: 'I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the US vice-president.'

'We could surmise more than enough what a political dummy he is (Pence), as he is trying to compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya that had simply installed a few items of equipment and fiddled around with them.'

Pence was a focal point in the initial stages of diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea.

He attended the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang Olympic Games in February alongside Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong. He did not talk to the North Korean emissary during the games, instead previewing during the trip another round of U.S. sanctions.

In a Monday in an interview with Fox News that came as the summit hung in the balance, Pence responded to North Korean complaints about comments that had been made by Trump national security advisor John Bolton.

'You know, there was some talk of the Libyan model last week. And as the president made clear, this will only end like the Libyan model ended if Kim Jong-un doesn't make a deal,' he said.

Pence warned, 'It would be a great mistake for Kim to think he could play Donald Trump.'

I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the US vice-president. We could surmise more than enough what a political dummy he is (Pence), as he is trying to compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya that had simply installed a few items of equipment and fiddled around with them North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui on Mike Pence's interview with the Fox News Channel

'We really hope that Kim Jong-un will seize the opportunity to dismantle his nuclear weapons program, and do so by peaceable means.'

In the letter calling off the June 12 summit, Trump indicated he'd be open to putting a new date on the calendar for talks with Kim, who he again thanked for releasing three American hostages earlier this month.

'I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters,' he said. 'Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you. In the meantime, I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated.'

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was testifying on Capitol Hill on Thursday, in what was slated to be a hearing about the State Department's budget, when the White House circulated Trump's letter.

'I don't believe ... that we're in a position to believe that there could be a successful outcome,' he told Senate Foreign Relations Committee members. 'I think that's what the president communicated pretty clearly in his letter.'

In a Monday in an interview with Fox New's Martha MacCallum that came as the summit hung in the balance, Pence said, 'You know, there was some talk of the Libyan model last week. And as the president made clear, this will only end like the Libyan model ended if Kim Jong-un doesn't make a deal'

Pompeo said that the U.S. had reached out to North Korea about its own threats to cancel talks, 'and we had received no response to our inquiries from them.'

'I think the American team is fully prepared. I think we're rocking. I think we're ready. I think we're prepared for this meeting. I think President Trump is prepared for this meeting,' he said.

'We were fully, fully engaged over the past weeks to prepare for this meeting. So I disagree with your assessment that the Americans are not ready.'

Trump's decision to postpone the nuclear summit was cautiously endorsed by Sen. Democratic leader Chuck Schumer as the Senate came into session on Thursday.

'On the very recent news that President Trump has canceled the planned summit with Kim Jong-un of North Korea: The fear many of us had was that the summit between President Trump and Kim Jong-un would be a great show that produced nothing enduring,' Schumer stated. 'If a summit is to be reconstituted, the United States must show strength and achieve a concrete, verifiable, enduring elimination of Kim Jong-un's nuclear capabilities.'

Pompeo said on Wednesday that Trump was prepared to 'walk away' from the talks if it sensed that they're headed in the wrong direction.

The diplomat who has twice met with Kim in North Korea since the beginning of April told lawmakers during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, 'We have a generational opportunity to solve a major national security challenge.'

'We are clear-eyed about the regime's history. It's time to solve this once and for all. A bad deal is not an option,' the president's point-man on the summit asserted. 'The American people are counting on us to get this right. If the right deal is not on the table, we will respectfully walk away.'

Revisiting the topic on Thursday at a Senate hearing, Pompeo said, 'I've had discussions with Chairman Kim personally. There have been other discussions. I am going to reserve some space for us to be able to conduct these discussions outside of the public sphere ... I think we've made very clear what our objectives are.'

Vice President Pence is seeing watching the joint march by the athletes of both Koreas at the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Olympics in PyeongChang earlier this year

Choe said she could suggest to Kim that North Korea reconsider the summit if the United States offends the North's good will

Trump on Tuesday in the Oval Office told journalists asking about the June 12 summit, 'Were moving along. Well see what happens. There are certain conditions we want to happen. I think we'll get those conditions.'

He added, 'And if we don't, we won't have the meeting.'

'If it doesnt happen, maybe it will happen later,' Trump said. 'Maybe it will happen at a different time.'

The U.S. president also said, 'There's a very substantial chance that it won't work out, and that's OK.'

South Korea's Moon Jae-in and Trump were meeting at the White House at the time to discuss the North's new demands.

The New York Times had also reported that Trump was considering backing out of the face-to-face talks that could turn into an embarrassment for him.

Trump is said to have surveyed aides the optics of Kim's own threats to cancel the June 12 meeting with Moon in a weekend phone call.

A satellite image provided by DigitalGlobe shows the Punggye-ri test site in North Korea as journalist prepare to visit the site ahead of its dismantling

North Korea is expected to demolish the site any day now as part of the peace process

It is located North Hamgyong Province and is the only known nuclear facility in the country

North Korea 'blows up its nuclear test site' in a series of explosions North Korea apparently demolished its nuclear testing site at Punggye-ri on Thursday in what the regime said was evidence of its willingness to disarm. Journalists watched a series of explosions at entrances to the complex, which has been used for all six of the North's nuclear tests. The explosions were reportedly centered on three tunnels into the underground site and a number of observation towers. Blown up: This satellite image from yesterday shows the Punggye-ri test site in North Korea, which has now reportedly been demolished It is not known to what extent the facility was damaged because nobody was allowed inside and no international observers were present. Experts have speculated that the site was only superficially damaged and that Kim could easily reopen it at short notice. Others believe that the site was already out of commission following a powerful nuclear test last year, and that North Korea is simply destroying evidence of its nuclear weapons program. 'There was a huge explosion, you could feel it. Dust came at you, the heat came at you. It was extremely loud,' Sky News' Tom Cheshire, who was among the journalists invited, wrote on the British broadcaster's website. Mr Cheshire added that the entrances to the tunnels had been 'theatrically rigged' with plastic explosives and 'wires everywhere'. Yonhap news agency, citing South Korean reporters at the scene, said multiple explosions were heard throughout the day, beginning at 11am (3am GMT) until 4.17pm. The tunnel complex below Mount Mantapsan is believed to be based on old Soviet and American designs and is used for North Korea's nuclear tests. After the latest and most powerful test, in September last year, the mountain shifted - leading to speculation that part of the complex collapsed and rendered in unusable Advertisement

Chung Eui-yong, national security adviser to Moon, told reporters en route to Washington that he was not only on the call 'no such thing happened' and he is '99.9 percent' sure the meeting in Singapore will move forward.

'We have perceived none of that,' Chung said of reported nervousness on the part of the U.S.

Trump said Tuesday for the first time that the summit could happen, just at a later date. 'It may not work out for June 12,' he said.

He said that he doesn't 'want to waste a lot of time' on talks and suspects that Kim doesn't either.

The U.S. president also said that he believes that Kim's surprise visit to Beijing in early May prompted the North Korean dictator to play chicken.

Trump said his trip to Beijing last year was 'two of the great days of my life.'

'I don't think anybody's ever been treated better in China in their history.'

But he said his counterpart in China, Xi Jinping, 'I think that President Xi is a world-class poker player.'

READ THE LETTER TRUMP SENT KIM CANCELING THEIR JUNE NUCLEAR SUMMIT Donald Trump abruptly called off his planned nuclear weapons summit with North Korean despot Kim Jong-un, citing insults Kim had lobbed at Vice President Mike Pence and warning him about the size and might of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. Trump addressed a letter to Kim personally, and the White House released a copy of it on May 24: 'Dear Mr. Chairman: North Korean President Kim Jong-un 'We greatly appreciate your time, patience, and effort with respect to our recent negotiations and discussions relative to a summit long sought by both parties, which was scheduled to take place on June 12 in Singapore. We were informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant. I was very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting. Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place. You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used. 'I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters. Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you. In the meantime, I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated.' 'If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write. The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history.' Advertisement

'I think there was a little change in attitude from Kim Jong-un. So I don't like that,' he said. 'I can't say that I'm happy about it,' he said of the unexpected talks between Xi and Kim.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin had told DailyMail.com on Monday morning that the summit was still on.

'I don't think the president gets cold feet about anything, so I think as the president has said, right now it's still on, if that changes, you'll find out about it,' he said in response to reports that Trump is the one who could back down.

In his interview on Monday on Fox New's 'The Story' Pence had also said, 'The president remains open to a summit taking place, and well continue to pursue that path even while we stand strong on the objective of denuclearization and extreme pressure campaign thats underway today.'

Kim had been taunting the U.S. since last week over annual military exercises on the Korean Peninsula that are conducted in conjunction with South Korea. The joint exercises were a condition of talks, however the North decided to use them anyway as a cudgel.

The isolated regime also took issue with past statements that Bolton about denuclearization, leading the U.S. president to provide assurances last week that Kim would not be ousted if he abandons his nuclear weapons program.

North Koea's 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.'

Trump also said that he would not budge on total denuclearization of the peninsula, another facet of the meeting that Kim was refusing to agree to, yet said, 'I do think he's serious. I think he would like to see that happen.'

In advance of the letter informing North Korea that the summit was off, the White House had faced charges that Trump was becoming Kim's puppet.

'Nothing could be further from the truth,' Sarah Huckabee Sanders told a reporter asking if the dictator was the on driving policy in the Trump administration. 'But theyre the ones that extended the invitation; weve accepted it. If they want to meet, were happy to do that. If they dont, as the President has said, well see what happens. But were going to continue the maximum pressure campaign in the meantime.'

Trump said last week that he was willing to go 'onto the next step' if Kim backed away from the summit. He also said he was willing to guarantee that Kim would stay in power if he agrees to give up his nuclear ambitions.

'I'm willing to do a lot... He'll have protections,' Trump said. 'The best thing he could do is make a deal.'

Providing assurances to Kim, Trump said that the deal he intends to make with North Korea would keep the dictator in power. He said that Kim wouldn't be ousted like Libya's Muammar Gaddafi was after he voluntarily dismantled his nuclear program in order to normalize relations with the U.S.

'In Libya that deal was decimated. There was no deal to keep Gaddafi,' he said. 'The Libyan model was a much different model. We decimated that country. We never said to Gaddafi, "Oh, we're going to give you protection. We're going to give you military strength. We're going to give you all of these things." We went in and decimated him, and we did the same thing with Iraq.'

With Kim it would be 'something where he'd be there, he'd be running his country. His country would be very rich,' Trump said.

'If we make a deal, I think Kim Jong-un will be very, very happy,' he said.A French jihadist remembered for voicing Islamic State's claim of responsibility for the Nice attacks in 2016 has been captured in Syria by Kurdish-led forces.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said Adrien Guihal was detained in a recent operation along with his wife, who was not identified.

'The SDF's intelligence services conducted an operation on May 19 that led to the capture of a group of IS jihadists led by Adrien Guihal, known as Abu Osama al-Faransi,' SDF said in a statement.

A handout image provided by the Syrian Democratic Forces (left) shows French jihadist Adrien Guihal, known as the voice that claimed 2016 attacks in France for the Islamic State group. He is picture, right, in old police handout from 2016

Guihal was thought to be among the most dangerous members of the large French contingent in the ranks of the Islamic State group, whose self-styled 'caliphate' spanned huge swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria before collapsing last year.

He was found in the area of Raqa, IS's former Syrian 'capital' which the US-backed SDF took last year.

The Kurdish forces controlling northeastern Syria have detained dozens of French IS members who have gone underground in recent months, including well-known figures such as Thomas Barnouin and Emilie Konig.

Guihal is reported to have converted to Islam as a teenager and became active in online jihadist forums after learning Arabic in Cairo, according to a profile in French newspaper Liberation.

A 19 tonne truck careered along the Promenade des Anglais mowing down crowds of people who were celebrating France's national day

He was also close to high-profile French jihadist brothers Jean-Michel and Fabien Clain, the IS militant who has claimed responsibility for the November 2015 attacks in Paris.

Guihal was once arrested in France in 2008 after authorities discovered he had plans to launch an attack in response to French military presence in Afghanistan.

He was sentenced to four years in prison in 2012 but released that same year, where he began networking again in Paris. In 2015, Guihal reached Syria.

It is believed at least 40 more French nationals are being held by held by the SDF.Property specialist Philip Galway-Cooper was taken to court over his extension

A barrister who built an extension to his 1.85 million house without planning permission has been cleared of a criminal offence by the High Court.

Property specialist Philip Galway-Cooper and his wife Wendy were prosecuted for failing to demolish the three-storey extension.

But now a top judge has cleared them of wrongdoing and left the London Borough of Camden with a 20,000 legal costs bill.

Mr Galway-Cooper, a barrister at London chambers Five St Andrew's Hill, has owned the detached Victorian house in Hampstead since 2007.

But Mr Justice Ouseley said Camden 'came down hard on them' after they built the rear extension without permission.

The council issued an enforcement notice in 2014, demanding that the couple completely demolish the extension.

They were also ordered to restore the part of the rear wall to which the extension is attached to its original condition.

The notice had to be complied with by September 2015, but the deadline came and went and the extension was still there.

Camden council last year mounted a criminal prosecution for failing to comply with an enforcement notice against the couple at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court.

But Mr and Mrs Galway-Cooper were acquitted after claiming that it was simply 'impossible' to comply with the enforcement notice.

Mr and Mrs Galway-Cooper have owned their detached Victorian house in Hampstead, since 2007

Restoring the wall would mean removing a steel frame from the back of the building with potentially catastrophic consequences.

The house, built on notoriously unstable London clay and sand, was already noticably leaning, the court heard.

Even if the steel frame were removed, any restored wall would almost certainly subside and would sink at a different rate than the rest of the house, potentially de-stabilising the whole building.

The work would cost more than 360,000 and putting in pilings to support the house would add another 150,000 to the bill.

The house was subject to a 2.4 million mortgage and with the blight caused by the dispute, was well into negative equity.

The couple, who also have a home in Rutland, were acquitted after a district judge found that there was nothing they could do to comply with the notice.

Camden challenged that decision at the High Court, insisting that the couple had not 'done all that could reasonably have been expected of them'.

But dismissing the council's appeal Mr Justice Ouseley said expert engineering evidence revealed the likelihood that any restored wall 'would fail'.

Before: The house, built on notoriously unstable London clay and sand, was already noticably leaning

After: The council issued an enforcement notice in 2014, demanding that the couple completely demolish the extension

This picture shows the property before any work was carried out

The construction job would be 'exceedingly difficult' and it was 'more likely than not that it could not be done,' he added.

Although restoring the wall might not be 'a complete and total physical impossibility', it had justifiably been described as 'not feasible'.

The judge said he had 'considerable sympathy for the predicament faced by the council' in dealing with a breach of planning control.

The prospect of the unauthorised extension remaining in place was 'troubling,' he added.

But it was now for the council to decide whether to take any further steps to enforce its removal.

Its appeal dismissed, the council was ordered to pay Mr and Mrs Galway-Cooper's 20,000 legal costs bills.A former Bandidos bikie is once again at the centre of a brutal war between two rival gangs.

Seven Mongols savagely bashed Jacques Teamo with an exercise bike seat in Arthur Gorrie jail near Brisbane on Monday.

The 48-year-old was rushed to hospital in serious condition - and this is not the first time he has survived an attempt on his life.

Jacques Teamo, 48, was beaten by up to seven Mongols and had to be taken to Princess Alexandria Hospital in Brisbane on Monday

In 2012, Teamo was shot by Mongols bikie Mark Graham (left and right in the black tracksuit during the shooting) at Robina Town Centre but recovered from his wounds

In 2012, Teamo was shot by Mongols bikie Mark Graham at Robina Town Centre but recovered from his wounds.

Teamo, who had brandished a knife during the confrontation, walked away with only minor injuries to his shoulder.

Graham, who also shot an innocent woman in the buttocks during the firefight, was sentenced to 12 years and three months in jail for attempted murder.

After Teamo's beating on Monday, a prison spokesman said: 'The prisoner was assessed by medical staff at the centre before being transferred for further treatment.

'No officers were injured in the incident, which has been referred to the CSIU for investigation.'

Teamo is being held at the jail on remand after allegedly assaulting a 29-year-old man at the Pacific Fair Shopping Centre on the Gold Coast earlier this month.

A bike seat was also used as a weapon when notorious drug dealer Carl Williams was bashed to death with one in Victoria's Barwon jail in 2010.

It is understood Mongol bikie members were involved in the bashing with the jail housing both rival bikie gangs

The war between the Bandidos and the Mongols has been long-running.

In 2013, Teamo was among dozens of Bandidos who stormed Broadbeach to confront a Mongol who was eating in a restaurant.

A brawl broke out leading to dozens of arrests.

Teamo's role in the brawl and the 2012 shoot out got him expelled from the Bandidos whose members were ordered to kill him if they ever saw him again.

Bond University criminologist Terry Goldsworthy said of the gangs' rivalry: 'There's been bad blood there for a while now.

'They contest similar territory, there's some personality clashes - it's almost inevitable that you are going to see increased tensions,' he told the Courier-Mail.

'These gangs feel like they have to protect their brand and their reputation and the best way they know how to do that is with violence.'A teenage bride sentenced to death for killing her husband after he allegedly raped her has filed an appeal, her lawyer has said.

Noura Hussein, 19, had been found guilty of the 'intentional murder' of the man her father had forced her to marry at the age of 16, who she said had raped her.

Her death sentence in Sudan triggered international outrage and condemnation from the United Nations and global rights groups.

A lawyer said that an appeal has been filed in the appeals court in a bid to overturn the death sentence handed down to teenager Noura Hussein, above, in Sudan

A court in Sudan handed Ms Hussein, 19, the death penalty after her husband's family refused to accept financial compensation.

She was married against her will to Abdulrahman Hammad at the age of 16 and forced to move in with him last April when she finished high school.

Today, a member of Ms Hussein's defence team, lawyer Al-Fateh Hussein, told AFP that an appeal has been filed in the appeals court against the lower court's ruling, adding, 'it might be months before the appeals court delivers its ruling.'

Activists have recently launched a campaign called 'Justice for Noura', with many changing their profile pictures on Twitter and Facebook to a painting depicting a white veil and clenched fists.

The United Nations has slammed the death sentence handed to Ms Hussein.

'We have received information that Hussein's forced marriage, rape, and other forms of gender-based violence against her were not taken into account by the court as evidence to mitigate the sentence,' UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters last week in Geneva.

She added that the 'most stringent guarantees of a fair trial and due process were not fulfilled'.

Ms Shamdasani said the agency was 'acutely concerned about her safety and that of her lawyer and other supporters'.

Rights group Amnesty International said that Ms Hussein was forcibly married at the age of 16, and that when she refused to consummate the marriage, her husband invited two of his brothers and a male cousin to help him rape her.

When he tried to rape her a second time, she stabbed him to death, said Amnesty.

Sudanese law allows children above 10 to be married.

In Sudan the legal age of marriage is ten and marital rape isn't considered a crime (file photo)

The UN spokeswoman urged Sudan to amend its laws to criminalise domestic violence and marital rape, and stressed that it had the opportunity with Ms Hussein's case 'to send a clear message that gender-based violence will not be tolerated in the country'.

Ms Hussein is said to have run away from their shared home last May, which angered Hammad, according to her lawyer Ahmed Sebair.

When the two were alone the next day and he attempted to rape her again, she managed to grab a knife he had used to threaten her and stabbed him to death with it, according to her lawyer.

That was May 3 last year and Ms Hussein has been in prison since.

Supporters of Ms Hussein flocked to the Criminal Court in Omdurman, Sudan's second-largest city, in protest during her trial

In Sudan the legal age of marriage is ten and marital rape isn't considered a crime.

Supporters of the teenager flocked to the Criminal Court in Omdurman, Sudan's second-largest city, in protest during the trial.

The case has gained widespread attention on social media under the hashtag #JusticeForNoura, with people sending photos from around the world in her support.

Witnesses who attended the proceedings posted online that Ms Hussein's family had abandoned her and she appeared alone during Thursday's sentencing for her earlier murder conviction.

The case gained widespread attention on social media under the hashtag #JusticeForNoura. An online petition has been started to protest against the court ruling

A Sharia court, which follows Islamic religious law, found Ms Hussein guilty of premeditated murder last month and on Thursday officially sentenced her to death by hanging. Her lawyers were given 15 days to appeal.

'Under Sharia law, the husband's family can demand either monetary compensation or death. They chose death and now the death penalty has been handed down,' said Badr Eldin Salah, an activist from the Afrika Youth Movement who was in the court.

'Noura's lawyers say they plan to appeal against the decision, but we also need strong international support from organizations such as the African Union, the United Nations and the European Union to support her.'

Sudan is ranked 165 out of 188 countries on the UN's Gender Inequality Index, which measures how women fare compared to men when it comes to access to health, education, political participation and employment opportunities.

UN Women says violence against women and girls is considered prevalent. The country has not signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and has weak policies in place to protect them.British fighter jets and warships have responded to Russian military activity near the UK more than 160 times since 2010.

The figures reveal a dramatic increase in naval movements, with the Royal Navy activated in response to Russian ships on 33 occasions in 2017, compared to just once in 2010.

The naval activity is partly linked to Moscow's involvement in the conflict in Syria, which has seen Russian warships travel through the Strait of Dover en route to the eastern Mediterranean.

The RAF routinely intercepts Russian aircraft that transit international airspace within the UK's area of interest - often long-range bombers such as the Tupolev TU-160 Blackjack (pictured)

Figures show that Royal Navy ships were activated in response to Russian navy vessels approaching UK territorial waters on 103 occasions between 2010 and 2017

Figures obtained by the Press Association show that Royal Navy ships were activated in response to Russian navy vessels approaching UK territorial waters on 103 occasions between 2010 and 2017.

There were 33 occasions in 2017, 20 times in 2016, 14 in 2015, 11 in 2014, 12 in 2013, eight in 2012, four in 2011 and just one in 2010.

Russian naval activity linked to the Syria campaign, where Vladimir Putin's forces are supporting Bashar Assad's regime, was illustrated by the movement of aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov.

The Kuznetsov and her escorts were 'man-marked' by Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan and Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond as the battlegroup passed through the English Channel en route to Syria in 2016.

They were then picked up by Type 23 frigate HMS St Albans as the Russian ships made the return journey in 2017.

Justin Bronk, a research fellow at defence think tank the Royal United Services Institute, said as well as naval movements relating to Syria, there had also been 'a significant increase in Russian submarine activity'.

The lack of UK maritime patrol aircraft meant there had to be 'a lot more surface activity to try and cover that off'.

An RAF Typhoon, with the Russian Warships Petr Velikiy (centre) and the Admiral Kuznetsov (background) near UK sovereign waters

The peak of aerial activity was in 2011, when jets on quick reaction alert (QRA) duties were scrambled on 10 separate days.

The figures show QRA fighters were launched on three days in 2017, five in 2016, eight times in each of 2015, 2014 and 2013, nine days in 2012, 10 in 2011 and seven in 2010.

The RAF routinely intercepts, identifies and escorts Russian aircraft that transit international airspace within the UK's area of interest.

The aircraft are often long-range bombers such as the Tupolev TU-160 Blackjack or TU-95 Bear.

Russian naval activity linked to the Syria campaign, where Vladimir Putin's forces are supporting Bashar Assad's regime, was illustrated by the movement of aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov

Mr Bronk said although the amount of QRA scrambles may have declined, there had been a trend of 'larger groups of aircraft' being sent by Russia.

Part of the reason for the operations was 'reminding Nato they are there', he said, adding: 'There is certainly an element of sabre-rattling to it.

'They want to be taken seriously as a significant military power.

'One way to do that is to force QRA scrambles.

'It's part of an ongoing pattern of the Russians trying to keep up consistent military activity across Nato - it fits in with a lot of airspace probing around the Baltic states and Sweden as well as submarine activity, surface activity and of course what they are doing in Syria.'

The Ministry of Defence refused to give details of the naval vessels involved in monitoring operations or further information on the QRA launches.

In its response, the MoD said: 'While it is recognised that there is a high level of interest in activities of this nature, it is considered that release of the full details of such incidents has the potential to compromise the current and future operational effectiveness of our armed forces' deterrent capability.'A Michigan man is accusing police officers of using excessive force when they pummeled him for failing to signal while pulling into his mother's driveway.

Cody Meredith was followed by Taylor, Michigan, police while driving home around 2.30am on March 29, 2016.

According to officers at the scene, Meredith had been driving 35mph in a 25-mph zone and had 'breaked heavily in order to not run a stop sign.'

Cody Meredith was followed by Taylor, Michigan, police while driving home around 2.30am on March 29, 2016

When Meredith - who was 18 at the time - failed to signal before turning into his mom's driveway, police pulled over and immediately rushed him

Meredith is suing the department for $70,000 in damages and others in the area claim that there is history with one of the officers and excessive force

Only a block from his home, Meredith continued driving and turned into his mom's driveway without signalling, at which point officers turned on their lights.

'Not using your turn signal is not a crime,' said Amir Makled, Meredith's attorney, to WDIV.

Audio begins rolling as soon as the officers turn on their lights and Meredith is seen out of his vehicle, headed into the house.

'Oh s---, get back in the car, man,' an officer can be heard telling Meredith.

'Where you guys coming from? Get up off me,' Meredith responded as the officers pounce on him and can be seen viciously pummeling him.

Video and audio show the officers pummeling Meredith, who can be heard screaming for his mother while they beat him

'At that point, in my mind, I'm thinking, 'Why did I get stopped?'' said Meredith. 'Why did I get followed home when they could have pulled me over before I got to my home?'

The attack is the basis of his federal lawsuit against the officers and the department where he is asking for $70,000 in damages.

After punching Meredith in the head repeatedly, the officers then use a taser on the man - who was only 18-years-old at the time of the incident.

'There was no opportunity to say anything,' Meredith added. 'As soon as they got close to me they threw me to the ground and started beating me.'

Officers claim that Meredith had been resisting arrest which is why such aggressive measures were used.

Also, when Meredith is sitting in the police squad car, officers can be heard telling him: 'Shut the f--k up, you piece of s--t'

'Outrageous conduct,' Makled added. 'Totally against the policy and procedure of any law enforcement agency.'

Meredith added that the supervising officer who responded to the scene did little to ease the situation.

'I was being choked,' Meredith asserted. 'I was being beaten. I was in handcuffs being kicked in my face. There was a lot of stuff going on.'

The man can be heard screaming for his mother as the officers beat on him.

Also, when Meredith is sitting in the police squad car, officers can be heard telling him: 'Shut the f--k up, you piece of s--t.'

And Meredith believes that there was more to the beating that eventually landed him in the hospital.

He was charged with drug possession and two counts of assaulting a police officer - but because he had a medical marijuana card, that charge was dropped

He said: 'They're police officers,' Meredith said. 'I'm a black male. That answers the question. They're going to do and say what they can to protect themselves.'

And the tension between community members and police seems to be prevalent in the area, as attorney Cyril Hall cites one of the officers having issues before.

'I don't believe it's isolated because we've had one of the officers listed in the complaint,' Hall said. 'He's been sued on other occasions (for excessive force).'

Police believed that Meredith had a warrant out for his arrest, but that was soon proven to not be the case.

Officers also found a bag of cannabis in the man's vehicle, but his lawyer asserts that they had no right to do so.

In the video, the officers can be heard claiming that Meredith 'gripped' them but he states that that was not the case.

He was charged with drug possession and two counts of assaulting a police officer - but because he had a medical marijuana card, the drug charge was dropped.

Since the incident, Meredith has moved out of Taylor but finds it difficult to even visit his mom.

'Every time I go to the house I pull up and I look at that little spot and I remember every little thing and how it happened,' said Meredith.

'It's not a place I like to be. I don't call it home anymore. Your home is where you're supposed to feel safe. I don't feel safe there.'Michelle Obama has revealed the cover of her new memoir along with never-before-seen photos that will be featured in the book.

The portrait, taken earlier this year in Washington DC, shows the former First Lady beaming with a wide smile, and the book's title BECOMING is printed overhead.

Mrs Obama shared the photo on her social media platforms Thursday, explaining that 'the process of writing this book has been so personally meaningful and illuminating for me'.

Leading up to the book cover reveal, Mrs Obama shared four personal photos from her childhood, to her wedding, and of her family in the White House - all of which she says are apart of what has shaped her.

The former first lady took to social media to share her book cover and four never-before-seen photos from the book

Her memoir features photos from her childhood in the South side of Chicago, to her wedding to Barack Obama 25 years ago

Mrs Obama took to Instagram to share a photo of her while a student at Princeton University

Mrs Obama wrote on Twitter: 'As I prepare to share BECOMING this fall, I hope youll also think about your own story, and trust that it will help you become whoever you aspire to be. Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own. #BECOMING'

The former first lady selected the cover for her book jacket from a photo shoot with renowned photographer Miller Mobley.

The Crown Publishing Group described her memoir as a 'work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling'.

It will chronicle the experiences that Mrs Obama say shaped her, including her childhood on the South Side of Chicago, becoming a mother, and of course, being the First Lady in the White House.

'With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived itin her own words and on her own terms,' the publishing company writes.

Mrs Obama took to Instagram to share personal photos and memories from the book.

One photo shows then Michelle Robinson with her parents in their 'cramped apartment' in Chicago.

'My father, Fraser, taught me to work hard, laugh often, and keep my word. My mother, Marian, showed me how to think for myself and to use my voice. Together, in our cramped apartment on the South Side of Chicago, my family helped me see the value in our story, in my story, and in the larger story of our country,' she captioned the photo.

The Former First Lady said: 'the process of writing this book has been so personally meaningful and illuminating for me'

'Home has always been where our family is...It hasnt mattered whether were lounging on a couch in Chicagos Hyde Park or, as we are here, in the White House,' Michelle captioned her photo

Michelle shared an old photo that shows her with parents Marian and Fraser Robinson taken in their 'cramped apartment on the South Side of Chicago'

Another photo shows a young Michelle at Princeton University in the early 1980s.

'I was black and from a working-class neighborhood in Chicago, while Princetons student body was generally white and well-to-do,' she writes.

She also described details of her wedding day in the caption of an image from 25 years ago.

'You cant tell it from this photo, but Barack woke up on our wedding day in October, 1992 with a nasty head cold. Somehow, by the time I met him at the altar, it had miraculously disappeared and we ended up dancing almost all night,' she writes.

The book is set to be released in the US and Canada in print and also in digital formats in November.

An audio edition of the book read by Mrs Obama will be published and the book will be available in 25 languages worldwide.

Michelle and Barack's memoirs were acquired in a $65million publishing deal.

One million copies will be donated in the Obama family's name to the non-profit First Book, which provides books to children in need.A winery partly owned by Republican Devin Nunes has been sued for holding a fundraiser where guests were allegedly offered cocaine and prostitutes.

Employee Alene Anase filed a lawsuit against the Alpha Omega Winery in 2016, claiming she was sexually harassed and suffered emotional distress.

Anase says she was asked to work aboard a cruise on San Francisco Bay in 2015 that had been auctioned off to 25 top male investors in the company for charity.

Republican Devin Nunes (left) is part owner of Alpha Omega Winery which held a boat party in 2015 where 25 male auction winners allegedly took cocaine and had sex with prostitutes

She alleges the men took what looked like cocaine and drew straws for sex workers, The Fresno Bee reported.

The lawsuit claimed: 'Plaintiff was extremely disturbed by the presence of the prostitutes, especially because it appeared that some of the girls were too young to consent to sexual activity.'

She also alleged that some of the men at the party told her she should 'provide services of a sexual nature'.

In the lawsuit Anase says that after she complained she was told by the company's marketing director to 'lie low' and try to do as little as possible in order to avoid harassment'.

Employee Alene Anase filed a lawsuit against the company in 2016. She claims she was asked to work aboard the cruise party on San Francisco Bay in 2015

The suit included six allegations, including sexual harassment, emotional distress and retaliation.

Anase said she received counseling for psychological trauma and became depressed and anxious after her experiences at the party.

Her lawsuit was settled in 2016 for an undisclosed amount at the Napa County Superior Court, according to the Bee.

In November 2016, Alpha Omega spokeswoman Kelly Carter said: 'In August 2015, the yacht was used as part of an auction package purchased by a group of individuals who are not affiliated with Alpha Omega in any way.

It's not clear how big of a stake Nunes has in the business but it's thought he invested between $50,000 and $100,000 after selling his dairy farm in 2006

'No one in the group had any personal or business connection to the winery or its owners, and no Alpha Omega staff knew anyone in the group.

'We refined our policies for the charitable donation of the yacht immediately upon learning of the incident and before a lawsuit was filed.'

'Robin has made a point to never mix politics with the business of Alpha Omega. Our business model is simple: grow great grapes, make great wine, hire great people and provide our customers with a great experience.'

It's not clear how big of a stake Nunes has in the business, but he is thought to be a friend of the owner Robin Baggett.

The Bee reports that he invested between $50,000 and $100,000 after selling his dairy farm in 2006.

Nunes didn't respond to a request for comment by the website.The New South Wales opposition leader has been forced to apologise for comments he made in regards to the current debate surrounding immigration.

Luke Foley, the NSW opposition leader and parliamentary leader for the NSW branch of the Labor party, was savagely reprimanded by fellow Labor MPs for 'injecting race' into the debate over immigration The Daily Telegraph reported.

Some within the NSW government went so far as to label Mr Foley a racist for his comments where he used the phrase 'white flight' in reference to a declining number of Anglo families in parts of Western Sydney.

The New South Wales opposition Luke Foley (pictured) leader has been forced to apologise for comments he made in regards to the current debate surrounding immigration

The Daily Telegraph understands Mr Foley was deeply apologetic and distressed that his comments caused offence when it was not his intention, Mr Foley admitted it was a poor choice of words.

MPs who approached Mr Foley after Wednesday's comments accepted his apology and also accepted his stance on a resourcing issue he was trying to highlight.

Federal shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen said Mr Foley was right to bring up the resourcing issues in the Fairfield area.

One of Mr Foley's former staffers, Sabina Husic, took to social media to chastise her former boss.

'Okay if stopping white flight is the #1 issue for NSW Labor in 2019 I'm extremely ready to move back to Tito's Yugoslavia circa 1965,' she wrote.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian told parliament that Mr Foley's comments were 'deeply divisive, dangerous and nasty' while a number of Western Sydney Labor MP's jumped to his defence

After Mr Foley's apology former politician and outspoken political commentator Mark Latham said it was 'weak' and 'disappointing'.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian told parliament that Mr Foley's comments were 'deeply divisive, dangerous and nasty' while a number of Western Sydney Labor MP's jumped to his defence.

They said he had put an important issue, how the state will reinforce resources in suburbs where thousands of refugees were relocated.

Labor frontbencher and Member for Bankstown Tania Mihailuk defended Mr Foley against claims he was a racist.

'Luke Foley has been brave enough to call this for what it is. Our suburbs are a welcome refugee zone but we need support to match those realities,' she said.

Some Labor MP's said Mr Foley had put an important issue, how the state will reinforce resources in suburbs where thousands of refugees were relocated

After question time concluded in parliament Mr Foley conducted an extensive interview where he made the apology for his comments.

'In the course of a 30-minute interview  I used the phrase white flight. That phrase is offensive to many. I apologise and I will not use that phrase again,' he said.

Residents from Fairfield have also had their say on the issues of reinforcing resources in the area.

An Iraqi shop assistant, who didn't want to be named for fear of losing his job, agreed the area was becoming a hot-bed for Middle Eastern refugees.

'You can't get a job in here unless you speak Arabic - because 90 percent of our customers only speak Arabic - it is getting too much,' he said.

The man has been in Australia for four years after leaving his own war-torn country.

'It honestly isn't right - most people here now are from Iraq or Syria,' he said.

Neville Stephenson, an 83-year-old from the Fairfield council area said he avoids going into the city's main street and shopping district

Another man, Neville Stephenson, an 83-year-old from the Fairfield council area said he avoids going into the city's main street and shopping district.

'It is too crowded - and I am really worried the area will be the slums of tomorrow,' he said.

'It is turning into a Middle-Eastern enclave and it feels like we have been targeted by them - so now they all want to come here.'

An Australia-born woman, known as Olga, doesn't mind the growing numbers of Syrian and Iraqi refugees in her suburb.

'They have to go somewhere - and I don't think it is just happening here - it is happening right across Australia,' she said.President Donald Trump has drawn a line in the sand on immigration legislation - it will either include a border wall or he won't sign it.

'Unless it includes a wall, and I mean a wall, a real wall, and unless it improves very strong border security, there'll be no approvals from me,' he said on 'Fox & Friends' Thursday morning.

Trump threatened to shutdown the government in March if he didn't get his wall but eventually caved and signed a budget deal put together by a bipartisan group of Congressional leaders.

'Unless it includes a wall, and I mean a wall, a real wall, and unless it improves very strong border security, there'll be no approvals from me,' Trump said of any immigration legislation on 'Fox & Friends' Thursday morning.

The president and Congress have been locked in a show-down over the details of immigration legislation with Trump wanting his wall and Democrats demanding protection for Dreamers.

That $1.3 trillion budget included $1.6 billion to fund a wall but estimates say it would take $25 billion to build one that stretches across the entire US-Mexico border.

The president called the initial arm of money a 'down payment' but wants his border wall fully funded.

Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell promised to make immigration reform a priority in return for Trump's signature.

Since then, the president and Congress have been locked in a show-down over the details with Trump wanting his wall and Democrats demanding protection for the so-called 'Dreamers,' the illegal immigrants who came to the country as children.

But it's members of the president's own party who are engaged in a parliamentary maneuver to muck up the process.

Moderate Republicans in the House of Representatives have joined with Democrats in signing a discharge petition that, with enough signatures, would prompt votes on a series of immigration bills, including a measure that would give permanent legal status to the Dreamers, including those protected from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that Trump canceled.

Federal judges eventually ruled against Trump and required the administration to keep the DACA program open while Congress debates a fix.

Trump indicated he'd be satisfied with an immigration deal that included the 'whole package' - protection for the Dreamers and money for the wall.

'I think it's time to get the whole package if it's not such a big deal,' he said.

Democrats remain opposed to a border wall.

And Speaker Paul Ryan is working to keep members of Republican conference from forcing the votes on the immigration legislation.

The petition needs 218 signatures to force a vote. Democratic leaders expressed confidence their members would sign, which means 25 Republicans need to sign. Eleven Republicans have signed this far, according to reports.

Republicans are erupting into a civil war over the issue, leaving Ryan to try and bring order to his party.

Conservatives, unhappy with moderate Republicans' push on immigration, tanked the farm bill last week, leaving the speaker to beg his party for unity and swear at his members in frustration.

'He was frustrated  I think he used the word 'crap' once. For Paul Ryan, 'crap' is pretty blue language,' Republican Representative Mark Amodei told The Hill.

Ryan said last month he doesn't want to bring up any immigration bill he knows will be vetoed. The rules of the discharge petition would allow the speaker to bring up his own legislation too.

And, after signing the budget deal in March, Trump showed his anger and regret.

He vowed never again to sign a budget without the authority to do a line-item veto, which would let him go in and cross out individual items instead of the entire piece of legislation

'I say to Congress: I will never sign another bill like this again. I'm not going to do it,' he said.

The government briefly shut down in January over immigration.

Republicans are erupting into a civil war over the immigration issue, leaving Speaker Paul Ryan to try and bring order to his party. Conservatives, unhappy with moderate Republicans' push on immigration, tanked the farm bill last week, leaving the speaker to beg his party for unity and swear at his members in frustration.

In the interview with Fox, Trump also claimed the US has the worst immigration laws in the world and blamed the Democratic leaders in Congress.

'We have the worst immigration laws in the entire world, by far. Other countries laugh at us, and it's because of the Democrats. It's because of Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi,' he said.

The president also called the violent Salvadoran criminal organization MS-13 'vicious killers' who shouldn't be allowed in the US.

'These are vicious killers and they shouldn't be allowed into the country. The laws are horrible. We're bringing them out by the thousands, as you know, they're setting records.'

He had previously called members of the gang 'animals.'Spain has issued a national, international and EU arrest warrant Thursday against the rapper Valtonyc who may have fled the country just as he was expected to enter jail.

Jose Miguel Arenas Beltran, better known as Valtonyc, was found guilty last year of glorifying terror, insulting the king and issuing threats in his lyrics.

He was set to begin a three-and-a-half-year jail term today but his whereabouts are now a mystery after he sent a curious tweet to followers last night.

'Tomorrow they will knock down the door of my house to put me in jail. For some songs. Tomorrow Spain is going to make a fool of itself, once more,' he wrote on social media.

'I'm not going to make it easy for them, it's legitimate and an obligation to disobey this fascist state. Here, no one surrenders.'

Rap sheet: Lyricist Jose Miguel Arenas Beltran, better known as Valtonyc, cannot be foundthe day he was expected to enter prison

His cryptic tweet last night prompted authorities to issue an international arrest warrant

Valtonyc was recently complained about for remarking 'kill a f**king Civil Guard (police) officer tonight' at a concert

Spain's National Court have issued the arrest warrant at the request of prosecutors who said he was 'at large.'

The 24-year-old is just one of several Twitter users and rappers who have recently been judged or imprisoned for glorifying terror or insulting the king, causing mounting concern over free speech in Spain.

He was sentenced for lyrics published online in 2012 and 2013 at a time when he was a little-known rapper in the Balearic Islands.

Some of the lines included: 'Let them be as frightened as a police officer in the Basque Country' and 'the king has a rendezvous at the village square, with a noose around his neck.'

The reference to the Basque Country hinted at violence by ETA, the separatist group that for decades staged attacks across Spain that left more than 800 officials and civilians dead.

Valtonyc seen here in March at a 'We Will Not Shut Up' conference where he protested his three-and-a-half-year jail sentence

The artist has drawn links to feared Basque separatist faction ETA in his work

He also rapped against Jorge Campos, the head of Actua Baleares, a party that defends Spanish unity.

Valtonyc has since been hit by another complaint by Campos over a recent concert in which he shouted: 'Kill a f**king Civil Guard (police) officer tonight.'

The rapper had been free on bail pending the scheduled start of his prison term on Thursday.

His lyrics have divided opinion, with some saying they should not land him in jail in a democracy, while others stress that free speech has its limits.

It's 'not permission to say whatever one wants,' said Antonio Torres del Moral, a constitutional law specialist.

But for Xavier Arbos, a constitutional law professor at the University of Barcelona, there is a clear 'regression with regards to freedom of expression' in Spain.

'We're sending a message that groups which feel offended can restrict (people's) freedoms via criminal law, and that's very negative,' he told AFP.

'The penal code must be the last resort and must be used under the principle of minimal intervention.'

In March, Amnesty International said a Spanish law banning 'glorification of terrorism' had created a 'chilling' environment in which people are increasingly afraid to express alternative views or make controversial jokes.

Earlier this week, Spanish Oscar-winner Javier Bardem also sounded the alarm over free speech in Spain as he came out in support of fellow actor Willy Toledo who is due to be questioned by a judge for alleged blasphemy.

'It seems to me that being able to (legally) punish (an opinion) is a setback that harks back to the era of Franco,' Bardem told reporters in Madrid, referring to the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.This is the moment a father appears to film himself forcing his innocent young daughter to smoke.

A video, which appears to have been taken by the father, shows him placing a cigarette in his daughter's mouth.

Filmed in Saudi Arabia, the youngster looks just two or three years old.

She appears to breathe in the deadly fumes before exhaling as he removes the roll-up.

He can be heard saying something as if asking her if she wants more, she then nods.

Footage shows him return the cigarette to her mouth at which point she has an even longer drag.

Shocking footage shows the father encouraging his child to take a drag on his cigarette

But after the footage was posted on Twitter it went viral and was viewed more than 226,000 times.

Police saw it began to hunt the father, issuing a warrant for his arrest, local media report.

Just a few days later he was seized by police investigating the case, according to local media.

It is not clear on what ground the man was arrested, or is being held.

Saudi Arabian public prosecution issued a statement saying its role was to protect society and hold those who break its rules to account - even if that meant arresting parents.The North Korean government completely ignored the Trump administration's efforts to nail down details of a planned June 12 nuclear arms summit in Singapore, effectively disappearing in the middle of pre-meeting protocol negotiations.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had met personally in April with Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, sketching out the contours of the face-to-face that President Donald Trump canceled Thursday morning.

In testimony during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Pompeo said there was no chance of 'a successful outcome,' in some part because Kim's team was AWOL when it counted.

'Over the past many days we have endeavored to do what Chairman Kim and I had agreed, [which] was to put teams, preparation teams together, to begin to work to prepare for the summit,' he told senators. 'And we had received no response to our inquiries from them.'

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a Senate panel on Thursday that North Korea's government disappeared at a crucial point in pre-summit negotiations

Kim Jong-un (pictured, 2nd left) and Donald Trump were to meet June 12 in Singapore for nuclear disarmament talks

Trump called off the meeting Thursday morning in a letter to Kim

Instead of engaging with the White House, Kim lashed out at Mike Pence following the U.S. vice president's comments hinting that North Korea could face the same fate as Libya if it doesn't disarm.

In a letter to Kim calling off the Singapore summit, Trump cited 'the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement.'

'You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used,' the president wrote.

In the Senate hearing, Pompeo asked for patience while the State Department tries to jump-start negotiations.

'I am going to reserve some space for us to be able to conduct these discussions outside of the public sphere. I think that's important,' he said.

Pompeo insisted that Trump's team stands ready to come back to the negotiating table if North Korea abandons the silent treatment.

The White House wants North Korea to destroy its nuclear weapons program in exchange for relaxing economic sanctions that have walled off Pyingyang from most of the rest of the world

Pompeo is pictured Thursday morning reading Trump's letter to Kim Jong-un before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing

The U.S. 'received no response to our inquiries from them,' Pompeo said of the final days of preparation for the June 12 Singapore summit

'I think the American team is fully prepared. I think we're rocking. I think we're ready,' he said.

'I think we're prepared for this meeting. I think President Trump is prepared for this meeting. We were fully, fully engaged over the past weeks to prepare for this meeting.'

'I hope we quickly are able to get back to that place,' he said. 'But ultimately Chairman Kim will have that decision to make for himself. As the president said, we welcome their call, their outreach, to head back down that path.'

In the absence of progress, Pompeo said, 'in some ways it's "situation normal." The pressure campaign continues.'

Wednesday during a parallel hearing in the House of Representatives, Pompeo signaled that the ball was in Pyongyang's court.

While he was 'hopeful' the summit would take place, he said, 'That decision will ultimately be up to Chairman Kim.'

But he said there would be no concessions offered in order to move forward.

'A bad deal is not an option. The American people are counting on us to get this right. If the right deal is not on the table, we will respectfully walk away,' he said.A mystery sea creature was found washed up on a British beach - baffling experts as to what it may be.

The five-ft long carcass of the alien-like creature was discovered washed up on sand by dog walker Beth Jannetta, 41.

Ms Janetta snapped the mystery monster - which has a long head, giant jawline and slender tail - and passed on her pictures to experts.

The five-ft long carcass of the alien-like creature was discovered washed up on sand by dog walker Beth Jannetta, 41 on Rhossili Beach, Gower - and has baffled marine experts

But marine boffins are unable to identify the creature - but say it could be a type of whale, dolphin, or porpoise.

Ms Jannetta, who found the skeleton on Rhossili Beach, Gower, said: 'I was going for a run with my dogs when I came across it. It looked like a well rotted cetacean to me.

'Other people think it is something different, like a crocodile.

'It would be very interesting to find out what species it is.'

Bioscience expert Dr Dan Forman from Swansea University said: 'When you look at it the first time you may think it is a crocodile, but it is certainly not. There is a big bulge on the base of the skull which is characteristic of a cetacean.'

Dr Forman, of Swansea University, added: 'It's jawline suggests it is like a cetacean whale or a dolphin.

'We get a reasonable amount of whales and dolphins, a lot which are dead and decomposed in places like Pendine and Rhossili.

'From the data around carcasses washed up, there seems to be a cluster this time of year around June and July.

'The jaw is thin in places and it looks from the picture like it is upside down.'

Mark Hipkin, National Trust area ranger, who was called to collect the body, said he thought it was a porpoise.

He said: 'We have porpoises washing up quite regularly, as well as dolphins and seals and sometimes sheep.'A woman who is being sued $120,000 by a 'fitness queen' over a YouTube video and online article has been slammed with a counterclaim of $145,000.

Pinar Parry is defending Ashleigh 'Ashy' Bines's $120,000 defamation claim against her over comments she made in a YouTube video about 'an influencer campaign that went horribly wrong', Gold Coast Bulletin reported.

The Brisbane woman, who creates bangles with inspirational quotes engraved in them, said in the YouTube video she had planned to collaborate with Ms Bines.

Ashy Bines (pictured) is also suing Ms Parry over defamation claims made online

Pinar Parry (pictured) is defending Ashleigh 'Ashy' Bines's $120,000 defamation claim against her

In her counterclaim, she said Ms Bines failed to promote her bracelets, which were inscribed with Ms Bines's name and inspirational quotes, on social media.

Ms Parry claims Ms Bines failed to promote her products regularly causing her suffer loss and damage over thousands of unsold customised Ashy Bines bracelets.

Ms Parry alleges the arrangement was made 12 months ago as a way to get her brand out there.

'It went really well, we sold a lot of product through her,' she said.

The business owner said they then designed customised bangles for Ms Bines with her own quotes engraved.

'Intention was that she'd promote it throughout the year at her booty events ... we got the product out and she promoted it maybe once of twice and then just dumped it like a rock,' Ms Parry said in the three-minute video.

'We lost a lot of money doing that and we paid the price.'

Ms Parry claims Ms Bines failed to promote her products regularly causing her suffer loss and damage over thousands of unsold customised Ashy Bines bracelets

Ms Bines unfollowed Delta-Me's Instagram page in July last year, and also failed to promote Ms Parry's company as a sponsor of the Ashy Bines World Squad Tour 2017

She says Ms Parry's wristbands were mentioned only six times on social media by Ms Bines and only worn by her twice in Instagram posts from February last year, Gold Coast Bulletin reported.

Ms Bines unfollowed Delta-Me's Instagram page in July last year, and also failed to promote Ms Parry's company as a sponsor of the Ashy Bines World Squad Tour 2017, Ms Parry's defence says.

A GoFundMe page for Ms Parrys legal defence was launched in April and has reached $2600 of the $5000 goal.Nine passengers have died in a horrific minibus crash after their driver collided with a lorry while livestreaming himself on Facebook.

The crash, which occurred about 40 miles (60 kilometres) from Budapest, Hungary, on Tuesday, claimed the lives of nine Romanian foreign workers, and their driver  also a Romanian  who was taking them home.

He failed to see a lorry, which was transporting sand, while overtaking on a Hungarian road and crashed head-on.

Nine passengers have died in a horrific minibus crash after their driver, Petru Kalau, collided with a lorry while livestreaming himself (above left, final moments) on Facebook

This picture shows a truck in front of the minibus, shortly before it collided, killing nine Romanian workers, and their driver. The final moments were captured during livestreaming on Facebook by the driver, who was also a Romanian

Harrowing video footage shows the passengers in the minibus listening to loud Romanian music, before it is cut off about one second before the moment of the impact, as the driver throws the phone to one side in a desperate bid to avoid a head-on collision.

Shocking footage was also published showing the aftermath, with mangled wreckage and bodies strewn across the road.

Romanian media has reported that 16 children lost their parents in the crash.

The mother of two brothers who lost their lives in the accident, Angelica Dumitru, told Romanian TV station digi24: 'I had two boys in the car and one daughter-in-law. Now they are dead and their children can't stop crying.

'They went abroad to earn some money, to provide a better life for the family. They also started building a home and were gathering money for the construction. Now they will never finish it.'

Digi24 said that photographs of the aftermath, which showed the minibus destroyed by the impact, were like something from a horror film.

Police investigating the crash say that the driver, identified as 38-year-old Petru Kalau, did not have a licence for driving a multi-person vehicle.

All the passengers, along with the driver, were from the same county, Mures in Central Romania.

Above: emergency services at the scene of the collision. Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, Paul Ciocoiu, said that all those killed in the crash will be repatriated to Romania

Szekely Ladislau, mayor of the commune of Mica in Mures County, said that the driver had valid insurance both for the vehicle and the passengers.

'I spoke with the insurance company representatives in the morning after the accident and they said that the insurer will pay damages to the families of all nine deceased victims as specified in the contract,' he said.

The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that all the victims are Romanians and Romanian authorities will carry all the procedures and costs for the repatriation of the bodies.

Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, Paul Ciocoiu, said: 'All the nine victims were confirmed to have Romanian citizenship. The bodies were taken to the morgue in Hungary for autopsies.

'We are working with the Hungarian authorities in getting the bodies back to their homes in Romania as soon as possible. The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will cover all the costs.'

The driver of the lorry survived and is currently receiving treatment in hospital.

Local media said that the man regularly made trips to the rest of the EU where he would deliver Romanians to work and then drive them home again afterwards. It is believed most of those in the car had been picked up in Slovenia.Paul Cook, known as Cooky to his friends, was found in Littlewood in Stokenchurch splayed out in the bathroom with his neck on the rim of the tub

A drunken husband fell over while using the toilet in the bathroom and died when his neck landed on the rim of the bath and he was asphyxiated by a lack of oxygen, an inquest heard today.

Former builder Paul Cook was four times the drink-driver limit when he landed on the bath and was incapable of prising himself up. He did not even have time to flush the loo before he toppled over.

Paul, known as Cooky to his friends, was found by his housemate splayed out in their bathroom with his neck on the rim of the tub, causing 'positional asphyxia' - a lack of oxygen due to way he was lying.

The 45-year-old former builder was visiting the country from Switzerland where he lived with his wife Lucy, who told the inquest into his death that he was a heavy drinker.

Dr Peter Johnson, who carried out a post mortem examination found the concentration of alcohol in his blood was four times the drink-drive limit but that it was only a causative factor in Paul's death.

The inebriation would have caused his 'normal instincts to be subdued' according to Dr Johnson.

Paul Nash, who found the body on January 22 this year, provided a statement to Crispin Butler, the Senior Coroner for Buckinghamshire.

Mr Nash said: 'I got home to Littlewood in Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire, at about 7.30pm on January 22.

'I had known Paul since 1987. He used to drink a three litre bottle of cider every day. He didn't used to go out to drink but that may have changed.

'I had emailed him to say I would be home early than planned the day before and he said he would make dinner.

'When I got back the lights were on and the curtains were open.

'I went inside and called out for him but got no response.

'I went upstairs to the bathroom as the door was ajar.

'I could see Cooky resting against the bath. I called out but he was unresponsive.

'He was lying straight until his chest, and his back arched up so his hands and neck were on the edge of the bath.

'He was just in his boxer shorts. He looked like he had been going for a wee.

'It was hard to move him as he was stiff. I tried CPR and called 999.'

The emergency services rushed to the scene and but by 7:40 pm Paul Cook was declared dead at the scene.

Paul's wife Lucy told proceedings: 'For Paul the levels of alcohol in his blood would have been normal.

'Not once has he had a problem with movement.'

Dr Johnson said that it was possible he may have had a fit or a seizure, causing him to fall.

He said: 'He may have had a fit but we have no evidence of that. It is possible but it would be conjecture.'

When I arrived to support the uniformed officers, we found that Paul hadn't even had a chance to flush the toilet. The post mortem and toxicology confirmed that acute alcohol toxicity had led to positional asphyxia

Paul's sister agreed that he had suffered from fits before. She said: 'I had found him in fit-like states in the bathroom before.'

Police attended the scene at Littlewood, Stokenchurch, to establish if there was any foul play but it was quickly determined that there were no suspicious circumstances.

Detective Constable Chris Hatton of Thames Valley Police said: 'When I arrived to support the uniformed officers, we found that Paul hadn't even had a chance to flush the toilet.'

In his his conclusion, Mr Butler determined the death to be accidental.

He said: 'The post mortem and toxicology confirmed that acute alcohol toxicity had led to positional asphyxia.

'The death was not due to alcohol, it was accidental.'

Paul lived with his wife in Switzerland where he was a 'Hausmann' or houseman in German, and looked after the couple's house. Born in Brent, London, he had been visiting the UK since December.Advertisement

New York City in the 1980s was a terrifying place. Crime rates soared sky high with drug dealers and prostitutes openly working the streets of Gotham nonstop and the city was just about in financial ruin. Similar scenes of danger and destruction could also be found just across the Hudson River in impoverished neighborhoods like Newark, New Jersey  which at one point was named the worst city of all during the time period.

Award-winning social documentary photographer Helen M. Stummer captured dozens of gripping and heart wrenching scenes in both New York City and Newark during that time period and beyond.

Working for more than 40 years, Stummer, who is a visual sociologist, explained to DailyMail.com that she spent countless hours building relationships with many of the people she focused her lens on.

I'd stay year in and year out and I become friends with people, the 82-year-old said. Thats how I overcame my fear or one of the ways. I come from the suburbs, and in the suburbs youre pretty much conditioned to fear anything thats different. I had to force myself out of that.

Stummer shared that early on she was a painter and that she wanted to learn how to use her camera properly so that she could take images of the things she wanted to paint. She was accepted into the second class group at the acclaimed International Center of Photography (ICP) and was sent to the Lower East Side to photograph the neighborhood, which during the 1970s was full of crime and grime and was not the trendy hipster hotspot it is now.

New York City in the 1980s was a terrifying place. Crime rates soared sky high with drug dealers and prostitutes openly working the streets of Gotham nonstop and the city was just about in financial ruin. Award-winning photographer Helen M. Stummer took thousands of images showcasing impoverished neighborhoods over her 40-year career. The photo above was captured in 1979 of a young child with his hands over his head staring on East 6th Street in the Lower East Side

Similar scenes of danger and destruction could also be found just across the Hudson River in impoverished neighborhoods like Newark, New Jersey  which at one point was named the worst city of all during the time period. Stummer spent more than a decade in the city capturing run-down areas like the one pictured above on Clinton Avenue and Peshine Avenue in 1982

Stummer, who is a visual sociologist, explained to DailyMail.com that she spent countless hours building relationships with many of the people she focused her lens on. One of those people include the woman pictured above named Shirley, who Stummer often photographed. The image above was taken in 1979 on East 6th Street in the Lower East Side

I stay year in and year out and I become friends with people, the 82-year-old said. Stummer's relationship with Shirley developed with the mother allowing her inside of her home. The photographer captured the above image of Shirley with her twin daughter playing in 1978

Stummer also took her camera along with her to a Ku Klux Klan rally in 1979 in New Jersey (pictured above). At the time, she explained that she worked at a local newspaper as a reporter

Of the experience, she said: I mean it is a scary sight and I had never seen anything like that in reality. But I kept photographing everyone who was just hanging around out there. I dont really remember much of what really went on because I was so scared. Pictured above is another photograph from that same KKK rally

One of the striking images Stummer captured in 1979 shows children playing in water from a broken fire hydrant while a mother holds her adorable baby girl up to dip her feet in the street water.

You dont realize how cold that hydrant water really is. I dont know how that baby is in the water or any of the children, Stummer said of the photo.

I put my feet in there and it is beyond freezing, honestly it is so cold. But I loved that photo and capturing that moment with the mother, named Shirley, holding the baby who was named Michelle.

She added that she spent a lot of time with Shirley and others in the then-impoverished neighborhood, especially at the Childrens Aide Society, which was located on East 6th Street at the time.

What I saw at East 6th street, I knew at that moment, it was an intuitive thing a gut thing, that I knew this was the place I wanted to photograph, she revealed. And my whole foundation seemed to shift when I experienced that.

I would go on the street and I became involved with the families. And thats how you get intimate photographs, you cant just go in and do it. It doesnt happen like that you have to spend time and thats what I did.

But Stummer said she was forced to stop photographing the area around the Childrens Aide Society when she was surrounded by drug dealers who were taking over the community.

I would go to the Childrens Aide Society and go on the street once or twice a week until the drug dealers told me I had to leave, she stated.

Stummer seemingly first kicked off her photography career when she captured hundreds of images showing the Lower East Side thanks to her assignment while she was a student at the International Center of Photography. Pictured above are two young girls holding dolls in front of a building on East 6th Street in 1977

Stummer shared that when she first went out to take photos, she was so scared and her hands shook when she held the camera for the first six months. But eventually she settled into the community and was a regular on the scene. Pictured above is a scene on East 6th Street taken by Stummer in 1980

She also started to venture into Newark, New Jersey in the beginning of the 80s when crime was rampant in the then-impoverished neighborhood. Pictured above is a boy walking in the fog in Newark in 1982 that Stummer captured

She explained that her experiences early on gave her the confidence to go to neighborhoods where most people were scared to step foot in. Pictured above is a young girl named Danielle in 1990 holding a Rainbow Brite doll on the rooftop of her building in Newark

One of the most striking images Stummer captured is above showing three young children playing with dirt near illegally dumped tires outside of their residential building in 1992. I photographed there for 15 years. Trucks would come in the middle of the night and illegally dump tires and other things there, she said. It made me so angry and I would take these photographs to the health department and the housing department, but nothing would happen

1980 the heavy drugs came in and everyone was scared. I mean everyone. One day I was going to the Childrens Aide Society like I usually did and before I knew it there were a bunch of men surrounding me.

They had the chains and big hats on and seemed like they were nine feet tall because I was so scared. They told me they didnt want me taking pictures anymore and said if they see me with my camera out one more time, its done, its over.

Luckily, Stummer escaped from being harmed during the incident and didnt return back to the area for years.

Another image that Stummer captured shows members of the Ku Klux Klan at a 1979 rally in New Jersey. At the time, Stummer explained that she was working as a reporter at a local newspaper and that she decided to go and take her camera.

When I saw them, my first reaction was to laugh. I was going to tell them please this is not Halloween, but it took only a few short seconds after that thought that my blood went really cold, she said of the experience.

I mean it is a scary sight and I had never seen anything like that in reality. But I kept photographing everyone who was just hanging around out there. I dont really remember much of what really went on because I was so scared.

The 82-year-old New Jersey native also documented Newarks Central Ward for many years where she became friends with many of her subjects.

Another captivating photo she took shows the boy above named Ali who jumped into her frame at the last second. Stummer said she was focusing her camera on the men behind the boy outside of a building in Newark in 1999

The striking photos Stummer captured are currently on display at the ICP Gallery at Mana Contemporary Arts in Jersey City, New Jersey. The exhibit , titled Risk Life and Lens, is on limited viewing at the gallery and coincides with the publication of her new book Risking Life and Lens: A Photographic Memoir.

One of the captivating images she captured in 1992 shows three young children playing in the dirt near tires that were dumped just outside of a their home at 322 Irving Boulevard in Newark.

I photographed there for 15 years. Trucks would come in the middle of the night and illegally dump tires and other things there, she said. It made me so angry and I would take these photographs to the health department and the housing department, but nothing would happen.

The landlord wouldnt fix those violations no matter what. What angered me so much is that it was such an injustice that kids had to play in these horrid places.

They would get rashes and the parents were just so tired. They complained so much but never got anywhere with anything and so many of them were sick and it was just a total injustice to me.

The striking photos Stummer captured are currently on display at the ICP Gallery at Mana Contemporary Arts in Jersey City, New Jersey.

The exhibit, titled Risk Life and Lens, is on limited viewing at the gallery and coincides with the publication of her new book Risking Life and Lens: A Photographic Memoir.Advertisement

A geothermal power plant in Hawaii at risk of being overrun with molten lava from the erupting Kilauea Volcano is a 'ticking time bomb', claim local activists.

Locals in the badly effected Puna district fear the fiery river of molten rock could overcome the plant which they have warned for decades was a disaster waiting to happen.

And as aerial photos showed the lava flow looming closer to the perimeter of the Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) plant, engineers worked into the night on Tuesday to cap the 11th and final well, which provides about 25 percent of the Big Island's power.

As of Wednesday, lava had poured over warehouses just outside the plant and was about 100 yards from the facility as officials feared it could trigger the release of deadly hydrogen sulfate gas.

The distance between the lava front and the plant will likely have shortened into Thursday morning.

The wells at the Puna Geothermal Venture plant were plugged overnight as lava from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano inched closer to the site. The plant is pictured above on Tuesday

A satellite photo provided by DigitalGlobe shows lava coming out of fissures caused by Kilauea volcano, near Puna Geothermal Venture, a geothermal energy plant, which could explode if hit by lava

An aerial view of two storage warehouses, part of the Puna Geothermal Venture's facility, are consumed by an eruption by reactivated fissure 6 in Pahoa on Tuesday

Lava has already crossed onto the plant's land and destroyed one building, was still about 1,000 feet from the wells on Tuesday

Plant workers have already removed 60,000 gallons of highly flammable pentane gas from the site and installed barriers and protective coverings over the area.

But local activists, who for decades have argued the power plant should never have been built in a residential area, and have filed multiple lawsuits challenging its placement on Kilauea volcano, claim the danger is clear and present.

Activist Kalikolehua Kanaele of the protector group Aloha Aina (Love the Living God), told DailyMail.com: 'This has been the greatest concern of this community for 50 years.

Kalikolehua Kanaele of the protector group Aloha Aina (Love the Living God), claims many residents have suffered medical conditions from living so close to the power plant

'If the wells break the gas could ignite and there could be a huge explosion. It's a ticking time bomb and we always knew this situation could arise. We just hope that a disaster can be averted and nobody gets hurt.'

Kanaele, 68, and others say the wells, which run as deep as 8,000ft, pose a serious risk from the lava if they overheat or are breached by underground seismic activity.

If the wells break, they could release tons of flammable and toxic hydrogen sulfide into the air around the current evacuation zone, which is already choked with volcanic smog.

The gas has the potential to cause huge explosions and winds could spark an emergency evacuation covering a 10-mile radius.

Community activist Bob Petricci, president of the Puna Pono Alliance watchdog group, said the area is one of the most unstable pieces of land on the planet and people should be concerned about the threat.

'The bigger danger right now is the wells, which go down 8,000ft, and tap into a resource which is one of the hottest and most toxic in the world, hydrogen sulphide,' he explains.

'The concentrations of this deadly gas are extremely high, I'm talking between 1100-1300 parts per million at the well head. At 700 parts per million, a person will die breathing that in.'

Petricci, a sustainable farmer who lived next to the plant when it was built, says that in 1991 the plant had a blow-out that caused problems up to ten miles away.

He added: 'I'm not a scientist but I know enough to be sure we're all in a lot of danger should any of these wells break because of the volcanic activity.

'There's a lot of fractures occurring every time there's an earthquake and the wells go through these fractures.

'That's the issue right now that the government is worried about, if the well head snaps off they're not sure what will come back up and there would be no way to stop it.

Community activist Bob Petricci, president of the Puna Pono Alliance watchdog group, said the area is one of the most unstable pieces of land on the planet and people should be concerned about the PGV plant

County officials say they are closely monitoring emissions, and will issue an evacuation if toxic fumes spike. Above, lava flows near the plant on Monday

The plant harnesses heat and steam from the earth's core which spin turbines to generate power. The plant pictured above on Monday

'In my mind the potential for a catastrophe is huge, if they lose a well it could cause an evacuation of up to ten miles radius.'

This past two weeks the Puna district has been hit with as many as 140 smaller earthquakes every day.

The PGV plant is 15 miles from the heart of the volcano, but while Ormat Technologies Inc  which runs the facility - last week insisted there was little risk of the lava reaching it, everyone's worst nightmare is coming true.

Geothermal energy  while seen as a sustainable and environmentally friendly form of power - has had a controversial past on Hawaii.

Kanaele, who has lived on Hawaii his whole life, has been following the issues surrounding the plant since the late 70s and claims many residents living in its shadow, who were once vibrant people, have suffered medical conditions over the years.

'There's no filters, this plant is filled with poison,' he told DailyMail.com. 'And it has effected many people in this community, it's an issue we have been fighting for a long time.

'It was all about money and little concern was given to the people who might be effected by it.'

But the potential for disaster is now at its most pressing.

The wells allow steam and hot liquid to rise which powers huge turbines, producing up to 38 megawatts of electricity, which is sold to Hawaii Electric Light Co.

The Nevada-owned plant provides about a quarter of the Big Island's power. the plane is pictured above on May 16

Lava flows have already reached the ocean. When lava hits the cold ocean water, it creates a steam called laze which is toxic. Hawaiian and mariners are being warned to avoid this toxic steam. Above, a lava flow entering the ocean on Tuesday

Kilauea's summit is now belching 15,000 tons of the gas each day up from 6,000 tons daily prior to the May 3 eruption

In June 1991, according to the Washington Post, the plant accidentally released into the air 180 pounds per hour of hydrogen sulfide and other toxic compounds, including lead, chromium, arsenic and mercury, according to an environmental study conducted the following month.

Hydrogen sulfide can irritate eyes and lungs, but in large quantities can cause severe headaches, dizziness, respiratory paralysis and death.

According to a published report from Goddard and Goddard, the release posed a 'significant health concern' that violated emission limits and caused health problems in the area.

It's claimed at least 123 people reported health issues, the report said.

The following year protest groups managed to put a stop to a new geothermal plant being built on the island, meaning the PGV site remains the only one.

More recently in 2013 the PGV plant was fined $76,500 by the Environmental Protection Agency after a pump failure resulted in the release of contaminants, including hydrogen sulfide.

And in 2014, Hurricane Iselle triggered another accident, with locals reporting a sound like a 'jet engine' roar, smelling sulfur, and experiencing headaches, coughing and lethargy when a plume of gas was released from the plant.

At the time plant officials said the release was intentional and did not exceed regulatory limits for toxins.

The Big Island has the potential to produce 1,400 megawatts of geothermal, seven times what is needed to power its energy needs.

This photo from video from the U.S. Geological Survey shows blue burning flames of methane gas erupting through cracks on Kahukai Street in the Leilani Estates neighborhood of Pahoa on the island of Hawaii during the overnight hours of Wednesday. When lava buries plants and shrubs, methane gas is produced as a byproduct of burning vegetation. Methane gas can seep into subsurface voids and explode when heated, emerging from cracks in the ground several feet away from the lava

Fissures spew lava in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii, on Tuesday. Authorities were racing Tuesday to close off production wells at a geothermal plant threatened by a lava flow from Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island

Lava flows like the ones pictued above spread across Hawaii this week as the Kilauea volcano continued to ravage the state's Big Island

In a statement posted on their website Ormat said they are monitoring the present situation and have taken a series of safety measures to prevent a disaster.

'We continue to monitor the situation in coordination with HELCO, and with local and state authorities,' said Isaac Angel, CEO of Ormat Technologies.

The statement said several steps have been taken to secure the Puna plant in accordance with its emergency response plan.

These steps include taking electricity generation offline, shutting down all the wells, placing barriers and protective coverings over the wells and removing flammable materials from the facility to a storage area off-site.

The firms adds that it has insurance coverage in the event of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes for up to $100 million.

But activist Petricci says that for all their reassurance no one can give any guarantees.

'Our argument from the beginning has been that they shouldn't have put something like this in a pre-existing residential neighborhood in the first place,' he said.

'If anything maybe this is the wake-up call they need.'One of the most violent gangs on the planet is firmly in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump.

The president strongly condemned the gang as animals during a meeting with U.S. law enforcement officials on May 16, generating much media attention and controversy after it was initially reported that he referred to all undocumented immigrants by the term.

However, the president has doubled down on his stance in recent days, firing off a press release blasting the violent animals of MS-13 and accusing Democrats of trying to defend the infamous criminal gang.

But just what is MS-13? Heres all about what the group is, where it originated from, what MS-13 stands for and its recent expansion in Long Island.

President Donald Trump recently met with parents of MS-13 victims on Long Island, New York

What is MS-13?

MS-13 is an international criminal gang that originated in the 1980s in Southern California and has since spread to numerous locations across the United States, Canada and Latin America.

The gang was reportedly founded by immigrants from El Salvador and formed initially to protect the local Salvadoran community from other larger, more established gangs in the area. Over time, MS-13 grew in size and power, spreading across the U.S. and other countries abroad and engaging in drug trafficking, human trafficking, larceny, child prostitution, extortion, arms tracking, money laundering, murder and other violent crimes.

The gang is comprised of approximately 8,000 to 10,000 individuals in the U.S. alone with a global membership of somewhere between 30,000 to 50,000 individuals. Most MS-13 gang members are thought to be of Salvadoran, Guatemalan and Honduran descent both in the United States and worldwide.

MS-13 is believed to be allied with other gangs such as the Mexican Mafia, Los Zetas, La Familia and the Gulf Cartel and rivals with the Bloods, Crips, 18th Street Gang, Latin Kings and Juarez Cartel.

Gang members are generally characterized by extensive, intricate tattoos covering their bodies and even use their own coded sign language. The group is infamous for its violence and ruthless retribution against its rivals and perceived threats. MS-13s brutal murder methods are especially well-known and notorious, often employing machetes and long knives to hack and slice victims to death.

The gangs violent methods and extensive criminal activity have garnered attention from governments in both the U.S. and abroad in recent years. MS-13 was the target of a new task force formed by the FBI in 2004, the MS-13 National Gang Task Force.

Supporters of President Donald Trump recently rallied on Long Island on Wednesday, May 23

In 2012, it was listed as a Transnational Criminal Organization by the Barack Obama administration and saw its American-based assets frozen in a sweeping financial crackdown.

In late 2017, the gang was again targeted in a vast Federal crackdown known as Operation Raging Bull, which saw the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security arrest 267 alleged MS-13 gang members and their associates on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, human smuggling, racketeering, drug trafficking and child prostitution.

Where did MS-13 originate?

MS-13 is thought to have originated in the Pico Union neighborhood of Los Angeles, California in the 1980s.

It was thought to have been founded by Salvadoran immigrants who fled to the United States during a period of civil strife in the country. In the ensuing years, the gang spread to various locations across the United States, Canada, Mexico and several Central American nations like El Salvador, with a particularly concentrated presence in the borough of Queens in New York City, Long Island, Boston, Charlotte, Houston and San Francisco and the Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas. MS-13 members have also been reported in Toronto.

What does MS-13 stand for?

MS-13 stands for Mara Salvatrucha 13, with the number 13 being representative of its Surenos affiliation. Sureno gangs are a group of loosely affiliated criminal organizations that pay homage to the Mexican mafia in Federal and state correctional facilities in the United States.

The exact origins of the gangs name have been disputed. Some believe that the gang is named after the La Mara criminal gang in the city of San Salvador and the Salvatrucha paramilitary members who fought in the Salvadoran Civil War, which occurred between October 1979 and January 1992. Other sources indicate that mara is slang for street gang in Central American Spanish and that Salvatrucha is actually a portmanteau of Salvadoran and trucha, a slang term for being in a state of alertness.

MS-13 on Long Island

In recent years, MS-13 has emerged as a growing and deadly force on Long Island, New York.

After its emergence in Los Angeles in the 1980s, it steadily spread to the New York metropolitan area and other regions of the United States. The recent rise in the arrival of unaccompanied minors to the United States since late 2013, estimated to be at least 165,000, has proven to be a fertile recruitment ground for the violent gang.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has led the Trump administration's new charge against MS-13

According to Suffolk County Police Commissioner Timothy Sini: 'There's no question that MS-13 is recruiting these unaccompanied children.

Sini also notes that the lack of an established social network for many unaccompanied children allows MS-13 to fill the void and mark them as prime targets for easy recruitment.

The gang, concentrated around the towns of Brentwood and Central Islip in the heart of Long Island, has been accused of a number of brutal murders in recent years. Between January and April 2016 alone, the gang is believed to have been behind 17 murders on Long Island, according to the New York Police Department. Many of the suspected victims bear the gangs hallmark vicious slash marks that left their corpses almost unrecognizable.

The brutal killings on Long Island have caught the attention of President Donald Trump and his administration. Attorney General Jeff Sessions visited Long Island in April 2017, vowing to demolish the violent gang. More recently, the President himself visited the Morrelly Homeland Security Center in Bethpage, New York on Long Island on May 23, 2018, vowing to not only crack down harshly on the gang, but also step up border enforcement and even withhold monetary aid from countries whose citizens enter the United States illegally.

Trump stated: We're going to work out something where every time somebody comes in from a certain country, we're going to deduct a rather large amount of money from what we give them in aid - if we give them aid at all.

He also said the countrys foreign aid administration structure would be looked at very closely and changed very radically soon.

The President also took aim at Democrats, specifically House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, accusing them of being soft on MS-13 and even defending them. Trump suggested that such an impression of the party would have negative repercussions politically for its image.

The other day was actually a great day when they were coming to the defense of MS-13 ... and that was the end of them because nobody, nobody understood it, the President said.Spectacular new footage reveals the staggering vastness of a new Antarctic iceberg four times the size of London.

In footage captured by a British PhD student during the first science flight over the newly detached iceberg, viewers can witness the incredible size of the floating island of ice - which weighs a staggering trillion tonnes.

Ella Gilbert, a PhD Antarctic research student from London, was part of a observational flight over the newly-detached A68 iceberg.

The body broke off from the Antarctica Peninsula in late 2017, resulting in the ice shelf losing 12 per cent of its size.

The detached A68 iceberg is said to measure a whopping 3,600-square-miles.

That's equivalent to the size of Norfolk, a quarter of Wales, two Luxembourgs, four Londons, or six Manhattans.

The British Antarctic Survey were the first to conduct a science flight in the hope of understanding how greenhouse gases collect between the ocean and the atmosphere.

The footage, filmed in December 2017 during a six week campaign, features picturesque and snow-capped mountain tops.

It also captures the Larsen C Ice Shelf that is reminiscent of the 'The Wall' from Game of Thrones.

Finally, the helicopter flies above smaller icebergs floating on top of the -10 degree Celsius ocean.

Ella said: 'This experience was mind-blowing and the most incredible thing I've ever done in my entire life, most certainly as a scientist.

The imposing Larsen C Ice Shelf is reminiscent of the 'The Wall' from Game of Thrones

Ella Gilbert, a PhD Antarctic research student from London, filmed the worlds first ever research footage of the iceberg after it broke off from the peninsula ice shelf in late 2017

'I was part of an atmospheric research campaign measuring the exchange of heat, energy and greenhouse gases between the top layer of the ocean and the bottom layer of the atmosphere. This will help us understand melting ice caps a little better.

'I care deeply about this because greenhouse gases are responsible for causing climate change, just like carbon dioxide.

'We saw the widening gap between Larsen C and the A68 iceberg as the berg slowly drifted away, creating smaller sized icebergs in the process.

This wide-angle view shows iceberg A-68 (central shape) and Antarctica's Larsen C ice shelf (rest of image) and was taken by the Deimos-1 satellite in late July

This image shows the view of the A68 iceberg from a European Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite image acquired on July 30

'It's the only science flight that's ever been done since the A68 iceberg broke off.

'We flew in the gap between the ice shelf and the new iceberg to measure what was going on over this newly exposed bit of ocean, which has been covered with ice for probably 100,000 years.'

'It didn't quite sink in until afterwards that we were the first and only team to conduct research there.

'It is amazing knowing that we made history - I was the only person filming, so to my knowledge, this is the first and only direct footage of A68.'An Indigenous advocate has slammed the Victorian Labor Party's plans to change the date of Australia Day as 'boring'.

Country Liberal Party candidate for the Northern Territory Jacinta Price called the move 'boring' and said the government should be concentrating on other issues.

'I think Victorian Labor should be concentrating on the issues that are affecting its communities right now, like crime,' Ms Price told The Australian.

Scroll down to video

Country Liberal Party candidate for the Northern Territory Jacinta Price (pictured) called the move 'boring'

Australians celebrating Australia Day from Manly Beach to Shelly Beach. Sydney, Australia

Thousands take to the streets to protest Australia Day on January 26, 2018 in Sydney, Australia

She said a lot of people are affected by crime and pushing to change the date of Australia Day is just a 'distraction and it won't improve the lives of anyone.'

Ms Price continues to argue that trying to 'rewrite history doesn't change our current circumstances'.

A motion to shift Australia Day from January 26 to May 9 has been put forward, and set to be debated this weekend.

The draft notion circulating, set to be debated and voted on this weekend, indicates the push is because the date is 'offensive to Indigenous people.'

The notion recommends that May 9 be the alternative date because 'on that day in 1901 marks the first meeting of the Commonwealth parliament, when Australia became a self-governing and independent commonwealth.'

A group of Aboriginal men sitting in at an intersection waving Aboriginal flags and playing with traditional instruments during a protest by Aboriginal rights activist on Australia Day in Melbourne, Australia 26 January 2018

The debate ignited again in August 2017 when two Melbourne city councils, Darebin and Yarr, voted to end the formal celebration of Australia Day on January 26.

In the following month, a third council, Moreland, also voted in favour of dropping the celebration of Australia Day.

In 2016, the Cirt of Freemantle decided to cancel the Australia Day fireworks display, for a 'culturally inclusive' celebration on January 28.

Flinders Island Council has celebrated Australia Day on an alternative date for several years, Reconciliation Australia revealed.Carpenter says DCF dropped the ball in getting the baby out of the home

Strickland's cousin, Marcy Carpenter, says she'd called the Department of Children and Families about drug use at the home a few weeks earlier

David Williams Chappele, 29, and Jessica Marie Strickland, 27, were arrested in Florida on Wednesday after cops say their baby died of an overdose

A couple in Florida were arrested after an investigation into their infant son's death revealed he died from an overdose of fentanyl and cocaine.

David Williams Chappele Jr., 29, and Jessica Marie Strickland, 27, of Cocoa were taken into custody Wednesday and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child in connection with eight-month-old Tanner's death.

An autopsy by the Brevard County medical examiner determined that little Tanner's death was caused by an overdose.

To make matters worse, Strickland's cousin, Marcy Carpenter, told Orlando News 6 that she had called the Department of Children and Families about drug use in the home three weeks before the baby's death in September.

David Williams Chappele Jr pictured with his son Tanner, was arrested in connection with his death Wednesday after the baby's autopsy revealed he died from an overdose

Jessica Marie Strickland, pictured with Tanner, was also charged after police said Tanner ingested cocaine she was allegedly using while caring for him

David Williams Chappele Jr., 29, and Jessica Marie Strickland, 27, were arrested Wednesday night and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child

An angry Carpenter says the DCF dropped the ball.

The night of the incident, the couple placed a mattress on the floor of the living room to co-sleep with Tanner in the middle of the bed.

They woke up and found Tanner unresponsive, and called 911. Tanner was taken to a hospital, and pronounced dead later that night.

Authorities say residue from fentanyl patches which had been cut in half and were being used by Chappele were transferred to Tanner.

The baby also ingested cocaine that Strickland was allegedly using while caring for him.

Authorities say Tanner's parents were co-sleeping with him on a mattress on the floor of their living room inside their Cocoa home (pictured)

The Brevard County Sheriff's Office says Chappele's charges are connected to him allowing the baby to be near the drugs that caused his death.

Strickland's charges are connected to failing to protect the infant when she knew the dangers of the drugs being near him.

Both Chappele and Strickland are being held at the Brevard County Jail Complex.Red Nose Day USA returns for its fourth year and will see numerous celebrities such as Nikki Bella, Ed Sheeran and Kelly Clarkson joining in the fun to raise money for charitable causes in America and around the world.

Victoria Beckham is also joining in on the charitable fun, designing a limited edition Red Nose Day t-shirt featuring all of the Spice Girls. The likes of Zoe Saldana and Rachel McAdams have been seen wearing the tee.

Here is all you need to know about Red Nose Day 2018 including when is it, what is it and what is happening on the day.

Zoe Saldana is one of the celebrities getting involved with Comic Relief's Red Nose Day 2018

When is Red Nose Day 2018?

Red Nose Day 2018 in the US is on Thursday May 24, 2018.

What is Red Nose Day USA?

Red Nose Day USA is the annual fundraising campaign that seeks to put an end to child poverty in the US, as well as provide aid to the poorest communities in the world.

The fundraiser day is run by Comic Relief, a non-profit organisation, that is based on the Comic Relief model in the United Kingdom.

Comic Relief US was founded in 1986 by comedy writer By Zmuda and the charity ran annual fundraiser events every year until 1996. It returned occasionally during the aughts.

Red Nose Day USA started in 2015, with the mission to end child poverty by investing money in programs across all 50 states.

Money is raised through sales of novelty wearable red noses that cost $1 each. Half the price covers the production of the red nose, while the other goes to the charitable causes.

In the UK, Red Nose Day fundraisers have raised over $1 billion since it started in 1988.

Red Nose Day 2018 events

Red Nose Day 2018 will mark the day with a range of special shows on NBC.

At 8/7c there will be a special Celebrity Ninja Warrior for Red Nose Day that will see everyone from Derek Hough to Nikki Bella participate.

That will be followed by Jane Lynchs Hollywood Game Night before finishing with the Red Nose Day Special, hosted by Chris Hardwick.

There is also a Twitter #GoNosetoNose challenge that has seen the likes of Bill Gates and his wife Melinda take part.

Everyone from Victoria Beckham, Paul Rudd, Sean Hayes and Kelly Clarkson will also be taking part in Red Nose Day 2018 events.

In the evening, iconic buildings such as the Empire State Building in New York, Bank of America Plaza in Dallas, Texas and the Great Wheel in Seattle will light up red to mark Red Nose Day 2018.

Walgreens Red Nose Day 2018

Walgreens is the exclusive retailer of the Red Noses for the fourth year, and this year has launched a new Sparkle Red Nose.

By focusing our efforts on initiatives like Red Nose Day, we create a unique and powerful opportunity for our customers and the communities we serve to come together to help make an impact on a worthwhile cause like child poverty, said Walgreens president, Alex Gourlay.

Our magnificent friends at @Walgreens just helped us ring the @Nasdaq closing bell to help spread the word that #RedNoseDay is now just TWO days away! #NosesOn people! pic.twitter.com/tovrMUPbku  Red Nose Day USA (@RedNoseDayUSA) May 22, 2018

Every One Counts means that a $1 donation can help provide nutritious food for a child or school supplies for a student.

Where does money raised on Red Nose Day 2018 go?

The money raised by Red Nose Day goes to partner charities including 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.

How much money was raised by Red Nose Day USA?

Since Red Nose Day USA started, the charity says it has raised over $100 million with 50 per cent of the money going to US causes, and the other 50 per cent going to Latin America, Asia and Africa.

According to the Red Nose Day website, the fundraiser has helped eight million children, with nearly a million of those receiving educational services and 6.79 million getting essential medical services.

Red Nose Day also tackles child homelessness and says part of the money has helped nearly 60,000 homeless teens in the US.A disgraced soldier kicked out of the army for offensive behaviour has been caught wearing a medal that was stripped from him.

Robin Turner was awarded the Commendation for Distinguished Service decoration but was axed from the force in 2013 before it was formally presented to him.

The consultant was caught wearing it on Anzac Day this year at a lunch sponsored by his Gold Coast property business to raise money fallen Afghanistan war veterans.

A disgraced soldier kicked out of the army for offensive behaviour has been caught wearing a medal that was stripped from him. Pictured: Turner wearing the medal (circled) on Anzac Day

Robin Turner was awarded the Commendation for Distinguished Service decoration but was axed from the force in 2013 before it was formally presented to him

When asked why he continued to wear the medal, Turner claimed he did not know it had been stripped from him.

'As far as I was aware, I was entitled to wear it,' he told The Herald Sun.

He added: 'I fully respect and understand the significance and responsibility that goes with that sort of stuff' and said he would check if he was allowed to wear it.

The Army did not reveal exactly why Turner was kicked out, citing 'security reasons'.

A Defence spokesman only said it had 'terminated the service of members in relation to allegations of unacceptable behaviour.'

It is a criminal offence for a person to wear a service decoration which has not been conferred to them. The maximum penalty is six months is jail.

Turner's lawyer said he was invited to two medal presentation ceremonies but declined to attend.The Clintons are back with a renewed focus on the Clinton Foundation and a huge gala fundraiser in New York Thursday night with VIP packages going for up to $100,000 a pop.

All three Clintons - Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea - are scheduled to be there, according to the invitation.

The return to the spotlight follows a tough few years for the Clinton Foundation: last year 22 employees were laid off and Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign had to deal with questions about donations from wealthy foreigners to the global charity.

A huge gala fundraiser for the Clinton Foundation in New York Thursday night will feature all three Clinton - Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea - with VIP packages going for up to $100,000 a pop.

The Clintons have re-emerged in the spotlight to tout their Clinton Foundation, which has suffered from staff layoffs and a decrease in donations.

For Thursday night's gala, tickets start at $2,500, but the $100,000 VIP packages include a 'premium table of 10,' according to the New York Post.

Additionally Bill and Chelsea Clinton released a letter Thursday touting the foundation's work both around the world and in the US as part of an 'Impact Report' on their work.

The father and daughter duo touted their work helping farmers in Africa, combating the opioid epidemic in the US, and traveling to Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Dominica after the hurricane season wrecked havoc in the Caribbean.

'We're grateful for everything you've done to support this work. Whether you're among the more than 340,000 supporters who have made a donation, a partner who helps us conduct our work on the ground, or one of the many gifted members of our staff  we're changing lives, together,' they wrote.

The two sit on the foundation's board but do not receive a salary.

The Clintons stepped out of the public glare after Hillary Clinton's loss to Donald Trump in the presidential contest.

But they are slowly re-emerging.

Hillary Clinton endorsed Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday as he battles 'Sex and the City' actress Cynthia Nixon in the Democratic primary for New York governor.

Bill Clinton has written a novel with master of the thriller James Patterson. 'The President Is Missing' comes out June 4 and the two of them are scheduled to appear together at New York's BookCon on June 3.

Chelsea Clinton has been prolific on Twitter, recently defending her mother against allegations in New York Times' reporter Amy Chozick's memoir, 'Chasing Hillary.'

The Clinton Foundation, originally established in 1997 as the William J. Clinton Foundation but rechristened for all three family members in 2015, was downsized last year.

The celeb-heavy Clinton Global Initiative conference was shuttered and 22 employees were laid off in January 2017 because of it, Fox News reported.

And donations were reportedly down after Hillary Clinton's presidential loss.

During the 2016 contest, her campaign had to deal with questions about any potential conflicts of interests with the foundation.

Bill and Chelsea Clinton, who sit on the Clinton Foundation board, released a letter Thursday touting its work around the world and in the U.S.

During Hillary Clinton's campaign, questions emerged about donors to the foundation, possible conflicts of interest and the role longtime aide Huma Abedin, pictured in New York last week walking her son to school, played in the complex world of Clinton organizations.

Clinton reportedly showed hints of favoritism to foundation donors during her tenure as secretary of state. Records showed foundation donors sought and in some cases got meetings with State Department officials.

And Bill Clinton said, if she won the presidency, the foundation would no longer accept donations from wealthy foreigners - like the $10 million it got from the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and from a former Ukrainian president accused of corruption.

The foundation accepted millions from countries the State Department criticized for its human rights records: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Brunei and Algeria.

The questions on possible conflicts turned into questions about the role of Clinton's longtime friend and aide Huma Abedin in the Clinton world's complex web of organizations.

Abedin, for six months in 2012, was employed simultaneously by the State Department, the foundation, Clinton's personal office, and a private consulting firm with ties to the Clintons.

Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton sit on the board and have a prominent presence on the foundation's website. Hillary Clinton no longer is a board member.

Emails hacked from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta revealed Chelsea Clinton tried to clean up the foundation ahead of her mother's president bid.

Chelsea, who serves as the foundation's vice chair, flagged 'serious concerns' about her father's aides trying to cash in by using his name to gain access to government officials on behalf of paying clients.

The former first daughter also tried to put an end to business practices that blurred the line between the foundation, governments and a consulting firm called Teneo that was founded by longtime Clinton aide Doug Band and, at one point, employed Abedin when she also worked at the State Department.

In the emails, Band dismissed Chelsea as an ingrate who runs 'to daddy to change a decision or interject herself in the process.'

'She is acting like a spoiled brat kid who has nothing else to do but create issues to justify what she's doing because she, as she has said, hasn't found her way and has a lack of focus in her life,' Band wrote in a November 2011 email to Podesta.An Aer Lingus plane struck a concrete pillar after landing at San Francisco International Airport.

The collision took place around 3:15pm Wednesday after Aer Lingus flight 147 from Dublin, landed.

The flight was being towed by an airport tractor when the tip of the right wing made contact with the post, Airport Duty Officer Maria Buyco said to SFGate.

The wing of Aer Lingus flight 147 hit a concrete pillar at San Francisco International Airport after landing on Tuesday afternoon, the tip of the wing was turned upwards in the hit above

No one was hurt in the incident however passengers on board were delayed from disembarking the aircraft for about an hour after the hit. The upturned wing is above

The hit forced the top of the right wing to be bent upwards and caused passengers on the plane to be delayed on board for about an hour, until airport personnel deemed it safe enough to continue towing the aircraft.

The jet was taken to gate G-91 where passengers were able to disembark.

An airport spokesman says the tractor operator misjudged the distance of a turn, leading to the collision.

No one was hurt in the incident.

A spokesman said the Airbus A330 wing suffered paint damage and a maintenance crew will make a full inspection of the wing, according to CBS.

The hit took place around 3:15pm at the San Francisco International Airport, pictured above, after a tractor operator misjudged the distance of a turn, leading to the collision

'There was a couple of loud screams. It was a bang, a good bang. Kinda made you go forward and back in your seat again, yeah. But everyone was shouting, can we get off can we get off?' Maira Louise of Belfast, Ireland said to NBC.

One passenger Rami Dahug shared images of the crash on Twitter with the lighthearted caption 'You're good, you're good, you're go-#SFO'.

Speaking to Independent.ie, an Aer Lingus spokesperson said: 'Aer Lingus can confirm that while EI147, arriving in San Francisco airport from Dublin, was being towed to its stand by the ground handling agent, the winglet of the aircraft touched the airport terminal building. Some minor damage was caused to the winglet. None of the guests or crew aboard the aircraft were injured.'

As a result of the collision a flight from San Francisco to Dublin was cancelled as an investigation took place.Prince Harry reportedly had an emotional phone call with his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy after she received her invitation to his Royal Wedding to Meghan Markle and the conversation reportedly acted as closure for the former couple.

Her attendance at Harry and Meghans big day on May 19 surprised many and Chelsy is thought to have contacted her ex-boyfriend of seven years after not being invited to Prince Charless reception at Frogmore House.

Chelsy Davy seen waiting for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018

While the likes of George Clooney and James Corden were invited to the after party, some of Harrys oldest friends like Chelsy and his other old flame Cressida Bonas were only given invites to the ceremony.

A source revealed: It was their final call, a parting call in which they both acknowledged Harry was moving on. Chelsy was quite emotional about it all, she was in tears and almost didnt go to the wedding.

'In the end, she went and promised Harry she wouldnt try and gatecrash the party. But who is Chelsy Davy?

Prince Harry and Chelsy Davy attend the Investec Challenge match on November 22, 2008

Who is Chelsy Davy?

Born Chelsea Yvonne Davy on October 13 1985 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, she is the daughter of Charles Davy, a safari farmer and Beverly Donald Davy, the former Coca-Cola model and Miss Rhodesia 1973. Her family owns land in the African country and this is where she grew up.

After being educated at Cheltenham College where she first met Prince Harry, Chelsy then attended Stowe School in Buckinghamshire. She studied economics at the University of Cape Town and later earned a law degree from Leeds University in 2009.

Chelsy worked as a trainee solicitor at the London law firm Allen & Overy before quitting in 2014. Two years later, she started her own jewellery brand, Aya after studying at the Gemological Institute of America.

Prince Harry kisses Chelsy Davy during the Super Eights match in St. John's in April 2007

Harry and Chelsy

Prince Harry and Chelsy Davy were together for seven years between 2003 and 2010 after meeting as teenagers at Cheltenham College. She later accompanied Harry on his gap year to Cape Town before returning to the UK to study in Leeds and be closer to him.

Known as a party girl and a regular on the London party scene, the couple endured an on-off relationship while the Prince attended Sandhurst, though she supported him when he was banned from going to Iraq and when he returned from Afghanistan.

Despite no longer being with Harry, Chelsy was invited to Prince William and Kate Middletons wedding in 2011 and has met The Queen and Prince Charles.

After admitting that she found it difficult to cope with the pressure of dating a royal and press intrusion, the couple split in 2011 and she returned to Africa.

The pair remain good friends and Chelsy was invited to Prince Harry and Meghan Markles wedding in May 2018.

After admitting she found it difficult to cope with press intrusion, Chelsy and Harry split in 2011

Chelsy Davy Royal Wedding

Chelsy Davy bagged herself an invite to the Royal Wedding ceremony but confronted her ex about not being invited to the Frogmore House reception. According to Vanity Fair: It was their final call, a parting call in which they both acknowledged Harry was moving on.

Chelsy was quite emotional about it all, she was in tears and almost didnt go to the wedding. In the end, she went and promised Harry she wouldnt try and gatecrash the party.

At the event, she was spotted chatting with Cressida Bonas, another one of Harrys exes.

Those watching the big day from home were quick to spot Chelsys sombre expression which many claimed screamed it should have been me.

Body language expert Judi James said: When she arrived, everyone else was chatting and laughing, but she sat in the pews just looking to one side  gazing reflectively into space and biting her lips slightly.

'She was doing that at the end as well. It was almost the soap opera part of the ceremony.'Israeli border police have arrested a man who was deliberately trying to get caught so he could disperse six phones to prison inmates - by hiding them in his bottom.

The man, described by Israeli police as an Arab, was trying to scale a security fence surrounding Jerusalem and placed into custody.

But just minutes before he was banged up with the other inmates in the Ofer security prison, a body search revealed he had stored six phones internally, the Jewish Press reported.

Israeli border police have arrested a man who was deliberately trying to get caught so he could disperse six phones (pictured) to prison inmates - by hiding them in his bottom

Following the discovery, it was found that the man had attempted the same brazen act by the Border Police Nitzan battalion the day before, but was interrogated and sent home.

The suspect was initially spotted by the Border Police Nitzan battalion on Tuesday evening, attempting to scale the security fence near al-Ram.

Because it was a repeat offense, the suspect was again interrogated and then taken to the Ofer security prison where a full body search was conducted - where six phones were then extracted from his intestines.

It transpired the man had deliberately attempted to get arrested so his could distribute the contraband among six prisoners who could then communicate externally.

It comes a day after the Palestinian foreign minister on Tuesday called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) 'to open an immediate investigation' into allegations of war crimes and apartheid against the Palestinian people.

Amid rising tensions with Israel, Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki met for an hour with the ICC's chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda at the tribunal in The Hague, 'to refer the situation in Palestine' to her office.

It was an 'important and historic step' for the Palestinian people 'who have suffered for generations the consequences of crimes committed with impunity by Israeli officials', he told reporters afterwards.A devastated couple lost three children in three years after triple tragedy struck in Wales, an inquest has heard.

David Llewellyn, 25, was found dead at home in Bridgend in December last year, just seventeen days after the death of his step-sister Jessica Cowdery in November 2017.

Their deaths came just three years after Ms Cowdery's sister Amy, 26, died of natural causes while she was three and a half months pregnant.

Parents Keith and Elaine Llewellyn endured double inquests this week as a court looked into the deaths of both David, known as Dai, and Jessica.

Dai Llewellyn was found dead in Bridgend aged 25 just weeks after his close step-sister Jessica Cowdery died aged 26

Mr Llewellyn died of natural causes in Bridgend, Pontypridd Coroner's Court heard on Thursday.

Pontypridd Coroner's Court concluded Mr Llewellyn died of natural causes.

His father Keith, from Caerau, said Mr his son - who himself had a young son - was someone who 'loved life too much'.

Dai Llewellyn was born in Tondu and was living in a bedsit in Tondu Road, Bridgend, at the time of his death, after recently being released from HM Prison Cardiff.

His father had said previously: 'Dai was troubled. He had low esteem of himself.

'But he was brought up to have a lot of care for people in his life.

'He always had this insecurity when he left school and certain things happened in his life.'

Dai Llewellyn, pictured with girlfriend Amber Louise Knight was found dead in Bridgend aged 25

The inquest heard he had been drinking heavily with his girlfriend Amber Knight on the day he died.

A statement by Ms Knight read to the court said the 25-year-old was a 'heavy drinker' and would drink '20 cans a day'.

After visiting various pubs on December 6 Ms Knight and Dai returned to his bedsit where they continued drinking.

Ms Knight said: 'He wanted to fall asleep on the bed - he appeared quite drunk.'

She left the room to play video games but when she tried to return there was no response. After 'shouting and banging' on the door Ms Knight said she became concerned.

She later fell asleep in a common room and was later awoken to discover her boyfriend had been found dead by emergency services.

Ms Knight previously said: 'He was my best friend and my lover and everyone's heart [is] broken.'

A post-mortem examination concluded a cause of death of sudden and unexpected death in alcohol misuse and Mr Barkley gave a conclusion of natural causes.

Jessica Cowdery died aged 26, three years after her pregnant sister died in Wales. The family have revealed how she struggled with anxiety and alcohol abuse

Jessica Cowdery, 26, sent her a friend photos of empty medication packets before paramedics found her unresponsive at home

Seventeen days earlier dental nurse Ms Cowdery died after taking prescription medication, her inquest was told on Wednesday.

In a statement read to the court mother Elaine Llewellyn said her daughter started having 'mood swings' from eight years of age.

She said: 'She was a happy child. A bright girl. She did well at school.

'When she was about eight years old I notice she would have mood swings. I didn't think much of it.'

She was later diagnosed with type-two bipolar disorder and had previously taken overdoses of prescription medication and attended Alcoholics Anonymous.

Ms Chowdery died on November 22 last year, after she sent a message to her ex partner, with whom her six-year-old son lived, saying: 'Will you let Leo know how much his mum loves him. Please, please.'

The inquest was told Ms Cowdery took an earlier overdose of prescription drugs which was put down as a 'mistake' and later took another overdose which left her on life support for five days.

In July last year Mrs Llewellyn took her daughter to the GP as she was concerned for her health and worried that 'no-one was helping her'.

Mrs Llewellyn said: 'Jessica did not cope well with the loss [of Amy]. She had a special bond with her.

'She would drink heavily. She was found at her grave sat with a load of cans with her.'

Jessica also text ex-boyfriend who had custody of their son, saying: 'Will you let Leo know how much his mum loves him. Please, please.'

In the months before her death Ms Cowdery was seeing her son twice a week and Mrs Llewellyn said her daughter was 'lonely' and missed living with her son.

On the day of her death Ms Cowdery sent a friend images of empty medication packets and pills prompting another friend to visit her home.

Ms Cowdery suffered from a number of issues inclduing bi-polar disorder. She texted her former boyfriend and asked him to tell her son she loved him, before she took an overdose

A post-mortem examination concluded Ms Cowdery died from poisoning due to a mix of prescription medication and alcohol..

For confidential support in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116123, visit a local Samaritans branch, or click here.Advertisement

Dozens of sewer cleaners die every year in Bangladesh as they dive into putrid drains to clear blockages with a stick or just their bare hands.

They are paid 7.50 a day at most to swim through the polluted sewers of the overpopulated capital of Dhaka without any protective gear - not even goggles.

The city of 14 million people suffers from an inadequate drainage system that is made considerably worse by heavy rain, leading to frequent flooding.

Dhaka City Corporation pays the men, who usually do their dirty job shirtless, just 4.50 to 7.50 a day to battle the sludge produced in the cramped tunnels criss-crossing the city.

They have to hold their breath as they dive through human waste and also must deal with poisonous fumes emitted by the sewage.

Many die every year from drowning and an unknown number of others suffer health effects from frequent dives.

Dozens of sewer cleaners die every year in Bangladesh was they dive into putrid drains

They are paid a pittance to clear blockages with a stick or just their bare hands, as these two are doing here

They are paid 7.50 a day at most to swim through the polluted sewers of the overpopulated capital of Dhaka

A pair of cleaners try to clear a blockage with a long stick so they don't have to dive back into the murky waters

The cleaners work without any protective gear - not even goggles - as they swim through the dirty water

Dhaka City Corporation pays the men, who usually do their dirty job shirtless, just 4.50 to 7.50 a day

They battle the sludge produced in the cramped tunnels criss-crossing the city, hoping they will live through the day

They have to hold their breath as they dive through human waste with no breathing help or protective gear

They also must deal with poisonous fumes emitted by the sewage as an extra hazard to the health

Many die every year from drowning and an unknown number of others suffer health effects from frequent dives

The city of 14 million people suffers from an inadequate drainage system that makes their work necessaryThe mother of a 14-year-old boy from Ladbroke Grove says she is considering changing her son's school after he was sent home over his haircut, she claims.

Casey Healy, a student at St Thomas More Language College, a Roman Catholic school in Chelsea, was sent home on Tuesday for a haircut which was deemed against school policy, according to his mother.

The pupil's mum Charlotte Healy claims her 14-year-old son was left upset and worried after being sent home from school because of his hair at around 9.10am.

Casey Healy, 14, pictured, was sent home from school because of his hair cut

Ms Healy, a mother of three from Ladbroke Grove, west London, said: 'They said that it's against their school uniform policy.

'It wasn't a dramatic cut, it was just a little bit shaved and then longer on the top. But he was sent home because I've already told them he isn't allowed to go into isolation.

'He's come home scared and a bit worried over just a haircut. He has been [at the school] for three years, he has 100 per cent attendance and his punctuality is 100 per cent.

'Casey hasn't gone back in today, so now he's missing more time off school, which he doesn't really need to be doing. He's got his GCSEs coming up.

'I can't see how a haircut would affect his education. It wasn't dyed, it didn't have any lines or any patterns. I could understand if he had it spray painted or it was very extreme.'

Miss Healy, 29, said her 14-year-old son's hair was 'a simple shave with a bit cut on the side'

According to Miss Healy, 29, her son had his hair cut for his brother's communion on Sunday, which she explained to St Thomas More school on Tuesday.

She suggested the family would be 'back in this predicament' in two weeks time because Casey has his confirmation, for which he needs to be neat and tidy for church.

'I'm considering moving him from the school, which obviously I don't want to. I don't really feel comfortable sending him back,' Miss Healy added.

'To get into this school we've had to go to church, we've had to make sure that we are there every Sunday. He's had to become an altar boy and his attendance is 100 per cent, he is clean and tidy.

'It is just a simple shave with a bit cut on the side. One of my neighbours even said that 'that's a lovely army haircut he has.'

The behaviour policy for St Thomas More school, in Cadogan Street, published in October 2017, suggests that students are not allowed to come in with 'extreme hairstyles'.

It says: 'Boys must be clean shaven and appearance must be of a high standard. No gel, mouse or wax. Boy's hairstyles should be neat, tidy and a uniform length all over.

'Boy's hair should not be too short or too long. Students are not allowed to come to school with dyed hair or extreme hairstyles. Hair designs are not permitted.'

St Thomas More Language College was approached for comment by getwestlondon but was declined.Home values across the US are rising at the fastest pace since 2006.

The value of a home in the US has increased 8.7 percent since last April to a median of $215,600, according to Zillow.

Meanwhile, in all 50 states and the District of Columbia the median cost of rent rose 2.5 percent in the past year to $1,449.

A breakdown shows that home values are rising fastest in San Jose, California, Las Vegas and Seattle.

The median price for a home in San Jose is $1,263,900, up 26 percent.

The average value of US homes has risen 8.7 percent since last April to $215,600, Zillow says

In Las Vegas there was a 16.5 percent rise and growth of 13.6 percent in Seattle.

California cities Sacramento and Riverside reported the greatest increases in median rent.

Home values are rising faster than weve seen in a very long time: The spring home shopping season has been a perfect storm of strong demand and tight supply, said Zillow senior economist Aaron Terrazas.

Sluggish new construction has exacerbated the supply situation and homes that are hitting the market, are moving very quickly once they do. Americans are also in a spending mood, boosted by recent tax cuts and rising wages, he said.

Millennials who long delayed becoming home owners, are out in force, a shift were also seeing in softer rent appreciation, Terrazas added.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency's report shows first-quarter home prices have risen 6.9 percent from last year.

Homeowners taking additional cash out by refinancing also rose to 61 percent in the first quarter - the highest since the third quarter of 2008, according to FHFA records.

Residents in Seattle are moving onto houseboats to avoid the soaring housing market costs.

An average condo is now a staggering $470,000, while a house in $757,000.

More families and young people are moving into the water to get the Seattle views and location at a fraction of the cost.Special counsel Robert Mueller is fighting for complete secrecy in his probe into Russia's role in the presidential election and his arguments for privacy hint that his investigation is growing across multiple fronts.

'The Special Counsel's investigation is not a closed matter, but an ongoing criminal investigation with multiple lines of non-public inquiry. No right of public access exists to search warrant materials in an ongoing investigation,' his team wrote in a court filing Wednesday night.

Five news organizations - Politico, The Associated Press, The New York Times, CNN and The Washington Post - have asked a federal judge to unseal various warrants that are part of the investigation.

Special counsel Robert Mueller is fighting for complete secrecy in his probe into Russia's role in the presidential election.

Five news organizations - Politico, The Associated Press, The New York Times, CNN and The Washington Post - have asked a federal judge to unseal various warrants that are part of the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

Mueller's team is fighting that request and their reasoning to the judge indicates the investigation is moving on multiple fronts and that the release of the slightest bit of information could have a domino effect across their inquiry.

'Many aspects of the investigation are factually and legally interconnected: they involve overlapping courses of conduct, relationships, and events, and they rely on similar sources, methods, and techniques. The investigation is not complete and its details remain non-public,' his team wrote in a brief submitted to U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson.

Some parts of some warrants in the investigation have been made public by defense lawyers for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort as they have challenged the criminal cases against their client.

The Special Counsel's Office said it wouldn't oppose formally unsealing those two warrants, which were heavily redacted when originally made public through Manafort's legal challenge.

Any classified information in the warrants would remained redacted.

Some parts of some warrants in the Russia investigation have been made public by defense lawyers for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort as they have challenged the criminal cases against their client.

Attorneys for the media argue the public interest in the case outweighs the need for privacy.

'The gravity and importance of this criminal investigation is second to none in our nation's history, and therefore the public's interest in the transparency of that investigation could not be greater,' attorneys Jay Ward Brown and Matthew Kelley wrote.The driver of the New Jersey school bus that collided with a dump truck, killing a fifth-grader and a teacher, has been charged with death by auto.

Hudy Muldrow Sr, 77, was charged with two counts of death by auto on Thursday in the May 17 crash after he made a sharp illegal U-turn on Interstate 80, according to CBS.

The charges come two days after the state Motor Vehicle Commission revealed that Muldrow, from Woodland Park, had his license suspended 14 times between 1975 and 2017, mostly for administrative reasons.

Hudy Muldrow Sr, 77, the driver of the New Jersey school bus crash last week, has been charged with two counts of death by auto for the crash that killed a girl, 10, and a teacher

Emergency personnel examine a school bus after it collided with a dump truck on Interstate 80 in Mount Olive, New Jersey

Muldrow also had 14 license suspensions between 1975 and 2017, and eight speeding violations between 1975 and 2001 as well. The crashed bus is seen above

He also had eight speeding violations between 1975 and 2001.

At the time of the crash last Thursday, he had valid driving privileges, a valid commercial driver's license and a valid school bus endorsement.

State police said that Muldrow will be taken to Morris County Jail before a Superior Court judge appearance on Friday which will determine if he should be released on bail or remain in custody, according to the Daily Record.

An affidavit also confirmed earlier reports that Muldrow attempted to access an official-use-only cutaway on the highway between the east and westbound lanes of Route 80, where he was struck by the dump truck.

The crash killed 10-year-old Miranda Vargas and 51-year-old teacher Jennifer Williamson Kennedy. There were 43 people on board the bus bound for a field trip at Waterloo Village.

On Thursday a funeral was held for Williamson Kennedy.

The procession headed to Our Lady of Visitation Church in Paramus, New Jersey as crowds gathered to honor the teacher who taught at East Brook Middle School for two decades.

The fatal crash killed teacher Jennifer Williamson Kennedy, 51, (left) and fifth grader Miranda Vargas, 10, (right)

On Thursday a funeral was held for Williamson Kennedy, pictured on her wedding day, at Our Lady of Visitation Church in Paramus, New Jersey

Family and friends mourned the loss of Vargas three days ago at her funeral in New Jersey

A girl leans over bouquets of flowers to blow a kiss at a memorial for Vargas and Williamson-Kennedy in front of East Brook Middle School on Friday in Paramus, New Jersey

'Its really hard to accept that shes gone. She loved all of her students. She was nice to everyone. She really helped other students,' a seventh grader named Sophia told CBS about the dedicated teacher.

Three days earlier, a funeral for Vargas was held at Marrocco Memorial Chapel in Clifton.

Earlier in the week a video shown to a NJ.com reporter allegedly showed the moment before the bus collided with the dump truck, revealing the school bus merged onto Interstate 80 and then turned sharply toward an illegal U-turn area.

The bus driver's son, Hudy Muldrow Jr. says his father, Hudy Muldrow Sr., told him he didn't make a U-turn.

NJ.com reports the department of transportation video its reporter viewed shows the bus merging from Route 206 onto Interstate 80 before turning at a nearly perpendicular angle toward a crossover area.

Police use the area for turnarounds but civilian turns aren't allowed.

Police declined to comment on the video, which hasn't been publicly released. Morris County prosecutors didn't immediately respond to questions about it.

An investigation into the crash is ongoing.

Ten-year-old Miranda Vargas and teacher Jennifer Williamson died when the bus collided with a dump truck.Russian president Vladimir Putin handed Brigitte Macron flowers after the arrival of his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in St Petersburg at the start of crunch talks.

The two leaders are due to discuss the future of the Iranian nuclear accord, which has been thrown into jeopardy following Donald Trump's decision to unilaterally pull out of the deal.

Macron is also due to raise the issue of Syria and Ukraine with Putin.

Vladimir Putin, left, showed Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte the former residence of Peter the Great in St Peterburg ahead of talks between the two leaders earlier today

Earlier Putin had handed Mrs Macron some flowers after her arrival in St Petersburg

The trip is Macron's first to Russia as president and follows a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week. Europe and Moscow are making diplomatic overtures to save the Iran deal, now under threat after the recent US withdrawal.

In a joint appearance before the start of the talks, Macron said: 'I believe we must work together on joint initiatives.

Putin meanwhile said he was ready to talk 'about key international issues, the resolution of which are important to both France and Russia'.

Putin handed Macron's wife Brigitte flowers as he greeted the couple late in the afternoon at the Konstantin Palace, a former residence of Peter the Great set some 12 miles outside Saint Petersburg.

The meeting comes almost exactly a year since the freshly elected Macron hosted Putin in Versailles, when the French leader accused Russian media of producing 'lying propaganda' during a joint press conference.

The trip will also see Macron address the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The talks take place after US President Donald Trump in early May controversially pulled the United States out of the 2015 landmark pact with Iran that placed limits on its nuclear programme in return for easing economic sanctions.

Putin and Macron are expected to discus the crisis in Iran as well as the ongoing war in Syria

Putin held talks last week with Angela Merkel and Japan's Shinzo Abe will arrive later this week

Saving the deal provides a rare point of agreement between Moscow and European countries, which have seen relations tank in recent years over crises in Ukraine and Syria, as well as accusations of meddling in foreign elections and the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in Britain.

Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Moscow Centre said talks over Iran will be positive. He said: 'Russia shares the position of the majority of the international community including Western leaders.'

The West has realised that a dialogue with Putin is 'inevitable' in order to preserve the accord, he said.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will also visit Russia at the end of the week.

Baunov added: 'Merkel and Abe have already begun a thaw with Moscow and Macron is scared of losing the advantage that France has always had with Russia.'

But there are a number of sticking points that will prevent a full rapprochement between Paris and Moscow.

Chief among them is Syria, where at least 350,000 people have been killed since war broke out in 2011.

Moscow intervened in 2015 to prop up its ally President Bashar al-Assad - in a move generally seen as decisive in turning around the multi-front conflict - while France has participated in strikes on regime targets.

Another issue is the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which broke out after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and has so far claimed at least 10,000 lives.

Paris and Moscow, along with Berlin, signed peace agreements in Minsk in 2015 that aimed to bring the fighting to a close but there is currently no end in sight.

International investigators on Thursday said a missile that downed a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine in 2014 belonged to a Russian brigade. Moscow rejected the accusation.

Before Macron's trip, Human Rights Watch also implored him to raise the issue of rights abuses with his Russian counterpart, following a crackdown on dissent and pressure on minority groups in the country.

But the talks between the two presidents will not be the only bilateral activity of the day, as a raft of commercial agreements are also set to be signed during the economic forum.

The presence of the French president at the forum 'legitimises visits by business people. Those who are worried about the risks, sanctions or criticism are covered to a certain extent by the president,' analyst Baunov said.

'If anything, the political leadership will get criticised for this rapprochement and not the business community.'A rapist who laughed as he sexually assaulted his helpless victims has been jailed for eight years.

Thomas Gordon showed 'utter indifference' to the protests of the two women he raped while he blackmailed a third over topless pictures, the High Court in Edinburgh heard.

Gordon, 54, of Comrie, in Fife, was found guilty of two offences of rape as well as assault and threatening behaviour.

The crimes were committed at addresses in Comrie and at a park in Aberdour between 2010 and 2016.

One woman told jurors that after she was raped by him and was in pain he seemed to find it funny.

Gordon has been jailed for eight years after raping two women and threatening another. He laughed at his victims as they pleaded for him to stop

The nurse was raped by Gordon after meeting him through the Plenty of Fish dating website.

She said he was 'very paranoid' and would accuse her falsely of cheating on him.

She said: 'He would email people on my email or phone list asking them extremely personal questions. 'When did we last meet? Have we ever had sex? When did we last have sex?' He would pretend to be me.'

When he raped her he appeared to enjoy it, she said.

She said: 'He was too powerful. He was stronger than me.'

Advocate depute Alan Cameron asked the woman if Gordon had said anything. She replied: 'He just giggled.'

Defence solicitor advocate Gordon Martin told the court: 'He continues to deny his guilt.'

Another 44-year-old woman, who was twice raped by Gordon, said he had made her give up her job and that he accused her of sleeping with a man she merely had a chat with.

She said: 'I used to get called a whore, a slag, a cow, a bitch on a regular basis. He took my phone away from me so I didn't have any numbers. I lost contact with my family because of him.'

'I knew he just didn't want me to be in contact with any males,' she said.

At one stage she went to a women's refuge that helped sort out her finances after he financially abused her, but she went back to him

'He used to question me constantly, asking me really disgusting sexual things,' she said.

'He would blow up, absolutely blow up. He would scream at me that loud that his voice used to break up,' she told the court.

She said Gordon, who worked for a kitchen and bathroom fitting firm, attacked her on one occasion and grabbed her head and dragged her down stairs backwards and threw her out a house.

The woman said that the first time he raped he had ignored her pleas.

Gordon met at least one of his victims on dating website Plenty of Fish. The nurse revealed how he sexually assaulted her and mentally abused her

She said: 'He knew I didn't want it. He knew I was in pain.'

On the second occasion he had bent her over a rock and carried out a sex attack.

She said: 'I told him it was sore, 'don't do that', but he kept going.. He obviously doesn't know what no means.'

The heavy gambler got money out of a third woman and threatened to send topless pictures of her to work colleagues and to post them on line during a stalking campaign.

He read her private information in messages and emails and contacted her family.

He also sent her employer malicious messages about her.

Judge Lady Scott said he presented a danger to women and added: 'All of your victims have been badly damaged by your conduct.'

Gordon was earlier put on the sex offenders' register.Billionaire Roman Abramovich could be set to emigrate to Israel after the UK failed to renew his visa leaving the oligarch stranded in his native Russia.

Israel Hayom newspaper claimed the Chelsea FC owner was building a 'huge house' in a Tel Aviv suburb, with reports suggesting he could be expected to arrive today.

Despite the paper's claims, Tel Aviv and Moscow today both said they had no information on reports of Abramovich seeking to emigrate to Israel.

Billionaire Roman Abramovich could be set to emigrate to Israel after the UK failed to renew his visa leaving the oligarch stranded in his native Russia. Israel Hayom newspaper claimed the Chelsea FC owner was building a 'huge house' in a Tel Aviv suburb

While a spokeswoman at the Israeli Ministry of Aliyah and Integration told Russia's state-owned Sputnik news agency: 'This is a sort of rumour.

'We know the names of people arriving at airports today, we receive this information. Abramovich's name is not [on the list].'

She had no information on whether the tycoon intended to repatriate to Israel at all.

The Kremlin said Vladimir Putin was unaware of any attempt by Abramovich to seek Israeli citizenship.

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: 'No, the Kremlin is not aware of it. We do not monitor the movements and visits of entrepreneurs.'

Lately, the billionaire is believed to have been based mostly in Russia.

Despite the paper's claims, Tel Aviv and Moscow today both said they had no information on reports of Abramovich seeking to emigrate to Israel

Israeli newspaper Globes reported in April 2015 that the oligarch had acquired Versano hotel in Neve Tsedek for almost 19 million.

It was the first real estate he had purchased in the country.

The Russian multi-millionaire also reportedly bought a plot of land of 1,500 square metres adjacent to the hotel.

Lately, the billionaire is believed to have been based mostly in Russia

He is known to be a regular visitor to Israel.

His father's family were Lithuanian Jews cruelly forced by Stalin to uproot, with his ancestors forced to live in 'internal exile' close to the Arctic and in Siberia.

A source close to Abramovich today declined to comment on the Israeli reportsA move by the United States to explore tariffs on auto imports is based on flimsy logic and is part of the pressure from Washington to renegotiate the NAFTA trade pact, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday.

In an interview with Reuters, Trudeau said that while U.S. President Donald Trump had raised the idea of auto tariffs, there was no guarantee they will happen.

Trudeau also predicted talk of the tariffs will likely disappear if slow-moving negotiations to update the North American Free Trade Agreement - currently stuck on autos issues - are successful.

The Trump administration said on Wednesday it had launched a national security investigation into car and truck imports that could lead to new U.S. tariffs similar to those imposed on imported steel and aluminum recently. Canada rejects any idea it could be a threat to the United States.

Smack 'I am - even more than I was with steel and aluminum - trying to figure out where a possible national security connection is,' Trudeau said of the car tariff investigation

Tough stand: Trump has turned up the volume on tariffs with a series of moves, first on steel and aluminum and now on cars

'I am - even more than I was with steel and aluminum - trying to figure out where a possible national security connection is,' Trudeau said at the luxurious riverside hotel that will be the site of a Group of Seven leader's summit in early June.

'Taking that a step further into autos seems to me to be on even flimsier logical grounds,' Trudeau said. 'But we know that this is very much linked to ongoing negotiations around moving forward on NAFTA.'

Despite his criticism of the United States for arguing that auto imports might be a national security issue, Trudeau defended Canada's decision to block a proposed C$1.51 billion ($1.18 billion) takeover of construction company Aecon by a Chinese state builder, also on national security grounds.

'Our intelligence and security agencies came back with a very clear recommendation that they didn't feel the transaction should proceed for national security reasons and as we said we would, we abide by that decision,' Trudeau said, declining to elaborate on the reasoning.

Trudeau, who visited Beijing last December and raised the prospect of exploratory talks on a free trade deal, said Canada would not sign lopsided agreements.

'We don't want trade with China any which way at any cost. We want the right kind of trade deals with China and dealing with security issues...should be and would be part of any mature relationship we try to establish with one of the world's largest and growing economies,' he said.

Trudeau has said his government had concerns about the Aecon deal's implications for intellectual property protections.

Aecon said it was disappointed with the government's decision and was no longer pursuing a sale process.

Trudeau reiterated his government's commitment to ensure a hotly contested Kinder Morgan Canada pipeline expansion project would be built, but said little about how that could be achieved if the firm walked away as it is threatening to do unless Ottawa deals with opposition to the plan.

Host: Trudeau will host the G7 conference of the wealthiest nations at the La Malbaie resort in Quebed next month, with tensions high over trade

Not so welcome: More than 27,000 asylum seekers have walked across the Canada-U.S. border since Trump took office, but Trudeau warned: 'Crossing the border irregularly isn't a short cut into Canada.'

'We are going to make sure the pipeline gets built and we are going to do it responsibly and in a way that upholds the national interest and we're working very hard to do just that and when we have more to say, we will say more,' he said.

The prime minister also defended his government's efforts to cope with a swell of irregular arrivals by asylum seekers at the U.S.- Canada border, saying those who are not genuine refugees will be sent back - even if it takes years to do so.

More than 27,000 asylum seekers have walked across the Canada-U.S. border since Trump took office, some of whom have told Reuters they left the United States because of Trumps policies and rhetoric toward immigrants.

'Crossing the border irregularly isn't a short cut into Canada, and there is a very high likelihood that if they are not actually fleeing the kinds of things that make you a refugee - which is war, persecution, terror, violence ... then they are going to be sent back home,' Trudeau said.In June 2017, the Daily Mail commissioned a freelance reporter to make contact with various individuals linked to a high-profile criminal case. During the course of those enquiries, the freelance  who was acting on behalf of the newspaper and without the knowledge of MailOnline  unwittingly revealed the names of potential victims to third parties. Warwickshire Police complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation on behalf of three victims. Its complaint was upheld under Clause 2 of the Editor's Code and the Daily Mail is required to publish the following adjudication. It does not relate to any actions taken by MailOnline or its journalists:

Warwickshire Police complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation on behalf of three people that the conduct of a journalist acting on behalf of The Daily Mail breached Clause 2 (Privacy) of the Editors' Code of Practice. The complaint was upheld, and IPSO has required the Daily Mail to publish this decision as a remedy to the breach.

The complainants represented three individuals who had given evidence as victims in a criminal case concerning allegations of non-recent sex offences.

The complainants alleged that during the course of the trial, the journalist's enquiries had identified them as victims of sexual assault, and had intruded into their privacy.

The first and second victims said that a reporter had attended their friend's home in order to ask him about the [perpetrators'] case. The friend said that the journalist had shown him a list of names, and he had recognised their names, as well as the names of their parents. He had then told their parents what had happened. Before this, they had been unaware that they were victims in the case.

The third victim said that the reporter had told their parents that he was seeking a 'victim's story', had referred to the court case, and had asked if they could contact their child. The third victim said that this enquiry identified them as a victim of sexual assault to their parents.

The newspaper said that its freelance journalist contacted the friend of the first and second victims because he had believed that the friend had direct involvement in the case. The friend had said that he would 'know those involved', and the journalist had asked whether he knew the second individual, and he had confirmed that he knew victims one and two. At no stage had the journalist deliberately shown him the list of victims connected to the criminal case, which he had in his possession; any disclosure had been inadvertent.

The newspaper did not accept that the journalist had told the parents of victim three that they were seeking a 'victim's story' or that their child was an alleged victim of a sexual offence. The journalist had said that he was hoping to get in touch with their child as he understood that he 'might have been involved' in the criminal case, or known those who were.

While the newspaper did not consider that its representatives had breached the Code, it said that it had raised the concerns with those involved and with senior executives. It also offered to write a private letter of apology to the victims, and to make a charitable donation.

The Committee considered that the reporter should have been acutely aware that, in contacting third parties about the complainants, there was a risk that he would identify them as victims. He had identified the well-known, local criminal case he was researching, and said that he was looking for named individuals who had been 'involved in the case'. Reporting of the case had explained the nature of the crimes, where they had taken place, and the profile of the victims. In this context, to identify the complainants by name as 'involved in the case' made clear that they were, or were likely to have been, victims, particularly given that they fitted the general descriptions of the victims that had previously been reported. They had been identified to their parents, as a result of the enquiries.

The fact of their involvement in the case as potential victims was extremely sensitive and personal information about which the three individuals had a reasonable expectation of privacy. This represented a gross intrusion into their private lives in breach of Clause 2. While there was a public interest in carrying out enquiries in order to report on the criminal case, this did not justify disclosing such private information to third parties without consent. The complaint under Clause 2 was upheld.

To report an inaccuracy, please email corrections@mailonline.co.uk. To make a formal complaint under IPSO rules please go to www.mailonline.co.uk/readerseditor where you will find an easy-to-use complaints form. You can also write to Readers' Editor, MailOnline, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or contact IPSO directly at ipso.co.ukAt least one person is dead after an equipment explosion occurred at the Proctor and Gamble plant in central Louisiana that produces detergent Tide Pods.

The State Fire Marshal's Office confirms the equipment's driver was killed Thursday morning inside the plant in Pineville.

Spokeswoman Ashley Rodrigue says the fire was contained to the equipment but further details about the type of equipment weren't immediately released.

No other injuries were reported.

The incident happened around 3am.

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At least one person is dead after an equipment explosion occurred at the Proctor and Gamble plant in central Louisiana that produces detergent Tide Pods. The plant in Pineville is seen in the above stock image

The State Fire Marshal's Office confirms the equipment's driver was killed Thursday morning inside the plant in Pineville

P&G plant manager Frank Blumling, in a statement, also confirmed the accident and death, noting an investigation is underway.

Blumling says it's the first fatal accident in the plant's 49-year history. He says the plant has been shut down and workers sent home.

One of the area's largest employers, the facility produces liquid and dry detergent and Tide Pods.

'We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of the P&G Product Supply Family passed away at our Alexandria manufacturing facility in a tragic accident during the early morning hours of May 24, 2018,' the company said in a statement to KALB-TV.

One of the area's largest employers, the facility produces liquid and dry detergent and Tide Pods (like those seen in the above stock image)

'The safety of our employees is a top priority, and there is an investigation underway at this time.

'We are connected with the employees family and have expressed our deepest condolences.

'We will support them and all our Alexandria employees in this difficult time.'Mass surveillance by government agencies is increasing, especially in the United States, whistleblower Chelsea Manning told a Montreal audience on Thursday as she called for limits on the development of artificial intelligence.

'Ten years ago, I was working in military intelligence and I could feel the power, and could see how technology is implemented,' Manning, once jailed for leaking classified information, said at the C2 Montreal business conference.

Manning said she is stunned now by the 'dramatic change in policing style, and aggressive (government) surveillance.'

Chelsea Manning told a Montreal audience on Thursday that mass surveillance by government agencies is increasing

Manning said she is stunned now by the 'dramatic change in policing style, and aggressive (government) surveillance

It is 'getting worse, especially in the United States,' she added.

She urged programmers and computer scientists working on artificial intelligence and machine learning 'to consider the ethical implications of the technology that they are building and developing.'

And even if they don't think their product is harmful, it may have repercussions when combined with something else and used in a way never imagined.

'One technology company works on video, another works on collection of big data, another one works on self-flying drones and another one is a defense contractor that works on weapons. Its not the individual technologies, but its how they are packaged and built, and you can end up with self-flying death planes,' she said.

Manning explained that at the beginning of her career, she worked with algorithms used to identify potential customers for companies.

Those formulas are the same ones being used to identify suspected terrorists, she said.

'Those same algorithms were the ones I employed in Iraq in 2009 and 2010. Now we were using these algorithms to target people not as customers but as people to catch and kill,' she said.

Manning, now 30, was an army intelligence analyst sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 for leaking more than 700,000 classified documents related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The revelations by Manning, who is transgender and was then known as Bradley Manning, exposed covered-up misdeeds and possible crimes by US troops and allies.

Her actions made Manning a hero to anti-war and anti-secrecy activists, but US establishment figures branded her a traitor.

Then-president Barack Obama commuted her sentence, leading to her release in May 2017.

The fact that Manning was able to speak in Canada on Thursday was a huge stride for her. Just last year, she was turned away at the border due to her criminal record in the U.S. - for violating the Espionage Act.

Also during her talk Manning said she is writing a book and making a documentary about her life.

Manninng compared herself to Robert Oppenheimer, who helped develop the atomic bomb but spent his later life campaigning nuclear disarmament.A 30-year-old woman was rushed to the hospital on Sunday after slipping and falling off a waterfall while taking a picture.

The incident happened just before 7:30pm in McConnells Mill State Park in Slippery Rock Township, Pennsylvania - about 40 miles north of Pittsburgh.

The unidentified victim from the Avalon area wandered off the trail to take a picture at the top of Kildoo Falls to take pictures.

At the top of the falls, she slipped and fell about 30 feet onto rocks below.

A 30-year-old woman was injured on Sunday when she slipped and fell 30 feet while taking pictures at the top of a Pennsylvania water fall

The incident happened just before 7:30pm in McConnells Mill State Park in Slippery Rock Township, Pennsylvania - about 40 miles north of Pittsburgh

Rescuers rushed to the scene, and repelled down the waterfall to retrieve her - an effort that took about 30 minutes.

A witness told KDKA that the woman appeared to have a head wound that was bleeding.

After the fall, the woman was knocked unconscious but she was still breathing.

She was transported from the park on a stretcher, and taken by helicopter to the hospital in serious condition.

A view of Kildoo Falls pictured above. The park manager says that visitors are warned not to stray off the trails, as the woman had

It's unclear if her condition has improved since then, since her identity has not been released.

Park Manager Dustin Drew told Trib Live that accidents have happened at the falls before, but noted that the top of the falls is off the trails and they ask that all visitors stick to the trails.

'McConnells Mill in particular, the topography of that area, just brings with it some inherent risks that have to be taken into account. When those risks are forgotten or ignored, incidents can occur,' he said. 'Stay on the designated trails is the best advice we can give.'The U.S. Department of Defense said Thursday that it's ready to spring into action if North Korea keeps shaking a barbed fist in the direction of Washington.

Pentagon joint staff director Gen. Kenneth McKenzie told reporters that American military forces in South Korea are in 'a high state of vigilance,' adding that the U.S. is always prepared to respond to provocations from Kim Jong-un's dictatorship 'because they have proven to be unpredictable in the past.'

President Donald Trump said in the morning, after calling off a planned June 12 nuclear disarmament summit with Kim, that he had received assurances of readiness from Defense Secretary James Mattis and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

America's fighting forces are 'by far the most powerful anywhere the world,' Trump said, and 'more ready than we have ever been before' to intervene in the decades-long Korean territorial standoff.

Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana White (left) and Marine Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie (right) told reporters Thursday that America's armed forces are locked and loaded, and ready to strike North Korea if called upon

President Donald Trump earlier in the day called off a planned nuclear disarmament summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in Singapore after the regime threatened a 'nuclear showdown'

U.S. soldiers of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division areshown at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul

North Korea considers the U.S. 'imperialist war mongers' because of displays of American military might at close range like this training drills over South korea involving an Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber (center), along with US F-35A and US F-35B stealth jets

The president put North Korea on notice last year by threatening to rain hell down on the communist country if Kim didn't stop threatening the American territory of Guam with rocket tests designed to signal future nuclear projectiles.

Trump warned that he would unleash 'fire, fury and, frankly, power the likes of which this world has never seen before.'

He later allowed that those words might not have been 'tough enough.'

'Lets see what [Kim] does with Guam,' he said. '[If] he does something in Guam, it will be an event the likes of which nobody has seen before, what will happen in North Korea.'

On Thursday, McKenzie said the Pentagon is 'in a boxer's stance. We are ready to respond.'

'We'll see what develops over the next few days. If any provocative actions occur from there, we will certainly, in concert with our allies and partners in the region, be ready for it.'

Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White told reporters that the Defense Department represents one prong of Trump's 'maximum pressure' strategy, which combines economic sanctions, diplomatic tension and the weight of a constant military presence.

'We are ready to fight tonight. That's always been the case,' said White.

North Korean despot Kim Jong-un has met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and agreed on the contours of a nuclear summit with Trump, but those plans blew up Thursday

In this handout photo, a U.S. M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System is shown firing an MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile during a joint missile drill in South Korea aimed to counter North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile tests last year

A U.S. Air Force U-2s spy plane prepares to land at the Osan U.S. Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea

The U.S. has a mighty military force comprising 2 million personnel, 13,000 aircraft, 5,800 tanks and 400 naval vessels  but its presence near the Korean peninsula is far smaller; pictured is the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier during drills in the Sea of Japan

The United States Forces Korea command comprises 37,500 military personnel in 85 locations, a buildup that's an enduring legacy of peacekeeping efforts accompanying the end of hostilities there in 1953.

Trump's military boast in Kim's direction likely referred to activating much of that conventional force, which could quickly grow to include all 80,000 armed personnel serving across bases in Japan, South Korea and Guam.

Rear Adm. Michael Dumont, vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote to lawmakers last year that '[t]he only way to "locate and destroy  with complete certainty  all components of North Koreas nuclear weapons programs" is through a ground invasion.'

United States Forces Korea boasts around 100 planes including 70 F-16s and ten A-10 anti-tank jets, along with reconnaissance aircraft and other spy planes.

The U.S. has about 250 planes overall in the north Pacific, most of which are stationed with the Seventh Fleet in Japan. That's where the nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier is deployed.

The U.S. has only about 140 M1 Abrams tanks like this one stationed in the South Korean city of Paju near the border with the North

U.S. Air Force 44th and 67th Fighter Squadron F-15 Eagles and 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron E-3 Sentries are seen on a runway at Kadena Air Base in Japan

Also part of the Seventh Fleet are 14 destroyers and cruisers armed with ballistic missile interceptors, longrange Tomahawk land attack missiles and antiaircraft missiles.

At any one time, as many as a dozen nuclear-powered submarines can also be deployed there.

Andersen Air Force Base in Guam is also home base to B1 bombers and a standing force of fighter jets.

But Kim has more than 1 million active soldiers, more than 1,000 planes and helicopters, at least 5,000 tanks, 111 fighting ships and 76 submarines at his disposal.

So Trump's playbook would have to include a bigger threat  like the use of one of the 6,800 nuclear warheads under his command.

The prospect of Kim asembling just one has been enough to provoke the world's latest high-stakes standoff across the space of more than 6,800 miles.Rudy Giuliani, who serves Donald Trump's legal adviser, hasn't spoke to the president in a couple of weeks even though he's done multiple media interviews during that time as a representative of Trump.

The former New York City mayor sat down with the Washington Post on Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday and the New York Times on Sunday, for starters.

He told Buzzfeed News that other people speak to the president.

'I'm not. People from our office are,' Giuliani said of talking to Trump.

Rudy Giuliani serves as Donald Trump's legal adviser but said he hasn't spoken to him in a couple of weeks.

Rudy Giuliani said no final decision will be made on President Trump sitting down with special counsel Robert Mueller until 'the details of this 'Spygate' situation' are figured out.

But when asked how often the others speak to the president, he said: 'Talking, correspondence? A couple times a week.'

Giuliani also told Buzzfeed no final decision will be made on a sit-down with special counsel Robert Mueller until 'the details of this 'Spygate' situation' are figured out.

The final decision won't be made 'until more of the facts are in,' he said.

His declaration follows a Washington Post report on Wednesday headlined: 'In reversal, Giuliani now says Trump should do interview with Mueller team.'

'Noooo! Oh my god no,' Giuliani told Buzzfeed of reading that headline. 'No no no no no. No, I didn't say that.'

In the Post interview, he was quoted as saying, 'I guess I'd rather do the interview. It gets it over with it. It makes my client happy.'

Giuliani told Buzzfeed the quote was accurate but added: 'That doesn't mean we've reversed though. That's always been true.'

He clarified the legal team wants to know more about the FBI informant who reportedly had contact with three Trump campaign officials before letting Trump talk to Mueller's team.

Asked what he means by 'Spygate,' Giuliani said: 'What I mean is, that according to [former Director of National Intelligence James] Clapper, is that they were spying on the Russians and, in the course of spying on the Russians, they ended up spying on the Trump campaign. Well, I want to know why, what the basis for it was, what did they acquire  nothing, I believe  so, if they acquired nothing in the counterintelligence investigation, how do you end up with another whole year of Mueller?'

The former mayor was echoing a charge that Trump tweeted - that Clapper has 'admitted' the Obama administration's Justice Department snooped on his 2016 campaign organization.

Clapper said Wednesday on ABC's 'The View' that the president should welcome the use of an informant who gathered information about his campaign's Russia contacts, since the purpose was to gather intelligence about Moscow's nefarious plans.

Trump ran with the quote, using it to bolster his argument he was spied on by the Obama administration.

'Clapper has now admitted that there was Spying in my campaign. Large dollars were paid to the Spy, far beyond normal. Starting to look like one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history. SPYGATE  a terrible thing!' he tweeted.

Trump's attack is a continuation of his Wednesday broadside about 'spying' on his campaign, following revelations that the FBI relied on a confidential informant named Stefan Halper who made contact with at least Trump campaign officials thought to have longstanding Russia ties  and with the man who hired them both.

Asked on 'The View' whether the government had been spying on Trump, Clapper framed any impact on the president as a sort of collateral damage.

'They were spying, a term I don't particularly like, on what the Russians were doing,' he said, 'trying to understand, 'Were the Russians infiltrating, trying to gain access, trying to gain leverage and influence?'  which is what they do.'

Clapper added that Trump 'should be' happy since the Kremlin is 'bent on undermining our system.' He also called the use of informants a 'fairly benign tool.'

'No, James Clapper, I am not happy,' Trump tweeted hours later. 'Spying on a campaign would be illegal, and a scandal to boot!'

Clapper told CNN Wednesday his comments on 'The View' were being taken out of context.

'It wasn't spying on the campaign,' he said.

Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper denies the Trump team was spied on.

He charged the president with 'deliberately spinning the narrative that whereby he's a victim of the 'deep state' spying on him or spying on the campaign, which is not the case.

'What we were concerned about and what particularly the FBI but everybody else  but particularly the FBI was concerned about was the Russians and what they were doing to penetrate or influence the campaign,' he said.

Giuliani got off to a rough start in his time as Trump's legal counsel.

He caused shock waves earlier this month when he said on Fox News the president reimbursed his private attorney Michael Cohen for the $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Giuliani said he spoke Trump before he went on air and had permission to reveal Trump's involvement in the payment but White House officials admitted they first learned of it when Giuliani said it on air.

Trump defended Giuliani's actions.

'He''ll get his facts straight,' he said.Harvey Weinstein will face rape and sex act charges on Friday, reports have revealed.

The disgraced movie mogul is expected to turn himself in to authorities as prosecutors prepare to file charges that he raped one woman and forced another to perform oral sex on him, a source told CNN in the early hours on Friday.

This development comes after the Manhattan District Attorney faced growing backlash over his decision to not charge Weinstein, despite the NYPD stating multiple times since late October that there was enough evidence to seek an indictment.

Two of the strongest cases involved actresses Lucia Evans and Paz de la Huerta.

Evans, 36, revealed that she was in fact pressing charges against Weinstein, whom she says forced her to perform oral sex in 2004, in an interview Thursday evening.

Weinstein will reportedly be facing a criminal sex act charge in connection with Evans' allegations, as well as charges of both first- and third-degree rape with the other unidentified woman.

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Harvey Weinstein (above on October 5, the day that The New Yorker broke the story of his sexual misconduct) will turn himself in on Friday around the same time that the Manhattan District Attorney's office formally files rape and sex act charges against the mogul

Lucia Evans, 36, revealed that she would be pressing charges against Weinstein in an interview Thursday. The former actress claims Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him in 2004

A source with knowledge of the situation told DailyMail.com that grand jury voted to indict Weinstein on charges after hearing testimony last month.

There is no statute of limitations on rape, criminal sexual act or aggravated sexual abuse in the first degree in the state of New York.

The state legislature signed a bill eliminating a statute of limitations for first-degree sexual offenses back in 2006, having previously had a five-year statute for all rape and sexual assault cases.

Weinstein is also facing allegations of abuse in Los Angeles and London, with a third source confirming to DailyMail.com on Wednesday that federal prosecutors have officially begun their probe into the allegations.

Evans was one of the first women to come forward and reveal misconduct by Weinstein, telling The New Yorker back in October that he had forced her to perform oral sex on him in 2004 at his office.

Evans (nee Stoller) was preparing for her senior year at Middlebury in 2004 when she met Weinstein at Cipriani in New York City.

She wanted to be an actress and gave the executive her phone number, eventually agreeing to come in and read for a female casting director at Weinstein's offices in Tribeca.

When she arrived however she was taken to meet Weinstein in a room with empty takeout boxes and exercise equipment.

The two spoke for a bit and then, according to Evans, Weinstein pulled out his penis and forced her to perform oral sex on him inside the office.

'I said, over and over, "I dont want to do this, stop, dont,"' said Evans.

'I tried to get away, but maybe I didnt try hard enough. I didnt want to kick him or fight him.'

Weinstein's size ultimately proved to be too much for Evans she claims, saying she eventually found herself completely helpless.

'I just sort of gave up. Thats the most horrible part of it, and thats why hes been able to do this for so long to so many women: people give up, and then they feel like its their fault,' said Evans.

Weinstein later acted as if nothing had happened she said, and began calling her at night to meet.

Evans said she repeatedly turned down the executive.

The repercussions from the incident last to this day however, with Evans saying she still had nightmares.

'I had an eating problem for years. I was disgusted with myself. Its funny, all these unrelated things I did to hurt myself because of this one thing,' said Evans.

'I ruined several really good relationships because of this. My schoolwork definitely suffered, and my roommates told me to go to a therapist because they thought I was going to kill myself.'

Weinstein assembled a two-person legal team to defend himself against the claims made by Evans and de la Huerta last year.

'We do not believe an indictment of Mr. Weinstein is imminent. A formal presentation will be made on Mr. Weinsteins behalf in the appropriate course of the investigation, and we strongly believe we will demonstrate that no criminal charges are warranted,' said his spokesperson at the time.

It was then noted that Blair Berk and Ben Brafman 'will be defending Mr. Weinstein in any matters in New York.'

Berk has previously defended celebrities including Lindsay Lohan, Mel Gibson and Darren Sharper, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2016 after pleading guilty to drugging and raping three women.

Brafman recently represented Martin Shkreli and previously served as an attorney for for the late Michael Jackson.

Courting: It seems that the charges on Friday will be related to the Evans investigation, and that the de la Huerta (above in 2016) case will be pushed to federal court

Weinstein is accused of sexually assaulting de la Huerta on two occasions in New York, but has denied any and all allegations of non-consensual sex through his spokesperson.

The actress reported the incidents to authorities on October 25, and was found to be a strong and credible witness.

'I really can't comment but we'll move as fast as we can to resolve the outstanding issues,' said Vance at the time.

This has been a long time coming for members of the NYPD, who said in October they were ready to arrest the mogul.

Charges were never filed against Weinstein the last time he was investigated for assault in 2015 by the NYPD, despite police sources saying they thought there was enough evidence to indict the mogul after passing off the case to the district attorney's office.

Three days after meeting with Italian model Ambra Battilana at their office, a spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Vance announced that the probe into the incident did not find enough evidence to pursue a case.

Indicting: A source with knowledge of the situation said the grand jury voted to indict Weinstein on charges after hearing testimony last month (Cyrus Vance above)

'This case was taken seriously from the outset, with a thorough investigation conducted by our sex crimes unit,' said a spokesperson for the DA at the time.

'After analyzing the available evidence, including multiple interviews with both parties, a criminal charge is not supported.'

The New York Times revealed in October that Weinstein surrounded himself with a very connected team of litigators before learning that charges would not be pursued in the case.

He retained Elkan Abramowitz, a former law partner of Vance, and Daniel S. Connolly, who was also a former prosecutor.

Linda Fairstein came on as a consultant and introduced Weinstein's lawyer Abramowitz to Martha Bashford, the head of the district attorneys sex crimes bureau.

'We have a credible and detailed narrative, and even though the incident occurred seven years ago there has been corroboration from a number of individuals,' said Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce weeks after the story broke.

He went on to say that investigators contacted the district attorney's office soon after they interviewed de la Huerta and 'started working the case together.'

'We have an actual case here, so we're happy with where the investigation is right now,' said Chief Boyce.

'Mr Weinstein is out of state we would need an arrest warrant, to arrest him. So right now we're gathering our evidence and we continue to do so, every day. So that's where we are in the case.'

Chief Boyce revealed during the conference that subpoenas have been issued, before adding: 'If this person was still in New York and it was recent we would go right away and make the arrest, no doubt. But were talking about a seven-year-old case. And we have to move forward gathering evidence.

Chief Boyce also made it very clear that de la Huerta was a strong witness, noting her 'ability to articulate each and every movement of the crime, where she was, where they met, where this happened and what he did.

The case was further bolstered because De la Huerta was the first victim who was allegedly assaulted by Weinstein after 2006, when New York did away with the statute of limitations in instances of rape, criminal sexual act or aggravated sexual abuse in the first degree.

The assaults alleged by the other two women took place before that law was changed, which means that even if the district attorney's office files charges against Weinstein in those cases they could be tossed out of court by a judge.

Chief Boyce seemed to suggest back in October that those probes have been put on hold while the focus turns to these women's allegations.

At the same time, the Manhattan District Attorney's office has assigned a senior sex crimes prosecutor to work on the case.

'As to others, I'm not going to close the door and say others wont come forward, but this is what we have right now, this is what we're moving forward with,' said Chief Boyce.

Weinstein was in Arizona however, where he has spent a great deal of his time since the scandal, flying out of New York less than 24 hours after the Times and New Yorker pieces were published online.A commemorative coin featuring the faces of Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un has gone on sale at the White House gift shop for a discount after the US canceled its planned summit with North Korea.

The coins were listed on the gift shop's website for $19.95 as the 'Deal of the Day' on Thursday, down from its usual price of $24.95.

Peaked interest in the commemorative coins ended up crashing the gift shop's website in the hours after President Trump announced he had canceled his planned meeting with the North Korean leader.

The gift shop noted on the sale page that the coins would be made 'whether or not the summit occurs as scheduled' and also said that customers could get a refund due to the cancellation.

The commemorative coins were listed on the White House gift shop's website for $19.95 as the 'Deal of the Day' on Thursday, down from its usual price of $24.95

But it added that most supporters had indicated they wanted the 'heirloom of political history' even though the summit meeting had been axed.

A separate coin which was released by the White House Communications Agency, shows Trump and Kim, described as North Korea's 'Supreme Leader,' in profile facing each other in front of a background of US and North Korean flags.

At the top of the front, the words 'Peace Talks' are emblazoned, with the date '2018' beneath.

The back of the coin features a picture of the White House, Air Force One and the presidential seal.

Trump blamed 'tremendous anger' and 'hostility' from the North Korean regime in calling off the June summit on Thursday.

He wrote a letter to Kim to announce his abrupt withdrawal from what would have been a first-ever meeting between a serving US president and a North Korean leader in Singapore on June 12.

A separate coin which was released by the White House Communications Agency, shows Trump and Kim, described as North Korea's 'Supreme Leader,' in profile facing each other in front of a background of US and North Korean flags

Peaked interest in the commemorative coins ended up crashing the gift shop's website in the hours after President Trump announced he had canceled his planned meeting

'Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it would be inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting,' Trump wrote. 'Please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place.'

It was a sudden end to weeks of optimistic statements from Trump that by meeting with Kim he might succeed where previous US presidents had failed and persuade North Korea to give up a nuclear weapons program that now threatens the United States.

Earlier on Thursday, North Korea had repeated its threat to pull out of the summit and warned it was prepared for a nuclear showdown with Washington if necessary.

White House officials said 'the last straw' was a North Korean statement on Wednesday evening in which Pyongyang raised the possibility of a nuclear conflict if diplomacy failed and condemned US Vice President Mike Pence as a 'political dummy.'

Trump blamed 'tremendous anger' and 'hostility' from the North Korean regime in calling off the June summit on Thursday

'The North Koreans literally threatened nuclear war in the statement released last night,' one of the officials said. 'No summit could be successful under these circumstances.'

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who travelled to North Korea twice to prepare the summit, meeting Kim both times, said it was a disappointing development but 'frankly not a surprise.'

He said Pyongyang had not responded in recent days to queries about the meeting and Trump himself had made the decision to withdraw after meetings on Wednesday in which he concluded the summit would not be successful.

In a statement at the White House, Trump said he remained open to dialogue but had spoken to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and warned North Korea against any 'reckless act.'

'We are more ready than we have ever been before,' Trump said.April 2017 - DOCTOR DRAGGING

Three airport security officers at Chicagos O`Hare International Airport viciously dragged Dr. David Dao on a flight to Louisville, Kentucky.

The violent incident was captured on cell phone camera by passengers on the United Express Flight 3411 to Louisville.

The graphic footage went viral and showed Dr. Dao's bloodied face after the officers dragged him down the aisle, dropped his head on an arm rest, leaving him with a concussion, a broken nose and two missing teeth.

Ultimately, the airline was not punished over the incident that sparked national outrage.

The US Department of Transportation said it found no evidence that the airline violated the civil rights of the 69-year-old old and there was not enough evidence confirming it violated rules of bumping passengers off overcrowded planes.

April 2017 - BUNNY DEATH

United sparked controversy that same month after Simon, a ten-month-old 3ft continental giant rabbit, died on one of its planes.

The 'fit and healthy' giant rabbit was expected to outgrow the world's biggest rabbit, died in cargo hold of a United Airlines flight from Heathrow Airport to Chicago on April 19, its owner, Annette Edwards, said.

The rabbit died on the plane after it was accidentally shut in a freezer by bungling staff.

A mystery US celebrity buyer paid more than 2,000 to fly him from Heathrow to Chicago at the time.

According to a USA Today report, United Airlines accounted for one third of animal deaths in the United States over the course of five years.

The Transportation Departments Air Travel Consumer Report reports 'United had 53 animals die on its flights from January 2012 through February 2017.'

This is in comparison to the 'total of 136 animals that died on all flights of airlines'.

The recent slew of onboard airline deaths of the animals do not necessarily mean United was responsible, as some were from natural causes.

June 2017 - TODDLER'S SEAT

On June 29, A Hawaii woman was forced to hold her 27-month-old son on her lap after a flight attendant gave her seat to another passenger.

Shirley Yamauchi said she purchased the airline tickets to Boston three months before the incident, Hawaii News Now reported.

Her son, over the age of two, was required to sit in his own seat on the plane. Yamauchi bought her son, Taizo's ticket for nearly $1,000 before it was given up.

United Airlines issued an apology over the incident a few days after after the woman's story went viral.

January 2018 - NO TOILETS

On January 14, United Airlines Flight 1219 intended to be a direct flight from Denver, Colorado to Kauai, Hawaii, was diverted to San Francisco because the toilets had not been serviced.

About five hours into the trip, the pilot announced the flight would be diverted to California.

When the plane finally landed in San Francisco, passengers got aboard another plane.

The flight, intended to last roughly eight hours, ended up being a 16 hour ride.

Passenger Rich Anderson told Fox 31 that 'everyone was disgusted' and he was headed to Hawaii to celebrate his anniversary with his wife Kristin at the inconvenient time.

He told the outlet they were halfway over the Pacific Ocean when the announcement was made.

January 2018 - FECES VANDALIZATION

A United Air flight from from Chicago to Hong Kong was diverted to Alaska after a man vandalized two airplane bathrooms with his own feces.

'We received a report of a passenger who had messed up the bathrooms with his own feces,' Anchorage Airport Police Lieutenant Joe Gamache said in a statement, according to Reuters.

The man, who had a Vietnamese passport and held U.S. residency, was escorted off the plane and questioned by police after.

The individual was not charged, but sent to a mental hospital for evaluation after. No injuries were reported.

March 2018 - DOG KILLED AND ANOTHER SHIPPED TO JAPAN

On March 12, a french bulldog died on a flight from Houston to New York after a flight attendant its family put him in an overhead compartment for the flight.

When the family landed, they found the dog, named Kokito, dead in its crate.

Just a day later, a family went to pick their dog at a United cargo facility in Kansas City, Missouri, and were given the wrong dog.

They later learned that heir dog had been put on a plane to Japan, instead of being sent from Oregon to Missouri with them.A linguistic expert has rebutted Russian claims that Yulia Skripal was coerced into reading a prepared statement - after the spy's daughter spoke for the first time yesterday about the Salisbury chemical nerve agent poisoning.

Linda Aldwinckle, an expert in Russian linguistics, said Yulia's words seemed genuine and likely written by herself, during an interview with Sky News where she analysed speech patterns and her body language.

'Sounds completely Russian to me and that she'd written it. She doesn't falter at all and my impression is that she would have written that herself,' Mrs Aldwinckle said, watching footage taken yesterday from an undisclosed location in Britain.

Scroll down for video

Linda Aldwinckle, an expert in Russian linguistics, said Yulia's words seemed genuine and likely written by herself, during an interview with Sky News where she analysed speech patterns and her body language

It came after a Kremlin spokesperson claimed Yulia was being held hostage and forced to read the statement by UK government officials.

'We have no reason to trust or believe in this,' said Dmitry Peskov.

'As before, we don't know what sort of condition Yulia Skripal is in, we don't know whether she made this statement of her own free will or whether she was pressured.'

The Russian embassy in London said it was 'glad to have seen Yulia alive and well' but has 'concerns as to the conditions in which she is being held.'

Diplomats repeated their demand to be allowed to see Yulia 'to make sure that she is not being held against her will and is not speaking under pressure.'

'So far, we have every reason to suspect the opposite', the statement concluded.

Yulia Skripal, the daughter of Russian double-agent Sergei who was poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent in Salisbury, spoke out for the first time since the attack on Wednesday

Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said of Yulia's statement on Thursday: 'We have no reason to trust or believe this'

In Russia, the country's staunchly pro-Kremlin media also spun the narrative that Yulia was being forced to denounce her homeland.

Yulia spoke to Reuters from an undisclosed location in London because she is still under the protection of the British state, with footage of the interview released on Wednesday.

Bearing the scar of an emergency tracheotomy on her neck, the 33-year-old said she was 'lucky to be alive' following what she described as an 'assassination attempt'.

Russia claimed that Yulia is being held against her will in Britain and that she was forced to read a prepared statement denouncing her homeland

But she declined to point the finger of blame directly at the Kremlin, despite the fact that the UK and its allies have said they hold Russia responsible.

Yulia spoke in Russian during the interview and subsequently signed two handwritten copies of her statement, one in Russian and one in English, to affirm that the words were her own.

But Russia claims that words had been put in her mouth.

In a statement released by the country's UK embassy, diplomats said: 'Obviously, Yulia was reading a pre-written text.

'More than that, judging by quite a few elements, the text was a translation from English and had been initially written by a native English-speaker.

'The handwritten letters signed by Yulia in Russian and English confirm this impression.

Russia's pro-Kremlin media also spun the narrative that Yulia was speaking against her will. Political expert Igor Shatrov (left) said the video was a 'new act' in a provocation against Russia, while chemical weapons expert Igor Nikulin (right) was quoted saying that no-one has previously been seen looking so good after a chemical weapons attack

'With all respect for Yulia's privacy and security, this video does not discharge the UK authorities from their obligations under Consular Conventions.

'The UK is obliged to give us the opportunity to speak to Yulia directly.'

During her speech, Yulia said that she was 'grateful for the offers of assistance from the Russian Embassy' before adding 'at the moment I do not wish to avail myself of their services.'

Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian parliament, said Yulia's video recording left 'a host of unanswered questions'

'Also, I want to reiterate what I said in my earlier statement, that no one speaks for me, or for my father but ourselves,' she added.

Putin's spokesman Peskov claimed that Yulia may have been put under pressure by the British in her video statement.

'We cannot be completely sure about her condition, whether there is any pressure on her, whether she made the statements of her own free will,' said Dmitry Peskov.

Despite the poisoning, Yulia Skripal says she wants to return to her country', detailing the harrowing attack in a hand written letter. 'The fact that a nerve agent was used to do this is shocking,' Skripal said. 'My life has been turned upside down'

Yulia spoke in Russian during her interview and signed two copies of her statement, one in Russian and one in English, to certify that the words were her own. But Russia said her statement appeared to have been written by a native English speaker before being translated

He complained: 'Until now, the UK side has not complied with the Vienna Convention.

'Up to this point, Russia has not been provided with consular access to Yulia Skripal.'

He said that despite the broadcast there had been no live interviews with her.

The Kremlin found it impossible to know if what she said 'can be reliable and trusted'.

He alleged: 'It is all happening amidst gigantic provocation from the British side, which does not have any comparisons in the world.'

In Russia, newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda cited political expert Igor Shatrov said the video was a 'new act' in a provocation against Russia choreographed by Britain.

Magnitsky amendment Britain will be able to impose sanctions on people who commit gross human rights violations under a so-called 'Magnitsky amendment' backed by members of parliament on Tuesday. The amendment to a new Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill going through parliament passed without a vote as it was backed both by the ruling Conservatives and the main opposition Labour Party. Lawmakers referred to it during their debate as the Magnitsky amendment, in reference to Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who was arrested in 2008 after alleging that Russian officials were involved in large-scale tax fraud. He died in a Moscow prison in 2009 after complaining of mistreatment. Advertisement

'Who wrote the text? Did she? Or MI6? In my opinion, Yulia was forced to make tougher statements about Russia,' he said.

'It is obvious that the young woman is scared for her life - and the life of her father.

'But who is the source of this threat?

'It seems to me, it is those who are in charge of her now.'

Chemical weapons expert Igor Nikulin was quoted saying that no-one has been seen previously having looking so good after a chemical weapons attack.

'I have never seen anybody who survived after poisoning with such a gas,' he said.

'But we have to admit, she does look well.

'I suppose, serious professional experts have been working with her.

'And a lot is possible in two months.

'I am more confused that it was not her press conference (rather than a video statement).

'It makes us think that (the British) are hiding something from us.

'Maybe they are afraid that Yulia may say something they don't want.'

Psychologist Anatoly German claimed Yulia was reading words that had been penned for her.

'Yulia looks determined but lost, like a schoolgirl who learned a poem by heart, and was called to the blackboard in the classroom to recite it without mistake,' he said.

'She wrinkles her forehead, she looks aside very often.

'She must say this text up the end but it won't give her satisfaction, maybe just some relief. Like  'well, I've said that now'.

'The whole text and her monotone intonation tell us that it was not an improvisation but something that was repeated before and probably was 'improved' during these rehearsals.

Yulia and her father Sergei Skripal, a former colonel in Russian military intelligence who betrayed dozens of agents to Britains MI6 foreign spy service, were found unconscious on a public bench in the British city of Salisbury on March 4

Mr Skripal, recruited by British spies while in Spain, ended up in Britain after a Cold War-style spy swap that brought 10 Russian spies captured in the United States back to Moscow in exchange for those accused by Moscow of spying for the West

'There are almost no word combinations and sayings that naturally come out in a normal speech and reveal the personality.

'Of course, some things can be explained by the nervousness of the young woman - some mechanical-looking gestures, her monotone voice.

'But there is a feeling that this text is artificial, non-personalised, written and edited by other people.'

He concluded: 'Watching this video, we cannot say that at this very moment Yulia is very scared.

'But obviously she is suffering from the consequences of her stress.

'Reading her face we see that she is stunned and not sure of herself.'

Surgeon Sergey Goryachev identified the mark on her neck as evidence of a tracheotomy.

It indicated that Yulia and her father breathed in a 'strong neuro-paralytic substance (and) most likely they had throat spasms'.

Prominent Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian parliament, said Yulia's video recording left 'a host of unanswered questions'.

The pro-Kremlin politician said Russia was 'glad to see that Yulia is alive and well' and that Moscow was 'ready to render all necessary assistance for her to return home'

However hen added: 'I still believe that a full and independent investigation is needed into the United Kingdom's illegal actions against Russia over the Skripal case.'

He alleged: 'The video address might as well be staged with an aim to conceal the truth about the March 4 incident in Salisbury.

'That's why the Russian diplomatic mission's demands to meet with Yulia are rightful and justified.'

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday night that he thought Yulia Skripal was speaking under duress.

'We have not seen her or heard from her,' he said when asked to comment on the story.

Russia's ambassador in London, Alexander Yakovenko, has repeatedly demanded to see Yulia, who was a Russian citizen when she was poisoned.

'As I try to come to terms with the devastating changes thrust upon me both physically and emotionally, I take one day at a time and want to help care for my Dad till his full recovery. In the longer term I hope to return home to my country' Yulia said

A two inch scar was visible across her windpipe as she spoke - thought to be from an emergency tracheotomy performed by paramedics battling to save her life

Detailing the harrowing attack her hand written letter, Miss Skripal said: 'The fact that a nerve agent was used to do this is shocking. My life has been turned upside down.'

Despite the poisoning, Miss Skripal said she wants to return to her home country some day.

Miss Skripal's appearance comes just days after Russian president Vladimir Putin taunted Mr Skripal following his release from hospital, remarking he would have 'died on the spot' had he been attacked with a military-grade toxin.

Putin wished Mr Skripal 'good health' during a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week.

But he added: 'God grant him good health... If a military-grade poison had been used, the man would have died on the spot. Thank God he recovered and that he left (hospital).'

Mystery surrounds the attack. The motive is unclear, as is the logic of using such an exotic nerve agent which has overt links to Russia's Soviet past

Sergei, thought to be the main target of the attack, is a former colonel in Russian military intelligence who betrayed dozens of agents to MI6.

'We are so lucky to have both survived this attempted assassination. Our recovery has been slow and extremely painful,' she said in her written English statement.

'As I try to come to terms with the devastating changes thrust upon me both physically and emotionally, I take one day at a time and want to help care for my Dad till his full recovery. In the longer term I hope to return home to my country.'

Prime Minister Theresa May said the Skripals were poisoned with Novichok, a deadly group of nerve agents developed by the Soviet military in the 1970s and 1980s. May, along with many other world leaders, blame Russia for the poisoning.

It was the first known use of a military-grade nerve agent on European soil since World War Two. Allies in Europe and the United States sided with May's view and ordered the biggest expulsion of Russian diplomats since the height of the Cold War.

Russia retaliated by expelling Western diplomats. Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement and accused the British intelligence agencies of staging the attack to stoke anti-Russian hysteria.

Mystery surrounds the attack. The motive is unclear, as is the logic of using such an exotic nerve agent which has overt links to Russia's Soviet past.

Russian officials question why Russia would want to attack an ageing turncoat who was pardoned and swapped in a Kremlin-approved 2010 spy swap.

'I don't want to describe the details but the clinical treatment was invasive, painful and depressing,' she said in Russian.

Yulia's father was discharged from hospital on May 18. At one point doctors feared both patients could have suffered brain damage. He is no longer in a critical condition, Salisbury hospital said.

Miss Skripal was speaking from a secret location in London as she is under the protection of the British state. She was discharged from Salisbury District Hospital about five weeks after the poisoning and has not been seen by the media until now

Miss Skripal spoke in Russian and supplied a statement that she said she had written herself in both Russian and English. She signed both documents after making her statement

Born as a citizen of a superpower, Yulia grew up as the Soviet Union crumbled and then in the chaos that followed its 1991 collapse.

Her Facebook page says she started studying at Moscow's School No. 63 in 1991 before gaining admission to Moscow State Humanities University in 2001, a year after Putin was first elected as Russian president.

In December 2004, her father was arrested by Federal Security Service agents on suspicion of treason: passing secrets to Britain's MI6 intelligence agency.

Miss Skripal, recruited by British spies while in Spain, ended up in Britain after a Cold War-style spy swap that brought 10 Russian spies captured in the United States back to Moscow in exchange for those accused by Moscow of spying for the West.

Yulia arrived in Britain from Russia at London's Heathrow Airport at about 1440 GMT on March 3 on one of her regular visits to her father. The pair were found unconscious a day later.

'I am grateful to all of the wonderful, kind staff at Salisbury hospital, a place I have become all too familiar with. I also think fondly of those who helped us on the street on the day of the attack.'

Yulia Skripal full press statement Yulia Skripal says she wants to return to her country 'in the longer term', despite the poisoning Good day, my name is Yulia Skripal. I came to the UK on March 3rd to visit my father, something I have done before. After 20 days in a coma, I woke to the news that we may have been poisoned. I still find it difficult to come to terms with the fact that both of us were attacked in a such a way. The fact that a nerve agent was used to do this is shocking. We are so lucky to have both survived this attempted assassination. I don't want to describe the details but the clinical treatment was invasive, painful and depressing. Our recovery has been slow and extremely painful. I am grateful to all of the wonderful, kind staff at Salisbury hospital, a place I have become all too familiar with. I also think fondly of those who helped us on the street on the day of the attack. I was discharged from hospital on April 9th and continue to progress with treatment but my life has been turned upside down. As I try to come to terms with the devastating changes thrust upon me both physically and emotionally, I take one day at a time and want to help care for my father until his full recovery. In the longer term I hope to return home to my country. I wish to address a couple of issues directly and have chosen to interrupt my rehabilitation to make this short statement. I ask that everyone respects the privacy of me and my father. We need time to recover and come to terms with everything that has happened. I'm grateful for the offers of assistance from the Russian Embassy but at the moment I do not wish to avail myself of their services. Also, I want to reiterate what I said in my earlier statement: that no one speaks for me, or for my father, but ourselves. I would like to thank again everyone involved in my continued care, in this difficult period of my life. My priority remains on my recovery and my father's health. Thank you for your attention. Advertisement

Yulia Skripal's family welcomes her video appearance as proof she is 'alive' - by Will Stewart in Moscow Yulia Skripal's family tonight welcomed her video appearance as proof she is 'alive'. Her cousin Viktoria, 45, who has been twice refused entry to Britain to meet Yulia, 33, and her father Sergei, 66, said: 'The whole family was incredibly happy to see the video as it least it confirms that she is alive. 'This alone is such a joy.' The family had expressed fears - because she had not been seen since early March - that she and her father were dead. 'The main message for us was that she did say she wanted to be back home, back to Russia,' said Viktoria. 'I'm having so many calls from all over the world that I didn't even have time to watch it properly and discuss the video from the family until you sent me the file I saw Yulia. 'Judging by what I saw, it looks like she tracheostomy, you can see a scar on her neck. 'And the timing of that video release is so close to her grandmother's appeal was begging UK authorities to let her speak to her son and granddaughter. 'The timing of this video, it came right after the grandmother's appeal. 'We just wish we could speak direct to them. 'So far we have had no direct calls from her, and nor a call or message from Sergei.' She vowed: 'We will continue to fight for our chance to talk to them, to see them.' And she added: 'You can also see that she's trying to speak with her own words, but this is still a script. 'Was it given to her? ' AdvertisementGaynor Morgan-Hoole, 46, runs a property company. She is married to Tim, 46, a company director and they live in Prestbury, Cheshire, with daughter Jessica, 11. Gaynor also has a son, Alex, 25. She and Tim have other properties on the Algarve, Portugal, and in Altrincham. Gaynor says:

Ask me to name my favourite house and its a struggle. Currently, Im utterly in love with my house in Portugal. I remember sitting by the pool with my family at Easter, sun-kissed and happy, finishing a gorgeous meal as the sun dipped below the horizon and thinking there was nowhere on earth Id rather be.

But home is definitely Cheshire. There is a 360-degree horizon of rolling hills blanketed in gold in the autumn. The smell of wood smoke and sodden earth on a chill evening makes me fall in love with England all over again.

Then, of course, theres my flat in Altrincham, which I use when in town for business meetings: gleaming, sleek ultra-modern with lots of steel appliances, its efficient and impressive. Just how business should be.

Gaynor Morgan-Hoole's 'gleaming, sleek ultra-modern' flat in Altrincham, Greater Manchester

Her villa in the Algarve, on which she spent 500,000 has four bedrooms, each with en suite

I know I am lucky  but Ive worked hard for everything. My parents ignited my property bug. When I was in my early 20s they gave me a plot of land next to their home and said I could do what I wanted with it. Battling for planning permission and studying plans allowed me to see the potential for investment. I sold it a few years later at a good profit.

We bought a property in Cheshire three years ago for 850,000. I razed the ugly house and started again.

We spent 500,000 building our perfect family home  four bedrooms, each with an en suite. It is now worth double what we paid and we love it. We bought the villa in Portugal in 2008 after falling in love with the area while visiting friends and built it from the ground up. It is a two-acre estate. It has four bedrooms, all en suite, with a pool and an outside kitchen and bar. It is worth around 3 million.

We rent out the villa when we are not there. A property abroad has to make money for us.

Her home is definitely Prestbury, Cheshire, with a a 360-degree horizon of rolling hills blanketed in gold in the autumn and a smell of wood smoke and sodden earth

Gaynor Morgan-Hoole, 46, runs a property company and owns three luxury properties

The flat in Altrincham was a purchase I made ten years ago. Alex loves to crash there, too.

We keep clothes and towels at each property. It allows us to head off to Portugal at short notice, taking just hand luggage.

I do have moments at night when I wake up not knowing which home I am in, and wander off to the loo in the wrong direction!

Some people who dont know us can make jealous comments. Those in our social circle know how hard my husband and I have worked for what we have.

Sarah Cross is an interior designer and married mother of five to Oliver, 12; Jonny, ten; Eloise, eight; and Harry and Lottie, five. The family lives in Cambridge and also have properties in Anglesey and St Lucia. Sarah, 45, says:

After a trying day juggling the demands of five children, I like to let my mind wander. It doesnt have to go too far: just to the beaches of Anglesey or the azure sea of St Lucia. And I can do that  and still be at home!

I got on the property ladder after I was awarded financial compensation. Id been badly injured in a hit-and-run accident in London in 1995.

The sum I received just about allowed us to put a deposit on our first property in West London. It was while I was renovating the flat, enjoying experimenting with fabrics and colours, that I realised I could earn a living from design and interiors.

The home is 'modern and practical' with an open-plan kitchen, dining room and living room

I spent my 20s and 30s getting married and having children. Yet during that time I was renovating our next home  another London flat. We sold up and moved to Cambridge in 2013, before our youngest child was born. Our detached home there is modern and practical with six bedrooms, an open-plan kitchen, dining room and living room, all painted in bright colours. Its cosy, family chaos, but also big enough for us to all come together and have our own space, too.

Ive been going to Anglesey on holiday since I was a child. Its a really special area for me.

We bought our place there in the village of Rhoscolyn, in 2015. I think a family home is different from a holiday home. It took me a year to get it how I like it: now its a stunning New England beach- style house which can sleep 12. It even has a hot tub. I rent it out when were not there.

Sarah can let her mind wander with guaranteed sunshine at a property in St Lucia (pictured)

The home in Rhoscolyn which they bought in 2015. Sarah had often visited Anglesey as a child

The St Lucia property was an obvious choice because it is somewhere we have loved going and meeting friends for years.

With guaranteed sunshine, its also a place where my husband can truly switch off.

There was land for sale in 2016, so we went for it. It took a year to build our four-bedroom, four-bathroom home.

The children all have their favourite place. As for me, wherever my family is is where I want to be at that moment.

Jane Sayce, 59, is a marketing agent, and lives with her partner, Paul, 52, an electrician. She has two children Cassie, 32, and Joshua, 33, and a grandson Zae, one. She has homes in Cyprus, Shropshire and Cleethorpes. Jane says:

Ever since I was a little girl growing up in a council house in the Midlands I always knew Id have a property overseas one day.

And I was right. Today, I still get a rush of pleasure waking up to azure blue skies and a twinkling, inviting swimming pool  and ending the day with something chilled and gorgeous, as I watch the sun go down.

This is the life I adore in Cyprus for five months of the year.

Jane Sayce's two-bedroom log cabin retreat in Shropshire

Jane Sayce's property in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, a seafront flat bought as an investment

As soon as I left home at 18, I went to Belgium, where I worked as an au pair before working in hospitality in hotels in Germany and Denmark. When I returned to the UK, I married and raised my family. Im one of lifes grafters and so when the children finally flew the nest, I set about making my dream a reality. I sold my UK property in Staffordshire and used the proceeds to buy a place off plan in Cyprus.

It took three years to build my three-bedroom dream home in the sun. Id fly out to see the progress and gradually fell in love with the Cypriot way of life. Im not someone who divulges the costs involved, as I regard that as personal.

When it was ready three years later, I sold my house in Staffordshire and moved here full-time. Not everyone was here in Paphos permanently and before long people began to ask me to manage their property. I found it was something I not only enjoyed, but was good at.

I went from managing eight to then launching my own company and marketing approximately 100 holiday homes, although today I have scaled the business back to 80 properties.

It took Jane three years to build her three-bedroom dream home in the sun, in Cyprus

Marketing agent Jane Sayce, 59, at her holiday home in Paphos, Cyprus

Three years ago, I bought my two-bedroom log cabin retreat in Shropshire. I find the summers too hot in Cyprus, and also its closer to Birmingham, where my grown-up children live.

The wildlife is stunning; I sit on the terrace and wind down while watching geese waddle by or listening to the woodpeckers in the forests.

I am already thinking about my future though, which is why I have just snapped up a town property in Cleethorpes. Its a rather chi-chi seafront flat, which I regard as a great investment. I can see it is somewhere we could both retire to when I eventually sell up.

My family are rather proud of me. They know how have worked hard to achieve this.First daughter Ivanka Trump can join her husband and father in high-level security briefings now that her permanent Top Secret clearance.

She received it at the same time her husband, Jared Kushner, was awarded his on May 1, according to Axios.

She was granted an interim Top Secret security clearance last June but has now been upgraded to full status, a move that was in doubt after CNN reported in March the FBI was investigating one of her international business deals in Vancouver.

She had to pass an FBI background check to be awarded the permanent status.

Ivanka Trump will now be able to join her husband and her father, President Donald Trump. in top level White House meetings, and she'll have access to foreign intelligence and the President's Daily Brief, a morning summary of global intelligence.

First daughter Ivanka Trump received her permanent Top Secret clearance on May 1, the same day as her husband, Jared Kushner. Here the two attend the administration's first state dinner in honor of French President Emanuel Macron in April

Ivanka Trump can now join her husband and her father in top level White House meetings, and she'll have access to foreign intelligence and the President's Daily Brief. Here she and her husband walk on the White House colonnade during a state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron in April.

The couple recently represented the Trump administration in Israel for the opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem.

Kushner has a permanent security clearance after nearly three months operating on a temporary and downgraded status, a White House official confirmed Wednesday, saying that the FBI has found nothing in Kushner's past that would tend to recommend against it.

Kushner had been relegated to pushing Middle East diplomacy without a 'Top Secret/SCI' clearance since the end of February.

That situation was part of the embarrassing fallout from the revelation that one of the president's closest aides had been working on the basis of a temporary clearance even though federal agents know about physical abuse claims lodged by his two ex-wives.

President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner had lost his 'Top Secret/SCI' security clearance as part of a West Wing-wide review in February, but got it back this week

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly yanked several senior officials' temporary top-level clearances in February

Chief of Staff John Kelly ended lengthy temporary clearances for several elite West Wing staffers after the dismissal of former White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter, insisting that they must lose access to the government's most sensitive material while lengthy background checks wore on.

The FBI finally cleared Kushner after more than 17 months of vetting, The New York Times reported. Among other benefits he will have restored is access to the President's Daily Brief.

Press Secretary Sarah Sanders downplayed the change in February, saying Kushner remained a 'valued member of the team' whose work woud be unaffected.

But news reports at the time told a different story involving the governments of China, Israel, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates trying to manipulate a man they saw as a geopolitical novice whose overwhelming debts connected to commercial real estate projects made him anxious to find financial partners.

CNN reported Wednesday that while the FBI was finalizing his security review, Kushner met for a second time with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team, answering questions about his role in the Trump campaign and his contacts with prominent Russians and other foreign nationals.

He omitted those relationships  dozens of them  when he filed his initial application for a security clearance, and was forced to amend it later.

Kushner's downgraded clearance was yet more fallout from the DailyMail's report of abuse allegations against former White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter, whose ex-wife Colbie Holderness (pictured) had accused him of physical abuse

That hurdle caused part of the delay in finalizing Kushner's clearance, the official said Wednesday.

The White House has sought to portray the FBI's plodding pace as an ordinary situation endemic to any new government official with longstanding financial entanglements.

But a law enforcement source told DailyMail.com that a major stumbling block was Kushner's failure, even on his re-submitted application, to mention the now-famous 2016 Trump Tower meeting attended by Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.

'SCI' stands for Sensitive Compartmented Information, the highest clearance level available in federal government service.For his sermon on Sunday, Father Martin McVeigh told parishioners in the scenic Irish fishing village of Clogherhead that he'd like to talk politics.

Specifically, the elderly priest wanted to discuss a high-profile referendum battle that will culminate today when Ireland votes on the highly emotive subject of abortion.

In our ever more secular age, the Republic of Ireland has remained a largely Catholic nation, with priests such as Father McVeigh still holding a grip on the hearts, minds and voting habits of their communities.

But times are changing. Even before his sermon was properly under way, several women walked out of the church.

Then, as Father McVeigh told congregants he expected them to vote against today's ballot proposal to end Ireland's longstanding ban on abortion, a local man called Keith Delaney leapt to his feet and declared: 'I'm not listening to this!'

Emotive: Yes campaigners are pictured in Ireland in the lead up to today's referendum

One church-goer described the scene: 'Keith left with his eight-year-old daughter. After that, the priest responded with graphic remarks about doctors killing babies with tiny hands and feet.

'But that just encouraged more people to leave. It was a family service, and you don't want your kids to hear that sort of thing, do you?'

Soon, the trickle leaving St Michael's Church had become a flood and Father McVeigh decided to declare defeat  'He stopped about two minutes later and said 'Mass is over, go in peace'  by which time only around one-third of his 120-strong congregation remained.

The walkout made headlines in the Irish press this week, providing the latest vivid example of the highly emotive and deeply divisive political battle which has been played out in towns and villages across the land over recent months.

Tour the Emerald Isle today and you'll struggle to find a single lamppost that isn't festooned by campaign posters.

Some are covered with slogans about women's rights; others contain images of dead infants captioned 'Do not kill' and 'Stop the slaughter of babies for body parts'.

In the countryside, where voters traditionally are more conservative, farmers have used ploughs to write huge anti-abortion messages into their fields.

No campaigners are calling on Irish voters to keep the eighth amendment of the republic, which gives equal rights to women and their unborn children

In metropolitan areas and on urban streets, where the electorate take a more liberal view on social issues, teams of pamphleteers from both sides sometimes outnumber shoppers. At times, hostility is spilling over.

Outside the Dail, Ireland's Parliament in Dublin, evangelical Catholics fingering their rosary beads have been chanting 'Jesus, protect and save the unborn' while pro-choice opponents try to shout them down.

Next to the iconic Georgian edifice that is Dublin's General Post Office  the birthplace of 1916's Easter Uprising against British rule, which led to Ireland's independence a few years later  eggs have been thrown and tables full of leaflets upended.

Visiting this symbolic location yesterday, I witnessed a shouting match between two elderly women brandishing plastic models of human embryos in various stages of development and a younger woman carrying a gay rights flag.

The pair were were watched by crowds of surprisingly young campaigners  both pro and anti-abortion.

Behind such scenes lies a strange contradiction.

On the one hand, Ireland has always been regarded as one of Europe's last bastions of social conservatism.

Same-sex sexual activity was only decriminalised here in 1993, and divorce permitted in 1995.

Each weekend, one in three citizens goes to Mass  a figure roughly ten times greater per capita of population than in the UK.

Yet recent years have also seen this relatively young country embrace trendy progressive policies at a breakneck pace. In 2004, for example, Ireland became the first country in the world to enact a smoking ban.

Pro-choice activists are pictured dressed as the Handmaid's Tale characters in Dublin yesterday

In 2015, against the Catholic Church's advice, voters agreed by a margin of two to one to introduce gay marriage.

And last year, Ireland installed as Prime Minister one Leo Varadkar, a gay former GP whose father was an Indian immigrant.

Against this shifting backdrop, today's referendum concerns a straightforward question: should Ireland scrap the eighth amendment to its constitution, which stipulates that an unborn child has the same right to life as its mother?

This law, one of the most stringent in the western world, effectively outlaws all terminations, even in cases of rape and incest, and even where an embryo is diagnosed with a terminal illness that means it will be stillborn.

Only where the mother's life is in 'real and substantial' danger as a result of the pregnancy can abortion be considered.

Until 1992, Ireland even forbade Irish women from travelling overseas to undergo an abortion.

Since that particular rule was lifted (courtesy of a different referendum), around 170,000 women have come to Britain for the procedure, where it was legalised in 1967.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar (pictured) is campaigning to legal abortion in the vote

Roughly 3,000 Irish women are treated in UK hospitals and clinics each year, paying between 3,000 and 4,000 for their terminations.

Voters today will vote 'Yes' or 'No' on a decision to replace the eighth amendment with a new article in Ireland's constitution allowing politicians to bring in 'the regulation of termination of pregnancy'.

The government here says this will enable them to pass a law permitting abortions under any circumstance up to the 12th week of pregnancy, and for health reasons thereafter. (Britain, by contrast, allows abortion on any grounds until 24 weeks.)

When this plan was first announced last year, it seemed likely to pass by a wide margin.

A Yes vote, after all, was endorsed by the leaders of all three major parties: Mr Varadkar of centre-Right Fine Gael; Micheal Martin of the more Left-wing Fianna Fail; and Sinn Fein's Mary Lou McDonald.

The Establishment camp also has the backing of trade unions and most media outlets, along with a host of celebrities, from actors such as Peaky Blinders' Cillian Murphy and Saoirse Ronan, who stars in the film Chesil Beach, to author Marian Keyes, pop band U2 and several members of the Six Nations-winning rugby team.

Well organised Yes canvassers have also persuaded around 125,000 people who have never voted before to register to vote.

Many are 18-24 year olds, and polls show that 67 per cent of them support the repeal of the eighth amendment.

While the No side boasts the support of the Church, its ability to dictate to the public on moral issues has been seriously eroded in recent years due to a number of high-profile scandals.

Indeed, the aforementioned Father McVeigh was at the centre of one such incident in 2012, when gay pornography  seemingly from his laptop  appeared on a projector while he was lecturing children at a local school.

'Every time I've heard a priest or bishop coming out with an opinion in public, I think it's been good news for our side,' Senator Catherine Noon, a leading figure in the Yes campaign told me this week. 'Things have changed. We are now a liberal progressive society.'

At Christmas, the Yes side had a 34-point lead in opinion polls, and bookmakers put their chances of success at more than ten to one on, the equivalent of over 90 per cent. Yet in recent weeks, a series of combative TV debates has tipped the momentum back towards the No campaign.

The most recent polls, published this week, have support for Yes at around 50 per cent, with No at between 25 and 30, and the rest 'undecided'.

Bookmakers have duly trimmed the odds of a No victory to around one in six, while some commentators are talking up the chances of a Brexit-style populist surprise, in which a silent majority from rural areas ignore metropolitan convention to deliver a stunning rebuke to the political class.

All of which perhaps explains the febrile mood I found among supporters of both sides.

With polls narrowing, many Yes supporters who live overseas are travelling back to Ireland to vote, since they are not allowed postal ballots.

While some are financing the trip themselves, others are having their travel costs paid by student unions firmly in the Yes camp.

Siobhan Gilroy, 33, told me how she flew home from Brisbane, saying: 'It's mad, when you think of the expense  but when you look at what our laws make other women go through, it's nothing.'

At a press conference for the Yes campaign, reporters heard from a Dublin woman called Elaine Bedford, whose 25-year-old daughter became pregnant unexpectedly last year and  like hundreds of other Irish women in recent years  bought abortion pills illegally via the internet.

'It was terrifying,' she said. 'I put her to bed and was bringing in hot water bottles. My daughter was in agony and bleeding, and as she was losing consciousness, I could not even leave her to phone the doctors. The hell continued for three days.'

In an effort to sway undecided voters (and avoid upsetting pro-life voters in their constituencies), many Yes-supporting politicians are citing such cases as evidence that, in the internet era, the current law is impractical.

Somewhat cynically, they describe themselves as instinctively 'pro-life', but pragmatic.

The Yes camp has also been making hay with a number of high-profile tragedies, most notably that of Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old dentist who was admitted to hospital in Galway in 2012, when she was 17 weeks pregnant.

Doctors told her she was miscarrying but, even though she was in severe pain, refused requests to help terminate the pregnancy because they could still detect a foetal heartbeat.

At one point, her husband was told 'this is a Catholic country'. Eventually, Savita contracted septicaemia and died.

Her father, Andanappa Yalagi, recently appeared in a Yes campaign video, saying: 'The younger daughters of Ireland should not have the same fate as Savita she had a very long life to lead, but it was cut down mercilessly, dead.'

Savita, whose image adorns a number of campaign posters, is one of a number of women whose circumstances have sparked fierce controversy over the years.

Others include a girl known only as 'X', a teenage rape victim barred from travelling to the UK for an abortion in the early Nineties; and 'P', a woman declared brain dead when 15 weeks pregnant but kept alive on life support against the wishes of her family because her foetus still had a heartbeat.

The No side, meanwhile, argues that difficult cases such as these should not be used as a basis for legal change  saying bad cases will make bad law, and that introducing what it calls 'abortion on demand' will open proverbial floodgates.

This message has reportedly found particular traction among working class voters, and some internal polls have suggested that the No side may even end up with a two per cent lead should turnout prove lower than expected.

At a press event for the 'Save The 8th' campaign group, speakers repeatedly warned voters of turning Ireland into 'another United Kingdom' where there are around 190,000 terminations each year, meaning 'one in five pregnancies ends in abortion' and where '90 per cent of babies with Down Syndrome are aborted'.

These are, indeed, eye-opening statistics. And whatever the outcome today, neither side is going to take things lying down.

The No camp is already alleging widespread voter fraud, arguing that thousands of people have been illegally signed up to vote.

The Yes side, meanwhile, is alleging illegal interference from wealthy U.S. evangelical Christians, who are suspected of using social media to advance their case (to which end both Facebook and Google recently banned campaign advertisements).

Like many a contentious referendum, it now seems that today's vote may end up dividing a nation it was supposed to unite.A teenager has been charged with the murder of a 22-month-old toddler who was taken to hospital with 'non-accidental' head injuries.

Erin Emilia Rain Tomkins died just after 12.30am on Tuesday in Sheffield Children's Hospital after she was found at a flat in Gleadless about 11.40am on Monday.

Police described he wounds as 'suspected non-accidental injuries' and a post-mortem later revealed her cause of death to be severe head injuries.

Erin Emilia Rain Tomkins died just after 12.30am on Tuesday in Sheffield Children's Hospital after she was found at a flat in Gleadless about 11.40am on Monday

Martin Johnson was arrested on Monday and will face Sheffield Magistrates' Court on Friday charged with murder, remaining behind bars until then.

'My thoughts are with the family at this incredibly traumatic and difficult time,' Detective Chief Inspector Steve Whittaker of South Yorkshire Police said.

'I understand Erin's death is highly emotive and people will naturally feel saddened at the tragic loss of such a young life.'

Mr Whittaker also urged social media users to refrain from posting 'speculative' comments.The LA County DA has rejected all four sexual assault cases against talent agent Tyler Grasham (pictured in September 2017)

Former talent agent Tyler Grasham has escaped criminal charges after the Los Angeles County District Attorney rejected all four sexual assault cases against him.

Grasham was accused by four men of sexual assault and harassment in October 2017.

All four cases have been under investigation since the men came forward on social media. Two of the cases were rejected because they were beyond the statute of limitations, according the DA's office said.

The third case was referred to the Los Angeles City Attorney for possible misdemeanor prosecution and the fourth was rejected for insufficient evidence.

Grasham, a veteran agent for youth talent, was fired from the APA talent agency shortly after the allegations surfaced.

The accusations first came to light after filmmaker and ex-child star, Blaise Godbe Lipman, shared a letter to Facebook and Instagram as part of the #MeToo movement.

Lipman, 28, wrote: 'Tyler Grasham, under the pretense of a business meeting regarding potential agency representation at APA Agency, fed me alcohol while I was underage and sexually assaulted me.

'APA Agency has kept this man employed, working with kid actors. I find it incredibly difficult to believe they do not know of his predatory behavior, using his position within the company to prey on naive kids,' he said in the post.

Grasham (pictured) was accused by four men of sexual assault in October 2017. Two cases were rejected because they were beyond the statute of limitations. The third case was referred for possible misdemeanor prosecution and the fourth was rejected for insufficient evidence

Grasham was first called out by filmmaker and ex-child star, Blaise Godbe Lipman (pictured) in a #MeToo letter shared to Facebook and Instagram on October 17, 2017

Lipman said the incident happened at business meeting regarding potential agency representation

While at first Lipman did not name Grasham, he later said the agent 'poked' him on Facebook after he shared the letter, which prompted him to name him and provide additional details of the alleged abuse.

The filmmaker then shared further information on the shocking revelation, confirming it was written by him in an interview with Deadline, where he said he was about to turn 18 one summer when the agent got him 'drunk at a meeting to talk about business'.

He added: 'We were at his apartment when he got on top of me and fondled me. I pushed him off without trying to upset him.

'It was a very precarious position to be in, not to insult someone who was in a position of power.'

After Lipman shared his story using the #metoo hashtag, which has been used by people on social media following accusations of serial sexual harassment against producer Harvey Weinstein, more men came forward claiming they suffered sexual abuse at the hands of Grasham.

Film and TV editor Lucas Ozarowski, 27, shared that in January 2016, the disgraced agent tried getting him drunk at his home so he could take advantage of him.

In October, film and TV editor Lucas Ozarowski, 27, shared that the disgraced agent one tried getting him drunk at his home so he could take advantage of him

Ozarowsk is pictured with Grasham at a barbecue at the agent's house

Ozarowski also shared screenshots of an alleged conversation with Grasham, where the agent seems to admit to 'groping' the filmmaker

'Tyler Grasham brought me to a party for another APA Agent at the Sandbox. He kept handing me drinks, one after another, until I had to start leaving them in the bathroom,' Ozarowski wrote on Facebook.

'My phone was left at his house charging so I couldn't even leave if I wanted to. We finally got back to his place.

'As I was sitting on his couch preparing to call an Uber he pulled my pants open and aggressively grabbed my genitalia. I had to forcibly remove his hand and got up and left his house,' he continued.

Ozarowski also shared screenshots of an alleged conversation with Grasham, where the agent seems to admit to 'groping' the filmmaker and repeatedly hits on him, not stopping even after being asked to multiple times.

Orphan Black star Jordan Gavaris, 28, also accused Grasham of sexual abuse on October 20, 2017

Gavaris said Grasham threatened to harm his career if he didn't 'join his roster'

'Stop. I flirt. Don't be such a grump,' reads one of the messages that Ozarowski claims are from Grasham.

'You can give me back rubs and cuddle with me every night,' reads another.

Orphan Black star Jordan Gavaris, 28, also accused Grasham of sexual abuse.

'When I was 21, Tyler Grasham repeatedly harassed me about my sexuality, and forcibly implied he could 'protect me' if I joined his roster,' he tweeted, adding that the agent told him if he didn't comply his career 'may be derailed'.

Brady Lindsey, now 19, claimed that Grasham contacted him on Instagram when he was 16 and asked to be his boyfriend

Additionally, a report by the Wrap at the time claimed that in 2015 Grasham contacted a then-16-year-old boy on Instagram.

Brady Lindsey, now 19, said the agent professed his desire to be his boyfriend and begin a family with him, encouraging him to move to California from Utah, where he lived at the time.

Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard, 14, parted ways with Grasham and APA in 2017 after the claims surfaced

'I didn't know who he was. He said he was a big-time agent in LA and he worked at APA,' Lindsey said, adding that Grasham promised to make him a star.

'It was all talk of getting me gigs, but not being able to sign me up at the agency until I was already getting work,' he said.

Lindsey provided screenshots of alleged conversations with Grasham to the Wrap which seem to prove his account.

He moved to Hollywood in 2016 soon after his 18th birthday to begin a career as an actor, and claims that shortly after his arrival Grasham took him to dinner and gave him several drinks, even though he was underage.

Grasham then allegedly invited Lindsey home for dessert, where he made 'unwelcomed advances,' like asking if they could 'kiss and cuddle,' to which Lindsey agreed.

Canadian child actor Finn Wolfhard, 14, known for his role as Mike Wheeler in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, parted ways with the agent and the company all together in 2017 after the claims surfaced.Prince William will visit Jerusalem and the Occupied Territories next month despite violent scenes along the border

Prince William is to visit Jerusalem and the Occupied Palestinian Territories next month despite heightened tensions and outbreaks of violence in the region.

Just a week ago, 58 Palestinians were killed and 2,400 injured by Israeli troops in clashes over the US moving its embassy to Jerusalem.

But, in what will be the future kings most diplomatically sensitive foreign tour to date, William is to go ahead with his trip in the aftermath of the bloodshed on the Gaza border  the worst outbreak of fighting since 2014.

On the tour, which is at the request of the British Government, he will visit the holy city, as well as Tel Aviv, before the Palestinian leg of the trip sees him travel to Ramallah on the West Bank.

William will not be accompanied by the Duchess of Cambridge, who is on maternity leave following Prince Louis birth last month.

His trip has been welcomed by governments in the region, with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu describing it as historic. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has also hailed the trip  the first official visit by any member of the Royal Family to the Occupied Palestinian Territories  as a unique and special opportunity.

While individual royals have visited Israel in a private capacity, there has never been an official trip on behalf of the Government.

Prince William will be visiting the area upon a request by the British government

Most recently Prince Charles has been there twice to pay respects at state funerals, and visited the grave of his grandmother, Princess Alice, Prince Philips mother. Philip visited in 1994.

Palace officials have said the visit is designed to promote cultural and diplomatic ties with the region, with William, 35, expected to spend time with senior politicians, visit local charities and get to know the people of the Middle East.

Jerusalem, continuing focus of conflict Jerusalem, holy city to Christians, Muslims and Jews, is the focus of Middle East tensions. Although Israel claims the city as its capital, this is not recognised by the international community and almost all foreign embassies remain in Tel Aviv. The Palestinians consider East Jerusalem their territory, illegally occupied since the Six Day War in 1967, and wants to see it as the capital of a future Arab state. President Trumps decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, effectively recognising it as Israels capital, was welcomed by the Israeli government but provoked global hostility and inflamed Palestinian anger, triggering the clashes in which, it is claimed, 58 Palestinians died. Advertisement

With the Queen no longer undertaking long-haul travel at the age of 92, any visit by Charles as her heir is now akin to a state visit. The trip by William, as second in line, is therefore seen as a means to pave the way for further high-profile tours of the region.

He will be accompanied by one of the countrys most experienced diplomats, former ambassador to the US, Sir David Manning, who is seen as a mentor to the prince. BICOM, the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre, and think-tank, suggested the prince would meet the Israeli president and PM, visit a Holocaust remembrance centre and go to the Mount of Olives to visit his great-grandmothers grave.

In the West Bank it is anticipated he will meet the Palestinian Authority chairman and visit Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity. The princes visit to Jerusalem will be seen as controversial by some Palestinians as Israeli control over the city is not internationally recognised.

A source said Palestinian authorities had still been extremely keen for the royal visit to go ahead, despite the ongoing tensions.Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn gave an address yesterday at the Great Hall in Queen's University in Belfast during his first official trip to Northern Ireland as leader of the opposition

Jeremy Corbyn came under fierce attack yesterday when he failed to mention a prominent IRA murder victim in a speech near the scene of his death.

Edgar Graham, a law lecturer, barrister and rising star of the Northern Ireland Assembly, was shot in the head by two IRA assassins at Queens University in Belfast in 1983.

Aged 29, he was seen as a near-certain future leader of the Ulster Unionist Party and one IRA source said he was killed because he would have turned into too effective a political opponent.

Mr Corbyn  on his first visit to Northern Ireland as Labour leader  gave a lecture at Queens about Brexit, the Irish border and the need to re-start devolved government in the province.

But he angered Edgar Grahams sister Anne and families of other IRA victims by failing to condemn violence in the Troubles or even mention Mr Graham.

In my books, hes still an honorary member of Sinn Fein/IRA, said Colin Worton, whose brother Kenneth was one of ten Protestant workmen murdered when an IRA gang held up their minibus in Co Armagh in 1973.

The closest Mr Corbyn came to addressing IRA violence was when he spoke of the need to remember the victims of atrocities such as Derry, Omagh and Warrington, mentioning two republican attacks alongside the Bloody Sunday shootings by British soldiers.

He did praise Sinn Fein leaders Gerry Adams and the late Martin McGuinness as men who led the Republican movement from conflict to diplomacy. Last night Anne Graham said of Mr Corbyns failure to condemn her brothers murder: Its an insult. Its upsetting that he did not mention my brother but Im not surprised. Jeremy Corbyn should be condemning all political violence. I think its very difficult for us to move forward as a society where theres such equivocation.

She criticised Queens University, once a bastion of loyalism which now has more Catholic students than Protestants, for hosting Mr Corbyn given his close links to former IRA figures.

She said: I would be concerned but not surprised that Jeremy Corbyn would be welcome at Queens, given they have not yet even created a memorial to my brother despite an 18,000 fund being put together.

Ulster Unionist Party leader and Assembly member Robin Swann said last night: Jeremy Corbyns visit to Northern Ireland provided him with an ideal opportunity to state once and for all that the IRAs campaign of murder was completely wrong and totally unwarranted.

He was criticised for not mentioning the murder of Ulster Unionist politician and lecturer Edgar Graham, pictured, who was murdered by the IRA at the college in 1983

I know that there will be a great deal of hurt and anger that Jeremy Corbyn could come to Queens and not even mention Edgar Grahams name. When democracy is threatened it is incumbent upon all democrats to take a stand. And where democrats are murdered by terrorists like the IRA it is the duty of all democrats to call it what it is  cold blooded murder and an attack on democracy itself.

It is shameful that Jeremy Corbyn singularly failed to do that.

Colin Worton, himself an ex-Ulster Defence Regiment soldier, said: Corbyn should have been man enough to condemn all murders. It was a huge insult that he gave the speech and did not even mention Edgar Graham.

Meanwhile, Stephen Gault, who was 18 when he saw his father Samuel killed along with 11 other victims by an IRA bomb at Enniskillen in 1987, said: It doesnt surprise that Jeremy Corbyn didnt go out of his way to condemn IRA violence because hed be condemning his friends.

Days ago, he condemned the Manchester terror attack. Whats the difference between that and those who committed murder and mayhem during the Troubles? Heaven help the UK if Jeremy Corbyn becomes Prime Minister.

Mark Tipper, whose soldier brother Simon, just 19, was killed by the IRA in the 1982 Hyde Park bombing, said: You should always condemn violence, whether IRA or loyalist. I think his failure to do so shows a lack of respect.

Mr Corbyn also faced criticism yesterday from Democratic Unionist Party politician Gregory Campbell for refusing to meet IRA victims during his two-day visit. Mr Campbell, asked for the meeting almost two weeks ago but the Labour Party said the request came too late.

Kenny Donaldson of the campaign group Innocent Victims United said that Mr Corbyns refusal showed someone who does not possess true leadership qualities nor an ability to front up on difficult issues.

In his lecture, Mr Corbyn urged Ulster politicians and the UK and Irish governments to renew efforts to restore power-sharing.

We need all sides to come together and make devolution work again, he said.

He also called for the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference  which offers the Irish Republic a role in Ulster issues  to be reconvened.

He restated his commitment to having no hard border with the Republic after Brexit, and a continuing customs union with the EU.

Mr Corbyn, who won a standing ovation from many present, said he was not advocating a referendum on Irish unity. An IPSOS-Mori poll for Queens University published on Monday found only 21 per cent of people in the province wanted a united Ireland.Staff members at an Iowa library are convinced ghosts are lurking between the bookshelves.

Librarians at James Kennedy Public Library in Dyersville recently brought in a team of ghost hunters to confirm if there was any paranormal activity going on after several staff members complained of hearing and seeing spooky things when left alone.

According to KCRG, about half of the librarians at James Kennedy have said they witnessed eerie things happening when they were alone at work.

One employee said things have gotten so weird they no longer feel comfortable working alone.

Staff members at James Kennedy Public Library in Iowa said the building is haunted by ghosts

They called a paranormal group after several workers complained of eerie things happening while they were working alone

Paul Zurawski, a Teen and Young Adult Librarian at the Dyersville location, told the outlet that one morning while working alone he heard a loud thud. When he went to investigate, Zurawski said a book was in the middle of the aisle.

'I have no clue where it fell from, there wasn't like a loose end cap it could have come off of. There wasn't an empty spot on the shelf you could see it clearly fell off from. It was just there in the middle of the floor,' he said. 'And I'm like 'oh great, I'm going to be the cold opening of a horror movie victim here.''

Others told the outlet that they heard footsteps when alone in the building and the library's wooden chairs often go sliding across the floor.

Dawn Schrandt, Assistant Library Director, said the building is only 14 years old but it was built on the site of a hotel from the 1800s, which she said could explain why ghosts may be haunting the building.

Schrandt also said she has experienced a lot of paranormal activity at the library. She said a lot of it happens when she's alone in the morning preparing to open.

Schrandt said several employees told a long-time patron about their ghostly encounters and she offered to put them in contact with a team of ghost hunters.

'We have shared some of our stories with her, and all of a sudden in February she said: "Hey I actually know this paranormal group. I bet they would come do it." And she reached out to them and they said they would do it for free,' Schrandt said.

Several other workers said they have heard footsteps and chairs moving when they were by themselves in the library

Paul Zurawski said he was working alone one morning when a book fell on the ground from thin air

The library said they will reveal what the ghost hunters found in an event in the fall

The outlet reports that the paranormal activity recently caught the attention of the Dyersville city council after they realized that the library had brought in ghost hunters.

Concerned about whether the money to pay for ghost hunting was taken out of tax payers dollars, city council members started asking the library questions.

Schrandt, however, said the library did not have to pay a single penny because the paranormal group offered their services free-of-charge.

'So we did not have to pay for it, they gladly donated their time,' she said.

Now, Schrandt and her coworkers have to wait up to six weeks to find out if the library is actually haunted.

She said they plan on revealing the ghost hunters' findings in the fall when they invite the group back to the library for an event.A massive fire tore through a chemical factory in Shanghai on Wednesday.

Huge plumes of black smoke could be seen from miles away before firefighters took control of the situation.

No injuries were reported as a result of the fire which broke out from one of the factory's thinner production line, according to Shanghai Fire Department in a Weibo post.

A massive fire sent huge plumes of black smoke billowing after a chemical factory caught fire in south of Shanghai on Wednesday. The fire was put out after two hours and no one was hurt

The fire broke out from one of the factory's thinner production line, according to Shanghai Fire Department in a Weibo post. The building is used to store raw materials

Shanghai Xiangfeng Industrial Development Company is located within the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park, one of the four industrial production bases in the east China city

At about 2:10pm, the fire erupted at Shanghai Xiangfeng Industrial Development Company, which is located within the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park, one of the four industrial production bases in the east China city.

Video footage of the accident shows massive fire ripping though the building and sending plumes of thick black smoke into the air.

Factory workers were immediately evacuated from the building.

Emergency crews were alerted to the scene and the fire was extinguished after two hours at 4:28pm. The fire engulfed an area of about 1,200 square meters (12,916 square ft), according to news site East Day.

The building is a long-span masonry structure with three storeys. It serves as a storage space for raw materials and semi-finished thinner products, according to the fire department

The blaze and clouds of heavy billowing smoke are visible from miles away

Video of the accident shows massive fire ripping thought the building and sending plumes of thick black smoke into the air. The blaze could be seen from miles away

The massive blaze is seen miles away. Luckily, no injures were reported in the incident

The city's industrial zone is specialised in the development of petrochemical and fine chemistry businesses.

The building is a long-span masonry structure with three storeys. It serves as a storage space for raw materials and semi-finished thinner products, according to officials.

There is no respiratory hazard or imminent environmental danger after the blaze, according to safety and environmental protection agencies that conducted inspections at the scene.

The incident is still under investigation.A car-sharing service using self-driving vehicles hit the roads in south-west China on Thursday.

Six autopilot cars were launched in a one-month trial of the car-sharing programme in Chongqing city, reportedly making it the country's first driverless car sharing scheme.

The electric cars are provided by Pandauto, a car-hailing platform for new-energy vehicles, while the system is developed by online search engine Baidu's autonomous driving platform, Apollo.

Pand-auto's electric cars controlled by Baidu's Apollo autonomous driving system are on display at Chongqing Internet Industrial Park on Thursday in south-west China

Six autopilot cars were launched in a one-month trial of the car-sharing programme in Chongqing city, reportedly making it the country's first driverless car sharing scheme

'Once requested by the passenger on an app, the robotic car would arrive at a designated pick-up location,' Baidu said in a Weibo post. 'The future is near!'

The companies aim to deploy a 100-strong electric vehicle fleet by the end of this year.

Video footage of the self-driving car in action shows passengers in the moving vehicle - with an empty driver's seat.

The cars are capable of autonomous driving in an urban environment and can perform various operations including changing lanes and stopping at red traffic lights, according to China News.

It can also avoid obstacles and pedestrians without any human intervention.

The car is also equipped with self-parking, self-exit, cruise control and positioning features.

Users could control the vehicle's movements via the app, locate its location and track movements using a mobile application.

After arriving at the destinations, the passenger can send the car back by commanding it on the app.

These features can reportedly solve the 'last mile problem' in transport planning, which refers to the inefficiencies and difficulties in getting commuters to their final destinations.

The driverless cars are capable of autonomous driving in an urban environment and can perform various operations including changing lanes and stopping at red traffic lights

The companies aim to deploy a 100-strong electric vehicle fleet by the end of this year

The first autonomous car debuted in Baidu's development and research centre in Silicon Valley in January.

Baidu opened its first development and research centre in Sunnyvale, California in late 2017, its third such facility in the United States and its second office in Silicon Valley.

The trial operation is currently open to people with advanced reservations. Users who have received the invitation code can connect their phones to one of the shared cars.

'Passengers can now summon a ride with a click - and the car will find you on its own,' Pandauto said in a Weibo post.

Prior to the launch of the trial, checks were conducted to ensure passenger safety. A safety officer will also monitor the vehicle in real-time.

Baidu has been increasing its investments in developing autonomous vehicles, setting China on the path to redefine the future of transportation.

In April, Baidu's self-driving bus Apolong was open to the public for trial rides during the Digital China Summit.

The driverless bus was developed by Chinese commercial vehicle maker King Long and carries Apollo's autonomous driving operating system.

The Chinese government has included autonomous cars as one of the key sectors in its 'Made in China 2025' initiative, meant to transform China into a world-beating manufacturer of high-end, innovative products, according to Bloomberg.

Official policies encourage collaboration between Chinese technology companies involved in various aspects of transportation, from the cars themselves to satellite navigation.When Flight MH17 was shot down, 298 people lost their lives - 80 of them were children.

Their lives ended as they were heading off on holidays or returning home from breaks, when the plane was downed in July 2014.

A Malaysian family of six  including four children aged 13 to 19  were killed as they journeyed home together.

Evie Maslin, 10, from Perth in Australia, was flying with her brothers and grandfather to get back for school

Nick Norris was bringing grandsons Mo Maslin (left), 12, and Otis, eight, home after a holiday in Amsterdam

Victims: Marnix van den Hende (left), 12, and his elder brother Piers (right), 15, were killed aboard Flight MH17

Tragic: Their younger sister Margaux van den Hende, eight, also died in the horrific crash

The three Maslin children from Perth; Mo, 12, Evie, ten, and Otis, eight, died with their grandfather as they were returning home after family holiday in Europe.

Their parents had decided to stay in Amsterdam for a few extra days and survived their children.

The Van Den Hende siblings Piers, 15, Marnix, 12 and Margaux, eight, were travelling back to Australia with their parents.

Also among the dead were the sons of British banker Andrew Hoare; Friso, 12, and Jasper, 15, who were heading to a holiday in Borneo.

Malaysian victim Afruz Jiee, 13 (left), died alongside his brothers and sister including Afzal, 17 (right)

Tragic: Afif Jiee, 19 (left), and his younger sister Marsha Jiee, 15 (right) were flying home to Malaysia

Sisters: Jinte Wals (left) and her sister Amel (right) died alongside their two brothers and parents

Kaela Goes, 21 months, died with her parents flying home to Malaysia after visiting relatives in Holland

Flying out for a holiday: Dutch sisters Tess and Liv Trugg were en-route to a holiday in Bali with their parents

Another British father John Allen, 44, died with his Dutch wife Sandra and their three sons Ian, Julian and Christopher, aged eight to 16, as they travelled to Indonesia.

Three babies were among the dead, including 21-month-old Kaela Goes, killed with her parents as they flew home to Malaysia after visiting relatives in Holland.

Two families from the same street in the Netherlands were also killed.

Tess and Liv Trugg, aged ten and eight, and their neighbour Sem Wels, ten, died with their parents en route to a holiday in Bali.A mother in China has apparently sold her child to satisfy her desire for shopping.

The woman, known by her surname Yu, is said to have sold her 19-month-old daughter for 50,000 yuan (5,800) before jumping on a buying spree for cosmetics on the same day.

Ms Yu, described by Chinese media to be 'young', has been arrested along with the two 'buyers' on suspicion of selling and trafficking a child.

Ms Yu is arrested for selling her 19-month-old daughter to human traffickers in central China

Apparently, Ms Yu initially claimed that her daughter had gone missing at a train station. She reported the supposed missing-person case to the police 20 hours later.

Upon investigation, police found out that Ms Yu received 50,000 yuan (5,800) in her bank account the day when her daughter went 'missing'.

Officers believed the money had been sent by suspected human traffickers

According to People's Daily Online, Ms Yu travelled with her toddler daughter, Huahua, to Zhengzhou of Henen Province, on the morning of May 20.

She then sold Huahua to two suspected human traffickers, known by their surname Wei and Li respectively, at Zhengzhou railway station before noon.

Police arrested two people on suspicion of trafficking a toddler girl on May 21

After receiving Ms Yu's report, Zhengzhou police sent out a team of officers to search around the train station.

They also reviewed security camera footage from the past 24 hours.

As they looked through Ms Yu's transaction history, the officers found a large sum of money that was sent to her bank account around midday, May 20.

Another transaction record suggested that Ms Yu went shopping and spent a whopping 6,000 yuan (700) on cosmetics and other goods in the afternoon.

Ms Yu sold her daughter for 5,800 and filed a false missing person report to the police

The young mother later admitted to the police that she had filed a false police report to avoid her family's suspicion of her selling the child.

According to People's Daily Online, Zhengzhou police suggested Ms Yu contact Ms Wei and Mr Li to get her daughter Huahua back.

The pair of suspects told Ms Yu they wanted an extra 10,000 yuan (1,200) on top of the original 50,000 yuan (5,800) before agreeing to meet up.

When the two parties met, police officers barged in rescued Huahua.

They arrested and detained Ms Wei and Mr Li on suspicion of trafficking a child.

Ms Yu was also arrested under article 240 of criminal law in China for intending to sell her daughter to human traffickers.

Zhengzhou police called her husband to pick up the girl while Ms Yu was kept in detention.

'Be good in the cell, I will bring our child to pick you up when you are released from jail,' Ms Yu's husband told her.A fossilized skull of a small critter found in Utah underneath a dinosaur foot bone has scientists rethinking the timing of the break-up of Earth's bygone supercontinent Pangea.

On Wednesday scientists discovered the nearly 130-million-year-old fossilized skull of a primitive Cretaceous Period mammal called Cifelliodon wahkarmoosuch, about the size of a small hare.

The fossil is evidence that the super-continental split likely occurred much more recently than scientists had previously thought, about 15 million years later than previously believed.

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A fossilized skull of a small critter found in Utah underneath a dinosaur foot bone has scientists rethinking the timing of the break-up of Earth's bygone supercontinent Pangea

'Based on the unlikely discovery of this near-complete fossil cranium, we now recognize a new, cosmopolitan group of early mammal relatives,' said Adam Huttenlocker, lead author of the study and assistant professor of clinical integrative anatomical sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

'For a long time, we thought early mammals from the Cretaceous (145 to 66 million years ago) were anatomically similar and not ecologically diverse,' Huttenlocker said.

'This finding by our team and others reinforce that, even before the rise of modern mammals, ancient relatives of mammals were exploring specialty niches: insectivores, herbivores, carnivores, swimmers, gliders.

'Basically, they were occupying a variety of niches that we see them occupy today.'

Before a geological process called plate tectonics rendered them separate land masses, the Americas, Eurasia, Africa, Antarctica, Australia and India all were part of a huge, single continent called Pangea.

The timing for Pangea's breakup, initially into two major land masses, has been a matter of scientific debate.

The study reveals that the early mammal precursors migrated from Asia to Europe, into North America and further onto major Southern continents, said Zhe-Xi Luo, senior author of the study and a paleontologist at the University of Chicago.

The most recent supercontinent, Pangea (Greek for All Lands), is thought to have formed about 300 million years ago with Africa at its center

'It's a plant eater, as we can tell from its herbivorous teeth,' said Luo.

'From the sediments in which it was preserved, likely it lived on the banks or flood plain of a small river.'

The three-inch (7.5-cm) skull was well preserved and nearly complete, unlike the usual scrappy fossils of the group to which Cifelliodon belonged, called haramiyidans.

The earliest primitive mammals evolved during the Triassic Period, when dinosaurs also first appeared, from creatures that combined reptilian and mammalian characteristics.

Haramiyidans appeared close to the dawn of the mammalian lineage, with the earliest-known representative living about 208 million years ago and the last-known member perhaps about 70 million years ago.

The skull was unwittingly excavated at a site north of Arches National Park in eastern Utah.

On Wednesday scientists discovered the nearly 130-million-year-old fossilized skull of a primitive Cretaceous Period mammal called Cifelliodon wahkarmoosuch, about the size of a small hare

The paleontologists from Utah Geological Survey did not know it was entombed in rock brought back to a lab for study until they looked under a foot bone of a two-legged plant-eating dinosaur called Hippodraco.

It may be the best-preserved skull of any haramiyidan, offering a new understanding of the group.

'Compared to modern mammals, Cifelliodon had a simple, tube-like brain, lacked complex bony structures usually associated with the front part of the brain case and nasal region, and had simple tooth roots, among other primitive features,' Huttenlocker said.

The researchers said the discovery of Cifelliodon, which had a close contemporaneous relative in Africa, suggests there were still connections between the northern hemisphere continents and those in the southern hemisphere 15 million years later than previously believed.

KILLING OFF THE DINOSAURS: HOW A CITY-SIZED ASTEROID WIPED OUT 75 PER CENT OF ALL ANIMAL AND PLANT SPECIES Around 66 million years ago non-avian dinosaurs were wiped out and more than half the world's species were obliterated. This mass extinction paved the way for the rise of mammals and the appearance of humans. The Chicxulub asteroid is often cited as a potential cause of the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. The asteroid slammed into a shallow sea in what is now the Gulf of Mexico. The collision released a huge dust and soot cloud that triggered global climate change, wiping out 75 per cent of all animal and plant species. Researchers claim that the soot necessary for such a global catastrophe could only have come from a direct impact on rocks in shallow water around Mexico, which are especially rich in hydrocarbons. Within 10 hours of the impact, a massive tsunami waved ripped through the Gulf coast, experts believe. Around 66 million years ago non-avian dinosaurs were wiped out and more than half the world's species were obliterated. The Chicxulub asteroid is often cited as a potential cause of the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event (stock image) This caused earthquakes and landslides in areas as far as Argentina. While investigating the event researchers found small particles of rock and other debris that was shot into the air when the asteroid crashed. Called spherules, these small particles covered the planet with a thick layer of soot. Experts explain that losing the light from the sun caused a complete collapse in the aquatic system. This is because the phytoplankton base of almost all aquatic food chains would have been eliminated. It's believed that the more than 180 million years of evolution that brought the world to the Cretaceous point was destroyed in less than the lifetime of a Tyrannosaurus rex, which is about 20 to 30 years. Advertisement

They named the fossil after famed paleontologist Richard Cifelli.

The species name, 'wahkarmoosuch' means 'yellow cat' in the Ute tribe's language in respect of the area where it was found.

"The skull of Cifelliodon is an extremely rare find in a vast fossil-bearing region of the Western Interior, where the more than 150 species of mammals and reptile-like mammal precursors are represented mostly by isolated teeth and jaws," said James Kirkland, study co-author in charge of the excavation and a Utah State paleontologist.

It boasts traits suggesting it possessed a keen sense of smell and may have been nocturnal. The research was published in the journal Nature.Apple has partnered with car manufacturer Volkswagen to bring its dream of self-driving cars to life.

The joint venture will see the firm's T6 transporter vans transformed into autonomous shuttle busses for Apple employees.

Apple will equip the vans with its self-driving tech and its staff will be able to hitch a ride around its campuses, including its 'spaceship' campus Apple Park in California.

Details on when the new vehicles will first hit the streets are yet to emerge.

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Apple has partnered with German car manufacturer Volkswagen to bring its dream of self-driving cars to life. The partnership will turn Volkswagen's T6 transporter vans (pictured) into autonomous shuttle buses for its employees

Apple has had little success with its attempts to conquer the automotive industry since it founded its self-driving car programme back in 2014.

The New York Times reported that luxury car brands BMW and Mercedes rejected the advances of Apple before the Cupertino company settled for a different German car manufacturer, VW.

Following these set-backs, the tech giant has been forced to narrow the scope of its programme.

Its initial goals were ambitious, as the iPhone manufacturer set out to create its own vehicle from scratch.

Apple wanted to create a revolutionary vehicle, code-named 'Titan', that would not only be autonomous, but would have a lush interior where its passengers would face one another.

Apple will equip the new vans, which will be made by VW (pictured) with its self-driving tech. Reports claim that luxury car brands BMW and Mercedes rejected the advances of Apple

As time passed and partnerships with industry leaders failed to come to fruition, the company was forced to curtail its aspirations.

Despite a rough transition into the field of automated vehicles, Apple has had some success.

In 2015, Apple launched project Baja, a programme where it partnered with a firm called Torc Robotics to retrofit two Lexus SUVs with sensors.

Apple now has more than 50 of these vehicles, and it uses them for data collection and testing.

In 2017, California officials authorised Apple to use three of these vehicles on public roads as part of self-driving tests.

Rival companies such as the Google-owned Waymo and Uber have had more success than Apple and appear to be far closer to producing a functional autonomous vehicle.

Its new partner, Volkswagen, may not have been the first choice for Apple but the collaboration will be sure to boost its presence in the field of self-driving cars.

Apple staff will be able to hitch a ride around its many campuses, including Apple Park in California (pictured) which was opened earlier this year and cost $5 billion (3.5 billion)

Volkswagen may not have been the first choice for Apple but the collaboration will be sure to boost its presence in the field of self-driving cars. Earlier this year, Volkswagen released a concept car called the I.D Vizzion (pictured), which will be fully autonomous

IS APPLE DEVELOPING ITS OWN SELF-DRIVING CAR? Chief Executive Tim Cook has suggested that Apple wants to move beyond integration of Apple smartphones into vehicle infotainment systems. Apple officially secured a permit to test autonomous vehicles in California on April 14, 2018. Rumours have been sweeping the web since the year prior that Apple was toying with the idea of developing its own self-driving car. But Apple executives have been coy about their interest in the vehicles. Chief Executive Tim Cook has suggested that Apple wants to move beyond integration of Apple smartphones into vehicle infotainment systems. He has called autonomous vehicles the 'mother of all' artificial intelligence projects. Apple's secretive fleet of 'Project Titan' self-driving cars has almost doubled in the first few months of 2018. It expanded its self-driving test fleet from 27 vehicles to more than 50 cars and is testing some of them in California. There has been no public announcement as to if the company will be creating their own vehicles, but Cook did say in 2017 that Apple will be focusing on software for pre-existing vehicles. One of Apple's self-driving test cars, called 'The Thing,' has six LIDAR  or light detection and ranging  sensors situated on top to help the car 'see' its surroundings. A wider roll-out has yet to be announced. Apple has established a partnership with Volkswagen to develop self driving vans to shuttle Apple employees around its campus. In self-driving cars, LIDAR sensors constantly scan the surrounding areas looking for information and acting as the 'eyes' of the car Advertisement

Earlier this year, Volkswagen released a concept car called the I.D Vizzion, which will be a level five autonomous vehicle.

This means it requires no human intervention and can handle all roads.

Volkswagen's vision of the family car of the future  otherwise known as the 'smart lounge on wheels' - has no need for a steering wheel, driver's seat, dash board or pedals.

The car is operated by voice and gesture control - with the passenger simply having to state where they want to go and use a hand signal to get the car to move.

And it even 'recognises' its owners via a facial scan, opening the door for them.

This concept is not likely to materialise for a few years.

VW is starting with the I.D Hatchback which is due to be released by around 2020, writes Autoblog.Disturbing images have emerged from inside a Chinese sex robot factory where people can order custom-made AI dolls, some of which are the size of children.

The AI dolls, which cost on average $3,100 (2,300), have soft and elastic skin made from rubbery plastic that contain less oil content than normal plastics and reportedly do not smell.

The plastic is heated to 37C to reflect a human's body temperature and developers say these perverse dolls have body sensors that also make them feel human-like.

The company that makes the robots, Shenzhen Atall Intelligent Robot Technology which is based in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, says most of its clients are 40 to 50-year-old men that come from Europe and the US.

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Disturbing images give an insight into China's strange sex robot factory where people can order custom-made AI dolls, some of which are the size of children. Pictured is a vendor and costumer in the shop in Guangzhou Adult Market in Guangzhou

US customers like robots with darker skin and large breasts, buttocks and genitals while Chinese customers go for for Asian features with small, hairless genitals, the company says.

Most shockingly, the firm is selling child-size AI sex robots, both male and female, and the biggest market for them is in the US and Canada.

However, the perverse fetish for child-like dolls is nothing new. Last year it was revealed there has been a surge in men ordering sex dolls from Hong Kong.

Dozens of these vile 'lifelike' figures were impounded by Norwegian authorities with convicted paedophiles among the men aged 18-60 who had bought them.

The robots' bodies are made from modified thermoplastic elastomers (TBE) with a metal skeleton and they are around half the weight of normal human beings.

The company says they have anti-electric shock, anti-fire and anti-explosion measures.

These AI dolls, which cost around $3,100 (2,300), have soft and elastic skin made from modified thermoplastic elastomers (TPE). Pictured are bodies of the 'smart' sex dolls hanging to dry in dolls factory in Dongguan, Guandong Province

The plastic is heated to 37C to reflect a human's body temperature and developers say these perverse dolls have body sensors that make them feel human-like. Pictured is a user holding a hand of his 'smart' sex doll as he sits on a sofa in his home in Guangzhou

Pictured is a worker assembling a doll in dolls factory in Dongguan. US customers like robots with darker skin and large breasts, buttocks and genitals while Chinese customers go for Asian features with small, hairless genitals, the company says

WHERE ARE AUTHORITIES TRACKING DOWN SALES OF VILE CHILD SEX DOLLS? Last year it was revealed there has been a surge in men ordering sex dolls from Hong Kong. Dozens of these vile 'lifelike' figures were impounded by Norwegian authorities with convicted paedophiles among the men aged 18-60 who had bought them. In January last year vile sex robots designed to look like children as young as five were seized by the UK National Crime Agency. At least 23 people were arrested in relation to the dolls, which were being posted into the UK. One man was under investigation for bringing in a large quantity of the dolls for 'commercial' usage, while others whose addresses appear on shipments for individual dolls were also being looked into. The NCA representative told MailOnline at the time: 'Under customs regulations it is an offence to import 'indecent or obscene articles.' 'As such, if NCA/Border Force officers deem an item obscene (ie. clearly childlike) they have the power to seize it. 'Many such seizures have been made by Border Force, particularly in postal/fast parcel traffic. 'Those seizures are referred on to the appropriate law enforcement agency - The NCA currently has a live investigation into an individual who is suspected of importing commercial quantities of such dolls.' In 2016 it was revealed that up to 18 consignments of life-size dolls had been seized by the border force officials in Australia since 2013. The anatomically-correct rubber dolls sent from overseas have been destroyed or used for pending further investigation, a Department of Immigration and Border Protect spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. The sexualised dolls, which resemble children as young as five, were sold via the Japanese website to paedophiles across the globe. However, counselling organisation Sexpo has sparked controversy by arguing the figures should be made available to give paedophiles 'a channel for their desires'. In an open letter to the Norwegian authorities it said: 'A person who uses a lot of money and effort to purchase the doll has already made the decision that he wants to carry out the sexual tendency. 'Therefore, it is important that the customs authorities or others concerned about the sex dolls actors do not hamper their availability.' Advertisement

Currently the robot's eyes, lips and head move and they speak English and Chinese, developers say.

Flexible joints mean the dolls can be positioned in a variety of poses for display as well as sexual acts.

The company also produces custom-made AI sex robots which sell for $9,400 (7,000).

So far two have been ordered by men who wanted them based on the image of their wife who had passed away.

According to the company French customers like robots with blond curly hair, blue eyes and hairless genitals with a natural pink colour.

Spanish customers prefer robots with darker skin, full lips and larger genitals, writes News4Europe.

Around 70 per cent of these customers also like hair on genitals.

Most shockingly, the firm is selling child-size AI sex robots, both male and female, and the biggest market for them is in the US and Canada. A child size AI sex doll robot is seen in front of the adult size robots in Shenzhen Atall Intelligent Robot Technology headquarters

Pictured is the electronic skull of a robot. The company also produces custom-made AI sex robots which sell for $9,400 (7,000). So far two have been ordered by men who wanted them based on the image of their wife who had passed away

There is also high interest from the Middle East but importing sex toys into these countries is prohibited, developers say.

Customs clearance for these dolls in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Russia and the Philippines is also problematic.

Male sex robots are also sold but they are nine times less popular than female robots.

Customers say that cleaning the robots can be a chore because the skin is fragile and gets dirty very easily.

As well as sex robots, the company also produces educational robots, commercial servicing robots and guardianship robots for the elderly.

According to the company French customers like robots with blond curly hair, blue eyes and hairless genitals with a natural pink colour. A worker, pictured, hangs dolls' bodies to dry and checks them in sex dolls factory in Dongguan

Spanish customers prefer robots with darker skin, full lips and larger genitals. Around 70 per cent of these customers also like hair on genitals. Pictured is a worker assembling sex dolls

There is also high interest from the Middle East but importing sex toys into these countries is prohibited, developers say

Pictured is a man interacting with his 'smart' sex doll. Customs clearance for these dolls in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Russia and the Philippines is also problematic. Male sex robots are also sold but they are nine times less popular than female robots

Customers say that cleaning the robots can be a chore because the skin is fragile and gets dirty very easily

As well as sex robots, the company also produces educational robots, commercial servicing robots and guardianship robots for the elderly

A sex doll robot is prepared to be shipped at the Shenzhen Atall Intelligent Robot Technology show room. According to the company, their elderly escort robots are their high-end product and believed to have the best future on the market, in part due to China's ageing population

ARE SMART SEX DOLLS BRINGING SCIENCE FICTION TO LIFE? Sex robots have long been a part of science fiction, and are often used by writers to show the menacing side of technology. But, with the development of intelligent, more realistic looking sex dolls, they're fast becoming a part of real life, too. The rise of sex robots such as 'Silicon Samantha' and Realbotix Harmony RealDoll has caused many to draw parallels to popular science fiction narratives. In the 2015 film Ex Machina, programmer Nathan (Oscar Isaac) has cold and cruel sex with his creation, Ava (Alicia Vikander). However, she has the last laugh when she kills him and escapes to live covertly among humans. In the TV series Westworld, Thandie Newton plays brothel madame Maeve Millay who is frequently killed by guests during sex only to be patched up and put back to work again. In Channel 4s Humans, Anita is a domestic nanny robot. But her male owner initiates her sex program - much to the disgust of his wife when she finds out. Another robot in the show, Niska, acts as a prostitute, and later goes on to kill one of her clients. In Blade Runner, Pris, a basic pleasure model robot, goes on to become a brutal and cold killer. Sometimes, however, humans are the biggest villains. In AI, directed by Steven Spielberg, prostitute robot Gigolo Joe - played by Jude Law - is framed for murder and later killed. Advertisement

According to the company, their elderly escort robots are their high-end product and believed to have the best future on the market, in part due to China's ageing population.

The company says there are still ten to 20 years away from having fully functioning robots that can move their hands and walk like humans.

When they are ready, the company says they will be available on the market for an 'affordable price'.

Shenzhen Atall CEO Wang Shao Fang says his company sees increasing demand for education models through China's 'One Belt and One Road' development strategy.

'Those countries who belong to (the) 'One Belt One Road' region...many of them want to learn Chinese. Our robots can teach people Chinese (including children and adults). This is a great tool for education and translation.

'Their functionality is more than our other robots.

'In addition to the regular chats with the elderly, the robots can also monitor the health of people and help them to call police, relatives, an ambulance, etc', he said.

The company says there are still ten to 20 years away from having fully functioning robots that can move their hands and walk like humans. When they are ready, the company says they will be available on the market for an 'affordable price'

Shenzhen Atall CEO Wang Shao Fang says his company sees increasing demand for education models through China's 'One Belt and One Road' development strategy

'Those countries who belong to (the) 'One Belt One Road' region...many of them want to learn Chinese. Our robots can teach people Chinese (including children and adults). This is a great tool for education and translation', said Mr Wang

'In addition to the regular chats with the elderly, the robots can also monitor the health of people and help them to call police, relatives, an ambulance, etc',said Mr Wang

Sex robots have long been a part of science fiction, and are often used by writers to show the menacing side of technology. But, with the development of intelligent, more realistic looking sex dolls, they're fast becoming a part of real life, too

The rise of sex robots such as 'Silicon Samantha' and Realbotix Harmony RealDoll has caused many to draw parallels to popular science fiction narratives. Pictured is an an AI sex doll robot with a screen in a head on display at the Shenzhen Atall Technology show room

A vendor, pictured, shows goods in Guangzhou Adult Market shop in Guangzhou. In the 2015 film Ex Machina, programmer Nathan (Oscar Isaac) has cold and cruel sex with his creation, Ava (Alicia Vikander)

Pictured is a doll sitting at a kitchen table. In the TV series Westworld, Thandie Newton plays brothel madame Maeve Millay who is frequently killed by guests during sex only to be patched up and put back to work againIf you find yourself ordering a greasy cheeseburger in a restaurant instead of a low-calorie salad, the music might be to blame.

A study has found that music not only sets the mood of an evening but can also influence what you order.

When subjected to louder music, customers have a tendency to order unhealthy food, such as burgers, researchers found.

However, if the same track is playing in the background but quieter they are more likely to opt for a healthier alternative.

Twenty per cent more of a restaurant's customers ordered something unhealthy when exposed to louder ambient music compared to those who dined during a quieter time

Tempo of music has long been linked to levels of excitement - a quicker beat raises the heart rate while a slower rhythm induces relaxation.

Dr Dipayan Biswas from the University of South Florida looked at the effect of music volume on human behaviour.

Dr Biswas found that volume directly impacts heart rate and arousal.

Similar to uptempo songs, louder music increases stimulation and stress, inspiring diners to crave a greasy cheeseburger and fries.

Softer music has a calming effect, making people more mindful of what they order, researchers found.

Dr Biswas believes that this discovery could be used to manipulate people's buying habits.

He said: 'Restaurants and supermarkets can use ambient music strategically to influence consumer buying behaviour.'

Dr Biswas writes in his paper, published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science: 'Retail atmospherics is becoming an increasingly important strategic tool for stores and restaurants.

'Ambient music and background noise are especially important atmospheric elements given their ubiquity in retail settings.'

When subjected to louder music, customers have a tendency to order unhealthy food, such as burgers, researchers found (stock image)

THE RESULTS OF LOUD VS QUIET MUSIC Volume of music playing Total number of meals sold Amount of people who ordered

healthy food Amount of people who ordered non-healthy food Amount of people who ordered a neutral meal 55 Db 295 32 per cent 42 per cent 26 per cent 70 Db 254 25 per cent 52 per cent 23 per cent

As part of his research, Dr Biswas conducted an experiment at a cafe in Stockholm.

The cafe played various genres of music in a loop separately at 55Db and 70Db.

Fifty-five decibel noise is somewhere between gentle background chatter and the hum created by a refrigerator or an air conditioning unit.

A 70 decibel raucous however is closer to that of a vacuum cleaner.

The items on the menu were divided into three categories: healthy, non-healthy and neutral.

The experiment was conducted over several hours on multiple days.

Twenty per cent more of the restaurant's customers ordered something unhealthy when exposed to louder ambient music compared to those who dined during a quieter time.

Last year researchers found that restaurant music also influences how much customers spend.

CAN A RESTAURANT'S MUSIC MAKE YOU SPEND MORE? Major restaurant chains, including McDonalds and TGI Fridays are installing specially-designed sound systems that make customers spend as much as 10 per cent more, it was revealed last year. The system, called Soundtrack Your Brand, plays music that reflects a brand's values, evoking a range of positive emotions in customers and increasing guest satisfaction. Researchers from HUI Research, a research-based consulting firm in Stockholm, conducted the largest ever academic study of background music, to design the system. While most restaurants play music in an attempt to shape their customers' experience, they choose their songs casually and without much thought. But the researchers believed that the right music could have a huge return for restaurants. Over the course of five months, across 16 McDonalds restaurants in Sweden, the researchers analysed a pool of nearly two million unique transactions. The researchers compared the sales impact of playing a carefully selected choice of music that fit the chain's brand, with playing random popular music. The results showed that the difference was 9.1 per cent over the period of the study. Music that fit the brand made customers more likely to buy additional items than if the restaurant played random popular music. The formula for success appeared to be a mix of popular and less known songs that still had a good brand fit. Advertisement

Major restaurant chains, including McDonalds and TGI Fridays installed specially-designed sound systems that make customers spend as much as 10 per cent more, researchers found.

The system, called Soundtrack Your Brand, plays music that reflects a brand's values, evoking a range of positive emotions in customers and increasing guest satisfaction.

Researchers from HUI Research, a research-based consulting firm in Stockholm, conducted the largest ever academic study of background music, to design the system.

Professor Sven-Olov Daunfeldt, who led the study, said: 'This is without doubt the largest field study on the influence of music in restaurants to date, and we've analysed an enormous pool of data.

'When done right, music has a major positive effect on sales, largely stemming from guests purchasing more items such as desserts and sides.

'Play the wrong music, and you just might find that you're alienating that very same customer and selling significantly less.'Uber has announced plans to open a new laboratory for the development of its futuristic flying taxis.

The company said it will invest 17.5 million ($23 million) over five years to build air traffic control systems, AI algorithms, charging systems and more.

The propeller-powered vehicles will be small, electric aircraft that take off and land vertically (VTOL) with zero emissions and quiet enough to operate in cities.

Engineers and artificial intelligence experts at the new research centre in Paris will be tasked with designing the vehicles ahead of the service's launch by 2020.

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Uber has announced plans to open a new laboratory for the development of its futiristic flying taxi service (artist's impression)

Set to open this autumn, the Advanced Technologies Centre in Paris (ATCP) will be Uber's first R&D centre outside North America.

The laboratory will work directly with prominent engineering school Ecole Polytechnique, also based in the French capital.

'With world-class engineers and a leading role in global aviation, France is the perfect place to advance our Uber Elevate program and new technology initiatives,' Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement.

'We're excited to partner with Ecole Polytechnique to shape the future of urban mobility, on the ground and in the air.'

Uber's original ride-sharing concept was born in Paris more than a decade ago, when founders Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp needed a ride on a snowy night in Paris and couldn't catch a cab.

The propeller-powered vehicles (artist's impression) will be small, electric aircraft that take off and land vertically (VTOL) with zero emissions and quiet enough to operate in cities

WHAT IS UBER AIR AND HOW MUCH WILL IT COST? UberAir is a network of small, electric, aircraft that enable four-person ridesharing flights in densely populated areas. Artist's impression shown UberAir is a network of small, electric, aircraft that enable four-person ridesharing flights in densely populated areas. The 'electrical vertical take-off and landing vehicles' (eVTOLs) differ from helicopters in that they are quieter, safer, more affordable, and more environmentally-friendly, Uber claims. Users will order the aircraft through the Uber app much like they would one of the firm's taxis. Once they have selected an UberAIR ride, the craft will fly to the nearest 'Skyport' - a series of launch pads spread across the city. Uber estimates that an all-electric, 200mph (320kph) ride across the skies of Los Angeles will be price-competitive with an UberX trip of the same distance. Uber predicts that trips from LAX to the Staples Centre during rush hour can be reduced from up to 1 hour 20 minutes on the ground to less than 30 minutes using UberAir. Its prediction includes UberX transfers to and from UberAir launch pads - the flight over LA itself will take around four minutes, the firm said. The plan will rely on a network of Skyports, which will allow the VTOL Uber Air craft to take off and land on rooftops across the country Advertisement

The new laboratory will focus on Uber Elevate, a program that aims to build a network of all-electric, flying taxis (vertical take-off and landing or VTOL aircraft).

The goal is to help uberAIR achieve lift-off at demonstration flights in Dubai, Dallas, Los Angeles, and a fourth international city by 2020.

Commercial launch is scheduled for 2023, when customers will be able to hail a flying taxi on-demand.

Engineers and artificial intelligence experts at the new research centre in Paris will be tasked with designing the vehicles ahead of the service's launch by 2020. Pictured is a concept model for Uber's flying vehicles unveiled last month

In an early scale operation, the firm is able to get to 0.99 ($1.32) per passenger mile, a little higher than taking an UberX for a similar distance. Vehicles would launch and land on a network of platforms across cities where the service operates (artist's impression)

Flying taxis would cut down travel time between San Francisco's Marina to downtown San Jose to 15 minutes, compared with the more than two hours it takes by road, Uber has estimated.

These VTOL aircraft would include fixed wings with tilt prop-rotors, which also makes for a much quieter ride.

In an early scale operation, the firm is able to get to 0.99 ($1.32) per passenger mile, a little higher than taking an UberX for a similar distance, Chief Product Officer Jeff Holden said at Uber's Elevate Summit in Dallas earlier this month.

In the longer term, Uber expects the cost of taking flying taxis to fall below car ownership.

The company said it will invest 17.5 million ($23 million) over five years to build air traffic control systems, AI algorithms, charging systems and more

Uber announced last month that its zero-emissions take off and land vertically flying taxis will hit be deployed in Dallas, Los Angeles and Dubai by 2020 - a year ahead of schedule

The company is working with Hillwood Properties to make four vertiports - VTOL hubs with multiple takeoff and landing pads, and charging infrastructure - in Dallas starting next year, Holden said.

Uber, valued at 50 billion ($68 billion), has also teamed up with Nasa, the US Army, as well as companies such as Bell Helicopter, Aurora, Pipistrel, Mooney and Embraer to make the flying taxis.

The ride-hailing company released a 98-page plan for its flying taxi service last October.

In the paper, Uber said it hoped to utilise electric aircraft being developed by several different manufacturers for its service, which will be called Uber Elevate.

Uber says its design will be 15 decibels quieter than traditional helicopters.

The firm sees using pre-existing urban heliports and skyscrapers as launch and landing pads.

Unlike other flying vehicle designs on the market, Uber's has enough room for a pilot and multiple passengers.

Uber, which is working with the Dubai government on this project, expects to conduct passenger flights as part of the World Expo 2020 in Dubai. Uber's flying taxis will be small, electric aircraft that VTOLwith zero emissions and quiet enough to operate in cities

These VTOL flying cars would include fixed wings with tilt prop-rotors, which also makes for a much quieter rideThe European Union could spend up to 440 million ($590 million) on killer robots that wage warfare without the need for human assistance.

Officially known as Lethal Autonomous Weapons (LAWs), the robots use artificial intelligence to target and kill enemies without human involvement.

Brussels has decided to allow bankrolling of the controversial machines through the EU defence fund despite MEPs' attempts to bar LAWs from the kitty.

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The European Union could spend up to 440 million ($590 million) on killer robots that wage warfare without the need for human assistance. Lethal Autonomous Weapons (LAWs) use AI to kill enemies without human assistance like the androids in the Terminator franchise

The parliament had wanted to block EU subsidies of the weapons but conceded in talks on Tuesday in order to strike a compromise, two sources who were in the room told the EUObserver.

In an amendment adopted in February, MEPs had said the defence fund should not be used to bankroll weapons of mass destruction, anti-personnel landmines, cluster munitions or fully autonomous weapons like LAWs.

After this week's meeting the amendment was scrapped at the request of the council, sources said.

Instead the proposed regulation setting up the fund now states that projects it backs would not be eligible only if their weapon was 'prohibited by international law'.

The European Defence Fund was founded with an aim to boost the EU's military prowess with an eye on eventually developing military autonomy from the US.

In a paper published last September, British ministers expressed an interest in continuing the UK's contributions to the fund after Brexit.

Brussels has decided to allow bankrolling of the controversial machines through the EU defence fund despite MEPs' attempts to bar LAWs from the kitty (stock image)

The EU parliament's main negotiator, French MEP Francoise Grossetete hailed the new defence deal in a press statement sent on Wednesday.

'The all-European defence technological and industrial base, in particular our SMEs and mid-caps, will benefit from this programme in order to strengthen our strategic autonomy. Excellence and innovation will be the main drivers,' she said.

In a statement three Green MEPs - Max Andersson, Jan Philipp Albrecht and Bodil Valero - warned LAWs pose a risk to 'the future of mankind'.

They said: 'LAWs would remove human responsibility for the battlefield, with weapon systems making lethal decisions of their own accord.

WHY ARE PEOPLE SO WORRIED ABOUT AI? It is an issue troubling some of the greatest minds in the world at the moment, from Bill Gates to Elon Musk. SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk described AI as our 'biggest existential threat' and likened its development as 'summoning the demon'. He believes super intelligent machines could use humans as pets. Professor Stephen Hawking said it is a 'near certainty' that a major technological disaster will threaten humanity in the next 1,000 to 10,000 years. They could steal jobs More than 60 percent of people fear that robots will lead to there being fewer jobs in the next ten years, according to a 2016 YouGov survey. And 27 percent predict that it will decrease the number of jobs 'a lot' with previous research suggesting admin and service sector workers will be the hardest hit. As well as posing a threat to our jobs, other experts believe AI could 'go rogue' and become too complex for scientists to understand. A quarter of the respondents predicted robots will become part of everyday life in just 11 to 20 years, with 18 percent predicting this will happen within the next decade. They could 'go rogue' Computer scientist Professor Michael Wooldridge said AI machines could become so intricate that engineers don't fully understand how they work. If experts don't understand how AI algorithms function, they won't be able to predict when they fail. This means driverless cars or intelligent robots could make unpredictable 'out of character' decisions during critical moments, which could put people in danger. For instance, the AI behind a driverless car could choose to swerve into pedestrians or crash into barriers instead of deciding to drive sensibly. They could wipe out humanity Some people believe AI will wipe out humans completely. 'Eventually, I think human extinction will probably occur, and technology will likely play a part in this,' DeepMind's Shane Legg said in a recent interview. He singled out artificial intelligence, or AI, as the 'number one risk for this century'. Musk warned that AI poses more of a threat to humanity than North Korea. 'If you're not concerned about AI safety, you should be. Vastly more risk than North Korea,' the 46-year-old wrote on Twitter. 'Nobody likes being regulated, but everything (cars, planes, food, drugs, etc) that's a danger to the public is regulated. AI should be too.' Musk has consistently advocated for governments and private institutions to apply regulations on AI technology. He has argued that controls are necessary in order protect machines from advancing out of human control Advertisement

'If widely spread, this would entail the largest military technological leap since the invention of nuclear weapons, creating existential risks for international peace and the future of humankind.

'Leading experts argue that LAWs should be prohibited internationally before they become widespread.'

Last year a group of 116 industry experts, including billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk, published an open letter calling for a global ban on autonomous robots.

They warned: 'We do not have long to act. Once this Pandora's box is opened, it will be hard to close.'Advertisement

The medevac choppers made famous by M*A*S*H are set for a radical upgrade.

An Israeli firm has carried out the first simulated mission using a self-flying helicopter - called the Cormorant -which might one day be able to taxi people around.

The self-flying ambulance is designed to fly casualties off the battlefield, thereby not having to put flight crews in danger during warfare.

The mission, for the Israel Defence Forces, saw an 'injured' mannequin loaded onto the $14 million (10m) Cormorant UAV, and monitored remotely using sensors and a video link during the flight.

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The Cormorant has enough strength to carry 1,000 pounds (450kg) per 30 miles (48km), which means it can haul about 13,000 pounds (5,800kg) in a full day. The craft flies itself using an array of laser altimeters, radars and sensors, and it is capable of reaching speeds of 100 knots (115 mph) and operate at altitudes of up to 18,000 feet

The groundbreaking demonstration took place at Megiddo Aireld in the Galilee and consisted of flights with cargo and a specially designed medical training mannequin designed to simulate a casualty.

A monitor supplied by the IDF's chief surgeon Trauma Branch transmitted vital information to the crews on the ground, in addition to a video camera for two-way communication with the patient.

With the exception of the loading of the 'casualty' and o-loading of cargo, the entire simulated mission was performed autonomously.

The Cormorant has enough strength to carry 1,000 pounds (450kg) per 30 miles (48km), which means it can haul about 13,000 pounds (5,800kg) in a full day.

The craft flies itself using an array of laser altimeters, radars and sensors, and it is capable of reaching speeds of 100 knots (115 mph) and operate at altitudes of up to 18,000 feet (5,500 metres).

After 15 years of development and more than 200 flights, an Israel firm is confident its autonomous flying ambulance will be ready to hit the market by 2020  and will cost about $14 million (10m). It might one day be able to taxi people around

An Israeli firm, Tactical Robotics, based in Yavne, Israel, has carried out the first simulated mission using a self-flying helicopter - called the Cormorant (pictured)

The self-flying ambulance is designed to fly casualties off the battlefield, thereby not having to put flight crews in danger during warfare

WHAT IS THE CORMORANT SELF-FLYING HELICOPTER? The self-flying ambulance is designed to fly casualties off the battlefield, thereby not having to put flight crews in danger during warfare. The Cormorant has enough strength to carry 1,000 pounds (450kg) per 30 miles (48km), which means it can haul about 13,000 pounds (5,800kg) in a full day. The craft flies itself using an array of laser altimeters, radars and sensors, and it is capable of reaching speeds of 100 knots (115 mph) and operate at altitudes of up to 18,000 feet (5,500 metres). The self-flying ambulance is designed to fly casualties off the battlefield, thereby not having to put flight crews in danger during warfare It weighs about one-ton and can be operated with a specially made remote control or by using its own autonomous control system. The Cormorant's sole purpose is to transport troops, civilian passengers or supplies within tight quarters where helicopters are unable to travel. Instead of using traditional propellers, the Cormorant is designed with duct fans that keep the rotors enclosed in a protective shield in case the vehicle hits a wall or any other object in its path. These duct fans enable it to to take-off and land horizontally, and it also has vertical movement that is controlled by internal rotors, which can only be seen from directly above or below. Capacity: 2 patients Length: 20 ft 4 in (6.2 m) Width: 11 ft 6 in (3.5 m) , 2.15 m without thrusters Height: 7 ft 7 in (2.3 m) , 1.8 m without thrusters Monitoring: Health sensors and a video link Advertisement

It weighs about one-ton and can be operated with a specially made remote control or by using its own autonomous control system.

'The aircraft is designed to exceed the standard reliability and handling qualities required of a typical, tactical UAS in order to meet the requirements to safely ferry human 'cargo' back from the battleeld,' the firm said.

The Cormorant is set to replace medivac choppers, like the one from the television show MASH (pictured), in order to reach tight quarters helicopters cannot go

'Just imagine a dirty bomb in a city and chemical substance of something else and this vehicle can come in robotically, remotely piloted, come into a street and decontaminate an area,' Urban Aeronautics founder and CEO Rafi Yoeli has previously told Reuters.

Industry experts say this technology could say lives.

'It could revolutionize several aspects of warfare, including medical evacuation of soldiers on the battlefield,' said Tal Inbar, head of the UAV research center at Israel's Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies.

The Cormorant's sole purpose is to transport troops, civilian passengers or supplies within tight quarters where helicopters are unable to travel.

A spokesperson for Tactical Robotics, the company which made the craft, said it can be used for a combination of cargo delivery and casualty evacuation.

'As such, the aircraft is designed to exceed the standard reliability adn handling qualities required of a typical, tactical UAS in order to meet the requirements to safely ferry human cargo back from the battlefield'.

Last year saw its first test flight, as the Cormorant took to the skies over uneven terrain while piloting itself.

'This flight paves the way forward for the immediate evolution of Cormorant from prototype to near-term production and ultimately commercialization of this groundbreaking technology - for broad applications and markets, said Urban Aeronautics founder Rafi Yoeli.

The mission, for the Israel Defence Forces, saw an 'injured' mannequin loaded onto the $14 million (10m) Cormorant UAV, and monitored remotely using sensors and a video link during the flight

With the exception of the loading of the 'casualty' and o-loading of cargo (pictured), the entire simulated mission was performed autonomously

A spokesperson for Tactical Robotics, the company which made the craft, said it can be used for a combination of cargo delivery and casualty evacuation

'This is the most exciting time in the Company's history and we look forward to accelerating our progress now that the technology is fully proven.'

Engineers designed the craft with a Flight Management System (FMS), which lets it to make 'split second decisions' if any of its sensors detect a problem during a mission.

The craft will then make the judgment call on its own - it decides between continuing the journey, retreating home or making an immediate landing to wait for further instructions from a human operator.

'The challenge in designing and testing an FMS for a configuration that is has never been addressed by standard flight control algorithms, is analogous to a novice pilot attempting to fly for the first time with an understanding of basic aerodynamic principles but no instructor,' explained Urban Aeronautics.

During the test flight, Cormorant's FMS corrected itself in response to unexpected events.

Two instances were related to height above ground over the field (resulting from inaccuracies in laser beam return over uneven terrain and ground conditions).

Its developers say the military drone will be able to reach areas unfit for helicopters to deliver supplies to war zones and carry wounded soldiers to safety. Although the firm has set 2020 for its release, they say there is still plenty of work required before the autonomous vehicle hits the market. Pictures is Rafi Yoeli, founder and CEO of Urban Aeronautics

This vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft has rotors (pictured) instead of propellers and is capable of carrying 1,000 pounds over 31 miles, allowing it to deliver supplies to war zones and carry wounded soldiers to safety

The third event occurred over the tarmac, which was caused by 'poor judgment' on the part of the Flight Control System (FCS), causing the aircraft to descend too early in its landing approach.

Instead of using traditional propellers, the Cormorant is designed with duct fans that keep the rotors enclosed in a protective shield in case the vehicle hits a wall or any other object in its path, reports LiveScience.

These duct fans enable it to to take-off and land horizontally, and it also has vertical movement that is controlled by internal rotors, which can only be seen from directly above or below.

However, Urban Aeronautics reveals that the team is working on obstacle avoidance sensors that will keep the vehicle away from oncoming objects, which they hope to add to the vehicle in the near future.Adult video website Pornhub has just launched its own private network called VPNhub.

Having already recently started accepting cryptocurrencies as payments, the adult video sharing giant has now unveiled its own VPN in an attempt to keep users browsing activity safe from the growing list of Internet censors across the globe.

According to Pornhub vice president Corey Price: With 90 million visitors a day, the vast majority of whom are using devices on the go, it's especially important that we continue to ensure the privacy of our users.

Pornhub's new virtual private network will not track users' data or Internet browsing history

VPNhub has just gone live on May 24, 2018, offering free and unlimited bandwidth for platforms such as Android, Windows, Mac OS and iOS.

According to the company, VPNbub will boast around 1,000 servers in over 15 countries. Although the new private network will not track user browsing activity or data, the ad-supported network will require users to pay for its VPNhub Premium version to both remove the advertisements and be utilized on desktop computers.

VPNhub will be free for mobile users while its aforementioned Pornhub Premium version for desktop users will cost $90 (67.26) for an annual subscription or $12.99 (9.71) per month for a monthly membership.

A seven-day trial version is also available for free in countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Japan and Singapore.

In the UK, the new private network will be made available, though it would likely be used to evade the countrys upcoming age-verification laws that would force Internet users to confirm theyre 18 or older in order to access adult content online. Mindgeek, the parent company of Pornhub, has recently unveiled its new AgeID age verification tools to help users.

Per Price: VPNhub is a separate service and not related to AgeID.

The new private network and age verification software comes as Mindgeek has faced accusations of failing to protect its users identities and privacy in recent years.

In 2012, a data breach of its sites Digital Playground and YouPorn resulted in the exposure of more than 1.1 million users sensitive private data.

A 2016 hack of Brazzers forum led to the outing of 800,000 of its members, while in 2017 it was revealed that Pornhub accidentally hosted malicious advertising software for more than a whole year.

VPNhub will be available globally, though it will be restricted in countries with U.S. Federal business cooperation bans such as North Korea, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Cuba and Burma. The network is also reportedly banned in countries with tough Internet restrictions such as China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.

The recent launch of the VPN and the acceptance of cryptocurrency will both allow users to search for adult video content without it appearing in their browser history and pay for it discreetly, ensuring increased privacy in an age where Internet restrictions and censorship are increasing.

Ultimately, the combination of VPNhub and the acceptance of cryptocurrency will likely help to enhance not only Pornhub users' privacy, but also their online security and make them much less vulnerable to the data breaches that have plagued Mindgeek's sites in recent years.

Setting up VPNhub

Users looking to get started should download the VPNhub app on their mobile device, tap setup and activate the VPN. To verify that it's working correctly, users should check WhatisMyIPAddress.com. If the VPN and app have been setup successfully, the site should list the user's current location as a generic geographic location in lieu of their official IP address.

What is a VPN?

VPN stands for virtual private network. They extend private Internet networks across publicly-accessible networks, allowing users to receive and send data across public networks just as if their computers were directly connected to a private network.

VPNs allow company employees to access private corporate networks outside of their offices and can securely connect users regardless of geographic location. They also enable individual users to circumvent Internet restrictions and censors, though some websites block this technology.

In recent years, theyve become common on mobile networks and have increasingly been employed by Internet users to securely and privately browse sensitive information without fear of censorship or having their data and browsing history tracked.Hundreds of brand new Android phones are being sold already preloaded with malware, it has been claimed.

Avast Threat Labs said it has found adware pre-installed on several hundred different Android device models and versions, including devices from manufacturers like ZTE, Archos, and myPhone.

The malware displays ads, and is also believed to send user data to servers.

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Avast Threat Labs said it has found adware pre-installed on several hundred different Android devices, including those from manufacturers like ZTE, Archos, and myPhone. The malware displays ads, and is also believed to send user data to servers.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOUR PHONE IS INFECTED? The adware goes by the name 'Cosiloon.' It creates an overlay to display an ad over a webpage within the users' browser. Thousands of users are affected, and in the past month alone Avast said it had seen the latest version of the adware on around 18,000 devices belonging to Avast users located in more than 100 countries including Russia, Italy, Germany, the UK, as well as some users in the U.S. Many of the affected handsets were also infected with two more malware packages, all capable of showing apps, installing additional APKs from the internet and submitting private data such as IMEI, Mac address and phone number to remote servers. Advertisement

'The adware we analyzed has previously been described by Dr. Web and goes by the name 'Cosiloon,' the firm said.

The adware has been active for over three years, and creates an overlay to display an ad over a webpage within the users' browser.

It is particularly difficult to remove as it is installed on the firmware level.

'Thousands of users are affected, and in the past month alone we have seen the latest version of the adware on around 18,000 devices belonging to Avast users located in more than 100 countries including Russia, Italy, Germany, the UK, as well as some users in the U.S.,' Avast said in a blog post.

It has made Google aware of the issue, but as the apps come pre-installed with the firmware, the problem is difficult to address.

Google 'has taken steps to mitigate the malicious capabilities of many app variants on several device models, using internally developed techniques,' according to Avas.

Several hundred different devices are believed to be affected and includes devices from brands like Archos, ZTE, myPhone, and Prestigio.

ZTE 'IS A SECURITY THREAT' Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has acknowledged security concerns on Thursday that have been leveled at a Chinese telcom firm that President Trump offered to help as a favor to Xi Jinping. The company, ZTE, is facing stiff punishment for violating sanctions against Iran and North Korea that would cripple the U.S. branch of the business. Trump directed his Commerce Department secretary to look into the situation and consider a lesser penalty as a concession to China as he zeroed in on a possible trade deal. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo acknowledged security concerns on Thursday that have been leveled at a Chinese telcom firm that President Trump offered to help as a favor to Xi Jinping His order drew howls from politicians on the left and the right who argued that not only is ZTE a lawbreaker, the company that produces smart phones is a national security threat because it could be a vehicle for Chinese spying. Pompeo told lawmakers on the House Foreign Affairs Committee as the topic came up, 'We're gonna get this right. We're gonna reduce the risk from ZTE to America.' Advertisement

A full list can be found here.

The list is so extensive because the malware was part of a chipset platform package which is reused for many similar devices with different brand names.

Google, Facebook, and Baidu ad frameworks were present in the payload, and in Avast's tests, the researchers were 'offered downloads of questionable games from the Baidu network.'Amazon's facial recognition tool is being referred to as a 'recipe for authoritarianism and disaster' after it was revealed to be used by law enforcement officials.

Now experts say it raises even greater concerns, as the artificial intelligence used to power the technology could exhibit racial bias.

Many are calling on Amazon to release data that shows they've trained the software to reduce bias, but it has yet to do so.

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A controversial facial recognition tool, dubbed Rekognition, marketed to police has been defended by its creator, online retailer Amazon. Privacy concerns over the powerful technology emerged after an investigation revealed it is being employed by law enforcement

The controversy was spurred by a report from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which found that Amazon's facial recognition tool, dubbed 'Rekognition', is being used by law enforcement agencies in Oregon and Florida.

The ACLU voiced concern that Rekognition could be misused to identify and track innocent people in real-time.

But Amazon said 'quality of life would be much worse' if technologies such as as this were blocked because of fears they may be misused.

It has pointed out that its tool has helped find lost children in the past, and claims it has great potential for fighting crime in future.

But the ACLU and other civil rights groups argue that it could end up resulting more police stops and arrests for marginalized groups.

'We have been shocked at Amazons apparent failure to understand the implications of its own product on real people,' Matt Cagle, a co-author of the ACLU report, told the Verge.

'Face recognition is a biased technology. It doesnt make communities safer. It just powers even greater discriminatory surveillance and policing,' he added.

Various studies have shown that AI has a tendency to exhibit racial bias.

A recent study from MIT Media Lab discovered that popular facial recognition services from Microsoft, IBM and Face++ vary in accuracy based on gender and race.

Researcher Joy Buolamwini found that the facial recognition software was more likely to inaccurately identify a subject when they were a male or female person of color.

She explained that biased AI can have 'serious consequences', including illegal discrimination in hiring, firing and housing, as well as other impacts on social and economic situations.

When it comes to law enforcement, it could lead to the wrongful accusation and arrest of non-white people, the Verge noted.

Companies like Microsoft and IBM have said they're taking steps to improve their facial recognition systems by making them more accurate and using more diverse data to train the software.

Many firms are running their algorithms against a system developed by the government called the Facial Recognition Vendor Test.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology runs the algorithms through FRVT to measure for racial and gender bias, according to the Verge.

Many firms are running their algorithms against a system called the Facial Recognition Vendor Test (pictured). The higher the red line, the greater the racial bias

The higher the gap between the lines on a chart, the greater the racial or gender bias.

But Amazon hasn't taken part in the FRVT project and hasn't indicated that it's working on the issue of racial bias.

Until it does, it's likely that civil rights and policy advocates will continue to hold Amazon's feet to the fire.

'We already know that facial recognition algorithms discriminate against Black faces, and are being used to violate the human rights of immigrants,' Malkia Cyril, executive director of the Center for Media Justice, said in a press release.

'We know that putting this technology into the hands of already brutal and unaccountable law enforcement agencies places both democracy and dissidence at great risk'

HOW DOES AMAZON'S CONTROVERSIAL RECKOGNITION TECHNOLOGY WORK? Amazon Rekognition gives software applications the power to detect objects, scenes and faces within images. It was built with computer vision, which lets AI programs analyse still and video images. AI systems rely on artificial neural networks, which try to simulate the way the brain works in order to learn. They can be trained to recognise patterns in information - including speech, text data, or visual images. Rekognition uses deep learning neural network models to analyse billions of images daily. Updates since it was created even allow the technology to guess a person's age. In November 2017, its creators announced that Rekognition can now detect and recognise text in images, perform real-time face recognition across tens of millions of faces and detect up to 100 faces in challenging crowded photos. Advertisement

'Amazon should never be in the business of aiding and abetting racial discrimination and xenophobia  but thats exactly what Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is doing when he sells these loosely regulated facial recognition tools to local police departments,' she added.

In the hours after the ACLU report was released, Amazon defended giving its facial recognition tool to police.

Amazon Web Services, a subsidiary of the Seattle retail firm that deals largely with cloud computing, made the comments in a written statement.

Speaking to the BBC, a spokesman said: 'Our quality of life would be much worse today if we outlawed new technology because some people could choose to abuse the technology.

'Imagine if customers couldn't buy a computer because it was possible to use that computer for illegal purposes?'

Facial recognition has been shown to exhibit bias in the past. Here, a graphic from an MIT Media Lab study shows how popular technologies tend to be inaccurate for people of color

There are two types of facial recognition technology: One that seeks to identify/verify users and another that seeks to classify a user. Apple FaceID technology, for example, works to identify/verify a user, while image recognition services may try to classify a user

Amazon Rekognition has been used for a number of positive purposes already, the company claims.

This includes using the program to find children lost in amusement parks and identifying people who have been abducted.

Sky News is reported to have used the software to identify celebrities present at the recent Royal Wedding.

However, Amazon is drawing the ire of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other privacy advocates over the tool.

First released in 2016, Amazon has since been selling it on the cheap to several police departments around the US, listing the Washington County Sheriff's Office in Oregon and the city of Orlando, Florida among its customers.

Police appear to be using Rekognition to check photographs of unidentified suspects against a database of mug shots from the county jail.

Amazon offers the technology to law enforcement for just $6 (4.50) to $12 (9) a month.

The tech giant's entry into the market could vastly accelerate development of the facial recognition systems, privacy advocates fear.

Amazon offers the technology to law enforcement for just $6 (4.50) to $12 (9) a month. So far, it counts the Washington County Sheriff's Office in Oregon and the city of Orlando as customers

WHAT HAS AMAZON SAID ABOUT ITS RECKOGNITION AI FACIAL RECOGNITION TOOL? Amazon has defended giving its Big Brother-style facial recognition tool to police following an outcry from civil rights groups. Amazon's facial recognition tool, dubbed 'Rekognition', is currently being used by law enforcement agencies in Oregon and Florida. In an emailed statement, however, the firm said it has ' many useful applications in the real world', such as locating lost children at amusement parks It also noted that the company 'requires that customers comply with the law and be responsible when they use' its software products. Speaking to the BBC, a spokesman said: 'Our quality of life would be much worse today if we outlawed new technology because some people could choose to abuse the technology. 'Imagine if customers couldn't buy a computer because it was possible to use that computer for illegal purposes?' Advertisement

And it could have potentially dire consequences for minorities who are already arrested at disproportionate rates, immigrants who may be in the country illegally or political protesters.

'People should be free to walk down the street without being watched by the government,' the groups wrote in a letter to Amazon on Tuesday.

'Facial recognition in American communities threatens this freedom'.

Deputies in Oregon had been using Rekognition about 20 times per day - for example, to identify burglary suspects in store surveillance footage.

Last month, the agency adopted policies governing its use, noting that officers in the field can use real-time face recognition to identify suspects who are unwilling or unable to provide their own ID, or if someone's life is in danger.

'We are not mass-collecting. We are not putting a camera out on a street corner,' said Deputy Jeff Talbot, a spokesman for the sheriff's office.

Facial recognition is used by many technology companies, but activists say Amazon's system could lead to dangerous surveillance powers for law enforcement

'We want our local community to be aware of what we're doing, how we're using it to solve crimes - what it is and, just as importantly, what it is not.'

It cost the sheriff's office just $400 (300) to load 305,000 booking photos into the system and $6 (4.50) per month in fees to continue the service, according to an email obtained by the ACLU under a public records request.

Last year, the Orlando, Florida, Police Department announced it would begin a pilot program relying on Amazon's technology to 'use existing City resources to provide real-time detection and notification of persons-of-interest, further increasing public safety.'

Orlando has a network of public safety cameras, and in a presentation posted to YouTube this month , Ranju Das, who leads Amazon Rekognition, said Amazon would receive feeds from the cameras, search them against photos of people being sought by law enforcement and notify police of any hits.

'It's about recognizing people, it's about tracking people, and then it's about doing this in real time, so that the law enforcement officers ... can be then alerted in real time to events that are happening,' he said.

'The purpose of a pilot program such as this, is to address any concerns that arise as the new technology is tested,' the statement said.

'Any use of the system will be in accordance with current and applicable law. We are always looking for new solutions to further our ability to keep the residents and visitors of Orlando safe.'Facebook will no longer be able to carry out a controversial trial that asked users to send in naked pictures of themselves so the site can protect them from revenge porn attacks.

The trial was first announced in Australia several months ago and, if successful, would have been extended to the US, UK and Canada.

But Australia's online safety watchdog has now called off the trial, saying it presents data privacy concerns, particularly in the wake of Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal.

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Facebook could be launching their very own cryptocurrency after reports revealed the social media giant is looking for ways to leverage blockchain

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner told the Australian said they'd decided to shutter the trial just weeks before it was set to begin.

'Facebook received some feedback about the proposed pilot, which we understand they are considering before going live,' a spokeswoman from the Office of the eSafety Commissioner told the Australian.

'We've already had some people express interest in participating in the voluntary pilot once it goes live'.

The system works by users uploading intimate photos of themselves, which are then blurred by Facebook employees and attached with a 'digital fingerprint' that identifies whether the image has been uploaded by another user.

It's then blocked from being uploaded to Instagram, Facebook or Messenger.

Facebook said the nude photos would be seen by only a 'handful of specifically trained members of our community operations safety team'.

Facebook has extended its programme in which users send in images if they're worried they might be shared so Facebook can block it at source (stock)

HOW DOES FACEBOOK'S ANTI-REVENGE PORN SYSTEM WORK? Facebook is trialling a system that asks users to send in naked pictures in a bid to combat revenge porn. Users upload intimate images that they think could be shared by a jilted lover. The company then blocks the picture from being uploaded to Instagram, Messenger and Facebook. A national safety organisation must be contacted to have the image blocked on the platform. Users worried about an intimate image being uploaded can fill out a form with the relevant authority, after which they will receive a link to upload it via Messenger. A 'specifically trained member' of Facebook's community operations team will then manually review images to ensure they violate the company's guidelines. Once the image has been sent, Facebook then 'hash' that image, creating a digital fingerprint or link. This means that only that image will be blocked. Advertisement

'We store the hashes so any time someone tries to upload an image with the same fingerprint, we can block it from appearing on Facebook, Instagram or Messenger,' Facebook's head of safety, Antigone Davis, said in a post.

The firm said it's working with Australia's eSafety Commissioner to create a tool that can prevent revenge porn from being shared.

It would assign a digital hash, or fingerprint, to a nude photo after it's been uploaded to prevent it from being shared any further.

Despite the move in Australia, Facebook says it still plans to extend the trial to the UK, US and Canada.

The firm has been ridiculed on social media, with many users expressing concerns that Facebook employees will have access to users' intimate images.

Facebook is asking its users to send in naked pictures of themselves so the site can protect them from revenge porn attacks. The firm has been ridiculed on social media, with many users expressing concerns that Facebook employees will have access to users' intimate images

Employees at the firm view the lewd shots before blurring them out and creating a 'digital fingerprint'. Users on Twitter reacted with great suspicion

Others joked that the move was poorly timed following the Cambridge Analytica scandal in which the data of millions of Facebook users was leaked by the company without their consent.

As with the Australia pilot, which launched in November 2017, Facebook will work with local anti-revenge porn groups to implement the new systems.

Normally revenge porn victims have to wait until an image is uploaded before reporting it to Facebook.

But the new programme means they can contact a national safety organisation to have it blocked on the platform.

Twitter user Amanda Katz highlighted the irony that Facebook was asking its users to submit naked photos in order to combat revenge porn

Twitter users reacted to Facebook's announcement it would use 'specially trained' agents to review photo submissions

These organisations include the UK Revenge Porn Helpline in Britain and the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative and The National Network to End Domestic Violence in the US.

Users worried about an intimate image being uploaded can fill out a form with the relevant authority, after which they will receive a one-time link to upload it.

A 'specifically trained member' of Facebook's community operations team will then manually review images to ensure they violate the company's guidelines.

Facebook is updating its revenge porn programme to cover users in Canada, the UK and US after a successful trial in Australia. In a post on Tuesday, Facebook's Global Head of Safety said it's 'devestating' when someone's intimate imagesare shared without their permission

WHAT CONSTITUTES REVENGE PORN ON FACEBOOK? Much of what constitutes revenge porn is covered under Facebook's rules on nudity. In March 2015, however, the social network brought in specific community guidelines to address the growing problem of revenge porn. The section, entitled 'Sexual Violence and Exploitation', deals specifically with the subject. The guidelines say: 'We remove content that threatens or promotes sexual violence or exploitation. 'This includes the sexual exploitation of minors and sexual assault. 'To protect victims and survivors, we also remove photographs or videos depicting incidents of sexual violence and images shared in revenge or without permission from the people in the images. 'Our definition of sexual exploitation includes solicitation of sexual material, any sexual content involving minors, threats to share intimate images and offers of sexual services. 'Where appropriate, we refer this content to law enforcement.' Advertisement

The images are then blurred out before they are eventually deleted, with the site only processing the picture through its AI systems from that point.

Facebook's systems 'hash' the image, creating a digital fingerprint, before the original picture is deleted.

Facebook stores the images for seven days before it discards them and retains only the identifying hashes.

If the technology works as expected, the photo should never appear on Facebook  even if a jealous ex tries to upload it.

Following Facebook's announcement of the programme in November, social media erupted in response on Twitter. Tony Matthew said: 'No company should ever ask anyone for nude pics to "safeguard" under the guise of protection from revenge porn'

Mr Gillespie added: 'Facebook themselves have perverts hiding in their closets. They would just love a nude collection of its users, with an excellent cover story about protecting people from revenge porn! #PervBook'

When news broke of the pilot scheme in November 2017, users erupted in outrage to the plans on Twitter.

Many of the concerns revolved around people, rather than machines, having access to the images.

Others worried over the effectiveness of the protection efforts, as well as the potential for the sensitive pictures leaking online.

The programme launched in Australia - a world leader in efforts to combat revenge porn.

Laura E Wendt said: 'Another solid reason to #quitFacebook. Facebook asks users for nude photos in project to combat revenge porn'

Eleonora H said: 'I wish this was a joke. Facebook's idea of 'protecting people' from revenge porn: send the company your nude pictures'

A recent survey by the commission showed one in five Australian women aged 18 to 45 suffered image-based abuse.

Facebook and its Messenger app accounted for 53 per cent of revenge porn, followed by Snapchat at 11 per cent then Instagram at four percent.

Research by Melbourne's Monash University and RMIT University earlier this year found people were falling prey to abusive behaviour on a 'mass scale', and that men and women were equally likely to be targeted.After nearly five days of deliberations, a US jury on Thursday said Samsung should pay $539 million to Apple for copying patented smartphone features.

The decision almost brings a close to a years-long feud between the technology companies.

The worlds top smartphone rivals have been in court over patents since 2011, when Apple filed a lawsuit alleging Samsung's smartphones and tablets 'slavishly' copied its products.

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After nearly five days of deliberations, a U.S. jury on Thursday said Samsung should pay $539 million to Apple for copying patented smartphone features

Samsung was found liable in a 2012 trial, but a disagreement over the amount to be paid led to the current retrial over damages where arguments ended on May 18.

Samsung previously paid Apple $399 million to compensate Apple for infringement of some of the patents at issue in the case.

The jury has been deliberating the case since last week.

Because of that credit, if the verdict is upheld on appeal it will result in Samsung making an additional payment to Apple of nearly $140 million.

In a statement, Apple said it was pleased that the members of the jury 'agree that Samsung should pay for copying our products.'

Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Samsung previously paid Apple $399 million to compensate Apple for infringement of some of the patents at issue in the case. The jury has been deliberating in the case since last week

Apple this year told jurors it was entitled to the $1 billion in profits Samsung made from selling infringing phones, saying the iPhones design was crucial to their success

The new jury verdict followed a trial in San Jose, California, before Judge Lucy Koh that focused on how much Samsung should pay for infringing Apple patents covering aspects of the iPhones design.

The jury awarded Apple $533.3 million for Samsungs violation of so-called design patents and $5.3 million for the violation of so-called utility patents.

Apple this year told jurors it was entitled to the $1 billion in profits Samsung made from selling infringing phones, saying the iPhones design was crucial to their success.

Among the testimony given, Apple's vice president of marketing, Greg Joswiak, described how the iPhone and overall product design became embedded in the company's DNA.

'That's something that [Apple co-founder] Steve Jobs had created in the DNA of the company', he explained.

The launch of the iPhone was a pivotal moment for Apple, Joswiak added.

Apple has described how the iPhone and overall product design became embedded in the company's DNA. Late co-founder Steve Jobs (pictured) made it a core part of the company

WHY WERE APPLE AND SAMSUNG LOCKED IN A PATENT TRIAL? Smartphone rivals Samsung and Apple were been locked in a vicious court battle over allegedly stolen patents. The trial first erupted in 2011, just a year after Apple released the original iPhone 4. The two hi-tech behemoths went to court over the designs that have now become commonplace on most popular smartphones, with a court ruling in 2012 in flavor of Apple. At issue were design features by now familiar to consumers: a black, rectangular, round-cornered phone front, a surrounding rim, known as the 'bezel' and a grid of 16 colourful icon. Samsung was ordered to pay over a billion dollars to Apple, but that amount was later lowered to roughly $340 million. Now, the pair are back in court for a new trial Those design elements were protected, prompting the jury to award Apple all the profits from sales of smartphones containing those features, Samsung lawyers said in their filing. Samsung was ordered to pay over a billion dollars to Apple, but that amount was later lowered to roughly $340 million. The company appealed the damages in a new case, in May 2018. In the latest trial, Apple has the burden of proof to prove that Samsung should pay the full $1 billion in damages. At the end of May, a jury handed down its most recent decision regarding the Apple v. Samsung case, declaring the South Korean tech giant owes $533,316,606 for infringing on Apple's iPhone design patents. Another $5.3 million was awarded for two utility patents. Advertisement

'We were really risking everything that was making Apple successful at the time,' Joswiak said.

'We were really betting the company'.

Samsung sought to limit damages to about $28 million, saying it should only pay for profits attributable to the components of its phones that infringed Apple patents.

Jurors in the earlier trial awarded $1.05 billion to Apple, which was later reduced by appeals courts.

Samsung paid $548 million to Apple in December 2015, including $399 million for infringement of some of the patents at issue in this weeks trial.Sheer delights: The 272ft Chamarel Falls in Mauritius away from the busy beach resorts

The path wound through thick, damp rainforest. Monkeys howled among brightly coloured plants and unfamiliar exotic birds screeched from the treetops. I stumbled over tangles of tree roots while trying not to step on thousands of tiny black frogs, scurrying around in the undergrowth.

My brilliant hike through the wilderness of Mauritius seemed a million miles from the pristine comfort and stylish restaurants of the five-star resort where I was staying.

This tropical holiday island is famous for luxury beach hotels lining its coastline of white sand, coral reefs and turquoise lagoons. Along with the year-round warmth they have helped make Mauritius a favourite of honeymooning couples and once-in-a-lifetime holidaymakers.

I was lucky to be staying at Le Touessrok  a fabulous resort on the east coast  but was determined not to spend my stay slumped on a sunlounger. Id travelled 6,000 miles to get there and wanted to find out more about this island in the Indian Ocean, 700 miles east of Madagascar.

I soon discovered that Mauritius is about the size of West Yorkshire and five times bigger than the Isle of Wight. Its an independent country with a culture thats a mix of Asian, African and Western.

Its claim to fame is that it was once the home of the dodo, a bird that was so easy to catch and delicious to eat that it became extinct in 1662.

A few days of torrential rain made it easier to abandon the beaches of Le Touessrok. With a borrowed umbrella I visited the islands biggest market at the nearby town of Flacq.

It was fun browsing a vast array of colourful stalls selling chillies, plantains and tea. The atmosphere was boisterous but friendly.

Away from the resorts, visitors find Mauritius is safe and easy to explore. The locals are welcoming and even in the densest jungles, there arent any deadly spiders, snakes or mammals.

Le Pouce, a jaw-dropping column of rock on the island of Mauritius. Le Pouce means The Thumb in French

I visited popular inland sights, such as the Chamarel Waterfalls, where the St Denis River plunges 272ft from a cliff into the rainforest below. Because of the heavy rain the falls were more spectacular than usual, filling the forest with misty spray. Black fruit bats, with their 3ft wing span, swooped ominously across the treetops.

The wild, jagged landscape is a reminder that Mauritius is a volcanic island that erupted out of the sea millions of years ago. I visited Seven Coloured Earth Park, a strange barren area of multicoloured rock in the middle of thick jungle, a relic of original lava formations. Today all Mauritiuss volcanoes are inactive.

As the rain continued, I felt sorry for those who had opted to stay at the beach. The monsoon drumming on the wooden roof of La Varangue sur Morne restaurant added to the adventurous atmosphere. The restaurant terrace hangs above a spectacular view and I felt like an intrepid explorer looking out through the tropical downpour.

That dramatic view inspired me to try some serious hiking. I heard there was a network of good paths leading to the vertical pinnacles of volcanic rock rising from the rainforest.

Mauritius is a volcanic island that erupted out of the sea millions of years ago. Pictured is some of the multi-coloured volcanic rock

The rain stopped and in temperatures of around 30C I soon dried off. I arranged a local guide to help me tackle a couple of the best mountains. How hard could they be? After all, even the tallest is 500ft shorter than Englands highest, Scafell Pike.

I shouldve realised that it wasnt going to be quite that easy when my guide turned up. He was a 6ft 6in muscleman seconded from an army special unit for the day. I was instructed to call him by his nickname: Zinc.

He led me on a nine-mile trek to reach a sudden cliff. This was Piton de la Petite Riviere Noire, the islands highest peak. We scrambled to the summit using ropes. Amazingly, at the top I found a painted park bench looking out over the wooded gorges below. Zinc explained this is a popular day trip for locals who have picnics up here as if they were having a stroll in the park.

If that wasnt impressive enough, Zinc then took me up Le Pouce, another vertical column of rock, slightly shorter than Le Piton. Le Pouce means The Thumb in French, which gives you an idea of the shape of this mountain.

Time to relax: The enticing beachfront luxury of Le Touessrok Resort

Zinc explained it is one of the most popular hikes on the island. The first man to climb Le Pouce was a young Charles Darwin in 1836.

It hasnt got any easier in the intervening 182 years. I found it was another tricky scramble to get to the tiny summit. There was just enough room for a selfie of Zinc and me. But the views from the top were amazing.

I could also look down the coast lined by rows of expensive resorts. In my imagination Im sure I could see people with itchy feet sitting on the beaches looking up at my mountain and wishing they were up at the top, too.A fascinating clip has emerged showing a never-before-seen driver's-eye-view of a new Crossrail train as it undertakes line tests beneath London.

The new trains are currently being tried out on a section of track between Abbey Wood in south east London and Canary Wharf in the city on what will be called the Elizabeth line.

The tests are intended to check the line's new automatic train control system, which operates in the central section of the route.

A fascinating new video has emerged showing new Crossrail trains being tested in tunnels on the brand new Elizabeth line

The new trains are currently being tried out on a section of track between Abbey Wood in south east London and Canary Wharf in the city

The new footage begins with the train making its way down a piece of overground track.

The driver can be seen being told by a instructor which controls to press before the train enters one of the Elizabeth line's tunnels.

A close up on the speedometer shows how the train is gaining speed and the clip then gives a sneak peek of some of the newly built stations.

The video also shows the gleaming interior of one of the empty trains that will be packed with commuters once the line is open, from December 2018.

One of the Elizabeth line drivers sits at the controls as he is told what to do during line tests

This shot shows the array of controls that drivers on the Elizabeth line will have to learn about

Crossrail, Europe's biggest infrastructure project, is now in its final stages.

All the platform screen doors have been installed with testing underway, while installation of all the overhead power equipment is complete.

New stations are being fitted out with remaining architectural finishes and mechanical and electrical equipment.

The clip shows the new trains zooming through some of the newly built stations on the route

Crossrail, Europe's biggest infrastructure project, is now in its final stages

Earlier this week, the overhead power equipment was successfully switched on in the remaining section between Westbourne Park in west London and Stepney in the east of the city, which means that the Elizabeth line tunnels are now fully energised.

Later this year, the first completed infrastructure will be handed over to Transport for London, who will lead the trial operations and commissioning phase ahead of the opening of the Elizabeth line.

Mark Wild, managing director of London Underground and the Elizabeth line, said: 'With just seven months to go until the opening of the Elizabeth line, which will transform travel across the city, its great to see testing ramping up beneath the streets of London.

An Elizabeth line train passes through Custom House station. The line will open in December

'The brand new trains that will provide better, quicker and more comfortable journeys for hundreds of thousands of people each day are now running through the tunnels at speeds of up to 60mph.

'Much more hard work is still to be done on completing stations, testing signalling and training staff. This is now underway to ensure that people can enjoy the Elizabeth line for the first time in December.'

The Crossrail project is being delivered by Crossrail Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of TfL, and is jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport and TfL.She channeled the 1970s when she was glimpsed in Los Angeles this Monday.

But by Wednesday, Bella Thorne was clear across the country, baring her impressively taut midriff as she hit the sidewalk in New York City.

Trailed by a pair of cameramen, the 20-year-old ex-Disney Channel star modeled a biker chic black leather jacket covered in metallic studs.

Out of LA: By Wednesday, Bella Thorne was clear across the country, baring her impressively taut midriff as she hit the sidewalk in New York City

She slipped into a matching high-waisted set of black leather trousers and left her fly open, rounding off the look with black and white heels and a crop top.

Bella, who is dating 31-year-old rapper Mod Sun and shares a puppy with him called Tampon, let her wavy red hair tumble freely over her shoulders.

Bella, whose father died in a 2007 motorcycle accident, appears to have an affinity for startlingly older men - before Mod Sun, she briefly dated Scott Disick, 34.

The actress starred opposite Patrick Schwarzenegger - the hunky 24-year-old son of Arnold Schwarzenegger - in Midnight Sun, a film out two months ago.

On the move: Trailed by a pair of cameramen, the 20-year-old ex-Disney Channel star modeled a biker chic black leather jacket covered in metallic studs

Stepping out: She slipped into a matching high-waisted set of black leather trousers and left her fly open, rounding off the look with black and white heels and a crop top

Sleek and chic: Bella, who is dating 31-year-old rapper Mod Sun and shares a puppy with him called Tampon, let her wavy red hair tumble freely over her shoulders

Directed by Scott Speer, Midnight Sun is a remake of a 2006 Japanese film about a teen girl with the genetic disorder xeroderma pigmentosum.

Because of her condition, she cannot be in the sun and has to live nocturnally.

With a cast that also includes Rob Riggle and Quinn Shephard, this English-language remake of Norihiro Koizumi's Taiyo no Uta (Song to the Sun) came out March 23 and currently holds a dismal 17% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Pattern: Bella, whose father died in a 2007 motorcycle accident, appears to have an affinity for startlingly older men - before Mod Sun, she briefly dated Scott Disick, 34

New work: The actress starred opposite Patrick Schwarzenegger - the hunky 24-year-old son of Arnold Schwarzenegger - in Midnight Sun, a film out two months ago

Patrick is Arnie's son by Maria Shriver, whose late mother Eunice was the sister of John F. Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy and Teddy Kennedy.

Patrick's pudgy late granduncle Teddy is the subject of the rather better-reviewed film Chappaquiddick, which holds a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Released last month, Chappaquiddick covers the 1969 incident in which Teddy infamously drove into a tidal channel and swam to safety, leaving 28-year-old passenger Mary Jo Kopechne to die in the Oldsmobile.

Jason Clarke stars as Teddy and Kate Mara - reprising her House Of Cards type as a young woman who perishes in a vehicular incident caused by a ruthless, older male politician - plays Mary Joe.

Premise: Directed by Scott Speer, Midnight Sun is a remake of a 2006 Japanese film about a teen girl with the genetic disorder xeroderma pigmentosumThey began dating shortly after he broke off his relationship with model Sarah Snyder late last year.

And Jaden Smith appeared to be head-over-heels with his new love Odessa Adlon, 18, as they went to lunch at Le Pain Quotiden in Calabasas on Wednesday.

The 19-year-old sported a bright yellow sweater and walked with his hand around his girlfriend.

Young love: Jaden Smith appeared to be head-over-heels with his new love Odessa Adlon, 18, as they went to lunch at Le Pain Quotiden in Calabasas on Wednesday

Jaden paired his top with slim fitting dark jeans and stylish chunky sneakers.

The actor was unmissable with his blonde hair and was spotted pulling faces on Odessa with his hands.

Despite having a bit of fun, Jaden told TMZ on the outing that he has donated 9,000 bottles to Flint, Michigan so far.

Back in March, he and his famous father Will had announced that they were donating clean water to the town via their eco-friendly water company JUST.

Fun and games: The 19-year-old sported a bright yellow sweater and used his hands to pull faces on his girlfriend

Odessa also appeared dressed down for the date.

She wore a grey t-shirt underneath a baggy pair of overalls which she attached her keys to.

The fellow-actress appeared to have warpaint on her cheeks and kept her light locks out and styled naturally.

Odessa was spotted carrying her laptop along with her to lunch.

New romance: Jaden and his new love's relationship began shortly after he ended his long-term romance with model Sarah Snyder last year

Jaden and his new love's relationship began shortly after he ended his long-term romance with model Sarah Snyder last year.

The Karate Kid star and Odessa made their relationship public in September 2017 when they appeared together on the red carpet of Better Things.

Odessa recently joined the Smith family on vacation in Hawaii.Tracey Jewel has sparked rumours of a possible reunion with her ex-boyfriend Patrick Kedemos, after they were both spotted in Cairns this week.

Just days after announcing her split from Married At First Sight's Sean Thomsen, the single mother enjoyed a relaxing getaway in Queensland, where Perth businessman Patrick is also spending time.

The former lovers both attended Tony Robbins' Date With Destiny seminar at Cairns Convention Centre on Wednesday and shared various photos on Instagram.

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Moving on already? Tracey Jewel (left) has sparked rumours of a possible reunion with her ex-boyfriend Patrick Kedemos (R), after they were both spotted in Cairns this week. Pictured in Perth on November 4th 2016

One photo showed a beaming Tracey posing outdoors and it was accompanied by a sentimental quote about love.

'I've learnt not to be afraid to keep opening my heart and putting myself out there even though it hurts like f*#* sometimes... life is love!' she wrote in the caption.

She added the hashtags: 'Life is love', 'Gratitude', 'Cairns', 'Date with destiny,' and 'Tony Robbins'.

Same place? Tracey shared this photo to Instagram on Wednesday, which appeared to show her in the same location as her ex Patrick, who posted a similar snap that same day

Looks familiar! Perth businessman Patrick, 45, shared a similar picturesque snap from Cairns, which included the same palm trees and grey sky visible in Tracey's photo

Accomplished: Patrick is a successful businessman and a former diplomat

Perth businessman Patrick, 45, shared a similar picturesque snap, which included the same palm trees and grey sky visible in Tracey's photo.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Tracey and Patrick for comment.

The exes began dating in 2016 but reportedly split in late June 2017, before Tracey's appearance on Married At First Sight.

Did they attend together? Tracey (left) and Patrick both shared photos from Tony Robbins' Date With Destiny seminar at Cairns Convention Centre on Wednesday

Patrick, a former honorary consul for France in WA, previously told News Corp that he met with Tracey on several occasions after their split.

He claimed they saw each other between October and December 2017, while she was filming Married At First Sight with her TV 'husband' Dean Wells, 40.

The self-proclaimed 'relationship expert' has previously denied Patrick's claims.

It's over! It comes a week after Tracey announced her split from fellow Married At First Sight star Sean Thomsen (right) after just five months of dating

She told PerthNow in March that her split with Patrick took an emotional toll.

'Breakups never end well, and in breakups you've always got my version of a breakup, their version of a breakup and the truth is somewhere in the middle,' she said.

'I have had some public relationships that haven't gone to plan and the reasons why those breakups have happened, I've chosen not to print those stories or comment on that, because that's private.'

She added: 'I'd hoped that they'd have the same respect for me.'

Awkward! Following their split, leaked text messages revealed Tracey had begged to get back together with Dean Wells (right) while she was still with Sean

Cringe! Dean let the single mother down gently, telling her 'that boat has sailed, babe'

'Yep I'm drunk': Tracey admitted she was under the influence when she sent the texts

Showing Dean what he's missing! Tracey sent this lingerie-clad selfie to Dean after they split on Married At First Sight

It comes a week after Tracey announced her split from FIFO (fly-in-fly-out) miner Sean, after just five months of dating.

She told New Idea that Sean's work schedule meant she had 'no stability', adding that she was relieved they never went ahead with their plans to move in together.

Following their split, leaked text messages revealed that Tracey had begged to get back together with Dean while she was still dating Sean.

Love triangle! Tracey is believed to have pursued Dean after dumping Sean, and has publicly admitted she 'can't stop thinking about him'

A screenshot of the conversation shows her telling Dean: 'Can I text you something you promise never to show anyone cause I'm drunk... You've really got under my skin the past few days.'

Brushing off Tracey's confession, Dean responds: 'Awww oh well. Too bad you broke up with me at the final vows.'

Tracey then writes back: 'Is it too late? I'm only going to ask once.'

But Tracey's plea for a second chance is shut down by Dean, who replies: '(You) know that boat has sailed babe. I wanna be friends and I care about you a lot but that boat has sailed babe'.

'Yep I'm drunk,' Tracey responds. 'Please keep this between us, promise?'

Tracey is currently preparing to embark on a tour across Australia and New Zealand to celebrate the launch of her third book, This Goddess Means Business.She copped savage backlash when it was announced she was going to star in Home And Away.

But former Bachelorette star Sam Frost insists she's come a long way since the beginning of her acting debut.

Speaking to Who magazine, the 29-year-old says she's settling into her role as Jasmine Delaney, and getting 'better and better' at acting.

'I'm getting better and better': Sam Frost says she's settling into her role on Home And Away... after receiving savage backlash following her acting debut

'I'm getting better and better,' she tells the publication, adding: 'I have invested so much time and work into my job, I know I'm getting better.'

After being in spotlight on The Bachelor franchise, Sam says she has finally discovered who she is.

'I know who I am, I like who I am and I don't really want anyone to change me,' she candidly shares.

I know now: After being in spotlight thanks to her stints on The Bachelor franchise, Sam says she has finally discovered who she is

'I've got a really good attitude... When you get older, you stay true to your values and morals,' she adds.

Last month Sam revealed that she is set to launch a new venture alongside her sister Kristine.

At the time, she revealed no further details other than the tagline: 'Everyone has a story.'

'I'm getting better and better,' she tells the publication, adding: 'I have invested so much time and work into my job, I know I'm getting better'Lucas Hedges has been cast as a young Shia LaBeouf in the biopic Honey Boy.

The 21-year-old actor, best known for his roles in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing and Lady Bird, wore a duck emblazoned sweatshirt on set in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Hedges was joined by LaBeouf, who is playing the role of his own father Jeffrey Craig LaBeouf.

Mini-me: Lucas Hedges has been cast as a young Shia LaBeouf in the biopic Honey Boy. While Shia himself has a buzz cut to play the part of his father, Jeffrey Craig LaBeouf

The upcoming film, which was titled after LaBeouf's childhood nickname, is loosely based on the actor's life.

According to IMDB, the story will follow a young Shia as he attempts to mend his relationship with his alcoholic and criminal father.

Jeffrey Craig LaBeouf was convicted of attempted rape in the early 1980s, and has since dealt with a slew of personal issues.

Story of a boy: The upcoming film, which was titled after LaBeouf's childhood nickname, is loosely based on the actor's life. According to IMDB, the story will follow a young Shia as he attempts to mend his relationship with his alcoholic and criminal father

In an interview with Esquire back in March, the Transformers vet opened up about his tumultuous childhood.

His mom Shaynawhom he calls his 'everything,'and his father split when he was just three.

And when Shia was nine, he saw his mother being raped.

'When I got to rehab last year, they said I had PTSD,' he said in reference to the violence he'd witnessed as a child.

His years of continued trauma have also led him to sleep with a gun.

'I've always thought somebody was coming in. My whole life,' he said.

Troubled life: Jeffrey Craig LaBeouf was convicted of attempted rape in the early 1980s, and has since dealt with a slew of personal issues

During his time on Disney's Even Stevens, Jeffery served as LaBeouf's on-set parent.

The two bunked up in a $40-a-night hotel to live close to the studio.

'I was going to the Alano Club [a 12-step program] with my dad. That was my daycare center. Then I'd go to work. That was my whole life,' Shia explained.

In an interview with Esquire back in March, the Transformers vet opened up about his tumultuous childhood. His parents split when he was three and at the age of nine he saw his mother being raped. 'When I got to rehab last year, they said I had PTSD,' he said in reference to the violence he'd witnessed as a child

He told the magazine that rehab forced him to 'poke his wounds.'

'You keep talking about it,' he said. 'You keep bringing it up, acting it out, thinking about its smell. Every which way you can get to it.

'And a lot of my s*** has to do with my relationship with my dad. That dude is my gasoline.'Georgie Gardner became emotional as she bravely discussed her heartbreaking miscarriages on the Today show, on Thursday.

The 47-year-old TV host - who shares daughter Bronte, 12, and son Angus, 10, with husband Tim Baker - miscarried once at an undisclosed time and a second time at 14 weeks while trying for her third baby.



Georgie, who previously revealed that the harrowing ordeals took her to a 'very deep and dark place', broached the topic after Candice Warner detailed her miscarriage amid her husband David's ball-tampering scandal.

'We're a little emotional over here': Today show's Georgia Gardner (pictured) became tearful as she discussed her 'traumatic' miscarriages on the breakfast program on Thursday

Georgie struggled to hold back the tears as she explained that she desperately searched for 'answers' after her losses.

'I wanted reasons, I wanted answers, I wanted to know why. I actually had a traumatic experience before I miscarried my first and immediately made that association,' she explained.

The host said she was left wondering if her 'traumatic experience' had caused her miscarriage, but 'medical advice is that there is no correlation'.

She said: 'One of the common things I came across, having miscarried twice myself, is people immediately asking, "How far along were you? What week were you?"

Grief: The presenter and mother-of-two, 47, explained that she had desperately wanted 'reasons' and 'answers' after the ordeals

Loss: Georgie - who shares daughter Bronte, 12, and son Angus (both pictured), 10, with her husband Tim Baker - miscarried once at an undisclosed time and a second time at 14 weeks while trying for her third baby

'As if to almost suggest that if it was the first trimester, or not far into the second trimester, it almost wasn't a baby. I found that incredibly offensive.'

She conceded that people who consoled her were simply trying their best - but weren't the most tactful in their wording.

'People mean well, but they just don't know how to tackle it,' she admitted. 'I was very vocal, but I found that quite a lot of people were uncomfortable with that.'

She chatted to writer Dilvin Yasa about the the importance of breaking down taboos surrounding miscarriages during the emotionally-wrought segment.

Unimpressed: Georgie revealed that she found it offensive when people would ask her 'how far along' she was, as though suggesting that 'it wasn't a baby' if she had a miscarriage early on in the pregnancy

Dilvin, who has miscarried twice, said: 'I entered a really dark stage.

'I was so angry, I hated the sun for coming out, the waves for rolling I hated babies, I hated mothers. I sought counselling and joined support groups,' she said.

At the end of the chat, Georgie - clearly struggling to hold back her emotions - said solemnly: 'I'm so glad we've discussed this today, I personally feel it's a very important topic to address.'

Handing back to hosts Sylvia Jeffreys and Lara Vella, she smiled bravely and said: 'We're a little emotional over here.'

Georgie previously revealed that her second miscarriage at around nine to 10 weeks into her pregnancy was a harrowing experience.

Tough topic: 'People mean well, but they just don't know how to tackle it,' she admitted. 'I was very vocal, but I found that quite a lot of people were uncomfortable with that.' (pictured with husband Tim and their two kids)

'The loss absolutely rocked me': Gardner previously revealed that her two miscarriages took her to a 'very deep and dark place' (pictured with Bronte and Angus)

Speaking to website Show and Tell in 2014, she said she 'was desperately trying to have number three' and the loss 'really rocked me, absolutely rocked me.'

'Some women I know have miscarriages and are very accepting and say thats OK, thats nature taking its course,' she said, 'but, my god, it really took me to a very deep and dark place actually.'

'Im sure at 39 weeks of course it would be a lot harder, it would be a lot more harrowing than nine or 10 weeks, which was what I was.

'(But) it was still a life, and still a dream. Its the possibility... I wanted it so badly.'

The Today show segment came as Candice Warner revealed she suffered a miscarriage following her husband David's cricket cheating scandal.

Tragic: Georgie referred to Candice Warner (pictured) during the segment, who bravely revealed she had suffered a miscarriage herself following her husband David's cricket cheating scandal

Target: Candice was ruthlessly targeted by South African fans leading up to the ill-fated third Test in Cape Town on March 24. Pictured with husband David and their children Ivy Mae and Indi Rae

Candice believes her distress at the time of the scandal could have caused the tragic loss, telling Australian Women's Weekly: 'The ordeal from the public humiliations to the ball tampering had taken its toll and, from that moment, we decided no sport, nothing will impact our lives like that again.'

David was banned for 12 months by Cricket Australia after being accused of masterminding a plot to change the condition of the ball during the third Test in Cape Town on March 24.

Candice said that she and David - who are parents to daughters Ivy Mae, three, and Indi Rae, two - were overjoyed by the thought of welcoming a third child.

The couple had been trying for a baby since July last year, and were thrilled when Candice's pregnancy test returned a positive result upon their arrival in South Africa.

Banned: David was banned for 12 months by Cricket Australia after being accused of masterminding a plot to change the condition of the ball during the third Test in Cape Town on March 24

When news of the ball-tampering scandal broke and they returned to Sydney amid a media frenzy, Candice feared that her unborn child would be affected by the stress and strain of travelling home on the 23-hour flight.

During his post-scandal press conference, David became particularly emotional while apologising to his wife Candice and their two children for the effect his actions had on them.

'Your love means more than anything to me. I know I would not be anything without you. I'm very sorry for putting you through this and I promise I will never put you through this again,' a tearful David said.

A week after the press conference, where Candice was seen sobbing 'uncontrollably' alongside her friend Roxy Jacenko, she faced more bad news.

'I called Dave to the bathroom and told him I was bleeding. We knew I was miscarrying. We held one another and cried,' she said.Ben Affleck was snapped filling up his tank in Los Angeles on Wednesday after his ex Gwyneth Paltrow opened up to Howard Stern about their past relationship.

The A-lister, 45, wore a black leather jacket over a grey shirt with blue jeans and grey sneakers, sporting a short-cropped salt and pepper haircut with a full beard as he fueled his vehicle.

On Wednesday, Stern, 64, asked Paltrow, 45, why she and the Argo star never tied the knot amid their three-year relationship from 1997 to 2000.

Refuel: Ben Affleck, 45, was snapped filling up his tank in LA Wednesday after his ex Gwyneth Paltrow opened up to Howard Stern about their past relationship

'How did you know not to marry him?' the shock jock asked the lifestyle guru. 'You were never in love with him?'

Paltrow replied, 'It's interesting I think there's certain boyfriends where you are trying to work stuff out, right? Like you're trying to heal certain stuff from your childhood and he was very much a lesson in that way.

The Oscar-winning actress, who shared the screen with Affleck in the 2000 romantic drama Bounce, added, 'I'm not sure exactly what I was trying to heal in that instance but it was, he was, ya know, it was specific.'

Paltrow previously spoke about her relationship with Affleck in a 2015 chat with Stern, when she said that friends and family were behind her when she felt it was time to call it quits with the Gone Girl actor. 'He was not in a good place in his life to have a girlfriend.'

Focused: The A-list actor was in the City of Angels as his ex gabbed with the King of All Media

Expensive: Ben browsed the gas prices, which are currently highest in the country in California

Keeping warm: The movie star wore a black leather jacket on an overcast weekday

Another name from Ben's past, filmmaker Kevin Smith, told The Daily Beast earlier this month that Affleck 'hasnt spoken to [him] in years,' despite their strong working relationship in the 1990s, with films like Dogma, Chasing Amy and Mallrats.

'I think he probably plays a more prominent role in my mythology than I play in his mythology anymore,' Smith told the publication. 'He was in some of my biggest movies, so in my world hes still a figure. In his world, I havent factored in, in God knows how f***ing long.

'And hes gone on to do tremendous, big f***ing things. Hes become a massive movie star and a director in his own right.'

Friends and neighbors: Both Howard Stern and Paltrow own residences in the HamptonsEdwina Bartholomew debuted a new hairstyle on Sunrise this week.

The 34-year-old presenter shocked her co-stars Samantha Armytage and David 'Kochie' Koch with her makeover, after chopping her longs locks in favour of a long bob.

After revealing her stunning new cut and receiving compliments from her colleagues, Edwina joked to The Daily Telegraph: 'I wish I'd kept the clippings to sell on eBay if I knew my hair would be such a big deal.'

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'I didn't know my hair would be such a big deal!' Edwina Bartholomew shocks her Sunrise co-stars Samantha Armytage and David 'Kochie' Koch as she debuts her new short locks. She is seen on the left with longer locks

Fresh: The entertainment journalist chopped her longs locks in favour of a long bob

She added: 'Seriously though, it is lovely to receive a compliment because it certainly could have been a lot worse.'

Fellow blonde Samantha Armytage gushed about Eddie's hair on Sunrise this week, telling the beauty she looked like Reese Witherspoon.

'It is a bit Reese Witherspoonesque,' she quipped.

They're fans! On Thursday's edition of Sunrise, Samantha Armytage gushed about Eddie's hair, telling the blonde beauty she looked like Reese Witherspoon

The old hair: The blonde beauty is pictured with her longer locks earlier this year while covering the Oscars in LA

Meanwhile, Kochie said he thought Edwina was channeling Demi Moore, but when he heard that the Striptease actress was once bald, he said she looked like Charlize Theron.

Edwina recently jetted back to Australia after a stint in the UK covering the Royal wedding.

She flew out of Australia after tying the knot with husband Neil Varcoe last month.

On duty! Edwina recently jetted back to Australia after a stint in the UK covering the Royal weddingOn Sunday she was publicly berated by protesters for wearing fur.

So on Tuesday, Claire Danes appeared to take special care to go with cruelty free clothing as the 39-year-old actress strolled around SoHo in New York City with husband Hugh Dancy.

The Homeland star sported a prominent baby bump beneath her long cotton maternity dress.

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Fur free: On Tuesday, Claire Danes appeared to take special care to go with cruelty free clothing

The mother-of-one slipped a black cardigan on over the flowing garment.

On her feet, the Romeo And Juliet star wore flat vinyl sandals and she carried a cross body black vinyl bag and a bottle of Fiji water.

The actress went makeup free for the stroll and wore her strawberry blonde tresses untied and flowing.

Bumping along nicely: The Homeland star sported a prominent baby bump beneath her long cotton maternity dress

Cruelty-free Claire: On her feet, the Romeo And Juliet star wore flat vinyl sandals and she carried a cross body black vinyl bag and a bottle of Fiji water

Good hair day: The actress went makeup free for the stroll and wore her strawberry blonde tresses untied and flowing

The ex-girlfriend of Billy Crudup cradled her baby bump as she chatted with husband and Hannibal star, Hugh Dancy.

The 42-year-old British actor went casual for the stroll in brown trousers and a tight blue shirt.

The couple met on the set of Evening in 2006 and share one child already: a son named Cyrus.

Her man: The ex-girlfriend of Billy Crudup cradled her baby bump as she chatted with husband and Hannibal star, Hugh Dancy

Keeping warm: The mother-of-one slipped a black cardigan on over the flowing garment

Danes was confronted by anti-fur protesters while promoting her film A Kid Like Jake at Vulture Festival in New York Sunday night.

After the Homeland star was called out by a woman for wearing fur, she responded by saying: 'I literally don't recall if I ever wore fur.'

But the demonstrators then appeared to produce pictures of the actress wearing a fur-trimmed jacket, leaving Danes unable to find words.

Tough lessons: Danes was confronted by anti-fur protesters while promoting her film A Kid Like Jake at Vulture Festival in New York Sunday night

It's worth noting that long, down jackets are often provided on set for actors while shooting in the cold.

Claire looked visibly shaken, grimacing as an animal activist shook a piece of fur trim in the star's face.

'No human being should ever, ever wear real fur. Shame on you for what you do.'

Co-star Jim Parsons tried to comfort a shocked Claire by putting a tender hand on her shoulder.She was celebrating the launch of her new Boohoo collection in style with a host of her famous friends.

And Gemma Collins was joined by a group of pals - but not boyfriend James 'Arg' Argent - as she dined out following the party, treating herself to a slap-up Italian meal.

The TOWIE star, 37, was spotted tucking into a tasty linguine dish washed down with a cold beverage as she toasted her event.

Chowing down: Gemma Collins was joined by a group of pals - but not boyfriend James 'Arg' Argent - as she dined out following the party, treating herself to a slap-up Italian meal

Gemma appeared to be enjoying her gourmet meal at the upmarket eatery, where she was joined by several female companions.

In true GC fashion, the outspoken star answered the phone at the dinner table, catching up on all the gossip.

The blonde beauty was in high spirits as she continued her celebrations into the evening.

Great success: The star washed down her meal with a cold beverage as she toasted her event

Delizioso! The TOWIE star, 37, was spotted tucking into a tasty linguine dish

Mmm: Gemma appeared to be enjoying her gourmet meal at the upmarket eatery

Earlier in the evening, Gemma was celebrating the launch of her Boohoo swimwear collection on Tuesday by hosting a star-studded bash at swanky London venue Tonight Josephine, supported by a host of fellow reality TV personalities including long-time ITVBe co-star Chloe Sims.

The star was looking lovely in a simple black dress with a strapless neckline and a seductive thigh-high split.

Gemma added a touch of sparkle thanks to a sequin embellished kimono and a metallic clutch bag.

In true GC fashion, the outspoken star answered the phone at the dinner table

In good company: The star was catching up on all the gossip as she chatted to her friends

Loving life: The blonde beauty was in high spirits as she continued her celebrations into the evening

One for the 'gram: Gemma couldn't resist taking pictures of her delicious meal

The meme queen flashed a beaming smile and a cheeky peace sign as she prepared to greet her showbiz pals.

The outspoken blonde was joined by gal pal Chloe at the event, with the mother-of-one showing her support for The GC in spite of her recent feud with her boyfriend James 'Arg' Argent.

Chloe put on a glamorous display in a slinky coral dress with a cut-out at the bust to highlight her generous cleavage.

Make way for Queen GC! Earlier in the evening, Gemma was celebrating the launch of her Boohoo swimwear collection by hosting a star-studded bash at swanky London venue Tonight Josephine

Supportive friends: She was supported by a host of fellow reality TV personalities including her long-time ITVBe co-star Chloe Sims

Thigh's the limit for Gemma: The TOWIE favourite, 37, was looking lovely in a simple black dress with a strapless neckline and a seductive thigh-high split

Dazzling: Gemma added a touch of sparkle thanks to a sequin embellished kimono and a metallic clutch bag

Bronzed: The bubbly blonde was fresh from a sun-soaked holiday to Marbella with boyfriend James 'Arg' Argent

Gemma talked to the brand about her influences, and said: 'If there was a soundtrack to sum up my life  it would have to be Glam by Fergie. G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S- Glamorous! Thats how I like to live my life

Loving life: Gemma couldn't keep the smile off her face as she posed up a storm at the event

Also in attendance were Love Island and sometime TOWIE stars Cara De La Hoyde and Nathan Massey, enjoying a date night without baby Freddie.

Newly-single Gabby Allen also arrived on the arm of her brother, putting on a brave face in the wake of her split from Marcel Somerville amid cheating claims.

Gemma talked to the brand about her influences, and said: 'If there was a soundtrack to sum up my life  it would have to be Glam by Fergie. G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S- Glamorous! Thats how I like to live my life.'

Putting her best foot forward: Gemma put her tanned pins on display in the slinky black dress

Coy: The outspoken star came over all shy as she rocked up at her party

Looking good: Chloe put on a glamorous display in a slinky coral dress with a cut-out at the bust to highlight her generous cleavage

Close pals: Chloe wasn't letting her recent feud with Arg get in the way of supporting Gemma

Working it: The star ensured she showed off her newly-boosted derriere in her silky dress

Vibrant: Make-up pro Chloe matched her beauty look to her dress and opted for a neon orange manicure

And of her shoot in Spain, Gemma said: 'As you all know, Im the Queen of Marbs  so filming here has made it extra special.

'What I love most about boohoo is that they go up to a size 24, they are always on trend - it fits amazing and makes you feel amazing.'

Gemma was also keen to give some heartfelt advice to her fans, as she told Boohoo: 'The life advice I live by is dont ever let anyone tell you your hair is too big, thats so negative you dont need people like that in your life!

Newly-single: Love Island's Gabby Allen was putting on a brave face following her break-up with Marcel Somerville

Brotherly love: Gabby was joined by her younger brother Ethan - who caused a stir among female viewers when he visited her in the Love Island villa

Making a joint arrival: Gabby looked delighted as she stepped out with her younger brother

Proud sister: Ethan is rumoured to be joining the Love Island cast for this year's series

Flower power: Gabby donned a bright blue kimono style top with a coordinating red belt

'And secondly dont let anyone put you down. You know youre amazing you have to tell yourself that every day and positive vibes always.'

Gemma and her boyfriend James 'Arg' Argent had been heavily documenting their romantic trip together to Marbella on social media, but it seems all was not well upon their return.

In an video obtained by The Sun, the couple were pictured rowing at London's Southend airport, with Gemma grabbing 30-year-old Arg's arm.

Date night: Also in attendance were Love Island and sometime TOWIE stars Cara De La Hoyde and Nathan Massey

Glamorous: Cara showed off her incredible post-baby body in polka dot coords

Night off: The couple left baby Freddie at home as they enjoyed a rare night off

Show of support: Former MIC star Nicola Hughes and former TOWIE star Amber Dowding were putting in appearances

Bronzed: Amber was looking VERY bronzed, slipping into a red silk dress and matching heels

Loved-up: The star has found love again, moving on from her TOWIE ex Chris Clarke

Making a statement: Former Britain's Got Talent star Talulah-Eve Brown was spotted at the event

Snap happy! Amber couldn't resist snapping a few selfie as she partied the night away

Catching up: Gabby and Cara were enjoying a gossip session at the event

While it was 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.

However, the pair have since confirmed they are back together, holding hands and smiled at one another as they attended a soiree in Kent.

Looking happier than ever, the pair beamed as they prepared to film for the TOWIE series 22 finale.

Putting in an appearance: Tallia Storm donned a flirty polka dot dress at the event

Cheers! Cara and Nathan were having a blast at the fun-filled fashion bash

Heading off: Gabby was toting a goodie bag filled with freebies as she headed off home

Calling it a night: Gemma made an exit from the bash after a few hours

Happy: Gemma couldn't her joy at the successful night

Suddenly shy? Gemma appeared to be hiding behind her pink bagsJodie Foster stars in the new action/sci-fi movie Hotel Artemis.

The 55-year-old actress attended a Los Angeles press conference on Wednesday in a black blazer and a star-printed blouse.

She was joined by co-stars Sofia Boutella and Sterling K. Brown.

June 8: Jodie Foster stars in the new action/sci-fi movie Hotel Artemis

The film, based in a riot-torn Los Angeles, follows a nurse, played by Foster, who runs a members only hospital for criminals that is disguised as a hotel.

'It's really original,' Jodie told MTV News. 'It's not like any movie I've ever made or any movie I've ever seen. It has a real freshness and originality to it.'

Hotel Artemis is set to hit theaters on June 8.

Casually clad: The 55-year-old actress attended a Los Angeles press conference on Wednesday in a black blazer and a star-printed blouse

Hot ticket: The film, that takes place in a riot-torn Los Angeles, follows a nurse, played by Foster, who runs a members only hospital for criminals

Sofia Boutella arrived to the press conference in a sheer, A-line dress and pumps.

The 36-year-old actress, best known for her role in The Mummy, plays Nice, a through and through killer with strong sexual undertones.

'For this character in particular, I like the mix of strength and fighting and also the femininity,' she told The Hollywood News in an interview.

Eye see you: Sofia Boutella arrived to the press conference in a sheer, A-line dress and pumps

Boss babe: The 36-year-old actress, best known for her role in The Mummy, plays Nice, a through and through killer with strong sexual undertones

Sterling K. Brown plays Waikiki, a criminal who comes to the nurse for help when his brother Honolulu is shot.

In an interview with Ebony, the 42-year-old actor talked about working alongside Foster.

'She's amazing,' he said. 'How often do you get to work with someone who has been doing it for 50 years?'She's been laying relatively low since welcoming her second daughter Gio Grace Levine in February.

But Victoria's Secret Angel Behati Prinsloo was seen out and about for a good cause on Wednesday.

Attending the Your Mom Cares event in Los Angeles, the 30-year-old joined other celebrity moms to help American children in need.

Mom's day out: Behati Prinsloo was seen out and about for a good cause on Wednesday after spending the past few months laying low following the birth of her second daughter Gio Grace Levine in February

Behati showcased her post-baby trim physique in a fitted green printed midi dress.

The South African born beauty kept casual with a denim jacket and pair of black sneakers.

The model accessoriesed her look with a multi-colored floral bag.

Stunner: Behati showcased her post-baby trim physique in a fitted green printed midi dress

Behati kept a low profile with a pair of designer shades.

The mom-of-two appeared to be makeup free and had her blonde locks tied back into a messy top-knot that was secured with a scrunchie.

The wife and her Maroon 5 font-man husband Adam Levine is yet to share an image of her newborn.

She's here! Taking to Instagram following Gio's birth, Behati shared an adorable shot of the bubs wrinkly toes

Family: Behati and Adam are also parents to one-year-old Dusty Rose Levine (above)

Taking to Instagram following Gio's birth, Behati shared an adorable shot of the bubs wrinkly toes.

'Gio Grace Levine 2/15/18. She's got her dads toes,' she captioned.

Behati and Adam are also parents to one-year-old Dusty Rose Levine.She spent two years of her marriage separated from her husband Luke Hunt, while he was serving time in prison.

But model Samantha Harris says she and her hubby are now happier than ever.

Speaking on The Morning Show on Thursday, the brunette beauty gushed about the couple's recent four year wedding anniversary.

Model Samantha Harris gushes about her four year wedding anniversary with husband Luke Hunt after couple spent the first two years of their marriage apart while he was in prison

'It was really good, for our anniversary we actually celebrated at Jonah's in Palm Beach,' she raved.

The beauty said she and Luke enjoyed the beachfront restaurant and frequented wedding location.

'It was a good one,' Samantha reaffirmed.

Four years: Samantha secretly married Luke in 2014, two months before he began serving a prison sentence for his involvement in a fatal car crash, which killed 78-year-old grandfather Kenneth Lay

Samantha secretly married Luke in 2014, two months before he began serving a prison sentence for his involvement in a fatal car crash, which killed 78-year-old grandfather Kenneth Lay.

Luke was behind the wheel during the tragic May 2012 accident.

Samantha and Luke's Commodore car crashed into Kenneth's Hyundai Lantra in Narraweena, on the Northern Beaches.

Luke was driving above the speed limit and changing lanes.

Catwalk queen: The Indigenous beauty, who started modelling at the ripe age of 13, rose to fame after placing second in Girlfriend magazine's model search back in 2004

News that the couple had married wasn't revealed until April 2016 after her husband had finished serving his term.

Samantha said the couple didn't make an announcement prior out of respect for the crash victim's family.

The Indigenous beauty, who started modelling at the ripe age of 13, rose to fame after placing second in Girlfriend magazine's model search back in 2004.

She has since gone on to feature in campaigns for David Jones and Miu Miu, while winning an ambassadorship with Priceline Pharmacy.The world watched Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tie the knot over the weekend.

And on Thursday, Australian actress Isla Fisher revealed she once met the dashing Prince, and the pair shared a rather awkward encounter.

The 42-year-old Wedding Crashers star explained they crossed paths at a concert in London years ago, and bonded over having red hair.

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'We're both ginger!' Isla Fisher reveals she once met Prince Harry and jokes about their awkward encounter

'I did meet him, he did seem very nice,' Isla told Nova's Fitzy and Wippa.

She went on to explain that she couldn't quite recall their conversation but they exchanged pleasantries.

'We had a little chat, it was very loud music, we were all kind of dancing,' the actress said.

Both ginger! The 42-year-old Wedding Crashers star explained they crossed paths at a concert in London years ago, and bonded over having red hair

'It was one of those - like listening to a great sound backstage somewhere and dancing - "Hey, how are you? Nice to meet you' kind of things... moving on.'

Isla added with a laugh: 'It was one of those, "oh you're ginger, I'm ginger"... done.'

The flamed-haired beauty said she did watch the Royal wedding and loved that the Royal family welcomed Meghan Markle into the fold.

Loved it: The flamed-haired beauty said she did watch the Royal wedding and loved that the Royal family welcomed Meghan Markle into the fold (Isla is pictured with husband Sacha Baron Cohen)

'It's a beautiful statement,' she said.

'I thought it's wonderful to celebrate cultural diversity in a time when nations are putting up boarders to immigration.

'And we're missing all the wonderful benefits of what immigration brings and multiculturalism brings to culture.'

Isla is married to English actor and comedian, Sacha Baron Cohen, 46.

The pair share three children together, daughters Olive, ten, Elula Lottie Miriam, seven, and son Montgomery Moses Brian, three.Radio hosts are all too familiar with playing a prank or two.

But KIIS FM's Will McMahon and Woody Whitelaw perhaps went a little too far with their latest skit.

A video shared to the network's Instagram page on Thursday, saw the larrikins test whether an Uber driver would be willing to transport a corpse for a five-star rating.

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A prank gone too far? KIIS FM's Will McMahon [R] and Woody Whitelaw [L] tested whether an Uber driver would be willing to transport a 'DEAD BODY' for a five-star rating on Thursday

The beginning of the clip shows Will asking the Uber driver, seated in a car outside of a Sydney home: 'I've just got to grab something, is that alright?'

Will then proceeds to ask the driver whether he could open up the boot.

Along with his radio co-host Woody, the pair are then seen dumping a fake body wrapped up in garbage bags into the back of the vehicle.

Setting the scene: The beginning of the clip shows Will asking the Uber driver, seated in a car outside of a Sydney home: 'I've just got to grab something, is that alright?'

Curious: The Uber driver whose face is muzzed, remains unaware of what exactly the men are up to

The Uber driver whose face is muzzed, remains unaware of what exactly the men are up to.

It's only until he hears a loud thud he asks: 'What are they doing?'

Woody, who occupies the front passenger seat, strikes up idle chat with the driver, asking how his day has been.

His suspicion growing, the driver then asks Woody: 'What's in the back if you don't mind me asking?'

Heavy lifting: Eventually stopping at a remote park, Will along with a mystery female, asks whether the driver could give them a hand with removing the 'dead body' from the boot

Stalling, Woody motions towards Will uttering: 'Ummmm it's uhh ummmm Will [sic]?'

The boys finally come up with an answer, saying that the body is 'a big plant.'

Eventually stopping at a remote park, Will along with a mystery female, asks whether the driver could give them a hand with removing the 'dead body' from the boot.

'Are you sure this is a plant?' the driver asks, to which Will responds in between grunts 'help carry it and don't worry about it.'

Realising that it's in fact a live body wrapped up in garbage bags, the driver flees the scene screaming, 'S**t I didn't do this!'

Worried: 'Are you sure this is a plant?' the driver is then heard asking the pair

In hysterics: Realising that it's in fact a live body wrapped up in garbage bags, the driver flees the scene screaming 'I didn't do this!'

Will and Woody kicked off their highly-coveted drive time program on KIIS FM in January.

The funnymen, who previously spent four years together on breakfast radio in Perth, are perhaps hoping to garner comparisons to comic duo Hamish Blake and Andy Lee.

Will and Woody are up against Mick Molloy and Jane Kennedy on Triple M, while Kate Ritchie, Tim Blackwell and Marty Sheargold are a well-established trio over on Nova.

The duo are taking over from power couple Dave Hughes and Kate Langbroek, who delivered strong ratings results for KIIS.Shailene Woodley and boyfriend Ben Volavola indulged in a very passionate kiss at the premiere of new action/adventure film Adrift on Wednesday night.

The 26-year-old actress seemed rather taken with her man as she wowed in a plunging, silver gown which was low-cut in design.

Ben, 27, was suited and booted for the occasion as he stood proudly by her side while the pair posed for photos together.

Date night: Shailene Woodley, 26, and boyfriend Ben Volavola, 27 enjoyed a passionate kiss at the premiere of new action/adventure film Adrift in LA on Wednesday

Shine bright: Shailene looked incredible in a long silver gown, while Ben was suited and booted for the occasion

Shailene and her Auckland rugby player made their relationship Instagram official back in January.

The two reportedly met while she was filming Adrift in Fiji and have been going from strength to strength ever since.

Before Ben, The Fault In Their Stars actress was linked to Theo James and musician Nahko Bear.

Belle of the ball: Shailene's dress was low-cut in design and had a type of corset feature on the top half

Pocketful of sunshine: Shailene paired her dress with a few dainty, silver bracelets

New tale to tell: Adrift is based on a true survival story, follows a couple as they sail a 44-foot yacht from Tahiti to San Diego

The Divergent series vet was also joined on the red carpet by her co-star Sam Claflinbest known for his role in The Hunger Games.

Shailene and Sam embraced lovingly as they shared in their success.

Sam told E!: 'We were really fortunate. We're very similar people. You can't ask for a better co-star.'

Shailene added: 'You really can't. We laughed a lot. And we cried a lot. And we supported each other. This whole process, as beautiful as it was, it was taxing.'

On-screen love: Shailene was also joined on the red carpet by her co-star Sam Claflinbest known for his role in The Hunger Games

Reunited: Shailene and Sam embraced lovingly as they shared in their success

The intense feature film, based on a true survival story, follows a couple as they sail a 44-foot yacht from Tahiti to San Diego.

Tami, played by Shailene, and Richard, played by Sam, are forced to fight for their lives as they sail straight into a category five hurricane.

Adrift is slated to hits theaters on June 1.

Strike a pose: Grey's Anatomy's Peyton Kennedy (left) and model Kara Del Toro (right) both attended the premiere in red

Happy: Shailene posed alongside Eulala Scheel (left) and Marcia Gay Harden (right)

Mom and daughter: Marcia Gay Harden, 58, wore black jeans and her daughter Julitta Scheel, 14, wore a beige dress

Show off: Katherine McNamara, 22, flaunted her legs in a MILLY PF18 Look 4 dress and BCBGMAXAZRIA 'Ava Soft Dress' booties

Arms around: Sam Claflin donned a blue windowpane and Tami Oldham Ashcraft wore a long teal gown

Blondes have more fun: Kristen Hancher (left) wore a tight tan dressed with heeled purple boots, while Stefanie Scott wore red (right)She's made a name for herself playing Anne Boleyn in The Tudors and Margaery Tyrell in Game Of Thrones.

But now Natalie Dormer is starring in a role she created for herself in the thriller In Darkness.

The actress, 36, co-wrote the movie with her fiance Anthony Byrne who directs it and on Wednesday there was a glitzy premiere for the film in Hollywood.

Wow factor: Natalie Dormer flashed lacy black lingerie under a tailored black jacket paired with flared trousers as she wore a tuxedo-style suit to the Hollywood premiere of In Darkness

The blonde star looked incredible in a stylish tuxedo suit with tailored jacket and flared trousers.

She ratcheted up the wow factor by flashing black lacy lingerie under the jacket that was buttoned just above the navel.

Natalie flashed her cleavage in the ensemble as she posed for photos on the red carpet.

She wore her long hair pulled back from her forehead and worn loose around her shoulders.

Hot: Natalie flashed her cleavage in the ensemble as she posed for photos on the red carpet Wednesday night

Natural beauty: The actress, 36, wore her long hair pulled back from her forehead and worn loose around her shoulders. She rimmed her eyes with black kohl and sported red lip color

Personal project: Natalie co-wrote the thriller with her fiance Anthony Byrne who also directed it. The couple met in Ireland in 2007 and got engaged in 2011

Her partner Anthony, 42, whom she met in Ireland while filming The Tudors in 2007, was casually attired in a patterned gold and black shirt left untucked over black trousers.

The couple got engaged in 2011.

In Darkness revolves around a blind musician who hears a murder committed in the apartment upstairs from hers and sends her down a dark path into London's gritty criminal underworld, according to IMDb.

Also on the red carpet was model turned actress Emily Ratajowski who also stars in the movie and who posed with Natalie and Anthony at the event.

Big night: Also on the red carpet was model turned actress Emily Ratajowski who also stars in the movie and who posed with Natalie and Anthony at the event.

Lovely ladies: The two stars put on quite a show for the cameras

In Darkness has been in production for several years with Natalie and Anthony working on the screenplay together and also producing.

In August 2016, Natalie spoke about the project to People and said it had been a learning experience.

'Its tough!' she said about working with her fiance on the project.

'I dont know if youve ever been in a writing room but I wouldnt recommend it with your other half,' she added,

But she was nevertheless thrilled to be taking on something that she had had a hand in creating and over which she had some control.

'Im very excited about it because Ive never done anything that Ive written before,' she told the magazine. 'It was a very interesting process  we were trying to write real interesting characters, both male and female.'

Gripping story: Also in the cast is actor Ed Skrein. Natalie said she and Anthony tried to write interesting male and female characters for In DarknessIt dominated screens back in 2016 and 2017 with its addictive mix of tears, tantrums and reignited romance.

And Seven Year Switch fans will be delighted to learn that the controversial dating show will return for a third season in 2019.

Channel Seven bosses are calling for couples who are 'at a crossroads in their relationship' to apply for the show.

It's back! Seven Year Switch fans will be delighted to learn that the controversial dating show will return for a third season in 2019 (Pictured, Kaitlyn Isham and Mark Pisani)

The casting notice reads: 'We're looking for couples who are at a crossroads in their relationship.

'Couples who are wondering whether the grass is greener or whether they're with the one... and they're not settling for second best!'

Applications will close on June 4 for next year's show. The series, which did not air this year, features couples in declining relationships switching places with one another for two whole weeks.

The couples will be flown to luxury villas in Thailand for what they are led to believe is a marriage counseling session and free getaway, but are instead forced to share a room with a total stranger for the next two weeks.

Here we go again! Channel Seven bosses are calling for couples who are 'at a crossroads in their relationship' to apply for the show (pictured, Tim and Jackie)

The premise is largely similar to the hit show Wife Swap, although Seven Year Switch will actually give the couples the opportunity to stay together outright or end their relationship after the show ends.

In perhaps the most intriguing aspects of the show, the couple will be governed by virtually no rules and share only one bed between them.

The couples will have to work things out with their new partner and ultimately decide if the time apart will save their marriage  or finally break it.

Get ready! The series, which did not air this year, features couples in declining relationships switching places with one another for two whole weeks (pictured Michelle with Jason)

The contestants have endured breakdowns on the show, with last year's Kaitlyn Isham admitting her partner at the time, Mark Pisani, struggled once the show aired.

'Mark and I enjoyed the filming experience. He was suicidal when it came to air. Which confuses me because we were psychology tested and he should have failed that,' she said in a tweet earlier this year.

She further stated that: 'Couples from the first show were told it was going to a documentary! NOT REALITY TV.'She's a City2Surf veteran and even used 2016's fun run as an excuse to get in shape before her wedding to Peter Stefanovic.

And Sylvia Jeffreys is already in training mode for the upcoming race on August 12th.

The Today presenter, who is a City2Surf ambassador, posed for a workout-themed photo shoot on Wednesday to promote the event.

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On your marks! The Today show's Sylvia Jeffreys posed for a workout-themed photo shoot in Sydney on Wednesday to promote the City2Surf fun run, which takes place on August 12th

In the photos, Sylvia looks fit and well-prepared in skintight leggings, a white T-shirt and an Adidas zip-up hoodie.

She is shown training in a Sydney park, posing with her fellow City2Surf ambassadors and performing stretches by a tree.

The Channel Nine personality took part in last year's 14 kilometre race alongside a host of other celebrities.

Fun run ready! In the photos, Sylvia looks fit and well-prepared in skintight leggings and a white T-shirt as she performs pre-workout stretches in a Sydney park

And ahead of the 2016 event, she told Fairfax Media that training for the race doubled up as wedding preparation.

She said: 'Conveniently, it is probably helping me with my wedding training as well!'

In an article for Body + Soul in September 2017, Sylvia revealed that her secret to a happy and healthy lifestyle was setting her own fitness goals.

That's convenient! The Today presenter, who is a City2Surf ambassador, used 2016's race as an excuse to get in shape before her wedding to Peter Stefanovic

'I follow a lot of bloggers on Instagram for motivation, but then I feel bad because I can't hold the impossible yoga poses they do - on a boat, wearing a bikini!' she said.

'So I have to distance myself from those extreme abilities that I see, and work on my own fitness goals instead.

'Fun runs are a great goal for me... I set myself a time to beat - for the 14km run my goal was 90 minutes, and I beat it by five minutes.'She's a veteran of Broadway and Hollywood.

And on Wednesday evening in New York, Sienna Miller supported the opening of a new off-Broadway play Peace For Mary Frances.

The actress, 36, looked lovely in a pretty floral-themed mini dress as she posed for photos as she arrived at The Pershing Square Signature Center.

Spring style: On Wednesday evening in New York, Sienna Miller supported the opening of a new off-Broadway play Peace For Mary Frances looking lovely in a floral-patterned mini dress

Sienna stepped out in a pair of gray slip-on open-toe shoes that revealed her red toe nail polish.

She wore her long blonde hair loose with a center parting and kept her makeup light with a little mascara and eye-liner and dark pink lip color.

Super-stylish Sienna has recently spoken about her style evolution from her twenties to her thirties.

Natural beauty: The actress, 36, wore her long blonde hair loose with a center parting and kept her makeup light with a little mascara and eye-liner and dark pink lip color

Dapper: Mark Ruffalo, 50, who plays The Hulk in The Avengers movies, also attended the opening wearing a black jacket and jeans paired with a white shirt left unbuttoned at the collar

Casual: On hand, too, was actor Paul Dano, 33, who wore a lightweight rain jacket over a patterned shirt

Long list of credits: Peace for Mary Frances is a new play starring veteran actress Lois Smith, 87, in the title role

Sienna told Harper's Bazaar last month: 'I never used to mind drawing attention to myself through what I wore. I didn't mind being quite brave and colourful and I don't want that anymore. The mini-skirts and stuff '

She went on: 'It was great and I was in my twenties, but I've grown up a little bit. I love classic fashion; for now, I'm in a toned down, mellow state.'

The American sniper star was joined at the opening by fellow Hollywood star Mark Ruffalo.

At the afterparty, Sienna was also accompanied by ex-fiance Tom Sturridge, who stepped out to support her.

Despite calling off their engagement in 2015, Sienna - who has a five-year-old daughter Marlowe with Tom - recently confirmed that'they we really love each other and are best friends.'

Reunited: At the afterparty, Sienna was accompanied by ex-fiance Tom Sturridge (left), as well as actor Mark

Hanging out: Sienna and Tom spent time talking to producer Amy Madigan (centre)

Mark, 50, who plays The Hulk in The Avengers movies, wore a black jacket and jeans paired with a white shirt left unbuttoned at the collar.

On hand, too was actor Paul Dano, 33.

Peace for Mary Frances is a new play starring veteran actress Lois Smith in the title role.

Lois, 87, has a long list of theatre, film and TV credits including True Blood, ER, One Life To Live and Twister.

Opening night: (From left) Amy Herzog, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Greta Gerwig caught up at the theatre afterpartyShe's been in court fighting an appeal by Bauer Media, who were ordered to pay her a record $4.5 million in defamation damages.

But on Thursday, Australian actress Rebel Wilson celebrated landing a new film role, this time in Taika Waititi's Jojo Rabbit.

The 38-year-old Pitch Perfect star took to Instagram to share her excitement at her new gig and praised the Thor: Ragnarok director.

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'I've admired all his films!' Rebel Wilson reveals how excited she is to work with Thor director Taika Waititi... as she gains a new film role after THAT Bauer court case

'Am I excited to be working with New Zealand's best comedy director and all-round legend, Taika Waititi?,' Rebel's post began.

'That would be a hard yes. I've admired all his films! Also Scar Jo & Sam Rockwell,' she said, referring to her new co-stars Sam and Scarlett Johansson.

Rebel added: 'Can't wait to get to Prague x.'

New gig: Australian actress Rebel celebrated landing a new film role, this time in Taika Waititi's Jojo Rabbit (Taika is pictured with Chris Hemsworth)

In good company: The film will also star the likes of Scarlett Johansson

According to Deadline, Jojo Rabbit is a World War Two satire that centres around a ten-year-old boy whose mother hides a Jewish girl in their home.

The boy turns to an imaginary friend in his time of need.

Rebel will be playing the character Fraulein Rahm, an instructor in the Hitler Youth Camp.

The publication reports that the film will be shot in Prague, in the Czech Republic.

The news comes after Rebel went to court in Australia last month to fight an appeal by Bauer Media, who were ordered to pay her a record $4.5 million in defamation damages.

Court battle: The news comes after Rebel went to court in Australia last month to fight an appeal by Bauer Media, who were ordered to pay her a record $4.5 million in defamation damages (pictured last month in Melbourne outside of court)

Rebel said at the time that she was confident her team would successfully defend the appeal.

Bauer Media, which publishes Woman's Day and Australian Women's Weekly, was found to have defamed the actress in a series of articles in 2015 that painted her as a serial liar about her age, real name and childhood.

But the company insists the payout awarded was 'manifestly excessive.'

Following a Supreme Court of Victoria trial last June, Justice John Dixon said Bauer Media wrongly damaged Rebel's 'reputation as an actress of integrity.'

He ordered them to pay her a record-breaking $4.5 million in damages - $650,000 in general damages and $3,917,472 in special damages.Lindy Klim has shared a tender snap of her five-month-old daughter Goldie Ellis, who bears a striking resemblance to the model.

The Balinese princess, 39, gushed about her 'cheeky' baby, in a cute photograph shared to Instagram on Thursday - which shows Goldie tugging at her famous mum's hair.

'Caught in the act of being cheeky,' she captioned adding the hashtags '#mamalife #mummyanddaughter #kids.'

Like mother, like daughter: 'Caught in the act of being cheeky' - Lindy Klim shares a tender snap of her five-month-old daughter Goldie who bears a striking resemblance to the Balinese princess

Goldie, who Lindy shares with fiance Adam Ellis, is the star's fourth child.

She shares three children with her ex-husband Michael Klim: Stella, 11, Rocco, nine, and Frankie, six.

Last month, Lindy revealed she cannot wait to take the surname of British property developer Adam.

'I hate having my ex-husband's name': Lindy recently revealed she cannot wait to take her fiance Adam Ellis' surname after they get married

She currently goes by her ex-husband's last name, despite splitting with the Olympic swimmer two years ago.

Speaking with The Daily Telegraph, the fashion designer claimed that her children encouraged her to keep the sportsman's famous surname.

'I would love to get rid of Klim, I really hate having that as a last name but for my children at the moment, that is what it is,' Lindy told Sydney Confidential.

The Klims: Exes Lindy and Michael Klim share three children together - daughters Stella, 12, and Frankie, six, and son Rocco, nine. Pictured in 2014 before their separation

Lindy's maiden name is Rama, but she took Michael's surname when they married in April 2006.

However, Lindy confirmed to The Daily Telegraph that she will be known as Lindy Ellis once she marries Adam.

'My kids all want me to keep the name Klim and it has been a big issue with them and they have been concerned about it,' she said. '(But) they understand that once I marry Adam it will change.'

Lindy announced her engagement to Adam Ellis in late 2016 following a whirlwind romance.

Taking his name: Lindy announced her engagement to British property developer Adam Ellis (right) in late 2016 following a whirlwind romance

The couple welcomed their first child together, daughter Goldie, last December.

Working mum Lindy is now employing her maiden name in her new fashion business, Rama Voyage.

The designer proudly told Confidential that Rama means 'king' in Balinese, which is appropriate considering she is the niece of the King of Denpasar.She attended Lisa Curry and Mark Tabone's nuptials with her Bachelor In Paradise beau Jarrod Woodgate, earlier this month.

And it may well be that Keira Maguire could be next to walk down the aisle.

The blonde bombshell gushed over the wedding in sweet throwback snaps shared to Instagram on Thursday.

Next to walk down the aisle? Keira Maguire stuns in a white frock as she cosies up to Jarrod Woodgate in sweet throwback snaps from Lisa Curry and Mark Tabone's nuptials

The 31-year-old was seen cosying up to her vineyard manager boyfriend, and looked radiant in bridal white.

Keira revealed her toned arms and slender waist in a bustier-style maxi-dress, pulling up the hem playfully with one hand to flaunt her trim pins.

The socialite elongated her frame with her favourite perspex heels and upped the glam factor with a pastel pink quilted Gucci shoulder bag.

Having styled her tresses in loose waves, Keira opted for a glamorous makeup palette, including a false set of lashes and a nude colour on her plump pout.

Wedding crew: The reality star lovebirds were all smiles as they posed for photos with Tegan Martin and her PT beau Blake Worrall Thompson

If you've got it: Keira pulled up the hem of her white maxi-dress, flaunting her toned legs

Sidling up to Jarrod, 32, the strapping lad coordinated with his ladylove, sporting a white linen dress shirt, slim-fit pants, brown leather boots and a beige blazer.

The pair were also pictured socialising with former beauty pageant star Tegan Martin and her PT beau Blake Worrall Thompson.

'Such a Beautiful Wedding & fun day .. Swipe left for more pics,' Keira penned the post.

Keira was invited to Lisa and Mark's intimate Sunshine Coast nuptials, having starred alongside the former Ironwoman in the 2017 season of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!

Reality star pals: Keira is believed to have attended the nuptials, having starred alongside Lisa Curry [pictured] in the 2017 season of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!

According to NW magazine, Keira will be next to head down the aisle, with reports she's become 'engaged' to Jarrod after Bachelor In Paradise filming had wrapped.

An insider claimed that the couple refrained from a public engagement like their co-stars Sam Cochrane and Tara Pavlovic, wanting to keep the moment sacred for themselves.

'Keira really treasures her relationship with Jarrod, so getting engaged is not a moment that she wanted to give away to the country, like Tara and Sam,' the source said.Wil Anderson has taken a leaf out of Em Rusciano's book by slamming his own breakfast radio show, calling the program a 'f**king mess' and comparing it to an old car.

The comedian's controversial rant aired last week during an interview with Em as part of his regular podcast series Wilosophy.

Will, who joined Triple M's Hot Breakfast show earlier this year, described his frustrations with his co-stars Eddie McGuire and Luke Darcy, telling Em: 'We have about half a meeting for every show.'

'It was a f***ing mess': Wil Anderson has taken a leaf out of Em Rusciano's book by slamming his own breakfast radio show, calling the program a 'f**king mess' and comparing it to an old car

'I reckon we could do with another half a meeting. The half of a meeting that I've put in place is still at least double what they used to have,' he complained.

Wil went on: 'They used to do nine-minute breaks and do two banks of ads next to each other because they'd have to drop the song that was meant to go between', he grumbled, adding: 'So people would hear f***ing 10 mins of content but then they'd hear f***ing eight mins of ads,'

'It was a f***ing mess,' Wil declared.

Ouch! 'I reckon we could do with another half a meeting. The half of a meeting that I've put in place is still at least double what they used to have,' he complained

He then proceeded to compare the show to an old car that desperately needs fixing.

It's likely Wil was joking when he made these comments, as he is known for his dry sense of humour.

Wil was playfully pulled up on his fiery comments during a jocular on-air chat with Eddie and Luke this Thursday, but chose not to back down.

'To be honest, I stand by all that... I must admit that's the first time I've heard it, sounds a bit worse than what I remembered,' chuckled Wil.

'To be honest, I stand by all that': Wil was promptly pulled up on his fiery comments during an on-air chat with Eddie and Luke this Thursday, but chose not to back down

Luke playfully responded: 'We've coped OK for eight years,' before accusing him of ' bagging his mates'.

Wil isn't the only radio comedian to have made headlines in recent days.

Em Rusciano similarly took aim at her own 2Day FM radio show during her Wilosophy podcast interview, claiming that she is 'hurtling towards an implosion in the next six months' and that the solution could be to 'leave' morning radio for good.

She also poked fun at her breakfast show in an episode of ABC's Hard Chat, jokingly calling 2Day FM the 'crevice of the radio world'.

It was reported last month that Em's struggling 2Day FM breakfast show had boosted its audience in the latest radio survey.

She hosts the program from Melbourne alongside Grant Denyer and Ed Kavalee.

Radio gaga? Em Rusciano similarly took aim at her own 2Day FM radio show during her Wilosophy podcast interviewBrooke Kinsella worked closely with EastEnders writers to get the recent London stabbing storyline right.

The 34-year-old former soap actress lost her brother Ben to a senseless knife attack in the city 10 years ago, when he was just 16 years old.

She says it has been hard to watch the BBC One soap she used to work on as it tackled the issue for the first time with a gang attack on teenagers Keegan and Shakil.

Hard to watch: Former EastEnders actress Brooke Kinsella has given her reasons for working on the brutal stabbing storyline on BBC One

Speaking in a joint interview with Bonnie Langsford on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, she said: 'It breaks my heart in all honesty because the only thing that's kept my family going these past 10 years is trying to make a difference so it doesn't happen to somebody else's family.

'And 10 years on, I'd give anything to say we're in a better place, and Ben's legacy has helped somewhat, but I can't say that right now.

'This is why education is so important and that's why we set up Ben's Trust - it's to educate children.

'Firstly on choices and consequences, that's what we try and teach young people. The smallest choice, the smallest mistake, one wrong look, one glance, it can lead to devastating consequences.'

Horrific: EastEnders fans watched as Keegan and Shakil were brutally stabbed outside the Queen Vic pub on Monday's episode of the soap

Hard-hitting: The storyline is being used to raise awareness of knife crime in the British capital

In upsetting scenes from Monday's episode, Shakil (played by Shaheen Jafargholi) was killed and Keegan (Zack Morris) left fighting for his life after deciding to steal a bike, unaware that it belongs to a dangerous gang.

Shakil was left fatally injured by the attack while the rest of Albert Square were transfixed by the royal wedding, with the seriously injured teen also turned away from the Queen Vic pub by Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) who assumes that he is just another rowdy reveller.

The number of youth homicides also rose by 30%, from 26 in 2016/17 to 34 in 2017/18.

Police forces logged 39,598 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2017, a 22% increase compared with the previous year, and the highest number registered since comparable records started in 2010.

Raising awareness: Brooke was joined by soap star Bonnie Langsford (left) who plays the mother of Shakil

Consequences: Brooke has worked tirelessly for 10 years to educate children on the choices and consequences of carrying a knife

Senseless: Brooke's younger brother Ben (pictured) was murdered in a knife attack in London 10 years ago when he was just 16

'There are children who think they're better off, they're better protected, if they carry a knife, and it's proven that's not the case. It's such a waste of life.'

She went on to admit: 'It was really hard reliving it and I try really hard not to do that, but if it can help in any way, it makes it worthwhile.

'We've worked so hard to try to make a difference and every day I am picking up the newspaper and reading somebody else has lost a brother or a son and it can make you want to give up.'

Brooke herself starred on the soap as Kelly Taylor between 2001 and 2004.

Actress Bonnie currently plays Shakil's mother Carmel Kazemi.

The star revealed that EastEnders' tragic knife crime storyline will 'go on for a long, long time' and 'get darker'.

The 53-year-old actress said she hopes the hard-hitting storyline will lead to some people 'thinking differently' in real life, and revealed the plot will look at some of the non-politically correct things people do and say following a tragic stabbing.

Brutal: In the soap, Shakil is killed as a result of his stabbing injuries

Heartbreaking: Brooke explained why it has become a means of protection to carry a knife

Trying to get help: The actress hopes the scenes will help children to think differently

Sometimes life isn't pretty: Brooke said 'Life's not pretty sometimes' in response to criticism that the scenes are too shocking

She said: 'It's not a post-watershed story but they've tried to be as realistic as possible. This is just the beginning of the story.

'We see so many who are affected by this at a press call, we see them in an interview, we never see them at home. We never see all the people it affects.

'Because we're on a soap we're able to follow all the different people it does affect.

'What we've tried to do is very realistically and over a very long period of time, this isn't a story that's going to go away, we've tried to look at the often very un-PC things that people do.

'The way that people respond. With Carmel it's her personal grief, the absolute spiral she goes into completely.

Speaking from experience: Brooke starred in the soap as Kelly Taylor in 2001, before returning as a full-time cast member from 2002 to 2004

'But also it's all the other people around. For everyone else maybe life still goes on but for her and the family it will never ever be the same.

'We're not trying to be preachy and say this is what you should or shouldn't do, nobody knows the answers.

'But maybe by covering this story so sensitively and realistically it might get somebody just thinking differently.'

Bonnie is hopeful families will 'start talking' about such horrific events as a result of the BBC One soap's plot.

She said: 'I think a lot of families watch the soaps and if it gets a family talking and listening...

'Intense': Viewers at home were left stunned after the horrific storyline, and took to Twitter to voice their shock following the episode's cliffhanger

'How do we fix this? I don't know. But maybe we can start talking about it and maybe through this forum it's a way of saying, 'Look what happens.'

'Life's not pretty sometimes.'

Viewers at home were left stunned after the horrific story played out on Monday night, and took to Twitter to voice their shock following the episode's cliffhanger.

One fan commented: '#EastEnders has really upset me tonight, as important as the story line on knife crime is, Shaki is too good to die!'

'Eastenders was was and intense today. Wow' wrote another.

Fans also recognised the importance of the heartbreaking issue, with a third tweeting: 'Hats off to EastEnders for their storyline around knife crime. I guess anything that raises awareness can only, surely, be a good thing.

'Hope the rest of the story is covered by the grim reality of knife crime so lessons can be learnt'.

Desperate: Eventually the pair were discovered by Mick as he checks out the pub before heading to bed, with the landlord frantically called an ambulanceShe's been at loggerheads with James 'Arg' Argent on TOWIE for weeks.

But Chloe Sims didn't let their recent feud stop her from showing support for his girlfriend Gemma Collins as she launched her Boohoo clothing line at swanky London venue, Tonight Josephine, on Wednesday.

The ITVBe star, 35, made sure all eyes were on her as she slipped her enviable physique into a shimmering bronze wrap dress, with a plunging neckline to show off her eye-popping cleavage.

All eyes on her: Chloe Sims, 35, exhibited her eye-popping cleavage in a plunging bronze dress as she celebrated Gemma Collins' fashion bash at Tonight Josephine in London on Wednesday

Chloe's endless pins were on full display in the slinky design, while nude killer heels elongated her statuesque frame.

The Essex beauty flashed a beaming smile as she celebrated her pal's fashion line, and left the showbiz bash with a pink goodie bag and chic grey tote.

Chloe ramped up the glamour with her glossy blonde curls, as glittering eye-shadow and a nude lip accentuated her enhanced features.

Letting her shimmering ensemble do all the legwork, the mother-of-one toned down her accessories, with only classic gold hoop earrings and delicate silver chain for extra sparkle.

Shimmering: The TOWIE star's endless pins were on full display in the slinky design, while nude killer heels elongated her statuesque frame

Stylish: The Essex beauty flashed a beaming smile as she celebrated her pal's fashion line, and left the showbiz bash with a pink goodie bag from the Boohoo event and chic grey tote

Touch of sparkle: Chloe ramped up the glamour with glossy blonde curls, as glittering eye-shadow and a nude lip accentuated her enhanced features

The mother-of-one happily showed her support for The GC in spite of her recent feud with Gemma's boyfriend Arg, which played out on Sunday's episode of TOWIE.

Chloe locked horns with Arg after his attempt to reconcile went disastrously wrong when the pair went to meet war veterans.

Attempting to break the ice, Arg said: 'I really do love you because I've been friends for you with years and years.

'I think I made a silly comment about Yazmin fuming that you won Bobby's booty competition and that kind of got twisted into something malicious.'

Walk this way:. Letting her shimmering ensemble do all the legwork, the mother-of-one toned down her accessories, with only classic gold hoop earrings and delicate silver chain

No more drama: The glamour girl happily showed her support for The GC in spite of her recent feud with her boyfriend Arg, which played out on Sunday's episode of TOWIE

Stunner: Chloe locked horns with James after his attempt to reconcile went disastrously wrong when the pair went to meet war veterans

He continued: 'I just felt you used this an opportunity to dig me out it.'

However, Chloe firmly put the reality star in his place, telling him: 'On that specific night you spoke about three different people, you're allowed to talk about others but if anyone says something about you, you're really sensitive.'

On last week's episode, Chloe revealed she had blocked the reality star after she received a barrage of nasty texts from Arg after she voiced her view he was not ready for fatherhood and over his jibe about Yazmin.

Elsewhere, things have been looking up for Chloe in recent weeks, after ditching her flame Dean Ralph last week due to his close relationship with Clelia Theodourou.

Dazzling: Chloe worked her best angles while posing at the fashion event

Lashing out: On last week's episode, Chloe revealed she had blocked Arg after she received a barrage of nasty texts from him, after she voiced her view he was not ready for fatherhood

Romance: Elsewhere, things have been looking up for Chloe in recent weeks, after ditching her flame Dean Ralph last week due to his close relationship with Clelia Theodourou

Soon after the split Chloe was seen kissing TOWIE newbie Adam Oukhellou - Yazmin's brother - at Quiz Clothing x Towie launch, with sources now saying that the pair are an item.

An insider told The Sun: 'Chloe and Adam are dating - and he's really into her. That's why he's joining the show - he's coming on as Chloe's boyfriend.

'He's younger than her, but everyone's hoping she's finally found a decent bloke. Right now, she's having fun, but who knows where it could lead.

'Dean is gutted about how things have turned out, and that she has moved on so quickly, as he thinks he is much better than Adam.'The bubbly journalist is known for having fun on Studio 10 while staying composed.

But on Thursday, Sarah Harris couldn't contain her laughter when co-host Angela Bishop made an inappropriate joke about adults-only Royal Wedding merchandise.

The 36-year-old attempts to remain calm went out the window, as she cracked up at Angela's rude pun about Crown Jewels Heritage Condoms.

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'What's a regal fit?' Studio 10's Sarah Harris cracks up over co-host Angela Bishop's cheeky joke about Royal Wedding-inspired condoms during a segment on Thursday

The smorgasbord of tacky memorabilia springing up around the big day seemed to be ever-growing, with the team discussing the Royal Wedding-inspired condoms.

'The latest is, Crown Jewels Heritage Condoms. These are the goods, I've got to tell you. You can ship worldwide. They have a regal fit,' Angela began.

Already holding back giggles, Sarah asked, 'what's a regal fit?', to which Angela only continued: 'For a royal union of pleasure.'

Crown Jewels: The smorgasbord of tacky memorabilia springing up around the big day seemed to be ever-growing, with the team discussing the Royal Wedding-inspired condoms

'It's because one day your prince will come': Angela stared down the camera as she cheekily gave her last pun about the Royal condoms

The blonde reporter continued with a cheeky smile: 'When you open the pack, which specially commemorates the Royal Wedding, it plays God Save The Queen and then the Star Spangled Banner. For the union of the United States and the United Kingdom.'

Co-star Denise Drysdale joked: 'Could you imagine Prince Harry and Meghan with a packet of those back at the palace having a laugh?'

However, Angela wasn't done yet: 'It's fantastic and it's got a drizzle of lube, which apparently is important.'

How punny! The hosts were originally shocked by Angela's pun, but then burst into laughter over the sexual joke

'I'm dead': Sarah chuckled so much that she chose to lay her head on the desk as she continued laughing

'It's because one day your prince will come,' she said as she stared down the camera.

The hosts were shocked by the comment and then began laughing, with Sarah adding she was 'dead' as she lay her head on the desk to chuckle.

Sarah recently returned to the panel after being off on maternity leave, welcoming her second son Harry in December.

Studio 10 airs on Channel Ten from 8.30am weekdaysHer mother is known for her presence on social media, and takes to Instagram daily to document her glitzy life for fans.

And North West proved to be following in Kim Kardashian's footsteps on Tuesday, as she was spotted playing on her mobile phone during a trip to Disneyland.

The four-year-old was glued to her iPhone as she explored the park with her mother, brother Saint and aunt Kourtney - snapping a few selfies and laughing animatedly at the screen.

Chatting to the fans: North West proved to be following in Kim Kardashian's footsteps on Tuesday, as she was spotted playing on her mobile phone during a trip to Disneyland

Having a ball: The four-year-old was glued to her iPhone as she explored the park with her mother, brother Saint and aunt Kourtney

The four-year-old appeared to be having a ball at the theme park - snapping a few photos and embarking on a FaceTime call, which saw her laugh and pull funny faces at the camera.

However, the tot soon became distracted by the attractions on offer, and was seen cheering and laughing wildly on the runaway train and a number of water rides with her mother.

North proved to be a young fashionista during the outing in a bright orange sweatshirt and grey tracksuit bottoms - mirroring Kim's trademark sporty style.

Say cheese! North was seen snapping a few selfies and laughing animatedly at the screen as wandered the park with her glamorous mother Kim (above)

Catching up: She later laughed and pulled funny faces at the camera

Adding matching teal trainers, the toddler appeared comfortable as she tore around the park, before retiring to her pushchair with her brother Saint later on.

Kim recently discussed her approach to educating her children about phones - revealing she is very 'present' at home to keep their online activity in check.

Speaking at the Create & Cultivate conference in February, she reflected on the fact that her children will experience a very different childhood to her, due to the presence of platforms such as Instagram and Twitter.

Off we go! However, the tot soon became distracted by the attractions on offer, and was seen cheering and laughing wildly on the runaway train

Like mother like daughter: North proved to be a young fashionista during the outing in a bright orange sweatshirt and grey tracksuit bottoms - mirroring Kim's trademark sporty style

Tired: Adding matching teal trainers, the toddler appeared comfortable as she tore around the park, before retiring to her pushchair with her Saint later on (pictured with Kourtney, right)

She said: 'I can't imagine what it's like growing up in a world with social media as a young teenager  it all came when we were in our thirties.

'I can't imagine what that would be like and I want my kids to see the separation and feel the difference, and know that there's a time and a place for that.'

Before adding of her own children: 'I'm really cautious, when I'm at home, with phones, and I'm super present.'

Doing her bit: Kim, who is known for her love of social media (above), recently revealed she likes to be 'present' at home in order to track her kids' activity online and on their phones

Kim shares North, as well as Saint, two, and daughter Chicago, five months, with her husband Kanye West.

The mother-of-three recently revealed North had been very jealous of Saint at first - but is now getting on swimmingly with her baby brother.

Speaking on her website last month, she said: 'When I came to New York I said to North, 'You're going to be the woman of the house, you're in charge. So she was like Saint do this, Saint do that.''

'Obviously North loves Saint, she just is still jealous. She needs to still get it together and warm up and like be a little bit nicer, but I think she is getting there.

Happy family: Kim shares North, as well as Saint, two, and daughter Chicago, five months, with her husband Kanye West (above)

'I saw glimmers of hope like a week ago. She's not like harmful. She's not like hurting him or anything.'

Despite her traumatic pregnancies, Kim revealed that having children has 'changed her soul' just before Mother's Day.

She gushed: You learn so much from being a parent and you care more about the world you are raising your kids in.'

However she did admit that motherhood comes with its difficulties, adding: 'When they all need you at the same time and are cryingit can be overwhelming.'It was announced earlier that week that she will star opposite Keanu Reeves for the latest installment of the John Wick franchise.

And Halle Berry, 51, was pictured for the first time on set of the high-octane film and animatedly caught up with her 53-year-old co-star in New York on Wednesday.

The Oscar-winning actress, who confirmed her role in the action flick on Instagram on Tuesday, slipped into an all black ensemble for the late night filming as she greeted Keanu with a peck on the cheek.

Catching up: Halle Berry, 51, was pictured for the first time on set of the high-octane film and animatedly caught up with her 53-year-old co-star in New York on Wednesday

Putting her best fashion foot forward, she slipped into a pair of skintight leather trousers which accentuated her gym-honed pins.

She teamed the look with a thigh-grazing waterfall cut vest top which teased at her cleavage and showcased her decolletage.

Halle, who won an Academy Award for her role in 2002's Monster Ball, combated the cool evening temperatures by wrapping up in a silk and wool thigh-length cardigan.

The youthful star accentuated her flawless complexion as she worked her honey-hued locks into a messy top knot while her fringe framed her dazzling eyes.

Hell for leather: Putting her best fashion foot forward, she slipped into a pair of skintight leather trousers which accentuated her gym-honed pins

Catching up: The Oscar-winning actress, who confirmed her role in the action flick on Instagram on Tuesday, slipped into an all black ensemble as she greeted Keanu with a peck on the cheek

Meanwhile, Keanu looked a little less put together after his action-filled scene which left him soaked and equipped with fake bloody scratches on his forehead, nose, cheeks and chin.

In the first film, ex-hitman John came out of retirement to track down the gangsters that killed his dog.

In the 2017 sequel, he returns to the criminal underworld to repay a debt, but discovers that a large bounty has been put on his life. It's believed that hitman John will find himself on the run again in the forth-coming film.

Earlier this week, former James Bond actress Halle confirmed her part in the franchise when she let the news slip on Instagram which featured a card that said: 'See you in a year, Mr Wick.'

Laid back: She teamed the look with a thigh-grazing waterfall cut vest top which teased at her cleavage and showcased her decolletage

Wrapped up: Halle, who won an Academy Award for her role in 2002's Monster Ball, combated the cool evening temperatures by wrapping up in a silk and wool thigh-length cardigan

Flawless: The youthful star accentuated her flawless complexion as she worked her honey-hued locks into a messy top knot while her fringe framed her dazzling eyes

The actress has reportedly signed up to the forthcoming movie alongside Anjelica Huston, Asia Kate Dillon, Mark Dacascos, and Jason Mantzoukas, but details about their characters are being kept under wraps, according to Variety.

The synopsis reads: 'John is on the run for two reasons: he's being hunted for a global $14 million dollar open contract on his life, and for breaking a central rule: taking a life on Continental Hotel grounds.'

John's victim is believed to be a member of the High Table who ordered the open contract.

'John uses the service industry to stay alive as he fights and kills his way out of New York City,' the synopsis continues.

Soaked: Meanwhile, Keanu looked a little less put together after his action-filled scene which left him soaked and equipped with fake bloody scratches on his forehead, nose, cheeks and chin

Walk this way: She donned a pair of heeled leather boots for her set visit

Meanwhile, director Chad Stahelski previously revealed his ambitions for the new film, saying it will be more 'intricate' than the earlier installments.

He said: 'We want, not so much to go bigger on the third one, but to show you more of the intricacies of the world.

'I feel like there are all these different subtleties that I skipped over in number two, that I'd like to go back to on [chapter three] and show you the inner workings of different parts of New York.'She's fresh off the hottest red carpets at Cannes Film Festival.

And Kristen Stewart took a well-deserved break from her jet-setting lifestyle as she headed to the movies with a pal in Hollywood on Wednesday night.

The Twilight star, 28, showcased her signature eccentric style as she slipped her slender figure into light-wash skinny jeans, tied in with a distressed denim jacket.

Night out: Kristen Stewart took a well-deserved break from her jet-setting lifestyle as she headed to the movies with a pal in Hollywood on Wednesday night

Opting for a low-key appearance, the screen star teamed her ensemble with a simple white tee and a pair of comfy tan loafers.

The Lizzie actress injected a hint of pazzazz into her off-duty look as she accessorised with trendy round-frame sunglasses and a silver chain necklace.

Kristen showcased her fresh-faced complexion as she opted for minimal make-up, and left her highlighted hair in a loosely tousled style.

The edgy star served on the first female dominated Cannes Film Festival jury for many decades earlier this month.

Casual: The Twilight star, 28, showcased her signature eccentric style as she slipped her slender figure into light-wash skinny jeans, tied in with a distressed denim jacket

Trendy: Opting for a low-key appearance, the screen star teamed her ensemble with a simple white tee and a pair of comfy tan loafers

However, aside from her jury duties at the star-studded festival, Kristen made quite the statement on the glamorous red carpet as she ditched her heels on two occasions.

The actress broke a cardinal rule at Cannes as she removed her black stilettos at the premiere of BlacKkKlansman.

Later that week, Kristen went one step further in her red carpet rebellion on as she attended the Knife + Heart premiere in flat shoes.

Kristen previously protested the unspoken rule that women must wear heels on the red carpet at Cannes.

Style savvy: The Lizzie actress injected a hint of pazzazz into her off-duty look as she accessorised with trendy round-frame sunglasses and a silver chain necklace

Effortless beauty: Kristen showcased her fresh-faced complexion as she opted for minimal make-up, and left her highlighted hair in a loosely tousled style

In 2015, a group of female attendees were reportedly denied access to the premiere of Carol, a Cate Blanchett film, because they were wearing flat shoes.

'There's definitely a distinct dress code,' Kristen told the Hollywood Reporter in 2017. 'People get very upset at you if you don't wear heels or whatever.'

She added: 'I feel like you can't ask that anymore, but it's still a given. If you're not asking guys to wear heels and a dress then you can't ask me either.'Alternative dance group RUFUS has announced they have changed their name ahead of new album release date.

The trio from Sydney, consisting of Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George and James Hunt, have had legal troubles in the past with using the band name overseas.

Changing their musical moniker to a 'more complicated version', vocalist Tyrone admitted to Triple J on Thursday: 'you can call us whatever you want, most people still call us RUFUS."

'RUFUS no longer live here': Sydney indie dance trio announce they have changed their band name ahead of new album release date

The ARIA award-winning band will now be known formally as RUFUS DU SOL.

The musicians decided to change their name to become unified with what they're known as in America.

'Were sick of the banter between the two characters. We wanted them to get along, live under the same roof,' Tyron joked with Triple J's Drive team Gen & Lewis.

'I guess we dont really know any other bands that have two names throughout the entire world so it just seemed fitting,' he added.

Starting fresh: The band deactivated their Instagram account and started a new one with their new name RUFUS DU SOL

Coming soon! The name change globally was ahead of the band's new single No Place being released on Friday

In 2014, the Australian trio were forced to change their name while touring in America, due to an existing US trademark on the name Rufus.

The renaming of the three-piece wasn't an easy choice to make for the local Sydney hit-makers, conceding defeat on Facebook at the time.

'We're going to be known as RUFUS DU SOL in North America only... because trademark is a serious bit**' the post read.

'Trademark is a serious bit**': In 2014 the Australian trio were forced to change their name while touring in America, due to an existing US trademark on the name Rufus

While it's unclear which exact trademark the name RUFUS was specially infringing in the US, the name is strikingly similar to Chaka Khan's 1970s Chicago funk band Rufus, who topped the charts with Tell Me Something Good and Ain't Nobody.

Rufus, now known as Rufus Du Sol, peaked at number one on the Australian charts for their first album Atalas in 2013, and all released albums to date have received Aria gold status.

Rufus also won the ARIA Award for Best Dance Release in 2014 for Bloom.

The name change globally was ahead of the band's new single No Place being released on Friday.Love Island Australia host, Sophie Monk has offered fans a closer look at the Spanish villa ahead of the raunchy reality show's premiere on Sunday.

During a segment on A Current Affair on Thursday evening, Sophie unveiled the hidden spots where sexy singletons are set to get themselves into trouble.

As Sophie played tour guide through the secluded mansion in Mallorca, she pointed out the conspicuous cameras located in the villa's outdoor area.

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'You can't really notice any cameras!' Sophie Monk provides a glimpse of the hidden spots in the Spanish villa where the Love Island singletons are set to get themselves into trouble ahead of raunchy reality show's premiere

'See how you can't really notice any cameras. That's what you forget. That's when you totally let go,' Sophie told the Channel Nine reporter.

'Set in what was a Spanish villa on a vineyard, contestants will live in a secluded mansion where there's no where to hide,' the ACA reporter told viewers.

Next, the camera panned over the outdoor area which featured a number of luxe highlights, including a leisure lawn terrace complete with oversized white bean bags and mod-con chairs, a hot tub, and a giant swimming pool.

During a segment on A Current Affair on Thursday evening, Sophie showed off the location where the singletons will hang out

Fun times ahead! The Spanish villa comes complete with a sizzling hot tub

The Spanish play area has been kitted out with hanging fairy lights and inflatable pool toys.

The entire property overlooks the sprawling surrounds of the popular tropical paradise.

Later in the episode, Sophie showed the Channel Nine host the control room situated in the mansion.

'It's like a room full of spies,' The ACA reporter remarked as she laid her eyes on the tech room.

'It's a bit like The Truman show!' As Sophie played tour guide through the secluded mansion in Mallorca, she pointed out the conspicuous cameras located in the villa's outdoor area

'Set in what was a Spanish villa on a vineyard, contestants will live in a secluded mansion where there's no where to hide' : The ACA reporter dished on the Love Island Australia digs

Sophie nodded her head in agreement and said: 'It's a bit like The Truman show!'

Earlier in the segment, the former Bachelorette star revealed she will be able to 'sympathise' with the contestants as a result of her vast reality TV experience.

'I love being in this role, I can't even tell you... at least I can help them through. I'll sympathise with them completely. Especially because they're younger as well,' Sophie told the host.

Ready to sizzle: Love Island Australia will premiere on Sunday, May 27 at 8:30pm on 9Go! And 9Now

Love Island Australia will premiere on Sunday, May 27 at 8:30pm on 9Go! And 9Now.

The irresistible series will screen every night from Sunday to Thursday, giving viewers plenty to talk about.

Furthermore, each episode will be filmed 24 hours before screening.She's currently smitten with her Bachelor In Paradise fiance Sam Cochrane.

But that doesn't mean she can't poke fun at her husband-to-be, as Tara Pavlovic teased Sam over his collection of flannel shirts via Instagram on Thursday.

The reality star, 27, posed the question to her fans: 'Do men usually own so many flannos'?, with the many T-shirts stacked on top of each other.

Poking fun! Bachelor In Paradise star Tara Pavlovic mocked fiance Sam Cochrane over his flannel shirt collection via Instagram on Thursday

Asking the fans to take part in a poll, Tara made sure her beau wasn't too offended by her teasing question, and added the caption: 'Love you @samual.cochrane' adorned with a kissing emoji.

Sam's shirts were piled high in a number of different colours and combinations, with his own Instagram feed boasting a number of snaps with the reality star wearing his favourite clothing items.

When they're not posting teasing snaps to each other, the showbiz couple have proved that they're going from strength to strength with a number of loved up photos to their respective social media channels.

So cute: The showbiz couple have proved that they're going from strength to strength with a number of loved up photos to their respective social media channels

On Tuesday, Sam took to Instagram to share his feelings about his fiancee with his 152k followers, as he lovingly wrote: 'Im going to get so fat before I wife you. Its like my own restaurant!' as he gushed over Tara's cooking skills.

He continued: 'You are the greatest cook and thank you for your patience while I get my skills up. I can peel a potato..... really fast.'

The couple recently celebrated their engagement in Sydney with their celebrity friends, including Luke McLeod, Stu Laundy and Ryan Jones from season five of the Bachelorette.

Tasty: On Tuesday, Sam took to Instagram to share his feelings about his fiancee with his 152k followers, as he lovingly wrote: 'Im going to get so fat before I wife you'

Previously, Sam told Sydney Confidential that he and Tara have already began preparations for their big day.

'We've started planning the wedding,' the voice-over artist told the publication, before declining to give any further details.

In late April, the couple, who fell in love on the Fiji-based reality show, hinted they might televise their nuptials in order for fans to share in their special day.

Favourite: Sam's shirts were piled high in a number of different colours and combinations, with his own Instagram feed boasting snaps with the reality star wearing the flannel shirts

Speaking to TV Week in April, Tara cryptically said: 'I'd have to wait and see. It could be fun!'

The couple, whose feelings were obvious on the show, became engaged in the program's much anticipated season finale.

On bended knee, Sam said: 'I want to spend the rest of my life with you,' tearfully before pulled out a ring and asking: 'Will you marry me?'Model Victoria Lee has stepped out for David Jones' 180th birthday celebration in Sydney.

The 27-year-old ambassador for the high-end department store put on an elegant display for the occasion, held at the iconic Elizabeth Street location in Sydney on Thursday.

She looked chic in a ruffle silk mini dress by French label Chloe that featured a quirky pop art style print.

Sensational stems: Model Victoria Lee has stepped out for David Jones' 180th birthday celebration in Sydney

The thigh-skimming frock showcased her long and trim pins, which she accentuated with stiletto heels from Christian Louboutin.

Her makeup was kept simple to enhance her natural beauty with defined brows, mascara, a flush of pink on her cheeks and nude lips.

The stunner's luscious blonde tresses were styled in loose waves that cascaded down to her dainty shoulders.

Cheers to that! The 27-year-old ambassador for David Jones raised her glass for in celebration of the 108th birthday of the high end department store at the iconic Elizabeth Street location, in Sydney on Thursday

Chic: She put on an elegant display for the occasion wearing a ruffle silk mini dress by French label Chloe that featured a quirky pop art style print

At the event, Victoria got right into her ambassador duties and took part in the event including cutting the cake and singing Happy Birthday.

She even joined in the toast, sharing kind words and raising her champagne flute.

The Victoria's Secret star was named as Jesinta Franklin's successor for the coveted DJ's ambassador role after the former beauty did not renew her contract with the department store.

Celebration: At the event, Victoria got right into her ambassador duties and took part in the event including cutting the cake and singing Happy Birthday

Raise your glass: She even joined in the toast, sharing kind words and raising her champagne flute

Victoria recently revealed her mindset on dealing with setbacks in the fickle modelling industry.

In an interview with Stellar, the stunner said: 'It's that separation between who you are and the job.'

She's all class: Victoria recently revealed her mindset on dealing with setbacks in the fickle modelling industry, telling Stellar: 'It's that separation between who you are and the job'

'I've always been aware that whatever job you're going for, there's an image in the person's mind of what they're looking for. And you may be that and you may not,' Victoria told the publication.

'You become so exposed - it's that separation between who you are and the job,' the New York-based stunner went on to say of her strategy when dealing with setbacks.

Victoria added: 'You have to have that protection, otherwise you become so much more vulnerable to the knockbacks, which are inevitable.'Kendrick Lamar kicked a white fan off stage at his concert last week for singing the N-word in lyrics from his track M.A.A.D City.

And on Thursday, fellow US rapper Ice Cube spoke about the fan backlash mounting over the incident on The Project.

The 48-year-old said of the Swimming Pools hit-maker's reaction: 'It is like, don't invite people on your stage in you don't want them singing your songs.'

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'Don't invite people on your stage if you don't want them singing your songs': Ice Cube weighs in on Kendrick Lamar debacle... and says he 'has better things to do than tweet Trump'

However, he added: 'I think it could have been avoided if the fans stay in their seat, the artists - you stay on the stage and do your job. We didn't pay to see nobody else sing anyway.'

Ice Cube, who will perform at Sydney Opera House in May for Vivid, claimed: 'We already have too much crowd participation with the 'say ho', throw your hands in the air. We are already working the crowd enough. Now you want them to come up and sing and rap?'

Kendrick was headlining the final night of the Hangout Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama on Sunday when he invited a white concertgoer named Delaney on stage to sing his song M.A.A.D City alongside him.

Just seconds into the song, Lamar cut the music and scolded the fan for singing the full lyrics of the song, which includes the N-word throughout.

'I think it could have been avoided if the fans stay in their seats': Ice Cube didn't berate either party in the incident, but instead claimed there is too much crowd participation in concerts these days

Ice Cube, who was one of the founding member of pioneering rap group N.W.A, told Waleed Aly he continues to fight for change with issues surrounding police brutality and policing in black communities.

'All we can do is expose the brutality when we see it - thank God for camera phones,' he told Waleed.

'I feel like I am in a great position to speak for people who probably can't speak for themselves. I have a platform. I need to use it. Most of my family, cousins, people I grew up with, still living in the hood and they still got to deal with it,' he said.

Ice Cube continued: 'It is my duty to speak up. I have the platform and I might as well use it instead of just making booty-shaking music.'

'I feel like I am in a great position to speak for people who probably can't speak for themselves': Ice Cube, who was one of the founding member of pioneering rap group N.W.A, told Waleed Aly he continues to fight for change with issues surrounding police brutality and policing in black communities

While on The Project, Ice Cube also joked about President Donald Trump being told to stop blocking critics on Twitter in a ruling by a federal judge in New York.

When co-hosts asked if he would be Tweeting at the President, he frankly stated: 'I have better things to do than tweet Trump.'

Ice Cube will perform at the Sydney Opera House in MayGeordie Shore's Holly Hagan had to be rescued after a jet ski capsized as she energetically tore up the waves with her beau Jacob Blyth during St Lucia getaway.

The bikini-clad beauty giggled as she held onto her stern-faced boyfriend just seconds before their vehicle overturned in the choppy sea in recent days.

Eye-popping pictures captured the moment Holly was hauled onto a passing catamaran, dripping wet.



Geordie Shore PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: Bikini-clad Holly Hagan got rescued after a jet ski CAPSIZES as she rode with beau Jacob Blyth during St Lucia getaway in recent days

Soaked to the skin, the reality star showcased her peachy derriere in her very tiny thong as she was pulled onto the boat.

Despite a holidaymaker showing Holly the ropes, the pair later ended up in the sea after their jet ski overturned.

Showing their sense of fun, the lovebirds burst into fits of laughter as they splashed around in the sea.

Hilarious: Eye-popping pictures captured the moment Holly was hauled onto a passing catamaran, dripping wet

Got to laugh: Showing their sense of fun, the lovebirds burst into fits of laughter as they splashed around in the sea

Holly had no qualms about leaving her beau hanging onto the jet ski as she quickly swam towards the next coming boat.

The Kim Kardashian fan gave onlookers a wave from the boat to show she had found a safe form of travel to get back to the shore.

Also trying their hand at the water sport, Charlotte Crosby and her beau Joshua Ritchie jumped on board their own jet ski.

Bye bye! Holly had no qualms about leaving her beau hanging onto the jet ski as she quickly swam towards the next coming boat

Funny moment! The pair laughed as the splashed around in the sea

Top fun! The couple are on holiday with their pals Charlotte Crosby and Joshua Ritchie

Swimsuit-clad Charlotte looked fierce as she took on the waves when she zoomed around on the jet ski on her own.

The party-goer exuded confidence as she raced rapidly across the sea, with her long brunette tresses flying backwards.

Charlotte later let her beau Joshua get behind the wheel of the speed machine and she showed their close relationship by wrapping her arms around his waist.

Take note: Despite a holidaymaker showing Holly the ropes, the pair later ended up in the sea after their jet ski overturned

All aboard! Golden-haired Holly toyed with her locks as they waited for her beau to arrive near the boat

All OK! The Kim Kardashian fan gave onlookers a wave from the boat to show she had found a safe form of travel to get back to the shore

Although they enjoyed some alone time during the trip, the couples spent a lot of time soaking up the sunshine while hanging out with each other.

Charlotte and Joshua were spotted touching down in London on Monday following their furious holiday bust-up.

As Holly and Jacob joined BFF Charlotte and Joshua for their St Lucia trip, Geordie Shore returned to the small screen earlier in May.

The 17th season of Geordie Shore sees the reality stars descend on the scorching hot beaches of the Gold Coast in Australia.

The Charlotte Show! Swimsuit-clad Charlotte looked fierce as she took on the waves when she zoomed around on the jet ski on her own

Zoom! The party-goer exuded confidence as she raced rapidly across the sea, with her long brunette tresses flying backwards

Storming the seas! Charlotte was in high spirits as she took control of the jet ski

Must be love: Charlotte later let her beau Joshua get behind the wheel of the speed machine

So cosy: The party-goer showed their close relationship by wrapping her arms around his waist

Together: They put their furious holiday bust-up behind them as she put on a loved-up display



Their sister is tipped to be heading to the Love Island villa next month.

So Chloe and Lauryn Goodman were missing one-third of their trio as they headed to Stansted Airport ahead of yet another holiday - while Amelia wraps up her exams for her Chemistry degree ahead of her reported TV debut.

The former Celebrity Big Brother star looked incredibly chic in a white ensemble while her sister wore just a bra - yet Amelia was nowhere to be seen following MailOnline's revelation that she met with producers and casting agents.

Sister, sister! Chloe and Lauryn Goodman were missing one-third of their trio as they headed to Stansted Airport ahead of yet another holiday - while Amelia wraps up her exams for her Chemistry degree ahead of her reported TV debut

Chloe has frequented a host of reality shows and she certainly has the reality starlet style nailed as she headed into the airport in her chic look.

She displayed her svelte legs in the skin-tight ripped jeans while adding a stunning touch with her white jacket complete with elegant black piping.

Yet Chloe Goodman's sibling Amelia is said to be following in her footsteps as sources revealed exclusively to MailOnline that the Chemistry student is headed into the Love Island villa ahead of the show's launch next month.

As excitement for the upcoming series reaches fever pitch, it is not only rumoured contestants hitting headlines but Mirror have now claimed the aspiring stars of the show are being forced to pay their own expenses during the show.

Stunner: The former Celebrity Big Brother star looked incredibly chic in a white ensemble while her sister wore just a bra, while Amelia was nowhere to be seen following MailOnline's revelation that she met with producers and casting agents

Chic: Chloe has frequented a host of reality shows and she certainly has the reality starlet style nailed as she headed into the airport in her chic look

Amelia is in the midst of studying Chemistry at a London university, yet she appears to be plotting a 'long, hot summer' as she prepares to hit screens.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Love Island and Amelia for comment. Love Island fans were sent in a tizzy when the start date for the show was revealed and it's less than two weeks away.

Host Caroline Flack confirmed that the Mallorcan hidden hills villa is ready to open it's door again to another group sexy singles on Monday June 4 at 9pm.

The Mirror allege a clause in the contract reads: 'You are solely responsible for any and all costs or expenses incurred by you in applying to participate or your participation in the Programme...

Chic: She displayed her svelte legs in the skin-tight ripped jeans while adding a stunning touch with her white jacket complete with elegant black piping

Here come the girls! The stunner was clad in just a bra as she headed to the airport

Happy days: They looked overjoyed - possibly happy at their sister's new career move

'(including but not limited to: calls made, postage, ISP charges, telephony fees, travelling expenses, transportation, accommodation, meals, drinks, insurance, taxes and other costs).

'Under no circumstances will we, Motion or the Broadcaster cover these or any additional costs.' MailOnline has contacted Love Island representatives for comment.

Chloe has long-tried to forge a career in TV, after a stint on EOTB's inaugural series in 2014, before returning in 2016 fifth season, while also appearing in CBB in 2015.

Happy days: Chloe has long-tried to forge a career in TV, after a stint on EOTB's inaugural series in 2014, before returning in 2016 fifth season, while also appearing in CBB in 2015

The whole clan: Amelia's sister Chloe (left) has frequented a host of reality shows, while she and her sister Lauryn (right) are yet to make reality debuts

Woohoo! Host Caroline Flack confirmed that the Mallorcan hidden hills villa is ready to open it's door again to another group sexy singles on Monday June 4 at 9pm

Chloe's reality appearances have always been steeped in controversy, starting with her locking lips with Ashley Cain in the inaugural series of Ex On The Beach. She was ejected from the fifth season of the show for her aggressive behaviour.

She also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and hit the headlines following a devastating incident, in which she was groped by fellow housemate Jeremy Jackson - after which she revealed she felt unsafe living in the house.

In the infamous scenes from the series, Chloe was seen running out of the bathroom in tears after heading in to comfort the worse-for-wear Baywatch star. She later revealed he had pulled back her robe to indecently expose her.

Studious sweetheart: Amelia is in the midst of studying Chemistry at a London university, yet she appears to be plotting a 'long, hot summer' as she prepares to hit screens

Stunners: Reflecting on the incident, the Ex On The Beach star explained on This Morning: 'It affected me because I was really comfortable, you're in a show that you've got security, you've got producers, you know you think nothing can touch me in here'

Reflecting on the incident, the Ex On The Beach star explained on This Morning: 'It affected me because I was really comfortable, you're in a show that you've got security, you've got producers, you know you think nothing can touch me in here.'

She continued: 'Then to feel so secure and safe, then to go... I felt like my kindness was seen as weakness a little bit with Jeremy.'

Chloe was joined by Michelle Visage and Cami Li in comforting the star, who was concerned he'd be sick after mixing rum and vodka.Kim Kardashian shared a lot of praise for her husband Kanye West on their fourth wedding anniversary on Thursday.

The beauty, 37, took to Instagram to share her gushing note as she added a never-seen-before photo from their wedding in Italy in 2014.

The siren wrote, '4 years down and forever to go....Thank you babe for giving me our family and caring so much about us. Thank you for inspiring me on a daily, I'm so lucky. I can't wait for forever... Happy Anniversary.'

Happy lady: Kim Kardashian shared a lot of praise for her husband Kanye West on their fourth wedding anniversary on Thursday

The KKW Beauty mogul had her eyes closed as she put a hand on Kanye's chest, showing off her new wedding band.

The Paranoid rapper, dressed in a tuxedo, had his hand on her back as he looked at the camera with the sun behind him.

The wedding was one for the history books.

The power couple had their ceremony at 16th-century-era fortress in Florence, Italy, because it's the city where they conceived their daughter, North.

The big day: The power couple had their ceremony at 16th-century-era fortress in Florence, Italy, because it's the city where they conceived their daughter, North

A lot to take in: Here they are seen on the balcony with the Duomo Cathedral in the background as Kim's veil floated in the background

Floral explosion: They exchanged vows with a beautiful flower wall serving as a dramatic backdrop, and had their close friend Rich Wilkerson Jr. serve as pastor

More on the dress: The veil was sheer with lace and very long

They exchanged vows with a beautiful flower wall serving as a dramatic backdrop, and had their close friend Rich Wilkerson Jr. serve as pastor.

The planner was planner Sharon Sacks. A wedding guest told People that 'it went off without a hitch,' and the pastor 'acted like he does celebrity weddings every day.'

The bride walked down the aisle on the arm of Bruce Jenner before he became Caitlyn Jenner. Andrea Bocelli serenaded the crowd with several beautiful songs, including Con te Partire.

Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Jaden Smith, Joe Francis, 12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen, David Blaine, Serena Williams, LaLa and Carmelo Anthony, Andre Leon Talley and Rachel Roy were guests.

Her pride and joy: The couple has three children: North, four, Saint, two, and Chicago, four months

Their wedding cake was seven-foot-tall made up of seven tiers of white cake with white icing and fruit layers created by Galateo Ricevimenti, who also catered the reception.

They originally wanted their wedding to be held in the Palace of Versailles, but their permission was denied.

While on The View in 2017, Kim said they have a great foundation and that is why their marriage thrives.

'Were best friends, and I think thats just whats so important for us in our marriage,' said the perfume entrepreneur.

Kardashian playground: The beauty was last seen at Disneyland on Tuesday with her family, including sister Kourtney Kardashian

'I think we started off as friends for so many years and we were friends when we were in other relationships and were such a good support system for each other for so long. I think that really helped to be the basis of our relationship.'

The couple has three children: North, four, Saint, two, and Chicago, four months. And recently Kim said she would like to have a fourth.

The beauty was last seen at Disneyland on Tuesday with her family, including sister Kourtney Kardashian. Khloe continues to stay in Cleveland with new baby True as she tries to work out her relationship with Tristan Thompson, who is accused of cheating on her with five women.

Over the weekend the Selfish author was in Wyoming with Kanye.

Earlier in the month they faced a difficult time when West went on TMZ and said he believed slavery was a choice. He also admitted he suffered an opioid addiction after getting liposuction for their wedding.She recently returned to E4 soap Hollyoaks following her maternity leave.

And Chelsee Healey was every inch the working mum as she arrived at Manchester Piccadilly train station with her daughter Coco, ten months, to board on a train to London for meetings on Thursday morning.

The soap star, 29, flaunted her taut midriff and busty cleavage as she slipped into a plunging crop top, embellished with elaborate balloon sleeves.

Doting mother: Chelsee Healey arrived at Manchester Piccadilly train station with her daughter Coco, ten months, to board on a train to London for meetings on Thursday

Teaming her form-fitting top with relaxed bottoms, the Casualty actress donned trendy bootcut jeans, tied in with a sleek black belt by Gucci.

The mother-of-one ensured all eyes were on her as she accessorised with an array of gold necklaces, which included a chic crucifix pendant.

Turning heads with her striking appearance, Chelsee wore her honey-blonde tresses in voluminous curls and accentuated her features in neutral-toned makeup.

Slimline figure: The soap star, 29, flaunted her taut midriff and busty cleavage as she slipped into a plunging crop top, embellished with elaborate balloon sleeves

Groovy chic: Teaming her form-fitting top with relaxed bottoms, the Casualty actress donned trendy bootcut jeans, tied in with a sleek black belt by Gucci

Wow-factor! The mother-of-one ensured all eyes were on her as she accessorised with an array of gold necklaces, which included a chic crucifix pendant

The actress appeared in high spirits as she strolled her sweet daughter in a pushchair.

The Strictly Come Dancing star's appearance comes ten months after she welcomed her daughter in July 2017.

Describing her labour, she told The Mirror: 'All I was thinking about was how I just couldnt wait for her to arrive. But then her heart rate plummeted and they pressed the buzzer and all the midwives and doctors came rushing in.'

Stunning: Turning heads with her striking appearance, Chelsee wore her honey-blonde tresses in voluminous curls and accentuated her features in neutral-toned makeup

Chelsee also divulged she was madly in love with her ex-jailbird beau Jack Malloy, who she claimed has really stepped up to the job.

'I couldn't have asked for a better father to my daughter,' she explained.

They have weathered the storm together after they initially split up in July 2016 following Jack's arrest in November 2015.

Off they go: The actress appeared in high spirits as she strolled her sweet daughter in a pushchair

He was jailed for 12 months for dangerous driving, using a vehicle without insurance and driving while disqualified.

Despite his early release in March, the couple split a few months later in July 2016.

The Waterloo Road star recently revealed she wants to have a third boob job to get her ample cleavage back to its pre-baby best.

Yummy mummy: The Strictly Come Dancing star's appearance comes ten months after she welcomed her daughter in July 2017

Speaking to Closer magazine the star said: 'I still don't like my boobs, so I'll have a second reduction to go down to a B or C-cup. My bum's a bit saggy, too, so I could do with a bum lift!"

Following her maternity leave, Chelsee's Hollyoaks character Goldie made a sensational return to the soap this month, with the shocking news that her son Prince McQueen, was 'expecting' a baby with Peri Lomax.

Of course this all turned out to be a lie concocted by Peri in a bid to stop Prince from being with Lily Drinkwell, and the eventual truth led the teen lovebirds to marry in a romantic church ceremony.They've been head-over-heels for each other since their relationship went public in February.

But Blac Chyna and boyfriend YBN Almighty Jay looked like they were experiencing a moment of couple's discord on Wednesday after a lunch at Benihana's in Encino, California.

When the restaurant's valet had trouble finding pin-up Chyna's car keys tempers flared as the beauty, 30, shook her finger at the valet and snapped at her 18-year-old boyfriend.

Easily upset: Blac Chyna and boyfriend YBN Almighty Jay looked like they were experiencing a moment of couple's discord on Wednesday after a lunch at Benihana's in Encino, California when Chyna became extremely frustrated when the valet couldn't find her keys

Nevertheless, the mother-of-two looked cool in a wetsuit-like one-piece from Puma that zipped down the front with neon green panels accenting a classic black while putting her generous curves on full display.

She dressed up her alluring singlet with diamonds and pearls, also glamming things up with her beauty, wearing glossy nude lips, thick, false eyelashes and sharp, champagne-colored stiletto nails while only intensified her fierce appearance.

After lunch, Chyna was anxious to head off.

When the restaurant's parking liaison had trouble finding the keys to the Lashed Salon proprietor's car, she instantly became irate.

Making a splash: The mother-of-two looked cool in a wetsuit-like one-piece from Puma that zipped down the front and hugged her generous curves

Not having it: When the restaurant's parking liaison had trouble finding the keys to the Lashed Salon proprietor's car, she instantly became irate

Chyna then went into the valet's area to search through the key rack.

Thought YBN tried to console his lady from a far, she shot back harsh glaces and appeared to admonish him as well.

The couple was joined by pal Mali Mall, who (unlike the couple) appeared extremely amused by the incident, seen giggling to the sides of the scene.

Luckily the group was able to locate Chyna's keys and the group finally headed off.

Hot-headed: Chyna has had several angry incidents in the past, seen lashing out at a woman at Six Flags Magic Mountain back in April, above as a bodyguard tries to hold her back

Chyna's displayed her tendency hot-headed several times in the past.

During her acrimonious breakup with father of her child Rob Kardashian, he accused her of trying to 'strangle' him.

And in she was recorded lashing out at Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park in Valencia, California, throwing a plastic stroller at a woman who she alleged tried to touch daughter Dream.They sent fans into meltdown this week after hinting that they had secretly tied the knot.

And Bachelor star Sam Wood looked ever the family man as he posted an adorable moment with fiancee Snezana Marksoski's daughter Eve, 13 and baby Willow via Instagram on Thursday.

The reality TV star, 37, held the adorable youngster in his arms they took a quick dip in the pool together.

'My girls love the water': The Bachelor's Sam Wood looked every bit the doting dad as he hit the pool with Snezana Markoski's teen daughter Eve and baby Willow via Instagram on Thursday

Sam cuddled up to the cherubic tot - in a sweet pink flamingo swimming costume - as teen Eve looked on.

With his signature dark brown locks and sharp scruff along his jaw, Sam looked completely besotted with his daughter as she enjoyed a splash in the water.

Eve beamed alongside Sam as she swam up close for the snap, no doubt captured by the teen's mum Snezana.

The doting dad captioned the sweet snap: 'My girls love the water'.

The reality TV lovebirds, who became engaged in late 2015, were previously forced to postpone their wedding after Snezana fell pregnant with their first child.

Is she a married woman? Snezana left fans wondering whether she is already married after changing her name Wood on Instagram

After welcoming Willow into the world late last year, Sam and Snezana decided to tie the knot closer to home.

Speaking to Now To Love recently, hunky personal trainer Sam admitted: 'Now our lives have changed a fair bit, we're going keep it a bit closer to home and a bit simpler.'

'You think things are important when you're by yourself but when you have kids, your priorities change,' he added.

'Things have been totally turned on their head in every facet of my life in the last three years and I wouldn't change it for anything'.

Change of plans: After welcoming Willow into the world late last year, Sam and Snezana decided to tie the knot closer to home

Meanwhile, fans were left scrambling for answers on Wednesday when the brunette quietly changed her surname to Wood on Instagram following a lengthy battle with a hacker who had deleted her account.

Making her triumphant return to the social media platform, Snezana uploaded a throwback snap of herself embracing her daughter Eve in front of the Eiffel Tower, along with the caption: 'Im Baaaaaa aaack! Follow closely as I take you for a little trip down memory lane over the next few days.'

Sam also sparked marriage rumours on Thursday when he uploaded the same photo to his Instagram account along with the caption: 'Look whos back on Instagram and look at her new handle @snezanawood #jumpingthegun.'

It wasn't long before Snezana set the record straight however, commenting: 'Not married (yet) but needed to change insta name after being hacked and thought why not as that will be my name soon xx #cheeky #cantwait'Her daughter Lea De Seine turned a year old two months ago.

And this Thursday, Irina Shayk enjoyed a sunlit walk in the West Village with her toddler, who sat in a stroller and held a picture book.

Irina, a 32-year-old Russian model whose baby's father is Bradley Cooper, was 1950s chic in a pleated skirt past the knee and a sweater with rolled up sleeves.

Little Lea: This Thursday, Irina Shayk enjoyed a sunlit walk in the West Village with her toddler, who sat in a stroller and held a picture book

Sweeping her hair back into a low bun, the Soviet-born brunette accessorized with trapezoidal sunglasses and a glinting pendant and slipped on white sneakers.

Irina and Bradley, who is directing a remake of A Star Is Born and will then helm a Leonard Bernstein biopic, have purportedly been a couple since 2015.

She first ignited pregnancy rumors when she bared a good bit of her midriff and sauntered down the catwalk at the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Paris.

Lea De Seine was apparently born on March 21, 2017 in Los Angeles, according to People, who reported on the news that April and cited the baby's birth certificate.

Keeping it simple: Irina, a 32-year-old Russian model whose baby's father is Bradley Cooper, was 1950s chic in a pleated skirt past the knee and a sweater with rolled up sleeves

Pop of contrast: Sweeping her hair back into a low bun, the Soviet-born brunette accessorized with trapezoidal sunglasses and a glinting pendant and slipped on white sneakers

Bradley is not only directing but also co-starring in his remake of the apparently inexhaustible A Star Is Born, with Lady Gaga as his leading lady.

Though the original 1937 film was not a musical, the subsequent versions have been, and this upcoming Gaga version is going to be as well.

Co-written by none other than Dorothy Parker, the original film starred Janet Gaynor as an ingenue whose career goes from strength to strength, while her older and more established movie star love interest (Fredric March) desiccates.

Both Fredric and Janet received Oscar nominations for the film.

Elsewhere: Bradley ran errands in Beverly Hills, looking comfortable in a tattered blue shirt and sporty slacks

George Cukor's 1954 remake starred Judy Garland and James Mason, both of whom also received Academy Award nods for it.

That film introduced the world to Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin's song The Man That Got Away, which became one of the most enduring staples of Judy's repertoire.

A 1976 version starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson was directed by Frank Pierson, who wrote in New West magazine that he feuded with Barbra and her hairdresser-turned-producer boyfriend Jon Peters during the making of the picture.

Having a laugh: Irina and Bradley, who is directing a remake of A Star Is Born and will then helm a Leonard Bernstein biopic, have purportedly been a couple since 2015

Though neither Barbra nor Kris got an Oscar nod for acting in the film, Barbra and Paul Williams did win Best Original Song by writing Evergreen for it.

Bradley's remake, which according to Deadline will see Gaga credited under her Christian name Stefani Germanotta, is due out in October.

After A Star Is Born, Bradley is planning to direct himself playing legendary composer Leonard - he of West Wide Story and Candide - per Deadline.Earlier this year, British rapper Example spoke publicly for the first time about his secret heartache following his wife Erin McNaught's miscarriage in 2016.

And for model Erin, 36, her husband's moving admission on ITV's Lorraine came as an 'emotional' surprise as she watched the program from home.

The Link Nutrition ambassador told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday: 'It's something that we had never really discussed and that made me feel terrible. I realised I never really said to him, "How do you feel?"'

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'We had never really discussed it': Erin McNaught has revealed she wasn't aware her husband Example struggled to cope with her miscarriage until he spoke about their tragic loss on TV

Example, whose real name is Elliot John Gleave, explained on Lorraine that he 'didn't know how to talk' about his loss and struggled to cope after his wife's miscarriage.

The 35-year-old hitmaker - who shares sons Evander, three, and Ennio, six months, with Erin - also encouraged other men to speak out about their own mental health struggles.

Erin told Daily Mail Australia that she knew her husband would likely talk about her miscarriage on the show, but admitted they had never discussed it in depth.

She said: 'He mentioned to me that the show's producer had asked him if he would be okay to talk about it and, of course, I was like, "Yeah, that's amazing that you're willing to go on a huge national show and talk about it."

'Most men would feel like they didn't have the right to, or they didn't feel comfortable doing so.'

'I think it was an amazing thing for him to go on and talk about it so candidly': Erin said her husband's heartfelt admission on ITV's Lorraine came as an 'emotional' surprise

'I think it was an amazing thing for him to go on and talk about it so candidly, because it is something that gets overlooked. The man often does get overlooked, unfortunately,' Erin added, before revealing that she wasn't aware her husband had struggled until he made the on-air confession.

She said proudly: 'He conveyed his feelings and emotions so clearly on the show. We are not the sort of people who dwell on things, once we had spoken about it, it was almost like closure for us.'

During his interview with British TV presenter, Lorraine Kelly, Example revealed he struggled to cope with his grief as no-one in his family had miscarried before.

Proud parents: Example shares two sons - Evander, three, and Ennio, six months - with his wife Erin. The family are pictured with British singer Ed Sheeran

Instead, he assumed that he needed to be strong for the sake of his wife.

He said: 'It's that old-fashioned ideal that men should be tougher and not show their emotions and it's what leads us down the path of male suicide.

'I didn't know how to talk about it, no-one in my family had lost one. You realise it's just about opening up, you just want to put all your time and effort into your missus.

'I didn't know how to talk about it': Earlier this year, Example spoke about his hidden heartache after his wife Erin suffered a miscarriage in 2016. Pictured in August 2014

'It really is about speaking to everybody about it, it's so common. Whether the couple's together or not, it's important to reach out.'

Example and Erin tied the knot in Australia in May 2013 and welcomed their first son, Evander, the following year in December 2014.

Erin first shared news of her miscarriage during an interview on Chanel Seven's The Morning Show in late 2016.

Family life: Example, whose real name is Elliot John Gleave, married Erin in Australia in May 2013. The couple welcomed their first son, Evander, the following year in December 2014

Second arrival: Baby No. 2., Ennio, came along in September 2017, less than a year after Erin suffered a tragic miscarriage

When the presenters, Kylie Gillies and Larry Emdur, asked if Erin was hoping for more children, they were surprised by her response.

'I sadly had a miscarriage last month, which is... we're totally fine, it's just one of those things that's unfortunately really, really common,' she said.

'For me, I found solace in knowing how common it was [miscarrying], because once I got talking, you realise just how many people are affected by it.

'If I could find solace in that and I think if more people spoke about it, then it might not be as tough for people to go through it.'

The couple's second son, Ennio, arrived in September 2017.She did topless photo-shoot and documented it on her Insta Story on Wednesday.

But Bella Thorne demonstrated a bit of her dress sense when she posed at SiriusXM Studios in New York City this Thursday.

The 20-year-old former Disney star complemented her burnt-orange hair with a sheer scarlet top and matching $265 Pinko trousers.

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Lady in red: Bella Thorne demonstrated a bit of her dress sense when she posed at SiriusXM Studios in New York City this Thursday

Bella, who is dating the scraggly-haired 31-year-old rapper Mod Sun and shares a puppy called Tampon with him, accentuated her features with makeup.

She slung a red and canary yellow MSGM purse cross-body from her right shoulder, balancing on a sky-high pair of crimson-laced white stilettos.

The Famous In Love starlet gathered her hair back into a high ponytail and clasped on a few necklaces including a cross.

Bella, whose father died in a 2007 motorcycle accident, appears to have an affinity for startlingly older men - before Mod Sun, she briefly dated Scott Disick, 34.

Only the best: The 20-year-old former Disney star complemented her burnt-orange hair with a sheer scarlet top and matching $265 Pinko trousers

The actress starred opposite Patrick Schwarzenegger - the hunky 24-year-old son of Arnold Schwarzenegger - in Midnight Sun, a film out two months ago.

Directed by Scott Speer, Midnight Sun is a remake of a 2006 Japanese film about a teen girl with the genetic disorder xeroderma pigmentosum.

Because of her condition, she cannot be in the sun and has to live nocturnally.

With a cast that also includes Rob Riggle and Quinn Shephard, this English-language remake of Norihiro Koizumi's Taiyo no Uta (Song to the Sun) came out March 23 and currently holds a dismal 17% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

A day earlier: She did topless photo-shoot and documented it on her Insta Story on Wednesday

Patrick is Arnie's son by Maria Shriver, whose late mother Eunice was the sister of John F. Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy and Teddy Kennedy.

Patrick's pudgy late granduncle Teddy is the subject of the rather better-reviewed film Chappaquiddick, which holds a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Released last month, Chappaquiddick covers the 1969 incident in which Teddy infamously drove into a tidal channel and swam to safety, leaving 28-year-old passenger Mary Jo Kopechne to die in the Oldsmobile.

Jason Clarke stars as Teddy and Kate Mara - reprising her House Of Cards type as a young woman who perishes in a vehicular incident caused by a ruthless, older male politician - plays Mary Joe.ABA Checklist Committee adds Four Species to ABA Checklist

In recent weeks, members of the ABA Checklist Committee (CLC) have added four species to the ABA Checklist. Three species are vagrants from the Old World are River Warbler (Locustella fluviatilis), Thick-billed Warbler (Iduna aedon), and European Robin (Erithacus rubecula). The fourth is a non-native species established in Hawaii, Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus).

Full accounts for these and other decisions made by the CLC since December 2017 will be featured in our next annual report, to be published later in 2018, but summaries for these four new species are included here.

River Warbler: One bird seen at Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, 7 October 2017, accepted unanimously. The committee expressed praise for the excellent written report by Paul Lehman and photos by Clarence Irrigoo of this notoriously skulking species. There is still a question as to whether the bird will be represented on the ABA Checklist as Eurasian River Warbler as it is on the Clements list or, as is preferred by some on the committee, simply River Warbler. The committee has asked the American Ornithologists Society Classification Committee for guidance on the name to use for this bird.

Thick-billed Warbler: One found at Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, 8-13 September, 2017, was well photographed during its nearly week-long stay. Committee members accepted this bird unanimously, noting that the combination of thick bill, unmarked underparts, and such a plain face rule out similar species in this difficult family.

European Robin: One presumed first winter bird, found in a yard in North Wales, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 21 February-7 March, 2015, was accepted unanimously on the second round of voting. With no question as to the birds identity, the committee was asked to make the difficult call on provenance. Members noted that the bird showed no signs of feather wear consistent with time in captivity and that the birds arrival coincided with a larger than normal influx of European Robin in Iceland the previous fall, making a plausible case for natural vagrancy.

Indian Peafowl: This highly distinctive species, with wild populations restricted mostly to the Indian subcontinent, is accepted to the ABA Checklist on a 7-1 vote in the third round. Feral Indian Peacocks have been recorded on several Hawaiian Islands for many decades, with large breeding populations on the islands of Hawaii and Oahu that are apparently self-sufficient, and not semi-domestic or enhanced by continued releases. Committee members suggested Rock Pigeon as a similar situation, in which self-sustaining populations are frequently supplemented by new semi-domestic releases, yet there remains a strong history of breeding.

Three additional Hawaii-only speciesJapanese Quail, Lavender Waxbill, and Red-masked Parakeetwere not accepted to the ABA Checklist after three rounds of voting, but may be considered at a later date.

=====

The ABA CLC traditionally awaits the decision of state/provincial records committees before tackling potential new additions to the ABA Checklist. The ABA CLC looks forward to reviewing the following pending decisions by appropriate bodies: Mistle Thrush (New Brunswick), Red-backed Shrike (Alaska), Black-backed Oriole (Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts), Red Warbler (Arizona), and Great Black Hawk (Texas).

The updated ABA Checklist can be downloaded here >>Morgan Freeman has been accused of acting inappropriately toward at least eight women throughout the years.

CNN released a report detailing the accounts of each woman, all of whom had different stories about encounters with the 80-year-old actor.

One woman alleged that while she was working on the film Going In Style, Freeman rubbed her lower back and tried to lift her skirt.

Morgan Freeman has been accused of acting inappropriately toward at least eight women, including CNN reporter Chloe Melas, pictured

Chloe Melas, the CNN reporter who wrote the expose, alleged that she, too, had been a victim of Freeman's behavior. She recalled the actor making comments about her pregnancy while she was covering a film he'd been in, telling her: 'I wish I was there.'

He also reportedly told her on more than one occasion, 'You are ripe.'

Other alleged victims said Freeman made comments about their bodies and stared at them in a way that made them uncomfortable.

What do you need to know about Morgan Freeman? Here's the scoop.

Who is Morgan Freeman?

Morgan Freeman is an actor, producer and narrator. He was born on June 1, 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee.

He's the son of Mayme Edna and Morgan Porterfield Freeman. Both his parents are deceased.

Freeman began acting as a nine-year-old child. He appeared in a school play, which ignited his love of the craft. After graduating from high school, he was awarded a drama scholarship to Jackson State University.

Instead of accepting, he joined the Air Force. He worked as an Automatic Tracking Radar Repairman.

After four years in the Air Force, Freeman moved to Los Angeles, California and began taking acting classes.

His first major film appearance came in 1971. He landed a part in Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow?

A film called The Electric Company is considered to be his breakthrough role, though Freeman has said he regrets apparing in the film.

He rose to fame in the 1980s, appearing in Driving Miss Daisy, Glory, and The Shawshank Redemption.

Freeman went on to land parts in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Unforgiven, Deep Impact, Million Dollar Baby, Bruce Almighty, Invictus and more.

Morgan Freeman reportedly acted inappropriately toward women on the set of Going In Style

Morgan Freeman net worth

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Morgan Freeman's net worth is about $200 million (149.5m).

How did Morgan Freeman make his money?

Morgan Freeman has made the majority of his money as an actor. He's been acting professionally since the '70s, landing huge roles as early as the 1980s.

Prior to the release of sexual assault allegations against him, he was a revered person in Hollywood. He's won one Oscar, an AFI Life Achievement Award, several Screen Actors Guild awards a Golden Globe and more.

The fact that some of the outrage over the Morgan Freeman news is more "Why are you doing this to him" than "Why did he do this to women" pretty much says it all about society.



This is why women are afraid to come forward.  Denizcan S. (@MrFilmkritik) May 24, 2018

Morgan Freeman granddaughter

Morgan Freeman's step-granddaughter E'Dena Hines was killed by boyfriend Lamar Davenport. The 33-year-old stabbed Hines 25 times.

His lawyers argued in court that he was in a drug-induced state of psychosis at the time after using PCP. Davenport's legal team also alleged that Freeman and Hines had a sexual relationship.

While Freeman initially denied the allegations in the past, it was alleged during the trial against her boyfriend that she once texted him saying she had 'grandpa feelings'.

i saw Morgan freeman trending and was scared to click it in case he had died but its literally even worse  Dan (@d_fferr) May 24, 2018

Freeman adopted Hines's mother Deena Adair while he was married to his first wife, Jeanette Adair Bradshaw. In his affidavit, he wrote that he and Adair were surrogate parents to Hines.

After her death, Freeman said this about Hines: 'The world will never know her artistry in talent. Her star will continue to shine bright in our hearts, thoughts and prayers. May she rest in peace.'

Hines and Freeman were very close. The young woman regularly came with her step-grandfather to premieres and events.

Hines apparently planned to follow in Freeman's footsteps. Her website said that at the time of her death she was an actor and writer who lived in New York. She was attending New York University's graduate acting program.

A scholarship at the school has been created in her name.

Davenport was found not guilty of murder, but was convicted of manslaughter in Hines's death.

Who is Morgan Freeman married to?

Morgan Freeman is not currently married, though he has been twice in the past. He was married to Jeanette Adair Bradshaw from 1967 to 1979 and Myrna Colley-Lee from 1984 to 2010.

When rumors first began swirling about his alleged sexual relationship with his step granddaughter, it was reported that he intended to marry her. He denied those claims, however, and they did not marry.

Alan Arkin Morgan Freeman

According to CNN's report, in which Morgan Freeman is accused of acting inappropriately and/or sexually harassing multiple women, the actor's Going In Style co-star was present during one incident.

Alan Arkin reportedly saw Freeman trying to lift up a victim's skirt on the set of the film.

The victim said: 'Alan [Arkin] made a comment telling him to stop. Morgan got freaked out and didn't know what to say.'

Other victims claim he touched them without permission, made vulgar comments toward them and commented on their clothing and bodies. He's also said to have stared at more than one woman in a way that made them uncomfortable.Caroline Flack showed off serious leg in a flirty playsuit on Thursday as she joined a male pal in attending the launch of her new collection with River Island.

The TV presenter exhibited her slim pins in the skimpy summer one-piece as she attended the unveiling of her collection at a lavish cocktail party in London - where she sensationally admitted to flirting with 'both men and women'.

Speaking to The Sun, the 38-year-old admitted her 'flirty' new range was inspired by herself: 'I'm so flirty. Sometimes I don't realise just how flirty I am until I watch myself back, and think "that's pretty shameful."'

Stylish: Caroline Flack, 38, admitted that she 'flirts with both men and women' as she attended the launch of her collection for River Island in London

'I think sometimes friendliness can be mistaken for flirty-ness. The collection has a flirty feel to it,' she continued before admitting: 'Yeah! I think it's just part of my personality' when asked is she flirts with both sexes.

Caroline's outing came as she prepares to jet out to Majorca in the coming weeks for the fourth series of Love Island, presenting the ITV2 show while Iain Sterling provides his typically-cutthroat commentary.

The TV personality flaunted her incredibly trim figure in the summer chic look as she arrived at the event with a male friend, covering up in an olive green coat draped over her shoulders.

The gorgeous playsuit was a ray of sunshine under the cloudy skies as it sported a bright yellow hue alongside the floral print.

Gorgeous: Caroline showed off her trim figure in the chic one-shouldered piece, keeping a green trench coat placed over her shoulders

The star added some height to her look with nude platform peep-toe heels, and kept her phone close to hand for the outing.

Caroline had her ombre shoulder-length tresses styled into her signature curled look, and highlighted her flawless complexion with a simple smoky and nude lip.

The former X Factor host attended the cocktail bash to celebrate the launch of her stylish new capsule collection with River Island, set to drop on May 30, 2018.

This comes as just a day earlier the air date for Love Island series 4 was finally confirmed - and it is fast approaching with the show set to begin in less than two weeks on June 4, 2018.

Sensational: The Love Island presenter added some height to her tanned look by sporting nude platform heels, and had her signature ombre tresses in effortless waves

Friends night out: Caroline was joined for the cocktail launch bash by a male pal, and the pair seemed to be in good spirits as they arrived for the evening

In a recent interview with LOOK magazine, Caroline called the role the 'best job in the world'.

She gushed: 'You never have early starts. We dont go on-set until 3pm so I have the day off to sit by the pool and have lunch.

'Then Ill have hair and make up done and then we go and sit on-site. It really is a nice relaxing job until you start working in the evening. I make sure to fly back and forth so I still get to see my friends and family, too.'

Budding designer: The bash came ahead of Caroline's capsule collection with River Island dropping on May 30, 2018

Caroline also spilled further details of her proposal from boyfriend Andrew, which in fact happened before their Santorini getaway.

She continued: 'He proposed at home when I was in my pyjamas, it was so cute. I had already seen the vintage ring I liked and pointed it out to him, never thinking it would be my engagement ring, but he remembered and got it for me.'

The couple's engagement was announced last month after a whirlwind three month romance, with Caroline taking to Instagram to share a snap of her sparkling ring.She was forced to defend herself online after trolls attacked her for missing her aunt Janet Jackson's return to the stage.

And Paris Jackson was cutting a low-key figure as she touched down in France, arriving at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport in a casual and comfortable look.

The daughter of Michael Jackson, 20, showed off her bohemian sense of style in her low-key attire, going make-up free for her flight.

Low-key: Paris Jackson was cutting a low-key figure as she touched down in France, arriving at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport in a casual and comfortable look

Casual: The daughter of Michael Jackson, 20, showed off her bohemian sense of style in her low-key attire, going make-up free for her flight

Paris was rocking a loose grey jumper and two-tone flared jeans, prioritising comfort with a pair of sneakers.

She wrapped a soft wool scarf around her neck and carried a coordinating pastel cover up over one arm.

The star appeared a little tired following her long-haul flight from the US.

Comfy: Paris was rocking a loose grey jumper and two-tone flared jeans, prioritising comfort with a pair of sneakers

Coordinating: She wrapped a soft wool scarf around her neck and carried a coordinating pastel cover up over one arm

Jetsetter: The star appeared a little tired following her long-haul flight from the US

Her appearance comes after Paris took to social media to defend her famous family in a series of Instagram stories shared after Janet Jackson's performance at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday night.

Themodel urged fans to refrain from commenting on how she should 'handle my relationship with the people in my life,' after receiving a bit of backlash for missing her aunt's return to the stage after a nine-year hiatus

'Dear social media followers, friends, stalkers, lovers and haters, and fellow moonwalkers: Please do not tell me/demands/try to control how I handle my relationship with the people in my life, specifically my family,' she started..

Talk about it: Her outing comes after Paris took to social media to defend her famous family in a series of Instagram stories shared after Janet Jackson's performance at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday night

'As amazing and as s***ty as things can be, it is no one's business but ours.

'I understand that some of you feel some sort of connection or need to be a part of our lives considering you watched us grow up. However, I am handling my situation exactly how my father did.'

Fans were quick to point out that Paris was a no-show to her aunt's first performance in almost ten years.

'I will always have love and respect for my family. ALWAYS. There is nothing more or less than that, that you need to know,' she wrote. 'Every family has their moments of trauma, heartbreak, separation, love, oneness, tribe, pain, everything. EVERY FAMILY.'

Runaway: The 20-year-old model urged fans to refrain from commenting on how she should 'handle my relationship with the people in my life,' after receiving a bit of backlash for missing her aunt's return to the stage after a nine-year hiatus

PSA: Fans were quick to point out that Paris was a no-show to her aunt's first performance in almost ten years

Janet was also on hand at the awards show to receive the Billboard Icon Award for her stellar career which spans across decades.

'My family, specifically, and a good number of others... well, our drama is broadcasted worldwide through media,' she reminded her followers. 'But that doesn't mean our family issues are any different from yours. Ours are just made public.

'Every level has another devil. Every life has their own s**t to deal with. We ain't inferior or superior to y'all. We're all f****ng human. So let's act like it.

'I appreciate any and every person reading this and I'm grateful for everything in my life, positive and negative.'

Missing in action: Paris wrote a strongly worded series of Instagram stories to her followers and fans

Star power: Janet was also on hand at the awards show to receive the Billboard Icon Award for her stellar career which spans across decades, which Paris was not in attendance to witness

How did we get here? The Instagram stories may have been sparked after Paris shared a screenshot of her cousin Austin Brown praising the performance with the word 'ditto' written above his heartfelt words

Hours after the lengthy message posted to support her family, Paris chimed back in with more insight to her absence at the show.

'Also not to mention, no one from my mgmt reached out to me about attending billboards or about the award, and no one from my family did either,' she confirmed. 'I had absolutely no idea until y'all spammed me with hatred.'

The Instagram stories may have been sparked after Paris shared a screenshot of her cousin Austin Brown praising the performance with the word 'ditto' written above his heartfelt words.

The son of Rebbie Jackson wrote, 'Couldn't be more proud of my aunt for not only delivering a stellar performance but also showing people greatness is ageless. Congrats on your Icon award.'

Paris and her famous family have received praise and backlash through decades in the spotlight. Her father, Michael Jackson, died of cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009.

She's rumored to be dating supermodel Cara Delevingne after the couple was spotted kissing earlier this year.

Reminder: Hours after the lengthy message posted to support her family, Paris chimed back in with more insight to her absence at the showHilaria Baldwin welcomed fourth child Romeo last week.

But before the 34-year-old Estee Lauder model gave birth to the child, she posed for Beach magazine, showing off her baby bump in several dresses for photographer Mikey DeTemple.

And in her interview the Yoga Vida co-founder said she never expected to be a mother of four with husband Alec Baldwin, 60, but that it's a good thing.

Sitting pretty: Hilaria Baldwin poses for Beach magazine before she welcomed her fourth child, son Romeo, a week ago

'I never thought I would have so many, but we like them all, so we keep on having more,' explained the former TV host.

'I only have one brother, but Alec comes from six. And you know what? It's just so fun. And the connection that they have is really beautiful to experience.'

Baldwin also explained how she juggled it all.

Happy mommy: 'I never thought I would have so many, but we like them all, so we keep on having more,' explained the former TV host

'When the kids are having a meltdown, when I'm having a sleepless night, when I have to pee a million times- when I'm having any of the annoying things, I say, "Okay, this is now; it's not going to be forever," and that keeps me calm,' said the brunette.

'And then, you know, breathing and grounding, and balance and letting go. And then my other principles I do as well. But the first thing is really perspective.'

Hilaria added that she doesn't want to pretend to know it all.

'I don't want to make it seem like I think I'm perfect all the time, because I'm definitely not. But most of the time, I'm a very calm, collected person. And I have to be. I've got a lot of people relying on me to be that way,' she said.

How he handles it all: 'When the kids are having a meltdown, when I'm having a sleepless night, when I have to pee a million times- when I'm having any of the annoying things, I say, "Okay, this is now; it's not going to be forever," and that keeps me calm,' said the brunette

The couple already have Carmen, aged four, Rafael, aged two, and Leonardo, aged one.

The star was last seen in a short green floral print dress with Alec in New York City on Thursday morning.

Alec, who is making ratings soar on Saturday Night Live, had on a dark suit and lavender shirt.

Deep yoga breaths: Hilaria added that she doesn't want to pretend to know it all. 'I don't want to make it seem like I think I'm perfect all the time, because I'm definitely not. But most of the time, I'm a very calm, collected person'

Baldwin was already looking slender with a small waistline and toned legs. That's because she workout out throughout her pregnancy, never adding too much extra weight.

And after she welcomed Romeo, she took a photo of her post baby body to show her followers how staying in shape during those nine months is important. 'My purpose here is to normalize the postpartum figure and over the next days, weeks, and months, show you how I strengthen my body and return to my non pregnant self,' she said.

'You all came with me through my pregnancy...now it's time to turn back into me.

'We all come in different shapes, sizes, and health experiences...but given the right love and care, we can feel really good within our skin.

With her love: The 34-year-old yoga instructor was seen strolling in a short green floral print dress with husband Alec Baldwin in New York City on Thursday morning

With his little girl: Alec explained that Carmen had just graduated from preschool

'We just have to be patient and kind with our bodies. I'll post my last two postpartum photos (Rafa and Leo) in my stories, so you can remember how we did this before.'

Alec and Hilaria announced their son's birth on Thursday in an Instagram post which showed the new parents gazing down at their tiny tot that Hilaria captioned: 'He's here! He's perfect! 8lbs 2oz #wegotthis2018'

The star posted the same picture on his own Instagram account, captioned: 'Here we go again! #BaldwinitosEverywhere.'He took a swipe at Kim Kardashian last month seemingly blaming the reality star for husband Kanye West's Twitter outbursts.

And Snoop Dogg hit out at the KUWTK star again on Thursday during an interview on The View, claiming Kanye is 'missing a black woman in his life' to keep him in line.

Asked for his thoughts on the Yeezy designer's recent controversial 'slavery was a choice' comments, Snoop, 46, didn't hold back as he told the co-hosts: 'I thought he needed some medical attention, first and foremost.

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Opinionated: Snoop Dogg has hit out at Kim Kardashian again, saying that her husband Kanye West needs a black woman in his life. The rapper appeared on The View on Thursday (pictured)

'He truly misses the stability of having somebody telling him when he's wrong' Snoop told hosts when he was asked about the rapper's recent Twitter outburst and controversial comments (Kim and Kanye are pictured in 2016)

The hip hop star continued with a more serious tone, saying: 'I started feeling sad for him. He truly misses his mother, he truly misses a black woman in his life.

'He truly misses the stability of having somebody telling him when he's wrong and correcting him and checking him as opposed to allowing him to continue to do what he's been doing.

'And that to me is something that he needs - he needs help - he's crying out for help, so instead of me bashing him, we trying to help him now' the Drop It Like It's Hot hitmaker concluded.

Snoop's comments echoed a radio interview with Revolt TV's The Breakfast Club earlier this month when he told hosts that he believes Kim, 37, and the other women in the family have the power and strength to help Kanye, 40.

'It got to a point when it was funny, and then it was sad,' he said.

'He needs help - he's crying out for help' Snoop, 46, added after saying he sympathizes with the star

'He truly misses his mother, he truly misses a black woman in his life.' Snoop said before adding that the Yeezy star needs someone to 'keep him in check'

Having his say: Snoop was asked for his thoughts on Kanye's recent comment that slavery was a choice

Reflecting on Kanye's relationship with his late mother Donda, the Long Beach-born star said: 'She was instrumental in his life, remember the music he was making when she was here and the spirit that he had? That's gone now and if you've never lost your mother you don't understand that feeling.

'So I had to sympathize with that and say maybe the women around him should look into getting him some help'. Snoop added.

Donda passed away in 2007 aged 58 due to complications following plastic surgery.

Snoop then went further to suggest the men entering the Kardashian household generally come out of it worse-off.

'If you look at the people that went into that house with their minds straight, Lamar Odom, Kanye West, Rob Kardashian... I'm just saying, but the women are on point, million dollar deals, walking the runway, selling makeup, emojis.'

The rapper's comments echoed an interview with Revolt TV's The Breakfast Club earlier this month when he told hosts that he believes the Kardashian women have the power to help Kanye, 40

'I had to sympathize with that and say maybe the women around him should look into getting him some help' Snoop said of the Kardashian women who he said are strong and 'on point'

The Drop It Like It's Hot hitmaker went as far to say that he thinks the men who go into the Kardashian household come out of it worse-off as he added 'I'm just saying'

Host Angela Yee chimed in asking the rapper: 'Should we be concerned for Travis Scott?'

'Mmhmmm' Snoop replied emphatically, before joking 'You better get that cup of tea away from me! Travis if you listening get out now, n****'.

Travis is currently dating the youngest of the Kardashian-Jenner clan, Kylie Jenner, 20, and just welcomed daughter Stormi with the makeup mogul.

Last month Snoop took a swipe at Kim as he posted on Instagram: 'The evolution of Jay Z and Kanye show how influential your wife can be to your life,'

Kanye and reality star Kim have been married since 2014, while his onetime best friend Jay married Beyonce in 2008.

Snoop also reflected on the impact of Kanye's mother's death as he said: 'Remember the music he was making when she was here and the spirit that he had?'

'The evolution of Jay Z and Kanye show how influential your wife can be to your life': Snoop Dogg takes swipe at Kim Kardashian on Twitter

As they were: Kanye with Snoop back in 2006; the two went onto work together in 2011

Snoop dressed up his meme as a tribute to his own wife, captioning it: 'Thank @bosslady_ent. Love u for being my rock and keeping me straight.'

Snoop was once on good terms with Kanye - the two worked together on the track Eyez Closed back in 2011.

The comments came as Kanye - who has children North, four, Saint, two, and Chicago, three months, with Kim - unleashed a tirade of surprising opinions following his return to Twitter, including professing his support for President Trump.

And on May 1, in a now infamous appearance on TMZ Live Kanye seemingly suggested that the four centuries of black slavery lasted so long because those who were enslaved chose not to fight back.

'When you hear about slavery for 400 years ... for 400 years? That sounds like a choice. We're mentally imprisoned.' he said.

He defended his statements and did not back down from them on Twitter after widespread criticism.

Not a fan: Kim might have worn this Snoop shirt last year, but it's clear the admiration is not returned by the rapper

'To make myself clear. Of course I know that slaves did not get shackled and put on a boat by free will. My point is for us to have stayed in that position even though the numbers were on our side means that we were mentally enslaved

'They cut out our tongues so we couldn't communicate to each other. I will not allow my tongue to be cut the reason why I brought up the 400 years point is because we can't be mentally imprisoned for another 400 years. We need free thought now. Even the statement was an example of free thought It was just an idea (sic)'

Since Kanye's comments, stars including Eve and will.i.am have condemned the rapper.

His tweets have prompted the likes of Rihanna, Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Zayn Malik, The Weeknd, and Kendrick Lamar to unfollow his account.She dazzled in two sensational outfit as she stepped out to see her friend Meghan Markle's tie the knot with Prince Harry on Saturday.

And Priyanka Chopra was seen for the first since the Royal wedding as she spoke passionately during an interview with The Associated Press in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Thursday.

The Indian film and TV star, 35 - who is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador - put on an effortlessly chic display in a white blazer following a busy few days visiting the one of the largest refugee camps in the world.

Chic: Priyanka Chopra, 35, was seen for the first since the Royal wedding as she spoke during an interview with The Associated Press in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Thursday

Priyanka, who soared to fame in 2000 at the age of 17 after winning Miss.World, looked flawless as she went for a business casual look.

The Bollywood beauty teamed her blazer with a matching white top and lightwash jeans.

Priyanka sported a flawlessly bronzed base, with subtle eye-shadow and pink gloss on her plump pout.

She looked every inch the confident star after a busy few days visiting Bangladeshi locals in refugee camps and shelters for women.

Looking good: The Indian film and TV star - who is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador - put on an effortlessly chic display in a white blaze

Stunning: Priyanka, who soared to fame in 2000 at the age of 17 after winning Miss.World, looked flawless as she went for a business casual look

Ambassador: She looked every inch the confident star as she spoke

This comes after the actress turned heads in a stunning second ensemble as she posed in the grounds of Frogmore House on Saturday night.

Just hours after watching her friend marry Prince Harry at Windsor Castle, the star gushed about Meghan's 'grace, love and beauty' on the big day.

She wrote in an Instagram post: 'Every once in a while there is a moment when time stands still.. that happened today.. You my friend.. were the epitome of grace, love and beauty.

'Every choice made at this wedding by you both will go down in history, not just because it was your wedding but because this incredible wedding stood for change and hope. Both things that the world needs desperately.

'Thank you for being the perfect picture of all things good.. seeing your union and love blessed in front of my eyes Made me so happy.. and tear up! I wish you both love happiness and togetherness always.'

Good cause: Her talk comes after a busy few days visiting the one of the largest refugee camps in the world

Glittering: Before her trip to Bangladesh, Priyanka looked exquisite in her second dress of the day during the evening ceremony of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's nuptials

Fairytale gown: The actress looked gorgeous in a glittering frock that swept the floor

Glittering: She was ready to party at Frogmore House with fellow celebrity guests

Exquisite: Pictures of her second outfit proved she'd ramped up the glamour

And she looked ready to party with the Suits actress when she shared images of her evening ensemble.

Priyanka wore a Bardot shoulder gown that glittered with crystals adorning the nude-coloured tulle fabric.

A change from her lilac ceremony ensemble, Priyanka ramped up the glamour for the star-studded after-party.

Priyanka put on an elegant display as she arrived at St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle, on Saturday morning.

Wow!: Priyanka (right) put on an elegant display as she attended the Royal Wedding at St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle, on Saturday with Abigail Spencer

Stunning: The actress, 35, showed off her slender figure in a stunning fitted lilac suit and matching hat

Exciting: She settled in to watch her best friend Meghan Markle tie the knot with Prince Harry during the year's most talked-about wedding

The actress showed off her slender figure in a stunning fitted lilac suit and matching hat. Priyanka styled her brunette locks into a sleek sweptback hairdo.

Earlier in the day, the film star prepped her skin with the 111SKIN Rose Gold Brightening Facial Treatment Mask before she added a full face of glamorous make-up including a dark red lipstick.

Just hours ago, Priyanka revealed that her dress still wasn't ready on the day of the ceremony as she took to Instagram in the early morning of Saturday.

Sharing a snap with her glam squad on the day of the ceremony, the Jamshedpur born star appeared to see the funny side as she could be seen laughing as a nude coloured item of clothing remained clamped to a sewing machine.

Cutting it fine!: Priyanka, 35, revealed that her dress still wasn't ready on the day of the ceremony as she took to Instagram in the early hours of Saturday

She captioned the picture with: 'Wedding SHEnanigans! 12:10AM the morning of...and still waiting for the dress! #funtimes #memories,' as she went on to tag everyone in the photo.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry was close to tears as he saw Meghan Markle in a simple but beautiful pure white dress.

Harry then grabbed his bride's hand and told her: 'You look amazing - I missed you' and said 'thank you, pa' after his father Prince Charles walked her down the aisle of St George's Chapel, Windsor.

Sweet: Prince Harry was close to tears as he saw Meghan Markle in a simple but beautiful pure white dress

The veil was held in place by Queen Mary's diamond bandeau tiara, lent to her by The Queen, made in 1932 - an outfit that left her mother Doria Ragland, 62, in tears.

Meghan arrived accompanied by two page boys who held up her train as she made her way up the chapel's steps alone and entered the chapel by herself, to begin the walk down the alter, before being met by the Prince of Wales.

Priyanka's appearance at the wedding comes just days after she gushed over her best friend and how exciting her nuptials to Prince Harry will be.

Speaking on Barstool Sports' Sirius radio show Chicks in the Office, she said: 'It's a fairy tale for our generation.

The scoop: Though she is promoting the new season of her show Quantico, she's also been dishing a bit on her famous friend Meghan Markle

On everyone's lips: She said that Meghan's romance with Prince Harry is like a 'fairy tale' because Meghan is 'one of us'

'I think it will be really fun, Im really happy for Meg, Meghan.

'And I just feel like it's gonna be such a life-changing thing not just for them, but for the world and for young girls out there because she is one of us, right? Shes that girl...she loves grocery shopping.'

Raving about what a wonderful person her friend is, she went on: 'She has always been someone who cares about the world that I think she will fit so well into this new role that she is going to get into to. Im just really happy for her.'

Though Priyanka herself is not a bridesmaid, she did share her thoughts on the fashion choices that will be made on the big day.

'Shes doing it so cool like she has her own perspective the way she dresses... shes such a little fashionista, but at the same time she keeps it really real, which I really like about her style, its very relatable.'

As for her own outfit, she said: 'I just hope my shoes are comfortable.'She's a proud mother to daughter Vienna, who she raises with partner Luis Morrison.

And Cally Jane Beech was enjoying a rare night off parenting duties when she attended the Bromley Boys world premiere held at Wembley Stadium in London on Thursday night.

The Love Island star, 26, looked incredible in a slinky black jumpsuit as she rocked the red carpet in style.

Looking good: Cally Jane Beech was enjoying a rare night off parenting duties when she attended the Bromley Boys world premiere held at Wembley Stadium in London on Thursday night

Cally stunned in the figure-hugging ensemble, which made the most of her long legs and her impossibly slim waist.

The chic little number featured multi strap detailing and was set off with a nude coloured clutch.

The brunette opted for a slick of coral lipstick and blusher to match, putting the emphasis on her pie

Chic: Cally stunned in the figure-hugging ensemble, which made the most of her long legs and her impossibly slim waist

The brunette opted for a slick of coral lipstick and blusher to match, putting the emphasis on her piercing blue eyes

Cally sizzled in a selection of swimsuits as she put on a stunning display on her Instagram page this week.

The brunette beauty chanelled Baywatch in a slinky red swimsuit which revealed her ample sideboob as well as her toned waist as she stared sultrily into the distance.

The scanty thong one-piece also revealed her a hint of her peachy posterior and toned legs.

Wow factor: The reality star sizzled in a selection of swimsuits as she put on a stunning display on her Instagram page this week

Her raven locks were styled sleek and straight while her sparkling blue eyes were enhanced with a smoky dusting of make-up.

The reality starlet, who shares daughter Vienna, one, with Love Island beau Luis Morrison, 23, also posed for a sweet snap with her bundle of joy, with the pair clad in matching yellow swimsuits.

The mother daughter duo showed off the strength of their bond as Cally cradled little Vienna for the adorable photo, with the pair wearing matching yellow ruffled swimwear.

Cute: The reality starlet, who shares daughter Vienna, one, with Love Island beau Luis Morrison, 23, also posed for a sweet snap with her bundle of joy, with the pair clad in matching yellow swimsuits

The star has taken to motherhood like a duck to water, and she often spends her time uploading gushing images of her daughter who has always appeared extremely happy and healthy.

But she had a scare earlier this month when the 11-month-old had to be rushed to hospital with a neck infection.

The reality star uploaded an image of Vienna with an IV drip connected to her ankle, sitting in a hospital bed.

She captioned it: 'My brave girl. Couldn't be more proud of her.'

I'll be ready: The brunette beauty, 26, chanelled Baywatch in a slinky red swimsuit which revealed her ample sideboob as well as her toned waist as she stared sultrily into the distance

She then uploaded a snap of Vienna in a red outfit, writing underneath it: 'Here's Vienna spreading love for Valentine's Day.

'I Got this cute lil picture few days ago ready for Valentines Day and just seemed appropriate to post now as she wont be out of hospital for least week but on a positive Im so proud of my brave baby. Thanks for your support messages xxxxxx [sic].'

The post was met with a slew of comments from well wishers, prompting Cally to uploaded another message: 'Thanks for all the well wishes for Vienna. Hopefully she will recover quickly.'Emma Stone seems to be revisiting the past.

PageSix reported the Battle Of The Sexes actress was seen dining on Tuesday in the West Village neighborhood of NYC with ex-beau Andrew Garfield. They split in 2015.

This comes after the redheaded Oscar-winner was linked to Jennifer Aniston's estranged husband Justin Theroux.

Date night? Emma Stone seems to be revisiting the past. PageSix reported the Battle Of The Sexes actress was seen dining in the West Village neighborhood of NYC with ex-beau Andrew Garfield; seen in 2015

Old times: The split in 2015, but have seen each other here and there over the years; here they are seen in 2014

Garfield, 34, and Stone, 29, looked happy to be in each other's company, it was claimed.

People's source says they 'never stopped caring about each other' adding they might get back together 'if the timing is right.'

And it was added that they still have 'great love and respect for each other' and there is still feelings of romance there.

They had instant chemistry: Emma and Andrew co-starred in 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man

And it appears they still meet up now and then.

In August 2016 they chatted in London, then in February 2017 they were seen at a post BAFTA dinner. In May 2017 she saw him perform in the 25th anniversary revival of Angels in America at the National Theatre.

'She was in the audience watching the show,' a source told the site. 'She left backstage with him.'

Close: Earlier this month Emma was linked to Theroux as they were seen leaving a post Met Gala party together. Inside the Gala, they posed in a group including Michelle Williams and Riley Keough

They have also been seen side by side at the Louis Vuitton show fashion show in Paris in March; Williams was there as well

Earlier this month Emma was linked to Theroux as they were seen leaving a post Met Gala party together.

Inside the Gala, they posed in a group including Michelle Williams.

They have also been seen side by side at the Louis Vuitton show fashion show in Paris in March; Williams was there as well.

They have said on Instagram that they are just BFFs.

Stone has also dated Dave McCary (2017), Kieran Culkin (2010 - 2011) and Teddy Geiger (2007 - 2009).

Clever move: They have said on Instagram that they are just BFFs

Dapper: Andrew Garfield was seen at the 2018 Outer Critics Circle Theatre Awards at Sardi's in New York City

Star in stripes: he rocked a burgundy striped blazer with black jeansThey found love last year on The Bachelorette.

And Rachel Lindsay and Brian Abasolo appeared more in love than ever while celebrating their one-year anniversary with a vacation to Tulum, Mexico this week.

The knock-out lawyer, 33, and hunky chiropractor, 38, toasted to their romance while soaking in the sun poolside at the El Dorado Casitas Royale where neither shied away from showing off their beach bodies.

Romantic getaway: Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay and Brian Abasolo looked more in love than ever while celebrating their one-year anniversary with a vacation to Tulum, Mexico this week

Rachel was a vision in a dusky grey bikini, which she accessorized with a gold cuff and nameplate necklace.

The reality dating persona let her dark locks lie loose while keeping her face at a natural glow.

Besides her, beau Bryan displayed his fit physique in a pair of white and blue swim trucks.

Rachel and Bryan dipped their feet in the pool while sipping on some icy cocktails together.

Beachy keen! Rachel teased her pert backside as she turned and hugged her love while strolling along the beach

I adore you: After toasting to their love, the couple gazed into each other's eyes and shared a passionate kiss

Gorgeous: Rachel was a vision in a dusky grey bikini, which she accessorized with a gold cuff and nameplate necklace

After toasting to their love, the couple gazed into each other's eyes and shared a passionate kiss.

The duo also took to the beach where Rachel teased her pert backside as she turned and hugged her love.

Rachel also shared a stunning Instagram of their accommodations, posting a picture of a scenic pool with palm-thatched cabanas in the background.

'Mexico you were what we needed, what we wanted, what we loved, and what we will miss,' the Texas girl captioned her photo.

Refreshing: Rachel and Bryan dipped their feet in the pool while sipping on some icy cocktails together

Hunk in trunks: Bryan displayed his fit physique in a pair of white and blue swim trucks

Wish we were here: Rachel also shared a stunning Instagram of their accommodations, posting a picture of a scenic pool with palm-thatched cabanas in the background

After Rachel found her Prince Charming last season, it's time for someone else to take the mantle of The Bachelorette.

This season's leading lady Becca Kufrin is hoping to meet The One after a heartbreaking split on last season's Bachelor with Arie Luyendyk Jr.

Season fourteen of The Bachelorette premieres Monday May 28 on ABC.Abby Lee Miller is struggling to stay positive amid her cancer battle.

The Dance Moms star was been with diagnosed Non-Hodgkins lymphoma last month.

'She has two more chemo sessions to go, but shes in a really bad place  mentally and emotionally' a source told People. 'Shes really losing it.'

Down: Abby Lee Miller is struggling to stay positive amid her cancer battle

However on the 51-year-old's Instagram account, she seems elated to be leaving the halfway house where she has been serving the remainder of her jail sentence for fraud.

The reality star has been counting down the five final days with a post each day, ahead of Friday's release date.

'1 and done #1daytogo #free #freeabbylee #dancemoms,' she captioned the final post on Thursday.

In April underwent a four-hour emergency operation shortly after her prison release, on what doctors first thought was a spinal infection.

Countdown: However on the 51-year-old's Instagram account, she seems elated to be leaving the halfway house where she has been serving the remainder of her jail sentence for fraud

One of the Pittsburgh native's doctors, Dr. Hooman M. Melamed, told the People: 'It was not an infection, it was a type of a non-Hodgkins lymphoma - its a type of a cancer.'

Melamed, an orthopedic spine specialist based out of Marina Del Rey, California, said an oncologist will be brought on to 'figure out what the next steps are as far as chemotherapy or radiation or more spine surgery.

'Depending on the tumor type, depending on the sensitivity of the tumor - it just depends the type but I feel more than yes, she will undergo chemotherapy or radiation,' the doctor said.

Melamed told the publication that the Dance Moms instructor initially sought treatment amid 'excruciating' and in her neck and a weak arm, leading to the immediate surgery.

Melamed said that the surgery on Miller was essential, as 'she was not doing well' and 'her blood pressure was bottoming out.

Tough time: The Dance Moms star was been with diagnosed Non-Hodgkins lymphoma last month (pictured April 11)

Distressed: It's been a difficult few years for Miller, who had been in custody at Victorville Federal Correctional Institution from July until late last month in connection with her bankruptcy fraud conviction

'If we didnt do something,' the doctor said, 'she was going to die.'

Melamed told People 'theres a chance this can spread to any part of the body,' as 'this is probably coming from somewhere else.

'We dont know where the source is,' he added. 'Any tumor that spreads anywhere is automatically Stage 4, but we have not determined the stage yet.

Miller was 'encouraged' as she recovery in an ICU, according to her doctor.

It's been a difficult few years for Miller, who had been in custody at Victorville Federal Correctional Institution from July until late last month in connection with her bankruptcy fraud conviction.

She lost 100 pounds while in custody while at the penitentiary.

In March, she began staying at a Long Beach, California halfway house, where she was slated to stay until May 25.As Americans continue to flock to large cities in search of opportunity and connection, many of those same cities are suffering from expensive housing costs, arbitrary price controls, onerous regulations, and cronyist governancethe sum of which is serving to diminish access to the pond and stunt opportunity among the disconnected.

In Seattle, Washington, for example, we see the typical cocktail of a progressive urbanists daydreams, mixing excessive land-use regulations with a series of knee-jerk jolts in the minimum wage. Despite being home to some of the fastest growing companies, the citys policies are beginning to take a toll on local businesses and workers. Meanwhile, homelessness is on the rise.

Far from recognizing the source of such woes, however, the City Council has sought a remedy in additional economic distortion, passing a head tax on the citys highest grossing businesses, amounting to $275 a year per full-time employee (down from the originally proposed $500-per-head). For a company like Amazon, the tax will amount to an estimated $12.4 million per year.

The goal is simple: to make 585 or so businesses pay their fair share for the citys housing dilemma by funding affordable housing and emergency services for the homeless. As Councilmember Mike OBrien explained it, We need companies that are profitable and making billions of dollars every year to help with the folks that are being forced out of housing and ending up on the street. Or consider the attitude of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, a local union: Seattles exploding homeless population is a symptom of our citys extraordinary economic growth and astronomical home pricesThe corporations who are profiting most  the top 3 percent  should rightfully pay a fair fee to address the problems they create.

Whatever the needs of Seattles homeless population, this is a curious path indeedblaming economic growth for economic woeswhich only goes to show the backwardness of the logic, the size of the blind spot, and the scale of the planners delusion.

Despite the professed aims of the citys planning class, such policies will only serve diminish opportunity and affordabilityfurther distorting prices and driving away producers, rather than correcting the actual follies that led to a shortage of affordable housing in the first place.

The ripple effects of taxing jobs arent just bad for companies; they cut straight to Seattles workers, as many are making it known. Further, as Richard Epstein observes, Picking on one group of successful firms will likely reduce their presence or even drive them out of town, as with Amazon. And it will surely deter other successful firms from coming in. If you need evidence, just witness the recent migration from coastal centers to middle-metros in the Midwest.

Instead of driving a wedge between successful businesses and those in need, the City Council would do well to focus on the barriers to growth, rather than the engines behind it. If the activity at the bottom is healthy, one could easily conclude the problem might be up top.

As Michael Hendrix argues in The Closing of the American City: A New Urban Agenda, a report from AEIs Values and Capitalism project, the citys with high economic growth and rising housing costs have plenty they could focus on without imposing more fees or tinkering with prices:

The extremely high cost of city living has an obvious cause and an obvious solution. The problem is one of simple economics: An increase in demand for a good will cause its price to rise until supply grows to meet itunless it is constrained by some outside force. The outside force in this case is the noxious combination of overly restrictive land- use regulation, byzantine permitting processes, and a rampant fear of development in ones own backyard. Reformers must liberalize zoning restrictionsfull stop. America should enjoy a less regulated, more market-oriented housing market. Fewer neighborhood types should be deemed illegal. Changes in supply should more readily keep up with changes in demand. In prosperous urban areas, freer markets will yield denser housing. They may not immediately lead to more economical housing, particularly in geographically constrained cities with globalized property markets, such as New York City. And we must keep in mind that a vibrant city hosts a broad array of housing types; the aim is not to pave paradise and put up a skyscraper. But the costs of inaction are higher than those of action. In Austin, rents stabilized after 10,000 new apartments were brought to market in 2014 and another 8,000 were added the year after. Building more units does in fact lower prices.

To spot such solutions, however, requires a full and accurate vision of where a citys flourishing actually begins: not from top-down tinkering, but bottom-up creativity and exchange; not from planning, but from searching, and empowering the searchers, in turn. If cities like Seattle wish to cultivate a city with provision for allnot just the rich and connectedit should begin with fostering freedom and opportunity in the paths of connection, creativity, development, and investment.

That will require more than lessons in basic economics or a self-awareness of the risks of political power. It will demand a shift in basic attitude and moral perspectiveone that focuses not on dismantling the powerful but on expanding opportunity for entrance.

Image: Ron Cogswell, Seattle, Washington (CC BY 2.0)Madama Butterfly (Glyndebourne Festival)

Verdict: Tough love

Rating:

Traditionalists beware  this years festival opens with an uncompromisingly cynical view of Puccinis enduring assessment of cultural chasms, girl-in-every-port betrayals and blighted love.

It may not be the usual sentimental wallow, but if you have tears, prepare to shed them.

Director Annilese Miskimmons unconventional staging (first seen on the 2016 Glyndebourne Tour) updates the action to the Fifties, and though it doesnt always work it packs a hefty punch.

Outstanding performance of Moldovan soprano Olga Busuioc at the Glyndebourne Festival

And it introduces a fine new protagonist in the Moldovan soprano Olga Busuioc.

Busuioc is a pupil of the legendary Italian soprano Mirella Freni  and she does her proud. She sings thrillingly.

One Fine Day is compellingly delivered directly to the audience and she inhabits the 15-year-old Japanese geisha with total conviction, touchingly passive and innocent in the first act, but later much tougher (though still vulnerable) as she adopts Western ways.

That first act, though, is a problem. Miskimmon sets it in the marriage brokers office, not Butterflys new home.

Here, child brides are casually bartered in blatant cash-and-carry GI marriages. Tough love, indeed, but at odds with the musics emotional swell.

Later, as Butterfly yearns for her sail-away American husband and struggles to find an identity between two cultures, the updating adds an ironic new dimension to this much-cliched classic. The beautifully sung Humming Chorus is played on Butterflys radiogram!

This is the first time that Puccinis Madama Butterfly has been seen at the Glyndebourne Festival

Theres strong singing, too, from Joshua Guerreros two-timing Lt. Pinkerton, Elizabeth DeShongs outstanding Suzuki and Michael Sumuels sympathetic Sharpless.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra responds with glorious, unbridled passion to Israeli conductor Omer Meir Wellber. This is the first time Puccinis masterpiece has been seen at this summer festival. Its been worth the wait.The cat is out of the bag about The Bachelorette star Becca Kufrin's engagement.

One day after the 28-year-old Minnesota native announced that she was, in fact, engaged and in love, TMZ released photos that appear to reveal the identity of her fiance as Garrett Yrigoyen.

The outlet reported, as spoiler blogs had been speculating, that the photos were taken in the Maldives after Becca's man got down on one knee.

Becca Kufrin's season of The Bachelorette has reportedly been spoiled one day after she announced that she's engaged

Reality Steve reported early on that Garrett was the front-runner for Becca's heart, but hadn't yet announced who he believed she would end up with in the end.

Days before TMZ's shocking reveal, the Bachelor spoiler blogger retweeted a screen grab from a fan that suggested Blake Horstmann, an apparent finalist on season 14 of The Bachelorette, was engaged to Becca.

(SPOILER): Becca and Garrett earlier today at the No Name Saloon & Grill pic.twitter.com/Lg5ksWrlNS  RealitySteve (@RealitySteve) March 28, 2018

A fellow competitor commented on his photo, calling him an 'engaged guy'. If Blake is engaged, it doesn't appear that it's to Becca.

What else do you need to know before The Bachelorette 2018? Here's the rundown.

When does The Bachelorette 2018 come back?

The Bachelorette Season 14 premieres on May 28, 2018. The first episode starts at 8pm ET on ABC.

(SPOILER): Confirmed your final 6 guys this season currently in the Bahamas for episode 7 are Colton, Leo, Garrett, Jason, Blake, and Wills.  RealitySteve (@RealitySteve) April 13, 2018

When is The Bachelorette 2018 finale?

In general, a season of The Bachelorette is between nine and 11 episodes. That would put the finale in late July or early August 2018.

Bachelorette final four

According to Reality Steve, the final four men on season 14 of The Bachelorette will be Colton Underwood, Garrett Yrigoyen, Blake Horstmann and Jason Tartick.

Each one will have the opportunity to take Becca Kufrin to their hometown to woo her one last time before overnights and the final rose ceremony.

Who does Becca end up with?

TMZ shared photos of The Bachelorette star Becca Kufrin seemingly celebrating her engagement with season 14 contestant Garrett Yrigoyen. ABC has not confirmed that Becca ends up with Garrett in the end and they likely will not.She rocked a fringed hairstyle on Sunday at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas.

And four days later, Mila Kunis stepped out with her dark brunette tresses pulled back for a coffee run in Los Angeles.

The 34-year-old actress paired baggy DL1961 denim with a gray top and Adidas sneakers for her outing to a Burbank-area coffee shop.

Stylish: Mila Kunis stepped out with her dark brunette tresses pulled back for a coffee run in Los Angeles on Thursday

The mother of two chose light wash denim by DL1961 that featured a dark hued accent along the hem.

Mila hit the pavement in her black and white sneakers with the sleeves of her high-neck top bunched near her elbows.

The natural beauty donned silver jewelry, including a delicate necklace and a matching bracelet; she also rocked her wedding ring.

Mila went for a very minimal makeup look, with just a swipe of blush on her cheeks and defined brows.

Lovely: The 34-year-old actress paired baggy DL1961 denim with a gray top and Adidas sneakers while stopping by a Burbank area coffee shop

So pretty: The mother of two chose light wash denim that featured a dark hued accent along the hem

On Sunday, Mila sported an eyebrow-grazing fringe with the rest of her tresses in waves around her for the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Friends With Benefits star presented Taylor Swift with the award for Top Selling Album.

She showed off her long, sculpted legs in a black and silver crystal and plexi embellished skirt by David Koma from his Fall 2017 collection.

Mila added a black shirt with a shoulder cut-out and classic pointed heels while sporting smokey eye makeup and mauve lipstick.

On Sunday, Mila sported an eyebrows-grazing fringe with the rest of her tresses in waves around her for the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mila is married to her former That '70-s Show co-star Ashton Kutcher.

They began dating in April 2012 and were engaged by February 2014; the lovebirds tied the knot in July 2015 in Oak Glen, California.

Mila and Ashton, 40, have two children together: three-year-old daughter Wyatt Isabelle and one-year-old son Dimitri Portwood.He has taken over Stephen Bear's hosting role on Just Tattoo Of Us.

And now Scotty T has claimed that Made In Chelsea star Georgia Toffolo has 'slid into his DMS' and that he'd date 'newly-single' Katie Price.

Talking to The Sun, the reality star, 30, revealed that he has received 'loads' of naughty direct messages from celebrities.

DMs: Scotty T has claimed that Made In Chelsea star Georgia Toffolo has 'slid into his DMS' and that he'd date 'newly-single' Katie Price

He told the publication: 'There's loads. I've been in London before and Toff slid in my DMs and I slid right back. We sort of slid into each other's. There's a couple, there's loads.'

While Scotty went on to reveal that he would pursue 'newly-single' Katie, 40, who has recently been linked to handsome reality star Kris Boyson, 29, and even 'slide into her DMs'.

He added: 'No, yeah, I would. I'd slide into her DMs.'

Chatting: Talking to The Sun , the reality star, 30, revealed that he has received 'loads' of naughty direct messages from celebrities (pictured Georgia Toffolo)

'Newly-single': While Scotty went on to reveal that he would pursue 'newly-single' Katie, 40, and even 'slide into her DMs'

MailOnline has contacted Georgia's representative for comment.

The interview comes after Scotty was praised as Charlotte Crosby's new co-presenter on Just Tattoo Of Us on Monday night.

After the show's first episode of series three, fans admitted he was a 'much better' host than her ex-beau Stephen Bear, who appeared for two seasons.

Impressed: Fans flocked to Twitter on Monday night to praise Scotty T's hosting talents alongside Charlotte Crosby after series three of Just Tattoo Of Us premiered

Fans flocked to Twitter to express their delight over Scotty's presenting skills in comparison to Bear:

'Scotty T is so much better than Bear man! #JustTattooOfUs #MTV.'

'Well done and shows so much better .. more natural and Northern x.'

'More natural': Impressed viewers labelled the former Geordie Shore star as 'much better' than Stephen as they went on to dub the show much more enjoyable as a result

Former flame: For the first two series of Just Tattoo Of Us, Charlotte was joined by her ex-beau Stephen Bear

'What an absolute legend weve got back on TV!! to the past and to the future couldnt of got anyone better than Scotty.'

'Ohhhh I've missed you on my tv farrrrrr better then bear and better looking too @ScottGShore #JustTattooOfUs.'

'@ScottyGShore is so much better on #JustTattooOfUs than that numpty who was on before!

'@ScottyGShore first time Ive watch #JustTattooOfUs because of scotty t. Should of been there from the start.'

'Couldn't have got anyone better': Scotty has replaced Bear - much to the delight of viewers

'Can finally watch #JustTattooOfUs again now our girl @Charlottegshore has finally got the legend @ScottyGShore in and not that other f****** melt

'I LOVE#JustTattooOfUs and lovin @ScottyGShore better than bear b***end.'

This comes after Charlotte was seen arriving back toLondon's Gatwick Airport on Monday, where she was collected by good pal Scotty T ahead of the launch of series 3 of Just Tattoo Of Us.

This comes as the former Geordie Shore star revealed in an exclusive interview with MailOnline that she plans on treating her boyfriend Joshua to the spa for a couple days - following a furious holiday bust-up which saw her appearing to punch him in the face.

Back home: This comes after Charlotte arrived back to London's Gatwick Airport on Monday, where she was collected by Scotty ahead of the launch of series 3 of Just Tattoo Of Us

Dishing all: This comes as Charlotte revealed in an exclusive interview with MailOnline that she plans on treating her beau Joshua Ritchie to the spa for a couple days - following a holiday bust-up which saw her appearing to punch him in the face

While Charlotte made amends with her beau Joshua, he was nowhere to be seen as she ran up to Scotty for a warm embrace at the airport.

Clearly heavily bronzed from her sun-drenched holiday abroad, Charlotte relied on only a smidgen of make-up.

Leaving her brunette tresses free, the reality star was clearly in the summery mood as she dressed her curves in a skintight red thigh-skimming dress.

A ripped and frayed denim jacket was draped off one shoulder and she completed the look with a pair of comfortable trainer.

Pals: While Charlotte made amends with her beau Joshua, he was nowhere to be seen as she ran up to Scotty for a warm embrace at the airport

Low-key: Clearly heavily bronzed from her sun-drenched holiday abroad, Charlotte relied on only a smidgen of make-up

Casually cool: Leaving her brunette tresses free, the reality star was clearly in the summery mood as she dressed her curves in a skintight red thigh-skimming dress

Despite the long-haul flight, Charlotte looked incredibly happy to see Scotty, who stood with a named sign to ensure she didn't miss him.

As soon as Charlotte spotted him, she was seen running up to him and the two friends joyfully hugged.

Scotty also made the most of the balmier British climes, cladding his physique in a summery shirt and black shorts.

Charlotte looked delighted to have arrived back in the UK following a questionable holiday with beau Joshua where video footage appeared to show them in a bust-up.

However, the star sang praises of her time abroad, admitting to MailOnline: 'It was so much fun, loads of fun. We just didn't stop laughing. A really good birthday, everything has just been amazing for the last two weeks.

Low-key cool: A ripped and frayed denim jacket was draped off one shoulder and she completed the look with a pair of comfortable trainer

Spot him! Despite the long-haul flight, Charlotte looked incredibly happy to see Scotty, who stood with a named sign to ensure she didn't miss him

Happy days: As soon as Charlotte spotted him, she was seen running up to him and the two friends joyfully hugged

Casual: Scotty also made the most of the balmier British climes, cladding his physique in a summery shirt and black shorts

Speaking of Joshua's birthday, Charlotte admitted that she has some big plans for him.

'We're going to go to the spa for a couple of days and get some nice treatments. It's going to be really relaxing,' she gushed.

Speaking of the new series of Just Tattoo Of Us, Charlotte exclusively told MailOnline that it will be 'more fun, better, with more outrageous tattoos.

'We'll have the biggest tattoo we've ever had on the show, it's ridiculous!'

Back with a bang! Charlotte and Scotty are gearing up for the season three premiere of Just Tattoo Of Us on Monday night

Happy: Charlotte looked delighted to have arrived back in the UK following a questionable holiday with beau Joshua where video footage appeared to show them in a bust-up

The star sang praises of her time abroad, admitting: 'It was so much fun, loads of fun. We just didn't stop laughing'

'We're going to the spa': Speaking of Joshua's birthday, Charlotte admitted that she has some big plans for him

Scotty was also asked during the interview if he was nervous about stepping into Stephen Bear's hosting shoes.

He replied: 'I was actually meant to be on it from the start, so technically he just looked after my shoes for a bit. Then I got a new pair and put them back on.'

The new show will boast cameos from the likes of Calum Best, Frankie Cocozza, Love Island's Dom and Jess and Sam from Geordie Shore.

Speaking of their experiences on the show, Charlotte revealed: 'I definitely don't think they're all happy with the results, because one of the tattoos is diabolical!

Ink-redible! The MTV series follows couples, friends and family members who design tattoos for each other

Exciting! Speaking of the new series, Charlotte exclusively told MailOnline that it will be 'more fun, better, with more outrageous tattoos'

'I was meant to host it from the beginning': Scotty was also asked during the interview if he was nervous about stepping into Stephen Bear's hosting shoes

'Some of them were quite happy, as some of them were okay.'

Charlotte also spoke highly of her co-host Scotty: 'It was like two twins being reunited at birth.

'We do get up to mischief, but it's all stuff that is cut out. It's mainly just about the people who come in and get tattoos. We do have a laugh together and I do hope that most of it is shown,' she expressed.

'It's like we're twins!' Charlotte also spoke highly of her co-host ScottyShe recently swapped her long locks for a cropped do in aid of her film Doorman.

And Katie Holmes' hair seemed to be growing back out a bit when she was glimpsed enjoying a sunlit stroll in New York City on Thursday with damp locks.

The Toledo-born 39-year-old slipped into a Hamptons chic navy and white striped blazer, swinging along the black-and-white edition of Prada's Esplanade bag.

After the movie crop: Katie Holmes' hair seemed to be growing back out a bit when she was glimpsed enjoying a sunlit stroll in New York City on Thursday

Tucking her hair behind her ears, she shielded her face from the rays in a pair of tortoiseshell Prive Revaux shades and played up her taut legs in skintight jeans.

The mother of one threw on a salmon tee with a plunging neckline, rounding off the ensemble with a pair of white sneakers.

In Women's Health this year, Katie explained of her haircut and weight-lifting that 'I wanted to be authentic to a person who trained in the military.

'Which means someone who wasnt always paying attention to the mirror and who was in shape not for vanity, but because thats what her job called for.'

Only the best: The Toledo-born 39-year-old slipped into a Hamptons chic navy and white striped blazer, swinging along the black-and-white edition of Prada's Esplanade bag

The Batman Begins actress began dating Scientologist movie star Tom Cruise in 2005, and seven weeks into the relationship, they were engaged.

Their Scientologist wedding was held at the Castello Orsini-Odescalchi in Bracciano in November 2006, seven months after their daughter Suri was born.

Katie filed in 2012 for a divorce that was finalized only 10 days later, with Suri's mother retaining primary custody, though Tom could visit, per People.

Ron Miscavige, father of Scientology leader David Miscavige, told the MailOnline in 2016 that Katie's misgivings about Scientology - including the effect it could have on Suri - contributed to her decision to leave Tom.

Hand in hand: Katie has a 12-year-old daughter called Suri Cruise, who was borne of her six-year marriage to Scientologist movie star Tom Cruise

Katie and Jamie Foxx only publicly became an item late last year, though there had been speculation they were a couple since 2013.

There was a swirl of rumors that Katie's divorce agreement prohibited her from publicly dating anyone for five years after the split with Tom.

Kate has only been married the once, but Tom had previously tried matrimony with Mimi Rogers - who quipped in Playboy after the divorce that 'he thought he had to be celibate to maintain the purity of his instrument' - and Nicole Kidman.She recently showed off her slender frame while marvelling at how much weight she had lost since appearing on Big Brother in 2014.

But Skye Wheatley defended herself against trolls who accused her of having an eating disorder on Friday, firmly stating that she is 'not bulimic'.

Sharing a photo of a slab of chocolate to her Instagram Story, the 24-year-old model silenced her critics and insisted she eats more than her boyfriend, Lachlan Waugh.

Scroll down for video

'I'm not bulimic for people saying I am': Big Brother's Skye Wheatley defended herself against trolls who accused her of having an eating disorder on Friday, firmly stating she is 'not bulimic'

'I'm not bulimic for people saying I am. Ask my boyfriend - I eat more than him,' Skye wrote.

'I don't deny myself of things I crave, I've been treating myself more than I often would lately but sometimes you've just got to enjoy life, you know.

'Denying yourself leads to binge eating. Life is all about balance.'

Skye concluded: 'I've been going to F45 [sessions] every day and I'm not going to beat myself up if I want to indulge.'

Setting the record straight: Sharing a photo of a slab of chocolate to her Instagram Story, Skye silenced her critics and insisted that she eats more than her boyfriend, Lachlan Waugh

Defiant: Skye wrote on Instagram, 'I've been going to F45 [sessions] every day and I'm not going to beat myself up if I want to indulge'

It comes after Skye shared a series of throwback photos of herself looking heavier around the time she appeared on Big Brother.

'I can't believe my waist would even go back to that after how much bigger I was on the right,' she captioned a pair of before-and-after snaps.

Last year, the Instagram model revealed to her fans that she was 'losing weight like crazy' thanks to her new weight loss plan.

What a transformation! It comes after Skye showed off her slender frame (left) while marvelling at how far she had come since her Big Brother days (right)

Changes: Taking to her Instagram Story, the former reality TV contestant shared a series of throwback photos of herself looking heavier around the time she appeared on Big Brother

'Losing weight like crazy while eating whatever I want thank you!' she told her fans, before promoting the Equalution eating plan.

Created by Jade Spooner and Amal Wakim, the plan involves simple calorie swaps and encourages dieters to prepare their own healthy versions of a 'dine-out' treats.

Since appearing on Big Brother in 2014, Gold Coast-based Skye has undergone a drastic makeover thanks to a series of cosmetic enhancements.

She has transformed her physical appearance with lip fillers, a rhinoplasty and - most famously of all - a 'botched' Bangkok boob job.

Australians experiencing eating disorders can find support from The Butterfly Foundation. National helpline: 1800 33 4673One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has suggested bank executives found guilty of misconduct should serve jail terms during a surprise appearance at the banking royal commission in Melbourne.

Senator Hanson this week withdrew support for the federal government's tax cuts for the banks and on Wednesday made an appearance at the commission, Fairfax Media reports on Thursday.

"What has been exposed by the royal commission is clear evidence that the banks and the financial sector have not done the right thing by the people of this country," she said.

"I hope that at the end of this there is justice. For the people here, and I've spoken to these people here today, there is a fear that there has not been justice, and there is a feeling that justice will not prevail at this royal commission."

She has suggested tough penalties such as jail terms for executives guilty of misconduct.

"If they are found guilty of gross mismanagement and conduct, of actually destroying people's lives, I think it should seriously be looked at" she said.Queensland police have found stolen weapons at the bush hideout of an alleged car thief accused of hitting a police car and aiming a gun at an innocent bystander.

Police on Wednesday arrested the 29-year-old in bushland at Dirranbandi in southwest Queensland, a day after he led officers on a cross-border chase from NSW.

It's alleged he was driving a stolen four-wheel drive ute when police tried to stop him in NSW, but he took off and hit a police vehicle while trying to get away. He's now facing more than 20 charges, including weapons offences.The value of donations and bequests to Australian charities increased by $1 billion across three years, with the sector's income also booming to $121 billion on the back of community generosity.

The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) report, released on Thursday, found that the nation's 45,455 registered charities enjoyed a 14.8 per cent rise in the value of charitable gifts between 2014 and 2016.

While charities also increased their number of paid employees and their spending on delivering services, the number of organisations dropped as the ACNC revoked charity status from 11,698 groups.A north Queensland man who went missing a day after facing court for allegedly causing the deaths of two people in a car crash has been found in bushland.

Gregory Vince, 43, remains on bail after appearing in Townsville Magistrates Court on Tuesday on two charges of dangerous driving causing death in March, with his matter adjourned to July 17.

The Townsville man was found in Alligator Creek National Park on Thursday following an air and ground search, after he was reported missing on Wednesday.In todays Detroit News, Acton President Rev. Robert A. Sirico writes that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops should consider the Catholic doctrine of subsidiarity before weighing in on education reform. In his essay, Localize, Dont Politicize, Our Schools, Fr. Sirico notes that he is the priest of a parish that hosts pre-school and K-12 education, which daily brings him face-to-face with parents who make considerable sacrifices on behalf of educating their children.

I know too many parents who ardently desire alternatives to whatever au courant pedagogical methods are often untested yet still implemented in our government-run counterparts but arent well-connected, dont have the freedom or the means to choose the education best for their children. Thats sadly because parents who send their children to parochial schools in the United States pay twice for their childrens education: once in taxes that underwrite a sprawling, national public-education complex, and again in tuition for the smaller, personalized schools that their children actually attend.

Fr. Sirico explains the root of this issue is anti-Catholic prejudice from the Know Nothing era of American history, wherein Protestants sought to limit Catholic immigration and influence. However, imposing a federal mandate to rectify holdovers from an era of anti-Catholic sentiments is wrong, asserts Fr. Sirico. In this, he agrees with U.S. Education Sec. Betsy DeVos, who expressed similar education policy goals aligned with subsidiarity  needs are best met at the local level. [W]hat works in one state may not work in another. An opt-in approach is more desirable to top-heavy federal mandates and is more manageable at the local level. States, and for that matter, municipalities, would have flexibility to provide education freedom to families who know better than federal planners.The prime minister's intervention to save a female colleague in her preselection battle has drawn the ire of the opposition who claim gender parity is far off.

Embattled Liberal MP Ann Sudmalis is set to be re-endorsed for her NSW federal seat of Gilmore after direct intervention from Malcolm Turnbull.

"The situation for women in the Liberal party is absolute dire," Labor frontbencher Clare O'Neil told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.

"As a Labor person, it's probably electorally beneficial for us to have this problem in the Liberal party but it's not good for the country."

She called on the prime minister to explain why he intervened in this preselection yet presided over "five years of Liberal women being replaced by Liberal men".

Ms Sudmalis was facing a preselection battle, which added to already intense pressure on the Liberal Party over its lack of support for women in parliament.

Coalition junior minister Jane Prentice lost a preselection battle ahead of the next federal election in her Queensland seat of Ryan earlier this month.

Women hold only five of the 24 ministerial positions in the coalition cabinet room.

But coalition backbencher Tim Wilson said the Liberals were a grassroots political movement, while throwing his support behind Ms Sudmalis.

"We want to always make sure we are reflecting the full diversity of the Australian community," he said.

"I'm a supporter of making sure we encourage more women to enter into politics but it has to come from our grassroots democratic process."

Greens MP Adam Bandt suggested senior Liberal figures had intervened in Ms Sudmalis' preselection for reasons of party image over substance.

"The Liberal party is bad for women in Australia, full stop," Mr Bandt said.

"You see it in their own internal practices. When they're forced into these rearguard actions to prop up the small number of women that they have in their party."Giving women a "safe zone" around NSW abortion clinics, free from protesters and activists, is a matter of common decency, Nationals MP Trevor Kahn says.

Proposed legislation to provide a 150-metre exclusion zone around clinics and make it an offence to film staff and patients without their consent was debated in parliament on Thursday.

Mr Kahn, a co-sponsor of the bill along with Labor's Penny Sharpe, said the debate transcended political alliances.

"This is not a matter of left versus right, it is a matter of common decency," Mr Kahn told the upper house.

"It is not our place to judge these women, we do not know their stories."The uncle of a woman killed in Toowoomba has denied there was a war between his family and that of nine people accused of her murder, but lamented the spread of "rumours".

Michael Combarngo spoke to media ahead of his niece Debbie's funeral on Friday, describing her as free-spirited and loving before her death on May 6 when she was allegedly bashed and stabbed in a group attack.

"It's (the relationship) been very good. It's just certain rumours that flare up," Mr Combarngo said when asked on Thursday if there was a war between the two families.A Labor MP has broken down while praising the courage of child sexual abuse survivors who shared their stories with the royal commission.

Jenny Macklin paused and wiped away tears while telling parliament that without their stories the realities and extend of child sexual abuse would not have been truly recognised.

"I want to say loud and clear that I believe you and I say this so sharply but also so sadly because for years these survivors were not believed," she said.

Ms Macklin, Labor's social services spokeswoman, was speaking on legislation to establish the national redress scheme, due to begin on July 1.

Personal stories shared over five years of public and private hearings greatly contributed to recommendations of the royal commission into institutional child sexual abuse.

"None of us, I think, can allow any of these recommendations to sit on a shelf and be ignored," she said.

Counselling services and payments of up to $150,000 will be available for survivors under the scheme.

South Australia and Western Australia are the only states yet to sign up to the scheme.A spate of dangerous train surfing offences in Perth have prompted the West Australian government to propose dramatically increasing fines for trespassing on Public Transport Authority property.

Police are yet to find and charge a man who last month jumped from a train off the Fremantle Railway Bridge, narrowly missing a concrete pylon, which was captured on video and posted online.

The WA government plans to increase the maximum fine for serious trespassing incidents from $200 to $5000, reflecting the cost to the PTA of court appearances, and enable transit officers to issue on-the-spot $200 fines.Beware of politicians making selective comparisons.

No one can deny that the creation of one million jobs in less than five years is a massive achievement.

The bulk of the gain, over 400,000 jobs, was secured over 2017 at a time of a strengthening global economy and Australian business conditions at record levels.

The early stages of the Turnbull government's corporate tax cuts no doubt also had an effect, as did other policies.

The million job target was set by former prime minister Tony Abbott when the coalition came to power in 2013.

It looked an optimistic call coming at a time when the Australian economy was suffering the ill-effects of the end of the mining investment boom.

But for all of the government's back-slapping, it just can't help having a dig at Labor.

It loves to compare what has happened in recent history - a record number of people getting a job in 2017 during 16 months of consecutive employment growth - with what was occurring in the final year of the last Labor government.

Yes, between September 2012 and August 2013 just 74,400 people were added to the workforce under Labor's watch.

But between September 2013 and August 2014, the first year of the Abbott government, an almost identical 79,300 jobs were posted.

You won't hear that comparison.

Nor will you hear from the government about the 837,000 jobs secured under Labor in its first five years.

Sure, it wasn't a million, but again not a bad effort considering Labor was dealing with the 2008-2009 global financial crisis which saw most of the world plunged into recession.

And what did the coalition government under John Howard achieve in its first five years - 688,000 jobs. Were they really trying?

However, by the end of Howard's 1996-2007 tenure, 2.2 million jobs had been created.

Of course, making such comparisons is fairly meaningless unless you take into account population growth.

In March 1996 when Howard came to power, 18.2 million were estimated to be residing in Australia, rising to 20.9 million when he was voted out.

By the end of Labor's reign, the population had increased to 23.2 million in 2013 and presently stands at 24.9 million.

Stephen Koukoulas, economist and managing director of Market Economics, agrees the strong rise in employment is "great news" but is equally concerned that all that is happening is the labour market is just absorbing new entrants from population growth.

It was an issue raised with Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo during a Senate hearing this week, who noted well over 50 per cent of country's population growth was driven by migration.

"It would be passing strange to think that your population is being driven in part by migration, but your jobs growth isn't," Mr Pezzullo told senators.

"It would be illogical to think they were operating in different directions."

It explains why the jobless rate has barely moved in the past year despite all the razzamatazz of over 400,000 jobs being created.

In January 2017 the jobless rate was 5.7 per cent and by December it was 5.5 per cent.

And surprisingly, one million jobs on, the rate was 5.6 per cent in April compared with 5.7 per cent when Abbott came to power.

In contrast, under Howard, the jobless rate dropped from 8.4 per cent in March 1996 to 4.3 per cent in October 2007 and fell further to four per cent a few months after he left office.

While Labor left government with 711,300 people unemployed (5.8 per cent) as of April this year 741,000 were officially out of work.

It will be interesting to see what comparison the government can make when it goes to an election in the next year.

In the first four months of 2018, employment grew by an average 13,000 a month, less than half the rate over 2017, and includes two months when employment actually fell..

Previously strong pointers of future employment growth, like the ANZ job advertisement series, have also started to show signs of topping out.

"It's not catastrophic, I'm not saying all bets off and the economy is going to hell," Koukoulas told AAP.

"But we have had a pretty marked pullback in the last two or three months".Hours before I'm due to arrive at El Questro Wilderness Park in the remote Kimberley, I get a call from the general manager.

"I've organised something special for you," Lori Litwack says. "You don't have a problem with small planes do you?"

No, not at all, I reply.

It's not a complete lie. The size of the aircraft isn't a problem, I just don't like flying.

But when someone offers you a scenic flight over the Kimberley, you don't say no. So when my jet taxis past the single-engine craft at Kununurra Airport I fix a smile on my face, swallow some more pills and join the other passengers cooing at their tiny wings.

"I wish I was going on one of those," the German backpacker seated behind me says.

My Kimberley Air Tour's pilot Graeme tracks me down by the baggage carousel. "Were you hiding?" he frowns, holding up a sign with my name.

He's earnest and quietly competent so with some deep breaths I climb into the front passenger seat of what I'm told is a Cessna 210.

"The Rolls Royce of Cessna," Graeme says, patting its side.

As we trundle down the air strip my fear turns to excitement to see my first wild boab tree, standing with branches akimbo like a voluptuous woman who has neglected her hairbrush. Up in the air he tilts the wing to show Kelly's Knob, the large, unfortunately named tree-topped mound that shadows Kununurra's town centre before neat rows of Indian Sandalwood plantations unfold beneath us.

It's May and the dry season is well underway. The landscape below seems to crumple in folds of green and peaks carpeted in spinifex. Patches of charred eucalypts sprout silver shoots from oxblood stained earth before turning into groves of skeletal paperbarks clumped where rivers of fresh water must flow underground.

Above them stands the 120 metre-high, iron-stained Cockburn Cliffs, burnished pink and gold by the late afternoon sun.

"The cliffs used to be part of El Questro," Lori tells me. "But the state government took them back so now they're part of the national park."

It was a deal struck with the station's American owners Delaware North, in return for a 45-year pastoral lease over the remaining 700,000 acre property, she said.

But El Questro has been running as a tourist attraction for more than 25 years, since the former cattle station was bought by Englishman Will Burrel and his Australian wife Celia, nee Shelmerdine.

The pair purchased the then one million acre property for one million dollars and set out to build accommodation ranging from the basic camper and family holiday maker's cabin to the high-end tourist who craves a bit of luxury and exclusivity.

The so-called "glamping" tent where I spend my nights at Emma Gorge Resort is priced somewhere in the middle.

Although the only thing my double bed and ensuite has in common with camping is the zip used to open the windows to let in the evening breeze.

Newly refurbished after a bushfire swept through the gorge and destroyed much of the resort's accommodation in 2016, the 60 tented huts sit on stilts off the ground between groves of talcum-white gum trees.

Every morning I wake before sunrise, not to a shrill alarm but to the sound of pied butcher birds and finches greeting the dawn.

A short walk to the resort's namesake Emma Gorge leads to a well-marked hiking trail across rough sandstone rocks as I follow the stream sheltered beneath the towering Cockatoo Cliffs.

I am all alone when I reach Emma's Pool and slide into the smooth, cool water fed by a droplet waterfall stretching 35 metres high above my head. When it gets too cold, I drift over to a narrow alcove where a thermal spring heats the water to a warm bath.

As I float while looking up at the expanse of blue sky, it feels a bit like flying.

And I am not scared at all.

IF YOU GO

GETTING THERE: Kununurra Airport is a three-hour direct flight from Perth with air or road transfers available to Emma Gorge Resort, El Questro Station or the Homestead. Flights start at $299 one way on Virgin.

STAYING THERE: El Questro Station and Homestead are open to guests from April to October during the Kimberley's dry season. Guest accommodation ranges from non-powered camping sites from $22 per night to safari-style tented huts at Emma Gorge and deluxe, adults only $3000-a-night cabins cantilevered over the Chamberlain River.

PLAYING THERE: Hike through epic gorges, relax in thermal springs, take a morning or sunset horse ride or travel by helicopter to remote fishing spots to catch barramundi.

Those after a less-active itinerary can cruise on the Chamberlain River, join in bird watching or enjoy a full-day four wheel drive tour of the property.

For more, visit elquestro.com.au

The writer stayed as a guest of El Questro Wilderness Park.Australians with a beef about the cost of parking at airports are rightly justified, a new report finds.

A performance review of Australia's airports has found that operating as monopolies can lead to airport infrastructure that isn't always fit-for-purpose.

"We all have a stake in it because we all fly," Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said in Canberra on Thursday.

"We all want to make sure the airports we're flying into are also providing what we need as customers."

Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane airports make it to the top six in the world in terms of profit margins.

Airports make up to $27 profit per visiting vehicle.

In fact, the four airports are collecting over 25 per cent more revenue for every passenger today than they were 10 years ago.

Over the same period passenger numbers have increased by nearly 20 per cent.

But the report highlights concerns regarding lack of consultation and working in partnership between Australian airports and airlines.

"This can lead to excessive and unnecessary investment at an airport, instead of building infrastructure that is fit-for-purpose," the report says.

The report, by industry group Airlines for Australia & New Zealand, calls for a better regulatory and pricing environment for airports.

The group's chief executive Dr Alison Roberts said monopolies were incentivised to keep prices high but not improve on quality.

"What we've seen in the absence of an effective regulatory regime sitting over the airports is higher costs for users," Dr Roberts said.

"Quality is remaining stagnant."The future of NSW's clean drinking water supply is at risk because of overdevelopment and discharge from coalmines, an expert has warned.

Environmental scientist Ian Wright is backing a petition calling for a parliamentary inquiry to protect Sydney's drinking water catchment, due to be delivered to NSW parliament on Thursday.

The 13,500-strong petition was created by a community group after Dr Wright discovered an old colliery in Berrima, in NSW's Southern Highlands, was discharging "highly contaminated water" into the drinking catchment.

"The inquiry should really examine what is going on with our water supply system in Sydney, "Dr Wright, a senior lecturer at Western Sydney University, told AAP.

"We are in 'la la land' and we're heading for serious problems."An elderly Darling Downs man who shot and killed a dog on his rural Queensland property he believed was wild has been attacked with an axe by its owner.

The 75-year-old victim suffered a deep laceration and a fracture when struck in the leg with the blade by his 50-year-old alleged attacker, who continued to assault him as he lay on the ground injured.

The man, who faces a grievous bodily harm charge at Dalby Magistrates Court on Friday, then killed the victim's dog.PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- A concert by the Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra highlights local Memorial Day events scheduled this weekend -- although organizers are keeping a wary eye on the weather.

"Sounds by the Sea" is set for Sunday at Beach Park in Pascagoula. The annual event features a performance by the symphony, replete with patriotic music and a fireworks show.

Sponsored by the City of Pascagoula, Jackson County Board of Supervisors, Chevron Refinery, Ingalls Shipbuilding and private donors, the 6 p.m. event is free to attend and open to the public.

Those wishing to reserve a table or purchase a table for veterans should call 228-896-4276.

On Monday, the fifth annual Avenue of Flags ceremony will take place at the Veterans Tribute Tower in front of Gautier City Hall at 3330 U.S. 90.

The program features guest veteran speakers and a ceremony involving the placement and display of American flags honoring Jackson County's veterans who have passed away.

The ceremony, sponsored by the City of Gautier and American Legion Post 1992, is slated to begin at 11 a.m. For additional information, call Post 1992 at 228-497-6422.

Outside of Jackson County, numerous other Memorial Day weekend events are planned, including:A failed repair job on a cruise ship motor caused it to become stranded off Victoria while carrying more than 2000 passengers, an investigation has found.

The Norwegian Star spent more than a day stuck in waters off Cape Liptrap in 2017 after its recently repaired starboard propulsion unit failed, and the ship had to be towed by tug boats to Melbourne.

A final Australian Transport Safety Bureau report on Thursday said this was because a recent repair job on the ship's operating motor failed at sea, but added no regulatory requirements were breached.Young children in Tasmania have been guaranteed a flu shot by the state's health department despite a national shortage.

A surge in demand for the vaccine of up to 30 per cent has led to a limited supply across Australia, federal authorities said earlier this week.

Tasmania's director of public health Mark Veitch says vaccines have been put aside for kids aged up to six.

"Anyone wanting to have their child aged from six months to five years vaccinated under the state government's free vaccination program should take their children to their GP as soon as possible," he said in a statement on Thursday.

"We have taken measures to ensure there is flu vaccine available for these children."

Dr Veitch said the state health department is working with the Commonwealth, which is attempting to get extra vaccines.

Around 140,000 people from high-risk groups have received the flu shot this year in Tasmania, a rise of more than 25 per cent from 2017.

High-risk groups include those aged over 65, pregnant women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people.

"People not eligible for a free flu vaccine may experience difficulties in obtaining privately-purchased vaccines," Dr Veitch added.Residents in parts of NSW's Hunter Valley have been urged to avoid creeks running metres from their homes as agencies work to prevent toxic chemicals leaking from a derelict industrial site.

The refinery at Rutherford, previously owned by Truegain, has sat rusting behind chain-link fences for almost two years while pools of unknown substances collect on the concrete.

NSW Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton said there was a "high-level of PFAS contamination" at the site - a group of chemicals used in firefighting foam.

AAP understands the agencies tasked with the clean-up are concerned a heavy rain could wash the chemicals into nearby creeks.

"The Environmental Protection Agency is working closely with the former Truegain owners and Maitland City Council to ensure the site is suitably cleaned up and does not present a risk of discharge of contamination into the nearby Stony Creek, particularly after heavy rain," Ms Upton said on Wednesday.

Truegain, along with Australian Waste Oil Refineries which shared the site, were tasked with disposing of a variety of oils, fuels and chemicals.

But they faced heavy community criticism after being accused of emitting a mysterious toxic smog - dubbed "the Rutherford stink" - believed to be behind a wave of asthma attacks and skin rashes.

Truegain's environmental protection license was suspended in April 2016 following numerous contamination events and Hunter Water reportedly disconnected the site after PFAS was discharged into the sewer.

In September 2016 the refinery abruptly shut down, leaving workers out of pocket.

The ongoing management of the troubled site will be put out to tender, which closes on June 14.

The EPA announced it was still investigating other companies as potential sources for the PFAS contamination, but insisted town water and rainwater tanks were safe to drink.

"As such we are reminding residents to avoid using water from Stony Creek and Swamp Creek waterways, downstream of the Rutherford Industrial Estate, for domestic or livestock use," EPA chief executive Anissa Levy said.

Labor's Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison questioned why it has taken two years for the minister to act on the "environmental disaster".

"I am aware that there are livestock grazing near both Stony and Swampy creeks near Telarah," she told AAP.

"Can the Minister assure me that the owners have been notified of the risks?"

At least one agency in the United States says some PFAS chemicals may increase risks of cancer and other health problems, but the NSW government argues there is no conclusive link.An appeal court in Malaysia has reportedly sentenced Sydney grandmother Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto to death by hanging after overturning her earlier acquittal on drug smuggling charges.

The three judges sitting in Kuala Lumpur unanimously found the 54-year-old guilty but said she had a right of appeal on the methamphetamine charges and wished her luck, News Corp Australia reported on Thursday.

"We find the merits of the appeal, we allow the appeal and set aside the judgment of the judge and find her guilty as convicted. The only sentence under law is death by hanging," the judges found.A NSW man has been charged after he allegedly sent sexually explicit videos and messages to two young girls in the Northern Territory.

The 18-year-old man from Blayney, in the state's central west, is accused of having explicit online conversations, requesting photos and engaging in perverse video calls with his alleged victims, who are 10 and 11 years old.

NT police were alerted to the alleged abuse and began investigating before tracing the man to NSW.

NSW detectives from Strikeforce Trawler raided his home on Thursday, seizing a computer, mobile phone and hard drives.

Images of the arrest, provided by police, show the man being taken into custody while the flag of 'Anonymous' - the notorious hacker group - hangs in his window.

His shirt is emblazoned with an image of a Guy Fawkes mask, the adopted mascot of Anonymous, across the chest.

He was granted bail to face Bathurst Local Court on multiple indecent communication and child pornography charges on June 25.A man has been pinned with a series of arson and Molotov cocktail attacks on Adelaide homes and businesses.

The 24-year-old is charged with offences including arson and acts to endanger life over the incidents across Port Noarlunga South, Christies Downs and Christies Beach between November and February, police say.

He was refused bail to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday.

A 37-year-old man was also charged over the Port Noarlunga South incident and remanded to front court on August 21.Turnbull government minister Ken Wyatt has bluntly rejected rumours he is planning to resign ahead of the next election.

"The short answer is bollocks," Mr Wyatt told AAP on Thursday.

"It is false news by Labor in order to create uncertainty in the minds of the voters of Hasluck."

He said he was looking forward to serving as a minister in the next term of coalition government.

Labor senator Murray Watt did not mention Mr Wyatt by name but asked the minister's WA colleague Mathias Cormann in a Senate estimates hearing on Thursday whether he was aware of an impending resignation.

Senator Cormann initially thought Senator Watt was asking about another MP being caught up in the citizenship fiasco, stating he was confident all coalition members were compliant with the constitution.

However asked to expand on whether any MPs were considering their future he said: "I don't know what individual members in the Labor party or in the Liberal party might be considering themselves privately."

"I don't have any information at all that any of my colleagues in Western Australia are considering resigning between now and July 28 (the proposed date of by-elections)."Unions are considering legal action after new laws capping their electoral expenditure passed NSW parliament.

The electoral funding laws, which have garnered criticism from different sides of politics, cleared parliament on Thursday.

The laws will cap electoral expenditure from third parties, including unions, at $500,000 - less than half of the existing limit.

They will also place expenditure caps on local government elections and require political donations to be declared within 14 days during the six month period before an election.

Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey described the passing of the laws as ""a dark day for democracy".

"The government has shunted through laws that will muffle the voice of working people, charities, churches and environmentalists," Mr Morey said in a statement to AAP.

He said the union would now consider taking legal action against the NSW government.

"The scales are now heavily tipped in favour of big banks and corporate interests, and we are actively considering our legal options," Mr Morey said.SUPER SATURDAY OF BY-ELECTIONS:

Australia has never had five federal by-elections on the one day, with federal Speaker Tony Smith setting the date for July 28.

* LONGMAN - Queensland seat held by Labor's Susan Lamb with margin of 0.8 per cent

Lamb's dual British citizenship triggered the by-election, but she will recontest. The Liberal National Party, standing former state MP Trevor Ruthenberg, will be the largest beneficiary of One Nation preferences. Labor will need a strong primary vote and Greens preferences to hold the seat.

BRADDON - Tasmanian seat held by Labor's Justine Keay on 2.2 per cent margin

Keay was also a victim of the dual citizenship saga, acquiring British citizenship through her father. She will recontest. Former independent senator Jacqui Lambie has ruled out a tilt. Liberals believe former MP Brett Whiteley can win it back, having lost it in 2016.

FREMANTLE - WA seat held by Labor's Josh Wilson on a 7.5 per cent margin

Another victim of the citizenship saga. He will recontest. Wilson has a healthy margin in the seat of former Labor prime minister John Curtin. The Greens will contest, but are unlikely to succeed. The Liberals won't stand a candidate.

MAYO - South Australian seat of Centre Alliance (formerly Nick Xenophon Team) Rebekha Sharkie, held by 5 per cent

Sharkie's British dual citizenship led to the by-election. She will recontest but with the new party brand Centre Alliance, not the Xenophon name. The Liberal Party wants its seat back and have chosen Georgina Downer, daughter of former minister Alexander Downer.

PERTH - WA seat held by Labor's Tim Hammond on a 3.3 per cent margin

Hammond is retiring to spend more time with his family. Labor has preselected its state secretary Patrick Gorman, a former Kevin Rudd staffer and mastermind of Labor's 2017 WA state election victory. The Liberals are not contesting it, which has angered party members. Labor is likely to hold the seat.Australia and other countries are considering the next steps towards prosecution after international investigators found a missile from a Russia-based military unit brought down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 nearly four years ago.

Dutch National Police said on Thursday that the missile was from the Russian military's 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade based in the Russian city of Kursk.

Earlier findings said the missile launch site was an agricultural field controlled by pro-Russian fighters.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine were now "considering options".

The countries were united to pursue justice for those who lost their lives as well as their loved ones, she said.

"That a sophisticated weapon belonging to the Russian Army was dispatched and used to shoot down a civilian aircraft should be of grave international concern," Ms Bishop said.

The passenger jet was headed from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when it was blown out of the sky over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014.

All 298 passengers and crew were killed, including 38 Australians.

Russia has always denied involvement in the downing of the jet.

This year's federal budget allocated $50.3 million over four years to support the Dutch national prosecution of those responsible for the attack.

The money will meet Australia's share of the prosecution costs and help family members of the victims to participate in the court proceedings.Fewer children are being held in detention and subjected to community supervision orders, but the rates are dropping more than twice as fast for non-indigenous kids than their indigenous cousins.

More than 5300 children aged between 10 and 17 were either in detention or under community supervision by youth justice officers last financial year, a new Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report shows.

However while there are about 1000 fewer children under supervision compared to five years ago, the likelihood of indigenous children being subject to some sort of youth justice supervision order has risen from 15 to 18 times that of non-indigenous kids.

This is largely because the rate of non-indigenous children under supervision has fallen by 22 per cent since the 2012/13 financial year, compared to a nine per cent drop for indigenous kids.

"This has resulted in even greater indigenous over-representation in youth justice supervision," AIWH spokesman David Braddock told AAP.

"The states and territories have successfully dropped the rates of both groups but they have had greater success for non-indigenous kids than indigenous kids."

The AIWH report found out of all the children under youth justice supervision, more than 83 per cent were supervised in the community rather than locked up in detention centres.

Half of those under both types of supervision on an average day were indigenous children, despite the fact that only about five per cent of 10-17 year olds across Australia are indigenous.

Indigenous children made up 48 per cent of the total number of children under community-based supervision, while almost three-in-five of kids held in detention were indigenous.

They were also more likely to have multiple supervision orders than non-indigenous kids and spent 13 days longer under supervision.

"Indigenous young people were over-represented in youth justice supervision in every state and territory," said the report, which was released on Friday.

The report comes a day after Northern Territory Police said no charges would be laid following an investigation relating to the royal commission into its youth justice system.

The decision was made despite the commission having found that officers restrained children, used force including restraint chairs, and used isolation cells inappropriately.

Last September, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Victoria Tauli-Corpuz urged the federal government to introduce targets to reduce indigenous incarceration rates.

She described the detention of young indigenous children as "most distressing" and a "major human rights concern".Customs delays Treasury Wines has experienced in China may just be "teething problems" related to a new system, a Senate hearing has been told.

The world's biggest listed winemaker last week sought the help of Trade Minister Steve Ciobo to navigate a bureaucracy bottleneck, while he was in Shanghai.

Mr Ciobo was the first Australian government minister to visit mainland China in eight months.

Relations between the two countries have cooled since late 2017 when the Turnbull government proposed a bill to limit foreign influence in Australia, including political donations. Beijing saw the move as "anti-China".

Assistant Agriculture Minister Anne Ruston played down the customs delays, saying Treasury Wine Estate had a new system of imports.

Previously they exported directly from Australia to their buyers in China but now they were using bonded warehouses in Shanghai.

"It could well be just teething problems (they're) experiencing," Senator Ruston told a Senate estimates hearing on Thursday night.

Agriculture department official Louise van Meurs said there had been certificate of origin issues.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters in Beijing on Wednesday China is handling customs processes as normal for imports of Australian wines.

Treasury Wines' biggest Australian brands in China are Penfolds, Wolf Blass, Lindeman's and Rawsons Retreat.Voters in five federal seats are set to be inundated by politicians and bombarded with electoral messages ahead of a July 28 'Super Saturday' of by-elections.

There's never been five by-elections held on the one day in the history of Australian elections.

Four have been triggered by resignations of MPs due to their dual citizenship and one MP has resigned for family reasons.

Labor will almost certainly hold the West Australian seats of Perth and Fremantle where the coalition is not standing a candidate.

However, Longman will be a tougher fight, with Labor MP Susan Lamb up against former Queensland state MP Trevor Ruthenberg.

Labor leader Bill Shorten is expected to campaign heavily in the southeast Queensland seat in coming weeks, promoting his personal income tax cuts and hammering the government over its corporate tax cut plan.

The Liberals believe former MP Brett Whiteley has a strong chance of wresting the Tasmanian seat of Braddon back from Labor's Justine Keay.

Ms Keay has come under fire locally for not admitting earlier to her citizenship problems.

Centre Alliance candidate Rebekha Sharkie is expected to perform strongly in her South Australian seat of Mayo, up against the Liberals' Georgina Downer, daughter of former minister Alexander Downer.

The by-elections will be the first to be held under new rules asking candidates to publicly release details confirming they are not dual citizens or have any other constitutional bars to sitting in parliament.

However, while the forms will be published on the Australian Electoral Commission website they will be voluntary.

Labor is looking at changing the date of its national conference which was to be held on the same day as the by-elections.

Labor national president Mark Butler described the date chosen as a "disgraceful indictment" on the Turnbull government.

"The fact the Liberal Party has deliberately sought to disrupt our democratic processes shows how desperate and pathetic they are," he said in a statement.Agriculture officials admit if Australia abandons live sheep exports to the Middle East, competitor nations with even worse animal welfare standards will simply fill the void.

Horrific footage emerged last month of sheep dying in their own filth on a Middle East-bound ship in August last year.

On day 15 of the voyage, temperatures soared, killing 900 sheep. A further 1000 died in the following two days.

Major importer Al Mawashi has opened talks with other countries after NSW MP Sussan Ley introduced a private bill to end live sheep exports.

"We certainly expect Gulf countries we are currently exporting to, if our exports were to cease, they would seek their live sheep from other markets," Agriculture department deputy secretary Malcolm Thompson told a Senate estimates hearing on Thursday night.

"Our sense is the welfare standards in many of those countries are lower than Australia."

Horn of Africa countries, South Africa and Eastern European nations were identified as Australia's main competitors.

Assistant Agriculture Minister Anne Ruston flagged there could be increases of boxed and chilled Australian sheep meat into those markets, if live exports stopped.

Government backbencher Barry O'Sullivan said it was hypocritical for Australians to be up in arms over live exports to the Middle East.

"I know the little piggy doesn't want to go to market, but if you've got to go to market, you're better off being a little Australian piggy going to market than you are coming from some darker destinations," he told the hearing.

Senator Ruston responded the Australian public expected animals to be treated properly and the footage had been damaging to the industry's reputation.

The department's culture and capability is under review following the controversy, as part of Agriculture Minister David Littleproud's push to clean up the under-fire trade.

Mr Littleproud introduced a bill to parliament on Thursday to punish dodgy exporters with up to 10 years' jail and multimillion-dollar fines.Archbishop of Adelaide Philip Wilson is set to officially stand aside after his conviction for covering up child sexual abuse during the 1970s.

Wilson's move to relinquish his duties as the head of the Archdiocese of Adelaide will take effect on Friday.

It comes after he asked the Catholic faithful to "pray for me" in the wake of his conviction.

The 67-year-old made the plea in a letter distributed across the archdiocese, including to parents of students in Catholic schools, drawing criticism from some.

"I know we are a united community of believers, a people of hope, and we will continue to be the disciples of Jesus," Wilson wrote.

"We have achieved great things in all facets of the life of the archdiocese, including in our parishes, schools, social services, health and in aged care."

Wilson said he wanted to assure the Catholic faithful of his "continued prayers and best wishes".

"Please continue to pray for me," he wrote.

Some people took to social media to criticise the letter, particularly its failure to mention the victims of abuse.

On Tuesday, Wilson was found guilty at Newcastle Local Court of failing to report to police the repeated abuse of two altar boys by pedophile priest James Fletcher in the NSW Hunter region.

He is the most senior Catholic official in the world to be charged with concealing child sexual abuse and faces a maximum two years' jail.

Wilson said it was appropriate for him to stand aside following the court's decision and if it became necessary at any point for him to resign, he would do so.The head of Australia's intelligence agency doesn't expect there to be any fallout with allies following Liberal backbencher Andrew Hastie's bombshell speech.

Mr Hastie used parliamentary privilege on Tuesday night to announce that a man known as "CC-3" in FBI documents was political donor Dr Chau Chak Wing.

"The same man who co-conspired to bribe the United Nations General Assembly president John Ashe, the same man with extensive contacts in the Chinese Communist Party," Mr Hastie said on Tuesday night.

Mr Hastie, a former special forces soldier who heads up the parliament's powerful intelligence committee, had confirmed the matter during a briefing with US officials.

ASIO director-general Duncan Lewis said Mr Hastie had a discussion with a junior officer in the lead-up to his speech.

"There was no approach to ASIO formally to provide clearance for what was said," he told a Senate estimates hearing on Thursday night.

Asked about the implications of Mr Hastie's decision on Australia's relationship with intelligence allies, Mr Lewis replied: "None."

Mr Lewis said an hour and a half before the speech he had heard rumblings of Mr Hastie's intentions.

He immediately tasked ASIO's Washington office to find out the facts of what Mr Hastie had been briefed on in the US.

Dr Chau has donated more than $4 million to both major political parties as well as $45 million to Australian universities.

Dr Chau's lawyer Mark O'Brien said in a statement on Wednesday his client was disappointed parliamentary privilege was used to "repeat old claims" just weeks before a defamation hearing.

"Our client has not been charged with any offence, which makes Mr Hastie's attack all the more extraordinary," the statement said.

He said his client was confident of being vindicated at the court hearing.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Mr Lewis have discussed the matter.Tough week? What tough week?

Wayne Bennett was at his unflappable best after Brisbane celebrated his record 800th game with a stirring 18-10 NRL win over Parramatta, brushing aside a tumultuous build-up.

In his 32nd season, Bennett's future at his beloved Broncos is up in the air for the first time after Brisbane CEO Paul White confirmed this week that they were pursuing off contract Melbourne mentor Craig Bellamy.

Not that anyone could tell after Brisbane secured their fourth win in five games to keep Bennett on track for the 27th finals series of his career.

Bennett was his usual stoic self post-match, denying any of the Bellamy speculation had been a distraction.

He said his players were so oblivious of the off-field controversy that they didn't even know White had held a press conference at Broncos training on Wednesday to address the Bellamy speculation.

Asked if it was a tough week, Bennett said: "I don't think it was tough.

"The players don't know what is going on. It's an issue within the club but no issues that impact on these guys.

"They didn't know a press conference was going on (Wednesday), they were too busy training.

"They are men enjoying themselves and playing footy."

In fact Bennett reckoned the biggest challenge was getting his team ready mentally to back up from their inspirational last round win over Sydney Roosters.

"You don't understand how hard it is sometimes to get back up after an outstanding game like last week," he said.

"A lot of those young guys were fighting battles in their minds about how they were going to play but they won that battle fortunately."

The milestone match marked Bennett's 496th win of his career.

Bennett didn't want to talk about game No.800 before the match and didn't change his tune after it.

Asked if he had been able to get his head around the landmark, Bennett said: "No."

Broncos skipper Darius Boyd marvelled at the way his young team had been able to block out the Bennett dramas.

"We are under scrutiny and pressure the most and there are a lot of young guys in the team who don't feel it," he said.

"The things we constantly go through and still come out and perform, I am really proud of the group."

Leading the way were Tevita Pangai (171m), Joe Ofahengaue (122m) and Jaydn Su'A (118m) in a starting backrow depleted by Test forwards Matt Gillett (neck) and Josh McGuire (ankle) and Kiwi Alex Glenn (knee).

"It (injuries) is not what you want but if they handle it the way they have it's great - it is invaluable for the club," Bennett said of their impressive depth.A 27-year-old woman has been caught drink driving more than four times over the limit in Melbourne's southeast.

Officers observed a vehicle veering in and out of traffic on the Princes Freeway at Noble Park just after 1am on Friday and say the driver returned a positive breath test.

The Narre Warren North woman had her car impounded for 30 days and her licence was immediately suspended for 12 months after she later returned a blood alcohol concentration of 0.221 per cent.

She is expected to be charged on summons with drink driving offences at a later date.The country's top intelligence chief has warned that foreign interference against Australia is occurring on an unprecedented scale.

Duncan Lewis, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, says countries are trying to access classified information about the nation's global alliances and military, economic and energy systems.

"Espionage, interference, sabotage and malicious insider activities can inflict catastrophic harm on our country's interests," Mr Lewis told a Senate estimates hearing on Thursday night.

"It undermines potentially our sovereignty, our security and our prosperity."

Mr Lewis said foreign actors were attempting to covertly influence and shape the views of the Australian public, its media and officials in the Australian government, as well as members of diaspora communities.

Senators were told these efforts could have an immediate impact, but in some cases the harm may not materialise for decades.

"This is not a theoretical proposition," Mr Lewis said.

"The reality is that acts of espionage and foreign interference are occurring against Australian interests, both in Australia and overseas."

Mr Lewis urged senators to pass the Turnbull government's proposed foreign interference laws, saying the "grim reality" was there were more foreign intelligence officers now than during the Cold War.

Asked about the potential fallout from a Liberal backbencher's decision to accuse a political donor of involvement in a bribery scandal, Mr Lewis said it would not damage international intelligence partnerships.The former head of Australia's efforts to "stop the boats" has described offshore detention as a "insoluble mess" that is dividing the Labor Party.

Roman Quaedvlieg, former commissioner of the Australian Border Force, has weighed in on internal Labor debate about imposing time limits on detaining asylum seekers and refugees on Manus Island and Nauru.

"On the one hand as a deterrent to asylum seekers jumping onto leaky boats to come to Australia, it has been highly effective," Mr Quaedvlieg wrote in Fairfax Media newspapers on Friday.

"On the other hand, no one in the coalition planned or envisaged any single asylum seeker being in a Pacific purgatory for this length of time."

Mr Quaedvlieg said genuine efforts were being made inside the Turnbull government to find a solution to the "blistering" problem, pointing to a refugee resettlement deal with the United States.

He said a draft of Labor's election campaign policy was ambiguous on border security, and warned people smugglers would exploit the smallest of chinks in the country's shield.

"Labor needs to be clear-eyed in its expression of border policy because any softness, any wavering in its solidarity, will undoubtedly be used as a people smuggler's marketing ploy," Mr Quaedvlieg said.

Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese doubts anybody would argue asylum seekers ought to be locked away forever, accusing the government of dragging its feet finding third-party countries to resettle refugees.

"You can be tough on people smugglers without being weak on humanity," Mr Albanese told ABC radio.

"The government needs to resolve these issues and resolve them as a matter of urgency."

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has insisted a future Labor government would not place time limits on holding asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru.

However, Labor's Ged Kearney this week used her first parliamentary speech to call for asylum claims to be assessed within a fair time frame.

Another Labor MP, Linda Burney, believes there needs to be "some sort of time limit" on offshore detention.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton seized on the comments to accuse Labor of going to war with itself and watering down the coalition's border policies.

Labor will debate offshore detention at its upcoming national conference, with a draft party platform seeking to "ensure detention is for no longer than 90 days".By Guest Blogger Sasha Jones

As students and teachers gain increased access to digital tools and interactive resources in the classroom, more schools have started using open educational resources.

In 2015, 48 percent of district leaders said they planned to acquire OER, according to a survey from EdWeek Market Brief. This percentage likely increased as a result of the Obama Administrations #GoOpen campaign , which launched in October 2015 and language in the Every Student Succeeds Act that allows block grant money to be spent on OER .

Unlike proprietary resources, OER have broad copyright permissions granted through publicly licensed resources, which allow users to freely download and reference materials.

Through an analysis of 14 states working to leverage OER, in combination with interviews with education leaders from those states, the Council of Chief State School Officers found that while few states require districts to adopt specific curricula, state and district leaders are encouraging the integration of OER.

The 14 states focused on in the report, conducted in collaboration with New America, are California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

For states hoping to incorporate OER into their schools, the CCSSO offers the following key takeaways:

1. Integrate OER Initiatives Within State Curriculum Work

The most successful efforts of integrating OER initiatives have been seen when leaders across offices of instruction, assessment, and technology work collaboratively.

2. Adapt, Improve, and Share

Although every state and district is different, the CCSSO advises that states looking to implement OER turn to states who have already done so. This provides state leaders with best practices, openly licensed curricula, instructional materials, and professional development supports, which can then be adapted into new contexts.

3. Identify Sustainable Funding

OER curriculum and instructional materials require ongoing investment to maintain access. States that have integrated their efforts into existing funding streams have been the most successful in maintaining their OER work.

4. Use State-Level Policies to Support Efforts

As education leaders embrace OER, some state leaders have adopted and updated policies to ensure that resources created by the state are openly licensed.

5. Invest in Curriculum Research

CCSSO suggests that the transparency and adaptability of open curricula offers new opportunities for efficacy research that previously would have been difficult to conduct as a majority of materials previously used in classrooms were proprietary.

For more on how new curriculum choices, including OER, Common Core, and digital innovation are changing the landscape, read Education Weeks Special Report: Navigating New Curriculum Choices.

Photo by GettyThousands of brave women and girls who survived Boko Haram's brutal rule while kept captive by the militant Islamist group have been raped by Nigerian soldiers who claim to be rescuing them, Amnesty International has revealed.

The human rights organisation has today urged Nigeria to act on claims that soldiers and members of the civilian militia have raped women and girls in remote camps for people displaced by Boko Haram.

Amnesty said it had gathered multiple testimonies about alleged abuse by the security forces, including claims that soldiers coerced vulnerable survivors into having sex in exchange for food.

Pictured: Just one of the scores of women who told Amnesty International about her suffering, following the alleged abuse by the Nigerian army, during its fight against Boko Haram

A woman braids a girl's hair at a camp for the internally displaced in northeast Nigeria, where rights groups say women and girls are at serious risk of sexual abuse and rape

Its report, They betrayed us, is the result of a two-year investigation, based on interviews with more than 250 people affected by the situation in north-east Nigeria.

The findings explain what happened to the hundreds of thousands of people, particularly women, who fled or were forced from areas controlled by Boko Haram. The Nigerian military ordered those it was freeing to satellite camps, where various abuses, and even deaths, are alleged to have occurred.

The Nigerian military and Civilian Joint Task Force, a militia working alongside it, have carried out systematic patterns of violence and abuse, according to the report.

Back in 2014, people were protesting for the release of girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria (file photo)

Children gather around a burnt-out car following an attack by Boko Haram on January 31, 2016. A survivor hidden in a tree said he saw extremists firebomb huts (file photo)

Women told Amnesty how they have been raped in exchange for food, and thousands of people, including children, have starved to death in the camps since 2015, it adds.

Security officials are alleged to have beaten women, and labelled them Boko Haram wives when they complained about their treatment.

Women and girls, many of whom have been separated from their families, are vulnerable to sexual abuse and say rape is widespread both in and outside the camps, according to aid agencies.

Some non-profit organisations run family planning clinics, providing contraception, and say there are high numbers of sexually transmitted infections, abortions and unwanted pregnancies.

'Scores' of women told Amnesty that soldiers and civilian militia members coerced them into becoming 'girlfriends', which meant them being available for sex.

Sexual exploitation was at an 'alarming level, as women remain desperate to access sufficient food and livelihood opportunities', the human rights watchdog added.

Amnesty's Nigeria director, Osai Ojigho, said: 'Sex in these highly coercive circumstances is always rape, even when physical force is not used, and Nigerian soldiers and (militia) members have been getting away with it.'

He said it was time for President Muhammadu Buhari 'to demonstrate his frequently-expressed commitment to protect the human rights of displaced people in northeast Nigeria.

'The only way to end these horrific violations is by ending the climate of impunity in the region and ensuring that no-one can get away with rape or murder,' he added.

But the government said the organisation was repeating false accusations.

'This... is just a wild goose chase report, in essence... the report seemed like the one in 2015, and the one in 2016, and the one after that year, the same things being recycled again and again,' presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said.

In November 2016, police vowed to look into allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation in the camps but several months later, the military rejected the allegations.

However, 'it is not always clear if these investigations were carried out and no reports have been made public,' the London-based human rights group said in a statement.

Nearly 1.8 million people have been displaced within Nigeria by the Boko Haram insurgency, which has killed at least 20,000 since 2009, according to the latest available figures to April 30.

When including statistics from neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger, the number of people forced to flee their homes by the violence reaches nearly 2.25 million, says the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

Military gains have wrested back control of areas previously held by the Islamist militants, laying bare the extent of the damage to farming and fishing on which most locals depend.

By the end of March, 3.5 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance, the UN said. Malnutrition cases with medical complications are expected to rise in the upcoming rainy season.George Tyndall worked in the medical center at the University of Southern California

The Los Angeles Police Department said Wednesday it was looking into sexual abuse accusations made against a gynecologist at a top California university who treated students for decades.

Spokesperson Rosario Herrera said the department was "aware of the allegations" against George Tyndall, a former physician at the University of Southern California, but added a criminal investigation had not been officially opened.

"We've set up a protocol where people can make reports," Herrera said.

Tyndall worked in the medical center at USC, which is now "working with the LAPD and referring reports to them if appropriate and with patient consent," according to spokesperson Eddie North-Hager.

"As of last night we had received around 300 reports via our hotline and website," North-Hager said, adding the hundreds of reports came from both graduates and current students.

Six students filed lawsuits this week against Tyndall over the alleged abuse, and the university for its inaction.

One of the women alleged the doctor forced his entire hand and wrist into her vagina while examining her during an appointment in 2003 and made vulgar comments about her genitalia.

Another detailed how Tyndall, now 71, groped her breasts and leered at her on what was her first appointment with a gynecologist in 2008.

Meanwhile, a Filipina graduate student told reporters Tyndall performed a genital exam on her in 2016 without wearing gloves and made inappropriate comments about her ethnicity.

Tyndall allegedly often targeted minority students -- including many from the university's large Asian student population -- who were not fluent in English or unfamiliar with gynecological exams. He has also been accused of taking inappropriate photographs of patients' genitalia.

The lawsuits also claim that the school only launched a probe in 2016 after a supervising nurse upset at USC's inaction reported him to the campus rape crisis center. He was then allowed to "quietly" resign in June of last year, despite allegations against him dating back to the 1990s.

Tyndall told The Los Angeles Times -- which first reported the case -- that his gynecological exams were justified.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, 200 professors who called for the resignation of university president C.L. Max Nikias met to consider their next steps, after the institution's board -- which includes director Steven Spielberg -- rejected their demand.The US-led coalition has carried out several deadly strikes against Syrian government forces and allied fighters in recent months

Syrian state media reported early Thursday that an aerial attack by the US-led coalition had hit several military positions in the country's east, but said there were no casualties.

"Some of our military positions between Albu Kamal and Hmeimeh were hit this morning in an aggression by American coalition warplanes," said a military source quoted on state news agency SANA.

The source told SANA the attack only caused "material damage."

Albu Kamal and Hmeimeh lie in Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor province, where Russian-backed Syrian troops and the US-led coalition have been waging separate offensives against the Islamic State group.

A "de-confliction" line in place since last year is meant to keep the two assaults from crashing into each other, and runs along the Euphrates River.

Regime troops are present west of the river while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are on the east.

A military source from forces allied to Syria's government said the strikes had targeted two regime military positions near a frontline with IS.

"Daesh then launched an attack on the positions. The strikes and attack left a number of Syrian fighters dead and caused material damage," the source told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

"There are no Iranian or Lebanese fighters among the dead," the source said.

The coalition has carried out several deadly strikes against Syrian government forces and allied fighters in recent months.

In February, coalition bombing raids in Deir Ezzor province killed at least 100 regime and allied fighters, including Russian nationals, in retaliation for an attack on SDF positions.

And in September 2016, US-led strikes on regime military positions in the east left more than 60 Syrian troops dead. The coalition later said it had mistaken the fighters for IS jihadists.

There was no immediate comment on Thursday from either the US-led coalition or the SDF, which are fighting to clear IS from a final series of villages on the eastern bank of the Euphrates.

IS overran swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, but separate offensives across both countries have seen its grip on territory shrink dramatically.

On Monday, Syrian troops and allied forces ousted IS from the last districts it held in the capital Damascus.

After a fierce month-long battle, an evacuation deal saw the remaining diehard jihadists bussed out of the city towards small pockets of land still held by IS in Syria's Badiya.

The Badiya is the vast desert stretching from the country's centre to its eastern border with Iraq.

The day after the transfer, IS fighters in the Badiya launched an attack on a nearby government position, leaving more than two dozen Syrian troops and allied fighters dead.US Justice Department seizes "VPNFilter" botnet set up by a hacking group variously called APT28, Pawn Storm, Sandworm, Fancy Bear and the Sofacy Group

The US Justice Department said Wednesday that it had seized an internet domain that directed a dangerous botnet of a half-million infected home and office network routers, controlled by hackers believed tied to Russian intelligence.

The move was aimed at breaking up an operation deeply embedded in small and medium-sized computer networks that could allow the hackers to take control of computers as well as easily steal data.

The Justice Department said the "VPNFilter" botnet was set up by a hacking group variously called APT28, Pawn Storm, Sandworm, Fancy Bear and the Sofacy Group.

The group is blamed for cyber attacks on numerous governments, key infrastructure industries like power grids, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the World Anti-Doping Agency, and other bodies.

US intelligence agencies also say it was involved in the operation to hack and release damaging information on the Democratic Party during the 2016 US presidential election, and has engineered a number of computer network disruptions in Ukraine.

"According to cybersecurity researchers, the Sofacy Group is a cyber-espionage group believed to have originated from Russia," the Department of Justice said in a court filing.

"Likely operating since 2007, the group is known to typically target government, military, security organizations, and other targets of intelligence value, through a variety of means," it said.

The Justice filing did not say who was behind Sofacy Group, but US intelligence has in the past linked it to Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, and numerous private computer security groups have made the same connection.

In Wednesday's action, the Justice Department said it had obtained a warrant authorizing the FBI to seize a computer domain that is part of the command and control system of the VPNFilter botnet.

The botnet targets home and office routers, through which it can relay orders from the botnet's controllers and intercept and reroute traffic back to them, virtually undetected by the users of a network.

In a report released in parallel to the Justice announcement, network equipment giant Cisco said VPNFilter had infected at least 500,000 devices in at least 54 countries.

It has targeted popular router brands like Linksys, MikroTik, NETGEAR and TP-Link.

"The behavior of this malware on networking equipment is particularly concerning, as components of the VPNFilter malware allows for theft of website credentials," Cisco said.

It also has "a destructive capacity that can render an infected device unusable, which can be triggered on individual victim machines or en masse."

Both Justice and Cisco said they were releasing details of the problem before having found a strong, permanent fix. Justice said that by seizing control of one of the domains involved in running VNPFilter, it will give owners of infected routers a chance to reboot them, forcing them to begin communicating with the now-neutralized command domain.

The vulnerability will remain, Justice said, but the move will allow them more time to identify and intervene in other parts of the network.Malaysia's former prime minister Najib Razak has sought to mount a fightback in recent days, insisting he has not stolen public and attacking the new government

Former Malaysian leader Najib Razak was questioned Thursday by anti-graft investigators for the second time this week over a multi-billion-dollar corruption scandal following his shock election loss.

Najib's coalition suffered a defeat at the May 9 poll which ended their six-decade hold on power, beaten by a reformist alliance led by Mahathir Mohamad.

Mahathir, who first served as premier from 1981-2003 and came out of retirement aged 92 to take on Najib, campaigned on claims that the former leader and his cronies looted sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.

Billions of dollars were allegedly stolen from the fund in a sophisticated fraud, and used to buy everything from artworks to high-end real estate.

Since Najib's ouster, police have seized cash reportedly amounting to at least $25 million, plus jewels and handbags in raids on properties linked to him and his unpopular wife.

The US Department of Justice alleges that at least $4.5 billion was looted from the 1MDB fund, and is seeking to seize assets worth $1.7 billion in the US which it says were bought with stolen money

Najib pushed through a huge media scrum at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in the administrative capital of Putrajaya as he arrived to be quizzed about 1MDB money allegedly ending up in his personal bank accounts.

After being grilled for about six hours, he left the building and told reporters: "I have answered all the questions to the best of my ability and the MACC have done their job with professionalism."

Najib added that he would not need to return for further questioning. He was earlier grilled for several hours on Tuesday.

He is being probed by the anti-corruption body over SRC International, an energy company that was originally a subsidiary of 1MDB.

- Massive fraud -

According to an investigation by the Wall Street Journal, 42 million ringgit ($10.6 million) originating from SRC was transferred to Najib's personal bank accounts, just one small part of the graft scandal.

Hundreds of millions of dollars from 1MDB allegedly ended up in Najib's accounts but the ex-leader and the fund have denied any wrongdoing.

The US Department of Justice alleges that at least $4.5 billion was looted from the fund, and is seeking to seize assets worth $1.7 billion in the US which it says were bought with stolen money.

Mahathir has vowed to fully investigate the scandal.

After holding meetings with key figures from 1MDB Wednesday, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said the fund was insolvent and its chief was "utterly dishonest".

Najib has sought to mount a fightback in recent days, insisting he has not stolen public money and attacking the new government.

In a Facebook post late Wednesday, he accused the new prime minister and finance minister of causing the stock market to fall by saying that the country's national debt was huge.

"While you may want to slander and put all the blame on me to give a perception of a dire financial position... you must remember that the country and our people comes first," he wrote.

"Words spoken while in such positions of power result in actual losses to the country and the people."

Xavier Justo, a former executive from a company allegedly involved in corrupt deals with 1MDB, also visited the anti-graft agency Thursday.

The Swiss national is believed to have leaked documents related to the scandal to the media. He was jailed in Thailand for attempting to blackmail his former employer but was released in 2016.Two-month ban: Wallabies and Queensland Reds prop James Slipper tested positive for cocaine

Wallabies prop James Slipper was banned Thursday for two months after testing positive for cocaine, with the apologetic Queensland Reds skipper revealing he was being treated for depression.

The front-rower, who has played 86 Tests and previously captained Australia, failed two tests taken from urine samples between February and May and was also fined Aus$27,500 (US$20,700).

He is the second Wallaby and Reds star to succumb to illicit drugs in recent months.

Karmichael Hunt was fined $10,000 and placed on a targeted testing programme in March after a court case that caused the sport "significant reputational damage".

Hunt avoided conviction when a cocaine charge was dropped, but admitted possession of a restricted prescription drug after a random street stop by police in Brisbane last December.

Rugby Australia chief Raelene Castle said Slipper, 28 was "dealing with very significant personal issues" and was remorseful.

"We are extremely disappointed to be in this position today with one of our most senior international players having submitted two positive tests for cocaine," she said.

"We are ensuring that James is receiving full help and support, including specialist medical treatment.

"James has expressed his sincere remorse for his actions and for placing himself, Rugby Australia and the Reds in this very difficult situation."

The Australian newspaper said when Slipper first tested positive he was put on a confidential rehabilitation program but then, even knowing he would be targeted by drug-testers, he tested positive again last week.

Slipper said he was "unfit" to address the matter personally with the media on Thursday, but in a statement acknowledged "there was no place for illicit drugs in sport".

"I have been suffering wellness issues including depression for a year and have been receiving professional assistance for the last few months," he said. "The advice is that I will make a speedy and total recovery.

"In no way do my personal circumstances excuse my actions, but I recognise now that I was not coping and that I need to properly address these wellness issues."

Although Slipper is one of Australia's most-capped players, he was not part of recent Wallabies gatherings and had not been expected to feature in their upcoming series against Ireland.

Castle said the punishment took into account his personal circumstances, service to club and country and previous good character.

"It is an incredibly challenging time for him and his family and our immediate focus is on James's health and wellbeing while he undertakes an enforced period away from the sport," she said.Banned in many parts of the world due to concerns over animal cruelty, cockfighting is popular in the Kurdish-dominated corner of northern Syria

On a dusty farm in northeast Syria, Shufan Mahmud cradles his nine-month-old prize rooster in his hands. Sniper, as the fighting fowl is named, is gearing up for a cockfight.

Banned in many parts of the world due to concerns over animal cruelty -- in this mainly Kurdish corner of the war-torn country the blood sport is proving popular.

Eight years ago, poultry farmer Mahmud installed a special pit for these tournaments near his house, and they are now drawing in more and more residents of northern Syria.

Sniper's black plumage is dotted with white specks, and his head his topped with a small red crown.

"All the cocks are afraid of him because he's so powerful," says Mahmud proudly, stroking Sniper's elongated neck.

A short walk away from the fighting ring is a coop where the next generation is being raised.

Clucking hens fret over their tiny yellow chicks in a special wing where eggs are laid, as the crows of roosters mix with the loud barks of a guard dog nearby.

Mahmud's farm is outside Qamishli, a Kurdish-majority town that has become the hub of an autonomous zone in northern Syria.

Since government forces withdrew from Kurdish-majority zones in 2012, local authorities set up their own institutions, including police forces.

Despite its apparent popularity, cockfighting remains taboo in Kurdish society as betting is frowned upon

Mahmud, 39, says fans come to watch the matches near his home from all across the Kurdish-controlled north. Some just come as spectators, while others are there for the money.

Even the roosters hail from different places -- Sniper has come from Germany.

"But the roosters who perform the best usually come from Adana in Turkey," he says, while still others come from India and Pakistan.

- Lebanese beauties -

"We breed them with hens imported from Thailand for their speed and from Lebanon for their beauty," says Mahmud, squatting down in the grass in a stripy t-shirt, cargo shorts and sandals.

In a small room after dark, men gather around the cockpit, the low carmine wall of which is dashed with splatters of the blood of past crested combattants.

Lone feathers lie inside the ring as the match begins with a flap of wings.

The fighters bound at each other, dancing in circles and dashing in for vicious beak stabs.

Cock owner Shafan Mahmoud admires one of his fighters at his breeding farm

A man jots down bets in a notebook as the male spectators cheer, some perched on a higher bench for a better view.

The tussle continues until one rooster sits or flees, sealing the other's victory.

People flock to Mahmud's farm every day for the fights, but Friday -- a weekend day in Syria -- is the busiest, says Rezan Faysal, 38, one of the organisers.

"Bets vary between 1,000 and 5,000 Syrian pounds ($2-10) -- and sometimes even reach half a million ($1,100)," says Faysal, who has raised poultry since he was 13.

Mahmud says cockerel fighting is relatively new in Syria's Kurdish region, but follows on from a more local version of the activity.

"This sport was introduced into our region dozens of years ago by gypsies," he says.

"Partridge fighting was the most famous sport among Kurdish communities."

Syria's Kurds have largely stayed out of the civil war since 2011, instead reviving their culture and focusing on building their own semi-autonomous zones.

- 'Bruce Lee' -

But they have come under attack by Turkey and allied rebels. This year, pro-Ankara fighters pushed Kurdish fighters out of the enclave of Afrin.

"Syria has been transformed into one giant cockfighting ring including fighters from abroad, who attack cities and their residents," Mahmud says, alluding to Turkey.

As the roosters spar in the ring, some onlookers film with their mobile phone. Others shout encouragement while smoking cigarettes or sipping tea

As the roosters spar in the ring, some onlookers film with their mobile phone. Others shout encouragement while smoking cigarettes or sipping tea.

Some among the crowd hide their faces from the cameras to make sure they are not identified.

Despite its apparent popularity, cockfighting remains taboo in Kurdish society as betting is frowned upon.

"I don't want my friends to know I watch cockfighting," says one spectator, who gave his name as Abdel Rahman.

"They would never accept the idea and would lose respect for me," he says, even if he only watches and never puts down any money.

Still, for others the sport appears to be lucrative enough.

Ahmad Sharabi, 25, is a self-described cockfighting addict, and admits he's in it for the money.

He hails from Derbasiyah, a town on Syria's border with Turkey, and says he was long able to win big thanks to his first-rate rooster Bruce Lee.

"He only needed 10 minutes to beat the other cockerel," boasts Sharabi nostalgically.

"I ended up selling him in Iraq," he says, adding prices can go up to $2,000.The Yemeni island of Socotra has been spared involvement in the country's conflict, which has claimed nearly 10,000 lives since March 2015

Seventeen people were missing and hundreds of others evacuated from their homes Thursday after a cyclone hit Socotra, with Yemen's government declaring the island a "disaster province".

Yemen's neighbour Oman is preparing for landfall of Cyclone Mekunu on Friday, with national weather experts expecting it to intensify to a category two cyclone from category one, after it hit Socotra on Wednesday night.

The missing people had been in two boats that sunk and three vehicles swept away by floods, said Ramzy Mahrous, governor of Socotra, an island paradise 350 kilometres (220 miles) off Yemen in the Arabian Sea.

Mahrous said Socotra could not handle relief efforts on its own, with the number of missing expected to rise.

"The coastal areas were submerged by floods causing heavy damage to homes," with more than 10 villages in Socotra's south and east cut off, Mahrous told AFP.

Four people on one of the sunken boats were rescued while three of the missing had vehicles swept away by flooding, said Fisheries Minister Fahad Kafin.

Around 150 families were evacuated to government facilities after downpours flooded houses and streets, trapping people in their homes, he told AFP.

Some residents carrying children tried to escape through the flooded streets, an AFP correspondent said.

Authorities called on humanitarian organisations and the Saudi-led military coalition that is battling Huthi rebels in the country to help, according to Yemen's state-run news agency Saba.

"Socotra is a disaster province due to human and material damage at all levels and requires urgent aid," said Rajeh Badi, a spokesman for Yemen's internationally recognised government.

President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi called Socotra's governor and promised to aid rescue efforts.

Yemeni relief officials called on international aid agencies to "send medical teams urgently" to Socotra and other areas in the south of the country expected to be hit by the cyclone.

Millions of Yemenis are living in dire conditions as a result of a long-running civil conflict, which since 2015 has pitted a Saudi-led coalition against the Iran-backed Huthi rebels.

But Socotra has been spared involvement in the violence, which has claimed nearly 10,000 lives since March 2015 and triggered what the United Nations has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

In November 2015, Socotra and south Yemen were hit by cyclone Chapala which injured more than 200 people.

- Bracing for landfall in Oman -

In neighbouring Oman, authorities announced they were taking "necessary precautions".

The police and army have been put on alert to deal with the strong cyclone.

State-run television in Oman said authorities evacuated hundreds of residents from a small island off the southern city of Salalah, capital of Dhofar province.

Oman's civil aviation authority has announced Salalah airport would be closed for 24 hours from midnight (2000 GMT Thursday), while the education ministry said schools in Dhofar would be shut until after Monday.

Authorities inspected dams in Dhofar, to ensure their capacity to withstand the expected heavy rains.

Provincial health authorities decided to evacuate the main public hospital and move patients to other hospitals to ensure the facility can cope with cyclone victims.

A statement by Oman's Meteorological Directorate on Thursday said weather maps show the cyclone intensifying to category two before making land.

It expects the centre of the cyclone to hit the coasts of Dhofar and Central provinces, some 1,000 kilometres (just over 620 miles) south of the capital Muscat.

It predicted winds would reach nearly 150 kilometres per hour in some areas.

In 2007, Cyclone Gonu tore through Oman, killing at least 49 people and causing damage estimated at $3.9 billion (3.3 billion euros).Passenger cars make up around 30 percent of Japan's exports to the US

Japan's trade minister on Thursday pushed back against Washington for considering possible tariffs on automobile imports, a major driver of the Japanese economy.

Hiroshige Seko said the tariffs under consideration -- reportedly as high as 25 percent -- would disrupt the global market and go against the rules of the World Trade Organisation.

"If, only if, this measure were to be launched, it would be an extremely broad trade restriction measure. Such restrictive measures would plunge the world market into confusion," Seko told reporters in Tokyo. "It is extremely regrettable."

The reaction was unusually firm for an official from Japan, known for weighing diplomatic language very carefully.

Seko's comments came after US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced he had initiated a so-called Section 232 investigation on auto trade.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier Wednesday that US President Donald Trump was asking for vehicle import tariffs as high as 25 percent.

The US investigation could provide the legal basis to impose tariffs, if it finds imports threaten US national security.

"There is evidence suggesting that, for decades, imports from abroad have eroded our domestic auto industry," Ross said.

The Trump administration used the same justification to impose steep tariffs on steel and aluminium, raising the spectre of a trade war.

The Japanese economy -- the world's third largest -- relies heavily on exports to the US, particularly of automobiles, as a core driver of overall growth.

Passenger cars make up around 30 percent of Japan's total exports to the United States.

Japanese government data published on Monday showed that the country's politically sensitive trade surplus with the US edged up in April.

Japan logged a surplus of 615.7 billion yen ($5.6 billion), up 4.7 percent after a 0.3 percent decline the previous month, driven partly by demand for cars.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has worked hard to befriend Trump, but Japan was not exempted from the steel and aluminium tariffs.

This prompted Tokyo to inform the WTO last week it had the right to impose tariffs worth 50 billion yen on US goods -- equivalent to the impact of the US tariffs on Japanese steel and aluminium products.

The news has already had an impact on Japanese carmakers.

On the Tokyo stock exchange, Honda tumbled 2.81 percent, Toyota fell 2.63 percent and Nissan was off 1.62 percent, all underperforming the wider Nikkei market, which was down 1.22 percent.Ranked at the very bottom of the UN's 188-nation Human Development Index, the Central African Republic is mired in poverty and strife

Russia and China are muscling their way into the Central African Republic as Western clout in the mineral-rich, strategically important nation seems to wane, analysts say.

Ranked at the very bottom of the UN's 188-nation Human Development Index, CAR is mired in poverty and strife. Most of the country is in the hands of militia groups, and violence has prompted a quarter of its 4.5 million people to flee their homes.

Even so, the dirt-poor nation sparkles in natural wealth -- from diamonds and gold to copper and uranium -- and holds a position at the crossroads of central Africa.

France, the former colonial power, has traditionally wielded the most clout in CAR.

It intervened militarily in 2013 after long-time leader Francois Bozize was overthrown by a mainly Muslim rebel alliance, the Seleka.

France handed on to a UN peacekeeping mission, but its military visibility has shrunk, to 81 military trainers and drones.

Earlier this month, France sent Mirage-2000 warplanes from Chad to overfly a northern region, in a warning to a rebel militia which holds the area.

- 'Geopolitical chess' -

Events in recent months highlight the mounting interest of China and Russia in this much-overlooked part of the world, analysts say.

"The CAR is a geopolitical chess game," a UN official in Bangui said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Everyone moves their pawns forward. When one country moves, the others take note and react accordingly."

Russia made its big move at the end of last year, when it was authorised by the UN to provide the CAR with weapons and military personnel.

The delivery was ostensibly aimed at shoring up the beleaguered central government and its chronically weak military -- an exemption to a UN arms embargo, imposed in 2013 when the CAR exploded into civil conflict.

China and Russia are gaining greater influence in the Central African Republic as that of Western countries wanes, analysts say

Britain, France and the United States voiced concern, demanding that deliveries be restricted to light arms and that Russia take steps to provide traceability to prevent the weapons from being sold on the black market.

Russia is now believed to have signed a range of deals with the government; Russians provide security for President Faustin-Archange Touadera; and a number of militia groups say they have been approached by Russian figures to mediate in conflicts, concurring sources say.

"The West has missed the boat," a Western diplomat at the United Nations said. "The Russians are now everywhere in the CAR state apparatus."

Coupled with Russian involvement at state level is an apparent bid for hearts and minds -- a convoy of about 20 Russian trucks crossed into northern CAR last month from Sudan on what is officially described as a mission to help refurbish run-down hospitals.

Touadera met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday at an economic gathering in Saint Petersburg.

"We will be happy to reflect on various ways of intensifying our relations, first and foremost in the humanitarian and economic fields," Putin told Touadera, who said in reply, "Our country is currently among the least developed (economies), but we have enormous potential."

The two presidents also praised the ties that their countries had during the Soviet era, according to remarks published by the Kremlin.

Thierry Vircoulon, a CAR specialist at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) think tank, said Russia was craving a "historic revenge" after post-Cold War humiliation and Western countries were "tired" of Africa.

- Anglosphere decline -

The notion of a watershed is shared by Ronak Gopaldas, a consultant to South Africa's Institute of Security Studies.

Brexit and President Donald Trump's "America First" approach have meant Britain and the United States have become more insular, Gopaldas argues.

"There is a clear shift in the West's relations with Africa (which is now primarily centred on migration and security) and this is a good time for new foreign entrants to make their mark," he wrote in March.

Cash-rich China is also making a big pitch in CAR, offering economic rewards, as it has elsewhere in Africa.

In the past six months, it has scrapped $17 billion worth of debt, set up a programme to train government officials in China and donated military material, although it appears to have no immediate political or security ambitions.

Two Chinese state companies have been present in northern CAR since 2007, where they are drilling for oil.

But they swiftly abandoned their drilling sites in late 2017 after the Popular Front for the Rebirth of Central Africa (FPRC), a militia allied to the Seleka, criticised the government of bias in favour of Beijing.

If there is misgiving in Western capitals about the shifting winds, none of it is visible in the CAR government. Touadera in March heaped praise on "friendly countries" whose help came from his policy of "dynamic diplomacy."

The CAR "is a state on its knees, which is for sale," Vircoulon said.

"The buyers are the emerging powers (like) China, and an old power, Russia, on the comeback trail. The West is no longer a buyer -- it's the 21st century, and the colonisers have changed."Teachers across Louisiana want a pay raise and theyre willing to join a statewide walkout to get it. So says a new survey by the 20,000-member Louisiana Federation of Teachers.

Our survey shows that teachers are fed up, not just with low pay, but also with a lack of resources, crumbling facilities, poor student discipline, and a lack of parental involvement, LFT President Larry Carter said. The LFT is one of two unions representing teachers in the state. The other is the 15,000-member Louisiana Association of Educators.

LFTs online survey of nearly 4,000 educators, administered between April 10 and May 7, laid out a list of ways teachers might get their demands met, from petitioning local school boards to joining a statewide strike. Most respondents, 61 percent, preferred a statewide walkout to a local strike, which 48 percent supported.

The news from Louisiana comes amid a wave of statewide strikes , from West Virginia to Arizona , in which teachers have walked out and won better pay and benefits for their efforts. The strike in Arizona ended May 3. Teachers there will get a 20 percent pay boost over the next three years, starting with a 9 percent bump this fall. They also won a partial restoration of $371 million in recession-era budget cuts. Still, the teachers have vowed to keep fighting, as they had called for $1 billion in education funding.

Salaries were by far the top issue for Louisiana teachers. Of the six issues on the survey, 53 percent of teachers ranked salary as most important, while 40 percent put student discipline at the top of the list. Whats more, 78 percent of the teachers said they have considered leaving the profession because of low pay.

The average teacher salary in Louisiana has decreased, according to data from the National Education Association , from a high of $51,381 in the 2012-2013 school year to $49,745 in the 2015-2016 school year (the most recent available). A spike in retirements is partly to blame for the decline, according to the LFT, but the survey shows other factors could be at play. Just 19 percent of respondents, for instance, said they have received a local pay raise (not including salary step increases) in the past five years, and 61 percent said their local school boards have frozen salaries within the same time frame.

Unlike some of the states that held walkouts recently, Louisiana does not have a statewide salary schedule . A statewide schedule sets minimum salaries, based on education and years of experience, that districts must pay teachers. In Louisiana, local districts can establish their own salary schedules based on subject area, teacher effectiveness, and prior experience, among other factors.

The survey also showed that teachers view new state laws as a deterrent to raises. Sixty-eight percent of respondents felt 2012s Act I merit pay component , which allows districts to award cash bonuses to teachers scoring proficient or highly effective on evaluations, makes it less likely that they will receive a raise.

Carter warns state legislators that teachers may be headed for the capitol. A decade-long funding drought has been devastating for our schools, our teachers and school employees, and the children we serve, Carter said. When lawmakers meet in a fiscal session next spring, they will be forced to decide whether they will support public education or face an angry, organized resistance.

This summer, Federation leaders will meet to come up with a plan of action for the coming school year.

See also:China and the United States announced at the weekend that they had backed off imposing tarrifs on each other, averting a trade war

China said Thursday it has not set a target to cut its trade surplus with the US but will seek to increase imports after the two sides stepped back from a potential trade war.

Officials from Beijing were reported to have offered to slash the country's huge surplus by $200 billion during high-level talks last week -- meeting a key Washington demand -- by ramping up imports from the United States.

That was followed on Monday by President Donald Trump tweeting that China will buy "massive amounts" of additional American agriculture products.

But commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng denied that any figure was set during negotiations in Washington, which ended with the two countries agreeing to back off imposing tit-for-tat tariffs, though few details were revealed.

"China did not make any commitment on the specific amount of reduction of trade surplus with the US," Gao told a regular news briefing.

"China will actively encourage companies to increase imports of US commodities and services according to market principles" and its own economic and consumption needs, Gao said.

"The two sides are willing to further strengthen cooperation in fields including agricultural products, energy, medical treatment, high-tech industry and finance."

Both sides have extended olive branches since the weekend, with China announcing on Tuesday that it will cut auto import tariffs from July 1.

And Trump said his administration could impose a new fine of as much as $1.3 billion on embattled Chinese telecom company ZTE to replace crippling sanctions imposed last month that threatened to put the firm out of business.

However, there are concerns about Sunday's agreement after Trump said he was "not satisfied" with it.Former Korean Air executive Cho Hyun-Ah known for a "nut rage" tantrum that sparked national uproar was summoned for questioning for illegally hiring immigrants to work as maids, the latest scandal to engulf her billionaire family

A Korean Air heiress known for a "nut rage" tantrum that sparked national uproar was summoned for questioning Thursday for illegally hiring immigrants to work as maids, the latest scandal to engulf her billionaire family.

Cho Hyun-ah kept her head bowed as she reported to immigration authorities in Seoul on Thursday.

"I'm sorry to cause trouble," she said in a quiet voice before entering the office.

She faces allegations that she illegally hired some 10 Filipinas to work as housemaids in the family home by disguising them as company trainees to obtain visas.

It is against the law in South Korea to hire foreigners as domestic helpers.

A series of scandals have left Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho and his family facing mounting scrutiny over a spate of alleged wrongdoings that have riled the public and even sparked protests by the firm's employees.

The family first shot to international infamy in 2014 when Cho Hyun-ah forced two Korean Air flight attendants to kneel and beg for forgiveness after she was served macadamia nuts in a bag rather than a bowl.

She ordered the Seoul-bound flight back to the gate so one of them could be ejected in an incident quickly dubbed "nut rage" that many South Koreans felt typified the way ultra-wealthy families often behave.

She was sentenced to a year in prison by a lower court. But after serving five months in jail she was was freed when the appeals court cleared her of hampering an air route -- the most serious charge -- as the aircraft was still on the ground.

Her younger sister Cho Hyun-min recently won unflattering headlines with her own tantrum when she allegedly splashed fruit juice over a business associate in a fit of rage.

Prosecutors stopped short of bringing charges against her after the victim reconciled with her.

But the incident set off a flurry of new allegations about the family's other alleged wrongdoings.

Among the allegations authorities are now investigating include smuggling of furniture and food, tax evasion, hiring of illegals and verbal abuse and assaults against employees.

Korean Air workers launched an online chat room detailing various grievances they had with the family.

On Friday some employees will hold their fourth weekly rally calling for Cho family to take a back seat in the company.

Police have also summoned the chairman Cho's wife Lee Myung-hee for questioning on Monday after more than ten people claimed they had been physically or verbally assaulted by her.

Lee is also suspected of involvement in the illegal hiring of foreign maids and will be questioned in this case as well, the immigration office said.It costs US taxpayers more than $450 million a year to keep Guantanamo's 40 remaining inmates

They arrived at Guantanamo Bay as young men, captured on the battlefields of Afghanistan and elsewhere early in America's war on terror, following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

More than 15 years later, most of the inmates at the notorious US military prison have reached middle age.

This week, the White House seemed to acknowledge the obvious: with no plan or political will to do anything with Guantanamo's 40 remaining inmates, some of them could be stuck there for the rest of their lives.

"The current facility for high value detainees is experiencing structural and system failures that, if unaddressed, could in the future pose life and safety risks to our guard forces and the detainees being held there," the White House said in a policy statement to lawmakers, demanding extra funds for prison reconstruction.

"It also does not meet the requirements of the aging detainee population."

The Pentagon does not release any information about Guantanamo inmates, but leaked files published by WikiLeaks and the New York Times offer some insight.

On average, Guantanamo Bay's inmates are now about 46.5 years old.

The eldest, Pakistani national Saifullah Paracha, will turn 71 in August.

The youngest is Saudi citizen Hassan Mohammed Ali Bin Attash, who was born in 1985, making him 32 or 33 now -- and just 16 or 17 when he was captured in 2002. The documents do not always provide a precise date of birth.

Neither the Pentagon nor Guantanamo Bay immediately responded to requests for comment for this story.

- Wheelchair ramps -

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, alleged organizer of the September 11, 2001, attacks, shortly after his capture in 2003

Perhaps the most notorious inmate, alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, is 53.

The black moustache he sported when he was captured in 2003 has long since grown out into a voluminous grey beard that he now dyes orange.

James Connell, the attorney for Ramzi Binalshibh, who is charged as one of Mohammed's co-conspirators, said he'd noticed some accommodations for aging prisoners.

"Some of attorney-client visiting spaces now have wheelchair ramps," he told AFP, adding that he'd also spotted handles to help inmates get up from the toilet.

But, he stressed, there is "a lot of need for treatment that has not been given."

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visits Guantanamo about four times a year to make sure the prison is complying with detention standards and to assess detainees' treatment.

"It is important to ensure that their health requirements can be adequately met, and we are actively engaged in dialogue with the US authorities on this matter," Marc Kilstein, an ICRC spokesman in Washington, told AFP.

Though the White House statement provided no details on what it envisions the changing needs of the Guantanamo population to be, older prisoners often suffer from chronic, age-related diseases that can be exacerbated by being locked up.

These can include heart failure, diabetes, cognitive problems and liver disease.

- Massive costs -

It already costs US taxpayers more than $450 million a year to keep the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

That figure will only rise as they age, Amnesty International security expert Daphne Eviatar told AFP, as the US is "required under international law to give them medical treatment."

"The US government by keeping them at Guantanamo Bay is essentially committing to taking care of them for the rest of their lives."

The "Camp 5" detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Some inmates already suffered poor health when they arrived at Guantanamo, whether through torture, conflict or poor living conditions, she noted.

Exacerbating the situation, Congress won't permit sick inmates to travel to the United States for treatment.

The Pentagon had to send a mobile MRI scanner to Guantanamo last year which cost $370,000 to rent, according to the Miami Herald. Initially, it didn't even work -- though it was later fixed.

As memories of the 9/11 attacks fade somewhat, many Americans are unaware the US still keeps prisoners locked up at Guantanamo.

Five have been charged in the conspiracy to pull off the attacks and are being prosecuted through a special military commissions process that has been beset with legal challenges and seemingly interminable delays.

Among the rest of the population, two more have been charged with other crimes, two have been convicted and five were cleared for release under president Barack Obama but are now stuck under President Donald Trump, who has said he wants to send Islamic State captives to Guantanamo.

But the largest contingent -- 26 inmates -- have never been charged with anything, yet were deemed too dangerous to be released.

Nine detainees have already died at Guantanamo since it opened in early 2002, mainly through what the military said were suicides.

The way things are going, they are unlikely to be the last.Kha Tu Ngoc and her husband Pham Huy Duc prepare for dinner in their 'micro-house' in Ho Chi Minh City. In downtown districts, families cling to postage stamp-sized plots as the city develops at breakneck pace

Pham Quoc Cong walks two kilometres to use the bathroom because his 2.2 meters-squared house isn't big enough to have one.

But, he says, it's a price worth paying to be able to live on a prized plot in downtown Ho Chi Minh City where he can readily find work.

He lives with six relatives in a closet-sized space bursting with clothing, toys, a fridge, a bunk bed, a rice cooker, papers, groceries, toilet paper and other household items.

The closet-sized homes burst with clothing, toys, fridges, papers, groceries and plenty of other household items

That leaves little room for sleeping so he spends most nights outdoors on a cardboard-lined lounge chair, which can be tricky in bad weather.

"It's really hard during the rainy season to find a dry place. If I can't, I just sleep standing up the whole night," said the 49-year-old manual labourer who has lived in the one-room home since 1975.

Tucked away in winding alleys, nestled under new condo developments or sandwiched between street food stalls and shops, the tiny houses are easily missed by the unattentive passerby

The 'micro-house' dwellings are dotted throughout Vietnam's bustling southern hub, occupied by families clinging to tiny plots of land in a city developing at breakneck pace.

Tucked away in winding alleys, nestled under new condo developments or sandwiched between street food stalls and shops, they are easily missed by the unattentive passerby.

But Cong says his home in the vibrant District 3 neighbourhood could sell for as much as $22,000 thanks to rising land prices.

With so little space indoors, cooking - and even sleeping - happen out in the street

Even so, like many others living in micro-houses, he says he wouldn't swap his prime location for a few extra metres of space.

"We're used to this area. If we move elsewhere we can't do business," said Cong, whose sisters and niece make a living as vendors in the city centre.

- 'Rather die than move' -

Many of the mini-homes sprung up as larger housing plots that were whittled down by new, wider roads and other developments in the city.

Some may have started out on rice paddies during the period of French rule and ended up as squatter land, said Mel Schenck, an American who is writing a book about modernist architecture in Ho Chi Minh City.

Many of the mini-homes sprung up as larger housing plots were whittled down by new, wider roads and other developments in the city

There is no data on how many micro-houses exist today, and Schenck says they may eventually disappear from the rapidly transforming city.

"There's constant change going on, and I think in the long term that's a good thing, so if some of these disappear then that's what happens," he told AFP, while acknowledging their "picturesque value".

Many residents do not earn enough to move to larger houses in other parts of town

Land disputes are routine in the city, with downtown dwellers accusing city officials of underpaying for plots that are then sold on to developers for hefty sums.

That worries Nguyen Van Truong, who lives with five relatives in his 6.7-square-metre plot underneath a luxury highrise condo.

The 62-year-old supports his family doing odd jobs in the area but doesn't earn enough to buy a larger house in a more affordable part of town. He lives in fear that the government could force him out.

There is no data on how many micro-houses exist today, and as land becomes more valuable, they may eventually disappear from the city altogether

"I don't think we'd get that much compensation because the house is too small. We don't know where to go," he said, hanging his clothes outside the small space packed with belongings.

"If given the choice... to move elsewhere or remain in this tiny house, I'll choose to stay. I'd rather die than be forced to leave this spot."Dozens of people were injured in clashes with police during protests against the copper plant

A protester shot during demonstrations against a copper plant in southern India died of his injuries Thursday, officials said, the 13th victim killed by police fire.

A curfew remained in pockets of Tuticorin city in Tamil Nadu state where police used live ammunition to disperse protesters this week, provoking international outrage and demands for an immediate investigation.

Calls demanding the closure of the copper smelting plant owned by British mining giant Vedanta Resources had been building in recent months, with residents complaining it was polluting their city.

The resistance came to a head Tuesday when police stopped a crowd of thousands from protesting outside the factory.

Cars and buildings were set ablaze and rocks hurled at police, who responded with live fire. Eleven demonstrators were shot dead and many people injured in the melee, including 20 police.

Another protester died Wednesday when he was struck by rubber bullets in a second day of protests.

The latest victim died in hospital Thursday, two days after being injured, doctors said.

"He was brought in a critical condition with bullet injuries and died today," a doctor at the local hospital told AFP.

The chief minister of Tamil Nadu has ordered an inquiry but defended the actions of police, which the state's opposition leader called "mass murder".

"The police have a duty during protests to maintain law and order, but lethal force can only be used if there is an imminent threat to life," Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said.

"Tamil Nadu authorities need to carry out a prompt and credible investigation to determine if police used excessive force."

Internet services have been blocked across the city for five days. Police justified the blackout to stop the spread of information that could incite further violence as they search for those behind Tuesday's arson attacks.

Environmentalists and locals say the factory contaminates water and air, claims its owners deny.

The company has sought to renew the licence of the temporarily non-operational plant and hopes to double its production capacity.

But a state court Wednesday ordered that it cease any further construction at the new site.

The ruling came just hours after Tamil Nadu's pollution board ordered the existing plant be shut and its power supply cut until a verdict is made on its licensing application.

Indian-born billionaire and Vedanta Resources chairman Anil Agarwal said he was "very sad" to hear of the incident at his plant.

"This was absolutely unfortunate," he said in a video posted to Twitter.

"Once again I assure you, I am fully committed to the environment and the development of people of Tuticorin and Tamil Nadu. We will abide by the law of the land."Chung has been struggling with an ankle injury during the entire clay season

South Korea's Australian Open semi-finalist Hyeon Chung has pulled out of the French Open citing a long-standing ankle injury.

Chung, 21, announced the Roland Garros pullout in a tweet late Wednesday, saying he had been forced to withdraw from a French Open warmup tournament in Lyon due to the injury.

"Unfortunately I had to withdraw from Lyon yesterday and now Roland Garros," he tweeted.

"I have been struggling with an ankle injury during the entire clay season."

He said tests had revealed he had a build-up of fluid on the joint which might require "a small procedure" followed by rest.

"Thanks to everyone for all the support. Hope to see you soon and be back to full strength," Chung said.

Chung made a Grand Slam breakthrough when he reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January but had to retire in his match with Roger Federer because of a foot blister.Police are searching for the abbot of the famed Golden Mount temple and have frozen his bank accounts

A famed Bangkok temple was at the centre of a billowing embezzlement scandal Thursday after $4 million was found in bank accounts belonging to its abbot, the latest graft allegations to dog Thailand's scandal-mired clergy.

Two monks at Wat Saket, better known to the visiting tourist hordes as "Golden Mount", were taken for questioning by police accused of roles in siphoning off temple funds.

An arrest warrant was issued for the abbot, Phra Promprasit, according to police.

"We are looking for the abbot... we found that he has 10 bank accounts in his name with a total 130 million baht," Major-General Maitri Chimcherd, commander of the Crime Suppression Division, told reporters.

"He was last seen yesterday evening inside the temple," he said, adding the accounts had been frozen.

Monks at two other prominent Bangkok temples are also under scrutiny in investigations into whether millions of dollars of funds allocated by the National Office of Buddhism for temple upkeep and pastoral work have been embezzled.

Investigations into senior clergy are incredibly sensitive in the overwhelmingly-Buddhist nation.

Investigations into senior clergy are incredibly sensitive in the overwhelmingly Buddhist nation

All Thai men are expected by social convention to spend time in orange robes, monks are revered and powerful temples have large followings.

Yet negative publicity trails the clergy, with recent extortion, sex, drugs and murder scandals involving monks shocking the Thai public.

"Police will work carefully on this issue because it is sensitive," Lieutenant-General Thitirat Nongharnpitak, commander of the Central Investigation Bureau, said.

The issue of temple finances and fugitive monks has triggered reminders of a bigger scandal that enveloped a super-rich Buddhist sect known as the Dhammakaya last year.

Police spent months searching the temple's 400 hectare (1,000 acre) grounds in Bangkok's suburbs for its abbot Phra Dhammachayo, who remains at large.

He is accused of colluding in a $33 million embezzlement.A French Rafale fighter jet lands on the deck of France's aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle operating in the eastern Mediterranean on December 9, 2016, as part of an international coalition against the Islamic State group

A dozen pro-regime fighters were killed in an air strike on Syrian army positions a monitor said Thursday was carried out by the US-led coalition, but the Pentagon denied the report.

State media reported the overnight air raid in an area where both the regime and coalition have been battling holdout jihadists, but said it only caused material damage.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a broad network of sources across Syria, said the strike had hit army positions south of Albu Kamal, a town on the border with Iraq.

"At least three vehicles were destroyed by the strike," said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman.

He said the 12 pro-regime fighters killed were not Syrians, but he could not provide more details on their identity.

A military source quoted by state news agency SANA said "some of our military positions between Albu Kamal and Hmeimeh were hit this morning in an aggression by American coalition warplanes".

The Pentagon denied the strikes were carried out by the coalition fighting the Islamic State group.

"These reports are false, the coalition did not strike any Syrian army positions in eastern Syria," said Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner.

"The coalition's mission is to defeat ISIS (IS) in designated parts of Iraq and Syria, and to set conditions for follow-on stability operations. This mission has not changed."

Less than 24 hours after the overnight strikes, missiles targeted a weapons depot belonging to Lebanon's Hezbollah movement at an airbase in the central province of Homs, according to the Observatory.

Its director Abdel Rahman said the missiles "would have been fired by Israel".

SANA said Syrian air defences had intercepted the missiles in Homs, but reported explosions in the area.

Albu Kamal and Hmeimeh lie in Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor province, where Russian-backed Syrian troops and the US-led coalition have been waging separate offensives against IS.

A "de-confliction" line in place along the Euphrates River since last year is meant to keep the two assaults from crashing into each other.

Loyalist troops are present west of the river while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are on the east.

A military source from forces allied to Syria's government said the strikes had targeted two regime military positions near a frontline with IS.

- Repeated incidents -

"There are no Iranian or Lebanese fighters among the dead," the source said.

Iraqi Shiite militia are also fighting alongside Syrian regime forces in the area.

The Observatory said the government was sending reinforcements.

It was not immediately clear whether jihadists were active in the area at the time, nor whether the pro-regime casualties may have been accidental.

The coalition has carried out several deadly strikes against Syrian government forces and allied fighters in recent months.

In February, coalition bombing raids in Deir Ezzor province killed at least 100 regime and allied fighters, including Russian nationals, in retaliation for an attack on SDF positions.

And in September 2016, US-led strikes on regime military positions in the east left more than 60 Syrian troops dead. The coalition later said it had mistaken the fighters for IS jihadists.

The Islamic State group has lost nearly all the territory it once controlled in Syria and Iraq but it still holds some villages in the Euphrates Valley area.

On Monday, Syrian troops and allied forces ousted IS from the last districts it held in the capital Damascus.

After a fierce month-long battle, an evacuation deal saw the remaining jihadists bussed out of the city towards small pockets of land still held by IS in the Badiya, a vast desert area stretching from central Syria to its eastern border with Iraq.

The day after the transfer, IS fighters in the Badiya attacked a nearby government position, leaving more than two dozen Syrian troops and allied fighters dead.

The Observatory said the IS fighters responsible were from the group that had just been transferred out of the Yarmuk area in southern Damascus.The rare Nipah virus, which is spread by fruit bats, has killed 11 people in India

A fourth member of the same Indian family has died from the rare Nipah virus, officials said Thursday, as authorities scramble to contain an outbreak that has claimed 11 lives.

V. Moosa, who died Thursday in a hospital in the southwest state of Kerala, had two sons and a sister-in-law succumb to the same deadly infection spread by fruit bats last week.

"He was on ventilator support for a week and died today morning," Kerala state health director Sarita R. L. told AFP of Moosa, 60.

Dead bats were found in a well at their home in Kozhikode district -- the epicentre of the viral outbreak that has authorities on high alert.

A nurse who treated one of Moosa's sons also died, leaving a heart-wrenching note for her family.

Officials set a net over a well to catch bats in Kozhhikode district of Kerala which is the epicentre of the outbreak

"Each and every person who was in contact with any suspected patient is being monitored," Sarita said.

Two other confirmed cases of Nipah virus have been detected and the patients are being treated in hospital, she said.

It was unclear whether these patients came into contact with Moosa's family or contracted it elsewhere.

Officials suspect the zoonosis infection outbreak -- that causes disease in both animals and humans -- spread from the unused well at Moosa's home where the dead bats were found.

Dozens of other suspected patients were being quarantined and many more monitored by health officials in at least four districts in the state.

Two other patients were in isolation in neighbouring Karnataka state after developing symptoms similar to Nipah upon returning from Kerala.

Rajeshwari Devi, a health official in the Karnataka city of Mangalore, told AFP the patients' condition was improving but doctors were awaiting the results of blood tests.

There is no vaccination for the virus which induces flu-like symptoms that lead to an agonising encephalitis and coma

Authorities have issued a travel advisory for half a dozen districts in Kerala and alerts in neighbouring states to try to curb the spread of the deadly virus.

Nipah has killed more than 260 people in Malaysia, Bangladesh and India since 1998 and has a mortality rate of nearly 70 percent, according to the World Health Organization.

In India the disease was first reported in eastern West Bengal state in 2001.

There is no vaccination for the virus which induces flu-like symptoms that lead to an agonising encephalitis and coma.

The WHO has named Nipah as one of the eight priority diseases that could cause a global epidemic, alongside Ebola and Zika.An anti-junta activist holds a placard with a caricature depicting Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha as she arrives at a court in Bangkok. Fifteen anti-junta activists were charged with sedition Thursday

Fifteen anti-junta activists were charged with sedition Thursday, a crime carrying seven years in jail, their lawyer said, for staging a protest this week to mark the fourth anniversary of the last coup by Thailand's generals.

The protest on Tuesday was small by the standards of Thailand's rambunctious street politics, but still dominated the headlines in a country wearying of junta rule.

A few hundred people tried unsuccessfully to march on the seat of government in Bangkok to call for promised elections, a poll which the junta keeps pushing back.

The suspects included protest leaders Rangsiman Rome, Ekachai Hongkangwan and Sirawith Seritiwat -- perennial thorns in the side of the military which toppled the civilian government on May 22, 2014.

The junta has since banned protests and political gatherings of more than five people.

On top of sedition, the activists were also charged with the "illegal gathering of more than 10 people, obstructing traffic and causing a disturbance", Pawinee Chumsri, of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights who are representing the group, told AFP.

Sedition is punishable by a maximum of seven years in prison.

The junta has banned protests and political gatherings of more than five people

All 15 were later granted bail by a court on condition they do not join future political protests.

Sunai Phasuk of Human Rights Watch, said the legal action against "peaceful protesters" represents the junta's ongoing reflex "to scare the Thai public into submission".

Prayut Chan-O-Cha, the former army chief who is now prime minister, has hinted elections will be held in February next year.

But his timetable for polls has slipped several times and his opponents are unconvinced elections will be held soon.

Large sections of society -- including the Bangkok middle class -- have tired of rule by a conservative military that has intruded into the lives of ordinary people whilst overseeing a widening of the kingdom's rich-poor wealth gap.

Critics say in four years the junta has been opaque in its financial dealings, seeded wide patronage networks and failed to address rampant corruption -- despite seizing power from the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra vowing to do so.Posted Thursday, May 24, 2018 2:52 pm

SHERIFFS REPORT

The Polk County Sheriffs Dept. released the following reports for:

Thursday, May 17

 Rebecca Wise, 55, of Ash Grove was arrested on warrants for traffic violations.

 Jeffrey Coop, 30, of Springfield was arrested on a warrant for shoplifting.

 Thomas Beal, 21, of Warsaw was arrested on a warrant for a traffic violation.

 Horace Lafuze, 50, of Humansville was arrested on a warrant for burglary.

 A 27-year-old Pleasant Hope man was arrested on suspicion of possession of controlled substance.

 Stealing was reported on South 47th Road, Humansville.

Friday, May 18

 Ryan Kulju, 24, of Bolivar was arrested on warrants for traffic violations.

 Identity theft was reported on Mo. 64, Goodson.

 Burglary was reported on Rt. D, Bolivar.

Saturday, May 19

 Property damage was reported on South 12th Road, Humansville.

 Property damage was reported on Rt. H, Pleasant Hope.

Sunday, May 20

 Ashley King, 19, of Pittsburg was arrested on a warrant for failure to appear.

 Lewis Wilson, 37, of Springfield was arrested on a warrant for failure to appear.

 Zachery Thompson, 41, of Springfield was arrested on warrants for traffic violations.

 Dawson Ifland, 17, of Bolivar was arrested on warrants for traffic violations.

 Brittany Marler, 26, of Bolivar was arrested on warrants for possession of controlled substance.

 Domestic assault was reported on South 140th Road, Bolivar.

 Stealing was reported on Mo. 123 Morrisville.

COMMISSION MINUTES

Polk County Commissioners Shannon Hancock, Rex Austin and Kyle Legan conducted the following business during recent meetings of the commission:

Monday, April 16

 Met with Travis Tindall, representative from N-Form, Sheriff Danny Morrison, Maintenance Supervisor James Hamby and Road and Bridge Foreman Delbert Bailey regarding the plans for the jail renovations.

 Met with road and bridge employee Robert Sharp  general discussion.

 Met with Public Works Supervisor Danny Crites for an update on conditions of county roads and bridges.

Tuesday, April 17

 Received bids for diesel fuel to be used at Road and Bridge as follows: Ozark Mountain Energy, Mt. Vernon - $2.2959; and Rex Smith Oil, Springfield - $2.2883. Commissioner Legan made a motion to accept the bid from Rex Smith Oil. Commissioner Austin seconded the motion. Vote was 3-0.

 Visited with Nick Petrie, Dunnegan, regarding the condition of East 380th Road.

 Visited with Emergency Management Director Robert Dickson  general discussion.

 Received the March 2018 Add-On and Abatement Report from Collector Debbi R.-McGinnis.

 Received a certificate of training from Recorder of Deeds Carol Poindexter for completing 20 hours of training as required by 50.334 RSMo.

 Met with Public Works Supervisor Crites for an update on conditions of county roads and bridges. Crites and Commissioner Austin viewed South 170th, South 222nd, South 60th and East 560th roads.

 Administered the oath of office to John F. Best, Bolivar Special Road District Commissioner.

Friday, April 20

 Administered the oath of office to Jonathan Wihmeyer, Prairie Heights Area Reorganized Common Sewer District Trustee, on Thursday, April 19.

 Administered the oath of office to Michael Standley, Prairie Heights Area Reorganized Common Sewer District Trustee.

 Met with Public Works Supervisor Crites for an update on conditions of county roads and bridges.

 Met with Emergency Management Director Dickson  general discussion.

 Received a training certificate from Collector R.-McGinnis for completing 20 hours of training as required per 52.269 RSMo.

 Visited with Maintenance Supervisor Hamby - general discussion.

 Visited with Jim Spellman, Bolivar, regarding county employment.

Monday, April 23

 Met with Humansville Special Road District Commissioners David Sandgren, Carley Rice and Zach Butler and Don Christenson regarding a bridge in the Humansville Special Road District that was recently closed by Missouri Department of Transportation.

 Met with Public Works Supervisor Crites for an update on conditions of county roads and bridges. Crites and Commissioner Austin viewed East 450th Road. Crites and Commissioner Legan viewed East 318th and South 124 roads.

 Visited with Clint Harmon, East 490th Road, Bolivar, regarding having a culvert installed.

Tuesday, April 24

 Met with Public Works Supervisor Crites for an update on conditions of county roads and bridges. Crites and Commissioner Austin viewed East 470th, East 515th and East 490th roads.

 Payroll was presented for approval and direct deposit submittal. Commissioner Legan made a motion to approve and submit payroll for direct deposit. Commissioner Austin seconded the motion. Vote was 3-0.

 Met with Martin Fitz, representative from Spy Glass, regarding auditing phone, internet and wireless telecommunication accounts to seek cost recovery and cost reduction recommendations. Commissioner Legan made a motion to enter into an agreement for these services. Commissioner Hancock seconded the motion. Vote was 2-0 with Commissioner Austin absent at time of vote.

Friday, April 27

 Administered the oath of office to Roberta Fishburn, Flemington Special Road District Commissioner, on Wednesday, April 25.

 Met with Public Works Supervisor Crites for an update on conditions of county roads and bridges. Crites and Commissioner Austin viewed East 463rd Road.

 Invoices were presented for approval and payment. Commissioner Legan made a motion to approve and pay invoices as submitted. Commissioner Austin seconded the motion. Call of the vote was 3-0.

 Pat Foster and Mike Moore, Bolivar, presented a petition signed by eight residents living on or near East 463rd Road who were wanting to discuss improving the quality and durability of East 463rd Road.

Monday, April 30

 Met with Public Works Supervisor Crites for an update on conditions of county roads and bridges. Crites and Commissioners Hancock and Legan viewed South 223rd, East 353rd, East 340th, South 120th, South 105th and East 380th roads.

 Received bids for road oil to be used by the Road and Bridge Department on county roads as follows: APAC-Central Inc., Springfield - MC-30, $2.32; pump charge, $70; MC-3000, $2.02; MC-800, $2.10; Coastal Energy, Willow Springs - MC-30, $2.42; pump charge, $75; MC-3000, $2.12; MC-800, $2.17; CSR2, $1.52; CRS2P, $1.77; CQS-1F, $1.92. Commissioner Legan made a motion to accept the bid from APAC-Central. Commissioner Austin seconded the motion. Vote was 3-0.

 Received bids for cold mix to be used by the road and bridge department on county roads as follows: Ash Grove Aggregates Inc., Fair Play - EA-300 5-percent, $47; 5.5-percent, $50; MC-250 5-percent, $51; 5.5-percent, $54; MC-800 5-percent - $49.00 5.5-percent, $52; Clever Stone Co., Clever - MC-800 Cutback, $45; Longan Construction, Grove, Oklahoma - Patch-n-pave Polymer, $98.50, Delivered, $117.50; Willard Asphalt Paving, Lebanon - MC-800, $52. Commissioner Legan made a motion to accept all bids submitted. Commissioner Austin seconded the motion. Vote was 3-0.

 Met with Public Works Supervisor Crites for an update on conditions of county roads and bridges. Crites and Commissioner Austin viewed East 463rd Road.

Tuesday, May 1

 The April 2018 County Clerk Fee Report was received from County Clerk Melinda Robertson.

 A training certificate was received from Barbara Davolt for completing 20 hours of training as required per SB 601.

 Met with Joetta Kates, Bolivar, in general discussion.

 The April 2018 Statement of Collection Report was received from Collector Debbi R. McGinnis.

 Met with Polk County Health Center Administrator Michelle Morris, who presented a renewed PDMP User Agreement.

 Met with Public Workers Supervisor Danny Crites on conditions of county roads and bridges. Crites and Commissioner Legan viewed S. 200th, E. 415th and E. 407th roads. Crites and Commissioner Austin viewed E. 530th Road.

 Met with Jim Hargrave, representative from West Pipe Company, El Dorado Springs, in general discussion.

 The April 2018 Treasurers Balance was received from Treasurer Vonna Jones.

 The April 2018 Assessment Fee Report was received from Assessor Rita Lemmon.

 The commission discussed a letter from Brittany M. Thebeau requesting a refund for a duplicate assessment and payment for personal property tax. Commissioner Legan made a motion to refund Brittany M. Thebeau $162.41. Commissioner Hancock seconded the motion. Vote was 2-0 with Austin absent.

 The April 2018 Fee Report was received from Public Administrator Barbara Davolt.

 The April 2018 Report of Civil/Criminal Fees was received from Sheriff Danny Morrison.

Friday, May 4

 The April 2018 Deposit and Disbursement Report was received from Recorder of Deeds Carol Poindexter on Wednesday, May 2.

 The April 2018 Collectors Turnover was received from Collector Debbi McGinnis.

 Public Workers Supervisor Danny Crites updated the commission on conditions of county roads and bridges. Crites and Commissioner Legan viewed E. 495th and E. 470th roads. Crites and Commissioner Austin viewed E. 380th Road.

Monday, May 7

 Public Works Supervisor Danny Crites updated the commission on conditions of county roads and bridges.

 Wire transfer in the amount of $109,220.78 for law enforcement sales tax was received.

 Wire transfer in the amount of $109,221.06 for Capital Improvement Road and Bridge was received.

 The commission facilitated a meeting between MoDot Representatives Matt Geiger and Matt Koppitz, Great River Associate representative Jason Sivils, Humansville Special Road District representatives Zach Butler, David Sandgren and Brad Hickman and Don Christensen, St Clair County resident regarding a bridge closure on E. 310th Road in the Humansville Special Road District.

 Invoices for Boone Construction and Sheriff of Comanche County were presented for approval and payment. Commissioner Austin made a motion to approve and pay invoices as presented. Commissioner Legan seconded the motion. Vote was 3-0.

 The April 2017 Report of Fees and Collections was received from Prosecuting Attorney Ken Ashlock.

 Order of the Commission, the Polk County Courthouse will be closed on Tuesday, May 8, in observance of the Truman Day Holiday.

Friday, May 11

 Met with Roger Jewell, Bolivar, in general discussion.

 Public Works Supervisor Danny Crites updated the Commission on conditions of county roads and bridges.

 Met with Kelly Vaught, Hutchens Construction, regarding county road repairs. Kelly, Commissioner Hancock and Commissioner Legan viewed the following county roads: E. 430th, S. 115th, S. 118th, S. 120th, S. 200th, E. 407th and E. 415th.

 Commissioner Austin viewed E. 460th Road for culvert placement.

 Met with Madeline Dohle, Pleasant Hope, regarding access to her property.Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto (C) said she had been fooled into carrying the bag

An Australian grandmother who said she was tricked into carrying drugs into Malaysia after falling for an online romance scam was Thursday sentenced to death after an earlier acquittal was overturned, her lawyer said.

Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto was arrested in December 2014 while in transit at Kuala Lumpur airport with 1.1 kilos (2.4 pounds) of crystal methamphetamine stitched into the compartment of a backpack she was carrying.

The 54-year-old was cleared in December of trafficking after a High Court judge ruled she did not know she was transporting the drugs.

But prosecutors challenged the decision and an appeals court overturned the acquittal Thursday, and found her guilty, her lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told AFP.

Anyone caught with at least 50 grams (1.75 ounces) of crystal meth is considered a trafficker in Muslim-majority Malaysia, and death by hanging is mandatory in the case of a conviction.

Shafee slammed the ruling as "perverse" and said Exposto would make a final appeal to the country's top court.

"I thought there was an overwhelming case for the defence. I am shocked with the decision," he said.

The mother of four argued she did not know about the hidden stash of "ice". She said she had been fooled into carrying the bag after travelling to China to see someone she met online called "Captain Daniel Smith", who had claimed to be a US serviceman.

After engaging in a long online romance, Exposto had travelled to Shanghai to see "Smith".

But she did not succeed in meeting her supposed love interest while there and ended up being given a bag by a stranger, who asked her to take it to Melbourne.

When she arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport to change flights, she mistakenly went through immigration as she was unfamiliar with the airport.

She voluntarily offered her bags for customs inspection and the drugs were discovered.

There are at least 900 people on death row in Malaysia, officials have said, but executions have been rare in recent years.

Malaysian lawmakers have voted to amend legislation so that capital punishment is no longer mandatory in drug-trafficking cases.

But the changes have not yet come into force as they must be passed by the upper house.

Two Australians were hanged in Malaysia in 1986 for heroin trafficking -- the first Westerners to be executed in the country -- in a case that strained relations.

In 2013 Dominic Bird, a former truck driver from Perth, was acquitted of drug trafficking charges after he was allegedly caught with 167 grams of crystal methamphetamine.The Malaysian Airlines flight was blown out of the sky over conflict-wracked east Ukraine on July 17, 2014

Investigators probing the 2014 downing of flight MH17 said Thursday for the first time that the missile which shot down the plane over eastern Ukraine travelled from a Russian military brigade.

The Joint Investigation Team "has come to the conclusion that the BUK-TELAR that shot down MH17 came from 53rd Anti-aircraft Missile Brigade based in Kursk in Russia," top Dutch investigator Wilbert Paulissen said.

"The 53rd Brigade forms part of the Russian armed forces," he told reporters at a press conference in the Netherlands.

The Malaysian Airlines flight was blown out of the sky over conflict-wracked east Ukraine on July 17, 2014 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

All 298 passengers and crew, most of them Dutch, were killed in the disaster. But there were 17 nationalities on board including Australians, Britons, Malaysians and Indonesians.

The investigators had previously concluded that the plane was brought down by a Russian-made BUK missile system brought in from Russia and fired from territory in Ukraine held by Moscow-backed rebels. But they have stopped short of directly saying who pulled the trigger.

Now the team has painstaking recreated the route taken by the missile convoy from Kursk across the border into Ukraine using videos and photos.

Paulissen added the team had "ascertained that the BUK-TELAR has a number of unique characteristics. These characteristics as such served as a type of fingerprint for the missile."

Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in the downing of the Boeing flight 777, putting the blame instead on Kiev.

The probe being led by The Netherlands is focusing on some 100 people suspected of having played an "active role" in the incident, but investigators have not yet publicly named any suspects.

Chief investigator Fred Westerbeke said Thursday the probe was now in its "last phase" but added there was "still work to be done".

Over the past years "we've gained a lot of proof and evidence but we are not ready yet" to move towards bringing charges, he told the press conference.

Dutch officials have announced that the trial of any suspects arrested in the shooting down of flight MH17 will be held in the Netherlands under an agreement reached with the countries leading the joint probe.Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced he initiated a so-called Section 232 investigation on auto trade, which would provide the legal basis to impose tariffs if his department finds imports threaten US national security

The European Union and German automakers reacted with dismay Thursday after the US said tariffs on car imports could be on the horizon, potentially opening a new front in a burgeoning transatlantic trade conflict.

American Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Wednesday said he had initiated an investigation into whether auto imports "are weakening our internal economy and may impair the national security."

The move came after President Donald Trump tweeted there was "big news coming soon for our great American autoworkers".

The European Union, which has been lobbying feverishly to remain exempt from US border taxes on steel and aluminium ahead of a June 1 deadline, expressed consternation at the latest White House announcement.

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said Brussels was "concerned" by the car tariffs threat, which she said would violate international trade rules.

"We'll of course see what that is, what the investigation leads to, but as far as we can see this is something which is also against the WTO (World Trade Organization)," she said in Brussels.

"It is very difficult to imagine (car imports) create any sort of threat to the national security," added European Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen.

With German carmakers set to be among those hit hardest by the possible tariffs, the country's auto giants were quick to add to the criticism.

Global behemoth Volkswagen condemned Washington's "one-sided protectionism", saying "only free and fair trade secures increased prosperity".

The sentiment was echoed by luxury carmaker BMW, which said "barrier-free access to markets" was key to global growth and employment.

The German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), which has calculated that autos and car parts accounted for over a quarter of Germany's 111.5 billion euros ($139.9 billion) in exports to the United States last year, said the US move "should almost be seen as a provocation".

German carmakers exported nearly half a million vehicles to the US in 2017, but they also built over 800,000 cars at American factories where they employ some 36,500 people -- and car parts producers around 80,000 more.

Shares in Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler were among the worst performers on the DAX index of blue-chip German shares Thursday.

- Global outcry -

Imposing car tariffs would open yet another front in the Republican president's confrontational rows over trade that have drawn global outcry from allies and partners.

"Evidence of significant economic damage due to the trade conflict is mounting," tweeted economist Marcel Fratzscher of the DIW think-tank in Berlin.

"The Trump administration now adding new threats with tariffs on European cars could make things a lot worse."

The latest announcement comes as negotiations with Canada and Mexico over revamping the continent-wide North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have stalled over auto demands.

Trump had earlier blamed the US neighbours to the north and south for being "difficult" in talks to renegotiate the pact.

The contrast with a Thursday visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Chinese premier Li Keqiang could not have been starker.

"China and Germany are on the path of promoting multilateralism and bolstering free trade," Merkel said in Beijing.

Japan also voiced concern over the prospect of US car tariffs, with trade minister Hiroshige Seko saying they would "plunge the world market into confusion" and be "extremely regrettable."

Passenger cars make up around 30 percent of Japan's total exports to the United States and Tokyo has already threatened Washington with retaliation at the World Trade Organization for the steel tariffs.

- China cuts tariffs -

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Trump was asking for vehicle import tariffs as high as 25 percent.

That would move US policy in the opposite direction from China, where President Xi Jinping recently offered to cut border taxes to 15 percent from 25 percent.

Passenger cars make up around 30 percent of Japan's total exports to the United States and Tokyo has already threatened Washington with retaliation at the WTO for the steel tariffs

In its statement announcing the inquiry, the Commerce Department cited figures showing that US employment in automobile manufacturing had dropped by 22 percent from 1990 to 2017.

Trump -- whose protectionist platform helped launch him to the White House -- has repeatedly floated the notion of steep tariffs that would shield the US auto industry.

He has specifically targeted Germany, and argued that American cars are slapped with higher tariffs than those imposed on European autos.

US cars sold in the EU are hit with 10 percent duties, while the US imposes just 2.5 percent on cars from the EU.

But Washington imposes 25 percent tariffs on European pick-ups and trucks -- which the EU taxes at a much lower 14 percent on average.

burs-mfp/dlc/spmGalagodaatte Gnanasara has been accused of hate crimes against Muslims

A Sri Lanka court on Thursday found a radical Buddhist monk guilty of criminal intimidation, the first time the notorious extremist has faced the prospect of jail.

Galagodaatte Gnanasara, who has been accused of hate crimes against Muslims, was convicted of two counts of harassing and intimidating a woman whose husband was abducted in 2010 by state forces.

A magistrate in Homagama town released the firebrand monk on bail pending his sentencing on June 14. Each count carries a maximum jail term of two years and an unspecified fine, or both.

The court held that Gnanasar used abusive language and insulted Sandya Eknaligoda, whose cartoonist husband was abducted by military intelligence in 2010.

Eknaligoda has campaigned to find out what happened to her husband, whose cartoons lampooned former strongman president Mahinda Rajapakse.

Several members of military intelligence were arrested in connection with his disappearance but all have since been released on bail.

Gnanasar had accused Eknaligoda of supporting Tamil extremists and bringing the military into disrepute.

"This is not a personal victory for me, but a vindication for many thousands who had suffered as a result of this monk's behaviour," Eknaligoda told AFP.

Eknaligoda's perseverance earned her an "Internal Women of Courage" award last year from US first lady Melania Trump.

Saffron-robed Gnanasara was in court, but remained silent when the guilty verdict was read out. His spokesman told AFP the monk was not making any comment.

The controversial priest was on the run for a month last year as police pursued him in connection with a string of hate attacks against Muslims.

He later surrendered to police and was granted bail.

Gnanasara's Buddhist Force, or BBS, has denied allegations it was behind riots against Muslims in 2017 and 2014 that left four people dead.

Gnanasara maintains close ties with Wirathu, an extremist monk in Mandalay, whose hate speech has galvanised religious tensions in Myanmar.

Wirathu visited Sri Lanka as a guest of Gnanasara shortly after the 2014 violence in Sri Lanka's tourist resort of Aluthgama.A crane unloads food aid provided by UNICEF from a cargo ship at the Red Sea port of Hodeida on January 27, 2018

Hodeida port, Yemen's largest entry point for aid, is now in the crosshairs of the Saudi-led coalition which is intent on cutting off the Huthi rebels from alleged Iranian arms shipments.

The Red Sea port has been a point of contention in Yemen's war since Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened on behalf of the government in 2015.

It is the main conduit for humanitarian aid on which millions depend, as Yemen teeters on the brink of famine.

But for neighbouring Saudi Arabia, Hodeida is seen as the entry point for rebel weaponry -- which it accuses regional rival Tehran of supplying.

On Tuesday, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition blamed the Shiite rebels for a "deliberate" attack on a Turkish ship loaded with wheat shipments.

Investigations revealed that "a missile had pierced the hull of the ship," Turki al-Maliki said.

The United Arab Emirates -- a key member of the Saudi-led alliance -- on Wednesday said its military had destroyed two rebel boats, "which had threatened a commercial oil tanker in the Red Sea".

The coalition points to incidents like these to support allegations the Huthis are using Hodeida as a strategic military outpost and entry point for ballistic missiles.

In November 2017, the coalition announced a total blockade on Hodeida in response to a rebel ballistic missile attack that targeted the Saudi capital Riyadh.

That embargo was eased under international pressure, but the coalition has meanwhile set its sights on retaking Hodeida by land -- especially as rebel missile attacks have increased.

- Mine fields -

Yemenis receive aid distributed by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), in the coastal town of Hodeida, on April 11, 2018

The United Nations has warned that any operation aimed at seizing Hodeida itself would disrupt the entry of aid shipments to Yemen, 70 percent of which flow through the rebel-held port.

But since May, the United Arab Emirates has taken the initiative to ramp up the coastal offensive, with the stated goal of taking Hodeida.

The fighting has been fierce, slowed by landmines that Yemeni military sources say have been laid by the insurgents.

The front lines have moved up along the coast, and there are also fronts in the districts of Hays and Al-Jarahi further inland.

"Military operations are proceeding at a good pace," the exiled Hodeida governor Al-Hassan Tahir told AFP from his base in Mokha.

About 180 kilometres (110 miles) south of Hodeida, the Red Sea port of Mokha was seized by Yemeni government forces in February.

"We have progressed in some areas more than 20 kilometres," said Tahir.

He acknowledged, however, the difficulty of advancing through minefields and avoiding civilian casualties.

"We are ensuring that our forces do not operate in areas where there is a high density of civilians," he said.

In mid-May, Amnesty International said the coastal offensive was driving tens of thousands of people from their homes.

The rights group warned "the worst could be yet to come" after surveying civilians who made the perilous escape from front line towns south of Hodeida port.

The offensive is now just 70 kilometres outside Hodeida in some areas, military sources told AFP.

Pro-government forces walk in the port of the western Yemeni coastal town of Mokha on February 9, 2017

The battles are sporadic but deadly.

Last week, 64 rebels and 19 loyalist troops were killed in the span of 24 hours, according to medical sources.

On Tuesday, 26 Huthi fighters and nine soldiers died in clashes.

- Anti-Iran coalition -

The UAE, in setting Hodeida as a target, has no choice but to project a united front among a disparate collective of forces.

The "Giant Brigades" -- a former elite force of the Yemeni army, rebuilt by the UAE -- has been at the vanguard of the offensive, reinforced by thousands of fighters from southern Yemen.

The second key force, the "National Resistance", are loyalists of Yemen's ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was assassinated by his former Huthi allies in December.

The force is commanded by Tarek Saleh, nephew of the former strongman, who in April linked up with the Saudis and Emiratis -- though without pledging allegiance to Yemen's exiled president, Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

The third force, the "Tihama Resistance", is named for the Red Sea coastal region and made up of locals from the area loyal to President Hadi.

National Resistance spokesman Sadiq Dawid has dismissed talk of divisions between the allies.

"We are fighting side by side with the Giants Brigade and the Tihama Resistance, and we are all in a joint operations room under the umbrella of the Arab alliance," he said.

"We are committed to participating in the fight to rid Yemen of Iran's agents," he added.

Displaced Yemeni children fill up carry containers of water from a tap at a camp in the Yemeni coastal city of Hodeidah, on February 17, 2018

The fighting in western Yemen is now the fiercest in the impoverished Arabian peninsula country.

Nearly 10,000 people have been killed since the alliance launched its intervention in March 2015, contributing to what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.TV screens in Seoul's subway relayed news reports on the North Korean nuclear site's demolition

Huge explosions reportedly shook North Korea's only known nuclear test site on Thursday, in a ceremony that Pyongyang said had "completely" destroyed the facility near the Chinese border.

The Punggye-ri test site, located beneath a mountain in the far northeast, hosted all six nuclear tests Pyongyang has conducted -- most recently last September.

Earlier this month the North announced it would blow up the site's access tunnels in front of invited foreign media.

The announcement came as the diplomatic push for Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons gathered pace with an unprecedented summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump slated for June 12 in Singapore.

Here's some of what we know about the secretive place:

- Ideal environment -

The site is located deep inside mountains in North Hamgyong province, which borders China.

Surrounded by high, craggy peaks and carved deep into a granite mountain more than 2,000 metres (6,500 feet) high, the test site is said to be an ideal venue to withstand the huge forces unleashed by nuclear blasts.

The site's location only became known in 2006 when the North conducted its first nuclear test under Kim's late father Kim Jong Il.

Activities have been closely watched through satellite imagery since then.

Tunnels can be seen entering the site from different directions. The first test was staged in the eastern tunnel, the second and third in the western tunnel and the remainder in the northern tunnel, according to intelligence authorities.

Yonhap reported three blasts in the tunnels Thursday followed by explosions that destroyed a barracks and other structures on the mountainside.

- Powerful blast -

Tests staged at the site have demonstrated the country's rapid progress in its nuclear programme -- especially since Kim took power in 2011 and oversaw four atomic tests in only six years.

The country's first test was largely seen as a failure and produced an estimated yield of only about one kiloton, compared to as much as 250 kilotons in the sixth -- an explosion 16 times more powerful than the US atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.

But Punggye-ri's proximity to China has become a source of concern for Beijing, as the tremor from the sixth test was felt across the border and prompted many residents to flee their homes in panic.

- Collapse claims -

The growing impact of the blasts raised safety concerns, with some Chinese scientists warning that the site could pose a major radioactive threat to the wider region.

A recent study by seismologists at the University of Science and Technology of China suggested rock had collapsed under the Mantap peak, making it unusable.

Kim himself has disputed those claims in conversations with his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-In.

"If they come and see, they will understand that there are two bigger tunnels than the existing test facilities and that they are in a very good condition," Kim said, according to comments released by the South.

A statement by North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Institute on Thursday said prior to the blasts, reporters confirmed "two tunnels at the nuclear test ground were ready for use for carrying out very powerful underground nuclear tests at any time".

- Empty gesture? -

Sceptics have said the move to destroy the site is an empty concession by Kim as the site is already suffering from "tired mountain syndrome" and may be obsolete. Others say North Korea has learned all it needs from the nuclear tests conducted there.

"They already collected the necessary data through six nuclear tests and unless they discard that data, there are suspicions over how significant the dismantling of a nuclear test site that has already run its course is," said Go Myong-Hyun, an analyst at the Asan Institute of Policy Studies.

But Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute of Strategic Studies says there is "no basis" to conclude Punggye-ri is no longer usable and the closure is "not a case of passing off damaged goods".

- Radiation fears -

The North has long claimed that its nuclear tests posed no environmental threats, saying there was "no radioactive leak" after conducting tests.

But some South Korean and Japanese media reported that workers at the site or residents from the area suffered from radioactive exposure and symptoms including cancer and the births of deformed babies, citing the North's defectors and researchers.

Such concerns prompted Seoul's unification ministry to run medical checkups on 30 defectors who hailed from the region for potential radioactive exposure last year.

Four of them -- from the county of Kilju that includes Punggye-ri -- showed symptoms that could be attributed to radiation exposure, but researchers involved in the study said they could not conclude that the health problems had been caused by a nuclear test.

After the destruction on Thursday, North Korea said: "It has been confirmed that there were neither leakage of radioactive materials nor any adverse impact on the surrounding ecological environment."Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu tendered his resignation after Burkina Faso became the latest country to cut ties with the island

Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu Thursday tendered his resignation after Burkina Faso announced it was breaking diplomatic ties with the island.

"As a government official, I must be responsible for policies, and I have verbally tendered my resignation to the president," Wu told a press conference.

Wu added that Taipei was cutting relations with Burkina Faso "to safeguard our sovereignty and dignity" and halting bilateral aid and cooperation programmes.

Burkina Faso is the second country to dump Taiwan within weeks after after Dominican Republic switched recognition to Beijing earlier this month, leaving the island with only 18 diplomatic allies around the world.

It was not immediately clear if Burkina Faso and China would establish diplomatic relations but Wu said it would only be "sooner or later" and that "everyone knows China is the only factor".

"Why China chose now to steal our ally, everyone can see although we couldn't go into the WHA (World Health Assembly), but we are developing deeper relations with more and more like-minded countries. I believe China can see this," he said.

Wu's comments came after the landlocked west African state said earlier Thursday that it was breaking diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

"The Burkina government decided today to break off its diplomatic relationship with Taiwan," Foreign Minister Alpha Barry said, in an announcement that follows a string of similar moves by African states since 2000.

"Since 1994, Burkina Faso has had cooperation relations with Taiwan," Barry said in a statement.

"But today, changes in the world, the current socio-economic challenges facing our country and our region call on us to reconsider our position."

China still considers Taiwan to be a renegade province to be reunified, by force if necessary, even though they split in 1949 after a civil war.

The two have been engaged for years in a diplomatic tug-of-war in developing countries. Economic support and other aid are often used as bargaining chips for diplomatic recognition.

Relations between Taiwan and China have worsened since President Tsai Ing-wen took office in May 2016 as her government refuses to acknowledge that Taiwan is part of "one China."South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed to reform the companies as part of efforts to tackle state corruption

The South African government, led since February by Cyril Ramaphosa, announced Thursday sweeping changes to several state-owned companies at the centre of graft and mismanagement allegations.

Ramaphosa had vowed to reform the companies as part of efforts to tackle state corruption, which he admitted blossomed under the nine-year rule of his predecessor Jacob Zuma.

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan announced Phakamani Hadeb had been appointed permanent head of Eskom, the state-owned power monopoly on the verge of bankrupcy.

He also confirmed Popo Molefe as chairman of the Transnet transport company, while announcing further board changes at Transnet, arms manufacturer Denel and the SA Express airline.

"A number of the state owned enterprises are experiencing financial, operational and governance challenges. This has negative spillover implications for the economy," Gordhan said.

"The poor performance of these companies was a result of deep and widespread corruption and maladministration."

Gordhan criticised "stealing" by the management of SA Express, which on Thursday was grounded by the South African Civil Aviation Authority due to safety concerns.

Mismanagement allegations at the state owned companies have been linked to the wealthy Gupta business family, who are accused of receiving favourable government deals during Zuma's presidency.

Zuma was forced to resign as president in February as criticism grew from within the ruling ANC party over corruption allegations against him.Afghan students recite from the Quran in a mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Jalalabad

The United States wasted billions of dollars trying to stabilize fragile parts of Afghanistan from 2001-2017 and some efforts caused more harm than good, a US government watchdog said Thursday.

A report by the office of the Special Inspector for Afghanistan Reconstruction found that Washington had set unrealistic expectations for itself after the US-led invasion in 2001 and massively overestimated its ability to build and reform government institutions.

"Despite some heroic efforts to stabilize insecure and contested areas in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2017, the program mostly failed," Special Inspector General John Sopko said as he presented the report in Washington.

"This happened for a number of reasons, including the establishment of a set of unrealistic expectations about what could be achieved in just a few years' time."

The report found that the military pressured aid groups to build schools and infrastructure in areas that were still being contested by the Taliban, leading to the failure of many projects.

Most of the $4.7 billion in stabilization funds was spent after 2009, when a surge in troops to Afghanistan saw large area cleared of the Taliban -- a rush of Western experts then tried to build institutions in these areas.

But the "large sums of stabilization dollars the United States devoted to Afghanistan in search of quick gains often exacerbated conflicts, enabled corruption and bolstered support for insurgents," the report states.

"Opportunities for corruption and elite capture abounded, making many of those projects far more harmful than helpful," it adds.

The SIGAR analysis found that Washington had set expectations and programs not properly tailored for Afghanistan, and noted that successes in stabilizing Afghan districts rarely lasted longer than the physical presence of coalition troops and civilians.

"Under immense pressure to quickly stabilize insecure districts, US government agencies spent far too much money, far too quickly, in a country woefully unprepared to absorb it," SIGAR noted.Togo's president has faced anti-government protests, after being relected in 2010 and 2015 in polls criticised by opposition parties

Afia Bassan has been unable to walk and still talks with difficulty since post-election violence erupted in her home town of Atakpame in central Togo in 2005.

Now, the 42-year-old's brother is taking her to collect a cheque for compensation from the government in the name of national reconciliation.

"People looted all her stocks of grain, cloth and jewellery... and beat her up. It traumatised her," he said.

Yet Bassan, a farmer, says she has "forgiven everything".

"It's over," she says with difficulty before picking up her cheque worth several hundred dollars as financial "reparation".

Atakpame is situated some 175 kilometres (110 miles) north of the capital Lome in a region where the opposition has held sway.

It was at the heart of violence after the 2005 election which saw Faure Gnassingbe elected president, taking over from his father Gnassingbe Eyadema, who ruled Togo for 38 years.

The unrest is still a dark chapter in the history of the tiny West African nation: government estimates put the death toll at 105 and 811 according to the opposition.

The United Nations said there were "between 400 and 500 deaths".

Gnassingbe has always denounced what he calls the "senseless violence, disorder and attacks" but Yacouba, a former roadside bar owner, still blames the military.

"It took them one night to wreck my home and burn down my very popular bar. I lost everything," he told AFP.

- Compensation -

Togo's government is reeling from popular protests, which have seen tens of thousands of people take to the streets calling for President Faure Gnassingbe's resignation

In May 2009, the government -- still headed by Gnassingbe -- set up a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (CVJR) to "shed light on political violence between 1958 and 2005".

It collected testimony for almost three years, which allowed it to identify a total of more than 22,000 people to receive compensation totalling between 35 billion and 40 billion CFA francs ($62 million, 53 million euros).

In 2005, the commission recorded 12,000 victims, including 7,000 in Atakpame alone.

The process has quickened in recent months and the state has already allocated some three million euros.

Togo's government is reeling from popular protests, which have seen tens of thousands of people take to the streets calling for Gnassingbe's resignation.

He was re-elected in 2010 and 2015 in polls heavily criticised by opposition parties.

In December, about 100 people received compensation, and in a second phase that started in mid-April some 2,500 will receive between 420,000 and 2.1 million CFA francs.

Togo's High Commission for Reconciliation and Reinforcement of National Unity (HCRRUN) opened an office in Atakpame. Names of the victims are posted on a small board in the courtyard.

"The Togolese have turned against each other and killed each other in the name of politics," said the president of the HCRRUN, Awa Nana-Daboya.

"Today they can't explain what happened to them."

In July 2007, Gnassingbe visited Atakpame, where he promised that the violence "would never happen again on the land of our ancestors".

Yet just over 10 years later, chaotic scenes erupted again in Lome and particularly in the north of the country.

The scale of violence -- some 15 deaths -- is nowhere near that in 2005 but residents in Atakpame, who have seen it before, are concerned, as elections approach in two years.

"We've lived through the ordeal. Young people destroyed the town. Soldiers fired real bullets for days," said Adamon Sodji.

"My wife was killed with a shot to the heart while she was working in her hairdressing salon," he added with a tear in his eye.

- Political change -

Most of the victims who have come to collect their money say they want to move forward and "wipe the slate clean".

In Atakpame, there was no violence during the recent protests. The memory is still too painful.

"Compensation isn't enough but I accept it and end this dark chapter in my life," said Yacouba in the middle of about 50 people.

For many human rights organisations and some opposition political parties, peace can only come after a proper judicial process.

To this day, no-one linked to the 2005 violence has been prosecuted.

In 2010, ACAT-France, which campaigns against torture and the death penalty, and Amnesty International called on the Gnassingbe to put an end to the continuing "impunity" in Togo.

"It's all an act. We're tired of this system that has ruled us for decades," said Cyrille, a retired teacher. "The only concern Togolese have today is change in power."Intended as a discussion group, the blog has evolved to be more of a reading list of current issues affecting our county, its government and people. All reasonable comments and submissions welcomed. Email us at: bill.pysson@gmail.com REMEMBER: To view our sister blog for education issues: www.district100watchdog.blogspot.comRelations between Taiwan and China have worsened since Beijing-sceptic Tsai came to power

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen lashed out at China on Thursday after Burkina Faso broke diplomatic ties with the island, the second country to do so this month.

The move, which has been welcomed by China, comes after the Dominican Republic switched recognition to Beijing earlier this month, leaving Taiwan with only 18 diplomatic allies around the world.

Although it was not immediately clear if Burkina Faso and China would establish diplomatic relations, officials in Taipei said it was only a matter of time and blamed Beijing for the setback.

"China's crude behaviours to undermine our sovereignty have already challenged the bottom line of Taiwan's society. We will not tolerate it anymore," President Tsai told reporters without elaborating.

Tsai accused Beijing of using "dollar diplomacy" to lure away the island's allies.

She added that Beijing's moves reflected "insecurity and lack of confidence.... The more crude their behaviour, the more it sparks international repulsion".

The foreign ministry in Beijing said in a statement that "we welcome Burkina Faso's early accession to the Sino-African friendship and cooperation family based on the one-China principle."

Relations between Taiwan and China have worsened since Beijing-sceptic Tsai came to power as her government refuses to acknowledge that Taiwan is part of "one China".

China still considers Taiwan to be a renegade province to be reunified, by force if necessary, even though they split in 1949 after a civil war.

The two have been engaged for years in a diplomatic tug-of-war in developing countries. Economic support and other aid are often used as bargaining chips for diplomatic recognition.

Taiwan can now claim only one ally in Africa -- eSwatini (formerly Swaziland). Burkina Faso was the fourth country to cut ties with Taipei since Tsai took office two years ago.

The Dominican Republic announced on May 1 the termination of its 77-year diplomatic relationship with Taiwan to recognise China.

The small African nation of Sao Tome switched recognition to Beijing in late 2016, followed by Panama in June last year.

- Raising pressure -

Burkina Faso said earlier Thursday that it was severing diplomatic ties with Taiwan for the second time. The country terminated relations with Taipei first in 1973 but restored them in 1994.

"But today, changes in the world, the current socio-economic challenges facing our country and our region call on us to reconsider our position," said Foreign Minister Alpha Barry.

Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu tendered his resignation after Burkina Faso became the latest country to cut ties with the island

The decision prompted Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu Thursday to tender his resignation, pending Tsai's approval.

Wu said that Taipei was cutting relations with Burkina Faso "to safeguard our sovereignty and dignity" and halting bilateral aid and cooperation programmes.

According to some reports, last year Beijing allegedly offered $50 billion to Burkina Faso to establish relations but the landlocked west African state turned it down.

Tsai dropped a plan to visit the country in April during her first trip to Africa since taking office after its president was unable to receive her, citing scheduling conflicts.

Wu said Taipei already felt "a little unease" at that time.

Tsai's government is trying to enhance Taiwan's international profile but faces a concerted attempt by Beijing to shrink its space on global platforms.

Beijing has stepped up pressure on her government by blocking Taiwan from attending a growing list of international events and staging a string of military drills around the island.

Taiwan has accused the World Health Organization of giving in to pressure from China after it was not invited to a major meeting that is underway in Geneva.The unrest in Mali stems from a 2012 Tuareg separatist uprising against the state, which was exploited by jihadists in order to take over key cities in the north

Two armed groups have formed in central Mali on either side of an ethnic rift that has caused violence to flare, their leaders told AFP on Thursday.

Over the past three years, nomadic Fulani people and farmers from the Dogon ethnic group have engaged in tit-for-tat violence, partly rooted in a dispute over cattle grazing.

"We have the numbers that it takes to defend our parents against the militias, notably the Fulanis, who attack them," said David Tembine, the leader of a Dogon vigilante group.

It calls itself Dana Amassagou, "which means 'The Hunters Who Confide in God'," Tembine said.

Separately, an organisation calling itself the Alliance for the Salvation of the Sahel has also formed to protect Fulani civilians from both Mali and neighbouring Burkina Faso "against abuses", Yessouf Diallo, one of the group's leaders, told AFP.

Central Mali is a vast area where the state is near-absent and jihadists, blamed for exacerbating the dispute, roam with little constraint.

In its latest quarterly report on Mali, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said protection of civilians in the region has "further deteriorated".

Jihadist groups have "exacerbated" the violence between the two communities, causing an unprecedented number of civilian causalities in their operations targeting Malian and foreign forces, the report added.

The Fulani community routinely accuses the authorities of tolerating, or even encouraging, abuses against them by hunter groups as part of their fight against jihadists, which the government denies.

The unrest in the former French colony stems from a 2012 Tuareg separatist uprising against the state, which was exploited by jihadists in order to take over key cities in the north.

Although French forces removed the Al-Qaeda-linked groups from places such as Timbuktu, the insurgents have morphed into nimbler formations operating in rural areas, sometimes winning over local populations by providing basic services and protection from bandits.

Meanwhile, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, announced at a press conference on Thursday it would send a special team from its human rights division to inquire into violence that occurred last Saturday in Boulkessi, a town near the border with Burkina Faso.

A Malian soldier and at least 12 other people were killed in violence that occurred during an army patrol on a market.

The army says the 12 were "terrorists" who had been "neutralised," but local residents say they were civilians.

The Malian army is often accused of making arbitrary arrests and carrying out extra-judicial executions in its fight against jihadists.Congolese soldiers regularly carry out operations against the Allied Democratic Forces militia (ADF) in North Kivu province

Ten suspected Ugandan militia members have been killed in an army offensive on a rebel base in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the DRC military said Thursday.

The early morning operation in the Beni region of North Kivu province targeted the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militia created by Muslim radicals to oppose Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni which also operates in the DRC.

General Marcel Mbangu, operations commander against Ugandan rebels in North Kivu, told AFP that at midday "provisional estimates" showed 10 ADF members had been killed.

Witnesses described hearing explosions from heavy and light weapons.

"This news gives hope -- the army has gone on the offensive, even if there are still doubts about the enemy's identity," said Noella Muluwavyo, a civil society leader in the territory of Beni.

The operation follows another flareup of violence in eastern DRC where a number of armed groups fight over the region's rich mineral resources.

On Monday, officials said 10 civilians were shot dead in the regional town of Mbau by ADF militia, some 500 metres (yards) from army position.

The group stands accused of killing hundreds of civilians over the years and of carrying out a deadly attack on UN troops in Beni last December that left 15 peacekeepers dead.A small memorial of candycanes lie on the grass near the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, as the town in January 2013 marked the one month anniversary of the massacre

Six families of victims killed in one of America's worst mass shootings have filed a lawsuit against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who has claimed the massacre days shortly before Christmas 2012 never happened.

Twenty small children and six adults were killed in less than five minutes on December 14, 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, by 20-year-old killer Adam Lanza who then turned the gun on himself.

A Connecticut law firm filed the defamation lawsuit in Bridgeport on Wednesday accusing Jones, his far-right website Infowars, other financial backers, one of his guests and another associate of greed in peddling their campaign.

Jones, a Texas-based radio host and Donald Trump supporter, has claimed the massacre was staged and that the 26 bereaved families are paid actors, exposing the families to harassment, death threats and personal attacks on social media.

"Jones has deliberately employed these false narratives... as part of a marketing scheme that has brought him and his business entities tens of millions of dollars per year," said a copy of the 39-page lawsuit.

"He knew his claims were false but he made them anyway to further a simple but pathetic goal: to make money by tearing away at the families' pain," said Josh Koskoff, an attorney for the families.

"He went on a sustained attack that has lasted for years, accusing shattered family members of being actors, stating as fact that the shooting itself was a hoax and inciting others to act on these malicious lies," he added.

According to the lawsuit, Jones has a radio audience of more than two million people and more than 2.3 million subscribers to his YouTube channel.

It seeks monetary and punitive damages, suing for invasion of privacy, defamation, emotional distress, unfair trade practices.

The plaintiffs include an FBI agent who responded to the scene of the shooting.

Within days of the killings, Jones attacked the victims' families, publishing headlines including "Sandy Hook Shooting Exposed as a Fraud," and urged people to "investigate" for themselves, the lawsuit said.

"Because of Jones and his co-conspirators' campaign of unconscionable lies, many thousands of people currently believe that our clients faked their loved ones' deaths," said attorney Matt Blumenthal.

"These families have been continually harassed and abused as a result, all while attempting to face fathomless loss. Today, they say: No more."

Wednesday's suit follows two other defamation lawsuits filed last month in Texas by the parents of two other victims.

The Infowars website is among those that fueled rumors about a Washington pizzeria being a front for a child sex trafficking ring that involved Hillary Clinton and her campaign staff.Canada's Aecon Group helped build Toronto's iconic CN Tower

Canada has blocked Chinese state-owned CCCC's acquisition of construction firm Aecon Group, citing on Thursday national security concerns in a decision widely expected to create a rift between Ottawa and Beijing.

China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC), one of the world's largest engineering and construction groups, had reached a deal last October to buy Aecon for Can$1.5 billion (US$1.2 billion).

The purchase was to be made through CCCC's overseas investment and financing arm CCCC International Holding Limited, also known as CCCI.

But after a national security review of the purchase under the Investment Canada Act, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government blocked the deal.

"As is always the case, we listened to the advice of our national security agencies" throughout the review process, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains said in a statement.

"Based on their findings, in order to protect national security, we ordered CCCI not to implement the proposed investment."

Canada and China had been seeking closer economic ties. They entered preliminary talks on a free trade agreement last year but the negotiations stalled.

Ottawa's Aecon decision is another blow to the relationship.

Aecon helped build Toronto's iconic CN Tower and Vancouver's Sky Train, and has significant roles in critical infrastructure projects including the refurbishment of nuclear plants and construction of a massive hydroelectric dam in British Columbia.

US and Canadian intelligence services have warned that Chinese state-owned firms are prone to passing on information and technologies to China's Communist regime to serve its agenda, which may be at odds with Canadian interests.

China's acquisitions of Canadian technology firms Norsat and ITF Technologies, as well as a stake in a retirement home chain, had also raised eyebrows -- but were approved by Ottawa.

The Aecon transaction would have been the largest by a Beijing-backed enterprise outside of Canada's resources sector.

Large-scale Chinese investment in Canada is a relatively recent phenomenon and remains small compared to United States and other foreign sources.The EU's so-called General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect on Friday

Companies made a last-minute rush Thursday to comply with new European Union data protection laws that Brussels says will protect consumers from being like "people naked in an aquarium".

The EU's so-called General Data Protection Regulation takes effect on Friday and has been blamed for a flood of spam emails and messages as firms seek the explicit consent of users to contact them.

Britain's data protection watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), said that its site had experienced "a few interruptions" as the deadline loomed, but said that "everything is working now"

Brussels however insists that the laws will become a global benchmark for the protection of people's online information, particularly in the wake of the Facebook data harvesting scandal.

"The new rules will put the Europeans back in control of their data," said EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova -- ironically echoing the slogan of "Take Back Control" that Britain's pro-Brexit supporters have used.

"When it comes to personal data today, people are naked in an aquarium."

Companies can be fined up to 20 million euros ($24 million) or four percent of annual global turnover for breaching the strict new data rules for the EU, a market of 500 million people.

- Explicit consent -

The law establishes the key principle that individuals must explicitly grant permission for their data to be used.

The new EU law also establishes consumers' "right to know" who is processing their information and what it will be used for.

People will be able to block the processing of their data for commercial reasons and even have data deleted under the "right to be forgotten."

Parents will decide for children until they reach the age of consent, which member states will set anywhere between 13 and 16 years old.

Facebook data scandal

The case for the new rules has been boosted by the recent scandal over the harvesting of Facebook users' data by Cambridge Analytica, a US-British political research firm, for the 2016 US presidential election.

The breach affected 87 million users, but Facebook said Wednesday it has found no evidence that any data from Europeans were sold to Cambridge Analytica.

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg said in a hearing at the European Parliament on Tuesday that his firm will not only be "fully compliant" with the EU law, but will also make huge investments to protect users.

Zuckerberg said he was "sorry" for the Cambridge Analytica breaches, but also for its failure to crack down on election interference, "fake news" and other data misuses.

- 'Global standard' -

Big platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter seem well prepared for the new laws, while smaller businesess have voiced concern.

But EU officials say they are initially focusing on the big firms whose business models use a goldmine of personal information for advertisers, offering smaller firms more time to adapt.

Brussels has meanwhile expressed impatience with the eight of the 28 EU countries that say they will not have updated their laws by Friday.

The lack of preparedness comes despite the fact that the new laws were officially adopted two years ago, with a grace period until now to adapt to the rules.

Jourova said the new rules are setting "a global standard of privacy."

Many Americans who once criticised Europe as too quick to regulate the new driver of the global economy now see the need for the GDPR, EU officials insist.

"I see some version of GDPR getting quickly adopted at least in the United States," Param Vir Singh, a business professor at Carnegie Mellon University, told AFP in an email.

Japan, South Korea, India and Thailand are also drawing "some inspiration" from Brussels as they debate or adopt similar laws, another EU official said.Bitcoin is a virtual currency that operates over the internet, without a central bank or single administrator in charge

A South African teenager was found Thursday four days after he was kidnapped by a gang who demanded a ransom in bitcoin cryptocurrency worth about $123,000 (105,000 euros), police said.

Police declined to say if any ransom had been paid after the 13-year-old boy was taken in the eastern province of Mpumalanga while playing near his home and driven away in a car.

Local media published a ransom note left at the scene demanding 15 bitcoins and giving an address for a bitcoin "wallet" -- an internet location where the virtual currency can be stashed.

"I can confirm that Katlego Marite has been found," Mpumalanga police spokesman Leonard Hlathi told eNCA television news.

"I am not at liberty to divulge more details. Currently an investigation is underway.

"He was alone when he was found. He is 100 percent fine. The parents are by the side with their son and the police are also with him."

The case appeared to be the first ransom demand in South Africa made in virtual currency.

In March, US hackers demanding a ransom payable in bitcoin attacked computers of the Atlanta city government in the southern state of Georgia.

Police in South Africa, where violent crime is common, have reported a recent rise in kidnappings, although it is often wealthy business people who are targeted.Special Envoy of The UN Secretary-General to Burundi Michel Kafondo, left, shakes hands with Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza in Bujumbura on June 29, 2017

The UN envoy for Burundi called Thursday for a return to talks between the government and the opposition following a constitutional referendum expected to strengthen President Pierre Nkurunziza's hold on power.

Michel Kafando told the Security Council that consultations are expected to be held in the coming days to relaunch talks between the government and the opposition, under the auspices of East African leaders.

"We expect a strong signal from the authorities in support of relaunching the inter-Burundian dialogue under the aegis of the East African Community," said Kafando, a former president of Burkina Faso who became UN envoy last year.

The United States and France also called for dialogue, but Russia warned against meddling in Burundi's domestic affairs, while China stressed that the situation was "generally stable."

"The priority should be to increase humanitarian assistance to Burundi and support for its economic and social development," said China's representative at the meeting, Zhang Dianbin.

In power since 2005, Nkurunziza plunged his east African nation into crisis in 2015 when he circumvented a constitutional two-term limit, stressing his first term came after an election by parliament.

At least 1,200 people have died and 400,000 displaced in a crackdown on protests against his rule.

In a referendum held on May 17, a majority of voters backed constitutional changes that would extend the presidential term limit to seven years.

The opposition accused the government of waging a campaign of fear and intimidation ahead of the vote.

Nkurunziza has refused to hold talks with the opposition, which he accuses of staging an alleged coup.

The government has branded as a terrorist organization the umbrella opposition group the National Council for the Restoration of Arusha Agreement and Rule of Law, or CNARED.

Nkurunziza is the latest African leader to seek changes to the constitution in order to stay in power, along with Rwanda's Paul Kagame, Uganda's Yoweri Museveni, Cameroon's Paul Biya among others.US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Europeans did 'nothing' to support the US in pressuring Iran over its ballistic missile program

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Europeans Thursday of having done nothing to counter Iran's program to develop ballistic missiles.

"The Europeans have told us ... that they are prepared to engage on missiles, and for three years did nothing," Pompeo told a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Likewise, he said, European governments haven't done anything in support of the US campaign labelling Iran the world's leading sponsor of terror.

"They talked about agreeing to things on terror," Pompeo said, but did nothing.

President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that the United States was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear accord, calling its requirements on Tehran too weak.

Until that point the European parties to the accord, France, Germany and Britain, had negotiated with the Trump administration to find a solution to three primary US concerns: the Iran deal's 2025 sunset provisions on certain prohibited activities; Iran's ballistic missile program; and Iran's activities in other countries around the Middle East, including Syria and Yemen, which Washington considers "destabilizing".

According to European diplomats and some US officials, those talks had made significant progress and were close to completion when Trump announced he would pull out from the Iran nuclear deal.

Pompeo however rejected that view.

"We were never able to get there" in talks with the Europeans, he told the Senate panel.

"There was no evidence that the Europeans had any intention of actually agreeing to those three provisions."

Since then the other signatories -- the three Europeans, the European Union, Russia and China -- have sought to keep the Iran deal alive.

Pompeo earlier this week laid out 12 points that need to be addressed for a "new agreement" that covers a much broader range of issues.

However the other parties, including Iran, have all criticized the US approach.Tuesday's historic handshake between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was broadcast live around the world

Here is a look back at the diplomatic rollercoaster that took President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un from rhetorical warfare to Tuesday's unprecedented summit in Singapore.

- Trading insults -

On January 2, 2017, weeks before taking office, Trump vows North Korea will never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon capable of reaching US territory.

But six months into Trump's presidency, in July, Kim conducts two intercontinental ballistic missile tests and declares the entire United States to be within North Korea's range.

The following month, Trump threatens "fire and fury" if Pyongyang continues to threaten America, kicking off months of saber-rattling that set the world on edge.

Undeterred, Pyongyang weeks later test-fires a ballistic missile over Japan, and on September 3 carries out its sixth, "perfect" nuclear test.

On September 21, 2017, Washington unveils a raft of tough sanctions to curb North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programme, two days after Trump's maiden speech to the UN General Assembly in which he dubs Kim a "Rocket Man" on a "suicide mission".

In response, Kim brands Trump "mentally deranged".

He later boasts his missile arsenal can hit any city on the US mainland, warning in a New Year address that he has a "nuclear button" on his desk. Trump responds by saying his own nuclear button is "much bigger and more powerful".

- 'Peace Olympics' -

Following years of tensions, South Korea's hosting of the Winter Olympics in February 2018 gives the neighbours a window to reopen communications, ushering in a spectacular Korean detente.

Graphic on Kim's meeting with Trump in Singapore, along wih his other high-level diplomatic meetings this year

As the two Koreas march together for the opening ceremony, the South's President Moon Jae-in shares historic handshakes with Kim's sister Kim Yo Jong, and Trump's daughter Ivanka attends events with top officials from both sides.

Washington makes clear it will keep up the pressure, though, slapping Pyongyang on February 23, 2018, with its largest ever set of sanctions, a move the regime calls an "act of war."

In a remarkable announcement at the White House, on March 8, a top South Korean official announces that Kim will "refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests" and has invited Trump to meet him -- and that Trump has agreed.

The Olympics also pave the way for an historic inter-Korean summit, on April 27, which sees Pyongyang and Seoul promise to pursue the denuclearisation of the peninsula and a permanent peace.

- Pompeo in Pyongyang -

Over the Easter weekend, Trump's CIA chief and nominee for secretary of state Mike Pompeo travels secretly to Pyongyang where he meets Kim and begins to lay the groundwork for the landmark summit.

A month later, Pompeo makes a second unannounced trip aimed at finalising the summit details -- and pressing for the release of three US citizens detained by Pyongyang.

On May 9, Trump announces the three men are headed to the United States and offers effusive thanks to Kim.

The next morning, he reveals the date and location of his meeting with Kim -- Singapore on June 12.

- Off, then on again -

But storm clouds gather on May 16 when North Korea threatens to cancel the summit as it expresses "repugnance" towards Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton.

Bolton provoked Pyongyang's ire by suggesting it followed Libya's lead on denuclearisation -- evoking memories of the demise of Moamer Kadhafi, killed in a 2011 uprising after agreeing to scrap his nuclear programme.

On May 24, Trump calls off the summit, blaming "tremendous anger" and "hostility" from the North Korean regime.

There are signs of a change of heart when Trump tweets on May 27 that he sees "brilliant potential" in North Korea.

And on June 1, following talks with Kim's right-hand man in the Oval Office, Trump announces the meeting is back on.

In Singapore on June 12, the handshake between the two heads of state is broadcast live around the world.

It is the first-ever meeting between sitting leaders of the two countries.

They sign a document committing to "security guarantees" from Washington and "new US-DPRK relations", referring to the North by its official acronym.Could not establish database connection.

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The US ramped up sanctions on Iran Thursday, targeting several airlines it said were linked to the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The US Treasury placed on its blacklist nine individuals and entities in Iran and Turkey for obtaining aircraft parts, including restricted US-made parts, and supporting the operations of Mahan Air, Caspian Air, Meraj Air, and Pouya Air.

The nine were labelled "Specially Designated Global Terrorists" for their support of the four carriers, which are all already under US sanctions.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that, by helping the four, "they extend a lifeline to the IRGC-QF and enable the Iranian regime to transport weapons, fighters, and money to its proxies, including Hezbollah, and to prop up the brutal Assad regime" in Syria.

"Countries and companies around the world should take note of the risks associated with granting landing rights and providing aviation services to the airlines used by Iran to export terrorism throughout the region."

The sanctions excluded Iran Air, the country's flag carrier with the largest fleet, and Aseman Airlines, which operated an ATR-72 aircraft which crashed into the mountains of southwestern Iran in early March, killing 66.The building housing the reactor of the Bushehr nuclear power plant at the Iranian port town of Bushehr, south of Tehran is seen in April 2007

Iran is still implementing the 2015 accord over its nuclear programme, just weeks after Washington ditched the accord, according to a report by the UN's nuclear watchdog.

The International Atomic Energy Agency report, seen by AFP Thursday, shows that Iran is abiding by the deal's key restrictions on its nuclear facilities in return for relief from damaging economic sanctions.

The latest assessment from the IAEA comes after US President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the accord earlier this month, putting its future in jeopardy.

The IAEA urged Iran to stick with the accord and even go beyond its legal obligations so as to boost international confidence in Tehran's commitments.

A senior diplomat in Vienna, where the IAEA is based, said this was not prompted by any lack of co-operation or change of behaviour on Iran's part.

The IAEA is "encouraging (Iran) to go above and beyond the requirements" of the deal in order to boost confidence, the diplomat said, adding that Tehran could, for example, invite inspectors to sites they had not demanded access to.

Signatories Britain, France, Germany plus the European Union, Russia and China have been trying to salvage the deal after Trump's decision but Iran has warned that if it suffers as a result the reintroduction of US economic sanctions, it could walk away from the accord.

- 'Strongest sanctions' -

As in previous reports, the IAEA confirmed that the number of centrifuges to enrich uranium at Iran's Natanz plant had been kept below the agreed level of 5,060, while its total stockpile of low-enriched uranium "has not exceeded 300 kilogrammes (660 pounds)".

Uranium, when enriched to high levels, can be used in a nuclear weapon. At lower enrichment levels, it is used for peaceful applications such as power generation -- Iran's stated aim.

Since the deal came into effect, Iran has twice inched over the agreed volume of heavy water, a reactor coolant.

However, the latest report said that for the past three months the volume had remained below the agreed maximum of 130 tonnes.

Apart from the relatively minor breaches of heavy water levels, IAEA reports have consistently shown Iran adhering to the terms of the deal in the two years since it came into force.

In the IAEA's previous report it had said that Iran had informed it of a decision to "construct naval nuclear propulsion in the future".

Press reports have previously said that Iran wants to develop nuclear-powered ships or submarines.

The latest report says that Iran has assured the IAEA that more information will be provided in due course and that "for the first five years, no facility will be involved".

On Wednesday, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran would not discuss its missile programme in any new deal, as demanded by the US, and said European countries had to compensate Iran if it experienced a dip in oil sales.

Khamenei has said Iran could resume its uranium enrichment up to 20 percent should the deal collapse. The accord limits Tehran to enriching uranium to 3.67 percent, well short of weapons-grade strength.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had warned on Monday that Iran would be hit with the "strongest sanctions in history" and cautioned European firms against continuing to do business in the country.

On Friday, the remaining parties to the accord will meet in Vienna at Iran's request to discuss the implementation of the deal and ways to save it without Washington's participation.A file picture shows children walking past damaged homes in the West Bank Bedouin camp of Khan al-Ahmar on April 7, 2016 after Israeli authorities demolished four houses they said were built without permission

Israel's supreme court ruled Thursday in favour of demolishing a Palestinian Bedouin village in the occupied West Bank, despite a campaign by European governments to save it.

Campaigners said the hearing had been the final appeal open to the village of Khan al-Ahmar, located close to several Israeli settlements east of Jerusalem.

It was unclear when the demolition of the village home to around 180 residents would take place.

In its ruling the court said it found "no reason to intervene in the decision of the minister of defence to implement the demolition orders issued against the illegal structures in Khan al-Ahmar."

The residents would be relocated elsewhere, it added, in a move critics say amounts to forcible transfer.

The court ruled that the village was built without the relevant building permits.

Such permits are nearly impossible to obtain for Palestinians in Israeli-controlled areas of the West Bank.

"This verdict takes away the absolute minimal protection the Bedouin communities received until recently from the court," Shlomo Lecker, the lawyer representing the village, said in a statement.

"By any standard of international humanitarian law, the verdict is an approval by the Israeli court of a crime against humanity."

The decision was likely to be met with anger by European governments, who had been fighting to save the village.

Last week the head of the British consulate-general in Jerusalem visited the village and said in a video clip published online that the planned demolition was a "matter of great concern for the UK and indeed for the European Union."

Earlier Thursday Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced 2,500 new settlement units in the West Bank.

All settlements are considered illegal under international law.Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, director of the US military's Joint Staff, says the Pentagon is ready to respond to any "provocative actions" from North Korea

The Pentagon is ready to respond to any "provocative actions" from North Korea, an official said Thursday after President Donald Trump canceled a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"We are in a boxer stance, we are ready to respond," Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, director of the US military's Joint Staff, told reporters.

"We'll see what develops over the next few days. If any provocative actions occur from (North Korea), we will certainly, in concert with our allies and partners in the region, be ready for it."

Secretary of State Jim Mattis spoke with Trump by phone earlier in the day, but officials would not say if he had been part of the decision process to scrap the summit or was merely informed of it.

Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said the Pentagon is part of the US "maximum pressure" campaign against North Korea that includes tough sanctions, diplomatic moves and military readiness.

"We are ready to fight tonight. That's always been the case," she said at a joint briefing with McKenzie.

McKenzie added the Pentagon maintains a "very high" state of vigilance with North Korea.

"We will continue that going forward to include our missile defense activities," he said.

In a letter to Kim, Trump announced he would not go ahead with the high-stakes meeting set for June 12 in Singapore.

The letter spoke of America's "massive and powerful" nuclear capabilities, marking a sudden return to the bellicose rhetoric that had been characteristic of Trump until he first announced the summit.

Tensions with North Korea soared last year after Kim test-fired intercontinental ballistic missiles with a big enough range to hit the US, and conducted his sixth nuclear test.

McKenzie said the Pentagon had not changed anything militarily during the short-lived thaw.

"We didn't ramp up or down as word of this summit began to rise and now has ended," he said.

"We are being very steady, very straight in terms of our preparations, in terms of the readiness that we display."

The US military has some 28,500 troops based in South Korea and the two militaries routinely conduct joint training exercises on the peninsula.

The US has also deployed a THAAD anti-missile battery in South Korea, designed to shoot down any rockets from the North.Canada is rejecting a US proposal to slap steep tariffs on car imports over American national security concerns

Canada rejected Thursday a US proposal to slap steep tariffs on car imports over American national security concerns.

Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters it was "absurd" to suggest that Canadian car imports threaten US national security, noting that most motor vehicles assembled in Canada are manufactured by US car companies and include US parts.

American Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Wednesday said he had initiated an investigation into whether auto imports were "weakening our internal economy and may impair the national security."

The Wall Street Journal reported that US President Donald Trump was seeking vehicle import tariffs as high as 25 percent.

Trump tweeted there was "big news coming soon for our great American autoworkers," while blaming Canada and Mexico for being "difficult" in talks to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Trade in automobiles and parts remains a sticking point in the NAFTA negotiations, with Trump demanding an increased share of vehicle manufacturing in the United States.

"That Canada could pose any kind of security threat to the United States is inconceivable," Freeland's spokesman Adam Austen told AFP.

"Canada and the United States have the greatest economic and security partnership of any two countries in the world."

Austen noted that the two nations are "staunch allies" in the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and on border security matters.

According to the latest trade data, Canadian imports of motor vehicles and parts rose 12 percent in March to Can$9.2 billion ($7.1 billion US) while exports fell five percent to Can$7.9 billion.

Most of Canada's trade in passenger cars and light trucks as well as auto parts is with the United States, although March saw an uptick in motor vehicle imports from Germany.US President Donald Trump says his aim with car tariffs is to reclaim stolen American manufacturing jobs

With the latest threat to impose harsh import duties on vehicles and auto parts under the guise of national security, President Donald Trump opens another front in his broad trade strategy.

In addition to complicating the job of already-busy US trade negotiators, a move against auto imports could be the tipping point that prompts broad retaliation.

It also could damage the US economy, harming consumers, investment and employment, even while Trump said his aim is to help American autoworkers.

Trump late Wednesday announced he had ordered the Commerce Department to open an investigation into imports of cars, trucks and auto parts to determine if they were undermining US national security.

This use of Section 232 of US trade law is the same tactic employed in March to impose 25 percent tariffs on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum.

The investigation will take several months -- time for companies and trading partners to register their concerns -- but other governments now know Trump is likely to make good on his threat.

Rufus Yerxa, president of the National Foreign Trade Council said the tariff threat undermined global trading rules and could spark immediate reaction.

"If he heads down this road of raw economic nationalism, using tariffs as a weapon, every other major economy in the world is going to follow suit eventually and we're going to be back in the 1930s," Yerxa told AFP.

- Damaging industry -

Trump said Thursday he was "fighting to reclaim the stolen manufacturing jobs" but economists say the move could have the opposite effect.

Mary Lovely, a trade expert and economics professor at Syracuse University, argued that blocking imports of cars and parts "is actually going to reduce competitiveness of the American-based producers," and create an environment where they will only be able to sell vehicles in the domestic market.

"All these things have an action and reaction that makes me worry about the long-term consequences of this for the very industry he thinks he is protecting," she said.

John Bozzella, head of Global Automakers, a trade association representing international vehicle and parts manufacturers and suppliers, said the industry did not ask for any help from the government.

"Contrary to the assumption underlying the investigation on import vehicles, the US auto industry is thriving. To our knowledge no one is asking for this protection," Bozzella said in a statement.

"If these tariffs are imposed, consumers are going to take a big hit because they will have fewer vehicle choices and higher car and truck prices."

- Trade war? -

Trump's latest action comes at a time when the White House is engaged in three sensitive trade negotiations, which policy experts say are likely to deteriorate.

The administration is currently trying to renegotiate the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement; and hold talks with China to defuse the conflict prompted by the 25 percent tariffs on Chinese goods due to the alleged theft of US intellectual property.

US officials also are trying to reach an agreement with the EU to permanently exempt the bloc from the steel and aluminum tariffs -- and in fact floated the possibility that lower tariffs on US autos might be part of the deal.

Governments including the EU, China and Canada already have strenuously complained about the US decision and dismissed Trump's national security justification.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said US trade law defines national security broadly, so that it includes the economy and "the impact on employment."

Yerxa called the move as a "declaration of protectionism," and warned that the car industry was much bigger than steel and will have a much bigger impact.

"People were worried about that being a trade war, this is a tenfold increase in the trade war," he told AFP, adding that it made little sense to protect a thriving industry, one that was the single biggest US manufacturing sector, and employed eight million people directly or indirectly through related industries.

Lovely said the threats endangered the important relationship with the EU.

"It just seems we keep adding more fuel to the fire to have perhaps a potential trade war with the European Union."

- NAFTA at risk -

The NAFTA talks with Mexico and Canada are in a crucial phase if they are to be completed this year, but Yerxa and Lovely warn that the talks could be at risk.

"I see this as forcing Canada and Mexico to dig in even further in resisting the kind of bullying that's being conveyed through this action," Lovely said.

And she said it was "deeply troubling," given that the US auto industry depended on the integrated NAFTA supply chain to compete with Asian and German manufacturers.Investigators in Rwanda are continuing to gather evidence on the country's 1994 genocide

France's highest court on Thursday upheld a landmark conviction against a former Rwandan intelligence agent for his role in the country's 1994 genocide.

Pascal Simbikangwa, 58, was sentenced to 25 years in 2014 in a trial that marked a turning point in France's approach to genocide suspects living on its soil.

The former presidential guard member had already lost an appeal against his conviction for crimes against humanity and genocide in 2016.

The Cour de Cassation, France's court of final appeal, on Thursday ruled it was "obvious" that Simbikangwa had "willingly participated in abuses against the Tutsis and against the civilian population in general".

Simbikangwa, who has been confined to a wheelchair since a car crash in the 1980s, was accused of organising roadblocks where Hutu militia carried out murders, mainly targeting the Tutsi minority. He always insisted his innocence.

More than 800,000 people died during the Rwanda genocide, mostly ethnic Tutsis as well as some moderate Hutus.

The three-month slaughter began after the plane of then president Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, was shot down in April 1994.

In a separate case, prosecutors in Paris asked judges to order a Rwandan former doctor accused of being an accomplice in the genocide to stand trial in a criminal court, following an investigation that began 23 years ago.

- Tense relations -

Prosecutors accuse Sosthenes Munyemana, who fled to France after the end of the massacre, of signing a "motion of support" for government genocide and detaining Tutsi civilians under inhumane conditions.

His lawyer, Jean-Yves Dupeux, said the former gynaecologist had "behaved as he should have in trying to protect refugees in a difficult situation".

Meanwhile, other cases in France involving Rwandans accused of committing atrocities in the genocide are also being appealed.

Former eastern Rwandan mayors Octavien Ngenzi and Tito Barahira -- prosecuted over the genocide -- are both appealing life sentences they were handed in 2016.

The two were convicted of crimes against humanity and genocide over the "massive and systematic summary executions" of Tutsis in Kabarondo in 1994.

For decades, the genocide has led to tensions between France and the small East African country.

Rwanda has accused France of complicity in the mass killings through its support of ethnic Hutu forces who carried out most of the slaughter.

France has admitted it made mistakes but insists it never had a role in the massacre. It had previously also been accused of dragging its feet over prosecuting cases.

After meeting Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday backed a Rwandan candidate to head the world association of French-speaking nations, in a move likely to strengthen France's ties with Rwanda.The White House gift shop is offering a commemorative coin for the now-cancelled US-North Korea summit

US President Donald Trump may have called off his summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un but you can still order the commemorative coin from the White House gift shop.

And it's the "Deal of the Day" -- selling for $19.95, down from its regular $24.95.

"The coin will be made whether or not the summit occurs as scheduled," the White House gift shop said on its website.

"The theme is coming closer to peace and celebrates the act of communication among countries," it said.

The gift shop said it was ready to provide a refund if the summit does not take place but "most supporters have said they want this heirloom of political history regardless of outcome."

Trump blamed "tremendous anger" and "hostility" from the North Korean regime in calling off the June summit on Thursday.

The White House gift shop said the coin features silhouettes of Trump, North Korea's Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

It is not the same as a commemorative coin struck by the White House Communications Agency.

That coin depicts Trump and Kim, described as North Korea's "Supreme Leader," in profile facing each other in front of a background of US and North Korean flags.

The White House Communications Agency regularly issues commemorative or challenge coins to present to foreign guests, diplomats and members of the military.Burundi soldiers patrol near a voting booth during the May 17 referendum

Burundi's opposition on Thursday filed a petition to the country's constitutional court in a bid to invalidate the result of last week's referendum, which is expected to strengthen President Pierre Nkurunziza's hold on power.

Seventy-three percent of voters cast their ballot for "Yes" in the May 17 referendum to change the constitution, in a move that could give Nkurunziza the option to stay in power until 2034.

Even before the results were tallied, the Amizero y'Abarundi (Burundians' Hope) coalition that campaigned for a "No" vote had rejected the outcome, condemning vote-rigging and intimidation.

"We have just filed our complaint to request that the results of the May 17, 2018 referendum be annulled," spokesman for the parliamentary group, Pierre-Celestin Ndikumana, told the media.

"There was a lot of intimidation, arrests, with people prevented from participating in our campaign meetings," Ndikumana added.

"The vote was not free because people were accompanying voters in the polling booth."

Observers had widely expected the reforms to pass, partly due to support Nkurunziza still holds in rural areas, but also due to a three-year crackdown on dissent, the media and civil society.

The United States has denounced the "climate of fear and intimidation" and "lack of transparency" it said had marred the referendum and questioned the results.

Nkurunziza, 54, who has been in power since 2005, plunged his tiny east African nation into crisis in 2015 when he circumvented a constitutional two-term limit, arguing his first term came after an election by parliament.

At least 1,200 people have died and 400,000 displaced in a crackdown on protests against his rule, according to the International Criminal Court.

The constitutional reforms, which include measures that hand more power to Nkurunziza and his ruling CNDD-FDD, change term limits to seven years, meaning he could start again from scratch in 2020.

Nkurunziza is the latest African leader to seek changes to the constitution in order to stay in power, along with Rwanda's Paul Kagame, Uganda's Yoweri Museveni, Cameroon's Paul Biya among others.240518 WESLEYAN METHODIST CHURCH CELEBRATED JOHN WESLEY DAY TODAY

New Dawn FM News

The Wesleyan Methodist church of Bougainville today commemorated the JOHN Wesley Day at their Buka town church.

Highlights of the 279th celebrations included a Special Service, Speeches and a Choir competition that followed later.

The ABG member for HAKU ROBERT CHICKA represented the ABG as he is the member assisting the President Chief DR.JOHN MOMIS.

MR.CHICKA also told the gathering that he was attending because he was a student of a Methodist run school.

The day was also used as a fundraising day for the Wesleyan Methodist Bible College at Tanamalo in Haku on Buka island.

Chairman of the Organization Committee, Pastor Isaach Ganian thanked those who have made this day a success.

Church members came as far from Teop Island, Petats island and Haku and other parts of North Bougainville.

The Chairman also announced the next celebration to be held in Haku in 2019.



Ends





A man watches a television news showing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (R) and US President Donald Trump (L), at a railway station in Seoul on May 24, a day before Trump cancelled his planned summit with Kim

President Donald Trump's cancellation of a summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un dashed hopes for a quick denuclearization deal Wednesday, but the door remains open for talks between the two countries.

The meeting, planned for June 12 in Singapore, would have been the first ever between a US president and a member of the Kim dynasty -- the crowning moment of an extraordinary diplomatic partial-thaw unthinkable one year ago.

The question now is what happens next. A return to Kim launching test long-range ballistic missiles in the direction of the United States and Trump threatening to rain "fire and fury" on Pyongyang?

"It depends on how the North Koreans respond" to the summit being called off, said Lisa Collins, a Korea expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"If North Korea reacts to this in a more drastic way and ramps up rhetorical threats or even conducts missile tests, we could see a return to the cycle of high tensions that we saw about six months ago," Collins told AFP.

That would only stoke the views of Trump administration hawks such as White House National Security Advisor John Bolton, who have openly suggested that a military attack on North Korea is better than negotiating with an unreliable regime.

"There's an outcome that's potentially worse than zero, which is one in which voices like Bolton use the failure of this process as a justification for ramping up considerations of military options," said Vipin Narang, a professor in security studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

- Restraint needed from Trump, Kim -

A copy of US President Donald Trump's letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un scrapping their planned summit

Narang says it is too early to conclude that. The diplomatic process could resume, if the two sides exhibit restraint.

Analysts note the curious warmth of Trump's letter to Kim. "I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me," Trump wrote.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who did the groundwork for the summit with two visits to Pyongyang in the past two months, said he hopes to "quickly" get back to talks with Pyongyang.

"The best outcome is that they started a working-level dialogue. If that continues that's great," said Narang. "The process started, the summit is just delayed."

Trump had sought to avoid getting bogged down in low-level discussions, as past administrations have, and instead start off with a top-level summit. That, he hoped, would create a strong impetus to get an agreement from the outset, explained one official.

Kim raised expectations by releasing three Americans held prisoner in North Korea, in turn earning praise from Trump.

- No-show at planning meeting -

But preparations stalled in recent weeks over the goals of the summit, according to Collins.

"Both sides have very different perspectives on what denuclearization of the Korean peninsula or of North Korea would look like," she said.

Washington sought a rapid plan toward a "complete, verifiable and irreversible" denuclearization by Pyongyang.

On the table were economic aid and security guarantees, but only if Kim's regime gave up its nuclear weapons.

Pyongyang viewed that as a demand for unilateral disarmament. Its negotiators skipped a planning meeting in Singapore with a top Trump aide, without informing US officials.

"They simply stood us up," said a senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, calling it a "profound lack of good faith."

"That gulf was not going to be bridgeable by the time the Singapore summit happened," said Narang.

Yet that could prove to be a good thing.

"If North Korea is not willing to commit seriously to denuclearization in Singapore, better to continue talks at lower levels," said Nicolas Burns, a former senior US diplomat.

"Cancellation with a door open is probably the least bad option," added Aaron David Miller, a veteran of Middle East peace negotiations.

So far neither Trump nor Kim have changed their collegial tone with regard to the other, suggesting both are open to suggestions.

But it remains to be seen whether this will persist, without a summit to prepare for. Much could depend on China, which, though an ally of Pyongyang, has been willing to support Washington's economic sanctions to pressure Kim to deal with, rather than menace, the United States.Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is expected to surrender to New York authorities Friday fo face charges for sexual assault

For decades he was the Hollywood kingmaker capable of building or breaking careers. Meryl Streep famously called him "God" but now Harvey Weinstein, his name mud and his career over, faces arrest for sexual assault.

The Oscar-winning movie mogul saw his career go down in flames last October following bombshell articles in The New York Times and New Yorker magazine that accused him of decades of sexual harassment, assault and rape.

More than 100 women have since accused the 66-year-old of impropriety going back 40 years, sparking a sexual harassment watershed that ended the careers of a litany of powerful men, and spawned the #MeToo and Time's Up movements.

He was expelled by the Oscar-awarding Academy's board of governors and sacked by his own studio, The Weinstein Company, which has since filed for bankruptcy.

His British fashion designer wife left him, his homes are being sold and police opened criminal investigations in London, Los Angeles and New York.

The one-time Democratic Party donor who hobnobbed with the likes of Hillary Clinton and with a personal wealth once estimated at around $150 million has been hit by an avalanche of civil lawsuits.

He is now reportedly expected to surrender to New York authorities on Friday to face charges stemming from at least one woman's accusations -- that he forced aspiring actress Lucia Evans into oral sex in 2004.

Through it all, Weinstein denies any non-consensual sex and has reportedly been in treatment for sex addiction, in an ultra-expensive Arizona clinic.

- 'Never' suspicious -

"I came of age in the '60s and '70s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different," he said in a bizarre statement back in October that variously apologized, yet appeared in part to justify his behavior.

"That was the culture then," said Weinstein. But within days, he went underground, surfacing occasionally in paparazzi photographs looking glum, his name toxic and his reputation destroyed.

It was a dramatic fall for the one-time Hollywood legend who had earned his status over decades of producing box-office and critically claimed hits alike.

Since the scandal's outbreak, more than two dozen actresses including Mira Sorvino, Rosanna Arquette, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie have come forward saying they were sexually harassed by the producer.

Weinstein Company Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein and his former wife, designer Georgina Chapman, arrive at the Oscars at Hollywood & Highland Center for the 85th Annual Academy Awards

His alleged victims report a range of misconduct, including enforced massages, watching him naked and promises to advance their careers in exchange for sexual favors.

"There was a part of me that was terribly naive -- clearly, so naive," Georgina Chapman, his estranged wife and the mother of two of his five children, told Vogue magazine recently as she seeks to rehabilitate her own career.

"I had what I thought was a very happy marriage. I loved my life," she said. Asked if she had ever been suspicious, she replied: "Absolutely not. Never," grieving for her young children.

"What are their lives going to be?" she cried.

Born in Queens, New York on March 19, 1952 the son of a diamond cutter, he studied at Buffalo University and initially produced rock concerts until he and his younger brother, Bob, struck out into the movie business.

They co-founded Miramax Films, a small distribution company named after his mother Miriam and father Max, in 1979.

- 'The punisher' -

Miramax hits include 1998's "Shakespeare in Love," for which Weinstein shared a best picture Oscar. But the company was sold to Disney in 1993 and the brothers left in 2005 to start up their own studio, The Weinstein Company.

In February, New York's attorney general, who has since resigned in his own cloud of abuse allegations, sued the brothers and studio for failing to protect employees from alleged sexual misconduct despite multiple complaints.

Over the years, Weinstein's films received more than 300 Oscar nominations and 81 statuettes. The films he steered to Academy Awards glory include "The Artist," "The King's Speech," and "The Iron Lady" -- which won best actress for Streep as former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

Over his three-decade career he has produced more than 300 projects, including the Cannes-winning "Pulp Fiction" (1994), "Pret a Porter" in 1994, "The English Patient" (1996), and "Gangs of New York" in 2002.

Former producer Harvey Weinstein (L) and actress Meryl Streep attend the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

Through it all the burly executive was famous for his ability to orchestrate Oscars campaigns and reputedly worked cast and crew hard.

Streep -- who is famously protective of her family life -- was apparently made to earn every penny of her fee on the promotion circuit for "The Iron Lady."

"I just want to thank my agent and God -- Harvey Weinstein," she retorted at the 2012 Golden Globes. "The punisher. Old Testament, I guess," she added.

The triple Oscar winner has since said she was "appalled" by the "disgraceful" news and had no idea about the allegations.A masked Palestinian protestor stands amidst smoke from burning tires during clashes with Israeli forces on May 15, 2018 near the border fence with Israel east of Jabalia in the central Gaza Strip

Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the military's use of lethal force against Palestinians during protests and clashes on the Gaza border.

In the 41-page ruling published by the justice ministry Thursday night the panel of three justices unanimously rejected a petition by Israeli and Palestinian rights groups to restrain the army's use of snipers firing live ammunition.

Chief Justice Esther Hayut accepted the government position that the Gaza protesters were not peaceful civilian demonstrators but part of the "armed conflict" between Israel and the Gaza Strip's Islamist rulers Hamas.

But she said that despite the ruling the army should continue its internal review of the events and of its procedures.

The rules of engagement came under international fire after Israeli forces shot dead at least 62 Gazans on May 14, when thousands of Palestinians protested as the US officially moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the "violence of the Israeli armed forces against the protesters".

UN and European Union demands for an independent investigation were echoed by Britain, Germany and Switzerland.

Israel has rejected the idea and the United States, its strongest backer, has blocked moves for a probe at the United Nations.

Ireland and Belgium summoned the Israeli envoys in their capitals, while South Africa recalled its ambassador to Israel.

With at least 2,400 other Palestinians wounded, it was the bloodiest day of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the 2014 Gaza war and the peak of a campaign of protests launched on March 30.

Israeli forces have killed 121 Palestinians in those clashes. One Israeli soldier has been reported wounded over the same period.

Five Israeli NGOs and the Gaza-based Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights had argued in the court that international law bars the use of lethal fire against unarmed demonstrators.

The army has accused Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel since 2008, of seeking to use the protests as cover to carry out attacks.

It says that live fire is only used as a last resort after non-lethal means have failed to stop actions it considers "a real danger" to Israeli troops and civilians living near the border with Gaza.Dispensers containing water mixed with disinfectant are being used in Mbandaka during the Ebola outbreak

A Catholic priest has been quarantined in the Democratic Republic of Congo after being infected with Ebola as health officials on Friday revised down the number of deaths to 22.

"We have quarantined a priest from the diocese of Mbandaka-Bikoro who tested positive" for the Ebola virus, a medical source told AFP on Thursday, on condition of anonymity. Religious authorities in the town could not be immediately contacted.

The Congolese Health Ministry on Friday published a new death toll for the latest outbreak following laboratory tests on bodies.

The number of overall deaths as of May 23 was confirmed as 22, not the previously reported 27, the communique said.

The number of those infected was also revised down from 58 to 52, including 31 confirmed, 13 probable and 8 suspected cases.

It was not possible to establish whether the priest was among them.

The authorities explained the downward revisions by saying some cases attributed to Ebola had proved negative after laborartory testing.

Kinshasa on May 8 announced cases of the notorious haemorrhagic fever in a remote northwestern district called Bikoro.

Last Thursday, the first case was reported in a city -- Mbandaka, a transport hub located on the Congo River.

DRC health officials launched a small, targeted vaccination campaign this week and UNICEF said it was helping schools and children to protect against the spread of the virus.

How the Ebola virus attacks

The charity's DRC representative Gianfranco Rotigliano told AFP, following a visit to schools in Bikoro: "I spoke with the schoolchildren, and they know the basic rules including washing their hands regularly, and not shaking hands."

Ebola spreads through contact with bodily fluids and is both highly infectious and extremely lethal.

In Mbandaka, several families have installed buckets of water and soap at the entrance of the house for hand-washing, an AFP correspondent said.

"I asked my children to be careful not to shake hands with people and stop playing with their friends in games that would cause contact between them," Claude, a father of several children, told AFP.US intelligence agencies offered no evidence to back President Donald Trump's claim that the FBI planted a 'spy' in his campaign, congressional Democrats said Thursday after a closed-door briefing.

The Department of Justice and the FBI held two classified meetings with leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives and the heads of the chambers' intelligence panels, after the president demanded a probe into allegations of infiltration into his team, a potential scandal Trump has branded 'SPYGATE.'

US media have reported that the FBI sent an informant to gather possible evidence that Trump campaign advisors had suspicious contacts with Russia.

Democrats have warned that Trump's fixation on the issue -- he has tweeted about it repeatedly -- suggests he is attempting to undermine the year-old investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with his campaign.

Democrats say there is no evidence of 'spy' in Donald Trump's campaign after an intelligence brief (Trump seen on Thursday)

FBI Director Chris Wray was among the intelligence officials who briefed senior members of Congress about the FBI's use of a confidential intelligence source in the Russia investigation

An initial Thursday briefing at the Department of Justice was intended to be only for Republicans, including House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes.

But after outcry from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the panel's top Democrat Adam Schiff was allowed to attend.

The action then shifted to the US Capitol where Federal Bureau of Investigation director Chris Wray, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein who oversees the Russia investigation, and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats helped brief the so-called Gang of Eight.

The intelligence grouping consists of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Paul Ryan, Pelosi, Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Richard Burr, top intelligence Democrat Mark Warner, Nunes and Schiff.

Wray (C) walks to an intelligence briefing on whether the FBI embedded an informant in the 2016 Trump presidential campaign, on Capitol Hill

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly (R) and White House lawyer Emmet Flood (L) arrive to attend a briefing with members of the so-called 'Gang of Eight' at the U.S. Capitol May 24, 2018 in Washington, DC

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the ranking Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee, reads a statement from himself and the other members of Congressional Democratic leadership after a classified briefing

United States Senator Richard Burr (Republican of North Carolina), Chairman of the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, travels through the Senate subway en route to the special meeting

Democrats said the meetings were conducted in part to assure lawmakers that no intelligence sources or methods were exposed while probing whether an FBI informant spoke with Trump campaign advisers in 2016.

'Nothing we heard today has changed our view that there is no evidence to support any allegation that the FBI or any intelligence agency placed a 'spy' in the Trump campaign, or otherwise failed to follow appropriate procedures and protocols,' the Democrats said in a joint statement.

Trump's lead lawyer countering Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, Emmet Flood, and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly were also allowed to attend the opening of both briefings, a move Democrats decried as a disturbing breach of protocol.

'I've never seen a Gang of Eight meeting that included any presence from the White House,' Warner told reporters, clarifying that the individuals left before classified substance was discussed.

Trump and his supporters have cast the apparent informant as a mole possibly sent by the Obama administration to burrow into his campaign.Britain's Prince William plans to visit Jerusalem June 26, 2018 and Ramallah June 27, 2018

Prince William will be the first senior British royal to make an official visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, as part of a tour in June announced by Kensington Palace on Friday.

William will begin his tour in Jordan on June 24 and travel on to Tel Aviv the following day, the palace, his official residence, said in a statement.

He will visit Jerusalem on June 26 and then go on to Ramallah on June 27.

The visit by the second in line to the throne "is at the request of Her Majesty's government and has been welcomed by the Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian authorities", the statement said.

There have been no previous official visits by members of the British royal family to the Palestinian Territories.

William will also be the first close relation of Queen Elizabeth II to make an official visit to Israel, following trips made previously by the monarch's cousins the Duke of Kent and the Duke of Gloucester.

Other foreign trips made by royals, such as attendance at funerals or weddings, were not made at the request of Britain's Foreign Office and were therefore not classed as official visits.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier that the British royal's trip would be "a historic visit" to his country.

The invitation to the royals was extended by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, during a working visit to Jerusalem in March 2017.

In London later in the year the two countries' leaders celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, which played a key role in the creation of the state of Israel.

Written by Britain's then foreign minister, the declaration announced the UK's backing for the establishment within Palestine, then a region of the Ottoman Empire, of "a national home for the Jewish people".

It shocked the Arab world and has always been condemned by the Palestinians, who held rallies to protest the anniversary.

William and his wife Kate have boosted the popularity of British royals in recent years, helped by their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Latest on the Michael Jackson estate's objections to a television special about him (all times local):

4:45 p.m.

ABC says its documentary on Michael Jackson airing Thursday night is news that does not infringe on intellectual property.

FILE - In this March 5, 2009 file photo, Michael Jackson announces upcoming concerts at the London O2 Arena in London. The estate of Michael Jackson is objecting to the airing Thursday night of an ABC TV special on the end life of the late King of Pop. The estate said in a statement Wednesday, May 23, 2018, that "The Last Days of Michael Jackson" is not approved by Jackson's heirs, and will most likely violate their intellectual property rights. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan, File)

The network was responding to a statement from the Jackson estate alleging the two-hour TV special "The Last Days of Michael Jackson" has no regard for his legacy or his heirs, who did not sponsor or approve of it.

ABC's statement says the documentary explores the career and legacy of Jackson, who is a newsworthy subject who remains of worldwide interest.

The statement says the "program does not infringe on his estate's rights" but says as a courtesy a specific image was removed from the promotional material for the show at the estate's request.

___

11:45 a.m.

The Michael Jackson estate is objecting to an ABC TV special airing Thursday on the end of the life of the late King of Pop.

The estate said in a statement to The Associated Press on Wednesday that "The Last Days of Michael Jackson" is not approved by Jackson's heirs, and will most likely violate their intellectual property rights.

The statement calls the special an unauthorized attempt to exploit Jackson without respect for his legacy or his children.

Representatives for ABC owner Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The estate says ABC was using a copyrighted image to promote the special, but stopped after demands from Jackson attorneys.

It says it understands the show other intellectual property without permission, including music, photos and artwork.LAS VEGAS (AP) - A hairstylist said a client with the same last name as the Las Vegas shooter spoke in the months before the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history about a concert venue being susceptible to attack, according to documents released by police Wednesday.

Las Vegas police released about 2,100 pages of police reports, witness statements and dispatch records after losing court battles to keep them secret. Witness names were blacked out, so their accounts could not be verified, and police and FBI officials said they would not comment on the newly released information.

The documents did not immediately yield answers to the key unanswered question more than seven months after the Oct. 1 attack that is still under investigation: a motive.

FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2017 file photo, personal belongings and debris litters the Route 91 Harvest festival grounds across the street from the Mandalay Bay resort and casino in Las Vegas. Tales of horror and heroism emerged Wednesday, May 23, 2018, in a new cache of documents made public by Las Vegas police about the investigation of the deadliest mass shooting in the nation's modern history. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

They recount tales of horror and heroism, chaos and confusion. They detail how officers responded to the massacre, initially believing the Las Vegas Strip faced large-scale attack by multiple shooters and struggling to direct panicked people to safety and help save victims who were bleeding, begging for help and getting trampled.

Authorities have not determined what led Stephen Paddock to open fire from his high-rise hotel room onto an outdoor concert below, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds more. Police and the FBI said they believe he acted alone and the attack had no link to international terrorism.

The hairstylist told investigators on Oct. 10 that a client named Paddock mentioned during a haircut in June or July that someone could shoot into a crowd at the outdoor concert venue from the casino across the way.

A woman later arrived, and the stylist believed it was Paddock's girlfriend, Marilou Danley.

"I asked her, 'Do you know what he's been saying to me?'" the stylist told police. "She's like, 'Oh, what, about somebody shooting into a crowd and, you know, wanting to hurt a lot of people?'"

The stylist told police that the client said, "I wonder what she's worried about? She'll be out of the country."

Danley was in the Philippines during the shooting. Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, elected head of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said earlier this year that he did not expect criminal charges against Danley. She had been called the only person of interest in the case.

The stylist reported feeling uneasy and calling police about the comments but couldn't say when and wasn't positive of doing so. Police say in the interview that there's no record of a call.

The documents also detailed gripping tales, including one from an officer who heard rapid gunfire on his radio and arrived to find hundreds of people running at him, many of them wounded and screaming.

Other officers said they crouched behind patrol vehicles, unable to determine where gunfire was coming from while a rear window shattered and bullets hit the ground around them. A rookie officer, Brady Cook, was wounded in the arm. Detective Casey Clarkson was struck in the neck.

Other officers, shielded by a block wall, reached concertgoers. An officer described trying to help a woman with blood gushing from a gunshot to her eye while a man held her head, asking for help.

Gunfire began again, the officer said, "and I heard impacts hitting in front of me. At this point, everyone started screaming and I told everyone to move."

Police tried to help people despite being unclear where the gunfire was coming from and facing reports of multiple shooters.

The officer met with a rushing crowd said he responded to calls about active shooters at the New York-New York casino-hotel, the Tropicana across from the concert venue, and the Paris Las Vegas. No shooters were found.

Vehicles carrying bleeding and injured people sped away from the shooting scene, flashing lights and honking horns. Authorities set up makeshift triage areas, where one officer "tried to keep the victims focused on staying alive" while figuring out some kind of evacuation plan.

Another officer told a group of between 100 and 150 bystanders to take off any belts and T-shirts that could be used as tourniquets.

An off-duty officer attending the country music festival said he tried to get his fiancee and a friend to safety, lying over them multiple times as panicked people rushed to escape.

"As I was lying on top of them people were trampling over top of us trying to escape the area," wrote the officer, identified only as M. Amburgey.

Authorities say Paddock, 64, a real estate investor and high-stakes gambler, had amassed an arsenal of nearly two dozen assault-style rifles and numerous high-capacity ammunition magazines.

The documents also raised more questions about when police reached the shooter's room and why they waited more than an hour to enter it.

"When we got off on the 32nd floor, we heard active shooting still going on," a Mandalay Bay hotel employee who said he accompanied a Las Vegas police officer.

Authorities have said that gunfire stopped before police reached the 32nd floor, and that Paddock killed before officers reached his door.

Police said they have compiled thousands of documents and amassed hundreds of hours of video, including witness cellphone recordings and footage from officers' body-worn cameras.

The department has been releasing the information in waves after a court order in a lawsuit by The Associated Press and other media organizations.

____

Contributing to this report were Associated Press journalists Michelle L. Price in Las Vegas; Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada; Courtney Bonnell in Phoenix; Brian Eason in Denver; Amanda Lee Myers in Los Angeles; Martha Bellisle in Seattle; Lindsay Whitehurst in Salt Lake City; Terry Tang, Jacques Billeaud and Anita Snow in Phoenix; Mary Hudetz in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Arizona.

FILE - In this Oct. 1, 2017, file photo, police run toward the scene of a shooting near the Mandalay Bay resort and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas. Police in Las Vegas are promising to release dispatch logs and additional officer reports about the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. A scheduled release of documents Wednesday, May 23, 2018, follows a court order in a public records lawsuit by The Associated Press and other media organizations seeking information about the Oct. 1 shooting. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 2, 2017 file photo, drapes billow out of broken windows at the Mandalay Bay resort and casino on the Las Vegas Strip, following a mass shooting at a music festival in Las Vegas. Police in Las Vegas plan to release witness statements and officer reports of the Oct. 1 gunfire that killed 58 people and injured hundreds in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The scheduled release of documents on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, comes more than seven months after the shooting on the Las Vegas Strip. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2017 file photo, a woman sits on a curb at the scene of a shooting outside a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip. Tales of horror and heroism emerged Wednesday, May 23, 2018, in a new cache of documents made public by Las Vegas police about the investigation of the deadliest mass shooting in the nation's modern history. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)BAGHDAD (AP) - A suicide bomber blew himself up late Wednesday at a crowded park in Iraq's capital, killing at least seven people in the first such attack in Baghdad since the start a week ago of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, security officials said.

They said police and emergency workers intercepted the bomber as he entered the park in Shoala, a mainly Shiite district in northern Baghdad, but he managed to set off his bomb before being caught.

At least 16 people were wounded in the attack, which the officials said could have claimed many more victims if the bomber had gotten himself deeper into the park before blowing himself up.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Baghdad's parks, outdoor eateries, cafes and commercial areas are usually packed during Ramadan starting shortly after sunset until the small hours of the next day when Muslims eat their last meal before they begin their daily dawn-to-sunset fast.

Ramadan this year fell in the summer, making the fast particularly grueling given the season's typically high temperatures in Iraq. Muslims refrain from drink, food and sex from dawn to sunset during Ramadan, which began in Iraq on May 17.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, which bore the hallmarks of the Islamic State extremist group. Iraq has been plagued by nearly daily attacks blamed on militants for most of the 15 years since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Baghdad, a favorite target, has seen a dramatic drop in the number of attacks blamed on militants since the government declared victory over the IS group in December. That ended more than three years of war in which security forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition drove IS fighters out of large swaths of territory once held by the group.

IS pockets remain in western and northern Iraq where militants occasionally attack security forces.SYDNEY (AP) - Australia test prop and Queensland Reds captain James Slipper has been suspended for two months for twice testing positive for cocaine.

Rugby Australia said Thursday that Slipper returned the positive tests from urine samples taken between February and May. He was also fined 27,500 Australian dollars ($20,800).

The 28-year-old Slipper has played 86 tests for Australia since 2010 and 95 matches for Queensland's Super Rugby side. The suspension means Slipper will not be available for the Wallabies' three-test series against Ireland in June.

FILE - In this Aug. 20, 2016, file photo, Australia's James Slipper lines up for a line out as a cut on his face breeds during their Bledisloe Cup Rugby test match against New Zealand in Sydney, Australia. Australia test prop and Queensland Reds captain James Slipper has been suspended for two months for twice testing positive for cocaine, Rugby Australia said in a statement Thursday, May 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith, File)

A tribunal hearing said it took into account Slipper's "personal circumstances, his service to club and country and previous good character," when it considered the fine.

Slipper later issued a statement on social media saying he had been suffering from depression.

"I have been suffering wellness issues, including depression, for a year," Slipper wrote on Twitter. "The advice is that I will make a speedy and total recovery. In no way do my personal circumstances excuse my actions, but I recognize now that I was not coping and that I need to properly address these wellness issues. I take full responsibility for my actions and apologize unreservedly."

Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle said she was disappointed that one of its senior players had failed a drug test.

"We are fully aware that James is dealing with very significant personal issues and we have been working with him since February on these matters," Castle said.240518CHURCHES TO HELP WITH AWARENESS

New Dawn FM News



All churches on Bougainville will be used by the Government to carry out awareness on the upcoming Referendum so that no one is left behind.

This was announced by the ABG Member for HAKU and member assisting the ABG President, ROBERT CHICKA at the Wesleyan Methodist church celebration in Buka town today.

MR. CHICKA told the gathering that the ABG Government will involve all churches to help with the awareness on Referendum within their churches.

He said that the church and the government serve the same people and as such the government wants to involve them on this very important program.

MR. CHICKA commended the Wesleyan Methodist Church for having the 279th John Wesley celebrations today.

He also pledged to make some financial support to the Wesleyan Methodist Church on Bougainville.



Ends





MIAMI (AP) - U.S. government forecasters said Thursday that they expect an active Atlantic hurricane season - an announcement that came as odds increased that the first tropical weather system of the year was forming in the Gulf of Mexico.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast calls for 10 to 16 named storms, with five to nine hurricanes. One to four hurricanes could be "major" with sustained winds of at least 111 mph (178 kph).

If that forecast holds, it would make for a near-normal or above-normal season. An average hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which six become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.

FILE - In this Aug. 28, 2017, file photo rescue boats float on a flooded street as people are evacuated from rising floodwaters brought on by Tropical Storm Harvey. U.S. government forecasters are expecting an active Atlantic hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast released Thursday, May 24, 2018, calls for about 10 to 16 named storms, with about five to nine hurricanes. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

"There are no strong climate signals saying it's going to be extremely active, like last year, or extremely weak," said Gerry Bell, the lead hurricane forecaster at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.

In the short term, the National Hurricane Center said Thursday a mass of low pressure in the western Caribbean was becoming better defined and likely would become a subtropical or tropical depression by late Saturday.

The system currently off the southeastern Yucatan Peninsula was expected to move northward. Heavy rains were likely across western Cuba, much of Florida and the northern Gulf Coast into early next week. In the United States, the downpours could dampen Memorial Day, the unofficial start of the tourist season.

Florida's governor has directed state authorities to prepare flood response resources to help residents in the event of torrential rains.

Forecasters said they still expect this year to see the kind of atmospheric and oceanic conditions that have been producing stronger Atlantic hurricane seasons since 1995.

If an El Nino develops later this summer, it could suppress storm development during the season's peak months from August through October. El Nino is the natural warming of parts of the Pacific Ocean that changes weather worldwide and tends to reduce hurricane activity in the Atlantic.

Warm waters feed a hurricane's strength, while strong wind shear can pull it apart. If El Nino does not develop and water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea warm up, that could fuel more storm development, said Bell, who was speaking at NOAA's agency's aircraft operations center in Lakeland, Florida. That facility is the base for NOAA's "hurricane hunter" aircraft that fly into storms to collect data used in storm forecasts.

NOAA predicted that 2017 would be an above-average season, and it certainly was: A trio of devastating hurricanes - Harvey, Irma and Maria - ravaged Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and many Caribbean islands. Overall, last year saw 17 named storms, including 10 hurricanes.

Officials warned all coastal residents not to wait to make evacuation plans or preparations for protecting their homes and businesses.

"When you are predicting an active season, that's when you have more storms forming in the tropical Atlantic, and those storms tend to track farther west," Bell said. "That's why the Caribbean and the U.S. coast are more at risk."

The six-month Atlantic hurricane season officially starts June 1.

FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2017, file photo, neighbors sit on a couch outside their destroyed homes as sun sets in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. U.S. government forecasters are expecting an active Atlantic hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast released Thursday, May 24, 2018, calls for about 10 to 16 named storms, with about five to nine hurricanes. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2017, file photo, Cherie Ethier sits in her mobile home with her pets surrounded by floodwater, in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, in Naples, Fla. U.S. government forecasters are expecting an active Atlantic hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast released Thursday, May 24, 2018, calls for about 10 to 16 named storms, with about five to nine hurricanes. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Indonesian ride-hailing app Go-Jek will expand into Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines in the next few months, it said Thursday, stepping up competition with rival Grab for Southeast Asian customers.

Go-Jek, which currently only operates in Indonesia, said Thursday it will spend $500 million on the regional expansion. It's potentially good news for consumers in Southeast Asia after competition between ride-hailing apps lessened with Uber's agreement in March to sell its failing business in the region to Singapore-based Grab.

Go-Jek, which got a cash injection from investors including Google and Tencent earlier this year, said its overseas businesses will initially focus on ride hailing but eventually expand to other services such as food delivery.

FILE - In this Friday, April 29, 2016, file photo, Go-Jek motorcycle taxi drivers wait for customers in Jakarta, Indonesia. Th Indonesian ride-hailing app Go-Jek says it will expand into Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines in the next few months, vying with rival Grab for Southeast Asian customers. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana, File)

It said it wants to replicate the dominance it has achieved in Indonesia, Southeast Asia's most populous nation and biggest economy.

Both apps are trying to extract more revenue from their ride-hailing customers by transforming their apps into one-stop shops for an array of services including shopping, deliveries, payments and lending.

Go-Jek said it is still working with regulators to smooth the way for its new operations. It said each of the overseas businesses will develop their own brand "to ensure good traction in each new market."

Grab already operates in eight countries in Southeast Asia, a region of more than 600 million people.

"Consumers are happiest when they have choice and at the moment, people in Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines don't feel they're getting enough when it comes to ride-hailing," said Go-Jek's founder Nadiem Makarim.RUTLAND, Vt. (AP) - A century-old Vermont theater known as a popular stop for performers traveling between Montreal and Boston canceled upcoming events due to roof damage.

The Paramount Theatre in Rutland announced Tuesday it will relocate two dance recitals due to the damage, the Rutland Herald reported . Last weekend, The Oak Ridge Boys' concert was cancelled as was the screening of the Metropolitan Opera's production of Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutte."

Theater officials declined to discuss the nature of the damage discovered during a routine inspection. They said they will do repairs and operations should resume after completion.

"During the inspection, we noticed there were some marks in the balcony area . something that looked different to us," Eric Mallette, programming director, said recently.

"The building, the age that it is, is always being maintained for safety issues," he added.

The 105-year-old building started as The Playhouse with performers traveling by train between Montreal and Boston, stopping halfway to perform in Rutland. It eventually became the Paramount in 1931. In 1975, then a movie theater, it closed and remained vacant for more than 20 years before reopening in 2000 following an extensive renovation.

Mallette said this was the first time he could remember the theater closing due to safety concerns.

___

Information from: Rutland Herald, http://www.rutlandherald.com/CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) - Civil rights activist U.S. Rep. John Lewis is set to address Harvard University graduates.

The Ivy League school is hosting its 367th commencement ceremony on Thursday with a keynote speech from Lewis.

It caps several days of activities that also featured speeches from Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich (KAY'-sihk) and Republican Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake.

FILE - In this Saturday, March 24, 2018 file photo, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., leads a march of thousands through the streets of Atlanta, Ga., to rally against gun violence and in support of stricter gun control. On Thursday, May 24, 2018, the civil rights activist will address Harvard University graduates. (AP Photo/Ron Harris)

The 78-year-old Lewis is a Georgia Democrat known for leading the 1965 "Bloody Sunday" march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.

Previous speakers include Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and director Steven Spielberg.

A coalition of Harvard students says it will be passing out Time's Up stickers at graduation to show solidarity against sexual misconduct.

The group has pushed Harvard to change how it handles those cases.HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) - Hillary Clinton is not going away.

Standing on a convention stage Wednesday, the former Democratic presidential candidate cheered a primary election candidate from Georgia and endorsed one from New York, promising to be an active participant in red and blue states alike in the coming months.

"We're not going to win every fight - take it from me," Clinton said with a self-deprecating chuckle. "But if we stand together for the values we share, we will get there together."

In this May 23, 2018, photo, Hillary Clinton speaks during the New York state Democratic convention in Hempstead, N.Y. Clinton is not going away. The former Democratic presidential candidate weighed in on primary races in Georgia and New York on Wednesday, promising to be an active participant in red and blue states alike in the coming months (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

More than 18 months after her election loss, Clinton remains a deeply divisive figure. Her approval ratings have hovered near record lows. Yet few Democrats can match her fundraising prowess and star power.

Clinton is eager to use her assets to help the Democratic Party seize control of Congress this fall, those close to her say. But not all in the party want her help.

Already active this midterm season, she recently endorsed Democratic candidates in New York, Michigan and Georgia. She helped raise roughly a half-million dollars for groups allied with her year-old political organization, Onward Together, on a single afternoon late last month. She is now weighing how aggressive to be on the campaign trail ahead of the November elections.

"I think she's an incredibly valuable asset," said former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who is working with Clinton on Onward Together. "Whether it's behind the scenes or in front of people, it's up to the individual candidates. She is still wanted in a number of states."

New York, a state she represented in the Senate, is one place she remains popular. The state features several competitive House races this fall, although Clinton's focus Wednesday was on the governor's race, where incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo faces a Democratic primary challenge from liberal activist and actress Cynthia Nixon.

Clinton earned warm applause as she took the stage at the state's Democratic convention. She endorsed Cuomo, repeatedly praising his accomplishments as governor while ignoring Nixon altogether.

Some liberals in the audience wanted a more diverse speaking program.

New York City Council member Jumaane Williams, who is challenging the state's lieutenant governor, said the party's left wing would have preferred an appearance by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, or a more unifying candidate. He worries Clinton's appearance demonstrates that Democrats haven't worked to heal the divisions highlighted in the 2016 presidential primary.

"We either haven't learned our lesson or we don't care," he said.

From the same convention stage, Clinton cheered the primary victory of Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Republicans on the ground in Georgia cheered Abrams' victory as well, suggesting she's too liberal to win the general election in November.

"I supported her in the primary and I look forward to supporting her campaign in the months to come," Clinton promised Wednesday.

Georgia Republicans are hoping Clinton follows through. Georgia-based Republican strategist Chip Lake noted that few Democrats have been more polarizing or motivating for the GOP's most passionate voters.

"We're going to start a GoFundMe account to pay for her expenses to come down here," Lake said. "We welcome her with open arms."

Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said it's too early to say which general election races she'll likely focus on in the coming months.

"The bottom line is that she wants to be helpful, so we'll be looking at how best to do that in the weeks and months to come," Merrill said.

As those decisions are made, Clinton is focused on Onward Together, which is working to raise money and strengthen the infrastructure for nearly a dozen grassroots political groups.

Clinton's effort is being run by a handful of longtime aides, among them political strategist Emmy Ruiz, chief of staff Huma Abedin and fundraiser Dennis Cheng.

Clinton and Dean hosted a private meeting of the Onward Together network in late April in midtown Manhattan. They encouraged the related organizations to coordinate their political activities while introducing them to top donors at the end of the day.

Dean said the afternoon gathering generated more than $500,000.

"People care about her, they trust her, and they will take her lead when it comes to where to invest," said one of the participants, Cristobal Alex, a former Clinton campaign staffer who now serves as president of the group Latino Victory.

The politics can be tricky. While she regularly gets standing ovations during public appearances, Gallup determined that Clinton's favorable ratings dipped to 36 percent in December, a new low for the longtime public official.

The GOP has already outlined a midterm messaging strategy trying to link vulnerable Democrats to Clinton regardless of how visible she is in the coming months.

But Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who leads the Senate Democrats' campaign arm, encouraged Clinton's involvement this midterm season as he addressed reporters at Thursday's Christian Science Monitor breakfast.

"We welcome support from everybody who wants to help, including Secretary Clinton and President Obama," Van Hollen said. "It's really important that we've got lots of individuals who offered to help candidates wherever they can be of help."

Yet Clinton has created headaches for red-state Democrats at times, most recently during a March appearance in India when she said Trump's campaign slogan "was looking backwards."

The national GOP quickly portrayed the comment as a personal attack against Trump's supporters as "backwards" and launched a series of digital ads linking Clinton to 10 Democratic Senate candidates running for re-election in states Trump carried.

Several vulnerable Senate Democrats distanced themselves from the comments. North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp said Clinton can't go away "soon enough."

Some Democrats are looking to party leaders not named Clinton to play a leading role in the midterms.

Clinton is "too valuable to be quiet," said Scott Dworkin, co-founder of the recently formed Democratic Coalition. He said he'd prefer to see Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden on the campaign trail again instead of Clinton.

"They have a different appeal," Dworkin said. "Right now, Hillary is still used as a tool to divide."WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan and lawyer Paul Clement often find themselves on opposite sides of issues he argues and she helps decide at the high court. But at a recent event in Washington, Kagan and Clement agreed new administrations should be sparing in changing their predecessors' positions in pending Supreme Court cases.

They were speaking from experience. Kagan and Clement both served as solicitor general, the head of the office that represents the federal government before the Supreme Court.

Kagan, President Barack Obama's first solicitor general, and Clement, who headed the office under President George W. Bush, agreed that the office's role should be largely nonpartisan. The presumption is that the government's position isn't going to change from administration to administration, Clement said. That's because the office is looking out for the long-term interests of the United States.

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2017 file photo, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan speaks at the Chicago-Kent College of Law, in Chicago. Kagan and lawyer Paul Clement often find themselves on opposite sides of issues he argues and she helps decide at the high court. But at a recent event in Washington, Kagan and Clement agreed new administrations should be sparing in changing their predecessors' positions in pending Supreme Court cases. They were speaking from experience. Kagan and Clement both served as solicitor general, the head of the office that represents the federal government before the Supreme Court. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

So when the office does decide to switch its position - as it has several times since President Donald Trump took office - people notice. One example: a flip to side with businesses in a case about whether they can prohibit their workers from banding together in disputes over pay and conditions in the workplace.

"I think changing positions is a really big deal that people should hesitate a long time over, which is not to say that it never happens," Kagan said. Every administration changes some positions, she said, but added that the "bar should be high."

Kagan didn't talk about the Trump administration's switches directly, but she said when she was solicitor general she was told "you were supposed to think long and hard and then you were supposed to think long and hard again before you changed anything." Clement, who has made more than 90 Supreme Court arguments, said that if "both administrations are looking out for the long-term interests of the executive branch," positions "really shouldn't change that much."

Earlier this term, Justice Sonia Sotomayor called out the Trump administration on its flip-flops.

"By the way, how many times this term already have you flipped positions from prior administrations?" Sotomayor asked Solicitor General Noel Francisco during a case in February about fees paid to unions.

Three, Francisco answered. By the end of this term's arguments in April, the answer would be at least four.

On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in the first case of the term that involved a flip, the case involving workers joining together in disputes over pay and workplace conditions, a decision that affects an estimated 25 million non-unionized employees. The Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration and businesses.

Kagan dissented. Clement represented the winning side.

___

It's the time of year when Supreme Court justices get asked to temporarily trade their judicial robes for graduation garb to speak at college and law school commencements.

"You know, at graduation ceremonies many people will tell you to go out and conquer the world and climb mountains and do great things. The truth is we are fortunate if we can conquer ourselves," Justice Clarence Thomas said during a commencement address at Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, this month.

Thomas also spoke about his Catholic faith.

"This is a decidedly Catholic college and I am decidedly and unapologetically Catholic. It is this faith that has been the guiding beacon during some difficult and seemingly hopeless times even when I had turned my heart against it and turned my back on it," Thomas said.

Justice Stephen Breyer will speak at New York Law School's commencement at Carnegie Hall on June 1. Justice Sonia Sotomayor was to participate in commencement at the UC Davis School of Law, but recovering from shoulder surgery forced her to cancel.

__

Thirty-two cases remain undecided, including the term's biggest, but it's not too soon to be thinking about summer and the plum teaching gigs that come to those on the highest court.

At least three justices with long experience in the classroom are headed abroad this summer to teach at American law school programs after the court's term ends in June. Justice Anthony Kennedy will do his customary stint in Salzburg, Austria, at the University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law, where he is teaching a two-week course on freedom of expression in the United States.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be in Rome for Loyola University Chicago's summer law program. Ginsburg will talk about the court and Constitution, while her daughter and law professor Jane Ginsburg will participate in the program's international art law course.

Justice Neil Gorsuch also will be in Italy, in Padua, where he and his former law clerk, Jamil Jaffer, will team up to teach two courses in national security law for George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School.

Ginsburg was a law professor before joining the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., in 1980. Kennedy and Gorsuch both taught regularly when they were federal appeals court judges, and Kennedy has spent almost every summer in Salzburg for the past 25 years.Survivors of last week's shooting at a high school near Houston told gripping stories of dodging bullets, hiding from the attacker and seeing classmates get shot as they pleaded with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday for more armed security to keep campuses safe.

The emotional three-hour discussion marked the end of three days of meetings Abbott held on school safety and mass shootings. And while the governor has appeared to embrace ideas of boosting security and tracking student mental health, there is little expectation the staunch gun-rights supporter will push for major changes to restrict owning firearms or buying them.

The Republican, who is campaigning for re-election, organized the mostly closed-door meetings shortly after eight students and two substitute teachers were fatally shot inside Santa Fe High School. Abbott said he wanted to find 'swift and meaningful' ways to stop future shootings.

Grace Johnson, a student at Santa Fe High School in Texas (center) speaks during a roundtable discussion in Austin, Texas, Thursday, May 24, 2018, hosted by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Students and staff members at the school told Abbott stories of how they survived the May 18 attack

More than 30 students, families and staff members from Santa Fe High School participated in the meeting on Thursday

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (left) told the survivors and their families Thursday 'we are going to do more than just talk, we are going to act'

He hasn't said when or what he'll recommend, but told the survivors and their families Thursday 'we are going to do more than just talk, we are going to act.'

So far, the governor has ignored calls from a handful of state lawmakers from both parties to call the Legislature into special session to address gun laws, which is a sharp contrast to the response in Florida after a high school shooting in February killed 17 people. Three weeks after that massacre, Florida politicians, who were already in session, passed a gun-control package after a lobbying campaign led by student survivors of the attack.

Lawmakers aren't scheduled to meet until January 2019 in Texas, a state that embraces its gun-friendly reputation and has more than 1.2million people licensed to carry handguns. And unlike the students in Florida, several students at Santa Fe High School have been vocal opponents of increased gun control, including some of those who were invited to meet Abbott on Thursday.

The only tweaks to gun safety Abbott mentioned as possibilities were stronger laws on gun storage and reporting of lost or stolen weapons, and quicker reporting to law enforcement when a court order denies someone access to a firearm.

Several of the families who met with him Thursday said they didn't want to talk about gun restrictions or the politics of gun rights.

'This is not a gun thing,' said Jay Horn, whose son was injured in the shooting and hospitalized. 'Evil's going to happen with anything.'

Abbott has signed bills in recent years that reduce the cost and training needed for a handgun license and expanded where handguns can be legally carried. During a National Rifle Association meeting earlier this month, Abbott said the violence problem isn't caused by guns but by 'hearts without God.'

Abbott is pictured on the left comforting an emotional man during Thursday's roundtable discussion the governor held to discuss school safety and mass shootings

Several students and parents said during Thursday's meeting that schools need more armed security guards and armed teachers to prevent future attacks

Eight students and two substitute teachers were killed in last week's attack. Two children are pictured at a memorial for Santa Fe shooting victims

Women visit a memorial for the Santa Fe High School shooting victims outside the school

This week's meetings included representatives of both gun rights and gun control groups. However, Alice Tripp, legislative director of the Texas Rifle Association, an affiliate of the NRA, said her group found 'no common ground' on gun restrictions and would be cautious of anything that would deny access to buy or own guns.

Thursday's meeting included more than 30 students, families and staff members from Santa Fe High School. Scot Rice described hiding behind a parking lot garbage bin, hearing bullets whiz by as he could see his wife Flo, a substitute teacher, pretending to be dead after getting shot. She survived. A police officer was able to carry her to safety.

Also attending were two survivors of the November church shooting in rural Sutherland Springs, Texas, that left more than two dozen people dead. Stephen Willeford, the church neighbor and former NRA gun instructor who was hailed as a hero for grabbing a rifle and firing back at the attacker, also was at the meeting.

Several students and parents said schools need more armed security guards and armed teachers to prevent attacks. Texas law allows school districts to arm teachers who pass training courses and they must keep their guns concealed. Others debated whether schools should have metal detectors.

'Arming teachers, and not knowing who is armed, that is what we need,' said Grace Johnson, a Santa Fe senior who hid in a band room attic during the attack. 'I cannot tell you how much safer I feel in public with my father having a gun on him.'

Johnson said her government class wrote to Abbott's office in February after Santa Fe High School had a three-hour lockdown that month, shortly after the shooting at the Florida high school.

Gunman Dimitrios Pagourtzis is being held without bond on charges of capital murder and aggravated assault of a peace officer

'We wrote letters to you, my entire government class, on why is this happening and what can we do to fix it. We didn't get anything back. We didn't get acknowledgement,' she told Abbott. 'It finally happened to our school and we weren't surprised. ... It's happening everywhere.'

Abbott spokeswoman Ciara Matthews said the governor's office has no record of the letters, but that Abbott 'appreciates the time Grace took to bring her concerns directly to him today.'

Better security, metal detectors and new programs to track student mental health would cost money, and the state's public schools are already living under strained budgets.

The Texas State Teachers Association has resisted calls by Texas Republicans to arm more teachers. Texas Democrats urged Abbott to address gun issues.

'Greg Abbott's track record is that nothing of substance will come out of this that keeps weapons out of the hands of school shooters,' said Manny Garcia, deputy director of the state Democratic Party. 'Texans need leadership at a time when they are afraid to send their kids to school.'

Rhonda Hart, a military veteran whose daughter Kimberly Vaughan was killed in the Santa Fe shooting, has been outspoken this week on the need for more gun control. She wasn't invited to the meetings this week.

'You should have to wait a week, have counseling and walk through lines of protesters who tell you you're a murderer' to buy a gun, Hart said.

Gunman Dimitrios Pagourtzis is being held without bond on charges of capital murder and aggravated assault of a peace officer.WASHINGTON (AP) - Ahead of a planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, President Donald Trump's focus has been on stagecraft, the will-they-or-won't-they drama and visions of a legacy-defining nuclear deal. The human rights woes of North Koreans have been more of an afterthought.

Eager to pull off the historic meeting scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, Trump this week expanded his promised "protections" for Kim should the North Korean leader agree to give up his atomic program. Extending an olive branch, Trump also entertained the idea of opening the spigot of foreign investment to help secure Kim's rule.

"He will be safe. He will be happy. His country will be rich," Trump declared. "His country will be hardworking and very prosperous."

FILE - In this May 10, 2018, file photo President Donald Trump, accompanied by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, back, waves at the media and others upon arrival of former North Korean detainees Tony Kim, left, Kim Dong Chul and Kim Hak Song, unseen, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

White House officials say the plight of the North Korean people, who live under one of the world's most repressive governments, is not currently a priority for the summit. Trump hopes the meeting will yield an agreement by the North to dismantle a nuclear program that could pose a direct threat to the U.S. mainland.

He's not the first U.S. leader to concentrate on the nuclear issue. The thinking is that the North Koreans view the raising of human rights as tantamount to advocating regime change and that bringing it up would only make it harder to resolve the weapons program.

But the Trump administration's virtual silence on human rights in North Korea since the president agreed in March to meet Kim, and the effusive thanks from the president for releasing three American prisoners in a goodwill gesture this month, has been striking. It underscores Trump's intent to reorient U.S. foreign policy toward a more narrow consideration of the national interest.

Kim on Thursday made good on his promise to demolish North Korea's nuclear test site, which was formally closed in a series of huge explosions as a group of foreign journalists looked on.

The delicate balancing of U.S. needs and alliances with the promotion of human rights abroad has long bedeviled American leaders. Trump has eschewed the path of his predecessors, who have explicitly declared the promotion of human rights to be in the national interest, even if they have been forced to make Faustian bargains with unsavory actors.

The Trump administration appears to be more comfortable skirting the pretense. The president's national security strategy, released in December, said little on the subject. And it was left to his vice president, Mike Pence, to elevate the issue during a February trip to the region.

While Trump has made gestures toward human rights issues in North Korea, those efforts have largely been designed to increase pressure on the country's government, as when Trump recognized a North Korean defector during his State of the Union address in January and hosted a group of North Korean escapees in the Oval Office.

John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, criticized Trump for pledging to preserve Kim's stranglehold on power. "You shouldn't be giving assurances to a totalitarian leader," he said.

Sifton added that the North's nuclear program has been supported by its use of forced labor.

A senior White House official said Trump and his advisers see the president's foreign policy as driven by the interests of the American people rather than matters such as human rights. A second official said Trump and his team believe a human rights push is inherently part of the president's message that North Korea would see massive foreign investment if it denuclearizes because it would help alleviate the conditions of the North Korean people and could even lead to a more democratic and open system. The officials were not authorized to discuss internal thinking by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Trump is facing calls from Capitol Hill to not ignore Kim's human rights record during the potential sit-down - and failure to address those concerns could hamstring the congressional approvals likely required for any agreement with Kim.

The ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, said Wednesday that the North's human rights record needs to be addressed. "The Trump administration must elevate human rights and the fundamental issue of human dignity to be part of the agenda for any meeting with Kim Jong Un," he said.

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said that while the summit presents the opportunity for a denuclearized peninsula, "I urge the Trump administration to also prioritize human rights and hold accountable the North Korean dictatorship for being one of the world's worst human rights abusers."

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told lawmakers Wednesday that he had raised the issue of human rights with Kim "and it will be part of the discussions as we move forward."

White House press secretary Sarah Huckakbee Sanders on Tuesday defended the morality of offering assurances to Kim. "The goal and the purpose of these conversations would be to have complete and total denuclearization of the Peninsula," she said.

Kim is on a Treasury Department blacklist for human rights abuses, removal from which Sifton said is a likely concession Kim will seek. He added that Kim should not be granted that request as part of denuclearization talks because "you're basically saying we're going to give you a pass on human rights if you denuclearize."

The U.S. imposed those sanctions two years ago as part of the Obama administration's effort to isolate North Korea, but it came as the North Korean government rapidly developed its nuclear program. It was the first time that Kim had been personally sanctioned and the first time that any North Korean officials had been blacklisted in connection with rights abuses. Announcing the sanctions, the U.S. accused North Korea of cruelty and hardship, "including extrajudicial killings, forced labor and torture."

White House officials have pushed back publicly against the notion that Trump has deprioritized international human rights. They point to Trump's rollback of his predecessor's opening with Cuba and his comments about the devastation wrought by the Islamic State group and Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

But the list of countries on which Trump has been largely silent about human rights includes Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the Philippines. Trump's State Department has been critical of those countries, particularly in its annual report on human rights released last month, but the president has often gone out of his way to avoid criticizing those countries' leaders personally.

___

Associated Press writer Matthew Pennington contributed to this report.SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - A Korean Air heiress whose tantrum over nuts delayed a flight nearly four years ago is being investigated by South Korean immigration officials on suspicion she unlawfully hired housekeepers from the Philippines.

Cho Hyun-ah on Thursday bowed and apologized for "causing troubles" before entering a Korea Immigration Service office in Seoul for questioning.

Cho and her sister resigned from their executive positions at Korean Air in April following public criticism over their behavior and allegations their family mistreated and abused employees. Investigators are also looking into suspicions that the Cho family, including the company's chairman Cho Yang-ho, evaded taxes and used airline services to smuggle luxury goods.

Cho Hyun-ah, center, bows before entering a Korea Immigration Service office for questioning in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 24, 2018. Cho, the Korean Air heiress whose tantrum over nuts delayed a flight four years ago, is being investigated by South Korean immigration officials over suspicion of unlawfully hiring housekeepers from the Philippines. (Park Dong-ju/Yonhap via AP)

Cho's sister, Cho Hyun-min, is currently under investigation for allegedly hurling a cup of water during a business meeting.

In December 2014, Cho got angry after she was served macadamia nuts in a bag instead of on a dish and her tantrum forced the Korean Air plane to return to a boarding gate at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport. She was released from jail in South Korea in May 2015 after the top court suspended her sentence over the case.

Immigration officials suspect Cho and her mother, Lee Myeong-hee, unlawfully recruited and hired about 10 to 20 housekeepers from the Philippines by documenting them as Korean Air trainees. Under South Korean law, foreign nationals must obtain visas given to marriage migrants or people of Korean heritage to work as housekeepers.ISLAMABAD (AP) - Sunni extremists have demolished a mosque belonging to Pakistan's minority Ahmadi sect in the eastern city of Sialkot, the latest mob attack on minorities in the country.

No one was inside the Ahmadiya Mosque and there were no casualties in the pre-dawn assault on Thursday. The mosque had been shut years ago by authorities to avoid violence.

A video of the attack surfaced on social media, showing a mob demolishing the mosque, which is said to have been visited by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who founded the Ahmadi faith in the Indian subcontinent in the 19th century. His followers believe he was a prophet.

Pakistan declared Ahmadis non-Muslims in 1974.

Ahmadis make a tiny minority of the Muslim-majority Pakistan and are often targeted by Sunni militants who consider them heretics.240518PRIME MINISTER COMING TO ARAWA

New Dawn FM News



The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, PETER ONIEL says he has nothing to fear on Bougainville and will be attending the Joint Supervisory Body Meeting in Arawa on June 14th, 2018.

He made this statement during question time in the National Parliament yesterday.

MR. ONIEL was responding to serious of questions from the Member for South Bougainville, TIMOTHY MASIU who wanted to know the stand of the Prime Minister on issues concerning the Bougainville Peace Agreement and the Referendum.

The Prime Minister said that he will answer to any questions that the people may have whilst he is in Arawa for the JSB.



Ends

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A.J. Foyt still cuts an imposing figure around Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Everyone knows of him, everyone knows his record and it seems everyone here has actually met one of the greatest drivers ever. He has seen and done virtually everything around this 2.5-mile oval, even getting retirement advice from inaugural Indianapolis 500 winner Ray Harroun three decades before he actually put it to use.

And yet, most of it wouldn't have happened without Foyt's ability to survive a series of harrowing, life-threatening predicaments that read like a plot from a bad horror movie, including his second round with Africanized killer bees in March.

FILE - In this May 19, 2018, file photo, Tony Kanaan, right, of Brazil, talks with car owner AJ Foyt after Kanaan qualified for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. He's been coming to Indianapolis every May since 1958 and every year, crowds gather around the first garage stall in Gasoline Alley waiting to have an old photograph signed by their racing hero or merely to catch a glimpse of the former racing star. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

"I'm just glad the foreman had a car down there where I was working or I probably wouldn't be talking to you today," Foyt said recently during an interview in his motorhome.

It's not the first time Foyt or his fans got lucky.

He's been coming to Indianapolis every May since 1958, and every year, crowds gather around the first garage stall in Gasoline Alley waiting to have an old photograph signed by their racing hero or merely catch a glimpse of the racing star.

Nobody really knows how many more trips Foyt has because at age 83, even he knows time is running short.

"I'm not real secure on my feet like I used to be," he said. "If I have to go in a wheelchair or use crutches or a cane, I'm not going to let people see me like that. I've got too much pride for people to see me too messed up."

The truth is Foyt has been living on borrowed time for a while now.

His list of survival tales is almost as impressive as his list of racing achievements - four Indianapolis 500 wins, the only driver to win Indy and the Daytona 500 and teaming up with Dan Gurney as the only American team to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

On the track, there was a litany of crashes.

The worst might have been in 1965 at Riverside, California, when his brakes failed and Parnelli Jones pulled Foyt out of his overturned car - after a track doctor had already pronounced him dead.

Then there was 1990 at Road America when Foyt's brake pedal broke while he attempted to make a pass in the first and he was launched over the gravel catch pit, down a hill and into the dirt. He needed surgery to save his left leg and still walks with a limp because of the damage.

"I guess they don't want me is what it looks like," Foyt joked.

Anyone who thought Foyt might be safer off the track, though, doesn't know A.J.

He survived the first attack from those killer bees on his Houston ranch in 2005 and nearly drowned after putting a bulldozer in a pond in 2007.

Twice in the past seven years, he has beaten staph infections.

Foyt also has undergone heart surgery twice, had three knee replacements and spent eight days in an induced coma in November 2014 because of a complication from a triple-heart bypass surgery. At one point, the outlook was so bleak, Foyt's wife, Lucy, told the doctors she would respect her husband's wishes to not use extraordinary measures to keep him alive.

When he woke up, he told the doctors he was at Indianapolis.

Then, in March, came a second round with the bees this time on a ranch in Del Rio, Texas. Foyt estimates he suffered nearly twice as many stings, 200 to 300, in the second attack, and the Texan acknowledged he was swollen, sore and hurting as he tried to slap the bees out of his hair.

But the seemingly indestructible Foyt is still going.

"I never itched so bad in my life. I thought they were honey bees at first," he said. "I may have been there (at the hospital) for seven or eight hours. They had my head packed in ice in a hospital bed and I started to throw up. I got pretty sick. But after a couple of hours, I said 'Let's get out of here.' I went home and took steroids for a couple weeks and then got myself off them. I hated to miss Sebring but I was just so sick I couldn't go there."

Everybody understood.

The harder part, though, is contemplating a future May without the iconic first four-time winner around the speedway.

"I can't imagine IMS without A.J. Foyt at all. My whole life, when I think racing, I think A.J. Foyt. He was my hero growing up," track president Doug Boles said. "He may say he won't show up (in poor condition) but we'll make sure we get him here."

The team has already started making future plans, too.

Foyt handed his adopted son, Larry, the title of team president, giving him more of the daily responsibilities. And the coma scare from 2014 prompted Larry Foyt to start considering how to keep A.J. Foyt Racing in business and competitive for years to come.

But those who work with him don't see Foyt slowing down anytime soon.

"He's crazy. He keeps scaring the hell out of us. But, I guess when you're 83 and you're A.J. Foyt he can do whatever the hell he wants," 2013 Indy winner Tony Kanaan said. "I'll still drag his butt up here, trust me. I don't want to think about it (Indy without Foyt)."

___

More AP auto racing: www.racing.ap.orgLOS ANGELES (AP) - The Los Angeles County jails are run by the sheriff, but the Mexican Mafia wields the power in the underworld behind bars.

The organization made up of leaders from various Latino gangs operated like an illegal government, collecting "taxes" on smuggled drugs, ordering hits on people who didn't follow their rules and even calling the shots on street crimes, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

Their clout was diminished as 83 members and associates were charged in a pair of sweeping federal racketeering conspiracies that alleged drug dealing, extortion, violent assaults and even murders.

A poster at a news conference shows suspects captured and at large as authorities announce indictments against the Mexican Mafia in Los Angeles Wednesday, May 23, 2018. Leaders of the notorious Mexican Mafia "gang of gangs" were charged Wednesday with running a government-like operation to control drug trafficking from inside Los Angeles County jails that included ordering violence against those who didn't obey. (AP Photo/Brian Melley)

"We just delivered a blow to a cold-blooded prison gang and their associates," U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna said during a news conference.

In an effort to disrupt the gang's stronghold, the suspects will be held in federal facilities, and those already in custody in state prisons will be moved, authorities said.

Sheriff Jim McDonnell acknowledged that others will follow in their wake, as leadership in the gang that operates in most prisons and jails in the state is always changing.

"There will be new leaders, that's kinda how the whole system works. It's hierarchical," McDonnell said. "When one goes to jail or passes away then someone else backfills their spot just like any multilevel organization."

The so-called "gang of gangs" - an organization of imprisoned Latino street gang leaders who control operations inside and outside California prisons and jails - started in the 1950s at a juvenile jail and grew to an international criminal organization that has controlled smuggling, drug sales and extortion inside the nation's largest jail system.

"These Mexican Mafia members and associates, working together to control criminal activity within (LA County jails), have become their own entity or enterprise and effectively function as an illegal government," an indictment said.

The gang was also able to control street crime by using wives, girlfriends and lawyers to help relay orders to be carried out by members who were not incarcerated, an indictment said.

In some instances, gang members would deliberately get arrested on low-level charges so they could smuggle drugs into the jail and be released days later.

Because the Mexican Mafia controlled drug trafficking in the jails, they got the first shot to sell their supply of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin or marijuana, prosecutors said. Other groups had to wait and give a third of their contraband to the Mexican Mafia leadership.

The fee, known as a "thirds" tax, gave the name "Operation Dirty Thirds" to the investigation that led to the indictments and arrest of 32 people Wednesday. Another 35 defendants were in custody and 16 were fugitives.

The gang enriched itself through drug sales, taxes on drugs and even collected a share of purchases on candy bars, deodorant and other items at the jail commissary, the indictment said, adding that the gang was able to exert control by threatening and carrying out violence if people didn't pay up or follow the rules.

The gang members were accused of committing vicious beatings, stabbings, kidnappings and murders in retaliation, Hanna said.

The indictment alleges crimes between 2012 and 2016, when a grand jury was convened and before President Donald Trump took office.

Trump has focused on gang violence but has singled out MS-13, pointing to the gang's gruesome crimes in a push for stronger immigration policies.

While MS-13 is associated with the Mexican Mafia, the majority of the crimes listed in the indictments Wednesday are alleged to have been committed by members affiliated with other street gangs.

The jail indictment said Jose Landa-Rodriguez and two now-deceased members of the Mexican Mafia controlled operations in the jail between 2012 and 2016.

Landa-Rodriquez, 55, is accused of sanctioning murders, assaults and the kidnapping and planned murder of a relative of a gang member who defied him, prosecutors said.

Landa-Rodriguez is not a U.S. citizen, though nearly all of the other defendants charged in the indictment are citizens, Hanna said.

A second higher-up, Luis Vega, 33, ordered a murder and directed assaults against those who showed disrespect or didn't obey rules, the indictment said.

One of the group's facilitators was attorney Gabriel Zendejas-Chavez, who was able to carry messages to the gang members while operating under the shield of attorney-client privilege, the indictment said. He is also accused of enabling a plot to extort $100,000 from the Mongols outlaw motorcycle gang.

Zendejas-Chavez was arrested Wednesday. A woman who answered the phone at his office was unaware of the arrest and didn't comment.

___

Associated Press journalist Michael Balsamo contributed to this report.

A poster at a news conference shows suspects captured and at large as authorities announce indictments against the Mexican Mafia in Los Angeles Wednesday, May 23, 2018. Leaders of the notorious Mexican Mafia "gang of gangs" were charged Wednesday with running a government-like operation to control drug trafficking from inside Los Angeles County jails that included ordering violence against those who didn't obey. (AP Photo/Brian Melley)SCOTTSDALE, Arizona (AP) - Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio was asking dozens of tea party activists for their backing in Arizona's Republican Senate primary when one audience member said it was a shame disgruntled conservatives couldn't send "both of you" to Washington.

The man wasn't just talking about Arpaio, but the other Arizona conservative icon who was there that night promoting her rival Senate campaign, former state Sen. Kelli Ward. The room burst into applause at the remark, which sums up the dilemma facing Arizona's boisterous conservatives - their hearts are split between two candidates in the primary. That divide could pave the way for the more moderate candidate, Rep. Martha McSally.

Up for grabs is the seat held by Sen. Jeff Flake, who is retiring after being pummeled by his initial primary challenger, Ward. She has accused Flake of being too soft on immigration and not supportive enough of President Donald Trump.

In this May 17, 2018, photo, Republican Senate candidate Kelli Ward talks about her platform policies at a Scottsdale Tea Party event in Scottsdale, Ariz. Arizona conservatives are torn between two icons of their movement - former Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former state senator Ward - in the GOP Senate primary. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Arpaio, pardoned by Trump last year after being convicted of contempt of court in a racial profiling case, roiled the race in January by jumping in. He has raised only $500,000, the least among the three major Republicans.

"Whoever convinced Joe to run didn't do the movement any favors," said Constantine Querard, an Arizona conservative strategist who has long been friendly toward Arpaio but backs Ward, "because the movement has a tremendous affection for Joe, but he splits the movement."

Chuck Coughlin, a more centrist Arizona Republican strategist, is more blunt about Arpaio: "He's not in it to win it, he's just in it to keep Kelli Ward from winning."

The frustration over the two candidates splitting the conservative vote spilled into the open this week, when Arpaio's campaign alleged that Ward's camp offered the former sheriff a job with a pro-Trump superPAC if he dropped out of the race. The Ward campaign denies it made the offer.

Arpaio, 85, said the offer was offensive. "I don't like to be intimidated by anyone," the former six-term sheriff said in an interview. "It's no secret that a lot of people want me out of the race. My response is I'm not leaving."

Arpaio gained notoriety for his outdoor "tent city" jail in which inmates wore pink underwear, his tendency to launch investigations of political critics and his crackdown on illegal immigration, which a judge ruled in 2013 amounted to racial profiling by his department as it routinely stopped Hispanics to check on their immigration status. Arpaio's agency continued the practice against the judge's orders. Arpaio then lost the 2016 election and was convicted of contempt of court.

If Arpaio's gravelly-voiced swagger represents the populist, hardline immigration movement that helped power Arizona conservatism, Ward, 49, represents the conservative wing. A family physician from western Arizona, Ward served a single term in the state Senate and became a hero to conservative activists for her 2016 primary challenge of Sen. John McCain. Though Ward lost handily, it crystalized the frustration conservatives have felt toward the state's senators, McCain and Flake, both of whom take a far more dovish stance on immigration than GOP activists.

Ward has generally avoided attacking Arpaio. In an interview before the alleged offer, Ward said that she is a longtime supporter but "we have a better option" for Senate. Ward saves most of her fire for McSally, 52, a former Air Force pilot who represents a Tucson swing district won by Hillary Clinton and who criticized Trump during the presidential election. McSally has since tacked right, boasting of her access to Trump and pulling her support from legislation that would grant citizenship to people brought into the country illegally as children.

"The majority of Arizona Republican primary voters and independents don't want Jeff Flake 2.0," Ward said.

The ire toward McSally is palpable at conservative gatherings like the meeting of the Sun Lakes Republican Club earlier this month. As Ward addressed the gathering, organizers slapped a picture of McSally onto an empty chair to symbolize her absence.

Dave Marcus, a 64-year-old retired salesman who moved to the "active senior community" four years ago and describes himself as a "California escapee," said he didn't like what he'd heard about McSally. "Dr. Ward seems to be saying the right things more than Martha McSally," Marcus said.

And Arpaio? "He's got a past I don't object to, but he's a little bit older. I'm not sure he's got the energy,"Marcus said.

At the Scottsdale Tea Party meeting, some had similar worries. Arpaio, who has pledged to serve only one term, would be the oldest person ever elected to a freshman term in the Senate. U.S. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, is 84 and running for re-election.

"I love him, he's a great guy, I just don't think he's up to the task," Joe Romack, an engineer, said of Arpaio.

Arpaio and Ward both spoke from under a banner that read Taxed Enough Already - the tea party motto. They touted their ties to the Trump administration. Arpaio recounted public praise from Vice President Mike Pence during a recent Phoenix visit. Ward dropped the name of Sebastian Gorka, who was fired from the White House but is still a prominent Trump supporter and has endorsed her campaign.

Paula Gallagher listened with interest, but she'd already made up her mind.

"We know Sheriff Joe," Gallagher said. "Look at his history. His resume speaks volumes about how he's dedicated his life and his service to not only this state for many years but the country in general."

____

Sign up for "Politics in Focus," a weekly newsletter showcasing the AP's best political reporting from around the country leading up to the midterm elections: http://apne.ws/3Gzcraw

In this May 17, 2018, photo, Republican Senate candidate Kelli Ward talks about her platform policies at a Scottsdale Tea Party event in Scottsdale, Ariz. Arizona conservatives are torn between two icons of their movement - former Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former state senator Ward - in the GOP Senate primary. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

In this May 17, 2018, photo, Republican Senate candidate and former Maricopa Country Sheriff Joe Arpaio talks about his platform policies at a Scottsdale Tea Party event in Scottsdale, Ariz. Arizona conservatives are torn between two icons of their movement - Arpaio and former state senator Kelli Ward - in the GOP Senate primary. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)BEIRUT (AP) - Airstrikes overnight in eastern Syria killed at least 12 pro-government fighters, all reportedly foreign nationals, a war-monitoring group said Thursday. The Syrian government-run media blamed the strikes on the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group.

In Damascus, the SANA news agency said coalition aircraft struck military positions between the towns of Boukamal and Hmeimeh in Deir el-Zour province. It did not report any casualties.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the war through a network of activists on the ground, said the fatalities were not Syrian nationals but foreign fighters. It said the coalition was likely behind the strikes.

The Pentagon said it had "no information" to substantiate reports the coalition was behind the latest airstrikes.

Late on Thursday, Syrian TV reported a military base in central Syria came under attack from "enemy" fire and that Syrian air defenses confronted a missile attack. It did not give additional details.

Minutes earlier, SANA reported loud explosions at Dabaa airbase in Homs province.

Syria's government forces have relied on support from the Lebanese group Hezbollah and other regional militias, organized by Iran to wage war on Syrian rebels and IS militants.

Their reach in Syria has alarmed the Trump administration in Washington and Netanyahu's government in Tel Aviv, which say that Iran's expansive networks in the war-torn country threaten Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will not allow Iran to threaten Israel from Syria. The Israeli military is believed to be behind dozens of airstrikes in recent years against Hezbollah, Iran, and Syrian military positions.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, days after President Donald Trump revoked America's participation in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, has threatened Iran with the "strongest sanctions in history" unless Tehran withdraws all its forces from Syria and terminates its support for Hezbollah.

Iran has dismissed those threats, saying its forces are in Syria at the invitation of President Bashar Assad's government.

The strikes targeted "movements" of pro-government forces, near the T2 oil pumping station, the Observatory said.

In February, coalition forces struck pro-government forces in eastern Syria that the U.S. said had attacked U.S.-backed Kurdish forces battling IS militants. It was later revealed the fatalities included a number of Russian private contractors. Russia is a key ally to Assad.

The Iraqi air force is also known to strike targets in eastern Syria. Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has said it is part of his country's effort to defeat Islamic State militants at its borders, after the government declared it had defeated the jihadist group inside Iraq last year.

The United States, Britain and France bombed government facilities in April in retaliation for a suspected gas attack blamed on Assad's forces.

Earlier this month, Israel bombed Iranian military positions in Syria in what it said was retaliation for Iranian strikes on the occupied Golan Heights. Israel called it its most serious operation in Syria since the 1973 Mideast war.

___

Associated Press writer Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, contributed to this report.PRAGUE (AP) - Exports of Budvar beer, which has been embroiled in a lengthy legal dispute with U.S. giant Anheuser-Busch over the use of the "Budweiser" brand, reached a record in 2017.

Budejovicky Budvar NP, a Czech state-owned brewery, said Thursday it exports rose 1.5 percent on the year to a record of 990.5 thousands hectoliters (26.17 million gallons). Budvar exported its beer to 76 countries last year.

The brewery's output was down 4 percent to 1.547 million hectoliters as it shifted production to a premium brand. Financial results have not been disclosed.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 file photo, a brewer checks a glass of beer at the Budejovicky Budvar brewery in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic. The exports of Budvar beer, which has been embroiled in a lengthy legal dispute with U.S. giant Anheuser-Busch over the use of the "Budweiser" brand, reached a record in 2017. Budejovicky Budvar NP, a Czech state-owned brewery, said on Thursday, May 24, 2018 it exports rose 1.5 percent year on year to a record of 990.5 thousands hectoliters (26.17 million gallons). (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)

The brewery says it has reached its production capacity and is currently investing 2 billion Czech crowns ($90.7 million) to expand output to up to 2 million hectoliters a year.BEIJING (AP) - No explanation has yet been found for a U.S. government employee's report of abnormal sensations of sound and pressure, China said Thursday, as the incident in southern Guangzhou city recalled the experiences of illness-stricken American diplomats in Cuba.

"China is already conducting a careful investigation, and we have already given the U.S. preliminary feedback," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said during a regular news briefing.

"At this point, we have not yet found any reason or clue leading to the situation described by the U.S.," Lu said, adding that China adheres to the Vienna Convention on protecting foreign diplomats.

FILE - In this Oct. 26, 2009 file photo, security workers guard at construction site of the U.S. Consulate compound in Guangzhou in southern China's Guangdong province. The State Department said an email notice Wednesday, May 23, 2018, that a U.S. government employee in southern China reported abnormal sensations of sound and pressure, recalling similar experiences among American diplomats in Cuba who later fell ill. (Chinatopix via AP, File)

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday that when the U.S. informed China of the incident in Guangzhou, "They said all the right things and have demonstrated their willingness to help us identify the vector which led to this medical incident."

The State Department has dispatched a medical team to Guangzhou, where "subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure" were reported by an American government worker.

The department said Thursday that it is aware of only one employee who has been affected and that there have been no reports of private U.S. citizens experiencing the phenomena.

Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the American employee had shown clinical findings similar to patients with mild traumatic brain injury, known commonly as a concussion.

The worker, who has been sent to the U.S. for additional testing, experienced "a variety of symptoms" from late 2017 through April, Nauert said Wednesday.

The Chinese state-owned Global Times newspaper said in an editorial Thursday that the investigation into the U.S. government employee's condition should be "objective." The newspaper said it was "inappropriate" for the U.S. to connect the incident with what American diplomats underwent in Cuba.

"It is completely unthinkable for there to be medical attacks launched against foreigners, particularly diplomats, in China," the Global Times said.

"A sonic attack especially requires exceptional imagination," the commentary said, asking, "What sort of 'profit' would make it worthwhile for China to take such a risk?"

On Wednesday, Pompeo told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the medical indications of the Guangzhou incident "are very similar and entirely consistent with the medical indications of the Americans working in Havana."

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who met Wednesday with Pompeo in Washington and then addressed a joint news conference, said China hasn't found any organization or individual responsible for "such a sonic influence."

"We don't want to see this individual case magnified, complicated or even politicized," Wang said.

Pompeo commended China's response and said it has offered to assist the U.S. in investigating.

Last October, the State Department ordered non-essential embassy personnel and the families of all staff to leave Havana after at least 24 Americans experienced a range of mysterious ailments, often after hearing an unusual sound.

While the symptoms and sensations have varied from person to person, some have permanent hearing loss or concussions, while others have struggled with nausea, headaches, concentration and common word recall.

___

Associated Press reporters Sam McNeil and Christopher Bodeen in Beijing and Matthew Lee and Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report.CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Australian will hold an unprecedented five by-elections on the same day in July due to a political crisis over a 117-year-old constitutional ban on dual citizens holding seats in Parliament.

Speaker Tony Smith told the House of Representatives on Thursday that the by-elections in four states will be held July 28.

The elections give Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull a chance to increase his conservative coalition's single-seat majority in the House, where parties need a majority to govern. Four of the electorates had been held by the center-left opposition Labor Party and one was held by an independent legislator.

But a firmer grip on power could be short-lived, with Australia facing a general election within a year and potentially as early as August.

Four lawmakers were forced out of office by a High Court decision two weeks ago that some lawyers argue changed the definition of the reasonable steps that a candidate is expected to take to renounce a second nationality before running for election. The ruling means that long delays by foreign countries in processing a citizenship renunciation application can cost a dual national a chance to be elected to the Australian Parliament. A fifth by-election was caused by a lawmaker who quit for family reasons unrelated to citizenship.

Since July, 15 lawmakers have been disqualified by the court or quit pre-emptively because of the dual citizenship ban. That is one in 15 of all the lawmakers who won seats in Parliament at the last election in 2016. They all said they had been unaware they were anything more than Australian citizens when they were elected. Only two lawmakers had previously been expelled over the dual-national ban since the Australian Parliament first formed in 1901.

Many question whether such a ban is appropriate in a migrant nation where half the population was born overseas or has at least one overseas-born parent.BERLIN (AP) - Swiss authorities say they have arrested a Catholic priest under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct that was brought to their attention by church leaders.

Maurus Eckert, a spokesman for canton (state) prosecutors in Graubuenden, said Thursday that the priest was taken into custody amid an ongoing investigation of alleged sexual abuse of an adult victim. He declined to provide any further details.

The Chur diocese, in eastern Switzerland, said in a statement on its website that it had itself filed a complaint against the priest, who was an administrator based in Tujetsch.

Further details were not immediately available.KILIS, Turkey (AP) - A Turkish court has postponed an extradition case against an Australian Islamic State suspect pending the result of a Turkish terror-related investigation.

Australia is seeking to extradite suspected IS recruiter Neil Prakash, who has been in Turkish custody since 2016. The former rapper from Melbourne has featured in IS videos, has been linked to several attack plans in Australia and has urged lone wolf attacks against the United States.

Lawyer Mehmet Alper Unver told reporters Thursday that the trial was adjourned until July 19 to await a Turkish probe into Prakash's possible activities against Turkey.

Prakash faces a potential life sentence if he is convicted in Australia of terrorism offenses.

Unver said the suspect wants to serve time either in Turkey or in another majority-Muslim country.LONDON (AP) - Official figures show that retail sales bounced back strongly in April after cold weather hit the previous month.

The Office for National Statistics said Thursday that retail sales jumped a monthly 1.6 percent in April, more than making up the 1.1 percent decline in March.

The agency's head of national accounts, Rob Kent-Smith, said car fuel and department store sales recovered from the impact of snow in March.

However, he said, "the underlying position remains subdued with the volume of goods sold over the last six months broadly unchanged."

The increase is likely to stoke hopes that the British economy, which is heavily reliant on consumer spending, will bounce back from a disappointing first quarter, when it expanded by a tepid quarterly rate of 0.1 percent.Bowalley Road Rules



The blogosphere tends to be a very noisy, and all-too-often a very abusive, place. I intend Bowalley Road to be a much quieter, and certainly a more respectful, place.

So, if you wish your comments to survive the moderation process, you will have to follow the Bowalley Road Rules.

These are based on two very simple principles:

Courtesy and Respect.

Comments which are defamatory, vituperative, snide or hurtful will be removed, and the commentators responsible permanently banned.

Anonymous comments will not be published. Real names are preferred. If this is not possible, however, commentators are asked to use a consistent pseudonym.

Comments which are thoughtful, witty, creative and stimulating will be most welcome, becoming a permanent part of the Bowalley Road discourse.

However, I do add this warning. If the blog seems in danger of being over-run by the usual far-Right suspects, I reserve the right to simply disable the Comments function, and will keep it that way until the perpetrators find somewhere more appropriate to vent their collective spleen.

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) - Congo's fight to rein in a deadly Ebola outbreak has authorities crossing the border to buy up available thermometers, a World Health Organization official said as the health ministry on Thursday announced that confirmed cases had reached 31, including nine deaths.

The spread of the often lethal hemorrhagic fever to a provincial capital of 1.2 million people has health officials scrambling to monitor for Ebola at busy ports in the capital, Kinshasa, which is downstream from the infected city of Mbandaka on the Congo River.

Mbandaka is one of three health zones with confirmed Ebola cases, complicating efforts to find and monitor hundreds of people who have been in contact with those infected. Two of the zones are rural and remote, with few roads or other infrastructure.

A health care worker takes the temperatures of passengers at Ngobila Beach in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Thursday May 24, 2018. Congo's fight to rein in a deadly Ebola outbreak has authorities crossing the border to buy up available thermometers, a World Health Organization official said, as the health ministry on Thursday announced that confirmed cases had reached 30, including eight deaths. (AP Photo/John Bompengo)

In Kinshasa, travelers streamed off boats at ports on the Congo River and ran a gauntlet of health officials watching for signs of infection.

"We want to ensure that ports and airports are effectively protected," WHO's Congo representative Allarangar Yakouide told The Associated Press. "I assure you, we have already taken all the thermometers that are in Kinshasa, practically all the thermometers, and there are even colleagues who are going on the other side to Brazzaville to buy thermometers."

The Republic of Congo's capital is across the river from Kinshasa, a city of 10 million.

A wave of panic briefly hit Kinshasa on Wednesday after rumors spread that an Ebola case had been admitted to the Kinshasa General Hospital. Yakouide denied it, saying no cases had been confirmed in the capital and warning against spreading false reports which "could create panic and undermine the effectiveness of the response to the Ebola outbreak."

As of Thursday, Congo's health ministry reported 31 confirmed Ebola cases, 13 probable cases and eight suspected cases. It said suspected and probable cases are removed from the totals if the tests come back negative, explaining the fluctuating figures.

This is Congo's ninth Ebola outbreak since 1976, when the disease was first identified. The virus has twice made it to Kinshasa but was effectively contained.

Some residents of the capital expressed confidence that the outbreak would not reach their city from the rural villages or Mbandaka, which is an hour's flight from Kinshasa but several days' journey by barge.

"The victim will be far from others so that he cannot contaminate them. The doctors have already gone down to the site to see what's going on, so how is this disease going to happen here in Kinshasa?" asked Georgette Boluka, a market vendor at one of Kinshasa's ports.

Concerns remained among health officials, however, after the aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres on Wednesday said two infected patients who fled from an Ebola treatment center in Mbandaka later died.

"Forced hospitalization is not the solution to this epidemic" and instead more community engagement is needed to prevent the virus' spread, said MSF's emergency coordinator, Henry Gray.

The WHO emergencies chief, Dr. Peter Salama, warned Wednesday that "the next few weeks will really tell if this outbreak is going to expand to urban areas or if we're going to be able to keep it under control." The risk of spread within Congo is "very high," WHO says.

Ebola is initially transmitted to people from wild animals, including bats and monkeys. It is spread via contact with the bodily fluids of those infected, including the dead.

There is no specific treatment for Ebola. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding. The virus can be fatal in up to 90 percent of cases, depending on the strain.

WHO began vaccinations this week and is using a "ring vaccination" approach, targeting the contacts of people infected or suspected of infection and then the contacts of those people. More than 600 contacts have been identified.

WHO also is accelerating efforts with nine countries neighboring Congo to try to prevent the Ebola outbreak from spreading there, saying the regional risk is high.

___

Associated Press video journalist John Bompengo in Kinshasa, Congo, and AP writer Carley Petesch in Dakar, Senegal, contributed to this report.

___

Follow AP's coverage of Africa news: https://twitter.com/AP_Africa

A health care worker takes the temperatures of passengers at Ngobila Beach in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Thursday May 24, 2018. Congo's fight to rein in a deadly Ebola outbreak has authorities crossing the border to buy up available thermometers, a World Health Organization official said, as the health ministry on Thursday announced that confirmed cases had reached 30, including eight deaths. (AP Photo/John Bompengo)BEIRUT (AP) - Growing U.S. pressure on Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah group, including a new wave of sanctions targeting its top leadership, may hamper the formation of a new government that caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri was overwhelmingly chosen to form on Thursday.

Hariri's aim is to quickly recreate a national unity government that incorporates Hezbollah members to implement reforms and deal with a crippling and growing national debt, but might come under increasing pressure from the U.S. and its Arab allies to shun the militant group which says it wants to play a bigger role in the future Cabinet.

After a day of consultations between President Michel Aoun and the country's 128 legislators, 111 named Hariri as their choice to form a new Cabinet while the rest, including Hezbollah's bloc and some of its allies, did not give a name. Hariri's nomination comes after this month's parliament elections in which Hezbollah, along with its political allies, significantly increased their presence in the legislature.

In this photo released by the Lebanese Government, Lebanese President Michel Aoun, left, meets with Prime Minister Saad Hariri, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, May 24, 2018. Aoun held consultations Thursday with lawmakers on naming a new prime minister following this month's parliamentary elections and amid increasing pressures by the United States and its Arab allies on the militant Hezbollah group. (Dalati Nohra/Lebanese Government via AP)

"The least we should expect is huge complications over the formation of the Cabinet," said Nabil Bou Monsef, deputy editor-in-chief of the leading daily An-Nahar. He said Lebanon is again in the heart of the U.S.-Iran conflict and this will lead to "complications over the government that will be caused by conditions and counter conditions."

Despite soaring regional tensions, Hariri appeared optimistic after he was named to form the Cabinet.

"I extend my hand to all political elements. We should work together to achieve what the Lebanese people are looking for," Hariri told reporters.

Asked if there will be a veto on Hezbollah's participation, Hariri said "I only heard that from the Lebanese media. This is the first time I hear it." Hariri added: "I am open to all elements and never closed the door in front of anyone."

Hezbollah, which has 13 seats in the 128-member legislature, did not name its own candidate for the premiership as it has done in the past - signaling it will likely go along with Hariri's re-appointment despite tense relations between the Iran-allied Shiite group and the Western-backed Hariri.

A U.N.-backed tribunal has indicted five Hezbollah members in the 2005 assassination of Hariri's father and former premier Rafik Hariri. Hezbollah denies the charges.

"We have confirmed our readiness to take part in the next government and to deal positively with whomever is named by the majority," Mohammed Raad, who heads Hezbollah's bloc in parliament, said after meeting Aoun.

Naming Hariri came amid concerns in Lebanon that a new wave of sanctions by the U.S. and its Arab allies against Hezbollah would delay Hariri's formation of the Cabinet.

The increasing pressures by the U.S. and its Arab allies on Hezbollah come amid rising tensions in the region following President Donald Trump's decision earlier this month to withdraw Washington from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and the militant group's gains in the May 6, parliamentary elections.

On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tehran should end its support of Hezbollah, Iran's most powerful arm in the region.

"We will track down Iranian operatives and their Hezbollah proxies operating around the world and crush them," Pompeo said.

Pompeo in testimony Thursday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was asked if the Lebanese government is now indistinguishable from Hezbollah and whether the U.S. should continue to provide assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces.

"I don't believe that it is, although we are reviewing that, to be sure, to make sure that the actions that we take, the funding that is provided, is provided appropriately and consistent with the law," he said.

The U.S. has been imposing sanctions on the militant group for decade. However, a new wave last week appears to be more serious about targeting the group's top leadership as well as businessmen and companies that Washington says are funding the group that is heavily involved in Syria's seven-year war, providing strong military backing for President Bashar Assad's forces.

The sanctions reflect the battle between the U.S. and its allies against Iran, which has expanded its influence in the Arab world in recent years. Tehran enjoys wide influence in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen and last year opened a land corridor from its border through Iraq and Syria all the way to the Mediterranean.

On May 16, the U.S. and the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council that includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman imposed sanctions on 10 top Hezbollah officials including its leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, his deputy Naim Kassem and top officials Hashem Safieddine, Ibrahim Aim al-Sayyed, Hussein Khalil and Mohammed Yazbek.

A day later, Washington imposed sanctions on businessman Mohammed Ibrahim Bazzi and Hezbollah's representative in Iran, Abdullah Safieddine, as well as several companies in Europe, Africa and Lebanon saying they launder money for the group.

The six GCC countries and the U.S. consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization while the European Union only labels its military wing as a terrorist group.

"This action highlights the duplicity and disgraceful conduct of Hezbollah and its Iranian backers. Despite Nasrallah's claims, Hezbollah uses financiers like Bazzi who are tied to drug dealers, and who launder money to fund terrorism," said Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin in a statement.

"The savage and depraved acts of one of Hezbollah's most prominent financiers cannot be tolerated. This Administration will expose and disrupt Hezbollah and Iranian terror networks at every turn, including those with ties to the Central Bank of Iran," he said.

Hariri said earlier this week that the sanctions will not hinder the formation of a new Cabinet but on the contrary might accelerate it.

On Sunday, outgoing cabinet minister Marwan Hamadeh, a Hariri ally, said that sanctions on Hezbollah would "hamper the formation of the government."

Senior Hezbollah official Nabil Kaouk said Saudi Arabia does not want his group to be represented in the government, adding that the coming days will prove that the kingdom "is weak and cannot prevent Hezbollah from holding important portfolios in the government."

A Saudi envoy said during a visit to Lebanon over the weekend that the kingdom does not interfere in the country's internal politics and supports the stability of Lebanon.

Hezbollah's allies are strongly standing behind the organization's representation in the new Cabinet.

"The party should be represented in the new government. This is not negotiable," said Foreign Minister Gibran Bassil, who heads the Free Patriotic Movement that has the largest bloc in parliament, about Hezbollah.

__

Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - The International Space Station accepted delivery Thursday of more than 7,000 pounds of supplies from Virginia.

A commercial cargo ship arrived at the orbiting lab three days after launching from Wallops Island. Orbital ATK shipped the goods for NASA in a Cygnus capsule, which is named after the swan constellation.

NASA astronauts Scott Tingle and Ricky Arnold used the station's big robot arm to snag the Cygnus from orbit, as the craft passed 260 miles above Africa's Cape of Good Hope and swung out over the southern Indian Ocean.

In this photo made from NASA video, the Cygnus capsule prepares to dock to the International Space Station, Thursday, May 24, 2018. The International Space Station has accepted delivery of more than 7,000 pounds of supplies from Virginia. A commercial cargo ship arrived at the orbiting lab Thursday, three days after launching from Wallops Island. Virginia-based Orbital ATK shipped the goods for NASA in a Cygnus capsule, which is named after the swan constellation. The space station's U.S. crew used a big robot arm to snag the Cygnus from orbit 250 miles up. (NASA via AP)

"Excellent job, guys," Mission Control radioed. "You've got a whole team down here in Houston with big smiles on their faces," along with the Orbital ATK controllers in Dulles, Virginia.

"It was a beautiful day to grapple the spaceship," Arnold replied.

The crew will unload the food, equipment and science experiments, then fill the capsule with trash for a fiery re-entry in July. Research accounts for about one-third of the newly arrived contents, including a small chamber from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory that will use lasers to chill atoms to temperatures colder than space itself.

This particular Cygnus is dubbed the S.S. J.R. Thompson in honor of the former NASA and Orbital ATK executive who died in November.

Six men call the space station home: three Americans, two Russians and a Japanese. Three of them will return to Earth in just over a week.

The Cygnus capsule prepares to dock to the International Space Station, Thursday, May 24, 2018. The International Space Station has accepted delivery of more than 7,000 pounds of supplies from Virginia. A commercial cargo ship arrived at the orbiting lab Thursday, three days after launching from Wallops Island. Virginia-based Orbital ATK shipped the goods for NASA in a Cygnus capsule, which is named after the swan constellation. The space station's U.S. crew used a big robot arm to snag the Cygnus from orbit 250 miles up. (NASA via AP)BERLIN (AP) - The co-leader of the right-wing nationalist Alternative for Germany, the country's largest opposition party, says Italy's new government should abandon the euro currency.

Italy is struggling under heavy debt and Alexander Gauland told the dpa news agency Thursday the new government of Giuseppe Conte and his coalition partners, the euroskeptic 5-Star movement and anti-immigrant League, would be best served leaving the 19-nation eurozone.

Gauland says "the new government will certainly not contribute to the stability in Europe and in the European Union. It would be best if Italy now left the euro."

Gauland says that would be in Germany's best interest, and "would save the German taxpayers a lot of money."

The AfD is also a euroskeptic party and has been extremely critical of Germany's contribution to the Greek bailout.MOSCOW (AP) - The Kremlin said Thursday it doubts that Yulia Skripal has issued a statement of her own free will after her recovery from poisoning that Britain blames on Russia.

Skripal, who was poisoned along with her ex-spy father Sergei in a nerve agent attack, said Wednesday her recovery has been "slow and painful" and that she doesn't need assistance offered by the Russian Embassy.

President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the Kremlin doesn't know whether Skripal made her statement under pressure or independently, where she is or if her rights have been respected by British authorities.

Yulia Skripal poses for the media during an interview in London, Wednesday May 23, 2018. Yulia Skripal says recovery has been slow and painful, in first interview since nerve agent poisoning. (Dylan Martinez/Pool via AP)

Russia has vehemently denied any involvement in the March 4 poisoning and blamed Britain for staging it. Peskov described the Skripals' poisoning as an "unprecedented international provocation."

"We have every reason not to trust it," Peskov said of Skripal's statement in a call with reporters.

The Russian Embassy in London went a step further, tweeting: "The bottom line is that MI5 should expect better results from their translators - for 32K/year (32,000 pounds a year) they should be able to write statements which sound more Russian."

The tweet echoed statements by many commentators in Moscow, who said that the wording of Skripal's remarks sounded odd and artificial.

The cousin of Yulia Skripal said on Russian state television late Wednesday that she appeared to be delivering a statement written by others. "The text is learned by heart - I mean she doesn't speak emotionally, she says it very quickly," Viktoria Skripal said.

Yulia Skripal poses for the media during an interview in London, Wednesday May 23, 2018. Yulia Skripal says recovery has been slow and painful, in first interview since nerve agent poisoning. (Dylan Martinez/Pool via AP)

Yulia Skripal poses for the media during an interview in London, Wednesday May 23, 2018. Yulia Skripal says recovery has been slow and painful, in first interview since nerve agent poisoning. (Dylan Martinez/Pool via AP)Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

1. FOR TRUMP, KIM MAY BE THE DEAL THAT GOT AWAY

Eager for a dramatic moment and a bold accomplishment, Trump agreed to Kim's March overture for a summit in less than an hour, ignoring the warnings of seasoned advisers who said it could backfire.

A protester wearing a mask of U.S. President Donald Trump, center, performs with cut-out photos of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, during a rally against the United States' policies against North Korea near the U.S. embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, May 25, 2018. President Donald Trump's decision to walk away from a plan to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next month in Singapore caught a lot of people off guard, including, it appears, Kim Jong Un.Every indication is that Pyongyang still wants to make the meeting happen. And as soon as possible. The signs read " Apology." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

2. NORTH KOREA KEEPS HOPES OF TALKS ALIVE AFTER TRUMP CANCELLATION

North Korea says that it's still willing to sit for talks with the United States "at any time, (in) any format."

3. WHO IS EXPECTED TO SURRENDER IN SEXUAL MISCONDUCT PROBE

Harvey Weinstein is expected to turn himself in to police to face charges involving an aspiring actress who said he forced her to perform oral sex on him.

4. CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS GET BRIEFINGS ON RUSSIA PROBE

Republican and Democratic lawmakers have received classified briefings about the origins of the FBI investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

5. CYCLONE EXPECTED TO BE 'EXTREMELY SEVERE' IN OMAN

Meteorologists say Cyclone Mekunu will be "extremely severe" when it crashes into the Arabian Peninsula this weekend after earlier thrashing the Yemeni island of Socotra.

6. VOTE ON ABORTION BEGINS IN IRELAND

Voters throughout Ireland began casting votes in a referendum that may lead to a loosening of the country's strict ban on most abortions.

7. TRUMP PARDONS BOXING'S FIRST BLACK HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION

President Donald Trump grants a rare posthumous pardon to Jack Johnson more than 100 years after what many see as his racially charged conviction.

8. VETERANS HOPE NEW RULES WILL HELP THEM FIND JOBS

The state of Connecticut's human rights commission told employers last month they could be breaking the law if they discriminate against veterans with some types of less-than-honorable discharges.

9. WHY TRAVEL AT GAZA BORDER MOVING AT A SLOW PACE

Thousands of people in Gaza hoping to travel are on a waiting list, a backlog created by long periods of closures, and Egyptian border officials are slowly processing them.

10. ROCKETS TAKE 3-2 SERIES LEAD AGAINST THE WARRIORS

Eric Gordon comes off the bench to score 24 points and his steal on the Golden State Warrior's last possession secured a 98-94 win over the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference finals.

FILE - In this Jan. 8, 2017, file photo, Harvey Weinstein arrives at The Weinstein Company and Netflix Golden Globes afterparty in Beverly Hills, Calif. Law enforcement officials say Weinstein is expected to surrender to authorities Friday morning to face criminal charges in a months-long investigation into allegations that he sexually assaulted women. The officials say the charges relate to related to a former actress, Lucia Evans, who said Weinstein assaulted her in his New York offices in 2004. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)BRUSSELS (AP) - The European Union on Thursday imposed obligations on Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom to improve the flow of gas at competitive prices in eastern EU nations, but did not fine the company.

EU Antitrust Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Gazprom will have to ease its hold on the market there, giving consumers "an effective tool to make sure that the price they pay is competitive."

Following three years of legal action, the decision means Gazprom will have to remove restrictions on customers to resell gas across borders and improve gas flows to members like Bulgaria and the Baltic nations.

European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager speaks during a media conference on Gazprom at EU headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, May 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

If Gazprom breaks any of the obligations, the EU can impose a fine of up to 10 percent of the company's global turnover.

The issue is important to Eastern European countries, which import most of their gas from Russia and are worried about the political leverage that gives Moscow. The European Commission says Gazprom has used that market dominance to obtain advantages on price and to control the pipelines through which its gas flows.

Vestager acknowledged that some had been looking for a big fine on the Russian company "no matter the solution on the table," especially after the EU fined U.S. software giant Microsoft over half a billion euros five years ago.

"However, a fine would not have achieved all of our competition objectives in this case," she said, insisting that she was instead looking for Gazprom to change its practices and open up to EU rules of fair competition.

Gazprom said it was satisfied with Vestager's decision. "We believe that today's decision is the most reasonable outcome for the well-functioning of the entire European gas market," Gazprom's Deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev said in a statement carried by Russia's state Tass news agency.

The decision comes at a time of increasing tension between Russia and the EU, ranging from the annexation of Crimea in Ukraine to cyberattacks against EU nations.

___

Vladimir Isachenkov contributed from Moscow

European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager speaks during a media conference on Gazprom at EU headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, May 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)PARIS (AP) - U.S. troops fighting in France in World War I found a landscape ravaged by trench warfare and chemical weapons, churches gutted by bombs and used as makeshift hospitals, and villages turned into military prisons.

A century later, those same verdant fields, rebuilt churches and quaint villages greet American tourists and other world travelers, showing barely a trace of what they endured.

The Associated Press has revisited sites across the former Western Front as the U.S. commemorates fallen soldiers on Memorial Day, and Europe prepares to mark 100 years since the war's end. The AP looked afresh at scenes from 1918 in the Ardennes, Somme, Argonne and Meuse regions, captured in images held in the archives of the U.S. National World War I Museum and Memorial.

This combo of two photographs shows, at left, Estella Margaret Kendall at the grave of her son, Harry N. Kendall, in 1931, located in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial, in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, eastern France, provided by National World War I Museum and Memorial, and, at right, a view of the same location 100 years later on March 25, 2018. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP, AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

The Americans arrived late in the war, in 1917, and gave crucial help to Britain, France and other allies fighting Germany.

The wartime gloom lifted briefly when U.S. troops marched in a Fourth of July parade in the summer of 1918, through a Paris whose historic buildings and cobblestone streets stand little changed 100 years later.

To the north and the east, allied troops were struggling to push back the front line, which had nearly reached the French capital.

Near Verdun, U.S. soldiers ran through the main street of Exermont trying to escape German fire, as a comrade-in-arms lay motionless nearby. Today, children ride a toy tractor past the same spot.

In a war that claimed some 14 million lives - 5 million civilians and 9 million soldiers, sailors and airmen from 28 countries over four years - and left 21 million wounded, the town church in nearby Neuvilly-en-Argonne became a field hospital for U.S. troops.

Bombed out and full of rubble, it was still the sturdiest building in town. Patients lay on the floor in rows, exactly as the reconstructed pews now stand today.

Just a week before the Nov. 11, 1918, armistice that ended the war, hundreds of American supply trucks rumbled through a muddy street in Beauclair.

Today cars ride along its asphalt, past a monument to villagers lost in what's known in France as the "Guerre du 14-18," or "the War of 1914-1918."

Every village here has such a monument, the names of the dead etched in memoriam.

American military engineers crisscrossed northern France to rebuild bridges, roads and other essential infrastructure, some of which still stands.

Some details are gone, however. The well where German prisoners drew water in Pierrefitte-sur-Aire, watched over by an American soldier, is now covered in pavement.

On the day of the armistice, American soldiers celebrated victory with war-weary villagers in Stenay. Today, children run carefree up the church steps where the revelers stood.

Of the 2 million Americans who took part in World War I, 116,516 died and about 200,000 others were injured.

Many of the dead rest at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon. It is the largest U.S. cemetery in Europe to this day.

___

Angela Charlton contributed to this report.

___

This story has been corrected to show that 2 million Americans took part in World War I, not 4.3 million.

This photo provided by National World War I Museum and Memorial and dated 1931, shows Estella Margaret Kendall at the grave of her son, Harry N. Kendall, located in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial, in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, eastern France. First Sergeant Harry N. Kendall, Company A, 168th Infantry, 42nd Division, A.E.F. was killed on July 15, 1918. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP)

This photo dated March 25, 2018 shows the tomb of First Sergeant Harry N. Kendall, Company A, 168th Infantry, 42nd Division, A.E.F. who was killed on July 15, 1918, and buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial, in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, eastern France. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

This combo of two photographs shows a 4th of July Parade in Paris, France, top, provided by the National World War I Museum and Memorial, dated July 4, 1918, and, below, a view of the same location 100 years later on May 21, 2018. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP, AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

This photo provided by National World War I Museum and Memorial dated July 4, 1918 shows American troops in a Fourth of July parade in Paris, France. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP)

This photo dated Monday, May 21, 2018, shows Iena square with the Guimet museum at right, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

This combo of two photographs shows a street scene in Bouillonville, eastern France, top, and the hill in the background which protects the village from German shells, provided by the National World War I Museum and Memorial, dated Sept. 20, 1918, and, below, a view of the same location 100 years later, on March 26, 2018. Bouillonville was the center of the medical unit for a large part of the German Army. Many medical supplies were found and the medical units were using the German hospitals the same day the drive started. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP, AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

This photo provided by National World War I Museum and Memorial and dated Sept. 20, 1918, shows American soldiers in Bouillonville, eastern France, and the hill in the background which protects the village from German shells. Bouillonville was the center of the medical unit for a large part of the German Army. Many medical supplies were found and our medical units were using the German hospitals the same day the drive started. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP)

This photo dated March. 26, 2018 shows the main street in Bouillonville, eastern France. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

This combo of two photographs shows the first American trucks to enter Beauclair, Meuse region, eastern France, on Nov. 4, 1918, with supplies for soldiers, top, provided by the National World War I Museum and Memorial, and, below, a view of the same location 100 years later on March 25, 2018. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP, AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

This photo provided by National World War I Museum and Memorial dated Nov. 4, 1918, shows the first American trucks to enter Beauclair, Meuse region, eastern France, with supplies for soldiers. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP)

This photo dated March 25, 2018, shows the church in Beauclair, Meuse region, eastern France. The WWI memorial, center left, stands in front of the church. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

This combo of two photographs shows the 104th Infantry Supply Train, 35th Division, on Oct. 7, 1918, passing through Conde-en-Barrois, Meuse region, eastern France, top, provided by the National World War I Museum and Memorial, and, below, a view of the same location 100 years later on March 26, 2018. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP, AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

In this photo provided by National World War I Museum and Memorial dated Oct. 7, 1918, the 104th Infantry Supply Train, 35th Division, passes through Conde-en-Barrois, Meuse region, eastern France. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP)

This photo dated March 26, 2018, shows the former school in Conde-en-Barrois, Meuse region, eastern France. A WWI memorial stands in front of the school, center right. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

This combo of two photographs shows, at top, and provided by the National World War I Museum and Memorial, Gen. Pershing, center right, addressing officers of the First Division on April 16, 1918 before they leave for the line in Chaumont-en-Vexin, 60 kilometers (38 miles) north of Paris, France, and below, a view of the same location 100 years later on April 14, 2018. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP, AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

In this photo provided by National World War I Museum and Memorial and dated April 16, 1918, Gen. Pershing, center right, addresses officers of the First Division before they leave for the line in Chaumont-en-Vexin, 60 kilometers (38 miles) north of Paris, France. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP)

This photo dated April 14, 2018, shows an estate in Chaumont-en-Vexin, 60 kilometers (38 miles) north of Paris, France. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

This combo of two photographs shows German prisoners captured in Battle of Argonne by 35th Div., drawing water from a well for their mess, dated Nov. 9, 1918, in Pierrefitte-sur-Aire, eastern France, top, provided by the National World War I Museum and Memorial, and, below, a view of the same location 100 years later, on March 26, 2018. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP, AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

This photo provided by National World War I Museum and Memorial and dated Nov. 9, 1918 shows an American soldier, left, guarding German prisoners captured in Battle of Argonne by 35th Div., drawing water from a well for their mess, in Pierrefitte-sur-Aire, eastern France. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP)

This photo dated March 26, 2018 shows a street in Pierrefitte sur Aire, eastern France. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

This combo of two photographs shows, at top, the wounded being treated by the 110th Sanitary Train, 137th Field Hospital, 35th Div., dated Sept. 20, 1918, in an old church in Neuvilly-en-Argonne, eastern France, provided by the National World War I Museum and Memorial, and, below, a view of the same location 100 years later on March 25, 2018. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP, AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

This photo provided by National World War I Museum and Memorial dated Sept. 20, 1918 shows the wounded being treated by the 110th Sanitary Train, 137th Field Hospital, 35th Div., in an old church in Neuvilly-en-Argonne, eastern France. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP)

This photo dated March 25, 2018, shows an inside view of a church in Neuvilly-en-Argonne, eastern France. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

This combo of two photographs shows, top, the first American wagons to enter Stenay, Meuse region, eastern France, on Nov. 11, 1918, under the command of Lieut. R. M. Huten, Company A, 353rd Regiment infantry, 99th Division, provided by National World War I Museum and Memorial, and, below, a view of the same location nearly 100 years later on March 25, 2018. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP, AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

This photo provided by National World War I Museum and Memorial and dated Nov. 11, 1918, shows the first American wagons to enter Stenay, Meuse region, eastern France, under command of Lieut. R. M. Huten, Company A, 353rd Regiment infantry, 99th Division. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP)

This photo dated March 25, 2018, shows a street in Stenay, Meuse region, eastern France. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

This combo of two photographs shows, at top, members of Company A, 110th Engineering, 35th Division, on Oct. 7, 1918, assembled for the first time since the battle of Argonne, in Conde-en-Barrois, Meuse region, eastern France, provided by National World War I Museum and Memorial, and, below, a view of the same location 100 years later on March 26, 2018. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP, AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

In this photo provided by National World War I Museum and Memorial and dated Oct. 7, 1918, members of Company A, 110th Engineering, 35th Division, assemble for the first time since the battle of Argonne, in Conde-en- Barrois, Meuse region, eastern France. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP)

This photo dated Match 26, 2018, shows a house in Conde-en-Barrois, Meuse region, eastern France. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

This combo of two photographs shows, at top, celebrations or armistice by Company A, 353rd Regiment Infantry, 89th Div., on church steps on Nov. 11, 1918, which they reached at 11:00am, in Stenay, Meuse region, eastern France, provided by National World War I Museum and Memorial, and, below, a view of the same location 100 years later on March 25, 2018. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP, AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

This photo provided by National World War I Museum and Memorial and dated Nov. 11, 1918 shows celebrations or armistice by Company A, 353rd Regiment Infantry, 89th Div., at church steps which they reached at 11:00am, in Stenay, Meuse region, eastern France. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP)

This photo dated Feb. 25, 2018 shows the church steps in Stenay, Meuse region, eastern France. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

This combo of two photographs shows, at top, Britain's King George V, center left 1st row, on Aug. 6, 1918, as he visits the 33rd Div. and distributes honor medals in Molliens-au-Bois, northern France, provided by National World War I Museum and Memorial, and, below, a view of the same location 100 years later on March 25, 2018. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP, AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

In this photo provided by National World War I Museum and Memorial and dated Aug. 6, 1918, Britain's King George V, center left 1st row, visits the 33rd Div. and distributes honor medals in Molliens-au-Bois, northern France. The official party stand at salute as the national anthems are played. Left to right : Gen. John J. Pershing, Gen. Tasker H. Bliss, Maj. Gen. George Bell, Jung George, Gen. Holman and Maj. Gen. Hamilton. (National World War I Museum and Memorial via AP)DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Saudi authorities have released three prominent women's rights activists, but continue to hold at least seven others in a sweep targeting prominent icons of the country's women's rights movement, activists and rights groups said Thursday.

The three women released - Aisha al-Mana, Hessah al-Sheikh and Madeha al-Ajroush- are longtime advocates of women's rights and took part in the first protest in 1990 against the kingdom's ban on women driving.

Amnesty International and people familiar with the case said the conditions of the women's release remain unknown. Those familiar with the arrests spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions.

FILE - In this March 29, 2014 file photo, Aziza al-Yousef drives a car on a highway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of a campaign to defy Saudi Arabia's ban on women driving. Saudi Arabia's arrest of 10 women's rights advocates just weeks before the kingdom is set to lift the world's only ban on women driving is seen as the culmination of a steady crackdown on anyone perceived as a potential critic of the government. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali, File)

Activists and rights groups say those still detained - four women and three men - have been interrogated without access to lawyers and have been allowed just one phone call to relatives since their arrest last week. One of the women, Loujain al-Hathloul, has been held entirely incommunicado since her arrest May 15.

The detentions are seen as a culmination of a steady crackdown on perceived critics of the government. In recent weeks, activists say dozens of women's rights campaigners have also been banned from traveling abroad.

The arrests have cast a pall over recent social openings being pushed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, including a historic decision to lift the world's only ban on women driving next month.

The arrests have also attracted negative publicity amid the crown prince's efforts to brand himself as a "reformer."

"He wants to rule without so much as a whisper of criticism," wrote the Washington Post's editorial board this week. "The crown prince seeks to modernize the kingdom but seems not to recognize the essential role of freedom in a modern society."

Several of those detained in this latest sweep are successful professionals. The three women who were released are especially well-regarded in their fields.

Al-Mana, 70, is the director of Al-Mana General Hospitals and the Mohammad Al-Mana College of Health Sciences. She completed bachelor's and master's degrees in the U.S. in sociology. In 1980, she became one of the first Saudi women to obtain a Ph.D., also in the U.S.

Al-Mana has established a scholarship program for Saudi women to study global health at her alma mater, the University of Oregon. She also established a $2 million endowment at the American University of Beirut for students pursuing advanced degrees in nursing and health sciences.

Al-Sheikh, meanwhile, hails from a prominent family in Saudi Arabia and is a professor at King Saud University. She volunteers with various charities and co-authored a study published this year in partnership with Rutgers University that examines Saudi women's advocacy.

Al-Ajroush is a psychotherapist in her mid-60s who runs a private therapy practice in the capital, Riyadh. She previously helped initiate a nationwide program in Saudi Arabia to provide support for domestic abuse victims and train police and courts on how to receive and treat such victims.

The release of the three women signals a possible breakthrough for those still held.

In addition to al-Hathloul, who has been held incommunicado, prominent activists Aziza al-Yousef and Eman al-Najfan remain under arrest in an unknown location. Ibrahim al-Mudaimigh, one of the kingdom's most well-known lawyers, is also among those detained. He holds a doctorate from Harvard Law School and has offered legal representation to activists in the kingdom.

The sweep against the group began last week when police arrested the 10 and transferred them to the city of Jiddah, where the king, crown prince and top officials are working during the month of Ramadan.

Saudi media say the arrests were carried out by forces under the direction of the crown prince.

The Interior Ministry has not named those arrested but said the group is being investigated for communicating with "foreign entities," working to recruit people in sensitive government positions and providing money to foreign circles with the aim of destabilizing and harming the kingdom.

Pro-government media outlets have accused the group of being traitors and of belonging to a "spy cell".

Activists told the AP that seven of those detained were involved in efforts to establish a non-governmental organization called "Amina" that would offer support and shelter to victims of domestic abuse. They had recently submitted their request to the government to establish the NGO.

Al-Mana was not among the seven involved in trying to establish the NGO, but al-Sheikh and al-Ajroush were, according to activists who spoke to the AP.

Over the past years, authorities have steadily cracked down on human rights advocates under a sweeping anti-terrorism law dating back to 2014, which defines acts as vague as "defaming the state's reputation" as terrorism.

The crown prince last year detained dozens of perceived critics of his foreign policies, and many remain imprisoned without charges or trial. He also led an unprecedented shakedown of top princes and businessmen, forcing them to hand over significant portions of their wealth in exchange for their freedom as part of a purported anti-corruption campaign.

FILE - This Nov. 30, 2014 image made from video released by Loujain al-Hathloul, shows her driving towards the United Arab Emirates - Saudi Arabia border before her arrest on Dec. 1, 2014, in Saudi Arabia. The arrest of 10 women's rights advocates, including Al-Hathloul, just weeks before the kingdom is set to lift the world's only ban on women driving, on June 24, is seen as the culmination of a steady crackdown on anyone perceived as a potential critic of the government. Al-Hathloul in her late 20s is among the most outspoken women's rights activists in the kingdom. (AP Photo/Loujain al-Hathloul, File)ISLAMABAD (AP) - Pakistan's lower house of parliament, with rare support from the opposition, has passed a bill to give equal rights to 5 million people living in the country's tribal areas.

The legislation, pushed by the ruling party, envisages administratively merging the semi-autonomous tribal regions bordering Afghanistan into the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province for the first time in the 70 years since Pakistan's creation.

After Thursday's approval in the National Assembly, the bill will to go to the upper house of parliament, or Senate, for endorsement there before it can become law.

Pakistani lawmakers leave Parliament after a session in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, May 24, 2018. Pakistan's lower house of parliament, with rare support from the opposition, has passed a bill to give equal rights to 5 million people living in the country's tribal areas. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash)

Its purpose is also to abolish colonial-era laws, such as the ones that call for punishing an entire tribe if one of its members is found guilty of crime.

Pakistan gained independence from British rule in 1947.Brazil, who recalled top scorer Tandara Caixeta after she was rested against Argentina on Wednesday, mixed potent, fluid attacking with added steel in defence, typified by the outstanding blocking display of Adenizia, as they had far too much class for the Caribbean nation, who were outplayed in every department as they slumped to a sixth defeat in six Volleyball Nations League matches. Brazil's victory means they move to within one point of pacesetters USA, and this display will serve as a warning to the rest of the tournament's frontrunners.

Amanda top-scored for Brazil with 14 points as she added accurate serving to her finishing ability, but there's far more to the South Americans than all-out attack. Their rigid defence and superb blocking - led by the impenetrable Adenizia - frustrated the Dominican Republic time and time again. Ana Beatriz and skipper Roberta Silva also produced performances full of craft and ingenuity as Brazil oozed class throughout.

Brayelin Martinez was the Dominican Republic's top scorer for their fifth Volleyball Nations League match out of six in the inaugural competition; she chalked up nine points but was snuffed out on numerous occasions by Brazil's blockers, and could only land seven of her 25 attempted spikes. Yonkaira Pena Isabel (6 points) and Annerys Valdez (5 points) were their other top scorers, but the Caribbeans were erratic and error-strewn, with their serving letting them down again.

Brazil were sluggish in the opening set and found themselves 3-0 down with Martinez and Pena Isabel both registering early spikes. But Jose Roberto Guimaraes' women soon found their rhythm and a couple of brilliant blocks - first through Beatriz and then Amanda - had the South American champions 8-6 in front at the first technical time out. The Queens of the Caribbean looked dangerous, but their achilles heel - poor serving and wayward spikes - returned again with Pena Isabel guilty of a bad miss to put Brazil 11-10 in front. And the favourites stepped up a few gears to move into a six-point lead at 22-16 before Tandara, who had a fairly quiet game, closed out the set (25-20) with Brazil comfortable without really impressing.

But the 2017 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix winners were far more enterprising in the second set and blew their opponents away with some wonderful volleyball. Tandara was far more influential than in the opening set and her spike made it 7-5 to Brazil, but Adenizia's outstanding blocking was the theme of the set with Marcos Kwiek's side unable to find a way through her and her partner in crime Beatriz. Brazil were 10 points clear at the second technical time out and they piled on more misery by blitzing clear to win the set 25-10 and move two sets clear with only 57 minutes on the clock. Brazil earned five block points in the second set alone as they thoroughly outclassed their opponents.

Dominican Republic had never beaten Brazil before in their previous 18 meetings - with their five-set loss in the 2008 World Grand Prix the closest they have come, and they never looked like erasing that record in this match. Martinez's brilliant block put Kwiek's side to within two points at 5-3 behind, but the top scorer inexplicably launched her resulting serve into the net to immediately hand the initiative back to the South Americans. Brazil were on a roll, and aided by the immaculate serving of Amanda, they scored 9 straight points to move into a 15-6 lead with Dominican Republic making errors by the bucketload. The third set was a procession and some more incredible blocking - this time by replacement Carol - kept the scoreboard ticking as Brazil strolled over the line (25-13). The South Americans won 14 block points alone - seven coming from Adenizia - whilst they produced arguably the best serving display so far in the Volleyball Nations League. Their three-game tour of Ankara ends in three convincing wins, and they head to the Netherlands in buoyant mood for week 3 matches against the Dutch, South Korea and Poland.

Adenizia Da Silva and Amanda Francisco produced majestic performances to inspire Brazil to a fifth successive women's FIVB Volleyball Nations League win after they crushed the Dominican Republic in straight sets 3-0 (25-20, 25-10, 25-13) in Ankara.MILAN (AP) - Mezzosoprano Cecilia Bartoli is returning to Milan's famed La Scala opera house next year for a three-year Baroque music collaboration, the opera house announced Thursday.

The program is part of general manager Alexander Pereira's focus on bringing neglected Italian musical traditions back to La Scala's stage, this time leveraging on his long friendship with Bartoli and her love of Baroque music repertoire.

"Baroque music has been in a certain sense somewhat forgotten in Italy. We live in Baroque cities. We breathe Baroque in Italy. For this it is interesting to bring back to light compositions and authors of Baroque musical scores," Bartoli told The Associated Press.

She called Baroque music, composed from the 17th century through the first half of the 18th, Italy's "cultural treasure, our immense treasure."

"When we think of Verdi, when we think of Puccini, we shouldn't forget that these composers became what they were, thanks to those who came before them," Bartoli said. "It is true, Mozart was a genius. But he had a composer like Hayden who was a big inspiration for him."

The Baroque program begins in 2019 with Handel's "Giulio Cesare in Egitto," followed by his "Semele" in 2020 and "Ariodante" in 2021. Pereira said he wants to bring the three productions to other Italian opera houses, in particular the San Carlo theater in Naples, known for its Baroque tradition.

"The biggest Baroque musicians and composers have passed through Naples," Bartoli said, citing as examples Nicola Antonio Propora and Domenico Scarlatti.

To woo Bartoli, Pereira said he first set up a group of La Scala musicians with period instruments, something the pair had done for a similar project when he was director of the Zurich Opera House.

Bartoli sang several times at La Scala in the 1990s; her last appearance was in 2012, when she was booed by the upper balconies of the tiered theater.

She said her long absences were due mostly to scheduling difficulties and commitments elsewhere, and the fact that the La Scala repertoire until recently focused largely on the 1800s.

"I already had many commitments in Salzburg, Zurich, Vienna. To be able to speak of a multi-year project, it is clear it couldn't be done right away," she said. "From 2019 I found free time."KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - An Afghan official says the Taliban have attacked a military outpost in northern Faryab province, killing three soldiers and wounding six.

Regional army spokesman Mohammad Anif Rezai says the attack took place in Shirin Tagab district early on Thursday.

He says reinforcement were sent but were unable to reach the site because of land mines and Taliban ambushes along the way.

Rezai says intense fighting is still underway and that the government has ordered 40 commandos airlifted to help the soldiers at the outpost.

He says that so far, five insurgents have been killed in the fighting and seven wounded.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but the Taliban have lately stepped up their assaults on Afghan troops and government officials as part of their spring offensive.

.ROANOKE, Va. (AP) - After 57 days and a food blockade orchestrated by law enforcement, the Mountain Valley Pipeline protester known as Nutty has descended from her perch atop a pole in Virginia.

The Roanoke Times reports Nutty left the platform suspended from a 50-foot pole blocking a construction access road in Giles County on Wednesday.

The U.S. Forest Service had prevented supporters from providing her with food and water since early April. She subsisted on energy bars and rainwater in recent weeks, but wrote in a Facebook post that her food supply ran out a few days ago.

Forest Service spokeswoman Stephanie Johnson says Nutty was evaluated at a hospital and served with a citation to appear in federal court.

Three protesters remain along the pipeline's planned 300-mile route in Virginia and West Virginia.

___

Information from: The Roanoke Times, http://www.roanoke.comLONDON (AP) - A jury in Winchester has found an army sergeant guilty of attempted murder of his wife by sabotaging her parachute and tampering with a gas valve at her home.

Jurors convicted Army Sgt. Emile Cilliers, 38, on Thursday of two attempted murder charges and a third count of damaging the gas fitting following a trial at Winchester Crown Court.

The prosecution says he tried to kill Victoria Cilliers, 42, - a highly experienced parachuting instructor - by damaging her main and reserve parachutes in a jump April 5, 2015. She survived by landing on a newly-plowed field.

The prosecution claimed that Emile Cilliers was deeply in debt and that he wanted his wife's life insurance money to pay off his bills and start a new life with his lover.LONDON (AP) - Lawmakers scrutinizing Britain's exit from the European Union said Thursday that progress in trade talks with the bloc is "highly unsatisfactory," and that the country may have to stay in the tariff-free EU customs union for years after Brexit.

The Exiting the European Union Committee said in a report that time is running out to set up new trade arrangements, and staying in the customs union may be "the only viable plan."

Britain is due to leave the EU in March 2019, followed by a 20-month transition period. The committee said it's unlikely new customs procedures, which have yet to be agreed on, will be in place by the time the transition ends in December 2020.

"It is highly unsatisfactory that nearly two years after the referendum, ministers have yet to agree, and set out in detail, what kind of trading and customs arrangements they wish to seek" with the EU, the report said.

Committee chairman Hilary Benn, an opposition Labour Party lawmaker, said Britain will probably have to remain in a customs union "until alternative arrangements can be put in place."

Benn said that, 23 months after the June 2016 referendum, "we still don't know what the U.K.'s future relationship with the EU will be on trade, services, security, defense, consumer safety, data, broadcasting rights and many other things."ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Travel problems have delayed the New York Yankees from getting home from Texas.

Newsday reports the team's charted Delta flight took off after Wednesday night's 12-10 loss to the Rangers. But the flight had to return to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport because of a mechanical problem.

The plane safely landed and the flight resumed early Thursday morning.

New York Yankees Neil Walker (14) celebrates his solo home run against the Texas Rangers during the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, May 23, 2018, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

Last week, the Yankees were forced to spend the night at Dulles International Airport outside Washington because of a mechanical problem, rough weather and rules that limit the number of hours that a flight crew can work.

An email seeking comment from the team was not returned.LONDON (AP) - Scotland's first minister has expressed horror at the image of a Scottish government employee gagged and taped to a chair in an alleged bullying incident by her colleagues.

Nicola Sturgeon has ordered a review into the case of DeeAnn Fitzpatrick, who has complained of bullying and misogyny while working at the offices of Marine Scotland.

Her case is before an employment tribunal, but the image of the incident obtained by the BBC has caused shock.

The Scottish leader says she was "absolutely horrified at the photograph that has been in the media over the past 24 hours."

Sturgeon says "bullying, abuse, sexism, racism have no place in any workplace and let me be very clear today: they will not be tolerated within the Scottish Government or within our agencies."MIAMI (AP) - The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a 50-year-old North Carolina man who reportedly went overboard from the Carnival paradise cruise ship.

Commander David Aldous said in a news release that the agency has been in touch with the family of Brian Lamonds of Greensboro, North Carolina. He says suspending the search is one of the most difficult decisions that first responders have to make and "it is never made lightly."

Lamonds was reported missing Tuesday morning 85 miles (136 kilometers) west of Fort Myers on Florida's Gulf Coast.

Coast Guard crews from Miami, Key West and Clearwater searched for about 55 hours, covering some 3,059 square miles (7922 sq. kilometers). The cruise ship was heading from Tampa to Key West when Lamonds went overboard.LONDON (AP) - Britain's Foreign Office on Thursday criticized "childish" Russian pranksters who phoned Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson posing as the leader of Armenia.

The Guardian newspaper said that Johnson was called by Alexei Stolyarov and Vladimir Kuznetsov, known as Lexus and Vovan.

One pretended to be new Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, and the newspaper said that Johnson spoke to them for 18 minutes, discussing topics including the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson attends at a press conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, May 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A recording of the call, said to have taken place last week, was posted on YouTube.

In the recording, Johnson says Britain is "almost 100 percent sure" President Vladimir Putin's Kremlin ordered the attack on Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Moscow denies involvement in the incident, which has sparked a crisis in U.K.-Russia relations.

Johnson is also heard lamenting the poor state of U.K. relations with Russia, saying Moscow seems "unable to resist malign activity of one kind or another."

The Foreign Office said Johnson "realized it was a hoax, and ended the call. We checked it out and knew immediately it was a prank call."

"The use of chemical weapons in Salisbury and Syria and recent events in Armenia are serious matters," it said in a statement. "These childish actions show the lack of seriousness of the caller and those behind him."

Prime Minister Theresa May's office said "obviously this shouldn't have happened," and announced there would be a government investigation into how the hoaxers got through to Johnson.

Britain suspects the comedy duo have backing from the Kremlin.

Stolyarov and Kuznetsov, who have fooled high-profile victims around the world, have denied links to Russia's security services. In 2015, they phoned Elton John pretending to be Russian President Vladimir Putin after the musician criticized Russia's stance on gay rights.A Massachusetts judge who engaged in sexual acts with a social worker in his courthouse chambers will be suspended indefinitely, the state's highest court ruled Thursday, and may face removal from the bench.

The Supreme Judicial Court said Judge Thomas Estes' 'grave, willful and repeated wrongdoing' has damaged the public's faith in the judicial system.

'The sanction we impose is not severe because we seek to punish the judge severely, but because ... we seriously question whether he can command the respect and authority essential to the performance of his judicial function,' the judges wrote.

Judge Thomas Estes (pictured in March 2016) was suspended indefinitely on Thursday for having sex with a social worker in his courthouse chambers

Tammy Cagle (pictured in April) accused him in a lawsuit of pressuring her into performing oral sex and then pushing her out of the court when she tried to end the relationship

Estes' lawyer, David Hoose, said they are disappointed in the decision and that Estes is weighing his options.

Tammy Cagle, who worked on the drug court where Estes sat, has accused him in a federal lawsuit of pressuring her into performing oral sex on him and then pushing her out of the drug court when she tried to end the relationship.

Estes says their relationship was consensual and denies harassing Cagle or playing in a role in her losing her job. He says that Cagle initiated their first encounter and was the one who wanted to continue their relationship.

Estes' lawyer had urged the court for a four-month suspension, saying he has already suffered immensely from the affair becoming public. Estes' lawyer told the justices in April that Estes' relationship with Cagle never impacted his judicial duties and shouldn't cause him to lose his career.

The Supreme Judicial Court said Estes will be suspended without pay effective June 15. The court said the Commission on Judicial Conduct can share documents in the case with lawmakers and the governor, who can decide whether to remove him from the bench.

Estes, pictured above in court in March, has said that his relationship with Cagle was consensual and that he had nothing to do with her losing her job

Lawmakers could either impeach Estes or issue a 'bill of address' calling for his removal. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, who supports Estes' removal, and the Governor's Council would both have to sign off on a bill of address to strip Estes from the bench.

It's only the fourth time the state's high court has imposed such a sanction on a judge. The last time a Massachusetts judge was removed through a bill of address was Judge Jerome Troy, of the Dorchester District Court, in 1973.

Estes, a former public defender was nominated to the court by Gov. Deval Patrick in 2014. He was the first justice of the Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown before he was confined to administrative duties last year.

He also came under fire in 2016 when he sentenced a former high school athlete to probation after the athlete pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two classmates. The case drew parallels to that of former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner, who got just six months in jail for a sexual assault conviction.Lonneke Sloetjes executed another outstanding performance to engineer a comfortable 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-21) win for The Netherlands over the Pool 5 hosts Japan at the first-ever women's FIVB Volleyball Nations League on Thursday.The Dutch, whose four-game winning streak was shattered when they were beaten 3-0 by the United States on Wednesday, rebounded from that disappointment with an impeccable display against the highly-rated Japanese team.Sloetjes, who played the starring role in The Netherlands' heart-stopping five-set win over Belgium on Tuesday, was once again the architect of her team's victory, hitting 13 winning spikes in her 14-point haul.Middle blocker Yvon Belien finished with 13 points, from 10 spikes and three blocks, while the ever-reliable Anne Buijs chalked up 12 points to take her total for the tournament to 80, the most by a Dutch player.Risa Shinnabe, who was Japan's leading scorer in Wednesday's win over Belgium, once again led the way for her team, finishing with 10 points, level with teenager Ai Kurogo, the youngest member of the host-nation's squad.With an average 10 centimetre height advantage over their opponents, The Netherlands got maximum benefit from their taller players, with 1.91 metre high Sloetjes leading the attack and the 1.98 metre tall Nicole Koolhaas marshalling the defence.Koolhaas (9 points) finished with four blocks and teamed up with Britt Bongaerts (6 points, 4 blocks) for a double that sealed the first set after The Netherlands came out flying, racing to a 9-3 lead as Buijs and the other heavy hitters quickly found their range.The second set was tighter but The Netherlands pulled away after the second technical time-out after a desperate diving save from captain Maret Balkestein-Grothues (6 points) kept the ball alive and Belien finished off the set-clinching point with a superb block.The Japanese captain Nana Iwasaka tried to rally her players in the third set, picking up five points in a fine display, while Yuki Ishii managed seven after being recalled to the court, but the Dutch kept their cool right at the end to secure the win.The Netherlands return home next week to host Brazil, Poland and South Korea in Pool 9 while Japans travels to Hong Kong for Pool 12 games with China, Argentina and Italy.CHICAGO (AP) - A man accused of shooting an Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent on Chicago's South Side has pleaded not guilty.

Ernesto Godinez is charged with assaulting an ATF agent with a deadly weapon in the May 4 shooting. He could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The 28-year-old Godinez entered his plea during a brief hearing Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Gilbert.

FILE - This 2017 file photo from a prior arrest provided by the Chicago Police Department shows Ernesto Godinez, who is accused of shooting an Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent on Chicago's South Side on May 4, 2018. Godinez pleaded not guilty at a hearing Tuesday, May 22. (Chicago Police Department via AP, File)

Prosecutors allege Godinez fired five rounds from the mouth of the gangway, shooting the agent in the face. He was working on a covert operation with Chicago police in the pre-dawn hours in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. The agent was released from the hospital days later.

Defense attorney Lawrence Hyman has ridiculed the evidence in court as flimsy.BEIRUT (AP) - The Latest on Syria developments (all times local):

9:30 p.m.

Syrian TV reports that a military base in central Syria has come under attack from "enemy" fire.

It says Syrian air defenses confronted the missile attack.

It did not give more details.

State- run news agency SANA reported minutes earlier loud explosions at the Dabaa airbase in Homs province.

The report Thursday night came after SANA news agency said U.S.-led coalition aircraft struck military positions in eastern Syria, a report the Pentagon denied.

___

6:20 p.m.

Syria's Ministry of Transport says Syria's flagship airline is resuming flights between the coastal city of Latakia and the United Arab Emirates city of Sharjah.

Ali Hamoud says Syrian Air will operate one round-trip service weekly between the two cities, starting Thursday.

Hamoud says the service is being restarted to meet rising demand from the coastal, central and northern regions for international travel. He says the service gives passengers the option of flying from a local terminal, instead of traveling to Damascus or Beirut first.

The war in Syria has devastated the country's transportation and tourism industries, and most international passengers had to transit through the capital or Beirut to travel.

There are passenger flights to 14 countries from Syria. Services to Dubai, in the U.A.E., continued throughout Syria's seven-year civil war.

___

5:45 p.m.

A U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish group says it has detained a French Islamic State group fighter linked to terror attacks in Paris and Nice in 2015 and 2016.

The Syrian Democratic Forces say they captured Adrien Lionel Kiyali on Saturday in a region in north Syria that was recaptured in 2017 from IS control.

In a statement Thursday, the SDF said Kiyali was hiding in the region around Raqqa, the former Syria capital of the IS group, and waiting to cross into Turkey and then travel on to Europe. The group says Kiyali crossed into Syria in 2015.

French media reported his name as Adrien Guihal.

In recordings for the Islamic State group, Guihal claimed responsibility for the July 2016 truck attack in Nice as well as the double killings of two French police officials at their home in Magnanville.

The newspaper Liberation reports that Guihal is a convert to Islam who studied Arabic in Egypt and was close to Fabien Clain, another French Islamic State member who himself claimed responsibility for the November 2015 attacks in Paris.

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10:45 a.m.

A Syria war-monitoring group says at least 12 pro-government fighters were killed in airstrikes the previous night in the country's east.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says none of the fatalities were Syrian nationals but foreign fighters.

Syria's government forces have relied on support from the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group and also regional militias organized by Iran to wage war on rebels and Islamic State militants.

In Damascus, government media reported early on Thursday that international coalition aircraft struck Syrian army positions near the front lines with IS in eastern Syria.

The Observatory says the U.S.-led coalition was likely behind the strikes but the Pentagon said it had "no information to substantiate those reports."JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Latest on the investigation of Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (all times local):

8:40 p.m.

An attorney for a Missouri House investigatory panel says a lawyer for Gov. Eric Greitens has impugned the integrity of the House in an attempt to divert attention from an investigation into the governor.

Lawyer Edward "Chip" Robertson Jr. released his statement Thursday in response to Greitens' campaign attorney Catherine Hanaway, who is a former House speaker.

Hanaway had suggested that investigatory committee chairman Rep. Jay Barnes had made himself a "material witness" to his own investigation. Among other things, she cited his receipt of an audio recording in which a woman explains to her husband that Greitens had bound, blindfolded and taken a photo of her partially nude during a sexual encounter in 2015. Greitens has denied criminal wrongdoing.

Lawmakers have been investigating the motives and means by which the recording became public.

___

5 p.m.

An attorney for Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is suggesting that the chairman of a House investigatory committee should be a witness in his own investigation.

The suggestion Thursday by Greitens' campaign attorney Catherine Hanaway is similar to the tactic that Greitens' lawyers used successfully in his now-dismissed criminal invasion-of-privacy case.

Hanaway says that Rep. Jay Barnes is now a "material witness" in the House investigation into whether Greitens should be impeached. That's partly because Barnes said he received an audio recording in which a woman told her husband of a sexual encounter with Greitens in 2015.

Earlier this month, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner dropped a felony charge against Greitens after a judge approved a request from Greitens' lawyers to question her as a potential witness in the case.

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11:10 a.m.

Federal investigators have been briefed on allegations of sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations by Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens.

During a legislative hearing Thursday, chairman Rep. Jay Barnes says he spoke to the FBI this year about the testimony of a former Greitens' campaign aide who described attempts to conceal donors to Greitens' campaign.

At Thursday's hearing, attorney Al Watkins said he also provided information to the FBI. Watkins said that in early 2017 he gave the FBI an audio recording that a man made in which his wife described a sexual encounter with Greitens in March 2015.

Watkins said he also provided the FBI photos of cash he received in January 2018 from The Missouri Times publisher Scott Faughn related to the audio recording.

___

10:45 a.m.

A lawyer says he gave a recording of a woman detailing an extramarital affair with Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens to the FBI.

Attorney Al Watkins on Thursday told a Missouri House legislative committee investigating Greitens that he provided the recording to authorities in January or February 2017.

A spokeswoman for the FBI declined to say if Greitens is under investigation.

Watkins represents the ex-husband of the woman Greitens said he had an affair with in 2015, before his election. The ex-husband secretly recorded a conversation with his then-wife, during which she described a sexual encounter with Greitens.

Greitens was indicted for alleged felony invasion of privacy related to that encounter. The woman said Greitens took an at least partially nude photo of her and threatened to release it if she spoke about their encounter. The St. Louis prosecutor dropped the case last week, although she referred it to a special prosecutor for consideration.

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10:20 a.m.

An attorney for the ex-husband of a woman who had an affair with Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens says he was paid $100,000 cash that he was told originated from a wealthy out-of-state Republican.

Lawyer Al Watkins testified Thursday to a legislative investigatory committee that The Missouri Times publisher Scott Faughn provided the cash in January 2017.

The payments occurred as Watkins was working with other media to publicize an audio recording the husband made in which his wife described a sexual encounter with Greitens.

Faughn testified Wednesday that he paid the money to purchase the recording but declined to say how he got the money.

Watkins testified that Faughn implied it was to help cover the husband's legal fees and hopefully to help provide a soft landing for the man.

___

10 a.m.

The chairman of a special legislative committee investigating Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens says it is "disgusting" that defense lawyers asked a woman involved in a 2015 affair with Greitens if she sent photos to a porn site.

The committee is investigating allegations related to the affair that took place before Greitens was elected, including allegations that he took a partially nude photo of the woman during an encounter in the basement of his St. Louis home in March 2015. The Legislature is meeting in special session to consider impeachment of the Republican governor.

On Wednesday, the committee reviewed questioning of the woman by Greitens' lawyers about photos on a porn site. The woman said she never uploaded photos to a porn site, and the committee said the photos were clearly not her.

Chairman Jay Barnes, a Republican, called the questioning "disgusting."

___

8:40 a.m.

Attorneys for Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens want lawmakers investigating the governor to issue a variety of subpoenas to probe more deeply into the source of a cash payment related to sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Greitens' attorneys said in a letter to lawmakers that a key question remains unanswered after The Missouri Times publisher Scott Faughn testified Wednesday.

Faughn said he paid $120,000 cash to a lawyer representing the ex-husband of a woman who had an affair with Greitens, but he declined to say how he got the money. Faughn said most of the money was to purchase an audio recording the man made of his wife describing a sexual encounter with Greitens.

Greitens' attorneys want subpoenas served to Faughn and several others to try to reveal the money source.ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) - Algeria's government denies any human rights abuses against African migrants who have been expelled from the country in large numbers, refuting U.N. allegations.

The country's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement Thursday that Algeria was carrying out the expulsions according to both its own laws and international obligations and denounced the allegations as a concerted campaign by non-governmental organizations that have unfairly damaged the country's relationship with its southern neighbors.

The U.N. High Commission on Human Rights has called on Algeria to stop the mass expulsions, saying they violate international human rights law.WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump canceling his planned summit with North Korea (all times local):

9:50 p.m.

Singapore says it regrets the cancellation of the summit that was to be held there next month between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

President Donald Trump speaks during a signing ceremony for the "Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act," in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Thursday, May 24, 2018, in Washington. In a dramatic diplomatic turn, Trump on Thursday canceled next month's summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, citing the "tremendous anger and open hostility" in a recent statement by the North. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump on Thursday abruptly canceled the meeting because he found earlier comments by a North Korean official to be angry and hostile. North Korea responded Friday that it was willing to give the U.S. time to reconsider and was ready to meet anytime.

Singapore had been selected recently from among several locations that were considered, including the Demilitarized Zone between the Koreas where Kim meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in last month.

The statement from Singapore's foreign affairs ministry says it "hopes that the dialogue and efforts to find lasting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula will continue."

__

7:05 p.m.

North Korea says it is still willing to sit down for talks with the United States "at any time, at any format" after President Donald Trump abruptly canceled his planned summit with Kim Jong Un.

Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan issued a statement Friday saying North Korea is "willing to give the U.S. time and opportunities" to reconsider talks.

Kim says North Korea's "objective and resolve to do our best for the sake of peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and all humankind remain unchanged."

Kim is calling Trump's decision "unexpected" and "very regrettable," and says the cancellation of the talks shows "how grave the status of historically deep-rooted hostile North Korea-U.S. relations is and how urgently a summit should be realized to improve ties."

__

5 p.m.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in says he's "very perplexed" that the U.S.-North Korea summit won't go ahead as planned.

Yonhap news agency cited Moon as urging direct talks between President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

Moon was speaking at an emergency meeting of his top security officials in Seoul after Trump announced he was canceling the summit because of North Korean "hostility."

Moon was quoted as saying: "I am very perplexed and it is very regrettable that the North Korea-U.S. summit will not be held on June 12."

He said, "Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of permanent peace are historic tasks that can neither be abandoned nor delayed."

Moon met Trump in Washington on Tuesday, but appeared caught unawares by the president's decision Thursday.

___

4 p.m.

The White House says the North Korean government violated several promises to the U.S. and South Korea related to the now-cancelled June summit in Singapore between the U.S. and North Korea. A senior U.S. official says the North Koreans stood up an American delegation last week seeking to make arrangements for the summit and did not return messages from the U.S. seeking to discuss the meeting.

The official says the North also reneged on a pledge to allow international inspectors to monitor the supposed demolition of its nuclear test site Thursday. International journalists were present, but the U.S. government can't verify the site's destruction.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid overshadowing Trump's comments Thursday.

- By Catherine Lucey

__

3:45 p.m.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says North Korea had fulfilled its promises ahead of the planned summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.

Trump canceled the summit on Thursday, citing "hostility" from North Korea.

But Putin said the North Korean leader "did everything that he had promised in advance, even blowing up the tunnels and shafts" of the country's nuclear testing site. "After which, we heard about cancellation of the summit by the United States."

Putin said: "In Russia, we took this news with regret, because we had very much counted on it being a significant step in sorting out the situation on the Korean peninsula and that it would be the beginning of the process of denuclearizing the whole Korean Peninsula."

He spoke at a news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.

___

2:10 p.m.

Donald Trump's letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was dictated by the president to his national security adviser, John Bolton.

That's according to Republican Sen. Cory Gardner, who met with Bolton at the White House on Thursday, hours after Trump announced he was withdrawing from a planned summit with Kim next month.

Gardner told The Associated press that Bolton described the letter as a "wake-up" to Kim, who had shown a change in attitude after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The senator cited the North Koreans' refusal to return phone calls to the administration and turning down high-level talks with South Korea.

He said North Korea had shown a "lack of seriousness" in negotiating on denuclearization.

In the letter, Trump cited "hostility" from North Korea, but kept open the possibility for dialogue.

___

1:25 p.m.

Pentagon officials say American forces on the Korean peninsula remain on a normal state of alert in the aftermath of President Donald Trump's decision to cancel his planned summit with North Korea's leader.

Trump said he had spoken to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis about the cancellation and that the U.S. military is prepared for what he called a "foolish or reckless" act by the North.

A spokesman for the Pentagon's Joint Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, told reporters the U.S. military will be ready for any North Korean provocation such as a missile launch. But he said the state of vigilance by the U.S. military in South Korea has not changed, with no new preparations or actions since Trump's announcement. He said U.S. forces are in a "boxer's stance," prepared to defend themselves and South Korea.

___

1:05 p.m.

President Donald Trump says he thinks Kim Jong Un wants to do "what's right" but says it's up to the North Korean leader to seize the opportunity.

Trump says the dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea was good until the North shifted back to its usual belligerent tone. The president says he understands why that happened, but declined to elaborate.

Trump has canceled a summit with Kim planned for June 12 in Singapore, but has left the door open to meeting on that or another date.

The president adds: "We'll see whether or not that opportunity is seized by North Korea."

___

12:10 p.m.

President Donald Trump declares he is "waiting" to see if North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will again "engage in constructive dialogue."

Trump opened the door for diplomacy Thursday just hours after he canceled a summit with Kim scheduled for next month in Singapore.

But he insisted that Kim reach out, placing the blame on the North Korean leader for the collapse of negotiations.

He also said that until that happened, tough sanctions on Pyongyang would continue and the U.S.-led "maximum pressure campaign is continuing."

Trump and Kim had been slated to meet June 12 for what White House officials had hoped would be a historic diplomatic breakthrough for the president.

They advised that the summit could be rescheduled.

___

12:05 p.m.

President Donald Trump says the U.S. military is "ready if necessary" to respond to "foolish or reckless acts" by North Korea.

Trump also says he's been in touch with South Korea and Japan and that both allies are willing to bear much of the financial burden "if such an unfortunate situation is forced upon us."

Trump on Thursday announced he has called off a planned June 12 summit with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, citing recent hostile statements by Kim's government.

North Korea overnight threatened nuclear confrontation with the U.S. and called Vice President Mike Pence a "political dummy."

Trump says hopefully "positive things" will take place with respect to North Korea's future. But he adds "If they don't we are more ready than we have ever been before."

___

11:30 a.m.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he was involved in discussions late Wednesday and early Thursday that led to President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of a planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. But, he would not say exactly which, if any, other countries were given a head's up on the decision, including South Korea.

"I don't want to get into who all we notified," he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, adding: "The White House will speak to that at the appropriate time."

However, Pompeo, who met at the State Department on Wednesday with China's foreign minister, did say that he had not spoken to Chinese officials since the decision was made.

Asked about a report that South Korea had not been informed before the president's letter to Kim canceling the summit was made public, Pompeo maintained that Washington and Seoul were "in lockstep."

___

11:20 a.m.

A prominent Russian lawmaker says the cancellation of the planned summit between President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un is a serious setback.

Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the upper house of the Russian parliament, is quoted by the news agency Interfax as saying: "The rejection by Trump of conducting the American-North Korean summit undoubtedly is a serious blow to peaceful settlement in the region."

He adds that "it's already the second blow, after the exit from the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program, to global stability in general."

___

11:05 a.m.

A Republican senator often critical of Donald Trump says the president "made the right call" in canceling a summit with North Korea's leader.

Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska says Kim Jong Un is a "murderous despot and habitual liar." Sasse is often critical of Trump but is siding with the president on his decision Thursday to pull out of the summit that had been planned for June 12 in Singapore.

Trump cited recent aggressive statements from Kim's government for his decision to cancel the meeting.

Sasse adds in a statement that if North Korea wants diplomacy, "it should know that half-measures and spin about its nuclear program won't cut it."

Sasse is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee,

___

10:55 a.m.

The U.N. chief says he is "deeply concerned" by the cancellation of the planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un.

Antonio Guterres told an audience at the University of Geneva on Thursday that he was urging the parties to keep working "to find a path to the peaceful and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

Guterres' comments came as he laid out his disarmament agenda, warning that nuclear agreements between states have been threatened like never before.

Trump announced Thursday that he was canceling the June 12 summit in Singapore with Kim following hostile comments. Overnight, Kim's government threatened nuclear confrontation and called Vice President Mike Pence a "political dummy."

___

10:45 a.m.

House Speaker Paul Ryan says achieving a peaceful resolution to the nuclear standoff on the Korean Peninsula will require "a much greater degree of seriousness" from Kim Jong Un.

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has canceled a June 12 summit in Singapore with the North Korean leader, citing hostile comments from Kim. Overnight, Kim's government threatened nuclear confrontation and called Vice President Mike Pence a "political dummy."

Ryan says in a statement Thursday that Kim's government has long given ample reason to question its commitment to stability.

The Republican says that, until a peaceful resolution is achieved, Congress has provided "significant tools" to hold North Korea accountable.

Ryan says the U.S. must continue the "maximum pressure" campaign that Trump and others say brought North Korea to the table in the first place.

___

10:35 a.m.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says North Korea did not respond to repeated requests from U.S. officials to discuss logistics for the now-canceled summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday that the lack of response was an additional reason for Trump's decision to call off the meeting. Trump cited recent bellicose comments from the North in a letter to Kim released by the White House.

Pompeo says: "We had received no response to our inquiries from them."

Pompeo says the North's attitude changed markedly since he returned from a trip to Pyongyang earlier this month, when he met with Kim and secured the release of three American prisoners being held there.

___

10:30 a.m.

A senior Democratic senator says President Donald Trump's withdrawal from a planned summit with North Korea shows the consequence of his failure to prepare properly.

Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey said Thursday that the withdrawal shows "the art of diplomacy is a lot harder than the art of the deal."

The top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee says it's "pretty amazing" that Trump's Republican administration would be shocked that North Korea "is acting as North Korea might very well normally act."

He adds: "I'm not sure that constantly quoting the Libya model is the diplomatic way to try to get to the results that we seek in North Korea because that didn't work out too well for Gadhafi."

Menendez was speaking Thursday at a committee hearing attended by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

A copy of the letter sent to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un from President Donald Trump canceling their planned summit in Singapore is photographed in Washington, Thursday, May 24, 2018. (AP Photo/J. David Ake

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo answers questions from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee just after President Donald Trump canceled the June 12 summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, citing the "tremendous anger and open hostility" in a recent statement from North Korea, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 24, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

People watch a TV screen showing file footage of U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 24, 2018. North Korea carried out what it said is the demolition of its nuclear test site Thursday, setting off a series of explosions over several hours in the presence of foreign journalists.The signs read: " North Korea demolishes nuclear test site ." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)HELENA, Mont. (AP) - The head of the Montana Democratic Party on Thursday asked for a congressional ethics investigation into whether Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte lied to the police and the public when he assaulted a reporter last year.

The request by the party's executive director, Nancy Keenan, comes exactly one year after Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs said Gianforte "body slammed" him for asking a question the day before Gianforte won a special election for Montana's only U.S. House seat. The former technology entrepreneur is running for re-election in November.

Gianforte eventually pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and said Jacobs did nothing wrong. But Gianforte initially told police that Jacobs instigated the attack, and his campaign spokesman at the time, Shane Scanlon, released a statement saying the same thing.

FILE--In this June 20, 2017, file photo, Montana Rep.-elect Greg Gianforte responds to questions at his home in Bozeman, Mont., about an election-eve confrontation with a reporter. The head of the Montana Democratic Party on Thursday, May 24, 2018, asked for a congressional ethics investigation into whether Gianforte lied to the police and the public when he assaulted a reporter last year. (AP Photo/Bobby Caina Calvan, file)

Keenan's complaints filed with the House Committee on Ethics and the independent Office of Congressional Ethics said those were false statements made in violation of House ethics rules that require Gianforte to "conduct himself at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House."

The ethics committee and the independent ethics office, which refers matters to the committee, will review the request but are not required to launch a probe simply because the request was made.

Keenan said Thursday that Gianforte has never owned up to lying to the police or the public, and he has never been held accountable for those statements.

"It's a matter of character for me," Keenan said in an interview with The Associated Press. "If we can't trust him in telling the truth to the cops, then how do we trust him on health care policy, how do we trust him on public lands?"

It does not matter that the assault and the statements were made before Gianforte was elected or sworn in, Keenan said.

"A lot of things happened before people were members of Congress and they were still called to the carpet for it," Keenan said. "This case is no different."

In one case, a Senate ethics investigation was launched last year against U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., over sexual misconduct allegations from before he was a senator.

Gianforte has perpetuated the lie since he's been in office, including having his communications director, Travis Hall, give a statement to the AP last fall stating that "no one was misled" about the attack, Keenan said.

Hall declined to comment on Keenan's complaint. He cited as the reason a cease-and-desist letter sent to Gianforte by Jacobs' attorney last fall in response to Hall's "no one was misled" comment.

In the letter, attorney Geoffrey Genth told the congressman and his staff that Gianforte repeatedly misled law enforcement and the public and warned them to stop making "false and defamatory statements" about Jacobs.

National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Erin Collins said in a statement that Keenan's complaint is a desperate attempt by Democrats to divert attention from their "lackluster lineup" of candidates in this year's elections.

"While the Democratic Party attempts to waste taxpayers' money on this wild goose chase, Congressman Gianforte will continue to work tirelessly in Montanans' best interest," Collins said.

Five Democrats are competing for the party's nomination to challenge Gianforte in November's election. Keenan shrugged off any suggestion that the complaints are a campaign stunt.

"He continues to not tell the truth. It's fundamentally about honesty," she said.

Witnesses told investigators that Gianforte threw Jacobs to the ground and punched him after complaining earlier in the day about "duplicitous" campaign coverage by the Guardian and BuzzFeed News, according to police documents.

Gianforte told investigators that Jacobs grabbed his wrist and spun, pulling Gianforte on the ground on top of him. Scanlon's statement also said Jacobs grabbed Gianforte by the wrist.

Gallatin County Attorney Marty Lambert declined to file any additional state criminal charges related to Gianforte's initial statements.

Gianforte paid a fine, completed 40 hours of community service and 20 hours of counseling for anger of management.

He also apologized to Jacobs and donated $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists under a settlement with the reporter to avoid a civil lawsuit.

___

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FILE - In this Dec. 6, 2017, file photo, Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., speaks during the 2017 Capitol Christmas Tree lighting ceremony on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The head of the Montana Democratic Party on Thursday, May 23, 2018, asked for a congressional ethics investigation into whether Gianforte lied to the police and the public when he assaulted a reporter last year. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

FILE - In this May 25, 2017, file photo, Greg Gianforte celebrates his win over Rob Quist for Montana's open congressional seat in Bozeman, Mont. The head of the Montana Democratic Party on Thursday, May 24, 2018, is asking for a congressional ethics investigation into whether Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte lied to the police and the public about his attack of a reporter last year. The request by the party's executive director, Nancy Keenan, comes exactly one year after Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs said Gianforte "body slammed" him for asking a question the day before he won a special election for Montana's only U.S. House seat. (Rachel Leathe/Bozeman Daily Chronicle via AP, File)

File - In this Sept. 29, 2016, file photo, Chairperson of the Montana Democratic Party Nancy Keenan talks about then Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte during a news conference on the steps of the State Capitol in Helena, Mont. The head of the Montana Democratic Party on Thursday, May 24, 2018, is asking for a congressional ethics investigation into whether Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte lied to the police and the public about his attack of a reporter last year. The request by the party's executive director, Keenan, comes exactly one year after Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs said Gianforte "body slammed" him for asking a question the day before he won a special election for Montana's only U.S. House seat. (Thom Bridge/Independent Record via AP, File)VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - Political battle lines are forming in Virginia where a woman who once led a combat-ready unit of 400 sailors wants to capture a Republican congressional seat held by a former Navy SEAL.

National Democrats are backing former Navy commander Elaine Luria in her quest to claim the 2nd District on Virginia's coast - home to the world's largest Navy base. Should she win the June primary, Luria's biggest foe is expected to be 38-year-old incumbent Scott Taylor in November.

The congressman, a former sniper in Iraq, won his first term by nearly 23 percentage points in 2016. Taylor said he's skeptical that anyone who "regurgitates Washington Democrat talking points" can win his district.

In this Dec. 16, 2017 image provided by Elaine for Congress, Democratic candidate for the 2nd district Congressional primary, Elaine Luria poses in Norfolk, Va. Luria, a Navy veteran, is running to challenge Congressman Scott Taylor R-Va., in the fall election. (Elaine for Congress via AP)

But Luria, 42, vows to give voice to voters demanding change in Washington and help calm the "chaos."

The district runs from Virginia's rural Eastern Shore to Virginia Beach, the state's largest city with about 450,000 people. It's home to government contractors and military installations, including the massive Naval Station Norfolk. More than 16 percent of the area's adults - about 87,000 people - are veterans, 2016 Census data indicate.

The race tests a national Democratic strategy of recruiting veterans eager to take back the House in one of the nation's most veteran-heavy regions. It also will gauge the strength of any blue wave against President Donald Trump, who carried the traditionally Republican district two years ago.

Local voters are acutely sensitive to some of Trump's positions, including his calls for increased military spending and for opening the Atlantic seaboard to oil and natural gas drilling. They are also weary of frequent Washington gridlock and government shutdowns.

A U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Luria spent 20 years on active duty. Her various roles included operating nuclear reactors on an aircraft carrier and serving as second in command of a guided missile cruiser.

She and her Navy veteran husband now own a small business tied to the region's tourism industry: the Mermaid Factory, where customers drink wine and paint plaster casts of mermaids, a regional icon.

Luria has sounded universal Democratic themes, blasting Taylor for opposing universal background checks for gun purchases and for supporting the Republican-backed tax bill, which Democrats claim is skewed toward the rich. Another target: Taylor's support of a failed bid by Republicans to partially repeal the Affordable Care Act.

"People are just concerned about what's going on in Washington, and they're upset," Luria said in an interview. "If you look at the district, there are a lot of independents here."

Luria and Taylor each have substantial fundraising leads against their respective primary opponents, whom they'll face June 12.

Luria's Democratic opponent is teacher Karen Mallard, a supporter of universal health care and a critic of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Mallard says voters are upset that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee backed Luria this early.

For his part, Taylor said, national Democrats may support Luria but lack any real grasp of the region. He said the district's voters have little appetite for such Democratic policies as more gun legislation.

"Maybe that works well in another district where there aren't many veterans," Taylor said of national Democratic support for Luria. "But here, everybody sees through it."

Taylor's primary opponent is Mary Jones, a former chair of the James City County Board of Supervisors, who chides him for not supporting Trump more. Jones wrote in an email that Taylor has "abandoned Republican principles." She says some of her biggest issues include securing U.S. borders and cutting spending.

Taylor, in fact, has set himself apart from Trump somewhat.

A member of the House Appropriations Committee, Taylor pushed to restore Chesapeake Bay cleanup funding, which Trump proposed cutting. Taylor also opposes Trump's push to allow drilling off Virginia's coast.

When Trump was elected in 2016, he won the 2nd District by more than 3 percentage points. But signs of a potential blue wave include a victory by Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam last November.

The Cook Political Report, an independent elections analyst, rates Virginia's 2nd District as "lean Republican," signifying a competitive race where Republicans have an advantage.

Quentin Kidd, a political science professor at Christopher Newport University, said Taylor's politics are a good representation of the libertarian-leaning district. But he cautions that may not be enough for the incumbent.

"This may be the year where Republicans can put up gold-plated conservatives, and they can still be in trouble," Kidd said. "The blue wave may not be three or four feet high but 15 or 20 feet high."

In this Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, photo, Virginia's 2nd District Congressman Scott Taylor speaks during an interview in his campaign office in Virginia Beach, Va. Taylor, a former sniper in Iraq, who is running in the June 12 primary, won his first term by nearly 23 percentage points in 2016. Taylor said he's skeptical that anyone who "regurgitates Washington Democrat talking points" can win his district. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

In this June 30, 2017 image provided by the Campaign of Karen Mallard for Congress, Karen Mallard poses in Virginia Beach Va. Mallard is running in the 2nd district Democratic primary. (Laura Jens/Karne Mallard for Congress via AP)COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - A South Carolina man has pleaded guilty to buying guns for an acquaintance who shot seven people to death, admitting he made the purchases despite knowing that the killer had a previous felony conviction and couldn't legally have the weapons.

Dustan Lawson could face hundreds of years in prison when he is sentenced at a later date. Each of the 36 weapons charges to which he pleaded guilty on Wednesday carry up to 10 years in prison. But his actual sentence will likely be far less.

Lawson admitted buying at least 12 guns and five silencers from 2012 to 2016, saying they were for himself when he was actually giving them to Todd Kohlhepp.

Kohlhepp, 47, killed four people in a Spartanburg County motorcycle shop in 2002 and three more people on his property 13 years later. They were all shot.

Kohlhepp told Lawson he was a felon after a sex crime conviction in Arizona when he was a teen, and Lawson may have also known some information about Kohlhepp's South Carolina crimes, prosecutors have said in court papers.

Kohlhepp is serving a life sentence without parole after pleading guilty to seven counts of murder in 2017.

Lawson pleaded guilty to 13 counts of making a false statement to purchase a gun, 13 counts of transferring a firearm to a felon, five counts of transferring a silencer device to a person not allowed to have one and five counts of making a false statement to obtain a silencer. His lawyer, Benjamin Stepp, said in an email Thursday that he had nothing to say about the case.

Kohlhepp was arrested in November 2016 when a woman he kidnapped was found chained in a storage container at his Spartanburg County home. He made it easy on investigators to identify who helped him obtain his guns. Hours after his arrest, Kohlhepp told investigators in a taped interview "you may want to seriously talk to Dustan Lawson and give him a heads up."

Kohlhepp later in the interview described Lawson as stupid, using a curse word, and "a 32-year-old lazy kid who never had a daddy."

Kohlhepp was barred from having guns because he was a convicted felon. He moved to South Carolina in 2001 after spending 14 years in prison for kidnapping in Arizona. Authorities there said that the then-15-year-old forced a 14-year-old neighbor back to his home at gunpoint, tied her up and raped her.

Lawson said little in federal court Wednesday in Greenville except answering yes and no questions from the judge, news outlets reported.

Kohlhepp killed the boyfriend of the woman found chained in the container and another couple in December 2015. He also admitted killing four people inside a motorcycle shop in 2002.

Families of Kohlhepp's victims are urging a stiff sentence for Lawson because he knew he was buying guns for a dangerous man.

___

Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter . See his work at apnews.comPRATO NEVOSO, Italy (AP) - Simon Yates remained in the lead of the Giro d'Italia but the British rider's advantage over closest rival Tom Dumoulin was slashed in half after the tough 18th stage on Thursday.

Yates was dropped by his rivals on the steep Category 1 climb to Prato Nevoso and he finished 28 seconds behind defending champion Dumoulin, who crossed the line with Domenico Pozzovivo and Chris Froome.

"I was just tired, that's it. Still a few days to go. I can bounce back, no worries," Yates said.

Germany's Maximilian Schachmann approaches the finish line to win the 18th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Abbiategrasso to Prato Nevoso, Italy, Thursday, May 24, 24, 2018. (Daniel Dal Zennaro/ANSA via AP)

Maximilian Schachmann of Germany won from a breakaway to claim his first victory in a Grand Tour.

Schachmann attacked heading into the final section of the climb, finishing 10 seconds ahead of Ruben Plaza and 16 ahead of Mattia Cattaneo.

The rest of the breakaway, which escaped 16 kilometers into the mainly flat 196-kilometer (122-mile) route from Abbiategrasso finished more than a minute off the pace.

"The final kilometers were really, really hard," said Schachmann, who rides for Quick-Step Floors. "I knew I had a good chance from the breakaway. I tried to play it safe, to not attack too early. It was really hard, we are already on stage 18 so no one has fresh legs anymore."

Yates had talked about defending his lead rather than attacking, as he had done previously in the race and the Mitchelton-Scott cyclist stuck to his script. He followed Dumoulin when the Dutch rider made a move but had no response when Froome powered away shortly after, with two kilometers remaining.

Yates' lead was cut to 28 seconds heading into the final three days of the Giro, which includes two brutal days in the Alps before the procession to Rome.

"I always said if I have the legs then I will keep on trying," Dumoulin said. "I had the legs today and I tried and it worked. Finally, after two and a half weeks."

Pozzovivo remained third but was 2:43 behind Yates, with Froome a further 39 seconds behind.

Froome arrived at the Giro bidding to become the third person to win three Grand Tours in a row but the four-time Tour de France champion crashed in training before the opening time trial, lost time in a split on stage four, and injured himself again in a second crash four days later.

"It was quite a good day today," Froome said in Italian. "This is the first of three consecutive stages which will be very hard. We saw for the first time Simon not at 100 percent. That surprised me as until now he has been fantastic. I think now we're all thinking of attacking him.

"After the fall at the start I didn't feel 100 percent but each day I felt better and now I'm quite good."

There are four mountain passes on the 189-kilometer route from Venaria Reale up to Bardonecchia on Friday, followed by Saturday's "queen stage" up to Cervinia.

"I'm not worried," Yates said. "I'm still in front.

"Tomorrow is much better for me than today. Today was one big continuous effort at the end. Tomorrow we're climbing all day and that's more suited to me."

The Giro finishes in Rome on Sunday.

Germany's Maximilian Schachmann celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the 18th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Abbiategrasso to Prato Nevoso, Italy, Thursday, May 24, 24, 2018. (Daniel Dal Zennaro/ANSA via AP)

Britain's Simon Yates pedals after completing the 18th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Abbiategrasso to Prato Nevoso, Italy, Thursday, May 24, 2018. Simon Yates remained in the lead of the Giro d'Italia but the British rider's advantage over closest rival Tom Dumoulin was slashed in half after the tough 18th stage on Thursday. (Daniel Dal Zennaro/ANSA via AP)

Italy's Domenico Pozzovivo leads Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin, right, and Britain's Chris Froome during the 18th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Abbiategrasso to Prato Nevoso, Italy, Thursday, May 24, 2018. Simon Yates remained in the lead of the Giro d'Italia but the British rider's advantage over closest rival Tom Dumoulin was slashed in half after the tough 18th stage on Thursday. (Daniel Dal Zennaro/ANSA via AP)

Germany's Maximilian Schachmann celebrates on the podium after winning the 18th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Abbiategrasso to Prato Nevoso, Italy, Thursday, May 24, 24, 2018. (Daniel Dal Zennaro/ANSA via AP)

Britain's Simon Yates celebrates on the podium after completing the 18th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Abbiategrasso to Prato Nevoso, Italy, Thursday, May 24, 2018. Simon Yates remained in the lead of the Giro d'Italia but the British rider's advantage over closest rival Tom Dumoulin was slashed in half after the tough 18th stage on Thursday. (Daniel Dal Zennaro/ANSA via AP)ATLANTA (AP) - Delta Air Lines says it will resume nonstop flights next year between the United States and Mumbai, India.

The airline is crediting recent U.S. agreements with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates over alleged subsidies to three big Persian Gulf carriers that also fly to India.

Delta said Thursday it will announce schedule details later this year. It also plans to sell other flights within India on partner Jet Airways.

Atlanta-based Delta dropped India in 2015, leaving United Airlines as the only U.S. carrier flying there, to Mumbai and Delhi.

Trump administration deals with Qatar and the UAE will require Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad Airways to improve financial disclosures. The Gulf carriers say they don't plan new flights to and from the U.S. and destinations outside their own countries.Posted 5/24/18

The DIVAS met for coffee, networking and learning Friday, May 18, for their monthly meeting. Guest speaker Tim Smith, Phillips Media Group, presented a lesson on advertising dos, donts and PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) - A Kosovo court on Thursday imprisoned two ethnic Albanians for involvement in organ harvesting.

The Pristina court international judge Francesca Fischer sentenced former urologist Lutfi Dervishi to 7 years and a fine of 8,000 euros ($9,400). He cannot exercise his profession for two years after his prison term ends.

Sokol Hajdini, an anesthetist, was sentenced to one year in prison after it was proven that he was aware of the work and willingly took part.

International prosecutors in Kosovo have said the Medicus clinic managed by Dervishi and his son is believed to have carried out at least 23 kidney transplants in 2008 for which buyers, many from Israel, paid 80,000-100,000 euros ($94,000-117,000).

Kidney donors from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Romania, Israel and Turkey were offered the modest sum of about 10,000 euros ($11,700). Prosecutors proved that all donors were poor and that their health deteriorated after the surgeries.

Organ transplants are illegal in Kosovo.

Earlier this year an Israeli national was arrested in Cyprus. He has been wanted since 2010 both by Interpol and Russia on charges of human trafficking and intentional infliction of grave injuries. Kosovo has asked for his extradition, as has Russia. A Turkish physician is also at large.

A Council of Europe report in 2010 claimed that leaders of the Kosovo independence fighters were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Serbs, Roma and ethnic Albanians suspected of collaborating with the Serbs, and the harvesting and sale of their organs, during the 1998-1999 war in which some 10,000 people died and 1,700 went missing.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Serbia hasn't recognized it.BEIRUT (AP) - A U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish group has detained a high-profile French Islamic State fighter in northern Syria who has been linked to terror attacks in Paris and Nice in 2015 and 2016, the group announced Thursday.

The Syrian Democratic Forces said they captured Adrien Lionel Kiyali on Saturday near Raqqa in Syria, the former self-proclaimed capital the jihadist group.

French media reported his name as Adrien Guihal.

In recordings from the Islamic State group, Guihal claimed responsibility for the July 2016 truck attack in Nice as well as the double killings of two French police officials at their home in Magnanville.

According to the newspaper Liberation, Guihal is a convert to Islam who studied Arabic in Egypt and was close to Fabien Clain, another French IS member who has claimed responsibility for the November 2015 attacks in Paris.

SDF forces backed by U.S.-coalition air and ground power seized Raqqa from the militants in 2017. The SDF appointed a civil council to administer the city, which was badly damaged in the fighting.

The SDF has detained dozens of foreign IS fighters and their families in north Syria since the collapse of the jihadist group. However, European nations have been reluctant to repatriate their nationals, and many remain in Syrian Democratic Forces prisons.

The SDF said in a statement that Guihal, who also goes by the name Abu Osama al-Faransi, was hiding in the region around Raqqa and waiting to cross into Turkey before then traveling father into Europe. The group says Kiyali crossed into Syria in 2015.

___

Associated Press writer Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report.SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP) - The body of a Mexican woman who disappeared on her way home from her English language class in Utah three years ago has been found in a rugged, mountainous canyon area and police are investigating her death as a homicide, officials said Thursday.

The skeletal remains of 26-year-old Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado were discovered last Friday by a man searching for camping spots in an area popular for hiking, fishing and camping about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from where Salgado was last seen in downtown Provo, Utah.

Officials with the Utah County Sheriff's Office and Provo police told reporters the death is considered suspicious.

FILE - In this April 24, 2015, file photo, shows Elizabeth Smart holding a photo of Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado during a news conference, in Sandy, Utah. According to the Deseret News, investigators confirmed Wednesday, May 23, 2018 that they have found the remains of Salgado who had been missing for more than three years. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

They said they are interviewing "persons of interests" who are not suspects but declined to offer more details.

Activist Elizabeth Smart has been among those publicly pleading for information about Salgado's disappearance. Smart was kidnapped from her Salt Lake City bedroom by street preacher Brian David Mitchell in 2002 at age 14 and held captive for nine months before she was found. Mitchell was convicted of kidnapping and raping Smart and sentenced to life in prison.

A medical examiner is trying to determine how Salgado died, officials said. Her body was decomposed after being out in the elements for what appears to be several years and she was identified through dental records, said Utah County Sheriff James Tracy.

The man who found her remains is not considered a suspect, officials said. They declined to provide the exact location of the discovery, but said it was a short distance from a road in a forested spot where it's rare for people to leave their vehicles.

Salgado was last seen on April 16, 2015, as she left a class to walk home in Provo, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. Salgado was from Chiapas, Mexico, and had moved to Provo about a month before her disappearance to study English shortly after finishing a Mormon mission in Mexico.

The discovery was devastating for Salgado's family, who held out hope she was alive, said Eloy Monge, consul for legal protection with the Mexican Consulate in Salt Lake City.

Most of Salgado's relatives live in Mexico and she was living with roommates in Utah when she disappeared.

Her family began a desperate search after losing contact with her. She usually talked with them every day. Her uncle Rosemberg Salgado has described her as an optimistic, spiritual woman.

Authorities were coordinating Thursday with the Mexican officials to notify Salgado's parents, who live near Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital city of the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, Monge said. He said Salgado's brothers had been notified of her death.

Tracy said two of Salgado's uncles who live in California had also been told of the discovery. One uncle, Rosemberg Salgado, had been vocal in pleading for help finding his niece, who he described as an optimistic, spiritual woman.

Telephone and text messages left with Rosemberg Salgado by The Associated Press were not immediately returned. He told the Deseret News that he can't believe someone would kill his niece, who came to the United States to learn English, become a better person and get "married in a temple with a good guy," per Mormon traditions.

"Whoever did this, we are going to find them," Rosemberg Salgado said. "We will not stop until that person or people that were involved (are found)."

Officials characterized the discovery of Salgado's body as a lucky break following three years of investigation and hundreds of interviews. Deputies had driven past the location where she was found dozens of times in recent years, said Sgt. Spencer Cannon of the Utah County Sheriff's Office.

"We'll take any break, anytime, anywhere. Some days it's better to be lucky than good," said Tracy, the sheriff. "We're fortunate and thankful that this individual happened to get off the road and walk into the forest to make that discovery."

FILE - In this April 24, 2015, file photo, shows Edward Smart holding a photo of missing student Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado during a news conference, in Sandy, Utah. According to the Deseret News, investigators confirmed Wednesday, May 23, 2018 that they have found the remains of Salgado who had been missing for more than three years. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

FILE - In this April 30, 2015, file photo, shows missing student Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado's parents Libertad Edith Salgado and Julio Cesar Laguna speaking during a news conference in Provo, Utah, after traveling from their home in Chiapas, Mexico. According to the Deseret News, investigators confirmed Wednesday, May 23, 2018 that they have found the remains of Salgado who had been missing for more than three years. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

Provo Police Chief Richard Ferguson looks to Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy as he speaks during a press conference concerning the finding and identifying of the remains of Elizabeth Salgado on Thursday, May 24, 2018, at the Utah County Sheriff's Office in Spanish Fork, Utah. During the press conference, authorities confirmed human remains were found in the Hobble Creek Canyon area last Friday, and those remains were identified late this Tuesday as those of Elizabeth Salgado. Salgado, 26, went missing in April 2015, from Provo, Utah. (Isaac Hale/The Daily Herald via AP)

Provo Police Chief Richard Ferguson speaks between Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy, left, and FBI special agent Eric Lerohl during a press conference concerning the investigation of the death of Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado Thursday, May 24, 2018, at the Utah County Sheriff's Office in Spanish Fork, Utah. Authorities said Thursday Salgado's death is being investigated as a homicide after her skeletal remains were found in Hobble Creek Canyon, several miles from where she was last seen in April 2015. (Isaac Hale/The Daily Herald via AP)

Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy speaks as he stands with Provo Police Chief Richard Ferguson, center, and FBI special agent Eric Lerohl during a press conference concerning the investigation of the death of Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado Thursday, May 24, 2018, at the Utah County Sheriff's Office in Spanish Fork, Utah. Authorities said Thursday Salgado's death is being investigated as a homicide after her skeletal remains were found in Hobble Creek Canyon, several miles from where she was last seen in April 2015. (Isaac Hale/The Daily Herald via AP)

Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy speaks during a press conference concerning the finding and identifying of the remains of Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado on Thursday, May 24, 2018, at the Utah County Sheriff's Office in Spanish Fork, Utah. Authorities said Thursday Salgado's death is being investigated as a homicide after her skeletal remains were found in Hobble Creek Canyon, several miles from where she was last seen in April 2015. (Isaac Hale/The Daily Herald via AP)Claudia Patricia Gomez Gonzalez, 20, pictured, was fatally shot by a US Border Patrol agent in Rio Bravo, Texas

A 20-year-old Guatemalan immigrant has been shot dead by a US Border Patrol agent.

Claudia Patricia Gomez Gonzalez died on Wednesday in Rio Bravo, Texas, after an unnamed agent came across her and three others whom he suspected had entered the country illegally.

As he tried to take the group into custody they reportedly charged at him and tried to attack him 'using blunt objects', CPB said in a statement on Thursday.

That statement said the agent had shot and killed 'one of the assailants'.

However, the agency on Friday issued a new statement with no mention of 'blunt objects,' saying merely that the group 'rushed' the officer after ignoring orders to get on the ground.

The second statement did not refer to 'assailants', describing the dead migrant as a 'member of the group'.

The agent fired at least one shot, striking Gomez.

The Border Patrol said that the 15-year veteran agent involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave. Texas Rangers and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the CBPs Office of Professional Responsibility, are investigating the incident.

Scroll down for video

Gomez's aunt, Dominga Vicente, pictured, said her niece had recently graduated as a forensic accountant but was unable to find a job, so she left Guatemala for the US to escape poverty

Gomez's aunt Dominga Vicente appeared at a press conference on Friday in Guatemala City.

She explained that her niece had recently graduated as a forensic accountant but was unable to find a job and ultimately decided to leave Guatemala to escape a life of poverty.

She hoped to set up a new life in the US, following in the footsteps of hundreds of thousands of other Latin American people.

The altercation with Border Patrol was witnessed by a local resident named Marta Martinez, who started filming directly after the shot was fired.

A seven-minute video shows agents performing CPR on Gomez as Martinez yells 'Why did you shoot the girl? You killed her!' in Spanish from behind the camera.

Martinez told local news station KENS that the woman's face was covered in blood, but claimed that the agent said he didn't kill her.

'I felt very angry, I don't know if I wanted to cry because what I was seeing, but I didn't think it was right what they did,' she said.

Martinez told the New York Times that as the officer escorted the remaining three men away in custody, she heard him say: 'See what happens? This is what happens with you people.'

A video shows agents performing CPR on Gomez directly after the shot was fired. The woman taking the video can be heard yelling 'Why did you shoot the girl? You killed her!' in Spanish

Guatemalan officials confirmed that Gomez was entering the country illegally, but added that the rights of migrants should be respected.

'Guatemala laments any act of violence and excessive use of force by the border patrol,' the foreign ministry said in a statement.

In the press conference in the Guatemalan capital, Gomez's family asked the US to stop treating migrants like 'animals'.

The video was filmed by local resident Marta Martinez, pictured, who posted it to Facebook

Gomez's blood is still visible in the area where she and three others were apprehended

'To the government of the United States, [I ask] that you do not treat us like this - like animals - just because you are a powerful and developed country,' Vicente told reporters.

Last week Trump called some illegal immigrants 'animals' when referring to criminal gangs such as MS-13, which has a presence across Central America.

He defended his statement on Wednesday, adding that he was working on a plan to reduce aid to those countries that he claims are not doing anything to stop gang members from crossing into the US.

Vicente appeared at a press conference in Guatemala City on Friday, where she asked the US to stop treating immigrants 'like animals', referring to a comment by Donald Trump last week

Border Patrol released a statement about the incident on Thursday:

On May 23, 2018, at approximately 12:22 p.m., a lone Border Patrol Agent responded to a report of illegal activity near a culvert by Centeno Lane in Rio Bravo, Texas where he discovered a group of illegal aliens.

Initial reports indicate that as the agent attempted to apprehend the group, he came under attack by multiple subjects using blunt objects. The agent fired at least one round from his service issued firearm, fatally wounding one of the assailants. The rest of the group fled the scene. Border Patrol Agents called for EMS and administered first aid until the Rio Bravo Fire Department arrived.

Three illegal aliens related to the incident were subsequently apprehended by responding agents.

The incident is currently under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Texas Rangers.CAIRO (AP) - Egyptian prosecutors say they have ordered a prominent activist and blogger known for criticizing the government detained for 15 days pending an investigation, the latest episode in Egypt's media crackdown.

The Supreme State Security Prosecution said Thursday that Wael Abbas is suspected of disseminating false news and joining an outlawed group.

Police arrested Abbas on Wednesday after raiding his house in a Cairo suburb.

In this June 9, 2017 photo provided by Roger Anis, prominent activist and blogger Wael Abbas signs a copy of his book, "The theory of leaving the bowl," in Cairo, Egypt. Egyptian security officials said Abbas, known for documenting police abuse, was detained, Wednesday, May 22, 2018, the latest in a new wave of arrests since elections earlier this year. The officials said Abbas was held on accusations of disseminating false news and joining an outlawed group, among other charges. (Roger Anis via AP)

Abbas has campaigned against torture in Egypt for well over a decade, before and after the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt has arrested a number of activists since President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi won re-election in March facing no serious challengers.

The latest arrests come amid a wider crackdown on dissent in which thousands of people have been jailed.AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The Latest on meetings being held by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott following the mass shooting at a high school near Houston (all times local):

6:50 p.m.

Several students who survived last week's school shooting at a Texas high school told Gov. Greg Abbott they want more armed security and armed teachers to help prevent future attacks.

Ed Scruggs, Board Vice-Chair of Texas Gun Sense - Advocacy group that promotes common sense, right, listens to Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott, left, during a roundtable discussion to address safety and security at Texas schools in the wake of the shooting at Santa Fe, at the state Capitol in Austin, Texas, Wednesday, May 23, 2018. Abbott, a Republican who has worked to expand gun rights in the state, called for the meetings as he weighs ideas for possible legislative action or executive orders. Two dozen groups were invited to attend the session, which was expected to include conversations on monitoring students' mental health. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Metal detectors outside schools and better mental health services and counseling were also brought up during the meeting that lasted more than three hours.

Abbott met for several hours Thursday with students and parents from Santa Fe High School and survivors from the November 2017 shooting at a Texas church that left more than two dozen worshippers dead. It was the last of three meetings the governor called to gather ideas on how to stop future attacks.

Abbott has not said what policy changes or laws he'll propose.

___

3 p.m.

Santa Fe High School will have extra security when students return to class for the first time since a shooting inside the Texas school left 10 people dead last week.

Santa Fe Independent School District issued a statement Thursday about its preparations to resume classes. Teachers and staff reported to work Wednesday, but students won't return until early next week. The district says law enforcement agencies from "across the state" will be on campus.

The district says its staff members participated in group and individual counseling sessions on Wednesday to begin "processing through their grief." Therapy dogs were also provided.

The district didn't respond to a question about how it will serve students who don't want to return to campus yet.

A Santa Fe High School student is charged with killing eight students and two substitute teachers.

___

2 p.m.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is meeting at the state Capitol with survivors of last week's mass shooting at a high school near Houston and a similar attack in November at a rural Texas church.

Thursday's closed-door meeting is the last of three days of talks Abbott called to address school safety and gun violence following the shooting at Santa Fe High School that killed 10 people.

The first two meetings focused on school security and tracking student mental health. The focus is shifting Thursday to people closest to the recent violence.

Abbott will meet with student survivors, along with people affected by the church shooting in Sutherland Springs that killed more than two dozen people.

Abbott says he wants to explore policies to prevent more violence, though it's unclear when or if the staunch gun-rights advocate will announce new proposals or policy changes.

___

12 a.m.

The focus of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's meetings on school safety and mass shootings is shifting to those closest to the recent violence, including students, surviving victims and even one person who grabbed a gun and fought back.

Thursday's meeting will feature more than 30 people who can provide personal accounts of the attack on a high school in Santa Fe last week, and last November's shooting at a rural church in Sutherland Springs.

Most of the invited are students, families and staff from Santa Fe. Also invited are two survivors of the church shooting, the church pastor, and Stephen Willeford, who has been hailed as a hero for grabbing a rifle and shooting back at the church attacker.

Abbott and Texas are being closely watched for how the state reacts to the violence of recent mass shootings.

Alice Tripp, Legislative Director of the Texas State Rifle Association, left, shakes hand with Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott, center, following a roundtable discussion to address safety and security at Texas schools in the wake of the shooting at Santa Fe, at the State Capitol in Austin, Texas, Wednesday, May 23, 2018. Ed Scruggs, Board Vice-Chair of Texas Gun Sense, is at right. Abbott, a Republican who has worked to expand gun rights in the state, called for the meetings as he weighs ideas for possible legislative action or executive orders. Two dozen groups were invited to attend the session, which was expected to include conversations on monitoring students' mental health. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott, at microphones at center, hosts a roundtable discussion to address safety and security at Texas schools in the wake of the shooting at Santa Fe, at the State Capitol in Austin, Texas, Wednesday, May 23, 2018. Abbott, a Republican who has worked to expand gun rights in the state, called for the meetings as he weighs ideas for possible legislative action or executive orders. Two dozen groups were invited to attend the session, which was expected to include conversations on monitoring students' mental health. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, center, takes part in a roundtable discussion to address safety and security at Texas schools in the wake of the shooting at Sante Fe, in Austin, Texas, Wednesday, May 23, 2018. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Two children look at a memorial for the Santa Fe High School shooting victims outside the school Wednesday, May 23, 2018, in Santa Fe, Texas. (Godofredo A. Vasquez /Houston Chronicle via AP)MEDINA, Ohio (AP) - A 17-year-old Ohio boy who police say strangled a 98-year-old woman from his neighborhood and left her body inside a closet at her home has been charged.

The Medina County Gazette reports Gavon Ramsay, of Wadsworth, was indicted on Tuesday on aggravated murder charges in the death of Margaret Douglas.

Wadsworth Police Chief Randy Reinke (REN'-kee) has said preliminary autopsy findings indicate Douglas was strangled.

Ramsay was arrested after Douglas' wallet was found at his family's home. He's being held on a $1 million bond.

The Medina County Public Defender's Office cited a Juvenile Court judge's gag order when asked to comment Thursday. Ramsay will be tried as an adult.

Wadsworth is roughly 38 miles (61 kilometers) south of downtown Cleveland.

___

Information from: The Medina County Gazette, http://www.medina-gazette.comATLANTA (AP) - The Rev. Martin Luther King's daughter blasted Steve Bannon's claim that her father would be proud of President Donald Trump.

"#SteveBannon has dangerously and erroneously co-opted my father's name, work and words," the Rev. Bernice King wrote just before midnight Wednesday in the first of a series of tweets . "Bannon's assertion that my father, #MLK, would be proud of Donald Trump wholly ignores Daddy's commitment to people of all races, nationalities, etc. being treated with dignity and respect."

In an interview with BBC's "Newsnight," the former White House chief strategist cited historically low unemployment rates for black and Hispanic workers and credited the president's crackdown on illegal immigration.

FILE - In this Apr. 9, 2018, file photo, Bernice King addresses the crowd at the Capital during the March for Humanity marking the 50th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination which commenced at Ebenezer Baptist Church and concluded at the state capital in Atlanta. King blasted Steve Bannon's claim that her father would be proud of President Donald Trump. "#SteveBannon has dangerously and erroneously co-opted my father's name, work and words," King wrote just before midnight Wednesday, May 23, in the first of a series of tweets. "Bannon's assertion that my father, #MLK, would be proud of Donald Trump wholly ignores Daddy's commitment to people of all races, nationalities, etc. being treated with dignity and respect." (AP Photo/Todd Kirkland, File)

"If you look at the policies of Donald Trump, OK, anybody - Martin Luther King - would be proud of him, of what he's done for the black and Hispanic community for jobs," Bannon said.

As he goes on, interviewer Emily Maitlis interrupts him: "You think Martin Luther King would be proud of Donald Trump as president?"

Bannon counters: "You don't think Martin Luther King would sit there and go, 'Yes, you're putting young black men and women to work. The lowest unemployment we've had in history and wages are starting to rise among the working class. And you've finally stopped the illegal alien labor force that's coming in and competing with them every day and destroying the schools and destroying the health care.' Absolutely."

The black unemployment rate for April was 6.6 percent, while the Hispanic unemployment rate was 4.8, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's the lowest since the agency started collecting that information in January 1972 for black unemployment and in March 1973 for Hispanic unemployment, according to online data.

But unemployment rates don't tell the whole story. King says her father "would be proud of a livable wage for all and not merely a low unemployment rate."

King also noted that her father had a global focus, advocating for human rights in general while also fighting for the civil rights of black people in the United States.

"Further, he would not refer to people as 'illegal aliens.' The term is degrading and does not reflect his belief that we are all a part of the human family," she tweeted.

She also wrote that her father "would be extremely disturbed by the climate created by leaders, who have emboldened people to easily express and demonstrate cruelty, predominantly toward people of color and immigrants."TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) - A U.N. agency called Thursday for an impartial investigation into the killing of three indigenous men by a military patrol in a remote part of eastern Honduras that is a common transit point for Colombian cocaine.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said three children were also wounded by gunfire at a protest Sunday, the day after soldiers fired on the three men who were in a boat on the Warunta river before dawn in Gracias a Dios province. It called for a probe into both shootings.

Hugo Maldonado, coordinator of the nonprofit Human Rights Committee, said the soldiers used unnecessary force in killing the men.

"According to our investigation, the indigenous men were transporting wood in a small boat and didn't obey the soldiers' order to stop," he said. "They (the soldiers) opened fire on them."

Maldonado said the victims did not stop because they feared the soldiers were drug traffickers. Meanwhile, the soldiers thought the men in the boat were working for drug traffickers.

The military labeled the pre-dawn incident "confusing" in a statement, but said the victims attacked first. It said it was investigating as was the attorney general's office.

Berta Oliva, coordinator of another human rights group, the Committee of Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared in Honduras, said they did not believe the men in the boat attacked first.

"The soldiers used disproportionate force," she said.

After the shooting, local residents went to the military outpost to protest and partially burned it. The soldiers were evacuated by helicopter to Puerto Lempira.

In 2012, in the same area, a joint operation of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Honduran police resulted in the shooting deaths of four local people. The DEA initially said the victims were drug traffickers, but last year a report by inspectors general of the Justice and State departments found no evidence to support that.UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. special envoy for Burundi urged the African nation's government Thursday to quickly restart dialogue with the opposition following a referendum that will allow the president to stay in power until 2034.

Michel Kafando told the Security Council that Burundi can only solve the current political crisis through "an inclusive dialogue." If this doesn't happen, he warned, the opposition's challenge to the referendum's results "will further polarize an already tense political situation characterized by human rights violations and other abuses as well as the deterioration of its socio-economic and humanitarian situation."

Burundi's main opposition coalition asked the country's constitutional court earlier Thursday to invalidate the results of last week's referendum. The election commission on Monday said over 73 percent of the 4.7 million votes cast supported constitutional amendments, including one allowing President Pierre Nkurunziza to remain in power for 14 years after his current term ends in 2020.

Burundians queue to cast their votes in the constitutional referendum in Buye, north of Ngozi, in northern Burundi Thursday, May 17, 2018. The country is voting in a referendum proposing constitutional changes that could extend President Pierre Nkurunziza's rule until 2034. (AP Photo/Berthier Mugiraneza)

The opposition coalition said the referendum was marred by intimidation and abuses. Before the vote, observers expressed alarm at reported violence and intimidation of the government's perceived opponents, including threats of drowning and castration. A presidential decree criminalized calls to abstain from voting, with a penalty of up to three years in jail.

Kafando drew the Security Council's attention to Burundi's expulsion of experts from the U.N. Human Rights Council on April 26. Their visas were canceled while in Burundi and the U.N. envoy called on the government to facilitate their return. The government also suspended BBC and Voice of America broadcasts.

The constitutional court validated Nkurunziza's third term in 2015, which the opposition and many international observers saw as unconstitutional. Months of deadly political turmoil followed, with more than 1,200 people killed and hundreds of thousands fleeing the country.

Kafando said the security situation is now "generally calm" though there are isolated grenade attacks and reports of bodies being discovered, some in military uniforms. He said the killing of 26 people, including women and children, on May 11 by unidentified armed men in Buganda showed that "the environment continues to be volatile."

The council meeting demonstrated a sharp divide among its five veto-wielding permanent members over the referendum. France, Britain and the United States protested human rights violations and the government's crackdown on the opposition and strongly backed Kafando's call for an inclusive dialogue. Russia and China supported Burundi's government.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre said the constitution's revision goes against the Arusha accords adopted in 2000 to end a 13-year civil war in Burundi that killed about 300,000 people. He warned that mechanisms to protect the Tutsi minority in the Hutu-majority country "are weakened and will even disappear."

Delattre said there has been no success in efforts to start a dialogue between the government and opposition, a push being made by the East African Community, which comprises six countries in the Great Lakes region - Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

"Nonetheless, the priority should remain a genuine, inclusive national dialogue without any conditions," the ambassador said.

U.S. deputy political coordinator Elaine French echoed the call for talks with the opposition, saying the referendum further aggravates "acute political tensions." Its results "leave us concerned that Burundi is moving closer to one-party rule," she said.

Britain's political coordinator, Stephen Hickey, also urged Burundi's government to pursue an inclusive dialogue and preserve the Arusha accords. "The risks in Burundi are huge and the case for preventive diplomacy is overwhelming," he said.

On the other side, Deputy Russian Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky called the referendum "strictly a domestic affair for Burundi." He said the situation in the country doesn't threaten regional or international peace and security and should therefore be taken off the council's agenda.

Chinese Counselor Zhang Dianbin stressed Burundi's sovereignty and said the referendum "fully proves the Burundi government and peoples' ability to properly address relevant issues" and handle its own affairs.

Burundi's U.N. ambassador, Albert Shingiro, called the referendum "a victim of its success" and sharply criticized unnamed countries that he said "propagated alarmist scenarios" before the vote.

He insisted the new constitution fully respects the Arusha agreement, "to which the government attaches great importance," and guarantees democratic principles, national unity, protection of minorities, ethnic and gender quotas in institutions, and protection of human rights.Posted 5/24/18

The Helping Hand Club held its monthly business meeting and potluck lunch at noon at Immanuel Lutheran Church. There were 16 members present. Nina Walke was the hostess and served cashew chicken for Federal prosecutors in New York have launched a criminal investigation into Harvey Weinstein, in addition to a previously disclosed probe by the Manhattan District Attorney, the film producers lawyer said in a court filing.

Lawyer Benjamin Brafman said in a declaration filed on May 3 in the Weinstein Cos bankruptcy proceedings that he had been advised that Weinstein was a principal target of an investigation being conducted by the US attorneys office in Manhattan.

I am trying my very best to persuade both the federal and state prosecutors that he should not be arrested and or indicted, because he did not knowingly violate the law, Mr Brafman wrote.

He said the allegations that Weinstein forced himself on women were entirely without merit.

As the court can appreciate, saving someone from unwarranted criminal prosecution is far more significant that having a baseless prosecution implode months or years from now after Mr Weinsteins life and the lives of his family have been irreparably destroyed, he added.

Scores of women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct ranging from inappropriate comments to rape.

Weinsteins lawyer said the film producer is under criminal investigation in Manhattan (Anthony Devlin/PA)

Weinstein is under criminal investigation in Manhattan, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and London. He has not been charged with any crimes, though police in New York have said publicly that they believe there is enough evidence to make an arrest.

Two law enforcement officials confirmed that Weinstein has been under federal investigation.

Mr Brafman did not immediately return a message from the AP on Wednesday but told The Wall Street Journal that he had met with federal prosecutors in an attempt to dissuade them from proceeding.

Sex crimes, aside from child pornography cases, are usually handled by local prosecutors under state law, but federal charges can be brought under certain circumstances if a person brings a victim across state lines for the purpose of a sexual assault or the attack happens on federal lands.

In the bankruptcy case, Mr Brafman sought access to emails and correspondence under the control of the Weinstein Co to help him in his defence efforts.

Those documents included emails that he said showed that women who have accused Weinstein of violent assaults later exchanged friendly messages with him. The bankruptcy judge ultimately granted access.

The company sought bankruptcy protection in March.

A Delaware bankruptcy judge approved a private equity firms purchase of the Weinstein Co.

Dallas-based Lantern Capital offered to pay 310 million US dollars (232 million) in cash for the Weinstein Cos assets and to assume 127 million dollars (95 million) in project-related debt.

It also agreed to cover obligations related to the assumption of certain contracts and leases.The Trump administration has launched an investigation into whether tariffs are needed on the imports of vehicles into the United States, moving swiftly as talks over the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) have stalled.

President Donald Trump predicted earlier that US carmakers and auto workers would be very happy with the outcome of the Nafta talks.

The White House said in a statement that the president had asked Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to consider whether the imports of vehicles, including trucks, and automotive parts threaten US national security.

The president said in the statement that core industries such as automobiles and automotive parts are critical to our strength as a Nation.

The US remains far apart on the talks over rewriting the trade pact with Canada and Mexico, with the discussions at an impasse over rules for car production.

The initiation of the trade investigation could be seen as an attempt to gain leverage in the talks with the two US neighbours.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said that efforts to renegotiate the trade agreement could spill into next year.

Nearly half of the vehicles sold in the US are imported, with many coming from assembly plants in Mexico and Canada.

During a meeting with auto executives earlier this month, Mr Trump said he would push for an increase in the production of vehicles built at US plants.

A person familiar with the discussions said the president has suggested seeking new tariffs of 20% to 25% on automobile imports.

Mr Trump brought a little-used weapon to his fight to protect auto workers: Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.

The provision authorises the president to restrict imports and impose unlimited tariffs on national security grounds.

Donald Trump has directed the Commerce Department to begin an investigation into whether tariffs are needed on the import of vehicles (Evan Vucci/AP)

The investigation was used in the steel industry earlier this year, resulting in the presidents decision to impose tariffs of 25% on steel imports and 10% on aluminium imports.

Mr Trump offered a hint about the move earlier in the day on the South Lawn, telling reporters that youll be seeing very soon what Im talking about.

He noted that both Mexico and Canada have been very difficult to deal with during the negotiations.

I am not happy with their requests. But I will tell you in the end we win, we will win and will win big, Me Trump said before departing for New York.

He said Americas neighbours have been very spoiled because nobodys done this but I will tell you that what they ask for is not fair. Our auto workers are going to be extremely happy.

Mexico has so far resisted US attempts to get higher regional content rules in the auto industry and move production to higher-wage US and Canadian factories.

The US has also sought to change Naftas dispute-resolution system, and include a sunset clause that would allow countries to exit after five years.

The Trump administration has already missed an informal deadline that had been set by House Speaker Paul Ryan to get a revamped deal to Congress in time for politicians to vote on it in a midterm election year.

core industries such as automobiles and automotive parts are critical to our strength as a Nation

Mexico, meanwhile, will hold presidential elections on July 1 and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the leftist candidate who has led in polls, has said the re-negotiation should not be rushed through and should be left to the winner of the election.

If the negotiators fail to agree to a revamped version of Nafta, the discussions could be extended into 2019.

Mr Trump could also carry out his threat to abandon the agreement that he has long railed against, throwing commerce among the three countries into disarray.

Mr Trump has sought to overhaul Nafta in an effort to return auto production to the United States and reduce Americas trade deficit.

The US has been demanding that a percentage of a cars content of auto parts originate in a country  the US or Canada  with average auto worker wages of about 15 dollars an hour to qualify for Naftas duty-free status.

But companies have built supply chains that straddle Nafta borders and changing the rules could disrupt their operations, raise costs and potentially put them at a competitive disadvantage with manufacturers in Asia and Europe.Donald Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner has been granted White House security clearance after a lengthy background check.

The move ensures the key adviser with a broad international portfolio can have access to some of the USs most closely held secrets.

Mr Kushner, a senior adviser on the Middle East and other issues, was among many White House advisers who had been operating without approval for full security clearances.

That led to a White House policy overhaul in February that significantly downgraded access to sensitive information for Mr Kushner and other Trump administration officials on interim clearances.

Jared Kushner with his wife, Donald Trumps daughter Ivanka (Sebastian Scheiner/AP)

With respect to the news about his permanent security clearance, as we stated before, his application was properly submitted, reviewed by career officials, and went through the normal process, Mr Kushners lawyer Abbe Lowell said in a statement.

Having completed these processes, Mr Kushner is looking forward to continuing the work the president has asked him to do.

Mr Kushner was interviewed for a second time last month by the office of special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

In each occasion, he answered all questions asked and did whatever he could to expedite the conclusion of all the investigation, Mr Lowell said.

The first interview occurred last autumn and the questions were limited to former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn, who subsequently pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and began co-operating with Mr Mueller.

The second interview was in April and concerned potential influence by foreign governments, including Russia, and the firing of former FBI director James Comey, among other topics, Mr Lowell said.

The interview did not deal with Mr Kushners finances or his companies, Mr Lowell said.

Mr Kushner was with the president in New Jersey the weekend before Mr Comey was fired, and he was among the attendees at a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer at which the presidents oldest son was told he would receive negative information about Hillary Clinton.

Mr Kushner  the point of contact for foreign officials during the campaign and transition  was also alluded to, though not by name, in Mr Flynns guilty plea as a transition team official who encouraged Mr Flynn to contact foreign government officials, about a UN Security Council resolution against Israeli settlements.

The delay in Mr Kushners case was caused by a backlog in the new administration and his extensive financial wealth, which required lengthy review, Mr Lowell said.BT boss Gavin Patterson is celebrating a 1 million hike in annual pay, weeks after swinging the axe on 13,000 jobs.

Mr Patterson took home a total of 2.3 million last year after trousering a 1.3 million annual bonus, according to the telecom giants annual report.

The pay packet also includes a 997,000 base salary and 299,000 in pension payments.

The chief executives take home pay compares with 1.3 million the previous year, when he was stripped of his annual bonus following an accounting scandal at the firms Italian division.

Gavin Patterson took home 2.3m last year (BT/PA)

The annual bonus was awarded for meeting a series of targets, including for customer service improvements and cash flow.

But it comes weeks after BT said it was culling 13,000 jobs as part of a revamped cost-cutting drive.

The company said the job losses would mainly affect back office and middle management roles, with two thirds of the cuts set fall on UK staff.

Remaining staff cuts are expected to impact on BTs operations abroad.

A BT spokesman said: This has been a challenging year for the company but good progress has been made in a number of key areas.

Gavins total remuneration for the year was 2.3 million, as a result of targets being met for customer service improvement and cash flow.

Given the underlying financial and operating performance of the business during the year, the remuneration committee agreed Gavins proposal that his bonus be capped at target.

BT is looking to cut costs by around 1.5 billion as part of a three-year plan.

The telecoms firm is also hiring around 6,000 new employees to support network deployment and customer service.

BT has around 106,400 employees globally, with 82,800 in the UK.

The annual report shows Mr Patterson was subject to a 338,000 malus provision linked to the accounting scandal, which rocked BTs share price and dented profits.It is set to be a very warm bank holiday weekend but thunderstorms could put a dampener on the long break for some.

It will still be a warm to very warm bank holiday weekend for most and hopes that temperatures could tip 30C (86F) are now not impossible but less likely, according to Met Office forecaster Bonnie Diamond.

Anyone who is lucky enough to be in Northern Ireland, which along with Scotland will see the best of the sunshine, could come close to enjoying record bank holiday temperatures. The current record for Northern Ireland is 25.2C (77.4F), set in Strabane in 1978.

The warmest late May bank holiday weekend on record is officially 32.8C (91F), set on the May 29 1944 bank holiday Monday in Horsham, West Sussex, and Tunbridge Wells, in Kent, together with Londons Regents Park just a few days ahead of D-Day.

Hopes that temperatures could tip 30C (86F) are `less likely, according to the Met Office (Yui Mok/PA)

London could hit 26-29C (79-84F)  just a little shy of the warmest day of 2018 so far which was the 29.1C (84.4F) recorded at Londons St Jamess Park on April 19.

It will feel warmest across southern England and Wales, where temperatures could rise into the high 20s.

The heat is on in Southampton which can expect 25-26C (77-79F), Bristol may get 25C (77F) while it may reach 19C (66F) in Aberdeen and 18C (64F) in Newcastle.

But not everywhere will stay dry through the weekend, with the risk of some heavy and thundery showers mainly across the south and south west of the country.

Plans to enjoy barbecue weather outdoors may have to be put on hold, or at least checked the day before committing, as there is a threat of thunderstorms throughout the bank holiday weekend.

Southern England, the South West and Wales are set to be cloudier, very warm and at risk of thunderstorms.

(PA Graphics)

Chief meteorologist Andy Page said: There is a risk of potentially severe thunderstorms during the bank holiday weekend.

These are most likely to affect the south and southwest of the country, however exact location details are uncertain at this stage.

Impacts from heavy downpours are possible, however are likely to be localised.

We are carefully monitoring the thunderstorm threat and recommend people keep updated with the forecast on the day if they have outdoor plans.The Duchess of Cornwall indulged her love of literature when she visited St James Church of England Junior School in Gloucester.

The Duchess of Cornwall met pupils at St James C of E Junior School in Gloucester (Ben Birchall/PA)

Excited pupils welcomed her to their school which was full of Union flags (Ben Birchall/PA)

Camilla was presented with a posy by Jady Paratudo (Ben Birchall/PA)

The Duchess of Cornwall, who is patron of Beanstalk, received a welcome letter from Federika Musa Sula and Sienna Gayle (Ben Birchall/PA)

Camilla also signed a Harry Potter book presented to her by Abdul Olaiyan, 10 (Ben Birchall/PA)

The duchess read a Harry Potter book to pupils (Ben Birchall/PA)

She also joined in a Beanstalk reading session (Ben Birchall/PA)

Pupils drew pictures of the Duchess of Cornwall to mark her visit (Ben Birchall/PA)

Some of the drawings were more lifelike than others (Ben Birchall/PA)

But Camilla enjoyed looking at the varied display (Ben Birchall/PA)

Later, the duchess went to open the South Western Ambulance Service 999 Control Hub in Bradley Stoke, Bristol.

There she met Henry Coles, nine, from Bristol, who dialled 999 when his mum Bethany Uren, 31, was taken ill (Ben Birchall/PA)Alastair Cook recorded a half-century but he did not get much help from the rest of Englands top order on the opening day of the first NatWest Test against Pakistan.

Cook, who survived a review for lbw on umpires call when England were 35 for two, reached his 56th Test half-century shortly after lunch at Lords.

But opener Mark Stoneman, skipper Joe Root and Dawid Malan all departed for single-figure scores inside the opening 70 minutes of the morning, while Jonny Bairstow went for 27 to leave England 100 for four.

Alastair Cook survived but his team-mates struggled (John Walton/PA)

Skipper Root had won the toss and elected to bat first in the opening clash of the two-Test series.

But Stoneman was bowled by Mohammad Abbas in the fourth over, Root  having survived a run-out attempt before he had faced a ball  made the same score before nicking behind when chasing a wide delivery from Hasan Ali in the 14th, and Malan soon edged Hasan behind for six.

Bairstow was then bowled by Faheem Ashraf after a 57-run stand with Cook for the fourth wicket, which brought Ben Stokes to the crease.US President Donald Trump has cancelled the planned June 12 summit with North Koreas Kim Jong Un, citing the tremendous anger and open hostility in a recent statement from North Korea.

Mr Trump said in a letter to Mr Kim released by the White House that based on the statement, he felt it was inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting.

The president said the North Koreans talk about their nuclear capabilities but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.

He said in the letter that the world is losing a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth now that the summit has been cancelled.

(Lee Jin-man/AP)

Mr Trump added: This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history.

In the statement cited by Mr Trump, the North Korean government referred to Vice President Mike Pence as a political dummy and said it is just as ready to meet in a nuclear confrontation as at the negotiating table.

Mr Trump told Mr Kim please do not hesitate to call me or write should he change his mind about a one-on-one meeting.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said North Korea did not respond to repeated requests from US officials to discuss logistics for the now-cancelled summit.

Mr Pompeo told the Senate foreign relations committee that the lack of response was an additional reason for Mr Trumps decision to call off the meeting.

He said: We had received no response to our inquiries from them.

Mr Pompeo said the Norths attitude had changed markedly since he returned from a trip to Pyongyang earlier this month, when he met with Mr Kim and secured the release of three American prisoners being held there.Voting Yes to liberalising Irelands strict abortion rules would help remove the countrys legacy of shame over its treatment of women, the Taoiseach said.

Thousands of women seek terminations in Britain because they are prohibited from obtaining them in Ireland unless their lives are in danger.

Residents of 12 Atlantic islands off the mainland began casting their votes on Thursday in a referendum on whether to repeal the Eighth Amendment of the constitution which prevents the Irish Government from legalising the procedure.

The rest of Ireland votes on whether to reform some of Europes strictest laws on Friday.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is joined by Fine Gael party colleagues at Merrion Square, Dublin (Niall Carson/PA)

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: There has been in Ireland a legacy of shame in many ways.

The fact that 170,000 women have had to travel, sometimes in secret, to another jurisdiction to end their pregnancies.

I hope that a Yes vote will help to lift that stigma and help to take away that legacy of shame that exists in our society.

Around 2,000 residents on islands off Counties Donegal, Mayo and Galway went to the polls on Thursday, a day ahead of the rest of the country to avoid delays in getting their votes to count centres in time.

Presiding officer Carmel McBride and Garda Alan Gallagher carry the polling box onto the island of Inishbofin (Clodagh Kilcoyne/PA)

If people vote Yes in the referendum, the Government intends to allow terminations within the first 12 weeks, subject to medical advice and a cooling-off period, and between 12 and 24 weeks in exceptional circumstances.

The Taoiseach said: If there is a Yes vote Ireland will be the same place, just a place thats a little bit more compassionate and a little bit more understanding than it has been in the past.

He added: Were really encouraging everyone to come out and vote on Friday in what is a once-in-a-generation decision for the Irish people.

On Friday, you will be asked: do you want to remove the 8th amendment from the Constitution, Yes or No? If you vote Yes, a safe, doctor-led, regulated system for the terminations will be introduced. It will be much much more restrictive than the UK system #PKShow  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) May 23, 2018

Air Corps helicopters assisted in transporting ballot boxes to some of the offshore communities on Thursday.

On Gola Island in Donegal, the polls opened shortly after 11am for the 29 registered voters to have their say.

Presiding officer Nancy Sharkey and Guard Pat McElroy took the ballot box on the 10-minute boat journey over to the island and carried it off the boat, avoiding fishing tackle and passing a grotto to the Virgin Mary.

Carmel McBride and Alan Gallagher with the Inishbofin ballot box for the referendum (Clodagh Kilycoyne/PA)

The polling station was opened in the whitewashed home of Jimmy Sweeney, 65, who has lived on the island all his life.

He said there was a lot of interest in the vote while his son Hugh, 26, acknowledged it meant a lot to young people.

More than 3.2 million people are registered to vote and thousands are travelling home to Ireland from as far away as Latin America and Asia to cast their votes.

I'm voting Yes on Friday for all the women in my life; my mum, my sisters and my female friends, including the friend who told me about her own abortion. I think they all deserve safe & compassionate care here at home. #VoteYes #Together2Vote #PKshow  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) May 23, 2018

Aoife Bennett, 25, an editor with a travel magazine based in Dortmund, Germany, will be making the journey back to Dublin then returning in less than 24 hours.

She tweeted: Im flying home for not even 24 hours to vote for this. Anyone Ive said this to hasnt called me a muppet. Or insane. Theyre thanking me.

This is the most important referendum we may ever face. Of course I was coming home.

The No campaign also made a final plea ahead of Fridays vote, calling the proposed legislation the most far-reaching abortion laws any Irish government has ever proposed in the history of the state.US President Donald Trump has cancelled next months summit with North Koreas Kim Jong Un, citing the tremendous anger and open hostility in a recent statement by the North.

Mr Trump said in a letter to Mr Kim released by the White House that, based on the statement, he felt it was inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting.

Adding his own threat, he said that while the North Koreans talk about their nuclear capabilities ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.

In the Korean statement that Mr Trump cited, the North referred to Vice President Mike Pence as a political dummy for his comments on the North and said it was just as ready to meet in a nuclear confrontation as at the negotiating table.

A copy of the letter sent to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un from President Donald Trump (J David Ake/AP)

Mr Trump said in his letter: If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write.

He said the world was losing a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth now that their June 12 summit has been cancelled.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo read the letter during a hearing before the Senate foreign relations committee.

The president had agreed to the historic sit-down in March after months of trading insults and nuclear threats with the North Korean leader.

But after criticism from North Korea, Mr Trump cast doubt this week on whether the meeting would happen.

A White House official said it was incorrect to focus on the dummy comments about Mr Pence.

The official said the North Koreans had threatened nuclear war in their statement released on Wednesday night and no summit could be successful under these circumstances.

White House officials have privately predicted for weeks that the summit could be cancelled once or twice before actually taking place, owing to the hard-nosed style of the two leaders.

Mr Trump has seemed to welcome chatter of a Nobel Peace Prize, but that has yielded in recent weeks to the sobering prospect of ensuring a successful outcome with Mr Kim.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was deeply concerned by the cancellation of the planned summit.

Mr Guterres told an audience at the University of Geneva that he was urging the parties to keep working to find a path to the peaceful and verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

His comments came as he laid out his disarmament agenda, warning that nuclear agreements between states have been threatened like never before.Posted 5/23/18

Missouri has become the first state in the nation to address the issue of "fake meat" with legislation.An omnibus bill, sponsored by Missouri state Sen. Brian Munzlinger, passed May 17 with a A teenager accused of plotting Mad Hatter-inspired terror in London told jurors she would have gone straight to hell if she had done it.

Safaa Boular, 18, allegedly chatted to her sister Rizlaine about a proposed knife attack while she was in custody for attempting to travel to Syria.

The prosecution claim they talked about an Alice in Wonderland tea party with cakes and cucumber sandwiches as a secret code.

Giving evidence at the Old Bailey, Boular said her Islamic State fiance Naweed Hussain had three times suggested she carry out an atrocity in the UK after she was prevented by police from joining him.

But Boular has said she always refused to be part of it, and they would go back to love-dovey talk.

Under cross-examination, she denied she was set on martyrdom after Hussain was killed in a drone attack last April.

Naweed Hussain died in a drone attack (Met Police/PA)

In a conversation with an officer, posing online as Hussains commander, Boular relayed his plan to attack the British Museum with a Tokarev (handgun) and pineapples (grenades), jurors heard.

Boular was asked why she would have told an IS commander that her heart has been set on this for some months, if that was never her intention.

The teenager said she had flowered it up a bit because she was feeling sad at learning of Hussains death in Syria.

She said: It was just an emotional day. It was the perfect opportunity for me to express my low mood, my suicidal thoughts. I wanted to die but I did not think my life was worth living.

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson QC said: You have been in conversation with Mr Hussain about an attack in this country and you were reporting back to the role player, who you thought was Mr Hussains commander, what the plan was.

At no stage did you tell the commander that you were not committed to the plan.

Boular said: It was my way of letting him know how I was feeling. I never really wanted to do anything.

I never had the courage to do anything. Had I done an attack I believe I would have gone straight to hell because of my inconsistent prayers.

Boular was 16 at the time she met Hussain online, and 17 when she learned of his death in Syria.

Mina Dich, 43, Rizlaine Boular, 21, and Khawla Barghouthi, 20, have admitted offences (Elizabeth Cook/PA)

The defence have said Hussain, in his 30s, from Coventry, had groomed her for terrorism.

Judge Mark Dennis QC asked Boular if Hussain knew her age, that she was at school and living at home with her mother.

The defendant, who believed they wed in an online Islamic marriage, said he was aware.

On why the IS fighter sent her 2,500, Boular said: He was sending me money because as my husband it was his duty.

Judge Dennis adjourned the case until Tuesday morning when closing speeches are expected to begin.

Rizlaine Boular, 22, of Clerkenwell, central London, has admitted planning a knife attack on London and her mother Mina Dich, 44, has pleaded guilty to assisting her.

Her friend Khawla Barghouthi, 21, of north-west London, has pleaded guilty to failing to disclose information about a terrorism attack planned by Rizlaine Boular.

Safaa Boular, who lived at home with her mother in Vauxhall, south-west London, has denied two counts of preparing acts of terrorism.The Government is disappointed face-to-face nuclear weapons talks between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un have been cancelled, Downing Street has said.

Britain will continue working towards a deal that results in denuclearisation, a spokeswoman said after the US president said a June 12 summit in Singapore with the North Korean leader would no longer take place.

In a letter to Mr Kim released by the White House, Mr Trump said it was inappropriate for the meeting to go ahead because of the dictators tremendous anger and open hostility in a recent statement.

Donald Trump said it was `inappropriate for the June 12 summit to take place because of recent comments from the North Korean leader (Evan Vucci/AP)

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: We are disappointed that the meeting will no longer go ahead as planned.

We need to see an agreement that can bring about the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and we will continue to work with our partners to that end.

A letter from the President to Chairman Kim Jong Un: "It is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting." pic.twitter.com/3dDIp55xu1  The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) May 24, 2018

In his letter to Mr Kim, Mr Trump said he believed the pair had had great dialogue and he had been looking forward to the meeting.

He left the door open for a future meeting some day, urging Mr Kim to get in touch if he changed his mind.

Mr Trump added: The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth.

This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history.

However, the letter also contained a veiled threat, warning the North Korean leader: You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.Former Barcelona star Ronaldinho is planning to marry two women at the same time, according to reports in his native Brazil.

Rio de Janeiros daily newspaper O Dia claims Ronaldinho, 38, has organised an August ceremony at which he will celebrate his love for live-in girlfriends Priscilla Coelho and Beatriz Souza.

Ronaldinho earned 97 caps for Brazil (Adam Davy/EMPICS)

Bigamy is illegal in Brazil and O Dia reports that the wedding will therefore be unofficial, instead offering Ronaldinho an excuse to hold a party for close relatives at his upmarket Santa Monica condominium in Barra da Tijuca, Rio, where he lives.US President Donald Trump has called off next months summit with North Koreas Kim Jong Un, calling the cancellation a tremendous setback for peace.

He also stressed the US military is ready to respond to any foolish or reckless acts by the North.

Mr Trump first announced his decision in a letter to Mr Kim released by the White House, in which he cited tremendous anger and open hostility in a recent statement by the North, adding that it was inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting.

Speaking at the White House later, Mr Trump said a maximum pressure campaign will continue against North Korea and that he was waiting should Mr Kim choose to engage in constructive actions.

He added that it was possible that the existing summit could take place or a summit at some later date.

The abrupt cancellation of the June 12 meeting withdraws the US for now from an unprecedented summit that offered the prospect of a historic nuclear peace treaty or an epic diplomatic failure.

No sitting American president has ever met with a North Korea leader.

In the North Korean statement that Mr Trump cited, a top Foreign Ministry official referred to Vice President Mike Pence as a political dummy for his comments on the North and said it was up to the US whether they will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown.

Mr Trump said the world was losing a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth.

But he left the door open to the chance that the summit could yet be rescheduled, saying: If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write.

A copy of the letter sent to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un from President Donald Trump (J David Ake/AP)

One US official said the decision to call off the summit was made on Thursday morning in response to the statement disparaging Mr Pence and threatening nuclear war.

A White House official said it was incorrect to focus solely on the dummy comment, saying that the nuclear threats meant that no summit could be successful under such circumstances.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said North Korea had not responded to repeated requests from US officials to discuss logistics for the summit.

He told the Senate foreign relations committee the lack of responses was an additional reason for Mr Trumps decision.

Mr Pompeo said the Norths attitude had changed markedly since he returned from a trip to Pyongyang earlier this month during which he met with Mr Kim and oversaw the release of three Americans being held there.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in played a major role in planning for the summit and sought to keep it on the rails in a visit to the White House this week.

His office said that it was trying to work out Mr Trumps intentions in cancelling the summit.

Mr Pompeo, asked about a report that the South had not been informed before the presidents letter was made public, said simply: We are locked in to the Republic of Korea. We are in lockstep with them.

The cancellation came shortly after Mr Kim made good on his promise to demolish his countrys nuclear test site, which was formally closed in a series of huge explosions on Thursday as a group of foreign journalists looked on.

The explosions at the test site deep in the mountains of the Norths sparsely populated north east were supposed to build confidence ahead of the summit.

However, the closing of the site is not an irreversible move and would need to be followed by many more significant measures to meet the demand for real denuclearisation.

The president had agreed to the historic sit-down in March after months of trading insults and nuclear threats with the North Korean leader.

But after criticism from North Korea, Mr Trump cast doubt this week on whether the meeting would happen.

White House officials have privately predicted for weeks that the summit could be cancelled once or twice before actually taking place, owing to the hard-nosed style of the two leaders.

Mr Trump has seemed to welcome chatter of a Nobel Peace Prize, but that has yielded in recent weeks to the sobering prospect of ensuring a successful outcome with Mr Kim.The Taoiseach has said Ireland is not making any preparations for customs checks at the border, insisting that they will not be needed.

Leo Varadkar said that he was confident that the EU and the UK would be able to resolve the border issue despite the looming deadlines on a deal.

The UK has yet to present customs proposals in written form to EU negotiators following a summit in Sofia, Bulgaria earlier this month.

Had an excellent bilateral meeting with Belgian PM @CharlesMichel in Govt Buildings this afternoon. We discussed trade, the new EU Budget, CAP, the banking union & the digital single market. And of course we discussed Brexit, which will heavily impact both of our countries. pic.twitter.com/n83aWSqjmx  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) May 24, 2018

Mr Varadkar made the comments after a bilateral meeting with Belgian prime minister Charles Michel in Dublin on Thursday.

He said the EU-27 needed to see significant and substantial progress on the text of the backstop before the June European Council meeting if Europe had a chance of making the October deadline for a deal.

We dont yet have firm proposals that are in black and white that we can negotiate on, said Mr Varadkar.

Thats what were still waiting for.

The Taoiseach said Brexit was less than a year away and that progress needed to be made.

The withdrawal agreement is going to be a legally binding agreement so we really need to see it written down now, written down in a form thats operable and legally implementable, Mr Varadkar said.

An abandoned border guard hut on the northern side of the Irish border (Niall Carson/PA)

We dont yet have that from London.

Mr Varadkar insisted there would be no physical checks at the border.

We define that as there not being any physical infrastructure or associated checks or controls, Mr Varadkar said.

If technology was to involve cameras, for example, that is not something we could accept because thats the physical manifestation of a border.

He added: Certainly we are making no preparations for a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland because we dont believe it will happen.

The Belgian PM visited the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland on Thursday morning.

Mr Varadkar said they discussed the Good Friday Agreement and the need to protect it in all its parts.

Mr Michel said Ireland had the EU and Belgiums support in retaining an open border.The first votes have been cast on whether to liberalise Irelands strict abortion rules.

Many of the 2,000 residents of 12 Atlantic islands off the mainland began filling in referendum ballot papers on Thursday.

The poll is on repealing the Eighth Amendment of the constitution which prevents the Irish Government from legalising terminations except where a mothers life is endangered and which has divided opinion for decades.

If people vote Yes, the Government intends to allow the procedure within the first 12 weeks, subject to medical advice and a cooling-off period, and between 12 and 24 weeks in exceptional circumstances.

Carmel McBride and Alan Gallagher with the Inishbofin ballot box for the referendum (Clodagh Kilycoyne/PA)

Around 2,000 residents on tiny islands off Counties Donegal, Mayo and Galway were eligible to cast their ballots in polling stations including makeshift ones in peoples homes on Thursday.

They were received a day ahead of the rest of the country to avoid delays in getting them to count centres in time.

Resident of Gola Island Colleen Ui Fhioruisce, centre, with her daughter Saoirse, two, outside the polling station (Brian Lawless/PA)

The rest of the country votes on Friday on whether to reform some of Europes strictest laws.

Thousands returned from around the world to make their voices heard, some from as far away as Asia and Latin America.

Ciaran Gaffney, 22, from Argentina said women should have complete bodily autonomy.

I just think that we should not be exporting an issue like abortion to other countries and I think that we need to be responsible for taking charge of something that is happening in Ireland and will happen in Ireland irrespective of the vote.

Aoife Bennett, 25, an editor with a travel magazine based in Dortmund, Germany, will be making the journey back to Dublin then returning in less than 24 hours.

She tweeted: This is the most important referendum we may ever face. Of course I was coming home.

We're almost there: tomorrow you will get a chance to have your say on how we treat women in crisis. The polls open at 7am and close at 10pm. Please #VoteYes #8thRef #hometovote pic.twitter.com/J9eEtKXDXb  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) May 24, 2018

Thousands of Irish women seek terminations in Britain because they cannot do so in Ireland.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: I hope that a Yes vote will help to lift that stigma and help to take away that legacy of shame that exists in our society.

Among those backing a No vote was Corrs musician Jim Corr.

The 53-year-old, who found fame with his sisters Andrea, Sharon and Caroline in Irish folk-rock band the Corrs, claimed the vote was a means for the pharmaceutical industry to profiteer from abortion.

He tweeted: As many were duped into believing the Lisbon Treaty would bring jobs and recovery, many are being duped into believing this referendum is about healthcare and choice, when its really about bringing the lucrative abortion industry into Ireland.

Presiding officer Carmel McBride and Garda Alan Gallagher carry the polling box onto the island of Inishbofin (Clodagh Kilcoyne/PA)

Meanwhile, GPs advocating a No vote have claimed that asking doctors to carry out abortions without reason being offered cannot be described as healthcare.

More than 120 general practitioners opposed to repeal claimed Government proposals to liberalise Irelands termination laws would amount to abortion on demand.BEIJING, May 23 (Reuters) - China's trade with North Korea in the first four months of 2018 fell 59.3 percent from a year earlier to $656.55 million, customs data showed on Wednesday.

Imports from North Korea fell 86.6 percent to $80.66 million in January-April.

China's April total trade with North Korea was $173.7 million, compared to $155.3 million in the previous month.

China's exports to North Korea were $161.93 million in April while imports from North Korea were $11.78 million, the data showed. (Reporting by Beijing Monitoring Desk; Editing by Sunil Nair)By Sumeet Chatterjee

HONG KONG, May 23 (Reuters) - Western banks are scrambling to beef up research coverage of Chinese stocks as they look to cash in on the looming inclusion of mainland stocks in MSCI's flagship emerging markets indexes, which is expected to trigger a surge of foreign inflows.

Banks are hoping for a boost to regional trading revenues with the addition of 234 Chinese large cap stocks by MSCI, the U.S. index publisher.

UBS expects the inclusion to lead to $60 billion in additional fund inflows in the first phase, which begins on June 1, though industry estimates vary widely.

The move is significant because it marks the first time that funds which track indexes have been forced to invest in mainland markets, rather than the offshore Chinese stocks listed in Hong Kong and New York that are already part of the MSCI universe.

An estimated $1.9 trillion tracks the MSCI's emerging market index.

"There has been a very considerable interest from a very broad and large number of our clients, from all jurisdictions," said Richard Heyes, Citigroup's regional head of equities.

Citi aims to increase its China coverage to 250 stocks by end-2018, from 170 last year, and plans to add six more staff to its China research team.

PIECE OF THE ACTION

Under the stock connect system linking Hong Kong to the Shanghai and Shenzen exchanges - through which most of the MSCI flows are expected to go - the number of trading accounts rose to over 4,000 this month from about 1,000 in January last year, stock exchange data showed.

Foreign ownership of stocks in China represent just over 2 percent of its nearly $9 trillion market capitalisation, and muted overseas interest and accessibility have to date weighed on demand for company research and broking services.

"With the MSCI inclusion, China has now become a mainstream market," said Jason Yates, Asia head of execution services for Morgan Stanley institutional equity division. It has doubled China coverage to more than 200 stocks in three years.

Caroline Yu Maurer, head of Greater China equities for BNP Paribas Asset Management, said it is looking to expand coverage to 500 Chinese stocks over time from a few hundred now.

JPMorgan plans to double the firms it covers to more than 200 this year, focusing on large caps, Ryan Holsheimer, head of its cash equity sales and trading for Asia Pacific.

HSBC, the only foreign bank to own a majority stake in a China securities joint venture, and UBS are also working on plans to ramp up investments in teams and technology.

"At the moment, we have 117 analysts who cover 220 A-share stocks ... MSCI inclusion and increasing demand will ensure that both the number of analysts and the stocks covered will increase substantially," said Thomas Fang, UBS head of China equities. (Reporting by Sumeet Chatterjee; additional reporting by Samuel Shen in Shanghai; Editing by Jennifer Hughes and Kim Coghill)By Lesley Wroughton and Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON, May 23 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday Washington is prepared to walk away from nuclear talks with North Korea if an upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un heads in the wrong direction.

"A bad deal is not an option," Pompeo said in his written opening statement for a House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. "The American people are counting on us to get this right. If the right deal is not on the table, we will respectfully walk away."

In his first public testimony in Congress since becoming secretary of state last month, the former Republican House member was questioned for more than three hours about a variety of world hotspots, focusing largely on North Korea and Iran but with tough talk also for NATO ally Turkey.

Pompeo expressed hope the North Korea summit will take place on June 12 in Singapore as scheduled after Trump said there was a "substantial chance" it will be called off amid concerns Pyongyang will not give up its nuclear arsenal.

He said Trump would be leading the talks but declined to discuss how many people, or who, would be on the summit team.

Pompeo, who was CIA director before becoming secretary of state after Trump fired Rex Tillerson, has met twice with Kim in Pyongyang. On his most recent trip he brought back three Americans who had been held by North Korea.

Pompeo also addressed tensions with Iran over its nuclear program, saying Washington was seeking to meet with European and other allies on the way forward after Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 Iran deal earlier this month.

He said he intends to meet with allies in June to discuss next steps to stop what he described as all of Tehran's nuclear and non-nuclear threats.

"We're not very far along ... A number of discussions have taken place below the foreign minister level," Pompeo said.

In a major speech on Monday, Pompeo demanded sweeping changes or said Tehran would face the "strongest sanctions in history" unless it changes its behavior.

Committee members repeatedly asked Pompeo about Americans held in Iran. Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear accord prompted concerns among families of American prisoners held by the Islamic Republic that it will be more difficult to win their release.

TOUGH TALK

Pompeo said Turkey should stay in NATO but that it "should act in a way consistent with what we try to achieve in NATO."

Relations between Washington and Ankara have deteriorated recently. Turkey supported the U.S. fight against Islamic State, but has become increasingly worried about U.S. backing for Kurdish fighters in Syria.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is coming to Washington to meet with Pompeo on June 4.

The hearing was contentious at times, particularly when Democratic Representative Greg Meeks confronted Pompeo about his aggressive questioning of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton when he was a congressman during Republican-led hearings about the fatal 2012 attack on U.S. diplomats in Benghazi.

Meeks accused Pompeo of neglecting the issue now that he is secretary of state, and of treating Clinton, who lost to Trump in the 2016 presidential election, "with venom" as he accused her of not caring about diplomats' safety.

"I ask you, Mr. Secretary, should we conclude that because you've not mentioned it one time, not once, should we to conclusion based upon that fact, that you do not care about diplomatic security, Mr. Secretary?" Meeks asked.

"No you should not conclude that," Pompeo said, raising his voice and saying his first state briefing was on security. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Bill Trott)CARACAS, May 23 (Reuters) - The 11 executives of Venezuela's top bank, Banesco SA, arrested earlier this month for allegedly "attacking" the OPEC member country's rapidly weakening currency, have been released, chief prosecutor Tarek Saab said on Wednesday.

Four female executives have been freed and seven male executives were being freed on Wednesday, Saab told local television channel Globovision in an interview.

"With that, they are all free ... but obviously our investigations are continuing," said Saab, a former ruling party governor.

Banesco, whose chairman, Juan Carlos Escotet, also has Spanish nationality, confirmed the release and thanked former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero for his help. Zapatero was in Venezuela on President Nicolas Maduro's invitation to oversee Sunday's strongly criticized presidential election.

"Banesco would like to publicly thank (Zapatero) for his tenacious and effective work, which achieved the liberation of the 11 executives of our organization," said Banesco spokesman Jesus Escorche.

In the biggest crackdown on the financial sector since the administration of late leftist leader Hugo Chavez, the government of his successor, President Nicolas Maduro, in early May said it was taking over Banesco for 90 days and jailing its top executives.

Prosecutor Saab said his office also had launched four new investigations into state oil company PDVSA, but declined to offer specifics. (Reporting by Deisy Buitrago, Vivian Sequera, Andreina Aponte and Corina Pons in Caracas; writing by Alexandra Ulmer; editing by Nick Zieminski and Jonathan Oatis)Grief in open waters Im sitting by an open window, watching how the morning light filters in, feeling the brisk accent in the wind....

Remember When  Last week I was talking about grocery stores and box stores we all used to go to, so I thought...

Not all who wander are lost If youre a fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (like I am), then youre probably familiar with one...

Remember When  How America was settled is a passion of mine, since part of my family got here in the 1600s from...AVAZA, Turkmenistan, May 23 (Reuters) - Turkmenistan plans to secure within a few months all the necessary funding to complete the construction of an $8 billion natural gas pipeline to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, the project's chief executive said on Wednesday.

The Central Asian nation is building the TAPI pipeline to diversify its gas exports, which have mostly gone to China.

"We expect the financing to be completed in the third quarter, within the next three-four months," Muhammetmyrat Amanov, chief executive of TAPI Pipeline company, told an industry conference in the Turkmen resort of Avaza.

He said his company was in talks with several export credit agencies such as Italy's SACE and France's Hermes, as well as Greek export credit insurer ECIO.

TAPI hopes to open the pipeline next year, although security risks, including an attack this week by unknown gunmen on TAPI mine-clearance workers in which six were killed, has raised doubts among analysts about whether it will be finished on time.

Amanov did not say how much money TAPI has already raised or mention security issues such as this week's attack.

TAPI said in a brief statement on Tuesday that work continued on schedule despite the attack. (Reporting by Marat Gurt Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Susan Fenton)ASG Yasantha Kodagoda today informed Court that the Singapore Police had officially informed the CID that former CBSL Governor Arjuna Mahendran is currently residing in Singapore.

In expectation of bringing him down to Sri Lanka, the ASG said all the necessary internal actions are being taken place between the CID and the Singapore Police.

Arjuna Mahendran is the first suspect of the Magisterial inquiry in which he was accused over misappropriating public funds worth Rs. 688 million during the Bond auction held on February 27, 2015. (Shehan Chamika Silva)The more we and our politicians dawdle, the closer we get to the repetition of that same history

We cannot just ignore that reality and say, They are commemorating murderers and we are commemorating the murdered!

MR forgot one salient detail: that celebration, while permissible, does not entail colourful pageants the likes of which might have been conceived in the mind of Jean-Bedel Bokassa

Why is today so special? the driver of the van I was in asked me, and I was stumped. A second later I checked myself; Sri Lankans seem to forget so easily that forgetting the commemoration of the (military) end of the civil war seems a trivial omission in comparison -- after all we have representatives of popular culture who dont even know when we got independence. Moreover, we were caught in a deluge, and the entirety of that day, last Friday, we were assailed with one rainstorm after another. It seemed to depress the significance of May the 18th, until I realised that nine years ago, the day that Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed and Sri Lankans went out to the streets in joy was also a day in which the rains fell down

as ferociously.



I remember much less than my parents do about the war. My parents remember much less than their parents do about the prelude to that war. History is cruel, unforgiving. It transforms the unity and the dynamism of one epoch to the shedding of blood of another. It records grievances and never lets them go. The end of the war in military terms, hence, was never going to be the end of the war in total. History is unyielding, compelling us to return to what we forewent on and pleading with us to do something, anything, to address those aforementioned grievances and the ruptures they cause. The more we and our politicians dawdle, the closer we get to the repetition of that same history. I was born to a twilight generation, which saw the conflict in full sway and its cessation also in full sway. I know what it is like to return. I do not want to return.



I remember a rather privileged childhood spent in the outskirts of Colombo and I remember going to school and coming back not knowing the dread my parents felt, or the doubts they entertained about seeing us return at all. Bomb squads, ambulance sirens, road enclosures, and the occasional yell by a random bystander: if this were the culture we of Colombo and its suburbs felt, imagine the fear of those who courted that culture as an everyday reality, in the maayim gammana of the Wanniya beyond Medavachchiya (the same Medavachchiya which, if I remember correctly, a politician from the then opposition cruelly and unnecessarily conflated with Kilinochchi in that supposedly most hallowed of all political grounds, the Parliament). Imagine how afraid they would be if rumours of a return to the pre-2009 situation become a reality. Imagine how frustrated they would be if those fears remain unaddressed.

"Commemoration means committing what one lost to memory, be it the 7,000 people the former government stated we lost at the final stages of the war or the 60,000+ people we all know we lost to the scourges of terrorism during the last 25 years"



Those who dream of fragmenting this already-fragmented nation, particularly those who call for independent homelands based on ethnic and religious backgrounds, and those who deny the right to commemorate, to reflect on, and to remember, with an admixture of joy and sadness, the significance of May the 18th, are those who flirted with the idea of fear in those blighted days. They are the people who sold peace and purchased war. They are the people who have lost their moral right to have a say in anything about the war after its cessation, if at all because they did everything in their power, and the power of whatever Dollars and Euros and Pounds they could get their hands on through their efforts to stall the path towards a definite military end to the conflict. For the truth of the matter is, our leaders (and there were a great many of them since that conflict officially erupted in 1983) had the greatest possible chance to bring together global efforts against terrorism and our need to end such terrorism on our own shores, once the West went through 9/11 and the War Against Terror it necessitated. Instead what did they do? They went around the capitals of the world, waltzed with leaders of the global community, and contended that we needed to talk to those terrorists. In the end, the global community didnt talk. We did. They bombed.



Moving on. Commemoration does not unconditionally entail celebration, but it doesnt exclude it either. Commemoration means committing what one lost to memory, be it the 7,000 people the former government stated we lost at the final stages of the war or the 60,000+ people we all know we lost to the scourges of terrorism during the last 25 years. This begs the question, what is the figure we should account for? Does it include the 100,000 killed during the JVP insurrection, which in case you forgot was accelerated by the opposition to the dictated-from-above 1987 Peace Accord with India? Does it include the loss of human resources and brain drain the conflict compelled? The international community will have their say and highlight a particular statistic.



They will concentrate on what they want to concentrate on. But what of the other figures, ignored by those who have an axe to grind with the fact that we didnt go through their process of approval when expediting the end of the conflict? Dont all wars end in bloodshed, and if they do, how was this war any different? These are questions we ask, from completely different political camps.

Rajitha Senaratne, a politician I disagree with vehemently on almost every issue conceivable, finally said something I could agree with the other day. They were dear to them just as our people are dear to us was the gist of his argument when justifying his conciliatory attitude to the politicians of the North choosing to commemorate May 18 as a Heroes Day. True. In that sense Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Sarath Fonseka, Kamal Gunaratne, and the other chief architects of the end of the civil war are as dear to the Sinhala people as the former deceased members of the LTTE are to the people of the North.

We cannot just ignore that reality and say, They are commemorating murderers and we are commemorating the murdered! Such simplistic dichotomies conceal one pertinent truth: those members were forced to believe in a cause higher than themselves.

"It seemed to depress the significance of May the 18th, until I realised that nine years ago, the day that Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed and Sri Lankans went out to the streets in joy was also a day in which the rains fell down as ferociously"



It didnt matter to Prabhakaran whether they believed it willingly or not. Every Sinhala mother, father, and child and Muslim mother, father, and child they killed were killed out of an overwhelming fanaticism.

Mahinda Rajapaksa, who gave leadership to the war, forgot one salient detail: that celebration, while permissible, does not entail colourful pageants the likes of which might have been conceived in the mind of Jean-Bedel Bokassa (go ahead, Google him) decades ago. Such crudeness was of course permissible because a vast majority of the country happened to hail from the demographic who wanted to celebrate.

It was only later, after he and his brothers fell from grace, that they decided to reflect, rather than decorate (May 18 of 2015, if I remember correctly, was commemorated as a quiet, reserved ceremony at the Vihara Maha Devi Park). But it was too little, too late. Such a ceremony was needed earlier. Much, much earlier. And now, with all the racist invectives and outbursts erupting every month or so, we need it more than ever before. Without, however, erasing or banishing the possibility of celebration altogether.

Kamal Gunaratne, remembering his schoolboy days in the first chapter of his Road to Nandikadal (a book we should all read), reflects on a set of verses and lines from a song we dont get to hear that often on radio today: Abeywardena Balasooriyas Awasan Husma. The song, a deshabimana gee, begins with these plaintive lines:

Gunaratne remembers the sense of pride, of sadness, of joy, that it compelled in him. That sense of pride and sadness and joy, for me, comes out from the next set of lines:

In short, what does the king and the emperor, what does the fool, the unpatriotic, the idle, know about the sweat and the toil of winning a hard-won peace? It is the question May the 18th compels from us every day. And I think it is also the question which we should all ponder on the moment a debate about whether to commemorate or celebrate that day crops up.

Once we realise we have no real moral right to fight over such debates, once we realise that those who laid down their lives for us did not lay them down so that we could fight over such petty issues, we will understand. And fully.The Navy was being kept in readiness following a warning issued to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya by Minister of Western Development and Megapolis Patali Champika Ranawaka that the Parliamentary complex might go under water if the water levels of the Diyawanna Oya rises further.

Sources close to Speaker Jayasuriya said that Minister Ranawaka had raised this on Sunday (20).

The minister had told the Speaker that the Parliamentary complex and houses in the vicinity might get submerged if the rain continues to pour causing the water levels of the Diyawanna Oya to rise. However, sources said the risk is less to some extent as Colombo and its suburbs have not received a heavy rainfall yesterday. We have kept a team of naval officers on alert as a precautionary measure, the sources said.

The Parliamentary complex had gone under water s a result of torrential rains in 1992 and in 2010 while there was also a close call in 2016. (Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana)Floods, landslides should not be publicity stunts for Governments

People need to come out of this regular tragedy, without allowing Governments and politicians to play around with human life.

Thus far, according to the Meteorology Department, 18 out of the 25 Districts of the country were badly affected by the rains.



The NBRO said nine Districts had extended warnings of landslides and warning on floods in areas downstream Kelani, Kalu, Gin, Nilwala, and Mahaweli Rivers and also Maha and Attanagalu Oya.

People in those areas have been asked to evacuate at the time of writing this brief on Wednesday (23 May) evening.

At least 11 people have lost their lives, while over 105,300 people have been affected in 18 Districts. Perhaps the numbers would increase during the next 24 hours, but the situation may subside by the time this appears on Friday and there will be wrapping up work left for politicians to gain some media coverage.

The easiest and most convenient statement for the Government is to dismiss all such disasters as natural.

President Sirisena was reported as saying, rains were needed as seasonal cultivation was badly affected from long drought in most agricultural areas, but it so happens, heavy rains bring disaster too for people.

Uncontrollable rains across the country lead to landslides and floods is what we are therefore made to believe and continue to believe.

This Government, no different to the past Government sits comfortably on such social perceptions that instantly jerk society to rush with food, clothing and support for evacuation.

As with any issue that demands immediate State intervention, the President made a public announcement, that he had ordered authorities to take immediate steps to provide necessary relief to the flood-affected.

Can all these disasters that took the life during four years after Meeriyabedda, be simply ruled as natural?

Should they be allowed to go with an inefficient State administration that cannot deliver emergency relief?

Landslides and floods experienced in the past few years were not natural, as they carried with them the ferocity of all the blunders and neglect in governance



The Prime Minister too got his Ministers to move quickly on relief work. People are expected to believe they are busy getting everything in order.

Some electronic media crudely exploit this emotional jerk in society to project themselves as saviours of the affected poor at the expense of charitable souls.

There are also CSR projects launched by the Corporate Sector, again at the expense of emotional people. Are these disasters that natural to go with such hyped drama almost every year?

With every such disaster, relevant State organisations keep issuing warnings to people. No doubt they are necessary and should come as well disseminated early enough warnings. What nevertheless needs to be asked is how valid are these early warnings issued by the NBRO and the DMC in a context of regular disasters?

"This major disaster is due to unplanned exploitation of land and natural resources over many decades under every government that totally neglected environmental factors and safety of life in lieu of economic advantage"

Their relevance and validity were no different from now when the major landslide that washed off 150 houses and left a conflicting number of deaths and missing, on October 29, 2014, in Koslanda, Meeriyabedda.

The NBRO claimed it issued an early warning the previous day, but the DMC had failed to deliver it to authorities in Badulla. The Disaster Management Center (DMC) denied it saying the people had no time to leave.

Responding to that, the then Minister of Disaster Management, who is presently the Minister of Agriculture told media, people were warned to leave the place twice due to landslide risks; once in 2005 and again in 2012. Close to two years after the Meeriyabedda disaster and exactly two years ago in May 2016 cames the Aranayake disaster that accounted for 127 deaths.

Again, there were early warnings, but not for Aranayake in Kegalle District. It was said, Colombo, Gampaha and Puttalam were worst affected from floods, while Ratnapura and Kegalle were affected by landslides.

Thereafter the collapse of the Meethotamulla garbage mountain after heavy rains in April 2017, was followed by heavy floods in Colombo and Gampaha in May 2017.

These areas that went under six feet of water are called low lying and hence accepted as prone to flooding.

Can all these massive disasters that took life in hundreds and left thousands of people destitute during four years after Meeriyabedda, be simply ruled as natural?

"These people who were seriously affected were all plantation sector workers and poor rural people, whose economic and social life is tied to areas where they live and have been living for many generations"

Should they be allowed to go with an inefficient State administration that cannot deliver emergency relief that is prompt and quick enough and compensation thereafter for rebuilding the life that gets entrenched in political rhetoric?

Should they be left aside after compensation that came belatedly, without due research into possible future disasters and answers to minimise damage to life and property?

After the Meeriyabedda and then Aranayake disasters, the FTZ and General Services Employees Union made a public statement that said, there was no rational and no permanent answer in asking the people to evacuate with every landslide warning.

They said these people who were seriously affected were all plantation sector workers and poor rural people, whose economic and social life was tied to areas where they lived and have been living for many generations. Made to carry a heavily burdened life, these people cannot be asked to move out on their own, the FTZ union said.

They have to be supported in housing, their children need schools and health facilities as basic needs, said the FTZ union stressing and emphasising there has to be serious planning by the Government and State agencies to relocate all people who are recognised as living in disaster-prone areas before another landslide leaves people dead and desolate.

Another collective of social interest activists initiated by me as DecentLanka2015 also made a public appeal on 22 May 2016, echoing similar sentiments.

This statement very clearly said landslides and floods experienced in the past few years were not natural, as they carried with them the ferocity of all the blunders and neglect in governance over decades.

This major disaster is due to unplanned exploitation of land and natural resources over many decades under every Government that totally neglected environmental factors and safety of life in lieu of economic advantage, it said in bold letters.

After that very strong and serious statement in May 2016, to have two disasters in April and May 2017, followed by another exactly two years later in this month, proves how insensitive and irresponsible the State and the political establishment are, in planning and implementing solutions to issues that are all about life and death of people.

Thus, it is now important to reproduce relevant parts of that statement.

Once again, no different to all previous Governments, this Government and the authorities want people to be more vigilant over possible disasters, leaving all these tragedies as wholly natural. No responsibility is thus taken for the safe and secure living of people living in threatened areas.

This is not what is expected from a responsible Government. Every single citizen (including those whose lives are devastated) is being taxed direct and indirect for work the Government has to plan and implement for the benefit of the people. The National Building and Research Organisation (NBRO), the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and other line agencies are paid by peoples tax money for their work. All the monies spent on collecting data and mapping of dangerous zones are meant to be used for the benefit of the people and not for mere early warnings on landslides

We are very firm that the Government should stop playing with innocent lives. ...It is the responsibility of the Government to provide these people with decent locations out of danger and with adequate opportunities for livelihood. Thats what the NBRO maps should be for.

What is more important, are the demands listed in this statement that go parallel to what the FTZ union too wanted the Government to immediately implement, but have not been even looked at. They are:-



1. Immediately appoint a high powered committee of professionals with social acceptance specialised in geology, water management, environment, etc. to study and furnish recommendations for sustainable solutions within 06 months

2. Committee recommendations to be used through a consultative process in drawing up a holistic relocation programme for all people identified as living in danger zones prone to landslides.

3. The Megapolis Programme to be redesigned to include flood prevention plans for Colombo and Gampaha Districts that would serve peoples needs and provides safe alternatives to those living along the Kelani River.

4. Announce details of all local and foreign aid and donations received exclusively for flood and landslide relief work and how much compensation was given out in each Divisional Secretarial area.

"Should they be allowed to go with an inefficient State administration that cannot deliver emergency relief that is prompt and quick enough and compensation thereafter for rebuilding life that gets entrenched in political rhetoric?"

This was what went missing after the 2004 December Tsunami, during the first year when Sri Lanka was inundated with foreign donor funds, expertise and volunteers that sucked up all local initiatives.

There were no holistic planning and no detailed accounting of what came and what went where. It has always been the case with every local disaster.

It is time, therefore, to demand serious and holistic planning with public consultations to make Central, Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces environmentally safe and human life secure in those provinces, for it is their disasters that get washed downstream regularly and drag the whole country into heavy annual floods and into long periods of drought.

We as people need to come out of this regular tragedy, without allowing Governments and politicians to play around with human life.Mr. K.K.S. Pereras article headlined From Dominion Status to Sovereign Sri Lanka published on May 22 appears to contain an inaccurate statement regarding the provision relating to Buddhism in the 1972 Constitution. I refer in particular to the statement: In 1972, PM Sirimavo being mindful of Article 5 of the 1815 Kandyan Convention, had directed Dr. Colvin to provide the foremost place to Buddhism. In all the discussions I had with Mrs. Bandaranaike on matters relating to the proposed Constitution, she made no reference whatsoever to the Kandyan Convention. Nor did she do in the Committee of the Constituent Assembly that considered the issue of Buddhism, which included among its members both Dr. Colvin R. de Silva and Dudley Senanayake. The Kandyan Convention was invoked in that committee by the Mahanayake Theras of the Malwatta and Asgiriya Chapters, the Udarata Vihara Devala Bharakara Sangamaya, the Sasana Sevaka Society Limited, the Sinhala Prajatantravadi Sangamaya, and the Asoka Dharmadutha Sangamaya. Their submissions were rejected by the committee which incidentally was chaired by Mrs. Bandaranaike.



Although the Common Programme and the United Front manifesto had both declared that, Buddhism, the religion of the majority, will be ensured its rightful place, the early drafts of the Basic Resolutions prepared in 1970 did not contain any reference to Buddhism. The only reference to religion was the fundamental right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion enjoyed by every citizen. In December 1970, the Premier drew the attention of the Constitutional Affairs Minister to the summary of representations received by his ministry from the public which indicated that there appears to be considerable demand in the country for Buddhism as a State religion and for the protection of its institutions and traditional places of worship. She suggested that some provision will have to be made in the new Constitution regarding these matters without, at the same time, derogating from the freedom of worship that should be guaranteed to all other religions. Accordingly, the following Basic Resolution was adopted by the Steering and Subjects Committee of the Constituent Assembly, and was later included in the draft Constitution as a single section Chapter II:

"Although the Common Programme and the United Front manifesto had both declared that, Buddhism, the religion of the majority, will be ensured its rightful place, the early drafts of the Basic Resolutions prepared in 1970 did not contain any reference to Buddhism"



3. In the Republic of Sri Lanka, the religion of the majority of the people, shall be given its rightful place, and accordingly, it shall be the duty of the State to protect and foster Buddhism, while assuring to all religions the rights granted by Basic Resolution

5 (iv).

The Committee of the Constituent Assembly that considered the chapter on Buddhism heard several delegations and considered hundreds of memoranda. While several lay organisations such as the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress, the Sasana Sevaka Society and the Maha Bodhi Society urged that Buddhism be declared the State religion, some of the monks who gave evidence appeared to be more concerned with the establishment of ownership of property required for the performance of rites and rituals. In fact, a senior prelate emphatically opposed the concept of a State religion. The committee rejected the proposal that Buddhism be declared the State religion, but recommended that the word rightful be replaced by foremost, the latter being the English translation of a Sinhala term that a large number of delegations favoured. This recommendation was accepted by the Constituent Assembly.



The Constitution accordingly provided in a one-section chapter that:

6. The Republic of Sri Lanka shall give to Buddhism the foremost place and accordingly it shall be the duty of the State to protect and foster Buddhism while assuring to all religions the rights granted by section 18 (1) (d).

This was an unusual provision in the Constitution of a multi-religious secular State. It was potentially very divisive, and identified those who professed their belief in the great religions such as Hinduism, Christianity and Islam as being the other in the Sri Lankan polity. Despite the declaration in Section 18 (1) (d) that every citizen shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the freedom to manifest his/her religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching, it was inevitable that conflicts would occur as the State, and those claiming authority under the State, proceeded to protect and foster Buddhism and accord to it the foremost place, whatever these terms might mean in respect of what is essentially a philosophy of life.

Legal expert Dr Nihal Jayawickrama was a member of the Committee that drafted the 1972 Constitution of the Republic of Sri Lanka. He was the former Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Justice (19701977) in the Srimavo Bandaranaike Government during which period the 1972 Constitution was prepared and implemented. At the age of 32 in 1970 he was appointed as the Attorney General. During his tenure as the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Justice, there were major developments in the Sri Lankan judiciary and these included the establishment of a new court structure and new civil, criminal and appellate procedures. He was a member of the Judicial Service Advisory Board, the Council of Legal Education, the Asian-African Legal Consultative Committee, New Delhi, and the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague. He was a Representative to the United Nations General Assembly, and served as Adviser to the members of the Opposition on the Select Committee that drafted the1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka.Municipalitys Chief Medical Officer Dr Ruwan Wijayamuni has instructed the PHIs to inspect the hotels for their food hygiene standards.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Medical Officer of Health (Central Colombo) Dr Subash Mendis said most of the hotels were found with minor incidents of food safety regulation violations.

The hotels were inspected for food hygiene standards, including food preparations, freezer room conditions, garbage control, pest control and food labelling.

Some hotels have not labelled food items, which were placed in freezers. The date of preparation and the date of expiry should be mentioned in these food items, he said.

He said the Health Department had informed the management of these hotels about the violations of food safety regulations found in the hotels.

Dr Mendis said Chief Medical Officer Dr Wijayamuni had instructed to conduct more such hotel inspections next week as well.

A team of health officials including Dr Mendis, Chief Food Inspector Lal Kumara and a number of Public Health Inspectors (PHI) inspected the hotels yesterday under the instructions and guidance of Chief Medical Officer Dr Wijayamuni. (Lahiru Pothmulla)With the United States scuttling the Iran nuclear deal and casting doubts on a possible detente with North Korea, the time is ripe once again to turn the worlds attention on nuclear disarmament and give the necessary build-up for the next Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty conference scheduled to be held in 2020.

Though the NPT is regarded as the cornerstone of the global nuclear nonproliferation regime, its ultimate aim is total nuclear disarmament and the promotion of the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones, said Albert Einstein, the scientist who was instrumental in the development of atomic bombs, two of which the US dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the last stages of World War II.



The presumption in the oft quoted Einstein quote is that World War III would make society collapse into the Stone Age. But this Einstein quote seems out of touch with the gigantic destructive power of modern nuclear weapons. For instance, the Hydrogen bomb which North Korea tested in January 2016 was one thousand times more powerful than the bomb the US dropped on Hiroshima.

According to a LiveScience website report, the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki exploded with the yield of 15 kilotons and 20 kilotons of TNT, respectively. In contrast, the first test of a thermonuclear weapon, or hydrogen bomb, in the United States in November 1952 yielded an explosion on the order of 10,000 kilotons of TNT. It is simply madness and criminal to keep such weapons, every one of which can destroy one thousand Hiroshimas.



But for world nuclear powers, such concerns hardly matter, for they are more concerned about enhancing their sheer military power that enables them to dominate and plunder the world. When they speak about nuclear disarmament, they will wax eloquent about a nuclear free world and hit out at Iran and North Korea, but when it comes to their own nuclear arsenals, they continue their research to modernize their weapons in a game of one-upmanship with other nuclear powers.

We need total disarmament. Agreements on partial disarmament  the likes of which the US and Russia have entered into in the past  are largely a farce.

"When they speak about nuclear disarmament, they will wax eloquent about a nuclear free world and hit out at Iran and North Korea, but when it comes to their own nuclear arsenals, they continue their research to modernize their weapons in a game of one-upmanship with other nuclear powers"



The five permanent United Nations Security Council members  the US, Russia, Britain, France and China  together with India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea possess more than 15,000 nuclear weapons. The five permanent members should set an example by denouncing and dismantling their nuclear weapons before they preach disarmament. Strangely or deliberately, Israels nuclear arsenal is left out of the disarmament debate. Israel is believed to possess more than 300 nuclear weapons and has drawn hardly any flak from the US. If Israel, a country that has little respect for international law and human rights, can possess nuclear weapons, what is the big fuss about Iran or North Korea going nuclear? The stock answer most Western analysts give is that North Korea and Iran are maverick states which have little respect for international laws and human rights and therefore they cannot be trusted with weapons that can wipe out humanity. This is hypocrisy. Hypocrisy apart, some may argue that partial nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation are certainly better than non-disarmament and proliferation. Therefore, they say enough is enough; no country should hereafter develop nuclear weapons.



But Trumps action only encourages proliferation. By withdrawing from the Iran deal, and placing 12 more new conditions, Trump is now forcing Iran to resume its nuclear programme. Irans spiritual leader Al Khamenei urged European powers to give Iran a guarantee that they would buy Irans oil and continue their trade links with Iran despite US sanctions. He warned, otherwise, Iran would resume its nuclear programme. But many believe that in a bid to protect their companies, the European powers could yield to US pressure, for the European Unions trade volume with the US is 140 times its trade volume with Iran.

Unless the Europeans work out a bypass law similar to the blocking statue the EU nations have adopted to circumvent US sanctions on Cuba, Irans only option is to follow the North Korean example and develop nuclear weapons, a move that will, unfortunately, have a domino effect to prompt Saudi Arabia to start its nuclear weapons programme.



Trump should read what eminent Sri Lankan jurist Chris Weeramanty has said about nuclear weapons. In his dissenting opinion in the famous 1996 ruling on the legality of nuclear weapons, the International Court of Justice judge Weeramantry said:

My considered opinion is that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is illegal in any circumstances whatsoever. It violates the fundamental principles of international law, and represents the very negation of the humanitarian concerns which underlie the structure of humanitarian law.The water levels of the rivers, including the Kalu Ganga, had not receded due to the continuing showery weather, the Disaster Management Centre said today.

The DMC yesterday advised people downstream in Kalutara and the Ratnapura Districts to evacuate to safer locations, as the water level in Kalu Ganga was rising.

DMC Deputy Director Pradeep Kodippili told the Daily Mirror that prevailing rains in the South-Western parts of the country were expected to continue

Four spill gates of Thabbowa Reservoir in Puttalam had been opened as a result of the continual rains, he said.

More than 124, 000 individuals had been affected, he added.

Meanwhile, the Meteorology Department said showers or thunderstorms would continue to occur at times in the Western, Southern, Sabaragamuwa, Central and the North-Western Provinces.

Showers or thunderstorms will occur elsewhere, particularly after 2.00 p.m. Heavy falls, about 100-150 mm can be expected at some places in Sabaragamuwa, Western, Central and Northwestern Provinces and in the Galle, Matara Districts, the Department said.

It also said that windy and rainy conditions would be intensified in the Western and Southern sea areas from today.

The sea area extending from Mannar to Pottuvil via Puttalam, Colombo, Galle and Hambantota can be rough or very rough at times as the wind speed can increase up to 60-70 km/h at times. Naval and fishing communities are also requested to be vigilant in this regards, it said.

Meanwhile, the Police confirmed that the number of deaths reported due to prevailing adverse weather conditions had increased to 13, while one had gone missing. (KJ)Do we have a long-term plan to face the situation with lasting solutions? At least do we have proper short-term disaster preparedness?

On Tuesday, around noon, on the bank of the Kelani River at Kohilawatte, about a hundred people had thronged to see the rising river.



The river had swollen up to the level of the Colombo Ambatale Road. A thin layer of water was slowly overflowing under their feet towards their houses, on which side the overflowed water had made a small stream.

Having experienced a huge flood two years ago, which had devastated their lives and from which some of them had not recovered yet, fear, frustration and disappointment had drawn on their faces.

Will it be a perilous flood as the one that had inundated the entire lower Kelani valley area in May 2016, leaving tens of thousands of people in the area between Avissawella and Thotalanga destitute for months?

While uncertainty was killing, people were translating their hopes and prayers into positive predictions.

There was no reason or knowledge on meteorology and irrigation involved in their predictions, but only their fervent hope and prayer was the only rationale behind their words. They were innocently attempting to deceive each other saying It wont be a flood of the magnitude of the last one.

With one group replacing another, the men, women and children belonging to various communities including Abaya clad Muslim women were visiting the river on foot, cars, bicycles and motorcycles.

"No solution for the problem of landslides and floods is at least thought of, except for the authorities waxing eloquent"

With the river swelling further, the crowds too swelled by the evening. Now, pessimism slowly creeping into their predictions replacing their fragile optimism, while some were still firm that it would not be a major flood.

Among the pessimists were the sadists and supporters of the Opposition political parties, who were ludicrously seen praying for the river water to gush through their own houses, so that they can humiliate their neighbours who are still supporting the ruling parties.

Inside the villages of Kohilawatte, Brandiyawatte, Wennawatte and Sedawatte, people in single-storey houses were carrying their valuables to the two storeyed and three storeyed houses belonging to their relatives and friends.

Those who had no such relatives sat devastated in their houses. By the experience, they had two years ago they knew that everything that can be termed as their wealth would be gone in case of a major flood.

Those living in storeyed houses have started to empty the ground floor while travelling to the river bank now and then to gauge as to how much their preparedness corresponded with the water level in the river.

Will it be a perilous flood as the one that had inundated the entire lower Kelani valley area in 2016

Through experience, they knew that everything that can be termed as their wealth would be gone

No solution for the problem of landslides and floods is at least thought of, except for the authorities waxing eloquent



Some residents started to leave the area to safer areas, leaving their abode and the valuables to the mercy of those deities they believed in.

This was the modal of the agony people were undergoing with the announcement by the Meteorological Department on a possible flood.

One has to imagine the real situation in areas on the banks of the Kelani Ganga, Kalu Ganga, Nilwala Ganga and other rivers that had already been marooned in flood waters.

The anguish in landslide-prone areas is worse, as nature would not provide such a grace period for them to move away from the danger. They would have to pay the price for their indifference, delay or helplessness with their lives.

This has been the norm of the people living in river valleys and steep slopes. Pathetically and ridiculously only thing the Sri Lankan Governments do and apparently know in such situations is to tell the people to evacuate the hazardous areas and toss off a small number of relief items to the victims after the disaster struck them.

In the meantime, the Opposition parties would look for holes in those relief activities, not out of the love for the people but to take political mileage out of the real and perceived indifference, shortcomings, blunders and lethargy in the government machinery in rescue and relief measures.

This time also the Joint Opposition demanded a Parliamentary debate on floods, interestingly while the water level was still rising in several rivers.

Going by the previous experience, people know that the Government would let them down in case of disasters.

"Sadists and supporters of the Opposition political parties, who were ludicrously seen praying for the river water to gush through their own houses, so that they could humiliate their neighbours who were still supporting the ruling parties "

During the major flood in 2016 in the Kelani Valley ordinary people, as well as religious and voluntary organisations, were far ahead of the Government in rescuing and providing relief to the victims.

Fishermen from faraway places such as Beruwala and Wattala had sent in their boats to rescue the marooned people in Kotikawatte, Kohilawatte and Sedawatte and to provide food for the marooned people before the government authorities did so. And the navy continued the effort thereafter for about a week.

The disaster warnings by the authorities in most of the times did not make sense for the victims or the would-be-victims. Rainfall in millimetres or the water level in rivers in feet does not inform a particular family whether it is really in danger.

There must be a specifically localized warning mechanism.

In last two years, while showing on TV the shiploads and planeloads of relief items being unloaded the authorities provided only a pack of essential food items worth Rs. 1,500 (valued by them) for each affected family for the whole first two months after the tragedy, while getting the victims to fill so many forms with promises to pay compensation for their losses and damages.

It was after two months and after a poster campaign by the JVP demanding the payment that had been promised to cover their immediate needs a sum of Rs. 10,000 was provided to each family.

After distributing several forms over a period of 18 months, on the eve of the last years Local Government Elections Government authorities paid compensation to the victims ranging from Rs. 25,000 to Rs.200,000, on a criterion well-known to them.

"On the eve of the last years Local Government, Elections Government authorities paid compensation to the victims ranging from Rs. 25,000 to Rs.200,000, on a criterion well-known o them"

High-level meetings were held during the 2016 disasters where politicians and officials waxed eloquent on short-term and long-term plans for the prevention of floods, especially in the Colombo District and mitigating landslide damages.

They talked about removing unauthorized structures that hampered the waterways and their maintenance, clearing of all canals in the downstream of Kelani Ganga, stopping forthwith the unauthorized filling of wetlands in Colombo and the suburbs.

Interestingly, they exposed their credence this time by again calling for the removal of unauthorized structures in the same areas.

The Daily Mirror had editorially discussed this issue last year and following is a very pertinent paragraph of it.

Are the same people in the Kelani Valley to carry their belongings to safer places with the onset of next years South Western Monsoon as well? This applies to the people living on the banks of other rivers flowing through the wet zone, as well. Are people in many landslide prone hills to run away with their children and feeble old parents to a school or temple building every time authorities alert them of landslides?

With environmentalists and the scientists predicting that the severity of precipitation and the drought would mount with the climate change affecting every country in the world, (They say dry get drier, wet gets wetter (DGDWGW) ) we would also have to expect more and more floods, landslides and droughts in Sri Lanka as well.

Do we have a long-term plan to face the situation with lasting solutions? At least do we have proper short-term disaster preparedness?

No solution for the problem of landslides and floods is at least thought of, except for the authorities waxing eloquent.ISI Telemanagement Wins Compliance Partner Award

Verint Systems Inc. has named ISI Telemanagement Solutions (News - Alert) its North America Compliance Partner of the Year. The recognition, part of the 2018 Americas Partner of the Year and Rising Star honors, was presented at the Verint (News - Alert) Engage Global Customer Conference in Dallas.

The Verint Americas Partner Awards Program provides an opportunity to recognize our network of global partners for their outstanding contributions in helping organizations simplify, modernize, and automate customer engagement, and achieve key strategic business objectives, says John Bourne, senior vice president of global channels and alliances at Verint, which provides customer engagement optimization; security intelligence; and fraud, risk, and compliance solutions. Our partners continue to be a strategic part of our business, and were delighted to congratulate this years partner of the year and rising stars honorees on their outstanding accomplishments.

ISI Telemanagement Solutions is a Schaumburg, Ill.-based business that provides unified communications management solutions. That includes collaboration recording, speech analytics, telecom audits, telecom expense management, and UC reporting and analytics.

Asim Aleem, president and CEO; Darek Latawski, vice president of marketing and sales; and Chris Welch, channel sales manager, from ISI were all at Verint Engage last week talking about how ISIs Unified communications Management Solutions can help companies manage and optimize UC interactions, drive adoption, enhance productivity, and lower expenses. Most specifically, they presented ISI solutions that can bridge the UCCX gap with real-time visibility and customizable reporting, capture and optimize usage of collaboration technologies across an organization, and ensure optimal video and voice capability. Plus they explained how ISI Telemanagement Solutions allow organizations to gain visibility into customer and employee interactions across the enterprise, optimize Cisco (News - Alert) hunt group customer experience across different business units, and satisfy regulatory compliance and mitigate risk.

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Edited by Maurice NagleThe Chattanooga Area Food Bank was able to distribute 3,376 Sack Packs to 422 students for eight weeks of the 2017-18 academic year, thanks to a $10,000 grant from Red Nose Day 2017. Funding provided enabled the Food Bank to address childhood hunger in their 20-county region across Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia. "Without access to free and reduced-priced school meals provided during the week, one in four children in our region go hungry over the weekend. Each Sack Pack contained healthy food items to help sustain children through the weekend, ensuring they return to school on Mondays ready to learn and thrive," officials said.



Organized by the public charity Comic Relief Inc., Red Nose Day is on a mission to end child poverty, one nose at a time. Proceeds from the annual campaign, which includes the purchase of red noses and a celebrity-filled telethon on NBC, support Feeding America food banks and other national charities and ensures children in need are safe, healthy and educated. Since its launch in the United Kingdom in 1988, Red Nose Day has raised more than $1 billion across the globe, including $100 million in the United States since 2015.



The magnitude of the impact Red Nose Day has made in a short amount of time is astounding and powerful. We thank Comic Relief Inc. and Red Nose Day for all they have provided to children in our region, said Sarah Aligo, director of Development for the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. This grant ensured 422 local, hungry children received a nutritious Sack Pack and arrived at school ready to learn, grow and thrive. Thank you for your continued support of our fight against childhood hunger in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia.



Red Nose Day 2018 returns this Thursday on NBC. "You can spread awareness of the campaign by purchasing a red nose at Walgreens, the exclusive retailer of Red Noses, as well as Duane Reade locations nationwide. Photos of the campaign can also be shared using the hashtag #RedNoseDay. Together, we can end child poverty, one nose at a time," officials said.

Officials at Habitat for Humanitys ReStore are ready to provide a helping hand to area residents by picking up any household items, furniture, building materials or appliances that residents no longer need or are unable to sell. The donated items will in turn be sold at Habitats ReStores, located in Chattanooga on 14th Street and in Ooltewah on Apison Pike.

Habitats ReStore operates as a retail store, accepting donations of new and gently used household items from individuals and businesses in the community. These goods are then sold to the public at a reduced cost, usually 50 to 70 percent of the original price.



All proceeds from the ReStore sales go directly into funding Habitat for Humanitys mission of building homes for deserving families in Hamilton County.



To schedule a complimentary donation pick up, call the ReStore at 423-634-1004.





Sometime back in the middle of the 1980s there was a small company out of Michigan that produced 587 examples of a custom aero-styled recreational vehicle with a turbo-diesel BMW inline-6 engine hanging out back and powering the rear wheels. Styling was done by Bill Collins (known for his work on the Delorean) and the beast was intended to be the sports car of RVs, with a low center of gravity, a 100 mph top speed, and a manual gearbox. Read more about the Vixen here . Find this 1986 Vixen TD 21 Motorhome here on eBay bidding for $3,050 reserve-not-met with $11,000 buy-it-now located in Warren, ME with 1 day to go.





From the seller:

Item specifics

Condition: Used Year: 1986

VIN (Vehicle Identification Number): 16XADM312G1010100 Mileage: 400,000

Number of Cylinders: 6 Make: Other Makes

Transmission: Manual Drive Type: RWD

Vehicle Title: Clear Fuel Type: Diesel

Exterior Color: White For Sale By: Private Seller



OUR FAMILY HAS OUT GROWN OUR VIXEN (#100  WERE THE SECOND OWNERS) AND ITS TIME TO MOVE ON. THESE VEHICLES ARE FAIRLY RARE AND THIS ONE, WHICH HAS 400,000 MILES ON THE CHASSIS AND APPROXIMATELY 52,000 MILES ON A TOTAL ENGINE REBUILD, IS IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE. ITS BEEN USED (WE DROVE IT FROM MAINE TO COLORADO A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AND ALL OVER NEW ENGLAND SINCE THEN) AND THE PRICE IS SET TO REFLECT THE WEAR AND TEAR ON THE VEHICLE. THAT BEING SAID, I WOULDNT HESITATE TO DRIVE IT ANYWHERE TOMORROW.





WE HAVE ALL RECORDS, TO INCLUDE ANY/ALL TECH MANUALS AND DIAGRAMS YOU COULD WANT. THE LAST OWNER PURCHASED IT NEW AND KEPT A METICULOUS LOG OF ALL WORK AND UPGRADES. WEVE TRIED TO DO THE SAME AND HAVE BEEN DILIGENT WITH REGARDS TO MAINTENANCE. WE ALSO HAD THE PROBLEMATIC AIR LEVELING SYSTEM REPLACED WITH BILSTEIN SHOCKS AND THE SHORT SHIFTER KIT INSTALLED (BOTH FROM GREG ERICSSONS AFAB VIXEN SHOP IN MONTANA) NEW CLUTCH PROFESSIONALLY INSTALLED ON 8/20/17. OIL AND GLOW PLUGS JUST REPLACED. THE RADIATOR WAS RECENTLY COMPLETELY RECORDED AND ALL BELTS REPLACED (PROBABLY THE VIXENS BIGGEST WEAK SPOT, IN ADDITION TO ENGINE COOLING-RELATED ISSUES). THE WEBASTO SYSTEMS PUMP WAS REPLACED AND IT WORKS FLAWLESSLY. WE ALWAYS ADDED DIESEL ADDITIVE TO EVERY FILL-UP. THE TIRES ARE IN GOOD SHAPE. ORIGINAL RADIO WAS GONE WHEN WE BOUGHT IT SO WE INSTALLED AN ALPINE HEAD UNIT AND FOUR NEW SPEAKERS. SHOWER DRAIN PUMP WORKS FINE, AS DOES THE GALLEY SINK PUMP. NO RUST ANYWHERE EXCEPT FOR THE BATTERY CAGE, AND THATS AN EASY WELD JOB. NEW HOUSE BATTERIES (GEL) IN 2014. POWER INVERTER IS ORIGINAL BUT RECORDS INDICATE IT WAS REBUILT IN THE 90S; WEVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT. ALL WATER/SEWAGE FITTINGS WORK FINE.













THE ISSUES WITH THIS VIXEN ARE AS FOLLOWS:





THE ALTERNATOR BRACKET HAS A CRACK IN IT. ITS NOT GOING ANYWHERE BUT SHOULD BE REPLACED/WELDED AT SOME POINT

NO HORN AND NO CRUISE CONTROL.

THE WINDSHIELD HAS TWO SMALL STARBURST CRACKS THAT WERE DRILLED AND FILLED SO THEY WOULDNT EXPAND BUT THEY ARE NOTICEABLE.

DASH AIR CONDITIONING WAS RECHARGED LAST YEAR BUT ITS NEVER BLOWN VERY COLD.

THE REFRIGERATOR AND MICROWAVE ARE GONE. WEVE NEVER REPLACED THEM BECAUSE WE LIKE HAVING THE EXTRA STORAGE SO WE JUST PUT A COOLER IN THE EMPTY SPACE.

HEADLIGHTS ARE DIM.

WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK BUT ARE VERY SLOW.

THE ONBOARD AIR COMPRESSOR IS STILL INTACT BUT STOPPED WORKING. TO LIFT THE ROOF, WE INSTALLED A VALVE AND PURCHASED A 12V MINI-COMPRESSOR THAT WE PLUG IN WHEN WERE READY.









AND FINALLY, THE BIGGEST ISSUE IS THE WEAR AND TEAR IN THE VEHICLE. THE CARPET IS WORN, THE SEATS ARENT TORN BUT THEYRE 30 YEARS OLD, AND THE HEADLINERS ARE MISSING/WORN. NOT SURE WHAT A CONVERSION VAN SHOP WOULD CHARGE TO REDO THESE THINGS BUT, AGAIN, WE THINK THE PRICE REFLECTS THAT.





See a better motorhome for cheap? tips@dailyturismo.com



The Chattanooga and Hamilton County Medical Society and Medical Foundation of Chattanooga will host the 13th annual Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine June 4-8. The program encourages rising high school juniors and seniors to consider careers in medicine. During the course of the week, students will enjoy daily roundtable discussions with physicians and shadow a different physician each day.The program is designed to:- Provide rising high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to learn more about life as a physician and inspire them to consider a career in medicine;- Educate students about options available to assist with the cost of medical education;- Provide students and local physicians with a community-based mentoring/teaching experience; and- Assist with efforts to increase the pipeline of health care providers in Southeastern Tennessee.Program participants include 23 students selected from applications received by the Medical Society from schools throughout the Tennessee Valley.The participants represent 14 private and public high schools in the area.This program is a great way to educate students on the realities of the field of medicine, said Mark Brzezienski, MD, past president of the Medical Society and founder of the program. We aim to inspire these talented young people to pursue a career in the field.Sessions were be held at area hospitals.2018 Participants are:Chattanooga Christian School: Madison Hollis, Taylor Price, Ariyah RobinsonChattanooga Central: Faith Cooper, Brittney Hoang, Taylor Price, Ariyah RobinsonEast Hamilton High School: Alexandra VidilGirls Preparatory School: Adeline Chinery, Anna CroxallHixson High School: Michaela MillerHoward School: Laniesha GatewoodMarion County High School: Caitlin MunnNotre Dame School: Emily Holden, Kathryn StevensOoltewah High School: Lauren Hearrell, Urvi ShahRhea County High School: Caity Blevins, Carter WhiteSale Creek School: Chase PooleSignal Mountain High School: David CorneaSilverdale Baptist Academy: Ashton JolleyTAI and Kazakhstan Sign MoU for Anka UAV, Hurkus Trainer



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Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site.In observance of Memorial Day, CARTAs fixed route, Downtown Shuttle and North Shore Shuttle bus services will operate on Saturday schedules on Monday, May 28. The CARTA Care-a-van will also be operating on a holiday schedule.

Additional information on CARTAs routes, schedules and services may be obtained by calling the CARTA Information Line at (423) 629-1473, TDD users (423) 624-4534, or by visiting the CARTA website at www.gocarta.org.Subscriber content preview

CHICAGO (AP)  The Chicago City Council has given its backing to construction of the Obama Presidential Center in a park on the city's South Side.

Loud applause came from council members after they voted 47-1 in favor of the $500 million project Wednesday. Mayor Rahm Emanuel said he was going to call former President Barack Obama with the news and left the council chamber.





. . .Subscriber content preview

As marijuana becomes mainstream, some say they see a gradual shift to having more women working in the industry.



By BECKY BOHRER

Associated Press

JUNEAU, Alaska  When Danielle Schumacher attended her first convention of marijuana activists about 15 years ago, she could count on one hand all the women in a room of older men.

The lack of diversity struck the then-college student, who remembers feeling out of place but also determined to make her mark.





. . .Subscriber content preview

NAMPA, Idaho (AP)  Idaho lawmakers are abandoning plans to build a new governor's mansion and will instead hand the land over to Boise for a park.

The Idaho Press-Tribune reports lawmakers on the Governor's Housing Committee voted Tuesday to give the 15-acre site in the east Boise foothills to the city for management.





. . .Fletcher Bright received the 2018 TSDAR Historical Preservation Medal posthumously at the TSDAR State Conference. Nominated by the Chief John Ross Chapter, NSDAR, Mr. Bright received the chapter award on Dec. 18, just days prior to his death.

Chief John Ross Chapter Regent Jessica M. Dumitru accepted the Tennessees highest historical preservation award for the Bright family at the conference. Those of us who knew and loved Fletcher Bright feel the void left in our community and the world of bluegrass and mountain music created by his death. He was truly our Renaissance man - - a man with a passion for music and the preservation of that music and the folklore surrounding its origins - - a man profoundly generous with his multiple talents, his time and his financial support for the arts and historical preservation.

"It is my honor to accept the 2018 TSDAR Historical Preservation Award on the behalf of Fletcher Brights five children: George, Lizzer, Anne, Franklin and Lucy and his seven beloved grandchildren. Fletcher Brights legacy continues through his family as they keep their fathers dream of preserving the music alive. They invite you to visit Chattanooga in October for the Three Sisters Bluegrass Festival and to share in their memories of their father and our friend.

In 1945, a group of students at the McCallie School in Chattanooga got together and began singing and playing bluegrass music and, 72 years later, the Dismembered Tennesseans, led by Mr. Bright, were still performing all across the United States and in Europe. Because Mr. Bright championed the survival of bluegrass and mountain music and the Dismembered Tennesseans and the Fletcher Bright Fiddle Band have excelled at that mission, the group has performed in every possible venue from bluegrass festivals to major symphonies, including performances at the Kennedy Center, on the NBC Sunday Today Show and the ABC Evening News. Mr. Brights role in the bluegrass performance, preservation and educational movement is being acknowledged this week at the International Bluegrass Music Awards where he was honored with the 2017 Distinguished Achievement Award.



Mr. Bright endowed fiddle programs in a number of venues including the Berkelee School of Music and has taught bluegrass fiddle in camps and programs across the nation, Canada and England for more than 25 years. He skillfully recorded the notes and words of thousands of bluegrass classics and relatively unknown tunes. Mr. Bright was been named a History-Maker by the Chattanooga History Center, received the Tennessee Governors Folk Heritage Award, appeared on the cover of Fiddler Magazine and personally created and endowed one of the top five Bluegrass festivals in the world, the 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival in Chattanooga.

Fletcher Bright is a national treasure in the preservation of our historical heritage and the Chief John Ross Chapter, NSDAR is thrilled that the Tennessee Society joined us in recognizing Mr. Brights legacy with the 2018 Historical Preservation Award, said Ms. Dumitru. How fortunate for Chattanooga and the bluegrass world that Mr. Bright combined his love of music and his passion for service in a way that enhanced our community and added beauty and cultural context to our lives. 

05-11-18 Rebecca Rae Farris, 37, of 1204 Forrest Drive, Fort Oglethorpe arrested on a charge of theft by shoplifting. 05-13-18 Clifford Rasheed Hill, 25, of 714 South Seminole, East Ridge arrested on charges of possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana, obstruction, disorderly conduct, crossing the guardline and outstanding warrant. 05-15-18 Joshua Lee Lively, 23, of 155 Gardner Street, Chattanooga arrested on charges of criminal trespass, simple battery and theft by taking. Anthony Jamichael Prater, 30, of 169 Laurelwood Circle, Rossville arrested on charges of possession of marijuana and tag light violation. Hubert Lebron Walker, 69, of 1107 Dressage Drive, Cohutta arrested on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to maintain lane and open container. Alethia Sheree Smith, 43, of 710 Parkview Drive, Chattanooga arrested for contempt of court. Citation Statistics: Speeding5 Entering or crossing roadway..2 Driving on roadways laned for traffic2 Suspended registration.3 Proof of insurance required.1 Driving on divided highways..1 Vehicles approaching or entering intersection.2 Failure to exercise due care..3 Vehicle turning left.3 Safety belt violations.1 Operation of vehicle without current plate.4 Tail lights.1 Failure to obey traffic control devices.1 Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.1 Possession of open container of alcoholic beverage while operating vehicle.1 License to be carried & exhibited on demand..1

Here is the Fort Oglethorpe arrest report for May 11-17:

Police Blotter: Woman Says "Candy" Is Taking Money From Her Account; Women Don't Want Man To "Get High" At Pickle Barrel

Walker County Arrest Report For Oct. 4-10

Get Emailed Headlines From Chattanoogan.com; Like Us On Facebook, Twitter For Instant News

A woman on Old Dayton Pike told police she believed a woman that lived with her for a short time about a year ago was taking money from her account. She said she is not certain if she has the ... (click for more)

Here is the Walker County arrest report for Oct. 4-10: FITZSIMMONS CHRISTINA MARIE W/F 22 OFFICER MANN RETURN FROM CHI BOHANNON WESIER RANDALL W/M 33 FELONY OFFICER RUSS POSS OF METH WITH ... (click for more)Boyd A. Bo Veal , a fixture in Signal Mountain government since 2004, has informed members of the town council that he plans to retire late this year as town manager. Mayor Charlie Poss, noting that the town manager has been a great leader and an even better person, said council members received his formal resignation letter last week. The matter probably will be discussed ... (click for more)

Four pedestrians were struck while in a crosswalk at 300 West Main St. on Thursday night. All four were taken to a hospital by Hamilton County EMS. Police said the status of the injuries was not yet available. The driver who struck the pedestrians fled the scene prior to the arrival of police. CPD's Traffic Unit is investigating and working to identify and locate the driver. (click for more)Technology Catalogue identifies high-performance technologies that are also eligible for climate finance

The EBRD has launched an online tool to accelerate the delivery of climate finance

The Technology Catalogue identifies best-in-class climate technologies

The new tool will support a GCF-EBRD programme to deliver US$ 1.3 billion of climate finance to 10 countries

The EBRD has launched the Technology Catalogue, an online shopping-style platform that lists best-in-class technologies from manufacturers around the world. The catalogue serves as a basis for Technology Selectors, which are country-specific directories of vendors that offer these high-performing technologies to businesses and homeowners.

The Technology Selectors will be one of the key mechanisms for delivering climate finance under the EBRDs Green Economy Financing Facilities (GEFFs), supported by international donors and partners including the Green Climate Fund (GCF) which is providing US$ 378 million in co-financing and implementation support for rolling out GEFFs in 10 countries including Armenia, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Serbia, Tajikistan and Tunisia.

The Technology Catalogue is a global directory of high-performing technologies offered by manufacturers across all countries. The technologies include energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies ranging from solar panels and biomass boilers to thermal insulation and process technologies. New technologies may be registered at any time. Filtering by country shows the technologies that meet the minimum performance criteria for that country but not all these technologies may be available through local vendors  which is where the Technology Selectors can help.

The Technology Selectors show vendors that offer high-performing technologies in a specific country, all of which will be eligible for financing under the EBRDs GEFF, provided by local partner banks, leasing companies and microfinance institutions.

Together, the Technology Catalogue and the Technology Selectors will encourage technology manufacturers and local vendors to make climate technologies more easily available on the ground and, if needed, also promote cross-border trade in EBRD countries through the Green Trade Finance Programme.

The EBRD launched its new tool at a workshop on 24 May during the Innovate4climate conference held in Frankfurt. The workshop brought together various stakeholders including policymakers, banks and suppliers of climate technologies.

The Bank developed the Technology Catalogue under the GEFF programme with the support of donor funding from the government of Austria. Under the GEFF programme, the EBRD has provided over 4 billion of finance for businesses and households through a network of 130 local financial institutions across 24 countries since 2006. Additional funds and technical assistance was provided by international donors. Almost 129,000 investments under the programme have led to the avoidance of emissions equivalent to around 7 million tonnes of CO 2 per year.

Green financing is one of the EBRDs strategic goals. The Bank has been strengthening its efforts in this field, with a record 4.1 billion of investment under the EBRDs Green Economy Transition approach in 2017 alone, up from 2.8 billion just a year earlier. To date, the EBRD has invested about 25 billion in Green Economy Transition projects.When Randy Boyd stood in front of more than 75 black ministers in Memphis on Tuesday, the ever-dynamic doer of deeds told the pastors an exciting story. He talked about First Things First of Chattanooga because the Tennessee gubernatorial candidate is totally sold on what Julie Baumgardner and her team have proven keeps families together.

Boyd then met with some representatives of the huge company Electrolux, based in Memphis, and learned they are desperate for vocation school-skilled welders and will offer a $50,000 salary to get a good one. He then attended a barbeque to explain why he believes his proven mix of government and business accomplishments make him the best candidate in a star-studded field.

Then, at 4:30 a.m. yesterday, he tied on his running shoes and ran from the Memphis Doubletree Hotel, using a bridge over the Mississippi River, to dart into Arkansas and back. As I remind you that when you go from a Central Time Zone (Memphis) to an Eastern Time Zone (Chattanooga,) you lose an hour, how impressive do you think it was to me to share coffee and conversation with Randy Boyd in Chattanooga at 10 a.m.?

Seriously, in what is technically 5 hours of time, Boyd ran over six miles from Memphis to Arkansas, took a shower and cleaned up, made his way to the Memphis airport, jetted across the state, and met me for coffee on Broad Street. That, my friends, is the kind of person who gets things done. And Boyds pragmatic approach to anything you can mention is why 70 city mayors, 55 county mayors (including Hamilton Countys Jim Coppinger), and 25 county sheriffs have already endorsed Boyd.

There is only one thing that scares me about Boyd in what I feel will be the most wonderful gubernatorial primary I can ever remember  and this is scary: I believe exactly as Randy Boyd believes on just about everything. Do you think this guy can read minds? So help me  Im talking carbon copy.

For example: The reason I told the Memphis pastors about First Things First is because I want them to emulate Chattanoogas fabulous program, he said. In the last 15 months I have spent 15 hours of every day going everywhere in the state and I firmly believe we need to go from trying to invent solutions when its much easier to discover what we can easily see already works.

Memphis doesnt need to invent the wheel when Chattanoogas First Things First is a proven winner. I am so excited that I may have the chance to make that happen, said Boyd, to recognize the good things in Chattanooga, for example, and share them with the rest of the state. If Hamilton County has a big problem, lets find out how our other cities have addressed it.

Then we started playing ping-pong of a conversation, one where I talked about things that bother me that dont bother Boyd because hes about solutions:

* -- POVERTY IN OUR SCHOOLS & CHILDREN WHO FALL BEHIND: Before I was the Commissioner for Economic Development, Governor Bill Haslam made me an education advisor. I am well-aware of the inner school plight  I even sponsor a school in Knoxville. When that school day ends for about 330 kids at 3 oclock, we have a program that goes until 7:30 where we read, play sports, work on areas where certain kids need help. There are over 100 kids who take part every day.

Not only do we supply after-school care that a single parent can usually not afford, we give these children a hot meal and invite their parents to eat for free with their child. Does it work! In Knox County we have 14 schools that are now in the program and it is financed with funding from private companies that adopt the schools and get immense joy in what they see happen. In the 13 months I worked fulltime in education for the state, thats what really lit my fire to help others.

Boyd said a quality pre-K need must be met and weve got to open adult centers where older people can get a high school diploma  not a GED  and get hired. In Memphis there is the Excel Center where the average age of a student is 29. The student body is about 350 and over 100 graduate every year.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT  In the two years I was the Commissioner, Tennessee increased the states work force with 50,000 new jobs and an additional $11 billion in new business development. I started the Drive to 55 when I was in education and right now we have about 39 percent of our work force that has an associates degree, trades certificate or some sort of additional training after high school. Our goal is to get to 55 percent by 2025. If we can do that, we can get every one of them a job.

MENTAL ILLNESS  There is an exit survey we gave to seniors around the state that asked some pretty specific questions  we learned 30 percent of our graduates were depressed, that 16 percent had contemplated suicide and that eight percent had actually tried to take their life. Our jails are flooded with mental illness. This is a huge part of my plan as governor because we havent done what must be done. We closed a facility several years ago and I will reopen it immediately to take care of mostly females.

FIVE QUICK FACTS ABOUT RANDY BOYD

1. When Randy Boyd decided to run in Tennessee, thats what he did. He jogged 537.3 miles from one end of the state to the other, usually with many from the area running with him. One mayor I ran with had a pace of about 12 minutes per mile but when the Belmont cross country team joined me on another day, we ran just over a 7-minute mile and it about killed me.

2. When Randy Boyd was 31, with his wife Jenny working as a court reporter and a 2-year-old at home, he sunk their entire life savings of $26,000 into founding a new company, Radio Systems Corporation. Today, that business has grown to produce over 4,600 pet products under brand names such as Invisible Fence, PetSafe, and SportDOG, with more than 700 employees and annual revenues of $400 million

3. According to tax records Randy Boyd and wife Jenny earned over $30 million in the last two years.

4. Over the last three years Randy Boyd has been a fulltime employee for the state of Tennessee and, when he retired to run for governor, it was lost on no one in the governors circle that Boyd had steadfastly refused to be paid as much as a dime for his sensational accomplishments on behalf of the citizens of Tennessee.

5. One reason Randy Boyd is pro-life is because his wife Jenny was adopted by a wonderful family when she was two weeks old. I pledge that I will make Tennessee the most adoption-friendly state in our country.

* * *

In the two years I have worked with Randy, he is one of the most brilliant people Ive ever known. When you find out he is real, that hes honest, that he cares so deeply for people  thats when he becomes a true friend you deeply appreciate. Hes one of the greatest men Ive ever known.  Bill Kilbride, who retired from the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce after making it the No. 1 Chamber in the United States.

royexum@aol.comHere is the latest jail booking report from Hamilton County:

ADKINS, GEORGIA A

1107 SOUTH GREENWOOD AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37404

Age at Arrest: 37 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

PUBLIC INTOXICATION

---

ADKINS, PHILIP

704 WESTOVER DRIVE CLEVELAND, 37311

Age at Arrest: 39 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

THEFT UNDER $1000

---

ATKISSON, CARRIE ANNETTE

3901 KINGS ROAD CHATTANOOGA, 37416

Age at Arrest: 41 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (DOMESTIC ASSAULT)

---

BARNARD, CHRISTOPHER R

10406 BIRCHWOOD PIKE HARRISON, 37341

Age at Arrest: 30 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT

DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE

DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

---

BLANKENSHIP, BRANDON SCOTT

655 WILKERSON ROAD CLEVELAND, 37323

Age at Arrest: 30 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

---

BRANDENBURG, JASON ALLEN

10403 ARNAT DRIVE SODDY DAISY, 37379

Age at Arrest: 27 years old

Arresting Agency: Soddy Daisy

FAILURE TO APPEAR

---

BURROUGHS, CHRISTOPHER ROBIN

2900 MCCLURE LN KNOXVILLE, 37920

Age at Arrest: 44 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

FAILURE TO APPEAR

---

CAPEHART, TOMMY HOWARD

4477 JOHNSON ROAD BIRCHWOOD, 37308

Age at Arrest: 44 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

PUBLIC INTOXICATION

---

CASLIN, SYLVESTER

3003 POPE DR CHATTANOOGA, 37404

Age at Arrest: 56 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED S

---

CUNNINGHAM, PATRICK BERNARD

201 E 20TH ST CHATTANOOGA, 37408

Age at Arrest: 26 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

ASSAULT

---

CURVIN, MATTHEW AARON

404 N SEMINOLE DR CHATTANOOGA, 37411

Age at Arrest: 32 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

AGGRAVATED ASSAULT (DOMESTIC)

---

DANIELS, ROBERT LEE

30 TUNNEL BLVD, APT 210 CHATTANOOGA, 37411

Age at Arrest: 51 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

---

DOBBINS, RONNIE DYRAIL

727 E 11TH STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37402

Age at Arrest: 51 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENC

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (VIOLATION OF MOTOR VEHICLE

---

DOBBS, MELANIE EVETTE

2414 LINDEN AVE APT 13 RED BANK, 37415

Age at Arrest: 57 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

---

DYER, WHITNEY ONEDA

124 ANDES ST CHATTANOOGA, 37914

Age at Arrest: 23 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

FAILURE TO APPEAR

DOMESTIC ASSAULT

---

DYKES, ROBERT ALLAN

614 NORTHERN AVE SIGNAL MOUNTAIN, 37377

Age at Arrest: 47 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

CRIMINAL TRESPASSING

---

ELLISON, NATASHA LEANN

6788S MCDONALD RD MCDONALD, 37353

Age at Arrest: 28 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

VIOLATION OF PROBATION(RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT)

VIOLATION OF PROBATION(DRIVING ON REVOKED)

VIOLATION OF PROBATION(DUI 1ST OFFENSE)

---

ERVIN, CORDARO DEMONTE

1900 S HOLTZCLAW AVE CHATTANOOGA, 374044807

Age at Arrest: 30 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

AGGRAVATED DOMESTIC ASSAULT

---

EVANS, JUSTIN TODD

446 REECE ROAD PIKEVILLE, 37367

Age at Arrest: 28 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

---

EZEL, JONATHAN L

6909 ROBINSON DRIVE CHATTANOOGA, 374212510

Age at Arrest: 21 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

---

FITTEN, MORRIS LAMONT

1605 E 14TH ST CHATTANOOGA, 37404

Age at Arrest: 39 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

FAILURE TO APPEAR

THEFT OF MOTOR VEHICLE

HARASSMENT

HARASSMENT

DRIVING LEFT OF CENTER LINE

LEAVING SCENE OF ACCIDENT W/DAMAGE TO VEHICLE

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

---

FOX, ANTHONY T

1701 N CONCORD RD APT 80 CHATTANOOGA, 37421

Age at Arrest: 38 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

DOMESTIC ASSAULT

---

GARREN, KATHY MESHELE

216 BRYAN DR DAYTON, 37321

Age at Arrest: 52 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

FAILURE TO APPEAR

---

GLOVER, DAVID LEBRON

701 N GERMANTOWN RD CHATTANOOGA, 37411

Age at Arrest: 38 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

CRIMINAL TRESPASSING

---

GREENE, JONATHAN ALFRED

3507 CRABTREE DRIVE EAST RIDGE, 37412

Age at Arrest: 36 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

FORGERY

THEFT OF PROPERTY UNDER 1000

---

GREGORY, WANDA LYNN

1890 GREEN DR NW APT 18 CLEVELAND, 37311

Age at Arrest: 56 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

THEFT OF PROPERTY UNDER 1,000

---

GRIMES, ANTHONY JEROME

3835 LARRY DRIVE CHATTANOOGA, 37411

Age at Arrest: 45 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

ROBBERY

---

HARDEMAN, JEREMY KEITH

7612 BORISS DR CHATTANOOGA, 37436

Age at Arrest: 34 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

FAILURE TO APPEAR

FAILURE TO APPEAR

THEFT OF PROPERTY UNDER $1,000

THEFT OF PROPERTY

---

HARDEMAN, MELISSA R

7627 VORISS DR CHATTANOOGA, 37421

Age at Arrest: 39 years old

Arresting Agency:

FAILURE TO APPEAR

---

HARDESTY, ANGELA LYNN

9953 GRIFFITH HWY WHITWELL, 37397

Age at Arrest: 35 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

---

HARPER, JERRELL L

5305 HWY 58 APT 3 CHATTANOOGA, 37416

Age at Arrest: 28 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

DRIVING ON SUSPENDED LICENSE

---

HARRIS, REGINALD LEBRONE

1625 WEST 13TH STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37402

Age at Arrest: 47 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

ASSAULT

---

HART, JOHN WILLIAM

450 SCHMITT RD ROSSVILLE, 30741

Age at Arrest: 47 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

FUGITIVE (CATOOSA CO GA)

---

HARTLINE, NATHAN LEE

1411 E 17TH ST CHATT, 37404

Age at Arrest: 41 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

FUGITIVE (ARREST FOR CRIME IN ANOTHER STATE)

---

HENRY, EDWARD JOSEPH

99 FESCUE DRIVE DUNLAP, 37324

Age at Arrest: 23 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

FAILURE TO APPEAR

DRIVING WITHOUT DRIVERS LICENSE / EXPIRED LICENSE

---

HICKEY, JUSTIN A

405 PICCADILLY AVE SPRING CITY, 37381

Age at Arrest: 27 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

---

HOGUE, COLEMAN TIMOTHY

1813 E 4TH ST CHATTANOOGA, 374042546

Age at Arrest: 26 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

THEFT OF PROPERTY

POSSESSING A FIREARM WITH INTENT TO GO ARMED

POSS.A FIREARM DURING COMMISSIION OR ATTEMPT TO CO

DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

---

HOWARD, DEANGELO JERMAINE

611 W 13TH ST CT CHATTANOOGA, 37405

Age at Arrest: 27 years old

Arresting Agency: Tenn Highway Patrol

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

---

HUFFMAN, DUSTIN W

6554 COLOSSAL LN CORRYTON, 37721

Age at Arrest: 33 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

POSS.

OF HANDGUN WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCEDUTY UPON STRIKING FIXTURES UPON A HIGHWAYDRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCEDRIVERS TO EXERCISE DUE CARE---JACKSON, MYKEL J3940 CAINE LANE APT A CHATTANOOGA, 37421Age at Arrest: 19 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyDOMESTIC ASSAULT---LYLE, ZACKERY WESTON42 BIG CREEK LN RINGGOLD, 30736Age at Arrest: 20 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaDRIVING LEFT OF CENTER LINESPEEDINGRECKLESS DRIVINGDRIVING WHILE IMPAIRED, AGE 16 TO 21DRIVERS TO EXERCISE DUE CAREMINOR IN POSSESSION OF ALCOHOL---LYONS, DERRICK JERRELLEPO BOX 16792 CHATTANOOGA, 37416Age at Arrest: 30 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaHARASSMENT---MCCLENDON, ALICIA LASHONDRA3205 CALHOUN AVE CHATTANOOGA, 374071917Age at Arrest: 34 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---MCCOY, SEAN DESANTIS3002 WOODSIDE ST CHATTANOOGA, 37407Age at Arrest: 25 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaAGGRAVATED ASSAULTTHEFT OF PROPERTYPOSSESSING A FIREARM WITH INTENT TO GO ARMEDPOSS.A FIREARM DURING COMMISSIION OR ATTEMPT TO COPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCEPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA---MITCHELL, TERRELL DUBOIS1416 MANA LANE APT B1 EAST RIDGE, 37412Age at Arrest: 22 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---MOSLEY, DARIUS421 W. 40TH ST CHATTANOOGA, 37410Age at Arrest: 25 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaASSAULT---MUIR, WARREN MARQUE602 SPEARS AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37404Age at Arrest: 24 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyDOMESTIC ASSAULTVANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF---NELSON, HOLLIE ELIZABETH8974 REGENT LANE HIXSON, 37343Age at Arrest: 31 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaTHEFT UNDER $1,000---NEVILLE, KENNETH DONALDHOMELESS CHATTANOOGA, 374102201Age at Arrest: 60 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaVIOLATION OF SEX OFFENDER MONITORING PROGRAM---NORRIS, JAMES WESLEY1701 CONCORD RD CHATTANOOGA, 37421Age at Arrest: 32 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION (ASSAULT)VIOLATION OF PROBATION (ASSAULT)VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA)---PARKER, NIKITA NICOLE2002 E 32ND STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37408Age at Arrest: 31 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyDOMESTIC ASSAULT---PATTERSON, DARIUS JAMAL207 TACOA AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest: 26 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---PETTY, AMANDA M6220 SHALLOWFORD RD APT 514 CHATTANOOGA, 37421Age at Arrest: 40 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaDRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCEFINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITYVIOLATING AUTO REGISTRATION LAW---PITTS, MICHAEL GRANT1627 EAST 5TH STREET APT 136 CHATTANOOGA, 37406Age at Arrest: 66 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaCRIMINAL TRESPASSING---PRITCHETT, JASMINE JENAY217 W 30TH ST CHATTANOOGA, 37410Age at Arrest: 25 years oldArresting Agency: CollegedaleBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---PURSLEY, DAVID JOSH727 E 11TH ST CHATTANOOGA, 37403Age at Arrest: 37 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaINDECENT EXPOSUREPUBLIC INTOXICATION---QUINN, MICHAEL DANN7600 MEADOW STREAM LUPE APT 104 CHATTANOOGA, 37421Age at Arrest: 33 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaRECKLESS ENDANGERMENTLEAVING SCENE OF ACCIDENT W/DAMAGE TO VEHICLEDRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE---RAMEY, JOSEPH WAYNE259 LADDS SWITCH ROAD GUILD, 37340Age at Arrest: 38 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---RAYMOND, HUNTER1711 POE RD SODDY DAISY, 37379Age at Arrest: 24 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA---ROACH, WESLEY ADAM6431 COOLEY ROAD HARRISON, 37341Age at Arrest: 30 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION(DRIVING ON REVOKED OR SUSPEDRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSESEAT BELT LAW VIOLATIONFINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITYDRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE---SHIRLEY, SAMUEL CHARLES902 CARTER LN ROSSVILLE, 30741Age at Arrest: 32 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OF PROPERTY UNDER $1FAILURE TO APPEAR---SMITH, PAUL ANTHONY727 EAST 11TH STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37402Age at Arrest: 45 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaINDECENT EXPOSURE---STEPHENS, CODY TYLER271 WELLS RD TRENTON, 30752Age at Arrest: 25 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyFAILURE TO APPEAR---STEWART, RACHEL L3131 MOUNTAIN CREEK RD APT 7A6 CHATTANOOGA, 37415Age at Arrest: 24 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaDRIVERS TO EXERCISE DUE CAREDRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE---STOUDEMIRE, IRA JAMES2823 DAYTON BLVD APT. 1 RED BANK, 37415Age at Arrest: 52 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyTHEFT OF PROPERTYCRIMINAL IMPERSONATION---TARPKIN, GARY DEWAYNE959 BOYNTON DR APT 5051 CHATTANOOGA, 37402Age at Arrest: 46 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaDRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSEPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCEOPEN CONTAINER LAWFINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY---THOMAS, LADARIUS JAMANSKI1315 EAST CASTLE ST MURFREESBORO, 37130Age at Arrest: 26 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaPOSS.OF FIREARM WHILE IN COMMISSION OF FELONYPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIAMARIJUANA FOR RESALE---THORNBURY, JEFFERY TYLER1044 HIRAM AVE RED BANK, 37415Age at Arrest: 30 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OF PROPERTY)---THRASHER, KARIA JESSICA2622 E 19TH ST CHATTANOOGA, 37404Age at Arrest: 33 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaFAILURE TO APPEARCONTRABAND IN PENAL INSTITUTIONSPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE---TUMLIN, TYRESHA D1664 GREENDALE WAY APT 218 CHATTANOOGA, 37343Age at Arrest: 25 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyDRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSESURRENDER OF LICENSE OR REGISTRATION UPON REVOCATIREGISTRATION, EXPIRED---VINSON, SHANNON DEMETRI3422 BIRCHWOOD DR CHATTANOOGA, 37406Age at Arrest: 19 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaAGGRAVATED DOMESTIC ASSAULTVANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF---WALKER, KHADIJAH DANELLE7164 TANAGER CT EAST RIDGE, 374124147Age at Arrest: 24 years oldArresting Agency: East RidgeBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---WATTS, PATRICK LAVAR908 N MOORE RD CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest: 38 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaTHEFT OF PROPERTY UNDER $1,000DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSERESISTING ARREST OR OBSTRUCTION OF LEGAL PROCESSEVADING ARRESTPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIAPOSSESSION OF METH (SELL, DEL. OR MANUFACTURING)HEADLIGHTS ON MOTOR VEHICLES (INCLEMENT WETHER)DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE---WHITE, JESSICA LYNN7509 HIXSON PIKE HIXSON, 37343Age at Arrest: 29 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyFAILURE TO APPEAR---WHITT, GARY WALTON321 HILLSVIEW DR CHATTANOOGA, 37405Age at Arrest: 30 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF SEX OFFENDER REGISTRYVIOLATION OF SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY---YARBOROUGH, AARON REED7018 S DENT RD HIXSON, 37343Age at Arrest: 25 years oldArresting Agency: Red BankTHEFT OF PROPERTY OVER $1000

Here are the mug shots:

ADKINS, GEORGIA A

Age at Arrest: 37

Date of Birth: 05/18/1981

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

PUBLIC INTOXICATION ADKINS, PHILIP

Age at Arrest: 39

Date of Birth: 09/21/1978

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

THEFT UNDER $1000 ATKISSON, CARRIE ANNETTE

Age at Arrest: 41

Date of Birth: 06/02/1976

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (DOMESTIC ASSAULT) BARNARD, CHRISTOPHER R

Age at Arrest: 30

Date of Birth: 07/06/1983

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT

DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE

DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA BLANKENSHIP, BRANDON SCOTT

Age at Arrest: 30

Date of Birth: 12/06/1987

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

BRANDENBURG, JASON ALLEN

Age at Arrest: 27

Date of Birth: 02/16/1991

Arresting Agency: Soddy Daisy



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

FAILURE TO APPEAR BURROUGHS, CHRISTOPHER ROBIN

Age at Arrest: 44

Date of Birth: 09/14/1973

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

FAILURE TO APPEAR CASLIN, SYLVESTER

Age at Arrest: 56

Date of Birth: 01/06/1962

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED S DANIELS, ROBERT LEE

Age at Arrest: 51

Date of Birth: 07/11/1966

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE DOBBINS, RONNIE DYRAIL

Age at Arrest: 51

Date of Birth: 06/07/1966

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENC

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (VIOLATION OF MOTOR VEHICLE

DYER, WHITNEY ONEDA

Age at Arrest: 23

Date of Birth: 02/15/1995

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

FAILURE TO APPEAR

DOMESTIC ASSAULT ERVIN, CORDARO DEMONTE

Age at Arrest: 30

Date of Birth: 08/29/1987

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

AGGRAVATED DOMESTIC ASSAULT EVANS, JUSTIN TODD

Age at Arrest: 28

Date of Birth: 07/18/1989

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE EZEL, JONATHAN L

Age at Arrest: 21

Date of Birth: 12/26/1996

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

FITTEN, MORRIS LAMONT

Age at Arrest: 39

Date of Birth: 03/12/1979

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

FAILURE TO APPEAR

THEFT OF MOTOR VEHICLE

HARASSMENT

HARASSMENT

DRIVING LEFT OF CENTER LINE

LEAVING SCENE OF ACCIDENT W/DAMAGE TO VEHICLE

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE GARREN, KATHY MESHELE

Age at Arrest: 52

Date of Birth: 04/15/1966

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

FAILURE TO APPEAR GLOVER, DAVID LEBRON

Age at Arrest: 38

Date of Birth: 11/18/1979

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

CRIMINAL TRESPASSING GREENE, JONATHAN ALFRED

Age at Arrest: 36

Date of Birth: 01/18/1982

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

FORGERY

THEFT OF PROPERTY UNDER 1000 GREGORY, WANDA LYNN

Age at Arrest: 56

Date of Birth: 02/28/1962

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

THEFT OF PROPERTY UNDER 1,000 GRIMES, ANTHONY JEROME

Age at Arrest: 45

Date of Birth: 01/16/1973

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

ROBBERY

HARDEMAN, MELISSA R

Age at Arrest: 39

Date of Birth: 04/06/1979

Arresting Agency:



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

DRIVING ON ROADWAYS LANED FOR TRAFFIC, VIOLATION

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE HARDESTY, ANGELA LYNN

Age at Arrest: 35

Date of Birth: 03/14/1983

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY HARPER, JERRELL L

Age at Arrest: 28

Date of Birth: 09/04/1989

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

DRIVING ON SUSPENDED LICENSE HARRIS, REGINALD LEBRONE

Age at Arrest: 47

Date of Birth: 02/15/1971

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

ASSAULT HARTLINE, NATHAN LEE

Age at Arrest: 41

Date of Birth: 01/07/1977

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

FUGITIVE (ARREST FOR CRIME IN ANOTHER STATE) HENRY, EDWARD JOSEPH

Age at Arrest: 23

Date of Birth: 01/04/1995

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

FAILURE TO APPEAR

DRIVING WITHOUT DRIVERS LICENSE / EXPIRED LICENSE HICKEY, JUSTIN A

Age at Arrest: 27

Date of Birth: 02/13/1991

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE HUFFMAN, DUSTIN W

Age at Arrest: 33

Date of Birth: 08/06/1984

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

POSS. OF HANDGUN WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE

DUTY UPON STRIKING FIXTURES UPON A HIGHWAY

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

DRIVERS TO EXERCISE DUE CARE JACKSON, MYKEL J

Age at Arrest: 19

Date of Birth: 09/01/1998

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

DOMESTIC ASSAULT LYLE, ZACKERY WESTON

Age at Arrest: 20

Date of Birth: 09/15/1997

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

DRIVING LEFT OF CENTER LINE

SPEEDING

RECKLESS DRIVING

DRIVING WHILE IMPAIRED, AGE 16 TO 21

DRIVERS TO EXERCISE DUE CARE

MINOR IN POSSESSION OF ALCOHOL

LYONS, DERRICK JERRELLE

Age at Arrest: 30

Date of Birth: 01/01/1988

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

HARASSMENT MCCLENDON, ALICIA LASHONDRA

Age at Arrest: 34

Date of Birth: 07/16/1983

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

MUIR, WARREN MARQUE

Age at Arrest: 24

Date of Birth: 02/12/1994

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

DOMESTIC ASSAULT

VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF NELSON, HOLLIE ELIZABETH

Age at Arrest: 31

Date of Birth: 08/22/1986

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

THEFT UNDER $1,000 NEVILLE, KENNETH DONALD

Age at Arrest: 60

Date of Birth: 11/05/1957

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF SEX OFFENDER MONITORING PROGRAM NORRIS, JAMES WESLEY

Age at Arrest: 32

Date of Birth: 05/26/1985

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (ASSAULT)

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (ASSAULT)

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA) PARKER, NIKITA NICOLE

Age at Arrest: 31

Date of Birth: 12/02/1986

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

DOMESTIC ASSAULT PATTERSON, DARIUS JAMAL

Age at Arrest: 26

Date of Birth: 09/20/1991

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

PETTY, AMANDA M

Age at Arrest: 40

Date of Birth: 04/01/1978

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

VIOLATING AUTO REGISTRATION LAW PRITCHETT, JASMINE JENAY

Age at Arrest: 25

Date of Birth: 11/19/1992

Arresting Agency: Collegedale



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)



QUINN, MICHAEL DANN

Age at Arrest: 33

Date of Birth: 03/20/1985

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT

LEAVING SCENE OF ACCIDENT W/DAMAGE TO VEHICLE

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE RAMEY, JOSEPH WAYNE

Age at Arrest: 38

Date of Birth: 05/16/1980

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

SHIRLEY, SAMUEL CHARLES

Age at Arrest: 32

Date of Birth: 08/09/1985

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OF PROPERTY UNDER $1

FAILURE TO APPEAR SMITH, PAUL ANTHONY

Age at Arrest: 45

Date of Birth: 12/27/1972

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

INDECENT EXPOSURE STEPHENS, CODY TYLER

Age at Arrest: 25

Date of Birth: 11/27/1992

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

FAILURE TO APPEAR STOUDEMIRE, IRA JAMES

Age at Arrest: 52

Date of Birth: 06/27/1965

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

THEFT OF PROPERTY

CRIMINAL IMPERSONATION TARPKIN, GARY DEWAYNE

Age at Arrest: 46

Date of Birth: 01/24/1972

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

OPEN CONTAINER LAW

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY THORNBURY, JEFFERY TYLER

Age at Arrest: 30

Date of Birth: 10/23/1987

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OF PROPERTY) THRASHER, KARIA JESSICA

Age at Arrest: 33

Date of Birth: 12/27/1984

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

FAILURE TO APPEAR

CONTRABAND IN PENAL INSTITUTIONS

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE TUMLIN, TYRESHA D

Age at Arrest: 25

Date of Birth: 11/27/1992

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/23/2018

Charge(s):

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

SURRENDER OF LICENSE OR REGISTRATION UPON REVOCATI

REGISTRATION, EXPIREDI am a veterinarian in Hixson. We need national standards that allow for safety and freedom casting our ballots. I seek an impartial system where every vote counts. We must call for fair elections so that our elected constituents can deliver for us. Please fix the Jim Crow filibuster. Jessica Claudio (click for more)

For 35 years during the first half of my life I had an official vote every Sunday morning on the Top Ten, then the Top 20, then the Top 25 college football team in the country. So with a bit of past experience, I can tell you the No. 1 team in the nation this morning is still Alabama. Yes, the Crimson Tide got nipped 41-38 by Texas A&M in a thriller late Saturday night but dont ... (click for more)Moses Farrow speaks out in defense of disgraced father Woody Allen. In a new blog post, Allen's son points the finger at his mother instead.

Breaking His Silence

On Wednesday, 40-year-old Moses, who works as a family therapist, took to his blog to reiterate that Allen never molested his then 7-year-old daughter. He also alleges that their mother, Mia Farrow, physically and emotionally abused all of her children for years. 

The lengthy essay, titled "A Son Speaks Out," declared once again that the accusations against Allen, that he abused Moses's younger sister Dylan, in August 1992 at their Connecticut home, are completely false. 

"Given the incredibly inaccurate and misleading attacks on my father, Woody Allen, I feel that I can no longer stay silent as he continues to be condemned for a crime he did not commit," begins Moses in the post.

It Doesn't Make Sense

He was adopted by actress Mia, star of Rosemary's Baby, from South Korea in 1980. Allen later co-adopted Moses too.

The way he sees it, Moses was present for everything that happened in the house at the time and therefore maintains that nothing could have occurred without him knowing.

Further, he claims that there was no time or place where Allen could have possibly taken his sister, Dylan Farrow, away to molest her.

Moses alleges that his mother was so enraged by Allen's affair with another of their adopted daughters, Soon-Yi Previn, that she asked her son to keep an eye on him.

"Along with five kids, there were three adults in the house, all of whom had been told for months what a monster Woody was. None of us would have allowed Dylan to step away with Woody, even if he tried," he writes.

The Real Culprit

Allen wasn't charged with a crime back when the incident allegedly occurred. Dylan, now 32, along with her mother, and Mia's biological son with Allen, Ronan Farrow, 30, have been trying to damage the filmmaker in the press and social media.

From Moses's perspective, it was actually his mother who was the real monster in their household.

"For all of us, life under my mother's roof was impossible if you didn't do exactly what you were told, no matter how questionable the demand," Moses wrote.

Ronan, a respected journalist, has written a series of hugely damaging reports in relation to the growing #MeToo and Time's Up movements. He shared in a Pulitzer Prize for his work uncovering the widespread abuse of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.

The Story Continues

Allen has always denied any allegations against him. Dylan's claims against him, as well as her mother's, were investigated by Connecticut authorities decades ago, and no charges were brought against him.

Dylan responded to Moses's essay on Twitter, claiming his attack on their mother is an attempt to deflect from the credible accusations against Allen, that it contradicts earlier statements Moses made, and that it is easily disproved.

Neither Mia nor Ronan Farrow has directly responded to Moses's claims, though Ronan did recently reiterate that his mother is very principled about standing by her children and defending them.The year 2017 was effectively marked by attempts by the UN to re-launch a dialogue and negotiations with Libya. Following the appointment of Ghassan Salame as the new UN Secretary Generals Special Representative in Libya, his new Action Plan to re-launch diplomatic negotiations has taken on a new momentum. While the Action Plan focuses on four main objectives  amending the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA), convening a national conference, preparing for legislative and presidential elections, and providing humanitarian assistance  particular effort was previously concentrated on negotiating amendments to the LPA.

Several rounds of dialogue and direct consultations have already taken place in the past between representatives of the House of Representatives (HoR) and the High Council of State, yet little progress has been made. As Mr. Salame himself has admitted, efforts to reach a compromise have been pushed back by third parties, for whom these new circumstances may represent a change in their positions, influence or financial interests. Many people within the political establishment, state administration, state-owned companies, business community and security sector have become part of an economic system of predation that contributes to the further depletion of state resources, which only worsens the living conditions of the lower and middle class.

Armed groups have particularly taken advantage of the weakness of political authorities. They realized that the latter are almost totally dependent on their troops for their own security or to have any credibility in the eyes of the public. In Tripoli, the special relationship uniting Tripolis major armed groups and the Presidential Council (PC) has enabled these groups to exert considerable influence in appointments to key positions in the state administration and state-owned companies. In Tripoli and actually all across Libya, armed groups are also playing a major role in extensive networks involved in the diversion of public funds, which allows them to finance their activities.

The more time passes, the clearer we can see the links between the leaders of armed groups and certain politicians, technocrats and businessmen. This may be accompanied by a further blurring of the line between Libyas formal and criminal economies. Moreover, power networks and constituencies with objectives that have little, if anything, to do with the conflicts central to the current negotiations to amend the LPA will gain a firm foothold, and with minimal interest in finding a compromise.

Negotiators and mediators in the Libya crisis need to acknowledge this reality and take it into account when they set priorities at this crucial time. The fact is that the relevance of focusing on revising the LPA is becoming increasingly problematic, as the Libyans insist on their desire to see the transition phase come to an end. What they should really do now is to shift away from negotiations that have tended to over-emphasize the importance of a small political elite whose interests have drifted far away from the interests of the general public. The aim of such a change in the focus of the political negotiations would be to reach agreement on a permanent political framework allowing for elections to be held, with clear rules and fair play.

Libya: Moving Beyond the Transitional Mood  Research Paper by Virginie Collombier  Barcelona Centre for International Affairs / CIDOB.

(The Research Paper can be downloaded here)Morocco decided earlier this month that it would sever its relations with Iran after Rabat accused Iranian-backed Hezbollah of training the Polisario Front and supporting activities towards the independence of Western Sahara. This move also triggered off a series of mutual accusations between Morocco and Algeria, which supports the Polisario Front. Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser recently explained that Algeria was facilitating meetings between Hezbollah leaders and Polisario leaders in a hideout in the capital of Algiers. He claimed that the Iranian Embassy in Algeria worked as a link between the trio of Hezbollah, Algeria and the Polisario Front.

Iranian Foreign Minister Bahram Qasimi responded that Moroccan officials during their meetings with our foreign minister or during their TV interviews failed to provide any evidence to substantiate these allegations. Algerian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdel Aziz Ali Sharif rebutted Moroccos accusations and commented that instead of submitting the irrefutable evidence that he claims he [Moroccan Foreign Minister] holds, which really does not exist  the Moroccan minister chose to opt for mystification and fabrication.

However, Moroccan university professor Abdel Rahim Manar al-Sulaimi of the Atlantic Center for Strategic Studies and Security Analysis in Rabat explains that Morocco has detected a close coordination over the last two years between the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Algerian Embassy in Tehran, adding that they couldnt have dug tunnels and transferred missiles from Algerian territory to the Polisario Front without Algeria actually knowing. Algeria is a key partner in the Iranian project carried out by Hezbollah inside Polisario camps.

While Professor Manar al-Sulaimi sums up that Algeria was seeking to destabilize Morocco and Irans goal was to expand its influence across North and West Africa, the latters activities are also raising concerns on the other side of the Mediterranean. Earlier this year in Brussels, some 60 MEPs demanded that the European Parliament imposes a full ban on Hezbollah, not just on its military wing. The EU designated Hezbollahs military wing as a terrorist entity in 2012 following an attack by the organization on an Israeli tour bus in Burgas, Bulgaria.This Page Is Under Construction - Coming Soon!

Why am I seeing this 'Under Construction' page?MURFREESBORO, Tenn.  There were no Chattanooga area team champions in the small division of the D-I state track and field meet at MTSU Wednesday, but the Signal Mountain girls finished second and there were three young men from the Chattanooga area who won two events each.

The Lady Eagles didnt win a single event, but Briley Lowry was second in the long jump and the 3200 relay team was second in 10:28.76 as Signal Mountain finished the day with 89 points behind first-place East Nashville, which scored 155.

Mattie Parker was second in the 1600 while Tara Jessen was the runner-up in the 800. Parker was also third in the 800 while Jessen was fourth in the 1600.

Brainerds Joseph Norwood had a great day and won the triple jump with a distance of 44 feet, 1.5 inches after finishing second in the long jump and third in the 400 dash. And all of that came after he won the decathlon earlier in the week with 6,066 points.

CSAS Brevin Sims was victorious in both hurdle events while Signal Mountains Jonah Bird won the 1600 and 3200 runs. Signal Mountain was also first in the 3200 relay.

The Signal Mountain boys scored 46 points to finish fourth behind Pearl Cohns winning total of 103. Brainerd was seventh with 34 while CSAS was 13th with 20.

Tyners Nicole Johnson won the 100 dash in 12.13 seconds and was second in the 200 while Alayah Dozier of CSAS won the 400 in 57.28 seconds after taking second in the 100 and third in the 200.ezhejiang.gov.cn

A girl demonstrates tea art at the 2nd China International Tea Expo in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo by Yang Hongchun]

The 2nd China International Tea Expo came to an end in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province on May 22. A total of 100 million yuan ($15.7 million) in deals were signed over the five days.

Themed on "tea and the world, share development", this year's event attracted a total of 1,540 tea-related companies and organizations from over 30 countries and regions.

With an area of 70,000 square meters and 2,654 standard booths, the five-day event provided a platform where companies from home and abroad could display their featured tea products and seek exchanges and cooperation opportunities.

"This year's tea expo fully demonstrates the unique charm of tea culture, and more importantly, further promotes the development of the global tea industry," said an official from the organizing committee, adding that the expo plays a constructive role in facilitating exchanges and cooperation in the tea industry between China and the rest of the world.

Meanwhile, an assortment of forums, cooperation dialogues and brand promotion activities were also held on the sideline.

According to the official statistics, the total trading volume of tea products reached at the event this year had exceeded 99.43 tons with 4,253 contracts being signed by the end of May 22.It has been just over one year since U.S. beef returned to the Brazilian market, following a long absence resulting from the December 2003 BSE case. Cheyenne McEndaffer, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) technical services manager, was recently in Brazil and provides an update on how demand for U.S. beef is developing.

McEndaffer notes that U.S. picanha (top sirloin cap) was expected to perform well in Brazil, and demand for this cut has been strong. Brazilian buyers are also interested in U.S. loins, ribs, tri-tips and livers. She joined several USMEF member companies in Sao Paulo for the APAS Supermarket Show, one of South America's largest food trade shows, to discuss these and other U.S. beef cuts with prospective customers.

McEndaffer explains that Brazil has plant and product label registration requirements that have presented obstacles for some U.S. exporters. Import procedures also vary by state and by port, so she is working to educate U.S. suppliers about these issues to help U.S. beef shipments move more smoothly into the Brazilian market.2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning --

4 WEEKS FREE DIGITAL AND PRINT ACCESS.

We understand the importance of working to keep our community strong and connected. As we move forward together into 2021, it will take commitment, communication, creativity, and a strong connection with those who are most affected by the stories we cover.

We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Fauquier Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come.Dr. Dana Nichols, vice president for Academic Affairs at Chattanooga State Community College has been selected as one of 40 exceptional leaders from across the nation for the Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence.



"Dr. Nichols came to Chattanooga State in 2016 and has rapidly made her mark as a well-loved and respected leader on campus. Interested in adding to Chattanooga States reputation for outstanding innovation, Dr. Nichols has been an integral part of academic innovation and leads the way in best practices," officials said.



Chattanooga State is proud that Dr. Nichols was selected to participate in the Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence. Her participation will aid Chattanooga State in the short term and the American community college system in the long-run as it prepares her for a presidential role in the future, stated Chattanooga State President Dr. Rebecca Ashford.



Aspen Presidential Fellows begin their 10-month fellowship in July 2018. Fellows will learn strategies and frameworks enabling them to lead community colleges to high and improving levels of student success and effective partnerships. Dr. Nichols will be assigned to a current or former community college president mentor who has achieved exceptional outcomes for students.

It is a great honor to have been chosen as a fellow. I look forward to learning all that I can and returning to Chattanooga State with fresh ideas, said Dr. Nichols.Every day youll see images of women popping straight back to work after having a baby. Not just snapping back to her pre-baby figure but back to earning some real dough. Those women seem to step straight back to work with ease, though we doubt its ever that simple. Back here in the real world, it can be tough. So here are our top tips.

Lisa Unwin and Deb Khan

#BrandYou . Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder put it best : Your brand is what people say about you when youre not in the room You are your own number one brand. You need a short, punchy tag line that tells the world about you, your unique value and why someone should hire you. It needs to be short and memorable enough for someone else to use it to help connect you with people who could help you get a meeting, an opening and ultimately a job.

Hustle Honey. Work doesnt come out of a box. You are five times more likely to find work through your network than through a recruiter. Recruiters dont enjoy dealing with CVs that have career breaks or people who need a bit of flexibility. Thats probably you. No matter. Beat them at their own game. Use your networks, put yourself out there. Talk to people, think about how you can help them. Dont be shy about asking for help - most people will be flattered.

But dont be random. Its a job getting a job. Welcome to your first job. You are a recruiter. You have one candidate: you. Roll your sleeves up because this is going to bumpy. Its tough out there - so get ready for the ride. Youre going to need skill and tenacity. Figure out who is hiring people for the sort of role you want. Follow them, look for connections, make introductions. Have a plan and track your progress so on you dont let emotions throw you. Youve got this, because listen up - no one cares about your career as much as you do.

Forget the F word for now. Flexibility. Yes, we know how much it means to you, how much you need and want it. We too follow all the brilliant bloggers and insta influencers who are flying the flag for Flex. But heres the thing - less than one in 10 quality jobs is advertised as flexible. Yes. 1 in 10. Dont limit your options by only applying for those jobs. Be prepared to get in there, got for the full time ones and negotiate like crazy

Know your value. When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with dicks, I didnt get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself. I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early. Wise words from the goddess that is Jennifer Lawrence. . So what can we learn? Women dont negotiate enough. Wed much rather be seen as nice than being tough. Beef up your negotiation muscle. Do your homework, find out the going rate and haggle hard for your worth.

Baroness Karren Brady was recently interviewed about the gender pay gap on Loose Women. Her view:

..women have this fear factor, where they dont have the confidence to ask .. they are sort of grateful for the job and dont want to rock the boat. We need to get more women rocking the boat.

Youre ALL OVER this. All that scrolling you do every day, those multiple channels youre handling at any one time, the searching, sharing, tagging, liking has given you an absolute, up to date, on the money skill set. A combination of this self taught knowledge topped up with some readily available, often free training will accelerate your employability.

According to Tech City UK the digital economy is growing 50% faster than the rest of the economy accounting for 1.64 million jobs in the UK. Which means every business is a digital business and needs digital skills. Women are FANTASTIC at communication, sharing, supporting, trend spotting and collaborating. Everything we read says that these are EXACTLY the skills that modern organisations are looking for.

Brace yourself. If youre sitting at home staring at the most gorgeous baby in the world - yours - we have some chilling words. No-one cares about your children as much as you. So when youre talking to employers about work, talk about what you can do and your ambitions. No-one needs to hear about your complicated school run arrangements. Have your childcare sorted and work out contingency plans. Be able to answer the Could you start on Monday? question with an enthusiastic Love to.

Shes Back: Your Guide to Returning to Work is published by Urbane Publications. 9.99In bed

Most mornings I wake up with words. The night before, I have usually fallen into bed zombie-like, but some strange alchemy happens while I sleep. First thing, I scramble for a notebook, or my laptop to get the words down before they flutter away again. In this way, breakfast becomes lunch and I often find Im still in my pyjamas at 4 in the afternoon but work has been done! So, in my dreams is the first place I find words.

Noelle Harrison by Chloe Martina Salvi

Listening to music

When I write a book, I want it to be a sensory experience in tandem with the telling of a story. It is through music that the atmosphere, tone, and rhythm of my novel emerges. Soundtracks align with different books. For my new novel The Gravity of Love, it was Tracey Chapmans iconic first album in 1988. I listen before I write as I am doing household chores, but the music infuses me. I turn it off. In silence, I put the words down.

At an exhibition

Art has always been a huge love in my life. I did a degree in History of Art, and worked for years in art galleries in Ireland, as well as writing art reviews. It has never failed to provide inspiration. Whenever I am feeling drained, I take myself off to an art exhibition and feed myself with visual stimulation. It doesnt matter whether it is a medieval triptych, or a contemporary film installation, I always find narrative in what I am looking at.

Up a mountain

Walking is another way to work through ideas. My writing schedule usually incorporates a daily walk. When I lived in Norway, I was able to step out my front door and literally walk up a mountain. The challenges of hill walking was great for building focus and drive. If I can climb this mountain, I can finish my book. Id chant inside my head.

While practising yoga

The practice of yoga is an essential part of my life as writer. Not just in terms of helping my body stretch out from sitting at a desk for hours, and for anxiety, but also for sparking creativity, and building focus. Yoga also helps me to get things into perspective and make sure my life is balanced.

In airports

Any journey (apart from cars) is great for writing. I particularly love working in airports. No problem if my flight is delayed, as Ill find a corner where I can set up with my laptop. Words also come from people watching, and human interaction in motion.

On dog-sits

Displacement in someone elses home is a great place to write. I have recently begun to dog-sit and find it a perfect writing retreat. Solitude, so no strains of being someones guest, yet you have the added stimulation of being in unfamiliar surroundings, plus you have plenty of dog-walking opportunities.

In the library

The obvious place to find words. I love wandering the aisles in History, Biography and Art, pulling out big books, and flicking through them to catch ideas. Being in a library, gives me the same feeling of sacred reverence as sitting in a cathedral, but with the added bonus of being able to take out a notebook and scribble some words. I love the respect for silence. The peace.

Through nature

Nature has always been the best way for me to find words. When I travel, I always write a journal. From the landscape, stories emerge. This was how it was for my new novel, The Gravity of Love, inspired by the red rock deserts and big skies of Arizona. I love contrasting landscapes. Thus for my next book I have visited the snowy tundras of Northern Norway. A complete contrast to arid Arizona.

In landscapes where I belong

It was my Irish home, which inspired me to write my first novel, Beatrice, and Ireland never ceases to bring me words. Right on the western edge, facing the wild Atlantic Ocean is where I feel most at home. This landscape has inspired the journey of Joy in The Gravity of Love.Emilia Clarke is planning to commemorate the end of 'Game of Thrones' with a tattoo.

Emilia Clarke

The 31-year-old actress will say goodbye to her alter ego, Daenerys Targaryen next year but she's thought of the perfect piece of body art to say goodbye to the Mother of Dragons forever.

'LIVE With Kelly and Ryan' host Ryan Seacrest said: "I was in a tattoo parlor the other day trying to get an appointment and they said that they were full because you're coming in to get a tattoo of a dragon?"

Co-host Kelly Ripa exclaimed: "Are you really doing it?"

Their excited guest said: "Yes! Sorry, mum!

"I'm going to get a dragon right here [points at wrist] kind of flying away. So I think that's cool. A little kind of peace out."

But Emilia joked she could have gone bigger.

When Kelly teased she thought she'd have gone for a "big back tattoo", the blonde beauty laughed: "Yeah exactly! They've cleared the schedule, I'm getting the full [back tattoo]."

Emilia won't be the only 'Game of Thrones' star to have a tattoo to mark being on the show.

Sophie Turner previously admitted she and her on-screen sister Maisie Williams have matching inkings to commemorate the date they secured their roles as Sansa and Arya Stark in the popular fantasy series.

She previously explained: "We do! We always said that we wanted them so we got the date 07.08.09 on our arms because that's the date that both of us found out we'd got our roles in 'Game Of Thrones'."

And Sophie has revealed the pair went ahead with the body art when they both had a "day off" from filming in Belfast, Ireland.

She added: "So when we had a day off from filming in Belfast we just went to a tattoo place and got it done."Rebel Wilson has hit back at claims her Vogue cover was Photoshopped.

Rebel Wilson

The 38-year-old actress landed the job of a lifetime when she was asked to feature on the front of Vogue Australia's May issue saying it was an "amazing experience" and insisted her slim physique was all down to "eating healthily and exercising" in the month leading up to the big shoot amid claims the photos were altered during the final magazine edit.

Posting the pictures of herself in a sleek black dress and camel trench-coat on Twitter, she wrote: "I never would've thought this element would be added to my life: Vogue Covergirl. This was such an amazing experience, thank you Vogue Australia and to all the designers and stylists who worked on this shoot! June issue @vogueaustralia on sale May 28th x [sic]"

However, after users were to assume her slim physique was down to digital retouching, the 'Pitch Perfect' star was quick to respond with the secrets to her figure.

She wrote: "Nope, not slimmed down! I just ate healthy and exercised for the month before the shoot x but then immediately after ate brownies!"

And Rebel went a step further to prove her pictures showed her natural self by sharing a photo she had taken on set which shows the "raw" images before making it to the magazine cover to emphasize the identical pictures.

She said: "Oh and just so you can see the raw v's the magazine shot, I took a monitor photo myself on the day of the shoot! So please don't carry on that these shots are heavily Photoshopped because they're not!"For centuries, women have been told the role they have to play in society; dutiful wife, respectful daughter, or innocent ingenue. However, when given a choice between acceptance or opposition of these barriers, many have rebelled against them. But, when the society that you are in sees a woman as the fairer sex, what can you do? Disguise yourself as a man and prove yourself as equal, thats what!

To celebrate the release of The Breadwinner, the powerful story of a young girl living under Taliban rule who starts dressing up as a boy to ensure that her family doesnt fall into poverty (in cinemas May 25), we look at some other films featuring female characters who aim beyond the roles expected of them.

Victor/Victoria (1982)

When impoverished soprano Victoria fails another audition, Toddy, a performer from the club, joins her for dinner and invites her back to his flat when he realises she spent the last of her rent money on food. In the morning, Toddys boyfriend turns up and the pair row. Dressed in mens clothing, Victoria kicks the man out and Toddy gets the idea to pass Victoria off as a man to Andre Cassell, the most successful agent in Paris, as a female impersonator called Victor. In this guise, Victor/Victoria becomes a huge success, but the secret proves too big and ultimately Victoria proves herself as herself.

Mulan (1998)

Soon to be made into a live-action film, Disneys animated adventure told the legend of Mulan, a young girl who found it difficult to confirm the social norms of ancient China. When her war hero, yet battle-worn father is called once again to fight for the country, Mulan disguises herself as a man and claims to be his son fighting in his honour. Struggling at first to keep up with the male bravado and expectations of a young soldier, Mulan uses her natural ingenuity to carve her own path and becomes one of Chinas greatest heroines in the process.

Shakespeare In Love (1998)

When known, but struggling playwright Will Shakespeare is commissioned to write his next story, he finds himself with intense writers block and up against the clock. With only one workable scene to go on, and pressure to begin rehearsals mounting, he begins casting barely formed characters. Avid theatre fan Viola de Lessops dreams of appearing on-stage, despite women not being permitted to do so at the time, so decides to disguise herself as a man to audition. Impressing the playwright, he tracks her down and discovers her true identity. The pair embark on a love affair that threatens to ruin both of them, and yet inspires Shakespeares greatest works.

Albert Nobbs (2011)

After suffering a horrific incident during her teenage years, a terrified young girl sees an advertisement for waiters, buys a suit, gets interviewed and hired, and begins a new life with a male identity  Albert Nobbs. 30 years later and now a butler, Albert meets Hubert who reveals that he too is keeping the same secret, living as a man to escape an abusive husband. The pair spend a fun day as women again, but a fall brings them back to reality and they must decide which path to carry on with.

The Breadwinner (2018)

Parvana is a young girl living in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Her father has always taught her more than girls are expected to know by law, and encourages her to use her colourful imagination to tell stories, however this leads to him getting arrested by a volatile member of the Taliban, and thrown into jail. Struggling to provide for her mother and siblings as a girl, Parvana cuts her hair and wears male clothes to get the provisions her family needs to survive, whilst also saving money that she aims to use as a bribe to get her father from behind bars.

The Breadwinner comes to cinemas this Friday, May 25, 2018.Ryan Crowe, 22, was shot Thursday morning in the 600 block of Ashland Terrace, when suspects made entry into his residence and demanded money from him. A witness stated to police that while Mr. Crowe attempted to fight off the suspects, he was shot by one of them.

The Chattanooga Police Department responded to a call about the shooting at 2:06 a.m. Thursday. Upon arrival, police located Mr. Crowe suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported by Hamilton County EMS to a local hospital. Mr Crowe's injuries are considered non-life threatening.



Members of the Violent Crimes Bureau and Crime Scene are actively investigating this incident. Chattanooga Police ask anyone with information to call 423-698-2525 or submit a tip through the Chattanooga PD Mobile App.

The investigation is ongoing and more information will be released when available.A province bursting with culture, nature, gastronomy and urban hotspots, Ontario is also home to some of Canadas most beautiful hidden gems. From islands, beaches and coves only accessible by boat, to vineyards stretching as far as the eye can see, heres a round-up of some of Ontarios best kept secrets.

Toronto Islands

Toronto Islands

With breathtaking and unbeatable views of Torontos skyline just a short 10-minute ferry ride from the city, a trip to Toronto Islands is the perfect way to spend a day appreciating the cityscape from a different angle, and just so happens to be one of Torontos most Instagrammable locations! Full of tree-filled picnic spots, picturesque beaches and waterfront attractions, and comprising three main islands of Centre, Wards and Algonquin  all with connecting paths, bridges and boardwalks  theres something for everyone to enjoy.

Point Pelee

Point Pelee National Park is world-renowned for bird watching with more than 390 species recorded during migration in the spring and autumn months. As such, the park is internationally recognised as an Important Bird Area and a UNESCO designated Wetland of International Significance. Every autumn Point Pelees skies come alive with the fluttering of thousands of amber wings in the annual migration of the spectacular Monarch butterfly, which is an unmissable spectacle for visitors and natives alike. Point Pelee National Park is also one of Canadas premier stargazing destinations. Tourists to the park can be lucky enough to spot Orion, Taurus, and all the other constellations with cold, clear nights.

Thousand Islands National Park

Located in the beautiful region of Gananoque, Thousand Islands National Park is just three hours drive from Toronto. Accessible only by boat, the park is spectacular and offers 61 campsites as well as activities such as sailing, kayaking and hiking. Visitors can also explore hidden gems such as Boldt Castle while boat tours are amongst the most popular activities in the park, offering an insight to the areas past including tales of pirates and bootleggers. For a truly memorable experience, see the islands from above on a helicopter tour.

Muskoka

Muskoka is consistently named as one of the best places to visit in Canada. This quaint and charming region affectionately known as Canadas cottage country and is host to the ultimate family holiday destinations. Families flock to the picturesque lakeside locations to celebrate summer on the water. Muskoka is also one of the most romantic places to visit in Canada. Couples can wake up lakeside to the sound of loons and sip their morning coffee while overlooking the crystal-clear waters that Muskoka is famous for.

Prince Edward County

Named the gastronomic Capital of Ontario and one of Canadas most exciting wine regions; Prince Edward County is a great holiday destination throughout the year. Home to many passionate winemakers producing some of this countrys best wines, Prince Edward County is a hotspot for any wine-lovers out there. With over 45 wineries to see, travel Prince Edward County's Taste Trail and visit vineyards, breweries, and restaurants inspired by the county's agricultural heritage and farm-to-table food movement.

Flowerpot Island

Flowerpot Island, lies just 6.5 kilometres off the coast of Tobermory within Fathom Five National Marine Park, is famous for its natural sea stacks (flowerpots), crystal clear waters as well as its caves and a historic lighthouse. The island has a number of campsites and hiking trails for visitors to explore as well as opportunities for kayaking with stunning views in every direction.

St Jacobs

The Village of St. Jacobs is a beloved destination steeped in history and set in a charming location along the Conestoga River. This small community is a fabulous destination for food and drink  every week, hundreds of vendors bring farm-fresh foods, crafts, and amazing ready-to-eat foods. St. Jacobs Farmers' Market is host to an enormous selection of food products for all cultures and tastes. Choose from delicious cheeses, breads, grass-fed beef, unique gluten-free pastas and more. A foodies heaven.

Kingston

The history of Canadian music is told across each stage in Kingston, Ontario. Steeped in history, yet always changing  Kingston is where culinary, culture and creativity meet. One of the main cultural venues in the greater Kingston region, the City of Kingston's Grand Theatre serves as the prime performing arts venue for hundreds of professional and amateur performances annually including ballet, modern dance, theatre, variety, musicals, comedy and more.

Manitoulin Island

Manitoulin Island is a beautiful, unique scenic region, where Native life and legend meld with European history to provide an unforgettable holiday experience. Enjoy the Island's stress free holiday environment, where life moves at a slower pace. Wake up to the stunning sunrise over crystal clear lakes, and hike the scenic roads within this paradise for outdoor adventurers.

Rural Ottawa

Ottawa's Countryside is a haven for those who love the outdoors. From biking through beautiful fields to eating pancakes in a Maple farm, visitors will not be short of anything to do. A short road trip in any direction takes visitors to craft breweries, artisans, farms and museums that are sure to impress. The Prescott & Russell region hugs the South shore of the Ottawa River. Enjoy the great outdoors, festivals and events where friendly people and great scenery await.

All images courtesy of Ontario TravelMike Parr is leaving 'Emmerdale'.

Mike Parr

The 31-year-old actor - who plays Ross Barton on the ITV soap - is set to depart his role later this year to "pursue other acting opportunities".

Emmerdale's acting series producer Kate Brooks told The Sun's Bizarre TV column: "Michael Parr will leave Emmerdale later this year at the end of his current contract. His decision to pursue other acting opportunities has given the writing team the opportunity to create an intriguing storyline for his exit. Michael, who is nominated for Best Actor at the British Soap Awards next month, will leave the show on a high after brilliantly portraying Ross for five years."

And Mike joked he might even end up staying if he took home the British Soap Awards prize.

Alongside crying laughing emojis, he wrote on Twitter: "Yes I'll be leaving the soap soon. Have had the best few years at Emmerdale but it's time to move on and explore other avenues. If I win that soap award I might stay though (sic)"

During his time on the show, Ross has been at the centre of huge storylines and he was recently the subject of an acid attack, ordered by Debbie Dingle (Ned Porteous).

Explaining how Ross is not dealing with the aftermath of the horrific incident well, Mike recently said: "[Drinking is his] escapism. Not only is it physically numbing the pain, because Ross is in constant agony, it also takes him away from the world he finds himself in. That's a very small world where he's trapped, alone and scared. These are new emotions to Ross.

"He's almost in self-destruct mode. Debbie doesn't want him in the way that he wants her. So her coming round is a kick in the teeth. So he feels like lashing out against her to try to push her away."Following the Fethiye Times recent feature on the Dancing Divas, we turn the spotlight onto the Fethiye Creative Womens Group art class and talk to co-founder Sharon Baltac.

Creative beginnings

Art has been part of Sharons life ever since she was a child, and she cant imagine it being any other way.

Ive just always done it, she says. My mum was very into crafts and its something I grew up with. I love painting  especially watercolours, I just adore the delicacy of using them. I have so many different projects on the go  theres always something new to learn and different styles to try.

Running an art class seemed a natural progression; Sharon already held a regular craft session at her home and people there told her theyd love to paint. So, when she and her friend, Kate Topcu, discussed setting up a creative womens group, it seemed an obvious addition.

From abstract to Picasso

Since it began towards the end of 2014, the class has covered a wide range of subjects  landscapes, city skylines, nature, animals and people, to name a few.

The members have produced works inspired by such famous names as Monet and Picasso, as well as more contemporary icons such as Sam Toft and Diane Salter, and Turkish artist Canan Berber.

A different subject is announced each week, with the women encouraged to find their own examples to inspire them. Acrylics, watercolours and mixed media have all played their part in the resulting artworks.

What delights Sharon is seeing her students discover their hidden talents, becoming less afraid to experiment and develop their own styles and skills.

It doesnt matter if someone is a beginner or has painted before  theres a place for them in this class, she explains.

I remind people that even the greatest artists didnt get it right first time  Monet did more than a thousand paintings of his water lilies compared to the three most people know. Everyone has their own style and should never say they are no good at art.

A child drawing the most basic stick person thinks its a masterpiece but sadly, as we get older, we become more critical of ourselves. I love seeing the ladies grow in confidence and ability, and hope my class helps them realise they are better than they think they are.

A welcoming environment and a safe space

Its not just about the art, either. The weekly sessions offer company and a great way to make new friends  something of which Sharon is proud.

There are a lot of women on their own in this area, for whatever reason  some are widowed or wanted a new life in a different country, for example. As a single woman it can be difficult to find a group where you feel comfortable, so I want our group to provide that environment. I know some of the ladies who come to class get together socially now, and thats great, she says.

And she urges anyone thinking of having a go to take the plunge: I promise, painting isnt as scary as you think it will be. At the very least youll find a lovely group of warm, friendly women who are always happy to welcome a new face.

Interested in joining?

Classes are held every Friday from 9.30am  11.30am at Guvens Restaurant, Kocek Mustafa Caddesi, 1103 Sokak, Cals. You can catch a regular dolmus service from Fethiye centre and alight shortly before the terminus, or walk along the seafront.

Sharon Baltac is also planning to run some more Saturday workshops covering different painting techniques.

To find out more, or if you have questions about the regular class, email her at sjbaltaci@yahoo.co.uk.

This article was written for Fethiye Times by Rebecca Parsley. Photographs by Steve Parsley.

Rebecca & Steve Parsley are both former journalists with experience in newspapers, magazines and on radio. Since 2006 they have run their own communications agency, specialising in social media and online content writing. They moved to Turkey just over four years ago and live in Kayakoy with their German Shepherd dog, Dillon  formerly a street dog  and two cats. When not slaving over their keyboards or walking in the local countryside, they enjoy watching motorsport  especially Formula 1  and are also salsa dance addicts.Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release

SubCategory Select Sub-CategorySUVA - The Fijian Government, in partnership with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), hosted the first national workshop on Low Emissions Development Strategy (LEDS) at Holiday Inn, Suva on Wednesday, 23 May 2018. The one-day national stakeholder workshop was formally opened in the morning by Fijian Attorney-General, Minister for Economy and responsible for climate change, Hon. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

Carbon emissions that are a direct result of human activity pose an existential threat to the health of our climate, said Sayed-Khaiyum. While Fiji, as a small island state with a population of less than one million, is already among the worlds lowest carbon-emitting countries, we are committed to leading the world by example through the development of an ambitious LEDS.Fijis LEDS will be a holistic and far-reaching development strategy that promotes both sustainable growth and long-term decarbonisation of the Fijian economy. It will guide Governments future decarbonisation efforts, providing a framework to meet CO2 targets under Fijis Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) through 2030 and beyond.Notably, Fijis LEDS will be the first of its kind for a Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS). The Fijian LEDS will complement the work that the Fijian Government is already carrying out for mitigation and adaptation under the Paris Agreement, including the implementation of the actions articulated under the NDC Roadmap.The inaugural LEDS workshop was organised with the aim to inform stakeholders on the LEDS process to date, and to engage participants from across the public and private sectors in a constructive dialogue over Fijis long-term vision for low-emission development through 2050.-ENDS-Professional and family caregivers gathered at the Greenbriar Cove Clubhouse in Ooltewah to attend the Caregiver Cafe Speaker Series "Compassion Fatigue: Dementia and Depression" presented by the Morning Pointe Foundation and Parkridge Health System.

The free public awareness event was hosted in partnership with the Morning Pointe of Collegedale at Greenbriar Cove assisted living and Alzheimer's memory care campus.

Experts from Parkridge Valley Dr. J. Eric Carter, primary care physician, and Tracy Rollinger, LCSW, manager of social services, led the discussion which explored depression, dementia, and healthy solutions to cope.

We sincerely thank Parkridge for the opportunity to connect healthcare experts with trained and untrained caregivers, said Lori Hoeger, director of the Morning Pointe Foundation. It is a privilege to be a resource as we navigate the changing phases of dementia care for loved ones.

The Morning Pointe Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Morning Pointe Senior Living. Founded in 2014 by senior healthcare entrepreneurs Greg A. Vital and J. Franklin Farrow, the 501(c)3 public service nonprofit provides nursing scholarship opportunities, forms community partnerships and supports caregivers in its mission to advance the care of seniors.CareZone, a San Francisco, Calif.-based smartphone service for managing chronic health conditions, raised $50m in Series D funding.

The round, which brings total financing to $150m, was led by New Enterprise Associates.

The company intends to use the funds to expand its consumer reach and continue to grow its network of pharmacy and health partners.

Founded in 2012 by former CEO of Sun Microsystems Jonathan Schwartz, and former Microsoft and Apple engineer Walter Smith, CareZone is a smartphone service for managing chronic health conditions. The app is able to scan medications from every pharmacy in the nation (including Walgreens, Rite-Aid, CVS, Kroger and Walmart) to automate consumer data entry; connect scanned medication lists to free medication pill packeting and home delivery services; automate Medicare insurance analysis; and provide a selection of subscription vitamin and supplement offerings to meet non-clinical and over-the-counter care needs.

Launched in 2012, CareZone has attracted more than three million registered users who have used the app to scan more than 15 million medications, placing more than 100,000 orders for home delivery with partner pharmacies.

FinSMEs

23/05/2018Idinvest Partners, a European investor in SMEs, has appointed Guillaume Santamaria as Investment Director for the Growth Capital team, which held its first closing at 250m in November 2016.

In this role, Santamaria will be involved in sourcing, analysing and executing investments for the Growth Capital team, both in France and across Europe.

Before joining Idinvest Partners, Santamaria originated and executed 10+ operations on both fundraising and M&A with Apparius Corporate Finance, an independent M&A firm specialized in TMT where he started the digital health practice.

Prior to this, he was part of Quilvest Group, a 36bn AUM Private Equity and Private Wealth management company.

In addition to his 10 years experience in the investment banking sector, Santamaria regularly lectures on entrepreneurship and financing innovation at HEC Paris, his alma mater.

He also holds a masters degree in Political Sciences from Sciences-Po Bordeaux.

Founded in 1997 as an Allianz subsidiary and lanched independently in 2010, Idinvest Partners is a European mid-market private equity firm with close to 8bn under management.

In January 2018, the firm joined forces with Eurazeo to create a private equity leader in Europe and North America with 15bn under management.

FinSMEs

24/05/2018Reltio, a Redwood Shores, Calif.-based provider of a Self-Learning Data Platform, secured a $45m Series D funding.

The round was led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA) with participation from other existing investors Crosslink Capital, .406 Ventures, and Sapphire Ventures.

The company, which has now raised $117m in total, intends to use the funds to accelerate innovation, accelerate international expansion, and ramp support for global enterprise customers.

Led by Manish Sood, CEO, Reltio provides the Reltio Self-Learning Data PlatformTM, which, developed natively in the cloud, organizes enterprise data for continuous self-learning. The platform organizes data from all sources and formats, creating a unified data set with personalized views for users across sales, marketing, and compliance. With machine learning, Reltio then recommends actions, and finally measures and correlates the impact on the business.

The company has offices in London and in Bangalore, India.

FinSMEs

24/05/2018CHI Memorial offers a free seven-week Freedom From Smoking program to help people stop smoking. The program teaches participants how to beat tobacco addiction, lifestyle changes that make quitting easier, stress management, how to avoid weight gain and how to stay smoke-free for good.



Freedom From Smoking is an American Lung Association program that has helped more than one million Americans overcome an addiction to nicotine during the past 30 years, officials said.

"Tobacco use is the largest preventable cause of death and disease in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Within two weeks of quitting, former smokers have reduced their risk of having a heart attack and improved their lung function," officials said.



A new session will begin Thursday, June 7 at CHI Memorial Family Practice Associates  Ooltewah, 6401 Mountain View Road, Suite 109 in Ooltewah. The class will meet every Thursday for seven weeks from 4-5:30 p.m.



The program is designed for a small group setting. Anyone who has a desire to stop smoking should call 423-495-7778 to register for a class at a location convenient to you. There is no charge for the program.





.            ,        .      -        -     .        ,  ,    ,       ,     ...Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander on Thursday announced the committee will hold a hearing on June 12 at 10 a.m. EDT with Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, to examine President Trumps drug pricing blueprint:

Senator Alexander said, Biomedical research has made it possible to cure Hepatitis C, prevent migraines, and stop a stroke, but it is important that patients are able to afford these miracle drugs. The cost of prescription drugs is a complex problem and the Administration has laid out a comprehensive plan to help address that problem. I welcome the Presidents leadership to put patients first, and look forward to hearing more about the blueprint from Secretary Azar and learning how Congress can help reduce the cost of prescription drugs.

This will be the committees fourth in a series of hearings this Congress on the price of prescription drugs. The first hearing in June 2017 examined the path a prescription drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration takes from the manufacturer to patient, and how this path affects what the patient pays. At a second hearing in October, the committee heard from industry experts on what goes into the price Americans pay when picking up their prescriptions. The committee held a third hearing in December to hear from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on a report they published on making medicine more affordable.The House Appropriations Committees Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee on Thursday passed the fiscal year 2019 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill, which was authored by Rep. Tom Graves who is chairman of the subcommittee. The bill provides annual funding for the Treasury Department, the Judiciary, the Small Business Administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, and other related agencies.



The bill totals $23.4 billion.

The legislation targets resources to programs that will help boost economic growth and opportunity, protect consumers and investors, promote an efficient federal court system, and stop financial crime.Once again, this bill is a product of an open, inclusive, member-driven process, said Rep. Graves. We brought appropriators and authorizers together. We consulted other committees. We fostered personal, member-to-member conversations to make sure priorities in the bill were vetted and supported across jurisdictions. The end result is a conservative bill that represents the majority views of the House.The bill brings the rogue, unaccountable Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under the appropriations process, which will finally subject it to congressional oversight and accountability, Rep. Graves said. It also includes many significant financial reforms that slash harmful regulations and streamline outdated agency processes. Additionally, the bill creates the Fund for Americas Kids and Grandkids, which safeguards funds for future generations. We cut $585 million across the bill to make an initial deposit. The money in this account cannot be spent on any other government program; its protected from the spending process and only accessible when our budget deficit is erased. Importantly, this fund sets a new tone for appropriations bills: just because you can spend it, doesnt mean you should spend it. Its an approach that causes us to think about what all of this deficit spending means, in whose name we are borrowing the money, and who will get stuck with the debt.The bill targets resources for important programs that will continue current growth, including providing small businesses  the backbone of our economy  with the loans they need to compete at home and abroad, said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen. It also makes important investments to address some of the many challenges facing our nation  providing funding to fight the crushing opioid epidemic and to protect against cyber-crime. Further, it does this while also demanding tough oversight of federal programs and accountability for the use of every tax dollar.Click HERE to view the bill.

Bill Highlights:





Fund for Americas Kids and Grandkids  The bill includes a new Fund for Americas Kids and Grandkids in the amount of $585 million. This account safeguards funds for future generations and is available for obligation only when our budget deficit is erased. The $585 million deposit represents 2.5 percent of the total allocation for this bill.



Financial Reform  In Title IX, the bill includes nearly 20 bipartisan financial reform bills that have passed the House during the 115th Congress with a vote of 270 or more. Democrats and Republicans are the sponsors of these provisions. Among these provisions, the bill brings the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection under the regular appropriations process, with a limitation of $485 million in FY19. It also receives independent IG authority, requires congressional action on new rules and allows the president to terminate the director at will.

Additionally, building upon the JOBS Act from 2012, the bill includes provisions to facilitate capital formation, enhance our capital markets and provide targeted relief to financial institutions.



Small Business Administration (SBA)  The bill contains $737 million for the SBA to help promote opportunities for American small businesses to begin, grow and prosper. This includes full funding to support $30 billion in 7(a) and $7.5 billion in 504 small business loans. Also included is $12.3 million for veterans programs, $18 million for Womens Business Centers, and $130 million for Small Business Development Centers.

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)  The bill provides $11.6 billion for the IRS. Of the funds, $77 million are targeted to help the IRS with implementing the new tax code adopted in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. In total, the bill provides Taxpayer Services an additional $31 million above the fiscal year 2018 enacted level to support IRSs customer service  such as phone call and correspondence response times  and funding for fraud prevention and cybersecurity.

The legislation maintains safeguards and funding prohibitions of taxpayer dollars at the IRS.

Fighting the Opioid Epidemic  The legislation contains $415 million for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). Within this amount, the bill provides $280 million for High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) and $118 million for other federal drug control programs.

In addition to these funds, the bill provides an extra $15.4 million over the budget request to the US Postal Service Office of Inspector General to continue drug interdiction efforts and investigations.

Treasury Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI)  The bill contains $161 million for TFI to safeguard our financial system against illicit use and strengthen the development and enforcement of sanctions programs.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)  The bill contains $335 million for the FCC salaries and expenses to support the administration of payments to television and radio broadcasters out of the TV Broadcaster Relocation Fund.

General Services Administration (GSA)  The bill allows the GSA to spend $8.6 billion out of the Federal Buildings Fund. This level of funding will cover the rent and other costs of buildings and properties owned or occupied by federal government agencies across the nation. In addition, the bill supports critical infrastructure investment on our nations border, providing $276 million to fund the second and final phase of construction of the Calexico, CA, Land Port of Entry.

The bill includes $150 million for the Technology Modernization Fund for upgrades and improvements to IT systems across the government to prevent cybercrimes, terrorism and intrusion.

Further, the bill includes $31 million for the Asset Proceeds and Space Management Fund. The fund will be used to carry out the recommendations of the Public Buildings Reform Board and reduce the inventory of excess federal property to save taxpayer dollars.

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)  Included in the bill is $1.66 billion for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) salaries and expenses, which is $201 million below the fiscal year 2018 enacted level due to last years one-time costs associated with GSA lease renewals.

In addition, the legislation contains policy provisions and reporting requirements to improve transparency, accountability, and fairness and to stop overly burdensome regulation. For example, the bill:

 Prohibits the agency from requiring the disclosure of political contributions in SEC filings.

 Title IX contains numerous legislative financial reforms, the vast majority of which have passed the House in the 115thCongress on an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote.

Judiciary  Included in the bill is $7.2 billion for the federal courts  an increase of $155 million above the fiscal year 2018 enacted level. This will provide sufficient funding for all federal court activities, the supervision of offenders and defendants living in our communities, court security, and the timely and efficient processing of federal cases.

District of Columbia  The bill contains a $751 million federal payment to the District of Columbia  which is $30 million above the fiscal year 2018 enacted level. Federal payments to the District are primarily to support the courts and other public safety functions and the fiscal year 2019 increases go towards completion of courthouse consolidation projects, and lease and moving costs. It also includes $45 million for the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act (SOAR), which provides scholarships to low-income students in DC to attend private schools.

In addition, the legislation:

Maintains provisions prohibiting federal and local funds from being used for abortion;

Maintains provisions prohibiting further marijuana legalization;

Maintains a prohibition on federal funds from being used for needle exchanges and the supervised consumption of any Schedule I substances in the District of Columbia;

Prohibits funds for the DC Death with Dignity Act and fully repeals the local legislation; and

Prohibits funds for enforcement of DC Reproductive Non-Discrimination Act.

Other Legislative Provisions 

 The bill prohibits the use of funds in the Federal Employee Health Benefits program for abortion.

 The bill prohibits funding to require that entities applying for or conducting work under federal contracts disclose campaign contributions.

 The bill includes a provision maintaining the six-day mail delivery requirement for the Postal Service.

 Title X carries the Email Privacy Act as passed by the House in the 115th Congress.

 Title XI carries the Amateur Radio Parity Act as passed by the House in the 115th Congress. :           

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HARMAN International has launched the JBL GO 2 in India. It is a portable, compact Bluetooth speaker that is waterproof with the IPX7 rating. Since it is Bluetooth, users can wirelessly stream music or with a wired connection from any smartphone or tablet.

The company claims that it can last up to 5 hours on continuous playtime. It also comes with built-in echo and noise canceling speakerphone offering crystal clear phone call experience. The JBL GO 2 packs a block-shaped design with soft, curved edges.

It comes in 12 eye-catching colors options. Of-the-moment shades like Ash Gray, Icecube Cyan, Seafoam Mint, Lemonade Yellow, Sunkissed Cinnamon, Pearl Champagne, Midnight Black, Deep Sea Blue, Moss Green, Coral Orange, Ruby Red, Slate Navy.

The JBL GO 2 is priced at Rs. 2,999 and is available at various retail stores and chains, and at 350 key Samsung brand stores across the country.

Sumit Chauhan, Vice President  Lifestyle Audio, HARMAN India said:Google at the I/O 2018 showcased a bunch of new features including the real-time detection which is the ability to identify and add interactive elements to objects that you want information about. This new feature is now rolling out along with a redesigned interface with white U.I.

Other visual changes include a new rounded card at the bottom of the screen replacing the black overlay interface. The new White U.I which on pulling up provides examples and instructions on how to use Lens. It looks like Google has tweaked the Remember this or Import to Keep shortcuts in Lens, as the functionality doesnt appear to be present in the new updated interface.

The real-time detection now shows a button on the item which on tapping will present more information about it. This new behavior replaces the good old stop and taps objects in the viewfinder before Lens can recognize it as an object that is capable of providing information.

Now it can detect more than just one object if it has identified more than one item as capable of providing information in the scene. It appears that Google Assistant is now missing from the frozen-screen images when you back out from the Lens dialog. Google Lens has already started rolling out to more phones, these features should be coming to most phones in the coming days. However, these changes are server-side and should be remotely activated.

SourceFacebook today has expanded its marketplace to home service professionals. The company says that it has included this section as it topped the recommendations related queries on Facebook in the US compared to other topics.

The company says that it has worked with industry leaders Handy, HomeAdvisor and Porch, Marketplace and will provide an all-in-one place to complete your next home project right from proposal to completion, offer hundreds of thousands of top-rated professionals across the US, will also help you simplify decision taking by suggesting professionals ratings, reviews, credentials, and location. It also lets you send requests to multiple professionals at once describing the project.

Lastly, this makes it easier to communicate in real-time with your service professional via Messenger. The new Facebook Home Service experience will be rolling out from today, and it will be available across the US over the coming weeks.

SourceJacopo Raule/GC Images(NEW YORK) -- Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein will turn himself into New York City police Friday to face criminal charges brought by the Manhattan District Attorneys office, sources familiar with the case told ABC News.



Weinstein has been under criminal investigation in connection with the allegations of two women, Lucia Evans and actress Paz de la Huerta.



Its not clear what charges Weinstein will face but Evans told The New Yorker Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him in 2004 while de la Huerta told Vanity Fair he raped her in 2010.



Both accusations are within the statute of limitations in New York given the nature of the alleged crimes.



Weinsteins case was recently presented to a grand jury by prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorneys office, which declined to comment. Weinsteins defense attorney Benjamin Brafman also declined to comment, as did the NYPD.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Rep. Tom Graves on Thursday voted for and the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 5515), annual legislation that authorizes funding for the Department of Defense.

This bipartisan bill continues and strengthens President Trumps plan to rebuild the military, said Rep. Graves. It also makes key investments that support Georgias contribution to our national defense, including essential funds for surveillance aircraft stationed at Robins Air Force Base and investments in new cyber warfare tools and capabilities at Fort Gordon.

After voting the act, Rep. Scott DesJarlais said, During my visits to Arnold Air Force Base, Redstone Arsenal and the Y-12 National Security Complex, civilian and military personnel alike have underscored the need for a consistent commitment to high-tech defense research and testing. We must not simply keep pace with China and Russia, but instead must make sure the United States always has superior ability on the ground, at sea, in the air and in space.

He recently spoke on the House Floor in favor of fully funding the NNSA, responsible for military applications of nuclear science. Tennessees Oak Ridge/Y-12 complex plays an integral role in the field. In addition, the NDAA increases troop numbers, gives them their largest pay increase in nine years, and supplies military branches with advanced equipment and warfighting platforms. Over the past few years, high-profile naval and air accidents have highlighted the nations need to rebuild its depleted fighting forces, said Rep. DesJarlais.

He said, Leading from behind, the previous administrations strategy, led to a deterioration of our military, while foreign adversaries took the opportunity to assert themselves across the globe. Russia, China and Iran advanced in their regions. North Korea and Islamic terrorism became more aggressive, filling the vacuum that our retreat from global leadership created.

With a new Commander-in-Chief and Congress, working to Make America Secure Again, we are on a path to greater safety and prosperity for the American people. Todays defense bill reaffirms our commitment to our friends and allies in Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia, and partner nations depending on U.S. assistance to stop threats. National security is our governments number-one duty, and I am honored to provide necessary resources to the brave men and women, including many Tennessee Volunteers, protecting the United States.

Below is a list of the bills highlights:



Helps rebuild the military by authorizing $639.1 billion for the Department of Defense and defense-related activities ;





Provides for a 2.6 percent pay raise for servicemembers;





Supports President Trumps proposal for a military parade and national celebration to honor our troops;





Requires the Air Force to continue the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) replacement program, which is stationed at Robins Air Force Base;

Strengthens the readiness of our nations cyber mission forces by investing in training for the workforce and by fielding new cyber warfare tools and capabilities.Update June 26: Xiaomi has started rolling out MIUI 9.5.14.0.OEIMIFA Android 8.1 (Oreo) stable update for the Redmi Note 5 Pro users, a day earlier than expected. If you cant wait, you can manually flash MIUI 9.5.14.0 Recovery ROM using updater method.

Changelog includes Android N to Android O upgrade for India, Dual 4G optimization and MIUI 9.5 optimization.

Update June 25: Xiaomi has finally announced that global stable MIUI 9.5 ROM based on Android 8.1 (Oreo) will roll out starting from June 29th, Friday for Redmi Note 5 Pro users in batches. We will update the ROM once it begins rolling out.

Earlier: Xiaomi started rolling out MIUI 9.5 in March and as per the schedule Redmi Note 5 Pro was supposed to get the update in April. Towards end of April, company revised the schedule and said that it will roll out MIUI 9.5 update for Redmi Note 5 Pro in May with a surprise. MIUI 9.5 for Redmi Note 5 Pro was leaked last month and it was based on Android Oreo 8.1, so it was not difficult to guess what surprise Xiaomi kept for users.

Earlier this week, users on Mi Community started reporting that they started receiving MIUI Global Stable 9.5.6.0 update on their Redmi Note 5 Pro. MIUI 9.5.6.0 brought Treble support along with Android Oreo 8.1 and March security patch to Redmi Note 5 Pro. This update also enabled New Notifications Shade and Full Screen Gestures on device but it is the same buggy version which was leaked last month and soon after updating, users started reporting laggy performance and degraded camera quality issues. As per our sources, Xiaomi had no plans to release this version but it was rolled out accidently and so Xiaomi pulled back the update and deleted update announcement thread within an hour without providing any details to users.

Yesterday, Xiaomi started rolling out MIUI 9.5.11.0.OEIMIFA update for the users who updated their devices to MIUI 9.5.6.0. It is a bug fixing update to improve system stability and update is around 193 MB in size. The update also brings April security patch to the device along with updated Mi Video with online content integration but Mi Music app is not yet updated and lacks Hungama Integration.

Similar to leaked MIUI Global Beta ROM and leaked Stable ROM, MIUI 9.5.11.0 also has Dual 4G VoLTE option. Dual 4G VoLTE didnt work in our case, we tried with two Jio connections and a Jio & a Airtel connection as well but some users are reporting that Dual 4G VoLTE is working for them.

MIUI 9.5.11.0 is available only for the users who updated to MIUI 9.5.6.0 but users can manually flash MIUI 9.5.6.0 update Recovery ROM on their phone using updater method to get OTA for MIUI 9.5.11.0. Xiaomi has already discontinued MIUI 9 development and it will introduce MIUI 10 along with Mi 8 on 31st May in China

SourceThe significance of functional ingredients and how they can elevate products are key topics on the show floor at Anuga 2021. Amid a wealth of new applications and... Read MoreThe perceived safety and quality of food imported from Europe into China provides commercial opportunities for European food producers, research has found.

Researchers lead by Newcastle University examined the concerns of Chinese consumers to food fraud and food safety after a series of high profile incidents, some of which have resulted in serious illness and even fatalities, damaging trust in domestically produced food.

In one such incident in 2008, six babies died when milk used to make baby formula was poisoned with melamine, a further 54,000 infants needed to be treated in hospital and 300,000 were taken ill. Despite introducing food safety law and regulation, the research published today in PLoS ONE reveals that Chinese consumers are still mistrustful about the safety of domestic food supply chains.

Lead author Lynn Frewer, Professor of Food and Society at Newcastle University said: "We found that despite considerable reforms of the food system regulation, Chinese consumers were distrustful of domestic products and considered imported food products to be better quality and safer.

"It's important that European producers understand what Chinese consumers are looking for in order to continue to offer that reassurance and to market their products successfully."

Chinese consumers

The team used qualitative and quantitative methodologies to understand Chinese consumers concerns about food fraud and to assess their attitudes towards foods imported from Europe.

Analysis revealed the safety cues used by Chinese consumers in their decision-making. Steps that producers can take and that were valued as guaranteeing food safety included:

-The country of origin should be clearly displayed - European products are perceived to be safer and more trustworthy than products locally produced in China.

-Label any accreditation through third party certification bodies - such as geographic indications certification (PDO) and organic certification

-Industry certification- such as geographical indications certification for Scotch Whisky, can help to capitalise on the country of origin of products.

-Authenticity cues on packaging - Consumers have more trust in measures that are difficult to replicate, such as tamperproof seals.

-Preference for the type of authenticity cue(s) is product specific - any market research should include this as an important part of product testing.

The research also highlighted the benefits to producers as Professor Frewer explain: "We found that Chinese consumers are prepared to pay a premium for trustworthy authenticity cues so while it may take a little more effort, authenticity and safety guarantees usually add net value to products."

The researchers suggest that further research needs to be carried out in different groups of consumers across different socio-economic groups however, taking these findings into account could help European food producers in China.Image: Shutterstock

"After the Sale Hearing, even more disturbing facts came to light, as the Debtors' President, Mihir Bhansali, abruptly resigned to avoid providing information required by the Court at the Sale Hearing and, through his counsel, informed the Court that if called to testify he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self- incrimination," PNB attorneys submitted in the court.

Punjab National Bank (PNB) defrauded by diamond merchant Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi to the tune of over Rs 14,000 crore has moved a motion in the US Bankruptcy Court Southern District of New York on 23 May alleging that Modi and his team may engineer a fraud in the sale and the court should appoint a "trustee to serve as a responsible fiduciary who can oversee a sales process not tainted by the Modi fraud."PNB has also claimed that before filing bankruptcy petition, Modi's right hand man Mihir Bhansali was in touch with the fugitive diamantaire. It appears Bhansali also spoke to Modi after one of his company's -- A. Jaffe -- auction process was completed on 3 May, 2018 which the state-owned bank fears was totally rigged to allegedly favor a company, Parag Diamonds, considered to be close to Modi. Parag Diamonds, a New York-based company is owned by Panna Jain and his wife Rajni Jain. Subsequently, Panna and Rajni Jain formed a company Paramount LLC in Delaware, USA to facilitate Asset Purchase Agreement (APA). On 11 May, 2018, Modi's A. Jaffe Inc and Paramount entered into APA agreement for the purchase and sale of substantially all of the A. Jaffe Inc assets.Jain claimed that none of Parag Diamonds, Paramount's owners and employees are connected or related to Modi's companies. He also claimed that none of the directors had direct or indirect communication with the fugitive diamantaire or his associates and Modi or his aides did not negotiate the auction in any way. But PNB suspects foul play. In a submission to the US court on 23 May, the PNB attorney said: "It was only through cross-examination of the Chief Restructuring Officer (CRO) by counsel for PNB that this Court learned of the communications between Mihir Bhansali and Modi, the communications between management and potential bidders relating to their future employment and the possible connection between family members of Modi and Mr. Jain's family."The motion moved by the attorneys for PNB said the debtors (Nirav Modi's company and affiliates - Firestar Diamond, Inc., Fantasy, Inc. and A Jaffe. Inc - all based in the US) and existing management has failed to take any serious steps to ensure that those involved in fraud and other wrongful conduct were not involved in the sale process, that employees did not engage in discussions with potential bidders that gave rise to obvious conflicts of interests, or that employees ceased their communications with Modi, the indirect majority shareholder of the debtors and a fugitive from justice.Bhansali, a resident of 23 Park Avenue, New York was one of the directors of Nirav Modi Limited, UK before he was removed on 9 March, 2018. He is also listed as an employee of Modi-owned Firestar Diamond USA, which has filed for bankruptcy. He was made president and sole director of the debtors when Firestar Diamond filed petition for bankruptcy, but he abruptly resigned triggering suspicion that Modi and his group was trying to plot some conspiracy.PNB's attorney has also told the US court that Modi transferred the money garnered through fraudulent Letters of Undertaking (LoU) to other companies abroad. "These funds should have been dispersed to the 'exporter/beneficiary' to finance the import of goods into India; however, funds were dispersed to other Modi Entities instead of to third-party exporters/suppliers and were not used for bona fide import/export purposes," the submission on 23 May further stated.The PNB has also revealed to the US court that other funds were used to pay exporters for purported import transactions of semi-precious and precious stones that according to a preliminary analysis are unsupported by any documentation (e.g., key documents are missing from Indian customs authority records) and often involve shell companies affiliated with Modi and his associates. PNB suspects that in many instances the proceeds of the fraudulent LOUs were routed back to Modi and the Modi Entities without ever being used for the import of semi-precious or precious stones.PNB's attorney's claimed in the US court on 23 May that debtors were engaged in frequent business dealing with affiliates like Firestar International Limited, Firestar Diamond International Private Limited and Firestar Diamond FZE, which are prima facie beneficiaries of Modi fraud. These suspect entities allegedly hold more than $7 million in claims against the debtors, which suggests that the Nirav Modi's company was engaged in highly suspect transactions with affiliated entities, which could be just round tripping of money."The Debtors also have numerous relationships with exporters and importers associated with Modi and the related fraud. According to the Debtors' schedules, the total amount owed to certain suspect exporters and importers is approximately $6.5 million. In fact, A. Jaffe's two largest creditors, Pacific Diamonds FZE and Tri Color Gems, are named as the "exporter/beneficiary" on LOUs already identified as fraudulent. hese facts, along with other facts disclosed in PNB's prior filings with this Court, strongly suggest that the Debtors were involved in the Modi fraud," PNB Attorneys claimed.Questions are also being raised about the involvement of another trusted lieutenant of Nirav Modi -- Ajay Gandhi, who is Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Fire Star Diamond and till March 9 2018 served as one of the Directors of Nirav Modi Limited UK.On 23 March, 2018, Modi's men had filed a motion requesting the US court for the sale of all the assets and set a hearing to consider approval of the roposed Sale. The auctions for the assets of Firestar and Modi's another subsidiary firm Fantasy Inc were later adjourned to a date to be determined.Requesting the court for appointment of a trustee to oversee the sale process and ensure Nirav Modi does not manipulate it."This Court, PNB, and other parties in interest should not be forced to worry that every single action taken by the Debtors may be tainted by fraud. The integrity of the U.S. bankruptcy process should not be an open question," PNB submission in the US court said.Original Source:At the annual meeting of shareholders on Thursday, Unum Group (NYSE: UNM) President and CEO Richard P. (Rick) McKenney addressed the companys strong performance, customer focus, and the growing need for the financial protection Unum provides.

Consistent, solid performance in our core businesses  and our relentless focus on customer service  has led us to become one of the worlds leading providers of financial protection benefits in the workplace, Mr. McKenney said. Through our three principal businesses  Unum US, Unum UK and Colonial Life  we help protect more than 35 million workers and their families in the event of illness or injury through our disability, life, accident and critical illness coverage.

In 2017, Unum had record revenues of $11.3 billion and paid nearly $7 billion in benefits. The company delivered earnings per share growth of more than 10%; record net income of nearly $1 billion; and returned roughly $600 million in capital to shareholders, among other measures.

With the outstanding results generated by our core businesses in 2017, we entered 2018 better positioned than ever for the long term, said Mr. McKenney. There is tremendous opportunity to grow our company.

Separately on Thursday, Unums board of directors authorized the repurchase of up to $750 million of the companys outstanding common stock through Nov. 24, 2019. This new authorization replaces the previous authorization of $750 million that was scheduled to expire on Nov. 25.

The board of directors also authorized an increase of 13 percent in the quarterly dividend paid on its common stock. The new rate of 26 cents per common share, or $1.04 per share on an annual basis, will be effective with the dividend expected to be paid in the third quarter of 2018.

Also at Thursdays meeting, among other voting items, Unum shareholders re-elected 11 directors for terms expiring in 2019: Theodore Bunting, retired group president of utility operations at Entergy Corporation; Michael Caulfield, former president of Mercer Human Resource Consulting; Susan DeVore, president and CEO of Premier, Inc.; Joseph Echevarria, retired CEO of Deloitte LLP; Cynthia Egan, retired president of T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services; Kevin Kabat, chairman of the board of Unum Group and retired president and CEO of Fifth Third Bancorp; Timothy Keaney, former vice chairman of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation; Gloria Larson, president of Bentley University; Rick McKenney, president and CEO of Unum Group; Ronald OHanley, president and COO of State Street Corporation; and Francis Shammo, retired CFO of Verizon Communications. Pamela Godwin, president of Change Partners, Inc., retired from the board on Thursday.With Arrested Development about to drop on Netflix, the cast sat down for a freewheeling interview where they were asked about the misconduct allegations against cast member Jeffrey Tambor, leading to a reveal about abuse between he and his on-screen wife.

The cast members sat down for an interview in which they were asked about the allegations against Tambor that came out about his conduct on the set of Transparent. As previously reported, three people connected to the production of the Emmy-winning accused Tambor of sexual misconduct and harassment. He has since been removed from the show as it continues on without him.

The 73-year-old has denied the allegations and was allowed to participate in Arrested Development Season 5, which wrapped filming right around the time that it wrapped filming. In an interview with The New York Times, the cast was asked about the allegations against Tambor, prompting costar Jason Bateman to defend his on-screen father. The star declared that he would not be a part of another season of the fan-beloved series in the event Tambor wasnt asked to participate.

Tambor was then asked about a quote he gave to The Hollywood Reporter in which he revealed that he had an on-set argument with his Arrested on-screen wife, Jessica Walter.

Which weve all done, by the way, Bateman interjected.

Youve never yelled at me, Walter responded. You have never yelled at me like that.

 Let me just say one thing that I just realized in this conversation, Walter said through tears. I have to let go of being angry at him. He never crossed the line on our show, with any, you know, sexual whatever. Verbally, yes, he harassed me, but he did apologize. I have to let it go. [Turns to Tambor.] And I have to give you a chance to, you know, for us to be friends again.

Although Bateman continued to explain Tambors behavior as par-for-the-course in showbusiness, Walter noted that in her 60 years of working, shed never had anybody yell at her the way Tambor did.

Tony Hale chimed in to agree with Bateman that this kind of stuff happens, but Walter wasnt having it.

But not like that, not like that, she said. That was bad.

She went on to note that Tambor has since apologized and that shes willing to work with him again largely because he was willing to admit his wrongdoing and commit to change. Sadly for curious fans, the duo did not elaborate on what happened in the alleged blowout or what it was reportedly over. However, as Us Weekly notes, many fans who read the interview were quick to side with her over the rest of her on-screen family.Sarah Paulson, 43, doesn't care if people judge her relationship with actress Holland Taylor, 75  after all, the "Oceans 8" star says, the pair are in love.

Paulson opened up about her 2-year relationship with Holland in Modern Luxury's June cover story, confirming the couple is still going strong, despite receiving harsh criticism over their 32-year age gap.

If anyone wants to spend any time thinking Im strange for loving the most spectacular person on the planet, then thats their problem, she told Modern Luxury, according to People. Im doing just fine.

The pair met during a dinner party more than a decade ago when Paulson was dating actress Cherry Jones, who is 18 years older. Paulson recalled thinking Holland was "the most exquisitely beautiful woman [she'd] ever seen," she told The New York Times.

Years later, the women found themselves back in a room together.

If anyone wants to spend any time thinking Im strange for loving the most spectacular person on the planet, then thats their problem."  Sarah Paulson

Actress Martha Plimpton asked the stars to film a short video for A Is For, a nonprofit that advocates for women's reproductive rights. Afterward, they followed each other on Twitter, eventually arranging a date via direct message.

Theres a poignancy to being with someone older, Paulson told the newspaper. I think theres a greater appreciation of time and what you have together and whats important, and it can make the little things seem very small.

Paulson went public about her romance with Holland in March 2016, though many cautioned against it.

"It occurred to me, should I not do that? And then I thought, why would I not?" Paulson told The EDIT in a December 2017 interview. "The fact I'm having this thought is wrong. But I had a moment of societal concern; wondering if, maybe, people who didn't know that about me would be like, 'Wait, what?' But then, you know, I did it anyway."

In the June Modern Luxury issue, the Emmy award-winning actress also spoke about her upcoming blockbuster "Ocean's 8," which will be released on June 8. Paulson, who plays a suburban mom named Tammy in the film, said her character looks nothing like her  and she loves it.

The more I can look in the mirror and not recognize myself, the more excited I am, she told the magazine, according to People. Were constantly faced with all these idea of beauty ... things that Hollywood puts out there for us to gobble up. Its very powerful when I look in the mirror and the first thing Im thinking isnt, Are you pretty?'"In May 1961, an elderly woman in Paris heard a knock at the door of her six-story walk-up apartment. It was only the most powerful man in the world.

The president of the United States was going door-to-door hoping to find the call girl he had discreetly arranged to meet.

John F. Kennedy, it turned out, used a fake excuse about a doctors visit to attend a long-arranged dalliance while in Paris for a crucial summit, only to wind up in the wrong building, knocking on the doors of random Parisians who were left with the surprise of their lives.

The tale of this ill-advised but ultimately, er, successful liaison is recounted in Madame Claude: Her Secret World of Pleasure, Privilege, & Power, by William Stadiem (St. Martins Press).

Madame Claude, born Fernande Grudet on July 6, 1923, in Angers, France, was one of the worlds most successful madams.

Starting in 1957, she ran an exclusive, high-class prostitution ring that offered a very specific type of woman  tall, supermodel-gorgeous, classy and upscale (or at least trained to appear so)  to the worlds richest and most powerful men.

The young women who worked for her were known as Claude girls, which became a well-known and powerful brand. She scouted them carefully, paid for plastic surgery if needed, and ultimately hoped to marry them off to aristocracy.

A date with a Claude girl was one of those pinnacle Paris experiences, writes Stadiem, like staying at the Ritz or dinner at Maxims or wearing a Lanvin suit . . . an apotheosis of luxury that the French do better than any other nationality.

According to Stadiem, Madame Claudes client list included the worlds most successful men of the time: Kennedy, Frank Sinatra, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Sammy Davis Jr., former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, three generations of Gettys, the Shah of Iran, Marlon Brando, Darryl Zanuck, Groucho Marx. If you were rich, famous and male in the 20th century, chances are Madame Claude knew what you liked in bed, and provided exactly that.

For Kennedy, his desired liaison required almost as much detailed preparation as an actual political summit.

After the Bay of Pigs fiasco in April 1961, Kennedy thought a meeting in Europe with French and Soviet leaders Charles de Gaulle and Nikita Khrushchev, respectively, could serve as a reset for his presidency. He decided that he and first lady Jackie Kennedy would embark on their first official European tour. This would be the trip where Jackie so entranced the French that Kennedy famously introduced himself as the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris.

But while Jackie was thrilled at the prospect of meeting novelist and newly appointed French Culture Minister Andre Malraux, one of her literary idols, her husband looked to fulfill a different sort of fantasy.

If JFK had a type, it was the wholesome, snooty, proper, preppy girl whose flaunted untouchability he could violate . . . girls like Jacqueline Bouvier, writes Stadiem, who notes that Kennedy learned about Madame Claude from Sinatra.

If JFK had a type, it was the wholesome, snooty, proper, preppy girl whose flaunted untouchability he could violate ... girls like Jacqueline Bouvier. Here was a madam who specialized in exactly what JFK was after.  William Stadiem, writing in Madame Claude: Her Secret World of Pleasure, Privilege, & Power

Here was a madam who specialized in exactly what JFK was after.

The liaison, Stadiem writes, was arranged directly between Madame Claude and Pierre Salinger, Kennedys press secretary. When Salinger first proposed the arrangement, Claude turned him down, fearing the many things that could go wrong if the presidents visit to a prostitute went haywire.

But Salinger, the brains behind many of Kennedys most impactful speeches, convinced Claude that any problems could work in her favor  that a scandal would make her a legend to the sex-comfortable French, and that a successful dalliance would bring her to the attention of the worlds most powerful men.

Rise to the occasion, Salinger exhorted Claude. Do it for your career. Do it for your country, he riffed, paraphrasing JFKs inaugural address. Think big!  Stadiem writes. Weighing risks and rewards like the shrewd banker she might have otherwise been, Claude decided to go for it.

On the trip, Kennedy hoped to hook up with French actress and Jackie Kennedy-lookalike Anouk Aimee, who had just appeared in the Federico Fellini hit La Dolce Vita. The president, Stadiem writes, had been obsessed about her.

What does he want her for? Hes already got her, Claude, referring to Aimees resemblance to the presidents wife, asked Salinger.

The explanation was that JFK liked the package more than the contents, Stadiem writes. He was drawn to Jackies looks but wanted a more seductive, sexual version.

Aimee, however, was horrified at the suggestion, rejecting it outright  not for any reticence about a paid encounter, but because she considered Kennedy a puerile warmonger. Claude told Salinger only that she was away on business and, therefore, unavailable.

While Claude searched for a suitable replacement, Kennedy and Salinger spent much of their time in the month before the summit determining how they would fit this diversion, for which they had a maximum of one hour, into the two-day trip without anyone finding out. They even had a code, speaking about buying Jackie a gift saddle at Hermes whenever they needed to discuss the side excursion.

If the world had any idea how much of his time was focused not on NATO or Algeria or Vietnam, but on a hot date from Madame Claude, the perception of history would have been dubious, to say the least, Stadiem writes.

If the world had any idea how much of his time was focused not on NATO or Algeria or Vietnam, but on a hot date from Madame Claude, the perception of history would have been dubious, to say the least.  William Stadiem, writing in Madame Claude: Her Secret World of Pleasure, Privilege, & Power

Claude found Kennedys dream date in a 23-year-old Sorbonne graduate who worked as a fitting model for Givenchy.

That last detail added an intriguing element to the liaison. Kennedy and the first lady fought incessantly about the trip, as the president wanted the former Ms. Bouvier to dial down her natural Frenchness and reflect a more American image. On this front, Jackie thought her husband should stuff it. Salinger and Claude, aware of this, both thought that a Jackie lookalike adorned in a dress from the most French of designers would be like waving a red cape at a bull; the bull was sure to charge, as was the president.

For secrecys sake, it was determined that the dalliance would take place at the young womans apartment.

Continue reading in the New York Post.If theres one person who was eager to bring Last Man Standing back on television, it was Tim Allen.

And one hot topic Allen said the show will address? Guns.

The 64-year-old star explained his character owns a sporting-goods store that has firearms, so were going to have to deal with that somehow.

Last Man Standing tells the story of a married father of three who tries to maintain his manliness in a world often dominated by women.

The popular sitcom was resurrected by Fox for Season 7 a few weeks ago, after ABC canceled the show in 2016.

The shows original cast, including Allen, Nancy Travis, Jonathan Adams, Amanda Fuller, Christoph Sanders and Jordan Masterson, are lined up to return.

Allen teased a possible reboot of Last Man Standing on social media a few weeks back.

Im excited because we have so much left in our tank, he told Closer Weekly. There were a lot of stories we hadnt gotten to.

Allen, a conservative who has voiced his support for Trump, stars as Mike Baxter, who is also politically conservative on the show.

Gary Newman and Dana Walden, chairmen and CEOs of Fox Television Group, said the decision to bring back the series was a no-brainer.

Last Man Standing ended too soon and the outcry from the fans has been deafening, they shared. Weve wanted to put the show back together since its final taping a year ago, and Tim never gave up hope either. Thanks to its millions of devoted viewers and the irrepressible Tim Allen, we havent seen the last of Last Man Standing.

Last Man Standing averaged 8.3 million viewers in Live +7 ratings for the 2016-17 season on ABC. It was the networks second most-watched comedy, after Modern Family.

Many speculated at the time that the network axed the series over its politics, a rumor that ABC vehemently denied at the time.

Weve been talking to Tim throughout the year, revealed Walden during a 2018 programming presentation for the press earlier this month. We tried to move Last Man Standing over last year when ABC decided not to move forward. Its a really funny show We always felt that for whatever reason, ABC didnt really prioritize Last Man Standing.

Newman added that despite rumors, he doesnt believe Last Man Standing was canceled over Allens political views.

Im not sure that cancellation really had anything to do with politics, he said. If anything, it may have had something to do with that network trying to own more of its schedule Tims personal politics really arent a big feature on the show [Mike Baxter] doesnt have extreme political views.

Newman noted fans of Last Man Standing were quick to launch a petition to bring back the series. However, he didnt believe the lasting success behind Last Man Standing was solely based on Baxters conservative values.

I think one of the great things about broadcast television is that the fans get very connected to these stars, the characters and the shows, he said. And a lot of that social sentiment that you see results in online discussions about shows, I think, is part of what drives the success of the show.

That fan base identifies or appeals to them that Tim has his particular political viewpoints. I just dont think the show ends up delving into it very deeply. From time to time, there may be a moment on the show that deals with current politics, but it doesnt feel like a soapbox or any particular point of view.Prince Harry allegedly gave his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy a final goodbye before he married American actress Meghan Markle.

Vanity Fair recently reported the 32-year-old Zimbabwe-born businesswoman reached out to Harry after learning she received an invitation to the high-profile ceremony at St. Georges Chapel on May 19, but not the private reception at Frogmore House.

Davy and Harry had met when they were both students at boarding school. It is believed they had an on-and-off romance between 2004 to 2011.

During their courtship, Davy met Harrys grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and was a guest at Prince Charles 60th birthday celebration. While the relationship ultimately came to an end, Davy and Harry remained friends. She was also invited to Prince Williams 2011 wedding to Kate Middleton.

A source told the magazine the conversation allegedly turned out to be an emotional farewell for the pair.

It was their final call, a parting call in which they both acknowledged Harry was moving on, claimed the source. Chelsy was quite emotional about it all. She was in tears and almost didnt go to the wedding. In the end, she went and promised Harry she wouldnt try and gatecrash the party.

Davy stirred headlines at Harrys wedding to the 36-year-old "Suits" star when she was spotted alongside his other ex-girlfriend, British actress Cressida Bonas.

Many social media users were quick to point out Davys somber face during the service.

Some joked her expression hinted, It should have been me.

Back in 2016, Davy admitted to UKs The Times that she had a difficult time coping with the intense media scrutiny while dating Harry.

It was tough, she explained. It was so full-on: crazy and scary and uncomfortable. I found it very difficult when it was bad. I couldnt cope. I was young, I was trying to be a normal kid and it was horrible.

Davy also shared that helping to support a royal isnt as easy as it may look.

I dont know but I think that some people are definitely better at it than others, she said.

Still, she insisted that she and Harry will always be good friends.

In November 2017, just shortly after Harry proposed to Markle, he told the BBC he quickly fell head over heels for her when they were set up on a date by a friend in July 2016.

I was beautifully surprised when I walked into that room and saw her, he recalled. I was like, Im really going to have to up my game here.

That fateful night led to a five-day camping trip in Botswana three to four weeks later, where they got to know each other more. Harry added he felt like the stars were aligned.

The fact that I fell in love with Meghan so incredibly quickly was confirmation to me that all the stars were aligned, he said. This beautiful woman just tripped and fell into my life, I fell into her life. I know that she will be unbelievably good at the job part of it as well.Social activist and the Intercept columnist Shaun King is being widely slammed for pushing a story about a state trooper sexually assaulting a woman that has been discredited when police body camera footage did not corroborate the story. The controversial King has backtracked and deleted damaging social media posts in which he said the trooper committed "rape"  but its too late for many critics.

Sherita Dixon-Cole had accused Officer Daniel Hubbard of sexual assault during a traffic stop on Sunday and King was quick to push her version of events. Earlier this week, King appeared on Radio 103.9 in New York and pushed the now-discredited story as if it were already proven to be accurate.

The officer first communicated to Sherita that he would be willing to let her go if she performed sexual favors for him, then proceeded to sexually assault her, touching her under her skirt, King declared. When her fiance arrived, the officer asked Sherita if he had a gun, and threatened to kill him if she said anything about what had just happened.

On Tuesday night, the Texas Department of Safety released the bodycam footage that completely contradicts Dixon-Coles story that was pushed by King on a variety of platforms in addition to the radio, including several posts on Facebook and Twitter.

The department said it was appalled that anyone would make such a despicable, slanderous and false accusation against a peace officer who willingly risks his life every day to protect and serve the public.

Dixon-Coles attorney, Lee Merritt, issued a statement apologizing for her claims. It is deeply troubling when innocent parties are falsely accused and I am truly sorry for any trouble these claims may have caused Officer Hubbard and his family, the attorney wrote.

Law & Crime reporter Matt Naham wrote that the damage was already done because King shared the false allegations on his social media accounts while even naming the officer.

Naham posted an archive of Kings since-deleted Facebook post in which he said the trooper raped Dixon-Cole, called her now-discredited story facts and specifically wrote, She didnt just make this up.

"I hereby offer free legal service to that trooper if he wants to bankrupt you."  Attorney-turned-radio host Clay Travis

Attorney-turned-radio host Clay Travis took to Twitter to ask when King was going to apologize to the Texas state trooper.

Entire story was a lie. I hereby offer free legal service to that trooper if he wants to bankrupt you, Travis wrote.

King published a blog post headlined, When the victim you fought for turns out to be the victimizer: Sherita Dixon-Cole and the painful consequences of a false report of sexual assault and police misconduct, in which he backtracks his attacks on the trooper and admits he was duped by Dixon-Cole.

King was mocked for painting himself as the victim after being fooled by Dixon-Cole. The Black Lives Matter activist even attempted to turn the entire thing into a racial issue.

An awful tendency exists in this country to hold all people of color responsible for the transgressions of one person in that group. Thats racism and it must be rejected here, he wrote.

When reached for comment, King directed Fox News to his blog post. When asked if he would apologize to the trooper, King provided this statement: "I would actually like to speak to the officer personally to apologize and to communicate that he was actually a model example of a good cop in this situation. He was patient and thorough. Ive actually already reached out to try to make that happen."

Hundreds of critics took to Twitter to express outrage at Kings actions. Actor James Woods thinks the trooper should sue anyone who libeled him while perpetuating the lie and media analyst Mark Dice agrees.

Daily Wire reporter Ryan Saavedra and Free Beacons Alex Griswoldeach shared a variety of Kings discredited claims, while Washington Examiner contributor Michael Moates wrote that King is pathetic for believing accusations without verifying the facts.

Journalist Roland Martin wrote that King should have said allegedly when calling the trooper a rapist.

Should not have taken a statement as undeniable fact, Martin wrote.

Eric July called King a joke, and Fox News contributor Stephen Miller sarcastically asked, Has Shaun King been praised for his painfully honest apology by the MSNBC Super Friends Resistance Club yet?

The Intercept did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Fox News' Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.Chattanooga Whiskey's last experimental release celebrated three new unique expressions of its Tennessee High Malt: Batch 004 - Scottish Style High Malt, Batch 005 - Wheated High Malt, and Batch 006 - a Beer Barrel Finished Wheated High Malt.

Its fourth experimental release moves into the wide world of malt whiskey - Batch 007 is the Tennessee Rye Malt and Batch 008 is the Tennessee Single Malt. Made in their signature malt forward style, these are the most limited releases to date, at just around 60 cases each.

Officials said, "In addition to these new limited whiskies, were also very proud to announce that our Experimental Series is now our Award Winning Experimental Series. The results from the 2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition are in, and Chattanooga Whiskey has brought home seven medals: five for our whiskey and two for our world-class packaging. Recognized as one of the premier spirits competitions in the world by both industry experts and consumers, we are humbled to be in a list with such great company.

"Our Experimental Series is a limited collection of single batch whiskies born from our Experimental Distillery in downtown Chattanooga. The first aged whiskey in our hometown in over 100 years, this series seeks to express uncompromised creativity and innovation within our craft. Each batch utilizes a multitude of malts, barrels, techniques and specialty ingredients to create whiskies that are truly one-of-a-kind.

"Were celebrating this release with a sold out party on Wednesday, May 30 at 7 p.m., and Batches 007 and 008 are available to the public for purchase at the Experimental Distillery beginning at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 31st."Hot on the upcoming release of Solo: A Star Wars Story, the franchise is dusting off another fan-beloved character, Boba Fett, for a standalone movie all his own.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, James Mangold is writing and will direct a new spinoff in the Star Wars universe centered on the bounty hunter Boba Fett. Disney and Lucasfilm are not only creating the ninth installment in the flagship series that A New Hope kicked off in 1977, but theyre also releasing anthology stories focused on singular characters. The trend kicked off with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which told the tale of how the rebels stole the original plans for the Death Star.

As the outlet notes, a rumored Boba Fett movie from X-Men helmer Simon Kinberg was reportedly in the works, and its unclear if this newly-revealed project from Mangold is different. Its a strange coincidence as Mangold wrote the Oscar nominated Logan," which takes place in the "X-Men" universe. Meanwhile, Stephen Daldry is reportedly in negotiations for a different standalone movie based on the character Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Both Fett and Kenobi were featured heavily in the critic and fan-maligned prequel trilogy from George Lucas. Kenobi, played by Ewan McGregor, was featured in all three of the films that also presented a brief origin story of Fett, played by Daniel Logan. In it, he sees his father, a bounty hunter, die at Kenobis hands. Presumably, the Fett movie will tackle the story of how he goes from that moment to the notorious villain that captured Han Solo later in life.Author Stephen King revealed to Late Show host Stephen Colbert why President Trump blocked him on Twitter.

King, 70, was on the show Wednesday night to discuss his latest novel The Outsider when Colbert asked the writer for his reaction to a federal judge's ruling that Trump was violating the First Amendment by blocking critics on Twitter.

King noted that he was blocked by Trump on the social media platform.

Now weve got a president who blocked me on Twitter, King told Colbert.

So my question is: do I really want to follow that guy? he continued. I dont think so.

BACHELOR AND BACHELORETTE CONTESTANTS HAVE TO SPEAK TO PRODUCERS BEFORE THEY HAVE SEX, AUTHOR CLAIMS

Colbert asked the It author why Trump blocked him.

I might have said he had his head somewhere where a certain yoga position would be necessary to get it there, King said. And that was it, man. That was it.

BACHELORETTE MEREDITH PHILLIPS CLAIMS FEMALE MASSEUSE SEXUALLY ASSAULTED HER WHILE ON ABC SERIES

In response to the social media snub, King said he blocked back Trump on Twitter as well as Vice President Mike Pence, whom he called creepy.

And, you know, there was something about Mike Pence thats creepy, King said. And I think it has something to do with the hair. The hair doesnt look like it has strands. Its just there. Hes like the mean doctor on a soap opera, the one who sells drugs, you know, or has a prostitution ring from Bulgaria or something. He has that look.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.When Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler released his first country album in 2016, many fans of the rock star were scratching their heads  and his longtime pal got it all on camera.

Filmmaker Casey Tebo, who first met the 70-year-old in 2004 and has directed two concert films and a music video for Aerosmith, now has chronicled Tylers journey crossing over to country in the documentary Steven Tyler: Out On a Limb.

Tebo told Fox News he wanted to explore how Tyler embraced the challenges of shifting gears, both as a solo performer and within a new genre of music.

He said it was Tylers idea to capture some of his most intimate moments as a performer for audiences.

I worked with him on and off for about over 10, 12 years, said Tebo. It got to a point with Aerosmith where Ive done everything you can do as a filmmaker There was really nothing left for me to do.

"But he called me as he was embarking on this solo tour. He just said to come out and help him design the show. [And] I saw a side of him that I hadnt seen before. He was free of stress. It was just a different Steven from the guy I knew as a friend.

But not everyone welcomed Tylers surprising new project, which materialized in his solo debut, Were All Somebody From Somewhere, with open arms.

Back in 2016, Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry told USA Today he wasnt buying into his longtime bandmates move to country.

Hey, if I didnt know him when I heard the song Id go, Its OK, next, said Perry, 67. Im not going to say anything else about that.

Steven is in Nashville doing whatever hes doing. Hes got a bleeping rhinestone cowboy hat going yippee ki yay. I dont know what else to say about that.

Tebo insisted Tyler wasnt fazed by his friends criticism. In fact, he happily embraced Nashville as his home, where he could grow as an artist in a way he hadnt done before.

I dont really put much stake in what those guys say about each other, explained Tebo. I think if you put yourself in their shoes, to be in a relationship like that for 40 plus years, theyve shared hundreds of millions of dollars and fans  all that stuff. Theres going to be bickering and fighting. I really think Steven and Joe are probably each others biggest supporters.

[And] I think Nashville feels like home for Steven. Hes a country boy. Hes really into animals, motorcycles and some of that redneck-type stuff. I think in another life Steven would have probably been the type of guy that would have made moonshine. I think a city like Nashville is perfect for him."

And Tyler, a native New Yorker, was on to something.

Billboard revealed Were All Somebody From Somewhere skyrocketed to No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart, selling 17,000 copies in its first week. And in the Billboard 200, it hit the No. 19 spot.

Tyler not only co-produced the solo effort and recorded it in Nashville, but he also co-wrote 12 of its 15 tracks. The first two singles, Love Is Your Name and Red, White & You, peaked at Nos. 19 and 29 on Hot Country Songs, as well as Nos. 33 and 46 on Country Airplay.

Tebo said he wasnt surprised by the albums success.

When I met him, he listened to a lot of country, he said. He was obsessed with Alison Krauss. So I think it was a natural progression, as opposed to him doing a big band record or disco hits. This is music thats in his blood. And I think theres something about the people down here Its different. Its a cliche, but there really is a Southern charm here.

But the documentary was not solely about Tyler pursuing the country music world. The film addressed that, over the years, the rocker developed a questionable reputation for being a fake friend.

Tebo said hes proud to be Tylers friend and wouldnt have it any other way.

I did a show with Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac about three years ago, he explained. And before I worked with her, somebody said, Good luck, shes terrible. Shes mean. And it couldnt have been further from the truth. She was the sweetest person Ive ever met.

"And I think when you work for someone like Stevie Nicks or Steven Tyler and youre not completely honest because youre intimidated, that can get in the way of whatever your potential relationship would be.

Tebo revealed the secret behind the lasting relationship with Tyler has been honesty from Day One.

I botched a huge live show in Paris, he recalled. This was probably like 2007. And he and Joe called me to a hotel room later to talk about it. I walked in and they said, What happened? I could have said, Well, were in France and the equipment is in French and the cameraman didnt hear me.'  I didnt.

"I looked at them in the eye and said, I completely messed up the show. And they were like, Alright, well see you tomorrow. If you cant be completely honest with someone like that, who can see through all the bulls---t, then its not going to go well for you.

Its unknown whether Were All Somebody From Somewhere, will be Tylers first and last country effort. But Tebo insisted Tyler is eager to do what he does best  entertain.

I think hes doing a great job of accepting hes getting older and doing this other music, said Tebo. Hes just going to continue what hes been doing all along.

"Steven Tyler: Out On a Limb" is currently available on VOD and Digital HD.A Florida man was arrested for allegedly threatening and assaulting a group of men eating at McDonalds Wednesday morning.

The St. Johns County Sheriffs Office were called to the Florida McDonalds around 2:20 am Wednesday morning over reports that John Smith, 60, was telling a group of men get out of my country, you dont deserve to eat here, and trying to shock one with a stun gun.

WOMAN SHOCKS 64-YEAR-OLD MAN WITH STUN GUN AT MCDONALD'S, POLICE SAY

When deputies arrived, Smith reportedly told them, I am American and the guys by the vehicles were making [a] ruckus so I told them to get out of here and one of them pulled a gun and they left in a red vehicle, Fox 30 reported.

According to the police report, the men Smith was yelling at told authorities they were eating in the parking lot when Smith confronted them, yelling get the [expletive] out of here, you dont deserve American food, Fox 30 reported.

The men said they tried to leave in their car, but Smith pulled out a stun gun and placed it inside their car window. One of the victims said they had to move their face to avoid getting shocked, according to Fox 30.

Smith admitted to the police that he had a zapper in his pocket, Fox 30 reported. Smith smelled of alcohol and was slurring his words, deputies said.

The victim was able to back up his car during the attempted assault, but hit a pole and damaged his vehicle.

The McDonalds manager confirmed to police that they saw Smith approach the victims vehicle and reach inside with the stun gun.

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Smith was evaluated by medics for shortness of breath before being placed in the police car. In the car, deputies said in the report they heard Smith say, They killed my son. Smith continued to say his son died in Afghanistan while in combat with the Marine Corps, Fox 30 reported.

Smith was charged with aggravated assault, burglary and trespassing.A restaurant worker in Georgia wants her former boss arrested after he allegedly attacked her over a dispute involving an $8 order, despite new surveillance footage that shows the purported slap was less serious than it initially appeared in a viral video.

JuNea Turner, a former employee at Doos Seafood and Deli in Snellville, can be seen in a Facebook video yelling at the restaurants owner after he accused her of incorrectly completing a customers order.

But it was the owners wife who actually placed the wrong order, according to the video posted Friday by customer Markus Moultrie.

She told her employee she had to pay for my meal, Moultrie posted. I told her thats nonsense if you the one who fked up my order then you need to pay for it not ya employee.

The unidentified owner of the restaurant appears to strike Turner in the Facebook video, leading Moultrie to tell Turner that she needs to get a lawyer.

But surveillance footage obtained by WGCL shows the man instead grabbed a food tray from Turners hand and tossed it to the floor while pushing her left shoulder and gesturing for her to leave.

Police in Gwinett County responded to the scene after the incident but the parties involved did not wish to pursue the case further, Cpl. Wilbert Rundles told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

No injuries were reported, Rundles said, adding that both parties were accepting of the officers handling of the call and the call was closed.

But now Turner wants the owner arrested.

This is beyond disrespect, Ms. Turner was physically assaulted, her attorney, Mawuli Davis, said in a statement. Nothing that Ms. Turner did warranted the owner of the restaurant to use force against her. We will assist Ms. Turner in seeking a warrant for the arrest of her former employer.

She is expected to request a hearing from a judge, who would then decide whether to issue a misdemeanor warrant, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Turners attorneys were scheduled to hold a news conference on Wednesday to discuss the incident outside of Gwinnett County Jail.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post.The state of Florida refuses to let the infestation of Burmese pythons in the Everglades slither out of its grip, and has hired a select team of 25 hunters to deal with the issue.

And apparently the effort is paying off.

On Tuesday, they celebrated the 1,000th python capture in a little over a year  an 11-foot-two-inch male snake.

The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) program began in March 2017, as the non-native, giant constrictor snakes have eliminated 99 percent of the Everglades indigenous mammals, the Associated Press reports.

SPREAD OF CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE PROMPTS STATES TO CONSIDER NEW RULES FOR HUNTERS

"Getting it out of there was a good feeling," said hunter Brian Hargrove, who has been crowned as the programs most prolific hunter, having captured and killed over 110 pythons in the past 15 months. Hargrove said he first hated having to kill the pythons, but wants to help save wildlife in the besieged Everglades.

"I like to hunt with a friend because if we are successful, I don't like to have put an animal down. It's a beautiful creature. It's not their fault," Hargrove mused. "But it's the job."

Burmese pythons have been abandoned in the Everglades by owners for decades, resulting in an unanticipated population boom, with females laying between 50 and 100 eggs at once, Orlando Weekly reports.

Initially restricted to Miami-Dade County, the SWFMD program has been expanded into Broward and Collier counties.

14-YEAR-OLD HUNTER'S ENCOUNTER WITH BEAR CUB GOES VIRAL

"We've removed potentially tens of thousands, if you consider their reproductive abilities," Mike Kirkland, SFWMD project manager, told AP. "The more they eat, the bigger they get.

Hunters are paid $8.10 an hour, plus bonuses for extra-large captures, the Weekly reports.

The pythons have averaged around 9 feet in length, though hunters also have brought in 14-inch hatchlings as well as snakes nearly 18 feet long.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.The state of Wyoming announced that grizzly bear hunts are back, and the first one will take place this fall.

It will be the first such hunt since 1974.

Hunters will be able to capture and kill up to 22 of the large brown bears across a wide area east and south of Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.

After hearing from both opponents and supporters of the proposal, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission voted 7-0 on May 24 in favor of resuming the hunt, the Associated Press reported.

"We heard from the people of Wyoming, they were supportive of this. It's pretty clear the science supports this," Wyoming Game and Fish Department spokesman Renny MacKay told the outlet.

SPREAD OF CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE PROMPTS STATES TO CONSIDER NEW RULES FOR HUNTERS

Hunting is set to begin Sept. 1 in mountains and basins with a relatively sparse grizzly population, before the hunting zone is moved closer to the park by Sept. 15 and end by Nov. 15, if legal challenges don't interpose.

Grizzly bears were removed from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services endangered list in June 2017 after 42 years of federal protection, the National Park Service reports. The population of grizzlies around Yellowstone leapt from under 150 in the mid-1970s to 690 in 2017.

"This achievement stands as one of America's great conservation successes; the culmination of decades of hard work and dedication on the part of the state, tribal, federal and private partners," Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said at the time, speaking about the grizzly's removal of the federal protection list.

FLORIDA SNAKE HUNTERS MARK 1,000TH PYTHON KILL TO FIGHT EVERGLADES INFESTATION

But the news of the impending hunt has not been embraced by all.

This is a very sad day for grizzly bears in the Yellowstone region. Wyomings decision to allow up to [22] grizzly bears to be killed, including 13 females, just for a trophy on a wall marks a huge setback for grizzly bear recovery, the Sierra Club lamented in reaction.

Allowing a trophy hunt of these majestic animals  the second-slowest mammal to reproduce in North America  so soon after they lost Endangered Species protections does nothing to build public confidence in state management of grizzly bears.

"Killing grizzlies for fun, when there is ample scientific evidence that the population is not growing, food sources have already been diminished, and the further effects of climate change is unknown, is preposterous," added nature photographer Tom Mangelsen said.

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According to The Hill, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission has received over 185,000 comments opposing the proposed hunt.

The commission, however, stands by its claim that they are taking a conservative approach to the matter.Like many couples with teenagers, Tom and Lara Garey used to daydream about a life of easy retirement once their son graduated from high school and moved on to college. But tragedy struck for the Texas family in December 2015, when the Air Force veteran started having trouble with the buttons on his shirt. Soon after, they learned that those easy days they dreamed of would never come.

Tom Garey was told he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in March 2016. Two years later, the 49-year-old no longer eats or walks on his own, has to use a breathing machine and has been banking his voice so that once the disease eventually robs him of the ability to talk, the eye-gaze technology that will speak for him sounds like him. The couple has opened their home to a caregiver so that Lara Garey can continue working.

TRAUMA DOCTOR HONORED WITH 'MILITARY EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR AWARD'

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a disease that causes the death of neurons controlling voluntary muscles.

I tell people all the time its a death wish, for sure, Lara Garey, his wife of 28 years, told Fox News. It takes your breath away. Everything you thought is completely turned on its head  in a moment we went from this family that had a man-child of a son and was hoping he would get out of high school and go to college, and Tom and I would retire and enjoy our lives and just enjoy the future  to being told you have ALS, and it takes that away from you.

Unfortunately, Tom Gareys story is not unfamiliar territory for many military families. According to a paper published by the ALS Association in 2013, U.S. veterans have almost a 60 percent greater risk of developing the disease than civilians. While the reasons for the high percentage of diagnoses is still unclear, Tom and his wife now reach out as often as they can to other veterans and urge them not to hide potential symptoms.

ALS typically hits his age group  early to mid-40s through the 50s  and most guys, especially these military guys, theyre just going to chalk up these symptoms as part of getting older, Lara Garey said. Weve been reaching out, at least to those guys, to let them know that this has happened and be alert.

Tom Garey told Fox News that one of his buddies who served with him in Guam was recently been diagnosed with ALS, which likely wouldnt have happened if he didnt share his story.

DONATIONS POUR IN FOR SICK VETERAN WHO TRIED TO SELL HEARING AIDS ON FACEBOOK TO PAY FOR CAR

Be mindful of your body, Tom Garey said. If something is out of the norm, go get it checked. Because if its ALS, the sooner the diagnosis the longer lifespan you have, because they can start treating you.

Tom Garey currently receives his treatment at a private ALS center in Houston as well as an ALS Clinic at his local Veteran Affairs. The VA has helped them modify their home and set them up with assistance, but Lara Garey noted that not all veterans receive the same level of care from every center.

We have to fight in our area, and stay on the VA quite often to get things, Lara Garey, who is also part of a military caregiver support group, said. But the way we look at it is, this is going to help the next guy, because maybe the next guy doesnt have the energy to fight or have a wife to do it  its a bigger picture at this point.

For now, the family travels as often as they can to check off some items on Tom Gareys bucket list. They chronicle their meetings with other veterans and daily struggles with ALS on the Toms Troops blog, and are relying on the military mentality they learned from his days in the service of putting one foot in front of the other.

Although the prognosis is not good, youre not going to die today or tomorrow, Tom Garey said. Go out and live life, enjoy it.

He said he leans on family and friends and has learned to accept help that is offered to help him achieve his current goal.

One thing in the military is you always want to accomplish your objective, Tom Garey said. My objective is to live as long as you can, and focus on winning.Come Memorial Day Weekend, ordinary athletes around the country  and even some action movie stars  will take part in what is becoming a yearly tradition to honor a fallen warrior.

The Murph Challenge is a CrossFit workout that consists of a mile-long run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats and a final mile run  all while wearing a 20-pound vest or body armor.

Its namesake is Lt. Michael Murphy. He was a native of Patchogue, N.Y., and a dedicated New York Rangers fan. He was also an athlete and star student from Penn State who turned down offers to attend law school to join the Navy SEALs instead, as Fox News previously reported.

He died in a 2005 firefight in Afghanistan that left three SEALs dead in all. He posthumously got the Medal of Honor  for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life, as the official citation reads  and was spotlighted in the 2013 movie, Lone Survivor. He is also the first SEAL to have a ship named after him  the guided-missile destroyer Michael P Murphy, was commissioned in summer 2011.

His father, attorney Daniel Murphy, told Fox News: Michael did this CrossFit regimen, which he called Body Armor during his five years as a Navy SEAL as a training program, and he would do it with a 20-pound armor vest. His normal time would run about 32 to 33 minutes, but his best overall time was 28 minutes and change.

Murphy told Fox News that the regimen was renamed by the CrossFit community in 2007, as a workout challenge by Dr. Josh Appel, an emergency room physician in Tucson and para-rescue soldier who recovered Murphys body in Afghanistan.

Appel told Fox News, Murph  is a workout performed on Memorial Day to remember all who have given the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. Its a way of honoring lives lost with effort, sweat and pain. If it makes you feel miserable and exhausted  youre doing it right.

The Murph Challenge gets bigger and bigger every year.

Michael is essentially the patron saint of CrossFit, and virtually every CrossFit box across the country does Murph on Memorial Day, said Michael Magee, of CrossFit Clan in Parsippany, N.J.

The challenge also includes two of the biggest stars of Hollywood, as action movie stars Chris Pratt and John Krasinski have dared their fans on social media to participate in the unremitting workout.

The challenge is also a fundraising effort for the Lt. Michael P. Murphy Memorial Scholarship Foundation.

What is freedom worth? Michael felt it was worth his life, his father has told Fox News.A Nebraska high school is speaking out and defending its actions after receiving major backlash on social media for denying a graduating seniors request to wear her U.S. Army sash during the graduation ceremony.

Megan Pohlmeier was planning on participating in her high schools graduation ceremony in May. To celebrate the occasion, the teen said she wanted to wear her Army sash, which was given to her by her recruiter at the Grand Island office in Nebraska four days before graduation, she told Fox News.

Pohlmeier said she called the school to see if she could wear the black and yellow sash during the ceremony.

"It was something I worked really hard to earn. They told me no and did not really give me a reason," she told the Omaha World-Herald.

TEENS PROTESTING HIGH SCHOOL DRESS CODE FIGHT FOR RIGHT TO GO BRALESS, WEAR SHORTER SHORTS

Pohlmeiers father also tried calling the school, but Principal Thomas Szlanda told him the same thing.

Despite being told no, Pohlmeier decided to wear her sash tucked under her graduation gown so she could take pictures with it after the ceremony.

However, Principal Szlanda saw the sash peeking out under the black gown and pulled her out of line, she said.

He pulled me out of line and said, I talked to you and your father and you are not to be wearing that. If I see you wearing that again, you will not receive your diploma, she told the World-Herald.

Since the graduation, which Pohlmeier did participate in sans sash, her story has gone viral on Facebook with many calling the school's actions unacceptable and disrespectful.

Now, Hastings Public Schools Superintendent Craig Kautz is defending his schools graduation accessories policy, saying if we dont award it, you dont wear it.

The rule is in place to prevent students writing the silly Hi, Mom on the hat and goofy things. Were trying to keep our graduations somewhat dignified, Kautz told Fox News.

Kautz points out that the rule applies to every student -- despite the viral post on Facebook that claimed the school allowed other students to wear college sashes. Pohlmeier also confirmed that other students were not allowed to wear sashes from other schools.

As far as us being unpatriotic, thats just not true. We say the Pledge of Allegiance every day, we play the National Anthem before every event, Kautz said. We have a veterans memorial in front of the campus with a flag that flies 365 days a year.

To say were unpatriotic means you dont know Hastings, Nebraska, Kautz told Fox News.

Kautz said he has watched video surveillance of the incident and feels that the principal did not react outside of the policy.

At a certain point, I think, in all of the discussion that occurred, the principal was just saying, Get the sash off and get in the graduation line or dont go through the graduation ceremony, Kautz said to the World-Herald.

Kautz confirmed to Fox News the student would have been allowed to wear her sash tucked under her gown during the ceremony. He also said the student could have appealed the decision to him and the board of directors that were standing within two or three feet of Megan and her father.

Pohlmeier told Fox News she was "never given an option to appeal the decision."

Pohlmeier did go on to graduate with her diploma.

She earned her diploma, so we are not going to deny her that, Kautz said. The only thing we would deny her is the ability to go through the graduation ceremony. Our graduation ceremony, as it states in our (student) handbook, is voluntarily. It is not something that is mandated to get the diploma.

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Pohlmeier told World-Herald that she would like a direct apology from the school for the situation.

"It just should have been handled better, she said.

The school apologized on social media after the incident went viral.

"We are sorry (this) has generated the perception that we are not patriotic," the district stated in the post. "This could not be further from the truth. Our mission, in part, is to develop responsible citizens. We can not think of a more responsible citizen than the ones who select to or are chosen to serve the United States of America."

If we did something wrong, we want to correct it. But to say were unpatriotic is just not true, Kautz said.The 8th Annual Classic Car Show sponsored by the city of East Ridge, OReilly Auto Parts and River City Corvette Club, will be held on Aug. 4 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Camp Jordan Arena.

There will be 82 awards given, including Top 50 and first and second place winners in 11 classes including Rat Rods, Bikes and Imports, Charities Choice, Best Wheels, Best Interior, Best Exterior, Best Engine and Best Club Participation.

There will also be a Car Corral and Swap Meet with a $20 entry fee on the day of the show.

All proceeds benefit the East Ridge Needy Child Fund and Hospice of Chattanooga.

Inside arena show parking is on a first come, first serve basis (no spots held).

For more information contact Amy Allen at 309-9047 or Chuck Logan at 309-6109.

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The Athens of Socrates, the Florence of da Vinci, the London of Shakespeare  these were impressive places, but none nearly as history-altering as the Philadelphia of the American rebels. On May 25, 1787  231 years ago Friday  the rebels began the convention that drafted the U.S. Constitution. It is the most readable, practical and liberating wonder of the world.

We see the Constitution as a beginning for our country, but for the Founding Fathers it seemed like a last chance. A total of 55 delegates gathered from across our young nation with the mission, said Virginias Edmund Randolph, of preventing the fulfillment of the prophecies of the American downfall.

The states were weak, trapped in hostile trade and border disputes with each other, encircled by European empires, and sunk in economic depression after eight years of the Revolutionary War.

Over 100 sweltering summer days, in a room in the Pennsylvania State House cozy enough for conversational voices and filled with flies, the delegates jousted over every aspect of a new governmental structure.

There was consensus on basics like the need for a limited government, divided into three branches. But whats striking is how little the delegates agreed on.

Should the executive be a single person, or a committee? Were citizens an enlightened repository of wisdom to be frequently consulted, or an unthinking mob to be tactfully restrained? Should each state get two senators, no matter its size? In the debate over that last question, the convention nearly broke up in anger.

The framers of the Constitution were mostly eminent planters, merchants and lawyers. But in other respects they were a microcosm of our nation, then and now: they included alarmists, optimists, philosophers, bores, dealmakers, handwringers and comedians  like the 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin. Franklin won approval for the process of impeaching presidents by observing that without it, the sole method of premature removal was assassination.

Some, like James Madison, rose to immortality. Others  like James Wilson, the Scottish-born genius who rivaled Madison in his influence, and who gave us the words We the People  died poor, diseased and alone, while fleeing creditors.

What lessons does the Constitutional Convention offer today?

For one thing, it serves as a bracing reminder that the supreme political achievement in American history was born of mutual concession, moderation and practicality. The Constitution is a jigsaw puzzle of compromises that left no delegate fully satisfied.

Madison, the supposed father of the Constitution, was quite ready to disown paternity, grumbling in private that the final draft would fail to answer its national object.

Yet Madison assented to Franklins closing plea: that every member who may still have objections to it  meaning virtually all of them  would, with me on this occasion, doubt a little of his own infallibility and suppress tolerable disagreements for a higher unity.

Our fights in interpreting the Constitution, like the fights embodied in so many of the Constitutions clauses, were inevitable. The founders bequeathed these to us, too, in the majestic ambiguities of the documents 4,400 words.

One of the most telling moments at the convention came when a delegate named Rufus King asked what precisely the framers meant in using the words direct taxation  no small question. Madison recorded: No one answered. The fight over that phrase, and 10,000 other textual conundrums, would be kicked to future generations.

The founding era is often described as a golden age of brotherhood and unanimity. Hardly. Madison and Alexander Hamilton joined to compose the famed Federalist essays in order to urge New Yorks ratifying convention to adopt the Constitution. It worked, barely: the Constitution was ratified in New York by a vote of 30-27.

The Constitution won by similarly slim margins in Massachusetts and Virginia.

But once the Constitution went into actual operation, Madison and Hamilton became enemies who went toe-to-toe on issue after issue  like the federal debt, a national bank and foreign affairs. Madison came to despise his old ally as a monarchist. Hamilton called Madison perfidious.

The revolutionary triumph was to ensure that our constitutional clashes, which are really clashes over raw power, were resolved by lawyers making arguments instead of soldiers fighting battles; at dinner table disputes instead of in bloody street fights; and with declamations from newspapers instead of by raids on them.

No people on Earth have sought so reverentially to apply the wisdom of their nations founders to the present day. We parse their words, recount their deeds, build monuments to them, name cities and streets after them, and study them in school from childhood to college.

But the task is not to attempt to insert the founders into contemporary debates  usually with sentences beginning: The founders would have said. We have every reason to suspect that those titans would have had differing opinions on just about every issue today, as surely as they did over issues in their own time.

We should instead confront our frictions in the best spirit of 1787  a spirit of intelligence, creativity, compromise, high principle and a prophetic regard for the liberty of those to come.

We may well remind ourselves that there is not only a past and a present, there is also a future. And we are among its founders, said Robert H. Jackson, later a Supreme Court justice, in 1937.

We are rightly grateful to the framers of the Constitution. If they could peer down on us today, I think they would return the feeling.

Nine generations of Americans have loyally preserved their handiwork, far longer than most of the delegates in Philadelphia dreamed possible. We today, no less than the founders themselves, are indispensable participants in the noblest adventure in freedom the world has ever known.NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

This past weekend, President Donald Trump suggested that his presidential campaign may have been the victim of spies or moles who were FBI informants or undercover agents. He demanded an investigation to get to the bottom of the matter.

At the same time that the president was fuming over this, Republican congressional leaders were fuming about the reluctance of senior officials at the Department of Justice and the FBI to turn over documents that might reveal political origins of the current criminal investigation of the president by special counsel Robert Mueller.

Can the president intercede in a federal criminal investigation of which he himself is a subject? Can Congress intercede in a DOJ criminal investigation? Here is the back story.

Mueller was named special counsel so he could investigate serious and demonstrable evidence of Russian government interference in the 2016 presidential election. Because the Trump campaign met with Russian intelligence officials offering campaign assistance, implicit in that investigation is an inquiry into whether the Trump campaign invited foreign interference and agreed to accept or facilitate it.

Mueller is seeking to determine whether there was an agreement between the Trump campaign and any foreign person, entity or government to receive anything of value for the campaign. Such an agreement plus a material step in furtherance of it taken by any of those who joined the agreement would itself constitute the crime of conspiracy, even if the agreed-upon thing of value never arrived.

In the course of examining evidence for the existence of this alleged conspiracy -- which Trump has forcefully denied many times -- Mueller's prosecutors and FBI agents have come upon evidence of other crimes. They have obtained 19 indictments -- some for financial crimes, some for lying to FBI agents and some for foreign interference in the election -- and four guilty pleas for lying, in which those who pleaded guilty agreed to assist the government.

Nine of the indictments are against Russian intelligence agents, whom the president himself promptly sanctioned by barring their travel here and their use of American banks and commercial enterprises, even though he has called Mueller's investigation a witch hunt.

Mueller has also come upon evidence of obstruction of justice by the president while in office and financial crimes prior to entering office, all of which Trump has denied. Obstruction of justice consists of interfering with a judicial proceeding -- such as a grand jury's hearing evidence -- for a corrupt purpose.

Thus, if Trump fired FBI Director James Comey because he didn't trust him or because he wanted his own person in that job, that was his presidential prerogative, but Trump's purpose was corrupt if he fired Comey because Comey would not deny that the president was the subject of a criminal investigation -- a basis for firing surprisingly offered publicly by one of the president's own lawyers.

The potential financial crimes appear to be in the areas of bank fraud -- making material misrepresentations to banks to obtain loans -- and money laundering, or the passage of ill-gotten gains through numerous bank accounts so as to make the gains appear lawful. These, too, Trump has denied.

It seems that the deeper Mueller and his team dig the more they find. As lawyers and as federal prosecutors, Mueller's team members have ethical obligations to uncover whatever evidence of crime they come upon and, when professionally feasible and legally appropriate, either prosecute or pass the evidence on to other federal prosecutors, as they did in the case of evidence of fraud against Michael Cohen, a former confidant and lawyer for Trump before he was president.

Now, back to Trump's eruption about FBI spies or moles.

The president cannot interfere with criminal investigations against himself without running the risk of additional charges of obstruction of justice -- interference with a judicial process (the gathering of evidence and its presentation to a grand jury) for a corrupt purpose (impeding his own prosecution or impeachment). Nor can members of Congress see whatever they want in the midst of a criminal investigation, particularly if they might share whatever they see with the person being investigated.

Prosecutors have a privilege to keep their files secret until they reach the time that the law provides for them to go public. Because Mueller is faced with the legal equivalent of assembling a 10,000-piece jigsaw puzzle, he is not yet ready to show his cards. If his cards contain materials from confidential sources -- people whose identities he promised not to reveal -- or if his cards contain evidence he presented to a grand jury, he may not lawfully reveal what he has until it is time to exonerate the president, indict him or present a report to Mueller's DOJ superiors that is intended for the House of Representatives.

Can the president investigate his investigators?

Yes -- but not until the investigation of him is completed. That's because no one can fruitfully examine the legitimacy of the origins of the case against Trump without knowing the evidence and the charges. Trump's allegations are of extreme scandal -- the use of FBI assets by the Obama administration to impede his presidential campaign. Yet if he is exonerated, those allegations will lose their sting. If he is charged with crimes or impeachable offenses that do not have their origins in politically charged spying, then his allegations will be moot.

But if he were to force the DOJ to turn over raw investigative files now to politicians who want to help him, he might very well be impeding the criminal case against him. That would be profoundly threatening to the rule of law, for it provides that no man can be the prosecutor or the judge in his own case. Even Trump's lawyers acknowledge that he could not lawfully do that.NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Democrats have suffered an epic collapse in approval ratings, threatening their efforts to retake control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the November midterm elections. They have only themselves to blame.

The most recent Reuters poll shows Republicans enjoying a slim advantage over Democrats in the so-called generic ballot, which measures whether voters would vote for a Democrat or Republican to represent them in the House.

Democrats led by 11 percentage points in April. Other polls show Democrats still in the lead, but with the gap narrowing to an average of 3 points  down from a 13 point gap at the end of last year.

Whats going on?

The most obvious answer is that Democrats are, once again, out of touch with the majority of Americans. They are ignoring the buoyant economy and the countrys pervasive optimism, focused instead on Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to help elect Trump as president in 2016.

Popular support for the Mueller inquiry is waning. But Democrats like Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia and Rep. Adam Schiff of California cant get enough of it. They are sure  completely positive  that the special counsel will produce a smoking gun they can use to boot President Trump from the Oval Office.

The longer the Mueller probe goes on with no indication of nefarious Russian links to the president, the more absurd that conviction appears.

Moreover, people are increasingly questioning the integrity of the Mueller probe. A recent CBS News poll found that a majority of the country (53 percent) now thinks the special counsels investigation is politically motivated, while only 44 percent say it is justified.

Thats quite a shift from a few months earlier, but as more revelations surface about the origins of the Mueller inquiry and the tactics used, it is not surprising.

It is understandable that Democrats dont want to celebrate the strengthening jobs market or the acceleration in economic growth. After all, a recent CBS News poll shows that an astonishing 68 percent of the country credits President Trumps policies for the improving economic conditions. This, after liberal news outlets patiently and persistently argued for months that the gains are actually the benevolent aftereffects of President Obamas economic nostrums.

Still, pretending that the tax cut-related bonuses are insignificant (crumbs, as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called them) or denying that the job market has become red hot makes Democrats not only appear ignorant, but hard-hearted to boot.

Photos of Democrats sitting on their hands during the State of the Union speech as President Trump celebrated record lows in unemployment for African-Americans and Hispanics were not appealing, nor are their dismissals of these good times.

That President Trumps policies are driving growth is correct, of course.

The GOP tax cuts combined with the administrations aggressive removal of strangling regulations that President Obama poured over U.S. businesses have produced surging optimism on the part of big and small business managers alike, as well as a more positive outlook by consumers. That has directly translated into more robust spending and investment, along with gross domestic product growth that is expected to top 3 percent in the current quarter.

Meanwhile, on other issues Democrats continue to lurch left to satisfy energized progressives, embracing unpopular positions that helped undermine Hillary Clinton.

For instance, a recent Gallup survey finds Americans citing immigration and illegal aliens as one of their top concerns. Though it is impossible to tell from the poll, indications elsewhere suggest that President Trumps criticisms of our immigration policies have resonated with voters.

President Trump has supported a DACA fix, which the country also wants, but has at the same time suggested ditching the diversity lottery and so-called chain-migration. Democrats refused to even discuss the presidents proposal, so keen are they to control the Hispanic vote and worried that progress on immigration might redound to the presidents credit. Polling has shown support for President Trumps positions, but Democrats have ignored it.

Buoyed by the robust economy and bold foreign policy approach, the presidents approval ratings have moved higher.

Meanwhile, even Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has supported the presidents tough position on Chinese trade tactics, suggesting above all that its a popular stance.

How do Democrats respond to the improvement in how voters view President Trump? By trotting out their Better Deal for Our Democracy their new policy platform for the midterm elections.

Instead of pushing alternative ideas to increase incomes or to help average Americans, Democrats are doubling down on criticism of the president and his administration. They will focus on corrupt money in politics, saying the presidents determination to drain the swamp has done anything but.

In other words, Democrats are reheating a campaign theme that was successful for President Trump. Though voters dislike the power of big money, Democrats will have a hard time making the case that either party is free of K Street influence or corruption.

Hillary Clinton, after all, set a new standard for profiting from public service.

For more than a year, Democrats have banked on anti-Trump fever being their best political weapon. They have relentlessly slammed every move the president makes and opposed his agenda at every turn.

Polling indicates Americans are tuning out the endless criticism; voters may wonder what else Democrats have to offer. Dont we all.NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas  almost always incorrectly described as a moderate in Western media  was recently shown in a photo released by his government reading an official PA newspaper that displayed a large anti-Semitic cartoon portraying an Israeli soldier murdering a Palestinian baby.

The PA released the photo of Abbas reading the authoritys Al-Hayat Al-Jadid newspaper with the cartoon, ostensibly to show that the 82-year-old president, who was hospitalized, was doing well. But the decision to show Abbas with a cartoon depicting a hideous-looking Israeli soldier murdering a Palestinian baby  by giving the infant a bottle filled with poison  was no accident.

The photos message to Palestinians could not have been clearer: Abbas and the PA consider the Jews of Israel  who lost 6 million of their co-religionists to Nazi murderers in the Holocaust  to be now acting like Nazis themselves. Just as Jews were killed with poison gas in Nazi death camps, Jewish soldiers are now using poison to kill Palestinian babies, the cartoon falsely claims.

A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted the photo of Abbas with the newspaper and wrote quite accurately that the anti-Semitic cartoon is reminiscent of Nazi cartoons that fueled German anti-Semitism in the1930s.

The larger message of the Abbas photo for Israel and its people who hope and pray fervently for a just and equitable peace with their Palestinian neighbors  is that Abbas is not a real partner for peace. This is a tragedy not just for Israelis but also for the long-suffering Palestinian people, whose suffering is caused chiefly by the refusal of their own leaders to abandon anti-Semitic hatred and accept the extended hand of Israelis to make reasonable compromises needed to reach a peace agreement.

Abbas posed for the photo just days after the deadly May 14 riot at the border security fence that separates Gaza from Israel. The Palestinian terrorist group Hamas mobilized as many as 50,000 Palestinians along the fence and sought to cut through the barrier to launch attacks designed to murder Israeli civilians.

Israeli troops used maximum restraint, but were forced to fire their guns on a relatively small number of the rioters to prevent the fence from being breached, killing 62. Hamas later admitted that 53 of those killed were members of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists groups. And Palestinian rioters interviewed in the media said they intended to kill Israeli civilians had they succeeded in breaching the security fence.

By posing for the photo with the abhorrent cartoon, Abbas also sent a message of solidarity to Palestinians in Gaza who participated in the Hamas-led ill-fated riots. If a picture is worth a thousand words, he communicated that when it comes to demonizing Jews, there is little daylight between Hamas and the PA. This is a desperate attempt by Abbas to win back support from Palestinians who long ago stopped supporting him and his corrupt PA.

In addition, by promoting the Big Lie equating Jews and Nazis, Abbas was signaling the Arab and Muslim streets that Palestinians deserve broad support for standing up against a ruthless Zionist enemy that is murdering Arabs.

Already, Israeli journalists have been roughed up on the streets of Istanbul by Turkish citizens accusing them of being baby killers. And the stage is set for the next series of "understandable" terrorist assaults on Jews, whether in Israel, Europe, or North America.

Abbas is betting that the European Union leaders and global nongovernmental organizations will say and do nothing in the face of the Gaza riots and his posing with the anti-Semitic cartoon. Hes been around a long time and knows that Palestinians can count on continued sympathy for their cause, no matter what they do.

In addition, posing with the anti-Semitic cartoon was a direct slap by Abbas to the face of President Trump for the U.S. presidents support for Israel and for having the audacity to actually move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem this month. Abbas is signaling President Trump that as long as he is the head of the Palestinian Authority, he will reject any peace proposal brokered by the United States.

Indeed, despite years of international efforts to make peace between Arabs and Israelis, and despite Israel offering major concessions to achieve peace with the Palestinians, Abbas and other key PA leaders remain unrepentant Jew-haters.

Abbas knows full well the implications of declaring Israelis guilty of a modern-day blood libel of child murder  by poisoning a baby, no less. Looking at this photo, Israelis and Jews the world over recoil in shock and revulsion and are forced to recognize that Abbas will never be a peace partner or nation builder. In his old age, he has chosen his legacy  not as the George Washington of his people, but as an irreconcilable anti-Semitic hater.

Abbas has a long and well-documented history of Holocaust denial and blatantly expressed hatred for Jews going back decades. His 1982 doctoral dissertation was titled The Other Side: The Secret Relationship Between Nazism and Zionism, in which he made the crackpot claim that Jews cooperated with the Nazis and that many fewer than 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust.

And just last month Abbas delivered a speech saying the Jews caused the Holocaust by their own behavior and that Israel is a colonial project that has nothing to do with the Jews that was created because Europeans wanted to bring the Jews here to preserve their interests in the region. He also denied that the Jewish people  who established their national capital in Jerusalem 3,000 years ago  have any historic ties to Israel. These are all blatant lies and Abbas knows it.

Sadly, the embrace and promotion of history's oldest hatred by Abbas is dooming another generation of young Palestinians to embrace fanaticism and to believe that their Israeli neighbors are interlopers and devils who can be forced out their homes.

The message of the cartoon is conveyed every day in Palestinian schools funded by the United Nations, poisoning the minds of five generations of children. These schools of hate teach Palestinian children from the earliest age that Jews and Israelis are their enemies, who must be driven out of occupied Palestine  meaning every square inch of Israel, not just the land held by Israel since its victory in the 1967 Six Day War.

Even if Mahmoud Abbas was in perfect physical health, at the age of 82 he shows all the signs of suffering from the oldest form of cancer of the soul  incurable and malignant anti-Semitism. And he is doing his best, in his final hurrah, to spread this evil cancer far and wide, from generation to generation, visiting an awful plague upon the Palestinian people that is causing them far more harm than Israel and the Jewish people ever did.NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

President Trump did the right thing Thursday when he canceled his planned June 12 summit in Singapore with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and pledged to continue a maximum pressure campaign against the nuclear-armed communist dictatorship.

Kim really gave President Trump no choice, after North Korean propaganda outlets once again made veiled references to a potential nuclear clash with the U.S. After that, President Trump would have looked weak and foolish to meet with the dictator  with a summit essentially legitimizing Kim.

As President Trump wrote diplomatically in his letter to Kim canceling the meeting: Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting.

And President Trump also used his letter to remind Kim of an obvious truth: You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.

Canceling the summit is far better than having the summit end with nothing accomplished.

If President Trump had flown to Singapore looking like he was begging Kim for an audience and then walked away without a concrete denuclearization pledge from the dictator, the United States would have been humiliated. Tensions between the U.S. and North Korea would have surely intensified  raising the chances of a military confrontation.

Going back to January, when Kim gave his annual New Years Day address and declared his nation was ready to join the Olympics in South Korea, many of us thought he might be turning over a new leaf.

The world filled with hope that there could be a possible opening with Pyongyang, and that there could be a way out of a potential armed conflict that would be fought with nuclear weapons  and result in millions of people being killed.

As the months went by, we did what all humans do  we let our hopes override common sense. We allowed our dreams, aspirations and optimism to take root. The reality of who we were trying to bargain with failed to set in.

We forgot two basic truths: North Korea will always be North Korea, and Kim Jong Un is a brutal, lying dictator who cant be trusted.

Until Kim has his come to Jesus moment  which most likely will never happen  we are faced with a dictator whose family allowed the death of countless North Koreans to build nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.

In our optimism over the Trump-Kim summit, we forgot all the things that make us fear North Korea, what makes the nation a dangerous adversary, and why negotiating with the North will never be easy or ideal.

We forgot that Kim has over 100,000 people in political prison camps that can only be described as gulags, where prisoners are tortured, starved and killed for no reason.

We forgot that Kim has over 11,000 artillery and missile platforms pointed at the South Korean capital of Seoul, ready to strike at a moments notice. And with 25 million people in the Seoul metro area, just one missile armed with a conventional explosive slamming into a skyscraper would set off a chain reaction akin to 9/11 in New York  and likely far worse once more shells slammed down.

We forgot that Kim has over 5,000 tons of chemical weapons and most likely biological weapons  and could kill hundreds of thousands of people with these alone.

We forgot that we have been down this path before when it comes to Pyongyang and its openings, promises and attempts to pull at our hearts.

Sadly, I and many others let our hopes blind us to the reality that was right front of us.

Now we need to face reality in the wake of the summits cancelation: the chances of Kim giving up nuclear weapons  the only thing that guarantees his survival  are likely close to zero.

I had warned days ago that the planned summit was dead  and I was called crazy. I wish I had been wrong.

Considering how far apart Pyongyang and Washington are when it comes to denuclearization  with Kim apparently wanting to make an aspirational pledge, whereas the Trump administration is looking for concrete steps and a timeline  there was always a good chance the summit would never take place.

However, all hope is not lost. If Kim is willing to declare a clear plan of action that has a timeline for the removal of his nuclear weapons that is verifiable, then a summit is still possible. But frankly, thats extremely unlikely.

If Kim wants a basket of incentives first before giving up anything  like a peace treaty, diplomatic recognition and the removal of sanctions  then we will never have a summit. In fact, we could very well go back to the same cycle of missile tests that brought us to the brink of armed conflict year.



But no matter what happens next, lets just remember who we are dealing with in North Korea. Optimism be damned.FBI and Justice Department officials on Thursday will brief the bipartisan group of lawmakers known as the "Gang of 8" on classified documents related to the special counsel's Russia investigation -- after they meet with two key House Republican lawmakers, Fox News has learned.

The first meeting at Justice Department headquarters is scheduled to take place at noon and will include White House Chief of Staff John Kelly; Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein; FBI Director Christopher Wray; Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats; House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif.; and House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.

The second meeting, scheduled for 2 p.m., will include Kelly, Rosenstein, Wray, Coats, Gowdy, Republican and Democratic leaders from both the House and Senate, and the top lawmakers from their intelligence panels.

Both House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., told Fox News they plan to attend the second meeting. Warner is vice chairman of the Senate intelligence panel.

The announcement of a second meeting came after criticism from Democrats who said the briefing should have been given to the "Gang of 8" -- as opposed to just Nunes and Gowdy.

Nunes, an ardent Trump supporter, has been demanding information on an FBI source in the Russia investigation. The president himself took up the cause over the weekend, demanding on Twitter that the Justice Department investigate whether the FBI infiltrated his presidential campaign. Late Sunday, the DOJ asked its watchdog to investigate whether there was inappropriate surveillance.

"If anyone did infiltrate or surveil participants in a presidential campaign for inappropriate purposes, we need to know about it and take appropriate action," Rosenstein said in a statement announcing the move.

In initially announcing the Nunes-Gowdy meeting Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said no Democrats had been invited because they had not requested the information.

White House spokesman Raj Shah initially told Fox News that a separate meeting between the "Gang of 8" and Justice Department, law enforcement and intelligence officials would take place after Congress returns from its Memorial Day recess.

However, Shah said in an updated statement late Wednesday that the White House was "working" to schedule a "Gang of 8" briefing before the recess.

In another twist, three Republican senators -- Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee; Lindsey Graham of South Carolina; and John Cornyn of Texas -- sent a letter to Rosenstein and Kelly Tuesday expressing interest in attending the meeting.

"I want to find out what's going on," Graham said Wednesday. " ... I don't think we've ever had a circumstance like this where during the campaign the FBI felt like they had to apparently, I don't know whether its true or not, have a confidential informant engage in a campaign so somebody needs to figure out if you do this again, how you do it or if you do it all."

For his part, Gowdy told Fox News Wednesday that "I don't care who comes" to the meeting.

"The only thing I'd ask, if you show up, show up with an open mind and closed lips," Gowdy told Fox News' "The Daily Briefing." "In other words don't leak like a sieve when we get through with the meeting ... But it's not my meeting and I don't publish the invite list."

Fox News' John Roberts, Kristin Brown, Chad Pergram and Jason Donner and the Associated Press contributed to this report.The Trump administration is using national-security laws to consider imposing new tariffs on vehicle and auto-parts imports, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

President Donald Trump is asking for new tariffs of as much as 25% on automobile imports, according to those familiar with his request, after he repeatedly signaled his intention to impose such tariffs.

Mr. Trump has asked his team to investigate using a legal provision of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act to find whether tariffs or other restrictions are needed on imported cars. It is the same legal justification the administration used to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports in March.

In a Twitter message on Wednesday, he said, There will be big news coming soon for our great American Autoworkers. After many decades of losing your jobs to other countries, you have waited long enough!

The move opens yet another front in the Trump administrations trade battles with both allies and rivals, a confrontational approach that has yielded mixed results. The administration is locked in touchy negotiations over narrowing Chinas $375 billion annual trade surplus with the U.S. So far, Beijing has refused to commit to much more than stepping up purchases of U.S.-produced commodities.



Click for more from The Wall Street Journal.Back in January, Democrats confidently predicted a "blue wave" would wipe out Republican control of Congress in this year's midterms -- as polls showed a massive lead for the party in the so-called generic ballot.



This forecast is looking less certain as that lead shrinks by the week, with one poll even showing Republicans on top.

The "generic" ballot asks voters which party they plan to support, without getting into specific candidates. As recently as April, a Reuters poll showed Democrats with a 13-point lead. Some Democrats cited various surveys, including a CNN poll in December that showed an 18-point lead, as proof that they'd at least claim the House in November.

#Megatsunami next November, predicted an excited Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif.



But that lead has all but disappeared, with Reuters' latest poll showing a slight Republican edge of less than 2 percent. The trend is reflected in other polls. A CNN poll this month showed the Democratic lead at just 3 percent, down from 16 percent in February.

However, other polls have showed that Democrats still have a strong lead, with a Monmouth University poll this month giving Democrats a solid eight-point lead. The RealClearPolitics average of the ballot polls has shown the race tightening, but still gives them a 3.4 percent edge.

The change in attitude comes as the economy continues to do well and as Democratic leaders struggle to corral their members into focusing on a message that goes beyond anti-Trump rhetoric and Russia.

The results of recent primaries where liberal candidates beat moderate rivals have also changed the general election landscape. Fox News' Power Rankings updated ratings this week to reflect a Republican advantage in several races.

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: DEM DIVIDES EMERGE

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, for her part, has urged the liberal flank of her party to move away from impeachment talk and focus instead on economic issues that affect everyday Americans -- a move that has led to backlash from some quarters.

It comes down to an economic message, Pelosi said in an interview this month. The financial instability of American families is something that needs to be addressed."

DEM REP RIPS PELOSI FOR UNDERMINING TRUMP IMPEACHMENT PUSH

Pelosi also said this month that she would work to roll back the Trump tax cuts if they retake Congress, a statement Republicans have cited as proof that Democrats want to raise taxes.

"Now youve heard it straight from Nancy Pelosis mouth: if Democrats take back the House and shes reinstalled as Speaker, your taxes will go up," a National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman said in a statement.



On Monday, the Democrats unveiled a plan to highlight alleged corruption in the Trump administration.

FULL MIDTERM COVERAGE

Instead of delivering on his promise to drain the swamp, President Trump has become the swamp, Pelosi said, according to The Washington Post.

But as Democrats try to sharpen their message, leaders also have to deal with a brewing civil war.

Pollster and Fox News contributor Doug Schoen pointed to Tuesdays primary contests that he says show how progressives are overwhelmingly beating more moderate primary opponents.

A CIVIL WAR IS LOOMING FOR DEMOCRATS. PRIMARY RESULTS TUESDAY IN FOUR STATES EXPLAIN WHY

Overall, Tuesdays results prove that the problematic trend of far-left progressives winning Democratic primaries over moderate centrists continues, showing that the party is more divided than ever, he wrote. It is time to move forward with a plan that unifies, rather than divides the party, or squander the opportunity to retake either chamber of Congress in November.

In the meantime, Rep. Lieu -- who predicted the megatsumani in December -- is taking a different approach, and is now downplaying the generic ballot as a means to forecast the November race.

Do folks still think the national generic ballot means anything?" he asked. Its the individual districts that matter. And in those districts, Democrats are crushing it.It is said there are decades where nothing happens. And there are weeks where decades happen.

Congress has a version of this. Its a month called August. Crazy congressional things happen in August. This is ironic because, well, Congress is supposed to be on recess in August.

But the biggest question buzzing around Capitol Hill now is whether the Senate will cancel or shorten that recess  and meet anyway.

President Trump initiated this years fretting over a canceled recess with a tweet:

The Senate should get funding done before the August break, or NOT GO HOME. 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!

A group of GOP senators then launched an effort to stay through the summers hottest stretch.

It is time to drain the swamp. We can help do that by keeping the pumps running in August, said Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont.

Daines and others want the Senate to stick around to wrap up spending bills and confirm Trumps nominees. Democrats may suggest theres an ulterior motive. Republicans hold a narrow, 51-49 edge in the Senate. Thirty-three seats are up this fall. A staggering 24 of them are held by Democrats compared with just nine for Republicans. Many Democrats facing re-election represent battleground or red states: Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; Joe Donnelly, D-Ind.; Jon Tester, D-Mont.; Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.; Bob Casey, D-Pa., and others. Meantime, Republicans are defending conservative strongholds like Wyoming.

The field is tilted toward the Republicans. Its a freak of political nature. But neither party has faced an electoral map this challenging since 1938.

So, its a great strategy for Republicans to tether Democrats to Washington and rob them of valuable campaign time at home. Meantime, GOP challengers can barnstorm those same states.

There was a big push in the Senate last year to gut the August recess over nominations and the annual defense bill.

But it didnt really work out. The House cut town. The Senate hung around for a few days in early August, knocking out a massive slate of 77 nominees in one fell swoop with no debate, and got out of Dodge.

But things are different in an election year. Plus, voters are perpetually anguished about Congress not getting anything done. Therefore, it looks great to remain in session.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was circumspect when asked about carbonizing the recess.

Ill have more to say about the August break in the near future, the Kentucky Republican replied.

Many senators fully expect the Senate to conduct business during at least a part of August -- even if its a pantomime for optics or plays out like last summer: in for a few days and then gone.

But what can the Senate really accomplish in August when it comes to the annual spending bills?

A senior Senate Republican source says the Senate may remain in session to work out nominations, but not appropriations.

Heres the problem:

President Trump is irate over the $1.3 trillion spending bill he signed into law in March to avoid a government shutdown.

I will never sign another bill like this again, thundered the president after taking fire from conservatives.

Congress and the president must come to terms with the next round of spending before Sept. 30. Expect DACA, immigration and funding for a border wall to emerge as flashpoints. Democrats and Republicans are working feverishly behind the scenes to reach an accord on spending bills before the Sept. 30 deadline.

Its unclear whether either body of Congress can knock out a handful of spending bills at all before August. This is why Congress often lumps the 12 annual spending bills into a gigantic, legislative slab and passes them at once. This is what infuriates the president.

There may be an effort to ditch the omnibus effort where lawmakers fuse the bills into one. Instead, lawmakers may try a mini-bus approach, mixing just two or three bills together.

But something else could derail the appropriations process. Republicans recently cobbled together a rescissions bill. A rescissions measure does just that. It cancels spending Congress already allocated.

The Republican effort to nullify old spending could jeopardize good-faith efforts to finish the spending bills in a timely manner.

Senator McConnell and I, were getting along very well. I think we even enjoy each others company. He laughs at my jokes, said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

But Schumer says the rescissions effort is going to make it harder to get the appropriations process moving forward in a bipartisan way.

In the old days, Congress deserted Washington in August because it was hotter than fire. The Founders erected the city on a swamp, and the Capitol lacked air conditioning. Thank to Willis Carrier, the inventor of air conditioning, lawmakers no longer have to leave.

This August could be eventful. Or not at all. There could be the illusion where the Senate is meeting  but key votes are only scheduled on certain days, luring everyone back to town. That could maintain the charade that the Senate is in session working over the August recess.

So there may be a few days in August where a decade happens. Or maybe nothing at all.

Capitol Attitude is a weekly column written by members of the Fox News Capitol Hill team. Their articles take you inside the halls of Congress, and cover the spectrum of policy issues being introduced, debated and voted on there.House Democrats urged President Trump Thursday to talk to Robert Mueller as part of the special counsel's investigation into Russian meddling and potential collusion with Trump campaign associates during the 2016 presidential race.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, and 15 other Democrats on the panel penned a letter to the president on Thursday, advising him to submit to an interview.

Although we disagree with you on a full range of matters, we all agree that it would be best for Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation to reach its conclusion as soon as possible, the letter read. To that end, we write to advise you: stop stalling, stop blaming the investigation for your political troubles, and submit to an interview.

Nadler and the other committee Democrats referenced the recent revelations that there was an FBI informant communicating with members of the Trump campaign and reporting back to the bureau. While Trump dubbed the affair Spygate this week, the Democrat lawmakers suggested it was a conspiracy theory driven by Trumps desire to bring the Special Counsels investigation to an end.

And that desire is perfectly clear, the letter read. Provided he is free to follow the facts where they lead, the Special Counsel should complete his work as quickly as he can. But for all of your complaints about the length and reach of this investigation, you and your legal team continue to dance around the question of an interview with Mr. Mueller- a necessary precondition for completion of the investigation.

The letter suggested that Mueller could issue a subpoena for the presidents testimony, and urged Trump to avoid all of this unpleasantness and be interviewed by the special counsel so that Mueller can complete his work and issue his final report without delay.

Trump has repeatedly said he would be willing to sit down for an interview with Mueller, but has been advised by different, current and former, members of his legal team not to.

Trumps former head attorney representing him in the investigation, John Dowd, resigned earlier this year after voicing strong opposition to Trump doing an interview, sources told Fox News.

Trumps newest addition to his legal team, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has told Fox News this week that the president wants to testify, but that they have not made a decision.

Earlier this month, Fox News obtained a full list of questions developed by Muellers office, which include queries on former national security adviser Michael Flynn, former FBI Director James Comey, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between campaign associates and Russian figures.

Giuliani told Fox News earlier this month that many of the questions are not about Russia, but rather indicate that the special counsels team wants to trap Trump into perjury.

GIULIANI SAYS MUELLER TEAM 'DESPERATE' TO MAKE CASE, LAYS OUT TERMS FOR POSSIBLE TRUMP INTERVIEW

Wasnt this an investigation about Russian collusion? Giuliani asked. Well, they lost that one. Not true. So now theyre falling back to obstruction, which is not true either, and perjury, which is only true if you testify. And perjury can be in the minds eye of the prosecutor, its very dangerous.

Giuliani also said that scheduling a potential interview with Mueller was made more difficult due to Trumps schedulespecifically the high-profile, much anticipated summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

How can we take three, four hours, three, four days out of that schedule? Giuliani asked. To prepare him for a deposition when he should be preparing to go to North Korea.

On Thursday, the president announced he had canceled the highly anticipated summit with the rogue regime, following hostility and threats from Kim. Trump warned that the U.S. would continue its maximum pressure campaign, and warned that the U.S. military was ready if necessary.

A spokesman for Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., did not immediately respond to Fox News request for comment on the letter sent to the White House from the ranking staff.

Fox News John Roberts and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.The FBI and Justice Department on Thursday held a pair of high-level briefings for lawmakers in an effort to ease Republican pressure over the Russia investigation, amid President Trumps outcry over revelations that a confidential informant made contact with several of his advisers during the 2016 campaign.

The White House-brokered briefings were expanded at the 11th hour to include an afternoon session for bipartisan members of Congress, but that gesture did little to muffle criticism from Democrats who said the sessions played into the hands of those trying to undermine the Robert Mueller probe.

By the time both sessions were concluded Thursday afternoon, each side appeared to be digging in.

Nothing we heard today has changed our view that there is no evidence to support any allegation that the FBI or any intelligence agency placed a spy in the Trump campaign or otherwise failed to follow appropriate procedures and protocols, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said after the meeting.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., defended the House Intelligence Committees requests for records from the DOJ about the Russia investigation, following several weeks of a contentious back-and-forth between House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., and DOJ officials.

Inherent in the committees work is the responsibility to ask tough questions of the executive branch, Ryan said. That is why we have insisted and will continue to insist on Congresss constitutional right to information necessary for the conduct of oversight.

Before the meetings began, Trump drew more attention to reports alleging that the FBI infiltrated his presidential campaign.

Starting to look like one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history, Trump tweeted Thursday. SPYGATE - a terrible thing!

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and White House lawyer Emmet Flood made brief remarks during the briefings to convey "the presidents understanding of the need to protect human intelligence services and the importance of communication between the branches of government." She also said they relayed Tumps desire for as much openness as possible under the law.

Democrats criticized Floods appearance at the beginning of the briefings, with Schiff calling it entirely improper. Flood recently joined Trump's legal team to help with the Russia investigation.

His presence only underscores what Rudy Giuliani said: the presidents legal team expects to use information gleaned improperly from the Justice Department or the Presidents allies in Congress to their legal advantage, Schiff said.

The noon meeting at the Justice Department included Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein; FBI Director Christopher Wray; Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats; Nunes; House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.; Schiff and Ryan.

A second meeting took place later in the afternoon on Capitol Hill between Rosenstein, Wray, Coats, Gowdy, Republican and Democratic leaders from both the House and Senate, as well the top lawmakers from their intelligence panels.

The announcement of a second meeting came after criticism from Democrats who said the briefing should have been given to a bipartisan group of "Gang of 8" lawmakers -- as opposed to just Nunes and Gowdy, as initially scheduled.

While it's a good thing that the Gang of Eight will be briefed, the separate meeting with a known partisan whose only intent is to undermine the Mueller investigation makes no sense and should be called off, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said. What is the point of the separate briefing if not to cause partisan trouble?

Schumer was referring to Nunes, an ardent Trump supporter, who has been demanding information on an FBI source in the Russia investigation.

Late Sunday, the DOJ asked its watchdog to investigate whether there was inappropriate surveillance.

"If anyone did infiltrate or surveil participants in a presidential campaign for inappropriate purposes, we need to know about it and take appropriate action," Rosenstein said in a statement announcing the move.

The meetings themselves have been controversial since they were first announced this week.

In initially announcing the Nunes-Gowdy meeting Tuesday, Sarah Sanders said no Democrats had been invited because they had not requested the information.

White House spokesman Raj Shah initially told Fox News that a separate meeting between the "Gang of 8" and Justice Department, law enforcement and intelligence officials would take place after Congress returns from its Memorial Day recess.

However, Shah said in an updated statement late Wednesday that the White House was "working" to schedule a "Gang of 8" briefing before the recess.

In another twist, three Republican senators -- Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee; Lindsey Graham of South Carolina; and John Cornyn of Texas -- sent a letter to Rosenstein and Kelly Tuesday expressing interest in attending the meeting.

"I want to find out what's going on," Graham said Wednesday. " ... I don't think we've ever had a circumstance like this where during the campaign the FBI felt like they had to apparently, I don't know whether its true or not, have a confidential informant engage in a campaign so somebody needs to figure out if you do this again, how you do it or if you do it all."

For his part, Gowdy told Fox News Wednesday that "I don't care who comes" to the meeting.

"The only thing I'd ask, if you show up, show up with an open mind and closed lips," Gowdy told Fox News' "The Daily Briefing." "In other words don't leak like a sieve when we get through with the meeting ... But it's not my meeting and I don't publish the invite list."

Fox News' Samuel Chamberlain, Mike Emanuel, Amy Wehinger and the Associated Press contributed to this report.No wonder Paul Ryan decided to bail.

Here he is in his final stretch as House speaker, hoping to go out in a spirit of unity, and the press is filled with stories about whether his party will dump him prematurely.

Managing the Republican caucus increasingly looks like Mission Impossible. It was the constant in-fighting between warring factions that prompted John Boehner to quit in 2015, and Ryan was drafted despite the fact that he didn't really want the job. Two and a half years later, he announced that he'd had enough.

And the Wisconsin congressman is still getting grief.

The Washington Post says Ryan "is losing his grip on the feuding House Republican conference just months before pivotal midterm elections, caught between dueling factions vying for power inside the party and facing scattered calls for his departure ahead of a planned year-end retirement."

The New York Times says that "with Republicans in revolt on both his right and his left, Mr. Ryan is increasingly facing questions about whether he can manage to stumble across the finish line."

And Politico says Ryan is embattled "as his Republican Conference spirals into an all-out war that could put his speakership on the line."

Doesn't sound like a whole lotta fun.

The first flashing neon light came when House Republicans couldn't even pass a farm bill, which ought to be a piece of cake. The legislation was derailed by a battle over immigration.

And immigration reared its head when a group of Republican moderates signed a discharge petition to force a floor vote on DACA and related border matters. They don't have the votes yet, but are acting in open defiance of the speaker, who once favored an immigration compromise but has no interest in a bloody battle in a midterm election year. House conservatives want Ryan to pressure the moderates into backing down.

Ryan's backing seemed to be eroding when the Weekly Standard reported that White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney said he'd privately talked to Kevin McCarthy about orchestrating a leadership vote to force Democrats in dicey districts to support Nancy Pelosi. Mulvaney quickly backed away from the idea. McCarthy, as House majority leader, is Ryan's presumed successor but has made no move to try to take over this year.

There was grumbling after Ryan's retirement announcement in April that the GOP couldn't go eight months with a lame-duck speaker and with Democrats a credible threat to take over the House.

Ryan, who's had his difficulties with President Trump, has had a frustrating tenure, with the big tax cut bill his only major accomplishment. He and the Republicans fell short on immigration and repealing ObamaCare, among other things. And the cupboard is pretty bare, as everyone knows Congress doesn't get much done in the second half of an election year.

As the Post says from talking to Hill sources, "there is not a viable alternative to Ryan who can win enough support within the GOP for a clean transition before November  and there is little stomach at the moment for the messy battle that would ensue when Ryan departs."

So for all the negative stories, the great likelihood is that Ryan, who says he's not going anywhere, probably can't be forced out. But given the heartburn level right now, he probably can't wait to get back to his home town of Janesville.North Korea didn't show up to recent meetings to prepare for the now-cancelled summit between dictator Kim Jong Un and President Trump, the White House revealed Thursday.

The summit, from which the U.S. withdrew Thursday morning, was scheduled to take place June 12 in Singapore.

North Korean leadership didn't show up to a recent planning meeting by Trump administration officials in Singapore, a senior White House official said, adding that the U.S. made several attempts to communicate with North Korea ahead of what would have been an historic meeting but leadership from the communist nation never responded.

"They stood us up," the official said.

North Korea's statement to the U.S. Wednesday night -- in which the country threatened to pull out of the summit and called Vice President Mike Pence a "political dummy" -- was the first communication the U.S. has heard from the North in a week, the White House said.

"Based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting," Trump stated in a letter to Kim released on Thursday.

READ THE LETTER: TRUMP'S MESSAGE TO KIM JONG UN THAT CANCELED HISTORIC SUMMIT

However, Trump left open the possibility of rescheduling the summit, saying that "hopefully everything is going to work out well with North Korea. A lot of things can happen, including the fact  its possible the existing summit could take place, or a summit at a later date.

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.Although specifics werent provided, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un joined his counterpart to the south in promising to rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons.

The vow to create a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula through complete denuclearization came during the Koreas historic summit between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in late April, and just before a much-anticipated meeting between Kim and U.S. President Trump.

I feel like Im firing a flare at the starting line in the moment of (the two Koreas) writing a new history in North-South relations, peace and prosperity, Kim told Moon.

Kim is the first known member of his familys dynasty to set foot on South Korean soil since 1953. There, at least in front of cameras, his rhetoric drastically changed since he engaged in a war of words with Trump throughout the first year of the U.S. presidents time in the White House. (Kim called Trump a dotard; Trump called the North Korean leader short and fat.)

Since Kim took over North Korea in 2011, the regime rapidly expanded and tested its missile arsenal with weapons capable of striking the U.S. mainland. His end goal, he once said, was to "establish the equilibrium of real force with the U.S. and make the U.S. rulers dare not talk about military options for the North.

Read on for a brief look at how North Koreas nuclear weapons program has grown throughout the regimes in the past century.

Kim Il Sung, leader from 1948-1994

Kim Il Sung can be credited with founding North Korea and propelling the nations nuclear program forward  but he did not live to see his country conduct its first nuclear test.

It was under the first Kim that North Korea began to build up its nuclear reactors. And it was under his leadership that the nation began the Korean War  surely a catalyst that led the leader to believe his nation needed nuclear weapons, Dr. Sung-Yoon Lee, the Kim Koo-Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Studies at the Fletcher School at Tufts University, told Fox News in an interview.

TRUMPS COMMENTS ON NORTH KOREA, FROM FIRE AND FURY TO BLAMING CHINA

The seeds of nuclear aspirations were sown in the Korean War, Lee said.

The Korean War pitted North Korea and its ally China  two nations that did not have nuclear capabilities at the time  against a nuclear-armed U.S., making it clear to the first Kim that nuclear weapons are very powerful, a powerful deterrent, Lee said.

Kim Jong Il, leader from 1994-2011

When the second leader of the Kim dynasty died in 2011, Kim Jong Il was remembered as the dictator who turned North Korea into a nuclear state, in his New York Times obituary.

And its Kim Jong Il that really gets the credit of taking the country down the nuclear path," Lee said.

In the beginning of his reign  he was North Koreas supreme leader from 1994 to 2011  North Korea denied that it had a nuclear weapons program.

TIMELINE OF NORTH KOREAN MISSILE LAUNCHES IN 2017

However, in 2003, Pyongyang announced that North Korea was withdrawing from the 1968 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which barred the nation from making nuclear weapons.

By 2005, North Korea confirmed that it had its own nuclear weapons. It tested its first nuclear device in 2006.

Kim Jong Un, leader from 2011-present

Kim Jong Un is credited with accelerating North Koreas push for nuclear weapons, and under the Obama administration, many of the worlds attitudes toward the East Asian nations nuclear capabilities became less blase than in the past, Lee said.

Kim Jong Un also crossed a major threshold for his country in the summer of 2017  the ability to credibly threaten the U.S. with an intercontinental ballistic missile.

In 2017, North Korea successfully tested its longest-ever flight of a ballistic missile. The intermediate-range weapon traveled 3,700 miles and passed over Japan before it landed in the Pacific. The country also tested its most powerful nuclear test to date this year.

After the missile test, Kim Jong Un said North Korea is nearing equilibrium with the U.S. in terms of its military force.

The increasingly frequent and aggressive tests added to outside fears that North Korea is closer than ever to building a military arsenal that could viably target the mainland of the U.S. or its allies in Asia.

Calling Kim Jong Un Rocket Man, Trump said in 2017 the dictator is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime.

The United States has great strength and patience, Trump said. But if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.

But 2018 brought a dramatic turn of events after he declared in a stark New Years address that a nuclear launch button is always on my table. Kim Jong Un offered to meet with Trump and became the first known member of his familys dynasty to set foot in South Korea since 1953. At the historic summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, both leaders pushed for peace and would work toward a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

However, neither leader provided any specific measures or seemed to forge a potential breakthrough on the issue that has captivated and terrified many, especially since last year.

Before Trump canceled a much-anticipated meeting with Kim Jong Un, North Korea said it demolished what it claimed to be its nuclear test site, setting off several explosions over the course of a few hours in the presence of foreign journalists.

The planned closing of the Punggye-ri site was previously announced, but it's unclear if another facility could be used to continue the country's nuclear weapons program. Yongbyon nuclear complex, located about 64 miles north of Pyongyang, has a new reactor that could produce weapons-grade plutonium. Pyongyang insists is being used to produce electricity for its citizens.

Trump ultimately rejected Kim Jong Un's invitation to a June meeting in Singapore, citing North Korea's "open hostility."

Fox News Edmund DeMarche, Ryan Gaydos and The Associated Press contributed to this report.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lashed out at Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., Thursday after the lawmaker asked whether President Trump's foreign policy was guided by "personal conflicts of interest."

"Given that the president refuses to disclose his tax returns," Udall asked Pompeo during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, "how can you assure the American people that American foreign policy is free of his personal conflicts of interest?"

After a pause, Pompeo told Udall that he found the question "bizarre," to which Udall answered: "You don't want to answer it, then? You just want to describe it as bizarre and not give me an answer?"

"I think thats indicative of my answer, Senator," Pompeo responded. "Ive been incredibly involved in this administrations foreign policy now for some 16 months and I have seen literally no evidence of what you are scurrilously, scurrilously suggesting.

"It is an outrageous suggestion."

Udall shot back that his question was not scurrilous, saying "this has been raised by a number of people out there."

"Yes, sir, yes, sir it has," answered Pompeo with a sarcastic chuckle. "You want me to tell you who those folks are and what their political interest may well be?"

"No, I know, it's fake news," said Udall sardonically.

The exchange was a notably contentious moment during a hearing that focused on the cancellation of a planned summit between Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

Trump was repeatedly criticized during the 2016 election campaign for not releasing copies of his tax returns. At the time, Trump claimed his returns were under audit by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and said hed release them once the review was complete.

Fox News' Elizabeth Zwirz contributed to this report.Minutes after pulling out of a highly anticipated summit with North Korea, President Trump said Thursday that the U.S. would continue its "maximum pressure campaign," and warned that the military was "ready if necessary" -- but made clear that a summit could still go forward if Kim Jong Un is willing to engage constructively.

Our military, which is by far the most powerful anywhere in the world ... is ready if necessary, Trump said.

Likewise, Ive spoken with South Korea and Japan, and they are not only ready should foolish or reckless acts be taken by North Korea, but theyre willing to shoulder much of the costs associated by operations if such an unfortunate situation is forced upon us, he added.

He said that the very strong sanctions and the maximum pressure campaign will continue.

However, the president clearly left open the possibility of the scheduled summit taking place, despite his letter to Kim Jong Un canceling talks following threats of nuclear action from the rogue regime.

Hopefully," he said, "everything is going to work out well with North Korea. A lot of things can happen, including the factits possible the existing summit could take place, or a summit at a later date.

Trump added: Nobody should be anxious. We have to get it right.

The move to pull out of the summit, which had been slated to take place in Singapore on June 12, came after threats from Kim to call off the talks. In a letter to Kim on Thursday, Trump said the world, and North Korea, had lost a "great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity."

Based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting, Trump wrote in a letter to Kim on Thursday. Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place.

North Korea has for days questioned whether the summit would proceed as planned.

On Thursday, Vice Minister of the North Korean Foreign Ministry Choe Son Hui said that whether the U.S. "will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States," South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported.

The official also insulted Vice President Pence after he said North Korea had asked for the meeting. "As a person involved in the U.S. affairs, I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the U.S. vice president," Choe reportedly said.

But officials told Fox News it was the threat of nuclear war -- not the insult to Pence -- that had led to the summit pullout.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who met with Trump at the White House on Monday, convened an emergency meeting with top security aides on Thursday following Trump's announcement, and expressed deep regret over the canceled U.S.-North Korea summit.

According to Yonhap, Moon urged the two leaders to engage in direct talks.

We "are trying to figure out what President Trump's intention is and the exact meaning of it," presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom reportedly said.

Moon said the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula should not be delayed.

The Trump-Kim summit was set to come on the heels of a historic meeting between North and South Korea last month, when the leaders from those two nations pledged to clear the peninsula of nuclear weapons.

Moon and Kim announced they would work to achieve a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, and also expressed hope to officially end the 1950-53 Korean War by the end of the year, though it is not clear at this point what steps the leaders might take to achieve denuclearization.

KOREAN WAR TO END! The United States, and all of its GREAT people, should be very proud of what is now taking place in Korea! Trump tweeted last month.

The leaders had agreed that by May 1, the loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts that had been blaring from each side of the heavily armed border would be suspended. They agreed to also dismantle broadcasting equipment and stop flying propaganda leaflets across their border.

Kim also promised Moon that he wont interrupt his early morning sleep anymore, referring to missile tests, South Korea said.

But Kims tune changed last week; he canceled a high-level summit with Moon following U.S.-South Korean military exercises, which the state-run Korean media outlet suggested were a rehearsal for a potential invasion of the North.Following last week's deadly shooting at a high school near Houston that left 10 people dead, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that he could support some gun control measures.

The move is something of a change of heart for Abbott, a Republican who has worked to expand gun rights in Texas.

Earlier this year, Abbott had backed President Donald Trump's proposal to arm more teachers in lieu of sweeping gun control measures, saying that almost 20 percent of Texas schools already have trained and armed educators.

When a shooting takes place, people want to rush to simple solutions, Abbott said in February, after a mass shooting at a Florida high school that killed 17. Its time to tackle the tough solutions, and thats mental health.

On Wednesday, Abbott said he could back stronger regulations for gun storage and quicker reporting to law enforcement when a court has determined someone is mentally ill -- in order to keep that person from having weapons.

The Texas governor said those were top considerations to emerge after meeting representatives of a gun control group and gun owners as well as mental health and education experts in discussions on school safety.

"This conversation is a long time in coming."  Ed Scruggs, vice chairman, Texas Gun Sense

"We have one goal ... making sure we're going to keep to our students, our schools, our communities safer," without limiting the right to bear arms, Abbott said.

Abbott called for the meetings as he weighs ideas for possible legislative action or executive orders. Tuesday focused on mental health issues.

Thursday's meeting will include students and families from the shooting at Santa Fe High School and the November 2017 attack on a rural church in Sutherland Springs, as well as Stephen Willeford, the armed "good Samaritan" who shot back at the church shooter.

TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTER'S FATHER SAYS BULLYING MAY HAVE CAUSED RAMPAGE

The governor has said he wants to keep guns away from people "who would try to murder our children." But critics have said Texas isn't serious about changing its gun-loving culture.

A group of student activists wrote the governor a letter Wednesday, criticizing his support of the National Rifle Association and calling for expanded background checks on gun purchases and other gun-control measures.

"We are dying on your watch. What will you do about it?" said the letter signed by students who identified themselves as organizers of Texas student gun-control marches held after the February shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla.

Wednesday's three-hour discussion included representatives of Texas Gun Sense, which has pressed for tougher background checks for gun sales and "red flag" laws that keep guns away from people deemed a danger to themselves or others.

Ed Scruggs, vice chairman of Texas Gun Sense, said he was glad to get a seat at the table.

"This conversation is a long time in coming. We needed it and it kind of releases the tension a little bit," said Ed Scruggs, vice chairman of Texas Gun Sense. "You get a sense everyone does care."

TOMI LAHREN: 'KNEE-JERK REACTIONS' ON GUN CONTOL ARE 'NEVER THE SOLUTION'

Police have said the 17-year-old suspect in the Santa Fe shooting used his father's shotgun and .38-caliber handgun. Abbott said he and lawmakers need to look at how to address gun storage laws that might have prevented the shooter from getting the weapons.

Texas allows authorities to deny handgun licenses based on a person's mental health history and to seize weapons from people determined to be in a mental crisis in some circumstances. But mental health history information is up to the applicant to provide and is not related to the purchase of a gun.

Texas courts are supposed to tell law enforcement if a person taken in for a mental health evaluation has been ordered into a mental hospital. Weapons seized could be returned to that person's family. Abbott said that reporting could take up to 30 days and he'd like to see that window closed to within 48 hours or less.

"That is incomprehensible, especially given technology today," Abbott said.

Federal law prohibits an individual "adjudicated as a mental defective" or involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility from owning or purchasing a firearm.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.President Trump on Thursday blasted top Obama officials for what hes now dubbed SPYGATE, while claiming that former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has essentially admitted to Spying on his campaign during the 2016 election.

Following the revelation of an FBI informant in contact with Trump campaign advisers, the president has stepped up criticism of several ex-intelligence and law enforcement figures on a daily basis.

Clapper has now admitted that there was Spying in my campaign. Large dollars were paid to the Spy, far beyond normal. Starting to look like one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history. SPYGATEa terrible thing! Trump tweeted Thursday.

In interviews this week  on ABCs The View and PBS New Hour  Clapper defended the intelligence communitys use of an FBI informant, claiming the move had to do with the Russians, not spying on the campaign and Trumps accusations were distorted.

[There is] a big gulf between a spy in the traditional senseemploying spycraft or tradecraftand an informant who is open about  who he was and what the questions he was asking, Clapper said on PBS Wednesday. The important thing was not to spy on the campaign but rather to determine what the Russians were up to.

Clapper added: I think they [the FBI] were just doing their job and trying to protect our political system.

He said earlier on "The View" that they were "spying" on the Russians' activity, and Trump should be happy about that.

The president made clear he was not happy. Also on Thursday, he once again slammed former FBI Director James Comey and former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe.

Not surprisingly, the GREAT Men & Women of the FBI are starting to speak out against Comey, McCabe and all of the political corruption and poor leadership found within the top ranks of the FBI. Comey was a terrible and corrupt leader who inflicted great pain on the FBI! #SPYGATE, Trump tweeted.

Comey weighed in Wednesday to defend the FBI and its practices.

Facts matter. The FBIs use of Confidential Human Sources (the actual term) is tightly regulated and essential to protecting the country, Comey tweeted. Attacks on the FBI and lying about its work will do lasting damage to our country. How will Republicans explain this to their grandchildren?

The bureau defines a confidential human source as any individual who is believed to be providing useful and credible information to the FBI for any authorized information collection activity, and from whom the FBI expects or intends to obtain additional, useful, and credible information, and whose identity should remain confidential.

Trump responded to Comeys tweet in an exclusive interview with Fox & Friends Thursday.

Id actually sayhow is he going to explain to his grandchildren all of the lies, the deceit, all of the problems he has caused for this country? Trump said. I think of the things Ive done for the country, the firing of James Comey is going to go down as a very good thingThe FBI is a fantastic institution, but some of the people at the top were rotten apples. James Comey was one of them.

TRUMP WARNS COMEY OVER LOOMING IG REPORT ON CLINTON CASE: 'A LOT OF PROBLEMS'

The president also warned Comey about the forthcoming inspector general report on the bureaus handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe.

I think James Comeys got a lot of problems, Trump said Wednesday. At some point, they have an IG report. Then lets see what Comey has to say. I assume hes covered in the IG report.President Trumps decision to pull out of a planned, historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was met with both praise and condemnation by lawmakers -- mostly depending on the politicians political party.

Trump cited the open hostility displayed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in his decision to reject the invitation to meet in Singapore in June. North Korea has questioned for days whether the summit would continue, and Vice Minister of the North Korean Foreign Ministry Choe Son Hui recently said whether the U.S. will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States.

The North Korean regime has long given ample reason to question its commitment to stability, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said in a statement. We must continue to work with our allies toward a peaceful resolution, but that will require a much greater degree of seriousness from the Kim regime.

He added that Congress has provided significant tools to hold North Korea accountable.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said many were worried the summit would be a great show that produced nothing enduring.

If a summit is to be reconstituted, the US must show strength [and] achieve a concrete, verifiable, enduring elimination of Kim Jong-Uns nuclear capabilities, he said in a tweet.

But Sens. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Bill Nelson, D-Fla., were seemingly less understanding about the cancellation.

The art of diplomacy is a lot harder than the art of the deal, Menendez said

The cancellation of this summit reveals the lack of preparation on the part of President Trump in dealing with a totalitarian dictator like Kim Jong Un, Nelson tweeted. Weve seen similar lack of preparation by the president in dealing with the leaders of China and Russia.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., applauded Trumps decision for seeing through Kim Jong Uns fraud.

North Korea has a long history of demanding concessions merely to negotiate, he said in a statement.

Kim Jong Un is a murderous despot and habitual liar, Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., said. The President made the right call to cancel this summit. If North Korea wants diplomacy, it should know that half-measures and spin about its nuclear program wont cut it.

Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., said Trump made the right decision in his decision to reject the summit.

We must double down on our strategy of maximum pressure and engagement, he said. Our goal of any discussions with North Korea should remain the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said the cancellation of the summit "was the necessary result of a poor negotiating strategy in which the President made it all too clear to North Korea that he needed the summit more than the North Korea dictator."

"This put the United States in a weak bargaining position in which the President was offering to protect Kim Jong Un, make him very, very happy and otherwise undermine the U.S. position before the two parties even met," Schiff, the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, said. "Hopefully, the Administration can coalesce around a better strategy and negotiations can resume in the future. Having created an increased nuclear threat from Iran with his abandonment of that deal, the last thing the United States needs is two nuclear problems at the same time."

Fox News Chad Pergram and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.In January, President Donald Trump's legal team and special counsel Robert Mueller were zeroing in on the terms of a presidential interview: the last Saturday of the month, at Camp David, on a narrow list of topics, for maybe between two and six hours, with time set aside for bathroom breaks, according to people familiar with the matter.

The lawyers presented the terms to the president, who was described by one person as "optimistic" about the prospect. Ultimately, though, the deal was never sealed as members of the legal team were divided over the wisdom of letting him testify, the people said. Mr. Muellers office declined to comment.

Now, a new crop of lawyers for Mr. Trump is again in an intense phase of negotiations with Mr. Mueller over the terms of a possible interview as the special counsel pursues his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election campaign and whether the Trump campaign colluded with that effort. Mr. Trump denies collusion, and Moscow says it didnt meddle in the election.

The discussions today are, if anything, even more difficult.

In April, the FBI seized records from the presidents personal attorney, Michael Cohen, in an investigation by the Southern District of New York that was referred in part by Mr. Mueller.

Prosecutors are examining whether the presidents lawyer committed bank fraud or campaign-finance violations. Mr. Cohen has denied wrongdoing.

Mr. Trumps legal team also has undergone a makeover, bringing a more combative style toward the Mueller investigation. Newly hired Rudy Giuliani is playing an influential role and wavering, at times day to day, on whether Mr. Trump should sit for an interview.

Click for more from The Wall Street Journal.Throughout the first year of his presidency  and even as he campaigned for the office  President Trumps rhetoric regarding North Korea has been harsh.

He warned earlier this year that Americas nuclear capabilities were much bigger [and] more powerful than that of the Asian nation. And at the end of 2017, Trump designated North Korea a state sponsor of terror again  a classification that came with additional sanctions.

On the heels of a planned, historic summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trumps tone softened, saying great progress has been made. But Trump ultimately cancelled that meeting, citing "open hostility" from North Korea.

From agreeing to meet with Kim to dubbing him Little Rocket Man, heres a look at what Trump has said about North Korea and its leader over time.

Back together again

After meeting with a North Korean official in the White House for more than an hour, Trump announced the June summit with North Korea is back on.

We'll be meeting on June 12 in Singapore," the president told reporters after the meeting.

Let's call the whole thing off

Trump announced on May 24 that he has decided to pull out of the June summit with North Korea.

"We were informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant," Trump said in a letter to Kim. "I was very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting."

"You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used," Trump said.

"I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters. Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you," he added. "In the meantime, I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated."

Deal or no deal?

After speaking with the South Korean president amid threats from the rogue regime to cancel talks, Trump suggested the historic summit between him and Kim might not happen after all.

If it doesnt happen, maybe it will happen later. You never know about deals. Ive made a lot of deals, Trump said on May 22. You never really know. It may not work out for June 12.

Trump said he wants the Korean peninsula to be denuclearized in an all in one manner.

I can guarantee Kims safety. He will be safe. He will be happy, Trump said. His country will be rich.

Trump also said hes noticed a change in Kims attitude recently.

I cant say that Im happy about it, he added.

Save the date

Trump officially announced that he would meet with Kim in Singapore on June 12.

We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace! Trump said in a tweet.

The announcement came hours after Trump and the first lady welcomed the three Americans freed from detention in North Korea at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland early on May 10.

After Trump met with the three men, he publicly thanked Kim for releasing the prisoners.

Were starting off on a new footing, Trump said.

Positive gesture of goodwill

In announcing that a date and place has been set for his much-anticipated meeting with Kim, Trump also confirmed three American prisoners have been released.

The three Americans  Kim Dong Chul, Tony Kim and Kim Hak Song  are returning to the U.S. with newly-confirmed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Trump said in a tweet. The president confirmed the three men are also in good health.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORIC SUMMIT BETWEEN TRUMP, KIM JONG UN

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that Trump appreciates Kim Jong Uns action to release these American citizens, and views this as a positive gesture of goodwill.

Another American detainee, Otto Warmbier, died in June 2017 after he was released back to the U.S. with severe brain damage.

Good relationship formed

Trump has confirmed that CIA Director Mike Pompeo  his pick to lead the State Department  secretly met with Kim in April and a good relationship was formed. He said the meeting went very smoothly.

The president also disclosed that the U.S. and North Korea have held direct talks at extremely high levels in preparation for the summit.

Kim will do what is right

After Kims first reported visit to China, Trump said there is a good chance that Kim Jong Un will do what is right for his people and for humanity.

For years and through many administrations, everyone said that peace and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was not even a small possibility, Trump said in a March tweet, adding that he is looking forward to his upcoming meeting with the North Korean leader.

He also gave North Korea the benefit of the doubt earlier that month, saying he believes the country will abide by its pledge to suspend missile tests.

When Trump delivered a speech in Pennsylvania, the crowd booed the mention of Kim, but the president stopped them.

No, it's very positive ... no, after the meeting you may do that, but now we have to be very nice because let's see what happens, let's see what happens, Trump said.

Invitation accepted

Trump accepted an invitation from Kim to meet, the White House said. While a time and place has yet to be determined, the two leaders are expected to meet by June.

The invitation to convene was extended by Kim.

Kim Jong Un talked about denuclearization with the South Korean Representatives, not just a freeze. Also, no missile testing by North Korea during this period of time. Great progress being made but sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached, Trump said on social media. Meeting being planned!

The deal with North Korea is very much in the making and will be, if completed, a very good one for the World. Time and place to be determined, he later said.

Possible progress

As North Korea is reportedly willing to negotiate its nuclear weapons, Trump cautiously acknowledged possible progress.

For the first time in many years, a serious effort is being made by all parties concerned, Trump said on Twitter. The World is watching and waiting! May be false hope, but the U.S. is ready to go hard in either direction!

At a later White House news conference, Trump said he believed North Korea, which has a long history of deception and threats to target U.S. cities with nuclear missiles, is sincere.

We have come certainly a long way, at least rhetorically, with North Korea, Trump said. Of the possibility for peacefully resolving the nations deep differences, he said: Itd be a great thing for the world, would be great for North Korea, it would be a great thing for the peninsula.

But well see what happens, Trump said.

Spirit of the Olympics

At the conclusion of the 2018 Winter Olympics, North Korea sent the U.S. a message through South Korea, saying it has ample intentions of holding talks with America.

During a meeting with the nations governors at the White House in February, Trump said those talks will only occur under the right conditions.

The administrations position has been that North Korea must get rid of its nuclear and missile programs first before any talks can take place.

Relationship status: Its complicated

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump reportedly said he probably has a very good relationship with North Korea.

Trump also suggested that he is open to diplomacy with the country hes spent years criticizing, the newspaper reported.

I have relationships with people. I think you people are surprised, Trump said.

The Wall Street Journal released the audio and transcript of the interview after Trump denied making the comments.

'Success for the world'

Trump told South Korea that he would be open to talks with its northern neighbor under the right circumstances, the White House said.

Trump also took credit for the talks between North and South Korea ahead of next months Winter Olympics. At a January Cabinet meeting, Trump said it was his administrations pressure on North Korea that caused the rogue nation to negotiate with the South.

"Without our attitude that would have never happened," Trump said of the inter-Korean dialogue. "Who knows where it leads. Hopefully it will lead to success for the world  not just for our country but for the world, and we'll be seeing over the next number of weeks and months what happens."

Whose button is bigger?

After Kim warned Trump about North Koreas nuclear capabilities, Trump hit back on social media, arguing that his Nuclear Button is bigger [and] more powerful.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the 'Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times,' the president tweeted. Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!

Kim previously warned the U.S. should know that the button for nuclear war is on my table.

The entire area of the U.S. mainland is within our nuclear strike range, he said. The United States can never start a war against me and our country.

Good news or bad news?

Trump insinuated at the start of the new year that sanctions and additional pressures are having a big impact on North Korea.

Soldiers are dangerously fleeing to South Korea, Trump said. Kim now wants to talk to South Korea for the first time. Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not  we will see!

In his tweet, Trump was seemingly referring to the recent, dramatic escape of at least two North Korean soldiers across the heavily militarized border into the southern country He also alluded to Kims recent comments indicating he would send a delegation to the Winter Olympics to be hosted in South Korea.

Trump also took credit for the talks between North and South Korean leaders.

With all of the failed experts weighing in, does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasnt firm, strong and willing to commit our total might against the North, Trump said in a Jan. 4 tweet. Fools, but talks are a good thing!

'Sick puppy'

While giving a speech on tax reform at a Missouri event in November, 2017, Trump digressed from the topic to call the North Korean leader a "sick puppy."

His comments drew hoots from the crowd.

State sponsor of terror

Trump re-designated North Korea a state sponsor of terror on Nov. 20, 2017, citing its support of international terrorism, including assassinations on foreign soil.

During a Cabinet meeting, Trump announced the designation came along with new sanctions on the murderous regime as part of the administrations maximum pressure campaign in dealing with North Korea. He said these sanctions will be the highest level of sanctions on the North.

North Korea was on the list but was taken off by the Bush administration in 2008.

Why can't we be friends?

In a series of tweets while in Vietnam, Trump said he doesn't know why the North Korean dictator would "insult" him.

Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me old, when I would NEVER call him short and fat? Trump said. Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen!

The comment came after Kim referred to Trump's speech in South Korea as reckless remarks by an old lunatic.

'Dont try us'

In Asia, Trump issued a stern warning to North Korea, saying it would be a fatal miscalculation for the country to attack the U.S. or an ally.

This is a very different administration than the United States has had in the past. Do not underestimate us. And do not try us, Trump said during an address at South Koreas National Assembly.

North Korea has interpreted Americas past restraint as weakness, Trump said.

'Lets make a deal'

While on his Asia trip, Trump implored North Korea to come to the table for talks on its nuclear weapons program. Trumps request for North Korea to make a deal was in stark contrast to his previous hardline rhetoric when it comes to the rogue nation.

"It makes sense for North Korea to come to the table and make a deal that is good for the people of North Korea and for the world," Trump said during a news conference alongside South Korean president Moon Jae-in in November 2017.

Trump also said hes seen a lot of progress in dealing with North Korea but still called the country a worldwide threat.

In a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo the day before, Trump repeated his assertion that the era of strategic patience with North Korea was finished.

Some people say my rhetoric is very strong but look what has happened with very weak rhetoric in the last 25 years, Trump said then.

'Rocket Man' is on a 'suicide mission'

After dubbing him Rocket Man in a tweet, Trump eventually tried out the new nickname for Kim during his inaugural address to the U.N. General Assembly.

During his speech, Trump vowed to totally destroy North Korea if the country so provokes him. He also said Kim was on a suicide mission.

No more talking

After North Korea said it successfully launched a missile over Japan, a U.S. ally, and into the Pacific Ocean, Trump initially had a subdued response.

"Threatening and destabilizing actions only increase the North Korean regime's isolation in the region and among all nations of the world," Trump said in a written statement after North Koreas missile soared almost 1,700 miles into the Pacific Ocean, triggering alert warnings in northern Japan and shudders throughout Northeast Asia. "All options are on the table."

The missile launch was said to be a precursor to North Koreas containment of the U.S. territory of Guam by Kim, according to state-run media.

But in a tweet, the president suggested the U.S. is finished talking to North Korea.

The U.S. has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. Talking is not the answer, Trump tweeted.

The U.S. is 'locked and loaded'

Trump took to social media in August 2017 to proclaim that the U.S. military is locked and loaded in case North Korea act[s] unwisely.

'Fire [and] fury' isn't 'tough enough'

With the threat of nuclear violence growing, Trump warned North Korea on Aug. 8, 2017 that he would unleash fire, fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before.

But when tensions continued to rise and North Korea threatened to attack Guam, Trump said maybe that comment wasnt "tough enough."

"Lets see what [Kim] does with Guam. He does something in Guam, it will be an event the likes of which nobody has seen before  what will happen in North Korea," Trump said.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Trump was "sending a strong message to North Korea in language that Kim Jong Un can understand, because he doesnt seem to understand diplomatic language."

Kim Jong Un is 'not getting away with it'

Trump said Kim has disrespected our country greatly.

He has said things that are horrific. And with me, hes not getting away with it, Trump said. He got away with it for a long time, between him and his family. Hes not getting away with it. Its a whole new ball game.

'Strategic patience  is over'

After meeting with the South Korean president in Washington, D.C., in June 2017, Trump said that the era of strategic patience with the North Korean regime has failed.

Frankly, that patience is over, he said.

As Trump made these comments, the U.S. was rocked with the death of Otto Warmbier, the 22-year-old American college student who suffered extensive brain damage while being held captive in North Korea for more than a year.

There are 'worse things' than assassinating Kim Jong Un

In an interview with CBS News during the presidential campaign, Trump said he could get China to make [Kim Jong Un] disappear in one form or another very quickly.

When asked if he was talking about assassinating the North Korean dictator, Trump shrugged.

Well, you know, Ive heard of worse things, frankly. I mean, this guys a bad dude  and dont underestimate him, Trump said. Any young guy that can take over from his father with all those generals and everybody else that probably wants the position, this is not somebody to be underestimated.

'What the hell is wrong with speaking?'

Trump told supporters at a campaign rally in Atlanta that should Kim want to come to the U.S., he would be accept[ed].

I wouldnt go there, that I can tell you. If he came here, Id accept him, but I wouldnt give him a state dinner like we do for China and all these other people that rip us off when we give them these big state dinners, Trump said in June 2016.

What the hell is wrong with speaking? Trump said, referencing the criticism he received for being willing to talk with North Korea. Its called opening a dialogue.

'Maniac'

During a GOP presidential debate in September 2015, Trump railed on the maniac in North Korea while answering a question about Planned Parenthood and womens health issues.

Nobody ever mentions North Korea, where you have this maniac sitting there, and he actually has nuclear weapons and somebody better start thinking about North Korea and perhaps a couple of other places. But certainly North Korea, Trump said.

You have somebody right now in North Korea who has got nuclear weapons and who is saying almost every other week, Im ready to use them, and we dont even mention it, he continued.

China needs to solve the problem

Even before he was president, Trump urged China to step in and help alleviate problems with North Korea.

North Korea is reliant on China. China could solve this problem easily if they wanted to but they have no respect for our leaders, Trump tweeted in March 2013.

In April 2013, Trump continued that line of thinking, adding that North Korea cant survive, or even eat, without the help of China. He then accused China of taunting the U.S.

As president, Trump has said he is very disappointed in actions China has taken regarding North Korea, particularly allowing oil to go into the nation. He also said a Chinese envoy to North Korea had no impact on Kim.

Additionally, Trump has said hes spoken to Chinas President Xi Jinping regarding the provocative actions of North Korea as well as the planned meeting between Trump and Kim.

President Xi told me he appreciates that the U.S. is working to solve the problem diplomatically rather than going with the ominous alternative, Trump said in March 2018. China continues to be helpful!

'Wack job'

In April 2013, Trump urged then-President Barack Obama to be very careful with the 28-year-old wack job in North Korea.

At some point we may have to get very tough, he tweeted.

'Negotiate like crazy'

Trump warned that the U.S. needed to do something to stop North Korea in 1999 during an interview with the late Tim Russert on Meet the Press.

"Do you want to do it in five years when they have warheads all over the place, every one of them pointing to New York City, to Washington and every one of us, is that when you want to do it, or do you want to do something now? Trump said. You'd better do it now. And if they think you're serious  they'll negotiate and it'll never come to that.

He said then that if he ever became president, the first step he would take would be to negotiate like crazy to make sure that the country would get the best deal possible. Trump also predicted then that in three or four years, North Korea would have weapons aimed all over the world, including at the U.S.

Fox News' Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report.President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are in Singapore where they will meet one-on-one for a historic summit Tuesday.

After some back-and-forth on whether the meeting would actually happen, the two leaders arrived in Singapore on Sunday. They are scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. local time (9 p.m. ET Monday) with only translators present, according to the White House.

The meeting will later expand to include other officials, such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, chief of staff John Kelly and national security adviser John Bolton.

SEE KIM JONG UN'S BIZARRE NORTH KOREA PROPAGANDA PHOTOS

The summit will be the first-ever meeting between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader.

Its important because of the potential opening it has; there is potential diplomatic progress, former Vice Adm. Robert B. Murrett, a professor of practice, public administration and international affairs at Syracuse University, told Fox News.

This is something we havent been able to do for many years, said Murrett, who also serves as deputy director of the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism at the college, specializes in national security, international relations, military and defense strategy.

Why is this meeting significant?

Aside from the potential diplomatic benefits between the U.S. and North Korea, the summit could benefit other countries.

It not just about the United States, he said, explaining that the meeting could have also been a win for our partners in the east, such as South Korea and Japan, but also areas in the South Pacific region such as Australia.

He added, "These talks have the ability to reduce security tensions in East Asia and present an opportunity for the U.S. to reinforce the strong links with South Korea, Japan and even China."

TRUMP CANCELING NORTH KOREA SUMMIT DECRIED BY SOME LAWMAKERS, PRAISED AS 'RIGHT CALL' BY OTHERS

What topics are Kim and Trump expected to discuss?

Denuclearization will be at the fore, Murrett said.

North Koreas nuclear weapons and ability to deliver them at long distances should be central, said Murrett, who added that recent talks between North and South Korea would suggest that it would remain a core issue.

But Murrett also expected discussion of the Hermit Kingdom's role in the global economy.

Despite various sanctions placed on the country, North Koreas economy grew by 3.9 percent in 2016. But Murrett said diplomatic talks represent the prospect of North Korea rejoining the family of the Asians if only from an economic standpoint, potentially opening the door for the country to trade with more than just China.

It would be in the interest of the people of North Korea, Murrett added.

Does Trump deserve credit for the summit?

In short: Yes, in part.

While Trump deserves credit for agreeing to meet with Kim, his decision to do so was likely sparked by the window of opportunity that has existed because of ongoing pressure on North Korea to better its relations with surrounding countries and beyond, Murrett said.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in also deserves a fair amount of credit, he said, citing the recent summit between the two Koreas and the display of unity at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang as one of several steps toward unification in some fashion or another.

Trump is one of many important players, said Murrett, noting that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were also key players.

Abe met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in April, where the two affirmed their strong determination to strengthen our shared resolve on North Korea, and increase the capability of the U.S.-Japan Alliance to confront all emerging threats to peace, stability, and an international order based on the rule of law, the White House said at the time.

And President Xi and Kim secretly met in May in China, Chinese state television announced after the North Korean leader had already left the country.

"[The leaders] had an all-around and in-depth exchange of views on China-[North Korea] relations and major issues of common concern," the Chinese news agency reported, while Kim was quoted saying that he hopes to build mutual trust with the U.S. through dialogue.

Fox News' Serafin Gomez, Kathleen Joyce, Katherine Lam, Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Zoe Szathmary, Elizabeth Zwirz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.President Trump on Thursday canceled the highly anticipated summit with North Korea that had been set for next month, calling the talks inappropriate following the hostility displayed in the latest comments from dictator Kim Jong Un.

The move to pull out of the summit, slated to take place in Singapore on June 12, came after threats from Kim to call off the talks. In a letter to Kim on Thursday, Trump said the world, and North Korea, had lost a "great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity."

Based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting, Trump wrote in a letter to Kim on Thursday. Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place.

North Korea has for days questioned whether the summit would go forward.

On Thursday, Vice Minister of the North Korean Foreign Ministry, Choe Son Hui, also said that whether the U.S. "will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States," according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.

The official also insulted Vice President Pence after he said North Korea had asked for the meeting.

"As a person involved in the U.S. affairs, I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the U.S. vice president," Choe reportedly said.

Officials, though, told Fox News that it was the threat of nuclear war -- not the insult to Pence -- that led to the summit pullout.

You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used, Trump wrote to Kim. If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write. The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth.

Trump added, This missed opportunity is truly a sad moment in history.

The president also expressed his gratitude for the release of the three American hostages from North Korea earlier this month.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had traveled to North Korea on a surprise diplomatic mission to retrieve the American prisoners, and even met with Kim in preparation for the summit.

I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families, Trump wrote. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated.

AMERICAN PRISONERS HELD IN NORTH KOREA ON THEIR WAY HOME AFTER POMPEO VISIT, TRUMP SAYS

He added, Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you."

Pompeo, who had met with Kim in North Korea, testified on Capitol Hill Thursday before the Senate Foreign Intelligence Committe, to discuss the State Department's budget as the news from the White House broke.

"I can add, over past many days, that we have endeavored to do what Kim and I agreed, put teams togehter in advance of the summit, and we received no response from North Korea," Pompeo said. "The American team was rocking, were ready, and fully prepared for this meeting."

Pompeo added that there was "little doubt" that Kim understood "the scope" of what the U.S. was requesting.

"We made this abundantly clear through multiple channels," Pompeo said. "I regreat statements North Korea made over the past few days, and that we haven't been able to conduct prep necessary for a successful summit."

The anticipated summit was set to come on the heels of a historic meeting between North and South Korea last month, as leaders from the two nations pledged to clear the peninsula of nuclear weapons.

Moon and Kim announced they would work to achieve a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, and also expressed hope to officially end the 1950-53 Korean War by the end of the year, though it is not clear at this point the steps the leaders will take to achieve denuclearization.

KOREAN WAR TO END! The United States, and all of its GREAT people, should be very proud of what is now taking place in Korea! Trump tweeted last month.

The leaders had agreed that by May 1, the loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts that had been blaring from each side of the heavily armed border would be suspended. They agreed to also dismantle broadcasting equipment and stop flying propaganda leaflets across their border.

TRUMP TOUTS 'HISTORIC' KOREAN SUMMIT: 'KOREAN WAR TO END'

Kim also promised Moon that he wont interrupt his early morning sleep anymore, referring to missile tests, South Korea said.

But Kims tune changed last week, canceling a high-level summit with Moon, following U.S.-South Korean military exercises, which the state-run Korean media outlet suggested were a rehearsal for a potential invasion of the North.

During Trump's meeting on Monday with Moon in the Oval Office, the South Korean president expressed confidence in the summit, and in "the future of Kim."

But Trump said "maybe it will happen later."

"In the end, it will work out. I can't tell you how or why, but in the end it will work out," Trump said. "It always does."

Fox News' John Roberts and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.Hawaiis Kilauea volcano is causing eerie blue flames as hot lava burns vegetation on the Big Island.

The U.S. Geological Survey has posted footage of the strange blue burning flames on its Facebook and Twitter accounts. Caused by methane gas, the flames were observed on cracks in a street in Hawaiis Leilani Estates Subdivision on May 22.

When hot lava buries plants and shrubs, methane gas is produced as a byproduct of burning vegetation, explains the USGS, in the post. Methane gas can seep into subsurface voids and explode when heated, or as shown in this video, emerge from cracks in the ground several feet away from the lava. When ignited, the methane produces a blue flame.

HAWAII VOLCANO: WHAT'S THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO FOR KILAUEA?

Intermittent short bursts of methane are visible in the video, as is lava fountaining, which occurs when a jet of lava is sprayed into the air by the rapid formation and expansion of gas bubbles in molten rock.

Kilauea began spewing lava on May 3. The volcano, one of the most active in the world, has already destroyed dozens of homes. President Trump declared a major disaster area in Hawaii on May 11.

Lava from the volcano has also been spewing a deadly plume containing tiny particles of volcanic glass.

HAWAII VOLCANO: KILAUEA LAVA SPEWS DEADLY 'LAZE' PLUME CONTAINING TINY SHARDS OF GLASS

Known as laze  a combination of the words lava and haze, the plume occurs when molten lava flows into the ocean. It reacts vigorously with sea water to create a different type of gas plume that results in hazy and noxious conditions downwind of an ocean entry, explained the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, in a statement.

More than 20 fissures have opened since the Kilauea volcano started erupting. On Wednesday, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported that lava flows from fissures 5 and 13 are feeding a flow that looks like it will enter the Pacific Ocean adjacent to an existing ocean entry point for lava.

The Observatory also reported a small explosion from Kilaueas overlook crater at 6:44 p.m. local time Wednesday (12:44 a.m. EDT Thursday). The explosion produced an ash cloud that reached about 7,000 feet above sea level, according to National Weather Service radar. The cloud did not contain much ash and cleared quickly, explained the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Underscoring the eruption's dangers, a Hawaii man was hit by a flying piece of lava over the weekend and said the molten rock nearly sheared his leg in half.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogersThe hearts of small galaxies may hide a mysterious kind of black hole that has long proved elusive: medium-size black holes with masses between the mass of a few suns and that of millions of suns, a new study finds.

Over the decades, astronomers have detected many examples of two kinds of black holes: stellar-mass black holes and supermassive black holes. Stellar-mass black holes are up to a few times the sun's mass and are thought to arise when giant stars die and collapse in on themselves, whereas supermassive black holes are millions to billions of times the sun's mass and form the hearts of most, if not all, large galaxies.

Much remains unknown about the origins of supermassive black holes; they seem to have grown extraordinarily fast and appeared early in cosmic history, but researchers don't know exactly how. One theory involves intermediate-mass black holes  those with masses between 100 and 1 million solar masses  that previous research suggested might serve as the middle stages between stellar-mass and supermassive black holes. However, evidence for these missing links remains scant. [The Strangest Black Holes in the Universe]

Now, researchers say they may have detected 10 intermediate-mass black holes in the hearts of galaxies, including five that were previously unknown. These new findings suggest that intermediate-mass black holes may lurk within the centers of many small galaxies, the scientists said.

"Intermediate-mass black holes are ubiquitous in the local universe," study lead author Igor Chilingarian, an astronomer at both the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Moscow State University in Russia, told Space.com.

Black holes of any kind are challenging to spotbecause, as their name suggests, they are black, making them difficult to see against the blackness of space. One way to detect black holes indirectly is by looking for extraordinarily bright galactic cores. Prior work suggested that these so-called "active galactic nuclei" are likely black holes that unleash vast amounts of energy as gigantic clouds of gas "accrete" or fall into them.

To hunt for intermediate-mass black holes, the new study's researchers first analyzed data on about 1 million galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, looking for the kind of light typically seen from accreting black holes. After they detected 305 potential intermediate-mass black holes residing in galactic cores, they searched data from the Chandra, XMM-Newton and Swift orbital X-ray observatories for X-rays that would serve as strong evidence that these candidates were, in fact, intermediate-mass black holes.

"These are very faint sources of X-rays at the centers of galaxies," Avi Loeb, chair of astronomy at Harvard University, told Space.com. "Because they're faint, they can't be seen at great distances, so the researchers had to look at the nearby universe. It's very challenging to see these sources, because there are also stars at the centers of galaxies, and the researchers needed to distinguish these sources from stars all around it. This is why many of these sources were not seen before." Loeb was not involved with the new study.

The researchers detected 10 active galactic nuclei that they suggested were intermediate-mass black holes, ranging in mass from about 36,000 to 316,000 solar masses.

"These are the lowest-mass black holes at the centers of galaxies that we know about," Loeb said. "The detection of these intermediate-mass black holes in the centers of nearby dwarf galaxies indicates that you can, in fact, have black holes well below a million solar masses in size at the centers of galaxies."

The researchers found that the greater the masses of the intermediate-mass black holes were, the larger the central bulges of stars usually were in the galaxies that hosted them. A similar relationship is also seen with supermassive black holes, Loeb said. "This suggests the same process that builds black holes also builds galaxies; it starts with smaller galaxies and is seen in bigger galaxies," he said. [No Escape: Dive Into a Black Hole (Infographic)]

Loeb expected to see intermediate-mass black holes in the centers of many small galaxies. "If you go back in time to the early universe, these were the most common galaxies," Loeb said. "Galaxy formation is a hierarchical process; galaxies start small, and grow in mass by mergers and by accreting more matter."

Future research can explore how supermassive black holes originated. One possibility is that intermediate-mass black holes grew from stellar-mass black holes that rapidly devoured gas around them in the early universe, and that mergers of intermediate-mass black holes helped create supermassive black holes, Loeb said. Gravitational-wave observatories could detect such mergers in the future, he added.

However, there are other possible origins for both intermediate-mass and supermassive black holes that scientists need to explore, Loeb said. For instance, intermediate-mass black holes could have originated from the collisions of stars in extremely dense star clusters. In addition, black holes 100,000 to 1 million solar masses in size could have formed from collapsing massive gas clouds in the early universe, he added.

"The more we can learn about the origins of intermediate-mass and supermassive black holes, the more we can understand about the evolution of galaxies and the universe," Loeb said.

Chilingarian and his colleagues are now using one of the Magellan telescopes in Chile to improve their estimates of black-hole masses, and they hope to inspect 13 promising intermediate-mass black-hole candidates with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Chilingarian also noted that, if the eROSITA X-ray space telescope launches as planned in 2019, "the number of confirmed intermediate-mass black holes will grow by an order of magnitude."

Chilingarian and his colleagues detailed their findings online May 3 in a study submitted to The Astrophysical Journal.

Original article on Space.com.Tesla CEO Elon Musk aired his frustration with the media on Wednesday, issuing a series of tweets calling out the hypocrisy of big media companies before floating the idea of starting a website which would allow the public to rate journalists.

The holier-than-thou hypocrisy of big media companies who lay claim to the truth, but publish only enough to sugarcoat the lie, is why the public no longer respects them, Musk started out by tweeting.

Musk went on to claim that journos are under constant pressure to get max clicks & earn advertising dollars or get fired.

Tricky situation, as Tesla doesnt advertise, but fossil fuel companies & gas/diesel car companies are among worlds biggest advertisers, he said.

ELON MUSK CONFIRMS TESLA MODEL 3 HAS A BRAKING ISSUE, SAYS A FIX IS IN THE WORKS

And to one Twitter user who commented on the CEOs remarks, Musk replied the media has earned this mistrust. But maybe there is a solution.

Musk also talked about creating a site, possibly called Pravda, where people can rate the core truth of any article and keep track of the credibility of a journalist or news outlet. He also created a poll, asking followers to choose whether the website was a good idea.

Pravda was the name of a Communist newspaper in the former Soviet Union.

Musks company has been the recipient of recent backlash due to a number of crashes involving the companys vehicles.

TESLA THAT CRASHED INTO TRUCK WAS ON AUTOPILOT, DRIVER SAYS

During one incident in Utah this month, the driver of a Tesla that crashed into a truck at 60 mph told police that she had the vehicles autopilot feature turned on.

Musk reacted at the time, tweeting that it was super messed up that a Tesla crash resulting in a broken ankle is front page news and the ~40,000 people who died in US auto accidents alone in past year get almost no coverage.

During Wednesdays comments, Musk also responded to individual reporters, including one who retweeted Musks comment and drew a comparison to President Trump.

In response to a reporter who said Musk was continuing his slow transformation into a media-baiting Trump figure screaming irrationally about fake news, the Tesla CEO replied, Thought youd say that. Anytime anyone criticizes the media, the media shrieks Youre just like Trump!

ELON MUSK SHOWS OFF INCREDIBLE SPACEX HUMAN TRANSPORT POD ON INSTAGRAM, TWITTER

Why do you think he got elected in the first place? Musk continued. Because no one believes you any more. You lost your credibility a long time ago.

To another journalist, who wrote that blaming the messenger is the hot new thing everyones doing, Musk replied, Oh hey another sanctimonious media person who thinks hes above criticism.

Try being truthful & the public will believe you again, Musk said.

Tesla did not immediately respond to Fox News request for comment.

Fox News Nicole Darrah contributed to this report.President Trump often takes to Twitter to announce public policy, changes to his Cabinet or bloviate on socio-economic issues. However, there are a number of times when the president misspells words on Twitter, which leads to huge spikes in searches for these misspellings and can often cause confusion.

"When we examined search data for misspelled words, comparing it to the dates of many of the presidents spelling gaffes, a pattern emerged," according to a Dictionary.com article, which highlights the president's abundant mistakes. "Each misspelling sparks a surge in searches on site, specifically searches for that exact configuration of letters, as Americans attempt to spellcheck both the president and themselves."

The first example cited is a tweet from Trump the day after his presidential inauguration in January 2017.

TRUMP CAN'T BLOCK TWITTER USERS OVER THEIR POLITICAL VIEWS, NY FEDERAL JUDGE SAYS

I am honered to serve you, the great American People, as your 45th President of the United States," Trump wrote. The tweet was quickly deleted and corrected with the right spelling, but the misspelling led to a 3,850 percent surge in searchers for "honered" compared to the previous week.

The site noted that searches for "honer" also had a modest jump, at 1,271 percent.

Dictionary.com also mentioned Trump's March 2017 attack on the Obama administration for tapping his phones, a claim that was later refuted by the Department of Justice. There were reports that the FBI tapped the phones of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, which some have said vindicated Trump's claim.

Trump's misspelling of the word "tap" led to a 46,300 percent increase in searches for "tapp" over the prior week.

Perhaps the most famous of Trump's Twitter gaffes is his tweet nearly a year ago mentioning "covfefe."

"Despite the constant negative press covfefe," Trump wrote on May 31, 2017 in a now-deleted tweet. It has never been cleared up what Trump was trying to say (did he mean coverage? attention?), "covfefe" become a word on Dictionary.com's list that defined 2017.

TWITTER IS GOING TO HIDE TROLL TWEETS

(In the recent "Yanny" or "Laurel" debate, Trump poked fun at himself, saying he heard "covfefe.")

Trump's grammatical gaffes on Twitter are not just limited to misspellings  he has homophone errors as well.

On May 8, 2017, Trump tweeted: "Ask Sally Yates, under oath, if she knows how classified information got into the newspapers soon after she explained it to W.H. Council."

The tweet was later deleted and replaced with the correct "counsel," but not before a 78 percent increase in searches for the word "council."

Trump also made a mistake when he tweeted on Aug. 17, 2017 "Our great country has been divided for decades. Sometimes you need protest in order to heel, & we will heel, & be stronger than ever before!"

The tweet was later replaced with another which had the correct spelling of "heal," but not before searches for heel (the back part of someone's foot or a command used to tell a dog to stay) shot up 761 percent.

Trump's nicknames for people (calling Kim Jong-Un "Little Rocket Man" or "Cryin' Chuck Schumer") have also had a tendency to be misspelled.

FAKE NEWS SPREADS FASTER ON TWITTER THAN REAL NEWS, STUDY SAYS

In an apparent crack at Sen. Bob Corker (R.-TN.), Trump tweeted: "...the entire World WAS laughing and taking advantage of us. People like liddle' Bob Corker have set the U.S. way back. Now we move forward!"

Not only is "little" misspelled, but it also has an apostrophe that is inappropriate for its usage. (Trump used an errant apostrophe earlier this week when he wrote: "The Witch Hunt finds no Collusion with Russia - so now theyre looking at the rest of the World. Oh great!)

Searches for "liddle," which is not a word in the English language, spiked 4,900 percent.

Earlier this week, The Boston Globe, citing two people familiar with the process, reported that some of Trump's tweets are written by staff and include grammatical errors on purpose to make it seem as if the president himself is writing them.

One of the people said that while those who tweet for the president do use poor grammar on purpose, they do not misspell people's names or words.

Tweets that are proposed are in his voice, said one of the people. You want to do it in a way that fits his style.

Follow Chris Ciaccia on Twitter @Chris_CiacciaCisco's Talos cyberintelligence unit warned that it has a high level of confidence the Russian government has hacked at least 500,000 routers and storage devices in an attempt to cause another enormous cyberattack on Ukraine.

Cisco, which makes switches, routers and a host of other tech equipment, said the campaign, known as VPNFilter, is similar to other attacks the U.S. government has associated with the Russian government, giving them confidence that Moscow is behind this latest attempt.

"In particular, the code of this malware overlaps with versions of the BlackEnergy malware  which was responsible for multiple large-scale attacks that targeted devices in Ukraine," Talos said in a post on its website.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR ROUTER FROM RUSSIAN HACKERS

Talos continued: "While this isn't definitive by any means, we have also observed VPNFilter, a potentially destructive malware, actively infecting Ukrainian hosts at an alarming rate, utilizing a command and control (C2) infrastructure dedicated to that country. Weighing these factors together, we felt it was best to publish our findings so far prior to completing our research."

Cisco researcher Craig Williams told Reuters: "With a network like this you could do anything."

"Working with our partners, we estimate the number of infected devices to be at least 500,000 in at least 54 countries," Talos added in the post. "The known devices affected by VPNFilter are Linksys, MikroTik, NETGEAR and TP-Link networking equipment in the small and home office (SOHO) space, as well at QNAP network-attached storage (NAS) devices."

QNAP issued a statement concerning the claim that QNAP NAS is prone to malware infections due to VPNFilter, noting it has been aware of the issue for some time and has already addressed it.

"QNAP has been aware of the presence of VPNFilter since 2017 - and has addressed the issue with updates to the QTS operating system and the QNAP NAS Malware Remover application," QNAP said in the statement. "This solution has been in place since mid-2017. The QNAP Security Response Team continuously investigates all security threats and releases updates as necessary to safeguard QNAP NAS users from the impact of malware and attacks."



Reuters added that the U.S. government would try to wrestle control of the infected routers after a Pennsylvania federal judge gave the FBI permission to seize an internet domain linked to the Russian hacking group known as Sofacy.

This operation is the first step in the disruption of a botnet that provides the Sofacy actors with an array of capabilities that could be used for a variety of malicious purposes, including intelligence gathering, theft of valuable information, destructive or disruptive attacks, and the misattribution of such activities, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said in a statement obtained by Reuters.

An email to the Russian consulate was not immediately returned.

Follow Chris Ciaccia on Twitter @Chris_CiacciaCleveland State Community College Foundation recently held its spring board meeting in the George R. Johnson Cultural Heritage Center on the CSCC campus.

Amy Card-Lillios has served as board chair since 2015 and passed the gavel to the incoming chair Gary Fuller at the conclusion of the meeting.

Ms. Card-Lillios will continue to serve as a trustee, but in the role as past chair. Other officers elected include Mike Griffin as vice chair, Ann McCoin as secretary and Veronica Fox as treasurer.



This is a rush transcript from "The Ingraham Angle," May 22, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.



INGRAHAM: All right. Good evening from Washington, I'm Laura Ingraham and this is "The Ingraham Angle." We have an amazing show for you tonight of course beginning with a double shot of Newt Gingrich. First he lays in on the latest dark revelations about the deep state as we learn every more sordid details about the Obama administration weaponized the Intel community into a political hit machine. Then Newt will discuss tonight's angle about the GOP's tremendous reversal of fortune and what the party must do to avoid losing any seats in November. Plus Kelly-Ann Conway is here on the big stories of the day including President Trump making a fantastic pro-life speech before the midterms tonight and a shifting timeline on his meeting with the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. But first, the latest details on the Russian investigation are beginning to make Watergate look like child's play. The revelations of the Obama era political targeting grow more ominous by the day. The FBI is under increasing pressure tonight to explain why it was surveilling the Trump campaign as a number of people contacted by informants continues to increase. Sam Clovis, George Papadopoulos and Carter Page were targeted, the latter responding last night on the Angle.

CARTER PAGE, FROMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN FOREIGN ADVISOR: I never knew anything about the person I was speaking with who was a University professor at Cambridge in the UK at the time back. I was invited to participate in a conference in July of 2016 and everything seemed totally normal.

INGRAHAM: It's called grooming, that's what they do Carter. But a much more incendiary claim was made by one of our other guests. Former Trump campaign advisor Michael Caputo told me last night that he knows for a fact that they were more than one, was more than one informant targeting Trump team members because he was one of those targets.

MICHAEL CAPUTO, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN ADVISOR: Let me tell you something that I know for a fact. This informant, this person that they tried to plant into the campaign, even into the administration, if you believe Axios, he's not the only person that came into the campaign. And even FBI is not the only Obama agency that came with the campaign. I know because they came at me.

IGRAHAM: The president responded to the intrigue today.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If they had spies in my campaign that would be a disgrace to this country. That would be one of the biggest insults that anyone has ever seen. That would be very illegal apart from everything else. It would make every political event ever look like small potatoes. That would be unprecedented in the history of our country.

INGRAHAM: Caputo advances his claim earlier on Fox claiming that someone, some shadowy figure, floated the idea of passing along emails related to Hillary Clinton to the Trump campaign.

NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: So you raised this issue with-just to be clear, you raised this issue Mueller's team when they were questioning you and they did nothing?

CAPUTO: There weren't even interested. They didn't even seem to be taking notes. I offered them the timeline--

INGRAHAM: We at the Ingraham Angle along with DOJ producer at Fox have looked into these claims and have identified the figure in question. Well our source corroborated some of Caputo's claims but he denied trying to entrap Caputo and his associate. He further insisted that he did not work for any intelligence agency. Either way it looks like the FBI's targeting of informal or kind of low level Trump associates to get dirt on higher-ups was something of a trend. Perhaps a dangerous one during the Obama administration. Let's turn to Newt Gingrich to react to the latest revelations about the deep state's misdeeds. Mr Speaker it is great to see you but my goodness this is wild. You have this person, a professor in England who is making these contacts various members of the Trump team throwing the whole timeline into question. Recently we heard from Comey that the investigation really began on July 31st now it looks like this particular informant, spy, mole, whatever you want to call him met with Carter Page early July.

NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER SPEAKER OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF

REPRESENTATIVES: Well look, it all keeps getting more and more open.

Presently someone, remember there was reference at some point very early on to senior Obama administration people being briefed. Presently somebody will figured out to ask what did Valerie Jarrett know and when did she know it.

INGRAHAM: I asked that last night on the Angle news.

GINGRICH: And what did, you're right on target.

INGRAHAM: Yeah.

GINGRICH: What did Barak Obama know and when did he know it. Because what you are seeing happen is when every single level, and then this is what happens with really big scandals. They keep unfolding and they keep unfolding, and they keep unfolding. So we are now supposed to believe that the Director of National Intelligence was lying to us the head of the central Intelligence agency was lying to us, the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation was lying to us, the number two person of the FBI was lying to us, the Attorney General was lying to us. I mean she was meeting with Bill Clinton in an aeroplane in private to talk about their grandchildren. I mean at what point do you just say give me a break. And all of this I believe was being coordinated by Obama and by Valerie Jarrett and by the White house.

INGARAHAM: You go right to Obama on this. So you think it's inconceivable that the Chief Executive Officer of the country was not told that they has seen this Carter Page on the list of the foreign policy advisors and they just decided to go into overdrive.

GINGRICH: Look, I don't believe that if you look at the total number of things going on, I don't believe that an administration that as tightly centralised as the Obama administration, you could have had as many things going on, all of them illegal, without the president having been briefed.

Furthermore, I will give you another example, the president is emailing Hillary Clinton on her insecure email. They carefully reword the FBI report to avoid telling us that President Obama clearly had to know she was using an illegal email because he is writing to it.

INGRAHAM: Remember Susan Rice said President Obama did everything by the book. Remember she wrote that email to herself, I have to mention it in every show. All right, this is what Jim Clapper said today on the View whether their spying really occurred. Let's watch

JOY BEHAR, ABC HOST: Was the FBI spying on Trump's campaign?

JAMES CLAPPER, FORMER UNITES STATES DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: No they were not. They were spying on, that's not a term I particularly like, trying to understand were the Russians infiltrating, trying to gain access, trying to leverage-

INGRAHAM: Newt, a legitimate inquiry, if the Russians are pulling the strings on the Trump campaign, that's what he said.

GINGRICH: First of all, I have known Jim Clapper for years. I am astounded how bad he looks now. I am astounded how dishonest and incompetent he looks. I mean he was a great public servant for many, many years. But when the former Director of National Intelligence tells you he doesn't like to use the word spying you have to ask yourself-

INGARAHAM: That is funny, I didn't think of it until you just mentioned that.

GINGRICH: He was the Director of National Intelligence, what do you think he was in charge of doing? How was in charge of spying. And this whole thing is just, people on the left I Think what happened was people like Clapper and the former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, all these guys thought that they could get away with this because Hillary was going to win. And when Hillary won the fixer would be in, everything would be covered up and around 10 o'clock on election night they all began to realise, "this could get really bad". And they were shifting gears from protecting Hillary, which had been their job for two years, to trying to destroy Trump. And now you are watching people who in every case are in danger to going to jail. If the system works and if people are actually tested on, did you tell the truth under oath? And then Clapper is a perfect example.

INGARAHAM: Well actually he was talking about that big moment where he didn't tell the truth about that surveillance program, he addressed this today.

CLAPPER: The president is calling me a lying machine, well okay. (Stems

probe) is an exchange I had with Senator Wyden five years ago in March of

2013 about a surveillance program and he was asking me about one I was thinking about another. So I made a mistake but I didn't lie so that's what occasioned the-

MEGHAN MCCAIN, ABC HOST: So what you're referencing though is when you are talking about James Snowden blowing a whistle on the NSSA illegally spying and 2013 when you asked about it you said no. So that is a lie and I think-

CLAPPER: No it isn't a lie, I'm sorry, I didn't lie, I was thinking about something else.

INGRAHAM: I want to buy a (vowel) at this point, I have no idea what he is talking about.

GINGRICH: First of all, I hope General Flynn watched that and have General Flynn prepared to go back and say that (to Mueller) now. Obviously the Clapper defence, "Whatever you thought I said I didn't mean to say and it wasn't what I said and I don't know why you thought I said it because I wouldn't have said it if I had known you thought I'd said it and therefore it can't really be a problem". This tells you how pathetic this is going to be.

INGRAHAM: But this is the intelligence agency. These are the like the most important people in our intelligence that you say is such a competent professional but sounds like a bumbling idiot. Sorry if I am being cruel here, I guess, but that just sounds outrageous.

GINGRICH: What you are watching is a man who is a great professional who is now in a totally impossible situation in all to get off television desperately trying to explain and defend the indefensible.

INGRAHAM: Joy Baher, look, I trust her more with the National Intelligence at this point than I would Jim Clapper. Newt, stick around because we have a lot more to get through with you after the Angle. But we also want to discuss the latest Russian bombshells that we have uncovered with former Whitewater deputy independent counsel Sol Wisenberg & Riley, and civil rights attorney R&C Community Woman from California Harmeet Dhillon in San Francisco. Let's start with you Sol, you've been watching these events unfold over the last four or five days on whether this professor was a spy, Jim Clapper didn't like to use the term or an informant, or a mole however he operated. We now have a question whether there was more than one. It seems odd that that kind of guy would be the only person if they really thought that Russia was moving the levers of the election, that he'd be the only person but all of this is bubbling to the surface now. Your thoughts on the legal implications here.

SOL WISENBERG, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well whether it's one person or two people, Laura, it's a spy. It doesn't matter whether tis somebody in the campaign in New York or somebody who is operating from overseas. This isn't somebody who is just sitting around with his eyes and ears open waiting to see what somebody says. This is somebody who invites Papadopoulos overseas and gives him a grant or a stipend for a foreign conference. This is somebody who bats her eyes, brings along a woman who bats her eyes at Papadopoulos. This is somebody who either mentions to Caputo and I have heard of one other person, "Hey would you like some of these emails?" So these are proactive measures and this is very disturbing, I won't say very unprecedented because they have been very dirty tricks in campaigns and we know what President Nickson did. But this is very, very disturbing stuff and anybody who pretends that this is normal or is justifies what we know is just nuts. To do an operation like this you better have phenomenal, and I mean phenomenal information and I don't

think--

INGRAHAM: Well Sol, obviously came up empty on the Russian collusion thing. They never brought that Moscow lawyer, Veselnitskaya in for questioning. They could have brought her in. They could have done video, they could have questioned her on video. They never questioned her. That Trump Tower meeting was supposedly so important. It's ridiculous. They have nothing.

WISENBERG: She was probably busy talking to Glen Simpson. Why don't we ever hear that when I am looking at the other networks. Why don't they ever mention that before she went Trump Towers she was meeting with Simpson of Fusion GPS and after the meeting she was meeting with him. Why don't they ever mention that.

INGRAHAM: Oh that's it's convenient. Harmeet I want to get to you. This is what Carl Burnstein, he has been dining out on Watergate for a many decades. This is what he said today about interfering in the investigation.

Let's watch.

CARL BURNSTEIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: What the president did today is really to abuse his authority as he has been doing to intervene in a legitimate investigation and this is part of a cover-up that we are watching. A cover- up by the President of the United States. This abuse of power and authority and cover-up by the President of the United States. We do know there is a cover-up. So this is a cover-up.

INGRAHAM: I am sorry, there was a drinking game going on in the afternoon at a certain radio show, no, I'm just kidding. Parden me, cover-up, cover- up, cover-up, he said it five times in the span of three minutes. Your reaction to all this?

HARMEET DHILLON, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Right and that's the democratic talking points from yesterday. We heard something similar from Eric Swallow on Tucker's show and we have seen it repeatedly over the last few hours and notwithstanding the fairy-tale that James Clapper told the ladies on the View about this not being a spy. We all know what it is like Sol said, this is spy or multiple spies but some other questions have not been answered here like did this professor in London also have contact with Simpson? What role did he play in that? What role did British intelligence authorities, some of who are close to this professor in London, were they alerted about this intelligence operation or alleged intelligence operation on foreign soil. The fact that the timing which has very carefully been cultivate by the Democrats, by Comey, by other former FBI people who have been sent out onto the media but actually we are talking about potentially May as Caputo has said, and even earlier. And so you can't have a cover-up without there being a crime. There's no crime to cover-up. The only thing that should be, the only revisionist history going on here is the Democrats quickly retreating ad scrambling and trying to sow-up (puscation) about their true intentions and when we talk about comparing this to Watergate. Watergate was the President being involved potentially in the cover-up of something that occurred at a very low level. This is a completely different situation, this is an administration, the Obama administration which is known for calling James Rosen a criminal and using that to spy on him.

Cheryl Atkinson, spying on her. Samantha Power, unmasking people.

INGRAHAM: We haven't even to scratched the surface of Samantha Power.

DHILLON: The cover-up is the Democrats trying to throw mud at the Trump campaign and one of the premises here is that there was spying and there was hacking of the DNC. We don't even know that. We haven't even been able to look at their server so that's (crowd striking), we didn't even know that.

INGRAHAM: One of the things that is stunning about all this is all the obsession with Russia, Russia, Russia, Russia. This is what Russia does to Putin's political opponents. This is what happens in China when you oppose the great leader. This happens in third world countries where the power of the government is used to suppress and oppress political descent and so I know that sounds like an hyperbole but that it what they do there and it's ironic that this is what we have, perhaps, going on here. You can close it out.

WISENBERG: Well I think it's the Carl Burnstein business. By the way, as a historical note, they were some pretty high level people who knew about Watergate and knew about the fielding break. But look, when Carl Burnstein, my problem with the Burnsteins of the world is they fail to recognise that this I serious and it's clearly improper what happened during the campaign and we haven't even talked about the omissions in the Pfeizer warrant tonight. On the other hand, you know me Laura, I've been on this show, I've defended Bob Mueller. I've defended Rod Rosenstein. I think that Bob Mueller should be allowed to take as long as he like to finish up his case. But the problem with the other side is its all, black and white for them. There can't be anything wrong with what the Obama people did and it's very clearly, anybody who knows the criminal law system, the intelligence system knows that this was highly improper. When you open up a Logan act case, Sally Yates, this is my obsession. When you open up a Logan act case on somebody who is on the transition team, that's like opening up a criminal case for somebody for carrying a large white fish across state lines. It's just an outrage.

INGRAHAM: Yeah we went from collusion like the rest of the networks. We aren't trying to play at their obsession with a Michael Cohen associate with a taxi medallion issue. You've gone from Whitewater to the blue dress song now we've gone to the taxi medallion, this is where we've gotten. I think we have to wrap this up, but thank you both. In a moment on tonight's angle, I am going to spell out why the GOP has leapt ahead of the Democrats in the polls and Newt Gingrich will tell us what the GOP must do keep this momentum going and avoid the pitfalls that may be ahead. Don't go away.

The GOPs reversal of fortune. That's the focus of tonight's Angle. Just three months ago three reputable polls had the democrats up at 15 points in the Generic Congressional Ballot. Well not anymore. Reuters latest Generic Ballot polls should hearken Republicans. At the beginning of March Democrats enjoyed more than a 10-point advantage. Nearly 45% saying they'd vote for a Dem and only 33% said they would pull the level for Republicans. But now the GOP has taken the lead. The latest online polls shows 39% of registered voters saying they would vote Republican and just 36.7% supporting a Democrat showing a six-point shift. So why is turnaround happening? Because Republicans pretty much staying on offense and supporting, generally not undermining the President on key issues. By working to keep this economy going, dismantling the regulatory super state that hurts our innovators and entrepreneurs, by not dragging us into more serious military conflicts, by refusing to buckle on immigration, at least so far. The GOP is actually gaining momentum.

According to the Cook Political Report, California's 39th and 49th districts have both shifted from lean Democratic to Toss-up. Nebraska's second district moved from Toss-up to Lean Republican. And South Carolina's fifth district moved from likely Republican to solid Republican. So as you can imagine this has thrown the Democrats into a full on frothy panic. The party of failed ideas has issued a new anti-corruption message. That's what's going to drive the midterms for them and they hope it's going to bring them success. Now it's often said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so I wonder what plagiarism get's you? Democratic leaders in a new memo kind of seem to be channelling Trump. They're writing this, "The American people are sick of getting a raw deal from Washington". Well if this all sounds vaguely familiar, it is.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The people got a raw deal, and they deserve so much better. Our government's been eaten alive. Cronyism and kicked the crooks out of Washington DC.

INGRAHAM: Now if you can't beat `em, repeat `em I guess. Well there is a few major problems with the Democrats adopting anti-corruption platform because they are the party of corruption. These are the people that brought you Obama's weaponised IRS to targeted conservatives years ago. Same party that circled the wagons around Hillary Clinton's pay to place game at the state department where Blackberry phones were smashed and hard drives were erased by Bleachbit. Oh let's not forget the party of Debbie Wasserman Schultz who while running the DNC employed an IT specialist who tried to flee to Pakistan after he wired money there, many federal prosecutors say was obtained illegally. A member of federal grand jury indicted them on four counts last summer bank fraud and conspiracy charges. And this is the party, by the way, that's going to root out corruption. The Clintons and their political spawn are so unscrupulous that supporters of Bernie Sanders filed a class action lawsuit against the DNC for rigging the primaries in Hillary's favour. Don't you get that an air of desperation has begun to settle over the Democrats? Because they thought that they were guaranteed a strike electoral gold in November. Congressman Al Greene, he's a Texas Dem, is promising that if they that they take control the house, "There's good a likelihood there will be articles of impeachment brought against the President".

That's it? That's your plan? How's that going to grow a voter's 401ks or keep our manufacturing boom going. Impeachment is not a pro-growth platform kids. And if that doesn't get up the vote well then some miserable foot soldiers hope that attempts at comedy will. Deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee Congressman Keith Ellison, he dawned a blonde wig to impersonate the President recently. Warning: cover your pets' ears and put masking tape on the window panes.

(MUSIC)

INGRAHAM: Oh my God. He will not be seen in Hamilton any time soon. The tune is as flat and off key as the rest of the Democratic message. My friends, this should be fairly easy for the Republicans. There's a great sense of optimism in the country. It's a great to be an American. I think there's no better time than maybe in the 80's during Reagan. So it's time to double down on the accomplishments. Support the President's populous pro-growth agenda. The GOP at the same time must also avoid any self- inflicted wounds before the midterms. Promoting or passing an amnesty plan or going weak on China. That could actually dishearten base. It could break faith for the blue collar workers who swept the President and the GOP into office, and it could again, if you stand with them. And that's the Angle. Let's bring back Newt Gingrich to discuss the GOP's prospects which seem to be improving in November. Newt, thoughts.

GINGRICH: Well I think that the Republicans are likely to gain four to six seats in the senate. I think they--

INGRAHAM: Four to six seats? We are hearing that they could lose the majority in the senate six months ago.

GINGRICH: I do a newsletter at Gingrich Productions that goes out twice a week for free. And two weeks ago I wrote, "Everybody who is wrong in the spring of `16 who said Trump couldn't be the nominee was everybody, who was wrong in the fall of '16 who said Trump couldn't win the Presidency, are the same people who are on TV right now". Why would you believe any of them?

INGRAHAM: But Steve Schmidt has been so right with all that work over there, I say facetiously.

GINGRICH: All the political analyst establishment and the talking heads have a bias getting together and saying this is what's going to happen now. If I were a Democrat and I looked at that poll today from Reuters--

IGRAHAM: Oh that six point swing.

GINGRICH: The Republicans are up one where they used to be down 10 or 11.

INGRAHAM: 15 at one time.

GINGRICH: I'd begin to panic because if the Republicans are anywhere close to even on the generic, they could conceivably gain seats.

INGRAHAM: Doesn't impeachment hurt the Democrats because the Republicans, when you see them turn out still for these rallies for Trump. You've seen these crowds. People will think impeachment, they are going to go after the polls. I hope that says the impeachment, Congressman Greene. I thought it was Al Greene, suddenly Al Greene got an apology. (It's the most Congressman). He said we are going to impeach the President, articles of impeachment, that's going to drive Republicans right to the polls.

Democrats don't seem to know that.

GINGRICH: It's not just the Trump supporters. The average American who is not deeply political wants the system to work. They love what's happening with the economy. They love the fact that there's the lowest unemployment rate in modern times. They think it's terrific. Gallups just reported 65% of the country thinks that you can get a good job. Highest number since they began taking that question. So they are sitting there going, "Let me get this straight, Democrats voted no in the tax cuts, and would now like to totally screw up the economy by chasing an impeachment on a topic that doesn't seem to have any substance.

INGRAHAM: They got prison reform passed through the house today. That's a huge by-partisan issue.

GINGRICH: That was a big victory.

INGRAHAM: Huge by-partisan issue that'll likely pass the senate. You got part of the Dodd Frank repealed, that's happening. You got all these judges, 21 judges on the circuit courts getting through, I mean this is good stuff.

GINGRICH: and you see really unusual things. You end up looking at Van Jones, liberal Democrat, shows up at the Whitehouse as part of prison reform. Something you couldn't have seen a year ago.

INGRAHAM: I think the Kanye West effect is something we still haven't seen full effective --

GINGRICH: There is a second example. Kanye West within three days, black support approval of Trump drawn from 11 to 22 in one --

INGRAHAM: How much of an increase in African-American support for the president or the Republican agenda would just devastate the Democrats? Like a five percent jump or a three percent?

GINGRICH: A five or eight or nine percent would be devastating. If the Republicans ever get to 20 percent of the black vote it is virtually impossible for the Democrats to survive.

INGRAHAM: They are truly petrified of that.

GINGRICH: They should be.

INGRAHAM: Racism, racism, racism. Identity politics, right?

GINGRICH: Right. And at the same time what you have, though, is a president who can say absolutely accurately this is the best situation in black unemployment in American history. Never been lower.

INGRAHAM: Don't you think it's a great time to be an American right now? If you are in business -- lots of stuff happening in the culture I'm not wild about, but as far as economic opportunity, good times.

GINGRICH: A whole range of innovation and technological opportunity. I'm trying to figure out how to get every eighth grader this September to understand literally they have a chance to go to the moon, they have a chance to go to Mars. The world, this stuff is changing so fast, young people ought to have a sense they are going to live one of the most exciting generations in history, and that could be part of Trump's greatest legacy.

INGRAHAM: Optimism and positivity. Pelosi and Schumer, just to give you one more sell on the better deal model, let's watch.

(LAUGHTER)

GINGRICH: You are mean.

(LAUGHTER)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOUSE MINORITY LEADER REP. NANCY PELOSI, DCALIFORNIA: Instead of delivering on his promise to drain the swamp, President Trump has become the swamp. We want Republicans and their corrupt big donor driven agenda to get out of the way. It has given the American people a raw deal.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER, DNEW YORK: President Trump, when it comes to draining the swamp, has been a complete and total disappointment. The swamp has never been more foul or more fetid than under this president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: I know you love the fact they use the word "fetid." I know that's what you're thinking.

GINGRICH: First of all, the idea that we now have Democrats talk about the swamp is an enormous psychological victory. Second, the three top Democrats in the House between them are 278 years old. This is the base of their campaign this fall, vote for people who have been around so long they know nothing?

INGRAHAM: You don't date them, you carbon date them.

(LAUGHTER)

INGRAHAM: Great to see you, Newt Gingrich, as always. We have a lot to get to. Up next, top White House advisor Kellyanne Conway is here to tell us what the president is doing to ensure a big turnout in the midterms. I think a lot of it, not just with the economy, but tonight a huge pro-life dinner. The president hit it out of the park, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For decades, American taxpayers have been wrongfully forced to subsidize the abortion industry through Title X federal funding. So today we have kept another promise.

My administration has proposed a new rule to prohibit Title Xx funding from going to any clinic that performs abortions.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: Democrats in the Senate are doing everything within their power to block it. On this issue, like so many other issues, the Democratic Party is far outside the American mainstream.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: That was President Trump delivering the keynote address tonight at the Susan B. Anthony List annual Campaign for Life Gala. A part of the president's strategy is to rally the base as we head into the midterm elections and his focus on pro-life initiatives there. Here to discuss that and so much more, one of the president's top advisors, Kellyanne Conway, who herself tonight received the big award from the Susan B.

Anthony list. Kellyanne, it's great to have you on.

KELLYANNE CONWAY, COUNSELOR TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you, Laura.

INGRAHAM: By the way, the president praised you. We were watching in the back, and this was a fun moment. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: She is some fighter. She will do the shows that nobody else dares go near. I will say to this one or that one. No problem, sir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: I said to Raymond, wait a minute, Kellyanne is coming on our show.

CONWAY: That's not what he means. He didn't mean this show, that's for sure.

INGRAHAM: That was fun.

But we were watching, all of us, and he's the most I think pro-life president we've ever had, and defending life, the most innocent among us who have no lobbyists and no fat cats behind them. And it's not his crowd, the Manhattan crowd, but I'm sorry, but I was so moved by that.

CONWAY: There's no question. Tonight in my remarks I took out the letter from September 2016 that candidate Trump signed. And Marjorie Dannenfelser, Susan B. Anthony List, wanted him to sign this letter to activate the grassroots. He said we need some promises, some commitments from the Republican nominee. So he looked at the letter. It talked about partial-birth abortion, making the Hyde amendment permanent, signing the pain capable unborn act into law if it reached his desk, certainly moving, as he just did tonight, the funding from clinics that provide abortions to those that provide true women's health services like mammograms and screenings and other services.

So he looked at it and he said that's all fine, but where is all that stuff about Hillary Clinton? And he added stuff about Hillary Clinton. I'm going to give you a copy of the letter, and he signed it. And it went on and on about how extreme she is, that she would take the baby out of its mother's womb an hour before.

INGRAHAM: The debate, the debate moment.

CONWAY: And then he followed it up on October 19th and gave the most impassioned defense ever heard from a presidential debate footing.

And let's remind everybody this is a Manhattan male billionaire who for most of his adult life has said he was pro-choice.

INGRAHAM: The liberals will say he doesn't really mean it.

CONWAY: Look at his record. Look at his record. Mexico City policy, Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court, first president ever to address this gala, first president ever to address the March for Life. And Mike Pence of course is his first vice president to ever do the same thing. All you have to do is look at the policies. And president Trump will probably say this is just a good start.

INGRAHAM: The issue of China is big now because so many of us supported the president because of his tough line on China. You have the China 2025 plan seeking to dominate every major industry, stolen or intellectual property. The president has been fantastic on this issue, but this is what Chuck Schumer said. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK SCHUMER, (D) SENATE MINORITY LEADER: I am really concerned about the president's hemming and hawing over the last few days when it comes to China. You could say that President Xi is writing the art of the deal, not President Trump. Unfortunately every time President Xi flatters our president he seems to back off a tough deal. You've got to be tough on China. You have to have your actions match your rhetoric.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: In my mind the worst thing that could happen is the Democrats out-populist this president on this issue. That would be a gift to them, Kellyanne. Can you reassure viewers tonight that the president is going to retain his strength and approach to China that got him elected?

CONWAY: The president addressed this today in the Oval Office with all the cameras rolling as was meeting with President Moon from South Korea. And the president has made clear from the beginning he thinks that these imbalanced, unfair, nonreciprocal trade deals including with China are killing the American worker, American interest, American industries, and he will always fight for them first.

The president talks extensively about the $500 billion trade deficit we have with China. At the same time we are happy that in some of these negotiations in Beijing and here last week, Laura, at the White House, that China signals a move to buy more ag, buy more energy, for example. But the president also, if he thinks the deal is not good for Americans, he's happy to walk away from it. He's been doing that his entire career.

INGRAHAM: So you are not concerned that you hear Marco Rubio, Schumer, these guys, they see an opening here, because Trump dominated that space in 2016. No one had done it like he had done it. Now they see sour gum and soybeans are more important than our entire tech sector that has gotten ripped off as they continue to steal our I.P. And they are playing long ball here. They are not playing short ball. They are playing long ball for total domination.

CONWAY: They are. And remember, we're talking about technology transfers.

Ambassador Lighthizer, the U.S. trade representative obviously went over to Beijing, talking about the fact they are stealing our innovation, stealing our future, frankly, our future innovation.

INGRAHAM: Are Mnuchin and Lighthizer on different sides on this? Is there a real war going on inside? We keep hearing that.

CONWAY: No. I think people like to cover palace intrigue instead of learning the policies.

INGRAHAM: There's a divide in the party, though, on trade, huge divide.

CONWAY: It's not a divide for Donald Trump. And he came out, I think one of the issues that he was able to elevate, two of the issues Donald Trump was to elevate as a candidate, Laura, from mired in low single digits to putting out there on the platform was illegal immigration and trade. He took those little single digits all the way up. And it's all about fairness to him. They're both undergirded by fairness, and it's fairness to Americans.

INGRAHAM: North Korea, meeting shifting, moving, can you tell us anything new on that?

CONWAY: The White House put out a statement tonight asking the press to sign up if they are going to cover the summit in Singapore.

INGRAHAM: I want to cover it.

CONWAY: So we are still planning on July 12th. The president has made it very clear from the beginning and said it again today that if it happens that's great. If it doesn't happen, that's OK too. Maybe it won't happen on June 12th, it will happen at a later date. We are still way ahead. We still made tremendous progress there, Laura, because of president Trump's leadership. Without him North Korea would not be talking to South Korea.

Those three American detainees would not be back.

INGRAHAM: He was hinting that Xi was part of the perhaps turn --

CONWAY: He said I think the president is a world class poker player is what he said. That was his exact quote. I'm not blaming anybody. I'm just saying something happened. And so what we are looking -- what the president has said is that we'll continue to make progress, continue to talk. But remember the goal here is not to have a summit. The goal is denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, and that's with the president is looking at.

INGRAHAM: John Bolton going to be going on the trip?

CONWAY: I think he would be.

INGRAHAM: I should hope so. But the Chinese, they don't want him there, but I hope he does. Kellyanne, congratulations on the award.

CONWAY: Thank you so much. Congratulations to the most pro-life president in America history for keeping his promises.

INGRAHAM: Absolutely.

And up next, a look at the other half of the midterm equation and why the Democrats suddenly seem in a panic. We're going to tell you what has gotten Nancy Pelosi so worried about a Democratic civil war next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

INGRAHAM: Much to the chagrin of the Democratic leadership, some rank and file in the party just will not stop talking about impeachment, and it is driving party leaders like Pelosi up the wall.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. AL GREEN, (D) TEXAS: Every member of the House is accorded the opportunity to bring up impeachment. This is not something that the constitution has bestowed upon leadership. It's something that every member has a right and privilege of doing. And I think that there is a good likelihood that there will be articles of impeachment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: But a leading leftist legal mind warns this isn't an issue to take lightly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't be the boy who cried wolf and expect to have a viable impeachment power. You can't use it over and over again against the same president. If you are going to shoot him you've got to shoot to kill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: OK. Jeffrey Toobin adding in "The New Yorker," will the fervor to impeach Donald Trump start a Democratic civil war? Let's debate that question with Obama and Clinton campaign alum Michael Starr Hopkins and Monica Crowley of the London Center for Policy Research. Great to see both of you.

Michael, let's go with you, because I find this interesting because I get it. They want to get Trump out of office. They don't like Trump. Trump is for them the devil. You just got to get rid of Trump. But remember the

1998 deal, Republicans, they went too far on impeachment and then they end up getting their clocks cleaned in the midterm there and lost ground.

Where do you stand on the impeachment issue?

MICHAEL STARR HOPKINS, CONTRIBUTOR, "THE HILL": I think Donald Trump has lost some moral authority to lead. And so I think Democrats eventually will bring article of impeachment against the president. But I think the commentator earlier was correct, Democrats only get one shot to do it. And so when Democrats bring them they have to be based on facts and a half to be able to support those.

Luckily Donald Trump is the gift that keeps on giving, and whether it's Cohen or Flynn, Kushner or his comments in Charlottesville, Democrats are going to have a lot to add to these articles of impeachment.

INGRAHAM: Monica?

MONICA CROWLEY, LONDON CENTER FOR POLICY RESEARCH: They clearly did not learn the lesson of the Clinton experience, which is when you have a popular president who is presiding over a strong economy, if the other party tries to remove that president without the popular will behind that action it is doomed to failure, not just in terms of the political and legal process that it goes through on Capitol Hill, but also with the American people.

And the blowback is fast and fierce. This is all that the Democrats have.

They started this process even before Donald Trump was apparently the nominee for president because he represents such an existential threat to the elite ruling class and in particular to the leftist movement.

INGRAHAM: I'm sorry, Monica, I think that when you repeat Kushner, Manafort, Cohen, I think most people's eyes glaze over. OK, can I send my kids to college? Is my 401(k) up? Are wages rising? And in all cases, it's really good. That's why Trump's numbers are going up. I think this Mueller thing, Michael, I'm honestly trying to analyze this, not as a partisan but as an analyst. I don't think it's resonating with people. I get it on the left, I get how they're all fired up about this, but just saying Kushner, Manafort, Cohen, that's like a law firm. That doesn't mean anything to end of nomadic anyone.

HOPKINS: I do agree with you on that. Democrats cannot only talk about Manafort and the Russia investigation. We have to multitask and talk about one of the things I think Democrats need to be pushing is the legalization of marijuana so that we can then tax that revenue and use it to fund health care, to better our education system.

INGRAHAM: So good people all jacked up and high and numb so then you can get health care because they are going to need it when they all turn into schizophrenics.

HOPKINS: Look what Colorado has done. They have been pretty successful with it.

INGRAHAM: I know. When you were a young person and a developing brain.

I'm not talking everybody who has ever smoked pot, but the medical.

Monica, this is where the polls are. The Quinnipiac polls, impeachment, 71 percent favor, Democrats, no, 21 percent, don't know, don't know the zip code they live in, eight percent. They want this president impeached and I think the Republicans are going to run with that message in the midterms and say if you want this economy to keep going, you want this president to continue to advance economic interests, you've got to turn out to vote. I think we will see, but right now if I were a Democrat I would be sweating it.

CROWLEY: Yes. We are so far beyond normal politics now, Laura. Everything is in the extreme. Of course it's hyper partisan, but everything now, step one is reaching for the extreme. So the Democrats, step one is reaching for impeachment. The Democrats do not have a strong economic message. In fact I don't think they have an economic message at all. And over the last eight years of President Obama's tenure, everything that he put in to place economically and national security wise is being undercut, if not full out in reverse and removed this president. What the president is doing is putting the lie to the statist ideal that was represented by President Obama and by the Democrats, and there's no way that they can counter that because the proof is what the American people are living on the ground every single day. And they see that this president's policies are succeeding where Obama and the Democrats failed.

INGRAHAM: I think what is interesting is Pelosi is like whoa on this impeachment talk. She's a smart cookie. She wasn't the speaker of the House for nothing. And she's like whoa, wait a California moment on the impeachment. Guys, fantastic segment as always. California, by the way, has some of the highest taxes in the nation. So what's another lavish new entitlement for illegal immigrants? No big deal. Sanctuary states unbelievable scheme and a debate next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

INGRAHAM: A bill in the California state Senate would make it the first state in the nation to offer full health care coverage to illegal immigrants. It will cost a whopping $3 billion, and critics say it could devastate the economy of the fiscally fragile state. Let's discuss this with someone who supports the bill, Dr. Micah Weinberg, president of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute. Dr. Weinberg, tell us why this is a good idea given what we know it will cost for the state of California.

DR. MICAH WEINBERG, BAY AREA COUNCIL ECONOMIC INSTITUTE: Yes. So right now we actually pay for health care for undocumented immigrants at the federal level. But we only do it in the most expensive, inefficient way possible through emergency room care. So this just moves us into paying for primary and preventive care, which is substantially more efficient.

INGRAHAM: The Medi-Cal problems, the overall health care in California called Medi-Cal, E.R. visits by Medi-Cal patients rose 75 percent over just the past five years. Only 55 percent of physicians actually accept Medi- Cal, more than a third of all California residents are already on Medi-Cal, and last year $23 billion were spent by the state on illegal immigrants. How would this not be a further magnet for illegal immigrants to come into the state? You already have 3 million unauthorized immigrants.

WEINBERG: Sure. So you had a lot of questions there.

INGRAHAM: Yes, I do, because it's a ridiculous idea. Handle it one at a time.

WEINBERG: I'm concerned we may not see eye to eye at the end of this.

(LAUGHTER)

INGRAHAM: You're kidding.

WEINBERG: I'm a little concerned. California is actually not a magnet for lower income people. California is actually a magnet for higher income people. We are actually a net exporter of lower income people because of the cost of living here, which is a real issue. So this whole idea of being a magnet state just isn't borne out by the economic data.

INGRAHAM: OK, hold on, Dr. Weinberg, there is 134,000 homeless people in your state. It has been declared a state of emergency in San Francisco and in L.A. So we don't have a problem with low income people. Of course you have a problem with low income people. They are all living in tents on the streets, and even liberal shop owners in San Francisco are complaining about what it's doing to their businesses. So don't say on this show that you don't have a problem with low income people in the state. Of course you do.

WEINBERG: I'm really glad to hear that you want to get enrolled in our effort to build more housing in the Bay Area and I would love to come back to talk to about that. But this conversation is actually about health care, and you brought up the fact that there are a lot of doctors that don't accept Medi-Cal. One of the things about not paying for undocumented immigrants is physicians and hospitals are forced to provide charity care, and the employees of my businesses see higher health care premiums by virtue of the fact that we actually do provide health care to these folks at the emergency room.

INGRAHAM: Whoa, you act like every illegal immigrant goes to the emergency room all the time. The fact is they are not supposed to be in the state, Micah.

WEINBERG: Again --

INGRAHAM: They are supposed to be back in her home country. So you want to make it easier for people to be in the state and get health care paid for. I get that, but you are making law-abiding taxpayers and legal immigrants foot the bill for even more care than they are already paying now. I get it because you want to do that.

WEINBERG: I'm saying --

INGRAHAM: We appreciate it. We will have you on radio, we will do a longer segment. Sorry we had to shortchange on it.

A pillow fight like you've never seen before, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

INGRAHAM: We leave you tonight with images from a major event that somehow didn't make the evening news -- 70,000 millennials filled Viking stadium in celebration of faith, hope, and love last Friday in Minnesota.

END

<Copy: Content and Programming Copyright 2018 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2018 ASC Services II Media, LLC. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of ASC Services II Media, LLC. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.>

This is a rush transcript from "Your World," May 23, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want them all to get together, and I want them, because everybody wants this solved. But a lot of bad things have happened. We now call it spygate. You're calling it spygate.

A lot of bad things have happened. I want them all to get together. They will sit in a room. Hopefully, they will be able to work it out among themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: Well, actually, the president is calling it spygate.

So, since he has done that, others have sort of taken up the baton just to sort of simplify this story. What it is about is these revelations now that the FBI, Justice Department had spies, you know, people seeking information from an in embedded in the Trump campaign back in 2016.

At first, we thought the fall of 2016. At first, we thought one individual. Now it's back to the spring of 2016 and maybe several individuals, that, of course, coming from Michael Caputo, a former operative for Donald Trump who was with me on this show just last night.

Let's get read on all of this and so much more, including tax cuts and all of that, with House Majority Whip Steve Scalise.

Congressman, always good to have you. Thank you for coming.

REP. STEVE SCALISE, R-LA, HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP: Always great to be back with you.

CAVUTO: What do you make of this? The president says, we got to got to the bottom of this. Some are calling for a special prosecutor to look into this. What is your view on it?

SCALISE: Look, I have had a lot of concerns for a while about some of the things that have been going on at the FBI.

And I have been vocal about it, saying the FBI needs to get their house in order and not focus on witch-hunts, but actually keep true to their core mission of keeping America safe. And we have raised a lot of questions through our oversight hearings, Devin Nunes and his committee, some of the things Trey Gowdy has been looking into to, where we're trying to get more facts from Justice, from FBI, and frankly not getting all the information that we need.

And we're going to keep pressing to get that -- those answers.

CAVUTO: It sounds like you wouldn't be keen on a separate prosecutor. But would that mean an inspector general, again, making this an added thing to look into, or Hollywood?

SCALISE: Well, look, I'm open to a special prosecutor to look into some of these other allegations that I don't think are being adequately addressed.

CAVUTO: OK.

SCALISE: One way or another, however we can quickly get them addressed.

If the FBI and Justice just turn over the documents that have been requested without redacting almost full pages in a ridiculous way, then I think we would make a lot of headway and answer a lot of questions. They should be as interested as we are in rooting out any bad actors over at FBI.

If they're bad actors, they should want them out, just like we would.

CAVUTO: All right, do you find it odd, sir, though that they're -- if this indeed was going on and they had operatives kind of spying or looking around the Trump campaign, and they never bounced it off the Trump campaign to give them the heads-up that's what they were doing, what do you think of that?

SCALISE: Well, I think it all sounds very odd.

I don't know what all of the facts are yet because we haven't gotten all the facts. Best thing that they can do is give us all the information. And if something bad happened, they should want to root it out just like us. They shouldn't want to cover anything up. They shouldn't want to hide it.

Don't redact all these documents that we're asking for. There's an Article 1 and Article 2 of the Constitution authority. We have an oversight responsibility for the American people.

CAVUTO: Could I ask you something a little bit about the speaker's position? He's going to retire after his term ends. But some of your colleagues want him out now.

And I'm just wondering what do you think of that.

SCALISE: I haven't heard that hue and cry.

What I know we're focused on is pursuing our agenda, continuing to move the economy forward. We're seeing great economic numbers. But there's a lot more we can do. We have even talked about some things like a tax reform 2.0, working with President Trump to build on the success we already had.

Let's stay focused on doing our job. The midterm elections are coming. And we're going to deal with that too. We're going to make sure that Nancy Pelosi is not speaker.

CAVUTO: So you're not for switching speakers out or choosing on a leader of your party in the House until after the election?

SCALISE: Right.

I'm focused on moving our agenda forward. Paul Ryan is as well. So is Kevin McCarthy. Our team has got a lot of work to do. And we're working with the president, in Donald Trump, who wants to get really good things done and is already seeing a lot of good things done on taxes, on regulatory reform.

Let's keep adding more jobs. Let's keep building our economy. And then we will let the November elections deal with themselves.

CAVUTO: All right, so, Congressman, if some of your colleagues -- now, actually, there are a good many of them at last count -- come up to you and say, Steve, you know, we need you right now, and we respect Paul Ryan, but January is a long time, we could get some things done right now with a new energized, galvanized group led by you, you would say?

SCALISE: That's not what people are talking about right now.

They're saying, let's get a farm bill done that puts work requirements in place so that somebody that is on welfare today, when people are looking for jobs, can actually get into the work force. That's what we're going to be doing in these next few weeks. Let's actually make tax cuts permanent that are working really well for families, but will expire in the next eight years.

Let's get them permanent. Let's have that vote soon in these next few months. Those are the kinds of things we're dealing with.

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: I'm sorry, sir.

The individual tax cuts, you're talking about, make them permanent, and those then expire in '25.

SCALISE: Individual and small business. Yes.

CAVUTO: All right, as you know, a number of Democrats, led by Nancy Pelosi, but there are a host of others, say they want to scrap the plan that you guys came up, that it's not fair, not right, not balanced.

You say?

(LAUGHTER)

SCALISE: I say, they have no idea what is going on out there is how excited middle-class and hardworking families are to see more money in their pockets, to see companies hiring and companies giving more bonuses and pay raises to their workers.

When Nancy Pelosi says she wants to raise taxes in the face of lower taxes getting our economy going again, it shows the contrast and what is at stake in this November's election.

I want to have that debate. Let's have that vote on the House floor and say I know there's -- some of the rates are going to expire in 2024. Let's make those tax cuts permanent. And if she wants to keep voting no, she said she wants to be speaker, she said she wants to raise taxes, let the American people decide that issue in November.

CAVUTO: I would like to hear your thoughts on the president, besides just worrying about ironing out the differences that apparently have cropped up between himself and the North Koreans ahead of that big meeting, talk about getting a trade deal with the Chinese, which would include potentially some rescue of ZTE, the Chinese telecommunications concern, of course, that's been found guilty of espionage.

It's been sanctioned. It's been punished. A lot of your Republican colleagues in both the House and the Senate think it's very dangerous what the president is doing. What do you think?

SCALISE: Well, I think the fact that the president is engaging other countries is important for America.

Look at what he's doing with Mexico and Canada in renegotiating NAFTA. There are a lot of important issues on the table that can benefit America's economy. I encourage him to continue doing that and going and getting a better deal for America.

If he can engage the Chinese and get them to stop their bad practices that they're engaging in, that's a good thing. Obviously, there's some areas that we want to see addressed. And the president wants to see a lot of those things addressed, too.

This president has been standing up for America, rebuilding our military. Look at what he's done just recently in pushing to give the largest pay raise to our troops in years.

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: But he's still talking to ZTE or this is an issue of helping ZTE.

Now, the president says nothing has been decided on that.

SCALISE: Right.

CAVUTO: But a lot of your colleagues are worried enough, sir, to say, don't even think about it, and this -- this could require our intervening to stop you from doing it.

SCALISE: Well, the first thing to do is to engage with the administration.

President Trump has shown a real willingness to work with Congress to iron these problems out. And that's the way to handle it. Talk to him, just like on trade. Everybody was saying there was going to be a big trade war. And there's not, because President Trump worked with us, worked with other people to make sure we keep seeing this economic growth while tracking down on cheaters like China in some of the areas where they have been hurting our economy.

So, I think he's been proven that he's got a great track record in negotiating and working with us to make sure that we're addressing problems and getting our economy growing.

And there's a lot more growth we can have. Why stop now?

CAVUTO: All right, very good seeing you again, Congressman Steve Scalise, House majority whip. Be well.

SCALISE: Always great to be with you, Neil.

CAVUTO: Same here. Thank you, sir. All right.

END

Content and Programming Copyright 2018 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2018 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.This is a rush transcript from "Your World," May 24, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: All right, now comes the tough part.

Apparently, we're going to get tougher when it comes to the North Koreans. Already having slapped the hardest sanctions on any country in the history of, well, all countries, the president is considering still more actions, more punitive actions.

Let's get the read with Mark Meadows, the man who runs the House Freedom Caucus, among many things.

Congressman, very good to have you.

REP. MARK MEADOWS, R-NORTH CAROLINA: Neil, it's always great to be back with you and your viewers.

So, it's certainly good to be here today, even though the news obviously is not the best as it relates to North Korea, but look forward to answering your questions.

CAVUTO: Same here.

So, let me ask you the first one about what we can look forward to, or the North Koreans not look forward to when it comes to sanctions.

MEADOWS: Well, I think what we're going to see is not only a ratcheting up on the sanction regime, but really all their allies.

Here's the thing, is the North Koreans had an opportunity to become part of the international community and negotiate. They have made it clear that they don't want to do that. So, now that the talks are off, I think that they will become more and more isolated, if that is indeed possible.

But certainly the mood here on Capitol Hill is to be as punitive as we possibly can with the sanctions, and let them know that a nuclear peninsula of -- on the Korean Peninsula will not be tolerated.

CAVUTO: You know, I'm just wondering if this just might be an elaborate game of subterfuge here...

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: Where the North Koreans eventually -- because we haven't heard from them -- come back to the table, realizing they might have gone too far.

But what if it's the opposite, Chairman? What if they -- they up the ante and then this all passes?

MEADOWS: Well, they may up the ante. I certainly hope not.

And I hope, you like, that your first hypothesis is right, that everybody that perhaps they're overreaching just a little bit, and just because there was a historic step across one line between North and South Korea doesn't mean that it will necessarily produce results.

I'm still hopeful that it can. And yet, today, it looks pretty bleak. But-- but even if it gets ratcheted up, I have -- I have great confidence in not only are the strength of our military and our military might, but the other tools that we have at our disposal to make sure that we keep Americans safe.

And I know the president is committed to that.

CAVUTO: Sometimes, politics being what it is, Congressman, the left, many on the left said the president blew it here, that the North Koreans came out on top. You heard about Nancy Pelosi was arguing about this.

But if you're the North Korean leader, and you're looking to see if the United States is going to potentially risk damaging a relationship with their big mentor, and that is China, how would you feel?

MEADOWS: Well, I'll tell you, if I was North Korea, I can give them a real message.

Having spoken to the president a number of times, and knowing him, he's serious about making a deal, but he's also serious about the punitive measures. And he will not blink.

It was interesting. Nancy Pelosi comes out and says that, but this is the same Nancy Pelosi that says, oh, gosh, he's going to cut a bad deal, he's going to go no matter what.

You can't have it both ways. I can tell you, this president and Secretary Pompeo know how to negotiate. And yet, at the same time, China is going to have to determine who they're going to deal with.

I believe, in the end, they know that it's better to align with the United States than the North Korean dictator.

CAVUTO: In your gut, what do you think unraveled this?

MEADOWS: You know, in my gut, I think what happens is, is, in any negotiation, when you get close to actually making a deal, people get overconfident on their ability and what they think the other side may or may not want and the motivations.

I think they're underestimating the president's resolve. But at the -- the end of the day, I'm hopeful that maybe the event doesn't happen on June the 12th or around that, but that it does happen in the coming weeks, and that we find that the North Korean people will benefit from really coming into the 21st century and understanding that economics are really the driving force for most people's support, or lack thereof.

CAVUTO: Mark Meadows, good catching up with you. Thank you, sir, the House Freedom Caucus chairman, in Washington, D.C.

MEADOWS: Same to you. Thank you, Neil.

END

Content and Programming Copyright 2018 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2018 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.A husband and wife from Missouri are demanding answers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection after the womans mother and terminally ill father  who were visiting from China on valid travel visas  were abruptly detained and deported following a family cruise to the Bahamas.

Now, the couple tells Fox News her parents are coming back to the country following the upsetting ordeal.

MAN SUES CRUISE LINE AFTER HOT DECK LEAVES SKIN 'JUST HANGING OFF'

Joseph McDevitt and his wife Zhengjia had invited her parents, Huan Wang and Yuanjun Cui, on a cruise with the couples two small children during what was supposed to be a six-month stay in the country.

Cui, Zhengjia's father, is suffering from stage 4 cancer, so the McDevitts saw it as a way to reunite one last time before he passes, First Coast News reported.

Joseph, an Apache helicopter pilot for the National Guard, said the crew of the Carnival Elation had a few questions for the grandparents before boarding, though they were ultimately let on the ship. Upon returning on to port in Jacksonville, Fla., on May 21, however, Wang and Cui were separated from the rest of the family and immediately fingerprinted.

The rest of the family was also detained, and that was the last the McDevitts saw of Wang and Cui. The couple told First Coast News they believed the two were deported back to China.

Zhengjia also confirmed to Fox News that she had been in contact with her parents, who had landed at the Beijing airport and were waiting to board a flight right back to the U.S.

However, according to Snopes.com, the pair is planning to return on June 19 instead.

Following Cui's detainment and deportation, Susan Pai, an immigration lawyer for the family, shared footage of an officer claiming that Wang and Cui had filed for a withdrawal of their visas  but she claims the two did not understand English and may have only signed withdrawal papers under pressure from U.S. Customs and Border officials.

Pai further claimed on YouTube that the CBP issued a contradictory statement five hours after they claimed Wang and Cui withdrew their visas, and that they later reported the two were denied admission into the country.

FOOTAGE SHOWS CARNIVAL CRUISE FLOODING AFTER PROBLEM WITH FIRE SYSTEM

The CBP released a statement to First Coast News, but would not give specifics on Wang and Cuis status or infractions.

Under U.S. immigration law [Section 291 of the INA [8 USC 1361] applicants for admission bear the burden of proof to establish that they are clearly eligible to enter the United States, the statement read in part. In order to demonstrate that they are admissible, the applicants must overcome ALL grounds of inadmissibility.

The CBP explained grounds for inadmissibility include health reasons, security reasons, illegal entry and criminal convictions.

The Carnival Corporation, too, told First Coast News it knew no specifics regarding Wang and Cui, but confirmed that passports are required from foreign nationals before boarding. The cruise line added that crew members will provide the CBP with passengers documentation if requested.

So we do not know what the issue is with these passengers or why they were detained nor would we know. It is up to each passenger to comply with U.S. immigration law, the company said.

McDevitt said he was told Carnival paid for his in-laws trip home, but he worried that they did not have their money on them, or even their keys, when they were abruptly separated. Zhengjia had also shared footage of her and her husband being denied access to her parents after they were allegedly told they could hand them some cash before they were flown to China. (Warning: Video contains strong language.)

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The McDevitts now say they wished they had never invited her parents. Moreover, Joseph partially blames Carnival for letting his in-laws board the boat in the first place.

"If there was any reason they couldn't let us return to the U.S., they should not have let us on that boat," he told KOMU.

On Thursday morning, Zhengjia told Fox News she boarded a flight to Seattle to meet her parents when they arrive back in America.A Boston-bound JetBlue flight was forced to turn around shortly after takeoff from Buffalo when the plane struck a bird Thursday morning.

The incident happened around 6 a.m. The plane had only been in the air for about 10 minutes.

The captain flew back to Buffalo out of an abundance of caution and the plane landed safely.

SEARCH FOR MISSING CARNIVAL CRUISE PASSENGER HAS ENDED, COAST GUARD SAYS

Passenger Jess Murszewski tweeted that the plane had hit a seagull, causing an engine blade to crack, though the collision wasnt noticeable on board. JetBlue did not confirm the damage to the engine.

I heard a loud engine noise on the pilots side of the plane (the side I was seated). We didnt feel anything and the plane didnt shake. It was actually really surprising because we didnt see it happen when the seagull was sucked in, she wrote.

Murszewski also wrote that the flight was going to be considerably delayed as they repair the damages, possibly even cancelled.

As a gesture of goodwill, JetBlue has issued $125 service credits to eligible customers, according to an email shared by Murszewski.

The passenger also praised the airline for how they dealt with the unfortunate circumstances. Your crew was extremely professional and the captain did an exemplary job in handling the situation!

A spokesperson for Jet Blue released the following statement to Fox News: On May 24, 2018, Flight #2216 from Buffalo to Boston experienced a bird strike shortly after takeoff. Out of an abundance caution, the captain returned to Buffalo Airport where the plane landed safely. The aircraft will be inspected by maintenance. All customers will be accommodated on other flights.

Murszewski shared shed been rebooked for a 12:30 p.m. flight the same day. Hoping this goes smoothly, she wrote.

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Last month, a cracked engine fan blade on a Southwest flight resulted in a fatal midair explosion, which killed one passenger and injured several others. The tragic incident sparked an industrywide inspection of aircraft engines in the hopes of preventing a similar accident in the future.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.An airplane was forced to turn around a few minutes into its flight after an engine issue caused numerous metal parts to fall from the airplane onto the neighborhood below.

SOUTHWEST CREW ON LANDING DAMAGED PLANE: 'GOD HAD ALREADY PREPARED US WITHOUT US EVEN KNOWING'

The Japan Airlines flight was headed to Tokyo from Kumamoto Airport in Kyushu Thursday when the plane had to turn around due to the left engine, which was said to have made abnormal vibrations, The Japan Times reported.

Police in Kumamoto said at least ten metal parts about two-inches long fell into the community below. The parts were discovered inside and around a medical clinic. The falling debris punctured an exterior window of the clinic and damaged a parked car.

According to Newsweek, Japans Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism found that the turbine blades were damaged upon inspection once the plane landed.

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Police say none of the 217 passengers onboard, or people on the ground reported injuries.The crew of Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 say they relied on their training and their faith in God when the aircraft was damaged and was forced to land during an April 17 flight.

In an interview with CBS This Morning, Captain Tammie Jo Shults, along with first officer Darren Ellisor and flight attendants Seanique Mallory, Rachel Fernheimer and Kathryn Sandoval, described how they built a strong bond based on faith the morning before takeoff. They said that is what helped to steer them through catastrophe when one of the planes engines exploded, sending debris through a window and partially blowing one passenger out of a window.

DELTA, UNITED PLANES CLIP WINGS AT AIRPORT: 'IT FELT LIKE WE HIT A BODY'

"Well, in LaGuardia, when we had a little extra time, we were chatting, and Rachel had gotten a new Bible with room to journal on the side, said Shults, a former Navy pilot. And she and Seanique and then Kathryn [were] talking about she was in a study of Psalms, which is where I'm doing a study, in Psalms and Proverbs," she added.

Shults credited this experience with creating a bond between the crew, who had never worked together before.

"When you talk about things deeper than the weather, your family and faith, the things that matter to you, even if they're different, it tends to bring a bond, she stated.

Mallory also credited the peace that God has given us all with helping them cope during the days events.

Like Tammie Jo said, we came together beforehand and we all talked about God, and not knowing what was going to happen minutes later, God had already prepared us without us even knowing," she said.

FEMALE PILOT CALLS OUT SEXIST PASSENGERS IN VIRAL TWEET

The pilots further credited their training with helping them land the flight safely, with Shults saying she kept calm because her experiences in the Navy had already put her inside cockpits where the dynamics of the flight are not normal and they make it hard to even see or read the instrumentation. She also called first officer Ellisor an unsung hero for keeping the flight attendants well informed while balancing his duties as co-pilot.

"He took care of switches, checklists, but he was always available when they called so that he could answer their questions, he could give them information, she said.

In turn, the flight attendants say they were better equipped to keep passengers safe, with whom they had to establish quick connections so they all remained calm and informed.

I would just look into some of their bloodshot eyes and say, 'Look at me. We're going to be OK. We're going to make it. We are going to Philadelphia and we are here together, said Fernheimer.

Shults herself has previously told ABC News she wasnt supposed to be piloting the flight, but instead switched flights with her husband  also a Southwest pilot  so she could make her sons track meet.

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Flight 1380, which was en route to Dallas from New York, depressurized after a fan blade broke due to metal fatigue and set off a chain of events that resulted in the engine blowing apart and shattering a window, investigators believe.

Jennifer Riordan, the 43-year-old mother who was partially blown out of the shattered window during the flight, was later pronounced dead at a Pennsyvania hospital.The lawyer for the family who lost their beloved French bulldog on a United flight has confirmed the airline has settled with his clients, according to TMZ.

The 9-month-old puppy, Kokito, stopped breathing on a March flight from Houston to New York after a flight attendant instructed his owner, Catalina Robledo, to place him in the overhead bin rather than under the seat.

JETBLUE FLIGHT MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING AFTER STRIKING BIRD

United claimed full responsibility for the tragic accident and offered to compensate the family, although the familys lawyer, Evan Oshan, confirmed in early May that the family was considering filing a lawsuit.

Now, Oshan says the airline has settled with the Robledo family, though the amount of the settlement was not disclosed, TMZ reported.

In a statement from United, the airline again said it was "deeply sorry for this tragic accident" and that it had been working with the Robledos "to reach a resolution."

"In March, we began a comprehensive review of our transportation of animals," the statement continued. "We also recently announced our collaboration with [NGO] American Humane to make significant improvements in our program and adhere to the best practices of animal comfort, well-being and travel on behalf of our customers and their pets."

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As the statement above referenced, United recently announced it would no longer allow the transportation of 25 specific breeds of dogs and cats on the airline. The carrier said Wednesday they are revising their PetSafe travel program and, effective June 18, they will ban short-nosed and snub-nosed dogs, as well as strong-jawed breeds out of concern for higher adverse health risks.

Fox News' Michael Bartiromo contributed to this report.The lawyer for a Texas woman who accused a state trooper of sexually assaulting her during a traffic stop apologized Wednesday on behalf of his client, saying that newly released police body cam footage did not corroborate her story.

Lee Merritt issued a statement saying the evidence directly conflicts with the accounts reported to my office by Sherita Dixon-Cole. The woman had accused Officer Daniel Hubbard of sexual assault during a traffic stop on Sunday.

Dixon-Cole alleged that after she failed a field sobriety test, Hubbard had suggested she could go home in exchange for sexual favors, according to Merritts initial press release. Dixon-Cole said that after she refused, she was taken to Hubbards police car where she was forcefully groped, fondled and vaginally penetrated during a prolonged arrest.

She went on to say Hubbard continued his sexual advances on the way to the police station, even alleging that he offered to take her to a remote location where she could provide sexual favors in exchange for her release from custody.

The Texas Department of Public Safety immediately denied those allegations on Sunday evening.

Upon learning of the allegations today, the department immediately took action to review the dash cam video. The video shows absolutely no evidence to support the serious accusations against the Trooper during the DWI arrest of the suspect, the department said in statement.

Nearly two hours of body cam footage was released shortly before midnight Tuesday. The department said it was appalled that anyone would make such a despicable, slanderous and false accusation against a peace officer who willingly risks his life every day to protect and serve the public.

An apology was issued by Merritts office shortly after the video was released.

Officer Daniel Hubbard seems to comport himself professionally during the duration of the traffic stop and arrest and without more should be cleared of any wrongdoing, he said in a statement.

It is deeply troubling when innocent parties are falsely accused and I am truly sorry for any trouble these claims may have caused Officer Hubbard and his family. I take full responsibility for amplifying these claims to the point of national concern.

Merritt, a civil rights attorney, added that the evidence provided by the DPS showed no signs of tampering.A U.S. border patrol agent fatally wounded an illegal immigrant in Texas Wednesday after the agent was attacked by a group, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The incident occurred around 12:22 p.m., when an unidentified border patrol agent who was by himself arrived at the scene in Rio Bravo, Texas after receiving a report of illegal activity, a statement from the Laredo Sector of the CBP explained.

BORDER AGENTS NAB 75-YEAR-OLD WOMAN FOR TRYING TO SMUGGLE 17 POUNDS OF HEROIN FROM MEXICO

After the agent found and tried to apprehend a group of illegal aliens, he came under attack by multiple subjects using blunt objects, according to initial reports, the statement said.

The agent fired at least one round from his service issued firearm, fatally wounding one of the assailants, according to the statement, while the others in the group fled the area.

TRAILER CARRYING UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IS STOPPED IN TEXAS, POLICE SAY

Agents called emergency management services to the scene and provided care until the Rio Bravo Fire Department was able to arrive, CBP said.

Three illegal aliens related to the incident were subsequently apprehended by responding agents, the statement said.

The FBI and the Texas Rangers are investigating the incident, according to the CBP.The Hamilton County Sheriff's office issued the following safety advisory:

Every year, children die of hyperthermia, also known as heat stroke, while unattended in vehicles. The average number of child vehicular heat stroke deaths in the U.S. is 37 each year, according to KidsandCars.org. Thats 37 too many.

It can happen to anyone. The fact is that heat stroke fatalities happen to loving, caring, attentive parents and caregivers. The majority of these tragedies happen when a child is mistakenly left behind in a vehicle or when a child gains access to a vehicle. A change in normal daily routine, lack of sleep and distractions are all contributing factors.



Younger children are at a higher risk of being left in vehicles. Fifty-four percent of heat stroke deaths in vehicles involve children age one and younger (www.KidsAndCars.org). One factor may be that rear-facing car seats do not look any different to the driver when occupied or empty. Often, young children and infants sleep during travel and are, therefore, quiet which can lead the driver to forget the child is in the car.



A childs body temperature climbs 3 to 5 times faster than an adults. Infants and young children havent fully developed the internal systems required to regulate body temperature. Their small bodies arent as capable of cooling down so they absorb more heat than adults. If a childs body temperature reaches 107 degrees, the child will die.



The inside of a vehicle heats up very quickly. Children have died from heat stroke in vehicles when the outside temperature was a mild 60 degrees. Even on a seemingly mild day, temperatures inside a car can rise nearly 20 degrees in 10 minutes. At 70 degrees on a sunny day, after only 30 minutes, the temperature inside a car is 104 degrees. After 60 minutes, it can reach 113 degrees. When temperatures outside range from 80 degrees to 100 degrees, the temperature inside a parked car can quickly climb to between 130 degrees to 172 degrees.



Education is key to the prevention of vehicular heat stroke. Look Before You Lock:*

- Never leave children alone in or around cars.

- Create a reminder to check the back seat such as placing your purse, cell phone, employee ID badge in the back seat.

- Keep vehicles locked at all times, even in your garage to prevent children from playing in vehicles.

- Be especially aware during busy times or changes in schedule.



The Hamilton County Sheriffs Office has created a yellow Look Before You Lock  inside removable door decal that can be placed on the inside of the driver door to remind parents and caregivers to check on their children as they exit the vehicle. Our free decals are available at our West and East Patrol Annexes, 8395 Hickory Valley Road and 6233 Dayton Blvd.



Safe Journey is a program funded through the Tennessee Highway Safety Office.Text of a statement from Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown about his January arrest by Milwaukee police during an interaction over a parking violation:

My experience in January with the Milwaukee Police Department was wrong and shouldn't happen to anybody. What should have been a simple parking ticket turned into an attempt at police intimidation, followed by the unlawful use of physical force, including being handcuffed and tased, and then unlawfully booked. This experience with the Milwaukee Police Department has forced me to stand up and tell my story so that I can help prevent these injustices from happening in the future.

Situations like mine and worse happen every day in the black community. Being a voice and a face for people who won't be heard and don't have the same platform as I have is a responsibility I take seriously. I am speaking for Dontre Hamilton of Milwaukee, Laquan McDonald of Chicago, Stephon Clark of Sacramento, Eric Garner of New York, and the list goes on. These people aren't able to speak anymore because of unjust actions by those who are supposed to "serve and protect" the people.

The common denominator in all of these situations has been racism towards the minority community, the abuse of power, and the lack of accountability for officers involved. The lack of repercussions for the police officers involved in so many of these cases is offensive. This is a slap in the face to the victims' families and communities.

Black men shouldn't have to have their guard up and instantly be on the defensive when seeing a police officer, but it's our reality and a real problem. There must be mutual respect and both sides have to figure out how to accomplish this.

There are no easy solutions to this problem, but there are strides that can be made to create change. I will do my part in helping to prevent similar incidents from happening to the minority community in the future.

This is bigger than me. My family, friends, legal team, Priority Sports, Milwaukee Bucks, the black community and the communities of all who stand against injustice plan to continue the fight. Peaceful support to ensure no further damage to our community is the only way to respond. I know many of you will share my anger and frustration, but for our community to progress and grow, we need to build on what we already have and not destroy it. I will take legal action against the Milwaukee Police Department to continue forcing change in our community.Police say an officer's gun discharged during an altercation, striking a man who had refused to leave a burning house in Maryland.

Baltimore County police spokesman Cpl. Shawn Vinson says two officers had entered the Dundalk house on Wednesday and found a man and woman inside. The woman escaped, but the man refused to leave.

Vinson says the officer's gun somehow discharged at one point, striking the man in the torso. The officer suffered from smoke inhalation, and WBAL-TV reports they were both taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Vinson says one officer was wearing a body camera and that police will check footage as they seek to determine why the gun fired.Massachusetts State Police seized approximately 50,000 bags of heroin worth more than $250,000 in a series of raids carried out this week in Hampden County  roughly 95 miles west of Boston -- that also resulted in five arrests.

Intelligence about a possible large shipment of drugs coming into the area led officers to pull over a vehicle early Tuesday morning after authorities witnessed a narcotics transaction take place at a storage facility in Chicopee, Mass., police said in a statement.

K-9 units helped officers locate 400 grams of raw un-cut heroin (approximately 20,000 bags) with an estimated street value of over $100,000, as well as roughly 600 bags of heroin ready for the streets and approximately $12,174 in U.S. currency, Boston's Fox 25 reported.

Fidel Gil, 41, of Hartford, Conn., and Paola Mercedes Reyes-Desantos, 23, address unknown, were arrested and charged with drug trafficking and conspiracy to violate narcotic laws.

Aggressively fighting the opioid epidemic by disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations here in Hampden County continues to be at the center of our two-pronged attack on the opioid epidemic, Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni said in a statement.

Gulluni applauded the work of law enforcement and vowed to to prosecute drug traffickers to the fullest extent of the law while assisting those afflicted with addiction in finding the help and treatment they need.

Following the arrests, authorities executed six search warrants on two locations that same day that resulted in approximately 1,900 bags of heroin and $1200 dollars being seized at a motel and vehicle in West Springfield, and approximately 30,000 bags, (approximate weight of 750 grams) valued over $150,000 at a self-storage facility.

Three additional people were arrested in those raids: Christian Rivera, 22, of Springfield, charged with trafficking heroin in excess of 200 grams, possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card, and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute; Cassandra Cardona, 21, of Springfield, charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute; and Anthony Guadalupe, 22, address not known, charged with trafficking heroin between 18 and 36 grams and trafficking heroin in excess of 200 grams.

All five suspects were to be arraigned Wednesday in Springfield District Court, MassLive.com reported.

More charges may follow, Gulluni told the news outlet.Authorities in Rhode Island on Wednesday arrested 50 people associated with two rival motorcycle clubs believed to be involved in a turf war and seized 53 illegal guns, including a rocket launcher, and a large amount of marijuana, crack, cocaine and heroin.



State Police identified the two gangs as the Pagans and Kryptmen, who were dubbed some of the most violent gangs in the country, the Providence Journal reported. The gangs allegedly have a history of gun and drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder and robbery.

"These gang members are not recreational bikers organizing local charities, Col. Ann Assumpico said. These are violent criminals who belong to some of the most sinister motorcycle gangs in this country.

Authorities arrested the members in a coordinated series of pre-dawn raids involving more than 150 state, federal and local law enforcement officers, used explosive devices to access fortified buildings, and an armored truck and battering ram to break down doors, the paper reported.

"These gang members are not recreational bikers organizing local charities. These are violent criminals who belong to some of the most sinister motorcycle gangs in this country.  Col. Ann Assumpico, Rhode Island State Police

The yearlong investigation, called Operation Patch Out, began last May when authorities learned the gangs were trying to establish local chapters and gain territory in the state, police said.

"When I learned they were trying to establish a foothold here in Rhode Island, I ordered my detectives to use whatever means necessary to investigate and eradicate these gangs," Assumpico said.

Investigators intercepted thousands of phone conversations and text messages using electronic surveillance and court-ordered wiretaps, the paper reported. A 1,300-page affidavit detailed other evidence used to secure warrants for nearly 30 different searches.

The early morning raids didnt come as a surprise to some people in the communities.

"I kind of expected it on this street," John Patenaude of Woonsocket told WPRI-TV. "This street's hot."

Patenaude told the station he heard screaming and saw people on the ground as he stood on his porch watching police raid a neighboring house.

According to Assumpico, the operation was believed to be the single largest take-down in State Police history. At least a dozen additional suspects were still wanted by police.

"Today's arrests send a clear and convincing message: We will not allow motorcycle gangs and other criminals to sell guns and drugs on our streets and commit violent crimes in our communities, Assumpico said.A former secretary to a judge on Texas highest criminal court filed a lawsuit Tuesday, claiming her former boss had fired her because of social media posts criticizing President Donald Trump and other Republicans.

Olga Zuniga, who had worked for Judge Kevin Yeary of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, said she had received positive feedback for her performance prior to the 2016 presidential election, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

But Zuniga claimed Yeary began monitoring her social media posts shortly after Trump was elected president. Zunigas criticisms of Trump and other GOP politicians put her at odds with Yeary as well as the Republican-leaning Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

Zuniga alleged that Yeary had called her into his chambers on multiple occasions, first after the 2016 election, and several times throughout 2017, to discuss the content of her social media posts.

She was ultimately fired in October 2017 after a post that criticized Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick over policies on immigration, the Texas Tribune reported.

In the lawsuit, Zuniga claims her political views had no bearing on the court, because she played no part in legal decision-making, and that her firing constituted a violation of her free speech rights.

Yeary, for his part, claimed Zuniga had failed to record her leave on a timesheet in September  a charge Zuniga denies.

Zuniga also claimed that Yeary has attempted to deny her unemployment benefits, citing vulgar and inappropriate language that had a distinct political edge and which indicated what appeared to be clear political biases.

Zunigas lawsuit seeks lost wages and benefits, as well as compensation for emotional distress and reinstatement of her job.The father of 10 children who authorities say were violently abused and living in "horrible" conditions in their Fairfield, California home has been charged with four counts of committing lewd acts with a child under the age of 14.

The new charges were filed against Jonathan Allen, 29, on Thursday as he appeared in Solano County Superior Court with his wife, 31-year-old Ina Rogers.

TEN CHILDREN RESCUED FROM 'HORRIBLE LIVING CONDITIONS' IN CALIFORNIA, PARENTS ARRESTED, COPS ANNOUNCE

Allen also faces nine counts of felony child abuse and seven counts of felony torture. Rogers faces nine counts of felony child abuse and one count of child neglect involving all 10 children. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors allege the children  who range in age from four months to 12 years old  lived in filth and were neglected after police did a search of their home on March 31 when one of their children, a 12-year-old, was reported missing.

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE BELOW

Police conducted a health and safety search and discovered the kids "living in squalor and unsafe conditions."

Garbage, rotten food, animal and human feces were found strewn throughout the house, officials said. The children were allegedly punched, kicked, strangled, shot with a BB gun and crossbow and subjected to waterboarding by Allen, while their mother, Rogers, did nothing to stop it.

CALIFORNIA FATHER OF 10, ACCUSED OF ABUSING HIS CHILDREN, SAYS HE'S 'LIKE THE INDIANA JONES' OF SPIRITUALITY

During a jailhouse interview after he was arrested, Allen reportedly told KCRA-TV that he's "the most loving parent that I could possibly be" and compared himself to "Indiana Jones when it comes to spirituality."

Allen and Rogers are being held on $5.2 million and $495,000 bail, respectively, at the Solano County Jail.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.A Florida police officer was praised earlier this month for helping a homeless man who needed to take his dog to the vet.

Officer Bart Wester with the Tampa Police Department noticed the homeless man, who has not been identified, asking for money from passersby because his dog, Karma, required veterinary attention.

But instead of arresting the man, Wester decided to take Karma and the dogs owner to Vets4Pets, a charitable veterinary hospital in Tampa.

Not only did Wester drive the pair to the facility, but he also paid for the dogs veterinary bill, according to Vets4Pets.

"Thank you Officer Wester. We think you are the best! the veterinary hospital wrote on Facebook, adding that Wester, who has served with the Tampa Police Department for 10 years, does special things like this all the time.

Officer Wester appreciates all the kind words and takes great pride in protecting and serving all our residents - including the four-legged ones, the police department wrote on Facebook.

Eddy Durkin, the PIO for the Tampa Police Department, was not immediately available for additional comment when contacted by Fox News on Thursday.The families of two high school students who died in the tragic Parkland shooting earlier this year are pushing to sue the maker of the gun used in the massacre, accusing manufacturers of being in a protected class.

Fred and Jennifer Guttenberg, parents of Jaime, and Max Schachter, father of Alex, filed a lawsuit in Broward Circuit Court Wednesday asking a judge to hold the gun manufacturer of the weapon the school shooter used to murder their children, and 15 others, partially responsible, the Orlando Sun-Sentinel reported.

The parents are seeking damages against Sunrise Tactical Supply, where shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz, 19, legally purchased his AR-15 weapon, and American Outdoor Brands, which was once known as Smith & Wesson, according to the newspaper.

Both Jaime and Alex were 14 years old when they were gunned down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentines Day. Jaime had hopes of becoming an occupational therapist one day; Alex was a talented musician who played the trombone and baritone.

Bottom line, we need to hold people accountable for this gun violence, Fred said in a Facebook post about the lawsuit.

At a press conference Thursday, Fred argued no one said, We can be responsible following the shooting.

Our legislators wont do anything about the law. The gun lobby says we shouldnt do anything about the law. The manufacturers, marketers and sellers of these guns say, Its not our fault. This is the only industry where there is apparently a protected class, he said, according to WPLG-TV. Well, were going to change history and break that protection.

INSIDE FLORIDA GOV. RICK SCOTT'S $500 MILLION ACTION PLAN AFTER PARKLAND SHOOTING

The parents want to hold defendants legally responsible for their complicity in the entirely foreseeable, deadly use of the assault-style weapon that they place on the market, the lawsuit read, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

But before the parents can continue with their lawsuit, a court must decide if its even possible for gun makers to be sued by victims due to a Florida law that prohibits suits against makers, sellers and other related groups if a gun is used in an unlawful manner, the Miami Herald reported. As it stands now, the families could be held liable for a flood of legal costs, including attorneys fees and compensation for loss of income if the law is held up, protecting the gun maker and seller from their suit.

It just tramples American citizens Seventh Amendment right to civil jury trial, Julie Braman Kane, who represents Schachter, told the Miami Herald.

NATIONAL SCHOOL WALKOUT PLANNED BY STUDENTS WORLDWIDE AFTER PARKLAND SHOOTING

Fred said he understands the risks hes taking with the suit.

But you know what? Too many people are dying, he said. Were going to raise a generation of kids who are going to be afraid to go to school. Thats unacceptable. And you know what? Were going to start the process of fixing that today.A gym advertisement that reads, Tired of being fat and ugly? Just be ugly! has struck a nerve with some Alabama residents, but the owner said hes not backing down.

Scott Campbell, the owner of Pell City Fitness, has come under fire for a sign that was erected in Pell City on May 15 with officials telling him to take it down or risk a fine, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

Two days after the sign was installed, a Pell City sign enforcement official ordered Campbell to take it down in 24 hours or he would be fined, the gym owner said. The official did not give him a reason why the sign needed to be removed, according to Campbell.

Instead of taking down the sign, Campbell posted a video on his Facebook page in front of the sign to gather support.

NO PAROLE FOR WOMAN IN GEORGIA TEENS SLAYING IN ALABAMA

Theyve given me till 5 oclock tomorrow evening to take it down. So its going to stay up til 4:50 tomorrow afternoon, he said.

Social media users were torn at the video with some stating the sign was great and others saying it was offensive.

Pay the fine and leave it up!!! Great sign, one social media user wrote.

The sign should be taken down. Think about it, some [people] are already struggling being bullied & my opinion is that the sign is making it harder on [people] being bullied already, another person wrote. Im not fat nor am I ugly.

Campbell said the city manager, Brian Muenger, contacted him and said the issue involved a necessary permit which he did not have.

The owner is aware of his failure to properly request a permit and has since filed a request, Muenger told Campbell in an email, the Post reported. The city does not object to the content of the sign.

ALABAMA TOWN TERRORIZED BY POOP TRAIN GETS FREE FEBREZE SAMPLES

Campbell said the sign was still up and he has not been issued a fine. He also said his sign has fulfilled his hope; more clients.

The gym owner said in the video that he used to be 300 pounds and was a former Alabama State trooper and Montgomery County sheriffs deputy before an incident with a suspect pushed him to lose weight. He said he hoped other people who wanted to lose weight had a similar realization.

If you were offended by the sign, you would not fit in at the gym, he said.A mother in Iowa allegedly pulled her 8-year-old son in front of an oncoming freight train, which killed them both, authorities said.

Teresa Gerleman, 35, and her son, Henry Fields, were found dead around 5 a.m. May 4 in Belle Plaine, Iowa  about 90 miles east of Des Moines, FOX 8 reported.

Police concluded their deaths had been a murder-suicide after interviewing Union Pacific Railroad employees and watching video footage from the train.

Evidence at the impact site indicates Gerleman waited near the railroad tracks for the Union Pacific train to approach, police said in statement. Gerleman and her son Henry can be seen on video crossing the tracks and as the train draws near, Gerleman returns to the center of the tracks and at the last moment pulls Henry into the path of the train.

Only a week earlier a man, whom friends say was connected to Gerleman, had reportedly killed himself at the same crossing.

According to a Facebook page cited by Des Moines' KCCI-TV, Gerleman had recently moved to Belle Plaine and had been struggling with family problems.

It think its very tragic," a neighbor told KCCI. Ive got children (and) great grandchildren. My heart goes out to that little boy.

Family members said there will be no funeral for Gerleman and her son.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...A Korean Air heiress whose tantrum over nuts delayed a flight nearly four years ago is being investigated by South Korean immigration officials on suspicion she unlawfully hired housekeepers from the Philippines.

Cho Hyun-ah on Thursday bowed and apologized for "causing troubles" before entering a Korea Immigration Service office in Seoul for questioning.

Cho and her sister resigned from their executive positions at Korean Air in April following public criticism over their behavior and allegations their family mistreated and abused employees. Investigators are also looking into suspicions that the Cho family, including the company's chairman Cho Yang-ho, evaded taxes and used airline services to smuggle luxury goods.

Cho's sister, Cho Hyun-min, is currently under investigation for allegedly hurling a cup of water during a business meeting.

In December 2014, Cho got angry after she was served macadamia nuts in a bag instead of on a dish and her tantrum forced the Korean Air plane to return to a boarding gate at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport. She was released from jail in South Korea in May 2015 after the top court suspended her sentence over the case.

Immigration officials suspect Cho and her mother, Lee Myeong-hee, unlawfully recruited and hired about 10 to 20 housekeepers from the Philippines by documenting them as Korean Air trainees. Under South Korean law, foreign nationals must obtain visas given to marriage migrants or people of Korean heritage to work as housekeepers.Two government witnesses in the trial of former New England mob boss Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme will be disguised by a "movie-industry quality" makeup artist to protect their identities.

Judge Allison Burroughs agreed to the plan Wednesday to protect the identities of two inspectors -- referred to as Bachelors No. 1 and No. 2 -- for the federal Witness Security Program.

The U.S. Marshals Service had urged the judge to keep the public out of the courtroom while the pair are on the stand and broadcast their testimony into another room. But after Burroughs rejected that plan, an attorney for 84-year-old Salemme pitched the idea to enlist a Hollywood makeup artist, the Boston Herald reported.

Salemme and co-defendant Paul Weadick, 63, are on trial in the 1993 death of nightclub owner Steven DiSarro. Both deny involvement in the killing.

Neither defendant, both of whom are in custody, attended Wednesday's hearing, the Herald reported.

Salemme was in the witness protection program when DiSarro's body was found in 2016 in Providence, R.I.

Testimony is expected to resume next Tuesday at the earliest, the Herald reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.A South Carolina man has pleaded guilty to buying guns for an acquaintance who shot seven people to death, admitting he made the purchases despite knowing that the killer had a previous felony conviction and couldn't legally have the weapons.

Dustan Lawson could face hundreds of years in prison when he is sentenced at a later date. Each of the 36 weapons charges to which he pleaded guilty on Wednesday carry up to 10 years in prison. But his actual sentence will likely be far less.

Lawson admitted buying at least 12 guns and five silencers from 2012 to 2016, saying they were for himself when he was actually giving them to Todd Kohlhepp.

Kohlhepp, 47, killed four people in a Spartanburg County motorcycle shop in 2002 and three more people on his property 13 years later. They were all shot.

Kohlhepp told Lawson he was a felon after a sex crime conviction in Arizona when he was a teen, and Lawson may have also known some information about Kohlhepp's South Carolina crimes, prosecutors have said in court papers.

Kohlhepp is serving a life sentence without parole after pleading guilty to seven counts of murder in 2017.

Lawson pleaded guilty to 13 counts of making a false statement to purchase a gun, 13 counts of transferring a firearm to a felon, five counts of transferring a silencer device to a person not allowed to have one and five counts of making a false statement to obtain a silencer. His lawyer, Benjamin Stepp, said in an email Thursday that he had nothing to say about the case.

Kohlhepp was arrested in November 2016 when a woman he kidnapped was found chained in a storage container at his Spartanburg County home. He made it easy on investigators to identify who helped him obtain his guns. Hours after his arrest, Kohlhepp told investigators in a taped interview "you may want to seriously talk to Dustan Lawson and give him a heads up."

Kohlhepp later in the interview described Lawson as stupid, using a curse word, and "a 32-year-old lazy kid who never had a daddy."

Kohlhepp was barred from having guns because he was a convicted felon. He moved to South Carolina in 2001 after spending 14 years in prison for kidnapping in Arizona. Authorities there said that the then-15-year-old forced a 14-year-old neighbor back to his home at gunpoint, tied her up and raped her.

Lawson said little in federal court Wednesday in Greenville except answering yes and no questions from the judge, news outlets reported.

Kohlhepp killed the boyfriend of the woman found chained in the container and another couple in December 2015. He also admitted killing four people inside a motorcycle shop in 2002.

Families of Kohlhepp's victims are urging a stiff sentence for Lawson because he knew he was buying guns for a dangerous man.

___

Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter . See his work at apnews.comMore than 80 members of the "cold-blooded" Mexican Mafia have been charged with running a drug operation inside Los Angeles County jails and in the Pomona, Calif., area, authorities said Wednesday.

Their crimes included ordering acts of violence, authorities added.

In an operation that the FBI dubbed "Operation Dirty Thirds," a total of 83 defendants were charged by a federal grand jury under two federal racketeering indictments that were unsealed Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Nicola Hanna's office announced.

More than 500 law enforcement officers conducted a "major operation" Wednesday morning that resulted in 32 arrests. Thirty-five others were previously in custody and another 16 people remained fugitives who were believed to be "armed and dangerous."

Hanna, the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, said at a news conference Wednesday that the operation "dealt a major blow to a violent and notorious prison gang in our country."

Leaders of the "gang of gangs," from behind bars, controlled drug dealing and violence both inside jail and on the streets, an indictment claimed. A lawyer and several women referred to as secretaries also reportedly helped facilitate activities outside of jails.

'MEXICAN MAFIA' CRACKDOWN RESULTS IN 85 ARRESTS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

"These Mexican Mafia members and associates, working together to control criminal activity within (LA County jails), have become their own entity or enterprise and effectively function as an illegal government," an indictment said.

The gang is an organization of "vicious" imprisoned street-level leaders who control drug trafficking operations and order retaliatory violence both inside and outside California prisons and jails.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.An MS-13 gang suspect who allegedly killed a man and burned the body was arrested this week in South Carolina, immigration officials confirmed to Fox News.

Franklin Platero-Rodriguez, 21, was taken into custody without incident on Tuesday at a Subway restaurant in Ladson, roughly 20 miles northwest of Charleston, The Post and Courier reported.

MS-13 CRACKDOWN WINS PRAISE FOR TRUMP AHEAD OF NY GANG SUMMIT

Walker County, Texas, officials issued a warrant for Platero-Rodriguez's arrest for homicide by firearm in the death of a man in the Houston area earlier this year.

The suspected gang member was found with a 9 mm pistol, which the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday could have been the weapon used in the Texas murder.

Officials said the suspect killed the man, put his body in the trunk of the vehicle and poured gasoline on it before setting the vehicle on fire. He then apparently fled to South Carolina.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told Fox News that Platero-Rodriguez, through a loophole, was able to enter the country as an unaccompanied alien child (UAC)  an illegal immigrant under the age of 18 who's entered the country.

WHAT IS MS-13, THE VIOLENT GANG TRUMP VOWED TO TARGET?

Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis said the 21-year-old had previously been deported but illegally entered the U.S. again. He said Platero-Rodriguez faces charges of unlawfully carrying a firearm, possessing a stolen pistol and being a fugitive in possession of a gun.

The MS-13 gang, responsible for dozens of gruesome deaths throughout the U.S., was started by Central American immigrants, mainly from El Salvador, in Los Angeles in the 1980s. It has expanded since to include Hondurans, Guatemalans, Mexicans and other Central and South Americans.

Fox News' Brooke Singman and Kaitlyn Schallhorn contributed to this report.Its the U.S. Navys most expensive shipbuilding project ever  and it seemingly still has no end in sight.

As tensions are flaring across the world, ranging from Chinese involvement in the South China Sea to Russias heightened naval presence in parts of Europe  none of the three sleek-looking ships in the Navys Zumwalt class are ready for battle.

The program never really had a good business case from the beginning, so where we are at now isnt a surprise, Shelby Oakley, an acting director at the Government Accountability Office, told Fox News.

The next-generation Zumwalt destroyers  which Congress started funding in 2006  are projected to cost a combined $23.5 billion after research, development and construction. Two of the ships, which are each more than 600 feet long, have already been delivered to the Navy and are in San Diego, while the third is still being built in Maine.

But, as the GAO reported in its Weapons Systems Annual Assessment in April, ongoing development and shipboard testing of technologies have resulted in design changes that have led to significant schedule delays and cost increases.

Named after former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo R. "Bud" Zumwalt Jr., the ships' combat capabilities were originally focused around hitting targets on land with 155mm guns firing out newly made Long-Range Land-Attack Projectiles.

If Batman had a ship, it would be the USS Zumwalt, Adm. Harry B. Harris, Jr., the commander of the US Pacific Command, said about the first one in its class after it was commissioned in 2016.

Yet, skyrocketing costs to acquire the ammunition for the Advanced Gun Systems, which were originally intended for the ships, have forced the Navy to switch gears.

In November 2016, it was reported that the Navy had decided to stop procuring LRLAP projectiles because the projected unit cost of each projectile had risen to at least $800,000, Ronald ORourke, a specialist in naval affairs at the Congressional Research Service, wrote in an April report to Congress. The Navy began exploring options for procuring a less expensive (and less capable) replacement munition.

ORourke said that the two AGSs on each DDG-1000 will, for the time being at least, remain for the most part dormant.

He said in December 2017, the mission shifted to an emphasis on surface strike, meaning the use of missiles to attack surface ships and perhaps also land targets.

Only five of the 12 critical technologies needed for the ships to meet their intended design purposes are fully matured, the GAO said in its April report, with plans to demonstrate most of the remaining technologies during post-delivery availability and combat systems activation.

They conceived it as not just having new systems on board, but alternating the shape of the hull and how it was going to move through the water, Oakley told Fox News. That was truly revolutionary.

But she added that while the Navys ambition is not necessarily a bad thing, the saga of the Zumwalt  which has hit setbacks such as the development of the weapons systems  is like an old adage: best two out of three.

You cant do it all. You cant have the technology move quickly and come at a low cost, she said, noting that they are going to need additional funding.

Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, told CQ News that each of the ships in the Zumwalt class cost double the amount to build as an Arleigh Burke  the Navy's other brand of destroyer. It also reported, citing budget documents, that Zumwalt ships are costing twice as much to operate, even though the Navy had insisted that they would be cheaper because of a smaller crew required onboard.

And on top of that -- the cruise missiles to carry out the reimagined combat functions are still not developed, according to CQ News.

Despite the setbacks, the Navy tells Fox News that it "sees a tremendous opportunity with this ship class in terms of having the most advanced capabilities of any surface ship fielded to date.

"The focus for DDG 1000-class destroyers going forward is to make them as capable, as ready, and as lethal as possible with the resources provided," Navy spokeswoman Lauren Chatmas said. "With a return to a great power competition, today's maritime environment is very different than the operating environment the DDG 1000 class was conceived and designed for."

The Navy, in an April statement, also hailed the arrival of the USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001).

"Delivery of DDG 1001 marks the culmination of years of dedication and hard work from our Navy and industry team," said Capt. Kevin Smith, a program manager who worked on the first ship in the class. "We have incorporated many lessons learned from DDG 1000 and are proud of the end result. DDG 1001 will be a tremendous asset to the Navy."

The first completed ship in the class, the USS Zumwalt, is not expected to be ready for deployment until 2021, according to the GAO.

Smith, in a recent presentation on the ship class, said combat system testing and activation on the USS Zumwalt will continue through 2018. The completion of the hull, mechanical and electrical components of the last ship in the class, the USS Lyndon B. Johnson, is not expected to be finished until March 2020.As lava continues to spew from Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano, the eruption is forever changing the landscape on the Big Island.

Kilauea first erupted nearly three weeks ago and since then more than 20 fissures have opened up and dozens of structures have been destroyed.

Satellite photos provided by DigitalGlobe shows bright orange lava coming out of fissures caused by the volcano, running towards the Puna coast, lower right, along Malama Ki Forest Reserve recreation area in Pahoa, Hawaii.

The Puna Geothermal Venture, a geothermal energy plant, can also be seen in satellite photos. Officials said Wednesday the ongoing lava spatter from the eruptions is creating a wall to protect the plant.

U.S. Geological Survey scientist Wendy Stovall told the Associated Press the lava erupting from a vent closest to Puna Geothermal Venture is shooting higher than lava coming out of other vents. It's producing the highest lava wall, which is blocking molten rock from flowing north toward the plant.

Residents have been concerned about hazards if lava flowed over the plant's facilities or if the molten rock heated chemicals at the plant. Officials shut down Puna Geothermal shortly after Kilauea began erupting on May 3, and plugged wells to on Tuesday to prevent any toxic gasses from escaping if the plane became compromised.

HAWAII VOLCANO CREATING BLUE FLAMES FROM METHANE IN CRACKED ROADS

Lava from the eruption on the Big Island can be seen in satellite photos primarily flowing south toward the ocean.

Satellite images provided by DigitalGlobe show a southeast area of the Leilani Estates neighborhood, near Pahoa, Hawaii, May 24, 2017, compared to a year after with volcanic activity.

Hawaiis volcanic eruptions have been steadily on the rise over the past two weeks, crushing cars and torching homes. Thousands of residents have been evacuated, with some are living in one of three Red Cross shelters, while others have moved in with friends and family.

Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, and its recent activity has attracted tourists from across the globe.

KILAUEA VOLCANO GLOW CAPTURED ON TIME-LAPSE CAMERA

There's no telling when Kilaueas current state of instability will end. Researchers at the Hawaii Volcano Observatory say this years eruption is similar to one that occurred in 1955. That explosion lasted three months and produced 24 vents.

When all was said and done, nearly 4,000 acres were covered in lava including neighborhoods, roadways and sugar cane fields.

Fox News' Barnini Chakraborty and the Associated Press contributed to this report.The search for a cruise-ship passenger who reportedly went overboard Tuesday has ended, U.S. Coast Guard officials said Wednesday.

The passenger, identified as Brian Lamonds, 50, of Greensboro, N.C., was aboard the Carnival Paradise cruise when he was reported missing from the ship as it sailed in the Gulf of Mexico, about 85 miles west of Fort Myers, Fla., authorities said.

The ship was traveling from Tampa to Key West at the time, the Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard dispatched search and rescue operations out of Clearwater, Miami and Key West, but called off the search Wednesday night after crews searched for about 55 hours, the Orlando Sentinel reported, citing a Coast Guard news release.

COAST GUARD RESCUES YOUNG CRUISE PASSENGER SUFFERING FROM SYMPTOMS OF APPEDICITIS

Suspending a search is one of the most difficult decisions we have to make as first responders, and it is never made lightly, Commander David Aldous, search and rescue mission coordinator for the Coast Guard 7th District, said in the release.

Coast Guard crews, aircraft and a helicopter covered more than 3,000 square miles during the search.

I have been in contact with members of Mr. Lamonds family throughout our search efforts and know this is a very difficult and painful time for them, Aldous said.

Carnival Paradise departed Tampa on Monday for a six-day cruise, Fox News reported.Las Vegas massacre gunman Stephen Paddock rented three units at a downtown condominium days before the shooting spree at Mandalay Bay and told the owners it was for him and his wife, police reports released Wednesday stated.

Paddock said they wanted to stay at The Ogden because he and his wife were tired of staying in hotels, the owner of the complex, whose name was redacted in the reports, told police in January, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Paddock wasn't married at the time and his girlfriend Marilou Danley was in the Philippines.

Paddock had rented the units between Sept. 17 and 28 and left several times to drive to Mesquite, to fly to Reno and to travel Arizona, the Review-Journal reported, citing the police report.

STEPHEN PADDOCK MAY HAVE TOLD HAIRSTYLIST THAT CONCERT VENUE WAS VULNERABLE TO ATTACK

Las Vegas Metro Police Officer Andrew Parrish detailed in his report that one of the units he looked at was one floor below the top-floor penthouse, according to the newspaper. The room would have given Paddock a perfect vantage point overlooking the Life is Beautiful concert that was held from Sept. 22 to 24.

A source had initially told The Daily Beast in October that Paddock rented multiple condos at The Ogden over-looking the concert, which was being headlined by Chance the Rapper and Lorde. The source suggested to The Daily Beast that Paddock may have changed his plans prior to checking into the Mandalay Bay on Sept. 28.

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said in October that it was unclear whether Paddock was engaged in pre-surveillance of the event. TMZ also reported that Paddock booked two rooms at Chicagos Blackstone Hotel that overlooked the Lollapalooza Festival in August. Malia Obama, The Muse and the Killers were some of those who appeared at the venue.

The condo owner told police that she only interacted with Paddock when he arrived and when he left.

Paddock killed 58 people in the Oct. 1 attack and wounded hundreds more during the Route 91 Festival.

More than 2,100 pages of witness statements, police reports and other records were made public after a judge ordered them released after media organizations sued for information on the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.Residents of an Ohio town took to social media to express their anger after a teenage girl, who is accused of killing her newborn and is on modified house arrest, was spotted dining out at a restaurant.

Brooke "Skylar" Richardson, 19, of Carlisle, is accused of killing and burying her full-term baby in May 2017, shortly after giving birth. The former cheerleaders defense attorneys argued the infant was stillborn.

Last month, a judge modified Richardson's house arrest and ruled the teenager would have to observe a curfew of 9 p.m. through 7 a.m., and be supervised via GPS monitoring and random home visits.

Few details have been released regarding the babys death but Warren County prosecutors accused Richardson of killing, burning and burying the infant. The body was allegedly found near her family's barbecue pit. Along with decomposition, it may be difficult for authorities to determine the infant's cause of death.

A doctor called police after Richardson revealed she had given birth just days after her senior prom. A search warrant was executed on July 14, 2017, when the skeletal remains were discovered.

People took to social media to discuss the sighting of Richardson, the New York Post reported.

My husband and I saw the teenage girl from Carlisle who killed and buried her own baby, a social media wrote on a community Facebook page. She was at the restaurant we were at, talking on her iPhone. How is someone who is awaiting trial for aggravated murder not in jail?!

CONDEMNED OHIO MAN BLAMES KILLING ON HOMOSEXUAL PANIC

Two Facebook groups have been dedicated to the case and critics of the family have shot and posted video and photos of the family and their home, often with sharp commentary.

Kiley Alcorn, 17, a student at Carlisle High School and friend of Richardsons, told the New York Post that some people wait outside the teens home.

Its definitely over the top, Alcorn said. "The way people are reacting to it, especially adults, and the whole situation is sad.

Another family friend said the case has caused a rift in their community.

Its divided a lot of people and its really sad, the friend said. The law says 'innocent until proven guilty' and she hasnt even gone to trial yet and shes been persecuted in this town and crucified.

Those who were outraged over the case blamed Richardsons good looks, affluent family and wont to avoid "tainting their image" as reasons she allegedly killed her child.

MAN, 59, PUNCHES TEEN AS HER SIBLINGS WATCH IN ROAD RAGE INCIDENT: POLICE

Skylar and her family, particularly her mother, were pretty obsessed with external appearances and how things appeared to the outside world, Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell. You have a situation where, you know, shes a cute high school graduate.

However, friends insisted Richardson was a good person on the inside.

These people only know her by her appearance, said Alcorn, who bonded with Richardson on the cheerleading team. She drove nice cars, lived in a nice house, but she was a good person on the inside, too.

Richardsons friends said people refrain from talking about the case at school because her younger brother and her boyfriend are students there. Her boyfriend, who went to prom with Richardson, was not identified as the baby's father.

In August 2017, Richardson pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and other charges. She was previously indicted on charges that include involuntary manslaughter, child endangering, evidence tampering and corpse abuse in the death.

Prosecutors requested a $1 million bond, but the judge set bond at $50,000 with house arrest and electronic monitoring. She posted the bond and was released.

Richardsons trial on charges that she killed and buried her newborn was on hold as an appeals court rules on a medical testimony dispute. It was slated to begin in April.

Richardsons attorneys want a ruling to bar prosecutors from presenting testimony from an obstetrics-gynecology practices medical staff, citing physician-patient privilege. Prosecutors said the privilege doesnt apply in this case.

The trial could be pushed back by as much as eight months.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.After six underground nuclear tests conducted at Punggye-ri site, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) dismantled the nuclear test site on May 24. Read further to understand more about the Punggye-ri nuclear test site and the six underground nuclear tests conducted there.



A satellite photo of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in DPRK, May 14, 2018. [File photo: VCG]

The Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site

Punggye-ri is a village located in Kilju County, North Hamgyong Province, DPRK. The Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site is located nearby.

Situated in mountainous terrain in the northeast of the country, the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site is the only known nuclear test site in DPRK. It is thought to be the only active nuclear test site in the world.

The nuclear tests have taken place in a system of tunnels dug below Mount Mantap, near the Punggye-ri site. All of the tests have been conducted underground at the Punggye-ri site.

People gather at the Main Support Area at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in DPRK, August 4, 2016. [File photo: VCG]

The six underground nuclear tests conducted at Punggye-ri site

Nuclear tests were conducted at the site in October 2006, May 2009, February 2013, January 2016, September 2016, and September 2017.

October 9, 2006 -- The official KCNA news agency reports that DPRK conducted a successful nuclear test in North Hamgyong province in the country's northeast. The UN Security Council on October 14 passes Resolution 1718 to condemn the test.

May 25, 2009 -- The DPRK conducts its second nuclear test. The KCNA says that DPRK scientists have been able to increase the explosive power and control level of the bomb compared with the first test. The test prompts UN Security Council Resolution 1874, which voices "the strongest condemnation" against DPRK authorities and demands the country stop further nuclear weapons-related activities.

Probable cabling and water drainage seen at the North Portal of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in DPRK, March 25, 2017. [File photo: VCG]

February 12, 2013 -- DPRK carries out a third nuclear test, which KCNA describes as "high level, safe and perfect." the Republic of Korea (ROK) estimates the bomb has a power equal to 6,000-7,000 tons of TNT. The UN Security Council unanimously passes Resolution 2094 on March 7, demanding the DPRK give up its nuclear weapons project and return to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

January 6, 2016 -- KCNA announces DPRK has carried out its fourth nuclear test, claiming it is a successful test of its first hydrogen bomb. The test means that the DPRK has "proudly joined the advanced ranks of nuclear weapons states possessing the H-bomb," said KCNA.

September 9, 2016 -- DPRK announced its fifth nuclear test in 2016 in September. Estimates of the explosive yield have varied. ROK's military said it was about 10 kilotons but other experts say initial indications suggest 20 kilotons or more.

September 3, 2017 -- DPRK claimed it has successfully tested what the world has worried about - a miniaturised hydrogen bomb that could be loaded on to a long-range missile. Seismic readings of 6.3 on the Richter Scale indicates the test was bigger than any other DPRK has conducted. Some early estimates said that the test came in at about 100-150 kilotons, potentially 10 times larger than the previous test. The official KCNA news agency describes the test as a "perfect success" and a "very meaningful step in completing the national nuclear weapons program."A Texas state trooper told Fox News he's received thousands of death threats after a woman accused a different trooper -- with the same last name -- of sexually assaulting her during a traffic stop, only to be contradicted by video evidence.

The threats poured in after columnist and activist Shaun King brought attention to the accusations on Twitter, but before body cam video contradicted those allegations. King and civil rights attorney Lee Merritt identified the accused trooper as Officer Hubbard or Hubbard in their initial posts, without revealing his first name.

The trooper accused by the woman is named Daniel Hubbard. Now, the trooper with the same surname, Jarrod K. Hubbard, is fighting back.

Sherita Dixon-Cole accused Daniel Hubbard of sexual assaulting her during a traffic stop on Sunday. Body camera footage released Wednesday did not appear to corroborate her claims, and lawyer Merritt apologized to the trooper.

Meanwhile, critics of law enforcement shared Officer Jarrod K. Hubbard's pictures and social media accounts thousands of times over Facebook and Twitter within 24 hours of the alleged crime, likely because they did not have his first name, he said.

Hubbard told Fox News he believed the problem started due to that lack of clarity. He said people likely went through the Texas Department of Public Safetys public information database and searched his name, assuming the first Hubbard they saw was the officer involved.

He also noted that up until this event, he had no idea there was another state trooper with the same last name.

His picture was the first thing that came up, said Jarrod Hubbard's dad, Chief Deputy Norman Hubbard of the Bell County Sheriffs Office. One person posted on Twitter my name and date of birth, my wifes name and date of birth and my sons name and date of birth.

Jarrod Hubbard, 37, who's been with the force for 13 years, was placed under protection of the Texas Rangers on Monday, his father said. The Rangers did not immediately confirm it to Fox News.

Jarrod Hubbard also was forced to deactivate his Facebook account in order to stop the death threats from coming in; however, he said his aggressors found another way.

Three years ago, he'd received a kidney transplant and his family set up an online fundraising account to cover the costs of the surgery. According to Kay Hubbard, Jarrods mother, she was still receiving hateful messages Wednesday night, even after Daniel Hubbard was named and cleared by DPS.

On Monday an attorney hired by the Hubbards sent a letter to King and Merritt asking that they minimize the harm that has been and is being caused by disclosing that my client is not and has been erroneously identified as the Officer Daniel Hubbard involved in the event.

The identification error has defamed and is defaming my client and his family resulting in substantial harassment and threats necessitating his discontinuation of his Facebook page and need and request for protection for himself and his family from appropriate law enforcement agencies, said the letter from the Hubbards' lawyer, Vance Dunnam Jr.

The letter referred to the now-deleted posts, which never fully provided Daniel Hubbards name.

Shaun King replied to Jarrods attorney saying that he was absolutely aware that it is not him, according to documents provided to Fox News.

I was not speaking of your client regarding the deleted Facebook page, King added in his email to Dunnam. I have never misidentified a person in all my years as a journalist.

King and Merritt did not immediately respond to Fox News' requests for comment.

Jarrod Hubbard returned to work Wednesday, but his father said theyre keeping up the fight: Were going after them.A university's bias response team threatens to chill the First Amendment rights of tens of thousands of students, a free speech group claims.

Kentucky University has what it calls a Bias Incident Response Team, which monitors activity that intimidates, demeans, mocks, degrades, marginalizes, or threatens individuals or groups.

However, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, or FIRE, said the program encourages students to anonymously report offensive speech to literal speech police on campus. The group, who gave the university a speech code award, said this type of anonymous student reporting creates a if you hear something, say something anti-bias campaign with serious implications for protecting the First Amendment on campus.

It is understandable that universities want to stay attuned to the campus climate in order to create an environment that is as welcoming as possible to people of all backgrounds  but there are surely ways to do this short of creating a mini-surveillance state on campus, wrote Samantha Harris, vice president of policy research at FIRE.

The University of Kentucky implemented its bias response team in 2016.

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SUED FOR SPEECH CODES CALLED UN-AMERICAN

University spokesman Jay Blanton told Fox News in a statement that the First Amendment right to free speech and the necessity of creating an environment where everyone feels a sense of support and belonging are not irreconcilable principles.

"There is no penalty for exercising your free speech rights on our campus," Blaton said. "Except for reasonable restrictions necessary for university operations, our entire campus is open to free speech. But we also will not hesitate in speaking out in opposition when someone uses speech or words to hurt or harm, to demean or denigrate. And we will not hesitate to provide support to those who feel targeted by hurtful speech."

The universitys program comes as Speech First, a nonprofit aimed at combating free speech restrictions on college campuses, is suing the University of Michigan in federal court for imposing speech codes that are unconstitutional and overly vague.

According to FIRE, at least 153 schools nationwide have bias reporting policies in place.An Indiana veteran who came across a box of personal possession nearly 10 years ago is trying to reunite them as Memorial Day approaches with their rightful owner.

Rick Nichols told FOX59 he found a box containing the possessions of an Air Force veteran while emptying out a foreclosed home in East Indianapolis in 2008.

Everything I came across, all the houses, all the junk, this is the one thing I couldnt part with, for whatever reason, he said.

The items discovered in the box include old high school yearbooks, photos, and newspaper clippings, all telling the story of this mystery veteran.

Im led to believe hes a family guy, Nichols told FOX59. He values his family.

AIR FORCE VET DIAGNOSED WITH ALS RAISING AWARENESS WHILE FIGHTING FOR LIFE

That mystery man, according to the Air Force discharge papers Nichols found, is David Carroll Wenner, once of Evansville, Indiana.

Ive got a sense of brotherhood with prior military, said Nichols, and I think thats what this was for me.

Nichols is now trying to find out if Wenner is still alive, and what happened to the family members pictured in photos discovered in the box. He told FOX59 he's tried several times to track down Wenner or his family, but hasn't been successful.

Im not trying to be the hero, he said. I just want the guy to have his stuff back.A graduation ceremony for an Arizona veteran was more than just a time to mark a milestone, it was also a moment to thank two officers on Wednesday for saving his life.

It was 3 years ago that Thomas Slocumb, who had just returned from Afghanistan, said he was ready to commit suicide when two Phoenix police officers showed up as his home.

"My plan that day was to be done," Slocumb told FOX10. "I was going to end everything, but because of them two I didn't."

The officers who showed up at this door that day were determined to help the veteran.

"We contacted him and made sure he was OK, and he was making statements to indicate he wasn't OK, and found out that he was a veteran returning from combat and experiencing some intense emotional issues because of that," Officer Eric Burke told FOX10.

Slocumb recently finished an undergraduate program at Arizona State University, and tracked down the officers that helped him that day to present them with the stole he wore at graduation.

MILITARY DOG HEROES HONORED WITH K-9 MEDAL OF COURAGE

"How do you thank somebody for saving your life?" he told FOX10. "It's something you can't put into words."

Slocumb has already begun his master's program at ASU and plans to go into social work with the goal of one day trying to help veterans like himself.

"It's a huge step that he took, to not only get himself the help that he needed, but to graduate college now," said Officer Daniel Erickson said.A traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is offering visitors a chance to pay respects to those who gave their life for the country.

Thousands of visitors got the chance to see the wall up close during its annual tour at a stop in Jackson, Miss. ahead of Memorial Day weekend. Doc Russo, the wall manager for the memorial, said 15 different sites are chosen every year.

This is a labor of love, I have a cousin whos actually on panel 35 east, Russo said. Its my honor to be able to take him around so theyre not forgotten.

The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall is three-fifth the size of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Its put together by hand and takes as little as three hours to set up, with several people working together, according to Russo.

The wall includes the names of more than 58,000 men and women who lost their lives during the conflict.

Russo, who served in the U.S. Navy during Vietnam, added that hes happy to spend his retirement years volunteering his time. The Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall has been crisscrossing the country for 31 years. Russo said one of the reasons they travel with the wall is to give those who may not be able to make the trip to Washington, D.C., a chance to honor fallen soldiers.

Theres a lot of people that will never make that journey, Russo said. Whether its a service man coming to see a buddy of his that he fought alongside and perished [or] a family member. I was in West Virginia and I had a little old lady come up to me and thank me for bringing her son home for the first time in 47 years.

This is the 11th year that a group of volunteers and veterans have set up the wall behind a Harley Davidson dealership in Jackson. Thanks to sponsors, the site is home to a free annual event called the Trail of Honor. The trail has helicopter rides, veteran speakers from Americas wars, re-enactment scenes and the Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall.

This is our 16th annual event, David McElroy, whos the director of the Trail of Honor, told Fox News. Actually [we] kicked off 18 years ago with the run for the wall going to Washington D.C. for Rolling Thunder on Memorial Day, McElroy added, referring to the annual trek of motorcyclists from across the country who converge on the capitol.

McElroy also noted that the wall received a land and air escort to the location of the event.

A group of nearly 100 motorcyclists made up of veterans and volunteers converged on Jackson last week to show their support. Russo says half of the group stayed to help with setting up the wall for the event. Veterans who served in Vietnam, Korea and WWII were also on hand during the event to speak with members of the public about their experiences.

One of those veterans is David Larsen. Larsen is a Navy Cross recipient who served during the Vietnam War. He said its important to treat veterans with respect when they return.

When you see these motorcycles come in, theyve done a lot for our troops, Larsen said. [It] make[s] you feel proud to be an American.Were making a difference and thats whats important, that we dont let our veterans that are coming home now be treated the way we were treated.

According to a schedule posted online, the wall will be in Ocala, Fla. for Memorial Day weekend and travel to Easton, Md. in early June.Nicaraguan Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes says talks between President Daniel Ortega's government and opposition and civic groups have reached an impasse and been suspended indefinitely.

The Roman Catholic Church has been mediating the dialogue following anti-government protests and a crackdown in which dozens of people were killed.

Brenes said Wednesday that bishops decided to suspend the negotiations due to a lack of any consensus being reached.

He suggested a mixed commission of three representatives from each side be formed to seek a solution to the impasse.North Korea early Thursday threatened to back away from the much-anticipated upcoming summit with the U.S. and called Vice President Mike Pence a "political dummy," ratcheting up the rhetoric after months of signaling an openness to compromise.

The dig at Pence apparently stemmed from his Fox News interview on Monday, when he told Martha MacCallum on "The Story," that North Korea "asked for the meeting" with the U.S.

"But when Kim Jong Un through the South Koreans reached out and said he would suspend his nuclear testing, suspend his ballistic testing, and be willing to achieve complete denuclearization through talks in exchange for a meeting with President Trump, this president readily said yes," Pence told Fox News.

POMPEO: FATE OF US-NORTH KOREA SUMMIT RESTS WITH KIM JONG UN

"As a person involved in the U.S. affairs, I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the U.S. vice president," North Korea's vice foreign minister, Choe Sun Hui, said in a statement released by state media, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Choe said the U.S. "has asked for the dialogue" with the North but is now "misleading the public opinion as if we have invited them to sit with us."

"We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us," Choe reportedly said.

Whether the U.S. "will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States," Choe said, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.

Choe said she'd suggest Kim reconsider the summit if "the U.S. offends against our goodwill and clings to unlawful and outrageous acts."

The threat came after Trump met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House earlier this week.

TRUMP ON NORTH KOREA, FROM 'ROCKET MAN' TO 'FIRE AND FURY'

Trump said Tuesday "there's a very substantial chance" his meeting with Kim won't happen as planned, telling reporters that Kim had not met unspecified "conditions" for the summit.

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was "very hopeful" the summit would proceed, but said that whether the meeting takes place is "ultimately up to Chairman Kim."

If the summit between the U.S. and North Korea happens, it will be the first between leaders of the two countries following more than six decades of hostility.

The North unexpectedly pulled out of planned peace talks with South Korea last week, objecting to U.S.-South Korean military exercises, and also threatened to abandon the planned Trump-Kim meeting, accusing the U.S. of a "one-sided demand" that it give up its nuclear weapons.

"Whatever it is," Trump said, "we will know next week about Singapore and if we go I think it will be a great thing for North Korea."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.Two police officers in Canada's largest city who allegedly ate marijuana edibles while on-duty then called for backup after hallucinating have now been charged with breach of trust and obstruction of justice, officials said Wednesday.

The Toronto Police Service said in a news release officers Vittorio Dominelli, 36, and Jamie Young, 35, "attempted to obstruct, pervert or defeat the course of justice, by destroying or converting to their own use, evidence, contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada."

The pair were arrested on Tuesday, police said.

The charges come from an incident at the end of January, when the pair were on duty conducting surveillance in and area when they allegedly ingested the edibles and started to hallucinate, according to CTV News.

Police sources told CTV News one of the officers got out of a vehicle, climbed a tree and got struck, prompting a call for assistance.

One of the officers felt like he was going to pass out, and was taken to the hospital, while another was said to be conscious but nauseous, the police call obtained by GlobalNews revealed.

A female officer responding to the call then slipped on the ice and suffered a "serious head injury," according to CTV News.

$250G IN HEROIN SEIZED, 5 ARRESTED IN MASSACHUSETTS ANTI-DRUG RAIDS

In the days before the incident, authorities had conducted a raid at a marijuana dispensary. Officials believe the marijuana edibles the pair ate came from that dispensary, CBC News reported.

Dominelli has 13 years experience with Toronto police, while Young has been with the force for 2 and a half years. Both were from the city's central 13 division, and have been suspended with pay since Jan. 28, according to The Star.

After the arrest, a video of Dominelli surfaced of him singing near his police car while wearing his uniform.

The two officers are scheduled appear in court again on June 7.Algeria's government denies any human rights abuses against African migrants who have been expelled from the country in large numbers, refuting U.N. allegations.

The country's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement Thursday that Algeria was carrying out the expulsions according to both its own laws and international obligations and denounced the allegations as a concerted campaign by non-governmental organizations that have unfairly damaged the country's relationship with its southern neighbors.

The U.N. High Commission on Human Rights has called on Algeria to stop the mass expulsions, saying they violate international human rights law.The office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has condemned the killing of three indigenous men by a Honduran military patrol in the remote eastern Gracias a Dios province.

The three victims were in a boat on the Warunta river before dawn Saturday when the soldiers fired on them.

Human rights groups said the soldiers used unnecessary force against the men. Activists say the men were transporting wood in their boat and didn't obey the patrol's command to stop because they feared the soldiers were drug traffickers. The area is a transit point for Colombian cocaine.

The military called the incident "confusing" in a statement, but said the victims attacked first.

Local residents later partially burned a military outpost and the soldiers had to be evacuated by helicopter.U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that his meeting with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s top leader, Kim Jong Un, "will absolutely happen."

President Donald Trump pauses while speaking to the media before boarding the Marine One helicopter on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, May 23, 2018, en route to a day trip to New York City. [Photo: AP/Jacquelyn Martin]

The summit scheduled for June 12 in Singapore "could very well happen," Trump told the media before departing to New York at the White House's South Lawn.

"Someday a date will happen. It could very well be June 12th," he said. "We'll know next week."

He added that it "will be a great thing" for the DPRK if the meeting comes true.

A day earlier, Trump hinted that his scheduled meeting with Kim may be delayed.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said earlier on Wednesday that China expects the Trump-Kim summit will go smoothly with positive outcomes.

"We have always been encouraging and supporting the U.S. and the DPRK to accumulate mutual trust through direct dialogue," he said. "We hope that all the relevant sides, particularly the DPRK and the U.S., will seize the opportunity, meet each other halfway, suppress interference and address each other's concerns in a balanced way."

Troy Stangarone, senior director of congressional affairs and trade at the Washington-based non-profit Korea Economic Institute, told Xinhua that "real progress on these issues will take time, both in terms of building the trust and confidence between the United States and North Korea to be successful, but also in terms of working through the mechanics of denuclearization."next Image 1 of 2

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has said Beijing welcomes German companies to do business.

Li made the comments Thursday during a visit by Chancellor Angela Merkel that gives Beijing an opportunity to try to recruit an ally in its trade feud with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Both China and Germany are embroiled in disputes with Washington, though German officials say Merkel is committed to trans-Atlantic ties and isn't looking for new alliances.

Li, China's No. 2 leader, and Merkel also expressed support for the Iran nuclear deal rejected by Trump and the global trading system that free trade advocates worry is being challenged by his embrace of import controls.

Merkel was due to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later Thursday. On Friday, she travels to Shenzhen, in southern China.A Cairo official says he expects 118 ancient Egyptian artifacts, which were among thousands belonging to other civilizations found by Italian police over two months ago, to be returned to Egypt.

Shaaban Abdel-Gawad from the Antiquities Ministry's repatriation committee said on Thursday that the artifacts will likely be returned after the Italian police's investigation into the case is finished.

There was no immediate comment from Italy.

Abdel-Gawad told The Associated Press that Egypt was informed two months ago about the seizure by police in the Italian city of Napoli of pottery vessels from different pharaonic eras, sarcophagi parts, coins, as well as artifacts from the Islamic period.

He added the artifacts were likely first found during illegal excavations in Egypt and smuggled out as no museum holds records of them.Lebanon's president is consulting with lawmakers on naming a new prime minister after this month's parliamentary elections.

Michel Aoun began the consultations on Thursday by meeting caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who is widely expected to keep the post.

Hariri is supported by the largest blocs in parliament and will most likely work on forming a national unity Cabinet, similar to the one he's been heading since 2016.

The consultations on a premier came a day after parliament elected Nabih Berri as its speaker. He has been holding the post since 1992.

A wave of sanctions by the United States and its Arab allies has targeted the militant Hezbollah group, which made gains in the balloting and which says it wants to play a bigger role in Lebanon's new government.North Korea on Thursday demolished what it claims to be its nuclear test site, setting off several explosions over the course of a few hours in the presence of foreign journalists.

Sky News reporter Tom Cheshire was invited to the explosion and told the station that he and his colleagues walked up into the mountains to watch the demolition.

There was a huge explosion, you could feel it. Dust came at you, the heat came at you. It was extremely loud, Cheshire said.

The explosions at the supposed nuclear test site deep in the mountains were centered on three tunnels into the underground site and a number of observation towers in the area.

The planned closing of the Punggye-ri site was previously announced by dictator Kim Jong Un ahead of the planned summit with President Trump that has been slated for June 12. It was seen as a goodwill gesture ahead of the meeting, but still wouldnt meet U.S. demands for complete denuclearization.

Satellite images obtained by 38 North earlier this month appeared to show the regime demolishing buildings and removing mining carts at the site. A shed and engineering office building at the sites north portal, where the last five nuclear tests were conducted, were gone in those images.

Although North Korea committed to closing Punggye-ris test site, another facility could be used to continue the countrys nuclear weapons program. Yongbyon nuclear complex, located about 64 miles north of Pyongyang, has a new reactor that could produce weapons-grade plutonium. Pyongyang insists it is being used to produce electricity for its citizens.

The regime began operating its first nuclear reactor at the complex in the 1980s, The New York Times reported. In 2007, North Korea shut down facilities in the complex as part of an agreement during six-nation nuclear talks. A cooling tower was demolished at the complex as a gesture of good faith, but did little to completely shut down the site.

Satellite images in 2010 showed the regime was beginning to construct a new reactor. Officials announced three years later that it would restart the reactor at Yongbyon, the same year North Korea conducted a nuclear test. In February, satellite images appeared to show signs the five-megawatt reactor was operating.

Earlier Thursday, North Korea threatened to back away from the much-anticipated summit with the U.S. and called Vice President Pence a political dummy. Pence told Fox News Martha MacCallum on Monday that North Korea asked for the meeting, prompting the harsh response from Pyongyang.

As a person involved in the U.S. affairs, I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the U.S. vice president," North Korea's vice foreign minister, Choe Sun Hui, said in a statement released by state media, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Whether the U.S. "will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States," Choe said, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.

Choe said she'd suggest Kim reconsider the summit if "the U.S. offends against our goodwill and clings to unlawful and outrageous acts."

Fox News Katherine Lam and Nicole Darrah and the Associated Press contributed to this report.New pictures were released Thursday showing the reported destruction of what North Korea has claimed to be a nuclear testing site.

The images come hours after a series of explosions demolished a supposed test site, located in the mountains of the country, and was witnessed by invited foreign journalists.

The explosions appeared to send debris and dark plumes of smoke soaring into the air, according to the photos of the event provided by North Koreas Korean Central News Agency, via Reuters.

In one, onlookers wearing yellow hard hats are seen filming the event from a distance.

NORTH KOREA CLAIMS TO HAVE DEMOLISHED NUCLEAR TEST SITE

The explosions at the supposed nuclear test site were reportedly centered on three tunnels into the underground site and a number of observation towers in the area.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un previously announced that Punggye-ri would be closed ahead of a once-scheduled summit with President Trump.

However, Trump on Thursday cancelled the highly anticipated meeting, slated for June 12 in Singapore, calling the talks inappropriate following the hostility displayed in recent comments from North Korea.

WHITE HOUSE PULLS OUT OF SUMMIT WITH NORTH KOREAS KIM JONG UN

In a letter addressed to the rogue regimes leader, Trump said the world and North Korea had lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity.

Based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting, Trump wrote. Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place.

NORTH KOREA THREATENS TO BACK AWAY FROM SUMMIT WITH US, REPORTEDLY CALLS PENCE POLITICAL DUMMY

Trumps decision came on the heels of threats from North Korea to call off the talks. On Thursday, Vice Minister of the North Korean Foreign Ministry, Choe Son Hui, said that whether the U.S. "will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States," according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.

The official also reportedly insulted Vice President Pence after he said North Korea had asked for the meeting.

Fox News' Ryan Gaydos, Brooke Singman and Nicole Darrah contributed to this report.A Turkish media report says an explosion has occurred at a government-owned explosives factory in the outskirts of Ankara.

The private Dogan news agency says several people were hurt in Thursday's blast at the explosives plant located in the Elmadag district.

There was no immediate information on the cause of the explosion.The Russian government is preparing a major cyberattack aimed at causing chaos in Ukraine, possibly during the Champions League final on Saturday, security officials in Kiev warned on Wednesday.

Ukraine's cyberpolice said in a statement that it was possible the hackers planned to strike during "large-scale events," an apparent reference either to the upcoming Champions League game between Real Madrid and Liverpool in the capital, Kiev, or to Ukraine's upcoming Constitution Day celebrations.

"At the moment, we are doing everything within our competence to protect citizens and the state sector from possible cyber threats," Ukraine cyber police chief Sergey Demedyuk said. "I do not rule out that this time the intruders had the purpose to destabilize the situation in the country with the help of a virus attack precisely during the period of large-scale events in Ukraine."

The warning came the same day that network technology company Cisco Systems and antivirus company Symantec disclosed that a half-million internet-connected routers had been compromised in a possible effort to lay the groundwork for a cyber-sabotage operation against targets in Ukraine.

"Both the scale and the capability of this operation are concerning," said a statement from Talos Intelligence, the security arm of Cisco. "Working with our partners, we estimate the number of infected devices to be at least 500,000 in at least 54 countries."

Talos said it was releasing the information before its investigations are complete because of the urgency in preventing the cyberattack.

A representative from Cisco told Sky News that the United Kingdom is among the countries affected by the malware, but the primary targeted for the hacking campaign appears to be Ukraine. The malware, which has been called VPNFilter by Cisco, could be used for espionage as well as to destroy the devices that it has infected.

FEDS: RUSSIAN CYBER SPIES EXPLOITING UNPATCHED ROUTERS

The FBI recently seized a key website that communicated with the massive army of hijacked devices, according to court documents obtained by the Associated Press. Officials hope the seizure disrupted an ambitious cyberattack by the Russian government-aligned hacking group widely known as Fancy Bear.

"I hope it catches the actors off guard and leads to the downfall of their network," Craig Williams, the director of outreach for Talos, told the AP. Williams warned the hackers could still regain control of the infected routers if they possessed their addresses and the right resources to re-establish command and control.

"It could be a significant threat to users around the world," he said.

Ukraine has been locked in a years-long struggle with Russia-backed separatists in the country's eastern border and has repeatedly been hit by cyberattacks of escalating severity. Last year witnessed the eruption of the NotPetya worm, which crippled critical systems, including hospitals, across the country and dealt hundreds of millions of dollars in collateral damage around the globe.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR ROUTER FROM RUSSIAN HACKERS

Ukraine, the United States and Britain have blamed the attack on Moscow  a charge Russia has denied.

Cisco and Symantec both steered clear of attributing the VPNFilter malware to any particular actor, but an FBI affidavit explicitly attributed it to Fancy Bear, the same group that hacked into the Democratic National Committee in 2016 and has been linked to a long series of digital intrusions stretching back more than a decade. The U.S. intelligence community assesses that Fancy Bear acts on behalf of Russia's military intelligence service.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.A Buk missile from a Russian military unit brought down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, a Dutch-led investigation revealed Thursday.

The missile was from the Russian militarys 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade based in the Russian city of Kursk, Wilbert Paulissen of the Dutch National Police said. Paulissen was speaking at a presentation of interim results of the long-running probe into the downing of MH17.

The passenger jet was on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when it was blown out of the sky over Ukraine on July 17, 2014. All 298 passengers and crew were killed.

Paulissen had initially revealed in 2016 that communication intercepts showed that pro-Moscow rebels had called for deployment of the mobile surface-to-air weapon and reported its arrival on July 17, 2014, in rebel-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine.

The Buk missile that downed MH17 was launched from farmland in the rebel-held area of Pervomaiskiy, 3 miles from the Ukrainian town of Snizhne, the investigation found. The Associated Press previously reported that a tracked Buk M-1 launcher with four SA-11 surface-to-air missiles had been seen the same day in the town of Snizhne.

"The United States has complete confidence in the findings of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) as presented today by the Dutch Public Prosecutor," State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement to Fox News.

"Today's announcement confirms and adds detail to what we have said from the earliest days of this tragedy: MH17 was shot down by a Russian-made BUK surface-to-air missile fired from territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by Russia and Russia-led forces," the statement said.

Nauert also called for Russia to be held accountable for its actions.

"We recall the UN Security Councils demand that 'those responsible  be held to account and that all States cooperate fully with efforts to establish accountability.' We call upon Russia, in particular, to respect and adhere to UN Security Council Resolution 2166 (2014). It is time for Russia to cease its lies and account for its role in the shoot down."



Russia has vehemently denied allegations that pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine were responsible for the downing of the plane. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the investigators 2016 findings biased and politically motivated.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.A U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish group has detained a high-profile French Islamic State fighter in northern Syria who has been linked to terror attacks in Paris and Nice in 2015 and 2016, the group announced Thursday.

The Syrian Democratic Forces said they captured Adrien Lionel Kiyali on Saturday near Raqqa in Syria, the former self-proclaimed capital the jihadist group.

French media reported his name as Adrien Guihal.

In recordings from the Islamic State group, Guihal claimed responsibility for the July 2016 truck attack in Nice as well as the double killings of two French police officials at their home in Magnanville.

According to the newspaper Liberation, Guihal is a convert to Islam who studied Arabic in Egypt and was close to Fabien Clain, another French IS member who has claimed responsibility for the November 2015 attacks in Paris.

SDF forces backed by U.S.-coalition air and ground power seized Raqqa from the militants in 2017. The SDF appointed a civil council to administer the city, which was badly damaged in the fighting.

The SDF has detained dozens of foreign IS fighters and their families in north Syria since the collapse of the jihadist group. However, European nations have been reluctant to repatriate their nationals, and many remain in Syrian Democratic Forces prisons.

The SDF said in a statement that Guihal, who also goes by the name Abu Osama al-Faransi, was hiding in the region around Raqqa and waiting to cross into Turkey before then traveling father into Europe. The group says Kiyali crossed into Syria in 2015.

___

Associated Press writer Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 24)  Concerns on employment and poor infrastructure are among the major factors that dragged down the Philippine's global competitiveness ranking, which measures a country's attractiveness insofar as middle and upper managers from corporations and institutions worldwide are concerned.

The country's decline by nine notches was the largest drop in Asia Pacific, according to Switzerland-based business school International Institute for Management Development (IMD), which conducted the survey in partnership with the Asian Institute of Management (AIM).

In its 2018 World Competitiveness Rankings, IMD said the Philippines fell by nine places to 50th among 63 countries.

The Philippines dropped in rank in all four main factors in assessing competitiveness - economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency, and infrastructure. Among these, the biggest drop was in economic performance, according to the policy brief on the competitiveness report, which was caused by "a slight increase in unemployment rate and a slight decrease in the number of employed and the size of the active labor force in the context of general improvements in other countries ranked."

According to the latest Labor Force Survey posted at the Philippine Statistics Authority web site, more Filipinos as a percentage of the work force were jobless in January 2018 at 5.3% from the last survey in October 2017 at 5%. The rise in unemployment was even higher at more than two percentage points to 18% from 15.9% over the same period. The unemployment rate measures the need for additional work to make ends meet.

Meanwhile, the policy brief states infrastructure remains the lowest-ranked factor for the country, measured in terms of basic infrastructure, scientific infrastructure, and education infrastructure.

"This reflects the need to address poor infrastructure in the Philippines, not just physical infrastructure that the current administration's 'Build, Build, Build Program' seeks to address, but also social infrastructure that promotes human capital formation such as education, and research and development," according to the IMD-AIM briefing paper.

It further states, "Poor infrastructure limits many economic possibilities in the Philippines. As an example, airport congestion, poor condition of roads, and inadequate public transportation pervents full maximization of the potential of tourism. It also hinders businesses from reaching potential markets, and consumers from reaching all alternative suppliers of goods and services."

The country also suffered a decline in Business Efficiency, measured in terms of labor market, finance, management practices and attitudes and values. The last two items are perception-based indicators.

"This suggests that deteriorating perceptions also played a significant role in the Philippines' overall decline in rating," according to the policy brief.

Moving forward, IMD said the country can invest in quality infrastructure such as information and communications technology.

The country can also increase investments in health and education to improve labor productivity, "currently a major weakness of the country." The briefing paper noted, "investment in education and training provides better opportunities for higher-value employment. In the digital era, workers must learn how to learn fast." It also recommended upgrading of skills through technical and vocational training.

IMD also recommended addressing the recent spike in prices of basic goods and services in the light of the inflationary impact of the tax reform law and the massive infrastrucure program; strengthening quality of governance; and increasing digital competitiveness as "many jobs are at high risk of automation, and yet many opportunities for business and employment may also rise."

Inflation in the country peaked at 4.5% in April, the highest in five years, prompting the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to raise interest rates to 3.25% from 3%.

Government addressing, disputing issues

"The Duterte administration is already addressing these issues," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement, referring to the IMD report.

The Palace official cited the "Build, Build, Build" program, the K-12 education program, free medicine, the search for a third telecommunications player and the shift to federalism as ways that the government is working on building a more competitive nation.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia, on the other hand, shrugged off the IMD's findings.

"It's not a cause of concern because my take is this observation of IMD is largely a misobservation," said Pernia in a phone interview in CNN Philippines News Night.

He said that he is ready to dispute these reports if necessary.

"Of course there's a lot more work to be done, no question about that. But in terms of the observations-- that tourism and employment is falling, public finances is getting bad, and education system is bad-- completely opposite of what is happening," the Secretary added.

On the other hand, National Competitiveness Council Co-Chair Bill Luz said that the survey should be looked at as a snapshot of the economic conditions last year, not of 2018.

"We should look at this data and it provides a snapshot for 2017, not 2018, and provide a plan of action moving forward," Luz said during the same phone interview with CNN Philippines News Night.

He explained that despite the government investing more in education and infrastructure in the past few years, these are sectors whose effects could not be felt immediately. He added that the government needs to keep the pace in infrastructure investments.

"We should plan ahead and make sure that we improve in those areas and that will lift our overall rankings over time, especially since we're already fixing infrastructure so we just need to continue the construction pace," Luz said.

Professor Arturo Bris, director of the IMD World Competitiveness Center, said in a statement there are a number of ways for a country to improve its competitiveness ranking, including improving infrastructure or efficiency in the government.

"One economy, for example, may build its competitiveness strategy around a particular aspect such as its tangible and intangible infrastructure; another may approach competitiveness through their governmental efficiency," Bris said.

The United States, Hong Kong, Singapore, Netherlands and Switzerland are the top five most competitive nations in 2018, with the U.S. overtaking Hong Kong and Singapore to claim the top spot this year.Britain's Foreign Office is criticizing "childish" pranksters who called Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson posing as the leader of Armenia.

The Guardian newspaper says Johnson was called by Russian duo Alexei Stolyarov and Vladimir Kuznetsov, known as Lexus and Vovan.

One pretended to be Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, and the newspaper says Johnson spoke to them for 18 minutes, discussing topics including the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal.

The Foreign Office said Thursday that Johnson "realized it was a hoax, and ended the call. We checked it out and knew immediately it was a prank call."

It says "the use of chemical weapons in Salisbury and Syria and recent events in Armenia are serious matters. These childish actions show the lack of seriousness of the caller and those behind him."The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution Thursday that for the first time recognizes the link between conflict and hunger and strongly condemns the use of starvation as a method of warfare.

The resolution calls on all parties to conflict to comply with international humanitarian law that bans attacks on civilians and critical civilian infrastructure including farms, markets, water systems and other essential items to produce and transport food.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently reported that the number of people who are "food insecure" is on the rise for the first time after decades of decrease, and the main cause is conflict. The U.N. World Food Program reported in March that between 108 and 124 million people in conflict situations suffer from severe malnutrition.

Lise Gregoire Van Haaren, the Netherlands deputy ambassador, told the council after the vote that the resolution was "a landmark text" and a "significant step toward making the use of starvation as a method of warfare a crime of the past."

"Innocent civilians suffering from hunger due to the consequences of war are at the heart of this text," she said. "It clearly acknowledges the fact that conflict can lead to food security and recognizes the need to break the vicious cycle between armed conflict and food insecurity."

For thousands of years, combatants have used sieges, the burning of crops and scorched-earth operations as battle tactics, including in the U.S. Civil War in the 1860s and Indian wars during the 19th century. More recently, the Syrian government, especially, and rebel groups have besieged towns and cities during the seven-year Syrian war, leading to severe malnutrition and in some cases death from starvation.

The resolution stresses that trying to starve civilians in conflict is prohibited by international law.

The measure  sponsored by the Netherlands, Kuwait, Ivory Coast and Sweden  authorizes an early-warning system for hunger in conflict.

It asks the secretary-general "to report swiftly to the council when the risk of conflict-induced famine and widespread food insecurity in armed conflict contexts occurs."

The resolution also urges all parties to conflicts to uphold international humanitarian law and ensure "safe and unimpeded access" to deliver food and other aid to civilians in need.

It also reiterates that Security Council sanctions resolutions can be used against "individuals or entities obstructing the delivery of humanitarian assistance, or access to, or distribution of, humanitarian assistance."The U.N. chief said Thursday he is "deeply concerned" by the cancellation of the planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un.

Antonio Guterres told an audience at the University of Geneva that he was urging the parties to keep working "to find a path to the peaceful and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

Guterres' comments came as he laid out his disarmament agenda Thursday, warning that nuclear agreements between states are threatened like never before.

He said nuclear powers must do more to promote disarmament, putting a particular onus on Russia and the United States to remedy a world "going backwards" in this area since right after the Cold War.

He welcomed efforts by the European Union and others to stick to the nuclear deal with Iran that Washington has abandoned.

Guterres' plan offers broad ambitions, from curbing growth in conventional weapons to addressing the prospect of artificial intelligence in war machines. He announced he was launching a new initiative to combat the illicit circulation and trade in small arms within countries and across borders.

"Disarmament concerns every country, and all weapons, from hand grenades to H-bombs," he said. "Deadly weapons put us all at risk and leaders have a responsibility to minimize that risk."

While Guterres said all nuclear-armed states have "primary responsibility" for disarmament and nonproliferation efforts, he called on the U.S. and Russia to end a dispute over the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, to extend the New START treaty on strategic, offensive weapons, and to do more to cut their nuclear stockpiles.

He noted there are no bilateral talks between Moscow and Washington right now on greater nuclear-arms reductions.

He bemoaned the expansionist ambitions of arms traders, rising military weapons production and the buildup of "massive stockpiles" of conventional weapons  especially in conflict-prone zones.

He said the "total elimination" of nuclear weapons remains the U.N.'s top priority on disarmament, but efforts toward that goal are in "severe crisis."

Since the immediate aftermath of the Cold War, when deals reduced nuclear arsenals and banned nuclear testing, "our world is going backwards," he said.Manila (CNN Philippines Life)  To say that the Singapore Biennale is important would be an understatement. Outside of whether or not it presents the best art Southeast Asia has to offer at any given time, there is also the fact that State-funded as it is, a larger group of art critics and writers are invited for this biennale more than others, which ideally ensures a discursive practice that is about a productive exchange between critics, curators, artists, and art institutions in SEA.

But of course this is a time when everyone is presumed to be a critic, and many art events have fallen into the quagmire of believing that social media statuses, Instagram photos, and lifestyle and travel writing are equal to constructive critique. The SG Biennale is no exception, standing as it has on arguably shaky ground in its past two incarnations, but especially in 2016s Atlas Of Mirrors. Sure, it had the requisite commissioned works that proved Instagram-worthy  giving the biennale some positive social media mileage (never mind that these were the installations that literally had an amalgamation of mirrors)  but the general consensus, at least among critics, was that this biennale was weighed down by a concept so unstable it failed to speak to and of the art, practically burying it completely in the excess of explanations.

It is in this sense that the Singapore Biennales artistic director for 2019, Patrick Flores, curator of the University of the Philippines Vargas Museum and professor of art studies, has his work cut out for him. Which is to say that given the proper amount of time and appropriate budget, his insistence on research and historicity vis a vis plotting contemporary art might be exactly what the biennale needs at this point. That is, if the goal is to continue to speak of it as an important event both for Singapore and Asia, even more so if the task is to continue to problematize, analyze, and unpack what contemporary art actually means for the region, beyond the oft-celebrated art market and the dime-a-dozen art fair.

"Desert Islands" by MAP Office at the 2017 Singapore Biennale. Photo courtesy of the SINGAPORE ART MUSEUM

This of course might be seen as nothing more than wishful thinking, but in conversation with Flores, one finds hope in the fact that at the very least, the proposal that got him this post is one thats unique in its intention: to wrest the biennale from the art world, and take it back to history.

One of the reasons why I was surprised to have been chosen as artistic director is because I thought they wouldnt give it to me, as Im too academic. Because thats my trajectory, I deal with the contemporary through art history. I dont elide that, he says.

His own proposal for the Singapore Biennale takes from a mid-1970s exhibition by Rey Albano entitled Roots, Basics, Beginnings, which sought to raise public consciousness about contemporary art within the confines of the museum as a developmental institution. There was no education then, so in the exhibit, Albano explained through a question-and-answer format what produces the contemporary, by answering what roots, basics, and beginnings are for contemporary art.

For Albano, roots are about where artists come from, such as context and culture and education; basics is the medium and how artists use it; and beginnings is the risk artists take when they start going against the rules of the roots and the basics. Flores takes from Albano the necessity to ask and answer questions about the contemporary, as he does take from Albanos imagination of a festival. The biennale will be festive, which also comes from Albano because he thinks of the exhibition as a festival. Not in the way its used in tourism, but in the sense that in terms of materiality it is closer to everyday life.

Flores merges this with what Joseph Beuys says about the museum being a site of an ongoing seminar, a permanent conference. It will be festive, but also reflective. I want a biennale that is a cross between a festival and a seminar so that discourse ceases to be an afterthought to the art, and is instead a part of it.

I think more and more the biennale has become an art world thing, an echo chamber of collectors, curators, artists, Patrick Flores says. I want to bring it closer to a larger social sphere, which requires that we go back and explain to this public what is happening in the contemporary work. That was one impulse for proposing roots, basics, and beginnings as entry point. Photo by JOSEPH PASCUAL

Flores is not using roots, basics, beginnings as a thematic anchor, nor as end goal. Instead he is using it as mere starting point for further research, towards the creation of a stable frame for the biennale. This is to say that he is aware of the limits of thematization and the trap of easy representation that Asian biennales tend to fall into, so instead of proposing a frame or theme at the onset, he is using the opportunity to do research and build upon art history.

I think the task now is to deepen the discussion and move beyond thematization, he says. Thats why my proposal was open, because I think we should give research a chance. The frame will be found through research.

That strong framework is what has been found lacking in the recent incarnations of the SG biennale, but also other biennales that speak of Southeast Asian and Asian art. And while the frame for the 2019 biennale has yet to be developed, it is clear even at this point what makes Floress vision for it distinct.

I think there is still a belief that the biennale as a platform should give the region its deserved profile, says Flores. They still think that the region has to be accounted for.

In the end what surfaces are biennales that are simply about representation and not much else, which is problematic in itself. Because representation tends to be provincial. Theres always a center, and theres this underrepresented region that we need to account for. That might have been true in the 90s, but not in 2018.

The premise of Floress foray into finding that frame is a region that has already been profiled and considered, and has claimed its rightful place in art discourse and history. Im saying that were strong, were confident, discourse is dense, scholarship is there. I think that is the ground of the biennale, he says. Which is not to say he will evade representation  an impossibility, really  but that in his hands, it will not be a mere survey of contemporary art, as it will be a problematization of the question of representation, especially in relation to the notion of the region.

The Singapore Biennale is committed largely to including art from Southeast Asia. But of course Southeast Asia is also south and east Asia. So South Asia would include countries like India and Sri Lanka, and East Asia would mean China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Flores says. We will speak to that desire of the biennale to extend beyond ASEAN, but I want a framework for it. If we extend, how do we extend?

"Karagatan (The Breadth of Oceans)" by Gregory Halili at the 2017 Singapore Biennale. Photo courtesy of the SINGAPORE ART MUSEUM

In the course of the conversation, he would flesh this out further towards more interesting geographic trajectories and specificities. Asked about the idea of ASEAN integration and whether that is part of the frame he imagines, Flores expounds. I dont think it plays out given the goal of expanding Southeast Asia beyond the confines of the ASEAN  which is a geopolitical category after all. Pre-1967, the region was geographically broader. Southeast Asia was seen to be South of China, East of India, North of Australia.

He adds, If that is the configuration, were looking at a far broader area and a different set of possibilities for engagements and similarities. For example that would make the Philippines closer to Taipei and Hong Kong instead of to Singapore or Jakarta; Darwin (Australia) would be closer to maybe Jogjakarta.

This would, by default, be a decentering project of sorts, removing the notion of a Southeast Asian center and highlighting the possibility that what was center ceases to be so within a larger geographic space. But Flores also speaks of another possibility for decentering that is just as interesting: I want to look at the possibilities for including maybe the southern parts of the countries, maybe Okinawa in Japan, and Guangzhou in China. Or include a place like Goa, instead of Delhi, in India, Or Colombo in Sri Lanka, and Lahore in Pakistan. I want to step into those places that have fallen off the map, so to speak.

And to cast an even wider net, there is also the diaspora to be considered, where roots need not be confined to nation, nor citizenship, but could also be heritage by way of descent.

The enormity of the work seems overwhelming, but Flores falls back on what he knows to be true: that research and history will provide the necessary frame for curating works  and by extension countries, spaces, and artists  thoughtfully and carefully, the act of selection informed as well by the task to take back the biennale from the art world.

I think more and more the biennale has become an art world thing, an echo chamber of collectors, curators, artists, Flores says. I want to bring it closer to a larger social sphere, which requires that we go back and explain to this public what is happening in the contemporary work. That was one impulse for proposing roots, basics, and beginnings as entry point.

"Endless Hours at Sea" by Martha Atienza at the 2017 Singapore Biennale. Photo courtesy of the SINGAPORE ART MUSEUM

Alongside art history, he is also keen on seeing how public engagement might be done within the exhibition, instead of as a programming initiative that is separate from it. Usually, the public program is a response to the exhibition, but I dont want the separation of the public program from the exhibition program. I want the public program to be embedded in the exhibition. For instance, through a performative archive, or some kind of installation that is interactive, thats discursive. The idea of a continuous seminar or permanent conference also works in relation to this task, where a conference speaks to a public by default, and includes that public in the discursive practice that is in art.

This aspect of Flores proposal for the Singapore Biennale is also interesting in light of the aforementioned predisposition to believe that public participation is equal to social media mileage, which points to a penchant for spectacle and pageantry and not necessarily about art or its making. Flores though is more magnanimous with regards to this development in the art scene.

The spectacle can be an entry point to that larger social sphere  the public might not be so aware of art history, but they can relate to spectacle, he says. He admits though to the complexity of the public participative project. Public participation is really tricky, but we have to address that desire for spectacle. Im sure there will be monolithic objects [in this biennale] but Im also sure that these will be chosen well. I dont think those should be necessarily contradictory to the biennales project, and after all, the spectacle can be seen as part of the contemporary. In that sense, its about the challenge of mediating the spectacle.

Mediation is also key to the 2019 Singapore Biennale, given the multifarious factors that come into play in its making. For one thing, next years biennale will be aligned with the commemoration of Sir Stamford Raffles 1819 landing in Singapore which, according to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, made Singapore a British colony, a free port, and a modern city. This of course might be easily linked to the current imagining of Singapore as a creative city, which events like the biennale create and reiterate. There is also censorship in Singapore, always a valid question to ask given its cultural projects.

Flores take it all in stride. I dont think the Raffles celebration will co-opt the project, though we will necessarily speak to it, he says. The biennale after all is also part of the project of making the city. Im sure there are benefits for the city in terms of bringing in people, and in terms of tourism. But all things being equal, when there is culture, prestige is raised for the city. Its not just about the industrial and commercial after all, but also about the creative.

Censorship meanwhile is a pre-existing constraint, and is a part of the material conditions. Instead of testing its limits, Flores opts to see the bigger picture. Im a curator who doesnt really spoil for a fight. I can calibrate. I would rather that no one work overdetermines the biennale because its become controversial, as it is unfair to the other works that are there.

He adds: But of course thats not to blunt the edge of what you want to say. Its a matter of choosing works that are more highly mediated. For those that are more direct, maybe its not for Singapore. This is not the only place where they can show their work after all.

Patrick Flores on removing the notion of a Southeast Asian center: I want to look at the possibilities for including maybe the southern parts of the countries, maybe Okinawa in Japan, and Guangzhou in China. Or include a place like Goa, instead of Delhi, in India, Or Colombo in Sri Lanka, and Lahore in Pakistan. I want to step into those places that have fallen off the map, so to speak. Photo by JOSEPH PASCUAL

This awareness of the material conditions that surround the creation of a biennale, and the insistence that there is still important discursive space here to navigate and negotiate within, is what makes Flores artistic directorship something to look forward to. Using art history as premise, and roots, basics, beginnings as entry point, while expanding on notions of region and representation, and considering the possibilities for public involvement and spectacle, this biennale, at the very least, promises a different lens through which we might view artmaking and creativity in Asia. It also allows the possibility of actually seeing Asia for its intellectual rigor and political involvement through art, especially given the current socio-political climate.

In the course of the research, I think we will see how artists in the region respond to this [state of] crisis, Flores says. But Id rather look at responsiveness instead of relevance, as the latter has been a bit coopted by certain socio-political expectations. When we say responsiveness, we mean an awareness of what is happening in the world, the talent to think through, the commitment to take action.

Asked about the value of the biennale at this point in time, he goes back to his premise of art history. I think this is an opportunity to deal with the question of the global, to cross the nation-state borders, [which also addresses] forms of extreme nationalism. Maybe we can develop a more productive idea of the international and the global, in the sense that this is can also be seen as an archive of the history of art, where instead of it being nation-based, it is complicated by the high level of relations among geographies.

As curator, Flores admits to the excitement that biennales bring, even as he acknowledges the anti-biennale discourse that exists. For some curators, a biennale is an exciting moment, a display of different curatorial intelligences that changes every two years. Its scale brings a level of unpredictability as it iterates across time, with convergences and intersectionality. So its always an expectant moment.

It is also a highly expectant moment for art critics and writers, artists, and curators, who have seen and experienced the lack of rigor in Asian biennales past, in Singapore and elsewhere. And while Flores might not have any fixed frame or theme at this point, the breadth and scope of this conversation, the problematization of concepts, and the importance given research and history, are all steps in the right direction.

Is this wishful thinking?

He had me at taking the biennale back from the art world.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 16)  Lawmakers want the Health Department to revise its plan on how to use a proposed supplemental budget to assist those vaccinated with Dengvaxia.

The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday asked the House of Representatives to release a supplemental budget worth P1.49 billion to help over 890,000 children immunized with the controversial dengue vaccine.

The supplemental budget will tap the P1.16-billion refund by dengue vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur for unused vials of Dengvaxia after the government shelved its dengue immunization program over health possible risks.

Health officials told members of the House Appropriations Committee the department will set aside P84 million for medical assistance for Dengvaxia vaccinees who will be hospitalized. Patients with dengue will get P16,000, while those with other illnesses will get around P13,500.

The outpatient care package will have the lion's share with P776 million. Officials said the over 800,000 people who received Dengvaxia will be given P750 each to pay for laboratory tests.

"These are on account of the clamor. This is in the sensitivity of the parents of vaccinees and they have actually made this request time and again," Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.

But Appropriations Committee Chairman Karlo Nograles questioned the laboratory tests for all vaccinees.

"Hindi naman one size fits all ito e. Bakit iche-check ng CBC (complete blood count test), walang fever? Bakit uubusin ang pera sa ganitong klaseng laboratory test kung wala pang sintomas? Hindi ganito, CBC, urinalysis for all vaccinees. That's a waste of money," he said.

Also in the budget is P270 million for medical kits that will be handed out to over 890,000 children vaccinated with Dengvaxia.

The medical kit will contain a thermometer, multivitamins, and mosquito repellant. Nograles objected to this, saying the Health Department can do away with the medical kits.

"Let's focus on profiling these children para magkampante ang loob ng ating mga magulang dito. I'd scrap that medical kit," the lawmaker said.

Duque insisted the medical kit was a frequent request of concerned parents, which is why they decided to include it in the proposal. But Nograles was also firm against it.

"Kami sa Congress ang magsasabi kung saan ilalagay ang P270 million and right now I'm saying no," he said.

Nograles asked Health officials to submit a revised budget next week.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque had said President Rodrigo Duterte is urging Congress to pass a law to allow the use of the 1.16 billion refunded from Sanofi Pasteur for the medical needs of children injected with Dengvaxia.

Sanofi Pasteur in November 2017 announced the vaccine posed potentially severe dengue risks among those with no dengue history. This prompted the government to halt the nationwide immunization program which was launched under the Aquino administration in April 2016.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 24)  The fight for Australian nun Patricia Fox to stay in the country is not yet over.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday said the missionary can appeal the order of the Bureau of Immigration to forfeit her visa and for her to leave Philippines by the end of May.

"Sister Fox has the option of appealing the BI's action to my office. The DOJ exercises supervision and control over the BI," Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said in a text message to CNN Philippines.

This is contrary to the Immigration Bureau's statement the order was "final and executory." On Wednesday, it denied the appeal of Australian nun Patricia Fox to reinstate her missionary visa, paving the way for her mandated exit from the country.

Related:

Sister Fox's lawyer Sol Taule said they will file a petition for review before the DOJ by Friday.

On April 23, the Immigration Bureau ordered the 71-year-old nun's missionary visa forfeited. It was still to expire on September 5, 2018. The order included her deportation by the end of May.

It also directed the deactivation of her alien certificate of registration.

In a statement on Wednesday, Fox's lawyer Robert Pahilga said the Australian nun was just exercising her freedom of expression and promoting the protection of the rights of the poor and needy.

"They are consistent and in accordance with her mission and the charism of the Sister of our Lady of Sion to promote peace, social justice, and human rights," Pahilga said.

Immigration Spokesperson Dana Sandoval, meanwhile, said the complaint for deportation against Fox for engaging in political activities remains pending, as it is separate from the visa forfeiture.

She added Fox could still return to the country as a tourist as she is not blacklisted.

The bureau also dismissed the Australian nun's claim of lack of due process and that there was no evidence to allegations she engaged in political activities.

Fox was accused of engaging in partisan political activities, a prohibited act for foreigners under the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940. Authorities said she was seen in a rally organized by Kilusang Mayo Uno and Gabriela at the Coca-Cola distribution center in Davao City on April 9.

President Rodrigo Duterte admitted on April 18 that he ordered the probe on Fox, which led to her temporary detention for questioning.Theres a lot of interest in trying to capture data on recurrence among cancer survivors, he said. Its a difficult problem to solve just because there isnt an easy way to do it. We collect recurrence data in some of our smaller research studies but it requires a dedicated staff to retrieve medical records and it takes a lot of time and costs a fair amount of money. Were currently exploring different ways to leverage electronic data to identify recurrence, looking at multiple ways of doing this through claims, electronic health records, and pathology reports.

One current SEER-funded effort, led by the Hutchs Dr. Ruth Etzioni, will use insurance claims, electronic health records and patient-reported outcomes to gather metastatic recurrence data on breast cancer patients. Once verified, Etzionis team will use their work to develop an algorithm that can predict recurrence.

Li said gathering these data is crucial for a number of reasons.

I mostly focus on breast cancer where we have a growing population of survivors  over 3 million women, he said. One of the main outcomes is the development of a cancer recurrence, which can lead to additional toxic treatments and potentially death. So its important that we can characterize the risk of recurrence, develop approaches to identify it early, and prevent it through treatment and follow-up strategies. But we need to be able to rely on that endpoint to conduct meaningful work in this space.

Li said it would be impossible to estimate how many times the data from the 13-county CSS or the SEER registries have been used by scientists, but that it was quite substantial.

The data have probably led to hundreds of publications a year, he said. Thats what makes the SEER program so powerful  having data from all the registries contribute.Free Freightnet Membership

List your company in the Freightnet directory. It's Free, it's Easy and your company can be displayed in front of potential freight buyers within 24 hours.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 24)  Defense and military officials want martial law to remain in effect in Mindanao until the end of the year.

Defense Secretary and martial law administrator Delfin Lorenzana cited several reasons for the need for military rule, including the continued recruitment of remaining terrorists.

Joint Task Force Ranao Deputy Commander Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. earlier told CNN Philippines the sub-leader of the Maute group, Abu Dar, is offering a joining fee of P70,000 and a monthly fee of P10,000 - P15,000 to lure recruits. He supposedly targets orphans and family members of combatants who died in the Marawi siege.

Over 900 terrorists, 168 soldiers and policemen and 47 civilians wree killed in the five-month war from May to October last year.

The Armed Forces is validating reports Abu Dar is the new leader of the ISIS-linked Maute terror group. But he is "the only remaining significant figure" among those who planned the attack on Marawi City, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Carlito Galvez Jr. said. All the rest died in the heavy fighting.

Galvez, however assured that the support for the terrorist group "is waning," adding that a total of 42 former members of the Maute group have already surrendered to authorities.

Lorenzana said they will again assess the security situation in the region after two months, adding that the military won't recommend the lifting of martial law "until such time na gumanda ang situation (until the situation gets better)."

Galvez, meanwhile, is keen on recommending it until year-end, saying he has received feedback that the people of Mindanao "love martial law."

Martial law stays in Mindanao until December 31, 2018 after Congress granted President Rodrigo Duterte's second request for an extension amid efforts to rehabilitate the war-torn city.

Other threat groups such as Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and the Abu Sayyaf group also plot attacks in different parts of Mindanao, Lorenzana said.

Palace open to probe

Calls to lift the military rule, however, continued as critics alleged human rights violations committed by government troops.

Malacanang on Thursday said these would all remain to be allegations until a complaint is filed and evidence is presented.

"Nasan ang mga reklamo? Wag naman po nating pagbintangan ang ating kasundaluhan (Where are the complaints? Let us not accuse our soldiers)," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.

He added the Palace is open to a possible Senate investigation after opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes called for a probe into the events that led to the Marawi crisis and the alleged lack of a clear plan to rehabilitate the war-torn city.

The military has vowed to investigate abuses allegedly committed by government troops.

CNN Philippines' David Santos contributed to this report.Galveston, TX (77553)

Today

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 80F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 80F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 24)  President Rodrigo Duterte is not slowing down in his campaign to clear the government of people whom he feels are tainting his administration's image.

In a speech at the opening of a bridge in Davao City Thursday, the President hinted that another government official may be on the way out.

"I might fire another one pagbalik ko sa [when I go back to] Malacanang," he said.

The president did not elaborate on the official's identity or office.

News of this possible new firing comes just days after Transportation Assistant Secretary for Railways Mark Tolentino was booted from office for trying to involve a member of the chief executive's family in a government project.

Duterte said his family was off-limits when it comes to discussing issues concerning government projects, and that his policy covers all government officials.

"Sinabi ko naman sa inyo noon...na [I told you before] do not talk to anybody, especially my family," Duterte said in his speech.

He added, "And even the discussion of that Mindanao railway still in the blueprint. But the fact that the itong assistant secretary talked it over with my sister even if it's just a conversation. Lumayo talaga kayo because sabi ko kapag nalaman ko, tapos ka. Alis ka talaga [You better stay away because I said when I find out, you're done. You will leave]. That has always been my warning and so sali lahat [everyone is included]."

Despite his sacking, Tolentino said he would continue to back the President.

"I am serving at the pleasure of the president. Whatever his decision, I will respect it. But I will continue to support him and to continue to fight against corruption and to protect the interest of Mindanao and its people," he said in a text message.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) welcomed the move, saying it should serve as a warning to other officials.

CNN Philippines' Lara Tan contributed to this story.Stockholm, Sweden (May 24, 2018) - Award-winning VR Studio, Cortopia Studios announced today that they will be bringing successful Indie VR company Zenz VR under the Cortopia Group umbrella, representing a milestone for the newly established entity. Zenz VR brings established IP to the Cortopia Group, as well as a fourth title currently under development.

Building on the success of our cross-platform VR title WANDS, Cortopia Group is keeping a pulse on the top studios that fit our ambition for excellence in VR,, says Cortopia Group CEO, Andreas Skoglund. Cortopia is an effective team of talented VR creators and have shown that we can develop incredible experiences that capture the hearts and minds of VR enthusiasts. We are thrilled to lend our support to Zenz VR to help them do what they do best, and to expand our studios influence in the industry.

Zenz VR is delighted to be joining Cortopia Group, says Niklas Persson, games industry veteran, founder and CEO of Zenz VR. The Cortopia team has been very pleasant to work with and I am excited to continue as CEO of Zenz VR in this next exciting chapter for our company.

Niklas Persson is the co-founder and creator of Codename: Eagle, which later became Electronic Arts' big success Battlefield.

Cortopia Studios has already seen widespread success with their hugely popular, PvP cross-platform VR title WANDS that brings fast-paced magic duels to players around the world. Zenz VR will join the Cortopia Group, bringing popular VR titles HordeZ, X-Fire VR, and Xion as well as a fourth title in development.

HordeZ is one of the most popular VR zombie shooter games in the world and has been featured in multiple VR Arcades globally. Currently available to download on Steam, Oculus Rift, and Vive and for commercial licensing..

is one of the most popular VR zombie shooter games in the world and has been featured in multiple VR Arcades globally. Currently available to download on Steam, Oculus Rift, and Vive and for commercial licensing.. X-Fire VR is an action title set in the year 2059, featuring gameplay for an epic battle between Humans and Alien forces. Randomized levels ensure high replayability. Currently in early access on steam.

is an action title set in the year 2059, featuring gameplay for an epic battle between Humans and Alien forces. Randomized levels ensure high replayability. Currently in early access on steam. Xion revives the arcade and shootem-ups of the 90s with a unique rogue style and destructible voxel landscape setting, now featuring the ability to upgrade your ship. Currently in early access on steam and will also very soon be available for Oculus Rift.

Asset image: https://www.cortopia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/CortopiaZenz.png

About Cortopia Studios:

Built by the original team behind WANDS, award-winning Cortopia Studios is based in Stockholm, Sweden and is led by CEO Andreas Skoglund who joined the company earlier in 2017 after previously having worked at DICE and Electronic Arts as a producer on the Battlefield and Battlefront franchises. The studios hero title, WANDS is a key focus  but the studio has also hinted at ambitious plans to use the companys unique position to drive innovation for VR, AR and MR technologies. The Cortopia Group was created to further expand VR and AR allowing successful studios to focus on what they do best; create games. http://www.cortopia.com/

Contacts:

Alice Martinez, [email protected] ,

John Milburn, [email protected]The City Council on Tuesday, Oct. 12, will decide whether to direct the city attorney to craft an ordinance that would allow companies in Long Beach to sell cannabis solely through delivery, without having a brick-and-mortar shop, according to a...Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 24)  President Rodrigo Duterte says he recognizes the strength of women, but says some jobs are better suited for men.

In a speech in Davao City Thursday, the President said, "I believe in the woman. The competence and capability pero hindi lahat sa buhay dapat Hindi ka  hindi, hindi. Dapat lang. It's not appropriate."

He added, he has hesitations in deploying female soldiers and policemen because "unlike men, kami, maliit pa lang suntukan, bakbakan, barilan diyan [us, even as kids we'd hit each other, play with guns]. And we grew up with a sort of a mindset na sometimes prone to violence."

In contrast, the President said women were "prim and proper."

The President's comments come after allegations that he was anti-women.

Earlier, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque denied the claims.

In a press briefing Wednesday night, Roque said, "His last three appointees are women. Alam ko personally talaga pong mahal na mahal ng Presidente ang mga kababaihan [I know personally that the President deeply cares for women]... Ang problema he loves them too much sometimes."

This is not the first time the President has come under fire for such remarks.

In February, Roque said feminists should take President Rodrigo Duterte's jokes lightly.

Roque, addressing feminists critical of the President, said they should stop taking Duterte's jokes too seriously.

"Sometimes these feminists are a bit OA (over acting). That's funny. Come on! Just laugh," he said.

He said the President's humor is one of the reasons Filipinos find him endearing.

CNN Philippines' Lara Tan contributed to this report.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 24)  Government officials on Thursday defended two Chinese companies negotiating with the government to rebuild the most damaged areas in war-torn Marawi.

The Palace and Task Force Bangon Marawi downplayed concerns about China State Construction Engineering Corp. Ltd. (CSCEC) and China Geo-Engineering Corp. (CGC) which were blacklisted by the World Bank in 2009 over alleged anomalies in a road project in the Philippines.

The two firms are now part of the Bagong Marawi Consortium, composed of Chinese and Filipino companies selected by the government to come up with a plan to rebuild 250 hectares of Marawi's ground zero. The government is rehabilitating Marawi after the five-month war between government forces and pro-ISIS extremists from May to October last year.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque stressed that the Chinese firms have already served their sanctions and now deserve a second chance.

"Everyone is entitled to a second opportunity. Pero mamasdan din po natin, magmamasid tayo, magmamatyag ang taong bayan (But we will be vigilant)," Roque said in a press briefing in Marawi.

The World Bank debarred CSCEC, CGC, and five other firms in 2009 due to alleged collusion to rig the bidding process of a World Bank-financed project in the Philippines, the National Roads Improvement and Management Program (NRIMP). This stopped the World Bank from awarding $33 million (Over P1.7 billion at the current exchange rate) for the project.

The World Bank then described it as "one of our most important and far-reaching cases and it highlights the effectiveness of the World Bank's investigative and sanctions process."

But this is now a thing of the past, Task Force Bangon Marawi Chairperson and Housing Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario said.

"Even World Bank gave projects to the Chinese State Construction way back in 2016. The blacklisting is not active anymore," del Rosario said in the same press briefing.

He added there would be no problem in the bidding process this time because the Bagong Marawi Consortium will have to win the project under a Swiss challenge, a bidding process that allows rivals to submit competing offers. Everything will be transparent as the consortium's proposal will be published in national broadsheets, giving other companies three weeks to steal the deal.

Local government officials, however, have expressed concerns over the involvement of previously-blacklisted firms in the rehabilitation of Marawi.

"Legally speaking and technically speaking, there is no problem with that. But morally speaking, the reconstruction or development of Marawi City should be devoid of stigma of impropriety so that we can't afford any cloud of doubt as to who will undertake the development and reconstruction of Marawi City," Marawi Mayor Majul Usman Gandamra said in a press briefing Wednesday, as the country commemorated one year since the ISIS-linked Maute group attacked Marawi.

Lanao del Sur Crisis Management Committee spokesperson Zia Adiong urged the government to carefully study the situation before awarding the project to firms with "questionable past."Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 24)  After more than a year in hiding, the brother of alleged narcopolitician Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. who was killed in an anti-drug operation, was found and arrested in Taiwan, Wednesday evening.

The arrest of Ozamiz Councilor Ricardo "Ardot" Parojinog by Taiwan police was confirmed by Ozamiz Police Director Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido and Philippine National Police Spokesperson John Bulalacao on Thursday.

Parojinog was apprehended for illegally entering Taiwan using fake identification cards, Bulalacao said.

"Nagmomonitor sa kanya ang Taiwanese government and nalaman na wala siyang documents when he entered Taiwan," he told reporters Thursday

[Translation: The Taiwanese government was monitoring him and they discovered he did not have any documents when he entered Taiwan]

The PNP Spokesman however said no details have been disclosed yet on how Parojinog was able to leave the country. He added the process for the councilor's return to the Philippines will depend on the Taiwanese government.

"The process will take long, depends on how long the Taiwanese government can process the deportation," he said.

Espenido, however, expects Parojinog to be turned over to the Philippine National Police on Saturday.

Bulalacao also confirmed Ardot is the only Parojinog relative left on the government watchlist who was at large.

He said Ardot is facing charges of illegal possession of firearms, and explosives.

Manila Economic and Cultural Office Chair Lito Banayo said Parojinog was arrested in Tung-Kang Township, Pingtung County in Souther Taiwan. Banayo is currently in Taiwan and reported the fugitive was in the custody of the Kaohsiung immigration agency, to investigate the details of his escape.

"Nasa custody siya ng Kaohsiung immigration agency para alamin ang detalye ng pagdating niya dito, paano siya pumasok, at gaano na siya katagal nagstay dito sa Taiwan," Banayo told CNN Philippines" Balitaan.

[Translation: He is in the custody of Kaohsiung immigration agency to undergo questioning on the details of his arrival in the country, how he was able to get in, and how long he has been staying in Taiwan]

Banayo said the government has already deployed officials to the agency.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque welcomed the arrest of Parojinog, saying his flight from the country served as an admission of guilt.

"Ito po'y mabuting balita dahil unang una ano po ang ginagawang nagtatago sa Taiwan kung wala siyang batas na nilabag," Roque said in a press briefing Thursday.

[Translation: This is good news because first of all, what is he doing in Taiwan if he did not do anything wrong?]

Roque said further investigation will follow Parojinog's arrest. He added the councilor may be brought back to the Philippines and brought to the PNP Headquarters.

"Sisguraduhin natin na magkakaroon ng katarungan kung meron nilabag na batas itong si councilor. Kung meron siyang nilabag na batas siya po ay iimbestigahan, ililitis at paparusahan para sa crimen na 'yan," Roque said.

[Translation: We will make sure justice will be served if the councilor is proven guilty of a crime. If he committed a crime he will be investigated, examined, and punished for that crime.]

The Department of Justice issued an immigration lookout bulletin order for the councilor in August last year after months of absence from meetings. President Rodrigo Duterte also tagged Ardot as one of the politicians in his narco list and offered a ?5-million bounty in September 2017 for his capture.

RELATED: Duterte puts up P5-M bounty on Ozamiz City councilor over drugs

Ardot started hiding in January 2017 months before his brother Reynaldo Parajinog Sr. and 14 others were killed in a police raid in their Misamis Occidental residence on July 30. Ardot was not home when police conducted the operations.

The Parojinog clan was accused of involvement in the drug trade. Ardot's niece Vice Mayor Nova Parojinog, and nephew Reynaldo Parojinog Jr. are also facing criminal charges for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, and illegal possession of dangerous drugs.

Mixed feelings

Espenido has mixed feelings about the arrest of Parojinog, saying that he was glad that the suspect was captured but he is anxious because he is still alive.

He said that among the Parojinogs, Ardot is the most notorious, bringing chills to locals whenever they hear his name.

"At least among the three mentioned, Reynaldo Sr., Nova Princess, and Ardot, it's done," said Espenido. "My mission is done."

Court records show that the suspect has six pending cases which include violation of Republic Act (RA) 9516 (illegal possession of firearms and explosives), violation of RA 10591 (new firearms law), and murder.

CNN Philippines Stringer Marlon Panares contributed to the story.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 24)  Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto said the Upper Chamber is expected to pass the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) before the month ends.

In a forum on Thursday, Sotto said the Senate will fasttrack the proceedings for the BBL by allowing clarifications during the period of amendments on Monday, May 28.

"If we do that, we'll be able to pass, keeping my fingers crossed, we will be able to pass and finish the period of amendments Monday," Sotto said.

Sotto said, however, they need President Rodrigo duterte to certify the bill as urgent so they can waive the three-day rule before voting for the final reading.

"We can approve it on 2nd and 3rd reading by Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest," he said.

Both the Senate and House leaderships have asked the President to certify the BBL as urgent.

READ: Senate asks Duterte to certify BBL bill as urgent

In a separate press briefing, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the Office of the President is just waiting for the Senate and House to submit similar versions of the BBL before certifying it as urgent.

"Kinakailangan po kasi yan parehong-pareho para mapabilis at kapag certified urgent yan...Hindi po na-certify as urgent kasi inantay muna kung ano yung mga bersyon ng dalawang kapulungan ng Kongreso," Roque said.

[Translation: The two versions of the bill need to be exactly the same to be certified as urgent...It hasn't been certified as urgent because we are still waiting for the versions of the Congress.]

Roque explained if the Senate and House have the same version of the BBL, they could do away with the bicameral conference committee.

He also said both chambers of Congress have promised to approve the bill before their sessions adjourn sine die on June 2.

Contentions on the proposed BBL

Sotto, however, said the Senate's version of the BBL is different from the House's. He also said the bicameral conference committee might meet during recess.

"In the Senate I think we will be able to come up with a conservative but well-crafted proposal for a Bangsamoro Basic Law. The House is much closer to what the BTC (Bangsamoro Transition Committee) submitted, so the bicam would take a lot of time I think," Sotto said.

READ: House, Bangsamoro Transition Commission to meet on BBL

The Senate President revealed the Senate still has concerns with the proposed BBL, including the block grant, special powers, the opt-in clause, and even the name of the region.

"We're all optimistic that when the President sees the Senate version, we might get the support in many of the proposals that we would want," he said.

Sotto added the BBL, once signed into law, might become the template for the federal regions if the country's government shifts to a federal system.

"So kung anu-ano ang naibigay natin, especially kung malaki ang tatamaan diyan...baka kapag napag-usapan na yung federalism at naging template ito, eh walang matitira sa national government," Sotto said.

[Translation: The national government might get nothing if the BBL becomes the template and we gave it too much power.]

READ: Road to peace in Mindanao: The Bangsamoro Organic Law

The BBL paves the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro, which will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) established in 1989 through Republic Act 6734. ARMM groups the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

The bill outlines authority in the region by assigning jurisdiction of reserved powers for the central government, exclusive powers of the Bangsamoro government, and concurrent powers for both the central and Bangsamoro governments.

The President has repeatedly said the BBL will help satisfy the Moro people's aspirations for real autonomy.(CNN)  Fresh off his star-making sermon at the British royal wedding on Saturday, Episcopal Presiding Bishop Michael Curry plans to take part in a candlelight vigil and protest in front of the White House on Thursday.

Curry will be joined by leaders from Christian churches who say they are concerned about a "dangerous crisis of moral and political leadership at the highest levels of our government and in our churches." Those crises, Curry and the other Christian leaders say, put "the soul of the nation and the integrity of faith" at stake.

Organizers say they expect 1,000 people to turn out for a church service before the protest and for the protest itself, to be held on Thursday evening in Lafayette Square, a park across the street from the White House.

"This weekend I spoke about the way of love. As elders, we view bringing the Reclaiming Jesus declaration to the public square as a tangible example of how to live out that way of love," Curry said, referring to a statement, called "Reclaiming Jesus," endorsed by progressive Christian leaders who lament the rise of political partisanship and the marginalization of vulnerable communities.

The sharply worded statement also calls "America first," a foreign-policy slogan endorsed by President Donald Trump, "theological heresy" and condemns the "normalization of lying" and "the resurgence of white nationalism, racism, and xenophobia; misogyny; attacks on immigrants, refugees, and the poor."

"We are Christian leaders bearing moral witness to the teachings of our faith in the public square," Curry continued. "As citizens we want our government to reflect our values. As a Bishop I believe we should follow the teachings of Jesus -- who taught us to love God and love our neighbor."

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Curry, the first African-American head of the Episcopal Church, lit up St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday, delivering an impassioned sermon on the redemptive power of love at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle.

Curry, who has been a pastor for nearly three decades, is known for seamlessly blending spiritual and political themes in his preaching and activism.

As a bishop in North Carolina, he supported the Moral Mondays campaign, which included statehouse protests against perceived inequality. At a rally in 2014, for example, he called for teachers to receive higher salaries and called education a "divine right."

At the White House protest, organizers say Curry will be joined by a number of other prominent progressive Christian leaders, including the Rev. Sharon Watkins, former General Minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Rev. James Forbes, former pastor of New York's Riverside Church, and the Rev. Jim Wallis, President and Founder, Sojourners.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Bishop whose sermon lit up royal wedding to lead White House protest."kacylee at 24-05-2018 06:29 AM (3 years ago) (f)

An elderly American woman recently went to Malaysia expecting to meet with a dashing construction tycoon she met online, only to discover that her internet romance was part of an elaborate scam.

An elderly American woman recently went to Malaysia expecting to meet with a dashing construction tycoon she met online, only to discover that her internet romance was part of an elaborate scam.

The 77-year-old unnamed victim, who travelled all the way from the U.S, said she met a man on social media who would regularly send her sweet messages via email. Little did she know that she was being played by con artists who wanted to extort money from her.



According to AsiaOne, her online suitor, who had claimed to be an entrepreneur, allegedly told her that he could double her money if she invested in his businesses.











Through sweet talk, the swindlers were able to manipulate the elderly woman into wiring $225,000 to an account. She also sent them additional $60,000 on two instances via packages through a courier service when they set her up for a fake meet-up in Malaysia.



When she arrived in the country she was met by a man who told her he would bring her to her online lover.



She was then brought to a hotel in Puchong and left her there. Her luggage, identification and travel documents were also stolen from her.



When she told the U.S. embassy about her story, the officers there informed her that she might have been a victim of deceptive con artists who were only after her money.



According to Senior Asst. Comm. Mohd Sakri Arifin of the Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department, his team was able to apprehend suspects after learning that the victim had sent a package containing money to an address in Setapak.











We watched the premises and when two men came to collect the package on Monday, we arrested them. We seized $30,000, various identification documents, mobile phones, three ATM cards and a car, he said. The 77-year-old unnamed victim, who travelled all the way from the U.S, said she met a man on social media who would regularly send her sweet messages via email. Little did she know that she was being played by con artists who wanted to extort money from her.According to AsiaOne, her online suitor, who had claimed to be an entrepreneur, allegedly told her that he could double her money if she invested in his businesses.Through sweet talk, the swindlers were able to manipulate the elderly woman into wiring $225,000 to an account. She also sent them additional $60,000 on two instances via packages through a courier service when they set her up for a fake meet-up in Malaysia.When she arrived in the country she was met by a man who told her he would bring her to her online lover.She was then brought to a hotel in Puchong and left her there. Her luggage, identification and travel documents were also stolen from her.When she told the U.S. embassy about her story, the officers there informed her that she might have been a victim of deceptive con artists who were only after her money.According to Senior Asst. Comm. Mohd Sakri Arifin of the Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department, his team was able to apprehend suspects after learning that the victim had sent a package containing money to an address in Setapak.he said.

Post Reply I have been reporting for several years now and I am very interested in visual news reportage with strong inclusion of photos and video multimedia. Posted: at 24-05-2018 06:29 AM (3 years ago) | Addicted Herofelicilin at 24-05-2018 12:18 PM (3 years ago) (f)

Oluwatofunmi Fadesire represented Nigeria at the 2018 edition bodybuilding competition, The World's Strongest Man (WSM).

Oluwatofunmi Fadesire represented Nigeria at the 2018 edition bodybuilding competition, The World's Strongest Man (WSM). Tofunmi is Nigeria's strongest man and was the country's flag bearer at the competition.

Who is Oluwatofunmi Fadesire?

Born of the August 18, 1988 Tofunmi revealed that he fell in love with the strongman competition at an early age.

His weight is estimated at 123 kilogrammes and his height is at 181cm, 5feet 11 inches.

A statement on the WSM website reveals that he is nicknamed 'Olu Strong' and works as a bodyguard for high profile individuals in Nigeria.

I finish at work in the evening and go to the gym after. When Im working at night, I train in the day.

Tofunmi took to his official Twitter account to announce that he finally was able to participate in the competition, his message said, "Finally made it. .representing Nigeria."

He revealed that he will aim to beat his personal records and learn from his colleagues in every competition.

Born and raised in Lagos, he attended Maryland secondary school for his early education and obtained a diploma in security from the University of Lagos.











A post shared by Oluwatofunmi Fadesire(OLU) (@oluwatofunmi_exito) on May 17, 2018 at 9:48am PDT Tofunmi is Nigeria's strongest man and was the country's flag bearer at the competition.Born of the August 18, 1988 Tofunmi revealed that he fell in love with the strongman competition at an early age.His weight is estimated at 123 kilogrammes and his height is at 181cm, 5feet 11 inches.A statement on the WSM website reveals that he is nicknamed 'Olu Strong' and works as a bodyguard for high profile individuals in Nigeria.He revealed that he will aim to beat his personal records and learn from his colleagues in every competition.Born and raised in Lagos, he attended Maryland secondary school for his early education and obtained a diploma in security from the University of Lagos.

Post Reply Posted: at 24-05-2018 12:18 PM (3 years ago) | HeroShelly Ramsey pose for photos after receiving awards for her service to MT DOJ's DCI.

Every year the Montana Department of Justice (DOJ), Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) chooses outstanding agents, DOJ employees, police officers and civilians to recognize for their contributions to DCI's mission. This year DCI chose to hon...In a press release given to the Courier on May 21, Sheriff Vernon Buerkle sought to clarify the results of an investigation into professional misconduct for one of the Sheriffs deputies. Buerkle described the events in extreme detail covering t...Valley County's Cody Cornwell (l) looks on as his son J.P. Cornwell meets Secretary Ryan Zinke at the Fort Peck Interpretive Center on May 20.

In an exclusive meeting with local farmers, ranchers and community leaders Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke talked about issues ranging from the restructuring of the Department of the Interior, the St. Mary River Diversion upgrade, the Bureau...Dear Editor,

I recently read an American Prairie Reserve (APR) article titled, Freese Scale for Grassland Biodiversity, Background Summary. This strange document was designed to justify the program proposed by APR. They rate 10 ecologica...Florida city broadcasts actual ZOMBIE alert; warns residents of extreme zombie activity

Another highly unusual emergency alert went out to citizens, this time in the Florida city of Lake Worth.

Screenshot imagery shows that residents throughout the Lake Worth area were issued warnings that a power outage had been caused by extreme zombie activity, and that restoration time was uncertain.

The power outage part was accurate, but not the extreme zombie activity part  even though it was clearly included as part of the alert in two different parts of the message.

As relayed by WFLA, the message erroneously stated that there were far less than seven thousand three hundred and eighty customers involved due to extreme zombie activity.

While it was true that more than 7,000 customers of the local electric utility lost power, there was no link whatsoever to zombies. City spokesman Ben Kerr reiterated this in a Facebook message, stating that Lake Worth does not have any zombie activity currently.

Meanwhile, the 7,880 utility customers who were ultimately determined to have had their power cut saw it restored within 30 minutes. They never did learn, however, what was the actual cause of the power outage.

Why are so many fake government alerts being sent out these days about zombies, missiles, and other non-events?

As you may recall, a similar false alarm was sent out by officials in Hawaii earlier in the year warning about an incoming missile attack that never actually materialized.

This strange incident also involved a Hawaii Emergency Management Agency employee sharing a picture online that clearly revealed his computer password on a sticky note attached to his monitor screen.

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There was also a more recent false alarm about a tsunami that was issued in Alaska. Residents of Alaskas Aleutian Islands were told that their area was under a tsunami threat, though no actual tsunami threat existed at the time.

All of these false alarms have occurred in relative succession to one another over the past several months, which begs the question: Who keeps sending out these false alarms and why?

Is it all just one big coincidence, or is there something more nefarious afoot? Especially with this most recent alert in Florida, its obvious that it was no accident to include the fake zombie portion of the alert within the real alert about a power outage.

Had the two warnings been sent out separately from one another, it might be a valid argument to suggest that someone simply made an honest mistake in sending one of them out. But the fact that it was a single warning about a legitimate power outage that contained not one but two strange mentions of zombies suggests that it was intentional.

Is the government secretly trying to warn the populace of an impending war and zombie apocalypse?

Whats further strange about these false alarms is that nobody in any position of authority seems to be taking them seriously. Nobody is inquiring as to why they keep getting sent out  especially the one about incoming ballistic missiles in Hawaii that needlessly scared residents of the Hawaiian islands.

The explanation being put out by the state and federal authorities, and parroted by the media, fobs off the nuclear war alert as a mere accident triggered by a single careless worker at Hawaiis Emergency Management System, writes Bill Van Auken for GlobalResearch.ca.

There is no reason that anyone should blindly accept this official story as true  How could such an accident happen? Once again, a major public event is shrouded in secrecy. Why has the individual allegedly responsible for the accident not been named?

Be sure to read the full GlobalResearch.ca report at this link.

Sources for this article include:

WFLA.com

NaturalNews.com

NBCSanDiego.com

GlobalResearch.caNew York University Scientists Trace Cybercrime Banking Networks and Win Best Research Paper Award

May 2018 by Marc Jacob

New York University researchers at the Anti-Phishing Working Groups (APWG) cybercrime research conference, in San Diego California, demonstrated their method for exposing bank accounts used to clear payments for purchase of counterfeit goods on the Internet, and brought home the conference award for best electronic crime research paper.

C:Tyler Olson

The paper, Bullet-Proof Payment Processing, describes how the research team deployed secret shoppers to purchase counterfeit goods online and trace the venues that mediated the payments for their purchases to locate the merchant accounts that cleared the stealth customers payments.

The authors, Dr. Damon McCoy and Hongwei Tian of New York Universitys Tandon School of Engineering and D. Sean West and Stephen M. Gaffigan of SMGPA found that their research program wasnt as simple as shooting tracers in the cloud, as the corrupt merchants quickly responded with evasive action.

Anything you try - they adapt to - and try to stay in business, said Dr. McCoy on the floor of the 13th annual APWG Symposium on Electronic Crime Research last Thursday after receiving the award on behalf of his team. We found these third parties who we know are serving counterfeit goods merchants, with expertise in setting up shell companies and merchant accounts at banks. These facilitators and payment processors know that people like us are trying to detect and close down those merchant accounts and want to detect and block our test purchasers, McCoy said.

McCoy said disrupting the payment mechanisms is singularly efficient because of the degree of resources that have to be expended in their replacement, including fake companies and bank accounts that require extensive cost and process to restore. Replacing a website or suspended domain name is relatively trivial in comparison, McCoy observed.

Honorable mention was also awarded to Pranshu Bajpai, Michigan State University, Aditya K Sood, SecNiche Security, and Richard Enbody, Michigan State University for their paper A Key-Management-Based Taxonomy for Ransomware. These researchers work are exemplars of the kind of applied research that has been proceeding from the symposium since its inception in 2006 at the APWGs annual conference in Orlando, Florida, which focused initially on the technologies of cybercrime and defenses against it.

APWG eCrime is one of the only peer-reviewed academic conferences to focus on research of electronic crime as its own discipline. The competition was fierce from researchers from industry and academia, with accepted papers from Michigan State University, University of Washington at Bothell, Arizona State University, Nile University, University of Ottawa, Forcepoint, Cisco Umbrella Research, New York University / SMPGA, University of Oxford, Universidat Nacional del Sur, IBM, PayPal, PhishMe, SecNiche, and Data Metrics.

Since 2006, the scope of the topical spaces formally cited on the symposiums call for papers (CFP) has expanded incrementally while maintaining the insistence on relevance to the principal focus on cybercrime. This year, the CFP added to the subjects of interest at the conference: user psychology, crypto currencies and public policy dimensions of cybercrime research.

APWG Secretary General Peter Cassidy, founder of the conference, said, As an applied research conference for academia and industry, we pursue expansion of scope only to the extent that the topics are representative of the experience in the field. The next extension of our CFP will likely include artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies.

The Symposium on Electronic Crime Research was conceived as a comprehensive venue to present state-of-the-art basic and applied research into electronic crime, engaging every aspect of its development as well as technologies and techniques for electronic crime detection, related forensics and prevention. The symposium brings together the most heterogeneous community of counter-cybercrime stakeholders to confer over the latest research, to foster collaborations, to provide a convenient venue for funding agencies to connect with leading principal investigators in the field  and to introduce leading minds to member companies of the APWG who may employ them.Untangle and Hermitage Solutions sign a distribution agreement for France, Belgium and Luxembourg

May 2018 by Marc Jacob

Command Center is cloud-based centralized management that allows to quickly and simply control any NG Firewall deployments from any browserwithout the costly purchase and maintenance headache of an on-premise solution. Untangle has brought the same ease-of-use clients expect from the company to the management console, enabling them to control all of their NG Firewall deployments from a single pane of glass.

Untangle NG Firewall is designed to balance performance and protection, policy and productivity. Its an ideal fit for a range of organizations seeking a powerful, cost-effective network security solution that can handle any IT challenge: from small, remote offices to diverse school campuses to large, distributed organizations. About Untangle (www.untangle.com) Untangle is an innovator in cybersecurity designed specifically for the below-enterprise market, safeguarding businesses, home offices, nonprofits, schools and governmental organizations. Untangles integrated suite of software and appliances provides enterprise-grade capabilities and consumer-oriented simplicity to organizations with limited IT resources. Untangles award-winning network security solutions are trusted by over 40,000 customers around the world.Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier

"(It will) serve a need ... for kids in general and kids in trouble," said Commissioner Richard Clark.All of the evidence suggests that government's staffing problems are likely to get worse. The reasons are well documented: an aging workforce and other demographic trends, along with fiscal stresses and government's comparatively poor "brand" as an employer. The solution is obvious: developing strategies to make jobs more attractive, and doing so in close consultation with employees in a process of "co-creation." But there has been far too little movement in that direction in the public sector.The seeds for the problem were planted a century ago when civil-service systems became deeply embedded and dictated how work and workers are managed. States started initiating civil-service reforms over 20 years ago, but far too many jurisdictions continue to rely on a management philosophy and people-management practices that are ill suited to attracting and retaining today's workers.A core challenge, particularly in government, is the differences in job expectations of the three, sometimes four and occasionally as many as five generations of workers at the same site. They have different attitudes toward loyalty, innovation, trust, career advancement, recognition, communication -- the list is long. Governments' fiscal problems intensify the impact of the differences, while civil-servant protections and unions feed resistance to the policy changes that would attract young workers.In the past, new workforce management practices or systems were usually developed and refined in the private sector and marketed to government. Those strategies are costly. Moreover, there has been little research to learn how private-sector practices need to be modified to work effectively in government.Workforce management practices were actually very similar across the sectors until the 1990 recession. Companies were forced to cut costs and become more responsive and less bureaucratic. They eliminated layers of management, broadening the span of a supervisor's control, which gave employees more autonomy. Today in business it's common to find teams that effectively manage themselves or rarely see their manager. Trust is essential, along with frequent communication.It's in that environment that IBM invited employees to help rethink its HR policies and practices. The company's experience is discussed in an interview with Diane Gherson, IBM's chief human resources officer, in a Harvard Business Review article titled "Co-Creating the Employee Experience." The business case for change, Gherson says, is that employee engagement explains two-thirds of the company's customer-experience scores. "Before, we tended to rely on experts to build our HR programs," she adds. "Now we bring employees into the design process, co-create with them, and iterate over time so that we meet people's needs."That is a major departure from HR practices of the past, in which policies and practices typically were developed behind closed doors and rolled out with no involvement by anyone except senior officers (who frequently had only marginal interest). Employee reactions were often ignored. IBM's co-creation process, in contrast, couldn't be more welcoming to employee participation. "We'd love your input," Gherson wrote one day in an internal company blog. "If you hate it, we'll start over, no problem. But we really want your thoughts." She received 18,000 responses overnight.That story says a lot about the dramatic change in one company's management philosophy, but many companies listed as "best places to work" would have similar stories. Leading companies are now willing to adopt what a few years ago would have been seen as radical approaches to creating attractive and productive work environments.Co-creation is hardly new. In education, going back decades, universities have relied on employee task forces to develop new HR programs. The practice also has also been common in health care. Employees understand current problems and organizational values better than outside experts.In the late 1990s when the District of Columbia's parole and probation offices were merged to form a new federal Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, I was asked to work with a team of what are now called community supervision officers to plan a new pay system to reward the best performers. Their commitment was obvious, and the new system reflected the then-current thinking in the field.The thread that runs through these stories is the value of securing employee buy-in to changes that make the work experience more satisfying. Asking employees what needs to be improved is a simple, minimal-cost step that almost inevitably will be welcomed and generate improved practices. Open dialogue is the best way to bring the different factions of the workforce together. Unions can play a role, but only to encourage broad employee participation. It is a proven strategy to make career opportunities and an employer's brand more attractive.In government as in business, employees want to be involved. They want their employer to be successful and highly regarded. Soliciting employee ideas opens the door to a better work experience, one that can go a long way toward easing government's staffing challenges.Tom Shack has an unusual background for his job. Most state comptrollers have worked exclusively in finance and accounting. Before becoming comptroller of Massachusetts in 2015, Shack went to law school, taught college courses in entrepreneurship, and became an assistant district attorney.When Shack took over the comptrollers office, which has administrative and audit oversight over every state government agency, he quickly recognized an issue that hes been trying to address ever since.One of the things I noticed right away, when working for government, is that theres complete risk-aversion, he says. You have to be able to manage risk and avoid it.That tendency, he says, holds back innovation and progress. He and his staff have even made up a word for the phenomenon: innovocracy, which in our vernacular means that though the government has come up with great innovative ideas, it then imposes a bureaucratic framework, thus crushing any entrepreneurial spirit associated with the idea.Take technology. Shack is frustrated by the typical approach to investing in new government IT.Historically, when we have very large [technology] procurements, we gather a large and unwieldly group of people who are all state employees. If someone makes a decision, and a procurement fails, they are going to be on the front page of, he says. So, we get a whole room of people around a table so there are lots of people to blame if something goes wrong.But this risk-averse decision-making strategy can backfire. By the time government agencies buy new technology, which can take years of debate, Shack says its often out of date.Shack wants to speed things up.When the state needed new systems to increase transparency and cut down on the number of questions that came pouring into his office, he went to his CIO and said, Go find a solution that wont be enormously expensive and can be done quickly.They opted for an off-the-shelf system because we can configure it rather than buying a new system thats been specifically customized for us. It took only seven months to make the purchase and launch it.Of course, Shacks speedier, cheaper and simpler approach could still go awry -- but hes okay with that.Few people are willing to take responsibility for success or failure. But thats what the people of Massachusetts pay me for, he says.The need to throw the governmental dice every now and then is hardly limited to technology procurement. Shack also uses HR as an example.The intolerance for risk says we should keep hiring the way weve been hiring. We should keep the same job descriptions. But what happens, Shack asks, when there are job shortages in certain fields, or when the long-awaited silver tsunami overwhelms the governments capacity to fill jobs left by retirees?One of the things that government doesnt do from a human resources standpoint is to try to evaluate whats going to happen in the future -- but Shack argues they should start.We have to take the risks necessary to be an employer of choice. But risk-aversion causes folks to simply say the status quo is fine. So, John left today. So, Joan is leaving tomorrow. Well just put up a posting.Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, as expected, cruised to the Democratic nomination Wednesday, winning 95 percent of the delegates at the state party's convention.But the win, while overwhelming mathematically, doesn't clear the way for the incumbent to be the party's standard- bearer in November.Insurgent Cynthia Nixon received fewer than 5 percent of the delegates. Before the vote, she told reporters she didn't expect to receive the 25 percent necessary to qualify for a party primary. But the actress, who is challenging Cuomo from the political left, said she would collect the petition signatures necessary to get on the ballot.The party also nominated New York City Advocate Letitia "Tish" James for attorney general, defeating two other candidates for the nod.The hourlong vote for governor at Hofstra University's Mack Center was an exercise in power for the party apparatus controlled by the governor. The state Democratic committee had made no apologies about being fully behind a third term for Cuomo. Even the clergy delivering the invocation at the opening of the convention touted the governor at length.Nominating speakers for Cuomo were backed by showy PowerPoint presentations, highlighting his policy wins on huge video screens. Nixon supporters got a plain background. The few votes Nixon received in the roll-call balloting were greeted occasionally with boos by Cuomo allies.Afterward, Cuomo said the 95 percent total was more than he had expected."I am very gratified. . . . For me, it's an affirmation of everything we've done," Cuomo told reporters. Summing up his first two terms, he said: "We got done a lot of great things on every level."Though Cuomo is now the party's official nominee, he wasn't going to address the delegates until Thursday. Meanwhile, he has rolled out Democratic stalwarts to endorse him: Hillary Clinton on Wednesday; former Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday.The party also nominated its other incumbents: Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul for a second term and Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, who has been in office since 2007.The attorney general spot on the party's ticket opened up after Eric T. Schneiderman resigned abruptly earlier this month after four women accused him of assault. (Barbara Underwood, who worked as Schneiderman's solicitor general, was named by the State Legislature to fill the rest of his term, until Dec. 31).James had the support of a majority of delegates. Two other candidates -- Leecia Eve, a former Cuomo aide, and Zephyr Teachout, who ran for governor in 2014 -- also were nominated, but failed to reach the 25 percent threshold.Nixon crashed the gathering early. She held a news conference at the Hempstead station of the Long Island Rail Road to blast Cuomo for the woes of New York's mass transit system and then addressed the party's "Progressive Caucus" as the convention opened.She called the confab an "extremely choreographed event," said she had never expected to garner the 25 percent of the delegate vote necessary to automatically qualify for a primary."We are not expecting to get the 25 percent, but we are here to show we are not afraid . . . it's my party, too," Nixon said.The challenger said endorsements from party stalwarts wouldn't affect the race."I think that Andrew Cuomo can get all the endorsements that he wants. But the fact of the matter is that people are going to be voting on his record -- which is not very progressive," Nixon told reporters. "At the end of the day, I think people vote on people's records, not on surrogates."Cuomo ,asked about criticism that the delegates didn't reflect the party's left, said the people in the convention hall represented "the most progressive people in this state."His backers said the vote total was an affirmation of the party's rank-and-file support for the governor."What this shows," said Stuart Appelbaum, who is president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union and who nominated Cuomo, "is that people who have been involved in politics and government and the Democratic Party have a sense that the state is moving in the right direction,".With a charge that Democratic Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo had brought corruption and shame to New Yorkers while driving the young to seek jobs in other states, Marc Molinaro accepted the Republican nomination for governor Wednesday and asked: "Are you ready to believe in New York again?"Molinaro, the Dutchess County executive, promised a "bold property tax cut" and an end to "corporate welfare" that he said Cuomo has used in multibillion-dollar economic development programs for corporations, at the expense of everyday New Yorkers who pay some of the nation's highest taxes.Republicans also nominated Julie Killian, former deputy mayor of Rye, to run for lieutenant governor. "We live in a state when we're better off when Albany is in recess rather than in session," Killian said in accepting her nomination, "where women are praised at the microphone, then groped behind closed doors."Molinaro quoted former Republican Gov. Teddy Roosevelt, as well as former Democratic Gov. Mario Cuomo, in calling for a new Republican initiative that includes "liberals, conservatives, and moderates: gay, straight, black, white, Asian, Latino, young, old, married and unmarried, to those able to pay their bills and those struggling too hard.""I know what it means to struggle. I know what it's like to need a helping hand. And, I care about making your life a little better, a little fuller and a lot easier," he said. "Teddy Roosevelt was right. We don't say it enough. 'Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.' Indeed.""Humility," Molinaro said, "is something I learned as a boy. It's hard not to feel it when the cereal you shovel into your mouth before school is paid for with food stamps."After it was pointed out that half the seats in the convention area were not filled, former Gov. George Pataki, who was treated as a conquering hero at the convention for his 1994 upset of then-Gov. Mario Cuomo, said, "They don't know Marc, but they didn't know me. When they get to know him over the next five months, I think he's going to surprise a lot of people."Molinaro also invoked the late Democratic governor against his son. "What Mario Cuomo was saying was that one should seek public office to do good, not to feed one's ego or career needs," Molinaro said. "Bullies and megalomaniacs need not apply."Cuomo is facing a challenge for the Democratic nomination by activist-actress Cynthia Nixon, who also has the liberal Working Families Party line.Absent in Molinaro's speech was any reference to President Donald Trump, who is supported by about 57 percent of Republicans in New York but is unpopular with most Democrats and with voters not enrolled in a party."New Yorkers want somebody who is going to be the governor of the state, and not somebody who looks to Washington for direction," said Pataki in an interview after Molinaro's speech. "And I think that's the right thing to do."The dysfunction -- and possibly burgeoning scandal -- that's paralyzed the Ohio state legislature is worsening. But whether Republicans pay a political price for it in November remains to be seen.The FBI's previously unclear interest in ex-Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger came into sharper focus on Wednesday morning as agents raided his Southwest Ohio home, along with a nearby storage facility owned by his former campaign treasurer. Rosenberger, who has denied wrongdoing, resigned abruptly from the legislature in April, shortly after he learned the FBI had been looking into his international travel with lobbyists.Meanwhile, another potential federal investigation looms which also involves Columbus Republicans. Republican Ohio Auditor Dave Yost earlier this month announced he had contacted local and federal prosecutors after his office found the now-shuttered Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow might have fraudulently inflated its student-attendance data to get more state funding. The school's founder, William Lager, has given millions to Republicans in campaign contributions while receiving more than $1 billion in state funding since his school opened in 2000, years Republicans largely have held tight control of state government.The Columbus Dispatch has reported the FBI also is interested in claims from a former employee that Lager gave employees extra money and directed them to use it to make campaign contributions, which if true, would be illegal.This all occurs against the backdrop of the November 2018 election, when Ohioans will vote on a U.S. Senate seat, governor and other statewide offices, as well as a slew of state legislative races. In a midterm election when Republican President Donald Trump's national popularity is shaky at best, it's thought Democrats already will have some built-in advantages, even in a state Trump won decisively in 2016. Republicans, meanwhile, hold control of all three branches of state government."The biggest thing is that this dysfunction coming from the Statehouse is harming Ohioans," said Kathleen Clyde, a Democratic state representative who's running for Secretary of State. "It holds up important work of the people of Ohio such as predatory lending legislation and a bill to fund upgrades to voting equipment."Ohio Republicans followed the raid of Rosenberger's house on Wednesday with a mix of fascination and disappointment and for some, nervousness over where it might be headed.All the while, the Republican-controlled state legislature has been unable to pass any bills since Rosenberger's departure last month. State Rep. Kirk Schuring, a top Rosenberger lieutenant who's now serving as a temporary House speaker, on Wednesday canceled two more planned sessions amid uncertainty whether Rosenberger's preferred successor, State Rep. Ryan Smith, had the votes necessary to secure the job.A faction of Republicans loyal to State Rep. Larry Householder, Smith's rival for the speaker's gavel next year, refuses to support anyone connected to Rosenberger, citing the investigation into Rosenberger.In a news conference in Columbus, Smith refused to back down. He also said the drama surrounding the inter-party fight is harming the state legislature's official business, as well House Republicans' broader campaign efforts. State legislators typically by now have left Columbus for a summer recess so they can focus on their re-election campaigns."Every day it impacts us," Smith said. "We are not doing what we need to do what we're doing. We're focusing on the wrong things. We should be focusing on passing good legislation and focusing on that. Instead, we're fiddling around with things like this and wondering where we're going to go."Jim Trakas, a Republican former state representative who's running for his old Cuyahoga County seat, compared the raid of Rosenberger's house to the 2008 FBI raid that announced the existence of an investigation into Cuyahoga County government. That raid didn't produce any charges for several years, but ultimately led to the conviction of dozens of government officials and contractors, and prompted voters to overhaul the county government's structure."This will be an unfolding drama," said Trakas, a former Cuyahoga County Republican Party chairman who's supportive of Householder. "All I can say is the next General Assembly and the next governor better be reformist, and mean it."Democrats, meanwhile, pounced on the opportunity to call attention to the raid, as well the inability of Republicans to pick a leader among themselves. They hope the news will begin to sink in for average Ohioans, who may not follow state government particularly closely. Some Democratic representatives tried branding the impasse as a government "shutdown," like the times the federal government has closed over budgetary standoffs.Richard Cordray, a Democratic former state attorney general who's running for governor, in a conference call with reporters tried to connect the problems with the state legislature to his Republican opponent, current Attorney General Mike DeWine."It is clear that our legislature has gone completely off the rails under one-party rule," Cordray said. "Running state government for those at the top who hire lobbyists and bankroll Republican campaigns has resulted in the dysfunction and corruption that has paralyzed state government and is hurting Ohio families. It needs to end."In a statement, a DeWine campaign spokesman said only: "The people's business needs to get done and the House needs to elect a Speaker."There are emerging parallels between current developments and 2006, the last time Ohio Democrats saw electoral success on the state level. That year, Democrats won the governor's office, a U.S. Senate seat, and three of the four other statewide offices. They were aided by an unpopular Republican president, as well as a scandal in state government that led to the imprisonment of Tom Noe, a top Republican operator, and misdemeanor ethics convictions of then-Gov. Bob Taft, a Republican. It all began with questions about a state contract Noe received to invest Ohio Bureau of Worker's Compensation funds in rare coins and other high risk or unconventional investment vehicles.Democrats were able to take a scandal involving an esoteric topic and make it relevant to voters in part because of the efforts of Marc Dann, a colorful state senator from the Youngstown area, former Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern said Wednesday. Dann was swept into office as attorney general before he resigned in shame in 2008."He used his bully pulpit, the state senate office, to lift that issue up and gather the attention of those who would hold Tom Noe accountable," Redfern said. "I'm not sure that exists right now."Redfern also said Ohio political media were more robust a decade ago, and were able to drive the investigation forward and publicize it through aggressive reporting."It's very similar... but here in 2018, you're already in an election year. Tom Noe went to trial and the investigation was complete with the prosecutor's office a year earlier than what's happening now," Redfern said.Republicans, meanwhile, hope Ohioans will overlook the dysfunction in state government and view the improvement in the state's economy since Democrats ran state government between 2006 and 2010, during the throes of the Great Recession."Ohio cannot return to the days of double-digit unemployment, jobs fleeing the state and a drained rainy-day fund," Ohio Republican Party spokesman Blaine Kelley said in an email. "Under Republican leadership, Ohio's jobless rate is at a 17 year-low, more businesses are opening here than ever before, and families are taking home more money. Ohio is moving in the right direction and on November 6, Ohio voters will not allow Richard Cordray and the Democrats to take us backward."A group of Republican-friendly business groups, including the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the Ohio Farm Bureau and the Ohio Manufacturer's Association, on Tuesday called on Schuring and other House members to pick a leader."Our interest -- and we believe that of House members -- is that the Genreal Assembly take up the policy issues that will continue to support and improve Ohio's economy and the welfare of its citizens," the letter states. "Without a speaker -- and with the distracting controversy of electing one -- we risk timely progress."Governments around the nation are working to design the best vaccine policies that keep both their employees and their residents safe. Although the latest data shows a variety of polarizing perspectives, there are clear emerging best practices that leading governments are following to put trust first: creating policies that are flexible and provide a range of options, and being in tune with the needs and sentiments of their employees so that they are able to be dynamic and accommodate the rapidly changing situation.The 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 Wednesday, in the morning, at Government House, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC commenced duty as Administrator of the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia and the Honourable Chief Justice Catherine Holmes assumed duty as Acting Governor.

Following, at Government House, the Governor hosted an Investiture Ceremony for residents of Queensland who were recipients of awards under the Australian Honours and Awards System announced in the 2018 Australia Day and 2017 Queens Birthday Honours lists, and the Governor addressed guests.

In the afternoon, at Government House, the Governor hosted a second Investiture Ceremony for residents of Queensland who were recipients of awards under the Australian Honours and Awards System announced in the 2018 Australia Day and 2017 Queens Birthday Honours lists, and the Governor addressed guests.Description

GIS 24 May, 2018: Mauritius will host the 48th African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) Bi-Annual Research workshop from 30 May to 09 June 2018. The workshop, organised at the initiative of the University of Mauritius, will bring together some 200 participants, among whom economists, researchers, academics, policy makers from the African continent. Mauritius will host the 48th African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) Bi-Annual Research workshop from 30 May to 09 June 2018. The workshop, organised at the initiative of the University of Mauritius, will bring together some 200 participants, among whom economists, researchers, academics, policy makers from the African continent.

The workshop will serve as a forum through which participants can meet within a worldwide network of professionals and deal with issues relevant to Africas economic development. It will also provide an opportunity for monitoring the progress and quality of the various research projects sponsored by the AERC.

The theme of the plenary session will be Innovation and Incubation for Africas Transformation.

AERC organises two biannual research workshops in June and December with a view to fulfilling one of its major mandates that is to strengthen local capacity for conducting independent, rigorous inquiry into problems facing the management of economies in sub-Saharan Africa.

African Economic Research Consortium

The AERC, established in 1988, is a premier capacity building institution in the advancement of research and training to inform economic policies in sub-Saharan Africa. AERCs mission rests on two premises: first, that development is more likely to occur where there is sustained sound management of the economy; second, that such management is more likely to happen where there is an active, well-informed cohort of locally-based professional economists to conduct policy-relevant research.

AERC builds that cohort through a programme that has three primary components: research, training and policy outreach. The organisation integrates high quality economic policy research, postgraduate training and policy outreach within a vast network of researchers, universities and policy makers across Africa and beyond.Description

GIS - 24 May, 2018: Government is providing several incentives to urge planters to adopt organic farming with a view to decrease reliance on chemical inputs and achieve at least half of the total production of fruits and vegetables from this agricultural method by 2020.

The Minister of Business, Enterprise and Cooperatives, Mr S. Bholah, expressed his satisfaction as regards the successful practice of organic farming during a site visit today at the Falcon Bio-Organic Farming in Terre Rouge.

In a statement to the press, Minister Bholah highlighted that cooperatives are being increasingly guided towards a sustainable agricultural development so as to help sustain the quality of soil and crops, protect the ecosystem and ensure a healthy population at the same time. The increased use of pesticides and insecticides, he cautioned, engenders serious harmful impacts on human health and environment.

On this score, he underlined the main objectives of the Use of Pesticides Bill which are to regulate, control and monitor the importation and use of pesticides in or on certain fresh fruits, plants, seeds or vegetables with a view to minimise risks to human health and the environment.

Mr Bholah further pointed out that his Ministry is committed to empowering planters through a number of initiatives ranging from appropriate trainings by experts, grant facilities, and various new schemes namely the MauBank SME Financing Scheme, the Bio-Farming Development Scheme and the Bio-Farming Support Scheme, amongst others.

He recalled that some 12 members of cooperative societies attended a one-month course last year on organic farming under the Cooperative Development Fund Education Scheme at the National Centre of Organic Farming in India. The participants had the opportunity to acquire the technical know-how and expertise related to organic farming during their stay, he added.

The Minister congratulated the trained participants of the Falcon Bio-Organic Farming for having successfully implemented organic farming and called on other planters to benefit from these opportunities which are meant for their development.Description

GIS  24 May 2018: The preparatory meeting at Senior Officials level for the mid-term review of the SAMOA Pathway for SIDS countries in Africa, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, and South China Sea opened yesterday afternoon at the Maritim Resort and Spa, in Balaclava. The SAMOA Pathway stands for Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action (S.A.M.O.A) and is the dedicated programme of action for SIDS.

In his keynote address the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Seetanah Lutchmeenaraidoo, said that SIDS as small countries have two options either to flow with the common flow and accept their vulnerability and remoteness or affirm that they can succeed and develop. SIDS countries have to face several challenges such as lack of sufficient financing given that they have important needs with regard to infrastructure and protecting the ecosystem.

Speaking of accomplishments, the Minister cited the example of Singapore, an island city which has been successful, and, despite being small in size yet is powerful. As regards the case of Mauritius, he stated that the country asserts that it is in fact an Ocean State which controls 2.3 million square kilometres of sea and that is why the way other countries views the country has changed in a positive manner. Mauritius is also respected because the country performs well and dares to adopt new strategies.

According to Minister Lutchmeenaraidoo, the strategy of Mauritius as an Ocean State is based on the following: ocean economy - with sustainable use of the ocean by abiding to 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and using the ocean to improve the living conditions of the population; maritime hub - as Mauritius is strategically located in the Indian Ocean and can be transformed in a maritime hub with its fishing port that can offer all services similar to those provided by Singapore; and, Africa  since the country is part of the Continent and it would be impossible to envisage long-term development without being fully integrated to Africa.

The Minister called for SIDS countries to respect each other, use their respective strength to progress, collaborate, share and learn and be organised to make voices heard as SIDS.

We have a bright future and we have to be action-oriented, constantly reinvent ourselves, and envision the future by being innovative, he said.

For her part, the UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing, Ms Fekitamoeloa Katoa Utoikamanu, highlighted that a lot is at stake for the Mid-term review of the SAMOA Pathway and the Africa, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and South China regional meeting is the first one in the preparatory process of that review.

The Under-Secretary-General, stated that the Mid-term review is an opportunity to allow the AIMS region to bring the SAMOA Pathway to the forefront of the international agenda and to assess progress and examine what worked and what did not work and what needs to be done to honour commitments with regard to the sustainable development of SIDS. The time is now to set priorities for concrete actions for over the next five years, she pointed out.

Joint press conference

In a joint press conference the Minister recalled that the current meeting is converged towards finding lasting solutions on the long-term for SIDS countries economies such as Mauritius, Tonga, Seychelles, Reunion, Comoros and Belize. The subject matter is difficult as there are several organisations racing towards financial resources and there is need of colossal investment to protect the ocean and SIDS are not only small but their voices are not well heard, he added.

According to him, SIDS countries should not despair but take their future in their hands, use their visions and know-how to develop themselves, depend on themselves despite their remoteness. We should know what we want and if we can find a common consensus and a roadmap we can become auto dependent in 20 years time, he pointed out.

For her part, the UN Under-Secretary-General Ms Utoikamanu, indicated that the Mid-term review is scheduled to take place in the margins of the high-level meeting in the United Nations in September 2019 but we are focusing on the preparatory process this year. The meeting of the AIMS group is the first of the regional consultations taking place and this will be followed by the meeting for regional consultations for Pacific in Tonga in June and for Caribbean group in Belize in August and interregional meeting for all SIDS early November in Samoa.

In addition, Ms Utoikamanu stated that all these consultative meetings will highlight what has been achieved in the implementation of the SAMOA Pathway, the gaps and what needs to be done so that the priorities of the Pathway are implemented in light of the recent global frameworks adopted namely: the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement and the Sendai framework.

Preparatory Meeting

The three-day event is organised by the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) and the Government of Mauritius.

The review is providing a platform to take stock of all major commitments taken over the last few years through a SIDS lens as well as to share national priorities and develop a regional agenda.

Five sessions are scheduled on: Progress of implementing of the SAMOA Pathway; Possible regional approaches to implementation of the SAMOA Pathway in the AIMS group; Means of implementation; Financing for sustainable development on SIDS; Towards a regional coordinating mechanism to support implementation of the SAMOA pathway and 2030 Agenda in AIMS; and, Elements for the regional report on the implementation of the SAMOA pathway.

Several personalities were in attendance at the opening ceremony comprising the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mrs U. Dwarka Canabady; Envoy on Financing for Development and Chair of AOSIS, Dr A. Adam; the Permanent Representative of Belize to the UN and Co-chair of the SIDS Partnership Steering Committee, Ms L. Young; and the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to Mauritius and Seychelles, Ms C.N. Umutoni.

SAMOA Pathway

The SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (S.A.M.O.A) Pathway is an international framework that was developed as the outcome of the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS Conference) held on 1-4 September 2014 in Apia, Samoa.

It outlines priority areas which both SIDS and the international community have agreed to address in order to support the sustainable development of SIDS. The priority areas comprise oceans, climate change, food security, and disaster risk reduction.(TNS) - Renee Grissom knew something was very wrong when she heard what sounded like an explosion on her homes first floor around noon that day.Just out of the shower, the Leawood resident stepped downstairs, and then she saw it: broken trim, glass everywhere. Someone had kicked in her front door and, for all she knew, was in the house.She yelled, retreated upstairs and called 911 on her cellphone. A dispatcher, who turned out to be from Kansas City (more on that in a minute), came on the line and said police were busy and to please hold.Police records show that nearly 45 seconds elapsed before Grissom, 64, hung up. I had to do something else, she said. Frantically, she searched for the phone number for Leawood police, but then the dispatcher called back and asked for Grissoms address.This is Kansas City, the dispatcher said. Im going to have to transfer you. Grissoms call was then shipped to Leawood police. Almost exactly two minutes from the time Grissoms original call entered the 911 system, a Leawood dispatcher was on the line. But she, too, placed Grissom on hold.It seemed like a long, long time, said Grissom, the wife of former Kansas U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom.By the time the dispatcher finally got back on the line, Grissom was beside herself. The intruder could still be in the house, and the only thing that separated her from him was the flimsy lock on her bedroom door. I said, This is a 911 call. I could be dead by now. An officer was dispatched to Grissoms home more than two minutes after Leawood had placed her on hold.The Leawood dispatcher stayed on the line until police arrived nine minutes after Grissoms original call. Although the intruder ran off empty-handed after Grissom yelled, the April 25 incident shook Grissoms faith in the 911 system. I was much more frustrated and angry about not being able to get help than the fact that someone broke into my house, she said.Grissom didnt understand that a 911 call can be put on hold. That happens routinely. She also was understandably puzzled that her call wound up with Kansas City police instead of Leawood police. That development also is not unusual, a byproduct of our cellular age and the coverage territory of the cellphone tower that handled Grissoms 911 call. Residents living near the state line or near other municipalities are susceptible to having calls routed to jurisdictions other than their own, and experts say theres no fix available  at least not yet.In other words, a 911 system that many residents believe affords them virtually instant access to police in reality is something else. Grissom wants her fellow citizens to understand that.Indeed, explaining the realities of the 911 system to an unsuspecting public is job one.The education process is something that someway, somehow we need to figure out, said Platte County Sheriff Mark Owen, who chairs the regional Public Safety Communications Board.In Kansas City, for instance, police announced last week that the average wait time to answer a 911 call was 21 seconds. Thats an improvement from a 57-second average last fall, but still far off the national standard that calls for 90 percent of all emergency calls to be answered in 10 seconds or less.Grissom has other suggestions: Call takers need to ask right away from which city a person is calling. That could save vital seconds. Also, she said, police should advertise their direct contact numbers in case 911 is jammed.Finally, police agencies must ensure that they have full complements of dispatchers. Thats been a huge problem in Kansas City where the department recently received approval to add 15 dispatchers. Thats a big improvement, but still 10-20 dispatchers short of optimum staffing, police said, although a 2017 study concluded the department needed but eight more call takers.In Platte County, Owen is down five dispatchers and faces a daunting turnover rate. I dont think weve been more than 70 percent full the last two years, he said.The job is demanding with call takers expected to navigate a series of computer screens. Multi-tasking is imperative. The stress level can be through the roof. The pay? A max of $36,000 a year in Platte County. Owen knows its not enough.A new state law could help. Lawmakers passed a bill last week that would create a cellphone 911 service fee of up to $1 a month. The money could go to equipment, training and the hiring of dispatchers. Voters would have to approve, and those elections should be held as soon as possible. Police also say system upgrades are on the way that will help pinpoint a callers location. They cant come soon enough.Residents depend on 911. Kansas City area communities must ensure that they are providing the best possible 911 system. It can mean the difference between life and death.2018 The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.)Visit The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.) at www.kansascity.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.(TNS)  Butler Countys top law officer continued his public pressure campaign against some local school boards Tuesday by calling for them to install metal detectors, reduce fire drills and add armed officers to schools.Sheriff Richard Jones released a letter on social media  prompted in part by last weeks shooting massacre at Santa Fe High School in Texas  that he said had been sent to the publicly elected school boards of all of Butler Countys school districts.What are you waiting for? asked Jones in his letter to school officials.I find it disturbing every time I hear of another child shot or injured or another teacher killed or wounded; and that our own local schools are not doing enough to curb this from happening here in this county again, wrote Jones.Take action before one of your schools is attacked and many of your students and teachers are taken away by an active shooter. You need to revise the fire alarms procedures in your schools. In many cases, the shooter has attended your school system and is aware that children are taught to exit the building immediately upon hearing the fire alarm. Setting off that fire alarm provides the shooter with more targets, wrote Jones in reference to a deadly technique used by some school shooters.Jones has praised some Butler County school districts for adding to their range of security measures and personnel employed in recent months, but said other districts are lagging.Your immediate action is required to stop schools from being a soft target. I understand that a School Resource Officer or armed school employee may not stop the determined shooter from arriving  but they will be equipped to defend themselves and their students, until law enforcement can respond and end the situation, he said.In a Facebook video he posted Tuesday, Jones said we need to look at metal detectors for school buildings.In the past, Jones has praised Lakota Schools, which is the largest district in the county.Lakotas 22 schools enroll 16,500 students in two townships  West Chester and Liberty.Lakota officials recently added to their security measures an anonymous tip line phone number and website.Betsy Fuller, spokeswoman for Lakota, said, we introduced the 24 hour SaferOH tip line in April. Parents, students and community members are able to call or text 844-SaferOH with anonymous tips about potential threats to student safety. The tip line is available through Lakotas partnership with the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Department of Public Safety.Jones department patrols a handful of non-city school systems in Butler County. City schools, such as Hamilton, Middletown, Fairfield coordinate their school security through their local police departments.He urged such districts to please reach out to local law enforcement asking how you can make safety changes in your schools.Officials at the rural Edgewood Schools system recently announced they will have armed guards at each of the districts five school buildings.The school board for the similarly rural Madison Schools voted last month to allow staff who volunteer be trained and armed as part of a wider, extensive school safety training.The sheriff obviously has strong feelings about school safety, as does the Madison Local School District and we consider ourselves one of the leaders in our county in terms of the safety additions and changes weve made in the last two years, said A.J. Huff, spokeswoman for the district.In 2016 a Madison Middle School student used a handgun in school to injure three classmates.Moving forward, we will continue to make safety and security an ongoing priority and no topic is ever off the table for discussion when considering making our schools more safe, said Huff.The latest move by Jones  who has grabbed national attention for offering free Conceal Carry Weapon (CCW) training to teachers and school staffers  is an escalation of an accountability campaign the veteran sheriff has tried for years to enforce on local school systems.After the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting that left 26 students and staffers slain, Jones urged schools to hire retired police and military personnel trained in firearm use to work as substitute teachers in Butler County schools.In February he expanded on the proposal but this time offered free CCW training to school staffers.2018 the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio)Visit the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) at www.daytondailynews.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.(TNS)  The Orlando Police Department is working with Amazon to test a high-tech facial-recogition system, according to records made public Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union.The ACLU said it found the records during an investigation into Amazons Rekognition system, which the company says can use surveillance footage to pick a person out of a crowd and track its target in real time.In a statement, Orlando police spokesman Sgt. Eduardo Bernal said OPDs use of Rekognition is extremely restricted  limited to eight city-owned cameras and using facial imaging only from a handful of officers who volunteered to test the technology.No images of the public are being used in the pilot and the Rekognition system is also not being used in an investigative capacity, he said.To be clear, this partnership with Amazon includes testing to see if the technology even works, Bernal said. At this time in the pilot, as it is still very early on in this process, we have no data that supports or does not support that the Rekognition technology works.In a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, the ACLU joined with 34 organizations, including the ACLU of Florida, in expressing profound concerns about the potential for Rekognition to be abused.People should be free to walk down the street without being watched by the government, said the letter, dated Tuesday. Facial recognition in American communities threatens this freedom.In a statement, Amazon said it requires that customers comply with the law and be responsible when using its services. Rekognition, the company said, has many useful applications, such as finding lost children or abducted people.Our quality of life would be much worse today if we outlawed new technology because some people could choose to abuse the technology, the companys statement said.Records released by the ACLU show Amazon provided free consulting to Orlando to establish the pilot program. Jessica Garcia, a spokeswoman for Mayor Buddy Dyer , said the pilot did not require City Council approval and no city funding has been used for the test.In a video posted to YouTube by Amazon Web Services Korea , Amazons Ranju Das called Orlando a launch partner, demonstrating how the system works using what he described as an Orlando traffic camera.The demonstration showed a residential street. As people appear on camera  four exiting a vehicle, one walking a dog  the system began tracking them, displaying the path they walked in colored dots.They have cameras all over the city, he said. The authorized cameras are then streaming the data  We are a subscriber to the stream. We analyze the video in real time, search against the collection of faces that they have.A quote from Orlando police Chief John Mina is featured on Amazons customers page for Rekognition , in which he says the city is excited to work with Amazon to pilot the latest in public safety software. He was quoted as saying the pilot will use Amazons technology with existing city resources to provide real-time detection and notification of persons-of-interest, further increasing public safety.The ACLU expressed concern that facial recognition technology could be used to target political activists or immigrants, or to disproportionately surveil people of color in its letter and a press release.Nicole Ozer, the ACLU of Californias technology and civil liberties director, said in a statement that Amazons marketing materials for Rekognition read like a user manual for authoritarian surveillance.Particularly in the current political climate, we need to stop supercharged surveillance before it is used to track protesters, target immigrants, and spy on entire neighborhoods, she said.(TNS)  FORT LAUDERDALE  Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday directed the state's chief elections official to seek $19.2 million in federal money to help counties protect against possible cybersecurity attacks in the 2018 election.Scott's intervention came hours after the official, Secretary of State Ken Detzner, was quoted as saying the federal money would not be available before November because accepting it requires approval by the Legislature  even though that step is a formality that could be done at a brief meeting."The answer is no," Detzner said when asked if the aid money could be used to improve election systems this year. "We don't have the authority to spend that money without legislative approval."That was unwelcome news for county elections officials, who are desperate for money.Detzner spoke to reporters Tuesday evening at a statewide conference of election supervisors, where the biggest issue by far was how to protect the election systems in the nations most important political swing state from malicious intrusions, like the attempted Russian hack in 2016.But Scott's reversal, in a statement issued at noon Wednesday, gave the issue added urgency and underscores a heightened sense of political sensitivity in a year in which the governor is seeking a U.S. Senate seat.It also revealed Detzner to be off-message in an administration known for being highly disciplined in its communications."The integrity of our elections is paramount, and we'll keep fighting to ensure that every Floridian continues to have confidence in our elections process," Scott said in his statement. "By directing DOS [the Department of State] to draw down more federal funding, we are providing the resources our local elections officials need to keep our elections secure."The quality of election preparations has been a matter of high interest and political controversy in every Florida election since 2000, when the state decided the U.S. presidency by 537 votes after an election marked by irregularities that made the "hanging chad" a part of the American political lexicon.President Donald J. Trump signed a spending bill on March 23 that included $380 million for states to bolster their election systems against the continued threats of cyber-attacks.Detzner, a Scott appointee and one of his longest-serving agency heads, was with reporters when Scott's statement surfaced."We're going to follow the governor's directive. I think it's well-pointed and we're going to move aggressively based on his direction to submit a budget to the EAC (Elections Assistance Commission)," Detzner said.The governor's office said Detzner was aware that Scott's statement was coming.Asked to explain the sudden reversal, Detzner said: "I've heard a lot of things here today that there seems to be a demand for some additional resources."Detzner is in frequent contact with county elections officials and was well aware of their long-standing interest in the federal election security money.He met privately Wednesday with about a dozen elections officials from Florida's smallest counties, where the need for more money is greatest."Time is of the essence at this point," said Taylor County Supervisor of Elections Dana Southerland. "We said (to Detzner), 'You're here, we're talking money, let's see what we can talk about."She said she would ask about 30 other small counties to list their specific needs to speed up the state's application for the money.Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, who's being challenged for re-election by Scott, a Republican, went to the Senate floor Wednesday to denounce the state's lack of action despite widespread warnings that Russia would again seek to meddle in the election."While at least a dozen other states have taken advantage by applying for and receiving the money to help them protect their systems better from Russian intrusion, my state of Florida hasn't even applied for one single dollar of the $19 million set-aside. Not one," Nelson said.Scott accused Nelson of "basically spending all of his time just going to the Senate floor and just campaigning. In this state we have focused, since I got elected, to make sure everybody that has the opportunity and the right to vote vote."The governor made the charge at an official state event in Pinellas Park where he handed out veterans' service medals. He has handed out more than 14,500 of them since 2013.Word of Scott's intervention spread quickly among elections officials gathered at an oceanfront hotel, who had just spent three hours with a team of officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, discussing how to guard against risks."This is very good. Very good news," said Mark Earley, supervisor of elections in Tallahassee's Leon County.Earley said there was considerable "consternation" among elections officials earlier in the week at what some saw as a lack of urgency in seeking the federal money.Supervisor of Elections Chris Chambless in Clay County praised Scott and said that even if money for security improvements wouldn't be available in 2018, there's another presidential election in two years."I appreciate the governor's focus and I welcome any attempt to provide funding," Chambless said.F1's governing body has clarified how oil may be consumed by F1 cars.

Earlier, Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda had said the FIA needed to urgently clarify "grey areas", including a rumour Ferrari illegally consumes oil via the turbo.

That had followed a formal letter to the FIA, in which Mercedes asked Charlie Whiting if the 0.6kg per 100km oil consumption limit applied to the turbo.

"Yes," Whiting answered.

However, Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports that despite the FIA clarification, Ferrari does not in fact need to modify its power unit.

"Questions about the battery remain," the report added, "but it should be clarified over the course of the weekend."

Sebastian Vettel said at Monaco: "There are always rumours. I trust Ferrari.

"I also trust the FIA that they would intervene if there was something they didn't like."

(GMM)Haas boss Gunther Steiner has rejected rumours that say struggling driver Romain Grosjean will be dumped.

The Frenchman is having a dire 2018 season and is out of contract at the end of the year.

But Steiner said in Monaco there is no truth to the paddock rumours that say Haas is considering replacing him.

"The best way to deal with a rumour like that is to say there is no basis at all," he said. "We haven't talked about it in the team for a second.

"If you have two bad races in a row, it's not worth thinking about," Steiner added.

He said that if there are discussions behind closed doors at Haas, they are about how to support Grosjean.

"For me, the focus is on bringing Romain back to the performance he is capable of. I don't like to kick someone who is on the ground.

"He knows better than all of us that Baku and Barcelona were not good. Can something like that happen here? Yes it can.

"But in such a moment you have to think positively. When you focus on the negative, you only create more negativity. I know very well how Romain can drive."

The contracts of both Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen expire this year, but Steiner says it's not the time to discuss contracts.

"It's not an issue before the summer break in August," he said. "Until then nothing moves in the driver market.

"We have let many points slip through our fingers and that's what we want to avoid now. We have different priorities than drivers."

(GMM)Monaco GP 2018

Thursday Team Quotes

Sebastian Vettel, Monaco GP 2018  The Cahier Archive

Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport

Lewis Hamilton (4th, 1:12.536): "It's been an okay day, we didn't suffer any damage which is a good thing. I said yesterday the Red Bulls were going to be quick which they were today. As expected, we struggled a little bit more. The car felt good in some places, in others it felt bad. So we have got some things to work on, but we're not completely in the dark; we're in a much better place than we were last year. We're closer to Red Bull and Ferrari than I expected, but we're still a few tenths off. So we've got some ground to cover and pick up if we want to be in the fight for the win. We've got to keep working on the set-up and try and see if we can pull out some more potential from the car. The HyperSoft felt good, but it doesn't last very long. It looks good for qualifying but could be interesting in the race."

Valtteri Bottas (6th, 1:12.643): "As we expected it was quite difficult today. We thought that Red Bull and Ferrari were going to be quick here and they were. The car didn't feel great in FP1 and we struggled a bit on the HyperSoft tyres. In FP2, we got it to work better. The gaps between the three teams are not too big though, which is good. We know our car has a lot of pace, but it is difficult to find the right set-up for this track. If we can find a good set-up and get some good laps in for qualifying, we should be able to fight for the pole, but I think it will be the most challenging qualifying session we've had this year. I'm very proud to be driving with my special Mika Hakkinen helmet in Monaco this weekend. Mika has proven in the past that the helmet design and a Silver Arrow are a good combination, so hopefully I will be able to get a good result as well."

Andrew Shovlin: "We've had pretty good sessions today with both cars. It's never easy in Monaco as the track is so short it's near impossible to put together more than two or three clear laps but both drivers have a good feel for the car and we have identified a few areas where we need to improve the balance. It's our first proper experience of the HyperSoft tyre which is giving good grip on single laps; however needs a bit of looking after on the longer run. In terms of pace it's difficult to know where we stand today, it does feel like Red Bull are the ones to watch in qualifying but we're in much better shape than we were this time last year and we've certainly got a car that is behaving more normally. The track is going to evolve a lot over the next couple of days and it can have a big impact on the balance of the car and how the tyres are working. As such, it's never easy to know how much to change for the final practice session but if we can improve a few issues in certain corners we should be in decent shape for qualifying and the race and be in a position to put some pressure on the others."

Scuderia Ferrari

Sebastian Vettel (3rd, 1:12.413):

Kimi Raikkonen (5th, 1:12.543):

Maurizio Arrivabene, Team Principal:

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing

Daniel Ricciardo (1st, 1:11.841): "This is a place I always love driving. It helps when you're fast but regardless it's just so much fun driving an F1 car around here. Having the hypersoft tyre gives us that little bit more grip and it's pretty cool to be breaking lap records. I'm glad that was the fastest lap that anyone has ever done as it felt so quick, but I think on Saturday we will go even quicker again. Some parts of the track are just amazing, Tabac and Turn 12 in particular are a lot of fun. The intention this weekend is to try and win and be dominant. Both cars today ran really well in the sessions and Max and I were fighting for the top spot all day. I think come Qualifying the others will turn it up and I'm sure it will tighten up as you never know what the other teams are doing, but all we could do today was try and top the times, which is what we have done."

Max Verstappen (2nd, 1:12.035): "Today's performance was good and the car seems to be working really well around here. It actually felt easy to drive with not too many setup issues which is nice, especially on a street circuit. We have a great car but it struggles when we have long straights, you can see as soon as we come here where the straights are not too long we have good pace. We still have to improve but throughout the entire lap we seem competitive, I didn't quite manage to link all the sectors together but it's only Thursday. The hypersofts seem to have a lot of grip and they appear to suit the car so this is encouraging for Qualifying. Again, the other teams' engine modes will make a difference on Saturday but I think we can be a real challenger regardless and put ourselves in the best position to achieve a victory on race day."

Sahara Force India F1 Team

Sergio Perez (12th, 1:13.370): "The general feeling with the car is good, but we need to improve the balance to find some more lap time before qualifying. It is going to be a very close battle in the midfield, but if we do a good job over the next few days we can battle for a place in Q3."

Esteban Ocon (13th, 1:13.382): "It's always awesome to drive here. It's a special track and very technical, which makes it complicated to find the right set-up. The track evolved a huge amount during the day and you have to adapt to the conditions and not go over the limit. I kissed the wall gently this morning, but there were no other dramas and we built up our speed with each run. It's all about getting your confidence up before Saturday and it was important to keep out of trouble."

Otmar Szafnauer, Chief Operating Officer: "It was a positive Thursday. We ran reliably in both practice sessions and completed our programme despite the red flag that cost us some time. We split the aero items between the two cars and evaluated some new parts. We had the chance to run the new hypersoft tyres for the first time and the feedback is positive: the grip is impressive and it's an increase compared to the ultrasoft compound. We improved the car throughout the day but we expect the margins between teams in the midfield to remain very small. There is still plenty to do, but we did our homework today and gathered all the race tyre data we needed. This circuit is all about maximising track time, building the confidence and finding a rhythm. We did a good job today but the real work starts now."

Williams Martini Racing

Sergey Sirotkin (15th, 1:13.547): "I would say today has gone quite well. FP1 was reasonable, FP2 could have been quite a bit better. With the traffic and everything, I didn't have a clean lap. There was always something compromising my lap, I was not in the right spot or the right window for the tyres. There is room for improvement but it's good. We've seen already position-wise we are better than in Barcelona, but it was not the best of what we could do. I would not say we are very optimistic but it's looking quite good. It's challenging but if it was easy anyone would do it. We don't have the easiest car to drive here. It's a very demanding car and track but I really enjoy this challenge."

Lance Stroll (19th, 1:14.011): "It was not the best day, but it is the first day, so I am just getting into it and Monaco is one of those places where you need to find the rhythm before you can really execute anything. We have been on the back foot for most of the day and I didn't really feel I had been on top of the car. However, at least I started to get there towards the end of the session, and especially on high fuel on consecutive laps I felt it was getting better and better. We will be piecing everything together and see on Saturday what we can do. For sure we are far from where we want to be, but there is still a lot of time to think about what we can do before qualifying and the race. We look a little bit better this weekend, and I think Sergey showed the car has a little bit more pace."

Paddy Lowe, Chief Technical Officer: "I think the drivers have done a commendable job. We've had a couple of issues, but I think for two young drivers trying to get as much track time as possible we certainly haven't been particularly penalised so that's good. We purposely kept the programmes simple to maximise track time and that has worked quite well. In FP1 we were quite tactical in how we ran to give our drivers time when the track was quieter. FP2 was then focused on getting their low and high fuel runs in so they could understand the car. I think the car has been reasonably well-balanced, so the engineers have done a good job there. There's some work for us to do overnight, but we've got an extra 24 hours to think about it. It's amazing that we can get everything done in six hours elsewhere, yet we will take 30 hours in Monaco, but that's engineers for you. Overall, I think on high and low fuel, the pace has been relatively better than Spain. With the circuit characteristics here, we would expect it to be kinder to us. We've done a reasonable job in exploiting the car to get the most out of this circuit."

Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering:

Renault Sport Formula One Team

Nico Hulkenberg (7th, 1:13.047): "A standard 'Friday' for us today. There's not much to say; we had a couple of front lock-ups, therefore my runs got cut short with some bad flat spots. This morning I was not so happy with the car as it was quite difficult but we made some very good progress over lunch and I was much happier in P2. I think we've got a pretty good baseline going forward into Qualifying on Saturday."

Carlos Sainz (10th, 1:13.200): "Overall it's been an encouraging day for the team. A good baseline work from the beginning of the day helped to put in some good laps during P1. P2 was more difficult due to lots of traffic so I did not have the chance to get a clean lap, but the car is more or less where we want it to be and we will improve again for Saturday."

Nick Chester, Technical Director: "Today was a productive day, despite the traffic we always experience in Monaco. The pace looks pretty good and we completed all our programme, getting in the laps and making the drivers comfortable. In the morning session Carlos was pretty happy with the car, although Nico wasn't quite so comfortable so we made a fair amount of set-up changes on his car between P1 and P2. Both ended up fairly happy and it looks like we have a reasonable baseline for the rest of the weekend."

Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda

Brendon Hartley (11th, 1:13.222): "It was a really positive day, it's awesome to drive around Monaco for the first time in a Formula 1 car! It's a special feeling around here, dancing from wall to wall. In terms of performance, I think straight away we were in the top 10 on the Hypersoft. We finished the morning P12, but running on the harder compound tyre which looked positive. In the afternoon, I was 11th on the Hypersoft which is promising, it's very close to the cars ahead and also the cars behind. We're definitely in the fight, and the goal has to be Q3. It's tricky here with traffic, you have to be clever with strategy in qualifying - and a bit lucky too! I'm happy to get the new updated aero parts that Pierre was running in the first two sessions. The team has done a good job to bring some updates here and all of the emphasis now goes into getting us as far up the grid as we can!"

Pierre Gasly (14th, 1:13.410): "First day in Monaco, it's really cool to be back driving these streets! The last time was in 2016, and it's one of the most amazing tracks of the year, so it's really good to be here. We tried a couple of things today, and at the moment I think it's really close between P7 to the back of the field, so it will be super tight this weekend. I didn't really find the right settings to feel fully comfortable with the car, so I'm a bit out of sync at the moment, but Brendon looks pretty good, so we're probably going to work and analyse more tonight to try and find the best package. The car seems to be fast so if we manage to find two or three tenths I think we can fight to be in the top 10 - that will be the target for us to work towards tomorrow."

Jonathan Eddolls, Chief Race Engineer: "The team enjoyed a successful day all round. Monaco is a circuit with a unique layout and very different requirements from the car compared to the other circuits we have raced at this season, so the setup is very different to the tracks that we've run before. It goes without saying that drivers are important at all track but in particular here there's an awful lot to be gained from giving the driver a car that has good stability and one that he can build confidence. Since neither has driven here before in F1 the plan was to give both drivers as many laps as possible in both sessions, which we did generally on the whole. P1 was a very good session as both drivers completed the entire plan. We didn't have too many mechanical setup tests to carry out as it's very difficult to quantify tests here because the track evolution is so big. However, we did come here with new aero parts which we fitted to one of the cars. So throughout the sessions we were analysing the data and building on our knowledge. For P2, we did make some setup changes to the cars to try and improve the overall balance, it was more fine tuning because the drivers were pretty happy and we were looking quite competitive. The first low fuel runs were good - we were very happy - then we had a red flag for the issue with the track. Then obviously it becomes difficult, because everyone wants to go out at the same time, so it was hard to find a good gap in the traffic. We were one of the first cars out so we had clean out laps, but then we caught cars who were late going out which interrupted our timed laps. This meant our second runs weren't as clean as they could have been, so I don't think we've shown the true performance. I think the car is looking competitive here which is encouraging  on the short runs and the high fuel. We had an issue with Pierre's car on the high-fuel run, it appears to be some kind of brake issue, so we need to understand what's caused that, fix it, and ensure we have no issues going into the race - I'm confident we'll get to the bottom of it. On the whole, it was a very positive day, and I think we've got some good confidence going into P3 and Qualifying."

Toyoharu Tanabe, Honda F1 Technical Director: "As usual on the first day of practice, we have worked on tuning our settings step by step to suit this circuit. In today's sessions, we took into account two factors, firstly the fact that the track will get much quicker over the weekend, as it gets cleaner and rubbers in and secondly, data from today did not correlate in every area to our simulation work, so we made adjustments accordingly. The mid-field looks very close, but the team reckon the car is working well here, so we feel we can have a good qualifying and race. One feature of Monaco is that we now have a whole day to study our data and prepare for qualifying in two days' time."

Haas F1 Team

Kevin Magnussen (16th, 1:13.572): "Obviously, we're not where we wanted to be today, in terms of pace, and also in terms of not getting much running in FP1. I'm hoping for a better day on Saturday. We've got lots of time to work on the car with having Friday off, at least from driving, and we can think a lot more about the setup. Hopefully, we'll improve the situation for qualifying. The whole field is very tight, so even though it looks bad position-wise, we don't have to find that much time to go quite a bit forward."

Romain Grosjean (18th, 1:13.763): "We haven't been able to find a sweet spot on the car and we haven't found the grip we wanted to have for around here. Obviously, we're not very happy with the positions. Hopefully, we're going to get the tires to work better, get the grip out of them, and then the performance should rise quite nicely. Right now, we're not looking like we'd make it to Q3, but it's about finding the grip on the track. I'm sure the engineers are going to work really hard and get everything in the window with the tires, the temperature, and make sure we get the grip out of them. If we do so, the car's been really good everywhere, so I don't see why we shouldn't be competitive."

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal: "It wasn't easy for us. We had a few issues in FP1 and we didn't get a lot of running. That always puts you a little bit behind here as the drivers need to get used to it and get laps. In FP2, we weren't where we wanted to be, but I think we roughly know why. There is room for improvement and we know where to go."

McLaren F1 Team

Stoffel Vandoorne (8th, 1:13.077): "It's been a pretty tricky Thursday, actually. The sessions didn't go as smoothly as we'd wanted: FP1 was difficult, but we made a big step during FP2. That was when things came together, but I still think we can take another step forward for Saturday and be in a better position for qualifying. Confidence is everything around here. The car was a bit of a handful and a bit unpredictable today, so we struggled a little bit. Still, by the end, we managed to set some decent lap-times. The times are so close  you can't leave anything on the table this weekend or else you'll find yourself out in Q1. It's going to be up to us to make the best out of it, do everything perfectly and do a proper job. Fortunately, I still feel there is a bit to come from us."

Fernando Alonso (9th, 1:13.115): "A tough day. In the first session, I had an issue with the brakes and we lost most of the morning. That was quite disappointing because you need as many laps as possible around here to build up your confidence. The guys in the garage did a great job and the car was fully ready for the second session, when we were able to recover some of those lost laps. Due to the track evolution, you drive one car in FP1, a different one in FP2, and an entirely new one in qualifying, where you are two seconds quicker. So it's important to adapt  we need to be flexible. Qualifying here is 99 per cent of the race, so once you put a good lap together on Saturday, the race becomes a little bit easier. There's still more to come from us. Hopefully, we can put a good lap together on Saturday."

Eric Boullier, Racing Director: "You always think you're ready for another Monaco Grand Prix weekend, but then never fail to be awestruck by the sheer spectacle of Formula 1 cars racing at speed around these fast, narrow streets. Today, we had a relatively pain-free pair of sessions  Fernando's running was delayed this morning by a small brake-by-wire issue, but we ended the day with plenty of mileage under our belts, and lots to analyse tonight and tomorrow ahead of qualifying on Saturday. There's still plenty of work left to do: neither driver really felt that they had full confidence in their cars today, so we'll be diving deep into the data to see if we can turn that feeling round for Saturday. Confidence is everything at a place like this, so it'd be hugely beneficial for us if we can address those issues."

Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team

Charles Leclerc (17th, 1:13.575): "It was a productive day for us. It ran quite smoothly overall. We know that this track is going to be a challenge for us, and we have used today's practice sessions to start setting up our car in the best possible way. We will now look at our data and start working on preparations for tomorrow's qualifying session. I look forward to being back in the car."

Marcus Ericsson (20th, 1:14.173): "It has been quite a good day. It is important to get in a lot of laps on Thursday in Monaco, so that is a positive for us. We struggled a bit of the hypersoft tyres, but apart from that it was a smooth day. We built up the speed and have a good base to work from for Saturday and Sunday. I look forward to the rest of the weekend."Nissans upgraded e-NV200 is now being shipped to customers. Built for global markets in Nissan Barcelona plant, the upgraded model features a new 40 kWh battery, combining the features of the award-winning Nissan NV200 van with the best-selling Nissan LEAF. Nissans Barcelona plant is responsible not only for the manufacturing of the vehicle, but also the assembly of the new 40kWh battery packs, in a specialist facility.





Deliveries to customers have now begun, with more than 4,600 orders taken since sales began in January. This reflects the strong demand Nissan is also experiencing for the new Nissan LEAF.

The new generation van will further support efforts to cut the level of emissions in city centers by making 100% electric last mile deliveries achievable for businesses and professional drivers everywhere, Nissan said.

Nissan Barcelona Plant has been the global manufacturing location for the e-NV200 since 2014, which was the best-selling electric van in Europe last year. With more than 18,000 of the original version sold worldwide, the upgraded van is now being shipped to customers in Europe and to Hong Kong, with Japan deliveries to follow.

The 40 kWh battery allows customers to drive up to 301 km (187 miles) (city WLTP cycle) on a single charge. This represents an increase of more than 60% compared to the previous generation, with longer journeys supported further by the extended European CHAdeMO Quick Charging network.

Customers can choose from two body options: the e-NV200 van and e-NV200 Evalia. Both have a versatile interior that allows users to configure racks, bins and seating to suit their needs. With 4.2m of load space, there is enough room to hold two Euro pallets, or cargo weighing up to 742 kg.

For customers looking to move passengers or crew, the e-NV200 Evalia makes an ideal people carrier. With its modular seating there is still plenty of room for luggage or tools, and as the only 100% electric seven-seater van available in Europe, it presents a solution for taxi and chauffeur businesses.

The introduction of the upgraded e-NV200 follows the launched of a new range of leading pickups in Nissans Barcelona plant: the Nissan Navara, Renault Alaskan and Mercedes Benz X-Class.The technology group Wartsilas has booked the 100th order for its LNGPac Fuel Gas Supply Systems. Two new shuttle tankers being built for Singapore based AET Tankers will feature Wartsila 34DF dual-fuel auxiliary engines running primarily on LNG fuel, and fitted with LNGPac units. This contract brought the total number of orders received for this innovative system to 100.

The Wartsila LNGPac system is based on an IMO type C LNG storage tank with either double-walled vacuum or single-walled polyurethane insulation. Bunkering takes place from the bunkering station to the LNG tank via an insulated pipe. All necessary process equipment is installed in a separate unit which can be either mounted directly to the LNG tank or placed remotely from the LNG tank. The main process equipment ensures correct gas temperature and pressure for the engines and other gas consumers.





First introduced in 2009, the Wartsila LNGPac has played an important role in establishing the viability of LNG as a marine fuel. The LNGPac fuel system can be offered as a standalone product, or as part of a complete propulsion system.

A major reason for the global acceptance of LNG fuel for shipping is that Wartsila realised at an early stage that more than just a dual-fuel engine and a stand-alone LNG system was needed. LNG fuelled ships require a complete fuel handling system, and the innovative LNGPac system very successfully meets this requirement. Mathias Jansson, General Manager, Fuel Gas Supply Systems, Wartsila Marine Solutions

The first LNGPac installation was for the chemical tanker Bit Viking owned by Swedish operator Tarbit. This vessel was converted for LNG fuel operation in 2011, and its success paved the way for the rapid acceptance of the Wartsila solution. Today the LNGPac is installed on some 12 or more different types of vessel, including passenger ferries, tugs, dredgers and offshore vessels. Wartsila can deliver LNG systems for propulsion and power generation for any applicable type of ship or engine.

Since the original introduction of the LNGPac, Wartsila has continued to develop the system. The company has, for example, pioneered the utilisation of the cold energy stored in LNG by using it to cool the onboard HVAC and galley system. Another pioneering achievement has been the development of a compact LNGPac with an integrated gas valve unit (GVU) and airlock.

The inline tank connection space for single shell tanks has been developed, as has been a dedicated LNG fuel pump based on the well-proven deepwell pump technology. As the maritime industry moves into a new era of connectivity and digitalisation, Wartsila is actively developing more smart features for the LNGPac, such as energy content measurement and real-time gas quality measurement.

The LNGPac system can be customised to the needs of each project on a case by case basis. Dedicated engineering is conducted from the beginning of the project to match the specific operational requirements, safety and classification society requirements.The Ohio State University has taken first place in the final year of EcoCAR 3, an Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition, sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM). This is OSUs fourth consecutive win. The team earned 895 out of 1000 overall points.

Ohio State EcoCAR built a series-parallel plug-in hybrid electric vehicle powered by E85. The powertrain components included a 2.0-liter engine, five-speed automated manual transmission, 150 kW electric machine, and an 18.9 kWh energy storage system.





EcoCAR 3 is the latest Energy Department Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC) series and challenges 16 North American university teams to redesign a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro to further reduce its environmental impact, while maintaining the performance expected from this iconic American car. Teams spent the last four years (2014-2018) harnessing those ideas into the ultimate energy-efficient, high performance vehicle.





Year Four finals began with a week of rigorous safety, technical, drive quality and emissions testing at General Motors Desert Proving Ground in Yuma, Arizona. For the second leg of competition, teams headed to southern California for track events, including autocross, acceleration, and consumer appeal at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. Teams also spent several days presenting to judges and proving how they have developed into the next generation of engineers and business leaders who are prepared to enter the auto industry and related careers. Industry and government officials judged the presentations.

Following presentations, teams hit Los Angeles roads for a 150-mile over-the-road event where the Chevrolet Camaros were scored based on performance with everyday driving applications. At the end of the second week, students had the opportunity to display their completed hybrid-electric Chevrolet Camaros with a car show at Hollywoods famed Magic Castle.

West Virginia University and University of Alabama teams finished second and third place, respectively.

Additional sponsors joining the DOE and GM include: MathWorks; National Science Foundation; California Air Resources Board; NXP; AVL Powertrain Engineering; The Bosch Group; ETAS; PACCAR; dSPACE, Inc.; Snap-on Tools; Siemens PLM Software; GKN Driveline; Transportation Research Center (TRC, Inc.); Horiba; DENSO; Champlain Cable Corp.; Woodward; Proterra; Ricardo; Mentor Graphics; New Eagle; Gage; tesa tape; Vector CANtech, Inc.; Delphi Foundation; EcoMotors; Electric Power Research Institute, Inc.; A123 Systems; Flextronics; and Samsung SDI.

EcoCAR 3 sponsors have provided more than $87 million in software, hardware and cash donations to the 16 participating universities throughout the four years.

The 16 competing teams were: Arizona State University; California State University-Los Angeles; Colorado State University; Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Georgia Tech; McMaster University; Mississippi State University; Ohio State University; Penn State University; University of Alabama; University of Tennessee; University of Washington; University of Waterloo; Virginia Tech University; Wayne State University; West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia.The Alan Turing Institutethe UKs national institute for data science and artificial intelligenceand the Toyota Mobility Foundation are collaborating on a project to transform the way cities are planned and managed. The objective of this new project, Optimizing flow within mobility systems with AI, part of the Turings new AI program, is to transition complex traffic management from static systems into dynamic, optimized systems that are managed in real-time across many types of mobility.

The work is an 18-month, 650,000+ (US$871,000+) collaboration between the Turing and Toyota Mobility Foundation. Researchers will also be working with data providers, and government managers underpinning future cities, as well as drawing upon expertise from the Turing and partner universities ongoing work in the area with the Greater London Authority, and mobility expertise within the Toyota Mobility Foundation.

Potential outcomes include:

Integrating an AI system for traffic lights (signal) control;

Building a platform for interactive data manipulation to monitor and predict traffic behavior, and to test out planning scenarios; and

Finding mechanisms for fleet operators and cities to work together, for example by sharing data about congestion or pollution hotspots, and rerouting around the problem before it becomes serious.

Our vision is that city planners and operators should have a system that shows them real-time data feeds, lets them analyse how the city is working, integrates mathematical and computer modelling as well as machine learning models so that they can test out scenarios, and gives them insight into when behaviour patterns are changing. Because of data and new technology, transport patterns can now change dramatically in a short time. We hope that this will lead to improvements in health and mobility for city populations as well as safety and efficiency in traffic management. Alan Wilson, CEO of The Alan Turing Institute and lead researcher

While there has been significant focus on AI inside the vehicle, we are excited for the opportunity to work with the Turing to bring data science and AI to a complementing facet of mobility: Infrastructure. We believe mobility is critical to promoting societal progress and improving lives around the world, and this project represents an important step to improve the social good and help achieve harmony in mobility across all modes for all citizens. Ryan Klem, Director of Programs for the Toyota Mobility Foundation

The Toyota Mobility Foundation was established in August 2014 to support the development of a better mobile society. The Foundation aims to support strong mobility systems while eliminating disparities in mobility. Programs include resolving urban transportation problems, expanding the utilization of personal mobility, and developing solutions for next generation mobility.

The Alan Turing Institute is named in honor of Alan Turing, whose pioneering work in theoretical and applied mathematics, engineering and computing is considered to have laid the foundations for modern-day data science and artificial intelligence.During the past week, Sweetwater County residents have stepped up and filed to campaign for local office. Filing ends June 1.

Green River

In Ward I, three residents have declared an interest to represent the area on the Green River City Council. Terry Leigh joins Jim Zimmerman and Sherry Bushman in seeking election to the council seat currently held by Allan Wilson.

The two candidates receiving the most votes during the Aug. 21 primary election will move on to the general election Nov. 6.

For Ward II, Andrew Morrison and Michael Shutran have filed to vie for election to the Council. The c...With a unanimous vote from the Sweetwater County Commissioners, the county will now be the first in the state to have a solar farm.

The Commissioners recently approved a conditional use permit for Sweetwater Solar LLC for a utility scale solar energy project for three to 3o years. The property is located on Bureau of Land Management, Rock Springs Grazing Association, BLM/BOR transmission line land and is located along Highway 372 about 7 1/2 miles northwest of the intersection of Interstate 80 and Peru Hill. The land is currently zoned agriculture and will be constructed on about 638 acres and will be completed by the end of 2018 or beginning of 2019.

During the four to five month construction period, an estimated 30 to 300 employees will work on the project. The labor costs are estimated at $15.9 million. Its also estimated that nine full-time employees will operate the solar farm once construction is complete. Estimated tax property taxes over a 30-year period is $17.1 million.

If approved, this will be Wyomings utility scale solar project in the state of Wyoming, County land use director Eric Bingham said.

The power generated through this project will be transmitted to a Rocky Mountain Power substation, Bingham said.

Not only is the area where the solar panels are going to be located near the Lewis and Lewis gravel pit, but near the Ciners trona mine. The solar panels are flat, but will follow the sun as it rises and sets from east to west.

Even though the project is completely surrounded by a six-foot chain link fence with 18-inch barbed wire on top of it, a corridor has been set aside for antelope migration. Wyoming Game and Fish doesnt want the site of the solar farm to block the migration.

Patrick Burke, Green River wildlife biologist Wyoming Game and Fish, said in severe winter conditions they get a lot more migration going through this area. Right now, the animals just wander right through the open section.

I guess Ill just kind of reiterate some of that again, we do feel there are places that are better in the county for solar energy than this ridge, Burke said.

He said migration will still be impacted even with the corridor in it.

Commissioner Wally Johnson said the antelope will find a way to get around there. He said the antelope have learned to coexist with the oil and gas projects.

Dominion Energy had raised an issue about Sweetwater Solar LLC driving over their pipeline and damaging it, however spoke in favor of the project at the meeting after being assured the issues would be addressed.

Betsey Biesty, 174 Power Global Corp director of permitting, said the company has looked at that and are willing to work with Dominion to ensure that doesnt happen. During the public comment portion of the meeting, residents brought forth issues.

Ciners site manager Craig Rood said he didnt like a facility being placed over a trona reserves area.

It sort of feels like were the only ones not excited about this project, but I think we have obvious concerns about placing a huge facility over trona reserves, Rood said. We want to mine those at some point in the future. It may not be with mechanical mining that were doing now, but, as some of you know, we have a very successful solution mining company in Turkey, that just recently purchased our facility and we are seriously exploring different solutions mining options in Sweetwater County right now.

Rood said they have an issue with a placing a large facility that doesnt allow for subsidence.

He said Ciner employs 430 employees and he was asked to sign a contract with Sweetater Solar LLC stating the company wouldnt subsidence mine in that area. Rood said he refused to sign it. The BLM currently owns the mineral rights to this property, but Rood said its part of their plan to obtain them.

Commissioner John Kolb said he thought that in Wyoming mineral rights trumped all others and he doesnt see how Roods concerns should impact this project. He said those on top of the ground are the ones running the risk of subsidence.

I have a lot of concerns about this project, Michele Irwin said.

Irwin asked the commissioners to please consider postponing making a decision until they could find a more suitable place for the solar farm. She said the Rock Springs Grazing Association and Game and Fish both agree there are more suitable locations for this in Sweetwater County.

We know we are going to be causing problems if we build it there, Irwin said.

With all public comments taken, the Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the solar farm.Recently (April 25), a 10-minute interview on Rivertons local radio station created a dust-up across the state. So far, Wyomings liberal news site, WyoFile, has written three articles about it. The Casper Star Tribune has published another three; and numerous other outlets around the state have weighed in. A full two weeks after the interview, new articles just appeared on May 10 and 11.

Not only is the conversation ongoing, it is yet another one-sided lambasting of every Wyomingite who cares about what our children are being taught and how they are being encouraged. Like most of you,...Wyomings roads have been deadly in May.

The information signs spanning Interstate 80 between Rock Springs and Green River have attempted to drive home a few sobering statistics: 10 people have died on state roads since the start of the month and 63 percent of vehicle crash deaths involved people not using their seat belts.

While attempting to warn people of the inherent dangers driving without being buckled in can bring is a way to use fear as a motivator for seat belt use and safer driving, the Wyoming Department of Transportation might be approaching the issue from the wrong angle.

As the saying goes, a person can attract more flies with honey than vinegar. If WYDOT decided to find ways to reward good driving habits in a way that encourages people become safer drivers, it might go a long way in reducing crashes and highway fatalities. One method of doing this in use is through a speed camera lottery.

The lottery works by using a mobile speed camera to record the speeds of people driving along a road, then entering the plate numbers of vehicles driving at or below the speed limit in a lottery for a cash prize. The town of Canmore in Alberta, Canada hosts a weekly drawing for a $250 gift certificate to one of the towns local businesses in its I Drive Safely campaign.

A similar program set up statewide, awarding a monthly cash prize or gift certificate in each WYDOT district could help promote safe driving and be a meaningful means of encouraging compliance.

A second route might be to reward drivers who do not have traffic violations on their record with a discount on vehicle registration fees.

For example, each year a person does not receive a ticket or warning for their driving awards them with a 2 percent discount off their registration fee, which stacks each year for 10 years and is capped at 20 percent.

If a driver receives a ticket or warning, that discount is eliminated for a year and builds again at the 2 percent per year rate.

The fear of being pulled over can be a motivating factor in ensuring people follow the rules of the road.

However, a means of rewarding good behavior may have a larger impact on creating better, more careful drivers in Wyoming.

People tend to respond better to reward than punishment and giving an incentive to be safe drivers could go a long way in curbing deadly crashes.The names of five firefighters were added to the memorial walls at the Wyoming Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Riverton over the weekend.

Fifty nine surviving family members of thone named attended to lay a rose at the memorial and an estimated 100 firefighters were in attendance. Casper Professional Firefighters Pipes and Drums played at the memorial and U.S. Sen. John Barrasso served as a keynote speaker.

Representing Green River Fire Department at the memorial were volunteer firefighters Tom Murphy, Bryan Carpenter, and Jaime Walgren and had the honor of raising the Wyoming flag at the c...Green River students competing in the national We the People competition took second in the Midwest Regional category and 30th in the nation.

At the end of April, Green River High School students Alex Davis, Mary Harris, Savrina Karimi, Sam Bayles, Atlin Johnson, Liam Pickering, Alondra Hamilton, Dallin Hoyt, Kelci Revelli, Karlee Cutler, Jesse Lauze and Levi Hren went to Washington D.C., with teachers Erin Freeman and Leah Hoblit.

All of these students are part of a We the People team.

One is able to be on the We the People team by simply signing up for AP government at the...Looks like theres plenty of room right next door. Photo: Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images for Taco Bell

Cynics were thrilled back in February when Chipotle announced that the long-awaited new CEO in charge of its turnaround was going to be  Taco Bells Brian Niccol, head of a Tex-Mex chain that serves $1 Beefy Fritos Burritos and is definitely the place people think of when hearing the words food safety. Niccols Taco Bell chief-executive reign was short (three years), but he made his mark thanks to an onslaught of foodie experiences: Doritos Locos Tacos, tacos made from waffles and flat chicken pieces, Capn Crunch doughnuts, Starburst slushies, nacho fries, etcetera. At the time, Chipotle founder Steve Ells reassured everyone that Niccol wasnt going to ride his Cool Ranch Doritodusted horse in and Taco Bellify Ellss precious burrito chain, and that his understanding, at least, was that Food with Integrity would remain an integral part of the companys future.

Perhaps Ells is still right. But since Niccols takeover in March, hes started swapping out what you might call Ells loyalists for high-level employees brought over from his old employer of ten years, Yum! Brands. So its possible that this could all be some sort of elaborate T. Boone Pickensstyle hostile takeover by Taco Bell. The best evidence yet actually occurred yesterday, when Chipotle announced new plans to move its headquarters from outside of Denver  Ellss hometown, and site of the first Chipotle, a converted Dolly Madison ice-cream shop that brandishes Ellss signature on a basement rafter. Chipotles new digs will be in SoCals balmy Newport Beach, an area, it wont shock you to learn, that is less than ten miles from Irvine, the city Taco Bells based in.

In Chipotles statement, Niccol swears that theyll always be proud of our Denver roots, where we opened our first restaurant 25 years ago. But its clear that theyre not that torn up about bailing: Theyre walking away from a 15-year lease that they inked just months ago for a swanky, five-floor headquarters in Denvers newest skyscraper. In the companys official announcement, Ells had noted that upgrading to this exciting contemporary, collaborative, and modern space in their hometown of two-and-a-half decades would position us to look ahead to the next 25 years.

Chipotle hasnt said yet where in Newport Beach the new HQ will be, but its press release does put a timeline of T-minus six months on the transition. Also, the chains big New York office is closing operations as well  a new one will be opening up in, of all places, Columbus, Ohio. Having this Rust Belt space will reportedly give Chipotle access to high-quality talent while, arguably more importantly, offering cost advantages that will be appreciated by shareholders.Why, yes, Common is involved. Photo: Starbucks

Starbucks has given the public a preview of what its 175,000 employees can expect when they head to work next Tuesday for the chainwide racial-bias training: Common, some soul-searching from the chains chief executive idealist Howard Schultz and other company big shots, an original documentary short by Emmy winner Stanley Nelson, and, it appears, some small-group breakout activities.

The chain says that its already fielded more than 600 request from media eager to hear what the curriculum entails, enough interest to post a page to its press site disclosing some basic details. The actual sessions, meant to make stores more welcoming following the reprehensible 911 incident in Philadelphia, will occur the afternoon of May 29 at about 8,000 cafes (with 175,000 workers, collectively). But theyll be closed to outsiders, so the video clip below that Starbucks threw together may be as in-depth a look as the public gets.

Mostly, the curriculum is video content that will be streamed on iPads, but every employee also gets a Team Guidebook  a glossy, green, magazinestyle booklet with activity pages filled with guided discussions, reflection, and problem-solving. The chain says that it expects that guidebooks will take three to four hours to complete, depending on how quickly stores can work through them. Thats a step up from the last time it tried tackling racism: Instead of writing on cups this time, baristas will do some actual self-probing and fill out worksheets in groups of three to five.

One interesting side note: The training, while paid, is not mandatory for employees. USA Today asked if Starbucks will offer makeup sessions to employees who cant, or dont, attend on Tuesday, but the company reportedly declined to say. Presumably, theyll at minimum get copies of the materials, considering that Starbucks has already touted plans to share the curriculum with other companies that may want to emulate it.

In his video message, CEO Kevin Johnson says racial bias isnt just about us as a company, urging employees to dig deep and consider how prejudice in public accommodation is deeply rooted in America. He calls the recent Starbucks incidents sobering.Start off your day at the beach with some Austin-style breakfast tacos. Photo: Scott Heins

This weekend marks the unofficial start of summer, and with it a whole lot of summertime drinks, dishes, venues, and events. Accordingly, the Grub team has put together a guide of not-to-be-missed summertime food and drink opportunities. Some are notable restaurants and blowout events popping up inside and outside the city that will disappear after Labor Day, while others are culinary moments that youll want to take advantage of while the sun is shining and the city is thrumming with summertime energy. Either way, here are 21 ideas  both in the city, or a short drive out  to keep you busy at least until July.

Start your day off right with Austin-style breakfast tacos at Rockaway Beach.

In the Rockaways, Tacoway Beach has cornered the market on more standard taco offerings (read fish and papa con chorizo tacos), but this summer theyll enjoy some friendly competition from King David Tacos, the folks behind some very popular Austin-style breakfast taco carts in Prospect Park and Fidi. Starting this weekend, the operation will set up a third cart at Beach 68th Street from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays, all summer long. Come for the BPEC (bacon, potato, egg, and cheese), stay for a much-deserved day at the beach.

Drink something vaguely healthy at Robertas Tiki Bar.

For many a North Brooklynite, afternoons in the backyard of Robertas spell summer. This year is no exception, and if great pizza and hip vibes arent enough to get you to drop by, maybe boozy kombucha will do the trick. For summer only, Robertas will serve the Purple Haze, a lovely (and lets be honest, highly Instagrammable) frozen drink made with Kombrewcha Berry Hibiscus, tequila, fresh pineapple, and lime.

Head to Downtown Brooklyn for primo Bolivian food.

As we approach peak food hall, more and more venues are being forced to up their game. One such example is the Gotham Market Food Hall at Fulton and Ashland in Downtown Brooklyn. Since late last year, the food hall has undergone a massive transformation that includes the opening of the second location of Bolivian Llama Party, the Manhattan-born restaurant from the Oropeza brothers, long-celebrated for its saltenas and cholas. Now, all that is available just around the corner from the Barclays Center.

Grab a cone at Morgensterns Summer Scoop Stand

As promised in our 2018 Ice Cream Agenda, Nick Morgenstern, the man behind some of the citys most highbrow ice-cream flavors will open a new 2,000-square-foot flagship of his Morgensterns Finest Ice Cream at the corner of La Guardia and West Houston some time in June. But until then, the Morgensterns team has announced that theyll be setting up a Summer Scoop Stand at that corner starting on May 25 and slinging ice cream every day, rain or shine. To celebrate, drop by the stand on the 25th for free scoops from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. And as if it couldnt get any better, Nick will be there handing out balloons.

Check out what chefs do at their summer restaurants.

Even if you dont have a summer house, you should still make a trip out to the eastern tip of Long Island this summer. At the very least, head to Barba Bianca, Peasant chef Frank DeCarlos Italian restaurant, and The Halyard, which are just a few minutes away from each other on the North Fork. Grub has a lot of love for their seafood-centric menus, which this summer will include dishes like lobster risotto, wine-marinated frogs legs, clam pasta, mussels in Thai coconut curry, and more. Grab tables via Reserve or Open Table and then hop the next LIRR train to Greenport.

Visit all the new rooftop bars.

New Yorks rooftop bars are always a draw, and now they might actually be good, too. First, theres Flatirons Broken Shaker  the NYC outpost of the Miami-born bar that many people consider to be among the best bars in the country  for its eclectic cocktail selection (think bagel-gin fizzes) and Latin-influenced food. Further south, the Arlo Hotel in Soho has totally revamped its rooftop, partnering with Harold Moore of Harolds Meat + Three to create a New American menu, while hiring a bartender from cocktail bar Employees Only to sell a new line of summery $18 drinks. Meanwhile, if youre in Brooklyn, the most buzzed-about new rooftops are that of Elsewhere, a 24,000-square-foot nightclub, art space, and music venue opening in Bushwick on Friday, and on the 23rd Floor of the William Vale, where rooftop bar the Turf Club also opens this Friday. Consider yourself spoiled for choice.

Eat superlative omakase and kaiseki in the Hamptons.

Heres one good reason to brave the Hamptons crowds this summer. Every Friday and Saturday night through July, and every Thursday through Saturday in August, Japanese restaurant Shuko will pop up at the Highway Restaurant & Bar in East Hampton to sling a $150 tasting omakase menu as well as high-end bento boxes with 12 pieces of sushi and two rolls for $180 each. Best way to secure a spot is through Resy, though walk-ins are welcome.

Drink as many frozen and tropical cocktails as humanly possible.

Youve got from now until, lets say, early October to really crush the citys ever-growing roster of top-shelf frozen drinks. So get to it. Here are Grubs guides to the best frozen drinks, pina coladas, mai tais, margaritas, breezy cocktails, and for good measure, generally elaborate cocktails around the city. Plus, youll find tons of options at newcomers like Chicha Cafetin, Di An Di, and Peachys.

Dont sleep on Chichas cocktails. Photo: Melissa Hom

Drink and eat like a Basque for a good cause.

Next month marks ten years since Alex Raij and her husband, Eder Montero, brought Basque cuisine to Chelsea with their beloved restaurant, Txikito. Accordingly, the pair are hosting Txikifest 2018 on Sunday, June 3, an afternoon party to both celebrate their anniversary and Basque food. This year, theyve remixed the menu, adding whole-hog barbecue alongside chuletas steaks and plenty of Basque wine. But the best part? All the days profits will be donated to the ACLU. Buy tickets here.

Spend your summer Fridays working in a new all-day cafe.

All-day cafes arent just a trend; theyre a way of life at this point. One thats piqued Grubs interest is Hesperios, a shop and cafe with both indoor and outdoor seating at Cleveland Place and Kenmare Street in Nolita. The cafe features baked goods from Claus Meyers Meyers Bageri; homemade butter, jams, and honey; and most interestingly, a nonalcoholic beverage menu by former Aska bartender Selma Slabiak. In other words, its hygge, but for summer.

This hot dog from Boys Dont Cry is ready for summer. Photo: Melissa Hom

Take a hot-dog tour of New York City.

Nathans and Coney Island are as much a part of the New York City landscape as Central Park and the Chrysler Building. In fact, hot dogs in general have been making this city tick for more than a century. With that in mind, we suggest trying out all of our favorite hot dogs in the city, including Katzs Deli, Mile End, and PDT. Its as easy as grabbing a willing group of friends and heading out the door.

Visit Greenpoints newest reborn backyard.

Old-school Greenpointers will remember the late T.B.D. Brooklyn, which was beloved for its gigantic indoor space as well as a lovely backyard. Well, T.B.D. has officially been reborn as the Springs, a more colorful spot influenced by Palm Springs in the summertime. The food menu is pretty straightforward, offering everything from egg sandwiches to meatball sliders and shrimp tacos. But its the frozen-drink game thats truly strong, with pina coladas, Coca-Cola floats, Aperol seltzer slushies, and the aptly named Sunburn (tequila, aloe vera, curacao, and lime).

Eat soft-shell crabs while you can.

Soft-shell-crab season is upon us, meaning youll want to dig in while you can. Here are three of Grubs favorites: Theres the deep-fried crab with yuzuMeyer lemon sauce at farm-to-table Chinese restaurant, RedFarm, while Sweet Chick LES has a brunch-only Nashville-hot soft-shell-crab sandwich. Or, if you find yourself in Brooklyn, youll want to try the soft-shell-crab poboy at Pilot, a restaurant located on a schooner docked at Brooklyn Bridge Parks Pier 6. Peak season for soft-shell crab is now through July, so grab a plate before its too late.

Sign up for gourmet glamping on Governors Island.

This summer, the Governors Island Trust will give visitors more free reign than ever before. Not only will the island be open until late every Friday so that people can watch sunsets and host cookouts at one of the citys best venues, but the Trust has teamed up with Collective Retreats to provide $500 glamping experiences that involve a luxury tent and gourmet farm-to-table meals, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is, of course, absolutely ridiculous, and it is also absolutely something that sounds totally fun.

Eat at Eleven Madison Parks summer outpost (again).

Last summer, while their Manhattan location underwent a redesign, Daniel Humm and Will Guidara sent their Eleven Madison Park employees out to the Hamptons to cook at the EMP Summer House, which served up a whole lot of lobster rolls and steaks. What seemed like a one-off may now be a yearly thing, with the EMP Summer House set to open for a second year on Friday, May 25. New menu items include linguine with clams, garlic, and parsley, lobster tempura, and a pricey black-truffle flatbread with creme fraiche and Parmesan. Reservations are only available for Amex members, though walk-ins are welcome. (Note: The only accepted forms of payment will be cash or Amex.)

Slurp summertime soup at Little Tong.

If your idea of summer soup begins and ends with gazpacho, its time to expand your horizons. In addition to opening a second location in midtown next month, chef Simone Tong has added two new cold noodle soups to the menu at her critically acclaimed restaurant Little Tong Noodle Shop in the East Village. Crab-o-Cado includes jumbo lump crab, citrus-soy-glazed avocado, pumpkin seeds, and a green curry sauce; the Mixian and Chill, meanwhile, features Little Tongs peanut-based bang-bang sauce, white soy, cucumber, house pickles, spicy peanuts, chili oil, and more.

Eat your way through Bushwick in one afternoon

In the last five years, Bushwick has transformed from artsy hangout to tourist destination, and with that transformation has come a spate of great restaurants. On June 12, you can give a handful of them a try at the 5th Annual Taste of Bushwick (housed indoors for the first time at music venue Brooklyn Steel), which will feature food and drink from local standouts like Faro, Brooklyn Cider House, KCBC, Sandobap, and Foster Sundry. Purchase tickets, starting at $45, here.

Cool off with dairy-free ice cream.

We get that not everyone can approach dairy-based ice cream with the same unbridled passion as we can. So, we found two alternatives: First, Santa Barbarabased McConnells Fine Ice Cream very recently launched a line of dairy-free ice creams in flavors like Turkish Coffee, Dark Chocolate Chip, and Eureka Lemon & Marionberries, and theyre shipping nationwide, so order a case (or two). Closer to home, youll want to check out Kokus, a very healthy-ish outfit specializing in plant-based soft serve chock-full of wellness-minded ingredients like turmeric, collagen, raw cacao, bee pollen, and CBD. You can find them at Springbone Kitchen near NYU or at either Smorgasburg location.

Take advantage of the newly expanded backyard at Olmsted.

Since its opening, making smores in the backyard of Olmsted has become a treasured tradition among frequent diners. If you havent had the pleasure yet, youll be glad to hear that that experience will now be available to even more visitors. Olmsted has now expanded its backyard to include the property next door, adding a lot more space to the Prospect Heights restaurant.

Make sure you get Hometowns absolute best brisket. Photo: Melissa Hom

Spend a whole day eating barbecue.

If youre looking to outsource your cookouts this summer, theres no better way to do that than to drop by the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, which will celebrate its 16th year on June 9 and 10. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, tens of thousands of BBQ lovers will gather in Madison Square Park to sample barbecue, beer, wine, cider, and desserts from as far away as California and as close by as Red Hook (Hometown Bar-B-Que) and Gowanus (Dinosaur Bar-B-Que). Admission is free, but if you want to beat the lines, use the Disneyland approach and purchase Fast Passes (which include food) for $125 or $275. (And if you want to attend a huge cookout every weekend this summer, Ridgewood, Queens, venue Nowadays will host a BBQ cookout every Saturday this summer, starting at noon.)

Pack a few Negronis in your bag.

Imbibing on the go has never been easy, even though discreet drinking on beaches, buses, and trains is a defining part of summer in New York. Well, it just got a little bit easier: This week, Brooklyn amaro brand St. Agrestis has launched a new bottled Negroni featuring gin from Greenhook Ginsmiths, St. Agrestis bitters, and homemade red vermouth. Sold in four-packs for $25, theyll be available at liquor stores throughout New York starting this weekend.LWF: Nicolas Feuillatte targets UK on-trade as part of global investment strategy

By Andrew Catchpole

Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte is looking to the UK to replicate its success in penetrating the US on-trade with the launch of channel-specific labels, backed by major ongoing investment, promising to deliver Champagne for the many, not the few.

Speaking to Harpers at the London Wine Fair, managing director Christophe Juarez, who has been in the role for a year, spoke of making a big statement, with an investment programme designed to further raise the grower-owned houses profile on the world stage, while looking for a new partner to boost its UK restaurant and bar sales.

Juarez said that a dip in operating profits for 2017, for which the company posted sales of 200 million, down 20% on 2016, was due to wholly self-financed investments made, including the opening of a 25 million visitor centre last summer, attracting 20,000 visitors in its first year.

Coming from a luxury goods background with companies such as LOreal and Chanel, Juarez said that his aim for Nicolas Feuillatte, which is the top selling Champagne brand in France and third in the world, was to be an anti-snob label at an affordable price, helping dispel the notion that Champagne is for special occasions.

The key lesson that I bring from my background is that consistency is important and we are taking a dual strategy, promoting Nicolas Feuillatte as a brand name, but also focusing on the winemaking and the story of the wine in the bottle  this is very important, he said.

The Champagne wine industry has to promote itself by leveraging the quality of the product, but also the status of the product, and this has to be done with care in the current economic environment.

With regard to the broader fortunes of Champagne in the UK, Juarez said that the market remained tough, but is recovering momentum, with potential to drive greater sales in the on-trade.

While agreeing that prices for grapes would inevitably continue to rise, Juarez believes that the business model of this relatively young Champagne house will protect it to a degree, as the growers are stakeholders in the company, receiving a share of the profits from successes in the market.

It is not only a question of price, but also of the success we share as a company, said Juarez.

Nicolas Feuillatte would not be drawn on the exact figure of the investment being made, with Juarez simply describing it as a very significant sum.





LWF: Innovation theme spills outwards with new product launches

By Jo Gilbert

As an event for striking new deals and making new relationships, it is unsurprising that the London Wine Fair has become one of the major launchpads for new product development, with producers and importers using the fair as a stage on which to show off what they have been working hard on throughout the year.

This was even more pertinent with the focus on innovation at this years fair, with producers from Leoube in Provence to Nyetimber in Sussex all hoping to entice buyers with NPD.

Nyetimber made a notable addition to this years fair with its distinctive green Routemaster, which was once again part of the Olympia skyline after a one-year break.

The West Sussex company was also there to preview, among other things, an under the counter single vineyard from its prestigious Tillington plot.

The 2013 single vintage is the second from this 32 ha vineyard, which makes up around 15% of Nyetimbers total surface area under vine.

Nyetimber has thus far focused its single vintage wines from this specific plot, which according to national account manager Anna Wilkie, has been singled out for its particular fruit characteristics of Pinot Noir.

The 2013 release is a follow-up to the 2010 vintage from Tillington, and is due to be released in next two weeks.

Over at EWGAs stall, the supplier was focusing on plugging a gap in its Argentinian portfolio for entry level Malbec.

The distributor has grown from its base in the southwest to offer distribution nationwide, with a portfolio that spans entry level to premium in most categories.

La Bonita from Argentina draws the eye with a colourful label inspired by the street artists in the neighbourhood of La Boca.

We do lot from Chile, said sales director Janette McLaughlin. But Argentina is growing and, and at 5.65 plus VAT, La Bonita will make a nice counterpart to our Tapiz winery in Mendoza, which is more premium.

Leoube meanwhile was notable for its eye-catching range of rose labels.

The Provence producer is now part of Waddeson Wine having parted ways with Bibendum in October.

Export sales manager Alex Ferrand told Harpers the company is now looking to increase its presence in the UK by focusing on parts of its range which were not brought in by Bibendum.

These are the entry level Love by Leoube and premium La Londe, both of which bookend a range which stand out for its visual appeal and easy drinking styles.

Last but not least, Champagne Castelnau also discussed their new Hors Categorie  a blend of the 2010 and 2011 vintages.

The blend is the second of its kind.

The first was released two years ago in a 3500 bottle run as part of the companys focus on building the Castelnau name by exploring new segments of the market.

General manager Pascal Prudhomme explained: We decided to re-launch Castelnau ten years ago, when we realised there was not much knowledge of brand. We knew we could build our credibility with our quality in existing markets like France and the UK but also new markets like Japan, New Zealand, the US and Australia.

Now, our job is to drive visibility with new product development like Hors Categorie and also our partnership with the Tour de France which began in 2012.

The launch also marks a move away from a focus on single vintages, with innovation coming as necessity from stressful harvests in 2016 and 2017.

In the 2000s, we had vintages for all years. But because of the difficulties recently with harvest for us and the Champagne region, we made the decision to focus on quality rather than vintages, Prudhomme concluded.









Halla-aho told Uusi Suomi on Wednesday that the Finns Party is prepared to co-operate with any party as long as the co-operation enables it to promote issues that are important to it and its supporters. Wed be willing to sit down with all parties after the elections, he stated.

The National Coalition and Social Democrats are naturally free to choose which parties to co-operate with, says Jussi Halla-aho, the chairperson of the Finns Party.

Petteri Orpo, the chairperson of the National Coalition, and Antti Rinne, the chairperson of the Social Democrats, estimated earlier yesterday that it would be outright impossible to form a coalition government with the Finns Party. Both Orpo and Rinne drew attention to the considerable differences in the values of the parties.

Its difficult to distinguish these parties from each other. What they regard as their key values are relatively far away from the alternative that is the Finns Party, responded Halla-aho.

The Finns Party, he confirmed, does not see eye to eye with the two parties on issues such as immigration policy and the federalisation of the European Union. The party has voiced its staunch opposition to the federalisation and indicated it would consider leaving the bloc if the development began to undermine the sovereignty of the member states.

Both [the NCP and SDP] want to do away with the labour availability consideration and [advocate] a very generous asylum policy. In that light I consider it logical and understandable [that they believe co-operation with us would be difficult], said Halla-aho.

The Finns Party will according to him seek to be part of the next coalition government. That has to be the objective in a majority government system such as that in Finland, he explained.

Halla-aho added that the party will first have to regain the confidence of those who supported it in the parliamentary elections of 2015, following a damaging one-year stint in the government of Prime Minister Juha Sipila (Centre).

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Markku Ulander  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi SuomiVideos

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.Faced with an air superiority gap versus Air Force jets in the late 1940s and early 50s, the U.S. Navy embarked on an ambitious aircraft development program that produced one of the worlds best all-around fighters.

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, especially in aviation history. An extraordinary example occurred near Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California, during the early 1950s: While performing flight testing from an aircraft carrier, the catapult bridlea device that connected the airplane to the catapult shuttlehad jammed the nose gear strut of a Chance Vought F7U-3 Cutlass, so that the gear would neither fully retract nor extend. Repeated efforts by the pilot to shake the bridle loose proved futile. Because attempting to land on the jammed nose strut was deemed unsafe, the pilot of the Cutlass was directed to fly over the base, point the aircraft out to sea and eject. Minutes later, after a successful ejection and seat separation, a crash crewman riding in a truck watched the pilot make a safe parachute landing in a nearby field. The crewman jumped out of the truck and ran up to the pilot. Pointing overhead, he exclaimed, Your buddys still up there! Giving the man a confused look, the pilot said, Buddy? I dont have a buddy up there. But looking up, following the mans finger, he saw ithis Cutlassdescending and turning back toward where the two men stood. Both were frozen in place as they watched the jet continue to circle and lose altitude. Coming in lower, the unpiloted F7U-3 missed colliding with the central cupola of the famous Del Coronado Hotel by scant feet, then moments later neatly landed on Imperial Beach. Damage was so slight that the aircraft was later repaired and returned to service.

When jet aircraft began making their appearance during World War II, officials at the U.S. Navys Bureau of Aeronautics werent completely sure they could be safely operated from the deck of an aircraft carrier. Development trials carried out in 1946-47 with the McDonnell FD/FH-1 Phantom and the North American FJ-1 Fury demonstrated that carrier-based jet operations were practical. In terms of performance, however, no truly combat-capable jet fighter emerged until Grumman F9F Panthers and McDonnell F2H Banshees began reaching operational units in 1949 and 1950. Even though these new jets were considerably faster than the prop-driven planes they replaced, they still didnt measure up to sweptwing, land-based jets (e.g., the F-86 and MiG-15) entering service at the same time. The deficit in naval air superiority was never more apparent than during the Korean War, when Navy and Marine Corps aircraft were forced to either avoid airspace within the range of marauding MiGs or rely upon protection from U.S. Air Force F-86s.

The need to close the air superiority gap confronted the Bureau of Aeronautics with highly complex problems. At a minimum, any new carrier-based fighter needed to be fast enough to engage enemy aircraft traveling at transonic speeds (more than 600 mph at 40,000 feet) and, in due course, supersonic speeds (more than 660 mph at 40,000 feet). The Navy fighters should be equipped with radar for night and all-weather operations, and had to be capable of operating from carrier decks ranging in length from 820 feet (Essex class) to 900 feet (Midway class). Modifications that would improve the carrier fleets ability to handle higher-performance jets (i.e., angled decks, steam catapults, etc.) were still years away, and the Navys hoped-for super-carrier program was abruptly canceled in 1949 as a cost-cutting measure. In fact, no carrier built specifically to handle jets would join the fleet until the mid-1950s. Undeterred, the Bureau of Aeronautics and its partners in industry met this challenge by generating 11 different fighter designs between 1948 and 1958: eight under new type designations (F7U, F4D, F3H, F10F, F11F, F8U, F5D and F4H) and three more as subvariants of existing types (F9F-6, 7 and 8; F2H-3 and 4; and FJ-2, 3, 4 and 4B). All 11 reached flying prototype status, and remarkably all but two actually achieved operational carrier service, albeit short-lived in some instances. A comparison chart identifying each one in chronological sequence appears on P. 60.

F7U Cutlass

The mass of aeronautical test and research data captured from Germany at the end of World War II had a sweeping impact on military aircraft developments in the United States. Designed to meet a mid-1945 naval requirement for a 600-mph carrier fighter, Chance Voughts F7U Cutlass owed much of its unique configuration to data on tailless aircraft acquired from the German Arado company. The data suggested that elimination of the horizontal tail would avoid the extreme nose-down forces experienced by conventional airplanes at speeds above Mach 0.75.

The twin-engine XF7U-1, which first flew in September 1948, featured a low-aspect-ratio wing swept to 38 degrees with vertical tail surfaces mounted on the wings at midspan. Roll and pitch control was combined in ailevators (i.e., elevons) located on the trailing edges of the outboard wing panels. For slow flight, during takeoff and approach, the wing included large full-span leading edge slats, but no flaps.

Powered by two Westinghouse J34 engines, the three XF7U-1s were followed by 14 F7U-1 production models. After lengthy trials, the F7U-1 was deemed generally unsuitable for carrier operations due to poor pilot visibility during landing approach (caused by the very high angle of attack needed at low airspeeds), poor wave-off characteristics and arresting hook problems. The similar F7U-2 was canceled, but the improved F7U-3 flew in December 1951 with more powerful Westinghouse J46 engines and a totally redesigned nose that housed a radar and fire-control system for all-weather operations. Other enhancements included wing pylons for either external fuel tanks or air-to-ground ordnance. Standard air-to-air armament consisted of four 20mm cannons. Beam-riding Sparrow missiles were added in the -3M version.

The Navy ordered 180 F7U-3s, followed by 98 missile-carrying F7U-3Ms, the last delivered in 1955. F7U-3s and -3Ms served with 10 fleet fighter squadrons between 1954 and 1957, some of which were redesignated as attack squadrons.

Though it turned out to be a maneuverable and stable weapons platform, the subsonic Cutlass was plagued by the need for excessive maintenance as well as a high accident rate, and by the mid1950s it was obsolete compared to newer supersonic designs reaching advanced stages of development.

F4D Skyray

Another product of captured German research, Messerschmitt this time, the Douglas F4D Skyray emerged from a 1947 design competition for a delta-wing naval fighter. The delta configuration was seen as a means to produce a plane optimized for high rate of climb yet fast enough to intercept enemy aircraft before they reached their targets. Early on, however, the Douglas team abandoned the pure delta-wing approach in favor of a tailless planform with swept wings of extremely low aspect ratio. In a related program, the Navy was sponsoring development of the J40 power plant by Westinghouse, a 10-stage axial-flow turbojet with which it planned to power the Skyray and at least two other fighter projects on the drawing boards. When the J40 program fell seriously behind schedule, the XF4D-1 made its initial flight in January 1951 with an Allison J35 engine. Problems with the J40 led to a complete abandonment of the program, and in March 1953 a decision was made to equip the Skyray with the more reliable Pratt & Whitney J57.

Although the first J57-equipped F4D-1 flew in June 1954, extended acceptance trials delayed production models from reaching operational units until April 1956, eight years after the aircraft was first ordered. Deliveries to Navy and Marine fighter units continued through December 1958, when production terminated after 420 F4D-1s had been built. The Skyray was the first Navy fighter capable of exceeding Mach 1 in level fight, and in 1958 set the climb-to-height record, reaching 15,000 meters (49,212 feet) in 2 minutes 36 seconds. It was also the first naval fighter to serve as part of Air Defense Command, which had responsibility for protecting the continental United States from attack. F4D-1s were armed with four 20mm cannons, 24 2.75-inch unguided rockets and two AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, or they could carry up to 4,000 pounds of air-to-ground ordnance on wing racks. The last examples left active service in early 1964.

F3H Demon

The Demon was originally conceived in response to a mid-1948 Navy requirement for a carrier-based day fighter that would be comparable in all respects to contemporary land-based fighters (specifically the Air Forces North American F-86A, which by that time had been tested and ordered into production). After beating out 11 competitors, McDonnell was issued a contract to build two XF3H-1 prototypes in September 1949. The F3H utilized a conventional planform with wing and tail surfaces swept to 45 degrees, and like the Skyray was to be powered by a single Westinghouse J40 turbojet. While the prototypes were still under construction, the bureau added the requirement that production Demons be designed with all-weather capability as F3H-1Ns.

In what turned out to be a costly mistake, the F3H-1N was ordered into production even before the first XF3H-1 flew in August 1951. The J40-equipped F3H-1Ns were not only seriously underpowered, but the engine proved to be so unreliable that all 56 aircraft were ultimately grounded. Rather then cancel the entire program, a decision was made in 1953 to substitute the Allison J71 engine (basically an upgraded J35).

The first J71-powered F3H-2N flew in April 1955, and deliveries to squadrons began in early 1956. The -2s appeared in three subvariants: F3H-2Ns, armed with four 20mm cannons and two infrared Sidewinders; F3H-3Ms, additionally armed with beam-riding Sparrows; and F3H-2s, optimized as strike fighters to carry up to 6,000 pounds of ordnance. Total F3H production stopped in early 1960 after 519 had been built, and the last examples were withdrawn from operational service in September 1964. The Demon, in its final variants, was basically a good weapons platform, but because of an overlong gestation period it was unavoidably overtaken by the F8U and F4H.

F9F Cougar

In late 1950, the appearance of the MiG-15 in Korea, combined with delays in existing Navy fighter programs, prompted bureau officials to press for development of a sweptwing derivative of the Grumman Panther. The XF9F-6 was essentially an F9F-5 fuselage adapted to a wing and horizontal tail both swept to 35 degrees. The fuselage was extended 2 feet in the middle to permit greater internal fuel (in lieu of tip tanks), and an uprated Pratt & Whitney J48 engine increased thrust by 1,000 pounds. Work proceeded rapidly, and the first Cougar prototype was flying by September 1951. In testing, the XF9F-6 proved to be 100 mph faster than the Panther, and after initial stability problems were solved by the addition of an all-flying stabilizer and spoilers, the Cougar showed above-average carrier handling characteristics.

Cougars were ordered into production as the F9F-6 (J48) and F9F-7 (identical except for the Allison J33) and began reaching squadron service in November 1952. First flown in December 1953, the F9F-8 had a fuselage stretch of 8 inches for more fuel and a 15- square-foot addition to wings that produced a noticeable saw-tooth leading edge. F9F-8s were later retrofitted with nose-mounted refueling probes and were capable of carrying Sidewinder missiles. The F9F-8B was fitted with a low altitude bombing system (LABS) so that it could operate in a strike fighter role. By the mid-1950s, the Cougar was the most numerous fighter in the naval inventory, but its service life was comparatively brief: It was phased out of frontline squadrons by 1959. Cougars continued to serve in Navy and Marine reserve units until the mid-1960s.

FJ Fury

In early 1951, the circumstances that gave rise to the Cougar also led bureau officials to seek development of a navalized version of North Americans excellent F-86 Sabre. Right after the project was initiated, the Navy issued a contract for 300 airplanes as the FJ-2, and the first prototype, basically a J47-powered F-86E with catapult points and a V-frame arrestor hook, flew in December 1951. Production FJ-2s had other refinements such as folding wings, lengthened nose wheel strut, four 20mm cannons, no dihedral in the horizontal tail, a modified canopy and stronger landing gear. When the Korean War ended, production was cut back to 200 planes. Unlike the competing F9F-6, FJ-2s revealed poor carrier handling traits and from 1954 to 1957 served only with six land-based Marine squadrons.

Work on the follow-on FJ-3 began in mid-1952, and the first example flew in July 1952. The -3 came with a more powerful Wright J65 engine, an enlarged nose intake and wing modifications that improved carrier handling qualities. Delivery to fleet squadrons began in September 1954, and the type ultimately equipped 19 Navy and four Marine squadrons. The last batch of 80 aircraft was delivered as Sidewinder-carrying FJ-3Ms, with production ending in August 1956. Like that of its Cougar stablemate, the service life of the FJ-3 was short, with all examples withdrawn from operational squadrons by 1960.

Though still in the Fury series, the FJ-4 of 1954 was essentially a completely new airframe. A new fuselage contour allowed 50 percent greater fuel capacity, and a new thin-section wing (similar to the F-100s) incorporated leading edge droops coupled to the trailing edge flaps for slow speed control. Armament included four 20mm cannons and four Sidewinder missiles. The prototype FJ-4 flew in October 1954, and production models began to reach operational units in 1955, ultimately equipping one Navy and three Marine fighter squadrons.

The FJ-4B was a dedicated ground attack version, flying for the first time in December 1956. In addition to a stiffened wing and a low-altitude bombing system for tactical nuclear weapons, the -4B could also carry up to five Bullpup air-to-ground missiles and had air-to-air refueling capability. After FJ-4Bs were issued to nine Navy and three Marine attack squadrons, production ceased in May 1958. The phase-out of FJ-4s and -4Bs began in 1959, and all had been withdrawn by the end of 1962.

F2H-3 Banshee

The unexpected setbacks in the F7U, F4D and F3H programs in 1950-51 induced bureau officials to ask McDonnell to develop an all-weather version of its twin-engine, straight-wing Banshee. The F2H-3, introducing a longer fuselage, more wing area, redesigned tail surfaces and an APQ-41 radar system, flew in early 1952 and entered service later that same year.

The F2H-3 was followed in 1953 by the F2H-4, which had a better radar system and slightly uprated J34 engines. Both types equipped 12 Navy and two Marine squadrons, forming the fleets all-weather fighter capability until replaced by Skyrays and Demons during the mid- to late 1950s. The last examples were withdrawn from frontline service in 1959, and a small number served with Navy and Marine reserve squadrons until 1961.

F10F Jaguar

The variable-sweep Grumman Jaguar represented an interesting attempt to develop a fighter with good handling characteristics in either high or low airspeed ranges. Based on experimental data amassed in the 1940s, Grumman conceived a jet fighter design with wings that could move fore and aft from 13.5 to 42.5 degrees. Like the contemporary Skyray and Demon, Grummans project was planned around a single J40 engine. The Navy, encouraged by the design work, placed an initial order for a prototype and 30 preproduction models. When it made its first flight in May 1952, however, the XF10F-1 had materialized as a large (33,000 pounds loaded), highly complex aircraft with poor flying characteristics. The Navy canceled its order, but the prototype was flown for several years at Edwards Air Force Base to evaluate the properties of variable-geometry flight.

F11F Tiger

The Tiger began in 1952 as a company-funded effort by Grumman to explore the possibilities of applying area rule and a thinner wing section in order to obtain supersonic performance from the Cougar. Though designated the XF9F-9, the design that evolved in the spring of 1953 bore no resemblance to the previous F9F series: a slim fuselage designed in accordance with area rule, with lateral intakes moved well forward; narrow-chord, shoulder-mounted wings that featured full-span slats and flaps and spoilers for roll control; main landing gear that retracted flush into the fuselage; and a low-mounted, all-flying stabilizer. Power came from an afterburning Wright J65 engine. Armament consisted of four 20mm cannons and four Sidewinder infrared missiles. The first prototype flew in July 1954 before an afterburning engine was available but nevertheless achieved Mach 0.9 on the first flight. Once they were fitted with afterburners, prototypes easily exceeded Mach 1 in level flight.

The Navy ordered the Tiger into production under the new designation F11F-1, but protracted carrier evaluations and resulting modifications delayed their entry into service until early 1957. Production ceased in January 1959 with the delivery of the 199th aircraft. F11F-1s equipped seven Navy fighter squadrons until 1961, when they were withdrawn from frontline service and used as jet transition trainers until mid-1967. Despite their brief service, however, from 1957 to 1969 Navy Tigers became familiar to thousands of spectators when they were used by the Blue Angels flight demonstration team.

In an effort to get more life out of the design, Grumman initiated a project in 1955 to equip the Tiger with the General Electric J79. The resulting F11F-1F, or Super Tiger, flew in May 1956, and during testing in 1957 achieved a maximum speed of Mach 2.04 (1,320 mph) and climbed to an altitude of 80,250 feet. By that time, however, the F8U was already entering service and the multirole F4H was in advanced stages of design. As a result, the smaller, mission-limited F11F-1F was not ordered.

F8U Crusader

In the fall of 1952, the Bureau of Aeronautics circulated a new requirement for an air superiority fighter that could climb to 25,000 feet in one minute and accelerate to an intercept speed of Mach 1.2. In May 1953, after considering 21 proposals from eight different manufacturers, the bureau selected Voughts entry, designated the XF8U-1, as the winner.

Designed around the Pratt & Whitney J57 engine (14,500 pounds static thrust in afterburner), the XF8U-1s most outstanding feature was a variable-incidence wing in which the entire center section could be raised in flight to increase angle of incidence by 7 percent during takeoffs and landings. In addition, while in the raised position, wing camber was increased by full span leading edge droops and ailerons that automatically lowered to 25 degrees. It had a long area-rule fuselage, and the cockpit was placed well forward behind a nose that housed a firecontrol radar and incorporated a chin-type air intake below the radome. Armament consisted of four 20mm cannons, two Sidewinder missiles and 32 2.75-inch unguided rockets in a retractable pack. The Navy ordered three prototypes in mid- 1953, and the first XF8U-1 flew in March 1955. Testing revealed the need for very few changes.

Production F8U-1s began reaching operational units in March 1957 and equipped nine Navy and Marine fighter squadrons by the end of the year. Between 1957 and 1962, Crusaders were produced in four more versions: The F8U-1E had an improved fire-control radar; the F8U-2 featured an uprated J57 engine, ventral strakes on the tail to enhance highspeed stability and the ability to carry two additional Sidewinders; the F8U-2N included improved radar and avionics for better all-weather capability and an approach power compensator (a computer stabilization system that controlled airspeeds during carrier approaches); and the F8U-2NE, the first version with substantial air-to-ground capability, introduced an all-new search and fire-control radar and infrared scanner, an avionics package for Bullpup air-to-ground missiles contained in a hump on the wing center section, plus provision to carry eight Zuni unguided air-to-ground missiles and 4,000 pounds of bombs on external racks.

In mid-1962, under a new designation system, the F8U became the F-8 (the F8U-1 became the F-8A; the F8U-1E became the F-8B; the F8U-2 became the F-8C; the F8U-2N became the F-8D; and the F8U-2NE became the F-8E). To extend the Crusaders service life, 89 F-8Ds were remanufactured as the F-8H, 136 F-8Es as the F-8J, 87 F-8Cs as the F-8K, and 61 F-8Bs as the F-8L. F-8s served with distinction throughout the Vietnam War, and the last example was withdrawn from active service in 1976.

In 1956, although Crusader production was already underway, Vought began planning a Mach 2 successor to be powered by the Pratt & Whitney J75 engine. The resulting XF8U-3, although it bore a superficial resemblance to the F8U-1, was in effect a complete redesign. The first prototype, flying in mid-1958, was followed by two more prototypes. However, despite impressive performance (Mach 2.21, combat ceiling of 60,000 feet), the XF8U-3 was canceled in late-1958 in favor of the two-place F4H-1.

F5D Skylancer

The XF5D-1 started life as the XF4D-2N in 1953; the only characteristics it actually shared with the Skyray were its tailless planform and J57 power plant. The XF5Ds 8-foot-longer fuselage was designed in accordance with area rule, and the wing section was considerably thinner. When the first Skylancer prototype flew in April 1956, it logged a 35 percent increase in performance over the F4D-1, but offered no important advantage over the F8U-1, which by that time was in full production. Two prototypes and two service-test F5Ds were ultimately built and used in various military test programs during the 1960s, one serving with NASA until 1970.

F4H Phantom II

In late 1953, after McDonnells proposal for a twin-J65-powered F3H lost out to Voughts XF8U-1, the Navy encouraged the company to rework the design into an all-weather attack aircraft, the XAH-1. But soon after McDonnell submitted its attack proposal in mid-1954, the Navy revised its requirements again, this time for a two-seat, allweather interceptor armed only with missiles. Authorized as the YF4H-1, the mockup was completed in November 1955, and shortly thereafter a decision was made to drop the J65s in favor of bigger General Electric J79s, which had the power to give the plane Mach 2 performance. However, wind tunnel testing subsequently indicated that the YF4Hs planned aerodynamic configuration would be unstable at high speeds and therefore Mach limited.

To correct the problem, the horizontal stabilizer was given 23 degrees anhedral and the outer wing panels 12 degrees dihedral plus saw-tooth leading edges, which produced a look that would characterize the design. The YF4H featured other innovations such as blown flaps and slats, which used engine bleed air to keep the airflow attached to the wing at high angles of attack, and combination flaperons/spoilers for roll control.

The first YF4H-1 flew in May 1958, and initial flight trials were completed by the end of the year, after which the YF4H (later named Phantom II) was declared winner of the Mach 2 fighter competition and ordered into full production. Forty-five development aircraft were built as the F4H-1F, and subsequent production aircraft were manufactured as the F4H-1. With the 19th development aircraft, the cockpit was elevated and the canopy enlarged, and a bigger, more bulbous radome was added to the nose. Carrier suitability tests commenced in early 1960, and the type began reaching transitional training units in early 1961, followed by deliveries to operational squadrons in mid-1961. In 1962 the F4H-1F became the F-4A and the F4H-1 became the F-4B.

By 1966, 29 Navy and Marine squadrons were flying F-4Bs. That same year, the F-4B was succeeded in production by the F-4J, which featured improved avionics and radar, more powerful engines and larger wheels to permit an increase in landing weight. Navy and Marine Phantoms were introduced to combat in 1965 over Vietnam and served widely in both air-to-air and air-to-ground operations until American participation in the conflict ended in 1972. In the early 1970s, 228 F-4Bs were upgraded as F-4Ns, which entailed a number of electronic enhancements and structural strengthening to extend service life; and in an analogous program instituted during the mid-1970s, 264 F-4Js became F-4Ss with new avionics and major structural improvements. The last F-4Ns and F-4Ss were retired from active Navy service during 1985-86, and from the last Marine squadron in 1992.

Persistence Pays Off

The sheer determination of the Naval Bureau of Aeronautics and American aircraft manufacturers during the 1950s finally paid off. By 1960, their efforts had not only closed the air superiority gap with the U.S. Air Force, but in the F8U and F4H had produced arguably two of the best all-around fighters in the world. This was verified in the early 1960s when, confronted with the likelihood of conducting conventional (nonnuclear) air combat operations in remote areas of the world like Southeast Asia, naval aviation was better prepared than the Air Force, which had, during the same timeframe, accumulated more than 5,000 fast but generally mission-limited Century Series fighters. The final confirmation came in early 1962: The Department of Defense informed the Air Force top brass that their next-generation fighter would be a Navy designthe McDonnell F4H-1.

E.R. Johnson is a U.S. Navy veteran, a past president of the Arkansas Aviation Historical Society and a major in the Arkansas Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. For further reading, he recommends: United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911, by Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers, and The History of U.S. Naval Air Power, edited by Robert L. Lawson.

Originally published in the January 2008 issue of Aviation History. To subscribe, click here.It belongs in a museum. Rubbed with blue pigment, the brain-tanned buckskin war shirt is decorated with trade beads from Italy and discs representing the four levels of the Northern Cheyenne universe. From its chest soars a thunderbird, power shooting from its talons.

Only the shirt doesnt date from the 1860s, and a Cheyenne warrior didnt make it.

It is the handmade creation of Santa Fe, N.M., artist Cathy A. Smith, who has been re-creating Indian and Old West worksoften wearable artsince the 1980s. Smith made all of the Indian costumes for Kevin Costners award-winning 1990 film Dances With Wolves and took home her own Emmy as costume director for the 1991 miniseries Son of the Morning Star. And, yes, her work does wind up in museums, most recently as part of The Reel West, an exhibit of Western film costumes, props and other items, showing at the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis through Feb. 3, 2019.

The Northern Cheyenne war shirt, a replica of one Smith admired years ago at the Detroit Institute of Arts, has also appeared on film. Last fall a Berlin production company used it in a documentary about the 183234 northern Plains expedition of German Prince Maximilian and Swiss-born painter Karl Bodmer.

Smiths interest in the West stems from childhood. Born in 1950, she grew up on a ranch near the Lakota reservations in western South Dakota. It was an old-timey horse and cattle ranch out there in the middle of nowhere, she recalls. My grandfather was one of the last cowboys on the open range before they opened it up for homesteading. He just loved to tell stories, so from the time I was little, I just wanted to hear the stories of the cowboys and the Indians. I made friends on the rez and went there all the time. They took me in. I built myself a buckskin dress and started doing beadwork so I could dance at the powwows. Ultimately, I was taken as a daughter by one of the last of the old-time medicine men up there.

For years Smith traveled to Santa Fe for the annual Indian Market. Reasoning it was likely the only place she could make a living doing beadwork, she moved to Santa Fe in 1988. She initially struggled making beadwork and restoring artifacts for a gallery and other dealers. Then came the day the gallery recommended her to Costners costume designer Elsa Zamparelli. Impressed, Zamparelli gave Smith 10 weeks to make all of the Indian costumesincluding copies for doubles and stunt doublesfor Dances With Wolves.

I got my apprentice from South Dakota to come down with us, hired my daughter and her boyfriend and two people to do nothing but cut fringe, Smith recalls. I worked 20 hours a daythey worked probably 16seven days a week, and we got it done. I was much younger then.

When production started, Smith was brought up to South Dakota, where the movie was being filmed. I spend five and a half months showing them how to put up tepees, how to paint the horses, do the haireverything, Smith says. I dressed everybody every day and helped make costumes for the Pawnees.

Her beautiful work, knowledge and reputation earned Smith the gig on Son of the Morning Star, again working on Indian costumes. By then, she says, I knew enough. I was in charge. I could do what I wanted.

Smith does what she wants these days, too.

This year marks her fifth season running the Nambe Trading Post, where she shows both her work and jewelry crafted by her silversmith daughter, Jennifer. She still makes costumes for and rents them to film and TV productions, including Hostiles and Longmire. Smith, who was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 2013, has published a photo-intensive book, The Demise of Tonto or Hollywood Meets the Sioux, about her experiencing making movie costumes, and shes working on a memoir titled Tales of a Double Woman Dreamer. Smith is also painting, including ledger drawings.

[Ledger drawings] are what taught me how to paint a horse, what weapons different warrior societies were carrying and what insignia were on them, Smith explains. All the details are in those ledger drawings, if you know how to look at them. Mine are done on antique paper, and I just do the traditional. Im not a contemporary artist. WWColonial discontent, font of revolutions, contributed to 1755 British defeat at Fort Duquesne

GENERAL EDWARD BRADDOCKS defeat in 1755 by an allied French and Indian force outside Fort Duquesnenow Pittsburghrecast the French and Indian War. In Braddocks Defeat, historian David L. Preston argues that the battle and its consequences escalated that conflict between Britain and France into a global struggle known as the Seven Years War, opening fissures between Britain and the 13 colonies that helped bring on the American Revolution. The destruction of a conventional British army by irregular forces in remote mountainous territory foreshadows similar encounters in the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.

How did the Seven Years War play out in North America? New France, which reached from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Gulf

of Mexico, was the strategically dominant power in the region in the mid-1700s. In

contrast to Britains more populous and expansive colonies, New France had a meager population that depended heavily on the fur trade. To conduct that trade, the French relied on neighboring Indian tribes. The Indians desire for sovereignty led them to collaborate militarily with New France in its effort to contain the westward expansion of British colonies like Virginia.

In 1755, what made the Forks of the Ohio so important? Interior waterways afforded the fastest, most reliable routes into and around the continents interior. Control of the Forks of the Ohio, where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers form the Ohio River, enabled British traders to compete with French counterparts and, in so doing, to challenge New Frances network of Indian alliances. The French built forts to keep the British out of the Ohio Valley. But aggressive British colonies like Virginia were determined to assert claims to the disputed region.

The British mistrusted colonial officers like George Washington. Washington came to the fore in this dispute among France, Britain, and Indian nations over the Ohio Valley. As lieutenant colonel of the Virginia provincial regiment, Washington had led early British military ventures against the French, notably a humiliating defeat at Fort Necessity in 1754. When London learned of that loss, the British government sent regular troops under royal officers to salvage the situation. Braddock asked Washington to serve in his expedition, but only as a gentleman aide, not an officer with rank. Imagine the difference in Washingtons lifeand American historyhad the British government decided to recruit patriotic British Americans into royal regiments officered by colonists like Washington.

British regulars had no experience with Indian-style warfare. In the 1740s, Braddocks 44th and 48th infantry regiments had fought

conventional battles in Scotland and Europe, but nothing had prepared them for combat in the mountains against small, dispersed, and highly skilled units of French Canadians and Indian warriors using irregular tactics, such as firing from cover. Contrary to mythology, General Braddock had taken adequate precautions, deploying as many as a third of his 1,400 men as flankers on his columns outer edges. In the end, 250 French and Canadian troops and 600 to 700 Indian warriors showed more discipline than British regularsusing natural cover, accurate musketry, and individual initiativeto destroy Braddocks flank protection and kill or wound two British soldiers in three who crossed the Monongahela. Superior French and Indian tactics destroyed the ring of security. The British massed together, leaving themselves no option but to run for their lives or die where they stood.

How did tensions between Braddocks army and colonists shape the expedition? There is much evidence of political and social conflict between the Americans and the British Empire, personified in Braddock and his army. Historically, Britons feared standing armies as threats to their political liberties and economic wherewithal. Once Braddock and his force landed in Virginia, conflict quickly ensued with various colonial governments over supplying, quartering, recruiting, and financing Braddocks and other British forces in America. The 1755 campaign rudely awakened British authorities to the growing political independence of the 13 colonies.

Why was funding an issue? The British had expected colonial legislatures to supply Braddocks expedition and to vote public monies to a common fund for defense to be controlled by Braddock, who was commander in chief of British forces in America. The American legislatures balked at the costs and often refused to surrender control of public monies. Braddock and other British officers blamed the expeditions delays on the uncooperative colonial governments.

So what? Braddock and other British commanders sent report after report to London calling the colonies uncooperative, unpatriotic, and even disloyal. The colonies contributed enormous sums of money and manpower to British victory in the war, but many London politicians developed an idee fixe of Americans as ungrateful. After the war, Parliament directly taxed colonists, to make them partially responsible for funding their own defense, and to lessen their political independence.

The French operated differently. By the 1750s, French colonists had been in the New World for generations and identified as Canadians. Elite French Canadians often became commissioned officers in the French military and through decades of service at far-flung locations around New France gained noble status or royal preferment. They dealt intimately with Indian allies, learning their languages and cultures. Most important, those French soldiers learned the Indian way of war. Braddocks French opponent, Captain Daniel-Hyacinthe-Marie Lienard de Beaujeu, was a veteran of irregular combat. He knew how to negotiate with Indian allies comprising two-thirds of his force.

What is the lesson of Braddocks defeat? Braddocks defeat, in its time and in history, shows a confident conventional army coming to naught against an unconventional force in a foreign environment many British soldiers found terrifying. It also shows how armies as institutions often unlearn hard-fought lessons. In 1775, the British army suffered a shocking defeat at the Battle of Concord, a running action that many compared to Braddocks defeat 20 years earlier. And in turn, Native American warriors in the Northwest Territories decisively defeated U.S. Army forces at the Battle of the Wabash in 1791St. Clairs Defeatand in the Montana Territory at the Little Bighorn in 1876Custers Last Stand. As the United States continues military operations in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, Braddocks defeat testifies to the importance of understanding tribal polities and the worlds they frame.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.JC Stewart has today released his new single Medicine

A chorus empowered by backing vocalist accompanies this piano track. While ultimately still a pop-song, JC Stewart uses his soulful voice to convey the sense of emotion.

If love is pain throw me in the water. When Im going under save me again is sang acapella by the vocalists as the song is brought to a close. Its an emotive ending for a song that is consistently mellow throughout.

2018 has already been a busy for the Derry man. As well as a few festival appearances across the UK and Europe, he supported Snow Patrol for their headline gig at Londons Islington Assembly Hall.

Medicine' started as a couple of lines in a deleted note on my phone, said Stewart. I went over the chorus melody again and again for about four months before I figured it out.

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"Its a super simple song with real lyrics which is why I think I connect to it so much.

Listen to the track here:Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print.

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The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those.A South African national, who facilitated an American trophy hunters illegal elephant hunt and schemed with him to sell the animals tusks, was yesterday indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice for violating the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act, which prohibit the interstate commerce of poached animals.

Hanno van Rensburg owns Authentic African Adventures, a trophy hunting outfitter based in South Africa. He was charged with leading and participating in the illegal hunt of an African elephant in Zimbabwes Gonarezhou National Park in 2015 by his client, Paul Ross Jackson, a former vice president of Dallas Safari Club, a membership organization for trophy hunters. Jackson last month pleaded guilty to violating the Endangered Species Act in connection with the same hunt.

The indictment asserts that Van Rensburg shot several elephants and paid somewhere between $5,000 and $8,000 in bribes to Zimbabwean government officials in return for their permission to authorize the shooting of multiple elephants, the killing of an elephant inside Gonarezhou National Park, and the release of the elephants ivory tusks. Van Rensburg allegedly helped Jackson export the elephants tusks out of Zimbabwe to South Africa by falsifying documentation stating that his client was a South Africa resident.

The DOJ press release states that Van Rensburg advertised his willingness to pay bribes to obtain tags to hunt inside Gonarezhou National Park to an undercover U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent. The indictment further reports that Van Rensburg commented to the agent that If the client pays the money they will find another tag. I am straightforward with you. Corruption is the rule in Africa.

Iris Ho, wildlife program manager of Humane Society International, said, Details contained in the indictment by the Department of Justice against Hanno Van Rensburg expose trophy hunting for what it really is. Van Rensburg and his client were bent on killing elephants, not just one, but several, in their blood-thirsty pursuit. Allegations of lying to authorities, bribing government officials and falsifying documents, are the tactics they reportedly deployed. Trophy hunting is not conservation but purely a head-hunting exercise pursued by wealthy people who are not used to hearing the word no.

Additional information about Paul Ross Jackson, Hanno van Rensburg, and Authentic African Adventures:Andrea Harrington held her first Pittsfield campaign event for district attorney on Wednesday. She also held campaign kickoffs in South County and North County.

Harrington Kicks Off Campaign For District Attorney



Shirley Edgerton said Harrington has a better sense of the power of the office. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Andrea Harrington says the "status quo" in the district attorney's office is not working for Berkshire County.

"It is time to have a district attorney with integrity and who is accountable to this community," Harrington said.

The local attorney said North Adams has the highest crime rate per capita in the state and Pittsfield ranks ninth.The district attorney's office, which had been occupied by David Capeless for the last 14 years, can do much more in a preventative manner than it has been doing, she said.

Harrington is now running for the office against Capeless' hand-picked successor Paul Caccaviello and Great Barrington attorney Judith Knight.

"We've had four women murdered here in Berkshire County in the past year, three due to domestic violence. It is time for law enforcement to be accountable. There are lots of programs that are being tried and uses successfully across the state that we're not doing here. These are practical things that work and we know that they work," Harrington said.

"An hour away in Hampshire and Franklin County they have a high-risk domestic violence task force program. It is people from law enforcement, people from the advocacy community, people from the Department of Children and Families. They come together. They look for the signs of people who are at high risk for committing domestic violence, people who are high risk for being victims of domestic violence. They have not had a single domestic violence homicide in the past five years. That's how prevention works. And we have a district attorney's office who says that's not their responsibility."

She said there are plenty of people and organizations tackling issues of poverty and the opioid epidemic and that the district attorney's office should be a leader in those efforts and not just serve as a prosecutor.

"The district attorney has a lot of power in the system," Harrington said. "We need to work together as a community to tackle these tough problems."

When it comes to those struggling with addiction, she said the current district attorney's office isn't working on diversion programs or trying to get addicts into treatment. She said it costs $87,000 a year to house somebody at the Berkshire County House of Correction and she'd rather see that money allocated back into helping people beat their addiction and get into job training programs, so they can become productive citizens again.

"We know once somebody touches the criminal justice system the chances of them coming back grow exponentially. We want to keep people out of jail. We want to get people the help they need," Harrington said.

However, she is not saying she'd be soft on crime. She recalled times during her law career when she sat face to face with people whom she didn't feel comfortable with being out on the streets.

"It is the responsibility of the district attorney to keep this community safe. And sometimes that means sending people to jail. There are people who are dangerous and they belong in jail," Harrington said.

Her focus is to keep the low-level crimes from clogging up the system, getting the people involved in those the help they need, and then back onto their feet while going after the more serious criminals and locking them up.

Harrington said she also knows that people of color are disproportionately involved in the court systems at a higher rate, that people of color get bails set five times more than white people. But she can't quantify that because the current district attorney's office doesn't track it. She said that isn't a priority for the office now.

She also feels the office is currently out of touch with the community and said she'd create a citizens advisory board.

While she has plenty of ideas to take into the office, she almost didn't get a chance. Starting back in January, Capeless hid his retirement from the public, intentionally mislead reporters by pulling nomination papers to make it seem like he was running, all while concurrently plotting with the governor to pass the reins on to Caccaviello so he could run for the job as an incumbent. Capeless' retirement and appointment of Caccaviello came on March 1, giving little time for others to get their nomination papers in.

"They tried to keep me out of this race. They tried to go as late as possible so I couldn't get my signatures," Harrington said. "But you know what, we had 50 volunteers from across the county and we got 1,500 certified signatures. On Sept. 4 they are going to really know that they are accountable for this community."

Harrington kicked off her campaign against what she called the "old boy's club" at Patrick's Pub on Wednesday night. All three candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination during the Sept. 4 primary and, with no Republican running, the primary winner will become the next district attorney. The kickoff was one of three Harrington hosted -- one in each section of the county.

Shirley Edgerton introduced Harrington as supporters mingled in and out of the space throughout the evening.

"We need a district attorney who will operate in equity, truth, and justice for all. Andrea is aware of the power and impact of this position," Edgerton said.

Harrington lives in Richmond where she and her husband, Tim, are raising their two sons. She is an attorney at Connor & Morneau LLP and has been practicing law for more than 15 years. She has been actively involved in the region, serving as a member of her local Affordable Housing Committee, School Council, and as an advisory board member of the regional non-profit BerkShares Inc. She also is a member of the Richmond School Committee and co-founder of the Berkshire Committee of the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus. She is a member of the Berkshire Bar Association and Hampden County Bar Association and has experience in criminal law and civil litigation.

She most recently ran an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination for state Senate. She was defeated in that race by Adam Hinds.The new name and logo of the merged Village and North Adams Ambulance was unveiled on Wednesday. The medical van service has a similar logo designed for it. Ambulance service President Robert M. Moulton Jr. welcomes the gathering General Manager John Meaney Jr. was master of ceremonies for the evening. Bruce Shepley worked on the ambulance in its early years and said it had a profound affect on the direction of his life. He was a operating room and flight nurse. Patrick Carnevale brings greetings from the governor. The former regional MEMA manager now runs the governor's Western Mass office. Richard Alcombright, former mayor, tells who important the ambulance has been to his family. Mayor Thomas Bernard praised the expertise and professionalism of the service. Asst. Chief Amalio Jusino, left, and Meaney pose with A.J. Enchill, aide to Sen. Adam Hinds, who brought a resolution from Hinds and the state Senate. Deborah Clapp, executive director of Region 1 EMS, speaks of the changes and challenges for rural medical services. PreviousNext

Northern Berkshire EMS Debuts at Ambulance Service's 40th Anniversary



The North Adams Ambulance Service gets its license around 1978 with longtime President Barbara Wagner in the middle. NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  North Adams Ambulance Service was created in 1978 to fill a void in emergency care in the city.

The closure of the private Mohawk Ambulance Service prompted a dedicated group of directors and about a dozen emergency medical technicians to form a new nonprofit to service the city and its environs.

Some 40 years later, its workforce is closer to 100 and it covers most of North Berkshire and a wide swath of Southern Vermont. It merged with Village Ambulance and it's ready to embark on its next chapter with a new name and new logo.

"What it's turned into has been a nationally recognized organization," Robert M. Moulton Jr., president of the ambulance board and among its first emergency medical technicians. "I'm very proud of it and very proud of the people, and to be a member of the board of directors."

The ambulance services' 40th anniversary was celebrated on Wednesday night at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. Some 200 invited guests mingled over hors d'oeuvres from Grazie Ristorante and looked over the long table filled with awards, recognitions and the history of the ambulance service.

It ended with the unveiling of its new moniker: Northern Berkshire Emergency Medical Services.

The new logo centers the Mount Greylock Veterans Memorial and its beacon on a mountainous terrain with an orange and gold maple leaf behind. The EMS division has a heartbeat, the van transport service a winding road.

The rebranding effort was a result of the merger with Village that was effective on Jan. 1. The financially struggling Williamstown ambulance service was facing closure last year but was brought under the management umbrella of NAAS through a collaborative effort with the town of Williamstown and Williams College, which provided the financial backing.

Amalio Jusino, assistant chief and operations manager, said the charge was to come up with a name and image that would symbolize the joined services' mission to the community.

"My goal was to bring our lives together, to bring core individuals from each agency together to make a sustainable, a powerful, positive and all-encompassing image as a result of the synergistic decisions that were being made," he said.

Emergency services officials admitted that organizations tend to get territorial over coverage but Village and NAAS were connected between personnel who had worked at both organizations and a collegial professionalism.

"It's almost like getting married, it's almost like we got together and started dating and this just got better and better and better, there was no agendas, there were never words of anger or a power struggle," Moulton said. "It just worked so smoothly ... it was like it was always meant to be."

Dr. Erwin Steubner, former president of Village is now vice president of Northern Berkshire EMS. He complimented the expertise and professionalism of the combined medical service.

"After exploring all the options to the decision to merge was really for me and for our board, easy," Stuebner said. "It's a strong service we have now and it's certainly much more stronger than it was. The community is fortunate to have us.

General Manager John Meaney Jr. and Jusino both noted that this was National Emergency Medicine Week and that the theme this year is "stronger together." They felt the integration of the two ambulances was an example of how collaboration and unification could strengthen a much-needed service.

"We have much to be proud of during our 40 years, we have received hundreds of accolades for patient care provided by our employees," said Meaney. "Our employees are the backbone of our being 40 years successful. ...

"We are truly stronger together and because of that our patients and the communities we serve are the ultimate winners."

"I'm glad the decision was made to combine the organizations before something greater was lost for everyone," said Brian Andrews, president of Emergency Medical Services of Berkshire County. "This collaboration takes a difficult situation and takes the best of these two organizations and makes EMS of Northern Berkshire County  and all of Berkshire County  that much stronger and much better for the citizens who rely on its life-saving services."

The gathering also watched to videos showing pictures and articles of NAAS history and of the events leading up to the merger. There were several other speakers who shared their recollections and congratulations.

Bruce Shepley, a nurse and early squad member, recalled how difficult communications were at the time the service began. There was no 911 but rather bulky radios and antennas. Emergency medicine as a specialty didn't exist, as doctors at the hospital took turns covering the emergency room. Sometimes it might be a pediatrician, other times a surgeon.



The new logo puts Mount Greylock front and center; a heartbeat and a star of life differentiates EMS from the transport services. At left, the older logo for NAAS used the clocktower at Mass MoCA with a Mount Greylock tiny on the left side. The coins with the old logo were passed out to guests. "It was a very very different time," he said. "There were no mentors. We did not go to the generation before us and say, 'what do we do in this situation?' We had a textbook, we had our training wherever we got our EMT from ... we turned to each other. A lot of it was common sense, though there was a little trial and error in there."

Meaney some of the highlights of the service's history. It started with $35,000 and worked out of 500 square feet at the fire station until moving to its current location at the corner of Harris and River streets in 1994. The service had to add on another 2,000 square feet in 2009 and purchase more ambulances. Over the years its coverage area has expanded to Clarksburg, Florida, Monroe, and Stamford and Readsboro, Vt. It provides back up service for Adams, Cheshire, and Savoy.

Meaney also pointed out the efforts of Barbara Wagner, who was president from the service's inception in 1978 until her death in 2006, and to John "Jack" Leu, who joined the board after closing his Mohawk Ambulance and remains involved.

Former Mayor Richard Alcombright shared his story of the "gravy crime scene," when his mother had fallen trying to move a crockpot with a pot roast. Alcombright said he'd gotten an alert but finished what he was doing because he knew NAAS would be responding. When he got to his mother's, there was gravy everywhere  one EMT was cleaning up and the other was helping his mother wash up.

When he asked her if he could tell the story, his mother had nothing but praise for the EMTs.

"The one thing she said that really stood out to me, she said, when they come here they are my friends," Alcombright said. "They all took care of my mom. Is there a greater honor, John, you could receive than being called 'friend.'"

Also speaking were Geoffrey H. Sprague, the ambulance service's first general manager; Patrick Carnevale, director of the governor's Western Massachusetts office; James Kolesar, assistant to the president for public affairs at Williams College; Jason Hoch, Williamstown town manager; and Deborah Clapp, executive director of the Western Mass EMS Office, Region 1.

The service also received resolutions and congratulations from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, state Sen. Adam Hinds, and state Rep. John Barrett III. Two new ambulances with the new name on them were also unveiled in the courtyard.

"I'm excited for what comes next and what you're going to build on this foundation of saving lives, of giving comfort and modeling unparalleled professionalism," Mayor Thomas Bernard said. "On behalf of the city of North Adams, I offer my sincere congratulation and here's to the next 40 years and more."The Choice for Western Mass: Lead or Lose

State Houses across the country, and right here in Massachusetts, are facing a moment of generational change in leadership. Particularly in Western Mass, which is too often ignored by decision-makers on Beacon Hill, we will have to speak up  and fight together  for the funding, the projects and the policy priorities we need.

There are many issues where we are already leading the state. On the opioid epidemic, which has hit our region especially hard, we helped create the Narcan bulk purchase program that has saved thousands of lives. And our residents have banded together to form groups like Belchertown's Speaking Out About Addiction and Recovery, the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region, and the Berkshire Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative, to help people in recovery as well as their families and friends.

On transportation, we are leading the conversation about how best to connect our Commonwealth: by investing in North-South Rail along the Knowledge Corridor, East-West Rail from Pittsfield to Springfield to Boston and the Berkshire FLYER, linking New York City to the Berkshires.

On job training, we are investing in retraining our workforce for the jobs of the future, creating models for the state. From Springfield's privately-led business venture Tech Foundry to the Berkshire Innovation Center to educational programs at Putnam Vocational-Technical High School and STCC, we are designing innovative solutions to fill our skills gap.

On health care, the Senate took bold action in the HEALTH Act to address the issue of price disparity that disproportionately affects our Western Mass hospitals. The legislation would also protect patients from the cost of surprise out-of-network bills, and promote critical improvements in the delivery of health care for Western Mass including expansion of mobile integrated healthcare, telemedicine, and appropriate staffing levels for ambulances serving rural communities.

But there are other issues and priorities, unique to Western Mass, which we must stand up for as real and present needs in our communities.

Regional Transit Authority funding to support local transportation options offered by the Berkshire, Franklin and Pioneer Valley Transit Authorities is a vital Western Mass need. Unlike the Greater Boston area, we don't have access to the MBTA. Our residents without cars have no other option beside RTA buses  and they would be left stranded without them.

These bus rides make the difference between employees getting to work and elderly patients seeing their doctors.

This transportation is not a luxury, but a critical need that has ripple effects in our regional economy and even in our health-care system.

Local transportation is also a unique challenge for Western Mass schools. Because many of our school districts are regional, they require fleets of school buses that can be expensive to operate, some driving 20-mile routes daily to get students safely to and from school.

We have consistently asked the state to fully reimburse regional school districts for these costs, and we have been successful in getting more and more state support each year. But we must continue to press this issue affecting our schools, which have much different needs than those in more crowded urban and suburban neighborhoods.

And for the most rural of all school districts, we have identified a new and innovative way to support them by creating a new source of state funding called Rural School Aid, to ensure the commonwealth does not inadvertently create unequal education opportunities for children who live in rural areas.

We also must stand up for those institutions providing unique services to Western Mass, from our Holyoke Soldiers' Home to our Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam to the only public health hospital in the Western Mass counties, Western Massachusetts Hospital.

While we have pledged to work together to represent the needs and protect the interests of former Sen. Rosenberg's district for the remainder of this legislative session, we cannot succeed in making the case for all of Western Mass without your help.

We need everyone in Western Mass to step up and champion the great work you are doing and the great progress our region is making.

In the midst of a historic loss of representation for our region, we need to hear from you.

Representing our region is not just a job for senators to do every week on Beacon Hill; being the face and the voice of Western Mass is also a job for those without an official title but with the most important role: citizens.

The default is for Western Mass to be forgotten, left behind and left out of the statewide conversation. We cannot let that happen now when there are even fewer voices to speak up on our behalf.

Our choices are simple: Western Mass either continues to lead or loses out in the budget and policy battles ahead.

Our voices matter, our needs matter, and it's time for us to make clear that we are contributing more than our fair share to the commonwealth.This content is from: Capital Markets

The EU has created a new rank of bank creditors to help banks comply with the resolution requirements at a more favourable cost while improving the protection of depositorsThe idea of an employee working for one company for an entire career is an outdated notion. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American will change jobs 10 to 15 times (with an average of 12 job changes) during his or her career. In fact, statistics show many workers spend five years or fewer in every job.

Now more than ever, we need to assess our fiscal readiness as we transition from one job to another. Here are three tips to take into account as you consider making job or career transitions.

Be prepared for the unexpected.

If you are downsized without severance or leave a job voluntarily before securing another position, you should have a savings account balance to cover six to eight months of expenses. Of course, the larger the cushion, the longer you can maintain your current lifestyle as you search for another position. When you switch employers, there may be a lag between the last check at the old job and the first check at the new job. With extra savings, you wont have to worry about your inability to pay monthly expenses.

However, if you are unemployed due to layoff, you may be eligible for unemployment compensation. In the state of Indiana, you must have earned $4,200 in the first four of the last five calendar quarters before you file for unemployment. Of the $4,200 total wages, $2,500 must be earned in the last six months of this same time period. In addition to having a qualified reason for separation and meeting the income requirement, you must also be able, available and actively seeking full-time employment to continue to receive or avoid a reduction in unemployment benefits.

Pay attention to your medical benefits.

If you change jobs, what happens to your medical benefits? You should plan medical and dental visits before transitioning from your current employer. In addition, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) provides an opportunity for continued medical coverage during the transition period if you were already enrolled in your employers medical plan. COBRA requires that your previous employer offer the option of continuing coverage under your current health plan. The coverage is an option for most employees who have been terminated for any reason, except gross misconduct. The employee can extend coverage under COBRA for up to 36 months depending on the event that led to employment termination. The employee usually has 60 days after termination to elect to continue medical coverage.

The downside of continuing medical coverage with COBRA is that the premiums will be higher than those paid as an employee, because you are now responsible for both the employee and employer portion of the premium. You may also consider a plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Refer to healthcare.gov for the latest information.

Review your 401(k) options.

What about contributions made to your 401(k) plan? Once you separate from your previous employer, you could decide to leave your money where it is. Although your money stays in the old plan, you are no longer allowed to make additional contributions. The second option is to rollover the balance into your new employers retirement plan. When deciding between these options, consider the fees charged by both plans, as well as the different investment vehicles offered by both plans.

A third option is to rollover the contributions to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). Similar to a 401(k), the contributions to an IRA are tax deferred, meaning the contribution is nontaxable but taxable upon withdrawal. The final option is the costliest, and that is withdrawing the balance upon separation from your employer. This option requires your former employer to withhold a mandatory 20 percent federal income tax and a 10 percent withdrawal penalty if you are younger than 59-and-a-half years old.

If youre considering a transition to a new job, be mindful of these three tips. As you start to make a checklist of what you want from an employer, make sure youre ready to make the financial transition as well.

Angela Andrews is a clinical assistant professor of accounting at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business on the IUPUI campus.Last Month  April 28  America lost one of its best theologians in Rev. James Hal Cone. Cone was known as the founder of Black liberation theology, and was the Bill and Judith Moyers Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary. Cone has several published works to his credit, his most recent notable published work being, The Cross and the Lynching Tree.

Cones life is particularly important to Black America because he embodied intellectual and prophetic excellence in scriptural interpretation and practical theological application in society. Through his writings and teachings, Black Americans who identify with Christianity finally had a theologian who skillfully, authoritatively and rightly divided the scriptures to reflect God as being identified and concerned with their experience here in America. His writings and teachings on Black Liberation Theology in the 1960s was born out of a crisis of faith as the Black Power movement was playing out in the social backdrop. For him, his faith had to permit him to be unapologetically Black and Christian. Christian theology had to be able to speak to the lived realities of Blacks who are subjugated, oppressed and bombarded with persistent social messages of inferiority.

Black Liberation Theology exposed white supremacy as the biggest sin undermining the Western, specifically American churchs witness. Christianity in America has a way of presenting salvation universally at the expense of salvations contextual reality. This is particularly true in America when it comes to race and racism. The church talks about the good news of salvation of eternal life in Christ but struggles to share the good news about what Christ has done and has to say about racism in America. In the Gospels, Christ consistently dealt with the larger need of salvation, and the immediate needs of people at the same time. He said, which is easier, for me to say, your sins be forgiven you, or, rise take up your bed and walk (Luke 5:17-23). The consistent oversight of the American church to ignore, and thereby perpetuate racism and white supremacy in our country undermines the churchs witness.

Despite Cones major contributions to Christian theology in America, many who attend Black churches have never heard of him. He dealt very pointedly with a societal sin in this country that many Christians (Black or white) are unwilling to grapple with. One of the biggest concerns plaguing Black churches today, is that many of its ministers who flock to seminaries are being inseminated with a theology that ignores or omits the contextualized good news to marginalized, oppressed and subjugated peoples in their ministerial preparation. So much so that when social sins of police brutality, environmental racism as in Flint, Michigan, or the prison industrial complex, a host of Black ministers are ill-equipped to deal with these societal sins because they have effectively been trained in theologies that have nothing to say about it. They have unwittingly been trained in theologies designed consciously or unconsciously to maintain and perpetuate White supremacy. In a very similar way, many Black pastors and ministers who have never had formal theological training will still be inclined to be more familiar with a Charles Spurgeon, A.W. Tozer, or C.S. Lewis, than Dr. James H. Cone. The good news is contextual. Jesus did not address blindness when the immediate need before him was leprosy.

Now more than ever, an overwhelming contextualized sound is required from one of the Black communitys historically most important institutions, the Black church. Indeed, the American church as a whole! Cone has bequeathed a prophetic, authoritative and contextualized theology that can and will be useful to the church in America to directly address the social sin of race, which has plagued this country since its inception.Eighteen seconds is not a lot of time. Thats how long it took for Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officers Carlton J. Howard and Michal P. Dinnsen to fire 11 rounds into 45-year-old Aaron Baileys car on June 29, 2017. The officers said they believed that Bailey had a gun. He didnt.

On that fateful day, Bailey was pulled over by police. About 10 minutes later, for reasons that are not clear, Bailey abruptly drove away. He led police on a short chase, which ended when Baileys car hit a tree. Officers Howard and Dinnett, who were driving separate patrol cars, approached Baileys severely damaged vehicle. Eighteen seconds later, the officers opened fire. They shot Bailey. To death. In his back.

No matter the facts of this encounter, there is no good story to tell. If the officers acted solely in accordance with their training and departmental policy, its tragic because a life was taken. If the officers acted rashly or out of malice, its tragic because a life was taken. Or if Bailey had been armed  and had shot one or both officers  it would have been tragic. Once the chain of events was set in motion, the stakes became high. In fact, they became deadly.

Special prosecutor Ken Cotter was assigned to review the shooting. Ultimately, he declined to press criminal charges against the officers, agreeing that they had legitimately feared for their lives. In his report, Mr. Cotter concluded there is insufficient evidence to refute either the officers claim of subjective fear or the objective reasonableness of that fear.

Despite Cotters findings, Mayor Joe Hogsett and IMPD Chief Bryan Roach both called for the firing of the officers who were involved. A few days ago, the Civilian Police Merit Board  which has the power to terminate police officers  rejected that recommendation. As a result, Hogsett called for changes to the Merit Board. The officers, who had been on administrative leave, are back on the job. As of this writing, it is not clear whether they will return to patrol duties.

Those are the facts upon which all rational people can agree. (I am mindful that, in todays surreal social and political climate, a disturbing number of people question objective facts.) Yet, facts  while valid  dont always provide the full picture. The full picture includes not only what happened in this specific instance, but also the troubled historical context of relations between the police and African-Americans across this nation.

Race is the all-too-common aggravating factor in encounters like this one. Both of the officers are white; Bailey was Black. Considering this police action shooting in the context of many others over the years, most African-Americans see its outcome as virtually inevitable. For most of us, the notion that officers so frequently seem to fear for their lives in encounters with unarmed Black men is painfully hard to accept. Given the fact that white men are statistically more likely than Black men to shoot police officers, it has become unbearable to accept this explanation. Second, unarmed Black men are more likely to be shot by police than armed white men. That is a damning reality that rubs African-Americans raw, spurring Black parents to have the talk with our children (especially our boys) when they are very young.

My goal is to offer suggestions that I hope will protect citizens  and officers. Im also hopeful that we can strengthen the bonds of trust between the community, especially African-Americans, and police officers. First, I believe that there needs to be a review process for the Merit Boards decisions. That process should be an aggregate assessment rather than one that questions each decision individually. Thus, the Merit Board should not feel that its role is unnecessary or that someone is constantly questioning their findings. By the same token, there should be a way to correct the board when it is wrong.

Second, I strongly agree with political activist Shaun King that when families win civil cases in these situations, the fraternal police officers associations should pay the judgment rather than the cities in which the incidents occur. I strongly suspect that would substantially reduce such shootings.

Third, Im calling for increased collective action among the faith community, nonprofit organizations and other leaders to coalesce around this issue. Groups like Faith in Indiana and DONT SLEEP have been at the forefront of this struggle; there is room for many others.

Fourth, it is critically important to elect prosecutors who will charge police officers when they cross the line. I dont care whether those prosecutors are Democrats or Republicans; this is not a partisan issue  at least for me. Its an issue of life and death. I am pro-life, not merely pro-birth.

Finally, I am hopeful that Mayor Hogsetts community policing initiative, which mirrors efforts from past years, will be an effective step (among others) to try to help African-Americans be more comfortable with police officers and vice versa.

I am well aware that my suggestions, even if implemented, would not immediately solve this very complex problem. I understand that officers fear for their lives  with good reason. I understand that their job places them under incredible stress and that they must make split second decisions. Yet, when we continue to have situations like the one involving Aaron Bailey, its time to make dramatic changes.While local Black Republicans say they often feel like anomalies, many are active in the local community and believe their political views can work for the betterment of both the African-American community and Indianapolis as a whole.

Conservatives in our community

One such individual is Adrianne Slash, who became interested in politics at a young age due to conversations with her father, Joe Slash, who served as Indianapolis first Black deputy mayor under Republican Mayor Bill Hudnut. She considers herself a conservatively leaning moderate.

The (Hudnut) administration got us to a place that doesnt sleep at five, but is growing and advancing, Slash said. Growing up in that environment, you cant help but get a bug for wanting to be a part of it in some way, shape or fashion.

Her father, an accountant by trade, taught Slash the value of being fiscally conservative at a young age. While her views keep her right of center, as a Black millennial she strongly values diversity and inclusion.

I want to see people who look like me, and for everyone to get a fair shot, Slash said. I dont want anyones rights to be trampled upon because my people have tons of history of being trampled upon.

Greenwood resident Jillean Long Battle agrees that diversity is important. Long Battle is a Compton, California, native and a graduate of UC Berkeley, which she calls The most liberal university in the world. In undergrad, she learned the value of entering diverse rooms and being open to hearing out unique perspectives.

I feel like anyone who keeps themselves in places where everyone looks and thinks like you, you are not growing, you are conforming, Long Battle said.

She moved to Indiana in 2006 to attend law school, and her desire to open her mind led her to join a Republican group.

I was the only Black person. When I walked into the room for the first meeting they all stared at me. I guess they werent sure if I was there just for the pizza or what, she laughed. Nonetheless, I stayed just to hear what the conversation was like in the room.

She later formed an unlikely friendship with Richard Earl Mourdock, the 53rd treasurer of the state of Indiana.

Over time, Long Battle decided many of her views aligned with the Republican party, much to her familys dismay.

When my mom found out I had become a Republican, she stopped talking to me and didnt want me to bring it up because she didnt want to be embarrassed, Long Battle said. But when people asked me why, I say, My goal is to provide for my kids, and I want a community that helps itself, that doesnt rely on anyone. I understand why government programs are there, but I dont want to ever be tied to them, or my children to be, or the generations to follow. Even though you are a Democrat and I am a Republican, we can champion the same things.

(Clarification: While Democrats and Republicans have different views on how to achieve goals, Jillean Long Battle said, there are more commonalities than differences and Africans-Americans need to be present to offer their perspectives to both parties. In addition, whatever party is in power, government assistance programs are there as a safety net but the goals of both Democrats and Republicans is to empower people toward self-sufficiency.)

Donald Eason, senior pastor of Fall Creek Parkway Church of Christ, says family and fiscal values are at the forefront of issues that led him to the Republican Party. Eason grew up in a family of Democrats. In the 90s he was a precinct delegate with the Democratic party in Detroit, but had a change of heart about his party after a conversation with a man running for governor.

I asked him What are you going to do for my community, Eason said. I could go across to the suburbs, and they had mom-and-pop shops all over. I wanted to know how they could help the entrepreneur and they literally told me to be quiet. They said, you ask a lot of good questions, but lets not kill our candidate before he gets into office. From that point on, I started looking at the issues.

He says the Republican Party is the party of freedom and choice, and feels many values that are important to the Black community  religion, family and economic growth  are key conservative values as well.

As African-Americans, we sold our votes to the Democrats, and they dont have to do anything for us because they know we will vote for them. On the other hand, the Republican party knows our vote is already sold to the Democrats so they dont have to do anything for us either. What we have done is put ourselves in a place where we do not have value, said Eason.

Laura Wilson, assistant professor of political science at the University of Indianapolis, says minorities that run or vote under the Republican ticket provide diversity of representation and cause all parties to fight for the Black vote.

Oftentimes, Im sure the Democrats take for granted that African-Americans are going to vote for them, Wilson said. They should not do that as a party. When you look at Doug Jones in Alabama, it was decided by African-American female votes. Its clear who they support can be indicative of the winner.

Trump and political perceptions

Since Trump became president in 2016, many individuals in minority communities feel race relations have worsened.

Wilson says both Obama and Trumps presidency changed Americans perceptions of our two major parties and the state of race relations in our nation.

Before Obamas administration, a lot of people thought we were a post-racial society. It quickly became clear that race was still an issue, Wilson said. You have Trayvon Martin with Obama, and with Trump we have had Charlottesville, and they handled it very differently. Oftentimes, politicians on the Democratic side see race relations as important. The Republican Party does not see it as a major issue, certainly not a priority. You can see that difference in who supports them. Its fascinating to see the Republicans transition in terms of race because they were the part of Lincoln.

Long Battle says the months following Trumps election have been hard on her. She has felt emotionally sad and depressed due to the increased division in the country.

She feels more Republican leaders should speak up for minority issues, and against the negative rhetoric that divides the country.

So much in the media is not valuing the Black community. I actually have to stop (watching the news) for a second, because you can really become depressed, Long Battle said. Whats really hurting the party right now is that when you hear negative rhetoric, you dont have enough conservative leaders standing up and saying, Thats not our party. With the rhetoric that divides us, we dont have enough leaders saying Thats not who we are, this still is the party of Lincoln, of Frederick Douglass. We dont have that, and so many people are disenchanted.

Eason, on the other hand, says he supports many of Trumps policies and feels they are helpful to our community. For example, he supports decreasing taxes and protecting his Second Amendment right to bear arms. However, he does not wish to be compared to Trump just because he is a Republican.

They try to attach me to him, but I dont know him, he doesnt know me, and he is probably not looking to meet me, said Eason.

Nationally, the Republican party isnt known for promoting inclusivity and diversity, however, Long Battle says she remembers that what makes headlines is often not the full story on either side of the isle.

I have to look and say, what are the stories not making the headlines that I can focus on? Long battle said. My son, a little Black boy, has a best friend who is white. They call each other brothers. If we put a wall up in opposition to someone and say This is where I stand, we are never going to make any breakthroughs. When I look at my life, my white neighbors, and look at my son I know there is still hope, and there is still time to better the next generation.

Slash says her dream is for moderate politicians looking to unite the country to make headlines.

Many (Black people) can identify with the values of the (Republican) party, but they can not identify with the people representing it. And if the spokesperson is not great you ended up voting against your interests, Slash said. There are not many of us on this side because a lot of us are blinded by what you see on TV, who represents the party loudly rather than what your views are. I would like to get more people on the mainstream that are closer to moderate, but that is me asking for a tall order.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Jillean Long Battle is a resident of Greenwood not Indianapolis? In addition, clarification was given to Long Battles quote to more accurately reflect her views.

Adrianne SlashWarm weather is here in Indianapolis and that means the return of porch parties in the Herron-Morton neighborhood and surrounding areas. In its sixth year, porch parties are now a staple in this historic Indianapolis neighborhood and has become key in neighbors getting to know one another while enjoying great food and music.

In 2013, Harrison Art Center Director Joanna Taft realized that after more than 20 years of living at 20th and New Jersey streets, she didnt really know her neighbors. Shed gotten to know the families adjacent to her but didnt know much about the people who walked their dogs in the area every morning or the kids who rode their bikes home from school. So, she took the small gathering her next-door neighbors and she participated in for six years and decided to blow it up in a big way.

The Harrison Center launched a #PorchPartyIndy initiative and invited all the neighbors in Herron Morton Place to porch, she recalled. We chose one day, about 30 porches participated. Next, we partnered with Urban Times newspaper and invited those 11 partner neighborhoods. Hundreds signed up.

A porch party is exactly what it sounds like. Every Sunday afternoon, homeowners in different neighborhoods fire up the grills, buy some drinks, sweet treats, break out the hammocks and lawn chairs and invite the entire neighborhood to hang out on their porch. These parties are set up so multiple homes can host a party at the same time, allowing guests to wander from house to house. Taft says its important that there are no restrictive rules to porching (what the neighborhood lovingly calls it). Some porchers have games like cornhole or a card table set up for a friendly game of spades, others just put out chairs so neighbors can grab a seat and chat about their upcoming week.

When people began flocking to these parties, Taft knew she created something special. Three years ago, they partnered with Indianapolis Motor Speedway to expand the initiative around the state. So far, 52 of Indianas 92 counties have participated.

Although all neighborhoods are invited, this year Tafts neighborhood is focusing on the Hillside, Kennedy-King and Herron-Morton neighborhoods. The goal is to build partnerships between these three neighborhoods because of the diversity each one offers. She believes they can be stronger together. Residents in each of the areas switch off hosting in their neighborhood each week.

There has been a lot of conversation in our city and across the country about how we can understand each other better, Taft said. I want all residents of these different neighborhoods to find community together. Recently Herron-Morton rebranded their neighborhood. They decided they wanted to be known for arts, diversity and porching. I suggested to them that they might want to consider partnering with other neighborhoods to enhance the diversity of their community. That is how the partnership between [the three neighborhoods] came about. The results have been very rich. There are older residents in Hillside who know the story of the neighborhood and can share it, and the neighborhoods are located near each other so they can work together to get the city to address problems. There are many benefits.

Kennedy-King neighborhood resident Kimberly Burton says shes glad this partnership is taking place. She began porching around 2008 before Colts games on Sunday afternoons, but has continued to do it even during the off season because of the connections shes made.

I think knowing our neighbors helps us care for one another and to be a bit like family for each other, regardless of where we live, she said.

Taft says anyone can create their own porch party in their neighborhood and no, a front porch is not needed. If your neighborhood hasnt been active in #PorchPartyIndy or even if youre out in the suburbs, Taft believes all you need is a willingness to start.

I read a story about a woman who lives in the suburbs in Texas and she put a purple picnic table in her front yard to encourage her neighborhood to connect! Taft said. I believe when we are connected, we are healthy. When people are connected in neighborhoods, the neighborhood is healthy. When neighborhoods are healthy, our city is healthy.

(l-r) Tom Melangton, Indy 500, Vernon Compton, Nabil Ince, and Joanna Taft all pose on the porch of Joanna Lenoir on Columbia Avenue during a porch party with a race theme. (Photo/Jerome Brewster)During my middle year at Yale Divinity School, I spent my time in one of their urban ministry collaboratives, the Inter-Seminary Theological Education and Ministry (ISTEM) program. The program was based in New York City. I chose to participate in Harlem at Convent Avenue Baptist Church and the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO) led by Rev. Lucius Walker. I took classes from Union Theological Seminary.

I entered the program expecting to be transformed by the urban context and the critical reflection of it for learning. I expected to become more globally aware and learn community-organizing skills in socially marginalized communities affected by hunger and poverty in the United States and abroad. I did not foresee how dramatically my intellectual formation and vision would be transformed by my classes, special lectures and conversations at Union Theological Seminary. The highlights of this experience were my intellectual and hospitable engagements with Black academic giants like Cornell West, James Forbes, James Washington and James Cone at Union.

In the specific case of Cone, I was privileged to take systematic theology and Black liberation theology. I recall my first day in his class. I quickly learned that he had very high academic expectations of all his students. At the same time, he provided support for students with his teaching assistants, small group work and mentoring.

While Cone was best known for the development of Black liberation theology and his book, God of the Oppressed at that time, I came to learn that Cones doctoral work was on German theologian, Karl Barth. His approach to systematic theology had roots in neo-orthodoxy not liberalism. His theological advancements advancing a Black liberation theological lens were directly related to the advancement of all Gods people with a preferential option for the poor.

This came to mind when I was a presenter at the recent Christian World Mission and Evangelism Conference (CWME) in Arusha, Tanzania. This very expanded ecumenical forum of most of the families of Christendom focused on the theological advancement of missions from the margins which was a theological shift from former missional and evangelical formulations. However, long before this shift, I remember that Cones advancement of a God of the oppressed and a Black liberation theology articulated the same priority.

To be sure, Cone was courageous for advancing his theological lens in a time when people of African descent and the poor, many who were and still are people of African descent, were dismissed. Today we continue to live in the painful structural history of racism and economic disparities.

Bread for the World is a partner for racial equity and no hunger or poverty for any of Gods children. Visit bread.org/pan-african-devotional to learn more. May our dear brother in Christ rest in eternal peace and live on through so many of us influenced by him!

Angelique Walker-Smith is senior associate for Pan-African and Orthodox Church Engagement at Bread for the World.CEO of NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant poses with executive from ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer after a presentation on Manufacturing in the Age of Artificial Intelligence at NITI Aayog. NITI Aayog ABB are partnering to make India AI ready. (NITI Aayog Twitter photo)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.By Michael Riley and Lauren Etter

PSY Groups work included fake personas, firms documents show

Founder is reported to have met with Donald Trump Jr. in 2016

May 23, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Special Counsel Robert Muellers team has asked about flows of money into the Cyprus bank account of a company that specialized in social-media manipulation and whose founder reportedly met with Donald Trump Jr. in August 2016, according to a person familiar with the investigation.

The inquiry is drawing attention to PSY Group, an Israeli firm that pitched its services to super-PACs and other entities during the 2016 election. Those services included infiltrating target audiences with elaborately crafted social-media personas and spreading misleading information through websites meant to mimic news portals, according to interviews and PSY Group documents seen by Bloomberg News.

The person doesnt believe any of those pitches was successful, and its illegal for foreign entities to contribute anything of value or to play decision-making roles in U.S. political campaigns.

One of PSY Groups founders, Joel Zamel, met in August 2016 at Trump Tower with Donald Trump Jr. and an emissary to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to discuss how PSY Group could help Trump win, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

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Marc Mukasey, a lawyer for Zamel, said his client offered nothing to the Trump campaign, received nothing from the Trump campaign, delivered nothing to the Trump campaign and was not solicited by, or asked to do anything for, the Trump campaign. He also said reports that Zamels companies engage in social-media manipulation are misguided and that the firms harvest publicly available information for lawful use.

Donald Trump Jr. recalls a meeting at which he was pitched on a social media platform or marketing strategy, said his attorney, Alan Futerfas, in an emailed statement. He was not interested and that was the end of it.

Following Trumps victory, PSY Group formed an alliance with Cambridge Analytica, the Trump campaigns primary social-media consultants, to try to win U.S. government work, according to documents obtained by Bloomberg News.

FBI agents working with Muellers team interviewed people associated with PSY Groups U.S. operations in February, and Mueller subpoenaed bank records for payments made to the firms Cyprus bank accounts, according to a person who has seen one of the subpoenas. Though PSY Group is based in Israel, its technically headquartered in Cyprus, the small Mediterranean island famous for its banking secrecy.

Shortly after those interviews, on Feb. 25, PSY Group Chief Executive Officer Royi Burstien informed employees in Tel Aviv that the company was closing down. Burstien is a former commander of an Israeli psychological warfare unit, according to two people familiar with the company. He didnt respond to requests for comment.

PSY Group developed elaborate information operations for commercial clients and political candidates around the world, the people said.

Poisoning the Well

Tactics deployed by PSY Group in foreign elections included inflaming divisions in opposition groups and playing on deep-seated cultural and ethnic conflicts, something the firm called poisoning the well, according to the people.

In a contracting proposal for the U.S. State Department that PSY Group prepared with Cambridge Analytica and SCL Group, Cambridges U.K. affiliate, the firm said that it has conducted messaging/influence operations in well over a dozen languages and dialects and that it employs an elite group of high-ranking former officers from some of the worlds most renowned intelligence units.

Although the proposal says that the company is legally bound not to reveal its clients, it also boasts that PSY has succeeded in placing the results of its intelligence activities in top-tier publications across the globe in order to advance the interests of its clients.

That proposal was the result of a collaboration that gelled after Trumps victory -- a mutual non-disclosure agreement between Cambridge and PSY Group is dated Dec. 14, 2016 -- but the documents dont indicate how the companies initially connected or why they decided to work together.

Companies Shut Down

Cambridge Analytica and the elections division of SCL shut down this month following scrutiny of the companies business practices, including the release of a secretly recorded interview of Cambridge CEO Alexander Nix saying he could entrap politicians in compromising situations.

The joint proposal for the State Departments Global Engagement Center was for a project to interrupt the recruitment and radicalization of ISIS members, and it provides insight into PSY Groups use of fake social-media personas.

The company spent months preparing for the proposal by developing a persona for an average Chicago teenager named Madison who converted from Christianity to Islam and became alienated from her parents. Over a period of many weeks, Madison interacted with an ISIS recruiter, received instructions for sending money to fighters in Syria, and began an extended flirtation with a fighter in Raqqa, Syria.

Among the long-term objectives of Madisons persona were obtaining names and contacts of radical Turkish Islamic elements and obtaining bank accounts and routing numbers for donating to ISIS, according to the proposal seen by Bloomberg News.

The State Departments Global Engagement Center entered into a contract with SCL Group last year, but it didnt include provisions for work to be performed by any subcontractors, according to a department spokesman. That contract didnt involve social media and was focused on in-person interviews, according to an earlier department briefing.

Tower Meeting

The Trump Tower meeting in August 2016 included Zamel, the PSY Group founder, and George Nader, an adviser to the ruling families of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to the New York Times report. PSY Groups decision to shut down appears to have come the same week that Nader testified before the grand jury working with Mueller, according to the timing of that testimony previously reported in the Times.

Following the election, Nader hired a different company of Zamels called WhiteKnight, which specializes in open-source social media research and is based in the Caribbean, according to a person familiar with the transaction.

The person described WhiteKnight as a high-end business consulting firm owned in part by Zamel that completed a post-election analysis for Nader that examined the role that social media played in the 2016 election.

There is little public information about WhiteKnight or its products, and the company does not appear to have a website.

Another person familiar with PSY Groups operations said that months ago, there was discussion about rebranding the firm under a different name.

The name being discussed internally, according to the person, was WhiteKnight.Tracey Ashcraft said:



Have you ever had any bike accidents? My friend Fred had one last month in Toronto. He was riding back to home after watching a tennis match from Ontario on his bicycle.



I was also following him in my bicycle along with my brother Nick.



Unfortunately, Fred got hit by a car which came in his opposite direction. He got his shoulder bone broken and scratches along with injuries on the back too.



It was clear that the car driver were badly drunken and he showed an extremely aggressive behavior to everyone who gathered on the accident spot.



We are planning to file a lawsuit against the car driver at the earliest. Have you ever had any such previous experiences regarding these kinds of cases?







Any idea about the compensation that he is eligible to claim? I would like to hear your suggestions as well as comments regarding the case.



Any replies will be highly appreciated.



Thanks in advance. Hey guys,Have you ever had any bike accidents? My friend Fred had one last month in Toronto. He was riding back to home after watching a tennis match from Ontario on his bicycle.I was also following him in my bicycle along with my brother Nick.Unfortunately, Fred got hit by a car which came in his opposite direction. He got his shoulder bone broken and scratches along with injuries on the back too.It was clear that the car driver were badly drunken and he showed an extremely aggressive behavior to everyone who gathered on the accident spot.We are planning to file a lawsuit against the car driver at the earliest. Have you ever had any such previous experiences regarding these kinds of cases? I fixed a lawyer dealing with bicycle accident cases in Toronto . How long it may take to get the case processed?Any idea about the compensation that he is eligible to claim? I would like to hear your suggestions as well as comments regarding the case.Any replies will be highly appreciated.Thanks in advance. Click to expand...

Hi Tracy! Welcome to the tiny Canadian Club here that includes RNG and myself...and that's about it so far.And, I live in the somewhat smaller city down the highway of Hamilton (approx 500,000 for any US readers) and I'm also an avid cyclist now who ditched the car and usually use my bike for shopping, getting to and from work and whenever possible on days off- taking the back roads to Niagara Falls (my last hometown I did the highway commute from for almost 20 years.) So, I'm aware of the dangers and risks of trying to bike in our car-oriented cities and most regional roads.I've honestly never tried to bike in Toronto...I've considered it just too dangerous even if you're watching everything and trying to do everything right!I hope your friend "Fred" sues the ass off that driver and it should be easy in his case based on your information. Most of the time, drivers get off easy and if they don't run over the victim, they will often deliberately take off assuming the cyclist 'just fell down and will get over it' if they're confident nobody got their description or plate number!Such an incident happened in front of me at the end of the cycling season last year in late October, when I had just started on my way to the Falls, early on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The artery road in the south end of Hamilton Mountain is very busy and overdeveloped in recent years, but has a clearly marked bike lane. I was coming up to a girl several hundred feet ahead of me on her mountain bike when a pickup truck clipped her..knocking her down and doing minor damage to the bike as the driver got too close on approach to making a righthand turn just ahead. The truck driver clearly seen that he had a collision with a cyclist, since he immediately hit the gas and sped around the corner at the next intersection without slowing down at a red light. But, neither of us got the plate number of more than the briefest description of the truck...which likely had very minor damage that would go unnoticed.The cyclist was only 17, and on her way to work at a store in a new mall in the east end of town. She suffered a broken collarbone and mostly superficial cuts and scrapes from the accident....and that's one of the reasons why I always have a bar-end mirror on my bikes and check it frequently when I'm in traffic to see where the cars are!In recent years, it seems drivers are even more careless than during previous years...with all the cellphones and other garbage that people are looking at instead of the road in front of them! So, especially cycling around a bigger city like Toronto, I think you have to be half paranoid to keep yourself safe out on the road on a bike! I know that...when I'm on my long rides to the Falls, I always feel a drop in tension and a sense of relief when I get past Stoney Creek and onto the quiet farm roads I travel most of the way that have very little traffic except for the locals.May 24, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will not participate in the planned negotiations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The negotiations were planned for June 12 in Singapore, and would have followed after several meetings between top American and North Korean officials.

Mr Trumps decision to pull back from the talks cited tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in a recent statement from North Korean officials. That statement appears to have been one in which a senior North Korean official dismissed remarks from Vice President Mike Pence as stupid, and said that the country would not beg for discussions while warning of a nuclear showdown if diplomacy failed.

Mr Trump had previously said that North Korea may end up like Libya, where then-leader Muammar Gaddafi was killed in 2011 by rebels abandoning nuclear weapons eight years earlier.

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As a person involved in US affairs, I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing from the mouth of the US vice-president, the North Korean official, Choe Son-hui, said in response to the message. Whether the US will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behaviour of the United States.

You can read Mr Trumps letter, in full, below.

North Korea Military Parade

WASHINGTON

May 24, 2018

His Excellency Kim Jong Un Chairman of the State Affairs Commission

of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Pyongyang

Dear Mr. Chairman:

We greatly appreciate your time, patience, and effort with respect to our recent negotiations and discussions relative to a summit long sought by both parties, which was scheduled to take place on June 12 in Singapore. We were informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant. I was very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting. Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place. You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.

I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters. Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you. In the meantime, I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated.

If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write. The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history.

Sincerely yours,

Donald J. Trump

President of the United States of AmericaWatch

May 24, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Prominent Canadian news broadcaster Wendy Mesley exposes the role of billionaire campaign donor Sheldon Adelson in getting the U.S. embassy moved to Jerusalem, Trumps abandonment of the Iran nuclear deal, and both U.S. and Canadian politics in general.

Adelson, the tenth richest man in the world and the GOPs largest donor, is known to use his money to influence policies on behalf of Israel.



Prominent Canadian news broadcaster Wendy Mesley exposes the role of billionaire campaign donor Sheldon Adelson in getting the U.S. embassy moved to Jerusalem, Trumps abandonment of the Iran nuclear deal, and both U.S. and Canadian politics in general.

Adelson, the tenth richest man in the world and the GOPs largest donor, is known to use his money to influence policies on behalf of Israel.

After trump tore up the Iran agreement, Adelson donated an additional $30 million to the Republican party, possibly the single largest single donation in U.S. history.

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Adelson also influenced former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who endorsed Trumps embassy action and anti-Iran move, as well as Canadian conservative leader Andrew Scheer.

Mesley interviews New York Times reporter Ken Vogel, who says that Adelson has private meetings at the White House with Trump, Vice President Pence, John Bolton, and others. Israel is at the heart of Adelsons donations, who has been influenced by his Israeli wife, Miriam.

Vogel explains that Adelson is the enforcer for Jewish American donors who give a lot of money to Republican politicians. People are afraid to cross him.Amnesty International reports of how women and girls who have fled terrorist group Boko Haram are being raped by Nigerian soldiers, starved and forced to exchange food for sex. In the report titled They betrayed us, it is alleged that five women said they were raped by soldiers in late 2015 and early 2016 in a displacement camp in Bama, Borno state.

The report says that members of the Nigerian military and a local vigilante group Civilian Joint Task Force (Civilian JTF) separated women from their husbands and confined them in remote satellite camps where they were raped, sometimes in exchange for food.Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima has just demonstrated that he is not a big fan of betting companies.





The governor, has directed agents of sport betting companies  Bet9ja and Nairabet to leave the state, as a way of curbing social vices.

He said the state is tightening its stance against online betting and drugs and substance abuse.

The governor further disclosed that the state is no longer comfortable with putting up with the effects of such vices on the society.

Shettima made these known at the 14th Annual Ramadan Lecture organised by Borno Radio Television Corporation in Maiduguri.

He said, I have given directives to all Bet9ja and Nairabet agents in the state to leave immediately.

Drug and substance abuse gives birth to all immoral vices hence governments determination to fight all forms of social vices.The candlelight procession of late Nollywood actress Aisha Abimbola popularly known as Omoge campus who died and has now been buried in Canada was held last night.

A walk in honor of the deceased commenced from the Lagos Television in Agidingbi road to Shoprite in Ikeja.



A lot of notable Nollywood actors were there present at the Candlelight procession. Among whom are the President of the The Movies Ambassadors, Saidi Balogun, Afeez Owo and many other actors and actress as well as members of the family of the late actress.

See more photos below;



The actress who has been described by family members as the sole breadwinner of their family will be missed for sure. It was reported that after the death of their parents, Omoge Campus assumed the role of the breadwinner in the family and was responsible for the upkeep of her siblings.



Her elder brother, Taiwo, who was obviously bereaved and still in shock on the death of his sister, revealed that the actress never joked with the well being of every member of the family

He said:

We were all born and raised in Idumota, Lagos. We lost our parents years back and she had assumed the role of the breadwinner of the family. Aishat is a great personality in our family and we always prayed for her because she was indeed the pillar of support that our household had.

Before her death; she was someone who never joked with her family members and siblings at all. She was our mother and father and all. She will sorely be missed.

Aisha Abimbola aka Omoge Campus reportedly died of breast cancer in Canada after a long battle with the ailment.

May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace, Amen.

-AkpraiseThe French Champagne House will delight the world on June 9 as it toasts

the joy of lifes special moments

Moet & Chandon is thrilled to announce its annual Moet & Chandon Grand Day, a day of sparkling celebrations around the globe where, for 24 hours, friends and guests of the Champagne House will come together to raise their champagne glasses in a worldwide toast to the memorable moments that bring joy to their lives.

This year, Moet & Chandon has renamed the annual rendezvous that debuted in 2016 from Moet Party Day to Moet & Chandon Grand Day, continuing its festive tradition with an even more glittering lineup of extraordinary events planned in over 80 countries that will bring together over a million people from Hong Kong to Lagos and Geneva to Montreal.

The translation of the French word fete literally means party, says Elizabeth Oputa, Manager of Champagne Brands at Moet Hennessy in Nigeria. And this year, Moet & Chandon is bringing the art of the fete to Nigeria. Moet & Chandon Grand Day will be a unique event in which we share the magic of champagne and celebrate a day dedicated to the joys of life.

Moet & Chandon Grand Day will flow from hour to hour with uniquely enchanting experiences, starting with a gourmet brunch served at a rooftop lounge to day-time celebrations at decorated rooftop bars with beach front views. Guests will be invited to celebrate their own special milestone with a glass of the alluring signature Moet & Chandon Imperial, or toast to a fabulous year with a glass of refreshing Moet & Chandon Ice Imperial.

Join the conversation by using the hashtags # MoetGrandDay, #MoetNigeria #MoetMoment

ABOUT MOET & CHANDON

Founded in 1743, Moet & Chandon contributed to introduce champagne to the world by offering a range of unique wines for every occasion. From iconic Moet Imperial to the Grand Vintage Collection, from the extroverted Moet Rose Imperial to the innovative Moet Ice Imperial, each champagne dazzles and delights with bright fruitiness, an enticing palate and an elegant maturity.

Moet & Chandon celebrates the thrill of living. With a bottle of its champagne opened every second around the globe, Moet & Chandon knows that every second is an experience, and every experience is a #MoetMoment to live now.

Please drink responsibly

For Media inquires contact

precious.idaewor@ roberttaylormedia.com

Visit www.moet.com for more infomation about Moet and ChandonCristiano Ronaldo has revealed why he feels the need to take his shirt off after scoring and attempted to clarify precisely what he shouts, Goal.com reports.

The Portuguese forward has had plenty of cause for celebration down the years, with the Real Madrid forward revealing that he often opts to remove his shirt as girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez considers him to be a hot guy.

The iconic Portuguese forward is renowned for many things, with an unerring ability to find the back of the net perhaps the most impressive weapon in a remarkable arsenal.

Having plundered 450 goals in just 437 appearances for Madrid, the 33-year-old has established his own unique way of acknowledging those achievements.

His Siiii celebration is now replicated by youngsters around the world, with Ronaldo often choosing to accompany his spinning jump with the removal of his top  despite the obvious threat of receiving a yellow card.

Quizzed as to why he feels the need to do that, the five-time Ballon dor winner told El Chiringuito de Jugones: My girlfriend tells me Im a hot guy!

Ronaldo maintains that he never practices a move which got a first airing during an International Champions Cup clash with Chelsea in August 2013.

When it was put to him that he should be considering a change after almost five years, the Madrid talisman was eager to point out that some people still dont know what he is saying and that he has no intention of retiring the celebration.

He said: The people still dont know how to say it. Its not Suuuuu. Its Si.

Ronaldo now considers the celebration to be part of his game and maintains that he will not be looking to change his ways any time soon.

Ahead of a Champions League final clash with Liverpool on Saturday, he added: Its like the hair. People say: Why dont you cut the hair? Its a disaster.

And honestly it is. But this is my natural hair, you know. Its giving me luck. Why cut it now if its giving good luck? Leave it.

Ronaldo will be hoping his lucky hair allows him to bring about the customary celebration in Kiev this weekend, with Madrid chasing down a hat-trick of Champions League crowns during a period of unprecedented European success in the modern era.

-GoalA Nigerian man has taken to micro-blogging platform, Twitter to narrate the story of his friend who left Nigeria for Canada a week ago and wept on phone when he called him because he felt that he has wasted 25 years of his life in Nigeria.

A friend of mine just left Nigeria for Canada last week. Just got off the phone with him & I was surprised when man started crying & I asked why he was doing that & he said I feel like I wasted 25years of my life in Nigeria

Oh Nigeria, what have we done to deserve all these?

~ Let me say this in pidgin If you never reach another mans farm, you no go know say person farm big pass your own

Hopefully, Nigeria will be a better country for us all but really, seems we arent enjoying anything in this Nation.A Nigerian man @dijiaderoGBA on Twitter has taken to the micro-blogging platform to narrates the story of his friend who left Nigeria for Canada a week ago wept on phone when he called him because he felt that he has wasted 25 years of his life in Nigeria.

Read the full tweets below;

~ A friend of mine just left Nigeria for Canada last week. Just got off the phone with him & I was surprised when man started crying & I asked why he was doing that & he said I feel like I wasted 25years of my life in Nigeria

Oh Nigeria, what have we done to deserve all these?

~ Let me say this in pidgin If you never reach another mans farm, you no go know say person farm big pass your own

Hopefully, Nigeria will be a better country for us all but really, seems we arent enjoying anything in this Nation.

-GistreelOnise Ismail, in her late 20s had stepped out of the house to put on her generator due to power outage.





Little did she know that danger was lurking.

It was gathered that her attacker struck when he/she knew she would be alone at home.

Onise was reportedly stabbed several times in her chest and in the neck till she gave up the ghost at her residence in Citec Estate, Mbora, Jabi bypass, Abuja.

The deceased, who was living alone, was said to have fired her driver and gate man a week before her brutal murder.

She was buried on Sunday amidst wailing by her family and friends who thronged the cemetery in Abuja.

A family source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that after stabbing her to death, the assailant dumped her body in her room and ransacked the house for valuables.

We learnt that a neighbour heard her pleading with her assailant not to kill her, but he (the neighbour) was too scared to intervene.

By the time he went to check on her, she had given up the ghost and her assailant had fled. The yard and the room was soaked with the blood of the deceased, the source narrated.

It was gathered that detectives had commenced investigation into the homicide and a number of suspects have been arrested.Governor Nyesom Wike, on Sunday raised the alarm over alleged plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) -led federal government to assassinate him in a crowd and claim accidental discharge. However, the federal government has said Wike should thank his stars that he enjoys Immunity from prosecution.

During a thanksgiving service to mark the third year anniversary of his administration held at Living Faith Church in D-Line, Port Harcourt. The governor said; Intelligence report available to us as this morning indicate that they are plotting to assassinate me in a crowd and claim it was accidental discharge.

Adding that the plots by the federal government would not intimidate him, as he remains committed to the defence of democracy and Rivers State.

Minister of information, Lai Mohammed, while speaking to State House correspondents yesterday after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, said the only reason why Wike was not already answering questions on this allegation, is because of immunity clause. He said;May 24, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) New research indicates that when pregnant women take certain rheumatoid arthritis (RA) drugs that may cause immunosuppression, their children do not have a marked excess risk of developing serious infections. The Arthritis & Rheumatology findings are potentially encouraging for women with RA who are or wish to become pregnant.

In North America, infections are the leading cause of mortality in children less than 5 years. There are concerns that tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFis), which are used to treat RA and are transported across the placenta, may cause immunosuppression and compromise young children's ability to fight infections; however, there are limited data on the risk of serious infection in children whose mothers used the drugs during pregnancy.

To investigate, Evelyne Vinet MD, PhD, of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) in Montreal, Quebec, and her colleagues used US claim data from 2011 to 2015 to identify 2,989 offspring of women with rheumatoid arthritis and a randomly selected group of 14,596 control children, matched 4:1 for maternal age, year of delivery, and state of residence. The researchers defined TNFi exposure based on at least one filled prescription during pregnancy. Children were followed from birth until 12 months of age, first indication of serious infection, end of commercial insurance eligibility, death, or end of study period (December 30, 2015), whichever came first.

Among offspring of women with RA, 380 (12.7 percent) were exposed to TNFis during pregnancy. The percent of serious infections in those with no TNFi exposure was similar (2.0 percent) to control offspring (1.9 percent), while the percent of serious infections in offspring with TNFi exposure was 3.2 percent. After adjusting for maternal demographics, co-morbidities, pregnancy complications, and medications, however, the investigators were unable to establish an increased risk of serious infections in offspring exposed to TNFis versus both control offspring and offspring of mothers with RA who did not use TNFis.

"Our study provides new evidence to counsel RA women contemplating pregnancy," said Dr. Vinet. "Within the largest cohort of RA offspring exposed to TNFis ever assembled, we did not observe a marked excess risk for serious infections versus unexposed RA offspring and children from the general population. Our data are potentially reassuring, howev

er, we could not exclude a differential risk according to specific TNFi characteristics, with infliximab potentially resulting in a 3-fold increase in the risk of serious infections compared with other TNFis."

Dr. Vinet emphasized that until further studies are conducted to address this issue, it is very important to follow current recommendations when treating women during pregnancy. The European League Against Rheumatism recommends discontinuing infliximab and adalimumab before 20 weeks of gestation and etanercept before 31 to 32 weeks to minimize the risk of infections in offspring, while certolizumab can be continued throughout pregnancy.

Additional Information

The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Members of the media may sign up for embargoed news or to request a copy of any study please contact:

Dawn Peters (US) +1 781-388-8408

sciencenewsroom@wiley.com

Follow us on Twitter @WileyNews

Full Citation

"Serious infections in rheumatoid arthritis offspring exposed to tumour necrosis factor  inhibitors: cohort study." Evelyne Vinet, Cristiano De Moura, Christian A Pineau, Michal Abrahamowicz, Jeffrey R. Curtis, and Sasha Bernatsky. Arthritis & Rheumatology; Published Online: May 17, 2018 (DOI: 10.1002/art.40536).

URL Upon Publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/art.40536

Author Contact: Paul Logothetis, Communications Coordinator, McGill University Health Centre at paul.logothetis@muhc.mcgill.ca or (+1) 514-210-6376.

About the Journal

Arthritis & Rheumatology is an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and covers all aspects of inflammatory disease. The American College of Rheumatology (www.rheumatology.org) is the professional organization whose members share a dedication to healing, preventing disability, and curing the more than 100 types of arthritis and related disabling and sometimes fatal disorders of the joints, muscles, and bones. Members include practicing physicians, research scientists, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, psychologists, and social workers. The journal is published by Wiley on behalf of the ACR. For more information, please visit http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/art.

About Wiley

Wiley, a global research and learning company, helps people and organizations develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. Our online scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, combined with our digital learning, assessment and certification solutions help universities, learned societies, businesses, governments and individuals increase the academic and professional impact of their work. For more than 210 years, we have delivered consistent performance to our stakeholders. The company's website can be accessed at www.wiley.com.

More Info:

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Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.aspHong Kong - May 22, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) The Open Enterprise Logistics (OEL) Foundation, the non-profit organization open to enterprises in the supply chain and logistics industry, today welcomed four new members; XVC Logistics, BSA Logistics (a member of Sinar Mas Group), Maia Global, and Bastian Consulting, extending the reach of the OEL Enterprise Architecture and further promoting blockchain innovation for the logistics space. The announcement coincided with the appointment of Mark Nelson as CTO of the OEL Foundation.

Maia Global, the company that specializes in the management and optimization of temperature-sensitive supply chains, joins XVC Logistics, the Philippines based logistics operator, BSA Logistics and Bastian Consulting, the boutique search practice as the latest members of the OEL Foundation, following its official launch last month.

Paul Good, CEO of BSA Logistics, one of Indonesia's premier logistics services companies said, "The OEL Foundation is the ideal alliance to develop a community-led blockchain ecosystem built on the values of collaboration and innovation. It's a great privilege to work alongside leading industry figures in building the blockchain-powered logistics industry of the future."

The announcement of the four new members comes as the OEL Foundation appointed seasoned IT professional Mark Nelson as its CTO. Nelson has held global and regional roles as head of IT, Operations and Finance and has been a consultant for major players in the banking and insurance sectors such as ING, RBS, Societe Generale, Bupa and Prudential. Nelson's impressive body of work includes the development and successful implementation of advanced systems solutions, and he is an active developer using leading web applications, blockchain and Artificial Intelligence technologies.

Commenting on the appointment, OpenPort CEO and Board Member of the OEL Foundation Max Ward said, "Today is truly a landmark day for the OEL Foundation, welcoming four of the most innovative and forward-thinking logistics operators in the world, as well as our esteemed new CTO, Mark Nelson. Mark has a rich history of using new technologies to equip stakeholders with innovative tools to increase efficiency and reduce costs, and his key technical experience will be invaluable as we lay the foundation for a more efficient, transparent, and cost-effective logistics space."

Newly appointed CTO of the OEL Foundation, Mark Nelson said, "I've greatly admired the OEL Foundation's track record of evolution, education, and development in the blockchain-powered logistics space and I hope to continue that leadership as I join the experienced management team. With our planned roadmap, I look forward to supporting the OEL Foundation's innovative and collaborative culture in the supply chain industry."

The Open Enterprise Logistics (OEL) Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to providing governance, development, and open source collaboration for the OEL Enterprise Architecture. The OPN utility token fuels the OEL Protocol. The Foundation will host a TGE over two phases conducted later in 2018 and 2019. The first phase will be for an ERC20 token with 1-1 parity to the OPN token which will be issued upon launch of the main net in the second phase.

Max Ward, Founder, and CEO of OpenPort and member of the OEL Foundation Board of Directors is available for interview.

About the OEL Foundation:

The Open Enterprise Logistics (OEL) Foundation is a non-profit organization providing governance and resources for the development of the OEL blockchain ecosystem. The OEL ecosystem comprises the open-source OEL Enterprise Architecture, OPN Token and members of the OEL Alliance. A global initiative headquartered in Hong Kong, the Foundation promotes innovative blockchain technologies for enterprise logistics applications.

More Info:

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Investor Ideas 'Potcast'; #Cannabis News and Stocks on the Move; Canopy Growth, Abattis, Canada House Wellness, Callitas, Newstrike

Today's podcast overview/transcript: NYSE: $CGC, CSE: $ATT.C, CSE; $CHV.C, CSE: $LILY.C, TSXV: $HIP.V

Today's podcast overview/transcript:

Good afternoon and welcome to another Investorideas.com potcast - looking at cannabis news, stocks to watch as well as insights from thought leaders and experts. Today we are looking at announcements from Abattis Bioceuticals Corp. trading on the CSE as ATT and OTC as ATTBF, Canada House Wellness Group Inc. trading on the CSE as CHV, Callitas Health Inc. trading on the CSE as LILY and the OTCQB as MPHMF and Newstrike Resources Ltd. Trading on the TSXV as HIP.

But first we take a look at Canopy Growth Corporation trading on the TSX as WEED who announced that it expects its common shares will begin trading under the ticker symbol "CGC" on the New York Stock Exchange today.

This listing follows a history of firsts for the Company including being the first publicly traded, federally regulated cannabis company in North America, and the first to be included in the S&P/TSX Composite index.

"We're a company focussed on leadership, vision, and integrity and listing on one of the most prestigious exchanges in the world validates the level of execution and ambition our team has demonstrated," said Bruce Linton, Chairman & CEO, Canopy Growth. "Five years ago, as a small Smiths Falls based start-up in the cannabis sector, we could have never imagined this historic moment. I am exceptionally proud of our team for what they have built and what we will continue to build by continuing our focus on research, product innovation, and intellectual property to drive the industry forward around the world."

Next going to Abattis Bioceuticals Corp. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Vergence Naturals Ltd. Who have launched their "Live. Love. Life. Naturally!" marketing campaign to build awareness for their naturally inspired health and beauty brands for the conventional and cannabinoid-enhanced markets.



The campaign is designed to promote the products and services of Vergence and the Company's other affiliates. "We are very pleased with the consistent progress being made through our marketing and distribution arm, Vergence," stated Rob Abenante, President and CEO of Abattis. "With the appointment of Dr. Brazos Minshew as Head of the Company's Medical Advisory Board and President of Vergence's Corporate Advisory Board, we look forward to the development of new formulations and innovative natural products for the conventional and cannabinoid-enhanced markets," added Mr. Abenante.

Canada House Wellness Group Inc announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with The University of New Brunswick (UNB) to provide researchers with opportunities to pursue the health benefits of cannabis.

"We're excited to be working with Canada House's team of medical, technological, scientific and business professionals to further build on UNB's status as the leading academic and research-based university," said Dr. David MaGee, vice-president of research at UNB.

Canada House is a diversified group of companies with a broad range of expertise relating to the cannabis industry. Through the partnership, UNB and Canada House hope to provide researchers with opportunities to discover crucial information on the use of cannabis as a medicinal product. It will also allow for shared technology research and development and the exploration of shared education and outreach opportunities.

"We are pleased to be partnering with an academic institution of such high reputation, and rich history, as UNB," said Larry Bortles, chair and CEO of Canada House. "As our industry continues to grow and expand, we are very excited at the potential of what we will accomplish together to change perceptions, not just in New Brunswick, but globally, of the efficacy of medicinal cannabis and it's wide range of curative potential."



The MOU continues UNB's commitment to strengthening the provincial economy through innovative natural product research

Callitas Health Inc. an integrated clinical-stage pharmaceutical development and OTC consumer goods marketing company, announced today that it has signed an Exclusive Development and Intellectual Property Agreement for its patent-pending CannaMint Strips. The Company has contracted with a confidential OTC pharmaceutical development and custom packaging company to help develop, contract manufacture and package the Company's CannaMint Strips for worldwide distribution. The confidential OTC pharmaceutical company already has patented and patent-pending substrate technology for extended release oral films that will further enhance the Callitas patent-pending delivery.



The proprietary, patent and trademark-pending CannaMint strips for THC and CBD provide a unique opportunity for Callitas to position itself in the cannabinoids market. "Our patented and patent-pending technologies have the potential to be game-changers as delivery mechanisms for CBD and THC," said James Thompson, Callitas' Interim President and CEO.

In addition to the signed agreement, the Company has filed additional trademarks for CannaStrips and CanRelief. "Trademark protection for our additional cannabis-related products not only protects our technology, but our shareholder's investment and long-term value as well," Mr. Thompson said.



Finally Newstrike Resources Ltd announced that it has entered into an agreement with a syndicate of investment dealers co-led by Cormark Securities Inc. and INFOR Financial Inc. pursuant to which the Underwriters have agreed to purchase 53,350,000 units from the treasury of the Company, at a price of $0.75 per Unit and offer them to the public by way of short form prospectus for total gross proceeds of approximately $40 million. Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant of the Company.

Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at a price equal to $1.00 for a period of 60 months following the closing of the Offering.

The net proceeds of the Offering shall be used for growth initiatives, working capital and general corporate purposes.

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800-665-0411Rick Mills of Ahead of the Herd opines on the political situation with Kinder Morgan's pipeline.

The Canadian Constitution couldn't be clearer about who controls pipelines that cross provincial boundariesas in Kinder Morgan's proposal to twin an existing pipeline that runs from Edmonton to Burnaby, BC. According to the 1867 Constitution, section 92(10)(a), the federal Parliament has jurisdiction over railways, canals and "other works and undertakings" (including pipelines) that extend across provincial boundaries. If the federal government approves a pipeline, as Justin Trudeau's Liberals did with the Kinder Morgan TMX Expansion project in 2016, no provincial government may, within the limits of our Constitution, override the decision. The "declaratory power" of section (c) strengthens federal jurisdiction even more if the project is considered to be in the national interest. The following is from Tom Flanagan, a professor of political science at the University of Calgary, who knows the Constitution inside-out:

This allows Parliament to declare a work, even though "wholly situate within the province," to be for the general advantage of Canada, or of two or more provinces, and therefore to come under federal jurisdiction. Parliament could invoke the declaratory power over all the local roads, bridges, storage facilities, hydro connections and any other physical installations necessary to construct and maintain a pipeline. - Tom Flanagan

So, all the federal government needs to do is pass a law stating that we WILL build a pipeline to allow Alberta oil to get to tidewater and enjoy international prices rather than the current $27 discount Canadian producers of Western Canadian Select must accept versus the North American West Texas Intermediate benchmark. Instead, we have the Minister of Finance, Bill Morneau, saying Wednesday that they have agreed to write Kinder Morgan a cheque to ensure that the pipeline gets built despite the steadfast opposition of the BC government. In other words, the federal government's solution to what has become a ridiculous dog and pony show of separate interests all fighting each other instead of working together in what could be a national infrastructure project of benefit to all Canadians, is for the costs of any delays to be picked up by you, the taxpayer. And so far Morneau has given no limit as to what he'd pay. It's a blank cheque. How did we get to this sad state of affairs, where our government has to pay off a company just to get a key piece of infrastructure built?

A brief history

It all goes back to the decision in 2016 by newly minted PM Justin Trudeau. The golden boy who could do no wrong, despite the Trudeau name being a curse word in Alberta for Trudeau Senior's hated National Energy Program, decided to reject Northern Gateway and approve Kinder Morgan's project, aka the Trans Mountain pipeline. Why did Trudeau do that? In a bit of twisted logic, Trudeau and his Environment Minister, Catherine McKenna, reasoned that in order for Canada to meet its international carbon emissions reduction obligations, it would impose a national carbon tax. Knowing that a carbon tax wouldn't go over big in Alberta, Trudeau rejected Northern Gateway, which faced impossibly high hurdles in First Nations and environmental opposition, and instead green-lighted Kinder Morgan.

The proposal would twin the Texas-based company's existing pipeline, allowing a tripling of crude oil from 300,000 barrels to 890,000 barrels a day, while also triggering a seven-fold increase in the number of oil tankers coming and going from Vancouver Harbour.

Since it was not a new pipeline but an extension of an existing one, Trudeau likely reasoned it would face less opposition than Northern Gateway (people forget that the National Energy Boardan independent regulatory agency recommended that the federal government approve it, with 157 conditions). He was obviously wrong about that, as the ongoing protests on Burnaby Mountain, just outside of Vancouver, demonstrate. Thus, the bargain struck in 2016 was a carbon tax in return for Alberta being granted a route for its bitumen from the oilsands, and a way out of the current dilemma of chock-full pipelines forcing producers to accept a discount on Canadian crude oil. The oil flowing through Kinder Morgan's new pipes would be exported, meaning it could fetch the higher Brent crude price. Win win, right? Wrong.

Remember Christy Clark? The former BC premier was instrumental in cutting a deal with Alberta Premier Rachel Notley that would satisfy BC's concerns that it was getting a fair shake over this Kinder Morgan pipeline proposal. Clark and Notley's predecessor, Alison Redford, got off on the wrong foot right away (their relationship was described as "frosty") when Clark demanded that she wouldn't agree to the pipeline unless five conditions were met:

world-leading marine and land oil spill response

protection and recovery measures for B.C.'s coast and land areas

environmental reviews

First Nations consultations

participation and economic agreements that reflect the level and nature of the risk the province bears with a heavy oil project.

On January 11, 2017, after five years of negotiations, Clark announced that the five conditions had been met and therefore gave the pipeline environmental approval, with 37 conditions. The deal included a revenue-sharing agreement worth up to $1 billion; the money from the fund was supposed to go into local environmental projects. Kinder Morgan promised that between $25 million and $50 million would flow to BC provincial coffers every year for the next 20 years. Four months later, an agreement was cemented with Kinder Morgan Canada, along with separate agreements with 33 BC First Nations and 19 cities in BC and Alberta. The 30-page document came with a poison pill, though. If the BC government resorted to undue regulatory hurdles, the company could declare it null and void. "The province will continue to endeavor to have a timely and efficient regulatory and decision-making process for all provincial regulatory matters related to the project," states the agreement quoted by the Calgary Herald.

But the next month, in May 2017, the BC Liberals lost the election to the NDP, who clung to power with a majority cobbled together with the BC Green Party, which won just three seats. Both NDP leader John Horgan and Green Party leader Andrew Weaver campaigned on a promise to kill the pipeline, with Horgan famously saying he planned to "use every tool in our tool box" to stop it, and Weaver, a climate scientist, saying the project represented a massive threat to the province's environment.

So far neither Kinder Morgan nor the provincial government have said they will pull out of the deal, despite obvious rancor between the company and the government since the NDP-Green coalition assumed power last summer.

Crucially, Clark in 2013 agreed that none of the royalties from Alberta's oil pipelines would go to BC, despite BC talking all of the risk of an oil spill in the waters of Vancouver Harbour and the shipping lanes that tankers would travel carrying Canadian heavy oil destined for Asian markets. Clark defended her decision based on the fact that BC gets royalties from its northern BC gas fields, and her Liberals were gung-ho to develop an LNG industry in BC, which has yet to happen and likely never will.

So while it sounded good to say all five conditions were met, all Clark really had were vague promises of taxes from Kinder Morgan and the Alberta government, a federal pledge for a $1.5-billion coastal protection plan, and no royalties. In 2015 the Alberta government earned about $8 billion in royalties, with the majority coming in the form of royalties from bitumen extracted from the oilsands.

From the horse's mouth

Officially, Kinder Morgan says the pipeline will mean $7.4 billion to the Canadian economy through project spending, generate 800,000 direct and indirect jobs189,000 person-years for BC during construction and operations and 441,000 for Alberta. Houston-based KM says Canadian producers will see increased revenues of $73.5 billion over 20 years. $46.7 billion in additional taxes and royalties would go to federal and provincial governments from construction and two decades of operations. Out of that, BC would receive $5.7 billion, Alberta $19.4 billion, and the rest of Canada $21.6 billion. Municipal tax payments would total $992 billion for BC and $124 billion for Alberta.

The stalemate

The BC government though is having none of it. Since taking power Premier Horgan, a career politician born and raised in Victoria, has said that he will defend BC's environmental interests and is currently having his government draft a reference case to the B.C. Court of Appeal to decide whether British Columbia has the legal right to restrict the flow of bitumen by pipeline or rail through the province. The Alberta government tried to stop what it saw as BC meddling in Alberta's oil industry by slapping a boycott on BC wines. While that ban was lifted a few weeks later, the feud has escalated. On Wednesday Alberta passed Bill 12, a landmark piece of legislation giving it sweeping powers to intervene in oil and gas exportsincluding stopping the flow of hydrocarbons to British Columbia.

"Albertans, British Columbians and all Canadians should understand that if the path forward for the pipeline through B.C. is not settled soon, I'm ready and prepared to turn off the taps," said Notley in a story written by Global News.

Meanwhile Kinder Morgan has dug in its heels, stating that it won't be spending any more money on the project until conflicts between levels of government stop impeding construction progress. It has given Trudeau's government until May 31 to show there is a way to complete it.

Benefits questioned

Pipeline proponents quote Kinder Morgan's numbers when arguing that the benefits clearly outweigh the costs. Oil tankers have plied the waters off BC's coast for years with no incidents. But in fact, a study done in 2014 shows that KM is overstating the project's benefits while, unsurprisingly, downplaying its risks. The study by Simon Fraser University's Centre for Public Policy Research combined with The Goodman Group, a U.S. consulting firm, said the 36,000 person-years of employment for BC quoted by KM is more like 12,000. Spinoff jobs once the pipeline is operational are pegged by the study at around 800 versus Kinder Morgan's estimate of 2,000.

As far as taxes from the pipeline, the report's authors say the take by BC municipalities along the route would average less than 1% of their total revenues. Overall, it's estimated that Kinder Morgan will derive two-thirds of the fiscal benefits of the pipeline, with Alberta getting most of the rest, 32%, and BC receiving just 2% of benefits, according to Doug McArthur, director of Simon Fraser University's graduate school of public policy.

On the costs of a spill, the report says the clean-up would be in the billions, from $2 billion to $5 billion, compared to the company's worst-case scenario of $100 million to $300 million. "What they did not do is look at a major or catastrophic event in a major urban area. This pipeline comes right into the heart of Burnaby and Vancouver," McArthur told CBC.

So to summarize: We have a pipeline project in the works that would undoubtedly raise the revenues of Canadian oilsands producers as it would allow them to command a higher price for their product. But most of the benefits of the pipelinedespite what Kinder Morgan sayswill go to the company and the Alberta government, not BC. Looking at it this way, why should British Columbians support it? What has the Alberta government given BC taxpayers in return for shouldering all the risk? Nothing. No royalties, no funds for spill response, no promise of compensation for losses in the event of a major spill. Most oppose Trans Mountain on environmental grounds, but there is just as much reason to reject the pipeline on economic grounds as well.

Killing the economy

But it gets worse. Much worse. Now we have a law in place that allows Alberta to cut oil and gas supplies to BC at a moment's notice. Imagine what would happen if Notley and her crew decided to use the legislation to actually turn off the taps. Gas and diesel prices would shoot up, not just in Vancouver, which already has the most expensive gas in the country, but across the provincein places where diesel is a key input in running equipment for fishing, mining and forestrythe lifeblood of the provincial economy despite the gleaming new downtown Vancouver offices of Microsoft and Amazon.

If the spat between BC and Alberta resulted in a slowing or even stoppage of that flow, gas prices would definitely be hit very hard. Dan McTeague, an analyst with GasBuddy.com, told Global News that turning off the tap to the pipeline would mean a drop of at least 50% of fuel supplies, including diesel, gasoline and oil that is stored at the Parkland refinery in Burnaby. He estimated that 50 to 60% of BC's fuel needs would be affected. Gas is already at around $1.60 a liter across Vancouver; a stoppage by Alberta could easily put prices up to $2.00, to start, says McTeague. Plus, there would be shortages, gas and diesel prices could top $3L. Remember the 1973 oil embargo? Motorists might have to tag another hour or two onto their commute for lining up to fill up the tank.

On the other hand, approving the Kinder Morgan expansion would flow more fuel to the tight Lower Mainland gas market and push prices back down. Even Justin Trudeau, who is no economist, has tried to argue that, in defending the pipeline.

"With the extra capacity there, it would allow wholesale prices in Vancouver to basically go down to the same level as across the rest of Canada," Michael Ervin, senior vice-president at Kent Group Ltd., an Ontario-based analytics firm focused on the petroleum industry, told Global.

Nobody likes high gas prices, but they have ripple effects far beyond those behind the wheelhigher fuel prices affect people's discretionary spending. That includes everything from dining out, to taking vacations, to putting more away for retirement. Less consumer spending causes businesses to re-evaluate hiring plans, and even lay workers off. The prices of many goods go up, since bricks and mortar retailers have to pass on the higher costs of shipping them, to buyers. More expensive commutes have been shown to mark down the value of homes in suburban areas compared to ones closer to city centers.

Higher gas prices also have a disproportionately negative effect on the poor. While for some families, having to pay more for gas might mean buying a smaller car, for low-income families the choice is usually between cutting spending somewhere else, within their limited budget, or borrowing money to make up for the shortfall.

First Nations have most to lose

Many, though not all, First Nations lining the pipeline route are first to join the pipeline protestsbeing stewards of the landbut the irony is that this demographic has the most to gain from the pipeline and the most to lose from scrapping it. Why? Let's look at mining as an example. Mines built on or near native lands not yet settled by treaties almost always have a First Nations hiring component built in as part of the company's corporate social responsibility. The diamond mines in the Northwest Territories employ a significant number of native people; Ekati and Diavik have Impact Benefit Agreements (IBAs) and Participation Agreements with nine First Nations groups.

In 2013 the then-Liberal BC government announced two new revenue-sharing agreements that enable two Williams Lake-area First Nations to benefit from the expansion of the Mt. Polley mine, bringing the total number of Economic Development Agreements to seven. The New Afton mine near Kamloops started with a resource-sharing MOU with the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc and Skeetchestn Indian bands in 2007, which evolved into an IBA in 2008. The copper-gold mine started production in 2012.

While First Nations in BC often oppose new mines due to infringement on their traditional hunting, fishing and sometimes burial groundsNew Prosperity and Ajax being two examples recently rejected by governmentthe untold story is that mines are being built with the support of First Nations. The Red Chris and Brucejack mines were both approved and built with the blessing of local native groups. In fact, according to the federal Department of Natural Resources, mining is the largest employer of First Nations in Canada, right now employing 11,000 indigenous people. BIV quoted Kim Rudd, parliamentary secretary to the minister of Natural Resources Canada, saying at this year's Roundup event in Vancouver that there are 400 agreements between mining companies and First Nations across Canada.

So isn't it ironic that the environmentalist-First Nations coalition opposing the Kinder Morgan pipeline contains a group that will lose out big time in construction and operational jobs should this pipeline get the Deep Six. Think of what $3L gas and diesel does to resource plays bottom lines.

Meddling mayors

We can understand the environmental opposition to this pipeline, since there are substantial risks to the picturesque BC coastline with a seven-fold increase in tanker traffic, but what is more difficult to fathom is the interference by local government politicians trying to stop it. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan are the most vocal opponents, despite having absolutely no jurisdiction over whether the pipeline gets built. All Burnaby can do is delay or reject permits needed for land clearing and the like, which the city has done in an effort to slow construction as long as possible. It's the equivalent of hooking a fish and dragging it so long it eventually drowns on the line. Radio station CKNW uncovered that Robertson and his Vision Party spent $323,000 of taxpayer money to fight the pipeline, not including staff time and contributions to environmental charities, which as we have written about, are mostly all funded by big U.S. philanthropic organizations like Tides Canada.

Derek Corrigan is a longtime NDP supporter whose wife Kathy Corrigan served two terms as an NDP MLA in a Burnaby riding. Corrigan frequently rails against the pipelineclearly his pet projectdespite the city receiving $6.5 million in property taxes annually from Kinder Morgan. That's about 2.4% of total revenues of $268.3 million in 2016, the latest financial statements available to the public. Not exactly chump change. And KM says if the pipeline expansion goes ahead its tax contribution will double to $12 million.

Conclusion: How do we fix this?

Well, we could start by having a BC government that has the guts to stand up to the Alberta premier. The two are on the same ideological side for God's sake, both espousing socialist ideals, though you would never know it from the words coming from Notley, who has to appease the oil industry to survive the next election. Anyway, instead of fiddling around with court challenges, which it will most certainly lose, the province would be far better off getting behind the pipelinepossibly tossing some goodies to the Greens for their supportand demanding royalties from Alberta along with money that will defend British Columbians against a catastrophic oil spill.

And as for the federal Liberals, instead of promising to indemnify the pipeline against delays it has lost control over, how about passing a law stating that this pipeline will be built in the national interest, over and above the objections of BC? Could that cause a constitutional crisis? Maybe. But arguably we already have one, with the makings of a tit for tat trade war brewing between BC and Alberta, like a smaller-scale version of the one Donald Trump has initiated south of the border. Not to mention legal wrangling over who is allowed to do what constitutionally which could drag this out for yearskilling the pipeline in the process.

What would that do? Hike gas prices, more oil and gas would need to be moved by rail and truckway more dangerous than pipelines, just ask the people of Lac Megantic, Quebec. The Canadian oil and gas industry is already on its knees, with investment fleeing the sector in droves to the U.S. where companies can actually make money. Not building the pipeline will keep Canadian oil cheap, resulting in billions in lost tax revenue that could be used to build schools and hospitals. In other words, without this pipeline, everybody suffers. But the politicians don't seem to get it. We've become like tribal chiefdoms, all fighting amongst ourselves, with no over-riding leadership. I blame Trudeau for that. He thought his pipeline for carbon tax bargain would pay off. In fact, it's been a dismal failureunderestimating the anger on the one hand of BC residents who say he reneged on a campaign promise to reduce greenhouse gases, and another segment who are tired of the pipeline fight and just want it builtlikely scared of higher gas prices. A poll taken in April showed most, 69%, think their government should allow the pipeline to be built if the courts rule it doesn't have the authority to block it.

Once again, who's serving whom? The BC NDP needs to oppose the pipeline to preserve its extremely tenuous coalition with the Greens who have promised to topple it should it acquiesce on Kinder Morgan. As the dithering continues, we all suffer. Time to man up, Horgan and Trudeau, and take some leadership. Cut a deal with Alberta and build this pipeline.

Legal Notice / Disclaimer This document is not and should not be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for any investment.

Richard (Rick) Mills,

aheadoftheherd.com

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Richard (Rick) Mills, AheadoftheHerd.com, lives on a 160-acre farm in northern British Columbia. Richard's articles have been published on over 400 websites, including: WallStreetJournal, USAToday, NationalPost, Lewrockwell, MontrealGazette, VancouverSun, CBSnews, HuffingtonPost, Beforeitsnews, Londonthenews, Wealthwire, CalgaryHerald, Forbes, Dallasnews, SGTreport, Vantagewire, Indiatimes, Ninemsn, Ibtimes, Businessweek, HongKongHerald, Moneytalks, SeekingAlpha, BusinessInsider, Investing.com, MSN.com and the Association of Mining Analysts.

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Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.aspMay 24, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) CIBC reported on this Canadian company's latest business deal.

In a May 17 research report, CIBC analyst David Haughton noted that Centerra Gold Inc. (CG:TSX; CADGF:OTCPK) agreed to divest of noncore assets for $200 million to Triple Flag Mining Finance Bermuda. These assets, which Centerra had acquired from AuRico Metals late last year, include AuRico's royalty portfolio, 0.5%, 2% and 2% net smelter returns (NSRs) royalties on Kliyul, Chuchi and Redton, respectively, and a Kemess project silver stream.

The transaction, slated to close in Q2/18, "helps strengthen Centerra's balance sheet, and further supports the ramp-up of Mount Milligan and advancement of projects (Oksut, Gatsuurt, Greenstone and Kemess)," Haughton added, which "are expected to carry the weight for a rerating of the stock. As of March 31, 2018, Centerra had $120 million in cash and $335 million in undrawn credit facilities.

According to the deal terms, for the royalty portfolio and the NSRs, Triple Flag will pay $155 million in cash up front. This price exceeds the value that CIBC had previously placed on AuRico's royalty portfolio, which was $127 million, reported Haughton.

For the stream of 100% of silver production from the proposed mine at Kemess, Triple Flag will pay $45 million in advance, in tranches of $10 millin, $10 million, $12.5 million and $12.5 million on certain project development dates, along with 10% of the market price for each silver ounce produced. Haughton indicated that Cowen values Kemess "at $380 million using spot at 5%."

CIBC has a Neutral rating and a CA$9 per share price target on Centerra, whose stock is currently trading at around CA$7.25 per share.

Disclosure:

1) Doresa Banning compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an independent contractor. She or members of her household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. She or members of her household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None.

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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 CIBC, Centerra Gold Inc., May 17, 2018

Analyst Certification:

Each CIBC World Markets Corp./Inc. research analyst named on the front page of this research report, or at the beginning of any subsection hereof, hereby certifies that (i) the recommendations and opinions expressed herein accurately reflect such research analyst's personal views about the company and securities that are the subject of this report and all other companies and securities mentioned in this report that are covered by such research analyst and (ii) no part of the research analyst's compensation was, is, or will be, directly or indirectly, related to the specific recommendations or views expressed by such research analyst in this report.

Analysts employed outside the U.S. are not registered as research analysts with FINRA. These analysts may not be associated persons of CIBC World Markets Corp. and therefore may not be subject to FINRA Rule 2241 restrictions on communications with a subject company, public appearances and trading securities held by a research analyst account.

Potential Conflicts of Interest:

Equity research analysts employed by CIBC World Markets Corp./Inc. are compensated from revenues generated by various CIBC World Markets Corp./Inc. businesses, including the CIBC World Markets Investment Banking Department. Research analysts do not receive compensation based upon revenues from specific investment banking transactions. CIBC World Markets Corp./Inc. generally prohibits any research analyst and any member of his or her household from executing trades in the securities of a company that such research analyst covers.

Additionally, CIBC World Markets Corp./Inc. generally prohibits any research analyst from serving as an officer, director or advisory board member of a company that such analyst covers.

In addition to 1% ownership positions in covered companies that are required to be specifically disclosed in this report, CIBC World Markets Corp./Inc. may have a long position of less than 1% or a short position or deal as principal in the securities discussed herein, related securities or in options, futures or other derivative instruments based thereon.

Recipients of this report are advised that any or all of the foregoing arrangements, as well as more specific disclosures set forth below, may at times give rise to potential conflicts of interest.

Important Disclosure Footnotes for Centerra Gold Inc. (CG)

CIBC World Markets Inc. expects to receive or intends to seek compensation for investment banking services from Centerra Gold Inc. in the next 3 months.

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Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.aspNew York, NY - May 24, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Joanna Underwood, founder and chair of the sustainable energy NGO Energy Vision, delivered testimony before the New York City Council at today's executive budget hearing, urging the Council to use its budgetary powers to encourage NYC municipal fleets to stop procuring more diesel heavy vehicles, and to adopt superior alternatives to diesel, especially renewable natural gas (RNG) made from organic wastes. Diesel exhaust is high in emissions that damage the climate and public health, and which RNG would reduce more than other alternatives. Underwood's testimony is pasted in below in full. She and other expert sources are available for interviews.

NY City Council Fiscal Year 2019

Executive Budget Hearings

City Hall, May 24, 2018

Testimony by Energy Vision

Today, Energy Vision in partnership with the NY League of Conservation Voters, WE ACT for Environmental Justice and leading health experts are calling on New York City to get its municipal fleets off diesel. Superior alternatives exist, making this shift possible, and the City Budget Process could encourage this shift.

We are asking the City and MTA to take the following actions:

Stop allocating funds for purchase of new heavy-duty diesel trucks and MTA diesel buses now.

Focus new heavy-duty vehicle purchases on the best alternatives. Electric models are expensive but worth piloting. Heavy vehicles which run on conventional natural gas have long been commercially available and are in wide use. Powering them with the renewable form of natural gas (RNG) fuel made from organic wastes instead of conventional CNG provides the cleanest, lowest-carbon, most cost-effective option for New York.

Make the necessary capital expenditures on infrastructure and fleet garage modifications to support implementation of these alternatives.

Diesel exhaust is a major source of climate-changing greenhouse gases. Its nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions threaten public health, causing cardiovascular damage and triggering asthma attacks. New York's childhood asthma rates have tripled in the last three decades and now afflict an astonishing 13.3% of children up to the age of 18 living in this City (almost twice the national average).

London has banned purchase of new diesel vehicles and other major cities are restricting or eliminating them. In the US, 60% of the refuse trucks on order are natural gas models which can run on CNG or RNG, since the fuels are practically identical chemically (both CH4). But in our city, only 2% of the 2,100 trucks in the sanitation fleet run on natural gas. Nationwide, more than 20,000 refuse trucks burn RNG - none are in NYC.

NYC agencies continue to rely on diesel vehicles, and their budgets call for buying many more. Why do that when there are much better alternatives? New diesel procurement deserves to end now, and the budget process could help make it happen. The City Council could play a leadership role by framing its budget guidelines so they encourage City agencies to seize the opportunity we have now to deploy better alternatives for this world-class city, and to be a world-class model for greening our fleets.

A new Energy Vision report, Ending the Diesel Era: Cleaner Fleets for a Healthier New York City, contains the latest evidence showing why it is vital and timely for the City to eliminate diesel heavy-duty vehicles and adopt alternatives. Among its findings are these:

1). The City can't meet its ambitious climate and air quality goals with diesel -- It has pledged to achieve the best air quality of any major U.S. city by 2050 and to cut GHGs 80% from its municipal fleet vehicles by 2035. But to meet these goals will require shifting from diesel fuel.

2). Heavy-duty vehicles are the key -- Heavy-duty diesel trucks consume 60% of all City fleet fuel and generate 62% of fleet greenhouse gases. Their exhaust contains not just nitrogen oxides and particulates but also carcinogens. It is much more dangerous to health than gasoline exhaust. They are therefore the most important targets for change.

3). RNG is the best alternative -- Natural gas vehicles equipped with commercially available "Near Zero" engines, and powered by RNG offer the fastest, healthiest, most cost-effective way for the City to attain its climate and air quality goals.

The engine and fuel are commercial products, widely available here and now. The fuel is made by capturing and refining the methane biogases from decomposing organic wastes, which would otherwise escape into the air as powerful climate-changing gases. RNG is the lowest carbon fuel available, reducing GHG emissions by 70% to 300% compared to diesel. How can that be? If food wastes or manures are the main "feedstocks," more greenhouse gases (methane) are captured in making the fuel than are emitted by the vehicles burning it (carbon dioxide). This makes it a net carbon-negative fuel over its lifecycle.

RNG is by far the cleanest fuel option for heavy vehicles. Burned in the Near Zero engine, RNG's particulate and nitrogen oxide emissions are 90% below EPA allowable limits. Near Zero engines are also 50 to 80% quieter than diesel engines.

RNG can be easily deployed in New York starting now. There are already seven public-access CNG refueling stations within the five boroughs, plus a DSNY facility in Woodside, Queens, as well as a large station in Newark, NJ to which DSNY trucks make over 100 trips a day. These are sufficient to serve hundreds more natural gas trucks. A new RNG-capable refueling station is opening in the Bronx soon, and many private sector companies are eager to expand New York's non-diesel refueling infrastructure.

RNG is an affordable option that can save the City money. Natural gas vehicles have an upfront cost that is roughly 20% higher than diesel equivalents -- about $40,000 more per vehicle. But that difference can be more than offset by operational and fuel cost savings. Fuel providers have guaranteed to deliver RNG to New York at the same price as CNG, which is about a dollar less per gallon than diesel.

4). Renewable diesel is a distant second -- This year the City announced a pilot program to use renewable diesel (RD) fuel in its existing heavy-duty vehicles. But renewable diesel (RD) doesn't compare with the benefits with RNG. While it is not a petroleum product, it is made mainly from oils and residues of energy crops such as soy or palm oil; growing such crops for fuel causes land use and other environmental impacts that can aggravate climate change. RD would cut GHG emissions 60%, but RNG cuts GHGs 80% using conservative assumptions. That's an important difference; it means that RNG would generally cut GHG emissions 25% more than RD, using conservative assumptions. But the potential difference is much greater because RNG can be net-carbon-negative, and depending on what feedstocks are used to make it, its GHG reduction can be much, much higher - all the way up to 300% reduction compared to diesel. That would be five times the GHG emissions reduction of RD.

Use of RD requires no infrastructure changes, which is convenient since it can be burned in existing diesel engines, but RD is not the optimal choice for public health. Its NOx and particulate emissions are comparable to conventional diesel, which is 90% higher than Near Zero engines running on RNG. Finally, RD fuel is much more expensive. There is no local supply, so this liquid fuel has to be transported across the country via truck, rail or barge, and the City will pay a premium of about $1.50 per gallon (e.g. $26 million a year over petroleum diesel.) RNG would save New York as much as $2.50 per gallon compared to RD.

RNG has another important benefit: it can help solve the City's waste problem. RNG can be used to fuel NYC trucks right now, since it can be transported through existing natural gas pipelines and delivered via existing natural gas refueling stations. But longer term, the City can make RNG fuel from its own organic waste stream. Some RNG production capacity exists in New York and more is being developed in the region. However, processing the 1.2 million tons of food waste that New Yorkers generate each year would produce enough RNG fuel to displace ALL the diesel fuel used in the City's municipal fleets now -- more than 17 million gallons per year.

At present, this City is letting its organic waste stream go to waste' instead of recognizing it as a valuable energy resource. The City spends $400 million a year to export its waste; a third of which is organics. Instead of discarding them, New Yorkers could get powerful economic and environmental benefits from harnessing its organics to produce RNG for its own fleets. It is time for New York's fleets, especially its huge refuse fleet, to start aggressively phasing out diesel as many other cities - including Los Angeles, Sacramento, Seattle and Vancouver - as well as private haulers across the country are doing.

QUOTES FROM OUR PARTNERS:

"DSNY takes pride - and rightly so - in efficiently operating the largest refuse fleet in the US. So why is it dragging its feet in replacing its outmoded diesel trucks with the more sophisticated technology available today? The new Near Zero' natural gas engines are here now, and the trucks are affordable. RNG fuel is here now, and there are already natural gas refueling stations in place that can deliver this new fuel reliably and affordably. All DSNY has to do is do it. The health and environmental benefits cry out for responsible action."

--Norman Steisel, Chairman of EnEssCo, former Department of Sanitation (DSNY) Commissioner, former Deputy Mayor of NYC, and an Energy Vision board member

"Energy Vision's new report is just the kind of resource that New York policymakers need as they seek to address New York's significant air pollution and climate change issues."

-- Marcia Bystryn, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters

"For too long diesel fumes from NYC's buses and trucks have been poisoning our children and families. Energy Vision's report shows that we no longer need to rely on diesel engine technology and fuel. Better choices are available. It is time for the City Council and Mayor to provide leadership in moving our fleets to the fuels of the future." -- Cecil D. Corbin-Mark, Deputy Director and Director of Policy Initiatives, WE ACT for Environmental Justice

"While diesel engines long had the benefits of power and fuel use efficiency, I am now convinced that they are an outmoded choice. New natural gas heavy-duty engines have the power to do what NYC trucks need to do with less noise and much less pollution or carbon impact. It is time for New York's fleets, especially its huge refuse fleet, to start aggressively phasing out diesel as many other cities and private haulers across the country are doing."

-- Brendan Sexton, former DSNY Commissioner, former Chair of the City's Procurement Policy Board and an Energy Vision board member

"Getting rid of diesel is the right thing to do. It will improve the quality of life. It will be highly cost-effective. Replacing diesel vehicles with safer, non-polluting alternatives will reduce rates of asthma among our children. It will reduce myocardial infarctions, cardiac arrhythmias, and strokes among New York City's adults. It will reduce risk of lung cancer. And because it will prevent many cases of these debilitating diseases, the elimination of diesel trucks and buses from the vehicle fleets in New York will reduce health care costs and save money. And it can solidify New York City's position as an environmental leader." -- Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, Dean of Global Health, Mt. Sinai Hospital

"The disproportionate health impacts from diesel trucks is one of the most important environmental justice issues in New York City. While all neighborhoods will benefit from a transition to lower-emission vehicles, neighborhoods with the highest air pollution-related health impacts deserve to be prioritized as fleet conversion occurs." -- Kevin R. Cromar, Ph.D, Director of the Air Quality Program at New York University's Marron Institute of Urban Management

"Our children are our future, and in one of this country's greatest cities, we must set an example giving them a healthy environment to grow up in. Energy Vision has long been a leader in finding solutions, and this new report on ending the diesel era has done it again." -- Blythe Danner, Actor and Environmental Advocate

NOTE TO EDITORS AND PRODUCERS: Energy Vision's "Ending the Diesel Era" report is posted here. Expert sources are available for interviews. To arrange one, or for more information, please contact Stephen Kent, skent@kentcom.com, 914-589-5988.

Energy Vision is a non-profit organization whose mission is to research, analyze and promote technologies and strategies that are viable today and required to transition to a sustainable, low-carbon energy and transportation future.

Energy Vision

138 East 13th St New York, NY 10003

(212) 228-0225

energy-vision.org

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Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.aspIn a hearing before the European Court of Human Rights [official website] Wednesday, the Georgia government accused [press release] Russia of committing war crimes and human rights violations during the 2008 conflict [BBC backgrounder].

Georgias government accused Russia of more than 100 air assaults in Georgian territory. It cited evidence to show that Russia carried out indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, killing and injuring numerous civilians. It also accused Russia of carrying out summary executions and destroying property.

During the arguments, Georgia government stated that thousands of Russian troops were deployed into South Ossetia and Abkhazia in an attempt to occupy its territory.

Russia conversely asserts that it attempted to act as a peacekeeper and Georgia further escalated the conflict. In 2009, a report [text, PDF] by independent experts of the EU found that former Georgia leader Mikheil Saakashvili started the war by attacking the city of Tskhinvali. The report also dismissed Georgia governments claims that the attack was a response to a Russian invasion. The reported conclude that both sides committed human rights violations during the conflict.

The court is expected to rule later this year.On Thursday June 7, De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) students will return to the United Nations in New York for the next part of DMU's involvement in the Together campaign to assist refugees and migrants. A group of students also went to the UN in February, and in the below blog post third-year Psychology student Halima Abowath recounts her experience in the Big Apple...

#JoinTogether. What is that? you might be asking yourselves. Well it is a campaign surrounding the refugee and migrant crisis. The campaign aims to end the stigmatisation, discrimination, stereotypes and all negative views surrounding refugees, migrants and asylum seekers. Turn the view of these individuals into positive attitudes. There is a lot of good in the world and if we all unite together, Join Together, we can make this change possible. We can break the negative views and show the world these people that are displaced from their homes are regular humans just like me and you. It wasn't their choice to move and in many cases they were forced out of their homes.

I can't write this post without mentioning the Gandhi Global Family (GGF). De Montfort University has a link to this organisation as the Vice-Chancellor of De Montfort University, Professor Dominic Shellard, is a United Nations delegate for this non-governmental organisation. This connection has allowed for the university to be involved in such a great campaign with the U.N. The Vice President of the GGF called us, the 17 students that went on the trip, 'Young Gandhians. We must be the change we wish to see in the world.

The main purpose of this trip to New York was to attend a United Nations chat series event where we discussed the campaign and how we could all work together and create positive attitudes. Before the event we had a meeting with the Vice-Chancellor of De Montfort University. None of us had attended a U.N. event such as this, so he provided us with an insight into what to expect. He also gave us facts and figures about the refugee crisis.

68 million people had been displaced across the globe. The largest number of displaced people since World War 2! 22.5 million of these are refugees with over half being under the age of 18. 9/10 of these children are unaccompanied! Most of these refugees come from Syria, Afghanistan and Southern Sudan.

The Vice-Chancellor mentioned how he believes #JoinTogether is a core value of the university. I am glad he thinks this, because I agree with him. My University has so many opportunities to volunteer and support different people and refugees through DMU Square Mile.

At the event students from Mater Dei Prep, A Catholic Preparatory School, part of a Pathways to Peace group in New Jersey, also joined us. The event was led by two DMU students Hamdallat Abdulsalam and George Coyle, mediated by the Vice-Chancellor.

During the event the speakers discussed what it was that inspired them to get involved with the campaign, what they were going to do to implement changes and change views along with what we as individuals can do to make a change. The biggest thing we can do to raise awareness for the campaign is to use social media, tweet, snap and share on Instagram.

There were so many excellent points and quotes that were made, one that really stood out to me was; before we are migrants, we are humans. This should be plastered across walls, billboards and social media, to make people realise we are all the same; human beings. At the end of the discussion we - the audience - had the chance to ask questions or share our views. It was a greatly humbling and thought-provoking discussion. It has motivated me to get involved a lot more and make a change.

Before the event we volunteered with two organisations. We went to St Marys Episcopal Church, where they have a refugee resettlement centre. At first, I thought gross, I have to deep clean a kitchen! But once I finished, I think we all felt a great deal of happiness and satisfaction. This small act made such a big difference to the lives of those sheltered and those who run the shelter. It meant they had one less thing to worry about.

We also volunteered at the Catholic Charities Centre to help refugees with interview skills. We conducted mock interviews and gave them feedback. Often the individuals I had the opportunity to help would say to me at the start 'I'm sorry my English is not very good'. At the end of the interview I told them their English was fine. I was comfortably able to understand what they were saying. This small statement bought such a big smile to their face.

A lesson I've learnt from the campaign is actions over words. With a little bit of time, a little bit of energy and a little bit of knowledge, we can all help migrants and teach them some valuable skills. It is all very well and good raising awareness about the campaign, but we need to get involved with activities to make a difference.

Find out ways in which you can help and support local refugees in your community, make a real change, before we are migrants, we are humans, we must all remember this and #JoinTogether! If you've read this far, I have one favour to ask, if you could all tweet and use the hashtag #JoinTogether, go out there and make change happen!When will Senor Trumpanzee start referring to Rubio as "Little Marco" again? I doubt Trump cares as much that Rubio votes for everything the Regime wants as he does about Rubio tweaking him on Twitter-- which he did again yesterday: "China is winning the negotiations. Their concessions are things they planned to do anyways. In exchange they get no tariffs, can keep stealing intellectual property and can keep blocking our companies while they invest in the U.S. without limits. #Losing." There are so many ways this in exactly how to infuriate Trump. I mean, literally, this tweet could have been written by Ted Lieu!





NY Times one asserting that "Chinese negotiators left Washington this weekend with And Rubio could have been referring to two reports from the failingone asserting that "Chinese negotiators left Washington this weekend with a significant win : a willingness by the Trump administration to hold off for now on imposing tariffs on up to $150 billion in Chinese imports. China gave up little in return, spurning the administrations nudges for a concrete commitment to buy more goods from the United States, and avoiding limits on its efforts to build new high-tech Chinese industries. The trade fight is far from over. And large Chinese technology companies in particular could be vulnerable if the United States starts punching again, with administration officials appearing to back away from Mr. Trumps pledges to help ZTE, a Chinese telecommunications company hit with severe American penalties. Still, the latest round of negotiations showed that a confident China could be more than a match for divided American officials who have made often discordant demands." Little Marco wasn't done either:









And the other blaming the losses on the team Trump put together "Ceaseless infighting and jockeying for influence on the White Houses trade team helped deprive Mr. Trump of a quick victory on his most cherished policy agenda The deep internal divisions carried over into how officials characterized the agreement and muddied the outlook for the next phase of the negotiations between Washington and Beijing."





I wonder if Trump reads Axios. Less words, easier to digest for someone as illiterate and ADD as he is. Early Tuesday Jonathan Swan and Mike Allen had a headline that would have sent Senor T into orbit 3 factors behind Trump's cave on his China trade war . "Who knows how the chest-bumping over China ends. But for now, President Trumps anti-China advisers are right: The president is buckling on his threats to punish China with fundamental, lasting changes to trade tariffs and rules." Then the 3 reasons: "North Korea, Steve Mnuchin and a lack of focus internally." The third is the one:

Fleeting attention

 The president's attention is spread too thin  Iran, North Korea, Mueller and more-- to wage a sustained battle with China.

 Aides describe a White House deluged with big decisions and scant deciders-- and a president perpetually obsessed and distracted by Mueller. Be smart ... The Chinese have played this beautifully:

 They know Trump wants Singapore to work, and that they hold the cards on North Korea.

 And they know that Trump is obsessed with one number-- the trade deficit.

 He wants concrete things to boast about (jobs and buying American products).

 No matter their promises, they cant deliver a meaningful change in the trade deficit. But they canpromise to buy billions of politically-useful U.S. products. Breaking ... "China will cut the import duty on passenger cars to 15 percent, boosting auto makers such as BMW AG and Ford Motor Co.," per Bloomberg:

 "While the levy reduction could be claimed ... as a concession to Trump and will be a boon to U.S. carmakers such as Tesla Inc., the move will also end up benefiting European and Asian manufacturers from Daimler AG to Toyota."

Meanwhile, more than a few people are convinced that the reason Trump is backing down on the dispute has something to do with the bribe China paid Trump for his Indonesian development (half a billion dollars). The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. and China are closer to resolving their trade dispute, and that a resolution would include U.S. help for the Chinese telecom company ZTE.





Robert Weissman, president, Public Citizen: "How to explain President Donald Trumps pending sweetheart deal for ZTE-- a repeat lawbreaker and alleged threat to U.S. national security-- at the very moment the Tough-Talking-on-China president is failing to win economic concessions from China to benefit American workers? North Korea and geopolitical considerations are part of the equation to be sure. But there also is the matter of a $500 million loan from a state-owned Chinese company to an Indonesian resort development featuring Trump-branded properties. Is there anyone in America who believes that benefiting indirectly from a Chinese loan would NOT influence Trumps decision to intercede? This affair is a screaming violation of the U.S. Constitutions emoluments clause, which flatly prohibits the acceptance of gifts and benefits from governments in the absence of congressional consent. In this case, theres nothing hypothetical about how the emolument-- the loan-- might affect the presidents actions. Its almost inconceivable that it didnt."





Also from Public Citizen: "Voters who made Trump president because they believed his promise to get tough on China and restore some of the millions of American jobs lost to unfair China trade will be irate about his caving in to Wall Street instead of achieving any real change and even intervening to reverse national security sanctions for a specific Chinese firm that had admitted to wrongdoing. So imagine the reaction when they realize that he not only betrayed them, but that doing so benefitted his personal business interests. Trump caving in to Wall Street on China trade in general and ZTE in specific at this pivotal moment when the U.S. capacity to change the situation is time-limited is so threatening to our countrys future that even the Democratic strategists celebrating how Trumps betrayal of working-class voters will ruin his reelection chances are quietly worrying about the long-term damage this move will cause."Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press

The Bulldogs will have to take the long road to the Memorial Cup final.

The host Pats downed the Swift Current Broncos 6-5 Wednesday to create a three-way tie between Regina, Hamilton and the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at the top of the tournament standings. After doing the math, the latter finished first, earning a bye to the final on Sunday and setting up a rematch between the host Pats and Bulldogs in Fridays semifinal (10 p.m. EST on Sportsnet and TSN 1150).

Regina, which scored a last minute goal to beat Hamilton 3-2 in the opening game of the round robin, will have home ice advantage.

Nick Henry had a hat trick for the Pats, Sam Steel set up five goals and 17-year-old Max Paddock had 26 saves to earn his second win of the week-long competition. Glenn Gawdin led the way with a pair of tallies for the WHL champions, who head home to Swift Current as the only the only team without a win.

It's not exactly surprising. By the time they got to Regina, the Broncos had played 98 games, including a record setting 26 in the post-season. Then they lost star winger Tyler Steenbergen, who was injured by a hit from Titan captain Jeffrey Trouchon-Viel 25 minutes or so into Swift Currents first tilt.

The Pats, meanwhile, were off for 46 days in the lead up to the tournament after being eliminated by the Broncos in the opening round of the playoffs  a seven-game series in which the deciding game was won by a goal.Secretary Pompeon promises to study Armenian Genocide recognition issue (video)

Voice of America US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo promised to study the issue of the Armenian Genocide. Secretary of State said during the hearings in the US Congress, answering the Rhode Island congressman David Sisilini. "As Secretary of State, will you do what many former secretaries have done, recognize the Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire against Armenians during the First World War. Yes or no?" "I cannot answer. I do not know the answer. I will study the issue," the Secretary of State said. Another Congressman from California, Brad Brenton Sherman, underlined that the US administration should prevent Turkey from selling US powerful F-35 fighter bombers. They were not weapons to fight terrorists, the congressman emphasized. Referring to the Armenian Genocide and the debate on the new bill, Brad Sherman said: "I hope the US Department of State will at least neutralize Congressional decision on the memory of millions of Ottoman victims, Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians and Syrians at the beginning of the previous century."By GENE JOHNSON , Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP)  An "unlikely" string of events prompted Amazon's Echo personal assistant device to record a Portland, Oregon, family's private conversation and then send the recording to an acquaintance in Seattle, the company said Thursday.

The woman told KIRO-TV that two weeks ago an employee of her husband contacted them to say he thought their device had been hacked. He told them he had received an audio file of them discussing hardwood floors, she said.

In a statement Thursday, Amazon confirmed the woman's private conversation had been inadvertently recorded and sent. The company said the device interpreted a word in the background conversation as "Alexa"  a command that makes it wake up  and then it interpreted the conversation as a "send message" request.

"At which point, Alexa said out loud 'To whom?'" the statement said. "At which point, the background conversation was interpreted as a name in the customers contact list.

"Alexa then asked out loud, '(contact name), right?' Alexa then interpreted background conversation as 'right.'"

The statement continued: "As unlikely as this string of events is, we are evaluating options to make this case even less likely."

The woman, who was identified only by her first name in the news report, said every room in her family's home was wired with the Amazon devices to control her home's heat, lights and security system.

She said the family unplugged the devices and contacted Amazon after they learned the recording had been sent.

Ryan Calo, a law professor who co-directs the University of Washington's tech policy lab, agreed that the sort of glitch Amazon described is unlikely. But it may trouble customers nevertheless, he said

"What makes it particularly unfortunate is the sense that Amazon Echo users will have that there's any prospect that what they say in their private home might end up outside the home," Calo said. "We feel less reassured about the control we assert over it than we once did. It's the feeling you have to watch what you say in front of a device that's supposed to make your life better."

___

Follow Gene Johnson at https://twitter.com/GeneAPseattleStatement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group

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With UCOMs level up tariff plans subscribers have unlimited access to Netflix, Duolingo and ZoomPORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  Oregon's attorney general has released a certified ballot title for an initiative that would restrict the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in the state.

The title released Wednesday revises the draft caption following comments from the public and the chief petitioners, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported .

It reads: "Prohibits 'Assault Weapons' (Defined), 'Large Capacity Magazines' (Defined), Unless Registered With State Police. Criminal Penalties."

The draft version stated the possession or transfer of the weapons or the magazines would be criminalized with exceptions under the initiative.

A ballot title for a measure is restricted to 15 words and must give the subject matter, according to the state Department of Justice.

The initiative that petitioners are working to get on the November ballot would define assault weapons as certain semi-automatic rifles and pistols that use detachable magazines and have other military-style features.

In addition to restricting assault weapons, the initiative would ban the manufacture and sale of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. Law enforcement and military personnel would be exempt.

Existing gun owners would be required to register with the state and pass criminal background checks. Failure to do so would result in criminal prosecution.

The office of state Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum reworked the caption and the explanation of the initiative's effects following the release of the draft title in April.

The state Department of Justice reviewed the more than 1,000 comments, department lawyer Denise G. Fjordbeck said in a letter to the Secretary of State's office Wednesday.

"While many of the comments simply stated support or opposition to the proposed measure, many hundreds suggested specific language for use in the ballot title," Fjordbeck said.

Petitioners must submit 88,184 signatures by early July for the initiative to move to the ballot.

___

Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com





CLICK HERE for more information on the initiative and what kind of firearms would be affected.Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group

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International aviation: Council greenlights signing of major agreements with four countries

With UCOMs level up tariff plans subscribers have unlimited access to Netflix, Duolingo and ZoomFILE - This April 3, 2017, file photo shows U.S. President Donald Trump's Twitter feed on a computer screen in Washington. President Donald Trump violates the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment when he blocks critics on Twitter for political speech, a judge ruled Wednesday, May 23, 2018. (AP Photo/J. David Ake, File)This 2010 handout photo provided by AquaBounty Technologies shows two same-age salmon, a genetically modified salmon, rear, and a non-genetically modified salmon, foreground. The vast majority of Canadians believe genetically modified foods should have to be labelled at the grocery store, according to a new study, which a researcher says shows most consumers are confused about the science behind their dinner plates. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, AquaBounty Technologies - Barrett & MacKay PhotographyBrother of former Chief of RA Police Vladimir Gasparyan's bodyguard detained

Sargis Hakobyan, brother of Arshak Hakobyan, the bodyguard of former RA Police Chief Vladimir Gasparyan, was arrested shortly before. Judge Vache Margaryan, the judge of the Shengavit district of Yerevan's general jurisdiction court, made a decision on detention. Sargis Hakobyan is charged with committing hooliganism and involvement with a group of people in front of Yerevan's Aivazovsky 29 on April 20, including using a weapon. His attorney Tigran Atanesyan told "A1 +" that there was no hooliganism in the case and his client had not accepted the guilt. To the observation that everything is clear in the video, the defender mentioned that the video was incomplete, there was a conflict indeed, and the accusation was to be put to the head. "The man was detained here because he has a brother and has been presented to the public in a negative angle." The Defender is going to protest today's decision.A Canadian Forces CH-147 Chinook helicopter prepares to land on Parliament Hill in Ottawa Thursday May 8, 2014. The Trudeau government is keeping the door open to sending more helicopters to Mali to ensure the Canadian Forces can provide round-the-clock medical evacuations in what is expected to be a harsh operating environment. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred ChartrandPresident Donald Trump's hair is ruffled by a breeze as he speaks to the media on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, May 23, 2018, en route to a day trip to New York. Trump will hold a roundtable discussion on Long Island on illegal immigration and gang violence that the White House is calling a "national call to action for legislative policy changes." (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)Shanna and Lionel Desmond hold their daughter Aaliyah in a photo from the Facebook page of Shanna Desmond. The terms of reference for the public inquiry into the deaths of Afghanistan war veteran Lionel Desmond and his family have been released. The province promised a judicial fatality inquiry last December, almost a year after Desmond fatally shot himself and his mother, wife and 10-year-old daughter in Upper Big Tracadie, N.S.THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Facebook MANDATORY CREDITInfrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi speaks at a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday, April 19, 2018. After a long search, Pierre Lavallee has been named president and CEO of the Canada Infrastructure Bank. "The bank will help attract private sector investment to help public dollars go further and encourage innovation in helping communities advance their infrastructure priorities," Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi said in a statement. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick DoyleBahrains religious scholars or the Ulama called for those behind last years bloody raid on Diraz to be punished.



(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Bahrains religious scholars or the Ulama called for those behind last years bloody raid on Diraz to be punished.



In a statement released on the one-year anniversary of the deadly incident, the Ulama added that the crimes committed by the corrupt [Manama] regime will never be forgotten.



The raid, which unfolded on May 23, 2017, saw Manamas security forces attack a peaceful sit-in outside the home of Bahrains highest religious authority Sheikh Isa Qassim.



Five people were killed and hundreds of others wounded while Sheikh Qassim was placed under house arrest.



According to the Ulama,the continuing siege of the home of His Eminence Sheikh Qassim by the regime and his continued targeting mean that the danger is still impinged on religion and the homeland.





/257Donna Mergler, the lead author on the newest Grassy Narrows mercury poisoning report, speaks to media following a press conference to unveil the new report, in Toronto on Thursday, May 24, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole BurstonRepresentatives of the Catholic Church get up at the end of the third day of the national dialogue in Managua, Nicaragua, Monday, May 21, 2018. The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega violated human rights through the excessive use of force against street demonstrations, according to the preliminary observations of investigators from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. (AP Photo/Alfredo Zuniga)FILE - In this May 10, 2018, file photo President Donald Trump, accompanied by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, back, waves at the media and others upon arrival of former North Korean detainees Tony Kim, left, Kim Dong Chul and Kim Hak Song, unseen, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)Vice President Mike Pence listens as President Donald Trump delivers a statement on North Korea before signing the "Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act," in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Thursday, May 24, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran (SNSC), told Al-Jazeera that any American aggressive action in the Persian Gulf will face direct and swift reaction.



(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran (SNSC), told Al-Jazeera that any American aggressive action in the Persian Gulf will face direct and swift reaction.



Washington does not dare to attack Iran and the policy of sanctions is a failed policy, Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani said on Wednesday afternoon in an interview with Aljazeera.



Our missile program is non-negotiable and we will continue to develop our defense capabilities. We will continue to support Hamas, Islamic Jihad Movement and the Resistance Axis as a whole, Shamkhani underlined.



With regard to the appalling situation in Yemen under Saudi-led coalition aggression, Shamkhani said Ansarallah movement agreed with the European plan for a ceasefire during the holy month of Ramadan, but Riyadh opposed the plan.



He added "we are ready to start constructive and rational dialogue with the Saudis without any preconditions."



"We will not retreat from Syria, and our presence there will be at the request of the Syrian government," the secretary of SNSC said, adding the Zionist regime has received a clear message that any aggression against Syria will face a resolute and vigorous response.







/257This combination photo shows Gwyneth Paltrow at the world premiere of "Avengers: Infinity War" on April 23, 2018, in Los Angeles, left, and Brad Pitt at the premiere of Netflix's "Okja" on June 8, 2017, in New York. Paltrow says ex-boyfriend Pitt threatened producer Harvey Weinstein after an alleged incident of sexual misconduct. The 45-year-old actress told AuThe Howard Stern ShowAu on Wednesday, May 23, 2018, that she was 22 when Weinstein placed her hands on her at a hotel and suggested they go to a bedroom for massages. Paltrow said she told Pitt what happened and the actor confronted Weinstein at a Broadway opening. (AP Photo)Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales arrives to speak to reporters Wednesday, May 23, 2018, in Milwaukee. Morales apologized to Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown for officers' actions during a January arrest that included use of a stun gun, and said some officers had been disciplined. (Rick Wood/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP)FILE - In this May 18, 2018, file photo, White House adviser Jared Kushner speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Kushner, President Donald TrumpAos son-in-law, has been granted permanent security clearance. ThatAos according to a person with knowledge of the decision who was not authorized to speak publicly Wednesday, May 23. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)Resident Lars Androsoff carries his friend's guitars as he walks through the floodwaters in Grand Forks, B.C., on Thursday, May 17, 2018. Dawn Harp and Androsoff were fully confident flooding didn't threaten their home near southern British Columbia's Kettle River.Then the couple awoke May 11 to the sound of floodwaters flowing beneath their Grand Forks home's floorboards.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan HaywardIran is marking the 36th anniversary of the liberation of the southwestern city of Khorramshahr from forces of the ex-Iraqi dictators regime in the course of the eight-year war imposed on the Islamic Republic in 1980s.



(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Iran is marking the 36th anniversary of the liberation of the southwestern city of Khorramshahr from forces of the ex-Iraqi dictators regime in the course of the eight-year war imposed on the Islamic Republic in 1980s.



Iranian forces recaptured the strategic port city during landmark operation code-named Beit ol-Moqaddas in 1982, putting an end to over 500 days of the Iraqi occupation.



During the weeks-long operation, some 6,000 Iranian soldiers were martyred and nearly 24,000 others injured.



Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein launched the war with the support of major powers and their allies in the region in 1980, a year after the victory of the Islamic Revolution.



The war drew to a close in August 1988, when Iran accepted UN Security Council Resolution 598 which declared Saddam as the initiator of the conflict.



During the eight-year-long war, Iraq received all-out support from over twenty countries led by the United States.





/257On the seventh day of the auspicious month of Ramadan, the heads of government branches, officials, government authorities, a group of senior managers as well as political, social and cultural activists met with Ayatollah Khamenei on May 23, 2018.

(AhlulBayt News Agency) - The Leader of the Isalmic Ummah, while meeting with government authorities and officials during the eventful month of Ramadan on 23rd of May 2018 said:



Since the beginning of the revolution till today, the US has committed all kinds of animosity to hit the Islamic Republic and has plotted various political, economic, military and propaganda schemes against the Islamic Republic. All these actions aimed at overthrowing the Islamic Republic, a word which is repeated constantly, is not something new.



All their plots have failed. You can compare the Islamic Republic now to forty years ago, and see that it is moving forward with various capabilities. So, all their plots have failed... just like Tom from the well-known Tom and Jerry cartoon; and they will fail again in the future. We have no doubt in the failure of the enemy; and anyone who is familiar with Islamic thought knows this.



The current US president will have no better fate than that of his predecessors, like Bush, the other Neocons, and Reagan; he and will be lost in history.

6 experiences from JCPOA

The Leader of the Revolution, in todays meeting with the government officials and authorities, stated: The introduction to every decision is that we refer to our own experiences, if we do not learn from past experiences, we will surely be at loss. We have several experiences before us, as I refer to some salient examples, all of you will admit: these are important for decision making, today, and for the next generations.



Ayatollah Khamenei reminded his audience: The first lesson is that the Islamic Republic government cannot interact with the US. This is the first experience. Why? Because the US does not perform its commitments. Dont say this is only true for the administration of Trump. No! The previous administration in the US, with whom we had meetings and talks, behaved in the same manner, but they rejected the agreement in a different manner. They also threatened [us] and went against their commitments. This is an answer to all those who, repeatedly, over time asked me, why dont we negotiate with the US, or why dont we develop relations with the US?

Mentioning that the second experience is related to the depth of the USs animosity towards Iran, the Leader of the Revolution added: The animosity of the US is not based on an issue like the nuclear issue, but it goes beyond such matters: the Islamic Republic is a government that has grown powerful, it, in no way, compromises with the US, and has risen the flag of Islam. The US is strongly opposed to such a government. The US seeks to obliterate the factors of power in the Islamic Republic.



He went on to say: The third experience is that flexibility with regard to this enemy will not make it less aggressive, but it makes him more aggressive. When the Iranian government at the time of George W. Bush Senior showed some flexibility, the US named it the Axis of Evil. If you want to do something to reduce the animosity, do it; but it is not realized through flexibility and compromise.

Referring to the fifth experience that consisted of the cooperation of Europe with the US on important issues, he stressed: We do not want to fight with Europe, but these three countries have proved that, on the most sensitive issues, they follow the US. The immoral behaviour of France as the bad police in nuclear negotiations and the obstructionism of the UK in production of Yellow Cake were some examples.



He then added: The sixth experience is to never rely on the JCPOA and foreign matters for our domestic matters we should not attach domestic matters to some affairs which are out of our control.

During a meeting with a group of officials, the Leader of the Revolution said: "We must learn from our mistakes, and from our experience, and must not be satisfied with marginal effects. For example, it is said that the U.S. lost face in this JCPOA business. That is right. But did we negotiate so that they lose face, or did we negotiate to lift the sanctions? Now they are saying that there will be secondary sanctions.



Or, it is said that the relationship between the U.S. and Europe has deteriorated. But did we sit at the negotiations table for this? Of course, Europe will not stand in the United States' way.



Let's be realistic and not count on probabilities. It was said at the beginning of the negotiations that 100 billion dollars would enter the country. This was not true. Now, the insolent president of the United States sometimes even says that 150 billion dollars was given to Iran by them. What nonsense. When did you ever give us anything?



What we project about our interests must be true and told to the people clearly."



Iran will resume halted nuclear activities if Europe fails to provide guarantees



Mentioning that the economy of Iran cannot be resolved by the European[s in] JCPOA, the Leader of the Revolution emphasized: There is much evidence. Some European companies have left. Some of them are leaving, or they say they are not sure if they will remain. The heads of European countries say different things.



For our economy, we cannot rely on JCPOA and the Europeans. These three countries acted against their word some thirteen or fourteen years ago; in the nuclear negotiations, they promised and didnt keep their promise, now they should prove that they wont repeat the same untruthfulness and prevarication this time.



During the last two years, the US violated the JCPOA several times, and Europe remained silent. Europe must compensate for that silence." He deemed the continuation of the JCPOA possible only if Europe provides six concrete guarantees:



The US has rejected the Resolution 2231; Europe needs to issue a resolution against the USs violation of it.



Europe must promise not to raise the issues of missiles and regional affairs of the Islamic Republic.



Europe must encounter any sanction against the Islamic Republic and explicitly stand to USs sanctions.



Europe must guarantee that Irans oil will be completely sold. If the US can damage the sale of our oil, we must be able to sell as much oil as we want. Europeans must guarantee that they compensate for the loss, and that they buy Irans oil.



European banks must guarantee transactions with the Islamic Republic. We have no conflicts with regard to these three countries; but we do not trust them, based on previous experience.

Ayatollah Khamenei added:"If the Europeans linger over our demands, Iran has the right to resume its nuclear activities. When we see that the JCPOA was useless, one way forward is to restart those halted activities."

He then stressed: "Our enemy has placed the war room in the treasury department, instead of the Ministry of Defense. In the same way, we must place the entity for encountering the malignancy of this enemy in the economic center of the government, and the foreign ministry must cooperate.









/129EUGENE Ore. -- A survivor of human trafficking shared her story Wednesday, May 23, at a panel hosted by the Emerging Leaders of United Way Lane County so that others could know the signs and avoid the nightmare she lived through.

Mckenzie didn't want to give her last name but says she lived as a victim of sex trafficking in Lane County for two years. Speaking at the event, she described how hard it is to get out of the lifestyle.

"A lot of people fall back on it because it's all they know, and so that's what breaks my heart," said Mckenzie. "Girls just go back to the abuse because they are so used it. You shouldn't have to go through so much to where abuse is what you want."

A special agent with the FBI told the group traffickers will utilize the I-5 corridor to find victims and Eugene's homeless youth population is at an extreme risk. For eight years Hope Ranch has been helping resources to victims in Lane County, including a place to live. Diana Janz, the nonprofit's founder, says they work five to ten different cases at any given time.

"Sometimes I wake at night because I can't sleep because of what's going on here," explained Diana Janz of Hope Ranch. "But we can make a difference, and the key is we all need to be educated, we need to be aware, but awareness without doing something is just apathy."

Over 20 people attended the panel.SPRINGFIELD, Ore.  There are now 97 cases of whooping cough reported in Lane County, affecting up to 27 different schools. Even though the numbers keep on rising, one mother is speaking out about why she wont let her daughter get vaccinated.

KEZI spoke to Kimby Maxson whose daughter Jade Fraley was sent home from school because she has not been vaccinated for whooping cough.

Oregon state law requires children not vaccinated or those under-immunized for whooping cough to stay at home for 21 days after the last potential exposure of reported cases.

Maxson believes this law doesn't allow parents to fully have the right to decide what's best for their children without consequences.

"My main concern is that this exclusion policy needs some work. It needs to be approached from a more case-by-case based approach, said Maxson. We need to take a look at a situation like this where a perfectly healthy kid can't attend her own award ceremony, but members of the community can attend the award ceremony whether they're vaccinated or not."

Maxson said shes not comfortable getting Jade vaccinated because she doesn't believe the benefits outweigh the potential negatives. Jade said she has been out of school since May 14 and will not be allowed back until the last day of school on June 5. She is frustrated she cant take part in any school activities and has not been able to do any homework. But she said she agrees with her mothers decision of not getting vaccinated.

"I am completely on board with the decisions my parents have made for me, and at this point, I can make my own decisions about those things and I am sticking on board with I don't want to get vaccinated, Jade said.

Jade said she also suffers from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome which comes with multiple health ailments. She said if she were to get vaccinated, it could potentially create more health issues.

I don't want to go through more health complications that I can potentially avoid by not being vaccinated," Jade said.

KEZI also spoke with Dr. Pilar Bradshaw with Eugene Pediatric Associates. She acknowledges that the whooping cough vaccine is not perfect and will protect 70 to 80 percent of people who get it.

Although the vaccine is not perfect, she still thinks its the best line of defense against the disease and is the most effective way to prevent it from spreading.

"Not only will it protect your child potentially from a deadly illness, but it may protect your neighbor or your loved one, said Bradshaw.

Both Maxson and Jade said they have worked with other families going through a similar situation and have reached out to lawmakers pleading with them to make revisions.PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Oregon's attorney general has released a certified ballot title for an initiative that would restrict the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in the state.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the new title released Wednesday states that the initiative prohibits assault weapons and large capacity magazines unless the items are registered with Oregon State Police.

The initiative would define assault weapons as certain semi-automatic rifles and pistols that use detachable magazines and have other military-style features.

Existing owners of these guns would be required to register with the state and pass criminal background checks. Failure to do so would result in criminal prosecution.

Law enforcement and military personnel would be exempt.

Petitioners must submit more than 88,000 signatures by early July for the initiative to make it on the November ballot.MASON CITY, Iowa  The transportation needs of another North Iowa family have been addressed through the Wheels for Work program.

A vehicle has been donated to Brianna Hill, a single mother of three children. Program organizers say this vehicle will allow Hill to take her children to school in Hancock County safely and stop relying on rides to her workplace.

Wheels for Work is a joint effort of the United Way of North Central Iowa, Mason City Motor Company, and North Iowa Community Action Organization.

Anyone considering donating a vehicle to the program should contact Brandon Johnson at Mason City Motor Company, 641-424-4033.DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  A newspaper reports three women have accused a Democratic state senator running for Iowa governor of sexual misconduct that includes inappropriate touching.

The women told The Des Moines Register in a story published online Wednesday that Sen. Nate Boulton of Des Moines touched them inappropriately during separate incidents.

One woman told the newspaper Boulton grabbed her buttocks at a bar in 2015. Two other women told the Register he rubbed himself against them more than a decade ago.

Boulton released the following statement in response to these allegations: I want to clearly and unmistakably apologize to the women who have come forward. Regardless of the difference in my memory or the context of the situation, it is not my place to disqualify what these women felt at the time or in hindsight. While this is an embarrassing conversation for me to have today, I think it is important we have it, and I hope young men can learn about gauging conduct in social settings and continue to learn about and engage in the discussion.



Boulton is in a six-way race for the Democratic nomination for governor. Early voting for the June 5 primary began May 7.ROCHESTER, Minn.  It's another development in the search for the Rochester Police Chief.

"Unfortunately, The City of Rochester, MN, myself and ultimately the citizens of a great city are experiencing the effects of an incomplete background investigation," writes Lieutenant Roy Alston of Dallas in a statement on his Twitter account.

During background checks, the Police Civil Service Commission found that Alston was reprimanded at a previous job and did not include that information on his application.

Statement from @RoyEAlstonPhD regarding Rochester, MN Police Chief search. pic.twitter.com/0NXbXBVWxU  Roy E. Alston, PhD (@RoyEAlstonPhD) May 23, 2018

Based on this information, they requested that he be removed from the search for a new Rochester police chief.

Rochester resident Kamau Wilkins tells KIMT he has been in contact with Roy Alston. Wilkins says Alston tells him the disciplinary action taken against him happened at a former job 12 years ago, where he was written up by a supervisor for falling asleep during a 12-hour graveyard shift. Wilkins says he doesn't believe Alston meant to be deceptive when he left that information off of his resume.

According to Wilkins, Alston asked police chiefs how many years of job history he should include on his application, and he was advised to include 10.

Alston writes in his statement, "I realized the incident in question was based on corrective action taken against me almost twelve years ago. I did not address a claim by a previous supervisor at a previous employer. This supervisor was ultimately terminated for creating a hostile work environment against police officers under his command."

About two hours before Alston posted his statement, KIMT met with Mayor Ardell Brede and asked if he could confirm that Alston is candidate B. He replied, "Absolutely not." The City has still not confirmed who Candidate B is.

Lieutenant Alston will have the chance to defend why he thinks his background check should not have failed, and why he thinks his name should stay in the pool of candidates at a public hearing. The hearing is scheduled for June 5th at 5 PM at Fire Station 2.

"I would like to see the mayor listen to the communitythat in spite of this unelected group of three individuals, that the mayor pay attention to what the community is asking forand the community is asking for a second opportunity for Roy Alston," says Wilkins.

"Had I been given the opportunity to add clarity to the information which was shared, I'm sure The City of Rochester and the citizens of this great community would see this is exactly the type of misunderstanding collaborative community policing policies seek to address," posted Alston.MASON CITY, Iowa - Gas is being turned back on in a Mason City neighborhood following a gas leak.

Around 3:20 Tuesday afternoon, construction crews struck a gas line near Newman Elementary on 19th Street Southwest. Alliant Energy crews then went door to door shutting off gas to roughly 200 customers throughout the evening before restoring service beginning at 7 the next morning.

Michelle Missall lives near the source of that leak and says that it was a tense situation for a few hours.

"When you have your kids, your loved ones, your family members, your pets, it's just scary. You don't know what will happen. And something can happen at any moment. And you just don't know," Missall says.

She is grateful for the quick response by Alliant to ensure everyone's safety.

"They were super nice. They took responsibility for their actions, so that's what matters. They were quick about the problem, solved it and moved on," Missall adds.

According to Alliant's Justin Foss, crews have completed necessary repairs and are waiting for remaining residents to return home in order to turn pilot lights and the gas back on.KIMT NEWS 3 - Gov. Mark Dayton has vetoed the two biggest pieces of legislation passed by the Republican-led legislature, the tax conformity bill and the budget bill.

He said the tax bill did too little for ordinary people, but his decision would make it challenging for Minnesotans when the go to file taxes in 2019.

The budget bill he vetoed included spending on many issues important to people, including making schools safer. Dayton's veto of the budget bill means the state can't tap $6 million in federal funds for election cyber-security until after the November elections.

State Sen. Carla Nelson reacted to Dayton's vetoes, releasing this statement:

"It is clear that Governor Dayton does not have the best interests of Minnesotans in mind with his vetoes of the omnibus supplemental budget and tax conformity bill. Governor Dayton had an opportunity to end his time as governor on a high note, but instead, he chose to continue his legacy of scandal and obstruction at the expense of Minnesotans. There are people across our great state, and particularly in southern Minnesota, that are relying on us to fund crucial services and projects but unfortunately, our governor is more concerned about scoring political points with his liberal and progressive friends outside of Minnesota than doing what is best for the people he serves. Despite Governor Dayton's obstruction, I will remain focused on delivering for the people of Minnesota as will my Senate Republican colleagues."

Minnesota's First Congressional District Candidate Jim Hagedorn released the following statement:

"The Republican majorities in Congress and President Trump accomplished major tax reform and tax cuts last year. The results of this have already been seen with bonuses, wage increases, increased investments, and decreased unemployment. Unfortunately with Dayton's veto of the tax bill he risks Minnesota getting left behind in this boom. And, with Nancy Pelosi saying earlier this month that if the Democrats take control of the house they will repeal the very tax cuts that are improving our economy and our lives, this election offers the voters a clear contrast.

Gov. Dayton is calling it the worst-managed legislative session he's ever seen.

"They messed this session up worse than I've ever seen," Dayton said, "and the last 8-10 days, as you know, is just absolute chaos. They couldn't agree among themselves."

Unlike last year, Dayton has vowed not to call a special session.WINTERSET, Iowa (AP)  An arson charge has been filed in a new case against an 18-year-old who pleaded guilty in a fire at the Madison County covered bridge featured on the cover of the novel "The Bridges of Madison County."

Authorities have not released information about the Polk County case against Alexander Hoff. His attorney in the Madison County case didn't immediately return a call Thursday from The Associated Press.

Hoff is scheduled to be sentenced June 1 for the April 2017 bridge fire. He's pleaded guilty to arson and criminal mischief.

Two other people involved already have been sentenced to five years of probation. They are Joel Davis and Alivia Bergmann.

The bridge near Winterset also was featured in the 1995 movie adaptation of "The Bridges of Madison County."ROCHESTER, Minn.  Regina Mustafa filed for mayor at the Rochester City Hall today.

Mustafa is a Muslim woman. She says that Rochester is a diverse community, but that minority groups need to be able to see themselves represented in their local governments.

The mayoral candidate tells KIMT that Muslim women are often the subjects of negativity because of the way they dress. "Filing today really sends a message to young Muslim women and women of minority groupsany marginalized community that you know, despite the uphill battles that we constantly face, despite the negativity, that we can make it happen."

Mustafa is also legally blind and used an electronic magnifier to assist her in signing her filing papers. She notes diversity and inclusivity as two things very important to her.

She was one of at least 8 candidates to file for the four city seats up for election. Candidate filing for Rochester municipal elections opened Tuesday.ROCHESTER, Minn. - Majors Jim and Paullette Frye are retiring from Rochester's Salvation Army after leading the organization for 42 years.

"We're excited and we're apprehensive at the same time because we've been working day and night for 42 years, we have to figure out what we're going to do in our free time," Paullette said.

"We still plan on helping the Salvation Army," Jim said.

The Salvation Army requires Majors retire at the age of 66. Working in the heartbeat of the Rochester community for over four decades, the Frye's have seen a lot of changes.

"With the DMC, the devleopment of downtown...we've said lots of change," Jim said. "Every day you see a new building popping up."

Under their leadership, the Salvation Army in Rochester built a warming center and brought additional seasonal programs around the holidays. One thing they know to be true, the community wants to help.

"That's one of the nice things about this community. They love helping people. If you tell them there is a need, they're going to reach out and help those," Jim said.

A quality that will help the new Majors, Major Robert and Lisa Mueller, lead the organization in a time of growth for the Rochester community.

Major Robert and Lisa currently work at Salvation Army in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They also previously worked in St. Paul and Cedar Rapids. Lisa said their experience in larger cities better prepares them for a growing one.

"Our job and our goal is to position the Salvation Army to better meet the needs as the community grows, as the economy grows, as the culture grows and changes. Because as you know where there's growth, that also increases need," she said.ROCHESTER, Minn. - It's the most difficult decision a police officer will have to make: if and when to use deadly force. In the past few years some very high-profile cases in Minnesota have sparked debate and raised awareness. Two of those cases include the death of Philando Castile, killed in 2016 by a St. Anthony's Police Officer and Justine Damond, shot in 2017 by a Minneapolis Police Officer.

In hopes of encouraging officers to not just reach for their guns, Rochester Police Department recruits are trained with real-life scenarios. It's a type of training Sergeant Aaron Penning with the Rochester Police Department said is key to de-escalation.

"We are training our officers to not rush into some situations where waiting would be better until they gather more facts," explained Sergeant Penning.

Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension revealed that statewide 62 people were shot and killed by police officers in 2012-2016. The numbers are lower in Iowa. According to the Iowa State patrol, 31 people have died in the years 2010-2016, in what they described as justifiable homicides.

The Rochester Community and Technical College's Law Enforcement Program is also making sure students are given multiple tactics to de-escalate a situation, other than using a gun.

Kaylee Defusco is a student at the technical college and has always been interested in law enforcement. Her father, the late Captain Leide Defusco of the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office, in Colorado, died in a 2012 plane crash while searching for marijunana grows.

"Your best tool is your mouth, is your voice. It's talking to people and being able meet people with a good level, good conversation voice and not just go in with guns blazing right away with a loud voice and verbal commands," said Defusco, when talking about de-escalating a situation.

Another tool students' utilize is called a Use of Force Simulator. They are told a scenario, role play and then debrief with an instructor. The entire program is computer based and the instructor controls it, meaning he can escalate or de-escalate the situation.

"If they aren't using good tactics of verbalization we can let it go to the deadly force situation," said Randy Mohawk with RCTC's Law Enforcement program.

While there are multiple skills taught to officers to use for self-defense, every situation is different.

"The reality is that until you actually do this job you have no right to criticize," explained Mohawk.

"You definitely don't know what they officer went through what he or she was feeling in that situation, whether they feared for their life," said Defusco.

Nationally, the Washington Post reports that more than 400 people have been shot and killed by police, in 2018.CHARLES CITY, Iowa  A man wanted in three separate counties has been arrested.

The Charles City Police Department says it assisted the Floyd County Sheriffs Office Wednesday in capturing Tristan Hillhouse, 32 of Charles City. Police say he tried to run away but was caught after a brief chase.

Hillhouse is facing a charge of interference with official acts. There are also outstanding warrants for him in Floyd County for failure to pay child support and in Cerro Gordo County and Bremer County for probation violations.Certified compliance with current data protection legislation enhances security of cloud clients. (Graphics: KIT)

Holiday photos or business databases  using a cloud service means to trust the provider. This is easier when the providers security measures are certified. The market of cloud service providers and certifications, however, is vast and unmanageable. The AUDITOR research project coordinated by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) will provide clarity: The project partners design a data protection certification of cloud services for Europe-wide use in accordance with the new EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Holiday photos or business databases  using a cloud service means to trust the provider. This is easier when the providers security measures are certified. The market of cloud service providers and certifications, however, is vast and unmanageable. The AUDITOR research project coordinated by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) will provide clarity: The project partners design a data protection certification of cloud services for Europe-wide use in accordance with the new EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Group photo of the kick-off meeting of the AUDITOR project in Karlsruhe. (Photo: KIT)

To reach the objective of a standardized certification, more than 25 partners of industry and science cooperate under the project funded with EUR 1.7 million by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). Among these partners are the German Federal Office for Information Security, Microsoft Deutschland, SAP, and TUV.

First, scientists will develop a catalog of criteria for a certification according to GDPR. These criteria are to be standardized to form the basis of a DIN-SPEC (a preliminary DIN standard). It will serve as a basis of a European standard and the development of an EU-wide acknowledged data protection certification scheme.

Then, the project partners will develop a concept for using this certification scheme and will focus in particular on organizational structures and processes for certification. For this, modular certification and auditing processes will be specified and business models will be analyzed for the process.

In the course of the project of two years duration, the developed certification process and the catalog of criteria are planned to be tested and validated in practice.

More about the KIT Information  Systems  Technologies Center: http://www.kcist.kit.edu

Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,600 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 23,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.Its a no go for the United States - North Korea summit, or is it?

According to the New York Times, today President Trump pulled out of the highly anticipated summit meeting in June with Kim Jong-un. President Trump said that multiple hostile statements emanating from North Korea were the underlying reasons for canceling this momentous event. The president told the North Korean leader this missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history.

However, in true Trump-ion style. The president later said that a meeting with Mr Kim, which had been scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, could still happen, even as he renewed threats of military action against the north and vowed to continue a campaign of economic pressure against Mr. Kims regime.

The mixed messages deepened the uncertainty around a diplomatic encounter that had an air of unreality from the time in March when Mr. Trump spontaneously accepted Mr. Kims invitation to meet.

The president officially announced his intention in a formal letter to the North Korean leader in which he cited divisive statements about Vice President Mike Pence as the specific reason for canceling the meeting.

Based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I believe it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting. Please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place.

Trumps cancellation increases geopolitical concern

This action had obvious repercussions both politically as well as in the financial markets. Gold rallied breaking back above the key psychological level of $1300 per ounce. This being the first instance of $1300 gold since the dynamic selloff a week ago Tuesday which took gold $28 lower.

Prior to this announcement gold had been slowly and methodically attempting to form a baseline of support, just above a critical level (.618% Fibonacci retracement) at $1288. Gold settled $14.40 higher and is currently fixed at $1304.40, this basis the most active June futures Comex contract.

Todays upside spike in gold pricing was due to a combination of a weakening US dollar, with the majority of the gains directly attributable to traders bidding up the precious yellow metal. Spot gold closed $11.10 higher on the day and is currently fixed at $1304.10. According to the KGX (Kitco gold index) $8.60 of todays gains is due to buying, with the remaining $2.50 attributable to a softer US dollar.

For those who would like more information, simply use this link.

Wishing you as always, good trading,BRASILIA (Reuters) - A trucker protest paralyzing swathes of the Brazilian economy stretched into a fourth day on Thursday as legislative efforts to cut diesel taxes stalled, raising the prospect of highway and port blockades stretching into next week.

A diesel tax cut rushed through the lower house of Congress late on Wednesday lacked the necessary fiscal offsets due to a calculating error, Carlos Marun, the government minister in charge of relations with Congress, told reporters. Senate leaders called a Thursday night meeting to discuss the matter.

The trucking group leading talks with the government, ABCAM, vowed to keep up their protest until the tax cuts become law.

ABCAM President Jose da Fonseca Lopes said participation in the demonstrations had swollen to around a million truck drivers as trucking companies joined the movement kicked off by independent truck owners. He said there were about 330 blockades in 23 of 26 Brazilian states.

Shares of state-led oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA plunged 14 percent after the firm slashed diesel prices, raising investor concerns about political interference in its pricing policy.

The toll also mounted in industries from automaking and meat processing to aviation and agribusiness as the protests froze deliveries of fuel, feed and other essential inputs, threatening economic activity and exports of soft commodities.

Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi, on a trip to France, called on federal police to escort feed trucks to farms,

I have received images from Brazil showing animals dying, screaming. It is urgent that we solve this problem now for poultry and pork farms, he told Reuters in an interview.

Poultry and pork processors association ABPA said 120 plants had halted production for lack of feed and storage space, up from 78 previously.

At Paranagua port, Brazils second-largest grain export hub, the protests impeded 1,000 trucks from delivering goods over two days, Brazils largest cooperative Coamo Agroindustrial said on Thursday.

Brazils top coffee exporter Cooxupe on Thursday warned foreign clients about possible shipping delays due to the truckers protests.

Sugar mills are also delaying harvesting amid protests due a lack of diesel supplies, sugarcane group Unica said.

Brazils weak recovery from the deepest recession in decades could be hampered by the protests if they last weeks, according to a senior member of the governments economic team.

ABCAM said it would take up to 12 days to normalize cargo deliveries in Brazil once demonstrations end.(Kitco News) - Gold and silver prices are moderately higher in early U.S. trading Thursday. Short covering in the futures market and perceived bargain hunting in the cash market are featured, as the weaker U.S. dollar index today has invited some buyers back into the metals markets. June Comex gold futures were last up $6.70 an ounce at $1,296.30. July Comex silver was last up $0.155 at $16.56 an ounce.

Gold is flirting with the key psychological level of $1,300.00 again today. A close above that level would suggest a market bottom is in place and that prices can at least trend sideways, if not sideways to higher in the near term.

World stock markets were mixed overnight. U.S. stock indexes are pointed toward slightly higher openings when the New York day session begins. Buying interest in world stock markets was squelched a bit when U.S. President Trump on Wednesday threatened more tariffs on foreign autos and auto parts.

In overnight news, the European Central Bank has warned that its countries bond markets would suffer if the bloc continues to show economic weakness. After an extended period of calm, concerns about the viability of the European Union have arisen again after anti-establishment politicians in Italy are preparing to form a coalition government.

A top North Korean government official said Kim Jong Un may not attend the June summit with Trump in Singapore.

The key outside markets today find Nymex crude oil prices weaker on profit taking after hitting a 3.5-year high on Tuesday.

Meantime, the U.S. dollar index is weaker on profit taking after hitting a six-month high on Wednesday.

U.S. economic data due for release Thursday includes the weekly jobless claims report, the quarterly house price index, the monthly house price index, existing home sales and the Kansas City Fed manufacturing survey.

Technically, June gold bears have the overall near-term technical advantage. 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 $1,300.00 and then at $1,309.00. First support is seen at Wednesdays low of $1,286.70 and then at this weeks low of $1,281.20. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 3.5

July silver futures bears have the overall near-term technical advantage, but the bulls are starting out the week strong. Silver bulls' next upside price breakout objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at $17.00 an ounce. The next downside price breakout objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at the May low of $16.07. First resistance is seen at this weeks high of $16.70 and then at the May high of $16.865. Next support is seen at Tuesdays low of $16.465 and then at this weeks low of $16.28. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 3.5.BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Thursday it would open its door wider to German businesses, helping visiting Chancellor Angela Merkel defend free commerce and counterbalance trade threats from U.S. President Donald Trump that are testing transatlantic ties.

Germany and China, two exporting nations that run large trade surpluses with the United States, have found themselves in Trumps firing line and are scrambling to preserve the rules-based multilateral order on which their prosperity rests.

Merkel faces a delicate balancing act on the China trip, her 11th since becoming chancellor in 2005, as she seeks to show Chinese-German solidarity over free trade and the Iran nuclear deal without harming German ties with long-term ally Washington.

In the latest U.S. trade move that has alarmed Beijing and Berlin alike, the Trump administration announced on Wednesday a national security investigation on into car and truck imports that could potentially lead to tariffs.

The announcement hurt share prices of both European and Asian carmakers. China vowed to protect its interests.

European countries are also concerned that their exporters could be hurt if China instructs importers to buy more U.S. goods to ease trade disputes with the Trump administration. China has already signaled to state companies to buy more U.S. oil and soybeans, trade sources told Reuters.

Premier Li Keqiang, in a joint media appearance with Merkel at Beijings Great Hall of the People, said China and Germany both upheld global free trade, and stressed the huge potential for cooperation between them.

Though the two countries had problems, they could be overcome, Li said. Chinas door is open. You can say it will open even wider, Li said, standing next to Merkel and stressing friendly relations with Germany.

Trumps America First trade policy, his administrations professed disdain for the World Trade Organization, as well as his withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, have pushed China and Germany into closer alignment, German officials say.

However, Merkels government also shares many of the Trump administrations concerns about Chinese business practices, including what many Western countries have complained are state-backed efforts to pressure foreign companies into giving up trade secrets.

STRIDING FORWARD

Li said China would protect the interests of German firms investing in China and adjust its rules if needed.

If they come across any problems during their investment, especially when it comes to legal protections, I can clearly tell you that China is striding forward to being a country with rule of law, Li said.

German companies have complained for years about barriers to the Chinese market and the theft of intellectual property.

Merkel welcomed Chinas recent announcements that it would further open its financial sector to foreign participation and reduce Chinese joint venture requirements in sectors such as automobiles, a mainstay of German investment in the worlds second-largest economy.

But German industry said it was now up to China to deliver on its promises of greater openness.

China must rigorously reduce the asymmetries in market access, said Hubert Lienhard, head of the Asia Pacific Committee of German Industry (APA).

Germany and China should work on a multilateral global system, Merkel said, stressing her attachment to the rules-based global framework that Trump is challenging.

Trump has also pushed Europe to work more closely with China by pulling out of a 2015 deal between world powers and Iran under which international sanctions against Tehran were lifted in return for Iran accepting curbs on its nuclear program.

European countries, Russia and China, which were parties to the deal, are searching for a way to salvage it by continuing to offer economic benefits to Iran in return for its compliance.

Merkel, who personally lobbied Trump not to pull out of the pact but was rebuffed, said Germany and China were united in the view that we do not want to put this agreement in doubt.

European companies could reduce their business with Iran if they risk U.S. sanctions for trading there, Merkel said, adding with a nod to China: Of course, this creates the possibility for others to then get more into Iran.SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea followed through on a pledge to blow up tunnels at its nuclear test site on Thursday, North Korean state media reported, as part of steps that have reduced tension on the Korean Peninsula and raised the possibility of a summit with the United States.

North Korea has conducted all six of its nuclear tests at the Punggye-ri site, which consists of tunnels dug beneath Mount Mantap in the northeast of the country.

A small group of international media selected by North Korea witnessed the demolition, which Pyongyang says is proof of its commitment to end nuclear testing.

The destruction of the site began at about 11 a.m. with the blowing up and collapsing of a tunnel and an observation post.

North Koreas state-run news agency KCNA reported there was no leak of radioactive materials or any adverse impact on the surrounding ecological environment.

Dismantling the nuclear test ground was done in such a way as to make all the tunnels of the test ground collapse by explosion and completely close the tunnel entrances, and at the same time, explode some guard facilities and observation posts on the site, KCNA reported.

The South Korean government welcomed the test site destruction by calling it the first meaningful step to realize complete denuclearization which North Korea expressed through including the inter-Korean summit.

South Korean media described how North Korean authorities called out to media to ask if they were ready to film the first blast. They then counted down.

With a heavy boom that shook Mount Mantap, dirt and broken rocks spilled out from the entrance, South Korean media reported.

After some time, another tunnel and other facilities were destroyed, then a third tunnel and another observation post. About five hours after the operation began, two military barracks were demolished, South Korean media said.

The North Korean offer to scrap the test site has been seen as a major concession in months of easing decades of tension with South Korea and the United States.

North Korea announced in April it would suspend nuclear and missile tests and scrap the test site and instead pursue economic growth and peace.

SUMMIT BUMP

But the progress appears to have suffered a setback this month with North Korea raising doubts about an unprecedented June 12 summit in Singapore between its leader, Kim Jong Un, and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The North objects to U.S. demands that it unilaterally give up its arsenal of nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles.

Last week, Trump sought to placate North Korea after it threatened to call off the summit, saying Kims security would be guaranteed in any deal and his country would not suffer the fate of Muammar Gaddafis Libya. The reference to the case of Libya has angered North Korea.

Chinas official Xinhua news agency praised North Koreas move in a commentary, saying it demonstrates Pyongyangs commitment to denuclearization, consolidating the detente needed for a political settlement of the Peninsula issue, it said.

In a statement released by North Korean media on Thursday, Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui called U.S. Vice President Mike Pence a political dummy for comparing North Korea - a nuclear weapons state - to Libya, where Gaddafi gave up his unfinished nuclear development program, only to be later killed by NATO-backed fighters.

It is to be underlined, however, that in order not to follow in Libyas footstep, we paid a heavy price to build up our powerful and reliable strength that can defend ourselves and safeguard peace and security in the Korean peninsula and the region, Choe said.

She said the fate of the summit was entirely up to the United States.

We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us, Choe said.

She said she could suggest to Kim that North Korea reconsider the summit if the United States offended the Norths goodwill.

CHINA WANTS SUMMIT

China, North Koreas main ally, said it hoped the summit between Kim and Trump could proceed smoothly, after Trump cast further doubt over whether it would go ahead.

Both countries should cherish the opportunity and all parties should ensure that dialogue leads to a positive outcome, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a regular briefing.

Trump said on Wednesday he would know next week whether the summit would take place as scheduled.

White House aides are preparing to travel to Singapore this weekend for a crucial meeting with North Korean officials to discuss the agenda and logistics for the summit, said U.S. officials in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The apparent destruction of what North Korea says is its only nuclear test site has been widely welcomed as a positive, if largely symbolic, step toward resolving tension over its weapons. North Korean leader Kim has declared his nuclear force complete and amid speculation the site was obsolete anyway.

According to recent academic reports, North Koreas last test, in September, of what it said was a hydrogen bomb, was so large it triggered a collapse inside the mountain, rendering the site geologically unusable for more tests.

Kim has insisted there were undamaged tunnels at the site, and U.S. intelligence officials have said Punggye-ri remains usable, despite what one official called some minor geological disturbances that could be natural or triggered by the September test.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Koreas reaction to comments by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence were the last straw that led the White House to cancel President Donald Trumps planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, a White House official said on Thursday.

North Koreas vice foreign minister called remarks by Pence about North Korea stupid and suggested the two countries could either meet for a summit or for a nuclear showdown.

Pence said in an interview with Fox News Channel on Monday that the interaction with North Korea could end like the Libya Model ended if Kim Jong Un doesnt make a deal.

The White House official said that, after the North Korean reaction to those comments, senior administration officials at the highest levels held discussions that eventually led to the cancellation of the summit.

A second White House official said the threat of a nuclear conflict was a major factor in Trump walking away from the meeting with Kim.

The North Koreans literally threatened nuclear war in the statement released last night. No summit could be successful under these circumstances, she said.

The State Department transmitted Trumps letter announcing the cancellation to North Korea through existing channels.

The first White House official said there was still hope for peace with North Korea but the country needed to change its rhetoric to get there.

There is a backdoor thats open still if the North Koreans are willing to walk through it. But it involves some changing of their rhetoric ... at a minimum, he said.

I dont think that hope is entirely gone, but obviously more needs to be done before we get in a place thats better.Justice Clark to receive TBA's Drowota Award



NASHVILLE - Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Cornelia A. Clark will be honored next month with the Tennessee Bar Association's prestigious Justice Frank F. Drowota III Award.





Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Cornelia A. Clark



Named in honor of former Tennessee Chief Justice Frank Drowota, the Drowota Award is the TBA's highest award for service to the judiciary and has been given annually for more than a decade.



Clark was chosen for her decades of service to the legal profession in Tennessee, including the implementation of the Access to Justice Commission's first-ever strategic plan in 2010, and creation of the Tennessee Faith and Justice Alliance (TFJA) in 2011. The TFJA aligns volunteer attorneys with faith-based social justice programs to help those in need.



"No one in Tennessee knows more about the Tennessee judicial system than Justice Clark," said Margaret Behm of Nashville's Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella PC. "Her entire professional life has been devoted to the service of others and the promotion of the rule of law."



A native of Franklin, Clark earned her bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Harvard University. She completed her law degree at Vanderbilt University in 1979. After practicing law for 10 years, she was appointed Circuit Court judge for the 21st Judicial District in 1989. Prior to her appointment to the Supreme Court in 2005, she served as director of the Administrative Office of the Courts for six years.



She will accept the award during the Tennessee Bar Association's Lawyers Luncheon on June 15 at its annual convention in Memphis.



The Drowota Award is given to a judge or judicial branch official of a federal, state or local court in Tennessee who has demonstrated extraordinary devotion and dedication to the improvement of the law, the legal system and the administration of justice as exemplified by the career of former Supreme Court Justice Frank F. Drowota III - the award's first recipient, who died in April. Thanks to a donation from Justice Drowota and a matching gift from the Frist Foundation, the award allows the recipient to direct a gift of $1,000 to the charity of his or her choice.



The Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) is the largest professional association in Tennessee with more than 13,000 members. Founded in 1881, the TBA provides opportunities for continuing legal education, professional development and public service. The TBA is dedication to serving the state's legal community is evidenced by its membership roll, which represents the entire spectrum of legal practice: plaintiff and defense lawyers, corporate counsel, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, government lawyers and legal services attorneys.

NASHVILLE - Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Cornelia A. Clark will be honored next month with the Tennessee Bar Association's prestigious Justice Frank F. Drowota III Award.Named in honor of former Tennessee Chief Justice Frank Drowota, the Drowota Award is the TBA's highest award for service to the judiciary and has been given annually for more than a decade.Clark was chosen for her decades of service to the legal profession in Tennessee, including the implementation of the Access to Justice Commission's first-ever strategic plan in 2010, and creation of the Tennessee Faith and Justice Alliance (TFJA) in 2011. The TFJA aligns volunteer attorneys with faith-based social justice programs to help those in need."No one in Tennessee knows more about the Tennessee judicial system than Justice Clark," said Margaret Behm of Nashville's Dodson Parker Behm & Capparella PC. "Her entire professional life has been devoted to the service of others and the promotion of the rule of law."A native of Franklin, Clark earned her bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Harvard University. She completed her law degree at Vanderbilt University in 1979. After practicing law for 10 years, she was appointed Circuit Court judge for the 21st Judicial District in 1989. Prior to her appointment to the Supreme Court in 2005, she served as director of the Administrative Office of the Courts for six years.She will accept the award during the Tennessee Bar Association's Lawyers Luncheon on June 15 at its annual convention in Memphis.The Drowota Award is given to a judge or judicial branch official of a federal, state or local court in Tennessee who has demonstrated extraordinary devotion and dedication to the improvement of the law, the legal system and the administration of justice as exemplified by the career of former Supreme Court Justice Frank F. Drowota III - the award's first recipient, who died in April. Thanks to a donation from Justice Drowota and a matching gift from the Frist Foundation, the award allows the recipient to direct a gift of $1,000 to the charity of his or her choice.The Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) is the largest professional association in Tennessee with more than 13,000 members. Founded in 1881, the TBA provides opportunities for continuing legal education, professional development and public service. The TBA is dedication to serving the state's legal community is evidenced by its membership roll, which represents the entire spectrum of legal practice: plaintiff and defense lawyers, corporate counsel, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, government lawyers and legal services attorneys. Published May 23, 2018













K-pop sensation BTS / AFP



Having already set a litany of new records for the K-pop industry, BTS is now aiming higher: grabbing the top spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart and ultimately on the highly competitive Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, the septet said Thursday.

"Numbers are not so important," team leader RM said initially after being asked to give BTS' numerical goals for the latest album, "Love Yourself: Tear," in a press conference at a hotel in central Seoul.

"(But) with the latest album, our goal is, our members have sometime discussed off the record, the top spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart," RM said.

"As with the Billboard Hot 100 chart, we are aiming to enter the top spot, since our 'Mic Drop' previously landed in the 28th spot there," he said. "First we will aim to enter the top ten, which is known to be concrete, and then we will dream about becoming the No. 1," RM said. "Becoming the No. 1 at the Hot 100 is our goal."

Within only one week after the album's release last Friday, the boy band has renewed its own records set for the K-pop scene.

On Sunday in the United States, BTS scooped up its second Billboard Music Award in the Top Artist category and staged its first live performance of the album's main track "Fake Love" at the U.S. award event.

The members were "thrilled" by their Billboard victory, as well as the roaring response, shown by their fans at the performance.

"We couldn't imagine at all that we could perform on the Billboard stage," member Jin said. "It was a very thrilling moment. We were really encouraged by the presence of so many Armies," he said, referring to BTS fans.

"We have often been asked why we are so loved," RM said. "The causes may be our attempt to reach out through social media as idols and entertainers, as well as the new media that translated our Korean (content) to many different national (languages) that were again spread through YouTube," he noted.

BTS members also "has stuck to our initial thinking that we started with the music we love, and we are a performance group," according to the team leader. (Yonhap)K-water CEO Lee Hak-soo, left, speaks at the 5th board meeting of the Asia Water Council held in Gyeongju last September. / Courtesy of K-water



By Yoon Ja-young



An international body organized by K-water to tackle water problems has begun holding a board meeting.



The Asia Water Council (AWC) announced that it was holding the sixth board meeting in Bangkok, Thailand from May 24 through 26, jointly with the Office of the National Water Resources and Royal Irrigation Department of Thailand.



The government and state-run water company K-water led the formation of the AWC in March 2016, which is the biggest consultative group on water in Asia, to resolve diverse water problems in and beyond the region.



It currently has 26 countries and around 130 institutes as members; these include Thailand, China and Indonesia, as well as the World Bank, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, and the Asian Development Bank, and a number of private companies. Around 26 board member organizations as well as 100 water experts will participate in the meeting.



Starting with the meeting Thursday, there will be special sessions on six themes including "Smart Water Management" and "Water and Climate Change."



At the board meeting, members will discuss the "Water Project" to tackle problems faced by each Asian country, including Cambodia's clean water supply project and a smart water management project in Vietnam. It will also examine plans for the 2nd Asia International Water Week scheduled for 2020, and discuss diverse test projects and joint research by members.



It is also scheduled to publish a book on the first Asia International Water Week held in Gyeongju, last September. It will promote how the AWC is contributing to providing solutions to Asia's water problems, as well as the 2nd Asia International Water Week.



K-water plans to strengthen cooperation for the development of water industry in Asia and open doors for local water companies to advance into markets overseas.



"Using the AWC platform, we will contribute to solving water problems in Asia as well as nurturing the water industry and thereby creating more jobs," said K-water CEO Lee Hak-soo who is serving as the AWC chief.

By Yoon Ja-young



Korea's overall competitiveness has improved from last year, but it is still lagging behind in terms of labor market and management practices, a report by an international research institute showed Thursday.



The Switzerland-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD) released its 2018 World Competitiveness Rankings that evaluated the competitiveness of major countries in terms of economic achievement, infrastructure, and government and corporate efficiency.



Korea rose two notches to 27th among 63 countries surveyed this year, thanks to solid economic growth and expansion of core infrastructure. The United States topped the list, rising three notches, followed by Hong Kong and Singapore. The Netherlands came fourth followed by Switzerland. China moved up five notches to rank 13th this year, while Japan inched up by one notch to 25th.



However, Korea is still lagging behind in government and business efficiency.



Korea ranked 43rd in business efficiency, its lowest ranking among the four assessment criteria of the IMD. It is especially poor in terms of management practices, ranking 55th, and the labor market where it finished 53rd. Hostile labor and management relations and low motivation pulled down the indices, coupled with distrust of management and a lack of transparency in corporate governance. It fell two places down to 62nd in terms of social trust in management.



However, it jumped to 10th from 25th in terms of average annual work hours and to 42nd from 52nd in ethical management of businesses.



The country fell one grade to 29th in government efficiency this year. It was especially poor in business legislation, ranking 47th, as well as the social framework where it finished 38th.



While it has improved in terms of the transparency of government policies and their efficient execution, it still lacks legal and systematic support for businesses.



In terms of economic achievements that cover the domestic economy, international trade and investments as well as employment and prices, Korea ranked 20th, up two spots from the previous year. Reduced uncertainties following the launch of the new administration and improving sentiment pulled up the overall indices.



In the infrastructure sector, Korea jumped six notches to 18th thanks to improvement in education as well as its technological and scientific infrastructure. The finance ministry explained the surging per capita public education spending and higher enrollment in middle and high schools pulled up the index while infrastructure support for innovative growth contributed in terms of both technology and science.



"The IMD noted Korea's competitiveness has improved on stable economic growth and expansion of key infrastructure, but structural problems in the labor market and management practices as well as regulations are hindering any further rise," the finance ministry noted.



It added it will continue efforts to bring about visible changes in the quality of life and enhance competiveness, including bolstering of the social safety net, structural reforms in the labor market and deregulation.



The IMD recommended Korea focus on risk management, job creation for the young, structural reform of businesses and improved distribution between economic players, on top of enhancing economic resilience.

The Park Hyatt Seoul's chocolate carrot bingsu



By Kang Seung-woo



Local hotels are engaged in a competition to come up with "picturesque" bingsu to appeal to millennials who often take food photos for social media, putting the dessert on top of every hotel restaurants' summer menu.



Bingsu is a shaved ice dessert with sweet toppings including red beans, fruit and sweetened condensed milk.



The Park Hyatt Seoul's The Lounge, on the 24th floor, started presenting a variety of artistic Bingsu, May 5, and they will be available until Sept. 30. Guests can enjoy five different types -- chocolate carrot, honey, mango, Jeju malcha and a combination -- prices range from 36,000 won ($33) to 46,000 won/



"These unique Bingsu desserts reflect well the traits of each ingredient, which made them a long-time favorite among many of our guests," said sous chef Justin Kim of The Lounge at the Park Hyatt Seoul.

The Conrad Seoul offers two refreshing choices of the sensational summer dessert, 37 Bingsu.





The Conrad Seoul's 37 bingsu

Guests can choose among two variations -- mango and red bean -- and they are three-layer creations made from a base of milk-brewed Earl Grey tea, soft creamy tasting ice flakes, topped with fresh, organic mango or a homemade red bean paste.



The Conrad bingsu is served at 37 Grill and Bar, located on the 37th floor as indicated by the name, until Sept. 16. The price for the mango topping is 38,000 won and that for red bean, 42,000 won.



Plus, the desserts will be served with special dry-ice plating that creates a cloud-like effect.



The Grand Intercontinental Seoul Parnas offers a "Take-out Bingsu for One" until Aug. 31.



The dessert debuted last year at the hotel's patisseries Grand Deli and was a great success among office workers as well as customers thanks to its convenience and affordable price.



Guests are offered a choice between a classic red bean bingsu at 10,000 won and ice flake mango bingsu at 15,000 won.





The Grand Intercontinental Seoul Parnas's take-out bingsuTourists at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul / Korea Times file



The number of foreigners who visited South Korea jumped 23.8 percent in April from a year earlier, data showed Thursday, mainly due to a spike in Chinese tourists.

The Korea Tourism Organization said 1.33 million foreigners visited South Korea last month, compared with 1.07 million in April last year.

The tourism promotion agency attributed the hike in inbound travelers of Chinese tourists following a partial lifting of a Chinese ban on group tours to South Korea.

China banned the sale of group tour packages to South Korea last year in retaliation against the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system here.

In April, the number of visitors from China surged 60.9 percent on-year to 366,604, according to the latest data.

Before the diplomatic row, Chinese accounted for nearly half of all visitors to South Korea.

Meanwhile, the number of outbound South Korean travelers came to 2.23 million in April, up 11.3 percent from a year earlier, the tourism promotion agency said. (Yonhap)Villagers take part in packaging the vegetable boxes at Murung Farm. / Courtesy of Murung Farm



By Yun Suh-young



JEJU  Around this time last year President Moon Jae-in visited Murung Farm, an agricultural cooperative on Jeju Island, encouraging the farmers there to become "a self-help agro-business model."



The presidential visit helped raise public awareness about the farmers' cooperative in the small village of Murung 2-ri on the western end of Seogwipo, a city on the south coast of Jeju Island.



However, even before his visit, the farmers' cooperative, which was registered as a corporate body in 2011, was already a local rockstar.



"Although the store opened before 2011, it was that year that we officially became an agricultural corporative. Before that, it was a village-based grocery store the farmers had been preparing little by little by putting in investments," Kim Seung-bo, director at the Murung Farm and an organic farmer, said during an interview with The Korea Times earlier this month.



The cooperative was established with the farmers' investments. Today 45 Murung 2-ri farmers are members, accounting for nearly 18 percent of local residents.



Only one person from each household is allowed to register as a member. The cooperative aims to have 70 percent of the villagers join.



"We don't make much money. Our total revenue last year was merely 650 million won which is less than average small- and medium-sized supermarkets make a year. But what we do is meaningful. We buy products from our Murung 2-ri farmers at a price 10 percent higher than the national agricultural cooperative and when we profit, we return seven percent to eight percent of dividends to the farmers in proportion to their investment. We know it's not a huge amount of money, but still meaningful," said Kim Soon-il, manager at Murung Farm.



"It's a win-win for farmers and customers because farmers can make a little more money from their products and consumers can buy quality products. It also helps boost employment of the elderly because they're the ones who come in to package the boxes."



Although it is difficult to package products grown only at Murung 2-ri, the cooperative prioritizes buying products from their own members; only on occasions where a certain product cannot be found in their region, do they reach out to farmers in other regions.



The self-help business model is to attract subscribers who sign up for monthly, weekly and bi-monthly delivery of boxes filled with products they request: fruits, vegetables, dairy goods, packaged products and even meat.





Murung Farm's weekly box / Courtesy of Murung Farm



The monthly and bi-monthly boxes are shipped nationwide while the weekly boxes are for local foreign residents, mostly teachers, who need a helping hand in grocery shopping due to the language barrier and distance to stores.

"Our monthly box of fruit and vegetable assortment has 341 members as of March this year and our bi-monthly fruit box has 80 members. The weekly box has 55 members and goes only into the Global Education City. It consists of nine vegetables and three fruits with additional requests like milk or chicken. We deliver it right to their door," Kim Soon-il said.



The weekly service began in 2016 when foreign teachers requested Murung Farm help them with shopping. Membership has fluctuated, but demand has been consistent.



Other than selling regular boxes, Murung Farm also has gift sets and experiential programs for members who want to see how the products are produced there. They offer programs such as plucking tangerines at farms and making mochi rice cakes with them.



Interior of Murung Farm's offline store and office / Korea Times photo by Yun Suh-young



It all began in December 2009 when Jeju Olle, a corporate body for the Olle Trails, introduced the village to Venta Korea to start a partnership. The company was looking for a social contribution opportunity while Jeju Olle wanted to do something in appreciation for Murung 2-ri's contributions to paving Olle trails 11, 12 and 14. The air purifier company then started to help the village create a brand and promote itself.



The aim of the cooperative isn't to create a huge profit, but for the legacy to live on to consolidate the village for years to come.



"I think it's a great benefit for us to have a village company that becomes the central point in town. It will be important to keep the tradition going throughout generations to continue to solidify the community. It's not about the money. It's more about the mission," Kim Seung-bo said.



The establishment of the cooperative has increased community cohesiveness.



"Even farmers are individualistic because they're busy. But with this cooperative, we've been able to meet more and hang out more. We see performances here, screen movies here and grow closer together," he said.





Manager Kim Soon-il, left, and director Kim Seung-bo of Murung Farm speak to the Korea Times. / Korea Times photo by Yun Suh-youngLee Seong-dong, left, Shin Tae-hyun / Courtesy of SK hynix



By Baek Byung-yeul



It is hard to decide how to safely help someone who is in a critical condition, especially if they appear to be having a heart attack. However, two civic heroes were faithful in using their lifesaving skills in such a situation to become paragons of virtue.



Shin Tae-hyun and Lee Seong-dong, two engineers working at semiconductor maker SK hynix were on the subway on their way home from their workplace at around 7 p.m., April 23.



The subway was passing Cheonggu Station, subway line No. 6, and the two witnessed a middle-aged woman suddenly lose consciousness and collapse. While most of people in the train were just watching and feeling helpless, Shin and Lee didn't hesitate to help the woman.



Confirming that the woman was having a heart attack, the two quickly started cardiopulmonary resuscitation while a woman on the train called 119 for an ambulance.



After performing CPR for about three minutes, Shin and Lee could hear her heart start beating and the woman regained consciousness. The two engineers and the woman got off the train at the following station and met with a rescue worker. The rescue worker then checked the woman's condition and sent her home after confirming she was in a satisfactory physical condition.



Shin said he and his colleague could save the woman's life by performing CPR as they learned the critical medical treatment that can increase the chances of survival of a person who stops breathing.



"I could save her life as I had confidence after learning CPR at my work place," Shin said.



He also emphasized the importance of learning CPR because no one knows what could happen. "As I was ready to perform CPR, I could save the woman's life. In that sense, I think there should be more chances for citizens to learn how to perform CPR," Shin said.



SK hynix said the company has been running a CPR education program for its employees. To improve education quality, the company has been using an emergency medical training simulator provided by the Korea Association of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. Shin completed the CPR professional rescue training course provided by the manufacturer.



In a bid to become more responsible for protection of the environment, SK hynix has been running a safety, health and environment (SHE) office to educate its employees at the firm's headquarters in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. Lee is in charge of the SHE program for his department, the company said.



Seoul Metro assistant manager Shin Dae-hwan, who was dispatched to the scene upon a citizen's report, expressed his gratitude to the SK hynix engineers for making a quick life saving response.



"The woman could be saved thanks to the SK hynix employees who made a quick CPR response. We really appreciate their efforts," Shin said adding the engineers exhibited good citizenship.

U.S. President Donald Trump gives a thumbs-up as he walks to Air Force One prior to departure from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Wednesday (local time). / AFP







U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would know next week whether his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would take place on June 12 in Singapore as scheduled, casting further doubt on plans for the unprecedented meeting.



White House aides are preparing to travel to Singapore this weekend for a crucial meeting with North Korean officials to discuss the agenda and logistics for the summit, U.S. officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Visiting Washington, Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi told Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that if the United States seeks peace with North Korea and wants to make history, "now is the time" for the two countries' leaders to hold their first-ever summit.

The U.S. delegation, which includes White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joseph Hagin and deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel, was being dispatched after Trump said on Tuesday there was a "substantial chance" the summit would be called off amid concerns Pyongyang is not prepared to give up its nuclear arsenal.

Asked on Wednesday whether the summit would go ahead, Trump told reporters: "It could very well happen. Whatever it is, we'll know next week about Singapore. And if we go, I think it will be a great thing for North Korea."

But he added: "We'll see."

Trump did not say, however, whether the preparatory talks between U.S. and North Korean officials in coming days were expected to clarify the situation.

Pompeo said on Wednesday the United States is prepared to walk away from nuclear negotiations with North Korea if the summit heads in the wrong direction.

Pompeo said he was "very hopeful" the summit would take place but said the decision was ultimately up to Kim, who the secretary of state has met twice in less than two months.

Trump raised doubts about the summit in talks on Tuesday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who came to Washington to urge Trump not to let a rare opportunity with reclusive North Korea slip away.

It was unclear whether Trump was truly backing away from the summit or whether he was strategically coaxing North Korea to the table after decades of tension on the Korean peninsula and antagonism with Washington over its nuclear weapons program.Thae Yong-ho / Korea Times file



By Choi Ha-young



Thae Yong-ho, former North Korean diplomat who defected to the South in 2016, has quit his job at an institute affiliated with the nation's spy agency, the institute said Thursday. He had been serving as an advisory researcher.



He offered to resign from the position at the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS) under the National Intelligence Service (NIS), Wednesday, and the institute accepted his resignation immediately after, the INSS said.



Thae's resignation came after North Korea called him "human trash" over his book "Password from the Third Floor" published May 14. While visiting the National Assembly that day, Thae claimed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will never give up his regime's nuclear weapons, saying Kim is "impatient, impulsive and violent-tempered."



Following the North's accusation, Thae reportedly had thought over his role amid the mood for reconciliation between the two Koreas.



"My decision would be judged in the future, as inter-Korean relations develop. Anyhow, now I am free," Thae was quoted as saying by the JoongAng Ilbo, Thursday.



However, he ruled out external pressure in making the decision. "Nobody pressed me to quit the post. It was my own decision," he said.



He said security support for him would remain the same. The authorities have provided about five security guards and a vehicle to protect him from a possible attack by North Korean agents.



Thae's book became a recent source of friction between the rival Koreas. The North tried the South's patience by abruptly delaying its approval of South Korean reporters' entry to cover the Punggye-ri nuclear test site shutdown event. Without any explanation, the South Koreans had to wait for their entry permit for an extra day.



"It's hard to understand the North's hysteria from an outsider's point of view, but it could be a serious issue for North Korea, considering its political system is centered on the inviolability of Kim," said Park Won-gon, a professor of international relations at Handong Global University.



There was no justification for the South Korean government to silence Thae, since he was not a government official. However, his position at the INSS, which is funded by the NIS, annoyed the North, according to Kyungnam University professor Kim Dong-yub.



His voice has become politicized here. In the Cheong Wa Dae petition system, some netizens demanded the deportation of Thae, while others called for strengthening his security detail.



Thae and his family arrived in Seoul in August 2016, under the former conservative government. Since January 2017, he had worked as a part-time researcher for the INSS.



He has maintained close relationships with conservative politicians. The event on May 14 was organized by Rep. Shim Jae-cheol of the Liberty Korea Party.Thae Yong-ho, right, escorts North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's elder brother, Kim Jong-chul, to an Eric Clapton concert in London in 2015. / Captured from Japanese TBS TV



By Park Si-soo



North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has two living siblings  elder brother Jong-chul and younger sister Yo-jong. His older half-brother, Jong-nam, was assassinated at Kuala Lumpur airport in February last year.



Yo-jong revealed many personal details  voice, appearance from head to toe and even facial blemishes  through her media-hyped visit to Seoul during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and visible roles in key diplomatic functions, including the April 27 inter-Korean summit. Yo-jong, presumed to be in her early 30s, is said to be playing an important role in preparing for the meeting between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.



But what about Jong-chul? His last public appearance was at Eric Clapton's concert at Royal Albert Hall in London in May 2015. He has since "vanished."



He is nowhere to be found on the list of the regime's policymakers, nor in photos and video footage of any event in the reclusive state. Rumors have it that Jong-chul is in Pyongyang without any official or unofficial title in the regime. But nothing is certain. He is living behind a curtain of mystery.



What has happened to him? Above all, who is he?





A man believed to be Kim Jong-chul at an Eric Clapton concert at Royal Albert Hall in London on May 21, 2015. / Captured from YTNChoe Son-hui, vice minister of North Korea's foreign ministry / Korea Times file



By Park Ji-won



A senior North Korean diplomat said Thursday she would have to ask the country's leader Kim Jong-un to pull out of a planned meeting with President Donald Trump unless Washington stops "insulting" the regime.



This came after Trump hinted at the possibility of delaying the summit, scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, while meeting President Moon Jae-in at the White House, Tuesday.



Choe Son-hui, vice minister of the North's foreign ministry, was quoted by the country's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) as condemning U.S. Vice President Mike Pence for his remarks made in an interview with Fox News, Monday, that the removal of the North's nuclear weapons could end up like the Libya model of denuclearization unless the North makes a deal with the U.S.



"It depends totally on the U.S. whether we will meet at the discussion venue or face each other in a nuclear war," the KCNA quoted her as saying.



"I, who am dealing with the U.S. affairs, am surprised that the U.S.'s vice president could say such stupid and ignorant remarks. If he is the vice president of the strongest country, he should understand what is going on in the world and feel the easing political tension. If the U.S. insults our goodwill and continues to take unlawful actions, I will officially suggest that we should reconsider holding the North-U.S summit to the leaders."



This is the second time for the North to put up a top diplomat, directly related to negotiations with the U.S., to criticize remarks on the Libya model and threaten to withdraw from the planned summit.





Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom / Yonhap



South Korea's presidential office said Thursday it is seeking to figure out the background of U.S. President Donald Trump's abrupt cancellation of his agreed-upon summit with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un.

"(We) are trying to figure out what President Trump's intention is and the exact meaning of it," Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told reporters. (Yonhap)National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun bangs the gavel to cancel a legislative vote on President Moon Jae-in's constitutional revision bill, Thursday, after opposition lawmakers refused to participate in the voting. President Moon submitted the revision bill to the Assembly on March 26 that automatically required a vote within 60 days. However, the Assembly failed to meet quorum for the vote, which needed participation of two-thirds, or 192 of 293 lawmakers. However, only lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea cast their ballots while members of opposition parties, who have opposed to Moon's revision bill, boycotted the vote. / YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in arrives at Seoul Airport at Seongnam in Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. / Yonhap



President Moon Jae-in returned home Thursday following his two-day trip to the United States for a bilateral summit with U.S. President Donald Trump that largely focused on Trump's upcoming meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Moon's trip was earlier expected to focus on ways to ensure the success of the Trump-Kim summit scheduled to be held in Singapore on June 12.

The trip, however, proved to be critical in keeping the scheduled summit intact.

Trump surprised Moon and many others when he said at the start of his meeting with Moon on Tuesday that the U.S.-North Korea summit could be delayed if the right conditions are not met.

The U.S. president apparently held doubts about Kim's sincerity toward their meeting, as well as his willingness to denuclearize his communist homeland.











Participants in the annual meeting of the African Development Bank pose at the BEXCO convention center in Busan, Wednesday. / Yonhap



South Korea has decided to provide a financial cooperation package worth $5 billion to African nations over two years starting in 2019 in order to help stimulate their industrialization, the country's finance ministry said Thursday.

The decision was included in a joint declaration and an economic cooperation action plan adopted at the roundtable of the Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC) meeting on Tuesday.

The minister-level biennial meeting was held on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the African Development Bank (AfDB) that kicked off Monday for a five-day run in the South Korean port city of Busan.

The package includes investments in six fields: infrastructure, human resources, rural areas, climate change and sharing of development experiences.

The joint declaration also expressed support for the Panmunjom Declaration announced at the end of the historic inter-Korean summit talks last month, saying peace on the Korean Peninsula is vital for stable economic cooperation between South Korea and Africa in the long term, the ministry said.

South Korea's Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon and AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina signed a memorandum of understanding earlier in the week to expand human and technical exchanges between the two regions.

Seoul also decided to take part in a power assistance project being driven by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for Africa by funneling $1 billion and to also provide $18 million in aid to the AfDB trust fund.

"I've confirmed there is a lot of potential for economic cooperation between South Korea and Africa and that there are many African nations that want to learn about South Korea's development experiences," Kim said while meeting reporters after the KOAFEC gathering. (Yonhap)/ Reuters



The government will conduct a fact-finding survey on abortion this year for the first time in eight years, the welfare ministry said Thursday, while a heated rages debate over the procedure.

The survey will be taken on 10,000 women across the nation in July and August, with the outcome to be released in October. In March, the ministry selected a research team, which has been working on a questionnaire.

It will be the third government survey on abortion. The previous ones took place in 2005 and 2010.

Estimates by the medical sector and the government of the number of terminations carried out in the country vary greatly.

The Korea College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says there are 3,000 abortions on average every day, with the annual number reaching 1.09 million.

The last announcements by the health ministry said that there were 342,000 abortions in 2005 and 168,000 in 2010. A daily average of around 1,000 terminations were conducted in 2005, but the number was estimated to have dropped significantly five years later, according to the ministry.

Legalizing abortion has been the subject of heated debate in South Korea since a petition on the issue was posted on the website of the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae last year. More than 200,000 people signed to show their support for the move.

Also, the Constitutional Court is to hold the first hearing Thursday on a petition filed last year by a doctor who was convicted of carrying out an abortion. The doctor requested the court review the constitutionality of the current anti-abortion law.

Local doctors say the country's criminal law is outdated since it punishes obstetricians and women with unwanted pregnancies.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Wednesday it has sent its opinion against the current law banning abortion to the Constitutional Court. (Yonhap)Cho Hyun-ah arrives at the Korea Immigration Service to be questioned over allegations of illegally hiring foreign housekeepers, Thursday. / Yonhap



By Kim Hyun-bin



Cho Hyun-ah was questioned by the immigration office Thursday over allegations of illegally hiring housekeepers from the Philippines.



Cho is the eldest daughter of Hanjin Chairman Cho Yang-ho. She was an executive of Korean Air and is infamous for the "nut rage" incident.



She appeared at the Seoul office of the Korea Immigration Service (KIS) for questioning.



"I am sorry to have caused a disturbance," said Cho, when asked by reporters if she admits to the crime.



She is accused of hiring more than 10 Filipino housekeepers illegally under the Korean Air's sponsoring of traineeship visas.



When a foreign national wants to work as a maid they have to hold F-4 or F-6 visas.

F-4 visas are given to overseas Koreans and F-6 visas are provided for marriage based immigrants.



The Korean Immigration Service will look into the specific entry process and if the suspects were aware of the illegal act.



The KIS searched Korean Air headquarters earlier this month on suspicion of Hanjin Group's involvement in the case. Hanjin has a major stake in the airline.



This is another inglorious public appearance by Cho, the former vice president of Korean Air.

It has been three years and five months since she was convicted for the "nut rage" incident in December 2014.



She was let out of prison earlier than scheduled in May 2015 after the top court dropped a key charge in her case.



Cho was convicted of violating the Aviation Safety Law in 2014, after she forced a plane bound for Incheon back to its gate at John F. Kennedy International Airport. She threw a tantrum over how her macadamia nuts were served in the first class cabin and ejected the cabin crew chief off the plane.



After serving 10 months in prison, she returned to head KAL Hotel Network as an executive of the Grand Hyatt Incheon in March, but was recently stripped of her company posts.



Korean Air was put under the negative spotlight again after the chairman's youngest daughter, Cho Hyun-min, a former marketing executive of Korean Air was accused of assaulting an ad agency official.



Since then, Cho's whole family has been under constant intense scrutiny by both the public and law enforcement from mounting allegations ranging from abuse of power, assault and tax evasion to smuggling luxury goods from abroad.



Her mother, Lee Myung-hee, is also accused of illegally hiring foreign maids and will soon be questioned, the immigration office said. Lee is also scheduled to be grilled by police next Monday over another case involving assault and abuse allegations.

By Park Si-soo







South Korean police have identified the prime suspect in the "water tank bones" homicide case and are seeking help of Philippine police to repatriate him. They are also seeking Interpol's cooperation to speed up the process.







The prime suspect is a Filipino man who turned 36, according to investigators. They didn't give further details. Police believe he killed the victim  another Filipino man  after his dating offer was rejected, and then fled to his hometown.







The victim, whose identity is unknown, entered Korea in 2014 and worked at a plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. He "vanished" in January 2016.







The suspect left the country in May 2016 after telling friends here that he quit a factory in Hwaseong to move to another factory. The victim's bones were found wrapped up in a jacket inside a Hwaseong-based factory's water purifying tank on April 3.







Police said the skeleton's left side was crushed, indicating something had hit the victim. Investigators believe this happened when the man was alive.







Police also believe the victim was killed elsewhere and the body dumped in the tank.

By Jung Da-min



Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon began a trip to Austria and Ireland, Thursday, to discuss ways to promote economic cooperation with the European countries.





Lee Nak-yon / YonhapBy Lee Min-hyung



The government is considering contacting North Korea to restart a suspended high-level dialogue, in a move to revive the inter-Korean peace momentum, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.



"We can contact the North again even if no specific schedule (to start the dialogue) has yet been delivered to the regime," an official from the presidential office told reporters.



Last week, Pyongyang canceled planned inter-Korean high-level talks, citing the ongoing Max Thunder joint air force exercises between Seoul and Washington. The regime has since vented its anger over the drills, saying that they were contrary to thawing inter-Korean relations.



Even if no specific timeline has been set over the possible restarting of the dialogue, Seoul is expected to offer to arrange a schedule with the North in the near future. This is because the joint drills end their two-week run on Friday.





By Lee Min-hyung



The United States and North Korea are set to hold working-level talks this weekend in Singapore ahead of a planned historic meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, according to overseas reports, Thursday.



The reported meeting was arranged to narrow differences on the regime's pledge for denuclearization before the Washington-Pyongyang summit slated for June 12.



According to the Washington Post, the U.S. plans to send Joseph Hagin, deputy chief of staff for operations at the White House, and Deputy National Security Advisor Mira Ricardel, for the negotiations with their North Korean counterparts.



But nothing has been revealed over who will represent the North.



Both sides are expected to discuss issues such as the definition of denuclearization and the logistics for the upcoming summit, according to the report.



The scheduled historic gathering between Trump and Kim looked to be proceeding smoothly, but hit a snag in the wake of the regime's sudden shift in stance last week.





Hyundai ought to improve governance overhaul plan



Hyundai Motor Group has given in to hedge fund Elliott's relentless attacks. The nation's largest automaker canceled its governance overhaul plan Monday, only a week before its annual shareholders' meeting.



Under the corporate restructuring plan, the group's auto parts supplier Hyundai Mobis was to spin off its domestic module and after-sales parts businesses and merge them with its logistics arm, Hyundai Glovis. The reshuffle was aimed to sever the group's cross-shareholding structure and simplify its governance.



The idea, however, ran into opposition from most advisory groups, here and abroad, regarding the exercise of voting rights. Faced with the increasing possibility even the National Pension Service, the second-largest shareholder in Hyundai affiliates, might not support the plan, the car conglomerate dropped it.



Hyundai's surrender is shocking, indeed. Elliott, which has an equity stake of barely more than 1 percent, easily scuttled the spinoff merger plan worked out by the owner family which can mobilize 30 percent of friendly stakes. Hyundai's efforts to repel Elliott's attack, citing the hedge fund's unethical tactic bent on only maximizing short-term windfall profits, failed to turn around public opinion.



Hyundai executives attribute the defeat to a lack of communication. At the heart of the issue, however, was fairness, not public relations. The group failed to dispel suspicions about the fairness of the share swap ratio. The plan, for instance, called for giving 79 Mobis shares and 61 Glovis shares to an investor who has 100 Mobis stocks now, which opponents said was unfair given the far greater growth potential of Mobis.



Now that even the world-class automaker has revealed its vulnerability to hedge funds' attacks, there may likely be a second or third Elliott as well as a second and third Hyundai Motor. Local industry executives may be right to call for the swift introduction of devices to protect management control of the nation's largest conglomerates.



No less important, however, is to secure fairness _ whether it is an overhaul of corporate management or governance _ which should be the most powerful weapon in protecting their management rights. There is no future for those who cannot learn from failure.



Both US, N. Korea hint at changing summit plans



The planned June 12 summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore is less than 20 days away. But it is unclear if the meeting will take place as scheduled, as both sides are hinting at either delaying or even scrapping the talks.



Choe Son-hui, North Korea's vice minister of foreign affairs, lashed out at U.S. Vice President Mike Pence who threatened North Korea that it could end up with the Libyan model if "Kim Jong-un doesn't make a deal." U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton had also triggered Pyongyang's fury for bringing up the denuclearization model of Libya.



In a statement released Thursday, Choe said she would make a suggestion to the supreme leadership to reconsider the summit with the U.S. "We will not beg for talks with the U.S.," Choe said. "It depends totally on the U.S. whether we will meet at the discussion venue or at a nuclear face-off." The North Korean diplomat's statement expressed strong hostility toward the Libyan model and slammed Pence for mentioning it again after Bolton.



President Trump has also hinted at a change to the summit schedule amid rising concerns that Pyongyang is not ready to commit fully to denuclearization. Asked if the summit will proceed as planned, Trump said Wednesday, "It could very well happen. Whatever it is, we'll know next week about Singapore." U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. was prepared to walk away from the negotiations if the Trump-Kim meeting goes in the wrong direction. "A bad deal is not an option," Pompeo said in a written opening statement for a House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. "If the right deal is not on the table, we will respectfully walk away."



Pompeo also reiterated there will be no easing of sanctions against North Korea until it gives up its nuclear program. "We have made zero concessions to Chairman Kim and have no intention to do so," Pompeo said. "Our posture will not change until we see credible steps taken toward the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."



Any change in the schedule of the U.S.-North Korea summit could negatively affect the momentum for peace initiated by President Moon Jae-in. The U.S. and North Korea should engage in active last-minute negotiations to finalize the summit topics and minimize the gap on key issues to ensure a fruitful meeting that will lead to peace on the Korean Peninsula.



By Donald Kirk





It is time now to calculate the odds on whether President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meet up even if not quite as scheduled on June 12 in Singapore.







I've heard just about everything  from 99 to 1 in favor to 99 to 1 against  so often that I personally am not going to bet on anything. If absolutely compelled, however, I would say the chances are better than even that they will get together.







What makes me feel this way? At the risk of being proven wrong very soon, my gut feeling is they need each other. Trump has to get out of Washington, straddle the global stage and say, look at me, I'm taking care of business where all those presidents before me got nowhere. As for Kim, he not only has to cast off the yoke of sanctions, which people like to say are not doing all that much but clearly are making him uncomfortable, and also get out from under Chinese domination.







How's that again? Might Kim really turn to Trump for some measure of support in order to escape the heavy hand of Chinese President Xi Jinping?







Actually, that's not that a far-out theory. North Koreans are restive under the Chinese. Rather than see them as big brothers and comrades on whom they count on for almost all their oil and much else, they tend to revile them as an exploitative bunch that wants to subdue and repress them, hold them in check and treat their country as a vassal state, which it is.







But if Trump and Kim need each other, much though either of them would hate to admit it, why are the Americans talking about walking out of the summit if they don't get all their way on CVID, (complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization)? And why are the North Koreans berating both the Americans and South Koreans for those aerial exercises known as "Max Thunder," which are ending now after two weeks of bothering no one? Why did they have to punish the South Koreans by canceling talks after the good things Kim and Moon discussed at the truce village of Panmunjeom last month? Just to put a shining face on these seemingly insufferable threats and counter-threats, the hopeful answer might be that these two comic-book characters are in a game of dare and double dare.







If Kim is saying, let me see how outrageous I can be and still not jeopardize my summit with Trump, does he really want to go back on the happy talk he was making with Moon at their summit four weeks ago? Perhaps the Libyan analogy promoted by Bolton & Company evokes paranoid images in Kim's mind of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi getting most cruelly eviscerated by a terrible mob after giving up his own little nuclear program at the bidding of U.S. and European powers. Is he really so fearful, however, of the same awful fate befalling him as to refuse to contemplate a deal on his nukes?







Nor is Kim the only one pushing the envelope. What if the Americans say, we won't talk to you until you've shown good faith toward the South Koreans as agreed on at Panmunjeom? Does Trump care if the North Koreans snubbed Moon's emissaries and refused to sit down with them last week?







Would Trump want to pull out of the summit for any reason or pretext  or would he prefer to leave that to Kim and then, if the summit doesn't happen, blame him for everything? But is Kim ready to toss out the whole plan? Doesn't he need this summit to escape from his own problems of unending hunger and poverty among his own unhappy people on top of the loss of his nuclear test site and sanctions and the humiliation of bowing and scraping before the Chinese emperor as Korean kings had to do in days of old?







Such questions are rhetorical. With not a lot to back me up, I kind of know the answers. Please don't hold me to it, but I'm keeping my reservation to fly to Singapore. Hopefully the airline will let me adjust the date.







) has been covering the ups and downs of interaction between North and South Korea and between North Korea and the U.S. ever since the first North-South Red Cross talks in Seoul 46 years ago.



Donald Kirk ( kirkdon4343@gmail.com/ Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo



In another trade bomb, the Donald Trump administration is moving to impose a hefty 25 percent tariff on car imports, which will likely weigh heavily on domestic carmakers and Korea's export to the United States.



According to the White House, Trump instructed the U.S. Department of Commerce to investigate whether automotive parts imports threaten the country's "national security." It is a step prior to imposing a hefty duty, which the Wall Street Journal reported could be as high as 25 percent, on car imports to the U.S.



The announcement appears to be leverage for the U.S. negotiations with Canada and Mexico over the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), but it could also pose a huge risk to Korea if the country fails to get an exemption.



"This (the car tariff) means the U.S. wants carmakers to have facilities on its soil and make cars there," said Kim Phil-soo, a professor at Daelim University's Automotive Engineering Department.

"A tariff higher than 20 percent is virtually a ban for an exporter."



"Currently, Korea manufactures 4.2 million cars, but it may not surpass the 3 million mark, if the duty takes effect," he said. "Given that the car industry is based on supply chains of large carmakers and small- and medium-sized enterprises, the impact of the tariff will be massive."



For Korea, the U.S. is a very important market and cars are a critical export.



Currently, 44 percent of the cars sold in the U.S. are imported. In 2017, the country imported cars worth $191.73 billion, and $15.7 billion of cars, or 8.1 percent, were from Korea, which is the fifth-largest exporter to the U.S., following Mexico, Canada, Japan and Germany.



According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA), Korea exported 2.53 million vehicles, of which 845,000, or 33 percent, headed to the U.S., meaning the country is the single largest export market for Korean carmakers.



Also, cars accounted for 21.4 percent of Korea's exports last year, while auto parts were 8.3 percent, according to the Korea International Trade Association (KITA).



The U.S. currently imposes a 2.5 percent tariff on imported cars but exempts those from Korea due to the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA).



Should the Trump administration include Korea in the list of countries for the duty, Korean carmakers, whose cars are recognized in the U.S. for cost-efficiency rather than premium quality, will likely lose their market competitiveness, experts say.



Currently, Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, GM Korea and Renault Samsung export their cars to the U.S. with SsangYong Motor being the only exception.



In terms of Hyundai Motor, 600,000 of 1.3 million vehicles it sold in the U.S. last year were produced in Korea.



If the tariff comes into effect, it has to raise the number of cars manufactured in the U.S. from last year's 700,000 to avoid the hefty duty, as the company is doing in the Chinese market.



"It is expected to take six months to one year before the actual implementation, and Korea has to prepare itself during the period, as well as calling for the prompt implementation of the KORUS FTA," Kim said. "Though it may not be satisfactory, Korea can opt to face a quota in exports instead of a hefty tariff, as it did for the steel industry earlier this year."



In Trump's previous move to impose duties on steel imports, Korea earned an exemption in return for placing an exporting quota of 70 percent of its average export volume between 2015 and 2017.



"We are paying very sharp attention to the Trump administration's move," an industry official said. "Though it is still uncertain whether the 25 percent tariff will happen, attention is required to the progress of the issue, given President Trump's negotiating style."



The investigation would provide the legal basis for the president to impose tariffs for national security. The Trump administration used the rule for the steel industry by starting an investigation in April last year. Trump then signed a 25 percent duty on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum.

/ Yonhap



The possibility of the United States imposing new tariffs on imported cars is fueling worries among South Korean automakers already grappling with weak demand in the key export market and intensifying competition, industry watchers here said Thursday.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced his plan to launch an investigation into possible tariffs on imported vehicles and auto parts based on national security grounds. A similar investigation launched under Section 232 last year resulted in a 25 percent tariff on imported steel, although in many cases Washington has not slapped hefty duties and settled for a quota system.

Though the target and scope of the investigation hasn't been revealed, Korean automakers expressed concerns that the Trump administration's move could add uncertainties to the market in the short term.

The latest move is another headache for the local auto industry after Seoul largely accepted U.S. demands for greater access to its auto market in a recently revised free trade agreement (FTA) between the two nations.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy convened a meeting with representatives from carmakers, including Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Motor Inc. and GM Korea Co., to discuss how the fresh investigation could affect the local industry.

"We are figuring out the details of the investigation of the car duties but have not yet received any notice from Washington," a senior ministry official said on condition of anonymity. "We will be able to better grasp the potential impact on the local automotive industry after the U.S. government provides more information on the direction of its investigation."

While Korean-made autos are exempted from U.S. duties under the bilateral trade pact implemented in 2012, market watchers say new tariffs imposed under Section 232 could deal a heavy blow to the local manufacturers and parts makers.

"If the U.S. imposes tariffs on (Korean autos), it would add pressure on local carmakers to increase production in American factories in the long term," a local carmaker official said.

As it takes time for the U.S. Commerce Department to conduct an investigation into foreign cars, experts say the government and industry officials should work together to avoid the import restrictions.

"Looking at the steel case, it took about one year after launching an investigation and Trump signing an executive order on the tariffs," said Lee Sang-ho, a researcher at the Korea Economic Research Institute. "The local auto industry will have to fully prepare to make it clear that Korean autos do not pose a threat to America's national security.

Out of 2.53 million Korean vehicles sold abroad, about 33 percent were shipped to the U.S. last year, according to the data compiled by the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association. South Korea exported 178,980 vehicles to the key export market in the first quarter of 2018, down 22 percent from a year earlier. (Yonhap)Samsung SDI's battery plant in Xian, China / Courtesy of Samsung SDI



By Baek Byung-yeul

Chances are returning for Korean lithium-ion battery makers to obtain contracts from Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers, as EVs equipped with their batteries recently made it onto a recommended list by the Chinese government.

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), LG Chem Nanjing, Samsung SDI Xian and BESK Technology, a joint venture of SK Innovation, were included in a preliminary list of the top quality certified companies, Wednesday.

This is a preliminary list and the CAAM is scheduled to announce its final version on May 28 after going through an appeal process.

This could work as a positive sign for Korean battery firms as they have been struggling with their EV battery businesses in China where the government had excluded EVs equipped with their batteries from a subsidy list since last year.

Industry watchers have viewed the decision as retaliation against Seoul's deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in March last year.

With the decision, LG Chem, Samsung SDI and SK Innovation have hit a snag. It has been reported that that the operation rate of battery plants of LG Chem and Samsung SDI in China were at 10 percent last year. BESK Technology stopped producing battery packs early last year.

The Korean government is also pushing China to take a more dovish policy stance on adopting batteries for EVs made by Korean battery makers.

Trade Minister Paik Un-gyu made the request in a meeting with Chinese Minister of Industry, Information and Technology Miao Wei at the Hotel Shilla in Seoul, Thursday.

In response to Paik's request, Miao said the Chinese government had already approved a Merceds-Benz vehicle, powered by a battery from a Korean maker, Paik told reporters after the meeting.

"It (being included in the white-list) will be a positive signal from the Chinese government to Chinese car manufacturers," Paik told reporters.

During the meeting, Paik emphasized the need for a fair business environment to promote free competition and cooperation between companies in the two countries. Noting that what kind of battery pack is used depended on Chinese car makers not the Chinese government, Paik also urged Korean battery makers to beef up their marketing efforts with Chinese carmakers.

Industry watchers say being "white-listed" would have no immediate effect but it would result in positive effects for Korean battery manufacturers.

Chung Won-suk, an analyst at HI Investment & Securities, said Korean battery makers have struggled with the subsidy issue in China but the recent decision to be included in the white-list would definitely be a positive sign.

"Korean battery manufacturers have been struggling with their businesses in China since the EVs equipped with their batteries were excluded from the subsidy list in late 2016. The white-list registration does not mean Korean battery makers will be on the battery subsidy list, but this could be a positive sign," Chung said.

By Lee Kyung-min



The government has come under heavy criticism for failing to oversee business affairs involving Hanjin Group's chairman, the youngest daughter of which reignited a controversy over an "anger management issue," a "shameful" incident reminiscent of one her older sister triggered four years ago.



Korean Air senior executive Cho Hyun-min, the youngest daughter of the company chairman Cho Yang-ho, is under investigation over allegations she splashed water into the face of an ad agency official _ among many other forms of abuse _ because she was "enraged" at his work performance. This incident is all too similar to the "nut rage" case of her older sister Cho Hyun-ah that sparked nationwide outrage over the rich and powerful abusing their positions. Hanjin is the largest shareholder of the full-service airline.



An internal inspection is underway at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport over why it failed to disqualify Cho Hyun-min, a U.S. citizen who identifies herself as Emily Lee Cho, from retaining a board of directors post at Jin Air, the group's low-cost carrier, for six years. Under the related law, a foreign national cannot hold such a post on the board of a domestic or international logistics company.



Heavy punishment is expected for a number of ministry officials who had been responsible for paper reviews before granting the company's request for changes to the board of directors on three occasions between 2010 and 2016.



The written request submitted on all three occasions, according to the ministry, stated her name as Emily Lee Cho and her nationality as American, a clear irregularity supervising officials should have detected. Jin Air said it was not aware of the related law, increasing criticism on the ministry for failing to observe proper enforcement of the law.



The internal investigation could be expanded if referred to police or the prosecution to determine whether the conglomerate and the ministry condoned such an illegality knowingly and deliberately based on mutual understanding and possible quid pro quo.



The move to uncover many similar activities involving the Cho family is the latest of belated efforts to rectify wrongdoings occurring under previous administrations.



Korea Customs Service started an investigation into allegations the two sisters used the airline to smuggle luxury goods, furniture and other personal items by bypassing the necessary customs clearance protocols.



A team from the agency searched the homes of the two sisters and their brother as well as company headquarters at Incheon International Airport, Saturday, to identify whether they paid the due amount of taxes on furniture, personal clothing or home appliances purchased overseas. The officials said they will match overseas financial transaction records with the items.



Meanwhile, a police investigation is ongoing into Cho Hyun-min over suspected evidence-tampering in the "water rage" case.



Police searched offices belonging to her and the marketing department to confiscate four cellphones including two used by Cho and two others used by company executives who attended the meeting during which the alleged abuse occurred.



The officials looked into whether she made any efforts to talk the witnesses out of making statements against her by making threats or other offers.



Some witnesses said she threw an empty glass at the official in which case she could be prosecuted for aggravated assault. Cho has denied the allegation, claiming she did not throw the glass.







A Jeju Air Boeing B737-800 / Courtesy of Jeju Air



By Jung Da-min



Korea's leading low-cost carrier Jeju Air has recently commissioned its 34th plane after adding three more planes to its commercial fleet this year.



The new planes are Boeing B737-800s, the same as the airline's existing planes, the company said.



It has been maintaining a single type plane policy in order to keep offering low-cost services.



The budget airline is aiming to operate 39 planes by the end of the year, and is further planning to commission nine more airplanes.



It will return one of its fleet to Boeing as its lease is ending.



With the additional planes, the company's overseas route expansion is expected to accelerate.





Anti-GMO activists stage a protest at Gwangwhamun Plaza, Sunday. They demanded an immediate suspension of the use of Monsanto GMO products. / Courtesy of Korea Federation for Environmental Movements



By Jhoo Dong-chan



Activist groups here have been staging a series of demonstrations against the use of Monsanto's genetically modified organism (GMO) products.



Forty-six activist groups gathered at Gwanghawmum Plaza in central Seoul, Sunday, to protest the use of the U.S.-based multinational agricultural biotechnology giant's GMO products. Similar anti-GMO protests were also staged simultaneously in Sokcho, Cheongju and Changwon, and on Jeju.



In the demonstration, the activists demand a GMO-labeling system, school food without GMO products and the suspension of the commercialization of GMO technologies.



"The safety of GMO technologies and products has yet to be scientifically proven. The government should immediately carry out a GMO-labeling system. Customers have the right to know what they are eating," one activist said.



"Students are the nation's future. They deserve to eat environment-friendly food at school."



Ko Eun-young, a progressive opposition Green Party Korea candidate for Jeju governor, also joined the protest.



"GMO products are threatening the wellbeing of mankind. The government should immediately halt sales of Monsanto's products," she said during the protest held at Jeju City Hall Plaza.



Monsanto said, however, that the company's GMO products are approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, stressing they aren't harmful to people.



"Our products are approved not only by the nation's authorities but also by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Their fears are a myth," a Monsanto Korea official said.



"I understand concerns are there. They also have a right to publicly express these. We will continuously do our best to communicate with them as well as customers in a bid to prove the safety of our products.





Monsanto Korea CEO Lee Nam-heeKendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low near 60F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low near 60F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.A young child was riding their bicycle in the village of Alakanuk when they were allegedly struck by a drunk driver on a 4-wheeler.

According to Alaska State Troopers, Joanne Leopold, 40, of Alakanuk was driving the 4-wheeler while intoxicated, and struck the unnamed child.

The child sustained injuries, though troopers described them as "minor."

As for Leopold, she was arrested for assault and driving under the influence of alcohol. She was then taken to the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center.A teenage girl in Goodland says she was tricked into giving away her two guinea pigs to a man who shot, skinned, then ate the animals.

Alexia Carson posted an ad to rehome two male guinea pigs on her Facebook page after she says one of her female guinea pigs got pregnant.

She says one man messaged her Monday interested in taking the two guinea pigs. After some conversation with Carson through Facebook Messenger, he revealed that he intended to eat the animals. Carson then declined to rehome the two guinea pigs to him.

Later in the day, Carson says she received a message from a different man who claims the animals were for his son. Carson says her boyfriend knew the second person and she thought he was trustworthy. The second man picked up the two guinea pigs that day, along with some food for the animals.

Tuesday night, while Carson says she was at a school dance, the first man posted pictures and a video to her Facebook page saying "Thank you so much for the guinea pigs they will make a fantastic stew."

The pictures in the post, which has since been deleted, show a guinea pig with blood coming from its head. Another image shows two skinned guinea pigs. A video shows a guinea pig being stepped on.

"At first I thought he was just messing with me," said Alexia Carson. "Then I took a closer look and saw that they were my guinea pigs. It was heartbreaking."

The teen says she thinks the man should be punished for his actions. Her family reached out to Goodland Police to file a police report.

According to Chief Joni Showalter of Goodland Police, the department is investigating with assistance from the Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Department. The department declined to comment further.

Animal activists warn people from rehoming pets without requesting a small rehoming fee.

"You do hear stories about people who give their animals away for free on Facebook or on Craigslist and the awful things that can happen to those animals afterward," said Sarah Coffman, Founder and Executive Director at the Wichita Animal Action League.

Coffman suggests reaching out to a local rescue organization if you need to rehome your pets.

"Anytime this happens in our community it's always concerning that a person is capable of that and they're living next door to you," said Coffman. "What else are they capable of?"Rome, May 24 - Anti-migrant Euroskeptic League leader Matteo Salvini said Thursday that former industry minister and anti-euro economist Paolo Savona, his pick for economy minister, "is the figure able to put Italy back at the centre of the debate in Europe". "It seems that in the past Savona has had doubts on the efficacy of the euro: I ask myself if the free vote of Italians has any meaning, if it should be respected and what the problem is, if someone puts his competence at your disposal to discuss in Europe for the good of Italians" said Salvini.LAHAINA  Maui Economic Development Boards Women in Technology Program (WIT) recently presented its second Introduce a Girl to Astronomy Day (IGAD) for Maui girls in grades 7-8. For the past decade, MEDB and WIT have been at the forefront of providing cutting-edge STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs across the state to meet 21st century workforce demands.

Seventy-five middle school girls from Maui County enjoyed learning about optics by touring the Maui Surveillance Space System facilities atop Haleakala.

IGAD stimulates girls interest in astronomy as a viable and exciting career choice that requires STEM education, said WIT Project Manager Mapu Quitazol. Its important to expose our girls to endless STEM opportunities and build their confidence level to know they can achieve their dreams.

Krystle Dunn, Lahaina Intermediate School science teacher, chaperoned her students to the top of Haleakala for IGAD.

I wanted to attend IGAD with my female students because I wanted to make sure they had the opportunity to be exposed to something they were either interested in already, or maybe hadnt thought about, but could now pursue, said Dunn.

Students in Hawaii think they have to leave Hawaii to be successful, but I love when they get the chance to see amazing opportunities in their own backyard.

Dunn was impressed by the variety of information that students got to take in, such as astronomy, satellites, telescopes and hands-on activities with sensors.

I wanted my students to see the kind of opportunities that are out there, especially at this young age. If they do want to pursue STEM careers, they had the chance to speak with and learn from industry professionals in their own community, she said.

One of Dunns students learned that being a part of the Air Force doesnt always mean you have to be in combat  you can be involved through technology and other STEM fields.

Dunn concluded, Im glad that discovery was made, because I think it sparked my students interest, and its always awesome to see them learn new things and make new connections that might directly impact their future decisions. Im so grateful to MEDB and WIT for giving the girls the opportunity to learn more about astronomy and engineering.Crosswalks removed during bypass work

Where are pedestrians supposed to cross Keawe Street now? There are no longer any protected crosswalks crossing that street. As a result of the lanes being realigned on Honoapiilani Highway to create the no stopping, free right turn lane coming down Keawe Street, two crosswalks were wiped out. Now there are absolutely no crosswalks at all for people to cross into the Lahaina Gateway Shopping Center.

The crosswalk going from the Longs side of the Cannery Mall crossing the highway to Gateway has been removed, as well as the other crosswalk that ran along the highway crossing Keawe Street from the Starbucks, Golden Panda and Walgreens side over to Lahaina Gateway.

The one remaining highway crosswalk takes you over to the Walgreens side but leaves walkers no way of crossing from there to Gateway. The no stopping, free right turn lane combined with no marked and controlled crosswalk for a pedestrian or bike rider to use is sure to cause a deadly accident. Already bike riders and pedestrians have had close run-ins.

Someone is going to get killed just trying to cross the street, and it will be the Highway Departments fault. Then who gets sued, the county or the state? Probably both.

MICHAEL BECKER, Lahaina



Corporate tax cuts not trickling down to workers

Working families are, as usual, getting the short end of the stick from the new Trump-GOP tax law. Huge tax cuts that mostly go to the wealthy and corporations are exploding the national debt and threaten deep cuts to essential public services like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and education.

Not only are the tax cuts unwise, theyre unfair. Corporations saw their tax rate slashed from 35 to 21 percent  a cut of 40 percent. Their wealthy CEOs, who are members of the top 1 percent, are getting a tax cut that averages more than $51,000 a year. The bottom three-fifths of the population, people making under $86,000 a year, will get a tax cut of about $1 a day on average.

Its no accident. The priorities of President Trump and Congressional Republicans in crafting their tax overhaul were clear from the start: reward their wealthy political backers, and in many cases, themselves.

The biggest winners from the new tax law are often the least deserving. The pharmaceutical companies that keep jacking up prescription drug prices. Health insurance companies will make out well, too, even as they keep raising premiums on American families.

The wealthy Koch Brothers and their company could save over a billion dollars a year. So its not surprising theyre planning to spend up to $400 hundred million in the upcoming Congressional elections to protect their windfall. Its a profitable political investment.

Maybe youve heard companies are sharing their tax cuts with workers through bonuses and pay hikes. Thats certainly what corporations would like you to think; but think again. Trickle down is not working today, and it did not work in the past.

According to a comprehensive tracking website by Americans for Tax Fairness, only 385 out of Americas 26 million businesses have provided any bonuses or wage hikes due to the Trump tax cuts. Most of those are one-time bonuses, not permanent wage increases. Just 6.3 million out of 148 million workers, or 4 percent, of American workers have gotten one-time bonuses or wage hikes from their employers tied to the tax cuts.

Already, it is estimated that 126 corporations will get $61 billion in tax breaks this year from the Trump tax law. Thats nine times more than the $6.5 billion that corporations have pledged to hand out to workers in one-time bonuses and wage hikes.

Where are most of the tax cuts going? Not surprisingly, to wealthy investors and CEOs. Companies have committed to spend 39 times more on stock buybacks, which overwhelmingly benefit the rich, than they have on employee bonuses and wages  $253 billion vs. $6.5 billion.

Far from closing loopholes for special interests, the law creates new ones. Wealthy business owners like President Trump were given extra carve-outs in the tax code  benefits regular workers cant use.

Someone must pay the bill for all these tax giveaways to the wealthy  and that someone is you. President Trumps proposed budget for next year cuts $1.7 trillion from health care funding, Social Security disability programs, college tuition aid and food aid, and many other services working families rely on to get by.

The system is already rigged enough against working families. Tax reform should level the playing field, not tilt it further in favor of the wealthy and well-connected.

We need to repeal the Trump-GOP tax cuts for the rich and corporations. Then we can use that money to strengthen Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, education and other vital public investments, such as infrastructure.

Senate Democrats have a $1 trillion plan to build roads, improve water quality, unclog airports, expand broadband and attend to many other long-neglected needs. They would pay for it by rolling back some of the Trump tax cuts for the wealthy and big corporations.

Last years rushed tax bill was principally a payoff to wealthy political donors. By repealing the tax giveaways to wealthy individuals and profitable corporations, and investing that money in American communities, we can make the system work better for working families.

FRANK CLEMENTE, Americans for Tax Fairness



Breaking the Iran Deal: The delusion of victory

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has undoubtedly been sipping champagne these days in celebration of his successful effort to lobby Donald Trump over the Iran nuclear deal. Netanyahus crude interventions to change U.S. policy had been rebuffed by President Obama, but in Trump Netanyahu found a similarly single-minded partner who cannot see the long-term security problems that rejecting the nuclear deal will surely bring.

Netanyahu praised Trumps decision by saying that the deal actually paves Irans path to an entire arsenal of nuclear bombs, and this within a few years time. But he has yet to say  and cannot say  how U.S. withdrawal will change that assessment.

Trumps rejection of the nuclear deal actually may turn out to be a serious blow to the security of Israel and the entire Middle East. First, by further embittering Irans relations with the U.S. and Israel, Trumps decision makes a military confrontation more likely than ever, whether or not Iran proceeds to reactivate its nuclear-weapon program. Iran might retaliate for Israeli air attacks inside Syria or for Mossads intelligence missions inside Iran  such as the one that seized documents on Irans past nuclear program and was used by Netanyahu (and Trump) to make the case for Irans untrustworthiness.

Netanyahu might now believe he has U.S. backing to attack an Iranian nuclear site  an objective he has sought for some time and which now, at a time when his administration is wracked by a corruption scandal, he might find timely to carry out.

Second, if Irans supreme leader does decide to restart a nuclear weapon program, it not only would give Washington and Tel Aviv the excuse they need to attack Iran. Saudi Arabia would also be tempted to intervene on their side  and build its own nuclear weapon in the process.

Third, we have to consider the catastrophic consequences of a U.S.-Israel-Saudi Arabia confrontation with Iran simultaneously with ongoing fighting elsewhere in the Middle East.

In short, while Trump and Netanyahu may think they have shown great courage in pushing Iran to the wall and defying Western allies, they have actually demonstrated extraordinary, even criminal, shortsightedness.

They have assumed that an Iran weakened economically and pressured externally is a welcome development. In this, they have committed two cardinal sins of strategic planning: underestimating the opponents will to resist, and failing to ask what next?

And whats next will not be a case of unanticipated consequences.

MEL GURTOV, PeaceVoiceLAHAINA  The Hinatea moved to the top of the blue marlin stats, and into the 700-pound club, with a 753.5-pound fish by Garett Monsen. He was fishing with Capt. Greg France and Deckman Chris Canaiy.

Greg made the ono run to the Palaoa Point Lighthouse off the southwest corner of Lanai, picking up one there. He then headed out to the K-Buoy looking for a marlin. After working the area for a while, he headed back in toward the small slides.

Chris started switching out the pattern for ono. He just had the short side left when they got a strike on the short corner lure on the second wave.

It wasnt a mean run, mentioned Greg, just a slow, steady pull. The fish never jumped on its initial run, never taking more than 200 yards of 100 test line or getting them into the Dacron backing.

The marlin didnt seem to know it was hooked. It ran out off the port side, with Greg having to spin the boat 180 degrees after it. There was a really good bend in the rod as Greg got pretty aggressive on the helm, trying to keep the marlin close and get as much line back as possible.

They didnt see the fish until about ten minutes into the fight, when it finally came up jumping around 200 yards away. Thats when they knew they had a big fish hooked.

The fish started fighting pretty funny, mentioned Chris.

The fish stayed on the surface the first 20 minutes as Greg continued to reverse after the marlin. It was give and take, with the fish pulling off 50 yards and then stopping or changing directions. Greg was right back after it, with Garett regaining the 50 yards they had lost.

It was a back and forth effort, mentioned Greg.

The marlin slowed down as the angle of the line changed as it started to dive. About ten minutes later, Greg was able to get up on the fish. They had it straight up and down off the stern in the flat, calm water.

With Greg right up on top of the fish, they had about 75 yards of line to go. The line started to slowly roll off the spool as the marlin sank under its dead weight. Greg said, I dont think this things swimming any more.

With no movement from the marlin, it had about 150 yards out when they figured it was dead. With the line pinging off the spool, it continued to sink another 50 yards before Chris pushed up the drag lever over the button, finally stopping the line loss.

Chris had as much drag pressure on the fish as he could put before he began to hand-line the marlin. He started to hand-over-hand pull it up off the stern as Garett cranked in the line. Greg was watching which way the current was going and what the fish was doing.

After five or ten minutes, Greg came off the helm and began to Portuguese pull line on the reel, as Chris continued to hand-line the fish upward and Garett cranked in line. They switched off over the next 30 minutes, gaining 150 yards. One person was always holding the line to keep it from rolling off the spool.

Once they got the marlin about 50 yards away, the three of them got a rhythm going and momentum, as it started to come up a little easier. The last 50 feet, they finally saw deep color. Right as they saw the fish, they spotted an estimated 12- to 14-foot tiger shark right on it.

The tiger was right there near the surface, swimming back and forth, stalking the marlin about ten feet away. Chris leaned over the rail, hand-lining the marlin upward a little faster. The marlin came up right under the boat off the stern, tail-wrapped, backwards and dead.

As Chris grabbed leader, he thought, Its not getting this fish. He had the marlin pinned up behind the boat, with the tiger right there. He was about ready to start throwing things at the shark to scare it away.

Chris and Greg made everything happen really quick. Chris got the stern door open as Greg got the marlin secured. With two fly-gaffs in it, they had the rest of the charters help to quickly pull it aboard before the shark got it.

It was an easy one for a 750, taking about an hour, mentioned Greg. This is the largest marlin for Lahaina Harbor since 2015. It is also the largest for Chris, with Gregs previous largest a 690-pounder back in 2003.The executive-level turnover at BET Networks continued on Thursday, with the top boss at the Viacom-owned network stepping down after a 13-year tenure.

BET announced that Chairman and Chief Executive Debra Lee will be leaving the company effective Monday.

Lee began her career with the network as its first vice president and general counsel in 1986 and was promoted to president and chief operating officer 10 years later. She was named chairman and CEO in 2005.

New York-based BET didnt provide a reason for Lees departure, but cited her contributions.

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During her tenure, BET launched such shows as Being Mary Jane, The Real Husbands of Hollywood and In Contempt.

Lees focus on diverse, high-quality scripted programming that positively highlights the African-American experience has set BET Networks apart from other brands desperate to reach the coveted black audience, the company said in Thursdays announcement.

Lees departure is the latest executive shake-up at BET since Bob Bakish took over as CEO of parent company Viacom in late 2016.

BET executives Stephen Hill and Zola Mashariki left the network a year ago. Mashariki sued BET and Viacom, alleging discrimination, but the suit eventually was settled.

Other Viacom-owned properties also have seen leadership changes since Bakish became CEO and promised to reinvigorate the media conglomerate. Brad Grey left his position as the head of Paramount in early 2017. Cable channels including Spike (now the Paramount Network), TV Land, MTV and Comedy Central also have seen executives depart or transfer to other Viacom properties.

BET has catered to African American audiences since its inception in 1980. But like many cable channels, it has struggled to retain viewers as younger audiences gravitate toward streaming options. In addition to its flagship channel, BET Networks also includes sister channels such as BET Hip-Hop and BET Her.

Viacom said in its announcement Thursday that Lee plans to stay involved in the media industry and remain on corporate and nonprofit boards. In addition, the company said she plans to continue her commitment to diversity and inclusion through her work with Times Up and the Recording Academys diversity and inclusion task force.

Lee said in a statement: I feel a tremendous amount of gratitude to our parent company, Viacom, for their continued belief in the power of the BET brand and their unwavering support of my long and fulfilling career here. I would especially like to thank Bob Bakish for supporting me as I start the next chapter in this exciting journey.

david.ng@latimes.com

Twitter: @DavidNgLAT

UPDATES:

2:45 p.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from BET.

This article was originally published at 2:10 p.m.For decades, the Defense Department has relied on school bus-sized satellites launched high above the Earth for national security missions.

But those satellites can take years to build and launch. And as nations gain the ability to shoot down or disable them  and electronics become smaller and more powerful  thats ramped up interest in developing the ability to launch tiny satellites quickly and with relatively little notice.

Thats the centerpiece of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agencys new launch challenge. In late 2019, several small-satellite launch teams will be given a license from the Federal Aviation Administration to hoist payloads, with just 14 days notice, to specific orbits from a location they will only learn a month ahead of time. A successful launch will win a team $2 million.

Two weeks later, theyll have to do it again with a new payload, orbit and launch site. After competitors are ranked based on factors such as accuracy, the winner will get an additional $10 million. Second- and third-place teams will also receive cash prizes.

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For a really long time, weve enjoyed and benefited from space being a sanctuary, said Todd Master, program manager at DARPAs Tactical Technology Office, during a Wednesday information session in Los Angeles. But that environment is changing.

The Defense Department has been interested in small satellites for many years. But until recently, tiny spacecraft werent useful or cost-effective enough to make them worthwhile, said Doug Loverro, former deputy assistant secretary of Defense for space policy.

Technological improvements and commercial mass production of small satellites for broadband and communications constellations are piquing government interest once again, though.

In 2007, the Chinese military shot down one of its own satellites in a ground-based ballistic missile test, and had previously illuminated at least one U.S. satellite with a laser on the ground. In the 1980s, the U.S. and Soviet Union conducted anti-satellite weapons tests, but stopped after they led to fields of space junk that threatened other satellites.

Small-satellite launch firm Vector launched a rocket from a proposed commercial spaceport in Georgia in August. (Vector )

With small satellites, the Defense Department could quickly replenish satellites that have been destroyed by adversaries or set up a constellation for targeted reconnaissance efforts, Loverro said.

Last August, for instance, SpaceX launched a Kestrel Eye satellite for the U.S. Army. The dorm-fridge sized spacecraft is designed to launch quickly and provide real-time imaging information to troops on the ground.

Being able to launch from anywhere  whether thats a commercial spaceport, a U.S. Air Force launch pad, or an aircraft runway  would allow for even more flexibility, Master said.

We dont want to have single points of failure, he said.

Launch-site flexibility is a key strategy for several emerging small-satellite launch firms, such as Seattle-based Stratolaunch. The company is developing a plane with a wingspan of 385 feet that will launch satellites from a rocket attached to the planes belly. To launch, Stratolaunch only needs a runway.

The company is aiming to conduct its first test flight in August, with commercial service beginning in 2020. That current timeline wouldnt fit with DARPAs launch challenge, but the company plans to continue preparations for the competition anyway, said Mark Bitterman, director of customer engagement.

Another company whose commercial plans seem to be aligned with those of the DARPA challege is Tucson-based Vector, which last year test-launched from a country road in Georgia. Vector has a mobile launch platform and station to blast tiny satellites to orbit from just about anywhere.

[DARPAs] seeing the same scenarios or requirements that a lot of us are seeing  the need for more responsive access, said John Garvey, president of launch services. Theyre going to be able to leverage the fact that theres already a lot of momentum building.

Though traditionally known for building engines that power larger launch vehicles such as the space shuttle, manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne is also developing a family of engines geared toward the small-satellite launch market.

The company has already conducted hot fire tests of its Bantam engines, which are manufactured with 3D printing technology, said Tom Martin, senior manager of strategy and business development.

samantha.masunaga@latimes.com

Twitter: @smasunagaThe Trump administration is considering new tariffs on imported cars in a move that trade analysts said was designed to put pressure on Mexico during the final stages of negotiations for a new North American trade deal.

Officials may cite national security grounds to justify a 25% tariff on imported vehicles, a senior administration official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. President Trump used the same provision of U.S. trade law in March when he called for tariffs on foreign-made steel and aluminum.

An announcement of a formal investigation into the purported need for such industrial protection could come as soon as Wednesday evening, one industry executive said. Shares of European carmakers fell more than 1% on the news.

Negotiators for the United States, Mexico and Canada remain deadlocked over rules for granting duty-free status to vehicles under a new North American trade deal.

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The talks have been underway for more than nine months and appear likely to continue into 2019, Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said this week.

The threat to impose an import tax on cars was seen as an attempt to press Mexican officials to accept a U.S. demand for a higher percentage of auto content to be made in American factories.

Talks over a replacement for the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement among the United States, Mexico and Canada have made limited progress.

Negotiators remain divided on a host of contentious U.S. proposals, including a provision that would require the deal to be formally renewed every five years.

The proposed import tax was seen as an additional pressure point in the negotiations, with Mexico and Canada already scheduled to lose their exemption from Trumps metals tariffs in little more than a week.

This has been discussed for some time, which makes me suspect that this is being leaked to put pressure on Mexico during NAFTA and on other parties seeking steel and aluminum exemptions, said attorney Dan Ujczo of Dickinson Wright.

Initial reaction to the idea of an import tax on cars based on national security needs was unfriendly, with one veteran trade lawyer saying it would prompt pant-wetting laughter  followed by retaliation among U.S. trading partners.

Mexico in the past has threatened to retaliate against U.S. trade actions by curtailing purchases of American farm products. Mexicans last year purchased almost $19 billion of American corn, dairy and soybean products.

The provisions of a 1962 trade law, known as Section 232, allow the president to restrict imports that threaten to impair the national security.

Under the law, the Commerce Department conducts a months-long review and reports its conclusions to the president. He then determines the final tariff figure, if any.

William Reinsch, a former Clinton administration trade official, said the proposal broke with traditional legal interpretations and would disrupt industry supply chains and probably lead to job losses in the United States and elsewhere.

Arguing that passenger cars are a national security issue doesnt pass the laugh test, he said. We dont have a shortage; our companies are not currently in trouble; and there are plenty of alternative sources from reliable allied suppliers. Pursuing that case would make a mockery of the provision.

A vehicles tariff also would hurt U.S. automakers with operations in Mexico and Canada and other places. The United States imported $192 billion in passenger vehicles last year, with Mexico being the leading source, followed by Canada, Japan and Germany.

An industry group representing several foreign carmakers said the domestic industry did not need protection from competition.

If these reports are true, its a bad day for American consumers, said John Bozzella, chief executive of Global Automakers, which represents several foreign carmakers.

To our knowledge, no one is asking for this protection. This path leads inevitably to fewer choices and higher prices for cars and trucks in America.

The auto industry has been a focus of the presidents. He has complained about the difficulties American carmakers face selling their products abroad, raising the subject with Asian and European allies.

In March, he threatened to hit European carmakers with tariffs if the European Union did not lower barriers to U.S. vehicles. The EU adds 10% to the cost of imported American models, while the United States imposes a levy of 2.5% on most imported cars and 25% on most pickups.

German officials have grown frustrated trying to convince Trump that Germans dont want to buy from American companies, which specialize in large sport-utility vehicles rather than smaller cars more suited to European lifestyles.

Trump has obsessed over German cars above all others, according to a senior White House official familiar with the talks. Though the president is now driven in an armored black Cadillac limousine known as the beast, he has owned various foreign models, including Maybach, Rolls Royce, Mercedes-Benz and McLaren.

The president appears to have previewed the internal debate with an early-morning tweet: There will be big news coming soon for our great American Autoworkers. After many decades of losing your jobs to other countries, you have waited long enough!

The proposal was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.President Trump on Thursday signed bipartisan legislation rolling back some of the Dodd-Frank financial rules put in place after the 2008 financial crisis, touting another victory for his deregulatory agenda.

But the bill fell well short of his campaign call to dismantle the 2010 Dodd-Frank law, leaving key pillars unchanged, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Instead, with the key support of some Senate Democrats, the legislation focuses relief on small and medium-sized banks that had complained they were unfairly burdened with regulations designed to prevent a future crisis.

The legislation Im signing today rolls back the crippling Dodd-Frank regulations that are crushing community banks and credit unions nationwide, Trump said after calling Dodd-Frank a disaster.

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These community banks are vital for local lending and have a direct stake in the success of their neighborhoods and their states, he said.

The House passed the bill 258 to 159 on Tuesday, with 33 Democrats joining all but one Republican. The Senate approved the legislation 67 to 31 in March with the support of several moderate Democrats who seek reelection this fall in states that Trump won by large margins.

Only one of the Democrats who helped craft the Senate bill, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) attended Thursdays signing ceremony at the White House. She was invited, along with the main author, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Michael D. Crapo (R-Idaho) and several Senate and House Republicans.

This is a great day for Main Street in rural America, and a big testament to whats possible when members of Congress put partisanship aside and work together to help our communities grow and thrive, Heitkamp said in a statement after the signing.

Three other Senate Democrats on the committee who played key roles in getting the legislation enacted  Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Jon Tester of Montana and Mark Warner of Virginia, were not invited, according to their staffs.

According to a Donnelly aide, the White House said there were space constraints. The ceremony was held in the White Houses Roosevelt Room, which is about the size of the Oval Office, and attended by about two dozen lawmakers and administration officials.

Community banks, which enjoy broad support among Republicans and Democrats, will be freed from Dodd-Franks mortgage rules if they make fewer than 500 mortgages a year. And banks with less than $10 billion in assets will be exempted from complying with the Volcker Rule, which prohibits institutions from trading for their own profit and limits ownership of risky investments.

Consumers also get new protections in the wake of Equifax Inc.s massive data breach last year. Credit reporting companies now must let consumers freeze and unfreeze their files for free. Active-duty members of the military will receive free credit monitoring.

But the legislation also helps many larger banks, which led most Democrats to oppose it.

About two dozen banks with assets of as much as $250 billion will be freed from Dodd-Franks mandatory stricter regulatory oversight. The legislation raised the threshold for that oversight, which includes rigorous annual stress tests, from $50 billion.

Federal Reserve regulators now will have more flexibility in how they supervise large banks and can extend the tougher oversight to banks with between $100 billion and $250 billion in assets if officials deem it necessary.

That means that only 13 of the nations biggest banks, including JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co., now will be required to receive Dodd-Franks tough oversight.

jim.puzzanghera@latimes.com

Twitter: @JimPuzzangheraA couple in Portland, Ore., received a nightmarish phone call two weeks ago.

Unplug your Alexa devices right now, the caller said. Youre being hacked.

Apparently, one of the Amazon.com Inc. Alexa-powered Echo devices in their home had silently sent recordings to the caller, without the couples permission. The caller, who happened to be an employee of the husband, was in the couples contact list.

My husband and I would joke and say, Id bet these devices are listening to what were saying, a woman who identified herself only by her first name, Danielle, told KIRO 7, a local news station covering Seattle and western Washington state.

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We unplugged all of them and [the caller] proceeded to tell us that he had received audio files of recordings from inside our house, she said. At first, my husband was, like, No you didnt! And the [recipient of the message] said, You sat there talking about hardwood floors. And we said, Oh, gosh, you really did hear us.

Danielle said she felt invaded after listening back to her own conversations, silently captured by an eavesdropping machine. Im never plugging that device in again, she said. I cant trust it.

Amazon said in a statement Thursday afternoon that the Echo woke up when it heard a word that sounded like Alexa.

The subsequent conversation was heard as a send message request, Amazon said. At which point, Alexa said out loud To whom? The background conversation was then interpreted as a name in the customers contact list.

The company also said: As unlikely as this string of events is, we are evaluating options to make this case even less likely.

It was not clear what type of Echo device was involved.

Danielle told KIRO 7 that the device did not tell her that it would be sending the recorded conversations.

The couple used Amazons voice-activated devices throughout their home to control heat, lights and the security system, according to the news report. In 2014, Amazon introduced the line of devices, which can also stream music and order goods from Amazon via voice command. The company has been busy introducing updated versions and adding features to sell more devices than rivals such as Alphabet Inc. and Apple Inc., which are rolling out their own versions.

Voice-activated assistants such as the Echo and Google Home have gone mainstream. More than 60 million U.S. consumers will use a smart speaker at least once a month this year, with more than 40 million of them using Amazons devices, according to EMarketer Inc.

But Amazons lead in the market is slipping. The company shipped 2.5 million Echo devices globally in the first quarter, compared with 3.2 million Google devices shipped in the same period, according to research firm Canalys.

People have been willing to overlook glitches in the Echo  for example, if the device turns on accidentally or without the wake word being uttered, said Ryan Calo, an associate law professor at the University of Washington who researches how law applies to technology. This incident is more alarming because a private conversation was recorded and sent to a third party, he said.

Think about how uncomfortable the millions of people who own these things now feel, Calo said. The real harm is the invasion into solitude people now experience in their homes.

This is not the first time Amazons smart speaker has garnered scrutiny over potential eavesdropping. Last month, researchers discovered a flaw in the Alexa voice assistant that enabled an Echo to continue listening to a person without the person knowing. The devices are supposed to record audio only after users issue a voice command, known as a wake word. Amazon quickly fixed the vulnerability after researchers alerted the company.

Daniel Kahn Gillmor, a staff technologist for the ACLUs speech, privacy and technology project, said that the intuitive nature of connected devices can mask their complexity and the possibility of malfunction.

The Amazon Echo, despite being small, is a computer  its a computer with microphones, speakers, and its connected to the network, he said. These are potential surveillance devices, and we have invited them further and further into our lives without examining how that could go wrong. And I think we are starting to see examples of that.

Amazons chief executive, Jeffrey P. Bezos, owns the Washington Post.

Shaban writes for the Washington Post. Bloomberg was used in compiling this report.

UPDATES:

4:45 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Amazon and Daniel Kahn Gillmor and with additional background information.

This article was originally published at 1:05 p.m.For 33 years choreographer Heidi Duckler has staged dance performances at far-flung and unexpected locales, from an abandoned Studio City gas station to the Frank Gehry-designed Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro.

Her next destination: a hospital campus in South L.A.

Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre will spend two years at and around Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science and the campus of the 3-year-old Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in unincorporated Willowbrook. With a recently announced $75,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Ducklers company aims to create not just dance but a more cohesive community.

The project, which starts in August and runs to July 2020, is tentatively titled Two-Eyed Seeing. One of the goals is to use the dance-making process to build bonds among medical personnel, patients, students and residents in one of Los Angeles Countys most ethnically diverse and economically challenged neighborhoods. Partnering with government and community groups, Ducklers company will test the theory that dance can be the glue holding a place together.

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Raymond Ejiofor, left, Lily Ontiveros and Heidi Duckler near Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in Willowbrook. (Maria Alejandra Cardona / Los Angeles Times )

Duckler spent almost a year shaping the project, meeting with leaders from the university, the local school district and the community hospital, which replaced the troubled MLK-Harbor after it closed as an acute care hospital in 2007.

They call it a campus, which is very interesting to me, Duckler said. If you think about what a campus implies, its that theyre all in the same place, and they all have the same goals or the same rules, and that they share all same desires.

But research, Duckler said, found that the people who work, go to school, seek care or live in the area really didnt know who was on the campus or what one another was doing.

One of Ducklers primary contacts has been Sylvia Drew Ivie, a special assistant to the president of community relations at the university. Ivie wanted to give Duckler a feel for the 52-year-old university, which is named after her father, pioneering scientist and surgeon Charles Drew.

She gave Duckler the lowdown about the universitys programs, its undergraduate academics and the nursing and medical schools. They talked about the diversity of the students and how upon graduation many choose to work in minority communities, which have a shortage of health professionals and resources.

I think that this project will achieve some empathy and mutual understanding for people that are different, but that live in close proximity. Dance troupe leader Heidi Duckler

Ivie pointed out that good things are percolating on the campus, such as the return of residency programs for the Drew University medical students at the new MLK hospital.

People dont know what goes on in South Los Angeles, first of all, Ivie said. If you dont live here you dont know. They have no idea about the beauty of this health campus, which is really a great surprise. Here we are, a surprising place with a surprising mission, and heres someone [Duckler] whos interested in a surprising cultural mission of bringing it all together. I think its a wonderful marriage.

Duckler has selected an open-air atrium on the university campus for her company to perform. She hopes that community members also will perform and perhaps share a concert with the dance troupe. Ducklers company also will hold movement workshops with students at the nearby King/Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science, teaching a variation of techniques, such as spatial awareness, that the professional dancers use to prepare for concerts in unusual places.

The company expects to hold similar workshops with the residents at the MLK Jr. Recuperative Care Center and the Willowbrook Senior Center, as well as with the universitys nursing students. Duckler said the companys teaching methods are adapted for each groups physical capabilities.

As she usually does, the choreographer will share through dance the stories of the people she meets, while also encouraging them to create artwork through which they can share their own stories.

Its really important that we work together, that we get to know each other, that we have some mutual understanding, she said. We want to have a series of community conversations. Different groups come together to talk about things that are meaningful for them. Through art, they share their stories, they share health and wellness, and why theyre there and why theyre learning.

The title Two-Eyed Seeing is a translation of a Native Canadian word that means gaining wisdom from both indigenous peoples and from Western ways of thinking. It reflects the values that Duckler intends to bring to the project, said David Mack, strategic director of the dance company.

Initially called Collage Dance Theatre, Ducklers troupe started in the mid-1980s giving one-off performances at nontraditional sites. In recent years, though, the choreographer has engaged in a deeper creative process.

Three years ago, Duckler and her company participated in a similar NEA-funded project at the William Shaw Building in Sun Village, which began as an African American community in the Antelope Valley. For that project, the company spent time with members of the Black Desert Cowboys, the Sun Valley Chamber of Commerce and Ballet Folklorico Etzatlan, among other groups. The professional dancers performed, and then community groups staged an event with the companys help.

Duckler said that because dance is a method of communicating, one of its side benefits is that it can bring people together, bridging divides. She said that will hold true in Willowbrook.

I think that this project will achieve some empathy and mutual understanding for people that are different, but that live in close proximity, Duckler said.

Yolanda Vera, chief executive officer of the Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center, is excited about the projects possibilities. She said the residents of the Recuperative Care Center will benefit from the workshops.

Many of them have never been exposed to dance and art, she said, and so it is a chance for them to witness beauty.

She added that she doesnt want to be unrealistic about what dance can accomplish, but, I still remember an Alvin Ailey performance I went to with my daughter, and it transported us.

See all of our latest arts news and reviews at latimes.com/arts.

ALSO

Soft Power at the Ahmanson: Big, bold, overly complicated and spectacularly unique

How My Fair Lady and Carousel rescued me from the brink of Broadway despair

Miro masterpiece was sold to the highest bidder. It belongs in a museum insteadA star-studded concert screening of Disneys Beauty and the Beast leads this weeks picks, along with Los Angeles Operas staging of artist-in-residence Matthew Aucoins Crossing and the Musco Centers annual Heartbeat of Mexico festival. Long Beach Ballet stages the classic Coppelia, Santa Monica Symphony salutes Memorial Day and Noises Off wraps its run in Pasadena. Last but not least, the three-day Topanga Days festival returns in Topanga.

Beauty at the Hollywood Bowl

A tale as old as time is retold again in Disneys Beauty and the Beast in Concert. Backed by a full orchestra, a cast headed by Zooey Deschanel, Rebel Wilson, Taye Diggs and Kelsey Grammer sings tunes from the 1991 animated movie in this live-to-picture presentation. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood. 8:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $42-$199. www.hollywoodbowl.com

Aucoins Crossing at the Wallis

As part of its Off Grand series, L.A. Opera presents a concert performance of Crossing, Aucoins musical drama about poet Walt Whitmans time caring for wounded soldiers during the Civil War. Baritone Rod Gilfry stars. Bram Goldsmith Theater, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $55 and up. www.TheWallis.org

Composer Matthew Aucoin's "Crossing" will be performed at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

Heartbeat of Mexico at Musco

The third annual Heartbeat of Mexico festival includes a concert by the renowned Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano at 7:30 p.m. Saturday ($20 and up). On Sunday, a free family-friendly event runs from 1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with live music and dance, arts and crafts and more. Capping things off is a sold-out show by Mexican songstress Natalia Lafourcade at 6 p.m. Sunday. Musco Center for the Arts, Chapman University, 415 N. Glassell St., Orange. www.muscocenter.org

Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano will perform as part of the Heartbeat of Mexico festival at the Musco Center in Orange. Reese Zoellner / Armstrong International Cultural Foundation

Long Beach Ballets Coppelia

A callow youth falls head over heels for a mad inventors life-size dancing doll in Long Beach Ballets presentation of Leo Delibes classic 19th century comedic fable Coppelia. Terrace Theater, Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. $38 and up. www.longbeachballet.com

Long Beach Ballet stages the classic fable "Coppelia" at the Terrace Theatre. Long Beach Ballet

Santa Monica Symphony marks Memorial Day

Santa Monica Symphonys annual Memorial Day weekend concert commemorates the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I with a program that includes Vaughan Williams Symphony No. 3, Pastoral, plus De Fallas Ritual Fire Dance, Ravels Le Tombeau de Couperin and Butterworths The Banks of Green Willow. Santa Monica High School, Barnum Hall, 600 Olympic Blvd. 7 p.m. Sunday. Free. www.smsymphony.org

Music director Guido Lamell will lead Santa Monica Symphony in the orchestra's annual Memorial Day weekend concert. Santa Monica Symphony

Noises Off closes at A Noise Within

Its your last weekend to catch Noises Off. Geoff Elliott directs this remount of A Noise Withins 2009 staging of Michael Frayns backstage farce about the kooky cast of a deeply troubled play within the play. An L.A. Times Critics Choice. A Noise Within, 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena. 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. $25 and up; student rush, $20. www.anoisewithin.org

The cast of A Noise Within's remount of Michael Frayn's backstage farce "Noises Off." Craig Schwartz

Topanga Days celebrates 45th yearA few days after former spy Sergei Skripal was poisoned in London by nerve toxins associated with Russian intelligence agencies, fictional ex-Russian agent Ivan Krupin died at the hands of a Kremlin operative in TVs Homeland. And in April on The Americans, KGB agent Nadeshda shot an uncooperative source in the head. Nearly three decades after the end of the Cold War, Russians have returned in real life  and on Emmy-contending TV dramas  as enemies of the state dedicated to wreaking havoc on democratic institutions.

But unlike previous big-screen heavies such as Rocky IVs Ivan Drago or Bond villain Rosa Klebb, small-screen Russian antagonists in 2018 get a chance to humanize their sides of the story.

The FX period drama The Americans, unfolding against an 80s-era backdrop of Evil Empire rhetoric, never intended to demonize KGB couple Nadeshda (Keri Russell) and Mischa aka Philip (Matthew Rhys). Nadeshda, posing as suburban mom Elizabeth Jennings, kills, seduces and blackmails on behalf of her Moscow handlers. She also tangles with rebellious kids and her argumentative spouse in the time-honored fashion of ordinary civilians.

When The Americans started in 2013, we were at a place where you could look back with a kind of bemusement that Russians had ever been so vilified in our eyes as the enemy, says executive producer Joel Fields. Now vilifying Russian tactics seems quite reasonable. If we were to go back and start the show again in todays world, we would pick a different enemy to fight rather than the Russians, Fields says.

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READ MORE: The Americans stars reflect on the series end and the new demonization of Russians 

Matthew Rhys as Philip Jennings and Keri Russell as Elizabeth Jennings in The Americans. (FX )

Series creator Joe Weisberg, who worked for the CIA in the early 90s, adds, The issue of what it means to be a true believer is a fundamental question we tackle in the series. Were deeply interested in whats going on in Russia right now, but were also deeply interested in keeping it out of The Americans because that pops the bubble. We want to immerse you in the drama of 1987.

While Soviet spies drive the action in The Americans, its the fear of off-screen Communist adversaries that informs Errol Morris 1954-set docudrama Wormwood. The fact-based Netflix series revisits a disastrous CIA mind-control experiment in which agents fed LSD to their unwitting colleague Frank Olson. Confused and depressed, Olson fell to his death from the window of a Manhattan hotel in what was officially ruled a suicide. Eric Olson argues that his father was pushed.

Everything in Wormwood happens in the context of the Cold War, when the Soviet Union and China were testing nuclear weapons, says Morris. Perhaps our fears were outsized, but they werent manufactured out of whole cloth. Were there overreactions? Yes. The Olson case seems to be an example of just that. We dont imagine the CIA being involved in domestic murders.

The Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker sees a distinctly different U.S.-Russia dynamic at play today. What we have now is an under-reaction, because were talking about possible collusion between the American president and the Russians, Morris says. Thats quite a twist because its very difficult for me to imagine Harry Truman or Dwight Eisenhower organizing hotel deals with Stalin.

Peter Sarsgaard in Errol Morris Wormwood. (Zach Dilgard / Netflix )

The Americans and Wormwood dramatize the psychological toll exacted by 20th century Cold War subterfuge, but Showtimes Homeland this season offers up-to-the-minute Russian villainy in the person of Yevgeny (Costa Ronin). Determined to outsmart equally intense ex-CIA zealot Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes), he tries to frame the U.S. president for murder through expert manipulation of social media.

Series co-creator Alex Gansa, who wrote his fair share of Middle East bad guys for the 2001-2010 counter-terrorism series 24, says, Obviously, after 9/11, there was a new enemy out there  Al Qaeda and Islamic extremists  but that didnt mean the other bad actors went away. Russia was one of those bad actors.

WATCH: Video Q&As from this seasons hottest contenders 

Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison and Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson in Homeland. (Antony Platt / Showtime )

Like The Americans, Homeland strives to draw its Yankee heroes and Slavic villains in nonjudgmental shades of gray. Gansa says, Our bad guy Yevgeny has a very specific idea about the Wests culpability in the deterioration of the relationship between Russia and the United States, and that point of view is articulated in Homeland.

Id like to think our show takes a more nuanced look at this stuff by showing Russia as a country thats pursuing its own self-interests. Americans might look at Russians as the boogeyman but believe me, the Russians look at us in the same way.

calendar@latimes.comLarger-than-life longtime Vogue magazine editor Andre Leon Talley, known for his capes, caftans, incisive bons mots and discerning eye gets the biographical treatment in the documentary The Gospel According to Andre, directed by Kate Novack.

Just where did this stately, otherwordly figure come from? Durham, N.C., of course. As Talley unspools his life story with self-reflective intimacy, his humble upbringing proves to be a deeply influential part of his journey to reach the high-status fashion elite. Raised by his grandmother in a community revolving around the local black church, Talley grew up instilled with a sense of dignity and a knowledge about how to dress properly for an occasion.

The film follows Talleys path from the South to New York City, assisting Diana Vreeland at the Costume Institute, then to Interview magazine, the Paris runways for Womens Wear Daily and finally to Vogue, where he became an icon.

Its a fascinating look at the self-invented Andre Leon Talley, a bold, daring creation who never let anything obstruct his passions, curiosities and whims.

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While the film ably addresses his lasting influence as a trailblazer for African American men in the world of fashion, it gets bogged down in the 2016 election. Though it was happening as they filmed, this subplot doesnt tell us much more about Talley himself. That could have been time spent diving even more deeply into Talleys inner world, his sorrows, his joys. Furthermore, it roots the film in a specific time, a disservice to a timeless persona.

Nevertheless, its a rare delight to spend so much time with the inimitable Andre. This revealing documentary shows the playful, loving and vulnerable side to this towering figure of taste.

-------------

The Gospel According to Andre

Running time: 1 hour, 34 minutes

Rating: PG-13, for some thematic and suggestive content

Playing: ArcLight Hollywood; the Landmark, West Los Angeles

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calendar@latimes.comMary Shelley conjures up images of a lumbering, disfigured, greenish-skinned monster of a man. That monster, now a cultural icon of horror films for over a century, and his mad scientist creator, Dr. Frankenstein, were dreamed up by the young Mary Shelley in her 1818 horror/fantasy novel, Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus.

Haifaa al-Mansours biopic of the writer, Mary Shelley, starring Elle Fanning, attempts to make some sense out of Shelleys remarkable, wild life, tracing the upbringing and romantic foibles that led her to create one of the most indelible fictional creatures of all time. With a few careful nips and tucks to the real story, the film presents Mary as the very first in a long line of moody, macabre young women who have churned their angst into popular horror and fantasy fiction. It also seeks to position Frankenstein as an ultimately feminist text, an interesting concept the film tends to aggressively overargue.

Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin was born ahead of her time. Her mother, a writer and womens rights advocate, died when Mary was only a few weeks old, and her father, philosopher, writer and publisher William Godwin (played by Stephen Dillane), educated his daughter well. At 17, Mary ran away with her lover, the Romantic poet Percy Shelley, and the fraught love affair becomes the cornerstone of the script by Emma Jensen. As portrayed by the beautiful Douglas Booth, its not hard to imagine falling for the poet, even though he reveals himself to be an emotionally manipulative narcissist, raving about free love while cheating on Mary with her stepsister, Claire (Bel Powley).

Although he never respects her as a partner, Percy believes in Marys talent as a writer. She furtively scribbles wherever and whenever she can, scraps of writing lamenting her sorrow and her bliss  her frustration with Percy, grief for the loss of her mother, and devastation after the death of her baby, Clara. As Al-Mansour depicts it, the tumultuous stew of emotions inside Mary grows to a roiling boil before it all comes pouring out. Inspired by a ghost story competition to wile away the hours during a rainy day at the Geneva estate of Lord Byron (Tom Sturridge), and informed by her interest in scientific displays of galvanism (or reanimation), Mary writes Frankenstein from her deep sense of loneliness and abandonment.

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The ethereal Fanning is excellent as always as the flushed, then fierce, Mary. Early on, her father sends her to Scotland to put some space between her and her stepmother (Joanne Froggatt), but also, he says, to find her own voice. The film follows that process, as she discovers her writers voice, and how to use her own voice to speak up.

The film is beautiful, a richly designed and photographed period piece. But where Mary Shelley falters is in its lack of focus and gratuitous need to overexplain everything. Theres very little subtext or details to be gleaned  its all on the surface. And for such a radical woman leading such a radical life, Al-Mansour and Jensen have trimmed too much. The reality is much more fascinating and messy than this sanitized version, which tries to stick this complicated and unconventional woman into a staid romantic drama. The film celebrates Mary Shelley for the trailblazing woman that she is, but hews far too close to convention to truly represent her life.

Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

------------

Mary Shelley

Rated: PG-13, for sexuality and thematic elements including substance abuse.

Running time: 2 hours

Playing: Laemmle Monica Film Center, Santa Monica

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calendar@latimes.comWriter-director Carla Simon, whose gentle, poetic drama Summer 1993 reflects on the time she went to live with her uncles family after the death of her mother, offers a relatable array of candid emotions and observations that feel distinctly culled from real life.

This verisimilitude, amplified by the films unhurried pace and naturalistic shooting and acting styles, slowly draws us into the journey of Simons proxy, 6-year-old Frida (Laia Artigas), as she leaves her Barcelona home  and loving circle of aunts and grandparents  for the scenic Catalonia farm where her mothers brother, Esteve (David Verdaguer), lives with wife Marga (Bruna Cusi) and their 4-year-old daughter, Anna (Paula Robles). (The movie was shot in the actual place where Simon was sent when she was 6.)

The wary and aching Frida, mystified by her rural surroundings and replacement family  as well as by the hushed circumstances of her mothers AIDS-related demise  at first feels like the odd girl out despite Esteve and the more circumspect Margas efforts to treat her like their own child.

Marga, sympathetic to Frida and Esteves loss but primarily protective of Anna, cant help keeping her niece somewhat at arms length, not entirely convinced that Frida isnt a budding bad seed  that is, her mothers daughter.

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Meanwhile, Frida, in her own low-key way, can be something of a brat, acting out and creating bits of perhaps unintended havoc, particularly around Anna, whos become a sister and new best friend. A dubious accident that lands Annas arm in a cast does little to burnish Fridas reputation, though Anna still seems happier than not for her playful company.

The 1993-set film, whose sentiments, if not cultural specifics, are relatively timeless, unfolds as if in a series of minds-eye snapshots as Simon moves us through Fridas pivotal summer.

Whether beholding chickens and livestock, learning to distinguish her leafy greens, listening in on adult conversation, or viewing the vibrant costume festival of Gegants i Capgrossos (giants and big heads) in the village square, Frida maintains both a cool reserve and a wide-eyed interest as she searches for her place amid all she sees and hears.

It all makes for a uniquely vivid and evocative kind of storytelling reminiscent of such other child-centric European portraits as the highly praised 1973 drama The Spirit of the Beehive and 1996s award-winning Ponette. As in those inward films, Summer lives, breathes and succeeds on the expressive, instinctive work of its young lead actress. Artiga, reportedly chosen out of nearly 1,000 auditioning children, is indeed a find.

Ultimately, this is a memorable look at our desire to love and feel safe, to connect and belong  and the unexpected ways in which families can reshape and grow.

-------------

Summer 1993

In Catalan with English subtitles

Not rated

Running time: 1 hour, 38 minutes

Playing: Laemmle Royal Theatre, West Los Angeles; Laemmle Playhouse 7, Pasadena

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calendar@latimes.comFew Australian films have cast a haunting and influential spell over cinema like 1975s Picnic at Hanging Rock, the mystery about several students from a posh finishing school who vanished during a Valentines Day outing to the rugged forest landmark in 1900.

In addition to an eerie tone that captivated audiences, the film jump-started the career of acclaimed filmmaker Peter Weir (Witness, The Truman Show), who is credited with propelling the Australian New Wave cinema movement.

Streaming service Amazon revisits the moody story, based on a 1967 novel by Joan Lindsay, in a six-part miniseries launching May 25. Larysa Kondracki, the projects showrunner and principal director, says its hard to fit the reimagined Picnic at Hanging Rock, starring Natalie Dormer of Game of Thrones and The Tudors, into a specific genre.

Its an enchanted chiller with fantastical elements, said Kondracki, (The Americans, Better Call Saul) who directed half the episodes.Its a gothic ghost story with a punky confidence.

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The lush and atmospheric series could also qualify as emotional science fiction, she said, or a choose your own adventure, an allusion to all the Easter eggs in the episodes. For those not afraid of the dark, its a simmering nightmare, with a wink to Heathers, a splash of magical realism and a heartbreaking slice of Oliver Twist.

Dormer, who plays icy headmistress Hester Appleyard, provided her own perspective as she joined Kondracki for a press junket at the historic Greystone Manor in Beverly Hills, which had been set-dressed to mimic an old-fashioned picnic.

It would be a disservice to refer to it as a costume drama, Dormer said. Theres black humor, coming of age, love stories. Funky is a good word.

The new Picnic shot entirely on locations at the park and its nearby Victorian mansions, pays homage to the movie but draws the lions share of its inspiration from Lindsays novel.

The book is chameleonic, Kondracki said, with plenty of room for interpretation and a final chapter that wasnt published until the 80s. Shes also referred to it as a mashup of the Bible, Shakespeare and The Great Gatsby to its loyalists, ensuring that she would be faithful to the spirit of Lindsays work.

THE REVIEW: Its an overheated Picnic at Hanging Rock that Baz Luhrmann might love

Script producer-writer Beatrix Christian took the source material and fleshed out characters who are relatively one-note in the film and gave the situations richer detail, more intrigue and quicker pacing. (Theres absolutely no pan flute music.) Viewers learn the backstories of the lead characters and peek into the shady past of the tyrannical Appleyard.

The bulk of the story revolves around the aftermath of the disappearances, with the attendees at Appleyard College suffering from various degrees of post-traumatic stress disorder and survivors remorse. Meanwhile, Appleyard struggles to contain the incident and the hit to her bottom line as worried parents start withdrawing their daughters.

When one of the missing girls is found on the rock, more questions arise than are answered about the day of the fateful picnic: Were the young women kidnapped, molested or killed? Or did they escape? (No spoilers here, but Kondracki promises an emotional conclusion that will still leave audiences guessing.)

Picnic deals with nearly every kind of repression imaginable, certainly sexual, and does not tread lightly on matters of class and race. Its female characters at the remote college are groomed like horses for auction, says one of the girls, while freedom in thought or action seems like an impossibility in their lives.

Beatings for misbehavior are common, gloves and hats are mandatory. But the students buck the system in their own ways.

Though the series, which was three years in the making, can be pegged as a period piece, its not about any time in specific, Kondracki said. Its about people finding the strength to listen to themselves, and thats as hard as it ever was.

What may be instantly recognizable to modern audiences is the depiction of the burden that falls on a woman in charge, whose success is suspect and whose actions are constantly critiqued.

In one scene, residents of the town confront Appleyard with a missing and presumed dead flyer of the girls, implying none so subtly that shes to blame.

Dormer, a veteran stage actor in the U.K., may be best known for her six seasons as the social-climbing, would-be queen Margaery Tyrell on HBOs epic drama Game of Thrones. The character used her ability to manipulate men, in particular the Lannister heirs, to finally land a crown on her head, but her reign was short-lived. She died in a fiery explosion as part of the ongoing brutal power grab in Westeros.

Before that, Dormer, whos also had roles in CBS Elementary and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, starred as Anne Boleyn on Showtimes The Tudors, where she also plotted and schemed her way to the throne but was met with a violent end.

She said it was far too soon to get back into a corset but took the Hanging Rock lead role because she gravitated to the unique, distinctive voice of the scripts. And she found Hester Appleyard to be a challenge because shes the least self-aware character Ive ever played and the one most in need of therapy.

The character left a residue with Dormer because shes a woman so damaged that she repeatedly mistreats an orphan in her care. Shes capable of extreme cattiness and psychological abuse and, on another level entirely, murder and its subsequent cover-up.

And even on a good day, her idea of levity for the traumatized students is fresh air and organ music. In other words, a visit to church.

Although the co-production between Freemantle Australia and Amazon may be set in the past century, it has a distinct connection to the #MeToo era, with its majority female cast and creative team and its universal subject matter.

Its the female gaze, by osmosis and not by manifesto, Dormer said, proving that womens struggles may morph over time but ultimately showing from then to now, how the fight differs and how the fight is exactly the same.

---------

Picnic at Hanging Rock

Where: Amazon Prime

When: Any time, starting Friday

Rating: TV-14 (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 14)At Attica, chef Ben Shewry's celebrated Australian restaurant, diners might sample red kangaroo, whipped emu egg or "pests of the neighborhood." The New Zealand native has devoted years to studying and using indigenous ingredients, driven by his desire to honor the food traditions of Aboriginal Australians.

The chef's thoughtful, multi-course meals have prompted the "great restaurants of the world" list makers to embrace Attica, which is in a suburb of Melbourne, and have attracted the attention of the Netflix documentary series "Chef's Table," which featured Shewry in its inaugural season.

We recently spoke with Shewry about his evolution as a chef, his fascination with green ants  and his time spent in dumbwaiters.

Can you remember what first sparked your interest in cooking?

I grew up on a sheep and cattle farm in New Zealand. We didn't have a lot of money, and cooking was the main source of family pleasure. It's something I've wanted to do since the age of 5.

What was your first professional experience in a kitchen?

I was around 10. I wrote letters to a bunch of restaurants in a city about two hours from where we lived, about working, and one of them said yes. It was called the Mill, and I spent Friday and Saturday nights there. It was very much a pirate crew in the kitchen, but they were really kind to me. I don't know if you could call it cooking, but I was helping and watching. It was a life-changing experience. When it got crazy, they would put me in this dumbwaiter between levels in the restaurant and send me to this downstairs bar. When people opened the door, I would roar like a lion.

And your parents were OK with this?

My parents were pretty exceptional. My dad was a farmer and an artist; my mom was a principal. In some ways, our lack of money became something of a strength. Our whole childhood was spent making use of overlooked objects, and that DIY aspect has been a big aspect of Attica.

You're got three kids  do any of them have an interest in cooking?

The two oldest are showing an interest  we cook together on Sundays at home. I kind of want to discourage it, if I'm being honest  but if it's their true passion, I'd be all for it. I want to make sure the motivation is love, not the influence of me. Or the potential financial aspects of it.

You've said you want to "bridge the divide" between Aboriginal food culture and immigrant traditions. How do you do that?

I came from a different country and, looking from the outside in, I saw ingredients that weren't being used and always wondered why. We all have to eat. One way of understanding the great divide could be the ingredients and how delicious they can be.

We have a hope that Australians and other guests will be able to experience some of these ingredients and start to have an appreciation for our ancient culture going back 60,000 years or more.

Tell us about some of the indigenous ingredients you use.

We're not in the business of shock value. We're in the business of deliciousness, but deliciousness can come in many forms. [Some people] think lobster and caviar is the upper echelon, but that's not what we do here.

We use green ants, which have been eaten for thousands of years. When we serve them to people, people are like, "gross," and I'm like, "It's not gross. It's one of the oldest ingredients in the country. "

Also, I have this obsession with wattleseeds [edible seeds from acacia trees] that goes back many years. They're still harvested by hand, and they're hard to come by. We always have them on the menu, but with other things, as flourishes. I want to celebrate this as a national grain, a hearty grain that we could [use to make] bread that everyone could eat.

So what do you do with emu eggs?

We whisk them with indigenous bee honey and serve them with wattleseeds and chocolate ice cream, in a shell in a nest of emu feathers.

What are your plans while youre in town?

I love Los Angeles  I think it's my favorite city in the world. I have a sister who lives in Santa Barbara and a lot of friends in L.A. as well. I love the culture and, food-wise, it's really interesting. I'm really looking forward to eating at Taco Maria [in Costa Mesa], and I'm spending a day with Curtis Stone, and I will see L.A. through his eyes.

Food Bowl Shewry will join chef Curtis Stone for a conversation and collaborative, multi-course dinner at Gwen, 6600 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, on May 26, 6:30-10:30 p.m., and will oversee an Australian-style BBQ at Everson Royce Bar, 1936 E. 7th St., Los Angeles, on May 27, 2-10 p.m. For tickets, to go lafoodbowl.com.

food@latimes.com

@latimesfoodJim McDonnell was in his first year as Los Angeles County sheriff, leading the agency after a highly publicized jail abuse scandal, when he charged his staff with an unusual request.

He wanted his department to have a theme song, like in the U.S. military, where each branch has an anthem.

Perhaps the Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer, known for his orchestral scores of films like The Lion King and Gladiator, could craft a stirring tribute to the nations largest sheriffs department? McDonnells staff approached Zimmer but ended up being offered a song by a lesser-known artist.

The episode spoke to McDonnells efforts to remake the image of the Sheriffs Department in the wake of a jail corruption case that led to convictions against more than 20 officials, including his predecessor, longtime Sheriff Lee Baca.

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The scandal was a dark stain on the department, leading to McDonnells position but also dominating his first term.

Nearly four years after becoming sheriff, McDonnell faces reelection and a reckoning over his progress in trying to improve an agency where a toxic culture allowed deputies to brutalize inmates and discriminate against black residents.

Several watchdogs, including those whove been critical of department policies in the past, say McDonnell has been a stabilizing presence and succeeded in improving jail conditions.

I think hes done a fantastic job, to be honest with you, said Hernan Vera, a business litigator and member of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission. He inherited a department in utter chaos. The morale was super low. The leadership was really in disarray.  I think that he has gained the respect of the rank and file.

But as the sheriff struggles to expand his 9,400-member force, the persistent vacancies mean deputies have been compelled to work overtime, a costly work-around thats contributed to a projected $40 million deficit. Law enforcement unions say deputies are overworked and exhausted.

Some of our recommendations have been outright ignored. Priscilla Ocen, member of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission and professor at Loyola Law School

And theres debate about whether McDonnell has adequately embraced oversight of his department  at a time when police agencies around the nation are being scrutinized over use of force, especially in communities of color.

The sheriff is elected directly by voters, and as a result, has far fewer checks on his power than the Los Angeles police chief, who is appointed by the mayor. Incumbent sheriffs can typically count on being reelected to a job that has no term limits.

What concerns me is he makes comments that the commission doesnt spend enough time pointing out all the things that he is doing so well and supporting him in trying to get more funds [from the county Board of Supervisors], said Sean Kennedy, who also serves on the oversight body and is the executive director of Loyola Law Schools Center for Juvenile Law and Policy.

Were not cheerleaders. Were not a PR firm for the sheriff, he said.

Oversight, or the appearance of it?

McDonnell, 58, was elected in 2014 on a promise of reform.

The staid Boston native, whod spent three decades rising to the upper ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department before serving as Long Beach police chief, seemed well-positioned for the job. Hed served on the Citizens Commission on Jail Violence, a blue-ribbon group that issued scathing findings about rampant jail abuse and mismanagement in the Sheriffs Department.

At his inauguration, he promised to welcome the watchful eye of our community and that he would strive to listen to peoples concerns before making decisions.

In late 2015, McDonnell helped create the L.A. Regional Human Trafficking Task Force, a project that combines law enforcement with social services and has rescued 250 victims. He also touts the Compton stations participation in the Violence Reduction Network, a Justice Department-sponsored program to address issues that include gang prevention, mental illness and building community trust.

But for all those initiatives, from 2014 to 2017, crime overall increased  violent crime up 15% and property crime up 11%  in areas patrolled by the Sheriffs Department. Crime went up each year since McDonnell took office, except from 2016 to 2017, when violent crime dipped half a percentage point and property crime dropped 3%.

Notably, homicides fell 17%  there were 175 killings in 2017, down from 210 in 2016  partly attributed to expanded services for homelessness, mental health and drug addiction.

In a statement, the department said some of the overall crime increases could be due to Proposition 47, a measure that reduced some nonviolent offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. Sheriffs officials have also said increases in gang violence may have contributed to the rise.

A key indicator that department reforms are working is that serious force by jailers has dropped sharply.

A rough calculation shows significant force  incidents that cause any type of injury  is down 60 percent since 2009, when it hit its highest point in nearly a decade, according to department statistics. (Starting in 2013, the agency began analyzing assaults with a different category system, so an exact year-to-year comparison isnt possible.)

Last year, there were only three reported uses of the most severe kind of force, meaning incidents that could result in broken bones, hospitalization or death.

The department is under four settlement agreements, similar to consent decrees, relating to jail conditions and racial discrimination, all of which took effect in 2014 and 2015.

The agreements include step-by-step reforms supervised by federal court monitors. The required improvements include de-escalation training, better documentation of force, and policies that generally prohibit jailers from kicking inmates who are on the ground.

A report in March by federal court monitors overseeing the agreement on jail abuse says incidents involving the most severe type of force in the jails are almost nonexistent. But it also raised concerns that, because there are now more cameras in the jails, some deputies are retaliating against inmates using excessive discipline instead of physical force.

Department statistics show a rise in inmate-on-inmate assaults amid complaints that deputies may be punishing inmates by allowing them to beat each other, said Esther Lim, jails director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.

Sheriffs Department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said the ACLU has not informed the agency of such complaints and that allegations of deputy misconduct are taken seriously and investigated.

Jail reforms aimed at caring for mentally ill inmates and ending jail brutality will probably take several more years, said Richard Drooyan, the court-appointed lead monitor for two of the agreements targeting those issues.

It is taking longer than I had expected, Drooyan said.

He said the agreement focused on jail violence has required so much training and additional guidelines that after nearly three years, his team has not been able to measure the impact of the changes.

The long process could be a sign that deep changes are underway and the monitors havent simply been a rubber stamp, said Peter Eliasberg, chief counsel for the ACLU of Southern California. The organization spurred some of the jail abuse reforms by suing the department on behalf of inmates.

Eliasberg and Drooyan give McDonnell credit for largely embracing the mandates.

Sheriff Jim McDonnell says he embraces oversight, but some civilian watchdogs say the Sheriffs Department needs to be more transparent. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times )

Kennedy, of the civilian oversight board, praises McDonnell for trying to inform prosecutors about the Brady List, a roster of roughly 300 deputies found by internal investigators to have lied, falsified evidence and committed other misconduct. The deputies unions sued McDonnell over the effort, saying he was unlawfully punishing officers who had already been disciplined. The matter is now before the state Supreme Court.

Still, some members of the civilian oversight commission complain McDonnell views the panel as a high-level suggestion box  a way for him to read the temperature on community complaints and gain support for improvements, but OK to dismiss if the advice doesnt comport with his plans.

Some of our recommendations have been outright ignored, said commission member Priscilla Ocen, a Loyola Law School professor.

The panel was created out of a community outcry for a more deliberate way to engage the department over concerns. It cannot, however, force the sheriff to act on its recommendations.

Ocen was vocal in calling on the department to ground its drone, citing community concerns about surveillance and safety. The unmanned aircraft system, mostly used in search-and-rescue missions, was unveiled by McDonnell last year without public knowledge or input.

Some commissioners hoped the drone program could at least be suspended pending further discussion. But hours after the panel issued a recommendation to stop flying the drone, McDonnell said he would not comply, calling the technology too important as a public safety tool.

He agreed, though, to adopt some commission suggestions, such as providing detailed reports on how and when the device is used.

Kennedy said he worries that the commission creates the impression of actual oversight without truly being able to hold the sheriff accountable. He is among several commissioners who have said their requests for documents and information are sometimes met with delays, denials or incomplete data.

Nishida, the department spokeswoman, denied any delays and said confidential information is available to the Office of Inspector General, the investigative arm of the civilian board.

The inspector general, Max Huntsman, has said his office has no direct power except by persuasion.

I dont know that theres another policing organization, or maybe any organization, in America, that is so self-critical. Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell

Other members of the civilian board said the department has been largely responsive to their concerns. Commissioner Lael Rubin, a former prosecutor, said the sheriff has embraced expanding mental health evaluation teams and other initiatives supported by the commission.

McDonnell said his department is wide-open to criticism from the oversight commission and the inspector general.

I see them as a tremendous bridge for communication between our department and the multitude of diverse communities that we serve. I cant overstate how important I believe they are to us, he said.

Still, he emphasized that he was elected to draw on his own experiences and judgment.

McDonnell said the level of accountability within his department rivals that of other police agencies in the nation. Significant incidents are dissected: Could we have gotten there faster? Did we deploy the right equipment when we got there? Did we operate too fast? Did we go too slow?

I dont know that theres another policing organization, or maybe any organization, in America, that is so self-critical, McDonnell said. He acknowledged that the public often isnt able to see and evaluate that process.

McDonnell says some of the changes hes most proud of  an uplifted attitude within the ranks  would be difficult for others to quantify.

Its pride in the organization. Its believing in the mission and doing the right thing for the right reasons because thats what we signed on to do.

The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department faces a $40 million budget deficit, due in large part to personnel costs including deputy overtime. The agency struggles to fill its ranks, unlike its neighbor, the Los Angeles Police Department. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times )

A large department looking to expand

McDonnell has an earnest, restrained air  one whos more likely to speak in careful paragraphs than set a room afire with jokes or rousing speeches.

His job is a big one. In addition to supervising roughly 9,400 deputies who police unincorporated areas and 42 cities including West Hollywood, Compton and Palmdale, McDonnell also runs the nations largest jail system. He has nearly as many officers as the Los Angeles Police Department, but a larger overall staff of 16,000 and budget of $3 billion. (The LAPD employs 13,000 people and operates on $1.5 billion).

McDonnell says his operation is extremely lean and an amazing deal for the taxpaying public because his deputies serve a wider area (4,000 square miles) in a more populous county (10 million people) than officers in most big-city police departments.

Yet like many police leaders across the country, he struggles to attract enough candidates  a problem that rankles existing deputies because theyve been forced to work overtime, which has in turn strained the departments budget.

I am hearing that (deputies) are tired and frustrated, said County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the northeastern part of the county including the Antelope Valley and is married to a retired deputy. She has supported measures to boost hiring.

To help close a $40 million budget gap, the department plans to limit spending on services and supplies, including bulletproof vests and patrol cars.

Meanwhile, McDonnell has added 11 sworn officers to a team of recruiters who are reaching out, in part, through social media videos to fill jobs. The agency is considering hiring a marketing firm and plans to spend asset forfeiture funds to improve its website.

Despite 564 officer vacancies, the department has only been able to add a net of about 123 deputies in each of the past three years. In the most recent cycle, 415 deputies were hired but 316 left the department. A deputy union, the Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, says the department needs at least 1,500 more officers to run properly.

The LAPD, which has funding for roughly 10,000 officers, has filled almost all of its slots.

Unlike officers in most city police departments, new deputies must work in the jails, which some see as a deterrent to joining the Sheriffs Department.

ALADS president Det. Ron Hernandez said the staffing crisis is dangerous because it leads to overworked deputies whose judgment may be compromised. He said some deputies are penalized for taking a sick day when theyre not physically ill but desperately, and perhaps mentally, need a day off.

The shortage has also meant that its difficult for deputies to receive ongoing training because there are so few substitutes for them if theyre temporarily taken out of the field.

The staffing troubles have been a main talking point of those running against McDonnell  retired Sheriffs Lt. Alex Villanueva and retired Sheriffs Cmdr. Bob Lindsey. The primary is June 5.

Its a problem McDonnell will have to correct if he wins reelection. His pitch is that his agency offers an exciting array of jobs in one of the most diverse areas in the nation, with work thats meaningful, and complicated.

Deputies have to conduct high-speed triage of incidents that can be dangerous and fueled by alcohol, drugs or mental illness, he said.

They have to be able to perform [under] what many would say are unreasonable expectations, he said. But the reality is, thats what we do. And thats what we signed up to do. And our people, I couldnt be more proud of them.

maya.lau@latimes.com

Twitter: @mayalauAn inmate who has been on Californias death row for more than two decades may not be executed because he is intellectually disabled, the California Supreme Court decided unanimously Thursday.

In a decision written by Justice Carol A. Corrigan, the states highest court overturned the death sentence of Robert Lewis Jr., convicted of robbing and fatally shooting Milton Estell in Long Beach in 1983.

Lewis has met his burden of proving he is intellectually disabled, Corrigan wrote.

The U.S. Supreme Court decided in 2002 that intellectually disabled killers should not be executed, concluding that it was cruel and unusual to put to death a person with the mental age of a child.

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Lewis was examined by a psychiatrist and a psychologist when he was on trial, but they did not assess his cognitive abilities.

After a lawyer for Lewis challenged his sentence, the court assigned Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Robert J. Perry to examine whether Lewis was disabled when he committed the crime.

Perry, who had previously presided over 29 death penalty cases and sentenced 12 killers to death, held several hearings and concluded that Lewis met the legal definition of intellectual impairment, known as mental retardation in the past.

Thursdays decision adopted Perrys finding. The court noted that a test found to be reliable showed Lewis had an IQ of 70  100 is normal  when he was about 10 years old.

He had difficulties in school, was frequently required by school authorities to take IQ tests, repeated first grade, could not read and demonstrated difficulties with understanding, the evidence showed.

Prosecutors objected to the diagnosis, arguing that Lewis school failures may have been due to lack of motivation and his poor socioeconomic background.

They pointed to his success in gambling in Las Vegas, his ability to support himself though illegal activities, maintain lasting relationships and banter with police when questioned.

But the court said the evidence supported the findings by the judge assigned to examine the issue.

His friends and siblings grew up in similar circumstances and attended the same schools, yet appeared to function at a significantly higher level, Corrigan wrote.

The facts suggest Lewis was unable, as opposed to unmotivated, to learn, she said.

Lewis was convicted when he was 31. State prison records show he is now 65.

Estell, the victim, had run an advertisement to sell his car. Neighbors saw him talking to Lewis outside. Estell later was found dead in a closet, shot and stabbed, his mouth stuffed with toilet paper.

Lewis fingerprints were found in three places in the house, including in a bathroom near the toilet paper, and he was driving Estells car when he was arrested.

Robert M. Sanger, Lewis lawyer, said he was pleased with the result.

It was a long, hard fight, he said.

Sanger said Lewis sentence will now be reduced to life without the possibility of parole.

maura.dolan@latimes.com

Twitter: @mauradolanA Fairfield, Calif., father accused of torturing his children is facing an additional four counts of lewd acts upon a child, according to the Solano County district attorneys office.

Jonathan Allen appeared before a judge Thursday after having already been charged with seven counts of torture and nine counts of felony child abuse or child endangerment. The court granted a motion to join the cases against Allen and Ina Rogers, who is also facing charges related to her 10 children.

An amended complaint specified that the lewd acts were committed with a child under the age of 14. The child, identified only by initials, disclosed the abuse in a forensic interview last week, according to court documents.

Allen and Rogers were arraigned on the amended complaint and both pleaded not guilty.

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The 10 children came to the attention of Fairfield police after Rogers reported her 12-year-old son missing 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 6 months to 11 years, were huddled together on the living room floor.

The children appeared to be skittish and spoke with speech impediments, according to a motion filed last week to increase Rogers bail.

The discovery triggered a six-week child abuse investigation that uncovered disturbing allegations. Authorities said that nine of the children had been tortured as far back as 2014.

Authorities say the children were continuously punched, strangled, bitten, shot with BB guns, hit with sticks and bats, subjected to waterboarding and splashed with scalding water, according to court documents. As a result of this abuse, the children bore scars and suffered other injuries, including broken bones, according to police.

The investigation showed that Rogers knew about the incidents, assisted with the abuse and failed to protect the children, according to court documents.

The investigation has shown that the defendant dissuaded the children from reporting these incidents to medical personnel to protect her partner, the motion to increase bail read.

Rogers was inititally charged with misdemeanor child endangerment, but last week the court granted a motion to add nine additional felony counts of child abuse or child endangerment.

Allen, who is the biological father of some of the children, denied the abuse in a jail interview earlier this month.

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.

brittny.mejia@latimes.com

Twitter: @Brittny_Mejia

UPDATES:

1:45 p.m.: This article was updated with details of the abuse the children suffered.

This article was originally published at 12:30 p.m.A woman has been arrested in connection with the deaths of a couple and their adult son whose bodies were found stacked on top of one another in a house in Leimert Park.

Nancy Jackson, 55, was arrested by LAPD South Bureau homicide detectives on Wednesday, hours after she was named a material witness in the deaths, according to Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department inmate records.



For the record: This article gives an incorrect age for Orsie Carter. She was 79, according to the Los Angeles County coroners office.

Jackson was booked Thursday morning on suspicion of murder, said LAPD Officer Bill Bustos. She was being held without bail.

Authorities on Wednesday hesitated to call Jackson a suspect or person of interest and said they were concerned for her safety.

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You just never know; these things are not always the way they seem, said Los Angeles Police Capt. Peter Whittingham.

There was no evidence to point to a home invasion or robbery, he said. Car keys were found inside the home. Wallets and valuables were in open view.

The bodies of Phillip White, 65; his mother, Orsie Carter, 82; and his stepfather, William Carter, 83, were found Tuesday night in the bathroom of Whites beige, Spanish-style home in the 3900 block of South Bronson Avenue, where White had lived for four decades.

Authorities are holding Nancy Jackson, 55, in connection with a Leimert Park homicide case. (LAPD )

All of the bodies showed signs of blunt-force trauma, authorities said. At least two had sustained gunshot wounds.

Family members said White had multiple sclerosis and that the Carters, who lived in nearby Baldwin Hills, would often stop by to check on him.

Friends and family said Jackson was Whites longtime friend who re-emerged in his life six weeks ago. White, known by many as quiet and kindhearted, allowed Jackson to move in temporarily, childhood friend Ralph Tilley said. She had said she planned to move to Las Vegas, but she then refused to leave.

Whites mother called Tilley on Saturday to ask about the woman. Two days later, White told Tilley that he had the situation handled and that Jackson had agreed to move out.

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybranson

UPDATES:

11:05 a.m.: This article was updated with ages for the victims as provided by the Los Angeles County coroners office.

10:05 a.m.: This article was updated with Jackson being booked on suspicion of murder.

This article was originally published at 6:35 a.m.The San Francisco police officers who shot and killed Mario Woods will not face criminal charges in the 2015 confrontation, prosecutors said Thursday.

The killing of Woods, 26, who was armed with a knife and under the influence of methamphetamine, sparked protests throughout the Bay Area and was part of a series of controversies that roiled the San Francisco Police Department in 2015 and 2016, eventually leading to the resignation of Chief Greg Suhr.

In a 29-page document outlining the decision, the San Francisco district attorneys office said the five officers who used lethal force, striking him with at least 21 bullets, had reason to believe Woods posed a danger when they opened fire in the 6600 block of 3rd Street on Dec. 2, 2015.

The shooting drew widespread condemnation after a cellphone video showed several officers confronting Woods, who was black, as he stood against a wall. Woods had been reported as the suspect in an assault and was armed with a knife, but he appeared to be walking away when officers opened fire.

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Police told coroners investigators that Woods repeatedly ignored orders to drop the knife before they fired five less-than-lethal projectiles at him, then fired gunshots, according to the autopsy report.

Two rounds pierced his skull, one grazed a cheek and others struck his thighs, back, chest, abdomen and hands, according to the autopsy report. Authorities reportedly found 27 bullet casings, as well as unspent rounds, at the scene.

Additionally, being as though Woods had previously stabbed an individual, Woods posed a credible threat to the public, the district attorneys office said in a statement announcing its decision. Given the serious nature of the crime the officers had probable cause to believe Woods had committed, the officers would have been derelict in their duty to protect the public had they let Woods escape.

San Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell said he respected the decision, adding that the city is still committed to police reform in the wake of a Department of Justice audit that found the citys Police Department disproportionately used force against people of color.

I respect the District Attorneys decision, and also acknowledge the pain it will cause in communities that have for so long been disproportionately impacted by violence, the mayor said in a statement. The brave men and women of the San Francisco Police Department take very seriously their responsibilities to protect the public and earn the trust of communities.

John Burris, the Bay Area civil rights attorney who represents the Woods family, said the decision only adds to their pain.

I am extremely disappointed, but not surprised, at the D.A.s decision not to prosecute the cops, he said. Multiple shots in the back warrant criminal prosecution.

San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi agreed.

The San Francisco District Attorneys decision not to prosecute any officer on any charge is mindboggling and fails to hold police to the same laws we, as citizens, are expected to abide, Adachis statement said in part. To date, not a single officer in San Francisco has ever been criminally charged as the result of shooting a citizen  The reforms proposed by the Department of Justices review are empty promises without officer accountability.

james.queally@latimes.com

Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California.

UPDATES:

2:55 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from the San Francisco Public Defender.

2:40 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from an attorney who represents the family of Mario Woods.

This article was originally published at 2:10 p.m.With electric scooters and short-term bicycle rentals continuing to flood the Westside, Los Angeles city officials have begun to discuss how to regulate the transportation companies to minimize cluttered sidewalks and ensure rider safety.

The Transportation Department proposed a one-year test program Wednesday that would limit each company  including the start-ups Bird, LimeBike and Jump Bikes  to no more than 2,500 vehicles within city limits, and would impose strict rules for parking and data sharing.

The motorized scooters typically cost $1 to rent, plus 15 cents per minute during the ride, and have exploded in popularity in Southern Californias beach cities, racking up thousands of trips within months. A more flexible and chaotic form of bicycle sharing, which enables users to pick up and drop off bikes anywhere, is also gaining popularity.

The influx of wheeled vehicles has sparked complaints from Westside residents who say speeding users have collided with pedestrians and careless parkers have blocked sidewalks and doorways.

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The Los Angeles proposal would require that the scooters and bicycles be parked in the outer edge of the sidewalk and locked to something, such as a bike rack or a parking meter. In-app directions would guide users to an appropriate spot, officials said.

The citys most controversial proposal would stop the more flexible model of bicycle sharing from competing with L.A.s existing bike-share system, which is run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The bikes would not be allowed within three miles of an existing or a planned Metro bike-share station. Scooters would not be allowed within three miles of downtown.

The proposal, which would remove vast swaths of central and west Los Angeles from the companies business areas, faced immediate pushback from bicycle advocates and the firms at a City Council committee meeting Wednesday. The committee recommended that the proposed geographic bans be eliminated.

John Howland, a representative for scooter company Skip who attended Wednesdays meeting, called the plan a downtown monopoly. Other representatives said city leaders should allow as many options as possible that let Angelenos get around without driving.

The ban on scooters and dockless bicycles in downtown, central L.A., Venice and San Pedro could end within six months, once the rental companies establish relationships with the city and show they can follow the laws, city officials said.

Other cities have not successfully changed the behavior of the short-term rental companies, or their users, by issuing fines, Transportation Department general manager Seleta Reynolds said.

We think that a better approach is incentivizing good behavior, Reynolds said, and rewarding it with the things these companies care most about, which is the size of the fleet and the ability to operate freely throughout the city.

City Councilman Mike Bonin, whose Westside district has already seen an influx of scooters, said he was concerned that the proposal would take away a huge chunk of the market, particularly in dense neighborhoods where the scooter rentals have already proved popular.

Bonin urged the Transportation Department to eliminate the ban on operating within three miles of Metro bike-share stations and the rule that would require that the vehicles be locked to something when not in use. He also asked the city to reconsider how many vehicles the companies would be allowed to operate.

More than 2,500 Bird scooters are already on the street in two City Council districts, and a cap would restrict the companys ability to service the community, said Carl Hansen, the companys director of government affairs.

Councilwoman Nury Martinez, who represents the eastern San Fernando Valley, asked whether the council offices could be involved in determining where the services operate. Then she offered a brief reality check.

We dont have any dockless bicycles or fancy scooters in my district, Martinez said. Were just trying to cross the street without getting killed.

Metro discussed the scooter and bike-share regulations with Los Angeles in December, but had not seen the citys final proposal and did not have a position, an agency spokesman said.

Since launching in downtown in 2016, Metros bike-share system has struggled to attract new users. The bicycles in downtown average less than one trip a day, one of the lowest rates of any U.S. city. The bikes in Venice Beach average about 1.2 trips a day.

Critics have said that the system does not serve enough areas, and the neighborhoods where bikes are available  in downtown, San Pedro, Venice and Pasadena  dont have enough stations. Metro officials have attributed the sluggish ridership to a lack of a bicycle culture and residents fears of riding in L.A. traffic without protected lanes.

On Thursday, Metros directors will consider expanding the service to Westlake, Pico Union, Koreatown, Echo Park and Silver Lake, creating a contiguous service area where commuters and tourists can pick up and drop off the bicycles. They will also consider reducing the cost of a half-hour ride to $1.75 from $3.50, and creating a $5 day pass.

laura.nelson@latimes.com

Twitter: @laura_nelsonA Pomona police SWAT team exchanged gunfire with occupants of a house Thursday morning while serving a search warrant on a suspected gang member during a multiagency sweep in Azusa on Thursday morning, authorities said.

Residents in the 5500 block of Lark Ellen Avenue were awakened by gunshots and a huge police presence, and a portion of the neighborhood was evacuated.

No officers were injured in the standoff, and it appeared there were no injuries to anyone in the house, said Pomona Police Chief Michael Olivieri.

Situation in Azusa has been resolved. Suspects in custody, thankfully nobody was injured- especially my officers.  Chief Michael Olivieri (@olivieri_ppd) May 24, 2018

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Officers from numerous agencies were simultaneously serving search warrants on suspected members of the Azusa 13 gang at eight locations on Thursday after a series of gang-related shootings, Olivieri said. Pomona officers were serving the warrant at the house on Lark Ellen Avenue when the shooting occurred.

As officers approached the house, they were met with gunfire from inside, Olivieri said. They returned shots and surrounded the residence.

Four people emerged from the house, including the suspected gang member, Olivieri said. It was unclear who shot at the officers.

Gen Rivera, who lives next door, said she woke up at about 4 a.m. to gunshots.

I looked out the window, and there were police officers outside, she said. Rivera said she heard more than 20 shots, like an automatic gun and then just a bunch of regular shots.

There was a heavy police presence on Lark Ellen Avenu in Azusa on Thursday morning after officers were shot at while serving a search warrant. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times )

irfan.khan@latimes.com

Twitter: @latfoto

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybransonThe body that represents USCs faculty called on President C.L. Max Nikias to resign Wednesday in the wake of relevations that the universitys longtime gynecologist faced years of accusations of misconduct by students and colleagues at the campus health clinic.

The Academic Senate took the vote late Wednesday afternoon after a fiery town hall meeting attended by more than 100 faculty members, many of whom voiced outrage over Nikias and the Board of Trustees leadership. The vote came a day after the trustees executive committee stood firmly behind Nikias, saying it has full confidence in his leadership, ethics and values.

At the town hall meeting, Senate President Paul Rosenbloom said he did not think Nikias or Provost Michael Quick committed wrongdoing but that the university president deserved criticism for a lack of transparency.

Professors then demanded that the Senate take an immediate vote of no confidence in Nikias. Those who spoke were also critical of the Board of Trustees, with some insinuating that the board answered to Nikias instead of the other way around.

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The main problem is this institution does not have a Board of Trustees. Max has a Board of Trustees, one faculty member said, to applause and cheers.

After the town hall, the Academic Senate met in a different room to discuss the vote. A Times reporter attended part of that meeting but was eventually asked to leave by an official who said it was only for Senate members.

Rosenbloom confirmed the Senate vote late Wednesday calling for Nikias resignation, saying more than two dozen people participated. Some abstained, but a final vote count wasnt immediately available.

FULL COVERAGE: USC former gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall accused of inappropriate behavior 

There have been calls for Nikias ouster on campus and social media, and in an online petition circulated by alumni since The Times last week detailed USCs handling of Dr. George Tyndall, who is accused of making sexual comments and touching patients inappropriately during pelvic exams. Tyndall denied any wrongdoing in an earlier interview with The Times but could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Tyndall, 71, was the subject of complaints from students and staff beginning in the 1990s, according to former patients and clinic staffers interviewed by The Times. He was removed from the clinic only after a frustrated nurse reported him to the campus rape crisis center in 2016.

An internal university investigation last year concluded that Tyndalls pelvic exams were outside the scope of current medical practice and amounted to sexual harassment of students. Campus administrators told The Times that they believe the physicians inappropriate behavior persisted for years.

USC Provost Michael Quick said that the universitys senior leadership had not learned about the complaints against Tyndall until 2017. The university, in a secret deal last summer, allowed Tyndall to resign quietly with a financial payout.

At the time, USC did not report him to the Medical Board of California, the agency responsible for protecting the public from problem doctors. USC filed a belated report to the medical board in March. The university is also now sending cases to the Los Angeles Police Department for criminal review.

Some faculty members said their concerns extended beyond the Tyndall scandal to disclosures about drug and alcohol abuse by Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito during his tenure as dean of the universitys medical school, while he was leading a second life of partying with young criminals and addicts.

Tara McPherson, a professor in USCs School of Cinematic Arts, attended Wednesdays town hall, which she said was almost unanimously in favor of Maxs resignation.

Every faculty member but one was in favor of a new administration, she said, describing the public comment portion of the meeting. It was incredibly affirming.

The faculty, she said, is dismayed with the current state of affairs and she doesnt trust the Board of Trustees to conduct an independent investigation into how the university handled the case.

Still, she is hopeful.

None of the faculty believe the vote is where this ends, she said.

adam.elmahrek@latimes.com

sarah.parvini@latimes.com

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

matt.hamilton@latimes.comAfter an appointment with Dr. George Tyndall in 1995, USC undergraduate Alexis Rodriguez wrote a letter of complaint on a typewriter in the English department. The gynecologist, she recalled writing, had a Playboy magazine on his desk, used a scalpel on a vaginal abscess without anesthetic and, when she objected, marked her chart with the word difficult.

A student health clinic administrator sent back a letter, apologizing and pledging to remove the notation from her chart, Rodriguez said. It would be 21 years before the university forced Tyndall out of the clinic.

They missed an opportunity to save a lot of other women from his mistreatment, said Rodriguez, now 46 and a federal probation officer in Los Angeles.

The USC Board of Trustees executive committee announced Wednesday that outside attorneys would conduct an independent investigation into the Tyndall matter. The inquiry is to examine not only the physicians behavior, but also what the trustees called reporting failures that allowed Tyndall to remain at the clinic for 27 years and treat tens of thousands of students.

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As more women come forward, there is mounting evidence that employees at USC received serious warnings about Tyndall beginning early in his career. In interviews and court filings this week, former patients and colleagues described attempts to alert clinic administrators and others at the university.

Some interviewed said it was common knowledge on campus that Tyndall should be regarded with suspicion. A 2014 graduate said she even made her disconcerting visit with the gynecologist the subject of a theater class performance.

The earliest complaint shared with The Times dates to 1991  two years after Tyndall joined the clinic staff  and was outlined in an affidavit. The unnamed alumna wrote that she told a clinic medical director and the university womens advocacy office that Tyndall had photographed her naked without consent.

Nothing ever came of it, the alumna wrote.

FULL COVERAGE: USC former gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall accused of inappropriate behavior 

After The Times sent USC detailed questions about Tyndall earlier this month, the university acknowledged that the clinics former executive director Lawrence Neinstein, who died in 2016, had received complaints about the physician as far back as 2000. The university said that Neinstein handled Tyndall independently, and that based on a review of the concerning complaints it was not clear why the physician was allowed to stay at the clinic. Last week, two longtime supervisors at the clinic were fired.

Former patients have said Tyndall improperly touched them during pelvic exams, asked prying questions about their sex lives and made suggestive and sometimes lewd comments about their bodies. The Los Angeles Police Department and the state medical board have launched investigations, and about 300 people have contacted a USC hotline and online portal established to collect reports from former patients.

Tyndall, 71, defended his patient care in a series of earlier interviews with The Times. He said he dedicated his career to Trojan women and provided care that was more thorough than that of many colleagues, but never inappropriate.

The physician also insisted that before 2013, the only complaint about his care that he knew of came from a patient alleging he examined her without gloves. Tyndall said he was absolved of wrongdoing after an internal investigation.

Tyndall joined USC in the summer of 1989, and within a few years, he already had a reputation in dorms and sorority houses. An alumna who worked as a resident advisor in 1991 and 1992 said she counseled young women residing on her floor about him and offered to accompany them to appointments.

We would specifically give his name to students and say if you are given an appointment with this doctor, we recommend you ask for a nurse practitioner, said the alumna, who is now a lawyer in Los Angeles and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Medical assistant Anita Thornton said she complained to a clinic administrator in the mid-1990s about the photographs he was taking of patients.

I said, I dont want to work with him because he is not right with the girls, Thornton said.

Tyndall had three cameras in his office, she said. Two seemed specifically designed to take pictures of patients cervixes, she said, but the third was a professional Canon-type camera with a lens on it. Tyndall kept it in a locked cabinet, she said.

She said the administrator listened to her, but her response was noncommittal: Ill look into it, Anita.

Tyndall told The Times he had two cameras in the office and photographed patients for legitimate reasons. He said he stopped taking pictures in the exam room because it was controversial with chaperones.

Thornton said in the late 1990s or 2000, she was part of a group of medical assistants who complained to another supervisor during a staff meeting. She said they were upset that Tyndall wanted the assistants chaperoning his appointments to stand on the other side of a curtain while he performed pelvic exams. She also objected to what she saw as a creepy manner of using his fingers during the exams as well as comments he made to students.

We said he is disgusting and no one wants to work with him, she recalled. The supervisor listened, but there was no indication of an investigation and Tyndalls behavior continued, Thornton said.

Alumna Meggie Kwait said she complained about Tyndall after a 2008 appointment that left her in tears. She said Tyndall seemed fixated on her weight and the fact that shed had sexual encounters with both men and women. At the start of the pelvic exam, Kwait said, the doctor inserted his fingers inside her and said, I bet youre pretty used to this.

She said Tyndall urged her to lose weight and told her that if she became skinnier, she could probably get a guy instead of a girlfriend.

She described Tyndalls remarks and demeanor on a comment card and submitted it to the clinic. She said she did not recall ever receiving a response.

I wish now that I had escalated this then. I feel horrible that there were another 10 years of women who were victimized by this man, said Kwait, now 31 and an educator in New York.

Legal papers from Tyndalls former patients also detail reports to USC. A former graduate student now living in the Bay Area said she complained to a nurse practitioner in 2015 that Tyndall falsely told her she likely had AIDS, according to a lawsuit she filed this week.

In 1991, another USC alumna complained to the health clinics medical director and a female nurse after Tyndall photographed her genitals during a pelvic exam. Her anonymous account was detailed in a sworn affidavit provided by her attorney, Gloria Allred.

The alumna said Tyndall explained the camera as a new way to do examinations instead of a pap smear, the affidavit states. Next, he stood up and walked backwards, snapping photos of her body, she recounted in the affidavit.

The medical director told her he eventually located the camera and that Tyndall had exposed the cameras film. In the affidavit, she described phoning a campus womens advocacy office to lodge a complaint.

Rodriguez, who complained about Tyndall in 1995, said that after diagnosing an abscess on her vaginal wall, Tyndall attempted to lance it without an anesthetic and nicked her with a scalpel.

When she recoiled in pain, he told her to find another doctor. A USC physician outside the clinic treated her. Months later, she returned to the clinic for a nongynecological visit. As she waited for the doctor, she picked up her chart and started reading Tyndalls account of the visit.

It kinda bothered me that I was being called this hysterical woman, she said. It was a mischaracterization of what had happened.

She said she no longer has USCs response or a copy of her complaint, but provided The Times with another letter she wrote in 1995 referencing the abscess and a terrible experience with a doctor on staff of the clinic.

Madelyne Heyman, who graduated with a theater degree in 2014, said she did not report Tyndall after an uncomfortable visit her junior year. She said he pressed her about her virginity in a way that made her feel ashamed and insecure. But she said the experience haunted her, and in her final semester she turned it into a piece of performance art for one of her classes.

I played myself and him, said Heyman, now 26 and a writer. She said she did not use Tyndalls name, but when she performed at a campus showcase, other women came up to me and said they had a similar experience.

harriet.ryan@latimes.com | Twitter: @latimesharriet

matt.hamilton@latimes.com | Twitter: @MattHjourno

Times staff writer Sarah Parvini contributed to this report.Harvey Weinstein is expected to turn himself in to face sexual assault allegations in New York, in what would mark the first criminal charges against the disgraced former movie mogul, sources familiar with the case said Thursday.

The sources said the case involved  but might not be limited to  a once-aspiring actress who has alleged that Weinstein assaulted her during a meeting at his Miramax office in 2004. Lucia Evans told the New Yorker magazine last year that Weinstein said during a meeting that shed be great in Project Runway  before allegedly forcing her to perform oral sex.

Weinstein has been accused by more than 80 women of misconduct that includes sexual harassment and rape. Police in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, New York and London have conducted investigations into more than 20 allegations. The producer has denied any wrongdoing.

Mr. Weinstein has always maintained that he has never engaged in nonconsensual sexual acts, his attorneys Blair Berk and Benjamin Brafman said in an earlier statement to The Times.

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Prosecutors in New York and L.A. have been developing cases against Weinstein, but sources have said for weeks that New York authorities were closest to bringing charges. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were not clear on the scope of the case New York prosecutors plan to file.

The charges would mark a major milestone in the #MeToo movement, which has sparked numerous accusations of misconduct by powerful men in the entertainment and other industries  and numerous criminal investigations, but few actual criminal charges.

A spokesperson for Manhattan Dist. Atty. Cyrus Vance on Thursday declined to comment on the potential charges.

New York Police Department top brass have openly said in recent months that they would arrest Weinstein if he were in New York, citing the progress detectives made in investigating several sexual assault cases. Vances office expanded the investigation to include whether Weinstein had committed fraud in payments he allegedly made to women to keep the allegations secret.

A source familiar with the investigation said New York prosecutors had used grand jury subpoenas to obtain a slew of documents  including emails, phone records and calendars from people who worked with Weinstein  dating to 2004.

According to the New Yorker story, Evans said that she met with Weinstein in one of his offices when she was a student at Middlebury College.

He immediately was simultaneously flattering me and demeaning me and making me feel bad about myself, she told the magazine. Weinstein told her that shed be perfect for Project Runway  the show, which Weinstein helped produce, premiered later in 2004  but that she needed to lose weight. She also said he told her about two scripts, a horror movie and a teen love story.

At that point, after that, is when he assaulted me, Evans said.

She said she had objected, but that Weinstein exposed his penis and pulled her head down toward it.

I said, over and over, I dont want to do this, stop, dont,  Evans told the New Yorker. I tried to get away, but maybe I didnt try hard enough. I didnt want to kick him or fight him. In the end, she said, hes a big guy. He overpowered me. She added: I just sort of gave up. Thats the most horrible part of it, and thats why hes been able to do this for so long to so many women: People give up, and then they feel like its their fault.

Sources said that prosecutors in New York have built a second case against Weinstein, but that the identity of the alleged victims was unclear.

In L.A. County, Dist. Atty. Jackie Laceys team has been reviewing two investigations into Weinstein by Beverly Hills police, as well as three Los Angeles Police Department investigations  including an Italian actress allegation of rape in 2013.

According to law enforcement sources, detectives believe that case is promising for prosecution because the woman told her story to three people, including a priest, relatively soon after the alleged attack. LAPD detectives also have obtained bills showing that the woman was a guest at the Beverly Hills hotel where she claims Weinstein attacked her, the sources said. The case does have flaws, they added. Detectives found little physical evidence of an attack and have been unable to secure proof that Weinstein was at the hotel when the woman says the rape occurred.

Weinstein has been under increased law enforcement scrutiny since the New York Times published allegations of sexual assault and harassment last summer.

This week, according to sources who were not authorized to comment publicly, the U.S. attorneys office of the Southern District of New York also was investigating Weinstein, seeking to examine whether the mogul had lured or induced women to travel across state lines for purposes of committing sexual crimes.

richard.winton@latimes.com

james.queally@latimes.com

UPDATES:

4:15 p.m.: This article was updated with more information on the alleged assault.

1:15 p.m.: This article was updated with more background on the case.

This article was originally published at 1 p.m.Stacey Abrams made history Tuesday night, becoming the first black woman to win the gubernatorial nomination of a major political party.

Having easily defeated her Democratic competitor in the Georgia primary, the 44-year-old former state House minority leader will face the yet-to-be-determined Republican candidate in November.

The prospect of a black woman governor in the Deep South is energizing Democrats. They are portraying her candidacy as an indication of a backlash against President Trump and his alienation of minority communities, which have had low turnout in elections but now might be more motivated to vote.

We are writing the next chapter of Georgias future, where no one is unseen, no one is unheard and no one is uninspired, Abrams said to supporters in Atlanta on Tuesday night to cheers of History! and You look like a governor! We are writing a history of a Georgia where we prosper  together.

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Abrams beat her Democratic opponent, Stacey Evans, who is white, by a 3 to 1 margin, even crushing her in the suburban district Evans once represented as a state legislator.

But the hurdles for a Democratic candidate  black or white  are high in this conservative Southern state, where Trump won by 5% in 2016, and nearly two decades have passed since a Democrat was elected governor.

In the November general election, Abrams opponent will be either Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, the leader of the moderate business wing of Georgias Republican Party, or Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp.

Both candidates fell short of securing 50% of the partys vote and face a July runoff.

To get a sense of at least one chunk of the Republican electorate, consider Kemps campaign ads. One showed him pointing a shotgun at a young man interested in dating his daughter. In another, Kemp said he owned a big truck just in case he needed to round up criminal illegals and take them home myself.

Democrats who hope that Abrams primary victory could be part of a wave of success across Georgia and other conservative states point to the December victory of Democrat Doug Jones over Republican Roy Moore in a special Senate election in Alabama. Black women, who turned up at the polls in large numbers, played a key role in that outcome.

But that was a highly unusual election because of accusations Moore faced over the sexual abuse of minors, and even then he was only narrowly defeated. When Democrats smelled opportunity in Georgia last year and spent record amounts on their candidate, Jon Ossoff, in a special election for a seat in the U.S. House, he still lost to Republican Karen Handel.

In the Georgia gubernatorial primary campaign, Abrams distinguished herself from Evans not so much on policy issues  both candidates pledged to increase the minimum wage, expand Medicaid and invest in education  but on strategy.

Evans, 40, an attorney who grew up in Ringgold, a small town in Georgias northwest corner, focused on winning over swing voters and reached out to the old Democratic Party coalition in Georgia, which includes minorities but also moderate whites.

Abrams focused on energizing minorities and young voters who have not always registered to vote or turned up at the polls.

Andra Gillespie, assistant professor of political science at Emory University, summarized the strategy: It doesnt make sense to go after centrist voters who dont exist anymore or to go after working-class voters who have been voting Republican since before 2016.

What Abrams is basically arguing is, I can at least do as well as [white candidates], and at best I can actually probably excite more women and minority voters and get them out to vote in ways that my white counterparts might not be able to, she said.

Data were not immediately available on minority turnout Tuesday, but a total of 554,450 people voted in the Democratic primary, compared with 607,875 in the Republican one  a much smaller gap between the parties than in 2010, the last time both parties had contested primaries.

The same approach may offer Abrams the best chance  even if its a long shot  in the general election.

Its an uphill fight, but its a fight she could win, said Kerwin Swint, a professor of political science at Kennesaw State University, noting that the state has slowly been shifting from red to purple as its population becomes more diverse. In order to win, there has to be a huge blue wave in November.

Swint said that energizing Democratic voters would require Abrams to mount an aggressive campaign against her Republican opponent  a tactic that might risk alienating more moderate voters.

Shes the kind of candidate that a lot of Democrats salivate over, Swint said. For that reason, shes the kind of candidate a lot of conservative moderates wont want to go near. Her gender, her race, plus her politics, those things in combination will make it a challenge.

On Tuesday night, Abrams acknowledged it would be a tough race, but urged supporters to take courage from the states rich civil rights history.

We must remember were in the state where the red clay gives life to generations of dreamers, she told hundreds of supporters. The state where Martin marched on ballot boxes and challenged a nations conscience. The Georgia that gave us the Godfather of Soul and the queen of the Met  and that sent a peanut farmer to the Oval Office.

Born and raised in Gulfport, Miss., Abrams is the second of six children. Her parents, a school librarian and a shipyard worker, moved to Atlanta when she was in high school to to pursue graduate studies in divinity at Emory University and become United Methodist ministers.

After graduating as class valedictorian at Avondale High School, east of Atlanta, Abrams attended Spelman College, Atlantas leading historically black college for women, and then earned a masters degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas and a law degree from Yale University.

Returning to Atlanta to work as a tax attorney, she was appointed Atlantas deputy city attorney in 2003 and elected to Georgias State House in 2006, becoming minority leader in 2010.

As she climbed the political ladder, Abrams found time to take on a side gig as a romance novelist. Under the pen name Selena Montgomery, she has published eight thrillers with titles such as Rules of Engagement, Hidden Sins and The Art of Desire.

She has won endorsements from well-known Democrats, including Hillary Clinton and Sens. Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand and Kamala Harris.

She even counts some Georgia Republicans among her admirers. Erick Erickson, a conservative American commentator and radio host, said this year that while he disagreed with Abrams on most policy issues, she was one of the best subjects he had ever interviewed.

Super sharp, very witty, and self-deprecating, he wrote on Twitter. Shell be formidable as a candidate.

Her Democratic opponent tried to discredit her as a moderate, accusing her of cutting a deal with Republican leaders to cut a popular scholarship program funded by the Georgia lottery.

At the same time, Abrams has been criticized for being too radical.

In choosing Stacey Abrams the @GeorgiaDemocrat just nominated the most extreme, far-left candidate in its partys history, the Georgia Republican Party tweeted Tuesday.

Republicans are also expected to seize on Abrams struggles with debt and failure to pay taxes. Financial disclosure forms show Abrams owes $50,000 in back taxes and holds $170,000 in credit card and student loan debt.

I am in debt, but I am not alone, Abrams wrote last month in an article for Fortune magazine, noting that she borrowed money after college to support her parents. Debt is a millstone that weighs down more than three-quarters of Americans. It can determine whether we are able to run for office, to launch a business, to quit a job we hate. But it should not  and cannot  be a disqualification for ambition.

The New Georgia Project, a nonpartisan effort that Abrams set up in 2013 to register 800,000 unregistered minority voters, has also faced criticism that it fraudulently registered voters and wasted millions of dollars from private donors.

The only way for voters to get clarity on a growing list of ethical issues concerning her finances is to see her tax returns and payment history for her entire tenure in the state Legislature, Georgia GOP Chairman John Watson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday night. There should be no forgetting or misfiling with the IRS.

Still, political analysts say that Abrams overwhelming primary victory already goes a long way in countering the idea that African American Democrats cannot be viable candidates in conservative Southern states.

She passed the first test, Gillespie said. The second test is not just whether or not she wins, because the fundamentals still favor Republican candidates in this state  but if shes actually able to over-perform relative to other Democratic candidates.

In the 2014 election for governor, Jason Carter, a white state senator and the grandson of former President Jimmy Carter, won 44.9% of the vote compared with incumbent Nathan Deals 52.7%.

Gillespie said that simply doing better than Carter would be a victory of sorts for Abrams.

The problem might just be a problem of numbers, she said. The problem is the D behind her name, not the color of her skin. And thats something that could be overcome in the long run, with a greater mobilization within the party and waiting for the demographics of the state to catch up.As recently as Wednesday afternoon, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted that all across the administration preparations were steaming along for a historic summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Less than 24 hours later, Trump abruptly canceled the meeting, citing the tremendous anger and open hostility in statements from Pyongyang.

In the end, former and current government officials said, the cancellation may have saved Trump from a meeting in which the goal he had set appeared increasingly unlikely to be achieved and the risk of being outfoxed by the young North Korean leader seemed unacceptably high.

Although North Korea has made ominous threats that the president had to respond to, I also think the president used these threats to tank a summit that was ill-prepared, said Wendy R. Sherman, a former deputy secretary of State in the Obama administration, who, as an ambassador, participated in negotiations with North Korea in the 1990s and early 2000s.

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With the summit less than three weeks away, the Trump administration and North Korea had not agreed on the meaning of denuclearization -- the objective Trump had aimed for. Major negotiating points, such as conditions, incentives, a timeline and what kind of phase-out of weapons might take place had not been resolved.

Trump had already given a major concession by agreeing to meet Kim before any of the diplomatic spadework was accomplished. He had also publicly praised the North Korean leader, reversing the harsh rhetoric he used last summer.

The problem has always been that this process is all backwards, said Robert A. Manning, a former intelligence analyst now at the Atlantic Council think tank. Usually a summit comes after both sides have taken certain steps.

The process had already given Kim several victories, from his perspective. In domestic propaganda, the agreement to meet, and Trumps praise, had reinforced his well-crafted image as a powerful and benevolent leader. He gained a large dose of international recognition, a sort of legitimacy that the long-isolated country never had, from his two meetings each with Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Moon Jae-in as well as the invitation to meet with Trump.

Kim would have liked more  the North Koreans want relief from the punishing economic sanctions that the U.S. and other countries have put in place. But recognition on the global stage has long been a paramount goal.

The North Koreans did make a splashy concession of their own  detonating explosives on Thursday which they said had destroyed the tunnels at Punggye-ri, the underground site used for their six nuclear tests.

Longtime Korea analysts, however, discounted that, noting that it resembled a similar move in 2008. At that time, North Korea invited television journalists to broadcast the demolition of the cooling tower at its nuclear reactor to show that it was committed to denuclearization. The reactor was restarted a few years later, using a different cooling method.

Experts say that North Korea could rebuild the tunnels in as little as three months.

Even without restarting the tests, Kim can rest on his laurels for now. Until a new summit is scheduled  still a possibility  he doesnt have to worry about being asked to give up his nuclear arsenal, a demand that most Korea experts believe he never had the intention to comply with.

The whiplash nature of Trumps foreign policy clearly also was a factor in the return, for now, to a stalemate.

The administration doesnt understand what it takes to deal with these people, said Joel Wit, a former diplomat who was one of the negotiators on the 1994 agreed framework under the Clinton administration, but who nevertheless supported Trumps North Korea initiative.

The administrations lack of understanding is reflected in Trumps public statements and his veering from unadulterated praise of Kim Jong Un to recent statements that have been much more negative, Wit said. You just cant do it that way.

Despite the cancellation, Trumps letter left room for a summit to be scheduled at a later date. With that in mind, both sides may decide to avoid rushing to a confrontation, although given the unpredictability of both men, nothing can be ruled out.

If the North Koreans choose to escalate, Kim could launch a missile to prove that he still can. Trump could return to the bellicose language about Kim he was using last year, which seemed to leave little room for diplomacy.

In his letter to Kim, Trump gave a taste of that.

You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used, he wrote.

Pompeo, who was testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was asked what would come next in dealings with North Korea. Several Democrats appeared unsatisfied with his answer.

I dont know what to say other than there has been an incredibly effective global campaign [of sanctions] to create pressure on the North Korean regime and prevent it from being a threat, Pompeo said.

The threat to the U.S. existed yesterday, it exists today, its likely to exist tomorrow and so our process remains the same, he said.

Some analysts said Trump had raised expectations unreasonably high by speaking of immediate complete denuclearization and repeatedly mentioning he might win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Others said Kim was playing Trump all along.

This is part of their campaign to sabotage our maximum pressure campaign, said Anthony Ruggiero, a former Treasury Department official who specialized in financial sanctions. Now theyll say: Hey, we wanted to go to the summit. We even got rid of our nuclear test site. Its the Americans who cancelled.

Duyeon Kim, a visiting senior fellow at the Korean Peninsula Future Forum in Seoul, said it would have been embarrassing for Trump to walk into a summit after Pyongyang insulted Vice President Mike Pence, calling him stupid. A meeting between the two leaders is still possible, she said, if North Korea doesnt continue provoking Trumps administration.

Pence, on Wednesday, echoed John Bolton, Trumps hawkish national security advisor, in suggesting the Libya model was the appropriate scheme for getting rid of Pyongyangs nuclear weapons.

Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi agreed in 2003 to shed his nuclear program, which had not yet produced a weapon, in exchange for economic and trade benefits from the West. But as the North Koreans are well aware, within less than a decade, western nations backed rebels who overthrew Kadafi and killed him.

Several national security experts in touch with the White House said they did not believe Bolton had been trying to sabotage the summit with his Libya references. But he was working to prevent Trump from acting too impulsively and to keep him from getting swept away by the prospect of a big deal, said a former national security official in George W. Bushs administration who remains in regular touch with the White House.

Theres this dynamic, this internal tension between John Bolton, whos spent his whole career deeply skeptical of negotiating with rogue regimes and a president who is rightfully or wrongly fixated on the big picture, said the former official.

The biggest loser in the cancellation is South Koreas Moon, whose statements indicated that he had been blindsided by the decision to scrap a summit behind which he was the main moving force. South Korea had to call an emergency security meeting in the middle of the night when the Trump letter became public.

In a contest of who can be the most erratic leader, President Trump beats Kim Jong Un hands-down, Wit, the former negotiator, said later via Twitter. His unsteady hand has left everyone scratching their heads, including our [South Korean] allies. No one knows where this is going to lead, but it will not be good for the United States.

Demick reported from New York. Staff writer Noah Bierman in Washington and special correspondent Matt Stiles in Seoul contributed.

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on TwitterDear Kim Jong Un: Its just not working out between us. Sorry. Hope we dont have to nuke you. Please call.

On Thursday morning, President Trump canceled his upcoming peace summit in Singapore with North Koreas leader with an open letter that veered between sentimentality and threats of nuclear war, leaving experts to puzzle over what will happen next.

We greatly appreciate your time, patience and effort with respect to our recent negotiations and discussions about the upcoming meeting, Trumps missive began.

The summit had been scheduled for June 12, but appears to have been derailed as North Korean officials called Vice President Mike Pence a political dummy for suggesting North Korea might end up like Libya, whose ruler was overthrown in 2011 and ultimately killed after giving up on developing nuclear weapons.

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A copy of the letter President Trump sent to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un canceling their planned summit in Singapore. (J. David Ake / Associated Press )

We were informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant, Trump wrote of the summit. The problem, Trump continued, is that Kims tremendous anger and open hostility in a recent statement made a summit inappropriate.

So: summit canceled. Trump added a dramatic flourish: You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.

And yet that rattle of the atomic saber was immediately followed by Trumps impression that things were going  well?

I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters, Trump wrote, thanking Kim for recently releasing three American prisoners.

Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you.... If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write.

The letter didnt win any points for style among North Korea experts after its release.

It sounds like a 13-year-olds stream of consciousness in a breakup letter sent from overnight camp, Wendy Sherman, a former undersecretary of State for political affairs in the Obama administration, said in an MSNBC appearance.

 By the way, call me. I loved you. We loved each other. ... It is a very strange kind of diplomacy, she said.

Andrea Berger, senior research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, called the letter cringeworthy and poorly timed, given that foreign journalists, including Americans, were still on a trip to a supposed nuclear site in North Korea when the White House released the letter.

Its like five or seven tweets put together, Sung-Yoon Lee, a professor of Korean studies at Tufts University, said in an interview. In some ways it reads like a college rejection letter: We appreciate your interest, but were sorry to inform you.... Its a bit condescending.

However, Lee thought Trumps letter showed maturity in his willingness to walk away from a summit where some experts thought the Trump administration might make more concessions to Kim than it would get in return.

I have to say, Trump today, for a change, he acted presidential, Lee said. It was the right move to walk away, because the U.S. really has gained nothing from engaging in plans for a summit and was walking into this elaborate trap that Kim had laid for him.

In sunnier times, then-CIA Director Mike Pompeo greets North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. (White House )

North Korea is typically the side to walk away from diplomatic engagements with the U.S., Lee said. Now, for the first time ever  Im totally serious  for the first time in the history [of U.S.-North Korean relations], Trump has set the stage for the North Korean leader to chase the United States.

But North Korea might not be the only ones caught off guard. A spokesman for South Korean President Moon Jae-in issued a statement suggesting that the Moon administration had been surprised by the Trump letter.

We are trying to grasp what President Trump means exactly, said Kim Eui-kyeom, the spokesman.

Trumps letter was clearly designed to show that the United States is not picking a fight and that the door to a meeting is still open, said Duyeon Kim, a visiting senior fellow at the Korean Peninsula Future Forum in Seoul.

It would have been embarrassing for Trump to walk into a summit after Pyongyang insulted Pence, she said.

A cancellation is unfortunate, but it actually isnt an inappropriate response in the wake of personal insults, she said. It shows that the U.S. will not tolerate typical North Korean gambits of insults and threats before talks are held and failing to show up for a preparatory meeting.

She said its likely that Moon will hustle to try and bring the two leaders together again. He still needs Washington and Pyongyang to get along for his own agenda: for inter-Korean peace to succeed.

Times staff writer Pearce reported from Los Angeles and special correspondent Stiles from Seoul.

matt.pearce@latimes.com

Matt Pearce is a national reporter for The Times. Follow him on Twitter at @mattdpearce.

More national headlinesThe Gaza Strip, where more than 100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers during mass protests in recent weeks, is a dense and dismal sliver of land along the Mediterranean Coast between Egypt and Israel. More than 2 million people are packed tightly into a space the size of Portland, Ore. More than 40% of the population is unemployed; there are chronic shortages of medicine, power and food. Infant mortality rates are going up rather than down. The Israeli blockade of the air and sea has stifled economic growth, devastated infrastructure and increased despondency.

It was against that background that the Trump administration announced in January that it was cutting tens of millions of dollars in funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the nearly 70-year-old organization that provides assistance to more than 5 million Palestinian refugees around the world. In Gaza alone, the agency runs 575 schools for 270,000 students as well as 22 medical clinics with 400 doctors and nurses. UNRWA also provides food assistance to half of the population of Gaza and employs more than 8,000 people in the territory.

Regardless of what you think of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority or even of the United Nations, its difficult to see how cutting basic aid to desperate people makes sense on either a human level or a political level. Its unclear how less schooling, more hunger and fewer jobs will improve the quality of life, ease cross-border tensions or boost the chances of peace.

Nevertheless, the Trump administration said in January that it would withhold $65 million of the $125 million it was expected to contribute to the agency that month. On Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the funding was still under review, suggesting that the rest of the $360 million the U.S. was expected to give the agency in 2018 is unlikely to be forthcoming either.

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UNRWA officials says they will soon begin to run out of money and be forced to cut programs.

This is all part of a longer, more complicated battle, of course. UNRWA, which has traditionally received most of its funding from the United States, has often been derided by Israel as biased. Critics complain that the agency has, among other things, effectively prolonged the ongoing conflict by giving refugee status not just to those Palestinians who fled or were driven from their homes in 1948, but also to their children and their childrens children, so that the number of refugees has climbed from 750,000 when the agency was created to 5 million today.

Its difficult to see how cutting basic aid to desperate people makes sense on either a human level or a political level.

The Trump administration, for its part, has said repeatedly that other countries should bear more of the funding burden for the United Nations generally and UNRWA in particular. It has also cited the need for reforms in UNRWA (although it hasnt explained what change it wants to see).

But none of these concerns justifies the withdrawal of funding so suddenly from an agency serving such a desperately needy population. If the U.S. has real and significant concerns about the way UNRWA operates, it should explain what kinds of reforms it would like to see and why. If it wants other nations to contribute more, then it should prod them to do so.

What the administration should not do is to withhold UNRWA funds as a way to put pressure on Hamas, as a cudgel to bring the Palestinian Authority back to the negotiating table or as a general expression of its dislike for the U.N.s approach to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The administration should not play politics with humanitarian assistance by cutting off the food, healthcare and schooling of the people of Gaza.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and FacebookSitting in the Oval Office on May 22 with the South Korean President Moon Jae-in, President Trump was cautious about whether his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would take place June 12. The mood in the White House about the prospects for a meeting is swinging between hopeful and subdued.

If you happen to be a gambler, you would be wise to bet on diplomacy stalling, if not collapsing. When Washington and Pyongyang finally get past their initial jockeying over the summits start date, both will soon discover just how treacherous this negotiation will be.

The logistics of North Korean denuclearization alone could prevent success. Arriving at a consensus on the process itself could be like trying to force a round peg into a square hole. Washington and Pyongyang are presenting different interpretations of what denuclearization means to the world (more on that later), and they clearly have conflicting expectations about how the mechanics would work.

The Trump administration has trumpeted a maximalist position. According to Washingtons timeline, North Korea should commit immediately to complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization before any economic or political incentives are granted to the Kim regime. The bottom line for the Trump administration is simple, straightforward and downright idealistic: Only after Pyongyang proves its sincerity with concrete actions would the regime receive the diplomatic recognition, political normalization and financial sanctions relief it is desperately seeking.

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In pure policy terms, saying no to anything less than North Koreas complete denuclearization will bring the world back to the atmospherics of 2017.

The North Koreans have already indicated that one-sided concessions will inherently be a nonstarter. Pyongyang is as mistrustful of U.S. intentions as Americans are of North Koreas motivations. To Kim, an appropriate scheme, if it exists at all, consists of a phased, step-by-step process. On Tuesday, Trump signaled some flexibility: It would be better, he said, if Pyongyangs nukes were dismantled all in one. Does it have to be? I dont think I want to totally commit myself. He would be smart to follow his own guidance.

A different controversy might also upend the summit: What to do about North Koreas other weapons of mass destruction. Because Pyongyangs nuclear arsenal is of such concern, no one talks much about the rest of the deadly unconventional weapons at Kims disposal.

As was exhibited graphically during the 2017 assassination of Kims older half brother in a Malaysian airport, the Kim government retains a sizable stockpile of chemical weapons estimated to be in the range of 2,500 to 5,000 tons. This program includes the extremely fatal VX nerve agent that killed Kim Jong Nam within 20 minutes of exposure.

North Korea almost certainly also has a biological weapons program, a capability the U.S. intelligence community has never been able to assess with high confidence or accuracy. According to a report from Harvard Universitys Belfer Center, Pyongyang is thought to have a number of deadly agents in its hands, including anthrax, cholera and the plague.

Will U.S. negotiators insist that Kim put all of his WMD programs on the table for destruction? It is hard to believe that Kim would consider such a demand. For Trump, particularly after his pronouncements about chemical warfare in Syria, it may be nonnegotiable.

Most crucially, Kim and Trumps red lines may be unbridgeable. Although the North Korean dictator has been talking about peace treaties and a nuclear-free Korean peninsula, there is a strong likelihood that he never intended to follow through. As last weeks no unilateral denuclearization announcement indicated, it defies common sense for the Kim regime to give up its nuclear weapons after decades of research, development and testing. North Korea has endured harsh sanctions, political isolation and financial deprivation; why would it destroy its functioning nuclear deterrent at the urging of the U.S. now?

In the event the North Koreans offer Trump something short of the full nuclear dismantlement Trump is anticipating, the president will be confronted with a big decision. He may pull U.S. officials from the room, return to the status-quo ante, try to strengthen the maximum-pressure sanctions campaign and hope that Pyongyang will return to the table at a later date in a desperate financial state. Or he could stay in the room, and authorize his negotiators to probe the North Koreans on the next best thing: a package of nuclear arms control limitations that may include Pyongyangs signing of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, a permanent freeze and cap on North Koreas nuclear warheads, and unfettered inspections throughout the countrys nuclear infrastructure.

Politically, walking away from the table would be seen in Washington as an act of courage and a demonstration of Trumps willingness to stand up to Kim. It would be in keeping with Trumps bluster and transactional nature  a win or nothing at all. But in pure policy terms, saying no to anything less than North Koreas complete denuclearization will bring the world back to the atmospherics of 2017, when Pyongyang was testing nuclear weapons and launching ballistic missiles with ever-increasing frequency. And that could look like a loss, especially for a president who prides himself on being a master dealmaker.

The White House has a great deal riding on the North Korea summit. It could either be a resounding, unprecedented success, or the latest embarrassment in a long line of American failures on North Korea. As this weeks posturing shows, high-stakes diplomacy can start to teeter on a moments notice. The summit may be called off. Even if it goes forward, Trump, Kim and the rest of us would be wise to manage our expectations.

Daniel R. DePetris is a foreign policy analyst and a columnist at the American Conservative.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand FacebookTo the editor: Germanys rejection of militarism and war is not so simple as implied in the article Broken fighter jets, grounded helicopters and idled tanks: Germanys military is ailing.

Political scientist Josef Braml is quoted as saying that the Germans were completely indoctrinated with pacifism, thanks to American reeducation programs after World War II. Things were not that linear. Historians have shown that de-Nazification and reeducation programs largely failed to achieve their lofty aims.

Many former Nazis avoided accountability for their actions during the war and returned to prominent careers in postwar Germany. German militarism survived long after the Third Reich collapsed and was still popular within the ranks of policemen, soldiers and the foreign service for decades after the war.

Germans deserve more credit for rejecting militarism and adopting democracy than this article suggests. They did not suddenly turn from dictatorship to pacifism overnight just because of Allied reeducation and de-Nazification programs.

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David Livingstone, Simi Valley

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and FacebookTo the editor: Russia meddled in the 2016 election and almost certainly will continue meddling through the 2018 midterms and beyond. This is a serious threat to our democracy and should enrage every American, but sadly it does not. (Trump hereby demands the Justice Department investigate his conspiracy theories. Thats not how it works, editorial, May 23)

Partisan politics has never been so profound and eats away at our patriotism and national security.

The country rallied after the Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 attacks and celebrated together after SEAL Team Six made an unannounced visit to Osama bin Ladens compound. Our politicians need to resurrect this patriotic fervor in honor of those we remember on Memorial Day.

On Monday, we honor the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our democracy. Partisan politics never overshadowed their patriotism.

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Paul Shubunka, Santa Clarita

..

To the editor: If President Trump is not crying witch hunt over some aspect of the Russia investigation, hes conducting a snitch hunt to find a White House leaker, prompting a glitch hunt with an outrageous tweet or simply scratching an itch hunt for ever more publicity.

The question were left with usually is: Which hunt will it be tomorrow?

Reid Grosky, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Before we tackle Spygate, the presidents term for a scandal he invented involving the Russia investigation, could we finish up TaxReturnsgate, AccessHollywoodgate, IHeartPutingate, Mar-a-Lagogate, Profitsgate, Nepotismgate, Charlottesville NeoNazisgate, FireComeygate and Stormygate?

Jim Hess, Glendora

..

To the editor: Now that Trump is referring to his most recent baseless charge as Spygate, I hereby demand that the investigation of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III be known henceforth as Trumpgate. Seems only fair.

Terry Walker, Sylmar

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and FacebookAllies balk at Trump administration bid to block Chinese firm from cutting-edge telecom markets By David S. Cloud Britain and Germany are balking at the Trump administrations call for a ban on equipment from Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, threatening a global U.S. campaign to thwart Chinas involvement in future mobile networks. Both countries are expected to limit Huawei and other Chinese companies from providing core components including routers. But other types of Chinese equipment for next-generation, high-speed communications could still be installed on British and German networks, officials and analysts say. The U.S. push to ban Huawei has provoked a global dispute in recent weeks, with senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, publicly urging NATO allies in Europe to exclude the company and warning that the United States might limit its military presence in countries that did not do so. Read More Facebook

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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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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Congressional leaders met with Justice Department officials on Thursday for unusual, classified briefings demanded by Republicans on the FBIs use of a confidential informant early in the Russia investigation in 2016.

Its unclear exactly what details were provided during two meetings, which had been demanded by House Republicans who are close allies of President Trump as part of their inquiry into whether law enforcement and intelligence officials have mishandled the investigation that has shadowed Trump since he took office.

Trump has seized on revelations that an informant, reportedly a retired American professor living in England, interacted in 2016 with three of his campaign aides. The president claims that his campaign was spied on by political opponents in the Obama-era Justice Department.

Starting to look like one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history, Trump tweeted on Thursday morning. SPYGATE  a terrible thing!

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Former national security officials in both parties have rejected that contention, and Democrats who attended the briefings said nothing of the sort happened.

Nothing we heard today has changed our view that there is no evidence to support any allegation that the FBI or any intelligence agency placed a spy in the Trump campaign, or otherwise failed to follow appropriate procedures and protocols, said a statement from the Democrats  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and the senior Democrats on the congressional intelligence committees, Sen. Mark R. Warner of Virginia and Rep. Adam B. Schiff of Burbank.

After Democrats and some Republicans objected to administration plans to brief only senior House Republicans, the meetings were expanded to include Democrats, and two were scheduled.

The meetings were unusual for a number of reasons.

Typically, law enforcement officials are reluctant to discuss any behind-the-scenes details on ongoing investigations, and the Russia case remains underway. Five people have pleaded guilty to various charges, mostly involving lying to the FBI. Trumps former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, has pleaded not guilty to charges of financial crimes unconnected to the campaign. Thirteen Russians have been charged with interfering in the U.S. election.

Also unusual was the unexpected appearance at both briefings of the presidents new White House lawyer, Emmet Flood, which drew criticism from Democrats and legal observers. According to the White House, Flood and Chief of Staff John F. Kelly did not stay but made brief remarks before the meetings started to relay the presidents desire for as much openness as possible under the law.

Schiff called Floods presence completely inappropriate.

As the White Houses attorney handling the special counsels investigation, his involvement  in any capacity  was entirely improper, and I made this clear to him, Schiff said in a statement.

Conducting the briefings were Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, FBI Director Christopher A. Wray and Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein, who supervises the work of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.

The informant reportedly met with Trump campaign aides as the FBI in mid-2016 opened a counterintelligence investigation into suspicions that Moscow was trying to influence the election using hacked emails and divisive social media posts. U.S. intelligence agencies issued a report last year that Russia not only meddled in the election, but did so to help Trump beat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Trump has denied any collusion with Russia, and Moscow has denied helping Trump.

The original inquiry prompted a criminal investigation now led by Mueller, who was named a year ago by the Justice Department. His team is examining whether anyone from Trumps circle conspired with Russians and whether the president obstructed justice by interfering with the investigation.

Trumps legal team, led by former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, is also demanding more information about the informant and suggesting prosecutors will not get an interview with the president until that happens.

We need to see reports on this spy situation, and see what the basis was, what the outcome was, Giuliani told The Times. Learning about the informant, he said, could help determine the legitimacy of the investigation.

James Clapper, a retired Air Force general who served as director of national intelligence under former President Obama, also denied that Trumps campaign was being spied on. Investigators were trying to understand were the Russians infiltrating, trying to gain access, trying to gain leverage or influence, which is what they do, he told ABCs The View.

Thursdays meetings were arranged following requests from Republicans led by Rep. Devin Nunes of Tulare, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and one of Trumps most aggressive defenders. He previously demanded records involving a secret warrant used to eavesdrop on Carter Page, a former foreign policy advisor for Trumps campaign whom the FBI suspected of being a Russian operative. Page has not been charged.

Nunes used the information to write a public memo sharply critical of the Justice Department for including opposition research funded by Democrats in the application for a surveillance warrant. A federal judge approved the warrant, and it was renewed three times by other judges.

Nunes office did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), who attended the first briefing along with Nunes and Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), said he looked forward to the prompt completion of the intelligence committees oversight work in this area now that they are getting the cooperation necessary.

Plans for the meetings shifted multiple times in recent days, right up until the first one began at noon on Thursday. It was originally announced on Monday that Kelly would arrange a discussion among intelligence officials, law enforcement leaders and members of Congress. But it quickly became clear that only Republicans were to attend, though classified briefings for decades have been bipartisan.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House spokeswoman, mocked Democrats for assuming they would be randomly invited, but the administration later relented and organized a second meeting for the Gang of Eight, which includes House and Senate leaders of both parties.

However, Nunes and Gowdy, who chairs the House Oversight Committee, were still scheduled to have a briefing before their Democratic counterparts. Democrats again objected and Schiff was added to the roster shortly before the first meeting began.

Follow the latest news of the Trump administration on Essential Washington 

chris.megerian@latimes.com

Twitter: @chrismegerian

UPDATES:

4:35 p.m.: The article was updated with information and lawmakers quotes after the conclusion of a second briefing.

10:20 a.m.: The article was updated with additional details about the first meeting.

The article was originally published at 8:55 a.m.In a dramatic diplomatic setback, President Trump abruptly reversed course Thursday and pulled out of his scheduled nuclear summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, releasing a letter to Kim that blamed the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed by Pyongyang.

Speaking later at the White House, Trump called his decision to cancel the much-anticipated June 12 summit in Singapore a tremendous setback for North Korea and, I believe, for the world, but left open the possibility that it could be rescheduled.

If and when Kim Jong Un chooses to engage in constructive dialogue and actions, I am waiting, Trump said, adding that U.S. sanctions against North Korea would continue in the meantime.

Trumps withdrawal came two days after he signaled for the first time that his demand for a swift and comprehensive nuclear disarmament deal with North Korea might be impossible to achieve, and that any arms control accord with Kim almost certainly would require negotiated phases with reciprocal U.S. actions and a lengthy time frame.

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That set the stage for a summit in a global spotlight that might have required Trump to make concessions and compromises  or even risk failure  rather than the one-sided diplomatic triumph he initially seemed to envision, even encouraging supporters who claimed he deserved a Nobel Prize.

While the White House blamed Kim for Trumps decision to scuttle the summit, some national security aides had privately expressed concerns that the U.S. delegation and the president himself were unprepared for the intensity of nuclear negotiations.

For its part, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye Gwan issued a conciliatory statement hours later saying Pyongyang was ready to meet with the United States at any time.

Saying Trumps withdrawal did not match the worlds desire, Kim said a summit is urgently needed to deal with grave hostilities in relations between Pyongyang and Washington, according to the Norths official Korean Central News Agency.

Leader Kim Jong Un had focused every effort on his meeting with President Trump, the statement said.

In recent days, Trump had publicly hinted that he was reconsidering the summit, which he had quickly agreed to in March. His withdrawal from the Iran nuclear accord this month added pressure since North Korea  which possesses a sizable nuclear arsenal and intercontinental ballistic missiles, while Iran had none  presented a far greater challenge and threat.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo flew twice to Pyongyang to meet with Kim and on May 9 he secured the release of three Americans who had been held by North Korea. Trump welcomed them back to Joint Base Andrews with broad smiles in the pre-dawn darkness, later touting the TV ratings he said he had drawn.

Within the administration, however, doubts about Kims intentions deepened after Pompeos second visit to Pyongyang. There was no sign of an outline of an agreement under which North Korea would scale back or abandon its nuclear weapons program, and Kim appeared nervous about his personal safety and about the integrity of any long-term U.S. security guarantees.

White House staff became deeply worried that Kim was unwilling to abandon his nuclear weapons  believed to be between a dozen and 60 devices  and take other steps toward a credible disarmament, according to a person briefed on the trip who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the internal deliberations.

The delegation came back and realized the North Koreans werent serious, the person said.

A senior administration official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity Thursday afternoon outlined what he called a trail of broken promises from North Korea. Among then, Pyongyangs team for negotiating summit details didnt show up for a planning meeting with U.S. officials in Singapore less than two weeks ago, the official said.

They simply stood us up, the official said. All told, the North Korea side showed a profound lack of good faith.

On Wednesday night, Trump was briefed on the latest hostile statements from Pyongyang, the official said, and he took it in stride and slept on it. On Thursday morning, the president met with Pompeo, Vice President Mike Pence, national security advisor John Bolton and other senior aides and then he dictated this letter  every word of it  to Kim.

Some outside experts on North Korea said Trump had overplayed his hand  and folded to avoid embarrassment in Singapore.

The president wanted this so much that they had to try to make it happen, said Michael Green, a member of President George W. Bushs National Security Council, who engaged in previous talks with North Korea.

The problem was the president really thought hed struck gold with this North Korean statement on denuclearization, and he hadnt. When Pompeo went to pin them down and came back with nothing, it was obvious, Green said.

I think the president is now opening his eyes to what all of his national security team always knew: that North Korea was never serious, he said.

Christopher Hill, a veteran diplomat who led the U.S. delegation to the six-party talks with North Korea in 2005, said the Trump-Kim meeting was shaping up to be the most ill-prepared summit in history.

Hill said hed seen no evidence that the two leaders had determined what each side was looking for. All we had was that theyre prepared to discuss denuclearlization, but neither side seemed to agree on or state clearly what that even meant to them, he said.

South Korea and other U.S. allies appeared to get little advance notice of Trumps decision to cancel the summit.

Trump had warned South Korea President Moon Jae-in, who played matchmaker in bringing Trump and Kim together, of problems when Moon visited the White House on Tuesday. But both leaders were still hopeful the summit could proceed when Moon left Washington, officials said.

On Thursday, Moon had just returned to Seoul when news broke about Trumps pullout. He quickly called a midnight meeting of top South Korean officials. In a statement issued at 1:30 a.m. local time, Moon called the cancellation regrettable and called for more dialogue.

Denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and enduring peace are historic tasks that cannot be abandoned or delayed, Moon said. The sincerity of the parties who have tried to solve the problem has not changed.

The latest from Washington 

Trumps cancellation came after days of increasingly antagonistic rhetoric from North Korea that suggested it was having second thoughts about the summit. It wasnt clear if Kim was getting cold feet and was seeking a way out, or was just testing Trump to see how far he would go.

In his one-page letter to Kim, addressed as Dear Mr. Chairman, Trump called the summit inappropriate at this time given the tremendous anger and open hostility coming from Pyongyang.

He did not cite specifics, but a high-ranking North Korean official, Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, earlier Thursday had called Pence a political dummy and his comments ignorant and stupid after Pence suggested on Fox News that North Korea could go the way of Libya. The official also said Pyongyang was just as prepared to meet in a nuclear confrontation as at the negotiating table.

Libya surrendered a nascent nuclear program in 2003 partly in hopes, never fulfilled, of gaining greater economic integration with the West. Its strongman leader, Moammar Kadafi, was overthrown and killed eight years later during a U.S.-backed uprising that grew out of the Arab Spring. Although the civil war has largely eased, Libya has struggled ever since.

In the three-paragraph letter, Trump called the canceled summit a missed opportunity [that] is truly a sad moment in history. He urged Kim to call me or write if he changed his mind, although it was Trump who had pulled out of the meeting.

I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me and, ultimately, it is the only dialogue that matters, Trump wrote. Some day I look very much forward to meeting you.

Trump also added a veiled threat about a possible conflict with the reclusive nuclear-armed nation.

You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they never have to be used, Trump wrote.

Trump echoed that bellicose tone two hours later at the White House. He said he had spoken with South Korean and Japanese officials and that they were prepared to stand with the U.S. if necessary should foolish or reckless acts be taken by North Korea.

Trump also claimed that the two U.S. allies were ready to shoulder the costs  if such an unfortunate situation is forced upon us. Both countries already pay huge sums to support U.S. troops based in northeast Asia, but the remark reflected Trumps frequent complaint that U.S. military alliances are too costly.

Answering questions from reporters, Trump said that the dialogue was good until recently.

He said he believed he understood why North Koreas tone had soured, but refused to specify. In recent days he has publicly blamed Chinese President Xi Jinping for a change in Pyongyangs approach. China is North Koreas largest trading partner and chief political ally.

Shortly before Trump disclosed his decision to cancel the summit, North Korea claimed it had demolished its main nuclear test site with a series of explosions. Kim had vowed on April 20 to close the underground complex under Mt. Mantap as a goodwill gesture to show Pyongyang would stop testing nuclear weapons.

The detonations were intended to seal several tunnels and render the underground facility inoperable, although there was no independent way to confirm that. North Korea has tested six nuclear devices of increasing sophistication and power in the complex, near the village of Punggye-ri in the countrys northeast.

Journalists from several countries were allowed to witness the explosions. Its not clear Pyongyang will allow international nuclear inspectors to visit the location and confirm that the site is permanently closed, or whether it could be reopened and used again in the future.

The North made rapid strides in its offensive capabilities last year, testing not only its first thermonuclear device but its first missiles capable of reaching the continental United States. U.S. officials say that Pyongyang is not yet capable of putting a nuclear warhead atop one of its intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Trumps Republican allies were quick to praise his decision to pull out of the summit.

North Korea has a long history of demanding concessions merely to negotiate, said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.). While past administrations of both parties have fallen for this ruse, I commend the president for seeing through Kim Jong Uns fraud.

Democrats offered a harsher assessment.

Given how amateurish the rollout and planning for these talks have been, no one should be surprised they are being called off, said Sen. Christopher S. Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

From an impromptu announcement of the summit by a mid-level South Korean diplomat in the White House driveway, to the unhelpful comments by John Bolton and Vice President Pence regarding their affection for the Libya model, the leadup to the meeting has been as discombobulated as everything else in this White Houses foreign policy. But I still hope these talks happen, because the alternative  the White House war cheerleaders using this failure as an excuse to move toward military action  is unacceptable, Murphy said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he is deeply concerned about the cancellation of the summit and urged new efforts to find a path to the peaceful and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Stokols is a special correspondent based in Washington. Stiles is a special correspondent based in Seoul. Times staff writer Noah Bierman contributed to this story.

estokols@gmail.com

Twitter: @EliStokols

Stokols is a special correspondent. Special correspondent Matt Stiles contributed from Seoul.

UPDATES:

2:25 p.m.: This article has been updated with comments from a senior administration official.

12:10 p.m.: This article was updated with an account of the timeline of administration doubts over North Koreas intentions.

11:45 a.m.: This article was updated with addtional reaction to Trumps decision.

10:50 a.m.: This article was updated with additional reaction to Trumps announcement.

9:55 a.m.: This article was updated with a statement by the South Korean president.

9:25 a.m.: This article article was updated with remarks by Trump and reaction from South Korea.

This article was originally published at 8:10 a.m.Californias elections officials have found themselves with an unexpected headache ahead of the June 5 primary: potentially thousands of cases where two voter registration forms were created for one person, errors caused by the states motor voter program that launched last month.

But local and state officials said Wednesday they dont believe the foul-up has resulted in actual mistakes in Californias voter database. The errors are being resolved one at a time in each countys elections office, a lengthy process that coincides with one of the busiest periods of the year.

We dont have the time to be researching this, but we have to because were being thrown into it, said Kammi Foote, registrar of voters in Inyo County.

State elections officials said a software error affected some 77,000 voter records generated at the Department of Motor Vehicles over the past month. Some of those records  how many remains unclear  resulted in two registration forms for a single voter, a problem reported in several county elections offices across California. Left unfixed, it could keep a voter from casting party-specific votes or, in the most extreme cases, cause two ballots to be issued to a voter.

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Column: Theres a California election coming up. But if history is any guide, most voters wont show up 

The forms that arrived at county elections offices were identical except for the voters party preferences. On a sampling of forms reviewed by The Times, citizens who were listed as a member of a political party on the first registration document were instead listed as an unaffiliated no party preference voter on a second document that arrived a week later.

A DMV spokeswoman said Wednesday the system was built by the state Department of Technology and was tested prior to last months launch.

County elections officials have been contacting the voters and correcting the errors since they received the first forms on May 5.

We believe its fixed, said Secretary of State Alex Padilla. We feel we have our arms around it. Weve rectified it, and weve given proper guidance to the counties.

Padillas staff noticed the errors shortly after the April 23 launch of the California Motor Voter program, created by legislation signed into law in 2015. The program makes voter registration a part of the DMV drivers license process for every eligible citizen. While voter registration isnt required, people who are uninterested must make it clear on a touch-screen device that they want to opt out. Californians who are already registered to vote can update their address or party affiliation during a DMV appointment.

State elections officials said on Wednesday that some parts of the new system worked as expected, and that about 71,000 new voters successfully registered in the first month of the program.

California teens are preregistering to vote, and taking a pass on political parties 

The problem seems to have arisen with DMV customers who were already registered voters.

Because the touch-screen devices questions are geared toward first-time registrants, those who want to update their information may have been confused by how to proceed. Compounding the issue was the error in the voter registration software that led to different outcomes on the part of the registration form for political party selection.

This is not an issue of duplicate registrations, but multiple feeds on the same voter, said Dean Logan, registrar of voters in Los Angeles County.

The system, often referred to as automatic voter registration, has been under development for more than two years. Key to its success was the full rollout of Californias statewide voter database  a project that was more than a decade late when it debuted in March 2016. Historically, there were separate voter rolls in each of the states 58 counties. Local officials collaborated across county lines, but there was no easily updatable list of all California voters.

The California Motor Voter Act also required a substantial change in DMV license procedures. For more than two decades, registering to vote has been an option at the agencys offices. But the new law makes it a routine part of obtaining a license, as long as the driver is legally eligible. Non-citizens arent offered the chance to register to vote.

The full program has yet to be rolled out. Local elections officials said this week they hope to learn more about how voter registration files will be sent to them for final verification.

Its not entirely clear how this will work, said Gail Pellerin, registrar of voters in Santa Cruz County.

Nor is there clarity about why the California Motor Voter program was rolled out just six weeks before a statewide election. The original launch date was pushed back by two weeks and then delayed again after officials said additional testing was needed. There was no public notice when it was turned live on April 23.

Padilla said it was important to expand access to voter registration for the June primary, which in non-presidential years has had noticeably low turnout.

My duty and responsibility as secretary of state, along with the elections officials in each of the 58 counties, is to do what we can to increase registration rates and participation rates, he said Wednesday.

Logan, who serves as president of the state association of elections officials, said local registrars are working with the state to refine and streamline the motor voter system.

In some communities, the DMVs automated system is already poised to dramatically expand the size of the electorate. Foote says Inyo County, home to just 9,674 voters at the time of the last statewide report, has processed more than 600 new registrations in just the past three weeks. While most have been without incident, she said the initial errors could give pause to voters who worry about the accuracy of elections.

If they dont have confidence in the registration, she said, theyre not going to have confidence in the system.

john.myers@latimes.com

Follow @johnmyers on Twitter, sign up for our daily Essential Politics newsletter and listen to the weekly California Politics PodcastCalifornias gubernatorial primary boils down to this: It will determine whether Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is a slam-dunk winner in November  or still must fight to be elected governor.

The former San Francisco mayor is a virtual cinch to finish No. 1 in the June 5 top two primary and advance to the November general election. All the polls show that.

If the No. 2 finisher is Republican businessman John Cox and he faces Democrat Newsom, its game over. Newsom can start writing his inaugural speech.

Even if every California Republican and half the independents voted for Cox, it wouldnt be enough to overcome the certain solid Democratic support for Newsom. Democrats outnumber Republicans in voter registration by 44.6% to 25.3%. Independents total 25.1%. Republicans havent won a statewide election in this deep blue state since 2006.

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But if the second-place finisher is a Democrat  most likely former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  there could be a brawl in November. Anything could happen.

This is a weird election.

Republican strategist Mike Murphy, who isnt involved in the gubernatorial race, has called it a sleep-walking zombie election because it hasnt exactly grabbed voters attention.

But behind the curtain there have been several subtle political moves.

Newsom has candidly acknowledged hed love to run against an easy-mark Republican. So he has been surreptitiously helping Cox attract GOP voters through TV ads.

In a wink-wink attack ad run statewide, a narrator says that Cox stands with Donald Trump and the NRA and has called gun laws a waste of time, opposed background checks and a ban on assault weapons.

Newsoms shorthand message to Republican voters: John Cox is your guy.

More from George Skelton 

He wants Cox to pile up enough GOP votes to finish second in the primary. That means not splitting those votes with state Assemblyman Travis Allen of Huntington Beach, Coxs main Republican rival.

Meanwhile, Newsom is also attacking Democrats Villaraigosa and state Treasurer John Chiang in TV spots, trying to keep their vote totals under Coxs.

Running negative ads against party opponents is normal. But running an ostensible attack ad aimed at helping the supposed target is rare. In fact, I cant remember it ever happening in a major California race.

Newsom is clearly trying to make sure he runs against Cox and not Villaraigosa, says Bob Shrum, a former Democratic strategist who is director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC.

Shrum recalls using the same ploy in a 1992 Kansas congressional race working for Democratic incumbent Dan Glickman. He helped the most extreme Republican win the GOP nomination by attacking him as an extremist. Glickman won in November.

Coverage of California politics 

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) used that tactic to win reelection in 2012. She helped choose her November opponent by attacking him in the primary.

When you call someone too conservative in a Republican primary, she later wrote, thats giving him or her a badge of honor.

Republican strategist Murphy calls Newsoms TV ad too clever by half.

Its awfully cynical, he says. This is so cynical Putin would be proud of it.

Its not a day for idealism or romance in politics, he adds. Its everything you hate about politics.

Shrum and Murphy are analysts for a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll, which shows second place in the gubernatorial contest very much up for grabs. All 27 candidates were included in the survey, listed as they appear on the ballot.

The top results among likely voters: Newsom 21%, Villaraigosa 11%, Cox 10%, Chiang 6%, Allen 5%, former state schools chief Delaine Eastin, a Democrat, 3%. A whopping 39% were still undecided.

The nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California also released a new poll Wednesday showing Cox ahead of Villaraigosa for the No. 2 spot.

The results among likely voters: Newsom 25%, Cox 19%, Villaraigosa 15%, Allen 11%, Chiang 9%, Eastin 6%, undecided 15%.

Cox got an endorsement boost last week from President Trump. That followed an earlier endorsement by the states leading Republican, U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield. But neither Trump nor McCarthy really care a rip about Cox, or think he has any prayer of being elected.

They merely think that without a Republican at the top of the ticket in November, GOP voters wont be drawn to the polls. And if they arent, they cant vote for Republican members of Congress who are in tough reelection battles. Democrats are trying to flip 24 Republican seats nationally to recapture control of the House. California has seven targeted Republican-held seats in districts where voters sided with Democrat Hillary Clinton over Trump in 2016.

Thats also the main motivation behind the ballot initiative to repeal the state gas-tax increase enacted last year by Democrats to raise money for road repairs. The theory is it will inspire conservatives to vote.

There was encouraging data for Republican congressional candidates in the Public Policy Institute survey. It took a special look at 10 districts considered competitive  nine are held by Republicans. In those 10 battlegrounds, 59% of likely voters approved of Trumps job performance, compared with only 38% statewide.

Also in those districts, 61% said theyd vote for a Republican House candidate over a Democrat, compared with 38% statewide.

So primary voters will decide whether therell be a competitive contest for governor in November  and also whether Republicans might get a little help in retaining the House.

george.skelton@latimes.com

Follow @LATimesSkelton on TwitterAs a new poll found a majority of California voters want to repeal increases to the states gas tax and vehicle fees, Gov. Jerry Brown has begun campaigning to preserve them, arguing the sacrifice is needed to fix long-neglected roads and bridges and improve mass transit.

Repeal of the higher taxes and fees was supported by 51% of registered voters in the state, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times statewide poll.

(Los Angeles Times )

The survey found 38% of registered voters supported keeping the higher taxes, 9% hadnt heard enough to say either way and 2% said they wouldnt vote on the measure.

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The results bode well for a measure that Republican members of Congress hope to place on the November statewide ballot that could boost turnout of GOP voters by offering the chance to repeal the gas tax increase, said Bob Shrum, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC.

If it qualifies for the ballot it will be, I suspect, very hard to sustain it, Shrum said of the tax. Its almost dead.

At issue is Senate Bill 1, approved by the Legislature and governor in April 2017. It raised the gas tax by 12 cents per gallon, boosted the diesel fuel tax by 20 cents per gallon and increased vehicle fees. The new charges will raise $5.4 billion annually for road and transit projects.

In launching a campaign to preserve the taxes, Brown has come out swinging, calling the proposed repeal initiative devious and deceptive in a speech Friday to Southern California transportation leaders.

The test of Americas strength is whether we defeat this stupid repeal measure, which is nothing more than a Republican stunt to get a few of their losers returned to Congress, and were not going to let that happen, Brown told the transportation officials at Union Station in Los Angeles.

The California Transportation Commission has so far allocated $9.2 billion for transportation projects throughout California as a result of SB 1.

The governors comments drew a sharp rebuke as disgraceful name-calling from Carl DeMaio, a Republican leader of the initiative drive who is a former member of the San Diego City Council.

The poll results are encouraging, he said.

New poll finds a volatile race for second place 

It just goes to show you that in order for Gov. Jerry Brown and his backers to prevail in keeping the tax in place they are going to have to pull out all stops, and the level of dishonesty is going to be breathtaking, DeMaio said.

The governor and other supporters of the tax might have a chance to succeed, Shrum said, if they make the question about safe bridges, fixing the states crumbling roads and boosting the economy.

That is the tactic that seems to be emerging.

Caltrans officials held a news conference Tuesday in Oxnard to announce $68.6 million in SB 1 funds to build an overpass for Rice Avenue over busy rail tracks.

The project will end delays as cars wait for trains to pass and make safer an intersection that has been identified as one of the most dangerous in the state, officials said.

Brown had planned to attend the Oxnard event, but his flight from Sacramento was delayed. The governor plans similar events throughout the state, aides said, and he made his case to reporters in a conference call.

Its great to recognize this, one of many projects that SB 1 is going to finance, Brown said. Its going to save lives. Its going to make commuting and traveling easier and safer.

That supporters of the tax are addressing voters outside of Los Angeles and San Francisco is also noteworthy. The poll found only 44% of voters in Los Angeles want to repeal the tax, but the number goes to 55% in the suburbs, 56% in the states Central Valley and 64% in Orange and San Diego counties and the Inland Empire.

Shrum said supporters of the tax should be concerned about the level of opposition by voters, including the poll findings that half of Latino voters want to repeal the taxes. Thats not a promising number, given you have to use a Democratic base to mount a campaign to keep the tax, he said.

If Democrats are going to save this they are going to have to spend a lot of money, Shrum added.

Coverage of California politics 

Hoping to boost turnout of GOP voters, Republican leaders providing major funding of the repeal initiative include House Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, who, because he is poised to be the next speaker, has a lot on the line when it comes to who controls Congress.

The campaign against the initiative is backed by a coalition of deep-pocketed big businesses that often align with Republicans to fight higher taxes, and it also has support from labor, law enforcement and cities.

The Fix Our Roads coalition fighting repeal includes the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the Bay Area Council, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, the League of California Cities, the State Building & Construction Trades Council of California and the California Assn. of Highway Patrolmen.

A political committee set up to fight any attempt to repeal the gas tax has raised more than $1 million so far.

The poll did not shake the confidence of anti-repeal coalition leader Michael Quigley, executive director of the California Alliance for Jobs.

This campaign will be about whether voters want to rip away thousands of local projects, whether they want unsafe, congested roads, and whether they want to let partisan politicians take us backward, Quigley said.

The governors leading role could help to keep the gas tax on the books, but his ability to assist is limited, said Mike Murphy, a Republican strategist and consultant to the poll. The governors numbers arent what they used to be.

The poll found that 48% of voters approved of the job Brown has done and 40% disapproved.

The online survey was conducted from April 18 to May 18 and included 691 registered voters. The overall margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Jill Darling, survey director of the USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research, contributed to this report.

patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com

Twitter: @mcgreevy99

UPDATES:

10:15 a.m.: This article was updated with revised figures from state officials who reported that the California Transportation Commission has allocated a total of $9.2 billion from SB 1 funds for transportation projects.

This article was originally published at 12:05 a.m.In addition to rapid and lasting weight loss and a passel of other health benefits, bariatric surgery has now been linked to a 61% reduction in the risk of developing malignant melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer most closely associated with excessive sun exposure.

The new research, to be presented Thursday at the European Congress on Obesity in Vienna, Austria, also found that people who underwent weight-loss surgery saw their risk of skin cancer in general decline by 42%.

That protective effect was seen in a group of 2,007 obese Swedish study participants who chose to undergo bariatric surgery, and were then followed for a median of 18 years.

In the study, the subjects who chose to have the surgery as a treatment for obesity were compared to 2,040 obese Swedes who were similar to the surgical patients in multiple ways  including age, gender, body measurements, cardiovascular risk factors, psychosocial variables and personality traits  but did not go under the knife.

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Why a cancer linked to outdoorsmen and sun-worshippers would be stymied after obese patients had their gastrointestinal tracts surgically altered is unclear. But the authors of the study  a group from Swedens University of Gothenburg led by Magdalena Taube  suggested it was the deep weight loss that altered subjects risk of melanoma.

The finding supports the idea that obesity is a melanoma risk factor, and indicates that weight loss in individuals with obesity can reduce the risk of a deadly form of cancer that has increased steadily in many countries over several decades, said Taube and her colleagues.

The American Cancer Society estimates that roughly 91,270 new melanomas will be diagnosed in the United States in 2018  about 55,150 in men and 36,120 in women  and that about 9,320 people will die of the malignancy.

The organization also has reported a recent increase in the incidence of melanoma: Between 2008 and 2018, the number of new melanoma cases diagnosed annually has increased by 53%.

melissa.healy@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATMelissaHealy

MORE IN SCIENCE:

New unified theory of childhood leukemia raises possibility of preventing the disease

Electronic cigarettes didnt help smokers quit in this clinical trial, but cash incentives did

Researchers tally the physical and financial costs of opioid painkillers side effectsOne of the largest environmental film festivals in the country, the Wild and Scenic Film Festival, will head to Costa Mesa on June 2.

Karen Kennedy, organizer of the local event, said this is the first time the festival will come to the county.

Ten short films  each revolving around nature and environmental activism  will be shown at the Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church.

Kennedy said the festival differs from others in that the films focus on the positives of the environmental movement.

These are all stories of hope and change, Kennedy said.

Dragging 235 Pounds Uphill is about a mother of four who tries to engender a love for nature in her children, who cower from nature as adherents of the electronic age.

Plastico documents a small community as its members try to combat compiling plastic refuse.

Theres so much to be depressed about, but these films show where theres a will, theres a way, said Margaret Priver, a Huntington Beach resident and director of the festival film Crystal Cove.

Priver filmed during the lunar eclipse earlier this year, documenting the various sea creatures that dwell in the tide pools of Crystal Cove State Park. Priver is a film hobbyist and this is her first festival.

My message is to get out there and see what you can see  the joy of discovering the beauty of whats out there, Priver said. Theres other things than city life.

A still shot from the documentary Dragging 235 Pounds Uphill, which will be featured at the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival. (Courtesy of Karen Kennedy )

Kennedy worked with Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Churchs Rev. Sian Wiltshire to bring the festival to the church. Kennedy serves on the board of the church and Priver is a congregant.

Wiltshire said the festival aligns with the churchs goals.

Unitarian Universalists tend to be passionate about enviromentalism, Wiltshire said. Our denomination has seven principles  the seventh is to affirm and promote the interdependent web of existence. What that means is that we understand we are a part of nature. 

Kennedy said theyre hoping for 145 attendees  about the maximum capacity of the church.

Three of the filmmakers  Eric Heimbold, Brian Olliver and Priver  will be in attendance and will be available for discussion during an intermission.

Heimbolds film, Blind Sushi, tells of a blind travel writer who decides to go diving with a sushi chef who only uses invasive species in his recipes. In Ollivers film, Love of Place, a park ranger tries to save a desert river from the spread of an invasive plant.

If You Go

What: Wild and Scenic Film Festival

When: 5:30 p.m. June 2

Where: Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church, 2845 Mesa Verde Drive East, Costa Mesa

Cost: General admission is $12 and $10 with a guest. Tickets may be purchased at brownpapertickets.com/event/3393409.

Information: ocuuc.org/events/wild-and-scenic-film-festival

benjamin.brazil@latimes.com

Twitter:@benbrazilpilotThe Musco Center for the Arts will celebrate Mexican arts, culture, food and music during its third annual Heartbeat of Mexico festival this weekend at its Chapman University-based arts center in Orange.

The free festival is mostly an outdoor event, and this year it has expanded to two days with a lecture series.

More than 20 regional acts will perform on three stages on the plaza in front of the Musco Center on Sunday.

Inside the center, two-time Grammy winner Mariachi Los Camperos is scheduled for Saturday, and multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy winner Natalia Lafourcade is set for Sunday. (The two concerts are ticketed, paid events.)

We want the people in and of our community of north Orange County to be able to come to Musco Center and experience their traditional cultures at the highest levels, said Richard Bryant, executive director of the Musco Center. Then we also want the parents and grandparents and grandchildren to be able to experience the contemporary culture of their native countries. Thirdly, we want to celebrate the art forms that are uniquely American that are inspired by the culture of the motherlands.

The Heartbeat of Mexico festival is part of the Musco Centers World Cultural Arts Festivals and Events (CAFE) series. The universitys Latinx Staff and Faculty Forum also helped plan the gathering.

Its a celebration of Mexicos rich history, music and art, said Marisol Arredondo Samson, chair of the Latinx Staff and Faculty Forum, and director of institutional research at Chapman. She has helped organize the festival since its beginnings in 2016.

We need to celebrate our heritage, she said. We need to celebrate who we are. We need to continue to put positive energy out there, and I think this festival does that. Theres a lot of rich history that people dont know about. Theres beautiful music, beautiful art, and we just want to shed light on that beauty.

Arredondo Samson noted that the university hopes to attract people from diverse backgrounds and age ranges to campus this weekend. Perhaps some may consider making Chapman a choice for post-secondary education, she said.

Latinos comprise about 14% of Chapmans student body, she said. That number is considered a bit low, when compared to the Hispanic or Latino population in the surrounding communities of Orange, Anaheim and Santa Ana, which are 39.1% , 53.6% and 77.9%, respectively, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Increasing the number of Latino students at Chapman is also part of the universitys diversity and inclusion strategic plan, according to the universitys website.

Sundays outdoor festival will feature Southern Californias top local and regional Mexican American ensembles. Traditional and contemporary music, dance and folklorico performances are on the schedule.

Cambalache, an East L.A.-based quartet, will play its high-energy music on Sunday during Musco Center for the Arts Heartbeat of Mexico festival. (Courtesy of Cambalache )

On the Aitken Arts Plaza Stage, an opening ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m., followed by El Sol Academy at 1:15 p.m., Calle 4 Cumbia Electric from Santa Ana at 2:15 p.m., Ballet Folklorico Estrellas de OCSA from the Orange County School of the Arts at 3:15 p.m., Primero Sueno Ensemble at 4:15 p.m., and El Santo Golpe at 5:15 p.m., an Afro-Latino ensemble that combines cumbia, son jarocho, garifuna, African drum beats, poetry and folkloric dance.

On the Performers Court Stage, Los Sanchez Mariachi Quartet will kick things off at 2 p.m., followed by Mariachi Los Santos of Santa Ana High School at 3 p.m., Felipe Orozco and his Mariachi Tierra Azteca at 4 p.m., R & B/rock duo Ruby Clouds at 5 p.m., and father-daughter team Daniela y Fito at 6 p.m.

On the Wells Fargo Stage, Relampago del Cielo will perform at 2:45 p.m., followed by the Dream Act at 3:45 p.m., MEXIKA (Music & Dance of Ancient Mexico) at 4:45 p.m., Grupo Folklorico Fusion Mexicana from Ventura County at 5:45 p.m., and Cambalache at 6:45 p.m.

Cambalache is an East L.A.-based quartet that plays high-energy son jarocho music from Veracruz, Mexico. Cambalache in Spanish means exchange, and son jarocho is a folk music that combines indigenous, Spanish, Arab and African elements.

When Im performing, I become an instrument of my culture, said Cesar Castro, one of the founders and lead vocalist of Cambalache. He also hand crafts son jarocho instruments and teaches the music at colleges and community centers.

Its important for people to learn  the discipline is a window to history, recent and ancient history too, he said. And that gives you more context to who you are.

If You Go

What: Heartbeat of Mexico festival

When: 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 26; 1-7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 27

Where: Musco Center for the Arts, 415 N. Glassell St., Orange

Cost: Free; tickets for Saturdays concert start at $20 and Natalia Lafourcade concert is sold out

Information: (844) 626-8726 or visit muscocenter.org.

Richard Chang is a contributor to Times Community News.A motion filed in Orange County Superior Court accuses the city of Huntington Beach of violating the free-speech rights of a man the city is trying to stop from circulating a petition seeking a local ban on semiautomatic and automatic guns.

Attorney Jerry Friedman filed the anti-SLAPP motion May 17 for client Daniel Horgan, a Huntington Beach resident who was trying to get the proposed ban on the citys Nov. 6 election ballot. SLAPP stands for strategic lawsuit against public participation and is considered an attempt to intimidate critics by burdening them with the costs of a legal defense. California is one of 28 states that have anti-SLAPP laws.

Friedmans motion seeks dismissal of the citys request for an injunction against Horgan that City Attorney Michael Gates filed in April. Gates argued that Horgans proposal is unconstitutional, invalid and not entitled to a place on the ballot.

A hearing on Friedmans motion is scheduled for June 22 in Superior Court.

A court hearing on the citys injunction request is scheduled for June 4.

Horgans proposed law would make possession and sale of semiautomatic and automatic firearms in Huntington Beach a felony by April 1. Such weapons already in circulation would have to be surrendered to the Police Department by Jan. 1, though there would be a three-month probationary period to comply.

These weapons are a clear and imminent danger to our community, Horgan wrote in a notice of intent to circulate the petition that he filed with the city in November.

According to city officials, Horgans Committee to Reduce Gun Violence, which has three members, needs about 12,000 signatures from Huntington Beach registered voters by June 2 for the measure to qualify for the November ballot. As of last week, Horgan said the petition had collected 587 signatures.

Horgan now calls his petition a little too extreme and has said he had planned to reword it but now doesnt anticipate taking further action.

Friedman, who is running for Gates seat in this years election, contends the city did not face any injury while Horgan was collecting signatures.

If there is no injury, there should be no lawsuit, Friedman said in an interview.

Friedman noted that Gates took legal action months after Horgan filed his intent to circulate the petition and that that work was done without complaint by the city.

Gates argues the petition places the city at odds with the Constitutions Second Amendment, which protects the right to keep and bear arms. He also contends the proposal isnt presented as legislation the city could adopt.

Gates said Wednesday that Friedmans motion is going to die once a judge views the citys actions in context with Horgans vague and overbroad petition.

Asked why the city decided to take legal action although the petition wasnt close to garnering the required number of signatures, Gates said officials werent going to leave it to chance.

Its not until the petition was out there that it rose to a level of concern for the city, he said.

But Friedman said the citys lawsuit was premature and is wasting everyones time.

Courts are not supposed to be used in such a way, he said.

The lawsuit has received mixed reactions from legal experts. UC Irvine law professor Richard Hasen said the city is using a very large weapon against a weak threat, while USC law professor Michael Jenkins said theres nothing illegal about it and that a goal of blocking a proposal that is clearly and unequivocally invalid could be to avoid wasting everyones time and money on an unnecessary election.

Priscella.Vega@latimes.com

Twitter: @vegapriscellaChipotle Mexican Grill will move its headquarters from Denver to Newport Beach this year, the restaurant chain announced Wednesday.

The announcement comes about three months after Chipotle announced it had selected Brian Niccol, the former head of Irvine-based Taco Bell, as its chief executive officer. Chipotle has weathered outbreaks of food-borne illnesses in recent years.

In order to align the structure around our strategic priorities, we are transforming our culture and building world-class teams to revitalize the brand and enable our long-term success, Niccol said in a statement Wednesday.

Well always be proud of our Denver roots, where we opened our first restaurant 25 years ago, he added.

Chipotles transition from its Denver and New York City offices will take place over the next six months.

The company will bring most of its corporate functions to Newport, including operations, business development, marketing, communications, finance, supply chain, food safety, technology and human resources. Support functions will be consolidated at an existing office in Columbus, Ohio.

The company will close its Denver and New York offices after the transition.

The consolidation of offices and the move to California will help us drive sustainable growth while continuing to position us well in the competition for top talent, Niccol said.

A Newport Beach spokeswoman said the city found out about the planned move Wednesday and didnt know where in town the headquarters would set up shop.

Steve Rosansky, head of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, said hes looking forward to working with Chipotle, which has about 2,400 restaurants.

I think its great that we can have a national brand like Chipotle here in Newport Beach, Rosansky said.

The move will affect about 400 employees in Denver and New York, with some being offered relocation and retention packages. The companys roughly 70,000 restaurant and field operations employees are not part of the reorganization.

Chipotle is known for its burritos, burrito bowls, tacos and salads, which are assembled to order in front of customers.

hillary.davis@latimes.com

Twitter: @Daily_PilotHDFor most of my life, I have known Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) as a trusted friend. He is the godfather to my second daughter and an unwavering advocate of my career in public service.

Besides serving as President Reagans senior speechwriter, and then as a leading Reagan-conservative voice in Congress, his service to our beach communities has been unparalleled. Unlike many congressmen, he lives in his district and raises his 14-year-old triplets there.

During his time on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Rohrabacher has defended against human rights abuse throughout the world. He has been the leading advocate for Christians suffering in the Middle East, facing virtual annihilation, and has defended Israel and its capital, Jerusalem, since before it was politically OK to do so.

During his three decades of service to his country and his district, Rohrabacher has never taken the easy way out when it came to defending his convictions. He challenged any supposed-Republican backing oppressive tax increases or federal regulations, even when it could have hurt him politically.

He has consistently supported defunding Planned Parenthood, opposed federal control of education and supported the rights of small business owners. Additionally, he has been a longtime opponent of the illegal sanctuary cities, providing a platform for me, and others, to rally against these destructive policies. His long and consistent track record has earned him coveted influence and respect among his colleagues in Congress on both sides of the aisle.

Sadly, his onetime protege has recently become his greatest source of disappointment. Scott Baugh, once declaring he would never run against his friend and role model, waited until the last hour of the last day to file against Rohrabacher, proving definitively that opportunism sometimes has no limits.

I have known Baugh for over 20 years. I was introduced to him during his bid for California assemblyman  a campaign I wholeheartedly supported on Rohrabachers recommendation. In fact, were he honest, Baugh himself would likely tell you he owes his career in politics to Rohrabacher through his support and guidance.

It is with great sadness that I have observed Baughs decline following his five years in Californias Assembly. His legacy now is riddled with Fair Political Practices Commission complaints and fines. Clearly, these are not good attributes for taking on the Democrats in Congress and, most importantly, for ensuring the integrity of Californias 48th seat.

Today, I join my fellow Orange County Supervisors, the majority of local assemblymen and women, and the state and local Republican Party in encouraging my constituents in Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach and Seal Beach to support Rohrabacher. He is, quite simply, the best man for the job.

MICHELLE STEEL is a member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors.A former California Highway Patrol officer pleaded guilty Wednesday to embezzling more than $1,000 from a CHP employee club and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

Mark Matthew Linza, 41, of Huntington Beach also was ordered to complete three years of informal probation, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of grand theft: embezzlement by fiduciary of trust.

In January 2014, Linza was selected president of the 670 Club, a social organization intended to promote camaraderie among CHP employees in the Westminster area, prosecutors said.

As president, he was in control of the club bank account and obtained an ATM card for the account, which past presidents had not done, according to prosecutors.

On Feb. 7, 2014, prosecutors said, Linza withdrew $1,000 in cash from the club bank account and deposited $800 into his personal bank account.

On Dec. 15, 2015, Linza withdrew $120 from the club account and put the same amount in his personal account, prosecutors said.

Linza resigned from the CHP after the embezzlement allegations came to light, authorities said.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCNNewport-Mesa Unified School District officials completed a comprehensive safety review of their 32 schools and two office locations last week and said fencing will be installed on the perimeters of several campuses after summer break starts.

Mariners, Newport Heights and Wilson elementary schools will get permanent fences. Corona del Mar High, Ensign Intermediate and Newport Harbor High schools are slated to get temporary chain-link fencing until the districts architects submit designs for more attractive permanent fences.



For the record: The original version of this article stated incorrectly that Newport-Mesa reviewed 34 schools and the district offices. There are 32 schools and two office locations.

Were ready to move and make the improvements as soon as humanly possible, Supt. Fred Navarro said.

Deputy Supt. Russell Lee-Sung told the board of trustees at its meeting Tuesday night that all district school sites have hosted Newport Beach or Costa Mesa police officers for active-shooter training or have scheduled it before the end of the school year.

Following discussions between district officials and Newport Beach Police Chief John Lewis, the Newport Beach City Council will consider hiring a new school resource officer to help the two officers based at Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar high schools and cover other Newport Beach public schools. The positions annual cost of $140,000 would be split between the city and the school district, according to city documents.

District spokeswoman Annette Franco said Wednesday that the district hopes to have similar discussions with the Costa Mesa Police Department.

Lee-Sung announced the district will hire four full-time school psychologists before the 2018-19 school year. A coordinator of student services also will be hired to help Phil DAgostino, director of student and community services, manage mental health and school safety issues.

We know the more proactive we can be, the better, Lee-Sung said. We believe adding additional psychologists  will be a plus to all our students.

Ensign seventh-grader Rylin Sekas urged the board to take immediate actions to protect students in the wake of Fridays shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas and other deadly school shootings.

Recently I have been going to school every day knowing in many different parts of this world, kids are being shot dead by sick and cruel people, Rylin said. Rather than looking at the political side of these recent school shootings, as a student I thought the most effective way to prevent these devastating acts of hatred would be to reach out to the district and school board in search of funds to maintain safer school security.

The 13-year-old said she and her friends walked around Ensign on Friday and found seven potential entrances for a shooter. She wants those entry points closed.

Do it for the children and put yourself in our shoes, Rylin said. I can assure you if your work[place] had been known for being intruded and shot up, you would do something to stop it and save yourself. So think about us and save us.

DANIEL LANGHORNE is a contributor to Times Community News.

Twitter: @DanielLanghorneA Newport Beach couple were charged Wednesday with multiple felonies after authorities alleged they stole more than $5.9 million in a real estate fraud scheme and laundered the money to purchase a luxury car and invest in a winery.

Ronald Cedric Touchard, 59, faces 54 counts of money laundering, three counts of grand theft and three counts of recording a false or forged instrument, as well as several possible sentencing enhancements, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

Misty Denise Touchard, 43, faces 13 counts of money laundering and three counts of grand theft, as well as possible sentencing enhancements, court records show.

If convicted, Ronald Touchard could face a maximum of 55 years and four months in state prison and Misty Touchard could face 24 years and eight months, according to prosecutors.

Newport Beach police arrested the couple Wednesday, authorities said.

Prosecutors allege Ronald Touchard took over the titles of three Newport Beach residences that he did not own between June and July 2016 by submitting paperwork to Delaware indicating he was the sole officer of Capital Win Corp. and Gainquick LLC, investment companies based in Laguna Beach.

Ronald Touchard convinced hard money lenders that, as president of Capital Win and Gainquick, he held the deed of trust for each residence and pulled $5.9 million in equity out of the properties, prosecutors allege.

Prosecutors said the couple used the funds to make several large purchases and moved the money among various bank accounts in a pattern consistent with money laundering.

The Touchards are being held in Orange County Jail in Santa Ana without bail, according to jail records. They are expected to be arraigned June 1.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN

UPDATES:

4 p.m.: This article was updated with the Touchards jail status and new arraignment date.

This article was originally published at 10:30 a.m.The Balboa Peninsula Trolley returns to Newport Beach this weekend.

The free shuttle, which debuted last year during the peak tourist season to ferry visitors and locals around the usually congested peninsula, will begin operations Saturday and run weekends  plus Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day  through Sept. 3.

The 28-passenger mini-buses will run at estimated 15-minute intervals from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., looping between the Balboa Pier and a city-owned parking lot at Tustin Avenue and Avon Street, off Mariners Mile. Parking at the lot is free for shuttle riders.

Last year the shuttle ran on a shorter schedule on a slightly different route, starting and stopping at a rented Hoag Hospital parking lot off Superior Avenue.

This seasons run will cost about $165,000, the city says. The service is funded mostly through Measure M, Orange Countys half-cent sales tax for transportation projects, by way of a grant to be distributed over seven years by the Orange County Transportation Authority. Visitor-generated Balboa Village parking revenue also helps finance the project.

hillary.davis@latimes.com

Twitter: @Daily_PilotHDBaby boomers. We were so certain of our uniqueness, of our destiny to defy the inevitability of history and change the world.

There were so many of us. We would overwhelm the forces of evil that spawned the senseless Vietnam War and the brutality of racism. It was as if we were meant to be young at an ordained time in order to meet the tumult of injustice head-on and usher in a new era of peace and equality.

But, oh how flawed we were  never trust anyone over 30  and dismissive of our parents for having a stake in the system and buying into the American Dream, a dream so frail and perhaps illusory.

But we fatigued so quickly in pursuit of our ideals.

After Kent State, realizing that the protective womb of the campus ruptured and that they could actually kill us, we receded from the struggle and forged a new strategy  take the system over from within. But oh how readily we caved, co-opted by our own greed and narcissism. One day we awoke and found ourselves toeing the line as obedient company men and women.

But finally, change is in the air.

A new generation is here  the millennials, and their slightly younger brothers and sisters.

They are an emerging force. I deal with them daily at the gym, where I am old enough to be their grandfather but am treated like a bro; in the senior center, where I volunteer as a driver delivering meals to seniors less mobile than I and the twentysomething coordinators are endlessly congenial and respectful; and in stores, where the young retail workers are ceaselessly courteous and patient.

Where does all this fragile as snowflakes and rattled by microaggressions nonsense, of which they are accused, come from? Perhaps from curmudgeonly boomers, who swore they would never become like their parents and never grow old.

Never trust anyone over 30 went the Boomer mantra, but it seems all are welcome within the inclusive millennial tent  all races and creeds, young and old, gay, straight, trans. Come one, come all.

After the shooting massacre in Parkland, Fla., in which 14 students and three teachers were slaughtered by a sick student with an all-too-easily obtained assault rifle, the expected and sickeningly redundant response by NRA beholden politicians was issued as if by script: We extend our prayers and condolences.

The slaughter was characterized as a tragedy, tantamount to a natural disaster, followed by the customary litany of improved school security, screening for red flags, arm-the-teachers debates, ad nauseam. Everything, of course, but ban assault rifles. In the past, after such massacres, the cries and pleas for gun reform would raise a tepid debate, then after a few weeks there would be a return to status quo.

Not this time. Those very young people stepped up to the plate without flinching. Spearheaded by the Parkland shooting survivors they coalesced quickly with one demand obvious in its simplicity  the right to go to school without fearing for their lives on a daily basis.

These were high school students, barely beyond childhood, standing up before millions with pride and conviction, speaking with a strength and eloquence forged by trauma that belies there youth. They have seen death at their feet, the blood of their friends spilled around them. They will never be children again.

And they grow in number. They were uncorrupted and unyielding armies at the March For Our Lives rallies. Some say we are sliding inexorably toward totalitarianism. I think of the old saw, The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men (and women) to do nothing.

Our young are doing something.

And so, for you fellow baby boomers, were not dead yet. Dont let a joint replacement or bypass keep you from reconnecting with your old passion and ideals.

And you young people? Keep moving forward. Vote. Organize.

The fight will not be easy. The march may be uphill. You can handle it. Look at what youve already done. You are the new vanguard. Finish the job we started.

You are young, you are the future. Now go out and take it.

RON TERRANOVA lives in Huntington Beach.As families make holiday plans, local organizers are working out last-minute details of La Canadas annual Memorial Weekend Fiesta Days, a four-day event held to commemorate fallen servicemen and women and celebrate the freedoms they fought to protect.

This years 45th annual tradition kicks off Friday at 6:30 p.m. as the Community Center of La Canada Flintridge hosts Casino Night and features a packed schedule of events that runs all the way through Memorial Day evening, when Captain Cardiac and the Coronaries opens the citys free Music in the Park concert series with a 6 p.m. performance.

Begun in 1973 to recognize La Canadas Spanish roots, the Memorial Day weekend festivities have morphed into a hometown celebration of the citys residents, service organizations and businesses. Today, volunteers and members of the sponsoring La Canada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce and Community Assn. work for months to make sure thousands of festival-goers have the time of their lives.

Everything is really good, said organizer Barbara Marshall, when pressed to name her favorite event. Every day has something special in it.

But for all the fun that is sure to be inspired by a seemingly endless slate of activities, participants are encouraged to remember the historic roots of Memorial Day in a special service that takes place Monday at 9 a.m. in La Canadas Memorial Park.

The annual service offers an opportunity for local youth to honor military members who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms Americans enjoy today.

Organizer Joe Puglia, a veteran and columnist for the Valley Sun, said trusting local Scout troops and other youths with running the show is a good way to ensure future generations carry the torch of remembrance.

They are the ones who are going to keep soldiers memories alive, Puglia said. The soldiers are the people who gave us Memorial Day. Their sacrifice gives us the ability to have the parades.

To honor the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day  when Allied and German forces signed the truce officially ending World War I  young people will read poems and letters composed by soldiers who fought and died in the conflict. Remembrance poppies will be passed out to attendees.

As the service concludes, nearly 100 parade entrants will be ready to begin the annual Fiesta Days Parade. This years parade theme Bringing People Together, celebrates community ties and those who foster them, such as Community Center Executive Director Maureen Bond, who serves as this years parade grand marshal.

Bond will follow a riderless horse intended to honor local businessman and Fiesta Days fireworks show sponsor Allen Lund, who died April 7.

We just wanted to pay special tribute since hes been such an important figure in our lives here, Marshall said of Lund.

sara.cardine@latimes.com

Twitter: @SaraCardineLa Canada Flintridge recently found itself in the center of a media maelstrom, after posts on Twitter and Facebook claimed a Starbucks employee handed a Latino customer beverages labeled with a racial slur where the mans name should have been.

According to reports, the man received a drink order at the Starbucks on Foothill Boulevard Tuesday morning and eventually saw the computerized label bore the name Beaner, a derogatory term used against Latinos.

Precise details were not made public by reliable sources, but a sheriffs report for a possibly related incident of graffiti that occurred late Tuesday or early Wednesday  involving someone writing BNR on the window of the coffee shop in a white polish  included an interview with the employee. The report stated:

When asked by the employee for his name, the customer provided what the employee heard was the name [Beaner]. The employee double-checked with the customer to make sure she heard his name correctly  The employee told me she had heard many customers provide nicknames in the past few years. The employee typed in the provided name. The customer received his drinks and left the store with no incident.

Starbucks officials said apologies had been offered to the customer but have remained tight-lipped about the circumstances surrounding the event.

News outlets converged upon the Starbucks at 475 Foothill Blvd. late Wednesday and again Thursday to get more information on a man known variously as Pedro or Peter and the barista who put the name on the cup.

Store management referred all media requests to the companys corporate office in Seattle. A manager at Los Gringos Locos, where the Starbucks customer reportedly worked, confirmed last Thursday a man named Peter worked there as a cook but declined to comment further or give his own name, saying the media attention had become disruptive to business.

In addition to the incident of graffiti, the La Canada Starbucks store was reportedly among multiple businesses that received phoned-in bomb threats Friday.

Lt. DeMarcus Smith, a watch commander for the Crescenta Valley Sheriffs Station, was not forthcoming about possible threats made Friday, but did confirm that the station received a call from Petco employees at around 5:45 p.m. and went to the scene to investigate further.

Starbucks corporate office in Seattle was not able to confirm the racial slur event occurred exactly as it was described in social media accounts, but company spokeswoman confirmed members of the Starbucks leadership team met with the customer at a local store that morning, and that he accepted our apology.

This kind of mistake is unacceptable, and we will take additional steps to assess what happened here and how our partners can be better, the spokeswoman said on May 17.

Although Pedro/Peter stopped speaking with journalists shortly after the incident, he told a reporter with the Los Angeles Daily News last week hed met with representatives from the coffee chain.

Its not good what they did, but they have spoken with me, he said in Spanish, declining further comment.

The Starbucks spokeswoman verified computerized labels are placed on food and beverage items requiring service or assistance beyond the point of purchase, but gave no information on whether the company had spoken with store employees or learned more about how the incident occurred.

Were looking into how we can help our partners be better in situations like this, she added.

The alleged La Canada incident comes as the Seattle-based coffee company prepares to close 8,000 U.S. stores to conduct racial-bias education seminars following a video that went viral last month showing a Philadelphia Starbucks employee calling the police to report two black men who sat at a table without ordering anything.

That training is scheduled to take place May 29.

sara.cardine@latimes.com

Twitter: @SaraCardineIn 1958, a group of La Canada families made a move that would affect the city and surrounding community for decades to come when they decided to form the Crescenta-Canada YMCA.

La Canada resident and Y board member Reid Samuelson was just a child when his father, Jack, and Uncle Bob helped buy a parcel of land on Foothill Boulevard, the former site of a Methodist church, to house a facility that still stands today.

The Y gave free swimming lessons and taught them how to swim, Samuelson said of his forebears, who grew up during the Depression. It was an important part of their lives, and they wanted to share that with their community.

Doing so meant breaking away from the larger Glendale organization of which theyd been a part for five years, but it also laid the groundwork for a broad expansion of services and programs that would carry the local nonprofit into the 21st century.

Today, serving more than 30,000 members in three facilities, YMCA of the Foothills offers programs for infants, seniors and every stage of life in between. Members are marking the 60th anniversary of that pivotal moment in their organizations history with a series of events and celebrations.

YMCA of the Foothills chief executive Tyler Wright reflected on whats changed and whats stayed constant throughout the past six decades and imagined what the next 60 years might bring.

When our founding fathers built this YMCA, they saw it as a vehicle to continually promote our Christian principles through youth and adult activities, and that hasnt really changed, Wright said. What has changed are the types of programs and services that we offer.

The organization has recently focused on reaching out into the wider community, bringing water-safety lessons, after-school activities and support services to those who cant travel to the campuses. But the original Crescenta-Canada facility at 1930 Foothill is thriving and is about to see some big changes.

Officials are in the middle of a capital campaign that calls for the construction of a two-level parking deck, demolition of nearly 7,000 square feet of existing structures and 15,000 square feet of new space. They are working with representatives from CCS Consulting to help raise the $7 million needed to complete the project and see it through the citys planning process.

Consultant John Kozyra has been working directly with Wright, and the pair said if all goes well, the project could go before the citys Planning Commission later this year. In the meantime, a quiet effort is underway to bring members up to speed on the plans and rally support.

Were in the process of planning for the next 60 years through this project, Kozyra said. This is a transformational year for the organization. Its a time of growth, of really responding to the communitys needs and paving the way for a much more impactful future.

Wright said when he thinks about the next 60 years, he hopes YMCA of the Foothills is still focused on what he sees as its primary mission  saving and improving lives.

You may not be on the brink of death, but maybe youre alone. Maybe youve got physical issues. Maybe youre going through a tough time, he said. Thats what the Ys core purpose is all about.

Samuelson agrees.

Were looking forward to the next 60 years, he said. [The YMCA] may look different, it may feel different, but well still be connecting people to people.

sara.cardine@latimes.com

Twitter: @SaraCardinePresident Trump on Thursday canceled his June 12 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but he signaled that the two could still meet.

If and when Kim Jong Un chooses to engage in constructive dialogue and actions, Trump said, I am waiting.

Here are five key takeaways from Thursdays decision:

Read more: Trump pulls out of planned nuclear summit 

Advertisement

Decide in haste, repent at leisure

Trump agreed to the meeting with Kim Jong Un almost immediately after South Korean officials told him that the North Koreans had proposed it. At the time, many outside analysts called the decision impulsive and questioned whether the summit would ever happen.

Denuclearization is hard

Only a couple of countries have ever willingly given up nuclear weapons after having acquired them. Experts on North Korea have said for weeks that Trumps belief that Kim would rapidly agree to join that group was unrealistic.

Dismissing allies has a cost

South Korean President Moon Jae-in had just gotten back to Seoul from a visit to Washington when Trump made his announcement. The decision took the South Koreans by surprise, and they made no effort to hide their dismay.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks with President Trump during a meeting at the White House on May 22. (Getty Images )

Drama suits Trump

Another administration might have waited to see whether the North Koreans would pull out of the summit first, rather than take the blame for scrapping the session, but Trump typically puts a big premium on appearing to drive events.

Dont cancel your plans yet

In his letter and his statement, Trump left open the possibility that the summit could be rescheduled. His cancellation of it could be a negotiating ploy to see whether North Korea will seek to revive the meeting.

david.lauter@latimes.com

Twitter: @DavidLauterPresident Trumps cancellation of a June 12 meeting with North Koreas Kim Jong Un has left many international leaders confused as they attempt to understand what comes next in discussions about nuclear disarmament.

In South Korea, President Moon Jae-in said Trumps very regrettable announcement was perplexing.

We are trying to grasp what President Trump means exactly, said Kim Eui-kyeom, a spokesman for the Blue House, South Koreas executive mansion.

Moon said he would call an emergency meeting of top aides to figure out next steps after Trumps announcement, which was made via a terse letter that blamed tremendous hostility from North Korea for the cancellation.

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Denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and enduring peace are historic tasks that can not be abandoned or delayed, he said. The sincerity of the parties who have tried to solve the problem has not changed.

In China, where the news broke late Thursday evening, officials had not yet weighed in. But in a tweet, Hu Xijin, the editor of the Global Times, was critical. The Community Party owns the newspaper, which often reflects official thinking.

The decision of US President Donald Trump was announced a few hours after North Korea dismantled its nuclear test site. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un must have felt that he was tricked by Trump. Many people would think so too. https://t.co/K5wDorR0CS  Hu Xijin  (@HuXijin_GT) May 24, 2018

The United Nations secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, also expressed concern during an appearance at the University of Geneva and via Twitter.

Deeply concerned by cancellation of meeting between president of the U.S. and leader of the DPRK, Guterres tweeted, using the initials of North Korea, which is officially known as the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

Deeply concerned by cancellation of meeting between President of the US and leader of the DPRK. I urge the parties to continue dialogue to find a path towards the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Launch of my Disarmament Agenda today: https://t.co/Zi90o1XA6k  Antonio Guterres (@antonioguterres) May 24, 2018

In Europe, British Prime Minister Theresa May was also not pleased with the decision, according to a statement from her representative.

We are disappointed . We need to see an agreement that can bring about the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the statement said.

Back in the U.S., response was mixed, with several Republicans supporting Trump or taking the opportunity to criticize North Korea.

The North Korean regime has long given ample reason to question its commitment to stability, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) said in a statement. We must continue to work with our allies toward a peaceful resolution, but that will require a much greater degree of seriousness from the Kim regime.

Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, which recently began drills in preparation for a possible nuclear attack from North Korea, described the decision as an error.

This is what happens when amateurs are combined with warmongers, Schatz, a Democrat, tweeted. This is NOT secretly smart and clever, and any pundit or politician who even flirts with that idea is deeply, deeply unserious.

This is a setback. This is an error. This is what happens when amateurs are combined with warmongers. This is NOT secretly smart and clever, and any pundit or politician who even flirts with that idea is deeply, deeply unserious.  Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) May 24, 2018

Special correspondent Matt Stiles in Seoul contributed to this report.

jaweed.kaleem@latimes.comBurkina Faso gave notice Thursday that it planned to establish diplomatic relations with China, leading Taiwan to break ties with the tiny West African nation and leaving just one country in Africa  Swaziland  in Taipeis camp.

The decision by Burkina Faso means Taiwan is now recognized as a sovereign country by only 18 mainly small and developing nations.

In recent months, China has been tightening its squeeze on Taiwans foreign relations, threatening the island with international isolation.

China claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan and believes the island has no rights to foreign relations. Backed by more than 170 foreign allies plus the worlds No. 2 economy, China also has pushed Taiwan away from United Nations agencies. This month, it began asking international airlines to avoid calling Taiwan a country on their reservation websites.

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Burkina Fasos announcement that it would end 24 years of recognizing Taiwan met with anger in Taipei, where President Tsai Ing-wen vowed not to tolerate more of such acts by China. Taiwan will tighten scrutiny of Chinese travelers to the island, the governments Mainland Affairs Council said in a statement.

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu offered to resign over the entire matter.

The break by Burkina Faso reignited fears that the 18 countries still allied with Taiwan will switch to China because Tsai disputes Beijings ambition to unify with Taiwan. Neither side allows its allies to form diplomatic ties with the other.

There will be more countries that break relations with Taiwan because China has a lot more leverage and can provide more assistance, said Alex Chiang, international relations professor at National Chengchi University in Taipei. It matters because you want to be recognized by some countries as a sovereign state. I think to keep them in the double digits is psychologically important.

China arranged the cut in ties by Burkina Faso, Taiwans foreign ministry said in a statement Thursday without saying how it did so. China had offered Burkina Faso $50 million last year, Taiwanese news media reported. China also persuaded the Dominican Republic to switch sides on May 1, the government in Taipei said.

The Mainland Affairs Council  strongly condemns mainland China for using the advantage of money to viciously take away two allies in less than a month, destroying the foundation for peace (with China), the statement said.

Panama dropped Taiwan last year. The African island nation Sao Tome and Principe left in 2016.

Tsai visited Taiwans one remaining African ally, Swaziland, in April and called the four-day trip a success for the expansion of Taiwans international space.

Since Tsai took office in 2016, China has added pressure on Taiwan by flying military aircraft nearby at least a dozen times. It has blocked Taiwan from two World Health Assembly meetings, including one this month. Airlines are changing wording on their websites to favor China as they depend on the giant Chinese travel market.

China will stop pressuring Taiwan only if Tsais government agrees to the communist leaderships idea that both sides belong to a single China, scholars in Taipei say. Government surveys show at least 70% of Taiwanese prefer autonomy.

The two sides have been separately ruled since the Chinese civil war of the 1940s, when the Nationalists lost and retreated to Taiwan.

Most of Taiwans allies are poor countries in the Americas and the South Pacific. They rely on Taiwan for development aid, leading them to switch to China if it offers more. They can get more aid from China, Chiang said. Its a more rational decision.

Burkina Faso, a landlocked country of 18 million west of Nigeria, is one of the poorest nations in the world. It looked to Taiwan for medical and agricultural aid but had cut ties in 1973 in favor of China before restoring them in 1994.

Taiwan should prioritize its informal relations with Japan and the United States rather than fighting for the smaller, formal allies, some believe. The United States sells Taiwan arms and encourages high-level visits.

We are grateful for real friends of Taiwan like the U.S. and Japan, who genuinely care about Taiwan without being paid, said Coen Blaauw, executive director of the Washington-based Taiwan advocacy group Formosan Assn. for Public Affairs.

Jennings is a special correspondent.Detailed analysis of video and photos has unequivocally established that the Buk missile that brought down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine nearly four years ago came from a Russia-based military unit, an international team of investigators said Thursday.

It is the clearest link yet published by the team to the involvement of Russian military in the deadly missile strike.

Prosecutors said they have presented their findings to Moscow and are seeking answers, but so far have not received a response. The international team running the criminal investigation appealed for help from witnesses who can testify about the involvement of the Russian militarys 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade based in the city of Kursk.

Prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said the conclusion raised new questions, such as the question about how actively involved the brigade itself was in bringing down Flight MH17.

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Russia has always denied involvement in the downing of the jet.

Westerbeke said the Joint Investigation Team is not yet ready to name suspects, but added: I can say that we are now entering the ... last phase of the investigation. When we will be ready, it is not possible to say at the moment, because there is still a lot of work to do.

The Boeing 777 passenger jet was headed from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when it was blown out of the sky over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014. All 298 passengers and crew were killed.

Prosecutors said in 2016 that the plane was shot down by a Buk missile fired from territory controlled by Russia-backed rebels, using a mobile launcher trucked in from Russia and hastily returned there. Thursdays presentation went a step further by identifying the exact unit allegedly involved and more details of the rocket, and showing a compilation of videos and photos from social media tracing the missile convoys journey.

Investigators also displayed parts of the engine casing and exhaust system recovered from Ukraine and showed photos of a unique serial number on the missile. Team members said careful analysis of video and photos from social media and analysis of parts of the rocket found at the crash scene traced its journey into Ukraine and had given them a fingerprint identifying the rocket and where it came from.The only gun shop in all of Mexico is behind a fortress-like wall on a heavily guarded military base.

To enter the Directorate of Arms and Munitions Sales, customers must undergo months of background checks  six documents are required  and then be frisked by uniformed soldiers.

The army-run store on the outskirts of Mexico City embodies the countrys cautious approach to firearms, and a visit here illustrates the dramatically different ways two neighboring countries view guns, legally and culturally.

Like the 2nd Amendment in the United States, Mexicos Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms, but it also stipulates that federal law will determine the cases, conditions, requirements and places of gun ownership. For many Mexicans, even those who love guns, the thought of an unfettered right to owning one is perplexing.

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Yet on this issue, like so many aspects of life in Mexico, the influence of its powerful neighbor to the north is keenly felt: Each day the army gun store sells on average just 38 firearms to civilians, while an estimated 580 weapons are smuggled into Mexico from the United States.

That paradox is increasingly relevant given Mexicos unprecedented levels of gun violence, which have claimed more than 100,000 lives over the last decade. Last year was Mexicos deadliest since the government began releasing homicide statistics in 1997. This year, the violence is on track to surpass that record.

American firearms are directly driving the violence, although U.S. appetites for drugs and rampant corruption among Mexican officials also play a role. About 70% of guns recovered by Mexican law enforcement officials from 2011 to 2016 were originally purchased from legal gun dealers in the United States, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Mexican leaders have long complained about the phenomenon. In 2012, then-President Felipe Calderon erected a giant billboard in the border city of Juarez that spelled out the phrase No more weapons. The letters, formed using crushed firearms seized by authorities, were visible from Texas.

Most trafficked guns are purchased in the U.S. from one of the countrys more than 67,000 licensed gun dealers or from private sellers who dont hold a federal license. When dealing from private sellers, buyers often arent required to present identification or submit to background checks.

1 / 8 Hugo Joy Gallegos Sanchez, 32, of Mexico City examines a handgun at the Directorate of Arms and Munitions Sales, the only outlet for legal gun purchases in Mexico. (Meghan Dhaliwal / For The Times) 2 / 8 Gun buyers sometimes wait for hours for their paperwork to be processed at Mexicos Directorate of Arms and Munitions Sales. (Meghan Dhaliwal / For The Times) 3 / 8 A customer takes delivery of a hunting rifle at the Directorate of Arms and Munitions Sales. Mexican law allows citizens to have one handgun for personal protection and up to nine rifles, as long as they can prove they are members of shooting or hunting clubs. (Meghan Dhaliwal / For The Times) 4 / 8 A customer walks the aisles of the Directorate of Arms and Munitions Sales in Mexico City. Prospective buyers must present at least six forms of identification, including proof of employment, and have a clean criminal record. (Meghan Dhaliwal / For The Times) 5 / 8 Col. Eduardo Tellez Moreno, who runs the Directorate of Arms and Munitions Sales, said he believes gun ownership is a privilege. (Meghan Dhaliwal / For The Times) 6 / 8 Col. Eduardo Tellez Moreno points out the serial number used to keep track of a handgun. (Meghan Dhaliwal / For The Times) 7 / 8 Customer Eduardo Nieto Rodriguez of Mexico City, left, makes sure the serial number on a handgun hes buying matches the number on his registration. (Meghan Dhaliwal / For The Times) 8 / 8 A Mexican soldier makes his rounds at the Directorate of Arms and Munitions Sales, located on an army base on the outskirts of Mexico City. (Meghan Dhaliwal / For The Times)

By contrast, would-be gun owners in Mexico must offer a birth certificate and proof that they are employed, and have no criminal record. The atmosphere at the directorate is more sterile than at a U.S. gun store or pawnshop. There are no moose heads on the wall and no promotional specials. Guns stamped with the armys logo are kept in locked cases and customers arent given the chance to heft a rifle to their shoulder to see how it feels.

Buyers spend hours shuffling between different counters to get their paperwork processed, waiting for long stretches under fluorescent lights in uncomfortable chairs. It feels a bit like the Department of Motor Vehicles, until one notices the no-nonsense army colonel running things and the machine-gun-toting soldiers patrolling the aisles.

The store manager, Col. Eduardo Tellez, said he believes gun ownership is a privilege. He sees his job as making sure firearms end up in the hands of moral and responsible people only.

Current law allows citizens one handgun and up to nine rifles if they can prove they are members of shooting or hunting clubs. A separate permit that is difficult to obtain is required to carry the guns in public.

Hugo Gallegos Sanchez, 32, a police officer in Mexico City, decided to purchase a handgun at the store for personal use because he was concerned about rising crime.

You need protection, Gallegos said.

He spent months waiting for his paperwork to be approved, but said he was happy to wait. Proper screening for gun owners is important, said Gallegos, who said he also supports Mexicos ban on heavy assault weapons.

A civilian shouldnt be able to have the same power as the military, he said.

Whereas Mexican leaders have long groused about firearms trafficked from the north, U.S. gun control advocates have only recently begun to highlight the impact of lax American gun laws on Mexico and other countries.

We have such a serious domestic problem that it can be hard to get any oxygen related to international drug trafficking, said Chelsea Parsons, an expert at the Center for American Progress who recently co-wrote a report detailing the impact of American guns on Mexico. The report found that 66% of Mexicos homicides were committed with a gun in 2017, up from 15% in 1997.

In recent months, Mexican leaders have again seized on the issue, in part to counter headlines about the countrys spiraling violence and President Trumps complaints that Mexico isnt doing enough to stop the northward flow of migrants and drugs.

President Enrique Pena Nieto brought the issue up at a news conference with Trump shortly before the 2016 presidential election, blaming the influx of U.S. firearms for strengthening the cartels and other criminal organizations that create violence in Mexico. Candidates vying to replace him in Mexicos July 1 presidential race are also using it as a rallying cry.

Instead of threatening walls, instead of threatening to militarize the border, we demand that they stop the flow of arms from the United States to Mexico, Ricardo Anaya of the National Action Party said recently in the violence-ridden border state of Tamaulipas.

Front-runner Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the National Regeneration Movement has demanded a new investigation into the defunct Fast and Furious program, under which U.S. federal agents allowed guns to be purchased illegally in the hope of tracing them to leaders of Mexican drug cartels. Jose Antonio Meade of the governing Institutional Revolutionary Party has called for construction of a technological border that would detect vehicles crossing into Mexico bearing guns.

Gun control advocates on both sides of the border say Mexican leaders should also push the government to do a better job of ensuring that guns issued to police and soldiers dont fall into the hands of criminals, which many often do.

They are also concerned about a new Trump administration proposal to deregulate the export of American guns by putting the Commerce Department in charge of the application process instead of the State Department, which advocates say is better suited to weigh the possible risks of firearm sales against any benefits.

The proposed rule change, which was expected to be published in the Federal Register on Thursday, has long been sought by gun companies eager for easier access to international markets, but advocates worry it could put more guns in the hands of corrupt governments.

U.S. Rep. Norma Torres (D-Pomona) introduced a bill that would limit the impact of such a change, as well as legislation that would make gun trafficking a federal crime. Torres said she has not sought to draw attention to her work to stop arms trafficking because she is wary of pushback from gun industry groups such as the National Rifle Assn.

This shouldnt be a controversy, she said in a recent telephone interview. It should be about how do we help Mexico deal with its violence.

She said Mexican authorities frequently raise the issue of gun trafficking in meetings with American officials.

Its something they bring up in every conversation, Torres said. Reducing the flow of guns south, she said, is something we should do if we care about our relationship with Mexico.

Back at the gun store outside Mexico City, gun enthusiast Fausto Gerard was helping a friend buy a rifle. Gerard works for a Slovakian gun manufacturer, Grand Power, that sells guns to the Mexican military. He is the silent partner in a gun store in the U.S. He is passionate about bringing the sport of target shooting to Mexico.

Still, he thinks limits are OK.

Its good to have liberties, but there has to be a mechanism for control, he said. He said he would support even more restrictions, including screening for mental illness among gun buyers.

But he thinks Mexico could do more to encourage people to buy guns legally. Having just one gun store in the entire country is impractical, he said. It might even encourage people to buy firearms coming in from the United States.

In Tijuana or Juarez, he said, its much easier buying a gun on the black market.

kate.linthicum@latimes.com

Twitter: @katelinthicumNorth Korea said Thursday that recent comments by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence were stupid and ignorant and again warned it was willing to pull out of a planned summit between leader Kim Jong Un and President Trump.

Choe Son Hui, the vice minister of foreign affairs, was quoted Thursday by North Koreas state-run news agency denouncing comments Pence made in an interview with Fox News that compared the East Asian nation to Libya, saying they showed that he does not understand North Koreas situation.

She also questioned whether the summit, scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, would be worthwhile if the remarks reflect Washingtons position.

We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us, the Korean Central News Agency quoted her as saying. Whether the U.S. will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States.

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Trump met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday at the White House for consultations and suggested the summit could be delayed. But the U.S. says it is still working on making the historic summit happen.Airstrikes overnight in eastern Syria killed at least 12 pro-government fighters, all reportedly foreign nationals, a war-monitoring group said Thursday.

Syrian state-run media blamed the strikes on the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State extremists.

In Damascus, the official Syrian Arab News Agency, or SANA, said coalition aircraft struck military positions between the towns of Bukamal and Hmeimeh in Dair Alzour province. It did not report any casualties.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the war through a network of activists, said the fatalities were not Syrian nationals but foreign fighters. It said the coalition was probably behind the strikes.

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The Pentagon said it had no information to substantiate reports the coalition was behind the latest airstrikes.

Late Thursday, Syrian TV reported that a military base in central Syria came under attack from enemy fire and that Syrian air defenses confronted a missile attack. It did not give additional details.

Minutes earlier, SANA reported loud explosions at Dabaa air base in Homs province.

Syrias government forces have relied on support from the Lebanese group Hezbollah and other regional militias organized by Iran to wage war on Syrian rebels and Islamic State militants.

Their reach in Syria has alarmed the Trump administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government, which say that Irans expansive networks in the war-torn country threaten Israel.

Netanyahu has said Israel will not allow Iran to threaten Israel from Syria. The Israeli military is believed to be behind dozens of airstrikes in recent years against Hezbollah, Iran and Syrian military positions.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, days after President Trump revoked Americas participation in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, has threatened Iran with the strongest sanctions in history unless Tehran withdraws all its forces from Syria and terminates its support for Hezbollah.

Iran has dismissed those threats, saying its forces are in Syria at the invitation of President Bashar Assads government.

The strikes targeted movements of pro-government forces near the T2 oil pumping station, the Syrian Observatory group said.

In February, coalition forces struck pro-government forces in eastern Syria that the U.S. said had attacked U.S.-backed Kurdish forces battling Islamic State militants. It was later revealed the fatalities included a number of Russian private contractors. Russia is a key ally to Assad.

The Iraqi air force is also known to strike targets in eastern Syria. Prime Minister Haider Abadi has said it is part of his countrys effort to defeat Islamic State militants at its borders, after the government declared it had defeated the group in Iraq last year.

The United States, Britain and France bombed government facilities in April in retaliation for a suspected gas attack blamed on Assads forces.

This month, Israel bombed Iranian military positions in Syria in what it said was retaliation for Iranian strikes on the occupied Golan Heights. Israel called it its most serious operation in Syria since the 1973 Mideast war.Wang Yang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), visits a memorial hall in Zhuoni County in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Gansu Province, May 21, 2018. Wang made an inspection and research tour to Gannan from May 21 to 23. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

LANZHOU, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) leader Wang Yang has called for better work regarding ethnic and religious affairs as well as poverty relief in the country's Tibetan areas.

Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks during an inspection and research tour to Gannan Tibetan Autonomous

Prefecture in northwest China's Gansu Province.

The three-day tour ended on Wednesday.

The CPC's policy regarding governance of Tibetan areas should be carefully implemented, Wang said, noting that related authorities and officials must fully understand the significance and importance of the work regarding Tibetan areas.

He called for greater efforts to promote ethnic unity and religious harmony, fight separatist elements and activities, guarantee and improve people's lives and eliminate extreme poverty to ensure the economic and social development and enduring peace and stability in Tibetan areas.

The focus of work regarding Tibetan areas is to maintain national solidarity and strengthen ethnic unity, Wang said, requiring greater efforts to create social conditions for people of all ethnic groups to live, study, work, and enjoy their lives together.

He also urged the upholding of the principle that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation, stressing that the CPC's leadership over religious work should be strengthened. Also, noting that many Tibetan areas are located in remote and harsh areas, Wang said the poverty relief work in these places will be "very arduous" and required better organization and leadership and greater efforts by related authorities and officials to practice their duties and implement policies.

He also stressed environmental protection in these areas.

4

1

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]After months of hearings, the Bethlehem Zoning Hearing Board shot down a request to build another digital billboard alongside the Hill-to-Hill Bridge.

Adams Outdoor Advertising wanted to put up a 616-square-foot digital sign at 213 Union Station Plaza. The company asked for four variances to erect the billboard and also sought to invalidate the city's rules governing digital billboards.

The board denied all of the requests Wednesday night, said Suzanne Borzak, city zoning officer.

City ordinance allows for a maximum billboard size of 100-square-feet. Billboards along Airport Road, Route 22 and Interstate 78 can be larger.

Adams did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

The zoning hearing board has 45 days to issue a written decision to Adams and the company then has 30 days to decide on whether it wants to appeal.

While Adams Outdoor already has a 672-square-foot digital billboard on city property alongside the bridge's southbound lanes, this new request drew opposition from city officials and residents. The existing billboard was negotiated and subject to a 20-year agreement.

The double-sided 14-foot-tall by 44-foot wide digital billboard would have been built alongside the northbound lanes of Route 378 and the bridge's West Second Street ramp.

The zoning board hearing on the application was drawn out over several months due to the amount of interest.

Mayor Bob Donchez opposes the billboard and has said it has no place at the western gateway to South Bethlehem.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.Pocono Raceway and the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office are partnering to offer the chance to drive around the Tricky Triangle track.

It's part of a prescription drug take-back initiative the weekend of the Pocono 400, June 1-3, at the raceway in Long Pond, Monroe County.

Ticketed fans to the racetrack can drop off unused prescription drugs at one of two take-back booths staffed by staff of Attorney General Josh Shapiro. In exchange, they'll get a voucher for lap in their own car around the track.

Those participating in the effort Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2, are eligible for a limited number of spots to drive on the track beginning about an hour after that Saturday's Pocono Green 250 Recycled by J.P. Mascaro & Sons race. These spots will be distributed first-come-first-served.

All other participating race fans will be invited back to drive the track Thursday, July 5.

Drivers will go out in groups, led by a Pennsylvania State Police car setting the track speed, Pocono spokesman Kevin Heaney said. Participants must sign a waiver, and motorcyclists will be required to wear a helmet.

"Everyone who participates is going to receive the opportunity to take a lap either around the track either that Saturday or Thursday, July 5," Heaney said.

NEWS: Pocono Raceway is partnering with @PAAttorneyGen to host a Drug Take Back during the #Pocono400 Weekend. Participating fans will be able to take a lap around the track.



Watch this PSA with PA Attorney General, @JoshShapiroPA and our Track President @Bmay1977 to learn more. pic.twitter.com/Yms4D8bcIk  Pocono Raceway (@poconoraceway) May 22, 2018

The take-back booths will be open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day of race weekend, outside Gate 8 by the flagpole and inside the Paddock.

In Monroe County, 41 people died from drug-related overdoses in 2016, according to the Attorney General's Office.

"Our partnership with Pocono Raceway continues our fight against an epidemic that is ravaging our commonwealth and claiming the lives of 15 Pennsylvanians every day," Shapiro said in a statement. "Eighty percent of people who struggle with heroin addiction start by abusing prescription drugs, and the vast majority got those drugs from friends, relatives or a medicine cabinet.

"With Pocono Raceway's help, we're getting these drugs out of medicine cabinets and safely disposing of them. This is an innovative public safety idea and a chance for NASCAR fans to do something on their bucket list: drive around 'The Tricky Triangle.'"

Pocono Raceway President Ben May encouraged all fans to take part in the drug take back.

"The program allows every fan attending our events to properly and anonymously remove those unused and outdated prescription drugs from their homes," he said in a news release. "It is an important step and a strong way for the public to get involved and join the fight against opioid epidemic."

The Pocono 400 race weekend kicks off June 1 with the second annual Monster Energy NASCAR Free Friday: Fans can bring an empty can of Monster Energy to be recycled at the gates and receive free admission to all events on Friday. Additionally, children ages 12 and under are free to enter the gates on Friday and Saturday.

Children ages 12 and under are also eligible for half-price tickets in select Grandstand sections for Sunday's Pocono 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race. The green flag is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Adult Grandstand tickets start at $25 on Saturday and $45 on Sunday. Camping tickets start at $150 and access for camping guests begins at 12 p.m. Thursday, May 31. Visit poconoraceway.com/tickets for more information.

The schedule for race weekend events include on:

Friday, ARCA practice, two NASCAR Xfinity Series practices, Monster Energy series practice and qualifying and the General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 ARCA race.

Saturday, Xfinity practice and qualifying, one Monster Energy series practice session and the Pocono Green 250 Recycled by J.P. Mascaro & Sons Xfinity Series race.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.Industries Leadec Slovakia celebrates its 20th birthday



24.05.2018 10:07:13 - Bratislava/Slovakia, May, 12th 2018  For 20 years, Leadec has been providing services such as paint shop services, automation, assembly and facility management in Slovakia.



(live-PR.com) - Leadec is a strong player in the four service clusters install, maintain, support and Digitize&Optimize. At Leadec Slovakia, the focus has been on developing the install (project business like paint shop services, automation, assembly) and support (facility management) clusters for the last 20 years, said Jan Kubo, Director Sales & Business Development at Leadec in Slovakia.

20 years ago, when - Leadec is a strong player in the four service clusters install, maintain, support and Digitize&Optimize. At Leadec Slovakia, the focus has been on developing the install (project business like paint shop services, automation, assembly) and support (facility management) clusters for the last 20 years, said Jan Kubo, Director Sales & Business Development at Leadec in Slovakia.20 years ago, when Leadec started its activities in Slovakia, the team consisted of 2 members. And the first projects included services for only one customer: a designated German car manufacturer with plants in Slovakia. The first very big project came up in 2001  it was 7 welding lines for two well-known SUV models in Bratislava plant. The team and services have grown and improved since the very first day. Today, Leadec Slovakia is proud of its 560 employees and customers. Juraj Cesnek, one of the original founders, still comes to the office as the companys executive director. "Our core business activities focus on supporting manufacturing processes, so our clients can concentrate on their core business," explains Jan Kubo.

In Slovakia, automotive manufacturers and their suppliers work closely with Leadec. Leadec provides both hardware and software engineering when plants are being automated. Customers trust Leadecs experienced staff to program their production plants robots. Leadec even removes production lines and installs new ones if necessary.

In factory management, Leadec Slovakia covers both online and offline production equipment maintenance while also maintaining conveyor systems, machinery and servicing measuring devices. In facility management, the service provider creates ideal working environments for customers. In facility management, they clean customers rooms and workspaces, provide technical cleaning of production facilities and equipment and take care of grounds and waste management. Technical building management, energy management, testing and periodic inspections are part of the services as well. Leadec Slovakia also provides wheel and tire assembly and surface treatments as well as part painting services. In Banovce nad Bebravou, the company uses electrophoretic coating and powder coating lines to treat auto part surfaces. "Our wheel and tire assembly operation in Trnava offers comprehensive solutions for fully managed outsourcing of production processes, Jan Kubo explained, and our services include supplying wheels to an assembly line directly where the cars are manufactured. Assembly services go hand in hand with associated logistics and quality control, he added. Technological development, digitization and even automation itself are constantly moving forward, so the company takes all modernization options into account when it provides services in order to always stay ahead and keep providing customers with superior services.





About Leadec



Leadec is the leading provider of technical services for the automotive and manufacturing industries. The company, which is headquartered in Stuttgart, employs almost 20,000 people worldwide. In 2017 Leadec earned sales of around EUR 900 million. For more than 50 years, Leadec has been supporting major car manufacturers, automotive suppliers and other manufacturing companies along the entire production supply chain. The service provider is based at more than 200 locations, often directly at the customers plants and facilities.



Leadecs global services comprise: Install (installation and automation, disassembly and reassembly), Maintain (production equipment maintenance and technical cleaning), Support (IFM/TFM and internal logistics) and Digitize & Optimize (process engineering, digital services and big data analyses) as well as other local services.



For more information about Leadec go to: www.leadec-services.com

Leadec started its activities in Slovakia, the team consisted of 2 members. And the first projects included services for only one customer: a designated German car manufacturer with plants in Slovakia. The first very big project came up in 2001  it was 7 welding lines for two well-known SUV models in Bratislava plant. The team and services have grown and improved since the very first day. Today, Leadec Slovakia is proud of its 560 employees and customers. Juraj Cesnek, one of the original founders, still comes to the office as the companys executive director. "Our core business activities focus on supporting manufacturing processes, so our clients can concentrate on their core business," explains Jan Kubo.In Slovakia, automotive manufacturers and their suppliers work closely with Leadec. Leadec provides both hardware and software engineering when plants are being automated. Customers trust Leadecs experienced staff to program their production plants robots. Leadec even removes production lines and installs new ones if necessary.In factory management, Leadec Slovakia covers both online and offline production equipment maintenance while also maintaining conveyor systems, machinery and servicing measuring devices. In facility management, the service provider creates ideal working environments for customers. In facility management, they clean customers rooms and workspaces, provide technical cleaning of production facilities and equipment and take care of grounds and waste management. Technical building management, energy management, testing and periodic inspections are part of the services as well. Leadec Slovakia also provides wheel and tire assembly and surface treatments as well as part painting services. In Banovce nad Bebravou, the company uses electrophoretic coating and powder coating lines to treat auto part surfaces. "Our wheel and tire assembly operation in Trnava offers comprehensive solutions for fully managed outsourcing of production processes, Jan Kubo explained, and our services include supplying wheels to an assembly line directly where the cars are manufactured. Assembly services go hand in hand with associated logistics and quality control, he added. Technological development, digitization and even automation itself are constantly moving forward, so the company takes all modernization options into account when it provides services in order to always stay ahead and keep providing customers with superior services.About LeadecLeadec is the leading provider of technical services for the automotive and manufacturing industries. The company, which is headquartered in Stuttgart, employs almost 20,000 people worldwide. In 2017 Leadec earned sales of around EUR 900 million. For more than 50 years, Leadec has been supporting major car manufacturers, automotive suppliers and other manufacturing companies along the entire production supply chain. The service provider is based at more than 200 locations, often directly at the customers plants and facilities.Leadecs global services comprise: Install (installation and automation, disassembly and reassembly), Maintain (production equipment maintenance and technical cleaning), Support (IFM/TFM and internal logistics) and Digitize & Optimize (process engineering, digital services and big data analyses) as well as other local services.For more information about Leadec go to: www.leadec-services.com Press Information:

Leadec Holding BV & Co. KG







Contact Person:

Melanie Klagmann

Media Spokesperson

Phone: +49 711 78 41-173

eMail: eMail



Web: http://https://www.leadec-services.com/en/





24.05.2018 10:07:13 -

Disclaimer: If you have any questions regarding information in this article please contact the author. Please do not contact Live-PR.com. We are not able to assist you. Live-PR.com disclaims content contained in this article. Live-PR.com is not authorized to give any information about content and not responsible for content posted by third party.Stock Market News

Europe close: Stocks slump as nuclear tensions flare-up 24-05-2018 17:33



Stock News headlines are gathered from financial news sources around the web. Views and opinions on each item are from their respective authors and website. They are not opinions of LiveCharts.co.ukStock Market News

Europe midday: Stocks slip after US calls off summit with North Korea 24-05-2018 15:43



Stock News headlines are gathered from financial news sources around the web. Views and opinions on each item are from their respective authors and website. They are not opinions of LiveCharts.co.ukUnited Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L, front) and Miroslav Lajcak, president of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, attend the General Assembly high-level debate to mark the 15th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention Against Corruption, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, May 23, 2018. Antonio Guterres on Wednesday asked countries to root out corruption on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention Against Corruption. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, May 23 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday asked countries to root out corruption on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention Against Corruption.

"The United Nations Convention Against Corruption represents the fundamental recognition that corruption is neither an acceptable cost of doing business nor a necessary evil. It is a serious crime, and simply unacceptable," he told a General Assembly high-level debate to mark the 15th anniversary of the adoption of the convention.

Corruption affects developed and developing countries alike, and complicity knows no borders. Those who can least afford corruption suffer the most, said Guterres. "It cripples economic development, stifles entrepreneurship and deters investment."

Society cannot function equitably and efficiently when public officials -- from doctors to police, judges and politicians -- enrich themselves rather than perform their duties with integrity.

He urged member states to use the convention as a platform to mobilize political and popular support for the fight against corruption. "It is the world's most agile instrument in the hands of the international community to achieve our common goals of good governance, stability and prosperity."

If governments are serious about doing the best for their citizens, then pledges to promote integrity and clamp down on corruption must be more than campaign promises and words on paper, he said. "I make an urgent call to our global leadership to take a moral stand and install a culture of integrity from the top down. It all begins with setting an example."

By tackling corruption, governments can show they mean business, he said.

Corruption robs funds from schools, hospitals, infrastructure and other vital services. Human trafficking and migrant smuggling, illicit financial flows and illegal trade in natural resources, weapons, drugs and cultural heritage are all made possible because of corruption. It fuels conflict, and when a hard-won peace is achieved, corruption undermines recovery, noted the UN chief.

Corruption and impunity are corrosive, breeding frustration and fostering further corruption when people see no other way of achieving their goals. A sense of desperation before the real and perceived lack of opportunities also fuels the large movements of people seeking better prospects. And the lack of opportunities for young women and men, often exacerbated in corrupt societies, can feed into the cynical narratives of terrorists and violent extremists, he added.

For 15 years, the UN Convention Against Corruption has served as an international framework for cooperation to strengthen prevention and mitigate corruption risks, said Guterres. "It helps disrupt money laundering and stop the illicit outflow of funds. It contributes to the return of stolen proceeds from foreign banks. And it enrols in civil society and the private sector as essential partners."

Since its adoption, the convention has achieved near-global acceptance with 184 parties, he noted.

Full implementation of the convention is needed to put an end to the threat that corruption poses to development. Such responses are critical to provide fair opportunities and facilitate investment, tackle transnational organized crime, prevent the unfair influence of powerful interests on governance and safeguard civil and human rights, he said.

Guterres said the United Nations can play a crucial role in helping members states fight corruption. "There are several ways the organization can support member states to combat corruption, from sharing good practices to supporting the capacity of national anti-corruption institutions."

The United Nations will continue to support member states every step of the way, from helping to engage and empower citizens in this fight, to helping build and enhance institutions that can deliver on their promise, he said.

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[ Editor: Xueying ]Stock Market News

European and Asian carmakers skid lower on US tariff fears 24-05-2018 12:24



Stock News headlines are gathered from financial news sources around the web. Views and opinions on each item are from their respective authors and website. They are not opinions of LiveCharts.co.ukStock Market News

Ironridge Resources installs new non-executive chairman 24-05-2018 09:54



Stock News headlines are gathered from financial news sources around the web. Views and opinions on each item are from their respective authors and website. They are not opinions of LiveCharts.co.ukStock Market News

Macron accuses US of 'laissez-faire' approach with tech-firm regulation 24-05-2018 15:38



Stock News headlines are gathered from financial news sources around the web. Views and opinions on each item are from their respective authors and website. They are not opinions of LiveCharts.co.ukStock Market News

QinetiQ annual profit rise helped by one-off gains 24-05-2018 10:41



Stock News headlines are gathered from financial news sources around the web. Views and opinions on each item are from their respective authors and website. They are not opinions of LiveCharts.co.ukStock Market News

Thursday newspaper round-up: Brexit transition, max-fac, autos, Barclays 24-05-2018 06:51



Stock News headlines are gathered from financial news sources around the web. Views and opinions on each item are from their respective authors and website. They are not opinions of LiveCharts.co.ukStock Market News

UK to propose extension to Brexit transition period until 2023 - report 24-05-2018 09:17



Stock News headlines are gathered from financial news sources around the web. Views and opinions on each item are from their respective authors and website. They are not opinions of LiveCharts.co.ukCOLOMBO, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrema on Wednesday said the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative would raise the living standard of the people in the country.

Speaking at a symposium titled "From Millennium to the New Era: Jointly Build the Belt and Road and Embrace the Sri Lankan Dream," Samarawickrema said that Sri Lanka and China had shared strong relations since ancient times, and China had assisted Sri Lanka even in its rough times.

Samarawickrema said that China had greatly contributed to developing Sri Lanka's economy, especially since the end of the country's 30-year civil conflict, and it had launched projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, which would transform Sri Lanka into an international hub in the region.

"China is sincerely looking to improve the economy of Sri Lanka and with their assistance I have no doubt Sri Lanka will be a better country in the near future," the minister said.

Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Cheng Xueyuan said, "We would like to work with our Sri Lankan friends ... to boost the economic development of the island nation for the early harvest of joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and to bring tangible benefits to our two countries and peoples."

Proposed by China in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aiming at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of Silk Road.

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks!

Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics.

The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc.

The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics.

The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates.

Access to college recruiters and advisors  its harder to line up higher education.

Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family.

Vote

View ResultsChinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hold a press conference after their meeting in Washington May 23, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Wednesday that Washington should abide by its commitment to the one-China policy.

Wang made the remarks while speaking at a press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after their meeting.

He made a stopover in Washington D.C. on his way back from Argentina on Wednesday.

Wang noted that the Taiwan issue concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as China's core interests.

For his part, Pompeo said the United States' one-China policy remains unchanged and the U.S. policy on this issue is consistent, when asked by a reporter whether there are changes to the one-China policy as the U.S. side has taken a series of negative acts on the Taiwan issue recently.

Wang said the reporter's question reveals doubts of the Chinese society on the U.S. policy on the Taiwan issue.

Wang said he noticed that Pompeo has clearly said there is no change to the one-China policy.

China urges the U.S. side to stick to the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three Joint Communiques, and prudently and properly handle Taiwan-related issues, so as to preserve the overall interests of China-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

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[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]ABC/Randy HolmesAs previously reported, T.I. went on an Instagram video tirade against restaurant chain Houston's on Monday via Instagram, following claims that a black female customer was allegedly assaulted by a security guard after going to a bathroom in one of the restaurant's Atlanta locations.

Houston's has responded to the claims with a statement that defends the alleged incident. It begins, "The evidence we have seen thus far shows that three women arrived approximately 30 minutes after closing time. They went into the restroom as a group after being told that the restaurant was closed."

"The three stayed in the restroom for more than 10 minutes, and refused to leave despite repeated requests from several managers to do so," it continues.

"Eventually an off-duty Atlanta Police Officer was summoned with whom one or more of the women got into an altercation that led to arrests. Based on our current understanding, we believe our managers responded appropriately to this unfortunate situation."

Tuesday, T.I. posted two videos of the supposed attack against the woman and a slideshow of pictures showing bruises above one of her eyes and on her leg. In another video, he explained what allegedly transpired during the altercation and added that the supposed victim got a black eye, and sustained injuries and bruises as a result.

You may remember that the superstar led a boycott against a Houston's location in Atlanta last October, following allegations of discrimination against a group of African-Americans who were denied seating there.

Houston's Steakhouse issued a statement via Instagram, since removed, that read, "Charges of discrimination are not only unfounded but are an intentional manipulation using social media."

After T.I.'s boycott, the Houston's location in question shuttered its doors for good March 31.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.A set of adorable white tiger quintuplets met the public for the first time at a zoo in Jinan, east Chinas Shandong province on May 20. The siblings are named Xue Tai, Xue Heng I, Xue Hua, Xue Heng II and Xue Song - after the Five Sacred Mountains of China.

The quintuplets are Bengal tigers, but their fur is white due to a genetic anomaly.

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[ Editor: zyq ]WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he has instructed Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to consider initiating a national security investigation into automobile imports, a protectionist move that's likely to spark widespread opposition from American trading partners.

"Core industries such as automobiles and automotive parts are critical to our strength as a nation," Trump said in a statement released by the White House.

Following a conversation with Trump on Wednesday, Ross has initiated a so-called Section 232 investigation into the national security implications of automobile imports, according to the Commerce Department.

"There is evidence suggesting that, for decades, imports from abroad have eroded our domestic auto industry," Ross said in a statement.

The investigation was based on a rarely-used Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act from 1962, which would allow the U.S. administration to impose tariffs on the grounds of national security.

It will look into imports of automobiles, including sport-utility vehicles, vans and light trucks, and automotive parts, said the Commerce Department statement.

The Trump administration had used the same domestic law to impose additional tariffs on steel and aluminum imports in March amid mounting dissent from business groups and trading partners around the world.

Following Wednesday's announcements from the Trump administration, many business groups are expressing their opposition to the move.

"To our knowledge, no one is asking for this protection. This path leads inevitably to fewer choices and higher prices for cars and trucks in America," John Bozzella, CEO of Global Automakers, which represents foreign automakers doing business in the United States, said in a statement on Wednesday.

American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) also criticized the move, saying that "it can't be repeated enough: Tariffs are taxes."

"To treat auto imports like a national security threat would be a self-inflicted economic disaster for American consumers, dealers, and dealership employees," said AIADA President and CEO Cody Lusk in a statement.

Some experts noted that this move might be aimed at pressuring Canada and Mexico to make concessions in the ongoing renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Trump said Wednesday afternoon that "your autoworkers and your auto companies in this country are going to be very happy with what's going to happen."

"NAFTA is very difficult. Mexico has been very difficult to deal with. Canada has been very difficult to deal with. They have been taking advantage of the United States for a long time. I am not happy with their requests. But I will tell you, in the end, we win," he added.

Chad Bown, a trade expert at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said in a tweet that tariffs on imported autos on the basis of national security would prompt retaliation from U.S. trading partners.

U.S. imported 193 billion U.S. dollars of new passenger vehicles in 2017, 24 percent of which were from Mexico, 22 percent from Canada, 22 percent from Europe Union, and 21 percent from Japan, according to the expert.

In regard to U.S. unilateral tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, Japan, EU, and other U.S. trading partners have challenged it at the World Trade Organization (WTO). The United States will also likely face legal challenges at the WTO for its potential tariffs on auto imports, according to trade experts.

[ Editor: WPY ]Kochi : The number of death from the contagious Nipah virus infection in Kerala touched 11 with one more death reported on Thursday amid the state and central health agencies stepped up efforts to contain the spreading of the deadly virus.

Moosa, father of Sabith and Salih, who died of Nipah infection died at the Kozhikode Baby Memorial Hospital on Thursday. Another woman from the family had also died of the virus. A total of 116 persons, who had come in contact with the some of the infected persons, have been put under quarantine-- 94 in their homes and 22 in various hospitals, the sources said.

A 21-year-old student hailing from Malappuram, who had gone to his hometown kozhikode recently, is under observation at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical college hospital.

One person is under observation in Waynad. Kerala Health minister K K Shylaja had told reporters earlier in the day that 10 deaths were due to the nipha virus and that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has been informed about the outbreak of the virus in Kerala.

Union Health Minister J P Nadda said the Centre was committed to extend all support to the state to tackle the problem. PTI







































Offbeat travel options are certainly gaining traction as the travel trend of the 2010s. After all, youre probably no stranger to the likes of glamping, treetop hotels, and eco-lodges. Designed to let you immerse in nature without quite leaving your material comforts behind, theyve certainly been a buzzworthy hotel and travel trend in recent years.

Now, heres a new wave of hotels that are leaving us albeit bubbling with excitement: bubble hotels. Now, bubble hotels are exactly what youd imagine them to be: see-through, dome-shaped accommodation with unhampered views of its surroundings.

We were first acquainted with the idea of a bubble hotel when heard about the Buubble Iceland. Aptly dubbed the Five Million Star Hotel for its unparalleled views of the star-speckled night sky, these bubble hotels resemble inflatable igloos and were quickly touted as the perfect spot to catch the Northern Lights. In short, pretty spectacular stuff.

But if flying to the North Pole is out of your means, fret not; theres one closer to home. Called the Bubble Hotel Bali, this bubble retreat in Uluwatu is just a stones throw away from the Indian Ocean. Minimalism is the modus operandi here. Each bubble hotel is designed with a transparent domed exterior which offers views of the breathtaking ocean, and a bed  but nothing else.

Talk about escaping into your own perfect little bubble. Browse the gallery above for 8 incredible bubble hotels were absolutely lusting over!

Sarah Khan

Read More:

8 Instagrammable luxury riads in Marrakech, Morocco that are the stuff of dreams

Architectural Genius: 9 Design hotels in China that are absolutely jaw-dropping

Bvlgari will be opening a new luxury hotel in TokyoGUANGZHOU, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A villager in south China's Guangdong Province received a jail term of one year, with a two year suspension, for capturing and killing a rare 2-meter-long snake.

The man surnamed Wu captured the 10-kilogram python in a rural area of Fengkai County with the help of another man at around 11 a.m. on Dec. 15, 2016, the county court said.

Wu paid the man 300 yuan (47 U.S. dollars) to help capture the snake, and killed it later that day.

Police found the suspect after a fellow villager uploaded a photographof Wu catching the snake, on social networking app WeChat.

The python breed is on the first class state protection list.

Located at the border of Guangdong and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Fengkai is home to several rare wildlife species, such as pythons and monitor lizards. The county has two nature reserves.

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]This week, on Friday 25 May, voters in the Republic of Ireland will go to polls to decide whether to repeal the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits women from obtaining an abortion. A Yes vote would pave the way for the government to legalise abortions, and would be a severe blow to the authority of the Catholic Church.

All the stultifying forces of reaction  especially the Church  are doing their utmost to ensure a No vote. All the progressive forces in Ireland, meanwhile, are campaigning for a Yes. Should abortion be legalised in the South of Ireland, it would only be a matter of time before such a movement would spread to the North.

The Eighth Amendment to the Irish Constitution is responsible for untold misery to the lives of working class women. It equates the life of a foetus with that of an adult, putting abortion on the same level as murder.

Abortion is therefore illegal in all circumstances, including where a woman has been raped, or tests show foetal abnormalities. If prosecuted and convicted for choosing to abort, a women in Ireland can be sent to prison for 14 years. Even giving advice on how to obtain an abortion can land you a 4,000 fine.

And its no use trying to obtain one by travelling to the North of Ireland, since the UKs 1967 Abortion Act does not apply there (except for where the mothers life is endangered, or there is a risk of permanent physical and mental disability).

A class question

As a result, an average of 12 women travel to Britain for an abortion every day.

Not all women can make this journey. Many, such as the unemployed, those on low incomes or in precarious employment, or with binding family duties,  i.e. the most vulnerable poor and working class women  struggle to afford the trip or find the time to escape.

Even if you do make it to Britain, you are not guaranteed an abortion. Marie Stopes, the UKs largest abortion provider, refused access to Irish women in February 2017, due to budget cuts.

The alternative is to buy abortion pills on the black market, which is awash with dangerous knock-offs.

If youre a rich Irish woman, however, these problems pose far less of a concern, since there is the option of flying abroad to a private clinic. As well as being a basic democratic right  for women to choose what to do with their bodies  the question of abortion is therefore also a class question.

Suffocating tradition

The Eighth Amendment is one of many means by which the ruling class in Ireland, through their control of the state and Catholic Church, maintain the oppression of women.

Over centuries, the Church has exerted a powerful dictatorship over peoples lives in Ireland, particularly in relation to family matters and morals. Contraception was illegal until 1980, and divorce prohibited until 1996. A womans place is declared to be in the home, obediently serving her husband (and God). And of course, the Church lectured people about the 'evils of socialism', encouraging subservience to the bosses and rich.

The power of the Church has been in decline over decades / Image: National Library of Ireland on The Commons

To repeal the Eighth Amendment, therefore, although not a direct challenge to the capitalist class, would be a severe blow against the stifling authority of the Church, which is a key pillar of the establishment.

The power of the Church has been in decline over decades. One scandal after another has come to light, severely weakening its authority.

Whilst preaching righteousness, Church leaders have been found to be involved in all sorts of infamy, from peadophilia, to the mass killings of babies (such as at a Catholic mother-and-baby home in Tuam). Those responsible thought they could act with impunity, as the state helped to cover up such abuses.

All this has severely dented the authority of the Church, which is reflected in a dramatic decline in those attending mass.

This declining influence and power of the Church was most notably demonstrated in the 2015 referendum on same-sex marriage, when a massive 62 percent of voters landed a blow against the Church and their oppressive, conservative values.

Crisis for the establishment

This loss of influence of the Church presents a problem for the ruling class.

With capitalism in crisis, Irish workers have paid a heavy price through austerity over the past decade. The costs of bailing out the banks has been placed onto the shoulders of the poorest and most vulnerable.

Between 2008-2014, for example, government funding for womens services was cut by 49 percent. As the bankers and rich continue to lead a life of luxury, it is everyone else who suffers.

This is leading to an enormous backlash. In the past, the capitalists would rely on the Church to try and pacify and distract the exploited, struggling mass of workers and youth. Now this tool of the establishment is increasingly losing its edge. The Irish masses are no longer prepared to be told how to live by a despicable and hypocritical clergy.

Fight for socialism

A Yes vote on 25 May would be a significant step forward  not only for womens rights, but for raising the confidence of the working class and the oppressed to struggle further.

The declining living standards of the majority are preparing an enormous social explosion. It is only a matter of time before the working class takes control of its own destiny, and sweeps away the whole rotten establishment in Ireland.

The struggle for the full emancipation of women is a socialist struggle / Image: The Other Self

Ultimately, the struggle for the full emancipation of women is a socialist struggle.

Alongside the fight for democratic demands, such as a womens right to an abortion, we must fight for social demands: for free childcare; the right to well-paid work; a guaranteed decent home; and affordable, nutritious meals in public canteens.

Only in this way can we achieve genuine womens liberation.On Thursday 24 May, rap artist Josep Miquel Arenas, better-known as Valtonyc, was supposed to turn himself in to Spanish police to start his three-and-a-half-year jail sentence. He had been condemned for glorifying terrorism and injuries to the Crown over the lyrics of several of his songs. Rather than spend time in jail for his opinions he decided to flee the country and go into exile. Spains list of political exiles just acquired another name.

The sentence against Valtonyc, which was deliberately designed to make him spend time in jail, was meant to be an exemplary sentence  a warning to others  and is part of a general assault on democratic rights and freedom of expression in Spain. Valtonyc was tried and sentenced last year by Spains National Court (Audiencia Nacional), a tribunal which is supposed to try crimes against the Crown, organised crime, terrorism, narco-trafficking, etc. and which is the direct continuation of the hated Franco-era Public Order Tribunal. The sentence was then confirmed in February this year by the Supreme Court.

As the date of his jailing approached, a solidarity campaign grew, with concerts and public appearances by Valtonyc at several cities, demonstrations and rallies. Often he was joined by fellow rap artist Pablo Hasel, who has also been condemned to a total of five years in jail in two separate sentences over the contents of his lyrics.

As part of the campaign, under the slogan of #NoCallarem (we will not shut up) a group of musicians recorded a video clip and a song in which they repeated portions of Valtonycs incriminating lyrics. The song, Los Borbones Son Unos Ladrones (Bourbons are thieves) became an immediate hit and has had over 2.8 million views on YouTube.

If the Spanish justice system was consistent, all those involved would also have to be tried on the same charges. Valtonyc himself refused to be silenced and published a new album called Repeat Offender:

10 days ago Valtonyc, who lives in the island of Mallorca, publicised the fact that the police had given instructions to all airlines to report any plane ticket bought in his name. That led to a campaign in which supporters bought plane tickets to different destinations in order to throw the police off.

Yesterday, as the deadline for him to enter jail neared, Valtonyc published a tweet warning he would not make the polices job easy and that to disobey is legitimate and a duty when faced with this fascist state.

Manana es el dia. Manana van a tumbar la puerta de mi casa para meterme en la carcel. Por unas canciones. Manana Espana va a hacer el ridiculo, una vez mas. No se lo voy a poner tan facil, desobedecer es legitimo y obligacion ante este estado fascista. Aqui no se rinde nadie.  Josep V. ? (@valtonyc) May 23, 2018

It was later revealed that he had already fled the country between 10 and 15 days ago. His whereabouts are still not known, but there is speculation that he might be in Belgium or Switzerland, where there are already a number of Catalan political exiles linked to the struggle for a Catalan Republic.

Attacks on free expression

There are two features common to many of the current trials and sentences against freedom of expression in Spain. One is the criminal charge of glorification of, or apology for terrorism, which the PP toughened in 2015 to include messages spread over internet. This is a catch-all category that is scandalously used to curtail freedom of expression and is aimed exclusively against the left. To give one example, a group of Madrid youth, organised in a small vegan anarchist collective called Straight Edge (SXE), were charged with terrorism. The evidence against them included tweets they had published, including one where they said Death to Capitalism and another that said Goku lives, the struggle continues  a clearly ironic reference to a Japanese cartoon character from Dragon Ball Z!

A 23-year-old YouTube journalist, Alex Garcia, has been summoned to the National Court on charges of glorifying terrorism, over material he published on his channel: mainly interviews and reports of social struggles, as well as interviews with former members of terrorist organisations. He could face two years in jail.

As a matter of fact, in Spain there are no active terrorist organisations. ETA declared a complete ceasefire back in 2011 and has now disbanded itself. Still, people are being charged and sentenced for glorifying terrorist organisations, which no longer exist! Between 2011, when ETA declared its ceasefire, and 2018 there have been 121 sentences for glorification of terrorism, four times the number of the previous seven years when ETA was still active.

The other common denominator in many of these cases is the accusation of injuries against the Crown. This is particularly scandalous because the monarchy is one of the most discredited institutions of the whole of the 1978 regime. Opposition to the monarchy is most acute in Catalonia where over 60 percent of the people have absolutely no confidence in the institution (0 on a 0-to-10 scale). Overall confidence is rated at 1.82 percent. In the Spanish state as a whole, 37 percent say the abolition of the monarchy would be an improvement, while only 23 percent say it would be negative.

Clearly, the ruling class is worried about the growing opposition to the monarchy  one of the central institutions of the 1978 regime  and is using the law to attempt to frighten people into silence. It is actually having the opposite effect.

Valtonyc and Pablo Hasel / Image: fair use

Demonstrations took place in several cities across Spain yesterday against the jailing of Valtonyc and there will be more today. The Spanish Justice Minister has announced that there will be a euro-arrest warrant against him. This might prove to be yet another embarrassment for the reactionary Spanish justice system, which has already been rebuffed by decisions in Germany and Belgium over the extradition requests for Catalan politicians in exile.

Farcical accusations

It is worth noting the dereliction of duty on the part of the main left-wing organisations in Spain over this assault on democratic freedoms and freedom of expression. United Left has openly condemned the jailing of Valtonyc and today has announced that they will offer lodging for him wherever he might be in Europe. So far, Podemos has remained silent over him going into exile. Both organisations should have organised a common front in defence of democratic rights to coordinate nationwide demonstrations and rallies, used their positions in the institutions to highlight this case, organise a national march on Madrid etc. It should be possible to force the repeal of the hated gag law as well as to strike off the penal code glorification of terrorism and injuries to the Crown crimes. However, in most of these cases, the leaders of Podemos and IU, to different degrees, have remained silent or refused to use their whole muscle to organise a serious campaign.

Mass mobilisations should physically prevent anyone from entering into jail for the crime expressing their opinions. The lack of a coordinated response only has the effect of encouraging the regime and frightening everyone into silence. The cases are piling up. Activists are being tried and sentenced over all sorts of things: participation in peaceful roadblocks, peaceful resistance against evictions, political opinions expressed in social media

It has now been announced that 14 people are going to be tried over clashes with the police on the night of 15 May 2011, when the indignados movement first took to the streets. The prosecutor is asking for a six-year jail sentence. An activist with the Catalan Committees for the Defence of the Republic, Adri, from Esplugues de Llobregat, has had to go underground to avoid being arrested on charges of terrorism for his participation in a peaceful road blockade. A journalist with the left-wing site La Haine has been charged with assaulting police officers and could be sentenced to six years in jail over events that took place in 2014 during the Surround Congress protests. He was covering the protests as a journalist and was assaulted by the police, who then attempted to frame him for assault, despite clear video evidence to the contrary. Dozens of Catalan activists are facing trial over acts of civil disobedience in defence of the right of self-determination. In Alsasua (Navarre), eight youth are being tried for terrorism over a bar brawl with off duty Civil Guards and face 375 years in jail altogether.

The defence of democratic rights and freedom of expression should be a central question for left-wing and trade union organisations across the Spanish state / Image: FOTOMOVIMIENTO

Perhaps the most farcical example is that of left-wing actor Willy Toledo, who is being tried for offending religious feelings in a case brought up by the fundamentalist Association of Catholic Lawyers after the actor posted a message on social media where he said I shit on God and on the dogma of the sanctity and virginity of the Virgin Mary. Yesterday he refused to turn up at the trial alleging that neither God nor the Virgin Mary had turned up as witnesses after he requested they testify as to whether they felt offended by his comments. Apart from the farcical nature of this case, this is another serious case of curtailment of freedom of expression.

The defence of democratic rights and freedom of expression is therefore not a side issue but should be a central question for left-wing and trade union organisations across the Spanish state. Only mass mobilisation can provide an effective response.The event is taking place at ExpoForum, a convention and exhibition centre in St Petersburg, under the patronage of Russian President Vladimir Putin and attracts more than 10,000 participants from over 120 countries.

The three-day forum gathers representatives of many large companies from Russia and other countries, as well as politicians, and national and local leaders.

Major themes of the forum are harnessing Russias growth potential, human capital in the digital economy, technology for leadership and the global economy in the era of change.

The highly anticipated sideline event will be the meeting between Russian President Putin and the International Advisory Board of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and representatives of the international investment community.

It is estimated that 40 leaders of the worlds largest investment funds will attend the meeting.

Last year, the SPIEF attracted 14,000 participants from 143 countries around the world. At the forum, 400 investment agreements worth about US$32.5 billion were signed.Fresh faces as the Massapequa School District welcomes new faculty members

The Massapequa School District welcomes more than two dozen teachers to its educational staff for the 2021-2022 school year. They were introduced to all aspects of the district, from curriculum...

MSD Superintendent Iconis reflects on 45-year educational career

Massapequa School District Superintendent Lucille Iconis is retiring on Sept. 30 after 22 years in the district and 44 years as an educator.A 45-year career in education, split almost exactly...

Massapequa School District names two new supervisors

Pictured center left, Daniel Mezzafonte is the new supervisor of science for grades 6-12 in the Massapequa School District. Pictured center right, Jeff Cronk will serve as the special education...Mortgage lenders in Massachusetts, worried that crumbling foundations would leave them holding paper on a worthless house, are telling their appraisers to pay special attention to foundations of homes built in the years a Connecticut concrete supplier used concrete tainted with pyrrhotite.

And at least one lender is considering mandating, if an appraiser finds the telltale cracks and crumbling of pyrrhotite-tainted concrete, that buyers have core samples removed from the foundation and tested to make sure the offending mineral is not present.

"This could be quite costly for a potential buyer," said Michael Ostrowski, CEO and president of Arrha Credit Union in Springfield. "We know it's already expensive to get a mortgage and buy a house. We are very conscious of those costs."

But the risk is great, he said.

"I have to protect my members' money when I lend it out," Ostrowski said.

He compared the liability of owning a home with tainted concrete to the expensive problem of owning commercial or industrial property with environmental contamination.

Arrha is the former Springfield Teachers Credit Union.

Steven E. Lowell, president of Monson Savings Bank, isn't talking about core samples, but Monson Savings is also telling its appraisers to look very hard at foundations. Lowell said the bank put out the request six or eight months ago as reports of pyrrhotite concrete started making news in Massachusetts. The results of such an inspection might impact the appraised value of the property and the buyer's ability to get a mortgage.

That's tough news, Lowell said, for the mortgage customer looking to buy a home and even tougher news for a seller who's watching the value of the home erode.

"This one is really tough," he said. "At the end of the day, I need to do what is best for the bank."

Becker Quarry in Willington, Connecticut, sold the pyrrhotite-contaminated stone through sister company JJ Mottes concrete from 1983 until 2017, when they agreed to stop at the request of Connecticut authorities.

At first, no problems are evident. But over time, the pyrrhotite reacts with water and oxygen and expands. If the concrete is buried in the footings and basement walls and floors, fixing it can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and require jacking up a home, removing the bad concrete, replacing all that structure and setting the house back down again.

If a homeowner can't afford to spend that much on a property that's now probably worth less than what the land would be worth empty, the lender might be left holding the bag.

Ostrowski said if mortgage borrowers default on a home with a failing foundation -- a reasonable course of action if they can't afford repairs -- the bank would end up foreclosing on a property that is worthless.

"I have two choices. I can sell it at a fire sale for a reduced price," he said. "Or I can try and do the repairs and then sell the property for what we can get for it."

Real estate professionals are even going on detective missions in an effort to show homes their clients are buying that don't have the tainted concrete.

Steven Rovithis, owner of Rovithis Realty in East Longmeadow, said in Connecticut he and his fellow agents search out whatever records they can find in hopes of proving the concrete in a home came from somewhere other than Mottes.

"It's tough," he said. "On these older ones, nobody knows where this stuff came from. Sometimes at least you have the builder's word."

Even if records exist, they might be confusing and incomplete. Many times, the invoices and delivery instructions for concrete were filled out before a neighborhood got street numbers. The concrete went to "Lot 4," for example.

"Which house was Lot 4?" Rovithis said.

Connecticut mandates that sellers disclose the possibility of tainted concrete to buyers, he said. There is no such mandate in Massachusetts, where the problem has only shown up recently.

But what could a lender do if an existing mortgagor learns they have pyrrhotite in their concrete?

Lowell said as of this point he's not had customers come forward with the pyrrhotite problem.

"We suspect that there are numerous customers that do," he said.

Monson Savings does a lot of business in the towns where pyrrhotite has been found.

Lowell said it's in the bank's best interest to work with people as much as they can and keep people in their homes. How much additional credit the bank could extend to fund repairs depends, he said, on how much the house is worth with the bad concrete, how much it would be worth following the repair and how much a borrower still owes on a loan.Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is expected to be charged Friday in New York in connection with at least one alleged sexual assault, according to multiple media reports.

He is expected to surrender to authorities Friday to face sex assault charges, NBC News reported.

Weinstein is expected to be charged with preying on actress Lucia Evans who told investigators that Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him in 2004, according to The New York Times.

It remained unclear if charges would be filed in connection to other victims, the newspaper added.

Weinstein's New York-based attorney, Benjamin Brafman, on Thursday declined to comment to CNN on whether his client would be turning himself in.

Weinstein has denied any wrongdoing.

Once one of the most powerful men in Hollywood and top Democratic donor, Weinstein fell from grace as accusations of sexual harassment or assault by about 80 women became public.

The company he co-founded has gone bankrupt and he has been under investigation by authorities in New York, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and London.

The Weinstein scandal fueled the #MeToo movement that draws attention to sexual misconduct in multiple industries.In today's restaurant world the hamburger is a menu staple in eateries from humble to upscale; here in Western Massachusetts an example of "burger deluxe" can be found at Max Burger in Longmeadow.

A part of the Hartford-based MAX Restaurant Group, Max Burger reflects that brand's sense of style with an elegant gastro-pub environment. Featuring a "where's the beef" decor - the restaurant's walls are plastered with decorative steer imagery - the operation offers bar, dining room, and patio seating options.

A varied culinary agenda characterizes the Max Burger experience.

Starters range from Creamy Tomato Soup ($4.95) and Spinach Artichoke Dip ($5.95) to Pulled Pork Spring Rolls ($7.95) and Tuna Poke ($9.95).

Among the entree selections can be found the likes of a Roasted Half Chicken ($16.95) and Grilled Hanger Steak ($21.95) as well as "Max-&-4 Cheese" ($14.95).

The restaurant's namesake sandwich is dished up in forms such as the BlackJack ($13.95), a half-pound burger topped with jalapeno jack cheese and roasted green chilies, and the Inside-Out ($14.95), a mozzarella-stuffed patty slathered with basil pesto.

Non-beef burger creations such as a Turkey Burger ($12.95) and a Tuna Burger ($13.95) are available, as are additional non-burger sandwich options.

Impressively styled, the Candied Bacon Lollipops ($7.95) we shared had been arranged bouquet-style on a pedestal fashioned from a halved apple.

The "lollipops" themselves were thick chunks of slab bacon that had been skewered, broiled, and glazed with a fruity apple cider reduction. A final garnishing touch of tiny puffed rice beads completed what was a visually appealing pre-meal nibble.

As an eating experience, however, the bacon lollipops proved to be a 50-50 proposition. They had great meaty palate presence but, thanks to the connective tissue in each, proved to be rather difficult to chew.

A Bacon-Onion Smash ($13.95) featured a beef patty into which minced onion and crumbled bacon had been blended, creating a flavor we found likeably suggestive of meatloaf. Toppings of American cheese and bacon-infused mayo enhanced the sandwich experience, which was assembled between halves of a ciabatta bun.

Our Shrimp Burger ($14.95) turned out to be surprisingly praiseworthy. Made with bound-together pieces of shrimp rather than the ground-up mixture we expected, the burger unambiguously promoted its namesake ingredient. An Asian-style vegetable slaw garnished the shrimp patty, while a soft brioche roll served as the sandwich's framework.

The default burger accompaniment is hand-cut fries, but we upgraded to coleslaw and truffle spuds. The former was fresh, creamy, and cool; the truffle spuds had a deliciously funky truffle flavor enhanced by a dusting of freshly grated cheese.

House-made pickles, a treat in their own right, accompany all the sandwiches served at Max Burger.

From the entree section of the restaurant's bill of fare we chose Pan-Seared Salmon ($18.95).

Served over a "spring succotash" of diced red bell peppers, shoe peg corn, and steamed green soybeans, the grilled-to-order salmon was garnished with vinaigrette-dressed arugula and pickled red onion.

Definitely a dish we'd order again, the composition was particularly distinguished by the succotash, which was so tasty we'd have contentedly dined on a bowl of it alone.

However, we thought the salmon itself could have been more gently grilled, since its exterior was a bit on the dry and chewy side.

Entrees at Max Burger are served a la carte, although side portions of several salad variations can be purchased for an additional charge.

Fully licensed, the eatery has an extensive beverage program that includes a wine list of twenty-plus options. Liquor-spiked milkshakes are a house specialty.

Dessert choices at Max Burger are exclusively about ice cream. The Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich ($5) we tried was tempting to look at but difficult to eat, since the double fudge cookie with which it had been made was hard and chewy to a fault.

Despite a few minor shortcomings, we decided that Max Burger's inventive culinary style and upscale ambiance validated the restaurant's reputation as a high-end burger emporium.



Name: Max Burger

Address: 684 Bliss Road, Longmeadow

Telephone: (413) 798-0101

Website: maxrestaurantgroup.com/burger

Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Entree prices: $9.95 - $21.95

Credit cards: American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Handicapped access: Accessible, with rest rooms equipped for wheelchairs

Reservations: No reservations; 30-minute call-ahead wait list





Eight women have made allegations of sexual misconduct against Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman.

Sixteen people spoke to CNN about Freeman as part of its investigation, eight of whom said they were victims of what some described as harassment and others called inappropriate behavior.

A young production assistant on the 2017 heist film "Going In Style" claimed Freeman "kept trying to lift up my skirt and asking if I was wearing underwear." His behavior ended after co-star Alan Arkin intervened, she said.

Freeman's alleged inappropriate behavior was not limited to that one movie set, according to other sources who spoke to CNN. A woman who was a senior member of the production staff of the movie "Now You See Me" in 2012 told CNN that Freeman sexually harassed her and her female assistant on numerous occasions by making comments about their bodies.

CNN says it reached out to Freeman's spokesman for comment and then, at his request, emailed him a detailed list of the accusations against Freeman. The spokesman did not respond to multiple follow-ups by email seeking comment on the accusations.

However, Freeman told TMZ after the CNN report aired, "Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy. I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected -- that was never my intent."

At age 80, Freeman is one of Hollywood's biggest stars, with a movie career that spans nearly five decades and includes such films as "Driving Miss Daisy," "Seven" and "Shawshank Redemption."

He won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for 2004's "Million Dollar Baby," and has earned four other Oscar nominations.

(Story updated at 2:44 p.m. to include comment from Morgan Freeman.)SPRINGFIELD -- MGM Springfield, preparing to open its casino on Aug. 24, presented its latest quarterly report on Thursday, including statistics showing that it continues to exceed its goals for diversity hiring and contracting for the $960 million construction project.

The report, for the three months ending March 31, was shared with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission during a meeting in Boston.

Commission member Gayle Cameron praised the latest report, saying it continues past trends.



"You are consistently good with your diversity numbers," Cameron said. "It's always encouraging to see."



Statistics for the various subcontractors working on the project show that 21.43 percent of the workforce are minorities compared with the project goal of at least 15.3 percent, said Brian Packer, MGM Springfield's vice president of construction and development.

In addition, 8.86 percent of the workforce are women, compared with the goal of 6.9 percent, and 9.63 percent are veterans compared with the goal of 8 percent, Packer said.

Regarding construction and design commitments, 21.7 percent have gone to women-owned businesses, as compared with the project goal of 10 percent, Packer said.

Further, 7.9 percent of the commitments have gone to minority-owned businesses, compared with the goal of 5 percent, and 6.7 percent of the commitments have gone to veteran-owned businesses, as compared with the goal of 2 percent, he said.

MGM Springfield listed 109 companies that have done construction work on the casino, and 42 companies that have done design and consulting work. Of the construction companies, 79 are from Massachusetts.

MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis told the Gaming Commission that hiring efforts for casino operations are going well.

The company invited 700 job seekers to the MassMutual Center on May 8-9 for the first two of four mass-hiring events, with additional events scheduled in June.

Mathis said there is a strong focus on hiring of Springfield residents for casino jobs, with a goal of at least 35 percent local hiring.

He said the hiring process is "exciting times," as the the filling of 3,000 jobs gives a sense of what MGM is trying to do to promote economic development and is "changing lives."SPRINGFIELD -- Representatives of MGM Springfield told the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Thursday that its request to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. is strictly limited to the casino gaming floor area and solely to customers who are actively gambling.

During a Gaming Commission meeting in Boston, MGM officials gave a detailed description of its application for an alcoholic beverage license including its request for a limited 4 a.m. closing hour, beyond the 2 a.m. closing time allowed in Massachusetts.



Those having an alcoholic beverage "have to be actively gaming," said Anthony Caratozzolo, MGM Springfield's vice president of food and beverages.



"It's not an open bar," Caratozzolo said. "It's a very controlled process."

The Gaming Commission, before deciding on the beverage license, and the 4 a.m. closing proposal, is inviting public comments by letter or email.

MGM Springfield will need a liquor license for the entire casino as well as for 22 separate licensed areas for various restaurants, bars, shops and other locations, said Paul Connelly, the Gaming Commission's director of licensing.





The 4 a.m. closing, if approved, would be the first in Massachusetts, Connelly said.



No on-site restaurants or bars at MGM would be serving alcohol to customers after 2 a.m., as it would be limited to the gaming areas of slot machines and tables, MGM officials said.

A recent legislative amendment give the Gaming Commission the authority to approve the two-hour extension to 4 a.m., under conditions of active gaming and restricted to the gaming area.





The Gaming Commission took the application under review, and anticipates voting on the liquor license issues at its June 21 meeting.

Comments can be sent by email here, at mgccomments@state.ma.us, with "MGM Springfield Liquor License Application" in the subject line.

The public can also send written comments to Massachusetts Gaming Commission, 101 Federal St., 12th floor, Boston, MA 02110, Attn: Catherine Blue, General Counsel.

Comments are due by 4 p.m., on June 4.

Alex Dixon, general manager for MGM Springfield, said that customers being served between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., are being served complimentary drinks, and that those drinks will be in plastic cups at those hours, to allow for such drinks to be easily discarded if needed.

Regarding the service of alcohol, there is "an extreme degree of seriousness we in management take on this topic," Dixon said. MGM has experience with the late service at other casino facilities, he said.



General alcohol service hours are between 8 a.m. and 2 a.m.



The staff would be trained to follow the requirements that the customer must be actively gambling, and not walking about with a drink in his or her hand, Dixon and Caratozzola said. If a cocktail server has any trouble with a customer on the issue of service or non-service, the employee will be trained to call for assistance from a supervisor, and if necessary, to be handled by casino security, they said.



Asked by commission members to give examples of how to judge someone who is not supposed to have a complimentary drink after 2 a.m., MGM officials said that someone having a $1 bet in a slot is not considered actively gaming, and casino does not condone spouses handing over drinks to non-betting spouses.

The requirement for a person to be actively gambling in getting a drink after 2 a.m., offsets the concern of people coming to the casino for late drinks from other bars after closing, Dixon said.

MGM Springfield gave a detailed description of how alcohol will be served at the 22 separate locations in the casino, ranging from restaurants such as Cal Mare and the Chandler Steakhouse, to less frequent service such as special events at the Indian Motorcycle retail shop.



The MGM summary lists each location and the business concept and description, along with factors such as hours of alcohol service, capacity for customers, the alcohol dispensing area, bottle service, storage and security and the manager.



Cal Mare, for example, is described as having a capacity for 280 customers for its restaurant and bar including a pizza counter for walk-up service.

The casino, which has cost around $960 million, is expected to open for business on Aug. 24.A Boston-bound JetBlue plane had to make an emergency landing in Buffalo, New York on Thursday shortly after take-off.

Flight 2216 left Buffalo's Niagara International Airport shortly before 6 a.m., according to flight trackers.

NAFTA officials told New York TV station WGRZ that the plane was forced to make an emergency landing back at the airport after striking a bird about 10 minutes into the flight. The plane reportedly made a safe landing back at the airport.

(OAG flight tracker)

This is a developing story.The Boston Globe is investigating an allegation that top editor Brian McGrory sent an inappropriate text message to a former employee.

"When we first learned about this social media discussion, we began investigating to gather as much relevant information as we could," Jane Bowman the Globe's vice president of marketing and strategic partnerships wrote in an email to MassLive. "We discussed the issue with Mr. McGrory in an attempt to understand both the nature of any exchanges between the two parties and also whether or not these exchanges occurred during her employment."

Bowman said the newspaper also reached out to Hilary Sargent, the former employee, to try to "ascertain the timing and context of the text in question."



On Monday Sargent, the former editor of Boston.com, posted a screenshot of text messages that she says are from McGrory.





In the text exchange, she appears to be asking for advice about a story she is writing. The person responded: "What do you generally wear when you write?"



Sargent told a Globe reporter the lawyers for the newspaper sent her a draft of a Superior Court lawsuit, in which she is a defendant. The suit would try to compel Sargent to provide more information about the exchange under the terms of her 2016 separation agreement from the organization. It also asks for unspecified damages, Sargent told The Globe.



In a note sent out to Boston Globe staff and published online, McGrory said he doesn't remember the text conversation. He said he has asked Sargent to provide the date and a more complete version of the messages.





McGrory said he told the Globe owners "the company should feel free to retrieve our text messages by whatever means possible."



On Twitter Wednesday, Sargent posted: "For approximately six months I have reached out to the @BostonGlobe asking to discuss with them the extent to which sexual harassment has been an issue - long ago and not so long ago. My offer still stands. I have not refused to assist in their 'investigation.'"



McGrory also said he and Sargent dated "many years ago" when they did not work together.



"I can't believe I have to write these words, but I have never harassed Hilary Sargent or any other women at the Globe or anywhere else - ever," he wrote.



McGrory said that after Sargent left Boston.com they would "exchange text messages that included the kind of personal banter of two people very familiar with each other."



"I regret that very much for reasons that go far beyond the Globe," he wrote.



Bowman said the Globe expects to "have a resolution on this matter soon."The man accused of stabbing a waitress in the neck after skipping his bill at a Chelsea restaurant is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.

Gerardo Menjivar, 36 of Lynn, was arrested in Maryland on May 10 and transported to Boston on Wednesday, a spokesman for Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said.

Police say Menjivar ate at Las Pupusas Del Chino restaurant May 7 around 11 p.m. and left without paying his bill. His waitress followed him to the parking lot where he stabbed her in the neck and ran away.





The woman's injuries were described as non-life threatening.



Menjivar is scheduled for arraignment in Chelsea District Court Thursday.MIT campus police are investigating after a person reported being raped inside the Theta Delta Chi fraternity house on Saturday.

Police said a woman reported talking to a person during a party at the frat house and later going back to that person's room. The frat house is located on Memorial Drive in Cambridge.

"The Victim/Survivor made clear she did not want to have sex. Despite this, the perpetrator had non-consensual sexual intercourse with Victim/Survivor," police wrote in a statement.

Officers do not have a description of the suspect.Revere's Necco candy company, famous for its wafers and iconic sweetheart candies popular for Valentine's Day, will stay alive thanks to an $18,830,000 bid by Spangler Candy Company.

The Ohio-based candy company said it was thrilled to win Necco at a bankruptcy auction in U.S. federal court on Wednesday.

"We're real excited," said Kirk Vashaw, chief executive of Spangler and a fourth-generator Spangler. When pressed the reason for his excitement, he added, "[Because] it's candy."

The deal, expected to officially close on Friday, came after a nearly four-hour long court session that included Judge Melvin Hoffman and U.S. Trustee Harry Murphy scrutinizing objections to the deal that Murphy had carefully laid out over the last month.

Necco was surviving in its 8,000-square-foot facility in Revere "through the benevolence of its owner and owner of the real estate," according to Murphy. In 2017, its rent shot up to $300,000 a month, forcing owners to put the company on the market that summer. Creditors pressured Necco into bankruptcy in April 2018, causing the company to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Courts deemed the candy-maker would go up for auction.

Liquidator Gordon Brothers was the first to step into the picture, prior to the bankruptcy filing, offering about $13 million for Necco assets. Then came a series of others, but by the time of the bankruptcy auction in court on Wednesday, the pool had been narrowed down to three bidders: Gordon Brothers, Round Hill Investments LLC, and the ultimate winner, Spangler Candy Company.

Since Necco declared bankruptcy in April, Murphy has worked closely with the company's executives and potential bidders to formulate a transition plan that at one point attracted 8-9 bids. Details included severance terms for union workers, middle management and upper management, but conditions of the incentive payments required workers stay on until July in order to help the future buyer with the transition process.

It was clear that Murphy was eager to close on the deal in court on Wednesday, when financial teams from all three potential buyers had flown into Boston to bid on Necco.

But the process was not so simple: bankruptcy litigators questioned whether Murphy's employee incentive plan for Necco's top executives -- which would give them a bonus of about half their yearly salary -- was fair when the executives had already received a similar bonus last fall. The company's union workers were entitled a two-week severance, while middle management would receive two-four months of pay.

Murphy defended the plan as a necessary step in order to attract bidders for Necco. He said all three of the bidders in the courtroom on Wednesday were in agreement they needed Necco's upper management to stay on, at least through July 31, to show them the ropes of Necco's operations.

"I don't know how to make any candy your honor," Murphy told the judge. "These folks have a skill set and expertise. I'm going to go out and hire someone to replace these folks for two-and-a-half months and run a candy factory?"

Judge Hoffman ruled in favor of the employee incentive plan. According to Necco's Chief Executive Officer Michael McGee, the intention is to keep the factory open until the fall, which means employees should stay on until then. Necco executives will stay on until July 31, possibly longer, according to McGee.

Another objection came from the EPA, which argued that the formal language for the transaction should ensure a future buyer (Spangler) would act according to the EPA's regulations, specifically that its factory adhere to the Clean Air Act.

The EPA cited concerns about the Revere facility, including its outdated risk management plan and the use of over 30,000 pounds of ammonia. (There was no mention of a recent and disturbing U.S. Food and Drug Administration report about the Revere facility that was recently uncovered). Judge Hoffman agreed to finalize the EPA provisions after a sale had gone through.

Once objections to the plan were cleared, a tense bidding process ensued. Gordon Brothers was the first company to pull out of the auction, with its highest bid reaching $17.3 million.

Spangler Candy Co. ultimately outbid Round Hill Investments by $250,000. Spangler's final bid for Necco was $18,830,000: or $17,830,000 in cash, plus $1 million paid in four installments beginning in June.

Necco CEO Michael McGee said he was pleased with the deal, and that he hopes they can grow and "rejuvenate" the aspects of the business that works for their company. He added that if there are parts of Necco that Spangler does not want, the auction on Wednesday proved there are potential homes for those brands as well.

"They're going to be running a candy company," McGee said. Where that would be, and how it would be, McGee said he did not know. "But there's gonna continue to be Necco."Baystate Franklin Medical Center and the Massachusetts Nurses Association on Wednesday agreed on a new five-year contract for registered nurses at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield.

In a press release, Baystate Health, the hospital's parent company, said the 200 local members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association will hold a ratification vote within a week.

The nurses have been without a contract since January 2017.

Baystate said the hospital and the nurses were able to come to terms on staffing issues that had held the two sides apart. Nurses claimed the hospital was not addressing persistent staffing shortages.

Donna Stern, RN and senior co-chair of the Baystate Franklin nurses bargaining committee, said "This is a huge victory for Baystate Franklin patients, nurses and our entire community. The ultimate credit for this settlement goes to our 200 unified nurses and the Franklin County residents who joined with us.

"This settlement means public resources will be used appropriately, to improve patient care conditions and ensure that the nurses who provide care are treated fairly," Stern said.

Baystate said it agreed to staffing models that "maintain our flexibility to address individual patient care needs in a sustainable way."

The new contract also allows for what Baystate Health called "market-competitive wages, benefits and health insurance."

Baystate Health said it has no open union contracts after making five deals over the past 14 months.

The contract is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2017, and runs through Dec. 31, 2021.

According to the Massachusetts Nurses Association, Baystate Franklin nurses will receive a 50 cents per hour ratification bonus for every hour paid in 2017 and through the first full pay period after ratification. They will also receive the following wage increases:Massachusetts should take an aggressive stance to prevent another abrupt college closure, as happened to Mount Ida, the small private institution in Newton, Mass., Attorney General Maura Healey said.

Healey said a new office of financial oversight should be created within the state Department of Higher Education.

"The Mount Ida closure is a wake-up call," Healey said in a statement.

"We need to take proactive steps to prevent future chaos and financial harm to students, parents, faculty, and staff. Our experience working with Mount Ida students confirms that we need better oversight and accountability."

Gov. Charlie Baker and state lawmakers should fund the office to "help the Department work with schools, accreditors, and other agencies to protect students and families," she added.

State higher education officials, including Baker's education chief Jim Peyser and Commissioner Carlos Santiago, said on May 1 that they plan to announce within 30 days regulatory or legislative changes to better prevent another Mount Ida.

The Mount Ida closure left angry parents and students scrambling for ways to finish their college education.

Healey is continuing to investigate whether officials at Mount Ida violated state law in their rush to close the school.

Healey's office said that state regulators shouldn't be learning about a college closure from media outlets. MassLive first reported UMass and Mount Ida were in acquisition talks on April 4, two days before the two institutions announced a deal that had UMass Amherst purchasing the 74-acre campus.

Schools should have contingency plans in order for students to transfer in the event of a closure and enough in cash reserves to close in an orderly way, according to Healey's office.

Warning signs of a closing school include getting identified as financially at-risk by the US Department of Education, low credit ratings or inadequate cash reserves, or high numbers of graduates unable to repay their loans, Healey's office said.WARREN - Police arrested a 15-year-old Chicopee youth Wednesday night after he allegedly made a social media threat against Quaboag Regional High School.

Police, in a post on the department's Facebook page, said the threat was made via an online video. Many parents became aware of the threat and called police.

Police said they will be at the school Thursday morning. They stressed, however, they will only be there "to reassure students, parents, faculty and staff that the threat was addressed. We have no reason to believe that it will be anything but business as usual (Thursday) at the school."

Chicopee police arrested the suspect, who attends Quaboag Regional High School, shortly after 9:30 p.m., according to a post on the department's Facebook page.Five of the eight members of the Governor's Council are now calling for the immediate resignation of Judge Thomas Estes -- after the state's Supreme Judicial Court on Thursday censured him and ordered an unpaid, indefinite suspension.

The suspension for Estes, who admitted to having sex with a drug court clinician in his chambers, begins June 15.

"I call on him to resign forthwith," said District 8 Governor's Councilor Mary E. Hurley, who represents Western Massachusetts.

Hurley, a retired judge and former mayor of Springfield, said she was "very pleased" with the Supreme Judicial Court's decision, adding: "I am satisfied the citizens will no longer have to pay his salary."

Estes, who has not heard any cases since July, has still been paid his $172,000 annual salary after he was assigned to administrative duties in Holyoke District Court. Prior to his reassignment he was first justice in charge of Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown.

District 5 Governor's Councilor Eileen R. Duff of Gloucester said Estes "absolutely violated the trust of the public, and of the Governor's Council.

"This is not what one expects" from a judge," Duff said. "If he were wise, he would resign immediately."

District 6 Governor's Councilor Terrence W. Kennedy, of Lynnfield, said he was "perplexed" as to why Estes hadn't already stepped down. "If the man has any decency at all he would have resigned," Kennedy said, adding that he expects to see a resignation.

"It is a very sad day for the judiciary; it is something he brought on himself," Kennedy said. "There is no issue as to what happened -- that behavior went on in his chambers -- something he brought on himself. It's over."

Estes "should have resigned months ago," said District 7 Governor's Councilor Jennie L. Caissie, of Oxford.

"The fact he engaged in this conduct on the taxpayers' dime and expense inside a courthouse . . . he should have some modicum of respect for the people of the commonwealth and for the good of his fellow judges," she said.

The main function of the council is to approve or reject judges the governor has recommended for appointment to the bench.

Should the house and senate approve a bill of address seeking Estes' removal, the governor, with the consent of the council, can expel him from the judiciary. A bill of address to remove him from the Massachusetts Trial Court was filed Thursday in the legislature. Estes was appointed to the bench in 2014 by then-Gov. Deval Patrick.

Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants referred the Estes matter to the Commission on Judicial Conduct In August for investigation. Executive Director Howard Neff III led the investigation, and argued for Estes' permanent suspension without pay at an April hearing before the court.

In an interview Thursday, Neff said the court's decision "draws a clear line that serious misconduct such as Judge Estes' will not be tolerated and will be addressed using the strongest measures possible.

"This decision should reassure the public that in extremely rare cases of serious misconduct by a judge, the CJC will stand ready to promptly and aggressively address such instances," Neff said.

Marilyn M. Petitto Devaney of Watertown, the District 3 Governors Councilor said, "for his children, he should resign now. . . if he has any caring for his children, any sensibility -- the sooner the better." Estes is married with two children.

"These types of judges," she said, "give everyone a bad name. I wish he would resign."

This is a developing story that will be updated after additional reporting.

Contact Jim Russell at newstips123@gmail.comBy ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, Associated Press

BOSTON -- Massachusetts' highest court has indefinitely suspended a judge who admitted to having an affair with a clinical social worker that included sexual encounters at the courthouse.

The Supreme Judicial Court said Thursday that Judge Thomas Estes is suspended without pay effective June 15. The state Trial Court previously reported that Estes was continuing to collect an annual salary of $172,194.

The court says the Commission on Judicial Conduct can share documents in the case with the Legislature, which can decide whether to remove him from the bench.

Estes' lawyer says they're disappointed in the decision and Estes is weighing his options.

Tammy Cagle, a clinician in the drug court program at Pittsfield District Court, has accused Estes of pressuring her into performing oral sex on him in his chambers and her home.

Estes says their relationship was consensual and denies harassing her.

The high court said the judge's positive evaluations "cannot repair the damage to the judicial system" caused by his wrongdoing.SPRINGFIELD -- On Feb. 11, 2015, Mariah Mauke was just thinking about whether her big sister Kathryn would be in front of the television when she got home.

Instead, she told Hampden Superior Court Judge Mark D. Mason Thursday, she found her 17-year-old sister's body on the kitchen floor.

"And from there everything's been a blur," she said.

Mariah Mauke was one of several family members and friends offering victim impact statements at the sentencing for Nicholas Lacrosse, found guilty Wednesday of first-degree murder for stabbing Kathryn Mauke, his ex-girlfriend, 32 times.

Mason sentenced Lacrosse, 23, to life in prison without the possibility of parole -- the mandatory punishment in Massachusetts for a first-degree murder conviction.

Lacrosse sat with his lawyers Thursday morning as Kathryn's loved ones told the judge that despite their heartbreak, they will strive to go on for her.

Mariah Mauke said while the murder has ruined her past, "I'm refusing to let (it) impact my future at all." She has since finished high school and just completed her first year of college.

"I did it and I'm doing it all for her because she never got a chance to," she said.

Sister Ashley Ballou-Mauke said despite being four years older, "Kate took it upon herself to be my teacher and my protector. ... She was always there to help me at times when I was scared."

She said now her anxious feelings are mostly about the "the horrific way that she was killed."

Kathryne's father Daniel Mauke said, "When I wake in the morning the sun doesn't seem to shine as brightly as it once did. ... Trying to focus on the present and future has become difficult."

He added: "Kathryn was a passionate, understanding, intelligent, vibrant young woman who was driven to achieve her goals. Her dream was to be in a position to affect attitude and policies that would change the world and I truly believe she would have accomplished anything she set out to do."

Jennifer Mauke touched on all the milestones stolen from her daughter.

"She never was able to get her driver's license, she was never able to cast that first vote as she so desperately wanted to, she was never able to walk the stage and receive her high school diploma that she worked so hard for," Jennifer Mauke said. "She wasn't able to go to college, fall in love, get married, have children. All of these things were taken away from her on Wednesday, February 11, when the defendant decided to come into my home and take my child away."

Kathryn's boyfriend Harrison Paige said he fell in love with her the moment he heard her speak, when they were both participating in Model Congress at American International College.

"Kate is the most outstanding person I have ever met. She was bright, insightful, confident and left a mark on everyone who met her," he said.

Close friend Darian Barlow said the weight of Kathryn's death has been part of every step he has taken since the day of the murder. "I felt like I've been living in some sick nightmare for the past three years but I'm emerging unbroken despite the heartbreak," he said, adding that he is being strong for Mauke, whom he described as the most important person to him.

The judge said Mauke's family has demonstrated bravery and courage.

"The murder of an individual has a rippling effect throughout our lives, your lives and the community far beyond what some may imagine," Mason said.

Mariah Mauke's statement resonated with him, Mason said, because although she "has inevitably suffered the trauma of having witnessed the aftermath of this murder" she will not let her future be ruined by it.

Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said his office is happy for the Mauke family. "It's been a long journey over three years," he said, adding that he hopes the Lacrosse's conviction and sentence has brought some sense of justice to the family.

Gulluni praised Assistant District Attorneys Mary Sandstrom and Bethany Lynch, police who worked on the case, and director of Domestic Violence Victim Services Tina Walker.

Defense lawyer Alan J. Black, who represented Lacrosse along with lawyer Korrina Burnham, said at the sentencing that Lacrosse has no criminal record, and reviewed aspects of Lacrosse's background he raised at trial. The defense argued Lacrosse was not criminally responsible for the killing, saying he was in a dissociative state and unable to control his actions.

The large courtroom was very full, with about 60 people there for Kathryn Mauke, many wearing T-shirts celebrating her life.

Some of Lacrosse's family members, who were present during the trial, also attended the sentencing.The man accused of stabbing a waitress in the neck after skipping his bill at a Chelsea restaurant was held on $100,000 cash bail at his arraignment Thursday.

Gerardo Menjivar, 36 of Lynn, was arrested in Maryland on May 10 and transported to Boston on Wednesday, a spokesman for Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said.

Police say Menjivar had a meal at Las Pupusas Del Chino restaurant in Chelsea at about 11 p.m. May 7. He left without paying his bill.

When his waitress followed him into the parking lot he slashed her throat and ran away. The woman was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital where she was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Chelsea detectives put out a nationwide "Be On the Lookout" for Menjivar and his car following the attack. This led Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force to his location in Maryland.

If Menjivar posts bail he is ordered to a wear a GPS monitor and stay away from the victim, any witnesses, and the restaurant, Jake Wark, a spokesman for Conley said.>> Governor-General of Australia begins State visit to Vietnam

Taking place at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 45th founding anniversary of their diplomatic ties (1973-2018), the visit is a significant political event as it demonstrates the reaffirmation of the aspiration of two countries leaders and people in fostering the Vietnam  Australia strategic partnership in a more substantive and effective manner.

The Vietnamese people gladly share the pride of the Australian leaders and people on their achievements in national construction. Australia has maintained a stable political situation with 25 years of growth without a recession.

Australia is currently among the countries with the strongest economic growth in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Regarding its external relations, Australia has boosted an independent, self-reliant, and active foreign policy. It has also attached great attention to fostering its connections with ASEAN and supporting the blocs central role.

Established in 1973, the friendship and cooperative ties between Vietnam and Australia have witnessed fine developments, especially since the two countries exalted their relationship to a comprehensive partnership in 2009 and signed a declaration on enhancing the Australia-Vietnam comprehensive partnership in 2015.

On the occasion of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs official visit to Australia in March 2018, the two countries established a strategic partnership, opening a new page in their bilateral relations.

The fine political relationship is marked by reciprocal high-level visits between the two countries leaders. The two sides have maintained the bilateral cooperation mechanisms, including deputy ministerial-level foreign affairs and defence strategic dialogues, and the joint committee on cooperation in science and technology. Australia considers Vietnam as a key partner in ASEAN and highly appreciates Vietnams role within ASEAN.

Economic, trade and investment cooperation is a bright spot in the Vietnam-Australia relationship. The two-way trade reached nearly US$6.5 billion in 2017, up 22.2% against 2016. To date, Australia has invested approximately US$1.8 billion in 412 projects in Vietnam, ranking 20th among the 126 countries and territories that are currently investing in Vietnam. Australia is one of the largest providers of non-refundable ODA and provided AUD160 million in aid provision to build the Cao Lanh bridge in Vietnam.

The two countries have also forged strong cooperation in education, with roughly 30,000 Vietnamese students currently studying in Australia.

Security and defence cooperation has also become more diverse. Cooperation in tourism, labour, transport, industry, agriculture, and culture is also developing and bringing many practical benefits to the two countries peoples.

There are about 300,000 Overseas Vietnamese people in Australia, who have been provided with favourable conditions from the host country in their living, studying and business operations, thereby serving as a friendship bridge boosting the development of the bilateral ties.

Vietnam and Australia cooperate effectively within regional and international cooperation frameworks such as the United Nations, the East Asia Summit, and APEC.

The Vietnam visit of the Governor-General of Australia Peter Cosgrove and his spouse, taking place at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 45th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties, aims to reaffirm the determination of the two countries leaders and people in fostering the Vietnam  Australia strategic partnership and consolidating mutual political trust.

The visit is also a good opportunity for the two sides to discuss solutions to foster the all-round cooperation in a more substantive and effective manner, while exchanging their opinions on regional and international issues of mutual concern, contributing to peace, stability, and development in the region and the world at large.Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday ripped Superior Court Judge Timothy Feeley, who gave a drug dealer, Manuel Soto-Vittini, probation rather than prison time.

"Well first of all, I think Judge Feeley's decision was ridiculous and an outrage," Baker told reporters after a Memorial Day ceremony on Boston Common.

Baker said in some cases the state should be able to divert people with drug problems into treatment. "But in this particular case, this criminal did not have an addiction," the governor said. "He was simply dealing death to make money. And I think for Judge Feeley to blow that off and to let him go was a terrible decision."

Some House lawmakers are seeking Feeley's removal. Rep. James Lyons, R-Andover, has filed a resolution asking Baker to remove Feeley from Essex Superior Court, according to the State House News Service.

"He let a heroin dealer back on the street, among other things, but this latest incident to me is an absolute outrage, and the logic he used to justify probation versus a prison sentence is just something that I think the public should be aware of and people should be concerned of," Lyons told the News Service.

Lyons has started an online petition calling for his removal.

Feeley was nominated for the Superior Court in 2008 by Gov. Deval Patrick. He also reportedly once lowered bail for John Williams, a Maine man who allegedly went on to kill a sheriff's deputy.

Asked whether he will take steps to remove Feeley, a former prosecutor, Baker pointed to Judge Thomas Estes, who was censured by the state Supreme Judicial Court and ordered to start an unpaid, indefinite suspension. Estes had admitted to sex with a drug court clinician in his chambers.

"Look, the courts need to take a look at this stuff," Baker said. "As they did with Judge Estes. Judge Estes shouldn't be behind the bench. And the SJC ruled today that he's suspended indefinitely without pay, and they censured him, which I think is a pretty good start."

Calls for Feeley's removal have drawn responses from legal groups, including the Committee for Public Counsel Services.

"Our forefathers were careful in crafting both our nation's tenets and in Article 29 of the Bill of Rights of the Massachusetts Constitution. If we begin to remove judges because we don't like their decisions, then we begin to undermine our judicial system and the judicial impartiality that is so vital in maintaining a fair judiciary," said Anthony Benedetti, chief counsel for the Committee for Public Counsel Services.

Material from State House News Service was used in this report.BOSTON -- State officials are asking local fire departments to take inventory of any stockpiles of toxic firefighting foam that might still be in their possession.

A funded take-back program will send a contractor to dispose of any pre-2003 foam which contain perfluorinated compounds. The compounds, known as PFOA and PFOS, have contaminated groundwater and drinking water sources across the country.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection is collaborating with the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services to run the program. Fire departments are urged to check in by June 15, and may call Nick Child at (617) 574-6847.

"We strongly recommend that fire departments take advantage of this program," said MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg.

Locally, Westfield has sued 3M, Chemguard, and Tyco -- manufacturers of firefighting foam linked to groundwater contamination. The city also filed a Notice of Tort Claim against the United States Air Force, a prerequisite to filing a lawsuit.

The foam was used at the Barnes Air National Guard Base and the Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport for firefighter training.

PFOS and PFOA exposure "could result in health effects including, but not limited to, kidney cancer, testicular cancer, developmental effects to fetuses during pregnancy or to breastfed infants, liver effects, immune effects and thyroid effects," according to the city's complaint in U.S. District Court.

In Westfield, tests showed the emerging contaminants in city wells. Westfield is struggling with how to pay for the cleanup as the City Council considers a $13 million bond request from Mayor Brian P. Sullivan.

Manufacturers stopped making the suspect foams in 2002. Now they make "more fluorine-stable and fluorine-free" firefighting foams with less impact, according to MassDEP.SPRINGFIELD -- U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Francis E. Drake Jr., more than 75 long years following his heroic death on a faraway battlefield, is finally returning home.

The remains of the 20-year-old, the city's first Marine to be killed in World War ll, are being flown in from Hawaii to Bradley International Airport Thursday afternoon.

Surviving members of Drake's extended family, all born after his death, never got a chance to know their Uncle Franny, but it's an emotional homecoming for them all the same.

"It's been a long time coming," said Francis P. Drake, a city native and nephew of the fallen Marine, who laid in a forgotten and obscure grave in Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, for nearly three-quarters of a century.

Drake will be interred with military honors Friday morning at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam.

A bolt from the blue discovery of Drake's remains in 2011, followed by years of painstaking forensic work by personnel from the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command Central Identification Laboratory and others, resulted in his homecoming.

Drake, who grew up at 255 Mill St., was fatally struck by enemy fire in Guadalcanal in 1942 while attempting to rescue a fellow Marine. He posthumously received a Silver Star for his actions that day.

Shortly before he left the family home for good to fight in the Pacific, Drake asked his mother to do her best, should anything happen to him, to return him to his native soil.

But that was not to be. At least not in Lillian Drake's lifetime and then some, even though she strove to honor her eldest son's wishes by writing letter after anguished letter to military officials, seeking information about her son's death and the location of his grave.

In one of those letters, dated Dec. 10, 1942, and sent to one Capt. C.P. Lancaster, Lillian Drake, refers to her son's wish to be buried in his own country.

"So, quite naturally, that is all I have left to look forward to as long as I am left to carry on," reads her handwritten note. "I hope you will be patient with me as these things are expected and yet when they occur they are a terrific shock."

A photograph of Lillian Drake, standing with then-Mayor Daniel Brunton and others next to a newly erected memorial to her son on Court Square, appeared on the front page of the Springfield Union on May 31, 1949. It was about that time that the American Graves Registration Service, after two years of searching for isolated burial sites in Guadalcanal, deemed Drake's remains nonrecoverable.

The mourning family, amidst all the uncertainty of not knowing where Private Drake was buried, suffered another blow when, in 1950, his name was removed from the Court Square memorial in favor of a plaque honoring all marines.

"That was very very painful to the family," Francis P. Drake said. "Especially to Lillian."

Lillian Drake died in 1954, her son's wish unfulfilled. She didn't even know where he was buried.

"She died of a heart attack," said Francis P. Drake's wife, Rainey Drake. "My husband keeps saying she died of a broken heart."

Francis P. Drake said Private Drake's father, Francis "Frank" Drake Sr., lived another 15 years or so after his wife died. He rarely talked about his fallen and missing son, Drake said.

"It wasn't something that came up too often because it was too hard on him." Drake said. "It was too emotional."

Private Drake's parents, his two younger brothers, Walter and Donald Drake, and other family members are all buried in St. Michael's Cemetery.

Private Drake, born in Framingham, was one of 12 members of the 7th Marines, 1st Marine Battalion, who were buried in hastily dug graves after a fierce two-month battle and whose remains were not found after the war, according military documents.

The fallen Marine's long journey back home began in 2011, improbably enough, when a man named Yorick Tokuru, a resident of Guadalcanal, began to dig on his property, preparing to build an outdoor kitchen near his home.

Tokuru uncovered a nearly intact human skeleton. Royal Solomon Islands Police Force investigators excavated the site and turned the remains over to the state archaeologist, who in turn contacted an Australian expert on the Battle of Guadalcanal. That expert then informed the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Agency (JPAC) of the recovery.

Two years later, another set of human remains was discovered inside the backyard kitchen at the property, along with an ID tag issued to "Pfc F.E. Drake Jr."

JPAC ultimately took possession of the remains and ID tag, along with a third set of remains. They were sent to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for further analysis.

In August of 2017, after extensive analysis, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, successor to JPAC, issued a medical examiner summary report that concluded the remains recovered with the ID tag were indeed those of Pfc. Francis Ernest Drake.

The extensive report, included in voluminous binder of materials given to the Drakes, details how that determination was made following DNA analysis, dental analysis and anthropological analysis.

Although the DNA evidence was inconclusive, the dental evidence was a primary factor in the identification. Material evidence from the burial site, including a pocket knife, assorted buckles, clips, boot eyelets and other items, also played a factor in the identification.

Two months later, Rainey Drake received a telephone call from a representative of Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia who told her the astonishing news.

"It was just amazing," she said. "It was so exciting to find out what happened to him."

"We never thought it was going to happen," said Francis P. Drake. "We gave up a long time ago."

Several weeks later, a military coroner and representatives from Quantico and Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee showed up at the Drakes' door. They brought Private Drake's ID tag and other materials, including the binder of materials put together by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

"It brought tears to my eyes," Francis P. Drake said. "I just can't believe it had happened."

"What's so great about this is our ability to be able to fulfill that which his mother wrote letter after letter for," said Rainey Drake. "This brings forth his desire and her peace. We are bringing him home."

The Drakes decided to publicize Private Drake long-sought return home in part because they hope to connect with peers or fellow marines who knew him, perhaps even marines who fought with him on that Guadalcanal battlefield.

They realize it's improbable. Perhaps even more improbable than a man named Yorick Tokuru uncovering bones in his backyard halfway across the world.

Still, they want to try learn anything more about their uncle's life. If alive today, the private would be celebrating his 96th birthday next month.

"Everyone else in our family has passed," Rainey Drake said. "There is no one alive that knew Uncle Franny. That's the sad part, there is no one here who knows who he is."

The black binder offers hints, though, of what Private Drake was like. Documents from his induction in Springfield on Oct. 22, 1940, indicate he was 5 feet 4 inches tall and 128 pounds, with greenish-blue eyes, brown hair and a ruddy complexion.

His official photograph, taken that day, shows an intent young man with newly shorn hair and a hint of a grin belying his otherwise serious demeanor.

An account of the events of that fateful day on Oct. 9,1942, indicate that the fight along the west bank of the Matanikau River was Private Drake's third significant combat operation in as many weeks.

The 1st Marine Division had landed at Guadalcanal in early August, the first U.S. offensive of the war. Guadalcanal is one of five islands in the Solomons.

The letter sent to Drake's father on Nov. 19, 1942, informing the family of his death in combat, is included. As is the series of letters written by Lillian Drake that followed.

A copy of the Silver Star citation, awarded by Fleet Admiral William Frederick "Bull" Halsey Jr., for Drake's "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action" is in the binder as well. The citation relates Drake's last few moments: "While exposed to enemy fire, in company with another Marine he attempted to carry a wounded Marine from the scene of his injury to a protective ridge, about one hundred yards distant and when nearing his objective, was struck by enemy fire and killed."

Rainey Drake said she is struck by the courage and determination that Private Drake, physically a relatively small man, must have had to help carry a fallen comrade that far in the heat of battle.

The Drakes said the second set of remains discovered in Tokuru's backyard have also been identified and sent back to the United States for burial. Investigators are still attempting to confirm the identity of the third set of remains.

A memorial service honoring Drake will be held Friday at 11 a.m. in St. Michael's Cathedral, 260 State St. A period of visitation, from 10-11 a.m., will precede there. Rites of committal and interment will follow at the Massachusetts Veterans' Memorial Cemetery, 1390 Main St., Agawam, at 1 p.m.SPRINGFIELD- With the Springfield police escort in tow, the remains of the first U.S. Marine from the city to be killed in action in World War II were welcomed home Thursday evening, more than 75 years after he was died in Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.

Private First Class Francis E. Drake, Jr., who grew up at 255 Mill St., was fatally struck by enemy fire in Guadalcanal in 1942 while attempting to rescue a fellow Marine. He posthumously received a Silver Star for his actions that day.

The fallen Marine's long journey back home began in 2011, improbably enough, when a man named Yorick Tokuru, a resident of Guadalcanal, began to dig on his property, preparing to build an outdoor kitchen near his home.

Tokuru uncovered a nearly intact human skeleton. Royal Solomon Islands Police Force investigators excavated the site and turned the remains over to the state archaeologist, who in turn contacted an Australian expert on the Battle of Guadalcanal. That expert then informed the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Agency (JPAC) of the recovery.

The remains of the 20-year-old were flown in from Hawaii to Bradley International Airport Thursday afternoon, and taken to Sampson's Family Chapels, which is handling the arrangements.

A memorial service honoring Drake will be held Friday at 11 a.m. in St. Michael's Cathedral, 260 State St. A period of visitation, from 10-11 a.m., will precede there.

Rites of committal and interment will follow at the Massachusetts Veterans' Memorial Cemetery, 1390 Main St., Agawam, at 1 p.m.Springfield police investigated a ShotSpotter activation on Revere Street Wednesday night, while minutes later a gunshot victim was brought to the Baystate Medical Center by private vehicle.

Springfield Police spokesman Ryan Walsh said the 9:10 p.m. activation brought Major Crimes detectives to search for ballistic evidence at the Revere Street scene.

Walsh said property damage from gunfire was found in the vicinity.

Just five minutes after the initial ShotSpotter activation, a private car dropped off a gunshot victim at the emergency room of the Baystate Medical Center.

Walsh said it is unclear if the two incidents are connected.

The condition of the wounded individual is unknown.

The shooting remains under investigation.The leader of the Massachusetts Pagans motorcycle gang was among 49 people arrested this week following a year-long investigation by Rhode Island authorities that resulted in the seizure of 53 illegal guns as well as large quantities of heroin and other drugs, according to officials.

Col. Ann C. Assumpico, the superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, announced the arrests Wednesday, saying that the bust is believed to be the single largest takedown in the Rhode Island State Police history.

The investigation focused on two gangs, The Pagans and Kryptmen, whose members were allegedly involved in gun and drug trafficking and other criminal activity, officials said.

Jason Oliver from Fall River was identified as the leader of the Massachusetts Pagans biker gang, according to Rhode Island State Police. He was among 49 people arrested, several of whom are Massachusetts residents.

The arrests were made following a series of pre-dawn raids conducted by authorities. Most of the raids were conducted at Rhode Island addresses, but police received search warrants for and raided the following properties in Massachusetts: 111 Pulaski Blvd. in Bellingham; 7 Old Mendon Road in Blackstone; 30 Old Worcester Road in Charlton; and 196 West St. in Milford.

"These gang members are not recreational bikers organizing local charities. These are violent criminals who belong to some of the most sinister motorcycle gangs in this country," Assumpico said in a statement. "[Wednesday's] arrests send a clear and convincing message: we will not allow motorcycle gangs and other criminals to sell guns and drugs on our streets and commit violent crimes in our communities."

In conducting the raids shortly before 4 a.m. Wednesday, authorities used explosive devices to breach heavily fortified buildings, an armored truck and battering ram to break down doors, and dozens of heavily armed SWAT team members and other officers, Rhode Island State Police said.

The raids were conducted without incident.

Escalating tension and an increased risk of violence in recent weeks led to the decision to conduct the raids Wednesday, according to Rhode Island State Police Lt. Colonel Philbin.

Massachusetts residents arrested in the raid included Robert Hamilton, of Franklin; Lisa Kakazu, of Bellingham; Marc Bunnell, of Blackstone; and Jason Oliver, of Fall River.

Massachusetts residents still wanted by authorities include Robert Gill, of Blackstone; Robert Minior, of Milford; and Joejihao Qian, of Norwood.

The 12-month investigation was dubbed Operation Patched Out and included assistance from the Massachusetts State Police, the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, among other agencies.

In addition to the 53 illegal guns that were seized, authorities also discovered large quantities of marijuana, crack, cocaine and heroin, Rhode Island State Police said.

Rhode Island State Police investigators intercepted thousands of phone calls and text messages through electronic surveillance and court-ordered wiretaps through the investigation.

The investigation also revealed what Rhode Island State Police called "extensive evidence" of other criminal activity, including large-scale gun and drug trafficking; widespread theft and sale of stolen ATVs, lawn tractors, snow blowers and other equipment; and fraudulent mortgage and bank activity.Authorities have asked Mathew Locke, a relative of a family found dead in their West Brookfield home, to provide a DNA sample, according to news reports.

Locke, 31, of Ware, has been visited in jail by State Police detectives and asked to give a cheek swab sample, according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. That sample would provide authorities with his DNA.

Locke is charged with misleading a police investigation for allegedly making statements to authorities that MS-13 was involved in the deaths of Sara Bermudez, 38, and her children, 8-year-old Madison, 6-year-old James and 2-year-old Michael.

The four were found dead at 10 Old Warren Road on March 1 after a well-being check. Sources told MassLive that the bodies were burned.

Locke is a cousin of Moses Bermudez, the husband of Sara and the father of the children.

Authorities interviewed Locke multiple times in the weeks following the killings.

"Locke told investigators that Moses stated that they should pay attention to the news in the coming days because anyone associated with MS-13 was going to get hurt and die," court documents read.

However, Bermudez told authorities that he never made any reference to MS-13, court documents read.

At an appearance in East Brookfield District Court a month ago, a prosecutor said there are plans to indict Locke on the charge of misleading a police investigation.

Also during that court appearance, Locke's attorney, John Madaio, told the judge that State Police investigators had been visiting Locke in jail to ask his client questions.

A spokesman for the Worcester County District Attorney's office said those investigators were not from Worcester County and were asking about a different case.

Locke has not been charged with the killings of Sara Bermudez and her children.

Few details about the investigation or the nature of the Bermudez family killings have been released. Death certificates list the cause of death for the family members as "pending."

When asked last month if his client was a suspect in the killings, Madaio said, "I don't know," and dodged other questions from reporters before driving away from the courthouse.

Locke is a convicted arsonist. In 2010 he set a fire outside a trailer belonging to a man who was dating his ex-girlfriend, officials said.

He also has a history of alleged domestic violence. In 2009, Locke was accused of threatening to kill a man and cut his head off.

In that case, Locke was charged with domestic assault and battery. The charges were dismissed in 2011 at the request of his ex-girlfriend, court records show.By Jennifer Rubin

The Washington Post

President Donald Trump has canceled the North Korea summit, sending a bizarrely informal and personal letter. His stated reason - Kim Jong Un's comments - seems implausible; most likely, Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo figured out the entire exercise was a ruse. North Korea is not contemplating giving up its nukes. But then any casual observer of North Korea would know that.

The Post reports:

"In his letter, Trump held open the possibility that the two leaders could meet at a later date to discuss denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, which Trump has been pushing.

"The decision came amid hostile warnings from North Korea in recent days that it was reconsidering participation.

"North Korea said Wednesday that it is up to the United States to decide whether it wants to "meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown."

"A close aide to Kim unleashed a torrent of invective against the Trump administration Thursday morning, calling Vice President Mike Pence a "political dummy" for remarks he made Monday in a television interview that made reference to the downfall of the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi."

It is hard to imagine that nasty rhetoric was the decisive factor. That said, Trump is famously thin-skinned, and his letter reflects his personal pique at the tongue-lashing his administration received. His letter spoke in highly personal terms, praising the "wonderful dialogue [that] was building up between you and me" and then thanking Kim for releasing the Americans he never should have detained ("a beautiful gesture"). To complete the unprofessional tone, he threw in a classic Trumpian boast that while Kim talks about his nukes "ours are so massive and powerful."

Defenders who proclaimed his North Korea summitry brilliant now must declare its cancellation brilliant. Like clockwork, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., chimed in, "North Korea has a long history of demanding concessions merely to negotiate. While past administrations of both parties have fallen for this ruse, I commend the president for seeing through Kim Jong Un's fraud. As I have long said, our maximum-pressure campaign on North Korea must continue." But why did Trump fall for the ruse in the first place?

In coming days and weeks we will learn exactly what transpired. Perhaps there never was a real offer, only wishful thinking from the South Koreans, infamous for their willingness to indulge in wishful thinking. Maybe this is the triumph of national security adviser John Bolton - give the man his due - who never believed North Korea was interested in voluntary denuclearization. The failure of his first significant foreign policy endeavor may have serious consequences for Pompeo, who went from savvy hawk to hopeful diplomat. If this impairs his future credibility and influence, his success in releasing U.S. prisoners may be looked back upon as the high point of his career.

Former U.S. ambassador Eric Edelman tells me, "I am afraid that this cancellation was all too predictable - accepting an oral invitation conveyed by South Korean officials with their own agenda and without careful consideration by senior officials invited miscommunication and miscalculation. " He continues, "A meeting without adequate preparation was probably worse than no meeting at all so we can breathe a little easier that the president, after praising Kim Jong Un as a gentleman, etc., has thought better of his initial impulse and canceled the meeting."

The problem now - and this was among the most troubling aspect of an impulsive decision to hold a summit almost certain to fail (or never occur) - is where we go from here. It's hard to imagine that lower-level diplomats can resume discussions if the president has thrown in the towel on diplomacy. Trump will no doubt begin banging the drums of war again, enjoying the credit from right-wingers who yesterday were praising him for dropping his bellicose tone.

However, threats without action quickly diminish our credibility. Nevertheless, in this instance, military action would no doubt entail a massive operation with huge casualties and property destruction. While Bolton and Trump may consider this a viable option, sober members of Congress and the country at-large show no enthusiasm for a replay of the first Korean War. The cancellation of the summit should therefore prompt Congress to assert its prerogative to declare war and speak with one voice that the president does not have the power to unilaterally order a first strike, which amounts to a declaration of war.

In short, Trump's impulsive actions and the subsequent failure of his summitry amply demonstrate the limitations of a president who operates from the "gut" with virtually no understanding of the complex issues involved. Rather than win a Nobel Peace Prize, he once again has proved himself to be clownish and incompetent. How things proceed from here is anyone's guess.After the Supreme Judicial Court decided to suspend Judge Thomas Estes without pay, some lawmakers are calling on Estes to resign -- or potentially face impeachment.

Rep. Angelo Puppolo, D-Springfield, said if Estes does not resign, lawmakers will not hesitate to consider ousting him. "It's time for the judge to do some soul searching and do what's best for the judiciary, the commonwealth, as well as his family," Puppolo said. "We'll have to act if he does not."

The SJC decided Thursday to suspend Estes indefinitely for having an extramarital affair with a drug court clinician, including courthouse trysts.

Estes' defense attorney David Hoose said Estes is disappointed in the decision. He would not say whether Estes will resign.

"Judge Estes is weighing his options," Hoose said.

According to a judicial investigating commission, Estes had sexual encounters with Pittsfield Drug Court clinician Tammy Cagle in the lobby of his judicial chambers. The two talked about the drug court, which Estes presided over, during their encounters. Estes used his state email for personal communications with Cagle.

The SJC found that Estes' actions brought "disrepute" to the judiciary, created an appearance of inappropriate influence and showed complete disrespect for the decorum of the court.

The SJC decided to publicly censure Estes and suspend him indefinitely beginning June 15. This effectively removes Estes from ever resuming his job as a judge. But it is up to the state Legislature to decide whether to impeach him.

In the case of legislative removal, the House could pass a bill containing articles of impeachment, after which the Senate would hold a trial.

Alternatively, the House and Senate may both issue a "bill of address," which must be agreed on by the governor and confirmed by the Governor's Council.

Sen. Will Brownsberger, D-Belmont, Senate chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said he is still figuring out the process for potential impeachment.

A spokesman for Senate President Harriette Chandler, D-Worcester, said the Senate is looking at its next steps. House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop, said similarly that he is still looking into the process.

House spokesman Seth Gitell said the House has a copy of the SJC's order. "We concur with the SJC's concerns regarding whether Judge Estes 'can command the respect and authority essential to the performance of his judicial function,'" Gitell said in a statement.

Gitell said House leaders are reviewing the order, together with the governor and Senate, and "we are assessing our options on how best to discharge our solemn constitutional obligations."

Gov. Charlie Baker said Thursday he believes Estes "shouldn't be behind the bench."

"The SJC ruled today that he is suspended indefinitely without pay and they censured him, which I think is a pretty good start," Baker said.

According to an aide, Baker plans to talk to the Legislature about next steps, should Estes decline to resign.

The last time a Massachusetts judge was impeached was in 1973, according to the Associated Press.

Puppolo said Estes' misconduct is a "very troubling set of circumstances," and the decision by the Supreme Judicial Court "certainly speaks volumes about the magnitude and seriousness of the situation."

"I think we certainly are going to have to keep all options on the table and move in an expeditious way," Puppolo said. "It might be time for Judge Estes to do a little soul searching and decide how far he wants to pursue this. If ball is in our court, we're going to have to act and act swiftly."

Rep. Michael Finn, D-West Springfield, said given the determinations by the Commission of Judicial Conduct, which recommended indefinite suspension, and the Supreme Judicial Court, "The fact he hasn't already resigned leaves me scratching my head."

Finn said he would support impeachment. "As elected officials and as judicial officials as well, we take an oath of office, and part of that oath of office is to maintain certain standards of conduct, which Judge Estes clearly didn't do," Finn said.

"His actions were clearly inappropriate," Finn said. "Everyone makes mistakes, but in this instance, those mistakes have consequences. Unfortunately for him, the last actions he had are the ones he'll be remembered for and will be the ones that decide his own fate."

Rep. John Velis, D-Westfield, at attorney who has appeared before Estes, said Estes had a good reputation as a judge. However, Velis said, "actions have consequences," and a public official is "constantly under a microscope."

"It's probably time for Judge Estes to leave gracefully and resign," Velis said.

Rep. Smitty Pignatelli, D-Lenox, said similarly that the Supreme Judicial Court clearly found Estes unfit to be on the bench. "If he's smart, he should just resign," Pignatelli said.

Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, D-Pittsfield, said before considering entering into impeachment proceedings, lawmakers will need a lot more information. "It's definitely not something you take lightly," Farley-Bouvier said. "I need to learn about the procedure, and I need and want to learn more about the facts of the case."

Several other lawmakers from Western Massachusetts said they had not heard talk of impeachment, largely because the Legislature has been busy with other matters -- the House passed a major gun bill yesterday, and the Senate is debating the state budget.

"I have not heard a single word about that," said Rep. Thomas Petrolati, D-Ludlow.

Members of the Governor's Council, which confirms judges, have also called on Estes to step down.

Estes was appointed to the bench in 2014 by then-Gov. Deval Patrick.

He has not heard any cases since July, but has still been paid his $172,000 annual salary after he was assigned to administrative duties in Holyoke District Court.

Prior to his reassignment he was first justice in charge of Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown.

This story was updated with comment from Gitell.By Colin A. Young/SHNS

After lengthy and emotional debate late Wednesday evening, the Massachusetts Senate adopted a budget amendment to restrict cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities.

The amendment filed by Sen. Jamie Eldridge, which had been the subject of behind-the-scenes discussions all week, was approved on a 25-13 vote after 90 minutes of debate that stretched until 11 p.m.

Democratic Sens. Michael Brady, Anne Gobi, Marc Pacheco, Michael Rodrigues, Michael Rush and Walter Timilty joined the Senate's seven Republicans in opposition.

The amendment (# 1147) would prevent law enforcement from asking people about their immigration status, prohibit collaboration between Massachusetts law enforcement and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and would bar state resources from being used to create a registry based on ethnicity, religion, country of origin and other criteria.

"This would assure police and law enforcement refrain from inquiring about immigration status unless required by law. It would also require police to obtain consent before an interview with ICE and inform them of their right to deny an interview with ICE," Eldridge said. "It would also prohibit 287G agreements which deputize local authorities to enforce federal immigration law."

The amendment shared many similarities with the Safe Communities Act, legislation that Eldridge has promoted on Beacon Hill.

In late April, House Speaker said he does not envision bringing the Safe Communities Act to the House floor for a vote this session because he said there was no consensus in the body.

"I feel badly for our body at this moment. We are being asked to vote on an amendment that won't be considered by the House, would be rejected by the governor and is not viable in this building," Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr said. "The amendment before us has internal contradictions, violates federal law, is not practical in terms of its application, and could have what I would hope would be the unintended consequence of prohibiting communication between law enforcement officials when it is in the interest of public safety. I am deeply disappointed."

Tarr and the Republican caucus proposed their own versions of Eldridge's amendment, but those amendments were voted down by the Senate.

Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, said in a statement, "It is impossible to underestimate the impact these simple policies would have on countless lives of Massachusetts residents. We are all better off when parents do not have to fear being torn from their children, and when victims of domestic violence and other vulnerable residents feel safe to reach out to law enforcement for help."

Shira Schoenberg of The Republican contributed reporting.The Governor-General of Australia and his spouse are paying a State visit to Vietnam from May 23 to 26, on the occasion of the 45th founding anniversary of the two countries diplomatic ties.

At the banquet following an official welcoming ceremony, President Quang said weathering many difficulties and challenges, bilateral relations have grown steadier and stronger than ever. The year 2018 has witnessed many important events in Vietnam-Australia relations, including the elevation of their ties to a strategic partnership in March.

Reviewing the outcomes of bilateral connections, he noted with satisfaction the increasingly strengthened mutual understanding and political trust between the two countries leaders and peoples.

He voiced his belief that the visit of the Governor-General will be a success, thus helping foster the Vietnam-Australia strategic partnership, bringing more practical benefits for the countries peoples and contributing to regional peace, stability, cooperation, and development.

Governor-General of Australia Peter Cosgrove speaks at the banquet. (Photo: VOV)

In his speech, Governor-General Cosgrove expressed his delight at his first visit to Vietnam, adding that the trip, which marks the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, is also an occasion for the two countries to move towards new frameworks in their strategic partnership.

He affirmed that Australia is proud to have a close friend and partner like Vietnam to join hands for the sake of peace and prosperity in the two countries, as well as in the region, and the world.

Vietnamese and Australian scientists and researchers are cooperating to apply their research findings to life. Servicemen and servicewomen of the countries are working together to prepare for Vietnams first deployment of military officers to the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan. Meanwhile, their businesses are boosting partnerships in new spheres, such as renewable energy and agriculture, he noted.

The visiting leader said bilateral connections will further develop in both depth and width in the time ahead, and these linkages will be a solid foundation for the two countries to build a brighter future.

President Tran Dai Quang and Governor-General of Australia Peter Cosgrove inspect the guard of honour at a welcome ceremony in Hanoi on the morning of May 24. (Photo: NDO/Tran Hai)

Also on the morning of May 24, Governor-General Cosgrove laid a wreath at the Monument to Heroic Martyrs and paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at the late Vietnamese leaders mausoleum in Hanoi.DEERFIELD -- Eight Democrats vying for Rep. Stephen Kulik's 1st Franklin House District seat fielded questions about energy and climate change at an election-year forum Wednesday night.

Each agreed that Massachusetts needs to accelerate its transition to a clean energy future. Several took aim at the state's powerful utilities, and said regulatory reform is needed. Each vowed to fight natural gas pipelines and said they would not accept campaign cash from the fossil fuel industry.

The candidates are Kate Albright-Hanna, Andrew Baker, Natalie Blais, Christine Doktor, Jonathan Edwards, Casey Pease, Francia Wisnewski, and Nathaniel Waring. Kulik, a Worthington Democrat, is retiring after 25 years on Beacon Hill.

The forum, held at Frontier Regional High School in Deerfield, was moderated by Fran Volkman of Northampton. A panel of three -- Nicole Moore of the League of Women Voters; Jenny Daniell of Climate Action Now; and George Forcier, managing editor of the Greenfield Recorder -- posed questions.

Topics included the proper role of wood-burning biomass and Canadian hydropower; efforts to reform the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities; the importance of local food systems; practical methods for achieving a low-carbon future; and the relationship between energy policy and economic justice.

The rural district in recent years was ground zero in the fight against Kinder Morgan's Northeast Energy Direct natural gas pipeline, and Kulik was an advocate for the opposition on Beacon Hill. The Texas energy giant withdrew its pipeline plans in May of 2016.

The district comprises 19 towns in Hampshire and Franklin counties: Ashfield, Buckland, Chester, Chesterfield, Conway, Cummington, Deerfield, Goshen, Huntington, Leverett, Middlefield, Montague, Plainfield, Shelburne, Shutesbury, Sunderland, Whately, Williamsburg, and Worthington.

The Democratic primary is Sept. 4. No Republican is in the race.

Albright-Hanna is an Emmy-winning journalist from Huntington. She graduated from Georgetown University before working for CNN, Vice, and MSNBC, was director of video for President Obama's 2007 campaign, and communications director for Zephyr Teachout in her 2014 run for New York governor.



Baker, who sits on the Shelburne Select Board, runs the manufacturing skills initiative for the Franklin Hampshire Regional Employment Board. He previously directed the Greater Shelburne Falls Area Business Association and the Hilltown Community Development Corporation.



Blais, a Sunderland resident, is executive director of the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. She is a former aide to Rep. James McGovern (D-Worcester) and Rep. John Olver (D-Amherst). She earned a political science degree at Dickinson College, and a master's degree in organizational and political communication from Emerson College.

Doktor grew up in the town of Peru, and is a Cummington farmer and lawyer. She is a graduate of the Columbia University School of Law. She said she previously took on legal matters such as the World Trade Center bombing, and more recently worked with anti-pipeline groups.

Edwards spent 14 years on the Whately Select Board, and helped create South County Emergency Medical Services. He briefly ran for lieutenant governor in 2014. He is co-founder of SmartPower, a marketing firm for renewable energy.

Pease, 20, chairs the Worthington Democratic Town Committee, was an organizer for the presidential campaign of Vt. Sen. Bernie Sanders, and worked on the Save Our Public Schools campaign, opposing charter schools in Massachusetts.



Waring, from Sunderland, is a 34-year-old Greenfield Community College student. He described himself as "a different kind of candidate."



Wisnewski is chair of the Hampshire Franklin Commission on the Status of Women, a Montague Town Meeting member, and a member of the Montague Democratic Committee. She served on the Greenfield School Committee, works in early childhood literacy, and holds a master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts.







By Andy Metzger

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, MAY 24, 2018...Gov. Charlie Baker would veto a Senate budget provision limiting state law enforcement's role in enforcement of federal immigration laws, he said Thursday.

The measure - a pared-down version of the so-called Safe Communities legislation - passed the Senate 25-13 and was added to the Senate's fiscal 2019 budget bill late Wednesday night.

"I don't support it and I would veto it if it ends up coming to my desk," Baker said after a Memorial Day event on Boston Common. "I've said many times that I think decisions like this belong with local law enforcement."

The provision would bar state and local police from inquiring into someone's immigration status and prevent collaborations known as 287G agreements where state and county officials are essentially deputized by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Department of Correction officials would be able to continue those agreements under the provision. The legislation would require state and local officials to share immigration documents with individuals within their custody and inform them that they do not need to talk to federal immigration officials.

In his remarks Thursday, Baker spoke out against legislation prohibiting communication between ICE and local officials.

"I do not believe the state should be stepping into this. And I especially don't believe that we should pass legislation that makes it impossible for the state of Massachusetts - with criminals who are currently in our prisons and have been convicted of terrible crimes and may be here illegally - that we should not be allowed to talk to the feds. I think that's ridiculous and outrageous and I don't support it," Baker said.

An Acton Democrat, Sen. Jamie Eldridge, the sponsor of the amendment, said prohibiting communication between ICE and local officials is not part of the provision adopted in the Senate on Wednesday. Eldridge suggested that the governor has not actually read the amendment and said he is "troubled" by the Republican governor's rhetoric about unauthorized immigrants.

"His language has been very much in line with Donald Trump's rhetoric regarding undocumented immigrants," Eldridge told the News Service, saying, "I hope he reads the amendment."

The amendment (#1147) states, "Nothing in this section shall prohibit or restrain the commonwealth, any political subdivision thereof, or any employee or agent of the commonwealth or any of its political subdivisions, from sending to, or receiving from, any local, state, or federal agency, information regarding citizenship or immigration status, consistent with Section 1373 of Title 8 of the United States Code."

"Governor Baker opposes a sanctuary state and this amendment does not address the issue of creating clear guidelines for state and local law enforcement to work with federal immigration officials to detain violent and dangerous criminals convicted of heinous crimes like rape and murder, as the governor's legislation would," communications director Elizabeth Guyton said. Last summer, Baker filed legislation (H 3870) that would allow state officials to honor detainer requests from ICE.

Senators debated the issue Wednesday night, and Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr predicted Eldridge's proposal "won't be considered by the House, would be rejected by the governor and is not viable in this building."

House Speaker Robert DeLeo has previously said the House lacks consensus on how to address the interplay between immigration officials and state and local law enforcement, and on Thursday he indicated that dynamic remains the same.

"Not a whole lot has changed in terms of the general feelings of the members," DeLeo told reporters on Thursday after the Memorial Day event. He said, "Sure, things can change but as of right now that is not one of the issues I have been hearing from members about."

The Supreme Judicial Court changed how state law enforcement interacts with federal immigration agents when the court ruled last July that state officials cannot detain someone solely at the request of ICE.

"The prudent course is not for this court to create, and attempt to define, some new authority for court officers to arrest that heretofore has been unrecognized and undefined," the court wrote in its unsigned opinion in Commonwealth v. Sreynuon Lunn. "The better course is for us to defer to the Legislature to establish and carefully define that authority if the Legislature wishes that to be the law of this Commonwealth."

Touting what he called a "strong vote" on the proposal Wednesday, Eldridge said he is optimistic about the proposal gaining traction.

"I think it's really just the beginning," Eldridge said. He said, "We'll see what happens in the conference committee."By Andy Metzger

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, MAY 23, 2018.....More than a year after it was first filed, lawmakers on Wednesday rushed to the governor a bill financing affordable housing development and improvements at public housing facilities.

The five-year, $1.8 billion housing bond bill (H 4536) cleared the House and Senate on Wednesday night, hours after negotiators settled on a final plan.

The legislation includes $400 million in capital for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund; $600 million for Department of Housing and Community Development projects; $45 million in funding to develop early care and education and out of school programs; and $60 million in financing to improve housing accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

Other features of the bill include $150 million in spending authorizations for the Housing Stabilization and Investment Trust Fund; $100 million for the Workforce Housing Fund; $65 million for loans to facilitate housing for individuals with mental illnesses; $55 million for community-based housing for individuals with disabilities and at risk of being institutionalized; and $50 million to develop residential housing and mixed use developments near "main street areas."

While the bill investing in housing is on the move, legislation making state policy changes aimed at boosting housing production remains held up at the legislative committee level with just over two months before formal legislative sessions come to an end on July 31.

While making major investments in an area that policymakers say needs attention, the legislation will also add to the state's already high per capita debt burden, with borrowing authorizations included in the bill that may not be fully paid off until 2053.

In addition to the debt-financed spending included in the legislation, the bill authorizes tax credits to spur housing production.

The House and Senate had disagreed on how much to annually allocate for the low-income housing tax credit, before ultimately electing to go with the higher $25 million figure adopted by the Senate, according to a legislative aide.

Baker administration officials had earlier urged lawmakers to work swiftly on the bill, warning that funding for programs could soon dry up.

"We're going to soon be running out of authorization," Chrystal Kornegay, who was the undersecretary of Housing and Community Development and now leads MassHousing, told lawmakers in February.

The legislation was based on bills filed in April 2017 by Gov. Charlie Baker and at the start of the two-year session by Brighton Rep. Kevin Honan and Linda Dorcena Forry, who left the Senate earlier this year for a top position at Suffolk Construction.

Honan, and his Housing Committee co-chairman, Winthrop Sen. Joseph Boncore, led negotiations on the six-member conference committee, which filed their report with the House clerk on Wednesday afternoon.

The House voted 149-2 to accept the conference committee report with Republican Reps. Marc Lombardo, of Billerica, and James Lyons, of Andover, casting votes against the measure. The Senate adopted the agreement on a voice vote.

"I'm not convinced that we have spending under control," Lyons told the News Service in explanation for his vote.

[Michael Norton contributed reporting]President Donald Trump will not meet with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore next month, White House officials announced Thursday.

Trump, in a letter to Kim, said while he was "very much looking forward to" attending the historic meeting, he felt the sit down would be "inappropriate at this time" given the North Korean leader's recent "anger and open hostility."

"Please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place," Trump wrote. "You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but our are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used."

The president, however, did not rule out the possibility of the two sitting down at some point in the future, offering that he looks "very much forward to meeting (Kim)."

Letter to Chairman Kim Jong Un by The Republican/MassLive.com on Scribd

"If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write," he said. "The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is truly a sad moment in history."

He further thanked his North Korean counterpart for releasing American hostages -- a move which he cast as a "beautiful gesture."

The White House released Trump's letter as news outlets reported that Pyongyang had demolished tunnels, observation buildings, a metal foundry and living quarters that had been at its Punggye-ri nuclear test site.

A select group of journalists, including those from CNN, were reportedly invited to witness the destruction in the northern part of the country, a move which officials said sought to "ensure transparency of discontinuance of the nuclear test."

The demolition came as U.S. officials were expected to meet with North Korean officials to plan the June 12 summit in Singapore, despite comments from Trump and Kim that had cast doubt on whether the historic meeting would occur.

Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he would decide by next week whether he planned to move ahead with the sit down, offering that there was a "substantial chance" that he would cancel or push back the summit.

North Korea, in turn, said it would be up to the United States to decide if it wants to meet "at a meeting room or ... at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown."

Officials further took aim at Vice President Mike Pence, calling him a "political dummy" for comments he made to Fox News on Monday, according to reports.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated when more information is made available.The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued an order Thursday suspending Judge Thomas Estes without pay indefinitely and publicly censuring him, because of Estes' sexual relationship with a drug court clinician.

It will be up to the governor and Legislature whether to permanently remove Estes from the bench. Gov. Charlie Baker has already said he supports removal.

"We have no doubt that the Judge's undisclosed sexual relationship with a member of his drug court team raises, at the least, the appearance of inappropriate influence and partiality in his decisions regarding drug court participants and thus puts the integrity of the drug court during his leadership into question," the justices wrote. "Further damaging respect for his office, the Judge used his lobby in the courthouse for at least several of their sexual encounters, reflecting complete disrespect for the dignity and decorum of the court."

The justices noted that Estes used his state email to send personal communications to the clinician, Tammy Cagle.

They wrote that Estes' misconduct diminished the judiciary in the eyes of the public. They concluded, "We seriously question whether he can command the respect and authority essential to the performance of his judicial function."

The Supreme Judicial Court said Thursday that Estes suspension without pay is effective on June 15. The state Trial Court previously reported that Estes was continuing to collect an annual salary of $172,194.

Read the full order below.

In Re Thomas Estes, OE-136 by Anonymous SnY0inh on ScribdState Senate candidate Chelsea Kline has accused opponent Dave Murphy of making inappropriate comments about her appearance and feeling "entitled" to touch her at a political event.

The Republican / MassLive has left a message for Murphy and also spoke to two of his spokespeople Thursday morning seeking a response.

Kline first posted her accusations on Facebook Monday morning, without naming Murphy.

Kline, a Democrat from Northampton, wrote that at a recent political event, one of her male write-in challengers told her she looked "stunning" and "even more beautiful" than photos of her in stories about her candidacy. Kline said it became clear the opponent "didn't know a thing about me or my candidacy."

"These things happen to women all the time, but I'll admit I was pretty shocked to get it from an opponent," Kline wrote.

On Thursday, in an interview on the Bill Newman Show on WHMP, Kline named Murphy as the man she was accusing.

In an interview with The Republican / MassLive Tuesday, Kline said the man -- who she at that time declined to name -- "felt really entitled to touch my arm and my shoulder and my back and go on and on about my appearance."

Kline said she tried to change the conversation. "It just kept coming back to my beauty, how stunning I was, how charming I was," she said. "It was really uncomfortable."

She added: "I ended the conversation. He came at me and started to touch me again, reiterate his comments."

Kline said she decided to go public with her experience because it highlights the "lived experiences" of what women go through every day -- and women are not always able to speak up.

Two other men -- Central Hampshire Veterans' Services director Steven Connor and Northampton City Council president Ryan O'Donnell -- are also running for the seat as write-in candidates, as is one other woman, Jo Comerford.

The Republican / MassLive decided not to publish the accusations until Kline named the man.

"I didn't want to name him before because it's not about him as an individual. It's about the systemic issue," Kline said on Newman's radio show. "It was David Murphy. And he also rubbed my arm and back and shoulder and felt very entitled to invade my personal space and to touch me and to repeatedly talk about my appearance and how charming I was."

Asked by Newman about her initial refusal to name Murphy -- which then cast aspersions on the other male candidates -- Kline said that was not her intention. Kline said she thought of the incident as part of a broader issue, not as being about a specific person, and she was uncomfortable naming Murphy. "I regret I made other people uncomfortable," Kline said.

Murphy, a Democrat originally from Amherst, is a Newton lawyer and former aide to Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy. He has worked as general counsel to state Sens. Harriette Chandler and Mark Montigny and as legislative director in former Gov. Deval Patrick's administration.

The Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester State Senate seat is open following Stan Rosenberg's resignation earlier this month after an ethics scandal related to alleged sexual misconduct by his husband, Bryon Hefner.

Rosenberg resigned days after the deadline to file signatures to run for the seat, and Kline was the only candidate to file papers before that deadline.State Senate candidate Dave Murphy apologized to opponent Chelsea Kline after she accused him of making inappropriate comments about her appearance at a political event.

Murphy said he called Kline and apologized. "If anything I said offended her, that certainly wasn't my intention, and I wished her the best on the campaign trail," Murphy said.

Murphy said they had a "nice conversation."

"We both agreed we'll both be committed to trying to ensure that everybody has a fair opportunity to be heard on the issues and to be focused on the things that are important to the district," Murphy said. "And that we'll call people out when they engage in behavior that is inappropriate or that makes people feel that they're not being heard or listened to."

Kline said she accepts the apology. "He absolutely did the right thing, and I accept his apology, and we will move on, and we will talk about the issues, which is what I wanted to do to begin with," Kline said.

"People make mistakes and that's OK," Kline said. "It doesn't mean he's a bad person, it doesn't mean I don't have respect for him. That's part of being in community with people. We learn from each other, and when things are inappropriate, we say that's not OK and we apologize and we move on."

Kline and Murphy are running for the Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester District seat vacated by former Sen. Stan Rosenberg. Rosenberg resigned after an ethics scandal relating to alleged sexual misconduct by his husband.

On Monday, Kline wrote on Facebook that one of her competitors, at a political event, told her she looked "stunning" and "even more beautiful" than photos of her in news stories about her candidacy. Kline said the opponent "didn't know a thing about me or my candidacy."

In an interview with The Republican/MassLive.com, she said the man made her uncomfortable by being overly touchy and continuing to steer the conversation back to her appearance.

In a radio show Thursday, Kline identified the opponent as Murphy, who is one of four write-in candidates challenging her for the seat.

Murphy declined to comment on the accuracy of Kline's version of the events.

"I'm a big believer in the golden rule, treat everyone as you want to be treated," Murphy said. "I think some people have different expectations, and sometimes I think people can be offended for various reasons. I try to be polite and respectful to everyone."

Kline said she hopes people can learn from the incident. She said calling people out for inappropriate behavior is a way "to change the culture and change the way we interact."

"I believe that these are issues that women deal with all the time," Kline said. "And I want to make them more visible, I want to name it when I see it. And I want it to not happen all the time."

The incident happened Sunday night. Kline posted on Facebook Monday, but only named Murphy on Thursday.

Kline said she initially declined to name Murphy because she wanted to have a broader conversation about the hurdles women face professionally. "They are constantly judged and evaluated on their looks, on the tone of their voice and all these superficial things without acknowledging the depth and breadth of their experiences and their skills and what they bring to their professional worlds," Kline said.

But Kline said she realized her decision was unintentionally hurting the two other male write-in candidates. Central Hampshire Veterans' Services director Steven Connor and Northampton City Council president Ryan O'Donnell are also running for the seat as write-in candidates, as is one other woman, Jo Comerford. Kline is the only candidate whose name will appear on the ballot.

"I didn't want to make it about Murphy, and in the process I think I sort of made it a little bit more of a soup than I intended," Kline said.BOSTON -- The state Senate unanimously adopted an amendment on Thursday requiring the state Department of Transportation to conduct a study of high-speed rail between Boston and Springfield, this time with an extension to Pittsfield.

"We owe it to all four counties to make sure the entire four-county region of Western Mass. is included in the analysis," said Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow, who sponsored the amendment.

The study would look at capital and operating costs, ridership levels, operational issues, environmental and economic impacts, and the availability of funding.

MassDOT has already committed to studying east-west rail and expects to put out a request for proposals this summer to find someone to conduct the study.

Lesser said passing a legislative mandate is a "safety mechanism" to make sure the study actually gets done.

Lesser has been pushing for several years for a study of Springfield-to-Boston rail, and lawmakers from the Berkshire region asked to study a connection to Pittsfield as well.

The amendment will still have to make it through a conference committee with House negotiators, then be signed by Gov. Charlie Baker. The Senate has passed similar amendments several times before but they have never made it through the legislative process.U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, urged President Donald Trump Thursday against stoking further tensions with North Korea, following the White House's decision to cancel a upcoming summit with Kim Jong Un.

Markey, who has been an outspoken critic of the Republican's foreign policy, criticized Trump for using "threatening rhetoric" in a letter announcing that he would not longer meet with Kim in Singapore next month, as scheduled.

The Massachusetts Democrat took specific issue with the president's inclusion of language suggesting that the United States' nuclear capabilities "are so massive and powerful."

"I urge President Trump not to engage in the kind of threatening rhetoric that he used today in his letter as it only serves to enflame and destabilize the region," he said in a statement.

Stressing that the summit was "going to be the beginning of talks between the nations, not a conclusion," Markey contended that the U.S. should continue pushing for direct diplomatic negotiations that are backed by economic pressure.

"While the challenges to a lasting agreement with North Korea are great, we should not abandon diplomacy," he said.

The senator further criticized the Trump administration's handling of talks with Pyongyang, offering that "you cannot begin a negotiation with North Korea by advocating for the worst conclusion for its leader and expect that negotiation to succeed."

He argued that Trump "has approached this summit from the outset with naivete and inconsistency" and should "learn from past negotiations and engage in sustained diplomacy that will overcome the trust deficits forged by war and hardened by decades of hostility."

Trump announced earlier Thursday that while he was "very much looking forward to" attending the historic meeting with Kim, he felt the sit down would be "inappropriate at this time" given the North Korean leader's recent "anger and open hostility."

"Please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place," Trump wrote. "You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but our are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used."

The president later told reporters that while he hopes the U.S. and North Korea can "live together" in peace, "our military, which is by far the most powerful anywhere in the world and has been greatly enhanced ... they are ready if necessary."

I have decided to terminate the planned Summit in Singapore on June 12th. While many things can happen and a great opportunity lies ahead potentially, I believe that this is a tremendous setback for North Korea and indeed a setback for the world... pic.twitter.com/jT0GfxT0Lc  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 24, 2018

"Hopefully everything will work out well with North Korea. A lot of things can happen. Including the fact that perhaps ... it's possible that the existing summit could take place, or a summit at some later date ... We have to get it right. Nobody should be anxious," he added, according to White House pool reports.Manager Alex Cora told reporters in St. Petersburg there's a "good chance" Dustin Pedroia plays for the Boston Red Sox this weekend.

The Red Sox want him to play back-to-back seven-inning games at second base on his rehab assignment before returning. He played seven innings at second base for Triple-A Pawtucket today.

He's scheduled to play for the PawSox again tomorrow.

Pedroia went 0-for-3 with a walk and strikeout today vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Pedroia underwent a cartilage restoration procedure on his left knee Oct. 25.Both sides pledged to continue their close coordination on the East Sea issue and in the implementation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

PM Phuc recalled his good impressions of Australia and its people during his official visit to the country when attending the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit two months ago, especially the thorough and warm welcome offered to the Vietnamese delegation by the Governor-General and his spouse.

Governor-General Peter Cosgrove, who is on a State-level visit to Vietnam from May 23 to 26, expressed his delight at visiting Vietnam for the first time as the two countries are celebrating 45 years of diplomatic relations (1973-2018) and 20 years of their defence ties (1998-2018).

He congratulated the Vietnamese Government and people on their significant achievements across various fields, especially in boosting economic development, expanding foreign relations, maintaining social stability, and ensuring security.

Both sides pledge to continue their close coordination on the East Sea issue and in the implementation of the CPTPP. (Photo: NDO/Tran Hai)

The leaders voiced their pleasure at the results of cooperation between the two countries over the past 45 years. Accordingly, the bilateral political trust has been increasingly tightened through the regular exchange of delegations at all levels. Two-way trade has risen sharply, reaching US$6.5 billion in 2017. Australia is currently running 414 investment projects in Vietnam, ranking 19th among the 126 foreign investors in the Southeast Asian country. Bilateral cooperation in security-defence, education-training, and science-technology is also growing strongly, and has become an important pillar in Vietnam-Australia relations.

In order to further deepen cooperation between the two countries, PM Phuc suggested that both sides actively finalise the 2016-2019 Action Programme, promote the implementation of the connotations agreed in the Joint Statement on the establishment of a strategic partnership between Vietnam and Australia, and accelerate measures to increase two-way trade and investment, including the reduction/removal of trade barriers and the creation of favourable conditions for their business communities.

The Australian Governor-General agreed with PM Phuc on the necessary directions to boost bilateral relations, recommending that the two sides take advantage of the strengths of education-training, labour, cultural, sports, and tourism collaboration in order to facilitate people-to-people exchange, thus contributing to strengthening the friendship and mutual understanding between the two nations.

He applauded Australias continuous prioritisation of official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam, focusing on the areas of Vietnams needs, such as infrastructure, agricultural-rural area development, hunger elimination and poverty alleviation, fighting climate change, and high-quality human resource development.The spectre of a new NAFTA deal, or possibly the end of the North American Free Trade Agreement, is not stopping officials in Montana from trying to strengthen trade with Alberta.

Next week, officials with the Great Falls Montana Development Authority (GFDA) http://www.gfdevelopment.org/ will be touring Alberta looking to make connections and grow businesses on both sides of the border.

By Brodie Thomas

https://www.thestar.com/calgary/2018/05/22/much-at-stake-for-montana-and-alberta-as-nafta-talks-drag-on.htmlPrior to 2007 direct flights from Glacier Park International Airport (GPIA) were limited to Seattle, Minneapolis and Salt Lake City on Alaska and Delta Airlines. In the past decade direct flights to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, Oakland and Portland have been added.

The community is now served by four airlines with United and Allegiant joining Alaska and Delta. Options for air transportation in and out of the Flathead Valley have more than tripled over the last ten years boosting our economy and supporting the second fastest population growth rate in Montana. Not only do these additional flights bring millions of dollars to the local economy (2.3 million non-residents spent $505 million in Flathead County in 2016) supporting locally owned business and restaurants, they also allow us to more easily make connections around the country when we travel for business, visit loved ones or vacation.

Marc Liechti, owner of APEC Architecture and Engineering has seen his business grow in part due to the increased ease with which his clients can reach the area. "Enhancing the ability of real estate developers and buyers to travel to the Flathead Valley more directly benefits our business by allowing our customers to arrive more easily and spend more time here once they arrive. Additionally, due to the new flight to Chicago I am now able to visit my home country, Switzerland, with just one stop  simplifying international travel."

Much of this increase in capacity and the accompanying decrease in ticket costs can be attributed to a little known mechanism called Minimum Revenue Guarantees (MRG) which is a tool for communities to partner with airlines in sharing the risk of adding flights in new, untested markets. Funds are only transferred to the airline when flights under-perform and do not cover costs. Once the airline has had an opportunity to test a market with minimal risk they then make the productive flights permanent without requiring a guarantee.

In 2007 with a $50,000 local match to a Small Community Air Service Development (SCASD) grant GPIA was able to secure United flights to Denver and Chicago with an MRG. Today GPIA has year-round service to Denver and summer service to Chicago with no MRG required. Next month United will increase capacity on daily flights to Chicago and Denver. In 2012 MRGs secured seasonal flights to LAX on Delta and on Allegiant in 2014, both of which continue today with no guarantee required. Also in 2014 United began flights to LAX with no MRG.

In 2014 Glacier AERO was established as a non-profit to continue partnering with airlines by providing MRGs when SCASD funds were not available. Glacier AERO has had great success securing winter flights from Chicago over the past four years adding 2200-3000 seats each winter and paying in guarantees from $0 for some years and in the least productive year paying $51,000 or $16.94/seat. These flights were coordinated with billboard and bus advertising in Chicago that the Whitefish and Kalispell Convention and Visitors Bureaus created and managed. This symbiotic relationship raised awareness of the Flathead Valleys winter offerings and then provided a means of transportation to arrive at GPIA easily. This is efficient and also attracts a visitor that is likely to spend more once they arrive in the Valley. The average group stay of those arriving in Montana at GPIA was 7.62 nights (versus 4.73 for overall non-resident visitors) with a total average daily outlay of $220.69 (versus $128.12 for overall non-res visitors). Glacier AERO also partnered with United to test a direct flight to San Francisco, but this flight was not as well-received and was discontinued after one season.

In light of these successes and in order to partner with GPIA to provide a community match for a new SCASD grant application as well as to continue guaranteeing flights like the United Chicago flight, Glacier AERO has launched a new fundraising campaign this summer. In the original 2014 fundraising campaign 42 local business of all types invested in the MRG fund with 15 or more of those companies committing to annual contributions over three years. The organization raised over $220,000 in the first effort and hopes to raise $330,000 in this campaign. Discussions with new airline service providers have already begun and target markets include Dallas/Fort Worth, Southern California airports such as John Wayne and Ontario as well as Phoenix.

Glacier AERO encourages businesses in all industries to consider how improved air service to the Flathead has positively impacted their business when deciding at what level to invest in the effort. Courtenay Sprunger, Principal of Big Sky Public Relations shared "As a public relations firm in a rural market, engaging in the latest industry training generally means flying to large metro markets. The good news is that were enjoying lower airfare costs than we were five years ago. That, along with our improved access to hubs like Chicago and Denver via direct flights means that more of our dollars are actually invested in training time, not travel time."

Air service has direct impact on economic development in all communities. Kim Morisaki, Business Development Director at Montana West Economic Development believes that it is important for every industry, not just tourism-related businesses. "Convenient and competitively priced air service is essential for any community that supports business growth and attraction of entrepreneurs. As we endeavor to attract a skilled workforce for expanding businesses, connections to national airports around the country are an important factor for many considering returning to or making the Flathead Valley their home. Companies with clients nationally are well-served when we increase both the number of airlines serving our market and the number of planes landing at GPIA. More airlines providing more options to our residents and businesses benefit the entire community."

More information about Glacier AERO can be found at http://www.glacier-aero.com. Contact Kimberly Morisaki at 406-257-7711 x 3 or [email protected] for information on how to support Glacier AERO.Her Excellency Mrs. K. Nandini Singla, High Commissioner of India paid a courtesy call to the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, The honorable Stephan Toussaint on the 08th March 2021.

During the consultation, the High Commissioner uttered her appreciation for the cordial and mutual relations between Mauritius and India. She also expressed great interest in increased collaboration between the high commission of India in Mauritius and the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports, and Recreation.

The discussions focused on the avenues of cooperation that can be further developed in the sports sector, youth development, and recreational activities.

In this context, 10 Mauritian youngsters will be invited to participate in next years national day celebration of India.

The cost and accommodation will be borne by the government of India.

Finally, both sides have also expressed the willingness to review the existing MoU between the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation and the High Commission of India signed in 2012.

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LinkedInThe top legislator thanked the Australian Government for its continuous provision of official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam, stating that the Cao Lanh Bridge will be inaugurated on May 27 on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, becoming another symbol for the friendship between Vietnam and Australia, alongside the Australia-funded My Thuan Bridge that was completed in 2000.

She highly appreciated the fine relations between the Vietnamese NA and the Australian parliament over the past few years, with the Australian side having been actively engaged in and contributed significantly to the success of the 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) hosted in Vietnam in January 2018.

NA Chairwoman Ngan called for the acceleration of cooperation between the two legislatures via the exchange of high-level and all-level delegations, and the facilitation of people-to-people exchange in order to boost mutual understanding.

NA Chairwoman Ngan calls for the acceleration of cooperation between the two legislatures via the exchange of high-level and all-level delegations, (Photo: NDO/Tran Hai)

For his part, Governor-General of Australia Peter Cosgrove expressed his delights to see Vietnams vigorous development across all spheres, while congratulating Vietnam on its recent foreign relations achievements, including the successful organization of the APEC Economic Leaders Week in November 2017.

Informing the host on the outcomes of his talks with President Tran Dai Quang, Cosgrove affirmed that the Australian Government would continue to create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in the country to lead a stable life, thus contributing to the development of Australia as well as the friendly relations between the two countries.

The guest spoke highly of the capabilities of Vietnams UN peacekeeping force to be fielded to South Sudan, affirming that Australia would actively support Vietnam in terms of logistics to help the country to fulfill the mission.

The two sides agreed that the elevation of bilateral ties to a strategic partnership in March 2018 would open up a new period for the deeper and more effective relations between the two countries.

On the occasion, the leaders discussed a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern, including the East Sea issue. Accordingly, both sides supported the peaceful settlement of disputes in line with international law.The Party chief welcomed the Governor-General to visit Vietnam on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of Vietnam-Australia diplomatic ties, expressing his belief that Australia will continue to succeed in building a unified multicultural nation with an increasingly important role and voice in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world.

He voiced his wish that the Vietnam-Australia relations would be facilitated in an effective and substantive fashion across spheres, especially economy-trade-investment, security-defence, education-training, and science-technology, thus meeting the aspirations and practical interests of the two countries people.

General Secretary Trong suggested that both sides actively implement the high-level agreements reached, promote the efficiency of the existing cooperation mechanisms, and facilitate the exchange of high-level delegations and meetings, including the Party channel, aiming to create a solid political connection, thereby accelerating the strategic partnership between the two countries.

The two sides pledge to continue their close coordination at multilateral, regional and international forums, including the United Nations. (Photo: NDO/Tran Hai)

For his part, Australian Governor-General Peter Cosgrove applauded the elevation of Vietnam-Australia relations to a strategic partnership in March 2018, hailing this as an important milestone in the history of bilateral ties.

He emphasised that Australia always attaches importance to boosting its cooperation with Vietnam in all fields, including education-training, science-technology, and innovation-reform.

The two sides pledged to continue their close coordination at multilateral, regional and international forums, including the United Nations.

The guest affirmed that Australia would continue to actively coordinate with and support Vietnam as the country is elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure.

Regarding the East Sea issue, the two leaders stressed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, and maritime and aviation freedom and safety, and peacefully resolving disputes in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).The first recorded images of the large-antlered muntjac, one of the rarest and most threatened mammal species of Southeast Asia, were taken under a biodiversity monitoring and assessment activity supported by the US Agency for International Development, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) and WWF-Vietnam.

Since 2000, this species had only been seen in images from camera traps in three protected areas in Vietnam.

The record in Quang Nam includes photographs of a male and a female, providing hope for the continued survival of a species that is on the brink of extinction.

"The two individuals are both mature and of reproductive age. These photographs prove that the species still survives in Quang Nam province and raises a hope that there might even be a breeding population of this rare species, said Director of the Forest Protection Department of Quang Nam province Phan Tuan.

Dr. Benjamin Rawson, the Conservation Director of WWF-Vietnam noted that "Large-antlered muntjac do not currently exist in captivity, so if we lose them in the wild, we lose them forever."

He added that scientists are in a race against time to save the species.The Vietnam team attended the event with 300 representatives and technicians from over 100 member units of VNCERT, IT units from ministries, sectors and localities, and IT enterprises nationwide.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Hung mentioned the fact that Distributed Denial of Service - DoS/DdoS attacks are growing in both number and complexity.

Statistics of the VNCERT show that Vietnam recorded 4,035 cyber attacks this year to May 19, with 2,661 Deface incidents, 776 Malware attacks, and 608 Phishing scams.

Therefore, drills on information security in responding to relevant issues should be regularly organised as part of effort to deal with that, he noted.

Representatives from VNCERT said the drill involved three levels: the international coordination agency, the national coordination agency and the core units, of which the core units need the most protection because they can be attacked directly or indirectly.

In the drill scenario, Japan first detected small DDoS attacks on the first day, and large-scale attacks took place the following day, blocking access and email of victim units. On the third day, after email services were restored, fake emails containing malwares were sent to leaders of ASEAN countries, triggering the spread of malwares to governmental agencies and more.

During the drill, participants focused on creating coordination mechanisms, quickly and accurately operating information transfer stages in all units involved in the case of cyber attacks.

They also exchanged reports on ongoing events, provided warning information, strategies to mitigate loss, while sharing experience in responding to attacks.

VNCERT is a member of the Asia Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team (APCERT). It has been developing with about over 120 units and 500 technicians. The centre detected millions of IP addresses, which were infected and controlled by host computers outside Vietnam.The event was an important activity in the implementation of the cooperation programme between the three north central provinces of Vietnam, contributing to promoting the tourism potential between them and the northeast regions of Thailand.

The programme was attended by the Consul General Nguyen Ngoc Son; representatives from the departments of tourism of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh provinces; and representatives of several tourism agencies in the northeast regions of Thailand, along with around 70 businesses, travel companies, and hotels of the two countries, as well as overseas Vietnamese and international friends in Thailand.

The businesses and travel companies of the two countries exchanged and introduced their tourism products

At the programme, the businesses and travel companies of the two countries exchanged and introduced their tourism products, while they found measures to promote the organisation, exploitation and development of tours in the future.

The three provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh have an important geographic location, possessing beautiful and unique natural scenery, as well as a long and beautiful coastline and UNESCO World Heritage sites. The area is a favorite destination for international and regional visitors, including those from Thailand.

Meanwhile, the northeast region of Thailand also welcomes tens of thousands of Vietnamese visitors each year, especially at the relics of President Ho Chi Minh in the provinces of Nakhon Phanom and Udon Thani.Maas issued his sober assessment after a meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, saying the two officials had restated their known positions, but no new information emerged.

"I think we're still far away from a compromise," said Maas, who met earlier with John Bolton, US President Donald Trump's new security adviser. "We're pursuing two completely different paths."

He said he hoped more concrete details might emerge about Washington's plans for Iran if a four-way meeting among Germany, Britain, France and the United States could be arranged.

Maas said he told US officials that Europe remained "very, very united" in supporting a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran because it feared a proliferation of atomic weapons on its doorstep.

Trump pulled the United States out of the accord earlier this month, shrugging off appeals from Washington's European allies which argued that the deal had succeeded in curbing Tehran's nuclearprogramme in return for a lifting of sanctions.

Scrapping the deal would allow Iran to resume its nuclear programme and this would "massively jeopardise" Europe's security, Maas told reporters after what he called a frank but constructive meeting with Bolton.

"Europe is very, very united in its position on the nuclear accord with Iran, and that will not change... We don't want a proliferation of nuclear weapons in our expanded neighbourhood," Maas said.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on May 23 that Trump's rejection of the nuclear dealshowed that the Islamic Republic could not deal with a country that could not keep its commitments.

"DIFFICULT" DISCUSSIONS AHEAD

Maas said European countries shared US concerns about Iran's continued development of ballistic missiles and its behaviour in the Middle East, but believed those issues should be addressed without undermining the nuclear deal.

On May 21 Pompeo threatened Iran with "the strongest sanctions in history" if it did not curb its regional influence, accusing Tehran of supporting armed groups in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.

Senior officials from the remaining parties to the accord - Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia - will meet their Iranian counterpart on May 25 in Vienna.

The meeting will assess what can be done to keep the deal alive and circumvent extraterritorial US sanctions that are impacting foreign business appetite for Iran.

Maas said he expected the coming discussions to be "difficult" but gave no details.

He also said European leaders were concerned about the future of the transatlantic relationship, but expected it to withstand differences over Iran and other thorny issues.BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- China will increase investment in education in poverty-stricken areas and on weak links in the sector, take measures to boost its dairy industry, and give priority to developing service trade, according to a State Council statement.

The central government will add 13 billion yuan (about 2 billion U.S. dollars) of funding to support compulsory and vocational education in central and western regions, poverty-stricken and rural areas, according to the statement released after a State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Li Keqiang Wednesday.

The country will strengthen finance, insurance and land support for the dairy industry.

The State Council requires 17 regions, including Beijing, to deepen the pilot program from July 1 this year to June 30, 2020 to promote innovative development of service trade. The program was first rolled out by the State Council in 2016.

A series of opening-up measures will be piloted in the above places covering telecommunications, tourism, engineering consulting, finance and legal services. Access mechanisms for trade in services on cross-border delivery and overseas consumption will be explored and refined. Restrictions will be gradually lifted or eased, and customs clearance and visa arrangements will be streamlined for freer flow of goods and people.

In this year's Government Work Report, the premier said that mechanisms for developing trade in services will be reformed.

"Developing services trade is instrumental in transforming China's development model and achieving high-quality development. The services sector is still an area of weakness in our country's overall development," Li said.

"With things going well, we should lose no time in applying the experience gained from the pilot program in wider areas. This will help advance our opening-up and enhance China's global competitiveness," he said.

Statistics from the Ministry of Commerce show that China's trade in services totaled 4.7 trillion yuan in 2017, up by 6.8 percent year-on-year. Exports of services gained 10.6 percent and hit 1.54 trillion yuan, while imports rose 5.1 percent to 3.16 trillion yuan.

Premier Li stressed the importance of getting the priorities right. "Our tourism sector is falling woefully short at the moment. Efforts are needed to make the services at destinations and payment methods more overseas tourist-friendly. The possibility of two-way opening up in emerging services should also be fully explored."

According to a decision at the meeting, services trade in such areas as R&D and design, inspection and testing, international settlement and exhibition will be expanded. Tax exemption policies will made available for service exports, and eligible exporters can enjoy zero tax rates. Exports of emerging services that are guided by Internet Plus will be encouraged.

Premier Li stressed the need for closer inter-agency coordination and thorough delivery of all planned measures to improve the business environment and make trade in services a new highlight in China's opening and development.BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- China's decision to slash its automobile import tariffs has been welcomed by consumers and carmakers as another milestone in the country's four decades of reform and opening-up.

Beginning July 1, China's average tariff rate on vehicles will be 13.8 percent, while that for auto parts will be 6 percent, lower than the average of developing economies and in line with China's reality.

Some foreign auto heavyweights such as Audi have promptly reacted with plans to lower prices in order to benefit Chinese consumers.

COMMITMENT TO FREE TRADE

China's automobile tariffs were significantly reduced to 25 percent by 2006 after its accession to the WTO in 2001, a relatively low rate for a developing economy.

The 25-percent duties may seem high compared with auto-making powerhouses like the United States, but it was necessary for the healthy development of China's car industry, said Xu Haidong, assistant to the secretary general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

China remains a developing country, Xu said.

By 2010, China had fulfilled its tariff-cutting promises for WTO membership by cutting overall tariff levels from 15.3 percent to 9.8 percent by 2010, said Liu Shangxi, head of the Chinese Academy of Fiscal Sciences.

The latest voluntary tariff cut will directly benefit the economic growth and employment of car exporters, Liu said. "Many positive effects will be felt in the global economy." Most of China's car imports last year were from the United States, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom.

The auto tariffs cuts are important measures that comply with trade liberalization, as the world witnesses a broad reduction in automobile tariffs driven by economic globalization and global trade, according to Li Xuhong, a researcher with the Beijing National Accounting Institute.

UPGRADING CONSUMPTION

The Ministry of Finance said the tariff cut will enrich domestic market supply and meet the diverse needs of the people to provide more plentiful and affordable consumer experiences.

China has been the world's largest car market for nine consecutive years, with vehicle production and sales in 2017 reaching 29 million units and 28.8 million units, respectively, CAAM data showed.

Last year, China imported 1.22 million vehicles, most of which were high-end SUVs, to account for some 4.2 percent of total sales, while domestic brands saw growing market share.

Industry analysts expect the remarkable tariff cut to meet domestic demand for imported high-end cars, as rising income has led to a burgeoning market for luxury cars.

Over 670,000 luxury cars were sold in China during the Jan.-April period, up 22.3 percent year on year, data from the China Passenger Car Association showed.

China's domestically produced cars are more internationally competitive than they were five or 10 years ago, meaning that the country's recent opening-up measures in the auto sector will have a smaller impact, according to Paul Gong, executive director of UBS Investment Research Asia Autos.

CONTINUED OPENING-UP

The tariff cuts come after China unveiled a plan last month to phase out equity caps for automotive joint ventures in the world's largest car market amid a broader push for further opening.

"The development of China's auto industry was enabled by the country's reform and opening-up and economic globalization," said Dong Yang, deputy head of the CAAM.

Opening-up has been key to China's economic growth over the past 40 years, and the future high-quality development of China's economy can only be achieved with greater openness, as China promised at the Boao Forum for Asia in April that its doors will only open wider.

The promise has quickly materialized in the form of landmark opening measures launched this year, including opening the car-making sectors wider to foreign investors and introducing a plan to establish a free-trade port system in the country's southernmost island province of Hainan.

"China safeguards a multilateral trade system. Lowering auto import tariffs is a major step to expanding reform and opening-up," the Ministry of Finance said.U.S. state secretary says "very hopeful" for Trump-Kim summit, vows to increase pressure on Iran, Venezuela, Russia

WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday he was "very hopeful" that the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s top leader Kim Jong Un would take place as planed next month in Singapore.

While testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill, Pompeo said in his first congressional appearance since he took this job that whether the meeting, slated on June 12, would take place is "ultimately up to Chairman Kim."

"We have broad outlines of what it is that each nation is prepared to do," he said, noting that he is hopeful that Trump could convince Kim to make a strategic decision to denuclearize.

Noting that "we are driving on," he said that the United States and South Korea are working to keep the Singapore summit on track.

However, Pompeo said that a "bad deal" with the DPRK is "not an option" for the United States.

"If the right deal is not on the table, we will respectfully walk away" from the coming negotiations concerning Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs," he said, adding that the U.S. "posture will not change until we see credible steps taken toward the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

The U.S. top diplomat also added that Washington is not intended to make concessions to Pyongyang during the Trump-Kim meeting.

Trump on Tuesday said that the planned Singapore summit with Kim "may not work out for June 12," and "if it doesn't happen, maybe it will happen later. Maybe it will happen at a different time. We will see."

As for Iran's nuke program, Pompeo said the Trump administration is ready to work with other nations to solve the problem.

He said he is to meet with allies in June to discuss the next steps to deter Tehran "threat."

"A number of discussions have taken place below the foreign minister level," he noted.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday ordered the expulsion of the U.S. charge d'affaires Todd Robinson and his deputy Brian Naranjo for staging "enough conspiracies" against his government.

Pompeo said the United States will respond reciprocally to the expulsion, hinting to kick out Venezuela's top diplomat in Washington as well.

Speaking of Russia's alleged interference of U.S. elections, Pompeo said that the United States will not tolerate Russia's bid to interfere in 2018 U.S. congressional mid-term elections in November, and will take "appropriate" countermeasures to counter Moscow's attempts.

However, he admitted that Washington has not yet set up "effective deterrence" to stop the Russian alleged meddling.

Trump has refuted so far Russia's interferences in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, noting U.S. domestic call for further investigation a "witch hunt" staged by the Democrats to cover their lost.

He believed such investigation aims to illegitimate his presidency, according to U.S. media. Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement in the U.S. elections.TEHRAN, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday ruled out the interaction with the U.S., calling it "untrustable" in fulfilling obligations, Khamenei's official website said.

All successive U.S. governments are not bound to their obligations, Khamenei said during a meeting with senior Iranian officials, referring to the U.S. withdrawal from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal.

The United States has "deep enmity with" Iran, he said, adding that Washington intends to "destroy the power factors of the Islamic republic."

"Since the beginning of the Islamic revolution (in 1979), the U.S. has not given up its enmity against the Islamic republic. They have harnessed all political, economic, military and propaganda measures against Iran," Khamenei said.

Meanwhile, the supreme leader pointed out that the U.S. has failed in its all previous plots against Iran in the past four decades.

"Like the cat in Tom and Jerry (animated series), they will lose again," he said.

Khamenei made the remarks two days after a speech by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in which he threatened to impose the toughest sanctions on Iran if the Islamic state does not change its course of action domestically and regionally.

Pompeo urged Tehran to report to the International Atomic Energy Agency about its nuclear program, end proliferation of its missiles, and stop supporting terrorist groups in the Middle East.

Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described Pompeo's speech as "illogical with no heads or tails."

"This is an indication of bankruptcy in the U.S. foreign policy," he said.

"Pressure groups which spend more money can influence the course of Washington's foreign policy," Zarif added.

Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi rejected Pompeo's threatening remarks as "absurd and interventionist."

The U.S. seeks to distract the global attention from its "illegal moves" concerning Iran's nuclear deal by threatening and insulting the Iranian nation, he said in a statement.

Iran preserves the right to legally sue the United States over its illegal measures and threats, Qasemi warned.

Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump announced withdrawal from the historic Iran nuclear deal despite the global outcry.

Trump also vowed to impose "the highest level" of economic sanctions on Tehran and punish those having business links with the Islamic republic.China expects that the summit between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States will go smoothly with positive outcomes, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang answers questions at a daily press briefing in Beijing on May 23 2018. [Photo: gov.cn]

"We have always been encouraging and supporting the U.S. and the DPRK to accumulate mutual trust through direct dialogue, so as to advance denuclearization of the Korean peninsula through political means," spokesperson Lu Kang said at a daily press briefing.

Lu's comment came after U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday hinted that his scheduled meeting with the top leader of the DPRK Kim Jong Un, originally set to be held on June 12, may be delayed.

Currently, there is a hard-earned historical opportunity for resolving the Korean Peninsula issue through political means, Lu said, adding that preparations for the summit are still being made by the two sides.

"We hope that all the relevant sides, particularly the DPRK and the U.S., will seize the opportunity, meet each other halfway, suppress interference and address each others' concerns in a balanced way," Lu said. "We still expect that DPRK-U.S. summit will go smoothly and achieve positive outcomes."

China is committed to facilitating peace talks on the Korean Peninsula issue and will only play a positive role, Lu said.Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. [File Photo: Xinhua]

President heads new commission to enhance Party's leadership

President Xi Jinping urged on Wednesday the establishment of an authoritative and efficient audit system to boost clean governance and better supervise the country's public sectors.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remark at the first meeting of the Audit Commission of the CPC Central Committee.

Xi, director of the new commission, called its establishment a great measure to enhance the Party's leadership over auditing work.

CPC Central Committee requirements on auditing work must be implemented, Xi said, adding that the country's auditing resources must be fully utilized.

Premier Li Keqiang and Zhao Leji, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the country's top anti-graft watchdog, are deputy directors of the commission.

Calling audits an important part of the Party's and the country's supervision system, Xi spoke highly of the role that audit authorities have played in maintaining the country's financial and economic order, improving the efficiency of financial funds, and boosting clean governance in the past 30 years.

Since the Party's 18th National Congress in 2012, audit authorities have made great contributions to the implementation of the CPC Central Committee's policies  maintaining national economic security, deepening overall reform, advancing the rule of law and fighting corruption, Xi said.

The Audit Commission of the CPC Central Committee should enhance top-level design and coordination to provide an effective guide for the auditing work, Xi said.

The president told the audit authorities to keep their thoughts and actions in line with the CPC Central Committee, resolutely safeguard the centralized and unified leadership of the committee and implement the requirements of the committee.

Xi said audit authorities should keep a close eye on funds and projects that are related to the people's livelihood.

The audit authorities should fully implement the spirit of the Party's 19th National Congress, fulfill their duties in accord with the laws, promote high-quality growth and promote anti-graft work, Xi said.

The president highlighted the importance of deepening reform in the auditing sector, saying that audit authorities should investigate new problems and new trends in economic and social development.

Xi told audit authorities to make efforts to build up an auditing force with firm belief, professional skills, pragmatic work style and integrity.

Officials at all levels must cooperate with auditors, accept supervision from the auditing authorities, rectify problems found by the auditors and improve relevant measures in all areas, Xi said. Those who create barriers to block auditing work must be held accountable, he added.

During the meeting, the members of the Audit Commission of the CPC Central Committee reviewed and adopted rules and regulations on audit work.China and the United States will implement the specific elements of the joint statement released on Saturday in Washington, covering the purchase of agricultural and energy products, the Ministry of Commerce said on Wednesday.

One of China's longtime policies is to expand imports to meet the growing demand from domestic consumers as well as to boost high-quality economic development, the ministry said in a statement.

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will visit China soon, according to the statement.

China welcomes the entry of high-quality, competitive US products in the Chinese market, the ministry said, adding that the economies of the two countries are highly complementary and bilateral trade has vast potential to improve.

In their joint statement, the two nations agreed to take measures to reduce the US trade deficit in goods, with China significantly increasing purchases of US goods and services, which will help support growth and employment in the US and meet the demand for China's continuing upgrades of its consumption.

Wei Jianguo, a former vice-minister of commerce, said the two sides should strengthen trade cooperation in sectors including energy and agricultural products, medical care, high-tech products and finance in an orderly manner.

"China's imports of US medical care and high-tech products are likely to surpass that of energy and agricultural products in terms of both value and variety," he said.

Lyu Xiang, a researcher at the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the lessening of tension created by trade disputes will also help China build a better foundation to further support its ongoing industrial upgrading and catch up with more established foreign rivals in service businesses.

"Exporters from both sides are no longer in a rush to ship their goods to each other's markets as negotiations made a breakthrough in Washington last week," said Li Guanghui, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing.After announcing it would return employees back into its original hometown late last year, Ford says its autonomous and electric vehicle business and strategy teams have officially starting moving into their new office space in Detroit.

Before moving the more than 200 employees into The Factory in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood, the automaker had not operated a Detroit-based facility in recent years.

"Returning to Detroit is particularly meaningful because it is where my great-grandfather originally set out to pursue his passion and where we have always called our home," Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford said in a statement at the time.

"We are planting a special piece of our company's future in one of the city's great neighborhoods, because we believe in Detroit, its people and what we can build together."

The teams now based in the Motor City will work on the development of Ford's first self-driving vehicle while focusing on "mobility challenges and solutions in an urban setting." The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker also says that the Corktown neighborhood and spot at The Factory, 1907 Michigan Ave., will speed up the development of its hybrid F-150, Mustang, Explorer, Escape and Bronco models.

"Electric vehicles will play a crucial role in the way we move around in the future, easing pollution in busy cities and offering new capabilities -- like an onboard electric generator, or greater torque for better performance," Sherif Marakby, Ford's vice president of autonomous vehicles and electrification, said in a blog post. "Likewise, self-driving vehicles present opportunities to reduce congestion, improve delivery services and expand transportation access.

"The magnitude of these changes means we're doing everything we can to ensure we're meeting customer needs. That's why we're returning to Detroit ourselves, moving our electric vehicle team- Ford Team Edison -- and our self-driving vehicle business team into a historic former factory in Corktown."

As for The Factory location, Ford says the 110-year-old, 45,000-square-feet building was recently refurbished and is up and running. The site on Michigan Avenue sits about a block away from old Tiger Stadium.

--

At the time of its announcement in December 2017, the automaker said it would move more than 220 employees into the Detroit-based location. Ford also added that two pre-existing tenants, Buhl Sport Detroit and Brothers Tuning Detroit, would remain in the location but just as Ford Land tenants.

The automaker says in a Thursday, May 24 news release that this move is part of an $11.1 billion investment in global electric vehicles. Ford reports that 40 electrified vehicles will be available worldwide by 2022, which includes 16 full battery-electric vehicles.

"The team is moving quickly to deliver electrified vehicles that offer exciting experiences and enhanced capabilities based on what people need and want - including the all-new Mustang-inspired battery-electric SUV slated for 2020," Ford says in the Thursday release.

"Working alongside Ford Team Edison will be the company's autonomous vehicle business team. Ford already is combining its self-driving vehicle expertise with the robotics and artificial intelligence experience of Argo AI. The work in Corktown will complement that effort."Fiat Chrysler is recalling nearly 50,000 newer Jeep Cherokee models due to the risk that the vehicles were manufactured with a damaged fuel tube that could lead to an increased fire risk.

The automaker reports in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents that it is recalling 48,990 2018 Jeep Cherokees with a 2.4-liter engine. FCA says affected owner notification will begin on June 20, and that dealers will inspect the fuel tube and make any necessary repairs free of charge.

"Some 2018 MY Jeep Cherokee vehicles with a 2.4L engine may have been built with a skived fuel tube, which may result in a fuel leak and potentially a subsequent engine compartment fire," NHTSA documents read.

"Similar 2018 MY Jeep Cherokee vehicles not equipped with the 2.4L engine are not affected by this recall, as they have fuel tubes produced by a different supplier. Similar 2018 MY Jeep Cherokee vehicles equipped with a 2.4L engine not included in this recall, because they were built with fuel tubes manufactured by the supplier on a different, unaffected, production line."

Affected Jeeps were manufactured between Sept. 1, 2017 and Jan. 4 of this year at the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Belvidere, Illinois. FCA says in the NHTSA documents that it believes 1 percent of the recalled vehicles were equipped with the defect.

The Auburn Hills, Michigan-based automaker said that it is not aware of any incidents or injuries related to this recall.As Uber announced it would end its self-driving operations in Arizona, it announced that it would refocus its efforts on the program in Pittsburgh and San Francisco.

The only problem with this announcement was the fact that it seemed to not only take Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto by surprise, but rub him the wrong way. Uber executive Eric Meyhofer wrote in an internal email to employees that the ride-hailing service has the goal of resuming its operations in Pittsburgh this summer.

You never responded to our requirements. You never informed us of todays announcement. You never followed up on my requirements after fatality in Arizona. Your PA lobbyist has ignored everything & instead has reached out to other electeds to cover your mistakes. Time to change! https://t.co/dIAtob9Z8O  bill peduto (@billpeduto) May 23, 2018

--

In the email obtained by Ars Technica, Meyhofer alluded the company had been in talks with Pittsburgh as he added, "We are also in conversations with the California Governor, California DMV and cities of San Francisco and Sacramento."

"I made it clear to Uber officials after the Arizona crash that a full federal investigation had to be completed, with strong rules for keeping streets safe, before I would agree with the company to begin testing on Pittsburgh streets again," Peduto said in an official statement posted to the city's website.



"Uber did not tell me of today's announcement, and I was forced to learn about it through social media reports. This is not the way to rebuild a constructive working relationship with local government, especially when facing a public safety matter."

The mayor said that in previous talks with Uber officials and Pittsburgh's Department of Mobility and Infrastructure that the company would have to agree to certain conditions to resume self-driving operations in the city.

These conditions included that any autonomous vehicle never exceed 25 mph while in the city on any street "regardless of legal speed limits," and that it use its driver app to alert human drivers when they are exceeding speed limits.

The Wednesday, May 23 announcement to cease operations and terminate about 300 employees from Uber came a little more two months removed from one its self-driving cars struck and killed a woman crossing the street in Tempe, Arizona.

The death was the first involving an autonomous vehicle being tested on public roads.

In the immediate aftermath, Uber suspended its self-driving operations across the U.S. as a federal investigation proceeded. The woman killed in the collision was identified as 49-year-old woman Elaine Herzberg. Tempe police Sgt. Ronald Elcock said that the pedestrian stepped into the street outside of the crosswalk and was immediately struck by the vehicle.

Shortly after saying the ride-hailing company was not at fault, video released by police showed Uber's human backup driver with their head down until the moment they realized the vehicle they were behind the wheel of was about to strike someone.

The Information cited two sources familiar with the situation that Uber itself believes its self-driving software that chooses how to react when it detects objects in the roadway is the cause of the fatal incident. The report claimed the sensors on Uber's self-driving Volvo detected the woman crossing the street with a bicycle outside of a crosswalk but decided not to immediately act.

The outlet reports that the sensors worked, but the failure to swiftly react was due to how it was tuned at the time of the crash.

Uber originally launched its self-driving cars onto the streets of Pittsburgh back in September 2016. It represented the first time such a service was activated in the U.S.WYOMING - With City Council's adoption of changes to policies governing the city's federally funded housing rehabilitation program, a wider swath of contractors will now be eligible to participate in the program's projects.

The changes, approved by council members at their Monday, May 21, meeting, loosened the minimal requirements laid out in the Wyoming Rehabilitation Manual for contractors looking to take part in the program.

That manual outlines the city's policies, programs and administrative processes related to the structural rehabilitation portion of the larger Community Development Block Grant funding program, which follows parameters set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Contractors interested in bidding on rehabilitation projects covered by those CDBG funds must be pre-qualified to participate, according to Rebecca Rynbrandt, director of Community Services, but now they will have less red tape to wade through.

The minimal qualifications for participation previously dictated that contractors needed to have completed 20 home repair jobs costing at least $150,000 within the previous two years and that, as a general contractor, they must have utilized at least 20 subcontractors.

With the changes, contractors are now only required to have completed 10 home repair jobs costing a total of at least $100,000 in the previous two years and only need to have utilized 10 subcontractors to be pre-qualified for the program.

Additionally, contractors only need to provide five residential construction references, whereas they previously needed to provide 10.

"You have to be a pre-qualified contractor for this program, so we are trying to recognize that there may be new contractors entering, if you will, into the market and (we want to) give them the opportunity to participate in our program," Rynbrandt said. "As a result, we've reduced the requirements to vet those contractors, but we do believe they're still at the standard to ensure we have an appropriate level of skilled people working on these projects.

"This is an opportunity for us to be a little bit more open and welcoming to more contractors."

A May 16 report authored by Rynbrandt also said the changes were necessary because of the shortage of general contractors and skilled tradespeople that is currently being experienced throughout the state of Michigan.

Raising the maximum amount of all eligible work item costs and closing costs from $20,000 to $23,000, as far as project bids are concerned, was one other change made to the rehabilitation program's policies.

"Costs are just increasing and for us to be able to make those type of investments, we need to make that change," Rynbrandt told council members Monday. "We likely will not come before you again with (an increase) in the near future, because once we go above $25,000, there's a whole level of federal regulations that sort of become activated. So we're going to look at maintaining that at $23,000."

Rynbrandt said the changes were recommended by both the Wyoming Rehabilitation Committee and the Wyoming Community Development Committee prior to coming before City Council. They will not officially be implemented until July 1.DETROIT - A former Wayne County Airport Authority official is accused of accepting contractor kickbacks totalling more than $5 million over four years, an amount that prosecutors call one of the largest bribes ever seen in Detroit federal court.

James Warner, 51, of Commerce Township, was indicted by a grand jury Wednesday, May 23 on charges of conspiracy, federal program bribery, federal program theft, money laundering and obstruction of justice in connection with maintenance and repair contracts for runways and parking structures, according to federal court records.

He pleaded not guilty in front of Magistrate Judge R. Steven Whalen and was released on $10,000 bond, according to court records.

While employed as a field inspector at Detroit Metro Airport from May of 2010 to August of 2014, Warner, according to federal investigators, engaged in multiple schemes to defraud the airport.

In one scheme, he is accused of drafting and submitting fraudulently-inflated invoices for work, which co-defendant William Pritula, 69, of Romulus, was contracted to complete at the airport.

Pritula is also charged with bribery.

After receiving payment from the airport authority, Pritula would give about half of the profits to Warner, according to federal prosecutors.

Pritula gave Warner over $5 million over the four-year period, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

In another scheme, Warner, prosecutors say, demanded money from another co-defendant, Gary Tenaglia, 65, of Oakland Township.

Tenaglia held maintenance and repair contracts for Detroit Metro Airport's parking structures.

Warner inspected and supervised Tenaglia's work and is accused of concealing any mistakes from the airport authority. In exchange, Warner demanded approximately 10 percent of each invoice from Tenaglia, according to prosecutors.

Tenaglia's cash payments to Warner totaled over $100,000, investigators believe.

Tenaglia was charged in April with attempt and conspiracy to commit fraud.

Law enforcement has thus far seized $11.4 million in criminal proceeds related to the schemes, including $7.5 million from Pritula and $3.9 million from Warner, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

Warner left the WCAA in August of 2014. In January of 2017, he began working for the Water and Sewer Department in West Bloomfield Township. Federal prosecutors say that within months, Warner proposed to Tenaglia a continuation of the same scheme the two had at the airport.

In addition to the other charges, the grand jury also charged Warner with obstructing justice by altering a document he provided to the FBI during their investigation of the incident.

Each theft and bribery charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Each of the money laundering conspiracy counts carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

The bribery and theft conspiracy counts carry a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The obstruction of justice count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.N.Korea grants last minute permission to S.Korean reporters

North Korea has demonstrated its resolve to denuclearize by inviting foreign journalists to witness the dismantling of its Punggye-ri nuclear test site this week, said Chinese experts, who urge the US to respond positively to the move.

The date for the decommissioning of the facility has yet to be announced, but it is expected to happen Thursday or Friday if local weather conditions improve, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Journalists from China, Russia, the UK and the US departed Beijing for North Korea's eastern city of Wonsan on Tuesday. South Korean journalists, who were initially excluded from the media group, flew from Seongnam in south Seoul to Wonsan on Wednesday, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported.

North Korea accepted the list of South Korean journalists chosen to cover the event at the last minute.

The media group covering the event left by train on Wednesday to Kilju county before traveling 3 to 4 hours by bus and then an hour's hike to reach the Punggye-ri test site.

The train was expected to take 8 to 12 hours, AP reported.

"North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests at the Punggye-ri test site. By inviting the media group to witness its demolition, the North is showing the international community its resolve to denuclearize and shift priorities to economic development," Lu Chao, a research fellow at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times, adding that the North's sincerity should not be questioned.

North Korea's state media KCNA said dismantling the Punggye-ri nuclear test ground will involve collapsing all of the facility's tunnels with explosions, blocking its entrances, and removing all observation facilities, research buildings and security posts.

Threat to delay the summit

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has cast doubt on whether his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-unwill be held as planned on June 12 in Singapore.

Seated in the Oval Office with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Trump told reporters on Tuesday that "there's a very substantial chance" the meeting won't happen as scheduled. However, Moon expressed "every confidence" in Trump's ability to hold the summit and bring about peace, CNN reported.

"North Korea and the US do have profound differences over how denuclearization should happen and Trump's threat to delay the summit is only aimed at gaining leverage," Lu said, adding that Trump would lose a lot of support and prestige if he abandons the planned talks with Kim.

If Trump keeps pressuring North Korea to give up its core interests, North Korea may back out of the summit fearing that endless compromises may impact the government's prestige among the North Korean people, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University's Institute of International Relations, told the Global Times.

If the Kim-Trump summit doesn't take place or fails to reach a substantive agreement, the conflict between the US and North Korea could sharpen, giving rise to the possibility of military clashes, Li said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang told a daily briefing on Wednesday that China hopes every concerned party will grasp the historic opportunity to solve the Korean Peninsula issue, work together and deal with each other's concerns in a balanced manner.

Li also noted that China, which has never been marginalized on the Korean Peninsula issue, has also made efforts to facilitate the summit in a move to ease regional tensions and it is groundless to suggest China has any other motive than enhancing world peace.HOLLY, MI - Jimmy R. Smith and Don L. Flanory were laid to rest Thursday, May 24, at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly.

The two homeless veterans, who most recently had been living in Washtenaw County, did not have any biological family in attendance at the funeral service. So their military family stepped in to bury them with full military honors four days before Memorial Day.

"When it's an opportunity for someone who doesn't have family, it makes it a little more personal, because you're that family for them," said Kimberly Kirkpatrick, an Ypsilanti native who was part of the honor guard detail Thursday. She's been conducting military funeral honors for the Navy for nine years.

"They served in the military just as you, and your military is your family," Kirkpatrick said.

Smith, a U.S. Navy veteran, died Dec. 5, 2017, in Ann Arbor at 67. Originally from Jonesboro, Arkansas, he entered the Navy in 1969, achieved the rank of third class aircrewman and received the National Defense Service Medal before he was honorably discharged in 1971. As a civilian, Smith worked as an electronics operator.

Flanory, 67, of Ypsilanti, died Jan. 27. Originally from Flint, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1970 and achieved the rank of airman basic before he was honorably discharged after one year of service. Flanory received the National Defense Service Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal for Service in the geographical theater area of Vietnam.

Neither of the men had next-of-kin to make their funeral arrangements, so the service was sponsored by Muehlig Funeral Chapel and the Dignity Memorial Homeless Veteran Burial Program.

Approximately 150,000 U.S. veterans are homeless at any given time, said Tim McGillen, general manager of Muehlig Funeral Chapel and Dignity Memorial. Dignity Memorial works with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veteran Service Organizations, local medical examiners, coroners and other veterans' advocates to provide military funerals for homeless ex-military personnel.

"As funeral service providers, we consider it an honor to serve these brave men and women who selflessly serve their country," McGillen said during the service on the warm, sunny Thursday afternoon.

Cadets with the Genesee Career Institute Junior ROTC, which is in its first year, carried the two caskets, draped with American flags, to the front of a pavilion overlooking a pond at the national cemetery.

"Our greatest hope is for (the students) to understand the great honor it is to serve our country ... that they can see what our nation thinks of that service," said Lt. Col. Curt Lapham, who leads the Junior ROTC.

Rev. Kevin Jacobi of Ann Arbor, gave the benediction and Kirkpatrick performed "Taps."

Members of the Navy and Air Force honor guards completed a flag folding ceremony and then presented the flags to three Blue Star Mothers in attendance.

"The mothers just feel it's our duty to come and do this for someone who doesn't have anyone," said Judy Sinclair, who works at Dignity Memorial and is part of the St. Clair chapter of Blue Star Mothers, a national network of women with relatives in the military.

About twenty members of Patriot Guard Riders, a national nonprofit group that honors military veterans and first responders, stood around the perimeter of the pavilion holding American flags during the funeral.

Members sometimes attend three or four military funerals a day, four days a week, said Carol Pendergrass, the Patriot Guard Riders' captain for Thursday's funeral.

"You see these stones? That's freedom," Pendergrass said, gesturing to the rows of white tombstones filling Great Lakes National Cemetery. "That what it's about."ANN ARBOR, MI - Washtenaw County citizens will remember fallen military veterans this weekend with the arrival of Memorial Day on Monday, May 28.

Events scheduled range from parades, to flag ceremonies, to a cemetery tribute for an unknown soldier.

Below is a list of Memorial Day events across Washtenaw County. Most events are free and open to the public.

Ann Arbor

The Glacier Highlands Memorial Day parade starts at 10 a.m. Monday, May 28 at Greenbrier Park and ends at 11 a.m. at Glacier Highlands Park.

A memorial service in Glacier Park will follow the parade to honor Michigan veterans. Scouts will line up for a short remembrance ceremony and a singing of "American the Beautiful" will take place, among other Memorial Day traditions.

Attendees can enjoy coffee and doughnuts. Food vendors will have hot dogs, Mexican food and Kona ice desserts.

Ypsilanti

American Legion Post 282 hosts its annual Memorial Day procession at 9:30 a.m. Monday starting between Ferris and South Huron streets in Ypsilanti.

The parade will head to the Depot Bridge before departing for Highland Cemetery for the remainder of the service. Bands from Ypsilanti and Lincoln high schools will perform at each location along with two local middle school bands.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, will attend between 8:30-9 a.m. to meet and greet residents.

Chelsea

The Chelsea Memorial Day parade kicks off at 10 a.m. Monday at the municipal park lot downtown. The parade will head south on Main Street, east on Park Street, north on East Street and east on Middle Street before ending at Oak Grove Cemetery.

The Chelsea High School and Beach Middle School bands will perform along with local veterans at a ceremony at the cemetery. Residents are then invited to attend a barbecue at the American Legion Post 31 afterward. Brats will be served at noon.

Dexter

The Dexter Memorial Day parade will be held at Monument Park and starts at 10 a.m. Monday. The parade, held by the Dexter Rotary Club, will be followed by a ceremony at the park.

This year, the guest speaker is Deborah Trimble, a Pat Tillman scholar at the University of Michigan. Trimble recently completed her second year at the UMich Medical School.

Saline

Saline's Memorial Day parade begins at 10 a.m. Monday the fire station on Michigan Avenue and travels west to Oakwood Cemetery for a memorial service.

Following the service, hot dogs, chips and refreshments will be served.

Milan

Hosted by the American Legion Post 268, a Memorial Day ceremony will take place from 9-10 a.m. Monday at Marble Park Cemetery.

A parade will follow immediately after, which starts at Main Street, takes a right onto Wabash Street and ends at the veterans wall across from the American Legion.

Manchester

Manchester's Memorial Day parade starts at 11 a.m. Monday along the Main Street Bridge. A ceremony will be held on the bridge and then the parade will head to Wurster Park where the Manchester High School marching band will play the national anthem during a flag ceremony.

Attendees from there will walk to the Original Manchester Burial Ground cemetery and pay tribute to the grave of an unknown soldier.

If you would like to submit or suggest a Memorial Day weekend event, email Kullen Logsdon at klogsdon@mlive.com.Daniel J. Olar (left) and Christopher R. Grinnell

TAWAS, MI -- Forgoing his right to a trial, a Pontiac man has admitted in court to fatally bludgeoning and stabbing a 72-year-old man inside his secluded, northern Michigan home.

Following his lead, a woman who alerted police to the killing and led to their discovery of the slain man's body has also pleaded guilty to her role in the grisly crime.

Daniel J. Olar, 21, on April 30 appeared before Iosco County Circuit Judge David C. Riffel and pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder in the August killing of 72-year-old Roger L. Knickerbocker II. In exchange, the prosecution agreed to dismiss a count of open murder, which includes both first- and second-degree murder.

First-degree murder comes with a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, whereas second-degree murder is punishable by a life sentence, but with the possibility of parole.

Olar's plea deal stipulates prosecutors will recommend he serve a minimum 41 years behind bars.

A week after Olar pleaded, 21-year-old codefendant Kaylee M. Willett pleaded guilty to attempted accessory after the fact to a felony, punishable by up to two and a half years' incarceration. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss an actual charge of accessory after the fact to a felony.

Bay City resident Christopher R. Grinnell, 25, entered his guilty plea in the killing to second-degree murder in December. Two months later, Judge Riffel sentenced him to 270 months -- or 22.5 years -- to 40 years in prison with credit for 179 days already served.

The crime

In a December preliminary examination, Grinnell testified for the prosecution and gave details on Knickerbocker's killing, the events leading up to it and what he and his cohorts did after the fact.

Grinnell said he had first met Knickerbocker in early August, when Knickerbocker was living in a small house at 5851 Snyder Trail in Hale, located about 1.3 miles from Grinnell's stepbrother's home. Olar had been staying at Knickerbocker's house, records indicate.

Grinnell said he initially agreed to help Olar kill Knickerbocker, even discussing methods on how to accomplish the deed. On or about Aug. 3, the pair went to Knickerbocker's home, only for Grinnell to have second thoughts.

"I said I didn't want to do it no more," he testified. "We left and went back to my brother's house."

There, Olar asked Willett for help instead, but she refused, Grinnell testified. A short time later, Olar and Grinnell returned to Knickerbocker's house, with Grinnell eventually falling asleep inside, he said.

Roger L. Knickerbocker II

He was awakened by the sound of Olar killing Knickerbocker, bludgeoning him with a hammer in another room, he said. Iosco County Prosecutor Gary Rapp asked Grinnell if he knew how many times Olar struck Knickerbocker.

"If I had to guess, I'd say probably over 100," Grinnell replied.

At one point, Olar asked Grinnell to hand him a knife. Grinnell grabbed a blade from a kitchen knife block and gave it to Olar, he said. He then saw Olar stab Knickerbocker as the victim tried getting out of the room he was in. Knickerbocker disappeared back into the room.

The next night, Olar, Grinnell, and Willett wrapped Knickerbocker's body in plastic and a blanket, dragged it outside with an extension cord, and stuck it in an outhouse, Grinnell said. A week later, they buried the body in a hole in Knickerbocker's backyard, along with cat litter bags, the hammer, the knife, dishwashing gloves, a blood-stained candleholder, and the extension cord.

They took a doghouse from Grinnell's stepbrother's property and placed it over the shallow grave.

Grinnell said they used Knickerbocker's credit cards to buy a laptop, a camera, a car, and various items from smoke shops.

Coming to light

The killing came to investigators' attention the night of Aug. 9. Michigan State Police troopers responded to domestic violence situation at Grinnell's stepbrother's home and arrested Willett, who was wanted in Bay County on outstanding warrants. While en route, Willett bemoaned how she was getting locked up while others were getting away with murder. She proceeded to tell troopers a body was buried behind Knickerbocker's home.

Kaylee M. Willett

After lodging Willett in jail, troopers went to the home and found evidence that a violent crime had occurred there. Troopers summoned a cadaver dog and Crime Lab technicians to the scene.

The cadaver dog located the grave, prompting Crime Lab personnel to dig. They unearthed Knickerbocker's body late on the night of Aug. 10.

Both Olar and Knickerbocker hailed from Pontiac and investigators have said they "had known each other for a very long time."

Once in police custody, Olar reportedly confessed to the killing, saying he had planned to do it if Olar made sexual advances toward him.

Parties' backgrounds

At the time of his death, Knickerbocker was a registered sex offender.

In October 1999, a 13-year-old girl told Pontiac police officers Knickerbocker had been sexually assaulting her when she was about 4. Knickerbocker had been dating the girl's mother for about 10 years at that point.

The girl's mother told police her daughter had told her of the abuse in 1996, but she didn't do anything about it, according to police reports obtained by The Bay City Times-MLive via a Freedom of Information Act request.

Knickerbocker in June 2000 appeared in Oakland County Circuit Court and pleaded no contest to two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person 13 or younger. The following month, a judge sentenced Knickerbocker to 10 to 30 years in prison, with credit for 135 days already served.

The Michigan Department of Corrections paroled Knickerbocker in May 2009. The agency discharged him from parole two years later. Knickerbocker still was to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

At the time, Knickerbocker was residing at 48 S. Merrimac St. in Pontiac, a 0.6-mile walk to a previous residence of Olar's in the 800 block of Stanley Avenue.

Grinnell is also a sex offender. In 2013, he pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct with a victim between the ages of 13 and 15 in Genesee County Circuit Court. The crime occurred Aug. 2, 2013, at which time Grinnell would have been 21. In January 2014, a judge sentenced Grinnell to five years' probation, which was to last until Jan. 21, 2019. He is required to register as a sex offender until Feb. 4, 2039.

Judge Riffel is to sentence Willett at 9 a.m. on June 4, with Olar's sentencing to follow at 9 a.m. on June 11.

Grinnell is currently serving time at the Saginaw Correctional Facility in Freeland. His earliest possible release date is Feb. 9, 2040, with his maximum discharge date being Aug. 9, 2057.Since-demoted Detroit Police Commander Timothy L. Leach is charged with three felonies related to the alleged assault of a 42-year-old man who was critically injured during this year's annual St. Patrick's Day parade.

Another Detroit police officer is charged with crimes stemming from his role of an apparent attempted cover-up that followed an altercation that occurred at Ottava Via restaurant on Michigan Avenue in Detroit's Corktown about 3:40 p.m. on March 11.

Leach, 48, who is now suspended with pay, operates a private security company in addition to being a police officer.

Leach and up to six other employees, including off-duty Detroit Police Officer Frederick E. Person, were performing security duties without the proper license or department authorization on the day of the parade, according to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy's office.

"It is alleged that Leach forcibly escorted (Michael Karpovich of Washington Township) toward the front door," Worthy's office said in a charging statement. "If is further alleged that during this attempted ejection, defendant Leach forcibly pushed the victim, who fell to the floor and sustained a significant head injury causing him to lose consciousness."

Someone called 911.

When Detroit police arrived, they were waived off and told Karpovich slipped and fell, which halted any initial criminal investigation, Detroit Police Chief James Craig said during a press conference on Tuesday, March 20.

Craig says the hospital didn't initially report the injuries to police as a possible assault and it wasn't until several days later that the police administration learned of Leach's involvement. He was suspended on Thursday, March 15.

Leach never reported the incident, as required under Detroit police policy, and when an investigation began days later, Person "knowingly provided false information regarding the circumstances of the assault, failed to file a report regarding the use of force, failed to obtain approval to engage in secondary employment and tampered with evidence," Worthy's office said.

Both Leach and Person are 23-year department veterans with the option to resign or retire with pensions.

Karpovich was in a coma for multiple days following the encounter, and may have suffered brain damage, according to Jennifer Damico, an attorney with Mike Morse Law Firm who is representing Karpovich.

Leach and Person are expected to be arraigned Wednesday, May 24.

Leach is charged with assault with intent to cause great bodily harm, punishable by up to 10 years in prison; misdemeanor aggravated assault; misdemeanor neglect of duty, working as an unlicensed security guard and tampering with evidence.

Person is charged with obstruction of justice, punishable by up to five years in prison; misdemeanor neglect of duty; and tampering with evidence, a four-year felony.

"It is disappointing that we have to level charges against one of the Detroit Police Department's top brass and yet another officer," worthy said. "These alleged actions do not represent the hard-working men and women who work each day to protect Detroit."

Craig said he plans to recommend to the Detroit Police Commission, which has authority to make the decision, that they suspend both officers without pay while administrative reviews proceed.The loud thuds and clangs of bulldozers and jackhammers that have become commonplace in Downtown Detroit seem louder than ever this spring.

Orange cones, cement barriers and giant tarps bearing advertisements and inspirational messages wrap around construction sites all over Detroit's central neighborhoods.

Heavy trucks and sidewalk scaffolding tunnels slow down traffic every day, as 100-foot cranes tower over a plethora of major ground-up and restorative developments.

At least $3.4 billion in construction projects are underway downtown.

Another $877 million is being spent on buildings in Midtown, along with $389 million in New Center, and $353 million in other central business districts.

That's $5.1 billion. And that doesn't include projects still in early planning, nor construction taking place in neighborhoods further from downtown.

It's the most construction activity Detroit has seen in decades.

But there are only so many historic buildings to restore and prime parcels on which to build.

So does the 2018 construction boom represent the peak for high-volume, large-scale, highly visible building activity in Detroit?

Or is it just the beginning?

The interactive map above includes projects that were announced, launched or expected to be completed this year.

See a full list of developments, with photos, here.

'Unlimited' potential

Brian Adelman says its neither.

"I don't think it's the beginning, because it's been going on for several years. I don't think it's the end, because of the potential for where it could go. I think it's unlimited," said Adelman, who co-owns 31 Five Guys Burgers and Fries restaurants in Michigan, including Detroit's Greektown location, and a new restaurant opening in Midtown.

His downtown restaurant sits right below Greektown Casino, owned by Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert, the man behind much of the large-scale construction taking place.

Foundation work began this spring on Gilbert's long-awaited skyscraper at the site of the former Hudson's department store. It's expected to be Michigan's tallest building.

Gilbert is also involved in one of the most visible projects on Woodward Avenue: Construction of the luxury Shinola Hotel, a work site that has been shrouded in a massive tarp that bears the message "Let's roll up our sleeves."

More mega-developments are in the works. Gilbert's Bedrock real estate firm is expected to soon break ground on the $830-million, four-acre Monroe Blocks project, which includes a 35-story office tower, 482 residential units, public green space and preservation of the facade of the historic, Albert Kahn-designed National Theatre.

The historic Book Tower is also expected to undergo a $313-million renovation.

Those Gilbert projects are worth roughly $2.1-billion investment in downtown. Taxpayers are contributing $250 million to those combined projects. The Michigan Strategic Fund approved that support Tuesday. Bedrock estimates the projects will create 22,000 jobs and generate $2.5 billion in new tax revenue over 30 years.

And the flurry of activity extends far beyond Gilbert and downtown.

Numerous ground-up, mixed-use building projects near Wayne State University are underway in Midtown, and there are even talks of a major move involving Ford Motor Company and the long-vacant behemoth Michigan Central Station in Corktown.

The Ilitch family, meanwhile, is expanding the Little Caesars real estate empire with a new headquarters and mixed-use buildings surrounding the new Red Wings and Pistons arena.

A decade ago, signs of construction were rare, prospects appeared low in Detroit, and it was difficult to imagine the burgeoning building activity taking place in and around downtown today, said Ray Telang, managing partner for PwC Detroit, a major accounting and consulting firm.

"We've come a long way as Detroiters," said Telang, a Detroit native who has been working downtown for 30 years, closely watching its progress. "Ten years ago, people asked where you were from, you might've looked at your shoes and said 'Detroit,' or the suburb that you're from. Today, I think most of us will probably say 'Detroit!' and we're eager to talk about all the great things that are happening...

"You have a lot more confidence in making that investment when you have the kind of political-business leadership we have today that's aligned. That will ultimately set the foundation that's going to drive the long-term success for many of our organizations."

The extraordinary level of centralized, large-scale construction activity taking place this spring may not last, but Detroit is a massive city with plenty of needs, Telang said.

"I think we're going to continue to see expansive redevelopment in all of our urban areas. Will there be mega-projects like the ones we're going to see in 2018? I don't think so," Telang said.

But with rising interest and high demand downtown, business leaders need to push for economic activity that will continue "feed the engine," Telang added.

'Growing pains'

The developers leading the downtown building surge like to characterize their projects as part of "Detroit's resurgence," "Detroit's revitalization," "Detroit's renaissance" or "The New Detroit."

But for many Detroiters, the idea of a "new" Detroit is not all good.

With the influx of money and work have come inflated rental rates, congestion and displacement of longtime residents and businesses.

"We're not making progress as quickly as many of us would like," Telang said. "When you hear about investments that are taking place... some have suggested some of those investments are going to raise rents or raise property values, and are going to create instability in those neighborhoods. I think that's all part of the growing pains and the desired outcomes we're looking for as we think about where we want to be."

The rise in property values has displaced some longtime businesses in the downtown-area.

Henry the Hatter, a 124-year-old hat shop, could not maintain operations in downtown and moved to Eastern Market last year. Angelina Italian Bistro, a central downtown restaurant near Comerica Park and Ford Field also closed its doors last year after long-running disputes with Bedrock over rent and other issues.

At the same time, major national tech firms have been establishing offices downtown, including the likes of Microsoft and Google.

Microsoft brought 450 of its employees downtown to the One Campus Martius building last year after three decades in Southfield.

And Google chose to move its media sales and technical support staff from Birmingham to an office space next door to Little Caesars Arena.

But beyond the downtown scene, Detroiters have long complained of the lopsided focus of resources on the city's central business districts, and not on the other 130 square miles of city.

"There's never going to be enough that's happening in the neighborhoods," Telang said.

"... We're just seeing the start of what's going to happen around Little Caesars Arena, and that's going to expand and make its way all the way to the Lodge (Freeway), and hopefully all the way to I-75 as those spaces begin to fill."

Hope for the neighborhoods

Michelle Fallena, a Detroit senior who's lived in the under-renovation Louis Kamper building downtown for 18 years, said the city's older residents in particular are in need of affordable amenities across the city.

"(Seniors) really need a community center. They need to be able to shop. They need to be able to go to the store and get what they need without paying twice the price," she said.

"They need to be able to go to restaurant if they want to without paying $5 for a cup of coffee because what some people don't realize is that these people are on medicaid ... and sometimes they have to decide between getting a loaf of bread and a cup of coffee. How are you going to pay $5 for a cup of coffee? That's not right."

Lily Hamburger, senior small business strategy manager for the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, believes the next phase of business growth in the city will take place further away from the Woodward corridor.

"In 2017, we commissioned a study of demand for retail in the neighborhoods, and through that, identified the types of businesses that are in demand," said Hamburger, who helps run Motor City Match, a program that awards grants and technical support to budding small businesses.

View the retail study here.

Those efforts are helping neighborhoods see more grocery stores and pharmacies, family-friendly sitdown restaurants, clothing shops and even some larger-scale industrial developments, said Hamburger.

"It definitely feels like we're chugging along... We don't anticipate it falling down," Hamburger said.

The Avenue of Fashion along Livernois Avenue, once Detroit's hub of the apparel industry, has been an oft-cited example of significant, if slower, economic revitalization far from downtown.

New amenities implemented citywide like painted bike lanes, a bike-share system and street sweeping service are also expected to help storefront traffic in smaller business corridors.

"I think that these underserved areas will begin to be served because they want to be served, and people are going to want to serve them," said Adelman, the Five Guys franchise owner, who decided to develop a new Detroit restaurant in Midtown after seeing the rapidly growing business scene there.

"It's a double-edged sword," he said about the large-scale redevelopment being focused primarily in the downtown area.

"Without the investment that went in, I'm not sure where we would be."FLINT, MI -- Genesee Health System has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to get $5.2 million in taxpayer money it believes is owed by Genesee County.

But the county is claiming GHS is the one that owes it money.

GHS filed the lawsuit May 18 in Genesee Circuit Court and alleges the county is withholding the money to cover up its own financial shortcomings.

"The county repeatedly acknowledged both that GHS is entitled to the GHS funds and that it was withholding those funds because the county was otherwise unable to pay its own bills," according to the lawsuit. "The county's claim of a mistake is a pretext, made in bad faith for the purpose of concealing its financial distress and converting the GHS funds to its own use."

The battle goes back to 2015 and an annual $10.2 million payment GHS claims it was owed that year. The county paid $5 million but asked to be put on a payment plan for the balance, according to MLive-The Flint Journal archives.

When GHS refused the payment plan, county officials took a deeper look at the money in 2016 and determined that the county had actually overpaid the amount due for the previous three years.

Genesee Health System is the mental health authority providing Medicaid funded mental health services and other mental health services to Genesee County residents.

Attorneys for GHS say the under the Michigan Mental Health Code, Genesee County was required to turn over all the agency's assets, including cash to GHS upon GHS' formation.

"Instead, the county held back GHS' cash for more than three years," according to a statement from Butzel Long, the law firm representing GHS. "GHS has asked the county for many months to resolve the dispute and turn over GHS' cash. The lawsuit is brought to remedy the county's unlawful conduct and recover the GHS funds for GHS' rightful use and benefit. The county's actions are compromising GHS's ability to carry out its mission and ultimately those actions will directly harm county residents requiring GHS' assistance."

Genesee County has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit.

"We actually believe GHS owes us money and we'll vigorously defend the lawsuit," said Brian MacMillan, assistant corporation counsel for Genesee County.

No court date has been scheduled in the case.FLINT TWP., MI -- The state of Michigan claims Patsy Lou Chevrolet repeatedly violated the law by not providing vehicle titles to buyers, but an attorney for the dealership says there is no legitimate basis for forcing it to shut down for 15 days.

Michael F. Wais, who represents the business and two individuals associated with it in an appeal of a state-imposed 15-day suspension, told MLive-The Flint Journal that the proposed penalty would be unprecedented -- even if "the allegations were true -- which they are not."

"The fact that a suspension is not warranted is perhaps best confirmed by the fact that the alleged events all occurred and were known to the Secretary of State in 2016," Wais said in an email. "If the dealership deserved a suspension, then why wait almost two years and why try to negotiate a settlement that did not include a suspension."

Secretary of State Ruth Johnson announced the action earlier this month, barring Patsy Lou from buying, selling or trading vehicles for 15 days.

But before any of the suspension was served, the dealership asked -- and Genesee Circuit Court Judge Geoffrey Neithercut granted -- an emergency stay, setting aside the suspension until an appeal could be heard.

Neithercut has set a schedule for production of certain documents for the appeal, and Fred Woodhams, a spokesman for Johnson, said he is not expecting a hearing to take place until possibly mid-July.

Wais said that's not realistic.

"I think a hearing in August or September (or maybe later) is far more realistic," he said.

The suspension, which remains on hold, was ordered by Administrative Law Examiner Jay Thomas Todd on May 10, following an April hearing, after the state filed a 16-count complaint against Patsy Lou.

State records show the company claimed that a suspension would "cause material and significant harm to the business," and a witness told Todd that a 30-day suspension initially sought by the state "would potentially put the company out of business given the overhead and the inability to retain a workforce that seemingly ... all works on commission."

In addition to the business, the order names Patsy Lou Williamson and Ted Merill Gans, doing business as Patsy Lou Chevrolet.

The order does not address the motivation for the alleged improper actions at the business, including improper use of temporary registrations and failure to apply for title and registration within 15 days.GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Dennis Lee Burger has worked most of his life, last as an electrician in 2017.

But addiction to heroin and other drugs have always gotten in the way.

Burger, 52, of Hudsonville, was sentenced Thursday, May 24, in U.S. District Court to 40 months prison after he pleaded guilty to bank robbery.

He also was sentenced to three years of supervised release following prison and ordered to repay more than $8,800 restitution.

He was accused of robbing Macatawa Bank at 3177 Knapp St NE on Jan. 13 and the Macatawa Bank at 2440 Burton Street SE three days later. Workers at both banks recognized him as a regular customer.

He wrote on the back of a blank transaction slip: "THIS IS A ROBBERY PUT ALL CASH IN THIS BAG."

Dennis Burger

In the second robbery, he had both hands in pockets, as if he had a gun, and said, "'You're about to have a really bad day,'" an FBI agent said in court documents.

Burger got about $9,600 in all.

"He robbed the very banks where he had an account and where he had been seen by tellers on a regular basis," defense attorney David Kaczor wrote in court documents.

"Obviously, the robberies were not well thought out, and each was an attempt to get money for his drug addiction. He was 'high' when he committed each robbery," Kaczor wrote.

"He had no weapons and did not threaten the tellers, although he did tell one of them that she was about to have a bad day. He states that he told this to the teller not as a threat, but more of an apology, recognizing the trauma he was creating for the teller."

Advisory sentencing guidelines call for a sentence range of 33 to 41 months. A probation officer recommended Burger be sentenced to 40 months.GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Police identified two brothers suspected of robbing a Huntington Bank branch last year because their robbery note was on the backside of a federal probation office printout.

A Grand Rapids police detective testified about the note Wednesday, May 23, during a probable cause hearing for Dominke Sterling, 26.

He is charged with bank robbery for allegedly holding up the Huntington Bank at 1949 44t St. SE about 9 a.m. Oct. 25 and getting away with about $2,200.

Police allege Sterling's brother, 28-year-old Michael Cornelius Sterling Jr., was a co-conspirator in the robbery.

Detectives earlier this month announced they had identified the two brothers as suspects. Michael Sterling Jr. is being held in a Pennsylvania jail and awaiting extradition proceedings.

During Wednesday's hearing, bank teller Jacob Lowing said he was working Oct. 25 when a man came in and placed a note and bag on a table.

The note read: "This is a robbery. $50s and $20s. No dye pack. Put money in bag or we will harm. Praise Allah."

Lowing said he noticed something in the robber's jacket that could have been a weapon. Another man was standing by the bank door as a lookout.

In court Wednesday, Lowing said he was nervous when the robbery happened and didn't get a good look at the man's face. However, he knew the robbery and the lookout person had about the same height and build.

Grand Rapids police Detective Mike Nagel said police did not find any DNA evidence on the robbery note, but the flip side had some computer printing and the date of Aug. 28, 2017.

Detectives determined it was a printout from a federal probation office and that Michael Sterling Jr. was logged in as a client that day. He was on federal probation.

Police later confiscated Dominke Sterling's cell phone and, through a request to Google, learned the phone's location was directly behind the bank at 9:02 a.m. on Oct. 25.

Data on the phone also showed the someone had performed multiple Internet searches about the bank robbery, beginning just two hours after it occurred.

Another piece of key evidence was a red and white jacket worn by one of the robbers. The brother-in-law of Dominike Sterling testified he gave such a jacket to Sterling just days prior to Oct. 25.

A judge ruled Wednesday that sufficient evidence existed to order Dominike Sterling to stand trial.GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Comic books, new food items and a different layout are all planned for the upcoming Festival of the Arts.

The popular festival annually draws hundreds of thousands of people to downtown Grand Rapids in early June.

The 49th annual Festival of the Arts will be held June 1-3 in downtown Grand Rapids. The free festival is one of the longest-running festivals in the state of Michigan.

In addition to its regular lineup of performances, activities, exhibits and food booths, this year's Festival of the Arts will include the addition of comic book art booths and changes to the festival's location layout.

Organizers announced the changes and lineup at an event Wednesday, May 23.

A comic book art event is scheduled for June 1-2 at Rosa Parks Circle, where several artist booths will be showcased.

"This year we have several local artists who are going to come down and have their artwork on display and available for purchase," festival co-chair Jessi Nix Gould said. "We have DJs both Friday and Saturday. That portion of the event runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. And we'll have cosplay on Saturday."

Because of construction, the layout of the festival will be different in 2018. The festival will occupy South Ottowa Street, will curve East on Lyon Street, continue onto Ionia Street and end at Pearl Street.

In addition to the comic book booths at Rosa Parks Circle, the Calder Stage will be in front Alexander Calder's "La Grande Vitesse" sculpture, the di Suvero Stage will be behind the Federal Building and the Kendall Stage will be on Pearl Street.

Activities will surround the County Building and City Hall. The Grand Rapids Art Museum will still host activities and will remain free and open to the public during the festival.

New food booth menu items will include root beer floats, extra-large pickles, cinnamon and lemon pineapple skewers and spicy Korean nachos. Polish sausage, turkey legs, elephant ears and other favorites also will remain on the menu.

The food booths are run by non-profit groups.

The United Church of Wayland has had an Australian food booth at the festival for eight years. Its booth will add grilled pineapple skewers to this year's menu.

A portion of the profits from the food sales go back to the organizations.

The changes to the Festival of the Arts are part of an effort to expand the festival and to bring in more people.

"We've brought up to 350,000 people during those three days," interim director David Abbott said. "And according to the weather, it's going to be a great weekend, so we're hoping it eclipses that and goes over that number."

Abbott was appointed as the festival's first-ever interim executive director in April. Prior to working with the Festival of the Arts, Abbott worked with ArtPrize, Goodwill Industries of Greater Grand Rapids and Gilda's Club's Laughfest.

The Festival of the Arts is a nonprofit organization traditionally put on by volunteer efforts. It was inspired by the installation of Alexander Calder's "La Grande Vitesse" in front of City Hall in downtown Grand Rapids.

Co-chair Melissa Bush said she hopes those who attend will be able to appreciate the art in their own community.(Photo: Yunnan.cn)

China Customs officers of Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan Province, announced Tuesday that seven imported garbage smuggling rings have been disbanded, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Kunming Customs recently completed the third round of the Blue Sky 2018 investigation, which oversees anti-smuggling enforcement in Xishuangbanna and Kunming.

Law enforcement officers arrested 17 suspects and seized some 534 tons of solid waste in their recent raids. Two suspects, with the surnames Zhu and Tian, have been identified as the leaders of the smuggling rings and were also taken into custody.

According to the police investigation, Zhu and Tian bought solid waste from Myanmar and smuggled it into Kunming city. The solid waste was used to make plastic products, which were then sold to markets across the country. The pair have smuggled more than 5,000 tons of imported plastic waste into the city since the beginning of this year.

Kunming Customs has stopped 39 smuggling waste cases and seized more than 542 tons of imported waste such as used clothing, plastic, and scrap metal during the first four months of 2018.

Zhan Li, director of the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of Kunming Customs, said the agency will crack down on the smuggling of imported garbage to maintain a healthy and safe environment for the people.GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Grand Rapids Community College agreed to new contracts with two of its employee unions - the Police Officers Labor Council and College Employees Benefit Association.

The contracts include salary increases ranging from 1 to 2.5 percent. The Board of Trustees unanimously approved the agreements at its Monday, May 21, meeting.

"As a board, we are just incredibly appreciative and honored by the way these two negotiations came to completion,'' GRCC Board of Trustees Chair David Koetje said.

Lisa Freiburger, vice president for finance and administration, said the total fiscal impact of both contract settlements is approximately $330,100 over the full contract periods.

The Police Officers Labor Council, which represents 11 officers and three dispatchers, has a four-year contract that runs from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2022.

There is a 1.5 percent salary increase the first year, a 2.25 percent increase in the second and third year of the contract, and a 2.5 percent increase in 2021-22.

"We thought it was a fair contract,'' said Tony Myers, president of the Police Officers Labor Council, who said the ratification was unanimous. "The main thing was getting a wage increase.''

Eligible members will have an opportunity for step increases, based on performance, according to GRCC General Council Kathy Keating. She said in the third and fourth year of the contract, there will be a 25-cent per hour shift differential for second-shift officers and dispatchers.

The College Employees Benefit Association (CEBA), which represents 72 operations and skilled trades employees, now has a three-year contract. The contract runs from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2021.

CEBA operations members will receive a 1 percent salary increase in years one and two of the contract but see a salary freeze in 2020-21. There is a one-time stipend for operations employees at their top step of $2,320 in 2020-21, as well as a one-time stipend of $1,120 for employees eligible for steps.

Keating, who is on the negotiating team, said the college negotiated new salary schedule for operations employees hired after July 1, that will be set at 90 percent of the 2018-19 salary schedules.

"This was done with some joint benchmarking of compensation, so that we can have salary schedules that are competitive, not excessive, and fair to all employees,'' she said.

Skilled trades employees will receive a 1.5 percent salary increase each year of the contract. Employees at the top step will receive a one-time stipend of $1,000 in 2018-19. There will be step movement for all eligible employees during the contract, based on performance.

"We worked with our employees to arrive at contracts that are fair to them and fiscally responsible," said Freiburger, who is a member of the negotiating team.

"We're proud of our employees and the work they do. They are partners as we, together, serve the students and communities of West Michigan."

Tom Vos, CEBA president, did not respond to a request for comment before publication.

The Board of Trustees approved a contract with the Faculty Association in December 2016 that runs through the 2018-19 school year.Clinton Rice

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Grand Rapids police arrested a 26-year-old man earlier this month after a physical struggle that was partially caught on video and shared on social media.

The 8-second video share on social media depicts two officers attempting to detain a man outside a local gas station, with a third officer joining and using a pair of knee strikes to the man's upper arm.

Grand Rapids Police Sgt. Catherine Williams said the incident was reviewed by the police department's internal affairs unit, training unit and police chief. All parties determined that appropriate force was used during the arrest.

Partial video of the encounter was viewed more than 13,100 times during its first 10 days.

Video footage from the two responding officers' body-worn cameras was obtained by MLive/The Grand Rapids Press through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Police were dispatched shortly before 5:30 p.m. May 6 to a report of a "violent individual" trespassing at the Speedway gas station at 400 Leonard St. NW in Grand Rapids.

Officers who responded to the call did not find the individual, who had previously been banned from the gas station. They left, but were called back around 11:30 p.m. to a second sighting of the man.

A responding officer spoke with the clerk, who identified the man and warned police that he was "very violent."

Police spoke with Clinton Rice, 26, and discovered that he had a warrant out for his arrest. He told officers he was returning to the store to get his bag and then he was going to leave.

Officers told Rice he wasn't permitted on gas station property. They attempted to arrest him for trespassing but he became "verbally and physically non-compliant," Williams said.

When Rice refused to put his hands on his head, officers attempted to pull his arms behind his back. Rice responded to the officers with a threat of violence, according to the body-cam footage.

During the arrest, two officers and the individual fell to the ground where the struggle continued. Both officers' body-worn cameras fell off when the officers went to the ground.

With the cameras recording only audio, Rice can be heard shouting threats to assault and kill the officers.

"I see you again, you're dead," Rice said. "I'll break your (expletive) face. You're a dead man."

A third officer, driving by, noticed the struggle and rushed to his coworkers' assistance. He delivered two knee strikes to Rice's upper arm -- a technique Williams said is used to make the arm temporarily motionless so that it can be restrained.

Police said Rice did not report any injuries following the arrest. The officers didn't immediately report injuries either.

Rice was charged with resisting and obstructing a police officer, as well as trespassing. He was released from the Kent County Jail on May 8, but was arrested again three days later and charged with trespassing and a controlled substance violation.

His record includes several convictions of trespassing, causing a public disturbance and disobeying police. On April 11, he was charged with hindering and opposing a police officer and trespassing in Wyoming.

Rice was still in custody at the jail on Wednesday, May 23.

Multiple attempts to reach the man who posted the video for comment were unsuccessful. He commented on the video post that the "cops rolled up on (Rice) because he looked suspicious he didn't cooperate to there demands nor should he ..."BATTLE CREEK, MI -- A 48-year-old Battle Creek man is charged with open murder for the death of another man discovered in a car trunk.

Marko McGee was arraigned Wednesday, May 23 on the murder charge, as well as other counts for weapons, resisting police and being a habitual offender.

The body of Diabulo White, 43, of Battle Creek, was found in the trunk of a Toyota Camry on Monday, May 21.

Battle Creek police said he was victim of blunt force trauma to the head and strangulation.

The Camry was found Saturday on property along Helen Montgomery Avenue and ended up being towed to Tiger's Towing lot at 111 S. Kendall Street.

The Camry owner, the girlfriend of White, was called to pick up the car. She discovered the body about 9:40 a.m. Monday.

Soon after the discovery, police received a tip about the location of a possible suspect in the death.

Officers went to an address in the 100 block of Somerset Avenue and confronted a man seen leaving a house. The man ran from police but was soon caught and taken into custody about 11:10 a.m.

Police found a handgun nearby and, after searching the man's residence, also found "possible evidence from the death of Diabulo White was located."GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Grand Rapids moved a step closer to allowing licensed medical marijuana facilities Thursday, May 24, when the planning commission established a proposed ordinance.

The proposal was unanimously approved by the planning commission during its meeting Thursday, May 24. Now it'll go to the city commission to be considered.

City planners stressed that the proposed ordinance focuses on medicinal marijuana for the use of card-holding patients, and does not consider recreational marijuana despite a statewide proposal expected to be on the ballot in November.

"Voters in the state of Michigan have classified this as medicine," said planning commissioner Kyle Van Strien. "So why are we treating this medicine different than other medicines, and even more restrictive than alcohol?"

The medical distinction was echoed repeatedly throughout Thursday's meeting as commissioners relaxed portions of the proposed ordinance.

As is, the ordinance would not place a set cap on the number of marijuana facilities allowed within the city. There would, however, be separation distance requirements.

Provisional centers would need to be 1,000 feet from parks, schools, child care centers and other provisional centers. Marijuana grow, processing, safety compliance facilities and transporters would be limited to 1,000 feet from schools and child care centers, and 600 feet from other such marijuana facilities.

No proposed facility would be by-right, and each would require a special land-use permit and the appropriate licensing.

Planning Director Suzanne Schulz initially included more-restrictive measures with anticipation that recreational use would be legalized in November.

The planning commission eliminated proposals that commissioners said would create unfair hurdles, including a $5,000 annual fee and the requirement for business owners to have a voluntary equitable development agreement (VEDA).

City planning officials began considering a medical marijuana ordinance in response to a citizen petition aimed at bringing licensed and properly regulated medicinal marijuana facilities to Grand Rapids through a November 2018 ballot proposal.

The group Smart & Safe GR is attempting to collect signatures from 10,000 residents interested in a city ordinance to opt into the Medical Marijuana Facilities Licensing Act to authorize marijuana dispensaries.

On Thursday, 12 people gave their insight during the planning commission's public comment period. Each of them was in favor of an ordinance, and many asked for more lax regulations that allowed the market to dictate saturation.

"We have a great opportunity to bring in so much business and so many jobs," said Tami VandenBerg, a local business owner and activist who supports the campaign.

"We care about equity, we care about our neighborhoods, and about small businesses, and if we care about those things, we'd be working hard so that as many people as possible can access this opportunity."

MILegalize board member Michael Tuffelmire said a medical marijuana ordinance would bring the market up from underground and into the light, thus reducing crime.

He also spoke for his fellow military veterans, who he said should be considered when establishing separation distances and ensuring accessibility to dispensaries for patients with handicaps.

Dave Overholt, who once owned a medical marijuana dispensary in Grand Rapids, applauded the commission for taking a serious look at allowing facilities. The Gulf War veteran hasn't had a pill in 12 years, and he said access to marijuana could be a big step toward fighting the opioid epidemic.

Commissioners did relax some of the original ordinance language, but kept other language designed to ensure that other businesses weren't negatively affected by a surge of medical marijuana facilities over-saturating the market.

The city commission will review the proposed ordinance in the coming weeks. It is expected to set a public hearing for July 10 before putting it to a vote.MENOMINEE, MI - Sixty-five years ago this week, a massive search party led by police and bloodhounds pushed its way through dense acres of swampy brushland in Northern Michigan, looking for a 2-year-old girl who'd gone missing days earlier from the front yard of her grandparents' cottage.

Michigan's "famous U.P. toddler rescue," as it was dubbed by some, made national headlines in May 1953 with its happy ending: Little Beverly Kay Bradley was found sitting on an abandoned logging road, missing her jeans but still clutching the doll she'd been carrying when she disappeared. She was discovered by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter pilot who had spotted her red underpants from the air.

But even after Beverly was found, questions lingered about what had happened to her during the 49 hours she was missing. Had she simply walked away and gotten lost? Or had she been abducted, then left in the woods by her captor, as the sheriff at the time seemed to suggest?

Details of case that captivated much of Michigan and beyond that May can be pieced together through old newspaper clippings from the Upper Peninsula and nearby Wisconsin.

Beverly, of Milwaukee, had come north with her mother and 7-year-old sister to stay at her grandparents' cottage in Menominee. She vanished on Wednesday, May 20, right around lunchtime. According to a neighbor, she was last seen in her grandparents' front yard.

Her grandmother contacted authorities when she couldn't be found. The search quickly ballooned to emergency proportions.

The Janesville Daily Gazette in Wisconsin described it enlisting "virtually every available man in Menominee County."

The search for Beverly continued into Thursday and dragged on into Friday. The area being combed on foot was dense, wet brushland near the border with Wisconsin, and not too far from Lake Michigan's Green Bay.

Poor conditions made the search discouraging.

"The Upper Peninsula has been swept by rain and thunderstorms, and more than 300 volunteers, aided by dogs and aircraft, had been unable to pick up any trace of her," The Detroit Free Press reported in an article that week.

SEEING A BIT OF RED IN THE FOREST

The miracle-like ending came early Friday afternoon, on May 22, when a Sikorsky helicopter being flown out of the U.S. Coast Guard's Air Station Traverse City was doing a sweep over an old logging area near Cloverdale.

Even reading through the decades-old account, it sounds dramatic.

According to a front-page story in the Traverse City Record Eagle:

"With (Lt. Commander Paul) Morosky at the controls and Ensign John A Olsen as co-pilot and AD/3 Richard Schmidt as mechanic, the big helicopter took off from (Traverse City) at 8 o'clock Friday morning, making a fueling stop at Escanaba and arriving at Menomlnee at 11:40 a.m. There the crew talked with Sheriff Edward Reindl, who was directing the search, and begin an aerial hunt in the area of Carbondale at noon.

'After a circular search of the area assigned us, we began a lateral east-west search of thickly wooded land near a highway on which a group of searchers' cars were located,' Morosky recounted. 'It was just luck that we spotted the little girl in an open spot on our fourth sweep of the area at low level. She was lying on her stomach, with her legs pulled up under her and her bright red shorts and yellow T-shirt enabled us to spot her.' "

According to an article in the Escanaba Daily Press, as Morosky flew the chopper over Beverly's location, he shouted into radio: "I see something red. And there's something yellow. It's the child."

She was about a mile from her grandparents' cottage.

The Record Eagle story picks back up with Morosky reaching the toddler, who lay very still. He landed the helicopter in a clearing and ran down the logging road to Beverly.

"She was conscious, but just opened her eyes and looked at me and said nothing," he stated. "I held her until Sheriff Reindl arrived by foot moments later. She was placed in a police car and driven back to the clearing where Ensign Olsen had the helicopter waiting.

"We took off and in eight minutes landed on the parking lot of the hospital at Menominee, where nurses waited to give her emergency treatment."

Other newspaper accounts of the time have local ground searchers reaching her first after Morosky spotted the child and radioed in her location.

One account says that on the way to the hospital, Morosky flew the helicopter over Beverly's grandparents' cottage, giving the family the high sign that the little girl had been found.

"Enroute to Menominee with Beverly, the helicopter circled for a moment over the cabin where the girl's mother, Mrs. Ocalla Bradley, grieved. Morosky waggled the tail of the plane and the crew members waved and smiled," the Janesville Gazette reported.

Once in the hospital, Beverly was treated for exposure, a lot of bug bites, and given an antibiotic as a precaution. She stayed there a few days before going back to her grandparent's home and, a short time later, back to Wisconsin.

Headlines included the triumphant "Mission Completed," showing pictures of the hero helicopter crew and other photos of the little girl in a hospital bed surrounded by dolls, with her mother next to her.

LOST OR KIDNAPPED?

But questions persisted about what actually happened during her two-day ordeal.

Neither Beverly Bradley, her family, nor anyone involved in this rescue effort could be reached for an interview, but reports after she was found show the sheriff was not convinced the little girl had spent two days alone in the woods.

In early June 1953, the Escanaba paper reported that the mystery of Beverly's disappearance was unsolved and would likely remain that way, "with clues to the identity of her abductor" growing more vague each day.

"She was found in such good physical condition, after being missing 49 hours, that Sheriff Edward J. Reindl insists she as snatched on Wednesday, May 20, and returned to the swamp only a few hours before she was sighted by the U. S. Coast Guard helicopter and rescued about noon on Friday, May 22," the story reads.

Beverly's mother tried to re-enact the moments before her daughter's disappearance, bringing the child to the spot near the driveway where she had last been seen by a neighbor.

"Except for mumbling something about being 'in a car' and 'at a house,' she has offered nothing additional. These words were mumbled to her mother when she awoke the first morning after she had been in the hospital."Population estimates for 2017 were released today by the U.S. Census Bureau, and our database allows you to look up any Michigan city, township or village to see the new numbers.

You can also see how the numbers compare to the 2010 Census and to 2016.

Click on "details" to see the annual numbers going back to 2010.

You can type in the name of the township, city or village, or search by county.

Note: there are 53 Michigan cities and villages that cross county lines. Those municipalities are listed twice, with each listing showing just the population in that particular county. In those cases, the individual listing indicates it is only part of the city or village's total population.

2017 population by city, township or village

Also note the Census population are estimates, and the margin of error increases as community size decreases.

You can rank communities by clicking on the column title. One click will perform a top-to-bottom ranking, with the lowest number first. Two clicks will result in a ranking with the highest number first.KALAMAZOO, MI -- Nearly 4,000 runners will flood downtown Kalamazoo streets for the 16th annual Girls on the Run of Greater Kalamazoo 5K Thursday.

The runners will will take to the streets of Kalamazoo beginning at Waldo Stadium, 1903 W. Michigan Ave., at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 24.

The runners will cover a 3.1-mile course Thursday that weaves through downtown Kalamazoo before ending back at Waldo. All ages and fitness levels are invited to walk or run the course. An opening ceremony at Waldo Stadium will kick off Thursday's event at 6 p.m.

Several roads along the 5K will be closed during the event. At 6:30 p.m., the runners will leave Waldo Stadium and head downtown on Lovell Street. The run weaves through other downtown roads before looping back onto Lovell Street to finish at Waldo Stadium. All lanes of Oakland (between Lovell and Oliver Lane) will be closed from 4 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The following streets will have lane closures before the 6:30 p.m. start until approximately 8 p.m.: Lovell (between Oakland and Davis), Cedar, Burdick, Burr Oak, Rose, Forest, Oak, Wheaton, and Davis. Access to homes and businesses on these streets will be limited during these times.

Traffic will be detoured around the downtown area to the east from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Community members are invited to line the course to cheer on the runners. Drivers are encouraged to park in driveways instead of the on the streets along the course.

Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officers will be present on the course to keep runners safe.KALAMAZOO, MI -- Kalamazoo public safety officers are investigating a shooting after a man drove himself to a local hospital with a gunshot wound.

The victim arrived at Bronson Methodist Hospital, 601 John Street, around 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 23. The victim told a public safety officer he was shot in the area of Hays Park Avenue near James Street in the Edison neighborhood.

At the scene, officers found a shell casing and packaged narcotics on the ground. The victim doesn't appear to have been the intended target of the shooter, according to a Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety news release. His wounds are considered non life-threatening.

Witnesses gave police limited suspect information and described the shooter as African American, male, wearing dark clothing and a mask. The suspect remains at large.

Anyone with information on the shooting can call KDPS at (269) 337-8994 or Silent Observer at (269) 343-2100.LANSING, MI -- Convicted criminals now must listen to victim impact statements at sentencing hearings.

Public Act 153 of 2018, also known as the Rebekah Bletsch Law, was signed into law by Gov. Rick Snyder on Wednesday, May 23.

The law requires convicted criminals to listen to impact statements from victims or family members during sentencing hearings.

The bill, House Bill 5407, was introduced by Rep. Holly Hughes, R-Montague, in January. It was spurred by Jeffrey Willis leaving the courtroom during his sentencing hearing for the murder of Rebekah Bletsch in December 2017 to avoid hearing impact statements.

Impact statements were given by Blesch's mother and sisters without Willis present.

Bletsch was married with a 12-year-old daughter at the time of her death. Willis shot and killed her on June 29, 2014, while she was jogging on a rural Muskegon road.

"Criminals in Michigan must now hear how their crimes affected their victims or a victim's loved ones," Hughes said in a statement. "The family of a Muskegon County woman, who was a daughter, wife, mother and sister was prevented from speaking about how a convicted murderer turned their lives upside down. They'll be among the last families denied that right because Rebekah's law will remind everyone that a victim's rights to speak in court is not secondary to a convicted criminal."

According to a press release from from Hughes' office, this law updates the William Van Regenmorter Crime Victim Rights Act, which is an act that sets procedures to protect victims in courtrooms in Michigan.

Bletsch's mother Debra Reamer and sister, Jessica Josephson, spoke during the House and Senate committee hearings during the legislative process.

"A part of my grieving process was taken from me in a horrible way," Josephson said when speaking to the committees. "What is the point of an impact statement if I can't speak to the person who has impacted me and destroyed my family? No other family should have to feel their words and their heartache don't matter. Victims have a right to be heard and express their feelings to the individuals that caused it."

Although Willis opted out of hearing the impact statements during his sentencing for the murder of Bletsch, he was forced to listen to it on repeat on his ride to prison.

Willis was recently convicted of first-degree murder for the kidnapping and killing of Jessica Heeringa.SAGINAW, MI -- A veteran of the U.S. Army who served in the Korean War has been selected as the grand marshal for the 2018 Memorial Day Parade in Saginaw.

Positive Results Downtown selected Frank N. Ornelas, 87, to lead the parade on Monday, May 28.

"It was quite a surprise to me, although I do believe I did service my country well," Ornelas said.

The annual Memorial Day Parade kicks off at 11 a.m. and will start from East Genesee Avenue and South Washington Street and end at the Saginaw County Veterans Memorial Plaza in Hoyt Park.

Ornelas served in the Korean War from 1952-54, where he lost two of his best friends. The veteran shared few details about his experience during the war, saying, "Every vet has gone through what I did more or less," he said. "It's hard to describe."

Ornelas was only married for three weeks to his first wife when he was called to come in for active duty. The couple went on to have four children, Richard, Daniel, Lucinda and Theresa.

He remarried after his first wife died. His second wife died last year.

After he was honorably discharged, he decided to stay in the reserves for another four years.

"I just thank the good lord I was able to come home and have no problems -- other than the feeling of leaving your family," Ornelas said.

He worked at General Motors for 27 years before and after the war. He also worked as a sheriff's deputy and a director of emergency services for the Michigan State Police in Gladwin County.

One thing that has remained constant in Ornelas' life is his desire to give back to the community. He currently serves as the Michigan State Commander for the American GI Forum and assists with military funerals as a chaplain, He's also an active member at his church, St. Joseph Parish.

"I'm still involved in the community with my fellow veterans," Ornelas said.

The veteran was born in 1931 in Henryetta, Oklahoma, and came to Saginaw in 1940.An East China county has stirred discussions online for holding divorce exams that aim to give married couples seeking to split a chance to think it over.

Chinese couples queue up to divorce at a divorce registration office in Shanghai, China, 29 August 2016. [File Photo: IC]

Since Sunday, couples in Donghai county, Jiangsu Province are being asked to complete a series of questions aboutn office in Shanghai, China, 29 August 2016.[File Photo: their marriage and reasons for divorce.

Civil affairs bureau workers will consider their answers when reviewing the divorce request, guancha.cn reported.

Questions include specifics like wedding anniversary, spouse's birthday and division of housework, to more personal questions, such as detailing their fondest memories together and the nature of their disagreement.

According to the test, a husband and wife who score 60 (out of 100) and above have a chance to reconcile, while scores below 60 signal the marriage is in real danger.

The test stirred discussion on social media, with some saying the test interferes with a couple's right to seek a divorce.

The voluntary exam aims to give couples an opportunity to reconsider their decision, the Lianyungang municipal government responded in a Sina Weibo post on May 21.

The first couple to take the exam is in their 30s with a son and a daughter.

The wife received 100 points, while the husband scored a zero.

Based on their results, civil affairs workers urged the husband to reconsider the decision.WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump will no longer meet with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at a planned summit in Singapore on June 12.

In a letter released Thursday by the White House, Trump wrote Kim to explain the decision to cancel the meeting, citing "tremendous anger and open hostility" in Kim;s most recent comments about the U.S.

A letter from the President to Chairman Kim Jong Un: "It is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting." pic.twitter.com/3dDIp55xu1  The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 24, 2018

Trump said that it would be inappropriate at this time for the two sides to come together and while he was respectful in the letter, also warned Kim about the nuclear arsenal possessed by the U.S.

"You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used," Trump wrote.

Trump and Kim were expected to meet to discuss several issues, including North Korea committing to denuclearization of its weapons arsenal. It appears Kim was not willing to follow through with that request and openly criticized the U.S. recently for working with South Korea. A move that Kim thought represented a plan to attack the north.

Trump went on to say in the letter that he feels dialogue between the nations was improving and thanked Kim for releasing three hostages earlier this month. He left the doors open to communicate in the future but also said it was sad moment in history as long term peace would not be reached in the near term.One day after taking an unofficial visit to Michigan State, Luke Fulton announced it would be his future home.

Fulton, a 2019 three-star linebacker from Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngtown, Ohio, announced his commitment to Michigan State via Twitter on Thursday afternoon. He took an official visit to Northwestern last weekend and was in East Lansing on Wednesday.

At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Fulton is the No. 23 inside linebacker and No. 606 player overall in the 2019 class, according to 247Sports Composite rankings. He has more than 30 offers, including Northwestern, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota, to go with Ivy League offers from Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Dartmouth.

Fulton is the eighth player to commit to Michigan State's 2019 class and second linebacker, joining three-star Marcel Lewis from Chippewa Valley High School.[May 24, 2018] Pasternack Signs RF Design as Official Distributor for South Africa & Namibia IRVINE, Calif., May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pasternack, a leading provider of RF, microwave and millimeter wave products, has signed RF Design of Cape Town as an authorized distributor of Pasternack products in South Africa and Namibia. RF Design joins an extensive roster of international distributors that have partnered with Pasternack to increase the company's sales channels and provide value-added services for customers in the RF market worldwide. As an official distributor of Pasternack products, RF Design will now be able to offer their customers access to the industry's largest selection of RF, microwave and millimeter wave products available with same-day shipping from the United States. "Expanding Pasternack's presence into the South African market has long been viewed as a great opportunity for our business. Partnering with RF Design, the premier RF distribution company in South Africa, is an exciting development and will be mutually beneficial for our businesses," explains Norm Brodeur, Director of Global Distriution at Infinite Electronics. "By enlisting this top-notch supplier of RF and microwave components, we will effectively be able to extend our product reach, technical support and customer service channels, and have a visible presence in South Africa and Namibia." For more information about Pasternack, please visit www.pasternack.com. For inquiries, Pasternack can be contacted at +1-949-261-1920. For more information about RF Design, please visit www.rfdesign.co.za. For inquiries, RF Design can be contacted at +27 21 555 8400. About Pasternack: A leader in RF products since 1972, Pasternack is an ISO 9001:2008 certified manufacturer and supplier offering the industry's largest selection of active and passive RF, microwave and millimeter wave products available for same-day shipping. Pasternack is an Infinite Electronics company. About RF Design: RF Design was established in 1988 as a supplier of RF/microwave components in Cape Town, South Africa. They have grown to represent a balanced portfolio of the world's premier wireless data communications, RF/microwave component and sub-systems manufacturing companies with branches in all the major commercial centers of Gauteng, Cape Town and Durban. RF Design focuses on customer-driven solutions, with the highest priority on value added technical support. Press Contact: Peter McNeil

Pasternack

17792 Fitch

Irvine, CA 92614

(978) 682-6936 x1174 View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pasternack-signs-rf-design-as-official-distributor-for-south-africa--namibia-300653891.html SOURCE Pasternack

[ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\broadband-stimulus's Homepage ][May 23, 2018] Ant Financial partners with China Everbright Bank and Everbright Technology to facilitate the bank's digital transformation HANGZHOU, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 23, Ant Financial Services Group ("Ant Financial") has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with China Everbright Bank Co., Ltd ("China Everbright Bank") and Everbright Technology Co., Ltd. ("Everbright Technology"), a fintech subsidiary of China Everbright Group, to facilitate China Everbright Bank's digital transformation. Under the agreement, Ant Financial will share its financial-grade technological capabilities and knowhow with China Everbright Bank to help it develop private and hybrid cloud platforms, scalable open financial architecture, Internet finance architecture, and mobile architecture, as well as AI-driven applications, smart risk management systems, and financial-grade biometric verification. Speaking at the Ant Fortune Open Platform Conference in 2017, Ant Financial's CEO, and now also Executive Chairman, Eric Jing, said, "Every aspect of the technology we have developed will one by one be opened up to current and potential partners. For us, the only criterion as to whom we partner with is whether that partnership is innovaive enough to deliver value to users." Ant Financial's technology-based solutions allow financial institutions to deliver services, from payments to risk management, efficiently and at scale. In payments, for instance, Alipay, the mobile payment and lifestyle platform under Ant Financial, was comfortably able to process a record breaking 256,000 transactions per second at the peak of the 2017 Single's Day Shopping Festival. On May 18, 2018, Huabei, Ant Financial's consumer finance service, announced it would partner with various financial institutions, including banks, to provide consumer financing solutions. Launched in December 2014, Huabei offers a revolving line of credit to Alipay users for online and offline purchases. In the same month, Alipay introduced two new money market funds managed by Zhong Ou Asset Management and Bosera Asset Management to Yu'e Bao, a spare cash management platform within the Alipay app. About Ant Financial Ant Financial Services Group is focused on serving small and micro enterprises, as well as individuals. Ant Financial is dedicated to bringing the world more equal opportunities through building a technology-driven open ecosystem and working with other financial institutions to support the future financial needs of society. Ant Financial and our partners serve 800 million users worldwide. Brands under Ant Financial Services Group include Alipay, Ant Fortune, Zhima Credit and MYbank. For more information on Ant Financial, please visit our website at www.antfin.com or follow us on Twitter @AntFinancial. Media Inquiries

Bell Wang

International Communications

+86 13810385201

yixing.wl@antfin.com

Fanny Wu

International Communications

+86 13910268281

chen.wc@antfin.com SOURCE Ant Financial

[ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\LTE's Homepage ]Chinese missile destroyer Xi'an (No. 153) leaves the Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, the United States, July 12, 2016. The Chinese fleet of missile destroyer "Xi'an", missile frigate "Hengshui" and supply ship "Gaoyou Lake" left the Pearl Harbor for the at-sea phase of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise 2016 on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)

The United States has revoked an invitation to China to the 2018 Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC). The world's largest joint naval exercise is hosted by the U.S. and held every two years.

The June-August 2018 exercises would have been the third consecutive time The People's Liberation Army Navy would have attended the exercises.

"The United States is committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific. China's continued militarization of disputed features in the South China Sea only serve to raise tensions and destabilize the region," U.S. Department of Defense Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Logan said in a press release.

China's foreign minister says the U.S. withdrawal of an invitation for China to participate in a multinational naval exercise is "very non-constructive."

Wang Yi says the decision "is unhelpful to mutual understanding" between the two powers, and is urging the U.S. to change its "negative mindset."

Wang describes China's deployments as necessary defense of its sovereign territory. He likens China defense facilities to the U.S. military presence in Hawaii and the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam.

Wang was speaking at a joint news conference Wednesday after talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington.

The RIMPAC exercise is about enhancing security around the Pacific Rim-based on rules set by the U.S. and its allies after World War II. RIMPAC started in 1971 and was an annual event until 1974 when it went to being held every two years because of the event's scale. There are around 27 countries slated to participate in RIMPAC 2018, according to the U.S. Navy.The mayor of the Philippine city of Marawi, Majul Usman Gandamra, on Wednesday hailed China for helping rebuild the southern city devastated by five months of fierce fighting between government security forces and local terrorists.

"We are very, very thankful for the continued support of foreign countries, especially China. It's been an overwhelming support from the Chinese government," Gandamra said in an interview with Xinhua.

"As early as during the siege we felt the support of the Chinese government," he added, expressing hope that China will continue its support in bringing Marawi back on its feet.

Marawi is the economic hub of Lanao del Sur province on Mindanao island. It is the seat of educational institutions, including the main campus of the Mindanao State University. Its economy is mainly agriculture and trading.

In May last year, some 1,000 pro-IS extremists belonging to the Abu Sayyaf and Maute groups attacked the city, displacing thousands, mostly poor residents.

More than 1,200 people were killed, including 165 soldiers and policemen in the battle to retake the city. At least 50 people are also reported missing.

Plans are underway to rebuild a large part of the city reduced to rubbles in the wake of air strikes to flush out the militants.

China is now providing post-conflict support for Marawi and other areas affected by the five-month siege.

In October, the Chinese government donated 47 sets of heavy equipment to help rebuild the devastated city.

Also, China has extended humanitarian assistance to help the thousands of evacuees who are still living in tents.

"So, we are very thankful for that. We hope that the Chinese government will continue its support in bringing Marawi back to a better state than it was before," Gandamra added.Education

Montgomery County Community College will present the spring installment of the interview/talk show program Issues and Insights April 20 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Science Center room 214, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The programs will be simulcast to the Colleges West Campus in South Hall room 216, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Dr. Kolsky will offer a humorous presentation, Carrots, Sticks and Politics: A State of the Nation and the World Message. In this speech, he will provide his interpretation of domestic and international politics and then welcome questions from the audience for discussion. Issues and Insights, is free and open to the public. For information, contact Dr. Thomas Kolsky, professor of political science, at 215-641-6380 or tkolsky@mc3.edu.

Montgomery County Community Colleges STEM Scholars Program will host a STEM Jam! open house April 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center at the Colleges Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The drop-in event is designed for students interested in learning more about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Activities will include STEM program information and career advising, STEM speakers throughout the day from industry and academia, micro-helicopter and robotics competitive obstacle courses and demonstrations and static models of STEM student and faculty work. For more information about STEM Jam! or STEM programs at MCCC, contact William Brownlowe at wbrownlowe@mc3.edu or 215-641-6644, or Robin Zuhlke at 215-619-7440 or rzuhlke@mc3.edu.

Temple Ambler, located at 580 Meetinghouse Road, presents the following events:

International Club Global Bazaar April 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Ambler Campus International Club invites all students, faculty, staff and the community to celebrate a multitude of diverse cultures, which will be showcased at the organizations Global Bazaar. This family friendly event will highlight cultural traditions and celebrations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South American, North America and Africa through music, entertainment, food and informative displays developed and presented by students at the Ambler Campus. Young visitors will be provided with passports, which they may get stamped at each country they visit. Prizes will be awarded to world travelers who talk to cultural representatives, answer questions about the countries theyve visited and take part in fun-filled activities designed to help them learn about the rich diversity of cultures found throughout the world. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail tuc36466@temple.edu.

EarthFest 2011 April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 75 exhibitors, including the Philadelphia Zoo, The Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Elmwood Park Zoo and the Insectarium, will take part in EarthFest 2011. School students of all ages are invited to attend and develop displays of their own. EarthFest partner the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society also offers its Kids Grow Expo, featuring the Junior Flower Show, as part of the event. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail duffyj@temple.edu.

Annual Spring Plant Sale May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The plant sale  an Ambler Campus tradition dating back to the early 1900s  will feature woody plants and perennials in portable sizes, hardy trees, shrubs, and vines, native plants that are attractive to wildlife, herbs, and hanging baskets. There will also be numerous special plants for sale to highlight Amblers special anniversary year. Garden books and garden tools will also be available for sale. Students, staff, and volunteers from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and the Ambler Arboretum Advisory Committee will be available to answer questions. All proceeds from the Spring Plant Sale will support the Ambler Arboretum Fund and the Pi Alpha Xi National Honor Society. Information: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

June Homecoming/Louise Bush-Brown Garden Dedication June 5 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. (June Homecoming), Bright Hall Lounge; 2 p.m. (Garden Dedication), Ambler Campus Formal Perennial Gardens. Tickets  June Homecoming: Participant  $18 per person; Sustainer  $25 per person; Benefactor  $40 per person. The 2011 June Homecoming, sponsored by the School of Environmental Design Alumni Association, will include the Alumni Association annual meeting and luncheon. June Homecoming will be followed by the formal dedication of Temple University Amblers Formal Perennial Gardens as the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Gardens. During this 100th anniversary of the campus, Temple University Ambler and the Ambler Arboretum of the Temple University is honoring Louise Bush-Browns many contributions to the history of the campus by formally dedicating the gardens in her honor. During the program, campus Executive William Parshall will welcome guests, Ambler Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey will speak about the Bush-Browns and the history of the garden, and an official ribbon cutting will be held for the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Garden. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to take a tour of the gardens, which will wend their way to the Campus Greenhouse for the School of Environmental Designs annual Plant Auction. Information (Garden Dedication): 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Information (June Homecoming): 215-482-0722. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

Northview Garden Tour and Fundraiser for the Ambler Arboretum June 12 from noon to 5 p.m. Call for reservations. Tickets: $15 per person or $20 at the door. In addition to the gardens of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey has a garden oasis all her own right in Ambler  Northview. Visitors will have the opportunity to take self-guided tours throughout the many gardens, where garden experts will be available to answer questions about the various designs. The Ambler Keystone Chapter of the Womans National Farm and Garden Association will also provide tea and refreshments. All proceeds from the tours will support the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University. Information or to register: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

The Senior Adult Activities Center of Montgomery County, 536 George Street, Norristown, will hold the following events:

SAAC Adult Day Care, an alternative to Nursing Home Care is available  for information call 610-275-1960

Volunteers are needed for Meals on Wheels Program (call the number above)

SAACs Fifth Avenue Boutique opens Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Exercise with Theresa will be held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m.

Dance class is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Tai Chi is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Yoga is held every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

Line Dancing is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

Dancing with Joan is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.

Sculpture Class is held Wednesdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Why Should I Learn Spanish? will be held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.

Generations On-Line computer classes for seniors will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.  4 p.m.  computers are available during those hours.

Health Living will be held every Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Boomer U will hold the following events. Boomer U is located at 45 Forest Avenue, Ambler. Registration & payment is required for all events: 215-619-8863.

Pilates Class is held Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. First class is free; please bring a mat. For information call 610-291-5376.

Blue Bell School of Dance, 921 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike, Blue Bell, hosts Argentine Tango Classes and a Milonga dance party every Friday evening. Lessons start at 8:30 p.m. followed by dancing at 9:30 p.m. Andrew Conway, master Argentine Tango dancer, instructor and performer and his partner Linda Chase will instruct. All levels welcome and no partner is needed. Refreshments will be served. Fee is $12 per person and includes lesson and dancing. Information: 215-634-1101 or www.amoretango.com.

The Montgomery Hospital Medical Center will offer the following classes:

Childbirth Education Class- all parents are invited to participate, including those who are delivering at

other hospitals. For more information on maternity services or classes, call 610-270-2020.

CPR and First Aid Courses are offered for beginners to experiences health care providers. Call 610-270-2313.

The Ambler SAAC (Senior Adult Activities Center), located at 45 Forest Ave in Ambler will hold the following events:

Tai Chi every Monday and Thursday at 11 a.m.

Yoga is every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Strength and balance training every Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Armchair Aerobics is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Gourmet Weight Wise every Thursday at 12:30.

Fitness Center and Pool Room open daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Diabetes Education Center will offer day and evening classes each month. Health insurance pays for diabetes education classes. Preregistration is required. Call 610-270-2301.

For Kids & Families

The Ambler Kiwanis Club will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt April 26 at 10 a.m. in Ambler Borough Park, located just off of the intersection of Hendricks Street and Valley Brook Road. Members of the Wissahickon Key Club will assist Kiwanians in hiding thousands of wrapped chocolate eggs in a designated area of the park. Also hidden will be plastic colored eggs, which are redeemed for prizes. Elementary school children are separated by age.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation will hold its 21st annual Storybook Egg-Stravaganza April 15 fom 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Dublin Township Building. Toddlers and preschoolers love this annual event where photo opportunities with favorite friends abound! Treasures are collected from UDP&Rs assortment of lifesize cutouts of favorite cartoon characters from Disney, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon and other well-known animation. Children can have their picture taken with Bugsy OHare; bring your own camera. And dont forget a basket for goodies! $7 for UD residents; $12 for non-residents. Pre-register at 215-643-1600 ext. 3443.

Splash Week is a free week-long program that teaches children and families basic swimming skills and water safety practices. All YMCA branches will host multiple classes each day from April 11 to 15. For more information, contact the Ambler Area YMCA at 215-628-9950.

Healthy Kids Day is April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day is filled with fun, engaging and artistic activities that cultivate healthy living as part of the YMCAs larger efforts to help more kids and families become physically active. All activities are free and open to the community. For more information, contact the Ambler YMCA at 215-628-9950. No reservation is required.

The Ambler Area YMCA has added several new programs for area youngsters. Classes are held late afternoons or evenings on various weekdays. For more information, visit philaymca.org or call 215-628-9950.

Basic Beading: Ages: 10+. Wednesdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. This class will teach you the fundamentals of wiring and stringing along with how color can be used to create unique and vibrant beadwork design. You will create various jewelry including earrings, bracelets, charm pendants and much more! Supplies will be provided. Bringing your own jewelry pliers or tools would be a plus.

Messin with the Masters: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. Learn about some of the worlds greatest artists. You will be inspired to create your own Starry Night with oil pastels and tempera paints, a tissue paper painted Monet garden, a Picasso head using scraps of paper, a Georgia OKeeffe clay flower bowl and a Rousseau jungle collage.

Super Scientist: Ages: 5-7. Mondays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Well be concocting chemistry experiments such as making slime, mixing potions and having fun with magnet magic. Your budding little scientist will enhance his/her creative thinking and motor skills and to top it off will learn that science can be serious fun.

Wacky Junk Art: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 6 to 6:45 p.m. Why throw it away! Instead join us to make household junk into aliens from outer space, wacky specs, crazy hats, body masks or a recycled train.

Globe Trotters: Ages: 4-6. Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Youre never too young to start thinking globally. Each week, we explore a new country through crafts, games, music, stories and even some taste-testing. A perfect introduction to our great big world!

Crazy about Crafts: Ages: 5-7, Thursdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Let your childs creative juices flow with our fun arts and crafts projects each week. Fine motor skills and creative thinking skills will be enhanced with this crafty class.

Come out and join the Ambler Area YMCAs Teen and Junior Leaders Club. Participants are given the freedom to plan community service projects year round and truly make a difference in the lives of people in need. Those in Teen and Junior Leaders also attend leadership retreats all along the East Coast three times a year and meet other leaders who are doing the same great work in their respective areas. Dont miss out on this inspiring opportunity. Teen Leaders, ages 13-17, meet every Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Junior Leaders, ages 10-12, will begin in the spring and will meet every Monday. For more information, contact Mike Miles, Teen Director, 215- 628-9950 x 1540 or mmiles@philaymca.org.

Did you know that the new Ambler Area YMCA holds childrens birthday parties at its site for members and non members as well. The Ambler Y does all the work from start to finish and birthday parties include a personalized cake, ice cream, beverage and paper products. Parties are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and include two party hosts to lead activities, set-up, clean-up and assist with serving. You can have a Splash Party for children ages six to 12 in the new zero depth entry pool with water slide and spray fountains. Up to 25 children have exclusive use of the pool area with 30 minutes in the party room. Sports Parties are offered for kids ages four to 12 with age appropriate activities and games, and sports such as floor hockey, soccer, basketball or dodge ball. Children ages three to five years of age will enjoy parties in the Family Active Center with use of the Moon Bounce and organized activities, such as parachute play and songs. For information, 215-628-9950 ext. 1583.

Community Events at the Ambler Y:

-YAchievers YMCA Achievers is a developmentally based, extracurricular, educational and team mentoring program designed to help students in grades five through 12 prepare for fulfilled livelihoods in college and beyond. Participation is free and all students in this program receive a free YMCA membership. Registration for the 2009 program begins now. You do not need to be a YMCA member to utilize these special services. Call 215-628-9950 to register.

Greater Norristown Art Leagues Childrens Weeklong Summer Art Camps will be held at 800 West Germantown Pike in East Norriton, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the summer. The cost per session is $125 per student for ages 6 and up. Jo Ann Cooksey Bono teaches an introduction to basic drawing skills and techniques from 10 a.m. until the lunch break each day. In the afternoon sessions, Mary Vogel Lozinak involves the students in hands on projects such as collage, papermaking, T-shirt printing, 3D design and sculpy clay. Fridays Graduation Day includes an art show, awards ceremony and reception for parents, siblings, grandparents and friends. All supplies are included. Students provide their own lunch. A refrigerator is available and the building is air-conditioned. This is the 15th year to run this successful program. Both instructors are professional artists with State Police and Child Abuse Clearances. To register, call Jo Ann at 610-279-1008, or register on-line at www.gnal.org.

Health

Dresher Physical Therapy is hosting an interactive seminar discussing its Golf Assessment Progam April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at Dresher Physical Therapy, 1075 Virginia Drive, Suite 200, Fort Washington. Physical therapist Chris Miller, certified through the Titleist Performance Institute, will discuss why your body may be the most important piece of golf equipment you invest in and how this can drastically improve your game. $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Call 215-619-4545 to reserve your spot.

The Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment, Center on the Hill and Chestnut Hill Hospital will host a Senior Health and Resource Fair April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, 8855 Germantown Ave. The event is free. For more information, call 215-248-0180 or e-mail chseniors@cavtel.net.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is hosting Help Yourself to Health, a new six-week workshop for older adults with ongoing health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, heart disease and others. The free workshop will take place at the Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center, 45 Forest Ave. on six Thursdays, May 12 through June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Although there is no charge to participate, registration is required. To register, call 215-619-8863.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is sponsoring an eight-week program called A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls. Presented by the Montgomery County Health Department, this workshop will be held on Tuesdays, May 3 to June 21 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ambler Center, 45 Forest Ave. If you pre-register by April 27, the fee is only $5! Registration at the first class is $10. (Checks should be payable to SAAC and will benefit our Meals on Wheels program that serves homebound seniors.) A workbook will be provided and refreshments will be served. Call 215-619-8863 to register or for more information.

Fort Washington Wellness Center classes are ongoing. There are several offered during lunch or right after work, for your convenience: Boot Camp from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday; Zumba is MWF from 11 a.m. to noon and Friday at 4 p.m.; there are 25 cycling classes; Ashtanga and Vinyasana Yoga and Pilates; and a group Womens Strength Training class M-F from 10 to 11 a.m. Questions, call Cathy DeMarco at 215-641-1245.

Following the success of other local area programs, Impact Sports and Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation are delighted to team up again to offer a spring program for the 2011 season! Upper Dublin area children ages 3-5 years old can attend a Sports Program featuring their favorite sports games; soccer, rugby, hockey, track and field, basketball, and more. The program will start on April 27 and run through June 1. Cost for the program is $85 for the six weeks. The classes will be running 12- 1 p.m.; 1- 2 p.m.; 2- 3 p.m. For more info or to register, call Upper Dublin Township on 215 643 1600 or visit their website a http://www.upperdublin.net.

Spring Aquatic Programs  UDHS Pool:

-Summer is just around the corner  Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool can help get you into shape! Programs begin in March; preregistration is required.

 Shallow Water Aerobics  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 8-8:45 p.m., $40R/$50NR.

 Adult Swim Instructions  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 7-8 p.m., $50R/$60NR

-Open Rec Swims are fun for the whole family! Come out on Fridays from 7-9 p.m. or Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. and enjoy use of the pool and diving area. Fridays are offered through June 17; Saturdays are offered March 12-May 21.

-Join a growing group of adult lap swimmers and water walkers. Lanes are set aside evenings and weekends for use; lanes are shared. Monday  Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Fridays from 7-9 p.m. and Saturdays (March 12-May 21) from 1-4 p.m.

-Private Swimming & Diving Lessons for ages 3-adult are offered at the UDHS Pool through a partnership with the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club (UDAC). Visit the UDAC website for more information, www.udac.us, and click the link to UDHS Private Lessons.

-Looking for local programs for US Masters Swimming (adults) or Water Polo (all ages)? UDAC and UDSD are working together to develop programs that will be offered at the UDHS Pool. Add your name to Interest Lists by emailing slohoefer@upperdublin.net. emails will be sent about clinics and program start dates.

Questions about Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool, group use of the pool or pool rental? Contact Susan Lohoefer, Facility & Community Affairs Manager at slohoefer@upperdublin.net or call 215-643-8800 x8994.

SilverSneakers Fitness Program. The Healthyways SilverSneakers Fitness Program is a result-oriented program that enables older adults to take charge of their health. The program is an innovative blend of physical activity, healthy lifestyle and socially oriented programing. Members of the program are eligible for a free YMCA membership, with use of the pool and exercise equipment, along with customized classes designed for older adults who want to improve their strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. If you are a subscriber to Independence Blue Cross (Personal Choice 65 PPO) or Keystone 65 HMO, Bravo Health, or Health Options Programs (HOP), call the Ambler Area YMCA, 215-628-9950 or Hatboro Area YMCA, 215-674-4545. You can also visit www.silversneakers.com.

Zumba Fitness offers Zumba dance/fitness classes at Academy of Dance and Music/BBAD Studio located at 1524 DeKalb Pike in Blue Bell (behind Sherwin Williams). Classes are offered three times a week: Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. For a free trial pass for your first class, email us at info@danceandmusic.biz or call 610-277-2557. For more info, visit our site at www.academyofdanceandmusic.org.

Chestnut Hill Health Systems presents the following Health Education Programs:

FITNESS CLASSES

Golden Yoga: A Breathing, Stretching and Relaxation Class. Fridays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Lea Auditorium, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. Registration for four classes at a time required. Golden Yoga is Classical Yoga, adapted by the SKY Foundation, to accommodate those who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor. The program includes postures, breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques, all performed while sitting in a chair and standing. Registration required. Call 215-247-3029. Cost: $20 for 4 classes per month.

Tai Chi: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:30  9:30 a.m. Springfield Residence, 8601 Stenton Ave. Classes, for the novice or beginner/intermediate student, are designed to improve balance, power, posture, coordination, flexibility and mental focus. Slow, gentle movements are modified to most everyones abilities. For more information or to sign up for a free introductory class, call 215-882-2804. Cost: $8 per class/paid monthly.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Weight Loss Surgery Support Group: Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7-8 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. Join us for a monthly get-together where well share information for those interested in weight loss surgery, learn from guest speakers discussing current news on issues including lifestyle modification, nutrition and exercise and provide ongoing support for those who have completed surgery. Registration required. Call 215-753-2000.

Breast Cancer Networking Group: Fourth Tuesday of the month 5:30  7 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. A free, confidential support group for women living with a diagnosis of breast cancer designed to provide a forum for sharing information, feelings and concerns associated with breast cancer. Facilitated by Tish Wakefield, LCSW, Oncology Social Worker. Registration required. To register or for more information, call 215-248-8047.

New Moms Support Groups Tuesdays 10:30 a.m.  12 p.m.; contact Jeanine ORourke, MSW or 2:30  4 p.m.; contact Susan Schack, Ph.D Volunteer Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. The Center for Postpartum Depression at Chestnut Hill Hospital is pleased to offer two new support groups to support new moms. Both groups will be run by experienced mental health professionals who really get it when it comes to new motherhood and juggling relationships, extended family, work/family balance and self-care. If you are experiencing new mom challenges that often heighten anxiety and involve hormonally driven depression, join us for an informative and supportive forum to connect with other moms. Infants are welcome. $30 per session (flexible based on need). Registration is required. Call Dr. Schack, 646-265-2484, or Ms. ORourke, 215-206-2931.

Man to Man Prostate Cancer Support Group Third Thursday of the month 8-9 a.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. A networking group for men diagnosed with prostate cancer designed to provide education, support and encouragement. Spouses and partners welcome. Harry M. Baer, MD, Chief, Urology Division, will host Ask the Doctor. Registration required. Call 215-248-8325.

Contact the Senior Center by phone 215-248-0180 or email (chseniors@cavtel.net) with your questions about these programs or any of our on-going activities and classes.

Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice seeks compassionate and emotionally mature volunteers to provide support to local hospice patients and their families in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Volunteers may also assist with pet therapy and administrative work within the hospice department and are requested to have daytime availability. Hospice patient care volunteers visit with patients in their homes or nursing facilities once a week for two to three hours. They provide emotional support and companionship to patients and family members, assist with errands or provide respite for caregivers. Bereavement volunteers support the families of hospice patients following the loss of a loved one, while administrative volunteers assist with typing, mailings and/or filing. Hospice care workers provide a great service to families and loved ones of hospice patients. Many volunteers also report a great deal of personal satisfaction as a result of their services. Patient care and bereavement volunteers complete an application and attend an 18-hour volunteer training program that covers the medical, psychological and spiritual aspects of hospice volunteering. Day and evening training programs are offered. To sign up for volunteer opportunities in Pennsylvania, contact Holy Redeemer Volunteer Coordinator Jean Francis at 215-698-3737 or email jfrancis@holyredeemer.com.

Librarytalk

Upper Dublin Public Library, 805 Loch Alsh Avenue, Ft. Washington, 215-628-8744

www.upperdublinlibrary.org

APRIL CHILDRENS PROGRAMS:

Storytimes: Please register in the library.

o Wee Ones: 0 to 23 months Thursdays and Fridays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m.

o Tiny Tots: age 2. Wednesdays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. and Fridays 11 to 11:20 a.m.

o Jr. Book Lovers: ages 3 to 6. Tuesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m.

o Bedtime Storytimes: 7 to 7:30 p.m. April 20 and 27. Wear your jammies, bring your teddy & hear Miss Barbara read bedtime stories! For ages 3 to 6.

APRIL TEEN PROGRAMS:

North Hills Library Teens April 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. Movie Matinee

APRIL UDPL ADULT PROGRAMS:

NEW! ESL Conversation Group. Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. Interested in practicing your English in a safe and caring environment? Come to our conversation group and improve your skills! Please register with Kay Klocko at 215-628-8744 or kklocko@mclinc.org.

One-on-One Computer Mentoring. Get personalized assistance from experienced computer volunteers! Sign-up for a one-hour session. Limit one session per month. Please register  contact info above.

Book Groups Please register with Kay Klocko 215-628-8744.

o Daytimers: April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tired of book groups where you all read the same book? Read any fiction or non-fiction book on this months theme: Explorers. Please register.

Meetings:

Annual Meeting of the Friends of UDPL: April 14 at 1 p.m.

Board of Directors: April 20 at 7 p.m.

Blue Bell Library www.wvpl.org Upcoming Events: The Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 650 Skippack Pike (Route 73) in Blue Bell, is diagonally across from the Blue Bell Inn. Call 215-643-1320 or visit their website at www.wvpl.org.

For children and teens at Blue Bell:

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* Fridays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Family Movies, new releases, second Saturdays of the month at 1:30 p.m.

* May 14  Despicable Me

* June 11  Alpha and Omega

* Special Events

* April  watch for date of spring/Easter events

* April 14 at 4:30 p.m.  Junior Lego Club for children ages 3 through 5. Parents and caregivers need to stay with children.

* April 14 at 7 p.m.  Jeopardy for ages 11 to 18. Test your book and library knowledge for prizes. Sign up to be a contestant. No sign up to be in the audience. Snacks provided.

* April 16 at 1 p.m.  Adult Mystery Book Group discussing The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie King.

* April 16 at 1:30 p.m.  Childrens event for One Book, Every Young Child celebration. Story and craft for book Whose Shoes?

* April 19 at 7 p.m. and April 26 at 1:30 p.m.- Adult book group discusses The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. Group led by Adam Button.

* April 30 through May 3  Friends book sale with about 10,000 items for sale for children, teens and adults.

* May  sign up for Science in the Summer

* June  sign up for Enrichment Programs for Elementary-Age children

* June  sign up for Summer Reading, all ages

For adults at Blue Bell:

* Daytime Book Discussion Group  fourth Tuesday, Jan  April at 1:30 p.m.

* April 26  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Night-time Book Discussion Group  third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.

o April 19  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Art Series with Dr. Sheldon Weintraub, docent at The Barnes and speaker at local colleges

o April 27 at 2 p.m. The Art of Looking at Art-Is She Nude or Is She Naked?

*Mystery Book Discussion Group, third Saturday of the month at 1 p.m.; new mystery theme each month; www.wvpl.org/programs

* Yoga on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop-in class.

* Tai Chi on Mondays at 3 p.m. with Dr. Kurt Findeisen. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop in class.

* Philadelphia Museum of Art presents class on their Marc Chagall exhibit, April 13 at 2 p.m.

* Giant Book Sale, April 29  May 3

o Starts with almost 10,000 items for children and adults!

o Held during library hours.

o Preview for members of the Friends of the Library, April 28 at 7 p.m.

o Join the Friends and attend the preview sale. Modest fee to join.

* Blooms at Blue Bell Gardening Series

o May 11 at 1 p.m.  Summer Bulbs by PA Horticultural Society

* Knitting group Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Work on your project or observe and learn. The groups continue year-round in the community room.

* Socrates Cafe discussion group every Monday at 7 p.m. You pick the topic to discuss each week. No sign-up, nothing to read.

* Bridge every Friday at 12:30 p.m. New players welcome.

* Mah Jong every Wednesday at 1 p.m. New players welcome.

*Chess every Wednesday at 7p.m. for adults and teens 14 and older.

* Movie Matinee showing recent releases every Thursday at 2 p.m. April 14: Maos Last Dancer; April 21: Welcome to the Rileys; April 28: Conviction; May 5: Inception; May 12: Inside Job; May 19 The Kings Speech; May 26 The Fighter; June 2 Rabbit Hole; June 9 Black Swan; June 16 127 Hours

* Ongoing like-new, year-round book sale for adults & children during library hours

* Library opening at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday!

Ambler Library, a branch of the Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 209 Race St., 215-646-1072. www.wvpl.org. All the following events occur at the Ambler Library.

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* For adults:

* Beading Group meets the first and third Monday of every month at 1 p.m. Work on your own projects or come to watch and learn.

* Free Family History Lookup with Connie Briggs. Email Connie for an appointment at the Ambler Library. conniebriggs@comcast.net

* Special Events:

* April 14 at 1:30 p.m.  Book Group discusses Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian.

* April 19 at 7 p.m.  Travel to Paris with world traveler Harry Balin. Tea and scones at 6:30 p.m.

* April 21 at 7 p.m.  Art with Sara for children in fourth through seventh grades.

*May 2 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Lone Star with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

*May 10  Robert Capucci discusses Art into Fashion. Tea and scones served at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*May 12 at 1:30p.m.  Book Group discusses The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman.

*May 17  Tour the gardens of Devon and Southwest England with Lois McMullen. Tea and Scones at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*June 13 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Blade Runner with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

Meetings and Lectures

The Unisys Blue Bell Retiree Group will meet in the Church on the Mall in the Plymouth Meeting Mall April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Kathy Sacket Young, director/trainer with the North Penn YMCA, will speak on Keeping Fit in Retirement. For more information, contact Membership Committee Chairperson Jerry Feldscher at 610-275-3538 or President Al Rollin at 215-368-4833.

The next FWBA meeting will be April 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Leon Singletary, Principal, First Contact HR and FWBA Executive Board, will present: Social Media: How to Use It To Get More Business. Lunch is provided courtesy of the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Members are welcome to bring a guest. An RSVP is requested by return email or 215-628-0313.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA is hosting a information sessions over the next few weeks on how to become a Big Brother. The information sessions will take place: April 16 at noon, April 19 at 8 a.m. and April 28 at 6 p.m. All sessions will be held at the groups Norristown Office,t 530 DeKalb St., Norristown. For more information, call 610-277-2200.

The North Penn Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month from now until May. Meetings are held at the William Penn Inn on Route 202 and Sumneytown Pike, Upper Gwynedd, PA. Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and the technical program begins at 7 p.m. Cost with reservation is $28 for members. Members without reservations and guests pay $30. Students with reservations pay $15. Reservations may be made by noon on the Monday preceding the meeting by phoning 215-371-1854 or emailing the reservation to northpennima@yahoo.com northpennima@yahoo.com. Information about the North Penn Chapter is available at http://northpenn.imanet.org/.

LeTip, a professional organization of men and women who are dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service meets every Tuesday at Cedar Brook Country Club, 180 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell at 7 a.m. -meeting officially starts at 7:16 a.m. and ends at 8:31 a.m. Our purpose is the exchange of business tips, leads, and referrals. Each business category is represented by one member and conflicts of interest are disallowed. Guests are welcome to visit any of our breakfast meetings.

Every third Thursday of month, Sunrise Assisted Living of Blue Bell (795 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422, 215-619-2777) serves as a satellite site to 148th Legislative district PA congressman Mike Gerber from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by for help needed with things such as disability placards and license plates, vehicle registration, utilities issues, birth/death certificates,property tax/rent rebates, etc. Notary services arranged by appointment.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is an action-oriented organization dedicated to promoting its members and the economic health of eastern Montgomery county. The Chamber is committed to serving as a catalyst by uniting business, community agencies, government and education to make our county a great place to live and work. For information, call 215-887-5122 or visit www.emccc.org.

Do you have a fear of public speaking? Blue Bell Toastmasters Club can help. We meet from 7 to 9 p.m., on the second and fourth Tuesday at the Marriott Courtyard, located on Route 202, directly across from the Montgomeryville Mall. Learn how to improve communication and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment. Guests are welcome. Admission fee: $5. For more info, visit www.bbtoast.org.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will hold the following meetings (for reservations to any of the following, email info@PennSuburban.org)

-Breakfast News Network, 7:30-8:45 a.m. at Normandy Farm Hotel (1401 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422) $15 members, includes full buffet breakfast. Join us for a networking program at Normandy Farm Hotel every Thursday morning for breakfast, business news, informative speakers, and plenty of networking. The cost includes a full breakfast buffet. Copies of the business cards will be made available to those who would like them.

The BNI, Fort Washington Chapter meets every Monday at The Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Washington for a networking meeting. Meetings are from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Visitors are welcome. The only cost to attend is the cost of your meal. For information or a reservation to attend, please call Luanne Cram at 215-947-7784, or visit our Internet site at: http://www.BNIDVR.Com and click on the menu item Find a Chapter.

For the past seven years, people have enjoyed participating in WVWAs Adopt-a-Tree program. Individuals can support the Association in its reforestation efforts by purchasing native trees to be planted. Supporters can plant their adopted tree or have WVWA volunteers will plant it. Trees cost $30 each. If you would like to volunteer or purchase a tree(s), please contact: Bob Adams at Bob@wvwa.org or call: 215-646-8866 for more information. Check www.WVWA.org for directions and maps.

Sustainable Upper Dublin, http://sustainableupperdublin.org, meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Upper Dublin Township Building, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please send any questions to suec@sustainableupperdublin.org or call 610-996-6316. To learn more about Sustainable Upper Dublin, view or join the discussion at http://googlegroups.com/group/sustainableupperdublin.

Special Events

The Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard will hold its first nutrition class April 19 at 10 a.m. at the Community Cupboard, 150 N. Main St., Ambler. Lynne Sinclair, a nutritionist from Abington Memorial Hospital specializing in diabetic nutrition, will conduct the class. Topics will include healthy eating, beneficial foods, recipes, making meals with every day foods, and how to use unfamiliar produce. A healthy snack will be provided.The class is is open to all residents in Montgomery County.

The Historical Society of Fort Washington presents The History of Conshohocken April 19 at 8 p.m. at the Clifton House, 473 Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington. Jack Coll will present an illustrated program on the history of the Borough of Conshohocken. Coll is a longtime resident of Conshohocken and a member of the Conshohocken Historical Society. He is co-author with his son, Brian, of the Arcadia Then and Now Series book Conshohocken. He has also done books Conshohocken and West Conshohocken Sports and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Feast. He has taken many photos for the Conshohocken Record and the Norristown Times Herald. This program is free. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, call 215-646-6065.

Taste of the White House Soiree featuring former White House Chef Walter Scheib will take place April 29 at 6 p.m. at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club in Fort Washington to celebrate HealthLinks 10th anniversary and honor its founders, the Eugene Jackson Family. The evening will heat up with a Chef Meet & Greet, followed by a specially selected presidential menu. Gala tickets are $150 per person. Proceeds benefit HealthLink, a free clinic providing compassionate, quality medical and dental care to uninsured, working adults in Bucks and Montgomery counties who fall in between the health care cracks. Go to http://tasteofthewhitehouse.charityhappenings.org to make reservations online or lend support through sponsorship. For event information, call 267-699-0124 or email jmarushak@healthlinkmedical.org.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association will hold an open house at the Evans-Mumbower Mill April 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Mill is at the corner of Swedesford and Township Line Roads in Upper Gwynedd. The open house is free but donations are welcome. For more information, call 215-646-8866 o email info@wvwa.org.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce will host Breakfast With Your County Commissioners and State Representatives April 21 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Fort Washington, 432 W. Pennasylvania Ave. Commissioners: James R. Matthews (Chairman), Joseph M. Hoeffel (Vice Chair), State Representatives: Todd Stephens (District 151) and Josh Shapiro (District 153). Register onlineat www.emccc.org. $10 for EMCCC member; $20 for non-members.

Upper Dublins Districtwide Allied Art Show will be held April 27 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Upper Dublin High School Athletic Complex.

The Rev. Alfred Muli, chaplain at Fort Washington Estates, will be the featured speaker at the Kiwanis sponsored breakfast observing the National Day of Prayer May 5 at 7 a.m. at the William Penn Inn. The breakfast is open to the public ($15). Reservations can be made by calling 215-646-4356 or by emailing georgesaurman@Juno.com.

The Upper Dublin Shade Tree Commission invites people to participate in its spring bare root planting events, sponsored in part by Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Friends of Robbins Park. On April 9, zix trees will be planted at the Evelyn B. Wright Park & Community Pool, 401 Logan Ave., North Hills, at 9 a.m., followed by the planting of 10 trees at Sheeleigh Park, Loch Alsh Avenue and Douglas Street, Ambler, at 10:15 a.m. On April 29, students from Upper Dublin High School will join the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to plant 16 trees in Robbins Park, Butler Pike and Meetinghouse Road, Ambler, to help launch the societys Million Trees campaign. This event will occur in conjunction with Temple Amblers EarthFest. Experienced tree-tenders are sought to assist the students. For more information,contact Ron Ayres at 215-653-0421 or 215-483-4348.

The Friends of the Wissahickon and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association are teaming up once again to clean the Wissahickon Creek from top to bottom April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. This spring marks the 41st anniversary of Wissahickon Valley Watershed Associations annual Creek Clean Up, and the second year that FOW has teamed up with WVWA. Volunteers of all ages will clean the creek, the surrounding trails and the many tributaries of the Wissahickon Creek. Armed with bags, volunteers will be assigned to sections of the creek. Following the clean up, all volunteers are invited to WVWAs Talkin Trash picnic in Fort Washington State Park, with food provided by Whole Foods Market of North Wales. The pavilion is located on Mill Road in Flourtown. To help out in Montgomery County, all volunteers must be pre-assigned a section of the Wissahickon Creek to clean. Please contact Bob Adams, WVWA director of stewardship, at 215-646-8866 ext. 14 or bob@wvwa.org. To work with the Friends of the Wissahickon in Philadelphia, meet at the pavilion along Forbidden Drive, a short distance south of the intersection of Forbidden Drive and Northwestern Avenue. Limited parking is available along Northwestern Avenue and other nearby streets. Volunteers are encouraged to bike or carpool to the event. To participate, register at www.fow.org. Contact Kevin Groves with questions at 215-247-0417 ext. 105 or groves@fow.org.

Montgomery County Community Colleges International Club invites the community to the second annual International Festival April 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The rain date is April 26. The International Club will transform the outside quad area into multicultural celebration with various performances by dancers, singers and musicians. Artists will share their artwork at various display tables. Activities include games, raffles, Easter egg decorating and henna tattoos. Students will have samples of international cuisine at tables representing different countries and will serve food from various local ethnic restaurants. Throughout the evening, volunteers will accept donations and will raffle gift baskets and prizes to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. Donations of food, international clothes and prizes are needed. Volunteers, including artists and performers, are welcome. For more information or to sponsor an activity, contact Gillian Nel, International Club president, at gnel9277@students.mc3.edu or 267-974-0163.

The Arts and Humanities Division at Montgomery County Community College is partnering with the Philadelphia Writers Conference to host Memoirs Matter: How Life Stories (Including Yours) Can Transform Your Relationship to Literature April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Advanced Technology Center room 101, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The event is free and open to the public. In the first part of this two-hour seminar, professor and author Robert Waxler will explain how writing his two memoirs affected his life as well as his relationship to literature. In the second part, blogger and workshop leader Jerry Waxler will present a sequence of steps to help writers find their own story. For information, contact Dana Resente at dresente@mc3.edu.

The Maple Glen Garden Club will hold its fourth annual Plant Sale on May 7 from 8 to 11 a.m. Perennials, shrubs, vegetables and native plants grown by the club members will be sold. The club uses the plant sale proceeds to fund community projects, a college scholarship and community plantings. The sale will be held in the 500 block of Coach Road, Horsham, as part of a neighborhood garage sale. Plants will be sold at bargain prices. For more information, email MapleGlenGardenClub@gmail.com.

The Relay for Life Craft Show is looking for local crafters to participate in show, which will be May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Wissahickon High School track, 521 Houston Road, Ambler. There is a $10 entry fee, and 20 percent of sales are donated to the American Cancer Society. Participants will receive a 6-foot table under a tent. For information, contact Joanne at joannescoles@comcast.net or Mindy at mcamsilver@comcast.net.

Spring House Estates is hosting its annual book fair on April 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. and April 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Included will be hardback and paperback used books. Spring House Estates is located at 728 Norristown Road, Lower Gwynedd.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will present the Penn Suburban/Hatfield Joint Business Card Exchange April 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Univest Bank Lansdale Area Financial Service Center, 120 Forty Foot Road, Hatfield. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. Join Univest National Bank and Trust Co. for a spring-inspired Business Card Exchange at its newest office in the Hatfield Pointe Shopping Center. Come out and meet members of Univests executive management team while enjoying fine food and beverages.

13th Annual Community Reading Day Kick-off Breakfast Get Together April 26 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the North Wales Area Library, 233 Swartley St., North Wales. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. For more information, contact the chamber office at 215-362-9200 or info@pennsuburban.org. Join presenting sponsor Verizon, chamber staff and fellow members for the Community Reading Day volunteer get together. The Community Reading Day program allows volunteers to read a designated book to second-grade students throughout 38 area public and private schools and present the book as a gift to each class. Even if you are not a volunteer, you are cordially invited to stop by to network, enjoy coffee and pastries.

Ambler Mennonite Church is hosting a Spring Craft Show and Flea Market May 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rain date will be May 28. The community is invited to shop the great craft booths, find some gifts and deals, as well as enjoy home baked goods and tasty lunch specials. Childrens activities are planned. All vendors are encouraged to contact the church at 215-643-4876 or AmblerMennonite@verizon.net. Advertising, signage, customer parking and a shuttle to auxiliary parking at nearby lots for vendors will be provided. 10 foot by 10 foot spaces can be rented for $5 each and tables for an additional $5 each. All proceeds from space and table rentals go toward school kits for children around the world. The church is located at the corner of East Mt. Pleasant Avenue and North Spring Garden Street, Ambler.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association presents The Life & Times of Aquatic Insects in the Wissahickon Creek April 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. Join WVWA for a hands-on program. RSVP required: www.wvwa.org or 215-646-8866. WVWA member fee: $5 per person / $15 per family. Non-WVWA member fee: $10 per person / $20 per family.

The photography exhibition Natures Palette by photo-artist Judy Miller will run March 18 to May 19 at the Art in the Storefront gallery, 41 E. Butler Pike, Ambler.

JPRN  Networking For People in Transition & People Who Can Help Them  Unemployment remains high. JPRN, the Jarrettown Professional Relationship Network can help. Are you trying to network your way to a new job? Do you have expertise or contacts that can help people in transition? Is your company or organization looking for people in the area? This is a free outreach program to support those seeking work, involve people with contacts and networking know how, and involve local companies. Meetings held monthly at Jarrettown United Methodist Church, Limekiln Pike.

Pennsylvanias Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) grant program is now open for the 2010-11 heating season. Grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. Additional information, such as specific income limits, and applications for LIHEAP grants are available online via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) website at www.compass.state.pa.us. Applications are available at most public officals district offices, county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies.

Begin your holiday shopping at Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation! Entertainment books for 2011, Philadelphia North, are now on sale at $30 each. Regal/United Artists movie tickets are on sale for just $7.50 each, and tickets to the Adventure Aquarium, Baltimore Aquarium, and the Philadelphia Zoo are also available. Discounted ski vouchers to area mountains will be arriving in December; call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

RSVP of Montgomery County and the Wissahickon Valley Public Library have partnered again to offer the public their popular free mock interview sessions. The mock interviews are conducted by RSVP volunteers who are retired professionals, some of whom were in hiring positions themselves. Packets of information which include a sample employment application and interviewing tips with mock interview questions are available at the library to pick up prior to a scheduled mock interview or will be sent via email once the interview is scheduled. To schedule your interview, please contact Janis Glusman at RSVP 610-834-1040, ext. 16. The library is also offering a free resume review service. Bring in your current resume and the professional reference staff will assist you with hints and tips on capturing your work history accurately.

Registration for Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation summer playgrounds, Camp B.I.G. and Small Folks, X-Zone, and sports camps has began. Register online at www.upperdublin.net/store, or at the UDP&R office, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington. Call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Danielles Espresso Cafe presents Mornings at Mondaug Bark Park April 16 and May 21 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Meet fellow dog lovers. These events include complimentary coffee, treats for people and pups and raffles/giveaways.

Upper Dublins Annual Spring Flea Market will be held June 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reserve a table, or come and shop. Tables are $15 for UD residents, $20 for non-residents. This successful event occurs rain or shine. Refreshments available. Call 215-643-1600 ext. 3443 to register for a table.

Regal movie tickets available for purchase at Upper Dublin Township Parks & Recreation. Reduced rate: $7.50 per ticket. Some restrictions apply. Call 215-643-1600 x3443.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation movie tickets $7.50 Regal Cinemas, United Artist & Edwards Cinemas on sale throughout the year Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation Camp Sign-ups for Stony Creek Day Camp  Stony Creek Tracers and Park n Tots. Register on-line at www.whitpaintownship.org OrCome to Township Building with check or Visa MasterCard Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m. For additional information call 610.277-2400 ext. 374

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation offers exciting new programs for the fall:

-Returning favorites include UK Elite Petite Soccer, Tiny Dancers, Kiddie Tennis, Fun-nastics, Messy Playtime, Little Chefs, and more. Babysitters Training will be offered in November and December. Continuing Adult Fitness Classes include Cardio Circuit, Core & More, Yoga, Boxing, and Adult G.Y.M. For more information call 215-643-1600 x3443. Register for programs online at www.upperdublin.net/store.

Music and Theater

The community is invited to a Cantors Concert April 16 at 8 p.m. Congregation Beth Or, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen. Listen and hum-along to the Yiddish, pop tunes and classical music performed by Congregation Beth Ors own Cantor David Green and his special guest, Cantor Irvin Bell, from Temple Beth Israel in Deerfield Beach, Fla. The cantors will be accompanied by Mark Sobol and his Klezmer musicians. Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. RSVP with payment to Barb Murtha, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen, PA 19002, or call 215-646-5806 ext. 220.

Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse will host the Jameson Sisters May 14. Doors open at 7:30 pm, performance at 8:00 pm. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse is located at the corner of Rte. 202 & Sumneytown Pike, Gwynedd. $5 suggested donation. Light refreshment available at a modest cost. For further information, call 215-393-9576 or visit gwyneddmeeting.org/coffeehouse.html.

Celebrate patriotism through song with Gwynedd-Mercy Colleges choir, the Voices of Gwynedd, as it presents Hear America Singing April 15 at 8 p.m. The choir will perform song selections from all over the country, including Georgia on My Mind, New York State of Mind, and a medley including Philadelphia Freedom and Allentown. The performance will end with When the Saints Go Marching In to acknowledge the choirs upcoming tour in New Orleans. Hear America Singing will take place in the Julia Ball Auditorium, located in St. Bernard Hall. Parking is available in lots A, C and D. Admission is free.

The Choristers will present Anton Dvoraks Stabat Mater April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler. The choir will be accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for students and children are free. Tickets will be sold in advance or at the door. For more information, call 215-542-7871 or visit TheChoristers.org

Religious News

The Staircase Gallery at Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist Congregation in Fort Washington will feature the work of Emily Ennuat-Lustine. The artist will be showing paintings and graphics inspired by her own personal spiritual journey and quest for meaning. Some of the works to be shown have been inspired by Biblical Psalms and writings. Her work has been shown at Abington Art Center, Cheltenham Arts Center and Old City Gallery of Jewish Art among others. The exhibition is open Friday evenings starting Feb. 18 after Shabbat services. Gallery hours are: Mondays through Thursdays 10-4:30, Fridays 10-3 and following Shabbat Services and Sundays 10-1. The synagogue is located at 190 Camp Hill Road in Fort Washington. For additional information contact the synagogue office at 215-283-0276.

Reunions

St. Matthews High School Conshohocken Class of 1961 is looking for classmates. For details, contact Greg Marincola at 215-646-2239, 215-740-1296 or gregcola@comcast.net.

Olney High School Class of 1971 is Lloking for classmates for a 40th reunion Oct. 28. For details, contact Judy at ohsclassof71@yahoo.com or 215-870-7572.

Abington High School Class of 1961 is seeking classmates for a 50-year reunion to be held Oct. 14-15, 2011.Visit the website, www.abington61.com, for details or call 215-947-1779.

Overbrook High School class of January 1956 is having a 55 year reunion on May 22, 2011 at the Bala Golf Club in Philadelphia. For information please contact overbrookreunion56@comcast.net

Germantown High School Class Of January 1961 is looking for classmates for 50th year reunion to take place in May of 2011. Please contact: 215-362-9148, 856-577-0659 or samdelcomo@comcast.net

The June 1961 class of Germantown High School is holding their 50th reunion on May 15, which will be a brunch. For further details please contact Linda Dorfman Alten at lindaalten@yahoo.com or call 215-441-8411.

Support

New Life Presbyterian Church in Dresher, will host GriefShare, a special seminar and support group which will run on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m., from March 7 through June 6. At each meeting there will be a DVD about the grief process, discussion and reference to a grief workbook. Preregistration is required to secure a place in the group and to purchase a GriefShare notebook (for a one-time fee of $15). The notebook goes along with the 13-week schedule covering such topics as: living with grief, the effects of grief, and stuck in grief. For more information or to register, call: Sandy Elder at 215-884-5149.

PUPS (People Understanding Parkinsons) A self-help group for those adjusting to a new diagnosis or dealing with the early stages of Parkinsons Disease. Meets fourth Tuesday of the month from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at Abington Health Center, Schilling Campus, Willowood Building, 2510 Maryland Road, Suite 251, Willow Grove. For more information or to RSVP, contact Lorna at 215-542-2931.

The North Penn Visiting Nurse Associations Meals on Wheels program is looking for volunteers to pack or deliver meals to the elderly and infirmed. Meals are packed and delivered mornings, Monday through Friday. You can volunteer for as many days per week or month as you would like. Packaging meals requires approximately 2-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves making sandwiches, packaging food into individual serving containers and packing coolers with the meals. Delivering meals requires approximately 1-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves loading coolers into your car and delivering a route of approximately 10 to 15 stops. The Meals on Wheels program is also in need of emergency, winter-weather volunteers to pack and deliver meals in bad weather. North Penn VNA is located at 51 Medical Campus Drive in Lansdale and delivers meals in the Lansdale, North Wales and Blue Bell areas. For more information or to volunteer, please call Bridget, North Penn VNA Meals on Wheels coordinator at 215-855-8296.

Elkins Park Area CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) meets the first Tuesday of every month, 7- 8:30 p.m., at Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital in Elkins Park. For information on CHADD or ADHD, please see our website www.chadd.net/249 or call Claire Noyes at: 215-779-6656.

Center for Loss and Bereavement, 3847 Skippack Pike, Skippack (610-222-4110) www.bereavementcenter.org Offers professional counseling for individuals, couples, children and families dealing with issues of loss and bereavement. Six-week adult support groups: Newly forming young adult grief support group  every other Wednesday, 7  8:15 p.m. (free of charge); Monthly loss of child support  second Mondays, 7-8:15 p.m.; Six-week young loss of spouse/partner  Thursdays, 10-11:15 a.m.; Other groups scheduled as interest is shown for suicide loss support, adult loss of parent, motherless daughters, adult loss of sibling, coping with chronic illness and disability and mens loss of spouse. Nellos Corner Family Bereavement program offers peer grief support groups for ages 4 through teen and their caregivers  Every other Tuesday or Wednesday (free of charge) Local chapter of Parents of Murdered Children also meets at the Center. Registration required. Call for further information.

CHADD is a national organization for children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, providing education, advocacy and support for individuals and their families with AD/HD. Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital, 60 Township Line Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027, will host children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder on the First Tuesday of each month 7  8:30 p.m. Free, no childcare provided.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphias Kehillah of Old York Road is sponsoring a free Caregiver Support Group for individuals who care for an elderly person with cognitive and/or physical impairments. The group meets at SarahCare Adult Day Care Center, 101 Washington Lane, Suite G-6, Jenkintown, Pa., on the first Wednesday of each month. Patty Rich,Man sentenced to life, plus 9 to 18 years, for depraved killing of ex-girlfriend in WhitemarshOf All Things: How to keep your brain busyMay 24, 2018 How John Bolton Sabotaged The North Korea Talks U.S. President Trump just canceled the planned summit with North Korea's chairman Kim Jong-Un. The two were supposed to meet on June 12 in Singapore. In a letter to Kim Jong-un, released to the media, Trump accused North Korea of hostile statements which, according to him, make the summit impossible: Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I fell it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long planned meeting. Since the very first summit talk National Security Advisor John Bolton set impossibly high expectations for the results. Trump fell for it. The various 'hostile statements' go back to remarks by Bolton who has for some time compared disarmament of North Korea to Libya. On April 29 Bolton again asserted that the 'complete de-nuclearization' of North Korea would follow the 'Libya model'. North Korea never really offered to 'de-nuclearize'. It rejects the 'Libya model' for two reasons: When Libya made peace with the U.S. it was not a nuclear capable state which North Korea is. North Korea demands to be seen as equal to other nuclear armed states.

Libya's transfer of the little nuclear production equipment it had was followed a few years later by a full fledged war waged by France, the U.K. and the U.S. against Libya and its government under Muhammad Ghaddafi. The war destroyed the country. North Korea has no intent to allow a repeat of such treason. North Korea pushed back against the Bolton statement. On May 16 the White House made amends by not endorsing what Bolton said: 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." But a day later Donald Trump was asked about the Libya comparison and he seemed to agree with it: The model, if you look at that model with Gaddafi, that was a total decimation. We went in there to beat him. Now that model would take place if we dont make a deal, most likely. But if we make a deal, I think Kim Jong-un is going to be very, very happy. We called that the 'art of the mafia deal': "Sign here or we will kill you." Signing under threat is something North Korea will never do. The U.S. media played down Trump's talk as somewhat off-the-cuff. North Korea did not react to it. The summit train was still on track. But on May 21 Vice President Pence revived the issue in an interview with Fox News: PENCE: We really hope that Kim Jong-un will seize the opportunity to dismantle his nuclear weapons program and do so by peaceable means. You know, there were some talk about the Libya model last week. And you know, as the president made clear, you know, this will only end like the Libya Model ended if Kim Jong-un doesn't make a deal. MACCALLUM: Some people saw that as a threat. PENCE: Well, I think it's more of a fact. President Trump made it clear the United States of America under his leadership is not going to tolerate the regime in North Korea possessing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles that threaten the United States and our allies. We've made it clear that we are continuing to bring economic and diplomatic pressure to bear on North Korea that all options are on the table to achieve that end. It was clear from the beginning that North Korea would not negotiate a complete de-nuclearization and would not talk while under such a threat. As the Washington Post noted: The more Pence and Trump say Libya, the angrier North Korea gets. The continuation of the Libya comparison was now a tactic to avoid the little prepared summit talks while blaming North Korea for the failure. The response from North Korea to Pence's remarks was quite salty but not overly hostile. Unlike Trump it did not threaten "total decimation": Choe Son Hui, the DPRK's vice foreign minister, said she would put forward a suggestion to DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un for reconsidering the DPRK-U.S. summit scheduled for June 12 if the United States continues with hostile remarks and actions, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

...

Calling the remarks of Pence "ignorant and stupid," she said that Pence should seriously consider the "terrible consequences of his words" before making such remarks. "We could surmise more than enough what a political dummy he is as he is trying to compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya that has simply installed a few items of equipment and fiddled around with them," she said. Trump's cancellation letter refers to that statement. The cancellation comes hours after North Korea, in the presence of a dozen international journalists, blew up several tunnels it had used for nuclear tests. This was a confidence building measure even while it is of little practical value. North Korea is mountainous and has several more tunnels it can use for further nuclear tests. I now expect another phase of huffing and puffing from both sides. The U.S. will do more fly-bys with nuclear capable bombers and push for more sanctions. North Korea will respond with more nuclear and missile tests. Trump had expected a fast victory and probably even a total de-nuclearization of North Korea. He dreamed of a Nobel Peace Prize. But North Korea had offered de-nuclearization only as a long term aspiration for the whole world. Giving up its nuclear capabilities would be suicidal as the U.S. will not honor any security guarantees it might give in exchange. Trump proved such when he canceled the JCPOA deal with Iran. When the summit between North and South Korea took place on April 27, I had identified several potential spoilers for a disarmament and peace process. John Bolton was one of them. His introduction of the 'Libya model', which Trump and Pence who are both novices in international talks then took up, sabotaged the deal. The largest known rare earth deposit of this world will continued to be out of Washington's reach. Posted by b on May 24, 2018 at 15:59 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page A Chinese fleet participates in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) multinational naval exercises with U.S. warships in west Pacific Ocean, June 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Luo Zhaowen)

The Chinese Foreign Minister on Wednesday blasted the U.S. for excluding China from a multinational military exercise to be held in June, noting that the decision was imprudent and unconstructive.

Such a decision will not help to enhance mutual understanding and trust between the U.S. and China, which are both world powers. The two nations can definitely cooperate regarding maritime security, said Wang Yi, State Councilor and Chinese Foreign Minister, at a press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after their meeting in Washington, D.C.

Wangs remarks come after the U.S. withdrew an invitation to China to join the worlds largest international maritime warfare exercises. According to CNN, the decision was made by U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis in coordination with the White House, which comes just days after Chinas Air Force landed their advanced H-6K strategic bomber on an island in the South China Sea for the first time.

This would have marked Chinas third consecutive participation in the drill, as the country had already accepted the invitation from the U.S. in January.

Blowing hot and cold, U.S. accusations of China militarizing the South China Sea have irritated the country, with Wang noting that its Chinas legitimate right to construct its own islands.

The U.S. has built military facilities in Hawaii and Guam. Compared to the U.S., Chinas military deployment is to a much lesser scale, thus there is no need to hype up [Chinas South China Sea movements], Wang added.

Due to the Obama Administrations efforts to stabilize Sino-U.S. military ties, China had already been included in the Rim of the Pacific naval exercises twice, in 2014 and 2016 respectively.

According to experts, Chinas former participation in the naval exercises was a milestone for Sino-U.S, relations, as the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act for the Fiscal Year 2000 prohibits advanced combined-arms and joint combat operations between the two nations, in fear that such cooperation may create a national security risk due to inappropriate exposure.

In 2016, China sent five vessels and over 1,000 personnel to join the drill.Normally people are catching out people photoshopping stars and celebrities on magazine covers. But Rebel Wilson has had to defend that she's not photoshopped at all!

The 'Pitch Perfect' actress had to speak out against her critics after some said her appearance on Vogue Magazine looked like they had digitally altered her to look "slimmed down".A dome has been installed on the containment building of unit three at the Fangchenggang nuclear power plant in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China, May 23.

The addition of the dome shows the construction project has now entered into a new phase of development in which the equipment is installed. Unit three uses Hualong One technology, a domestically developed third-generation reactor design concept.

Sources say the unit is almost 90 percent homemade, and showcases a combination of Chinese technologies in design, construction, testing and operation.

The dome was added eight days ahead of time, demonstrating China's orderly abilities in building the domestically developed reactor, as well as the capability of its builder China General Nuclear (CGN), said chief director of the project.

CGN has built many projects using Hualong One technology in Central and Eastern Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia in recent years, and has also propelled mass construction of such projects within China.

Two units at the Fangchenggang nuclear power plant are already operational. They alone provide 15 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year for the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone.

CGN chairman He Yu said exporting a Hualong One nuclear plant will help 5,400 Chinese manufacturing enterprises, which in turn will elevate the influence of Chinese manufacturing and intelligent manufacturing.Welcome to Morningstar.co.uk!

You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details.Chinese home appliance manufacturers have drawn global attention over the past few years as they have made frequent moves to acquire foreign brands.

In 2004, Chinese multinational electronics company TCL acquired French brand Thomson's TV business, becoming the first Chinese household appliance manufacturer to complete an overseas acquisition.

Seven years later, Chinas Haier bought Japanese rival Sanyos appliance business, and then took complete control of New Zealand appliance maker Fisher & Paykel in 2013.

The latest move of this kind was made by Hisense, one of Chinas leading home appliance creators, who recently acquired over half of Slovenian manufacturer Gorenje's company at a price of 290 million euros.

What's indicated by the latest acquisition, insiders point out, is that Chinese takeovers are not likely to come to an end soon.

Overseas acquisition by Chinese appliance enterprises peaked in 2016. This year, Haier bought General Electric Appliance for $5.58 billion, and Chinese electrical appliance manufacturer Midea Group also declared its acquisition of the German robotics creator Kuka for 4 billion euros.

Insiders analyzed that such takeovers are made on a strategic level after substantial research and negotiations, rather than merely jumping on the bandwagon.

They said that to buy out overseas brands is the most efficient way to expand the international market for emerging Chinese appliance makers who have accumulated a sufficient cash flow over recent years.

Based on the trends and speed of recent acquisitions, insiders predict that acquiring reputable overseas brands will be a way for Chinese enterprises to seek a global presence in the short term.

To expand international deployment is an urgent need of Chinese appliance makers, so they will continue to stay positive toward overseas acquisition, said Guo Meide, vice president of All View Cloud, a Beijing-based consultancy specializing in home appliances.The following is our latest Fund Analyst Report for Hartford Equity Income (HQIAX). Morningstar Premium Members have access to full analyst reports such as this for more than 1,000 of the largest and best mutual funds. Not a Premium Member? Gain full access to our analyst reports and advanced tools immediately when you try Morningstar Premium free for 14 days.

Although fees could be more competitive, Hartford Equity Incomes reliability under Wellington Managements Michael Reckmeyer warrants an upgrade in the funds Morningstar Analyst Rating to Silver from Bronze.Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Russia's St. Petersburg, May 24, 2018. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

ST. PETERSBURG, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin met here Thursday with Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, and they agreed to further boost bilateral cooperation for the benefit of both countries and the whole world.

In their meeting, Wang conveyed to Putin Chinese President Xi Jinping's sincere greetings and best wishes, saying that Xi attaches great importance to China-Russia ties and cherishes his friendship with Putin.

The Chinese president, added Wang, looks forward to meeting Putin again to jointly chart the future course of bilateral relations as well as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is scheduled to hold this year's summit in June in China.

The heads of state of the two countries have made painstaking efforts for and injected robust energy into bilateral cooperation, continuously steering the China-Russia relationship forward, said Wang.

He pointed out that the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is of great significance not only to the two countries themselves but to the world at large.

The two neighbors, he said, respect each other, trust each other, cooperate on the basis of equality, and enjoy mutual understanding and support on major international affairs.

In so doing, they have set a model of major-country relations in the current world and made great contribution to safeguarding global strategic stability and building a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind, added Wang.

The Chinese vice president stressed that it is a choice both of history and of the people that China and Russia steadfastly pursue development paths that suit their respective national realities.

Now the Chinese people, under Xi's leadership, is vigorously pushing forward the building of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, said Wang, adding that China's development is making rapid and remarkable progress.

Meanwhile, the Chinese side firmly believes that under Putin's leadership, Russia will grow stronger and more prosperous, said the vice president.

China, he added, resolutely supports Russia's development, and stands ready to carry out strategic and long-term cooperation with Russia, lift the level and quality of bilateral practical cooperation more swiftly, and achieve deeper integration of interest, so as to bring more benefits to the two nations.

Putin, for his part, asked Wang to convey his sincere greetings and best wishes to the Chinese president, saying he is confident that Xi will lead the Chinese people to new achievements in China's development.

The Russian leader added that he is looking forward to visiting China and meeting Xi again.

Russia-China ties have kept developing at a high level, he said, noting that political mutual trust is deepening, bilateral practical cooperation is strengthening, the structure of economic and trade relations is witnessing sizable improvement, cooperation on large projects are speeding up, and exchanges and cooperation in people-to-people areas and at local levels are gathering steam.

Meanwhile, it serves as an important stabilizer in the world that the two countries maintain close communication and coordination as well as mutual support on major regional and global issues, said Putin.

The Russian side, he added, is willing to work with China to further deepen all-around cooperation, cement mutual understanding and support on international affairs, and keep lifting the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination to higher levels.

Wang is here for the 22nd St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The ongoing overseas trip, his first as vice president, will also take him to Belarus for a visit.Adrienne Minerick will become dean of Michigan Technological Universitys School of Technology on July 1, 2018.

Minerick currently holds four titles at Michigan Tech. She is the associate dean for research and innovation in the College of Engineering, assistant to the provost for faculty development, a professor of chemical engineering and an adjunct professor of biomedical engineering. From the classroom to the lab to her own business, Minerick knows the challenges and joys of teaching, research and service.

"Dr. Minerick's prior experience as a faculty member, an administrator and an entrepreneur make her ideally suited to take over the leadership of the School of Technology," says Jackie Huntoon, provost and vice president for academic affairs. "She brings to the position a wealth of ideas about how the school can better serve its students, attract new students and contribute to economic development in the state of Michigan."

Minerick sees the school's potential to help students who do not mesh easily with the classic, learn-by-lecture model that most US education is based on. Instead, she sees ways to build up an environment where students, faculty and staff are empowered to take learning into their own hands and shift gears to better meet the needs of society and industry. Minerick succeeds Jim Frendewey, who recently wrote about the historical dichotomy of applied and theoretical engineering.

"Thanks to Jim Frendeweys leadership," Minerick adds, "the School of Technology is well positioned to take advantage of new opportunities for our students."

Skilled as an entrepreneur, teacher, administrator

Minerick is one of four new deans announced this spring and will start the same time as the University's new president. It's an exciting time on campus and Minerick, who joined Michigan Tech in 2009, brings experiences delving into microfluidics, faculty support, academic diversity and jumpstarting a business.

Adrienne Minerick is the new dean of the School of Technology.

Minerick's primary area of research is electrokinetics with a focus on medical microdevices, blood cell dynamics and point-of-care diagnostics. Minerick and co-founder Mary Raber, formed their company Microdevice Engineering, Inc., in the spring of 2013 as a part of the National Science Foundations I-Corps training following inForums ACTiVATE program, which offers training for women entrepreneurs. Participation was sponsored jointly by Michigan Tech and the Michigan Tech Enterprise Corporation (MTEC) SmartZone. Minerick says she had to learn across disciplines, welding her chemical engineering knowledge to electrical engineering, as well as the fabrication and design aspects of mechanical engineering.

"We haven't had the luxury of having a person who can specialize in different areaswe've all had to cross-learn to be able to problem-solve," she says. "That model is much more prevalent in industry than it has been before and at Tech; we pride ourselves at being able to say we prepare students to hit the ground running."

To Minerick, that means the School of Technology is perfectly positioned to connect the dots and ensure students who want hands-on engineering work get the education they need to make a real difference. Likewise, faculty and staff need the support to make that happen in classrooms, the machine shop, field surveys and industry-sponsored projects.

"Engineering is inherently creative. It's our job to remove the barriers to that creativity." Adrienne Minerick

Diversify learning and thinking

Not everyone learns the same way. Traditional learningstep by stephas been structured for the classical engineering persona and Minerick says the School of Technology can continue to evolve the norm. In particular, she is interested in appealing to students who are global learners. In other academic spaces, global learners tend to pick up ideas in big breakthroughs rather than sequential steps, and they often log inconsistent scores with concept-by-concept homework assignments and lectures.

The very nature of the school's six engineering technology programs meshes better with these students; whether it's learning to be a surveyor or construction manager or IT programmer, the work is built on projects and tangible products that create more opportunities for the aha! moments that drive global learners. Likewise, global learnerslike Albert Einsteinhave gone on to make huge contributions to society with their breakthroughs.

"We in the engineering fields have been invested in the traditional," Minerick says, adding that her experiences on the diversity committee American Society for Engineering Education and running the year-long Action on Diversity campaign opened her eyes. "We need to consider the impacts of technology and knowledge; we need connectivity between our students and society."

"In chemical engineering, for example, the curriculum hasn't changed much since the 1960sbut society has changed a lot. In the School of Technology, we have the opportunity to narrow gaps between educational training and industry practice." Adrienne Minerick

By bringing in more perspectives and thinking styles, diversity improves how graduates face challenges in their careers . And once they are alumni, Minerick plans to engage with them more and to build more affinity with older alumni. She says it all starts with fostering that growth behind the scenes, letting faculty and staff pilot ideas to build more relationships and improve their classes and programs.

"We have so much potential," Minerick says. "It's my job to secure, align and organize resources so that everybody else can do what they need to do."

Honors and Awards Minerick has received numerous honors and awards, including the distinction of Fellow of AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science), a National Science Foundation 2007 CAREER Award, the 2011 Raymond W. Fahien Award, Chemical Engineering Division, American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE), Michigan Tech's Fredrick D. Williams Instructional Innovation Award, a New Investigator Research Award from Sigma Xi Chapter, one from ASEE-SE, and was the recipient of the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award, Oak Ridge Associated Universities. She and her students have published over 70 book chapters, archival journal publications or proceedings articles and earned 23 best paper/presentation awards.

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.With its proud, historic ties to the world of aviation, Longines has chosen to celebrate Charles Lindberghs first solo, nonstop transatlantic flight, an event timed by the Swiss watchmaker in 1927, by creating the Longines Lindbergh Award. Erik Lindbergh, grandson to the celebrated American pilot who performed the inaugural voyage on May 21, 1927, is the first recipient of the Longines Lindbergh Award.

In May of 2002, during the 75th anniversary of the historic flight, a 53-year-old Erik Lindbergh walked in the footsteps of his illustrious grandfather and performed the same Atlantic crossing between Long Island, New York and Le Bourget, near Paris, aboard a small single-engine airplane. An artist and designer, Erik Lindbergh has been involved in a number of crazy projects in the field of space tourism and ecological airplanes. His story also tells of a struggle against adversity, having overcome severe health problems.

Longines chose to grant the Longines Lindbergh Award at the headquarter of the New York Times, the newspaper that so passionately told of the exploits of Charles Lindbergh, during a special evening held Monday, May 21, on the anniversary of Charles Lindberghs flight. During the event, which brought together representatives from the aviation sector, members of the media and the Lindbergh family, Longines Vice President and Head of International Marketing Juan-Carlos Capelli reminded us of the brands historic involvement in the field of aviation.

Mr. Capelli also awarded Erik Lindbergh with the Lindbergh Hour Angle Watch, a timepiece designed by his grandfather and developed by Longines shortly after the inaugural voyage. Following his 1927 crossing, the adventurer approached Longines to create a watch that could respond to his aviation needs. Thus, the Lindbergh Hour Angle Watch was born and became the true watchmaking icon it is today.

The Lindbergh Hour Angle Watch  Longines

 Longines

The Longines Lindbergh Award, which comes with $25,000 in reference to the sum received by Charles Lindbergh on behalf of Raymond Orteig for becoming the first aviator to successfully cross the Atlantic, is awarded each year to a person of Charles Lindberghs pioneering character, in a spirit of elegance and performance dear to the Swiss watchmaker. The awards laureate is chosen by a jury that includes Juan-Carlos Capelli, Vice President of Longines and Head of International Marketing, Stephanie Lachat, Doctor of History, Bernard Decre, President of the A la recherche de loiseau blanc association, and Spiros Bouas, pilot, co-founder and advisor for the Spirit of St-Louis 2 project.Vous etes confrontes a une infestation par la puce, la punaise de lit ? Voici plusieurs actions qui sont a mettre en uvre pour faire []SATURDAY

NORTH HAVEN

There will be a service on the Town Green beginning at 9 a.m., followed by a parade at 10:30. The parade kicks off at North Haven High School and makes its way to Church Street. In the event of rain, the parade will be rescheduled to June 2.

SUNDAY

CHESHIRE

The annual parade will be on Sunday beginning at 1:30 p.m., starting at Highland School and ending at Cheshire High School with a ceremony. In the event of rain, the parade will be postponed until June 3.

MONDAY

PLAINVILLE

The local VFW will conduct wreath laying ceremonies prior to Mondays parade, beginning at Saint Josephs Cemetery at 6:30 a.m., followed by West Cemetery and the Old Plainville Burying Grounds. The parade starts at 9 a.m. at the intersection of Broad Street and Whiting Street and will end at around 10:30 at the intersection of Whiting and Maple Street, where there is a memorial.

MIDDLEFIELD

The local VFW and American Legion will lead an observance on the Town Green, hosted by the Middlefield Volunteer Fire Company, beginning a 8 a.m. There will then be wreath laying ceremonies at the Town Green veterans memorial, Federated Church cemetery, and Old North Burying Ground.

WALLINGFORD

The event begins with a ceremony at Dutton Park at 9 a.m., and the parade will step off at 9:50 a.m. The parade, which will follow a revised route this year, will then proceed to Town Hall on North Main Street, where it is scheduled to arrive around 10:30 a.m. In the event of inclement weather, an indoor service will be held in the Sheehan High School auditorium at 10 a.m.

DURHAM

The parade starts at 9:15 a.m. at the corner of Haddam Quarter Road and Main Street, and then proceeds south on Main Street to the Town Green, with a ceremony immediately following at the Town Green. Parade participants should assemble at the corner between 8:15-8:30 a.m. Event is rain or shine.

MERIDEN

The parade will begin at 10 a.m. Monday, with the route starting on Curtis Street. The parade will proceed to the Meriden Green, with a ceremony immediately following. Groups are invited to participate.

SOUTHINGTON

The towns parade will be on Monday beginning 10:30 a.m., with the route going from Derynoski school to the American Legion building at 64 Main St., where a ceremony will be held. Memorial services are held at the town's cemeteries throughout the morning.The office is derided as the spare part of government, a job with few duties other than being available should the boss go ill or worse. But primaries for lieutenant governor in Connecticut are asking Democrats and Republicans to think about their openness and appeal to millennials and minorities in a decidedly unsettled election cycle.

Honestly, it represents a changing of the guard, said Erin Stewart, the 31-year-old Republican mayor of New Britain, who has cast her campaign in a three-way race for the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor as a call for generational change. Itll say which party is ready for this change.

Her message faltered two weeks ago at the Republican convention, where she ran a distant second to one of the most conservative members of the state Senate, Joe Markley of Southington. He had been seeking the endorsement for 14 months, while Stewart ended a gubernatorial campaign on the eve of the convention to compete for L.G.

It was a different story last weekend at the Democratic convention. A stunning 40 percent of the delegates rejected former Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz  the running mate chosen by their presumptive gubernatorial nominee, Ned Lamont  in favor of a young woman of Puerto Rican descent with a thin political resume, Eva Bermudez Zimmerman.

The vote was less about Zimmermans qualifications or differences with Bysiewicz on major issues than a protest over Lamonts inability to meet the expectation he would find a running mate able to engage the black and Latino communities. Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of the vote for Zimmerman and its implicit rebuke of Lamont was how quickly a resistance blossomed.

News of the Lamont-Bysiewicz ticket leaked Monday and was announced Tuesday morning. Zimmerman, who had been exploring a challenge for secretary of the state without much success, declared her candidacy for lieutenant governor Wednesday night. By Saturday afternoon, Zimmerman was a lightning rod for delegates hungry for something other than a ticket composed of two former rivals, both white and middle-aged.

Now, Democrats just have to figure out exactly what it means.

Zimmerman, 30, a labor organizer who was raised in Hartford and lives in Newtown where she won a local election for council and lost a race for state representative, is intent on making the transition from a vessel of protest to a candidate credibly ready to take over state government, if the occasion arises.

In a 43-year span, three lieutenant governors took over in Connecticut upon the resignation of a governor: John Dempsey in January 1961, when Abraham Ribicoff joined the Kennedy administration; William A. ONeill in December 1980, when Ella T. Grasso was dying from cancer; and M. Jodi Rell in July 2004, when John G. Rowland faced impeachment.

Zimmerman, who is employed by SEIU, was assisted at the convention by fellow union activists, but she cannot count on formal union endorsements in her primary, given that Bysiewicz is supportive of the labor agenda, including protecting collective bargaining for pubic employees and supporting a $15 minimum wage.

On Saturday, Zimmerman readily acknowledges, she was in the right place at the right time.

Timing is key when it comes to a campaign, and Im not going to shy away from the reality that timing has worked in my favor, Zimmerman said. But this is beyond my name or whatever I represent. I think people are holding onto the values and the message of the timing. Thats the reality.

Bysiewicz said she understands the appetite for greater diversity at the top of the ticket.

But she noted that the six candidates endorsed by the Democrats for constitutional statewide offices include Shawn Wooden, an African-American running for treasurer, and William Tong, a candidate for attorney general who would be the first Asian elected to statewide office in Connecticut. Comptroller Kevin P. Lembo, who was nominated for a third term, is the first openly gay statewide official.

Ned and I are committed to building the most diverse administration the state has ever seen, Bysiewicz said.

The tumult in Connecticut comes as analysts and political operatives nationally struggle to understand the changes that have rippled through U.S. politics since the election of Donald J. Trump, starting with a womens march on Washington that has seemed to spawn a new generation of activists, some turbo-charged by the Me Too movement.

High school students took the lead on gun control after the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., giving new energy to a movement that has made little headway in Congress.

The past year and a half has changed everything, said Roy Occhiogrosso, a Democratic operative in Connecticut. Weve had these these seismic shifts. It has rippled out in ways that we dont yet understand. We see the impact only on certain candidates in certain races.

On Wednesday, Democrats rushed to analyze another set of unexpected primary results from the previous nigh  ones that reinforced a sense voters may be looking for some non-traditional candidates.

In Georgia, state Rep. Stacey Abrams easily won a primary, setting her up to try this fall to become the first female African-American governor of any state. A gay Latina, Lupe Valdez, won a Democratic primary for governor in Texas. In Kentucky, a former fighter pilot seeking office for the first time, Amy McGrath, upset Lexingtons mayor in a race for Congress.

Its stunning to me what happened yesterday in Georgia, said Lori Pelletier, the president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO, which will consider formal endorsements on June 22.

Abrams win  and whether she succeeds in November  will be closely watched. Her opponent was a white state representative who argued that the best path for Democrats to win a governors office long held by the GOP was to appeal to white, moderate voters. Abrams made a different bet, insisting she could expand the base.

As Politico reported, Shes looking to register and engage more black voters, who turned out at a lower rate in the last midterm elections in 2014, when 40.6 percent of African-American voters turned out, compared with 47.5 percent of whites.

That is an element of the debate under way among Connecticut Democrats.

J.R. Romano, the Republican state chairman, dismisses the approach and the Democrats emphasis on identity politics in Connecticut. Romano said the state is hungry for a vision on improving the economy.

What you heard at the Democratic convention was not solutions to Connecticuts fiscal problems, it was identity politics, Romano said.

But Stewart is confronting the GOP with its own discussion of identity politics, albeit on the terms of gender, generation and ideology, not race. Stewart, a friend of Romanos, said two white males at the top of the GOP ticket  every gubernatorial contender is a white male  is not the message the Grand Old Party should be sending in 2018.

I got criticized pretty heavily for saying that, Stewart said. But she stands by her remarks.

Markley, a small-government conservative who won an open seat in 2010, said he would be a useful partner to a GOP governor. In addition to his four terms this decade, Markley also served a single term in the 1980s, swept into office by the Ronald Reagan landslide of 1984. Or, as Stewart archly puts it, Before I was born.

He said he understands, but does not embrace, identity politics.

To my mind, the Republican Party was founded on the basis that all people were created equal, Markley said. But he added, The identity politics which the the Democrats are eager to engage, I understand it. I am sympathetic to it. I understand the historical forces that lead people to embrace it.

Unlike Zimmerman, Stewart has elective experience as the three-term mayor of New Britain. She will be competing in the Aug. 14 primary with Markley and Jayme Stevenson, the first selectman of Darien.

There was no deal to be struck for a ticket at the Republican convention. The gubernatorial endorsement was won by Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, who could not afford to antagonize delegates supporting Stevenson or Markley, given that he was facing an eight-man field at the convention.

Boughton, former First Selectman Tim Herbst of Trumbull and Steve Obsitnik, a tech entrepreneur from Westport, all qualified for the primary. Two wealthy businessmen, David Stemerman and Bob Stefanowski, bypassed the convention and are petitioning to get on the primary ballot, as is Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti.

Lamont faces a primary only if one of two remaining challengers, Bridgeport Mayor Joseph P. Ganim and Guy L. Smith, succeed in gathering sufficient signatures for a primary. Ganim failed to win the necessary 15 percent at the convention to qualify. Smith, a newcomer to Connecticut politics, didnt try.

This story originally appeared on the website of The Connecticut Mirror, www.ctmirror.org.Israel is pressing the Trump administration to recognise its sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, an Israeli cabinet minister said on Wednesday, predicting U.S. assent could come within months.

Interviewed by Reuters, Intelligence Minister Israel Katz described endorsement of Israel's 51-year-old hold on the Golan as the proposal now "topping the agenda" in bilateral diplomatic talks with the United States.

Any such move would be seen as a follow-up on the U.S. exit from the international nuclear deal with Iran, and President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the opening of a new U.S. embassy there this month.

Trump's moves were hailed by Israel and caused deep concern among major European allies of Washington.

There was no immediate comment from the White House on Katz's remarks.

The Golan Heights form a strategic plateau between Israel and Syria of about 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles).

It was part of Syria until Israel captured it in the 1967 Middle East war. It moved Israeli settlers into the area that it occupied, and annexed the territory in 1981 in a move not recognized internationally.

Katz, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet, cast the Golan proposal as a potential extension of the Trump administration's confrontational tack against perceived regional expansion and aggression by Iran, Israel's arch-enemy.

"This is the perfect time to make such a move. The most painful response you can give the Iranians is to recognise Israel's Golan sovereignty - with an American statement, a presidential proclamation, enshrined (in law)," he said.

The message to Tehran, Katz said, would be: "You want to destroy (U.S.-ally Israel), to generate attacks (against it)? Look, you got exactly the opposite."

The matter, raised by Netanyahu in his first White House meeting with President Donald Trump in February 2017, is now under discussion at various levels of the U.S. administration and Congress, Katz said.

"I reckon there is great ripeness and a high probability this will happen," he said. Asked if such a decision could be made this year, he added: "Yes, give or take a few months."

Asked about Katz's comments, a U.S. Embassy official in Israel said: "We don't as a general policy discuss our diplomatic communications."

Russia, Damascus's big-power ally, has long insisted that Syria's territorial integrity should be restored - a position implicitly requiring an eventual return of the part of the Golan occupied by Israel.

Katz, however, played down any prospect of a blow-up between Moscow and Washington, casting the proposed U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan as a piece of a larger Syria mosaic.

OPPORTUNITY

With Syrian President Bashar al-Assad beating back the insurgency against him, now could be the opportunity for Assad and Russia to show the Iranians out, Katz said.

He described the Iranian presence next door as the Netanyahu government's main concern, by implication offering Assad a chance for immunity from Israel.

"This is a moment of truth for Assad. Does he want to be an Iranian proxy, or not?" Katz said. "If he becomes an Iranian proxy, then sooner or later he's condemning himself, because Israel is acting against Iran in Syria ... If not, then we have always said we have no interest in getting involved there."

Russia, Katz said, would respond to a U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty on the Golan with declarations that "they won't do the same and they do not have to support this".

"But in actuality, from their perspective, if it gives Israel something in the wider Syrian context, what do they care? Assad's survival is more important to them, as Syria is so weak," he said. "They want a new, overall re-arrangement."

Katz suggested that a U.S. move on the Golan could also prod the Palestinians - who have shunned the Trump administration since it announced in December that it would relocate the embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv - to revive peace talks.

The Palestinians want the Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem as the capital of their own state, along with the West Bank, also occupied by Israel in the 1967 war - among the geographical disputes that have dogged their diplomatic contacts with Israel.

"They should hurry up and sit down with Israel, because where Israel says it is determined to be, it will be, and it won't give up, and history is working in our favour," he said.

Syria unsucessfully tried to regain the Israeli-occupied Golan in the 1973 Middle East war. The two signed an armistice in 1974 and the land frontier has been relatively quiet since.

Since 1967, about 20,000 Israeli settlers have moved to the Golan, which also borders Jordan. Some 20,000 Druze Muslims also live there. Israel gave the Druze the option of citizenship, though most rejected it.

In 2000, Israel and Syria held their highest-level talks over a possible return of the Golan and a peace agreement. But the negotiations collapsed and subsequent talks, mediated by Turkey, also failed.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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After winning a second term with 97 per cent of the vote in Egypt's 2018 presidential elections, incumbent President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is expected to take his new oath of office in parliament.

Parliamentary spokesman Salah Hassaballah told reporters this week that El-Sisi will be sworn in for his second term on 2 June. "Intensive contacts between the president's office and parliament's secretariat-general are underway to conclude preparations for the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for the first week of June," Hassaballah said.

Kamel El-Wazir, head of the army's engineering organisation, and parliament's secretary-secretary Ahmed Saadeddin reviewed this week renovation works of parliament's main buildings ahead of the swearing-in ceremony. "The works also include renovating parliament's plenary meeting hall in which El-Sisi will take the oath," said Saadeddin.

In 2014, when no parliament was sitting, El-Sisi was sworn before the Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC). Article 144 of the constitution states that the elected president must be sworn in before parliament.

El-Sisi is also expected to deliver a speech following the swearing-in ceremony. Speaking at the recent Fifth Youth Forum on 16 May, El-Sisi said political life in Egypt is in pressing need of stronger parties capable of moving the country forward. "It is a good thing that we now have representatives from eight or nine political parties in parliament," El-Sisi said, nonetheless arguing that political parties with similar ideological platforms should unite.

It is not certain whether El-Sisi's swearing-in will be followed by the government's resignation. Hassaballah argued that there is no constitutional or legislative article that stipulates that the government submit its resignation following the end of the presidential term and the swearing-in ceremony.

Several MPs have slammed government of Prime Minister Sherif Ismail in recent weeks, accusing it of working in favour of the wealthy classes and implementing IMF policies that have left millions of Egyptians living under the poverty line.

The latest wave of attacks came last week when the government surprised all by increasing the price of Cairo's underground Metro system by a significant margin. Infuriated, MPs accused the government of snubbing parliament because it took the decision without notice or a chance for the public to prepare.

Cabinet spokesman Ashraf Sultan told reporters early this month that a cabinet reshuffle in Egypt is expected at any time. However, he stressed, "regardless of news about this reshuffle, the government believes that it has to do its job up to the last moment," Sultan said.

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Egypt's Foreign Ministry issued a statement early Wednesday refuting recent reports that a cache of what appear to be ancient Egyptian artefacts seized by Italian authorities were found in a container belonging to the Egyptian embassy in Rome.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu-Zeid explained that the Italian Antiquities and Tourism Police informed the Egyptian embassy in Rome on 14 March that they had seized 23,700 artefacts, including 118 ancient Egyptian items enclosed inside a diplomatic container.

"The Egyptian embassy immediately sent a CD containing images of the artefacts to the cultural department at the Foreign Ministry in Cairo to brief the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and verify their authenticity, and to respond to the inquiries of the Italian officials in order to complete the investigation," the statement by Egypt's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that the Egyptian embassy in Rome also contacted the deputy commander of the Italian Tourism and Antiquities Police, as well as the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to clarify whether the container originated from the port of Alexandria or only passed through the port on its way to Italy.

"The Italian side reported that their contacts in the customs administration at the port indicated the artefacts were found last year and the shipment did not belong to an Egyptian diplomat but to an Italian citizen," the statement added.

Italian officials also promised to provide further clarifications on the container's departure date and the exporting party at the earliest possible opportunity.

"The Egyptian Foreign Ministry is following up with the Italian side through the Egyptian embassy in Rome to uncover all details related to the incident and to hold accountable those responsible for smuggling the Egyptian artefacts, if their authenticity is indeed proven," the statement concluded.

On Wednesday, Shaaban Abdel-Gawad, the head of the Egyptian Antiquities Ministrys repatriation department, said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported the incident to the Ministry of Antiquities, which assigned a special archaeological committee to confirm the authenticity of the seized artefacts by examining their photos.

Abdel-Gawad said that the objects were stolen from illegal excavation sites, as there is no record of them existing in any Egyptian museum or store gallery.

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Egyptian security arrested well-known activist and blogger Wael Abbas for "advocating the ideas and plots of the [terrorist-designated] Muslim Brotherhood organization through his social media accounts," Al-Ahram Daily newspaper reported on Thursday.

Abbas, an internationally renowned Egyptian journalist, blogger and human rights activist, was arrested from his home on Wednesday, according to Al-Ahram.

The 43-year-old is being questioned by State Security Prosecution, according to judicial sources.

Abbas, who was a fierce critic of the Brotherhood during the rule of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, has also been a strong critic of the government.

He was one of the pioneer bloggers in Egypt in the 2000s with his "Egyptian Awareness" blog, which fiercely criticized government policies during the rule of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

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By Express News Service

KOZHIKODE: In the wake of a TNIE report on the ostracisation of nurses and other medical staff of Perambra Taluk hospital by the local people due to fear of contracting the infection, health authorities have stepped in. District Medical Officer V Jayashree has assigned a group of officers from the Health Department to visit affected areas in Perambra and launch an awareness campaign asking people no to isolate or boycott health workers.

READ HERE | Nipah fear: After Lini's death, nurses at Perambra hospital face ostracisation in public places

Socially isolating the health officials who had treated the infected patients is not a healthy attitude, said the DMO. People have to understand that they are not infected by any virus. Also, we have been repeatedly stressing on the fact that the virus will not spread unless anybody has a close contact with the patient, she added.

Express had reported how a nurse at Perambra hospital faced mental agony after the conductor of a bus she was travelling advised a fellow passenger not to sit beside her. In another case, a passenger demanded another nurse to keep a safe distance from her while travelling from the hospital to Perambra town.

The incidents of ostracisation were reported at a time when the medical staff at Perambra Taluk hospital were slowly recovering he untimely demise of their colleague P N Lini, a staff nurse, after attending to a person infected by the Nipah virus.

Director of Health Services R L Sarita said public need not boycott any officials or the family of the deceased persons. It has come to our attention that a few cases were reported. We had asked the officials to check this and I hope this would be resolved soon, she said.

The senior health officer emphasised that awareness campaigns are carried out successfully in all major centres and local-self government authorities are playing a vital role in it. She also added that the people should not be hesitant to talk with to people who have had contact with the deceased.

District Collector U V Jose said a task force has been formed under the leadership of the Additional District Magistrate. "We have also decided to conduct an awareness programme among the public at Perambra. This would bring some change," he said.By PTI

CHENNAI/ TUTICORIN: The death toll from police firing at Tuticorin today went up to 13, even as cases were registered against opposition leaders, including DMK's M K Stalin and actor-politician Kamal Haasan for defying probibitory orders, officials said.

Over 100 people were arrested for protesting police firing on Tuesday and Wednesday in the port city that left 13 dead.

Amid a political slugfest over the incidents of police-public clashes, DMK leader Stalin held a sit-in protest at Fort St George, the state secretariat, before being physically lifted and removed by security personnel, while Chief Minister K Palaniswami broke his silence and blamed the opposition for "instigating" violence.

Among those killed were three women, a senior police officer told PTI.

Cases were filed against Stalin, MDMK chief Vaiko, and Kamal Haasan, who recently founded political outfit Makkal Needhi Maiam, for defying prohibitory orders yesterday while visiting a hospital in Tuticorin where those injured in clashes were convalescing.

Over 100 people were arrested in Tuticorin for rioting, setting ablaze and damaging public property, and assaulting police personnel.

Cases under IPC sections and the Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act were registered against them.

As many as 65 of those arrested were granted bail by a Tuticorin court later in the day.

Sandeep Nanduri and Murali Rambha, meanwhile, assumed charge as the Collector and SP of Tuticorin.

N Venkatesh and P Mahendran, collector and police superintendent respectively were yesterday shunted out of Tuticorin following the violence.

Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from a few places in Tuticorin city where a state-run liqour outlet was ransacked early today.

Normal life continued to be affected for the third day today as modes of public transport including buses, and autos did not ply.

Most shops were shut.

Police in anti-riot gear patrolled the streets as prohibitory orders banning assembly of more than four people continued to be in force.

The government had yesterday ordered suspension of internet services in Tuticorin and adjoining districts of Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari for five days to prevent spread of rumours through social media and help restore peace.

Violent protests had erupted in the city on Tuesday and Wednesday as locals took to streets demanding closure of a copper factory of the Vedanta group over pollution concerns.

When asked who gave the orders for police firing, TN CM EPS said "When someone hits you, you naturally tend to defend yourselves; so on such situations, no one acts in a pre-planned manner." @NewIndianXpress  T Muruganandham (@muruga_TNIE) May 24, 2018

Demanding the resignation of Palaniswami and sacking of state police chief T K Rajendran over large-scale arson and violence in Tuticorin, about 600 km from state capital Chennai, Stalin staged a sit-in with party MLAs at Fort St George complex.

Even after police removed the agitators from the secretariat premises, they continued the protest at Rajaji Salai, right in front of Fort St George.

Raising slogans like "we want justice" and "shame on the government," the protesters demanded immediate resignation of the Palaniswami government.

A Palaniswami broke his silence and blamed opposition parties and anti-social elements for the violence that brought the city down to its knees.

Terming the incidents as "unfortunate," he condoled the deaths and said all past agitations for the closure of the plant were peaceful.

"This time around it (protest) turned violent. It was due to instigation by some political parties and owing to infiltration by anti-social elements," Palaniswamy, who is under relentless attack from the Opposition, said.

Recalling steps taken by the AIADMK governments for the closure of the plant, Palaniswami said the "deliberate" violence was meant "to bring disrepute to the government and put it under pressure".

He said the state government was making efforts for the closure of the plant since 2013, when late J Jayalalithaa was the chief minister.

"As far as Amma's government is concerned, we respect people's feelings," he said, adding all legal steps were under way to shut the Sterlite plant, and cases were pending before the Supreme Court and High Court.

Replying to a question on who had given permission for the firing, he said there was nothing like permission.

"It was natural that somebody would act in self-defence when attacked and the action was not pre-meditated. The police used tear gas shells, resorted to lathi charge and then only opened fire when mobs set on fire vehicles near the district collectorate and stormed the residential quarters in the plant and the district collectorate," he said.

Usualy the police make preventive arrests but this time there was sudden violence compared to the peaceful protest that had been going on. The protesters had met the district administration 16 times in the past and their grievances had been addressed.

TN CM EPS some anti-social elements intruded into the agitation on May 22 and attacked the police; torched the police vehicles; under tense situation; police resorted to firing ; the firing was not pre-plannned @NewIndianXpress  T Muruganandham (@muruga_TNIE) May 24, 2018

"We express deep condolences and a sense of sorrow over the loss of lives," he said.

Stalin said DMK and ally Congress's MLAs boycotted today's meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of the state legislature ahead of the start of the Assembly session on May 29.

The Leader of Opposition assailed the chief minister for not visiting the families of the victims of police firing, and said the shifting of the district collector and police chief hardly mattered, as it did not amount to any action against them.

"The chief minister is not bothered about the people. He should immediately resign. Director General of Police T K Rajendran must also be removed or he should resign," Stalin said, adding MLAs of his party and ally Congress made these demands at the BAC meeting before walking out.

"The government is in limbo," he said, and demanded a judicial inquiry into the incidents by a sitting judge of the Madras High Court.

The government had yesterday constituted an inquiry commission headed by retired HC judge Aruna Jagadeesan to probe the circumstances leading to violence and subsequent police firing.

(With IANS inputs)SV Krishna Chaitanya By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: With law and order situation deteriorating and 12 protesters already killed, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has ordered closure and disconnection of power supply with immediate effect to Vedanta Sterlite Copper smelter plant in Thoothukudi.

The pollution board chairman Nasimuddin had passed the orders on Wednesday late evening and the power connection was pulled-off in the wee hours of Thursday.

The decision was taken following an inspection carried out by Joint Chief Environmental Engineer on May 18-19, where it was found that the unit was carrying out activities to resume its production operation. Following this, the issue of direction for closure and disconnection of power supply to the unit were recommended.

"In the light of the above said facts it is decided, that in exercise of the power conferred under Section 33A of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 as amended and under Section 31A of Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 as amended, to issue directions for closure and disconnection of power supply to the unit," the order reads.

A copy of the order was marked to Associate Vice President of Vedanta and district collector.

Meanwhile, DMK working president M K Stalin with other party leaders are staging a protest outside Tamil Nadu secretariat over the Sterlite protests in Thoothukudi in which 13 people have lost their lives, and over 70 are undergoing treatment at hospital.

According to the latest information, police personnel physically evicted DMK working president MK Stalin from Secretariat. However, he joined his party cadre who are staging demonstration on Rajaji Road in front of secretariat. Police have taken Stalin and the Congress leaders into custody for staging a rasta roko which has affected the vehicular movement on Rajaji Road.

DMK leader Durai Murugan demanded resignation of Chief Minister Palaniswami, DGP TK Rajendran and top police officials since they were responsible for the Thoothukudi shoot out.

DMK working President MK Stalin, who was holding a protest outside Tamil Nadu secretariat over #SterliteProtests in #Thoothukudi, has been detained by the police. Several others detained too. #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/Qr3tMyVl6W  ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2018

DMK cadre blocked the police van for over 20 minutes in which party working president MK Stalin is being taken. "Until TN CM steps down from office, DMK's agitation will continue," said MK Stalin.

More than 1,000 police personnel trying to disperse the DMK cadre who are on Rajaji Road blocking the van in which MK Stalin is being taken.

The Thoothukudi protests, on Thursday, reached the streets of Bengaluru with locals shouting slogans against the police firing.By AFP

WASHINGTON: A US government employee in China suffered brain trauma linked to "abnormal sounds" that resembled the still-unexplained injuries that befell US and Canadian diplomats in Cuba last year, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday.

US and Chinese authorities are investigating after the unnamed American citizen, who was assigned to the southern city of Guangzhou, was diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI).

The US embassy in Beijing issued a health alert Wednesday over the incident, while saying it does not know what caused the symptoms or of any similar situations in the country.

Last year 24 US diplomats and their family members in Cuba fell victim to mysterious "attacks" that left them with injuries resembling brain trauma. Ten Canadian diplomats and their relatives also suffered a strange illness.

Both countries scaled back their presence on the Caribbean island due to the problem, which continues to baffle investigators and has strained US diplomatic relations with Havana.

"The medical indications are very similar and entirely consistent with the medical indications that have taken place to Americans working in Cuba," Pompeo said in Washington.

"We are working to figure out what took place both in Havana and now in China as well," he said.

Embassy warning

Jinnie Lee, a spokeswoman for the US embassy in Beijing, said the US citizen experienced a variety of physical symptoms between late 2017 and April 2018. The person was sent to the United States and diagnosed with MTBI on May 18.

The embassy's health alert says the employee "recently reported subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure."

"While in China, if you experience any unusual acute auditory or sensory phenomena accompanied by unusual sounds or piercing noises, do not attempt to locate their source. Instead, move to a location where the sounds are not present," the embassy said.

ALSO | Mystery attacks in Cuba

In Washington for talks with Pompeo, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the US should avoid politicizing the case.

"We don't want to see that this individual case would be magnified, complicated or even politicized," Wang told reporters.

"China has been investigating this matter in a very responsible manner."

"We haven't found that any organization or individual has carried out such a sonic influence," Wang added, suggesting the US carry out an "internal" probe into the case.

Cuban case

In Cuba, the American victims had associated the onset of their symptoms with "unusual sounds or auditory sensations," a State Department physician told the US Senate in January.

Charles Rosenfarb, a doctor and director of the State Department bureau of medical services, said the symptoms were mixed but consistent with brain trauma.

The victims suffered headaches, hearing loss, disorientation and some loss of cognitive ability.

Initially officials suspected the Americans had been targeted by some sort of acoustic weapon. But so far, no evidence has been made public to support that theory, and Pompeo did not suggest the State Department understood the cause yet.

The incident prompted the United States to withdraw more than half of its personnel from the embassy in Havana, just two years after it had reopened as part of a restoration of full diplomatic relations.

Canada announced last month that it was bringing home the families of its diplomats in Cuba after a year-long investigation into the illness failed to reveal a cause.

Unlike their American counterparts, however, no Canadian envoy reported hearing any suspicious sound prior to falling ill.

"The cause (of their symptoms) remains unknown but could be human-made," the Canadian government concluded.Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry discussed on Thursday Egyptian-German bilateral relations with Volker Kauder, the majority leader in Germany's Bundestag, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Kauder is in Egypt to meet with Egyptian officials to discuss bilateral cooperation, especially military cooperation, as well as the war on terrorism and countering irregular migration.

Shoukry and Kauder also discussed the latest developments in Egypt's economic reform programme and recent positive economic indicators.

Shoukry expressed Egypt's wish to see Germany increase investments in the country, which currently stand at 4 billion Euros.

Shoukry also told Kauder that Egypt is encouraging more Germans to visit the country, expressing hope that Germany would ease its security restrictions on flights over Sinai, especially since Egypt has taken unprecedented measures to secure its tourist destinations and airports.

According to Egypt's foreign ministry, 1.2 million German tourists visited Egypt in 2017.

Kauder expressed his appreciation for the cooperation between the two countries and praised Egypt's efforts in fighting terrorism as well as its vital role in solving regional issues.

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Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 57F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

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Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 57F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%.Egypt's High State Security Prosecution has ordered the 15-day detention of well-known Egyptian blogger and journalist Wael Abbas pending investigations into charges including spreading false news.

Abbas, an award-winning journalist, blogger and human rights activist, was arrested at his home early on Wednesday.

Abbas is facing charges including deliberately "broadcasting false news, information and statements with the aim of disturbing public peace and undermining trust in state institutions," a judicial source told Ahram Online.

He is also accused of cooperating with an illegal group, the source added.

Abbas posted on Facebook in Arabic early Wednesday: Im being arrested, and his lawyer later said that his whereabouts were unknown.

Abbas was a fierce critic of the Brotherhood during the rule of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. He has also been strongly critical of the government of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

Abbas was one of the leading bloggers in Egypt in the 2000s, strongly criticising government policies and police brutality during the rule of then-president Hosni Mubarak.

In 2007, Abbas was awarded the International Center for Journalists Knight International Journalism Award.

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Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury James Lau signs a taxation agreement with Finnish Consul-General Jari Sinkari.

Hong Kong and Finland have signed a comprehensive agreement for the avoidance of double taxation.

Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury James Lau and Finnish Consul-General Jari Sinkari signed the agreement today.

The document sets out the allocation of taxing rights between the two jurisdictions which will help investors better assess their potential tax liabilities from cross-boundary economic activities.

It is the 40th tax agreement Hong Kong has signed with its trading partners, including the 16 member states of the European Union.

Under it, any Finnish tax paid by Hong Kong companies will be allowed as a credit against the tax payable in Hong Kong on the same profits, subject to the provisions of Hong Kong tax laws.

For Finnish companies, the tax they pay in Hong Kong will be allowed as a deduction from the tax payable on the same income in Finland.

The agreement will come into force after the completion of ratification procedures on both sides.

For Hong Kong, it will be implemented by an order to be made by the Chief Executive in Council under the Inland Revenue Ordinance, subject to Legislative Council vetting.

Click here for details.Crippled by the Israeli siege and the continuance of internal divisions, Palestinians have little to celebrate in the Islamic holy month

These most blessed days of the Islamic year are sad for Palestinians. They are heartbroken and anxious about their future.

Ramadan came after dozens of martyrs were killed and thousands injured during March of Return demonstrations, and amid the relocation of the US Embassy to Jerusalem.

Ramadan this year is unlike any other, especially amid reports in the media that US President Donald Trump will announce the deal of the century immediately after the holy month.

Salah Abdel-Ati, director of the Palestinian Centre for Political Research and Studies (Masarat) in Gaza and coordinator of the legal committee of the March of Return, said Ramadan this year comes at a very difficult time for Gazans in humanitarian terms due to the siege on Gaza and sanctions by the Palestinian Authority (PA) on civil servants. Combined, these have had catastrophic results, especially on healthcare.

Abdel-Ati, a lawyer, said there is also an inner struggle around those who have been victims of Israeli violations.

There is a law stating the Association of Martyr Families and Injured is in charge of the injured and their families, and makes monthly payments to these families to help them live a decent life, he explained.

The injured are also taken care of as long as they are more than 40 per cent disabled. However, there are no exact figures about those who deserve assistance.

More than half the injuries are due to gas inhalation which damage the lungs and nervous system. Although they are categorised as injured, they do not receive assistance because they do not meet the criteria.

Abdel-Ati noted that the martyrs of 2014 have not yet been registered due to inter-Palestinian divisions, and the wages of many martyr families, the injured and civil servants, have not been paid for months because of PA sanctions on the Gaza Strip.

Responding to suggestions that the siege is intentionally impoverishing Gaza ahead of plans to reinvade it and occupy it, Abdel-Ati said Israel tried to occupy Gaza before and launched three wars to no avail.

He said attempts to impoverish and weaken the Gaza Strip aim to undermine the will of the people and peaceful resistance.

The occupation thought that by imposing a brutal siege and creating inhumane conditions, the people will surrender, which is impossible, he said.

He continued that to overcome these circumstances, Palestinians must close ranks and the world community must guarantee an end to the siege, rebuild Gaza and give people their rights  primarily the right of movement for individuals and commodities.

Asaad Judah, member of the global communication committee for the March of Return, said that despite the massacre committed by Israel, marches continue despite lost momentum due to Ramadan.

Judah said that march leaders insist on keeping protests peaceful and maintaining wide activism which has so far achieved several key goals, primarily making the Palestinian cause a priority again, putting the right of return back on the international agenda, exposing Israels wanton killing, and putting focus on the suffering of Gazans and the crimes of the Israeli occupation.

It also triggered debate inside Israel between those who oppose and those who support Israels policies towards the Palestinians.

Some in Israel clearly support the demands of Gazans, whether in reaction to tragic events or in fear of further deterioration.

Responding to media reports that Trump will announce the deal of the century after Ramadan, Ahmed Abu Ratima, political activist and member of the media committee of the March of Return, said that regardless of the USs position the Palestinian people have proven they cannot be overlooked.

Abu Ratima said the marches have shown that all Palestinians reject surrendering their rights, which is a powerful message to the occupation and Trump.

In a message to Washington, he said if Trump insists on imposing a deal, [Palestinians] will be energised to confront these hostile plots against our rights, which we will never compromise.

Political science professor in Gaza Abeer Abdel-Rahman said: We Palestinians may seem to be the weakest link in this picture, and although the US envoy to the UN and her allies claim Palestinian rejection of the deal is secondary, Palestinian acceptance of the deal is crucial and the key for success.

The lack of an effective and loud international response to the Gaza massacre and relocating the US embassy is a clear message to all Palestinians to accept or shut up.

We saw how Israel brutally silenced Gaza through its fascist army which killed more than 112 civilian protesters, and injured more than 13,000 since the start of March of Return.

Abdel-Rahman continued that the US does not believe this silence is enough for the deal to go through; the Palestinians must accept the proposal.

She added it is clear the Palestinian leadership has made up its mind and declared early on that any deal is unacceptable and the US is no longer a broker of peace since it recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Thus, the Palestinian leadership has become an obstacle for such a deal.

The threat today is much higher than it was 14 years ago, Abdel-Rahman said, referring to the time of late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, who was accused by the US and Israel of rejecting peace overtures.

She warned the absence of President Abbas due to health reasons amid his quarrels and inter-Palestinian divisions gives Israel and the US enough time to pass the deal of the century through practical steps on the ground while the Palestinians are distracted with internal divisions post-Abbas, which is unlike post-Arafat disputes because of existing divisions.

This would be enough to silence the Palestinians about the deal amid internal conflicts, which Israel will fuel and transform into a Palestinian battle over power.

By the time Palestinians reconcile, the deal of the century will have become a reality recognised in the Arab world and internationally, and they will become a divided people with nothing.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 May 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Tough Ramadan in Gaza

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Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Syrian counterpart Bashar Al-Assad in Sochi this week, with many believing that Russia could now be ready to change its position on Iran, writes Bassel Oudat in Damascus

On 17 May, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad arrived in the Russian city of Sochi for an unannounced meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was not met with the usual presidential protocols, and the Syrian official media did not report the visit until he had returned to Damascus.

This is not the first time that Al-Assad has been summoned to a meeting with Putin. On 11 December, he met Putin at the Hameim military base in Latakia in Syria, used by Russian forces, where he was obviously patronised by the Russian president.

An officer prevented Al-Assad from approaching Putin when he was reviewing Russian soldiers at the base, and the Syrian media also did not report the meeting until it was over.

On 21 November last year, Putin summoned Al-Assad to Sochi, having him flown on a Russian military jet without an entourage or even a translator.

Russian arrogance was apparent on this occasion too, as the Syrian flag was notable by its absence. The Syrian state media did not report the visit until a day later.

Al-Assad has thus got used to being summoned to meet Putin, indicating that he is the Russian puppet in Syria. He is too weak to demand the presence of a full Syrian delegation at these meetings, and they are only fully reported in the Russian media.

It is not clear what the real purpose of the recent visit was, and most reports have stated that Putin informed Al-Assad that Russia expected foreign armed forces in Syria to leave and that this would be part of the settlement of the conflict.

They say that the focus has been on humanitarian aid and reconstruction after a political settlement.

It was not apparent which foreign troops Putin was referring to, however, since Russia, Iran, the US, Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, the Kurds and opposition Syrian forces all have troops in Syria.

Some believe Russia wants to be part of the Wests effort to curb the Iranian influence in Syria, and that when Putin said foreign armed forces he was referring to Iranian forces and militias loyal to Tehran, such as the Lebanese Shia group Hizbullah and Iraqi sectarian militias.

The statements were made after increased pressure by the West on Iran after US President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal.

Some Syrian opposition members said Russia had summoned Al-Assad to tell him it did not want him to sign any economic deals with Iran and to turn down Irans request to build a naval base south of Tartus on the Mediterranean Sea.

Russia also wanted to send an indirect message to Iran since it does not want to be forced into a political clash with Tehran in Syria, the opposition members said.

However, the Syrian regime has little influence with the Iranians, especially since they and the Russians control the regime. Nor can the regime impose a path on Iran, which now has many military bases in Syria. Syrias alliance with Iran is a problem, as is the veiled Russian antagonism towards Tehran.

Russian envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev said Putins statements about foreign troops in Syria referred to Iranian troops, Hizbullah militias and Turkish and US forces.

He said it was a very complicated issue because these measures must be implemented collectively, and the process must begin in parallel to creating stability in Syria.

The Kremlin also denied the interpretation being put about by the Syrian opposition.

Some countries have military relations with Syria, but Russia moved its forces into Syria as a result of a request from the Syrian leadership. It has every legitimate right to be there, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

This is unlike other countries whose military presence in Syria is against international law, he added.

Putins summoning of Al-Assad to a meeting every few months may be designed to send a message to the West that Russia has the most influence in Syria, especially since the US, Britain and France have limited their recent involvement to airstrikes that were limited in impact.

When Putin and Al-Assad met at the Hameim base, the Russian president gave orders to begin preparing for the Russian withdrawal from Syria, saying he had ordered the minister of defence and the military chief of staff to begin redeploying Russian troops to permanent positions.

Putin threatened what he called terrorists that unprecedented Russian strikes would come if they dare to show themselves again.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov said that withdrawing Russian troops from Syria would depend on developments and that the two military bases at Hameim and Tartus will continue operating.

Six months later, Russia has not withdrawn any of its troops from Syria and has in fact increased their presence.

At the first Sochi meeting, Putin said there was a need for a political solution to the conflict in Syria, and Russia was relying on the UN to play an effective role in reaching a settlement.

However, at the same time Moscow has obstructed UN Security Council Resolutions that could have lessened the fighting in Syria. It has also blocked extending the international fact-finding mission on the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria.

It has deployed more military units, including in the capital Damascus, and is keen on protecting the regime militarily and politically.

The conclusion of the meeting was an invitation to another meeting in Astana, part of a seemingly endless series that aims to undermine the Geneva Process sponsored by the major powers and the UN.

The Geneva I Declaration states that a political solution in Syria should include forming a transitional governing body with full executive powers, including taking charge of the transitional phase, overseeing the creation of a new constitution and preparing for parliamentary and presidential elections under UN and international supervision.

At Astana, the Russians, together with guarantors of the de-escalation zones in Syria, Turkey and Iran, have pushed the regime and individuals in the opposition to form a committee to amend the countrys 2012 constitution, which the opposition does not recognise.

After nine Astana meetings, the outcome has been keeping the de-escalation zones in force, giving the regime and Russia more opportunity to take control of key locations on the ground. It has also recommended continued efforts to promote a political settlement by implementing the recommendations of the Sochi Dialogue, often interpreted as a way for the regime to have a conversation with itself.

Putin also met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Sochi, and he will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron soon to discuss issues including Syria.

Moscow wants support for its actions in Syria in coordination with legitimate powers, Putin said during his meeting with Merkel.

Putin will likely continue his political and military manouevres to consolidate Russian power in Syria.

He will continue to support the Syrian regime, which has killed nearly one million Syrian citizens and bankrupted the country.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 May 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly with headline: Summons or meeting?

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A HIGH-powered delegation from China, which includes representatives of more than 100 big Chinese companies, will be in the country next month to explore business and investment opportunities, an official has said.



President Mnangagwas recent State visit to China has renewed international investment interest in the country. The Asian giant has steadily improved its economic ties with Africa under the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation and Zimbabwe is one of the countries targeted for deeper co-operation with China.



Confederations of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) chief executive officer, Mr Clifford Sileya, said the proposed visit by the delegation would help cement bilateral ties and strengthen economic relations between the two countries.





Communication has been received from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Enterprise Development advising of a Chinese Business Delegation visiting on 11 June 2018 as a follow-up to the mission by the State President early in the year, he said. Over 100 Chinese business people are expected to attend this Business Forum; and are keen to do business with Zimbabwean companies in various sectors. Attendance is strictly by invitation and only companies with clear and specific areas of interest will be accommodated.





President Mnangagwa and President Xi managed to review the previous projects and look at the impediments that stalled progress in the past. The new comprehensive strategic partnership of co-operation agreed between the two leaders is expected to usher a new way of doing business.





Zimbabwe and China signed Memoranda of Understanding that will expedite the countrys socio-economic recovery under the new dispensation. The Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Patrick Chinamasa, signed agreements on economic and technical co-operation between the Chinese government and Zimbabwe. Chinas Minister of Commerce signed on behalf of his government.





The Finance Minister also signed more agreements on food assistance, the supply of high performance computers Phase 2, and availability of experts from China in various fields and the drilling of an additional 500 boreholes in Zimbabwe.

A similar figure has already been drilled with assistance from China.

Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Dr Sibusiso Moyo signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Human Resources Development on behalf of the Public Service Commission. These were signed before President Mnangagwa and his host President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. HeraldCommissioner-General Godwin Matanga, has demanded the arrest and prosecution of local police commanders he claimed were integral members of the criminal smuggling syndicates.



Addressing Manicaland police commanders at Mutare Main Camp on Tuesday in his maiden tour of the province, Matanga said he was shocked to receive intelligence linking local top cops to rampant smuggling along the Zimbabwe-Mozambique border that has been depriving the country of millions of dollars annually by facilitating illegal passage of second-hand bales of clothes.

The top cop who warned that the senior police officers, some of whom he said would even provide

escort services, were cruising for a bruising.



It is on record that smuggling is rife along the stretch of the Zimbabwe/Mozambique borderline. For some time, I have been trying to figure out why this is so; with the collective effort from other key stakeholders, why are we failing to make headway in ridding the society of this menace?



The explanation I am receiving is dumbfounding, to say the least. It is beyond the realms of my imagination that amongst you, there are some who have the nerve to engage in despicable acts to promote smuggling.



Im told, some are integral members of syndicates and specialise in facilitating the smuggling of bales of second-hand clothing through provision of escort services and others act as the conduits for various contraband.



Let me thus warn those that are engaging in such sordid acts that they are already determining their own fate. If they opt to remain aboard their corruption boat, they must know that they are cruising for a bruising, Matanga said.



He ordered that they be promptly sniffed out and arraigned in criminal courts, arguing that this would give impetus to the anti-corruption efforts.



As a province, you must give impetus to all existing anti-corruption strategies and a lot more that the organisation shall continue to devise to deal with corruption.

Let no dirt be swept under the carpet.



You ought to move with haste in sniffing out all bad elements and ensure that they have their day in court. The organisation is much better off without them. Such uncouth elements are actually the spanners in our works, Matanga said.



Essentially reading the riot act to a hitherto placid local command element of his organisation, the commissioner-general also accused some of his lieutenants of lacking spine in discharging their work, especially in dealing with political bigwigs.



Earlier, I bemoaned the timidity that manifests in the decisions of certain commanders who quake in their shoes when some high-profile persons, especially the so-called political bigwigs commit crime, he said.



He said while he was not a proponent of tyrannical leadership he only had respect for commanders who knew where to draw the line between firmness and leniency.

All, commanders, regardless of their level, must be too kind to a fault, he warned.



He said the timidity and indecisiveness was also breeding indiscipline in the police.

Some pockets of indiscipline emerging in the force can also be attributed to indecisiveness inherent in some commanders when dealing with defaulters in the same way they hesitate to take appropriate action against prominent persons when they break the law, Matanga said.



He urged the senior cops to retain their authority and act swiftly and decisively on all acts of indiscipline and violations to the code of conduct.



Matanga also challenged the police to create an environment that is conducive to the holding of free, fair, peaceful, credible and transparent elections.



He said the police should have no tolerance for violence or instigators of violence.

Bring to book all perpetrators of political violence, even those who merely instigate violence or intimidation.



You must apply the law non-selectively. Hakuna muti unoera demo (There are no sacred cows), he said. Daily NewsTurkeys Erdogan is using every possible opportunity to enhance his standing ahead of Junes elections, though events out of his hands could challenge his presidency

Turkish Prime Minister Benali Yildirim appealed to Islamic countries that have relations with the occupation entity in Palestine to review those relations immediately in response to Israeli atrocities against Palestinian demonstrators at the Gaza-Israeli border.

It appears that in the height of his ardour, Yildirim forgot that his own country has long had very cosy relations with Israel, which has an embassy in Ankara and a consulate in Istanbul, and that the two countries are coordinating closely to maximise interests between them.

So, even after tit-for-tat recalling of ambassadors and charges daffaires, the two countries are unlikely to downgrade relations again. They have a $4.5 billion volume of trade between them.

Even during that diplomatic freeze that followed the killing of nine Turks aboard the Mavi Marmara eight years ago, bilateral trade remained unaffected.

But the Turkish media, 95 per cent of which is controlled by President Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development Party, do not bother to keep the Turkish public posted on such awkward details.

Instead, government-controlled television outlets broadcast the gruesome images of Israeli crimes against the Palestinians and host commentators and analysts to expose the bloodthirstiness of the Zionist enemy and drive home how Erdogan is the only Islamic leader to take a firm stance against that barbarity.

At the same time, Erdogan/AKP supporters are given permission to stage rallies to protest the enemies of Islam. In short, at a time when the AKP public approval ratings are dipping in the polls  in the run up to critical snap elections in June, no less  Erdogan seized at the demagogic life-line tossed to him by the events in Gaza and worldwide outrage at Israeli violence.

Accordingly, Turkish TV channels broadcast, over and over again, the footage of Israeli Ambassador to Turkey Eitan Naeh, being body searched in Istanbul airport after having been order to leave within 24 hours. Erdogan, simultaneously, notched up the stridency of his tirades.

At one of his rallies, he railed against the people who were victims of all sorts of torture in the Nazi concentration camps during World War II who were attacking Palestinians today in ways that the Nazis would be ashamed of.

He added a call to the UN to send an international peacekeeping force to protect the Palestinian people who are losing their children daily due to Israeli terrorism.

The cameras then shifted to Erdogans courageous call for an emergency summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which Turkey currently chairs.

After strenuous hours of telephone diplomacy to urge Arab and Islamic leaders to attend, the summit convened in Istanbul, although minus some of the most influential leaders.

It culminated in an eloquently worded powerful message to the world with no practical measures to back it up. Then the Turkish media did what it is paid to do which is to pass over the meagre results and trumpet the triumph of their great leader who summoned the representatives from 57 Islamic countries to Istanbul.

Apart from Erdogans cronies and the AKP base, millions of Turkish citizens took little interest in the summit.

How could they, when their energies are focussed on struggling to make ends meet in the face of soaring prices and the declining value of the Turkish lira? Against the backdrop of economic straits, if anything caught their attention it was the fallout from the corruption cases that rattled the highest echelons of government in Ankara several years ago and that came back to haunt the regime in Ankara in the form of the Iran sanctions case that was heard in a Manhattan court over several instalments last winter.

Last week, 16 May, the presiding Judge Richard Berman sentenced the chief defendant, Mehmet Hakan Atilla, to 32 months in prison for his participation in a scheme to violate US economic sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic of Iran involving billions of dollars worth of Iranian oil proceeds held at ATILLAs employer (Turkish Bank-1), according to the press release of the US Department of Justices Attorneys Office in the Southern District of New York.

Although the sentence against the Turkish banker had been anticipated, the timing could not have been worse for the Erdogan regime.

Also, while the sentence appears relatively light, compared to what Atilla could have received, this does not mean that the Turkish state bank will get off easy.

According to analysts, the minimum penalty that the Halk Bank could be asked to pay is $9 billion. It would be the highest fine ever imposed by the US Treasury Department on a foreign bank.

So, the curtain has yet to close on the tale of the Turkish-Iranian gold trader Reza Zarrab who facilitated international financial transactions to enable Iran to evade sanctions related to its nuclear energy programme.

Once much praised and encouraged by Erdogan, Zarrab possessed abundant inside information and turned state witness in the trial in Manhattan, causing Erdogans media machine to turn around and vilify him relentlessly.

Atilla was only one of the defendants cited in the case. Others are still at large. So, the Zarrab/Iranian sanctions case is likely to continue to cast a heavy shadow over already deteriorating relations between Ankara and Washington.

The other main source of tension between the two countries has been their conflicting approach to handling the Syrian crisis.

The White Houses insistence that the Kurds in Syria are a cornerstone of US regional policy in the Middle East continues to grate on Ankaras anti-Kurdish nerves, which are growing tenser now that it has allied with the ultranationalist right.

It also appears that, as a Turkish columnist put it, Washington has plans to mobilise Mideast countries, from Israel to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt against Iran.

 If Ankara refuses to join this drive, which is most likely, and joins the opposing camp with the Iranian mullahs, a rupture between Ankara and Washington would be almost inevitable. Of course, all this and more depends on whether Erdogan remains president.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 24 May 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Playing to the crowd

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A publication based in the United Kingdom has added to the mystery around President Emmerson Mnangagwas offspring by claiming the 76-year-old former Zanla combatant has a total of 18 children.



The crafty politician, who loyally served under former president Robert Mugabe for nearly six decades before a wedge was drawn between them at the height of Zanu PF party squabbles over his succession, is known for keeping to himself details about his family.



The only time he shared information about his family was in March when his publicists published a biography on his official website, claiming Mnangagwa had nine children, sired with two wives  Jayne and Auxillia.



Curiously, the list of children was later deleted from the website amid indications that it was not conclusive.



In an interview with Mnangagwas most prominent son, Emmerson Junior, the UKs Sunday Times boldly stated in its latest edition that the Zanu PF leader has 18 children.



The paper quotes Emmerson Jnr as saying: So my brothers and I told him (Mnangagwa) its not safe for you to be here. Usually he didnt take us seriously, but to our surprise he said, OK, lets get in the car and go.



Without directly quoting Mnangagwas son, the Sunday Times goes on to state: They took temporary shelter in an unfinished house one of their other brothers  Mnangagwa has 18 children  was building in a Harare suburb. Plans to escape in a private jet fell through. Plan B was medical evacuation.



The report is certain to add to the mystery given that Mnangagwas official website only listed nine children; six form his late wife Jayne and Auxillias three boys.



With Jayne, the couple was blessed with six children, Farai, Tasiwa, Vimbayi, Tapiwa, Tariro and Emmerson (junior) Tanaka, while Mnangagwa and Auxillia have been blessed with three children  Emmerson (junior), Sean and Collins.



The presidents portal describes Mnangagwa as a father and family man, ED Mnangagwa is dedicated to the education of his family, and has educated all of his children without exception.

Most are now employed or run their own businesses and are independent of their father, with degrees ranging from diplomacy, business studies, marketing, law, sound engineering, nursing, creative advertising design, psychology and actuarial science. He has more than a dozen grandchildren and he is very close to all of them.



He is known as a unifier in the immediate and extended family, a humble man with a keen sense of humour, he always has time for the children. He is dedicated to his family and to the wider family that is his country, Zimbabwe, the website notes.



Whenever there is talk around Mnangagwas children, friends and foes alike do not seem to know with certainty how many offspring he has.



This is not really uncommon among Zimbabwean men, especially those in polygamous relationships.

At a rally in Rushinga before her downfall, former first lady Grace Mugabe sensationally claimed that Mnangagwa, who had become her subject of ridicule, had more than 70 children.



Jonathan Moyo, an ally of the former vice president who later turned into his fiercest critic, also claimed at some point that Mnangagwa had at least 41 children.

Well in the spirit of the so-called new dispensation allegedly based on truths and transparency, the public awaits confirmation of whispers that Emmerson has at least 41 children, Moyo wrote on his Twitter account while in exile.



Revelations by the Sunday Times put Mnangagwa in the same league with both serving and former heads of state known to have large families.



Closer home, former South African president Jacob Zuma has over 22 children. Zuma became the first polygamist leader South Africa has ever had, having married six times. Hate him or like him, Zuma does not make any apologies for it.



In one of his television interviews, Zuma said: There are plenty of politicians who have mistresses and children that they hide so as to pretend they are monogamous. I prefer to be open. I love my wives and I am proud of my children.



Beyond the African continent, John Tyler, who served the United States from 1841 to 1845, is listed as having the largest family.



He had 15 children between the years 1815 and 1860. He had them with two different wives.

Eight were with his first wife, Lettia Tyler, and the other seven were with his second wife, Julia Gardiner.



Some of the children became doctors, veterans of the civil war, and powerful politicians.







Others died at a young age, and some of them vanished into history virtually unknown. However, all of them were able to point to their father as one of the presidents of the US. Daily NewsInstall the Newser News app

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(Newser)  Saddam Hussein's swanky superyacht, built for the Iraqi dictator in 1981 but never actually boarded by him, has a new use: It's a sailors' hotel, to be used by the sea pilots who guide shipping in and out of Iraq's port at Basra, many of whom live far from the port city. The 270-foot "Basrah Breeze" features a presidential suite complete with gold-rimmed bathroom, barber's chair, and silk curtains, plus 17 guest rooms, 18 crew cabins, and a clinic, Reuters reports. Per Boat International, it can hold 28 people and 35 crew members. It was built while Iraq was warring with Iran and was given to Saudi Arabia, then allied with Iraq, to keep it safe from air strikes. After Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, however, Saudi Arabia gave the yacht to Jordan; from there, it's not clear what happened to it until Iraq found it in Nice, France.

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After a court battle, it was returned to Iraq in 2010, and the government put it on the market for $30 million. No one bought it, however, and it remained moored in Basra; for the past two years, Basra University researchers have used it for trips to study marine life. But now, "the port needs the boat to be a station where sea pilots can rest," says a spokesperson. Basra Museum hopes to one day dock the yacht near its exhibition halls in one of Saddam's former palaces so that, the museum's deputy director says, "future generations could see how a dictator lived." (Read more Saddam Hussein stories.)(Newser)  The adopted son of Woody Allen says the molestation allegations against the Hollywood icon are bogus, reports the Guardian. Moses Farrow writes in a lengthy blog post that Allen did not molest Dylan Farrow, his adopted daughter. "(G)iven the incredibly inaccurate and misleading attacks on my father, Woody Allen, I feel that I can no longer stay silent as he continues to be condemned for a crime he did not commit," writes Farrow. He disputes Dylan Farrow's claim, made in 2014, that Allen molested her in 1992, when she was 7. Moses Farrow was also home the day of the alleged attack, and he challenges her story, including the layout of the attic where the attack allegedly took place, per BuzzFeed.

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Dylan was alone with Woody in his apartment countless times over the years without a hint of impropriety, yet some would have you believe that at the age of 56, he suddenly decided to become a child molester in a house full of hostile people ordered to watch him like a hawk," writes Moses Farrow, who has previously declared Woody Allen to be innocent. As he has also done previously, Moses Farrow accused Mia Farrow, his adopted mother, of physical abuse and brainwashing. After his post, Dylan Farrow issued a response. As I said when he last made these claims, this is an attempt to deflect from a credible allegation made by an adult woman, by trying to impugn my mother who has only ever been supportive of me and my siblings," she wrote. She added that Moses' claims are "easily disproven" and that "my brother is a troubled person. (Read more Woody Allen stories.)(Newser)  "A jury, from now on, will know there is no ceiling on the damages that rape causes to a woman," attorney L. Chris Stewart said Wednesday after a jury awarded his client $1 billion in a civil case. Hope Cheston, now 20, was 14 years old when she was raped by armed security guard Brandon Zachary on a picnic table outside a friend's birthday party in Jonesboro, Ga. Jurors in Clayton County awarded her the verdict against his employer, Crime Prevention Agency Inc., reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Zachary, 28, began serving a 20-year sentence for the October 2012 rape in 2016.

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Cheston says her personality changed after the attack and she became "very shut off." "Sexual assault is sexual assault," she says. "It's not right and it needs to be punished." She is a sophomore at Fort Valley State University and plans to continue her studies. It's not clear how much of the award she will receive, since the security firm isn't worth $1 billion. Cheston says she thought her case would be "pushed under the rug" and she now wants her story to give hope to others. "My verdict basically shows if you stick with it and do what you need to do to get your justice, there'll be a brighter end," she says. The New York Times reports that the verdict is believed to be the largest ever awarded in a sexual assault case. (Read more rape stories.)(Newser)  The Los Angeles County jails are run by the sheriff, but the Mexican Mafia wielded the power in the underworld behind bars. The organization made up of leaders from various Latino gangs operated like an illegal government, collecting "taxes" on smuggled drugs, ordering hits on people who didn't follow their rules, and even calling the shots on street crimes, federal prosecutors say. Their clout was diminished as 83 members and associates were charged in a pair of sweeping federal racketeering conspiracies that alleged drug dealing, extortion, violent assaults, and even murders, the AP reports. "We just delivered a blow to a cold-blooded prison gang and their associates," US Attorney Nick Hanna says.

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The gang enriched itself through drug sales, taxes on drugs, and even by collecting a share of purchases on candy bars, deodorant, and other items at the jail commissary, the indictment said, adding that the gang was able to exert control by threatening and carrying out violence if people didn't pay up or follow the rules. Because the Mexican Mafia controlled drug trafficking in the jails, they got the first shot to sell their supply of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, or marijuana, prosecutors said. Other groups had to wait and give a third of their contraband to the Mexican Mafia leadership. The fee, known as a "thirds" tax, gave the name "Operation Dirty Thirds" to the investigation that led to the indictments and arrest of 32 people Wednesday. Another 35 defendants were already in custody and 16 are fugitives.

(Read more prison gang stories.)(Newser)  Its not a Guinness world record yet, but Australia has built what is reportedly the worlds longest cat-proof fence. Conservationists are hoping the 27.3-mile fence bordering the Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary in central Australia will help save endangered animals like the mala, a type of small wallaby, from feral cats and foxes, reports the BBC. The mala, a marsupial that looks a bit like a cross between a rabbit and a rat, is one of Australias most endangered mammals, with about 4,000 animals in existence on the mainland, reports the Independent. Eleven different endangered species, including the mala, western quoll, golden bandicoot, bilby, and numbat, will be reintroduced as part of a "rewilding" campaign after the area has been cleared of cats and other predators, starting in 2019.

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Atticus Fleming, chief executive of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, which now manages the sanctuary, tells the BBC that the 50 or 60 cats near the refuge would eat over 70,000 native animals a year. The fence, which is ultimately planned to be extended another 84 miles, is one of the most important conservation infrastructure pieces in Australia, he says. The refuge is the largest feline-free area in Australia, which has feral cats in virtually all parts of the country; the non-native animals are estimated to have pushed 20 native marsupial species to extinction. Cats also kill quite a few birds in the country: Researchers estimate that feral and pet cats kill more than a million birds in Australia every day, according to a 2017 Guardian article. Feral cats do the lions share of the labor, killing 316 million birds a year, while pet cats kill 61 million birds annually. (Read more feral cats stories.)(Newser)  On Thursday, China and Japan both condemned the Trump administration's decision to launch an investigation into whether tariffs are needed on imports of vehicles and automotive parts into the United States. China's Commerce Ministry said Beijing would "firmly defend" its rights and interests against what it called the Trump administration's abuse of national security provisions in trade, the AP reports. Japan's minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry, Hiroshige Seko, said Japan, which accounts for about 40% of US vehicle imports, will continue to remind US officials that any trade measures must conform to the rules of the World Trade Organization. If such a measure is taken, "it would be an extremely far-reaching trade sanction that would put the global market into turmoil," he said.

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A person familiar with the discussions says President Trump has suggested seeking new tariffs of 20% to 25% on automobile imports. Trump has invoked a provision authorizing the president to restrict imports and impose unlimited tariffs on national security grounds. The move comes as talks with Canada and Mexico over the North American Free Trade Agreement have stalled. The White House said in a statement Wednesday that the president had asked Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to consider whether the imports of automobiles, including trucks, and automotive parts threaten US national security. The president said in the statement that "core industries such as automobiles and automotive parts are critical to our strength as a nation."

(Read more tariffs stories.)Lebanese President Michel Aoun is expected to designate Sunni politician Saad al-Hariri as prime minister to form a new coalition government after consultations on Thursday with newly elected MPs.

The post of prime minister is reserved for a Sunni Muslim in Lebanon's sectarian power sharing system, and the Western-backed Hariri is the clear frontrunner as the country's leading Sunni despite losing more than a third of his MPs in a May 6 election.

Aoun is scheduled to conclude his meetings with MPs on Thursday. He is required to designate the candidate with the greatest support among the MPs.

The new coalition government is expected to reflect the enhanced political position of the Iran-backed Shia group Hezbollah and allies that support its possession of arms, which together won at least 70 of parliament's 128 seats.

All Lebanese leaders have called for the rapid formation of a new government that will aim to revitalise a stagnant economy situation and address unsustainable public debt levels.

But like the outgoing cabinet, the new government will have to balance out the interests of all the main competing Lebanese parties and may take time.

Hezbollah intends to secure three cabinet seats in the next coalition government, an increase from the two portfolios it held in the outgoing cabinet of 30 ministers, a senior official familiar with the group's thinking told Reuters.

Hezbollah, which has to date held only marginal cabinet posts, is also seeking more significant service-providing ministries in the new cabinet, sources familiar with its thinking have told Reuters.

Hezbollah also believes a cabinet post should be allocated to one of its Sunni allies who wrested seats away from Hariri's Future Movement.

The staunchly anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces party, which almost doubled its number of MPs to 15, is also seeking a bigger slice of cabinet portfolios.

Parliament re-elected the Hezbollah-allied Shia politician Nabih Berri as its speaker on Wednesday, extending his tenure in the post he has held since 1992. Another Hezbollah ally, Elie Ferzli, was elected as his deputy.

*This report was edited by Ahram Online

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(Newser)  A 54-year-old Australian grandmother who was acquitted of drug trafficking charges in December has just seen the tables turn. The ruling was overturned on appeal, and a Malaysian court on Tuesday sentenced her to death, with the head of a three-judge panel saying "you are convicted and will suffer death by hanging," reports Free Malaysia Today. Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto was returning home from Shanghai when she was found with 2.4 pounds of meth at a Kuala Lumpur airport in 2014. She maintained that she was scammed by an online paramour who called himself "Captain Daniel Smith" and dispatched her to China to file papers related to his retirement from the US army.

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She says she was given a backpack by a friend of his at the Shanghai airport and that she believed it contained clothes, reports news.au.com. The Australian describes her as being allegedly "groomed" by Smith over two years. The court bought that story the first time, with the judge calling her "naive." Prosecutors appealed; she will now do the same. "An appeal will be filed in the Federal Courtthe final appeal," her lawyer said per CNN. The BBC notes three Australians have been executed in Malaysia for drug crimes. All were men, and the last was put to death in 1993. (Read more drug trafficking stories.)(Newser)  A kind gesture has struck a chord on the internet. Nearly a decade ago, Jacques Ruffin was given the gift of music, but didnt know it at the time, reports MNN. Recently Ruffin, now 21, was cleaning out a hallway closet and found a letter from James Jones, owner of Allegro Music Centre in Florida, to Ruffins mother. Dated Dec. 17, 2009, the letter said that the store owner was forgiving the mothers debt on the trumpet she had been renting for her son and was giving Jacques the trumpet. I have been through bad times like you, the letter read. But remember, Tough times never last, Tough people do. After Ruffin posted the note on Reddit, comments began pouring in lauding the kind gesture, some sharing similar stories of generosity and others saying they had been inspired to donate their own old instruments to students in need.

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"I had no idea that my mother was struggling so much financially," Ruffin tells the BBC. Jones, who seemed a little embarrassed by all the attention according to one Redditor who visited his store, said that Ruffin's mother had lost her job and he didnt want Jacques to miss out just because of trouble with making payments. Hes done the same for other students and encouraged other music lovers to donate instruments to schools when possible to help out kids who want to learn. Ruffin says he is grateful to Jones for giving him a gift that has "opened so many doors" for him. I really appreciate what he did, he said. He is a hero in my eyes." Ruffin has set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for music programs so that "every student that is interested in learning to play an instrument will have the ability to do so." (Read more uplifting news stories.)(Newser)  North Korea carried out what it said is the demolition of its nuclear test site Thursday, setting off a series of explosions over several hours in the presence of foreign journalists. The explosions at the nuclear test site deep in the mountains of the North's sparsely populated northeast were centered on three tunnels into the underground site and a number of observation towers in the surrounding area, reports the AP. The planned closing was previously announced by Kim Jong Un ahead of his planned summit with President Trump next month. Sky News correspondent Tom Cheshire was on hand, and described it thusly: "We hiked up into the mountains and watched the detonation from about 500 meters away. ... There was a huge explosion, you could feel it. Dust came at you, the heat came at you. It was extremely loud."

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The North's decision to close the Punggye-ri nuclear test site has generally been seen as a welcome gesture by Kim to set a positive tone ahead of the summit. Even so, it is not an irreversible move and would need to be followed by many more significant measures to meet Trump's demands for real denuclearization. By bringing in the foreign media, mainly television networks, the North is apparently hoping to have images of the closingincluding explosions to collapse tunnel entrancesbroadcast around the world. The group included an AP television crew. The North did not invite international inspectors to the ceremony, which limits its value as a serious concession. (Pyongyang is apparently all over the place on Thursday.)(Newser)  Michael Rotondo is apparently happy to figure out his next move, which, thanks to a judge's order, must involve an actual relocation out of his parents New York home, where he's lived rent-free for eight years. "I've been trying to get out for years," the unemployed 30-year-old said in a Wednesday interview with Fox News' Martha MacCallum, who then questioned why a court order was necessary. Rotondo didn't give a clear answer, other than to say he didn't want to end up on the street in winter, citing a February eviction notice from his parents, the first of five over several months. It was the same story in a "truly bizarre" interview with CNN's Brooke Baldwin, per Time. "You tell me you want to move out of your parents' house," she said at one point, looking confused. "Why don't you just move out of your parents' house, like tomorrow?"

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"I have plans to be able to provide myself with the income I need to support myself but it's not something that's going to come together tomorrow," Rotondo replied, instead proposing a timeline of three months. Rotondo also said people should stop blaming millennial entitlement for his predicament. Though the term millennial applies to those born between 1981 and 1996, "I'm really not a member of that demographic" as "I'm a very conservative person," he said. "When people speak to the millennials and their general nature as a millennial, they speak to more liberal leanings." Should his business not work out, TMZ reports Rotondo has one job offer to fall back on. CamSoda, known for its X-rated content, "allows people to livestream their candid lives 24/7" and is offering to pay Rotondo $1,000 a month for six months if he broadcasts his daily life. (Read more strange stuff stories.)(Newser)  George Zimmerman is back in the legal system, apparently a little poorer this time around. CNN reports public defender Blaise Trettis has been assigned to Zimmermanthe Florida man acquitted in the 2012 shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martinafter Zimmerman told a Seminole County court that he has no job, is $2.5 million in debt, and has no assets to speak of. Zimmerman is facing stalking charges after he was accused of threatening a private investigator working on a Jay-Z documentary about Trayvon Martin. The Orlando Sentinel reports that Trettis has filed a not-guilty plea on Zimmerman's behalf and asked for a jury trial for his client. (Read more George Zimmerman stories.)(Newser)  While some of his classmates had more ambitious senior pranks in the works, such as setting live mice loose, Kylan Scheele decided to do something "more laid-back," he tells FOX4a joke that has now resulted in him getting yanked from walking in graduation. The 18-year-old Missourian, who has a 3.9 GPA, cops to placing a Craigslist ad Friday that put his Truman High School up for sale, highlighting the school's many desirable features, including ample parking, a large dining area, and its proximity to Walmart. Asking price for the Independence facility: $12,725. Reason for the sale: "due to the loss of students coming up"a reference to the graduating seniors. Scheele says he was told Wednesday he was suspended until the end of school and not allowed to take part in the graduation walk.

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"I think they're overreacting," he says, expressing bafflement at what he said was the school's attempt to tie the incident back to recent school shootings around the country. In a statement, his school district noted: "Out of an abundance of caution, administrators and police investigated and determined there was not a credible threat. A student who makes a real or implied threat, whether it is deemed credible or not, will face discipline." A spokeswoman says the district's decision is final. More than 1,100 people have signed a petition to allow Scheele to walk with his classmates during Saturday's graduation ceremony. "A Senior prank is a mark of school spirit," the petition notes. "The whole point of the senior prank is to leave a memory, for you, your classes, your teachers, and your community." (Read more senior prank stories.)(Newser)  A civil rights lawyer on Monday claimed there was "significant evidence to substantiate" his client's claim she was raped by a Texas state trooper. Two days later, he said the trooper "should be cleared of any wrongdoing." It was an about-face spurred by the release of a bodycam video from 37-year-old Sherita Dixon-Cole's DWI arrest early Sunday near Dallas, which "appalled" authorities say disproves the "spurious and false accusations," per the Washington Post. Though he'd shared claims that Dixon-Cole was offered special treatment for sex, then raped while "steps were taken to obscure video evidence," Lee Merritt found it impossible to argue with almost two hours of footage, reports the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. It "directly conflicts with the accounts reported to my office" and offers "no readily apparent evidence of tampering," the lawyer now says.

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Indeed, the camera rolls as Dixon-Cole is pulled over, asked to perform sobriety tests, handcuffed, and taken to jail. "Outside of personal information being blurred out, the video appears to be in its original form," writes journalist Shaun King, who amplified Dixon-Cole's allegations in since-deleted tweets. Though he notes her arrest was "arguably unwarranted" as she passed two Breathalyzer tests, King now says Dixon-Cole's apparently false report was "awful." It's unclear if she'll face charges. On Wednesday, as King revealed Dixon-Cole was sticking to her story, Ellis County's district attorney said his office was still looking into "what was said and who it was said to," per the Dallas Morning News. For his part, Merritt has apologized to the accused trooper and his family, claiming "full responsibility for amplifying these claims to the point of national concern." (Read more Texas stories.)(Newser)  Every two years, the US holds what has become the world's largest maritime warfare exercise off Hawaii. The Rim of the Pacific Exercise, or RIMPAC Exercise, reached a zenith in 2016, with 26 countries and 25,000 personnel involveda record. It was China's second time participating, having first been invited in 2014, reported the Diplomat at the time. This year won't mark its third time. CNN reports the Pentagon on Wednesday said it has pulled China's invite as its "behavior is inconsistent with the principles and purposes of the RIMPAC exercise." At issue: its moves in the South China Sea. Amid the Paracel Islands therewhich Taiwan and Vietnam have also laid claim tosits Woody Island, which China deployed long-range bombers to for the first time last week.

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The former director of operations at the US Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center tells CNN China was granted entry into the 2016 RIMPAC exercise after President Xi Jinping promised he wouldn't militarize the artificial islands there. The Diplomat looks at what's in the cards for China and expects it to follow up with a similar move on some of the man-made Spratly Islands, and that has real military implications, as the H-6K bomber's range from those islands and Woody Island includes all of Southeast Asia, minus portions of Myanmar and Indonesia. Reuters last week looked at the construction on one of the Spratly Islands, Subi Reef, and noted some 400 buildings have now been constructed there. Experts speculate China could be intending to eventually deploy marines to the island. (Read more China stories.)(Newser)  Hours after North Korea announced it had blown up its nuclear test site, news of something else blowing up. The White House on Thursday released a letter from President Trump to Kim Jong Un canceling the planned June 12 summit in Singapore. It reads in part: "Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting. Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place."

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The statement the president references came from senior North Korean official Choe Son Hui, who called Mike Pence a "political dummy" for comparing North Korea to Libya in the context of denuclearization and warned Pyongyang wouldn't "beg" for dialogue. CNN's sources tell it the statement "infuriated" Trump and his team, specifically the portion about Pence. "You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used," Trump continued in the letter. (Read more President Trump stories.)Two Turkish village guards were killed and three others wounded when a roadside bomb exploded on Thursday as their vehicle was travelling in an area near Turkey's border with Iraq and Iran, security sources said.

The Turkish military launched an air-backed operation in the southeastern province of Hakkari to find those responsible for the attack, believed to have been carried out by Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants, sources said.

Turkey's village guard militia supports the Turkish army in its fight against the PKK in the mainly Kurdish southeast.

The PKK, which has waged an insurgency in the region since the 1980s, has camps in the mountains of northern Iraq, from where it frequently carries out attacks in nearby Hakkari.

The group is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. More than 40,000 people, most of them Kurds, have been killed in the conflict.

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(Newser)  The self-driving Uber vehicle that hit and killed an Arizona pedestrian in March had its emergency braking system disabled, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board released Thursday. Per the report, the self-driving system also failed in identifying the woman, Reuters reports, first classifying her as an unknown object six seconds before impact, then as a vehicle, and then as a bicycle (she was carrying a bike across the road) before finally, 1.3 seconds before impact, determining it needed to execute an emergency brake. But since those maneuvers had been disabled, the 2017 Volvo XC90 ultimately struck and killed Elaine Herzberg, 49. The safety operator behind the wheel of the vehicle, who can be seen in a video looking down until just before the crash, told the NTSB she was monitoring the self-driving system interface at the time.

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The report also notes that Herzberg, who tested positive for pot and methamphetamine, did not look toward the SUV until just before she was hit and was not in a crosswalk at the time. Per the report, Uber had disabled the emergency braking system, with which XC90s are typically equipped, while the vehicle was under computer control to "reduce the potential for erratic vehicle behavior," the Wall Street Journal reports. But Uber had not, per the NTSB, programmed the system to alert the driver of the need to brake, USA Today reports. "As their investigation continues, weve initiated our own safety review of our self-driving vehicles program," said Uber in a statement Thursday. The company suspended its self-driving testing program in Arizona after the crash, which was the first time a fully self-driving vehicle has caused a death. Police in Tempe, where the crash took place, have completed an investigation of the accident and handed the findings to prosecutors for review. (Read more Uber stories.)(Newser)  "To the detriment of the world," the US-North Korea summit has been canceledand Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday told Congress the North didn't seem to be preparing for it when it was on. "Over the past many days, we have endeavored to do what Chairman Kim and I had agreed, was to put teams, preparation teams together to begin to work to prepare for the summit, and we had received no response to our inquiries from them," Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, per Politico. More on what Trump has to say, the reaction, and what this all could mean:

More from Trump: In comments made after the release of the letter, Trump took an aggressive stance, saying "our military, which is by far the most powerful anywhere in the world that has been greatly enhanced recently, as you all know, is ready if necessary." NBC News reports the president added that he had connected with Japan and South Korea and that both will step up should Kim commit a "reckless or foolish act."

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But on the military front: ...nothing has changed. A rep for the Pentagon's Joint Staff says no changes have been made to the "state of vigilance," as the AP puts it, of the US military stationed in South Korea. They have taken no new actions but remain ready as always to defend US and South Korean interests.

...nothing has changed. A rep for the Pentagon's Joint Staff says no changes have been made to the "state of vigilance," as the AP puts it, of the US military stationed in South Korea. They have taken no new actions but remain ready as always to defend US and South Korean interests. South Korea initially clueless? The Washington Post reports South Korea "seemed blindsided" by the move, with its president calling an emergency meeting with his top officials just before midnight after news of the cancellation broke. "We are attempting to make sense of what, precisely, President Trump means," said a rep.

The Washington Post reports South Korea "seemed blindsided" by the move, with its president calling an emergency meeting with his top officials just before midnight after news of the cancellation broke. "We are attempting to make sense of what, precisely, President Trump means," said a rep. The letter: The AP has a tidbit on the letter, which Republican Sen. Cory Gardner says was dictated by Trump to National Security Adviser John Bolton.

The AP has a tidbit on the letter, which Republican Sen. Cory Gardner says was dictated by Trump to National Security Adviser John Bolton. Reaction: GOP Sen. Ben Sasse said the "president made the right call to cancel this summit. If North Korea wants diplomacy, it should know that half-measures and spin about its nuclear program won't cut it." Nancy Pelosi was at the opposite end, saying Kim "must be having a giggle fit ... [Trump] didn't know what he was getting into and now he's walking away from it in this very chummy palsy-walsy letter." The AP rounds up more reaction here.

Dueling goals: At CNN, Chris Cillizza looks at Trump's competing goalsto be both a history-maker and a deal maker who knows "when to walk away from the table." "In the battle between" the two, "it would appearfrom both Trump's letter to Kim and his past public statementsthat he favors the former, if and when he is forced to choose. Which means, in Trump's own vernacular, stay tuned! This is a setback, quite clearly. But Trump seems to be signaling that this may well not be the season finale but rather just a mid-season twist." Read his full piece here.

At CNN, Chris Cillizza looks at Trump's competing goalsto be both a history-maker and a deal maker who knows "when to walk away from the table." "In the battle between" the two, "it would appearfrom both Trump's letter to Kim and his past public statementsthat he favors the former, if and when he is forced to choose. Which means, in Trump's own vernacular, stay tuned! This is a setback, quite clearly. But Trump seems to be signaling that this may well not be the season finale but rather just a mid-season twist." Read his full piece here. Trump won: At the Washington Examiner, Siraj Hashmi has a response for those who are trumpeting that Trump got played: hardly. "Instead of getting absolutely nothing," Trump got North Korea to give up three imprisoned Americans and destroy the Punggye-ri test facility. "In exchange, unless you count halting military exercises with South Korea briefly, he gave up absolutely nothing." Read it here.

At the Washington Examiner, Siraj Hashmi has a response for those who are trumpeting that Trump got played: hardly. "Instead of getting absolutely nothing," Trump got North Korea to give up three imprisoned Americans and destroy the Punggye-ri test facility. "In exchange, unless you count halting military exercises with South Korea briefly, he gave up absolutely nothing." Read it here. Lost in translation: At the Wall Street Journal, Gerald F. Seib argues that throughout the build-up to the summit, North Korea and the US were continually misunderstanding each other, from what "denuclearization" meant to what Bolton was talking about when he referenced Libya. Read it here.

At the Wall Street Journal, Gerald F. Seib argues that throughout the build-up to the summit, North Korea and the US were continually misunderstanding each other, from what "denuclearization" meant to what Bolton was talking about when he referenced Libya. Read it here. What next: At the New York Times, Nicholas Kristof writes that Trump's statement did leave the door open to a meeting (he speculates South Korean President Moon Jae-in could perhaps "put Humpty Dumpty together again") but he sees the potential for danger ahead: "The previous policy of maximum economic pressure on North Korea may no longer be viable," as Kim has been strengthening his ties with the South and with China, the latter of which has already started easing sanctions. "So the risk is that Trump ends up reaching for the military toolbox."

(Read more North Korea stories.)Sorry!

This content is not available in your regionSyrian state media reported that the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State (IS) group struck Syrian army positions in eastern Syria early on Thursday, but the U.S. military denied knowledge of it.

The IS group lost most of its territory in Syria last year, but retained some remote desert areas and has attacked the army and allied forces in recent weeks. The coalition also recently restarted its own campaign against the jihadist group in Syria.

"Some of our military sites between Albu Kamal and Humeima were exposed at dawn today to aggression launched by U.S. coalition jets," state news agency SANA reported, citing a military source.

The strikes caused only material damage and came within 24 hours of an IS attack on Syrian army positions in the same region, SANA reported.

A military media unit run by Lebanon's Hezbollah, an ally of Damascus, said the strikes were near T2, an energy installation near the border with Iraq about 100 km (60 miles) west of the Euphrates.

A U.S. military official denied any knowledge of the strikes. "We have no operational reporting of a U.S.-led coalition strike against pro-Syrian regime targets or forces," Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, told Reuters.

Another Pentagon spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: "We have no information to substantiate those reports."

Eastern Syria was mostly held by IS until last year, when two rival military campaigns swept it from most of its territory, leaving only remnants in remote pockets of the desert.

The campaign by the Syrian army, backed by Russia, Iran and Shi'ite militias including Hezbollah, operated mostly on the west side of the Euphrates river.

A rival campaign by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, backed by the U.S.-led coalition, mostly took territory on the east side of the river.

A war monitor, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported on Thursday that IS militants had been fighting pro-Syrian government forces to the west of the Euphrates, and the SDF to its east, on Wednesday night.

It reported that Thursday's strikes had killed some members of a foreign militia supporting the Syrian government.

Communication between Russia and the United States averted most clashes between them. However, the coalition has struck pro-Syrian government forces that it said were attempting to attack coalition positions.

The U.S. military operating outside the coalition also maintains a base at Tanf in the eastern Syrian desert near the borders with Iraq and Jordan and last year struck pro-government forces moving along a road towards it.

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New Delhi:

After the much-publicised wedding of Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja, all eyes are now on Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. Though the two lovebirds are yet to confirm their relationship, they havenat shied away from sharing pictures with each other.

Grapevines have been buzzing with the rumours of their impending wedding since quite some time now. Right from the guest's list to the wedding venue, everything related to DeepVeeras marriage has created buzz on the internet.

It seems Bollywood wonat have to wait much for another high-profile wedding as Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh are expected to tie the knot soon. A recent report in SpotboyE suggested that the two Baajirao Mastani actors will get hitched on November 19 in Mumbai.

Goliyon Ki Raasleela A post shared by Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) on Oct 28, 2013 at 1:56am PDT

The wedding functions will start from November 18 and the Tamasha actress will host a reception for her relatives and close friends in her hometown Bengaluru, the report said.

According to Spotboye, the marriage functions will be of three days starting from November 18 and Deepika-Ranveer will tie the knot on November 19. The wedding will take place mostly in Mumbai and later, the actress will host a reception in her hometown Bengaluru for her relatives and close friends.A

The families of the two actors were initially planning a mid-year wedding in July but the work schedule of Ranveer and Deepika pushed the date further, the report in SpotboyE suggested. A

A The Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela actors are yet to confirm the development but they have given their stand on marriage in their interviews.A

"I don't know from where this is coming. These are things I think about. I try to create a life and work balance. As much as I am consumed by my work at the moment, these things (marriage) are on my mind. But nothing decisive as of now," Ranveer Singh was quoted as saying to India Today.

"Marriage is an important institution for me. I've seen my parents, and it's the way that I've been brought up. When it is the right time, I'll feel it. It'll happen when it has to happen," Deepika Padukone said in an interview with Film Companion.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

The ongoing violence in Tamil Nadus Tuticorin has claimed the lives of at least 13 people, who had demanded the closure of Vedantas Sterlite Copper unit. Over 70 people have been injured while clashing with the security personnel. They are currently undergoing medical treatment.

The state government has directed the District Collector of Thoothukudi to disconnect power supply to the Sterlite Coppers smelter. The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board found the unit was carrying out activities to resume the production despite being asked not to do so until the license to operate was renewed.

The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday had ordered the suspension of the internet services in Tuticorin and adjoining districts of Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli for five days to help bring public tranquillity and also stop the spread of rumours through social media.

The situation in Tuticorin remained tensed and people were unable to get basic commodities like milk as shops closed their shutters for the third consecutive day.

Stalin demands CM Palaniswami's resignation

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president MK Stalin sat on a protest outside Tamil Nadu secretariat and demanded the immediate resignation of Chief Minister K Palaniswami and DGP Rajendran over the killings.

"CM has become ineffective. He did not bother to visit the dist & meet the people. Therefore, we demand that CM must resign immediately, DGP Rajendran must resign too," ANI quoted Stalin as saying.

Earlier on Tuesday, 11 people, including a girl, were killed and several others injured after police opened fire at protesters demanding the closure of Vedantas Sterlite Copper unit.

On Wednesday, angered over the killings, locals took to streets and started pelting stones at security personnel, prompting police to open fire at Anna Nagar. One person was killed in the firing and three others injured. One of the injured later succumbed to the injuries, taking the death toll to 13.

The residents of Tuticorin were protesting for over 100 days demanding the closure of the Sterlite Copper unit. They alleged that the plant was polluting groundwater and causing serious health issues.



DMK, allies call dawn-to-dusk bandh on May 25

Meanwhile, the DMK and other opposition parties in Tamil Nadu called for a dawn-to-dusk statewide bandh on Friday over the killings of 13 people in Tuticorin police firing.

"The DMK, the All India National Congress, the Dravidar Kazhagam, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the CPI, the CPI(M), the Indian Union Muslim League, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi will participate in the day-long statewide protest," DMK said in a statement.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Begging at public and religious places in Srinagar has been banned and the police directed to arrest the offenders, according to a new order by the Jammu and Kashmir government.

"Begging being an offence under the Act (Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Beggary Act I960), it is imperative that strict necessary action under law be initiated against the offenders," the government said in a statement.

Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar Syed Abid Rasheed Shah issued the order on Wednesday.

Srinagar being the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir holds a great importance in the socio-economic landscape of the state and so it is contingent upon the administration to take all measures necessary to make the district more citizen friendly and to prevent public nuisance at all costs, the order stated.

"It has been observed that off late there is a proliferation of beggars on the streets of Srinagar which creates massive nuisance for the general public," The deputy commissioner said.

The order stated that any person found soliciting alms in a public place, or in or about a mosque, temple or other place of public worship, whether or not under any pretense and entering on any private premises for the purpose of soliciting alms shall be immediately arrested under Section 4 of the Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Beggary Act, 1960 read with Section 61 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Svt 1989.

Those exposing or exhibiting with the object of obtaining or extorting alms, any sore, wound, injury, deformity or disease whether of human being or an animal shall also be arrested, it said.

"Also, any person found having no visible means of subsistence and wandering about or remaining in any public place or in a temple, mosque or other place of public worship in such condition or manner as makes it like that the person doing so exists by soliciting alms or allowing himself to be used as an exhibit for the purpose of soliciting alms, does not include soliciting money or fee or gift for a purpose authorized by law or authorized in the prescribed manner by the District Magistrate, shall also be arrested," the order read.

The deputy commissioner has directed senior superintendents of police, Srinagar and Budgam, to implement the order in letter and spirit and report the number of such arrests on a daily basis.

(With inputs from agencies)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) president Cardinal Oswald Gracias on Thursday met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to discuss issues concerning the Christian community in the country.

The meeting between Singh and Gracias, who recently took over as the president of the CBCI, was termed a courtesy call by the home ministry.

However, sources said that the meeting came in wake of Gracias reported comments that there was a growing anxiety among minority communities because the government was not acting enough to protect them.

He had also said that there have been more attempts to polarise society in the last four years. The Narendra Modi-led NDA government came to power four years ago in 2014.

The meeting also came days after Delhi Archbishop Anil Coutos call for a prayer campaign ahead of the 2019 general elections over the turbulent political atmosphere in the country.

The move to invoke the Christians irked the ruling BJP, which termed the Delhi Archbishops circular politically motivated and asked him to refrain from instigating castes and communities.

Reacting to Coutos comment, the home minister had said that India does not discriminate against anyone on the basis of religion or sect, and such things will never be allowed in the country.

(With inputs from agencies)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held delegation-level talks with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. During the talks, both leaders discussed issues of mutual interests and emphasised on the need of strengthening cooperation in several sectors, including agriculture and water management.

Ready for business! PM Modi and Netherlands PM Mark Rutte participated at the India-Netherlands CEOs Round Table and explored strengthening cooperation in sectors like agriculture & food processing, horticulture, water management, logistics, life sciences & health, among other areas, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

During the meeting, Modi said that Netherlands's technology and innovation were crucial for India's development.

"Netherlands strength in technology and innovation is a big opportunity for India cutting across several sectors crucial for India's development," Kumar quoted Modi as saying.

Earlier in the day, the Dutch prime minister, who was on a two-day visit to India, was received by Union Minister of Food Processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal upon his arrival in New Delhi.

This is Ruttes second visit to India after the Narendra Modi government came to power. Earlier he visited the country in June 2015. The visit also came within a year of Modis trip to the Netherlands in June 2017.

Netherlands is the fourth largest investor in India with an investment of USD 23 billion from 2000 to Dec 2017. Rutte, who was also accompanied by a strong business delegation, had tweeted in Hindi saying he was happy to be in beautiful India.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.Related At least nine dead after police fire on protesters at Indian copper smelter

A protester shot during demonstrations against a copper plant in southern India died of his injuries Thursday, officials said, the 13th victim killed by police fire.

A curfew remained in pockets of Tuticorin city in Tamil Nadu state where police used live ammunition to disperse protesters this week, provoking international outrage and demands for an immediate investigation.

Calls for the copper smelting plant owned by British mining giant Vedanta Resources to be closed had been building in recent months, with residents complaining it was polluting their city.

The resistance came to a head Tuesday when police stopped a crowd of thousands from protesting outside the factory.

Cars and buildings were set ablaze and rocks hurled at police, who responded with live fire. Eleven demonstrators were shot dead and many people injured in the melee, including 20 police.

Another protester died Wednesday when he was struck by rubber bullets in a second day of protests.

The latest victim died in hospital Thursday, two days after being injured, doctors said.

"He was brought in a critical condition with bullet injuries and died today," a doctor at the local hospital told AFP.

The chief minister of Tamil Nadu has ordered an inquiry but defended the actions of police, which the state's opposition leader called "mass murder".

"The police have a duty during protests to maintain law and order, but lethal force can only be used if there is an imminent threat to life," Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said.

"Tamil Nadu authorities need to carry out a prompt and credible investigation to determine if police used excessive force."

Internet services have been blocked across the city for five days. Police justified the blackout to stop the spread of information that could incite further violence as they search for those behind Tuesday's arson attacks.

Environmentalists and locals say the factory contaminates water and air, claims its owners deny.

The company has sought to renew the licence of the temporarily non-operational plant and hopes to double its production capacity.

But a state court Wednesday ordered that it cease any further construction at the new site.

The ruling came just hours after Tamil Nadu's pollution board ordered the existing plant be shut and its power supply cut until a verdict is made on its licensing application.

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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting in Thiruvananthapuram and reviewed the steps taken by the state government to contain the outbreak of Nipah virus, which has claimed 11 lives so far.

Directions have been given to maintain vigil and to strengthen the state's monitoring mechanism and precautionary measures, a government release states. A panel headed by the chief secretary will monitor the situation continuously, it adds.

Ribavirin tablets, an anti-viral medicine are being distributed and officials have been asked to send the medicines to all affected areas, the release states.

State Health Minister K K Shylaja, Chief Secretary Paul Antony, the chief Minister's private secretary M V Jayarajan and Chief Principal Secretary to the CM, Nalini Netto were present at the meeting.

An all-party meeting on the issue has also been called at the Kozhikode collectorate on Friday tomorrow in which representatives of political parties, MPs and MLAs will participate. Health minister Shylaja, Labour Minister T P Ramakrishnan and Transport minister A K Saseendran, will attend the meeting. A meeting of heads of local bodies will also be held in the evening.

A central team of experts rushed to access the situation in the state and provide assistance immediately after the outbreak of the virus. The team and health ministers of other states have expressed satisfaction with the steps taken by the LDF government so far, the statement added.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

The deadly Nipah virus on Thursday claimed one more life in Keralas Kozhikode district, taking the death toll to 11 so far. The deceased, V Moosa, 61, was battling for life in a private hospital in Kozhikode after he contracted the virus few days back, district medical officer, Dr Jayasree E told reporters.

About 160 samples have been sent for testing at the virology institute and 13 cases have been found to be positive. Of the 13 confirmed cases, 11 people have died so far, she said.

The number was likely to rise further as the confirmation was awaited with regard to one more death in Kozhikode.

Moosa was the fourth victim of the Nipah virus from his family. His sons Mohammed Saliah (28), Mohammed Sadiq (26) and a relative Mariumma had died earlier. While two of the deaths have been confirmed due to Nipah, the blood samples of one of his sons had not been tested for the virus, sources said.

Nurse Lini Puthussery, who had initially treated members of Moosas family at Perambra Taluk hospital in the district, also died after being infected by the virus.

Nipah virus crosses border from Kerala to Karnataka!

Meanwhile, the fear of Nipah virus has crossed the border from Kerala to Karnataka with two people suspected to be infected by the deadly virus, Karnataka health officials said.

The symptoms of Nipah virus were found in a 20-year-old woman and 75-year-old man in Karnatakas Mangalore. They were reportedly in contact with infected patients in Kerala, NDTV quoted Rajesh BV, a health official in Karnataka.

However, the health official said that the situation was under control and there was no need to panic as they were not confirmed Nipah cases yet.

Kerala government issues travel advisory

In wake of the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala, the state government has issued an advisory, asking people to avoid traveling to the four districts of Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kannur.

Travelling to any part of Kerala is safe. However, if travellers wish to be extra cautious, they may avoid the four districts, Health Secretary Rajeev Sadanandan said.

The government has also called for an all-party meeting at Kozhikode on May 25 to discuss the issue.

Most of the deaths reported were from Kozhikode and Malappuram districts and at least 18 people were undergoing treatment in various hospitals, including one in Wayanad.

(With agency inputs)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

The prices of petrol and diesel continued to skyrocket on the 11th straight day and touched an all-time high on Thursday. In Mumbai, the petrol was being sold at Rs 85.29 per litre, while in Delhi the price rose to a new record of Rs 77.47 per litre.

The diesel also breached all records and touched a new high of Rs 72.96 per litre in Mumbai and Rs 68.53 in national capital.

Meanwhile, the Modi government, which came in power with the promise of cheap fuel prices among many others, seems to have given up to the fuel crisis prevailing in the country.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said that the rise in the fuel prices was unavoidable and subsidising petrol and diesel will take away the money from social welfare schemes.

This is an unavoidable, economic situation. It is directly linked to the global economy. If we have to sell it (petrol/diesel) cheap, it means we will have to buy it at higher prices and subsidise it here, the Indian Express quoted Gadkari as saying.

Congress takes horse-carriage ride to protest rising fuel prices

To protest the skyrocketing fuel prices, members of the opposition Congress on Thursday travelled in a horse-drawn carriage in the Panaji city of Goa. During the protest, which lasted for about an hour, the Congress members went around the district collectorate in the horse carriage.

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee chief Girish Chodankar, Leader of Opposition in state Assembly Chandrakant Kavlekar, former chief minister Digambar Kamat, Congress legislative party spokesman Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco were some of the leaders who took a ride in the carriage.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

A Delhi court has transferred the Sunanda Pushkar death case in which her husband and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has been chargesheeted for abetting her suicide to a special court designated to try lawmakers.

Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmendra Singh on Thursday transferred the case to Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal, who will take up the matter on May 28.

"Since he is a sitting Member of Parliament, matter is being sent to the special designated court for politicians, that is ACMM Samar Vishal. Matter be taken up on May 28," the court said.

On May 14, the Delhi Police accused Lok Sabha MP Tharoor of abetting Pushkar's death and told a city court that he should be summoned as an accused in the four-and-half year-old case, claiming there was sufficient evidence against him.

The police, in a nearly 3,000-page charge sheet, named Tharoor as the only accused while also alleging that he had subjected his wife to cruelty.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

A message that is doing rounds on the social media saying that the Jet Airways is offering atwo free ticketsa to celebrate the airlineas 25thA anniversary has gone viral.

aJetairways Airline is giving 2 Free Tickets to everyone, To celebrate their 25th Anniversary, Click here to Get yours: jetaArways.com/tickets,a the message reads.

Now, the airline has issued a statement regarding the viral message and warned the customers to be alert.

a#FakeAlert Thereas a fake link being circulated regarding ticket giveaways for our 25th Anniversary. This is not an official contest/giveaway and we advise caution. Genuine contests & giveaways are hosted only on our verified social media accounts, indicated with a blue tick,a Jet Airways clarified on social media platform Twitter.

#FakeAlertA There's a fake link being circulated regarding ticket giveaways for our 25th Anniversary. This is not an official contest/giveaway and we advise caution. Genuine contests & giveaways are hosted only on our verified social media accounts, indicated with a blue tick.A pic.twitter.com/NvJrFaq3aL a Jet Airways (@jetairways)A May 23, 2018

Many messages with fake offers keep on circulating on social media. Earlier in February, a similar type of message went viral on social media, it was offering free tickets upon completing a survey in the name of Thai Airways.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

North Korea has carried out a demolition of its nuclear test site with foreign journalist present on the spot. The demolition happened on Thursday at the site deep in the mountains of the Norths sparsely populated northeast.

The planned closing was earlier announced by leader Kim Jong Un ahead of the scheduled summit with US President Donald Trump in June.

The North Koreas decision to close the site has been touted as a welcome gesture by Kim to set a positive tone and a healthy atmosphere ahead of the summit.

However, it is not an irreversible move and would need to be followed by many more significant measures to meet Trumps demands for denuclearisation.

The North did not invite international inspectors to ceremony, which terms its value as a concession.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.Newly re-elected Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday that blaming him for Venezuela's economic meltdown was a "stupid simplification," but pledged to boost oil production and open dialogue with business leaders.

But with no specifics and some of the promises repetitions of previous vows, few expect that Maduro will make significant changes to the crumbling state-led economic model inherited from his predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez.

Maduro won a Sunday election that critics at home and abroad condemned as a farce cementing his autocracy, at a time when the oil-rich nation is suffering from increasingly dire food shortages, health crises, and mass emigration.

Presenting his credentials at the pro-government Constituent Assembly on Thursday, Maduro dismissed criticism of his legitimacy as a U.S. plan to sabotage him and said opponents were wrong to blame him for Venezuela's crisis.

"It's a stupid simplification to think that this problem is due to Nicolas Maduro. It's a problem of the entire country," he said in a speech, wearing a sash in the yellow, blue and red colors of the Venezuelan flag.

Maduro, a former bus driver and union leader, also cautioned he alone would not be able to turn around the economy.

"Only the people can save the people ... Who will save us? Superman? Or Super-Nico?" he asked, playing off his first name. "Neither exist, but we do have a Super-People."

Maduro promised to increase Venezuela's oil production, currently at over 30 year lows, by one million barrels-per-day this year, but gave no details. He said he had instructed Major General Manuel Quevedo, the oil minister and president of state oil company PDVSA, to reach out to OPEC, allies China and Russia, and Arab nations for help if needed.

Maduro's opponents say he is a reckless autocrat who has no real plan to revive Venezuela's shambolic economy, raising the risks of more malnutrition and a full-blown refugee crisis.

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Egypts Minister of Trade and Industry Tarek Kabil and his Russian counterpart Denis Manturov signed on Wednesday in Moscow an agreement to establish a Russian industrial zone in the Suez Canal Economic Zone.

The zone, set to attract $7 billion in investments, will be located in East Port Said.

The 50-year agreement will be automatically renewed for five consecutive years if both sides agree.

The agreement's signing came at the plenary session of the 11th Joint Russian-Egyptian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade-Economic, Industrial and Scientific and Technological Cooperation in Moscow.

The signing of the agreement to establish the Russian Industrial Zone in Egypt will contribute to an unprecedented leap in the level of industrial and investment cooperation between Egypt and Russia in the coming period, Minister Kabil said in a statement.

As per the agreement, both sides will cooperate in manufacturing competitive products that cater to the needs of the Egyptian market as well as foreign markets.

This will make Egypt a hub to export Russian products to all international markets, especially the Middle East and Africa, the statement read.

The Russian industrial zone is set to be established over three phases on a 5.25 million square-meter plot of land, with the first phase to cost $190 million.

Land in the industrial zone, which is expected to generate 35,000 jobs, will be offered to investors on a usufruct basis.

Egypt and Russia will also cooperate in offering training to experts in various industrial sectors, will exchange expertise in establishing and managing industrial zones, and will provide service for companies who will invest in the zone.

The General Authority of the Suez Canal Economic Zone will be responsible for providing geological and geographical data for the zones location, which is necessary for the establishment of the infrastructure and utilities.

The Authority will provide a one-stop shop to offer licenses, permits and legal consulting and will be responsible for providing the zone with the necessary infrastructure to access roads, ports, railway, as well as electricity and gas.

Russian research, development and construction companies will contribute to establishing and operating the zone.

The Russian government will prepare the main plan for the zone in cooperation with the Egyptian government, including the most efficient infrastructure solutions, Minster Manturov said.

The Russian side will also work on attracting investments to the zone and managing the manufacturing process, offering services in the zone, and bringing in Russian equipment and technology.

Negotiations over the zone had been ongoing since 2014.

An MoU was signed between the two countries in February 2016 to establish the project.

The Egyptian government approved in March the preliminary agreement to establish the zone.

Egyptian-Russian bilateral trade reached a record $3.8 billion in 2017, Minister Kabil announced on Wednesday.

Kabil also announced that Egypt and the Eurasian Economic Union will begin the first round of talks on a free trade agreement in September in order to boost trade and economic ties.

Bilateral trade between Egyptian and the Eurasian Economic Union was valued at $6.9 in 2017, Kabil said.

Topics discussed at the session included the implementation of the Dabaa nuclear power plant, providing 13,000 passenger cars for the Egyptian national railway, the reconstruction and modernisation of grain storage and processing facilities, and the modernisation of the Helwan metallurgical complex, the Russian-Egyptian Business Council said.

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HRH the Crown Prince last night stressed that an extensive development programme is being undertaken with the objective of ensuring the welfare of Bahraini citizens. This came as His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, last night visited the majlises of late Abdulla Ahmed Nass, Yousif Abdulwahab Al Hawaj and sons, and Abdulla bin Abdulaziz Al Janusani. The Crown Prince also highlighted that citizens play an important role in ensuring Bahrain is able to take swift action to address challenges, advance key sectors, generate job opportunities and create affordable housing across the Kingdom. Prince Salman emphasised that Bahrains largest ever oil and gas resource, is expected to provide long-term economic benefits both directly and indirectly through downstream activities and related industries. The Crown Prince noted that the holy month of Ramadan highlights the importance of continuing to strengthen bonds between citizens, and went on to add that Team Bahrain represents a shining example of the positive collaboration taking place across government to deliver meaningful opportunities for all.Zeinab Youssef, 32, was taking care of a group of students at Bahrain Awalan event when her phone rang. The next few seconds were really horrifying as she would come to know that her job is gone. An employee with an outsourcing company, she was working for the Education Ministry until then and now she is another unemployed Bahraini.

Zeinabs is not a lone story; she is among the 50 Bahrainis who lost their jobs overnight after the Education Ministry cancelled its arrangement with the outsourcing company. The victims dont see a way forward and many fear arrests after defaulting on their loans. No notice period was served to them, whose lives were brought to a standstill by a single phone call. They say the contract they signed with the outsourcing company was highly biased. It carried provisions to fire them, anytime, any day the company desired. But, why did they sign this biased contract? The answer is very simple - their cir - cumstances.

I had to sign the contract because my financial conditions were not that good. My monthly salary (BD250) was a great relief to my family of three. I was doing many jobs to make both ends meet. During the summer when the schools were closed and I had no salary, I worked as a cook at Batelco Child Welfare Centre, where I was paid BD10 a day. I am a Bahraini but my life is worse than a free-visa expat labourer.Chairman of Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Sameer Nass, said yesterday that there is no intention to dismiss any other BCCI employee following the dismissal of chief executive Khalid Al Ruwaihi. Denying rumours that BCCI is on a sacking spree, he said there are no plans to dismiss employees appointed by the previous board of directors. We did not even dismiss Al Ruwaihi, we cancelled his contract because of explicit legal violations. We are currently in the process of selecting a new chief executive, Mr Nass said, adding that the board is in its final stages to select a new chief executive.

Mr Nass pointed out that the BCCI is currently reviewing the cases of employees who were dismissed by the previous board of directors. Return of these employees will be based on the needs of BCCI. Manama Suq development among other things, Mr Nass welcomed the announcement made by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism to form a new committee for revamping Manama Suq. He also said, We will not contribute a single dinar to this project unless we are confident of achieving returns on investments.Heads of leading private sector establishments in Bahrain have welcomed the issuance of Law 17 of 2018 by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on Monday, citing multiple advantages the new law would offer different fields of the private sector. Allowing more benefits to Bahraini employees in the private sector, the law amends Article 36 of the Social Insurance Law, promulgated by Decree Law 24 of 1976. It permits the Bahraini private sector employees to request an addition of a default service period for the period of their insurance contribution not exceeding five years, similarly to their counterparts working in the public sector. The amendment also stipulated that the period of service computed after retirement and after termination of service mustnt exceed the limit of the qualifying period for the maximum pension. This grants early-retirement options to private sector employees by a maximum of five years, a privilege given to public sector employees. They are now enabled to purchase up to five years of service credit at retirement.The Taiwanese government has fined a local unit of Japanese 100-yen shop operator Daiso Industries Co. 41.64 million new Taiwan dollars, or about 150 million yen, for illegal imports, it was learned Wednesday.

Taiwan also invalidated the company's status as a registered importer as a measure that will stay in place for two years.

The punitive measures were enforced Friday.

According to Taiwanese media and Daiso, the company was prohibited from importing goods into Taiwan for a half year from September 2015.

Daiso took the penalty because it imported food products from five Japanese prefectures including Fukushima hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, despite a ban by the Taiwanese government. Daiso also sold the products in Taiwan with false labels to disguise their production areas.According to Hamdy Hamam, head of the Central Administration of Seized Antiquities Units at the Ministry of Antiquities, customs officials reported the discovery of the coins to the port's archaeological unit, which in turn assigned an archaeological committee from Alexandria's Graeco-Roman Museum to inspect their authenticity.

The committee then verified the authenticity of the coins and seized them according to Egypts Antiquities Law No. 117 of 1983 and its amendments.

The seizure consists of 22 bronze coins dating back to the early Roman era and the period between the first and third centuries CE.

Also discovered were five bronze coins dating back more than 135 years.

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South Bristol, N.Y. - Billionaire Tom Golisano carried an oversized goose decoy into an Upstate New York town hall and plopped it on a table before a panel of five neighbors who have the power to lower the assessment on his property.

Geese are pooping on the lawn of Golisano's multi-million-dollar Canandaigua Lake summer home while he is in Florida, which is most of the time.

His landscapers have to pick up gallons of goose droppings so Golisano's grandchildren can run on the lawn. He doesn't like any of the town officials' suggestions, which include strings of fishing line and some kind of spray that didn't work.

"It's not a lot of fun to have this much money invested in a piece of property and not being able to use it," he testified. "The average goose defecates two pounds a day. Two pounds a day!"

Next door, Richard Hawk fights the geese with dogs and his family's presence. But Golisano's dogs Bailey and Charlie, a Wheaten terrier and a Yorkie, are no match for hissing geese.

Fed up, Golisano asked the South Bristol Board of Assessment Review earlier this week to cut the assessed value of his property in half, which would cut his property taxes in an amount equal to the salary he would have to pay someone and his dogs to live in the house year-round and chase the fowl visitors away. That would cost about $75,000, by his estimate.

Billionaire Tom Golisano took his fight against New York state tax assessments to the South Bristol Grievance Day Tuesday, May 22, 2018 after battling geese fouling his $6 Million property on Canandaigua Lake. N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com

Golisano made an argument that will probably not fly just for the sake of drawing attention to his statewide campaign against property taxes.

Golisano, 76, ran unsuccessfully for governor three times for the Independence Party between 1994 and 2002. In 2009, he made a big deal out of moving to Florida to protest New York state's high taxes.

Florida residency saves him about $14,000 a day in income taxes, but he still pays about $212,000 in property taxes on two New York properties.

He is using those high tax bills to challenge the system New York state uses to decide how much money each person should contribute to schools and local governments.

The latest mission is getting the attention of hundreds of property owners across the state.

Golisano has asked people who sold their houses for less than their assessed value to sign on to a class-action lawsuit. The effort is called Tax My Property Fairly.

"If we get enough people talking about the problem and talking about it to their legislators, maybe we can get something done," Golisano said. "Everybody should have the knowledge that they're being treated fairly."

He is also demonstrating in his own ways big and small.

Last fall, he withheld $90,000 in property taxes to the Naples School District. His delinquent taxes are accruing interest and penalties. He said he intends to keep it up to the point of foreclosure, then pay off the bill and withhold the next year's taxes.

This week, he brought the argument down to a level everyone can understand: Goose poop.

Grievance Day

Golisano believes assessors are in over their heads.

Assessors in each separate town and city have to weigh the market value of each type of property and assign a value for tax purposes. Then, they have to manage a menu of exemptions - for businesses, farmers, veterans, seniors, firefighters and more.

At the end of May, a separate review board in each town holds a "Grievance Day" hearing. Property owners line up to complain that their homes are not worth as much as the assessors say.

Some people argue that they simply can't afford to pay the taxes. Assessors hear sad stories about the soaring costs of college tuition, hospital bills and divorces.

In the town of South Bristol one night this week, a billionaire argued that he couldn't keep the geese off the lawn all by himself.

Golisano is the founder and chairman of Paychex, a payroll and human resources outsourcing company based in Rochester. He ranks No. 729 on Forbes' list of wealthiest people with a net worth of $3.2 billion.

Golisano has become a household name in Syracuse because his foundation donated $6 million to help open the Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital. He has also given $36 million to a children's hospital in Rochester.

Billionaire Tom Golisano moved to Florida, but still owns this $5.7-million house on Canandaigua Lake. He asked the town to cut the assessment in half because geese are pooping on the lawn.

'Who knows what the market value is?'

"About 15 years ago, he bought four parcels along the shore of Canandaigua Lake, south of Rochester. He doesn't remember how much he paid for the property, because he bought it in increments, and he doesn't have any idea of its current market value.

It is assessed for $5.7 million, records show.

"Who knows what the market value is?" he said. "That's one of the fallacies of this program. When you're talking about a property like this, how can you predict within $300,000 what the value is, or $500,000? You can't."

It isn't the most expensive property on the lake, about 45 miles south of Rochester. But Golisano's property hugs more shoreline than most.

He said he spends about one and a half days a week there for about 8 weeks a year. When he is not there, the geese move in.

Golisano argued before a panel of town residents so homegrown they shared an inside joke about a decades-ago high school prank perpetrated by the chairman, Henry Savage.

They were patient with Golisano, but they were not amused.

Golisano said he realizes that the geese would move to someone else's lawn if the town chased them away from his.

He was not as generous about shifting the tax burden to his neighbors.

If Golisano gets his tax bill reduced, everyone else has to pay more.

"Fifty percent of the people in the county are paying less taxes than they should be anyway, based on their historical data. So how can I feel sorry for them?" he said. "I want equity. Don't you think Americans and New Yorkers want equity? And half the people are laughing, ha ha ha, you're not paying as much as you should."

Golisano admitted he doesn't really know that 50 percent of people in Ontario County are paying less than they should.

He has done an analysis of sample real estate sales in five other counties to make the opposite point - that people are paying too much.

In Onondaga County, for example, he estimates 35 percent of homes were assessed for more than their eventual sale price.

In the hearing, Golisano went on to take the five board members to task for everything he believes is wrong with New York state property taxes.

Why do condominiums pay a lower tax? he asked.

Why don't you call your state legislators and insist on change?

"This is not the place for this, Mr. Golisano," said Savage, the board chairman.

Golisano pointed to the television cameras.

"This is exactly the place because these people are going to tell the country what's going on and what's going on is sick," Golisano said.

Golisano slowly wore out his welcome.

The next taxpayer started his grievance early by supporting Golisano.

Michael May, who lives on Granger Point, said he once unloaded his Remington on a yard full of geese. He was arrested and fined by state wildlife officers for shooting a migratory species and for hunting without a duck stamp.

"As far as I'm concerned, the geese are no different than the Mexicans coming over the wall," he said. "I shouldn't have to pick up goose crap day in and day out."

There was a moment of awkward silence.

Savage leaned in and told Golisano how much he respects him and the way he started his business with a few thousand dollars and some credit cards.

Savage said the board will make a decision in time for the assessor to file this year's numbers with the state, in early June. The board's responsibility is limited to weighing taxpayers' arguments against the assessor's valuation.

"I don't have to do this," Golisano said. "I live in a beautiful community in Florida. But somebody's got to do this. Somebody's got to step up to the plate."

Savage offered a final word of advice: "There's always a for-sale sign, Mr. Golisano. And I don't mean to be smart about it either. Thank you very much for taking the time to come."

Golisano put the goose back up on the table and walked out.

Outside the town hall, Golisano lit a cigar and stepped into his car.

A gaggle of news trucks trailed him to the lake house.

Contact Michelle Breidenbach anytime:

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| 315-470-3186.Informed sources in Cairo say that recent French actions on Libya in coordination with Turkey and Qatar are raising resentment, as they ignore many developments on the ground and serve some parties without taking into consideration balance on the Libyan scene, which is reminiscent of former French President Nicolas Sarkozys decision to overthrow Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The sources said that Frances actions in Libya serve its direct interests, believing that it could secure gains in light of the obvious differences among regional and international powers on the issue.

The sources added that Paris is trying to benefit from the presence of the United Nations envoy Ghassan Salama, who is working on implementing the French agenda and is becoming part of the crisis instead of being part of the solution in Libya.

France will hold an international meeting on 29 May, which will be attended by the chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya and prime minister of the Government of National Accord Fayez Al-Sarrag, the head of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar, the president of the Libyan House of Representatives Aqila Saleh and the new president of the High Council of State Khaled Al-Mishri, as well as representatives from Al-Zentan and Misrata and a number of militia commanders.

Sources say that the meeting in this form injects new political blood in the veins of the Islamist powers in Libya, and goes in line with the aspirations of their leaders to be key players on the Libyan scene.

The sources added that the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya are seeking to take advantage of the recent French moves, to conceal their decline in popularity and their diminishing influence in light of the expected return of many elements related to the Gaddafi regime.

Sources also say that France played a significant role in the Dakar meeting held two weeks ago, which involved a number of Libyan Islamist leaders including preacher Ali Mohamed Al-Salaby and the former leader of the Libyan Islamist Fighting Group Abdel-Hakim Belhag.

Libya figurers in Cairo accuse Paris of moving to build bridges between Islamist and non-Islamist powers, as it blessed the meeting held last month between Khaled Al-Mishri and Aqila Saleh in Morocco, in an attempt to fragment non-Islamist parties, which are expected to win a large percentage of votes in any future elections.

Paris is moving to enhance its presence in Libya to secure its interests in Mali, Niger, the Central African Republic and Chad, all states where Paris maintains a significant military presence, sources say.

France also seeks to increase its influence in southern Libya to control the country's most important oilfields and reduce Italy's growing economic influence, while attempting to avoid a clash with the United States.

The sources in Cairo did not rule out the possibility of Paris repeating its mistakes in 2011  when it played a pivotal role in overthrowing Gaddafi, leaving Libya in the chaos of armed conflict  if it insists on continuing its coordination with Ankara and Doha and Islamist militias without considering other views.

The sources say that the UN envoys moves in Libya serve the French plan, highlighting that his plans to achieve a political solution to the crisis have not yielded any significant results despite being approved by the UN Security Council last September and include amending the Skhirat agreement, drafting a constitution and holding elections.

The UN envoy announced the possibility of holding the elections soon, an announcement that was supported by some world powers including France.

An Egyptian source who attended the recent meeting on Libya in Algeria last Monday  which was attended by Tunisian, Algerian and Egyptian officials  says that the three countries agree that the UN envoy's plan in Libya has failed, stressing the necessity of providing all means of logistical assistance and security to guarantee its success, and warning against holding elections in the absence of these factors.

The Egyptian source affirmed that Libya's neighboring countries are deeply concerned by the deteriorating security in Sabha and most of Libya's southern regions, which have become a base for extremists and members of Daesh and Al-Qaeda.

He also affirmed that the French decisions on Libya lie in the hands of French intelligence, which is controlled by strong elements connected to former president Nicolas Sarkozy.

The source warns Paris against following in the path of the political aspirations of President Francois Macron. The source said that the failure to consider the facts in their true form and bowing to the idea of coordinating with Turkey and Qatar, the most important patrons of the Islamists in Libya, have played a role in shaping the French moves on Libya.

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Former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and 2019 presidential hopeful, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, has declared to seek election under the Young Progressive Party, YPP.Moghalu, addressing a press conference in Abuja Thursday, where he formally declared to join YPP, said the political party among several others registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was the only one that could give Nigerians hope.He promised to establish innovative based economy, restructure the country for regional prosperity and effective budget system if elected as president.He said he chose the YPP because, according to him, the party answered all his questions in affirmative.He explained that he could not join the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC or the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, because they were parties that sweep away truth and replace them with lies and umbrella that block the light of hope.Describing the YPP as a great dare, a tantalizing promise and a notice of evacuation to Nigerias recycled political party, Moghalu called on Nigerians within and outside the shore of their country to quickly join him in the YPP so they could rescue the country from collapse.He said:I am here today to announce that in response to the parties of the past, in response to umbrellas that block out the light of hope, and brooms that sweep away truth and replace them with lies, in response to the parties of tired old tricks and tired old systems and tired old men, I and millions across Nigeria will choose the Young Progressive Party, YPP.We need those who want to shake up the House of Representatives, to shake up the Houses of Assembly and shake up our local government councils across Nigeria to join us now, and work with us to execute our plans.Mogahlu said he has chosen YPP as a platform to realise his ambition because he wanted to inspire Nigerians to look to the future and not to the past.The ex-CBN Deputy Governor said when elected, he would improve Nigerias human capital investments, promote renewable energy and turn a blind eye to the crude oil that has greased the economy for decades.Hear him:My economic vision is one that is not based on oil or natural resources, but on innovation and human capital, Moghalu said in an exclusive interview with BusinessDay.My government will take on unemployment through the creation of a N500 billion venture capital fund to boost SMEs access to finance and create jobs.A competent government does not create jobs; rather it creates an enabling environment for jobs to be created. We will subsidise production but we will never subsidise consumption. That will stimulate the economy while creating jobs at the same time.He said time had come for technocrats, intellectuals and experienced people to take power from career politicians.The future of Nigeria rests in technocratic interventions. We need thinking people that will take Nigeria from the politics of stomach infrastructure to politics of mental infrastructure, he added.The former banker vowed to reposition Nigeria for economic prosperity by creating an enabling environment for a productive, innovation-led economy, with a better approach to taxation that will reduce dependence oil revenues.My government will establish a productive innovation-led economy that reduces dependence on oil revenues, establish a public-private venture capital fund with a minimum capital of N500 billion (with private sector co-investment to fund could attain a size of N1 trillion) to create jobs by investing in new businesses by unemployed youth, reform the Nigerian Police Force by recruiting, training and equipping a minimum of 1.5 million persons with improved remuneration to create safe and secure communities, empower women with a 50:50 gender parity policy in political appointments, and initiate a constitutional restructuring of Nigeria to restore true federalism for stability and prosperity, he added.He spoke further: I thought about why I have joined politics- the imperative of a radically new political leadership for Nigeria, one with a vision and the capacity to build a new and different future for our country. That meant almost automatically that I would not be part of the old order of failed and recycled politicians that have run pur country with poverty, insecurity and corruption as our Natio legacy . Would the party I would join share my vision of leadership as one of service and accountability? Would it be focused on the youth and our future while inclusive in its membership?. Would it be nation- wide in its spread and appeal as opposed to an ethnic and sectional focus? And would the party, from the standpoint of electoral strategy, be a viable platform with a structure to prosecute the struggle for a new Nigeria that is focused on the future and not the past?Speaking more on why he could not chose either PDP or APC, he explained that other parties, especially PDP and APC, were combination of old and same politicians whom, he said created the mess confronting Nigeria as a nation.He urged Nigerians to be discerning in their choice of who becomes the next president, saying people that created the problems do not have solutions to them.He urged Nigerians to vote him as the next president, because he posses all it takes to lead Nigeria to prosperity.When asked of his thoughts on restructuring, including how Nigeria could overcome ineffective budget process, the former Deputy Governor of CBN affirmed that, the country needs restructuring if it must prosper.Recall that Moghalu had in February, this year, declared his interest to vie for presidency but preferred not to disclose the political platform he would realize his ambition.Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has adopted the overall best graduating student of Lagos State University (LASU), Fuad Adetoro Ogunsanya, who ...

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has adopted the overall best graduating student of Lagos State University (LASU), Fuad Adetoro Ogunsanya, who finished with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.78 in Business Administration.The governor gave Ogunsanya N5 million, pledging to sponsor his postgraduate studies in any school of his choice worldwide.At LASUs 22nd convocation yesterday, Ambode said he rewarded Ogunsanya for his doggedness, despite the health challenges that delayed his education.Ambode said he had a similar story.He said: The Lagos State government does not generally give scholarship anymore, but your story is too compelling and is a reflection of my own story. I will adopt and sponsor you anywhere you want to go for your Masters. I will personally be responsible for it.In addition, for emerging the overall best student, I will give you N5 million. An occasion as this deserves serious attention as the education of our youths is paramount to us.In his valedictory speech, Ogunsanya told how cataract in both eyes affected his performance in the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and delayed his education.The 24-year-old, who lost his father in 2015, said he had to do a second surgery to remove the defect when the first failed before he was able to make his O Level papers.I eventually had a successful surgery at the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan (Oyo State capital) before sitting for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and getting admission into LASU. I wanted to study Accounting, but at that time the course was not accredited and Business Administration was available. So, I had to grab it. Today, see where that impromptu decision has brought me, he said.Ogunsanya said Nigerian graduates had a lot to offer, urging employers to give them a chance.LASUs Chancellor Justice Adesola Oguntade, who is Nigerias High Commissioner in the United Kingdom (UK), advised the graduating students to provide solutions to the nations problems.He said: Presently, our world has many problems and challenges, such as insecurity, unemployment, terrorism, among others. Use your knowledge to change the world. Create a change that you will be proud to leave for the next generation. Keep your eye on integrity. It is paramount, and will help you in leadership. Be courageous. Follow your instinct, embrace collaboration and do not allow failure to stop you.Also, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Olanrewaju Fagbohun, attested to the quality of graduates the university had produced.He said they had been thoroughly baked in knowledge and character.Over 29,000 diploma, first degree and postgraduate students, who finished in the 2016/2017 academic session, graduated at the event.Amnesty International has accused Nigerian security forces of raping thousands of women and girls who escaped from the brutal rule of Boko H...

Amnesty International has accused Nigerian security forces of raping thousands of women and girls who escaped from the brutal rule of Boko Haram insurgents, and killing many people who refused to be moved from territories rescued from the insurgents.





In a new report released Thursday titled They betrayed us, the global rights group reported how the Nigerian military and Civilian Joint Task Force (Civilian JTF) have separated women from their husbands and confined them in remote satellite camps where they have been raped, sometimes in exchange for food.





The JTF is a militia working alongside the Nigerian military in the campaign against the insurgency in the Northeastern part of Nigeria.





Amnesty International said it has collected evidence that thousands of people have starved to death in the camps in Borno state, north-east Nigeria, since 2015.





It is absolutely shocking that people who had already suffered so much under Boko Haram have been condemned to further horrendous abuse by the Nigerian military, said Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.





Instead of receiving protection from the authorities, women and girls have been forced to succumb to rape in order to avoid starvation or hunger.





According to the group, in some cases, the abuse appeared to be part of a pattern of persecution of anyone perceived to have a connection to Boko Haram.





It said women had reported being beaten and called Boko Haram wives by the security officials when they complained about their treatment.





As Nigerias military recovered territory from the armed group in 2015, it ordered people living in rural villages to the satellite camps, in some cases indiscriminately killing those who remained in their homes. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled or were forced from these areas.





The military screened everyone arriving to the satellite camps, and in some locations detained most men and boys aged between 14 and 40 as well as women who travelled unaccompanied by their husbands. The detention of so many men has left women to care for their families alone.





Rape Of Starving Women, Sexual Exploitation

Scores of women described how soldiers and Civilian JTF members have used force and threats to rape women in satellite camps, including by taking advantage of hunger to coerce women to become their girlfriends, which involved being available for sex on an ongoing basis.





Five women told Amnesty International that they were raped in late 2015 and early 2016 in Bama Hospital camp as famine-like conditions prevailed.





Ama (not her real name), 20, said: They will give you food but in the night they will come back around 5pm or 6pm and they will tell you to come with them One [Civilian JTF] man came and brought food to me. The next day he said I should take water from his place [and I went]. He then closed the tent door behind me and raped me. He said I gave you these things, if you want them we have to be husband and wife.





Ten others in the same camp said that they were also coerced into becoming girlfriends of security officials to save themselves from starvation. Most of these women had already lost children or other relatives due to lack of food, water and healthcare in the camp. The sexual exploitation continues at an alarming level as women remain desperate to access sufficient food and livelihood opportunities.





Women said the sexual exploitation follows an organized system, with soldiers openly coming into the camp for sex and Civilian JTF members choosing the very beautiful women and girls to take to the soldiers outside. Women reported they were too afraid to refuse demands for sex.





Sex in these highly coercive circumstances is always rape, even when physical force is not used, and Nigerian soldiers and Civilian JTF members have been getting away it. They act like they dont risk sanction, but the perpetrators and their superiors who have allowed this to go unchallenged have committed crimes under international law and must be held to account, said Mr Ojigho.





Deaths As A Result Of Hunger

According to the statement, people confined in the satellite camps faced an acute food shortage from early 2015 until mid-2016, when humanitarian assistance was increased.





At least hundreds, and possibly thousands, died in Bama Hospital camp alone during this time. Those interviewed consistently reported that 15 to 30 people died each day from hunger and sickness during these months. Satellite images, showing how the graveyard inside the camp expanded quickly during this time, confirm their testimonies. There were also daily deaths in other satellite camps such as those in Banki and Dikwa.





From June 2016, the UN and other humanitarian agencies scaled up assistance in the satellite camps. Despite this, many women reported continued barriers to accessing adequate food, exacerbated by restrictions on their ability to leave the camps.





A number of women who arrived in satellite camps in Dikwa town in mid-2017 have not received any food assistance since they arrived and described ongoing hunger, sickness and deaths within their camps.





Yanna (not her real name), who arrived in Dikwa in late-2017 and lived in Fulatari camp, told Amnesty International: People are dying, [always there is a burial, burial, burial. I was thinking maybe one day it will be my own.





Even where government and international NGOs distribute food, large-scale corruption has prevented many people from accessing it.





Confining people to camps without enough food, despite the fact that those administering the camps knew the conditions were leading to deaths, violates human rights and international humanitarian law. Those who allowed this to happen may be guilty of murder, said Mr Ojigho.





Women Detained In Giwa Barracks

Amnesty International said its research further revealed that hundreds of women along with their children have been held in the notorious Giwa Barracks detention centre since 2015.





While most have been released, an unknown number remain in military detention.





Many of those detained since 2015 had been victims of abductions or forced marriages by Boko Haram and were detained by the military for being so-called Boko Haram wives instead of being rescued.





Amnesty International received five reports about sexual violence in Giwa barracks, while seven women said they gave birth inside their dirty, overcrowded cells without any medical assistance. At least 32 babies and children, and five women, have died in detention since 2016.





The detention of women and girls on the basis that they were allegedly married to Boko Haram members is unlawful under international human rights law and Nigerian law, and is discriminatory, said Mr Ojigho.





Boko Haram Abuses

Women interviewed often spent months or years living under the repressive rule of Boko Haram. Some reported being forced into marriages with Boko Haram members or being flogged when caught breaking the armed groups strict rules. Seven said they witnessed the executions of family members or neighbours after unsuccessful attempts to escape. Women interviewed often spent months or years living under the repressive rule of Boko Haram. Some reported being forced into marriages with Boko Haram members or being flogged when caught breaking the armed groups strict rules. Seven said they witnessed the executions of family members or neighbours after unsuccessful attempts to escape.





Time for action

Since 2015, various NGOs and humanitarian organizations have reported sexual violence and deaths in camps for internally displaced people in north-east Nigeria. While the authorities frequently promised to investigate such reports, there has been no tangible action to address the problem and no one appears to have been brought to justice. It is not always clear if these investigations were carried out as no reports have been made public.





In August 2017, the Acting President of Nigeria Yemi Osinbajo established the Presidential Investigation Panel to review the militarys compliance with its human rights obligations. Many women testified before the Panel, which submitted its report to President Muhammadu Buhari in February 2018.





Now is the time for President Buhari to demonstrate his frequently expressed commitment to protect the human rights of displaced people in north-east Nigeria. The only way to end these horrific violations is by ending the climate of impunity in the region and ensuring that no one can get away with rape or murder, said Mr Ojigho.





The Nigerian authorities must investigate  or make public their previous investigations  on war crimes and crimes against humanity in the north-east. They must also urgently ensure, with the support of donor governments, that people living in the satellite camps receive adequate food, and that those arbitrarily detained in military detention facilities are released.





Amnesty Internationals report is the result of an extensive investigation involving more than 250 interviews and covers satellite camps established by the military in seven towns in Borno state, including Bama, Banki, Rann and Dikwa. It also includes interviews with 48 women and girls released from detention and the review of video, photographic and satellite imagery.



Former Chelsea boss, Carlo Ancelotti has been appointed the new manager of Serie A side Napoli on a three-year deal.Ancelotti, 58, replaces Maurizio Sarri, 59, who has been linked with a move to replace Antonio Conte at the Premier League club, Chelsea.I am really happy and honoured to manage a team with a unique city and incredible fans, said Ancelotti.Earlier on Wednesday, Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis praised Sarri for his contribution to the club.De Laurentiis said: I thank Maurizio Sarri for his dedication to Napoli that has given the city and the fans worldwide prestige and emotions.He created a model of play admired everywhere and by anyone. Bravo Maurizio.Ancelotti has won four top-tier league titles, three Champions Leagues and three domestic cups across Europes top five leagues.Justice Mojisola Dada of the special offences court sitting in Lagos, on Thursday declared the Chairman of Innoson Motors Nigeria Ltd, Innocent Chukwuma wanted over his failure to make an appearance in court for his arraignment for the fifth time.Chukwuma, alias Innoson is standing trial in a matter between his company and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).Justice Dada had declared the automobile boss wanted, granting the request of Mr Anselem Ozioko, the lead prosecuting counsel of the EFCC.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Innoson had previously failed to make an appearance in court for his arraignment on Jan. 17, Feb. 9, March 14 and April 25.His failure to appear before the court for five consecutive times informed the issuance of bench warrant.During the proceedings of March 14, it was revealed that Innoson had petitioned the National Judicial Council (NJC) over Justice Mojisola Dada, the judge trying the case.Ozioko in his submission seeking the declaration of Innoson wanted said: This appears to be the fifth time this matter is coming up before your Lordship for arraignment.The learned Senior Advocate of Nigeria representing the second defendant (Innoson) is still insisting on taking his application without ensuring the defendant is physically present in court.The question is, where is the second defendant? Is he too big for the court? Is he too big for the Federal Republic of Nigeria? Is he too big because he has money? Where is he?What my learned friends, the defence counsel are doing is contemptuous.We shall be applying for an order to declare the second defendant wanted.Acceding to Oziokos request, Justice Dada said, The second defendant is hereby declared wanted and the case adjourned until June 22 for possible arraignment.Earlier, during the proceedings, Ozioko had informed the court that the anti-graft agency will also be taking some steps to ensure Innosons attendance in court on the next adjourned date.Counsel to Innoson, Mr George Uwechue (SAN) had requested that the court hear his application despite Justice Dadas declaration that no application will be heard until Innoson is physically present in court.At the last hearing, the court maintained its position that it will not take its pending application unless the first defendant is arraigned.We were about to cite our position regarding the courts declaration but we were interrupted by the prosecuting counsel and that interruption led to todays proceedings.Whatever we did that day, we sincerely apologize; we urge this court to allow us to continue our presentation.Prof. J. N Mbadugha, counsel to Innoson Motors Nigeria Ltd, in his submission told the court that he had an application challenging the jurisdiction of the court.Mbadugha informed the court that he had made an appeal at the Court of Appeal over the case.Justice Dada however maintained her position that the applications of the defence will not be heard until Innoson is physically present in court.NAN reports that Chukwuma and his company, Innoson Motors Nigeria Ltd., are to be arraigned on a four-count charge of conspiracy to obtain property by false pretences, obtaining property by false pretences, stealing and forgery.According to the charge sheet, the defendants committed the offences between 2009 and July 2011 in Lagos.The EFCC alleged that the defendants with intent to defraud; conspired to obtain by false pretences containers of motorcycle, spare parts and raw materials, property of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) from Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd, Apapa, Lagos.They are alleged to have fraudulently induced staff of Mitsui OSK and Maersk Line to deliver to them via their clearing agents the goods which were imported from China in the name of GTB by falsely pretending that they were authorised by the bank to clear the goods.The prosecution claimed that the defendants in order to facilitate the fraud forged a bill of lading numbered 598286020 of Maersk Line Limited and 11007950841 of Mutsui O.S.K Lines by knowingly putting a false GTB stamp and signature of the bank staff.The alleged forgery was in order that the forged documents be used or acted upon as genuine to the prejudice of any person within Lagos or elsewhere.The offences contravened Sections 1(1)(b), 1(3), and 8(a) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2016 and Sections 309(9), 388, 465 and 467(1)(j) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State 2003.Commander of Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (F-SARS) in Rivers State, Mr. Akin Fakorede, an assistant commissioner of Police (ACP), ...

Commander of Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (F-SARS) in Rivers State, Mr. Akin Fakorede, an assistant commissioner of Police (ACP), is asking for N2 billion damages from the Rivers State government.He has given seven days ultimatum to the government to retract the libellous publications against him, and demanded an unreserved apology from the state government.Fakorede said the apology must be published on the front pages of national newspapers that carried the false advertisements.This, he said, should be published twice the number of times the advertisements ran in each newspaper.Fakoredes lawyer, Ayodele Akintunde, in a 10-page letter, dated May 22, and addressed to Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Emma Aguma, yesterday in Port Harcourt, accused the state government of deliberately lying against his client.The F-SARS commander approached his lawyer after the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, authorised him to sue Governor Nyesom Wike and the government for the malicious, false and libellous publications against him, having been exonerated by the IGP of allegations levelled against him.Akintunde said: The allegations that our client is an election rigger and an enemy of democracy, and that our client is recruiting, training and arming a special squad to rig the 2019 elections in Rivers State though violent means are totally false and baseless.In the consequence, our clients reputation has been seriously damaged and he has suffered considerable distress and embarrassment. We hereby demand that you retract the libelous publications contained in the national newspapers within seven days of the receipt of this letter and tender an unreserved apology to our client for the damage to his reputation and the distress and embarrassment caused him by the libelous publications.The retraction and apology must be given as much publicity as your libelous advertisements and they must be inserted on the front pages of the same newspapers, in as large a type and in as prominent positions as your advertisements. The apology must also be printed/published twice the number of times your libelous advertisements were published in each of the national newspapers.The Rivers State government must also give a written undertaking never again to publish any similar libel against our client in future.Take notice that if you do not cause to be printed/published, a retraction and an unreserved apology, in the manner demanded within seven days of receipt of this letter, and pay an agreed amount as damages for the libel, we have our clients instruction to commence legal action against the Rivers State government for N2 billion as damages for libel. You have been warned.Fakoredes lawyer faulted the governments claim on the report of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the December 10 legislative rerun.He said: The words contained in all the advertisements are clearly intended to disparage our client in his duties as an ACP in the Nigeria Police Force and particularly as the commander of F-SARS, Rivers State and expose him to hate, ridicule and contempt.All the allegations contained in the publications, including the report of INEC, are false, malicious and completely unfounded. During the 2016 Rivers State rerun elections, our client never assaulted Mary Tunkayo, Dr. C. Odekpe or any INEC staff. This is clear from all the written statements obtained from the relevant INEC staff.Kabir Marafa, senator representing Zamfara central, says female senators have been silent over the plight of their sisters in his state ...

Kabir Marafa, senator representing Zamfara central, says female senators have been silent over the plight of their sisters in his state but they protested when Ahmed Yerima, a former governor of the state, married an underage girl.





Yerimas marriage to a 13-year-old girl in 2010 drew widespread criticisms. Human rights organisations had said the senator broke the law and should be arrested.





Marafa while contributing to a debate on a motion to commemorate childrens day on Thursday, said there is an estimated 5,000 cases of rape in state.





I expect the women especially of this senate to stand up shoulder to shoulder with women in Zamfara state, he said.





A situation was raised where a commissioners wife and her 6 children were kidnapped in their house and there days into the journey nobody knows where she is.





This caught the attention of the media and everybody because it is a commissioners wife. But the issue of kidnapping is a daily thing in Zamfara state today. There is an estimated 5000 victims of rape and we have said it in this chamber but up till now, the women have not stood up to say enough is enough of this very bad incident.





Whereas in the 6th assembly when my colleague and my leader, Senator Ahmed Yerima fulfilled one of his religious rites by marrying a lady with the consent of her parents almost whole of this chamber was pulled upside down.





That he married an underage which is nobodys business in anyway because her parents consent to the marriage and Yerima is a Muslim and he married the girl according to Muslim rites. But so much noise was made in this country to the extent that they staged a protest on the streets of Abuja.





The senator said the children in Zamfara have right to life.





You are talking of childs rights; we in Zamfara are talking of Childs survival. I want to see you stand up to say the children of Zamfara have the right to survive. There is humanitarian crisis in Zamfara, Marafa said.





Moving the motion earlier, Binta Garba, senator representing Adamawa north, expressed worry over the countrys high infant mortality rate.





Nigeria is the second largest contributor to the under-five and maternal mortality rate in the world. The National Health act, 2014, all pregnant women, the elderly, the disabled and children are to be exempted from paying for services in public hospitals, she said.





Thereafter, the senate urged the federal government to hasten the rescue of Leah Sharibu, Dapchi schoolgirl in captivity, and the remaining 112 Chibok girls.



On Thursday, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Musiliu Smith, a former inspector-general of police (IGP), as chairman of the Police Ser...

On Thursday, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Musiliu Smith, a former inspector-general of police (IGP), as chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) to succeed Mike Okiro, also a former inspector-general of police.





Senate President Bukola Saraki read Buharis letter seeking the confirmation of Smiths appointment and those of three others.





Former President Olusegun obasanjo made Smith IGP on May 29, 1999 but fired him on February 1, 2002, when men of the Nigeria police force began a historic strike. The industrial action came as a surprise and made Obasanjo very angry.





The policemen decided to go on strike as a result of distrust.





After Smith took over from lbrahim Coomassie, who had held the post since 1993, the population of the police in Abuja was on the increase. Smith was said to have presented an idea that he believed would solve the accommodation problem facing policemen.





However, Obasanjo reportedly directed the IGP to allow policemen rent houses while the government made a refund. In a twist of event, the government reneged on its promise and policemen, who believed that their IGP had embezzled their housing fund, decided to embark on a nationwide strike.





Five days after the strike was called, Obasanjo retired Smith with six of his deputies. He was replaced with Tafa Balogun, whose career ended on a controversial note.





TINUBU, FASHOLA ENGAGED SMITH

After Obasanjo disengaged Smith, Bola Tinubu, who was then the governor of Lagos, who accepted Smiths security proposal, gave him an appointment. In 2007, Babatunde Fashola, former governor of Lagos state, appointed the former IGP as the head of the Lagos state security council, a body charged with the responsibility of reviewing and managing the states security system.





Smith carried on with his life, enjoying patronage from the high and mighty.





ANOTHER ENCOUNTER WITH OBASANJO

The paths of the former IGP and Obasanjo crossed again at a maiden biannual special training and capacity building programme organised by the assistant inspector-general of police (AIG) in charge of Zone II at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, March 2, 2017.





Obasanjo , who was the special guest of honour, lambasted the Nigeria police for keeping him waiting more than 90 minutes before the event started. He also took a swipe at the former IGP who was a guest speaker at the event.





He said: Police must be aware and in touch with new developments in other parts of the globe. I can see my former IGP Musiliu Smith. Smith is completely out of date to give lecture on police duty. He has experience to share with you, but not on modern way of doing things. I dont even know how digital you (Smith) are.



President Olusegun Obasanjos administration spent about N1.2 trillion on the controversial National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP), a...

Obasanjo



Pivot Engineering Ltd was awarded contracts in the sum of $78,625,736.54 for the construction of Owerri-Ahoada-Yenagoa 132 KVA DC lines and substations. It is to be noted that out of this, $73,023,521.36 has been paid to the contractor.



ABB {Nig] Ltd [SAE] received a contract in the sum of $21,489,644.79million and Nl, 489,271,079.60billion for the construction of second Benin-Onitsha 330 kva SC lines. So far, the contractors have been paid the sum of Nl, 675,225,734:40billion



Siemens Ltd also benefited from a contract of Euro l5, 032,410.65million (Euros) and N200, 000,000million to provide Onitsha 150 Mva, 330/132/33 kva, T/F and 330 KV base at Onitsha and Benin. Out of this contract sum, it has received a total payment of El2, 499,567.00million( Euros)and N49, 979,258.00million

Energovod Src was awarded a project of Alaogi-Calabar 330 kva DC lines in the sum of $42,382,351.30million and N900, 000,000 for which payments to the tune of $23,851,466.58million and N431, 056,721.00million have been made.

AREYVA T/D SPR-and -MBH power-for offshore works for construction of bays got 8,987,322.00million and N600, 000,000million. The foreign payments have been fully made while only N161, 704,254.50million on the Naka was paid.

Chrome Consortium was awarded contracts for the provision of Gombe-Yola-Jakngo 330kva SC lines at $74,872,154.04million. It has been paid $50,000,000.

News Engineering Ltd got a contract valued at $3,485,113.50million and N250, 000,000million for the construction of Jalingo 230/40 mva; 132/33kv sub-station. It received $2,670,679.36million and N100, 850,347.04million.

Allaogi-Umuahia 132 kva DC line was awarded to Pivot Engineering at $4,067,940.00million; it got $3,978,676.10million and N406, 528,365million.

Valenz Holdings [Nig] Ltd got the contract for Umuahia 230/40 mva, 132/33kv substation at $7,083,399.48 million and N489, 704,091.00million.It was not clear if the company had been paid.

Kec/News Engineering handled Gombe-Damatru-Maiduguri 330kv lines at $30, 172, 772million and N2.5 billion

JKN Limited did Ado -Ekiti 132/33kva sub-station and Akure 132kva Liangbe extension at N822 million. It received N521million.

Kano- Dutse 132 kva DC and Dutse-Azare 132 kv SC line were done by LCEP at $50, 294, 388million.

ABB did Dutse- Azare 230/40MVA, 132/33KV Sub -stations cost $12,500,000:00million and 1,771,582:83million. The company received $11,074,967:81million and 354,316:40million /*.

The Egbin-Ikeja West/Benin Main 330kv DC line and sub-station was handled by Energo (Nig) Limited at $8,437,687 million and N141, 967,775:92million; it was paid $6,475,037:18 and Nl7, 488,890:06million .

NEPA-ACEB Power Interconnection Project (Counterpart Funding) was handled by SAE Power Lines and Areva (SIS) (Counterpart Funding on ADB Loan on senders) at Nl,194,500,000:00; Nl,043,800,000:00 was paid.

News Engineering Nig Limited got the contract for the construction of lx30MVA, 132/33W substation at Keffi at N441,534,004:50; N251,700,000:00 was paid to the contractor.

Continental Engineering Nig Limited was awarded Talata Mafara 230/40MVA, 132/33kv substation ( N453, 532, 829:20) . The company was paid N420, 323,334:57.

Amukpe (Sapele) lx30/40MVA, 132/33kv sub station was handled by News Engineering Limited at $1,194,482:34 and N219,920,252:71. The company received $1,014,276:14 and N78,303,339:54.

ABB Power Katempe got National Stadium 132kv DC line for N347,000,000:00; it was paid N 173,500,000:00.

Twenty-six companies carried out FY2000 substation reinforcement projects (N2,679,487,010:00) They received N2.3billion, representing 90% of the contract sum.

ABB Nigeria Limited handled rehabilitation of Delta TV Switchyard (2,879,811:11 and N109,899,233:00); N36,822,340 was paid.

Nnewi 2x60MVA 132kv sub- station was awarded to Valenz Holdings Nigeria Ltd (4,421,811:72 and N251, 833,400:00). It received N191, 734,122:52 .

CMC was awarded New 33kv substation at Omotosho ($30,325,386:00); $3,115,453:00 was paid.

Steers Intl Ltd was awarded $1,395,353:83 and Nl 52,092,929:50 for the construction of New 330kv line at Ornotosho/Benin/ Ikeja West in which a down payment of $596,137:71 and N34,465,000:00 have been made to the contractor.

SEPCO got the $30,325,366:00 New 330kv substation at Papalanto. It was paid $8,915,453:00.

Kukwaba 2x60MYA, 132/33kv sub- station was awarded to NCEP at $5,252,932:61 and N272,237,433.25; 20% payment was made, which comes up to $1,050,586:52 and N54,447,486:65.

CCC Intl Ltd is a company was awarded Onitsha-Nniwe-Ihiala 132kv DC line at $2, 631,003:58 and N 198,049,270:00.

President Olusegun Obasanjos administration spent about N1.2 trillion on the controversial National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP), an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) report has said.But only N360.7billion had been paid to the contractors  as at 2007 when Obasanjo exited power.The administration also spent N273.65billion on Power Holding Company of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007.According to the report, which was compiled using the naira, 27 companies got the contracts for transmission lines.Compiled by former EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Lamorde when he headed the agency in acting capacity, the report was said to have been handed over to a former Chairman of the EFCC, Mrs. Farida Waziri, when she resumed office.According to the report, obtained by,the figures were arrived at after extensive investigations by the anti-graft commission.President Muhammadu Buhari has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjos administration of blowing $16b on power. Obasanjo replied that he was never indicted, adding: The answer is simple: The power is in the seven National Integrated Power Projects and eighteen gas turbines that Chief Obasanjos successor who originally made the allegation of $16 billion did not clear from the ports for over a year and the civil works done on the sites.The report said: Further investigations also revealed that a National Integrated Power Project is currently apace in six zones of the country for which about N1, 230,949,066,528.99 was committed by the Federal Government.The projects were also at different levels of completion but as at the moment of this report, N360, 714, 147, 700.03 has been paid out to contractors, leaving a balance of N870, 234, 918, 828.06 yet to be paid, pending the completion of the project.After an in-depth investigation and rigorous check on all documents relating to these contracts, the payments made so far, and the contractors handling the project, it is impossible to draw a nexus between the former President or any individual or companies associated with him and the proceed accruing from the contract payments.On the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), the report claimed that about N273.65billion was released to the agency between 1999 and 2007 for its day-to-day activities.Also, the PHCN separately received N22.297billion and 162,467.57billion; US$445.244.630.07million; Euro 20, 105,436.31million; and 8,987,322million for about 27 contracts on electricity generation and transmission.The report adds: On the issue of NEPA (now the Power Holding Company of Nigeria), investigation has revealed that between 1999 and 2007, over N273.65billion has been received by the institution and not N521billion as alleged. This appropriation is for its day-to-day activities, including generation of electricity, its transmission and distribution to the people of Nigeria.Investigations have also revealed that various contracts in relation to generation of electricity transmission were awarded which amounted to N22.297.162, 467.57billion; US$445.244.630.07million; Euro 20, 105,436.31million; and 8,987,322 million. All the documents relating to payments have been checked and scrutinised and there was no reference whatsoever to the former President, his relations or any front who benefited from the contracts.A report of the Presidential Review Panel on the NIPP set up by the National Economic Council (NEC) said as at 2007, total project allocations/estimates for NIPP amounted to $10.231 billion, including the $2 billion Federal Government counterpart funding for Mambilla Hydro Power project and $1.4 billion for additional nine turbines.According to the then Governor of Benue State, Mr. Gabriel Suswam, who made the presentation of the panels report,  out of these commitments, only $3.08 billion was funded and scrutinised with advance payment guarantees from first class Nigerian banks and Letters of Credits issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Over $1.5 billion of the sum is still in the custody of the banks.But the report said: The committee agreed that completing the project as initiated is the right way to go.The NIPP contracts were actually executed from the crude oil sale windfall, which was kept in the Excess Crude Account (ECA).But the Revenue Mobilsation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) declared the deductions/withdrawals from ECA as illegal because the cash belonged to the 36 states and the 774 Local Government Areas.It also obtained an injunction restraining the Federal Government from withdrawing from the account.Most of the states also filed matters in court to challenge the withdrawals from ECA by the Federal Government.Festus Keyamo, activist lawyer and Director, Strategic Communications of President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign organisation has revealed t...

Festus Keyamo, activist lawyer and Director, Strategic Communications of President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign organisation has revealed the greatest mistake ex-President, Olusegun Obasanjo made during his regime as Nigerias President.

According to Keyamo, Obasanjo appointed some crackhead into his cabinet with the hope that they would stop sniffing the stuff.





In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Keyamo said Obasanjos plans failed.





The real greatest mistake that OBJ made as President was the appointment of some crackhead into his cabinet with the hope they would stop sniffing the stuff.





Apparently, that didnt work, hence years later, theyre still on the stuff & recalling things about PMB that never happened, he wrote.





This is coming at a time when President Buhari hinted on the possibility of probing Obasanjo over the failed $16 billion power project.



Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has described the killings in Benue state as ethnic cleansing and urged the Federal Government to seek international assistance to curb the menace being carried out by marauding Fulani herdsmen nationwide.He cautioned and counseled Nigerians and the government to wake up and stop treating the ongoing killings as a ringworm but as a cancer.Prof. Soyinka spoke Thursday, during a courtesy call on Governor Samuel Ortom in Makurdi shortly after attending the 35th anniversary of Senator Suemo Chias novel, Adan Wade Kohol Ga, written in Tiv language.He said, I dont believe in false pride, if the government cannot cope, it should not shy away from asking for international help.When human lives are concerned in their thousands and so on, as it was observed everywhere all over the world, those nations where our military has served before can come to our assistance, I think there should be no business of national integrity, national pride and so on.People are dying, this government cannot cope, please just ask for international help and I know theyre ready and willing to come to our aid.Just like refusal to recognise, and at the critical moment, the nature of a particular problem that has been the basis of the massacres going on in this region, especially Benue State. Theres no any other word for it.Lets not play around with the euphemisms. Its no other word but ethnic cleansing. Theres no other definition for what has been going on here. And its very sad to me personally to see that a nation like Nigeria, with so much human talent, has failed to learn the lesson of the history of places like Rwanda.It happened in Europe, ethnic cleansing in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and elsewhere, so its not a new phenomenon. And therefore we should have been able to learn from the experiences of others and stopped this thing before it became an epidemic which is what it is today, he stated.Governor Ortom in his speech, stated that what was happening in the state was ethnic cleansing and Jihad.Ortom said, this is not a hidden agenda, its known and those people who are perpetrating it did say it. Theyre not hidden. They held press conferences, they came out and said they were going to resist our law, that they were going to do ethnic cleansing, its about Jihad, its about taking over the land, its not about herders and farmers clashes.They said it clearly and its written and we have the documents and have reported them to the security agencies. Im in agreement with you but as law abiding citizens, we dont even have cutlasses to fight back.We cannot use any weapon to fight back, we depend on the law enforcement agencies. Even the cutlasses that we used to have were taken over by security agencies.Our dane guns the Inspector General said we should surrender them, including those that were licensed. So we are left in the hands of the security men. Those of them who are posted in Benue State are doing their best and they have been victims of these attacks too.Several Police men have been killed in the course of this crisis. Soldiers and the Civil Defence are not spared. The State Service are not also spared. They have been killed and slaughtered like animals.So, like you rightly said, this is not a matter of ringworm but real cancer. If there were any other word stronger than cancer, I would have said what is happening in Benue State is more than cancer. And like you rightly observed, it is our responsibility to rise up to defend the unity of this country and to defend our integrity as leaders.The Governor commended Professor Soyinka for his solidarity and President Muhammadu Buhari for upgrading the military action in the state and expressed hope that the invaders would be flushed out.The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has asked the Kogi state Governor, Yahaya Bello, to stop blame game and pay the backlog of salaries owed workers in the state.In a statement issued in Lokoja on Wednesday by its Kogi State Director of Research and Documentation, Dickson Achadu, the party said it was appalling that the governor and his government have resorted to blaming and maligning the past PDP governors as being responsible for their inability to pay workers.PDP alleged that the government particularly overburdened by its sordid performance, had deployed falsehood and character assassination in an attempt to secure dubious public sympathy.It said the recent attempt by the governors spokesman, Kingsley Fanwo, to justify the non-payment of salaries in the state on the alibi of inherited debts only ended up playing the ostrich.First, it was ghost workers that over bloated the wage bill. Then began the longest screening and staff verification exercise in the history of any people and now inherited debts!This government should halt the charade, stop maligning the hard-earned reputation of others and face up to its duties.Kogi people who are owed between 4  27 months are wailing and tired of excuses. The Bellos administration should start thinking of how to account for the bailout funds, balance of the N20bn bond, ecological funds, Paris Club refunds, federal project refunds and the monthly allocations it had frittered away in loose living.Its death knell is close. Our great party, the PDP, and its two illustrious former governors cannot be intimidated. The mission to rescue fatherland is a task that must be accomplished.We sympathise with the hard working good people of Kogi State and urge them to read between the lines and get their PVCs ready. For the clueless administration in Lugard House, defeat is imminent, the statement said in part.The party, while detailing the various projects executed by the past two PDP administrations in the state, challenged the APC-led government to show its scorecard in terms of completed projects over the last two years.President Donald Trump of the United States, U.S, on Thursday informed Kim Jong Un that their much-mouthed June 12 meeting in Singapore wi...

President Donald Trump of the United States, U.S, on Thursday informed Kim Jong Un that their much-mouthed June 12 meeting in Singapore will no longer hold, basing the cancellation on the North Korean leaders tremendous anger and open hostility in a letter.

Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting, Trump wrote in a letter to Kim released by the White House.





In the letter, the American leader thanked Kim for the wonderful dialogue that had developed in recent weeks between the two nations while leaving the door open to a rescheduled summit in the future.





If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write, Trump said, adding that the world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth.





Trumps letter came after North Korea attacked US Vice President, Mike Pence as ignorant and stupid for his warnings over the planned summit, renewing a threat to cancel the historic talks.





The US President had on Tuesday declared that, It may not work out for June 12, regarding the planned meeting in Singapore between the U.S. and North Korea.



United States President, Donald Trump, has cancelled a summit with North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, blaming tremendous anger and open h...

United States President, Donald Trump, has cancelled a summit with North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, blaming tremendous anger and open hostility from the North.He said it was possible a meeting could still take place but warned North Korea against committing foolish acts, the BBC reports.The summit aimed to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons and would have been the first time a sitting U.S President met a North Korean leader.But doubts had emerged on both sides whether the talks would take place.Mr. Trumps announcement marked a fresh twist in the turbulent relationship between him and Mr. Kim.Last year saw the two exchange lurid insults.This year though has seen warmer relations, including the release of three U.S detainees in North Korea.The move came just hours after North Korea said it had dismantled tunnels at its only nuclear test site in a move witnessed by foreign journalists.Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has said that the Association did not receive any dime from President Muhammadu Buharis government since he assumed office three years ago.The Association spoke through its Secretary in Ogun state, Pastor Adeniyi Adeyemi, during the induction ceremony of new officers of the women wing of the association in the state.Adeyemi, who was standing in for the CAN Chairman in the state, Rev. Dr. Akintunde Akin-Akinsanya , however, noted that such rumours alleging the association got some hug money from the Buhari government are mere political antics which always filter whenever elections are coming near.He also said the President might not necessarily resign his position but must step up his works especially on the security of lives and properties in the country.Adeyemi said the State Chairman was unavoidably absent owing to an emergency meeting in Abuja.When asked if the Abuja meeting was in connection with the recent allegation of the presidential largess, Adeyemi refuted saying, There is nothing like largess in CAN. It is almost becoming the usual thing for people to start rumours like this especially when the electioneering period is getting near. That was how a similar rumour was going round in 2015.In fact, a time like this is a difficult time in CAN because we just lost our General Secretary and I think that is the reason for the emergency meeting. There was no largess nor bribe from the Presidency.I am the General Secretary of CAN in Ogun state and as a result, I know what goes on in CAN, especially in Ogun state.Also commenting on the resignation call by the Catholics, Adeyemi stressed that, While I would not say that the President should resign sincerely, as a Church of Christ, we are concerned with the rate of killings in the country.We are not only concerned because Christians are being killed. Because we know that Muslims too are being killed as well. But we are all Nigerians.If you look at the killings, it is mostly taking place in the Christian-dominated areas and that is our concern.Hence, the President should please step up actions on security in the country. Nigerians must see that he is taking security seriously.But we may not say the President should resign because we believe he can still do better.A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human rights activist, Mr Femi Falana, on Thursday, thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his birthday wishes and prayers as he turned 60 on May 20.Falana expressed the appreciation in a message he copied to newsmen in Lagos.He said he was humbled by the love shown to him by Buhari on his birthday.Falana, however, requested release of Nigerians detained `illegally across the country, as a special birthday gift from the Federal government.I thank President Muhammadu Buhari for his wishes and prayers for me, but the birthday gift which I humbly ask from the Federal Government is more commitment to respect for human rights and rule of law.In particular, all Nigerian citizens, who are being detained illegally in the country should be freed without any further delay, he said.Buhari had on Saturday, in a press release signed by his special adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, hailed Falanas sense of patriotism over the years.The president prayed that God would grant the human rights campaigner longer life, good health and more wisdom to keep serving the country.Drivers aren't the only ones being pinched at the pump by rising fuel prices.

Operators of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, which connects New Jersey and Delaware, are feeling the pain, too -- and asking its customers to help.

Beginning June 1, the ferry will begin collecting an additional $1 as a fuel surcharge for every vehicle which makes the Delaware Bay crossing.

"Fuel prices have increased significantly ... this year," said Heath Gehrke, director of ferry operations. "The surcharge is tied directly to the price of fuel and the ferry will continue to absorb the majority of the increase in fuel costs, thus sharing only a small portion of these increased costs with our customers."

Whether to collect the fuel surcharge will be determined on a month-to-month basis based on pre-established fuel-price benchmarks, officials say.

The last time there was a surcharge was in March 2014.

Each of the diesel-powered vessels in the ferry fleet can carry about 100 vehicles which could include everything from motorcycles to passenger vehicles to tractor-trailers.

The $1 will be added to current one-way base fare of $39 for a passenger vehicle and its driver. Each additional adult passenger is $10 and each child is $5 more. (The base fare is $47 during peak times).

Whales! Passengers aboard the 2:45pm departure were treated to a show this afternoon. : Pilot Meghan Palmer pic.twitter.com/vmUKLkykpy  Cape May-Lewes Ferry (@CMLFerry) May 7, 2018

Base fares rise to $44 in July as the busiest part of the ferry travel season takes hold as vacationers flood the Jersey shore and Delaware beach areas.

The 17-mile trip across the Delaware Bay from North Cape May to Lewes, Delaware, takes just shy of 90 minutes.

"The fuel surcharge will not become a permanent part of fares, but will turn on and off as the price we pay for fuel increases and decreases," Gehrke said. "If the price of fuel drops to previous levels, we will eliminate the fuel surcharge."

Officials say the surcharge does not apply to foot passengers or ferry users who already had reservations for a crossing.

The ferry is operated by the Delaware River and Bay Authority which also owns the Delaware Memorial Bridge and several regional airports.

Vehicles first began using the ferry to cross the bay in July 1964.

Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at bgallo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Bill Gallo Jr. on Twitter @bgallojr. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tipsA bill that would let Jersey City stall the implementation of its long-delayed property revaluation is DOA, according to two of its sponsors.

The bill, introduced last week by three of Jersey City's representatives in Trenton, has been panned by critics because it would help homeowners in the city's wealthiest neighborhoods at the expense of those living in less affluent areas. The bill would have pushed all reval-related tax changes from 2018 to 2019.

State Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham and Assemblyman Raj Mukherji, both Democrats from Jersey City, told The Jersey Journal that the state Legislature will not vote on the bill. Requests for comment from Sen. Brian Stack, D-Union City, were not returned.

Cunningham said Stack, who is campaigning to become Hudson County's Democratic chair, is the bill's chief sponsor.

"It was done primarily to help senior citizens who have been in their home for a long time," said Cunningham, reached by phone. "It wasn't to protect anyone from any parts of town, because I've been hearing that."

Jersey City is wrapping up its first reval since 1988. Taxpayers are expected to find out how it will affect them when they receive their August tax bills.

Appraisal Systems, the company conducting the reval, began sending out projected tax changes in January, leading to howls of protest from some homeowners, especially in the city's upscale Downtown neighborhoods. Dozens of residents may see their bills rise by more than $20,000 annually.

But about half of the city will see their taxes decline. Postponing the reval would also delay tax cuts for homeowners who say they've been unfairly taxed for years.

"I was all for the reval, so was Sen. Stack," Cunningham said. "We understand the importance of it."

Mayor Steve Fulop said Monday he does not support any further postponement of the reval. Fulop himself delayed it for three years after he was first elected in May 2013, saying property values would plummet citywide. The current reval was ordered by the state in 2016, an order Fulop criticized as political.

In a statement, Mukherji said the bill would likely die in committee without coming to a vote, citing Fulop's opposition to it.

"We still need to examine if there are ways of easing the burden, through expanding senior freeze or other programs, on seniors and lower income residents who are hit hardest by the sudden increases," he said. "But we would defer to the mayor on whether a bill like this should advance, especially when delaying the reval would hurt so many other city residents who'd benefit from tax relief."

Activist group Jersey City Together supports moving forward with the reval without delay.

"This bill would merely have delayed fairness and equity for residents who have been over-taxed for years, while doing nothing to seek out real reforms for those negatively impacted by steep increases in market value in other parts of the city," the group said in a statement. "We encourage our state legislators to focus their time on more proactive, effective fixes like fully funding and improving the senior freeze program, more flexibility for local jurisdictions to support longtime homeowners and stronger state-level compliance so that future revaluations occur in a timelier, more regular manner."

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.BAYONNE -- Local marine rescue units responded to the Newark Bay on Wednesday night after two kayakers were stranded on a barge near 16th Street Park, authorities said.

Just before 10 p.m. Wednesday night, police received a call from a resident who said her son and his girlfriend had had not returned home after going kayaking in the Newark Bay around 6:30 p.m.

The caller said she last spoke with her son just before 8 p.m. when she was told they were near the shoreline of 16th Street Park and were returning.

When the caller did not hear from them again, she called the police. The Bayonne Fire Department dispatched a rescue boat to the area to start the search, authorities said.

A number of agencies also responded, including the New Jersey State Police Marine Division, U.S. Coast Guard, New Jersey Regional Fire Boat Task Force and the Port Authority Police Department.

City police officers got in touch with the stranded kayakers through one of their cellphones, and were told they had become lodged on one of the barges west of the 16th Street park as they were making their way back to shore. The current had become too strong for them to make it back in, authorities said.

The two climbed onto a wooded platform next to the barge for safety and waited to be rescued. The Bayonne Fire Department Marine Unit located the stranded kayakers and safely brought them to shore, authorities said.

Mayor Jimmy Davis, in a statement, commended the fire department and warned against residents against kayaking at night.

"The darkness and the strong currents can be a dangerous combination," he said. "We are fortunate to have an excellent fire department that is trained to rescue people on both land and water."

Neither of the two kayakers suffered any injuries during the ordeal.When Tris McCall talks Jersey, people listen.



The New York Times once dubbed the multi-talented musician, writer and blogger "the plugged-in, Internet-era muse of Jersey City." Whether in word or song, and for almost two decades, McCall has distinguished himself as an earnest, erudite and passionate commentator on local music, politics and mores.

His resume includes stints as a blogger, newspaper critic and novelist. As a musician, songwriter and bandleader, he's self-released four solo albums, with a fifth in the works. He's been a community activist, played in the stately old county courthouse and recorded a live album at historic Grace Church Van Vorst.

In 2010, McCall put music on the back burner and spent several years as the music critic for The Star-Ledger. But for the last year or so, he's been showcasing his latest project -- a musical journey across America, with songs and stories about cities large and small -- on McCallsAlmanac.com.

On Friday, June 1, Tris McCall & The Cellphone Thieves will perform at Downtown Jersey City's newest venue, FM.

"It's going to be a real rock concert, of the sort I haven't done in a long time," McCall said. "I'll bring my MS2000 synthesizer and a Moog synthesizer and we'll make a racket. It'll be mostly songs from the Almanac and probably a few old numbers that fans will remember, like 'Bury My Ashes on the New Jersey Turnpike' or 'The Night Bus,' some of the songs written expressly for making a racket."



The band will feature longtime collaborators Jay and Justin Braun on guitar and bass, and Matt Hauser on drums.

McCall has been recording two simultaneous projects, one an album with Jay Braun producing, and the other with producer Mike Flannery (who performs and records in his own right as Mr. Flannery & His Feelings).

"The new album I'm doing with Mike Flannery is done basically," McCall said. "I just have to be confident that Mike is confident with the music."

Originally the album was going to be called "American Almanac."

"But everyone is naming their albums American something these days," he said, "so I'm not sure if I want to do that. It's mostly songs from the Almanac and a few others that could wind up on the Almanac. So I think this album will turn out to be a third of the stuff that comprises the Almanac project."



There are currently 26 entries online, representing places as diverse as Denver and Ann Arbor; Indianapolis and Nashville; Newark, New Jersey; and Camden, Maine. Every city is represented by a song, some tourism tips and a short story, all trying to convey the essence of that place's personality.



"While we're finishing the album, I'm not going to put anything new online, although I could, because there are a couple of new songs," McCall said. "And once the album is done, I'll add a few more, but not that many. It's pretty much finished. And being that half the project is the songs and half is the stories, I don't want to repeat myself. I can't help repeat myself with the songs to a certain degree, my chord vocabulary is limited. But with the stories, I haven't really repeated myself yet, so it's time to change the subject soon."



Although he's primarily been known for non-fiction -- especially writing about music -- in 2012, McCall published his first novel, "The Trespassers," an engrossing tale of a group of misfit Jersey teens who explore the abandoned factories of New Jersey's industrial past. The short stories that accompany each entry of the Almanac are a continuation of that interest.



"I guess there's no reason to stop with the Alamanac, we could just continue it," McCall said. "But for right now, there are definitely four or five more songs that I want to put on there and four or five more stories I definitely want to tell."

McCall grew up in suburban New Jersey but moved to Hudson County as an adult. He's lived in Weehawken and Union City, but settled on Jersey City a decade ago and has always been an articulate spokesperson for its music scene.

"I think the infrastructure is finally there for something very special to happen in Jersey City," McCall said. "And now it's on the musicians. I don't think we have any excuses anymore. For a long time, there were great musicians here but there was no place to play, there's nobody writing about it, there was a feeling that there was no focus, no center of gravity. And you can't really say any of those things anymore. We have really nice clubs that are accessible to local musicians. We have people interested in writing about Jersey City. And there are some local labels that have been active in signing local artists. Now it's time for the musicians to step up."



But, McCall added, nothing is guaranteed.

"I think what we've learned from scenes all around, not just in New Jersey, is that the infrastructure can be there and the bands can be there, but it still doesn't coalesce into a scene,'' he said. "The bands can be amazing bands, but it doesn't coalesce into a scene. All of the signs I've seen have been really positive. Bands have been mutually supportive, a lot of people seem very excited to be a part of Jersey City, and I think it could happen. And just the fact that it could happen means that it's great to be here. We don't know what any of this stuff is going to look like in nine months. We don't know what any of this is going to mean in the long run. But it's spring. It's a great time to be here. We don't know what kind of weird thing will bloom out of this. A great musician or band could rise up tomorrow and play a show at the Pet Shop and it could be the greatest thing ever. It can happen now. And I don't think that was true five years ago. It could be everything we've always wanted it to be, now."



Along with his return to music, McCall has picked up his pen and started writing about music actively again on the website ComeHereFloyd.com, with a series called "Jersey City Spring." He's reported on shows at White Eagle Hall, FM, the Pet Shop, and other area venues.

"I love Starland Ballroom but the thing is that you can't get there unless you drive, so it's not a part of anything," McCall said. "White Eagle Hall is here. It's part of Jersey City. What I was worried about is that they'd be doing comedy shows or '90s throwback nights with cover bands, but by and large White Eagle Hall seems serious about music, and what's really impressed me is that, by and large, they've been really eager to work with local promoters."



McCall pointed to promoter Mike Kuzan's "Latest Noise" nights at White Eagle Hall, which feature a festival-like lineup of local acts, as proof that something's afoot.

"For years we were told, oh, you can't have local bands in a venue that big, no one will show up," McCall said. "I went to one of those shows and I didn't know any of those bands. Who are these people? I didn't know. But the room was filled, people were enthusiastic, and what that means is that you can't make that argument. People can't say that there's no audience here for local music. So what we've been saying for years  that the audience is here, it was just the infrastructure that was lacking  that's true, that's indisputable now."



IF YOU GO:

Tris McCall & The Cellphone Thieves will perform at FM, 340 Third St., Jersey City, on Friday, June 1, with Glenn Morrow's Cry for Help, Fascinations Grand Chorus, and The Normal Living, as part of JC Fridays' citywide arts extravaganza. Showtime is 8 p.m.; admission is free.BAYONNE -- A local business owner and his wife are suing a Board of Education trustee for allegedly publishing defamatory statements about them, including accusations of "anti-American" sentiment, voter fraud, and even treason.

The lawsuit filed last year in Hudson County Superior Court alleges Michael Alonso, a local school board trustee elected in November 2017, published a news pamphlet and press release that contained defamatory statements about Vincent Cuseglio and his wife Debra.

Cuseglio, a 65-year-old city resident and chief operator of Bayonne Yellow Cab, has been the chairman of the Bayonne Municipal Republican Committee for more than 20 years.

The 13-page lawsuit, which is currently in discovery, names Alonso, his "Real Republicans" political group, and two others who produced content for the pamphlet as defendants.

The complaint states Alonso was the "publisher, editor-in-chief and/or main contributor" of the "Bayonne Times," a mock newspaper distributed throughout the city in the runup to Hudson County's June 2016 Republican Committee election. Alonso was unsuccessful in his bid for Republican committeeperson that year.

The lawsuit points to an article from the June 2016 issue entitled "Cuseglio  30 Years of Treason," which alleges "he has sold out the GOP at every election like clock work and he has sold his soul to foreign interests that are ANTI-American."

The lawsuit states the Cuseglios sustained a loss of income as a result of the various allegations and are seeking compensatory damages. A dollar amount was not provided.

In an email to The Jersey Journal, Alonso called the suit "total nonsense" and said it is a "waste of time."

"(Cuseglio) should spend his time supporting republicans, not fighting them," Alonso said. "He is the republican chairman - he makes the party look self centered, greedy, & corrupt."

The mock periodical also contained "advertisements" that called for residents to boycott businesses owned by Cuseglio and his business partner Khaled Aly, who owns Judicke's Bakery. One advertisement in the pamphlet included an image of the World Trade Center on 9/11 with a caption stating, "People once said 'Never Forget' -- Vincent Cuseglio... Yellow Cab & Judicke's bakery have already forgotten -- Boycott them all."

The lawsuit also cites a press release Alonso issued after the June 2016 election, in which he alleged "(Cuseglio) and his business partner are trying to ram a mosque down the throats of our community."

Aly, who could not be reached for comment for this story, is the vice president of the Bayonne Muslims, a nonprofit group that received approval to build the city's first mosque after suing the city in federal court.

Alonso was a prominent opponent of plans to build to build the mosque on the city's east side, and was not shy about broadcasting his opinions.

The lawsuit also states Alonso accused Cuseglio of being "corrupt" and "down right Anti-American," "intimidating people and stealing votes," and even threatening senior citizens "in regards to the election."

As for Cuseglio's wife, who works for the county Board of Elections, the lawsuit states Alonso accused her of violating state and federal law "by passing confidential information to her husband on a regular basis."

Cuseglio and his attorney declined to comment for this story, citing the pending litigation.

Alonso has launched multiple failed bids for elected office. He previously ran for the 31st Legislative District's Assembly seat, a local freeholder seat and a seat on the city Board of Education.

Corey W. McDonald may be reached at cmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @coreymacc. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.JERSEY CITY -- The state is expected to rest on Tuesday in the manslaughter trial of a 34-year-old West New York man police say dragged a man down a flight of stairs on Christmas Day in 2016.

Wilmer G. Ruiz-Martinez, of Bergenline Avenue, was initially charged with aggravated assault against Leny Antonio Lainez-Hernandez in connection to an incident that occurred in a building on Hudson Avenue in West New York.

Lainez-Hernandez, 39, died two days later at a hospital and Ruiz-Martinez was then indicted on the charge of manslaughter.

After the state rests its case next week, Ruiz-Martinez's attorneys, Chris Orriss and Claude Heffron, will argue that he acted in self-defense.

A forensic pathologist testified Wednesday that Lainez-Hernandez suffered a large fracture to the back of his skull in the fall that was captured on video.

The criminal complaint states Ruiz-Martinez told police he pulled the victim down the staircase, but the trial will apparently hinge of whether jurors believe it was an act of violence or self-defense.

Ruiz-Martinez's Dec. 29, 2016 videotaped interview by a Hudson County Prosecutor's Office homicide detective was played for the jury. The interview was in Spanish and jurors were provided an English transcript.

The Jersey Journal asked for a copy of the transcript but the prosecution and defense objected and Hudson County Superior Court Judge Patrick Arre denied the request this afternoon. Ruiz-Martinez has been following the trial through Spanish translators.

While on the witness stand today, HCPO Homicide Detective Sgt. Matthew Stambuli said Ruiz-Martinez changed his story a number of times during the interview as investigators presented evidence to him.

Hudson County assistant prosecutors Jennifer Pinales and David Feldman are prosecuting the case.

Manslaughter is a second-degree offense and carries a possible prison sentence of five to 10 years in prison upon conviction.

The trial will resume at 10 a.m. on Tuesday in the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City.Most people along the Hudson River waterfront are focused on the river this week as Fleet Week New York continues, but if you looked skyward this morning at 9 a.m., you were in for a treat.

Six Blue Angel F/A-18 jets cruised past the Teardrop Memorial in Bayonne, over the New York Harbor and up the Hudson River this morning, leaving a trail of white smoke in their wake.

The Jersey Journal shot video from its office in Secaucus as the jets flew past Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, West New York and North Bergen waterfronts.

The fighter jets are in the area to perform at the 15th annual Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach, New York, May 25-27.

The jets flew past the George Washington Bridge band continued on to the Mario Cuomo Bridge, formerly known as the Tappan Zee Bridge.The Hunterdon County Freeholders at the May 15 board meeting moved forward on the preservation of 245 acres in Lebanon Township and 26 acres in Readington that create greenway and open space linkages between parkland in both communities.

Hunterdon County will take ownership of the 245 acre Pelio property in Lebanon Township from the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, which spearheaded the preservation of the land.

Freeholder Board Director Matt Holt said, "Linkages and connections between already preserved parcels provides for more trail connections and viewscapes for residents and visitors and has tourism value. This new open space acreage will make huge strides in connecting the county's Teetertown and Point Mountain parks, a long sought after linkage in the northern part of the county."

The Hunterdon County Parks and Open Space Committee has endorsed the provision of two grants, totaling $1 million, from the County Open Space Fund toward 50-percent of the cost of the Lebanon property preservation. The remaining funding is being provided by New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Lebanon Township, and the Hunterdon Land Trust, utilizing Green Acres allocated funding.

Hunterdon County has also agreed to an option agreement for the purchase of two parcels totaling 26 acres, located along the South Branch of the Raritan River in Readington that will connect municipal open space with the 732 acre South Branch Wildlife Management Area managed by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.

"This connection continues the county's effort, working with our municipal partners, to provide a greenway corridor from Clinton to Three Bridges that can be enjoyed by both casual and dedicated hikers," Holt said. "Once again, POSAC and the Planning Department staff are to be congratulated for the excellent work in putting together these two strategic preservation packages."

Submitted by Hunterdon CountyIt was unseasonably warm on the first Wednesday of May and the courtyard at Jersey City's City Crossing was bustling with people.

Kamal McCord was visiting some of his family members at the apartment complex when he and his brother left to go the store. But as he was making his way back up Merseles Court before 10 p.m., gunfire erupted.

McCord, 19, was caught in a crossfire, as three men began shooting at each other, according to police sources and his family. He was shot once in the chest, paused, and ran for help before he collapsed.

"He was just trying to get out of the way," said his sister Traci Simmons, who stood by her brother's side as he took his last breath.

Authorities have arrested three people in connection to the May 2 shooting that claimed McCord's life and left a 21-year-old woman wounded. Kai Robinson and Omar Williams, both 20, are charged with murder, while Lasaun Rose, 24, is charged with aggravated assault for shooting the woman in the elbow, authorities said.

McCord had a bright future ahead of him, his father Tracy Simmons said. He worked four jobs and had finally saved enough money to put a down payment on a new car.

At a Hyundai dealership, rather than asking a salesman about which car was nicest or fastest, he inquired about which vehicle would help him build his credit.

McCord, who was living with his grandmother in the Greenville section of the city, was planning to take business classes at Hudson County Community College in the fall, his family said.

On the night of the shooting, authorities allege Robinson and Williams drove a stolen car to the apartment complex near Gateway Field and each fired five rounds into the courtyard.

Rose, who apparently was already in the courtyard, shot back nine times during what an assistant prosecutor described as a "gunfight." Investigators recovered 19 shell casings from three different weapons, according to court testimony.

Robinson and Williams allegedly fled in the stolen vehicle and left the car at an auto body shop on Kennedy Boulevard in Greenville.

The man who picked them up at the shop identified Robinson and Williams as the two people he drove back to the Booker T. Washington housing complex after they ditched the car, officials said during recent court hearings.

Williams' fingerprint was found inside the stolen vehicle, court records indicate. Forensic tests are pending to determine which gun fired the bullet that killed McCord.

And while court proceedings continue against all three charged in the deadly incident, McCord's family is left to cope with his death.

In his living room, Simmons keeps a framed self portrait of his son, a repeat student of the month whom he described as being respectful, insightful, and sure of himself.

"There's no telling what he would have done," his father said. "The main thing I'm mad about is that I'll never get to see what he did with his life."Stevens Institute of Technology held two commencement ceremonies yesterday for its 2018 graduates. It is the Hoboken school's 146th commencement.

The undergraduate ceremony was held at 11 p.m., while the Ph.D. and masters ceremony was held at 4 p.m. at Meadowlands Expo Center in Secaucus.

Marko Djapic, Katrina Guido, Roger Kleinmann, and Ian Porada graduated first in class. With a perfect GPA of 4.0, these accomplished students have attained the highest academic achievements of this year's graduates.

Kleinmann, of Hamilton, earned a bachelor's and master's degree in mechanical engineering. After graduation, he plans to pursue a career in robotics technology, potentially in the area of defense, additive manufacturing or health care.

Djapic, of Goshen, New York, received a bachelor's in chemical biology. After graduation, Djapic will pursue a career in dentistry and attend Rutgers School of Dental Medicine in the fall.

Guido, of Macungie, Pennsylvania, who graduated with a bachelor's in physics, will pursue a Ph.D. in electrical engineering at Ohio State University, with a research focus in brain implants for the treatment of epileptic seizures and other movement-related disorders.

Porada, of Evergreen, Colorado, who graduated with a bachelor's in computer science, plans to pursue graduate studies at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, with a research focus in artificial intelligence, machine learning and reinforcement learning.

The keynote speaker for the undergraduate students was Roger Ferguson Jr., president and chief executive of TIAA, one of the largest finance firms in the country. He also received an honorary doctor of philosophy degree at the ceremony.EDITOR'S NOTE: Interested in the marijuana business industry? NJ Cannabis Insider is a new premium intelligence briefing that features exclusive weekly content geared toward entrepreneurs, lawyers and realtors. View a sample issue.

WASHINGTON -- Proponents of legalizing marijuana descended on the U.S. Capitol in droves Wednesday, saying that their efforts are moving toward success.

"Public opinion is changing on this issue," said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., the chief sponsor of the Medical Cannabis Research Act, which authorizes research into the medical benefits of marijuana. "Congress is behind. We need to catch up."

Two pro-marijuana groups, the National Cannabis Industry Association and Americans for Safe Access, held press conferences and met with federal lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Combined, they brought about 400 people to Washington. "It's about making sure they're acting on the wishes of their constituents," said one of them, Noah Mamber, a lawyer from Franklin Lakes.

Their agenda included Gaetz's research act -- he spoke at both press conferences --as well as bills preventing the federal government from enforcing its prohibition in states that have legalized the drug and allowing marijuana businesses to act just like everyone else with checking accounts and credit cards.

"It is basically inevitable that federal law will yield to the states," said Aaron Smith, executive director of the cannabis industry trade group.

Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., the chief House sponsor of U.S. Sen. Cory Booker's bill to remove the federal prohibition against marijuana, said more lawmakers are signing on to legislation.

"We're seeing more and more members coming to the table," Lee said. "We're opening doors to research. We're saying to the federal government, 'Stop meddling in state and local cannabis laws."

Rep. Earl Blumenauer, a co-founder of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, called the effort to legalize marijuana "one of the most dynamic movements taking place across the county."

"It's been fascinating to watch," said Blumenauer, D-Ore.

Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., pointed to the Capitol building that formed the backdrop when he spoke.

"You have a big job to do," he told the advocates. "Your mission is simple: Let them in the building know what the will of the people is."

Are you interested in the N.J. cannabis industry? Subscribe here for exclusive insider information from NJ Cannabis Insider.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.In a sweeping measure to address a growing environmental threat along the Jersey shore, Monmouth Beach officials voted unanimously Tuesday to ban single-use plastic bags, straws and food containers, as well as take-out Styrofoam boxes.

"This is right for the Jersey Shore and all towns," said Mayor Sue Howard, who as one of three members of the borough's board of commissioners voted to adopt the ban at a meeting Tuesday night. "Living on the shore you're sensitive to the environment. Not only do we care about where we live, we want to protect that (broader) environment for our children for the future."

The ban prohibits local restaurants, grocers and other vendors from using plastic or Styrofoam for carry-out, take-out or doggie-bag containers, or from providing plastic straws. The ordinance, which was introduced last month and takes effect June 1, includes fines of up to $2,400, though Howard said warnings would be issued for initial violations.

Non-biodegradable plastic products have been washing up on beaches in New Jersey and throughout the world at what environmentalists say is an alarmingly increasing rate, indicating that more and more bags, bottles, straws and fragments are making their way into the ocean via storm drains, inland water ways, dumping or other avenues.

Plastic is the most common form of beach litter and debris found during annual spring and fall beach sweeps by the non-profit group Clean Ocean Action, which reported a 58.75-percent increase in plastic straws found on New Jersey beaches in 2017, an increase consistent with global figures.

Rather then sinking to the ocean floor, floating plastic or Styrofoam debris can choke, strangle or otherwise incapacitate sea creatures who ingest or become ensnared in them.

Several municipalities along the Jersey shore have approved or are considering curbs on the use of disposable plastic items, and New Jersey is one of several states weighing a plastic ban.

What stands out about the Monmouth Beach measure, borough officials and environmentalists say, is that it prohibits bags, straws and containers, whether they are made or Styrofoam, rather than any one of those items or materials alone.

"No one was doing all three," said Howard, who has been mayor for 13 years in the officially non-partisan borough, home to about 3,200 residents over 3 square miles on Monmouth County's northern Atlantic coast. "We just though its time to do it all."

Clean Ocean Action's executive director, Cindy Zipf, who was among several environmentalists present for Tuesday night's vote, said Monmouth Beach could serve as a model for other communities.

"Hopefully, this is just the beginning," Zipf said.

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on FacebookUPDATE: N.J. school bus driver due in court Friday on vehicular homicide charges

The 77-year-old school bus driver in last week's crash on Route 80 that killed a Paramus middle school teacher and a student has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, according to online court records.

Hudy Muldrow Sr., of Woodland Park, was expected to be taken to the Morris County jail and is scheduled to appear before a Superior Court judge in Morristown on Friday. Vehicular homicide, also sometimes referred to death by auto, is a second-degree offense which carries a potential prison sentence of five to 10 years.

Muldrow allegedly attempted to make an illegal U-turn on Route 80 in Mount Olive when the bus carrying 44 passengers was struck by a dump truck on May 17, authorities said.

Muldrow "disregarded the marked No Turn sign and turned Bus #2 to the left in an apparent attempt to gain access to an official-use only access point located between the East and Westbound lanes of Route 80," the court affidavit says.

The crash killed Jennifer Williamson, a social studies teacher at East Brook Middle School and fifth-grade student Miranda Vargas, a 10-year-old girl. Funeral services for Williamson, 51, are being held Thursday. A funeral for Vargas was held earlier this week.

The bus was one of three from Paramus en route to Waterloo Village for a school trip. Muldrow was driving the second bus in the three-bus convoy when they missed a turn for Waterloo Village on Route 206, according to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.

The buses then became separated while navigating back to the turn for Waterloo Village, authorities said. The other two buses ultimately arrived safely at the destination. Muldrow, however, drove the school bus back onto Route 80 west away from the destination, authorities said.

As he exited the on-ramp for Route 80, Muldrow attempted to turn the bus sharply into a center median cross over, authorities said.

"Hudy Muldrow turned Bus #2 so that it was positioned in an almost-perpendicular direction in relation to the lanes of travel on Route 80 Westbound," the Morris Prosecutor's Office said in a release. "Route 80 Westbound in this area is a three lane highway. At this time, Bus #2 was impacted by a dump truck that was traveling in the center lane of Route 80 Westbound."

The force of the collision separated the bus from its chassis and sent the passengers flying as the bus body rolled to the side. Dozens suffered injuries of varying severity and the dump truck driver was seriously injured.

"The full extent of the non-fatal injuries has yet to be determined, but range from minor to multiple serious and potentially life-threatening injuries," the prosecutor's office said. "At this time, the investigation into this incident remains active and ongoing, and additional charges may be sought in the future."

Muldrow has eight speeding tickets and his license has been suspended multiple times.

Muldrow's lawyer is listed as Matthew Reisig. A person who answered at his Freehold office said Reisig was in court, but would issue a statement about the case later.

Staff writer Thomas Moriarty contributed to this report.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump canceled the planned June 12 summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un Thursday, citing the "tremendous anger and open hostility" in a recent statement from the North.

Trump said in a letter to Kim released by the White House that based on the statement, he felt it was "inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting." He added that the North Koreans talk about their nuclear capabilities, "but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used."

The North Korean statement that he referred to called Vice President Mike Pence a "political dummy" for his comments on the North and said North Korea is just as ready to meet the U.S. in a nuclear confrontation as at the negotiating table

Trump said in his letter that the world is losing a "great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth" now that their summit has been canceled.

The president agreed to the historic sit-down in March after months of trading insults and nuclear threats with the North Korean leader. But after criticism from North Korea, Trump cast doubt this week on whether the meeting would happen.What do you call someone who tells a rape victim to keep her legs closed, has a secretary do her son's homework, or in one case, allegedly hampered a police investigation of a boyfriend?

In New Jersey, you call them judges.

The number of grievances filed against judges has been growing, according to an examination by NJ Advance Media of never-before-released data from the state judiciary. And while the vast number of those grievances do not become formal complaints, several recent high-profile disciplinary cases have put a spotlight on judicial misconduct in courtrooms across New Jersey.

They include the ethics case against John F. Russo Jr., a family court judge in Ocean County, who told an alleged rape victim that she could have possibly avoided the situation if she "closed her legs," according to a complaint filed against him by the New Jersey Supreme Court's Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct, or ACJC.

While his case is still pending, Russo--the son of former Democratic Senate President John Russo Sr.--is currently on administrative leave after he was removed from his judicial duties last year by Ocean County's assignment judge in connection with other unrelated allegations.

Wilfredo Benitez, a municipal judge in East Orange and Belleville, is accused of violating the state's Code of Judicial Conduct in the wake of an incident where he was found by State Troopers passed out in the driver's seat of his silver BMW on the side of Interstate 80, and subsequently struggled with a field sobriety test.

"I can't believe you're doing this. I'm not a f---ing drug addict. I'm not drunk," he told the troopers, according to the complaint lodged against him. "I'm a f---ing judge. You're not going to give me any courtesy?"

Ethics charges before the ACJC are also pending against Superior Court Judge Deborah Gross-Quatrone who was accused of ordering her secretary to do her son's homework. She was also accused of making a law clerk work off-the-clock without pay, and secretly taping conversations with other judges when her behavior came under scrutiny, according to the complaint.

And Superior Court Judge Carlia M. Brady in Middlesex County is facing ethics allegations that she hindered the efforts of Woodbridge police to arrest her boyfriend on a robbery charge. In a complaint against Brady earlier this month, the ACJC said she "demonstrated an inability to conform her conduct to the high standards of conduct expected of judges and impugned the integrity of the Judiciary."

Overall, five formal complaints have been filed so far this year against four Superior Court judges and one municipal court judge, up from four the previous year. But the number of grievances complaining of judicial behavior or violations of the Code of Judicial Conduct has climbed over the last three years, to 408 last year, up from 378 in 2015.

Those filings rise and fall year by year, but the trend over the past decade has seen a steady increase. According to the New Jersey Courts data provided to NJ Advance Media, 276 grievances have been filed in first eight months of the current judicial year, which runs from July to July.

Attorney Nancy Erika Smith, who represented Gretchen Carlson in her suit against Fox News co-founder Roger Ailes, argued that there have been an increasing number of judges, most appointed in recent years, who simply do not know the law.

"There is a lot of grumbling among lawyers about judges who don't know anything about trying cases. About their having no experience in trying cases," she said of recent appointments to the bench.

She placed the blame for that on the Christie administration's decision to end a long-standing process of using county committees of the New Jersey State Bar Association to scrutinize judicial appointments.

"Chris Christie disbanded the most effective method of vetting judges," charged Smith, who served for many years on the Bar Association's county committee in Essex and co-chaired the Bar Association's state committee for one year.

"By disbanding the county committees, he made sure none of his appointees would be vetted by those who would most familiar with their experience as attorneys," she said.

While Smith said there have been "wonderfully qualified people" named as judges, she added that there have been others who were "promoted out of positions they were failing at," or nominated by Christie as a political favor.

All seven of the Superior Court judges brought up on ethics charges since 2016 were Christie nominations, records show.

Former Christie administration officials took strong issue with any notion that the judges he nominated were lacking in qualifications.

In a statement issued through a spokesman for the former governor, Jeffrey Chiesa, Christopher Porrino and Thomas Scrivo, who all served as chief counsel to the governor, said that "as the lawyers who oversaw the vast majority of these judicial appointments, we endorse and remain extraordinarily proud of the judicial appointments made during our tenures, and we reject any sweeping generalization that demeans these fine jurists based upon the alleged mistakes or misconduct of a few."

In their statement, the three said that from January 2010 through January 2018, "Gov. Christie nominated, and the legislature confirmed, hundreds of judges, after each judicial candidate was carefully vetted by the state senator who sponsored him or her," as well as the state Bar Association, the Judicial Advisory Panel and the Governor's Appointments Office.

"It is offensive and irresponsible for anyone to suggest that these highly qualified and hard-working public servants are somehow less qualified than the judges who were appointed prior to 2010," they wrote.

Under the Hughes Compact, named for former New Jersey Gov. Richard Hughes, the state's governors have historically agreed to withhold nominations of judges, justices and prosecutors until the bar association's Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointments Committee deemed them qualified.

But Smith said Christie revised the compact, limiting the input of the county bar committees.

Gov. Phil Murphy earlier this year signed a new compact, bringing the county bar associations back into the the process, New Jersey State Bar Association officials said.

The 'meanness of our time...'

Former New Jersey Attorney General John Farmer Jr., who served on the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct, said there may be many contributing factors to the rise in grievances.

"Late in my tenure on the committee, we started seeing complaints based on judges' social media activity, which raised issues such as whether if a judge 'friended' someone on Facebook, that 'friendship' should have required recusal," remarked Farmer, who has also served as the dean of the Rutgers University School of Law. "Advancing technology, in other words, has increased the opportunities for potential misconduct to occur, and has also lowered the wall of relative social isolation behind which judges have traditionally functioned."

He noted, too, there are more judges in New Jersey.

"With that expanded pool, again, has come an increased likelihood that misconduct can occur," he said.

More difficult to quantify, Farmer suggested, is that the numbers may reflect the "meanness of our time", in which honest disagreements are more likely to become personal and adverse rulings are more likely to be ascribed to bias or misconduct than to the simple fact that a judge disagrees with a party's position.

"Having said all of that, it was true during my tenure and I assume it remains true that the vast majority of complaints filed against judges are investigated and dismissed," Farmer said. "This state has a deserved reputation for the high quality and ethical standards of its judiciary, particularly by comparison with states like Pennsylvania, where In years gone by Supreme Court Justices, as well as dozens of sitting judges, have been prosecuted for various forms of corruption."

Beyond the vetting issue raised by Smith, the attorney said another reason for the overall increase in the number of complaints may also stem from unhappy litigants in divorce and child custody cases.

"I know a lot of the complaints are in family court. There is a father's movement and one of their goals is to attack judges," she remarked.

Judge Glenn A. Grant, acting administrative director of the courts, said in a statement that as an organization, the judiciary "holds all judges to the highest of standards" and communicates those standards through regular training.

"The judiciary's commitment to judicial ethics is reflected in the work of the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct, which consists of retired judges, attorneys and laypersons who investigate allegations of unethical conduct. If the committee finds probable cause for the imposition of public discipline against a judge, it issues a formal complaint and all further proceedings are made public," he said.

Grant said while the number of complaints against judges fluctuates on a yearly basis, "the statistics continue to show that the vast majority of judges are hardworking and dedicated and conscientious about complying with judicial canons and procedures."

Discipline of judges in New Jersey can take various forms.

If the ACJC investigates a complaint and believes that the judge has violated the Judicial Code of Conduct, it may choose to discipline the judge privately. Or the committee, which is headed by retired Justice Virginia A. Long, can recommend that the Supreme Court issue public discipline against the judge, ranging from admonition to censure, suspension, or removing the judge from the bench.

Only the New Jersey Supreme Court may publicly discipline a judge.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.By Erica Salazar

"Stephen was the life of the party and a great father," Katana told me a few days ago, her voice quivering slightly, yet still strong. Our phone conversation was saturated in memories of their time together and the heart-wrenching day that would change Katana's life forever.

In February 2007, leaving behind pregnant wives, our husbands were deployed as part of the Baghdad surge in Iraq. Finding ourselves in a similar situation, Katana and I formed a true support system.

On March 20, 2007, I had just finished dropping off Katana and her 10-month-old daughter Iyana at their apartment near base after searching for a storage unit. She was preparing to move to be closer to her family for the birth of her son. I returned to the brigade headquarters, and two steps in, my captain pulled me aside and said, "Go back to Mrs. Richardson's apartment. She was just notified that her husband was killed in a roadside bombing."

Like a scene right out of a war movie, items strewn everywhere from the packing process, it looked like a bomb had just ravaged Katana's apartment, leaving in its wake the cries of a confused toddler and a five-months-pregnant mother.

Clutching her pregnant belly in anguish, Katana doubled over, letting out indescribable screams that have since haunted my thoughts. She would later tell me that she believed she had lost their son, feeling him drop inside of her at the sight of the grim messengers in uniform.

Later that night, as I was soothing little Iyana, whose precious eyes glistened with tears, I heard Katana on my computer, logging into Yahoo messenger. In denial, she sat there motionless, staring at the screen, waiting for Stephen to message her as he had every single night since he left.

Six weeks later, my daughter Jewelisa would be born on May 3, 2007, Iyana's first birthday. I'm still in awe of how that transpired. We are forever bonded by our first-borns becoming birthday sisters, and not merely by that tragic experience.

Now here we are, 11 years later, with another Memorial Day upon us.

"My children have no memory of their father," Katana continued on the phone, "so it's meaningful if others honor the legacy of heroes like him by making a trip to any memorial site or even visiting Gold Star families on that day."

This is not to say that we should not enjoy a barbecue with our loved ones, but may we all remember Katana's story and make a true effort to remember heroes like her husband.

For this day is about Army Specialist Stephen K. Richardson. This day is about honoring all the veterans who have sacrificed their lives so that we may cherish ours.

Erica Salazar

Erica Salazar is an aspiring author, an Afghanistan War veteran, and a May 2018 New Jersey City University graduate with a B.S. in National Security Studies.Should we protect a 16-year-old girl from being pressured to marry a man more than three times her age?



Believe it or not, this still happens in New Jersey. Girls are coerced by relatives to wed older men for religious reasons, or because the groom wants a green card.

They often drop out of school, fall victim to domestic abuse and can't escape, because most shelters don't accept anyone under age 18.



Fatima, a New Jersey woman forced to marry at age 15 by strict Muslim parents in Brooklyn, recounted to the New York Times last year how she lied to a judge and claimed she wanted to marry her cousin. Had she refused, she said, her father would have beat her and "they would have kept me locked up in the house forever."



Our state has the same policy today. New Jersey requires judicial consent for children under age 16 to marry, and for those who are 16 or 17, parental consent. There is no minimum age to marry.



In practice, this often means girls have no real say, according to Fraidy Reiss, the head of Unchained at Last, a nonprofit seeking to end child marriage. Reiss, who lives in New Jersey, was herself forced into a violent marriage as an Orthodox Jewish teenager in Brooklyn. It happens more often than you think.



More than 3,620 minors married in our state between 1995 and 2015, her group says - mostly girls wed to adult men. Judges approved 106 marriages at ages that could have triggered statutory rape charges, because the girl was ages 13 to 15, and the man was four or more years older than her.



A bill about to get a final vote in our Assembly would ban child marriage for all minors. Delaware just did - the first in the nation to fully bar it.



But Chris Christie refused to sign this legislation last year. This is a real difficult issue for some Republicans. Like Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R-Bergen), who argues that as long as a 50-year-old and a 16-year-old have "genuine affection" for each other, they should be allowed to wed.



Stop and let that image sink in.



Christie argued a ban on child marriage would violate "cultures and traditions." We should at least allow 16 and 17-year-olds to marry, he said. Some Republicans, like Sen. Mike Doherty (R-Warren), agree. So does New Jersey Right to Life.



But it's girls at these ages who are most often pressured into this, Reiss says.



Christie and the pro-lifers also maintain that if a 16-year old can get an abortion without her parents' knowledge, she should be able to "consent" to marry.

The fact is, though, girls can delay marriage until they are 18. If they become pregnant, they can't delay abortion until age 18. They have to make that decision right away. These are different situations.



Allowing a girl to get an abortion without notifying her parents - who might forbid it - protects her from being forced into motherhood. But she can still be forced into marriage. That's the real inconsistency.



And while ending state-sanctioned child marriages may not fully stop the practice in some religious communities, it would at least prevent it from being used to circumvent statutory rape laws.



Doherty claims this will lead to more abortions by pregnant girls under 18, who don't want to have a child out of wedlock. But churches could still allow such a girl to have a religious "marriage." It defies logic that she would have an abortion, just because it will not have the blessing of the law until she turns 18.



Marie Tasy of New Jersey Right to Life acknowledges that no evidence exists that this will increase abortions. So it's bizarre that her group opposes the bill. Is child marriage a good way to prevent abortion? No. Promote contraceptives, encourage adoptions, or work to ban abortion. Don't defend child brides.



Tasy again argues that some girls will be unwed mothers. This is a dilemma: Does the state protect children, or traditional, 16th century values?

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.By Ambassador Piotr Wilczek

"If I forget about them, then You, God in Heaven, forget about me"

This quote from Adam Mickiewicz, regarded as Poland's greatest poet, expresses the reverence that Poles hold for the deceased, and especially for those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their homeland.

As we approach Memorial Day, the American people and friends of the United States will pause to reflect and honor fallen service men and women. On Monday services will be held in cemeteries across America, but also in Europe and elsewhere, in remote locations where American service members dedicated their lives to freedom and higher ideals.

In Poland, likewise, tribute will be paid to fallen American service members. We will remember the brave American volunteers of the Kosciuszko Squadron, who following World War I helped Poland beat back the Bolsheviks.

We will also commemorate Lt. Francis Akins and the crew members of his B-17 Flying Fortress "I'll Be Seeing You" who were shot down over occupied Poland in September 1944 while bringing crucial supplies to the Polish Resistance fighting in the Warsaw Uprising.

On Memorial Day our thoughts are with the family of SSgt. Michael Ollis of Staten Island, whose courageous actions during a 2013 insurgent attack on a coalition base in Afghanistan saved the life of a Polish officer.

At its core, Memorial Day is a pledge to never forget. It is a call to reflect, and an opportunity to educate. These are universal traits that are cherished and shared by Poles and Americans.

The words of poet Mickiewicz resonate especially deeply in Poland with the crime of Katyn.

The Katyn Massacre was a series of executions in which 22,000 Polish Prisoners of War: soldiers, officers, police officers, but also doctors, lawyers, engineers, professors, religious and others were systematically murdered with a shot to the back of their head by the Soviet secret police on the direct order of Josef Stalin in the Spring of 1940. The prisoners were captured in September 1939 after the Soviet Union, in cooperation with Nazi Germany, invaded Poland without warning.

For half a century the crime of Katyn was censored and the Soviet Union denied responsibility. It has been said that Katyn is a crime without punishment as no Soviet official was ever held responsible for his crime. However our justice is the truth.

The Katyn Memorial in Jersey City is a memorial to truth. It is a testament to the 22,000 POWs who made the ultimate sacrifice and whose memory we cherish especially this Memorial Day. However, it is also a testament to all those who dedicated their lives to the fight for the truth including countless Polish and American veterans, residents of Jersey City, and members of Polonia whose grassroots organizing and years long effort led to the creation of this stunning memorial in 1991.

I am glad that this memorial will remain in Jersey City and will continue to overlook the Hudson River where future generations will be able to learn about Katyn and pay tribute to its victims.

I wish to thank all those unnamed heroes who proclaimed the truth for decades. I wish to thank everyone who in one way or another has adopted the Katyn Memorial as their own, sharing its story and at times difficult history with others.

On this Memorial Day, we reaffirm that we will never forget about them. May the memory of the victims of Katyn and all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom and the values we so cherish live on forever.

Piotr Wilczek is a literary scholar, intellectual historian, writer, and translator who has been Polish Ambassador to the United States since November, 2016.

Submit letters to the editor and guest columns at jjletters@jjournal.comWe conservatives have always believed that the focus of education should be on the children, not the adults who make their livelihood off them.

So I was glad to see that a lot of liberals have come around to our way of thinking, at least partially. A consortium of activist groups recently filed a lawsuit against the state on the grounds that our law tying schooling to place of residence has led to some of the worst school segregation in the country.

As a remedy, the plaintiffs seek to have the courts rule that the statute that ties school attendance to residency "is unlawful and violative of the New Jersey Constitution insofar as it compels New Jersey school children to attend public schools in the municipality in which they reside."

Sounds good to me. It sounded good to Assemblyman Mike Carroll as well.

The Morris County Republican, who is perhaps the most conservative member of that house, told me he'd like the court to go even further. The judges should rule that the state aid allocated to a student follows him to the school he or she chooses.

"This would be a sort of public education voucher," said Carroll. "If they have a right to go somewhere other than the town where they live, then give the money to the town in which they want to go to school."

He cited the example of Asbury Park, which receives more than $30,000 per pupil in state aid according to state Department of Education figures.

"Anybody would take an Asbury Park student because he's coming to you with $30,000 in aid," he said.

Asbury Park is one of the 31 districts that receive large amounts of state aid under a series of state Supreme Court decisions in the Abbott v. Burke cases that have stretched over three decades.

In those decisions, the court tried to address educational insufficiencies by directing the lion's share of state aid to underperforming districts. But those districts are some of the most segregated in America, the suit argues.

So award the money to the schools the students want to attend rather than the ones they're forced to attend, said Carroll.

"Once you create a system that's student-centered, the entire Abbott edifice falls apart," said Carroll.

I ran that by Gary Stein. He's the 85-year-old retired state Supreme Court justice who ruled on many Abbott cases and who is one of the prime movers in this lawsuit.

"When we were handling the Abbott cases there was never any focus on racial statistics," he said. "It was all about funding."

But now that he's looking at the racial statistics, he's appalled at the level of segregation. Irvington, where he grew up, was all white in his youth.

Now

the school population is almost entirely black and Hispanic. The same goes for Newark and East Orange.

Stein recalled going to Duke University in the 1950s and seeing state-imposed segregation up close.

"I had this vivid memory watching school buses filled with black kids taking them to an all-black school," he said. "Now we're way more segregated than Durham is."

Stein said there are a number of innovative solutions that could bring about integration on a voluntary basis.

The example most cited is Hartford, Conn., he said.

There, an equal number of magnet schools were set up in the city and its suburbs. The urban schools drew suburban students and vice-versa.

That certainly sounds like a reasonable approach to me - until I ponder the current kerfuffle over school funding in New Jersey.

Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and Democratic Senate President Steve Sweeney are fighting over the question of whether to fully implement the School Funding Reform Act.

That was enacted in 2008 under Democratic governor Jon Corzine.

The slogan at the time was that under the SFRA "the money follows the child."

But the legislators also enacted a provision that prevented aid from being moved from districts with shrinking enrollments to those with rising enrollments.

Sweeney represents several school districts in Gloucester County that have accepted lots of new students without any state aid following them.

That's because of a provision stating that no district could receive less funding in 2009 than it received in 2008 - even if enrollment dropped.

Sweeney wants the money to follow the children to growing districts. Murphy's original budget called for the aid to largely stay where it is - paying the salaries of loyal New Jersey Education Association members.

If Democrats can't agree with Democrats on such a simple reform, how could they ever agree on letting urban students leave their old, failing schools for those new magnet schools?

I have no idea.Want to find the cheapest gas near you this Memorial Day weekend? Here are a few easy ways to hunt down the cheapest gas prices.

1) Know the average price.

Knowledge is power. Your bench mark is the statewide average price of regular, which climbed to $3 per gallon Thursday morning, according to GasBuddy.com. New Jersey's prices are trending about five cents per gallon higher than the $2.97 per gallon average national price for regular.

New Jersey joins 13 others and the District of Columbia at $3 a gallon and above, said Robert Sinclair, AAA Northeast spokesman.

But bargains can be found if you look. The cheapest price in the state on Thursday was an unbelievable $2.71 at a station named Gasland in Helmetta and most of the lowest discount prices were in the $2.71 to $2.78 a gallon range, according to Gas Buddy, which crowd sources the lowest and highest prices.

2) Use these tools to save

The Internet and your phone can save you leg work. AAA, GasBuddy and Gas Guru are free smartphone apps have on-line tools that use GPS or your zip code to help find cheap gas near your location.

The on-line AAA fuel finder give results in a separate window after you enter your town, state and zip code, so turn off your pop up blocker. GasBuddy's web page also lets you search by zip code and give the statewide average prices.

3) Highways -- gas price friend or foe?

Gas tends to be more expensive at stations along or near highways, highly trafficked areas and affluent neighborhoods, Sinclair said. The same brand and grade of gas can have a 25 cent price difference at stations as close as a quarter mile from one another, due to those circumstances, he said.

There are exceptions to the highway rule.

Some highway corridors are havens for good gas prices, such as the Route 1 corridor between Edison and New Brunswick, Route 9 south of the Raritan River in Middlesex and Monmouth counties, sections of Route 22 in Union County, Route 41 in Deptford, and Route 168 between Mount Ephraim and Runnemede.

The bottom line, know where the cheap gas lives on the highways you drive.

4) Know your turf and when to buy

Drivers should keep a lookout while driving and make a mental note where gasoline stations tend to have cheaper prices, Sinclair said.

"Even when prices start to go up, those stations will probably maintain their price advantage," he said. "And with prices going up day by day, if you need gas, get it now."

5) Can you use "no name" gas?

No name or "unbranded" gas stations typically have lower prices than name brands, but will you ruin your car? It is an option, Sinclair said. However, you should stick with the octane that the manufacturer recommends for your vehicle.

"It's all safe to use, as all gasoline must meet federal standards for quality," Sinclair said. "It might not be Top Tier gas, meaning not the cleanest burning fuel, but it's okay to use."

If you're really worried about engine deposits building up from unbranded gas, make every third fill-up with name brand gas, said Tom Kloza, Oil Price Information Service global petroleum analyst.

6) Is there relief in sight?

Don't hold your breath.

"Higher prices are being driven by more expensive crude oil, tighter supplies and higher demand, with the last factor likely to increase with the start of the summer driving season this holiday weekend," Sinclair said.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.Accuweather

Memorial Day weather outlook for New Jersey

UPDATED FORECAST FRIDAY: Memorial Day weekend forecast starts strong before storms

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By Jeff Goldman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The weather forecast for Memorial Day weekend in New Jersey isn't looking so great so enjoy it while it lasts.

The best weather day will be Friday, which is shaping up to be sunny, warm and dry while there's a good chance of at least some rain the three days that follow. At the very least, we'll see little if any sun on Sunday and Monday, according the National Weather Service.

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Accuweather

Friday of Memorial Day weekend brings warmer weather

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"Friday will be gorgeous," said Joe Slezak, a meteorologist with WeatherWorks, a private weather forecasting company based in Hackettstown.

Forecasters are calling for sunny skies Friday with highs in the 80s on what is getaway day for hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans. It could be a bit breezy, notes Slezak with winds of around to 15 mph possible.

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Accuweather

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Conditions stay pleasant Friday night with clear skies and lows mainly in the 60s.

Saturday starts off with dry, sunny conditions, but heat and humidity could set off pop-up thunderstorms in the afternoon and into the evening as a back door cold front sets up around the Mason-Dixon Line.

It'll be a very warm Saturday with temperatures in the upper 80s and a heat index that makes it feel like it's in the low 90s.

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MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

Tropical humidity will stream northward into the Mid Atlantic from the Gulf States while a backdoor cold front will be pushing down from the NE. This will give us the chance for scat'd downpours/storms, but its not a washout. pic.twitter.com/r2ZqjaPkQP  Adam Joseph (@6abcadamjoseph) May 23, 2018

Cold front affects second half of Memorial Day weekend

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Sunday can be summed up in one word  "dreary," according to Slezak. The day will feature widespread periods of rain with only occasional intervals of dry weather. Temps will also be much cooler in the 70s.

"Sunday is definitely the wettest day of the weekend." Slezak said.

Monday is a bit better with a longer periods of dry weather and only occasional rain. Temperatures will again be in the mid to upper 70s on what will largely be a cloudy day. Areas around Philadelphia might reach the 80 degree mark.

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A nice stretch of weather is on tap for the remainder of the work week. Comfortable nights, and pleasantly warm days are expected. The humidity begins to climb more noticeably by Friday night into Saturday. Posted by US National Weather Service New York NY on Wednesday, May 23, 2018

High temperatures climb Thursday and Friday

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Shore-goers might want to think twice about going too far into the ocean as water temperatures are only about 60 degrees this time of year. The National Weather Service also issued a reminder for ocean swimmers to be cautious of rip currents.

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For those going to the beach this Memorial Day Weekend, please keep the following in mind: It`s quite a bit different... Posted by US National Weather Service Philadelphia/Mount Holly on Thursday, May 24, 2018

Rip current danger reminder

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Nice weather can also be found on either end of the extended holiday weekend  Thursday is shaping up as sunny with temps in the low 80s. Once everyone is back to work on Tuesday, the sun returns as forecasters expect a dry day with highs near 80.

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Deeeeeeeeeep Summery Weather Into Saturday, Some rain Chances for Sunday and Memorial Day Monday. pic.twitter.com/YA9lFceANA  Bill Evans (@Evansweather) May 24, 2018

Memorial Day forecast for New York City area

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THE EARLY CALL

Here's a look at the holiday weekend for the Shore and Poconos. Saturday looks to be the best day, but then the chance of spotty storms for the afternoon. More scattered activity expected for Sunday and Monday with more clouds than sun. pic.twitter.com/IRq8nGYyvu  Cecily Tynan (@CecilyTynan) May 23, 2018

Memorial Day weather outlook for Philadephia area

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Memorial Day outlook video from nynjpaweather.com

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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.Japan will have to wait.



The Angels whacked the chances at a showdown between their star right-hander Shohei Ohtani and the Yankees' Masahiro Tanaka, his fellow countryman, on Sunday at Yankee Stadium.



The pair were lined up to battle each other on the mound but, according to the Associated Press, Ohtani's start will be pushed back indefinitely in order to manage his workload.



Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Ohtani would still be available to hit against Tanaka.

Leyritz rips Old-Timers' Day



Ohtani last pitched Sunday against the Rays, grabbing his second straight win while giving up two runs and six hits in 7 2/3 innings, a season-high. His 110 pitches were also a season-high.



The 23-year-old rookie is 4-1 with a 3.35 ERA in seven starts. He's also hitting .308 with six home runs and 19 RBI and a .946 OPS in 26 games.



The Yankees hoped to sign Ohtani in the offseason but he landed with the Angels after telling potential suitors he wouldn't sign with a big-market club or one that played on the East Coast.





The Angels have moved Garrett Richards into Ohtani's spot against Tanaka. Andrew Heaney will pitch the Friday series opener against Luis Severino. The Angels haven't announced a Saturday starter but the Yankees have said they will throw Sonny Gray.



Tanaka and Ohtani are at least acquaintances, having worked out together in the offseason. Tanaka is 5-2 with a 4.95 ERA in 10 starts. He's been awful his last three outings, posting a 6.46 ERA and giving up five home runs.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.The owner of the F. Christiana and Co. food distribution center in Marrero plans to triple its facility size and add 45 jobs to its 140-person payroll, officials said Thursday (May 24). US Foods, headquartered in Rosemont, Ill., expects to start the expansion late this year.

To seal the deal, Louisiana is giving US Foods a $1.5 million performance-based grant and loaning it $561,000, a debt that may be forgiven if the company lives up to its end of the agreement, the governor's office said. Tax breaks also are possible if, as expected, the company applies for Enterprise Zone status.

US Foods employs almost 25,000 people at more than 60 sites to supply 250,000 restaurants and other food service operators. It considered several markets for this expansion before settling on Marrero, officials said. South Region President Keith Knight thanked the state's economic development department, the Jefferson Economic Development Commission and Jefferson Parish government for making the expansion possible.

F. Christiana dates from 1963, when Frank Christiana bought and renamed his father's 29-year-old Algiers egg dealership. The business moved to Harvey in 1965 and eventually expanded to poultry, pork, beef, cheese and butter. It moved to a 50,000-square-foot warehouse in Marrero in 1989, expanded to 70,000 square feet and now distributes more than 2,000 food and food-related items to restaurants, hotels and convenience stores within 200 miles.

US Food bought the company in 2017. At the time, F. Christiana recorded almost $100 million in annual sales, US Food said.

New jobs at the Marrero site will pay an average annual salary of $46,000, officials said. Louisiana Economic Development projects 38 new indirect jobs from the expansion, in addition to 45 direct jobs at the site.

. . . . . . .

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.Creole Cuisine Restaurant Concepts was the first-place winner in the Large Companies division for Top Workplaces 2018, honored at a special event Thursday (May 24) at the Morial Convention Center.

For a visitor to Creole Cuisine Restaurant Concepts main office in the French Quarter, it becomes quickly evident that this is a business in the hospitality industry. It takes only two minutes for the person who first greeted him to lead him to his appointment, and in that time five employees ask the visitor the same question.

"Has someone helped you?"

It's the same welcoming spirit you'll find among the 18 restaurants in the company's portfolio, ranging from casual eateries to fine dining, nine special event venues and two daquiri bars. All are run by the Ammari brothers - Marv, Richy and Zeid - who apply a family mindset to running a business founded in 1989 that now has more than 1,300 employees.

Mary Bergeron, a server at the Original Pierre Maspero's for 12 years, understands the family philosophy is important when there's so much competition for diners - K-Paul's is next door, NOLA is around the corner and Napoleon House is on the next block.

"When the doors open, it's showtime," Bergeron said. "The first thing we tell our guests is 'Welcome to our house.'

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As the company has grown, maintaining that family feel has been a priority for the Ammaris, said Thomas Burns, area director for casual concepts. He left a job in the restaurant industry in Texas eight years ago and has been with Creole Cuisine for eight years. What stands out to him about the company is that it doesn't follow the rigid practices of other group restaurant operations.

"Everyone says they're a family business. Not everyone delivers on it," Burns said.

Flexibility is a must for Creole Cuisine, given the wide breadth of operations under its umbrella. That variety also presents opportunities to employees who want to advance their careers.

Steve Cochran, the general manager of Big Easy Daiquiris and Crescent City Pizza Works, is a case in point. He's been with the company nearly 10 years and knows he has outpaced industry members his own age in his rise through the ranks. The 31-year-old oversees five locations, three managers and 60 employees.

"I've been able to grow here as an adult," Cochran said. "I know where my contemporaries are ... no one my age has that much."

Employees credit the Creole Cuisine management with being good listeners and for implementing ideas learned from the front lines of their businesses. Jeffery White, who's worked at the Royal House Oyster Bar for 10 years, started in its kitchen. Six months on the job, he asked the chef if he could work out front in the oyster bar. It turned out to be a natural fit for the gregarious shucker. "The chef pulled me aside and said, 'Jeff, you're killing it out there." ... I don't want to work for anyone else. That's how I feel."The first-degree murder case for a man charged in the stabbing and suffocation death of his 18-month-old daughter will not move forward until at least July, as the state still does not have enough money to pay for his defense, a lawyer assigned to the case said Thursday (May 24).

Mark Hambrick was indicted in February for first-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to juveniles. He has not yet been arraigned on the charges.

First-degree murder carries a possible death sentence upon conviction. District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro said his office has not yet announced whether it intends to pursue the death penalty in Hambrick's case.

"We were hopeful that the judge today would have allowed the defendant to be arraigned in order for this process to start moving forward," he said.

At Thursday's hearing, Cormac Boyle of the Capital Appeals Project told Criminal District Judge Robin Pittman the state still does not have enough money to provide a defense for Hambrick. The Orleans Public Defenders do not handle death penalty cases.

Boyle, who said the Louisiana Public Defender Board put him on the case to represent Hambrick's rights, said Hambrick is No. 2 on a waitlist. He asked that Pittman delay his arraignment until two capital-certified trial lawyers become available. Christopher Murrell from the Capital Appeals Project previously waived the 30-day time period for arraignment, according to court records.

Assistant District Attorney Jason Napoli said the state was ready to proceed Thursday, but Pittman delayed Hambrick's arraignment until July 3.

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Hambrick is charged with stabbing and suffocating his 18-month-old daughter, Amina Hambrick, inside his home in the 3100 block of North Rampart Street on Oct. 17, 2017. Hambrick's wife was at work at the time.

Amina was their only child.

Hambrick told a 911 dispatcher he killed Amina, and said he would be waiting on his front porch for police.

NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison said at the time of his arrest that Hambrick told police he was not mentally ill. But based on his actions, the chief said, investigators "reasonably suspect there is either mental illness or drug abuse or a combination of both."

Harrison said the day Hambrick contacted police, he told them over the phone "that God made him do it."

Hambrick worked for the Sewerage & Water Board as an internal audit analyst.The Orleans Parish Coroner identified the two men killed in a Desire area shooting Wednesday morning (May 23) as 23-year-old Lionel Clark and 25-year-old Randy Green.

Police were called to a shooting about 7:05 a.m. to the 3400 block of Ursula Spencer Way (map), where officers found Clark and Green inside a vehicle. Both had been shot more than once and were pronounced dead at the scene.

Clark and Green are two of four men to die in New Orleans area shootings that occurred between Wednesday morning and Thursday morning. On Thursday, NOPD responded to two fatal shootings within 20 minutes of each other. A 44-year-old man was fatally shot in St. Roch and a man was fatally shot in Leonidas.

No more details were immediately available. Authorities ask anyone with information about this crime to contact Crimestoppers at 504.822.1111.Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on Wednesday (May 23) signed into law legislation requiring all police agencies in Louisiana to adopt eyewitness identification procedures aimed at preventing mistaken identifications and wrongful convictions.

At Edwards' side during the signing ceremony, in a dark suit, blue tie and big smile, was Robert Jones, a New Orleans man who spent 23 years of a life sentence in prison based on a wrongful conviction. His lawyers from Innocence Project New Orleans had argued he was mistakenly identified, perhaps in part because of the manner in which New Orleans police officers presented victims and witnesses with a photo array and line-up. Jones was released on bond in 2015, a few months after the court vacated his conviction. The Orleans parish District Attorney's Office dropped the charges against Jones in February 2017 and he now works as a client advocate for the Orleans Public Defender's Office.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Wesley Bishop, D-New Orleans, mandates all police agencies in the state adopt the Louisiana Sheriff's Executive Management Institute model policy on eyewitness identification procedures, or write its own policy that adapts best practices. The model policy calls for, among other procedures, blind administration of photo lineups and instructions that the suspect may or may not be in the lineup.

Misidentifications were a factor in 73 percent of the 2,000 exoneration cases in the United States since 1989, the National Registry of Exonerations found. Of all the exonerations cases tracked by the group, eyewitness misidentifications made unintentionally - as opposed to intentional lies -- were a factor in 30 percent of the cases.

"It could prevent atrocities from happening like what happened to me and other guys. ... And stop wasting taxpayer dollars prosecuting the wrong people and get the right people off the streets," Jones said of the legislation in an interview last month.

Innocence Project New Orleans worked with the bill's sponsor, Wesley Bishop, D-New Orleans, and criminal justice leaders across the state to get the legislation in a posture so that most legislators could support it. Other IPNO clients attended the signing ceremony, as did Mike Ranatza, the executive director of the Louisiana Sheriff's Association - among the most influential lobbying groups in the state on criminal justice matters.

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Senate Bill 38 passed the House with a vote of 90-14, and the Senate with a vote of 34-5.

The law requires each criminal justice agency that administers eyewitness identification procedures to provide the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice with a copy of its written policies by March 1, 2019.

Read a summary of the law here.

Read more about Jones' story here.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the legislation required agencies to adopt the model policy of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The new law refers to the model policy of the Louisiana Sheriff's Executive Management Institute.A New Orleans East resident has been indicted on heroin distribution charges, according to the office of United States District Attorney Duane Evans.

Arthur Johnson, 40, faces a seven charges related to heroin distribution, per an indictment handed down Thursday (May 24).

The first involves conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin starting around December 28, 2017. If found guilty, he could face anywhere from ten years in prison to a life sentence and a fine up to $10 million.

He also faces five counts distributing a quantity of heroin from April 2017 to June 2017. Each of the five counts carries anywhere from ten years in prison to a life sentence and a fine up to $1 million.

Lastly, the seventh count involves possessing with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, which also carries anywhere from ten years in prison to a life sentence and a fine up to $10 million.New Orleans police are seeking to question a man who might have information about the rape of a woman who NOPD says was sexually assaulted after leaving an Uptown bar on May 13.

The department on Thursday (May 24) released photos of a "person of interest," described in a news release as middle-aged, about 5-foot-11, with gray hair. The man was last seen leaving F&M Patio Bar about 1 a.m. with a woman who hours later reported she had been sexually assaulted by an unknown man, the NOPD said. Police say the person they are seeking to question was last seen wearing a light-colored, long-sleeved shirt and red pants.

The man in the picture is "not wanted in connection to the sexual assault," NOPD said in the release, but "may have valuable information regarding this incident."

NOPD was first alerted about the sexual assault that occurred near the corner of Dufossat and Laurel streets -- about six block away from F&M's -- about 4:25 a.m. that Sunday, an NOPD report on the rape states. The report states the woman was raped outdoors in a street, road or alley by a stranger she met at a bar. She was treated on the scene for lacerations, the report states.

The report lists the assault as a third-degree rape, which is defined in Louisiana as intercourse without consent, including when the victim is incapable of resisting because they are intoxicated or otherwise incapacitated.

The woman underwent a sexual assault examination, the report states. NOPD spokesman Gary Scheets said Wednesday the investigation is "open and active."

Anyone with information about the sexual assault is asked to contact NOPD's 2nd District at 504-658-6020 or make an anonymous tip through Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.New Orleans police are investigating after a woman reported she was raped after leaving F&M Patio Bar on May 13, according to the police department.

An NOPD report on the rape states the woman was raped outdoors in a street, road or alley by a stranger she met at a bar. She was treated on the scene for lacerations, the report states.

NOPD was first alerted about the sexual assault about 4:25 a.m. that Sunday, the report states.

The NOPD report lists the location of the rape as the intersection of Dufossat and Laurel streets, which is about six blocks from the popular Uptown bar, located at 4841 Tchoupitoulas St.

An officer from NOPD's 2nd District, which polices parts of Uptown, Broadmoor, Carrollton, Leonidas and Freret, initially responded to the call. Shortly before 9 a.m. that morning, NOPD Sex Crimes Unit Detective Miosha Walker joined the investigation.

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"Victim was believed to have been sexually assaulted by an unknown male subject," the report states.

The report lists the assault as a third-degree rape, which is defined in Louisiana as intercourse without consent, including when the victim is incapable of resisting because they are intoxicated or otherwise incapacitated. Third-degree rape carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

The woman underwent a sexual assault examination, the report states. NOPD spokesman Gary Scheets said the investigation is "open and active."

No other information was available.

Anyone with information about the sexual assault is asked to contact NOPD's Sex Crimes Unit at 504-658-5523 or make an anonymous tip through Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.The first place in New Orleans that Liam Deegan, a bartender and an owner of Barrel Proof, ever visited was a belt shop on Toulouse Street. Deegan's dad makes buckles, and on a tour of colleges for Deegan, he wanted to visit his good customer in New Orleans.

Now Deegan and Robert LeBlanc, who owns Cavan, Sylvain and Meauxbar, have opened a new bar called Longway Tavern in that very same building on Toulouse Street.

The cocktails at Longway are almost all classics, like a Sidecar, a Martini, a Sazerac or a whiskey highball. The wine list is carefully selected and far from ordinary. You can even order a sweet Madeira or a dry sherry. The two beers on tap are Guinness and Miller High Life.

The food from chef John Sinclair, who also runs the kitchen at Barrel Proof, is designed to have familiar flavors but still surprise. Fried grits come with a red-eye gravy. English peas are served with country ham and bread crumbs. And fried calamari is tossed with Swiss chard, grape tomatoes and charred lemons.

LeBlanc and his company are masters at creating appealing spaces. Longway Tavern, with its dark interior and large courtyard, adds another inviting retreat to the city.

"It's our mission to be stewards of New Orleans culture and heritage," LeBlanc said, "but also to represent the inclusive and diverse New Orleans of the 21st century."

Opened: May 17

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On the menu: English peas ($7); Caesar salad ($11); fried calamari ($11); home fries ($9); pork shoulder steak ($28) (See the full menu online)

Need to know: Longway Tavern is decorated with stills from the 1969 film "Easy Rider." The characters in the film visited a fictional brothel up the block at the corner of Toulouse and Bourbon streets.

Hours: Daily from 4 p.m. to midnight.

Longway Tavern: 719 Toulouse St., New Orleans

***

Got a tip? Know some restaurant news? Email Todd A. Price at TPrice@NOLA.com or call 504.826.3445. Follow him on Twitter (@TPrice504) or join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/wherenolaeats.The Cypress Academy community took members of the Orleans Parish School Board to task Tuesday night (May 22) during a meeting at the Mid-City school hours after OPSB announced it would directly manage the charter school to keep it from closing by Wednesday.

Tuesday's meeting was initially planned by the Cypress administration to explain to parents why its board voted on Sunday to merge the charter with the Lafayette Academy Extension at the Paul Dunbar Building in Hollygrove. The weekend announcement stated the school's small headcount of students made it "very difficult" for the school to pay for the needs of its students.

Parents in the Cypress cafeteria audibly gasped after head of school Bob Berk told them Cypress has to raise about $600,000 to balance its budget for the next school year. Berk said Cypress even opened this school year on "a leaner model" than they did last year in an effort to maintain the school, which involved only using one co-teacher across grade levels instead of two. However, Berk said the school realized that the leaner model "wasn't working school-wide."

Berk said he managed to find a few donors willing to pay up to $250,000 to Cypress, but he acknowledged he did not feel like they would still be able to raise the full amount of funding in time. Several parents in the room filled with more than 30 people told Berk the board should have been more transparent with parents about their financial burdens.

Berk's comments followed a brief appearance from OPSB Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. near the start at the Cypress meeting. Although he left moments after his comments to attend Benjamin Franklin High School's graduation ceremony, he sought to assure parents his staff would listen to their concerns in order to help the district respond to their concerns at Thursday's planned meeting between OPSB and the Cypress community.

Parents present stated Tuesday night  as well as on social media and in emails to NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, that they are worried about OPSB's proposed takeover because OPSB would change the faculty makeup of the school. Lewis told parents the district must obey "traditional school law" and initiate a process to hire teachers at Cypress, so he could not promise every teacher currently staffed at the charter would be rehired.

The parents stressed new teachers might not be as equipped to handle the needs of the students at Cypress, where 1 in 5 students are enrolled in special education services. Board documents from Cypress show the charter has 170 students for the 2017-18 school year. Although OPSB Assistant Superintendent Adam Hitt-Hawf said "approximately 26 percent" of Cypress students are in special education programs, parents at the school said the number is 25 percent. By comparison, Hawf said the citywide average of special education students by school is 13 percent.

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Berk said the board approached OPSB to see if the district could give Cypress some of the funds the district maintains in reserves in order to aid Cypress, but Hawf told parents there are laws that govern how the district is supposed to use those reserves for overall school system.

Even so, Cypress board members like Terri Hunter stressed the district needs to provide the funding to support Cypress. Cypress board president Lance Query said Lewis stated in a letter to the board Tuesday that the board would have until Friday to surrender its charter before Lewis considers charter revocation for Cypress.

Hunter said their board has spent months working with OPSB to try to get more funding to serve Cypress and its special education students. She said OPSB told their board they should consider cutting their budget and their teaching staff to maintain the school, but Hunter stressed that doing so would hinder its ability to educate the students.

With these issues in mind, parents like Jeremy Dewberry stressed to school officials that they have to "keep Cypress the way it is." Several parents in the room shared stories about how their child either struggled at or could not get accepted into other schools in the city due to either their learning disabilities or other conditions like autism.

Regardless, EnrollNOLA has delayed the OneApp Round 2 enrollment deadline for one week until June 1 at 5 p.m. for families with students currently enrolled at Cypress who want to change schools. Parents like Nick Hargrove pushed for OPSB to promise priority OneApp placement to the parents of Cypress students, but EnrollNOLA's Amy Brainard said they would not get closing school priority to school seats that are not open.

. . . . . . .

Wilborn P. Nobles III is an education reporter based in New Orleans. He can be reached at wnobles@nola.com or on Twitter at @WilNobles.The state Department of Natural Resources has appealed a judge's ruling that it had improperly permitted the controversial Bayou Bridge Pipeline.

Filed Tuesday (May 22), the appeal asserts that DNR staff did not violate laws designed to protect the public and environment when it issued the permits for portions of pipeline.

"We feel our staff did their jobs the right way ... in issuing the permits," DNR spokesman Patrick Courreges said Wednesday.

Judge Alvin Turner Jr., of the 23rd Judicial District Court in Ascension Parish, had ruled last month that the permit should be reconsidered and that DNR must require the pipeline company to develop a emergency evacuation and response plans for areas near the pipeline.

The proposed 162-mile pipeline pipeline would run from St. James Parish to Lake Charles. A portion would cut through the Atchafalaya River Basin, a vast and ecologically rich swampland that conservationists hope to protect from potential oil spills.

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DNR's permit applies to a 17-mile portion of the route in coastal zone-classified areas of St. James and Assumption Parish.

After the ruling, lawyers representing environmental groups and St. James residents demanded that DNR order the halt of pipeline work. But Courreges said DNR couldn't stop work until either his agency decides not to appeal or the time to file an appeal runs out, which would have been mid-June. DNR's appeal kills any potential stop-work order based on the ruling.

Meanwhile, work on the pipeline has intensified. Residents and activists report that workers set up powerful lights at a work site in Assumption Parish on Friday and worked through the night.

"They've never done that before," said Anne Rolfes of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, which has volunteer monitors watching the work. "They're obviously trying to rush this."

Energy Transfer Partners, which is building the pipeline jointly with Phillips 66, did not immediately respond Wednesday afternoon to a request for comment on the project's construction.Donald Trump has cancelled what would have been a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The White House announced the decision Thursday morning (May 24).

In a letter to Kim -- posted to the official White House Twitter feed -- Trump said he had been looking forward to the summit but that recent bellicose language from the North Korean leader made such a meeting "inappropriate."

"I was very much looking forward to being there with you," Trump wrote of the planned summit, which was to take place June 12 in Singapore. "Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting."

Trump went on do a little saber-rattling of his own in the oddly toned letter, which vacillated between praising Kim and chastising him. "You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used," Trump wrote.

The news of the cancellation of the summit comes after what appeared to be a remarkable thawing between the two countries following nearly 70 years of hostilities dating to the start of the Korean War in 1950 -- and which, at least for a time, cast Trump in the unlikely role of statesman.

In April, Kim met with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in, in what was perceived by some to be a possible prelude to a meeting between Trump and Kim. Things appeared to further accelerate when, as a sign of good will, Kim in early May agreed to release three American detainees being held in North Korea for more than a year.

Then, this week, Trump hinted that the summit might be delayed, after North Korea indicated that it would consider cancelling the summit if the United States insisted that North Korea unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons. On Thursday -- the same day, ironically, that North Korea reportedly destroyed a nuclear test facility in an apparent attempt to ease tensions -- those hints gave way to reality.

In his letter to Kim, Trump left open the door to the resumption of negotiations, although he suggested that would be up to Kim.

"If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write," Trump wrote. "The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history."Wendy Vitter's nomination for a federal judgeship in New Orleans received a major boost Thursday (May 24) when the sharply divided Senate Judiciary Committee endorsed her. The party-line vote was 11-10.

The general counsel to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans and wife of former Sen. David Vitter, R-La., has been a controversial nominee. Backers praise her compassion, professionalism and intelligence. Critics deplore her anti-abortion views and her refusal to say whether the Supreme Court was right in 1954 to outlaw racial segregation in public schools.

GOP President Donald Trump selected Vitter for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the 13-parish Eastern District of Louisiana. Her nomination now goes to the full Senate, where Republicans hold a slim majority that all but guarantees the Senate will confirm her. During the Trump administration, only one Republican senator, Louisiana's John Kennedy, has voted against a presidential nominee for judge, and that happened just once.

Republicans occupy 51 of the Senate's 100 seats, but one of them, 81-year-old John McCain of Arizona, has been absent most of the year while recovering from brain surgery. Democrats hold 47 seats, and the two independents in the Senate usually vote with them.

Carl Tobias, the University of Richmond (Va.) law professor who tracks judicial nominations, said the best bets on Republicans opposing Vitter are Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. "But neither has flipped yet," he said.

The 11 Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, including Kennedy, voted for Vitter. The 10 Democrats voted against her.

Only one senator, Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, spoke on the nomination. She scoffed at the notion that nominees such as Vitter will set aside their personal beliefs when ruling on cases.

"What a nominee says and does before they a receive a lifetime appointment to the federal bench matters. ... We think it is a guide to what she will do as a judge," Hirono said. "In fact, it's why she wants the job and why she was picked.

"Nobody should insult this committee and the role of the Senate by pretending that the records of these nominees don't matter or that they shouldn't have to answer our questions about how they would approach the law."

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., issued a statement congratulating Vitter and saying he looks forward to voting for her on the Senate floor. "I'm glad the committee looked past partisan political exercises and voted her through based on her excellent qualifications," he said.

. . . . . . .

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.Up to 150,000 households who otherwise wouldnt qualify  including some with six-figure salaries  are expected to apply for food stamps as qualifications are relaxed to help in the recovery from Hurricane Ida.Note: Although several Times-Picayune stories from the time identify the grassy strip as an abandoned airstrip near the levee, some of our readers disagree. The story has been modified to simply call it a grassy strip.

It's a good thing Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans had a grassy strip on its property in 1988. Otherwise, a Boeing 737 from San Salvador might have had no place to land.

As The Times-Picayune reported in 1988, TACA Flight 110 lost engine power on its May 24 approach to New Orleans. The National Transportation Safety Board released a transcript of the cockpit voice recording later that year, and it shows the confusion of the pilot and first officer after the flight, en route from San Salvador via Belize, fell to an altitude of about 1,000 feet.

The transcript, combined with handwritten statements by crew members, seems to indicate that the TACA crew had little time and much to do from the time the engines quit until the plane landed -- a period of less than five minutes, the Picayune reported at the time.

"It's several tense moments and there's a lot happening in the cockpit," said Warren Wandel, the safety board investigator heading the crash study. But while the forced landing was required by engine failure, just why the engines died in midflight remains a mystery, Wandel said at the time.

The Picayune reported that after losing power in heavy rains over the Gulf of Mexico, the crew thought its engines had restarted when the plane reached Lake Borgne. Capt. Carlos Dardano at first told the New Orleans control tower he had one engine, then both.

Seconds later, he realized he had none.

"This (expletive) is not starting," Dardano told his crew at one point, according to the transcript.

He told the tower he could not land at New Orleans Lakefront Airport and Interstate 10 were beyond reach, too, he said.

Dardano told the tower he planned to make a 360-degree turn, head back toward Lake Borgne and make an emergency landing in the water, the Picayune reported.

Then, just moments before beginning that emergency maneuver, first officer Dionisio Lopez spotted a grassy strip of land next to a levee in eastern New Orleans.

Less than one minute later, Dardano piloted the jet and all 45 people aboard to a safe landing on the strip at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility.

That year, 1988, was a bad year for TACA, an airline started in Honduras in 1931 and whose headquarters later moved to El Salvador.

In July 1988, a plane chartered to TACA crashed, killing its crew of three after the pilot reported the plane was running out of fuel and would not make New Orleans, the Picayune reported at the time.

The aircraft, with its landing gear lowered, hit the top of a levee near Golden Meadow, bounced back into the air traveling 141 feet before the right wing touched down and the plane broke apart, the Picayune reported.

Aaron Broussard, mayor of Kenner at the time, told the New Orleans Aviation Board he wanted TACA barred from using New Orleans International Airport, now Louis Armstrong International Airport, because of an FAA report regarding subpar safety standards at TACA at the time.

The FAA, in response to complaints by TACA pilots, found improper training programs for pilots and other crew members, inadequate flight manuals and airplanes with broken instruments, the Picayune reported.

The FAA and TACA agreed to address the problems, and the airline was allowed to continue operating in the United States.Today

Partly cloudy skies. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

Intervals of clouds and sunshine. High 88F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.President Museveni has hit at Bank of Uganda governor Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile for being "dogmatic" and unwilling to adapt to new technology.



The two were speaking during the Africa Blockchain Conference which opened at Kampala Serena hotel today. The conference, organized by the Blockchain Association of Uganda, was reviewing the role of blockchain technology in Africa's transformation.

Museveni addressing the conference on blockchain technology Blockchain is the world's latest and leading software platform for digital assets. It keeps a record of all data exchanges which is referred to as a ledger in the cryptocurrency world. Each data exchange is a transaction while every verified transaction is added to the ledger as a block.



Mutebile told the meeting that blockchain technology lacks the necessary prerequisites to work as a currency and that people who sell cryptocurrencies risk being burned when the bubble eventually bursts.



He cautioned that no cryptocurrency can match the legality of a national currency adding that the technology can only succeed in the presence of a legal provision to give a currency status to a crypto. Blockchain is the world's latest and leading software platform for digital assets. It keeps a record of all data exchanges which is referred to as a ledger in the cryptocurrency world. Each data exchange is a transaction while every verified transaction is added to the ledger as a block.Mutebile told the meeting that blockchain technology lacks the necessary prerequisites to work as a currency and that people who sell cryptocurrencies risk being burned when the bubble eventually bursts.He cautioned that no cryptocurrency can match the legality of a national currency adding that the technology can only succeed in the presence of a legal provision to give a currency status to a crypto.

Bitcoin, the category creator of blockchain technology prides in being the "first decentralized peer-to-peer payment network that is powered by its users with no central authority or middlemen."

"No cryptocurrency can match a well managed or original currency. Cryptocurrencies do not have the privileges of legal tender and are not backed by the central bank, which ensures the supply of the currency is always adequate with the demand. Furthermore, there are no external mechanisms for backing cryptocurrencies to ensure that they have a stable value. Consequently, cryptocurrencies are subject to extreme price volatility which renders them ineffective as a store value or unit of account." said Mutebile.



Mutebile argues that the emergency of cryptocurrencies should not divert Ugandans from the role played by central banks as stewards of public trust. He says the blockchain enabled cryptocurrencies values only depend on the subjective beliefs of the traders which are less trusted. He argues that they facilitate money laundering and financing of crime.

"Cryptocurrencies perform only two functions. First, they allow payments especially cross-border payments to be made anonymously there by facilitating illicit transactions such as money laundering and financing of crime. Second, cryptocurrencies offer an an avenue for speculation. However, unlike many other assets which attract speculators such as gold or equities, cryptocurrencies have no intrinsic value. Unless cryptocurrencies can command world wide acceptance as a medium of exchange, the demand for them will be negligible." he added.



Museveni hit out at the governor for being "dogmatic", saying there was a need to embrace technology advancement since it will enable quick service delivery. He then took the conference on a historical perspective on the evolution of money.



"What were talking about here is to look for at new technology of enabling things to move faster and new systems that go with it. Technology and systems. Of course, this is not new and, I would encourage the governor to be more inquisitive, not to be dogmatic. I congratulate him for reminding me about my S6 economics of 1966 - the role of money as a unit of account. To tell the value as a medium of exchange and as a store of value. As he knows, money itself changed up to 1930. Initially money was only gold and silver." Museveni said.



Beyond its application in cryptocurrency, blockchain is viewed as a revolutionary technology with the potential to change the way governments and institutions manage data as well as business.



Across the globe, governments and institutions are exploring possibilities of utilizing this technology beyond its current application in cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. They are now looking into using this technology in management, insurance, payments, identity management, voting among others.

Museveni added that cabinet will debate the use of the technology and later come up with an official position on whether to adopt the technology or not.

"Were going to discuss this among ourselves. You heard how the governor was violently against the idea. But you heard what I told him - from purely a historical perspective how money has evolved in the last 200 years. This is not a policy making session, its a brainstorming session. Policy will come from the results of the brainstorming not necessarily this one but from other sessions in cabinet." Museveni added.

Museveni in a group photo with some of the conference participants

Museveni says the technology should be appreciated because it is an innovation of professionals who are transparent and trust each other. He said the technology will replace the traditional way of secrecy with openness in doing business.



According to Dr Bitange Ndemo, the chairman of the Kenya Blockchain Taskforce, this technology can help the continent to fight drug counterfeits. He contends that 100 million Africans are affected by counterfeit drugs which can be checked through blockchain technology that tracks a drug from a manufacturer to the consumer.



Noah Baalessanvu, the director of the Blockchain Association of Uganda told the conference that transactions made through blockchain will be more trusted than the normal deals since it tends to do away with secrecy and making available data and information for people to use.



Baalessanvu notes that Uganda can benefit from blockchain by fighting counterfeit drugs by consumers scanning the drug codes to track its authenticity as well as counterfeit land titles.

"With blockchain, youre able to track a drug from its manufacturer state right up to its dispensation. How it has moved, which hands have held it even to the temperatures of its movement. All this can be monitored and appended to a ledger. Immediately an ordinary user can be able to scan a drug and have its whole chain of custody. Youre automatically converting the end-user into an enforcer. If I scan a drug and dont have its chain its most likely a counterfeit or questionable. This is possible with blockchain," he said.

Adding: "I want to specifically address the current benefits that a country like Uganda can derive from blockchain Were currently dealing with uncertainty in the land tenure system where we have titles that cannot be trusted. When we put these land titles unto the blockchain, well inherently give digital land titles trust because block chain addresses the common problem of duplication. Once our land tenure system is on the blockchain its immutable - meaning once a land title gets unto the blockchain, it can only be transacted upon legitimately because its being witnessed by a number of parties."

Parliamentary police have stopped the Lands, Housing and Urban Development minister, Betty Amongi from entering the house with placards. The minister had come with the placards to denounce those she claims are soiling her name.



Amongi is being investigated by the Justice Catherine Bamugemereire led Land Commission for fraudulently acquiring four prime properties from the Departed Asian Properties Custodian Board using her private firm, AMOBET.

Betty Amongi (L) with Justice Catherine Bamugemereire during the launch of the Commission of Inquiry into land matters last year in May

Earlier this week, a Ugandan woman based in the United Kingdom, Lillian Akullu dragged Amongi to Lira High court for allegedly grabbing her land measuring 3.5 acres along Erute road in the senior quarters.

The minister had scheduled a press conference on Thursday afternoon in the member's lounge in parliament to explain herself and table some evidence. She instead turned up with placards denouncing those soiling her name including a senior minister. She tried to access parliament through the southern wing but was intercepted by security.



The officers confiscated the placards and allowed the minister to enter parliament but she later stormed out. Chris Obore, the director communications at parliament, says the minister used foul language which is unacceptable in parliament.



"Security stopped it [press conference] because we do not want to set precedents. She (Amongi) says she only intercepted the materials and she only wanted to present it to the press as evidence, but security was concerned that the materials were offensive in nature," Obore told URN.



The minister has not yet commented on the incident as she couldn't be reached by URN. However, a source close to the minister, said they will communicate another date for the press conference.

Today's incident comes just a day after the Aruu County MP, Odonga Otto, wrote to the clerk of parliament expressing his intention to move a censure motion against Amongi.



In his May 23, 2018 notice, Otto says he intends to move a censure motion against Amongi for alleged mismanagement, abuse of office, willfull violation of oath of allegiance and oath of minister in relation to the fraudulent disposal of properties under the Departed Asian Properties Custodian Board.



"Pursuant to rule 108(1) of the rules of procedure, of the Parliament of Uganda, I notify you of my intention to move a censure motion against Hon. Betty Amongi, the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban development," reads the notice.Faced with a choice between their life and their valuables, most people would choose the former in a heartbeat, but one Michigan man showed that he would rather die than part with his beloved designer bag.

On Monday, May 21, Jerad Kluting was out for a walk in Michigans Holland Township when a masked robber came out of nowhere, pulled out a gun from his waistband and demanded that he hand over his bag. But this was no ordinary bag. It was a $1,700 Louis Vuitton that Kluting had fallen in love with the moment he saw it. He had saved up the money to buy it for a long time, and he wasnt going to just give it up to a stranger, even if his life was on the line.

Photo: WOOD TV video screengrab

It happened very fast. In one motion he took the gun out of his waist belt and with the other hand put up a bandana over his mouth and pointed, was like, Give me your bag,' Kluting told WOOD TV. I was like, Youre not getting my Louis Vuitton. I worked very hard for this and this bag Ive had forever and it means a lot to me. I wasnt about ready to relinquish it to some thug that was going to demand it from me.

The robber wasnt too impressed with Jerads speech and fired a warning to let him know just how serious he was about getting that bag. But that wasnt enough to scare the owner, who in turn continued clutching his prized possession to show the masked man that he would rather die than part with it.

He fired the second shot. And then I took off running, Kluting recalled. And then I heard a third shot and actually there were four shots. The third shot scared me because I heard that go off behind me. And I was actually waiting to be hit by it. But they say youll never hear the shot that hits you. I looked over my shoulder. He was running away.

Jerad Kluting called the police as soon as the robber was out of sight, and it didnt take long for the robber, a 21-year-old man, to be caught. Hes since been arrested and charged with armed robbery, felony possession of a firearm, and receiving and concealing stolen property. As for Kluting. hes happy to be alive and still rocking his designer bag.

I got my bag, you can pry it out of my cold, dead hands, he told reporters.

Sheesh, talk about brand loyaltyThe Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force on Wednesday began its regular annual combat exercise in the country's northwest desert.

The "Red Arrow -- 2018" drill involved nearly 100 aircraft including fighter jets, bombers, early warning and reconnaissance aircraft, radars and surface-to-air missiles, according to the PLA air force.

The purpose of the exercise is to train the capabilities of the air force's command centers, it said.

The "Red Arrow" series has been a signature for the PLA air force's realistic combat exercises for the past 18 years.The Internal Revenue Service indicated Wednesday it will take a dim view of states' efforts to find workarounds to new limits on state and local tax deductions.

"Despite these state efforts to circumvent the new statutory limitation on state and local tax deductions, taxpayers should be mindful that federal law controls the proper characterization of payments for federal income tax purposes," the IRS wrote in newly issued guidance.

The federal tax overhaul the Republican Congress approved in December places a $10,000 limit on the amount of state and local taxes people can deduct from their federal taxes. In states with relatively high income taxes  including Oregon  that could generate a higher personal income tax bill, especially for well-off families with high federal tax liability.

Oregon, New York and other states responded by creating alternatives for their residents. In Salem, the Legislature set aside $14 million a year in Oregon Opportunity Grant tax credits available for purchase.

Taxpayers who purchased those tax credits could, in theory, deduct the amount of their purchase from their federal taxes as if it were a charitable deduction. They could then take a credit on their state taxes to offset their opportunity grant purchase.

The result would be lower federal taxes but no change to their state tax bill. The legislation's backers said it would have no impact on the opportunity grant program, which provides grants to help students pay for college. That's because the state would otherwise have continued to fund the program directly.

Wednesday's IRS' guidance appears to be a shot across the bow of Oregon and other states, warning them not to try such maneuvers.

The IRS hasn't issued final rules, though, and Oregon Sen. Mark Hass  chairman of the Senate finance committee  believes the opportunity tax credit may still apply.

That's because Oregon has had a similar tax credit, to fund film and video productions, since 2003. And the IRS has never objected.

"We had these on the books, long before Donald Trump or any of the others," said Hass, D-Beaverton. "If this is an issue now it should have been an issue before. We'll just see. If we have to change it, we'll change it."

Oregon's new tax credit would primarily benefit wealthy taxpayers. But Hass said it made sense for Oregon to establish it, to protect those taxpayers from a prospective tax hike.

"These are for families we could help with their federal tax bill," he said. "It won't cost Oregon a cent."

-- Mike Rogoway; twitter: @rogoway; 503-294-7699By Paul Rummell

Oregon Foster Families First held its first rally on the front lawn of the Oregon State capitol on Monday. As adoptive foster parents, we wanted to call attention to the horrific tragedies highlighted in the recent foster care audit compiled by Secretary of State Dennis Richardson's audit team. We also wanted to share optimistic solutions for the 2019 legislative session. Sadly, only six lawmakers cared enough to step outside of the "emergency" special session to learn more about the real crisis impacting Oregon's foster children.

Along with written remarks by State Sen. Betsy Johnson, only Sen. Kim Thatcher and Republican Representatives Knute Buehler, Julie Parrish, Cedric Hayden and Bill Post came to listen to the panel of experts, activists and family members we'd assembled. It speaks volumes that 84 other lawmakers and Gov. Kate Brown were more interested in the political theater of extending tax breaks to 12,000 businesses instead of focusing on solutions for 11,000 of Oregon's most vulnerable children.

Oregon Foster Families First has a mission to work with the Department of Human Services and our elected officials. We want to change the culture and laws preventing foster children from safely reconnecting with their birth families or reaching full adoption status with a family who will provide a stable environment free of abuse. Our legislative priorities range from changing the systemic dysfunction which has paralyzed the Department of Human Services for decades to simple things like expanding school choice options and allowing foster kids to travel on an out-of-state family vacation.

Had more lawmakers attended the event, they would have heard from people like Dr. Satya Chandragiri, who works for Oregon Health Systems and expressed how difficult it is for foster children to navigate the healthcare system. Or Maria Garcia, a civil rights activist who spoke about immigrant children being removed from undocumented parents in federal custody over their immigration status.

We wish members of the Judiciary Committees would have heard from Kim Sordyl, an attorney who shared information about the negligence of a justice system that allows children to go to court without ever meeting their attorney.

More Ways and Means lawmakers should have heard from Beth Jones, who runs a non-profit that could use permanent funding to continue supplementing families with school supplies and other items for children who have been displaced. Resources offered to foster care families are woefully inadequate, accounting for the 50 percent decline in non-familial foster placements.

Maybe Gov. Brown, an outdoor enthusiast, would have been inspired by Dylan Raines, an activist spending the month of May hiking the Oregon coast to highlight the needs of foster kids. His march, 360 Miles for Every Child, is focused on improving services and care for our most vulnerable population.

For lawmakers who didn't read Secretary Richardson's audit findings, they missed an opportunity to hear firsthand from Deputy Secretary Leslie Cummings and Chief Auditor Jamie Ralls. They both discussed how the audit was conducted and made a compelling case that the Department of Human Services needs to operate with increased transparency and accountability to families and taxpayers.

Moreover, they would have heard from my husband Ben West, our executive director, as he detailed our family's struggle in dealing with the behemoth bureaucracy of DHS. The institution that was supposed to protect our son harmed him further, creating challenges he'll face long into the future. Our son's story is similar to the tragedies of abuse we read about almost weekly. Oregon's mismanagement not only costs taxpayers hundreds of millions in wasted tax money, but inflicted wounds on these children that will scar them for a lifetime.

Beyond the largely absent legislature was a silent media. The three-ring-circus of a special session for tax breaks made headlines across Oregon. Businesses won, children lost.

While Secretary Richardson concluded the foster care audit by saying the responsibility of these children falls to all Oregonians, we believe it starts with the people we elect to represent us and our children.

We will remember in November the lack of effort by Brown and the Legislature to prioritize our families. And we will urge others to vote for lawmakers with the backbone to put foster families first.

-- Paul Rummell and his husband, Ben West, adopted their son through foster care and were plaintiffs in a lawsuit that successfully challenged Oregon's ban on same-sex marriage. They live in Wilsonville.An expert hired by federal prosecutors admitted flaws Wednesday in an animated 3D model he made that aims to show the moment an FBI agent allegedly fired at the truck of Oregon occupation spokesman Robert "LaVoy" Finicum.

Toby Terpstra, senior forensic animator at the Colorado-based company Kineticorp, based his analysis on an inaccurate synchronization of an FBI aerial video of the scene with video from a passenger in Finicum's truck.

As a result, the animation is off by nine video frames and depicts 0.3 seconds before the shot in question was fired, according to Terpstra and the government.

"Would you like an opportunity to correct this error?'' Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Maloney asked Terpstra, as he remained on the witness stand during more than three hours of questioning.

Defense lawyers pointed out that Terpstra would have to do a new analysis.

Terpstra said he'd like the chance to do a supplemental report, using the correctly synced videos done by another government audio-visual expert.

The issue came out in the third day of a hearing to determine if work by government experts is scientifically valid and will be allowed at the July trial for indicted FBI agent W. Joseph Astarita. Testimony continues Thursday before U.S. District Judge Robert E. Jones.

Jones didn't rule on whether Terpstra can supplement his report.

Astarita, a member of the FBI's elite Hostage Rescue Team, is accused of falsely denying he fired two shots as Finicum emerged from his truck after he plowed into a snowbank on the side of U.S. 395 to avoid a police roadblock on Jan. 26, 2016. FBI agents and state police were trying to arrest the leaders of the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. One shot went through the truck's roof and the other went astray, investigators said.

Astarita has pleaded not guilty to three counts of making a false statement and two counts of obstruction of justice.

Tyler Francis, one of Astarita's defense lawyers, during his cross-examination of Terpstra, also highlighted other problems in Terpstra's 3D reconstruction of the shooting scene.

Francis started by pointing out that Terpstra isn't certified in the methodology he used called photogrammetry, the re-creation of a scene in 3D by using coordinate measurements from photographs and videos.

Reading from professional published papers on how the process should be done, Francis questioned why Terpstra didn't align the video images he used from the camera mounted on the FBI's plane with the location where the plane was at the time. The FBI plane's camera had a 600 millimeter focal length, yet Terpstra used a focal length of just over 400 millimeters, according to court testimony. A focal length of a camera lens is the distance between the lens and the image sensor when a subject is in focus.

When Francis asked why Terpstra didn't use the 600 mm focal length, Terpstra said he didn't know what the number, captured in the upper right corner of the FBI aerial image, represented.

"You were off by 200 millimeters, correct?'' Francis asked.

"Approximately,'' Terpstra said.

Terpstra, under redirect questioning from the prosecutor, called the Astarita case "unique'' because it involved aerial photography. He said adjusting the focal length wouldn't necessarily matter as long as he could accurately align the images "along the same line of sight,'' as he said he had done.

The defense lawyer questioned why Terpstra didn't take any steps to correct for potential lens distortion, noting the FBI plane was flying about 2 miles away from the scene and the images were blurry and fuzzy.

Terpstra responded that aerial images are much more helpful to position vehicles, people and other objects in a scene than photos taken from the ground.

Defense lawyers also continued to question why the government's experts didn't take into account how Finicum's truck may have settled in the snowbank at an angle, suggesting it would have altered their measurements of the trajectory of the bullet that struck the pickup's roof, which they used to determine where the shot came from.

Deschutes County sheriff's patrol deputy Kevin Turpen testified that he arrived at the scene to take measurements about nine hours after the shooting and noticed the truck settled in the snowbank 3 to 4 inches during the period he remained at the scene. A state police forensic scientist took four measurements of the angle Finicum's truck was resting at more than 9 hours after the shooting, recording the angle at between 13.8 and 14.9 degrees, with the passenger side angled down, the driver's side higher.

Defense lawyer David Angeli pointed out that no one measured how much the truck had settled in the snowbank since the shooting, or measured the height of the snow.

Terpstra said he chose photos taken of Finicum's truck closest to the time the shot in question was fired to get the best data on the truck's location before it may have settled. From the aerial FBI footage, there was no indication the truck had shifted or tilted from the time it plowed into the snowbank to the moment a shot struck the truck's roof, he said.

Finicum was killed moments later when he got out of his truck and stepped away from it. State police shot him as he reached into his jacket. Investigators said they found a loaded handgun in an inside pocket of Finicum's jacket.

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonianA file photo of the People's Liberation Army Navy honor guard. [Photo/VCG]

A year since an inspection by President Xi Jinping, also chairman of the Central Military Commission, the People's Liberation Army Navy has made massive strides in transforming itself into a world-class force, experts said.

In the past 12 months, the Navy has conducted a number of warfare drills in open seas, taken part in bilateral or international naval exercises, made several overseas visits and established the nation's first overseas support base.

It has also commissioned or tested new advanced hardware and invested heavily in research and development in cutting-edge technologies in order to follow Xi's instructions to boost the Navy's overall capability and joint operation ability and make full use of innovation in science and technology.

Wu Peixin, a military observer in Beijing, said the Navy's growth over the past year has been "obvious", and the force has been open and transparent in making its development public.

"It has commissioned many new weapons and equipment, some among the best in the world," he said, adding that the nation now has a better ability to protect its overseas interests thanks to the increasing naval prowess.

On May 24, 2017, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visited PLA Navy headquarters in Beijing. He said the Navy should continue to speed up its transformation into a world-class force, ordering all Navy commanders to honor their mission of building a modern, strong navy.

Xi said the Navy's development is strategically important and crucial to national interests and security. He asked the Navy to focus on strengthening its combat capability and carrying out joint operation exercises in line with modern naval warfare. He demanded that the Navy use systematic thinking in making development plans.

Innovation in science and technology must be used to inject momentum into the Navy's sustainable growth, he said during the inspection a year ago.

Two J-15 fighter jets of the People's Liberation Army Navy prepare to take off from China's aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, during a naval exercise in the western Pacific, April 19, 2018.[Photo/IC]

Continued attention

Xi's attention on the Navy can be traced to his first days as the Party's top leader in late 2012.

On Dec 8, 2012, less than a month after Xi was elected top leader of the Party and the military, he boarded a destroyer that took him to the South China Sea. It was his first inspection of a PLA unit as Central Military Commission chairman.

In the next nine months, Xi made two visits to Navy units, boarding new naval vessels such as a new-generation nuclear-powered submarine and the aircraft carrier CNS Liaoning.

In his latest speech on the Navy, given at a grand sea parade last month, Xi reiterated that the Navy must race against time and spare no efforts to become a world-class force because the country needs a strong navy, stressing that it is an essential pillar to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Addressing over 10,000 Navy personnel from a giant combat ship in the parade, Xi asked members of the service to uphold the Party's leadership, deepen military reform, enhance innovation in science and technology, develop new types of fighting forces, build modern naval warfare systems and improve the capability to undertake diversified military operations.

Xi ordered the Navy to continue to focus on combat training and stay on high alert to safeguard the national interests and make more contributions to the peace and stability of the region and the world.

A J-15 fighter jets of the People's Liberation Army Navy prepares to take off from China's aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, during a naval exercise in the western Pacific, April 19, 2018.[Photo/IC]

Intensified training

In the past year, the Navy has striven to fulfill Xi's instructions by intensifying military drills and going deeper into blue water.

In April, the Navy carried out its largest parade in the South China Sea, involving a vast armada of 48 ships, including the Liaoning, and six nuclear-powered submarines as well as 76 naval aircraft. The parade, viewed by Xi, displayed the latest achievements in the Navy's modernization drive.

Since May 2017, the Liaoning carrier battle group, a symbol of China's rising prowess at sea, has undertaken two long-range combat exercises, aiming to verify and enhance the collaboration and coordination among ships in the group and between ships and carrier-borne aircraft.

"Such operations have examined the battle group's offensive and defense systems and fostered commanders' ability to make decisions under complicated circumstances," said Gao Zhaorui, chief of staff of the carrier battle group.

Ding Yang, a J-15 carrier-borne fighter jet pilot, said that combat training over open seas hones aviators' response capabilities and supports crew preparedness and commander skills.

In March, two PLA Marine Corps forces, totaling over 10,000 personnel, traveled about 2,000 kilometers to Yunnan and Shandong provinces in a long-range mobility exercise, which military observers called the corps' largest training operation.

In July, China established the Djibouti Logistics Support Base, the nation's first of its kind. The base, managed by the Navy, is tasked with supporting naval escort, peacekeeping operations and humanitarian missions in Africa and western Asia. Navy personnel stationed there have conducted several live-fire drills.

The Navy has also been active in conveying China's goodwill to other nations in the past year. A three-ship fleet made a 176-day voyage to 20 countries in Asia, Africa and Europe from late April to mid-October, setting a record for the Navy.

Chinese naval flotillas also participated in multiple international drills in the Pacific Ocean and executed live-fire exercises in the Mediterranean and Baltic seas during joint exercises.

Improved arsenal

In the past year, the Navy commissioned the nation's largest supply vesselthe first Type 901 class comprehensive resupply shipenabling the Liaoning carrier battle group to sail farther away. Military observers said the ship displaces more than 45,000 metric tons, making it almost two times heavier than the Type 903 class, now the pillar of the Navy's supply force.

The country's first domestically designed aircraft carrier, launched in April 2017, completed its maiden sea trial last week.

The ship, the largest and most sophisticated naval vessel in China, displaces at least 50,000 metric tons and has stronger fighting capabilities than the Liaoning. Analysts anticipated that it will be delivered to the Navy within a year if sea trials are successful.

The Navy is expecting delivery of a 10,000-ton guided-missile destroyer, widely believed to be the mightiest of its kind in the world. The first in the Type 055 class, the destroyer carries over 100 vertical launch cells capable of firing air-defense, missile-intercepting, anti-ship and anti-submarine missiles. Several Type 055 ships are under construction, and the first is expected to soon begin its first sea trial, according to media reports.

Navy researchers also have developed electromagnetic launch technologies that give Navy ships a futuristic, game-changing weaponan electromagnetic railgun. Experts say the weapon is capable of revolutionizing future naval warfare with power, range and speed far superior to explosive-powered guns.A group of parents who object to the Dallas School Districts policy of allowing a transgender male high school student to use the boys restrooms and locker rooms fought Wednesday to keep their lawsuit alive in federal court.

In the first case of its kind to go before a federal judge in Oregon, Parents for Privacy argued that the privacy rights of their children are protected by the U.S. Constitution and supported by case law.

Their attorneys asked U.S. District Judge Marco Hernandez to consider the psychological well-being and the reasonable fear of students who dont want to change clothes or use the restroom alongside a transgender student.

Attorneys for the Dallas School District, Basic Rights Oregon and the Oregon Department of Education asked Hernandez to throw out the lawsuit before it proceeds to trial.

The judge said he wasn't prepared to rule immediately. He said he needed time to consider arguments made by the attorneys and questions he has raised on his own.

Other judges across the nation have sided with transgender students in agreeing that they have a constitutional right to use the restrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender identity.

As recently as Tuesday, a federal judge in Virginia ruled that the Gloucester County School Board violated the constitutional rights of a transgender boy who spent most of his high school years fighting to use the boys bathroom.

In Dallas, the parents of three former, current or future students at Dallas High School, about 15 miles west of Salem, filed the lawsuit in November. They seek to eliminate a school district policy created so senior Elliott Yoder could use the boys' locker rooms and restrooms at the 900-student school.

Yoder, who was designated as a girl at birth but identifies as a boy, didnt attend Wednesday's hearing.

Basic Rights Oregon attorney Gabriel Arkles said every federal judge asked to rule on similar cases has sided with the transgender students.

To say a transgender student cant use the restroom he or she wants to is to say there is something so different, so wrong about your gender that you have to be kept separate from your peers, Arkles told the judge.

Transgender students who are shunned -- in ways that include barring them from using restrooms that align with their gender identities -- are at increased risk of suicide, Arkles said. They also can suffer academically, he said.

Caleb Leonard, an attorney for Parents for Privacy, said non-transgender students who fear being seen naked by a transgender person gives them the inability to concentrate in class.

The judge said he has been asked to consider whether the First Amendments guarantee of freedom of religion means that families who object to the presence of the transgender boy in the boys restrooms prevents the school districts current policy.

Hernandez also must weigh whether the 14th Amendments guarantee of equal protection for all and Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 come into play. Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex in federally funded education programs.

Hernandez asked the lawyers for Parents for Privacy if the group would have a problem allowing transgender students who have undergone gender reassignment surgery to use the restrooms that reflect their post-operative bodies.

In their heads and in their hearts theyre boys, even if biologically they may have been born girls, Hernandez said. Does it really take surgery for them to use the facilities that they (identify with)?

Attorneys for the group didn't have an immediate answer for Hernandez.

How does society look at gender, the judge continued. Is it simply how you were born biologically, or is it more than that?

Hernandez didnt say when he would rule.

-- Aimee GreenOregon's attorney general on Wednesday released a certified ballot title for an initiative to ban the sale of high-capacity magazines and a broad range of semiautomatic pistols, rifles and shotguns.

The initiative also would require most existing owners of these weapons to pass criminal background checks and register with the state in order to keep them. Failure to do so would be a Class B felony.

The new ballot title for Initiative Petition 43 reads: "Prohibits 'Assault Weapons' (Defined), 'Large Capacity Magazines' (Defined), Unless Registered With State Police. Criminal Penalties."

The measure's opponents could still appeal to the Oregon Supreme Court to force changes to the title. Portland-area clergy are leading the effort to gather the 88,184 signatures needed by July 6 to get it on the November ballot.

The ballot initiative would ban the manufacture and sale of magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition, and firearms classified as assault weapons in Oregon starting in 2019. It would define assault weapons as certain semiautomatic rifles and pistols that can accommodate detachable magazines and have other military-style features, such as a collapsible stock or grenade launcher, plus some semiautomatic shotguns. Military and law enforcement employees who are required to carry firearms would be exempt, as would retailers and manufacturers who supply those agencies. Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum's office released a draft ballot title in April.

The agency made revisions to the ballot title caption, tweaked explanations of the effect of a "yes" or "no" vote, and updated a summary of the initiative. The Secretary of State's office said the draft ballot title attracted what appeared to be a record number of public comments.

State elections workers received 1,095 comments by the May 8 deadline, according to Debra Royal, chief of staff to Secretary of State Dennis Richardson. The office does not track the number of comments received on previous initiative petitions, but Royal said a longtime state elections worker told her the state typically receives 10 to 15 comments on the draft ballot title for any given initiative.

"We have reviewed each and every comment," wrote Denise G. Fjordbeck, a lawyer at the Department of Justice, in a letter to the Secretary of State's office on Wednesday. "While many of the comments simply stated support or opposition to the proposed measure, many hundreds suggested specific language for use in the ballot title."

Most commenters took issue with the inclusion of such terms as "assault weapons" and "large capacity magazines" in the title, the attorney general's office found. Commenters complained that "assault weapon" was "an inflammatory, imprecise, or ambiguous term," Fjordbeck wrote. Both terms come from the original text submitted by the initiative petitioners.

As for "large capacity magazines," Fjordbeck wrote, "it is important to communicate the breadth and scope of this proposal, including its impact on magazines as part of the actual major effect." However, in both cases she determined that it was impossible to more fully define or describe the terms in the 15-word limit for initiative captions.

The chief petitioners for the initiative objected to the draft ballot title's statement that the measure would criminalize the possession of certain firearms. They said it would ban future sales of certain guns and regulate possession for those who already own them. Those people would be required to register the weapons and pass a background check. Others noted that registration would be a significant change in the law.

"Although we agree that the draft ballot title overemphasized the significance of criminal penalties, the proposed measure does impose serious criminal consequences for noncompliance, and those penalties are also an actual major effect of the measure," Fjordbeck wrote.

The attorney general's office removed a reference in the caption to banning the transfer of the firearms and high-capacity magazines. The only reference to the ban on sales and transfers is now in the summary of the initiative's effects, which states "acquisition mostly prohibited after effective date, January 1, 2019."

-- Hillary Borrud

503-294-4034; @hborrudA Portland woman said her family's Amazon Alexa recorded a private conversation and sent the audio to a random contact in Seattle.

"My husband and I would joke and say I'd bet these devices are listening to what we're saying," the woman, identified only by her first name, Danielle, told KIRO 7 in Seattle.

Two weeks ago, according to Danielle, an employee of her husband's who lived in Seattle called and told the family that they were "being hacked."

The man told the family he had audio recordings from inside their house. He sent back the files and indeed, they were the family's conversations, Danielle said.

"I felt invaded," Danielle told KIRO. "A total privacy invasion. Immediately I said, 'I'm never plugging that device in again, because I can't trust it.'"

In a statement to KIRO, Amazon said, "Echo woke up due to a word in background conversation sounding like 'Alexa.' Then, the subsequent conversation was heard as a 'send message' request. At which point, Alexa said out loud 'To whom?' At which point, the background conversation was interpreted as a name in the customer's contact list. Alexa then asked out loud, '[contact name], right?' Alexa then interpreted background conversation as 'right.' As unlikely as this string of events is, we are evaluating options to make this case even less likely."

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052

lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyackerChina's missile-borne anti-interference antenna for its State-own BeiDou Navigation Satellite System will be delivered to the country's People's Liberation Army (PLA) within this year, according to a defense technology firm spokesperson on Thursday.

Jin Zhongshu, deputy general manager of the Beijing Li Gong Navigation Technology Co, made the remarks during an interview with the Global Times on Thursday on the sidelines of the China Satellite Navigation Exhibition at the ongoing 9th China Satellite Navigation Conference (CSNC) in Harbin of Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

"The domestically-built missile-borne anti-interference antenna is based on array signal processing technology, and will greatly help the PLA units counter the enemy's jamming efforts against the BeiDou system in battle," Jin said.

Jin declined to reveal the missiles to be used with their anti-jamming antenna.

The antenna will allow PLA units to accurately navigate within 100 meters of the enemy's jamming device operating at one watt, whereas without the antenna, a range beyond 10 kilometers surrounding the jamming source could be severely affected, Jin explained.

The Beijing-based firm is primarily engaged in the research and development of national defense-oriented BeiDou navigation-support products, and has been providing airborne anti-jamming antennas for the PLA, including for the carrier-based J-15 as well as for H-6 bomber jets.

BeiDou's BeiDou's military-grade, civilian use products are also flourishing at the exhibit.

Aside from traditional mapping and surveying services, BeiDou has already been providing precise navigation services to mobile terminals such as cell phones, although many users may have not noticed yet, said communications chip insiders at the exhibit.

"Since the BeiDou B1 and US GPS L1 are working on the same frequency band, many phones are already integrated with chips capable of receiving signals from both," Zhang Zhijian, an employee with Unicore Communications, a communication firm affiliated with Beijing BDStar Co, told the Global Times.

The only difference is if the phone has a built-in US chip, like a Qualcomm chip, the phone will give high priority to process US navigation signals, the GPS, rather than that from BeiDou, Zhang said.

Chinese cell phones with Chinese-developed chips will give priority to the BeiDou, and such a priority difference does not necessarily mean that GPS and BeiDou are mutually exclusive, because the more navigation signals there are, the more reliable the service gets, Zhang noted.Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe (R) meets with Chief of Defense Forces of Tanzania General Venance Mabeyo (L) in Beijing, May 23, 2018. (mod.gov.cn/ Li Xiaowei)

BEIJING, May 24 (ChinaMil) -- Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe met with the visiting Chief of Defense Forces of the Tanzania People's Defense Force (TPDF) General Venance Mabeyo in Beijing on Wednesday.

Wei said that China and Tanzania have an unbreakable traditional friendship and are all-weather good friends, China will actively promote the building of a community of shared future for mankind and the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, adhere to the principle of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith and the values of upholding justice while pursuing shared interests, push forward the continuous development of China-Tanzania comprehensive partnership of cooperation.

Chinese People's Liberation Army and Tanzania People's Defense Force have maintained a special friendly relationship for a long time, China is willing to make joint efforts with Tanzania to further develop the pragmatic cooperation between the two militaries, said Wei.

Wei added that under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, China will continue to deepen reforms, expand openness, achieve greater development, and contribute more to the world.

The Chinese armed forces will adhere to Xi Jinpings thought of building a strong military and firmly safeguard national sovereignty, security, and developmental interests, the Chinese defense chief said.

Tanzania and China share a brotherly friendship, Tanzania thanks China's long-term support and assistance to Tanzania and its military, Mabeyo said, adding that Tanzania strongly agrees with President Xi Jinpings idea of building a community of shared future for mankind, is willing to actively participate in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, and work with China to push forward the bilateral relations and relations between the two armed forces.

Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe (R) meets with the visiting Chief of Defense Forces of Tanzania General Venance Mabeyo(L) in Beijing, May 23, 2018. (mod.gov.cn/ Li Xiaowei)ASTANA, May 24 (ChinaMil)  The four-day 5th Kazakhstan Defense Exhibition kicked off Wednesday in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan.

Headed by Publicity Center of China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, seven large military trade companies of China take part in the exhibition with exhibits of weapons and equipment for the army, navy and air force.

A batch of Chinas competitive products in the international military trade market including the FM-3000 medium-range air defense missile weapon system, the Yilong unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the Type-VT4 main battle tank, the REL-4 medium and long range three-dimensional air defense warning radar, the Silent Hunter fiber-optic laser air-defense system, JY-27A air defense warning and guidance radar system and the M20 ground-to-ground tactical missile system made a group appearance at the exhibition and attracted wide attention.

The Long-March International Trade Co. has brought to the exhibition its LY-806 ground-to-air missile system, CH-901 UAV system and UAV-borne weapons including the FT-9 precision-guided bomb.

The China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation displays its Yilong UAV system, Y-9E military transport aircraft, L-15 advanced trainer aircraft at the exhibition.

China North Industries Corp's exhibits mainly cover its representative products in seven areas including air defense weapon system, anti-missile system, and the Beidou navigation satellite system.

China National Precision Machinery Import & Export Co. Ltd. brings to the exhibition air defense missile systems including the FM3000 medium-range air defense missile. Visitors to the exhibition can also see the JY-27A air-defense warning radar system provided by CETC International Co., Ltd.

China National Electronics Import & Export Corporation shows its software products like the defense information system upgrade solution and cyber security solutions, while the Poly Technology Co., Ltd. offers its defense system solutions.

The Kazakhstan Defense Exhibition, one of the most influential military exhibitions in Central Asia, was first held in 2010. The exhibition mainly showcases aircraft, aviation and aerospace technology, air defense systems, weapons and equipment for army and navy, military UAVs and robots and so forth.

More than 400 companies from 55 countries and regions participate in the defense exhibition this year.The U.S. State Department issued a health alert Wednesday for its citizens in China in response to what it said was a recent report of a U.S. government employee in Guangzhou experiencing "subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure."

The U.S. Embassy in Beijing said the employee was sent back to the United States for evaluation and diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described it as a "serious medical incident."

 Cause Is Unknown

Wednesday's alert said the U.S. government does not know the cause of the reported symptoms and has not received similar reports in other parts of China, but that it is taking the report seriously.

It advised anyone who experiences "unusual acute auditory or sensory phenomena accompanied by unusual sounds or piercing noises" to not seek out the source, but instead to move to a location where they are not present.

The State Department "is working to determine the cause and impact of the incident," spokesperson Heather Nauert said. "The State Department will be sending a medical team to Guangzhou early next week to conduct baseline medical evaluations of all Consulate Guangzhou employees who request it."Paducah, KY (42003)

Today

Mostly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 55F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 55F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription.French President Emmanuel Macron heads to St. Petersburg Thursday for talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, whose support is key on matters ranging from salvaging the Iran nuclear deal to securing steady European gas supplies.

Business also is high on the agenda of Macron's two-day visit, which coincides with a key economic forum in St. Petersburg.

Some observers say Macron's trip comes within a broader context of thawing European relations with Russia, as seen in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Sochi last week, and deepening differences with Washington.

But as he pursues a policy of engagement with Putin -- like he did with U.S. President Donald Trump -- France's 40-year-old leader has said repeatedly he is not naive.

"I do believe we should never be weak with President Putin," he told Fox News in an April interview. "When you are weak, he uses it."

Still, a number of analysts doubt Macron will make much headway during his Russia visit. Some say the growing divide between the European Union and Washington will weaken his hand with the Russian leader during discussions that also are expected to include Ukraine and Syria.

Even boosting trade ties with Russia first demands "overcoming political obstacles, and they are numerous," wrote economic journalist Jean-Marc Sylvestre in Atlantico.

"I think the Russians will do whatever they can to use Macron's visit to their advantage, to their propaganda ends, and try to break the Atlantic alliance," said political history professor Anton Koslov of the American Graduate School in Paris, referring to broader EU-U.S. ties.North Korea has hinted it may call off the summit because of U.S. demands that it unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons.

Trump had earlier said that if the June 12 date did not work out, the summit could be held later.

"It could very well be June 12th," Trump said. "If we go, it'll be a great thing for North Korea."

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. would know by next week whether he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on June 12 in Singapore as scheduled.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday that he was "very hopeful" there would be talks, but said that whether they happened would be "ultimately up to Chairman Kim."

Pompeo, who has already met with Kim twice, told the lawmakers the U.S. position had not changed and there would be no easing of sanctions on North Korea "until we see credible steps taken toward the complete, verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

He said the U.S. would not hesitate to walk away from the talks if a bad deal was on the table.

But visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters at the State Department that Beijing believed the summit should take place as scheduled. "If you want to solve the problem, now is the time. If you want peace, now is the time. If you want to make history, now is the time," Wang said.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council on Wednesday approved travel to Singapore by a North Korean delegation for the summit.

Sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program and missile tests include a travel ban on a large number of senior North Korean officials.To paraphrase an old adage: gubernatorial candidate and everyone's favorite anti-racist Legalize It legend, Cynthia Nixon might have lost the Democratic Convention in Hempstead, New York earlier today, but she didn't lose the war. Governor Andrew Cuomo secured his party's nomination for a third term with more than 95 percent of the vote. Nixon needed at least 25 percent to be considered for the ballot.

Ever the fighter, Nixon gamely showed up, tweeting about how the Democratic Convention deserved the presence of a "true Democrat"  a jab suggesting Cuomo's governing is more like that of a Republican.

"I'm here to say this is my party, too, I'm not afraid and I'm here," Nixon told the New York Daily News at the convention. "You can't shut me out." Her next step is to gather the thousands of signatures necessary for a place on the primary ballot.

Nixon's Democratic Party nomination was seconded by her old high school teacher, Janice Warner, who praised her as a "true progressive, a true Democrat," and said, "if you only know Cynthia Nixon as a celebrity, you don't know Cynthia."

More will be revealed. In the meantime, Nixon continues fighting the good fight for the people of New York, and spilling full tea for the rest of us to drink.

Photo via BFA







UPDATE 4.50pm EST: Harvey Weinstein will reportedly surrender to the NYPD in New York this week, three years after they began investigating him.

New York Daily News has revealed Weinstein will turn himself in to the authorities for alleged sex crimes, and apparently a grand jury has already convened to also hear evidence "related to possible financial fraud against Weinstein but it was not immediately clear if the charges include money mishandling allegations," which saw the federal government involve themselves.



His attorney is yet to comment, but told the Wall Street Journal this month that "Mr. Weinstein has always maintained that he has never engaged in nonconsensual sexual acts," despite the 90 women who came forward to claim Weinstein harassed or assaulted them.

---

You might have all but forgotten about Harvey Weinstein, remembering him only for the #MeToo movement, and the Time's Up initiative that was spawned as a result of the domino effect he set off when his antics came to light, but the law certainly hasn't. In fact the NYPD has been chomping at the bit to arrest him...for three years.

The NYPD, LAPD, and the London police all have ongoing investigations into Weinstein's favorite extra-curricular activities of assaulting and traumatizing women, but NYPD has apparently been itching for a long time to make moves, but are still waiting on Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. for approval. Former NYPD Special Victims Division supervisor Michael Bock investigated Weinstein for allegedly sexually assaulting Italian model Ambra Battilana in 2015, and told both New York Magazine and the Wall Street Journal, "We believe he should be arrested."

Related | Actress Addresses Industry Abusers at Cannes: 'We Know Who You Are'

"We gave them beyond a reasonable doubt," he told the former. "We obviously know who this man is. We obviously know we have a different burden of proof. So to go above and beyond as we did, he should've been arrested. He should've been arrested..."They prosecute people for misdemeanors with far less probable cause than this."



And the investigations doesn't just stop locally, it looks like the FBI might be becoming involved. Benjamin Brafman, Weinstein's lawyer, has revealed to WSJ he has met with federal prosecutors "in an attempt to dissuade them from proceeding," because "Mr. Weinstein has always maintained that he has never engaged in nonconsensual sexual acts."



The WSJ reports the following: As part of the investigation, some of the people familiar said, the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of New York is examining whether Mr. Weinstein lured or induced any women to travel across state lines for the purpose of committing a sex crime, which is an offense that could be charged federally.



This is on top of of Manhattan federal prosecutors reportedly investigating possible fraud connected to financial transactions arranged by Weinstein in relation to a charity auction, and now sex crimes have just been added to the list. Yikes.

Also, Gwenyth Paltrow has revealed former boyfriend Brad Pitt threatened to kill Harvey Weinstein on her behalf in the '90s, so there's that. Karma, hey?

Image via Getty

This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questionsIt's being reported today that prosecutors raided the offices of Samsung Electronics this morning on charges that the unit took part in an attempt allegedly led by Samsung Group to sabotage labor union activities.

The search comes about a week after a senior official of Samsung Electronics' after-services unit was arrested on suspicion of playing a leading role in the scheme. Choi Pyeong-seok, the executive of Samsung Electronics Service in charge of human resources division, was taken into custody after the Seoul Central District Court issued a warrant for his arrest.

Choi is suspected of spearheading an organized scheme to disrupt labor union activities among workers. He allegedly instructed subcontractors to hamper the establishment of the labor union and its activities, and to regularly report to him about the progress.

He is also suspected of profiling employees who engaged in union activities and providing cash incentives to get workers to drop out of the union.

About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus.I cut my teeth on conservative pro-family political activism. As a teen, I campaigned against abortion and marriage equality. In the evangelical circles I grew up in, we talked a lot about the importance of protecting traditional family values. To me, this meant promoting the heterosexual patriarchal familybreadwinning father, homemaking motherand ensuring that tax policy and other government action was preferential to this family form. But is that what the term always means?

A recent story in The Dallas Morning News points to ways the meaning of traditional family values can differ depending on the individualand the extent to which this label serves as a blank onto which people can map different things.

Have a look:

Vickers Vic Cunningham, a former criminal district judge now in a Republican runoff for Dallas County commissioner, acknowledged Friday that he set up a living trust with a clause rewarding his children if they marry a white person. Cunningham spoke to The Dallas Morning News about the trust after his estranged brother, Bill Cunningham, came to the paper earlier this week saying his brother had been a lifelong racist. Vic Cunningham denied harboring racial bigotry but did confirm one of his brothers primary allegations  that his trust includes a stipulation intended to discourage a child from marrying a person of another race or of the same sex. I strongly support traditional family values, Cunningham said. If you marry a person of the opposite sex thats Caucasian, thats Christian, they will get a distribution. Cunningham said his views on interracial marriage have evolved since he created the trust in 2010. He said he has accepted his sons relationship with a woman of Vietnamese origin, though he said he couldnt change the terms of his trust.

The two-minute interview the Dallas Morning News published alongside their article suggests that Cunninghams views on interracial marriage havent actually changed: He calls marrying within ones race a traditional family value.

Here is a transcript from the interview:

Cunningham: I am supporting what my beliefs are. I strongly support traditional family values, that if you marry a person of the opposite sex, thats Caucasian, thats Christian, you will get a distribution. It doesnt prohibit anything, and it doesnt say youll never get the money, youre just not going to get hat milestone distribution. Does that make sense? Interviewer 1: Why did you want to put that in there? Cunningham: Its my religious belief that marriage is between one man and one woman, and I wanted to support my faith of being a Christian. Interviewer 1: And what does that have to do with them being Caucasian? Cunningham: Again, I wanted to support my faith, and encouraging a traditional family value. Interviewer 2: You consider it a traditional family value, as I understand it, to marry within ones race? Cunningham: Correct.

Lets do a little thought experiment.

Bob and Ted both believe in traditional family values. To Bob, this means that women should be homemakers, that God has made the husband the head of the family, and that marriage between two people of one sex is against the Bible. For Ted, traditional family values also includes a belief that interracial marriage is against the Bible, and that people should stick to their own kind.

Heres where this gets interesting: Mike is a politician. Mike is a Republican. Mike says on the campaign trail that he supports traditional family values. Bob and Ted hear two different things. Bob hears that Mike opposes gay marriage and abortion. Ted hears this too, but he also hears that Mike opposes interracial marriage and perhaps (at least to a certain extent) integration.

When Mike the politician uses the term traditional family values, he is able to signal to racists like Ted that he is in their camp, without actually saying anything racistand perhaps without intending to signal that at all. For his part, each time Ted hears someone endorse traditional family values he assumes they mean what he does by the termi.e. opposition to interracial marriage, among other thingsand this communicates to him that his bigotry is widely held by others as well, and in some way acceptable.

The term traditional family values is largely undefined. That makes it flexiblepeople can map all sorts of specific ideas or beliefs onto it. And for Vic Cunningham, that means opposition to interracial marriage.

I have a Patreon! Please support my writing!News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.Dates for the trip have yet to be agreed, she said. Earlier, the RBC news portal wrote that Lavrov would travel to North Korea on May 31. That would mean him visiting before a proposed summit in Singapore between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plans to visit North Korea, Russian news agencies quoted a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman as saying on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Trump cast doubt on plans for that meeting, which has been scheduled for June 12.

Russia is considered an ally of North Korea, but has supported United Nations sanctions against it over Pyongyang's nuclear program.

Lavrov accepted an invitation to visit North Korea last month.Why Pompeo's speech on Iran is outrageous

05/24/18

By Farhang Jahanpour (first published by Transnational)

Mike Pompeo's declaration of war on Iran makes the world less safe



Source: Iranian daily Etemad

Speaking at the Heritage Foundation this morning, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo practically declared war on Iran. His unprecedented threats against Iran went even beyond what President Trump had said in the past.

Commenting on the speech (full transcript here), JStreet wrote: "With their decision to violate the historic JCPOA arms control agreement, the president and his 'war cabinet' have created a strategic disaster of their own making and undone the major accomplishments of the previous administration. They have made the US, Israel and the world less safe."

Short history of Iran's nuclear activities: 1957 to the JCPOA

After 12 years of intensive talks, initially between Britain, France and Germany (the EU-3), and finally between Iran and the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany (P5+1), Iran and the leading world powers reached a landmark agreement. The nuclear deal (officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA) was the result of the efforts of the greatest experts in nuclear non-proliferation, including experts from the IAEA and departments of energy and intelligence service of all those countries.

Iran's nuclear programme had started in 1957 with the help of the United States as a part of the Atoms for Peace program, when a "proposed agreement for cooperation in research in the peaceful uses of atomic energy" was announced.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Mohammad Reza Shah's government started an ambitious nuclear program. It established the Tehran Nuclear Research Centre in 1967, with a US-supplied 5-megawatt nuclear research reactor, which was fueled by highly enriched uranium.

Iran was one of the first countries to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1968. The NPT allows all member states to engage in peaceful nuclear activity, including full range of processing, so long as they refrain from manufacturing nuclear weapons.

In return, the five recognized nuclear states (the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France) promised to move towards the elimination of their nuclear weapons in "good faith". Not only have they not fulfilled this requirement, on the contrary, they have continued to develop more and more deadly and sophisticated nuclear weapons, and they have also been joined by India, Pakistan, Israel and recently by North Korea.

In 1974, with US backing, the Shah approved plans to construct up to 23 nuclear power stations, producing 23,000 megawatts of electricity. US and European companies competed against each other to help build those reactors.

In 1975, the Erlangen/Frankfurt firm signed a contract worth up to $6 billion to build the first nuclear power station in Bushehr. President Ford signed a directive in 1976 offering Iran the chance to buy and operate US built power stations, including a U.S.-built reprocessing facility for extracting plutonium from nuclear reactor fuel.

After the Islamic Revolution, all those programmes were suspended, including the Bushehr power station that was nearly complete.

The start of the eight-year long Iran-Iraq war further delayed the resumption of the nuclear program. Eventually, in 1981 during the presidency of the late Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, Iranian officials decided that the country's nuclear development should continue.

They turned to the Western countries that had promised to build reactors in Iran to resume their work, but all of them refused to cooperate.

In 1983, IAEA officials were keen to assist Iran in various aspects of reactor fuel fabrication, chemical engineering and design aspects of pilot plants for uranium conversion, corrosion of nuclear materials, LWR fuel fabrication, and pilot plant development for production of nuclear grade UO2. However, contrary to NPT regulations, the United States directly intervened to discourage IAEA assistance to Iran.

Finally, Iran turned to China, but under US pressure China too dropped her nuclear commerce with Iran.

However, Iran was successful to persuade Russia to complete the Bushehr reactor, which was completed after long delay and at great cost to Iran. Faced with this situation, Iran decided to conduct her own work on nuclear enrichment, in which she succeeded.

The United States imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran and forced other countries to follow suit. Iran was taken to the Security Council, which also imposed crippling sanctions that cut Iran's oil exports by half and cost Iran billions of dollars in lost revenue.

Iran continued with her nuclear programme and increased the number of her centrifuges, despite threats of war, crippling sanctions, cyber sabotage, the assassination of her nuclear scientists by Israeli agents, etc.

It was only after President Barack Obama agreed that as a member of the NPT Iran was entitled to a peaceful nuclear programme that intense negotiations started, resulting in the JCPOA.

While establishing her right to engage in nuclear activity, Iran accepted the harshest conditions as confidence-building measures. The agreement reduced Iran's enriched uranium stockpile by 98 percent and restricted the level of enrichment to 3.67 percent.

Given that an enrichment level of more than 90 percent is needed to build a nuclear bomb, the deal makes it impossible for Iran's uranium to be weaponized.

Under the deal, Iran also reduced the number of its centrifuges from 20,000 to a little over 5,000, far below the number that would be needed for manufacturing a single bomb, even if she wanted to do so. Iran closed the Arak reactor, which was capable of producing plutonium, and agreed to severe restrictions on research and development activities in other facilities.

In short, the agreement made it virtually impossible for Iran to build a single bomb.





Professor Farhang Jahanpour, Oxford University and TFF Board member



Some of Pompeo's intolerable conditions

1) Pompeo demands that: "First, Iran must declare to the IAEA full account of prior military dimension of its nuclear programme, and permanently and verifiably abandon such work in perpetuity".

This is something that was pursued under PMU or Possible Military Use during the talks. The IAEA studied all those allegations, including taking soil samples from Parchin military base where the Israelis had claimed that nuclear activity had been conducted. The IAEA decided that there had been "no diversion" of nuclear material for military use.

Iran has agreed to abandon work on nuclear weapons in perpetuity, and all the talk about so-called "sunset clauses" is baseless. In addition to being a member of the NPT, Iran has also joined the "Additional Protocol", which requires continuous, unannounced inspections of all her nuclear sites, and she has also given an undertaking never to produce nuclear weapons.

The prohibitions do not stop at the end of the "sunset clauses", but will continue in perpetuity.

The IAEA that is the only legal body in charge of monitoring the deal has, on eleven separate occasions, certified that Iran has fully complied with the terms of the deal.

2) "Second, Iran must stop enrichment and never pursue plutonium reprocessing. This includes closing its heavy water reactor."

Demanding that Iran should stop enrichment goes against NPT rules. As for "never pursuing plutonium reprocessing", this is precisely what Iran has agreed to do under the JCPOA, and has destroyed her heavy water reactor.

3) "Third, Iran must also provide to the IAEA full unqualified access to all sites throughout the entire country."

This is again another provision of the JCPOA, which the IAEA has used on many occasions.

4) "Iran must end its proliferation of ballistic missiles and halt the launching or development of nuclear-capable missiles."

This is yet another misleading and illegal demand. Like any other country, Iran has the right to defend herself (UN Chater Art 51) and as she is unable to acquire advanced military equipment that the United States has readily sold to all Iranian neighbours, Iran's missiles are her only means of deterring a military aggression.

Iran does not have intercontinental ballistic missiles as she has limited the range of her missiles to 2,000 kilometres. They are not designed to carry nuclear weapons, and in any case Iran does not have nuclear warheads.

5) Pompeo accused Iran of spreading terrorism in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, etc.

Iran has been fighting against ISIS and other terrorists in Iraq and Syria at the invitation of the governments of those countries. It is up to the Syrian government to ask Iran to withdraw her forces from that country, not for a US Secretary of State to dictate to other countries what they should and should not do.

All experts agree that the mantra of "Iran-backed Houthis" is exaggerated propaganda, as Iran's contacts with the Houthis and influence over them is minimal.

It is Saudi Arabia and members of her coalition who, with American support, have been bombing Yemen, killing and wounding tens of thousands of innocent people and creating the world's greatest humanitarian catastrophe there.

What this is really about: Obsession with revenge and regime change

President Trump and his three senior officials, Mike Pompeo, John Bolton and Rudy Giuliani, seem to be preparing the ground for a disastrous war with Iran.

Their hostility towards Iran does not seem to have anything to do with Iran's nuclear programme, but has everything to do with an obsession for regime change.

Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, Mike Pompeo boasted that "one of the first things the President did is to go build a coalition of [Persian] Gulf states and Israel to help find a platform which could uniformly push back against Iranian expansionism."(1)

When he was still a member of Congress in 2016, Pompeo called for action to "change Iranian behaviour, and, ultimately, Iranian regime." (2)

In the past, he has called for strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.(3)

Some of his hostility towards Iran seems to have been based on his hatred of Islam. In 2015, Pompeo, then a Congressman, attacked Barack Obama, who, according to him, took the side of the "Islamic East" in its conflict with the "Christian West". "Every time there has been a conflict between the Christian West and the Islamic East, the data points all point to a single direction," he said.

Some of his hostility towards Iran seems to have been based on his hatred of Islam. In 2015, Pompeo, then a Congressman, attacked Barack Obama, who, according to him, took the side of the "Islamic East" in its conflict with the "Christian West". "Every time there has been a conflict between the Christian West and the Islamic East, the data points all point to a single direction," he said. (4)

John Bolton is another strong advocate of regime change in Iran.

In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal on 15 January 2018, entitled "Beyond the Iran Nuclear Deal: US policy should be to end the Islamic Republic before its 40th anniversary", Bolton condemned the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran as a "massive strategic blunder."

However, he went on to say that American policy, "should be ending Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution before its fortieth anniversary."

He continued: "Recognizing a new Iranian regime in 2019 would reverse the shame of once seeing our diplomats held hostage for four hundred and forty-four days. The former hostages can cut the ribbon to open the new U.S. Embassy in Tehran." (5)

The former Mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, who is now a member of Trump's legal team has also been a fervent advocate of regime change in Iran.

Speaking at a conference of the terrorist, cultish group, the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation, in Washington on 5 May 2018, Rudy Giuliani openly said that Washington's policy was regime change in Iran, and he even promised that next year they would celebrate the event in Tehran. (6)

This obsession with the past and a deliberate decision to bring about a regime change in Iran will have incalculable costs.

Let's not forget that prior to Iraq war, Paul Wolfowitz, one of the authors of that war, predicted that it would be a "cake walk", that it "would pay for itself", and that "US forces would be welcomed with roses".

Fifteen years after that disastrous war, American forces are still operating in that country, and the war which has cost trillions of dollars to US taxpayers has killed and wounded millions of innocent Iraqi people, shattered that country and has given rise to a number of vicious terrorist movements.

It should be clear to everyone who is familiar with the Middle East that a war against Iran will not be like Iraq, it will be much worse. It will kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people, will set the Middle East on fire and will do a great damage to Israel and other US allies that she seemingly wishes to support.

During his confirmation hearing at the US Senate, Mike Pompeo was asked if Russia was a unique country. He replied: "This [US] is a unique, exceptional country. Russia is unique, but not exceptional." (7)

This kind of aggressive, bullying, threatening, demanding and illegal language has not been heard from a responsible government official since before the Second World War.

The concept of Americans being unique and exceptional and almost chosen by God, and referring to other nations as inferior, in the way that President Trump referred to the Latinos as animals, is not far removed from the concept of a superior race and Der Untermensch, or subhuman people.

If we wish to avoid the horrors of the Second World, we must put an end to this kind of arrogant mentality.

It is time for the Europeans, for all the peace-loving Americans and for millions of concerned people across the world who will be paying the cost of this misadventure to stop this madness before it is too late.



Notes





About the author:

Farhang Jahanpour, a TFF Associate and Board member and Fellow of The Royal Asiatic Society, is a former professor and dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages at the University of Isfahan and a former Senior Research Fellow at Harvard University. He is a tutor in the Department of Continuing Education and a member of Kellogg College, University of Oxford.





Once a Foe, US Now Hopes Iraqi Firebrand Shi'ite Cleric Becomes a Friend

05/24/18

By Jamie Dettmer, VOA

The prospect of firebrand Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr wielding the greatest influence of any Iraqi leader over the formation of a government in Baghdad would have prompted panic in Washington years ago.



Source: Iranian daily Afkar

In the wake of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and ouster of Saddam Hussein, al-Sadr's Mahdi army butchered Sunni Muslims in Baghdad and resisted Coalition forces. In inflammatory sermons, Al-Sadr urged his followers to attack American soldiers and to throw out "foreign occupiers."

But as he negotiates the shaping of a coalition government two weeks after his bloc's strong showing in the May 12 parliamentary elections, winning 54 seats, the most of any of the electoral alliances, U.S. officials aren't as ruffled as once they might have been.

They are pinning their hopes, they say, on al-Sadr continuing to move away from his old sectarian militancy and to emerge as a more inclusive Iraqi nationalist and, most importantly for Washington, remaining an outspoken opponent of Tehran.

This week, al-Sadr, who didn't compete as a candidate, has signaled his readiness for Haider al-Abadi, the moderate Shi'ite leader and a U.S. ally in the fight against the Islamic State group, to continue as prime minister, heading a more inclusive government. U.S. officials say they hope al-Sadr's bloc, the Sairoon Alliance for Reform, which includes a ragtag of Sunni factions united behind an anti-corruption message, can help bridge Iraq's sectarian division.

In testimony Tuesday before a congressional foreign affairs panel, analyst Tamara Cofman Wittes of the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, highlighted what she called a glimmer of hope offered by the Iraqi elections, saying the outcome presented "a fragile but important counterpoint to a region in turmoil."

Al-Sadr's Sairoon bloc won a dozen seats more than prime minister Haider al-Abadi's alliance, which came in third behind the Fatah Alliance, a Tehran-backed coalition of militia groups from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

New parliament

Cofman Wittes says while the outcome election for the 329-seat parliament holds risks, it also offers opportunities with security gains having "increased citizens' appetite for pragmatic policies" and nationalism growing in relative importance to divisive sectarianism. But a new coalition government needs to deliver on change and must improve the economy, she cautions.

"If citizens' needs aren't addressed, they might simply give up on electoral politics and on the government itself as a source of solutions to their day-to-day problems. Extremists could exploit this frustration," she says.

This week, Brett McGurk, the U.S. special envoy, has been visiting Iraq, pressing a U.S. wish list of continuity on the country's political leaders, arguing for economic reform and a continuation of a U.S. military presence to help ensure IS doesn't regroup. In December 2017 Iraq declared victory over the hardline Sunni militant group.

The danger from the jihadists, who have carried out sporadic attacks in the past few weeks, particularly in the north, around Iraq's second city Mosul, remains and was underscored Thursday when at least four people were killed and 15 wounded in a suicide attack in a Shi'ite district in Iraq's capital Baghdad.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, although it bore the hallmarks of IS suicide bombings.

Al-Sadr's spokesman indicated midweek to Western reporters that the radical cleric would have no objections to U.S. troops remaining in Iraq to train Iraqi soldiers and to assist in mopping up IS cells - something he said would have to be formalized in an agreement with a new government.

While U.S. and other Western diplomats express wary optimism about al-Sadr, hoping for the best and prodding for an inclusive reform-minded coalition government, Iranian state-run media have been expressing alarm.

Tehran's fears

Tehran fears the populist cleric "will seek to undercut the Islamic Republic's influence in Iraq by marginalizing Iran's allies and allowing regional Sunni countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, to make inroads into Iraqi politics and economy at the expense of Tehran's interests," says Ahmad Majidyar of the Middle East Institute, a U.S.-based policy research group. Iranian officials said prior to the elections that a secular government in Baghdad wouldn't be acceptable to Tehran.

"Al-Sadr's strong performance on the ballot day prompted Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force, to immediately travel to Baghdad, in an apparent effort to pull together a broader alliance between Iran's Shi'ite allies and other willing parties for a coalition government amenable to the Islamic Republic," he notes.

One of McGurk's biggest challenge may remain in brokering an agreement between Baghdad and Iraqi Kurds generally and to persuade four Kurdish opposition parties to accept the results of the May 12 elections. On Tuesday, in the Iraqi Kurdistan city of Sulaimani, the special envoy was told by Kurdish opposition leaders that they remain resolute in demanding a re-run of the elections, arguing the polls were marred by voter fraud.

The overall challenge for whoever heads a new Iraqi government, once tortuous negotiations are concluded, will be to deliver change. In a tweet following the elections al-Sadr promised, "We will not disappoint you." But the new government will not have a working majority in the parliament and will face likely efforts not only by the more sectarian-minded lawmakers to sabotage reform, but also from change advocates, who will not want their own patronage networks disrupted with the appointment of technocrats to government jobs.

Overhauling dysfunctional state entities and trying to diversify a sickly economy by attracting foreign investment would be a tall order even for a government with a strong parliamentary majority.Macron Heads to Russia to Save Iran Nuclear Deal

05/24/18

By Lisa Bryant, VOA

PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron heads to St. Petersburg Thursday for talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, whose support is key on matters ranging from salvaging the Iran nuclear deal to securing steady European gas supplies.

Business also is high on the agenda of Macron's two-day visit, which coincides with a key economic forum in St. Petersburg.



Some observers say Macron's trip comes within a broader context of thawing European relations with Russia, as seen in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Sochi last week, and deepening differences with Washington.



But as he pursues a policy of engagement with Putin - like he did with U.S. President Donald Trump - France's 40-year-old leader has said repeatedly he is not naive.



"I do believe we should never be weak with President Putin," he told Fox News in an April interview. "When you are weak, he uses it."



Still, a number of analysts doubt Macron will make much headway during his Russia visit. Some say the growing divide between the European Union and Washington will weaken his hand with the Russian leader during discussions that also are expected to include Ukraine and Syria.



Even boosting trade ties with Russia first demands "overcoming political obstacles, and they are numerous," wrote economic journalist Jean-Marc Sylvestre in Atlantico.



"I think the Russians will do whatever they can to use Macron's visit to their advantage, to their propaganda ends, and try to break the Atlantic alliance," said political history professor Anton Koslov of the American Graduate School in Paris, referring to broader EU-US ties.

-

In advance of President @EmmanuelMacron's visit to Russia, let's review a few key facts about our bilateral relations! pic.twitter.com/FyvJHKAqsm  France Diplomacy (@francediplo_EN) May 24, 2018

Tense Russia-EU landscape

Macron's trip comes a year after hosting Putin at Versailles palace, shortly after his election, which was marred by claims of Russian interference. Since then, EU relations with Moscow, already tense over Ukraine and Crimea's annexation, have sunk even lower.



In March, France joined the U.S. and nearly two dozen EU countries in expelling Russian diplomats in response to a nerve attack in Britain on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter. Even so, Macron kept his Russia visit on his agenda. Both Skripals have since left the hospital and are at an undisclosed location.



On Syria, the EU and Russia remain far apart. While Russia supports the Syrian regime, Macron joined Washington and Britain last month in striking Syrian military targets. The action followed a suspected chemical weapons attack, which Paris said it had "proof" took place.



The EU and Russia also remain key rivals closer to home, notably in the Balkans, where the Europeans worry about growing Russian influence. Yet the EU is divided over ramping up membership talks with six Balkan nations, promising only closer ties for now during an EU-Balkans summit last week in Bulgaria.



And while Russia is a close ally of Iran, France and other EU members separate their backing for the nuclear deal from their many differences with Tehran.



Washington's pullout of the Iran agreement, however, is scrambling the diplomatic landscape. The Europeans will need Russian and Chinese support as they race to save the agreement.



Still, Koslov, of the American Graduate School, is skeptical Macron will make headway with Putin. "I don't think he'll be able to secure anything on Iran," he said.

Business ties

In an interview earlier this month with France's Journal du Dimanche newspaper, Macron described establishing a 'strategic dialogue" with Putin and strengthening "Russian ties to Europe and not leaving Russia to fold in on itself." The spread of Russian media propaganda in France, which Macron denounced last year, has lessened, he said.



Those ties also appear to include business deals. Bilateral trade has picked up since the EU first imposed sanctions in 2014, and the French business leaders accompanying Macron to St. Petersburg include the heads of energy company Total, food giant Danone, and Societe Generale bank.

Today, France is Europe's second largest investor in Russia after Germany, and bilateral trade reached a reported $15.5 billion in 2017- up from $13.3 billion the year before.



Paris is not alone in its business overtures. Earlier this week, the EU's energy chief Maros Sefcovic said he had reached out to Ukraine and Russia to resume stalled gas talks that also would help secure European access to Russian gas beyond 2019.

And after her own talks with Putin in Russia last week, Germany's Merkel said despite their differences, the two sides need to "come closer to discuss the facts."



"Merkel wanted to let Washington know that Germany does not wholly depend on the U.S. for international issues," Josef Janning, Berlin office head for the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), told Britain's Independent newspaper.



Still, a recent ECFR study finds EU nations still consider Russian actions destabilizing - or potentially so - both at home and abroad, and the bloc is broadly united in pushing back, including by maintaining sanctions.



"By trying to exploit Europe's domestic divides and weaknesses," wrote author Kadri Liik, "Russia has created urgent incentives to address them."Prof. Kwesi Yankah, Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, is leading a delegation to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) Paris Conference in France.



The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) is the result of the political will of 48 countries which, step by step during the last eighteen years, built an area using common tools. These 48 countries implement reforms on higher education on the basis of common key values  such as freedom of expression, autonomy for institutions, independent students unions, academic freedom, free movement of students and staff.



Through this process, countries, institutions and stakeholders of the European area continuously adapt their higher education systems making them more compatible and strengthening their quality assurance mechanisms. For all these countries, the main goal is to increase staff and students' mobility and to facilitate employability.



Every two or three years, there are Ministerial Conferences organised in order to assess the progress made within the EHEA and to decide on the new steps to be taken.



Since its very beginning in 1999 in Bologna, the EHEA has involved many countries across the world with Africa playing a critical role in making reforms that shape higher education in the transformation of pedagogy with increasing digitalization, development of open resources and changes in patterns of learning.



In line with the Government of Ghanas agenda of providing accessible and successful higher education to its citizens, Prof. Kwesi Yankah, has joined many Ministers of Higher Education across the world at the EHEA 2018 Paris conference.



The conference seeks to provide a platform that addresses implications of internationalization and globalization, societal changes and new forms of knowledge and massification of higher education. This will eventually expand the scope of higher education by widening access that will be useful to share and compare experiences.



Ghana is committed to mainstreaming tertiary education by taking a critical look at how all existing policies affect access for all. He is expected to make statement on widening access and ensuring success for all in higher education and higher education social responsibility: the civic role of higher institutions.



Prof. Yankah attended the conference with the Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon, Prof. Samuel Kwame Offei and Robert Abeku Ansah. This years conference, which started on Wednesday 23rd, would be officially opened by the French President Emmanuel Macron at the magnificent Palais Brongniart Theatre in Paris, France today, 24th May, 2018 and will end on Friday 25.



It aims to achieve higher mobility in education, inclusiveness and innovation in higher education and Ghana is well positioned in this regard for best practices in international and global higher education through quality assurance and best standards.























Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Featured VideoDirector of Communications for the Ghana Gas Company, Ernest Owusu Bempah says former President John Dramani Mahama will face the wrath of God in his attempt to run as President in the next elections.



According to him, the former NDC leader during his tenure led Ghana into adversity  hence, his coming back will not only anger Ghanaians, but God as well.



Ghanaians have had enough of this man [John Mahama]. He had the opportunity to be President and he messed us up. Under no circumstance will Ghanaians give Mahama the second chance to destroy this nation, he said on NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie.



Ernest Owusu Bempah's comment comes after former President John Dramani Mahama gave the much-expected indication that hes going to contest the Presidency in the 2020 general polls.



JM has affectionately called said he has reflected on the numerous calls by the party's teeming supporters and sympathizers to declare his intention to contest in 2020; adding "I have listened to your calls".



Mahama who has been silent on his intention to contest wrote on his Facebook page: I want to congratulate the rank & file and executives of our party, the NDC, at all levels for the commitment and work we have put into our reorganization efforts.



The zeal and determination of the average sympathizer of our great party is greater and miles ahead of what it was after the December 2016 Elections. We need to keep up with the momentum generated and follow the published timelines.



To you the teeming supporters and sympathizers calling and requesting me to declare my intentions for the future, I wish to assure you today, that as a servant-leader, I have listened to your calls and reflected. I will not disappoint you even as we await the publication of the partys guidelines for selecting a new leader, Mahama said in his post on Facebook.



But Ernest Owusu Bempah warned the former President to retire in peace or he will face the wrath of God, the people and the gods.







Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Ambrose_wash









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Featured VideoThe Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Koku Anyidoho has called for support for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo in the fight against corruption.



According to him, previous presidents of Ghana had in their own ways tried to fight corruption; hence it was necessary for Ghanaians to rally behind President Akufo-Addo to help reduce the menace of corruption in the country.



I have seen President Mills fight corruption, I have seen President Rawlings do it, and I have seen President Mahama do it. Even President Kufuor did it in the case of Mallam Issah. So if President Akufo-Addo is also doing it, let us support him to fight corruption, Mr Anyidoho said.



In a radio interview with Accra based Asempa FM on Wednesday, Mr Anyidoho said the presidents move in the Kwesi Nyantakyi case is an indication of his readiness to fight corruption in the country.



The scandals are becoming one too many. Look at the issue about the Communications Ministry, [$89 million contract with Kelni GVG to deal with revenue losses and simbox fraud involving telecommunication companies], look at the way IMANI is going after Ursula Owusu [Communication Minister].



Just 16, 17 months, its mindboggling that one government, scandal after scandal," he said.



To Mr Anyodoho, once President Akufo-Addo himself reported the Kwesi Nyantakyi influence peddling and defrauding by false pretence case to the police, then it means the President is prepared to fight corruption.



I think I respect President Akufo Addo that he has to take this decision. That you [Nyantakyi] said he is in your pocket, the President of the Republic of Ghana is in your [Nyantakyi] pocket? So as much as I feel sorry for Nyantakyi, no president of this Republic should be in the pocket of anybody, never.



He said he believes the police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) will be professional in its work. I salute Maame Tiwaa Addo-Danquah [Director General of CID].



I salute her, she a professional, and I salute the IGP. You see you have to meet them one on one to be able to understand what they are doing at that place.



Maame Tiwaa, that woman is a strong woman and I believe she will do a professional job.



Mr Anyidoho said his recent personal experience in the hands of the CID makes him believe that we have a CID, BNI that can be professional and is professional if politicians allow them to be professional.

Source: Graphic.com









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Featured VideoIn April 2017, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo made one of the most profound declarations ever under his administration that may have reverberated across the whole of Africa.



The commitment we are making, and which I want you all to make with me, is that by the time we end our four-year term, Accra is going to be the cleanest city in Africa, he declared after his installation as chief by the chiefs and people of Ngleshie Alata (Jamestown) in Accra.



Standing on grounds where sanitation has been a significant challenge, and wearing a traditional title  Nana Kwaku Ablade Okudzeaman I  which imposes a cardinal duty to rescue his people from all kinds of threat, President Akufo-Addo might be right in flagging environmental cleanliness as a major priority.



What he might not have known at the time was that ensuring environmental cleanliness, even to the point of elevating Accra as the cleanest city  high on the map of the African continent  was not the priority of Ghanaians.



The people wanted water and electricity!



That was one of the findings of a survey conducted by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) in March 2017, one month before the Presidents declaration.



Perhaps, after getting those priority needs, they may respond to the Presidents invitation to join his commitment to make Accra the cleanest city in Africa.



The IEA survey

The IEA survey on Ghanaians expectations from the new government was to investigate and seek the opinion of the public on their expectations of the new administration based on the promises contained in its manifesto and the 2017 budget.



Furthermore, it was to assess whether the policy priorities of the government were in line with the real expectations of Ghanaians.



The nationwide survey, which involved a nationally representative sample of 1,641 respondents, gauged the expectations of citizens of the new government in respect of managing the rising cost of utilities, providing free SHS, improving the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), creating more jobs, dealing with crime and combating corruption.



Environment is least concern



The IEA survey sought the views of respondents in order of priority on critical issues the government must address in respect of ending dumsor, ensuring clean environment, improving local water supply and stopping the rising cost of water and electricity.



Among the priority issues surveyed, environmental cleanliness was the least of the concerns, with only 12.3 per cent of the respondents concerned about environmental cleanliness.



Electricity & water

A significant number of respondents (45 per cent) in the IEA survey were concerned about the rising cost of electricity and water, describing the increment as too burdensome.



Their expectation, therefore, was for the government to put in place measures to address the rising utility tariffs.



Although President Akufo-Addo took office at a time Ghana was emerging from an electricity load-shedding regime that plunged the country into darkness and put many businesses in disarray, dumsor, as the load-shedding exercise was known in local parlance, was still a bother to many people.



It was, therefore, not surprising that apart from the rising cost of electricity, many respondents (27 per cent), especially in the Upper West, Western, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions who were very much affected, wanted the new government to tackle dumsor as a priority issue in 2017.



Way forward

The findings of the IEA survey underlie the need for the government to undertake wide consultations in order to better understand the priority needs of people before formulating and/or implementing policies.



Although the Presidents commitment to make Accra the cleanest city in Africa by 2020 is laudable, the findings from the IEA survey suggest some work is required to get Ghanaians on board. The government will need to promote environmental consciousness among the people in view of the findings that environmental cleanliness is not a major concern of the people.



Again, while pursuing the clean environment agenda, the government must equally be committed to addressing critical concerns of the people such as dumsor, the rising cost of water and electricity and water supply in local communities.



It is, therefore, imperative for the government to streamline its policies to better respond to the priority needs of its citizens.





Source: Daily Graphic









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Featured VideoThe Minority Leader, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, has hinted that the revised Standing Orders of Parliament has made provision for the Minority Members of Parliament (MPs) to have a day dedicated to them to make contributions in Parliament.



He said the minority MPs would make statements, discuss issues and move motions on the day.



Another provision in the Standing Orders is a day dedicated to back benchers when new MPs, who occupy the back seats, will be the only ones who will be making statements and debating on the floor of the House.



Mr Iddrisu was speaking at an interactive meeting between leadership of Parliament and members of the Parliamentary Press Corps at the Parliament House in Accra on Wednesday.



The meeting was used to give outlines of the activities of the second meeting of the second session of the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic.



Mr Iddrisu said the revised copy of the Standing Orders had been given to the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye, for his consideration.



He said the revised Standing Orders was expected to be passed soon for its implementation to begin.



Right to Information

Mr Iddrisu said the report of the Appointments Committee of Parliament was ready and indicated that the report would be presented to Parliament next week.



Thereafter, he said, the bill would be taken through the second reading stage. It would then go through the consideration stage, third reading and then passed.



Mr Iddrisu said a number of bills, including the Ghana Railways Development Bill, the National Research Fund Bill and the Local Content Bill, 2018 would be presented to Parliament during the meeting.



There would also be Instruments, including an Instrument on maternity protection that would be presented to Parliament.



Corruption perception

The Deputy Majority Leader, Ms Sarah Adwoa Safo, said the perception of corruption against Parliament was a worrying issue.



She said the leadership of Parliament had taken steps to improve the image of Parliament and erase the perception.



Ms Safo urged the media to partner Parliament to create a good image of Parliament.



She again urged the media to report accurately on proceedings in Parliament to enable the public to have a true reflection of events in the House.

Source: Daily Graphic









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Featured VideoThe Central Regional branch of the National Democratic Party (NDP) has cautioned against what it says, is an orchestrated move to infiltrate and create division in the party by their political opponents.



Mr. Habibe Hassan, Regional Coordinator for its Zongo Caucus, said they were aware of a grand scheme to divide their front and disunite the party ahead of the 2020 polls.



Addressing a press conference in Cape Coast, he asked the members and supporters to remain alert and loyal.

They should refuse to be swayed by juicy and empty promises and accept to work hard to win over more voters and broaden the partys appeal to voters.



Mr. Hassan applauded the Government for setting up the Office of the Special Prosecutor and said that was indicative of its determination to fight corruption.



He, however said Ghanaians wanted to see clear policy directions on the implementation of its priority programmes.

It should act to tackle challenges facing the fee-free Senior High School (SHS) policy.



Additionally, the government must deliver on the One Village One Dam and One District One Factory promise.



These programmes, he noted, if effectively implemented could provide the needed impetus to the countrys industrialization, create jobs and reduce poverty.



Mr. Hassan also asked that close attention was paid to the development of the Zongo communities.

He said he found it refreshing that a Minister for Inner City and Zongo Development had been appointed and a Zongo Development Fund with a budgetary allocation of GHC100 million set up.



The Zongo communities had been deprived of basic social amenities - leaving the people in abject poverty, insanitary conditions and insecurity and the expectation was that their lives were going to improve.

Source: GNA









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Featured VideoCindy Lou Ashton, 39, of Luzerne County, was found in her bathroom in a pool of her own blood, with horrible stab wounds to her throat.

Nearly a month later, her accused killer - identified as her estranged boyfriend Anthony Dion Shaw, 41 - has been arrested in New Jersey after allegedly stabbing himself in a failed suicide attempt, according to the Citizens Voice, which reports:

Shaw, of East Orange, New Jersey, was arrested in his home state Wednesday and is awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania. He allegedly left a suicide note seeming to confess to Ashton's brutal killing earlier this month:

"To the Ashton family I hope your (heart) is big enough to forgive me," Shaw allegedly wrote in a suicide note. "I was a down person and Cindy pushed me down more. This doesn't justify my actions I'm so sorry!"

Anthony Dion Shaw, 41, faces a single count of criminal homicide.

Shaw had been recovering at a Newark hospital since cutting and stabbing himself in a failed suicide attempt the day after Ashton's body was found in a pool of blood in the bathroom of her Wilkes-Barre Twp. apartment, the Citizens Voice writes, adding:

Shaw told police he went to Ashton's apartment around noon May 1, purportedly to "discuss his relationship" with her. Shaw claimed they had agreed to continue to be "friends with benefits."

However, Shaw was captured by surveillance footage at a nearby Kmart that evening looking at a four-piece knife set before buying a Gerber folding knife and some socks with his bank card.

Ashton was last seen alive in Shaw's company less than an hour later, at 7:05 p.m.

Ashton's body was found by police making a welfare check on her the next day after she failed to show up for work. They found Ashton brutally stabbed in her bathroom.

Shaw faces a single count of criminal homicide in Ashton's death.It took place in Bongha Village in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, where Roh had built his retirement home and committed suicide by jumping off a cliff.

A memorial service was held Wednesday to mark the ninth anniversary of President Roh Moo-hyun's death.

Roh served as president from 2003 to 2008. Admirers remember a warm, progressive leader and lively speaker dedicated to improving people's lives and fighting graft. Detractors recall his sudden flip-flopping of opinion and the corruption investigation that overshadowed his last days.

He survived one attempt by lawmakers to impeach him early in his tenure but, like all single-term presidents, limped to an undistinguished finish.

The service was attended by thousands of supporters, including former first lady Kwon Yang-sook, as well as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle.Reese's is getting outrageous.

This month the company introduced its much-anticipated Reese's Outrageous bars. The candy combines elements of beloved Reese's products and is made from milk chocolate, caramel, and mini Reese's pieces rolled around a peanut butter center and coated in more chocolate.

Fully knowing its fans are outrageous - apparently eight out of 10 people say they like or love Reese's, according to the company - Hershey's is hosting a contest.

Through June 1, fans can post photos and videos demonstrating their love of Reese's on Twitter or Instagram using #ReesesOutrageous. One winner will receive a year's supply of Reese's and $10,000.

Just to prove how devoted its fans can be, the company shared some of the outrageous things done in the past. Jon Ernst of Ohio filled his bathtub with Reese's products while Ivy Mitchell of Georgia dreamed up a Reese's Eggs wedding cake.

The candies are made at Hershey's plant in Stuarts Draft, Virginia.

In the meantime, you can find the bars at stores near you in three sizes -- standard ($1.09), king size, ($2.09), and a 10.5 oz bag ($3.89).A 24-year-old man was convicted today of charges related to several indecent assault charges stemming from an incident involving a 15-year-old girl on a nature trail in Swatara Township.

Brandon Warrington.

According to the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office, Brandon Warrington, formerly of Lebanon, was found guilty today of aggravated indecent assault without consent, indecent assault without consent, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault with a victim under 16, indecent assault with a victim under 16, unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of minors. The jury found him not guilty of rape and sexual assault.

Warrington was arrested Aug. 7, 2015, for the assault on the nature trail located at the Living Waters Church.

The girl testified she had known him for a few days and he attacked her when they went for a walk on the secluded trail, according to the district attorney's office.

He is scheduled for sentencing Aug. 21.

Warrington is already serving a 9 to 25 year sentence for rape of a child and related offenses from an incident in Lebanon County. He had posted bail and was awaiting trial on the Dauphin County charges when he committed the Lebanon County offenses in 2016, according to the district attorney's office.

This post has been updated to correct the date of the conviction.They did not find the remains of one child who died while attending the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, but experts with the Army National Military Cemeteries group will be back to try again.

According to a posting in the Federal Register, the group intends to disinter four children, at the request of their descendants, on June 14.

This search includes Little Plume, whose remains were not found last year when the group visited the Carlisle Barracks -- the site of the former Carlisle Indian Industrial School. At that time, they searched for three Northern Arapaho students who died there 130 years ago.

They positively identified two of the sets of remains as that of Little Chief and Horse, but the third did not match what the approximate age would have been for Little Plume, called Hayes Vanderbilt Friday in his time at the school.

The remains of Little Chief and Horse were returned home with the Northern Arapaho, and the unknown remains were re-interred.

In addition to Little Plume, the group will be looking this time for the remains of George Ell, aka George Eli; Herbert Little Hawk, aka Herbert J. Littlehawk; and Her Pipe Woman, aka Dora Brave Bull.

They attended the Carlisle Indian Industrial School during the 1880s and 1890s.The driver of the school bus in a crash that killed a student and teacher in New Jersey last week is charged with homicide by vehicle.

Hudy Muldrow, 77, is charged with vehicular homicide in the deaths of Miranda Vargas, 10, Jennifer Williamson, 51, AP reports.

More than 40 others were injured, some seriously, in the May 17 crash between the bus and a dump truck.

After missing a turn, Muldrow tried to merge onto I-80 in Mount Olive, then turned sharply across the highway toward a U-turn area reserved for emergency vehicles, court records say.

The bus collided with a dump truck, and the collision sheared the bus from its wheelbase and crushed the front end of the dump truck.

Muldrow had his license suspended 14 times, including once last year, the N.J. motor vehicle commission said. About half of them were for parking violations, and only one was for a moving violation - making an improper turn.A report of a 2005 sexual assault of a child at a Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall has led to an arrest.

John Logan Haugh, 25, of Dagsboro, Delaware, is facing two counts of indecent assault of a person less than 13.

According to court documents filed by the York Area Regional Police Department, investigators received a report of the 2005 incident at the Kingdom Hall on the 300 block of Boxwood Road in Windsor Township.

According to police, the incident occurred like this:

The victim, who was 4-years-old at the time, and Haugh were part of the Jehovah's Witness faith. They had gathered at the Kingdom Hall before going on outreach efforts. The girl's mother left her alone while she used the restroom, and during that time, Haugh brought her to a secluded area and assaulted her.

The girl's father began looking for her and found them in a room together with the girl on Haugh's lap as he had his hand under her clothing in her vaginal area.

The girl's father told the Kingdom Hall elders about the abuse, believing they were mandated reporters, but the elders never made a report.

In August, the York County Children's Advocacy Center interviewed the victim, now 14. She relayed the same story and said Haugh on another occasion felt her breasts on top of her clothing as he walked past her in the hallway of the Kingdom Hall.

Haugh is scheduled for a preliminary hearing June 20 before Magisterial District Judge John H. Fishel.A federal appeals court refused Thursday to overturn the 35-year prison sentence for a Pennsylvania man who created child pornography using a 2-year-old girl.

A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rdCircuit didn't buy Jose Gonzalez's argument that he was doubly punished for the same crime.

Gonzalez, 36, of Glen Mills, Delaware County, came under investigation inn 2014 when he answered a Craigslist ad posted by an undercover FBI agent, Judge Richard L. Nygaard wrote in the circuit court opinion. Gonzalez was arrested after discussing his molestation of the girl with the agent.

Investigators said Gonzalez photographed his abuse of the child and distributed the images over the internet. They said they also seized more than 19,000 images of infants and toddlers being molested that Gonzalez downloaded and traded.

Gonzalez claimed on appeal that he improperly was sentenced twice for two incidents where he created child porn of the 2-year-old. Those incidents should have been considered as one crime for sentencing, he argued.

Nygaard disagreed, finding those crimes constituted "two separate instances of producing child pornography."

The first offense involved Gonzalez taking a pornographic photo of the girl, Nygaard found. He concluded the second crime occurred when Gonzalez took another pornographic image as the tot was in bed with him. That second shot was taken as Gonzalez communicated with the undercover agent.

"The production of each image subjected the child to explicit sexual assault, causing her to suffer separate and distinct harms," Nygaard wrote.Two people were taken to local hospital after suffering smoke and burn injuries in a fire at their home on Oakland Road in Dover Township, York County.

Firefighters were dispatched to the address at 10:35 p.m. Wednesday and arrived to find the carport and a van on fire, and a quarter of the house on fire. The heat was intense enough that it was melting the siding of a neighbor's home, the Dover Township Fire Department reported.

The couple who live at the home were taken to a hospital for treatment. The dog was found when firefighters arrived. The home was destroyed with the loss estimated at $140,000.

No firefighters were injured. The Dover Township fire marshal, state police fire marshal, and the Northern York County Regional Police are investigating.Pennsylvania college students worried about a substantial cut in their state grant award can breathe easier. There will be no reduction after all.

The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency voted on Thursday to provide $100 million, instead of $50 million, of the earnings from its student loan business to supplement the proposed $272.9 million state appropriation for the state grant program it administers.

That means the maximum grant award will remain at $4,123 for an estimated 151,000 students who are anticipated will be grant-eligible. Students will begin receiving their conditional grant award notices in the coming days, agency spokesman Keith New said.

All this good news though comes with a warning though.

Because PHEAA is applying the $50 million from its reserves that it was planning to use to supplement the 2019-20 state appropriation for the grant program, that means avoiding a grant reduction next year becomes more challenging.

Rep. Mike Peifer, R-Wayne County, who chairs the PHEAA board, said he and other PHEAA officials met with Gov. Tom Wolf's Budget Secretary Randy Albright as well as the four House and Senate appropriations committee chairmen to explain that the agency has to maintain a certain level of reserves since some aspects of PHEAA'S operation are self-insured and federal regulators want to see an appropriate cushion maintained.

"I think I made that very clear that we see next year being very challenging for us," Peifer said.

The other lesson learned from this year is that families are looking for consistency in helping them plan for their students' financial needs to pay for college especially as their students approach their junior and senior years, he said.

"They are almost there as far as graduation and at a point in their lives where they are almost completed with their studies. They are over 50 percent of the way through. A large bill or shortfall of $500 or $600 could be devastating to that student," Peifer said.

College students visited the state Capitol last month to share their stories about the vital role the state grants - which do not have to be repaid - play in their financial aid packages. Peiffer admitted the students made a persuasive case to drive PHEAA's board to find a way to avoid reducing grant awards.

By putting more money into the grant program, the PHEAA board is able to offset the impact of the introduction of an estimated 15,000 more distance education students being eligible for state grants.

State law was changed last year to remove the limit on the number of distance education courses students could take and still be eligible for a state grant. Now students who take some or all of their courses via distance education who qualify for a grant can receive one.

However, to control the impact of this influx of new grant recipients, the grant formula PHEAA's board approved on Thursday provides for those who take more than half of their course credits via distance education to be eligible for grants of roughly half of the maximum award amount - about $2,060.

Last month, the agency's board considered other changes to the formula to avoid having to cut the maximum grant award even more than the $705 proposed, including eliminating grants given to the approximate 4,500 Pennsylvania students who enroll in an out-of-state college, among others.

But the increased supplement to the grant program that PHEAA is providing averts the need to make that change, New said.

PHEAA has been supplementing the state appropriation for college aid programs with some of its earnings for well over a decade - including $87 million this year. But changes in its student loan business over that time as well as in the federal student loan program have caused the amount of its earnings to decline.

"Families need to know we're going to try, and we demonstrated this year we're going to try, to maintain that maximum award," Peifer said. "That's been a goal the last number of years and we're going to try and do that again. But it's important for the governor's office and the entire General Assembly to realize that PHEAA might not be able to make up that $100 million and it's probably appropriate for the General Assembly to plan accordingly for next year's allocation."Bang Si-hyuk, a producer for Bangtang Boys, also known as BTS, was named as one of Billboard's annual 73 International Power Players on Monday.

"Produced by Bang, BTS' 'Love Yourself: Her' has sold over 1.6 million copies worldwide, becoming the first album by a K-pop group to reach the top 10 of the Billboard 200," the U.S. Magazine commented.

Bang predicted more Korean artists will hit the Billboard charts, saying "There is a wealth of local artists to satisfy American music fans."

Meanwhile, BTS on Sunday performed at the annual Billboard Music Awards and bagged the Top Social Artist award for two years in a row.

Leader of the Government in the House of Commons Bardish Chagger rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018. The Trudeau government is shutting down debate on a massive bill to overhaul laws governing federal elections as it rushes to ensure the reforms can be implemented in time for the 2019 election.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin TangThe subcompact is the automaker's first new model to hit the market since it announced in February the closure of its plant in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province. The automaker pledged earlier that it will release 15 new and upgraded vehicles in Korea in the next five years.

GM Korea on Wednesday launched a partly-revamped version of its Spark subcompact to revive sales as it narrowly avoided going bust after reaching a deal over cost-cutting measures late last month.

The newest Spark is the first of its kind in its segment equipped with advanced safety features. Prices range between W9.79 million and W12.9 million, about W200,000 cheaper than its predecessor (US$1=W1,083).

The previous version launched in 2015 sold over 80,000 units the following year, becoming the best-selling subcompact in Korea. Its monthly sales plummeted to 2,000 units amid the cash-strapped automaker's crisis which was once at the brink of declaring bankruptcy, yet it is the top-selling model among GM Korea's lineup.

"We start today with the Chevrolet Spark to open a new chapter together in Korea. The Spark is an extremely important vehicle not only for domestic customers but also for international customers," said GM Korea president Kaher Kazem at the launch event.

GM Korea will also unveil its Equinox compact SUV at the Busan Motor Show next month in an attempt to claw back its lost market share.Fires burn in Little Grand Rapids, Man., as shown in a Government of Manitoba handout photo.The weather is cooperating with attempts to evacuate people from two First nation communities in Manitoba that are threatened by forest fires. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Government of Manitoba MANDATORY CREDITA sign warning of an underground petroleum pipeline is seen on a fence at Kinder Morgan's facility where work is being conducted in preparation for the expansion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline, in Burnaby, B.C., on Monday April 9, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl DyckA photo of Queen Elizabeth is viewed as a collection of artwork by famed American photographer Annie Leibovitz is donated to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax on Thursday, June 6, 2013. The Nova Scotia government is reviving hopes that a collection of iconic portraits by famed American photographer Annie Leibovitz could be displayed at a Halifax gallery. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew VaughanFILE - In this April 13, 2011, file photo, Luis Posada Carriles, second from right, greets supporters after he was acquitted by a federal jury in El Paso, Texas, of lying to U.S. officials about his role in the Havana bombings to win political asylum. Posada Carriles was long suspected of organizing a string of Havana hotel bombings in 1997 and the 1976 bombing of a Cuban jetliner that killed 73. Posada Carriles died Wednesday, May 23, 2018 in Miami. He was 90 years old. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File)North Korea was poised to blow up the tunnel entrances to its nuclear test site in Punggye-ri on Thursday. "If the weather conditions are good tomorrow, we can do the work," an official told visiting reporters Wednesday.

North Korea earlier said it would dismantle the site between May 23 and 25.

Security was tight as an unprecedented number of foreign reporters descended on the isolated country Wednesday. North Korean officials confiscated the Geiger counters of the handpicked reporters on arrival.

Tom Cheshire, a journalist for Sky News of the U.K., said in a live broadcast that the news crew had its satellite phone and radiation detector confiscated as they landed at the "shiny new airport" in Wonsan, which he said looks "more like a resort."

Despite repeated protests, North Korean authorities told Cheshire that the nuclear test site is safe and the equipment unnecessary.

The same thing happened to South Korean reporters, who belatedly joined the group after the North gave last-minute permission. Earlier, North Korea reneged on a pledge to allow international inspectors to watch the dismantling.

Volunteers from Reproductive rights, against Oppression, Sexism & Austerity (ROSA) dressed as characters from 'The Handmaid's Tale', demonstrate in Dublin, Wednesday May 23, 2018, calling for a 'Yes' vote in Ireland's upcoming abortion referendum on Friday. (Niall Carson/PA via AP)Im fine with it, we need the revenue and it will encourage cycling/public transit

Hate it, its too tough on local business/too confusing

I dont like it, but its probably necessary

Vote

View Results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 President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday told reporters that dialogue with North Korea will resume once joint aerial drills with the U.S. in South Korea end.

Speaking after a summit with Trump in Washington, Moon said high-level talks with North Korea and other dialogue "will resume after Friday," when the Max Thunder joint military exercises that North Korea has criticized come to an end.

A high-ranking Cheong Wa Dae official declined to say what the basis for the remarks was but added that Moon believes "many areas that are presently deadlocked will be resolved after Friday."Local goods and services first and by a significant percentage too - Institute of Americas IOA



Mr. Roger Tissot delivering the # localcontent pre-conference workshop at La Jolla Conference at the Institute of The Americas, University of San Diego # LJC2018 @ IOA_Energy By Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell



SAN DIEGO, California

Petroleumworld 05 24 2018 Even without legislation in place, Guyana's neighbour to the South, Brazil, has a most rigid approach when it comes to local content. The country ensures that companies put local goods and services first and by a significant percentage too. A failure to honour such commitments would lead to enormous fines.



This was pointed out yesterday during a Local Content workshop that was organized by the Institute of Americas at its headquarters in San Diego, California.



Participants have been drawn from Guyana, Brazil, Venezuela, and Argentina. The session saw two speakers. Experienced engineer and Oil and Gas consultant, Brazilian Nelson Narciso, was one of them.



During his presentation, Narciso explained that local content is of strategic importance to a country because of the lasting benefits it brings to the nation, such as enhancing the domestic industry and generating more income and jobs for the population.



He said that local content is more than lip-service for Brazil. Operators are expected to say up front what percentage of local goods and services they will use for specific projects. If the company says, for example, that it will use 50 percent of locals for repairs to be done at one of its offices, failure to honour that commitment would lead to an immediate fine by the regulator.



He said, too, that there are specific local content requirements that are outlined in the contracts of the oil operators in Brazil.



Narciso also gave the case where BG Group Plc., the U.K.'s third-largest natural-gas producer, paid US$71M in fines in Brazil for breaching local-content rules at an offshore project where it didn't find commercial volumes of oil. This was back in 2015. The Energy Consultant said that there have been many other fines of this nature.



I believe that if the company meets the minimum requirements or even over achieves, it should be rewarded. But there should be fines for when they do badly. We need to recognise who is doing the good and who is doing the bad. If there are no fines then you are doing nothing,



The oil consultant added, You must have a balance in the industry. That is what I found in my experience. Everyone agreed in Brazil that there should be a fine.



Narciso said that there has been much push back by industry stakeholders on the rigid fines. While there has been consideration to relax those fines, the consultant told Kaieteur News that there is wisdom in the approach to have such provisions. He noted, too, that it is an important lesson for any emerging oil producer.



Narciso was Director of the Brazilian regulatory agency for oil, natural gas, and biofuels (ANP) from 2006 to 2010. During his term, he led the creation of the Local Content Coordinating Body, led the Gas Flaring Reduction programme, the Improvement of Production Fiscal Metering programme, Bidding Rounds and Integrated System for products movement. He is currently an international consultant for the oil and gas energy.



The second draft of Guyana's Local Content Policy does not make a single provision for a fine or penalty to be instituted if there are local content breaches.



The document does, however, pave the way for a regulator of local content in Guyana.



(More on the Local Content framework can be seen online via the following link: https://www.nre.gov.gy/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Second-Draft-Local-Content-Policy-Framework.pdf) Petroleumworld.com



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Story by Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell from Kaieter News, reporting from California



Kaieteurnewsonline.com 05 24 2018

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Gubkin University, Moscow

SPE Student ChapterWheels set in motion for a new political party in Trinidad & Tobago -Mickela Panday

By TT Newsday



PORT SPAIN

Petroleumworld 05 24 2018

FORMER MP Mickela Panday says the groundwork to develop her new political party is under way. Consensus on the party was reached at a meeting Panday hosted at Gaston Court in Chaguanas on Sunday.

While the party does not have a name as yet, Panday said, We are in the process of formalising the party and as soon as that is done it can be registered with the EBC (Elections and Boundaries Commission). She explained the formation of the new party will require a tremendous amount of organisation, which has begun. The new party, she continued, does not plan to have a base but, several bases all over the country.

Its base at this point is all the people in this country who genuinely want change. The former MP said there will be consultation with various social, religious and other groups about the kind of political party they would want to see.

The formation of this party is not an attempt to open talks with Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar about an alliance with the United National Congress, which was founded by Mickela's father Basdeo Panday. That has been tried on several occasions and failed, she said.

On former minister Devant Maharaj's description of the party as a demon child, Panday replied, Mr Maharaj is a citizen of TT and is entitled to express his views, no matter how wrong they are. She wondered how Maharaj and other people believed the party would help the People's National Movement stay in power. Responding to Independent Liberal Party leader Rekha Ramjit, Panday said, In time Ms Ramjit will know what solutions we are offering.

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Conservatives reinforced with U.S. Iran strategy, endangers region -France

By Reuters

PARIS

Petroleumworld 05 24 2018

The U.S. decision to scrap the Iran nuclear deal and implement a tough strategy on the country will strengthen Tehran's hardliners and endanger the region as a whole, France's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Jean-Yves Le Drian was speaking two days after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would impose the strongest sanctions in history if Iran did not curb its regional influence and limit its ballistic missile programme.

We disagree with the method because this collection of sanctions, which will be set up against Iran, will not enable dialogue and on the contrary it will reinforce the conservatives and weaken President (Hassan) Rouhani. This posture risks endangering the region more, Le Drian told France Inter radio.

He said Paris shared Washington's concerns over Iran's ballistic missile frenzy and regional hegemonic ambitions, but that the 2015 nuclear deal was the best chance of stopping Tehran developing a nuclear bomb.

Deputy foreign ministers of the remaining parties to the accord - Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia - will meet their Iranian counterpart on Friday in Vienna.

The meeting will assess what can be done to keep the deal and circumvent extraterritorial American sanctions that are already impacting foreign business appetite for Iran.

European companies say they are worried about getting caught up in the new U.S. sanctions, given the extent of Washington's global reach, and some have already started pulling out.

We have another problem which is the security of our companies and the capacity to give Iran the economic benefits that it can expect in return for giving up on nuclear weapons, Le Drian said. These (U.S.) sanctions are not acceptable. We can't allow them to become legitimate.

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Iranian government officials split over response to U.S. demands

By Parisa Hafezi

ANKARA

Petroleumworld 05 24 2018

For all of Iran's fierce verbal response to fresh U.S. threats of tougher sanctions, some senior officials in Tehran believe the door to diplomacy should stay open.

On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo presented a list of sweeping demands for Iran, including abandoning nuclear enrichment, its ballistic missile programme and its role in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, or face the strongest sanctions in history.

Four senior Iranian officials contacted by Reuters interpreted Pompeo's remarks as a bargaining strategy, similar to Washington's approach to North Korea.

Last year U.S. officials were pressing for tougher sanctions against Pyongyang and sent an aircraft carrier to the region in a show of strength before relations eased to a point where President Donald Trump may hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

America does not want to get involved in another war in the region. Iran also cannot afford more economic hardship ... always there is a way to reach a compromise, said one of the Iranian officials, who was involved in Iran's nuclear talks with major powers for two years.

The era of military confrontations is over, the official said. Like others giving their views on relations with the United States, the official asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.

However, it will be difficult for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to back any diplomatic solution, because doing so could undermine his credibility among his hardline power base, who reject any detente with the West.

They (Americans) are lying. Even if Iran accepts all these demands, they will continue to demand more. Their aim is changing Iran's regime, said one official who is close to Khamenei's camp.

Americans can never be trusted. We don't give a damn to their threats and sanctions, he said, echoing Khamenei's public statements.

Pompeo's speech did not explicitly call for a change in leadership in Iran, but he urged the Iranian people to reject their clerical rulers.

CUP OF POISON

Earlier this month the United States withdrew from a 2015 multinational deal which restricted Iran's nuclear programme in return for lifting sanctions that had crippled the economy.

Tehran says its right to nuclear capabilities and its defensive missile programme are non-negotiable.

But with Iran's economy so fragile, weakened by decades of sanctions, corruption and mismanagement, Khamenei may yet consider diplomacy over confrontation with the United States.

Some insiders said that, though difficult, he could drink the cup of poison, as his predecessor Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini described it when he reluctantly agreed to a U.N.-mediated truce that ended the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

For most Iranians, the economy is the main issue, not what Iran does in the region or the country's nuclear programme, said a senior Western diplomat in Tehran.

That is why Iranian leaders will show some flexibility despite the harsh rhetoric.

TROUBLE AT HOME

It was Iran's weak economy that forced Khamenei to give tentative backing for the 2015 nuclear agreement with major powers. The deal, engineered by pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani, ended the country's economic and political isolation.

The establishment's core support comes from lower-income Iranians, who joined anti-government protests in January. The unrest was a reminder to authorities that they were vulnerable to popular anger fuelled by economic hardship.

If they fail to manage the economy, then the regime will not be able to resist the pressure. It does not mean it will fall apart, but the economy could reach its worst ever breaking point, said Meir Javedanfar, an Iranian-born expert on Iran at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya in Israel.

European parties to the nuclear deal are trying to rescue it after Washington's exit by keeping Iranian oil trade and investment flowing. But they concede it will be difficult.

A third Iranian official said he expected that the United States would eventually have to accept some level of Iranian uranium enrichment activity and ballistic missile work, because these are Iran's red lines.

In his speech, Pompeo tried to quash talk of war by saying Washington would lift punishing sanctions it is now moving to impose, restore diplomatic and commercial ties and allow Iran to have access to advanced technology if Washington saw tangible shifts in Iran's policies.

DECLARATION OF WAR

Several Iranian officials told Reuters that the hardline elite, including Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), viewed Pompeo's demands as a declaration of war against Iran.

Analysts said the risk of a broader conflict could not be ruled out, despite running counter to Trump's own stated desire to disentangle the United States from a generation of costly conflicts in the Middle East.

If Americans push Iran to the corner ... then Iran will have no other option but to react harshly, said Tehran-based analyst Saeed Leylaz. This is what hawks want.

While Tehran has said it would respond to any military aggression by targeting U.S. interests in the region and Israel, some experts said the country would struggle to defend itself against a direct, multi-fronted attack.

Iran has done well in proxy wars, but they cannot confront Israel or the U.S. in a direct war, said the Western diplomat. They don't have modern weapons.

Shi'ite Muslim Iran backs President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's civil war, Shi'ite militias in Iraq, Houthi rebels in Yemen's conflict and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement.

Washington's regional allies, Sunni Gulf Arab states and Israel  staunch foes of Tehran  have all praised the United States' toughening stance on Iran.

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Eletrobras shares sink after Congress no decision on privatization By Reuters SAO PAULO

Petroleumworld 05 24 2018 Shares of Brazil's state-run power company Eletrobras fell over 9 percent in early trading after a Congressional decision late on Tuesday to not vote on one of the decrees regarding the privatization of the company and some of its subsidiaries. The head of Brazil's lower house, Rodrigo Maia, said it would not put for a vote a presidential decree outlining rules for the sale of public power companies, asking President Michel Temer to send a draft bill instead. Petroleumworld.com



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Reporting by Marcelo Teixeira Editing by Chizu Nomiyama from Reuters.



reuters.com / 05 23 2018

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SPE Student ChapterLuke Sharrett/Bloomberg



Venezuela sanctions, Iran nuke deal withdrawal boosted prices. U.S. influence at OPEC meeting basically zero': Evercore

By Stephen Cunningham

NEW YORK

Petroleumworld 24 05 2018

Senate Democrats are urging President Donald Trump to rein in OPEC with pump prices at a three-year high, and even send his energy secretary to the cartel's June meeting to reinforce the message.

The reality is that Trump has few tools at his disposal to make life more bearable for motorists as the summer driving season approaches, other than reversing some major foreign policy efforts, such as sanctions on Venezuela or walking away from the Iran nuclear deal. Tweeting hasn't worked: Crude has rallied six percent since the president tweeted last month that rising oil prices "will not be accepted."

Still, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer exhorted the president to stand up to OPEC at a press conference in Washington on Wednesday. In a letter to the president, Democrats including Rob Menendez and Ed Markey called on Trump to send Energy Secretary Rick Perry to next month's OPEC summit in Vienna to press the case for stable crude prices, a suggestion shrugged off by analysts.

The influence of the U.S. on an OPEC meeting is basically zero, said Thomas Cape, senior analyst at Evercore ISI in New York.

Still, the senators urged Trump to begin international dispute proceedings against countries that artificially inflate oil prices, as well as boost the use of biofuel alternatives and abandon plans to roll back fuel-economy standards.

Sell Reserves

The simplest way for the president to influence oil prices, according to Cape, would be sell off some of the nation's emergency oil reserves, created decades ago to protect against supply disruptions. The stockpile currently stands at about 661 million barrels. Flooding the market with crude just as supply is tightening could weaken prices.

It's the only viable option on the table, said Cape. The evidence suggests it can be an effective tool but it's got to be deployed and structured properly to achieve that.

Congress has already authorized several sales of reserve oil through 2027, but they're staggered in such a way that they're unlikely to move markets.

Gasoline Climbing

Trump may be a hostage to a fortune of his own making, after blaming former President Barack Obama for high gasoline prices when his predecessor was in power.

READ: Gasoline at 3-Year High Will Test Trump Resolve on Venezuela Oil

The price of gasoline has climbed 19 percent this year to $2.95 per gallon, the highest level since November 2014. High prices are eroding the gains from Trump's historic tax cuts. The average middle-class household saw annual tax-cut savings of around $930, and every $1 rise in gasoline prices will eat up about half of that, or $500, according to analysts at Height Securities LLC.

What they got in the tax break just got washed away in higher gas prices, said Senator Maria Cantwell, the top Democrat on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Given the global nature of the oil market, it's hard to shelter anyone from the impact of higher prices.

The reality of the world price of crude oil is that we can produce as much as we want here, but as long as it's a globally traded commodity, we are going to feel it here, said Kevin Book, managing director at the research and analysis firm Clearview Energy Partners LLC in Washington.

________________________

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Peru revoked Tulow's oil contracts that Kuczynski signed the day he quit

Tullow



Company says government's decision deeply disappointing'. Government faced political opposition, protests by fishermen.

By John Quigley

LIMA

Petroleumworld 24 05 2018

Peru's President Martin Vizcarra repealed decrees permitting London-based Tullow Oil Plc to begin exploration at five offshore oil blocks, in a move criticized by the industry as creating uncertainty for investors.

Explaining the government's decision to revoke the contracts signed by Pedro Pablo Kuczynski the day he resigned, the Energy & Mines Ministry said the public hadn't been adequately consulted on the proposed investments. The government's oil contracts agency approved the licenses for Tullow on Dec. 20.

Kuczynski signed the laws March 21 as he quit amid allegations he sought to buy votes to avoid impeachment . Fisherman worried that oil exploration will damage fishing grounds blocked roads in the north of Peru in a protest last month, while opposition parties urged Vizcarra to annul the legislation.

Tullow Oil said in an emailed statement that the decision was deeply disappointed, adding it will consider its next steps. An audit by the country's Comptroller's office found the firm complied with rules for obtaining the licenses, it said.

Consultation Process

In Wednesday's statement, the ministry said the government seeks to build political and social consensus to help create a climate of stability and social peace while developing its natural resources in a sustainable way. It called on investors, politicians, and local fishermen to support a consultation process that the oil agency Perupetro will undertake.

Peru's mining and hydrocarbons industry group, known as SNMPE , said the move creates uncertainty for business at a time when the government should by encouraging new investments in the industry. The government this month appointed its first vice-minister for hydrocarbons in line with a measure Kuczynski initiated to revert a slump in oil production.

Peru imports $5 billion of oil a year to cover a shortfall in production, SNMPE said in an emailed statement. Investment in exploration is less than 2 percent the level reached in 2012.

Tullow Oil's shares extended losses on the news, falling 5.2 percent to 258.9 pounds at the close of trading in London. The company has interests in 90 exploration and production licenses in 16 countries, according to its website.

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He is also charged with embezzling W34.9 billion from DAS and funneling them into his own coffers (US$1=W1,083).

Prosecutors accuse Lee of taking W11.1 billion in bribes from various sources while he was in office, including making Samsung pay W6.8 billion in legal fees for an auto parts maker, DAS, which he owned by proxy.

Unlike his fellow ex-president Park Geun-hye, who went on trial a year ago, Lee took the opportunity to make a speech denying all allegations against him. Asked his occupation, he quietly answered "unemployed," but when the presiding judge asked him to comment on the indictment he became agitated and read out his prepared statement.

Former president Lee Myung-bak appeared at the first session of his corruption trial at the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday to plead not guilty to all charges. It was his first public appearance since he was arrested in March.

But Lee claimed he is being framed and added, "The allegation about DAS is something I just cannot understand," he added. The company is nominally owned by his brother.

"My older brother and brother-in law-established DAS," he added. "I wonder how justifiable it is for the government to meddle in a company that has not had any problems with management control for some 30 years."

Lee claimed it is "shocking and insulting" to charge him with making Samsung pay the legal fees in exchange for pardoning Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee, who was then serving one of his many corruption sentences.

Prosecutors said they will prove the charge with testimony from former Cheong Wa Dae administrative official Kim Baek-jun. Kim spilled the beans during questioning by prosecutors and confessed to arranging a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae between former Samsung vice chairman Lee Hak-soo and Lee Myung-bak.

Lee denied the charges, claiming "not a single business executive" came to Cheong Wa Dae during my five years in office." He added, "Maybe Lee Kun-hee came, but there is no way Lee Hak-soo would have come."

Lee's three daughters sat in the audience, but his wife Kim Yoon-ok and son Si-hyung did not show up.

The next trial date is Monday.

Lee was not brought into court in handcuffs after the Justice Ministry revised regulations that no longer allow defendants over 65 or who are ill to be handcuffed until their sentences are delivered as long as there is no flight risk. The new regulations went into effect in February, too late to benefit Park, who was always led in handcuffs until she boycotted proceedings.If you wish to support the newsletter, blog and my work, you can use one of the donation buttons on the blog or newsletter, or go to Paypal.com and use my email lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com as the payee. Thanks again. Lon











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I have heard some rumors of a similar being to mothman appearing near to where I'm from in Wales, UK. My mother have claimed to have seen a similar being while she was in a car with her sister. She claimed to have seen a "shimmering cloaked like creature" when she told me this, it immediately made me think of the grim reaper. She said it came out of the darkness and followed besides the car on the passenger side and then went over to the drivers side, then finally it goes above the car and stopping in its trails. Without knowing about my mother and her sister's sighting, there have been about 4 more people to have seen a similar being at the same area. I thought I saw something similar on the same road but I may have just seen something like a kite or a black bag stuck on wiring...I was on my way to college, on a bus, otherwise I'd have took more notice. I want to believe the supernatural...but reported sightings aren't enough for me. Also, there have been few deaths on these roads, one was a cousin's girlfriend and her friend who drove their way on to scaffolding pipes and was impaled, the driver behind them said they just swerved off the road straight into the pipes, but the car didn't seem to lose control, it was if it was did intentionally...it makes me think if they saw it. I honestly don't know. - TheRonamon**********SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS)  Federal and local authorities are investigating mysterious booms being reported in Upper Bucks and Lehigh Counties.Springfield Township police say there have been multiple reports of loud explosions, with the most recent one happening shortly after 4 a.m. on Tuesday.Humans Have Wiped Out 85 Percent Of Mammals On Earth, Study SaysNo one seems to know the source of the mysterious booms.I thought that somebody was making a tunnel or space junk fell out of the sky, said Susan Crompton, who lives in Haycock Township.From poachers, gunfire, to explosions to a sonic boom, said Jerry Hertz of the mysterious sound.There have been no shortages of theories, but still no answer as to why so many residents have been jolted by mysterious and near-deafening sounds.**********In the late 1990's I had a paper route in a small town I Oregon. For one delivery I had to deliver to a set of mail boxes. I pulled left, started to put papers in. I was paranoid about traffic, so I constantly checked my rear-view mirror. It was a rainy day. I saw a woman in a long black coat with a hood walking a small black dog. I physically turned in my seat to see the woman. No one there. I checked the mirrors, there she was!!! I turned again. Still no one there. I drove off like a bat out of Hell. I delivered the rest of the papers there when it was brighter! Creepy. - Therese Van Vleet****************************************President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed signing of a peace treaty ending the Korean War, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Yoon Young-chan said.

The two met in Washington to discuss the upcoming summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The two Koreas vowed during their summit last month to declare an end to the Korean War this year and pursue trilateral or four-way talks that could include China, which fought alongside North Korea in the war.

China has insisted that it must be included in the process, but the U.S. is against. "The U.S. and China are expected to engage in a tug of war over this issue," a diplomatic source said.

Asked about China's participation in the process, a high-ranking Cheong Wa Dae official said, "Opinions have been exchanged, but no conclusion has been reached."

The legal situation is complicated since North Korea was officially at war with the UN, which is still nominally in charge of armistice protocol, even though the UN forces commander happens to be the chief of the U.S. Forces Korea.

It was China's intervention that cemented the division of the Korean Peninsula, scuppering U.S. hopes to conquer the entire territory.

If you or I mislaid $26 million  the sum that city Finance Director Rob Dubow and Treasurer Rasheia Johnson say they're still trying to find after comparing bank, tax and spending records last year  there would be consequences.

But bankers and analysts who track America's trillions in state and local government spending are surprisingly chill, for the most part, about Philadelphia's having to turn over the couch cushions (with help from auditors at Horsey, Buckner & Heffler LLP) to settle the books. (It's not just Philly: The U.S. military said two years ago that it wasn't exactly sure what happened to $7 trillion. Their auditors are working on it.)

The bankers can see why citizens might be unhappy. "Taxpayers say, 'My kid's school needs this, my park needs that, and you can't find $26 million?'" said Joseph Krist, partner at Court Street Group Research in New York.

It makes our City Hall look backward, Krist says, echoing City Councilman Allan Domb, who said he's "flabbergasted" that the city doesn't reconcile accounts quickly, as taxpaying businesses and private borrowers are forced to do.

"In an era where young people pay for everything by swiping your cellphones, the idea governments are still processing a lot of paper receipts sounds cumbersome," Krist told me. "And it sounds like you've had some lax practices."

Which isn't shocking, or even surprising, to people who follow rivers of money through state and local governments, Krist added. "Cities have historically been behind the times in terms of how they process and keep track of payments," he told me. "I'd be surprised if you took the 10 largest cities in America and you didn't see something like this somewhere in each."

"This type of thing does happen from time to time," said Patricia M. Healy, investment portfolio manager at Cumberland Advisors in Vineland, N.J. She cited a New York State auditing report finding that towns and agencies failed to balance accounts "due to lack of proper supervision, inexperienced employees and lack of internal controls"  or the failure to use them. "In a city the size of Philadelphia, the amount is relatively small," and it's being fixed, she told me.

It is more worrisome, Healy added, that Philly tends to operate without large cash reserves to deal with sudden expenses or a tax-killing recession. And the city has legacy expenses that its rich suburbs don't: Pensions for retired police and other city workers, who now outnumber active city employees, eat up one-sixth of the yearly budget  more than is spent on working police.

Pension funding pressure, plus Mayor Kenney's commitment to find hundreds of millions more for schools, are why Philly bonds are rated just A, compared with AAA for Chester or Montgomery Counties. That's also why Philadelphia taxpayers pay investors millions more in bond interest, over time.

Won't the bond rating agencies cut Philadelphia again because its weak financial controls have been so publicly exposed?

"I do not think this alone would precipitate a downgrade. However, it should be noted that management [counts for] about 20 percent" of the grade, when agencies rate which cities will likely pay their bills, said Eric Kazatsky, analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence. The underfunded pensions and school needs are a bigger deal, he affirmed.

"If it were part of a larger, longer pattern of lack of financial controls, it would be a larger negative," said Matt Fabian, publisher of the Connecticut-based MMA Advisor newsletter. But "it happens. I don't think it's a big deal."

It's fortunate that the state and the independently elected city controller look over the city's books  but those watchdogs ought to have been "more forceful," not just flagging the problem, but demanding the city fix it sooner by bringing in accountants who know what they're doing, said Cumberland's Healy.

Are city contractors also to blame? Philadelphia has banked with Wells Fargo and its predecessors back to the old PNB days before computers. But last year, the city moved cash accounts to Citizens Bank (Wells Fargo still provides other services).

Did the change cause, or uncover, a multimillion-dollar disconnect? Nope, says city spokesman Mike Dunn: "The reconciliation issue predated the change in payroll provider, so it did not play a role." Both Wells and Citizens "performed at or above expectations," Dunn said.

There's no evidence of theft so far, DuBow told me. "We've been keeping current" for the last year, said treasurer Johnson. She blames staff turnover and the loss of "institutional knowledge" as accountants leave for better-paying posts.

Which underlines how cash management has been a low priority for City Hall. But that's true for governments generally, says Court Street's Krist: "Modern IT costs money," he told me. "I don't know of anyone who's ever been elected by saying, 'Guys, there's potholes in the streets, our schools are crumbling, but we've got an IT system that kicks it every day.'

"You will never hear that speech."Dr. Sue Sisley, an Arizona psychiatrist, is one of the lead researchers on a study on cannabis and chronic pain that has enlisted 25 Pennsylvania dispensaries to help collect patient data. Read more

A consortium of 25 Pennsylvania marijuana dispensaries announced it will collect patient research data for a national study on chronic pain already underway at the University of Michigan.

Sue Sisley is one of the lead researchers on the Michigan pain study. An Arizona physician who has conducted DEA-approved marijuana studies at the Scottsdale Research Institute to treat veterans suffering from PTSD, Sisley said the pain study already has enlisted about 600 patients in Nevada and Michigan.

Patients who use cannabis for chronic pain will be asked to complete a confidential online survey on an iPad at the participating dispensaries.

If the Michigan project signs up enough people  Sisley said 3,000 participants would yield publishable results  it could render the idea of Pennsylvania's state-sanctioned research program moot. It would show meaningful investigations into the drug could be conducted without granting special privileges to marijuana companies that enter into exclusive arrangements with Pennsylvania health-care systems.

"All medical cannabis license holders have a duty to participate in science right now and not wait for anyone else to fund that or get the Institutional Review Board approvals that they could be getting themselves," Sisley said.

The announcement of the Michigan pain project comes in the wake of a Commonwealth Court decision this week that, on its own, has the potential of derailing Pennsylvania's research program.

The state's current marijuana growers and dispensers  many of which are participating in the Michigan pain study  filed suit in March, claiming that the regulations governing the research program were unconstitutional and unlawful.

Judge Patricia A. McCullough found merit in the complaint and issued a temporary injunction on Tuesday. stopping the Department of Health from moving forward.

A spokeswoman said in a statement that the department "will continue to pursue our nation-leading research component and we are evaluating our legal options."

Pennsylvania statute allows eight of the state's health-care systems  called Academic Clinical Research Centers (ACRCs)  to pair with marijuana companies, which are referred to as Clinical Registrants (CRs).

Earlier this month, the health department approved five Philadelphia institutions to become ACRCs: Jefferson Health, the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, Drexel University and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

The ACRC health-systems already have chosen their CR marijuana company partners, despite the fact that the arrangements must be approved by the state. But the existing growers say that by giving the schools the power to choose their partners, without a rigorously scored application process, the state "unlawfully" delegated the Health Department's permitting duties to the schools. The complaint hinted at allegations of pay-to-play.

Andrew Sacks, a lawyer who cochaired the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Committee on Medical Marijuana, said he had warned the Health Department "it would get in trouble" because the law and regulations did not appear to be fair and competitive.

"There's no provision to eliminate a CR unless the Health Department finds proof it bribed a health system," Sacks said.

"Hopefully the DoH will sit down with petitioners and work out something that is fair and competitive," said Sacks. "And by 'competitive' I mean open bidding for health system contracts by the companies, complete disclosures for both company and the health systems, and that they go through an application process that allows for other bidders who can be scored just like anybody else."

In testimony given before McCullough rendered her opinion, the director of the state's marijuana program, John Collins, said an injunction would be "quite simply, horrific" because it would be "extremely disruptive to the patients that are suffering in Pennsylvania." McCullough wrote that Collins' testimony overlooked the fact that qualified patients are already receiving medical marijuana.

A representative for Collins did not return calls requesting comment.

Anthony Campisi, spokesman for a group of investors who have paired with Jefferson Health, called the suit "an attempt to delay the work of world-renown academic research centers to get a competitive advantage on the part of these plaintiffs."

Judith Cassell, the lawyer representing the current growers and dispensary owners, said she expected Judge McCullough to hold hearings before the end of the summer.

"We are not against research," Cassell said. "We already have people who are growing and processing medical marijuana. The Department of Health could give them CR status. Many of them would love that status. And that would expedite the research. They'd be ready to go tomorrow."Pipes for Sunocos Mariner East Pipeline project await installation at the border of West Whiteland and Uwchlan townships near Exton. Read more

Less than a month after the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission allowed Sunoco Pipeline LP to restart its Mariner East 1 pipeline, a PUC hearing examiner on Thursday reversed course and ordered Sunoco to shut down operations again.

Elizabeth Barnes, a PUC administrative law judge sitting in Harrisburg, issued an emergency order Thursday instructing Sunoco to immediately suspend service on the Mariner pipeline in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, where sinkholes appeared earlier this year.

Barnes also ordered Sunoco to halt construction of two new Mariner East pipelines in West Whiteland, an impediment to completion of the expansion project on which Sunoco is spending $5.1 billion in Pennsylvania. Sunoco says the Mariner East 2, the first of the two new 350-mile pipelines, is 98 percent complete.

The judge acted in response to a complaint from State Sen. Andy Dinniman (D., Chester), a vocal opponent of the project, about the safety of the construction in West Whiteland. The emergency order throws the Mariner East system, which delivers Marcellus Shale gas liquids to a terminal in Marcus Hook, into disarray.

"The order is a resounding affirmation of everything we've been saying  the Mariner East pipeline project has potentially endangered our neighborhoods, schools, environment, property rights, water resources, infrastructure, and the health, safety, well-being, and very way of life in our communities," Dinniman said in a statement Thursday.

Sunoco's parent company, Energy Transfer Partners LP, said in a statement Thursday that the judges order is a "significant departure" from the law and PUC's procedures. Under the commission's rules, it has seven days to request the five-member PUC to review the judge's order.

"The entire energy industry should be concerned about today's order and consider this result when making decisions regarding future capital investments in the state as it upends Pennsylvania's entire regulatory environment," ETP said in its statement.

The company says it plans to continue construction work on "all areas along the route except for the 3.5-mile segment that runs through West Whiteland Township."

The Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance, a coalition of labor and industry groups, said the "misguided" decision runs counter to previous rulings, including the PUC's May 3 unanimously vote to allow Sunoco to resume pumping Marcellus Shale natural gas liquids such as propane through the Mariner East 1 pipeline. The commission had ordered the shutdown in March after sinkholes opened up during construction of the new Mariner East 2 pipeline along the same route.

At the time the PUC allowed service to restart, the PUC's Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement said it was satisfied that the pipeline "can resume operations safely."

But the PUC also made clear that its decision was narrowly focused on the immediate threat from the sinkholes, and it said that the broader safety concerns of pipeline opponents would be addressed in Dinniman's complaint.

Barnes has previously ruled against the contentious Mariner East project. In 2014, she coauthored a recommended decision that determined the project was not a public utility. The PUC later rejected that position, granting the Mariner project the public utility status that allowed Sunoco to acquire vital rights of way using eminent domain power.

The judge's order requires Sunoco to conduct a broad array of assessments its old and new Mariner East pipelines, including the integrity Mariner East 1 pipeline. The ME1 pipeline was built in 1931 to deliver refined products, such as gasoline and heating oil before Sunoco repaired and repurposed it in 2014 to carry gas liquids from the booming Marcellus Shale fields.

The judge also granted Dinniman's request to force Sunoco to create a public risk analysis "and other information required to warn and protect the public from danger and to reduce the hazards to which the public may be subjected." The issue has been central for pipeline opponents, who say the company has not been forthright about the risks of delivering highly volatile liquids underground in densely developed areas.

Barnes said she also weighed Sunoco's record of mishaps in ordering a halt to operations and construction in West Whiteland.

"Sunoco has made deliberate managerial decisions to proceed in what appears to be a rushed manner in an apparent prioritization of profit over the best engineering practices available in our time that might best ensure public safety," she said.North Korea and the U.S. have agreed to high-level talks this weekend to salvage a summit scheduled for June 12 amid fractious rhetoric from both sides.

North Korea has become newly assertive and resorted to its usual denunciations of all its enemies, while U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that the summit may not take place.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that "top aides prepared to travel to Singapore for a crucial planning meeting this weekend with North Korean officials."

They are expected to discuss the key agenda points, including a timeline of denuclearization and what North Korea wants in return, as well as security protocol for the unprecedented meeting.

The North Koreans failed to turn up for a meeting scheduled 10 days ago in Singapore, right after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with Chinese President Xi Jinping for a second time and returned newly self-confident.

"If North Korea cancels the meeting again, then we really don't know what will happen to the summit," said a diplomatic insider in Washington.Gorman & Co. and E-Z Park are developing a mid-rise building at 419 Bainbridge St., just east of Passyunk Avenue. Anchored by a Target store, it includes 50 apartments and a 149-car parking garage. Read more

The main character in the new novel by Philadelphia writer Nathaniel Popkin, Everything is Borrowed, is a cutting-edge architect who has agreed, against his better judgment, to design a large apartment building at Fifth and Bainbridge for a powerful local developer. As his unease with the project grows, Popkin's protagonist, Nicholas Moscowitz, becomes increasingly distraught over the prospect of selling out. He suffers a midlife crisis and never completes the design.

Imagine the whammy of a nervous breakdown Moscowitz would experience if he had to design the real-life project that  in a remarkable coincidence  is now proposed for the very same Queen Village site. In the book, one of Moscowitz's big worries is that his client won't go for his lofty environmental goals. If only that were the issue. In real life, the problem with this building is that it is more about warehousing cars than sheltering people.

The project, which was presented at a community meeting this month, has been commonly described as an apartment building with a small Target store on the ground floor. The truth is, the six-story structure would include a mere 50 apartments, mainly on the top two floors. Sandwiched between the Target and the two top residential floors is a 149-car parking garage. Its presence grossly distorts the design and turns what could be a good project into an objectionable one.

We've seen parking-heavy designs like this before, notably at the University City Science Center, easily Philadelphia's most lifeless neighborhood. By contrast, the site on Bainbridge Street, between Fourth Street and Passyunk Avenue, straddles the border between the bustling South Street corridor and the history-rich residential streets of Queen Village. A tight ring of small businesses, apartments, and rowhouses encircles the site. It's the definition of a walkable neighborhood.

Admittedly, the site has been used as a surface parking lot for a long time and is currently owned by Harvey Spear's E-Z Park. While the existing lot accommodates between 57 and 80 cars, Spear and his development partner, Gorman & Co. plan to enlarge the footprint by demolishing four neighboring commercial buildings. All were occupied before the developers decided to sacrifice them for a larger parking structure.

Queen Village residents are rightly up in arms over the project, but they have tended to focus on side issues. Some feel the 75-foot-tall building is out of scale with the surroundings. Others, like Mitchell Cohen, the third-generation owner of Cohen & Co. Hardware, see the arrival of a 21,000-square-foot Target store as an assault on South Street's identity, the mainstreaming of the "hippest street in town." The responses to the proposed building mirror the ongoing debate over what South Street should be. In Cohen's view, the chain retailer "will make us like every other neighborhood."

That's overstating things. This is a blip of a Target store, half the size of the suburban versions, and hardly bigger than the old five-and-dimes that were once the general stores of Philadelphia's neighborhoods. It's true the proposed building would be taller than its neighbors, but not by much. The South Street corridor is home to a variety of building types, including a new five-story apartment house on the 500 block and several similar mid-rises at the western end. Properly designed, these modest apartment buildings can be a boon to commercial corridors, adding a permanent population that will patronize the stores and restaurants.

So the Bainbridge Street project isn't bad because it's too tall; it's bad because it's tall for the wrong reason.

Why does a 50-unit apartment building and a small Target store in a walkable neighborhood need 149 parking spaces? Answer: It doesn't. But the developers believe there is money to be made from people who drive to South Street to visit the shops and restaurants.

"Demand at this particular lot has increased over the last three years," developer Matt Gorman told me. According to Mike Harris, who runs the South Street Headhouse District, infill development on several surface lots has reduced the supply of parking in the neighborhood by almost 200 spaces.

That doesn't mean there is a crisis. There are still several large parking garages nearby on South Street to pick up the slack. Meanwhile, to accommodate Target's delivery trucks, it looks as though the neighborhood will have to sacrifice about a dozen on-street parking spaces, Harris says. Getting rid of them amounts to a transfer of public property to private ownership. The more you look at it, the more it seems the tail is wagging the dog in this project.

The worst part is: The garage wrecks the building's looks. The design, by JKRP Architects, isn't knock-your-socks-off architecture, but the red-and-gray brick facade is better than average for Philadelphia these days. The firm, which was responsible for 777 S. Broad and Southstar Lofts, layered the red brick portions on top of the gray, creating subtle recesses that add shadow and texture. Yet all that effort is wasted because of the huge amount of parking.

Because the building's midsection is consumed by three levels of parking, most of the Bainbridge and Leithgow Street facades will have no glass in the window openings, to allow for ventilation. The architects will use mesh screens instead. Architect Jerry Roller says those openings "are scaled to mimic apartment windows." Sorry. Empty windows are empty windows, and I doubt anyone will be fooled.

There is still time to improve the project. The developers plan to present the design to the Civic Review Board on June 5, but they also need three variances from the Zoning Board.

There are several obvious fixes. Start by reducing the amount of parking being offered to the public. That would immediately allow the architects to lower the height of the building by a floor or two. Even if the developers insist on providing spaces for Target and the building's residents, they should still relocate the garage. Since this is an L-shape structure, why not push the parking to the back of the site, freeing up space along Bainbridge for more apartments? What kind of developers devote the priciest real estate in the building to cars?

I bet Nicholas Moscowitz would have told them that.A #metoo moment for the Montgomery County Republican Party: Attorney Tom Ellis, left, a former county commissioner, had hoped to win the party chief job next week despite a history of abuse and harassment allegations against him. He withdrew after Liz Preate Havey, right, announced her own candidacy Wednesday. Read more

It was a hell of an introduction to Tom Ellis, former Republican commissioner in Montgomery County with an alleged #metoo history. But then again, this is Montgomery County, where the GOP is so dysfunctional it's good to have a giant stash of Advil handy before wading into its latest civil war.

"I was actually expecting your call," Ellis blurted out when I got him on the phone Tuesday. "That was the threat that was made if I didn't get out of the race."

He's right that the knives were out. Ellis was asking county Republicans to make him party chief  and forget that he made headlines in 2004 after a former fiancee requested a protection-from-abuse order against him. And forget that he made headlines again in 2010 because an ex-girlfriend-slash-county-employee accused him of harassment. Ellis told me he had long ago apologized, redeemed himself, and had only the party's best interests at heart.

But committee members voting on a new chairman next week would also have to forget that their ex-chairman four years ago, Bob Kerns, was convicted of indecent assault amid rape allegations. They'd have to vote for Ellis despite our current cultural moment in which even the mere whisper of misconduct against women can be lethal.

When we spoke Tuesday, Ellis vowed that he wouldn't get out of the race  a vow he'd break before dinnertime Wednesday.

He then declared war against the faction that had lined up against him in favor of the 47-year-old woman who'd just announced her candidacy hours earlier Wednesday  Liz Preate Havey, lawyer and daughter of ex-Attorney General Ernie Preate. And he said his former running mate, Lauren Casper, would run in his place.

"This cancer on our party," Ellis wrote in a letter announcing his withdrawal, " has gone on a scorched earth attack using totally unfounded allegations from many years ago."

For good measure, he said the party was a "disintegrating and moribund organization."

What's amazing isn't the high drama, the party's communal capacity for self destruction, or that I had caught wind of this eyebrow-raising candidacy.

It's not amazing that Republicans were leaning on Ellis, a big-firm attorney, to pull out of the race. This is a county party that once elected governors and presidents but now most reliably manufactures grudges and warlordlike power struggles with zombie half-lives.

No. What's amazing is that Republicans in Pennsylvania's densely populated and second-most affluent county are mired in toxic muck even this year. Even now.

They should be focused on protecting political seats, on bracing for what many think could be an electoral bloodbath this fall at the hands of Democrats, whose voters are supercharged by women at the polls and on ballots. Dems are looking to take control of the U.S. House and make a dent in GOP control of state House and Senate seats.

But until I started making calls this week, the only people running to replace departing GOP chairman Bill Donnelly were Ellis (a well-known insider) and Marina Kats, a lesser-known self-made immigrant-attorney.

And Ellis, I soon found out, was secretly in the line of some big-time fire.

Anthony Spangler, a 39-year-old GOP committeeman from Horsham, gave me a taste of gunpowder when I called for his opinion Tuesday.

"He's had several accusations of misconduct with women," Spangler said. "It's 2018. People in my generation don't tolerate that kind of stuff. The accusations against him alone, the optics alone of that, especially happening multiple times, is going to be a big stick that the Democratic Party is going to hit every elected Republican over the head with  everywhere from school board to Congress."

I asked a Democratic consultant: Would you bludgeon Montco Republican lawmakers with Ellis' old headlines if he won?

"Hell, yeah," the consultant replied.

Even James Williams, a Philly-based GOP operative running for a state Senate seat that straddles Montgomery County and Philly  a seat currently held by Democrat Art Haywood  could see why Ellis was a potential political liability. (Ellis also touts having the backing of longtime county power broker Bob Asher.)

"Right now, as a party, we're not doing good with female voters at all," said Williams, who ran Beth Grossman's unsuccessful GOP campaign last year against Larry Krasner, Philadelphia's new district attorney.

A few days ago, another bigwig in the county, Frank Bartle, sent a letter to GOP candidates running for office this year. He warned that electing Ellis on May 31 "would not be the message we want to send."

He added: "While I personally like Tom and do not disparage his ability, the several personal issues he faced involving allegations of abuse or harassment near the time he served in public office more than disqualify him from legitimate consideration."

I'd heard Bartle was hoping Preate Havey would run. We chatted Tuesday. He threw an unmistakable dart while explaining that other people were concerned about Ellis, too.

"I've had many people call me," he said. "Probably because I'm the last chairman of the party who's had any success."

(That one gets a round of applause, no?)

Wouldn't you know, what happens on Wednesday morning? Preate Havey announces she is running. Her running mate for vice chair is none other than Spangler, the gentleman from Horsham.

"Our party is at a crossroads," Preate Havey told me with what I presume to be a straight face. "We've been divided for too long. I'm running to bring a new energy and much-needed unity to our organization."

Someone please pass the Advil.David Thornburgh, president and CEO of Committee of Seventy and former executive director of the Fels Institute, is concerned about the changes Penn is making to the program. Read more

The Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania for more than 80 years has prided itself on preparing students for public-service positions and making those already working in those jobs better.

Its alumni include Philadelphia City Council members Cherelle Parker and Kenyatta Johnson, State House Majority Leader Dave Reed, and Greg Rost, Penn's senior vice president and chief of staff. Former Gov. Ed Rendell, Philadelphia U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, and Mayor Kenney are among the frontline policymakers who have taught there.

But was Fels on par with Penn's Ivy League-quality education? Could it compete with prestigious counterparts such as Harvard's Kennedy School?

Some at the university apparently didn't think so.

What began with gradual changes four years ago escalated this week with the ouster of the institute's executive director as part of a restructuring. The abrupt moves left some alumni and former staff members questioning the university's commitment to the institute and worrying that the changes would not be for the better.

"Everyone who cares about the value of their degree and the heart of this program should be gravely concerned," said a letter circulated by a former staff member this week.

Penn earlier this year signaled it had changes in store for the storied program  significant enough to pause admissions to its full-time master's of public administration program for a year.

On Tuesday, executive director Nelson Lim's position was eliminated, along with some other key posts, and the institute  which had operated largely on its own  was moved under Penn's College of Liberal and Professional Studies, which Penn said would "deepen and diversify its recruitment, registration and related administrative capacities."

The Fels website had been overhauled less than 24 hours after the staff changes.

Founded in 1937, the institute enrolls about 60 students a year, roughly 30 in its full-time master's of public administration program and about the same number in its executive master's program for working professionals.

Some alumni and former staff members, proud of the institute, say that Fels rightly emphasizes the practical over theory and that having teachers who work in legislative offices and policy centers gives students the real-world connections and experience they need.

"What I heard concerns me and disturbs me," said former Fels executive director David Thornburgh, who left in 2014 and now heads Committee of Seventy, which advocates for better government. "Fels is one of the nation's most venerable programs for educating people for public service. Whatever their plans are, it doesn't seem like this is going to be the same kind of program that it has been for the last 80-some years."

Penn said it wants more of its full-time faculty to teach at the institute.

"The School of Arts and Sciences is committed to strengthening the role of Fels in educating and inspiring future public servants," Steven J. Fluharty, dean of Penn's School of Arts and Sciences, said in an email to alumni and students this week. "One vital way to do that is to broaden the involvement of the school's standing faculty more extensively in Fels teaching, in combination with the accomplished practitioners who bring real-world experience and insights to Fels classrooms."

The overall intention, said Nora E. Lewis, vice dean of professional and liberal education, who now oversees the institute, is to improve it. The full-time master's program will relaunch in fall 2019, she said.

"It is not going away," Lewis said. "We value Fels, the history of Fels, and the impact it has had, particularly in Philadelphia. We want to make Fels even better going forward."

But T.J. Hurst, a 2014 alumnus who credited the program with helping him start his own business and navigate the city's political infrastructure, said the program served him well, though he knew Penn faculty wanted it "more quantitative and academically focused" and competitive with schools such as Kennedy.

"The standing tenure faculty at the School of Arts and Sciences did not feel the program was rigorous enough and felt it was too practitioner-focused," said Hurst, a managing partner at Jefferson's List, which helps political campaigns find staff members. "And the alums loved that about it. I had a seminar with 12 students that [then] Councilman Kenney taught, and I found that very valuable."

Hurst wrote a letter to Penn earlier this year, signed by more than 250 alumni, expressing concern about the pause in admissions for the master's program.

"That was quite shocking to alumni for one of the oldest institutes of government in the country," Hurst said.

But he met with Penn officials at that time and some of his concerns were eased, he said. This week's upheaval reignited alumni worries, he said.

"I don't understand it," said Eric Weinberg, a 1996 Fels graduate, who taught there for 17 years until 2015 and who works in private equity in Philadelphia. "I think the university could do a better job of properly communicating it to alums. As an alum, we are all very interested in protecting the reputation and brand that the Fels Institute has come to enjoy."

Under the restructuring, the institute will no longer have an executive director, Lewis said. Two faculty members will take over as directors of the master's program and executive master's program and look to bring in more full-time faculty to teach, Lewis said.

"We don't want to lose anything," she said. "We want to add."The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts has acquired a major painting by Frederic Edwin Church, a defining figure of the Hudson River School, after the 1875 oil failed to sell at a public Sotheby's auction Wednesday in New York.

Valley of Santa Isabel, New Granada had been on display at the Berkshire Museum for over a century until officials there made the highly controversial decision to sell about 40 works from the museum collection to raise money for an endowment and capital repairs and improvements.

That plan was stalled by a challenge from Massachusetts' attorney general. But this past winter, the attorney general reached an accommodation with the museum and a judge allowed the planned sale to go forward.

Valley of Santa Isabel, however, did not sell at Wednesday's auction. Sotheby's placed a preauction sales estimate on the work of $5 million to $7 million.

PAFA said it acquired the work in "a private sale," and declined to say how much it paid for the painting, which is five feet wide and features a valley dissolving into distant mountains with three lilliputian figures in the foreground.

It is not uncommon for works that fail to sell at auction to be sold privately soon after the last gavel falls, or, more accurately, fails to fall.

Brooke Davis Anderson, director of the PAFA museum, called Valley of Santa Isabel "a great Church painting, one of his best paintings."

The academy has been seeking to build up its collection works by Hudson River painters for several years  using funds generated by sometimes highly controversial sales out of its own collection.

The most notable instance of this was PAFA's 2013 sale of one of its two paintings by Edward Hopper, sold at auction for about $40 million. The Hopper vanished into a private collection.

Other works sold recently to build up PAFA acquisition funds include paintings by William Merritt Chase, Childe Hassam, John H. Twachtman, Maurice Prendergast, and Frank Weston Benson.

Such sales are commonly  if sometimes painfully  used by museums to build their collections, and are deemed ethical by professional associations. Sales of works for other purposes  such as the Berkshire Museum's effort to raise capital and endowment funds via art sales  are not sanctioned professionally.

In recent years, PAFA has used acquisition funds bolstered by collection sales to acquire Hudson River School and related works by Albert Bierstadt, David Johnson, William Frederick de Haas, Thomas Moran, among others.

The acquisition of the Church painting now gives the academy a critical mass in Hudson River paintings.

In a statement, Anna Marley, PAFA's curator of historical American art, noted that the Church "will be the largest and most significant painting of the Hudson River School in the collection."

"It will join works in the collection by his contemporaries Thomas Cole, Asher Brown Durand, John F. Kensett, Edward Bannister and Jasper F. Cropsey," Marley continued. "It will also complement our recent purchase of Bierstadt's sublime painting of Niagara Falls."

"We're already planning an exhibition strategy for the painting," Anderson said, referring to the Church. "PAFA is committed to telling the sweeping story of America art, and Church is a key part of that story."

"We've made a commitment to the artwork," she continued. "The good news is it remains in the public domain."

PAFA has decided, in that regard, to extend an invitation to every member of the Berkshire Museum and every resident of Berkshire County, Mass., to visit the painting at any time for free "in perpetuity."

She said she was not certain when the painting would arrive and go on display.The Oliver Hazard Perry, right, sails through the waters of the Delaware river during the Parade of Sails at Penns Landing, Philadelphia on Thursday, May 24, 2018. Read more

A gorgeous fleet of tall wooden ships arrives in Philadelphia this weekend for Sail Philadelphia 2018, just in time for Memorial Day. The five-day festival celebrating the city's maritime history includes something for everyone  from sunset cruises on the Delaware River to tasty seafood bites at the Waterfront Festival.

Events and activities

Parade of Sail

Watch 11 tall ships sail into Philadelphia's waterfront along the Delaware River during the Parade of Sail, which kicks off Thursday afternoon. Each ship provides its own unique version of showmanship before docking.

3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, free admission

Waterfront Festival

The festival offers five days of nautical-themed programming and family-friendly experiences, including landside views of the ships. Plenty of food and beverages will be available, including funnel cakes and cotton candy. For seafood fans, Chickie's and Pete's offers snow crab legs and peel-and-eat shrimp.

11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday to Monday, $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, military, and children ages 3 to 12, free for children 2 and under

Ship Tours

Daily self-guided ship tours are available on a timed schedule. Tickets allow guests to tour ships of their choosing to see how they were built, how they function, and what it's like to be a crew member. Each ship requires a separate ticket, which also includes admission to the Waterfront Festival and the Independence Seaport Museum.

What ships are available to tour?

Oliver Hazard Perry  The first oceangoing full-rigged ship built in the United States in 110 years, its home port is Newport, R.I.

Sagres  One of the international ships at the festival, Sagres is sailing in from Lisbon. It's also one of the largest vessels in the festival.

Spirit of Bermuda  This vessel, a Bermudian training ship modeled after the schooners constructed on the island during the 19th century, is sailing in from the Caribbean.

Lynx  Based in Portsmouth, N.H., Lynx is a topsail schooner modeled after a naval schooner from the War of 1812, making it ideal for history buffs.

Noon to 7 p.m. Friday to Monday, $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and military, $7 for children 3 to 12, free for children 2 and under.

Sail Away Cruises

For an even more immersive experience, visitors can board ships for cruises along the Delaware. Day (90 minutes) and twilight sailings (120 minutes, including a glass of wine and snacks) are offered. Cruise tickets are also available for the Parade of Sail on Thursday. Those who opt for the Parade of Sail cruise get an exclusive three-hour experience on the water, with spectacular views of arriving ships. Each cruise ticket includes admission to the Waterfront Festival and the Independence Seaport Museum.

What ships are available for Sail Away Cruises?

A.J. Meerwald  New Jersey's official tall ship, docked in Gloucester City.

North Wind  Also docked in Gloucester City, the North Wind provides underserved students with an education outside traditional classrooms.

America 2.0  Sailing from New York City, the America 2.0 is a sleek and beautiful ship built by Scarano Boat Building.

When and If  Also docked in New York City, this schooner was commissioned in 1939 by then-Col. George S. Patton.

Thomas E. Lannon  This family-owned schooner is based in Gloucester, Mass., and focuses on preserving the local fishing industry and the history of schooners.

Thursday through Monday, $90 for day cruises, $125 for twilight sailings, $150 for Parade of Sail.

To avoid the crowds

You can buy early-entry tickets that allow you to tour the ships with fewer people and more time to explore. They provide access to tours between 11 a.m. and noon one day before general boarding, and ticket holders should plan to board at least two ships during the preview hour. They also include non-timed entry on all touring ships from noon to 7 p.m. on the same day of purchase and admission to the Waterfront Festival and Independence Seaport Museum. There's a limited number of early-entry tickets, so act fast.

Early-entry tickets are $65 for adults, $55 for seniors and military, $50 for children 3 to 12, and free for children 2 and under.

Sail Philadelphia 2018Krissy Houser, 41, has had chronic pain since a back injury in 2006. She is shown here with her dog, Mitzie. Read more

Krissy Houser is one of many chronic pain patients who are feeling besieged by new government and insurance company policies limiting prescription opioids.

The Bucks County woman was taking high doses of the highly addictive pain medications until her doctor got nervous in fall 2016. Federal officials were looking at his prescribing records, he told her, and she'd need to come down to the much lower dose  about a seventh of what she was taking  that was newly recommended as the ceiling for new pain patients by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Houser cried. She injured her back in a recreational vehicle accident in 2006, when she was in her late 20s. Two surgeries helped, but then she fell before the second surgery had healed. She had to leave her job at Merrill Lynch and go on disability. The opioids limited the pain enough for her to be able to help her mother, walk the dog, and see friends.

Since her doctor began slowly tapering her dose, she has suffered withdrawal symptoms and pain that is constant and intolerable, she said. Houser, who had weight-loss surgery before her accident, has gained 90 pounds since her pain treatment changed. She still has not quite met her doctor's dosing goal. "I've lost friends. I've lost everything. I'm a shut-in," she said.

Her mother now walks the dog. "That's the hardest part," she said. "She's now taking care of me again."

>> READ MORE: How doctors help chronic pain patients taper opioid doses

Houser sees herself as a collateral victim of the war on opioids. Experts say that most people with an opioid addiction today got started on prescription pain pills  either their own or someone else's. New rules seek to contain the number of leftover pills available for diversion and reduce the number of pain patients who become dependent or suffer serious side effects. But longtime users with chronic pain contend that these rules are hurting law-abiding people. They and some doctors worry that the opioids pendulum, which initially swung too far toward prescribing the pills, has now swung too far toward taking them away.

Situations like Houser's will likely become more common next January when Medicare starts enforcing its new rules on opioids, which will make it harder, though not impossible, for doctors to prescribe high doses. Medicare, which often leads on insurance coverage policy, is coming later to this issue. But, with its 58.5 million senior and disabled beneficiaries  Houser included  it wields huge influence.

In addition to rules from many private insurers and state governments that make it more of a hassle to prescribe high doses of opioids, doctors are also feeling pressured by law enforcement agencies, which monitor prescribing patterns, patients and their advocates said. Pain specialists say they're seeing an influx of chronic pain patients who have been dumped by other doctors.

In part due to such restrictions, opioid prescribing has continued to decline from its peak in 2011. Yet U.S. doctors still prescribe more opioids per capita than doctors anywhere else in the world.

Overdose deaths continue to rise in much of the country, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Should chronic pain patients be treated differently from people new to opioids?

Some chronic pain patients and experts argue that those who are accustomed to high doses and are doing well on them should be treated differently. Cutting their doses could lead to greater disability, depression, suicide and illicit drug use. Besides, they note, patients often don't have access to pain specialists or the multimodal pain programs  employing not only medicine but also physical and emotional therapy  that research suggests is most effective.

Sharon Waldrop, vice president of the National Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Association, said most people on long-term, high-dose opioids failed every other option they tried first. The drugs improve their quality of life. "For a certain percentage of people," she said, "it's working."

Kristen Ogden, 65, lives in Virginia with her husband, Louis, 68, who has suffered terrible headaches and widespread pain since childhood. He is taking 28 times the opioids dose Medicare will soon use as a threshold for extra scrutiny. His body does not absorb medications normally, Ogden said. The drugs, she said, make it possible for the two of them to have a social life, and they improve his thinking ability. He says he never feels high. They were traveling to a pain doctor in California for treatment and paying $5,000 a month for the half of his dose that his insurer refused to cover. His doctor says he has faced pressure from the Drug Enforcement Administration, and is retiring.

Ogden worries that they will have "no quality of life" if Louis can't get high doses of opioids. "I feel very frustrated because my husband has done very well," she said.

Stefan Kertesz, an addiction expert and physician at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Birmingham VA Medical Center, started a petition against Medicare's initial, and even stricter, opioids proposal. The adopted rules are less onerous, but still require a pharmacist to double-check with any doctor who prescribes more than 90 milligrams of morphine equivalent (MME) a day. (That's the equivalent of 90 mg of hydrocodone, 60 mg of oxycodone or 20 mg of methadone. A calculator can be found here.) Hospice and cancer patients were excluded from the limits, flagged in 2016 by the CDC as a point above which the risk of dangerous complications and death rose.

But that recommendation was not meant, Kertesz and others said, as a goal for people already taking higher doses.

>>READ MORE: Opioids mean relief  and humiliation  for these pain patients

Kertesz said doctors know very little about what will happen when patients are forced to taper their doses. Many will have prolonged withdrawal symptoms, including depression. He worries they will turn to street drugs or even suicide. Many will need more mental-health support and monitoring.

"We are making large-scale, very aggressive policies in an arena where data is weak," he said. "I don't take it as a given that every person can be tapered."

Curbing dangerous drugs

Supporters of restrictions say that opioids are dangerous, addictive drugs that, at higher doses, raise the risk for serious side effects and death. And, these experts say, there's little evidence that high-dose opioids are any better than alternatives for chronic pain. The CDC found no studies of long-term use of opioids that compared them with other treatments.

Andrew Kolodny, a physician who is co-director of opioid policy research at Brandeis University, said that 90 MME is an "extremely high, dangerous dose."

Many doctors  including area geriatricians  say Medicare's actions will have more impact on its disabled patients than seniors, because older people usually are not on high doses of opioids, which are more dangerous for the elderly. The drugs make them more vulnerable to constipation, falls and mental fogginess, doctors said. At the same time, though, some older patients are also at risk from alternatives such as ibuprofen, which also can have significant side effects.

Kolodny suspects that fatal overdoses in seniors are underreported because their deaths are blamed on other medical conditions.

But he agrees with Kertesz that, during tapering, patients need extra care for both physical and emotional side effects. The drugs can paradoxically make patients feel more pain, plus pain is worsened during withdrawal. Anxiety and a sense of impending doom are also common during tapering. "These patients," he said, "need a lot of support bringing their doses down."

Kolodny said opioids should almost never be used for chronic low-back pain, fibromyalgia or chronic headache, but often have been. "What we're really talking about are the victims of our era of aggressive prescribing," he said.

In a recent study, Erin Krebs, a researcher at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, compared two groups of patients with serious, chronic back, hip and knee pain. The group not on opioids tried an average of four pain medications, requiring careful trial and error under close medical supervision. Compared with the second group, who took opioids, those who had other therapies scored the same on measures of function, but reported less severe pain and many fewer side effects.

Krebs, though, signed Kertesz's petition. "We need to make sure we're doing this right and not creating a whole lot of new, unintended problems for people," she said.

Lewis Nelson, a medical toxicologist who is chair of emergency medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, was on the panel that developed CDC guidelines. Chronic pain patients who have used opioids for years can overdose, he said, even when their dose stays steady. It can happen when another medication is added that interacts with the opioids. Sleep apnea can also be a factor. Or a patient can get a virus that affects the lungs, leading to dangerously low oxygen levels overnight  and death. "This is very, very common," he said.

Except for metastatic cancer patients and people who are near death, Nelson takes a hard line. He says even after surgery or a substantial injury, few people need more than five days on opioids. "I don't think anybody should be on them for chronic pain."

Meanwhile, Houser is miserable with pain. She wishes she could afford medical marijuana. She thinks about suicide, but says her Christian faith keeps her from doing it. "There's only so much a human being can take," she said.

What insurers are doing

Locally, Independence Blue Cross now requires annual prior authorization for chronic pain patients on opioids, but doesn't set a dose threshold.

Aetna, the region's other dominant private insurer, requires prior authorization at 90 MME. It has new programs for patients who take long-term opioids with sedatives, which increase the odds of overdose, as well as for those on high doses or with a history of overdoses. It is urging subscribers to use alternative pain approaches, including acupuncture, physical therapy and chiropractic care.

From a numbers standpoint, the prescription restrictions seem to be working. Opioid prescriptions peaked in 2011 and doses also dropped in 2017, according to a recent report from IQVIA's Institute for Human Data Science. Doses for 90 MME and up fell by 16 percent last year.

Drug overdoses, fueled largely by illicit opioids, have continued to rise.Doctors may disagree about chronic opioid use, but on this point they are unanimous: Cutting patients off suddenly or forcing them to reduce their dose quickly is a bad idea.

Even if patients are not addicted  the official definition involves compulsive, dysfunctional behavior  they are physically dependent on the drugs and experience painful withdrawal symptoms when they don't take them.

"It's excruciating to cut someone off who's been on a high dose," said Andrew Kolodny, a Brandeis University physician and co-founder of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing.

Even opioids users who didn't have pain before they started taking the drugs feel pain during withdrawal, said Lewis Nelson, chair of emergency medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. "Every bone in your body hurts," he said.

>>READ MORE: Lost in the battle to create fewer new patients addicted to opioids: Longtime pain patients

Pain experts said doses should be tapered slowly, sometimes over many months, though there is no standard approach. Nelson recommends the same sort of medication-assisted treatment using methadone or buprenorphine that often helps heroin addicts.

Peter Yi, an anesthesiologist and pain specialist at Penn Medicine, favors a multimodal approach that is not widely available. It would include non-opioid pain medications, cognitive behavioral therapy, ideally with a pain psychologist, as well as physical therapy and exercise. Some people also respond to yoga, tai chi, meditation, acupuncture and chiropractic.

Yi asks patients to accept small reductions in their opioids dose, around 10 percent per month. At that rate, it's unusual to experience withdrawal symptoms, he said.

"It's usually a long process for them to go down," Yi said, "and it takes a lot of effort from a lot of practitioners."

Betts Tully, 71, of Chicago, said she first started using opioids for back pain in 2001 and was soon on high doses. A former pediatric nurse who later ran child care centers, she felt like a zombie. "My brain no longer worked the way it once had," she said. "I was not the same person."

It took her seven years to come off the drugs completely and another two to feel normal and for cravings to stop.

Tully, who is involved with Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, said she doesn't think all chronic pain patients should be forced off the drugs. She does think doctors should get better training about how to use them.

For now, she is feeling well enough to care for a grandchild two days a week. She keeps her weight down, walks a lot, meditates and does exercises she learned in rehab centers. The alternative treatments work, she said, "but that is harder than someone handing you a pill."

She doesn't expect to be pain free. "I take Advil and I live with a certain amount of pain," she said. "I accept that."Nearly half of renters who locate in Philadelphia arrive without a job. But they may not stay long-term. Read more

When people pick up and move to a new city, it's usually for one of two reasons: either they are looking for a change of location or they have found a new job. For the purposes of a new report, Apartment List refers to these groups as job-first movers and location-first movers. So which is more pervasive in Philadelphia?

The apartment listing site surveyed more than 20,000 users to get a sense of their motivations for long-distance moves. Nationally, 46.5 percent of people who moved to a new city reported doing so for job purposes. This was most often true among college-educated renters and was especially true in tech hubs where newly minted grads were likely to head for their first jobs.

The trends are somewhat reversed locally. In Philadelphia, 46.3 percent of renters reported moving here before finding a job, making them location-first movers. Of that population, 29.3 percent reported that they planned to settle in the city long term.

That ratio doesn't lend itself to favorable national comparisons, though. In other cities  ones that are slightly less expensive for renters  42.4 percent report their long-term plans to stay in the city to which they moved. In more expensive metro areas, that number is 34.3 percent.LGBTQ youth are overrepresented in foster care across the country. A survey by the Williams Institute found that 19 percent of youth in foster care identified as LGBTQ, compared to less than 10 percent of the general youth population. Read more

When Nicholas first came into foster care at age 13, he was scared and anxious. His first foster home was in Bucks County, more than an hour from the Philadelphia neighborhood where he was born and raised. He was separated from his baby brother, who was placed with a different foster family. Then, Nicholas and his brother were moved to the home of a newly licensed lesbian couple in his old neighborhood. "I feel really comfortable here," Nicholas told his foster moms after about a month in their home. He now is able to see his friends, cousins, and brother every day and remain connected to his community.

The Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS) stood up for kids like Nicholas when it suspended referrals to two foster care agencies that reportedly deny LGBTQ couples the opportunity to foster parent, pending an investigation by the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations. In making this move, DHS is rejecting discriminatory practices, for the benefit of foster children.

Catholic Social Services, which has sued the city, can remain open  when it stops discriminating against LGBTQ families. For all youths, but especially for LGBTQ youths, refusing to allow LGBTQ parents to serve as foster and adoptive parents sends the wrong message and denies much-needed familial resources.

>> READ MORE: My faith led me to foster more than 40 kids. Philly is wrong to cut ties with Catholic foster agencies. | Opinion

Pennsylvania, like most states, is facing a foster-care crisis; we do not have enough homes to meet the needs of our abused and neglected children. In fact, Philadelphia is in the midst of a recruiting drive, seeking 300 foster homes for children who could be placed in families but instead are in group care because homes are not available. With so many youths in foster care, we cannot shut the door to anyone who can provide a stable, nurturing home for our most vulnerable children.

Discriminating against prospective LGBTQ foster parents limits the pool of available resources and harms children, who may be placed in foster homes far from their families, separated from their siblings, or assigned to group homes. Catholic Social Services claims that if it chooses to close its doors rather than serve LGBTQ couples, there won't be enough agencies to recruit foster families for children. This claim has no basis in reality. Other states, such as Massachusetts and Illinois, have found that after requiring child welfare agencies to accept all qualified families  including same-sex couples  there were plenty of agencies available to take on the work of those agencies that dropped out.

The problem isn't a shortage of agencies; it's a shortage of families. Allowing agencies to cast aside caring, supportive families only makes matters worse for children in need of a home. Instead, all agencies must denounce discriminatory practices and work with all qualified adults prepared to foster or adopt youths in the foster care system.

Additionally, LGBTQ youths are overrepresented in foster care across the country. A survey by the Williams Institute found that 19 percent of youths in foster care identified as LGBTQ, compared with less than 10 percent of the general youth population. Many of these youths are in foster care precisely because they were not accepted by their own families, and they end up in group homes at higher rates than their non-LGBTQ peers because there are not enough families willing to take them in.

Government-funded discrimination sends a harmful message to LGBTQ children and families that it is acceptable to exclude them from programs or services based on the provider agency's belief system. This is not only offensive to our core values, it also shrinks the availability of excellent potential foster and adoptive parents.

We support the City of Philadelphia in its decision to reject discriminatory practices by contracting agencies, and urge other jurisdictions to ensure that all children and families are treated equitably and with dignity in the provision of child welfare services. That is what it will take to truly put the needs of children first.

Sue Mangold is the executive director of the Juvenile Law Center. Reggie Shuford is the executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania.Fewer than 90,000 children were born in Korea in the first three months of this year, a fresh record low, but deaths exceeded the 80,000 mark for the first time.

The birthrate has been dwindling despite government spending worth more than W200 trillion to tackle the issue over the past decade (US$1=W1,083).

According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, 89,600 babies were born in the first quarter, down 9,100 on-year. The biggest on-year decline was in March, when 30,000 babies were born, 3,200 fewer than the same month last year.

January and March are normally the two months with the highest numbers of births. "This is not a good sign," a Statistics Korea spokesman said.

A major reason is the dwindling number of women of peak childbearing age between 30 and 34, coupled with declining marriages. The number of women aged 30-34 dwindled 5.6 percent in March and a whopping 11.6 percent for 33-year-old women.

Only 66,200 couples got married in the first quarter, down 2,400 from a year earlier. The total fertility rate -- the average number of children born to a woman aged between 15 and 49 over her lifetime -- fell to 1.07.

But 81,800 people died in the first quarter, up 8,800 on-year and an all-time high. The sharp rise was due to many elderly people succumbing to the biting cold in January and February. The country's population increased by a mere 7,800 in the quarter, only one-third of the 25,600 in the same period last year.

Lee Ji-yeon of Statistics Korea said, "If the birthrate remains this low, the moment when the population actually starts declining will come eight years earlier than expected in 2023."

Since the mid-2000s, the government has spent astronomical sums trying to solve the problems of the low birthrate and ageing population. This year, it is spending a combined W30 trillion trying to boost the birthrate, which breaks down to nearly W100 million per newborn.

Experts warn that the government is on the wrong track. "Marriage is prerequisite to childbirth, but the government has so far spent more than 80 percent of the relevant budget on child-rearing," said Lee Sam-sik at Hanyang University. "We need high-powered short-term incentives, including subsidies for childbirth."

The working-age population has already been decreasing since 2016, and the economic impact has started to show up in some indices.

The slowdown in job growth, which has dropped below 200,000, is attributed partly to a recent decline of some 65,000 in the working-age population, said Ban Jang-sik, the senior presidential secretary for job affairs.

Areen Chakrabarti, left, and Jayden Auyeung, each shown here with his mother, have been diagnosed as brain dead at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. Read more

Areen Chakrabarti succumbed to smoke inhalation in a fire, while Jayden Auyeung's airway became blocked as the result of a grave disease of the nervous system. In both cases, the boys were deprived of oxygen to the extent that Children's Hospital of Philadelphia reached a grim diagnosis: brain death.

For now, the fates of the two New Jersey boys remain in the hands of the legal system because their families do not accept that diagnosis.

But if physicians are correct, their fates already have been determined. The term brain death, by definition, means the patient will not recover, said David Greer, chair of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine.

"If the diagnosis has been made correctly, there's never been any case that has been legitimized or validated that there's been any recovery of brain function," said Greer, also the chief of neurology at Boston Medical Center.

The boys' families have gone to court to stop attempts by CHOP to remove the pair from life support. So far their lawyer, Christopher F. Bagnato, has bought them time to look for facilities that will take in the boys. On Wednesday, an appellate panel delayed any decision in Jayden's case until at least May 30. Areen's case, meanwhile, is pending in the Orphans Court division of Common Pleas Court.

"We're still trying to get these boys out," Bagnato said. "The families do not think the boys are dead. They have a different definition of death."

CHOP has declined to comment on the two cases, citing laws that restrict the release of patient information.

But, in general, an evaluation to determine brain death involves conducting a series of evidence-based tests, said Greer, who co-authored a 2010 update of the guidelines on adult brain death for the American Academy of Neurology.

The pediatric guidelines are slightly different, but the tests typically include checking for a response after touching the patient's eye with a piece of tissue paper, shining a light on the pupils, and irrigating the ears with ice water. If there is any doubt, specialized equipment can then be used to measure activity and blood flow in the brain, according to pediatric guidelines that were updated in 2011.

In the hands of a trained neurologist, a finding of brain death based on these exams is rock-solid, Greer said.

In making that statement, he included the controversial case of Jahi McMath, an Oakland, Calif., teenager who was the subject of a lengthy article February in the New Yorker. She was diagnosed as brain dead, but family members maintain she has recovered slightly, making small movements in response to their spoken words. That view has the support of D. Alan Shewmon, a retired UCLA neurologist who examined the girl and has watched videos of her made by the family where they now live, in an apartment outside New Brunswick, N.J., the magazine said.

But videos can be misleading, and in the absence of formal testing and a peer-reviewed publication of any findings, the neurology community at large is not convinced, Greer said. A patient can make slight movements due to spinal reflexes even when there is no brain function, he said.

"The movements that are being described [in McMath], it's not really clear that it's coming from the patient" as the result of brain function, Greer said. "This really needs to be very carefully scrutinized."

Rumpa Banerjee, the mother of 14-year-old Areen, has read about the McMath case, as well, and it gives her hope. She acknowledged that Areen's outlook seemed bleak at first, but said she has seen signs that he responds to her presence. When she speaks to her son in his hospital room, his blood pressure has lowered in response, she said.

"He is a very strong boy," she said Thursday. "It's my belief if he is given the brain-dead exam again, it might show that he is recovering."

Whatever such testing might show, legal questions remain unsettled.

As most states do, Pennsylvania allows a physician to declare a patient legally dead if either heart or brain function has completely and irreversibly stopped, said Thaddeus Pope, a professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minn.

But in New Jersey, lawmakers have enacted a religious exemption. If a patient's faith dictates that life persists so long as the heart is beating, then brain death alone is not sufficient for a legal declaration of death, Pope said.

Bagnato said such an exemption would apply in his two cases, as Areen's family is Hindu, while Jayden's mother is Buddhist and his father is Catholic.

For now, they remain in Pennsylvania. But Bagnato said both families are making progress in finding New Jersey facilities that might take the boys, growing close to each other as they share the details of their medical and legal ordeals.David's Bridal has followed its customers onto mobile apps while trying to keep orders flowing through its 300 stores busy. The company has sought help restructuring its debt, which is junk-bond-rated by Wall Street credit agencies Read more

MAY 29: In a world where $100 fitted prom gowns can be mailed to American teenagers from Asia, leadership at David's Bridal and other U.S. special-occasion dress-store chains need "tangible ideas to grow"  but those have been hard to find, says a person familiar with the Conshohocken company's prospects as it seeks to reorganize its debt finances, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"New Asian-based websites such as JJ's House," a Hong Kong-based site that cultivates a reputation for delivering "special-order gowns in shorter time frames at cheaper prices," are winning market share at a time when the number of U.S. weddings and other sources of dress orders have been "stagnant," the source adds. (JJ's, by the way, is unrated by the U.S. Better Business Bureau, which says JJ's has a no-returns policy that can leave new owners of poorly-fitted dresses out of luck.)

The person also says David's has plans for shuffling leadership in its IT division, in hopes of "moving the department to a dev-ops model," a streamlined system that would allow for staff cutbacks, which he adds have been announced for this summer. I asked David's for comment, will add if they have more to tell.

MAY 24: David's Bridal, the 300-store U.S. wedding-store chain based in Conshohocken, has hired financial-restructuring advisers at New York investment bank Evercore, plus lawyers from Debevoise & Plimpton, "to help turn around the budget-priced business," reports Bloomberg News.



A company official at the Conshohocken office, who spoke on condition they not be named, confirmed to me that David's has hired restructuring professionals, adding that David's is not considering bankruptcy, does not plan to close stores, and is conducting business as usual.

David's is profitable on an operating basis, but it owes creditors more than $700 million, with most of the money due this year, Bloomberg reported. Moody's and S&P rates the company's debt at junk-bond levels, meaning lenders shouldn't expect to get paid all they are owed. The company's bonds, as a result, have been trading at deep discounts to face value.

A restructuring could result in an extended debt-repayment schedule, new investors, a transfer of ownership to creditors in exchange for debt forgiveness, a new business plan, or other changes. Restructurings can result in store closings when creditors and owners don't agree on plans to keep all or part of a chain in business.



David's also said in a statement that chief executive Paul Pressler has been replaced in that job by his second-in-command, Paul Key. Pressler, a former Gap retail-chain executive, had run David's since the Clayton Dubilier & Rice buyout firm bought a controlling share from Leonard Green & Partners for $1.05 billion in 2012. Pressler remains David's board chairman.

The wedding business has come under pressure as fewer Americans get married. The number of marriages rose slightly in 2016, to 2.25 million, but remains below the totals from the early 2000s, when the nation's population was smaller. The rate at which Americans get married has declined, to 6.9 weddings per 1,000 people in 2016, from 8.2 per 1,000 in 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.



Key, who is also a former Gap executive, in a statement said that he sees "tremendous opportunity for David's Bridal to continue to grow in weddings and beyond." Besides its U.S. stores, David's has outposts in Britain and Canada and a franchised operation in Mexico.

David's rival Alfred Angelo, founded in Philadelphia in 1933, declared bankruptcy and shut its 60 stores last year, leaving brides without their dresses, the Inquirer reported at that time. David's offered Angelo customers a discount. Gap plans to end its Weddington Way wedding brand. J. Crew got out of the business in 2016.

David's stores "tend to be in smaller strip malls, not necessarily your typical [larger retail] malls," according to a report from Trepp, a New York firm that tracks commercial real estate investments and troubled properties. The chain operates stores as large as 150,000 square feet, as big as a couple of blocks of suburban homes.Ria Mar (center), senior staff attorney with the ACLU, hugs Aidan DeStefano, a transgender student who recently graduated from Boyertown Area Senior High School, outside federal court in Philadelphia on Thursday. Aidan DeStefanos mother, Melissa DeStefano, is at left. Read more

In a rare decision from the bench, a federal appellate court on Thursday upheld the policy of the Boyertown Area School District allowing transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity.

It took less than 20 minutes for a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia to unanimously reject arguments made by a conservative legal organization representing six students, who sued the district last year saying they felt uncomfortable after spotting transgender teens using the restrooms of their choice.

Speaking from the bench, Circuit Judge Theodore McKee said the suing students had failed to show that the district's policy infringed upon their rights to "bodily privacy" or caused them irreparable harm.

He said that he and his colleagues, Judges Patty Shwartz and Richard Lowell Nygaard, took the unusual step to rule within minutes of hearing from both sides because he knew how important the decision was to the high school students involved in the case, many of whom would be graduating within days. Typically, appellate courts issue their rulings weeks after a hearing.

"This case obviously has a great deal of interest not just to the community but to the kids at the school," he said.

The decision upheld a lower court ruling in August and joins a growing body of federal court decisions from across the country affirming the rights of transgender individuals.

But unlike many of those other cases  which involved transgender plaintiffs' challenging policies that excluded them  the matter decided by the court Thursday was brought by students seeking to strike down their district's trans-inclusive policies.

"We were not expecting a decision when we walked in the door today," said Ria Mar, an attorney with the ACLU of Pennsylvania, who had argued in favor of the district's stance. "The court got it that exclusion of transgender students is a serious issue, and it wanted to send a message that the school's policy of inclusion is the right thing to do. "

Still, Randall Wenger, a lawyer for the Harrisburg-based Independence Law Center who argued on behalf of the plaintiff students Thursday, vowed to continue their legal fight.

"We think that our claims are strong," Wenger said. "Even though the decision today was disappointing, we plan to continue this litigation to protect and ultimately vindicate the privacy rights of our clients."

Because of the court's quick action Thursday, it remained unclear just how much the circuit judges intended for their ruling to block future legal challenges to similar policies adopted by other area school districts, including those in Philadelphia, Abington, Lower Merion, New Hope-Solebury, and Cherry Hill.

Throughout the oral arguments, the judges focused on factors that made the situation in Boyertown Area Senior High School, a campus of about 1,650 in Berks County, unique. The district expanded the number of single-user bathrooms, alternative locker rooms, and private stalls across the high school's campus after implementing its policy in 2016 so that any student made uncomfortable by the change could use them.

McKee said the panel would issue a full opinion soon, explaining its legal reasoning and the scope of its decision.

Although the ruling's timing came as a surprise, the outcome was foreshadowed within minutes. The court seemed to have little sympathy for Wenger's claim that the district's policy violated his clients' privacy rights. McKee, in particular, balked at the lawyer's plea to return the high school to its status quo.

"You could have come in here during Brown v. Board of Education and said, 'Let's go back to the status quo,'" said McKee, who is African American, referencing the landmark Supreme Court decision that struck down racial segregation policies in public schools. "These types of cases wouldn't happen if the answer was always, 'Go back to the status quo.'"

The district implemented its policy under Obama-era guidelines that required all federally funded schools to recognize basic transgender student rights and decided to stick with it even after President Trump rolled back that mandate.

The case before the court began last March when one student, referenced in court filings only as Joel Doe, sued after he saw a transgender male student clad in a sports bra and shorts changing in the gym locker room.

The lawsuit quickly divided opinion among students and created rifts that were on display outside the courthouse Thursday, as former classmates on opposite sides squared off just feet from each other to advocate for their respective views.

Alexis Lightcap, a Boyertown senior, said the response she got after complaining to administrators about a transgender girl in the women's restroom was a form of discrimination.

"Instead of listening to my concerns, they made me feel like I was the problem for feeling uncomfortable, vulnerable, and unsafe with a boy in the bathroom," she said. "As a girl, I don't want a boy in the room where I change my clothing."

Aidan DeStefano, a recent Boyertown graduate and transgender male, encouraged his ex-classmates Thursday to put themselves in his shoes.

Born female, he stopped using the restroom in middle school, when he was already dressing as a boy, after other girls yelled at him to leave. He used the toilet in the nurse's office until the district implemented its new policy in his senior year.

Most classmates were immediately accepting, DeStefano said Thursday.

Of those who objected, however, he said: "Until they step into my body, they have no idea what they're talking about."Parkway Center City Middle College in Philadelphia 9th grade English teacher Maureen Boland is surrounded by students who participated in the March 14th walkout against gun violence in schools, and who are starting to make plans for the national event March For Our Lives in Washington, DC on March 24th. March 16, 2018. Read more

I'm doing something today that I've never done before  yielding my space to someone else.

I don't make this decision lightly. Having this space is a privilege, especially for a woman of color.

It's why long ago I made the deliberate choice to use this platform to amplify the people and voices that so many choose not to see or hear, or care about.

But today I am using it to amplify a message from Maureen Boland, a Philadelphia teacher  a young, middle-class, white woman who not only recognizes her privilege but who has made her own deliberate choice to loudly and bravely use it on behalf of her students.

Boland inspired an awakening in her ninth graders, and they in turn are demanding a reckoning of the everyday violence that they face but that so many choose to ignore.

This is what an ally  a true ally  looks like.

>>READ MORE: Philly teens to Florida teens:Would you have stood in solidarity with us? | Helen Ubinas

Dear Philadelphians of Privilege,

On behalf of Philadelphia's students, I invite you to the Art Museum steps on June 11 [at 1 p.m.] to stand with the families and friends of victims of gun violence. Allow me a moment to explain my use of the word privilege.

If you live, not on, but within walking distance of dangerous streets, your access to safety is a privilege. If you have not buried a child, sibling, or parent, because of gun violence, you are free of a kind of PTSD that sickens families. That is a privilege.

If hearing gunshots would be jarring to you, then guns have not become normalized in your world, and so, you are privileged. If you have never taken cover from bullets, you enjoy a life that some students have trouble imagining.

Here is why you should accept this invitation: Even though you may not be directly impacted by it, you can disrupt the cycle of violence that traps many of Philadelphia's children, and who did not create the conditions that lead to violence. They want liberation. But it's hard to stop it from within  especially if you are a child. Although you are on the outside looking in, you can provide more counteractive force than you may realize.

Let me explain.

When students attended March for Our Lives in D.C., they were deeply affected by the presence of others who stood in solidarity. They felt very visible, and months later, they are still feeling energized. They see themselves as leaders and recognize the complexity of the violence they face. And get this: They are young and fearless enough to think that June 11 might make us a true reflection of our "City of Brotherly Love" epithet.

For almost 20 years, in classrooms hushed by anguish, students have shared with me their stories of dead fathers, brothers, uncles, and cousins in countless essays that would break your heart. But those everyday expressions of grieving children became as normal to me as chalk. When I saw the traumatized Parkland community rise up and begin an immediate full-court press on the government and media, I felt, among other things, disgusted with myself. Where was my outrage and demands for the protection of my students? Why was I behaving like I too was sleepwalking from PTSD?

Some of us have awoken in recent months. But it is so easy to become groggy and distracted. Your physical presence will urge us on. A "like" on social media won't cut it this time. Ask for permission to take a late and long lunch. Maybe you are especially privileged with a boss who will encourage her entire staff to attend. Wait  maybe you are the boss!

Finally, Philadelphians of Privilege, remember gathering for our underdog Eagles? Remember what it was like to see ourselves as a world-class and yet, somehow, family-oriented city all at once? Aren't our most vulnerable children our actual underdogs? Can that world-class feeling ever last while horrors of violence and inequality persist? Take it from me  a person who moves within your world and theirs  showing up matters a lot.

Sincerely,

A Fellow Philadelphian of PrivilegeRose Mary Knick stands to the left of several large stones and rocks placed in her 90 acre property in Lackawana County, Pa. Read more

SCOTT TOWNSHIP, Pa.  Fieldstone walls run bone-straight beside wheat and rye on Rose Mary Knick's land, rock by backbreaking rock lugged by horse and human hand long before she or anyone in Lackawanna County was born.

Knick, 69, rode shotgun in a friend's pickup on a gravel road there Monday. It bounced through a barway into the mud and waist-high mustard weed that edged her fields, and parked by a cut in the tree line. Knick hopped out and steadied herself along with a stick until more fieldstones appeared in a clear rectangular pattern, marked with blue tape, in the woods.

"I have no idea why they're here, but neither does anyone else," Knick said under the canopy of trees.

One person does have an idea.

"There's tombstones there," said Robert Vail, 85.

Knick's 90 rolling acres may, or may not, be home to a centuries-old cemetery. An ancestor of Vail's could lie beneath those stones. When Scott Township officials stepped into the debate in 2012, the issue grew far thornier than the briars that hug Knick's trails. Come autumn, the U.S. Supreme Court will attempt to clear it up, and a ruling could affect landowners' rights nationwide.

"It's not even about the cemetery anymore," Knick said. "It's about the Constitution."

The nation's highest court will not decide whether bodies are buried on Knick's land. No one may ever know, either, as long as Knick is alive and owns the land, which is posted with numerous "No Trespassing" signs. She wants her property to remain private. Vail would like access to it.

"Private property is private property," she said.

The trouble started in 2008, when Vail said he discovered an obituary for Micah Vail, an ancestor from the area, who is said to have been buried on the McLaughlin Farm, which is now Knick's property. Vail believed other family members were buried there, too, including a Revolutionary War veteran. He said he sought permission from Knick to visit the property and said he had seen the tombstones there.

"My only interest is getting in there and honoring them," Vail said by phone Wednesday. "I don't want the cemetery. Good grief."

Knick, who purchased the farm in 1970 to raise horses, denies Vail ever personally spoke to her. She says she first caught wind of the issue in 2008, when it was being discussed at public meetings. The Vails, she noted Monday, are "politically connected" in the area. In 2012, Scott Township supervisors passed an ordinance that in essence granted public access to private cemeteries during daylight hours; landowners could be fined $300 to $600 per day if they didn't comply.

J. David Breemer, an attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation representing Knick, said Scott Township's action is a direct violation of the Fifth Amendment, which prohibits the taking of private property without compensation.

"It's a pretty serious intrusion," Breemer said. "It shouldn't be hard for a court to decide this is a taking of property or not."

Knick sued Scott Township in Common Pleas Court in Lackawanna County in 2013, claiming her property rights were violated. That court refused to rule on Knick's case, according to her legal team, so she filed in U.S. District Court. In 2015, the federal court granted the township's motion to dismiss Knick's case, citing a 1985 Supreme Court decision known as Williamson County, which required plaintiffs to first file suit in state court, which Knick had already done.

One legal expert described the Williamson County decision as "Kafkaesque" for property owners.

"Only property owners have to go through this technical maze," Breemer said.

A U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals panel upheld the Middle District of Pennsylvania's decision last year, again citing the Williamson case. That ruling seemed to suggest Knick's initial grievance had merit, however.

"The Township's ordinance is extraordinary and constitutionally suspect," Judge D. Brooks Smith wrote.

The Supreme Court accepted Knick's case in March, because of questions presented by the Williamson case, particularly whether landowners should have to exhaust all means at state court before filing in federal court.

Mark J. Kozlowski, a Scranton attorney representing Scott Township, said officials believe that District Court and the Third Circuit got it right and hope the Supreme Court will affirm those decisions.

"The decision of the court will have a wide effect on property law in this country," Kozlowski said.

Vail said health reasons would prevent him from making the 262-mile trip to Washington in the fall for arguments. He's baffled things have gone this far.

"It's absolutely ridiculous," he said Wednesday by phone. "The court's time she has wasted and the money she was wasted. All I want to do is walk into the cemetery, clean it up a little, and plant a flag."

Knick said she spent "many thousands" of dollars on the case before Pacific Legal Foundation, a firm described on its website as challenging "burdensome laws in courts and legislatures across the country," took the case pro bono. She'll be going to Washington, but then she'll be back up to Lackawanna County, where her roots are deep.

Knick stood by a sun-bleached barn Monday by the main country road that bisects her property, her sneakers and pants muddied from trekking through the fields. She said if she ever saw anyone on her property, she'd call the police and have them arrested.

"It's private and it's peaceful," Knick said. "I don't plan on going anywhere."On May 23, 2018, former Sean Kratz attorney,Craig Penglase, right, walks out of Courtroom 420 at the Bucks County Justice Center, followed by his lawyer, Marc Steinberg, left, after a hearing regarding Kratzas and DiNarodo's confession tapes, which were leaked last week by Penglase. Penglase is now officially off the case. Read more

A newly appointed attorney for accused Cosmo DiNardo coconspirator Sean Kratz vowed Wednesday to look into the puzzling decision by Kratz's former lawyer to release tapes of his client admitting his role in the murders of four young men on a Bucks County farm last summer.

Hours before the release of the tapes, Kratz rejected a plea deal that would have spared him the death penalty. Prosecutors have said they now plan to use the confession tapes against Kratz and may call DiNardo, his cousin, to testify against him.

Kratz's legal team said it would argue that the recordings, which were leaked by former Kratz defense attorney Craig Penglase, should be inadmissible at trial, a date for which has not been set. The release of the tapes could also taint potential jurors, the attorneys said, but they added that it was too soon to say whether they might request an out-of-town jury.

"The release and publication of the Cosmo DiNardo and Sean Kratz audio files are obviously something that should not have happened," Keith Williams said after a brief hearing in Bucks County Court on Wednesday. "This action has further traumatized the victims' families, impugned the reputation of the District Attorney's Office, and compromised the defense of Sean Kratz."

Penglase admitted Tuesday to leaking the tapes, excerpts of which were aired last week, first on NBC10 and later on FOX29. The stations aired portions of the tapes just hours after DiNardo pleaded guilty to the four murders and Kratz, in a surprise move, backed out of his own chance at a deal.

At Wednesday's hearing, Kratz, 21, of Philadelphia told the judge he talked with Penglase late last week and said he understood that a "conflict of interest" required the attorney to be removed from his case. The hearing lasted only a few minutes. Kratz, clad in an orange prison jumpsuit, answered the judge's questions politely and showed little emotion.

Legs and arms crossed, Penglase sat quietly behind Kratz in the front row of the small courtroom.

Over the last week, Penglase has not responded to calls and text messages seeking comment. Leaving court with fellow attorneys Wednesday, he only shook his head as a reporter asked him questions. The motive for his release of the incriminating tapes is unclear.

In a letter to Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub released Tuesday, Penglase wrote: "It has come to my understanding that a question has been raised concerning who made public the audio interviews of Cosmo DiNardo and Sean Kratz. Please allow this letter to confirm that I am the individual who made those recordings public."

The Bucks County District Attorney's Office said in a statement that it released Penglase's letter in response to suspicion that prosecutors were the source of the leak. It has said the tapes will not be made public while the case is ongoing.

A day before the letter was released, Penglase asked the judge to take him off the case, citing an undisclosed conflict of interest.

Cocounsel Niels Eriksen Jr., who will continue to represent Kratz, said he had been unaware that Penglase had released the tapes.

By day's end Wednesday, a gag order had been issued, barring prosecutors and defense attorneys from talking to the media until the case's conclusion.

The leak marked the latest twist in a gruesome case that has garnered national attention for nearly a year. It began when Jimi Patrick, 19, of Newtown Township; Dean Finocchiaro, 19, of Middletown Township; Thomas Meo, 21, of Plumstead Township; and Mark Sturgis, 22, of Pennsburg, went missing last July, After a multiday search, their bodies were found on the DiNardo family's 90-acre Solebury Township farm property.

The remains of Finocchiaro, Meo, and Sturgis were discovered in a 12-foot hole. When DiNardo, 21, of Bensalem, confessed to the killings, he agreed to direct investigators to Patrick's body, which was buried in a shallow grave elsewhere on the property. In exchange for his confession, prosecutors agreed to spare DiNardo the death penalty.

DiNardo, who was known to local police and had made troubling comments on social media before the killings, told authorities he lured the men to the farm by telling them he had marijuana to sell. Once he got them there, he shot and killed them. He ran over Meo with a backhoe, and attempted to burn the bodies of Meo, Finocchiaro, and Sturgis in a converted oil tank that he referred to as the "pig roaster."

In keeping with his end of the deal, DiNardo pleaded guilty last week and was sentenced to four consecutive life terms in state prison. During that hearing, relatives of the victims shared their pain and anger in emotional victim-impact statements.

The deal Kratz turned down last week would have come with a 59- to 118-year prison sentence.

Sean Kratz's defense attorneys Craig Penglase (left) and Niels Eriksen stepped outside Courtroom 410 at the Bucks County Courthouse prior to their client's preliminary hearing in September.When Social Security numbers were created in 1936, the numbers were only used by the agency as a means to track earnings and correctly determine benefits. But over time, it became common practice for companies, schools, banks, and the like to employ Social Security numbers as a way to both identify someone and to prove their identity. Read more

WASHINGTON  Did you know that last fall at least 145.5 million Americans' Social Security numbers were stolen in a data breach at Equifax? Worse, this was just one in a series of recent breaches  don't forget Anthem and the Office of Personnel Management, just to name two others.

In this technological age, folks are at greater risk when it comes to having their Social Security number stolen even if they do everything right. That's because keeping your number a secret, leaving your Social Security card in a safe, and shredding all documents containing your number are antiquated efforts for stopping the modern hacker.

To help protect Americans from identity theft, I have for years been dedicated to limiting the use of Social Security numbers. Military IDs no longer use Social Security numbers, and thanks to a bipartisan effort I led, Medicare is sending new cards without the number to seniors across the country. What's more, last year Congress made all federal agencies stop mailing documents that contain a Social Security number unless it is absolutely necessary.

But if we want to keep pace with identity thieves, we need to think beyond just keeping Social Security numbers secret and reacting to data breaches. We need to go on the offense and make these numbers less useful to hackers. We must change how Social Security numbers are used.

When Social Security numbers were created in 1936, the numbers were only used by the agency as a means to track earnings and correctly determine benefits. But over time, it became common practice for companies, schools, banks, and the like to employ Social Security numbers as a way to identify someone and to prove their identity. This just doesn't make sense.

We need to break this link between identification and authentication. We need to limit the unnecessary use of Social Security numbers, but more importantly we need to make these numbers less valuable to thieves.

Experts have proposed a wide variety of solutions to address this problem. For instance, some suggest substituting Social Security numbers with a replaceable identifier and maintain a link between both  similar to a credit card and an account number. Others suggest using key-based encryption. Some experts have gone so far as to propose publishing all Social Security numbers to make it clear these numbers are no longer secret.

While more information is needed regarding these solutions, I appreciate thinking outside the box. Identity theft is a big problem, and traditional safeguards are no longer enough.

Americans are counting on us to find effective solutions. They deserve nothing less, and I look forward to working with my colleagues and hearing from experts as we figure out the best steps forward.

Rep. Sam Johnson (R., Texas) serves as the chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means' subcommittee on Social Security. He's represented Texas' Third Congressional District since 1991. This article was written for CQ/Roll Call.03.21.06 Police investigate a crime scene on F Street near Allegheny in North Philadelphia. A man was shot in the back and later died. Daily News Photo / Jessica Griffin Read more

A man is custody after stealing a car with two children inside in Northeast Philadelphia and leading police on a chase that ended a few miles away in Crescentville, officials say.

The children, ages 1 and 6, were found unharmed after the thief left them on a residential street and drove off, police said.

Police gave this account.

About 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, a 28-year-old woman stopped on the 1000 block of Van Kirk Street in Summerdale to make a quick visit to a friend, leaving the two children in the back seat of her white 2010 Toyota Camry with the engine running.

When she got to the door of the house, someone jumped in the car and drove off.

The woman called 911 and the hunt was on.

Police soon spotted the vehicle but the driver avoided one attempt to stop him. Aviation Unit officers in a helicopter then picked up the chase while TV news choppers joined in.

"We made sure ground units didn't chase it because we didn't want the vehicle to get involved in an auto accident running from police," Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters, citing concern for the children's safety.

At Castor and Wyoming Avenues in Crescentville, the thief rammed a curb and the car came to a halt.

Police rushed in, and as TV news cameras recorded from above, one officer, with his handgun drawn, pulled the man out of the car and pushed him to the ground and handcuffed him.

When officers did not see the children in the car, they demanded to know what happened to them. The alleged thief said he had left them on the 4700 block of Darrah Street in Frankford. A call came into 911 at the same time reporting the children had been found on the block.

The suspect's name and charges against him have not yet been released. Police said he appeared to be impaired.The first-ever meetup of a group called When Black Men Pray took place Saturday near the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Read more

It was raining and unseasonably cool on Saturday afternoon as about a dozen African American males casually dressed in jeans, jackets, and hoodies gathered near the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

They stood around a bit chatting, and then the strangest thing happened: The men gathered in a circle, joined hands, and began to pray.

Mind you, this wasn't a religious group. Far from it. These were just average guys  bartenders, city workers, retail workers. Led by Philadelphia police officer Jonathan Josey  yes, that one, but that's not what this column is about  the men prayed for themselves. They prayed for the city. They prayed that more black men would step up and become the heads of their families.

"I prayed for brothers to offer encouragement and to uplift each other," Josey told me Wednesday. "Society hardens us to make us somewhat antisocial. I asked God to soften the hearts of people who are out there preying on other people and for African American males who are hurting, and robbing and stealing and killing. When one person does something, oftentimes it's a reflection on everybody."

The men also prayed for, as Josey said, "responsible black men to be that living, shining example of God" in a society that too often views them as thugs and criminals.

I love it. Outside of church or religious events, you don't often see people standing on the street praying like that.

"Traditionally, men, especially black men, we are trained to be tough and [told that] 'men don't cry,' " explained Nate Rogers, who last week came up with the idea of forming the group, which calls itself When Black Men Pray. (The group's Instagram page is @whenblackmenpray.)

"I woke up one day and God just laid on my heart, 'Hey, have this men's prayer [group]," he added. "All black men of all faiths. And it's more than just prayer, let's get together and talk. If you're having financial struggles, we'll maybe come up with some programs for you.  It's more than just prayer. It's a networking situation."

Josey, whom he had known for a few years, was the first man he told about it, and the idea grew from there. The group had its first meetup Saturday afternoon.

The goal is for the men to start meeting weekly in various locations around the city. They also gathered Thursday night at 15th and Oakdale Streets, near the North Philly home of Amber Therese Jackson, 25, who was fatally shot earlier this month. Police haven't disclosed a motive in the slaying or disclosed the relationship between her and Khaleem Martin of the 2300 block of Fairhill Street, who was identified as a suspect and later turned himself in to authorities.

They joined hands near the home where Jackson's all-too-short life ended so tragically. Once again, they bowed their heads and called on God for strength and guidance.

How powerful. How strong. How beautiful. I hope that the men's presence will make an impression on the youngsters in that neighborhood. It really takes a strong man to stand in the street and expose his vulnerable side like that. My father was a man of faith who loved God and attended church every Sunday until he couldn't, and as his daughter I'm all there for men praying together.

I hope people will be moved to support what the men are doing. I can't think of a better way to declare that the bloodshed in that neighborhood is not acceptable. It's an outrage that a young woman's life was snatched away. How many people have to die before something changes? If enough people show up, it would be a statement not only for the people in that neighborhood but for the entire city and beyond.

"Eventually, we can make it a big national thing, where we have men and women coming together, families out there praying," said Rogers, 42, a bartender and the owner of Mix it Up Bartending School.

Men who hold hands in prayer: Isn't that a beautiful concept?President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday said high-level talks between North and South Korean officials will resume after joint U.S.-South Korean aerial drills end Friday. That suggests North and South Korea have reached a tacit agreement. North Korea abruptly called off the high-level talks last week citing the "hostile" Max Thunder drills. The government here claimed last month that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he understands the need for joint military drills, but this turned out to be false.

Earlier, Moon repeatedly suggested altering U.S.-South Korean military exercises to promote dialogue with North Korea. He asked the U.S. to postpone the exercises until the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang ended. His security adviser Moon Chung-in has even suggested scrapping the joint drills.

Some predict that if the U.S. and North Korea come to some kind of deal at their summit on June. 12, the joint exercises will eventually be scrapped. It is after all one of the security guarantees the North is demanding.

But training of soldiers is a necessity, not a choice. A former U.S. Forces Korea commander has said it would be better to break the U.S.-South Korean alliance altogether than end the joint drills. Debate over the need to keep U.S. forces here is likely to intensify if joint training is terminated. Of course they should not continue for all eternity if there is no enemy left, but the decision can easily be made once it is certain that South Korea is safe, the North Korean nuclear program has been completely abolished and a peace treaty has been signed.

North Korea's nuclear disarmament is a vital precondition for peace and the security of South Korea. Jettisoning the U.S.-South Korea alliance that has maintained peace for the last 65 years is not a matter to be considered on the spur of the moment.

Elizabeth S. Coyle was a WAC during World War II, now lives in Burlington, NJ, Monday May 21, 2018 DAVID SWANSON / Staff Photographer Read more

On a wall inside Langhorne Presbyterian Church hangs a framed list of 25 names, handwritten and stacked under a bold banner: "OUR MEN ENLISTED IN NATIONAL DEFENSE."

Toward the bottom of the service roll, though, two names stand out.

No. 17: "Lillian G. Allison."

No. 24: "Elizabeth S. Coyle."

For more than half a century, as the outside world wrestled with shifting gender roles, the well-intentioned, little-noticed plaque evolved into an unlikely marker of the progress of women in the military, now numbering more than 200,000 in an active-duty force of about 1.4 million.

Elizabeth "Betty" Coyle has made it to age 97. It is a safe bet that she has outlasted most of the men on the list. She no longer talks much about her years in the Women's Army Corps, "and I don't know why," she said last week in her Burlington home. "Maybe it's envy or jealousy. Now, they're on the front lines, but at my time, we were not allowed."

All these years later, she hadn't the slightest idea that her hometown had paid tribute to her service. Not until the plaque was rediscovered at a funeral.

Wartime wedding

World War II provided Betty Coyle with an identity, and a husband.

From 1942 to 1945, she served in the 150,000-member Women's Army Corps, the first group of women in American history, other than nurses, to be accepted into and receive ranks within the U.S. Army.

"Both the Army and the American public initially had difficulty accepting the concept of women in uniform," author Judith A. Bellafaire wrote in The Women's Army Corps: A Commemoration of World War II Service. "However, political and military leaders, faced with fighting a two-front war and supplying men and materiel for that war while continuing to send lend-lease material to the Allies, realized that women could supply the additional resources so desperately needed in the military and industrial sectors. Given the opportunity to make a major contribution to the national war effort, women seized it."

After boot camp, Coyle was tasked with domestic recruiting and public relations outreach, focused mainly in the South. During a tour of Memphis, she received a surprise visit from her boyfriend, Clifford Spooner of Crosswicks, N.J. The two had met on a blind date as civilians.

On Sept. 2, 1944  a furlough day during his transition from air cadet to medic  he proposed an idea. Finding ministers hard to come by in Memphis, the couple rented a car and eloped to Arkansas. Dressed in matching olive uniforms, they were married by a justice of the peace.

After the war ended, the Spooners settled in Crosswicks and quickly produced two daughters. The marriage lasted until the girls were grown, at which point the couple divorced.

Coyle moved to Miami, expressing herself in watercolor paintings and working as a government document examiner. The death of her older daughter brought her back to the Philadelphia area, eventually to Burlington.

In Miami, Coyle had joined the VFW, so upon arriving here, she sought out the closest chapter and applied. But she was offered a lesser membership, available to auxiliary military members.

"I'm not an auxiliary, I'm actually a soldier," she protested, to no avail.

"I said the heck with it, and decided to keep my membership in Florida. Had it for the last 40 years," she said. " I was the only woman who had applied for it here, and they didn't accept me. What can you do?"

Lillian Allison, the other woman listed on the church plaque, died at her Maine home in 1999, at age 86. The fellow Langhorne native is survived by her only child, daughter Virginia, who did not return a call for comment. The church's Pastor Bill Teague declined to comment, saying only that he did not know much about the names on the service roll.

Coyle might never have known she was among the men on it were it not for a family memorial service at the church in March 2010. Her niece, Nancy Janyszeski, was waiting in a reception line when something on the wall caught her eye: a plaque and a familiar name. She snapped a photo with her cellphone.

"No one remembered ever seeing it before," Janyszeski said.

As for Coyle, "I don't care," she said. "It was different in those days than it is today. Women have rights now."

Nearly 70 years after she signed up for the WAC program, she sat inside the sun porch of her Burlington home, and gently rocked. She is hard of hearing and has trouble walking. "And at my age, I've forgotten so much," she said.

She dipped into a dark blue scrapbook, attempting to piece together strands of fraying memories. She waded through hazy photos, passing over a young man in a jeff cap, but pausing at a woman sitting on a stone fountain.

Her porch window offers an uninterrupted view of the Delaware River. She parks herself there daily, starting at the water for hours, mesmerized by its unstoppable force.

"I wish I stayed in [the Army]," she said. "I think the opportunities today are much greater than they were then. You were classified as a woman, and you could only do certain things. And today you're open to everything."A police officer is seen squirting mace, a body-disabling chemical, at a crowd of anti-war demonstrators outside the Hilton Hotel in Chicago on August 29, 1968. Hundreds were injured in the bloody clash during the Democratic National Convention. Read more

The year 1968  whose blood-splattered, baton-swinging 50th anniversary party is about to peak this Memorial Day weekend with the 4-hour 1968 documentary on CNN  was truly a season for the good, the bad and the ugly. I mean that literally  Hugh Montenegro's version of the theme song to the hit spaghetti-Western, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was all over the AM radio that spring, with its unforgettable ocarina opening and its "rep rup rep rup" chorus. But figuratively, the Ugly walloped both the Good and the Bad in the wider world of 1968 by a big margin.

It's easy to forget that. Those round, tinted spectacles that the likes of John Lennon were wearing in 1968 were the ultimate rose-colored glasses, after all. And so the purple haze of nostalgia can cling to glib Time-Life-infomercial-style memories of the halcyon daze of the decade that changed America  bright tie-dyed colors illuminated by a strobe light and pulsating to the fuzzy guitar riffs of Jimi Hendrix and Cream. "I think it's so groovy now," an act called Friend & Lover sang in the summer of 1968, "that people are finally getting together."

The song was pure wishful thinking. Ask anyone who lived through 1968  even those of us who were bright-eyed grade-schoolers then  and we can tell you that the year was experienced in real time mostly as hell on earth. No, you really didn't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, not when these things were in the air: The Tet Offensive, with planeloads of American-flag-draped caskets flying home from Vietnam every week. The assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.  the latter followed by days of urban rioting that claimed dozens of lives. And student and youthful uprisings that were put down with violent force  from Columbia University and Chicago here at home to the streets of Mexico City and even Czechoslovakia, where Soviet troops crushed Prague's spring awakening.

If you didn't experience 1968 as a sentient human being, or if you were looking out the window that day in 10th-grade history class, you would probably be shocked by the CNN documentary. It was shocking. It felt like the End Times. Such a momentous year would have sparked a flurry of anniversary books, articles, and TV specials under any circumstance. But 1968's 50th birthday bash has arrived with unexpected resonance, because in 2018 it seems to many people like the world is crashing down all over again.

Indeed, America's blend of paranoia and angst seems remarkably similar to the late 1960s, albeit without the great musical soundtrack, and a different storyline  a corrupt and autocratic government, but minus war and bloodshed in the streetsso far. The irony is that you can draw a straight line and see how the war for America that essentially began in 1968 brought us to the current battlefield that is 2018.

The legacy of 1968 is complicated. It was the start of many good things  a freer spirit of expression in the arts and fashion, a movement for female empowerment, gradual (albeit too gradual) gains for African-Americans for other non-whites, and for the LGBTQ community. But politically, the legacy of 1968 is largely backlash (highlighted by that year's election of Richard Nixon on a "law and order" platform) and repressive moves such as "the war on drugs" and a regime of mass incarceration.

And here's the ultimate irony: Two things happened in so-groovy-now daze of 1968 that paved the way for the authoritarian presidency of Donald Trump.

Bummer, man.

No one would have been more surprised than the 22-year-old Donald Trump who roamed the streets of Philadelphia in the spring of 1968. A mediocre transfer student at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, Trump's only noteworthy achievement of his late-'60s stint in Philly was convincing his classmate, the glamorous future Hollywood star Candice Bergen, to go out on a date with him (don't worrynothing happened). The 20-something, bone-spur-plagued Trump was bound not for 'Nam but for New York, where he and his dad would be devoted to violating the one landmark liberal law of 1968, the Fair Housing Act. It's doubtful that The Young Donald had any inkling of the changes in the political landscape that set the stage for a demagogue to rule America  let alone that the demagogue would be him.

The paradox of 1968 and Donald Trump comes into focus if you read the defining political book, so far, of 2018: How Democracies Die, by Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt. The book makes the case that in the 21st Century democracy is less likely to collapse through a dramatic coup than through a slow erosion of established norms such as a free press, voting rights or an independent judiciary  something that's happened with elected governments from Venezuela to Hungary and is happening right now in the United States.

In America, the chaos of 1968 hacked at our democratic norms and traditions in a couple of ways. One of the changes was very specific but critical. In August 1968, thousands of antiwar demonstrators who were in the streets protesting the Democratic National Convention as it voted down an anti-Vietnam-War-plank were clubbed and bloodied by cops in what an investigative panel later called a "police riot." The mayhem was captured by the newfangled medium of live TV (as memorialized by the protesters' famous chant, "The whole world is watching!") and was largely blamed for nominee Hubert Humphrey's narrow loss to Nixon that November.

The disaster inspired Democrats to change the rules  so that going forward the vast majority of convention delegates would be chosen not by party bosses but by the people, in state primaries. The idea of making presidential nominations so much more democratic and thus eliminating "the smoke-filled room" was wildly popular  so much so that Republicans adopted similar rules. What could go wrong? Well, as Levitsky and Ziblatt chronicle, party elites lost their ability to screen out candidates who appealed to voters through racism or other ugly strains of populism. Leaders in both parties had once thwarted the worst populists like George Wallace or the anti-Semitic industrialist Henry Ford (whom many wanted for president in the early 1920s). But GOP elites who scorned Trump in 2016 had no way to stop him.

"In short, primaries limit party leaders' ability to screen out extremists and demagogues," co-author Levitsky told me in an email interview. "This hardly guarantees that demagogues will win the nomination, but it leaves parties more vulnerableespecially to celebrity outsiders with a lot of media exposure and name recognition. And that's what happened in 2016."

The other important thing that happened in and around 1968 was the intense political polarization of America  an event that had a lot to do with the issue that has hung like a millstone around the nation's neck since its founding, which is race. Although it gets relatively short shrift amid all the crazy things that happened in 1968, the other event that's had a remarkable long-term impact is the urban rioting that exploded after MLK was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968.

The reaction to the riots  white flight to the suburbs and support for Frank Rizzo-style policing on steroids  created a political momentum for white backlash. Nixon, a very smart if ultimately immoral politician, saw this and jumped on it  naming the combative Spiro Agnew his vice president as a reward for his tough stance on Baltimore's black rioters, and making "law and order" the theme of his campaign. (As dramatized in this famous campaign ad.)

Nixon's ensuing "Southern Strategy" to woo white voters alienated by the Democrats' support for civil rights legislation worked. As Levitsky and Ziblatt note, the much-revered era of bipartisanship and comity in American politics was largely built on a compromise that involved both parties suppressing black demands for equal rights for 100 years, beginning with the Compromise of 1877 that ended Reconstruction and cleared a path for the rise of Jim Crow segregation, and continuing with New Deal programs that largely benefited whites. The politics of 1968 blew that up  the GOP increasingly became the party of white working-class backlash as Democrats became more of a party for non-whites and professional-class whites who at least voiced support for civil rights.

"Now the Republican Party is unambiguous home of the white Christian voter, the rural white voters, the racially conservative white voters, and if you will, the angry white voter," Levitsky told me. "This is an electorate that is experiencing status decline in a society marked by growing racial equality and ethnic diversity. It's a group that is open to populist white nationalist appeals."

In 2016, Trump took this 50-year gathering storm to its inevitable conclusion. The so-called coded "dog whistles" on welfare fraud or crime that Republicans had used to make racial appeals in the 1980s became a bullhorn in the tiny hands of The Donald, who screamed about Mexican rapists and "The Wall" and won primary after primary. At the 2016 GOP convention in Cleveland, Trump made an appeal to "law and order" that was ripped almost word for word from the Nixon playbook, and today he tries to flog the issue of black athletes protesting police brutality during the National Anthem much as white rage burned about the Black Power salutes of Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Olympics.

It's impossible to watch 1968 or the myriad other 50th anniversary productions without thinking about what William Faulkner wrote, that "the past is not dead. It's not even past." The sad truth of 1968 is that while America didn't implode  as many feared while watching the violence and assassinations in real time  the tumult of that time may have launched the nation into a slow-motion political near-death spiral, and I'm clinging to the word "near" here. At least we can still enjoy the amazing music as we ponder what a long, strange and too-often bad trip it's been.U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, the Republican nominee in Pennsylvanias U.S. Senate race, talks to supporters during an election night results party on May 15 in Hazleton, Pa. Read more

WASHINGTON  In an unusual twist, a major conservative group is taking aim at U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, the Pennsylvania Republican who is the party's nominee in a key U.S. Senate race.

Americans for Prosperity, which supports limited government, is taking out ads targeting 17 House members in both parties who backed a $1.3 trillion spending bill Congress passed in March. The effort could ding Barletta, a GOP underdog battling U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.)  and counting on conservative advocacy groups to help counter a significant fund-raising gap. Instead, Barletta is taking friendly fire from an expected ally seeking to punish lawmakers who it argues have strayed from conservative fiscal principles.

The only other Pennsylvanian targeted is U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, the state's most vulnerable Democratic congressman. The ads are set to begin running over Memorial Day weekend

While Americans for Prosperity did not say how much it is spending in Pennsylvania, the attack on Barletta is notable because of the group's typical support for Republicans. The organization, backed by the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers, campaigned heavily in 2016 for Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, who won a narrow reelection.

Barletta took the ads as a positive.

"I have Bob Casey attacking me from the left, and the Koch Brothers from the right. If the far left and far right are against me, I must be doing the right thing," he said in a statement from his campaign.

Americans for Prosperity plans to run online ads and send mailers criticizing Barletta, and to go after Cartwright with mailers and ads on radio and online. Cartwright is running in a Northeast Pennsylvania district that President Trump won by about 10 percentage points.

Casey is widely favored, although Republicans hope to unseat him by duplicating Trump's 2016 Pennsylvania victory. Several other Pennsylvania Republicans also voted for the spending plan, but have not been targeted by AFP.

The mailer says that Barletta "voted to increase waste that helped push spending to more than $4 trillion this year alone."

A spokesman for the group said it chose to target races where it believed it could "elevate" the spending issue.

The White House supported the spending plan, which helped avert potential government shutdowns, only for Trump to threaten to veto it. He still signed it into law.

At the time, Barletta said the bill wasn't perfect but pointed to its increase in funding for the military and $4 billion to fight the opioid crisis.In this Sept. 19, 2017, file photo, Michael Cohen, personal attorney of President Trump, steps out of a cab during his arrival on Capitol Hill in Washington. Read more

A criminal investigation into the New York City "Taxi King" with ties to Michael Cohen, President Trump's personal lawyer, has reached as far as Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Parking Authority acknowledged Wednesday.

Evgeny Freidman, 46, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Albany to one count of criminal tax fraud for failing to pay $5 million for the Metropolitan Transit Administration from 2012 to 2015. During that time he was chief executive of Taxicab Management Inc., which managed more than 800 cab medallions in New York City, according to the New York State Attorney General's Office. The amount accumulated through 50-cent levies on each trip taxis made in New York City to raise money for public transportation, prosecutors stated.

In February the New York Attorney General's Office filed a right-to-know request with the PPA for all documents that agency had in connection with Freidman, said Martin O'Rourke, the PPA spokesman. The PPA complied, providing prosecutors with 10 boxes of documents, O'Rourke said. It took about two months to gather the information.

Freidman was long a force in the Philadelphia taxi industry. The PPA canceled his 67 medallions at the beginning of 2017 because he had pulled the vehicles from service in a dispute with a business partner, O'Rourke said. Meanwhile, financial woes caused banks to seize the medallions over the last 18 months, he said. Medallions are the auctioned permits that allow a cab to operate.

The New York Attorney General's Office had not responded Wednesday afternoon to questions about whether its case would spread to Philadelphia, or if it had referred any information to Pennsylvania law enforcement officials.

Freidman's lawyer downplayed the importance of the document dump from Philadelphia. The lawyer, Patrick Egan, of the Fox Rothschild firm in Philadelphia, said the request was likely part of the state's preparations for a trial that was avoided with Tuesday's plea. Egan said he expected no additional charges to be filed against Freidman.

"I wouldn't have been doing a plea if there was more to come," he said. "The whole point was to get a resolution of the whole thing."

The New York Times reported Tuesday that Freidman had agreed to cooperate with government investigators in state or federal matters, something that could have significant implications for the criminal investigation into Michael Cohen, who was himself a New York City cab medallion owner. Freidman managed cabs that Cohen owned, the Times reported.

Cohen's business practices are under investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan. Before the 2016 presidential election, Cohen also gave a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star who said she had a sexual encounter with Trump.

The PPA reported it had no contacts with Cohen.

Freidman had been co-owner of Philadelphia's Freedom Taxi Association with Everett Abitbol. In 2016, Freidman became embroiled in a contentious lawsuit with Abitbol, who sought to have the Freedom company dissolved. Abitbol accused Freidman of using business funds to pay personal debts and creating ghost accounts to benefit his family. The suit stated Freidman ordered Abitbol in June 2016 to immediately stop managing 91 medallions and included 28 affidavits that stated drivers were not paid $6,219 in credit card transactions owed to them through work.

The suit is still pending, according to court records. Abitbol did not respond to a request for comment.

The taxi industry has been disrupted by ride-sharing companies. In 2017, taxis made $43 million less than in 2014 in Philadelphia and had 4.2 million fewer fares, according to PPA data. The value of a medallion was $500,000 in 2014, compared with $38,000 in April.State Sen. Jeff Van Drew, speaking in 2016 at the Fisherman/Farmers market at The Bayshore Center, Port Norris, N.J. Van Drew is the leading Democrat in the race for the open U.S. House seat in South Jerseys Second District. Read more

One of the Democrats' top recruits in their push to take control of the U.S. House keeps a Ronald Reagan photo in a South Jersey office.

State Sen. Jeff Van Drew has voted against several tougher gun laws and same-sex marriage, and supported an effort to pull New Jersey out of a greenhouse gas reduction program.

Yet Van Drew, from Cape May County, is backed by national Democrats and is the heavy favorite in a South Jersey race that represents one of their best chances to capture a Republican-held district. He is the most prominent of four Democrats aiming to replace Rep. Frank LoBiondo, whose retirement opened the door to a seat that the party has coveted for years.

It is the marquee contest on the ballot in the June 5 New Jersey primary, as Republicans and Democrats choose nominees for U.S. Senate, 12 seats in the U.S. House, and various municipal offices.

The campaign mirrors a struggle that has played out in several Democratic primaries across the country, including in the Lehigh Valley, Nebraska, and Texas  between moderate candidates with some conservative views and rivals who pledge fealty to liberal ideas and say their views will rally the party's energized base.

"We have Republicans masquerading as Democrats, and the people are not going to buy into that," said Tanzie Youngblood, a retired educator who also is seeking the nomination.

Democratic political professionals and numerous independent analysts say Van Drew is best suited to a district with a sizable share of moderate and conservative voters. Democrats' national congressional campaign arm had tried to recruit him for years and is aiming to win the 23 seats needed to build a House majority.

"You don't get anything done if you don't win," said Van Drew, whose campaign website denounces "extreme elements" in both parties.

He is one of a number of moderates who have won support from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as they compete in conservative places like Kansas, Arkansas, and West Virginia. Many have taken cues from Conor Lamb, who strayed from Democratic orthodoxy to win a special election in Western Pennsylvania earlier this year.

But in some cases, liberal voters have sunk candidates who played for the middle ground.

In primaries May 15, Democrats in the Lehigh Valley rejected Northampton District Attorney John Morganelli, who held conservative views on immigration, and those in Nebraska chose a liberal newcomer over a moderate former congressman supported by the national party.

National analysts downgraded Democrats' chances of winning the Nebraska race as a result, and some Democrats have fretted that pushing left could cost them in other swing districts.

In another contentious House race in Texas, a moderate backed by party leaders defeated a liberal opponent Tuesday.

Most analysts expect a similar result in the South Jersey race.

"It is no secret that Jeff Van Drew has been the most conservative Democrat in the state legislature, and behind closed doors I think that many party leaders would tell you that they are kind of holding their nose and supporting him," said Brigid Harrison, a Montclair State University political science professor who lives in the Second District. "But the reality is that he has some key advantages."

Van Drew is well-known, having served in the state legislature since 2002, Harrison said. He has won multiple terms in a historically Republican legislative district  one that makes up a substantial part of the congressional district. And he has support from the South Jersey political machine led by George Norcross III. Critically, the Democratic committees in all eight counties in the district endorsed Van Drew. That assures him of a favorable ballot position that by itself often determines New Jersey primary elections.

Campaign disclosures from the end of March show that he had raised $489,000. None of his rivals had cracked six figures.

Taken together, "I would call it a nearly insurmountable obstacle for his opponents," Harrison said.

Van Drew's rivals argue that Democrats don't need to tamp down liberal ideas in a district that Barack Obama carried twice.

"It's a diverse place. This is not the kind of place where we need a Trump Democrat," said Nate Kleinman, a farmer and activist from Salem County. "We need a real Democrat."

Another Democratic candidate, Will Cunningham, said grassroots voters feel "betrayed" by the attempted "coronation" of Van Drew.

Democrats almost certainly must win this district if they hope to take the House.

It's a true swing seat. Despite Obama's success, President Trump carried it by five percentage points in 2016 and it sent LoBiondo to Congress for 24 years  a tenure made possible by his willingness to break with the GOP on some key votes.

Without him, Republicans have a four-man field that has divided loyalties among the county parties. Rep. Steve Stivers (R., Ohio), the head of the GOP's congressional campaign arm, recently called the district a "recruiting hole," but later tried to temper those comments.

The four GOP candidates are Hirsh Singh, who lost a race for the gubernatorial nomination last year; former state Assemblyman Sam Fiocchi; former FBI agent Robert Turkavage; and attorney Seth Grossman.

The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election-forecasting site, rates the district as one of Democrats' six best chances to flip a Republican seat.

Van Drew's liberal critics have homed in on his "A" rating from the NRA, his acceptance of a $1,000 donation from the group in 2008, and his opposition to several gun control proposals.

"New Jersey voters don't want an NRA-backed candidate," Cunningham said.

Cunningham, 32, grew up in Vineland, the son of a single mother in a family forced to live in a motel for part of his high school years. He went on to Brown University and formerly worked as an aide to Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.).

Kleinman, 35, supports impeaching Trump and a guaranteed income for all Americans. A Montgomery County native, he tried to run for Congress in 2012 in a district that included parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County.

Youngblood, a 62-year-old from Gloucester County, points out that she is the only woman in the contest. The Congressional Black Caucus endorsed her.

The three hopefuls, however, could split the progressive vote. Unlike in some other races that saw upsets, prominent liberal groups like the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and the Bernie Sanders-aligned Our Revolution have not endorsed in this race.

Meanwhile, Van Drew, 65, has tried to soften some of his most controversial stands. He says he now backs same-sex marriage as the law of the land, and has stressed that he supports universal background checks for gun purchases and a ban on bump stocks.

The gun control group Moms Demand Action has labeled him a "Gun Sense Candidate."

Van Drew said he identifies as a Democrat because the party is "pro-working-person." He said he admires Reagan's communication skills  while stressing that his offices have pictures of many presidents, including Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy.

Van Drew's views could cause Democrats headaches if they win a narrow House majority, Harrison said. But party leaders are more worried about first taking the House  giving them a platform to set the chamber's agenda, investigate Trump, and stall Republican proposals.

As their House leader, Nancy Pelosi, put it earlier this month when asked about Democrats who are even campaigning against her: "Just win, baby."President Trump (center) with CEO of General Motors Mary Barra (left) and CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Sergio Marchionne (second from right) takes his seat prior to delivering remarks to automobile industry leaders during a meeting in on Jan. 24, 2017. Read more

WASHINGTON  The Trump administration is considering new tariffs on imported cars in a move that trade analysts said was designed to put pressure on Mexico during the final stages of negotiations for a new North American trade deal.

Officials may cite national security grounds to justify a 25 percent tariff on imported vehicles, a senior administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. President Trump used the same provision of U.S. trade law in March when he called for tariffs on foreign-made steel and aluminum.

Wednesday evening, the White House announced that Trump had directed Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to launch a formal investigation of the possible need for such industrial protection. "Core industries such as automobiles and automotive parts are critical to our strength as a nation," the president said.

Negotiators for the United States, Mexico, and Canada remain deadlocked over rules for granting duty-free status to vehicles under a new North American trade deal.

The talks have been underway for more than nine months and now appear likely to continue into 2019, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said earlier this week.

The threat to impose an import tax on cars was seen as an attempt to press Mexican officials to accept a U.S. demand for a higher percentage of auto content to be made in American factories.

Talks over a replacement for the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada have made limited progress.

Negotiators remain divided on a host of contentious U.S. proposals, including a provision that would require the deal to be formally renewed every five years.

The proposed import tax was seen as an additional pressure point in the negotiations, with Mexico and Canada already scheduled to lose their exemption from Trump's metals tariffs in little more than a week.

"This has been discussed for some time, which makes me suspect that this is being leaked to put pressure on Mexico during NAFTA and on other parties seeking steel and aluminum exemptions," said lawyer Dan Ujczo of Dickinson Wright.

Initial reaction to the idea of an import tax on cars based on national security needs was unfriendly, with one veteran trade lawyer saying it would prompt "pant-wetting laughter  followed by retaliation" among U.S. trading partners.

Mexico in the past has threatened to retaliate against U.S. trade actions by curtailing purchases of American farm products. Mexicans last year purchased almost $19 billion of American corn, dairy and soybean products.

The provisions of a 1962 trade law, known as section 232, allow the president to restrict imports that threaten "to impair the national security."

Under the law, the Commerce Department conducts a months-long review and reports its conclusions to the president. He then determines the final tariff figure, if any.

William Reinsch, a former Clinton administration trade official, said the proposal broke with traditional legal interpretations andwould disrupt industry supply chains and probably lead to job losses in the United States and elsewhere.

"Arguing that passenger cars are a national security issue doesn't pass the laugh test," he said. "We don't have a shortage; our companies are not currently in trouble; and there are plenty of alternative sources from reliable allied suppliers. Pursuing that case would make a mockery of the provision."

A vehicles tariff also would hurt U.S. automakers with operations in Mexico and Canadaand other locations. The United States imported $192 billion in passenger vehicles last year, with Mexico being the leading source, followed by Canada, Japan and Germany.

An industry group representing several foreign carmakers said the domestic industry did not need protection from competition.

"If these reports are true, it's a bad day for American consumers." said John Bozzella, chief executive of Global Automakers, which represents several foreign carmakers.

"To our knowledge, no one is asking for this protection. This path leads inevitably to fewer choices and higher prices for cars and trucks in America."

The auto industry has been a focus of the president's. He has complained about the difficulties American carmakers face selling their products abroad, raising the subject with Asian and European allies.

In March, he threatened to hit European carmakers with tariffs if the European Union did not lower barriers to U.S. vehicles. The EU adds 10 percent to the cost of imported American models, while the United States imposes a levy of 2.5 percent on most imported cars and 25 percent on most pickups.

German officials have grown frustrated trying to convince Trump that Germans don't want to buy from American companies, which specialize in large sport-utility vehicles rather than smaller cars better suited to European lifestyles.

Trump has obsessed over German cars above all others, according to a senior White House official familiar with the talks. Though the president is now driven in an armored black Cadillac limousine known as "the beast," he has owned various foreign models, including Maybach, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes Benz, and McLaren.

The president appears to have previewed the internal debate with an early-morning tweet: "There will be big news coming soon for our great American Autoworkers." "After many decades of losing your jobs to other countries, you have waited long enough!"

The proposal was first reported by the Wall Street Journal."I was very much looking forward to being there with you (in Singapore)," Trump said in a letter to Kim released by the White House. "Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long planned meeting."

North Korea recently threatened to pull out of the summit after U.S. officials called for a Libya model approach, which involved the country's total nuclear dismantlement before any concessions were granted. Pyongyang has called for a gradual process that links early concessions to incremental denuclearization measures.

"You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used," Trump said in his letter. He added that if North Korea changes its mind "having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write."

"The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history," he said.

On Thursday, North Korea shut down its Punggye-ri nuclear test site on Thursday to demonstrate its commitment to denuclearization.Soren McClay (left) and her stepmother, Donn T, hold signs during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in front of the Starbucks at 18th and Spruce Streets in April. Read more

Starbucks on Wednesday offered a short preview of the racial-bias training its employees will undergo when the company closes all its U.S. stores on Tuesday afternoon.

The training will come a little more than a month after the arrests of two black men at a Starbucks in Center City sparked national outcry, days of protests in Philadelphia, and an apology from the city's police commissioner. Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson has called the arrests "reprehensible."

In a video released Wednesday, the company said employees will explore bias and how it shows up in their lives, learn about racial discrimination in public accommodations, and watch a film by Stanley Nelson, a filmmaker who focuses on black history and experiences.

The company said Tuesday's curriculum will set the foundation for a long-term diversity and inclusion effort.

>> Read more: Starbucks racial bias training can't just be done in one day, Penn professor says

"We are here to make Starbucks a place where everyone  everyone  feels welcome," Johnson said in the video.

Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, is among those who helped create the training. His brother, Howard Stevenson, is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who teaches people how to address racially charged encounters.

While Howard Stevenson was not involved in the Starbucks training, he told the Inquirer and Daily News last month what he believes it should feature. The professor said the training should involve role-playing exercises, stress the mental toll of racial discrimination, address discrimination's physical toll, and let people open up about their own experiences. One day is just a start for such training, he said.

>> Read more: Would you have spoken up during Starbucks arrest of two black men? White teachers at a Delaware County school debate

Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, 23-year-old entrepreneurs, were sitting in the Starbucks at 18th and Spruce Streets waiting for a business associate on April 12 when the store manager called police. A video of the arrest went viral.

Starbucks reached an agreement with Nelson and Robinson that offered them an undisclosed financial settlement. The City of Philadelphia agreed to pay Nelson and Robinson $1 each and set up a $200,000 program for young entrepreneurs. The two men will not receive any of that money, the city said.It's amazing to think that one quick trip to the bathroom can change your life.

I was a junior in high school when I ducked into the girls' room at school one day to find  a boy. I froze. Three years at this particular school, and that had never happened to me before. The girls' bathroom had always been the girls' getaway place  a place for privacy, mostly, but also a little refuge  a place to get away from boys, maybe talk about boys, but not meet boys.

My first thought was to get out. My second was to find my teacher and let her know what had happened. The teacher told me to tell the principal, so I did. And the principal did nothing.

I soon found out I wasn't the only one caught off guard by this new, "open door" policy. A boy at our school was in the middle of changing clothes in the boys' locker room when he looked up to see a girl changing her clothes nearby. Movies and TV try to make that sound funny or sexy, but that's not how it feels when it happens to you. It's just embarrassing, awkward, and uncomfortable.

>> READ MORE: Federal court OKs Boyertown schools' policy letting transgender students use bathrooms of their choice

The boy in the locker room did what I did  got out and found an adult to tell what happened. He soon learned what I had: that administrators at our school really didn't care about our concerns. The administrator he talked to just told him to "tolerate it"  to "make it as natural as possible." How do you make something as unnatural as that "natural?" How natural would you feel, having someone of the opposite sex standing next to you  or your child  while you change clothes or go to the bathroom?

If our administrators didn't have much to say after we told them, they had even less to say before. No one notified the students at our school  or our parents  of this sudden change of policy. No one prepared us, warned us, counseled us. Did they really think everyone would enjoy the surprise and just embrace this idea, right away?

Well, if that's what they were thinking, I guess they were surprised, too. The family of the boy who met the girl in the locker room decided to file a lawsuit for violation of his right to bodily privacy. When I learned about the lawsuit, I signed on as a co-plaintiff.

On Thursday, a federal appeals court refused to stop the school district from violating our privacy rights, so we're considering our next steps. As one of my attorneys said after that decision, "The Supreme Court has already spoken: The real differences between men and women mean that privacy must be protected where it really counts, and that certainly includes high school locker rooms and restrooms."

The pushback in the media has been what you might expect, if you've been following these kinds of cases around the country the last few years.

According to the people on the blogs and at the microphones, those of us who object to finding ourselves in private spaces with people of the opposite sex must be bigots, or religious extremists, to deny our peers who identify with the opposite sex their choice of restroom. I guess it's always easier to label people than to think about where they're coming from.

I come from a broken home. As a child, I struggled for a long time through a broken foster care system. Eventually, a good, loving family adopted me, but all those previous experiences made me a shy and quiet little girl who didn't have a voice of my own.

>> READ MORE: Boyertown case proves the lives of transgender people can't be erased by extremists | Opinion

My adoptive parents worked hard to help me find that voice. They taught me to think for myself, and speak for myself, and that what I thought mattered. That came in handy when we moved to Boyertown, where black children like me were pretty few and far between, but racial slurs were not.

So, it's not like I don't know what it's like to be different, or can't understand someone who has a hard time speaking up for their rights. But that doesn't make me any more comfortable having my privacy invaded or knowing the bathroom door is open to anyone who wants to come in.

I don't have a problem sharing a bathroom with someone who identifies as transgender  provided they are the same sex I am. I do have trouble with a policy that says anyone who's in an opposite-sex mood today can stroll in and observe me in my intimate moments  and with school officials who value the feelings of a few students more than the dignity and privacy of all those in their care.

It's my hope that the judges who may hear our case going forward will understand that better than our school administrators have  and take more seriously their responsibility to protect girls'privacy where it should be most protected: in the girls' room.

Alexis Lightcap is a student at Boyertown Area Senior High School and a plaintiff in the lawsuit Doe v. Boyertown Area School District.China's poverty relief progress hailed at international forum

From:ChinaDaily | 2018-05-24 09:57

China has contributed more than any country to global poverty reduction, and its practices can be used as a model by the rest of the world, foreign participants at the 2018 China Poverty Reduction International Forum said in Beijing on Wednesday.

China has pulled about 800 million people out of dire poverty in the past four decades, and it has not gone unnoticed. Bekele Debele, the World Bank's acting country director for China, Mongolia and Korea, said it is the biggest and fastest poverty reduction achievement in human history.

He said China's efforts contributed considerably to the 2015 United Nations goal of cutting the number of the world's poor in half, and support the World Bank in its pledge to eradicate extreme poverty globally by 2030.

"China has rich experience in targeted poverty reduction, and that is shareable and scalable," Debele said, adding that some policies carried out in the last few years by the Chinese government, such as rural revitalization and green development, help eradicate extreme poverty sustainably.

The poverty reduction forum was launched in 2016 to share China's experience with other developing countries.

About 200 participants from 28 countries, including officials, representatives of international organizations and entrepreneurs, attended this year's forum. The theme was "Sharing and Promoting Cooperation: Joining Hands in Poverty Reduction".

China has pledged to eradicate extreme poverty domestically by the end of 2020. The country's poor population, which stood at more than 98 million at the end of 2012, was cut by two-thirds in the most recent five-year period.

A three-year guideline has been formulated this year to provide a continuous and stable policy environment to fulfill the goal on schedule. Special poverty groups such as the elderly, disabled and those with serious illness will receive greater assistance.

Chen Zhigang, deputy director of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, said at the forum that poverty reduction is a thorny issue for China and the world.

"China is willing to expand its interaction in the sector with developing countries so we can learn from each other," he said.

Considering the similarities of developing countries, the sharing of knowledge is important, said Vincent Martin, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization representative in China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He said countries need to share successful case studies, in addition to policies and strategies.

Seven organizations, including the China Internet Information Center, International Poverty Reduction Center in China and the World Bank, launched a program at the forum-The Global Solicitation and Challenge Prize on Best Poverty Reduction Practices-to gather good practices in poverty reduction.

The program will last until Aug 23, with winners announced in October. The award-winning case studies will be uploaded to a public database.Governor Matt Mead and other dignitaries will be in Pine Bluffs next week to dedicate the recently installed America the Beautiful Mural.

The mural was installed last week after years of work from Pine Bluffs resident Larry Silvey.

Located at 211 Main Street in Pine Bluffs, the mural was just the latest piece of artwork honoring veterans to be added to the Pine Bluffs Veterans Memorial Plaza.

In 2016, statues representing members of the United States Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy were added.

Governor Mead was on hand for that presentation as well.

In addition to Mead, Wyoming Veterans Commissioner Steve Kravitsky will emcee the event.

Kravitsky served as a colonel at F.E. Warren Air Force Base before retiring.

Other speakers may be named at a later date.

Barbecue and refreshments will be provided onsite, courtesy of American Legion Post 60 in Pine Bluffs.

The event is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 29.

Local students will sing a number of patriotic tunes at Tuesdays event.

Silvey has been working to revitalize the Veterans Memorial Plaza for the past few years.

The statues and mural were paid for through donations from generous community members and other benefactors.Pine Bluffs Town Council members on Monday passed a resolution paving the way to relocate the Main Street railroad crossing.

The council briefly discussed the resolution at their meeting earlier this month, but did not take any formal action. Mondays resolution begins the process of relocating the crossing from North Main Street to Butler Street in Pine Bluffs.

Mayor Alan Curtis said the resolution has been a pet project of his over the past few years.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation will work with Union Pacific Railroad and the town. Its expected to cost about $650,000 to complete, but the railroad and WyDOT should help with the costs.

Curtis also proposed looking into making the new crossing a silent crossing.

Citing safety concerns, Curtis noted a tractor-trailer was recently stuck on the tracks at the Main Street crossing.

It would not have been good if a train would have been coming, the mayor said.

As a part of the arrangment, Pine Bluffs will have to eliminate the crossing located at Butler.

Work on the new crossing is not expected to begin until 2023 and it will coincide with a WyDOT overlay project.

WyDOT will pay the costs of paving from the railroad tracks to U.S. 30 but Pine Bluffs would be responsible for paving the road from the crossing to the north.

Curtis said businesses located in the area are strongly in favor of relocating the crossing.

I think its been a long time coming, Curtis said earlier this month. We have canvassed the area to the north and the businesses there are in support of it.Family Staycation at Grand Mercure Roxy Katong Singapore

Singapore is the most expensive city in the world to live in according to the Economist Intelligence Units (EIU) Worldwide Cost of Living 2018 survey. In fact, they took the top spot for the fifth year running. However, it doesnt mean you cant travel there in budget. If you are planning for a family staycation in Singapore, we have the best advice for you. Dont stay in the city center except you are willing to pay for it. For us, we stay at Grand Mercure Roxy in the area of Katong, a heritage area of the East Coast of the city.

Grand Mercure Roxy is a huge hotel and it offers 576 rooms and suites, it comes with an outdoor swimming pool, 24 hours gym, business centre services, foreign currency exchange, coin operated laundry, baby-sitting services, FREE Internet, Carpark and HALAL Certified Kitchen.

Do check out the video we did for our stay in Grand Mercure Roxy.

For the location, the hotel is located in Katong, a popular place for laksa. Like we mentioned earlier, it is not in the city centre but it is around the corner. The Parkway Parade Shopping Centre is located opposite of hotel. It takes less than 5 minutes to walk to the shopping centre and there are lots of food there and we did some shopping too.







To give you a clearer idea how convenient is Grand Mercure Roxy, here are some of the places near the hotel by car/taxi:

15 minutes from Changi Airport

15 minutes to Marina Bay, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Flyer and the shopping hubs of Suntec City, Orchard Road and VivoCity at HarbourFront

15 minutes to Suntec Convention Centre (exhibition and convention centre)

10 minutes to Singapore Expo, Max Atria and Changi Business Park

10 minutes to the Singapore Sports Hub

20 minutes to Central Business District (CBD)

20 minutes to National Museum and Singapore Art Museum

The best part in staying in Grand Mercure Hotel is there are hourly FREE shuttle bus service from the airport to the hotel. There will be a MRT Station of the upcoming Thomson-East Coast MRT Line(TEL), which is slated to be completed by 2023.

We took Grab to Sentosa Island and it was around $20 and thats the price for three adults and two children. That was around 20 minutes ride from the hotel to Sentosa Island and we went there to bring the kids to Universal Studios Singapore for TrollsTopia.

We booked the Business Suite. It comes with a King Size bed and a sofa bed and good for the family. The beauty of booking the Business Suite is the FREE access to Executive Lounge. This means we have unlimited food and beverages throughout our stay in the hotel. The Executive Lounge is comfortable and spacious. There are snacks from time to time and beverages too.

There is a workstation complimentary for guests and also coffee and teas available in the lounge. The lounge offers the view of Parkway Parade Shopping Centre and the sea. You will feel very Zen sitting here and enjoying the view.

The room is spacious and that is the beauty of staying in this part of Singapore. The price we paid for the suite is probably similar with the price of a room in Singapore city center.

Like we mentioned earlier, the suite comes with a King size bed, a sofa bed, TV, working desk, bathroom, bathtub and an additional TV in the bathroom. There is welcome food for us and complimentary mineral water. If you ran out of water, just head to Executive Lounge to take some. There are also soft drinks and juices in Executive Lounge.

The tap water is drinkable but we still prefer the mineral water. For family travel, we need a lot of water especially for our boys. You need water to prepare the milk for the boys and we encourage them to drink lots of H20. We also carry hot water in flask and mineral water when we travel around.

There is also a Handy in the room. Handy is a FREE mobile phone for you to use and this is an extra perk staying in Grand Mercure Roxy. You can travel around with Handy and remember to return it back at the end of the day. Handy is originated from Hong Kong and we worked with them when they started many years ago. Now, Handy offers their services in countries like Macau, Singapore and Thailand.

For dining, they have four restaurants in the hotel and they are Wave Cafe, Jia Wei Chinese Restaurant, FEAST @ East Buffet Restaurant and BREEZ Bistro and Bar.

We had buffet dinner at FEAST @ East Buffet Restaurant on Level 3. You can watch the video to see some of the food available.

FEAST @ East Buffet Restaurant is HALAL Kitchen certified so the food offered is HALAL. There are plenty of choices in local and International cuisines. The most important thing is the taste of the food here is good.

What we like about FEAST @ East Buffet Restaurant?

The Katong Laksa station. Katong is famous for its laksa and you can find one here in FEAST @ East Buffet Restaurant. The taste of Katong Laksa is different than the ones we have in Malaysia. The spiciness is lesser and it is sweet so their version is quite unique.

The Grill Station. We love their version of grilled chicken and grilled fish. The chicken well marinated, grilled to perfection and tasty.

The Dessert Section. We always love dessert and the surprise is they offer Durian Cake and Durian Paste. The durian paste is basically the durian flesh. It is not Musang King but good quality durians. We love this so much, we ate almost half bowl of this. We are durian lovers, we had to eat this.

There is no durian paste served in any buffet restaurants in Malaysia so this is something new for us. Even our boys loved this.

For the month of Ramadan, FEAST @ East Buffet Restaurant offer buka puasa buffet and for more information, please visit http://grandmercureroxy.com.sg/dining

For breakfast, it will be at Ramadan, FEAST @ East Buffet Restaurant and you get as many food selections like the dinner buffet. They offer local and International breakfast and it is HALAL.

You can find the usual suspects such as fried noodles, porridge, pastries, sausages, beef bacon and more. There are also yogurt, fruits, cereals, milk and cheese platter for breakfast.

They offer the pancake machine that will cook a pancake with just a push of button. Our boys love the pancakes.

We also went to the other restaurant in the hotel, BREEZ Bistro and Bar. They offer value for money dinner sets. The set dinner starts from $24. You can dine indoor or by the pool. The environment here is intimate and cozy for dinner.

We had order Fusion and Western dinner sets. Overall, the food here is good and our boys love it. When it comes to family travels, the focus will be the kids so we need to make sure they are properly fed.

In terms of stay, the boys really enjoyed themselves in the hotel. We didnt manage to visit the swimming pool as the boys were exhausted by the trip to Universal Studios Singapore. They loved this trip so much they kept on bragging about it from time to time. Sometimes my boy will ask us to bring them back to Singapore.







Many people might say why the hassle bringing the boys to travel since they are still young. Honestly, we believe the importance of family traveling is to live the experience and moments especially for the parents. You wont have the second chance bringing your young kids for another holiday in the future except your grandchildren.

If you are planning for a family travel like us in Singapore, you should consider staying in Grand Mercure Roxy in Katong. For the best rates and more information, visit their official website at http://grandmercureroxy.com.sg/







Wilson Ng A Father and traveler who enjoys to eat, shop, travel and taking pictures with Samsung S21 Ultra. Im a full time blogger, youtuber and father for two.

I travel around 17 International trips per year. Remember to follow us at www.instagram.com/placesandfoods and www.youtube.com/placesandfoods. For ads or features, contact me at [email protected] See author's postsHours after a gunman killed 10 people and wounded 13 others  including a retired Houston police officer at a Santa Fe, TX, high school last week Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo tweeted a message excoriating elected officials for failing to enact common sense statutes & policies & continue to fail our families & especially our children.

Acevedos tweet was followed by a Facebook post where he said hed hit rock bottom and told people they could unfriend him if they thought guns werent a problem  was met with swift reaction from the National Rifle Association and some prominent conservatives.

"@ArtAcevedo plays the part of a police chief ... he says he wants to go after criminals, but for him apparently the easiest way to do that is to make new criminals that are easy to catch  make criminals out of law-abiding gun owners," NRATV tweeted late Monday.

@ArtAcevedo is a police chief who thinks its completely appropriate to ignore the law of the land when it concerns legal immigration, the NRA Dana Loesch said, in an NRATV spot Monday afternoon. But (he) thinks that he has the right to apparently go into every home in Texas and inspect how everybodys storing their #firearms.

Acevedo engaged in a running Twitter battle with the NRA's Dana Loesch and Grant Stinchfield.

"TEXAS police executives and Rank & file standing together to protect the 2nd Amendment by keeping firearms in the hands of law abiding Americans [of] sound mind," he wrote Monday night. "History will show we are on the side of responsible gun owners & most Americans."

In an interview at police headquarters with the Houston Chronicle Tuesday afternoon, Acevedo reiterated his past calls for gun reform.

The party of law enforcement may not care, but you know what? Theyre not the ones burying our officers, he said. Maybe if they came out and had to make the notifications, and see the bodies of dead police officers whove been shot, laying in their own pool of blood, maybe all these people that are supposed to be the party of law and order will start caring about law and order and will start protecting the Second Amendment and law-abiding Americans by enacting pragmatic reforms that are achievable.Two years ago, Amazon built a facial and image recognition product that allows customers to cheaply and quickly search a database of images and look for matches. One of the groups it targeted as potential users of this service was law enforcement.

At least two signed on: the Washington County Sheriff's Office outside of Portland, Ore., and the Orlando Police Department in Florida.

Now the ACLU and civil rights groups are demanding that Amazon stop selling the software tool, called Rekognition, to police and other government entities because they fear it could be used to unfairly target protesters, immigrants and any person just going about their daily business.

The two law enforcement groups that appear to so far be using the service say they are not engaging in anything that far-reaching, USA Today reports.

For now, Orlando police have created a database composed only of pictures of the faces of a handful of Orlando police officers who volunteered to participate in the test. It is then comparing those faces to images from eight city-owned surveillance cameras to see if it can correctly identify the officers when they are in the images from the cameras.

In Oregon, the Washington County Sheriffs Office is using the program to look for matches within its own database of booking mug shots, said Deputy Jeff Talbot. The department also confirms each match made through the Rekognition software by another method, he said.

We are using this facial-recognition technology to try to identify suspects in criminal investigations only, said Talbot. We are not doing mass surveillance, we are not doing non-crimes and we are not doing real-time surveillance."China Design honored at Mexican culture festival

From:chinadaily | 2018-05-23 11:27

China and Beijing are being honored in Mexico as part of the tenth anniversary Mexico City International Amity and Culture Exhibition.

Two major events, the China Design, Culture and Life Experience exhibition and the Beijing Cultural & Creative Week will be held during the festivities.

The exhibition held its opening ceremony on May 17, and presented around 100 items and artworks created by 15 Chinese designers.

Jose Ramon Amieva, mayor of Mexico City, said at the opening ceremony that the exhibition was representative of China's contemporary design language, and that he hoped more Mexicans would take the opportunity to learn about Chinese culture and philosophy through the exhibition.

The exhibition was organized by Beijing International Design Week and curated by Xu Ping, professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and Lin Cunzhen, designer of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games and Beijing Paralympic Winter Games logos.

Collecting elements from Chinese philosophy and conception of nature to create the designs, the exhibition displays pieces including china, furniture, and jewelry from eminent Chinese designers that include the likes of Teng Fei, Han Wenqiang and Zhong Sheng.

Beijing Cultural & Creative Week will take place between June 12 and 16 in Mexico, and will include events, performances and networking opportunities for cultural & creative companies.AXTELL, Neb.  The Nebraska Public Service Commission has told a seed business it cant continue operating without a grain dealer license.

The commission issued a cease-and-desist order to Roberts Seed Inc. The commission says the company is operating although it hasnt fulfilled requirements for the license it applied for last year.

Roberts Seed office assistant Teresa Fisher told the Lincoln Journal Star that the order covers only the purchase of grain from farmers and the sale of it as seed. She says the company has no active contracts for that business.

She says the company cant provide some of the licensing documents, such as a 2017 tax return, because they dont exist yet.

The commission has scheduled a hearing June 18 to discuss possible punishments for Roberts Seed.

North Dakota oil production declines

BISMARCK, N.D.  North Dakotas oil production slipped in March, but the states minerals director says hes optimistic about the months ahead.

Oil prices have risen to heights not seen since November 2015. And petroleum production is expected to be strong this summer, Lynn Helms, director of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, said in a conference call with reporters.

North Dakota, the nations second largest oil producing state, pumped out 1.16 million barrels per day in March, down 1.1 percent from the previous month. Severe weather contributed to the decline, Helms said.

Oil prices have risen at a strong pace in recent months.Iowa State University, the University of Minnesota and other land grant institutions across the United States have done stellar work involving agricultural-related research through the decades. Their efforts have led to much improved public seed varieties and unbiased evaluations of the effectiveness of various herbicide, pesticide and tillage practices.

University of Minnesota research has led to improved soybeans, small grains and corn. ISU and the U of M have become legends and leaders in agriculture research.

Alas, the United States may be sacrificing its leadership in this area.

A report in the Wall Street Journal warns that the commitment to agriculture research is waning in the United States at the same time China is accelerating its efforts.

Syngenta, now owned by China National Chemical Corp., is constructing a center in Beijing that will be working on developing new gene-editing technologies. China National is also moving to coordinate its work with research being done by Chinese universities.

Syngenta CEO Erik Fyrwald told the Wall Street Journal that the Chinese government is very supportive of agricultural technology and that Syngenta is investing tens of millions of dollars to develop gene editing.

Chinas spending on agricultural research has soared from approximately $1 billion annually in 1990 to near $9.5 billion in 2011. At the same time, U.S. spending as held constant at near $4 billion annually.

It is possible, some observers warn, that U.S. farmers may come to depend on Chinese technology as U.S. research efforts lag. That is certainly not an appealing prospect for a couple of strong reasons.

China remains a communist nation and its human rights record is horrible. Right now, it is locked in a tense trade fight with the United States amid accusations of trade manipulation and unfair practices.

Our nations land grant universities have been at the forefront of agriculture research since the systems founding.

Although gene manipulating technology is extremely expensive, land grant institutions can and should be involved.

Funding support has weakened in the past decade at the federal and state level as tight budgets curtail investments.

Public research  restrained from the influence of private interests  is essential to the future.

The United States must not abandon its leadership role.

Danger is evident if the research vacuum is filled by Chinese-owned and Chinese government-controlled interests.Kathmandu, May 24

The feasibility study for the construction of urban cable car project in Kathmandu has been completed.

Ambassador of France to Nepal Yves Carmona handed over the detailed feasibility study report to Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth amid a programme organised in the Capital on Thursday.

The objective of the study was to put into perspective the feasibility and relevance of a cable transport system in Kathmandu, as fast to implement, a cost-effective and sustainable solution to tackle traffic congestion, reduce air pollution and ease mobility of the city, reads a statement issued by the French Embassy.

The study report focuses on how a cable car system could be a relevant part of the public transportation system of Kathmandu, and also a tool for urban renovation as well as touristic development.

Likewise, various operational and financial models including the public-private partnership and design-build-and-operate have been suggested for the project. Moreover, a pilot line of seven stations of about seven kilometres from Bouddhanath to Bishnumati in Kalimati has been highlighted.

The French delegation, which included Head of South Asia Economic Department at the French Embassy in Delhi Jean-Marc Fenet, Counsellor for Sustainable Development Fanny Herve and representatives of the French companies, MDP, SYSTRA and POMA hoped that the government takes up the project soon.Home  Just In  Nepal govt will launch new mobile app to address public complaints

Kathmandu, May 24

The government would soon launch a new mobile application to address complaints of the public about various government agencies and services.

The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has started homework for the launch of Nagarik Adhikar (Citizen Rights).

At present, Hello Sarkar is the only authorised government portal that has been registering complaints from public and forwarding them to the concerned authorities.

However, the new app will directly link the general public to the concerned authority, informed an official at the OPMCM.

The new app is being prepared to ease the works of Hello Sarkar and make it more manageable. We believe this will be more effective, he added.

The budget for preparing the app will be allocated in the upcoming budget statement for the next fiscal year.Did the FBI spy on the Trump campaign? Sharyl Attkisson compiles 8 signs pointing to a counterintelligence operation deployed against Trumps campaign. Although youd never know it from the New York Times and its mainstream media colleagues, it looks like the biggest scandal in American political history.

Here to lend a hand, Michael Barone provides understated and much needed historical perspective to his media colleagues: Until 2016, just about everyone agreed that it was a bad thing for government intelligence or law enforcement agencies to spy (er, secretly collect information?) on a political campaign. Especially a campaign of the opposition party. Thank you, Mr. Barone!

According to former Obama administration officials, to their faithful Democratic supporters, and to their media adjunct, there is nothing to see here. They disparage President Trumps tweets decrying spygate as the usual Trump piffle. Trump nevertheless appears to be on to something. At the least, I take it that the bureau monitored the Trump campaign in the hope of discovering wrongdoing it could easily have prevented if that were its true intent.

Former FBI Director James Comey has commented on Twitter. He makes a terminological point to clear things up, but it reads like an acknowledgement and confession to me. Analyze this:

Facts matter. The FBIs use of Confidential Human Sources (the actual term) is tightly regulated and essential to protecting the country. Attacks on the FBI and lying about its work will do lasting damage to our country. How will Republicans explain this to their grandchildren?  James Comey (@Comey) May 23, 2018

Brit Hume translates: In other words, sure we were spying but get the title right and by the way, its all under control.

Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has contributed his own clarifications. Consistent with the Times stylebook, Clapper described the FBI operative(s) monitoring the Trump campaign as an informant and described the use of this informant as a fairly benign tool that the F.B.I. employs all the time. Good to know, and the Times dutifully adopts Clappers clarification to correct President Trump.

Clapper sought further to clear it all up in a friendly interview with Judy Woodruff on the PBS NewsHour last night. The FBI wasnt spy[ing]. It was protect[ing]. So the FBI was spying to protect us. Thanks for clearing that up!

The intent "was not to spy on the campaign, but rather to determine what the Russians were up to," former DNI James Clapper tells @JudyWoodruff. "That was the concern that the FBI had, and I think they were just doing their job and trying to protect our political system." pic.twitter.com/lPa9Rc9qb3  PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) May 23, 2018Earlier this week, President Trump seemed to suggest that, in the absence of a nuclear deal with the U.S., Kim Jong Uns regime might suffer the same fate as the Qaddafi regime in Libya did. Mike Pence then made this threat explicit, saying: As the president made clear, this will only end like the Libya model ended if Kim Jong Un doesnt make a deal.

In response, North Koreas Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Choe Son Hui, called Pence a political dummy and suggested that Pences statement placed the the planned summit between Trump and Kim in jeopardy. She concluded that it is up to the United States to decide whether it wants to meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown.

Choe Son Hui was previously the regimes top official in charge of relations with the United States. The daughter of a former premier, she is also thought to have direct access to Kim. Her latest statement should, I think, be viewed as the regimes.

Pence is no politically dummy, but one can question the wisdom of talking publicly about the Libyan model in connection with North Korea. In the case of Libya, Qaddafi denuclearized and was overthrown. Thus, Pence citing Libya for the proposition that Kim will be overthrown if does not denuclearize is not likely to impress the North Koreans. They will have drawn the opposite lesson from Libya, and with good reason.

Theres another problem with the analogy, one noted by the Vice Minister. Libyas nuclear program never reached the stage where it could attack the U.S. or inflict vast damage on our allies. As the Vice Minister says, Libya had simply installed a few items of equipment and fiddled around with them.

North Koreas well-developed nuclear weapons program puts it a vastly stronger position than Libya occupied. And the North Koreans understand that its nukes are the best protection from Libya style regime change.

Why then are Trump and Pence talking about Libya? Probably because they want to make it clear in advance of any summit that the U.S. will demand denuclearization. From the Kim regimes perspective, there are no good arguments in favor of North Korea denuclearizing, so the administration picked a bad one  Libya.

The North Korean Vice Ministers other statement  that Americas choices are to encounter North Korea in the meeting or during a nuclear showdown  is nonsense. Not meeting with North Korea wouldnt necessarily mean war. Theres another, more likely, outcome  no nuclear showdown occurs because such a showdown is in neither sides interest. Instead, something like the status quo continues in effect.

In sum, my view is that (1) North Korea isnt going to denuclearize, (2) the U.S. shouldnt accept any deal that does not include denuclearization, and (3) cancelling the summit would not lead to war.

Nonetheless, it might well be in Americas interest for Trump to meet with Kim. Why? Because now that North Korea apparently has (or soon will have) the ability to strike portions of the U.S., were probably heading into a Cold War style deterrence model with the regime. The objection to applying this model to North Korea has always been that the Kims are irrational, and deterrence is a bad strategy if the people youre intending to deter arent rational.

If Trump meets with Kim, he should be able to determine whether Kim is (as I suspect) a rational actor capable of being deterred or an irrational actor for whom the deterrence model is too risky to embrace. I should add, however, that Secretary of State Pompeo has already met with Kim and, presumably, sized him up. Thus, Trump meeting Kim isnt necessary for a sizing up, but it would likely be desirable.

The better sense Trump has of Kim, the better off we are. Its dangerous to have a mysterious figure as a nuclear adversary.Today is the birthday of Minnesota native son Bob Dylan; he turns the ripe old age of 77. Its not dark yet, but its getting there. Were going to celebrate him as long were both still around to enjoy the occasion. He is a remarkable artist, self-invented, deep in the American grain.

A few years back I visited Dylans old home at 2425 7th Avenue East in Hibbing. The house is a small two-story residence with a one-car attached garage on the side. The house is exactly two blocks from Hibbing High School, Dylans alma mater. A Dylan fan must be somewhere in the chain of title. The garage door had the cover of Dylans Blood on the Tracks album painted on it.

Howard Souness Dylan biography Down The Highway does the best job of capturing the Hibbing period of Dylans life. Souness research is impeccable, including his discussion of Dylans teen-age friendships with Larry Kegan and Howard Rutman in the Twin Cities.

I wonder how Dylan could have absorbed all the strains of American popular music in a town as remote as Hibbing. The radio was apparently Dylans indispensable source, but the development of his gifts seems incredibly unlikely. How could he have formed the ambition to become Bob Dylan from his roots in Hibbing? The town must have provided some encouragement, even if it also provided the impetus for him to move on and not look back. The people he left behind there remain incredibly nice.

In his illuminating City Journal essay on Pete Seeger  Americas most successful Communist  Howard Husock placed Dylan in the line of folk agitprop in which Seeger took pride of place. Husocks essay is an important and entertaining piece. Dylan is only a small part of the story Husock has to tell, however, and Husock therefore does not pause long enough over Dylan to observe how quickly Dylan burst the confines of agitprop, found his voice, and tapped into his own vein of the Cosmic American Music. Looking back on his long career, one can discern his respect for the tradition as well as his ambition to take his place at its head.

On 1964s The Times They Are A-Changin album, Dylan looked back and apologized for past misdemeanors (as Sounes puts it), but also looked ahead to his break from the folk movement in Restless Farewell, the albums closing song. (Joan Baez sings it in the video above.)

The song represents Dylans take on the Scottish folk song The Parting Glass. Appropriating the tradition for his own uses, Dylan announced: Ill bid farewell and be down the line. Later that year he turned his songwriting in a personal direction with Another Side of Bob Dylan, his last folk album.

Ben Macintyre notes:

Dylan set words to music in a way that no one had done before. He refused to be pigeon-holed by the folkies, the protesters or the rockers. He borrowed and synthesised from the literary, artistic and actual worlds like a musical magpie, and he skilfully evolved his own mystique. And he kept going, even when his listeners booed or complained or, like the enraged Pete Seeger in 1965, threatened to chop off his sound cable with a hatchet at a folk festival in Newport because he had defected to electric sound. At a British concert, we see a furious folkie leaping to his feet and shouting Judas! Dylan is defiant: Youre a liarPlay it ****ing loud, he instructs the band.

That last moment comes from Dylans legendary concert of May 1966 documented on Volume 4 of Columbias Dylan Bootleg Series (and can now be viewed on YouTube). The concert was misattributed to the Royal Albert Hall when it surfaced on bootleg albums in 1970, though it has now been identified as having taken place in Manchesters Free Trade Hall  in the interest of history, of course.

Macintyre briefly sums up Dylans self-education:

In 1960 Robert Zimmerman, a gawky Jewish boy from Minnesota, hitch-hiked to New York City. He came to join the burgeoning folk music circuit, but he also came to read, hunkered down on the sofas of his bookish new friends in Greenwich Village. I read all of Lord Byrons Don Juan and concentrated fully from start to finish, he wrote later [in Chronicles, Volume One]. Also Coleridges Kubla Khan. I began cramming my brain with all kinds of deep poems. It seemed like Id been pulling an empty wagon for a long time and now I was beginning to fill it up and would have to pull harder. I felt like I was coming out of the back pasture. Gogol, Balzac, Hugo, Dickens, Thucydides (a narrative which would give you chills), Tennessee Williams, Bertolt Brecht, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells: all were piled into the wagon, alongside the music of Woody Guthrie and Hank Williams, and the films of Marlon Brando and James Dean. He spent nights studying the American Civil War at New York public library and consuming newspapers: What was swinging, topical, up to date for me was stuff like the Titanic sinking, the Galveston flood, John Henry driving steelthis was the news that I considered, followed and kept tabs on.

By the time of Highway 61 Revisited in 1965, Dylan was singing: I need a dump truck to unload my head.

In an interview with Rolling Stone back in the 70s Dylan identified Elviss take on Tomorrow Is a Long Time (video below, originally buried on the Spinout soundtrack) as his favorite cover of any of his songs. He told Rolling Stone its the one recording I treasure the most.

He might not answer the question the same way today. Dylan has written hundreds of songs and other artists have covered his songs thousands of times since then. You cant go wrong with this one, however, adapted from the arrangement Odetta gave it on the first album of all-Dylan covers in 1965 (other than an obscure 1964 album by Linda Mason, as Richie Unterberger reminds me). On Elviss cover you can hear strains of folk, country, blues and gospel music. You can hear America singing.Rochelle Olson is a pitiful excuse of a reporter for the Star Tribune. Back in 2006, I called her out as reckless and feckless, a judgment I stand by today. This is her jocular take on the assault (liquid launching incident) on Tomi Lahren at a restaurant in downtown Minneapolis over the weekend, posted on the Star Tribune website this afternoon now that President Trump has weighed in (I have inserted the tweets that are embedded in the Star Tribune story):

President Donald Trump tweeted his full-throated support for Fox News pundit Tomi Lahren early Wednesday in the viral wake of a liquid-launching incident in Minneapolis last weekend.

At 6:22 a.m. Wednesday, Trumps @realdonaldtrump issued the following: Everybody is with Tomi Lahren, a truly outstanding and respected young woman! @foxandfriends.

Everybody is with Tomi Lahren, a truly outstanding and respected young woman! @foxandfriends  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2018

According to the widely seen video snippet and Lahren herself, a customer seated at the bar tossed what appeared to be water from a glass at Lahren as she was departing Union Bar & Restaurants rooftop dining area Sunday with her parents after brunch.

Lahren, a controversy-courting conservative television personality, has compared Black Lives Matter to the KKK, attacked Beyonce and picked a fight with rapper Jay-Z.

The Trump tweet came shortly after Lahren appeared on Fox & Friends to discuss the incident. The president is an avid viewer of the show.

Lahren called the incident that got both her and her mom wet disheartening and embarrassing.

At the end of the day, Im a person, too, Lahren said, adding that the water-thrower was trying to get 15 minutes of fame. Im tough, I can handle it.

They threw a drink at @TomiLahren while we were just having brunch. pic.twitter.com/SeJ2t67CMP  Shelby (@JonesonTop42) May 20, 2018

Lahren had an event Saturday night across Hennepin Avenue at the Pantages Theatre. She entitled the event, Family, Freedom and Final Thoughts, calling it an evening of dialogue and discussion.

Lahren grew up in Rapid City, S.D.Home  Just In  Nepal Communist Partys first Central Committee meeting on Thursday

Kathmandu, May 24

The newly unified Nepal Communist Party is holding its first Central Committee meeting on Thursday.

Two chairpersons of the partyKP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahalwill address the meeting to be convened at the PMs residence in Baluwatar at 4 pm today, according to the party sources.

It has been learned that it is not the first formal meeting as the party is yet to finalise its statute and other legal documents.

Meanwhile, 441 Central Committee members have been told to bring their original citizenship certificates as the party has to submit them to the Election Commission for the party registration.

The formal Central Committee meeting will be called after the party registration and official endorsement of party documents.Nepalgunj, May 24

The operation of chartered flights from Nepalgunj to hilly areas of provinces 5,6, and 7 has been closed from Thursday.

Chief of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepals Nepalgunj office, Pratap Babu Tiwari, informed that the operation was shut after private airlines started charging passengers excessive prices, much more than the set amount.

The private companies have been charging more than double the set airfare, he said.

Meanwhile, the CAAN also fixed new airfare for the region.

The new fare is a little expensive than the earlier price, but cheaper than the chartered flights, he adds.

The operation of flights from and to the airport will resume after the companies run their services on the new tariff.

At present, Tara Air, Sita Air, Summit Air and Nepal Airlines have been providing their services from Nepalgunj.MUMBAI, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

An industry congregation of over 150 top-of-the-line Indian and global construction and infrastructure companies

Concrete Show India (CSI) 2018, the three day (24th - 26th May 2018) trade show hosted by UBM India, commenced today at the Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. Day One of the event was inaugurated Mr. S. K. Gupta, Director Projects, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.; Mr. S M Ramchandani, Retd Jt MD, MSRDC; Shri Thiruman Archunan, Director Projects, Kochi Metro Rail Ltd.; Mr. Jogen Holst, Director EPTISA Consulting Engineers and Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India amidst an august industry gathering.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/675607/UBM_Logo.jpg )

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/692974/UBM_India_CSI_2018_Logo.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/696353/UBM_India_CSI_2018.jpg )





Concrete Show India covered key areas including roads and highways, housing, airports, ports, power, rail, tunnels, dams and bridges. It brought together over 150 Indian and global suppliers and manufacturers from industries including Concrete & Construction, Concrete Equipments, Construction Chemical, Commercial & Industrial flooring, Automations, Software (ERP, Project management, & Design) and mobile Construction tools & Instruments all under one roof.

Speaking at the inauguration of the 6th edition of Concrete Show India, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India said, "India's need for infrastructure development is well supported by the Union Government's mega push for the sector. The last few years have witnessed a phenomenal growth in the sector, be it roadways, railways to airports and other smart-city initiatives, leading to world-class facilities across the country. With a boost of more than 5.97 trillion for infrastructure in the Union Budget 2018, the sector will witness a huge positive shift in 2018-19."

"Concrete Show India 2018, provides an unparalleled business opportunity for commercial & residential developers and contractors, specialised architects and engineers, distributors, government authorities and state corporations to congregate, interact, network and discuss industry trends, challenges and market insights. The kind of industry comeback we at UBM India have received towards Concrete Show India 2018 further validates the potential of this industry. This year we are glad to showcase over 150 top of the line Indian and global companies providing you access to further your business," he added.

The expo this year saw a variety of engagement platforms including the Innovation Zone, Student Incubation Cell, Demonstration Areas, Start-up Zones, Business to Business & Business to Government and Experience Zones that enabled a strong interaction and participation from all stakeholders in the industry.

The expo was well received by the industry at large with support from Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), Indian Chapter of American Concrete Institute (ICACI), Singapore Concrete Institute (SCI), Tunnelling Association of India (TAI), US-India Importers' Council (USIIC) and Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRC).

The expo witnessed participation from prominent industry players such as Ultratech, Putzmiester Concrete Machines, Godrej Construction, Simens Construction & Enviromental Engineering Pvt. Ltd., Chowgule Construction Chemicals Pvt. Ltd., Masa Concrete Plants India Pvt. Ltd., Elematic India Privite Limited, Sany Heavy Industry India, Columbia Machine Engineering (I) Pvt. Ltd., Prism RMC, PERI, Hitachi Koki, Maxmech Equipments pvt. Ltd., Aimil Ltd., WAM India Pvt. Ltd., RDC Concrete (India) Pvt. Ltd., Ajax Fiori Engineering (I) Pvt. Ltd., SURIE POLEX, Fairmate Chemicals Pvt Ltd., J.K.Cement and MC-Bauchemie to name a few. An array of brands and products from countries such as China, Germany, Italy, UK and USA were also featured at the show.

Speaking at the Concrete Show India, Mr. Anup Mathew, SVP & Business Head, Godrej Construction said, "Godrej Construction is delighted to be a part of Concrete Show India as their Sustainability Partner. We at Godrej are committed towards sustainable development and are continually striving to promote it through our products and services. Setting up the Recycled Concrete Blocks Manufacturing Unit in Vikhroli, Mumbai is one of our most recent green initiatives. Our Recycled Concrete Blocks and Pavers are now GreenPro certified by IGBC. It has once again helped Godrej to demonstrate its commitment to sustainable business by adopting the principles of 'Reduce, Reuse & Recycle'. We believe that such initiatives help promote the circular economy by easing the increasing demand for natural resources and also help our society by reducing the need for dumping of construction and demolition waste into landfills."

Significantly, CSI 2018 is witnessing a two- day power packed conference with the theme on 'India's Modern Infrastructure set in Concret''. Partnered with the Tunnelling Association of India (TAI), the technical conference on Day 1 saw sessions on ' Experience and Lessons learned from the past with regards to Road, Rail, Metro, Tunnel and Bridge Projects in India' ; 'Ensuring Quality, Durability and Lifetime Expectations of Modern Infrastructure. Projects-Contractor's perspective'; 'The use of Concrete in Modern Infrastructure Projects - The Aesthetic point of view.' Day 2 will witness sessions on 'Sustainable Concrete Technology for Tunnels and Bridges'; 'Concrete Technology and Durability Design'; 'Concrete for Tunneling and Bridges'. The elite list of speakers include Shri A K Singh, Principal Secretary, Public Works Department, Government of Maharashtra, Mr S K Gupta, Director Projects, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd, Mr Thiruman Archunan, Director Projects, Kochi Metro Rail Ltd, Mr Santosh Rai, Head Transport Sales, Hindustan Construction Company, Architect Hiten Sehi, Mr Giridhar Rajagopalan, Executive Director (Technical) Afcons Infrastructure Ltd, Mr S K Dharamadhikari, Adviser to Minister of Road Transport, Government of India, Prof S L Dhingra among others.

About UBM India:

UBM India is India's leading exhibition organizer that provides the industry with platforms that bring together buyers and sellers from around the world, through a portfolio of exhibitions, content led conferences & seminars. UBM India hosts over 25 large scale exhibitions and 40 conferences across the country every year; thereby enabling trade across multiple industry verticals. A UBM Asia Company, UBM India has offices across Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai. UBM Asia is owned by UBM plc which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. UBM Asia is the leading exhibition organizer in Asia and the biggest commercial organizer in mainland China, India and Malaysia.

For further details, please visit http://www.ubmindia.in

About UBM plc:

UBM plc is the largest pure-play B2B Events organiser in the world. In an increasingly digital world, the value of connecting on a meaningful, human level has never been more important. At UBM, our deep knowledge and passion for the industry sectors we serve allow us to create valuable experiences where people can succeed. At our events people build relationships, close deals and grow their businesses. Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors - from fashion to pharmaceutical ingredients. These global networks, skilled, passionate people and market-leading events provide exciting opportunities for business people to achieve their ambitions.

For more information, go to http://www.ubm.com; for UBM corporate news, follow us on Twitter at @UBM, UBM Plc LinkedIn

For media queries, please contact:

UBM India

Roshni Mitra

[email protected]

+91-22-61727000

Mili Lalwani

[email protected]

+91-9833279461





SOURCE UBM India Pvt. Ltd.Photographer Nabin Baral documents dramatic changes over a decade in the Manang valley  home to the world-famous Annapurna trek

Change is inevitable. The world is being transformed by climate change and human development. But these changes are more dramatic in the Nepali Himalayas, where temperatures are rising much faster than the global average.

The Manang valley lies close to the Nepal-Tibet border, at an altitude of over 3,500 metres. It is surrounded by the majestic snow-capped mountains of the Annapurna massif. Most of the Annapurna circuit, one of the worlds most famous trekking trails, lies in the Manang valley. Due to rising temperatures, the glaciers around the valley are melting. The landscape has also changed since the road connecting Besisahar to the valley was finished five years ago.

I have been travelling to the Manang valley over the past decade and these photographs document the stark changes taking place in this vulnerable Himalayan landscape.

Changing Gangapurna glacier

The Gangapurna glacier is an important glacier in the valley. Swiss geologist and explorer, Toni Hagen, took a historic photo of the glacier in 1957. The photo shows small lakes made by melting glaciers. Local people say that six decades ago the Gangapurna glacier reached the place where the lake has now formed from the melting glacier. Now the glacier has retreated many metres away. The beautiful lake is one of the major tourist attractions in Manang valley.

Gangapurna glacier and glacier lake. 1957, month not identified, and July 2010.



Gangapurna and the terminus of the glacier, October 2007 and April 2018.



Mount Gangapurna, glacier and lake, October 2007 and April 2018.

Motor roads changing landscape and life

The Nepal Army completed the Besisahar Chame Road half a decade ago, connecting the remote Manang valley with the rest of Nepal. The road has brought many changes for people living in the valley.

What used to be a four-day journey now requires only 6-8 hours to cover. Its now easier and faster to transport goods and local people can sell produce like apples to national and international markets. A growing number of tourists reach this area. The road has also changed construction patterns in Manang, with cement, concrete and iron rods easily available.

The road has also shortened the Annapurna circuit trek by three to four days. Motorbikes are slowly replacing horses. Some international trekkers now take a jeep ride while some still trek on the old trails and roads. Some trekkers find it disturbing when jeeps drive by hooting their horns and kicking up dust. But all the trekkers still find the landscape beautiful once they reach the Manang valley.

The bridge to Bhraka village, Manang, October 2007 and April 2018.



Bhraka village, October 2007 and April 2018.

Apple farm in Bhratang with trekking trails and motor road, July 2010 and April 2018

Ghyaru village with trekking trail and road, July 2010 and April 2018.



Dhikur Pokhari wetland, October 2007 and April 2018

Pollution and rubbish

The Manang valley is still a pristine landscape. But as domestic tourism grows so does the pollution and rubbish. Some people throw plastic waste, even though there are notice boards set up by the Annapurna Conservation Area Project prohibiting littering. The small amount of plastic waste can be brought under control if the authorities and local people take proper action. Visitors even leave rubbish around the Gangapurna glacier. There should be a notice board set up by the lake to try and prevent such behaviour.

A night view of the milky-way galaxy with Sworgadwari Wall in Manang Valley 2018.

This story was first published on thethirpole.netAHMEDABAD, India, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

ElegantJ BI, an innovative vendor in Business Intelligence, Augmented Analytics and Augmented Data Preparation, is pleased to announce its participation in the Gartner 2018 INDIA Data & Analytics Summit from 5 - 6th June 2018 in Mumbai, India. ElegantJ BI is proud to be a Silver Sponsor at this important event.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/696205/Smarten_Powered_by_ElegantJBI_Logo.jpg )



ElegantJ BI CEO, Kartik Patel says, "We look forward to demonstrating our Smarten analytics software solution, and to seeing new and familiar faces, as we welcome analytics experts and customers to this exciting event."

Smarten Augmented Analytics represents the evolution of the ElegantJ BI approach to business intelligence, and the significance of self-serve data preparation, smart visualization, and assisted predictive modeling. The Smarten product roadmap lays the groundwork for Clickless Analytics powered by Natural Language Processing, and the ElegantJ BI team looks forward to introducing these and other features in the near future.

"As self-serve business analytics drives the industry, so too does the Smarten product embrace the concept of data democratization," says Patel. "The Smarten roadmap is designed to address the need for more sophisticated analytics, in an easy-to-use environment, with tools that allow business users to perform complex analysis and achieve concise, personalized results quickly, with improved insight and clarity."

The Smarten team will be on hand at the Gartner Data & Analytics Summit on June 5 and June 6 to demonstrate current product functionality including Smart Visualization, Plug n' Play Predictive Analytics and Self-Serve Data Preparation. These Advanced Data Discovery tools enable business users to quickly and easily prepare and analyze data, to visualize and explore data, notate, highlight and share data with others. These tools allow for access to crucial data and enable users to mash up and integrate data, clarify analysis and use sophisticated algorithms in an intuitive environment to balance agility with data governance.

CEO, Kartik Patel says, "The Gartner Data & Analytics Summit also provides the opportunity for us to introduce customers and industry professionals to the future of Clickless Analytics. We are excited to discuss the future of Natural Language Processing within the Smarten Advanced Data Discovery solution and the resulting leverage of computational linguistics, data mining, and analytical algorithms which will provide a self-serve, natural language approach to data analysis."

More information on the Gartner Data & Analytics Summit is available here: Gartner 2018 INDIA Data & Analytics Summit from 5 - 6 June 2018 in Mumbai, India

About ElegantJ BI

ElegantJ BI is the flagship BI & Advanced Data Discovery solution of Elegant MicroWeb, and an intelligent 'Design once, Use anywhere' adaptive UI engine for out-of-the-box roll out to support Modern BI and transform business users into Citizen Data Scientists. The ElegantJ BI Smarten approach to business intelligence provides Advanced Data Discovery with Self-Serve Data Preparation, Smart Visualization and Plug n' Play Predictive Analysis in a 100% browser-based environment to enable Mobile BI, Social BI and rich KPI analytics. ElegantJ BI is used around the world by large, medium and small businesses, including Religare Securities, IPCA Laboratories, JMC Projects, Sharekhan, Raychem RPG and many other businesses. ElegantJ BI is listed as a niche BI and Analytics Vendor: Gartner Report, Competitive Landscape: BI Platforms and Analytics Software, Asia/Pacific Representative Vendor: Gartner Market Guide for Enterprise-Reporting-Based Platforms, Listed Vendor: Other Vendors to Consider for Modern BI and Analytics, Gartner Report.

Media Contact:

Pathik Shah

[email protected]

+91-79-30009991

Manager Marketing

BI Practice, Elegant MicroWeb



SOURCE Elegant Microweb Technologies Pvt. Ltd.BENGALURU, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Company partners with Unnati, a youth empowerment non-government organisation and Rotary Bangalore Whitefield Central to provide 50 days of vocational training and placements

Tesco in Bengaluru empowered over 320 underprivileged youth in Bengaluru by supporting a vocational training programme that aims to socially transform lives. Tesco partnered with Unnati Training Centre and Rotary Bangalore Whitefield Central to identify and make less fortunate youth employable and resilient.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/696256/Sumit_Mitra_Tesco_Unnati.jpg )



Understanding the lack of opportunities for growth and development that the youth face, Unnati Training Centre with the help of Tesco, provides life skill and high-quality job-oriented training for 50 days. Through 320 hours of residential training and opportunities for job placements, participants are given access to tools and resources which make them self-sustaining and confident individuals capable of making the right choices in life. The training includes data entry, understanding of computer usage, lessons in basic English, retail-centric training and basic induction into technology. In the past, Unnati Training Centre has successfully trained over 16000 youth and has a high placement record.

Sumit Mitra, CEO, Tesco Business Services & Tesco Bengaluru, said, "It is important to give our youth a chance of improving their livelihood and secure a better life. By helping bridge the gap between job requirements in the market and employability, we at Tesco in Bengaluru, believe that every little contribution can make a big difference. This training will help the nation's youth to transform into independent individuals who can be the best that they can be. I feel honored and privileged that we are able to contribute to this change."

These initiatives by Tesco align with the Skill India programme initiated by the Government of India. Youth have been placed in multiple sectors including retail.

Tesco in Bengaluru has focused on touching the lives of the communities it serves. Every little help makes a big difference - it's the value we live by to ensure we serve our customers, colleagues and their communities a little better every day.

About Tesco in Bengaluru:

Tesco in Bengaluru is a multi-disciplinary team serving our shoppers a little better every day across markets. Our goal is to create a sustainable competitive advantage for Tesco by standardising processes, delivering cost savings, enabling agility and empowering our colleagues to do ever more for our customers. With cross-functional expertise, a wide network of teams and strong governance we reduce complexity thereby offering high quality services for our customers.

Tesco in Bengaluru, established in 2004 to enable standardisation and build centralised capabilities and competencies, makes the experience better for our millions of customers worldwide and simpler for over 4,60,000 colleagues.

Visit: http://www.tescobengaluru.com/

Media Contact:

Aniisu K Verghese

[email protected]

+91-9886623421

Senior Manager, Tesco Bengaluru



SOURCE Tesco BengaluruBuilding on its strategy to develop innovations that drive retail transformation for brands, retailers and manufacturers, PLM leader Centric Software announces the unveiling of its first artificial intelligence-based PLM module. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to fashion, retail, footwear, outdoor, luxury and consumer goods companies to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/455901/Centric_Software_Logo.jpg )



(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/695658/Centric_Software_AI.jpg )



The term 'artificial intelligence' dates back to the 1950's when computer scientist John McCarthy coined the phrase to describe the potential 'thinking machines' of the future. Today, artificial intelligence (AI) tools are systems modeled on the problem-solving abilities of the human brain, breaking complex problems down into different layers of information comprised of many smaller problems. Applications vary considerably ranging from virtual assistants like 'Alexa' and 'Siri' to Netflix viewing recommendations to Amazon recommending things we might like to buy. However, AI applications for brands, retailers and manufacturers to drive product design and development are few and far between.

Centric Software began building AI-based tools a year ago in response to feedback from its customers. The result is Centric AI Image Search, Centric's first dedicated AI capability for PLM. Humberto Roa, Vice President of Innovation at Centric Software, explains that Centric AI Image Search represents a bid to use AI for better decision-making in design and development.

"Creative teams in fashion and retail collect enormous amounts of physical samples of materials, trims, colors and styles that serve both as inspiration for the future and as a record of the past," says Roa. "Some companies keep millions of dollars' worth of physical samples on hand but actually using these physical samples is time-consuming and storing them in an easy-to-access format is very difficult."

"You can scan everything, but in order to be searchable, these digital files need to be tagged with keywords and organized in a file structure or library," he continues. "Companies can end up with hundreds of thousands of images in libraries. Often, it's easier for companies to just order new samples or create new designs than for people to find what they need."

The new Centric AI Image Search solves this problem using cutting-edge image recognition tools. With Centric AI Image Search, designers can take a picture of a new fabric or trim inspiration and instantly search PLM image archives to find the closest match. If a similar item has been approved or used before, a designer can find out immediately. If there isn't an existing match in archives, Centric AI Image Search can help find a supplier that provides a close match.

Centric partnered with the Team Head of Material Development at Triumph, one of the world's leading lingerie companies, to compile a searchable digital library of thousands lace samples in PLM using the new Centric AI Image Search capability.

Centric AI Image Search will eventually replace physical sample libraries in multiple locations around the world, reducing the huge effort needed to keep physical and digital libraries up to date and allowing users to access the information that they already have as a visual dataset to make more effective decisions.

"Centric AI Image Search for PLM is at the forefront of a new family of AI and machine learning applications to assist with decisions around the PLM lifecycle. This will undoubtedly be the first of many apps that will focus on decision-making and leverage information from systems such as PLM, ERP and PIM. Other possible AI applications could promote better and faster decision-making to reduce time to market, improve quality, lower material costs, select vendors, propose products for sales channels and ultimately make better products."

"We are excited to announce our launch of the Centric AI Image Search, demonstrating our on-going innovation commitment to the development of AI and machine learning applications," says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. "We continue to be inspired by and innovate with our customers to improve their competitiveness, drive sales and promote growth."

Contact us for a demo or more information.

About Centric Software: http://www.centricsoftware.com

SOURCE Centric SoftwareBOSTON, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Kimble, a global leader in professional services automation, is proud to welcome 12 new customers to its portfolio. The new customers are made up of award-winning, high-growth technology and consulting businesses headquartered in Austria, the Netherlands, Ireland, the US and UK.

Larger firms on the list include: Kelmac Group, a multinational standards and compliance company, with offices in the US, Ireland and the UK; Tricentis GmbH, a software testing company with offices in Germany, Switzerland and the US; and Workiva, an enterprise software company with offices in the US, Canada and Europe.

"We look forward to working with these agile and fast-growing professional services organizations," said Kimble co-founder and CMO, Mark Robinson. "Kimble was founded in order to support businesses like these and our customer satisfaction and speed to value ratings reflect that. We continue to develop the product to help our customers to grow and scale while reducing the administrative burden."

Some of the most dynamic and ambitious organizations which have selected Kimble recently are the following:

Alchemmy, founded in 2012 in London to deliver innovative solutions for FTSE 250 companies and working on projects across Europe, North America and Australia.

BiZZdesign, a Dutch enterprise architecture and business process management software-development tools vendor and consultancy firm founded in 2001.

Edgile LLC, founded in 2001 to deliver strategic cybersecurity and risk management services to the Fortune 500, is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with offices across the US.

Kelmac Group, a multinational standards and compliance company, founded in Limerick, Ireland, with offices in the US, Ireland and the UK.

Longitude Research Ltd, part of the FT group, providing independent advisory, research and content creation services for high profile corporate clients, headquartered in London, UK.

Mutual Ventures, set up in London in 2011 to help public services achieve more through combining a strong public service ethos with an entrepreneurial culture.

Parker Fitzgerald, an award-winning management consultancy providing strategic advice and consulting services to the world's leading financial institutions, based in the City of London.

Project One, working with many of the UK's largest organisations, helping them deliver business-critical change.

Sapient.i7 Ltd, a consulting company leveraging Salesforce technology to enable digital transformation for large enterprises in Europe. Based in London, it is backed by the world's largest digital network, Publicis.Sapient.

Tricentis, a software testing company with offices in Germany, Switzerland and the US, offers innovative technologies to simplify testing for even the most complex enterprise applications.

USA Firmware, a product design and consulting services company, based in Northeast Ohio, designing all elements of customers' product, including hardware, software, firmware and the Internet of Things.

Workiva, an enterprise software company with offices in the US, Canada and Europe. delivers Wdesk, a leading enterprise cloud platform for data collaboration, reporting and compliance to more than 3,000 organizations.

About Kimble Applications

Kimble Applications helps professional service businesses by improving business performance, increasing visibility, and providing enhanced company collaboration. Kimble is dedicated to the production of unique management solutions delivered through a Software as a Service (SaaS) model. The members of the Kimble management team are recognized professional services experts, having founded, managed, and grown several successful IT and management consulting organizations. They have experienced first-hand the business problems which result from the lack of adequate software available to manage professional services. The team has harnessed the best practice and unique intellectual property gained in their careers, along with detailed design input from a range of experts from leading firms across the globe.

CONTACT: Tanner Spear, tanner.spear@kimbleapps.com, 801-722-5433

Related Links

https://www.kimbleapps.com



SOURCE Kimble ApplicationsIcertis Powers Shift to Enterprise Contract Management for Leading General Contractor in Energy Sector

BELLEVUE, Washington, and ACCRA, Ghana, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Icertis, the leading provider of enterprise contract management in the cloud, today announced that MODEC, a leading specialist of floating production systems for the offshore oil and gas industry, has selected the Icertis Contract Management (ICM) platform to replace their manual contract management processes in Ghana with an enterprise-wide solution. The ICM platform will power the digital transformation of MODEC's vendor contracting process as the company looks to excel in the capital-intensive oil and gas market.

"At MODEC, we are committed to delivering and safely operating high-quality, innovative platforms for the offshore industry," said William Main, Operations Cost and Contract Lead at MODEC Ghana Ltd., a MODEC Group company. "Icertis will enable us to better collaborate with our partners while reducing risk and improving regulatory compliance."

Vendor management in the oil and gas industry is highly-regulated and process-oriented. It's critical that third parties deliver products and services in compliance with contractual commitments and regulations to ensure operational excellence and financial performance. MODEC selected Icertis because of the ICM platform's ability to monitor regulatory compliance across the globe, with region-based variations in workflow. The platform will serve as a single source of truth for MODEC's contracts, enabling them to proactively monitor and manage entitlements and obligations.

"MODEC tackles some of the hardest engineering challenges in the oil and gas industry, balancing client requirements, harsh environmental conditions, and global regulation," said Samir Bodas, CEO and Co-founder of Icertis. "We are thrilled to help them digitally transform their commercial foundation to solve the complex contracting challenges of the offshore industry."

In addition, MODEC will maximize collaboration and strengthen relationships with suppliers around the world using the ICM Collaboration Portal application, an easy-to-use, secure online environment that eliminates communication barriers between partners. With the ICM Collaboration Portal app, one of a growing list of business applications built on the ICM platform, buyers are able to reduce contract negotiation time and speed awarding decisions while vendors have real-time visibility into the entire source-to-contract process.

The ICM platform, which is natively built on Microsoft Azure, will also integrate with Adobe Sign to speed contract execution. The selection by MODEC continues Icertis' rapid expansion in the engineering and energy sector. For more information about Icertis, visit www.icertis.com.

About Icertis

Icertis, the leading provider of enterprise contract management in the cloud, solves the hardest contract management problems on the easiest to use platform. Icertis helps companies transform their commercial foundation ensuring compliance, improving governance, mitigating risk and enhancing user productivity, thereby improving the bottom line. The Icertis Contract Management (ICM) platform is used to manage 5+ million contracts by 2+ million subscribers at companies like 3M, Daimler, Microsoft, Roche and Wipro in 40+ languages across 90+ countries. The AI-powered platform allows customers to increase contract velocity and agility, proactively manage entitlements and obligations as well as surface commercial insights and intelligence.

Icertis Media Contact:

Rob McMurtrie

Director of Corporate Communications

Icertis

PublicRelations@icertis.com

+1 (425) 869-7649

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/371539/picture1_Logo.jpg

Related Links

http://www.icertis.com



SOURCE Icertis(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/696345/Key_Visual_Research2018.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/696349/Whitepaper.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/696347/Platforms_Used.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/696346/Demand_Multimedia.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/696348/Sources.jpg )

Thus, for the overwhelming majority of those surveyed the personal interview continues to be - or is once again - the most important source for their day-to-day research (88 per cent). Press releases are seeing undimmed vitality as well, with 86 per cent saying that they make use of press releases for their research. Almost every fifth journalist believes that their significance has even risen over the past two years (18 per cent). Among journalists younger than 35, company press releases are even the most important source of information (92 per cent).

A small selection of further results of the survey:

Social media are now part of a journalist's daily routine: No other source has gained more influence over the work of German journalists in the past two years than social networks. Even if only just over half of the journalists surveyed see social media as their most important source of information (58 per cent), the social networks have gained increased significance over the past two years for more than half of those surveyed (55 per cent).

The demand for multi-media press material has risen further: For close to one in two German journalists (46 per cent) the requirement for pictures has increased in the past two years. The same applies to video: 43 per cent need more video footage for their reporting.

Mobile reporting (52 per cent) and data-driven journalism (51 per cent) are for editors the most significant trends for the future. Further relevant topics are live streams (35 per cent) and mobile push notification services (28 per cent).

The full results of the survey are available as a whitepaper free of charge: https://www.newsaktuell.de/academy/wp/research-2018/

About "Journalism Research 2018":

Initiator: news aktuell

Title: "Journalism Research 2018: How German journalists research today"

Participants: 554 journalists in Germany

Method: online questionnaire

Period: November 2017

About news aktuell:

news aktuell, a subsidiary of Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa), employs over 135 people. The Germany-based company prepares PR content, provides large-scale coverage and offers innovative tools for daily work. news aktuell operates offices in Hamburg, Berlin, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich. Its three big products ots, zimpel and studio achieve these aims. news aktuell ensures that companies and PR agencies reach the right people, in the right place, at the right time, with the right content. Communications specialists from all over Germany rely on the expertise of the dpa subsidiary.

Press contact:

Janina von Jhering

Deputy Head of Corporate Communications

Phone: +49-40-4113-32598

Email: vonjhering@newsaktuell.de



Twitter: https://twitter.com/JvJhering

SOURCE news aktuell GmbHShell's major, deep-water hubs are well positioned for production expansion through near-field exploration and additional subsea tiebacks. The company expects its global, deep-water production to exceed 900,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2020, from already discovered, established areas.

Editor's Notes:

The well was drilled in Mississippi Canyon Block 612, located approximately 170 miles (273 kilometers) offshore southeast of New Orleans , in a water depth of 7,500 feet (2,280 meters) to a total vertical drilling depth of 29,000 feet (6,780 meters) measured depth.

, in a water depth of 7,500 feet (2,280 meters) to a total vertical drilling depth of 29,000 feet (6,780 meters) measured depth. Appomattox host platform is owned by Shell (79%) and Nexen Petroleum Offshore USA Inc. (21%).

Cautionary Note

The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this release "Shell", "Shell group" and "Royal Dutch Shell" are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" are also used to refer to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. ''Subsidiaries'', "Shell subsidiaries" and "Shell companies" as used in this release refer to entities over which Royal Dutch Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. Entities and unincorporated arrangements over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to as "joint ventures" and "joint operations", respectively. Entities over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor joint control are referred to as "associates". The term "Shell interest" is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

This release contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing management's expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as "aim", "ambition', ''anticipate'', ''believe'', ''could'', ''estimate'', ''expect'', ''goals'', ''intend'', ''may'', ''objectives'', ''outlook'', ''plan'', ''probably'', ''project'', ''risks'', "schedule", ''seek'', ''should'', ''target'', ''will'' and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this release, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell's products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; and (m) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Royal Dutch Shell's Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2017 (available at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov ). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this release and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this release, May 24, 2018. Neither Royal Dutch Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this release.

We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this release that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/696170/Shell_Dover_Discovery_Map.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/449079/shell_oil_company_logo.jpg



Related Links

http://www.shell.com



SOURCE ShellStock and commodities markets

USA Outpaces Russia to Become Worlds Biggest Oil Producer

In March 2018, the United States outpaced Russia in terms of oil production. This means that the USA is now the biggest producer of crude oil in the world.



The first time the



In March, American oil companies were producing 10,425 million barrels a day on average while their Russian peers produced only 10,298 million barrels a day on average. Russia is now the second-biggest producer of crude oil in the world while Saudi Arabia is the third-biggest one with 9,907 million barrels produced daily.The first time the USA came close to Russia in terms of oil production was in February 2018 - 10,298 million b/d against 10,264 million b/d respectively. Saudi Arabia came in third with 9,935 million b/d. According to JODI, while Russias daily oil production showed no change and Saudi Arabias production shrank by 0,28%, the USA actually continued boosting its oil production, which eventually made America number one. The U.S. oil export increased by 3.7% up to 1.664 million barrels a day in March. At the same time, Saudi Arabi saw its oil export decline by 1,8% down to 7,122 million barrels a day. There was no clear info on the Russian export. For now, its assumed that the export didnt change much over the reporting period and stayed above 5 million barrels a day.



At the same time, JODI reported American refineries boosted their production by 4,9% up to 16,713 million barrels a day while their Russian and Saudi peers shrank their production a little  under 0,5 percent. You are free to discuss this article here: forum for traders and investors 



Got a question?  Ask it here

Goldman Sachs is back in the game 20 years ago, Goldman Sachs used to be a Wall Street legend and a dream company to work for graduates with a financial degree. Over the last few years, the bank has been a loser with thousands of disappointed employees, managers, and investors. However, the other day Goldman Sachs made an attempt to get back in the game. Read more 

European ETFs - Decent Alternative to American ETFs The mentioned PRIIP rules are forcing the financial service providers and brokers to publish a specific set of info documents including the so-called KID with the key info on certain investment and insurance products. Since the funds coming from outside of Europe do not conform to these requirements, they cannot be offered to EU residents as investment products. Read more 

Warren Buffett Keeps Loading Up On Bank of America's Stock Berkshire Hathaway keeps loading up on Bank of America's stock. This time, during the period of July 31st - August 4th, they purchased over 13,6 million shares, which cost 337 million dollars. The average prices was 24,81 dollars per share. With that being said, Berkshire Hathaway now owns 1,03 billion shares of the stock, which is 26,15 billion dollars in dollar terms. As for the Federal Reserve, they agreed to increase the fund's share to 24,9%. Read more 

WTI Price Drops After US Oil Inventories Report Today, another crude oil inventories report has been released by the USA: Read more 

Is Gold Worth Investing Amid Crisis? Securing assets has always been number-one goal during crises. This is something that worries borth financial experts and plain folks who are far from the peculiarities of the financial world but who are still witnessing their savings vanish amid inflation and devaluation. Read more 

Remember the Key Rules of Investing in Stocks Without further ado, let's consider a bunch of principles of investing in stock, which will put the odds of succeeding in this business in your favor: Read more 

Apple Patents iPhone Without Ports And Holes, Device Expected In 2021 It seems that the release of the long-awaited iPhone without any ports or holes is getting more and more portable. Apple has always favored minimalistic designs, especially over the last 5 years. In 2015, almost all of the classic ports were deprecated in MacBooks in favor of a single one - USB-C Thunderbolt 3. In 2017, iPhone 7 got rid of the 3.5mm audio jack. Read more 

Gold Sets New Records The gold market is insane. The gold futures price set a new major high in New York. In particular, the dollar price of the precious metal set a new 7- year high. With that being said, maybe you should add gold to your investment portfolio along with BTC? Well,lat's ponder upon this question. Read more 

Brent Prices Drop Down To $61/b The concerns over the global demand for crude oil are getting back to the market again. The current trading week has been a week of discounts. Earlier today, Brent oil saw its price drop down to 61 dollars per barrel. The WTI price dropped all the way down to 56 dollars per barrel. The supply side has got an upper hand. Read more 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Clarion Inn and Suites Opens in Downtown Atlanta The Clarion is in walking distance to the stadium, arena, AU Center and the GA World Congress Center," said Zane Major, Operations Director of Operations -The Russell Hospitality Campus.

The Clarion Inn & Suites Downtown Atlanta, The Clarion Inn & Suites Downtown Atlanta, located 186 Northside Dr SW, near the Mercedes Benz Stadium, celebrated its Grand Opening recently. The hotel is part of the new Russell Hospitality Campus at Castleberry Hill, which also includes Paschal's Restaurant and The Loft at Castleberry Hill.

The new Clarion Inn & Suites offers 104 guest rooms as well as a 1,000-square-foot banquet room that will accommodate up to 75 people for corporate meetings and events. In addition, the hotel offers beautiful spaces, both indoor and outdoor, to accommodate cocktail parties and receptions for up to 100 people. It also offers lodging to groups hosting private events at The Russell Hospitality Campus. In addition to the hotel, the campus includes Paschals Restaurant which offers 3,000-square-feet of versatile private dining and event spaces and The Loft at Castleberry Hill, a private event venue which offers 6,000-square-feet, and can accommodate up to 350 people. The new Russell Hospitality Campus is one convenient location to meet all your needs for corporate meetings, family reunions, weddings, graduations, conferences and celebration parties. The Campus has total combined meeting and event spaces of 10,000 square feet.

We are in a great position to cater to different travelers and their needs, said Zane Major, Director of Operations for The Russell Hospitality Campus. Whether its visitors attending a Falcons game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a concert at Phillips Arena, a trade show at the World Congress Center, or events at the Atlanta University Center, we can host everyone within walking distance.

The Clarion Inn & Suites is a full-service hotel and will include a hot breakfast for all guests. Guests can also enjoy the convenience of in-room dining for lunch and dinner, with delivery services by Paschals Restaurant which specializes in their famous southern-style cuisine. The hotel will also offer a variety of room types, including standard rooms and suites to ensure every traveler true comfort for a home-away-from-home experience.

The family of Herman Russell is pleased to offer the first new hotel in the West Side of Atlanta in many years. The hotel offers deluxe accommodations minutes from major event attractions in downtown Atlanta. It is the perfect location to serve the educational, dining, entertaining and lodging needs of Atlantans and travelers alike.

The new Clarion hotel participates in the Choice Privileges program, the award-winning loyalty program from Choice Hotels.. Choice Hotels has more than 6,800 hotels in over 40 countries and more than 36 million loyalty members. The Clarion Inn & Suites Downtown Atlanta is now taking reservations.

The new Clarion Inn & Suites Downtown Atlanta is a franchise location of Choice Hotels and is owned and operated by an entity of the Russell family of companies. In addition to the Clarion Inn & Suites Downtown Atlanta property, the Russell Family is also involved in the ownership and management of Paschals Restaurant and the Loft at Castleberry Hill.

About Choice Hotels

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) is one of the world's largest hotel companies. With over 6,800 hotels franchised in more than 40 countries and territories, Choice Hotels International represents more than 550,000 rooms around the globe and as of March 31, 2018, there are more than 900 hotels in its development pipeline. Our company's Ascend Hotel Collection, Cambria Hotels, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn, Quality, Clarion, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, WoodSpring Suites , Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, and Vacation Rentals by Choice Hotels brands provide a spectrum of lodging choices to meet guests' needs. With more than 36 million members, our Choice Privileges rewards program enhances every trip a guest takes, with benefits ranging from every day rewards to exceptional experiences, starting right when they join. All hotels and vacation rentals are independently owned and operated. Visit us at http://www.choicehotels.com for more information.

For more information visit:

Clarion Inn & Suites Downtown Atlanta  : https://www.choicehotels.com/georgia/atlanta/clarion-hotels/ga974

Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/home/CONCESSIONS%20INTERNATIONAL/Clarion%20HotelezCheckPrinting, check writing and printing software from halfpricesoft.com Customers can purchase a gift for a soldier this Memorial Day and get ezCheckprinting MAC check writer at $0 cost when checking out through TrialPay. Past News Releases RSS Enhanced ezCheckPrinting Check...

ezCheckPrinting Check Software For...

Latest Release of ezCheckprinting...

ezCheckPrinting software for Macintosh is updated by Halfpricesoft.com to allow small businesses to print professional checks on blank stock in house. ezCheckprinting MAC business check software is currently being offered at no cost (regular price: $39) as a thank you to honor all military personnel. By purchasing an item from Trialpay, customers will then receive ezCheckprinting at no cost!

Customers can purchase a gift for a soldier this Memorial Day and get ezCheckprinting MAC check writer at $0 cost when checking out through TrialPay. said Halfpricesoft.com Founder, Dr. Ge.

Latest offers gives ezCheckPrinting software at no cost when checking out through TrialPay at Halfpricesoft.com. Users can get ezCheckPrinting for zero cost when purchasing or subscribint to an item or service from one of TrialPays 2000 partners (ie: Netflix, GAP and DISCOVER Card). The buyers do not pay Halfpricesoft.com. Halfpricesoft.com will get commission from advertisers to cover the software cost.

Printing checks on blank check stock or pre-printed checks is simple with ezCheckPrinting for Macintosh. Clients can write and print checks in just a few clicks. Potential customers can download the demo version at no cost or obligation by visiting: http://www.halfpricesoft.com/mac-check-writer/check-printing-software-mac.asp.

Designed with ease of use in mind, ezCheckPrinting business software is straightforward and user-friendly. The unique features of this MICR & laser cheque writing and printing software include but are not limited to:



Printing checks on blank check stock or pre-printed checks in check-on-top, check-in-middle, or check-on-bottom formats

Add a company logo and other customizable design features for a professional, corporate look to company checks

No limit to the number of accounts that can be used

Write an unlimited number of checks

No internet connection needed

Add a second signature line for peace of mind and security

Prints MICR characters accepted by most banks (for use with laser printers)  no need to order expensive checks pre-printed with bank information

Include signature image on checks to save time signing checks

Customizable report features that are easy to use

Save time by printing multiple checks with one click

Export and import of check data for use with ezTimeSheet, Excel file, QuickBooks, Microsoft Money, and other accounting software.

To learn more about ezCheckPrinting check writing software and the win-win deals, user can visit http://www.halfpricesoft.com/mac-check-writer/check-printing-software-mac.asp.

About Halfpricesoft.com

Founded in 2003, Halfpricesoft.com has established itself as a leader in meeting and exceeding the software requirements of small businesses around the world. Offering payroll software, employee attendance tracking software, check writing/printing software, W2 software, 1099 software and ezACH direct deposit software. It continues to grow in the philosophy that small business owners deserve affordable, user friendly, and totally risk-free software.CMS Our mission is to ensure the residents of these communities finally have the access to the treatment they have been actively seeking, added Horton.

(SCOTTSDALE)  Community Medical Services (CMS), an innovative leader in addiction treatment in Arizona and across the nation, today announced the opening of its newest Medication Unit in Safford. Located at 102 E. Main Street in downtown Safford, the clinic is conveniently positioned to serve residents of Safford, along with those in surrounding rural areas.

The need is great. The U.S. governments National Institutes for Health/National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that 115 Americans die every day after overdosing on opioids. The most recent 2018 Arizona data shows suspected overdoses (with or without a fatality) number from 103 to 270 per week.

Safford has been deeply affected by the opioid epidemic. In fact, according to the states data, Southern Arizona has a significantly higher incident of opioid overdoses compared to other parts of the state, said Haley Horton, CMS Regional Operations Director for Southern Arizona. The difference in Safford is that the community has joined together  in a group that includes law enforcement, health care providers, hospitals and the justice system  to tackle the problem in a collaborative and innovative way. CMS is proud to join this committed recovery community in its effort to ease the pain opioids have caused.

CMS specializes in delivering Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), in what experts refer to as a whole-person approach. The treatment, which studies have found to be far more effective than traditional modalities, uses FDA approved medicines to inhibit physical responses to opiates and/or ease the physically, mentally and emotionally painful symptoms of withdrawal. Treatment is combined with counseling services and peer support, and is paired with strong coordination of care with local behavioral health and medical agencies. When CMS patients stabilize after one year in treatment, 90% consistently test negative for illicit opiates.

CMS clinics also equip patients with Naloxone, a drug which  when delivered close to the time of overdose  can reverse the effects of opioid drugs and save lives. CMS clinics, including the Safford location, will also be a designated collection site where community members can drop off unused controlled prescription medications to be safely and properly destroyed.

Our mission is to ensure the residents of these communities finally have the access to the treatment they have been actively seeking, added Horton.

Community Medical Services, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, brings its innovative Opioid Treatment Programs to Alaska, Arizona, Montana and North Dakota. CMS is committed to helping patients suffering with substance abuse disorders to heal with dignity and respect.Jon Rubin joins Alliant as Senior Vice President of Sales & Client Engagement

In support of business growth, Alliant announced the recent arrival of two new sales leaders to its team.

Jon Rubin joined Alliant as Senior Vice President of Sales & Client Engagement with responsibility for business development, account management and client service. Rubin is a graduate of The University of Tulsa and the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. He started his career in brand management at Ralston Purina, and transitioned to sales management and database marketing at News Corporation, in its News America Marketing division. Most recently, he was VP, General Manager for database direct marketing in North America at News America, achieving a record of consistent year-over-year growth. For more information and quotes, see the announcement about Jon on the Alliant blog.

Matt Frattaroli became Vice President of Digital Platforms, where he will lead Alliants rapidly expanding digital solutions business. Frattarolis team will secure new platform integrations, support data sales though agencies, and lead custom audience development. A Boston native and a graduate of Cornells Business Management and Marketing program, his professional roots are deep in the digital marketing space, having built multiple eCommerce and MarTech companies, including ChoiceStream. As one of its executive leaders, Frattaroli helped pivot ChoiceStreams business model to a highly successful media buying platform, leading the conceptualization, development and launch of Pollshare.com. For more information and quotes, see the post about Matt on the Alliant blog.

Both new team leaders will focus on delivering Alliants brand promise to their respective clients and partners. Rubin views his role as being a business partner to clients:

Every client is unique, with unique needs, he says. Alliants solutions are customized to meet specific business objectives. The message we deliver is that Alliant can improve marketing results in virtually any channel, with an outstanding source of transactional consumer purchase data and rock-solid data science.

Alliants President & CEO, JoAnne Monfradi Dunn, says that the new team leaders are the natural result of Alliants of continued growth. Our clients are actively engaged in some of the most exciting innovations in marketing, and they have rewarded us by trusting in our ability to increase their marketing ROI. Jon and Matt are the kind of leaders who inspire confidence in clients and deliver results. I am confident that they will help us expand and deepen our key client relationships.

Relevant consumer insight drives marketing success. Alliant captures transaction-driven response information from more than 500 brands to fuel purchase and behavior profiles on virtually every U.S. adult consumer. Alliants data-driven solutions improve marketing ROI by targeting the most profitable prospects, increasing conversion and loyalty rates, and improving the efficiency of retention and reactivation efforts. The right data matters. In a omnichannel world Alliant takes clients to the places where consumer response lives. For more information, visit: alliantinsight.comDOCX1 AI Hospital Internationalization Platform DOCX1 will definitely change the future of China hospitals, we provide a shortcut for China hospitals to connect to the world with the lowest cost, shortest time and the easiest operation. China hospitals will be able to save more lives by working with US hospitals together, Leonardo said. Past News Releases RSS

DocExpress, a medical technology group, based in New York City, recently released its new AI medical platformDOCX1 AI platform, which aims at connecting more than 1,000 China provincial or municipal hospitals with top US hospitals and doctors, to provide advanced international medical services to millions of Chinese cancer patients.

Leonardo Zhang, founder and CEO of DocExpress said, Every 7 seconds, a new Chinese patient will be diagnosed as cancer, and we have 4 million new cancer patients in China every year, but the medical treatment level for cancer is not that good in China, the five-year cancer survival rate in China is only 30% comparing to 66% in the US.

Accord to the marketing report of McKinsey, the market value of international medical service in China will exceed 50 billion dollar in future 5 years, however, only 40 China hospitals out of more than 1,000 provincial or municipal hospitals have connections with US hospitals and doctors to provide international medical services. The other 960 hospitals are eager but unable to work with top US hospitals and doctors independently due to language barriers, poor medical resources and high operation cost, however nearly 90% of Chinese cancer patients have to get long term medical treatment in these hospitals because ward beds in top-tier China hospitals are scarce.

DOCX1 provides a good solution for China hospitals to provide international medical services, it is fast, easy to use, breaks the boundaries and language barrier, enabling China hospitals to connect and work with more than 20 top US hospitals and 1000 doctors within few clicks to provide international medical services to Chinese patients together. DOCX1 is consist of an exclusive AI medical platform and a cloud database with abundant top US hospitals and top doctors resources, which will help China hospitals improve treatment level in a long term by providing customized and comprehensive internationalization services for each China hospital, including International telemedicine program, patient referral, doctor medical visiting scholar program, China-US hospital partnership and other services.

Leonardo Zhang concluded, DOCX1 is free for China hospitals to use, and we charge certain service fee of deals happened in our platform. In the future, DocExpress will explore the value of millions of Chinese cancer patients data with on our AI platform, and will connect hospitals all around the world together.

About DocExpress:

DocExpress Inc. is an international medical technology group provide AI platform for China hospital to achieve internationalization and improve medical treatment level by connecting them with top US hospitals and doctors.

For more information, please visit

http://www.docexps.com/?page_id=22903#header

Company Contact:

Leonardo Zhang, CEO / Leonardo(at)docexps.com / 201-912-4159Lexington Deluxe Office Collection Custom hardwood furniture lovers can't afford to miss the Weaver Furniture Memorial Day Sale.

Make Memorial Day memorable this year by cashing in on big savings at the Weaver Furniture Sales Memorial Day Sales event. The sale runs daily through May 30, 2018 (except Sunday, May 27, when the large Shipshewana furniture store is closed).

The Memorial Day Sale features huge savings on close-out items, dining room chairs, office furniture and storewide furniture. Furniture shoppers can buy close-out items at 60% savings. Also, dining room chairs are being offered at 20 percent off. Of special interest to individuals who work at home, the full line of office furniture is being offered at 18% savings. In addition, customers can get 13% off furniture items throughout the store.

Furniture lovers can spread out their payments, thanks to special financing offered by Weaver Furniture Sales. However, the financing is subject to credit approval. Also, creditors will need to make monthly payments. Sales associates at Weavers can provide shoppers with more information.

Weaver Furniture Sales is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. The store will be closed Sunday, May 27, and will be open Memorial Day from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Weaver Furniture Sales is located 1/4 mile south and 1/4 mile east of the junction of State Road 5 and US 20 in Shipshewana, Indiana. So the store is easy to find. Also, shoppers can choose from thousands of Amish furniture and home accessory items. Whats more, customers can take their furniture with them. Or, Weavers can handle deliveries. More information is available by visiting Weaver Furniture Sales online store or by calling 260-768-7730.

About Weaver Furniture Sales

Weaver Furniture Sales was established in 1989 in Shipshewana, Indiana. An Amish, family-owned furniture business, Weaver offers a full line of solid wood, Amish furniture at affordable prices. And Weaver caters to both residential and commercial customers. The company features Shaker, Mission and Traditional furniture styles. As part of their client services, Weaver provides furniture design consultation services, custom furniture options, furniture quotes, layaway options and various delivery alternatives for residences and businesses in the United States.

LeRoy and Ida Weaver own and operate Weaver Furniture Sales. They began with a 1,500 square foot showroom, which has been expanded to more than 20,000 square feet. Previously, they owned and managed LeWana Dairy Farm, where they milked cows and raised corn and hay.Our goal is to sustain the eight health registries across two current platforms and migrate all registries to the Veterans Integrated Registries Platform (VIRP)

Liberty IT Solutions, LLC, having previously been awarded Veterans Integrated Registries Platform and Health Registries Enhancements, is excited to expand their work with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Registries Program with the latest win of Health Registries Sustainment. This 3-year (12-month base and two 12-month option periods) potentially amounts to $8.5 million, inclusive of options. Liberty will work with ManTech International Corporation to support sustainment and expand the Registries effort. Originally implemented for specific injuries caused during one of three specific military operations, the initial Health Registries were a great success. VA has since expanded the registries to include Veterans exposed to specific International Classifications of Diseases (ICD).

With ManTechs assistance, Liberty will lead the Health Registries Sustainment Task Order by modifying the VA Registries applications system to maintain platform and data stability and to mitigate all foreseeable risks, said Liberty CEO Bill Greene. Our goal is to sustain the eight health registries across two current platforms and migrate all registries to the Veterans Integrated Registries Platform (VIRP) to maximize operational efficiencies.

Mr. Greene added, Liberty is proud to be able to partner with the VA and ManTech on this important sustainment effort and plans a seamless transition from the current platforms to VIRP.

Liberty continually dedicates its work to the advancement and modernization of Federal Healthcare IT and plans to continue this initiative with the involvement in the Health Registries Sustainment Task Order. The company looks forward to this partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs to further the Health Registries effort.

About Liberty IT Solutions

Liberty IT Solutions is a mission-centric small business that supports multiple government agencies across a diverse portfolio of Health IT projects. Our team believes that lines of code can change lives and is driven to enable that to happen more often, more securely and more efficiently.

For more information about this topic, please contact Liberty IT Solutions at 571.356.9627 or email at contact(at)libertyits(dot)com.

About ManTech International Corporation

ManTech delivers mission-focused technology solutions and services for U.S defense, intelligence community and federal civilian agencies. Now in our 50th year, we excel in full-spectrum cyber, data collection and analytics, enterprise IT, and systems and software engineering solutions supporting national and homeland security. Within Federal Health, we support the VA, Defense Health Agency, and the Department of Health and Human Services on clinical application development efforts. Additional information on ManTech can be found at http://www.mantech.com.Hart Cunningham 2020 presidential candidate Hart Cunningham seeks to find a solution to this growing conundrum.

For many Americans, gun ownership is an extremely emotional, near-religious issue. Certainly, it is a divisive topic that must be navigated carefully by any politician. For emerging 2020 presidential contender Hart Cunningham, a Californian born and raised in Tennessee, the way forward is fairly simple.

A Deadly Disagreement

There is a growing conflict in the United States. Groups such as the National Rifle Association maintain a more than 200-year-old amendment to the Constitution must be adhered to today. Other lobbies feel completely the opposite  calling for total gun ownership bans.

The lack of movement on the issue is costing Americans dearly. A June 2014 Slate article reported that Children between the ages of 5 and 14 in the United States are 17 times more likely to be murdered by firearms than children in other industrialized nations. Since then, how many school shootings have we suffered as a nation, as families? How many children have traumatized for life? Injured physically? Or worse, murdered in a place of learning?

Worse yet, Cunningham says, is the incredibly alarming fact that after mass shootings, the demand for automatic weapons, for AR-15s, only increases. To compound matters, at gun shows, You dont need an ID, a permit; you can walk in with cash and purchase any weapon of your choice.

The Middle Path: Strengthening Gun Regulation

For Cunningham, and the more than two-thirds of Americans in support of stricter gun laws, gun ownership is not the real issue  it is the type of gun, and how they are used.

Cunningham pointed out in a recent campaign video that, Gun ownership within the United States has never been a question. There are 850 million arms in our fine land. He explained, Guns should be used for protection, for outdoor use, not for internal terrorism. Cunningham then posed the question, How many AR-15s, AK-47s - how many different types of weapons like these do we want being held and used by American citizens at colleges, within universities, within community centers?

Calling for the responsible choice of strengthening gun regulation, 2020 presidential candidate Hart Cunningham seeks to find a solution to this growing conundrum.

About Hart Cunningham - #Hart2020

Hart Cunningham is running for the presidency in 2020 in the hopes of helping the world overcome struggles due to capitalism, unsustainable economic and environmental practices, and a lack of equality. After being a successful businessman for many years, Cunningham turned his attention to humanitarian work and to bringing awareness to these issues. Originally from the south, hes made his roots in California and has a deep understanding of democratic and republican politics and ideals. True to his name, Hart Cunningham wants to bring the heart back into politics in America and believes that poverty and climate change must be solved for the greater good of our world. Volunteer or contribute to his campaign by visiting, http://hart2020.org.

Follow Hart Cunningham on Social Media

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/HCfor2020

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HartCunningham2020We are very pleased to add Kinderhouse Montessori School, a highly-regarded AMI recognized school, to our growing family of schools.

Endeavor Schools, a leading education management company, announced the addition of Kinderhouse Montessori School in San Diego, California to its family of private schools. Kinderhouse Montessori School maintains the esteemed status of an Association Montessori International (AMI) recognized school by providing a high-quality Montessori education for children from 18 months to 12 years of age that complies with all AMI standards.

Kinderhouse Montessori School has been dedicated to their mission since 2001, providing the best early childhood education to children of all cultures and economic backgrounds. The well-respected private school is rooted in the belief that every child should have the opportunity to learn about life through the natural Montessori methods.

With Kinderhouse providing top-quality, AMI certified Montessori Education, I am beyond thrilled for them to join our Endeavor Family, said Lois Veguilla, Regional Director of Operations. Our partnership will serve this amazing community and continue guiding our students to academic success.

The team at Kinderhouse Montessori School is highly trained. All lead teachers hold AMI diplomas in addition to bachelors degrees, with many also holding their masters degree in education. Every teacher is devoted to cultivating the whole child for intellectual, social, and emotional growth.

We are very pleased to add Kinderhouse Montessori School, a highly-regarded AMI recognized school, to our growing family of schools, said Danielle Millman, Executive Vice President of Endeavor Schools. The facility is absolutely beautiful, with plenty of natural lighting and open spaces. We look forward to strengthening Kinderhouse Montessori Schools legacy of educational excellence and dedication to developing the whole child for many years to come.

Offering programs for toddlers, primary, and elementary aged children, as well as summer sessions, Kinderhouse Montessori School focuses on providing a solid foundation for the rest of a childs life. The classrooms are specifically designed to provide a safe, inspiring, and stress-free environment that allows children to reach their full potential through the Montessori Method of self-directed, hands-on work.

We are very excited to join the Endeavor family of schools, said Yogi and Parag Patel, the founders of Kinderhouse Montessori School. One of the key aspects of any merger is the organizational culture, and we felt that we were closely aligned. It was important to us to continue what we had built over the past 17 years. Joining a larger community will allow us more access to resources that will grow our AMI programs.

For more information about Kinderhouse Montessori School in San Diego, California, call 858-550-0097 or visit http://www.kinderhousemontessori.com/.

About Endeavor Schools

Endeavor Schools is a leading education management company with a family of unique, well-established private schools that serve as pillars to their respective communities in a growing number of markets across the US. Each school subscribes to proven, research-based curricula that is delivered by seasoned educators, and is encouraged to embrace their own uniqueness and tradition. Endeavor Schools supports academic excellence by providing additional tools and resources to help each school thrive.

Founded in 2012, Endeavor Schools is headquartered in Miami, Florida. For more information, visit http://www.endeavorschools.com and follow the company on LinkedIn.GDPR Sleeping Positions

In anticipation of the EUs General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) going live on May 25, 2018, Feroot is excited to announce its Privacy Management Platform for Enterprises and SaaS Vendors. The Feroot Privacy Management platform provides global enterprises and SaaS software companies the easiest way to comply with complex data privacy regulations, such as GDPR. In addition to the launch of its Privacy Management Platform, Feroot has closed its first advisory round of venture funding from prominent investors.

Im very pleased to announce two important milestones for our company. Our Privacy Management Platform gives companies an automated and easy way to manage privacy requirements, while ensuring that consumers can manage all subject rights requests, including consent, in a single web-based interface, said Ivan Tsarynny, co-founder and CEO of Feroot. With funding from many of the industrys top investors, we can accelerate market awareness and expand our ability to deliver our product to customers who desperately need the automated and continuous privacy management platform weve worked hard to develop.

Feroots Privacy Management Platform provides customers a way to automatically manage consent and data subject requests required by GDPR Articles 7 and 12-23. In addition, Feroot APIs integrate applications and third-party vendors to solve other challenges like passing data-use restrictions downstream to all enterprise applications, whether those applications are internally developed or provided by third parties.

The Feroot Privacy Management Platform is designed for large companies in sectors, such as financial services, whose enterprise systems increasingly combine applications and infrastructure developed in-house and by third-party vendors. One important challenge for modern companies is managing privacy and data-use requirements imposed by regulations, such as the EUs GDPR and Canadas PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act). These regulations are complex, include extremely large fines for non-compliance, and impact companies, regardless of their domicile, as long as they touch user data in the region covered by the regulations.

Ultimately, customers prefer to do business with companies that they trust. By using Feroot, global organizations and SaaS vendors show customers that they respect their data rights and provide data subjects an easy and accessible way to manage the use of their private information, said CEO Tsarynny. Privacy regulation has always been considered a barrier to doing business. Feroot changes the landscape by transforming privacy into a competitive advantage.

About Feroot:

Feroot is a Toronto, Canada-based company that has built a comprehensive privacy rights management platform that helps enterprises and SaaS software vendors painlessly comply with data privacy regulations, such as GDPR. The Feroot Privacy Management platform predicts risks and mitigates penalties by facilitating fulfillment of privacy rights and passing data-use restrictions downstream to enterprise systems and third-party applications. http://www.feroot.comWIld Tonic Team, 2018 as a 100% woman-owned business, we felt WBENC Certification was fitting, for it serves not only to inspire others but also bolster the burgeoning community of women-owned businesses, currently 174 strong in Arizona and 1566 across our region!

Wild Tonic, a 100% women owned brewery specializing in palate-pleasing Jun Kombucha of unparalleled sophistication, integrity, and grace, is proud to announce that they have received their national certification as a Womens Business Enterprise, by the Womens Business Enterprise Council West, a regional certifying partner of the Womens Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

Jun Kombucha innovator and entrepreneur Holly Lyman glowingly reported as a 100% woman-owned business, we felt WBENC Certification was fitting, for it serves not only to inspire others but also bolster the burgeoning community of women-owned businesses, currently 174 strong in Arizona and 1566 across our region!

WBENCs national standard of certification implemented by the Womens Business Enterprise Council West is a meticulous process including an in-depth review of the business and site inspection. The certification process is designed to confirm the business is at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by a woman or women.

By including women-owned businesses among their suppliers, corporations and government agencies demonstrate their commitment to fostering diversity and the continued development of their supplier diversity programs.

About Wild Tonic:

Wild Tonic Jun Kombucha is an innovative craft brew! Fermented with honey and brewed with certified organic fruit, herbs and botanicals, Wild Tonic is available in non-alcoholic and 5.6% ABV versions. Wild Tonic has become both a leader and disruptor in the beverage industry. Holly Lymans passion for art and innovation is galvanizing the forces behind the brand and its success. In addition, Wild Tonic is made up of diverse, passionate people who have helped forge an amazing culture. To learn more about WILD TONIC, please visit http://www.wildtonic.com.

About WBENC:

Founded in 1997, WBENC is the nations leader in womens business development and the leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women, with more than 13,000 certified Womens Business Enterprises, 14 national Regional Partner Organizations, and over 300 Corporate Members. More than 1,000 corporations representing Americas most prestigious brands as well as many states, cities, and other entities accept WBENC Certification. For more information, visit http://www.wbenc.org.REACT MOBILE + BLUETOOTH BEACONS OFFERS UN-MATCHED IN-BUILDING GPS LOCATION TRACKING React Mobiles platform allowed us to reach a housekeeper having a medical emergency while cleaning a guest room. Their platform alerted our security staff with their exact room location, allowing us to reach them within minutes - Joel Moore, VP of Hotel Operations.

Surveys of housekeepers around the nation show that housekeepers are sexually assaulted at over twice the rate of workers in other industries. Safety mandates for housekeepers are becoming prevalent, such as in Seattle, New York, Chicago and Sacramento county.

These mandates include sophisticated panic button requirements that preclude basic safety tools such as sirens or whistles. Technology that can immediately notify a hotel of a workers location within a building are necessary and increasingly expected by employees, unions, and governments.

Indoor location services are the next frontier of in-hotel guest experiences. Using Bluetooth beacon technology, hotels can prompt guests on their smartphone as they approach a location, such as their room (to unlock their door), the hotel spa (offering a spa appointment), or the restaurant (advertising a happy hour special).

React Mobile, a leading employee safety platform, has released a new product offering that uses indoor Bluetooth beacons from Estimote, a leading beacon provider, to provide precise location information to safety staff inside a hotel. Even if a housekeeper is forced to a different room under duress, using beacons, their location can continuously be sent to responders, ensuring help arrives immediately. Estimote Proximity and Location beacons give hotel safety providers such as React Mobile the real-time precise location of an employee inside of a building in an emergency without expensive equipment installation requirements, said Steve Cheney, Co-Founder of Estimote.

Choosing the right employee safety solution can be overwhelming. Its critical for hotel managers to understand how open platforms that integrate with existing industry platforms can save time, money, and minimize disruption to both guests and staff. Open platforms like, React Mobile, make things easy and work with a hotels existing technology investments. With hotels, one size doesnt fit all and properties of varying sizes have different needs and budgetary constraints, said Robb Monkman, Founder and CEO of React Mobile, a leading employee safety technology company. To meet our customers needs, we have integrated our safety platform into a number of leading hospitality technologies to help protect hotel employees during an emergency with unmatched location accuracy.

Hotels need cost-effective solutions that provide a high level of functionality while minimizing disruption to guests and daily operations. Hotel investment in tech is expanding both front and back of house. Safety platforms that leverage these existing investments hit the sweet spot for todays hospitality providers.

In guest rooms, hotels are expanding tech offerings to meet customers increasing demands of their experience. From in-room Amazon Echos to Bluetooth door locks to location-driven experiences, hotels are increasingly needing to be tech savvy to keep ahead of competitors. Safety platform offerings need to build on these existing investments to help hotels manage costs while meeting safety ordinances.

Companies such as Volara leverage Amazons Echo voice technology to create exciting guest experiences. In a partnership with React Mobile, employees or guests can summon emergency help just by saying a key phrase.

At the Alexis Hotel, enhanced safety and security has always been a priority for us, noted Jenne Oxford, Director of Operations at Kimptons Alexis Hotel in Seattle. The ability to quickly access emergency services through Alexa will be a benefit to guests and employees alike.

In addition to in-room experiences, hotels are increasingly using technology to manage operational costs. One such platform is with Amadeus HotSOS, the industry leading service optimization platform that helps hotels optimize hotel services and customer engagement. By using a housekeepers known location information through HotSOS, hotels can layer a safety platform directly into their HotSOS infrastructure. React Mobiles integration with HotSOS has already proven valuable at the Thunder Valley Casino and Resort in Sacramento. React Mobiles platform allowed us to reach a housekeeper having a medical emergency while cleaning a guest room. Their platform alerted our security staff with their exact room location, allowing us to reach them within minutes, said Joel Moore, VP of Hotel Operations.

Employee safety has never been more in the public awareness. Knowing how to avoid vendor lock-in or over-investment can keep your employees safe without blowing your capital budget.

About React Mobile

React Mobile was established with the singular goal to help people in times of distress. The React Mobile enterprise safety platform helps people in emergencies reach the widest network possible when it matters most. React Mobiles solutions center around wide spread emergency alerting and offering industry leading indoor and outdoor location sharing to reduce emergency response times. React Mobiles safety alerting platform is integrated with leading platforms such as Amadeus, Volara, Estimote, and other technologies to offer unmatched location based information.

Find out more by visiting http://www.reactmobile.com

About Amadeus

Amadeus is a leading provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel industry. Customer groups include travel providers (e.g. airlines, hotels, rail and ferry operators, etc.), travel sellers (travel agencies and websites), and travel buyers (corporations and travel management companies). The Amadeus group employs around 13,000 people worldwide, across central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters), Nice (development) and Erding (operations), as well as 71 local Amadeus Commercial Organizations globally. The group operates a transaction-based business model. Amadeus is listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange under the symbol AMS.MC and is a component of the IBEX 35 index.

To find out more about Amadeus please visit http://www.amadeus.com, and http://www.amadeus.com/blog for more on the travel industry. Amadeus is listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange under the symbol AMS.MC and is a component of the IBEX 35 index. To find out more about Amadeus please visit http://www.amadeus.com, and http://www.amadeus.com/blog for more on the travel industry.

About Volara

Volara is THE provider of custom voice-based solutions for the hospitality industry and the only such provider with the Alexa for Business Service Delivery Designation from Amazon. Volaras proprietary software creates a business tool atop the leading smart speakers and natural language processing platforms. Volaras proven best practices ensure high utilization rates and an optimal guest experience that creates personal and remarkable engagement with brands. Volara is the largest manager of Alexa devices in the enterprise today and over a million people have used voiced-based solutions powered by Volara. For more information, please visit http://www.volara.io.

About Estimote

Estimote is the world leader in presence verification using Bluetooth Smart technology. Estimotes small wireless sensors, called beacons, communicate with applications on a mobile device to trigger secure presence detection and awareness, provide contextually relevant content, and deliver rich data and insights. Estimote is deployed with partners across industries and supports over 150,000 developers worldwide including 75% of Fortune 100 companies. Estimotes cloud services and mobile SDKs provide a full solution to abstract away the difficulty of building contextually-powered mobile experiences in verticals as diverse as retail, hospitality, healthcare and transportation.

*This press release is provided by React Mobile, Inc.

*Survey referenced can be found at: http://pugetsoundsage.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/PSS_HotelWorkerSurvey_Sept2016.pdfMike York, CEO, PracticeMatch Text messaging is such a direct, efficient way to reach out to candidates, so we wanted to help staff physician recruiters tap into this convenient mode of communication that is clearly not yet being utilized by many recruiters to its fullest potential.

With the healthcare industry leading the nations record-low unemployment rates, physician recruitment is as fast-paced and competitive as ever, especially for healthcare employers and their inhouse recruiting team. Healthcare recruiters are increasingly turning to new, more effective uses of technology to contact physicians for practice opportunities in todays intense physician recruiting market. Texting candidates via a new messaging service designed specifically for physician recruitment offers a streamlined, quick way for healthcare employers to reach out to physicians before a competing employer does so. PracticeMatch, a company that provides a leading physician database and other recruiting resources to hospital and healthcare recruiters, has created the industrys first texting program for in-house recruiters, based on market research and client demand.

According to our market research, about 80% of physicians reported having received up to 30 contacts from recruiters about practice opportunities in the past 90 days, but only about 15% reported receiving a text message about opportunities, states Mike York, CEO of PracticeMatch. Text messaging is such a direct, efficient way to reach out to candidates, so we wanted to help staff physician recruiters tap into this convenient mode of communication that is clearly not yet being utilized by many recruiters to its fullest potential.

The new text service is called TextMatch, and is fully integrated into PracticeMatchs other products and services, including their Pinpoint physician database, allowing recruiters to track and report all text messages, as well as to hone in on a precise candidate audience and message them directly about a particular practice opportunity.

In a survey of 1730 physicians conducted in February of 2018, 80% of physicians reported that they would be receptive to text messages from a recruiter. Many survey respondents also reported that they consider texting to be more convenient and more personal than other common modes of communication such as email, direct mail, or phone calls.

We are excited to offer recruiters a faster, more personal approach to contacting physicians about the opportunities most suited to their specific career needs, states York. There is no other product like this on the market for inhouse physician recruiters, and the outstanding functionality of this offering will significantly impact the recruiting process and vastly improve results, by providing another way to conveniently and directly contact candidates.

PracticeMatch also implemented controls in the text messaging application to ensure a positive user experience for candidates, as well as recruiters and employers. TextMatch includes settings and utilization limits to protect candidates from being flooded with too many messages. For example, recruiters must contact physicians and advanced practitioners regarding a specific opportunity, and there are limits to the length and volume of messages sent to each candidate.

Additional features include advanced scheduling of messages, detailed reporting, and search capability for easy access of over 100,000 verified physician mobile numbers and 5,000 advanced practitioners.

About PracticeMatch:

PracticeMatch is one of the most established companies serving healthcare employers with recruiting resources including job boards, career fairs, and candidate leads. Established more than 25 years ago, its Pinpoint physician database includes over 338,000 interviewed, pre-screened physicians. Based in St. Louis, MO, the company hosts more than 30 physician career fairs annually, across the country. For media inquiries, or to schedule an interview with a PracticeMatch executive, please contact Andrea Clement  aclement(at)usa.M3.com. For more information regarding healthcare recruiting resources provided by PracticeMatch, please contact Mike York (800) 489-1440, or email mike.york(at)practicematch.com.

# # #

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Andrea Clement, Media Relations at 404.990.3614 or email at aclement(at)usa.m3.com.This year, it was exciting to see a repeat Best Sauce on the Planet winner and great results from our international contestants in both the Sauce and Rub Contests.

The American Royal is pleased to announce the results of the 31st Annual American Royal 2018 World Series of Barbecue Sauce Contest, as well as the results of the 2018 American Royal World Series of Barbecue Rub Contest. The Best Sauce on the Planet winner and Best Rub on the Planet winner will each be presented with a legendary globe trophy during the Invitational awards ceremony at the worlds largest barbecue competition  the American Royal World Series of Barbecue  September 13 - 16 at the Kansas Speedway.

Congratulations to the following 2018 Best Sauce on the Planet Winner and 2018 First Place Winners:



Sweet & Tangy (Robs Smokin Rub & Frog Sauce, California)  2018 Best Sauce on the Planet, BACK TO BACK SAUCE CONTEST WINNER - In 2017, Robs Smokin Rub & Frog Sauce placed first in vinegar with Frog Sauce and earned the 2017 Best Sauce on the Planet title. Also in 2017, he placed 3rd in the vinegar category with Sweet Chipotle.

Sweet Lady Love (Best Damn BBQ Sauce, Oregon) 2018 First Place Mild Tomato

PAT BBQ HOT (PAT BBQ, Quebec, Canada)  2018 First Place Hot Tomato, 2018 RUB CONTEST WINNER  PAT BBQ won the 2018 Best Rub on the Planet title last weekend in the 2018 World Series of Barbecue Rub Contest with his PAT BBQ HOT rub.

Cookies Tangy Mustard BBQ Sauce (Cookies Food Products, Iowa)  2018 First Place Mustard

Sweet & Tangy (Rob's Smokin' Rub & Frog Sauce, California)  2018 First Place Vinegar

Curry Beast (Ba-B-Que Beast, LLC, Pennsylvania)  2018 First Place Specialty

A group of over 50 Certified Barbecue Judges assembled at the American Royal to participate in a blind tasting of 388 barbecue sauce entries. The assembled judges evaluated barbecue sauces submitted from 35 states and 8 countries including Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, and the United States.

Congratulations to the following 2018 First Place Winners and the 2018 Best Rub on the Planet Winner:

PAT BBQ HOT (PAT BBQ - Cacouna, Quebec)  2018 First Place Hot

Touch of Sweet (Southern Dutch BBQ - Bavel, North Brabant, Netherlands)  2018 First Place

Mild PAT BBQ HOT (PAT BBQ - Cacouna, Quebec)  2018 Best Rub on the Planet

40 Certified Barbecue Judges assembled at the American Royal to participate in a blind tasting of 196 barbecue rub entries. The assembled judges evaluated barbecue rubs submitted from 31 states and 7 countries including Canada, England, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland and the U.S.A.

The American Royal World Series of Barbecue Sauce Contest is the largest sauce contest in the world and we continue to see the event attract more international participants each year, said Lynn Parman, president and CEO of the American Royal. This year, it was exciting to see a repeat Best Sauce on the Planet winner and great results from our international contestants in both the Sauce and Rub Contests.

About the American Royal Association

Woven through the history of Kansas City since 1899, the American Royal provides opportunities for youth and adults from around the country to compete in our Livestock Show, ProRodeo, Horse Shows, and the World Series of Barbecue. These events allow the American Royal, a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization, to give over $1 million annually for youth scholarships and support agriculture education programs. In 2016, over 90,000 attendees attended American Royal events generating over $60 million of economic impact. To learn more about the American Royal visit AmericanRoyal.com. For more information about the World Series of Barbecue visit AmericanRoyal.com/bbq.The app provides the ability to complete CLE offline so that attorneys can truly take control of their professional growth and do it on their terms.

Lawline, the nations leading online Continuing Legal Education (CLE) provider, announced the launch of its highly anticipated CLE mobile app for Android today. The new app offers easy offline access to all of Lawlines audio courses from a users Android phone, making completing CLE easier than ever before.

This app comes on the heels of the original Lawline app for iPhone, and provides Lawline members with the ability to download any audio course directly to their device, making it possible to listen to courses with or without an Internet connection. Users can also easily search for courses via a mobile-optimized catalog and instantly add them to their dashboard for on-the-go access. In addition, the apps audio player saves course progress, so that users can easily continue where they left off. Last but certainly not least, the app offers a simple evaluation process that allows attorneys to claim CLE credit instantly.

We are thrilled to make the Lawline App available to Android users, said Richard Hernandez, Lawlines Vice President of Product & Marketing. The app provides the ability to complete CLE offline so that attorneys can truly take control of their professional growth and do it on their terms.

The Lawline App is available now on all devices, and is free for all Lawline members.

About Lawline

Lawline is the leading provider of online continuing legal education (CLE) with over 120,000 attorneys trusting Lawline with their CLE compliance. Offering legal education nationwide, Lawline strives to create timely and engaging content that supports attorneys throughout their career. The company is headquartered in downtown Manhattan and has received multiple awards recognizing its superior product, service, and company culture. Lawline's success has also been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Inc., Entrepreneur, and Forbes.com.It is truly an honor to have the Key West Historic Seaport recognized for all of the preservation efforts that have gone into not only protecting its heritage but its evolution over the years as well. Said Craig Cates, Mayor of Key West.

The City of Key West Key West Historic Seaport was honored Friday evening in recognition of Meritorious Performance in the field of Organizational Achievement at the 2018 Florida Preservation Conference hosted by the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation. The awards ceremony took place in Jacksonville, Florida at the Jessie Ball duPont Center. The awards ceremony was followed by a gala reception that was attended by over 300 guests and some of Floridas most notable historians and preservationists.

The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation was founded in 1978 and is Floridas nonprofit dedicated to protecting the states architectural, historical and archaeological heritage. With a strong focus on advocacy, education and stewardship, the Florida Trust serves as a steward for historic properties throughout Florida and has saved a number of unique and historic state treasures.

The Florida Preservation Awards recognizes individuals, organizations, businesses and agencies that have made a significant impact in preserving Floridas history. Award categories range from Infill Design and Green Buildings to Archaeology and Preservation Education/Media.

The award is in recognition of the significant achievement in the preservation of Floridas rich heritage. The City of Key West and the duly appointed Bight Management District Board oversees the preservation and protection of the history and character of the Key West Historic Seaport. The Historic Seaport has supported many industries vital to the economy and overall way of life in the Florida Keys and Key West for more than 200 years. From fishing to tourism, nearly 100 businesses and organizations rely on the Historic Seaport to support their families and livelihood today.

It is truly an honor to have the Key West Historic Seaport recognized for all of the preservation efforts that have gone into not only protecting its heritage but its evolution over the years as well. Key West is proud of its record of preservation and will continue with more projects in the future, said Craig Cates, Mayor of Key West.

On behalf of the City of Key West and the Historic Seaport, the award was accepted by Mr. Dana Pollitt and Ms. Julie Ruffolo, members of the Historic Seaport team in charge of promoting, advertising and marketing the Seaport.

We are excited and honored to receive this Meritorious Achievement Award for Organizational Achievement on behalf of the City of Key West and the Historic Seaport, said Dana Pollitt, Partner with ADEPT Public Relations. The tremendous efforts of City staff led by Port Director Doug Bradshaw and Deputy Port Director Karen Olson along with the expert guidance of the Bight Management District Board has resulted in record fiscal performance of the Historic Seaport. Its wonderful to receive this historic preservation recognition from such a highly regarded organization like the Florida Trust.

The Historic Seaport has such a rich history and we applaud the Citys efforts to preserve its story while having the foresight to recognize that it could become a top travel destination, concluded Pollitt.

The Florida Preservation Awards is conducted annually during the Historic Preservation Conference and this year the organization will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Florida Trust. For more information on the Florida Trust, please visit FloridaTrust.org.

About Key West Historic Seaport

The Key West Historic Seaport is the gateway for everything to do in Key West, Florida. Enjoy world class dining, shopping, live music, accommodations, museums & water excursions all while soaking up breathtaking views. The Key West Historic Seaport is a twenty-acre facility that has become the go-to destination for those wishing to experience a blend of the old with the new Key West. The Key West Historic Seaport is located along the beautiful harborwalk waterfront at the ends of Front Street, Greene Street, Elizabeth Street, William Street, Margaret Street & Grinnell Street. For more information about the Key West Historic Seaport, please visit KeyWestHistoricSeaport.com.Shriners provides excellent care, regardless of a familys ability to pay. Knowing that were helping this cause makes us all feel great.

VantagePoint Software, the global leader of artificial intelligence trading technologies, announced a $10,000 surprise donation to Shriners Hospitals for Children. The donation is in addition to weekly donations VantagePoint has been making since June 2017.

Everyone at VantagePoint Software feels honored to support Shriners Hospitals for Children. Shriners is recognized as one of the worlds greatest philanthropies because they are devoted to expert care, research, and improving the lives of children, Lane Mendelsohn, President of VantagePoint said. Shriners provides excellent care, regardless of a familys ability to pay. Knowing that were helping this cause makes us all feel great.

Market Technologies, the company behind VantagePoint Software, which has been family owned and operated for nearly 40 years, began donating a percentage of its software sales to Shriners Hospitals for Children on a regular basis in June 2017. Mendelsohn surprised VantagePoint Software customers and Shriners associates by presenting a $10,000 check during VantagePoints annual three-day Power Trader Seminar at the companys Tampa headquarters.

We began the partnership with Shriners 10 months ago and have continued supporting this worthy organization because our employees find it extremely fulfilling, Mendelsohn said. We see the successes and positive difference Shiners is making for children and we feel strongly about being a part of that.

The Mendelsohn family has invested over $629,634 since 2007. Market Technologies, which also offers 100% paid healthcare, and free breakfasts for employees, was recently recognized as a 2018 Top Workplace by The Tampa Bay Times and a Best Place To Work by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. The award was based on anonymous surveys completed by employees.

Learn more at https://www.vantagepointsoftware.com/ or by calling 800-732-5407.

About Market Technologies

Headquartered in Wesley Chapel, Fla., Market Technologies, creator of VantagePoint Software, is a pioneer and leader in trading software research and software development. VantagePoint forecasts Stocks, Futures, Forex, ETFs and cryptocurrencies with proven forecasting accuracy of up to 86%. Using artificial intelligence, VantagePoints patented Neural Network processes predicts changes in market trend direction up to three days in advance, enabling traders to get in and out of trades at optimal times with greater confidence.Technology Leader of the Year: Shrikant Ramachandran, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals The finalists were selected by members of the Gateway to Innovation 2018 Honorary Advisory Committee, a distinguished group of 54 Chief Information Officers and technology executives from the St. Louis region that provides long-term guidance for the G2I conference.

More than 1,500 Information Technology (IT) professionals from the St. Louis region attended the 12th Gateway to Innovation conference Wednesday May 16, 2018 at Americas Center Convention complex in downtown St. Louis. The conference was highlighted by renowned keynote speakers Charles Best (DonorsChoose.org Founder & CEO), Vinh Giang (Co-founder of 52Kards), and best-selling author Mel Robbins.

The conference focused on pressing issues facing the IT industry  including Blockchain, Big Data/Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Data Privacy, and Security  which were among the topics at more than 30 break-out sessions.

Gateway to Innovation Award Winners Announced

Winners of two annual Gateway to Innovation awards were announced during the luncheon portion of the conference.

Technology Leader of the Year: Shrikant Ramachandran, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals



The Technology Leader of the Year Award recognizes an individual who has achieved notable success in leading change, increasing productivity and effectively managing and executing business and IT.

Innovative IT Project of the Year Using Natural Language Processing on EHR Notes in Heart Failure Patients - Mercy



The Innovative IT Project of the Year Award recognizes a project that demonstrates value or impact to the organization by solving a business problem or by addressing a specific strategic objective for the company.

The finalists were selected by members of the Gateway to Innovation 2018 Honorary Advisory Committee, a distinguished group of 54 Chief Information Officers and technology executives from the St. Louis region that provides long-term guidance for the G2I conference. The recipients represent technology innovators who have made lasting contributions to enhancing the quality of life and competitiveness of the St. Louis region.

The conference planning committee also announced that the 13th Gateway to Innovation Conference will be April 25, 2019 at the Americas Center Convention Complex in St. Louis.

About Gateway to Innovation: Gateway to Innovation is the premier annual collaboration and networking event for IT Professionals in the St. Louis region. Gateway to Innovation inspires innovation through premier educational opportunities led by the industrys top leaders, provides an opportunity to share best practices and fosters collaboration with colleagues who face challenges and opportunities in our fast-paced industry. Since the first event in 2006, Gateway to Innovation has donated $1,369,169 for IT scholarships and for technology-related grants to St. Louis area educational and non-profit organizations. More information can be found at http://www.g2iconference.com or by contacting Kristin Tucker at 314-276-7600.Soldiers have a dangerous job and we're aiming to give them the tools to return home safely after each mission.

Mobile technology studio Dogtown Media was chosen as a winner of the Defense Innovation Challenge, a competition held by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agency.

Open to academic institutions as well as small and medium enterprises from all 29 NATO Nations, the competition was created to foster innovation that can solve some of the toughest technological problems facing NATO today.

As stated on the official website, the competition is aimed at accelerating transformational, state-of-the-art technology solutions from small businesses and academia in support of NATO C4ISR and cyber capabilities.

This years competition focused on digital innovation, spanning fields such as the Internet of Things (IoT), data analysis, autonomous sensors, and natural language processing. Dogtown Media was selected as a winner of the Mobile Apps for Defense Users category for their innovative wearable solution; it has the potential to improve soldier safety and well-being in the battlefield.

The wearable incorporates IoT, mobile technology, and encryption to provide soldiers with a way to deploy a distress beacon during dire times. Allies will be notified to send out assistance, which could be the difference between life and death. The signal is encrypted so that no other party is made aware of the wearable users location.

Apart from real battle scenarios, the wearable can also be employed in training sessions. It will be outfitted with sensors and scheduling mechanisms to not only keep in contact with the wearer, but also monitor various health variables, such as hydration. A prototype of the device has been constructed, and there is still room to include other technologies and equipment for additional features to be implemented.

Awards for the Defense Innovation Challenge will be distributed at NITEC18, the annual flagship tech summit held by the NCI Agency. Held in Berlin, Germany, from May 22nd to May 24th, the event will host over 600 political, security, military, and tech innovators. The theme of this years NITEC is NATOs Digital Endeavour: Expanding the Ecosystem.

Kevin Scheid, the General Manager of the NCI Agency, believes that the dialogue opened between these thought leaders is just as important as the innovation itself: We are seeking to broaden engagement with innovative technology drivers as NATO undergoes its largest technological modernization in decades.

Marc Fischer, Dogtown Medias Co-Founder and CEO, will be in attendance to accept the companys award and present the unique wearable prototype it has created. Recently, Fischer was also invited to Washington, D.C. to discuss the future of technology with political leaders during the AppCon 18 conference.

About Dogtown Media

Based in Los Angeles, Dogtown Media leverages dynamic design and disruptive development to deliver innovative app solutions. The company was included on Inc. Magazines exclusive 500 List of Americas Fastest Growing Private Companies. To date, the mobile technology studio has created over 100 mobile apps spanning industries including artificial intelligence, the IoT, and healthcare.Give Blood to Support Santa Fe Victims Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Santa Fe community, says Matthew Godfrey, San Jacinto Memorial Park & Funeral Home General Manager. As many look for ways to help the victims of the Santa Fe shootings, giving blood is an easy way to show support and contribute in a much-needed way.

San Jacinto Memorial Park & Funeral Home will be hosting a Memorial Day blood drive to support the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center in their desperate need for blood following the recent Santa Fe tragedy. This is the only blood drive scheduled for Monday, May 28, 2018  Memorial Day.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Santa Fe community, says Matthew Godfrey, San Jacinto Memorial Park & Funeral Home General Manager. As many look for ways to help the victims of the Santa Fe shootings, giving blood is an easy way to show support and contribute in a much-needed way.

Additional blood drives are being conducted throughout the Houston area right now for those who would like to donate. For donation times and locations, check the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Centers site.

Blood Drive Details

San Jacinto Memorial Park & Funeral Home

14659 I-10 East Freeway

Houston, TX 77015

Monday, May 28, 2018

8:30 a.m.  2:30 p.m.

To make an appointment, call San Jacinto Funeral Home & Memorial Park at 713-453-7114.

About San Jacinto Memorial Park & Funeral Home

San Jacinto Memorial Park & Funeral Home has been providing funeral, cemetery, cremation and memorialization services to the Houston area for more than 85 years. San Jacinto is part of NorthStar Memorial Group, a privately held company comprised of the nations most esteemed funeral homes, cemeteries and permanent memorialization properties.

Learn more at: http://www.sanjacintofunerals.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SanJacintoFuneralHome

Press Contact:

Name: Matthew Godfrey, General Manager

Email: Matthew.Godfrey(at)sjfunerals(dot)com

Office: 713.453.7114

Mobile: 281.900.0207WatchGuard VISTA Body-Worn Camera Camera systems in law enforcement have become a best practice.

The City Council of Duncanville, Texas recently voted unanimously to appropriate funding that will provide the Duncanville Police Department with new body-worn cameras designed to work seamlessly as a single system with the departments new in-car video camera system. The integrated system is manufactured by Texas-based WatchGuard, Inc. (WatchGuard), the leading provider of mobile video solutions for law enforcement.

Camera systems in law enforcement have become a best practice, said Assistant Chief Mark LiVigni. They promote professionalism and transparency in the police department; they protect both police officers and the city from unsubstantiated allegations of wrongdoing; and they provide a platform from which training can be accomplished both internally and externally.

The WatchGuard integrated system allows the 4RE HD Panoramic in-car and VISTA WiFi HD body-worn cameras to intelligently collaborate, simultaneously capturing an incident from multiple vantage points, ensuring the entirety of the scene is available for review and analysis. When any camera in the system initiates a recording, the other cameras automatically sense a change in status and may begin recording based upon a configuration of pre-set criteria.

The system designed for Duncanville fully supports the departments video policing goals, said Steve Coffman, President and Chief Operating Officer of WatchGuard. The view from the officers body camera combined with the third-person perspective of the in-car camera provides the strength of evidence the department is seeking.

About WatchGuard

WatchGuard is the leading provider of mobile video solutions for law enforcement. Our products include in-car video systems and body-worn cameras along with evidence management software. Our solutions increase transparency and accountability, improve trust between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve, reduce agency liability and advance the judicial process. We have supplied our products to approximately one-third of all law enforcement agencies in the United States and Canada.Its not a stretch to say that those 10 days at SuperCamp changed my life. I am excited to be able to share the SuperCamp experience with my daughter who will be attending this summer.

A worldwide program that launched the category of academic summer camps 37 years ago is about to reach a milestone with the enrollment of its 80,000th student in one of its four U.S. college locations this summer.

Since holding its first camp in California in 1982, SuperCamp has expanded to over 20 countries worldwide. In the U.S., the program takes place on college campuses, including Stanford and Villanova in 2018. In addition to its learning-and-life-skills camps for middle school and high school students, SuperCamp runs a 6-day Quantum Academy program for incoming and current college students.

The sustained success of the program is attributed to the results achieved by the students who attend SuperCamp. Follow-up research with SuperCamp graduates reveals improved grades and social skills, as well as increased confidence and motivation. Word-of-mouth referrals and now second-generation attendees within families have contributed significantly to the popularity SuperCamp continues to enjoy.

SuperCamp gets the results we do with students for two reasons, said co-founder and president, Bobbi DePorter. The first reason is our proprietary Quantum Learning training method, which creates several mini-success moments for each student at camp. The second reason is the engaging, supportive and expert SuperCamp staff that delivers the training in a highly orchestrated manner.

A graduate from SuperCamp in 1987, Gregg Frame, says, Its not a stretch to say that those 10 days at SuperCamp changed my life. I am excited to be able to share the SuperCamp experience with my daughter who will be attending this summer.

About SuperCamp

SuperCamp, http://www.SuperCamp.com, prepares high school, middle school and college students for college, career and life. In 2018, SuperCamp will be held at Stanford University, Villanova University, Southwestern University and the University of Central Florida and will feature 6-day and 10-day residential programs, in which students will live on-campus during the camps.Consumers get pounded with so much information online. Much of it is inaccurate, confusing and overwhelming. Delegate to your agent to pull properties for your review. Trust your agent. Remember that an agent does not get paid until you close.

In life, the Golden Rule states Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. In real estate, however, there are three Golden Rules.

Basically, sometimes less is more, said Tuesdi Arrotta, Broker Associate at RE/MAX Alliance. Consumers get pounded with so much information online. Much of it is inaccurate, confusing and overwhelming. Delegate to your agent to pull properties for your review. Trust your agent. Remember that an agent does not get paid until you close.

Arrotta lists the following three Golden Rules of real estate:

No. 1: Consult with a local real estate agent. As a buyer, this is crucial. Walk into your local real estate office, if you are a serious buyer, sign a Buyer Agency and put your agent to work, added Arrotta. Your agent will get the facts for you, and help you get qualified and find the right property, explaining the important details.

No. 2: Due diligence. As a seller, do your due diligence and research via your state real estate commission board, stressed Arrotta. Ask a friend if they have a real estate agent referral. Go to your local real estate office and interview three agents.

No. 3: Avoid confusing, inaccurate websites. It is tempting to pretend you are getting up-to-date information. Get ready for a major let down and disappointment, concluded Arrotta. Most all sites are smoke and mirrors. Your real estate agent will look up valid MLS properties for you.

In this fast moving market having the right agent to serve you is crucial. By finding the right agent you will have the best chance of finding the right property negotiated at the best price, concluded Arrotta. You will have a trusted source looking out for your best interest.

About Tuesdi Arrotta, RE/MAX Alliance

RE/MAX Alliance broker associate Tuesdi Arrotta works with home buyers and sellers in and around the Colorado Front Range area. She specializes in single family homes, condos and townhouses. For more information, please call (720) 863-4712, or visit http://www.homesincolorado.com/tuesdi-arrotta.

About the NALA

The NALA offers small and medium-sized businesses effective ways to reach customers through new media. As a single-agency source, the NALA helps businesses flourish in their local community. The NALAs mission is to promote a business relevant and newsworthy events and achievements, both online and through traditional media. The information and content in this article are not in conjunction with the views of the NALA. For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361.This symposium and similar collaborative meetings are essential steps toward strengthening nursing practice, said Dr. Abdel Yosef.

The future of nursing education requires a strong partnership between academia and healthcare. Unitek College sought to build a bridge between the two by hosting the 2018 Nursing Symposium in Bakersfield, California. In addition to strengthening partnerships, the event honored healthcare professionals and championed the nursing community. Uniteks Nursing Symposium was held on May 16, 2018, at the renowned Petroleum Club in Downtown Bakersfield.

Numerous professionals and esteemed guests attended the celebratory event. Unitek College and the offices of Senator Jean Fuller of Californias 16th District awarded leaders in nursing education for their service and dedication to the patients of Kern county and the healthcare industry. Keynote speakers and expert panelists also discussed the future of healthcare. In 2010, the Institute of Medicine issued The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health report, which stressed the importance of change within nursing education. In order to meet this challenge, the report called for 80 percent of registered nurses to obtain a bachelors degree in nursing (BSN) by the year 2020.

The 2020 BSN initiative was a critical topic of discussion at the Nursing Symposium. The event began with a warm welcome from Dr. Abdel Yosef, Chief Academic Officer at Unitek College. The forum also featured two keynote speakers with extensive experience in the nursing field: Pilar De La Cruz-Reyes, MSN, RN  member of the California Board of Registered Nursing, and Mary Dickow, MPA, FAAN  Statewide Director for the California Action Coalition Initiative at HealthImpact. Their inspirational words set the stage for engaging discussion between academic and healthcare professionals.

The Nursing Symposium featured distinguished panelists who are experts in their field, including Margaret Peg Board, RN, MSA, PACMPRE, CPC  Director of Operations at San Dimas Medical Group, Lynette Johnson, ASN, RN, CCRN  Clinical Nurse Educator at Delano Regional Medical Center, Karen Huntington  Clinical Nurse Educator at Bakersfield Heart Hospital, Nancy Hoff, MSN, RN  Consultant for the RN program at Unitek College. They were joined by Pilar De La Cruz-Reyes and Mary Dickow during the panel discussion.

Some esteemed guests included the Delano Regional Medical Center, Bakersfield Heart Hospital, Kern Medical, Bakersfield Behavioral Healthcare Hospital, Omni Family Health, San Dimas Medical Group, Bakersfield Healthcare Center, and over fifteen other Kern County community agencies and healthcare facilities.

The 2018 Nursing Symposium strove to increase awareness and encourage change. In addition to recognizing attendees for their dedication and service, the symposium also addressed the shortage of nurses in San Joaquin Valley. A partnership between academia and healthcare will help reduce this shortage by preparing safe, effective, and knowledgeable nurses for the Bakersfield area.

This symposium and similar collaborative meetings are essential steps toward strengthening nursing practice, said Dr. Abdel Yosef. They help nurses become well positioned to lead change and advance healthcare. Implementing such partnerships will allow academic institutions and practice settings to formally address the recommendations of the Future of Nursing Committee.

Additionally, effective partnerships between academia and practice create systems that will enable nurses to achieve educational and career advancement. In Dr. Yosefs words, The goal at Unitek College is to assist with the advancement of nursing education and nursing practice. In doing so, we ultimately hope to improve the health of the public.

Unitek College is one of Californias reputable healthcare and nursing colleges. Taught by current experts, Unitek programs teach the best-practice clinical technique and theory used in the field today. Equipped with a multitude of sought-after skills, Unitek graduates are prepared to excel in many of the fastest-growing careers in healthcare and nursing. Unitek College also offers a well-established Information Technology program for computer and network support technicians.

Contact:

Chad Tongco

Campus Director

333 Palmer Dr., Suite 200

Bakersfield, CA 93309

Direct: (661) 473-2457

URL: UnitekCollege.edu

###TeamViewer We believe in the motivated and entrepreneurial spirit of our armed forces communities and we look forward to helping them achieve those dreams.

TeamViewer, a leading global software provider for secure remote monitoring, support and team collaboration, today announced that it is teaming up with Leading Points to offer an exclusive discount to U.S. military service members and their families. Providing various price points depending on the size of the business, TeamViewers military discount will apply to yearly TeamViewer bundles, at a savings of up to 32 percent.

TeamViewer bundles provide all-in-one business solutions for business owners, keeping teams connected wherever they are. This is ideal for those with teams who work remotely or are around the country or world.

Veterans and their families are highly connected to communities around the globe, Kevin Sullivan, president of Leading Points, explains. When they turn their experience toward business, they are often looking for highly adaptive and robust solutions to get their ideas off the ground. TeamViewers features offer them those solutions.

We are excited to partner with Leading Points to offer our services at a reasonable rate to veterans, service members and their families, says Finn Faldi, president of TeamViewer Americas. We believe in the motivated and entrepreneurial spirit of our armed forces communities and we look forward to helping them achieve those dreams.

For more information about TeamViewers exclusive military discount, please go to https://www.teamviewer.us/buy-now/military-discount-program/ or call 877-247-9057.

About TeamViewer

TeamViewer is a leading global software provider for secure remote access, support, connectivity, monitoring, IoT and team collaboration. The TeamViewer portfolio of solutions cover the entire business lifecycle, and addresses specific needs including screen sharing, remote desktop, remote access, instant business chat, web and video conferencing, backup, anti-malware, online whiteboards and much more. TeamViewers flagship product has been activated on more than 1.5 billion devices, of which at least 30 million are connected to TeamViewer at any point in time. Founded in 2005, the company employs around 700 people from more than 60 countries in offices around the world. Further information is available at: http://www.teamviewer.us

About Leading Points

Leading Points Corporation specializes in helping companies develop and implement comprehensive military programs. They are considered the experts in matters of securing placement of their clients' products in the military exchange store distribution channel as well as developing special promotions and distributing them across the military and government markets. As a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Leading Points' leadership team is personally involved with a number of veteran non-profits. Their daily dedication to the military enhances their mission to build strategic partnerships with companies who seek to provide the military market with the very best products and services available. The company is headquartered in Centennial, Colorado.Were proud to endorse Jarratt and Tweeti... These leaders represent what it means to put people ahead of partisan and special interests and were excited to do all we can to support their candidacies. - Bob Perls, Unite New Mexico co-chair

Unite New Mexico, a citizens movement to bridge the growing partisan divide by electing common-sense, independent candidates to office, today announced its endorsement of its first two independent candidates running for the New Mexico state house in 2018. The announcement, which was made at the State Capitol where leaders across New Mexico gathered and participated in a discussion about the need for independent leadership, adds fuel to the rapidly growing presence of credible unaffiliated candidates in state and federal races across the nation for the 2018 midterm elections.

Unite New Mexicos initial slate of candidates includes Jarratt Applewhite (HD-50), a Lamy businessman, nonprofit executive and former Sante Fe Board of Education member, and Tweeti Blancett (HD-40), a fifth generation New Mexican, small business owner, former state representative and environmental activist from Eagle Nest in Colfax County.

Were proud to endorse Jarratt and Tweeti because of their lifelong commitment to New Mexico and their local communities, said Unite New Mexico co-chair Bob Perls, a former state representative and former U.S. diplomat. These leaders represent what it means to put people ahead of partisan and special interests and were excited to do all we can to support their candidacies.

In New Mexico, 24 percent of voters are registered as an independent, if those who state no party preference or decline to state their preference are included. Zero of the states 112 legislators are independent, and an independent candidate has never been elected. Just two or three independents, however, could control the balance of power, deny both parties a majority and use leverage as a fulcrum to force compromise amongst the two parties if elected.

Unite New Mexico is a partner of Unite America, a national organization that aims to bridge the growing partisan divide by electing common-sense, independent candidates to office at a state and national level. The national movement includes other state partners in Colorado, Washington and Maine.

In February, Unite America made history when it unveiled the first national slate of unaffiliated candidates in a century, including U.S. Senate candidates Craig ODear of Missouri and Neal Simon of Maryland, and gubernatorial candidates Terry Hayes of Maine, Greg Orman of Kansas and Governor Bill Walker of Alaska.

New Mexico is ripe for political disruption, and I am excited that Unite New Mexico is bringing much needed competition to a political system that clearly is not working, said Nick Troiano, executive director of Unite America. Were honored to welcome Jarratt and Tweeti into a community of trailblazing, independent candidates that spans the entire country.

Both candidates will see heads up races against just one major party opponent this fall, as partisan gerrymandering has caused many seats in New Mexico to be uncompetitive. Applewhite will run against incumbent representative Matthew McQueen of District 50 while Blancett will run against whomever emerges from a crowded primary in District 40.

Applewhite and Blancett have each signed the Unite movements Declaration of Independents, a statement of shared principles that includes putting people ahead of partisan interests, following the facts and seeking compromising, and committing to the shared responsibility of civic engagement. Both candidates are also advocates for structural reforms, including ending gerrymandering, opening the states primaries to independent voters and reducing barriers to entry for candidates running outside the two major system.

In New Mexico, there are still 34 seats uncontested by one of the two major parties this fall. Unite New Mexico is recruiting independent voters and community leaders to run this cycle. To support Applewhite, Blancett and others who step forward, Unite New Mexico is building a network of voters, volunteers and donors necessary to level the playing field for independent candidates.

Over the last month, United New Mexico conducted a listening tour with stops in Farmington, Roswell and Las Cruces. Along the way, representatives of the organization talked to prospective candidates, voters and potential financial backers. Future events are planned for Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

About Unite Mexico:

Unite New Mexico is a citizens movement to bridge the growing partisan divide by electing common-sense, independent candidates to office. For more information, please visit: http://www.unitenm.us.Companies can accomplish incredible things if their people can work together in a healthy environment. An exceptional product and an exceptional culture is a nearly unbeatable combination.

Skuid, the leading no-code cloud application platform, has been named one of Inc. magazines 2018 Best Workplaces. The award is the result of a wide-ranging and comprehensive measurement of private American companies who have created exceptional workplaces through vibrant cultures, deep employee engagement and excellent benefits. After receiving thousands of applicants, Inc. selected less than 300 winning companies.

Culture is job one, said Skuid CEO, Ken McElrath. Companies can accomplish incredible things if their people can work together in a healthy environment. An exceptional product and an exceptional culture is a nearly unbeatable combination.

The 2018 Inc. Best Workplaces Awards assessed applicants on the basis of benefits offered and employees responses to a unique, 30-question survey fielded by each of the applying companies. Responses were evaluated by the research team at Quantum Workplace. For its results to qualify, each company had to achieve a statistically significant response rate based on employee count. Survey scores account for employer size to level the playing field between small and large businesses. All companies had to be U.S.-based, privately held, and independentthat is, not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies.

By including an employee survey into this years Best Workplaces selection process, weve really raised the bar. Companies that dont score at the very top of their peer group dont make the cut. So, our hats are off to the winners. They all excelled at engaging their workers, making them feel appreciated, and aligning them behind a mission. And remember, thats not just our opinion: The employees told us that themselves. said James Ledbetter, Inc. editor-in-chief.

About Skuid

Skuid was founded in 2013 on the simple belief that enterprise software should stop forcing people to behave like machines. Instead, apps should behave more like the humans who use them, so everyone can thrive in the digital world. With Skuids simple-to-use but incredibly robust cloud front-end design-and-deploy platform, anyone can connect to disparate data sources, assemble highly complex, made-to-order applications, and instantly make changesall without writing code. More than 5 million users across 32 countries use Skuid to engage with each other, with data, and with new customers in meaningful ways. For more information, visit https://www.skuid.com.

About Inc. Media

Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today's innovative company builders. Winner of Advertising Ages The A-List in January 2015, and the National Magazine Award for General Excellence in both 2014 and 2012. Total monthly audience reach for the brand has grown significantly from 2,000,000 in 2010 to over 20,000,000 today. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com/.

About Quantum Workplace

Quantum Workplace is an HR technology company that serves organizations through employee engagement surveys, action-planning tools, exit surveys, peer-to-peer recognition, performance evaluations, goal tracking, and leadership assessment. For more information, visit http://www.quantumworkplace.com.Student Photo.jpg Book ideas were submitted from across the country and included topics such as contributions of women from the Civil War era, inspiring stories from people across history, and unique animals and scientific ideas.

This spring, Teacher Created Materials (TCM), a leading K12 educational publisher headquartered in Huntington Beach, ran a contest called My Idea My Book as part of their 40th Anniversary celebration. This contest invited students to write a persuasive letter to share their ideas for the next nonfiction book that TCM should publish. Teachers then submitted those letters on behalf of their students.

Ideas were submitted from across the country and included topics such as contributions of women from the Civil War era, inspiring stories from people across history, and unique animals and scientific ideas. Finalists each received a classroom library set of books, valued up to $769.99. There were so many unique and interesting ideas submitted, said Deanne Mendoza, co-owner of Teacher Created Materials. We really enjoyed reading all of the letters and were so impressed by the students creativity.

The grand-prize winner, receiving the opportunity to have their book idea published by Teacher Created Materials, was submitted by fourth grade teacher Jessica White, from Pride Elementary School in Tampa, Florida. One of her students wrote a compelling letter about United States Air Force Colonel Gail Seymour Halvorsen, better known as The Chocolate Pilot or The Candy Bomber, and his positive impact on the German children throughout the Berlin Airlift (19481949). During that time, Colonel Halvorsen and other Allied pilots dropped food, fuel, and other supplies, including chocolate, candy, and gum, to the people of Berlin because the Soviets had blocked all routes into and out of the city. The sweets and gum became a source of hope for many children and families, reminding them that people cared about them. This champion is a life-saver, helping kids of all ages survive through that bleak time Jessica Whites student wrote. This unsung hero is an inspiration for everyone. He inspired courage and determination

Learning about history through stories helps students make personal connections and builds their curiosity. Jessica White has built excitement for lifelong learning in her classroom, and we are pleased to publish her recommended book about The Chocolate Pilot. We know that other students around the world are going to read this book and be just as inspired as these students were, said Corinne Burton, president of Teacher Created Materials.

Jessica White and her students were surprised with the news of winning the contest by representatives from Teacher Created Materials at a presentation in the media center of Pride Elementary School. Each student received a small chocolate attached to a parachute in celebration. The book is scheduled to be published in 2019.

About Teacher Created Materials

Teacher Created Materials develops innovative and imaginative educational materials and services for students worldwide. Everything we do is created by teachers for teachers and students to make teaching more effective and learning more fun. For 40 years, Teacher Created Materials has proudly provided award-winning resources and offered a broad range of research- and standards-based products to support reading, writing, mathematics, social studies, science, technology, test preparation, and professional development activities in Grades PreK-12. For more information about Teacher Created Materials and their products, visit http://www.tcmpub.com.Hitachi Solutions Americas values have always been about respect for others, learning and education, and supporting each other. Giving back has always been a part of what the organization is about, said Lisa Mitchell, Director of Human Resources at Hitachi Solutions America.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hitachi Solutions America Holds Book Drive, Builds STEM Kits for Local Schools

Hitachi Solutions America is donating books and learning guides during its company all-hands meeting in Denver, Colorado.

IRVINE, Calif.  May XX, 2018  Hitachi Solutions America, a leading provider of global industry solutions powered by the Microsoft Cloud, is pleased to announce it has partnered with two local charities, RAFT and Reach Out and Read Colorado. During the company all-hands meeting in Denver, Colorado in late April, Hitachi Solutions Americas employees donated books and STEM kits to these two Colorado charities.

Our Denver all-hands event provides each of us with an opportunity to learn, gain more company, industry and product knowledge and build community amongst our team, said Michael Strand, Senior Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing at Hitachi Solutions America. As an organization, we wanted to extend that comradery and support to the local community, so that as our team comes together to learn and grow, members of the local area can too. By donating to two local charities in the Denver area, we were able to offer a bit of support and assistance to children in grades K-12.

Over the course of the weekend, 362 books were collected and donated to Reach out and Read Colorado. Employees from across North America brought new and gently used childrens books for the book drive. Reach Out and Read Colorado gives young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together. By building on the unique relationship between parents and health care providers, Reach Out and Read Colorado helps families and communities encourage early literacy skills, so children enter school prepared for success.

Hitachi Solutions Americas employees were also encouraged to build STEM kits for RAFT, a non-profit organization with a focus on inspiring, engaging and educating children through the power of hands-on teaching. During the all-hands meeting employees put together 300 STEM kits  which are math and science-focused learning guides  to be donated to Denver area school children.

Hitachi Solutions Americas values have always been about respect for others, learning and education, and supporting each other. Giving back has always been a part of what the organization is about, said Lisa Mitchell, Director of Human Resources at Hitachi Solutions America. Our employees are very caring and very supportive of each other, be it personal or professional. In fact, through the course of this conference and putting together this charity event in Denver we learned that a number of employees are involved in their own charitable events and are eager to expand this initiative. We will probably start working this Fall on a more formalized program.

Hitachi Solutions America was honored to help support Colorado school children and is proud to contribute to local communities across the country as we continue to focus on charitable causes.

View our highlight video to learn more. For more information about Hitachi Solutions America, contact us here.

-3-

About Hitachi Solutions America, Ltd.

Hitachi Solutions America, Ltd. helps its customers successfully compete with the largest global enterprises using powerful, easy-to-use, and affordable industry solutions built on the Microsoft Cloud and enhanced with world class Business Analytics, Portals, and Collaboration. Hitachi Solutions America provides global capabilities with regional offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, India, Japan, China, and Asia Pacific. For more information, call 888-618-1521 or visit: http://us.hitachi-solutions.com.

About Hitachi Solutions, Ltd.

Hitachi Solutions, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a core member of Information & Telecommunication Systems Company of Hitachi Group and a recognized leader in delivering proven business and IT strategies and solutions to companies across many industries. The company provides value-driven services throughout the IT life cycle from systems planning to systems integration, operation and maintenance. Hitachi Solutions delivers products and services of superior value to customers worldwide through key subsidiaries in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, India, China, and Asia Pacific. For more information on Hitachi Solutions, please visit: http://www.hitachi-solutions.com.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer societys challenges with our talented team and proven experience in global markets. The companys consolidated revenues for fiscal 2016 (ended March 31, 2017) totaled 9,162 billion yen ($81.8 billion). Hitachi is focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes power & infrastructure systems, information & telecommunication systems, construction machinery, high functional materials & components, automotive systems, healthcare and others. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the companys website at http://www.hitachi.com.On behalf of our customers, we proactively seek out this type of intense scrutiny. Its just one of the ways we can reassure them our solutions ensure confidentiality, integrity and availability of all sensitive information assets.

OneNeck IT Solutions successfully completed the ISO/IEC 27001:2013 Surveillance Review. The review centered on OneNecks Information Security Management System (ISMS) supporting their colocation services and operations of their top-tier data centers in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Oregon and Wisconsin as well as the companys office in Scottsdale, Arizona.

ISO/IEC 27001:2013 is the best-known standard when it comes to establishing and recognizing global requirements for the industrys ISMS.

Achieving ISO/IEC 27001:2013 demonstrates our commitment to ensuring we are compliant with the most widely accepted security management parameters in the industry, said Dave Flynn, SVP of Operations and Engineering at OneNeck. On behalf of our customers, we proactively seek out this type of intense scrutiny. Its just one of the ways we can reassure them our solutions ensure confidentiality, integrity and availability of all sensitive information assets.

The ISO/IEC 27001:2013 ISMS at OneNeck was certified by Schellman & Company, LLC, a leading provider of attestation and compliance services. Schellman is a CPA firm, an ISO Certification Body, a PCI Qualified Security Assessor and a FedRAMP 3PAO.

The ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification validation allows OneNecks customers to streamline portions of their annual due diligence process. In addition to ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification validation, OneNeck also regularly submits itself to third-party reviews that include the EUU.S. Privacy Shield Framework, SSAE 18 examinations, PCI Data Security Standard validation and HIPAA and HITECH examinations.

OneNeck offers a full suite of hybrid IT solutions in order to provide customers with the right applications, on the right cloud, at the right time. 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.Bielat Santore & Company is pleased to welcome the newest addition to its team of professional salespersons, Mr. David A. Alvarez. The former restaurant owner is working alongside the companys three other Licensed Real Estate Salesmen, Joseph Denker, Robert Gillis and James Gutentag. The addition of Alvarez has benefited the company by providing more opportunity for business in the northern part of the state. Alvarezs primary territories are Bergen and Passaic counties.

As a former restaurant owner for over 20 years, Alvarez has an impressive background in the restaurant industry. Before deciding to obtain his New Jersey State Real Estate License, he co-developed and co-owned the popular, Romanza Restaurant in River Vale, New Jersey as well as founded, owned and operated, Bachetto Feast in Nanuet, New York and Westwood, New Jersey. Read more about David A. Alvarez in Meet the Salesman on Bielat Santore & Companys blog at https://bielatsantoreandcompany.wordpress.com/.

About Bielat Santore & Company

Bielat Santore & Company is an established commercial real estate firm. The companys expertise lies chiefly within the restaurant and hospitality industry, specializing in the sale of restaurants and other food and beverage real estate businesses. Since 1978, the principals of Bielat Santore & Company, Barry Bielat and Richard Santore, have sold more restaurants and similar type properties in New Jersey than any other real estate company. Furthermore, the firm has secured in excess of $500,000,000 in financing to facilitate these transactions. Visit the companys website, http://www.123bsc.com for the latest in new listings, property searches, available land, market data, financing trends, RSS feeds, press releases and more.Beginning with Sommers Schwartz's founders, our attorneys have earned the respect of clients, colleagues, judges, and opposing counsel alike. Having Judy and Dina among our ranks only heightens the firm's reputation for excellence.

Sommers Schwartz P.C., a leading contingency-based litigation law firm, is pleased and proud to announce that Judith A. Susskind and Dina M. Zalewski have joined the practice.

"Judy is not only an outstanding lawyer who delivers impressive results, but she is also well-regarded by attorneys on both sides of the courtroom," said Richard L. Groffsky, head of Sommers Schwartz's Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice, and Birth Injury Litigation groups. "We are thrilled that she and Dina have brought their talents to our firm."

Over the course of a career spanning more than 30 years, Ms. Susskind has successfully represented clients and families in a wide variety of medical malpractice lawsuits, obtaining numerous favorable outcomes for injuries caused by the negligence of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers. A recognized leader among Michigan's trial lawyers, she is an executive board member and past president of the Michigan Association for Justice (previously known as the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association), has been inducted into the prestigious, invitation-only American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), and was honored by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a "Lawyer of the Year" in 2004. Thomson Reuters named Ms. Susskind to the Michigan Super Lawyers list each year since 2006, and in 2015 and 2017, Best Lawyers named her the metropolitan Detroit "Lawyer of the Year" for medical malpractice. She is also active in the Oakland County Bar Association, is a fellow of the Oakland County Bar Foundation, and currently serves on the State Bar of Michigan's Judicial Qualifications Committee. Ms. Susskind joins Sommers Schwartz as a shareholder.

Dina Zalewski is an associate at the firm, focusing on personal injury and medical malpractice matters. After she was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan, Ms. Zalewski opened her own practice. She later joined a noted civil litigation firm where she helped to obtain several significant outcomes for clients harmed as the result of physician and hospital negligence, spinal cord and brain injuries, motor vehicle accidents, dog bites, premises liability, slip and fall injuries, and wrongful death.

"Beginning with Sommers Schwartz's founders, our attorneys have earned the respect of clients, colleagues, judges, and opposing counsel alike," said Joseph H. Bourgon, Sommers Schwartz's Chief Executive Officer. "Having Judy and Dina among our ranks only heightens the firm's reputation for excellence."

______________________________________________

Sommers Schwartz, P.C., a law firm located in Southfield, Michigan, represents individuals in Michigan and across the country who have been harmed as a result of medical errors, defective products, loss of employment, and other forms of negligence or intentional injury, as well as businesses involved in complex litigation matters that jeopardize their existence. Additional information about Sommers Schwartz can be found on its website: http://www.sommerspc.com.PharmD 18 graduate Grace MyAnh Tran celebrates after receiving her diploma. (Jeff Malet, WesternU)

Western University of Health Sciences kicked off three days of Commencement ceremonies by awarding diplomas to about 200 College of Dental Medicine and College of Pharmacy graduates Wednesday, May 23, 2018 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California.

Amid the pomp and circumstance, graduates reflected on their accomplishments.

Everything in my life is a miracle, said College of Dental Medicine graduate Aleksey Kozlov, DMD 18. The way I came to the United States is a miracle, how I got into dental school is a miracle, and how Im standing here is also a miracle.

He identified his wife, Anna, as a key supporter during his time in dental school.

My wife needs a trophy or a diploma because shes been there while I was away from home, coming home at midnight regularly, and shes just been so patient, Kozlov said.

The Commencement keynote speaker was Stanley M. Bergman, chairman of the board and CEO of Henry Schein Inc., the worlds largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental, animal health, and medical practitioners, with more than 22,000 Team Schein Members and operations or affiliates in 34 countries.

He provided graduates with inspirational quotes, and offered some of the advice that has helped him during his career.

The most important way in which you can advance your goals, be it in private practice, academics, research, public health, or whatever you want to do, is to focus on relationships with people, Bergman said. You have to show concern for people and be authentic and genuine, and really understand that is something people appreciate.

Quoting Eleanor Roosevelt, Bergman urged the graduates to Do one thing every day that scares you, and to not be satisfied with mastering a procedure or a particular piece of science.

Get out of your comfort zone every single day of your life, Bergman said. When you are comfortable, you are not making progress. When you are uncomfortable you are moving yourself and those around you.

Bergman then quoted Robert F. Kennedy  Some people see things the way they are and ask why. I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?  and noted that the sentiment goes hand in hand with Eleanor Roosevelts notion of challenging yourself, Bergman said. If you have a vision and an idea, ask yourself why not. Dont let anyone stand in your way. You are so well positioned to make a difference in this world. You can advance health care. In the words of Nelson Mandela, It always seems impossible until its done.

Per WesternU Commencement tradition, graduates invited family members or friends to join them onstage to place an academic hood on their shoulders after they received their diplomas. College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific graduate Michael Bowie, DO 18, and College of Pharmacy graduate Violet Valencia, PharmD 18, are doing the honors for each other at their respective ceremonies. They met at Walgreens as pharmacy technicians more than 10 years ago, and are now engaged.

We got into WesternU at the same time, so it was amazing the way it all worked out and that we were able to do it all together, Bowie said. Shes overcome so many barriers to get to this point. Shes an amazing person. Im very proud of her and very honored to be able to hood her and that she invited us to do this.

Bowie and Valencias mother, Sherri Stokes, shared hooding duties at the College of Pharmacy ceremony, lowering the doctoral garment over Valencias head and placing it on her shoulders.

Now well have two doctors in the family, Stokes said. I am fulfilled. Its all meant something. It will make me cry.

Commencement ceremonies continue with the College of Allied Health Professions and the College of Podiatric Medicine later today. The College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Graduate Nursing and the College of Optometry will follow on Thursday, May 24. WesternUs Pasadena ceremonies conclude with the Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences and the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific at 9:30 a.m. Friday, May 25.

About 100 COMP-Northwest graduates will celebrate Commencement June 1, 2018 on WesternUs Lebanon campus. When the COMP-Northwest ceremony concludes, WesternU will have 15,465 alumni.

WesternUs Commencement ceremonies are broadcast live online. Click here to watch the ceremonies: https://commencement.westernu.edu/pomona/ceremony-webcast/

About Western University of Health Sciences

Western University of Health Sciences (http://www.westernu.edu), located in Pomona, Calif. and Lebanon, Ore., is an independent nonprofit health professions university, conferring degrees in biomedical sciences, dental medicine, health sciences, medical sciences, nursing, optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, podiatric medicine and veterinary medicine. WesternU is home to the Patient Care Center, where the best in collaborative health care services is offered. The Chronicle of Higher Education named WesternU a Great College to Work For in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017."We are honored to be named one of Inc. Magazines Best Workplaces of 2018. We couldnt have done this without the support of all of our employees who contribute daily to make VideoAmp the place it is today, said Ross McCray, Co-Founder & CEO, VideoAmp.

VideoAmp, the software and data company that is powering the convergence of linear TV and digital video advertising, has been named one of Inc. Magazines Best Workplaces for 2018, the publications third annual ranking in the fast-growing private company sector.

Hitting newsstands today in the June 2018 issue, and as part of a prominent inc.com feature, the award is the result of a wide-ranging and comprehensive measurement of private American companies who have created exceptional workplaces through vibrant cultures, deep employee engagement, and stellar benefits. Out of thousands of applicants, Inc. singled out just under 300 winning companies.

Built in partnership with employee engagement and work culture experts Quantum Workplace of Omaha, NE, Inc.s Best Workplaces list is a magnifying glass on how innovative companies can truly raise the bar in hiring and retaining the best talent.

What does it take to become a company that workers want to be part of? Inc. magazine says its more than good pay and good perks  its also about having a clear purpose, a sense of humor, and leadership that makes them all work together.

It all comes down to people. Behind your numbers, code base, products, and customer support, are your people. We believe the most important part of running a business is putting your people first and ruthlessly ensuring there is an environment conducive for high performance, engagement and fulfillment. If your people are happy and proud to work for their company, the rest will fall into place. We are honored to be named one of Inc. Magazines Best Workplaces of 2018. We couldnt have done this without the support of all of our employees who contribute daily to make VideoAmp the place it is today, said Ross McCray, Co-Founder & CEO, VideoAmp.

The 2018 Inc. Best Workplaces Awards assessed applicants on the basis of benefits offered and employees responses to a unique, 30-question survey fielded by each of the applying companies. Responses were evaluated by the research team at Quantum Workplace. For its results to qualify, each company had to achieve a statistically significant response rate based on employee count. Survey scores account for employer size to level the playing field between small and large businesses. All companies had to have minimum of 10 employees and to be U.S.-based, privately held, and independent  that is, not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies.

While researching the entries, Inc. and Quantum saw distinct themes develop:



Strong company cultures breed stunning individual and team performance.

Workers at the best companies dont view their employers as sugar daddies. They arent mesmerized by whatever giveaways seem to be the latest fadbe it gourmet lunches or beer fridges.

When employees feel valued by their organization, they are far more likely to be engaged. This single factor proved to be one of the largest drivers of employee engagement.

By including an employee survey into this years Best Workplaces selection process, weve really raised the bar. Companies that dont score at the very top of their peer group dont make the cut. So, our hats are off to the winners. They all excelled at engaging their workers, making them feel appreciated, and aligning them behind a mission. And remember, thats not just our opinion: The employees told us that themselves, says James Ledbetter, Inc. editor-in-chief.

About VideoAmp, Inc.

VideoAmp is the software and data solutions company powering the convergence of the linear TV and digital video advertising. VideoAmps software solutions are designed to enable marketers and content owners to holistically plan, transact, and measure deduplicated audiences across digital video, OTT, connected and linear TV advertising. Its data solutions connect linear TV viewership with addressable data assets to benefit the marketing and media industries. VideoAmp is backed by Mediaocean, RTL Group and six other top venture capital firms. For more information, visit http://www.videoamp.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

About Inc. Media

Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today's innovative company builders. Winner of Advertising Ages The A-List in January 2015, and the National Magazine Award for General Excellence in both 2014 and 2012. Total monthly audience reach for the brand has grown significantly from 2,000,000 in 2010 to over 20,000,000 today. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com/.

About Quantum Workplace

Quantum Workplace is an HR technology company that serves organizations through employee engagement surveys, action-planning tools, exit surveys, peer-to-peer recognition, performance evaluations, goal tracking, and leadership assessment. For more information, visit http://www.quantumworkplace.com.Metal Structure Concepts has been in the pre-engineered steel building business for 16 years. We're a customer service business, and taking care of our clients is what we strive for.

A Kelowna company that specializes in pre-engineered steel buildings wants the world to know that it is serious about operating with transparency and integrity. Metal Structure Concepts (MSC) recently underwent a successful application to obtain its Dynamic Seal from the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

The Dynamic Seal demonstrates a company's commitment to operating in good faith, which includes: establishing a positive performance record in the steel building industry; advertising its products and services honestly and accurately; and addressing any disputes with clients quickly and professionally.

In order to obtain the seal, Steve Ivanitz, company owner, worked with a representative from the bureau to ensure that MSC's operating policies and website content aligned with what's expected from the organization. The process also included a review of the company's operating history.

"We've built up a reputation in our industry, and this accreditation is another way of demonstrating that we really value our customer relationships," says Ivanitz, who formed the company in 2002. "We're a customer service business, and taking care of our clients is what we strive for."

Having met the accreditation criteria, MSC can now display the BBB Dynamic Seal on the company website, and on other online marketing materials and platforms, such as Facebook and email. Clients can click the logo, which will link them directly to the business review page on the BBB website. This displays MSC's overall rating (which is currently an A+), any consumer reviews and basic company information.

"Our customers can look us up with a click of a button and verify that we are who we say we are, from a reliable source," says Ivanitz.

While the company is headquartered in Kelowna, MSC designs and erects pre-engineered steel buildings all over Western Canada. In all his time with the company, Ivanitz has never had a dissatisfied customer. It's one of the reasons he enjoys plenty of repeat business and word-of-mouth advertising.

Ivanitz has had clients who've raised concerns over the years, but he's always strived to resolve them. He used Lawrence Meat Packing Co., located in Dawson Creek, as an example. Owner Dan Strasky had the MSC crew erect new offices and cold-storage facility. Sometime after the prefab buildings were complete, Strasky noticed that one of gutter systems had developed a leak.

He called Ivanitz to notify him of the problem, who responded by dispatching a work truck to make the 12-hour journey north to rectify it.

"I had a guy up there within a week. Dan told me: 'I didn't think I'd ever hear from you again,'" says Ivanitz, noting that MSC's three-year, in-house warranty is the best in the business. "Other companies might not have done that because you're out of pocket for fuel, time and wages. But we stick to our word and we take care of our clients for years down the road."

Lawrence Meats later used MSC a second time to build a sausage kitchen and packing facility expansion, and Ivanitz believes the standard of customer service that Strasky experienced with the first project played a large part in his decision.

In his testimonial for MSC, Strasky said: "A big thing that stood out to us was their adaptability to our design/project requirements and requests. Without a doubt, we would most definitely use and recommend MSC."

About Metal Structure Concepts

Since its inception in 2002, MSC has been designing and erecting pre-engineered steel buildings across Western Canada, and beyond. By combining a talented team of in-house designers with highly trained field workers, MSC carries out installations to rigorous standards, guaranteeing a professional product that looks, performs and lasts exactly as intended. MSC creates innovative steel building plans to suit any industry or application, including industrial, commercial, mini-storage, retail, agricultural, and community-multi-purpose.

For more information, contact:

Steven Ivanitz

Owner, Metal Structure Concepts

1-800-979-2993

steve[at]mscsteel[dot]com

http://www.mscsteel.comObtaining the TAPA FSR Level A certification further reflects Smiths overall dedication to helping keep the global electronics supply chain secure.

Smith, a global distributor of electronic components and semiconductors, announces its certification to the TAPA FSR Level A standard. This certification recognizes Smiths facilities for the proper storage and handling of HVTT (high-value theft targeted) assets, such as electronics.

The FSR Level A certification is TAPAs highest achievement of security measures pertaining to the handling, warehousing, and shipping of product. Security professionals within the high-tech industry have instituted stringent Facility Security Requirements (FSR) that define the minimum acceptable standards for supply chain security throughout the industry.

Ensuring that product is delivered safely remains a core focus of Smiths operations department. Dedication to this objective reflects Smiths diligence to support its customers and partners with the industrys best practices.

Smith has already established a commitment to keep the supply chain free from dangerous items with our C-TPAT certification, said Kirk Wehby, Smiths Chief Operating Officer. Obtaining the TAPA FSR Level A certification further reflects Smiths overall dedication to helping keep the global electronics supply chain secure.

Safeguarding our customers product is one of Smiths top priorities, continued Wehby. As a supply chain partner, Smith has the responsibility to uphold and maintain security standards that our worldwide network of customers can trust.

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One feature of NitroDefender's visualizer, which shows all devices on a network and the data flow between them. Turning on NitroDefender and observing how it operates has been a great experience for our team. Powerful visualization coupled with NitroDefenders ability to combat even previously unknown cyber attacks is a game changer for our industry.

Nitro Solutions, the first company to apply unsupervised neural networks to cyber defense, today announced that Moffitt Cancer Center has deployed NitroDefender to protect its network from rapidly-evolving cybercrime and gain complete visibility into its security environment.

Moffitt is one of the top 10 leading cancer research hospitals in the nation, with more than 5,700 employees and a $2.1 billion impact on Floridas economy. NitroDefender will help protect the organizations critical infrastructure and intellectual property, including research methodologies, treatment processes, and confidential records across the cancer centers networks.

Turning on NitroDefender and observing how it operates has been a great experience for our team, Moffitts chief information security officer said. Powerful visualization coupled with NitroDefenders ability to combat even previously unknown cyber attacks is a game changer for our industry.

Immediately upon installing NitroDefender, Moffitt gained a 3D visualization of its entire network, including all firewalls, endpoints, systems and IoT devices. The intuitive, graphical interface let Moffitts team easily view and understand their network and threat surface, allowing for optimization and security efficiencies. Since operation, NitroDefender has been able to successfully detect and warn against harmful network activity much faster than other solutions, making the security operations center much more efficient.

Unfortunately, healthcare organizations are at increasingly high risk for cyberattacks, as the information they store is exceptionally valuable to malicious actors. Where medical professionals and research scientists see opportunities to help others, hackers only see opportunities for illicit profits and mayhem, with no moral qualms about how many people they hurt.

Nitro provides a predictive, deep-learning approach with NitroDefender, its advanced AI-powered cybersecurity solution. It provides full-spectrum protection against all cyberattacks, evolving with the threat landscape to protect against internal, external, and even previously unknown threats. NitroDefender is exponentially more powerful than traditional machine-learning solutions, as it builds and refines its own understanding of each network it monitors instead of depending on its engineers to decide what is important in the massive amount of network data it observes.

Were extremely proud to help Moffitt protect the sensitive information of thousands of patients and researchers, said Pete Slade, Nitros founder and CTO. Moffitt has proven itself an industry leader time and time again, and we could not be more excited to have them as a customer.

To learn more about NitroDefender, please visit http://www.nitrosolutions.com.

About Nitro Solutions:

Nitro Solutions is the first company to apply unsupervised deep neural networks to cybersecurity, revolutionizing how organizations protect themselves with NitroDefender. Nitros security technology and services provide comprehensive, predictive protection against all threats, including advanced and emerging threats, insider attacks, ransomware, malware and more. Powered by AI, Nitro delivers next-generation threat identification, accelerated response and threat prevention capabilities that keep data safe from even the most elite cyber actors. For more information, visit http://www.nitrosolutions.comBVM (http://www.brazosvalleymarketing.com), a certified UpCity partner that recently won a 2018 American Small Business Championship award, is set to co-host an exclusive networking event in Houston.

The event is co-hosted and sponsored by Small Business Network Connections. Members are invited to ask a business professional to attend with them as a guest. Members and their guests will enjoy complimentary drinks, light refreshments, door prizes, and a lot of company-building networking opportunities.

The previous networking event was a success; BMV and Small Business Network Connections expect a full house once again.

"The Small Business Network Connections event was a great format for networking and I made a couple of key connections to great referral partners, says Michelle Kalkhoff of CWPA Inc. I particularly liked how the room sponsors had the opportunity to highlight their specific businesses, and foot traffic through each room was a given.

This networking event stood out from other events I have attended, agreed Derrell Norris of FreshTech Solutions. I really liked how we were able to explore the different rooms and learn about various companies in a small individual environment. I will definitely be attending the next Small Business Network Connections event.

To learn more about this event, visit http://www.brazosvalleymarketing.com/houston-seo-event-may31.html.

About BVM:

BVM was founded with the local business owner in Houston and Sugar Land, TX in mind, and helps both those starting out and those already established take their business to the next level through web design, social media marketing, lead generation, unquiet content generation, AdWords, SEO and more.

Contact Details:

Dustin Ogle

BVM

5850 San Felipe Street

Suite 500

Houston, TX 77057

Phone: 979-272-6991

Email: dustin(at)brazosvalleymarketing.com

Source: Brazos Valley Marketing (BVM)Parchman Law Group, Woodlands and Houston area family lawyers, are helping to build families through adoption.

Adoption is a wonderful way to grow a family, says founder Jon Parchman. The process unites a child in need of loving parent(s) with adults that have so much love to give to a child. However joyful the experience is, there are also a lot of legal, technical, and difficult issues to discuss. Additionally, in Texas, the birth parents must be willing to completely surrender their parental rights. With all of the variables at play, its important to have an experience child adoption lawyer on your side.

Parchman Law Group covers all areas of adoption, from adult to infant, domestic to international, open and closed, and the adoption of step children. The firms kind but firm and no-nonsense approach is appreciated by clients and colleagues alike.

To get the guidance of a family lawyer in the Texas area to help with a child adoption case, please visit parchmanlaw.com/adoption. To learn more about Parchman Law Group, visit parchmanlaw.com/about-us.

About Parchman Law Group

Parchman Law Group specializes in all aspects of family law, including: divorce, child custody, property and asset division, custody modification, and appeals. The firms managing partner has appeared on Dr. Phil, and the team well known across The Woodlands and Houston for its expert and diligent attention to each case.

Contact Details:

Parchman Law Group PLLC

300, 21 Waterway Ave

The Woodlands, Texas

77389

Parchman Law Group PLLC

1700 Post Oak Blvd, 2 Blvd. Place, Suite 600

Houston, Texas 77056

Phone: 713-518-1902

Source: Parchman Law Group

###"Training in upset prevention and recovery is critical for pilots to be fully prepared for any unexpected, time-critical flight situation that could occur in-flight..."

Aviation Performance Solutions LLC (APS), a global provider of Upset Prevention & Recovery Training (UPRT), is pleased to award the 2018 Upset Prevention and Recovery Training Scholarship to Jake Ribbe, a student at LeTourneau University.

Jake is working toward a B.S. in Professional Flight, Maintenance Concentration. He currently works as a dispatch manager for LeTourneau University, and he has also recently completed an aviation internship with a major corporation.

Every year, APS offers its UPRT scholarship to a deserving pilot currently in flight school or just starting their professional aviation career. The Professional Pilot Upset Training course provides comprehensive UPRT, integrating academics and on-aircraft instruction to mitigate the risk of Loss of Control-Inflight (LOC-I), the number one cause of fatalities across all sectors of aviation. Properly delivered UPRT compliments certification training by ensuring pilots have a deep understanding of upset causes  with critical focus on prevention  and are trained to proficiency in the often-counterintuitive skills necessary to recover from a developed airplane upset. Moreover, this training greatly improves overall handling skills.

Training in upset prevention and recovery is critical for pilots to be fully prepared for any unexpected, time-critical flight situation that could occur in-flight, said Paul Ransbury, President of APS. Providing this yearly scholarship opportunity allows us to give back to the aviation industry and accomplish the core APS purpose: to help pilots bring everyone home safely.

2019 APS Upset Training Scholarship  apply here: http://www.apstraining.com/scholarship/

About Aviation Performance Solutions

Aviation Performance Solutions LLC (APS), headquartered at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa, Arizona, trains thousands of professional pilots and instructors in comprehensive Upset Prevention and Recovery Training skill development. APS provides integrated LOC-I solutions via industry-leading computer-based, on-aircraft (jet and piston), and full-flight simulator Upset Prevention & Recovery Training (UPRT). All training is in full compliance with the Airplane Upset Recovery Training Aid, FAA Advisory Circular 120-109A on Stall Prevention and Recovery Training, ICAO Manual on Aeroplane Upset Prevention and Recovery Training, IATA Guidance Material and Best Practices for the Implementation of Upset Prevention and Recovery Training, and the FAA Advisory Circular 120-111 on Upset Prevention and Recovery Training. APS is the only Part 141 Flight School certified in the delivery of complete upset prevention & recovery, stall/spin and instrument upset recovery training courses worldwide. With additional training locations in Texas (USA), The Netherlands (Europe), and military division in Alabama (USA), APS provides global access to the highest quality Upset Prevention and Recovery Training available. Please visit our website at: apstraining.comConstructConnect is a leading provider of construction information and technology solutions in North America We are moving toward a more personalized user experience thats powered by access to more data, more connections and more tools in one place than ever before.

ConstructConnect, a leading provider of construction information, technology solutions and the developer of the iSqFt platform, announced today that they have acquired SmartBid from JBKnowledge.

SmartBid, a leading construction bid management solution for general contractors that streamlines subcontractor management and prequalification workflows, is one of three significant investments  including QuoteSoft and PlanSwift  recently made by ConstructConnect.

ConstructConnect has combined iSqFt and SmartBid to enable their collective customers to make the connections necessary to build and strengthen relationships, leverage project data and analytics to make better decisions while using more effective software to deliver projects more profitably.

We recognize general contractors need access to as many capable subcontractors as possible in the markets they serve to be positioned for success, said Dave Conway, President and CEO, ConstructConnect. The combination of these businesses will provide our customers access to many more subcontractors who have the capacity to complete their projects.

Bringing together iSqFt and SmartBid is great news for our GCs and Subs, said James Benham, CEO of JBKnowledge. Our General Contractors will have access to a significantly larger pool of active subcontractors as they reach into newer markets and our subcontractors will have more opportunities on which to bid. 

ConstructConnect will continue to support and improve both iSqFt and SmartBid going forward. JBKnowledge will continue to offer industry related services and will remain headquartered in Bryan/College Station, Texas.

James and his entire team have worked hard to provide their customers with solutions that meet their preconstruction needs, explained Conway. Bringing these two leading bid management solutions together is an important step in our own transformation as we deliver our next generation platform that will combine our market leadership with new best-in-class software.

Conway concluded, We are moving toward a more personalized user experience thats powered by access to more data, more connections and more tools in one place than ever before.

About ConstructConnect

ConstructConnect is a leading provider of construction information and technology solutions in North America, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Roper Technologies, Inc. ConstructConnect is committed to transforming the way the construction industry does business by providing its customers the tools, information and connections needed to drive their success. ConstructConnect brings the construction industry together with the most complete, accurate and actionable construction data and tools to drive success in national, regional and local markets. For more information, visit constructconnect.com.Andrews Federal Credit Unions Rosalind Bishop is presented the award for Outstanding Support by Capt. Marcus Hunt and CMSgt Kimberly S. Turner, Command Chief 113th Wing.

Andrews Federal Credit Union recently sponsored the 2018 DC National Guard (DCNG) Military Ball, hosted by the 113th Wing DC Air National Guard and DC National Guard. Rosalind Bishop, Regional Manager, was presented with an "Outstanding Support" award from the DC National Guard Military Ball Committee.

This year's ball coincided with the D.C. National Guard's 216th birthday. In 1801, the Seventh Congress authorized the President to organize a militia of the District of Columbia, appoint its officers and call it to service in the same manner as state governors or executives. The law was approved May 3, 1802 with President Thomas Jefferson personally selecting the first officers of the unit. The ball's theme was, "Readiness then and now, remembering DCNG WWI veterans." The theme served to recognize the D.C. National Guard's First Separate Battalion.

These brave men and women defend the nations capital, and our nation at-large, said Bishop. It is an honor to support them in any way possible. Their recognition of our support is truly humbling.

About Andrews Federal Credit Union

Andrews Federal Credit Union was founded in 1948 to serve the needs of military and civilian personnel by providing a vast array of financial products and services. With over $1.5 billion in assets, Andrews Federal has grown to serve more than 120,000 members in the District of Columbia, Joint Base Andrews (MD), Springfield, Virginia (VA), Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (NJ), and military installations in central Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. In addition, the Credit Union serves as a financial partner with many select employee groups in Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia and New Jersey.

To learn more about Andrews Federal Credit Union and its community involvement, or to become a member, call 800.487.5500 or visit http://www.andrewsfcu.org.Ornellaia was in the spotlight at a benefit auction of 9 lots comprised of special bottles created by William Kentridge for Ornellaia 2015 Il Carisma - Vendemmia dArtista. Stephen Mould, Head of Sothebys Wine, Europe, presided at a gala dinner and auction which raised funds to benefit the host sponsoring the event, the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, directed by Tristram Hunt.

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Vendemmia dArtista project, Ornellaia invited South African artist William Kentridge to interpret the defining character of the vintage, Il Carisma (Charisma). Kentridge is internationally acclaimed for his drawings, films, sculptures, animations and performances, which he uses to transmute sobering political events into powerful poetic allegories.

Kentridge also created a site-specific masterpiece for the estate, customizing a limited series of 111 large-format bottles and designing special edition labels, including a special edition label for a unique Salmanazar bottle (9 litres) using circular anamorphic digital print. In addition  to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Vendemmia dArtista project  the special edition label will be reproduced on all Magnums and on the lids of their wooden cases. The drawings on the labels were executed on the pages of old Italian cash books found in flea markets and second-hand shops in the Tuscan area.

The centrepiece of the project is the wine: Ornellaia 2015 Il Carisma. The 30th vintage of Ornellaia truly lives up to its name. The fruit of a particularly well-balanced harvest season, 2015 is without doubt one of the great Ornellaia vintages. The characteristic deep color announces a wine of great texture and intensity, followed by a fruit-rich nose that is ripe and fresh at the same time, emphasized by classic balsamic and spicy hints. It is rich, dense and full-bodied on the palate, with an exceptional tannic texture. Dense, velvety and refined, this texture extends throughout the palate. The lengthy finish concludes with an impression of firmness and delicate hints of spice.

Like people of great Carisma (Charisma), wines of great vintages know how to impose themselves naturally, without force, their balance allowing them to shine without having to flaunt themselves.

Axel Heinz, Winemaker and Estate Director.

The images on the Ornellaia labels are essentially about the work of making wine, and mainly of the vendemmia, the grape harvest. The secateurs come from a memory of the one occasion I took part in a Tuscan vendemmia, when I spent six months in San Casciano outside Florence with my family. This made me understand the human labour involved in making the wine; though what I remember most strongly is the pleasure of the lunch prepared in the vineyards by the local farmers wife. A depth of flavour made by the combination of work and terroir. The aspects of wine-making that combine both manual craft and mechanical processes suggested the transformation of people into machines and machines into workers. This is part of an ongoing series of drawings and other work about human labour. The drawings are done on pages from various old Italian cash books found in flea markets and second-hand shops in the Tuscan area.

William Kentridge.

South African artist William Kentridge is a true Renaissance Man, a modern-day da Vinci who can lend his hand to drawing, printmaking, animation, sculpture, set design, opera, performance  the list goes on! The designs he has produced for Ornellaia combine so many elements of his work, including his repurposing of old Italian cash books and ongoing exploration of human labour and mechanics, which lend themselves so well to the tradition of winemaking, and to the history and impeccable standards of the Ornellaia estate in particular. The labels he has designed for Ornellaia draw on his Shadow Procession series, as seen in the public mural Triumphs and Laments on the banks of the Tiber in Rome, and his latest performance work The Head and the Load, which premiers in London this summer. One lucky bidder will even get to take home an anamorphic digital print, which only assumes its proper form only when reflected in a mirrored cylinder, in this case making clever use of the form of the Salmanazar wine bottle itself. I think it is no underestimation to say Kentridge is one of the most exciting and versatile artists in the world today, as evidenced in this very special project.

Hannah OLeary, Sothebys Head of Modern and Contemporary African Art.

The V&A is thrilled to host Ornellaia, Sothebys, and the renowned artist William Kentridge, as they present the 10th edition of Vendemmia dArtista. We are honoured that Ornellaia have chosen the V&A for this spectacular event and we are hugely grateful for its generous support.

Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A, Victoria & Albert Museum.

Sothebys Wine is proud to participate in our tenth collaboration with Ornellaias superb Vendemmia dArtista art program. We have enjoyed incredibly special events in New York (2010 & 2017), Hong Kong (2012), London (2013), Toronto (2014), Basel (2015) and Los Angeles (2016), each of which was wholly unique and exciting, in the same way that every vintage has its own distinct character. The evening combines great wines and great works of art, culminating in a live benefit auction, where we will raise funds for the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). These unique large-format bottles will find homes in new cellars and will always remind their new owners of the joys of bringing wine, food, art and friendship together. This is a time for fun, celebration and generosity.

Jamie Ritchie, Worldwide Head of Sotheby's Wine.

Sothebys is honoured to support the 10th anniversary edition of Ornellaias Vendemmia dArtista, a wonderful project which stimulates the senses with its unique fusion of art and wine. The marriage of one of Italys greatest wines with a leading contemporary artist for an excellent cause is a celebratory event, and this years special edition scales the heights in bringing together an exceptional vintage, the renowned artist William Kentridge, and a world-famous and beloved museum.

Stephen Mould, Senior Director, Head of Sothebys Wine, Europe.

Today, as the Vendemmia dArtista marks its 10th year, it continues to attract funds for the restoration of artworks belonging to our universal heritage. In this ten editions we have succeeded in donating more two million euros across the globe, just a small drop perhaps, but there is much more to come.

Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja, CEO Ornellaia.

The curators of the Vendemmia dArtista project are Bartolomeo Pietromarchi, Director of Maxxi Museum in Rome, and Maria Alicata.

About Vendemmia dArtista

The Vendemmia dArtista project celebrates the unique character of each new Ornellaia vintage. Each year since the release of Ornellaia 2006 in May 2009, a contemporary artist has created a site-specific work of art and a series of limited edition labels, drawing inspiration from the word chosen by the winemaker to describe the character of the new vintage. The Vendemmia dArtista project includes a label created by the artist for a single bottle in each wooden case of Ornellaia (containing six 750ml bottles). As in previous years, the project provides for a limited edition of 111 large-size bottles (100 Double Magnums (3L), 10 Imperials (6L) and 1 Salmanazar (9L)), each individually numbered and signed by the artist. Each year, a selection of the custom-created bottles, with their labels designed and signed personally by the artist, is the object of both charity and for-profit auctions conducted by SOTHEBYS, all extremely coveted occasions by art and wine collectors; the auction proceeds are donated to art foundations around the world. From ORNELLAIA 2006 to the present, we have donated a charity auction total of more two million euros, which have gone to the Whitney Museum in New York, the Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan, the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, the H2 Foundation in Hong Kong and Shanghai, the Royal Opera House in London, the AGO Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, Fondation Beyeler of Basel, Hammer Museum of Los Angeles and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation of New York.

About The Victoria and Albert Museum

The V&A is the worlds leading museum of art, design and performance. It was established to make works of art available to all and to inspire British designers and manufacturers. Today, the V&As collections  which span over 5000 years of human creativity in virtually every medium  continue to intrigue, inspire and inform. The Museum holds many of the UKs national collections and houses some of the greatest resources for the study of architecture, furniture, fashion, textiles, photography, sculpture, painting, jewelry, glass, ceramics, book arts, Asian art and design, theatre and performance.For over 100 years, Ben Bridge has been committed to delivering the highest quality jewelry, curated from around the world and exemplary customer service  we needed a business solution provider that would understand the importance of this commitment, said Lynnette Frank, CFO of Ben Bridge.

Leaving Legacy Technology Behind, Ben Bridge Continues to Offer Customers the Ultimate in Luxury

Hitachi Solutions America, a leading provider of global industry solutions powered by the Microsoft Cloud, announced today its new partnership with fine jeweler Ben Bridge.

Ben Bridge Jeweler, a luxury retailer with over 90 stores in the United States and Canada and one of the largest Pandora Jewelry franchisees in North America, chose Hitachi Solutions America to support their digital transformation with the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations and Customer Engagement. This move signals a massive shift in the companys growth as they leave legacy technology behind and unify in-store and back-office operations, aiming to provide superior customer service and improve retail operations through the introduction of a modern store experience and new capabilities such as in-store clienteling and enhanced analytics.

We are excited to partner with Ben Bridge on their digital transformation journey, said Chris Alagna, Senior Vice President at Hitachi Solutions America. Were proud that our expertise in developing and implementing powerful retail solutions, and our teams customer-first dedication, have made Hitachi Solutions America a go-to partner for high-end retailers. We very much look forward to working with Ben Bridge on this exciting path of innovation and advancement.

Ben Bridge chose Hitachi Solutions America after a yearlong search and evaluation process. Hitachi Solution Americas experience in the luxury retail space, their global delivery capabilities along with their proven methodology and strong Microsoft partnership gave Ben Bridge confidence in the teams ability to successfully implement a full-scale, end-to-end solution.

For over 100 years, Ben Bridge has been committed to delivering the highest quality jewelry, curated from around the world and exemplary customer service  we needed a business solution provider that would understand the importance of this commitment, said Lynnette Frank, CFO of Ben Bridge. Hitachi Solutions industry knowledge and focus on technology excellence were key factors in our choice of a business solution provider.

With the Microsoft Dynamics 365 solution in place, Ben Bridge will be able to leverage advanced clienteling capabilities, centrally manage merchandise, and optimize retail operations through enhanced analytics to drive customer satisfaction and increase employee productivity. Hitachi Solutions Americas tailored solution extends the capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Retail and POS to fulfill the needs of top tier retailers. Key areas include consignment, warranty handling, merchandising, layaway, and special orders and repairs. The luxury goods and specialty retail solution is powered by Dynamics 365, which offers enterprise ERP and CRM capabilities within a single, cloud-based business application. Ultimately, Dynamics 365 allows Ben Bridge to offer a true unified commerce experience with integration across all systems so they can maintain and grow their position as a leader within the jewelry retail space.

About Hitachi Solutions America, Ltd.

Hitachi Solutions America, Ltd. helps its customers successfully compete with the largest global enterprises using powerful, easy-to-use, and affordable industry solutions built on the Microsoft Cloud and enhanced with world class Business Analytics, Portals, and Collaboration. Hitachi Solutions America provides global capabilities with regional offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, India, Japan, China, and Asia Pacific. For more information, call 888-618-1521 or visit: http://us.hitachi-solutions.com.

About Hitachi Solutions, Ltd.

Hitachi Solutions, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a core member of Information & Telecommunication Systems Company of Hitachi Group and a recognized leader in delivering proven business and IT strategies and solutions to companies across many industries. The company provides value-driven services throughout the IT life cycle from systems planning to systems integration, operation and maintenance. Hitachi Solutions delivers products and services of superior value to customers worldwide through key subsidiaries in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, India, China, and Asia Pacific. For more information on Hitachi Solutions, please visit: http://www.hitachi-solutions.com.

About Ben Bridge Jeweler

For over a hundred years, Ben Bridge Jeweler has had a singular mission: to help customers celebrate their special moments. With a commitment to quality jewelry, the highest values, and exceptional personal service, we have brought a lasting sparkle to those days you want to remember forever--from engagements to anniversaries, births to birthdays, promotions to just because moments of self-celebration, and more. It is our honor and our privilege to be a part of your moments and your milestones in over 90 retail stores in 11 states including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, as well as British Columbia. We also serve customers online across the country through BenBridge.com. #ForLifeBenBridgeTrumpet has invested in a dedicated research department that is home to Ph.D.-level researchers and thought leaders who are changing the way that ABA therapy is provided around the United States.

Trumpet Behavioral Health, a nationwide network of applied behavior analysis (ABA) providers and thought leaders, will present new ABA research at the 2018 Annual Convention for the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABA-I) in San Diego on May 24-28. The abstracts accepted for poster and oral presentations are the result of collaborative research involving Trumpet practitioners and researchers. In addition to these presentations, Paula Braga-Kenyon, Ph.D., will participate in a panel discussion on interacting with different cultures when delivering ABA therapy.

Trumpet Behavioral Health is committed to improving the lives of children with autism and their families by providing ABA therapy and advancing the field with research. says Ned Carlson, Trumpet Behavioral Health chief executive officer. Trumpet has invested in a dedicated research department that is home to Ph.D.-level researchers and thought leaders who are changing the way that ABA therapy is provided around the United States.

New ABA Research on Stimulus Equivalence, Literature Access and Instructive Feedback

In addition to Dr. Braga-Kenyons participation in the panel discussion on May 28 at 8:00 AM, which is entitled Crossing the Borders With Behavior Analysis: Barriers Encountered by Our Workforce When Interacting With Different Cultures, the following presentations are also scheduled at the convention:

Stimulus Equivalence: From Conceptual Issues to Translational Research. During this symposium on May 28 at 11:00 AM, Dr. Braga-Kenyon will discuss the work of four research groups with the focus on different dimensions of behavioral analysis as they pertain to research on stimulus equivalence. The discussion will focus on conceptual, experimental and translational research.

A Model for Increasing Access to Literature in Human Service Agencies. Jessica Juanico, Ph.D., BCBA-D and Amber Valentino, Psy.D., BCBA-D, will describe the development of a literature request system for a large service agency and how it promotes ethical behavior. This is part of the symposium on May 26 at 11:00 AM that is called Seeking Guidance in Clinical Practice: The Scholarly Literature and Ethics.

Using Instructive Feedback to Teach Untrained Operants: This poster presentation by Sarah Veazey, BCBA, and other members of the Trumpet team will highlight research conducted with a single participant that explored whether instructive feedback presented following a tact trial would aid in the acquisition of intraverbal repertoire.

About Trumpet Behavioral Health

Trumpet Behavioral Health offers evidence-based applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities. A team of more than 950 passionate and highly skilled individuals, including numerous Ph.D. and Masters-level Board Certified Behavior Analysts and Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts, provides center-based, school-based and home-based services throughout Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Ohio and Texas. For more information, please visit http://www.TBH.com.Welcome Guest! You Are Here:Here are 8 of the most surprising degrees Ghanaian stars have earned.

Eazzy - Marketing

Call her Eazzy and maybe add Baby to it and you just might catch her smiling back at you.

Eazzy; the female rapper had dreams of working in the airlines industry. At last, her dream was on course until it got crashed after aviation school, because the airline she had targeted was rocked with some challenges.

She then abandoned the aviation industry and went to pursue further studies at the Institute of Professional Studies in Ghana then joined the Chartered Institute of Marketing in England where she also studied French and Spanish. Eazzy graduated November 11, 2008 with a post graduate certificate in marketing from (CIM-UK), Birmingham, England.

Yvonne Nelson - Human Resource Management

Dont call her a material girl! The actress earned her Bachelors in Human Resource Management from the Central University. Human Resource Management is the term used to describe formal systems devised for the management of people within an organization. The responsibilities of a human resource manager fall into three major areas: staffing, employee compensation and benefits, and defining or designing work. Yvonne isn't doing any of these but being our screen goddess.

John Dumelo - Civil Engineering

The award winning actor John Dumelo had his secondary education at Achimota School and further studied at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, where he studied Civil Engineering.

Sandra Ankobea - Law

The TV host Sandra studied International and Commercial Law, with a specialising in World Trade, from the University of Buckingham (LLB, LLM). She returned to Ghana and studied at the Ghana School of Law from 2010 to 2012. In 2013 she became a Barrister at Law.

E.L- Political Science, Economics

He discovered music in high. After high school, he pursued a degree in economics and political science at the University of Ghana, Legon.

Kaakie - Nursing

Dancehall Queen Kaakie had her high school education at Achimota School where she was a member of the Scripture Union. Kaakie holds a BSc Midwifery degree from the University of Ghana.

Flowking Stone - Biochemistry

Kwaku Nsia Boama Known by his stage name as Flowking Stone is one of the sensational Hip-Life rappers. Flowking who studied in the Kwame Nkrumah university of science and technology says after few years of practicing as a BioChem engineer, he quit in order to have much time for music.

Joselyn DumasOver 10 powerful countries in the African Union dont celebrate or observe the African Day celebration as stipulated by the continents founding charter in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 1963.

On May 25, 1963, 30 founding nations of the African Union agreed to set aside every May 25 as the African Liberation Day.

The day was set aside to mark each year the onward progress of the liberation movement, and to symbolize the determination of the people of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation.

The powerful Africa countries who dont celebrate or observe the African Day celebration include South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Equatorial Guinea and Botswana.

ALSO READ: Here is a list of the 10 biggest economies in Africa

Biggest economies - Nigeria leads with a total GDP of $408.61 followed by South Africa with $370.89.

Highest per capita income - Equatorial Guinea with $40,718.

Biggest military- Egypt leads the continent with a total military personnel of 1,329,250; active personnel of 454,250 and reserve personnel of 875,000.

Biggest trading partner of US and EU- South Africa

Largest proven reserves of natural gas - Nigeria

Largest proven reserves of crude oil - Libya

However, only nine countries and members of the AU observe the African day celebration.

Currently, the AU, a continental union consists of all 55 countries on the African continent.The popular Ghanaian comedienne and TV host Afia's recent revelation on Mzbels Facebook live points to more bitterness between them.

The 'Political Police' host, Valentina Nana Agyeiwaa, has disclosed that her onetime best friend, Deloris Frimpong Manso aka Delay, influenced her to break up with her white boyfriend.

In a Facebook Live video, she disclosed to Mzbel that before she became Afia Schwarzenegger she was dating a white man from Australia.

According to Afia, Delay told her if she comes on TV and is seen dating a white man, people will say she is a prostitute, so she should break up with him.

I went with Delay, by then the white man was working in Australia, but we met in South Africa, and I came to Ghana with him. so I went to his house with Delay to break up with him. She said.

I said: Bruce I dont want to be with you again, I have chosen my career over you and I want to focus on it, I want to be a star, so, I dont want to be with you, and in shock he asked: What has fame got to do with dating?Afia narrated.

READ MORE: Ex lover of Nayas reveals the true character of the actress

He nearly cried, but I told him, you cant pretend to be crying, you cant blackmail me, and Delay advised that we walk out on him and bang the door behind us.Afia continued.

Afia indicated she later found out Delay was chasing a half-cast shortly after Delay had influenced her Afia to dump his white boyfriend, Bruce Which she added made her regret her actions.

Delay had a boyfriend called Kobby, but the next day we were going to Kumasi and I caught her proposing to this half-cast boy called George, hes not even half-cast, hes quarter cast.proposing to quarter-cast.They even had sex that same day. She stated.President Akufo-Addo has been tagged King Promise by his Political opponents for his continuous promises to the people of Ghana although he has failed to fulfil most promises made during the 2016 campaign.

Calling Akufo-Addo 'King Promise' is a plus to me  King Promise

But reacting to the fact that the President is called King Promise the artiste noted that its a good feeling to know the first gentleman of the land bears his name.

I laugh about it all the time, its a plus when people are calling the president with your name, it is cool, I will accept it like that, I dont have any problem about it, absolutely nothing, he stated.

READ MORE: Afia Schwarzenegger says Delay forced her to dump white boyfriend

The 'Selfish' hitmaker in an interview with Accra-based Class FM indicated that there is the need for investment in the creative arts industry to make it more lucrative for the masses.

We need a lot of support in the art industry, we need more money, more funding. Build centres like workshops where people can learn how to write music or play any kind of instrument," he continued.Earlier this week, several reports in the local media reported on the alleged arrest and detainment of an 18-month-old baby at Adidome in the Volta region.

The baby was reported to have attempted to poison her uncles son, who is five years old.

The story caused great shock among Ghanaians, with many taking to social media to wonder how a girl of that age could conceive such a plan, let alone execute it.

However, responding to the issue, the Ghana Police Service has denied reports that the law enforcement agency has detained an 18-month-old baby.

In a press statement, the Police said their information shows that on 26 March 2018, one Kuma Lawrencia of Adidome came to the station with her 14-year-old daughter and reported an assault case against Judith Yevuyibor, mother of an 18-month-old girl, for having assaulted the 14-year-old girl.

According to the Police, it was the mother of the 18-month-old baby that was reported and not the child, as speculated and widely reported.SideOneDummy RecordsThe Gaslight Anthem has announced The '59 Sound Sessions, a companion to the New Jersey band's 2008 sophomore album, The '59 Sound. The nine-track collection will be released on June 15.

The '59 Sound Sessions includes previously unreleased tracks, as well as early versions of The '59 Sound songs. Also included is a rendition of the folk standard "God's Gonna Cut You Down," most famously recorded by Johnny Cash.

After announcing a hiatus in 2015, The Gaslight Anthem announced earlier this year that they'd be reuniting for a tour in celebration of The '59 Sound's 10th anniversary. The tour begins May 27 in Washington, D.C.

Here's the track list for The '59 Sound Sessions:

"The '59 Sound"

"God's Gonna Cut You Down"

"Patient Ferris Wheel"

"Miles Davis & the Cool"

"Placeholder"

"High Lonesome"

"Great Expectations"

"Our Father's Sons"

"Film Noir"

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.A report by Tuko.co.ke indicated that 24-year-old Martin Charo had been jailed for 20 years after a court initially found him guilty of sleeping with a 13-year-old girl on numerous occasions.

However, the now ex-convict filed an appeal against the ruling. At the end of the appellate proceedings on Wednesday, May 23, Justice, Said Chitembwe who presided over the Malindi high court said the victim did not show any sign of disapproval to the sexual activity with the man, neither did she report it to anyone.

In his view the girls silence over the act and its frequency implies that she was fully enjoying the sex.

The judge quote the East African countrys Sexual Offences Act under which he said it was not the obligation of Martin Charo to go round trying to confirm the age of the victim vbefore having sex with her.

Justice Said Chitembwe said age becomes a non-issue and the girl seemed not to have been complaining.

Explaining his reasoning, the high court judge said courts will be unjustly putting men in prison for alleged defilements if they fail to take into consideration the conduct and mannerism of the victims involved.

He added that if verdicts regarding defilement are based only on the age of victims and the fact that there has been a sexual act involving them, girls could take undue advantage of the system to get men imprisoned as and when it pleases them.

Justice Said Chitembwe admitted that having listen to the testimony of the victim it was tempting to conclude that she was actually defiled, but a comprehensive review of her conduct in the entire so-called defilement cast doubt on her credibility.According to one of the passengers, Akporhuarho Amen who filmed the disturbing scene, the lady complied with the officers instructions except when he asked her to pour the contents of her bag on the floor.

In a widely circulated video, the police officer got infuriated and slapped the woman repeatedly amidst insults.

Other passengers are heard in the video saying Oga this is wrong, this is not fair, but the police officer even got more angry and raised his gun as though he wanted to hit the poor woman with it.

Akporhuarho Amen who posted the heartbreaking video on Instagram captioned it:

WE ARE NOT EVEN SAFE WITH THE POLICE This happened right now on my way to Benin,after the Army check point close to mercy land, police stopped our bus and asked this innocent looking guy n fine girl to come down, searched d guy from head to toe and even searched his phone.

Then searched the girls handbag and asked her to pour the content of her travelling bag on the floor (grass), when she insisted that its just her pant, clothes and cosmetics that is inside, he started harassing her and insulting her and saying we the passengers are not going anywhere admits our pleadings..

She finally poured the clothes on the floor and insisted that she cannot pour her pant on the floor, then he said the he was no longer looking at it again that we should wait and that she is too small and ugly to be talking to her, before we knew he started slapping her and even raised gun on her..

We couldnt get the full video because some people were saying they will seize our phones.

Another uniformed police officer is seen in the video watching his colleague abuse the civilian.

Owing to the fact thatAkporhuarho Amen filmed the video from behind the errant police officers it is hard to identify them by face.Mob injustice is deep-rooted in Africa which human right advocacy organisations have been crusading against over the years.

In this particular case, the horrific scenes were filmed and posted on Facebook by one Felix Iheme with the caption: A thief man wey cum our area,, see am he don make am..robbery no good.

The post quickly became viral as most Facebook users expressed disgust and condemned both Felix Iheme and the people who perpetrated the act.

One user, ItzCharles Joseph for instance wrote: He should have be given a second Chance.. Pray make government no capture your face and look for you beta remove this post

Another user, Uchechukwu Praise who could not hide her emotions said: That what happened, That you support those that took away someone created in the image of God?have God ever killed you for your sins before?However, when people who only slept five hours a night during the week compensated by snoozing nine hours a night on the weekends, their risk of death did not increase.

ALSO READ: Reasons you should have more of it

To conduct the study - which was published in the Journal of Sleep Research -scientists looked at data on sleep habits collected from more than 43,000 people under 65 years old.

Then, they studied death records taken 13 years after the initial data was obtained to determine if and how sleep habits impacted mortality.

Of course, other factors like education, body mass index, and smoking can take years off your life, so they accounted for those, too. Their conclusion? "Long weekend sleep may compensate for short weekday sleep."

So, what does this mean for you?

The study's findings might come as a surprise, since sleep experts have previously advised against trying to "catch up on sleep" on the weekend. Last year, sleep scientist Matthew Walker told NPR that sleep is not like a bank.

ALSO READ: Why more and more married couples are opening up their relationships

"You can't accumulate a debt and pay it off at a later point in time. If I were to deprive you of sleep an entire night, and then in a subsequent night give you all the sleep you want, you never get back all that you've lost," he said.

This new study changes that way of thinking.

"The results imply that short (weekday) sleep is not a risk factor for mortality if it is combined with a medium or long weekend sleep," the study authors wrote. "This suggests that short weekday sleep may be compensated for during the weekend, and that this has implications for mortality."

Of course, getting enough sleep every night is still ideal: The team found that people who slept six or seven hours consistently didn't heighten their risk of mortality.In a Facebook post, Franklin Cudjoe said he was scandalised by their findings.

He wondered when the actual owners of GVGKelni will appear and at least make comments on the allegations levelled against them.

READ ALSO: BoG to take final decision on struggling local banks in July

So, when will the real owners of GVGKelni show their faces and respond to the fact that they have been paid $7.5m out of our hard earned taxes, $178m for no work done? he asked.

He raised concerns about the change in address after IMANI brought the dubious deal to the limelight.

Mr Cudjoe also alleged that the company contrary to claims that GVGKelni is a telecom service provider it imports cement, iron rods and other items.

Well, all we know now is that from their websites they used to import and export goods and services like cement, iron rods and toilet bowls at least from their phony website which miraculously changed to having expertise in call monitoring in Liberia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Senegal, Congo and more.

Read Franklin's full write-up below

So, when will the real owners of GVGKelni show their faces and respond to the fact that they have been paid $7.5m out of our hard earned taxes, $178m for no work done?The association announced an indefinite strike on Monday, May 21, 2018, over the governments decision to implement a Cylinder Recirculation Model (CRM) policy.

They argued that the government had failed to take into consideration their grievances. They also accused the government of attempting to make them unemployed.

READ ALSO: Menzgold to open a new branch in Spain

After the beginning of the strike, the leadership of GLiPGOA, met with the Energy Minister and other stakeholders to address their issues.

The Vice President of the Association Mr Johnson Owusu told Daily Graphic that, "at a meeting with the Minister of Energy yesterday, we were presented with some options and although we are not satisfied, we will study them, discuss with our members and go back to the negotiating table."

In a statement issued by the Energy Ministry, it stated that the meeting was held between officials of the ministry, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), the leadership of GLiPGOA, representatives of LPG Marketing Companies and a representative of the Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMCs).

The statement added that companies that had completed the construction of authorised facilities be granted operating permits provided they were not in high-risk areas.

It added that compensation issues will be discussed at the committee level and that the modalities for paying compensation where required would be developed.

It also said the categorisation of risk into high and low risks would be expanded to include medium risk.

Low risk can do auto and bottle exchange; medium risk can do auto and bottle exchange provided they are upgraded to the standard of low risk, and high risk will do only bottle exchange.Young Rejoice Dornudenu was reportedly on the school field weeding when she was attacked by a man welding a cutlass.

The victim was butchered by the said man, sustaining severe cutlass wounds on her neck, chest and arms.

Accra-based Citi FM reports that the suspect, Wisdom Akude, 27, was earlier seen wandering on the field before the attack.

After hacking down the pupil, the suspect tried to flee the scene but was apprehended and handed over to the police.

The victim bled profusely after the attack and finally gave up the ghost upon arrival at the St Margarete Marquant Catholic Hospital, where she was sent for treatment.Counsel to the EFCC, Mr Johnson Ojoghame told the court that the defendants had between March 26 and 27, 2015 in Kano, conspired between themselves and received various sums of money without going through financial institutions.

He told the court that the money was issued out to the defendants by the Peoples Democratic Party and former petroleum minister Diezani Allison-Madueke.

The prosecutor said that the offences contravened sections 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (prohibition) Act 2011 as amended and punishable under section 16 (2)(b)of the same Act and Section 15(1) of money laundering Act.

The trio had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Their counsel, Mr Ologunolisa Sam (SAN) made a written bail application in respect of the defendants under Section 163 of the Criminal Justice Act 2015.

He said: The defendants were early in May 2016 invited by EFCC and at no time were they found wanting when they were granted bail.

If granted bail, the defendants would not jump bail, nor commit any offence and would not tamper with police investigation.

The Judge, Justice Zainab Abubakar-Bage granted the defendants bail in the sum of N100 million each with two reliable sureties in like sum.

She said that the first surety should have landed property within the jurisdiction of the court while the second surety should not be below the rank of a director.

The judge ordered the defendants to surrender their International passport and two recent passport size photographs to the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court.

The case has been adjourned to June 26, for trial.He claimed the mining company they were protecting, C and G Aleska had been written to by the Minerals commission to halt operations in the Juabo Forest.

He said the residents of Denkyira Obuasi had a frosty relationship with the company due to concerns they were degrading the forest.

READ MORE: Major Mahama trial begins as first witness testifies

The activities of this company became topical following the lynching of then Army Captain Maxwell Mahama by some residents of Denkyira Obuasi.

There has been a nationwide sympathy for the deceased soldier, but the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the Upper Denkyira West, Daniel Appianing appears to justify what many have condemned as a dastardly act.

He had claimed that as the head of the district security council (DISEC), he was not aware of the presence of the soldiers in his area, maintaining that the soldiers were there to rather protect activities of illegal miners (galamsey).

Mahama who was with the 5th Infantry of the Ghana Armed Forces and the detachment commander of troops on operational duties in the area was cruelly murdered by residents of Denkyira-Obuasi who suspected him to be an armed robber.

Lawyer Bernard Shaw on Thursday concluded his cross-examination of Major Mahama's Second in command WO II Sabi Kwasi.

WO Sabi under cross examination rejected the claim by lawyer Shaw that the military was deployed to the site because of the constant attacks on the company by the residents of Diaso.

He maintained they were simply deployed to protect the company, a task they carried out.

Shaw suggested to him a letter had been written by the Minerals Commission asking the company to halt its mining activities but WO II Sabi said he was unaware of any such a directive.The deceased, William Gbedze Tovor, was in the custody of the Sogakope police in the Volta Region.

According to Accra-based Citi FM, the deceased has been standing trial at the Sogakope Circuit court for his involvement in a series of robberies within the South Tongu district of the region.

READ ALSO: Angry residents attack Suame Police Station

He has been accused of raping a woman and abusing others at gunpoint.

William Gbedze Tovor used a piece of blanket meant for sleeping in the inner cells to tie his neck to a metal bar around a window on Wednesday when he was scheduled to reappear in court.

His colleague inmates woke up to the incident and informed the police officers on duty at the Charge Office.

The officers immediately came into the cell to cut off the blanket around the victims neck. He was rushed to the Comboni Hospital, at Sogakofe.

READ ALSO: Landlords demand sex as monthly rent

He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The body of the deceased has since been deposited at the hospital morgue pending an autopsy.I have seen President Mills fight corruption, I have seen President Rawlings do it, and I have seen President Mahama do it", he said.

"Even President Kufuor did it in the case of Mallam Issah. So if President Akufo-Addo is also doing it, let us support him to fight corruption, Mr Anyidoho said.

Koku, who was recently arrested for making treasonable comments about President Akufo-Addo surprisingly made this comments on Asempa FM on Wednesday.According to the Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Sam George, elements within the government encouraged influence peddling falsehood.

The MP's comments come at the back of an order by the President to the CID to arrest Kwesi Nyantakyi where A-Plus alleged that Nyantakyi's arrest is to divert attention from the heat on the Minister for Communications who's embroiled in the $89 million Kelni GVG shady deal.

It will be recalled that, the current DirectorGeneral of the CID was accused by A-Plus for covering corruption allegations against two Deputy Chiefs of Staff, Francis Asenso-Boakye and Samuel Abu Jinapor, during the investigations.

Sam George reacting to the corruption allegations on TV Africa said "Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, I am challenging you, if the voice put out there then is not your voice, arrest him [A-Plus] today! Arrest him for falsely representing you. If she doesnt then this means that she [Maame Yaa Tiwaa] knows that she cannot arrest him because the voice he put out there then was her voice, it is her voice."

He added: "If Maame Yaa Tiwaa thinks and is claiming that she didnt make those comments in one word or that the voices were doctored and pieced together then she should go and arrest him because it is a criminal offence. She cant, because she knows it is not true and that A-Plus is telling the truth."

Citing reference to Kennedy Agyapong and A-Plus, he said "There are two close friends of the president who have suggested that there is influence peddling and money exchanging hands to be able to get an audience with the president and get him to authorize him to get things done. Kwame A-Plus is a known friend of the president, he has carried and put himself out there for the president and he [Nana Addo] has not denied his relationship with him."

"Another very close friend of the president, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, is on record to have said that people around the president collect monies from him and facilitate meetings with him. Guess what he mentioned the deputy chief of staff," Sam George added.Manning said she is stunned now by the "dramatic change in policing style, and aggressive (government) surveillance."

It is "getting worse, especially in the United States," she added.

She urged programmers and computer scientists working on artificial intelligence and machine learning "to consider the ethical implications of the technology that they are building and developing."

Manning, now 30, was an army intelligence analyst sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 for leaking more than 700,000 classified documents related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The revelations by Manning, who is transgender and was then known as Bradley Manning, exposed covered-up misdeeds and possible crimes by US troops and allies.

Her actions made Manning a hero to anti-war and anti-secrecy activists, but US establishment figures branded her a traitor.With the deal Gazprom avoids billions in fines and offers a rare respite to tensions between the Russia and West that have worsened over Ukraine, the war in Syria and allegations of election meddling by the Kremlin.

The deal comes after Gazprom agreed to benchmark prices in eastern Europe against prices in the rest of Europe, and to drop clauses restricting the re-export of gas by clients.

The decision will infuriate eastern European energy players who fear the dominance of Gazprom and accuse Brussels of favouring the Russian giant with a special deal.

"Today's decision removes obstacles created by Gazprom, which stand in the way of the free flow of gas in Central and Eastern Europe," EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told a news briefing in Brussels.

Vestager insisted that the settlement imposed strict "obligations" on Gazprom and "provides a tailor-made rulebook for Gazprom's future conduct."

She said the deal would be "to the benefit of millions of European consumers when they heat their houses or when they cook their food", and to businesses that rely on Gazprom supplies.

'Disappointed and embarrassed'

Germany is understood to be a major backer of the deal as it nurtures special relations with Gazprom, a major national energy provider through the Nordstream pipeline.

Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has maintained close ties to the company and to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Vestager in March 2017 already gave her approval to commitments made by Gazprom, but a furious response by eastern Europeans had delayed the formal decision.

"We are disappointed that the long-term anti-trust proceedings against Gazprom ended without fines being imposed, with no compensation for companies whose interests were harmed and with only marginal concessions from the Russian monopoly," Konrad Szymanski, Poland's deputy foreign minister, told the Polish PAP news agency.

The EU has been investigating Gazprom since 2011 over claims it abused its dominant position with unfair prices and restrictive terms in eight EU countries, all former satellites of the Soviet empire.

The dispute quickly got caught in the growing discord between the EU and Moscow that began with the conflict in Ukraine and re-emerged most recently with the poisoning of a Russian spy in Britain.

Gazprom's Deputy Chairman Alexander Medvedev said his company was "satisfied" with the commitments and "reaffirms its commitment to comply with them in future".

After the initial deal was announced, Poland's state-run gas firm PGNiG staunchly advocated for tough penalties for Gazprom and can be expected to fight the settlement in court.

"Don't let Gazprom get away with abusing the market," PGNiG CEO Piotr Wozniak wrote on the Politico website after an earlier version of the settlement leaked.

Wozniak said he was "disappointed and embarrassed" by the decision, calling the bloc's "light-handed" treatment of Gazprom "particularly egregious".

The decision could also risk ruffling feathers in th US where tech giants such as Google, Apple and Facebook have been put under intense regulatory scrutiny by the EU and inflicted with major fines.By Thursday afternoon, an armoured backhoe could clear the smouldering rubble and confirm that the 250-kilogramme (550-pound) dud bomb had been safely deactivated.

Police then allowed the almost 9,000 evacuees to return to their homes in a district near Dresden's central railway station, including two elderly care homes and a hospital.

The corroded aerial bomb had been discovered during construction work Tuesday in the Saxony state capital on the Elbe river which was heavily bombed toward the end of the Second World War.

A police bomb squad managed to blast away the detonator late Wednesday, but the operation set ablaze materials that had been placed nearby to help absorb blast waves from a potentially larger detonation.

No one was injured during the defusal operation in the cordoned-off area.President of Ghana, Nana Akufo Addo remains one of the highest-paid leaders on the continent.

He will draw a salary of GH 22,809(US$4,898) a month during his reign as top dog, and when you compare that to what other world leaders earn it holds up very well.

Despite some unstable economic conditions, the president has continued to signed on people which is quite sinking the national pocket.

In 2018, President Nana Akufo-Addo presented to Parliament, a list of the total number of employees at the Presidency.

The release of the list is in compliance with Section 11 of the Presidential Office Act, 1993 (Act 463), which requires the President to submit annually to Parliament, a report on the staffing position of the Office of the President.

Several Ghanaians took to social condemn what they say is an attempt to waste pubic funds by the president.Lesotho prince, Seeiso, has blessed the royal wedding of Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle, with a special gift.

Wonderbags are portable, non-electric slow-cookers, invented in Africa as a way to help women and children deal with fuel shortages.

The Wonderbag continues to cook food by conventional methods for up to 12 hours without the use of additional fuel. The Wonderbag also keeps food and beverages cold.

The Wonderbag is a versatile utensil that is portable, safe, insulates and serves as a yogurt maker, rice cooker and bakes bread.

The gift also had names of the royal couple embroidered on it alongside the date of their wedding, May 19, 2018.

On Saturday, May 19, 2018, Prince Seeiso and Princess Mabereng of Lesotho joined exclusive guests that attended the royal wedding.

The Wonderbags were flown to the Lesotho High Commission in London before they were presented as part of the gifts to the couple as a gift from Africa.

Prince Seeiso is Prince Harry's close friend and charity partner in Sentebale, their African children's charity.

Other rare gifts

The Prince of Lesotho wasnt the only one who sent the royal couple wedding gifts as individuals and groups from the different part of the world sent rare gifts to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Gladys Berejiklian of the Taronga Zoo in Australia gifted the royal couple two baby koalas.

Berejiklian made this known in a tweet few days before the wedding.

Wishing Harry and Meghan a very happy wedding day tomorrow. As a gift from the people of NSW, we have named these two koalas (still in their Mums pouches) Harry and Meghan at @tarongazoo. We have also donated $5,000 towards preserving koala habitats, she tweeted.

In India, the animal welfare group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in India dedicated a rescued Indian bull to the royal couple.

The group said it rescued an Indian bull found weak and injured from a lifetime of pulling heavy carts and adopted him in honor of Harry and Meghan.

"Hell spend the rest of his days relaxing in peace at a sanctuary in Maharashtra," PETA blogged.

ALSO READ: 5 quick facts about Prince Harry and Meghan Markles wedding carThirty-nine years after the sprawling facility that is known as Ajaokuta steel factory was built with Soviet assistance, it is yet to produce a single bar, coil or rod.

The production plant was built in 1979 under President Shehu Shagaris administration to produce as much as 3 million metric tons of steel annually at full capacity. However, it has become not only a dilapidated factory complex but the $8 million investment has become a complete shadow of its envisioned glory.

With Nigeria in possession of vast deposits of iron ore, much of it in Kogi State, the same region where Ajaokuta is located, the production plant was conceived to transform iron ore into steel and make domestic industries, such as construction, far more viable. The vision was an attempt to broaden and develop a sustainable economic base beyond oil.

Several administrations - both military and democratic - have failed in positioning the Ajaokuta steel into a market leader in the production and export of steel. The process had always been hamstrung by repeated stops and starts, ownership changes, poor governance and sheer incompetence.

A national asset rots away

Sadly, the Ajaokuta steel factory complex wasnt just built to produce steel, it was conceptualised to become the largest steel manufacturing company in Africa.

However, much of the facility beyond the central administration block is rotting away with little or no care.

Bloomberg reports that the blast furnace, conveyor belts, and giant cranes to move materials have left unattended to and idle in scrubby fields. In the same vein, pipes as wide as manhole covers are coated in creeping grass while areas meant to store coal for the furnace have been taken over by cattle grazing in the clearings.

As designed in the original plan of the Ajaokuta steel factory, 10,000 houses were envisioned for workers, while a combined 120 kilometers (75 miles) of internal roads and railroads, as well as the school, the library, and the hospital, were designed and built for workers and their families.

Disturbingly, only 4,000 of the 10,000 houses were completed and these buildings are mostly occupied by retirees of the factory, who didnt produce one bar, coil or rod.

Bloomberg also reported that the current workforce of about 1,500 civil servants is tasked primarily with keeping parts of the plant in serviceable condition. While other facilities built for the workers are largely unused.

Also worthy of note is the runway of an airstrip built to serve the Ajaokuta steel factory is not only out of date but urgently needs a resurfacing.

Challenges

The Ajaokuta Steel Factory has been repeatedly challenged and crippled by repeated stops and starts, ownership changes and poor governance.

Before the Nigerian government took over the control of the plant under President Muhammadu Buharis administration, it was managed by the private-sector operator, Global Steel Holdings Ltd through a concession.

Till now, the government is yet to decide who should own and operate the plant despite efforts to sell off the plant.

As much as the record of privatization in Nigeria is mixed, the cement industry has proved to be a large success with the story of Aliko Dangote. However, this story is in contrast to efforts to privatise the power sector and break the unending power failure in the country.

Another challenge which the steel plant factor has faced and which seems the most critical piece of infrastructure is lack of a rail line. The plant lacks a rail line that would connect the plant to iron-ore mines and deliver the finished product.

Though work has begun on the long-awaited rail line, it is unsure if the scheduled test trains will commence in August 2018 or not.

Fixing Ajaokuta is of national priority - Minister for Solid Minerals

Agreeing that several years have been wasted with the Ajaokuta plant rotting away, the Minister for Solid Minerals and natural resources, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has expressed that the Nigerian government is serious about transforming Ajaokuta from an embarrassment into a viable asset.

It didnt quite work out as planned, which is the Nigerian story sometimes but the government is committed to making it work. Ajaokuta is central to our diversification strategy and the least we could do for ourselves as a country and for our manufacturing sector, Fayemi told Bloomberg.Amnesty International has released details of how Nigerian security forces of raping thousands of women and girls who escaped from the Boko Haram insurgents, and killing many people who refused to be moved from territories rescued from the insurgents.

The Rights group stated this in a new report released on Thursday, May 24, 2018, titled They betrayed us.

"They betrayed us" revealed how the Nigerian military and Civilian Joint Task Force (Civilian JTF) - a militia who work alongside the Nigerian military in the campaign against the insurgency in the Northeastern part of Nigeria  have separated women from their husbands and confined them in remote satellite camps where they have been raped, sometimes in exchange for food.

Amnesty International said it has collected evidence that thousands of people have starved to death in the camps in Borno state, north-east Nigeria, since 2015.

Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria said: It is absolutely shocking that people who had already suffered so much under Boko Haram have been condemned to further horrendous abuse by the Nigerian military.

Instead of receiving protection from the authorities, women and girls have been forced to succumb to rape in order to avoid starvation or hunger.

Highlights of the report:

Rape of starving women, sexual exploitation

Scores of women described how soldiers and Civilian JTF members have used force and threats to rape women in satellite camps, including by taking advantage of hunger to coerce women to become their girlfriends, which involved being available for sex on an ongoing basis.

Sex in these highly coercive circumstances is always rape, even when physical force is not used, Osai Ojigho said.

Nigerian women account

Five women told Amnesty International that they were raped in late 2015 and early 2016 in Bama Hospital camp as famine-like conditions prevailed.

Ama (not her real name), 20, said: They will give you food but in the night they will come back around 5 pm or 6 pm and they will tell you to come with them One [Civilian JTF] man came and brought food to me. The next day he said I should take water from his place [and I went]. He then closed the tent door behind me and raped me. He said I gave you these things, if you want them we have to be husband and wife.

Ten others in the same camp said that they were also coerced into becoming girlfriends of security officials to save themselves from starvation. Most of these women had already lost children or other relatives due to lack of food, water and healthcare in the camp. The sexual exploitation continues at an alarming level as women remain desperate to access sufficient food and livelihood opportunities.

Women said the sexual exploitation follows an organised system, with soldiers openly coming into the camp for sex and Civilian JTF members choosing the very beautiful women and girls to take to the soldiers outside. Women reported they were too afraid to refuse demands for sex.

Women detained in Giwa barracks

Amnesty Internationals research further reveals that hundreds of women along with their children have been held in the notorious Giwa Barracks detention centre since 2015. While most have been released, an unknown number remain in military detention.

Many of those detained since 2015 had been victims of abductions or forced marriages by Boko Haram and were detained by the military for being so-called Boko Haram wives instead of being rescued.

Deaths as a result of hunger

People confined in the satellite camps faced an acute food shortage from early 2015 until mid-2016, when humanitarian assistance was increased.

At least hundreds, and possibly thousands, died in Bama Hospital camp alone during this time. AI said those interviewed consistently reported that 15 to 30 people died each day from hunger and sickness during these months. Satellite images, showing how the graveyard inside the camp expanded quickly during this time, confirm their testimonies. There were also daily deaths in other satellite camps such as those in Banki and Dikwa.

Boko Haram abuses

Women interviewed by AI often spent months or years living under the repressive rule of Boko Haram. Some reported being forced into marriages with Boko Haram members or being flogged when caught breaking the armed groups strict rules. Seven said they witnessed the executions of family members or neighbours after unsuccessful attempts to escape.

Time for action

Since 2015, various NGOs and humanitarian organizations have reported sexual violence and deaths in camps for internally displaced people in north-east Nigeria. While the authorities frequently promised to investigate such reports, there has been no tangible action to address the problem and no one appears to have been brought to justice. It is not always clear if these investigations were carried out as no reports have been made public.

In August 2017, the Acting President of Nigeria Yemi Osinbajo established the Presidential Investigation Panel to review the militarys compliance with its human rights obligations. Many women testified before the Panel, which submitted its report to President Muhammadu Buhari in February 2018.

Now is the time for President Buhari to demonstrate his frequently expressed commitment to protect the human rights of displaced people in north-east Nigeria. The only way to end these horrific violations is by ending the climate of impunity in the region and ensuring that no one can get away with rape or murder, said Osai Ojigho.

The group had earlier in April 2018, also revealed that Nigeria imposed the highest number of death sentences and the highest number of people under death sentence in Sub Saharan Africa in 2017.The Nigerian government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the African Risk Capacity (ARC) to work together to address the impact of extreme weather events in Nigeria, including training support to government personnel.

This came on the heels of the AfDB President, Akinwumi Adesina s pledge to support for the work of African Risk Capacity in the region, calling for more stakeholders to join the ARC to ensure the availability of insurance against natural disaster risks.

AfDB and ARC have partnership since March 2017 to strengthen technical collaboration towards enhancing the risk management infrastructure and policy across Africa and in supporting countries in building resilience against climate shocks.

Kemi Adeosun, Nigerias Minister for Finance, while speaking on the signing of the MoU, congratulated the African Risk Capacity for the innovative approach it is taking towards climate risk financing and management in Africa.

Adeosun assured that Nigeria will work with the Agency to address the impact of extreme weather events in the country.

Mohamed Beavogui, the Director-General of ARC, expressed appreciation to the Nigerian government for signing the MoU noting that, the leadership role of Nigeria in the continent and in the establishment of the ARC makes the signing of a formal MoU quite momentous for our work in the region. We want to create systems that can truly protect the livelihoods of the most vulnerable and safeguard the significant development gains made by the country over the years.

Here are the benefits of the MOU

1. African Risk Capacity was established as a Specialised Agency of the African Union (AU) to help member states improve their capacities to better plan, prepare and respond to extreme weather events and natural disasters.

2. Through its first financial affiliate, ARC Ltd, the institution provides African governments with innovative risk management and risk transfer tools and services towards creating a comprehensive pan-African disaster response system.

The journey towards a mutual technical collaboration with Nigeria began in July 2015 when the ARC team undertook a scoping mission which established the need for Nigeria to give greater consideration to the ARC initiative.On May 23, 2018, which happened to be the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians of Sheshan, The Tablet reports that the Pontiff called on everyone to pray for Christians in China.

Speaking to the audience gathered in St Peter's Square, Pope Francis said the feast day "invites us to be united spiritually with all the Catholic faithful who live in China".

The audience was asked to pray that Catholics there would be able "to live the faith with generosity and serenity" and carry out "concrete gestures of fraternity, harmony, and reconciliation, in full communion with the successor of Peter."

"Dear disciples of the Lord in China, the universal church prays with you and for you so that even in the midst of difficulties you may continue to trust in God's will," he added.

Christian Persecution in China

Pope Francis' call for prayers is due to the crackdown on Christianity by the Chinese government.

Reportedly, Catholics have been stopped from having contact with the Vatican and are only allowed to worship in government-monitored churches.

Reportedly, the Vatican is currently working with the government to rectify the situation. The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, recently shared details in an interview with the Italian daily, La Stampa.

"We're interested in spaces of freedom for the Church, to guarantee that it can live a normal life that is made also in communion with the pope," he said.

Catholics are not only ones who are being persecuted by the communist government.

A watchdog group called ChinaAid reports that there is a full out "purge against Christians" in the Zhejiang province in Eastern China.Elelu said this on Thursday while speaking with journalists at the end an iftar lecture held on the polytechnic campus for the Ramadan season.

According to him, the security operatives from the military, police, Department of Security Services (DSS), Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) and the local vigilante group.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state-owned institution had in recent past been infested with cult activities leading to loss of lives and property before the current measure was put in place.

Elelu said that since the measure was put in place, the institution had not witnessed any insecurity challenge because peace and tranquility had returned to the campus.

The rector said because of the stable academic calendar, the institution had been one of the most sought after by prospective students seeking admission.

Elelu also disclosed that part of the reasons why the admission seekers wanted the school was because all the programmes offered by the institution had been accredited.

In his iftar lecture, an Islamic scholar, Ustaz Ismail Akanbi said the importance of Ramadan fasting was one to help a Muslim to gain entrance into heaven.The Dare2Dream Winners of Season 4 had flown to Zurich via KLM to attend the Energy Fashion Night which took place in HALLENSTADION ZURICH on the 5th May, 2018.

The Dare2Dreamers made up of Promise Agbor, Ini Iniama, Josephine Eno, could not help expressing their amazement as they took in sights and sounds of Zurich. They were welcomed by the production team of the Energy Fashion Night who made them feel at home even as they were in a new environment. It was a very wonderful experience, I was amazed to see that much orderliness among a people and it taught me a lot which I would be imbibing now that I am in back home. Promise Agbor said.

The day after their arrival in Zurich, the 4th of May, Josephine attend castings where she was picked after being commended for her beauty and work ethic. Fittings were also done for Dare2Dream Alumni|Port Harcourt based designer Raycan Elvis and KEEXS @keexstribe, an innovative footwear brand in Nigeria.

At the event on the Saturday, 5th May, 2018, Josephine Eno, one of the Dare2Dreamers spoke on stage with Caterina Bortolussi, Creative Director of Dare2Dream, to the international audience who were in attendance at the event about Dare2Dream and its vision for Africans.

The audience was made to understand what it meant to Africans that their talents and creativity were shared with the world, explaining immigration as it affects the African Youth.

I had never been in front of an audience that large, and walking that stage in Zurich with over 5000 people being in attendance made me realize that my dreams were just one step ahead of me, and all I needed to do was walk the talk. said Josephine Eno.

The young dare2dreamers had dreams that were blooming in their minds and the wish to expose it to the world attracted them to the dare2dream platform. Now the dare2dreamers have been fully rewarded by the KLM experience in Zurich so much that they have been exposed to

new possibilities on how to further their talents and this brings to a larger society of youths who have seen the story of the dare2dreamers hope that one day, they too will have a trip sponsored by KLM to a place where they have only dreamed of being.

"Most times all it takes to bring the fire out of a person is a spark of hope" said Caterina Bortolussi, Creative Director, Dare2Dream.Oreneye who was displayed at the headquarters of the Ogun State Police Command on Wednesday, May 23, 2018, reportedly sold the palms of the deceased to a herbalist named Jimoh for a sum of N5,000.

It appeared a reprisal attack for the suspect who was revealed with 47 suspected criminals according to Punch News.

Punch reported that Kayode Oreneye killed the deceased at Library Junction, Ilaro, on February 12, 2018, in a reprisal attack.

He explained that his goal was to ensure that the victim who had made three attempts to kill him does not succeed in his goal.

It is true that I shot and killed Shakiru because he killed three members of our group.

Again, he made attempts on my life on three occasions, but I escaped; I had to quickly strike before he could strike again," Oreneye told Punch News which also confirmed that he was arrested at a bar.

AAU undergraduate killed by suspected cultists in Obalende

Suspected cultists have reportedly killed an undergraduate of the Ambrose Ali University, Edo State, in an attack that occurred in Obalende, Lagos.

He was murdered on Monday, March 26, 2018, at the Obalende roundabout report says.

A report has been filed at a police station in Onikan in respect to the killing of the deceased who was slaughtered late in the evening.Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!Often times, the suspect sends the victim on errands to help foster an intention to sleep with her, Punch News gathered in a report published on Thursday, May 24, 2018.

It gathered that the sexual abuse occurred at Fella Ahmed Street, Agric, Ikorodu, a community Olowoigbo lives alongside victim's mother.

ALSO READ: Husband made to watch as thieves gang rape wife in Cross River

The latter who suspected that her daughter was pregnant found out after pressing her for information.

After some resistance, the teenage girl admitted to her mother that the 73-year-old man was responsible.

The command is investigating a case of defilement reported against 73-year-old Fola Olowoigbo. The suspect was alleged to have defiled a 14-year-old female child till she became pregnant.

The suspect, who hailed from Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, is a taxi driver and next-door neighbour of the childs mother.The American celebrity couple share a never-seen picture from their nuptials in 2014 on Instagram; with grateful, loving words from Kim for her boo, as she a reminisces of their journey over the course of four years.

4 years down and forever to go.... Thank you babe for giving me our family and caring so much about us," writes the 37-year-old mother of three alongside a photo of her and Kanye cuddling up to one another in their wedding outfit.

The reality star concluded her heartfelt message, writing:Thank you for inspiring me on a daily, Im so lucky. I cant wait for forever... Happy Anniversary.

undefinedWith the same picture on his Instagram page, Kanye chooses to remind us that its been four years since his and Kims nuptials at Forte di Belvedere in Florence, Italy.Themed, The Future is now this years event which provides a unique platform for business opportunities and relationship building, is set to assemble industry leaders, founders of tech enabled businesses, startups, tech lovers, and other stakeholders, to explore tech trends that will shape the countrys future.

Olumide Balogun, Head of Marketing at HMD Global West Africa, posits that Nigeria is quick to embrace evolving technology, with the Techpoint Inspired 2018 being able to gather over 5,000 tech enthusiasts a clear evidence of this fact.

Technology is an enabler that has become the bedrock of the economy and lifestyle across the world, Nigeria being no exception. At HMD Global, we are convinced that technology can enhance the lives of billions of people around the world, which is why we are delighted to be part of a movement such as Techpoint Inspired. Moves like this will help open new frontiers of innovations to move Nigeria into a new level of technology quest, Balogun says.

The 2018 edition of the Techpoint Inspired conference will feature various presentations and panel sessions, on which Balogun will be speaking alongside, Gbenga Adegbiji, General Manager, MDX-I, MainOne; Amina Sambo-Magaji, National Coordinator, OIIE; Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative; and Adedeji Olowe, Co-Founder, Open Banking, on Solving Infrastructure Challenges for Innovation in Nigeria. The panel discussion will examine the countrys infrastructural gap, how consumers are affected by the challenges and how they can be solved.

The event will feature other discussions such as: The future of work in Nigeria; The consumer, the bank and Fintech; Policy Framework towards sustainable local technology; as well as presentations made by leaders in the industry.

According to the CEO and Founder of Techpint.ng, Adewale Yusuf, the theme of this years Techpoint conference, stems out of the fact that we are entering an era where technology would be the backbone of our society. His words, The future is here. We are on a mission to understand why new technologies such as Blockchain, IoT, Robotics, etc, would matter in the future.

While expressing gratitude to the sponsors of this years event, Yusuf assured that Techpoint will continue to drive its agenda of connecting people to the transformative power of technology, especially as it affects everyday living.Millions of Nigerians in war ravaged north east States of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe have been fleeing the Boko Haram insurgency which began in 2009.

The refugees often end up in camps for displaced persons where food is oftentimes a luxury.

AI says the displaced who often have little food to eat, have been turned to sex slaves by persons who are supposed to protect them from terrorists.

According to the AI report, displaced women confined to remote camps have been forced to become girlfriends of military in exchange for humanitarian assistance.

The organisation adds that thousands have died of starvation due to lack of food in the camps.

Separating women from husbands

AI writes that the Nigerian military and Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) have separated women from their husbands and confined them in remote satellite camps where they have been raped, sometimes in exchange for food.

The group says it has collected evidence that thousands of people have been starved to death in the camps in Borno since 2015.

Borno has worryingly remained the epicenter of the Boko Haram insurgency with the terrorist sect believed to be hiding in the hills bordering a vast Sambisa forest.

It is absolutely shocking that people who had already suffered so much under Boko Haram have been condemned to further horrendous abuse by the Nigerian military, Amnesty International Nigeria Director, Osai Ojigho said.

Instead of receiving protection from the authorities, women and girls have been forced to succumb to rape in order to avoid starvation or hunger, Ojigho added.

The report noted that in some cases, the abuse appears to be part of a pattern of persecution of anyone perceived to have a connection to Boko Haram.

According to the report, women have shared tales of being beaten and called Boko Haram wives by security officials when they complained about how badly they are treated.

As Nigerias military recovered territory from the armed group in 2015, it ordered people living in rural villages to the satellite camps, in some cases indiscriminately killing those who remained in their homes. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled or were forced from these areas.

The military screened everyone arriving to the satellite camps, and in some locations detained most men and boys aged between 14 and 40 as well as women who travelled unaccompanied by their husbands. The detention of so many men has left women to care for their families alone, the report read.

Available for sex on an ongoing basis

Amnesty International says scores of women have described how soldiers and Civilian JTF members have used force and threats to rape women in satellite camps, taking advantage of hunger to coerce women to become their girlfriends.

The women are then forced to be available for sex on an ongoing basis, AI says.

Five women told Amnesty International that they were raped in late 2015 and early 2016 in Bama Hospital camp as famine-like conditions prevailed.

Ama (not her real name), 20, said: They will give you food but in the night they will come back around 5pm or 6pm and they will tell you to come with them One (Civilian JTF) man came and brought food to me. The next day he said I should take water from his place (and I went).

He then closed the tent door behind me and raped me. He said I gave you these things, if you want them we have to be husband and wife".

Ten others in the same camp said that they were also coerced into becoming girlfriends of security officials to save themselves from starvation, according to the report.

Most of these women had already lost children or other relatives due to lack of food, water and healthcare in the camps.

The sexual exploitation continues at an alarming level as women remain desperate to access sufficient food and livelihood opportunities, Amnesty International explained in its report.

Sex in these highly coercive circumstances is always rape, even when physical force is not used, and Nigerian soldiers and Civilian JTF members have been getting away with it. They act like they dont risk sanction, but the perpetrators and their superiors who have allowed this to go unchallenged have committed crimes under international law and must be held to account, said Ojigho.

Military, federal government react

In a swift reaction, the Nigerian government and the military have called Amnesty Internationals latest report a tissue of lies and a regurgitation of its previous 'false' reports.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said the latest report from AI lacked credibility.

Shehu added that the report fell short of factual claims that could have provided the lead for investigation.

According to Shehu; Engagement was claimed to have been made with Nigerian authorities but which authority is it, is not provided with clarity.

This then is just a wild goose chase report, in essence.

In some breath, the report seemed like the one in 2015, and the one in 2016, and the one after that year, the same things being recycled again and again.

It ignores the fact of the existing mechanisms put in place by the military, as a self-correcting step and the high-level committee constituted by the Presidency to examine any such claims".

Shehu observed that over a period of time, the Nigerian military had established cases of abuse and punishments meted out from Orderly Room trials and Court Martials that resulted in losses of rank, dismissals, trials and convictions by civil courts.

The presidency spokesperson quoted President Buhari who said during his recent joint press conference with President Trump at the White Housethat the government of Nigeria remains deeply committed to the principles of human rights, as well as promotion and protection of people's freedom, even in the process of fighting terror.

We commit to ensure that all documented cases of human rights abuses are investigated, and those responsible for violation held responsible.

The Defence Headquarters in a statement by the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Brig-Gen. John Agim, described Amnesty Internationals report as the continuation of the organisation's malicious trend.

Agim described AIs report as unfortunate.

Agim said in times like this, Al is expected to apply the natural law of liaison by working with security agencies as partners.

According to him, this would have been the best way to ensure that insurgency and crisis are completely wiped off rather than engaging in "falsehood, maligning the military and painting her in bad light at any slight opportunity".

Agim said: The Nigerian military wishes to use this medium to reiterate her commitment to the citizens of our dear nation, that it will abide by all human rights regulations as entered into by Nigeria and also go the extra mile in ensuring that the territorial integrity of our nation is well protected.

Amnesty International has slated Nigerias human rights records and rules of engagements in past reports.Mr Yusuf Garba, a chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, said the resignation was a sign of deficiency in governance.

Nuhu could not boast of a single project in his constituency and he has been in the government for three years.He has nothing to use to defend himself against his people and so the only option was for him to resign honourably, Garba said. 

The State Secretary of Green Party of Nigeria (GPN), Mr Salisu Barau, said the resignation was long overdue. 

He explained that there were clear indications since last year that Gidado might throw in the towel because of his dissatisfaction with affairs.

Nuhu Gidado is an icon in the politics of the state; we gathered he had not been allowed to operate freely. The deputy governor has done the right thing by resigning at this material time; our doors are open at the party level, we will welcome him to join GPN, Barau said.

On its part, the state chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) said although Gidados resignation had not been formally brought to the notice of the party, it was wishing the former deputy governor, all the best in his political endeavour.

We have nothing to say for now because the resignation was not brought to the notice of the party secretariat.

The party is mother of all its members; we are wishing him the best in his endeavour, said the party, through its Publicity Secretary, Malam Adamu Jalla Meanwhile, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Malam Kabiru Lemmy, said the development would not have any negative impact on the progress of the state.Governance is a continuous process; if one person leaves, another person will continue with the programmes on ground.There is nothing wrong in his resignation because it is a normal happening to be appointed, dropped or resign.Nigeria has been battling a decade old insurgency no thanks to terrorist sect Boko Haram.

The crisis has led to the deaths of over 30,000 people, abduction of hundreds and the displacement of millions; amid sporadic attacks on soft targets.

Boko Haram has taken advantage of poverty and other poor development indices in the nation's north, to recruit starry-eyed kids who are then transformed into foot soldiers, sex slaves and suicide bombers.

Head of the UNDP, Achim Steiner, who is visiting Oslo, Norway, for a May 23-24 conference on preventing violent extremism, told Reuters that there was no purely military way to defeat groups such as Islamic State (IS), Boko Haram or Al Qaeda.

Investments in rural areas

A traditional development economist might a few years ago have looked at how to invest a million dollars in supporting small and medium-scale enterprise (in) the capital city, maybe one or two other cities in the country, Steiner said.

Today if we want to deal with the phenomenon of exclusion, of potential radicalization, we will look at who will have the greatest added benefit, he added.

That could mean investments in remote rural areas prone to cross-border incursions by militants, that traditionally would not have been at the forefront of development spending.

Even now with a peacekeeping force in Mali, there are parts of the country that are essentially not stable and secure ... even a country like Nigeria has struggled to contain Boko Haram, Steiner added.

Steiner adds that investment for people in rural areas may be education, it may be access to health services, it may be access to microfinance so that they can invest in their own businesses, can significantly impact on the recruitment capability of extremist groups like Boko Haram.

The success of such investments were harder to gauge than a cost-benefit analysis of a business set up in a city, he explained.

But it might have hidden long-term benefits, for instance averting a need to deploy an international military forcethat could easily cost hundreds of millions of dollars a year, Steiner added.

Defeated but still alive

Military officials in Nigeria, Africas most populous country with over 180 million people, have repeatedly claimed to have defeated Boko Haram.

Nigeria's Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, declared in April that there was "no doubt Boko Haram terrorists have been defeated, they don't have the capacity".

But persistent attacks against soldiers and civilians, including a brazen kidnapping of over 100 schoolgirls from the northeastern town of Dapchi on February 19, 2018,suggest otherwise.

The emergence of an IS-allied faction of Boko Haram, whose strategy is to provide an alternative government for people living in the impoverished region, poses a new threat for Nigeria.

New strategies

Lieutenant-Colonel Sean McClure who is the US defence attache in Abuja, has advised Nigerias military to evolve new strategies to deal with the Boko Haram insurgency because Boko Haram's evolution in tactics - from improvised explosive devices to hiding within the local population-- necessitate a shift away from conventional strategies.

"We haven't necessarily seen that kind of adaptation cycle," McClure told the AFP in April. "They're trying to figure out how to do this.

"How they think in terms of combat, in my opinion, is still thinking of things as conventional warfare."

"It starts to become a very wicked problem," McClure added.Mr Olusegun Adekunle, Permanent Secretary, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) made this known in a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday in Abuja.

He said that Dr Anasa Sabir has been appointed as the Chief Medical Director for Usman Danfodio University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) with initial term of four years, taking effect from May 17, 2018.

Also, Dr Theresa Okoli is the new Provost Federal College of Education (Technical) Umunze, Anambra State with initial Period of Four years with effect from May 17, 2018.

According to him, the other appointees are Dr Emmanuel Ikenyiri, Provost Federal College of Education (Technical), Omoku, Rivers State also with initial Period of Four years with effect from 17th May, 2018.

While Dr Pius Osunyikanmi is the Director/Chief Executive Officer, Directorate of Technical Aid Corps, with a final term of five years with effect from August 10, 2018.

He noted that, Osunyikanmis appointment was in accordance with section 9 (2)b of Directorate of Technical Aid Corps Act, 2004, for a second and final term of five years.

The president charged the appointees to deliver selfless, exemplary and socially impactful services.In the 12-count charge filed against him and Yusuf Pam, a former Plateau government official, Jang is accused of mis-using some special funds released to the state government by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

In a previous hearing last week, presiding judge, Justice Daniel Longji, had ordered that the two be remanded in prison after prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), on behalf of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), argued that their charges were serious enough to make them flight risks.

However, during a bail hearing on Thursday, May 24, 2018, Justice Longji granted Jang bail on the condition that he presents two sureties in the sum of N100 million each. The judge ruled that one of the two sureties must be a first class traditional ruler, and the second must be a civil servant of not less than GL 17, both residing within the court's jurisdiction.

Pam was also granted bail on Thursday on the condition that he presents two sureties in the sum of N50 million each. Both defendants were also ordered to deposit their international passports with the court.

Justice Longji noted that the prosecution's earlier submission that the defendants would jump bail was a speculation without significant proof.

Jang is alleged to have misappropriated N2 billion released by the CBN for disbursement to small and medium enterprises in the state under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Funds (MSMEDF). He is also accused of siphoning the sum of N4.3 billion from the state's treasury through Pam who was working as a cashier in the office of the Secretary to the Plateau State Government at the time.

Count 8 and 9 of the charge reads, "That you, Senator Jonah David Jang, whilst being the Governor of Plateau State between January and May, 2015 in Jos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, used your office as Executive Governor of Plateau State to confer unfair advantage upon yourself by collecting the sum of N4,357,195,000 (Four billion, Three Hundred and Fifty-Seven Million, One Hundred and Ninety-Five Thousand Naira) from the cashier of the Office of the Secretary to the Plateau State Government, and which sum was derived from the account of Plateau State Government, and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

"That you, Yusuf Gyang Pam, whilst being a cashier at the Office of the Secretary to the Plateau State Government on 11th July, 2014 in Jos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, used your office as cashier at the Office of Secretary to the Plateau State Government to confer corrupt advantage upon yourself by making a cash lodgment of the sum of N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) into your personal account with Zenith Bank and which sum was derived from the account of Plateau State Government , and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000"

The judge fixed the commencement of the trial for July 17, 18 and 19 as both defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Jang out of custody

After the judge's ruling on Thursday, the Gbong Gwom Jos, Gyang Buba, stood as a surety for Jang, who is a member of the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) and current representative of Plateau North senatorial district.

Buba is the highest traditional ruler of the Berom speaking people of Plateau State, a group Jang belongs, and is also the chairman of the state's council of chiefs.

Standing as Jang's surety, Buba was also required to deposit his international passport with the court, before the former governor left the court premises in the traditional ruler's official car.News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some members of the State Assembly on Thursday forcibly removed the mace in an attempt to stop the impeachment of the minority leader.

NAN gathered that the APC members were annoyed following the role of Haruna in the APC ward and councils congress in the state.

NAN recalls that the minority leader, had on May 6 led the APC stakeholders forum to reject the outcome of the ward congress, describing it as total failure.

He described the incidence at the floor of the house as true, undemocratic and unfortunate.

What happened today is not good in terms of any democratic setting. We are peace loving members here but unfortunately, an incident occurred this noon.

Some APC members had it in mind to impeach the minority leader. Within this saga, the eight APC members were divided into two groups.

In the course of the saga, Mr Abdullai Abubakar of Akko West took the mace with assistance from three other members on his side.

Four members were for the impeachment while four were against.

However, in a bid to prevent any impeachment plan, the four members against the impeachment conspired to forcibly remove the mace.

The house met using a spare mace and suspended the four members belonging to APC, who stole the mace, for four legislative days, he said.

He said the mace was allegedly taken by Mr Abdullahi Abubakar of Akko West state constituency at exactly 1.15p.m and was assisted by Mr Mohammed Bello of Gombe South constituency all APC.

He listed the names of the suspended members as: Abdullahi Abubakar, Mohammed Bello, Ibrahim Abdullahi and Walid Mohammed; they were all against the impeachment of the minority leader.

All efforts to speak with the minority leader, Mr Ahmed Haruna, proved abortive as he refused to pick calls or respond to text messages sent to him.

Other members of the APC involved in the mace saga also turned off their phones.The News Agency of Nigeria reports that President Muhammadu Buhari had declined to sign the controversial Nigerian Peace Corps (Establishment Bill) 2017 recently passed by the National Assembly.

He conveyed his decision to withhold his assent in a letter sent to the National Assembly on February 27.

One of which was security concerns regarding the proposed Nigerian Peace Corps being authorised to undertake activities currently being performed by extant security and law enforcement agencies.

The second reason was financial implications of funding the establishment and operations of the proposed Nigerian Peace Corps, given the scarce financial resources, which may pose serious challenge to the government.

Representing the bill for a second reading at the plenary, as part of the process to override the Presidents veto, Rep Emmanuel Orker-Jev (Benue APC) argued that the two reasons cited by President Buhari were not strong enough to stand down the bill.

Other lawmakers in support of Orker-Jev, who was the sponsor of the bill, included Reps Lovette Ndubuisi (Delta PDP), Tahiru Monguno (Borno APC), Jonathan Gaza (Nasarawa PDP), Goni Lawal (Yobe APC), Rita Orji (PDP), Rimande Shawulu (Taraba PDP), Sunday Adepoju (Oyo APC), Istifanus Gyang (Plateau PDP), among others.

According to Ndubuisi, Nigeria should be able to operate a security system that can be juxtaposed with international practice.

He said the acceptability of the bill could not be overemphasised.

Monguno said the establishment of Peace Corps would help to strengthen the countrys security structure.

No amount of money spent to guarantee security of lives and property will be too much, he said.

Orji argued that if passed into law, the creation would help to combat the high rate of unemployment among the youths in the country.

There are many jobless people in our society today. And when a boy has nothing doing, he will end up as area boy. So if Peace Corps will reduce unemployment rate, I think we should see it as a palliative measure, she said.

Also, Shawulu said since the country was under-policed, the need to have such security agency was timely.

However, some of the legislators opposed the idea, citing financial constraint among other reasons.

Those who disagreed with the proposal included Reps Ahmed Wase (Plateau APC), Bashir Baballe (Kano APC), Abubakar Adamu (Niger APC), Osai Osai (Delta PDP), Alhassan Doguwa (Kano APC), Babajimi Benson (Lagos APC), A. Adar (Sokoto APC).

According to Wase, the supposed head of the organisation collected N50, 000 from each applicants.

Is that the only avenue to employ? We should remember that those who started the Civil Defence today are still volunteering. Will this one not go the same way?

I appeal to my brother to step down the bill and let us do a thorough job on it, he said.

On his part, Baballe argued that at a time when the existing security agencies were underfunded, it would be improper to establish a new one.

Adamu also cited the issue of inter-agency rivalry among security agencies as another reason for the bill to be stepped down.

He said such act might undermine the security of the country.

Doguwa stated that what the country should focus on at the moment was how to consolidate on the existing security agencies to make them efficient.

After a tensed deliberation that lasted for over an hour, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, put a question on whether the bill should go for a second reading.

However, majority of the lawmakers across party lines voted against it.

It would be recalled that the proposed outfit had generated serious controversies across the country.

Among security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Police, there was outright rejection of the corps on the grounds that it would duplicate the duties of the existing agencies.

But, the promoters of the corps, especially the coordinator, Mr. Dickson Akor, had worked hard to explain the relevance of the organisation to the National Assembly to a point that the lawmakers were convinced to pass the bill in 2017.Hon. Segun Olulade, the Chairman of the House Committee on Health Services made the plea at a meeting with the members of Lagos State Chapter of JOHESU on Thursday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that several government officials, chief medical directors (CMDs), union leaders and stakeholders in the states health sector attended the meeting.

The lawmaker said, You have every reason to make requests, but put yourselves in the shoes of the helpless patients.

Please, we are appealing to you to call off this strike.

Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode has told you that he identifies with your cause and will address your agitations fully.

The governor and the government of Lagos state are working on your behalf to make sure every issue is addressed.

What is important now is the lives of Lagos residents.

People need your services; it is not fair to withdraw such important life-saving services from them as the people are dying.

I am passionate about this issue because I lost my mother to this kind of circumstances in the past, he said.

He, however, commended JOHESU for the good conduct and cooperation in addressing the issue, and persuaded them to call off the strike within the next 24 hours.

Olulade addressing newsmen after the meeting assured residents of the state that they would see a positive change following the meeting.

Mr Olatunji Tajudeen, the state chairman of JOHESU said that the strike was about the welfare of his members.

He admitted that just as many patients had been suffering due to the strike, a member of the union had also lost his sister and a baby to the strike.

We need more assurances from the state government because we had been beaten to it before, but we will relax it (strike).

We love our governor very well because he has been doing well to the residents of the state.

We will report the outcome of this meeting to our union members before they begin to accuse us that we had been bribed.

He also cautioned medical directors to desist from victimising their members.

NAN reports that JOHESU commenced a nationwide indefinite strike on April 18 to protest alleged Federal Government failure to meet their demands.

They include the adjustment in the Consolidated Health Salary Scheme (CONHESS).According to a statement signed by Force Public Relations Officer, ACPJimoh Moshood, the examination will be conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and will take place in all designated centres across the country.

The examination is meant for candidates who were successful during the physical/credentials screening stage held between May 7 and May 12.

Even though the successful candidates have been notified, ACP Moshood urged those who didn't receive messages to check for their examination centres through www.policerecruitment.ng, www.jamb.gov.ng, and www.psc.gov.ng. He also noted that the exam centres of the successful candidates are displayed at every State Command Headquarters in the all the states of the federation.

Moshood disclosed that the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has directed the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Training and Development, Emmanuel Inyang, to monitor the conduct of the examination in some selected centres while the Commissioners of Police in State Commands will monitor the conduct of the examination in centres in their Commands.President Buhari had withheld accent to the bill on February 27, 2018, sighting security reasons.

The bill was, however, reintroduced to the House by Kogi lawmaker, Sunday Karimi.

The bill however, failed to pass second reading at the green chamber.

But, at plenary on Thursday, May 24, 2018, lawmakers, mostly from the north, kicked against the National Assemblys veto of the bill.

The Peace Corps of Nigeria had existed as a non-governmental organisation.

ALSO READ: 3 reasons why President refused to sign Peace Corps bill

The bill is however seeking to establish the Corps as a government agency.

This, President Buhari said would not be possible owning to paucity of funds.

Some lawmakers also expressed concerns that members of the Corps may start bearing arms if the bill was assented to.However, the letter containing Gidados resignation was tendered to Bauchi Governor Mohammed Abubakar on Wednesday, May 16, 2018.

Pulse has learned that Gidado threw in the towel because he was no longer comfortable with doing nothing.

Gidado had lost the zeal to just show up at workonly to spend the rest of the day reading the newspapers; or wait to be told what to do by Governor Abubakar, sources in Bauchi disclosed to Pulse.

Gidado shared as much in his resignation letter when he wrote that Ordinarily, I should have remained up to the end of the tenure, but, with the currently dampened spirit and waning zeal as it relates to my official engagements, my continued stay will not be fair and truthful to you as my brother and leader.

Abubakars deputy wrote that he had lost interest in the job and extended his appreciation to the people of the State for giving him the opportunity to serve.

Our sources also disclosed that Gidado had fallen out with Governor Abubakar, but Pulse wasn't able to verify that claim.

Official government communication channels declined comments when asked if the relationship between Gidado and Abubakar had thawed.

Abubakar accepts Gidado's resignation

In a statement made available to Pulse,Governor Abubakarwished Gidado all the best in his future endeavours.

The Executive Governor of Bauchi State Mohammed A. Abubakar has accepted the resignation of Engr Nuhu Gidado as Deputy Governor and wish him well in his future endeavours, the statement signed by Ali .M. Ali, Special Adviser to the Bauchi Governor on Media and Strategy, read.

Governor Abubakar described Gidados tenure and service to the state as meritorious and deserving of commendation.

The governor particularly commended the former N0 2 citizen of the State for the remarkable manner of his resignation. He expressed optimism that he will avail his vast wealth of experience to the State any time he is called upon in the future.

"We received the resignation of our Deputy Governor, Engr. Nuhu Gidado. On behalf of the people of Bauchi state, I want to thank him for his meritorious service while in office.

He remains vital to our administration and party.

I wish him well in his future endeavours, and he can count on me for support. I am also optimistic he will avail the State his service when called upon in the future," Gov Abubakar added.

Deputy Governors or Vice Presidents are a constitutional requirement in Nigeria. However, many deputies often complain of being bored stiff on the job and finding little motivation to carry on, after a while.Fayemi, on Saturday, May 12, 2018, emerged winner of the APCs governorship primaries which held in Ado-ekiti.

According to Daily Post, the All Peoples Party (APP) filed a lawsuit in court challenging the eligibility of former Ekiti Governor, Fayemi.

The APPs suit is based on the fact that the APC flagbearer was indicted by a probe panel set up to investigate his dealings when he served as Governor.

Waste of effort

Speaking to newsmen, the spokesman of the APC in Ekit state, Taiwo Olatunbosun described the alleged plan to disqualify Fayemi as a wasted effort.

Olatunbosun also said that nothing can stop the APC guber candidate from winning the upcoming governorship election in the state.

He said It will amount to futility to file this matter before a lower court after the Supreme Court had ruled in similar cases involving former Vice President Atiku Abubakar versus INEC and former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano State versus Senator Rabiu Kwakwanso when the highest court in the land ruled that no White Paper or indictment by any tribunal or commission, except the courts, can bar Nigerians from contesting election.

But we have since discovered that the common enemy of Ekiti people is behind the sponsorship of the litigation to cause distraction for our partys candidate, Dr Fayemi, who is poised to win the July 14 election.

We will not be troubled by this needless distraction because our party, with its development blue print that will be sold across the state, is determined to win the July 14 election so that Ekiti State can be on her feet again for the challenges of rebuilding the state that has been bastardised by Governor Fayose in the last three and half years.

Fayose will fail

Olatunbosun further said that Governor Fayoses plans to stop Fayemi will not see the light of day.

He also alleged that the Governor has resorted to spreading lies that Fayemi will sack teachers and civil servants if he becomes Governor.

Fayose has been trying all tricks to ensure that APC fails to win the July 14 election but he will fail in all.

We hereby serve notice that the years of Fayoses shenanigans are over for our party led by Dr Fayemi to come on board to repair the damage that Fayose has wrought on Ekiti State.

Social security scheme for Ekiti elderly people is coming back; Fayemi will restore local council development areas, YCAD, Volunteer Corps, urban renewal, free health for the indigent and nursing mothers, free health, industrialisation and tourism, among other life-lifting programmes that Fayose has cancelled and replaced with self-serving programmes that benefit only him and his family members.

The in-coming government to be led by Fayemi will be people-oriented administration that will take the welfare of all Ekiti people as a priority instead of the present government that was designed by Fayose to profit himself alone and members of his family, he said.

Meanwhile, Governor Fayose, has urged President Buhari and former president, Olusegun Obasanjo to continue with their public feud over the $16B spent on power projects.In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, the governor noted that the party's success in the southeast region is due to his hardwork to make it so, arguing that there would be no reason for him to dump the party.

The governor said the rumours are merely the manipulations of mischievous people who have also aired rumours that he is in a coma.

The statement read, "If Governor Okorocha did not take a good percentage of APGA members to APC, the party would not have had the kind of national spread it has today. For that reason, they called him all sorts of derogatory names which Nigerians know, including Alhaji in Government House, Okoro-Hausa and Rochas Buhari.

"When APC came for campaign in 2015, in Imo and all the states in the South East, he was the point man. Today, APC has become the party to envy. Nobody is talking about Okorocha and Buhari going to use APC to Islamise the Igbo.

"Today, the same people who called him names have begun to market falsehood against him, including the fake story of his leaving APC for APGA. All these show the level of frustration on the side of the 10-man coalition. They are being hunted by their inglorious actions.

"One may also wish to know that while the unfounded story of the governor leaving APC is yet to dry, they have also come up with another one, that the governor is in coma. These people do not know God and, of course, they are afraid of both the present and the future.

"No landlord leaves his house for unfaithful tenants. The name Okorocha is the fibre of APC in Imo and the whole of South East. And anybody who says it is not true should tell Nigerians why it is only in Imo you have APC governor, 24 out of the 27 House of Assembly members, three House of Representatives members and one senator, in the whole of South East.

"Time will tell what happens in APC in Imo and the whole of South East."On Wednesday, it issued its first ever public appeal to Syria's government to reach those in need, regardless of location.

"Our actions are based on the needs of patients alone, not on the politics of war," said MSF general director Meinie Nicolai.

"We could begin working within days, if given authorisation, and could play a deeply beneficial role alongside other Syrian and international healthcare providers," she said.

The statement said MSF had submitted a request to Syria's foreign ministry in April but had not received a response.

"If our offer is again dismissed, we will continue to do what we can, where we can, because there are a great many people in great need of medical care in Syria today," said Nicolai

Syria's regime lost swathes of territory to rebels early in the uprising but has since made a comeback and recaptured large parts of the country.

In recent months, it has used military pressure and population transfers to flush fighters and civilians out of territory around Damascus, most notably the Eastern Ghouta suburb.

"The levels of trauma, both mental and physical, caused during the March offensive to take control of eastern Ghouta are beyond my comprehension," said Nicolai.

UN 'frustrated'

Hospitals backed by MSF in the rebel enclave treated more than 5,600 wounded in the first two weeks of the offensive alone.

"The number of affected people and the gravity of the needs mean that a significant and urgent medical response is required for these patients, regardless of who is in control of the territory," she added.

Prior to the assault, Ghouta's 400,000 residents had suffered five years of crippling regime siege that made food and medicine nearly impossible to access or afford.

The government has imposed sieges on opposition territory across Syria as a military tactic, restricting access for relief groups and even the United Nations.

But even when it recaptures a rebel zone and the siege ends, the Damascus government does not improve aid access, the UN said.

"The end of besiegement hasn't necessarily resulted in access for humanitarians," said the UN's regional humanitarian coordinator for Syria, Panos Moumtzis.

"From a humanitarian point of view, we're still frustrated about not being able to go in."

This year, UN aid had only reached a slim seven percent of two million Syrians in "hard-to-reach" areas, he said.

The UN has requested access tens of thousands of desperate people still living in Ghouta, but has been told by the government that it still is not safe."It could go either way over the next few weeks and we are working around the clock to make sure it (goes) in the right direction," he told AFP after the meeting.

The agency issued a new toll, saying there had been 58 cases since early April -- an increase of seven over figures issued on Tuesday -- and said it was actively following more than 600 contacts.

Ebola, a virus-caused haemorrhagic fever that spreads through contact with bodily fluids, is highly infectious and extremely lethal.

The current outbreak, which was officially declared on May 8, began in rural northwestern DRC in a remote location called Bikoro.

So far seven cases have surfaced in Mbandaka -- a city of around 1.2 million people that lies on the Congo River, acting as a transport hub to Brazzaville and Kinshasa downstream and to Bangui, upstream.

'Can spread quickly'

"An urban case means that it can spread quickly," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told Wednesday's session during the agency's annual World Health Assembly.

The proximity of the outbreak to neighbouring countries, especially through the river connection, was a major concern, he said.

"They are connected, they are very close, and ... that makes the problem really serious," he said.

The UN health agency is eager to show that it has learned hard-won lessons on how to deal with Ebola since the worst-ever outbreak of the virus, which killed more than 11,300 people in three West African countries from 2013-2015.

WHO faced harsh criticism for responding too slowly and failing to grasp the gravity of that outbreak until it was out of control.

But Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported a worrying development Wednesday that was eerily reminiscent of problems seen during the West Africa outbreak: three Ebola patients had fled a Mbandaka hospital since Sunday.

MSF said two of them had died after returning home with their families.

MSF, which supports the hospital in question, said it was important to understand that "forced hospitalisation" would not work.

"The commitment of the patient" to being quarantined "is fundamental," it said, highlighting the need for public awareness on how to halt the outbreak.

'Not a silver bullet'

Matshidiso Moeti, WHO's regional director for Africa, insisted that the WHO had learned that lesson, pointing to "extremely important" efforts to get trusted community leaders involved in spreading information about how people can best protect themselves against the virus.

African health authorities have meanwhile said they will send in a team of anthropologists to help smooth communication, especially around a vaccination campaign that started this week.

The campaign, using an unlicenced vaccine, is beginning with first responders, and will soon move to anyone who has been in contact with suspected cases, and then on to the contacts of the contacts.

"This is not mass immunisation, this is highly targeted ring vaccination," Salama said, pointing out that the aim was to form "protective rings around (each) case to protect the people themselves, but also to prevent further community transmission."

He said some 10,000 people should be vaccinated within the next month.

Salama stressed though that the vaccine is "not a silver bullet", insisting it "is really the detective work of epidemiology that will make or break the response."

Only by finding every single Ebola case, and mapping and following every one of their contacts, and ensuring that the sick are isolated, can the epidemic be brought to halt, he said.The former presidential guard member had already lost an appeal against his conviction for crimes against humanity and genocide in 2016.

The Cour de Cassation, France's court of final appeal, on Thursday ruled it was "obvious" that Simbikangwa had "willingly participated in abuses against the Tutsis and against the civilian population in general".

Simbikangwa, who has been confined to a wheelchair since a car crash in the 1980s, was accused of organising roadblocks where Hutu militia carried out murders, mainly targeting the Tutsi minority. He always insisted his innocence.

More than 800,000 people died during the Rwanda genocide, mostly ethnic Tutsis as well as some moderate Hutus.

The three-month slaughter began after the plane of then president Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, was shot down in April 1994.

In a separate case, prosecutors in Paris asked judges to order a Rwandan former doctor accused of being an accomplice in the genocide to stand trial in a criminal court, following an investigation that began 23 years ago.

Tense relations

Prosecutors accuse Sosthenes Munyemana, who fled to France after the end of the massacre, of signing a "motion of support" for government genocide and detaining Tutsi civilians under inhumane conditions.

His lawyer, Jean-Yves Dupeux, said the former gynaecologist had "behaved as he should have in trying to protect refugees in a difficult situation".

Meanwhile, other cases in France involving Rwandans accused of committing atrocities in the genocide are also being appealed.

Former eastern Rwandan mayors Octavien Ngenzi and Tito Barahira -- prosecuted over the genocide -- are both appealing life sentences they were handed in 2016.

The two were convicted of crimes against humanity and genocide over the "massive and systematic summary executions" of Tutsis in Kabarondo in 1994.

For decades, the genocide has led to tensions between France and the small East African country.

Rwanda has accused France of complicity in the mass killings through its support of ethnic Hutu forces who carried out most of the slaughter.

France has admitted it made mistakes but insists it never had a role in the massacre. It had previously also been accused of dragging its feet over prosecuting cases."There was a huge explosion, you could feel it. Dust came at you, the heat came at you. It was extremely loud," TomCheshire, a journalist for SkyNews who was among those invited to attend the ceremony, wrote on the British broadcaster's website.

Yonhap news agency, citing SouthKorean pool reporters at the scene, said multiple explosions were heard throughout the day, beginning at 11am (0300 GMT) until 4.17pm.

Punggye-ri has been the staging ground for all six of the North's nuclear tests, including its latest and by far most powerful one in September last year, which Pyongyang said was an H-bomb.

Experts are divided over whether the demolition will render the site useless. Sceptics say the facility has already outlived its usefulness with six successful nuclear tests in the bag and can be quickly rebuilt if needed.

North Korea also did not invite any independent observers from overseas."Today, the total elimination of nuclear weapons remains our priority," he said, cautioning that long-championed global "efforts to achieve this goal are in state of severe crisis."

"Our world is going backwards," Guterres said, adding that hard won disarmament agreements reached during and right after the Cold War risked crumbling.

The UN Secretary General pointed out that "global military spending and arms competition are increasing, particularly in the most dangerous parts of the world."

"Governments are pouring resources into updating old weapons systems, developing new ones, and entering into what many see as a new arms race, based on quality rather than quantity," he said.

At the same time, around 15,000 nuclear weapons remained in stockpiles around the world, Guterres said.

"Hundreds are ready to be launched within minutes. We are one mechanical, electronic or human error away from a catastrophe that could eradicate entire cities from the map."

Faced with this bleak picture, Guterres said his new agenda was based on three priorities "disarmament to save humanity, disarmament that saves lives, and disarmament for future generations."

He vowed to increase his efforts to "facilitate dialogue" between countries, urging the United States and Russia in particular to resolve a range of disputes over disarmament issues.

NKorea, Syria

His comments came shortly after US President Donald Trump cancelled a widely anticipated nuclear summit next month with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"I am deeply concerned by the cancellation," Guterres said, urging the two sides to "continue their dialogue to find a path to a peaceful and verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula."

The UN chief also voiced concern about the situation in war-ravaged Syria, and in particular the repeated use of chemical weapons there.

He said his new agenda called for "steps to end and prevent the use of other weapons of mass destruction, especially chemical weapons."

Guterres pointed out that since 2014, a UN fact-finding mission had examined 83 incidents involving the alleged use of chemical weapons in war-ravaged Syria, and had determined so far that such weapons had more than likely been used in 14 cases.

"Each use is a crime under international law. Their widespread use may also constitute a crime against humanity," he warned.

Guterres announced the creation of a "new and impartial mechanism" for identifying those who use chemical weapons in Syria.

In his speech, he also highlighted the growing "malicious use of cyber space".

"Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure could have serious consequences for international relations, peace and security. We could even face the creation of cyberweapons of mass destruction," he cautioned."We expect a strong signal from the authorities in support of relaunching the inter-Burundian dialogue under the aegis of the East African Community," said Kafando, a former president of Burkina Faso who became UN envoy last year.

The United States and France also called for dialogue, but Russia warned against meddling in Burundi's domestic affairs, while China stressed that the situation was "generally stable."

"The priority should be to increase humanitarian assistance to Burundi and support for its economic and social development," said China's representative at the meeting, Zhang Dianbin.

In power since 2005, Nkurunziza plunged his east African nation into crisis in 2015 when he circumvented a constitutional two-term limit, stressing his first term came after an election by parliament.

At least 1,200 people have died and 400,000 displaced in a crackdown on protests against his rule.

In a referendum held on May 17, a majority of voters backed constitutional changes that would extend the presidential term limit to seven years.

The opposition accused the government of waging a campaign of fear and intimidation ahead of the vote.

Nkurunziza has refused to hold talks with the opposition, which he accuses of staging an alleged coup.

The government has branded as a terrorist organization the umbrella opposition group the National Council for the Restoration of Arusha Agreement and Rule of Law, or CNARED.Miguna stated that the reports were defamatory, adding that he had instructed his lawyers to establish the authenticity of the claims.

One alert seen by Pulselive.co.ke , but whose authenticity we could not verify, was purportedly authored by Qatar Airways.

"I've seen a DEFAMATORY "Bulletin" ALLEGEDLY from QATAR AIRWAYS claiming that the "Kenya Airport authorities" [sic], has banned me from "entering Kenya." I've not been duly served with any such "notice." I've instructed my advocates to establish its authenticity and deal with it," Miguna stated.The two sides are holding talks this week in Ilulissat, Greenland on the issue.

"The task force will explore options and provide recommendations on how to resolve outstanding boundary issues between the two nations," said a joint statement.

On the surface the spat over a snow-covered uninhabitable island seems absurd, but has become essential for economic development and environmental stewardship of the Arctic.

Danes and Canadians have visited it often over the past four decades to lay claim to it, leading to diplomatic protests, vivid online campaigns and even a Canadian call to boycott Danish pastries.

In 2012, the two nations reached a tentative deal on where to draw the maritime boundary in the Lincoln Sea, a body of water in the far north-eastern Canada.

But the fate of Hans Island and overlapping economic zones was not fully resolved.

With the onset of global warming more ships are expected to sail between Ellesmere and Greenland, as the area opens up to mining, fishing, and oil and gas drilling operations.WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue Universitys Center for Commercial Agriculture and Purdue Extension will host the 86th annual Farm Management Tour in Johnson and Shelby counties June 21-22.

The two-day farm tour will feature interactive interviews with producers at four progressive crop and livestock farms, as well as tours of their facilities. Participants will learn about innovative farm practices and leading technological advancements in agriculture. The tour is free and open to the public but registration is required by June 15 at purdue.edu/farmtour or by calling 765-494-4310.

Each tour stop will include an interview session with the operators that provides an overview of the farm, followed by mini-tours focused on specific aspects of each farms operation.

The tour schedule:

June 21  Johnson County

1:00 p.m.  Gill Farm, Franklin. Danny and Judy Gill have a long history of producing specialty crops  including seed corn and waxy corn  using irrigation. The Gills also produce beef and feeder cattle. The diversity of their operation enhances profitability and mitigates risk. At this tour stop, participants will learn more about managing crop fertility, waxy corn production and seed corn production.

3:30 p.m.  Norton Farms, Franklin. Norton Farms, operated by John and Peter Norton and Jenny Mowrey is a diversified operation that produces flowers, produce, corn, soybeans, seed soybeans, waxy corn and popcorn. The family also owns Crystal Springs Grain, a storage facility with an emphasis on waxy corn, operated by Brian Marten. Marten will lead the Crystal Springs tour discussion. The topics discussed at this tour stop will include flower and produce production and sales, seed soybean production and the grain storage facility.

June 22  Shelby County

8:30 a.m.  Douglas Farms, Flat Rock. Douglas Farms is a fourth-generation operation that specializes in corn, soybeans and hog production. Several years ago, owner-operators Jim and Kay Douglas transitioned the farm from a traditional farrow-to-finish hog operation to an innovative pork partnership with Legan Livestock and Grain, forming D&L Pork, a hog-finishing operation. D&L Pork enabled the Douglas family to diversify their operation and provided an opportunity for the next generation of family members to join the farm. One of the highlights of this tour stop will be a discussion of succession planning and how Jim and Kay are transitioning the farms ownership and operation to son James Douglas and son-in-law Kyle Nigh.

11:30 a.m.  Fischer Food Grade, Inc. and Fischer, Inc., Shelbyville. This tour stop will start with lunch featuring the Agricultural Outlook with Purdues Dr. Chris Hurt, followed by Fischer family interview and farm tour. The Fischer operation dates back to 1933. Fischers were early innovators in hybrid corn production and used that experience to enter food-grade crop production. The operation has evolved into a grower and processor of GMO and non-GMO food-grade corn, non-GMO food-grade soybeans and soybean seed. This tour stop will focus on food-grade corn and soybean production and processing, and the familys long-term emphasis on improving soil productivity.

The Indiana Prairie Farmer Master Farmer Banquet will be held June 21 at 6 p.m. in conjunction with the Farm Management Tour. The banquet will be at Beeson Hall, 396 Branigin Blvd., Franklin. The cost to attend the banquet is $25 per person for adults, $10 per person for children ages 3-12, and free for children 2 and younger. Participants must register separately for the Master Farmer Banquet by filling out the form at purdue.edu/masterfarmer or calling 765-494-8593 by June 13.

Writer: Rebecca Frazier, frazie16@purdue.edu

Media contact: Janet Pool, 765-494-4310, jpool@purdue.edu

Source: James Mintert, 765-494-4310, jmintert@purdue.edu

Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-8415;

Darrin Pack, Manager/Media Relations and Public Information, dpack@purdue.edu

Agriculture News PageWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Wine enthusiasts from across the state are getting ready for the 19th annual Vintage Indiana Festival, the states largest celebration of Hoosier wines, wineries and vineyards.

This years festival takes place noon to 6 p.m. June 2 at Military Park in downtown Indianapolis.

Festival-goers will have the opportunity to sample more than 200 wines from 29 different Indiana wineries, while enjoying live music from Christine Nicole Music, the Doo! and the Flying Toasters. There will also be food trucks, artisan vendors and displays by wine tourism and industry retailers.

The festival gives wine enthusiasts and wineries an unparalleled experience, said Katie Barnett, marketing Extension specialist for Purdue's Wine Grape Team. Festival-goers have the opportunity to try new wines, experience new wineries and meet Indiana winemakers, all in one place. Thats pretty special. Beyond the wine, exploring wine tourism and shopping locally made crafts gives the festival a true Hoosier experience.

New attractions to the festival this year include a photo booth and caricature venue.

Indiana annually welcomes more than 600,000 wine tourists to the states more than 90 wineries. The Indiana wine-grape industry has more than 600 grape-bearing acres and has contributed more than $600 million to the state economy.

This Vintage Indiana festival is open to everyone age 21 and older. Tickets are on sale now for the festival. Tickets are $30 if purchased in advance and $40 if purchased at the gate. VIP tickets are also available, which grant access to the park an hour before general admission, a larger wine glass and a lanyard. The first 10,000 guests will receive an etched wine glass. The price of admission allows festival-goers to sample wine from all participating wineries. Food, artisan crafts and wine by the bottle or glass will be available for purchase. For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.vintageindiana.com.

Writer: Emma Ea Ambrose, 765-494-2406, eeambros@purdue.edu

Source: Katie Barnett, 765-496-3842, vino@purdue.edu

Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-8415;

Darrin Pack, Manager/Media Relations and Public Information, dpack@purdue.edu

Agriculture News PageQUIZ: Guess the Road Songs

We can't wait to get back on the road again! Play this quiz and see if how many you can get right!UAE: Etihad Rail has selected Egis to provide project management consultancy services for the ongoing development of the countrys rail network and connections to neighbouring GCC states.Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale

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Search Real Estate'The reason is that you may not enter the branch but you want to see it near you as it establishes trust.'

Indias cashless drive may have taken off after demonetisation but banks have been witness to the digital revolution much earlier.

Data shared by banks in their investor presentations shows that branches now have a miniscule share of financial and non-financial retail transactions as mobile and internet banking have taken over.

For instance, HDFC Banks latest investor presentation for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, showed that the banks branches only conduct 8 per cent of customer transactions as opposed to 43 per cent of the transactions in 2008.

This is largely due to the larger share captured by internet banking, which now constitutes 85 per cent of all transactions for the bank.

In 2008, internet and mobile transactions constituted 3 per cent.

A similar trend is seen across all big private as well as public banks reviewed by Business Standard.

The rise of digital transactions is also due to the Immediate Payment Service, proliferation of mobile banking apps, and the unified payments interface.

Even the share of ATM-based transactions in the mix seems to be declining over the years.

For HDFC Bank, ATM transactions declined from 40 per cent of all transactions in 2008 to just 6 per cent in the year ended March 2018.

This, however, does not mean that banks are reducing their branches or scaling down operations.

Axis Bank said in its investor presentation that the bank would continue to invest in branches.

The bank has 3,703 branches even as the average branch size has shrunk to 38 per cent of what it was in 2013.

Axis Banks business has undergone a similar digital change with 92 per cent transactions happening outside branches as opposed to 87 per cent a year ago.

However, the bank is focused on increasing the number of branches as new branches drive customer acquisitions and increase deposits.

New customer acquisition is a larger growth driver than deepening of the existing customer wallet share. Physical distribution continues to be central to new customer acquisition (even as transactions and cross-sell have shifted to digital channels), Axis Bank said.

However, the rise in the number of branches has slowed.

In the year ended March 2018, the expansion of branches by public sector banks and private banks hit an eight-year low as they added 4,023 branches, the lowest since the 2008-09 when 3,536 branches were added, RBI data showed.

SBI recently launched a completely digital savings account in order to gain a larger share of the digital pie. SBIs business in its branches declined to 21 per cent in December 2017 from 26 per cent in 2016.

The state-owned bank has also seen a fall in the proportion of ATM transactions in line with other banks even as its internet banking transactions are still low at 20 per cent of total transactions.

In the private sector, ICICI Bank is at the forefront of digitisation as it opened 85 per cent of savings accounts through digital tablets as opposed to branch-based banking.

The bank expects 95 per cent of financial and non-financial transactions to take place outside bank branches, an increase of about 1 percentage point in the last six months.

Analysts said the banking business was set to go through a change as digital payments increased but ignoring branch banking could spell trouble.

Branches are not going away soon, especially in rural areas where internet banking is still unheard of, said a banking analyst on condition of anonymity.

While the ICICIs of the world are witnessing huge growth in digital transactions, they are overlooking a basic tenet of banking, which is that it relies on trust and interpersonal relationships, the analyst added.

The analyst referred to Singapore-based DBS Bank, which is a completely online and paperless bank in India operating solely through its mobile app.

While the bank boasts of 1 million accounts, its business is pretty low as compared to peers, the analyst points out.

The branch business cannot go away even if digital transactions increase. The reason is that you may not enter the branch but you want to see it near you as it establishes trust, said Jindal Haria, associate director, financial institutions, India Ratings.

Secondly, a lot of MSMEs have people just to do cash in and cash out at the bank on a daily basis because a lot of stuff like PF deposits only happen at bank branches, he added.

Photograph: Ajay Verma/ReutersThis time an anonymous whistleblower made an appeal to market regulator Sebi to probe an agreement made by the tech giant with some of its ex-directors.

The countrys second largest software services company Infosys received yet another jolt on Wednesday after an anonymous whistleblower made an appeal to market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to probe an agreement made by the tech giant with some of its ex-directors.

Owing to this, Sebi will investigate the issue of a claim release agreement with some previous directors.

According to the letter, such agreements may be a ploy to hide the investigation report from shareholders with regard to previous acquisitions.

In the letter, the whistleblower has termed the current board led by Nandan Nilekani, one of the founding members of Infosys, as a huge disappointment.

The current board led by Nandan Nilekani is a huge disappointment. He had forgotten the core principles of Infosys and failed to uphold the highest traditions of corporate governance practised by Infosys earlier, the letter, which Business Standard examined, read.

An Infosys spokespersons declined to comment on the whistleblowers allegations.

Notably, Infosys' acquisition of Skava and Pannaya under the leadership of its former CEO Vishal Sikka has come under a lot of scrutiny with founding member NR Narayana Murthy raising questions on valuation.

Even payment of a hefty severance package to company's former CFO Rajiv Bansal had raised eyebrows among investors.

Last month, one whistleblower had in a letter, raised questions over the company's decision to put Skava and Pannaya on sale after defending the acquisition all along.

In the current letter, the whistleblower claimed that the company had signed a claim release agreement with some ex-directors to hide the outcome of the investigation report.

The only reason why the company signed such a claim release agreement with the ex-directors is because it found certain wrongdoings in the investigation report, the letter claimed.

The whistleblower also requested Sebi to investigate why such claim release agreements with some ex-directors were not disclosed to the shareholders immediately after its signing in August 2017.

Why was such an agreement signed only with three independent ex-directors and not with any other independent former director? the letter asked.

Has the investigation report directly or indirectly fixed responsibility on these ex-directors for the wrongdoing related to Bansals severance payments and shady acquisition? it added.

The letter also asked whether these agreements would inhibit the company's ability to release investigation reports to shareholders.

Time has come for Sebi to order Infosys board to release investigation reports to the shareholders, the letter read.

Interestingly, the whistleblowers letter has been sent to Sebi just days after Infosys, in its annual report, billed activist investors as a risk to its business growth.

Photograph: Vivek Prakash/ReutersLast updated on: May 24, 2018 15:59 IST

Stars go for the loveliest holidays.

Bhagyashree went on a holiday to Greece with her girl gang.

Priyanka Chopra had a lovely holiday in Prague.

Aamir Khan went on a family trip to Italy.

Sidharth Malhotra explored New Zealand.

Alia Bhatt holidayed with her family in the Maldives.

Gurmeet Choudhary and Debina Bonnerjee went to Dubai.

Raai Laxmi had an awesome American holiday.

Kavita Kaushik holidayed in Rajasthan.

Shibani Dandekar went to Spain.

Kanika Kapoor took a vacation to the Maldives.

This week, let's see what the Maldives looks like with Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra and their son Viaan.

Shilpa enjoys her holiday.

The Kundras stayed at the Kanuhura in the Maldives.

Time to relax.

Floating away at the beach.

The sun, the sea and the beauty.

Such an adorable candid capture.

Shilpa and Raj showing all their love on Viaan.

Time for some refreshments.

The clear blue sky, the coconut trees and white sand make for such a beautiful background.

Raj gives us details about what they were doing. 'A lovely movie (The Greatest Showman a must watch) and meal on the beach! (Yesterday's fresh catch ) Thank you @islechictravel and @kanuhuramaldives for making our family vacation so magical! #maldives #heavenonearth #familytime and yes that's a seaplane in the background :)'

Shilpa shares the picture writing, 'Realised "Fishing" ain't that easy... not my thing at least !!This beauty got caught in our hook( not the kind to eat) so we released it... But my son caught the most whilst @rajkundra9 says he already has the best "catch"'

Shilpa's Sunday binge at Maldives. 'Crispy hot Banana fritters with cinnamon sugar and homemade vanilla ice cream #yummy #craving . Was the #perfect #sundaybinge'

While walking on the beach they found a baby shark and Viaan got excited looking at it!

Photographs: Kind courtesy Shilpa Shetty Kundra/Instagram and Raj Kundra/InstagramThe partys steady flow of money from industrialists has all but dried up, leaving a cash crunch so serious that its been forced to crowd-fund for a candidate.

IMAGE: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi with his mother Sonia Gandhi at Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy's oath-taking ceremony on May 23, 2018. Photograph: Kind courtesy, @INC_India/Twitter

The Congress party is facing a financial crisis that could undermine its ability to wrest power from Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019.

For the past five months, the Congress leadership has stopped sending the funds required to run its offices in various states, party officials with knowledge of the matter said, asking not to be identified as they were not authorised to speak to the media.

To overcome the crisis, the Congress has urged members to step up contributions and asked officials to cut expenses, they said.

The partys steady flow of money from industrialists has all but dried up, leaving a cash crunch so serious that its been forced to crowd-fund for a candidate.

"We dont have money," said Divya Spandana, who leads the Congress partys social media department.

Compared with the BJP, she said her party is not getting much funding via electoral bonds -- a new method for cash donation to political parties -- which may force the Congress to opt for more online crowd sourcing to raise money.

Modis string of electoral wins engineered along with his key aide and party president Amit Shah have decimated the space once occupied by the Congress.

At last count, the BJP rules with its allies in 21 states, several of them wrested from the grand old party, and Modi remains the most popular leader ahead of next years federal elections.

The Congress now controls just two big states, down from 15 in 2013.

Big business has steadily migrated away from the Congress, said Milan Vaishnav, a senior fellow for South Asia at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC. "Headed into 2019, the BJP has a decisive fundraising advantage, not least because the Congress and other key regional parties are seen as less business-friendly."

Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala declined to comment.

The Congress earned one-fourth of the funds than BJP in the financial year ended March 2017.

The BJP declared an income of Rs 10.34 billion during this period, an increase of 81 per cent from a year ago, according to Association for Democratic Reforms.

The Congress, in comparison, received Rs 2.25 billion, a drop of 14 per cent from the previous year.

An endless wait for a flight ticket due to lack of funds meant a senior leader couldnt reach an eastern state on time to supervise elections earlier this year.

The partys campaign paled into comparison to the BJPs in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya polls, an official said, noting it was one of the reasons it had failed to gain power in those states.

The curbs extend beyond travel to allowances for serving tea to guests at party offices.

The BJP spent double that of Congress and is way ahead in attracting corporate donations.

The Hindu nationalist party received donations of 7.05 billion rupees from 2,987 corporates during the four years to March 2016, while the Congress got Rs 1.98 billion from 167 business houses, according to ADR.

During the 2014 general elections, the BJP collected Rs 5.88 billion, while Congress took Rs 3.50 billion, said ADR, citing expenditure submitted by parties to Election Commission of India.

The shortages were affecting both election campaigning and organisational mobility, said one senior Congress official, noting they were working to overcome the crisis and had put strict curbs on spending.

Without campaign funds, the Congress will face considerable hardship going into 2019, said Jagdeep Chhokar, founder and trustee of the Association for Democratic Reforms. A party that does not have money will be at a disadvantage in Indian elections.

Political funding in India has long lacked transparency and undocumented cash -- known as black money -- is regularly used to fund campaigns.

"It is very unfortunate but money in large quantities is used -- I should say abused -- in Indian elections," said Chhokar. Parties use accounted and unaccounted money -- a political party can legally spend any amount of money on elections. There is no limit."

While the BJP has already moved into its newly-built, swanky, high-walled headquarters in New Delhi, the new office of the Congress party is still under construction due to a lack of funds, said the party leader.

As the Congress lost state after state, its funding crisis worsened, because ruling parties in states were relied upon to become cash cows for their respective national parties.

But theres a chance the Congress may lure corporates back if they sense the BJP is not certain to win, said Ajoy Bose, a Delhi-based author and political analyst.

"The 2019 election will see a very rich party and a powerful government spending many resources on a hi-fi campaign, whereas Congress and other parties will run a simple, down-to-earth campaign."After a decade-long wait, the IAF will transform 80 ageing Jaguar fighters into highly capable, multi-role, combat aircraft, reports Ajai Shukla.

The Indian Air Force, after being criticised for spending $9.2 billion on 36 Rafale fighter aircraft, is closing in on a far more prudent deal -- the rejuvenation of 80 ageing Jaguar fighters into highly capable, multi-role, combat aircraft for a mere $1.5 billion or so.

This long-delayed project, which was resurrected last month, involves replacing the Jaguar's underpowered engines.

Separately, the updated fighter will get state-of-the-art avionics for striking ground targets more accurately, hitting maritime targets far out at sea, and winning aerial dogfights with enemy fighters.

For a decade, the Jaguar upgrade proposal has remained stalled on the issue of cost.

Honeywell was made responsible for 're-engining' the Jaguar, and the United States firm quoted an unacceptable $2.5 billion to $3 billion for taking full responsibility to instal its new F-125IN engines in 80 Jaguars.

Now, breaking that logjam, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd has been nominated the lead integrator, while Honeywell has stepped back to the more restricted role of engine supplier.

HAL will buy F-125IN engines from Honeywell and install them in the Jaguars, replacing the current Rolls-Royce Adour 811 engines.

HAL chief, T Suvarna Raju, says his company can do the job more easily, and cheaply, than Honeywell, having built more than 145 Jaguars under license over the years.

"Installing the F-125IN requires 10-12 relatively minor modifications. HAL can handle this easily," Raju says.

"The earlier tender stands withdrawn. In its place, HAL will take a quote from Honeywell for its engines and, after adding its own expenses, submit a 'total project cost'. Based on that figure, the defence ministry will sanction the project. The contract will now be between the IAF and HAL," said Raju.

The HAL chief says there will be no time-consuming competitive tendering, since Honeywell is the only vendor.

Rolls-Royce has declined to participate since they do not have an engine that meets the IAF's specifications for the Jaguar.

Honeywell will require 36 months for the F-125IN engines to start rolling off the production line, but HAL wants to go ahead with engine integration, using two engines that Honeywell had built earlier when it was to have the lead role.

Raju says he recently travelled to Honeywell's facility in Phoenix, Arizona, to ensure that they benefit from several years of work they have already done on integrating the F-125IN onto the Jaguar.

"We need to cut down on time and expense, and avoid re-inventing the wheel," he points out.

Besides building two F-125 engines, Honeywell also bought a Jaguar airframe from the United Kingdom.

It remains to be seen whether the US firm will cooperate with HAL for mutual benefit, or demand financial compensation for the work it did earlier.

The first indicator, say defence ministry sources, will be the terms that Honeywell demands for supplying two engines to HAL -- sale, rent, lease or gratis.

Of the 145 Jaguars that HAL built for the IAF, only 119 currently fly, comprising six IAF squadrons of about 20 fighters each.

Since 39 of these would complete their airframe lives by 2025 to 2030, the IAF considers it uneconomical to re-engine these.

That leaves 80 Jaguars, whose service lives would be extended to 2035 to 2040 with new engines.

With each of those fighters requiring two engines, and an additional maintenance reserve of 40 engines, HAL would require 200 F-125IN engines from Honeywell.

Aerospace industry experts estimate a price of $5 million to $6 million per engine, which would place Honeywell's bill at a little over a billion dollars.

The remaining cost would be incurred in integrating the engines onto the fleet.

With engine supply starting only three years from the contract date, substantial numbers of re-engined Jaguars would probably materialise only after five years, around 2024.

IAF pilots joke that the Jaguar's current engines are so underpowered that the fighter only gets airborne because the earth is round -- and its curvature makes the ground drop away beneath the moving aircraft.

With the Rolls-Royce Adour 811 engines output (25 kiloNewtons of dry thrust and 37.5 kN with afterburners) being replaced by the F-125IN (27.7 kN of dry thrust and 43.8kN with afterburners), Jaguar pilots believe they would have the last laugh.A missile that brought down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine in 2014 was fired from a launcher belonging to Russias 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade, investigators said Thursday.

IMAGE: A damaged missile is displayed during a news conference by members of the Joint Investigation Team, comprising the authorities from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine who present interim results in the ongoing investigation of the 2014 MH17 crash that killed 298 people over eastern Ukraine, in Bunnik, Netherlands. Photograph: Francois Lenoir/Reuters

The Buk missile was fired from a farm near Pervomaisk, the Joint Investigation Team into the MH17 disaster told a news conference in the Netherlands.

Flight MH17 was heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia when it was shot down by a BUK missile over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014.

All 298 passengers and crew, which included mainly Dutch citizens but also Britons, Malaysians and Australians, were killed in the disaster.

It is the clearest link yet published by the team to the involvement of the Russian military in the deadly missile strike.

Prosecutors said they have presented their findings to Moscow and are seeking answers, but so far have not received a response.

IMAGE: The reconstructed wreckage of the MH17 airplane is seen after the presentation of the final report into the crash of July 2014 of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine, in Gilze Rijen, the Netherlands. Photograph: Michael Kooren/Reuters

Dutch investigator Wilbert Paulissen said the Joint Investigation Team had come to the conclusion that the BUK-TELAR that shot down MH17 came from 53rd Anti-aircraft Missile Brigade based in Kursk in Russia.

All the vehicles in a convoy carrying the missile were part of the Russian armed forces.

The investigators had previously concluded that the plane was brought down by a BUK missile fired from territory in Ukraine held by Moscow-backed rebels, but had stopped short of directly saying who pulled the trigger.

BUK are a series of surface-to-air missile systems developed by Soviet and subsequently Russia, who has always denied involvement in the downing of the jet.

MH17 crashed in Grabovo, Ukraine an area near the Russian border which at the time was under the control of pro-Russian militias.

The plane was shot down in the early stages of the Ukraine War, which began with the Russian annexation of Crimea -- a military muscle-flexing exercise by President Vladimir Putin attempting to show off his strength to the West.

IMAGE: The MH17 plane crashed in the Donetsk region shortly after Flight MH370 disappeared. Photograph: Maxim Zmeyev/Reuters

It came just a few months after another Malaysia Airlines disaster: the disappearance of Flight MH370.

The Malaysia Airlines jet disappeared in March 2014, with 239 mostly Chinese people onboard while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

On Wednesday, the Malaysian government announced that the search for the plane will end on May 29, and there will be no more extensions.

A United States firm had been hired by the government on a no find, no fee basis in January to carry on the fruitless search for the wreckage.

A joint hunt by Australia, China and Malaysia across a 46,332 square miles area in the Indian Ocean ended last year.The deadly Nipah virus on Thursday claimed one more life in Kerala, with a 61-year-old man succumbing to the virus, taking the death toll to 11.

IMAGE: Relatives and hospital officals wear safety masks as they perform the last rites of V Moosa, a Nipah virus victim, at Kannam Parambu graveyard, in Kozhikode. Photograph: PTI Photo

The latest victim, V Moosa, was on ventilator support since the past few days.

There are totally 14 Nipah confirmed cases, of whom 11 have so far lost their lives.

Three people are undergoing treatment in various hospitals.

This is the fourth death in Moosas family in the last 20 days.

Moosas sons Mohammed Saliah, 28, Mohammed Sadiq, 26, and a relative Mariumma had died earlier.

While two of the deaths have been confirmed due to Nipah, the blood samples of one of his sons had not been tested for the virus, sources said.

Health officials had also sealed an unused well, believed to be the epicentre of the virus, in the compound of Moosas house after it was found to be infested with bats.

Nurse Lini Puthussery, who initially treated members of Moosas family at Perambra Taluk hospital in the district, had also died after being infected by the virus.

Of the 11 deaths, eight are from Kozhikode and three from neighbouring Malappuram, an official communication said.

Twenty two persons -- 13 from Kozhikode, 6 from Malappuram, 2 from Kottayam and one from Thiruvananthapuram are also suspected to have contracted the virus.

Their blood samples have been sent for testing and results are awaited.

IMAGE: Doctors and patients wear safety masks as a precautionary measure after the Nipah virus outbreak at a medical college in Kozhikode. Photograph: PTI Photo

A high-level meeting chaired by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday morning reviewed the steps taken by the state government to contain the outbreak of Nipah virus.

Directions have been given to continue vigil and to strengthen the states monitoring mechanism, besides increasing awareness about the virus and strengthening precautionary measure.

A committee led by the chief secretary will monitor the situation continuously.

Ribavirin tablets, an anti-viral medicine, are being distributed and officials have been asked to send the medicines to all affected areas.

To discuss issues relating to outbreak of the virus, an all-party meeting has also been called at the Kozhikode collectorate on Friday in which representatives of political parties, MPs and MLAs will participate.

Meanwhile, as a precautionary measure, Kozhikode district collector, U V Jose, has restrained conduct of all public functions, including tuitions and training classes till May 31.

In view of the collectors order, the examinations for civil police officers and others being conducted by the Kerala Public Service Commission in Kozhikode on May 26 have been postponed.

Kozhikode district medical authorities have received complaints that the staff of the Perambra taluk hospital, where Lini Puthussery, a nurse had died after she contracted the Nipah virus from some patients she had treated, were facing isolation.

If they get into buses, people refuse to share seats, autorickshaws decline to take them, district medical officer said.

Due to the virus scare, there are also reports that residents from affected areas were shifting to the houses of their relatives far away.

The outbreak of the virus has lent a blow to fruit merchants also for whom the Ramzan season would have been a money spinner.

Fruit traders said people are not buying fruits fearing that they may have been infected by fruit bats, which is suspected to be host of the dreaded virus.

This is the mango season and we are selling local mangoes which were in good demand until the virus struck, said a trader.

Now no one is buying fruits. People have stopped visiting even juice shops, he said.

According to the Kerala Fruits and Merchants Association, there has been a 40 per cent dip in the sales in the state due to the outbreak of virus, while in Kozhikode district alone, where the virus first erupted, there has been a fall of 90 per cent in sales.

The Nipah virus is a newly emerging zoonosis that causes severe disease in both animals and humans.

The natural host of the virus is believed to be fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family, Pteropus genus.While their lives are safer now, they are still struggling: Priyanka on Rohingya refugees

Photograph: @PriyankaChopra/Instagram

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Priyanka Chopra, who is on a field visit, has shared her on-ground experiences from the Rohingya refugees shelters -- from stumbling upon calmness in the conflict-stricken zone to urging global community to come to their aid.

The 35-year-old actor took to Instagram to document her visit -- day-by-day -- through posts, pictures and videos at various camps.

As I walk into the Women Friendly Space at the Jamtoli Camp, I am instantly struck by a certain calmness. These camps are loud & crowded, actually overcrowded, and so to find a quiet oasis, in this case a small hut with a tarp roof and thatched bamboo walls, is surprising.

But for the girls in this camp, this is what they call their house of peace. Its a place they can come and just be. A place to interact with friends, seek counselling, learn about hygiene, or learn life skills like art and music, Chopra wrote alongside a photograph in which she can be seen having a tea party with a refugee girl (in image above).

The star added there are approximately 50 Women Friendly Spaces in the camps, which give shelter to 50-70 Rohingya girls on a daily basis.

She said she met three 18-year-old women whose stories shook her up.

One scarred with memories of houses in her village being burned -- she and her parents travelled for two days to get here, passing hundreds of decapitated and dismembered bodies along the way. Another shared stories of young girls being pulled from their homes to be raped and tortured. They even tried to kill her and cut her with a knife, but she fought back.

How did you manage to be so brave, I asked her... She replied, If youre born you will die, so Im not scared of dying today. In what world is it normal for an 18-year-old girl to have this perspective on life? The third young woman travelled for nearly two weeks on foot through the forest, where her youngest brother died along the way. There was lots of rape and torture back home she told me, and some womens breasts were even cut off.

Chopra also shared a video cradling eight-months-old, Shohida and narrated her difficult journey to the camp.

Its a poignant reminder of the dichotomy of life... Here she was getting all the help she needed, when just a few months before, her mother, Alada (who was only 19-years-old at the time) walked for 15 days, while six months pregnant with her, to get across the border. It shows us that there is hope left in this world, she wrote.

The actor again visited Nutrition Centre at the Jamtoli camp in Coxs Bazar.

More than 60,000 babies have been born in the camps over the past eight months, so this centre is an essential resource for new mothers to learn about proper feeding and nutrition, she said.

While their lives are safer now, they are all still struggling. They know that with an education they can get a job and create better lives for their family, like buying protein for their meals, and clean drinking water. It's literally as basic as that, the actor added.

Chopra urged people to send in donations and lend their support through UNICEF.

-- PTIThe death toll from police firing at Tuticorin on Thursday went up to 13, even as cases were registered against opposition leaders, including Dravida Munnetra Kazaghams M K Stalin and actor-politician Kamal Haasan for defying probibitory orders, officials said.

IMAGE: Police personal walks past a barricade lying strewn after a violent protest demanding the closure of Vedantas Sterlite Copper unit, in Tuticorin. Photograph: PTI Photo

Over 100 people were arrested for protesting police firing on Tuesday and Wednesday in the port city that left 13 dead.

Amid a political slugfest over the incidents of police-public clashes, DMK leader Stalin held a sit-in protest at Fort St George, the state secretariat, before being physically lifted and removed by security personnel, while Chief Minister K Palaniswami broke his silence and blamed the opposition for instigating violence.

Among those killed were two women, a senior police officer said.

Cases were filed against Stalin, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief Vaiko, and Kamal Haasan, who recently founded political outfit Makkal Needhi Maiam, for defying prohibitory orders on Wednesday while visiting a hospital in Tuticorin where those injured in clashes were convalescing.

Over 100 people were arrested in Tuticorin for rioting, setting ablaze and damaging public property, and assaulting police personnel.

Cases under IPC sections and the Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act were registered against them. As many as 65 of those arrested were granted bail by a Tuticorin court later in the day.

IMAGE: Protesters burn tyres to block a road during a protest demanding the closure of Vedantas Sterlite Copper unit, in Tuticorin. Photograph: PTI Photo

Sandeep Nanduri and Murali Rambha, meanwhile, assumed charge as the Collector and SP of Tuticorin.

N Venkatesh and P Mahendran, collector and police superintendent respectively were on Wednesday shunted out of Tuticorin following the violence.

Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from a few places in Tuticorin city where a state-run liqour outlet was ransacked early on Thursday.

Normal life continued to be affected for the third day on Thursday as modes of public transport including buses, and autos did not ply. Most shops were shut.

Police in anti-riot gear patrolled the streets as prohibitory orders banning assembly of more than four people continued to be in force.

The government had on Wednesday ordered suspension of internet services in Tuticorin and adjoining districts of Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari for five days to prevent spread of rumours through social media and help restore peace.

Violent protests had erupted in the city on Tuesday and Wednesday as locals took to streets demanding closure of a copper factory of the Vedanta group over pollution concerns.

Demanding the resignation of Palaniswami and sacking of state police chief T K Rajendran over large-scale arson and violence in Tuticorin, about 600 km from state capital Chennai, Stalin staged a sit-in with party MLAs at Fort St George complex.

Even after police removed the agitators from the secretariat premises, they continued the protest at Rajaji Salai, right in front of Fort St George.

Raising slogans like we want justice and shame on the government, the protesters demanded immediate resignation of the Palaniswami government.

IMAGE: Violence breaks out during protest against Vedanta's Sterlite Copper unit in Tuticorin. Photograph: PTI Photo

Palaniswami broke his silence and blamed opposition parties and anti-social elements for the violence that brought the city down to its knees.

Terming the incidents as unfortunate, he condoled the deaths and said all past agitations for the closure of the plant were peaceful.

This time around it (protest) turned violent. It was due to instigation by some political parties and owing to infiltration by anti-social elements, Palaniswami, who is under relentless attack from the Opposition, said.

Recalling steps taken by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam governments for the closure of the plant, Palaniswami said the deliberate violence was meant to bring disrepute to the government and put it under pressure.

He said the state government was making efforts for the closure of the plant since 2013, when late J Jayalalithaa was the chief minister.

As far as Ammas government is concerned, we respect peoples feelings, he said, adding all legal steps were under way to shut the Sterlite plant, and cases were pending before the Supreme Court and high court.

Stalin said DMK and ally Congresss MLAs boycotted Thursdays meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of the state legislature ahead of the start of the assembly session on May 29.

The Leader of Opposition assailed the chief minister for not visiting the families of the victims of police firing, and said the shifting of the district collector and police chief hardly mattered, as it did not amount to any action against them.

The chief minister is not bothered about the people. He should immediately resign. Director General of Police T K Rajendran must also be removed or he should resign, Stalin said, adding MLAs of his party and ally Congress made these demands at the BAC meeting before walking out.

The government is in limbo, he said, and demanded a judicial inquiry into the incidents by a sitting judge of the Madras high court.

The government had on Wednesday constituted an inquiry commission headed by retired HC judge Aruna Jagadeesan to probe the circumstances leading to violence and subsequent police firing.Alleging that Beijing is engaged in "destabilising behaviour" in the South China Sea, the Pentagon has kicked out China from its annual maritime military exercise.

Asserting that the United States is committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific, the Pentagon said China's continued militarisation of disputed features in the South China Sea only serve to raise tensions and "destabilise" the region.

"As an initial response to China's continued militarisation of the South China Sea, we have disinvited the PLA Navy from the 2018 Rim of the Pacific Exercise. China's behaviour is inconsistent with the principles and purposes of the RIMPAC exercise," Lt Col Christopher B Logan said.

The Department of Defense, he said, has strong evidence that China has deployed anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missile systems and electronic jammers to contested features in the Spratly Islands region of the South China Sea.

Logan said China's landing of bomber aircraft at Woody Island has also raised tensions.

"While China has maintained that the construction of the islands is to ensure safety at sea, navigation assistance, search and rescue, fisheries protection and other non-military functions, the placement of these weapon systems is only for military use," he said.

The Pentagon called on China to remove the military systems immediately and to reverse course on the militarisation of the disputed South China Sea features.

"We believe these recent deployments and the continued militarisation of these features is a violation of the promise that President Xi made to the United States and the World not to militarise the Spratly Islands," Logan said.

Separately Congressman Mac Thornberry, who is Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said this year's National Defense Authorization Act or NDAA prioritizes military readiness and strengthens key partnerships while also underscoring that the long-term strategic competition with China is a principal priority for the US.

The NDAA bolsters the Department of Defense's efforts to plan for and provide the necessary forces, military infrastructure, logistics capabilities and bilateral and multilateral training in the region through the Indo-Pacific Stability Initiative.

It invests in critical military capabilities to deter aggression and respond rapidly to crisis and supports strong missile defense systems to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, including the DoD's development of new capabilities and efforts to provide for a layered defense of the homeland.

The NDAA as passed by the House Armed Services Committee renames the US Pacific Command to US Indo-Pacific Command to emphasise the Commands' responsibility across the Pacific and Indian Oceans and requires the Department of Defense to conduct a study on the operational requirements needed for language expertise in Korean, Chinese Mandarin and Russian, and a plan to address any shortfalls.

Photograph: Kind courtesy @RimofthePacific/TwitterMass agitations are not particularly uncommon in India.

But a mass agitation led by an environment-related issue that has gone out of hand is not something that can be easily recalled.

Ishita Ayan Dutt and Avishek Rakshit report.

IMAGE: Smoke billows from a burning bus during protests demanding the closure of Vedanta's Sterlite copper unit in Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, May 23, 2018. Photograph: PTI Photo

At least 12 people have lost their lives in the anti-Sterlite agitation that led to police firing in Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) on Tuesday.

At the heart of the problem is the copper smelter plant of Sterlite, owned by Vedanta.

Residents have been agitating for months that the plant has been polluting the groundwater, the level of which has been depleting, affecting farming and the environment.

Mass agitations are not particularly uncommon in India.

But a mass agitation led by an environment-related issue that has gone out of hand is not something that can be easily recalled.

Former professor of economics at the Indian Statistical Institute, Dipankar Dasgupta, said though people might have generated a level of consciousness, a political motive cannot be ruled out.

Political analyst Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury added that the environment was probably becoming an issue, but local issues could have acted as the force multiplier.

According to reports, non-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and non-All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam groups are said to have joined the agitation.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist, which has come to the forefront, voicing its concerns over the depleted environmental quality in the area, has demanded a judicial inquiry into the firing and is of the view that the unfortunate incident could have been avoided had the government been more responsive towards peoples concerns.

Sitaram Yechury, general secretary of the CPI-M, said it was the fallout of reckless industrialisation.

The problem with the countrys industrial policy is that it never takes environmental hazards into consideration, he said.

Not only is the polluted groundwater a health concern, its depletion was also affecting irrigation and snatching peoples livelihood, he said.

According to Basu Ray Chaudhury, the environment, in time to come, would be a subject that would find place in the manifestos of political parties, like land.

Land agitations have been made by Singur and Nandigram, but there have been other agitations across the country, in Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, he pointed out.

It prompted the framing of a new Land Acquisition Act to replace the act of 1894.

In Nandigram, about 150 kilometres from Kolkata, an unspecified number of people -- ranging from 14 to 50 -- were killed on March 14, 2007, in a police firing ordered by the West Bengal government.

About 4,000 policemen were ordered into Nandigram to fight a turf war that had rendered hundreds of CPI-M supporters homeless, as the Trinamool Congress and Naxalites took up cudgels against acquisition of 14,000 acres for a chemical special economic zone to be developed by Indonesias Salim group and NRI industrialist Prasoon Mukherjee, displacing about 36 villages.

It marked the beginning of the end of the Left Front government in West Bengal.

If one goes further back in time, then the Kalinganagar police firing in 2006 had claimed around 13 lives when tribals were agitating against the state governments move to get the land vacated for Tata Steels proposed project.

Protests against land acquisition have taken much of the focus over the past decade and more.

It remains to be seen whether people start attaching the same kind of importance to other issues like environment and water.Title Response of the Albanian Government to the report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) on its visit to Albania

Publication Date 24 May 2018

Country Albania

Citation / Document Symbol CPT/Inf (2018) 19

Cite as Council of Europe: Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Response of the Albanian Government to the report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) on its visit to Albania , 24 May 2018, CPT/Inf (2018) 19, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5b0681b34.html [accessed 12 October 2021]Disclaimer

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.Red Cross killings in Afghanistan reveal the limits of aid access

Publisher IRIN Publication Date 13 February 2017 Cite as IRIN, Red Cross killings in Afghanistan reveal the limits of aid access, 13 February 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5b069b8a4.html [accessed 12 October 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

But whereas those 1996 killings sent shockwaves through the sector, prompting a host of new efforts by aid agencies to get serious about managing their security risks, the deaths in Jawzjan seemed depressingly familiar. And the grim truth is that there is little scope for enhancing security much further than has been accomplished over the past 20 years. At least not without completely subverting the operational ethos of principled humanitarian action.

It is not that humanitarian aid has become more dangerous globally; in fact, in most places where humanitarians work there are on average fewer major incidents of deliberate violence against them than there were a decade ago, partly as a result of a professionalising humanitarian sector that has made real strides in operational security and risk management. What demands greater recognition is that the violence driving the aid worker casualty numbers is taking place in particular types of crises: internationalised civil wars where insurgents treat humanitarians as proxy targets for the enemy government and its Western allies.

In Afghanistan, domestic insurgents (the Taliban) have targeted aid operations and aid workers to destabilise areas or exert their control. At the same time, international insurgents (ISIS, al-Qaeda), alternately cooperating and competing with the Taliban, have killed and kidnapped aid workers as a global propaganda vehicle and revenue stream. Also on the scene are elements of organised crime that often collude with the insurgents, and hybrid entities like the Haqqani network; a threat environment that a UN official once described to me as a "shambolic array of overlapping mafias." Add to this the lack of reliable communications and chain of command between the leaders and footsoldiers and you have a situation where negotiating access and acceptance for relief work has never been more difficult. Where actors' incentives run the gamut from the prosaic profit motive and practicalities of local control to lofty ideologies of global jihadist revolution, norms of humanitarian neutrality hold little sway.

What makes the latest attack not only horrifying but also deeply demoralising is that there is no organisation more adroit and experienced at humanitarian negotiation than the ICRC. It is one of the rare few that invests significant resources in a negotiating capacity, training staff and dedicating positions solely to reaching out to all conflict parties on a continual basis. Unlike most other aid providers, it also gives the greatest incentives to all sides to tolerate its presence, for instance by facilitating prisoner exchange, return of remains, and care for wounded combatants. In places where the ICRC is not able to maintain secure access, prospects bode far, far worse for other international aid groups.

Reaching those in need

At the time of writing, the ICRC had temporarily halted its aid activities while it deals with the aftermath of the killings and searches for two colleagues still missing. It will doubtless resume its efforts in Afghanistan, working openly and unarmed, without obscuring its identity as nearly every other aid group working in Afghanistan does.

But even if the ICRC persists at its current levels of operation, it is only one aid provider in a country with vast humanitarian needs. Recent research in these extreme environments has shown that the humanitarian presence is declining, leaving widening gaps where people in need are not being reached.

What, then, are the options for getting help to civilians trapped in these brutal and protracted conflicts?

International humanitarian agencies must identify and acknowledge the times and places where it is impossible to operate without risking the lives of staff. In such circumstances, it is incumbent on the international community to seek new means beyond the traditional operational model to reach people in need. In doing so, care must be taken not to simply transfer risks to local partner organisations, but rather to identify the local actors (community-based, commercial, or other) who have a reasonable chance of secure access and can be used to channel aid resources. This may require trade-offs and suboptimal solutions, but it is better than no aid at all.

Donor governments, who too often use humanitarian assistance as a stand-in for meaningful political action to resolve crises, must be prepared to direct greater amounts of money to meet the high security costs of their aid agency grantees in extremely insecure environments. They should also explicitly accept the higher level of risk of loss or diversion that may occur in such environments, and not further imperil aid access by imposing indiscriminate counter-terror regulations that aid groups perceive as preventing necessary humanitarian negotiation.

Finally, for the rest of us in the global community who are saddened but increasingly unsurprised by the violence, we must endeavour to sustain our attention to it beyond the next news cycle and resist its normalisation. Although some humanitarians bridle at the perceived sensationalism around aid worker violence, arguing that it only serves to foster risk aversion and reticence among agencies, this concern missed the larger point. The humanitarians on the ground in active war zones are already scant, and coverage of humanitarian need is severely, unacceptably limited. It is only by loudly decrying these limits that we can ever hope to exceed them.

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Share this reportSouth Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases stayed below 2,000 for a third straight day Monday as health authorities brace for potential upticks after another extended weekend. The c...

South Korean Olympic short track speed skating champion Shim Suk-hee has been dropped from the national team, the sport's national federation said Monday, over controversial text m...

South Korea will face their biggest challenge yet in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday, when they visit Iran in their first away match of the ...Tampa, FL -- (ReleaseWire) -- 05/24/2018 --All Star Insurance is a highly renowned independent insurance agency, which is known to provide their clients with smart and affordable insurance solutions. They offer their services to the residents of Lakeland, Clearwater, Tampa, St Petersburg, Land O' Lakes FL, and its neighboring areas. The staff of All Star Insurance comprises of exceptionally skilled, knowledgeable and experienced professionals who can efficiently assist their clients in identifying the ideal company and the precise coverage that protect their personal or business interests.



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Guest Blog: Learning from Indias power revolution

Dr Henri Winand  CEO of Intelligent Energy, UK

Given the relative state of their power grids, it would seem that the UK has little to learn from India when it comes to efficiently providing and delivering electricity. But when it comes to renewable energy, India is paving a path from which the rest of the world should take inspiration.

Shared issues

Before looking at a more specific comparison between the two countries, it is worth noting that some of the issues which both countries face in terms of power provision are shared. Increasing energy demand, energy security concerns, and rising energy prices affect both the UK and India. The need for stricter environmental regulations and solutions for inefficient travel and buildings are apparent in both regions.

India growing fast

While its skyrocketing population and fast-developing, mobile-using economy are fueling Indias demand for coal and oil, the country is under increasing global pressure to substantially curb its greenhouse gas emissions.

And even though India is responding to that challenge with some aggressive renewable energy mandates, there is concern from the nations leaders about removing the use of oil & gas at the risk of constraining the countrys ability to create jobs, build out infrastructure, and lower poverty levels.[1]

In a country in which nearly one-third of the population lacks adequate access to the electrical grid and half of all homes experience a power outage every day, leaders simply cannot afford to pull the plug on fossil fuels. After all, the countrys reliance on coal lies at around 60%.[2]

UK is more established

In the UK, similar calls for a more renewable-heavy mix should, in theory, be easier to meet. The nation is on a much more solid economic footing, and its infrastructure, while aging, is much more established than Indias. Power outages are sporadic, and generally limited in scale.

As such, the country should be more capable of weathering a significant reduction of its use of fossil fuels. It should also be able to shift much of that effort to the generation and delivery of renewable energy forms.

Surprising comparison?

It might therefore seem surprising that India can even be compared with the UK with energy from renewable sources  India currently generates just 6%[3] of its energy from renewable sources, compared to 7% in the UK.[4]

Both countries have also established strong targets to increase the use of energy consumption from renewable sources. The UK is bound by the target to make 15% of its energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020. However, the impetus under a new Conservative government in the UK to meet these is not as strong as it has been.[5]

On the other hand, India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is beating its own targets, having increased its renewable capacity by 13% in 2014.[6]

And in early October, Indias Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar pledged that by 2030, 40% of Indias power would be generated from renewable sources. The population is projected to grow by 1.5 billion people in the same period, so the increased energy capacity required will be enormous, for both renewables and fossil fuels.[7] The scale of this ambition is remarkable.

Opportunity for innovation

Despite fossil fuel generation being deeply entrenched in the UK  on average, UK residents use approximately 40% more energy than their Indian counterparts[8]  the underlying factor for greater energy efficiency in India is the opportunity to implement new and innovative forms of energy generation.

The reason for Indias growth in this field of renewable energy is simple: the nature of the infrastructure, or rather lack of it, in an emerging nation means that India can re-invent for itself how power is generated and distributed. Less entrenchment can allow greater flexibility.

Landmark telecom deal

We should therefore not be surprised that India is one of those leading the way in energy innovation, with projects like the recent landmark deal signed by Intelligent Energy.

Here, Intelligent Energy will manage the power supply of thousands of mobile telecom towers, initially optimising performance of the existing diesel backup generators, but ultimately in the longer term, replacing them with highly efficient hydrogen fuel cells  helping Indian telecoms to leapfrog some of the infrastructure challenges and growth pains.

Developing markets

Policy-makers in developed markets are beginning to rethink the security and overreliance of their power grids, and as infrastructure creaks in Europe and North America, the need for alternatives to fossil fuels becomes more pressing. There are clear lessons in energy innovation which can be learned from developing markets like India.

India is catching up fast. Ernst & Youngs Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index 2015[9] rates the UK and India at #8 and #4, respectively  India has jumped up three places since last year.

It is said that necessity is the mother of invention, and so in India, driven by its rapid economic growth, we will see in just a short few years a swift transition from straggler to world leader in clean energy.

References

1. SAPIENS (2009). Sustainable energy for developing countries.

2. BBC (31 August 2014). In pictures: Indias coal miners.

3. Bloomberg (25 November 2014). India to double renewables in energy mix, minister says.

4. Energy UK. Renewable generation.

5. UK Conservative Party (2015). Conservative Party Manifesto 2015.

6. CleanTechica (7 May 2015). India increases renewable energy capacity by 13%, beats target.

7. Press Information Bureau, Government of India (30 September 2015). Environment ministers speech at the Major Economies Forum. The Guardian (2 October 2015). India unveils climate change plan.

8. Economics Help (20 October 2012). List of countries energy use per capita.

9. Ernst & Young (September 2015). Renewable energy country attractiveness index  September 2015.

Dr Henri Winand

Dr Winand joined Intelligent Energy as CEO in 2006, and before was Vice President of Corporate Venturing at Rolls-Royce. He is a Governing Board member of the European Unions Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), and Treasurer of the FCH JUs New Energy World Industry Grouping (NEW-IG). He is a member of the UK Governments Green Economy Council, advising the Secretaries of State for the Departments of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

Comment on this blogBlog

Guest blog: Picking winners

BY ROLAND JOEBSTL For those who dare to look into the future and see a low-carbon society powered by renewables with global warming kept below the 2C threshold, the message is clear: it is time to pick the winners, throw off our shackles of the past and do it right, writes Roland Joebstl at the European Environmental Bureau.

When the International Energy Agency (IEA) published its World Energy Outlook Special Report on Energy and Climate Change in June, it confirmed that the world is changing, and the new business-as-usual will be significantly different to the business-as-usual that still lingers on in the minds of industry representatives and frightened investors.

The IEA makes it clear that the success of a climate agreement in the COP21 UN negotiations in Paris at the end of the year is dependent on the decision to make the energy and power sector part of the solution and not the problem. Given that the technology already exists to make this possible, this is not rocket science.

We have the responsibility and opportunity to peak global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. This, when it happens, will be the signal to any remaining doubters that the energy sector is not too big to change, and that it will be low-carbon in the future.

The IEA is calling for a so-called 'Bridge Scenario', built around five points, to ensure that this vision becomes reality:

Save Energy  increase the energy efficiency of industry, in particular the buildings and transport sectors; Get out of dirty coal  reduce the use of the least-efficient coal-fired power plants and ban the construction of new plants; Move on  almost double the investments in renewable energy technologies in the power sector, from US$270 billion in 2014 to $400 billion in 2030; Stop bad habits  phase out fossil fuel subsidies for end-users by 2030; Fix the leaks  reduce methane emissions in oil & gas production.

These measures were first prescribed many years ago, and are well known by those working in energy and climate related fields. What is new is that these scenarios are now being put into practice, as energy efficiency and renewables change the rules of the energy game.

Renewable energy accounted for nearly half of all new power generation capacity in 2014. The fact that change is taking place rapidly in the worlds most important economies  namely in China, the US, Japan, and Germany  means that costs will quickly come down further. Energy efficiency has forced the EUs gas consumption to drop, with it now 23% below its peak in 2010, and electricity consumption to stabilise at 3% below its peak in 2010.

These successes have happened despite massive opposition against renewables and energy efficiency from King Coal and Big Oil, and at a time when heavy industry and fossil fuel subsidies are still reaching new heights. They were worth a total of $5.3 trillion worldwide this year, which is greater than the total health spending of all the worlds governments according to a recent study by the International Monetary Fund.

For those who dare to look into the future, and see a low-carbon society powered by renewables with global warming kept below the 2C threshold, the message is clear. It is time to pick the winners, throw off our shackles of the past, and do it right. We will not get a second chance.

So who are the winners?

First place must go to efficiency. Without fully employing all the cost-effective potentials for energy savings, there will be no sustainable, renewable and affordable path towards the 2C target. This means getting our market design and economic framework right, and enabling demand-side management and response to compete on an equal footing with generation and investments in infrastructure.

Second in the race are renewables, which, in their various guises, must be used in combination to forge the energy system of the future. For renewables to be a genuine success they need to be truly sustainable. Preventable mistakes, such as those seen in the biofuels debate around resource use and feedstocks, must be avoided.

Third across the finishing line are the investors, who have the task of choosing wisely. During the ongoing economic crisis, only those investments and technologies in line with ecological boundaries have delivered reliably. Shale gas and nuclear have proven to be risky investments, impacting big companies and entire societies. Newcomers on the energy market like waste-to-energy have also offered little more than broken promises, as their business models are not aligned with the bigger picture of moving towards a circular economy.

The EU has the opportunity to get it right this time, but we have to back the right runners and make sure we dont get distracted by false promises.

About the author

Roland Joebstl is Policy Officer for Energy and Climate at the European Environmental Bureau.

Further information

European Environmental Bureau: www.eeb.org

Comment on this blogA Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.South Carolina has issued a cease-and-desist order against blockchain startup ShipChain over its unregistered token sales, claiming that it violated the state's Uniform Securities Act of 2005.

South Carolina Attorney General's Office said ShipChain offered units of its cryptocurrency, ShipCoin, as a means of accessing the company's platform and as the only medium of exchange on the platform.

The order stated, "At all times relevant to this Order, Respondent ShipChain continuously offered investment opportunities in the ShipChain platform and the corresponding tokens to South Carolina residents through its website and in-person events held in South Carolina. At no time relevant to the events stated herein was respondent ShipChain registered with the Division as a broker-dealer, and no exemption from registration has been claimed by Respondent ShipChain."

The state ordered that ShipChain cease and desist from transacting in the state, and is permanently barred from participating in any aspect of the securities industry in or from the state.

Acknowledging the order on Twitter, the company said it is working on a formal response. ShipChain has 30 days to submit a written request for a hearing on the matter, before the order being finalized.

ShipChain, a member of the Blockchain in Transport Alliance, is an ethereum-based platform for tracking the shipment of goods.

Following Monday's order, the ShipChain's token value plunged sharply. According to data from CoinMarketCap, ShipChain was trading at $0.059 on Thursday, down 51.3 percent over a 7-day period, with a marketcap of $10.15 million.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.comSMA Solar Technology AG (SMTGF.PK) announced its Managing Board confirmed the company's sales and earnings guidance for the 2018 fiscal year, which forecasts sales of between 900 million and 1 billion euros and EBITDA of between 90 million and 110 million euros.

At the Annual General Meeting, the shareholders of SMA Solar Technology AG granted full discharge to the Managing Board and Supervisory Board for the 2017 fiscal year with a clear majority of over 99% and over 95% at the company's Annual General Meeting. The remaining items on the agenda were also passed with a large majority.

The Annual General Meeting followed the suggestion of the Managing Board and Supervisory Board and approved the dividend payout of 0.35 euros per qualifying bearer share for the 2017 fiscal year.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business NewsAccusing North Korea of displaying "tremendous anger and open hostility," President Donald Trump has called off the historic summit with the leader of the reclusive communist country.

Trump sent a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday expressing his belief it would be inappropriate to hold the planned meeting in Singapore on June 12th.

"Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place," Trump wrote.

He added, "You talk about nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used."

The release of the letter came after North Korean vice foreign minister Choe Son-hui raised the possibility of canceling the meeting following what she called "ignorant and stupid" comments by Vice President Mike Pence.

"Whether the U.S. will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States," Choe said, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

She added, "In case the U.S. offends against our goodwill and clings to unlawful and outrageous acts, I will put forward a suggestion to our supreme leadership for reconsidering the DPRK-U.S. summit."

Trump said he still looks forward to meeting with Kim and urged the North Korean leader to contact him if he changes his mind about the summit.

"The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth," Trump said. "This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history."

Trump's decision came as a surprise, as he indicated in remarks on Wednesday that the U.S. would know whether the summit would take place as scheduled "next week."

In subsequent remarks from the White House, Trump suggested that a meeting with Kim could still take place.

"A lot of things can happen," Trump said. "Including the fact that, perhaps, it's possible the existing summit could take place or a summit at some later date."

Trump noted that the U.S. would continue its maximum pressure campaign against North Korea until Kim chooses to engage in constructive dialogue and actions.

The president stressed that the military is ready to respond to any "foolish or reckless acts" by North Korea and claimed South Korea and Japan would "shoulder much of the cost" of any U.S. operations.

(Photo: Marc Nozell)

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News(Agencia CMA Latam) - Brazilian Senate speaker Eunicio Oliveira, traveled to Ceara state Thursday, moving away from the country's capital and virtually eliminating any chance of a floor vote that removes a payroll tax break and ends a truck drivers strike that led to fuel and food shortages in major cities.

Truck drivers stopped working and are refusing to deliver cargoes until the Brazilian government adopts measures that help them deal with high diesel oil prices - among them a reduction in federal taxes on the fuel. Diesel oil prices increased by more than 10% in May alone until last week and were 23% above the level seen at the end of last year.

Truck drivers see the Brazilian state-owned oil company Petrobras as partially responsible for those increases. The firm holds the most significant share of fuel in Brazil and since last year started to adjust gasoline and diesel prices on a nearly daily basis.

Petrobras policy dictates that those fuels become more expensive in the local markets when there is an increase in oil prices abroad and/or when the local currency, the real, loses strength compared to the U.S. dollar. Last week, both conditions were met, and prices jumped.

Drivers also blame the government for the current high cost of fuels, since almost half of the prices at the pump are a result of federal and state taxes.

After two days of protests, the federal government decided that it would bring down one of the federal taxes on diesel oil as long as Congress moved forward with a bill that eliminates a payroll tax relief.

According to the Brazilian Finance Minister, Eduardo Guardia, the federal government would zero the Cide-Combust?veis tax, which is equivalent to R$ 50 per cubic meter of diesel oil sold - ou R$ 0.05 per liter.

Truck drivers, however, are asking for cuts to the PIS/Cofins tax on fuels, which represent 10% of the price of diesel oil to consumers - versus 1% of Cide-Combustiveis. The Brazilian government said that it could not do that because there is no budget room to compensate for the revenue loss.

However, the House of Representatives has passed a bill that ends the payroll tax relief and zeroes the Cide-Combustiveis and the PIS/Cofins taxes for the diesel oil.

The government will try to solve the matter in the Senate, but the absence of Oliveira is a significant obstacle to advance with the legislation. According to his aides, Oliveira should return by Friday, which is traditionally a day when there are not enough lawmakers are in Brasilia to start any vote.

by Agencia CMA Latam

For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com

Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.(Agencia CMA Latam) - Alvaro Dias, 73, a pre-candidate of Brazilian presidential election from Podemos party, wants to "rebuild the Republic." A four-time elected senator, he is currently the leader of his party in the Senate and told Agencia CMA in an exclusive interview some of his ideas and proposals for Brazil.

AGENCIA CMA: What is your government plan? Did you already choose your team?

ALVARO DIAS: We are working on the government plan. We have the essential, but there will still be developments until the candidacy formalization, which is when we present the proposals. About the team, it would be adventurous to mention names right now, during the electoral campaign. There is no possibility of that. The team must be built at the appropriate time, which is after the elections.

AGENCIA CMA: What would you say it is the core of your government plan?

DIAS: I have been saying that my government's motto would be to rebuild the Republic. That would require changes to the current governance system, which has failed and is corrupt. Rebuilding the Republic also involves a series of constitutional reforms, among them the political reform, the State reform, the Social Security and the tax reforms. There is also the federative reform, in which we would review the fund distribution to federation members. The main pillars of the rebuilding would come in the first 100 days of government.

AGENCIA CMA: What is your plan to reduce the fiscal deficit?

DIAS: All those reforms are essential. State and Social Security reforms are two fundamental pillars to the fiscal adjustment. A system to control public spending would also reduce current expenditures. With the tax reform we would have, differently from what is imagined, a revenue growth, because if we lower the tax burden, the wheels will turn faster. Those who can pay more will pay more, and those who can pay less will pay less. That will improve the environment and boost economic growth rebalancing the public budget.

Tax breaks will have to end. Tax breaks are against the law because the Fiscal Responsibility Law only allows them if there is compensation. The tax breaks must be reviewed.

AGENCIA CMA: What is your position regarding the labor reform and the spending ceiling? Other candidates said that they would revoke both measures.

DIAS: The labor reform brings some advancements that must be tried. When we reach 2019 enough time would have passed to verify what was positive and what was negative, and from there we can make amendments.

Regarding the spending ceiling, I believe that the crisis has gotten worse and that it will be inevitable to review that limit. Indeed, the next government will face an initial standoff and be forced to look for funds. I am not advocating for the elimination of that system, but for an analysis of what could be changed in spending controls.

AGENCIA CMA: Are you favorable to privatizations, in particular of Eletrobras?

DIAS: We have too many state-owned companies to privatize, there are 146. Except for strategic firms, I believe they have to be privatized, but only after working up their equity. There were significant losses due to corruption and incompetence. In that context, companies like Banco do Brasil, Caixa Econimica Federal, Petrobras, and Eletrobras would be excluded [from a privatization process]. At this time, what we can admit is to privatize Eletrobras' subsidiaries, but the controlling share must remain with the State.

AGENCIA CMA: What are your thoughts on the electoral scenario for candidates at the center of the political spectrum?

DIAS: The consequence of a large number of political parties is a large number of candidacies, making it difficult to bring quality to the debate. That is inevitable. There is no way to eliminate candidacies, but there is a convergence towards some parties. At least five are discussing the possibility of gravitating around one name.

AGENCIA CMA: How would you build the dialogue with Congress in such a polarised political environment?

DIAS: It will be possible to have a relationship with Congress from the moment we have an ethical standing in the Executive Power. The Congress is continuously accused of promiscuity, but if that exists, it is because in the Presidency there is a corruptor. If we have a correct president, with the courage to promote changes and the ability to harness support from the population, then Congress will not row against the tide.

by Agencia CMA Latam

For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com

Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.After a long time waiting, on Saturday Ireland will finally have its answer on whether or not we will be repealing the Eighth Amendment. While it has just been announced that an Exit Poll will be revealed on Friday's Late Late Show, the actual referendum results will be broadcast on Saturday with RTE reporting from count centres around the country.

TV

From 9.00am through to 7.00pm, RTE One will provide comprehensive referendum results coverage, analysis and discussion, with updates from count centers across the country. Referendum 2018 coverage will be anchored by Bryan Dobson in RTE studios, and Miriam O'Callaghan live from Dublin Castle. David McCullagh will be presenting all the findings from the RTE exit poll, Claire Byrne will be live from Cork City Hall, Keelin Shanley will be looking at the facts and figures as the results come in and Caitriona Perry will be live from Roscommon - Galway constituency count centre.

Coverage on RTE One will also incorporate an extended One Oclock News programme, a special Nuacht RTE le TG4 bulletins, News with Signing and Weather updates throughout the afternoon.

The RTE Six One News will be extended to include the latest updates on the Referendum results from 6.01pm-7.00pm while the RTE Nine O'Clock News will feature results along with the main national news stories of the day.

RTEs News Now channel will provide rolling coverage available worldwide (via the Live button in the App and RTE Player) throughout the day with live breaking feeds of declarations in addition to referendum programming and news bulletins.

RADIO

Those of you who are out and about can tune into RTE Radio 1's coverage which will begin its coverage with Morning Ireland at 8.00am presented by Rachael English and Audrey Carville, and continue through the day with discussion, debate and analysis on an extended Marian Finucane and Saturday with Cormac O hEadhra programmes. RTE Radio 1 reporters will update programmes with the latest tallies and constituency results throughout the day, while Philip Boucher-Hayes will analyse the national picture from Dublin Castle, where the final result will be declared. A This Week referendum special presented by Aine Lawlor will round-off RTE Radio 1's referendum coverage between 5.00-6.00pm.

RTE Raidio na Gaeltachta will brings listeners results from reporters in count centres across the country, with analysis by a panel of experts in studio, on the programme La an Chomhairimhfrom 10.00am, presented by Mairin Ni Ghadhra. Panelists will include Barrister Ben O Floinn, journalists Cathal Mac Coille and Aine Ni Chiarain, law lecturer Ursula Ni Chonghoile and Dr Eidin Ni She.

ONLINE

Online and mobile coverage will run on rte.ie/news, the RTE News Now app and RTE Player from the opening of boxes right through to the completion of every count and the final declaration.Throughout the day, wherever you are, you can follow the results via the RTE News Now app. RTE.ie will run a live tracker/blog covering every detail as the count unfolds with the latest results, analysis, tweets and opinions on Referendum 2018.

The @rtenews twitter account, currently the largest single news twitter account in the country with over 700,000 followers, will be live tweeting the results and updates while subscribers will also be kept up to date with key moments via the Push Notifications on the RTE News Now app. Updates will also run on @rtepolitics @rteradio1 @rternag and @rte.

Petrol price in Mumbai breached the Rs 85 a litre mark on Thursday and sold at Rs 85.29 per litre. The price of the fuel is already at an all-time high in Mumbai along with Delhi and Chennai and is now creating new benchmarks daily.



In Delhi and Chennai, petrol was sold for Rs 77.47 and Rs 80.42 per litre respectively, according to data on the website of Indian Oil Corp.



Kolkata on Thursday joined the club with petrol prices over Rs 80 per litre, at Rs 80.12, the highest in nearly four years.



The persistent rise in transport fuel prices in the country is largely attributed to the surge in crude oil prices and high excise duty. The price of Brent crude oil is currently over $79 per barrel.



There have been demands for government intervention to curb the price rise.



Diesel prices, which have already reached unprecedented levels, set new records across the country. In Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, it was sold at Rs 68.53, Rs 71.08, Rs 72.96 and Rs 72.35 per litre respectively.



And so Samoa is celebrating the importance of the soil this week.

Since Monday, the Government through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and their partners have been drilling home the message that without soil, without land (there is) no life.

Thats the theme of the Land and Soil Week, which started in colourful fashion on Monday morning with a Float Parade along Beach Road. There were some wonderful floats, paying tribute to the importance of the soil.

It was a sight to behold. Well done to everyone involved.

At the same time, the event was used to promote the message that if we care for this planet, we need to start caring for the soil, which feeds us.

The Land and Soil Week is a wonderful initiative, thats for sure.

The only question is why has it taken so long to realise the critical value of the soil to our lives today. After all, we live in the country where we have a national day for just about everything  including toilets believe it or not.

So to wait until 2018 to finally start hammering home such an important message, after all these years of neglect and abuse of the soil, one would think that its a little delayed.

But then better late than never.

And perhaps mankind  or Samoa for that matter  has finally woken up to the harm it has been doing to the soil all these years so that today, the relevant authorities are finding it extremely difficult to ignore the damage anymore.

The good news is that they are doing something about it. And in commemorating Land and Soil Week, the Government is highlighting that the soil is not only an asset; it is also a natural resource that is constantly under threat from man-made problems.

So what is wrong with our soil today? One of the biggest problems we have is land degradation. People in the know will tell you that land degradation is caused by land pollution, which harms the earths surface as a result of human activities.

The impact is enormous. It includes the loss of soil structure; soil nutrients, soil salinity and it can go as far as polluting our rivers and oceans.

All these issues are interlinked but they all point to a man-made problem. For years, we have been neglecting our environment so that today, those problems are coming home to roost and we are finding that unless we act decisively and quickly, our home as we know it is under threat.

At the beginning of the week, the Acting Prime Minister, Afamasaga Rico Tupai, said the Government is committed to protecting our soil at all costs.

Said he: The two million tree planting campaign is considering a number of degraded land areas in both Savaii and Upolu, the upgrading and rehabilitation of the entire Vaisigano Water Catchment area from ridge to reef, and the implementation of the Community Integrated Infrastructure Management Plans (C.I.Ms) to ensure communitys robust resilience to climate change, he said.

Therefore, provided the coverage of all these aspects of the Land and Soil week, this should provide substantial awareness and clarity to our local and national stakeholders of the importance of Lands and Soils to an individual, a farmer or a land owner, a family, a nation and state like Samoa and its people.

May I once again remind you all of the key message and theme for this week is Without soil, without land, without life. Therefore Caring for Planet Earth starts from the Ground!

Well said, Acting Prime Minister, we couldnt agree more.

But there is one little issue. When we think about the soil, we think about land, our faasinomaga and our inheritance. Perhaps it is worth remembering that without land, there is no soil. Which brings us to fears about the alienation of customary lands that have been well debated.

As we commemorate the importance of the soil, lets remember that if our customary lands are under threat, we will have no soil whatsoever. The soil will belong to someone else.

Lets remember the points raised by the former Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi last month in relation to our land, our faasinomaga.

We have faced many challenges as a nation since regaining Independence but this is the most serious. To overcome this challenge, we must first recognise that the challenge now comes not from outside but from within, he said, pointing out that Samoa is now at a significant cross-road in her governing history.

Not just in terms of trying to figure out how best to protect our customary land from foreign or alien interests, but also how to protect ourselves from ourselves.

Since Samoa regained Independence we have taken our Faasamoa for granted. We as leaders have assumed that so long as we have governing control over ourselves, Samoa mo Samoa, we will never lose it. But the loss of culture and core values can happen slowly, subtly and stealthily, and on our own watch.

Today it has become clear that we can no longer escape the reality that as leaders we must take a public stand against allowing the ambiguity of Article 102 of our Constitution to persist.

We must admit that in light of the accumulating evidence (some of which I will speak to shortly) this ambiguity has been exploited in ways that now seriously undermines the integrity and purpose of Article 102, i.e. to protect customary lands from alienation.

Today I make a plea that as a nation whose faasinomaga (identity) and tofi (inheritance) are inextricably connected to our customary lands that we stand together and demand that this ambiguity be properly attended to, and that following this the Article be accordingly amended. This is our right; it is our right as suli (heirs) of all customary lands in Samoa, whether you live in Samoa or not.

Have a productive Thursday Samoa, God bless!LOS ANGELES (AP)  The Michael Jackson estate is objecting to an ABC TV special airing Thursday on the end of the life of the late King of Pop, calling it a crass attempt to exploit Jackson without respect for his legacy or children.

The estate said in a statement to The Associated Press on Wednesday that "The Last Days of Michael Jackson" is not sponsored or approved by Jackson's heirs, and will most likely violate their intellectual property rights.

Advertising for the two-hour documentary set to air Thursday night says it will reveal new information on Jackson, and focuses on his apparent decline in the run-up to his death at age 50 on June 25, 2009.

"We believe the special to be another crass and unauthorized attempt to exploit the life, music and image of Michael Jackson without respect for Michael's legacy, intellectual property rights or his children," the estate's statement says.

Representatives for ABC owner Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The estate said ABC was using a copyrighted silhouette and photo to promote the special, but stopped after demands from Jackson attorneys.

The estate said it understands the show other intellectual property without permission, including music, photos and artwork.

"It is particularly disheartening that Disney, a company known to strongly believe in protecting its own IP rights, would choose to ignore these rights belonging to the Estate," the statement said.

Jackson died in 2009 of "acute propofol intoxication." The superstar had been taking the prescription anesthetic as a sleep aid during preparations for a series of comeback concerts called "This Is It."

Former cardiologist Conrad Murray was convicted in 2011 of giving Jackson a fatal dose of the drug. He served two years in in jail for causing Jackson's 2009 death. Murray's conviction was upheld in 2014.Dear Editor,

Re: Church, Govt. tax dispute deepens

Line up every single faifeau who hasnt paid their taxes by 30 June 2018 and serve them notices of default.

Send them to jail if they dont pay next year. These people are only men.

They are not God. As men and citizens of the country, they come under the jurisdiction of the laws of Samoa.

If they think they are above the law, then they can tell it to the Judge at Mulinuu as they are sentenced for tax evasion.

I dont know why overseas faifeau are involved in this. They have nothing to do with this. Only Samoan-based faifeau should pay because they are under Samoas government jurisdiction.

Overseas faifeau pay tax or file charitable trust returns to their overseas governments.

PAYE Tax means the more alofa the faifeau gets, the more tax he pays.

The less alofa he gets, the less tax he pays.

This I am poor and dont get much alofa argument is irrelevant.

If the faifeau only has a few matafale and only gets a small alofa, then the tax he pays will be small.

If he is a faifeau of a big church, then the tax he pays will be accordingly be big. If people are worried about their faifeau having to pay tax, the best thing to help him pay less tax is to give him less alofa.

Petelo SuaniuDear Editor,

When the E.F.K.S. meets every year, at Malua for the annual Fono Tele it is, in acknowledgement of the Death of Jesus and his Resurrection.

It is always that time of reflection and contemplation and making whole. So the E.F.K.S. again meets this year. Beginning at Lent, Church people move from a deep sense of sorrow and loss at the death of Jesus, to the joy of hopefulness in three days when Jesus rises from his grave, to life, in his Resurrection.

The next seven weeks of seven days is a time of confirmation and dedication of Church people, culminating on what is now called, Pentecost, the fiftieth day after the seven weeks since the Ressurection of Jesus is fulfilled.

Only Church people follow these events with any sense of understanding of these events in the life of God and Church people. Only Church people are able to keep the appropriate perspective in these circumstances every year. The E.F.K.S. meets for Fono Tele at this time every year, and does so again presently

This is why Honourable Prime Minister Malielegaoi and his governments recent attacks on the E.F.K.S. are so well timed. E.F.K.S. ministers taxes, the dress code of Komiti a le Au Toeaina and Faa-Mati were highlighted by the Prime Minister and his government very astute reading of the times.

This high season of profound regret, atonement and rededication for the E.F.K.S., is the appropriate time to ridicule the E.F.K.S. and its institutions and lifestyle. So does constitutionalizing the Christian Church in Samoa, bear the stamp of very astute and clever Honourable Prime Minister.

Now the Christian Church in Samoa is made subject to the Constitution of Samoa, and consequently taxable, cussable and objectionable to Honourable Prime Minister Malielegaoi the chief architect of the tone of the Constitution of Samoa presently.

Leading up to the crucified death of Jesus, and his Resurrection, the taxation of E.F.K.S. ministers again reared its head in the attempts of the Honourable Prime Minister and his government to collect taxes from E.F.K.S. ministers.

This continues and the E.F.K.S. Fono Tele 2018 is again forced to consider this. Then on his weekly programme on Radio 2AP a few weeks ago, The Prime Minister answers some questions about dress codes in Samoa, in which he digressed to say that the dress code of the Au Toeaiina of the E.F.K.S. will ensure their early death and allow younger ministers to take over their roles.

Then a few weeks later, he called for the Faa-Mati of the E.F.K.S. to be made into what he called Faa-Tesema because it, the Faa-Mati has caused difficulty for families in the payment of fees at the beginning of the school year where the two coincide.

All these are especially disparaging for the E.F.K.S., and clever for the Honourable Prime Minister Malielegaoi, because the Honourable Prime Minister and his government cited from the Bible and from Church traditions as the source of these attacks.

The Honourable Prime Minister should be lauded for cleverly launching his attacks on the E.F.K.S. at a time when the E.F.K.S. is most vulnerable, slowly traversing the way from the holy sepulcher to the enthronement of God in the world.

This could be the reason for the lack of response from the E.F.K.S., confirming the masterly strategy of the Honourable Prime Minister. Except the taxing of E.F.K.S. ministers which the E.F.K.S. in the Fono Tele 2017 passed a resolution to reject, the absence of a response or defense from the E.F.K.S. or from anyone else for that matter, to these increasing and ongoing attacks on the Church, Church ministers, Church way of life and systems, is deeply disturbing.

What is happening to the E.F.K.S. in Samoa, when politically sourced attacks raise not an E.F.K.S. eyebrow? In a country where people object to and comment on the most trivial political or civil indiscretion, a defenseless Church is a blight.

So is a mute and spineless Church, neither heard, nor any longer the salt of the earth. Has the E.F.K.S. been politicized to the extend that it is beholden to the Honourable Prime Minister Malielegaoi? Does not the E.F.K.S. feel beholden to its calling to make a stand?

Or, could it be that the political attacks levelled at the E.F.K.S. are justified, and do not need clarification from the Church? Is the usage of Bible and Church tradition by the Honourable Prime Minister to launch attacks against the E.F.K.S., so masterful that they have been allowed to stand to undermine the work of the E.F.K.S.. The attacks have the effect of belittling the life and work of the E.F.K.S. in Samoa, at least. It leads to the questioning of the life of the E.F.K.S. as the life of God in the world, in Samoa.

Today, with the E.F.K.S. seriously diminished in the eyes and estimate of people, Samoan society is characterized by a facade that hides divisiveness, pettiness and dishonour. This is the legacy of a government that has governed the country for more years than it has right in the normal democratic processes.

This government, having installed itself to power continuously for over thirty years, has run out of ideas to address its legitimate work, and now turns to other institutions not under the purview of the State to divide and conquer. The E.F.K.S., being the biggest Church denomination in Samoa is taken to be an easy target.

The E.F.K.S. is the most visible Church in Samoa. The Honourable Prime Minister though he is a Roman Catholic, in his remarks about the doing the E.F.K.S. Faa-Mati is also a member of the E.F.K.S.. And, the observation to be made clear, is that the Honourable Prime Minister and his governments attacks on the E.F.K.S. are wrong, petty and malicious. And coming from the Honourable Prime Minister, is dishonourable.

The E.F.K.S. need to respond and clarify, to make a stand and justify the institutions which constitute the Churchs existence in the life of Samoans. The E.F.K.S. neglects her prophetic calling, to establish what is right and to denounce vehemently that which is wrong and unjust, were the slanderous attacks of Malielegaoi and his government to pass without comment.

This taxing of E.F.K.S. ministers, to prop up the government is so wrong, that no government in the world taxes the Church. In fact some governments collect a percentage of taxes to give to Churches in acknowledgement of the religious and social welfare work in society.

Therefore underpinning the taxation of E.F.K.S. ministers by reference to the Bible as Mr Maliegaoi and his government does, is so vile, it reminds me of the terrorists justification of blowing up themselves and other people, as the gateway to martyrdom.

The Prime Minister wrote to the E.F.K.S. and cited what Jesus said that the church say to pay taxes. Matthew 2:21: Render unto Caesar what is Caesars, and to God, the things that are Gods, as the title of this essay, is also the justification that the Prime Minister and his government offers for taxing E.F.K.S. ministers.

Ministers of the E.F.K.S. must be taxed, contend Malielegaoi and his government, because Jesus said, Render to Caesar what is Caesars, and to God the things that are Gods. This, by this reading, is a strong case for E.F.K.S. ministers to be taxed.

However, the immediate occasion of Jesus remarks was the Pharisees taking council to trap Jesus by his word. The long range context is this season of the Passion and Crucifixion of Christ, in which the Church travels presently. Jesus heads to Jerusalem, where He knew, he was to die, but after three days, to rise again.

The biblical context of the words of Jesus is always important, so as to ensure that the correct understanding of what ensues. Otherwise the words under scrutiny are likely to be taken out of context, and therefore irresponsibly used and applied, as I think Prime Minister Malielegaoi and his government has done. Because this is a trap, the question is at first hypothetical.

The Pharisees questioned Jesus: tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? (NIV). Matthew, the Evangelist writes that Jesus knew their plan to entrap him is evil intent (NIV). Jesus used the Greek word, ponhria, which is malice (AV), and wickedness (AKJV). He asked to be shown the money used for tribute making. He was given a denarius. He asked whose image was on the denarius. He was told, Caesars.

Jesus then responded in his defence, render to Caesar the things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are Gods. What are the things that are Caesars here? The entrapping of Jesus by malice and the wickedness of taxes. Jesus own unsolicited addition, and the things of God to God is the resolution of the malicious plan to trap Him.

Jesus did not need to say this as a response to the tax trap. But it is the resolution of the evil plan to trap him in his word. The Pharisees and the Herodians could not very well trap him in the words, and things of God to God, but instead they marvelled, they forgave and freed him, and they went away.

Like all matters related Jesus, God is the resolution of all matters, however mundane and corrupted, and murderous. Matthew 22:21 is not a question of who to tax, and who to give taxes, but more a question of allegiance and the ownership of worshipping people. Apparently the denarius given to Jesus, had the image of Caesar and the inscription, Divi Filius, Son of God. Rendering to Caesar the denarius with the image of Caesar, Divi Filius is idolatry, because the denarius deified Caesar.

Unbeknown to the biblically illiterate, the Jews knew that the Jesus reference to the image on the denarius, is at the same time a reference to the image of God in which all of Gods people were created in the beginning. The denarius then belonged to Caesar. All people created in the image of God, give allegiance to God. It could not be a case of literally giving of denarii, taxes, to Caesar himself, as seems to be implied by the Legislation of the Honourable Prime Minister of Samoa.

There were three Caesars who had minted their images on denarii leading onto the century of Christ: Augustus, Octavian and to a lesser extent, Tiberius. All had been Caesars in their time, but only Tiberius would have been alive at the time of Jesus.

But he was the least shown on denarii and it is most likely that Octavian was the Caesar on the denarius that was shown to Jesus. Jesus could not therefore have meant that they were literally to give the denarius to Octavian, because Caesar Octavian was already dead. At all times, the Church does not try to interpret the Bible. The Church tries its best to live the narrative of God as told in the the Bible.

It could be that Mr Maliegaoi styles himself as a Caesar, maybe Nero, and the government, the power of Rome who, at its peak, persecuted the Early Church. They ought to be reminded that Rome did not outlast Jesus and his Church. The Viking and the Barbarians from the north decimated them two decades after their persecution of the Church.

They disappeared from history. And no Caesar died a natural death. Caesar Julius was stabbed to death by his own Praetorium Guard. Nero, who taxed the Roman Empire to build for the rebuilding of Rome took his own life. Only Constantine, the Roman Emperor who took the Cross of Jesus to war, died a natural death, two days ago on 22 May 337 A.D., after being baptized in the Church he championed. Mr Malielegaois letter to the E.F.K.S. likening giving to the E.F.K.S. to income made in prostitution, homosexuality

Jesus explanation of allegiance also explains modern day E.F.K.S. Faa-Mati pointedly attacked by Mr Maliegaoi as contributing to families unable to send children to school. it was not always this way. Not so long ago, the E.F.K.S. Faa-Mati was a very local village affair. Parishioners and villagers wove mats of all kinds of things at home, and brought them for their ministers to use. They made very basic gifts and donated what they had to spare at home, crockery and cutlery, to the care and for the use of their ministers in the villages. But as the E.F.K.S. Faa-Mati became politicized and commercialized over the last two to three decades, you have what is happening today. Politicization and commercialization of a once simple E.F.K.S. way of keeping their ministers, is now the bumper season for companies, to sell all manner of goods, even cars. I remember not so long ago, a member of Parliament who had been made Tiakono Toeaina in the E.F.K.S., stipulated for Faa-Mati that all village congregations in the Matagaluega to buy cars for their ministers. Commercials on the radio and on TV to buy very expensive stuff for Faa-Mati is the norm. Like Lotu Tamaiti, Easter and Christmas, Faa-Mati has been so fully politicized and commercialized that allegiance to it, is allegiance to government and businesses, and not to the E.F.K.S.. When Mr Malielegaoi attacked the E.F.K.S. Faa-Mati in its present form, he was attacking a beast that they made. Even if it became a Faa-Tesema as the Prime Minister wants, it would still be the same. It is time for the E.F.K.S. to return to the simple and intimate ways in which congregations cared for their ministers and developed parishes and congregations and the E.F.K.S. as the Suffering Servant of God. It is time for the E.F.K.S. to show where their allegiance lies: with the E.F.K.S. or with the corporate-political world of Mr Malielegaoi. It is time for the E.F.K.S. to return to its original allegiance to God. Mr Malielegaoi, and his cronies in government, has shown thus far no knowledge or appreciation of the role that the E.F.K.S. has played in the economic development of Samoa and her people.

The same chapter in Matthew also clarifies from the point of view of the E.F.K.S., the other attacks launched by the Prime Minister: the death attire of the Au Toeaina of the E.F.K.S..

The grossest of Honourable Malielegaois attack on the E.F.K.S., beccause it is the Au Toeaina the leadership of the E.F.K.S.. Answering questions put to him by the 2AP radio station about dress codes, the Honourable Malielegaoi pointed out that the dress code of the Au Toeaina would lead to their early death.

He prefaced that with remarks that younger ministers of E.F.K.S. enjoyed the Au Toeaina and their dress code because it leads to their early death and the young ministers early succession. For a person that has been accorded the honorific, Honourable, Malielegaois attack on the venerable scholars of the E.F.K.S. is most dishonourable.

The Au Toeaina as a Committee is the leadership of the E.F.K.S.. I am not aware of any thing that they may have done to set off Honourable Malielegaoi and his vile attack. The profound implication of wishing some person death, let alone the Komiti Au Toeaina of the E.F.K.S., to make a political point totally escaped the Honourable Prime Minister.

Mr Malielegaoi has dishonoured the high office of Prime Minister of Samoa. The present official attire - suits - of E.F.K.S. Ministers in their official capacity, came with Christianity when the missionaries brought Christianity to Samoa. It turns out to be the universal official dress code all over the world, with pants replacing the Samoan lavalava.

The official dress code of Tama a Aiga, Tama a Aiga, Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II in early photographs, in Reverend Oka Fauolos history of the E.F.K.S. show His Highness resplendent in a Samoan version of the white suit.

I can still remember as a young person, Tama a Aiga, Susuga Fiame Mataafa Faamanuia II, the first Prime Minister of Samoa, striding into the Fale Iupeli in the early 1970s, in his greyish suit. And somewhere around town in those days, the suited Susuga Tama a Aiga Tupua Tamasese Meaole, so long as his Maa Faamanatu remained, perennially reminded us all of the proper dress etiquette befitting Samoan leaders. He is suited there in white.

And the yearly Sisiga Fua at about this time of the year, in those heady days of Independence, the sight of suited Samoan leaders taking their place, ensconced amongst the leaders of the world at Mulinuu, made us all so proud, and tearful too, while ever so young. We did not know any one else of the many distinguished guests. We had eyes only for the leaders of Samoa, and how proudly attired and regal they were.

I am not being rude or dishonourable, when I say that they got their dress protocol from the Missionaries of the Church. The Missionaries and the Church got their cue from Jesus in the Matthean chapter from which Malielegaoi got his cue to tax E.F.K.S. Ministers, Matthew 22.

In the Kingdom Banquet, many are invited, but acceptance and admission are accorded only to those who take the extra precaution to be suitable. Ever since the beginning of the E.F.K.S., ministers wear suits in their official capacities in obedience to Jesus.

The discomfort of being suited in hot humid Samoa is a non issue in obedience to the Lord. Incidentally, the Prime Minister looked ill at ease in a suit in the opening of the Samoan High Commission in Canberra Australia, a few months back. The colours and cut did not suit his powerful frame

The is the irony of a E.F.K.S.. The biggest denomination in Samoa is voiceless. The failure of the E.F.K.S. to react to matters which assault the life of God and the Church, feeds the view probably held by the Mr Malielegaoi that he can defame the Church with impunity. God must wince in dismay at the failure of the E.F.K.S. to react to these demeaning remarks.

The making of Samoa into a Christian nation in the Constitution of Samoa by Mr Malielegaoi makes E.F.K.S., in the Constitution of Samoa, redundant. It is evil and sinful

The politicizing of the Christian Church in Samoa should have been resisted strongly, so that the government could not do it. It is against the separation of Church and State that is in the same constitution. It must resist most strenuously becoming part of the world, just as Jesus prayed in his Farewell Discourses. The E.F.K.S. must stand up to the injustice of government that abuses the Church at large and in particular E.F.K.S. institutions.

This is especially necessary in Samoa, because everybody uses religious language without bounds. Even members of Parliament, elected by the Constitution of Samoa, debate in Parliamentary in language conspicuous for their Church and biblical language content.

Address of God is only legitimate for people who are in awe of God and are committed to do Gods will, the Church. Anything else is blasphemy. The E.F.K.S. must stand up and be noticed for its life of faith in the Presence of God. The E.F.K.S. must be counted as different in the world, or be swallowed up in the world, and become indistinct from the world.

This is very necessary in Samoa, according Dr Iutisone Salevao in his book, The Rule of Law, Legitimate Governance and Development in the Pacific (p. 87), Samoan democracy is the arbitrary rule of either a single individual or an elite few.

And he goes on pointedly, Parliament keeps producing legislation; the courts continue to sit, but the law and its operation are, at all times, manipulated, sometimes grossly, in order to serve the ruler and his cohorts interests (ibid). When the Samoan democracy is Mr Malielegaoi and his cohorts, it should follow that the E.F.K.S. should have nothing to do with that world. Mr Malielegaoi and his cohorts use of Church language to attack the E.F.K.S. should have been denounced by the E.F.K.S. in no uncertain terms, and a long time ago.

And so is the use of the Bible to justify and achieve political ends. The Constitution of Samaoa has duly separated the State and the Church, and the two should stay separated, in deed as well as in word. The use of the Bible to justify political goals is always going to be wrong, because the Bible is not a political document. It is the foundation document of the E.F.K.S.. It can not also be the foundation document of taxation policy.

The government of Samoa, the world, does not acknowledge the powerful message of the life of the voiceless mute E.F.K.S.. This is the irony of the E.F.K.S., and the E.F.K.S. must now pronounce its life much more clearly to reclaim lost years.

The government has failed to acknowledge this, as it faces the reality of the E.F.K.S. everywhere everyday. The government has mistaken the humility of the E.F.K.S. for weakness. It is not an accident that the weakening of values of Samoan society coincides with the weakening of the E.F.K.S..

In the E.F.K.S., the King of Heaven and Earth came to the King of Samoa, and the life of the King of Heaven and Earth became enacted in Samoa and the world.

Ever since those days, the E.F.K.S. has maintained a stoic insistence to the life of God in the world, because it is written in the Constitution of the of the E.F.K.S.. Mr Malielegaoi and the government either do not understand or do not want to acknowledge the power that is in the religious, social and economic life of the E.F.K.S.. Most commercial activities today are arrayed around E.F.K.S. religious events: Christmas, Easter, Faa Mati, Lotu Tamaiti, Sundays, Osiga Feagaiga, Funerals, Marriages and Weddings.

If the E.F.K.S. membership withdraw from the commercial exchange activity connected to these E.F.K.S. religious ceremonies, the economy would record a decline. While E.F.K.S. numbers are said to have diminished in Samoa, they grow healthily in New Zealand, Australia and the US of A.

If E.F.K.S. membership are told to withhold remittances to Samoa in response to the attacks on this Samoan iconic institution, to send instead food and other items, instead of money, in support of families, the government would soon learn the value of the presence of the E.F.K.S. in Samoan in the religious, social and economic life of the country.

The E.F.K.S. people could always return to tilling the land, in a return the subsistence economy that we all know and valuable well.

It is that season now, in the life of the E.F.K.S., of first fruits of the land.

T S Malifa

MaluaThere was no consultation between the National Health Services and Ministry of Health prior to submitting the merge proposal to Cabinet for their review.

That is what the Director General of the Ministry of Health, Leausa Dr. Take Naseri told the Commission of Inquiry appointed by Cabinet to consider the proposed organisational structure for the re-merge of the National Health Services and Ministry of Health.

Chaired by prominent lawyer and former Attorney General, Taulapapa Brenda Heather-Latu, the Inquiry started last week. The Commission members include Professor Fui Asofou Soo and Faamausili Dr. Matagialofi Luaiufi.

The lawyers assisting the Commission are Sefo Junior Ainuu, the Assistant Attorney General and Chief Public Solicitor, and Shalon Time, a State Solicitor.

During his presentation, Leausa pointed out the creation of the N.H.S. in 2006 does not appear to have led to the improvements in transparency and accountability in the governance and delivery of health services that were originally envisaged.

There is the duplication of services and functions; the top heavy corporate structure which is costly for the Government; the increase in sharing of non-directly service related activities; the complex reporting and communication lines; lack of output based financial reporting; the difficult in monitoring results and assess value for money.

He explained the principle for the merger was for the people-centered health care and also revitalizes and prioritize integrated public health services using the District hospital and health care centers.

Also to ensure integrated health care services provision in hospitals, foster teamwork among health professionals with clear lines of communication and reporting."

We are also looking at a robust health system that is efficient and cost-effective to respond to health needs of the people."

Furthermore, to encourage career pathways for health professionals through strategic professional development in prior healthcare and lastly to remove duplication of services, explained Leausa.

Taulapapa pointed out that in the establishment of the N.H.S. in 2005; it was very clear the separation of roles and administrators.

But it seems to me that was not adhered to because the roles are very clear and while we make sure that they were clearly defined and separated provision of services or nurses, monitoring policies, exercises and oversight of services performances, pointed out Taulapapa.

Leausa explained that was in 2006, however fast forward to 2015 in the new N.H.S. Act, they were now under the Ministry of Public Enterprises and they would no longer report to the Chairman of the Health Board.

He said in 2016 was when the N.H.S. was moving forward with the new reorganizational structure which was stopped by the Minister of Health and eventually led to the merge.

Taulapapa asked who prepared the Cabinet paper recommending the merge and Leausa responded that it was him.

He was further asked whether other stakeholders were consulted, Leausa said no.

Taulapapa put it to Leausa that it wouldve been helpful for a consultation, but in response Leausa said: the obvious body language by the parties is why there was no consultation.The Malua Theological College compound is perhaps the busiest place in Samoa this week.

It is where hundreds of church members are gathering for the main conference of the C.C.C.S. Church, the biggest denomination in the country.

The pre-meetings  including the womens meetings  were held last week as a prelude to the General Assembly which started on Monday.

A number of issues pertaining to the development of the church are on the agenda. One of the most controversial topics is the Churchs response to the Governments law taxing the income of Pastors.

The C.C.C.S. had opposed the law saying their final decision would be made at Malua this year.

Although no official word has come from the Churchs General Secretary, Reverend Vavatau Taufao, the Samoa Observer has been told that church will continue to oppose the law.

In the meantime, the meeting is attended by hundreds of church members from overseas.

And as usual, hundreds more families in Samoa visit Malua to take food and gifts to express their love and support for the delegations at the meeting.

Here are some photos from Malua.Think a minuteYou may have heard the saying: Joy shared is joy doubled. Giving is not a sacrifice, it is an investment. We actually get back much more than we give.

So when you give until it hurts, deep in your heart it actually feels good because you know you have a bigger investment than those who have not learned the secret of giving and living well.

The American President, Calvin Coolidge, said: No person was ever rewarded or honored for what he received.

Honor is always the reward to people who give. What you and I do just for ourselves dies with us, but what we do for others lives on after we die. So it is simply smart to invest in the success of others. When you help someone else up a mountain, you yourself end up closer to the top.

The principle of giving is simply a law of life that works. Just like money can only get good things for you when you put it out in circulation. But if you do not use your money or give it away, you cannot get any enjoyment or anything of value out of it.

It is only when you give to others that you make room inside to receive more. One of the reasons the Dead Sea is dead is because it only receives and never gives. It does not flow out or give to other bodies of water, so it dies. When we do not give to others, we stop the natural flow of life in us. This is why self-centered people are never truly, fully happy.

A successful man said, You will be remembered for two things: the problems you solve and the problems you cause. Each of us is created to be an answer and help to someone else. A famous man put it this way: You have not lived a truly successful day until you have done something for someone else who cannot pay you back.

The Jewish people have an important holiday every year which celebrates the giving of gifts. Everyone, including the poor, must find someone poorer than himself and give him a gift. If God can give gifts THROUGH you, He will give them TO you. We are blessed to be a blessing to others.

In fact, God loves us so much that He gave His own perfect life to pay for all of our sins, pride and rebellion, just so He could share His life with us. So wont you give your life back to Jesus who gave it to you in the first place? Then you can start learning His way of living and giving every day, for the rest of your life. Just think a minuteWhen we are sick, we go to the hospital. But what happens when the hospital is sick? In this instance, we are referring to the entire health system in Samoa.

Who provides the diagnosis? And who prescribes the medicine?

Judging from whats being reported so far, our health system is not suffering from just a minor cold. It is more of a seizure of epic proportion threatening a heart attack.

And theres more. It appears to involve tumours the size of Mars and anxiety as the result of bruised egos and hurt pride.

These syndromes unfortunately dont just infect individual patients, it has contaminated the entire sector so that today, it sounds like it needs all the help it can get.

Initially, we didnt think it was that bad. We thought it was just a sore.

But thats not whats happening apparently. It appears the sore has been allowed to fester so that today there is a full-blown infected scab that needs an operation. Urgently.

So far, what weve been told is extremely disturbing. Take the story on the front page of the Samoa Observer yesterday as an example. Under the headline Inquiry told of health woes a picture that is not flattering of the health services was painted.

For instance, after all the years of talks about the re-merge between National Health Services and Ministry of Health, there was absolutely no consultation between the bodies prior to when a report was submitted to Cabinet for their review.

That is what the Director General of the Ministry of Health, Leausa Dr. Take Naseri said. Asked who prepared the Cabinet paper recommending the re-merge, Leausa responded that it was he. Pushed on whether other stakeholders were consulted, Leausa said no.

Why? Well according to the Director General, the obvious body language by the parties is why there was no consultation.

Well isnt that a tragedy? How can people who are supposed to be working together for the betterment of health services in Samoa not communicate with each other? How on earth could they recommend a re-merge without a consultation? We can go on and on but well stop here.

The point is that this is what we mean when we say the health system is sick. The tragedy of it all is that it seems the problems we are seeing at the lower end of the service begins from the very top where what appears to be a clash of personalities and egos have led to the problems we have today.

The problem is that such disunity affects the delivery of health services to everyone  including the most vulnerable and poorest members of this community.

The good news is that something is being done about it.

Cabinet is obviously concerned about the diagnosis of our health system so that it has appointed a Commission of Inquiry to consider the proposed organisational structure in terms of going forward.

Obviously the future involves the re-merge between the Ministry of Health and the National Health Services. For that to happen, there needs to be clear guidelines. Lessons, successes and failures from the past all need to be taken into account.

Former Attorney General, Taulapapa Brenda Heather-Latu, is chairing the Commission which is expected to report back to Cabinet with its findings.

She is assisted by Commission Members including Professor Fui Asofou Soo and Faamausili Dr Matagialofi Luaiufi. Their task is three-fold. They are to:

 Review the proposed structure for the new merged health agency which has been proposed by a high level taskforce;

 Consider the concerns about the structure raised by nurses employed in the N.H.S;

 Recommend options for the proposed new structure after consultation with the relevant stakeholders

Well lets pray and hope that they get it right this time around. We dont want to waste another $30 million only to have the same discussion in 2028?

Have a peaceful Friday Samoa, God bless!As the latest African Ebola outbreak stirs worldwide concern, San Diego scientists are stepping in to help.

Mapp Biopharmaceutical, maker of the experimental antibody drug ZMapp, is readying shipments to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Meanwhile, Ebola expert Erica Ollmann Saphire of The Scripps Research Institute is organizing donations of necessary lab supplies. Ollmann Saphire studies the structure of Ebola and has helped Mapp understand the structure of Ebola antibodies.

As of Friday, 46 suspected, probably and confirmed Ebola cases have been reported, with 26 deaths.

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Ebola is highly fatal. Mortality rates in outbreaks vary between 90 percent to less than 50 percent. Patients who are admitted quickly to a hospital and receive supportive care are more likely to survive.

The last outbreak in 2014 infected more than 28,600 people in West Africa, killing more than 11,300, according to the World Health Organization.

ZMapp was used on an emergency basis during the 2014 epidemic. Its designed to contain the Ebola virus infection until patients can defeat it with their own immune response.

Previous testing suggested ZMapp protected patients, but not enough patients could be found to produce statistically significant results.

ZMapp was given to two American missionaries who survived, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol. But they also received intensive medical care, so whether the drug helped them couldnt be demonstrated.

In addition to ZMapp and other drugs, an experimental vaccine made by Merck is now being used to prevent the spread of Ebola. A vaccine is especially important because Ebola is highly contagious.

Mapp and the U.S. government agency BARDA are ready to provide ZMapp free to the Congo, said Larry Zeitlin, the companys president. All Ebola patients will be eligible to receive ZMapp, Zeitlin said Wednesday by email.

The new outbreak wasnt totally unexpected. Ebola appears to reach humans from contact with animals such as bats. This takes place when people go hunting for food in the countryside.

Moreover, hospitals, supplies and other health care infrastructure is lacking in Congo, so the medical personnel on hand arent equipped to handle this outbreak on their own.

Saphire said Thermo Fisher Scientific, a supplier of instruments and research tools, agreed to donate material, including cryotubes, which maintains perishables at cold temperatures.

Along with the cryotubes, Thermo Fisher donated medical supplies, including gloves, goggles and gauze, spokesman Mauricio Minotta said. Thermo Fisher operates a large biomedical products center in Carlsbad.

Saphire said she and colleagues also went directly into action.

To meet the immediate lack (of supplies), we packed up what we had on hand in my lab, and the surrounding labs at TSRI brought over what supplies they could contribute: gloves, goggles, pipette tips and other lab and protective materials, Saphire said.

The donations filled three carloads and my students/postdocs drove them up to LA (over the) weekend and the UCLA-DRC epidemiology team flew with them to Kinshasa this morning.

But more supplies are needed, she said.

We still need to find blood-drawing supplies for them -- we molecular biolgists dont have those things. They need vacutainers, red-top collection tubes, disposable tourniquet straps, and Ziploc bags. They have asked for 4,500 of each. Also sterile alcohol prep pads, adhesive bandages and more pipette tips and more gloves.

Also, another experimental antibody drug has entered human testing, the National Institutes of Health said Wednesday. It was derived from an Ebola survivor.

Those interested in contributing to fight Ebola can learn more at https://ucla.in/2x9AxxS and https://give.scripps.edu/saphire .

Related reading

NIH begins testing Ebola treatment in early-stage trial

San Diegos Mapp gets $46 million Ebola drug contract

Will we be ready when Ebola returns?

ZMapp appears to fight Ebola, development to continue

Science Playlist  On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds

bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1020Civic San Diego, the citys downtown planning agency, appointed Andrew Phillips as its interim president Wednesday.

Phillips has more than 10 years of work experience at Civic San Diego, most recently as its chief financial and operating officer. He had previously served as interim president in 2014.

Phillips replaces former president Reese Jarrett, who abrubtly resigned in February.

Civic San Diego said Phillips compensation has yet to be determined. The agencys fiscal year 2017-2018 budget said the presidents salary range would be $175,000 to $235,000, whereas Phillips previous job had a salary range of $138,000 to $186,000.

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Andy is uniquelly positioned to lead starting right away, Chairman Phil Rath said at the Wednesday board meeting. Frankly, hes basically already started filling this role without even having to be asked.

Phillips other experience includes time as a senior vice president of real estate investors JLL and a financial analyst at Fairfield Residential.

Civic San Diego said it is working with Mayor Kevin Faulconers office on the recruitment process, which is expected to start in the fall.

The appointment of an interim president comes at an interesting time in the agencys history. It was created after state government in 2012 rewrote its redevelopment laws, but its existance was challenged in 2015 in a bill from Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, D-San Diego.

The bill would have required many of the agencys descisions to be ratified by the City Council, but it was vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown.

Civic San Diego continues to review many projects, many of which are related to downtowns role as a hub of apartment construction in the county. Eighty percent of all new apartments coming out in San Diego County this year are in the city, said Marcus & Millichap.

At Wednesdays board meeting, it approved a 48-unit East Village apartment project that would put the seven-story apartment complex above a historic home. Pleased with changes to the project made by developer Soheil Nakhshab, including windows in a piano key pattern on the side of the complex, the board sent the project on to the city Planning Commission.

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phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnar

ALSO

San Diegos new single-family homes are pricey, modern and in short supply

Tijuana condo craze continues in to 2018

Last years housing market broke recordsLive like a king at a paupers price? Not exactly, but you can reside at an estate on a budget  so long as youre willing to share it with several strangers.

Thats the bargain offered by Bay Area co-living startup Bungalow, which has newly taken up residence in San Diego by leasing out two aspirational homes on a room-by-room basis. The company offers millennials a version of the American dream, meaning a residence without their folks, in a premier neighborhood and with cushy amenities that are truly Instagram-worthy.

We help housing become more accessible, said Andrew Collins, the chief executive of Bungalow. Its a similar approach to how WeWork has thought about commercial real estate; were bringing that to residential real estate.

More specifically, Bungalow scouts for large, attractive rental homes in select markets  currently its in seven cities including San Diego  and then sublets rooms to individual renters, for four to 12-month periods, at a healthy markup. It claims to repurpose unused space, occupying homes to max capacity that have been on the rental market for extended periods (likely because theyre too big for a typical family or a small group of friends).

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For its part, the company employs an interior decorator to glam up the properties. Bungalow also completely furnishes common areas such as kitchens and living rooms. And the startup throws in house-warming freebies such as a big-screen smart TV, high-speed Internet access and monthly cleaning service. Pets arent invited.

The backyard at the Loma Portal residence is a common area accessible to all roommates at the six-bedroom estate. (Jeeheon Cho / Bungalow )

When taken together, the home additions should help justify room rental rates that are meant to be comparable to, but cheaper than, an unfurnished studio in the same neighborhood.

I feel like I have everything I need here, said Elizabeth Meunier, a 27-year-old business consultant who moved into Bungalows first San Diego space on May 14. For $975 a month, Meunier gets her own bedroom  but not her own bathroom  in a four-bedroom Bankers Hill home occupied by three other people. All the appliances and furniture are brand new, and its furnished so beautifully.

Bungalows second San Diego property, on Goldsmith Street in the Loma Portal neighborhood, is a six-bedroom, mini mansion with ample outdoor space and renovated features emblematic of its 1904 roots. Here, the upstart is renting out rooms ranging from $875 to $1,775 per month. The latter buys the tenant his or her own detached granny flat with a full kitchen and bathroom. The former doesnt come with a closet. Parking isnt included for anyone, meaning all six roomies will take up street space if they have cars.

For comparison, the average asking rent for a studio in San Diego County was $1,399 a month in the first three months of 2018, according to real estate tracker CoStar. The average asking rent for a studio in Loma Portal during that time was $1,425 a month.

But Bungalows pitch is bigger than the room sizes it offers. Its selling community  either for the disconnected local or the unfamiliar transplant. Residents, who dont know each other prior to move in, are picked based on the likelihood that theyll enjoy each others company and actually want to congregate together in the homes shared spaces. The company also hosts, and pays for, monthly outings for all city tenants.

The built-in community perk proved a compelling draw for Meunier, whose split from her boyfriend prompted her move from a one-bedroom apartment in Point Loma.

For now, things have been working well, she said of her new living situation. Sorting out bathroom schedules and cupboard space hasnt proved a challenge, and each of the roommates has contributed something to the abode, she said.

Backed by an undisclosed sum of venture financing, Bungalow participates in the broader trend of co-living, where companies actively seek to spruce up and splice up housing supply in congested markets where millennial renters are desperate for a little bit of everything at a fraction of the price. The spaces are reminiscent of dorm living, albeit with a modern, elevated feel.

Larger operators such as the predominantly East Coast company Common and WeWorks WeLive havent yet targeted the San Diego region, where niche twists on communal living are starting to take hold. For instance, Outsite, which promotes a work-where-you-want-to-live mentality, owns and operates two area homes where its members can pop in for transitory stays.

More ambitious co-living projects built from the ground up may not be welcome here. National Citys City Council recently rejected one developers proposal to build three-story housing units, each with 10 bedrooms and shared spaces.

Bungalows not-so-short-term subletting approach, then, allows it to maneuver its way into a city without disturbing the powers at be. The company, which operates 100 properties across all of its markets, hopes to add four to 10 homes to its San Diego stock every month.

The concept of Bungalow is really pretty neat, said Alan Nevin, a San Diego-based real estate analyst with Xpera Group. I dont suspect that it will have the same negative reaction that short-term rentals have here because of more stable tenancy.

The concept, he said, wouldnt have worked with the last generation. But because such a large number of milliennials still live at home with their parents  15 percent as of 2016, according to Pew Research Center  theyre dying to get out, and they cant afford an apartment on their own.

To have the opportunity to live out on their own for a relatively reasonable price in good locations, where they could not (otherwise) afford to live alone, is really pretty good.

And, he argues, its ultimately good for the city, too. Thats because putting more people in a home, as Bungalow does, means greater housing supply, he said.

Real estate reporter Phillip Molnar contributed this story.

Business

jennifer.vangrove@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1840 Twitter: @jbruinCox Communications has agreed to pay $3.3 million in civil penalties and public service fees to settle a lawsuit with the state of California.

The company was accused of violating California health, safety and civil codes in its disposal of hazardous waste and customer records at its California facilities, including four warehouses and five retail stores in San Diego County.

In its complaint, the state claimed that Cox stores and warehouses were illegally discarding batteries, electronic devices, aerosols and other items classified as hazardous waste. The privately owned telecommunications giant, which touts 6 million customers, was also accused of either not destroying or masking customers personal information when throwing out their records.

The settlement, announced Thursday, brings to end a more than five-year dispute, and requires Cox to change a number of its business and training practices. The company must also appoint a corporate privacy officer to implement new customer data-handling procedures.

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We are pleased to have settled this matter from 2012, and have cooperated fully with the California AG since this was brought to our attention more than five years ago, a Cox representative said in a statement. Cox has a longstanding commitment to the communities we serve, and remains focused on driving positive environmental change through our business practices.

The Attorney Generals Office and the Alameda County District Attorneys Office jointly collaborated on the Cox case, conducting inspections of the companys dumpsters.

The inspections revealed that Cox was routinely and systematically sending hazardous wastes to local landfills that were not permitted to receive those wastes, the Attorney General Xavier Becerras office said in a press release. Several dumpster inspections also revealed Cox disposed of customer records containing confidential personal information.

As a result of the judgment, San Diego County District Attorneys Office will receive $175,000 and the City Attorneys Office will receive $25,000.

Business

jennifer.vangrove@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1840 Twitter: @jbruinEver since it opened in 1989, Pacifica Del Mar restaurant has been known for honoring traditions. Some of the dishes from the opening day menu are still being served, some folks dine there seven days a week and the bars regulars visit so often they have their own stools.

For 15 years, Pacificas chef/partner Chris Idso was another of those elements you could rely on every time you walked through the door. But in November 2014, Idso was offered the opportunity of a lifetime  move his family to Hawaii where he would open two restaurants at the Hanalei Bay Resort in Princeville, Kauai. It was an offer he couldnt refuse.

Turns out the grass isnt always greener outside San Diego, even in rainy Kauai. Two months ago, Idso returned to Pacifica at the invitation of its new owner, Sangiv Chopra. Since then, Idso has introduced a new menu, improved the consistency and quality of its classic dishes, is overseeing the revamp of its sister cafe, Pacific Breeze, and is enjoying reconnecting with all of the old customers he left behind.

Things have been really good since I got back, he said. Its nice to be missed.

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Pacifica Del Mar in the Del Mar Plaza shopping center was one of three San Diego restaurants that former owner Kipp Downing and a former partner opened in the 1980s. Downtown San Diegos Pacifica Grill survived for a decade before closing in 1994 and Cafe Pacifica in Old Town lasted nearly 20 years before it shuttered in 2004.

Idso arrived at Pacifica Del Mar in 1999, bringing a more seafood-focused approach to the menu but retaining some of original chef Neil Stuarts most popular entrees, like sugar-spiced salmon and mustard catfish.

In 2014, Downing told Idso that he was looking to retire and sell the restaurant and Idso got the offer in Hawaii.

It was the kind of thing that I figured if I didnt take it, Id always regret it, so I did, he said.

Unfortunately, Kauai wasnt the paradise he expected. Small-town politics made it nearly impossible to build and open the planned fine-dining restaurant, it was difficult finding and hiring trained culinary staff on the island and his family missed their friends, family and the more urban lifestyle of San Diego.

After just six months, the Idso family left Kauai and moved to Los Angeles, where he spent the next year-and-a-half working at the downtown location of Water Grill. Finally, his family returned to San Diego County a little over a year ago when he took a job heading the culinary program at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa.

Chopra purchased Pacifica Del Mar in 2016 and hadnt been happy with the chefs at the restaurant, so he approached Idso in La Jolla and they worked out a deal that would bring the chef back in as a partner.

Idso said he was thrilled to discover that all of the kitchen staff hed trained before he left were still there, along with a number of longtime servers. In his absence, Idso said he learned that some of the longtime customers had drifted away because the food wasnt as consistent, so that has been his first priority.

Hes also working with local artisan foodmakers to bring in new ingredients, like coffee roasted in Oceanside and pastries baked in Vista. Hes also introduced some dishes inspired by his recent travels, like a Hawaiian-style poke dish and more whimsical entree plating like he experienced in L.A.

Hes planning to introduce new menus regularly to capitalize on seasonal produce, but he vows to keep the classics.

Hes also overseeing the renovation of Pacific Breeze Cafe, which serves breakfast, lunch and coffee in a downstairs space. Both the interior and exterior are being refreshed and hes bringing in new menu items and cutting-edge drinks, like nitro cold-brew coffee and kombucha on tap.

Im really excited to be here, Idso said. It was like coming home to a family. The regulars are returning and my family loves being back.

Pacifica Del Mar

Del Mar Plaza, 1555 Camino Del Mar

Phone: (858) 792-0476

Online: pacificadelmar.com

Chef/partner Chris Idso on the patio deck at Pacifica Del Mar restaurant in Del Mar. (Pam Kragen/San Diego Union-Tribune )

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.comThe patriarch of the family that operates the Del Mar gun show said Wednesday he has avoided legal conflicts over his past felony firearms conviction by ceding responsibility for the event to his daughter, Tracy Olcott.

Its something that happened almost 40 years ago, said Bob Templeton, 79, president of Crossroads of the West Gun Shows. I have never signed the contracts because of my prior conviction.

Templeton was indicted by a federal grand jury in 1980 on 16 counts of unlawful sales of firearms, making a false statement and aiding and abetting, according to a 1994 article in the Deseret News. He pleaded guilty to one count of unlawfully selling a .38 special caliber revolver out of state. The other counts were dropped.

Questions about Templetons background arose this week at the monthly board meeting of the 22nd District Agricultural Association, which runs the state-owned fairgrounds.

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Despite Templetons ready acknowledgement of the conviction, it was news to the Del Mar fair board.

The board members were completely taken by surprise, fair board President Stephen Shewmaker said Wednesday.

The board learned of the past conviction in a letter from Del Mar resident Ira Sharp, Shewmaker said. Sharp and his wife, Rose Ann, are active in the NeverAgainCA group working to stop gun violence. The group has picketed outside the last two gun shows, and has asked city councils across the county to support a ban on the shows.

I said, we need to investigate this, Shewmaker said of the allegations. Theres a whole lot we want to know about that situation.

As a result, Del Mar Fairgrounds CEO Tim Fennell sent a letter Monday to the state Department of Justice in Sacramento requesting an investigation of whether the gun show should have been granted the certificate of eligibility license required to operate the show.

The certificate verifies that the Department of Justice has checked its records and determined that the applicant is not prohibited from acquiring or possessing firearms, according to the DOJ website. It is required of all prospective licensed firearms dealers.

Its unclear whether as president of the company Templetons felony firearms convictionmight prevent another officer of the company from holding the certificate, signing contracts and overseeing the gun shows.

The Department of Justice did not respond to call and emails seeking comment on the matter.

Crossroads has five gun shows annually at Del Mar, and a total of more than 60 shows each year across Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah. The largest California show is in Costa Mesa, and the largest of them all is in Phoenix.

The Crossroads shows generate about $500,000 in annual gross revenue and between $350,000 and $400,000 in net revenue for the Del Mar Fairgrounds, said public information officer Annie Pierce. The income includes proceeds from parking fees, food and beverage sales, and space rentals.

Of about 300 events held annually at the fairgrounds, the gun shows are in the top 20 percent for revenue, she said. The biggest single event is the month-long San Diego County Fair that begins June 1.

One of Templetons sons, Jeff Templeton, has not been involved with the familys gun shows since about 2004 because of his criminal convictions, the family said Wednesday.

Jeff Templeton, 51, was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2002 for possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of or person addicted to controlled substances, court records show. He was placed on probation in 2003, but violated the terms in 2004, when he admitted testing positive from marijuana, hydrocodone and cocaine.

The son served six months in federal custody in 2005, but has admitted to at least two other weapons and drugs violations, and served additional time in custody, records show.

Another son, Robert J. Templeton, has no convictions and has helped organize the shows for years, primarily the ones in Ventura and at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, the family said.

Its all operated now by my two kids (Robert J. Templeton and Tracy Olcott) said the father, Robert R. (Bob) Templeton.

He continues to serve in what is largely an advisory role and as a media representative for the company, he said.

The only time his conviction has turned up previously was in 1994, the senior Templeton said. The Utah governor had appointed him to a task force looking at gun-control measures, and he resigned whien his firearms conviction came to light.

Templeton started the Crossroads business in 1975 with his wife, Lynn. They formed a family corporation, B&L Productions (for Bob and Lynn) in 1989 to operate the business. The Better Business Bureau lists the B&L officers as Bob Templeton, president; Tracy Olcott, vice president; Lynn Templeton, treasurer; and Rob Templeton, office manager.

All of the contracts and the certificate of eligibility are in my name and have been for at least 15 years, Olcott, the daughter, said Wednesday.

Shes attended every gun show at Del Mar since about 2001 and most of the Crossroads shows in Southern California for the past 20 years, she said.

Its not surprising to see the shows attracting new attention after the surprising increase this year in school shootings across the nation, she said. However, like other firearms enthusiasts, she said the gun-show opponents are misdirecting their efforts.

We are all against gun violence, Olcott said. We support responsible gun ownership  We want to make sure everything is done in compliance with the law.

The fair board decided at its April meeting to place the gun show contract on its agenda in September. Hundreds of people attended the April meeting to address the board on the subject, taking up hours of the boards public comment session. More than 70 percent of the speakers were in favor of the show. However, like at Tuesdays meeting, the matter was not on the agenda so the board could not respond to the comments.

The city councils of Del Mar, Solana Beach and Encinitas have all voted to ask the fair board to end the gun shows.

The board is very sensitive to whats going on in the community, Shewmaker said. We feel bad that because its not on the agenda, that we have to just sit there and listen. But we have a process we have to follow.

The board normally meets once a month, but Shewmaker said he may call a special separate meeting in September to discuss the gun show contract.

In the past, the gun show contracts have been renewed annually, and approved by the fairgrounds CEO without additional review by the board.

However, Shewmaker said, the board adopted a new policy in March requiring any potentially controversial contract to be reviewed by the board. That change came as the result of a proposed cannabis festival, which was initially approved for the fairgrounds and later overturned by the board.

The board also may consider other changes for the gun show, such as age limits for admission, he said.

Minors are admitted to the show when accompanied by an adult, and children 12 and younger are allowed in free with a parent or guardian.

Age restrictions would do more harm than good, Orcott said Wednesday.

Weve always run it as a family event, she said. Its an opportunity for kids to be educated with a supervising adult.

Children only become more curious about things that are withheld from them, and that makes guns more dangerous, she said.

Demonstrators have picketed outside gun shows across the country in recent months, including the Cow Palace show in April.

State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, recently proposed legislation that would ban the sales of guns or ammunition at the Cow Palace, beginning in 2020.

State Assembly members Todd Gloria and Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher, both San Diego Democrats, introduced legislation in March to strengthen California gun laws.

philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @phildiehlWhen Armida Torres moved into Rancho Del Ray in the early 1990s, she couldnt wait for the new public library to open down the road.

I had a 2-year-old and a 6-year-old, and thought, this would be perfect, she said.

Today, both of her children are college graduates and the empty lot where the Rancho Del Rey public library was slated to go remains vacant.

The Rancho Del Rey library was originally scheduled to be completed in 2005. Development fees were supposed to fund construction, but Chula Vista diverted fees to other projects such as new fire stations and recreation facilities, records show.

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Now, San Diegos second-largest city has three libraries for more than 265,000 people and spends less than 25 cents per resident on library materials, such as books, magazines, and digital resources. By contrast, the state average on library material spending is $2.49 per capita, according to data from the California State Library Statistics Portal.

Chula Vistas three libraries are: The Civic Center Branch at 365 F St., the South Chula Vista Branch at 389 Orange Ave., and the Otay Ranch Branch at 2015 Birch Rd.

In 1989, Chula Vistas Growth Management Oversight Commission (GMOC) set a minimum standard of maintaining 500 square feet of adequately equipped and staffed library space per 1,000 residents.

The commission, known as the GMOC, was created in 1988 to ensure that Chula Vista provided basic city services as the city grew eastward. Those standards include specific thresholds, such as having police officers respond to emergencies within a certain amount of time.

If those standards are not met, the GMOC can ask the city to allocate tax dollars to address certain issues or even ask for a moratorium on growth to prevent city services from being overextended.

Chula Vista hasnt met its library threshold standard in 14 years, according to the latest GMOC report. The city currently has 359 square feet of library space  the lowest total since the GMOC began tracking the number nearly 30 years ago.

How are we not providing these services to the city of Chula Vista? GMOC member Raymundo Alatorre asked the City Council during an April meeting. Frankly, I think thats a little embarrassing so Id really like the City Council to focus on that.

After the Great Recession, Chula Vista slashed budgets and staffing across the board. Since then, the citys population grew but tax revenues stagnated. Additionally, growing pension costs are predicted to contribute to growing deficits unless the city finds new revenue streams.

The citys library department took a big hit. Expenditures were reduced by more than half and more than 50 staff positions were cut between 2007 and 2017.

The 2006-07 fiscal year budget shows the citys library department spent $9.6 million and had 70 full-time staffers. The 2017-18 budget shows the library spent $3.8 million and had 22 full-time staffers.

Of the citys $166 million general fund, which is used to pay for various city services, about three percent is spent on public libraries.

The citys current spending priority is public safety. More than 67 percent of the general fund goes to Chula Vistas police and fire departments. Even with current spending levels, both departments are understaffed and the city is asking residents to pass a sales tax increase to hire more cops and firefighters.

Public safety also takes priority in development fee spending. Even though the Rancho Del Rey library continues to be first priority on the list of future public facilities funded by development fees, the library has been and will continue to be pushed down the list due to the need for additional fire stations, according to the 2018 GMOC report.

Although frustrated by the lack of progress to meet the library standard, the GMOC recognizes that public safety should be the top priority. They recommended putting library spending directly behind public safety spending.

Because of limited resources, Chula Vistas library department uses grant funding and public-partnerships to compensate for the citys stagnant tax revenues. By finding outside revenue streams, the library can do more with less.

Its unfortunate that everything is based on economics, but I dont think that should be a determining factor of how I serve the community, said Joy Whatley, Otay Ranch Branch Library manager.

One of the most recently awarded grants gives the library system virtual reality equipment that allows it to turn rooms into virtual tours of anywhere in the world. The library plans to launch a program to help immigrants maintain connections with their culture by offering virtual tours of their hometowns. The technology could also be used to take high school students on college tours all over the country without leaving Chula Vista.

A public-private partnership with San Diego-based technology giant Qualcomm Inc. introduces students to coding and helps them learn about different STEM career options that line up with their skills and passions. The library is exploring another public-private partnership with San Diego Gas & Electric Co.

In the coming months, Whatley hopes to take library services directly to the people by hosting events like story time in local parks and community center.

I just try to do the best, she said. I understand what the city is facing in general and, as a city department, I understand theres a shortage everywhere.

Chula Vistas noncompliance with its standard of 500 square feet per 1,000 residents is expected to continue for several years until a large library is built. A 37,000-square-foot library at the Millenia development in eastern Chula Vista is expected to be completed or in progress within the next five years.

Failure to meet GMOC compliance could theoretically result in the commission asking the city to issue a growth moratorium. However, the GMOC has never recommended that nuclear option because so much of the citys finances are dependent on more growth, said Torres, who is the chair of the GMOC.

Its a hammer that we wield; however, if we shut down development, it shuts down funding for a lot of things that we need, she said. Its a frustration because we have that hammer, but if we wield it, we hit our own finger.

Contact Gustavo Solis via Email or TwitterNicholas Hernandez, a labor leader who marched with Cesar Chavez in the 1970s and was a founding member of the Ronald McDonald Charities San Diego, died May 15.

He was 73.

Hernandez was one of six brothers and eight sisters. He was born in Zacatecas, Mexico, in 1946 and grew up helping his father plow the field. When the family moved to Barrio Logan when he was seven, Hernandez brought that work ethic with him.

To pay for a private education at Saint Josephs grammer school, Hernandez got a job.

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He started working when he was 12 years old sweeping outside Perkins Super Market to pay his own way through grammar school, said his wife, Connie Hernandez.

Connie Hernandez, who also grew up in Barrio Logan, met her future husband at a dance in the War Memorial Building in Balboa Park in the 1960s. She was 17.

He just came up and asked me to dance, she said. Its like they say, the rest is history.

They married two years later, after Nicholas Hernandez came back from the Vietnam War, where he earned two Purple Hearts. The medals hang next to photos from Hernandezs time in Vietnam decorating the familys living room.

Hernandez worked as a carpenter with the Carpenters Local 220. He quickly climbed the ranks of union leadership and became heavily involved in activism during the 1970s.

Hed often joke that his labor activism was predetermined.

It was in his blood, hed say, because he was born on Labor Day, said his daughter, Carina Hernandez.

Activism was a family affair. The Hernandez children walked picket lines for as long as they can remember. Weekend outings involved registering people to vote outside grocery stores, Carina Hernandez recalled.

At the time, Hernandez was one of the few Latino labor leaders in San Diego. He helped drum up support for Cesar Chavezs boycotts and the famed Chicano activist often stayed in Hernandezs house with his two dogs, Boycott and Huelga.

During one of the visits, Hernandezs son got in trouble at school for telling a teacher that he met Cesar Chavez. The teacher thought the boy made the whole thing up.

He was in the third grade and said, Cesar Chavez slept in my room last night, so they called me and said he was making up stories, Connie Hernandez said with a laugh. But he wasnt.

Cesar Chavez, left, the founder of Farmworkers of America, was friends with Nick Hernandez, San Diego labor leader and community activist. (Connie Hernandez )

Hernandezs support was instrumental to the movement, said Dolores Huerta, a civil rights activist who co-founded the National Farmworkers Association with Cesar Chavez.

In those days, it wasnt easy to support the Farmers Union because people were critical, she said. A lot of people were not willing to help, including people in labor.

Hernandez didnt simply offer token support, he actually lobbied on behalf of the UFW by talking with other labor leaders in the region and participating in the boycotts, Huerta added.

In 1976, the tragic death of Hernandezs four-and-a-half-month-old son pushed the family to another type of activism. After a Leukemia diagnosis, their son Matthew was given less than six months to live.

At that time, parents werent allowed to stay in the hospital overnight, so Connie and Nicholas had to fight to be with their son 24 hours a day.

After Matthew died, the Hernandezes met other parents in similar situations. The families came from all walks of life, connected only through cancer. They heard of a charity that offered families of children being treated for cancer a home-away-from-home and decided to open one in San Diego.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities offers parents and siblings of sick children a place to stay and offers basic needs so they can better focus on caring for their loved one.

To build the original Ronald McDonald House, Hernandez called painters, cement masons, plumbers and electrical workers to provide most of the labor costs for free.

It was amazing what they were able to get done, said Chuck Day, president and CEO of the Ronald McDonald House Charities San Diego.

Hernandez remained active in the nonprofit until his death. He taught adult education classes and often brought his students to the house to teach them the value of giving back. He also served on the board, spread awareness and recruited volunteers for the organization, Day added.

He always felt that of all the work that he had accomplished professionally or as a volunteer, that was what he was most proud of because it was a legacy for our son Matthew, Connie Hernandez said. That kept his memory alive.

Today, there are three Matthews in the Hernandez family, including Carinas son.

Sadly, the same disease that took Matthew also claimed Nicholas Hernandez. He died of undiagnosed cancer. By the time doctors discovered it, the cancer was already at stage four.

Hernandez leaves his wife, four children, nine grandchildren and one great-grandson.

The family will hold a funeral service at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 24, at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Barrio Logan. That church is part of the Hernandez family history.

Nicholas grew up a few blocks away from there, he and Connie were married there and they baptized their children in that church.

Hes very proud of the fact that he was from Logan because there arent a lot of success stories that come out of there and hes one of them, Connie said.

Contact Gustavo Solis via Email or TwitterSan Diego International?

The San Diego International Beer Festival wont begin its three-day run until June 15, but results of the fests annual competition have been announced.

Congratulations to Long Beachs Beachwood BBQ & Brewing, the 2018 champion brewery. Youll find many terrific beers among the winners, who competed in 51 beer categories (the complete list is at sandiegobeerfestival.com/downloads/2018-SDIBC-Results.pdf).

What you wont find in this international competition: many foreign winners. Americans took all but two medals, the exceptions being a silver for a Scottish-style ale from Drive Beer S.R.L., a division of Italys Birra Morena; and a gold bestowed on an American-style pale ale from Tijuanas Insurgente.

Two factors contributed to the worlds poor showing, said Tom Nickel, one of the festivals organizers.

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1. An importer that had supplied many of the Belgian beers seen at previous festivals suffered key defections among its clientele.

Gouden Carolus, Oud Beersel, Straffe Hendrik, Lucifer, Delirium Tremens, Kwak  none of those beers were entered this year, Nickel said.

2. This year the lager categories, where German and Czech Republic breweries traditionally shine, were flooded with polished entries from California.

We saw a massive shift in the number of lagers entered, Nickel said, noting that this was the second most-popular category, exceeded only by IPAs. I think the quality and freshness of local lagers just really took over that category.

Still, people attending the festival will see plenty of imports. The roughly 300 beers that will be poured those three days will represent breweries from more than two dozen states and a dozen nations, including South Korea, New Zealand, England, France and Germany. Taste being subjective, some of these non-winners may win your affections.

Kings of Beer

Saisons come in a wide variety  strong, mild, sweet, dry. Also known as farmhouse ales, this category has a commanding foreman in Red Barn (6.7 percent alcohol by volume).

Bubbly and dry, this saison from San Marcos The Lost Abbey bursts with ginger, black pepper, orange peel and coriander. Sharp, astringent, herbaceous and refreshing, Red Barn has only the slightest residual sweetness.

This weeks King, Red Barn is a breathtaking example of what a saison can be. This one cleans up nicely.

Royal Toast

Every story has a beer angle, including the recent nuptuals of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. In the United Kingdom, the newlyweds were toasted with pints of Harry & Meghans Windsor Knot (4 percent alcohol by volume), an ale with British and American hops.

The beer, made by Windsor & Eton Brewery just a few miles from St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle, the wedding site, debuted in 2012 to celebate the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Heres hoping this beer is refreshing and bubbly, leading to a clean and long marriage, er, finish.

Heady Hysteria

Cans of Vermonts most sought-after beer, Heady Topper, landed in San Diego last week and I was fortunate enough to snag a pair at OBriens pub in Kearny Mesa. On first sip, this marvelous double IPA is an easy-drinker despite a slamming 8 percent alcohol content, as zesty carbonation counters the booziness. Fresh hop notes wrap around mango and pineapple flavors, then reassert themselves for a sharp finish.

Delicious? Yes. Over-hyped? Absolutely. At some outlets, 16-ounce cans sold for more than $20.

This Heady Hysteria is reminiscent of the Coors Cult. In the 1950s and 60s, Coors was hotly pursued by California beer drinkers for one reason: you couldnt buy it here. Once the Banquet Beer was distributed on the West Coast, it lost much of its sheen.

Heady, a world-class double IPA, is no Coors, a leader in the global quest to make beer taste like water. But if Heady were as available as Coors  or Alpines Pure Hoppiness, Societes The Pupil and many other hop-forward San Diego ales  I suspect wed see it for what it as an excellent beer, but not the worlds finest.

Best of the Week, Local

The Lost Abbey  155 Mata Way, Suite 104 in San Marcos  is also home to Port Brewing and The Hop Concept. The Abbey alone is celebrating its 12th anniversary Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., but all three entities will take part in the merrymaking.

Expect specialty and vintage beers on tap, several collectible bottles on sale and a trio of collaboration beers  The Lost Abbey teaming up with Placentias The Bruery, Port Brewing with Oceansides Bagby Beer and The Hop Concept with Alpines own Alpine Beer.

Words to Drink By

Olga sipped her whiskey. Eat, its self-expression.

He expressed himself by finishing off the salami, also half the loaf of bread, cheese, and herring. His appetite grew. Searching within the bag Olga brought out a package of sliced corned beef and a ripe pear. He made a sandwich of the meat. On top of that the cold beer was tasty.  from The Girl of My Dreams, Bernard Malamud

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Twitter: @peterroweut

peter.rowe@sduniontribune.comSince 1898, the Naval Institute Press has published authoritative  and often, to the lay reader, dry  books on maritime strategy, weaponry and history.

The Press new imprint, Dead Reckoning, represents a sea change.

Dead Reckoning will publish full-length original graphic novels and collections of classic comics, said Jacqline Barnes, the imprints publicity manager, with a special focus on military and naval history as well as biography.

The imprint will launch with Trench Dogs, about anthropomorphic dogs fighting World War I; The Best of Don Winslow of the Navy, reprinted comic strips from the 1930s and 40s; and two titles focused on the U.S. militarys experiences in Afghanistan, Machete Squad and The Stan.

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The latter book was first proposed to the Annapolis, Md.,-based publisher a few years ago. Written by David Axe and Kevin Knodell, two journalists who have covered the military, and illustrated by Blue Delliquanti, The Stan is a collection of episodic tales told from the point the U.S. servicemembers, Afghan interpreters and villagers, Taliban extremists and others.

While many see comics as kids stuff, Naval Institute editors were encouraged to read Maus, Art Spiegelmans Pulitzer-winning work about the Holocaust, and Joe Saccos tough-minded graphic novels about the Bosnian war, Safe Area Gorazde and The Fixer.

We live in a very visual society, said Knodell. In this format, he added, we can talk to people about what they saw and can then create something visually.

Another advantage to this format: graphic novels have a broad appeal, especially among younger readers.

The Naval Institute Press is trying to find ways to expand their audience, Knodell said. Weve been at war for 17, 18 years now  its been a struggle to get people to connect to it.

Gary Thompson, Dead Reckonings lead editor, plans to attend San Diego Comic-Con International this July.

This not the publishers first venture into popular fiction. While specialized non-fiction remains its forte, in 1984 the press published a novel from a then-unknown fiction writer.

The Hunt for Red October became a bestseller, this first of Tom Clancys many successful thrillers.Whats happening

May is National Salad Month. Stop by one of these local restaurants for a main dish of the leafy green.

Urban Plates salad medleys include Asian chicken salad with spicy peanut dressing; grilled steak salad with jalapeno-lime dressing; Thai shrimp salad with miso-lemongrass dressing; and chicken Cobb salad with buttermilk-dill dressing. Three locations: Carlsbad, Del Mar and La Jolla. urbanplates.com

salad medleys include Asian chicken salad with spicy peanut dressing; grilled steak salad with jalapeno-lime dressing; Thai shrimp salad with miso-lemongrass dressing; and chicken Cobb salad with buttermilk-dill dressing. Three locations: Carlsbad, Del Mar and La Jolla. urbanplates.com Woodstocks Pizza s Tree Hugger is a mix of organic spinach, feta cheese, caramelized pecans, dried cranberries and organic balsamic vinaigrette. 6145 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego and 1221 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. woodstockssd.com

s Tree Hugger is a mix of organic spinach, feta cheese, caramelized pecans, dried cranberries and organic balsamic vinaigrette. 6145 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego and 1221 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. woodstockssd.com Fishmongers Market s Baccala salad is piled high with fresh Atlantic salt cod, purple potatoes, garbanzo beans, red onion and a drizzle of olive oil and lemon. 1735 Hancock St., San Diego. (619) 756-7345. fishmongersmarkets.com

s Baccala salad is piled high with fresh Atlantic salt cod, purple potatoes, garbanzo beans, red onion and a drizzle of olive oil and lemon. 1735 Hancock St., San Diego. (619) 756-7345. fishmongersmarkets.com Farmers Table popular baby kale salad comes complete with fresh oranges, pomegranate seeds, blueberries, candied walnuts and a citrus vinaigrette. 8141 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa. (619) 724-6465. farmerstablelamesa.com

popular baby kale salad comes complete with fresh oranges, pomegranate seeds, blueberries, candied walnuts and a citrus vinaigrette. 8141 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa. (619) 724-6465. farmerstablelamesa.com Jalisco Cantina s elote salad is brimming with corn off the cob, romaine lettuce, pico de gallo, Cotija cheese, chile, cayenne, fresh lime, tortilla strips, red jalapeno, cilantro and a light vinaigrette. 213 N. Coast Highway, Oceanside. (760) 429-1679. thejaliscocantina.com

s elote salad is brimming with corn off the cob, romaine lettuce, pico de gallo, Cotija cheese, chile, cayenne, fresh lime, tortilla strips, red jalapeno, cilantro and a light vinaigrette. 213 N. Coast Highway, Oceanside. (760) 429-1679. thejaliscocantina.com The Haven offers the caprese salad with sliced cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, shredded basil and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic reduction. 4051 Adams Ave., San Diego. (619) 281-1904. thehavenpizzeria.com

offers the caprese salad with sliced cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, shredded basil and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic reduction. 4051 Adams Ave., San Diego. (619) 281-1904. thehavenpizzeria.com Union Kitchen & Tap Encinitas UNION Wedge is loaded with shaft blue cheese dressing, cherry tomato, bacon lardons, pickled cipollini onions and crumbled blue cheese. Grilled chicken, blackened salmon, shrimp or grilled prime sirloin are optional. 1108 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas. (760) 230-2337. localunion101.com

May is National Military Appreciation Month. San Diego restaurants show their gratitude and support with food specials.

Oggis Sports | Brewhouse | Pizza at Liberty Station will host a fundraiser from 5 to 7 p.m. today, with proceeds from items ordered from a special menu, to benefit the EOD Warrior Foundation. In addition, Oggis is encouraging the public to donate to the nonprofit and it will match all the donations collected. 2562 Laning Road, San Diego. (619) 876-5000. oggis.com

at Liberty Station will host a fundraiser from 5 to 7 p.m. today, with proceeds from items ordered from a special menu, to benefit the EOD Warrior Foundation. In addition, Oggis is encouraging the public to donate to the nonprofit and it will match all the donations collected. 2562 Laning Road, San Diego. (619) 876-5000. oggis.com Papa Johns is stepping up its support to the troops. Through Sunday, $2 from every special combo (two large one-topping pizzas, cheese sticks and a 2-liter beverage for $25) sold at all San Diego Papa Johns locations will be donated to the Wounded Warriors Project. papajohns.com

is stepping up its support to the troops. Through Sunday, $2 from every special combo (two large one-topping pizzas, cheese sticks and a 2-liter beverage for $25) sold at all San Diego Papa Johns locations will be donated to the Wounded Warriors Project. papajohns.com Luna Grills Warrior Wrap ($8.75) is made with gyros, simply seasoned fries, spicy yogurt sauce, feta, tomato and lettuce on a choice of multigrain lavash or pita. Through May, $1 from each Warrior Wrap sold in San Diego will benefit Warrior Foundation Freedom Station. Outside San Diego, $1 from each Warrior Wrap sold will benefit Hope for the Warriors. Fifteen San Diego County locations. lunagrill.com

Banyan Kitchen + Cafe in Point Loma invites guests to celebrate National Wine Day with a special happy hour featuring imported Spanish wines paired with a free tasting of cheese and Chi Chocolats artisanal gourmet chocolates. 3 to 7 p.m. Friday. 2690 Historic Decatur Road, San Diego. (619) 546-0650. banyankitchensd.com

National Burger Day is Monday. Heres where you can satiate your burger craving.

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Current + Tides chef Michael Poompans Bacon Jam Burger ($19) is packed with bacon-onion jam, Hopscotch cheddar, arugula and aioli served on a warm pretzel bun. Coronado Island Marriott Resort & Spa, 2000 Second St., Coronado. (619) 522-3150.

chef Michael Poompans Bacon Jam Burger ($19) is packed with bacon-onion jam, Hopscotch cheddar, arugula and aioli served on a warm pretzel bun. Coronado Island Marriott Resort & Spa, 2000 Second St., Coronado. (619) 522-3150. Islands Restaurants  Big Wave Burger is served with an endless side of fresh cut Island fries. 10 locations. islandrestaurants.com

 Big Wave Burger is served with an endless side of fresh cut Island fries. 10 locations. islandrestaurants.com Brew30 California Taps meatless option, the Impossible Burger, is a plant-based patty topped with mixed greens, jalapeno tomato jam and smashed avocado. Manchester Grand Hyatt, 1 Market Place, San Diego. (619) 232-1234.

Hundred Proof will host a Memorial Day collaboration brunch with You & Yours Distillery featuring $7 specialty cocktails and dish selections such as grilled shrimp and avocado toast, lemon ricotta pancakes and smoked beef brisket hash. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday. 4130 Park Blvd., San Diego. hundredproofsd.com

The Duck Dive will host a fundraiser for Promises2Kids Foodies 4 Foster Kids initiative through May, which is National Foster Care Month. The Pacific Beach restaurant will donate $1 from the purchase of the following items: the Verdita Margarita, made with Los Altos Plata Tequila, house-made verdita (spicy/sweet blend of jalapeno, cilantro, pineapple and mint) and agave; Bills Famous Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf topped with a smoked tomato jus and friend onion strings, served on a bed of mashed potatoes; and Stella Artois draft beer. 4650 Mission Blvd, Pacific Beach. (858) 273-3825. theduckdive.com

Mike Chen of Strictly Dumpling. (Mike Chen )

The San Diego Chinese Historical Museum has teamed up with local chefs to host its inaugural A Noodle Cook-Off featuring guest judge and YouTube personality Mike Chen of Strictly Dumpling. Chefs will be challenged to use one similar ingredient  99-cent packaged noodles  and transforming it into a creative dish that Chen and event-goers will enjoy. In addition to one-of-a-kind noodle dish samplings, there will be appetizers and small bites, and Duckfoot Brewing Company will provide the beer to wash it down. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 2. Chuang Archive and Learning Center, 541 Second Ave., San Diego. $40; $35 SDCHM members. Tickets: bit.ly/2Gj0haA

New menus

California Modern has released a new seasonal menu. In addition to new starters and entrees, including sweetbread schnitzel and opah, guests will find shared options such as burrata toast with fennel pollen, wood-fired green vegetable tops, capers and fine herbs. The restaurant has also changed its tasting menu format, replacing the four-course and eight-course chefs tasting menus with a six-course chefs tasting menu priced at $110 per person or $170 with beverage pairings. Extra dishes, including local stone crab or spot prawns, can be added for an additional charge. 5:30 p.m. daily. Georges at the Cove, 1250 Prospect St., La Jolla. (858) 454-4244. georgesatthecove.com

Carnitas Snack Shack is shakin up the bar with its new pork-centric specialty cocktails. Old Major (Dirty Bacon Martini), made with bacon-infused vodka, dry vermouth and olive brine; Cerdo del Diabo (Devil Pig), made with Anejo Tequila, blood-orange jalapeno puree, lime, agave and a chili-lime salt rim; Bacon Jalapeno Margarita includes tequila, Cointreau, prickly pear puree, lime, agave and a chili lime salt rim; and Sus Rex (King of the Pigs), with bacon-infused cask-strength bourbon, maple syrup, angostura bitters, orange twist and candied bacon. 1004 N. Harbor Drive, San Diego. (619) 696-7675. carnitassnackshack.com

The Smoking Goat invites guests to rediscover the thoughtful dishes, flavors and details of the old-school French classics, including escargots a la bourguignonne, French onion soup, New York steak frites, Compart Farms Duroc pork and beef cheeks a la bourguignonne. Choose a pairing wine from the wine program that curates both domestic and French-grown varietals from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Liore and the Rhone Valley region. 3408 30th St., San Diego. (619) 955-5295. thesmokinggoatrestaurant.com

Viewpoint Brewing Company has launched a new brunch menu featuring six California-inspired dishes, some that pair well with beer: Scottish egg served with hash browns, fries or salad ($11.95), churro French toast ($10.95), Del Mar parfait ($9.95), Viewpoint Benedict served with hash browns, fries or salad ($12.95 or $14.95), cold smoked salmon ($14) and two eggs any-style with bacon or sausage served with hash browns, fries or salad ($14). 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 2201 San Dieguito Drive, Del Mar. viewpointbrewing.com

Spill the Beans in the Gaslamp Quarter has added breakfast chia bowls to its menu. For $6, you can start your day with the Berry Bowl, made with fresh seasonal berries and coconut milk yogurt, or with the Protein Bowl, with bananas, house-made almond butter and organic agave. Each bowl is topped with chia, flax, sesame and sunflower seeds. 565 Market St., San Diego. (619) 233-3836. spillthebeanssd.com

Through May, Puesto is offering its Taco de Puebla, made with spiced pork shoulder, jocoque (a dairy product based on fermented milk), salsa roja and cilantro; and a Fruit Cart Margarita, made with Olmeca Altos Tequila Reposado, mango, pineapple, cucumber, watermelon and fresh lime juice, rimmed with Tajin and a spray of fruity garnishes. Two locations: 789 W. Harbor Drive, San Diego and 1026 Wall St., La Jolla. eatpuesto.com

Phils BBQ and Sammys Woodfired Pizza have teamed up to create three new menu items during May, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Big Brother Big Sisters. Available at all seven San Diego Sammys Pizza locations through Fathers Day, June 17, the new items include barbecue chicken salad with fresh corn, tomatoes, red onion, Gorgonzola and crispy tortilla strips; barbecue pizza with Phils boneless pork ribs, pineapple, chili oil, garlic, red bell peppers and mozzarella; and an angel-hair pasta dish tossed in a garlic cream sauce and topped with a beef rib and sauce. sammyspizza.com

Corner Bakery Cafe has unveiled a new seasonal menu, Fresh You Crave, available through Sept. 5. The menu includes: strawberry lemon pancakes topped with fresh strawberries, zesty lemon curd, whipped cream and vanilla maple syrup; caprese panini, a grilled sourdough sandwich stuffed with fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, Roma tomatoes, arugula and balsamic vinaigrette; pasta primavera, made with cavatappi pasta topped with a roasted vegetable medley, bruschetta tomatoes, spinach and roasted peppers tossed in a light cream sauce; and berry pecan salad with all-natural chicken. Available at all six San Diego area locations: downtown San Diego, Mission Valley, UTC, Carlsbad, Encinitas and Temecula. cornerbakerycafe.com

carolina.gusman@sduniontribune.comDesigned to remember and honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military, the USS Midway Museums Legacy Week is filled with inspirational remembrance events. The lineup of activities range from a benefit concert with Gin Blossoms to a writing workshop. Free and open to all is a wreath ceremony on the flight deck on Saturday morning. With paid museum admission, other activities include an opportunity on Sunday to Meet the Aviators, stationed next to the aircraft they flew; two performances by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Band on Monday; the Kids Adventure Discovery Zone on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and more. A super patriotic thing to do on Monday: stop by the San Diego Blood Bank trailer on Navy Pier, make a deposit and receive one free pass to the museum.

Legacy Week: Saturday through Monday. USS Midway Museum, 910 N. Harbor Drive, downtown. Museum admission costs $21, $18 for ages 62+, $15 for student, $8 for ages 6-12; active military are admitted free. (619) 544-9600. midway.org

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cynthia.zanone@sduniontribune.comAbortion, long a taboo subject here, now dominates the public airwaves and conversations on the street as Ireland prepares to vote on whether to scrap a constitutional amendment that bans the procedure.

Women are sharing their stories about traveling for job interviews to England, where the procedure is legal, or being forced to carry a child to term when it has no chance of survival.

Posters for or against the proposed repeal compete for space on lampposts across the country.

I am 9 weeks old, says a No campaign advertisement featuring an ultrasound of a fetus. I can yawn and kick. Dont repeal me.

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Sometimes a private matter needs public support, says a Yes poster.

The referendum Friday is being portrayed as a once-in-a-generation vote. It will determine whether Ireland keeps the 8th Amendment, which grants equal rights to the life of the mother and the unborn and is the basis for some of the strictest antiabortion laws in the world.

The procedure is illegal even in cases of rape, incest and fatal birth defects.

The government has promised that if the amendment is repealed, it will bring its laws in line with those in several other European countries to allow abortions at up to 12 weeks of pregnancy or any time in cases of fatal fetal abnormalities.

We cannot change the status quo in Ireland as long as the 8th Amendment remains in our constitution, said Health Minister Simon Harris, who supports abortion rights.

Activists from the Love Both, Vote No campaign, including politician Mattie McGrath, third from left, hold placards urging people to vote no in the referendum to repeal the 8th Amendment of the Irish Constitution. (Barry Cronin / AFP/Getty Images )

Abortion has always been illegal in Ireland, but the amendment  passed in a 1983 referendum with two-thirds of the vote and the backing of the powerful Catholic Church  was seen as a guarantee on that ban. The Irish Constitution can be changed only by popular vote.

Attitudes have changed. A poll published by the Irish Times last week found 44% of potential voters supported the Yes campaign and 32% planned to vote No, with 17% undecided and 7% abstaining or declining to say.

I grew up in an Ireland which wasnt just a different country, it was another planet, said Ailbhe Smyth, an abortion rights campaigner and veteran of the 1983 referendum battle.

One big difference between then and now is that the church, dogged by sexual abuse scandals, has far less influence.

Another major influence on the shift is the case of Savita Halappanavar, an Indian national who died of a bloodstream infection known as septicemia in 2012 after an Irish hospital denied her a medical abortion as she was experiencing a miscarriage.

The case, which energized abortion rights activists and led to major demonstrations, resulted in passage of a law in 2013 that created a rare exception to the ban by allowing abortions in cases when three doctors agree that a mothers life is in danger.

Halappanavars face now appears on posters for the Yes campaign.

Proponents of repealing the amendment argue that abortion is already common  each day nine women travel to England for the procedure and three more use illegal abortion pills without medical supervision, according to Irish government  and that lifting the ban would make it safer.

Harris called the 8th Amendment a failed experiment.

But antiabortion activists argue the constitution is correct to uphold the sanctity of unborn life and say the government has twisted the debate by highlighting cases such as Halappanavars.

Whats at stake is whether unborn babies are being protected or whether theyll be killed, said Niamh Ui Bhriain, who heads the Save the 8th campaign.

Right now in Ireland we have a culture and a constitution that protects the right to life of both mother and baby, and that serves us very well, she said.

Abortion on demand fills me with horror, said Rosemary Lennon-Maher, a volunteer handing out glossy red No pamphlets this week in Dublin.

I hold life as sacred and I think its a basic human right for every human being that they get the gift of life, she said.

Emotions on the issue run so high that many Irish citizens living abroad have returned to vote in the referendum. On one Facebook group, members have donated at least 200 flights to supporters of the Yes campaign.

Noncitizens have also joined the debate.

Members of Students for Life of Michigan, an antiabortion group, has been traveling around Ireland for two weeks spreading its message.

Ive been surprised at how many people are happy were here, said Nicole Hocott, a student at the University of Michigan and president of the group.

Facebook announced this month that it would stop publishing all foreign-funded ads related to the referendum, heeding Irish laws that prohibit donations to political groups by noncitizens. Google followed suit with a similar ban.

Transparent Referendum Initiative, an independent group that has monitored online ads during the campaign, said those efforts have failed to stop influence by foreigners and unnamed lobbyists.

What we have seen is that essentially our democracy is up for sale to the highest bidder and that bidder can remain anonymous and get around attempts at self-regulation, it concluded in a report.

Whatever the outcome of Fridays referendum, the dueling campaigns have largely removed the stigma of discussing experiences with abortion.

I dont want an abortion, but I need one, and Im about to get one, Tara Flynn, an Irish actor and comedian told a Dublin audience at a recent performance of her one-woman show, which weaves personal experience, reflection and song into a journey through sex, history and religion.

She went on to describe herself in the waiting room of a Dutch abortion clinic in 2006, frightened and alone, but undeterred.

Casey is a special correspondent.The University of California and California State University systems are poised to get major funding boosts that will help them enroll thousands of additional state students and eliminate the need for tuition increases in the coming school year.

A key Assembly budget panel on Wednesday approved $117.5 million in new funds for the UC. A Senate panel approved a similar sum last week.

The same committees recently approved even more funding for the Cal State system.

The actions raise hopes that Gov. Jerry Brown will agree to the additional outlay during budget negotiations. But Brown, asked earlier this month if he was open to a bipartisan call for more funding for UC and CSU, said legislators had asked for billions of dollars in additional spending and I can tell you all the people who want things wont be getting what theyd like to have.

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For each of the public university systems, Brown has proposed a general fund increase of $92.1 million and a one-time infusion of $100 million to upgrade and maintain aging facilities.

News of an impending deal quickly circulated Wednesday morning at the UC Board of Regents meeting in San Francisco, prompting shout-outs of appreciation to supportive legislators and UC advocates who launched a unified lobbying push for more money.

This puts us on a more stable course, and I hope its the start of a renewed partnership with the state Legislature, board Chairman George Kieffer said.

The money approved for UC would eliminate the need for a tuition increase and help the system enroll 2,500 more California students this fall and an additional 2,500 in 2019.

Legislators also approved $12.5 million to help ease campus overcrowding. UC has enrolled 90,000 more students since 2000 with the same level of state funding, leading to widespread complaints about students sitting on classroom floors and squeezing into dorms converted from doubles to triples and quads.

The Senate panel approved more money for campus overcrowding and less for enrollment growth. Those differences will need to be resolved in conference committee.

UC would receive $22.5 million in one-time funds for research into opioids, firearm violence, the health effects of sugar and valley fever, a lung infection caused by fungus in soil. The Assembly panel also approved one-time infusions of $5 million for campus efforts to fight hunger and $2 million to expand equal opportunity employment practices.

UC and its students have made a convincing case this year that funding beyond the governors proposal is needed to meet increasing costs, address overcrowding on some campuses, support additional enrollment growth for the 2018-19 academic year, and address infrastructure needs, said the staff recommendation of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance.

Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), who heads the budget subcommittee, said the states booming economy enabled legislators to do what we like to do, which is properly fund higher education in California. The state has amassed a $9-billion budget surplus this year.

Overall, its a huge win for our students in California and for the UC system, the flagship research university in the state, McCarty said.

Subcommittee members said they would continue to press UC to open its doors ever wider to California students and continue to cut administrative spending.

At the regents meeting, UC President Janet Napolitano praised the 2,500 students, faculty, regents, chancellors, alumni and staff behind an unprecedented lobbying effort for more funds. They contacted state legislators more than 5,600 times this year, she said. Last year, 700 advocates made 2,500 contacts, said Kieran Flaherty, UCs state government relations chief.

We are pleased and grateful that our state legislators recognize how crucial it is to adequately fund the university, Napolitano said.

Varsha Sarveshwar, a junior at UC Berkeley, said her student government office coordinated at least 15 trips to Sacramento  with as many as 25 students each time  to attend committee hearings and buttonhole legislators. Overall, students made more than 1,000 phone calls to key legislators and collected more than 6,000 stories of peers who would suffer without more funding, according to Rise, a statewide student organization.

Sarveshwar said she still managed to maintain a 4.0 grade point average  in part by pulling six or seven all-nighters in the last weeks of classes.

Since January, thousands of University of California students have called upon the Assembly to reinvest in our education. Today, we won, she said. We are incredibly heartened.

Kieffer said Assemblyman Jose Medina (D-Riverside), who heads the Assembly Higher Education Committee, played a key role.

Both Assembly and Senate education finance panels also approved a major funding increase for Cal State University. The $215.7 million in extra funding the two panels approved for Cal State would help its 23 campuses enroll an additional 11,000 students. Cal State turned away 32,000 eligible students last year because it could not accommodate them.

The panels asked that at least $50 million of the extra Cal State funding be used to hire more tenure-track faculty to help boost graduation rates. The Assembly panel also approved one-time funding of $5 million to ease hunger on Cal State campuses and $14 million for rapid rehousing pilot projects at three campuses, offering needy students rental support and short-term case management.

Other items approved include $5 million to support the CSU Long Beach Shark Labs research on sharks and beach safety and $2 million for equal employment opportunity practices.

teresa.watanabe@latimes.com

Twitter: @teresawatanabe

UPDATES:

7 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about UC and Cal State funding and comments from legislators.

This article was originally published at 2:45 p.m.If I close my eyes, I can still feel the warm, tropical breeze blowing across my face as our cigar-shaped motorboat purrs down the brownish, silt-laden Cuyabeno River, heading for the remote Siona Lodge in Ecuadors Amazon region. Our two-hour boat ride into the heart of the 2,300-square-mile Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve exposes our small group of adventurers to the wonders of a tropical rainforest: brilliant blue, iridescent morpho butterflies flash across the open space ahead of us; monkeys dart effortlessly through the branches of an overhanging tree; a toucan calls noisily as it flies from one towering treetop to another. We are spellbound. Can this be real?

I was fortunate to share this four-day trip, arranged weekly by the lodge, with just five other Americans and Europeans. Frankly, I didnt know what to expect. I figured that a trip involving Amazon-style tropical plants, exotic creatures and river-based travel would be a fun adventure, but it proved to be an experience of a lifetime.

Let me back up and explain how I got there. From my base in Quito, Ecuador, I took a 50-minute flight to Lago Agrio, a forgettable little town named for the bitter waters produced by its surrounding oil industry. The next morning, our group piled into a Siona Lodge van that careened down a curving, bumpy road for two hours through a landscape once teeming with jungle and wildlife, now cleared and converted to homesteads by poor farmers who didnt realize that nutrient-poor rainforest soil produces meager crops.

Eventually, we arrived at a ramshackle restaurant across from the Cuyabeno Reserve headquarters, adjacent to the rivers entry point, where a procession of motorboats transported visitors to and from the reserves five lodges. While others enjoyed ice-cold beers or fast-melting ice cream, my new photo buddy, Kyle from Manhattan, and I excitedly photographed a pair of the worlds most beautiful, day-flying Uranus moths, languidly sipping minerals from the mud and showing off their large, jet-black wings embossed with iridescent green and blue stripes.

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Anxious to experience whatever adventures awaited us, we headed down the gangplank to our slender 40-foot boat, and after we secured our gear and seated ourselves, the engine roared to life and we set forth into the great unknown.

All we knew initially was that our Siona Lodge package included a nature guide, transportation to and from the lodge, and all meals, excursions, rain gear and a private room. As we progressed through the rainforest, our eagle-eye guide, Neiser, proved to be invaluable as he spotted and explained details about otherwise invisible birds, monkeys, lizards, tree sloths and even a group of rare river dolphins. By the end of the trip, he figured we had seen all 10 species of monkeys.

A hoitzen (also called a stinky turkey) bird is a favorite, with its wonderful colors and textures. (Doug Hansen )

As much as I delighted in seeing such exotic creatures, I found myself mesmerized by the infinitely varied sizes, shapes, textures and colors of the tropical plants passing before my eyes. Calling the vegetation thick and impenetrable was an understatement.

But there was one final touch that made this scene so surreal  the sounds of the jungle. As we cruised down the river, the sound of our boats motor was interrupted at unpredictable intervals by the sudden pulsating, shrill sounds of a hidden army of cicadas serenading their patch of the jungle with a stereophonic blast. At other times, we craned our necks to follow the high-pitched chirping of toucans perched in the tallest trees.

Eventually, we emerged from the confines of the river and glided across a moderately sized lake sprinkled with 20-to-40-foot-high trees that appeared to float on the water. Large and small bromeliads, with striking red, curved leaves, stood out from the surrounding orchids, delicate ferns, stringy mosses and philodendrons that blanketed the branches of these semi-submerged trees. Lime-green parrots screeched at us, while snow-white egrets gazed indifferently as we passed by.

Seemingly from out of nowhere, hidden amid the leafy foliage, an oval, wood sign proclaimed Siona Lodge, and our boat halted alongside a small wood dock. In the midst of an open clearing stood our lodge, with a covered wooden walkway connecting all five duplex bungalows and a combo kitchen/dining area and sitting room. Each wood structure sported a palm frond roof that blended perfectly with the jungles ambiance. At the farthest end of the compound sat a small hut at the edge of the lake from which we gazed at the sunset, chatted or just sat in meditative contemplation. My room, aptly named Caiman, was sparsely furnished but clean, with a double bed covered by mosquito netting and a private bathroom with hot water. The only drawback was that the high, partially open ceiling transmitted any sounds from the occupants next door.

Rubber boots were a necessity on a day hike through the muddy jungle. (Doug Hansen )

Each day brought a new set of adventures as we set off on a sunrise bird-watching expedition, a nighttime search for caimans (relatives of alligators) whose eyes glowed in the flashlight beam, two jungle hikes and a refreshing, daily sunset swim in our lake. The first of our two terrestrial outings involved a three-hour daytime hike in the nearby jungle; thankfully, the lodge provided rubber boots, which were oh-so-necessary as we slogged through stretches of foot-deep mud. Our perspicacious guide spotted tiny but colorful poison arrow frogs, medicinal plants and, most striking of all, a 3-foot-long earthworm! The Siona Indians use these earthworms for fishing because they are the best bait, he explained.

I eagerly awaited our night hike through the nearby trails, because past experience told me that the phantoms of the rainforest only reveal themselves after dark. Nonetheless, I marveled at how dramatically the inky darkness had transformed the landscape into a foreboding place. Peering ahead into our headlamps pale circle of light, we stepped cautiously over rocks and roots, making sure not to confuse the shadowy objects with vipers. Call me crazy, but I was sorry that we failed to find any snakes, though I was delighted to find a harmless but wicked-looking, tailless whip scorpion (aka amblypygid); a large owl butterfly; and a green, leaf-shaped katydid waving a pair of delicate, 10-inch antennae.

Our final excursion, a visit to a Siona Indian village, proved to be my favorite. Another two-hour boat ride took us through a maze of twisting tributaries until we reached our destination, a jungle clearing sprinkled with the Siona Indians wood homes. The billowing gray clouds overhead produced a light sprinkle of rain that soon grew into a monsoonlike torrent as we strolled through the villages grassy pathways. Machete in hand, our guide cut large banana leaves for us to use as disposable umbrellas. We met a local woman who demonstrated her machete skills by unearthing and preparing a bulbous yucca root that, when cooked over a set of hot stones, produced savory, tortillalike bread.

A shaman, or spiritual healer, greeted visitors to a Siona village. (Doug Hansen )

After a brief rest and lunch, we were greeted by the villages diminutive leader, who was also the regions main shaman, or spiritual healer. He took us to a spacious communal hut with a hard-packed dirt floor, a series of evenly spaced sticks forming the chest-high walls and a high arching roof made of branches and woven palm fronds. We sat on log stools and watched as the man mysteriously disappeared. A few minutes later, he reappeared, transformed by his shaman-best regalia: standing barefoot before us, he wore an emerald green tunic adorned with a bandolier of crisscrossed strings of tawny nuts; encircling his neck were two dozen sharp, white boar tusks and a jaguar claw hidden among the dozens of fine strands of green, red, blue and white beads. Above his red-streaked cheeks and forehead sat a resplendent headdress glowing with hues of light yellow, mustard yellow, crimson red, orange and turquoise feathers.

A translator enabled us to ask him about his life in the village and his shamanic duties. After patiently answering our questions, he proceeded to demonstrate one of his healing rituals on me. This time, there were none of the hallucinogenic herbs that a shaman normally ingests for special, multiday healings, but he did chant while gently striking me with a bundle of medicinal leaves. I kept my eyes dutifully closed and felt open to whatever aid the jungle spirits might invoke to keep me from harm.

Our four-day stay at Siona Lodge ended in the most perfect way  as we prepared to leave, a 7-foot caiman crawled ashore by our pier, close to where we stood. A cook rushed to fetch pieces of meat, which we took turns tossing into the fearsome creatures snapping jaws.

We departed with a deep sense of awe and gratitude for our brief but profound exposure to the rainforests unique ecosystem. I nodded as Celine, my young German friend, remarked, I loved everything we saw; it was so magical, and I think the jungle reflects the diversity of this world perfectly with so many species living together in one place. We desperately need to save the Amazons rainforest.

In our travels we seek those places and events that change us and leave a lasting spell, and my four unforgettable days at the Siona Lodge in the mystic heart of the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve did just that.

Hansen is a travel writer and photographer based in Carlsbad. See more of his photos and articles at www.HansenTravel.org or Instagram @doug_hansentravel.

If you go

Lodging: Siona Lodge, email: info@sionalodge.com; www.sionalodge.com

Research: wikitravel.org/en/Cuyabeno_Wild_Life_ReserveThe Marines fired two top leaders of a Twentynine Palms unit on Monday.

Maj. Gen. Eric Smith, commander of 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, removed Lt. Col. Rafael A. Candelario II and Sgt. Maj. Marcus A. Chestnut of 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion.

Candelario, 47, was the commander of the Wolfpack and Chestnut, 45, his senior enlisted Marine.

The commanding general lost confidence in their ability to lead 3rd LAR, said division spokesman Capt. Paul Gainey during a telephone interview late Wednesday.

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We cant comment on internal administrative details in the Marine Corps.

Smith ordered Lt. Col. John Kinitz to Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms to assume command of the battalion.

Hes in Twentynine Palms now and hes taken command, said Gainey.

Sgt. Maj. Chestnuts position will be filled by 1st Sgt. Luis Ortega, a member of the battalion, until a permanent replacement will be named.

The 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion is a fast vehicular unit that conducts reconnaissance-in-force ahead of infantry forces.

In March the unit participated in its Marine Corps Combat Readiness Evaluation at the sprawling San Bernardino County base. The grueling tests are designed to test a units ability to function in battle.

The former battalion sergeant major for 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, Chestnut joined 3rd LAR on March 18, 2016, according to military records.

A South Carolina native who became a cannoneer crewman, he had served in Australia as the Marine Air Ground Task Force Sergeant Major in support of Marine Rotational Force Darwin.

To the Marines and sailors of the Wolf Pack, you dont owe me anything, but I owe you a lot, Chestnut said when he was welcomed to Twentynine Palms. Im here to tell you that I am here to serve you.

He is a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A woman who answered at his home on Wednesday said he could not come to the phone.

The son of a Marine, Candelario graduated in 1994 from Davidson College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History with a concentration in Gender Studies.

He made multiple deployments overseas, including to Afghanistan, Kuwait, Okinawa and Djibouti.

After graduating early from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2007, he served in the U.S. Embassy in Botswana before becoming the executive officer of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines.

Assigned as a Recovery Team Leader with the Joint Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Command, he led two missions in Vietnam and Laos.

After serving as the regimental operations officer, regimental executive officer, and the acting regimental commander of 5th Marines at Camp Pendleton, he took command of 3rd LAR on June 15, 2017.

Efforts to reach Candelario by telephone on Wednesday were unsuccessful. He did not answer multiple emails seeking comment.

Military Videos  On Now D-Day paratrooper from Coronado jumps again in France  at age 96 On Now Remembering war's fallen, one name at a time On Now In Ramona, an airplane and an aviator provide living lessons on World War II 1:43 On Now Video: Navy's newest vessel sails into San Diego and a new future in surface warfare On Now Video: U.S. Navy files homicide charges over warship collisions On Now Stopping Marine hazing On Now Video: U.S. Navy Air Crew Grounded After Creating Vulgar Sky Drawing On Now Navy says Asia Pacific ship collisions were avoidable On Now Hundreds of recruits get sick at Marine boot camp On Now Cutler Dawson Talks Navy Federal

cprine@sduniontribune.com

UPDATES:

The story was updated to reflect that 1st Sgt. Luis Ortega will temporarily fill the role of the sergeant major and Lt. Col. John Kinitz will permanently replace Lt. Col. Rafael A. Candelario II.In a move that increases the likelihood Harvey Weinstein will face criminal charges, federal prosecutors in New York have opened an investigation into whether the disgraced Hollywood producers alleged acts of sexual abuse violated federal laws, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The U.S. attorneys office of the Southern District of New York has begun investigating Weinstein, seeking to examine whether the mogul lured or induced women to travel across state lines for purposes of committing sexual crimes, said the sources, who were not authorized to comment publicly.

Mr. Weinstein has always maintained that he has never engaged in nonconsensual sexual acts, said his attorneys Blair Berk and Benjamin Brafman in a statement.

Federal prosecutors have quietly operated in the shadows of investigations by police and prosecutors in Los Angeles and New York.

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As part of their case, prosecutors are said to be using a 1910 law known as the Mann Act, which was intended to combat debauchery and prostitution.

This isnt a frequently used law. The Mann Act is about transporting women across state lines for immoral purposes, said Laurie Levenson, a Loyola law professor and former federal prosecutor of the early 20th century law. It is really a reach  it is back to the future.

Representatives of the U.S. attorneys office declined to comment.

Weinstein has been accused by more 80 women of misdeeds including sexual harassment and rape. Police in New York, L.A., Beverly Hills and London have conducted investigations into more than 20 allegations.

Federal prosecutors are also examining whether any of the financial transactions related to the alleged sexual abuse amount to fraud. Weinsteins use of company money and a potential cover-up are also being examined by local prosecutors in New York. Several sources said that given the lack of physical evidence supporting sexual assault allegations against Weinstein, prosecutors are pursuing an almost Al Capone approach  the infamous mobster was finally undone over violating federal tax laws.

Nearly eight months after the New York Times first revealed widespread allegations of sexual abuse against Weinstein, local and federal prosecutors are increasingly in competition to build a case against the once-powerful Hollywood executive, according to two sources familiar with the investigations.

The Manhattan district attorneys office has said it is in the advanced stage of its review of the allegations. NYPD bosses have publicly said they would seek to arrest Weinstein if he was in New York.

While the district attorneys office in New York is limited in its approach by rules of evidence, federal prosecutors have more latitude to introduce evidence of a suspects propensity to commit a sexual crime.

Brafman told the Wall Street Journal he had already met with federal prosecutors in Manhattan in an attempt to dissuade them from investigating. The Journal first revealed the federal investigation Wednesday.

A source familiar with the investigation, however, said the federal inquiry has been ongoing for at least a couple of months. Alleged victims in the Los Angeles County accusations have not been contacted by federal authorities, according to people familiar with those cases.

L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Laceys team has been reviewing two investigations by Beverly Hills police into Weinstein, and three LAPD investigations of the producer, including an Italian actress allegation of rape in 2013.

According to law enforcement sources, detectives believe that case is promising for prosecution because the woman told her story to three people, including a priest, relatively soon after the alleged attack.

LAPD detectives also have obtained bills showing the woman was a guest at the Beverly Hills hotel where she claims Weinstein attacked her, said the sources, who were not authorized to discuss the case publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

richard.winton@latimes.com

Twitter: @lacrimesThe detente between North Korea and South Korea included a promise by both sides to disconnect the huge, two-story tall wall of loudspeakers used to boom propaganda messages up and down the demilitarized zone at night.

Retired judge and former California state senator Larry Stirling remembers the loudspeakers from his days as a young U.S. infantry lieutenant in South Korea. Sitting in a fox hole on the DMZ and trying to listen for infiltrators or assailants at night was difficult due to the booming distant speakers.

He was taking part in the Advanced Combat Training Academy (ACTA) operated by Medal of Honor recipient Roger Donlon. Stirlings group first was taken to an outpost where a huge North Korean loudspeaker was clearly visible, and its purpose was explained so the newcomers would know what was up.

While standing in the outpost, the North Korean loudspeaker boomed out: Welcome to Korea, Lieutenant Stirling.

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I was at first dumbfounded that the speaker was talking to us, said Stirling, and awestruck that I was important enough for what I thought was a North Korean intelligence coup to know that I was there.

He said the grinning outpost soldiers soon deflated his momentary feeling of self-importance. The North Koreans had powerful binoculars and were simply reading my name tag, Stirling recalled.

In those days, nametags were black and white. Thankfully the Army finally camouflaged those name tags so future lieutenants didnt get the same treatment, he said.

Tom Wolfe, author of The Pump House Gang, visited La Jollas Windansea Beach pump house on Oct. 16, 1982. (James Skovmand / U-T file )

Last chapter: The recent passing of Tom Wolfe reminded George Mitrovich of the authors San Diego visit a few years ago to speak at a City Club luncheon.

After the event, Wolfe had a few hours before his flight back to New York City so Mitrovich, the clubs founder, asked if he would like to see Horton Plaza. Wolfe had written a book about architecture and, at the time, Horton Plaza was a new, state-of-the-art shopping center in the heart of downtown. Wolfe said he would.

As they toured the brightly colored futuristic mall, Wolfe, elegantly dressed as always in his signature off-white suit and homburg, attracted the attention of several passersby.

At one point, a young man with long hair, wearing sunglasses, carrying a skateboard and dressed in cutoffs, a T-shirt, and flip-flops, walked toward the two men. When he recognized Wolfe, the skateboarder froze, then spontaneously yelled, All right, Tom Wolfe! Welcome to San Diegos answer to the Italian Renaissance!

Jackie Foster, of Poway, shown during The Voice knockout rounds, is finishing her college degree in music business this summer. (NBC / Tyler Golden )

Life goes on: The good news is that Poway native Jackie Foster made it to the top eight performers before being eliminated from The Voice. The bad news is that she had to miss her Berklee College of Music graduation ceremony to participate in the live semifinal shows on NBC. Foster is returning to San Diego for a welcome home party in her honor at a Poway restaurant Thursday evening. Poways mayor is even expected to appear.

Then shell return to summer classes at her Boston campus to make up for missed time while on the show  she is nine credits short of completing her music business degree.

As the final four battled it out on The Voice Monday evening, another San Diegan, percussionist Monette Marino, joined contest finalist Kyla Jade and judge Blake Shelton in a live performance of Only Love. Jackie returned to sing on Tuesdays finale where Brynn Cartelli, 15, of Massachusetts, was named winner.

Photographers camped out at the residential complex of Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan Markle, in Rosarito, Baja California, on May 15, just four days before the royal wedding. He did not attend, citing heart issues and stent surgery. (Guillermo Arias / AFP/ Getty Images )

No rest for the weary: The dad of the newly minted Duchess of Sussex cant seem to get a break from the paparazzi. On the heels of his heart stent surgery that prevented him from walking his daughter, Meghan, down the British bridal aisle, The Daily Mail showed Thomas Markle shortly after his hospital release still clutching the medical bag holding his belongings. That was followed by a photo of him buying a Starbucks frappuccino topped with whipped cream a couple of days later.

Norbert Stein, of Chula Vista, center, with his daughter, Livia Gail, left, and good friend Zaneta Salde Encarnacion at his 102nd birthday celebration. Stein, who got married in March on his 105th birthday, passed away on May 16. (Courtesy photo )

Warm goodbye: The San Diego Sockers issued a fond farewell to a big fan from Chula Vista who died on May 16.

We are saddened by the passing of Norbert The Captain Stein, who was one of the most dedicated fans in club history, the Sockers website announced. His love and passion for the team spanned four decades and was evident even at the age of 105.

Stein often delivered locker room pep talks before games, but he also was a regular at Chula Vista City Council meetings, where he shared humorous comments and poems and often delivered deli lunches to councilmembers. Stein made the local news in March when he celebrated his 105th birthday and married his longtime lady friend on the same day. He called March 8 the happiest day of my life.

Steins daughter, Livia Gail, says a military honors service is scheduled for the Bronze Star recipient at 10:30 a.m. June 11 at Miramar National Cemetery.

diane.bell@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1518

Twitter: @dianebellSD

Facebook: dianebell.newsDebbie Justeson, who represents Area 2 on the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District board, is seeking re-election in June against a San Diego business owner and a university professor.

Justeson was first elected in 2010 to the Area 2 seat, which represents parts of La Mesa, Mount Helix, Casa de Oro and Rancho San Diego. She received 56 percent of votes cast.

According to the Grossmont-Cuyamaca website, Justeson is the current board clerk and has more than 25 years of experience in education. She is backed by the American Federation of Teachers Local 1931, or ATF.

Justeson, 54, a Democrat, did not respond to phone calls and messages seeking comment.

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She is facing two opponents in the June election: Jonathan Bowman, a professor at University of San Diego, and Bill Exeter, president and chief executive officer of the Exeter Group of Companies, a fiduciary services company in San Diego. All three candidates live in La Mesa.

Bowman, 39, is a nonpartisan voter and has more than 15 years of experience in higher education. Hes a professor of communication studies at University of San Diego and previously worked at the community college level for four years.

He said access and inclusion is the No. 1 issue facing higher education today.

Grossmont-Cuyamaca is a thriving community college system, but with that comes a responsibility to actively search for areas where we can improve, Bowman said. Id like to help adapt the system to reach populations that arent being served or dont have access to it altogether.

Bowman has authored several books on communication processes, relationships and student success in higher education and said his research in those areas will help him stay in touch with the needs of students and his constituency.

Exeter, the third candidate for Area 2, has more than 35 years in the fiduciary trust services industry. He said hes concerned for students who graduate and arent prepared, educationally, to enter the workforce.

Ive met people who come out of [school] and dont have the skills they need to get a job, Exeter said. We need to analyze the curriculum, and identify and eliminate gaps to make sure that doesnt happen.

Exeter, 55, a Republican, said he would like to see more programs geared toward veterans who need assistance entering the workforce. He added that his financial background would be an asset on the board when discussing budget-related issues.

With my accounting background, we can dig into the budget and save money without reducing services, he said. Id like to free up resources or reallocate waste.

The district serves about 30,000 students at Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges, in addition to the districts Continuing Education and Workforce Training program. The five-member board represent the southeastern part of San Diego County.

Data Watch Videos On Now Data Point: Media Mergers 2:58 On Now Jaywalking infractions in San Diego 1:24 On Now Video: Finding the recipe for the perfect burrito 2:09 On Now Video: Where marijuana is legal in the United States 0:53 On Now Report: Correctional system fails women 1:22 On Now San Diego students have larger classes On Now Hierarchy of cuisine prices On Now Pay phones: Is that still a thing? On Now 2016 border apprehensions On Now STD trends, San Diego County

Contact Lauryn Schroeder via Twitter or Email.The automated emergency braking system on an Uber robot test car was turned off when the vehicle hit and killed a pedestrian in Arizona in March, according to federal investigators.

The cars sensor system was operating normally and a test driver was behind the wheel, according to a report issued Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board. Yet neither the human driver nor the computer system braked the car before the collision.

Although the finding by the NTSB is preliminary, it raises serious questions about the state of driverless technology as more such vehicles are put on public highways.

The NTSB listed three reasons the brakes were not applied before the fatal crash:

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Uber had chosen to switch off the collision avoidance and automatic emergency braking systems that are built into commercially sold versions of the 2017 Volvo XC90 test vehicle. Uber did that whenever its own driverless robot system was switched on  otherwise, the two systems would conflict.

However, Uber also disabled its own emergency braking function whenever the test car was under driverless computer control, to reduce potential for erratic behavior.

Uber had expected the test driver to both take control of the vehicle at a moments notice, while also monitoring the robot cars performance on a center-console mounted screen. Dashcam video showed the driver looking toward the center console seconds before the crash. The driver applied the brakes only after the woman had been hit at 39 mph.

Its unclear whether the tragedy could have been avoided even if a human or a robot had braked the car. The woman, 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg, emerged at night from planted shrubbery on a divided highway median strip and into traffic. Toxicologists later found traces of methamphetamine and marijuana in her body. A dashcam video, however, showed her emerging from the bushes, which an attentive driver presumably would have noticed as well.

The failure to brake in the Arizona accident highlights the immaturity of driverless technology and tradeoffs made by programmers that could end in tragedy. While the basics of various companies driverless systems are the same, in detail they differ greatly, from how software is written to which sensor systems are used. Tesla, for instance, bucks the industry in general by dismissing the need for lidar, an expensive technology that uses laser pulses to draw images of physical objects.

What is not being stressed is that the performance of these systems varies greatly, said Alain Kornhauser, director of Princeton Universitys autonomous vehicle engineering program. The technology is not all the same.

Driverless advocates, including Kornhauser, say the technology will dramatically reduce traffic deaths, now about 40,000 a year in the U.S., even if it cant eliminate fatalities altogether. But robot car deaths are inevitable, and the companies behind driverless cars will continue to be tested on the quality of their technology and their willingness to share data on crashes and their driving tests.

The NTSB report said the Uber system first identified the woman crossing the road as a vehicle, then as a bicycle. Accurate classifications are essential. Driverless systems not only see objects, they make judgments on matters like direction and speed based in part on whether an object is a car, a pedestrian, a bicycle or something else.

Object recognition and the resultant decisions made by a robot system have come far over decades of research but are still being refined. The erratic behavior described in the report apparently refers to the problem of false positives  misidentifying objects or seeing something that isnt there. The result can be too much braking  which, if it occurred in a commercial driverless taxi, would make passengers uncomfortable.

So programmers must find a balance between too much braking and not enough.

Kornhauser said that while he understands corporate concern for preserving trade secrets and other intellectual property, companies will have to figure out a way to share crash data to improve safety industrywide, and head off a public and political backlash against driverless cars.

There is a large amount of misunderstanding and a false sense of security associated with these systems, he said. Each designer needs to clearly divulge how each addresses the potential for erratic behavior.

Its in everyones best interest that everyone be safe, he said. The Uber crash negatively affected everyone, even Waymo, the driverless arm of Googles Alphabet. Similarly with the Tesla crashes. Theyve had a negative impact on everyone.

The NTSB is investigating several deaths involving Teslas semi-autonomous Autopilot system.

On Wednesday, Uber announced plans to shut down its driverless car program in Arizona. Programs in Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Toronto have been on pause since the Arizona crash, but an Uber spokeswoman said the company is preparing to resume activity in those locations and elsewhere.

We are not shutting down our self-driving program, but our road testing is still grounded, she said. We are actively working to make our return to the road a reality, with a goal of resuming operations in Pittsburgh this summer. We are also in conversations with the governor of California, the California DMV and the cities of San Francisco and Sacramento.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

UPDATES:

11:40 a.m.: This article was replaced with a staff-written version.

This article was originally published at 8:05 a.m.A Border Patrol agent shot and killed a female migrant while patrolling the border town of Rio Bravo, Texas, late Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

The agent was responding to reports of activity in the town nearly 12 miles south of Laredo when he encountered a group of migrants who he said beat him with two-by-fours, according to a statement released by the Border Patrol

During the melee that ensued, the agent fired and shot a female migrant in the head, the Border Patrol said. The agent gave the wounded woman CPR, and paramedics responded, but she later died, the statement said. The incident is now under review by the Texas Rangers and the FBI.

The Border Patrol did not identify the agent or the migrant who was killed. Three other migrants were taken into custody, the statement said.

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Video from the shooting scene was posted to Facebook by Laredo activist Priscilla Lagordiloca Villarreal. In the video, the voice of the female witness filming can be heard as an agent leads two detained men from an abandoned building past green-and-white Border Patrol vehicles.

Why do you mistreat them? the woman shouts in Spanish. Why did you shoot the woman? You killed the woman!

The woman walks up the street, closer to the scene of the shooting.

They shot her in the head for running, she says. They killed her.

A Texas Highway Patrol trooper approaches and can be heard on the video warning her, Maam, you interfere, youre going to be arrested. Theyre interviewing and theyre investigating.

Another trooper can be seen behind him, stringing up yellow police tape.

A Border Patrol official, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to discuss the incident, verified that the video posted on Facebook was filmed at the site of the incident.

As border enforcement has increased under President Trump, including the deployment of the National Guard to the border last month, migrant advocates in south Texas have complained of excessive force and civil rights violations. They note that while migrant apprehensions have increased in recent months, compared with decades ago they are at a historical low and include many families and unaccompanied children.

More than half of the apprehensions on the southern border are made in south Texas around Laredo and the adjacent Rio Grande Valley, according to Border Patrol Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Manuel Padilla Jr.

Padilla also noted during a recent briefing that assaults on agents have also increased as migrants become more desperate, at the mercy of smugglers who warehouse them in stash houses.

The dangers of crossing this border are multifaceted. Its not just coming up through Central America and Mexico. Theres a lot that happens afterward, Padilla said Wednesday during a briefing highlighting the discovery of 86 migrants being smuggled through south Texas in a tractor-trailer hauling refrigerated fruit.

But some migrant advocates argue the agency has inflated statistics to show increased assaults on its agents. Community groups, such as La Union Del Pueblo Entero, or LUPE, in the Rio Grande Valley, have worked with residents to film law enforcement with their cellphones, as the witness in Rio Bravo did, to hold them accountable.

The ongoing tragedy of death at the hands of border agents is something border communities know too well, said John Michael Torres, a LUPE spokesman. Border Patrol shrugs off meaningful reforms that could bring a measure of accountability and transparency to the agency, reforms that could curb this pattern of deadly force.

Instead, the agency invents numbers showing an increase of assaults on border agents when in reality such assaults are down. Border crossings are at near-historic lows, yet Border Patrol use of deadly force persists.

molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.comNorth Korea says it has destroyed its nuclear test site in a burst of fire and hopes for the future.

The government of Kim Jong Un brought international journalists to a series of explosions at its Punggye-ri site in the mountainous north of the country, where it has previously tested the nuclear weapons that have made it an international pariah.

The destruction included two tunnels, a barracks and observation towers, according to South Koreas Yonhap, which said that American British, Chinese and Russian journalists were all invited.

Kim has announced that his nuclear and missile programs have been a success, and earlier announced the destruction of the site as he entered into talks with both his neighbors in South Korea and the U.S.

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Many observers viewed it as a good sign ahead of a potential meeting with President Trump, which is tentatively scheduled for June 12 but recently come into doubt.

However, North Korea did not invite international inspectors to the demolition of the place that has been an important component of its seven nuclear tests.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches the launch of a Hwasong-12 missile in a photo released last year. (Kcna/Reuters)

The regime has also said that it is suspending missile tests, which sparked the renewed focus on the region last year after it became capable of hitting the continental United States with a weapon of mass destruction.

It is unclear if the concessions will lead to real denuclearization, the goal of the Trump-Kim summit and a measure which North Korea has often linked to the departure of American troops from the South.

Despite hope after a historic summit between Kim and South Koreas Moon Jae-in last month, the North has recently taken a harder line and on Wednesday said it would not beg for dialogue while warning of a nuclear showdown.

Choe Son-hui, a top aide to Kim, also said that Vice President Mike Pence was stupid for mentioning that North Korea could end up like the Libyan regime of Muammar Gaddafi if it did not make a deal.

It was not entirely clear why Pence made the connection, as Gaddafi agreed to abandon a nuclear program in the early 2000s but was later brought down and seen on video being killed after a Western military intervention in the country.

With News Wire ServicesSan Diego is proposing sweeping new rules for pedicabs that would crack down on fare gouging, flashing lights and loud music while lifting a ban on the use of electric pedicabs.

The proposal, unanimously approved on Wednesday by the City Councils budget committee, aims to clean up an industry that has drawn complaints from merchants, downtown residents and tourists.

The new rules would come in addition to a sharp increase in annual pedicab operator fees that the City Council approved on Monday to pay for stepped-up enforcement of the industry by San Diego police.

The proposal would stop short of requests by some critics for an outright ban on lights and amplified music, and a uniform rate structure set by the city.

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Instead, the new rules ban flashing lights but continue to allow the use of static lights of one color only, and limit the volume of amplified music to the decibel level allowed within the neighborhood where a pedicab is operating.

On fares, the new rules would require pedicab operators to negotiate the entire total fare with passengers before a ride begins to avoid frequent post-ride disputes over fares that often require police intervention.

In addition, pedicab operators would have to post the rate structure on the outside and inside of their vehicles, and also post their permit and the contact information of the owner of the pedicab in a clearly visible location.

The proposal would also end a three-year city ban on allowing pedicabs  typically large tricycles with a rear passenger area  to be powered by anything other than the drivers legs.

It wouldnt resume allowing the motorized pedicabs that prompted significant safety concerns, instead allowing only electric-assist pedicabs that give the vehicle gets a small boost of power when drivers go up hill with multiple passengers.

I think we need to distinguish between fully motorized and an e-bike or an e-assist, said Councilman Chris Ward of University Heights, whose district includes the popular pedicab areas near the waterfront Convention Center. The e-assist gives operators a little bit of a quick boost, but it doesnt fully power the bike.

The proposal got mixed reviews from the pedicab industry during Wednesdays budget committee meeting.

Some operators praised the effort to weed out so-called bad apples, some complained that decorative lights and music are crucial to the success of pedicabs, and others worried that the rules dont go far enough.

Longtime operator Juan Virgen said he supports the crackdown.

All the good riders  we dont need music and we dont need lights, he said. Were the ambassadors of San Diego. We represent this place. You can make money  you dont have to overcharge people and ruin their vacation.

Lucas Stames, another operator, said the compromise on music is the right move.

If riders are playing loud, vulgar music with indecent language and they are playing it way too loud, lets give them a ticket, he said. But the people who are doing it the right way, playing the right music at the right tone, let them continue to run a family business.

Operator Andrew Marshall said the new rules could significantly damage the industry and consequentially the enjoyment of many tourists who consider riding along the embarcadero in a pedicab a sublime experience.

Marshall said hes invested thousands of dollars decorating his bike, creating amusing light displays and curating music. He said those efforts add to the ambience of the waterfront and Gaslamp Quarter.

A sweeping ban on these aspects of the business might have the unintended consequence of decreasing customer satisfaction, Marshall said.

He also suggested that the ban on flashing lights could create safety problems for pedicabs because it will be harder for motorists in downtown to notice them about to cross a street.

Many motorists have become accustomed to and now expect pedicabs in San Diego to be highly visible at night, he said.

Operator William Ciocco said hes concerned that scofflaws typically lose their permit for only a few days after a violation and then return to driving their pedicabs, allowing for unfair business practices.

You guys let them just come back out and rob and rob and rob, he said.

Community and industry leaders continually describe the industry as mostly made up of honest, hard-working operators whose reputations get sullied by a few troublemakers.

Ali Horuz, owner of VIP Pedicab, says he hopes to solve that problem by forming a San Diego Pedicab Association to help the industry self-enforce and solve any problems before they grow in size.

Horuz, who praised the city and the Police Department for listening to the industry before passing new rules, agreed with Ciocco that new rules arent enough without consequences.

If they are still caught overcharging, what are the consequences or actions that will be taken to stop that?, Horuz asked the budget committee. We have many repeat offenders on the street that are bad apples and will continue no matter what regulations are in place.

Councilwoman Barbara Bry of La Jolla said the citys goal is to weed out the bad operators and support the honest ones.

We want you to succeed in San Diego, she said. You provide an important amenity to tourists and to residents when they are visiting downtown.

The council on Monday increased annual pedicab operator fees from $212 to $409 to pay for stepped-up enforcement. The Police Department took enforcement over from city traffic engineers in 2015.

The new rules would also distinguish between typical pedicabs and specialized pedicabs, which are larger, typically booked by tour groups and follow a set route of destinations.

City officials said specialized pedicabs require much less enforcement, so their fees would decrease from $212 to $128.

City regulations already require drivers to be at least 18 years old and have a drivers license. All pedicabs also must have seatbelts, and all operators must have insurance.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrickA federal magistrate judge tentatively ruled Wednesday not to throw out illegal immigration charges lodged against three women the federal government says were members of the caravan of migrants that came to the border seeking asylum earlier this month, and who claimed they were singled out for prosecution.

The decision by Magistrate Judge Ruben Brooks turned aside an accusation that prosecutors had engaged in selective prosecution when they filed charges of illegally entering the country against the three women who are from Honduras and El Salvador.

They were among 11 people who the government said were part of the migrant caravan and who were arrested on April 27 and April 29 along the border by Border Patrol agents. The women were among groups of unauthorized immigrants captured in the border area known as Goat Canyon, and a second location near the coast.

Federal public defenders representing the women said that many other migrants were arrested at the same time by Border Patrol agents  including three people from India  but did not face criminal charges. The three people from India were apparently handed over to a federal asylum officer to pursue their asylum claim to remain in the country.

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The defense lawyers also pointed in court papers to a series of statements by President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions about the caravan that they said showed people from Central America were being specifically targeted. They argued that prosecuting people based on their national origin was unconstitutional.

But at a hearing Wednesday Brooks concluded that the lawyers had not provided enough evidence to support the claim that their clients were singled out. Taking a sample of cases from a single day did not meet the legal standard, which requires a defendant to show the government was singling out people over a reasonable period of time.

In some cases that has been as long as a year or two. Brooks also pointed to government arguments and evidence, which showed that a number of people arrested on the same days as the three women also were from Central American countries  and were not charged.

Nearly all of those people were either minors under 18 years old, women with young children, or pregnant women.

The judge also turned down a request from defense lawyers that he order the government to produce internal information on issues like overall charging policies San Diego federal prosecutors employ on illegal entry cases, and reasons behind charging the 11 individuals.

He left open a request from defense lawyers to question in court San Diego Border Patrol Assistant Chief Ryan Yamasaki about how the agency determined the defendants were indeed members of the caravan.

Yamasaki had submitted a declaration describing the arrests, who was referred for prosecution and who was not.He also said that the government had warned people from the caravan who tried to sneak into the country, instead of going through the process of asking for asylum as other caravan members did, would face charges.

Twitter: @gregmoran

greg.moran@sduniontribune.comAn aircraft that rolled off an assembly line in San Diego and became part of a famous American bomber group during World War II has been discovered on the seafloor off Papua New Guinea, 73 years after it was shot down by Japanese forces.

A research team led by Project Recover, a consortium that includes UC San Diego and other partners, located the remains of the B-24 Liberator in a deep part of Hansa Bay using side-scan sonar, a technology that didnt exist when the plane was destroyed in 1944.

The aircraft, nicknamed Heaven Can Wait, was carrying a crew of 10 and a photographer, all of whom were later listed as missing in action in a region that experienced fierce fighting during the war.

The discovery was announced this week.

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The flying boxcar aircraft was part of the 5th Air Force 90th Bombardment Group, which was widely known to the American public as the Jolly Rogers. The group received heavy news coverage for pounding enemy airpower throughout the southwest Pacific during a difficult phase of the war.

The 10-person crew of the B-24 Liberator known as Heaven Can Wait were killed in March 1944 when their plane was shot down off Hansa Bay, Papua New Guinea. The plane also carried a photographer who is not shown in this image. (Courtesy of Project Recover )

The Jolly Rogers flew B-24s, many of which were built at San Diegos Consolidated Aircraft, one of the largest defense plants in the country during World War II. Heaven Can Wait was built there in 1942-43.

UC San Diego went in search of the plane a a main partner of Project Recover, a public-private partnership that uses the latest technology to search for the underwater resting place of U.S. military personnel who have been missing in action since World War II.

The partnership has found 30 U.S. aircraft that are associated with 139 personnel listed as missing in action or as prisoners of war.

There were eyewitness reports of the moment on March 11, 1944 when Heaven Can Wait was struck by Japanese anti-aircraft fire in the Hansa Bay area. People also saw the aircraft dive toward the sea. But the precise site of the crash was not known.

In recent years, the relatives of one of the aircrafts crewmen, bombardier Thomas Kelly, Jr., did a great deal of research, trying to refine the data about the crash site.

Some of that data was used by UC San Diegos Scripps Institution of Oceanography, which dispatched a team to Papua New Guinea last fall to conduct a search as part of Project Recover.

In early October, a sonar-equipped underwater drone was sent to look for Heaven Can Wait in 200-feet of water, a spot that is too deep for an extensive search by human divers.

Days later, the sonar caught the first trace of the aircraft, which was broken into pieces.

What lit up the sonar was the B-24 twin vertical stabilizers, said Eric Terrill, the Scripps researcher who led the expedition. Theres only one thing that looks like that.

The team spent the following months studying and confirming their data, which included photos and video.

In late March Proejct Recover placed a call to Scott Althaus, a University of Illinois communications professor who is related to Kelly. Hes a first cousin, once removed. Althaus  an expert on war news footage  had provided Project Recover with crucial information.

Terrill broke the news about the discovery.

I was exhilarated, Althaus said. I was also shocked that the plane had been found after all these years, and it was due to the technology brought to bear by Project Recover.

The news  which arrived on Good Friday  was also shared with other members of Kellys extended family.

We all experienced a lot of grieving, which was surprising, Althaus said. We had been researching the circumstances of the crash for almost five years. We knew about this.

But when we saw pictures of the forward section of the aircraft on the bottom of Hansa Bay, and the video, well, it really gave us a new connection to the memory of Tom Kelly.The Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board, charged with investigating complaints against the San Diego County Sheriffs Department, is moving for the first time in its history toward annual inspections of jail facilities.

The group earlier this month voted to form a committee to draw up a framework for jail inspections, in response to an advocacy groups report about a rash of suicides and other deaths at the facilities.

It would be the first time in the boards 25 years that it has conducted such inspections, despite having the authority to do so.

There is a need for CLERB to take care of this, board member Kim-Thoa Hoang said.

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The move comes in response to the Sacramento-based watchdog group Disability Rights California, which found that the review board has failed to fulfill its mission and urged county officials to improve jail oversight.

Paul Parker, CLERBs executive officer who was hired a year ago, said lack of staff seems to be the reason the board has never inspected the jails.

Parker said he requested and was granted funding to hire an additional investigator, bringing CLERBs full-time investigative staff up to three when its historically been two.

Aaron Fischer, an attorney with Disability Rights California and co-author of the report, said thats not enough. He pointed to CLERBs decision in November to dismiss 22 death investigations without reviewing the cases, amid a backlog.

More staff is always good, of course, Fischer said, but I dont think thats going to cut the ice just in terms of the workload that they have.

Fischer also questioned the review boards independence. Currently, its part of the countys Public Safety Group, which includes the Sheriffs Department.

An oversight entity should be wholly independent of the agency its charged to monitor, he said. Without that independence, theres too great a risk of undue influence.

During the first four months of this year, the review board received 66 complaints compared to 31 during the same period last year and 49 in 2016. Its also handling 36 open death investigations. Twenty-one of those cases involve people who died in custody.

The Disability Rights California report is the culmination of a two-year investigation into the high number of suicides in San Diego jails. Seventeen people committed suicide between 2014 and 2016. Los Angeles County jails, which hold three times the number of inmates as San Diego, had eight suicides during the same period, the report notes.

The reports findings highlight a number of issues, including an over-reliance on solitary confinement, a shortage of psychiatric staff and deputies overriding decisions by mental health professionals.

In a lengthy response to the report, the Sheriffs Department described steps it has taken to expand services to mentally ill inmates and better monitor inmates at risk of self-harm. The department is also working on creating a team to evaluate current suicide-prevention policies, the response says.

It has long been and continues to be the goal of the County of San Diego and the Sheriffs Department to provide to those suffering from mental illness the best possible housing, treatment and care, the response says.

In 2017, the department went almost an entire year without a suicide.

Then on Dec. 16, 2017, 45-year-old Chadwick Moore hanged himself in the George Bailey Detention Facility in Otay Mesa after being sentenced to 12 years in prison. According to the medical examiners report, Moore told his girlfriend hed kill himself if he received a lengthy sentence.

Michael Sullivan, 62, hanged himself in the South Bay Detention Facility on March 28, and on May 18, an inmate at the Central Jail was found hanging in his cell and is currently hospitalized.

Fischer said jail oversight needs to be able to respond to issues in the jails as they arise.

His group and others like it across the nation were given authority to conduct inspections by Congress in 2000. Even Fischers team, which gives jails advance notice of inspections as a courtesy, doesnt get a full picture of jail conditions, he said.

We often hear from inmates that their unit got special cleaning the day before we arrived, or that new books had just been brought in for inmates, he said. In some cases, weve smelled fresh paint on the walls.

Its a good thing that facilities want to impress visitors, he added, but it also makes it difficult to get a full and accurate picture of what things are like on a typical day.

The Disability Rights report expresses concern with the Sheriffs Departments internal review of inmate suicides, finding that it fails to identify how changes in policy or training will be enforced.

Dave Myers, a sheriffs commander whos running to replace Sheriff Bill Gore, has publicly raised concerns about how the department reviews inmate deaths. Myers said he sat on the board that handled such review, but has been shut out since he announced his candidacy.

The focus of those reviews, Myers said, was on minimizing legal exposure and not on improving training or policy.

The goal is to absolutely eliminate any liability at the expense of meaningful training discussions with the supervisors who were there on scene, he said.

Myers said the goal of any review should be to ensure that if mistakes were made, they dont happen again.

In its response to Disability Rights California, the department said that all suicide attempts are reviewed to address areas of improvement.

PreviouslyThe San Diego County Office of Education went through an upheaval two years ago with the departure of Superintendent Randy Ward. Do you think the office is functioning well now? What can it do better? What does it do well?

Dr. Paul Gothold was appointed San Diego County superintendent of schools in May 2017 so there has not been that much time yet to analyze his performance and outcomes. He seems to be doing a great job, and he is very inclusive of all students and supports career training and development education, which is very positive. His three-year Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) has two more years to go, so we will see how he performs. I hope he does wonderful things for the districts and for the schools that he is responsible to oversee.

RELATED: San Diego County Board of Education Trustee Alicia Munoz on the issues

Not enough time has gone by under the new superintendent to determine his teams impact and effectiveness. We should keep a careful eye on the results and outcomes. One thing the board and staff could do better is much stronger state and federal advocacy for special needs funding. Strong advocacy is a skill that I have developed and been successful at over time. I would be a strong advocate with government to help assist our schools and districts on the San Diego Board of Education.

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I believe the office is functioning effectively. It should practice continuous improvement and change the staff culture to practice strong customer service towards families, students and teachers. I like to approach problems from a business point of view with common sense and judgment and customer service being the culture I would promote.

The dashboard standards the State Board of Education have adopted to judge the performance of students, schools and districts have been criticized by some reformers as too vague and criticized by some opinion writers as intended to make it difficult to assess performance. What is your view?

In my view our kids are over-tested. The dashboard is too general and the State Board has not taken action based upon the results. Just having more information is not always helpful. Our schools rank nearly last in the United States statewide-comparison list. We should be working on improved curriculum in the classroom and adding higher quality education in our schools to improve the quality of our education in California. I believe we can and must do much better, but just throwing a whole bunch of tests at kids is not producing the desired results or any better levels of education.

The Local Control Funding Formula, adopted by the state in 2013, was supposed to provide more funds to help English-language learners, students from poor families and foster children. But an investigation last year by the CALmatters journalism website found no evidence these groups of students were benefiting from the LCFF. The state has approved the use of LCFF dollars for teacher raises. Do you think the law has worked as intended? Should it be amended in any way?

No, I do not think the law has worked as it was intended as it is not supporting our most at-risk youth. The funds are not being used appropriately and I would work with the superintendent and staff to fix this issue.

I believe it should be amended. There should be a stipulation that funds are to be used to hire more teachers and not be used for teacher raises. Also, funds should be used for supplies and improving curriculum that support English-language learners, poor families and foster children, in fact all children. It is not acceptable to produce one of the worst education results in the United States. Together we can make San Diego schools the finest possible, producing a great education and future for our kids and young adults.

The county Office of Education has been caught up in disputes over charter school authorizations, with some arguing that it has been hostile to applications at the behest of teachers unions who oppose charters. How do you think the county office has handled this issue?

Special-interest teachers unions are engaged in a full assault on great education in our county. They favor teachers before our kids by not assessing fairly each school that comes before the county Board of Education.

Past votes related to public charter schools have been directly along the lines of board members supported by unions, such as my opponent, versus board members who are not backed by unions. This demonstrates that special-interest teachers unions are controlling the board to block charter schools throughout San Diego. This is not in the interest of, or good for, our families and children.

I favor quality schools and will help schools that are struggling to lift them up. I would bring a fair assessment of each school presented to the board whether they are public or public charter schools based upon a fair and unbiased analysis of the facts.

The Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team warns that many school districts are in a perilous place with their finances because of soaring pension costs as the CalSTRS bailout is phased in through the 2020-21 school year. Do you think the county office in its watchdog role is doing enough to get districts to prepare for this fiscal stress?

Yes, I believe the superintendent is conducting effective planning to ensure that our schools and districts deploy effective financial planning to prepare for future impacts of teacher pensions. Dr. Paul Gothold has won awards for similar financial planning practices and I believe he has the ability and skill sets needed to handle this fiscal issue effectively.

I would keep a close eye on the planning of the San Diego Board of Education and ensure that there is an effective plan in place that will produce the desired outcome. Thanks to my extensive business and educational background, I would bring the leadership skills needed to ensure that problems like pension costs are handled effectively.The San Diego County County Office of Education went through an upheaval two years ago with the departure of Superintendent Randy Ward. Do you think the office is functioning well now? What can it do better? What does it do well?

With any change in leadership, institutions go through a period of transition that frequently culminates in positive growth. I truly believe the office is functioning in an excellent manner. For the past few months, Dr. Paul Gothold has focused on assembling a leadership team that will support the county offices efforts to advance student equity and success. In fact, the county office is experiencing a period of invigoration and optimism, as is evident by the positive feedback the board receives from teachers, staff and school district personnel. I am confident in the county offices ability to serve the needs of our most vulnerable children.

RELATED: San Diego County Board of Education candidate Eric Lund on the issues

The dashboard standards the State Board of Education have adopted to judge the performance of students, schools, and districts have been criticized by some reformers as too vague and criticized by some opinion writers as intended to make it difficult to assess performance. What is your view?

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The dashboard standards adopted by the State Board of Education are meant to inform the public on how students and schools are performing on a wide variety of critical metrics. Through the use of multiple measures, school districts can better identify strengths and weaknesses and focus on performance gaps between groups of learners to develop strategies for improvement. When schools develop their Local Control and Accountability Plans, they can align their resources to implement the strategies they have identified to address performance gaps. A single score does not provide the level of detail necessary, so schools can identify practices that will profoundly impact student learning. Equity is at the heart of this new accountability system because it provides a mechanism to meet differentiated needs. Its a new system, and it will change over time. Its important to involve all stakeholders in understanding how it can help to improve outcomes.

The Local Control Funding Formula, adopted by the state in 2013, was supposed to provide more funds to help English-language learners, students from poor families and foster children. But an investigation last year by the CALmatters journalism website found no evidence these groups of students were benefiting from the LCFF. The state has approved the use of LCFF dollars for teacher raises. Do you think the law has worked as intended? Should it be amended in any way?

The premise of the Local Control Funding Formula is to give school districts the ability to make local decisions on how to allocate spending to meet the unique needs of their students. The formula provides base funding to every district in the state with added supplemental and concentration dollars based on the number of English learners, foster youth, low income and homeless students enrolled in the district. By focusing on historically underserved students, LCFF has equity at the forefront. Furthermore, when school boards and districts identify areas of improvement through the development of their LCAPs, they can make budgetary decisions that will contribute to improved student outcomes.

School districts need time to engage with their data and dig deeper into the causes that result in performance gaps. Simultaneously, we must advocate for an increase in base funding as this will benefit every school district in the county.

The County Office of Education has been caught up in disputes over charter school authorizations, with some arguing that it has been hostile to applications at the behest of teachers unions which oppose charters. How do you think the county office has handled this issue?

A significant responsibility of County Boards of Education is to hold hearings on charter school appeals that have previously been denied by local school districts. The County Board of Education is not hostile to charter schools. In the last four years, the county board has approved one countywide charter application and three appeals. In addition, the board upheld one revocation and denied three appeals.

The Education Code clearly spells out the criteria County Boards of Education must consider when deciding whether to approve or deny a charter school appeal. To arrive at an informed decision, the board relies on staff recommendations that are derived from hundreds of hours of work reviewing applications and evaluates each appeal based on educational and financial obligations. As public elected officials, board members have the fiduciary duty to protect the county office from financial liabilities, which is an important consideration in the appeal process.

The Fiscal Crisis Management Assistance Team warns that many school districts are in a perilous place with their finances because of soaring pension costs as the CalSTRS bailout is phased in through the 2020-21 school year. Do you think the county office in its watchdog role is doing enough to get districts to prepare for this fiscal stress?

The county office has been vigilant in its fiscal oversight role by working collaboratively with districts to help them accurately reflect increased pension costs in their budgets. Indeed, the rising costs of pensions have weakened the purchasing power of districts across the state, but the costs have been law since 2014, and school districts have been working on developing plans to address future liability. The county office supports these efforts by reviewing and analyzing budget assumptions and developing multi-year projections that can identify potential problems before they become shortfalls. In addition, the county office provides extensive professional development and technical assistance to business staff and superintendents on a monthly basis.Performances taking the stage this June in San Diego include Once, School of Rock, Mamma Mia! and Bring It OnThe Musical!

6.1-7.22: Once

The Tony Award-winning, movie-based musical about the complex bond between two lost-soul musicians lands at Lambs  complete (we hope) with its trademark onstage pub.

Lambs Players Theatre, 1142 Orange Ave., Coronado, 619.437.6000, lambsplayers.org

6.1-15: Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival

The Rep is HQ for the 25th edition of this sprawling and fertile fest, which brings music, drama and more to venues all around the county.

San Diego Rep, 79 Horton Plaza, downtown, 619.544.1000, sdrep.org

Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival. (Courtesy photo)

6.2: The Empire Strips Back: A Burlesque Parody

Luke, we hardly knew ye. This Australian import, which is pretty much just what it sounds like  a bawdy takeoff (so to speak) on Star Wars  brings its sexy stormtroopers and an androgynous Skywalker to town on a tour stop.

Spreckels Theatre, 121 Broadway, downtown, 800.745.3000, empirestripsback.com

6.5-7.8: The Squirrels

Robert Askins sledgehammered funny bones and seared sensibilities of playgoers with his dark-horse (and just plain dark) puppet comedy, Hand to God. Now the Playhouse puts up the world premiere of his piece about politics and mayhem in the animal kingdom.

La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla, 858.550.1010, lajollaplayhouse.org

6.12-17: School of Rock

The Andrew Lloyd Webber-composed Broadway musical, based on the hit movie starring Jack Black, brings its crew of instrument-playing kids to the Civic to tell a story of misfits making some major noise.

Broadway/San Diego, San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown, 619.564.3000, broadwaysd.org

School of Rock (Matthew Murphy)

6.13-30: Mamma Mia!

Italian title, Greek-island setting, music by a bunch of Swedes: The Abba-centric musical comedy may be all over the map, but the giddiness will have a Vista zip code in this Moonlight season-opener.

Moonlight Stage Productions, Moonlight Amphitheatre, 1250 Vale Terrace Drive, Vista, 760.724.2110, moonlightstage.com

6.16-23: Bring It On  The Musical!

SDMTs original production of this youth show last March was such a success that the company is staging an encore of the musical about rival cheer squads; it features songs co-written by Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.

San Diego Musical Theatre, Horton Grand Theatre, 444 Fourth Ave., downtown, 858.560.5740, sdmt.org

6.17-7.22: The Tempest

The Globe opens its renowned summer Shakespeare festival with the Bards grand fantasy about shipwrecks, spells and supernatural happenings on a strange island, all unfurling on the outdoor Davies stage.

Old Globe Theatre, Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, 619.234.5623, theoldglobe.org

6.26-7.1: The King and I

The 1951 Rodgers & Hammerstein classic, which introduced such now-standards as Getting to Know You and Shall We Dance, returns in a touring version of former San Diegan Bartlett Shers Broadway revival.

Broadway/San Diego, San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown, 619.570.1100, broadwaysd.org

6.27-8.5: Monty Pythons Spamalot

Its got a renegade comic spirit that just wont be toppled  not even with a herring. Cygnet revives this Broadway-musical version of the Pythons inspired madness.

Cygnet Theatre, 4040 Twiggs St., Old Town, 619.337.1525, cygnettheatre.comPipeline ruling not the end

Thank you for the May 10 front-page placement of State commissions judge rejects proposed pipeline. As stated, the California Public Utilities Commission administrative law judge has called on the five members of the commission to reject the proposal by San Diego Gas & Electric to build a 47-mile natural gas pipeline between Rainbow and Miramar.

This is not yet the end of the proposal because the CPUC commissioners have the authority to override the findings at their meeting on June 21. That is why it is important to contact the CPUC and let them know your concerns about the unnecessary $639 million project.

SDG&E states that this is a critical infrastructure project. Why is there a need to increase the gas pipeline from 16 inches to 36 inches when the use of natural gas in San Diego County is decreasing? Moreover, upcoming changes in building and equipment codes will accelerate the reduction of natural gas consumption.

You may send a letter no later than May 31 via email to public.advisor@cpuc.ca.gov and note in the subject line RE: In opposition to SDG&E Pipeline 3602 Replacement Project Application and Proceeding A1509013.

Linda Giannelli Pratt

Rancho Bernardo

Upcoming Poway proposal

Transparency and good communication are more important today than ever before. Thats why the proposal to build 50 homes on a 7.7-acre lot on the corner of Metate and Montauk in south Poway is as straightforward and clear as can be. The property owner even voluntarily included the starting price of the homes he is proposing in the language of the ballot measure; that has never been done before in Poway. (That starting price is below the median home price for Poway.)

I work with the property owner, Kraig Clark, and was impressed with his proposal for this parcel. The land is currently zoned for development and previously had structures on it, and we believe that sustainable, well-built houses for young families and others will be a great asset for Poway and will match the community character.

Community input is important to us, which is why we have created a website, www.abetterpoway.com a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/abetterpoway, met with local officials, reached out to civic groups, and spoke at a community meeting to answer questions and receive input from local residents.

We have received some questions from residents about hiking trails and the hillside to the south of this property: no hiking trails cross this 7.7 acres and the lot is mostly flat with no soil problems. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at info@abetterpoway.com.

Todd Lutes

Sacramento

HOAs actions questioned

During the March election for the Seven Oaks board, homeowners association officials sent out ballots to all condo/homeowners and included their three favorite candidates on one side of the page. The other two candidates, whom they didnt like because of their honesty, were placed on the back page. The candidate page did say, Page 1 of 2, but there was no marked Page 2. Most people dont look on the back page of any correspondence, unless noted clearly that there is a continuation on the back page. Unfortunately, no one on the HOA/board could figure out how to reduce five images onto one page. In my opinion, this was clearly an attempt to confuse the voters. At any rate, the HOA had no business soliciting their candidate choices.

On another matter, our CC&Rs spell out that the tree height must not exceed the roof height of any home. But this does not apply to residents who are friends of the HOA/board members. Under the tenure of one former board member (whom the HOA/board omitted from its candidate front page), the board had spent $4,000 on legal fees in 2016. Legal fees are currently over $51,000 and rising, absorbed by the resident owners through ever- rising HOA dues, because of the HOA/boards biased rulings contrary to the CC&Rs, which has ensued lawsuits from homeowners whose rights are violated.

Marie Woodruff

Rancho Bernardo

Email: editor@pomeradonews.comLike a bad penny, a plan to tax water keeps turning up in Sacramento.

Thats right: under two proposals circulating in the Capitol, California would start taxing the most fundamental resource on the planet. Such taxes would needlessly drive up costs for families already struggling to make ends meet and undermine the very goals that proponents profess.

Senate Bill 623 by state Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel) and a budget trailer bill supported by Governor Jerry Brown would add a tax to local residential and business water bills in the name of providing safe, clean drinking water to disadvantaged communities, mostly in the Central Valley.

Theres no question that some Californians in low-income, rural areas dont enjoy the same level of safe drinking water delivered by the San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies. Thats why the water authority and many other water agencies statewide have made it a priority to promote sensible funding strategies to address this important issue. We are committed to delivering safe and reliable water, and we wholeheartedly support the goal of ensuring the same for all Californians.

But taxing water isnt the right approach.

Among the many problems with this is strategy is that it sets a bad precedent. California currently does not tax water or essential food products.

However, even before the first proposed water tax has been voted on, two additional water tax proposals have already emerged in Sacramento. Both of those taxes would drive up water bills by as much as $15 to $20 each month.

The cost of living in California is already high and taxing drinking water works against the very people that the funds are intended to help.

Of course, Californians overwhelmingly object to legislation that would create a new tax on drinking water, according to a recent poll of likely 2018 voters. In all, 73 percent said they opposed the Senate legislation. Over half said they strongly opposed the measure, while just 8 percent said they strongly supported it.

Thankfully, there are better alternatives.

California appropriately uses its general fund to pay for other important programs and social issues identified as state priorities, including public health, education, housing and disability services. The public supports using the general fund to pay for programs that serve and protect residents and communities in need.

Dozens of local water agencies, chambers and other groups have joined together to advance more appropriate funding solutions  a package that includes federal safe drinking water funds, voter-approved general obligation bond dollars, cap-and-trade revenues, agricultural fees related to nitrate in drinking water, and general fund money. With this approach, we can address an important issue for our state without adding a tax on our most precious natural resource.

Muir is chairman of the San Diego Water Authority Board of Directors.

Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.Stay up to date on the latest news and the local entertainment scene by subscribing to The New Mexican's email lists.Does the president have the right to silence people who criticize him or his policies? Woodrow Wilson thought so.

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Earlier this month, President Trump, angered over critical reporting by journalists, pondered via Twitter whether he should revoke their press credentials. This bitter feud between press and president has raised an old question: Does the president have the right to silence people who criticize him or his policies?

Congress debated that question 100 years ago and believed so strongly in such executive privilege that it passed the Espionage and Sedition Acts to stifle dissent in America.

President Woodrow Wilson expected criticism after he asked Congress to declare war on Germany, sending America into World War I. He had, after all, been elected on his record of keeping the U.S. out of the war. Now hed committed the country to that contest, and he knew hed need strong public support for the war effort. He would tolerate no criticism that might discourage military enlistment, the sale of war bonds, or cooperation with rationing programs. He needed loyal Americans  loyal, that is, to his plans.

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But there were strong anti-war feelings among pacifists, socialists, and union organizers, as well as immigrants. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were eight million first- and second-generation Germans living in the U.S. Many retained a strong attachment to the land of their birth. Wilson believed they might dampen the war effort with pro-German sentiments, and he feared German agents hid among them, embedded at all levels of American society. German saboteurs had already destroyed a major munitions depot in New York Harbor.

Wilson proposed a bill to silence criticism of the war. The result was the Espionage Act, which became law on June 15, 1917, and prohibited anyone from aiding Americas enemies in wartime or interfering with the armed forces and its recruitment efforts. It also made it illegal to make false statements that disrupted military operations, promoted the enemys success, or led to insubordination or disloyalty.

But the Espionage Act didnt end the dissent. A Montana rancher publicly called President Wilson a Wall Street tool and said hed leave the country rather than go to war. He was tried under the Espionage Act but acquitted on appeal because he didnt directly affect war efforts. In response, the U.S. attorney general called for a law to broaden the Acts powers.

So Congress extended government control to affect speech and writing. The Sedition Act of 1918 made it a crime to use disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about Americas government, its flag, or its armed forces. Making any statement that inspired contempt in others for the government or its institutions was also outlawed.

Theodore Roosevelt protested the law, saying it was a proposal to make Americans subjects instead of citizens.

But some legislators thought it didnt go far enough to root out dissident thinking. A New Mexico congressman was disappointed the Act didnt provide the death penalty. And an unsigned editorial in The Washington Post stated, Enemy propaganda must be stopped, even if a few lynchings may occur.

The Saturday Evening Post editors supported the Act. The government didnt need a sedition law to protect itself, they said, but it had to show patriotic Americans it wouldnt allow anyone to criticize their loyalty or the national cause. This explanation probably referred to the mobs of outraged citizens who had attacked and even lynched people suspected of disloyalty.

It was in the Posts best interest to support the law at the time. Had the editors been critical instead, the Sedition Act would have empowered the postmaster general to block all delivery of the Post, as he had with other publications.

Two thousand cases were tried under the Sedition Act, half of which resulted in conviction. It was invoked most often in Western states, where it was used frequently to prosecute members of what was considered a radical workers group, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).

The Sedition Act was repealed in 1920 and the offenders were pardoned, though well after the war had ended. The U.S. attorney responsible for the pardons praised the government for detaining a number of dissidents in prison after the war to set an example of firmness that will go down in history as a warning to those who in the future might be inclined to harbinger and harass the government.

As much as the president would enjoy being able to legally silence his detractors, their public criticism is still protected by law.

Featured image: ShutterstockWeekly Newsletter The best of The Saturday Evening Post in your inbox! Join

Sidney Escowitz makes the most intricate and beautiful sculptures out of glass. The individual components of his creations are cut, blown, fused and sometimes glued together. Today his works command up to $5,000 in galleries throughout southern Florida.

Glass art began as a hobby when the native New Yorker, now 76, retired, moved to Lake Worth, Florida, and was looking for something to occupy his time. I was going crazy and had nothing to do. It fulfilled a need, he says.

Escowitz wasnt new to the world of art and design. He began his career in the 1960s in New York as layout artist for none other than The Saturday Evening Post as well as its sister publication, Ladies Home Journal. While at the Post, he worked and hobnobbed with celebrity photographers, including Richard Avedon, Francesco Scavullo, and Diane Arbus. While he never actually met the Posts most famous illustrator, Norman Rockwell, he was responsible for preparing Rockwells finished paintings for the engraving process.

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Interestingly, Rockwells works, which command eight-figure sums today, were perceived to have little value back then. There were closets full of Rockwells, recalls Escowitz. They were just stacked all over the place.

He moved on to work for the Simplicity Pattern company, first as an artist and ultimately as art director responsible for the marketing and promotion of the patterns. Later, he would become vice president of Vogue Patterns, which included Butterick.

My whole career was around fashion, says Escowitz, a slender, intense man whose speech patterns reflect his upbringing on Manhattans lower east side. Many of his works center around stylish female figures with an art nouveau ambiance. Thats where I come from. I love that look, and I try to keep that kind of feel.

To learn the craft of glass art, Escowitz went back to school early in his retirement. He studied with numerous masters, some in Florida, where hed made his new home; others overseas. Today, he draws inspiration from all his teachers, and his work is eclectic and highly original.

He often starts with a simple figure and builds from there. Its a complex process that begins with cutting the pieces of glass into the shapes he wants using a special jigsaw equipped with a diamond blade. Next, he begins layering them  balancing shape and color with his trained eye.

Theres a bit of magic involved: The difference between how I work and most people work is they start out with a drawing and they plan out what theyre going to do, he says. I take pieces of glass from all over. I might take a flat piece and a round piece and a bird shape or a female figure and put them together to see what happens.

Glass art is imprecise by definition. And that is a part of the appeal. You never really tell what is going to come out of the kiln, he says.

I was going crazy and had nothing to do. It fulfilled a need.

His wife Barbara describes herself as tech support. Highly skilled in the workings of the kiln, she sets the programs that govern the firing process. Some of the components in his glass sculptures are fused together under high heat, which causes the pieces to melt into each other, frequently distorting in unexpected ways. Others are tacked together at a lower temperature that causes layers to stick together. Escowitz also defies glass art tradition by using glue. I work with the same glue used to hold the tiles in place on the space shuttle during re-entry from orbit. Its the only thing that holds up in the heat of the kiln. Its wild!

After seven years of experimenting with his hobby, Escowitz figured his creations might be salable. He walked into a large art gallery in Boca Raton and met with the owner, offering to show him some of his work.

He said, well, we deal with very expensive fine art, I dont think we have a place for something like this.

But, after some prodding, the gallery owner offered to take a look. Escowitz brought some pieces in and the gallery owner was impressed, if still skeptical. He offered to take just one to see if there was a market for it.

Boom! says Escowitz, It sold right away. All of a sudden I got a call from him. Bring over more pieces.

Today, his work is available in several galleries in the South Florida area. Escowitz is extremely busy keeping up with the demand for his work, while also teaching art classes at a local community center, but hes modest about his success. Look, there are some major glass sculptors out there. Im just a little peanut.

He adds that some galleries dont want to deal with glass art. It can crack, get ruined. Its too dangerous. When a gallery sells his work, to protect it from damage, hes required to deliver it to the buyers home. Sometimes hell install it as well.

For all his success, Escowitz is the first to acknowledge that his artwork remains more a hobby than a second career. The special art glass required for his creations is highly expensive and it takes countless hours to build one of his creations. Even with a $5,000 sale, theres little profit in it.

Clearly this is a labor of love, and his passion shows. Standing outdoors on his screened porch, surrounded by boxes of glass in all shapes, sizes and colors, Escowitz holds a green shard up to the sun and describes the magnificent beauty of the way light streams through. Theres just nothing else like it, he says.Weekly Newsletter The best of The Saturday Evening Post in your inbox! Join

This column by American studies professor Ben Railton explores the connections between Americas past and present.

On Tuesday, May 29, at 8 p.m., PBSs American Experience series will air the debut of an important new documentary film, The Chinese Exclusion Act. Created by award-winning filmmakers Ric Burns and Li-Shin Yu, narrated by actor Hoon Lee, and featuring contributions from numerous scholars, writers, and public figures, the documentary both dives deep into the 1882 laws specific details and relates them to a number of longstanding American debates. Ive had the chance to watch a screener of the film, and it features unforgettable primary sources and voices, reminds us of the most challenging and most inspiring sides to our shared histories, and powerfully reframes American identity and community through the lens of this too-often overlooked moment.

As I argue in my book The Chinese Exclusion Act: What It Can Teach Us about America (2013), the Act and its contexts helps us understand a number of issues with more depth. But perhaps none are more striking than the histories of American immigration laws, and how and why the category of illegal immigration came to be created.

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At first, America had no national immigration laws, and immigrant arrivals were subject to no legal categorizations. Then came the 1875 Page Act and the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. These earliest immigration laws were designed to affect only very particular categories of arrivals, and in overtly and purposefully discriminatory ways: the Page Act defined Chinese female immigrants as likely prostitutes and excluded them on that basis; while the Chinese Exclusion Act went much further still, seeking to exclude virtually all Chinese arrivals.

These first immigration laws were the first to create the category of illegal immigration explicitly based on bigotry and xenophobia. As a result, all Chinese immigrants were affected by the law, just as all non-Chinese immigrants (virtually all immigrants until the 1920s Quota Acts) remained unaffected and did not have to worry about following any law. As of 1882, and for more than half a century afterward, if a Chinese person wanted to come to the United States, he or she would almost certainly have to violate these laws (a civil, not criminal, violation, as is the case with many undocumented immigrants).

As I traced in my first Saturday Evening Post article, the Chinese Exclusion Act and its many follow up lawsand thus the category of illegal immigration itselfwere designed not only to limit future arrivals, but also to separate and destroy existing Chinese American families and communities. Stripping citizenship from those who had been able to attain it, making it illegal for Chinese Americans to leave the country and return, forcing Chinese Americans to carry a resident permit at all times or risk deportationthese and other provisions affected not future arrivals but present Chinese Americans, defining them as potentially (if not inevitably) illegal as well. A 1901 editorial in The Saturday Evening Post by San Franciscos mayor reveals the depths of anti-Chinese bigotry in the era.

The case of Yung Wing, whom I also highlighted in that first piece, illustrates precisely how these legal provisions and categories affected Chinese Americans. Yung had been in the United States since his arrival in 1848 (at the age of 20), was naturalized as an American citizen in 1852 and graduated from Yale in 1854 (making him the first Chinese American college graduate), volunteered for the Union Army during the Civil War, married and had two sons with Mary Kellogg (an American-born resident of Connecticut) in the 1870s, began his long-planned Chinese Educational Mission in Hartford in the same decade, and by the exclusion era was part of American society and communities in every meaningful sense.

Yet that eras exclusionary laws affected and severed every one of these connections. Yungs citizenship was permanently stripped and his school was closed and its students forced to return to China. When Yung traveled to China on official diplomatic business, he was unable to return to the United States legally, a situation that contributed to his wifes declining health and death and led directly to a long-term separation from his sons. Each of those events was entirely legal, and when he received a temporary diplomatic visa to attend his younger sons 1902 Yale graduation  nearly half a century after his own such graduation and fifty years after he had attained citizenship  Yung risked becoming an illegal immigrant if he stayed in the U.S.

Yet I believe Yung did find a way to stay in the United States, with his sons, in his home and community, for at least portions of his final decade of life. His April 21, 1912 New York Times obituary, submitted from Hartford, noted in its opening sentence that he died at his home here, a deceptively simple phrase that suggests such illegal residency in the U.S. After all, any time that Yung spent living in the United States in the aftermath of the Exclusion Act and its follow-up laws was in violation of a number of those legal provisions and categories.

If Yung did remain in the United States during that decade, it would make him one of the first prominent, overtly illegal immigrants, in the first era when such a status was possible at all. Applying such a status to an immigrant and American with the multi-decade, inspiring story like Yungs might seem inaccurate. But the opposite is the case: the category of illegal immigrant was created quite purposefully and specifically to apply to people like Yung Wing, and the communities to which he belonged. Thats one of many vital histories that the Chinese Exclusion Act, and the wonderful upcoming PBS documentary of the same name, helps us better remember.New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/23/2018 -- Persistence Market Research (PMR) has published a new research report on the beverage emulsion market titled "Beverage Emulsion Market: Global Industry Analysis 2013-2017 and Forecast 2018-2026." Beverage emulsions are a well-known class of foodstuff. They comprise a continuous aqueous phase, in which a discontinuous oil phase is dispersed in microscopic droplet form. The raw material that is largely used in this known as acacia gum is banned across the globe. But as it is the core material, it is in high demand in the production of beverage emulsions.



Acacia gum, commonly called gum arabic, are natural vegetable colloids obtained as exudations from the trunk and branches of leguminous plants of the Acacia family. There are several hundred species of Acacia, only a few of which are able to produce gum, and these are mainly concentrated in the sub-desert region of Africa  the Sahel. The main producing countries are Sudan that produces around 75% - 85% of the world's supply, Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, and Nigeria. Lesser quality gums are produced in Morocco, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Somalia. Acacia senegal is the main species, and has been used occasionally as a reference for pharmacopoeias and different regulatory standards, although the related species of Acacia are being increasingly sold in the market. Gum acacia is unique in nature; it is produced by trees only when they are in an unhealthy condition. This is the core reason behind its ban.



Request Report Sample@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/20413



In this run, the players operating in the market are looking out for different methods to market beverage emulsions. For instance, in 2017, Givaudan SA acquired Vika B.V., which offers natural dairy products along with meat and plant-based extracts to food and beverage industries. This acquisition helps the company expand its product portfolio and develop new taste solutions. It is also expected to accelerate the company's position in the global market. The other companies operating in the market are Sensient Technologies Corporation, Ingredion Incorporated, Tate & Lyle PLC, Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, and International Flavours & Fragrances.



According to the report, the global beverage emulsions market is expected to rise at a CAGR of 2.2% from 2018 to 2026. The market is projected to increase to a valuation of US$ 864.1 Mn by the end of 2026.



Cost Effectiveness of Beverage Emulsions to Prove Beneficial for Market Growth



The introduction of innovative beverage emulsions in the market that are supporting beverage producers to enhance profits by minimizing costs with the usage of these ingredients is gaining fascination globally among various beverage ingredient suppliers. For example, a new starch emulsion was introduced by Ingredion in the year 2012, which could deliver four times the emulsifying power of traditional beverage emulsions, allowing manufacturers to lower production and distribution costs. A few of the emulsions can even produce clear beverages without the usage of any weighting agents and also lower the sedimentation in beverages, thereby offering consumers high quality beverages with better taste and clean-label ingredients.



Visit For TOC@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/20413



Health Related Concerns to Restrict Progress of the Market



According to the UK Food Standard Agency (FSA), a study was carried out by the University of Southampton to determine the effect of certain artificial colors and benzoate on hyperactivity in children. Subsequent to this study, the European Parliament adopted new labeling regulations for foods containing any of these food colors; and added that these food products must be labeled with the words "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children." The health related concerns around beverage emulsions may hamper market revenue growth to a certain extent.Clearwater, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/24/2018 -- FAST of Florida, a leading provider of plumbing, electric and air conditioner repair services in St. Petersburg, FL, is excited to announce new limited-time specials running now through the summer of 2018. Homeowners can save tons of money when they choose FAST of Florida for all of their household AC, plumbing and electric needs.



Homeowners who have yet to schedule their AC tune-ups ahead of the sweltering hot summer season can do so with FAST of Florida for as low as $69. Air conditioning tune-ups and maintenance are essential to both extending the life of the system and increasing its energy efficiency. In fact, most major manufacturers require air conditioning systems receive professional maintenance annually in order to keep the warranty valid.



In addition to their $69 AC tune-ups, homeowners looking for a total cooling system replacement can do so with select models for as low as $59 a month when they finance with FAST of Florida. Other deals include $199 off any drain cleaning service, $479 complete home appliance warranty agreements (for the first 12 months only), and special cash rebates on qualifying indoor comfort products by Daikin. These deals are only valid through the end of June, so homeowners are strongly encouraged to book their appointments today before availability runs out.



With their fast response time and same day service seven days a week, it's no wonder Florida property owners and property managers choose FAST of Florida for all of their HVAC, plumbing and electrical needs. To learn more about FAST of Florida, the best air conditioning company throughout Pinellas County, FL, head on over to their website today, FASTofFlorida.com.



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Visit them online at FastofFlorida.com to learn more.Portland, OR -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/24/2018 -- Research Beam has added a report, titled, "2017-2022 Personal Finance Software, Global and United States Market." The report provides an extensive information of changing market dynamics and detailed analysis of sales, revenue, key manufacturers, and competitive landscape. Furthermore, current market status and prospects for growth are explored. Moreover, extensive analysis of consumption and market share of each segment is offered for the historic period, 20122017 and the forecast period, 20172022. The study also offers detailed information on market effect factors, marketing channels, manufacturing cost structure, and distributor analysis. This study is of valuable assistance for market players, management executives, VPs, new entrants, investors, and stakeholders to make better decisions for the future and gain leadership status.



For More Info, Get Sample : http://bit.ly/2Atxzp0



An overview of the Personal Finance Software, Global and United States Market is provided based on product overview and key segments of the industry. The research offers key segments based on type, application, and geography. Each type is explored in detail based on analysis of production and its market share for 2016. Furthermore, key manufacturers of each type are outlined with the help of a table. Applications are analyzed in the study along with consumption market share of each application for 2016 highlighted with the help of tabular representation. Geographical analysis is offered on the basis of recent market status and opportunities for growth for the period, 20122022. Regions discussed in the study include North America, Europe, China, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia. Insights on revenue generated and growth rate of each region are provided for the historic period and the forecast period using figures.



This report studies the Personal Finance Software market status and outlook of global and United States, from angles of players, regions, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in global and United States market, and splits the Personal Finance Software market by product type and applications/end industries. The global Personal Finance Software market is valued at XX million USD in 2016 and is expected to reach XX million USD by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022. The Asia-Pacific will occupy for more market share in following years, especially in China, also fast growing India and Southeast Asia regions.North America, especially The United States, will still play an important role which cannot be ignored. Any changes from United States might affect the development trend of Personal Finance Software. United States plays an important role in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2016 and will be xx million USD in 2022, with a CAGR of XX.



The study offers a comprehensive analysis of key manufacturers active in the Personal Finance Software, Global and United States Market. Key manufacturers discussed in the report Quicken, Moneydance, Buxfer, Microsoft, Banktivity, CountAbout, Mvelopes, Moneyspire, YNAB, BankTree, IFinance, MoneyWell, MoneyLine, You Need a Budget, HomeBank, Qapital, Mint, Personal Capital.



Enquire About Report : http://bit.ly/2jkD2Dm



Tables provide extensive analysis on revenue, average price, production, and gross margin for the period, 20162017. Comprehensive information of type, specifications, and application of products offered by each market player is highlighted. This information would assist industry players gain insights on level of competition and leadership position along with outlining investment pockets to get maximum returns for investors.



The On the basis of product, the Personal Finance Software market is primarily split into

- Macintosh OS

- Web Browser

- Smartphone

- Others



On the basis on the end users/applications, this report covers

- General Users

- Professional Users

- Small Enterprise Users

- Others



Manufacturing cost analysis is offered in the research on the basis of raw material analysis, manufacturing cost structure, and analysis of manufacturing process. A table offers production base information and market concentration rate. Moreover, a figure outlines price trends. A tabular representation provides a list of key suppliers of raw materials of major manufacturers along with a figure describing manufacturing cost structure and analyzing recent manufacturing process.



Also Request For Discount : http://bit.ly/2Bj5Lkj



The industrial chain structure is offered on the basis of upstream raw materials, downstream buyers, and sourcing strategies using tabular format. Tables offer raw material sources of key manufacturers of Personal Finance Software in addition to a list of distributors & traders. Marketing strategies are explored in the study based on marketing channels, direct & indirect marketing, and market positioning. Insights on changing consumer demands, technological progress, and economical changes are offered. Moreover, market effect factors are discussed. Insights on sales, revenue, production, and consumption for each segment of the industry are offered for the forecast period. Research findings and conclusions are outlined at the end of the report.



Table of Contents



- 2017-2022 Personal Finance Software Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications

- 1 Methodology and Data Source

o Methodology/Research Approach

? Research Programs/Design

? Market Size Estimation

? Market Breakdown and Data Triangulation

o Data Source

- 2.1.1 Secondary Sources

- 2.1.2 Primary Sources

o Disclaimer

- Personal Finance Software Market Overview

o Personal Finance Software Product Overview

o Personal Finance Software Market Segment by Type

? Macintosh OS

? Web Browser

? Smartphone

? Others

o Global Personal Finance Software Product Segment by Type

? Global Personal Finance Software Sales (Units) and Growth (%) by Types (2012, 2016 and 2022)

? Global Personal Finance Software Sales (Units) and Market Share (%) by Types (2012-2017)

? Global Personal Finance Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (%) by Types (2012-2017)

? Global Personal Finance Software Price (USD/Unit) by Type (2012-2017)

o United States Personal Finance Software Product Segment by Type

? United States Personal Finance Software Sales (Units) and Growth by Types (2012, 2016 and 2022)

? United States Personal Finance Software Sales (Units) and Market Share by Types (2012-2017)

? United States Personal Finance Software Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share by Types (2012-2017)

? United States Personal Finance Software Price (USD/Unit) by Type (2012-2017)



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help@researchbeam.com57-milion-year-old leaf fossils from eastern India suggest that the worldwide-distributed morning glory family (Convolvulaceae), which includes sweet potatoes and many other plants, originated in the late Paleocene epoch in the East Gondwana land mass that became part of Asia.

I think this will change peoples ideas. It will be a data point that is picked up and used in other work where researchers are trying to find the time of the evolution of major groups of flowering plants, said Professor David Dilcher, from the Department of Geology at Indiana University, Bloomington.

Previous fossil evidence had suggested the Convolvulaceae family may have originated in North America about 35 million years ago.

But molecular analyses had supported the idea that it originated earlier and in the Old World. The new research provides evidence for that conclusion.

The discovery also suggests Convolvulaceae and its sister nightshade family (Solanaceae), which includes potatoes and tomatoes, diverged earlier than previously thought.

Together with the recent, separate discovery of 52-million-year-old nightshade fossils in Argentina, it suggests that morning glories developed in the East and nightshades in the West.

The 17 fossils analyzed in the study are the earliest recorded fossils for both Convolvulaceae and the order Solanales, which includes morning glories and nightshades. Morning glory fossils are rare because the plants soft structure was not easily preserved in rocks.

Professor Dilcher and his colleagues, Gaurav Srivastava and Rakesh C. Mehrotra of the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences in Lucknow, India, found the fossils in the Tura Formation exposed in Nangwalbibra, East Garo Hills District, Meghalaya.

The researchers used microscopic analysis of the shape and structure of the leaves, comparing details of the leaf veins and cells with plants in the genus Ipomoea. This genus includes sweet potato but also hundreds of other plants, most of which dont produce food for humans.

We dont know that these were sweet potatoes. We cant say there were delicious sweet potatoes there. There may have been, or there may not, Professor Dilcher said.

The research is published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science.

_____

Gaurav Srivastava et al. Paleocene Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from India with implications for an East Gondwana origin of Convolvulaceae. PNAS, published online May 21, 2018; doi: 10.1073/pnas.1800626115Ponant's 'Cuba: History, Culture & Contemporary Life' itinerary gives a broad snapshot of the most fascinating parts of the island. The voyage will take place aboard the 64-passenger sailing yacht Le Ponant.

Ports include Santiago de Cuba, one of the islands oldest cities, dating back to 1515; Trinidad, where a walking tour will show off the cobblestone streets and distinctive architecture; the beautiful beach at Punta Frances on Isla de la Juventud with its stretch of pristine white sand; and Cienfuegos, where passengers can opt for a trip to the infamous Bay of Pigs and Playa Giron or stay to explore the town.

Two hotel nights in Havana

Throughout the journey, dance and musical performances and tours of artists studios are led by local guides. And now, for the first time, the fare includes two hotel nights in Havana for an introduction to the music, color and soul of the country.

Guest lecturer Franklin W. Knight, professor of history at Johns Hopkins Universitywho has been organizing educational travel programs to Cuba since the 1970s and frequently appears as an analyst for NPR, BBC and PBSwill lecture throughout the cruise and accompany excursions to share his insight. Topics include 'Cuba after the Castro Brothers,' 'Cuba, the Land of Eccentricity' and 'Cuban Rums: An Appreciation with Samples.'

As well, two Cuban guides will join the entire cruise to share meals and engage in informal conversation.He was referring to a 1,500-tonne capacity barge, Pegasus, one of eight new barges specifically designed and built to meet the needs of the Thames Tideway Tunnel, a 25-kilometre super sewer being excavated through London and centred on the river.

This is a very special moment not just for Bennetts but for me personally, he said. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and for me, this is a thing of great beauty.

Praising the quality, stability and strength of the new fleet, he said: These barges add more than 11,000 tonnes of extra capacity to the River Thames.

Millions of tonnes of spoil are being removed from central London as the Tideway tunnel is excavated; at least 150 lorry journeys will be saved per barge load taken out, said Livett.

Efficient, economical and environmentally friendly

Without Tideway having confidence in us as the river community and the river to deliver their projects, Londoners would have suffered intolerable road journeys by HGVs. It is indicative of what the future Thames looks like  we are all working with the Port of London Authority (PLA) on the Thames Vision, and the aim of transferring more freight by water.

Look at what we have here; a four-lane highway with no bicycles, speed bumps or pedestrians. All of the major construction projects in London should be using the River Thames, to ensure they are efficient, economical and environmentally friendly.

The Tideway class hopper barges represent an investment by Bennetts of between 5m and 10m. They were delivered by Dutch barge builder and operator Baars, working with ACB. Six are owned by Bennetts  including four 1,500-tonne and two 1,000-tonne barges  and two 1,600-tonners are being hired for the duration of the Tideway project. Shallow drafted and designed to be pushed from either end or pulled, they have been built for working in constrained areas and are also licensed to operate 50 nm to sea. They are classed by Rina and operate under the UK-flag.

Read More: Getting heavy transport off the roads and onto the waterways

Once their job is done on the Tideway project, they will be an important part of the Tideway legacy of encouraging much more freight on to the river. That includes ensuring that the necessary skills are there.

Livett is a strong support of the Thames Skills Academy, which has brought together major employers on the river to develop training and promote career opportunities on the tidal Thames; a Thames Apprenticeship Programme was launched last year.

It was patently obvious back in 2012, when we were talking about the Tideway project, that there wasnt enough quality equipment on the River Thames and certainly not enough quality people to deliver the project, he said. Writing the cheque (for the barges) is, relatively speaking, easy to do  but getting the right people, who are the biggest asset, is not so easy.

Bargey McBargeface

Bennetts held a Twitter poll to help decide on names for its new barges. Most popular name? Bargey McBargeface. Of course.

Chris Livett opted for names of strength  Poseidon, Apollo, Churchill, Hercules, Pegasus, Valiant and Zeus, leaving one of the 1,000-tonne barges to take the name of his granddaughter, Phoebe. She would, as he pointed out, be a ninth-generation Livett waterman, should she choose that route.

Walking to work this morning, I looked across at Butlers Wharf and saw the barge sitting there  and it struck me that my grandfather would have seen exactly the same view, except that he would have seen six 250-tonne barges alongside, where I saw only one, at 1,500 tonnes. This has been a long, hard process but I am absolutely delighted with the end product. We have here a legacy, and I am determined to help it happen.Hazel Park is on a roll. Mabel Gray and Cellarman's in 2015. joebar and frame in 2017. Dougs Delights earlier this year. And, of course the old standbys like Louis Pizza, which some consider to be the best pizza-maker in all of metro Detroit.



The latest hubbub to come out of this southern Oakland County burb is the addition of Chicagos Dark Matter Coffee to joebar. We asked joebar partners Cari Vaugh, Joe Vaughn, and Rebecca LaMalfa what it means to land the respected Chicago roasters.



Q: joebar is bringing Dark Matter Coffee to Hazel Park. How does the Chicago company fit into your vision for joebar and its place in the neighborhood?



A: Its a simple succession for our neighborhood: An amazing cup of coffee by a remarkable indie brand, Dark Matter Coffee, on a neighborhood corner. joebar has a dog-friendly patio, bike racks and more outside cafe seating to soak up the warm temps as well as city-approved 15-minute parking spots for morning ease.



Dark Matter Coffee at joebar will be brewing our signature espresso drinks and coffees (both hot and iced) as well as light grab and go breakfast options for sit down and take away. Most rousing is the Dark Matter barrel-aged iced coffee on draft, which has been added to joebar's tap lines.



Q: What's exciting about Dark Matter coming to Hazel Park and metro Detroit?



A: Being able to share Dark Matter's Chocolate City Cold Brew with our joebar patrons. It's super crazy good as it isn't cold brewed, but rather extracted with heat. When poured over ice, you taste nutty, fruity, and chocolatey flavors. Our go to: drink it straight from the can or add a splash of cream (or coconut milk, yum) for balance.



Also, being able to buy a bag of Dark Matter's espresso or coffee beans any time of the day. We open are open seven days a week now. The beans are not sold anywhere in Michigan, and we will stock a full retail line of Dark Matter Coffee beans.



Q: Dark Matter joins pop-up restaurant frame as additional features of the joebar experience. Why provide multiple components to your business, rather than a singular concept?



A: We love experience. Coffee adds a morning buzz trifecta to joebar and frame.



Q: Doug's Delights recently opened across the street. Dark Matter is coming soon. What's it like in Hazel Park these days?



A: It's fun! It's diverse. It's casual. There is no pretense. There are no chain stores. There are no meter-maids handing out parking tickets. You can park once and simply hang out. We love Hazel Park.



Q: What's an important lesson learned since first opening joebar in March 2017?



A: To be flexible and listen to what the neighborhood wants. Partnering with Dark Matter adheres to our main philosophy and focus: They are an innovative culinary family fueled by community and passion to deliver the most intellectually honest coffee you will experience. Sustainability and fair business practices are very important to us at joebar. We are beyond honored to widen our family to house Dark Matter Coffee inside joebar.



Please join us and meet the Dark Matter Coffee team on the weekend of June 2nd and 3rd as they will be in town to launch our collaboration and first weekend of brewing.



joebar is located at 23839 John R Rd. in Hazel Park.



Got a development news story to share? Email MJ Galbraith here or send him a tweet @mikegalbraith.

Press Release

May 24, 2018 Dispatch from Crame No. 312:

Statement of Sen. Leila M. de Lima - DUTERTE IS NEITHER A PRESIDENT NOR A LEADER

5/24/18 Duterte's attempt to blame a murder victim for his own murder--and in so doing, obscuring the truth and justifying, not just the killings, but the government's unacceptable failure to protect its people from violence and delivering justice to victims--should be enough, on top of everything he has done so far, to demonstrate that what we have is not a President. Whatever is now occupying the seat meant for our nation's top official, it is not a leader. It is not a law abider, much less a law enforcer. It is easy to question if he even has a conscience or a moral compass, if not a soul. If anything, what is now there, calling himself a President, is a malicious and evil-spirited bully, who thinks he can make the Filipino people suffer his abuses, vulgarity and uninhibited support for criminality within the bureaucracy, not because he is assured of a mandate from our people, but because he is protected by his foreign overlords. He is a weak coward. He wages war and picks fight against those he deems incapable of protecting themselves against his attacks: women, children, the poor, the peaceful protesters and human rights defenders. Yet he cowers and folds when faced with the real enemies: foreign incursions that threaten our sovereignty and national security, and big-time criminal syndicates. He fights good and bows to evil. That's not a strong leader. And the Filipino people deserve better. But ever so slowly, in the past two years, we have somehow descended into a relationship of cyclical abuse with Duterte. The signs are there. He isolates us from those who might help us. He deports a missionary nun, incarcerates his fiercest critic, and sanctions the killings of those who refuse to be back off. He employs threats, violence and intimidation and claims that he is doing it for our own good. He consolidates control over us. He has effective control over all branches of government now, and soon, even the Office of the Ombudsman. He controls our reality through his army of internet trolls and foreign-backed propaganda machine. When we ask for proof, he produces matrices that later turn out to be unverified and erroneous. They prove one thing: his propensity for making accusations that he is too inept and lazy to even substantiate. He believes his word is enough. He paints his victims as the villains. A vocal Senator suddenly becomes a drug lord. A murdered priest, who is a vocal human rights and pro-environmental activist, is suddenly a serial adulterer. He commits abuse. But we remain quiet, so he is emboldened. He commits even more abuses, become more and more depraved and shameless. And we respond by growing even more quiet, trying not to make any sudden movements and avoiding looking the evil right in the eye. If we ignore it and believe in the lies, we hope that everything will suddenly become better. Well, it should be clear by now that butchers, torturers, bullies don't change just because they are ignored. Instead, they tend to escalate. It is our job to prevent him from further escalating, and further hurting us and our future generations. This is not just about seeking justice for Fr. Mark Anthony Ventura, Fr. Marcelito Paez and all other human rights defenders who have been slain and oppressed. This is about defending ourselves from a man who wants to hold full control over the destiny of our nation, but cares nothing for the welfare of the people. A man who has no heart for his people, yet wields complete power over them, is Death to his people. This is a fight for our lives. And no one person can do it. But the fact that there are those who are willing to lay down their lives and freedoms to defend our human rights, our freedoms, the rule of law and the benefits of democracy on our behalf should be enough to wake us up from our paralysis. We are no longer victims held captive in an abusive relationship. We are the commanders of our own destiny. Sa mga pananalita ni Rodrigo Duterte, ani mo nakasandal sa pader. Marahil nga nakasandal nga siya sa isang mataas at matibay na pader. But walls can be climbed. Genghis Khan breached the Great Wall of China. And even the Berlin Wall was torn down.Press Release

May 24, 2018 Legarda welcomes Senate approval on Second Reading of Ombudsman Retirement Bill Venice, Italy -- Senator Loren Legarda welcomes the approval on Second Reading of Senate Bill No. 1762 which seeks to grant Ombudsman lawyers and prosecutors a comparable set of retirement benefits similarly granted by law to their counterparts in the judiciary and the prosecution service of the Department of Justice (DOJ). The bill approved yesterday by the Senate likewise includes in its coverage senior technical officials such as investigators and graft prevention officers, falling within the Salary Grade (SG) bracket from SG26 to SG29. "At present, only the Ombudsman, the Deputies and the Special Prosecutor enjoy retirement benefits upon completion of their respective terms pursuant to the Constitution and the Ombudsman Act of 1989 (R.A. No. 6770)," Legarda explained, "which law specially provides that the Ombudsman and his Deputies shall have the same rank, salary and privileges of Chairman and Members of the Constitutional Commissions, i.e., the COMELEC, the COA and the CSC." Legarda, co-author and co-sponsor of Senate Bill No. 1762, was informed that there is an alarming diaspora of Ombudsman lawyers and investigators. The Ombudsman has continually invested large sums of money in training its young lawyers and technical officials to hone their investigative or prosecutorial skills. Yet, these Ombudsman lawyers and technical officials eventually leave the office after a few years in order to find employment in the private sector or other government agencies which provide better compensation and retirement benefits. Statistical data show that a total of 180 lawyers and senior technical officials with salary grades from SG-26 to SG-29 ("senior officials") were newly hired by the Ombudsman from 2011 to the present. Within the same period, however, a total of 178 such senior officials were separated from the Office for various reasons. Almost 78% of those who left the Office had either resigned or transferred, more than half of whom had opted to transfer to other government offices such as the National Prosecution Services or even the lower courts. Legarda noted that with graft and corruption as one of the major problems in our society, the Ombudsman's task requires support of Congress and the whole society. Its mandate cannot be underestimated, and the importance of its task compromised, saying that "there is thus the pressing need to hire and retain competent, committed, courageous and highly-qualified Ombudsman officials and employees." "This bill, once enacted into law, will hopefully realise government efforts to cure this unintended inequity among our legal and technical staff who are discharging relatively the same functions, but are unfortunately not enjoying the same retirement benefits. Our ultimate goal should be to entice the best and the brightest lawyers to join and, most importantly, remain with the Office of the Ombudsman, if we are to continue our fight against corruption," Legarda said. Legarda is now in Venice, Italy for the Vernissage of the Philippine Pavilion in the 16th Architecture Biennale, a joint project of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Senator's Office. The Vernissage will be held on May 24 and will be open to the public from May 26 to November 25, 2018 at the Artiglierie, Arsenale in Venice.Oceania Dairy, the South Canterbury-based dairy company owned by Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group, has continued to make products for the Chinese market in New Zealand at a loss, its 2017 accounts show.

Revenue jumped 39 percent to about $228 million in calendar 2017 but much of that was swallowed up in costs, leaving gross profit 27 percent higher at $9.38 million. Administration costs drove up expenses, which climbed about 37 percent to $24 million. After tax, the loss widened to $13.5 million from a loss of $6.76 million in 2016.

Yili officially opened its Glenavy plant in November 2014. Production goes primarily into the factories and supply chain of Yili, according to its website, "The largest company in the dairy food market in China and one of the fastest growing dairy companies across the globe."

Total volume of product sold to other Yili companies Tianjin Yili and Kindairy was 34,233 tonnes, down from 37,631 tonnes in 2016. However, the revenue generated was steeply higher at $178.9 million from $133.9 million. Prices are benchmarked off whole milk powder on the Global Dairy Trade market. WMP was as low as US$1,890 a tonne in early 2016 before soaring at the year-end to as much as US$3,593 a tonne. For much of 2017, WMP has been above US$3,000 a tonne.

The company announced in October a $200 million investment in capacity in South Canterbury. The second stage of its development included a canning and blending operation for infant formula and two UHT manufacturing lines, general manager Roger Usmar said at the time. It expects to process more than 630 million litres of milk a year when the expansion is completed in 2019 and is aiming to lift export revenue to more than $700 million.

Yili mainly distributes dairy products and feedstuffs including milk powder for infants in China's domestic market. The purchase of Oceania by Yili in early 2013 was the Chinese company's first major offshore acquisition. Oceania's website shows the current product range is listed as whole milk powder, skim milk powder, infant formula, specialty powders and AMF.

In 2017, Oceania's wages and salaries bill rose to $15.3 million from $9.3 million a year earlier. Tax losses were $3.77 million, up from $1.89 million a year earlier. The company said it didn't recognise deferred income tax assets of $12.8 million in the latest year compared with $11.1 million in 2016. Accumulated tax losses grew to $45.6 million in 2017 from $39.6 million the previous year.

(BusinessDesk)

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Metro Performance Glass said earnings will be relatively unchanged this year as the company beds in its "back to basics" strategy.

Earlier the company presented the outcome of a strategic review and said it is shifting from "expansion and diversification, to optimisation and enhancement of our internal capability to execute," it said.

What that means "is we have a mindset of back to basics, a real focus on control and discipline through our plants and glaziers, and the market plateauing (in New Zealand) gives us the breathing space to do that," chief financial officer John FraserMackenzie told BusinessDesk in an interview.

Earlier the company said profit was $16.3 million, or 8.8 cents a share, for the 12 months to March 31 versus $19.4 million, or 10.5 cents a share, in the prior period. That was in line with guidance it gave in April. Sales rose 10 percent to $268.3 million, including 12 months of trading from Australian Glass Group. Earnings before interest and tax before significant items were $30.9 million versus $33.9 million in the prior period.

For the current financial year, it is targeting group ebit of between $30 million and $33 million, capital expenditure of about $10 million and debt repayment of between $7 million and $10 million. The company also expects to maintain its current dividend policy, it said.

FraserMackenzie said the company hasn't previously given guidance this early in the year and so "we are taking a conservative approach."

The company expects Australian revenue to grow and New Zealand to remain broadly flat in the year.

As a result, any growth will come from the Australian top line and profitability and efficiency improvements in New Zealand. However, "it will be offset by some headwinds, which we see coming around wages," as minimum wages lift.

"We are anticipating the beginning of a step up in wages in general," he said, adding that another headwind was rising fuel costs, particularly in Auckland but more broadly at a national level.

Earlier this year, Auckland Council voted 15-2 in favour of a regional fuel tax to partially fund the city's transport needs over the coming decade.

Regarding the revamped strategy, FraserMackenzie said it will include a "renewed focus on people, from recruitment through induction, personal growth and development throughout the business and a recognition of good and bad performance."

"We also want to start putting the customer back at the center of everything we do."

FraserMackenzie also said Metro Glass will be focusing on debt reduction and reducing its leverage.

"Previously we would have been developing a scale position, now we are talking about maintaining a scale position. While we will still invest in new technology and want to be the leader in our product range and capability but it will be a balanced approach and we will be focused on paying down debt," he said.

Group gearing was at 37 percent as at March 31, versus 37.6 percent on the same date last year.

The stock traded up 7.3 percent at 88 cents after the release. Grant Williamson, director at Hamilton Hindin Greene said investors were likely cheered the company had met its guidance. "There may just be a bit of confidence returning from investors after they achieved what they said they were going to achieve," he said.

(BusinessDesk)

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The government is considering how to fund New Zealand's adaptation to climate change, following a working group's report which recommends 21 key actions across central and local government and the private sector.

Climate Change Minister James Shaw today released the Climate Change Adaptation Technical Working Groups (CCATWG) report. At the release, Shaw said some of the recommendations - including creating a national climate change risk assessment and adaptation action plan, with central government reinforcing the importance of adaptation - would be covered by upcoming public consultation on the Zero Carbon Bill.

The report also stresses the need to determine how this adaptation will be funded, and Shaw said the mechanism would "take some work." Local Government New Zealand president Dave Cull was also present for the report's launch, and Shaw said he would work with Minister of Local Government Nanaia Mahuta on the recommendations.

"This is a nationwide challenge, and we have to engage with it as a country, and support each other through that," Shaw said. "It's not evenly distributed across the country - particular regions, industries and groups of workers, it does affect everyone but not at the same speed and not to the same extent."

Shaw said the problem would require an integrated response, involving central government, local body authorities, and the insurance and banking industries.

The insurance sector could act by refusing to provide cover to houses at risk of the effects of climate change, which would mean people couldn't get a mortgage for risky properties.

Shaw said insurance companies have been involved in developing the reports, and he has engaged with the sector.

"My sense is they're moving extremely cautiously, but also the insurance industry has some of the best predictive modelling in the world, so they're more aware than just about anybody. It's probably a good thing to get pressure to move on this, because it is a challenge we need to respond to."

"One of the risks we're going to have to deal with is if there's a big pot of money sitting there to deal with the adaptation challenge, some people may continue to make poor choices thinking that there will be a bailout at some point. Those are the complexities we're going to have to engage with."

Cull said LGNZ had been asking central government for legislative change to let it act on climate change adaptation. Last year, the Kapiti Coast District Council was taken to court by a group of ratepayers after adding 2,800 properties to its assessed coastal hazard zones, meaning a warning was added to those properties' Land Information Memorandums (Lims).

"At the moment, local government may take into account the effects of climate change when putting certain things in place. For some time, we've been asking the government to make that may a 'must', so we're required to. That would enable councils to act more courageously when they don't have the risk and cost of litigation when they do the right thing," Cull said.

"If we act now, and put lines on Lims, current landowners say 'you've prejudiced the value of my property and you're liable for that'. If we know there are risks coming and we don't put those lines on the Lims, a future owner of the property can come back in 10 years time and say 'you knew, you didn't act and you're liable'."

Judy Lawrence, co-chair of the working group, said local government had been hampered in dealing with the issue, and community engagement would be important going forward.

"At the moment we have a few tools, but there are other tools that can be used," Lawrence said. "The risk assessment will be discussed with the public of New Zealand. Let's move on to the future, learn from the past, and we will be able to avoid some of the issues and problems we've had."

(BusinessDesk)

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The New Zealand dollar was little changed against the greenback after US President Donald Trump scrapped a planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the US said it was considering tariffs on imports of cars and trucks.

The kiwi dollar traded at 69.29 US cents as at 8am in Wellington from 69.25 cents late yesterday. The trade-weighted index was at 72.64 from 72.68.

Stocks on Wall Street fell while Treasuries and gold rose after Trump scrapped what would have been the first meeting between leaders of the two nations, citing "open hostility" expressed by the North Korean leader in a recent statement. Trump said the US military was ready to respond to any reckless acts. Separately the US said it was looking at tariffs on cars and trucks on the basis of national security, a move that may exacerbate global trade tensions.

"Guess we can now add US-North Korea tensions into the mix of news over coming months, but the market is learning not to overreact to any apparent hostilities," said Jason Wong, currency strategist at Bank of New Zealand. "Overnight market moves have been fairly modest, with a hint of USD weakness, slightly weaker equity markets and further downside pressure on global rates."

The kiwi dollar traded at 51.77 British pence from 51.79 pence after figures showed UK retail sales excluding autos and fuel climbed 1.5 percent in April, versus expectations of an increase of just 0.1 percent. There have also been media reports that UK Prime Minister Theresa May plans to ask the European Union for a second transition period for Brexit, a report her government later denied.

There is no local economic data scheduled today.

The kiwi traded at 59.12 euro cents from 59.14 cents yesterday and at 91.41 Australian cents from 91.47 cents. It fell to 4.4177 yuan from 4.4255 yuan and decreased to 75.74 yen from 75.81 yen.

(BusinessDesk)

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Comvita will take another two years to reach its $400 million sales target after the manuka honey company had two poor seasons in a row, according to Craigs Investment Partners.

The brokerage downgraded its recommendation on NZX-listed Comvita to 'hold' from 'buy'. New Zealand's largest natural health products company last month lowered its forecast for annual earnings, citing adverse weather in the second half of the 2018 honey season that cut volumes. That followed what it called an "extremely poor season" in 2017.

Comvita's shares had held up following the latest downgrade to earnings as investors waited to see if a potential merger went ahead. But the stock has fallen sharply since the company said on Monday that it had pulled out of the talks after failing to reach a deal on price. That's prompted investors and analysts to reassess the company's prospects, with Craigs cutting its profit forecast and rating on the stock.

"We continue to like the Comvita investment thematic, of becoming a more reliable premium branded manuka honey vertical targeting the Chinese consumer," Craigs research analyst Adrian Allbon said in his report titled 'Poor end to a sticky situation'.

However, he cut his outlook on the stock due to two consecutive short harvests materially impacting profitability and driving up debt, with a merger and acquisition premium now unlikely in the near term. Management needed to re-focus on core bee products to lift profitability, he said.

"Moreover, given the now two consecutive short harvests in a row, we also think it will be difficult for Comvita to deliver its sales target of NZ$400 million by FY21, given a lower sales annuity and depressed profitability also restricting growth reinvestment," Allbon said. "As a result, we now assume Comvita gets to NZ$400 million by FY23."

Comvita expects after-tax operating earnings for the year ending June 30 to be $8 million-to-$11 million, down from an earlier forecast for earnings of more than $17.1 million due to the poor honey harvest.

In its May 21 report, Craigs cut its 2018 net profit forecast to $7.5 million from $18 million and reduced its estimate for full-year sales to $180 million from $220 million. The research house also reduced its 12-month price target on the stock to $6.10 from $9.

Comvita shares fell 1.4 percent to $5.85 in early trading today, and have dropped 29 percent this year.

(BusinessDesk)

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Life insurance companies have less than a month to come up with information to reassure regulators that misconduct being unveiled by the Hayne Royal Commission in Australia isnt happening here - or is being addressed.

The Financial Markets Authority and the Reserve Bank today published a joint letter sent to the CEOs of New Zealands life insurance companies.

Our objective in this exercise is to understand what work you have undertaken to review your operations to promptly identify and address any conduct and culture issues, the letter said.

We expect you to show us what you have done in order to be comfortable that there are no material conduct issues within your business.

The deadline is Friday, June 22.

Todays letter follows a similar one sent to bank CEOs and the Bankers Association on May 3. The bankers had to report back by last Friday, with the Reserve Bank saying yesterday its considering the information at the moment and will report its findings over the next few weeks.

Consumer groups say they have complained about the behaviour of life insurance companies for years, but until now they have had little traction, partly because problems are well-hidden.

Issues include undisclosed hefty commissions and soft perks such as prizes or overseas trips given by insurance companies to the agents who sell their products. These types of remunerations, that customers often know nothing about, mean agents can have more incentive to act in their own best interests than those of their clients. Customers can be sold unsuitable insurance products or persuaded to swap from one insurer to another, so the agent reaps the commission.

The ongoing Australian Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry has revealed major issues with financial services group AMP, including an adviser who churned 59 customers from one AMP life insurance product to another in order to collect commissions, and the practice of "ring fencing" and charging customers for up to 90 days after they tried to sever relations with AMP or their adviser.

AMPs New Zealand website suggests the company is one of the largest providers of both financial advice and KiwiSaver products in the country, as well as being a big player in the life, disability, and income protection insurance sector.

As misconduct is Australia has emerged, regulators there, in particular, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, have come under fire for not doing enough about misconduct in the financial services sector.

Former Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) chair Allan Fels told Australian media ASIC often opted to enter into settlements with banks and financial services companies involved in misconduct, rather than prosecute them.

Back in New Zealand, today's letter, which is signed by Financial Markets Authority chief executive Rob Everett and Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr, asks the life insurance companies to tell them about the actions you ... have taken to identify and address conduct risk ... including product design and distribution, incentives setting, and claims performance.

It also wants to know about any work underway to remediate any identified issues where conduct by your firm has resulted in detrimental outcomes for customers.

The FMA has released two damning reports involving the life insurance industry so far this year, and two days ago Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi announced the start of a public consultation into New Zealands insurance contract law.

(BusinessDesk)

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A record month for kiwifruit exports helped push the country's overall exports in April to the second-highest level ever, according to monthly trade data released today.

Kiwifruit exports surged 82 percent in April to $438 million, a new high for any month, Statistics New Zealand said. The rise in kiwifruit exports was the leading contributor to a 7.3 percent lift in overall goods exports for April to $5.1 billion, the second-highest for any month after December 2017's record $5.5 billion, the statistics agency said.

The fruit is New Zealand's fastest-growing horticultural export and the Ministry for Primary Industries is forecasting more growth in the next two years, with exports slated to reach $1.8 billion in 2019. Zespri, the country's kiwifruit marketing body, is aiming for $4.5 billion of global sales by 2025, with faster growth picked to come from its more profitable gold kiwifruit.

Kiwifruit exports were up for all New Zealands principal kiwifruit markets - China, the European Union, and Japan, Stats NZ international statistics manager Tehseen Islam said in a statement. In April, the first month of the export season, the gold variety made up nearly three-quarters of the total value of kiwifruit exports.

Across all markets, gold kiwifruit was up $148 million, or 86 percent, in value compared with April 2017, led by an $85 million increase to China, Stats NZ said. Green kiwifruit also rose, up $50 million or 83 percent, led by a $25 million increase to the European Union.

Annual exports of kiwifruit lifted 9 percent to $1.9 billion in the year ended April 2018.

The other main contributors to Aprils export rise were meat and edible offal, which lifted 15 percent, or $94 million, to $723 million, and milk powder, butter, and cheese exports which advanced 6.2 percent, or $68 million, to $1.17 billion.

Meat exports were impacted by higher prices for lamb and higher quantities of beef while dairy exports were buoyed by higher prices for butter, the statistics agency said.

Imports also lifted in April, up 15 percent, or $629 million, to reach a new high for the month of $4.8 billion. The leading contributor to the rise was the increased value of petroleum and products, up 56 percent, or $221 million, led by crude oil imports which increased $130 million.

The other main contributors to the higher imports were vehicles, parts, and accessories, which lifted by $179 million, and mechanical machinery and equipment, up $108 million, Stats NZ said.

The monthly trade balance in April was a surplus of $263 million, or 5.2 percent of exports, which is lower than the average monthly surplus in the last five April months of $344 million. The statistics agency revised the deficit for March, the first deficit for the month in a decade, to $156 million from $86 million.

The annual trade deficit for the year ended April was $3.76 billion, compared with a $3.51 billion shortfall in the year to April 2017.

"Looking at the year ahead, we expect the annual trade deficit to narrow," ASB Bank senior rural economist Nathan Penny said in a note. "In particular, we expect agricultural production to increase over the year and to boost export volumes, while export prices remain firm. At the same time, growth in import values is likely to be more subdued as economic growth remains soft over 2018."

(BusinessDesk)

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Veritas Investments director Michael Morton will step down from the board next month, after a meeting where shareholders will vote on whether to agree to a $27.5 million loan from Japanese investment bank Nomura Holdings.

The company announced the possible deal with Nomura, a Tokyo-headquartered financial services group, which in 2011 bought the so-called good bank assets of failed lender South Canterbury Finance, at the beginning of the week.

The first two tranches of funding, totalling $22.5 million, will be used to refinance Veritas' debt with ANZ Bank New Zealand with the remaining $5 million tranche set to be "available to fund capital expenditure that is approved by Nomura to provide future growth".

Veritas plans to hold a shareholder meeting in late June, and the company said today that Morton will step down at the conclusion of that meeting "to make way for new directors with appropriate hospitality experience to come onto the board."

Morton, who is the company's largest shareholder, will remain a substantial shareholder and focus on his other private business interests following his resignation, the statement said. Earlier this year, Morton bought the business and assets of the Mad Butcher franchisor, of which he was chief executive, from Veritas for $8 million, less than a quarter of what he sold it to the food and beverage investor in a reverse listing almost five years earlier.

The board said it is working diligently to find a replacement director or directors before the shareholders meeting, and acknowledged Morton's "significant contribution to the Veritas group during his time as a director."

The company's shares, which were in the doldrums due to its financial woes, have surged since the prospective Nomura deal was announced. They last traded at 20 cents, up from 5 cents before the deal was announced, which is the highest they've traded since June 2017.

(BusinessDesk)

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Commercial drone operators in New Zealand are mainly occupied with filming, aerial mapping and inspections and count the real estate and construction sectors as their biggest customers, an Airways NZ survey shows.

Airways, which controls the national air traffic control system, says 1,460 drone pilots responded to its inaugural survey, of which 882 were recreational and 579 commercial operators. Average turnover for commercial operators pulling in up to $1 million a year was $108,000 and survey participants saw a 38 percent gain in turnover in the next 12 months. About one third planned to take on staff in the next year.

About 19 percent of commercial operators are expecting a significant increase in demand for drone services over the next 12 months while 51 percent, the largest group, see an increase and 27 percent expect demand to stay the same. Of the top five reasons to use commercial drones, photography and filming made up about 78 percent, well ahead of aerial surveying, mapping and/or inspections at 49 percent. Agricultural and farming support made up 15 percent while search and rescue, and support for emergency responses made up a combined 14 percent.

Real estate companies were the largest source of customers, making up almost 40 percent, with construction close behind on about 38 percent. Film and television was third at 29 percent.

Recreational drone pilots were mostly men. About 95 percent of the 882 who responded were males and 48 percent was aged 25-44. Most flew drones either for recreation and pleasure, or for photography and filming.

In March, Airways said drones were straying into controlled airspace around airports at a rate of one a week, including a reported near miss at Auckland International Airport. The incidents have prompted calls for the government to clamp down on 'unregulated' drones.

The Airways survey suggests recreational pilots are more like to be at fault. While 60 percent of total drone pilots surveyed said they strictly comply with civil aviation rules, it was commercial operators who skewed the reading, with 72 percent saying they always comply with the rules compared with 51 percent of recreational users.

"Its great to see most users are aware of safety rules and regulations and are trying to abide by them. But there is a clear gap in understanding and attitudes towards compliance and a divide between commercial and recreational operators," Trent Fulcher, Airways head of strategy, said in a statement.

Some 64 percent of commercial operators polled said there should be some form of mandatory training before a person can be in charge of a drone compared with 41 percent of recreational users who supported training. About 59 percent of commercial operators always seek appropriate landowner approvals before a flight compared with 30 percent who use them for fun.

Drone operators are telling us that there should be stricter enforcement of rules and harsher penalties for those who dont comply, freer access to airspace and simpler process for gaining landowner approval, Fulcher said. "They are also becoming impatient with restrictions on beyond visual line of sight operations. BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) would be a game changer for the industry, enabling activities like package deliveries and autonomous flying vehicles."

(BusinessDesk)

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The New Zealand dollar held its gains against the greenback in Asian trading as US dollar sentiment was dented by ongoing jitters over global trade.

The kiwi dollar traded at 69.25 US cents as at 5pm in Wellington from 69.20 cents at 8am and up from 69.09 cents late yesterday. The trade-weighted index rose to 72.68 from 72.48.

According to Reuters, the US administration has launched a national security investigation into car and truck imports that could lead to new tariffs. Japan, China and South Korea said they would monitor the situation, while Beijing added it would defend its interests.

China opposes the abuse of national security clauses, which will seriously damage multilateral trade systems and disrupt normal international trade order, Gao Feng, spokesman at the Ministry of Commerce, said at a regular news briefing in Beijing on Thursday which focused largely on whether it is making any progress in its trade dispute with Washington, Reuters reported.

"The comments from the Ministry of Commerce delivered a bit of a serve to the US," said Mark Johnson, a senior dealer at OMF. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump signalled a new direction in US-China trade talks and said any deal would need "a different structure".

Johnson said the kiwi already benefitted from minutes to the US Federal Reserve's last policy review being interpreted as dovish, but he said the currency is trading in a very tight range. With very little domestic data on the near horizon, the kiwi will continue to be driven by events offshore, he said.

The kiwi gained to 59.14 euro cents from 58.72 cents, traded at 91.47 Australian cents from 91.51 cents yesterday and rose to 4.4255 yuan from 4.4037 yuan. It decreased to 75.81 yen from 76.33 yen and rose to 51.79 British pence from 51.49 pence.

New Zealand's two-year swap rate fell 1 basis point to 2.18 percent while 10-year swaps fell 2 basis points to 3.14 percent.

(BusinessDesk)

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What should be included in my home improvement contract?

When hiring a contractor for any type of home improvement or home service there are some basic responsibilities of the contractor. They should provide you with a written estimate, or contract, which clearly states their business name, physical street address, phone number and NYC Home Improvement Contractors license number. It should also specify the goods and services they are or will be providing, and at the end, provide a receipt for the payment you made for those services.

An estimate or contract can be handwritten, and does not necessarily have to include a bunch of legal jargon, especially when having a repair or maintenance service. However, it should clearly state the materials and services that the repairman or contractor provided, and the warranty terms.

When hiring a contractor for a home renovation or remodel, a comprehensive contract is essential to the success of your project, as it will provide you and your family protection, when properly written and executed.

One of the most important items in your contract is the description that thoroughly outlines the work, materials, products and services that will be provided for your project. That includes everything from what is being demolished to what is being constructed. It should include each type of fixture, component or product that will be used, and where it will be installed, and include the brand of the product, color, and size.

The contract should also include a written warranty, covering the materials and workmanship for at least one year. The warranty terms should be noted as "full" or "limited". The name and address of the party who will honor the warranty should be identified; whether it be a warranty issued by the contractor, distributor or manufacturer.

The contract should also list the subcontractors, and specialty craftsmen that are being used on the project, and the products and services they will be providing. As important as it was to vet your primary or general contractor, that same process should be used for any subs that will be in your home.

The contract should also specify that the contractor will secure all work permits, and be responsible for the sign offs required to obtain an updated certificate of occupancy. If there is no permit included in your contract, you should consult with an architect to identify if your project requires a permit. Failure to secure a permit, or having work illegally performed in your home, can lead to violations and can cost you thousands of dollars when trying to legalize it in the future.

The contract should also specify that any and all debris will be legally removed from your home and properly disposed of. There are guidelines for the safe disposal of debris, which may include the requirement to obtain permits for a dumpster.

When engaging your contractor, ask about their insurance coverage and have them provide you with Certificates of Insurance for General Liability and Worker's Compensation. Without this coverage, the homeowner will be financially responsible for any damage done to their home. Furthermore, a homeowner can be responsible for damages should an employee of the contractor get injured on the job.

The contract should state the total cost of the project, along with a payment schedule, outlining the timing and amount of the payments. All payments should be based on project milestones, such as; when demo is completed, when plumbing and electrical roughing in completed, when products are delivered to your home, when electrical fixtures are installed, and when trim work is completed. It is customary that 10% retainage is left until the end of the job, to ensure that all work is completed as specified, and to make sure the "punch list" items are completed to your satisfaction.

Any subcontractor that provides work as part of the project has a right to place a lien on your property, even if you have paid the contractor in full. When reviewing the contract, make sure all subcontractors are listed, and their services have been itemized in the contract. Furthermore, have your contractor provide a "lien waiver" for each installment payment before you pay the next one. This will protect you from liens against your property by the contractor and subcontractors.

Your contract should include approximate start and end dates of the project. Although there can be delays due to weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances, it is a good idea for there to be an understanding between you and your contractor on when the project will start and how long it will take to complete.

When there are changes to the project, have your contractor put it in writing. No changes should be made unless both you and your contractor have agreed to the changes in writing, and the details have been agreed to, including the change in cost, and how it will affect the project schedule. If there was a verbal agreement made on the fly, follow up with an email to the contractor restating the details and your approval, and request that they respond with a confirming email. This will provide a written record of the change.

Before signing your contract, make sure there is a cancellation notice. In New York City, every consumer has the right to cancel a contract that they signed within three days of the date they signed the agreement. Even if you have provided a deposit with the signed agreement, you are entitled to a full refund when cancelling. This cancellation must be provided in writing, so ask your contractor if they have any special forms that you need to fill out to execute the cancellation, or ask if they will accept the cancellation by email.

A contract is not a binding legal document unless it is signed by both parties. Make sure both you and your contractor have signed the agreement and you have a dually signed copy in your possession prior to the start of work.

Thoroughly review the entire contract and be certain you understand it before signing it. It is important to ask questions about terms, or unfamiliar processes if you are not clear what they mean. If it's not in the contract, it doesn't exist. When it comes to your remodeling project, and protecting your family and home, you can never ask too many questions.

It is a good idea to keep a file to include the contract, plans, material specifications, invoices, change orders and all correspondence with the contractor. You may need to refer to these documents in the future.

For any questions about a contractor, or the requirements of a contractor agreement, you can contact the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs by calling 311, or visit their website at www.nyc.gov/dca.

For any questions about your remodeling project, you can contact HIC of Staten Island by e-mail at hicofstatenisland@gmail.com.

Lana Seidman, Executive Director HIC of Staten Island, Inc.

(718) 356-2323 www.hicofsi.org narihic@gmail.com

All our experts are licensed, bonded and insured members of the Home Improvement Contractors of Staten Island (HIC of Staten Island). Homeowners should always consult with licensed professionals, check a contractor's license through the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs (call 311 for information) and ensure that their project complies with NYC DOB regulations before embarking on any home improvement project.

To ask your home improvement questions contact: questionsfortheexpert@gmail.comSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Accessibility to the boardwalk and beach in South Beach will now be easier, thanks to a newly reconstructed ramp.

City Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver was joined by Staten Island Parks Commissioner Lynda Ricciardone, elected officials and community members to unveil the ramp during an event on Thursday to kick off the beach season.

"This year is special at South Beach because we are unveiling our newly renovated ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)-accessible ramp, which provides access to the boardwalk and the beach," Silver said.

The new ramp, located at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Boardwalk at Sand Lane, replaces the former ramp destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn) urged Staten Islanders to keep beaches and parks clean.

"We want to keep our beaches and our parks clean this summer, and we want to encourage people to tell their friends, family and neighbors not to litter because littering is not good for the environment, the animals, the birds and not good for any of us," she said.

Silver discussed several water safety tips, which can be found on the city Parks Department website.

The city is also continuing its partnership with IMPACT Melanoma and Bright Guard to offer free SPF 30 sunscreen dispensers located at all city beaches this summer.

Beaches across New York City officially open on Saturday, and will remain open through Sept. 9. Lifeguards will be on duty daily, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Swimming is strictly prohibited at all other times.

Staten Island is home to four city public beaches, and South Beach is among the most visited in the city.

Boardwalk bicycle rental stations, operated by Wheel Fun Rentals, are located at Sand Lane and at Jefferson Avenue.

SWIMMING BEACH LOCATIONS

Staten Island's swimming beaches, operated by the city Department of Parks and Recreation, include:

Cedar Grove Beach, located at Ebbitts Street and Cedar Grove Avenue in New Dorp Beach.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk and Beach, which stretches from Fort Wadsworth to Miller Field. The boardwalk and beach area include South Beach and Midland Beach. The boardwalk is closed from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Wolfe's Pond Beach, located on Raritan Bay and Prince's Bay, between Holton and Cornelia avenues.

South Beach, from Fort Wadsworth to Miller Field, Midland Beach.

Before heading out to the beach, visit the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's New York City Area Beaches page for water quality advisories or closures, or text BEACH to 877-877 to receive real-time opening, closing and water quality information.

GATEWAY NATIONAL RECREATION AREA

The beach in Great Kills Park, part of the Staten Island Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area of the National Park Service, also opens Saturday.

Lifeguards will be on duty there from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, through Labor Day.

FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Sitting Wednesday with the parents of children who were killed by MS-13 gang members, President Donald Trump threatened to strip aid from countries that don't take back undocumented gang members, and doubled down on calling members of the El Salvadorian gang "animals."

"I called them animals and I was met with rebuke, they said 'they're people,'" said Trump of the El Salvadorian gang with roots in Los Angeles and an estimated 250 active members on Long Island. "They're not people; these are animals and we have to be very, very tough."

A packed room of local officials and law enforcement members attended the round table at the Morrelly Homeland Security Center in Nassau County. President Trump sat with parents Evelyn Rodriguez, Freddy Cuevas, Elizabeth Alvarado and Robert Mickens, whose daughters, Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens, were killed by MS-13 gang members in September 2016.

Trump sat with Republican congressmen and federal and local officials, against a backdrop that read "secure our borders" and "protect our communities." The officials discussed ways the federal government could address MS-13's violence.

DONOVAN'S TRIP WITH TRUMP

Rep. Daniel Donovan -- who is on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, House Homeland Security Committee, and chairs its subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications -- told the Advance that he met with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo before going to the White House and riding in a caravan to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

Donovan, Rep. Peter King (R-Long Island), and Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Long Island) met with Trump there and flew to John F. Kennedy Airport on Air Force One. Donovan said he ate lunch with Trump, King and Zeldin.

"We talked about the viciousness of MS-13," Donovan said.

Trump, who sat at the roundtable with Donovan, gave the Staten Island congressman a brief public greeting.

"Congressman Daniel Donovan, really known as Dan, Dan Donovan," said Trump. "He's been a friend. "

After Trump joked to the parents he was sitting with that they'd get to speak right after the politicians spoke, Donovan responded, "We're public servants, not politicians."

Trump said, "You are."

Donovan said he now sees a few ways that Congress can act on gang violence conducted by undocumented immigrants.

"Someone who's in our country illegally and commits a crime and is convicted and sentenced to prison, when their sentence is completed, if their home country will not take them back within six months, right now we're required to release that person into the community," said Donovan, who was Staten Island's top prosecutor for 12 years. "That's something that needs to be corrected."

When Donovan brought this up at the roundtable discussion, Trump said that his administration is working on a plan to deduct aid from countries that "encourage people" leaving to the U.S.

"They'll let you think they're trying to stop this,'' Trump said. "They're not trying to stop this. They don't want the people that we're getting in that country. We're going to work out something that every time somebody comes in from a certain country we're going to deduct a rather large amount of money from what we give them in aid -- if we gave them aid at all."

Donovan also said he discussed the issue with Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

Trump also addressed MS-13's violence in July 2017 on Long Island, at which time he vowed to a room of more than a 100 local law enforcement officers that his administration would help curb the violence. Donovan also traveled with Trump on that trip.

FOLLOW CLIFFORD MICHEL ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER.President Donald Trump canceled his June 12 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in response to "tremendous anger and open hostility" from Pyongyang. Many argue this decision was premature, and Trump should reschedule the meeting. But others applauded Trump, arguing his decision to walk away from the summit sends a clear message to the North Koreans that they "cannot play the United States." What do you think?

PERSPECTIVES

Trump released a letter canceling his planned summit with Kim Jong Un, citing "tremendous anger and open hostility" from Pyongyang.

Many believe Trump made the wrong decision.

The cancellation by @POTUS of the North Korea Summit with Kim Jong Un has just increased the chances of war. The timing is particularly odd given that North Korea allegedly just destroyed parts of a nuclear test site as a show of good faith.



I strongly urge Trump to reconsider. https://t.co/NlEhM1JpFI  Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) May 24, 2018

Diplomacy is tough stuff, and Trump doesn't seem willing to put the work in.

Trump's letter to Kim Jong Un sounds like it was written by a child.



His refusal to utilize the expertise of career diplomats in the State Department before embarrassing our country is terrifying.



We're now on a path to war with Iran and a nuclear conflict with North Korea. https://t.co/7OvWy5HTLo  Cathy Myers (@CathyMyersWI) May 24, 2018

The cancellation of the North Koran summit is the cherry on the Trump sundae of failures. Trump was so desperate for a Nobel prize because Obama has one that he jumped at meeting Kim Jong Un with no preparation. Trump is the laughing stock of the world  (((DeanObeidallah))) (@DeanObeidallah) May 24, 2018

But others feel Trump made the right decision. The North Koreans were trying to play him.

.@GordonGChang on White House pulling out of North Korea summit: "Walking away from the summit now sends a message both to the North Koreans and to the Chinese that they cannot play the United States." pic.twitter.com/VcS6PZcHj5  FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) May 24, 2018

It's not crazy that a president would walk away from a summit that wouldn't be productive.

If it wasnt going to be productive, @POTUS is right to nix the North Korea summit. Reagan correctly walked out of Reykjavik rather than give away the store. @POTUS isnt going to allow Kim Jong-Un to get the best of him.  Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 24, 2018

Trump is sending a clear message to Kim Jong Un, and that's don't mess with the U.S.

North Korea has a long history of demanding concessions merely to negotiate. While past administrations of both parties have fallen for this ruse, I commend the president for seeing through Kim Jong Uns fraud. https://t.co/4j1Sv5ABoW pic.twitter.com/sHTR72YUjO  Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) May 24, 2018

The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Digital, Inc. property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It's not everyday someone gets a second chance at life. But one Staten Islander, Kathleen Doherty, 74, was fortunate enough.

Doherty was reunited with the first responders who saved her life at the FDNY's 24th annual Second Chance ceremony Tuesday in Brooklyn, held in honor of National EMS Week.

Doherty was discovered in cardiac arrest by her neighbor, Paul Digiso, in the backyard of her home on Sept 17, 2017. Digiso had alerted a nurse in their neighborhood, Laura Cappo, who began administering bystander CPR, an FDNY post on social media stated.

In less than four minutes, FDNY Lt. Frank Soto and Firefighters Anthony Tanzillo, Steven Decarlo, Gary Elder and Alex Filosa of Engine Co. 167 in Annadale arrived, and took over CPR. They delivered a single shock with a defibrillator to revive Doherty.

"I couldn't believe it was happening to me," Doherty said.

Paramedics Keith Werner and Carmen Rosas and Lt. Ralph Cabello from EMS Station 23 in Rossville, and EMTs Anthony Natale and Benjamin Knight from Station 22 in Sea View, arrived to Doherty's home next.

They hooked Doherty up to an IV and monitored her heart activity. Once the single shock the firefighters performed on Doherty had restored her circulation, she was then transported to Staten Island University Hospital in Prince's Bay.

"I am so grateful that the FDNY was there," Doherty said. "They saved my life and I want to thank them very much."

The ceremony gave patients, like Doherty, who have survived cardiac arrest, an opportunity to reunite with the paramedics, emergency medical technicians, firefighters, bystanders and other first responders who saved their lives.

"Each of our honored guests was struck down at different moments in their lives but what they all have in common is that they received the greatest care possible from FDNY EMS," said Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro. "A New Yorker, or a visitor to our great city calls 911 for medical help, and our members rush to their aid - it happens 4,000 times a day and more than 1.4 million times a year. The enormous responsibility of providing that care is one our department is proud to own."

James E. Leonard, chief of department, stated the Second Chance Ceremony is "truly a celebration of all the brave men and women who go into danger to help others."

"Seeing this row of survivors is a reminder to all of us how important the FDNY is to the people who live in and visit our city," Leonard said.

Doherty credits her second chance to the quick actions of her neighbor, and the outstanding training of the emergency personnel.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A pedestrian was critically injured after being struck by a box truck in Graniteville Thursday morning.

A 59-year-old man was in the crosswalk when he was hit at the corner of Goethals Road North and Richmond Avenue at around 11:49 a.m., authorities said.

The pedestrian suffered severe left leg injuries, but was conscious and alert, according to an NYPD spokeswoman.

The victim was rushed in critical condition to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, police said.

"I saw the man was hit and looked like it ran over his legs," said a witness at the scene.

The 58-year-old male driving the white box truck remained at the scene while authorities conduct their probe, police said.

Several police vehicles, cops, detectives and the NYPD's Collision Investigation Squad were summoned to the location.

The intersection is blocked off and traffic is being diverted.

Further information will be posted as it becomes available.Australia's central bank chief warns over China debt risk



Sydney, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



Australia's central bank chief has warned China's mounting debt poses a grave economic threat, with broadening trade ties between the two countries exposing more industries to the risk.

Total debt has ballooned in China from 100 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the late 1990s to about 260 percent, with authorities seeking to boost credit and stimulate the economy since exports slowed during the global financial crisis.

China is Australia's largest trading partner, accounting for close to a third of its exports and about one fifth of imports, and Reserve Bank of Australia chief Philip Lowe is worried.

"Among the largest economic risks that Australia faces is something going wrong in China," he said during a speech in Sydney on Wednesday evening.

"And perhaps the single biggest risk to the Chinese economy at the moment lies in the financial sector and the big run-up in debt there over the past decade."

Lowe stressed that economic ties with China run much deeper today than simply resource exports, with tourism, education and agricultural shipments accounting for an increasing share of trade as Australia's mining boom recedes.

"In many individual categories, we now export more to China than any single other destination," he said.

"So what happens in China is now directly relevant to a broad spectrum of Australian industries."

Australia welcomed some 1.4 million Chinese visitors last year, up from about 400,000 a decade earlier.

Close to 200,000 Chinese students currently study in universities Down Under, making up one third of the country's education exports.

Although Chinese money accounts for just three percent of foreign investment in Australia, Lowe noted it was becoming increasingly diversified as mining tails off.

Wine and dairy exports to China's burgeoning middle class are on the rise, as are vitamins and pharmaceuticals.

"What happens in China is important to Australia, and to the broader global community," Lowe said.

With ties between the two countries tense since Canberra launched an inquiry into espionage laws and foreign government interference last year, Lowe appealed for calm.

"We will, of course, have differences from time to time, but we will surely be better placed to deal with these if we understand one another well," he said.

"Building strong connections across business, finance, politics, academia and the community more generally is important to deepening this understanding."Burkina Faso breaks diplomatic ties with Taiwan



Ouagadougou, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



The Sahel state of Burkina Faso announced Thursday that it was breaking diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

"The Burkina government decided today to break off its diplomatic relationship with Taiwan," Foreign Minister Alpha Barry said, in an announcement that follows a string of similar moves by African states since 2000.

"Since 1994, Burkina Faso has had cooperation relations with Taiwan," Barry said in a statement.

"But today, changes in the world, the current socio-economic challenges facing our country and our region call on us to reconsider our position."

The foreign minister did not mention whether Burkina Faso would switch diplomatic ties to China.

China considers Taiwan to be a renegade province.

The two have been engaged for years in a diplomatic tug-of-war in developing countries. Economic support and other aid are often used as bargaining chips for diplomatic recognition.

China has notched up a string of successes south of the Sahara, where it has gained a high profile in infrastructure projects, especially in transport.

"President Roch Marc Kabore has instructed me... to take all necessary steps to close our embassy in Taipei and Taiwan's (embassy) in our country," Barry said.

"This decision is guided by the firm will to defend the interests of Burkina and its people in the community of nations, and to develop better partnerships in order to strengthen our country's socio-economic progress."

A landlocked country of 18 million people on the southern rim of the Sahara, Burkina Faso is one of the poorest nations of the world.

It ranked 185th out of 188 states in the UN's Human Development Index for 2016.Taiwan leader lashes China after Burkina Faso cuts ties



Taipei, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen lashed out at China on Thursday after Burkina Faso broke diplomatic ties with the island, the second country to do so this month.

The move, which has been welcomed by China, comes after the Dominican Republic switched recognition to Beijing earlier this month, leaving Taiwan with only 18 diplomatic allies around the world.

Although it was not immediately clear if Burkina Faso and China would establish diplomatic relations, officials in Taipei said it was only a matter of time and blamed Beijing for the setback.

"China's crude behaviours to undermine our sovereignty have already challenged the bottom line of Taiwan's society. We will not tolerate it anymore," President Tsai told reporters without elaborating.

Tsai accused Beijing of using "dollar diplomacy" to lure away the island's allies.

She added that Beijing's moves reflected "insecurity and lack of confidence.... The more crude their behaviour, the more it sparks international repulsion".

The foreign ministry in Beijing said in a statement that "we welcome Burkina Faso's early accession to the Sino-African friendship and cooperation family based on the one-China principle."

Relations between Taiwan and China have worsened since Beijing-sceptic Tsai came to power as her government refuses to acknowledge that Taiwan is part of "one China".

China still considers Taiwan to be a renegade province to be reunified, by force if necessary, even though they split in 1949 after a civil war.

The two have been engaged for years in a diplomatic tug-of-war in developing countries. Economic support and other aid are often used as bargaining chips for diplomatic recognition.

Taiwan can now claim only one ally in Africa -- eSwatini (formerly Swaziland). Burkina Faso was the fourth country to cut ties with Taipei since Tsai took office two years ago.

The Dominican Republic announced on May 1 the termination of its 77-year diplomatic relationship with Taiwan to recognise China.

The small African nation of Sao Tome switched recognition to Beijing in late 2016, followed by Panama in June last year.



- Raising pressure -



Burkina Faso said earlier Thursday that it was severing diplomatic ties with Taiwan for the second time. The country terminated relations with Taipei first in 1973 but restored them in 1994.

"But today, changes in the world, the current socio-economic challenges facing our country and our region call on us to reconsider our position," said Foreign Minister Alpha Barry.

The decision prompted Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu Thursday to tender his resignation, pending Tsai's approval.

Wu said that Taipei was cutting relations with Burkina Faso "to safeguard our sovereignty and dignity" and halting bilateral aid and cooperation programmes.

According to some reports, last year Beijing allegedly offered $50 billion to Burkina Faso to establish relations but the landlocked west African state turned it down.

Tsai dropped a plan to visit the country in April during her first trip to Africa since taking office after its president was unable to receive her, citing scheduling conflicts.

Wu said Taipei already felt "a little unease" at that time.

Tsai's government is trying to enhance Taiwan's international profile but faces a concerted attempt by Beijing to shrink its space on global platforms.

Beijing has stepped up pressure on her government by blocking Taiwan from attending a growing list of international events and staging a string of military drills around the island.

Taiwan has accused the World Health Organization of giving in to pressure from China after it was not invited to a major meeting that is underway in Geneva.Page Content

Minister Emil Lee recently attended the Caribbean Hotel and Resorts Investment Summit (CHRIS) conference in Miami, representing Sint Maarten as deputy Prime Minister, accompanied by Secretary General of TEATT, Miguel de Weever. Minister Lee participated as a panel member in a discussion on the topic of Building a better tomorrow after a natural disaster - A Government's perspective, together with panel members from the US Virgin islands, British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Anguilla and Haiti. CHRIS is the Caribbeans most noteworthy hotel investment conference, a prime networking opportunity for Sint Maarten. Lee commented that fruitful discussions were held on opportunities for destination Sint Maarten, discussions beneficial to the reconstruction economy of the country at present.





Apart from the vast networking opportunities and exchange of knowledge, interesting points from the conference include the recently enacted Tourism Incentive Act of Puerto Rico. Here you see how other countries in the Caribbean are looking to see what they can do to stimulate and incentivized the tourism industry. Everyone from private sector at the conference really emphasized that Governments participation, as a facilitator in the reconstruction process is critical. It was stressed that locations that have good airlift are of primary interest from an investment perspective. This is where it is sad to see that our current airport rebuilding process may be even more delayed based on the recent announcement of court proceedings between PJIA and NAGICO. Anguilla also stressed that they are very dependent on Sint Maarten for airlift. We have a responsibility to our neighbors and ourselves to make sure that the airport is fully operational as soon as possible. - Minister Emil Lee





Investors at the conference spoke of Maximum Risk Adjustment Returns, meaning that investors are no longer looking at simple business models. Business models and plans are adjusted based on the risk factors. The better the infrastructure, the more attractive the investment, these considerations influence the risk factor of an investment. These are important factors to be aware of from the investor perspective. That Sint Maarten is further improving its infrastructure and putting electricity and water lines underground creates less risk for investors and making the country more attractive for investors.





Over 300 conference delegates, representing 28 countries were in attendance. Lee met representatives of the Hilton hotel group, whom are currently flagging a property on Sint Maarten. Representatives of the Apple Leisure Group, an upcoming powerhouse in the tourism industry also expressed interest in a management contract on the island. The networking opportunities continued with several construction companies who are interested in bidding applications for current construction projects on the island. These companies and contractors expressed interest in the local labour market, work permit procedures and housing availability. Suppliers of building materials were also in attendance and networking, expressing interest in distribution and demonstration opportunities on Sint Maarten. Sunwing representatives, owners of the former Great Bay hotel, were also present at the conference as well as representatives of the World Bank.





Prime Minister Leona Marlin-Romeo was originally invited to attend and represent Sint Maarten at the CHRIS conference. The Prime Minister was unable to attend due to conflicting commitments. Minister Lee was asked to attend on her behalf as deputy Prime Minister.By clicking Agree, you consent to Slates Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and the use of technologies such as cookies by Slate and our partners to deliver relevant advertising on our iOS app to personalize content and perform site analytics. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about our use of data, your rights, and how to withdraw consent.

AgreePHILIPSBURG:---The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development & Labour, in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, have been undertaking several actions to ensure that local job seekers are included in job opportunities that arise as a result of the current reconstruction process of the country. The Division Labor Affairs & Social Services has conducted a National Registration Drive to assess the immediate availability of skilled persons on the local labor market. The registration drive yielded mixed results, but by and large provided evidence that there are insufficient skilled laborers on the local labor market to address the demand for skills in several industries, primarily, the Construction industry.

There are several programs in place that offer a combination of job-training and paid employment as part of the reconstruction projects within several industries institutions locally. Job seekers have the opportunity to learn new skills and join new trades. We have been working together with institutions such as the White & Yellow Cross, NIPA and have also sent several persons abroad to Trinidad for training. However, this is not enough as larger reconstruction projects requiring for example, skilled construction personnel, electricians etc. The local market alone may not be able to meet these needs. The Ministry encourages these employers to host registration drives and training programs, in order to make the extra effort to employ local laborers. We want to ensure that all is done to include our people.  Minister Emil Lee

The ability to source qualified and certified laborers for the rebuilding of our major infrastructure is key to our recovery as a Nation. To this effect, the Ministry, under the auspices of the Division Labor Affairs & Social Services, has invoked of the National decree containing general measures on the employment of foreign labor AB 2013 nr 73 article 7 paragraph 3 . This allows the Ministry to approve an employment permit on a one-time basis for projects related to the reconstruction.

The idea is that we would be able to give one time permits for people that are participating on a project basis for the reconstruction of a particular project. This measure would not only be considered for construction workers but other trades as well. We believe that we are striking a balance between stimulating the recovery process while protecting our local labor market. We do not expect that persons will remain in the country once the project is complete, it is important that we protect our local labour market.  Minister Emil Lee

This is being done on an exceptional term only, and the respective applicant (employer/business owner) must comply with the following requirements in order to facilitate the processing of the permits under these conditions:

1. Valid labor registration

2. Registration of the business on www.jobopportunity.sx (note that based on the position outline, the Ministry may opt to waive the 5 weeks hold for positions that are directly required within the reconstruction process)

3. Completed Employment permit application form & overview of education

4. Payment of all taxes of the business

5. Payment of the applicable processing fee to the Government of Sint Maarten

6. Statement of guarantee of housing for the non-nationals signed off by the registered owner of the business

7. Copies passports of non-nationals tied to the project

8. Copies of flight itinerary

9. Copies of certificates, diplomas & qualifications

10. Certified English translations of the above point 9, by a legally registered translator, if document not in English

11. The credentials of the legally registered translator

12. Complete Project plans, mentioning duration of the project

The Ministry has the option to waive the five week holding period for positions that are directly needed within the reconstruction process. We continue to stress that it is important for employers to try all avenues to recruit local workers, but we also want to work together towards ultimately stimulating the recovering economy. It is also important that the housing market is not distorted by incoming foreign workers. We already have a very limited housing capacity and we do not want to see unfair competition within the rental market which would have adverse effects for locals seeking affordable housing. This is an important topic of discussion that must continue when foreign workers are being brought in.  Minister Emil Lee

Once all the documentation is submitted by the entity, the applicant, the Ministry will try to process the permits within a 10-day period. The ministry is very sensitive to the fact that if we do not respond quickly a timely give answers quickly that that would impact the supply of labor available for we construction process and so the ministry is committed to doing whatever we can to facilitate the process in an efficient manner for all.

The Ministry will continue with the initiatives and programs already in place to train locals in the reconstruction trades to ensure that they can participate in our reconstruction economy. Persons are encouraged to apply online via www.jobopportunity.sx and attend the organized job fairs and get access to employers who are seeking local workers and those with residence permits.PHILIPSBURG:--- A delegations from the Parliaments of the Netherlands, Curacao, Aruba and Sint Maarten will be meeting in The Hague, Netherlands for the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultations (IPKO).

The four parliamentary delegations will be discussing a number of issues such as the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the different countries of the Kingdom, voting right and elections within the Kingdom, current state of affairs of the Dispute regulation, the situation in Venezuela and its effects for the Kingdom and human rights in the justice chain. The Sint Maarten delegation will be giving a presentation on the state of affairs of the Parliament of Sint Maarten. The presentation will also focus briefly on the progress of the recovery and rebuilding process since the passing of hurricane Irma.

The program includes a work visit to a waste management facility. This work visit was requested by the Sint Maarten delegation to acquire recommendations and best practices on waste management that can be used in Sint Maarten.

The delegation of Sint Maarten has been preparing for the last few weeks for its participation in these meetings. The Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Interparliamentary Relations met on several occasions to discuss the topics and to establish the position of the Sint Maarten delegation on the several topics.

The Interparliamentary consultations will conclude on Friday June 1, 2018 with the adoption and signing of the Agreement List and a joint press conference of the four delegations.

The deliberations between the delegations are open to the public and can be followed directly through a live stream on the website of the First Chamber and the Second Chamber, depending on the location of the meeting for that day, www.eerstekamer.nl or www.tweedekamer.nl.

Prior to the start of the Interparliamentary consultations, on May 28, 2018, the delegation of Sint Maarten will also be participating in the Tripartite meeting along with delegations from sister islands of Curacao and Aruba. Among the topics to be discussed are the Dispute regulations, relationship between the countries of the Kingdom, Constitutional Court and cooperation in the areas of health care and education etc.

The goal of the meeting is to prepare for several topics that will be tabled during the Interparliamentary consultation as well as discuss topics of mutual interest.

The Sint Maarten delegation partaking in the IPKO and Tripartite meetings will consist of the following members:

Mrs. Sarah A. Wescot-Williams, President of Parliament, Delegation leader;

Ms. Silveria E. Jacobs, Chairlady Committee Kingdom Affairs and Interparliamentary Relations;

Mr. Wycliffe S. Smith;

Mr. Rolando Brison;

Mrs. N.R. Guishard-Joubert, LL.M., Secretary General;

Mr. mr Ralph R.H. Richardson, advisor.France to pump 65 million euros into African startups



Paris, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



France will plough 65 million euros ($76 million) into startups in Africa, President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday at a technology conference in Paris.

Macron made the announcement at the third edition of the VivaTech trade fair, which brings together innovators, investors and entrepreneurs.

This year VivaTech, which features speeches by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Uber boss Dara Khosrowshahi, has put a special focus on innovation in Africa's tiny but fast-growing startup scene.

"African startups have energy but the big providers of development aid and financiers have not adapted to that. We ourselves are too slow, too hesitant," Macron, a passionate tech advocate, told the fair, which was attended by Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

Macron said the French development agency AFD would set up a fund "to fill the gaps in the support with small sums ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 euros, which is what startups need."

The AFD also aimed to bring other donors on board "to grow this initiative tenfold," Macron said.

Entrepreneurs would be able to apply for funding through the AFD's Digital Africa platform, he said.

The scheme will be launched in the coming weeks, Macron said. He did not give the duration of the project.

France's young president has made entrepreneurship a cornerstone of his domestic economic policy as well as his overseas development strategy.

During an African tour last year he touted innovation as a vehicle for growth and job creation.

In a sign of the growing interest in technology on the continent with the world's youngest population, African startups raised some 477 million euros in 2017, up more than 50 percent in a year, according to an estimate by investment fund Partech Ventures.

Despite the rise, the figure was only a small fraction of the estimated 20 billion euros raised by European startups in the same period.

juj/cb/js/ri



Chelsea Manning says mass surveillance 'getting worse'



Montreal, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



Mass surveillance by government agencies is increasing, especially in the United States, whistleblower Chelsea Manning told a Montreal audience on Thursday as she called for limits on the development of artificial intelligence.

"Ten years ago, I was working in military intelligence and I could feel the power, and could see how technology is implemented," Manning, once jailed for leaking classified information, said at the C2 Montreal business conference.

Manning said she is stunned now by the "dramatic change in policing style, and aggressive (government) surveillance."

It is "getting worse, especially in the United States," she added.

She urged programmers and computer scientists working on artificial intelligence and machine learning "to consider the ethical implications of the technology that they are building and developing."

Manning, now 30, was an army intelligence analyst sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 for leaking more than 700,000 classified documents related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The revelations by Manning, who is transgender and was then known as Bradley Manning, exposed covered-up misdeeds and possible crimes by US troops and allies.

Her actions made Manning a hero to anti-war and anti-secrecy activists, but US establishment figures branded her a traitor.

Then-president Barack Obama commuted her sentence, leading to her release in May 2017.Pentagon pulls China's invite to Pacific naval exercises



Washington, May 23 (AFP) May 23, 2018



The Pentagon has pulled its invitation for China to join maritime exercises in the Pacific because of Beijing's "continued militarization" of the South China Sea, an official said Wednesday, in the latest sign of US-China strains.

China hit back at the decision, calling it "very non-constructive" and saying it was taken without due reflection.

Personnel from more than two dozen countries train together and work on seamanship across the vast region for the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise organized by the US Navy.

But the United States now says China's behavior in the South China Sea runs counter to the spirit of the drills.

"China's continued militarization of disputed features in the South China Sea only serves to raise tensions and destabilize the region," Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Chris Logan said.

"We have disinvited the PLA Navy from the 2018 Rim of the Pacific Exercise. China's behavior is inconsistent with the principles and purposes of the RIMPAC exercise."

China's Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi said the US decision to exclude it from RIMPAC was "very non-constructive."

"It's also a decision taken lightly and is unhelpful to mutual understanding between China and the US," Wang said at a press conference with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after the two met in Washington.

Pompeo did not comment on the matter, saying only that the pair had had a "good discussion" about American concerns of militarization of the South China Sea.



- Military hardware -



China has deployed anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems and electronic jammers to "contested features" in the Spratly Islands region of the South China Sea, Logan said.

"While China has maintained that the construction of the islands is to ensure safety at sea, navigation assistance, search and rescue, fisheries protection and other non-military functions, the placement of these weapon systems is only for military use," Logan said, noting that the landing of a Chinese bomber on Woody Island had only exacerbated strains.

The decision to pull China's invitation comes amid new tensions between Beijing and Washington.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was not satisfied with talks aimed at averting a trade war with China.

And on Tuesday, he suggested that Chinese President Xi Jinping might have played a role in North Korea's recent threats to withdraw from a planned summit with the US.



- 'Freedom of navigation' -



China claims most of the South China Sea, believed to hold vast oil and gas deposits and through which $5 trillion in trade passes annually. It has built up islands and military installations across the region.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims in the sea.

The US Navy periodically conducts "freedom of navigation" operations in which naval vessels sail close to the Chinese-claimed militarized islets.

Logan said the Pentagon had urged China to remove its military installations "immediately" and to "reverse course" on its militarization of the sea.

Given China's growing military confidence and its heavy investment in the South China Sea, such a move is highly unlikely.

Logan added that Xi had broken a promise he made to the international community that China would not militarize the Spratly Islands.

According to the Navy, this year's RIMPAC was originally slated to include more than 1,000 personnel from 27 countries.

An invitation to the exercises, which are held in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California, carries some political weight as it offers legitimacy and acceptance to participating military forces.

Thailand was disinvited in 2014 following a coup.

RIMPAC began in 1971 and was held annually until 1974, when it switched to every two years due to its large scale. The founding nations are Australia, Canada and the United States.

China has participated twice previously, in 2014 and 2016.Iran accuses US of breaking promises



Tehran, May 23 (AFP) May 23, 2018



Iran cannot "interact" with the United States as it is a country whose word cannot be trusted, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

"The first experience is that the government of the Islamic Republic cannot interact with America... Why? Because America is not committed to its promises," Press TV quoted him in English as saying.

His comments came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday warned that Iran would be hit with the "strongest sanctions in history" and cautioned European firms against continuing to do business in Tehran.

The move was a toughening-up of Washington's policy line after its withdrawal on May 8 from a landmark nuclear pact aimed at preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Pompeo outlined 12 tough conditions from Washington for any "new deal" with Tehran to make sure it "will never again have carte blanche to dominate the Middle East".

US President Donald Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal earlier this month despite intense diplomatic efforts by European allies who had beseeched him to stick with it by adding tougher new elements.

Trump opposed the 2015 deal with Iran -- also signed by Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- believing it did not go far enough.

The international community, including top US officials, said earlier Tehran had been in compliance with the terms of the deal but Trump despised it, pointing to other aspects of Iranian behaviour not covered in the pact.Iran says cannot 'interact' with US



Tehran, May 23 (AFP) May 23, 2018



Iran cannot "interact" with the United States as it is a country whose word cannot be trusted, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

"The first experience is that the government of the Islamic Republic cannot interact with America... Why? Because America is not committed to its promises," Press TV quoted him in English as saying.

His comments came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday outlined 12 tough conditions from Washington for any new nuclear deal with Tehran, rather than proposing a re-negotiation of the old one.

The conditions addressed every aspect of Iran's missile programme and what the US calls its "malign influence" across the region, including support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Hezbollah and Huthi rebels in Yemen.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani compared Pompeo's comments to those made by the administration of George W. Bush ahead of the 2003 Iraq invasion.

"The era of such statements has evolved and the Iranian people have heard these statements hundreds of times, and no longer pays attention," Rouhani said.

US President Donald Trump earlier this month pulled out of the 2015 nuclear pact aimed at preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon despite intense diplomatic efforts by European allies

The international community, including top US officials, said earlier Tehran had been in compliance with the terms of the nuclear deal but Trump despised it, pointing to other aspects of Iranian behaviour not covered in the pact.Ex-Marine serial killer convicted of slaying five women



Los Angeles, May 23 (AFP) May 23, 2018



A former US Marine jailed for the murders of three prostitutes was convicted Wednesday of killing five other women in California, in a grim spree that started three decades ago.

Andrew Urdiales, 53, had a death sentence for the murders in Chicago commuted to life in prison, but is facing possible execution once more for the southern California crimes, commited between 1986 and 1995.

Jurors in Santa Ana are expected to deliberate starting on Tuesday next week on the killer's punishment, with the death penalty and life without parole both possibilities.

Urdiales' attorneys claim childhood trauma and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder left him incapable of controlling his anger, meaning he did not plan the murders.

His victims ranged in age from 20 to 32, starting with 23-year-old student Robbin Brandley, who was found stabbed to death next to her car after a concert in Mission Viejo, Orange County.

"I've been waiting for it for 30 years. The jury did the right thing. They made the right decision," Brandley father, Jack Reilley, said after the verdicts were read.

Reilley added that he felt nothing for the defendant when he saw Urdiales on trial in Chicago, but changed his attitude when he saw crime-scene photos of his daughter during the trial in Santa Ana.

"I never hated anyone before," he told reporters outside the courthouse. "To me, he's just a mongrel dog and whatever happens to him, I don't care."

A defendant sentenced to death in California has a right to three lengthy and expensive stages of review, a complex appeals system and can petition the governor for clemency.

The California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice reported in 2008 that the average time lapse between sentence pronouncement and execution was 17.2 years.

Twelve years have passed since California's last execution, when Clarence Ray Allen received a lethal injection after paying a fellow inmate to commit three murders.

Reilley described his daughter as kind, generous and "a delight," adding that he was not counting on Urdiales ever being put to death for her murder.

Charles Erwin, the father of the youngest victim, Tammie Erwin, said his daughter was the "happiest person," who "always had a smile... and that's what got her in trouble."Top Greek court grants refugee status to two Turkish officers



Athens, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



Two Turkish officers who fled to Greece following the failed 2016 army coup were granted political refugee status Wednesday after an appeal lodged by the Greek government was rejected, a judicial source said.

The pair -- whom Ankara wants to extradite as "terrorists" -- had been told they were allowed to stay by asylum authorities, although the Greek state contested the ruling.

They are part of a group of eight Turkish officers who arrived in neighbouring Greece after the failed coup, and their fate has strained relations between Athens and Ankara.

Greece's country's top administrative court, the Council of State, on Wednesday found in favour of the co-pilot of the helicopter which flew the men over the border, and the decision also applies to another one of the men.

The judicial source said the Greek government has launched an appeal against the second ruling -- the result of which will apply to the next six officers.

According to their lawyers, the eight wish to leave the country, fearing they could be kidnapped by the Turkish services.

Greece's Supreme Court has already ruled that the eight will not be extradited, arguing that they would not have a fair trial at home.

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.

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.N. Korea slams 'ignorant and stupid' Pence, renews summit threat



Seoul, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



North Korea called US Vice-President Mike Pence "ignorant and stupid" for his warnings over a planned summit with Donald Trump, renewing a threat to cancel as the US president said the fate of the historic talks will be decided next week.

Trump is due to meet his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12 for high stakes talks aimed at ridding the reclusive state of its newly acquired nuclear weapons and improving ties after decades of animosity.

The summit announcement came after months of unusually cordial diplomacy between the historic foes brokered by South Korea.

But the newfound bonhomie and the meeting's potential success has been thrown into doubt in recent days with both Washington and Pyongyang raising the prospect of cancelling the talks and trading threats.

The latest broadside from North Korea came Thursday with vice-minister of Foreign Affairs Choe Son Hui lambasting a Monday media interview in which Pence warned Kim Jong Un that it would be a "great mistake" to try and play Trump.

Pence also said North Korea could end up like Libya, whose former leader Moamer Khadafi was killed by US-backed rebels years after giving up atomic weapons, "if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal".

"I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the US vice-president," Choe said in a statement released by the state-run KCNA news agency.

"We will neither beg the US for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us," she said, adding she would recommend Kim cancel the talks if Washington continues to make such threats.

Similar comments comparing North Korea to Libya from Trump's hawkish National Security Advisor John Bolton caused the first threat by Pyongyang last week to cancel the Singapore meeting.

"Whether the US will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States," she added.



- Aides head to Singapore -



Politically, Trump has invested heavily in the success of the planned summit, and so privately most US officials, as well as outside observers, believe it will go ahead.

Hand-picked aides -- including deputy chief of staff Joe Hagin and deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel -- are traveling to the Southeast Asian city state designated to host the summit, officials said.

They are expected to meet their North Korean counterparts and iron out details of the meeting.

But Trump has also become increasingly lukewarm about meeting Kim, teasing his commitment to talks as keenly as any of his "The Apprentice" season finales.

"On Singapore we'll see. It could very well happen," he said Wednesday, adding cryptically: "Whatever it is, we'll know next week."

Trump enthusiastically embraced the idea of talks earlier this year -- the first ever meeting between a US president and a leader of North Korea.

But as the date draws nearer, the yawning gulf in expectations between the two sides is coming into sharp relief.

Washington has made it clear it wants to see the "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation" of the North.

But Pyongyang has vowed it will never give up its nuclear deterrence until it feels safe from what it terms US aggression.

Some analysts have suggested both sides still want to meet in Singapore but are playing hardball in the run up to the summit to leverage a better negotiation position.



- PR battle -



Ostensibly the Trump-Kim talks will be about peace on the Korean peninsula and North Korea's nuclear and ballistic weapons.

But even before talk of test freezes, decommissioning or inspections, Washington and Pyongyang are engaged in a public relations battle.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo -- who has met personally with Kim -- said whether the summit goes ahead is now up to North Korea.

"That decision will ultimately be up to Chairman Kim," he told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday. "He asked for the meeting, the president agreed to meet with him. I'm very hopeful that that meeting will take place."

His remarks reflect an effort to perhaps lay the groundwork for blame should the talks fail.

As part of its own charm offensive, North Korea invited some foreign journalists to witness the slated destruction of the isolated regime's nuclear test site.

The gesture, which experts agree would do little to curb North Korea's long-term nuclear capabilities, is meant to signal that the regime is serious about change.

Pyongyang said it planned to "completely" destroy the Punggye-ri facility in the country's northeast when it made the surprise announcement earlier this month.

The demolition is due to take place sometime between Thursday and Friday, depending on the weather.N. Korea slams 'ignorant and stupid' Pence, renews summit threat



Seoul, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



North Korea called US Vice-President Mike Pence "ignorant and stupid" for his warnings over a planned summit with Donald Trump, renewing a threat to cancel as the US president said the fate of the historic talks will be decided next week.

Trump is due to meet his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12 for high stakes talks aimed at ridding the reclusive state of its newly acquired nuclear weapons and improving ties after decades of animosity.

The summit announcement came after months of unusually cordial diplomacy between the historic foes brokered by South Korea.

But the newfound bonhomie and the meeting's potential success has been thrown into doubt in recent days with both Washington and Pyongyang raising the prospect of cancelling the talks and trading threats.

The latest broadside from North Korea came Thursday with vice-minister of Foreign Affairs Choe Son Hui lambasting a Monday media interview in which Pence warned Kim Jong Un that it would be a "great mistake" to try and play Trump.

Pence also said North Korea could end up like Libya, whose former leader Moamer Khadafi was killed by US-backed rebels years after giving up atomic weapons, "if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal".

"I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the US vice-president," Choe said in a statement released by the state-run KCNA news agency.

"We will neither beg the US for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us," she said, adding she would recommend Kim cancel the talks if Washington continues to make such threats.

Similar comments comparing North Korea to Libya from Trump's hawkish National Security Advisor John Bolton caused the first threat by Pyongyang last week to cancel the Singapore meeting.

"Whether the US will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States," Choe added.



- Aides head to Singapore -



Politically, Trump has invested heavily in the success of the planned summit, and so privately most US officials, as well as outside observers, believe it will go ahead.

Hand-picked aides -- including deputy chief of staff Joe Hagin and deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel -- are traveling to the Southeast Asian city state designated to host the summit, officials said.

They are expected to meet their North Korean counterparts and iron out details of the meeting.

But Trump has also become increasingly lukewarm about meeting Kim, teasing his commitment to talks as keenly as any of his "The Apprentice" season finales.

"On Singapore we'll see. It could very well happen," he said Wednesday, adding cryptically: "Whatever it is, we'll know next week."

Trump enthusiastically embraced the idea of talks earlier this year.

But as the date draws nearer, the gulf in expectations between the two sides is coming into sharp relief.

Washington has made it clear it wants to see the "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation" of the North.

But Pyongyang has vowed it will never give up its nuclear deterrence until it feels safe from what it terms US aggression.

Some analysts have suggested both sides still want to meet in Singapore but are playing hardball in the run up to the summit.

"It's to increase leverage at negotiations," Koh Yu-hwan, a professor of North Korean Studies at Dongguk University, told AFP.

"Both sides are sending signals that they want it (the summit) and that they want it to go well."

- PR battle -



Ostensibly the Trump-Kim talks will be about peace on the Korean peninsula and North Korea's nuclear and ballistic weapons.

But even before talk of test freezes, decommissioning or inspections, Washington and Pyongyang are engaged in a public relations battle.

On Wednesday US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo -- who has met personally with Kim -- said whether the summit goes ahead is now up to North Korea. His remarks reflect an effort to perhaps lay the groundwork for blame should the talks fail.

As part of its own charm offensive, North Korea invited some foreign journalists to witness the slated destruction of the isolated regime's nuclear test site.

The gesture, which experts agree would do little to curb North Korea's long-term nuclear capabilities, is meant to signal that the regime is serious about change.

Pyongyang said it planned to "completely" destroy the Punggye-ri facility in the country's northeast when it made the surprise announcement earlier this month.

The demolition is due to take place sometime between Thursday and Friday, depending on the weather.Macron in Russia for high-stakes talks with Putin



Saint Petersburg, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Saint Petersburg on Thursday to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, with the Iran nuclear deal as well as conflicts in Syria and Ukraine on the agenda.

The trip is Macron's first to Russia as president and follows a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week. Europe and Moscow are making diplomatic overtures to save the Iran deal, now under threat after the recent US withdrawal.

The French and Russian leaders will "take the time for an in-depth one-on-one discussion", according the Elysee.

Macron will be accompanied by his wife Brigitte during the trip, which will also see him address the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The meeting comes almost exactly a year since the freshly elected Macron hosted Putin in Versailles, when the French leader accused Russian media of producing "lying propaganda" during a joint press conference.

This time Putin will welcome the French president to the Konstantin Palace, a former residence of Peter the Great set some 20 kilometres (12 miles) outside Saint Petersburg.

The talks take place after President Donald Trump in early May controversially pulled the US out of the 2015 landmark pact with Iran that placed limits on its nuclear programme in return for easing economic sanctions.

Washington is threatening stinging fresh sanctions if Tehran does not comply with a set of strict new demands.

Saving the deal provides a rare point of agreement between Moscow and European countries, which have seen relations tank in recent years over crises in Ukraine and Syria, as well as accusations of meddling in foreign elections and the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in Britain.

"Russia shares the position of the majority of the international community including Western leaders" when it comes to the Iran deal, said Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Moscow Center.

The West has realised that a dialogue with Putin is "inevitable" in order to preserve the accord, he said.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will also visit Russia at the end of the week.

"Merkel and Abe have already begun a thaw with Moscow and Macron is scared of losing the advantage that France has always had with Russia," Baunov added.



- Sticking points -



But there are a number of sticking points that will prevent a full rapprochement between Paris and Moscow.

Chief among them is Syria, where at least 350,000 people have been killed since war broke out in 2011.

Moscow intervened in 2015 to prop up its ally President Bashar al-Assad -- in a move generally seen as decisive in turning around the multi-front conflict -- while France has participated in strikes on regime targets.

Another issue is the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which broke out after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and has so far claimed at least 10,000 lives.

Paris and Moscow, along with Berlin, signed peace agreements in Minsk in 2015 that aimed to bring the fighting to a close but there is currently no end in sight.

On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch also implored Macron to raise the issue of rights abuses with his Russian counterpart, following a crackdown on dissent and pressure on minority groups in the country.

He must confirm "that the France will never accept the increased repression in Russia as 'the new normal'," the NGO said in a statement.

But the talks between the two presidents will not be the only bilateral activity of the day, as a raft of commercial agreements are also set to be signed during the economic forum.

The presence of the French president at the forum "legitimises visits by business people. Those who are worried about the risks, sanctions or criticism are covered to a certain extent by the president," analyst Baunov said.

"If anything, the political leadership will get criticised for this rapprochement and not the business community."Coalition strike in Syria kills 12 pro-regime forces: monitor



Beirut, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



An air strike on Syrian army positions in eastern Syria overnight killed at least 12 pro-regime fighters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday.

The Britain-based monitoring group said the strike was carried out by the US-led coalition in an area south of Albu Kamal which has repeatedly been attacked by the Islamic State jihadist group.

"At least three vehicles were destroyed by the strike," said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman.

He said that the 12 pro-regime fighters killed in the incident were not Syrians but he could not provide more details on their identity.

Syrian state media reported the strike earlier but said it only caused material damage.

The US-led coalition which is also battling IS in the remote area in eastern Syria has not yet commented on the reports.Iran lays out nuclear deal red lines



Tehran, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



Following Washington's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, the Islamic republic's supreme leader has laid out his country's conditions for upholding its side of the landmark accord with world powers.

The following excerpts from an address by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Iranian officials, published on Thursday, outline Iran's demands of Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany if the deal is to survive:



- 'Protest US action' -



"The US withdrawal is a violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 (establishing the nuclear deal). The Europeans need to table a resolution against the US to protest this action."



- 'No objections to missiles' -



"The heads of the three European nations must promise not to raise any objections to Iranian missiles or Iran's presence in the region. Everyone should know that the Islamic Republic of Iran will never give up elements of its power, especially concerning questions of defence."

The US has levied sanctions against Tehran for its ballistic missile programme and labels Iranian regional proxy groups such as Hezbollah as "terrorist" entities.



- 'Safeguard oil sales' -



"If the US succeeds in disturbing Iranian oil sales, the Europeans must promise to buy whatever quantity we wish to sell."

US President Donald Trump triggered fears for Iran's economy earlier this month when he pulled his country from the 2015 deal.

World powers and signatories have since rallied around the accord, which imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of punishing economic sanctions.

The prospect of new American sanctions on Tehran has already caused some European firms to indicate they will pull out of business ventures in Iran.



- 'Concrete guarantees' -



Khamenei has said Iran could resume its uranium enrichment up to 20 percent should the deal collapse. The accord limits Tehran to enriching uranium to 3.67 percent, well short of weapons-grade strength.

"Iran is not seeking discord with the Europeans but given their past behaviour we cannot trust them," Khamenei said. "For this reason the guarantees must be concrete."North Korea dismantles nuclear test site ahead of US summit



Seoul, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



North Korea said it had "completely" dismantled its nuclear test site Thursday in a carefully choreographed move portrayed by the isolated regime as a goodwill gesture ahead of a potential summit with US President Donald Trump.

Invited foreign journalists at the scene described a series of explosions throughout the day, three of them in entry tunnels to the underground facility, followed by blasts that demolished a nearby barracks and other structures at the Punggye-ri test site in the country's northeast.

"There was a huge explosion, you could feel it. Dust came at you, the heat came at you. It was extremely loud," Tom Cheshire, a journalist for Sky News who was among those invited to attend the ceremony, wrote on the British broadcaster's website.

The Punggye-ri test facility is buried inside a mountain in North Hamgyong province, near the border with China and is North Korea's only known nuclear test site.

It has been the staging ground for all six of the North's nuclear tests, including its latest and by far most powerful one in September last year, which Pyongyang said was an H-bomb.

In a statement North Korea's nuclear weapons agency said the site had been dismantled "completely... to ensure transparency of the discontinuance of nuclear test(ing)."

South Korea welcomed the move.

"(We) expect it to serve as a chance for complete denuclearisation going forward," Noh Kyu-duk, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters.



- Concession or stunt? -



Experts are divided over whether the demolition will render the site useless. Sceptics say the facility has already outlived its usefulness with six successful nuclear tests in the bag and can be quickly rebuilt if needed.

North Korea did not invite any independent observers from overseas.

But others say the fact that Pyongyang agreed to destroy the site without preconditions and without asking for something in return from Washington suggests the regime is serious about change.

Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Dongguk University, said the demolition "cannot be dismissed as a media stunt".

"It is significant that North Korea has backed up its commitment to denuclearisation with concrete action," he told AFP, saying it made the summit more likely.

In its statement North Korea said two tunnels at the site were "ready for use for carrying out very powerful underground nuclear tests at any time" before they were destroyed.

Trump is due to meet his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12 for high stakes talks aimed at ridding the reclusive state of its newly acquired nuclear weapons and improving ties after decades of animosity.

The summit announcement came after months of unusually cordial diplomacy between the historic foes brokered by Seoul.

But the newfound bonhomie and the meeting's potential success has been thrown into doubt in recent days with both Washington and Pyongyang raising the prospect of cancelling the talks and trading threats.



- Gulf in expectations -



Trump has said a final say on whether the summit will go ahead is likely to come "next week" but has touted the talks as a golden opportunity for Pyongyang.

"We will see what happens. There is a good chance. And it would be a great thing for North Korea," he told Fox News in an interview recorded before the nuclear test site demolition.

Politically, Trump has invested heavily in the success of the planned summit, so privately most US officials, as well as outside observers, believe it will go ahead.

Hand-picked US aides travelled to Singapore this week where they are expected to meet their North Korean counterparts and iron out details of the meeting.

But as the date draws nearer, the gulf in expectations between the two sides is coming into sharp relief.

Washington has made it clear it wants to see the "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation" of the North.

But Pyongyang has vowed it will never give up its nuclear deterrence until it feels safe from what it terms US aggression.

"I would like to have it (denuclearisation) done immediately," Trump told Fox. "Physically, a phase-in may be necessary," he added, leaving a window open for negotiating a more gradual disarmament.

A handful of journalists from China, the US, Britain, Russia and South Korea were invited to attend the demolition ceremony.

Their journey to the remote site involved some 14 hours of travelling by train, bus and finally a short hike -- a vivid illustration of the impoverished country's notoriously decrepit infrastructure.

Agence France-Presse is one of a number of major media organisations not invited to cover the demolition.Iran still implementing nuclear deal: IAEA



Vienna, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



Iran is still implementing the 2015 accord over its nuclear programme, according to a report by the UN's nuclear watchdog.

The International Atomic Energy Agency report, seen by AFP Thursday, shows that Iran is abiding by the deal's key restrictions on its nuclear facilities in return for relief from damaging economic sanctions.

The latest assessment from the IAEA comes just two weeks after US President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the accord, throwing its future into jeopardy.

The IAEA urged Iran to stick with the accord and even go beyond its legal obligations so as to boost international confidence in Tehran's commitments.

A senior diplomat at IAEA headquarters said this was not prompted by any lack of co-operation or change of behaviour on Iran's part.

The IAEA is "encouraging (Iran) to go above and beyond the requirements" of the deal in order to boost confidence, the diplomat said, adding that Tehran could for example invite inspectors to sites they had not demanded access to.

Signatories Britain, France, Germany plus the European Union, Russia and China have been trying to salvage the deal after Trump's decision but Iran has warned that if it suffers as a result the reintroduction of US economic sanctions, it could walk away from the accord.Blast kills 1, injures 4 at Turkish explosives factory



Ankara, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



A worker was killed and four injured on Thursday when an explosion rocked an explosives factory in the capital Ankara, the Turkish defence ministry said.

The explosion at the Barutsan rocket and explosives factory owned by weaponry producer Mechanical and Chemical Industry Company (MKE) was the result of a "fuel jam" inside the vats, state news agency Anadolu said.

Turkish media images showed a large cloud of smoke coming from the factory.

The defence ministry said four people had been taken to hospital, adding that judicial and administrative probes had begun.

According to Dogan news agency, the worker killed was a 31-year-old man.Macron in Russia for high-stakes talks with Putin



Strel'na, Russia, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



French President Emmanuel Macron met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday outside Saint Petersburg, with the Iran nuclear deal as well as conflicts in Syria and Ukraine on the agenda.

The trip is Macron's first to Russia as president and follows a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week. Europe and Moscow are making diplomatic overtures to save the Iran deal, now under threat after the recent US withdrawal.

"I believe we must work together on joint initiatives," Macron said in a joint appearance with Putin before the talks.

Putin meanwhile said he was ready to talk "about key international issues, the resolution of which are important to both France and Russia".

Putin handed Macron's wife Brigitte flowers as he greeted the couple late in the afternoon at the Konstantin Palace, a former residence of Peter the Great set some 20 kilometres (12 miles) outside Saint Petersburg.

The meeting comes almost exactly a year since the freshly elected Macron hosted Putin in Versailles, when the French leader accused Russian media of producing "lying propaganda" during a joint press conference.

The trip will also see Macron address the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The talks take place after US President Donald Trump in early May controversially pulled the United States out of the 2015 landmark pact with Iran that placed limits on its nuclear programme in return for easing economic sanctions.

Saving the deal provides a rare point of agreement between Moscow and European countries, which have seen relations tank in recent years over crises in Ukraine and Syria, as well as accusations of meddling in foreign elections and the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in Britain.

"Russia shares the position of the majority of the international community including Western leaders" when it comes to the Iran deal, said Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Moscow Center.

The West has realised that a dialogue with Putin is "inevitable" in order to preserve the accord, he said.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will also visit Russia at the end of the week.

"Merkel and Abe have already begun a thaw with Moscow and Macron is scared of losing the advantage that France has always had with Russia," Baunov added.



- Sticking points -



But there are a number of sticking points that will prevent a full rapprochement between Paris and Moscow.

Chief among them is Syria, where at least 350,000 people have been killed since war broke out in 2011.

Moscow intervened in 2015 to prop up its ally President Bashar al-Assad -- in a move generally seen as decisive in turning around the multi-front conflict -- while France has participated in strikes on regime targets.

Another issue is the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which broke out after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and has so far claimed at least 10,000 lives.

Paris and Moscow, along with Berlin, signed peace agreements in Minsk in 2015 that aimed to bring the fighting to a close but there is currently no end in sight.

International investigators on Thursday said a missile that downed a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine in 2014 belonged to a Russian brigade. Moscow rejected the accusation.

Before Macron's trip, Human Rights Watch also implored him to raise the issue of rights abuses with his Russian counterpart, following a crackdown on dissent and pressure on minority groups in the country.

But the talks between the two presidents will not be the only bilateral activity of the day, as a raft of commercial agreements are also set to be signed during the economic forum.

The presence of the French president at the forum "legitimises visits by business people. Those who are worried about the risks, sanctions or criticism are covered to a certain extent by the president," analyst Baunov said.

"If anything, the political leadership will get criticised for this rapprochement and not the business community."UN chief calls for 'total elimination' of nuclear weapons



Geneva, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



The UN chief said Thursday the "total elimination" of nuclear weapons remained a UN priority, warning against a burgeoning new arms race.

In a speech to students at Geneva University, Antonio Guterres presented a new disarmament agenda to face challenges emerging in a world where "Cold War tensions have returned."

"Today, the total elimination of nuclear weapons remains our priority," he said, cautioning that long-championed global "efforts to achieve this goal are in state of severe crisis."

"Our world is going backwards," Guterres said, adding that hard won disarmament agreements reached during and right after the Cold War risked crumbling.

The UN Secretary General pointed out that "global military spending and arms competition are increasing, particularly in the most dangerous parts of the world."

"Governments are pouring resources into updating old weapons systems, developing new ones, and entering into what many see as a new arms race, based on quality rather than quantity," he said.

At the same time, around 15,000 nuclear weapons remained in stockpiles around the world, Guterres said.

"Hundreds are ready to be launched within minutes. We are one mechanical, electronic or human error away from a catastrophe that could eradicate entire cities from the map."

Faced with this bleak picture, Guterres said his new agenda was based on three priorities "disarmament to save humanity, disarmament that saves lives, and disarmament for future generations."

He vowed to increase his efforts to "facilitate dialogue" between countries, urging the United States and Russia in particular to resolve a range of disputes over disarmament issues.



- NKorea, Syria -



His comments came shortly after US President Donald Trump cancelled a widely anticipated nuclear summit next month with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"I am deeply concerned by the cancellation," Guterres said, urging the two sides to "continue their dialogue to find a path to a peaceful and verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula."

The UN chief also voiced concern about the situation in war-ravaged Syria, and in particular the repeated use of chemical weapons there.

He said his new agenda called for "steps to end and prevent the use of other weapons of mass destruction, especially chemical weapons."

Guterres pointed out that since 2014, a UN fact-finding mission had examined 83 incidents involving the alleged use of chemical weapons in war-ravaged Syria, and had determined so far that such weapons had more than likely been used in 14 cases.

"Each use is a crime under international law. Their widespread use may also constitute a crime against humanity," he warned.

Guterres announced the creation of a "new and impartial mechanism" for identifying those who use chemical weapons in Syria.

In his speech, he also highlighted the growing "malicious use of cyber space".

"Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure could have serious consequences for international relations, peace and security. We could even face the creation of cyberweapons of mass destruction," he cautioned.

"If there is a major outbreak of armed conflict in our world... I am sure that it would be preceded by a massive cyber-attack," he said.US says Europeans did nothing to counter Iran missiles



Washington, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Europeans Thursday of having done nothing to counter Iran's program to develop ballistic missiles.

"The Europeans have told us ... that they are prepared to engage on missiles, and for three years did nothing," Pompeo told a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Likewise, he said, European governments haven't done anything in support of the US campaign labelling Iran the world's leading sponsor of terror.

"They talked about agreeing to things on terror," Pompeo said, but did nothing.

President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that the United States was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear accord, calling its requirements on Tehran too weak.

Until that point the European parties to the accord, France, Germany and Britain, had negotiated with the Trump administration to find a solution to three primary US concerns: the Iran deal's 2025 sunset provisions on certain prohibited activities; Iran's ballistic missile program; and Iran's activities in other countries around the Middle East, including Syria and Yemen, which Washington considers "destabilizing".

According to European diplomats and some US officials, those talks had made significant progress and were close to completion when Trump announced he would pull out from the Iran nuclear deal.

Pompeo however rejected that view.

"We were never able to get there" in talks with the Europeans, he told the Senate panel.

"There was no evidence that the Europeans had any intention of actually agreeing to those three provisions."

Since then the other signatories -- the three Europeans, the European Union, Russia and China -- have sought to keep the Iran deal alive.

Pompeo earlier this week laid out 12 points that need to be addressed for a "new agreement" that covers a much broader range of issues.

However the other parties, including Iran, have all criticized the US approach.Twists and turns of US-NKorean diplomatic rollercoaster



Washington, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



Donald Trump's decision to cancel a June 12 summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un is the latest dramatic twist in relations between two leaders who traded insults before laying the groundwork for what would have been a stunning rapprochement.

Here is a look back at the diplomatic rollercoaster that took Trump and Kim from rhetorical warfare to the verge of the unprecedented summit in Singapore -- only for the hopes to be dashed in the final stretch.



- Trading insults -



On January 2, 2017, weeks before taking office, Trump vows North Korea will never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon capable of reaching US territory.

But six months into Trump's presidency, in July, Kim conducts two intercontinental ballistic missile tests, and declares the entire United States to be within North Korea's range.

The following month, Trump threatens "fire and fury" if Pyongyang continues to threaten America, kicking off months of saber-rattling that set the world on edge.

Undeterred, Pyongyang weeks later test-fires a ballistic missile over Japan, and on September 3 carries out its sixth, "perfect" nuclear test, of a hydrogen bomb it claims can be mounted on a missile.

On September 21, 2017, Washington unveils a raft of tough sanctions to curb North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile program, two days after Trump's maiden speech to the UN General Assembly, in which he dubs Kim a "Rocket Man" on a "suicide mission".

In response, Kim brands Trump "mentally deranged" and a "dotard," warning he will pay dearly for his threats.

As 2017 draws to a close, Kim boasts his missile arsenal can hit any city on the US mainland, warning in a New Year address that he has a "nuclear button" on his desk. Trump responds by saying his own nuclear button is "much bigger & more powerful."



- 'Peace Olympics' -



Following years of tensions, South Korea's hosting of the Winter Olympics in February 2018 gives the neighbors a window to reopen communications, ushering in a spectacular Korean detente.

As the two Koreas march together for the opening ceremony, the South's President Moon Jae-in shares historic handshakes with Kim's sister Kim Yo Jong, and Trump's daughter Ivanka attends events with top officials from both sides.

Washington makes clear it will keep up the pressure despite signs of a regional thaw -- slapping Pyongyang on February 23, 2018, with its largest ever set of sanctions, a move the regime calls an "act of war."

But in a remarkable announcement at the White House, on March 8, a top South Korean official announces that Kim will "refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests" and has invited Trump to meet him -- and that Trump has agreed.

The Olympics also pave the way for a historic inter-Korean summit, on April 27, which sees Pyongyang and Seoul promise to pursue the denuclearization of the peninsula and a permanent peace.



- Pompeo in Pyongyang -



Over the Easter weekend, Trump's CIA chief and nominee for secretary of state Mike Pompeo travels secretly to Pyongyang where he meets Kim and begins to lay the groundwork for the landmark summit.

A month later, Pompeo makes a second unannounced trip aimed at finalizing the summit details -- and pressing for the release of three US citizens detained by Pyongyang.

On May 9, Trump announces the three men are headed to the United States, personally welcoming them to Washington and offering effusive thanks to Kim.

The next morning, Trump reveals the date and location of his "highly-anticipated meeting" with Kim, vowing to "make it a very special moment for World Peace!"

As anticipation of the summit builds, talk grows of Trump as a contender for the Nobel Peace Prize -- an idea that the US president himself entertains in a speech.



- The Unravelling -



But storm clouds start gathering on May 16 when North Korea threatens to cancel the summit as it expresses "repugnance" towards Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton.

Bolton provoked Pyongyang's ire by suggesting it followed Libya's lead on denuclearization -- evoking memories of the demise of the late Moamer Kadhafi who was killed in a 2011 uprising after agreeing to scrap his nuclear program in 2003.

A further threat to cancel the summit comes on May 23 as North Korea calls US Vice President Mike Pence "stupid" after he warned Kim against trying "to play" Trump.

The next day, North Korea dismantles a nuclear test site in an apparent goodwill gesture. But only hours later, the White House releases the text of a letter from Trump to Kim saying his "open hostility" had scuppered the June 12 get-together.Trump cancels summit with Kim, warns NKorea against 'foolish acts'



Washington, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



US President Donald Trump on Thursday called off his planned June summit with Kim Jong Un, blaming "tremendous anger" and "hostility" from the North Korean regime and warning Pyongyang against committing any "foolish or reckless acts."

In a letter to Kim, Trump announced he would not go ahead with the high-stakes meeting set for June 12 in Singapore, and would instead pursue Washington's "maximum pressure campaign" through sanctions on Kim's regime.

Just before Trump announced the cancellation of the talks, North Korea declared it had "completely" dismantled its nuclear test site, in a carefully choreographed move portrayed by the isolated regime as a goodwill gesture ahead of the summit.

But the chances of success for the talks, which would have been an unprecedented face-to-face between a US and North Korean leader that Washington hoped would result in full denuclearization of the North, had recently been thrown into doubt on both sides.

Trump's announcement -- which prompted South Korea's president to convene crisis talks of his top security advisors -- came one day after Pyongyang hardened its rhetoric by attacking Vice President Mike Pence as "ignorant and stupid."

"Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting," read Trump's letter to Kim, released by the White House.

"The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history," he said.

The US leader brandished the threat of America's nuclear might in his letter, writing: "You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used."

And in later comments from the White House, Trump warned that South Korea and Japan stood ready to respond, along with the United States, "should foolish or reckless acts be taken by North Korea."

"In the meantime, our very strong sanctions, by far the strongest sanctions ever imposed, and maximum pressure campaign will continue," Trump added.

The Republican president held out hope that a meeting with Kim was still possible, stressing he had been looking forward to the event -- talks which led him to openly entertain the notion it could earn him a Nobel Peace Prize.

"It's possible the existing summit could take place, or a summit at some later date. Nobody should be anxious. We have to get it right," Trump said.

"If and when Kim Jong Un chooses to engage in constructive dialogue and actions, I am waiting."



- 'Rocking and ready' -



Politically, Trump had invested heavily in the success of the planned summit. Privately, most US officials, as well as outside observers, believed it would go ahead despite the recent uptick in tensions.

Trump had touted the talks as a golden opportunity for Pyongyang -- telling Fox News in an interview recorded Wednesday there was "a good chance" they would go ahead as planned.

Hand-picked US aides travelled to Singapore this week where they were expected to meet their North Korean counterparts and iron out details of the meeting.

But as the date drew nearer, the gulf in expectations between the two sides had been made clear.

Washington has made it clear it wants to see the "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization" of the North.

But Pyongyang has vowed it will never give up its nuclear deterrence until it feels safe from what it terms US aggression.

It did however apparently proceed with the dismantling of its Punggye-ri test site in the country's northeast.

A small group of journalists invited to the scene described a series of explosions throughout the day. Three of them were in entry tunnels to the underground facility, followed by blasts that demolished a nearby barracks and other structures.

The Punggye-ri test facility is buried inside a mountain in North Hamgyong province, near the border with China and is North Korea's only known nuclear test site. It has been the staging ground for all six of the North's nuclear tests.



- 'Rocking and ready' -



Speaking after Trump's letter was released, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo -- who twice travelled to Pyongyang to lay the groundwork for the summit -- said it was scrapped because a "successful outcome" did not seem possible.

"Over the past many days, we have received no response to our inquiries from them," Pompeo told US lawmakers.

He reiterated however that "there was a real understanding between us" after his latest meeting with Kim, and that the American team had been "rocking and ready and prepared for this meeting".

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the parties to keep talking despite the summit cancellation, as did host Singapore.

In Seoul, South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed his "deep regret" and summoned his top security aides to the presidential Blue House for emergency talks, his press secretary Yoon Young-chan said in a message to reporters, according to the country's Yonhap news agency.

Officials in Seoul "are trying to figure out what President Trump's intention is and the exact meaning of it," Yonhap reported, quoting another presidential spokesman.Moscow says no Russian missile involved in MH17 plane crash



Moscow, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



Moscow on Thursday rejected an international investigation that found a Russian missile downed flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014, saying no such weapon had ever crossed the Russian-Ukrainian border and blaming Kiev for the tragedy.

"Not a single anti-aircraft missile system from the Russian Federation has ever crossed the Russia-Ukraine border," the defence ministry said in a statement carried by local news agencies.

The ministry accused Ukraine of being behind the disaster in which 298 people died, saying it had presented evidence that "showed the involvement of Ukrainian units using (Soviet-designed) BUK missiles".

Earlier in the day, a Netherlands-led joint investigation team said -- for the first time -- that the missile which brought down the plane over eastern Ukraine came from a Russian military brigade.

The group "has come to the conclusion that the BUK-TELAR that shot down MH17 came from 53rd Anti-aircraft Missile Brigade based in Kursk in Russia," top Dutch investigator Wilbert Paulissen said.

He told reporters gathered for a press conference that "the 53rd Brigade forms part of the Russian armed forces."

The Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 was blown out of the sky over conflict-torn eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014 while en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

The Russian foreign ministry later said "it is clear that these gratuitous accusations are an attempt to discredit our nation in the eyes of the international community."

It said investigators had presented "no evidence" to back up their allegation except for a video which it said was based on fabricated information from a blogging site.

Ukraine and its Western allies have long accused Russia of funnelling troops and arms across the border to fan the flames of the conflict.

Moscow has denied the allegations despite overwhelming evidence that it has been involved in the fighting and its explicit political support for the rebels.

Investigators had previously concluded that the plane was hit by a Russian-made BUK missile system brought in from Russia and fired from territory in Ukraine held by Moscow-backed rebels. But they had stopped short of directly saying who pulled the trigger.

Now the team has painstakingly recreated the route taken by the missile convoy from Kursk towards the border into Ukraine using videos and photos.Iran still implementing nuclear deal: IAEA



Vienna, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



Iran is still implementing the 2015 accord over its nuclear programme, just weeks after Washington ditched the accord, according to a report by the UN's nuclear watchdog.

The International Atomic Energy Agency report, seen by AFP Thursday, shows that Iran is abiding by the deal's key restrictions on its nuclear facilities in return for relief from damaging economic sanctions.

The latest assessment from the IAEA comes after US President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the accord earlier this month, putting its future in jeopardy.

The IAEA urged Iran to stick with the accord and even go beyond its legal obligations so as to boost international confidence in Tehran's commitments.

A senior diplomat in Vienna, where the IAEA is based, said this was not prompted by any lack of co-operation or change of behaviour on Iran's part.

The IAEA is "encouraging (Iran) to go above and beyond the requirements" of the deal in order to boost confidence, the diplomat said, adding that Tehran could, for example, invite inspectors to sites they had not demanded access to.

Signatories Britain, France, Germany plus the European Union, Russia and China have been trying to salvage the deal after Trump's decision but Iran has warned that if it suffers as a result the reintroduction of US economic sanctions, it could walk away from the accord.



- 'Strongest sanctions' -



As in previous reports, the IAEA confirmed that the number of centrifuges to enrich uranium at Iran's Natanz plant had been kept below the agreed level of 5,060, while its total stockpile of low-enriched uranium "has not exceeded 300 kilogrammes (660 pounds)".

Uranium, when enriched to high levels, can be used in a nuclear weapon. At lower enrichment levels, it is used for peaceful applications such as power generation -- Iran's stated aim.

Since the deal came into effect, Iran has twice inched over the agreed volume of heavy water, a reactor coolant.

However, the latest report said that for the past three months the volume had remained below the agreed maximum of 130 tonnes.

Apart from the relatively minor breaches of heavy water levels, IAEA reports have consistently shown Iran adhering to the terms of the deal in the two years since it came into force.

In the IAEA's previous report it had said that Iran had informed it of a decision to "construct naval nuclear propulsion in the future".

Press reports have previously said that Iran wants to develop nuclear-powered ships or submarines.

The latest report says that Iran has assured the IAEA that more information will be provided in due course and that "for the first five years, no facility will be involved".

On Wednesday, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran would not discuss its missile programme in any new deal, as demanded by the US, and said European countries had to compensate Iran if it experienced a dip in oil sales.

Khamenei has said Iran could resume its uranium enrichment up to 20 percent should the deal collapse. The accord limits Tehran to enriching uranium to 3.67 percent, well short of weapons-grade strength.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had warned on Monday that Iran would be hit with the "strongest sanctions in history" and cautioned European firms against continuing to do business in the country.

On Friday, the remaining parties to the accord will meet in Vienna at Iran's request to discuss the implementation of the deal and ways to save it without Washington's participation.Pentagon 'ready to respond' to any N. Korea provocations



Washington, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



The Pentagon is ready to respond to any "provocative actions" from North Korea, an official said Thursday after President Donald Trump canceled a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"We are in a boxer stance, we are ready to respond," Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, director of the US military's Joint Staff, told reporters.

"We'll see what develops over the next few days. If any provocative actions occur from (North Korea), we will certainly, in concert with our allies and partners in the region, be ready for it."

Secretary of State Jim Mattis spoke with Trump by phone earlier in the day, but officials would not say if he had been part of the decision process to scrap the summit or was merely informed of it.

Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said the Pentagon is part of the US "maximum pressure" campaign against North Korea that includes tough sanctions, diplomatic moves and military readiness.

"We are ready to fight tonight. That's always been the case," she said at a joint briefing with McKenzie.

McKenzie added that the Pentagon maintains a "very high" state of vigilance with North Korea.

"We will continue that going forward to include our missile defense activities," he said.Pentagon 'ready to respond' to any N. Korea provocations



Washington, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



The Pentagon is ready to respond to any "provocative actions" from North Korea, an official said Thursday after President Donald Trump canceled a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"We are in a boxer stance, we are ready to respond," Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, director of the US military's Joint Staff, told reporters.

"We'll see what develops over the next few days. If any provocative actions occur from (North Korea), we will certainly, in concert with our allies and partners in the region, be ready for it."

Secretary of State Jim Mattis spoke with Trump by phone earlier in the day, but officials would not say if he had been part of the decision process to scrap the summit or was merely informed of it.

Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said the Pentagon is part of the US "maximum pressure" campaign against North Korea that includes tough sanctions, diplomatic moves and military readiness.

"We are ready to fight tonight. That's always been the case," she said at a joint briefing with McKenzie.

McKenzie added the Pentagon maintains a "very high" state of vigilance with North Korea.

"We will continue that going forward to include our missile defense activities," he said.

In a letter to Kim, Trump announced he would not go ahead with the high-stakes meeting set for June 12 in Singapore.

The letter spoke of America's "massive and powerful" nuclear capabilities, marking a sudden return to the bellicose rhetoric that had been characteristic of Trump until he first announced the summit.

Tensions with North Korea soared last year after Kim test-fired intercontinental ballistic missiles with a big enough range to hit the US, and conducted his sixth nuclear test.

McKenzie said the Pentagon had not changed anything militarily during the short-lived thaw.

"We didn't ramp up or down as word of this summit began to rise and now has ended," he said.

"We are being very steady, very straight in terms of our preparations, in terms of the readiness that we display."

The US military has some 28,500 troops based in South Korea and the two militaries routinely conduct joint training exercises on the peninsula.

The US has also deployed a THAAD anti-missile battery in South Korea, designed to shoot down any rockets from the North.Missile that downed MH17 plane came from Russian military: investigators



Utrecht, Netherlands, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



Investigators probing the 2014 downing of flight MH17 said Thursday for the first time that the missile which brought down the plane over eastern Ukraine originated from a Russian military brigade.

But Moscow quickly rejected the accusation, saying no such weapon had ever crossed the Russian-Ukrainian border and that it was an attempt to "discredit Russia in the eyes of the international community".

The Joint Investigation Team "has come to the conclusion that the BUK-TELAR that shot down MH17 came from 53rd Anti-aircraft Missile Brigade based in Kursk in Russia," top Dutch investigator Wilbert Paulissen said.

He told reporters gathered for a press conference in Utrecht that "the 53rd Brigade forms part of the Russian armed forces".

The Malaysian Airlines flight on a Boeing 777 was blown out of the sky over conflict-torn eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014 while en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

All 298 passengers and crew, most of them Dutch, were killed in the disaster. In all there were 17 nationalities on board including Australians, Britons, Malaysians and Indonesians.

The investigators had previously concluded that the plane was hit by a Russian-made BUK missile brought in from Russia and fired from territory in Ukraine held by Moscow-backed rebels. But they had stopped short of directly saying who pulled the trigger.

Now the team has painstakingly recreated the route taken by the missile convoy from Kursk towards the border into Ukraine using videos and photos.



- Prosecutions? -



Ukranian President Petro Poroshenko said there is "every reason to expect that in the near future the Dutch prosecutor's office will be able to file a prosecution against the individuals involved in shooting down the plane".

A large convoy of some 50 vehicles including six BUK-TELAR missile systems left the Kursk base on June 23, 2014, the investigators said.

The missile system that shot down flight MH17 was then filmed several times on July 17 and 18 in eastern Ukraine as it was transported on a low flatbed truck-and-trailer.

Paulissen said the team had "ascertained that the BUK-TELAR has a number of unique characteristics. These characteristics as such served as a type of fingerprint for the missile".

Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in the disaster, putting the blame instead on Kiev.

"Not a single anti-aircraft missile system from the Russian Federation has ever crossed the Russia-Ukraine border," the defence ministry said in a statement carried by news agencies.

The Russian foreign ministry later said "it is clear that these gratuitous accusations are an attempt to discredit our nation in the eyes of the international community."

The probe being led by the Netherlands is focusing on some 100 people suspected of having played an "active role" in the incident, but investigators have not yet publicly named any suspects.

They have identified two people, who go by the aliases Orion and Delfin, as top suspects after obtaining their wire-tapped conversations before and after the plane was shot out of the sky.

Chief investigator Fred Westerbeke said Thursday the probe was now in its "last phase" but added there was "still work to be done".

Over the past years "we've gained a lot of proof and evidence but we are not ready yet" to move towards bringing charges, he told the press conference.



- Piecing together the puzzle -



Investigators are urging witnesses to now come forward and confidentially help answer several questions, such as the names of the BUK system's crew, who gave the orders and what were they.

They also displayed part of the BUK missile system used in the attack, urging anyone who recognised handwriting on its exhaust system and casing to contact them.

Dutch officials have announced any suspects arrested in the case will be tried in the Netherlands under a deal with the countries in the joint probe.

Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok, who recently held talks in Moscow about MH17, said Thursday's revelations were "an important piece of the puzzle" offering "more clarity" about what had happened.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte also cut short a trade visit to India, to return to the Netherlands to discuss the latest MH17 developments with his cabinet on Friday.Trump cancels summit with Kim, warns NKorea against 'foolish acts'



Washington, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



US President Donald Trump on Thursday called off his planned June summit with Kim Jong Un, blaming "tremendous anger" and "hostility" from the North Korean regime and warning Pyongyang against committing any "foolish or reckless acts."

In a letter to Kim, Trump announced he would not go ahead with the high-stakes meeting set for June 12 in Singapore, and would instead pursue Washington's campaign of "maximum pressure" through sanctions on Pyongyang.

Just before Trump announced the cancellation of the talks, North Korea declared it had "completely" dismantled its nuclear test site, in a carefully choreographed move portrayed by the isolated regime as a goodwill gesture ahead of the summit.

But the chances of success for the talks -- an unprecedented face-to-face between US and North Korean leaders that Washington hoped would result in full denuclearization of the North -- had recently been thrown into doubt on both sides.

Trump's announcement, which prompted South Korea's president to convene crisis talks, came one day after Pyongyang hardened its rhetoric by attacking Vice President Mike Pence as "ignorant and stupid."

"Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting," read Trump's letter to Kim, released by the White House.

"The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history," he said.

The US leader brandished the threat of America's nuclear might in his letter, writing: "You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used."

In later comments from the White House, Trump vowed that Washington's "very strong sanctions, by far the strongest sanctions ever imposed, and maximum pressure campaign will continue."

And he warned that South Korea and Japan stood ready to respond, along with the United States, "should foolish or reckless acts be taken by North Korea."

The Pentagon similarly indicated it was braced for possible "provocative actions" on Pyongyang's part.

"We are in a boxer stance, we are ready to respond," Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, director of the US military's Joint Staff, told reporters.

But the Republican president also held out hope that a meeting with Kim was still possible, stressing he had been looking forward to the talks -- which he had openly mused could earn him a Nobel Peace Prize.

"It's possible that the existing summit could take place, or a summit at some later date. Nobody should be anxious. We have to get it right," Trump said.

"If and when Kim Jong Un chooses to engage in constructive dialogue and actions, I am waiting."



- 'Rocking and ready' -



Politically, Trump had invested heavily in the success of the planned summit. Privately, most US officials, as well as outside observers, believed it would go ahead despite the uptick in tensions.

But as the date drew nearer, the gulf in expectations between the two sides became apparent.

Washington has made it clear it wants to see the "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization" of the North.

But Pyongyang has vowed it will never give up its nuclear deterrence until it feels safe from what it terms US aggression.

It did however apparently proceed with the dismantling of its Punggye-ri test site in the country's northeast.

A small group of journalists invited to the scene described a series of explosions throughout the day. Three of them were in entry tunnels to the underground facility, followed by blasts that demolished a nearby barracks and other structures.

The Punggye-ri test facility is buried inside a mountain in North Hamgyong province, near the border with China and is North Korea's only known nuclear test site. It has been the staging ground for all six of the North's nuclear tests.



- 'Rocking and ready' -



UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the parties to keep talking despite the summit cancellation, as did host Singapore.

In Seoul, meanwhile, South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed "deep regret" and summoned top security aides for emergency talks, according to the country's Yonhap news agency.

Speaking after Trump's letter was released, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo -- who twice travelled to Pyongyang to lay the groundwork for the summit -- said it was scrapped because a "successful outcome" did not seem possible.

He reiterated however that he had reached "a real understanding" with Kim, and that the American team had been "rocking and ready and prepared for this meeting."

But Democratic congressional leader Nancy Pelosi was scathing towards Trump's administration -- blaming a lack of preparation for the summit collapse and judging Kim to be the "big winner."

"It's clear he didn't know what he was getting into," she said of the US leader. "And now he's walking away from it in this very chummy, palsy-walsy letter to Kim Jong Un."

Abraham Denmark, director of the Asia program at the Wilson Center think tank, warned of the knock-on effects canceling the meeting could have.

"South Korea is also likely to be angered, and the Alliance will take a hit. Expect Seoul to try to continue engagements with Pyongyang, even if it widens a rift with Washington," Denmark wrote on Twitter.Missiles hit Hezbollah depot in Syria's Homs: monitor



Damascus, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



Missiles hit a weapons depot on Sunday belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah movement at Syria's Dabaa military airbase in the central province of Homs, a monitor said.

"Six missiles were fired at the Dabaa military airport and surrounding area in the western sector of Homs province, targeting Lebanese Hezbollah weapons warehouses," Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP.

"The missiles would have been fired by Israel," he added.

A source close to the Lebanese-Syrian border told AFP that planes had flown over Lebanese airspace and "some people are still expecting new strikes".

Israeli planes often use Lebanese airspace to conduct raids in Syria.

Syria's official SANA news agency confirmed the airbase had been targeted, but said air defences had intercepted the missiles.

"One of our military airports was the target of missiles intercepted by our anti-aircraft defences," SANA said, citing a military source.

There were no casualties immediately reported, but SANA reported explosions in the area.

Hezbollah, backed by Iran, fights in Syria alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces.

Tensions are high in Syria after several Israeli bombing raids in recent weeks on regime positions, as well as on military instillations reportedly used by government ally Iran.

More than 350,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests that spiralled into a brutal war.12 dead in strike on Syria forces, US denies coalition role



Beirut, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



A dozen pro-regime fighters were killed in an air strike on Syrian army positions a monitor said Thursday was carried out by the US-led coalition, but the Pentagon denied the report.

State media reported the overnight air raid in an area where both the regime and coalition have been battling holdout jihadists, but said it only caused material damage.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a broad network of sources across Syria, said the strike had hit army positions south of Albu Kamal, a town on the border with Iraq.

"At least three vehicles were destroyed by the strike," said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman.

He said the 12 pro-regime fighters killed were not Syrians, but he could not provide more details on their identity.

A military source quoted by state news agency SANA said "some of our military positions between Albu Kamal and Hmeimeh were hit this morning in an aggression by American coalition warplanes".

The Pentagon denied the strikes were carried out by the coalition fighting the Islamic State group.

"These reports are false, the coalition did not strike any Syrian army positions in eastern Syria," said Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner.

"The coalition's mission is to defeat ISIS (IS) in designated parts of Iraq and Syria, and to set conditions for follow-on stability operations. This mission has not changed."

Less than 24 hours after the overnight strikes, missiles targeted a weapons depot belonging to Lebanon's Hezbollah movement at an airbase in the central province of Homs, according to the Observatory.

Its director Abdel Rahman said the missiles "would have been fired by Israel".

SANA said Syrian air defences had intercepted the missiles in Homs, but reported explosions in the area.

Albu Kamal and Hmeimeh lie in Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor province, where Russian-backed Syrian troops and the US-led coalition have been waging separate offensives against IS.

A "de-confliction" line in place along the Euphrates River since last year is meant to keep the two assaults from crashing into each other.

Loyalist troops are present west of the river while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are on the east.

A military source from forces allied to Syria's government said the strikes had targeted two regime military positions near a frontline with IS.



- Repeated incidents -



"There are no Iranian or Lebanese fighters among the dead," the source said.

Iraqi Shiite militia are also fighting alongside Syrian regime forces in the area.

The Observatory said the government was sending reinforcements.

It was not immediately clear whether jihadists were active in the area at the time, nor whether the pro-regime casualties may have been accidental.

The coalition has carried out several deadly strikes against Syrian government forces and allied fighters in recent months.

In February, coalition bombing raids in Deir Ezzor province killed at least 100 regime and allied fighters, including Russian nationals, in retaliation for an attack on SDF positions.

And in September 2016, US-led strikes on regime military positions in the east left more than 60 Syrian troops dead. The coalition later said it had mistaken the fighters for IS jihadists.

The Islamic State group has lost nearly all the territory it once controlled in Syria and Iraq but it still holds some villages in the Euphrates Valley area.

On Monday, Syrian troops and allied forces ousted IS from the last districts it held in the capital Damascus.

After a fierce month-long battle, an evacuation deal saw the remaining jihadists bussed out of the city towards small pockets of land still held by IS in the Badiya, a vast desert area stretching from central Syria to its eastern border with Iraq.

The day after the transfer, IS fighters in the Badiya attacked a nearby government position, leaving more than two dozen Syrian troops and allied fighters dead.

The Observatory said the IS fighters responsible were from the group that had just been transferred out of the Yarmuk area in southern Damascus.Despite scrapped summit, door still open between US, North Korea



Washington, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



President Donald Trump's cancellation of a summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un dashed hopes for a quick denuclearization deal Wednesday, but the door remains open for talks between the two countries.

The meeting, planned for June 12 in Singapore, would have been the first ever between a US president and a member of the Kim dynasty -- the crowning moment of an extraordinary diplomatic partial-thaw unthinkable one year ago.

The question now is what happens next. A return to Kim launching test long-range ballistic missiles in the direction of the United States and Trump threatening to rain "fire and fury" on Pyongyang?

"It depends on how the North Koreans respond" to the summit being called off, said Lisa Collins, a Korea expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"If North Korea reacts to this in a more drastic way and ramps up rhetorical threats or even conducts missile tests, we could see a return to the cycle of high tensions that we saw about six months ago," Collins told AFP.

That would only stoke the views of Trump administration hawks such as White House National Security Advisor John Bolton, who have openly suggested that a military attack on North Korea is better than negotiating with an unreliable regime.

"There's an outcome that's potentially worse than zero, which is one in which voices like Bolton use the failure of this process as a justification for ramping up considerations of military options," said Vipin Narang, a professor in security studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

- Restraint needed from Trump, Kim -



Narang says it is too early to conclude that. The diplomatic process could resume, if the two sides exhibit restraint.

Analysts note the curious warmth of Trump's letter to Kim. "I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me," Trump wrote.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who did the groundwork for the summit with two visits to Pyongyang in the past two months, said he hopes to "quickly" get back to talks with Pyongyang.

"The best outcome is that they started a working-level dialogue. If that continues that's great," said Narang. "The process started, the summit is just delayed."

Trump had sought to avoid getting bogged down in low-level discussions, as past administrations have, and instead start off with a top-level summit. That, he hoped, would create a strong impetus to get an agreement from the outset, explained one official.

Kim raised expectations by releasing three Americans held prisoner in North Korea, in turn earning praise from Trump.



- No-show at planning meeting -



But preparations stalled in recent weeks over the goals of the summit, according to Collins.

"Both sides have very different perspectives on what denuclearization of the Korean peninsula or of North Korea would look like," she said.

Washington sought a rapid plan toward a "complete, verifiable and irreversible" denuclearization by Pyongyang.

On the table were economic aid and security guarantees, but only if Kim's regime gave up its nuclear weapons.

Pyongyang viewed that as a demand for unilateral disarmament. Its negotiators skipped a planning meeting in Singapore with a top Trump aide, without informing US officials.

"They simply stood us up," said a senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, calling it a "profound lack of good faith."

"That gulf was not going to be bridgeable by the time the Singapore summit happened," said Narang.

Yet that could prove to be a good thing.

"If North Korea is not willing to commit seriously to denuclearization in Singapore, better to continue talks at lower levels," said Nicolas Burns, a former senior US diplomat.

"Cancellation with a door open is probably the least bad option," added Aaron David Miller, a veteran of Middle East peace negotiations.

So far neither Trump nor Kim have changed their collegial tone with regard to the other, suggesting both are open to suggestions.

But it remains to be seen whether this will persist, without a summit to prepare for. Much could depend on China, which, though an ally of Pyongyang, has been willing to support Washington's economic sanctions to pressure Kim to deal with, rather than menace, the United States.Trump cancels summit with NKorea's Kim over 'broken promises'



Washington, May 24 (AFP) May 24, 2018



US President Donald Trump on Thursday called off his planned June summit with Kim Jong Un, blaming "open hostility" from the North Korean regime and warning Pyongyang against committing any "foolish or reckless acts."

In a letter to Kim, Trump announced he would not go ahead with the high-stakes meeting set for June 12 in Singapore, following what the White House called a "trail of broken promises" by the North.

Just before Trump announced the cancellation of the talks, North Korea declared it had "completely" dismantled its nuclear test site, in a carefully choreographed move portrayed as a goodwill gesture ahead of the summit.

But the chances of success for the unprecedented face-to-face had recently been thrown into doubt.

Trump's announcement, in which he vowed to pursue Washington's campaign of "maximum pressure" through sanctions, came a day after Pyongyang hardened its rhetoric by attacking Vice President Mike Pence as "ignorant and stupid."

"Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting," read Trump's letter to Kim, which was dictated word for word by the US leader, according to a senior White House official.

"The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history," Trump said.

The Pentagon indicated it was braced to respond to possible "provocative actions" on Pyongyang's part.

But the Republican president also held out hope that a meeting with Kim could still take place, saying: "It's possible that the existing summit could take place, or a summit at some later date. Nobody should be anxious. We have to get it right."

"If and when Kim Jong Un chooses to engage in constructive dialogue and actions, I am waiting," he added.

Foreign leaders reacted with dismay to the summit collapse, with South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressing "deep regret" and summoning top security aides for emergency talks.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the parties to keep talking, as did host Singapore, while Russia's President Vladimir Putin held out hope that dialogue would resume and the talks would eventually take place.



- 'Rocking and ready' -



Politically, Trump had invested heavily in the success of the planned summit. Privately, most US officials, as well as outside observers, believed it would go ahead despite the uptick in tensions.

But as the date drew nearer, the gulf in expectations between the two sides became apparent.

Washington has made it clear it wants to see the "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization" of the North.

But Pyongyang has vowed it will never give up its nuclear deterrent until it feels safe from what it terms US aggression.

Meanwhile, a senior White House official said Pyongyang had demonstrated a "profound lack of good faith" in the run-up to the summit -- including standing up the White House's deputy chief of staff, who had travelled to Singapore for preparatory talks.

"They waited and they waited. The North Koreans never showed up. The North Koreans did not tell us anything -- they simply stood us up," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The White House viewed North Korea's objection to a routine US-South Korean joint military exercise -- and its recent cancellation of a meeting with the South Koreans -- as a breach of its commitments leading up to the summit.

It also was unhappy about the North's failure to allow international observers to verify the dismantling of its Punggye-ri test site, the staging ground for all six of its nuclear tests which was buried inside a mountain near the border with China.

"That promise was broken," the White House official said.

While a small group of journalists invited to the site described a series of explosions throughout the day, the official stressed that "we will not have forensic evidence that much was accomplished."

"We certainly hope that it's the case but really don't know."



- 'Rocking and ready' -



Abraham Denmark, director of the Asia program at the Wilson Center think tank, warned of the knock-on effects canceling the meeting could have.

"South Korea is also likely to be angered, and the Alliance will take a hit. Expect Seoul to try to continue engagements with Pyongyang, even if it widens a rift with Washington," Denmark wrote on Twitter.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo -- who twice travelled to Pyongyang to lay the groundwork for the summit -- said it was scrapped because a "successful outcome" did not seem possible.

He reiterated however that he had reached "a real understanding" with Kim, and that the American team had been "rocking and ready and prepared for this meeting."

But Democratic congressional leader Nancy Pelosi was scathing towards Trump's administration -- blaming a lack of preparation for the summit collapse and judging Kim to be the "big winner."

"It's clear he didn't know what he was getting into," she said of Trump. "And now he's walking away from it in this very chummy, palsy-walsy letter to Kim Jong Un."Trump promises N.Korea's Kim can stay in power







Washington (AFP) May 17, 2018





US President Donald Trump tried to put his summit with Kim Jong Un back on track Thursday, offering the North Korean leader guarantees of staying in power if he abandons nuclear weapons. As prospects for a historic summit next month between the two leaders dimmed, Trump told reporters that if the meeting were to go ahead successfully, Kim "will get protections that will be very strong." "He'd be in his country and running his country. His country would be very rich." But the pledge came bar ... read moreOptimization

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Significance of data protection in statistics compilation

Data protection is a fundamental principle of official statistics, by which to ensure the availability of reliable basic data and the confidence of data suppliers. Attending to the protection of data is a prerequisite for the trust Statistics Finland must have when collecting data.

To be able to produce reliable statistics, Statistics Finland's basic data obtained for the compilation of statistics must be as exhaustive as possible. This can be achieved when the data suppliers can be confident that data concerning them will be treated appropriately taking data protection needs into account.

Processing and use of data

By law, Statistics Finland has the duty to use primarily data collected by other authorities. Data are collected from data providers directly when data are not available from elsewhere. Statistics Finland uses the data for the compilation of statistics. Data files derived from various sources are combined in statistics production.

Statistics Finland's data files

Statistics Finland has extensive rights to obtain personal data for the compilation of statistics from different authorities. Data are obtained from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (Finnish Digital Agency), the Tax Administration, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland and the Finnish Centre for Pensions, for example. Data are also collected from employers that supply data concerning their employees pay and working time.

Statistics Finland also collects data direct from citizens on voluntary basis with interview surveys and inquiries. These are such as the Labour Force Survey, Leisure Survey and Time Use Survey.

Some of the data files held by Statistics Finland cover the entire population of Finland, some are sample data.

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When the respondent is other than an individual person, Statistics Finland approaches the enterprise and corporation based on data derived from other sources. When an enterprise or corporation responds to an inquiry, Statistics Finland stores information on the contact person, his/her name, work email address, work telephone number and occupational status.

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Statistics Finland also collects data with interview surveys and inquiries on assignment of other organisations. More information on the Interview and survey services pages.

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Data collected for statistical purposes can be released for scientific research. Releasing is always done so that individuals cannot be directly identified from the data. A significant part of research data are used in Statistics Finland's remote access system, when the data are held by Statistics Finland and a researcher processes the data through remote access.

Confidential data may never be released for use in administrative decision-making, investigation, surveillance, legal proceedings or similar purposes.

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Data are handled only by persons who need the data in their work. The use of data is restricted by usage rights. All persons employed by Statistics Finland have signed a pledge of secrecy, where they have obliged to keep secret the data prescribed as confidential by virtue of the Statistics Act or the Act on the Openness of Government Activities.

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tietosuoja@stat.fiPublished: 24 May 2018

English the most studied language in comprehensive school

According to Statistics Finland, English was the most commonly studied foreign language in comprehensive schools in the autumn term 2017. Among students in grades 1 to 6, in all 71 per cent and of students in grades 7 to 9 almost all studied English. Eighteen per cent of students in grades 1 to 6 and 93 per cent of students in grades 7 to 9 studied Swedish as a foreign language.

Language choices of comprehensive school pupils in 2017

Compulsory language A1 Optional language A2 Compulsory language B1 Elective language B2 Total Share of pupils in grades 1-6 % Share of pupils in grades 7-9 % Grades Studied language Grades 1-6 English 245 541 16 206 60 . 261 807 71.1 . Swedish 3 311 12 454 51 019 . 66 784 18.1 . Finnish 18 215 1 203 2 . 19 420 5.3 . French 2 966 4 446 23 . 7 435 2.0 . German 3 212 11 336 77 . 14 625 4.0 . Russian 1 139 1 148 . . 2 287 0.6 . Spanish 697 4 211 . . 4 908 1.3 . Italian 0 0 . . 0 0.0 . Sami 5 237 . . 242 0.1 . Other 399 123 0 . 522 0.1 . Grades 7-9 English 163 490 12 978 193 82 176 743 . 99.5 Swedish 1 533 12 036 150 789 6 164 364 . 92.5 Finnish 9 044 1 156 208 2 10 410 . 5.9 French 1 628 3 566 167 4 445 9 806 . 5.5 German 1 691 7 452 264 9 422 18 829 . 10.6 Russian 528 1 695 . 1 865 4 088 . 2.3 Spanish 169 1 104 . 3 489 4 762 . 2.7 Italian 30 0 . 108 138 . 0.1 Sami 2 52 . 5 59 . 0.0 Latin 0 0 . 400 400 . 0.2 Other 166 14 8 38 226 . 0.1

Nearly all pupils attending grades 7 to 9 studied both English and Swedish or Finnish either as mother tongue, or as a compulsory, optional or elective foreign language. German was studied by 11 per cent and French by 6 per cent of the pupils attending grades 7 to 9, mainly as an optional or elective foreign language.

A total of 368,027 pupils attended grades 1 to 6. 188,449 of the pupils were boys and 179,578 were girls. A total of 177,607 pupils attended grades 7 to 9. 91,049 of the pupils were boys and 86,558 were girls.

Source: Education. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Vesa Hamalainen 029 551 2594, koulutustilastot@stat.fi

Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma

Publication in pdf-format (212.1 kB)

Updated 24.5.2017

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Subject choices of students [e-publication].

ISSN=1799-1056. Subject choices of comprehensive school pupils 2017. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 12.10.2021].

Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/ava/2017/02/ava_2017_02_2018-05-24_tie_001_en.htmlPublished: 24 May 2018

Greenhouse gas emissions decreased, the emission allocation was still exceeded

According to Statistics Finlands instant preliminary data, the total emissions of greenhouse gases in 2017 corresponded with 56.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2 eq.). Emissions fell by almost five per cent compared with the previous year and were on level with 2015. The fall in emissions was most influenced by the decreased consumption of the main fossil fuels and the increased share of biofuels in traffic. Emissions outside the EU emissions trading system went down by two per cent from 2016, but they exceeded the emission allocation set by the EU for the second time.

Finland's greenhouse gas emissions by sector (emissions are positive and removals negative figures)

Statistics Finland releases instant preliminary data on greenhouse gas emissions of the previous year by sector and broken down between emissions trading sources and non-emissions trading sectors. More information on greenhouse gas emissions, their development and factors affecting the development, as well as the fulfilment of international obligations can be found in Statistics Finland's report Finland's greenhouse gas emissions in 1990 to 2017 (only in Finnish).

According to the instant preliminary data, total emissions in 2017 decreased by nearly five per cent compared with the previous year. Emissions in the energy sector diminished by six per cent and the fall in emissions was influenced most by the lower consumption of the main fossil fuels and the increased share of biofuels in traffic. Emissions from industrial processes and product use fell by one per cent, emissions from agriculture by half a per cent and emissions in the waste sector by six per cent from 2016 to 2017. According to the instant preliminary data, the carbon sink of the LULUCF sector was in 2017 equal to 2016, being around 27.1 million tonnes CO2 equivalent. Emissions and removals in this sector are not included in total emissions.

Emissions outside the EU emissions trading system are calculated as the difference between the total emissions and verified emissions of the emissions trading sector, excluding CO2 emissions from domestic civil aviation as reported in the greenhouse gas inventory. The data on the verified emissions of the emissions trading sector are published by the Energy Authority. Annual emission allocations for the years 2013 to 2020 have been defined in the EU's effort sharing decision for emissions outside emissions trading sector. The emissions in question were below the target path defined by the annual emission allocations in 2013 to 2015. The 2016 emissions exceeded the target path as did the emissions according to the instant preliminary data for the year 2017. Emission allocations not used for 2013 to 2015 can be used to compensate for the emissions in 2016 and 2017 that exceed the target path. More information in Finnish is available in the Review of the release.

Greenhouse gas emissions and removals by sector broken down between emissions trading sources and non-emissions trading sectors in 2005, 2010 and 2015 to 2017 (million t CO2 eq.)

2005 2010 2015 2016 2017 1) Change,

2016-2017 million t CO2 eq. Emissions without LULUCF sector 2) 69.8 75.5 55.4 58.8 56.1 -2.7 CO2 emissions from civil aviation 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.0 Emissions trading sector emissions 3) 33.1 41.3 25.5 27.2 25.1 -2.1 Energy sector 29.6 37.3 21.7 23.1 20.9 -2.2 Industrial processes 3.6 4.0 3.9 4.2 4.3 0.1 Difference between the

emissions trading

registry and the

inventory 4) 0.0 0.0 -0.1 0.0 Non- emissions trading sector emissions 5) 36.4 34.0 29.7 31.4 30.8 -0.6 Energy sector 23.8 22.6 19.0 20.9 20.5 -0.3 Transport 5) 12.6 12.5 10.9 12.4 11.6 -0.8 Energy, other

than transport 11.2 10.1 8.1 8.4 8.9 0.5 Industrial processes

and products use 3.1 2.1 2.0 1.9 1.8 -0.1 Industrial processes

(excl. F-gases ) 6) 2.0 0.7 0.5 0.5 0.4 -0.1 Consumption of

F-gases 6) 1.1 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.4 0.0 Agriculture 6.5 6.6 6.5 6.5 6.5 0.0 Waste management 2.8 2.6 2.1 2.0 1.9 -0.1 Indirect CO2 emissions 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 Difference between the

emissions trading

registry an the

inventory 4) 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 LULUCF sector 2) -27.7 -27.5 -28.8 -27.1 -27.1 0.0

1) Proxy estimate2) LULUCF refers to the land use, land use change and forestry sector. The sector does not come under the scope of the emissions trading scheme or the reduction targets under the effort sharing decision3) Source: Energy Authority. In 2013, emissions trading was expanded with new sectors4) The divergence caused by the methodological and definitional differences in total emissions in the emissions trading sector between the data of the Energy Authority and the Greenhouse Gas Inventory5) Excluding CO2 emission from domestic civil aviation according to the inventory6) F-gases refer to fluorinated greenhouse gases (HFC, PFC compounds, SF6 and NF3)

The calculation of instant preliminary emissions and removals is carried out at a less detailed level than the actual inventory calculation for 2017. The emissions become revised as all data used in the calculation are completed. Preliminary data of the statistics on greenhouse gases will be released in December 2018 and official data in March 2019.

Source: Greenhouse gas inventory unit. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Riitta Pipatti 029 551 3543, Pia Forsell 029 551 2937, kasvihuonekaasut@stat.fi

Director in charge: Ville Vertanen

Publication in pdf-format (188.8 kB)

Updated 24.5.2018

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Greenhouse gases [e-publication].

ISSN=1797-6065. 2017. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 12.10.2021].

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PRESS RELEASE

24 May 2018

WENTWORTH RESOURCES LIMITED

("Wentworth" or the "Company")

Notice of Annual and Special Meeting

The annual and special meeting of common shareholders of Wentworth, will be held on 27 June 2018 at 10:00 a.m. (BST) at the offices of FTI Consulting, 200 Aldersgate, Aldersgate Street, London, United Kingdom.

A complete notice and related documents have been sent to the Shareholders of Record as of 18 May 2018. The Annual Report 2017 is also now available and can be found on the Company's website: www.wentworthresources.com/filings.php .

-Ends-

Enquiries:

Wentworth Bob McBean

Executive Chairman rpm@wentworthresources.com



Katherine Roe

Chief Financial Officer



katherine.roe@wentworthresources.com

+44 7841 087 230 Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited AIM Nominated Adviser and Broker (UK)

Callum Steward

Ashton Clanfield +44 (0) 20 7710 7600





GMP FirstEnergy





Broker (UK)

Hugh Sanderson

Jonathan Wright





+44 (0) 20 7448 0200





Peel Hunt LLP





Broker (UK)

Richard Crichton

Ross Allister





+44 (0) 20 7418 8900





FTI Consulting





Investor Relations Adviser (UK)

Edward Westropp

Kim Camilleri





wentworth@fticonsulting.com

+44 (0) 20 3727 1000

About Wentworth Resources

Wentworth Resources is a publicly traded (OSE: WRL, AIM: WRL), independent oil & gas company with: natural gas production; exploration and appraisal opportunities; and large-scale gas monetisation initiatives, all in the Rovuma Delta Basin of coastal southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique.

Inside Information

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by Wentworth to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) no. 596/2014 ("MAR"). On the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service ("RIS"), this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

This press release may contain certain forward-looking information. The words "expect", "anticipate", believe", "estimate", "may", "will", "should", "intend", "forecast", "plan", and similar expressions are used to identify forward looking information.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date the statements are made in light of management's experience, current conditions and expected future development in the areas in which Wentworth is currently active and other factors management believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Wentworth undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable law.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predicted outcome will not occur, including some of which are beyond Wentworth's control. These assumptions and risks include, but are not limited to: the risks associated with the oil and gas industry in general such as operational risks in exploration, development and production, delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures, the imprecision of resource and reserve estimates, assumptions regarding the timing and costs relating to production and development as well as the availability and price of labour and equipment, volatility of and assumptions regarding commodity prices and exchange rates, marketing and transportation risks, environmental risks, competition, the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources and changes in applicable law. Additionally, there are economic, political, social and other risks inherent in carrying on business in Tanzania and Mozambique. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could vary or differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. See Wentworth's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2017, available on Wentworth's website, for further description of the risks and uncertainties associated with Wentworth's business.

Notice



Neither the Oslo Stock Exchange nor the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange has reviewed this press release and neither accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This information is subject of 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: Wentworth Resources Limited via Globenewswire

Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money.

Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.A growing number of Thais believe the military is trying to establish itself as a permanent supreme political power. Since the 2014 coup, the military government has enacted 298 new laws and issued over 500 technically legal orders, many of them connected with this effort to establish a permanent military veto over elected governments. To this end, the military is establishing mutually beneficial relationships with major corporations as well weapons suppliers from China and the West (especially the United States). The generals are also running a widespread public relations campaign to depict themselves as champions of various popular causes (rural poverty, achieving peace in the Moslem south, curbing corruption). The problem with this approach is that a majority of Thais still see the military as corrupt and seeking to grab power the general are not entitled to according to Thai laws, customs and traditions. Moreover, four years of military rule are seen as a failure and no amount of media manipulation can change that.

There have been eleven military governments in the last four decades and 19 coups or attempts since 1932 (plus seven attempts that failed). The monarchy tended to remain neutral in these disputes but clearly favored democracy over a military dictatorship. The royal family, the Chakaris, were founded by a general who seized the throne in 1782 partly to bring peace in a time of great chaos. Since then the Chakaris have survived by avoiding stupid mistakes. That may be changing as the current military government is creating more problems than it is solving and Thais fear the new (since 2017) king will be the opposite of his father and end up being one of the bad kings and perhaps even the 10th and last king of the Chakari dynasty.

In October 2016 the 9th Chakari king Bhumibol died at 88 after a record 70 year reign. His successor made a deal with the military to expand royal power in exchange for not interfering with military efforts to obtain veto power. Most Thais believe king Bhumibol would have never tolerated this if only because it was his father that agreed to a constitutional monarchy in 1932 and established a very beneficial (for the monarchy and most Thais) new form of government. Back in 1932, the army persuaded the king to give up absolute power and avoid a civil war. Since then there has been a constitutional monarchy and the military has considered itself the guardian of the monarchy. But the monarchy did not encourage military government and the current one is trying to make it easier for coups to happen in the future. Most Thais are tired of coups and have demanded reforms to curb the ability of the military to take over. Trimming the power and influence of the military has not been easy and in early 2014 there was yet another military takeover for the good of the country. After 2014 the generals realized they had to destroy the ability of political parties to curb military and royal power. The majority of Thais oppose this effort to curb democracy. As long as this dispute remains unresolved the risk of civil war grows.

May 22, 2018: This is the fourth anniversary of the coup that put an increasingly unpopular military government into power. The military has outlawed any demonstrations to protest the military.

May 21, 2018: The military government arrested eight members of the elected government they forcibly removed in 2014. Three of those arrested had openly discussed mistakes the military government had made since 2014 and the other five were charged with participating in a banned political activity (preparing for new elections). These arrests are a response to increased public unrest over delays in restoring democracy. The arrests came after 500 demonstrators (for democracy) in the capital were surrounded by 3,000 police and forced to disperse. The protestors were demanding a vote this November, not in 2019. The military has delayed elections several times since 2014.

May 20, 2018: In the south (Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla provinces) Islamic terrorists placed bombs near 14 ATMs and banks and most of them went off. This was the beginning of Ramadan (the annual Moslem holy month) and for over a decade Thai Islamic terrorists do things like this to mark the beginning of Ramadan. The bombs were small and three people were wounded. The expanded (in the last few years) use of security cameras yielded the picture of a known separatist terrorist planting some of the bombs. The suspect had known associates and the police are still seeking to make arrests.

May 19, 2018: A U.S. Navy ship arrived to participate with Thai forces in the Pacific Partnership exercises. These have taken place since 2006 to improve the ability of naval forces to assist in dealing with natural disasters. This was the first time the Pacific Partnership exercise was held in Thailand. In February there was an even larger joint training event when 6,800 American troops (twice as many as 2017) showing up for the annual Cobra Gold joint exercise. This year 29 nations sent troops to participate or observe. Since 1982 Thai and American troops have held Cobra Gold each year. Usually, the event is held in Thailand and over the years has come to include troops from other countries in the region. Two months after the 2014 Cobra Gold exercise the Thai military staged their coup.

May 15, 2018: In the last week the military government issued new orders to military trainers to strictly enforce guidelines for disciplining new recruits. There was to be no excessive violence used. In 2017 this violence became a major issue because of two families suspicious of how their sons died while undergoing military training. The military investigated and reported that one case involved a teenage officer cadet who died from apparently being bullied by fellow cadets. The other incident involved a conscript who died during training. Further investigation concluded the death was from natural causes (perforated ulcers) not a beating. But many former conscripts admit that it was common practice for trainers to sometimes inflict brutal punishments. Thus the new announcement from the military and there will be more until the problem is no longer a media issue.

Another military move was to back away from their effort to establish a new village in Narathiwat province for the many Islamic terrorists who had accepted amnesty and surrendered. Local residents feared that putting so many former terrorists in one place would surely lead to more trouble for the neighbors. So the army backed off and sought another way to resettle the former Islamic terrorists, especially the hundred or so that returned from exile in Malaysia.

May 4, 2018: In the south (Narathiwat) Islamic terrorists planted three bombs in an effort to disrupt the electricity supply. That failed, in part because one of the bombs failed to go off and was disabled. In nearby Yala province another group of Islamic terrorists damaged two cell phone towers.

May 2, 2018: China announced that it is expanding its weather satellite coverage to all countries participating in the Obor (One Belt, One Road) project (by allowing China to build roads, railroads, pipelines and ports) and will share weather information with those nations. This is a big deal with many nations participating in Obor, especially those who lack the money to have their own dedicated weather satellites. Thailand, Pakistan, Nepal, and Burma are all Obor participants and will benefit from regular access to the weather and land management (for farming, flood control and so on) information the expanded Chinse satellite network will provide.Ozzie The Oscar leads over the last in the Wigley Group Carnival Handicap Chase. Photo: David Pratt (dwprattracingphotography.co.uk)

FAVOURITE Ozzie The Oscar and Richard Johnson made it three wins from three runs over the course when taking the Wigley Group Carnival Chase, feature race at Proudly Warwick Raceday, the third leg of the Qatar Airways May Racing Carnival on Wednesday, writes David Hucker.

San Benedeto, who boasts an official rating of 158 and finished last season chasing home Altior at Sandown Park, topped the weights, but he never looked like collecting as Ozzie The Oscar took up the running at the fifth fence, making light of the 6lb rise in his handicap mark for beating Sister Sibyl at the end of April and now starts a well-earned break.

Just three lined up for the opening Qatar Airways William Eborall Novices Hurdle and there was a red-hot favourite in Dead Right, who was re-appearing after a break of 309 days, having last been seen when beating Grade 1 winning hurdler Next Destination in a bumper at Punchestown in April 2017.

Held up last of the runners by Aidan Coleman, Dead Right came to challenge Serosevsky, who was conceding weight, over the last two hurdles and, whilst he got there in the end, he had to fight for his win, which was only achieved by three-quarters of a length.

There was a bigger and more competitive-looking field for the following Hook Norton Brewery 1849 Classic Coronation Handicap Hurdle over three miles and one furlong, with hat-trick seeking Black Sam Bella heading the betting market for Dan and Harry Skelton.

For jockey Harry, the meeting offered a chance to extend his lead in this seasons title race before dashing off to Southwells evening fixture where he had four more rides.

Although unsuccessful on three short-priced favourites at Huntingdon the night before, he came into the meeting with 23 winners on the board for the 2018-19 season, which is only in its third week.

Despite having less rides than reigning champion Johnson, his strike rate of 35 per cent has propelled him to an early advantage and he added another winner with Black Sam Bella at the expense of the Johnson-ridden Wait For Me.

After David Bass had injected some pace into the race when sending Rockys Treasure to the front at the fourth-last hurdle, Skelton covered the move on Black Sam Bella and, despite an untidy jump at the last, she ran out a ready winner by five lengths.

Sister Sibyl was ridden closer to the pace than when runner-up on her last appearance at the course and, having come to challenge at the final fence, ran on well to take the USB Wealth Management Birmingham Novices Handicap Chase by three-quarters of a length from Dandy Man who, having conceded the lead down the back straight, came back for more over the last two jumps.

There was another good prize up for grabs in the 25,000 Feldon Dunsmore Building Carnival Handicap Hurdle over two miles and plenty were in with a chance jumping the second last flight.

At the final obstacle, it was Mister Universum who had emerged from the pack to jump to the front and he ran all the way to the line to deny Mystic Sky and bring up another winner for the Skeltons.

Irish Octave and Ben Poste got up on the line to land the three-mile handicap chase by a short head for Balscote trainer Rosemary Gasson, before Barbados Blue ran away with the concluding Flat Race for conditional jockeys and amateur riders.

After the main card, the Pertemps Network Jockey Club Challenge Charity Race saw the first ride on a British racecourse by a transgender jockey with Victoria Smith, who won more than 250 races when known as Vince, piloting Roy Rocket for Newmarket trainer John Berry.

This was the third running of the race held in aid of the Air Ambulance Service and which has raised more than 35,000 for the charity in the last two years.

Four of the nine runners were saddled by Wilmcote-based Olly Murphy, including Knight Commander, the mount of clerk of the course Jane Hedley.

But it was Catchin Time, trained at Kineton by Laura Hurley, who made every yard of the running with former apprentice Evie Brown to beat Rory Rocket and Knight Commander by a commanding margin.

The final leg of the Carnival is Celebration Raceday next Wednesday (30)with the first race due off at 5.10pm, after which the course takes a break until racing resumes in September.The Nebraska Oil and Gas Commission office at 922 Illinois St., Sidney, is hosting the Association of Nebraska Art Clubs(ANAC) Traveling Art Show. The exhibit will be on display and available for viewing weekdays through June 5. Highlights of the show include artwork selected for Awards of Excellence at the 2017 ANAC Convention in York, Neb. Typically, 24 are chosen from about 300 entries by a non-member regional artist. Included in the display is a painting by Ron Nordyke, a Cheyenne Art Guild member of Chappell, and recipient of the Nebraska Art Award. The Association of Nebraska Art Club...The Central New York SPCA is continuing to investigate why goats and a guinea fowl were decapitated and dumped on a rural road in DeWitt earlier this month.

The investigators have a couple of leads they are pursuing, said Dee Schaefer, humane educator with the organization.

Two small female goats and a male guinea hen were found on Girden Road near Butternut Creek on May 4, she said. The goats were young, Schaefer said.

The heads were removed, so there were no identifying tags or tattoos on the goats' ears, as would typically be the case with farm animals, she said.

It had been raining when the animals were discovered, so there weren't a lot of clues left at the dump site, she said.

No one has reported the animals missing, but Schaefer said they could have been transported a distance.

The SPCA asks anyone with information about the case to call 315-454-3469 or email crueltyinvestigations@.cnyspca.orgNick Costello, 21, left, and Vladimir Brown, 35

Syracuse, NY -- A Syracuse man was led away from a courtroom in handcuffs this morning after being indicted for moving a murdered man's body and intimidating a witness.

Nicholas Costello, 21, appeared shocked as he was taken back into custody today after his history of violence-related arrests was revealed by Chief Assistant District Attorney Melinda McGunnigle.

Costello had been released on $7,500 bail after being arrested for concealing the corpse of Charles Nichols, 37, after his May 5 shooting death on the city's North Side.

Vladimir Brown, 35, is charged with the murder itself, accused of shooting Nichols in the chest.

Costello is accused of moving the body twice, eventually leaving it behind a vacant house at 108 Oberst St. A citizen called 911 two days later after finding the body.

Costello had just been released from state prison in July 2017 after serving a maximum sentence for multiple crimes, McGunnigle said.

Costello's prior record is sealed because he was a juvenile when his arrests began, McGunnigle said. He was also granted youthful offender status, sealing later crimes.

But McGunnigle said she talked to police who investigated his prior crimes and learned that he had admitted to multiple burglaries and robberies and even bragged about them, she said.

Costello once told police he "played by his own rules," McGunnigle said.

That wasn't the end of it, though: Costello was also arrested this April -- weeks before the corpse and witness intimidation case -- on an assault charge, she said.

That meant that he was out on bail when he was implicated in covering up the murder, she said.

Citing the law, McGunnigle said that Judge Thomas J. Miller could revoke bail on the earlier assault case due to the new charges, specifically the intimidating a witness charge.

Defense lawyer Elise Voutsinas objected to Costello's sealed convictions being used against him, noting that he doesn't have a public criminal record. She asked the judge to disregard everything that Costello did when he was 15, 16 and 18 years old. She also noted that Costello hadn't gotten into more trouble since being bailed out on the most recent case.

But Miller agreed with the prosecutor, holding Costello on no bail for his April assault arrest. He also upped the bail in the corpse and intimidation case to $50,000 cash or bond.

The law requires that the judge now hold a hearing to learn more about the witness intimidation charge. That was scheduled for Friday.

So Costello, who arrived in a black T-shirt and silver And 1 shorts, was handcuffed and taken away to jail. He'll be brought back Friday for the hearing.MATTYDALE, N.Y. -- A man was arrested Thursday just "a few blocks" away from Roxboro Road Middle School after he threatened the school during a domestic dispute, according to the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office.

At approximately 1:15 p.m., the sheriff's office received information from the Onondaga County 911 call center about an intoxicated man who threatened the middle school during a domestic dispute, deputies said. The man said he was going to the school to physically harm his "significant other," deputies said.

The school's resource officer and administrators were alerted to the threat, and the school was placed in a lockout, deputies said. All doors were locked and the school resource officer found the school employee, who didn't know about the threat, deputies said.

Deputies who responded checked outside the school for the man, deputies said. They eventually found the man driving a car a few blocks from the school, deputies said. Deputies stopped the car and arrested the man, deputies said.

The lockout was lifted just before 2:30 p.m., deputies said.

Deputies are still investigating the incident.SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A 22-year-old Upstate University Hospital employee was found dead just outside the employee parking garage this weekend, according to a spokesman for the hospital.

University police have determined the death was an apparent suicide, Darryl Geddes, an Upstate spokesman, said Thursday.

At approximately 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, New York State University Police responded to a call about a woman on the ground near the intersection of Harrison and Almond streets, the spokesman said.

Officers called for an American Medical Response ambulance when they found the woman, the spokesman said. The woman was pronounced dead at 12:54 p.m., the spokesman said.

Her car was found on the top floor of the garage, he said.

She was identified with personal items found in her car, the spokesman said.SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A Syracuse Common Councilor has been absent from city business for about three weeks.

Chad Ryan, a Democrat who represents the city's 2nd District, has been away from the council since at least May 7. A relative said he is out of town dealing with a medical issue.

Ryan, 32, has missed the last two regular Common Council meetings and four study sessions.

Councilors occasionally miss a study session, but are rarely absent for voting meetings. Only two other councilors have missed a meeting this year, according to the city clerk's office. Susan Boyle, the 3rd District councilor, missed a meeting in April to tend to her dying father. Latoya Allen, the 4th District councilor, missed last week's meeting.

Ryan missed the council's vote to approve the city budget, which easily passed. He was present for many budget hearings prior to the vote, including a school district hearing on May 2.

Ryan has been unreachable for several weeks. His sister, Jillian Ryan, answered his cell phone last week and Wednesday. She said her brother is dealing with a medical issue and is out of town. She declined to specify the issue.

"He took a vacation and is doing a little contemplating about what's best for him," she said.

Steve Thompson, the council's Democratic majority leader, also said Ryan had a medical issue. Thompson said he did not know when Ryan will come back.

Jillian Ryan said her brother coordinated with other councilors to cover his responsibilities before he left. She did not say when he would return.

Ryan is chairman of the council's public works committee. He was first elected to the council in 2013 and won reelection in 2015 and 2017. He works for his family's business, Edward J. Ryan & Son Funeral Home.

Ryan comes from a well-known political family on Syracuse's West Side. His father, Edward Ryan, was an Onondaga County legislator from 1976 to 2007 and elections commissioner from 2007 to 2012.TOKYO - North Korea is threatening to reconsider Kim Jong Un's participation in a summit with President Donald Trump next month, saying that it is up to the United States to decide whether it wants to "meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown."

The punchy statement comes a day after Trump suggested there was a "substantial chance" that he would postpone or cancel the summit, scheduled to be held in Singapore on June 12, if North Korea did not meet "certain conditions," without elaborating on what those conditions were.

A close aide to Kim unleashed a torrent of invective against the Trump administration Thursday morning, calling Vice President Mike Pence a "political dummy" for remarks he made to Fox News on Monday.

"As a person involved in the U.S. affairs, I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the U.S. vice-president," said Choe Son Hui, a vice foreign minister who was previously the regime's top official in charge of relations with the United States. The daughter of a former premier, she is also thought to have direct access to Kim.

On Monday, just days after a North Korean broadside at national security adviser John Bolton for his mention of a "Libya model" for the denuclearization of the North, Pence doubled down on the analogy.

"As the President made clear, this will only end like the Libyan model ended if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal," Pence told Fox News. Asked if this could be interpreted as a threat, Pence said: "Well, I think it's more of a fact."

As preparations for the summit continue, both Bolton and Pence have touted the "Libya model," whereby Moammar Gaddafi gave up his nuclear weapons program in 2003 in return for sanctions relief.

The North Korean regime, however, remembers what happened a few years later: Gaddafi was overthrown and brutally killed by his opponents in 2011.

Trump and his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, have repeated said that they would guarantee Kim's safety and that he would stay in charge of a country that could benefit from an influx of foreign investment if it were prepared to give up its nuclear weapons.

Choe said comparisons with Libya betrayed Pence's lack of knowledge.

"We could surmise more than enough what a political dummy he is as he is trying to compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya that had simply installed a few items of equipment and fiddled around with them," she said, using the abbreviation for the state's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"If he is vice-president of 'single superpower' as is in name, it will be proper for him to know even a little bit about the current state of global affairs and to sense to a certain degree the trends in dialogue and the climate of detente," she said in a statement released by the official Korea Central News Agency.

Libya, like Iran, did not have an operational nuclear weapons program when it struck its deal with western powers. North Korea sees itself as a nuclear state that should be treated as an equal to the United States and other nuclear powers, not a rogue regime to be forced into a corner.

If the United States "offends against our goodwill and clings to unlawful and outrageous acts," Choe said, she would suggest Kim reconsider attending the Singapore summit.

"We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us," she said, returning to the military threats that were the hallmark of bilateral relations in 2017. "Whether the U.S. will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision. . . of the U.S."

The current disagreement stems from the two sides' sharply different interpretations of what will be discussed at next month's summit.

Trump and his top officials have repeatedly said that they want North Korea's "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization" - a standard that would involve sending hundreds of international inspectors into North Korea to monitor a total end to the nuclear program that Kim has spent so much money and energy in developing.

Then, Trump has said, North Korea could expect American companies to go in and help develop the electricity network and agriculture sector, two parts of the North's anemic economy that are most desperately in need of investment.

For its part, North Korea has been quite clear that it will not bargain away any part of its nuclear program without significant concessions from the United States, and that this must be carried out in a staged manner. Many experts doubt that North Korea will denuclearize at all, although they say it might relinquish a few token missiles or warheads.

In a blast last week, another senior Foreign Ministry official decried the Trump administration's talk of a formula of "abandoning nuclear weapons first, compensating afterwards."

Amid concerns from American lawmakers concerns that Trump's diplomatic venture with North Korea is faltering, Pompeo said Wednesday that the administration had not made any concessions to the Kim regime and will continue to hold firm until Pyongyang takes "credible steps" toward denuclearization.

"We have made zero concessions to Chairman Kim to date, and we have no intention of doing so," Pompeo told the House Foreign Affairs Committee during his first congressional grilling as secretary of state, referring to the North Korean leader.

North Korea, founded in opposition to the United States after World War II ended, has harbored nuclear ambitions for decades, viewing the weapons as the ultimate guarantee of the regime's security in the face of Washington's "hostile policies."

Although the regime tested its first nuclear device in 2006, under the current leader's father, it has made enormous technical strides in the six years since Kim Jong Un took power. In addition to developing what it says is a hydrogen bomb - a claim that outside experts say is credible - North Korea has built increasingly long-range and reliable missiles.

In November, North Korea claimed that the entire U.S. mainland was within reach after "successfully" testing a new kind of intercontinental ballistic missile, which it said could carry a "super large heavy warhead."

Although it remains unproven whether North Korea can marry its nuclear devices with its missiles, experts confirmed that the missile, which flew 10 times higher than the International Space Station, could theoretically reach Washington.

With that test, North Korea declared that its rocket development process had been completed - an announcement that some analysts viewed as a sign that the Kim regime was now ready for talks on the basis that it was a nuclear power.

(c) 2018, The Washington Post. Story by Anna Fifield.WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer honored a Syracuse Navy veteran in a speech on the Senate floor Thursday, a day after Larry Reilly Sr. died following a decades-long battle to honor his son and shipmates who were killed during the Vietnam War.

Reilly, 93, of Meadowbrook Drive, Syracuse, died Wednesday, a year after the Pentagon denied his request to add the names of sailors from the USS Frank E. Evans to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

Reilly survived a June 3, 1969 training accident that partially sunk the Navy destroyer, killing his son who served on the same ship, Larry Reilly Jr., and 73 other sailors.

The names of the sailors were not added to the Vietnam memorial in Washington, D.C., because the ship's collision with an Australian aircraft carrier happened in the South China Sea, just outside the official combat zone for the Vietnam War.

Larry Reilly Sr., a master chief on the ship, had asked for Schumer's help in trying to convince Pentagon leaders to make an exception, noting the ship was on maneuvers because of the Vietnam War.

The Pentagon rejected the request last year, and instead offered to honor the fallen sailors by listing their names on a plaque that would be placed inside a planned education center near the Vietnam memorial.

Schumer, D-N.Y., the Senate Democratic leader, promised in his speech Thursday that he would continue Reilly's fight for the names of his son and fellow sailors to be added to the wall.

"Chief Reilly spent much of his energies in the years since the war trying to right that wrong; to get his son and his fellow shipmates their rightful place in our nation's history," said Schumer, who visited Reilly in his Syracuse home in June 2016.

"We who knew Chief Reilly remember him fondly and send our condolences to his friends and family, along with the message that his cause does not die with him," Schumer said. "In his honor, we will continue to pressure the Pentagon to recognize the Frank E. Evans on the Vietnam Memorial."

He added, "This weekend, as we honor our fallen veterans in big cities and small towns throughout this country, I will be thinking of Chief Reilly and his son. May we never forget the sacrifice they made, along with so many others, so that we all may enjoy the full blessings of liberty."

Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751BETHPAGE, N.Y. -- President Donald Trump on Wednesday reaffirmed his condemnation of immigrant gang members as "animals" as he pressed his call for tougher border security at a Long Island forum with public officials and victims' parents.



He also threatened to cut foreign aid to the immigrants' countries of origin unless those nations do more to stop traffic to the United States.



Decrying the "menace" of MS-13 gangs that he said had "transformed our neighborhoods into blood-stained killing fields," the president blamed Democrats for blocking new laws and assailed critics who have complained that his recent comments had gone too far.



"I called them animals the other day and I was met with rebuke," Trump said, after describing in grisly detail some gang crimes, including in the suburban New York area he was visiting. "They said, 'These are people.' These are not people, these are animals."



The president and his aides have doubled down on the word since his use of it last week at a public meeting with California law enforcement officials provoked a backlash. That criticism, however, mostly reflected the ambiguity of Trump's May 16 remarks about "animals," which to some listeners seemed to refer to immigrants generally, not just MS-13 members.



It was clear at Wednesday's session that Trump was referring to the gang, and several attendees seconded his condemnation, including the mother of a teenager killed by the gang.



Thomas Homan, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told the president: "I think you're being kind. Animals kill for survival. MS-13 kills for sport."



The session brought Trump together with two administration appointees who have been targets of his verbal and Twitter attacks: Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, whom Trump has assailed for the Justice Department's Russia investigation, and Kirstjen Nielsen, the secretary of Homeland Security who nearly quit recently after Trump excoriated her at a Cabinet meeting for not doing enough to crack down on immigration.



Trump complimented both Rosenstein and Nielsen at the meeting, and they lauded him in turn -- as did the other local law enforcement officials and three Republican House members who flanked the president at tables.



Rosenstein, who oversees the special counsel's investigation of Russia's election interference and Trump's possible attempts at obstructing it, validated the president's comments on the MS-13 threat and the weakness of current laws, and praised him for focusing attention on the issue.



"We're letting people in who are creating problems," Rosenstein said. He added, "Under your leadership, Attorney General (Jeff) Sessions has made violent crime and illegal immigration a top priority for the Department of Justice."



Yet unlike the president, who emphasized the danger of undocumented immigrants, Rosenstein and several other speakers leavened their remarks with sympathy for young people who come to the United States as innocents.



"We're letting people in who are gang members," Rosenstein said. "We're also letting people in who are vulnerable. Many of these alien children who have no parents, no family structure ... are vulnerable to recruitment to MS-13."



The president, complaining that the native countries of arrested MS-13 members refuse to take them back, floated the idea of penalizing the nations: "Every time someone comes in from a certain country, we're going to deduct a rather large sum of money."



It is unclear whether the administration has the idea under consideration, as Trump suggested, and he did not name any countries in danger of losing aid. Many MS-13 members or their parents are from El Salvador.



The president closed with a characteristically bold prediction. "I feel totally confident," he said, "that this problem will be eradicated."

-- By Eli Stokols, Tribune Washington BureauBUNNIK, Netherlands (AP) -- The missile used to shoot down a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 aboard, belonged to a Russia-based military unit, an international team of investigators said Thursday after painstakingly studying video and photos of a military convoy.

The criminal investigation team "has concluded that the Buk Telar with which Flight MH17 was shot down is from the 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade from Kursk in the Russian Federation," said Wilbert Paulissen, head of the Netherlands' National Crime Squad, referring to the missile system used.

It was the clearest link yet published by the investigators to the involvement of Russian military in the deadly surface-to-air missile strike on the Boeing 777, and it echoed findings published in 2016 by the Bellingcat investigative group.

Russia has always denied involvement in the downing of Flight 17, which was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when it was blown out of the sky at 33,000 feet (about 10,000 meters) over war-ravaged eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014.

Bodies, debris and burning wreckage were strewn over a field of sunflowers near the rebel-held village of Hrabove in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Russian border, where fighting had been raging for months.

On Thursday, Russia criticized the Joint Investigation Team, or JIT, for relying on claims by Bellingcat.

"If the international investigative team is indeed interested in tracking down the real culprits of the MH17 catastrophe, its members would better rely on facts and witness testimony and not fakes produced by Bellingcat and Ukraine's Security Service," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also criticized the investigators for allegedly ignoring evidence provided by Russia, including radar surveillance of the airspace at the time of the flight.

"In these circumstances, we have legitimate questions about the true underlying cause of the decision of the JIT to disclose the preliminary conclusion," the Foreign Ministry statement said.

Prosecutors said they have presented their findings to Moscow and are seeking answers, but so far have not received a response. The international team running the criminal investigation appealed for help from witnesses who can testify about the involvement of the Russian military's 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade.

Prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said the new conclusion raised new questions, "such as the question about how actively involved the brigade itself was in bringing down Flight MH17."

Westerbeke said the JIT is not yet ready to identify suspects, but added: "I can say that we are now entering the ... last phase of the investigation."

Prosecutors said in 2016 that the plane was shot down by a Buk 9M38 missile fired from territory controlled by Russia-backed rebels, using a mobile launcher trucked in from Russia and hastily returned there.

Thursday's presentation went a step further by identifying the exact unit allegedly involved in the transport. It showed a compilation of video and photos from social media tracing the missile brigade convoy's journey in the weeks before the incident.

"All findings from this forensic investigation confirm the earlier conclusion of the JIT that Flight MH17 was shot down by 9M38 series missile," said Jennifer Hurst of the Australian Federal Police.

Investigators displayed parts of the engine casing and exhaust system of a Buk 9M38 series missile recovered from eastern Ukraine and showed photos of its serial number, which they said demonstrated it was made in Moscow.

However, investigators said they could not yet say with certainty that it was the exact missile used to down MH17. They appealed for witnesses to come forward with more information about the missile and the role of the Russian military in transporting it.

In a statement, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said: "That a sophisticated weapon belonging to the Russian Army was dispatched and used to shoot down a civilian aircraft should be of grave international concern. We are discussing these findings with our partners and considering our options."

Ultimately, any suspects identified and charged will be prosecuted in Dutch courts -- if they can be arrested and brought to trial.

Of the 298 people killed, 196 were Dutch, 42 were Malaysian and 27 were Australian.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said in a Facebook post that he would "do everything possible to ensure that the actions of the Russian Federation as a state which supports terrorism get an appropriate assessment" in the International Court of Justice.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte cut short a visit to India so he could chair a Cabinet meeting to discuss the findings.

Piet Ploeg, a member of a foundation for victims' relatives, said the Dutch government should not consider legal steps against Russia.

Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders urged all countries to cooperate fully with the investigation "so that those responsible can be brought to justice."PUNGGYE-RI, North Korea (AP) -- Just weeks ahead of a planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un made good on his promise to demolish North Korea's nuclear test site, which was formally closed in a series of huge explosions Thursday as a group of foreign journalists looked on.

The explosions at the nuclear test site deep in the mountains of the North's sparsely populated northeast were centered on three tunnels at the underground site and a number of buildings in the surrounding area.

North Korea held a closing ceremony afterward with officials from its nuclear arms program in attendance. The group of journalists that witnessed the demolition, which touched off landslides near the tunnel entrances and sent up clouds of smoke and dust, included an Associated Press Television crew.

North Korea's state media called the closure of the site part of a process to build "a nuclear-free, peaceful world" and "global nuclear disarmament."

"The dismantling of the nuclear test ground conducted with high-level transparency has clearly attested once again to the proactive and peace-loving efforts of the DPRK government being made for assuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and over the world," the North's official news agency reported late Thursday.

North Korea's formal name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Kim announced his plan to close the site, where North Korea has conducted all six of its underground nuclear tests, ahead of a summit with South Korea's President Moon Jae-in in April and the planned summit with Trump, which is scheduled to take place next month in Singapore.

But even as North Korea made good on its gesture of detente, it a lobbed another verbal salvo at Washington, calling Vice President Mike Pence a "political dummy" and saying it is just as ready to meet in a nuclear confrontation as at the negotiating table.

North Korea's decision to close the Punggye-ri nuclear test site has generally been seen as a welcome gesture by Kim to set a positive tone ahead of the summit. In a statement earlier Thursday, South Korea's National Security Council called the closing the North's "first measure toward complete denuclearization."

Not everyone is as optimistic, however.

The closing of the site is not an irreversible move and would need to be followed by many more significant measures to meet Trump's demand for real denuclearization.

North Korea also did not invite international nuclear weapons inspectors, opting instead for the impact of the television footage to impress the world.

The event was, indeed, impressive.

The first blast the visiting journalists witnessed came at around 11 a.m. after they made a 12-hour plus trip by train and convoy through the night and over bumpy dirt roads. That explosion collapsed the complex's north tunnel, which was used for five nuclear tests between 2009 and last year.

Two other explosions, at around 2:20 p.m. and 4 p.m., collapsed the west and south tunnels, according to officials. North Korea's state media stressed that those two tunnels could have been used to carry out more tests at any time, countering reports that the Punggye-ri site had been rendered largely unusable after the six tests already conducted there.

Also blown up were observation posts and barracks used by guards and other workers at the facility. A tunnel on the eastern side of the facility had already been shut down after an initial nuclear test in 2006.

North Korea said the demolition of the facility did not cause any leakage of radioactive materials or have any "adverse impact on the surrounding ecological environment."

The journalists were allowed to stay at the site for about nine hours.

Getting to the remote site required an overnight train ride from Wonsan, a port city east of the capital, Pyongyang. In typically secretive fashion, officials instructed the media not to open the blinds that covered the windows of their train cars. They also were not allowed to shoot photos from the vehicles they took to the site from the nearest train station, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) away.

Back in Pyongyang, the outburst directed at Pence, issued in the name of a top Foreign Ministry official, came on the heels of another sharp rebuke of Trump's newly appointed national security adviser, John Bolton, and has raised concerns that a major gap has opened between the two sides as the planned summit nears.

Choe Son Hui, a vice minister of foreign affairs, was quoted by the state-run news agency as slamming "ignorant" and "stupid" comments Pence made in an interview with Fox News that compared nuclear-capable North Korea to Libya. Libya gave up its nuclear program at an early stage only to see its longtime dictator overthrown and brutally killed years later.

The summit plan has hit a number of speed bumps recently as both sides have begun trading barbs and taking tougher positions.

Trump met with South Korean President Moon on Tuesday at the White House for consultations and suggested the summit could be delayed or even called off entirely.WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Trump administration launched an investigation into whether tariffs are needed on the imports of automobiles into the United States, moving swiftly as talks over the North American Free Trade Agreement have stalled. President Donald Trump predicted earlier that U.S. automakers and auto workers would be "very happy" with the outcome of the NAFTA talks.

The White House said in a statement Wednesday that the president had asked Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to consider whether the imports of automobiles, including trucks, and automotive parts threaten U.S. national security. The president said in the statement that "core industries such as automobiles and automotive parts are critical to our strength as a Nation."

The U.S. remains far apart on the talks over rewriting the trade pact with Canada and Mexico, with the discussions at an impasse over rules for car production. The initiation of the trade investigation could be seen as an attempt to gain leverage in the talks with the two U.S. neighbors. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said that efforts to renegotiate the trade agreement could spill into next year.

Nearly half of the vehicles sold in the U.S. are imported, with many coming from assembly plants in Mexico and Canada. During a meeting with auto executives earlier this month, Trump said he would push for an increase in the production of vehicles built at U.S. plants. He has also criticized European Union auto imports and tariffs and earlier this year threatened a "tax" on European imports.

A person familiar with the discussions said the president has suggested seeking new tariffs of 20 to 25 percent on automobile imports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity and was not authorized to speak about private deliberations.

Trump brought a little-used weapon to his fight to protect auto workers: Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. The provision authorizes the president to restrict imports and impose unlimited tariffs on national security grounds.

The Trump administration used that authority in March to slap tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum imports. Until then, the United States had pursued only two such investigations since joining the World Trade Organization in 1995. Both times -- in a 1999 case involving oil imports and a 2001 case involving iron ore and steel imports -- the Commerce Department refused to recommend sanctions.

Critics fear that other countries will retaliate or use national security as a pretext to impose trade sanctions of their own.

Daniel Ujczo, a trade lawyer with Dickinson Wright PLLC, said the tariff threat is likely meant to pressure Mexico into accepting U.S. demands for NAFTA changes that would shift more auto production to the U.S. from Mexico. But he questioned whether it would work.

"I do not believe that it will have the desired effect," Ujczo said. "Everyone knows that (the investigation) will take too long and has no chance of surviving any legal challenge."

Trump offered a hint about the move earlier in the day on the South Lawn, telling reporters that "you'll be seeing very soon what I'm talking about." He noted that both Mexico and Canada have been "very difficult to deal with" during the negotiations.

"I am not happy with their requests. But I will tell you in the end we win, we will win and will win big," Trump said before departing for New York. He said America's neighbors have been "very spoiled because nobody's done this but I will tell you that what they ask for is not fair. Our auto workers are going to be extremely happy."

Mexico has so far resisted U.S. attempts to get higher regional content rules in the auto industry and move production to higher-wage U.S. and Canadian factories. The U.S. has also sought to change NAFTA's dispute-resolution system, and include a sunset clause that would allow countries to exit after five years.

The Trump administration has already missed an informal deadline that had been set by House Speaker Paul Ryan to get a revamped deal to Congress in time for lawmakers to vote on it in a midterm election year. Mexico, meanwhile, will hold presidential elections on July 1 and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the leftist candidate who has led in polls, has said the re-negotiation shouldn't be rushed through and should be left to the winner of the election.

If the negotiators fail to agree to a revamped version of NAFTA, the discussions could be extended into 2019. Trump could also carry out his threat to abandon the agreement that he has long railed against, throwing commerce among the three countries into disarray.

Trump has sought to overhaul NAFTA in an effort to return auto production to the United States and reduce America's trade deficit. The U.S. has been demanding that a percentage of a car's content of auto parts originate in a country -- the U.S. or Canada -- with average auto worker wages of about $15 an hour to qualify for NAFTA's duty-free status.

But companies have built supply chains that straddle NAFTA borders and changing the rules could disrupt their operations, raise costs and potentially put them at a competitive disadvantage with manufacturers in Asia and Europe.Syracuse, N.Y. -- The lead-in to Memorial Day weekend could bring the warmest temperatures of the year so far in parts of Upstate New York.

The highs in most Upstate cities are projected to be in the mid to high 80s, which would be close to the hottest day since Jan. 1. Humidity will also be high, making it feel even hotter.

"This will certainly make it feel like the first official weekend of summer, as apparent temperatures will climb to levels more typical of July," said the National Weather Service's Buffalo office.

Temperatures could reach into the high 80s on Saturday in Upstate New York.

While much of Western New York will reach into the 80s Friday and Saturday, Buffalo will likely stay 10 degrees cooler, thanks to breezes off Lake Erie.

Friday and early Saturday should be clear and sunny across most of Upstate, thanks to a high pressure system to the north. A slow-moving front could bring thunderstorms later Saturday, and the chances of scattered storms increase Sunday and Monday.

The cool front pushing those showers will also lead to cooler temperatures on Sunday and Memorial day, with temperatures in the low 80s.

Below are the weather service high temperature forecasts and how they compare to the warmest day of 2018.

Hottest days of 2018 so far

City Friday Saturday 2018 highest Date Albany 85 86 90 May 2 Binghamton 86 86 84 May 2 Buffalo 72 76 85 May 9 Elmira 87 86 88 May 2 Poughkeepsie 86 87 89 May 15 Rochester 85 85 85 May 2 Syracuse 86 87 88 May 2 Watertown 79 80 81 May 9

Source: Northeast Regional Climate Center; National Weather Service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 ...The Huawei MateBook X Pro has arrived in the United States, which might just blow other Ultrabooks in the market out of the water.

MateBook X Pro Competes With High-End Laptops

The MateBook X Pro's premium design and specifications put it at direct competition with some of the most popular laptops in the western shores. Huawei touts it as "The Best Laptop You've Never Heard Of."

"Reflecting Huawei's premium and sleek design aesthetic, every curve and every port of the Huawei MateBook X Pro is intentional," said the company.

"Made of aluminum alloy that is typically used in aviation along with a sophisticated sandblasting finish, it is 0.57 inches thin and weighs just 2.93 pounds - making the Huawei MateBook X Pro light, portable yet durable."

The outside looks and feels premium, which then opens up to show the 13.9-inch nearly bezel-less display in a 13-inch lid. Huawei claims that the 3K touch screen features a 91 percent screen-to-body ratio, a first in the industry.

Perhaps the most notable feature, however, is the camera. It hides under what looks like to be a key in the keyboard that pops up only when the user wants to use it. The feature made news across the globe amid memes that make fun of the rumors about the government spying on the citizens through their laptop cameras.

MateBook X Pro Specs, Price, And Availability

Under the hood, the MateBook X Pro's specifications do not disappoint. The base model comes with an eighth-generation Intel Core i5-8250U processor with integrated graphics, an 8 GB RAM, and 256 GB NVMe SSD.

The powerhouse variant has an Intel Core i7-8550U processor with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB NVMe SSD. Its dedicated GPU Nvidia MX 150 should be able to handle casual games.

Another interesting feature of the Huawei Ultrabook is the fingerprint sensor, which borrows the technology from the Chinese company's smartphones. It integrates the sensor with the power button, allowing users to start and access their laptops in 7.9 seconds.

The MateBook X Pro has USB-C, Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.0, and 3.5 mm headphone ports. The Second Generation Dolby Atmos Sound System provides an immersive 3D experience, while a 57.4 Wh battery powers the laptop for 14 to 15 hours, depending on usage.

The base MateBook X Pro model retails in the United States for $1,200 with a Space Gray color, while the higher-specced model is at $1,500 with Space Gray and Mystic Silver color options. Compared to its pricing in other markets, it is obvious that Huawei is pushing an aggressive stance against Apple and Microsoft products, including the expensive MacBook Pro.

The Huawei MateBook X Pro is now available at Newegg, Amazon, and Microsoft Store. It is set to land on the physical shelves of Microsoft on May 23.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.A new study shows that the coyote population has exponentially expanded from North America's west coast and into Mexico and Central America.

The New Study

ZooKeys recently published a study done by two scientists at the North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Both James W. Hody and Roland Kays investigated numerous factors on several reasons why the coyote population expanded. The duo looked at coyote sightings documented in two databases, VertNet and the Quaternary Faunal Mapping Project.

Through these two databases, the duo was able to find specimen records of several different types of coyotes including coydogs and coywolves. Hody and Kays also researched zooarchaeological findings of coyote remains in Mexico and Central America that dated between 300 to 10,000 years before the present day. Also, they used fossil records, state wildlife agency reports, and scientific books for this research project.

By combining the data, Hody and Kays were able to draft two unique maps. The first map focused on the coyote population that ranged from 10,000 years BP to the late 1800s. The second map highlighted the coyotes' expansion throughout the 20th Century in 10-year increments.

Coyote Findings

The scientists found that coyotes have historically occupied a larger area of North America that suggested in their research. Before Hody and Kays created their maps, other cartographers and researchers found that ancient coyotes were located in grasslands and deserts. However, the duo's maps suggest that the geographic area that the coyotes occupied was established for hundreds and, possibly, thousands of years.

Hody and Kays suggest that the coyote population started to expand across North America around 1920. They believed that the factors that lead to the expansion were human agriculture, forest fragmentation, and hybridization between wolves and dogs. The duo noted that coyotes were also spotted in Central America and added that they were approaching the Darien Gap, which separates North and South America.

"The expansion of coyotes across the American continent offers an incredible experiment for assessing ecological questions about their role of predators, and evolutionary questions related to their hybridization with dogs and wolves," said Hays to Earth.com.

Predatory Coyotes

In March, a coyote was killed after going on a biting spree in New York City suburbs. The Health Department stated that the animal tested positive for rabies. However, the Yonkers Police Department added that the deceased coyote was traveling with a partner. They were unable to find the second coyote and advised New York City residents to keep clear of wooded areas and to remain indoors.

Last August, another coyote attacked a 64-year-old woman when she walked in a New York park. The animal left her with severe bite marks on her arms, legs, and face. She was sent to an Albany hospital and was treated for her injuries. Eventually, the coyote was found, killed, and tested positive for rabies.

A South Carolina spine surgeon was heading into work when a coyote followed him into his office. The doctor shook his keys to scare the animal before he ran out of the building. The coyote followed him outside for around 10 feet before a squirrel distracted it and he eventually ran off. The doctor reported the incident to authorities to capture it.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.The malaria parasite, Plasmodium, retreats and takes refuge inside a liver immediately after entering the bloodstream.

A new research finds that it does this so that it can reproduce, survive, and prepare for an invasion.

In The Lab: Studying Malaria Parasites

Scientists at the Duke University in North Carolina wanted to study the malaria parasite and the role it plays inside the liver.

To do this, they dissected malaria-infected mosquitos and extracted from them hidden parasites. Then, they infected human liver cells with the parasite and used RNA sequencing to examine all the genes, particularly the ones that switch on in infected liver cells.

The Findings

When the parasite enters the bloodstream from the bite of an infected mosquito, it immediately takes refuge inside a liver. Once it is inside, the parasite forces itself into liver cells and tricks them into giving up a protein known as aquaporin-3 or AQP-3.

The parasite then steals the protein and uses it to its own advantage. It will multiply and make thousands of copies of itself within only 2 days. After which, the parasite becomes too strong; it goes back into the bloodstream and starts invading the red blood cells.

"This parasite found a way to manipulate the host's liver cells to make it favorable for this replication event," said Emily Derbyshire, an assistant professor of chemistry at Duke University. "This suggests that maybe we can develop drugs to try to target the host to prevent malaria."

Discovery Could Lead To New Treatments For Malaria

According to the researchers, the findings could lead to the development of new drugs that can help treat malaria in the liver and even before any symptoms appear. One way of doing this, according to the researchers, is to reduce or restrict the parasite's capacity to multiply by using an inhibitor that would disable the protein.

Instead of prevention or fighting off the parasite after it invades the red blood cells, the team at Duke University discovered a way to disrupt the parasite while it is still in the liver.

"This is a great proof-of-principle that you can develop small molecules to fight Plasmodium in the liver, and one could now have a campaign looking specifically for inhibitors against this protein," Derbyshire added.

The study was recently published in the journal PLOS Pathogens.

Species Of Plasmodium

Over hundreds of species of Plasmodium can infect animals, including birds, reptiles, and a variety of mammals. So far, four species of the genus have been known to infect humans in nature.

According to the Global Health Institute at Duke, malaria caused around 700,000 deaths around the world, mostly among children in Africa. The disease is, however, preventable and curable.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Amazon has found itself surrounded by controversy after the American Civil Liberties Union revealed that it sold its facial recognition technology to law enforcement in the United States.

Amazon Selling Facial Recognition Software To Cops

On Tuesday, May 22, the ACLU revealed that the tech giant has sold its real-time facial recognition technology to law enforcement agencies in Oregon and Orlando.

The software, known as Rekognition, was announced in 2016 and is being sold by the company's Amazon Web Services arm. The software is being marketed as a technology that helps identify persons of interest against a collection of millions of faces in real-time.

The company is selling the real-time software to police forces for analyzing security footage, including body camera feeds. It claims that it has the ability to identify as many as 100 people in a single image.

How Is Law Enforcement Using The Technology?

In November, Amazon said in an AWS blog that the Washington County Sherriff's Office in Oregon had been using the facial recognition technology for more than a year. The latter was able to cut down its identification time or reported suspects considerably, from two or three days to mere minutes.

The company also pointed out that the agency successfully apprehended their first suspect within week's time thanks to Amazon Rekognition.

Meanwhile, the Orlando Police Department is using the real-time technology to identify persons of interest in public places and notify officers of their presence.

Amazon Urged To Stop Selling The Software To Law Enforcement

Although Amazon is selling the software to cops so that they can easily catch lawbreakers, civil rights organizations are worried that it could infringe on people's privacy rights and can be misused by the government.

In a letter addressed to Jeff Bezos, the Amazon CEO, the ACLU, along with 40 other activist groups, asked Amazon to stop aiding and abetting a government surveillance infrastructure that spells danger for people across the nation.

"This product poses a grave threat to communities, including people of color and immigrants, and to the trust and respect Amazon has worked to build," the letter reads. "People should be free to walk down the street without being watched by the government. Facial recognition in American communities threatens this freedom."

In an e-mailed statement, Amazon responded by saying that it provides a general image recognition software that automatically identifies people, objects, and activities. It requires customers to abide by the law and act responsibly when using the technology.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Summertime means good weather, beach parties, and barbecued food. A new study, however, may put a damper on those who are looking forward to a burger or hot dog fresh off the grill.

A team of researchers in China suggests that standing too close to a grill can expose a person's body to harmful cancer chemicals.

Deadly BBQ

The study suggests that these harmful chemicals can get under a person's skin. The chemicals are called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and can be produced through the burning of organic substances, such as wood, coal, or gasoline.

They also are formed when meats are cooked using "high-temperature" methods such as pan-frying or grilling. In the past, studies focused on the exposure of PAHs through food or air; however, this study discovered that people absorbed higher levels of PAHs by sitting around the grill. The greatest levels of exposure to PAHs is through consuming barbecued meat the study noted.

The researchers of the study collected data from 20 men who attended a barbecue for 2.5 hours in Guangzhou, China.

The participants of the study were divided into three groups: one group that ate barbecued food and took no precaution to avoid smoke through the air or through their skin; the second group did not eat any meat but was exposed to the smoke through the air and through skin; and the third group who did not eat any meat and wore special masks to avoid inhaling smoke but their skin was still exposed to it.

The Results

The researchers collected urine samples from the participants before and after the barbecue. They also collected samples from the air during the barbecue to analyze for PAHs and calculated the estimates of each participants uptake of PAHs through food, their skin, and the air. The researchers confirmed that the highest exposure of PAHs was through the consumption of meat.

The second to the highest was through skin followed by inhalation. The study also showed that people's clothing may help lower the amount of PAHs exposure at barbecues. The researchers suggest wearing long sleeve shirts and pants would be best; however, the clothing could become saturated with smoke, which would also expose the skin to PAHs. Immediately washing any clothing worn at a barbecue prevents that from happening.

Dr. Kenneth Spaeth, the chief of occupational and environmental medicine at Northwell Health in Great Neck, New York, commented that these new findings shouldn't cause too much worry as many people don't engage in barbecuing often. Spaeth did note that the amount of smoke a person is exposed to should be moderate.

"For the average person, it's not likely to end up being a real major worry, since most people don't engage in this activity all the time," Spaeth stated. Spaeth was not a part of the study.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Apple is offering a $50 credit to certain customers who paid full price for an iPhone battery replacement within 2017.

The offered credit is an extension of the $29 battery replacement program, which Apple launched in December in response to the infamous iPhone throttling issue.

Apple Offers $50 Credit To iPhone Battery Replacement Customers

Apple, through a post on its official support website, revealed that it is offering a $50 credit to customers who paid for an out-of-warrant battery replacement from Jan. 1 to Dec. 28 of 2017.

Not everyone will be able to enjoy the iPhone battery replacement refund, though. For the battery replacements to be eligible for the $50 credit, they should have been completed at an authorized service location, such as an Apple Store, an Apple Repair Center, or an authorized service provider. The devices involved should also be the iPhone 6 or later.

Eligible customers will receive the $50 credit either through an electronic funds transfer or directly to the credit card that was used to pay for the iPhone battery replacement.

Apple will reach out to eligible customers via email between May 23 and July 27, to provide instructions on how to avail the $50 credit. By Aug. 1, customers who have not received such an email but believe that they should be eligible for the $50 credit should prepare their proof of service and contact Apple by Dec. 31.

Remembering The iPhone Throttling Issue

The $50 credit matches the $50 discount that Apple provided for iPhone battery replacements, which are now only $29 from the original price of $79.

The discounted iPhone battery replacement was Apple's attempt at an iPhone throttling fix after the issue exploded in December 2017. Apple was found to have been throttling iPhones to extend the life of degraded batteries, an allegation that was later confirmed by Apple. According to the company, the "feature" was implemented to prevent random shutdowns.

As iPhone owners scrambled to determine if they were affected by the iPhone throttling issue, lawsuits against Apple started coming in.

To try to make things right, Apple decided right before 2017 ended to offer $29 iPhone battery replacements, giving customers a significant discount to get their iPhones at peak performance. Apple then rolled out the Battery Health menu in iOS 11.3 to give users the option of whether to disable iPhone throttling or to conserve battery.

The debate whether these actions are enough for iPhone owners to accept Apple's apology is still ongoing. Samsung, meanwhile, apparently will not let Apple forget about the iPhone throttling issue.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Sleeping in on the weekends to catch up on sleep that was missed over the rest of the week may help you live longer, according to a new study.

Sleep deprivation has been found to have numerous negative effects on a person's health. The new study, meanwhile, shows that opposite, with more sleep translating to a lower risk of early death.

Sleeping In On Weekends Is Good For You

Sleeping in on weekends to catch up on missed sleep over a long and tiring work week does not only feel amazing, but it also may help you live longer.

The study, which was published on the Journal of Sleep Research by scientists from Sweden and the United States, discovered that people below 65 years old who slept less than five hours on weekends had a higher risk of death.

To come up with these findings, researchers analyzed data from 30,000 subjects over a period of 13 years. For people who slept for less than five hours throughout the week but slept longer on the weekends for about nine hours, there was no increase in mortality risk. However, for people who consistently slept for less than five hours through the whole week, the mortality risk is higher.

Torbjorn Akerstedt, one of the authors of the research and a clinical neuroscience professor from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, said that the findings were consistent with previous studies on the link between sleep duration and mortality. However, those previous studies only focused on sleep during weekdays.

With the research, the scientists have proven that shorter sleep during weekdays will not increase the risk of death if a person compensates for it with longer sleep during weekends. Sleeping in on weekends, especially if you do not get enough sleep during weekdays, will help you live longer.

Sleep Deprivation Effects

The effects of not getting enough sleep goes beyond just feeling groggy and needing coffee to start your day. Studies have linked sleep deprivation to major health problems, including cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease.

Recent studies have determined that sleep deprived people are five times more likely to suffer from cognitive issues such as attention lapses, and that just one sleepless night may already increase the risk for Alzheimer's disease.

Not everybody has the luxury of having enough time to sleep on weekdays. The new research, however, shows that you can make up for it by sleeping in on weekends, which you should definitely do to help you live longer.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.People are used to Elon Musk tweeting odd things, but a recent series of tweets from the Tesla CEO about the media might result in a new business venture.

Musk Takes On The Media

Musk has always been at odds with many media outlets. In the past, Musk claimed that he received numerous criticisms from journalists about his companies and his projects.

In particular, Tesla faced sharp criticisms over potential flaws regarding its autonomous driving project. Musk previously complained that other auto companies do not get as much scrutiny regarding vehicle safety.

Consumer Reports recently published a negative review about the Tesla Model 3. For Musk, this criticism was the final straw.

Musk's Rant On Twitter

On May 23, Musk published numerous tweets about the media.

"The holier-than-thou hypocrisy of big media companies who lay claim to the truth, but publish only enough to sugarcoat the lie, is why the public no longer respects them," Musk tweeted. "Anytime anyone criticizes the media, the media shrieks 'You're just like Trump!' Why do you think he got elected in the first place? Because no ones believes you anymore. You lost your credibility a long time ago."

In a follow-up tweet, Musk wrote that many journalists are "under constant pressure" to get web traffic and "earn advertising dollars" or risk losing their jobs. He then wrote that other car companies are "among the world's biggest advertisers" and his company, Tesla, does not advertise. A 2016 report found that five car companies each spend over $1 billion every year on advertising.

On Twitter, Musk pledged to create a website for people to rate the credibility of journalists, editors, and publications. He wants to call it Pravda.

"Even if some of the public doesn't care about the credibility score, the journalists, editors & publications will. It is how they define themselves," he tweeted.

Musk then proceeded to poll users to see if Pravda is a good idea. As of May 23, over 80 percent of users agree with Musk in his poll.

What Is Pravda?

Musk's suggested name for his new venture, Pravada, is a reference to a state newspaper that existed in the Soviet Union.

In October 2017, Pravda Corp became a certified business registered in the state of Delaware. Its only listed officer is Jared Birchall, who has other roles at companies owned by Musk.

Musk also told Gizmodo that Pravda was his company and that he will work on it after finishing the Tesla Model 3.

There's also a chance that Pravda may never happen. Musk has a history of telling people on Twitter that he is going to launch a new company, but then it never gets started.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Three patients infected with Ebola virus escaped out of a quarantine in the city of Mbandaka in the Democratic Republic of Congo earlier this week.

More Than 600 Have Had Contact With Ebola Patients

Two of the patients who managed to slip out of the isolation ward in a hospital in the city of nearly 1.2 million people are now dead, but the third patient is alive and now under observation.

Health ministry sources said that police officers were deployed to help track down the patients.

WHO staff in Congo have likewise redoubled efforts to track all those who came into contact with these patients, said WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic. Health workers have already came up with a list of 628 people who have had contact with known Ebola cases, and these individuals need to be vaccinated.

Convincing People To Follow Medical Advice

WHO and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said that they could not force patients to stay in the hospital. Nonetheless, they hope that growing awareness of the hemorrhagic fever and the risks it poses would help convince people to follow medical advice.

Convincing people to seek medical treatment and observe safe practices to prevent the disease from spreading, however, is a challenge for health workers in this Central African nation.

Exposure to the dead body, bodily fluids, and personal items of people who died of Ebola can spread the disease. The nation's traditional practices in handling and burial of dead bodies, though, increase risk of transmission after death.

Those from more rural and remote areas may not even believe that the disease is real and that Western medicine can help.

"We hear people having doubts and worries about the epidemic," said Jose Barahona, Oxfam country director.

"We have seen cases of people leaving hospitals and refusing care, which could have dramatic consequences."

Awareness Campaigns May Help Curb Spread Of Disease

WHO and Oxfam now conduct awareness campaigns by organizing community dialogues and going door to door, advising people on hygiene precautions to observe during outbreaks.

No treatment is currently available for the deadly disease that has so far killed at least eight since May, but experimental vaccines are now being used to contain the current Ebola outbreak. Millions of dollars from international aid, which include those from the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Congolese government are now being allocated to prevent the spread of the disease.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Last year, the death rate rose making 2017 the third straight year of decline in the American life expectancy rate, preliminary data suggests. On Wednesday, May 23rd, the Centers for Disease and Control posted numbers online that claim the death rates in America rose due to Alzheimer's Disease, diabetes, the flu, pneumonia, and three other causes.

A Dying Nation

The full data is not yet available for suicides and drug overdoses, but partial-year statistics showed a rise in those statistics as well. Statistics also showed that there wasn't a change in the rates for heart disease which is the no. 1 killer in America. The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics' preliminary rates were based on the first-pass review of death certificates filed last year.

Usually, there are delays in filing paperwork for causes of death due to police involvement. A more conclusive report is expected at the end of the year that will include the numbers of death and a calculation of life expectancy, which is the average lifespan based on birth and current death trends.

Over the years, the life expectancy increased, but 2016 was the second year that the life expectancy dropped in the United States, which has only occurred twice in the last century. Health officials have stated that there was one three-year decline in the years 1916, 1917, and 1918. Experts note that these are the years when the world's worst flu epidemic occurred.

Anne Case, a Princeton University researcher, commented that it seems "likely" that the nation has tied with the previous statistics. Case has also conducted influential work on deaths in middle-aged white Americans, which include drug overdose, suicides, and alcohol abuse.

The Brighter Side

Case continued that the overall death rate rose a little less than 1 percent to 734 deaths per 100,000 people. The rate dipped slightly in 2016 despite the recorded number of deaths, therefore rise in deaths in 2017 is more of a reason to expect that life expectancy will continue to get worse.

Despite this current epidemic, the good news is that the death rate for cancer continues to drop. Cancer, which is considered the nation's second "killer," fell 2 percent in 2016. The heart disease rate also fell. However, the percentage it dropped to was 0.3 percent.

Experts believe that the nation's growing obesity rate could be one of the major factors in heart disease rate decline. Death rates attributed to HIV and blood infections also declined.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.The U.S. Postal Service commemorated Dr. Sally Ride's legacy. She was one of NASA's recognizable astronauts in helping women get to space.

The 'Forever' Stamp

On Wednesday, May 23, the U.S. Postal Service released a "Forever" stamp with America's first woman in space. Artist Paul Salmon painted a portrait of Ride that showed Ride in her baby blue NASA uniform with a rocket being launched in the background. Salmon showcased the late astronaut and college professor's confidence and positivity. He also put into painting her passion for space travel.

A U.S. Postal Service spokesperson corresponded with Tech Times. They mentioned that the stamps are miniature works of art that highlight the American experience. They also noted that Ride had a significant impact on American history and culture by inspiring generations of students as a physicist, astronaut, and champion of science education.

Dr. Ride's Legacy

Ride joined NASA in 1978 as a part of the space agency's first all-female astronaut class. She was the first woman to be a capsule commander for the 1981 Columbia flight. She served as a go-between for the astronauts in space and the Mission Control leaders.

On June 18, 1983, Ride headed to outer space onboard the Challenger space shuttle. For six days, she worked alongside her male colleagues and proved that women could operate NASA missions in outer space. One year later, Ride made history again when she was one of the two women who were part of a NASA flight crew.

NASA asked Ride to bring her physics expertise when the space agency dealt with two specific tragedies. She was the only person to sit on both the 1986 Challenger Space Shuttle and 2003 Columbia Space Shuttle investigations.

Ride also conceptualized with the EarthKAM project. This allowed for middle school students to connect with the International Space Station through using a camera to photograph the planet. Outside of NASA, she was a physics professor at the University of California at San Diego. She also co-founded Sally Ride Science, a non-profit organization that helped students learn about science, engineering, technology, and math education.

"Sally Ride's history-making journey has made it easier for young girls to dream one day being an astronaut, an engineer, a physicist or a mathematician. Today, girls don't just dream. Because of trailblazers like Sally Ride, they have been empowered to do," said Kristin Seaver, U.S. Postal Service Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President in a press release.

Other Honors

Ride received several additional posthumous honors. LEGO immortalized her and three additional NASA alumni in a unique series called the "Women of NASA." The other women that received this distinguished honor included computer scientist Margaret Hamilton, astronaut Mae Jemison, who was the first African-American woman to orbit the Earth onboard Endeavour, and Nancy Grace Roman, who played a crucial role in setting up with the Hubble Space Telescope.

In May 2015, Google posthumously honored Ride on what was supposed to be her 64th birthday with a Google Doodle. Also, on Nov. 20, 2013, then U.S. President Barack Obama awarded Ride with the nation's highest post civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. President Obama presented the award to Ride's life partner, Tam O'Shaughnessy, who accepted it in her honor.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.The opioid crisis in the United States is getting so out of control that it appears some shellfish in the Seattle area are contaminated with it.

Testing The Water For Contamination

Scientists from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife have an interesting procedure for testing the water from the Puget Sound for contamination. They deposit mussels in cages into 18 different locations, and then analyze the mussels afterwards.

Working with the Puget Sound Institute, the scientists tested the mussels recently. They discovered that the mussels tested positive for oxycodone, which means the waters are contaminated with opioids. Oxycodone has been in clinical use for over 100 years, since 1917.

Specifically, the locations that tested positive were Bremerton's shipyard and Elliot Bay. These areas are highly urbanized and they are not near any commercial shellfish beds.

How Are Opioids Getting In Mussels?

The scientists believe that the contamination is likely coming into the water from users. Some of the oxycodone consumed by people end up in the toilet before going to wastewater treatment plants. Although the plants filter the water, there are some substances that cannot get filtered out. This is how the opioids get into the Puget Sound.

Opioid usage, and subsequently fatalities, is increasing in the United States. In 2016, 63,000 Americans died from overdoses attributed to opioids.

In addition to oxycodone, scientists discovered that some of the mussels tested for high levels of Melphalan, a chemotherapy drug that doubles as a potential carcinogen.

Future Implications Of Opioids In Musssels

Although the scientists did find oxycodone in the mussels, the amount was thousands of times lower than what most humans take. In addition, these mussels are not the same ones that humans consume.

There is still a concern about the contamination in the water.

"Those are definitely chemicals that are out there in the nearshore waters and they may be having an impact on the fish and shellfish that live there," Jennifer Lanksbury, a biologist at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, told Seattle television station KIRO. "People should be wary. Hopefully our data shows what's out there and can get the process started for cleaning up our waters."

Since this testing was a one-time study, the scientists are trying to get more funding so that they can track more chemical changes in the Puget Sound. Meanwhile, researchers with the Puget Sound Mussel Monitoring Program are now using high-resolution mass spectrometry to search for more issues in the water.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.West Hollywood grants Stormy Daniels keys to the city



Los Angeles, May 23 (AFP) May 23, 2018



Stormy Daniels is to receive the keys to the Californian city of West Hollywood on Wednesday to celebrate her court battle with President Donald Trump over an affair she claims they had more than a decade ago.

The porn star is suing Trump, who denies the fling, to invalidate a non-disclosure agreement made days before the 2016 presidential election that prevents her from discussing the case.

She is being honored for "her leadership in the #RESIST movement," say officials in West Hollywood, who will proclaim "Stormy Daniels Day" at a civic ceremony.

Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford, told CBS's "60 Minutes" in March that she had unprotected sex with Trump once in 2006, while he was married, and was later threatened by a man in a parking lot in Las Vegas when she sought to sell her story in 2011.

The experience left her shaking in fear and afraid she would drop her infant daughter, she told anchor Anderson Cooper.

"In these politically tumultuous times, Daniels has proven herself to be a profile in courage by speaking truth to power even under threats to her safety and extreme intimidation," said a statement from the city, which lies wholly within the Los Angeles built-up area.

Last week Trump has formally disclosed that he reimbursed Cohen more than $100,000 last year, apparently in connection with a payment of hush money to a porn star.

The disclosure capped a series of contradictory statements from Trump and his representatives on the scandal swirling around Cohen -- which has widened to ensnare major corporations and a Russian oligarch.

The president initially denied all knowledge of the payment, which Cohen has acknowledged was intended to stop her from going public.The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy StatementNDP calls for Elections Ontario to probe 12 PC nominationsWOODSLEE, ONT.  As the New Democrats demanded Elections Ontario probe 12 Progressive Conservative nomination contests, Tory Leader Doug Ford signalled he is ready to remove more PC candidates if necessary.Once new revelations come to us, we sit down just like I did with the Brampton East candidate and well address it, Ford said Wednesday on a farm here in the NDP-held riding of Essex, near Windsor.Well address it immediately, and, as I said over and over again, we wont tolerate anything along those lines as we did with the Brampton East candidate, he said.That was a reference to Simmer Sandhu, who resigned his candidacy one week ago after being linked to the alleged data breach at the 407 ETR toll highway, where personal information of 60,000 users was compromised.York Regional Polices major fraud squad is investigating that case as an inside theft.Sandhu, a former 407 ETR employee, has denied any wrongdoing. He has not been charged with any offences and has called any allegations against him anonymous and totally baseless.The election is too important to get caught up in the issues surrounding any one person, he said May 16.Sandhu was replaced by Sudeep Verma as the Conservative candidate in Brampton East.Several Hwy. 407 users have contacted the Star to say they have received robocalls from the Conservatives canvassing them for support in the June 7 election.How did (they) get our phone numbers? The only common thread is that my sons and I have is that we all, at one time or another, have driven the 407, said one motorist, who called to report unusual election-related phone calls to his family.Another man said he has received two robocalls from the Tories since Ford became leader on March 10.I live in northern Ontario and use the 407 very seldom. The last time was two years ago when we visited our daughter in Woodstock, he said.Ford has repeatedly blamed his predecessor, Patrick Brown, who resigned Jan. 25, for leaving him a mess of a party organization.But, breaking his silence for the first time during this campaign, Brown countered that claim.When Doug Ford said that he inherited a mess as party leader, he is very much mistaken, the former leader wrote in an opinion piece for the Star.He inherited a party with a 20-point lead in numerous public opinion polls, the largest membership in our party history, the most money ever in our coffers, a great slate of candidates and a policy platform that was the best received in modern memory for our party, noted Brown.Viola Davis stars in 2016's 'Suicide Squad.' She'll be in Louisiana to shoot the new feature film, 'Troupe Zero.'Exterior of the Open Health Care Clinic, where four employees resigned the week of May 24, 2018 amid accusations about CEO Timothy Young. The Open Health Care Clinic at 3801 North Blvd is where people can go to have PrEP prescribed to them and receive other sorts of health care. Wednesday March 22, 2017, in Baton Rouge, La.VACHERIE  For six years, the Port of South Louisiana has been marketing about 230 acres of agricultural land in St. James and St. John the Baptist parishes owned by the port's executive director and members of his family.

Along with running an airport and a port facility, the three-parish state agency has the mission of promoting industrial development and jobs tied to the Mississippi River in St. James, St. John the Baptist and St. Charles parishes.

The port's executive director, Paul Aucoin, and his brothers and sisters  along with other relatives  stand to benefit if the port can attract interest from industrial suitors looking for a foothold in the 54-mile river region. If all the family's property were sold at the low end of the going price, $45,000 per acre, the land could bring in nearly $10.4 million.

Broken up in two tracts, the Aucoin family acreage in the Vacherie area sits along the west bank of the river. Since 2009, Paul Aucoin has held a one-seventh share in the two Aucoin tracts  known as Goodwill and Succeed, after plantations that once operated there  through a limited liability corporation, land records show.

He, his brothers and sisters, and nieces and nephews inherited the parcels, which are each more than 100 acres, from his mother after her death, succession records show.

The Aucoin parcels constitute parts of two of the large riverside sites highlighted on the port's website and in its quarterly publication, Port Log. Those industrial sites, which number about two dozen, are sometimes shown by commission employees to interested buyers.

In at least one case, several sites, including an Aucoin tract, were deemed to match a prospects needs and were shown by a port employee at the urging of the state, a port attorney said. No one entered the Aucoin land, officials said, but did drive by or get a look from the nearby river levee.

St. James Parish Council urges Port of South Louisiana to abide by the parish's land use process CONVENT  The St. James Parish Council on Wednesday urged the Port of South Louisiana not to bypass the parish land use process but to pursue 

Kathleen Allen, administrator for the state Board of Ethics, said that under state ethics law, a public servant can't participate in a government transaction in which he or his immediate family members have an economic interest. Immediate family members include brothers and sisters but not nephews, nieces or cousins.

Allen, who cannot comment on specific situations, also said a public servant, his immediate family or a legal entity in which he has an interest greater than 25 percent can't enter into contracts or other transactions in which the governmental entity plays a part or has an interest.

Aucoin and the board's attorney, Peter Butler Jr., maintain Aucoin hasn't violated state ethics law in marketing his family's properties.

Both say Aucoin has stayed out of port employees' work identifying properties and linking them with industries. The promotion of Aucoin family land through port-financed media outlets  the website and Port Log  does not rise to a prohibited transaction under state ethics law, Butler and Aucoin argued.

Under the facts at issue, no one has bid on or entered into any contract or subcontract, or other transaction with the Port, Butler wrote in a six-page letter to The Advocate on Friday. The Port merely identifies available sites within the Ports geographic district available for commercial use in support of the Ports economic development mission and publishes that identification.

Allen, the ethics official, said that the term "transactions" has a broad definition. She said it includes any contract, claim, application, submission or other matters in which the governmental entity has a part or interest or is subject to the governmental entity's actions.

Aucoin said the port typically learns about available sites from landowners or governmental officials. Aucoin said neither he nor his staff earns commissions or fees when an industrial client selects a site. He added there is no written agreement between landowners and the port to market their properties.

"Our goal is to create jobs," Aucoin said. "That's all we're interested in."

A fixture in St. James economic development circles for many years, Aucoin has served in the past decade on regional tourism and planning boards, the St. James Parish Economic Development Board and the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors.

St. James School Board agrees to fight Port of South Louisiana from developing industry near new high school LUTCHER  The St. James Parish School Board delivered a forceful rejection Tuesday of the Port of South Louisiana's push to develop a 1,700-ac

The port's recent moves involving another large tract near the Aucoin properties have drawn an outcry from local officials. The port has bought nearly 1,700 acres that was once set to become a tank farm in the Vacherie area.

After being courted by local officials more than a decade ago, the proposed Petroplex tank farm drew opposition from residents and later from a new parish administration. The port now has major plans for that site and has threatened to sue to make sure it doesn't have to abide by St. James Parish's residential land-use rules. School officials have opposed the port's plan for the site, which was earmarked as residential in part to keep industrial facilities away from homes and schools.

Last week, the port's board of commissioners agreed to hire a financial firm to vet two prospects for the former Petroplex site. Who they are or what they plan to do with the property remains confidential, port officials have said.

One of the two Aucoin tracts now being marketed abuts the old Petroplex site.

Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

The tract is located primarily behind a neighborhood along River Road that was built on land sold off by Aucoins family years ago but also includes valuable riverfront area on the other side of the river levee. The other Aucoin tract, which is nearby in St. John the Baptist Parish, is where Paul Aucoin and his brothers and sisters grew up next to their cousins. Aucoin still has his law office there.

+2 Port of South Louisiana in line to buy former Petroplex site in Vacherie One year after St. James Parish officials defeated private investors' plans to build a petroleum tank farm in Vacherie, a three-parish port au

Aucoin said his family's land interests have played no role in the port's purchase of the former Petroplex site. He said the decision to buy the land was up to the port's board of commissioners, though he said he did support it because the land is a great industrial site. Paul Robichaux  the chairman of the board, which oversees Aucoin  has not responded to calls for comment.

The ports prospective industrial locations often are an assemblage of several long, narrow pieces of land, stacked like flapjacks along the river, that can have multiple owners. The parcels are throwbacks from the old French colonial arpent system of land division along the river.

Butler, the board attorney, has pointed out that the Aucoin properties were first promoted by the port a year before Paul Aucoin became executive director in 2013. Because of that, Butler said, Aucoin had no say in publicizing them. At the time, Aucoin was the ports attorney.

Earlier this month, when first asked about his level of involvement in having the property marketed by the port, Aucoin said he stayed out of it. But he also said he initiated talking with his family members about it several years ago. Aucoin said he believed that happened about the time he became executive director but wasn't sure exactly when.

"I was talking to my family, I said, 'You know, the port lets people know if you want your property sold for an industrial site,'" Aucoin said.

When asked who gave the OK to have their property listed on the port website, Aucoin said it was his family.

Aucoin also said the Petroplex tank farm developers had talked to him about buying some of his family's property along the river, called "batture", for an expanded dock. Aucoin said Petroplexs backers often told him dont sell your property. We need that batture.

"But I said, Yeah, but when you buy the batture, youre buying the whole thing because the rest becomes worthless once you sell your batture," Aucoin said. But it never happened. Thats what the value is, in the batture.

Aucoin also said he is not aware of any interest in that land from companies now looking at the former Petroplex site.

As of last week, online promotional materials on the port's website for the Goodwill and Succeed sites showed Aucoin as the point of contact and listed his cellphone number. Butler said on Monday, after those facts were pointed out by The Advocate, that Aucoin is not the contact for his family's properties but one of his brothers is. Aucoin's information was erroneously displayed on the site and would be taken down, Butler said.

Aucoin and Linda Prudhomme, the ports longtime director of business development, said she handles the site promotions, matching industries various needs, like total acreage and river frontage and pipeline access, with available land.

R. Gray Sexton, a lawyer and former longtime state ethics administrator, said Aucoin could file a disqualification plan that, if approved by the Board of Ethics, could recuse him from the port's activities and cure state prohibitions on governmental officials participating in actions by their agencies in which they have an economic interest.

Its not clear if Aucoin has filed such a plan, and Butler, the port lawyer, said he is not aware of whether Aucoin has filed one.

But Butler has pointed to a 2013 ethics opinion that Aucoin sought when he became director. Though it involved a separate matter in which he had a financial interest, the opinion said Aucoin could avoid an ethics violation by recusing himself. Butler believes this opinion also applies to Aucoin's properties with respect to the ethics code's prohibition on participation, as long as Aucoin, in fact, doesn't work on the properties on behalf of the port.

But Sexton said recusal won't cure the prohibition on government officials entering into transactions with the entities they work for.

While Aucoin and the port attorney have maintained what the port is doing doesnt rise to the level of a transaction, a landowner seeking help in selling a large site for industry would pay a hefty commission on the private market.

Beau Box, a commercial real estate broker, said the typical fee for that type of industrial property is 6 percent to 10 percent of the sale price for full services, from initial marketing to helping close the sale.

Port officials said, however, that they aren't involved in closing the sales of the private lands that the agency helps promote.

The question, Sexton said, is whether what the port has done for Aucoin and his family amounts to a transaction under the ethics law  a legal term of art filled with nuance.

Thats the central area of interest. Is there a transaction? Sexton asked.A 25-year-old Baton Rouge man was arrested Tuesday in the March rape of a juvenile, according to Baton Rouge Police.A state House panel has advanced a temporary sales tax measure that would mean about $370 million toward the state's looming fiscal cliff  the first, and only thus far, significant movement of legislation in the special session that ends in just over a week.

The House Ways & Means Committee voted 11-6, by near party line with most Democrats against and Republicans in support, to advance House Bill 27 to the full House for consideration.

House panel begins hearing details of tax proposals, but no votes taken as special session clock ticks State lawmakers have begun reviewing tax measures seen as crucial to addressing the looming fiscal cliff and could begin voting on bills Thursday.

The bill, sponsored by House Republican Delegation Chair Lance Harris, would temporarily extend a third of a sales tax hike set to expire June 30 through 2023 and allow state sales taxes to be collected on some purchases previously exempt or partially exempt.

"The temporary taxes are falling off the books," Harris, R-Alexandria, said during Thursday's hearing on HB27. "That brings us here today  plain and simple."

The passage of the bill came after the panel rejected a measure backed by Gov. John Bel Edwards and members of the Legislative Black Caucus that would have permanently extended half of the expiring one-cent sales tax hike adopted in 2016.

Jay Dardenne, Edwards' chief budget architect, urged members not to reject Harris' bill.

"I believe you need to move an instrument," he said after the panel had rejected other sales tax measures.

After a nearly six hour hearing on tax proposals, Harris' bill is the only one that has so far been sent to the House floor.

But the future of HB27 remains precarious, at best, less than three months after the last special session collapsed with the House repeatedly rejecting a similar sales tax-focused solution to the "fiscal cliff."

And the tone of the hearing, which often turned to personal jabs and rehashing of old grievances, much like the day before, could prove to be an ominous clue to what's in store as bills continue to be considered.

"We had a very hard day today in Ways & Means, and a very long day," said House Democratic Caucus Chair Robert Johnson, a Markville Democrat who said he doesn't believe Harris' bill can get the 70 votes it needs to pass. He asked all members to think about legislation overnight and return in the morning in with an eye toward compromise.

Harris' bill, which could come up on the floor as early as Friday, and any other tax measure that makes it out of committee must get support from two-thirds of the House members  70 "yea" votes  to advance to the Senate.

"It's going to be difficult to get 70 votes on the floor for anything," Harris conceded Thursday.

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In addition to keeping one-third of one cent of sales tax through 2023, which is a statewide and legislative election year, Harris bill calls for a "cleaning" of what will be the remaining four pennies of sales tax on July 1.

In the current version of Harris' bill, the removal of tax exemptions also would revert back in 2023, but he said he's willing to make the change permanent to make the state sales tax more uniform.

Louisiana has nearly 200 exemptions on the books that exclude sales taxes from being collected on items like pollution control equipment, museum and zoo admissions, Mardi Gras beads and other obscure items. The Legislature suspended the exemptions for three months in 2016, but then partially reinstated the exclusions, while collecting some sales taxes. When the temporary sales tax measures expire June 30, no sales taxes will be collected on those items again, unless the law is changed.

Groceries, prescription drugs and home utilities would continue to be excluded from sales taxes.

The Ways & Means Committee passed Harris' bill after an often heated debate that began with the discussion of House Bill 11, sponsored by Rep. Terry Landry, D-New Iberia, with the support of the Edwards administration. Revenue Secretary Kimberly Robinson joined Landry in presenting his bill.

"I dont like the sales tax," said Landry, one of several Democrats who voted against the sales tax bill in the last special session. "But I know were in a critical state, and my constituents are telling me they want something done.

Among other bills, the committee also rejected a proposal from Rep. Kenny Havard, R-St. Francisville, to extend one-third of the expiring sales tax, like Harris' proposal, but without an expiration date.

"I think the citizens of the state deserve better than us continuing to put temporary solutions on the table," Havard said.

Ways & Means is expected to meet again Friday morning to consider eight other tax proposals, including bills that are also backed by Edwards that would permanently eliminate some tax breaks that were temporarily halted in 2015.

Democratic members of the panel repeatedly asked Harris whether he would agree to increase the size of the sales tax extension, if the bill moves out of the House, as an effort toward compromise with Democrats who generally prefer income tax changes over sales taxes and worry about the threat of cuts to state services.

Harris' bill is linked to a 1.3 percent budget cut across state agencies, compared to their funding this year, he said.

"It's a compromise that I'm even bringing this bill," said Harris, who also voted against the sales tax bill in the previous special session and had remarked earlier in Thursday's hearing that he "never in the world thought I'd carry a bill like this."

Rep. Marcus Hunter, D-Monroe, at one point called Harris' approach "tyrannical."

"I'm going to be fighting like hell against it," Hunter said of the bill's next step.State Sen. John Milkovich, D-Shreveport, prepares Wednesday, May 16, 2018, to present his legislation that would restrict abortions to 15 weeks after conception.Doug Ford accused of buying memberships to help preferred candidate win Tory nominationOntario Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford paid for memberships for new Tories contrary to party rules  and bused them in to help his preferred candidate win the PC nomination in the riding where he lives, say a former top Conservative official and a party member present at the 2016 vote.The losing contender for the Etobicoke Centre nomination, lawyer Pina Martino, filed a complaint, which included testimony from members recruited by Ford, said the former official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. But the party decided to allow Kinga Surma to remain as the candidate, the source said.Meanwhile, the Ontario Liberal Party announced Wednesday evening it would release a recording of Ford and Surma Thursday morning which it said would implicate Ford directly in a nomination controversy.If true, the charges would call into question the PC leaders frequent criticism of controversial nominations held under former leader Patrick Brown, and his mantra that he inherited a mess from the partys previous administration and has been busy cleaning it up.But a spokeswoman for the Ford campaign said Wednesday the allegations are old, and that the partys appeals committee has long since reviewed them and found them to be unsubstantiated.Kinga Surma is a strong candidate and will be an excellent representative for the people of Etobicoke Centre, campaign official Melissa Lantsman said in an email to the National Post. Surma could not immediately be reached for comment.With apologies to Charles Dickens, it may be the best of times in the nation, but it is also far from the worst of times in Louisiana. Even ifDino Schwertz, the janitor convicted of raping a boy in the bathroom of his Slidell elementary school, should never have been hired, according to an expert witness who testified Wednesday for the victim and his family in their civil suit against the St. Tammany Parish School Board.

Edward Dragan, a former teacher, principal and superintendent from New Jersey, took the stand during the third day of the trial in 22nd Judicial District Court.

Dragan, who said he has testified in more than 100 cases of litigation involving schools and has reviewed 700, said there were red flags that should have prevented the school system from hiring Schwertz in 2007, the year that Justin Bleker, now 22, was raped.

Kathleen Manning, attorney for the plaintiffs, noted that Associate Superintendent Pete Jabbia testified Tuesday that there were no red flags in the process of hiring Schwertz. "Is your opinion different?" she asked.

"Very different," Dragan said.

He was also critical of statements by Kathleen Katsorchis, former principal of Abney Elementary School, who testified that she had not talked to Schwertz's previous employer and didn't check his references because, in her experience, people only listed those who would speak well of them.

Dragan said the school system's own policy was for the principal to check those things. He called the principal's explanation "totally unreasonable."

"There is a way of asking questions that can cut through" biased or unhelpful responses, he said, adding that the principal could have asked if the people questioned had seen Schwertz interact with children.

When the results of Schwertz's criminal background check came back  less than two months after he was hired  and showed that he had violated a protective order, that was a red flag, Dragan said, and school officials should have asked questions of legal authorities or the court. "I would have wanted to know more," he said.

The fact that a court had issued a protective order against Schwertz and that he then violated it showed he was a person who would not follow the rules, he said.

"I want people in my school who can be trusted with children," Dragan said.

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Dragan also testified that Jabbia did not compare the results of the background check with Schwertz's job application, in which he said he had never been convicted of a crime. Besides the protective order violation, Schwertz had also been found guilty of bank fraud.

The lie was another red flag, Dragan said, and if the school system had made the comparison, it would have had immediate grounds to fire him.

Chris Teske, attorney for the School Board, asked Dragan if he knew what Schwertz's education level was and how he could know that Schwertz was lying.

"He may have misunderstood the question" about whether he had been convicted of a crime, Teske said.

Dragan pointed out that Schwertz had been able to fill out the application. "He's able to read," he said, pointing out that the form warned that lying would be grounds for disqualification or termination.

The most emotionally charged moment of the trial took place when Justin Bleker's father, Terry Bleker, took the witness stand.

The elder Bleker described Justin before the rape as a helpful and outgoing child who liked to work on projects, especially with his father. He laughingly recalled how as a 7-year-old, Justin had preferred going to Home Depot with his dad to an outing to a toy store and had replaced all his plastic toy tools with the real things.

But after the rape, Bleker said, his son changed, showing no interest in the projects he had loved before and retreating "into a shell."

Bleker choked up as he testified about sitting in the courtroom during the sentencing phase of Schwertz's criminal trial. "I did everything I could to sit in that seat and look at the man," he testified, eliciting sobs from his former wife, who was sitting in court next to their son.

Even now, Bleker said, his son's night terrors leave him so fatigued that he's often late to work and falls asleep on the job. He said his son claims to be OK and doesn't open up to others.

Tara Clement, attorney for the school system, asked if Bleker had simply matured and was now confiding in his wife instead of his parents.

"No, ma'am," the elder Bleker replied. "He bottles up everything."One of the callers reached out to New Orleans police to report that someone was trying to break into her home. Another called because a person wielding a weapon was circling her home.

Officials said a 911 operator named LaQuana Ruffin intentionally hung up on both of them  as well as perhaps more than 100 other callers seeking help  before the New Orleans Police Department fired her in April 2015.

Ruffin appealed her dismissal, saying the hang-ups could have been due to faulty equipment and arguing that officials lacked the proof needed to dismiss her. But the New Orleans Civil Service Commission upheld her firing this month in a decision that excoriated Ruffin for her inconceivable actions.

There is no doubt that residents of New Orleans put a great deal of faith in the 911 emergency call system, said the commissions ruling, which cast Ruffin, 34, as a rogue employee who was not representative of her former colleagues. When an emergency call-taker actively hangs up on a caller, he or she is committing an act of betrayal.

Ruffin can ask the state 4th Circuit Court of Appeal to overturn the decision, but it isnt clear if she intends to do that.

Her attorney, Donovan Livaccari of the Fraternal Order of Police, declined to comment on the case.

Ruffins firing centers on a half-dozen 911 calls that she handled in April 2014 in her role as a police complaint operator, who assists employees in charge of dispatching first responders to emergencies, according to city documents.

Those calls were not related to three other hang-ups that had already landed Ruffin a three-day suspension and a warning that similar behavior could result in more severe discipline.

Expert testimony and internal documents established that she pressed a button on her keyboard that abruptly ended the six calls. She never tried to call them back, officials said.

That happened during a five-year period beginning in 2010 in which  thanks to a manpower shortage and other reasons  the NOPD's average response time skyrocketed from three minutes, 39 seconds to more than 12 minutes. The response times have dropped somewhat in the years since then.

The NOPD eventually received an anonymous, handwritten note accusing Ruffin of hanging up on 911 callers and leaving her line open for several minutes afterward.

In response, police analyzed the calls Ruffin handled for roughly six weeks beginning on March 1, 2014. They found 110 calls that lasted three seconds or less, whose brevity made officials believe they were likely hang-ups by Ruffin, records show.

However, because of data storage limitations on the computer equipment and software used by the citys 911 operators, officials said they were able to retrieve detailed information on only eight of the calls.

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The information suggested Ruffin intentionally disconnected each of those eight calls. Though office policy required her to call back to each number, she made only two call-backs, officials said.

The six hang-ups with no call-backs were cited in a termination notice later given to Ruffin, who was fired for violating NOPD rules governing the proper processing of 911 calls.

In asking the Civil Service Commission to overturn her dismissal, Ruffin disputed ever pressing her keyboards disconnect button, saying she exclusively used her mouse and suggesting her equipment had malfunctioned. She also said she didnt remember the six calls in question, and no explanation for why she hung up on callers was ever offered.

But, in denying her appeal, the Civil Service Commission said the evidence strongly suggested Ruffin was regularly hanging up on callers and not calling them back.

The commission said Ruffin never brought concerns regarding possible equipment glitches to her superiors, though two of her colleagues at one point did express worries about unintended hang-ups.

The commission said it took little comfort in the fact that some of the disconnected callers eventually did get through to the police, noting that one case involved a possible home invasion while another involved a possible stalker who was armed.

This drives home the fact that the calls at issue were genuine, the commission said in its May 10 decision. (Ruffins) actions had adverse impact on the efficient operations of both NOPD and the city at large.

One supervisor of the emergency operators testified during the appeal proceedings that, in more than two decades, she had never before heard of anyone doing something as inconceivable as intentionally hanging up on callers in trouble.

Another higher-up testified that, in his opinion, a single hang-up merited termination.

The dangers of faulty police dispatching were made clear in 2015, when a 911 dispatcher waited eight minutes to send cops to a woman who was being threatened with a gun in a New Orleans East apartment complex.

The dispatcher also failed to tell police about the weapon. The body of Lindsay Nichols was discovered miles away later that day. The dispatcher, Treva Sip, resigned while under investigation for her handling of the case.

Ruffin spent about four years as a 911 operator. It's not clear whether authorities considered prosecuting her over her actions. District Attorney's Office spokesman Ken Daley said his agency had no record of ever being asked to review her case.

Earlier this year, a woman who worked as a 911 operator in Houston was found guilty of interfering with emergency telephone calls after she hung up on thousands of callers. Creshanda Williams, whose conviction was a misdemeanor, received a 10-day jail sentence and 18 months of probation.An area of disturbed weather known as Invest 90L is gradually becoming better defined, and chances for tropical formation have increased, the National Hurricane Center said Thursday.

At 6:25 p.m., the NHC said that Invest 90L, currently drifting slowly northward over the eastern Yucatan Peninsula, is likely to become a subtropical or tropical depression by late Saturday over the eastern or central Gulf of Mexico.

The chance of tropical formation is 70 percent (high) over the next 48 hours and 90 percent (high) over the next five days, according to the NHC.

An Air Force Reserve "hurricane hunter" aircraft is scheduled to investigate the disturbance Friday afternoon, if necessary, the NHC said.

Can't see video below? Click here.

The system could make landfall anywhere between southeast Louisiana and the Florida peninsula, according to the NHCs latest projected track.

Heavy rain and rip currents will be the greatest threats from the system along the Gulf Coast from Florida to Louisiana over Memorial Day weekend, the NHC said.

The National Weather Service on Thursday said that precipitation models still haven't reached a general consensus on the system, with rainfall amounts of anywhere from 1 to 10 inches projected for southeast Louisiana.

Another update on Invest 90L will be issued at 7 p.m. Thursday.Pretrial diversion is one of those phases that need explanation. It sounds like a courtroom warm-up act, or a game to keep parties entertained until the judge takes the bench, but it's not.

It's more fun than that. Defendants selected to take part will never have to listen while some nasty prosecutor lists their misdeeds in public, or suffer the ignominy and inconvenience of a criminal conviction. They just get away with whatever crime they may have committed so long as they come up with the cash.

No, this is not illegal. If it were, that would be bribery and cost a fortune. The proceeds from pretrial diversion help DAs pay their bills, and the rates are most affordable.

Consider, for instance, what a bargain Shawn Boylan received after investigators found he was in possession of many pornographic videos featuring children. Boylan had a lengthy rap sheet and faced the possibility of a long stretch in prison, where offenders of his type find few friends among either inmates or guards.

Instead, then-St. Tammany Parish DA Walter Reed let Boylan enroll in pretrial diversion, with a $300 fee up-front and further payments totaling $1,260 before his case was closed in 2013, some five years later. No doubt he had to jump through a few hoops, with allegedly rehabilitative powers, in the interim, but that's a breeze compared with hard labor in the state pen.

Current DA Warren Montgomery says Boylan wouldn't have been eligible on his watch, given the seriousness of his alleged crimes, but one of Reed's former assistants explained that this was a special case. Boylan got a break as a favor to one of Reed's biggest campaign contributors.

Although Reed somewhat predictably said he didn't remember details of the case, his memory was good enough for him to deny any political favoritism. Whom to believe? A former prosecutor with no obvious ax to grind or a crooked politician out on bail pending appeal of 18 convictions? Tough call.

With money tight in recent years, pretrial diversion has gotten much more popular with DAs, who have total say-so over who gets admitted to the program. Those affordable payments sure mount up, and total revenues show what a good racket they have going. In Rapides Parish, defendants paid the DA $302,437 for pretrial diversion in 2012, but $2.2 million last year, for instance. Corresponding figures in Jefferson Parish were $335,074 and $1.37 million.

DAs naturally deny that pre-trial diversion is just an opportunity for favored defendants to buy their way out of trouble. As one of them, Keith Stutes in Lafayette, points out, the program can include drug screens, intensive treatment and education. But a judge can impose similar conditions when a defendant is found guilty of an offense that does not warrant imprisonment. Rehabilitation is feasible with or without pretrial diversion.

Since traffic fines help pay the bills for the criminal justice system, pretrial diversion effectively allows DAs to stiff sheriffs, public defenders et al for their share of the loot. But Pete Adams, director of the state District Attorneys' Association, says diversion is saving the system a lot of money by not having defendants go through the regular process.

Well, if saving money is the object, DAs can do even better. All they have to do is nol pross (or dismiss) a bunch of cases. They have total discretion over who get prosecuted, after all.

Pre-trial diversion made a lot of sense when it was just a means to spare minor offenders the burdens of a criminal record. Now that it has become a cash cow, State Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Johnson wants every DA in the state to produce three years' worth of pre-trial diversion records, but Adams' association says it would be burdensome to comply.

Any attempts at reform, by limiting diversion to certain categories of crime, for instance, will likely founder anyway since it is entirely up to the DA who gets charged with what, if, indeed, they are prosecuted at all. Since defendants are also accepted for pre-trial diversion entirely at their pleasure, DAs possess a degree of arbitrary power the American system of checks and balances rarely allows.

Thus, as Harry Morel showed over many years in St. Charles Parish, prosecutorial discretion is a recipe for corruption when a defendant is female and the DA is an old goat.

Email James Gill at Gill1047@bellsouth.net.In the summer of 2016, I signed on to Prevention Access Campaign (PAC)'s "Undetectable = Untransmittable," or "U = U" Consensus Statement, making New York City the first jurisdiction in the United States to join the "U = U" campaign. At the time, the statement -- that people with HIV who are on antiretroviral treatment and have an undetectable viral load do not transmit HIV sexually -- was not the party line for public health leaders in the United States. With the support of our forward-thinking leadership, including NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett and Mayor Bill de Blasio, we began the process of reframing New York City's response to the local epidemic to reflect the finding that viral suppression effectively eliminates transmission.

In 2016, we developed the NYC HIV Status Neutral Prevention and Treatment Cycle to highlight several key messages not included in the traditional HIV care continuum. This new paradigm outlines the steps that can lead to an undetectable viral load and the steps for effective HIV prevention, such as taking PrEP and using condoms. HIV care does not end with the first undetectable viral load. High quality, culturally affirming care empowers New Yorkers with HIV to get treatment and stay engaged in care. Similarly, high quality prevention and harm reduction services for people at risk of HIV exposure help keep them HIV negative. Underlying all of our HIV prevention, care, and treatment programming and services is the evidence-based understanding that people at risk of HIV exposure taking daily PrEP and people with HIV with sustained viral load suppression do not acquire or transmit HIV. Ending the duality of status reflects the cutting edge where science and public health intersect. We serve people, not their HIV status.

It did not take long for other public health authorities to follow our lead. In September 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that there is effectively no risk of an HIV-positive person with an undetectable viral load sexually transmitting the virus to an HIV-negative partner, and the New York State Department of Health issued a statement endorsing "U = U." New York City and New York State join more than 600 research, community-based, and activist organizations from 75 countries that have signed on to share the "U = U" message.

Related: U=U: The Backstory

NYC Health Department's Bureau of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control has initiated a comprehensive review of its efforts -- including staff training, provider communications, program planning, policy advocacy, social marketing, and HIV surveillance and field services -- to ensure alignment with "U = U." To coincide with World AIDS Day 2017, we released a Dear Colleague Letter and additional online resources for providers and for the public to get the word out that people with HIV who maintain an undetectable viral load do not transmit HIV to their sexual partners. It is critical that national, state, and local guidelines be reviewed to reflect the data showing that "U = U."

And we're seeing results. Data from the ETE Dashboard and our HIV Surveillance Annual Report for 2016 show that more and more New Yorkers with HIV are being linked to care, staying healthy, and becoming virally suppressed. In 2016, 84% of HIV-positive people receiving HIV medical care in New York City were virally suppressed, up from 70% in 2011 when we began tracking these data. Promoting "U = U" as an evidence-based public health intervention is key to dismantling stigma and connecting New Yorkers to the prevention and care services to which they are entitled.

New York City is proud to be the first jurisdiction in the United States to have joined the "U = U" movement, and even prouder that health departments across the country are following suit. We will continue to promote "U = U" as an important tool in the sexual health toolkit, alongside condoms, PrEP, and PEP because the science is clear: "Undetectable = Untransmittable."

Demetre C. Daskalakis, M.D., is the deputy commissioner of the Division of Disease Control at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

[Note from TheBody: This article was originally published by the CUNY Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health on Apr. 9, 2018. We have cross-posted it with their permission.]Loneliness is a threat to the physical and emotional health of every member of our society. The former U.S. surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, reported that, for the general population, loneliness shortens lifespan as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. For persons living with HIV, especially those who are aging, such isolation can be catastrophic. Stigma, shame, physical pain, fear of discrimination or violence, and a host of other factors can push someone living with the virus to withdraw from their social circles with devastating health effects.

Multiple factors, including socioeconomics, physical and emotional status, and even technology, impact how we feel in terms of our connection and support from other people. Yet, a sense of isolation isn't always a direct reflection of reality. Feeling lonely is a subjective experience that can be influenced by one's perception, so it is just as easy to feel lonely in a crowd as when isolated at home.

Research Shows Loneliness Is a Problem for People With HIV

Rates of loneliness among people living with HIV are staggering: A cross-sectional study of clients at a San Francisco HIV health clinic found that 58% experienced loneliness (compared with an estimated 30% of the general population), 55% experienced depression, and 12% experienced post-traumatic stress disorder. The health impact of these conditions is significant. One recent study, for example, found that older persons living with HIV who reported being lonely experienced increased rates of depression and use of alcohol and tobacco. Another study of persons living with HIV found that loneliness, frequently caused by internalized stigma, impacted the quality of sleep, which itself had negative health consequences. And isolation creates more than emotional discomfort. Because the area of the brain that processes social exclusion is the same that processes physical pain, loneliness can have a real-world effect by amplifying the experience of body ache and increasing inflammation, which is particularly dangerous for someone living with HIV.

A great deal remains unknown about the effects of loneliness on various populations living with HIV. In one study, for example, older black adults with HIV reported less loneliness than did white adults, but isolation created a greater negative impact on cognitive function among blacks compared with whites. Older women living with HIV remain an understudied population in which the effects of aging, stigma, and sexism may combine to heighten both loneliness and its emotional and physical effects.

Related: Social Connectedness and HIV: Strategies for Better Health

How to Conquer Loneliness

A number of interventions are being investigated to impact loneliness and its consequences. Data suggest, for example, that efforts to reduce HIV-related stigma and loneliness may have lasting effects in reducing major depressive symptoms and improving perceived health. And one trial intervention focusing on sexual health counseling among gay and bisexual men not only decreased rates of condomless sex but also had the unexpected outcome of creating significant reductions in two psychosocial outcomes, loneliness and sexual compulsivity.

Large-scale social phenomena like stigma and discrimination certainly impact an individual's sense of loneliness, but there are tools people can utilize not only to improve their perception of isolation but, in many cases, to actually increase their level of social involvement.

Employ Mindfulness

The technique of being consciously mindful of what one is observing, thinking and feeling has multiple benefits and, in particular, can be useful in altering the perception of isolation. When one is feeling lonely, the mind begins to ruminate, triggering negative feelings and, frequently, generating a sense of powerlessness and hopelessness. Memories of prior experiences of hurt and rejection can be triggered. While such negative thoughts are part of the human experience, a mindful approach encourages observing them, avoiding judgment, and letting them go. When one is being mindfully present (and not "lost" in the past or future), there is a sense of flow that is both engaging and empowering.

Connect With Community

The ability to create community by finding like-minded people can reduce the sense of loneliness and isolation. Sharing one's experiences with other persons living with HIV has the benefit of reducing the belief that one's feelings are unique and that no one could understand. There is no doubt that shame, stigma, and physical limitations impact one's ability to connect with community, but even home-bound individuals can improve their social networks through the use of technology. Persons living with HIV should take particular pride in our history of taking care of each other when few others would or could. It is important that we maintain this tradition and actively reach out to those who might be suffering in isolation.

Volunteer

The act of service to others is widely acknowledged to benefit not only the recipient but also the person carrying out such activities. Stigma and the emotional and physical consequences of HIV, especially for those with other stigmatized identities, such as aging or mental health concerns, can easily create a trap of isolation. Actively engaging with others and their needs can reset negative emotions and even soothe (or at least distract from) physical pain. In short, placing an emphasis on the well-being of others, if only for a brief period, can be a healing experience.

Technology

The digital age has produced incredible tools that can connect individuals regardless of geographic location and greatly assist physically challenged individuals in combatting isolation. Yet, an over-reliance on technology can actually create a profound sense of loneliness. As we spend more time in the digital space, there is a corresponding sense of societal loneliness. In my opinion, this is because digital communications, at least for the present, limit the benefit we gain from face-to-face interactions. They tend to be briefer, shallower, and overall less satisfying. While it seems paradoxical, I believe one remedy for loneliness is to put down one's phone and resume interacting directly with other people.

Professional Help

While someone living with HIV can employ many tools to combat loneliness, sometimes things can just be too overwhelming. Mental health professionals are trained to assist individuals that may find themselves uncertain or unable to find their own way out of an emotional concern. In my opinion, because of the intense emotional and physical stress of living with HIV, every person who does could and should, at some point, benefit from working with a psychotherapist. The mental health workforce is increasingly familiar with, and competent to treat, psychological issues common to people who are HIV positive.

For persons living with HIV, loneliness not only can devastate quality of life but also can threaten health outcomes. Researchers continue to gain insight into how we can combat isolation among specific populations but, in the meantime, we can confront such isolation both as individuals and as a community.As part of an ongoing effort to raise awareness about the impact the HIV/AIDS epidemic is having on Black lives, the Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN) in Maryland hosted the program "Exploring the Criminalization of HIV." The AHF (AIDS Healthcare Foundation) and the Center for Black Excellence also contributed to the event.

HIV/AIDS service providers, community members, members of advocacy groups, and representatives from the University of Maryland and University of Baltimore gathered at the state Prevention and Health Promotion Administration in Baltimore to learn more about laws that criminalize HIV. There are currently 67 HIV-specific criminal laws in 33 states and two U.S. territories. Not only do the laws not reflect the current scientific knowledge about how HIV is transmitted, but they also increase stigma and undermine public health efforts to end the epidemic.

"As with most disparities around criminalization, HIV criminalization laws primarily are targeted towards communities of color and other vulnerable populations, like LGBTQ individuals," said BTAN Maryland co-chair Aaron Davis, a program manager with the Maryland Department of Health. "With an ever changing landscape in our justice system, both on the local and federal level, we felt it was important that our community learn the impact of current laws and what they can do to possibly change them and public perception around them."

Related: BTAN Chicago's Maxx Boykin: "Why Is HIV Criminalized?"

HIV criminalization laws vary by jurisdiction, a fact that many people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) may not know.

"When you do travel outside of Baltimore or whatever city or state you live in, you need to look up laws because you can be prosecuted for something you unwittingly participated in," said BTAN Maryland co-chair Lonnie Bishop, peer health-navigator coordinator for the STAR TRACK Adolescent Health Program, of the need for PLWHA to protect themselves.

Many of the laws criminalize people who expose others to HIV, even if the person's partner does not become infected. "If I'm HIV positive and we have sex, even if infection doesn't happen, the fact that I had sex with you and did not reveal my status, that counts as exposure. Even if you're not infected, it's still a crime," Davis said.

Robert Suttle, assistant director at the Sero Project, spoke about how laws created during the height of the HIV epidemic, when people did not understand how the virus was transmitted, are disproportionately used against Black and LGBTQ people, as well as those who inject drugs. In 2011, Suttle accepted a plea bargain after serving a six-month sentence under Louisiana's so-called Intentional Exposure to AIDS Virus statute, after a partner with whom he had been in a contentious relationship filed charges against him.

"His firsthand account of his experience as someone who suffered from one of these laws gave a lot of insight to the presentation," Davis said.

"The majority of society has not caught on yet that HIV criminalization is simply another means of incarcerating socially and politically vulnerable communities -- particularly Black or Brown -- that face multiple interactions of HIV stigma and discrimination," said Suttle. "So it has become very necessary to hold community events to raise awareness and explain exactly what criminalization of people living with HIV is all about."

Suttle hopes that "as more and more people become better educated about HIV, we see a shift beyond fear or ill feelings around disclosure or perceived exposure [and move] to understanding that we can either prevent HIV by reducing stigma or  prosecute HIV by locking up those of us who are living with it. But we can't do both."

April Eugene is a Philadelphia-based writer.

[Note from TheBody: This article was originally published by The Black AIDS Institute on May 21, 2018. We have cross-posted it with their permission.]I know that it has been awhile since my last blog entry. Let me start by saying to those of you who are interested in linking my blog, I need you to contact editor@thebody.com and ask what you need to do. Several people have written asking to do this. Let me remind my readers that I am in prison, and I have no way to access the internet directly, so I can't answer your internet questions or link anything for you. I am sorry.

Here is how I am able to post online: I own an archaic MP4 player that was purchased through Access Corrections, which has control and a monopoly over the inmates it serves, not only in the state of Oregon. I have a flimsy plastic keyboard that I plug into the side of my MP4 player. The power cord is plugged in next to the keyboard cord. Then I find the "mail box" and go to my editor's name here at TheBody and open that email folder. Trying to find a quiet place to sit and collect my thoughts, I'll type them up while looking at a screen that is about two and a half inches across with super tiny font. After I am satisfied with what I have written, I save it as "outgoing mail."

Then, I have to go to the "control point," which is where the unit officer sits behind a bulletproof window, and I checkout a book in which I sign my name so I can go to the kiosk at the next available scheduled time. At that time, I have to wait my turn behind whoever signed up before me. When it is finally my turn, I enter into a "sally port," where I have to wait for who knows how long for the outside door to open that will lead me down the corridor. Once this door is opened by the staff working in another part of the prison called "master control," I turn left immediately, in the direction of the kiosk. Next, I have to plug my MP4 into the kiosk and wait who knows how long for it to go through the protocol and send out the email.

Being in prison, each email gets screened by the mailroom before it is actually sent to my editor. Keep in mind that our mailroom usually sends these in the mornings Monday through Friday because they won't be caught dead working on the weekends. The same goes when I get an email sent to me; it gets screened and then forwarded to me. I can't say that being a blogger in here is being made easy for me.

Now, let me catch you up on my HIV status. I am surprised and relieved that my viral load has been undetectable for such a long time now. My T cells are getting higher the longer I am staying healthy. Want to know what is strange? When this housing unit has a cold or flu spread through it, I always tend to miss it. This is something that I am grateful for. A fellow prisoner once asked me about that, and I didn't know what to say, so I told him that I had good genes. We both had a good laugh about that. This got me seriously wondering why I stay so healthy and manage to avoid being sick?

HIV has been living with me for over 28 years, and I guess we are like an old married couple, we don't talk much; I stay out the HIV's business and it stays out of mine! Life with this illness really isn't something to be afraid of if you take care of yourself and just live your life a little more carefully.

Today, I was fortunate enough to have a video visit with a friend who lives in Pittsburgh. We had discussed the launch of a new HIV website and blog for HIV-positive people living in Pennsylvania. I told him that I would blog about it to promote his site. He knows I will advocate for my HIV-positive brothers and sisters, so this is me trying to help get out the word.

If you live in this state, you need HIV support, and you want to talk about issues affecting you, then I encourage you to click on www.mycommunityvoices.org and talk about it on all social media sites. Share this with your Facebook friends and ask them to pass it on. As you know, HIV still affects us, and we still need the support of others, no matter where we live. This site will have weekly topics on HIV health and how to best manage it, provide questions for your HIV provider, and address concerns such as treatments, meds and how they affect us, mental health questions and solutions, dating, disclosure of status, and whatever else you want to share, discuss, and know about.

Wherever you are reading this, please consider if you want to be an AIDS activist and start your own HIV blog(s) and website to reach out and help your HIV community. We still need people who have the passion to create avenues so our HIV-affected friends and families can hear our voices on a large scale. HIV-positive people can have a platform to be heard and understood.

Thank you for being supportive.

Read Tim's blog, HIV on the Inside.Top 10 dumb Sarah Palin Quotes:"As for that VP talk all the time, I'll tell you, I still can't answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does every day?" --Sarah Palin, interview with CNBC's "Kudlow & Co", July 2008 ( Watch video clip "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq." Sarah Palin, interview with Alaska Business Monthly, March 2007"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending soldiers out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan." Sarah Pailn, on the Iraq war, speaking to students at the Wasilla Assembly of God, June 2008 ( Watch video clip "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that." Sarah Palin, on the $30 billion national gas pipeline project that she wanted built in the state, speaking to students the Wasilla Assembly of God, June 2008 ( Watch video clip "I told the Congress, Thanks, but no thanks, on that Bridge to Nowhere." Sarah Palin, who was for the Bridge to Nowhere before she was against it , multiple"We need to come to the defense of Southeast Alaska when proposals are on the table like the bridge and not allow the spinmeisters to turn this project or any other into something that's so negative." Sarah Palin, on the Bridge to Nowhere , interview with the Ketchikan Daily News, Oct. 2006"And our congressional delegation, God bless 'em. They do a great job for us," Palin said at the forum hosted by the Alaska Professional Design Council. "Representative Don Young, especially God bless him, with transportation -- Alaska did so well under the very basic provisions of the transportation act that he wrote just a couple of years ago. We had a nice bump there. We're very, very fortunate to receive the largesse that Don Young was able to put together for Alaska." Sarah Palin, on federal pork and earmarks secured by Rep. Don Young (R-AK) Watch video clip "A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made." Sarah Palin, dismissing global warming as influenced by human activity, Newsmax interview; August 29, 2008"When I hear a statement like that coming from a woman candidate with any kind of perceived whine about that excess criticism, or maybe a sharper microscope put on her, I think, 'Man, that doesn't do us any good, women in politics, or women in general, trying to progress this country." Sarah Palin, on complaints from Hillary Clinton's campaign about sexist coverage, Spring 2008"It's great to see another part of the country." --Sarah Palin, campaigning in Pennsylvania, Aug. 2008Hi! Want to be friends? If you are preparing to add another dog to your household or to introduce your dog to a potential new friend, there are ways to help make that introduction more...

Race for Mayor hits home stretch Less than a month remains before Columbia residents go to the polls to vote for a new mayor. Four candidates are vying to replace long-term Mayor Steve Benjamin. For three...This is some security cam footage of Thor riding the lightning (technically a Chevy pickup) to chase down and attack another driver with a modified, long-handled version of Mjolnir. He manages to break the driver's side window and put a couple dents in the door before the driver takes off, spilling his passenger (who had foolishly opened his door) into the parking lot. Thor then takes a whack at the passenger's back before the dude is able to get back in the car and speed away. So why all the Ragnarok? Steamy details!:

One witness, who did not want to be identified, told NBC10 he heard the attacker yell out, "You're cheating with my girlfriend." Philadelphia police renewed their appeal for those involved or who recognize the parties involved to reach out to investigators. Police can't investigate it any further until a person involved in the incident comes forward. The owner [of the business where the incident took place] told NBC10 they were unable to file a police report because they were only a third party to the incident. He also said no one at the business knew any of the people involved.

Ah, the old love triangle -- classic Norse mythology. But wasn't Thor married to Sif? And didn't Loki claim to have slept with her when Thor was away on unspecified business? So that must have been Loki in the other car! Now I'm no detective, but I think it's pretty clear now that I should be.

Keep going for the video.

Thanks to ClosetNerd, who agrees good luck having either party come forward in a police case involving cheating and a sledgehammer attack.It's alive!

This is a video of Youtuber kreosan attempting to charge a classic Nokia 3310 brick phone with a million volts of electricity. Does it survive? SPOILER: Of course it does, it's a Nokia 3310. He then tries the same thing with a modern smartphone and it tweaks out the entire time before rendering itself unusable. They sure don't make them like they used to. Also, dude must really believe in the Nokia 3310 because he's sitting awfully close to that thing in the event it explodes. "I'd trust it with my life." Clearly, you just did.

Keep going for the video (skip to 0:30 for the action to begin), while I roll back my mobile technology to a Motorola Bravo LX pager in see-through Bimini blue just like I used to have.

Thanks to asdfasdf, who agrees when it doubt, crank it up to 11 and see what happens.Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands are in Luxembourg for a state visit this week, and Maxima took the opportunity to debut a highly-anticipated jewel: the magnificent Stuart Tiara!

Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The tiara itself was slightly less magnificent than its been in past appearances. Its been reworked significantly since we last saw the piece  which was during Queen Julianas reign. Heres a look at her version of the tiara, worn here for her birthday celebrations in 1962. The tiara has been in the family since 1897; it was worn in 1898 for the first time by Queen Wilhelmina at her investiture. The Stuart Diamond itself has a much longer royal history.

Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

But youll notice that theres something very important missing from the tiara on this occasion. Maxima wore a lower-profile version of the sparkler  most notably, the Stuart Diamond itself was not worn at all! It has been removed from the piece on this occasion, along with part of the central element that supported it. (Queen Wilhelmina also wore a smaller, Stuart-less version of the tiara for her wedding in 1901  this may be that setting.) The result, to my mind, is a much more wearable and balanced tiara, still incredibly sparkly and elaborate but less imposing.

Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

The large round diamonds that used to sit atop the tiara on either side of the Stuart have also been removed. Theyve been repurposed as an enormous pair of diamond cluster earrings, which Maxima also wore tonight.

Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

Heres a closer view of the new version of the tiara. It does feel a little strange to call this the Stuart Tiara when the diamond is missing. (The Stuart-less Stuart?) I hope we see Maxima wear the diamond itself again soon  perhaps as a pendant on a necklace or a brooch.

Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

Speaking of brooches, Maxima did also wear part of the large bow brooch from the Stuart Parure tonight. She wisely left off the necklace, which she debuted last year.

Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

But she did wear diamonds on each wrist, including the diamond bracelet with her familys initials.

Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

The grand ducal family were the hosts of the evening, and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa sparkled in the classic Belgian Scroll Tiara, pairing it with her modern pair of diamond earrings with gray pearl drops.

Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie was also in attendance, wearing the familys Chaumet Choker Tiara without its pearl toppers, plus one of the familys diamond and sapphire necklaces and diamond and sapphire earrings.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Endy M. Bayuni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, May 24, 2018 11:31 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5d240e 1 Opinion Indonesian-politics,democracy,#commentary,reformasi,New-Order,Soeharto,Islam,development Free

Indonesians are a bunch of half-empty glass rather than half-full glass people. This week, as the country marks 20 years since it embarked on the path of political reform, rather than celebrating what we have accomplished, most people are focusing on the governments shortcomings and failings, as well as the many pending tasks and unfinished business.

Presented this way, you would inevitably be left with a gloomy picture of a nation that is trapped in a never-ending struggle. The more you look into the nations problems, the more pessimistic youd become.

Youd be forgiven for thinking that nothing has changed, or that things have changed for the worse since that day on May 21, 1998, when Soehartos authoritarian regime collapsed.

From this perspective, the glass indeed looks half-empty, even three-quarters empty.

Once in a while, however, it pays for the nation to learn to count our blessings by looking at what we have achieved. We have actually achieved a lot, but we just dont know or appreciate this, perhaps because we are so preoccupied with the problems and challenges of the day.

What we often forget is that we have far more freedom than we have ever had in a long time, and we have democracy: its not perfect, but it is a functioning one that is good enough to prevent the reemergence of another dictator. And our economy is not doing too badly relative to others.

This is a lot more than what we had 20 years ago, and far, far more than most other developing nations that have attempted democracy can boast.

The Arab Spring did not last long and the countries in this region are now engulfed in fire.

Our neighbors Thailand and the Philippines, to whom we turned for lessons learned when we embarked on this political journey in 1998, are seeing huge setbacks in their democracies. These early democracies of Southeast Asia continue to provide us with lessons; this time on how and why democracy can go wrong. Malaysia, meanwhile, is looking like Southeast Asias poster boy for democracy.

Indonesias remarkable achievements are far more appreciated abroad than by its own people.

In foreign literature and media coverage, Indonesia enjoys many accolades such as emerging democracy, emerging market economy, the third largest democracy in the world, a democratic country with the worlds largest Muslim population, the 16th largest economy in the world and a rising Asian power. You would not have found any of these descriptions for Indonesia 20 years ago.

Indonesias march toward democracy has destroyed two widely accepted myths.

One is that you can have democracy or development, but not both at the same time. Indonesia has shown that we can.

Taking the argument further on our own experience, Indonesia says you can only have sustainable development under a democracy. Soeharto delivered the economic goods at the cost of our liberty, and that did not last long because pretty soon, the nation veered toward bankruptcy under the massive, unchecked corruption of his regime. There is no trade-off between democracy and development.

The other myth is that democracy and Islam are incompatible. Indonesia has shown that they are, in fact, compatible, and not by creating a dichotomy between politics and religion, but by incorporating religious and moral values into our politics as a form of checks and balances. Pancasila, the state ideology, has never been more important in ensuring the proper role and place of religion as in a democratic Indonesia.

Underpinning Indonesias success story is our many freedoms, particularly freedom of speech, but also freedom of association and freedom of religion, now fully guaranteed and largely observed and protected, albeit not wholly as yet. Yes, this is one glaring shortcoming that needs addressing.

If Indonesians today complain a lot, as they have done this week as they looked back at 20 years of reformasi, it is because they can: They have the freedom  and the space, thanks to the internet. These complaints should keep our elected leaders on their toes and give them sleepless nights if they intend to stay in office. Soeharto would have had none of these and would have put most of these vocal citizens in jail.

Our general elections are by no means perfect, but they are good enough to ensure rotating leaders in the executive and legislative branches based on the choices the people have made. Yes, we can make mistakes in our choices, but we can always make amends by replacing them five years later.

Thats why we have had five presidents since 1998, from B.J. Habibie to Abdurrahman Wahid, from Megawati Sukarnoputri to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and now Joko Widodo, who faces his day of judgment in April 2019. If people feel he delivers, they will allow him to stay. Otherwise, they will usher in a new one.

Freedom, democracy and development are the stuffs that build a nation, and Indonesia has been fortunate to have all three, albeit in different measures, for much of the last 20 years.

Sure, there have been many reversals along this journey, but that is part of the dynamics of a young democracy. Its the case of two steps forward and one step backward that makes progress inevitably slow.

Like a glacier, we often dont feel that we are moving. But look back 20 years ago, and then we can begin to appreciate that the nation has come a long way.

This should give us encouragement about our future. We should continue to have faith in democracy, and faith that most, if not all, of our problems will be resolved through democratic means.

Three cheers for our democracy. Make no mistake: the glass is half full.

***

The writer is a senior editor at The Jakarta Post.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Philip Stevens and Nilanjan Banik (The Jakarta Post) Geneva  Thu, May 24, 2018 12:28 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5da2dd 3 Opinion World-Health-Organization,WHO,health,Indonesia,disease,outbreak,vaccine Free

As one of the biggest Asian members of the World Health Organization (WHO), holding its annual assembly in Geneva this week, Indonesia shares a pivotal role in setting the global health agenda.

The WHOs work has never been more important to address serious and evolving international health threats. It is only a matter of time before there is another global influenza pandemic to match the devastating outbreak of 1918, and, as recent outbreaks of Ebola and Zika have shown, new and deadly diseases can emerge at any time.

As a UN organization to which almost every country in the world belongs, the WHO should make strengthening national health systems and coordinating defenses against transnational disease its priority. But its often hard to know if the organization has any priority.

Superficial involvement in a ballooning number of health areas has made it a directionless, ineffective and inward-looking player in an increasingly crowded global health scene.

The WHOs tendency to do a lot poorly has seen it fail in its core business of leading international action on transnational disease outbreaks.

Take the organizations response to the West African Ebola crisis of 2014. An expert panel convened by Harvard Global Health Institute and the London School of Tropical Medicine criticized the WHO for its catastrophic delay in declaring a public health emergency.

The worry is that WHO will fail to handle the next inevitable global pandemic, leading to needless loss of life. This is particularly concerning for Indonesia, given that most of the recent influenza pandemics find their origin in Southeast Asia.

Funding is part of the problem: The WHO spent just 5.7 percent of its 2014-15 budget on disease outbreaks, a 50 percent drop on the previous two years.

The WHOs core budget, paid by member governments, fell from US$579 million in 1990 to a feeble US$465 million this year. To put this in context, this only slightly more than a small African country like Uganda receives each year in foreign aid to fight only one disease  HIV.

The WHO has topped up its budget with project-based donations from countries and big charities, which now constitute 80 percent of its overall income. But that has cost the WHO its strategic independence.

Alongside global health staples like tropical diseases and immunization, the WHO now publishes recommendations on subjects from adolescent health and headaches to traffic safety and prisons.

Jeremy Farrar, director of the UK-based global health research charity the Wellcome Trust, argues the WHO is being undermined by its inability to focus on a few core issues.

"It's so thinly stretched," he told Reuters. "There's arguably no organization on earth that could cover all those (topics) at sufficient depth to be authoritative."

This lack of focus and mission creep will be on full display at next weeks World Health Assembly. Bizarrely, large parts of the agenda are dedicated to discussion of how to dilute the intellectual property (IP) protections that drive discovery of new health technologies.

Given the scale of today's global health challenges, its not clear how repeating a tired debate about IP and access to medicines will help. The vast majority of treatments prescribed in both developing and developed countries are off-patent and therefore unaffected by IP rules, yet far too many still do not have reliable access to them.

The real reasons for this have been well known for decades. There are too few doctors and clinics, and a lack of social and health insurance to protect people from the cost of healthcare expenditures (something WHO itself implicitly recognizes in its efforts to promote universal healthcare). In many places, weak supply chains and poor infrastructure separate people from the treatments they need.

A narrow and divisive focus by WHO on IP may tick political boxes, but it does nothing to improve health and will only lead to more unproductive debate. It looks like a power grab by WHO staff to intervene in areas that are best left to national governments.

In 2017, former Ethiopian foreign minister Tedros Adhanom was elected as new Director General on a mandate to reform and consolidate the WHO. Almost immediately, he appointed no fewer than 14 assistant director generals to oversee a huge number of program areas. This is not the work of a reformer.

This week is the first World Health Assembly under Tedros leadership. Indonesia and other member states need to steady the ship. To maintain its relevance, WHO must get back to basics and do a few things well, not many things poorly. It must therefore unite nations around practical solutions, not divide them in pointless debates.

***

Philip Stevens is director of Geneva Network, a UK-based research organization focusing on international trade and health issues. Nilanjan Banik is professor at Bennett University, India.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, May 24, 2018 08:14 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5c8293 4 Editorial #Editorial,Religious-Affairs-Ministry,religion,peaceful-Islam,preachers,Lukman-Hakim-Saifuddin,Muslim,Islam,tolerance Free

The recently released list of 200 moderate preachers recommended by the Religious Affairs Ministry has sparked debate. Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin apologized, but said he was not retracting the list, which had been compiled in response to numerous requests. The list was provisional, he said, pending the addition of many more mubaligh (preachers) who met the ministrys requirements regarding competent understanding of Islamic teachings, preaching experience and commitment to preserving the nations value of unity.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who chairs the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI), said the nation needed at least 300,000 preachers for Friday prayers alone. Were the list of preachers to be that long, it is doubtful it could serve as a practical reference to check. The ministry should simply issue its criteria for preachers, which would help boards running mosques make their selections.

The hullabaloo may, however, be a blessing in disguise. Residents should indeed take charge of their mosques and be more active in selecting preachers. Neighborhood mosques are built with collective funds, and therefore are run by the residents themselves.

Mosques on office grounds are also run by employees. But as many of us are lazy, we only grumble if a sermon for Friday prayers or another event is, for example, offensive to non-Muslim neighbors and colleagues.

The ministry apparently issued the list in response to unease over the rise of popular firebrand preachers, who were no problem in the New Order days when preachers were screened by intelligence agencies or the police. Our angst about Big Brother has made it impossible for the police to check preachers and their sermons. Nowadays, even with law enforcers targeting hate speech, preachers enjoy ample freedom to spread messages that can sometimes be far from peaceful, and based on a narrow understanding of Islam. As Muslims make up the majority of the nations population, non-Muslims tend to tread carefully, but still sermons giving negative commentary about Islam are leaked, whipping up tension in society.

Last weeks terror attacks, particularly the bombings committed by a family of six on three Surabaya churches, may also have a silver lining. The perpetrators were known to have long attended religious classes focused on instilling the obligation to actively defend Islam against infidels  non-Muslims and Muslims who do not follow their beliefs. The terrorists have been widely condemned; but the teachings they followed are merely an extreme version of the messages that many have heard from school teachers and preachers.

In our diverse society, preachers offering messages on becoming better in Gods eyes are generally preferred. But the intolerance-trumpeting fringe has been growing louder as politicians continue to turn a blind eye.

Minister Lukman has been rebuked for his attempt to mainstream moderate preachers. Citizens must now seize the responsibility that has always been theirs  to filter the messengers of faith, so we can save our communities and our children from preachers who seek to normalize hatred of others.New York is the city that never sleeps, but arduous commutes, hellish hours and ultra-competitive jobs mean even the most wired of party animals or dedicated employees have to recharge their batteries.

But instead of knocking back a coffee or quaffing an energy drink, a growing number of New Yorkers are opting for a quick nap during office hours.

With affluent Americans increasingly health conscious -- indulging in fads such as green juice, hot-house yoga and matcha tea -- a few pay-for-sleep businesses are now offering customers a little shut-eye on the QT.

Nap York is one. Opening three months ago in a three-story building near Penn Station, $12 buys patrons 30 minutes in a wooden sleep cabin, day or night.

"We wanted to accommodate all the exhausted New Yorkers," explains Stacy Veloric, the company's marketing director. "It's really hard to find peace and quiet within New York City."

The business opened with seven cabins, but demand quickly exceeded supply and they added 22 more. Soon there will also be hammocks on the roof, where half an hour's kick-back will cost $15.

The US sleep deficit is real. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a third of Americans sleep less than they should.

Only 24 percent of New Yorkers get eight or more hours of sleep -- nearly half get six or less, according to a state-wide survey for Siena College.

Lack of sleep causes moodiness, low productivity and poor concentration. It also costs the US economy up to $411 billion and the equivalent of 1.23 million working days a year, according to a Rand Corporation study in 2016.

Read also: New York to ban cars from Manhattan's Central Park

- 'I'm worth it' -

Laura Li, a 28-year-old copy editor for a travel company, is someone who prefers a 35-minute kip to a coffee. Each week she pops along to YeloSpa, a luxurious, spa-style Fifth Avenue fixture opposite Trump Tower.

Li steps into a hexagonal cockpit that looks straight out of a science fiction movie and lies on a bed suspended in a position of zero gravity, knees bent and feet elevated to lower the heart rate and induce sleep.

Thirty-five minutes later, she'll be woken by "a simulated sunrise," explains Maya Daskalova, YeloSpa manager.

The price? A dollar a minute, with a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 40.

"I come here specially on days where I have a lot of work -- just to get more energy for the rest of the afternoon," says Li. "I don't drink coffee so if I feel tired there's nothing I can really do, other than sleeping."

She may not have told colleagues that she naps during lunch, but has confessed to friends, who are baffled by the concept of paying to sleep.

"They might think this is a waste of time or a waste of money," she admitted. "As long as I can afford it, then it's worth it. I just feel better afterward, that's enough."

Daskalova has seen her clientele grow gradually and believes that cultural attitudes in America are changing. "Resetting you for the rest of the day is much better than crashing in your desk in the middle of work," she says.

Read also: Take a walk on New York's wild side

- Generational shift -

Who escapes to take a nap? Those who work long hours or live miles away and want time out before a night out. Pregnant women who are exhausted. Parents of babies suffering sleepless nights and party-goers who need a breather.

In 2004, Christopher Lindholst created MetroNaps, a company that designs super-modern "energy pods" for quick naps.

He installed several in the Empire State Building until security requirements kicked them out, then focused sales on companies, universities, hospitals and airports. Google and NASA are among those who have bought his pods.

"People's attitudes changed dramatically in the last 15 years, there's much more awareness of the importance of sleep and the benefit," Lindholst says.

But in a city with the longest working day in the States, travel time included, he thinks it will take a full generation to erase old stigmas about laziness.

"We use the argument all the time that we are talking about a very short period of time, 10 to 20 minutes, essentially the same (as) a coffee break or in New York a smoke break," he explained.

One MetroNaps capsule lives in the SoHo offices of Thrive Global, a wellness startup founded by Arianna Huffington, author of bestselling 2016 tome The Sleep Revolution and a founder of The Huffington Post.

Her book calls for an end to "the delusion that we need to burn out to succeed."

"We're in the middle of a cultural shift, one in which more and more of us are taking steps to reclaim sleep," she writes.In 1998, Indonesian authorities shot dead four Trisakti University students during a protest that demanded economic and political reform.

The deaths of the students started a movement known as reformasi era, which later ended in the historic downfall of dictator Soehartos authoritarian New Order regime on May 21.

The Antara Photojournalism Gallery in Jakarta is displaying the portraits of the four students  Hafidhin Royan, Elang Mulya Lesmana, Hery Hartanto and Hendriawan Sie  to pay tribute to them in a big frame in front of its iconic photojournalist statue.

The gallery also showcases Kompas newspaper photojournalist Julian Sihombings photo titled Pejuang Reformasi Dimakamkan (The Burial of Reformasis Fallen Heroes), which depicts university students lifting the biers carrying Elang and Hery at Tanah Kusir public cemetery in Jakarta on May 13, 1998 to pay their last respects.

Next to Julians photo is a photo of broken glass with a bullet hole in it, taken by photojournalist Rully Kesuma at the Trisakti campus during a bloody riot that happened after the death of its students. The wide crack in the glass is evidence of how tragic the riot was and how the Indonesian government decided to use real bullets against unarmed students trapped on their campus.

Victory is ours: A visitor looks at photos that depict people jumping for joy after the resignation of dictator Soeharto. (JP/A. Kurniawan Ulung)

At the gallery, other must-see images are Beawihartas photo of university students fiercely battling against a soldier, Alex Lumis photo of president Soeharto reading his resignation letter and Budhi Yogaswaras photo of Prabowo Subianto removed from his position as the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) chief.

Those are just some of more than 85 photos displayed during a photo exhibition titled 20 Tahun Reformasi: Segenggam Refleksi (20 Years of Reformation: A Handful of Reflections) at the gallery from May 11 to June 11.

This exhibition aims to prevent the spirit of the movement that managed to overthrow the powerful New Order regime from fading away amid todays endless drama of our shallow and childish politicians, said the exhibitions curator, Oscar Matuloh.

Now and then: A visitor looks at photos of 1998 activists at Antara Photojournalism Gallery in Jakarta. (JP/A. Kurniawan Ulung)

Through the exhibition, visitors, especially the ones who were too young or who had not been born during reformasi, are expected to have a better understanding about what happened 20 years ago. Therefore, they will realize that lives had been sacrificed for the freedom they enjoy today.

The exhibition also displays portraits of several activists who were directly involved in reformasi. One of them is Komala Sari, who is now an executive assistant for a CEO in a company.

In 1998, she was a student of LPK Tarakanita and also a field coordinator of the student movement.

A photograph of Komala depicts her wearing a hat, a T-shirt and jeans with a microphone hanging over her shoulder as she gives instructions to a group of demonstrators she was leading.

I took the chance to prove that women could also lead, she said.

Revisit the past: People of all ages and background visit Antara Photojournalism Gallery to commemorate 20 years of Reformasi. (JP/A. Kurniawan Ulung)

Like Komala, Fadil Anwar Syarifudin from the Chinese-Indonesian Literature Museum also took to the streets 20 years ago.

In 1998, my friends and I were witnesses to the killings of Chinese-Indonesians. In Karawaci [in Tangerang], we helped remove their corpses, he said.

Read also: There is hope for peaceful diversity: The Chinese Indonesian Literature Museum

He said after 20 years, the goal of reformasi had yet to be achieved because sectarian or racial issues still occur today, as well as occasional religious discrimination.

Although the countrys economy appears to be on the move after the fall of Soeharto, no one person or institution has taken responsibility for the fatal shootings.

Until now, there has been no official investigation or recognition of who gave the order to Indonesian authorities, particularly the soldiers at that time, to start shooting students and civilians with live rounds.

Like the Trisakti shootings, other past human rights violations, such as the Semanggi shootings and the May 1998 riots that led to looting, fire and mass rape, mostly of Chinese-Indonesians, are still unsolved after 20 years.

The government claims they are facing legal hurdles in solving the cases, but it is still trying to find a way to propose reconciliation.

The reconciliation offer has raised the eyebrows of human rights activists and the victims family members, who still demand a full investigation of the 1998 human rights violations for the sake of justice.Local sportswear company PT. GF Indonesia (Eagle) has collaborated with legendary rock band Slank to release limited-edition shoes.

Named Slanked, the unisex collection comes in five models designed by each of the five members of the band. Only 1,200 pairs will be available for each model.

Also involving five of the company's designers, the products took six months to make.

Each band member is said to have added their personal touches on the shoes. Bimbim, for instance, placed the words love and peace on his model. The drummer also added his personal logo, Circle X, and his signature on the insole.

Bimbim's Slanked shoes (Eagle/File)

Meanwhile, Kaka was inspired by his personal need to have shoes that can be used for running and singing on stage.

Before collaborating with Eagle, I used to bring along two pairs of shoes while [touring]  one for running and another one for performing on stage, Kaka said during the soft launch of Slanked in Central Jakarta on Wednesday.

So, I decided to combine running and performing shoes.

Kakas model uses breathable and glossy materials, and is adorned with his personal logo, a fish.

Kaka's Slanked shoes (Eagle/File)

Bassist Ivanka chose to design sneakers, his favorite type of shoes. Using breathable material, the model boasts Ivankas personal logo, the F Clef, as well as his signature and handwriting.

The F Clef is the musical symbol for bass. It can be worn by everyone  its a pair of sneakers that can be worn at formal events, Ivanka said.

Ivanka's Slanked shoes (Eagle/File)

Guitarist Ridho designed mid-cut sneakers. In addition to featuring a small pocket to fit a guitar pick, the model also bears a Peace is My Religion icon and an illustration drawn by Ridhos daughter.

I chose to use a zipper so the shoes would be easy to take off when I go to the mosque, Ridho said.

Read also: Slank releases signature coffee brand to encourage entrepreneurship

Ridho's Slanked shoes (Eagle/File)

Abdee, who has been absent from the band due to illness, designed his shoes with a modern look.

Said to be the lightest model in the collection, it is fashioned from breathable material and features Abdees logo, 9 Eyes.

It means the eyes of the heart, Abdee said. We see people talking, we appreciate people and see their sincerity through the eyes of our heart.

Abdee's Slanked shoes (Eagle/File)

Set to be collectors items, each model comes with a shoe box adorned with pictures of the band members. When all five are stacked together, they create a poster of the band.

Buyers will also get a certificate with the bands signature.

The collection will be available in sizes 37 to 44.

We are using the hashtag #LoHarusGrak [You Have to Move], which is taken from our song, said Kaka. These shoes were made for people who move fast.

Many young people dont know recognize Eagle, because the brand is more popular among the older generation. So, its time for [the younger generation] to discover Eagle, said Cindy Jane, Eagle director of marketing and communications, adding that Slank has a wide range of fans, from young teenagers to adults.

Kaka (left) and Abdee, vocalist and guitarist of rock band Slank, perform during the soft launch of their limited-edition shoes. (JP/Ni Nyoman Wira)

Explaining the meaning behind the collections name, Kaka said laughingly: The philosophy is that whoever wears these shoes will be directed to the right side.

I mean, you got Slanked. Slank means peace, love, unity and respect. So if you wear these shoes, you will be influenced by those philosophies.

The shoes will be available at Slanks Potlot basecamp in South Jakarta and online at the Slank Store. Prices will start from Rp 460,000 (US$32.53).

Additionally, fans can also purchase the shoes via Eagles official website but at higher prices, starting from Rp 900,000. (kes)Hostility towards ethnic minorities is contagious and the acceptability of destructive behavior towards them can easily change depending on how others behave, according to a new study by a Czech-Slovak team.

"Social norms regulating anti-social behavior are very fragile if this behavior is aimed at ethnic minorities," researchers Michal Bauer and Julie Chytilova told AFP on Wednesday.

The study by the CERGE-EI Institute at Prague's Charles University, the Munich-based Max Planck Institute and the Technical University in Kosice, Slovakia was conducted in eastern Slovakia, a district with a large Roma ethnic minority, in 2013.

Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA in April, the study was based on a game in which the players -- 327 school children from the majority ethnic Slovak population aged 13-15 -- first received two euros ($2.34) each.

Then they had to decide whether to pay 0.2 euros to reduce their rival's funds by half -- a "destructive" choice -- or whether to keep the payoffs unchanged.

Next, in groups of three, they played against potential rivals represented by a list of 20 typical Slovak majority or Roma minority names, with all three players making their choice one after another.

"We tested the hypothesis that susceptibility to follow peers becomes magnified when harm is done to ethnic outgroup members compared with coethnics," reads the study.

Read also: EDITORIAL: Strangers of the same race

'Fragile social norms'

The results were "striking" -- the study pointed out a significant influence of peers in decision-making on doing harm to the minority.

If the first child to choose was "peaceful" towards the minority, only 19 percent of the second decision-makers were hostile.

But a total of 77 percent of second decision-makers showed hostility if the first child to choose had been hostile.

Among the third decision-makers, only 18 percent were destructive if one or both their predecessors were peaceful, but 88 percent were destructive if the previous two showed hostility.

Besides, "the participants saw hateful behavior towards the Roma as more socially acceptable if somebody else treated the Roma with hate," said Bauer and Chytilova.Social media giant Facebook launched on Wednesday its Ruang Komunal Indonesia community hub at One Pacific Place in South Jakarta.

Facebook policy programs director Clair Deevy said at a media conference that the space was the first of its kind in the world, and was available to any community group, not just Facebook groups.

Deevy said that in the past two years, the tech company had worked with many community groups and non-profit organizations in Indonesia that were struggling to bring people face-to-face, and that Ruang Komunal Indonesia was created in response to the situation.

Read also: Zuckerberg unveils plans for Facebook dating service

We felt that there was an opportunity in Indonesia, [particularly] Jakarta, to create a space where online communities could come together offline, she said.

Ruang Komunal Indonesia was designed as a flexible facility that would allow groups to hold a variety of activities from presentations to gatherings, and was also equipped with a small kitchen and a Wi-Fi connection.

Groups that wanted to use the free space should register and pre-book the space online.

We are looking for a really diverse variety of groups. The focus is really on groups that bring and build communities together, create positive content [and] are looking to bring people from different backgrounds together to create a strong community, she said. (kes)Go-Jek announced on Thursday (May 24) that it will invest about US$500 million (S$672 million) to move into four new markets in the next four months - Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines.

The move will heighten its rivalry with Singapore-based Grab, which already operates in Indonesia, South-east Asia's largest ride-hailing market.

The expansion into the four countries will start with ride-hailing services, but the company is also aiming to replicate its other services offered in Indonesia to its new markets, Go-Jek added.

It said it is currently working with regulators and other stakeholders across the region to pave the way for the new operations.

Go-Jek also said it will seek out local partners with interests and expertise in each of the new markets.

Read also: Go-Jek most popular ride-hailing app: Survey

Go-Jek has reportedly been in talks with Singapore taxi giant ComfortDelGro to explore a tie-up. Both companies said last month they would not comment on rumors or speculation.

Go-Jek raised about US$1.5 billion in a fund-raising round in February, higher than its initial target of US$1.2 billion.

The company said on Thursday that its latest fund-raising round brought investment from Astra International, Google, JD.com, Meituan, Tencent and Temasek among others.

Go-Jek chief executive and founder Nadiem Makarim said: "Consumers are happiest when they have choice, and at the moment, people in Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines don't feel that they're getting enough when it comes to ride-hailing.

"We hope that as we arrive in new markets, we will quickly become everyone's go-to lifestyle app. That is our aspiration. In the meantime, we hope our presence will provide the welcome competition markets need to thrive."Publicly listed taxi operator Blue Bird Group launched a book titled Kartini Blue Bird: The Spirit of Emak-Emak on May 11.

Written by Maria Hartiningsih, the book gives a glimpse into the lives of Blue Bird taxi drivers by highlighting their wives contributions to the family, from their role in supporting their husbands and going on training courses to improving their sewing skills.

The book is part of the Kartini Blue Bird (KBB) program that was initiated by Blue Bird Group director Noni Purnomo.

Read also: Companies strive to help women break glass ceiling

Focusing on the drivers spouses, the program features several training sessions to improve their cooking, sewing, marketing and entrepreneurship skills to help them establish home industries to improve their financial situation.

Noni said in a statement the company wanted to give women the opportunity to improve their lot in life through these training sessions so that they could establish strong home industries.

Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Yohana Susana Yembise shared her appreciation of the program, expressing her hope that other companies would follow Blue Birds efforts to empower women. (jes/kes)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, May 24, 2018 09:45 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5ce0db 1 City Asian-Games-2018,Athlete-village,Kemayoran,jakarta,Jakarta-administration Free

Ahead of the Asian Games, the Jakarta administration has planned to clean up the Item River, located near the Athletes Village in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

The Item River, both popularly referred to and literally a black river, is severely polluted and has a pungent smell.

The citys Water Resources Agency head Teguh Hendarwan said the agency would use nanobubble technology to purify the river's water.

Nanobubble technology has the ability to recycle water in the river. The water would be processed until its clear and odorless, he said as quoted by kompas.com on Tuesday.

The agency, Teguh added, would also dredge sediment from the river using heavy-duty equipment.

He went on saying his agency would collaborate with the city's Environment Agency and the Forestry Agency. (vla)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Fachrul Sidiq (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, May 24, 2018 07:39 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5c5e47 1 City social-impacts,jakarta,family,Social-Agency Free

Zamirah, 38, and her six children have been separated from her husband and another child after an angkot (public minivan) driver suspected the family of being terrorists and drove them to a police station, an official has said.



The family of nine previously lived in a rented house in Kramat Pella, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, but were evicted for failing to pay several months rent.

The father is unemployed, according to East Jakarta Social Affairs Agency official Nimun.

The family then sought shelter at a mosque in Blok M, South Jakarta, but a mosque caretaker told them to contact the citys social housing.

Instead, the family decided to visit a relative in Ciputat, South Tangerang, Banten province, but they were separated on the way to their destination.

Just after the father and one of the children had stepped out of the angkot, the driver stepped on the gas pedal and sped to a police station with Zamirah and her six children still inside the vehicle.



The driver suspected they were terrorists and took them to a police station, Nimun said in a statement issued by the Jakarta Social Affairs Agency.



After questioning Zamirah and her children, police investigators found no indications that they may be related to a terror plot and sent them to the East Jakarta Social Affairs Agency, where they were officially registered.



According to Zamirah, her husband Hanri Jeki holds a doctoral degree from a university in Saudi Arabia. But as of Wednesday afternoon, his whereabouts and that of the other child remain unknown, said the agencys spokesperson, Miftahul Huda.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Japan News/ANN) Tokyo, Japan  Thu, May 24, 2018 09:08 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5cc6ca 2 Business #Japan,#Russia,#bilateral,#economy Free

The Japanese government will dispatch a public-private research team to the northern territories as early as this summer to draw up business plans. The governments are making arrangements toward an agreement during a summit meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled for Saturday in Moscow.

The Japanese government hopes to deepen a relationship of trust with Russia through the joint activities, ultimately leading to conclusion of a peace treaty and return of the northern territories. The government aims to start the projects at an early date.

The joint economic activities will be implemented through funding by companies and other entities of both countries. The two leaders agreed at their December 2016 meeting to start discussions on the activities. They also agreed at their September 2017 meeting to put a priority on implementation of projects in five fields, including joint aquaculture of marine products and greenhouse cultivation of vegetables.

As a result of working-level discussions that followed the agreements, the two sides have agreed to look for the promotion of sea urchin farming and greenhouse cultivation of strawberries. They will continue discussions toward promotion of the remaining three fields  the development of sightseeing tours, the introduction of wind power generation and measures to reduce garbage.

Japan's northern territories. (The Japan News/File)

The next public-private research team will be the third one dispatched to the northern territories following ones in June-July and October last year. As the contents of the projects have been decided, the research team is expected to conduct a detailed survey, including the narrowing down of candidate sites and analysis of investment effects.

However, little progress has been made in discussions on a special system that does not undermine the legal positions of both Japan and Russia, a prerequisite for joint economic activities. The Japanese government hopes to accelerate such discussions by taking advantage of the upcoming summit meeting.

During the summit meeting, the two leaders are expected to confirm that they will realize flights for former residents to visit their family graves in the northern territories this year, following similar visits in September 2017, as well as realize progress on the eight-item economic cooperation plan, including urban development and medical assistance.

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This article appeared on The Japan News newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta PostShare this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Kate Kelland and Ben Hirschler (Reuters) London  Thu, May 24, 2018 10:16 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5cf99a 2 World #health,#ebola,#diseases,#medicine,#vaccines,#Congo Free

In the life-and-death race to make the first effective vaccine against Ebola, one company -- Merck -- seems bound to win.

But others drugmakers, such as Johnson & Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline, are also in the running -- and must stick with it even though they are unlikely to make a profit, experts say, because the world needs more than one Ebola vaccine.

Immunizations with Merck's VSV EBOV experimental shot began in Congo this week -- a big moment in a 40-year fight against a disease that until now could only be tackled by isolation and strict hygiene.

Having this vaccine means the world is better placed now than it was in 2014-2016, when the hemorrhagic fever killed more than 11,300 people in history's worst Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Still, relying on one potential vaccine from one company does not make sense, either in terms of ensuring resilient supply or the best protection against the virus, says Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust global health charity.

"It's critical that we encourage companies to keep working on this," he told Reuters. "Firstly, it may be that two vaccines may have very different characteristics.

"And we also need more than one manufacturer. You can't expect one company to carry the burden of the whole production facility for an Ebola vaccine."

Ebola is a fearsome disease but it is also still rare, making the potential market for an emergency vaccine highly sporadic and very likely unprofitable.

This poses a dilemma for drug companies: With no real prospect of a financial return, can they justify the investment, even when they get support from government agencies and charities.

GSK's put its Ebola vaccine work on hold after it was unable to progress its product through clinical trials towards the end of the 2014-2016 epidemic, due to the dwindling number of Ebola cases. A spokesman said it is monitoring the situation.

J&J is pushing ahead. Since the big West African outbreak, the company has gone on to test its vaccine on 5,000 volunteers in 11 separate trials, confirming its safety and ability to generate an immune response.

"We are not doing this for a commercial purpose," said Paul Stoffels, J&J's Chief Scientific Officer told Reuters in an interview.

"If you have technology that can help fight the most deadly virus in the world, then you can't stand back and not do this.

"There are also benefits to us. We are also learning all the time about vaccine technology, which has advanced our science."

Complementary

J&J's two-part vaccine -- being developed with Danish biotech Bavarian Nordic -- works differently to Merck's and its protection, if confirmed, is expected to be longer lasting.

Merck's shot is well suited for "ring vaccination" of people in recent contact with new Ebola cases, but a long-lasting option would be a good bet for healthy support workers coming in to fight the crisis.

"Certainly from what we know about the J&J vaccine, it could have a very complementary use," said Peter Salama, the World Health Organization's deputy director-general for emergency preparedness and response.

"It looks like it takes a little longer to develop the immune response, but at the same time it may last a lot longer... it could be an ideal vaccine for healthcare workers, for example, who you could proactively vaccinate and know that they are protected for 10 years or so."

One problem remains the lengthy, complex and expensive process of getting new vaccines licensed by Western regulators, like the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Merck -- whose vaccine was originally developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada and then handed to NewLink Genetics , before Merck took it on in 2014 -- does not expect to be ready to seek an FDA marketing authorization licence for VSV EBOV until 2019.

This is in part due to "unforeseen facility and engineering issues" at a manufacturing plant being built in Germany, Merck's spokeswoman Pamela Eisele said.

"We ... are focused on getting vaccine manufacturing on-line as quickly as possible."

The company could get a pay-off when the vaccine is finally licensed, in the form of an FDA priority review voucher, which can be used with another product of its choice or sold on.

The FDA issues such vouchers for innovative drugs or vaccines tackling neglected or rare diseases, including Ebola, and past examples have been sold for up to US$350 million.

The only licensed Ebola vaccines come from separate groups in Russia and China. Their products have been approved by local regulators only on the basis of limited clinical data. An FDA licence is widely regarded as the definitive stamp of approval.

Beyond Ebola

Large drug companies remain the only realistic vehicles for manufacturing vaccines at scale and the problem of incentivizing them to work on non-profitable diseases in poor countries stretches beyond Ebola.

"In any vaccine market, at some point the manufacturers assess whether its a viable market to continue, and they may stop," Salama told Reuters.

Sanofi, for example, dropped development of a Zika vaccine last year, despite promising early clinical results, following a row over future pricing of the product, which was originally developed by US Army researchers.

Such hesitancy by drug companies is going to need to be overcome, experts say, especially since a crowded world can expect an increasing number of deadly encounters with microbes.

In the past 60 years, the number of new infectious diseases affecting humans has increased fourfold and the number of outbreaks per year has more than tripled, according to report from the International Vaccines Task Force.

Only this week India has been hit by the brain-damaging Nipah virus, killing 10 people, while Nigeria had its worst Lassa fever outbreak on record earlier this year.

There are currently no vaccines for either of these, but both are on a WHO research and development priority list alongside Ebola, Zika, MERS and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Lagos, Nigeria  Thu, May 24, 2018 08:58 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5cb3f3 2 World Amnesty-International,boko-haram,Nigeria,rape,Sexual-assault,women-exploitation,child-abuse,child-protection,malnutrition Free

Amnesty International on Thursday urged Nigeria to act on claims soldiers and members of the civilian militia have raped women and girls in remote camps for people displaced by Boko Haram.

The rights watchdog said it had gathered multiple testimonies about alleged abuse by the security forces, including claimed that soldiers coerced vulnerable survivors into having sex in exchange for food.

But despite long-standing complaints about sexual violence and repeated promises by the Nigerian authorities that they would address concerns, "no tangible action" had been taken.

In November 2016, police vowed to look into allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation in the camps but several months later, the military rejected the allegations.

"It is not always clear if these investigations were carried out and no reports have been made public," the London-based rights group said in a statement.

Amnesty's Nigeria director, Osai Ojigho, said it was time for President Muhammadu Buhari "to demonstrate his frequently-expressed commitment to protect the human rights of displaced people in northeast Nigeria.

"The only way to end these horrific violations is by ending the climate of impunity in the region and ensuring that no-one can get away with rape or murder."

Rape widespread

Women and girls, many of whom have been separated from their families, are vulnerable to sexual abuse and say rape is widespread in and out of the camps, according to aid agencies.

Some non-profits run family planning clinics, providing contraception, and say there are high numbers of sexually transmitted infections, abortions and unwanted pregnancies.

"Scores" of women told Amnesty that soldiers and civilian militia members coerced them into becoming "girlfriends", which meant them being available for sex.

In return they got food.

Sexual exploitation was at an "alarming level, as women remain desperate to access sufficient food and livelihood opportunities", the group added.

"Sex in these highly coercive circumstances is always rape, even when physical force is not used, and Nigerian soldiers and (militia) members have been getting away with it," said Ojigho.

'Alarming level'

According to the latest available figures to April 30, nearly 1.8 million people have been displaced within Nigeria by the Boko Haram insurgency, which has killed at least 20,000 since 2009.

Including figures from neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger, the number of people forced to flee their homes by the violence reaches nearly 2.25 million, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

Military gains have wrested back control of areas previously held by the Islamist militants, laying bare the extent of the damage to farming and fishing on which most locals depend.

By the end of March, 3.5 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance, the UN said.

Malnutrition cases with medical complications are expected to rise in the upcoming rainy season.

Amnesty said thousands of people had died from starvation due to a lack of food at the camps over the past four years, without specifying an exact number.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States  Thu, May 24, 2018 21:16 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5f3ee3 2 World trump,kim-jong-un,summit Free

US President Donald Trump informed Kim Jong Un on Thursday that their planned June 12 summit in Singapore would not take place, blaming recent "hostility" from the North Korean regime.

"Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting," Trump wrote in a letter to Kim released by the White House.

Trump's letter came after North Korea attacked US Vice President Mike Pence as "ignorant and stupid" for his warnings over the planned summit, renewing a threat to cancel the historic talks.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Vela Andapita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, May 24, 2018 12:38 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5dab2a 1 National China,chinese-embassy,xiao-qian,Nahdlatul-ulama,SaidAqilSiradj,sanitation,RI-China Free

Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Xiao Qian and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chairman Said Aqil Siradj signed on Wednesday an agreement to build sanitation facilities in West Java.

The program aims to build clean water and bathing-washing-toilet centers in five spots in Cirebon, Indramayu and Karawang.

I am delighted to join cleric Said Aqil and the children today in this breaking-of-the-fast event, Xiao Qian said during the signing, which was followed by an iftar (breaking-of-the-fast meal) event attended by 300 orphans at Luhur Al Tsaqafah Islamic boarding school in Ciganjur, South Jakarta.

Previously, Xiao Qian said the embassy and the NU had built a sanitation facility in Serang, Banten. The facility includes of a bathroom, toilet and water connection.

Xiao Qian said the iftar event was the third of its kind jointly organized by the embassy and the NU.

When I was a kid, my parents house stood beside a mosque, hence Im pretty familiar with Ramadhan and Idul Fitri. Meeting you all here takes me back to my childhood, he added.

Xiao Qian then handed out gifts to the children.

Said, meanwhile, said the NU looked forward to more partnerships with the Chinese Embassy in other sectors, especially education.

This year, at least 13 lecturers from Nahdlatul Ulama University [UNU] have received scholarship from the Chinese Embassy and are preparing to study in China, explained Said.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, May 24, 2018 18:09 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5ebfbb 1 Politics Jokowi,Jokowi-administration,Islam,AliMochtarNgabalin,religion,slander Free

A former critic of President Joko Jokowi Widodo who now works at the State Palace claims that Muslims must not insult the government as it is a representation of God on earth.

Ali Mochtar Ngabalin, who joined the Golkar Party after failing to clinch the leadership of the Islamist Crescent Star Party (PBB) in 2010, said the government needed strong support, particularly from the Muslim community as the largest religious group.

He said: The government, from a religious perspective, should not be slandered [or] insulted. According to the Quran, the Gospel, the Torah and the Psalms, the government is a representation of God on earth.

Ali, who is also known as a Muslim preacher, was a member of Prabowo Subiantos campaign team during the 2014 presidential election, during which he urged God to side with Prabowo and give him victory.

He was recently appointed as an expert staffer for political communication and information dissemination at the office of Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko. According to media reports, Ali claimed to have been tasked with serving as a "government mouthpiece" and combating fake news about the government.

His appointment to the Presidential Office is widely seen as an attempt by Jokowi to mend relations between the President and Muslim constituents in urban areas, many of whom are believed to be susceptible to a barrage of fake news about Jokowi and his administration.

Jokowi is seeking re-election in the 2019 election and is likely to face Prabowo for a second time.

Ali seemed to confirm this, saying his background as chairman of the Coordinating Body of Indonesian Muslim Preachers (Bakomubin) and former chairman of the Coordinating Body of Mosque Youth would help him in his new position at the State Palace.

I have the obligation to tell [the Muslim community] that this government is good, and this government has a noble mission, as a representation of God on earth. (ahw)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, May 24 2018

The Bekasi branch of state-owned electricity company PLN is preparing for the administrative requirements to buy electricity from the waste-to-energy (WtE) plant at Sumur Batu trash disposal site (TPA) in Bantar Gebang.

Ive been here twice to ensure the plants readiness to operate, Bekasi PLN head Reny Wahyu Setiawan said as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com on Wednesday.

Im preparing the documents so we can immediately install distributor lines around the Sumur Batu TPA, he added.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Statesman/ANN) New Delhi  Thu, May 24, 2018 22:34 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5f630b 2 World #India,#Indonesia,#singapore,#bilateral,#modi,#visits Free

India is expected to sign key agreements in defense and other areas with both Indonesia and Singapore during Modis five-day visit to the two Southeast Asian nations, beginning on May 29.

Briefing the media on Thursday, Preeti Saran, Secretary (East) in the External Affairs Ministry, said the PM would reach Indonesia on May 29 on the first leg of his tour. This would be his first official visit to Indonesia, a close maritime neighbor of India.

Modi will have meetings with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and other leaders on May 30-31. India and Indonesia are expected to sign an agreement the renewal of defense cooperation, apart from accords in areas like science and technology.

The Indian leader is also expected to visit Hero National Cemetery, a Buddhist temple and other national monuments and interact with the Indonesian business community. He will also address a gathering of the Indian diaspora. Both India and Indonesia will unveil a logo marking 70 years of diplomatic ties.

Modi will reach Singapore on the evening of May 31 to deliver the keynote address at the prestigious Shangri-La Dialogue the next day.

This is the first time that an Indian PM has been invited to deliver the keynote address.

The dialogue provides the PM an opportunity to articulate his thoughts about Indias policy on peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region. The PM is also likely to share his philosophy on "Sagarmala" during the address.

He will also have bilateral talks with Singapore PM Lee Hsein Loong and other leaders. The two countries will sign accords in defense, skill development and other areas.

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This article appeared on The Statesman newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta PostShare this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, May 24, 2018 13:20 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5dc975 4 Business IMF-WB-meeting,bali,simulasi,Mount-Agung,eruption,security,#IMFWBG Free

Organizers are preparing for the IMF-World Bank Meeting 2018 in Bali, including by holding simulations.

Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, who chairs the local organizing committee, said recently that preparations for the October event, including accommodation for the participants, had reached 70 percent completion.

Luhut said the venue for the meeting was about 76 kilometers away from Mount Agung.

We have carried out a computer simulation in case the volcano erupts again like in 1963. [] We are also considered the direction of the winds, Luhut said as reported by tribunnews.com on Wednesday.

He said the vicinity of the venue, however, would not be significantly affected should an eruption similar to that in 1963 occur.

Mt. Agung erupted in August last year, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes and causing airport closures.

Authorities lowered the alert status of the volcano from the highest level following a decrease in volcanic activity on Feb. 10.

Luhut said organizers had also simulated possible security disturbances during the event.

As I said during a press conference in Washington, there is no country that is immune to security issues. But we have to be able to handle such a problem, he added. (bbn)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, May 24, 2018 17:28 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5e80d9 1 City monas-rush,monas-park,social-event,jakarta,police,incident Free

Jakarta Tourism and Culture Agency head Tinia Budiati has fulfilled the Jakarta Polices summons for questioning in regard to a social event at the National Monument (Monas) compound where two boys died last month.

Tinia arrived at the Jakarta Police headquarters on Thursday afternoon.

She said earlier she would tell the police about the procedure to issue a permit for an event.

"I will not hide anything and just be honest," Tinia said, as quoted by kompas.com on Thursday.

The Jakarta Police have also questioned Monas management head Mundjirin regarding the issuing of a permit for the event, which was organized by Forum Untukmu Indonesia.

During the event, organizers distributed several vouchers that could be exchanged for 1 kilogram of rice, three packages of instant noodles and 1 liter of cooking oil.

The other vouchers could also be exchanged for a meal package and bread.

The event turned chaotic when hundreds of people jostled for free packages.

Two children -- Mahesa Junaedi, 12, and Muhammad Rizki Syahputra, 10, -- reportedly died during the chaos.

Mundjirin told the police that the organizers had told the administration that they would sell cheap food packages.

The administration rejected the proposal because, according to the prevailing gubernatorial regulation, no transactions are allowed to be conducted inside the Monas compound.

The organizers who had distributed vouchers to residents decided to change the format of the event from the sale of affordable meals to the distribution of free meal packages.

The organizers later issued a letter stating that they would be responsible for anything that happened during the event and that they would free the city administration and Monas management from obligations rising from any incidents during the event. (cal)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Japan News/ANN) Tokyo, Japan  Fri, May 25, 2018 05:06 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5fd91b 2 Business #Japan,#China,#SouthKorea,#communication,#telephone,#mobilephone,#roaming,#international-roaming-charges Free

Japan, China and South Korea are making arrangements to reduce charges for international roaming, which enables travellers to use their cell phones in other countries, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

The move is aimed at enhancing convenience for business travelers and tourists from the three countries. According to sources, the nations are expected to agree to begin discussing the plan to lower international roaming fees during a soon-to-be-held meeting in Tokyo, which will be attended by ministers in charge of information and telecommunications affairs.

This will be the first time in seven years that such a meeting will be held, with the last one in 2011. During the meeting, relevant ministers from the three countries are expected to agree to seek to mutually reduce charges for international roaming services offered in their countries, the sources said.

It will also likely be decided that a new panel will be established  tentatively called the council related to information and telecommunications  comprising working-level officials from the three countries.

The benefit of international roaming services is that cell phone users can use their own devices in other countries. However, it also means charges for using the communication lines of cell phone carriers in other countries are added to regular charges.

The possible lower roaming fees among Japan, China and South Korea. (The Japan News/File)

For example, if NTT Docomo Inc. subscribers make a phone call in China using international roaming, they pay 75 (US 68 cents) per minute, which is almost double the rate of a call in Japan. The data charge for using the internet is 980 per day.

The new council will discuss ways to reduce the charges for using communication lines set by cell phone operators in the three countries. After the agreement is reached, the Japanese, Chinese and South Korean governments will ask carriers in each of their countries to lower these charges.

Lower rates for international roaming services are expected to reduce travel expenses for visitors traveling for both business and leisure, giving hope that it will help to boost business activities and increase the number of tourists.

The Japanese government will also likely ask other countries to substantially lower roaming charges. Ideally, the international roaming service rate should be abolished in the future, a source close to the government said.

In November, the Japanese and Singaporean governments signed a memorandum on cooperation to lower international roaming charges. Since then, the Japanese government has been encouraging domestic cell phone carriers to lower their rates. The government will refer to this case in negotiations with China and South Korea, according to the sources.

This system enables cell phone users who have subscribed to a cell phone carrier in their own country to use their device in other countries. A contract is signed between carriers in both countries and their respective communication lines are used by visitors. Charges are calculated based on the duration of calls and the volume of data transmitted and received, and users receive a bill that includes international roaming charges from the cell phone carrier in their own country.

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This article appeared on The Japan News newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta PostShare this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, May 24, 2018 10:32 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5cff87 1 Politics Luhut-Binsar-Pandjaitan,maritime-affairs-and-fisheries-ministry,Navy,TNI,TNI-AL,military,Indonesian-Military Free

Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan has said his office will propose that the 2004 Indonesian Military (TNI) Law be revised to allow active Navy personnel to work at his office.

"We want active personnel to be able to work from the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister, since there are various sectoral issues that can be handled by naval officers," Luhut said on Wednesday.

When the TNI Law was deliberated and eventually passed in 2004, the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister was not yet established, so the law did not include any provisions for allowing active TNI personnel to work at the ministry, Luhut said.

The position and office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister was established shortly after Joko "Jokowi" Widodo assumed the presidency in 2014.

Article 47 (2) of the TNI Law stipulates that active military personnel can serve at several government offices, including those of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister, the Defense Ministry, the Presidential Military Secretary, the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) and the Supreme Court.

"There are various [...] maritime issues that must be handled by Navy personnel who understand maritime [affairs]," said Luhut, adding that the issues ranged from illegal fishing to maritime security.

He said the ministry had discussed revising the law with the House of Representatives Commission I overseeing defense and security. "We will soon submit [the revision] to the House," he added.

Luhut's plan comes amid revisions to the 2003 Terror Law, a key issue of which was the greater involvement of the TNI in counterterrorism operations. (ahw)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Saint Petersburg  Thu, May 24, 2018 11:30 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5d1f6f 2 World Putin,Russia,France,meeting,Emmanuel-Macron,Iran,Iran-US-nuclear-deal Free

French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Saint Petersburg on Thursday to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, with the Iran nuclear deal as well as conflicts in Syria and Ukraine on the agenda.

The trip is Macron's first to Russia as president and follows a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week. Europe and Moscow are making diplomatic overtures to save the Iran deal, now under threat after the recent US withdrawal.

The French and Russian leaders will "take the time for an in-depth one-on-one discussion", according the Elysee.

Macron will be accompanied by his wife Brigitte during the trip, which will also see him address the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The meeting comes almost exactly a year since the freshly elected Macron hosted Putin in Versailles, when the French leader accused Russian media of producing "lying propaganda" during a joint press conference.

This time Putin will welcome the French president to the Konstantin Palace, a former residence of Peter the Great set some 20 kilometres (12 miles) outside Saint Petersburg.

The talks take place after President Donald Trump in early May controversially pulled the US out of the 2015 landmark pact with Iran that placed limits on its nuclear programme in return for easing economic sanctions.

Washington is threatening stinging fresh sanctions if Tehran does not comply with a set of strict new demands.

Saving the deal provides a rare point of agreement between Moscow and European countries, which have seen relations tank in recent years over crises in Ukraine and Syria, as well as accusations of meddling in foreign elections and the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in Britain.

"Russia shares the position of the majority of the international community including Western leaders" when it comes to the Iran deal, said Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Moscow Center.

The West has realised that a dialogue with Putin is "inevitable" in order to preserve the accord, he said.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will also visit Russia at the end of the week.

"Merkel and Abe have already begun a thaw with Moscow and Macron is scared of losing the advantage that France has always had with Russia," Baunov added.

But there are a number of sticking points that will prevent a full rapprochement between Paris and Moscow.

Chief among them is Syria, where at least 350,000 people have been killed since war broke out in 2011.

Moscow intervened in 2015 to prop up its ally President Bashar al-Assad -- in a move generally seen as decisive in turning around the multi-front conflict -- while France has participated in strikes on regime targets.

Another issue is the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which broke out after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and has so far claimed at least 10,000 lives.

Paris and Moscow, along with Berlin, signed peace agreements in Minsk in 2015 that aimed to bring the fighting to a close but there is currently no end in sight.

On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch also implored Macron to raise the issue of rights abuses with his Russian counterpart, following a crackdown on dissent and pressure on minority groups in the country.

He must confirm "that the France will never accept the increased repression in Russia as 'the new normal'," the NGO said in a statement.

But the talks between the two presidents will not be the only bilateral activity of the day, as a raft of commercial agreements are also set to be signed during the economic forum.

The presence of the French president at the forum "legitimises visits by business people. Those who are worried about the risks, sanctions or criticism are covered to a certain extent by the president," analyst Baunov said.

"If anything, the political leadership will get criticised for this rapprochement and not the business community."Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Moscow, Russia  Thu, May 24, 2018 21:40 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5f4e10 2 World Russia,Ukraine,MH17,missile Free

Moscow on Thursday rejected an international investigation that found a Russian missile downed flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014, saying no such weapon had ever crossed the Russian-Ukrainian border and blaming Kiev for the tragedy.

"Not a single anti-aircraft missile system from the Russian Federation has ever crossed the Russia-Ukraine border," the defence ministry said in a statement carried by local news agencies.

The ministry accused Ukraine of being behind the disaster in which 298 people died, saying it had presented evidence that "showed the involvement of Ukrainian units using (Soviet-designed) BUK missiles".

Earlier in the day, a Netherlands-led joint investigation team said -- for the first time -- that the missile which brought down the plane over eastern Ukraine came from a Russian military brigade.

The group "has come to the conclusion that the BUK-TELAR that shot down MH17 came from 53rd Anti-aircraft Missile Brigade based in Kursk in Russia," top Dutch investigator Wilbert Paulissen said.

He told reporters gathered for a press conference that "the 53rd Brigade forms part of the Russian armed forces."

The Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 was blown out of the sky over conflict-torn eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014 while en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

Ukraine and its Western allies have long accused Russia of funnelling troops and arms across the border to fan the flames of the conflict.

Moscow has denied the allegations despite overwhelming evidence that it has been involved in the fighting and its explicit political support for the rebels.

Investigators had previously concluded that the plane was hit by a Russian-made BUK missile system brought in from Russia and fired from territory in Ukraine held by Moscow-backed rebels. But they had stopped short of directly saying who pulled the trigger.

Now the team has painstakingly recreated the route taken by the missile convoy from Kursk towards the border into Ukraine using videos and photos.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Kitty Donaldson (Bloomberg) London, United Kingdom  Thu, May 24, 2018 19:55 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5f0219 2 World spy,England,James-Bond,recruitment Free

Think of a British spy and the names Bond. James Bond. But MI6 instead wants mothers for their emotional intelligence, not a martini-swilling, gun-toting womanizer in a tux.

The U.K.s overseas secret intelligence service is on a recruitment drive aimed at women with kids and black and minority ethnic candidates. Why? Because the changing nature of the security threat calls for a more diverse workforce with different skills.

We want, oxymoronically, people who never thought of joining MI6 -- to join MI6, the agencys Chief Alex Younger said at the launch of a new TV and online advertising campaign. We want different points of view when making the crunchy decisions.

The advertisement plays on the publics imagination of what a spy should look like. Footage shows menacing sharks circling their prey before the camera pan out to reveal a mom at an aquarium able to anticipate danger. It concludes: Secretly, were just like you.

MI6 officers based in Vauxhall, south London, say the agency offers flexible work patterns to suit parents, as it seeks to recruit 800 more staff by 2021. According to the latest figures available, as of March 2016 the agency employed 2,594 people. Of those, 39 percent were women in junior positions, with 24 percent of female staff in senior jobs. Just 8 percent of MI6s workforce were black and minority ethnic workers -- all in junior roles.

Applicants need to have strong presentation skills, be over 21 and hold a degree. At an annual starting salary of around 36,000 pounds ($48,000) for an intelligence officer, Younger admits the agency isnt the best for pay.

Our staff are not motivated by money, he said, adding that new hires need to want to make a difference.

MI6 saw applications rise following the poisoning of a former Russian double agent in Salisbury, southern England in March. Security threats to the U.K. include from Islamist-inspired terrorism, white supremacists and dissident Irish republicans and cyber threats from hostile foreign states such as Russia.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, May 24, 2018 16:20 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5e539a 1 National pertamina,oil-spill,Balikpapan,Balikpapan-Bay,#BalikpapanOilSpill,East-Kalimantan,East-Kalimantan-Police,suspect Free

Police have named a chief superintendent at state oil and gas company Pertamina a suspect in the Balikpapan oil spill case in East Kalimantan.

The suspect, identified as IS, is facing criminal charges over alleged negligence that caused the leakage of around 40,000 barrels of Pertamina crude oil in Balikpapan Bay on March 31. The oil spill was the result of a burst underwater pipeline belonging to the company that also triggered a fire, leading to the death of five fishermen.

It was because of negligence, we will investigate it. We suspect that he was not doing a good job. The pipe burst at 10 p.m, and it [the pump] was not closed until 8 a.m., the East Kalimantan Polices special crimes director, Yustan Alpiani, said as quoted by tribunnews.com in Balikpapan on Tuesday.

Yustan said IS had worked with Pertamina for decades and that he was responsible for controlling the pump system of underwater pipelines.

"In an emergency situation, he should have been able to stop the pump. Considering his position, experience and education, he should have known how to do that."

IS previously claimed to have no knowledge of a broken pipe. The suspect was scheduled to undergo questioning on Wednesday, but requested a postponement to May 30.

He is the second person to be named a suspect in the case after the captain of MV Ever Judger, a Chinese citizen identified as ZD. The broken pipe had reportedly been dragged by MV Ever Judgers anchor. (hol/ebf)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, May 24, 2018 10:03 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5ce5b2 1 Business sofjan-wanandi,CSIS,Education,higher-education,Education-and-Culture-Ministry,Research-Technology-and-Higher-Education-Ministry,Industry-4-0,workforce Free

Business tycoon and politician Sofjan Wanandi turned 77 years old this year, but his spirit to improve the nation stays forever young. Improving the education in the country is his next target.

During his younger days in 1971, he helped build the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Jakarta-based research institute specializing in politics and the economy. He then helped establish Prasetya Mulya Business School in 1982.

The special staff for Vice President Jusuf Kalla said he wanted to improve education in a broader sense.

The first national concept is with Pak [Jusuf]. We want to invite foreign universities to come here, he told The Jakarta Post during the launch of his latest book Sofjan Wanandi dan Tujuh Presiden (Sofjan Wanandi and Seven Presidents) at JS Luwansa Hotel in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Sofjan targets for the plan to be executed this year. Previously, the Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry revealed that two foreign universities, Melbourne University and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), had fulfilled the requirements to establish a branch in Indonesia.

The plan, however, was not without controversy, especially in terms of workforce. At least 200 foreign lecturers were needed to work in the local branch of the foreign universities.

Sofjan acknowledged the problem. However, he said this reality was a bitter pill Indonesia needed to swallow to push its education sector, which had seen stagnant growth and was irrelevant in the corporate sector.

Hard task: Students at Islamic junior high school Madrasah Tsanawiyah Hidayatul Mubtadi'in in Malang, East Java take an Indonesian language test on the first day of the computer-based national exams on April 23. (JP/Aman Rochman)

According to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), as of 2016, 59.6 percent of Indonesias workforce consists of elementary and junior high school graduates.

Industry 4.0 is coming shortly, but our education system is not ready. With foreign campus [presence in Indonesia], local [universities] will be motivated to keep up with the quality, he told the Post.

After improving higher education, Sofjan wanted to improve basic education, from elementary, junior high to high school. He thought that Indonesias basic education system had too much emphasis on the number of subjects being studied while neglecting the quality of the outcome.

We have too many subjects in school, but it results in shallow knowledge. In the end, parents are sending their children abroad. But not all parents have the money to do so, he said.

With an improved education system, he hoped that in the future it could improve the living quality, as well as economic and political conditions in Indonesia. Currently, he said, many politicians in Indonesia did not think about improving the nation but only thought about their own interests.

In Indonesia, political parties are being used for a groups interest. We are fighting against our own brothers and weve forgotten to build the nation, he said.

It has to start from education, and we need leaders who can give an example, he said.

Other than education, Sofjan also wanted to create policies that could support small and medium enterprises (SMEs). He acknowledged that in his past work, he did not give much attention to smaller businesses.

In the past, I was only focused on the big enterprises. Now I want to concentrate on SMEs. We still have a big gap between SMEs and the bigger businesses, he told the Post.

Triputra Group founder and former Astra International president director Theodore Teddy Permadi Rachmat, who attended the book launch, hoped that Sofjan could continue work despite his age, comparing

Sofjan to Mahathir Mohamad, who was recently reelected as Malaysias prime minister at the age of 92.

My hope is that if Mahathir is still working at the age of 92, Pak Sofjan must not lose to him, he said during the book launch.

Other executives who attended the book launch, such as former Toyota Astra Motor (TAM) president director Johnny Darmawan Danusasmita and Prasetiya Mulya University rector Djisman Simandjuntak, wished the same thing for Sofjan.

Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) deputy chairman Shinta Widjaja Kamdani said Sofjan was a different kind of businessman as he strived to give the best for the nation.

We as business people usually only think about our own business and profit, but Pak Sofjan always said to be at the nations service, she said.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Vela Andapita (The Jakarta Post) Depok  Fri, May 25 2018

Handle with care: Transgender women practice their newly learned skill on their peers during a massage course at the Rumah Anak Saja social shelter in Cinere, Depok, West Java, on Thursday. The shelter regularly holds courses to empower transgender women. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)

Wearing blue jeans, a white blouse and a leopard-print bandana, Sri Devi skillfully massaged Ellys left arm.

Both Sri Devi and Elly are mature transgender women who, along with dozens of others, signed up for a massage course at Rumah Anak Raja social shelter in Cinere, Depok, West Java, on Thursday afternoon.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Washington  Fri, May 25, 2018 04:49 1236 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e5f7ce8 2 World America,US,Afghanistan,war Free

The United States wasted billions of dollars trying to stabilize fragile parts of Afghanistan from 2001-2017 and some efforts caused more harm than good, a US government watchdog said Thursday.

A report by the office of the Special Inspector for Afghanistan Reconstruction found that Washington had set unrealistic expectations for itself after the US-led invasion in 2001 and massively overestimated its ability to build and reform government institutions.

"Despite some heroic efforts to stabilize insecure and contested areas in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2017, the program mostly failed," Special Inspector General John Sopko said as he presented the report in Washington.

"This happened for a number of reasons, including the establishment of a set of unrealistic expectations about what could be achieved in just a few years' time."

The report found that the military pressured aid groups to build schools and infrastructure in areas that were still being contested by the Taliban, leading to the failure of many projects.

Most of the $4.7 billion in stabilization funds was spent after 2009, when a surge in troops to Afghanistan saw large area cleared of the Taliban -- a rush of Western experts then tried to build institutions in these areas.

But the "large sums of stabilization dollars the United States devoted to Afghanistan in search of quick gains often exacerbated conflicts, enabled corruption and bolstered support for insurgents," the report states.

"Opportunities for corruption and elite capture abounded, making many of those projects far more harmful than helpful," it adds.

The SIGAR analysis found that Washington had set expectations and programs not properly tailored for Afghanistan, and noted that successes in stabilizing Afghan districts rarely lasted longer than the physical presence of coalition troops and civilians.

"Under immense pressure to quickly stabilize insecure districts, US government agencies spent far too much money, far too quickly, in a country woefully unprepared to absorb it," SIGAR noted.Anthropologists found that cultures began establishing religious traditions at the same time as when they started creating pieces of art. The desire for transcendence is intimately connected with the desire for creativity.

In Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), there are two places where religious and creative traditions are linked: the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum, located in Saadiyat Islands Saadiyat Cultural District, and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque on Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Street. In both places, visitors can experience how visual arts and architectural design have always been inherent to human civilization.

Inside the floating museum

The Louvre Abu Dhabi was named after the Louvre in France because it was the brainchild of the UAE and France in 2007, when the two countries began working together to develop cultural institutions.

The museum is located in Abu Dhabis cultural district, bordering the citys shoreline. The museum, in fact, is an amphibious building, the foundation of which was erected in seawater. Some parts of the museum contain windows through which visitors can see the aquamarine seawater.

The foundation for the museums highlighted work of art, a tall limestone relief containing three pages of Arabic script, a project that was commissioned to American artist Jenny Holzer in 2017, stands in and is partly covered by seawater.

Watch and wonder: Visitors admire American visual artist Jenny Holzers limestone relief emblazoned with three pages of Arabic script, made in 2007. In the amphibious museum, the reliefs foundation stands on seawater. (JP/Sebastian Partogi)

Overall, the museum seeks to celebrate Arabic cultural heritage, while showcasing elements of life in various traditions and embodying the cross-cultural pollination of civilizations from all parts of the world, including Asia, Europe and Africa, showing how history links us together.

To achieve this, the museum has sections showcasing the diversity of rite de passage found within Muslim and Judeo-Christian traditions from Egypt, Greece and Syria, among other countries, explaining how they mark significant moments in human life, from birth and adulthood to parenthood and death.

For instance, one section features a replica of the House of the Dead from the Republic of Fiji in the South Pacific, where locals do not separate the living and the dead the way Western cultures do; the dead reside in homes just like the living do, thereby still integrating them into the communitys daily life, marking death as a natural part of life.

It is different from the Wests conception of death, where it is viewed as a very frightening occurrence and thereby gets shooed as far away from the living as possible through the way they isolate dying people and bury dead bodies as soon as possible.

Read also: 10 must-see attractions in Dubai

The works of art also explain how different traditions incorporate the religious experience into their communal lives. The museum features tiny polished ancient terracotta idols from Turkey, dating back to around 2000 BC. It also showcases similar artifacts from the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean Sea in Europe, Africa and Asia as well as the Han dynasty in China. The museum also features a human-sized statue of Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II, dating back to around 1200 BC.

The museum has a special section that celebrates all global religious traditions, from Buddhism and Christianity to Islam. It features papyri containing sacred scriptures from the traditions, as well as religious art pieces, like tinted glass from Catholic churches that celebrate religious saints.

It also explains how religious traditions bonded different civilizations through the spice trade, which reached its peak in around the 16th century. Spices from India and China, for instance, were exported to Europe as ingredients to make incense to mark Catholic processions.

The museums materials and descriptions are available in four languages: English, France, Arabic and Braille. It also features numerous interactive multimedia tools. It provides iPads to its visitors, allowing them to navigate the museum using audiovisual instructions. This is why you see a lot of visitors carrying tablets while putting on earphones while visiting the museum.

Traveling out of time at the grand mosque

Have you become so busy lately that you cannot find time to open up your mind to a sense of wonder? The hustle and bustle of modern life can swallow a person whole, but the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is a place where you can travel out of time to marvel at the architectural beauty created to praise God.

The mosque was named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, UAEs late founding father who came from Abu Dhabi. His funeral ceremony was conducted at the mosque before he was buried at the site.

Just passing by: Visitors walk through the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosques hallway area, which is decoration and designed to evoke a Persian influence. At the center, thirsty guests line up to drink from a fountain water. (JP/Sebastian Partogi)

The grand mosque itself is situated on a 17,000-square-meter compound capable of accommodating 40,000 worshippers. The mosques interior design brings to mind a Persian influence, with prominent touches of blue, red and green across its decor.

It also features 82 domes, over a 1,000 columns, 24-carat gold-gilded chandeliers and large hand-knitted carpets. The large chandeliers themselves are amazing: They are 10 meters in diameter and 15 meters in height.

Transcendental: Visitors walk through the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque compound. (JP/Sebastian Partogi)

When you walk inside, you can feel the mosques white marble tiles, decorated with floral patterns and bringing a cool touch to your feet. The mosques walls and pillars are also made of white marbles. Its pillars, meanwhile, are emblazoned with a touch of golden tops shaped like the branches of a palm tree. The mosque is surrounded by ponds that reflect a blue color, invoking a sense of calm, like the cool marble tiles inside it.

Here, you can walk around while being inspired by the transcendental experience that the mosques architecture and design seem to evoke, without worrying about time or day-to-day activities.National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia and airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II (AP II) have apologized to a passenger whose luggage was stolen from a conveyor belt in Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on May 12.

The airline also promised to compensate the passenger, whose complaint about the incident had gone viral on social media.

In order to handle the situation, we have coordinated with [AP II] and the ground handling operator, PT. Gapura Angkasa, to conduct an investigation and hand the case over to the airport authorities, Garuda vice president corporate secretary Hengky Heriandono said in a statement.

Police are also investigating the case.

Read also: 1,900 CCTVs installed at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport

CTV footage of Terminal 3s baggage claim area shows an unidentified man removing the passengers two suitcases from the conveyor belt and leaving with them.

To prevent similar incidents, Garuda and airport authorities said they would improve the surveillance and handling of baggage at Terminal 3 by maximizing the use of CCTV cameras and stationing non-uniformed officers at baggage claim areas for increased security.

Garuda and Gapura Angkasa have also increased random baggage checks, particularly for domestic flights, to confirm that passengers baggage tags match.

AP II and ground handling officers will also work to ensure that baggage is delivered within a maximum of 20 minutes after landing, with the last bags reaching conveyor belts 40 minutes after the first delivery, at the latest. (mut)For years, dive sites in Nusa Dua were losing the popularity battle against other sites in Bali, such as Tulamben in Karangasem regency and the world in renowned sites off Menjangan and Nusa Lembongan islands.

That may change soon after an inaugural underwater photo competition revealed the majestic beauty of Nusa Duas underwater dive sites.

Held from May 3 to 6, the first Badung International Underwater Photography Competition saw participating photographers explore several dive sites off this popular tourist area. The pictures they captured spoke of a mesmerizing underwater landscape rich in stunning creatures  a testament to Nusa Duas birthright to be acknowledged as one of the islands best destination for diving and underwater photography.

As many as 18 participants from five countries like Japan, Australia and the Netherlands, competed in the event, taking their best shots during four dive trips. Participants were allowed to take macro or wide-angle shots and asked to submit five different photographs to the panel of judges comprising underwater photographer and scuba diver Arief Yudo Wibowo, underwater photographer and dive instructor I Made Widana and marine biologist and senior adviser to the Nusa Dua Reef Foundation Jamaluddin Jompa.

Funded by the Badung regency administration and organized by Diver Peduli Laut Nusa Dua, the competition is slated to become an annual event.

Nusa Dua has great underwater beauty and is full of macro critters. This competition was good way to introduce Nusa Dua to the domestic and international diving scene, participating photographer Anak Agung Anom Sangku said.

Sangkus photograph of a blenny was chosen by the judges as the winner in the National Open category. Meanwhile, the macro photo of a lizard fish eating a prawn by Djihadi placed second in that category.

Read also: Jakpost explores Bali

Another participant, Bali-based Swiss photographer Philippe Eggert, suggested that the rich underwater life in the waters off Nusa Dua was due to the rich nutrients carried by the Indian Ocean, the regions huge waves and strong current.

Nusa Dua is not an easy dive site and I would recommend it to advanced divers and underwater photographers only. It is not easy to take good photographs but the work and effort are worth it. I found really cool critters in Nusa Dua, he said.

The underwater landscape is home to various species of nudibranch, a shell-less marine snail of the suborder Nudibranchia. The nudi in nudibranch means naked, and the branch means gills. Their scientific name translates literally as naked gills, because their breathing apparatus is generally exposed.

Two photographs of nudibranch won top places in the competition. The brilliant color pattern of Flabellina exoptata by Haryanto took third place in the National Open category and a phanero branch Dorids spotted contrast on Xenia soft coral by Philippe Eggert placed third in the International Open category.

Nusa Dua is not only rich in macro critters, it also has charismatic marine species such as sharks and rays. A picture of a blue-spotted ribbon-tailed ray with a brown banded bamboo shark hiding below a massive coral in daylight by Divo Ario was chosen as the winner in the International Open category.

As a nocturnal feeder, this shark, measuring up to 1.04 meters in length, becomes more active at night when it excavates the sediment in search of prey. While adults are overall brownish with faint suggestions of bands, the commonly seen juveniles are distinctly barred, dark and pale. These sharks are vulnerable to losing their habitat due to pollution and overfishing.

The competition also aimed to increase public awareness about the threats faced by the entire underwater ecosystem, ranging from marine-based pollution and coastal development to coral bleaching, which affected over half of the coral reefs in Nusa Duas waters in 2016.Posted Wednesday, May 23, 2018 11:15 pm

From school physicals to removing cataracts, Dr. Doug Johnson has been a leading provider of quality optometry services and vision care products for nearly four decades.

Dr. Johnson earned his undergraduate degree from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, and graduated from the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago.

He established his practice, Family Eye Care Association, following his graduation in May 1978.

He has remained an integral part of the community with offices in Hillsboro, Litchfield and Greenville.

"Thanks to all of my local patients for 40 enjoyable years of practice," said Dr. Johnson. "And I'm very fortunate to have had a good staff all these years."

He was joined by Dr. Scott Sawyer 28 years ago, his son, Dr. Eric Johnson, approximately five years ago, and Dr. Nathan Kirby, two years ago.

Dr. Johnson resides in Hillsboro with his wife, Brenda. They share five children, Adrienne, Grant, Kent, Eric and Alyssa, and 12 grandchildren.

For more information about Family Eye Care and its providers, please call their office at 532-5044 or visit their website at www.familyeyecareassociation.com.Posted Wednesday, May 23, 2018 11:15 pm

Jury selection will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning, May 29, in the trial of a Florida man accused in the 2016 death of a Nokomis man.

Garret L. Austin, 50, of Weirsdale, FL, stands charged with first degree murder and aggravated battery in the Oct. 23, 2016, death of 52-year-old Dallas Green of Nokomis.

Austin is accused of striking the victim on the head with a shovel and kicking him about the chest. At the final pre-trial hearing on Wednesday, May 23, Judge James L. Roberts told the defendant that if convicted of first degree murder, he faces between 20 and 60 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.

Also during the hour and 15 minute pre-trial hearing, the court addressed issues on witness lists, motions on evidence, the appearance of the defendant during the trial, criminal history of witnesses, and certain autopsy photos that Judge Roberts said he would allow during the trial if necessary and admitted as evidence.

The case will be argued by Montgomery County State's Attorney Bryant Hitchings, along with assistant state's attorneys Wes Poggenpohl and Michael Ginos.

Public defender Erin Mattson and co-counsel Barbara Adams indicated that at trial they would be asserting that Austin acted in self-defense.With festival season fast approaching, Instagram is full of envy-inducing looks. From glitter to glowing tans, it's easy to think you need to pack your entire dressing table - but less can be more!

Packing lightly is a must for any festival, so we've taken a look at the essentials you need to take with you to keep yourself looking glam all weekend.

Batiste Dry Shampoo 2.99

Showers can be hard to come by at festivals, making Batiste Dry Shampoo a godsend. Coming in a range of scents and catering to different hair colours, you can always keep your hair fresh across a whole weekend.

NYX Glitter Primer 8.00

This little silver tube will be your best friend this festival season. Specially formulated to hold down NYX Face & Body Glitter, it prevents fall out and keeps the glitter in place all day. It also doubles up as a regular eyeshadow primer and can be used to hold an extra bright highlight.

Obsession Obsessive Lights 12.00

Comprising of eight ultra pigmented highlights, this is the only palette you will need. From icy white to warm bronze tones, the multi-use shades are perfect for a summer glow. Plus, they come in a gorgeous marble tin cover, preventing damage when travelling to and from your chosen festival.

In Your Dreams Biodegradable Glitter 8.00

In Your Dreams are the creators of the best cosmetic glitter around. Their biodegradable glitter is ideal for environmentally conscious whilst still looking absolutely fabulous.

Ambre Solaire No Streaks Spray Tan 10.99

Youll undoubtedly get a tan during a festival, but who doesnt love a little bit of help? Ambre Solaires handy tan in a bottle is fast drying and is as easy as putting on deodorant - no tanning mitt required. It comes in a range of shades and theyve also developed a face-specific spray for an even tan all over!

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic 15.50

Festivals can leave your skin a little bit less than fresh. Long days, little sleep and poor nutrition are all to blame, but it doesnt mean you have to let it show. One spritz of this will give your skin an instant boost of hydration, leaving your skin looking radiant once more.

Johnsons Baby Oil 2.09

A miracle in a bottle, baby oil can be your saving grace this summer. From removing stubborn waterproof makeup to getting off awkward fake tan, theres nothing it cant do.

Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration 7.50

No matter how cloudy or rainy British festivals can be, standing outside for hours on end will often end in a nasty sunburn. Its important to choose something that will leave your skin feeling great, so opt for Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration. Not only is it super breathable, but it also smells incredible!

What is in your beauty essentials for festivals? Let us know!This year, May 25th marks the 35th anniversary of Return of the Jedi  the final episode in Lucas first Star Wars trilogy which sees Luke Skywalker taking his last step to becoming a Jedi, Princess Leia and Han Solo falling in love, and the destruction of another Imperial Death Star.





For some, A New Hope, the original movies subtitle since day one, often wins arguments about which installment is the best. However, for myself at least, Return of the Jedi sees every character settle into pre-determined roles to ultimately get the job done alongside a healthy dose of loveable ridiculousness (Ewoks). Id say they helped bring down the Empire, but for some, they somewhat softened the story outline.

Still, whether Lucas introduced the Ewoks for commercially driven purposes or not, they were designed with the same depth as any other in the Star Wars universe, and are memorable as one of Return of the Jedis highs.

The film also boasts the return of fan favourite Yoda. Luke returns to the Dagobah system where he finds that Yoda is dying, whilst confirming that Darth Vader is, in fact, Lukes father and that there is another Skywalker, a.k.a Leia.

Together with Ewoks and Yoda, Return of the Jedi continues to have possibly the best conglomeration of sub-characters in the galaxy. Boba Fett returns in Episode VI, going up against Luke in the ship battle, which unfortunately ends in a jetpack fuelled death. Still, his Bounty Hunter character oozes an edge previously unseen in the face of Vader, as he remains unphased in the latter's threatening presence.

Furthermore, the only person in the galaxy worse than Vader (at the time), Emperor Palpatine, appears as the cloaked antagonist, and whilst Darth Vader saves his son from the psychological and physical clutches of the Emperor, rogue Lando Calrissian also proved himself a hero in Episode VI.

Despite having handed Han Solo over to Vader in the previous movie, 1980s The Empire Strikes Back, Lando goes undercover to help Luke rescue Han from Jabba the Hutt and his henchmen. For his heroics, he is later made a general in the Rebel Alliance  eventually taking the pilot seat in what was once his old ship, the Millennium Falcon, to lead the attack on the second Death Star.

Almost thirty-five years later to the date (with the UK release being pushed forward by one day to May 24th), the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story features both Lando and Han together for the first time in a feature film since 1983. With much anticipation, the narrative is said to provide insight into one of Solos oldest friends, with Donald Glover being cast as the young gambling smuggler that is Lando. Lucasfilm really couldnt have picked a better actor for the job.

Based on what we know from the original Star Wars episodes, Han won the Millennium Falcon from Lando in a card game  keeping the golden dice he used to win hanging in the cockpit of the ship. Solos prized ship has flown from one side of the galaxy to the other but that said, we will supposedly see an entirely new side of the ship in the former hands of Lando.

Solo: A Star Wars Story releases in cinemas the 24th May, distributed by The Walt Disney Studios.The sun shone down on a whole host of incredible new talent at this years Great Escape Festival in Brighton. Music fans packed up hostels and Airbnbs, the industrys finest and fiercest stormed the pubs, and over 450 acts filled the line-up.

Year by year, the small seaside town of Brighton is packed to the rafters with the biggest and brightest from the world of music. And as The Great Escape continues to develop its reputation as the showcase festival for burgeoning artists, more and more countries scrambled to promote their talent.

Spreading across almost five days, over 20 different venues played host to nations such as Scotland, Holland, Russia, Korea, and Chile. Bustling networking events decked out with battered mars bars (thank you, Scotland), free drinks and ample chatting space gave the nations representatives a chance to show off their hot talent and promote their individual scene. Day-time showcases gave the spotlight to the artists, putting an eclectic mix of music and culture at the forefront of the festival.

Pip Blom @ Dutch Showcase, Komedia

Thursday was lit up by performances from the Scottish Showcase, hidden away in Horatios bar amongst the whacky and wild attractions of Brighton Pier. A brave performance from The Spook School saw a charismatic drummer rip off his shirt mid-set to show us all his skilfully placed nipple tape. Elsewhere, quirky female-fronted bands Dizzy and The Beaches brought a slice of Canadian action into the mix, boasting hooky choruses and infectious pop sounds.

As the evening wore on, London-based rappers Ms Banks and Novelist blew up the East Wing with quick-fire, opp-crushing lyrics and mature stage presences. Label mates with The 1975 and rising pop stars Pale Waves booked up Horatios despite the later

11pm

start, while The Japanese Breakfast brought sensational synths and tropical flavour to the dark, dusky underground bar at Komedia.

Friday was a mammoth task. A jam-packed schedule set the day off to a flying start and with showcases from Holland, Scotland, Switzerland, Canada and Austria (to name but a few) we certainly werent short of things to do. A particular highlight included chart-rising alt-rock band Bodega who tingled spines and electrified hearts at The Haunt. Over at Komedia, security was running a one in, one out policy for delegates scrambling to catch the best of The Netherlands.

Pitou @ Dutch Showcase, Komedia

Back-to-back performances with 15-minute gaps saw sexy pop duo Day Fly throw some Frank Ocean-

esque

lyrics atop 80s synth-pop deliciousness, quickly followed by a standout performance from 5-piece Dutch band Pitou. Any set that features chilling, choir-boy vocals, scorching hand drum beats and an accordion is a winner in my book. Into the early hours of Saturday, French electro-duo Polo & Pan took to the Great Escape stage for a second time, electrifying a previously drowsy crowd with voice synthesizers, sub-marine samples, and intoxicating dance flavour.

Saturday was a slow burner; restaurants and cafes saw swathes of hungover punters, industry hotshots, and artists getting their fill of eggs benedict and strong coffee. Australian band City Calm Down aided recovery with smooth, winding tones and Megan Nash carried tired and weary bodies with her saccharine sound. It didnt take long for things to pick up again, with Welsh rock band Trampolene channelling debut Arctic Monkeys anthemic rock and the thumping drums of Stereo Honey reverberating throughout the Fender stage.

It was an incredible weekend filled with sunshine and quality tunes. Perhaps one of Brightons best to date.Universities UK recently released a report discussing challenges and improvements to student mental health at universities.

The 'Minding our Future' report identified students as having their own challenges in the realm of mental health support.

The growing student population comes with its own problems, such as universities' mental health services not being able to accommodate the increasing reports. According to a study conducted by The Institute for Public Policy Research, 94 percent of Higher Education institutions have reported an increase in demand for counselling services.

The number of student suicides has drastically increased in the past several years. Between 2007 and 2016, the suicide rate among UK students increased by 56%. For the first time, the student suicide rate has overtaken the rate among young adults in the general population.

In addition, the number of students who drop out of university because of mental health problems has tripled in recent years.

The Universities UK report cited that pressures of being the first member of the family to attend a university and having to work whilst studying contributed to mental health problems.

A major complication in treating students mental health is the inconsistency of counselling. Students typically move back and forth between their permanent and university homes frequently, meaning that students' mental health services were constantly disrupted.

This mobility can cause many different types of problems, from students missing appointments, struggling with long referral processes for new doctors, limiting access to free services and restricting the ability to access drop-in hours.

The report suggested partnerships between universities and local health services and the NHS so the students care can be streamlined and accessible whilst away from their university residences.



However, some measures that could be used to help improve student mental health are already in place at some universities. According to the report, 45 percent of High Education institutions have a student general practitioner on site.

More proactive steps can also be taken, for example, 71% of institutions monitor student attendance in lectures. Habitual absence can act as an early indication of student mental health problems.

Kathryn, a student at the University of York, said she felt supported at university:

My lecturers were great; they often checked in with me and helped where they could. It gave me peace of mind.

However, Cumbria student Jake felt that university support was absent during his three years as a student:

I think universities pretend to care about the mental wellbeing of their students. Reality is  they couldnt care less, he said.

He also said that several of his friends, who attended different universities, said they felt the same way.The new Airbnb-style website is nudists response to the rising popularity of peer to peer holiday rental platforms. Finnish couple Petri and Minna Karjalainen have created the website on the basis that no suitable options currently exist for tourists wishing to enjoy a nudist holiday.

Image credit: Naturist BnB

Andrew Welch of British Naturism, an organisation supporting naturists in the UK, admits that many people still perceive naturism as all a bit strange and weird yet recognises that its less of a scary dinner party subject abroad. However, the success of Naturist BnB (that has been running for two months and now boasts over 200 properties worldwide) suggests that the website may indeed be filling a gap in the market. The Karjalainen duo explained that they had previously been hosts on Airbnb but found that their bookings dropped when they included clothing optional or nudist in their property descriptions. With Naturist BnB, holiday-makers know what to expect when making a booking, which creates a welcoming community of like-minded individuals. The website includes House Rules Tips and Naturist Rules and Etiquette to maintain this friendly community spirit. The latter details various criteria that should be obeyed by guests, including showering when using saunas and pools and not staring at others. Sexual behaviour is strictly forbidden given that a nudist environment should be a safe, non-sexual space.The site currently displays listings ranging from glamping tipis in Portugal to private villas in Spain. Hosts have the option of offering additional services; like the Portuguese tipi owners who offer naked yoga and naked body paint at an additional 5 euros per guest. Or if you're looking for something more regal, theres no need to look much further than the eighteenth-century chateaux in France that can host up to 60 guests. This listing has its own pool, the larger of which is dedicated to naturism. Whats more, the platform encourages naturists to stay in naturist-only properties in relatively secluded areas, so in fact, should please any naturism-sceptics out there. Hundreds of hosts and guests are convinced by the concept of Naturist BnB Are you?Unfortunately, The Content Is Not Here

You have arrived at this page because the page or post you were looking for no longer exists. Please check our main navigation pages for other content: 

Home PageThe Valory Music Co.The remix of Thomas Rhett's "Leave Right Now" is getting such good response in Europe, he's shot a music video for the song.

In the clip, TR pursues a mysterious blonde woman through a crowded party at Nashville's Frist Art Museum. Though you never see her face, it's worth noting that the mystery female looks a lot like Thomas's wife Lauren, who's starred in several of his previous projects.

The new video is an extension of the Leave Right Now -- The Remixes set that came out in March. The original track appears on TR's current Life Changes album.

Its unbelievable to be able to continue to release music that inspires me and be embraced by fans not only at home but overseas too," Thomas says of his success in Europe. He'll take his tour back to London in November.

You can check out the new "Leave Right Now" video on YouTube.CLEARWATER, Fla., May 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On June 12, the Clearwater Community Volunteers Center, established and sponsored by the Church of Scientology in Clearwater, will host their second monthly networking luncheon. Charities are invited to make new contacts and inform other like-minded groups about their programs with the goal of forming bonds and increasing the growth of the grassroots movements that touch the lives of thousands of Tampa Bay families. There is no cost to attend and refreshments are provided.



Here at the Clearwater Community Volunteers Center, we work with nonprofit organizations of different goals and purposes, said Clemence Chevrot, Director for the Clearwater Community Volunteers Center. We work with these nonprofits with the intention of creating unity between them. I believe that we are more powerful together as humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard once said, A community that pulls together can make a better society for all. Each group works to better its own area and by combining these, we really can improve the entire society.

With over 25 years of community service to their name, the Clearwater Community Volunteers have helped over 150,000 families and children since their founding in 1992. With the Center as an extension, they stay true to that line of work by expanding their reach into facilitating the growth of nonprofits.

For more information about the Clearwater Community Volunteers Center or to have your nonprofits event there, please call Michael Soltero at the Center at (727) 316-5309.

About the Church of Scientology:

The Scientology religion was founded by humanitarian and philosopher, L. Ron Hubbard. The first Church of Scientology was formed in the United States in 1954 and has expanded to more than 11,000 churches, missions and affiliated groups, with millions of members in 167 nations. Based on L. Ron Hubbard's words, "A community that pulls together can make a better society for all," the Church of Scientology regularly engages in many humanitarian programs and community events. To learn more, visit www.scientology-fso.org.

Michael Soltero

(727) 467-6860

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ab968fb9-ccf6-4ab6-af41-4bf7e6e6b1e1Southern Pines, NC (28387)

Today

Mostly cloudy. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable.Gettysburg, PA, May 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OPEN MINDS has announced that The 2018 OPEN MINDS Strategy & Innovation Institute, taking place on June 5-6, 2018, and The 2018 I/DD Executive Summit, a collaborative event with CapGrow Partners taking place on June 4, 2018, have both sold out. From June 4-7, 2018, 600+ executivesand 30 innovative exhibitors will join OPEN MINDS for strategy week at the Sheraton Hotel (French Quarter) in New Orleans.





The 2018 OPEN MINDS Strategy & Innovation Institute is the only health and human service event focused on the emerging innovations disrupting the market  and the strategic science behind making them work in todays value-based environment.The faculty and guest speakers for the event will consist of executives who have demonstrated experience making innovations an asset in developing next generation business models and sustainable strategies.

Michael Griffin, Chief Executive Officer, Daughters of Charity will kick-off the Institute with an opening keynote presentation, Sustainability In A Competitive Market: The Daughters of Charity Services Story. Charles Gross, Ph.D., Vice President, Behavioral Health, Anthem, Inc., will present the keynote of the second day of the Institute with his morning presentation titled, Going Beyond Innovation  Developing Partnerships With Health Plans. OPEN MINDS Chief Executive Officer, Monica E. Oss will close day two of the Institute with her plenary address, Incorporating Innovation Into Everyday Operations: A New Strategy For Sustainability.

For the 2018 OPEN MINDS Strategy & Innovation Institute full agenda, including session descriptions, please visit: https://strategy.openminds.com/agenda/. A full list of speakers and faculty can be found at https://strategy.openminds.com/faculty/.

The 2018 I/DD Executive Summit is the only national event designed for executives leading organizations that serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The strategic challenges posed by shifting Medicaid policies for financing I/DD  and new reimbursement models for I/DD support services  are the focus of the 2018 I/DD Executive Summit. This full day event will feature 200+ executives and 11 innovative exhibitors. For the 2018 I/DD Executive Summit full agenda, including session descriptions, please visit: https://idd.openminds.com/#agenda.

Registration for the upcoming 2018 OPEN MINDS Institutes are also expected to sell out. Early registration is recommended and is available now.

For additional questions and inquiries, please contact Sarah Threnhauser, Vice President, OPEN MINDS at 717-334-1329 or sthrenhauser@openminds.com.





ABOUT OPEN MINDS

OPEN MINDS is a national market intelligence and strategic advisory firm focused on the sectors of the health and human service field serving consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs. Founded in 1987 and based in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the 175+ associates provide market insights and innovative management solutions designed to improve operational and strategic performance. Learn more at www.openminds.com.Fort Simpson, N.W.T., May 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF-Canada) and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) are honoured to announce that unparalleled conservation leader Grand Chief Herb Norwegian, 66, of Dehcho First Nations is the winner of the 2018 $10,000 Glen Davis Conservation Leadership Prize. The award recognizes Grand Chief Norwegians decades of work on the Dehcho Land Use Plan, which sets out a long-term plan to protect approximately 100,000 sq. km of critical boreal forests, wetlands and watersheds in accordance with Dene values.

About the prize

Rewards an individual who played a key role in bringing meaningful protections to identifiable land or aquatic ecosystems in Canada or led a foundational initiative regarding species or spaces that leaves Canada measurably better off, and has demonstrated personal financial sacrifices to do so.

Honours the late Glen Daviss nationally significant conservation contribution to Canada and continues that contribution through worthy individuals who deliver results in the tradition of his legacy.

Established by WWF-Canada and CPAWS in 2017, on the 10th anniversary year of Glen Daviss death, and awarded annually.

About winner Grand Chief Herb Norwegian

Involved in Dehcho First Nations governance for more than 25 years, holding roles as vice-president of the Dene Nation, chief for Liidlii Kue First Nation and currently grand chief of the Dehcho First Nations.

Played a critical role in the expansion of the Nahanni National Park Reserve to six times the size of its original boundaries, permanently protecting more than 30,000 square kilometres of Dehcho territories.

Through community meetings and one-on-one sessions with Dene elders and community members, developed detailed land-use and traditional-knowledge maps that became the blueprint for the draft Dehcho Land Use Plan and resulted in continuous interim protection for 100,000 sq. km of wilderness since 2003.

Champion of the Dehcho process and Indigenous-led conservation across Canada.

A patient and dedicated mentor for connecting younger generations to their culture and the land.

About Glen Davis

Canadian businessman and philanthropist.

Leading supporter of WWF-Canadas Endangered Spaces Campaign between 1989-2000, which resulted in the establishment of more than 1,000 new nature reserves, parks and wilderness areas, doubling the amount of protected lands and waters in Canada.

Strong supporter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, particularly through its local chapters.

Slain in Toronto on May 18, 2007 at age 66. Three people, including a cousin, were convicted of murder in his death.

Grand Chief Herb Norwegian, Glen Davis Conservation Leadership Prize winner, says:

Conserving our land is something that Ive put my heart into right from day one when I got into public life. And Im honoured to work for Mother Earth and my people. We hope that within the next year, the Dehcho will make a major contribution to protecting a good part of the Mackenzie Valley through our process. And we hope that its a strong signal to the rest of Canada, and to the world, that First Nations have always been the driving force behind land protection.

Monte Hummel, president emeritus of WWF-Canada, says:

Everyone talks about bringing together traditional knowledge with western science, but under Grand Chief Herb Norwegians leadership the Dehcho have actually done that through their land-use plan, translating lived experience of the land into more than 50,000 digitalized data points. Grand Chief Norwegian is a Canadian visionary for nature and the Dehcho people, enduring delays for nearly 20 years from the Canadian government in his attempts to protect 50 per cent of the Dehcho First Nations territory. He is responsible for deploying conservation action on the ground at the scale of achievement that inspired the life of Glen Davis.

Eric Hebert-Daly, national executive director, CPAWS, says:

Having worked closely with Grand Chief Norwegian over the last two decades on expanding and protecting Nahanni National Park Reserve, weve seen first-hand how effective he has been in articulating the vision of his nation. We are thrilled to recognize his past and ongoing leadership in conservation on behalf of his people and ultimately for the benefit of Canada and the world through his example.

About World Wildlife Fund Canada

WWF-Canada creates solutions to the environmental challenges that matter most for Canadians. We work in places that are unique and ecologically important, so that nature, wildlife and people thrive together. Because we are all wildlife. For more information, visit wwf.ca

About the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society

CPAWS is dedicated solely to the protection of Canadas public land, oceans and freshwater, and ensuring our parks are managed to protect nature. We work with all levels of government including indigenous decision-makers, as well as communities and industry to protect Canadas irreplaceable wilderness  now and forever. cpaws.org

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Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands and RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif., May 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Melissa, a leading provider of global contact data quality and identity verification solutions, today announced its comprehensive global intelligence solutions integrate seamlessly into banking operations, enabling a 360 degree view of the customer in real-time. Melissa will feature its tools and services for identity resolution, Know Your Customer (KYC), and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) initiatives at Money 20/20 Europe, Booth H31, at The Rai in Amsterdam, June 4-6, 2018.



Melissas data quality and identity assurance technologies power trusted relationships, entity resolution, and compliance in areas of KYC, AML, fraud prevention, and Politically Exposed Persons (PEP), as well as Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) regulations.



Melissa will preview its strategic partnership with Scanovate, sharing insight on data quality pre-integrated in Scanovates mobile identity management platform.



Melissa will feature KYC for the evolving world of crypto applications. Driven by G20s demand for recommended cryptocurrency regulations, exchanges must embrace technologies that meet legal requirements for data collection.



Melissa is ranked as a mid-sized identity verification provider with international markets coverage in Forresters Q1-2018 Now Tech report on Identity Verification.

Click here to confirm an onsite technology briefing, or visit Melissas booth during regular show hours. Visitors will gain insight on creating new efficiencies, reducing costs, and guarding against fraud and money laundering activities, while maintaining an excellent user experience in operations such as on-boarding and customer service. This includes processes such as building flexible, automated credit-checking and anti-fraud workflows that integrate name and address verification; age and national ID verification; address correction, standardization, and formatting; and full contact data validation.

About Melissa

Melissa delivers flexible, real-time technology solutions for identity verification and entity resolution in the card not present space. Since 1985, more than 10,000 global customers including banks, credit unions, mortgage lenders, and payment providers have relied on Melissa to verify an individuals identity, and maintain clean, up-to-date and enriched data assets to deliver outstanding customer experience while minimizing risk and fraud. For more information or free product trials, visit www.Melissa.com or call 1-800-MELISSA (635-4772).

About Scanovate

Scanovate, the world's leading Identity Management Company, provides a comprehensive management platform for financial institutions. The Platform ensures the ability to manage the identity regulation based activity of any financial institution. Scanovate uses its proprietary Dynamic Imaging Platform and Facial recognition technology to perform onboarding and KYC from the front-end while delivering a back-end platform to manage the compliance and risk activity in an all-encompassing end to end solution. These abilities tremendously reduce the risk of the service provider while keeping customer satisfaction at a high. The unique combination of a robust front-end open platform combined with a comprehensive Back-end platform that actively monitors and manages the compliance activity makes Scanovate the best technology for financial institutions. Scanovate changes the way financial institutions deal with dropping conversion rates, the everlasting regulatory demands and yields friction-less solutions tailored made for banks that ensures their full transformation to the digital era.English French

Paris, Amsterdam, May 24, 2018

Press release

Approval of the acquisition of Westfield Corporation by Westfield securityholders

Westfield Corporation today announced its securityholders have approved the acquisition of Westfield by Unibail-Rodamco at the Scheme Meetings. Westfield securityholders supported the Transaction by over 97%.

Further information is available on Westfield's website (www.westfieldcorp.com).

Christophe Cuvillier, CEO of Unibail-Rodamco stated:

"The massive support demonstrated today by Westfield securityholders clears the way for the creation of the premier global developer and operator of flagship shopping destinations. This excellent news comes one week after the approval of the Transaction by close to 95% of the votes cast by Unibail-Rodamco shareholders.

The New Group brings together the two leaders in the retail property industry, forming the must have partner for international retailers and brands across Europe and select markets in the United States.

I would like to pay tribute to Sir Frank Lowy AC, whose talent and vision turned Westfield into an incredible success story which we will build on in the future.

I look forward to June 7, and bringing together the teams of Unibail-Rodamco and Westfield."





Timeline

Achieved milestones

Announcement of the Transaction December 12, 2017 Unanimous positive opinions of the EEC and the UES works councils of Unibail-Rodamco January 8, 2018 FIRB Regulatory Approval March 28, 2018 Approval of the Prospectus by the AMF and the AFM



Approval of the Document E by the AMF March 28, 2018 First Australian Scheme Court hearing



Publication of the Westfield Securityholder Booklet and of an Independent Expert report April 12, 2018 Placement of 2.0 Bn of hybrid securities by Unibail-Rodamco April 16, 2018 Westfield Transaction approved by 99% of 2014 and 2015 ORNANE holders April 23, 2018 Placement of 3.0 Bn of senior bonds by Unibail-Rodamco May 2, 2018 Approval of the Supplement to the Prospectus by the AMF and the AFM May 15, 2018 Approval of the ASX listing May 16, 2018 Unibail-Rodamco AGM May 17, 2018 Westfield Scheme Meetings May 24, 2018



Next steps

Unibail-Rodamco final dividend ex-dividend date May 28, 2018 Second Australian Scheme Court hearing* May 29, 2018 Unibail-Rodamco final dividend payment date May 30, 2018 Effective Date* May 30, 2018 Implementation Date* June 7, 2018

*Subject to Australian regulatory process

For further information, please contact:

Investor Relations

Maarten Otte

+33 1 76 77 58 02

maarten.otte@unibail-rodamco.com

Media Relations

Nathalie Feld

+33 1 76 77 57 94

nathalie.feld.contractor@unibail-rodamco.com





About Unibail-Rodamco

Created in 1968, Unibail-Rodamco SE is Europe's largest listed commercial property company, with a presence in 11 Continental European countries, and a portfolio of assets valued at 43.1 Bn as of December 31, 2017. As an integrated operator, investor and developer, the Group aims to cover the whole of the real estate value creation chain. With the support of its 2,000 professionals, Unibail-Rodamco applies those skills to highly specialised market segments such as large shopping centres in major European cities or large offices and Convention & Exhibition centres in the Paris region.

The Group distinguishes itself through its focus on the highest architectural, city planning and environmental standards. Its sustainable vision focuses on the development or redevelopment of outstanding places to meet up, connect, shop, work and enjoy. The Group's commitment to environmental, economic and social sustainability is recognised by its inclusion in the FTSE4Good and STOXX Global ESG Leaders indexes.

The Group is a member of the CAC 40, AEX 25 and EuroSTOXX 50 indices. It benefits from an A rating from Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings.

For more information, please visit our website: www.unibail-rodamco.comBritains Foreign Office on Thursday criticized childish Russian pranksters who phoned Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson posing as the leader of Armenia.

The Guardian newspaper said that Johnson was called by Alexei Stolyarov and Vladimir Kuznetsov, known as Lexus and Vovan.

One pretended to be new Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, and the newspaper said that Johnson spoke to them for 18 minutes, discussing topics including the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal.

A recording of the call, said to have taken place last week, was posted on YouTube.

In the recording, Johnson says Britain is almost 100 percent sure President Vladimir Putins Kremlin ordered the attack on Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Moscow denies involvement in the incident, which has sparked a crisis in U.K.-Russia relations.

Johnson is also heard lamenting the poor state of U.K. relations with Russia, saying Moscow seems unable to resist malign activity of one kind or another.

The Foreign Office said Johnson realized it was a hoax, and ended the call. We checked it out and knew immediately it was a prank call.

The use of chemical weapons in Salisbury and Syria and recent events in Armenia are serious matters, it said in a statement. These childish actions show the lack of seriousness of the caller and those behind him.

Stolyarov and Kuznetsov, who have fooled high-profile victims around the world, have denied links to Russias security services. In 2015, they phoned Elton John pretending to be Russian President Vladimir Putin after the musician criticized Russias stance on gay rights.

(AP)MK Yisrael Eichler on Wednesday morning, 9 Sivan, spoke with Betzalel Kahn of Kol Chai Radio, asked to comment on ongoing government efforts to draft a new induction bill for the chareidi tzibur. Eichler explained that regardless of what the government approves, the chareidi parties will have to review it and of course obtain the approval of their respective rabbonim shlita.

When asked to comment on the fact there is no chareidi representation on the government committee which is formulating the new law, Eichler explained this shows how much the government cares about chareidim. He added that regardless of the outcome, the left-wing and others will shout and condemn it for this is the norm.

Eichler explains, This is a deal-breaker as per coalition agreements. The government passed a law and the anti-Jewish High Court disqualified it. Now, a new law must be drawn up. We will not settle for anything short of recognizing each person learning torah is doing his share for the defense of the nation. For if this is not so, why do we need a Jewish state? This is the entire justification for the existence of the State of Israel today.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)The chutzpa of the European Union appears to know no bounds. The recent calls for probes into the IDFs behavior along the Gaza border against Hamas and its cohorts. Now, the EU has mentioned a probe should be launched into the behavior of Israel Police over rioting that took place in Haifa.

The EU statement released earlier this week called for a quick investigation towards determining how Mossawa Director Jafar Farah was injured.

Farah claims police broke his leg after they attacked him without provocation.

Minister of Energy and Water Resources Steinitz did not hold back in his response, calling the EUs demands the height of gall and hypocrisy  the very same EU which is kissing up to Iran and assisting Iran in dealing with US sanctions. In his comments to Radio 103FM, the minister added the EU can go directly to hell!

He added that Iran tramples the rights of gays, women, is the worlds leader in terror, and used chemical weapons against it own citizens and the EU is worrying about Farah and his encounter with the Israel Police. This shows just how nasty the EU can be he concluded.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)An doll depicting the Arab terrorist who murdered Rabbi Itamar Ben-Gal three months ago was hanged on Wednesday night the eve of 10 Teves in the Clock Square in the city of Jaffa with a hangmans noose next to it. Police removed the effigy and reported an investigation will be launched. Attorney Itamar Ben-Givir accuses Israel Police of loosing it.

The Shin Bet apprehended the terrorist responsible for the attack, Abed a-Kareim Assi, who was taken into custody in Shechem. In his town, a doll likened to him wearing underpants and blood-stained hands with a rope hanging around was placed on display.

It is reported that Otzma Yehudi party activists are behind the act, aided by a student from Shankar, and by means of ladders they placed the doll and the rope during the night.

The head of the movement, former MK Dr. Michael Ben Ari, said that this is an art exhibit, during which members of Otzma Yehudit cooperated with a student from Shankar who is behind the project.

Human dignity and human rights belong to human beings and not to the scum of the human race who took a knife and slaughtered father of four small children and left behind a young widow.

In his words, We already have someone who is worried that he is being shown in his underwear, we are worried that he has not received a bullet in the head, and that we should honor the lives of the residents of Israel, not those kinds of murderers.

On Thursday morning, 10 Sivan, police removed the display and announced that it would investigate the incident. Attorney Itamar Ben-Givir threatened that if the movements activists were summoned for questioning, they would file a claim. The Israeli police are losing their temper and are becoming a thought police. The Police Spokespersons announcement that policemen removed the picture that was placed on the clock tower in Jaffa and even opened an investigation indicates that the police believe they have the right to censor art exhibits and even intimidate good citizens in interrogations.

Rabbi Ben-Gal was murdered in a stabbing attack near Ariel several months ago.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem/Photo Credit: Otzma Yehudit)Social climber: Lloyds chief Antonio Horta Osorio

Lloyds bronzed chief Antonio Horta-Osorios new-found social eminence is impressive.

On Monday, he and tolerant wife Ana held court at the Chelsea Flower Shows exclusive preview.

The following day, they attended Prince Charless 70th birthday patronage celebrations at Buckingham Palace.

Should an inclusion in next months birthday honours materialise, stand by for Antonios wolfish grin to broaden an inch or two.

Re Lloyds, Noel Edmonds delightful hijacking of yesterdays shareholder meeting, where he berated creaky chairman Baron Blackwell over the 1billion fraud at HBOSs Reading branch which he says destroyed his business, was made possible after the bearded game show host, 69, purchased a single share in the bank.

The best 67p Ive ever spent, Noel tells me.

Grizzled Standard Chartered chief Bill Winters must feel hes trapped in Groundhog Day following rumours Barclays is interested in a merger, which presumably would put Barclays chief Jes Staley, 61, in overall charge.

Winters, 56, was previously head of the investment banking division at JP Morgan until he was abruptly sacked in 2010 while attending a client dinner in Rome. His replacement? None other than Big Jes.

Prudentials chairman Paul Manduca, 66, will head the insurance giants international division when it splits next year from its UK and European businesses, meaning that the latter requires a separate chairman.

No word as yet who it will be, though I am advised that the successful candidate will almost certainly be female.

Advertising giant WPP was named the worlds most effective communicator for the seventh year running at this weeks Effie Awards, the industrys Oscars.

Well deserved, Im sure.

Just a pity the firm still refuses to fully articulate the reasons behind its long-serving chief Sir Martin Sorrells abrupt departure last month following personal misconduct allegations.CHELMSFORD, United Kingdom, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded Teledyne e2v, a division of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY), with the second phase of a 42M ($47M) contract to produce high-end Charge Coupled Device (CCD) visible light image sensors for the PLATO (Planetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) mission. PLATO is a planet hunting spacecraft that will seek out and research Earth like exoplanets around Sun like stars. About 100 Teledyne e2v large area CCDs will allow the mission to detect minute changes in the apparent brightness of stars, orbited by planets.



Teledyne e2v completed the first manufacturing phase of the contract, including the production of high end CCD wafers and the procurement and production of other key items. After a successful review of the first phase, Teledyne e2v has been authorised to start work on phase two of this prestigious contract. This includes manufacturing the wafers and the assembly, test and delivery of 114 CCDs. Together, they will form the biggest optical array ever to be launched into space (currently planned for 2026).

During its lifetime, PLATO will precisely measure the size, mass and age of planets, survey a large area of the sky and study the full diversity of thousands of stars and planetary systems across our galactic neighbourhood. To date, astronomers know of several thousand exoplanets orbiting distant stars. Many of them were discovered by the Kepler and CoRoT space missions, which were also equipped with Teledyne e2vs CCD image sensors. PLATO is expected to discover many more exoplanets, which will then be further investigated and analysed by ground based telescopes, generating a huge amount of follow up activity by the astronomy community.

PLATO will be made up of 26 telescopes mounted on a single satellite platform. Each telescope will contain four 20Mpixel Teledyne e2v CCDs in both full-frame and frame-transfer variants, for a full satellite total of 2.12 Gpixels. This is over twice the equivalent number for GAIA, the largest camera currently in space. As with GAIA, all ofthe PLATO CCD image sensors will be designed and produced in Chelmsford, UK.

Our reliable and high performance UK based technology remains at the very forefront of space imaging and the team are very proud to be providing ESA with a technology which enables this exciting PLATO mission to search for new planets. Our team is committed to providing new solutions to our customers and our next step is to offer the European space community a similar performance in infrared by leveraging the technology platform available through our sister company, Teledyne Imaging Sensors (California). This will provide customers with a single Teledyne one-stop-shop for X-ray, through visible, to far infrared wavelengths, for space and defense applications, said Giuseppe Borghi, VP of Business Development at Teledyne e2v.

For media enquiries, please contact:

jessica.broom@teledyne-e2v.com | + 44 (0)1245 453726

Notes to Editors:

The view expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Space Agency.

About Teledyne e2v

Teledyne e2vs unique approach involves listening to the market and application challenges of customers and partnering with them to provide innovative standard, semi-custom or fully-custom imaging solutions, bringing increased value to their systems. For more information www.teledyne-e2v.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/95cd9895-2948-4794-b1ee-a7bcaf9db91eTom Dupre, 23, has been dismissed by Standard Chartered

A banker has been fired after he was outed as co-leader of an extremist anti-immigration group.

Tom Dupre, 23, has been dismissed by Standard Chartered over potential damage to its reputation.

His role with Generation Identity was flagged up by campaigners Hope not Hate.

Generation Identity campaigns against the so-called Islamisation of Europe and favours reversing migration flows.

Dupres involvement was exposed last weekend in a newspaper.

The clarinet player who studied at Bristol University and went to school in Kent, said he did not think the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is European.

The bank yesterday said: We can confirm Tom Dupre no longer works at Standard Chartered.MBABANE  This years Eswatini Biggest Braai is not just about the meat, live music, records being broken, but the well-being of the elderly as well.



Over 12 health workers have volunteered their skills to nurturing the health of the elderly the day before Eswatinis Biggest Braai 2018, which is set for July 22 at Mavuso Exhibition and Trade Centre in Manzini.



The health workers, who consist of doctors and nurses, will be engaged in a public health outreach which is being brought to the elderly by Philani Maswati. This outreach will provides preventative platform where the elderly will be doing medical checkups and there will be a platform where some ailments will be nursed. All these will be free of charge.



Philani Maswati Medical Advisor Dr Gcinile Buthelezi confirmed that over 12 health workers have committed themselves to this noble project ,which is set for July 21.



We are on a mission of inviting more public health workers, especially those from Manzini, and we are confident that they will be part of this project, adding more numbers to the 12 who have committed themselves already , said Buthelezi.



Buthelezi said this project was work in progress, which is proving to be a success. She invited the private sector health workers to also volunteer their expertise on the day.



Non-communicable illnesses like high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer will be strongly monitored and illustrious classes on them will also be held to educate family members on how to take care of the sickly at home. Already, we have support from the Swaziland Breast Cancer Network, a unit that will be educating about cancer, and providing check-ups too she said. The Swaziland Breast Cancer Networks Programme Manager, Lena Preko confirmed that her unit will be part of the outreach.



We are happy to be engaged by Philani Maswati in the fight against cancer and making people aware of the illness, said Preko.

This outreach will commence from 8am and the elderly are encouraged to come in their numbers for free health care.



The ages were, however, not specified but Philani Maswatis Chairperson Lutfo Dlamini said anyone from the ages of 50 years and above was considered elderly, but they were hoping to assist those who were financially incapable of accessing health care easily.



TORONTO, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lithium Energi Exploration, Inc. (TSXV:LEXI) (LEXI or the Company) is pleased to announce further positive results from its initial geophysical surveys covering an additional 120 km2 of its concessions in the northern section of the Antofalla Salar. Measured brine densities in this salar reflect a considerable quantity of dissolved salts in these hyper-saline brines (approx. 10 times the salinity of seawater) and calculating from these known densities, these surveys denote a high probability that lithium-bearing brines underlie the entirety of the Companys northern claim cluster.



On March 25, 2018, the Company announced positive geophysical survey results from the first 80 km2 (three of its concessions) that were studied. Consistent with the better-than-expected results obtained from those first three claims, each of the additional concessions surveyed to date (another 120 km2 consisting of five additional claims) in the Companys ongoing geophysical program has detected potential lithium-bearing brine horizons throughout the entirety of these five added concessions, starting from just below surface and extending to as much as 400 meters in depth.

LEXIs CEO, Steven Howard noted, In our March 25th press release, LEXI reported that survey results from the first 8,000 hectares studied had exceeded our expectations. The Company is thrilled that todays announcement is made with that same reaction. We continue to see highly conductive units that correlate with known brine aquifers, allowing us to follow these targets across our concessions. In total, weve now surveyed more than 20,000 hectares of concessions in our northern claim cluster covering a distance of approx. 60 km over an uninterrupted reservoir from the border with Salta Province in the north and traversing south to the northern boundary of Albemarle Corporations claim block. That expanse covers about one-third of the Antofalla Salar. These surveys continue to indicate that this large, sedimentary basin is likely filled with conductive brine throughout. Further, as our initial geological expectations predicted, the surveys indicate that the basin is consistently wider than just the salt pan visually observed on surface, because the Transient Electromagnetic or TEM images clearly illustrate the presence of brine underneath the volcanic materials that overlay much of the basins lateral fringes.

During the past three months, LEXI has completed 110 line-kilometers (line-km) of TEM surveys over 18 survey lines covering more than 200 km2. Completion of the remaining TEM surveys planned for the northern portion of the Antofalla Salar will be completed over the next 30 days. TEM surveys illustrate subsurface conditions, including the delineation of bodies of fresh or saline water by detecting variations in conductivity with rapid data acquisition, great depth potential, and better resolution than other geophysical methods.

The data reveal volcanic units correlated to electrical resistivities of 100 Ohm-m and low-lying areas within the salar correlated to less than 1 Ohm-m, the latter depicting an upper boundary of high conductivity occurring at a constant elevation, a characteristic commonly observed over unconfined aquifers. The Companys geophysical team, led by one of the worlds leading geophysical companies, Quantec Geoscience, continues to analyze data obtained during field acquisition. All concessions surveyed to date appear to portray extensive zones of conductive brines. These data demonstrate that the conductive horizon, expected to coincide with sediments hosting lithium-bearing brine, is likely to be continuous in this northern portion of the basin. Since the entire extent of these properties appears to contain highly conductive aquifers, the potential for lithium mineralization is indicated under all of these properties. LEXIs team will utilize these results to target test well locations. With such compelling geophysical results, plans for LEXIs drilling campaign will move forward to test chemistry, lithology, porosity, pump rates, and other hydrogeological factors.

Howard added, Its a profound step forward for the Company, as weve now confirmed extensive volumes of potential subsurface lithium brines in this first step of our exploration program. Every one of our surveyed concessions has tested positive for hosted brines from near surface to great depth and this is great news for LEXI. Weve also achieved significant progress in preparing environmental and drill permit documents to enable the Company to start drilling later this year, moving us closer to our first resource estimate. LEXI continues to position itself by leveraging our core values to deliver excellence in our teamwork, property and capital management, and shareholder value.

Although resistivity values from TEM surveys cannot confirm the presence or grade of lithium, the survey results to date have identified highly conductive zones consistent with similar lithium-bearing brine aquifers known to exist in the region. Argentinas largest lithium producer, located just 20 km to the east of the Companys northern cluster of claims, has been in continuous production for over 20 years. Further, published assay results from drilling in the same Antofalla Salar basin complex just 3 km south of the Companys southernmost properties in this northern claim cluster indicate that the brines in this basin are consistently lithium bearing. The Company expressly acknowledges that such results are not necessarily indicative of drilling results that might be obtained on its own properties; however, the Company is highly encouraged that these survey results continue to produce more positive results than originally anticipated.

About Lithium Energi Exploration, Inc.

Lithium Energi Exploration, Inc. is an exploration company specializing in the strategic acquisition, exploration and development of lithium brine assets in Argentina. The Company is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario and has offices in Dallas, Texas and Catamarca, Argentina. The common shares of the Company are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV:LEXI) and the Frankfurt Exchange (FR:LO9). The Companys portfolio of prospective lithium brine concessions in the Argentina Province of Catamarca (heart of the lithium triangle) includes 90,244 hectares in and around the Antofalla Salar and a first right of refusal to acquire another 148,839 hectares, of which 110,380 hectares are located in the Antofalla Salar complex and 38,459 hectares are in the Pipanaco Salar approx. 50 km due west of Catamarca city. The Antofalla Salar complex hosts one of the largest basins in the region  over 130 km long and up to 20 km across. On September 12, 2016, Albemarle Corporation, the worlds largest producer of lithium, announced its acquisition of exclusive exploration and acquisition rights to a claim block located in the center section of this salar. In March 2017, Albemarle published its belief that the Antofalla Salar is the third largest lithium deposit in the world. With rights to over 200,000 hectares of prospective lithium properties located just west of FMCs producing properties and offset north and south of Albemarles properties, the Company believes that its claim package holds the potential to deliver impressive values to its shareholders as the properties are developed.

For more information about Lithium Energi Exploration, Inc., please visit www.lithiumenergi.com or view the Companys filings at www.SEDAR.com.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Caitlin Jeffs, P.Geo., a consultant of the Company, and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chris Hobbs

________________________

Chris Hobbs,

Chief Financial Officer and Director

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Lithium Energi Exploration, Inc.

Tel: 416 276-6689

Fax: 888 909-1033

Email: chris.hobbs@lithiumenergi.com

www.lithiumenergi.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.

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: receipt of all necessary stock exchange and regulatory approvals or consents in respect of any offering, the absence of material changes with respect to the Company and its businesses; possible variations in mineralization, grade or recovery rates; actual results of exploration activities; conclusions of future economic evaluations; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; fluctuations in spot and forward prices of commodities; fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar to United States dollar exchange rate); change in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations pressures, cave-ins and flooding); the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); and title to properties. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure its shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended.

Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

EZULWINI - Civic society organisations have spoken in unison that the Finance Bill of 2018 should be thrown out of Parliament.

The organisations which represent various groups in society, said the Bill should not be discussed in Parliament but should be withdrawn and sent back to its line ministry to be redrafted as it is an affront to the poor.



The civic groups met yesterday at Sibane Hotel at a consultative dialogue to discuss the Finance Bill, 2018

The groups that were present included the Federation of Swaziland Employers and Chamber of Commerce (FSE&CC), Council of Swaziland Churches, Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), Coordinating Assembly of Non-Governmental Organisations (CANGO) and the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP).



Council of Swaziland Churches Human Rights and Advocacy Officer Vusi Kunene said the overtaxing of the poor and humiliating them against the rich was not Gods purpose for mankind.



poorer



Kunene said the poor were over taxed and as a result, they got poorer which was against the dictates of the Holy Scripture.

Why is it that the taxes or user fees which the government charge mostly affect the poor, does this not make the poor who are part of the body even poorer instead of lifting them up? he questioned.



Kunene said the taxes, duties, levies, tolls and fees being proposed by the Bill were going to cripple the poor.

I have to reiterate that the plea to those in power is not that people should not be made to pay taxes or service fees but it is the overtaxing which is the problem. The overtaxing occurs even when the poor have no resources to pay the taxes and levies, he said.

The HR and advocacy officer said the scriptures stated that even Jesus paid taxes when called upon to pay, however, he paid within his reach.



FSE&CC Business Support Coordinator Musa Maseko said as the voice of businesses, they believed the Bill was just not good for the country in general but for the poor in particular.

The Bill in its current form is lacking in some areas and as a result we believe it should be withdrawn and sent to be redrafted, Maseko said.



He said a large number of people would be affected by this Bill, especially small businesses and entrepreneurs.

struggle

Our analysis of the company and trading licences and fees being proposed reveals that small businesses will struggle to maintain their businesses as a result of the trading licence fees they have to pay, he said.



The civic groups concurred with a consultant from international nongovernmental organisation Oxfam, Thembinkosi Dlamini.

Dlamini said it was very clear that should the Bill be passed into law, it would adversely affect the poor and the vulnerable in the country the most.MBABANE  Busted! Vigilant police officers at Lomahasha Border Gate have arrested a married South African couple after they were allegedly found smuggling gold worth over E1.5 million and drugs into Eswatini.



They were from Mozambique when the law enforcers pounced on them.

On top of the pieces of gold and the drugs, the duo of Julius Mostert (38) and Joani-Stasja Meiring (36) both from Pretoria, were allegedly also found in possession of 12 pieces of silver weighing 4.54 kilogrammes and valued at E28 620.



The drugs that were allegedly found in their possession included, 17 grammes black ball hashish with a street value at E360, five magic mushrooms with a street value of E6 000 and powdered opium weighing 0.0047 kilogrammes.



Magic mushrooms are a type of illegal drug which have been in existence for many years. As the name implies, this drug is actually a type of mushroom which is chewed to achieve hallucinogenic effects. Primary ingredients which cause these effects are psilocybin and psilocin.



The items were found hidden in a Silver grey VW sedan registered CH 32 GZ GP, that was driven by Mostert, who was in the company of his wife, Joani.



They have been slapped with six counts, which include contravening the Mines and Minerals Act of 2011, contravening the Habit Forming Drug Act No.37/1922, violating the Pharmacy Act of 1929 and contravening Section 81 of the Customs and Excise Act 21/1971.



According to the police, the two also failed to declare the importation of goods which are prohibited or restricted. They are also alleged to have contravened the Customs and Excise Act by having the illicit goods in their possession.



The couple is currently being kept at Big Bend Correctional facility, after they made their first appearance at Simunye Magistrates Court.

They were admitted to E705 000 bail each by Magistrate Musa Nxumalo. Magistrate Nxumalo ordered each of them to pay E5 000 cash and provide surety of E700 000.



The couple has since approached the High Court where it is seeking an order for the variation of their bail. In their application filed by lawyer Sifiso Charlie Jele, they argued that in terms of the law, bail ought to be reasonable and the granting of excessive bail was not required. They contended that the order of Magistrate Nxumalo regarding the sureties was tantamount to a refusal of bail.English Swedish

Swedish CFOs remain optimistic about the future, but the rising trend is slowing somewhat. In Sweden the investment and hiring agenda is at the top compared with other EU countries. Organic growth has top priority, while the shortage of qualified talent is the greatest source of concern. These were some of the findings of the Deloitte/SEB CFO Survey carried out this past spring.

CFO Survey is conducted twice a year and aims to illuminate changes in sentiment among Swedish CFOs. This spring's report shows that optimism among CFOs ahead of the coming years has grown for the fourth survey in a row, which is the most constant increase since the time after the financial crisis. However, optimism among Swedish CFOs is growing slightly less than in the rest of Europe and the Nordic countries.

"CFOs in the rest of Europe are starting out from lower growth levels and are therefore narrowing the margin between Sweden on their views of development going forward," says Henrik Nilsson, partner at Deloitte. "But so far, optimism among Swedish companies does not seem to show any weakening in the near future - rather, it's more a matter that the high expectations for the future are staying a more constant level."

Sweden is still in the top tier of the 20 countries that were included in the European survey with respect to both investment expectations and hiring plans.

"The propensity to invest among Swedish companies continues to be very strong," notes Karl Steiner, economist at SEB. "This also points to a significant increase - from already high levels - in plans to hire."One problem for the expansive agenda is the growing concerns about the shortage of qualified talent," adds Henrik Nilsson. "This is considered to be the biggest challenge for Swedish companies."

Attitudes differs between sectors

Ahead of this spring's survey there was a risk that CFOs of companies with primarily domestic exposure - mainly in the construction sector - may have become pessimistic given the drop in home prices that began after the autumn survey. But such a change was not noted in the responses; instead, the industry still has a positive future outlook. The report points to another problem, however: the retail and consumer products sectors were among the most pessimistic sectors based on the responses in the survey.

"As known, the retail and consumer products sectors are exposed to tough foreign competition, driven mainly by e-commerce," says Henrik Nilsson.

"On top of this, the very weak Swedish krona is likely also having a negative impact on these companies' margins," explains Karl Steiner.

Opportunities and risks

Digital technology is being incorporated more and more into strategic decision-making, and investments in digital development are being planned in most areas. With respect to the future risk scenario, Swedish CFOs do not seem to feel any major threat. Political decisions are considered to be the most likely threat, but this is not considered to have a major impact on companies. Mistakes by central banks or a major fall in the financial markets are believed to have the potential for a large impact, but a lower likelihood of occurring.

About the Deloitte/SEB CFO Survey

The Deloitte/SEB Survey aims to highlight changes in sentiment among Swedish CFOs, various sectors, and compared with the general sentiment in the rest of Europe, and thereby convey an understanding of economic and financial trends. It is published twice yearly and is conducted in Sweden and in 19 other European countries. Read the complete report, www.cfosurvey.se



Israel said Thursday it will give final approval to the construction of 2,500 new homes in the occupied West Bank, the first tranche of settlements since the controversial US embassy move to Jerusalem.

The announcement was slammed by the Palestinians, as prospects of a peace accord between the sides appeared as distant as ever.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced his intention to request final approval from a planning committee for the building of 2,500 new homes in 30 West Bank settlements.

"The 2,500 new units we\ll approve in the planning committee next week are for immediate construction in 2018," Lieberman said in a statement, adding he would also seek the committee\s approval for a further 1,400 settlement units for later construction.

Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said Washington was complicit in the latest move.

"The continuation of the settlement policy, statements by American officials supporting settlements and incitement by Israeli ministers have ended the two-state solution and ended the American role in the region," he said in a statement published by official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

The 2,500 units include 400 homes in Ariel, 460 in Maale Adumim, 330 in the Etzion bloc, and a retirement home in Elkana, according to Lieberman.

Israel\s West Bank planning committee was set to convene on Wednesday next week to discuss the request, though this was not officially confirmed.

"We\re continuing the development momentum of the Judaea and Samaria settlements and are approving thousands of new units," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on his Twitter account, using the biblical term for the West Bank.

"We will soon approve more units."

 \Torpedoing peace prospects\ 

Israel\s West Bank settlements are considered illegal under international law and are bitterly opposed by Palestinians.

Neighbouring Jordan, along with Egypt one of only two Arab states to have signed a peace treaty with Israel, slammed the latest move.

"Unilateral Israeli measures, in particular settlement plans, are systematically aimed at torpedoing any prospect of peace," Information Minister Mohamed Momani wrote in an Arabic-language statement.

In a recent appeal to the International Criminal Court, the Palestinian foreign ministry called Israeli settlements "the single most dangerous threat to Palestinian lives and livelihoods".

Thursday was the first major settlement announcement since the US moved its embassy to Jerusalem on May 14, a move that infuriated Palestinians and intensified protests on the Gaza border, with 60 killed in clashes with Israeli forces that day.

Israel sees the entire city as its undivided capital, while the Palestinians want the eastern sector as the capital of their future state.

The Palestinians have said that in light of US President Donald Trump\s decision to move the embassy, they could no longer trust Washington in its traditional role of brokering a peace deal with Israel.

Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now said that data, including Thursday\s announcement, showed a leap in settlement-building during Trump\s term so far.

"In the year and a half since President Trump took office some 14,454 units in the West Bank have been approved," the NGO said in a statement.

That, it added, "is more than three times the amount that was approved in the year and half before his inauguration (4,476 units)."

 US ambassador blasted 

US ambassador to Israel David Friedman maintains, however, that Trump "hasn\t failed on the ultimate deal," the term the US president has used to describe peace with the Palestinians.

In a Wednesday interview with Israeli Channel 10, Friedman said Trump was working on a deal, which was expected to be presented "within months".

While Israel would expect to retain certain settlements in any two-state peace deal, longstanding international consensus has been that their status must be negotiated.

Friedman, who is Jewish and a longstanding supporter of Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, is deeply unpopular among Palestinians.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in March labelled him a "son of a dog".

And on Wednesday Abbas\s adviser for religious affairs, Mahmud Habbash, called Friedman a "terrorist settler", in comments published by WAFA.

That came after a picture was published in Israeli and Palestinian media of the ambassador being presented with a provocative photo of annexed east Jerusalem with the revered Al-Aqsa mosque erased and replaced by a simulation of a Jewish temple.

A US embassy statement said the doctored image was pushed in front of Friedman without his consent during a visit to a charitable institution in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv.

SOURCE: AFPEnglish Finnish

SRV GROUP PLC PRESS RELEASE 24 MAY 2018, 11:00 AM

REDI to emphasise experiences of relevance through art

The REDI shopping centre, implemented by SRV at Kalasatama in Helsinki, will have a significant amount of art located in a public urban space. The art is aimed at making the urban, compact and highly built-up environment particularly relevant to the residents of the REDI tower buildings, shopping centre visitors, passers-by and other inhabitants of the Kalasatama area.



Finlands growth centres are becoming more compact at an accelerating rate. Finland therefore needs pathfinders who are able to plan and build urban, high-rise cities whose residents experience them as relevant.



REDI is becoming Finlands most urban city centre, and our task in SRV is to serve its future users and residents. By developing urban centres, we want to provide the best customer experience. A significant amount of art located in a public urban space will therefore be implemented at REDI. We dont only wish to build a good environment, we also seek to stimulate debate on how to create it, says SRVs Deputy CEO, Timo Nieminen.



Art coordination has already, during the planning phase, brought the creators of art works into traditional construction industry working groups. In addition to its aesthetic value, the role of art as a creator of the overall maritime, urban and industrial experience of the area has been taken into account in art coordination, as has the value of art when used as part of the urban environment.



At best, the urban space acknowledges its history  it is unique and relevant to its users. This means that people are able to orient themselves in the area, experience it as their own, and can feel extraordinary enthusiasm and pride about it. In a successful city, you dont need to visit an art gallery or art museum to obtain stimulation, enjoyment, elation, insights and heightened experiences, says Nieminen.



The scale of art in the REDI area will vary. Alongside exceptionally large, urban-scale permanent works, project-oriented, temporary, communal and, for example, light-installation works and experiences have been, and will be, brought to REDI. The task of all of them will be, in different ways, to create good feeling, joy and understanding.



As part of the overall plan, Finlands largest mobiles, created by artist Jenni Rope, have already been completed and installed at Kalasatamas Health and Wellbeing Centre. Coming up next will be a ventilation duct converted into a Whalefish (Valaskala) by Architectural Office Maisema, Architectural Office HLP and sculptor Pertti Kukkonen, which will be located in front of the urban centre; a 180-metre Helsinki-theme painting by artist Silja Rantanen, which will be located on the Baana cycle path; paintings by graphic artist EGS in the parking cave system; and a partly communal work by the internationally renowned ceramic artist Heini Riitahuhta, at the first to be completed residential tower. Sculptor Hans Christian Bergs Nereids, the winning submission to an international invited competition, will be completed in front of the urban centre in September 2018.





For further information, please contact:

Timo Nieminen, Deputy CEO, SRV, tel. +358 400 424 552, timo.nieminen@srv.fi

Heli Pulkkinen, Communications Specialist, REDI by SRV, tel. +358 50 411 0787, heli.pulkkinen@srv.fi





REDI in brief

REDI, implemented by SRV at Kalasatama, Helsinki, will comprise the inner citys largest shopping and experience centre as well as eight tower buildings. The elevator shafts and stairwells of the eight towers have been built simultaneously with the frame of the parking facility and shopping centre, all the way to the shopping centres roof level. In total, around 2,000 apartments will be completed in the REDI towers in the coming years. Below the centre will be a 2,000-space parking facility, usable by both the towers residents and the shopping centres customers. Construction work at REDI, Finlands largest urban construction project, was launched in spring 2015 and is expected to continue until 2023.



The REDI shopping centre will open in autumn 2018 and Majakka, the first of the tower buildings to be completed, will receive its first residents in spring 2019. The remaining tower buildings will be completed in stages by 2023. Construction of REDIs second tower building, Loisto, is due to begin in summer 2018.

www.srv.fi

www.redi.fi

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SRV  Building for lifeTitusville resident Judy Green displays a poster with the words, 'Jesus Changes Everything.' She credits her religious beliefs for changing her life. Green was homeless after being evicted last year from her residence in Warren County, and she lived in her car for about five months. Green said she is grateful to those in the Titusville community who supported and helped her in finding the housing she needed.NEW YORK, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ibeto Cement Company Limited (Ibeto), a Nigerian cement company has executed a binding MESA (Milost Equity Subscription Agreement) with Milost Global Inc. for a $850 million financing, of which $500 million is in equity and $350 million debt. The Company has also started the process going public a reverse merger in the United States as efforts to become a publicly traded company. On Friday May, 25 the Nigerian Dollar Billionaire Chief Cletus Ibeto will personally consummate the acquisition of a publicly traded Company the he will used to reverse the assets of his cement business in America, the final acquisition and definitive agreements have already been executed. The transaction was solely advised by Palewater Advisory Group Inc., and the going public transaction will allow Ibeto Cement to raise enough capital in the US public markets outside the Milost financing as well and put the company in the forefront of the cement industry in Africa. Chief Ibeto plans to grow the company beyond west Africa through the acquisition of other profitable cement businesses outside Nigeria within the next 12 months, this will be done at the back for the development of the two new plants.



Dr Cletus M. Ibeto, Chairman of Ibeto Cement Company Limited, stated, Our key strategic objective in the vast and extensive development of the cement business in Nigeria and the West African sub-region is to make cement affordable to all Nigerians and tiers of government in such a way that they should be able to develop modest homes for themselves and their families inclusive of road infrastructure. As far as I am concerned and with the knowledge I have and what I know in this business, the cement business is an investors haven especially in Nigeria and a much more profitable business than even crude oil where a lot of people think is the best place to invest. This probably explains why the few people in the business have deliberately created very strong barriers to entry into the industry for prospective investors. It is therefore my honest belief that this reverse merger will enable us to accomplish this objective. In the end and, in line with our strategic intent and objective, we are geared to be a world-class cement company in terms of quality, affordability, innovation, service, environment, safety, and corporate governance and also to be a part of building the countrys needed infrastructure all of which certainly guarantees good returns on investment for the stakeholders.

Solly S. Asibey, Senior Partner & CIO of Milost Global Inc., stated, International equity, coupled with the diversification of our investment portfolio is key to our strategy for growth in emerging markets. Excellence, innovation, unparalleled strategy, industry knowledge, favourable IRR and strong leadership epitomises the partnership between Milost and Chief Cletus Ibeto. This is a great investment opportunity for Milost, and the financial engineering behind the structuring of the transaction will catapult Ibeto Cement to exceptional heights.

Kim Freeman, Managing Partner & CEO of Milost Global Inc., also stated, Ibeto Cement is an important investment for Milost in Nigeria and indeed Africa. We expect this transaction to provide a template for our other investments in Africa which will continue to enhance the value of the companies we invest in as well as value for our investors.

About Ibeto Cement Company Limited

Ibeto Cement Company Limited, a privately held company incorporated under Nigerian law, is one of the most dominant players in the fast-growing cement industry in Nigeria and, by extension, Africa. To increase its production and packaging capacity, the Ibeto Cement Company Limited is currently developing two cement plants in Nigeria: one in Ebonyi State and one in Cross River State/Abia State. Each plant is a state-of-the-art 6,000 tonne per day plant sitting on abundant deposits of quality limestone at both ends.

Ibeto Cement Company Limited is owned by the industrial Nigerian billionaire - Dr. Cletus Madubugwu Ibeto, CON. Dr Ibeto is a world-class business leader and entrepreneur who has built successful companies/industries in Nigeria and beyond. Through Ibeto Cement Company Limited, Dr Ibeto has seriously impacted the cement market in Nigeria. This transaction will enable Ibeto Cement Company Limited to raise sufficient capital to dominate the industry in Nigeria and the West African sub region as a whole. http://ibeto.com/IBETO-page.asp?P=24

About Milost Global Inc.

Milost Global Inc. is an American Private Equity firm that is headquartered in New York City, with more than $25 billion in committed capital. Milost is at the intersection of creative investing and value creation. Milost is also a provider of alternative capital, mezzanine finance, and alternative lending to a broad range of industries across the globe including Technology, Transport, Cannabis, Education, Distribution, Mining, Oil & Gas, Financial Services, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Real Estate, Alternative Energy and Infrastructure Development. www.milostglobal.com

About Palewater Advisory Group Inc.

Palewater Advisory Group is a multinational corporate and public affairs advisory firm with headquarters in New York. We specialise in cross-border and M&A transactions, financing, public affairs, political campaign capital raising and strategy. Collectively as the team, we have had an excellent track record with more than 1000 references in our line of advisory work. We have a robust and yet solid network of contacts with specific focus on certain core industries, investment and banking communities. Our directors, leaders, professionals, and senior advisors collectively provide access to senior industrial, political, economic, government and financial decision makers throughout the world.

We provide individual and personal advice and react swiftly to our clients needs, while always providing direct access to the team, including the partners involved. As a professional services firm, we provide the best possible advice based on confidentiality and total discretion. We are committed to the principles of integrity and client service, and operate free from any conflict of interest. www.palewateradvisory.com

For more information

info@palewateradvisory.comMissouri is at the vanguard of defining what meat is, thanks to legislation awaiting the governor's signature. It's an essential, perhaps even existential, question sparked by the growth of plant-based proteins, meat substitutes and lab-grown products. And it's a topic that, while first passed at the state level on May 17, is also being considered at the federal level.Head to these beauties for a taste of the Greek Islands as they were decades ago

Lonely Planet, the largest travel guide book publisher in the world has selected 10 unique and desirable destinations for their Top 10 places to visit in Europe in 2018 , including Greeces Small Cyclades in the Aegean

Scattered in the Aegean Sea between Naxos and Amorgos, the Small Cyclades are off the radar of most visitors to this charmed part of the world, although one of them  Koufonisia  has become an increasingly sizeable blip for in-the-know travellers. Head to these beauties for a taste of the Greek Islands as they were decades ago, especially on Iraklia, Schinousa and Donousa. Their charm lies in pristine, one-taverna beaches, a slow pace of life and a rare sense of timelessness  the ideal ingredients for switching off. Dont take too long to visit though: more high-speed ferry companies are adding the Small Cyclades to their schedules, particularly Koufonisia, the rising star with seductive beaches and a long, whitewashed main street lined with restaurants and cafes, notes Lonely Planet.

10 Ten Places to Visit in Europe in 2018 by Lonely Planet

1 Emilia-Romagna, Italy

2 Cantabria, Spain

3 Friesland, the Netherlands

4 Kosovo

5 Provence, France

6 Dundee, Scotland

7 Small Cyclades, Greece

8 Vilnius, Lithuania

9 Vipava Valley, Slovenia

10 Tirana, Albania

Read more at greekcitytimes.com

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Yanni Haviaras License: CC-BY-SAThe UAE's Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinas Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) for cooperation and exchange of information in nuclear safety regulation, said a report.



The MoU was signed on the margins of the 6th Review Meeting of the contracting parties to the joint convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, which is being held in Vienna, Austria from May 21 to June 1, reported state news agency Wam.



The agreement establishes a platform of cooperation between the two nuclear regulators to exchange technical information, cooperate in nuclear safety regulation as well as provide training opportunities for FANRs employees to be trained at the NNSAs facilities, said the report.



Hamad Ali Al-Ka'abi, permanent representative of the UAE to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and deputy chairman of FANRs board of management; and Liu Hua, administrator of NNSA signed the five-year agreement.



Internationally, FANR has over 19 international agreements and MoUs signed with international organisations and regulatory authorities of other countries to build national capacities, exchange of knowledge and information.



NNSA is Chinas government agency that was established in 1984 to conduct independent and an objective nuclear safety supervision of civilian nuclear facilities in China and regulate nuclear safety. China has 38 nuclear reactors that are in operation and 18 under construction.Bahrain-based United Stainless Steel Company (USCO), a leading stainless steel mill, said that it is working closely with authorities to investigate a fire incident at its plant, managed by ChromiumSteel, and is taking all steps to resume operations quickly.



Providing an update on the status of its plant following a fire at its premises on May 22, USCO said the companys stringent health and safety procedures combined with effective action from authorities mitigated any injuries or fatalities on site as a result of the incident.



All employees were immediately evacuated from the premises when the fire broke out at 05.15 am with Bahrain Civil Defence fire fighters arriving directly on the scene at 05.30 am. All relevant utilities were quickly shut down to avoid additional damage onsite or to surrounding areas, limiting the effects of the fire only to the plant and its machinery, it said.



As a precaution, operations at neighbouring Bahrain Steel and SULB were also temporary shut down and all employees evacuated but have since resumed, it added.



Chairman of USCO Sheikh Khaled Salem Al Sabah said: On behalf of the board and our partners, I would like to express our deep gratitude to the Bahrain Civil Defence force for its rapid response and the effective action taken to ensure the safety of our staff at USCO and those across the Foulath Complex.



Having secured the well-being of our employees and the premises, we are now working closely with authorities to further investigate the incident as well as taking all necessary steps to support the resumption of operations as soon as possible under the management of ChromiumSteel, whose partnership with us over the past year has seen a significant ramp up in production and sales of our high-quality products to customers across Europe, the US and South East Asia, he said.



Francesco Ruffo di Calabria, CEO of ChromiumSteel, added: We are grateful for the support and cooperation we have received from all of the authorities in Bahrain, especially the Civil Defence, as well as from our staff, partners and friends.



We are committed to doing all we can to ensure minimal disruption to our operations and to our customers around the world. We will continue to meet all outstanding deliveries as planned and have already assembled representatives from Danieli, a leading global supplier of equipment for the metal industry, onsite to evaluate the situation and initiate a maintenance and recovery plan that we can swiftly implement, he said.



Working together, we are confident that we will effectively restore full operations to the highest international standards and continue to build on the highly successful partnership that we have established with USCO over the past year, he added.



ChromiumSteel entered into a production and sales agreement with USCO in August 2017, whereby the company is responsible to procure the necessary raw materials, manage operations and sell USCOs products to its customers around the world, it said.



USCO is a wholly owned subsidiary of Foulath, a holding company established in 2008 for investment in the steel industry across the GCC and broader Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, it stated.  TradeArabia News ServiceLeading hospitality firm Hyatt Hotel Corporation has announced plans for the first Hyatt property in Ireland.



A Hyatt affiliate has entered into a franchise agreement for a Hyatt Centric hotel in Dublin with Realmside, an affiliate of Hodson Bay Group, an Irish hotel and property group owned by the OSullivan family.



The 234-room Hyatt Centric The Liberties Dublin will be managed by Hodson Bay Group Management and is expected to open in May 2019.



We are excited about our first hotel in Ireland, said Nuno Galvao Pinto, regional vice president, real estate and development, Europe and North Africa for Hyatt. The deal for a Hyatt Centric hotel in Dublin reflects our broader strategy to have hotels where guests want to be. Working with Hodson Bay Group Management, an experienced owner and operator, fits our strategy of aligning ourselves with key hotel industry players across European markets, with the goal of building long-term relationships.



The hotel will be situated in The Liberties, a historic and vibrant area in the heart of Dublin that has undergone significant revitalization in recent years. Enabling guests to discover everything Dublin has to offer, the hotel will be within easy walking distance to Dublins major attractions including the historic St Patricks Cathedral, Dublin Castle and Vicar Streetthe citys premier live music venue. For eager-to-explore, millennial-minded business and leisure guests, Hyatt Centric The Liberties Dublin will also be in close proximity to exciting destinations such as the home of Guinness and St Jamess Gate brewery.



Hyatt Centric The Liberties Dublin is being designed to encourage interaction and engagement with large windows allowing for an immediate view of the bustling Dublin community outside. The hotel will also feature a state-of-the-art gym and social spaces from which guests will enjoy a wide range of restaurant, bar, cafe and lounge options, in addition to an expansive conference space for external events.



We are excited to bring the first Hyatt Centric hotel to Ireland, said John OSullivan, chairman of Hodson Bay Group. The Liberties has been inhabited more than 1,000 years and is the oldest part of Dublin, which is currently experiencing a complete regeneration as part of Dublin City Councils plans to create a launch pad to explore the culture and heritage of the city. The Hyatt Centric brand is perfect for guests who want to immerse themselves in the heart of this vibrant city.



The plans for Hyatt Centric The Liberties Dublin demonstrate strong continued growth for the Hyatt Centric brand in Europe. Hyatt Centric The Liberties Dublin will be joining Hyatt Centric La Rosiere, in France, Hyatt Centric Gran Via Madrid in Spain and Hyatt Centric Levent Istanbul in Turkey, all of which opened in 2017.



Furthermore, Hyatt Centric Yalikavak Bodrum, Turkey, is planned to open in Summer 2019. - TradeArabia News ServiceRoyal Jordanian (RJ) is offering 46 per cent off on tickets fares this Friday, May 25, on the occasion of Jordans Independence Day.



The 24-hour offer is valid for all passengers wishing to travel to any of RJs global network destinations, from/to Jordan, between September 15 and December 15.



Passengers can book their tickets through RJ website or the airlines mobile application.



RJ President and CEO Stefan Pichler said: It is a great time for us to offer our customers a special discount on ticket fares in celebration of such a significant national anniversary. We are seeing noticeable demand from travellers and wish to contribute even more to the air transport movement and tourism to and from Jordan. - TradeArabia News ServiceSGX and TASE Look to Grow Cross-Border Capital Raising for Tech Firms

Singapore Exchange (SGX) and The Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) announced that they have established a partnership focused on growing capital raising opportunities for companies, particularly in the technology sector.

The two exchanges will work together to support technology and healthcare companies which are looking to tap the capital markets to fund their growth plans in Asia and globally. The two exchanges will pro-actively engage with technology companies seeking to penetrate Asian markets, to list on both exchanges. This will include assisting companies during the pre-listing stage, facilitating the listing process, and providing issuers with post-listing support by leveraging the exchanges network and platforms.

Israel, which is known as a Startup Nation, enjoys the highest density of startups, venture capital investments and largest R&D spending per capita in the world. Singapore, with the governments supportive policies and commitment to invest in research and innovation, has an established reputation as one of the strongest and most diverse startup ecosystems globally. In a recent 2018 Global Startup Ecosystem Report, Tel Aviv and Singapore were among the top 10 ecosystems in the world.

The partnership brings together the complementary strengths of SGX and TASE to create greater value for issuers and investors, and at the same time, extend each exchanges geographical reach and connectivity.

Besides listings, SGX and TASE will explore other related areas of collaboration, including the potential development of a private market eco-system in Israel and enhancing the post-trade connectivity and services between the two markets.

Loh Boon Chye, Chief Executive Officer, SGX, said: TASE has access to one of the worlds largest populations of technology startups and a rapidly expanding research and development (R&D) hub in the technology and biotech space. Our partnership with TASE complements SGXs efforts to strengthen our technology sector, as well as Singapores ambitions to be a global technology and R&D hub. We look forward to collaborating with TASE to help companies raise funds on SGXs international platform, while jointly strengthening our ecosystems and broadening investors accessibility to these companies.

Ittai Ben-Zeev, TASEs CEO, said: The partnership agreement between TASE and SGX creates a unique value proposition for Israeli tech companies. For the first time, Israeli companies will be able to raise funds on both markets simultaneously. Dual-listing or performing a simultaneous IPO on both exchanges can assist Israeli issuers in increasing liquidity and gaining attractive valuations from a broad Asian investor base while ensuring domestic demand. We see a huge potential in SGX as a global tech hub, and as a gateway to Asian capital markets through quick and efficient fund raising process. The Israeli tech companies will be evaluated by a global and professional investor base while staying at home. This partnership is part of our focus to support the Israeli innovation and technology development and provide the Israeli public to invest in the top tier tech companies in Israel. We would like to thank SGX for their vote of confidence in the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange and the Israeli economy; we look forward to realising together the great potential of this partnership.

For more information on related topics, visit the following channels:"Defending Demo-cracy in North Carolina" was the resounding message and rallying cry at the Transylvania County Democratic Women's Club's May Luncheon this past Monday in the Rogow Room at the Transylvania County Library.

After thanking the many volunteers who worked to make the luncheon the successful highlight of the club's year, Club President Karla Atkinson introduced the elected officials and candidates running for office in attendance.

"When I started planning for this event, we were hearing so much about the possibility for a big blue wave overtaking this coming mid-term electio...SAN DIEGO, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Envision Solar International, Inc., (OTCQB:EVSI) (Envision Solar, or the Company), the leading renewably energized EV charging, outdoor media and energy security products company, announced the successful delivery of another EV ARC product to a Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratory to provide emissions-free EV charging for its fleet vehicles.



DOE National Laboratories are in the process of transitioning their fleets to zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs). The EV ARC products ease of deployment and environmental impact-free installation coupled with the truly emissions-free driving it delivers were major factors in the Labs decision to select the EV ARC over grid-tied options. The processes associated with construction, trenching, concrete and electrical work, typical to grid-tied installations, can be particularly burdensome in National Laboratory settings. EV ARC products deployment in minutes with no construction or site work requirements makes the deployment of EV charging infrastructure much more executable, particularly in controlled environments.

These repeat orders from government agencies give us a strong indication that our business model of making EV charging easy, rapid and scalable for high value customers is working, said Envision Solar CEO Desmond Wheatley. Historically high sales, backlog and pipeline give us further reason to feel that we continue to be on the right track.

In many locations fleet vehicles are electrifying faster than the general driving public. So far this year, the mayors of LA, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle have partnered on a Request for Information for 24,000 electric fleet vehicles and 30 other major cities are seeking the same information. According to Bloomberg, the landmark EV order has an estimated price of $10 billion. Envision Solar views fleets as a major opportunity and is currently supplying New York and many other cities.

Invented and manufactured in California, the patented EV ARC fits inside a parking space, but does not reduce available parking, and generates enough clean solar electricity to power up to 225 miles of EV driving in a day. The systems solar electrical generation is enhanced by EnvisionTrak which causes the array to follow the sun, generating up to 25% more electricity than a fixed array. The energy is stored in the EV ARC products energy storage for charging day or night, and to provide emergency power during grid failure. Because the EV ARC product requires no trenching, foundations or installation work of any kind, it is deployed in minutes and can be moved to a new location with ease. EV ARC products are manufactured in the companys San Diego facility by combat veterans, individuals with disabilities, and other minority demographics and highly talented, mission-driven team members.



About Envision Solar International, Inc.

Envision Solar, www.envisionsolar.com, is a sustainable technology innovation company whose unique and patented products include the EV ARC and the Solar Tree with EnvisionTrak patented solar tracking, SunCharge solar Electric Vehicle Charging, ARC technology energy storage, and EnvisionMedia solar advertising displays.

Based in San Diego, the company produces Made in America products. Envision Solar is listed on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol [EVSI]. For more information visit www.envisionsolar.com or call (858) 799-4583.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Press Release may contain forward-looking statements regarding future events or our expected future results that are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. All statements in this report other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally accompanied by terms or phrases such as estimate, project, predict, believe, expect, anticipate, target, plan, intend, seek, goal, will, should, may, or other words and similar expressions that convey the uncertainty of future events or results. Statements contemplating or making assumptions regarding actual or potential sales, market size, and demand, prospective business contracts, customer orders, trends or operating results also constitute forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ substantially from those indicated in forwarding-looking statements because our business is subject to significant economic, competitive, regulatory, business and industry risks which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. Our operating results, financial condition, and business performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in the economy, unavailability of capital or financing for our prospective customers to purchase products and services from us, competition, changes in regulations, a decline in the demand for solar energy, a lack of profitability, a decline in our stock price, and other risks. We may not have adequate capital, financing or cash flow to sustain our business or implement our business plans. Current results and trends are not necessarily indicative of future results that we may achieve.Students at Brevard middle and high schools have been building traditional and state-of-the-art box cars to enter into the Squirrel Box Derby Race during this weekend's White Squirrel Festival.

Vincent Warren, career technology teacher at Brevard High School, said his students have two cars racing, and one of them, he said, is top secret, and won't be revealed until Saturday.

Though the car won't take you back in time after reaching a speed of 88 miles per hour and does not require a flux capacitor, it will be like no derby car the race has witnessed, and it was all the students' idea.

"...Aubrey Odell Rowe, "Granddaddy," 91, was called home Thursday, May 17, 2018, surrounded by his daughters at Charles W. George VA Medical Center in Asheville.

He was born Jan. 9, 1927, in Alabama to the late Claude and Ida Snyder Rowe. In addition to his parents, his loving wife, Mary O. Rowe; two daughters, Wanda S. Rowe and Diana C. Mashburn; and his siblings, predeceased him.

He served in every branch of the military except the Navy from 1945-1966. Following his military career, he owned and operated a Gulf Service Station in Akin, S.C., then spent many years as an owner/operator, long...How does one safely pack and move 3,300-year-old treasures? Very carefully, and with experienced technicians trained in a variety of scientific and artistic specialties. In February 2018, an international team arrived at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo to pack and ship 150 artifacts from King Tut's royal tomb for exhibition at the California Science Center. Photographer Gil Garcetti documented the process, providing a window into the art and science of touring precious antiquities. On display are 30 evocative photographs taken behind-the-scenes of this delicate process. The images depict the team of people one never has a chance to see and the stories of how they bring us the treasures that enrich our lives. The exhibition will be on display at the California Science Center, on the second floor from now through January 6, 2019.

"We are pleased that our guests who come to see KING TUT: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh will have the opportunity to get a rare look at how the exhibit came together," said Jeff Rudolph, President and CEO of the California Science Center. "This photo narrative reveals the scientific knowledge and creative talent that go into the curation of an international touring exhibit of this caliber."

Gil Garcetti has been a photographer since about the age of 13. But it wasn't until he left his position as Los Angeles County District Attorney in 2000, that he made photography his profession. Since 2002 he has published seven books. The photographs from these books have been featured in exhibitions around the world including at the United Nations, UNESCO, and the National Building Museum in Washington D.C., in October, at LACMA and in various publications in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

His most recent book, "Japan: A Reverence For Beauty," focuses on the questions of why the Japanese people and culture are so unique in their reverence, respect, and need for beauty and what Westerners can learn from this ancient culture and people.

Garcetti was appointed UNESCO - IHE Cultural Ambassador in about 2014 and speaks around the world about the issue of safe water in developing countries and especially how bringing safe water to rural villages in West Africa directly affect the lives of women and girls. Gil's work as producer includes the hit TNT television series MAJOR CRIMES and THE CLOSER.

He has been married to his wife Sukey for 53 years. His daughter, Dana, is a lawyer and acupuncturist. His son, Eric, is the Mayor of Los Angeles.

About the California Science Center

The California Science Center is a dynamic destination where families, adults and children can explore the wonders of science through interactive exhibits, live demonstrations, innovative programs and awe-inspiring films. The California Science Center and IMAX Theater are located in historic Exposition Park just west of the Harbor (110) Freeway at 700 Exposition Park Drive. The Science Center is open daily from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 pm. Parking is $12, cash only.

Image: Mark Fischer | Flickr

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018The Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC) continues to reach major tourism milestones as the summer travel season approaches. Moving at a rapid-pace, Puerto Rico reaffirms the destination's readiness to host visitors from all over the world during the U.S. Travel Association's IPW 2018 event, the travel industry's premier international marketplace and the largest generator of travel to the U.S.

"We continue to make great strides because we implemented a comprehensive strategy that has secured a speedy comeback for the Island," expressed Carla Campos, Active Executive Director of PRTC. "As a result, we can announce that an incredible amount of cruise passengers are expected in May and June, air capacity figures will equal those from 2016 by the Fall, and occupancy remains strong as renovated hotels continue opening their doors. These milestones couldn't have been achieved without Governor Ricardo Rossello's leadership and the immense support from the private tourism sector. We're continuing to receive thousands of visitors and at this pace, our summer months look very promising."

Major milestones important for leisure and business travelers include:

Cruises : Just last week, the Island received 17,000 cruise passengers in one day. With an expected arrival of 100,000 passengers in May and 131,000 in June, Puerto Rico is headed toward an incredibly strong Summer. The cruise industry has seen growth this year with 14 vessels homeporting - four more than last season - including Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, the Windstar Pride, Silverseas Silver Wind and Viking Sea. The 2018/2019 cruising season is expected to witness a record-breaking 1.7 million passengers, which is expected to generate roughly $250 million in revenue for the Island.

Just last week, the Island received 17,000 cruise passengers in one day. With an expected arrival of 100,000 passengers in May and 131,000 in June, Puerto Rico is headed toward an incredibly strong Summer. The cruise industry has seen growth this year with 14 vessels homeporting - four more than last season - including Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, the Windstar Pride, Silverseas Silver Wind and Viking Sea. The 2018/2019 cruising season is expected to witness a record-breaking 1.7 million passengers, which is expected to generate roughly $250 million in revenue for the Island. Air Access : By the Fall, seat capacity for air access is expected to be back on par with levels from this time last year, when tourism was at its peak. At this rate, Puerto Rico has recovered at a faster pace than destinations that have gone through similar situations. Growth is driven by newly established routes and frequency, in addition to larger aircrafts resulting in higher seat capacity.

By the Fall, seat capacity for air access is expected to be back on par with levels from this time last year, when tourism was at its peak. At this rate, Puerto Rico has recovered at a faster pace than destinations that have gone through similar situations. Growth is driven by newly established routes and frequency, in addition to larger aircrafts resulting in higher seat capacity. Hotels : Currently, there are over 130 hotels operating, with over 11,500 rooms available. Between 3,500 and 4,000 more rooms will be added to that inventory when renovations are completed. The Ritz-Carlton Reserve, El San Juan Hotel and the St. Regis Bahia Beach will be opening their doors come October. Looking ahead, the PRTC reports that 28 new properties, totaling 1,300 additional rooms are under construction at the moment. Some of the new hotels in the pipeline are the ALOFT San Juan Convention Center, ALOFT Ponce and Four Seasons Cayo Largo Resort, among others.

Currently, there are over 130 hotels operating, with over 11,500 rooms available. Between 3,500 and 4,000 more rooms will be added to that inventory when renovations are completed. The Ritz-Carlton Reserve, El San Juan Hotel and the St. Regis Bahia Beach will be opening their doors come October. Looking ahead, the PRTC reports that 28 new properties, totaling 1,300 additional rooms are under construction at the moment. Some of the new hotels in the pipeline are the ALOFT San Juan Convention Center, ALOFT Ponce and Four Seasons Cayo Largo Resort, among others. Destination Attractions: There are more than 184 attractions open on the Island, ready for enjoyment. Additionally, 13 golf courses and 16 casinos are open for recreation. Puerto Rico has more than 4,000 operating restaurants Island-wide.

The PRTC announced that the Island was ready to receive travelers by December 20, 2017 and leisure travelers have been visiting and enjoying tourism hotspots all around the destination since. Additionally, hoteliers, restaurants, attractions, artisans, tour providers and guides have been benefiting from the increase in leisure travel consistently since the destination opened its doors for visitors. The comprehensive recovery strategy and aggressive marketing plan rolled out by the PRTC and the private sector have paved the way for an accelerated recovery and comeback validated by steady growth indicators.

The PRTC is committed to continuing to work alongside its private sector partners who have demonstrated increased confidence in the Island to achieve continued major milestones throughout the year. With summer right around the corner, Puerto Rico is ready to enchant visitors. The Island is offering great summer deals at SeePuertoRico.com/en/promo.

For more information including details on open attractions, accommodations, Puerto Rico's most popular restaurants and more, visit SeePuertoRico.com. And, for information on other Island updates (related to hospitals, ATMs, supermarkets, etc.), visit http://status.pr/.

About Puerto Rico Tourism Company

The Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC), founded in 1970, is a public corporation responsible for stimulating, promoting and regulating the development of the tourism industry. It markets Puerto Rico as a tourism destination through advertising, public relations and promotional activities; promotes tourism among visitors and local residents; provides visitor orientation and technical assistance to investors; evaluates tourism facilities and establishes standards of quality; and regulates and oversees gaming operations. PRTC has offices and representatives in the U.S. mainland, Canada, Europe and Latin America.

Image: James Willamor | Flickr

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018

Search News Archive : Fast Travel News Promotion Via Search, Social Media + Email Follow Us On : BOOK AN ADVENTUROUS WILDERNESS TOURS FROM WILD ABOUT LAPLAND Industry: Tours

Wild About Lapland offers wilderness tours to explore the Wild Taiga Forest and indulge in many adventurous activities, witness the local wildlife and have the utmost fun.



(TRAVPR.COM) FINLAND - May 24th, 2018 - Finlands Lapland is known as the winter wonderland. Do you want to enjoy a spectacular holiday trip to Finland for exploring Laplands wilderness? Rely on Wild About Lapland! They are the experts in arranging Lapland wilderness tours. You can truly feel the peace of the arctic nature, have the utmost fun and indulge in many adventurous activities.



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Wild About Lapland specializes in arranging a wide variety of tours for groups and individuals at the affordable price. The various touring options include tours to the Northern Lights, a Reindeer farm visit, Ice fishing and snowshoeing, Ranua Wildlife Park Special etc. Your wilderness tour is assured and safe with our experienced guides. With them, you will get reliable assistance, professional guidance for enjoying an exciting Lapland tour. To book an affordable and well-planned Lapland wilderness trip, contact them today! They are the industry experts and highly experienced to ensure a memorable Lapland travel experience. Web:- https://wildaboutlapland.com ### Please contact the person or company listed above for information regarding the content of this press release. TravPR.com are not the issuers of this press release and are not responsible for the accuracy of the content. Share Release :



CONTACT INFORMATION Name: Theo Turner Company: Wild About Lapland Phone: 3580405688570 Email: theoturneronline@gmail.com Web: PRESS RELEASE TAGSThe Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai bagged top awards for Sales, Marketing & E-Commerce at the recently concluded Millennium & Copthorne Hotels MEA Business Development Conference & Workshop for 2018.



(TRAVPR.COM) UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - May 24th, 2018 - The Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai bagged top awards for Sales, Marketing & E-Commerce at the recently concluded Millennium & Copthorne Hotels MEA Business Development Conference & Workshop for 2018. The three-day event brought together the groups 22 commercial leaders from the Middle East & Africa region in Dubai for an exciting conference and workshop sessions, followed by a gala awards dinner.

Binu Varghese, Director of Sales & Marketing for Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai, was declared the winner of the Best Overall Director of Sales & Marketing title. He also received the trophy for the Best E-Commerce Team for 2017.

Accepting the awards, Binu said, We are very proud of this achievement that shows our unwavering commitment, tireless efforts and teamwork. It is a great honour to be recognised as the best team within the Millennium & Copthorne group in the region. We look forward to building on our success while continuing to deliver outstanding results.

The Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai was also nominated in four other categories for 2017, that is the Best Meetings & Events Team, Best Social Media Team, Best Public Relations Team, Best Forecasting Team.

--- END----

For hotel marketing contact:

Sheryl Aquiatan

Assistant Marketing Manager

Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai

Mob: 00971 56 506 0983

Tel: 00971 4 702 8888

sheryl.aquiatan@millenniumhotels.com



For media contact:

Hina Bakht

Managing Director

EVOPS Marketing & PR

Mob: 00971 50 6975146

Tel: 00971 4 566 7355

Hina.bakht@evops-pr.com

www.evops-pr.com

Millennium Hotels and Resorts, Middle East and Africa

Millennium Hotels and Resorts is a dynamic, global hotel company, which owns, asset manages and operates over 130 hotels worldwide. With almost 40,000 rooms and a portfolio of brands; including The Biltmore, Grand Millennium, Millennium, Millennium Place, M Hotel, Copthorne, Agarwood, Kingsgate, Millennium Executive Apartments and Studio M, that serve different market segments, representing quality and value in every class.

Currently operating 32 hotels in the Middle East and Africa, the Group has an extensive expansion strategy in place, with 40 hotels in the pipeline. Each property in the region is unique, catering to the varying tastes and needs of the international business and leisure traveller but with a consistent promise to provide a first class service and a rewarding experience for guests. Millennium Hotels and Resorts is committed to differentiating itself by embracing the true spirit of diverse traditions, with a sincere respect to historical heritage and local culture.

With the motto More than Meets the Eye, Millennium Hotels and Resorts is committed to a customer-centric philosophy and complete guest satisfaction.

For more information, please visit www.millenniumhotels.com

###SAN DIEGO, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The referral service at Miami Drug Rehab can help you find the right program by asking questions about your situation and getting your goals organized so that you are able to get started in narrowing your choices. The referrals provided will give you a place to start the search by only providing options in the local area that are appropriate for your situation.



The way a referral service works is simple. You answer a few basic questions about your finances, beliefs and addiction. You will then receive referrals to programs that are most appropriate based on your answers to the questions. The referrals give you a few options, so you are able to eliminate programs that will make the fight against addiction more challenging.

A Drug Treatment Program to Suit Your Needs

Finding the right treatment program for your situation is not always easy. Every individual has different needs, so treating your particular needs can require a little help. Fortunately, Miami Drug Rehab can provide you with a little help to find the right treatment center. If you want to learn more about how it works or the programs that are best for you, call us today.

Contact Info:

Author: Kevin Leonard

Organization: TheRecover.com

Address: 27420 Jefferson Ave, Temecula, CA 92590

Phone: (888) 510-3898

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1bd03b40-bbac-4b3e-bdcf-09f63c12b70dOSLO, Norway and BALTIMORE and GAITHERSBURG, Md., May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CEPIthe Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovationstoday announced a collaboration with Profectus BioSciences, Inc. and Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) under which Profectus and Emergent will receive up to $25 million to advance the development and manufacture of a vaccine against the Nipah virus (NiV), a bat-borne virus that can spread to both humans and livestock.



Under the terms of the Framework Partnering Agreement for the collaboration among the three parties, Profectus will receive development funding from CEPI for advancing its Nipah virus vaccine and Emergent will provide technical and manufacturing support for the CEPI-funded program. Emergent, through a separate agreement with Profectus, has an exclusive option to license and to assume control of development activities for the Nipah virus vaccine from Profectus. The international nonprofit organization PATH will also be working with the consortium under a separate agreement with CEPI to work on clinical development.

Nipah virus and Hendra virus (HeV) are closely related Paramyxoviruses that cause respiratory and encephalitis disease in a variety of animal hosts and in humans. A natural reservoir for these viruses are flying foxes (bats of the genus Pteropus) found in Southeast Asia and Malaysia. Human infection occurs after direct exposure to tissues and secretions from infected horses, pigs, and bats. There is currently no approved vaccine or therapeutic against either NiV or HeV. The primary treatment for human cases is intensive supportive care, and the mortality rate is high at approximately 75% of cases.

The Southern India state of Kerala is currently in the midst of a Nipah virus outbreak, where the virus has killed 10 people. These are the first documented cases in Kerala.

Previously unidentified, a 1999 NiV outbreak killed 105 people in Malaysia. In addition, more than one million pigs were slaughtered to stem the spread of the virus, which caused significant trade loss and market turmoil. Outbreaks occur annually in Bangladesh and have been reported numerous times in India (CDC). NiV has a 75 percent mortality rate1. NiV is shed by bats in Southeast Asia and Malaysia and is transferred to humans via bat urine and saliva on fruit or from infected horses and pigs. It can also spread human-to-human.

Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, said:

The current outbreak of Nipah in India, the government of which is one of CEPIs founders, demonstrates that this is a deadly pathogen that has already travelled thousands of kilometers, has serious epidemic potential and the ability to surprise us. This is the first funding agreement we have signed to develop a vaccine against Nipah and our partnership with Profectus, Emergent, and PATH represents a vital move forward in the global battle against this devastating disease.

The investment of up to $25 million represents an innovative approach to funding vaccine development, unlocking research and development potential so that vaccines are ready for efficacy studies during an outbreak. The agreement will enable funding for development efforts over a five-year period.

Thomas Lynch, Chair and CEO of Profectus BioSciences, said:

Profectus gratefully acknowledges CEPIs leadership and funding of this strategic collaboration to rapidly produce a vaccine against the emerging Nipah virus threat. Nipahs human-to-human transmission has been documented, and any initially small outbreak could take the same course as the recent Ebola outbreak. With CEPIs support and the talents of these highly regarded global health innovation partners, we look forward to applying our expertise and technologies and leveraging our partnership with Emergent to rapidly advance our pre-IND vaccine candidate for Nipah virus as an effective countermeasure that will be positioned to save patients around the world from this devastating disease.

Daniel J. Abdun-Nabi, CEO of Emergent BioSolutions, said:

Emergent has a 20-year track record of success working with government and industry partners to provide life-saving medical countermeasures against identified biological agents particularly when a rapid response to an emerging outbreak may be necessary. We look forward to leveraging our expertise in advanced development and manufacturing, including our U.S. government-designated Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing, which is designed to provide surge manufacturing capabilities during public health emergencies. We expect to work closely with Profectus enabling our companies to provide synergistic and complementary capabilities for a successful collaboration with CEPI.

Steve Davis, President and CEO of PATH, on the PATH-CEPI partnership:

PATH is delighted to partner with CEPI and leverage the end-to-end capabilities of our Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access (CVIA), particularly our success record in clinical development and scaling the introduction of new vaccines in low-resource settings. PATH looks forward to collaborating with CEPI to achieve our shared goals for epidemic preparedness by equipping the world with new tools to protect against these deadly threats.

About the Nipah Vaccine Development

The vaccine in development is based on Nipah virus and Hendra virus technology developed beginning more than 15 years ago by Dr. Christopher Broder and Dr. Katharine Bossart at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU). The vaccine was tested in multiple preclinical models and licensed to Profectus BioSciences by The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF) to develop the human vaccine. Dr. Broder began a collaboration with Dr. Antony Dimitrov of Profectus BioSciences to develop the human vaccine with financial support from the United States National Institutes of Health. As a next step in the Nipah vaccine development, Dr. Thomas Geisbert, a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston National Laboratory (GNL), will conduct correlate of immunity studies at its biosafety level 4 facility; and HJF, USU, and Profectus will collaborate on the development of a clinical assay for the evaluation of the anti-Nipah virus vaccine response. PATH is responsible for the clinical development of the Nipah vaccine candidate.

Based on the success of this vaccine technology against Nipah and Nipahs close relative, Hendra virus, it is highly likely that the Nipah vaccine to be developed here will also work against Hendra virus, said Dr. Broder.

About CEPI

CEPI is an innovative partnership between public, private, philanthropic and civil organizations founded in Davos in 2017 to develop vaccines to stop future epidemics. To date, CEPI has received multi-year funding from Norway, Germany, Japan, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Wellcome. CEPI has also received single-year investments from the governments of Australia, Belgium, and Canada. It has reached $630 million of its target $1 billion funding target. The European Commission has announced a contribution in kind of 250 million that will support relevant projects through EC mechanisms. Since its launch in January 2017, CEPI has announced two Calls for Proposals. The first was for candidate vaccines against MERS-COV, Nipah and Lassa viruses. The second was for the development of platforms that can be used for rapid vaccine development against unknown pathogens.

About Profectus BioSciences, Inc.

Profectus BioSciences, Inc. is a clinical-stage vaccine platform company developing novel vaccines for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and associated cancers. Profectus' vaccines are based on the companys proprietary vaccine delivery platforms to provide protection against emerging infectious diseases of public health and biodefense importance such as Ebola, Marburg, Chikungunya, Zika, the equine encephalitis viruses, and respiratory syncytial virus; and therapeutically targeting virally infected cells and cancers associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV), human papilloma virus (HPV), herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). For more information, please visit www.profectusbiosciences.com.

About Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. is a global life sciences company seeking to protect and enhance life by focusing on providing specialty products for civilian and military populations that address accidental, intentional, and naturally occurring public health threats. Through our work, we envision protecting and enhancing 50 million lives with our products by 2025. Additional information about the company may be found at www.emergentbiosolutions.com. Follow us on Twitter @emergentbiosolu and Instagram @life_at_emergent.

About PATH

PATH is the leader in global health innovation. An international nonprofit organization, we save lives and improve health, especially among women and children. We accelerate innovation across five platformsvaccines, drugs, diagnostics, devices, and system and service innovationsthat harness our entrepreneurial insight, scientific and public health expertise, and passion for health equity. By mobilizing partners around the world, we take innovation to scale, working alongside countries primarily in Africa and Asia to tackle their greatest health needs. Together, we deliver measurable results that disrupt the cycle of poor health. Learn more at www.path.org.

About the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU)

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), founded by an act of Congress in 1972, is the academic heart of the Military Health System. USU students are primarily active-duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service who receive specialized education in tropical and infectious diseases, TBI and PTSD, disaster response and humanitarian assistance, global health, acute trauma care, and advanced practice nursing and dentistry. For more information, visit www.usuhs.edu.

About HJF

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. (HJF) is a private, not-for-profit organization authorized by Congress to support military medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and throughout the armed forces. HJF serves military, medical, academic and government clients by administering, managing and supporting preeminent scientific programs that benefit members of the armed forces and civilians alike. Since its founding in 1983, HJF has served as a vital link between the military medical community and its federal and private partners. HJF's support and administrative capabilities allow military medical researchers and clinicians to maintain their scientific focus and to accomplish their research goals effectively and efficiently. For more information, visit www.hjf.org.

About the Galveston National Laboratory

The preclinical studies will be conducted in UTMBs Galveston National Laboratory, a state-of-the-art high containment biosafety Level 4 facility where scientists wear protective suits and study pathogens that cause severe diseases or are fatal. The GNL provides much needed research space and specialized research capabilities to develop therapies, vaccines and diagnostic tests for naturally occurring emerging diseases such as SARS, West Nile encephalitis, Ebola and avian influenzaas well as for microbes that might be employed by terrorists. UTMB has the only functioning Level 4 laboratory located on an American university campus.

Contacts

CEPI

Rachel Grant

+44(0)7891249190

Rachel.Grant@cepi.net Profectus BioSciences, Inc.

Mary Moynihan

M2Friend Biocommunications

802-951-9600

mary@m2friend.com Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

Investors:

Robert G. Burrows

Vice President, Investor Relations

240-631-3280

BurrowsR@ebsi.com



Media:

Lynn Kieffer

Vice President, Corporate Communications

240-631-3391

KiefferL@ebsi.com



1 http://www.searo.who.int/entity/emerging_diseases/links/nipah_virus_outbreaks_sear/en/



editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, May 24

The police have arrested a fraudster for allegedly duping two retired Colonels and a Kargil war widow.

The accused, Karamjit Kalsi, a resident of Suncity Society, Sector 20, Panchkula, who is a CA, used to file income tax returns of various people.

Col SK Chauhan (retd) and others, in a complaint lodged at the Sector 14 police station, stated that Karamjit Kalsi and his wife Preet Kalsi committed a fraud with a number of people in Panchkula, Zirakpur, Dera Bassi, Ropar and Abohar.

In August 2017, Kalsi sought a loan for fulfilling some formalities. Colonel Chauhan gave Rs 3.10 lakh, while his wife gave Rs 40,000 through cheques. In return, Kalsi gave blank cheques to the Chauhan family.

Similarly, Col Anutosh Sharma (retd), a resident of Sector 20, gave Rs 5 lakh to Kalsi. Geeta Gaur, another victim and Kargil war widow, who was also residing in Sector 20, was cheated of around Rs 60,000 in the name of filing IT returns and taxes.

The accused was produced in a Panchkula court and sent to two-day police remand.SAN DIEGO, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Watching someone you love lose themselves and their life to the chains of drug or alcohol addiction is one of the most difficult things you can go through. Often, they are unwilling to reach out for help because they are so caught up in the cycle of addiction. With Drug Rehabs Miami, you have a full line of resources to help.



Drug Addiction Treatment Options

We offer a variety of treatment options to match the needs of our clients. For some, group counseling provides the accountability needed to finally break free from addiction. Others do better with one-on-one counseling, and we also provide the 12-step drug and alcohol programs that have proven so effective in helping people stop using. Our cognitive behavioral treatment comes alongside these counseling programs to give our clients additional strength and the psychological tools they need to break free.

When addiction is particularly strong, counseling and 12-step programs may not be sufficient. In these instances, we offer a medically supervised detox to ensure that the individual is fully free of drugs or alcohol. This can be followed by transitional living programs to help our clients learn how to live life again after addiction.

A strong faith can also support an addicts attempts at recovery, giving the individual greater strength to finally break free from addiction. Our faith-based addiction treatment can be highly effective, tapping into these deep convictions and using them to help resist the temptation of drugs and alcohol. We also offer a range of self-help programs for those who just need a bit of additional support.

Ongoing Support

Support after addiction treatment is just as important as the support offered during treatment. Drug Rehabs Miami offers ongoing support post-recovery. Our relapse prevention classes help protect our clients from lapsing back into addiction after they leave our counseling programs. We also offer aftercare treatment for our clients, teaching them how to respond to triggers once they re-enter their lives. The goal is not just to stop the addiction, but also to help the individual live a fulfilling life free from drugs and alcohol.

At Drug Rehabs Miami, our goal is not to simply push someone through a program. Our goal is total and complete recovery from addiction. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction to drugs or alcohol, contact Drug Rehabs Miami to learn more about our treatment programs. There is hope, and that hope starts with us.

Contact Info:

Author: Kevin Leonard

Organization: TheRecover.com

Address: 27420 Jefferson Ave, Temecula, CA 92590

Phone: (888) 510-3898

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1c477836-10e3-4773-9cdd-08a3dcb12b35editorial@tribune.com

Chandigarh, May 24

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattars IT consultant Dhruv Majumdar was arrested on Thursday. A car allotted to Majumdar had critically injured a 26-year-old delivery boy on Tuesday at the Sector 3/4 roundabout.

According to DSP Krishan Kumar, Majumdar admitted that he was driving the vehicle at that time. He said he was arrested, but later released on bail.

The victim, Satnam Singh, works with Zomato and stays in Nayagaon. His family is from Moga. He was returning from work in Sector 9 when a speeding Hyundai Sonata coming from the Capitol Complex side hit him around 11.20 pm.

The police had initially registered a case against an unidentified person and were probing who was driving the car. Satnam had received head injuries and was admitted to the PGI where he is recovering now.  TNSeditorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 24

Arrested by the police two days ago in connection with the HCS (Judicial) paper leak scam, local Congress leader Sunil Chopra, alias Titus problems seem to be rising. The prosecution on Thursday told the court that Sunil not only lured candidates for selling the leaked paper but also disclosed to them the contents of the paper. The police were granted a remand of two more days to grill Chopra to prove these claims.

The police told the court they wanted to interrogate the five  Chopra, Ayushi Gidhara, her father Subhash Godhara and two candidates Monty and Jassi. The police said they had to go to Rajasthan and Delhi for the purpose and also to recover other documents. The police also mentioned Kuldeep, alias Kittu, brother of accused Sunita, claiming that Titu had disclosed the contents of the paper to him as well.

As the defence counsel argued that the police had no clinching evidence to substantiate their claims, DSP Krishan Kumar told the court that these facts had emerged in Ayushis disclosure statement. He also presented a transcript of a telephonic conversation between Ayushi and Sunita wherein the former is allegedly heard saying that the contents of the paper were disclosed by Chopra.

Chopras medical examination to be conducted twice a day

Allowing the application of defence counsel Malkit Singh Jandiala, the court has directed that Chopras medical examination will be conducted twice a day. As per the application, Sunita had told the same court that she was given third-degree torture and was even given electrical shocks during the recording of her disclosure statement. We have apprehensions that the same could be done to Chopra and hence we moved this application, said Jandiala.

Three persons, including Sharma and two beneficiaries Sunita and Sushila  were booked by the police in the high-profile case. A High Court committee looking into the case had recommended scrapping of the examination after prima facie finding that some candidates had access to the question paper. Chopra and Ayushi are the latest arrests in the case.

The committee had said at least two candidates, Sunita and Sushila, had the question paper. The committee had also stated that accused Balwinder Sharma unequivocally denied prior acquaintance with Sunita, the general category topper. The call details furnished by the service provider, on the other hand, revealed that 760 calls and SMSes were exchanged between Sharma and Sunita over the past one year.sanjiv@tribunemail.com

The controversial Sterlite Copper at Thoothukudi or Tuticorin has a history of public protests by locals for decades. Locals fear that the gigantic four lakh metric tonne capacity smelter releases harmful pollutants that are afflicting them with breathing problems and even cancer. The smelter, owned by the Anil Agarwal-promoted Vedanta Group, was temporarily shut down earlier in 2013 amidst similar accusations. But these were not upheld by the court. However, Tamil Nadu CM EK Palaniswami cannot dismiss the concerns without proper examination of the issue. If he had reacted to the volatile situation earlier, lives of more than a dozen innocent citizens would not have been lost.

Available photographs show instead of taking crowd dispersal measures, the state police shot at agitators like snipers, which the people have construed as target killings. Apparently, the four activists shot at on that fateful day were leading lights of the ongoing anti-Sterlite protests. Their killings should be probed given that they were leading an agitation that had hindered the companys plans to double its production capacity. The existence of a corporate-politician-police nexus is not something unknown to the people. Therefore, the murders of innocent protesters must be investigated by an independent federal body like the CBI.

The CMs response that the state is taking steps to close down the Sterlite plant through legal means is inadequate and too late. Industrialisation is important for a country like India, which is fighting the scourge of unemployment. Indeed, a copper smelter is highly polluting, but it can be made environment-friendly by investing in clean technology. The unit is providing jobs to several thousands of people. It is the duty of the state to ensure stricter compliance with environmental laws to ensure there is no discharge of pollutants in the vicinity of the factory. Agarwal, who insists on reopening and expanding the facility, must learn to live in harmony with the ecosystem. Several of his companies have witnessed bitter conflicts with locals over exploitation of natural resources, including a bauxite mining project in Niyamgiri in Odisha. The suppression of peoples concerns by the state machinery always vitiates the investment climate, and this needs to be avoided.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 24

The 16-day long strike by sanitation workers in Haryana was on Thursday called off after the state government conceded to most of the demands, including increase in salary and allowances.

The agitating safai and sewer karamcharis have decided to call off their strike, Urban Local Bodies Minister Kavita Jain told the media here.

She addressed a press conference after a meeting with office-bearers of the Municipal Workers Union and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh. The two unions announced their decision to end the strike.

The safai and sewer karamcharis of municipal bodies will now get a lump sum salary of Rs13,500 per month. Besides, it has been decided to end the practice of contractual engagement and absorb the employees in the payroll of the Urban Local Bodies Department.

Jain said the broom allowance would be raised from Rs2 to Rs150 per month and safai allowance from Rs350 to Rs1,000 per month.

It has also been decided to increase the allowance being given in lieu of work on a holiday from Rs600 to Rs1,000 and washing allowance from Rs240 to Rs440 per month, she said.

She said the government had already set up a separate directorate of fire services. The vacancies of fireman would be re-advertised to provide benefit to contractual fireman employed at present.

They would be given time to meet the revised qualifications like education till class 12, fire fighting course and heavy driving license. Till then, they would not be removed, she said.

Regarding regularisation of the services of contractual employees, a committee will be constituted to formulate a policy. It would also include office-bearers of the two employees' unions. Employees bereft of the benefit of equal work, equal pay would get the benefit, Jain said.

The Urban Local Bodies Department has decided to create a web portal application under which any employee of the department who feels that he or she should get the benefit of equal work, equal pay, can apply. The case would be decided within two months, she added.editorial@tribune.com

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 24

It was a rare honour for Himachalis in England that famous folk dance Natti was among a few dances performed at British Parliament on May 21 to mark World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.

Himachali folk dancers enthralled the audience, including British officials. The performance of Himachali folk dancers in traditional colourful attires won accolades from one and all.

It was for the first time that Nattis on four songs, (three on Kullu and one on Shimla) were performed by folk dancers from Kullu and Shimla. With foot-tapping rhythms, Natti dancers joined hands and made the movement accordingly with music and rhythm and the costumes used included shoes, socks, churidaar pyjamas, silver chains, boomani, floral shawl, lachhi, gachi, ghaghra and chola.

However, women costumes were different as they wore gold and silver ornaments. Ornate fan was carried in one hand and colourful handkerchief was there in the other hand.

What started as a small WhatsApp group of Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) students in the UK took shape of a Himachali association. For the first time, Natti was performed by the Himachalis living in the UK on the world cultural day, said Rahul Verma, who hails from Theog in Shimla district and is one of the persons behind the initiative.

The event was organised in the House of Lords of British Parliament by the Sanskriti Centre for Cultural Excellence hosted by Baroness Sandip Verma of the House of Lords. Diplomats in the UK High Commission and Embassies of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives came together to speak on various aspects of cultural diversity from their countrys perspective, while Members of British Parliament Lord Jitesh Gadhia and Seema Malhotra, entrepreneur Umesh Perera and senior politician Vijay Jolly highlighted the importance of cultural diversity for socio-economic development.

The programme included presentation of indigenous dance forms of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Other Indian dances presented were Kathputli from Rajasthan and Mathuri dance from Telangana.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 24

The Health Department on Thursday sounded an alert for Nipah virus after over a dozen bats were found dead on the premises of a government school in Nahan a couple of days ago.

So far, no case of Nipah virus has been reported in the state.

Though the Health Department has collected samples and sent these to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, to verify the exact cause of the bats mortality, Health Minister Vipin Parmar convened a meeting of health officials and constituted teams to keep a tab on the development.

He said the CMOs of all districts had been directed to increase surveillance on the virus, considering that thousands of tourists were coming to the state.

All CMOs have to keep a track on the suspected cases, including tourists, who come for treatment at the hospitals, including the IGMC, Shimla, and Government Medical College, Tanda, daily, he added.

Dr Baldev Thakur, Director, Health Services, said the reports from the NIV, Pune, would verify whether the bats died due to the virus or not, he added.editorial@tribune.com

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 24

The student, who wrote an open letter to President Ram Nath Kovind on the inconvenience faced by locals due to his scheduled functions here, wished to write under her pseudonym Noori Malik, but later decided to use the name Azad as she was apprehensive that no one would listen to a Muslim girl.

The writer, a student of Class IX of Loreto Convent Tara Hall, Shimla, writes blogs in the name of Noori Malik, which also is not her real name. Before writing the letter, the student asked her father, Why the President is going to Peterhoff via road and expressed willingness to write an open letter to the President.

She was advised to pen down a handwritten letter. Because no one would listen to a Muslim girl, I choose the name Azad as it is related to freedom fighter Chandra Shekhar Azad, she told the reporter.

The student had, in her letter addressed to the President of India, written that the VVIP movement created problems for the common people as traffic came to a halt and sick persons, who need to go to hospitals for medical aid, got delayed while elderly commuters faced inconvenience.

She had further stated, Schools were closed early, keeping in view the civic reception on May 22, hosted in the honour of the President, but it caused serious trouble for many working parents, who had to pick their wards early.

I hope you understand our problems and could take some measures which are not in our hands or in the hands of the district administration but are certainly in your hand, the letter concluded.

However, the President was unhappy over the suspension of traffic for his movement and had asked the state government to inform his office about any problem faced by the public so that his movement could be re-scheduled. He even reduced the number of vehicles in his carcade while visiting Peterhoff for his civic reception, highly placed sources in the government said.

The state government should use Kalyani and Annadale helipads for the Presidents movement as it would be time saving and the local traffic would not be affected, said a local resident Arun. Keeping in view the inconvenience faced by the locals during the VVIPs visit, former President Pranab Mukherjee had not kept any functions during his visit to Shimla in 2016.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 24

For the first time since the Ramzan ceasefire was implemented, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat arrived in the strife-torn Valley to review the security situation.

While the Army officers on ground briefed General Rawat about the security situation, especially in wake of the cessation of the anti-militancy operations, the Army Chief stressed the need to maintain extra vigil to defeat the evil designs of hostile forces and assured his full support to further strengthen the security posture.

Srinagar-based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said the Chief of Army Staff reviewed the prevailing security situation in the hinterland.

Accompanied by Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen AK Bhatt, the Army Chief visited the formation headquarters and units where he was briefed by the commanders on ground regarding the operational preparedness.

The Army Chief was appreciative of the measures and the standard operating procedures instituted by the units and formations to meet the challenges posed by the inimical elements. Commending the performance of the troops in the recent successful operations, the Army Chief stressed the need to maintain extra vigil to defeat the evil designs of hostile forces and assured his full support to further strengthen the security posture, the spokesman said.

General Rawat also took stock of the security and administrative arrangements for the upcoming Amarnath yatra, which is scheduled to commence from June 28, and stressed on the need for close coordination with the civil administration to ensure a smooth and efficient conduct of the pilgrimage.

While there have been some militant-initiated actions in Kashmir during the past eight days, the situation has been relatively calm, especially in south Kashmir which has been volatile since July 2016, after the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani .

Since May 17, militants have initiated few actions across Kashmir, including an attack on Army patrol in north Kashmirs Hajin area of Bandipore district. Four civilians, including two sisters, were injured allegedly in Army firing in volatile Shopian in south Kashmir on Monday evening during an iftaar party hosted by the Army.editorial@tribune.com

Ishfaq Tantry

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 24

In the investigation into the fracas involving Major Leetul Gogoi at a hotel in Srinagar on Wednesday, the Jammu & Kashmir Police have recorded the statement of the girl who was detained with him.

The Army officer had courted controversy last year when he had made a youth in Budgam a human shield to escape stone-throwers during parliamentary bypoll.

In the statement recorded before a Magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC, which is voluntary and admissible as evidence, the girl has said that she came to the hotel of her own free will as she wanted to spend time with the Army officer who was already known to her, highly placed sources told The Tribune.

Mein yahan apni marzi say aaye houn (I have come here (to the hotel) of my own free will, she told the Magistrate while recording her statement in the presence of a Sub-Divisional Magistrate and a DSP-rank official and Superintendent of Police (North), who is heading the probe, said sources privy to the proceedings.

During the recording of her statement, it also came to the fore that the girl (name withheld) is a major. She showed the magistrate her Aadhaar card, which mentioned her year of birth as 1999, the sources said. Whether she is really a major, however, still is a subject of inquiry as it needs to be corroborated from other sources.

While showing her documents that indicated that she was a major, she stated that she was there out of her own marzi (free will), said an official, who was present during recording of the statement.

The woman hailing from Budgam district said she and Major Gogoi knew each other and she had met him on several occasions on outings in the past, the sources said.

When cross-examined, she claimed before the Magistrate that she first came in contact with the Major through a Facebook account named Aadil Adnan, the sources said.

She said that just within a month she came to know that Aadil Adnan was none other than Major Gogoi, who had faked his real identity. She told the Magistrate that thereafter Major Gogoi himself disclosed his real identity to her and thereafter they became friends.

When asked why did she come to Srinagar and then to the hotel, she said: Bus chakra vakrah karnih (just to have fun), the sources said.

When asked about the second Army man, the driver Sameer Ahmad who also hails from Budgam district, the girl told the magistrate that he was known to her. But when confronted by the Magistrate about Sameers family, the woman could not tell his parents names.

Hotel manager contradicts police versionmonicakchauhan@gmail.com

Jammu, May 24

There was a lull in firing along the International Border on Thursday after nine days of intense shelling by Pakistani troops that left 11 people dead and 60 others injured.

The shelling and firing stopped on Wednesday afternoon along the IB.

"There was no firing and shelling from the Pakistan side today. There is a lull", a senior BSF officer told PTI here.

However, there was overnight firing and shelling by the Pakistan Army in Lam and Nowshera sectors of Rajouri district, in which one civilian suffered injury, a district officer said.

Five civilians including a 10-year-old boy were killed and 14 others were injured as Pakistani troops rained mortars and opened heavy fire on Indian villages and posts along the International Border (IB) and LoC in Jammu, Kathua, Samba and Rajouri districts of Jammu region yesterday.

Shelled by Pakistan troops for past nine days, the bustling Arnia border town and nearly 120 border hamlets along the Indo-Pak border now wear an empty look, with over one lakh villagers abandoning their homes to escape heavy shelling of mortar bombs.

"Over one lakh people have migrated from their hamlets and border towns in the wake of Pakistan shelling and take shelter with their kins and some of them have come to safe shelters se tup by the government", a senior officer of state government said.

Several camps have been setup in Kathua, Samba and Jammu district to house border migrants and provide them food, he said adding that several community kitchens are being run to provide foods to them.

Located five kilometers from the International Border (IB), Arnia town, with a population of over 18,500, resembles a ghost town with only a few people and some cops left each in its adjoining hamlets to take care of animals and guard homes against thefts.

The life of border dwellers along International Border (IB) has been silenced as farming, schooling, cattle rearing and everything else on which border dwellers survive have come to a halt due to the shelling episodes.

Pakistan Rangers started shelling areas along the IB on May 15 and till now 11 people including 9 civilians and 2 jawans have been killed and over 60 people, including over 48 civilians, injured.

Over 200 educational institutes continue to remain closed for the 5th consecutive day along the IB in Jammu, Samba, and Kathua districts by authorities in the wake of tension along the Indo-Pak border due to shelling.

Over 800 such incidents have been reported this year, which have left a total of 44 people, including 18 security personnel, dead and scores injured.

BJP State president Ravinder Raina and his party MP Jugal Kishore Sharma visited the hospital and took stock of the condition and the facilities being provided to the border firing victims.

Jammu and Kashmir government has directed the local civil and police officers to prepare a comprehensive contingency plan to deal with any eventuality due to unabated cross border firing.

Minister for Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Javed Mustafa Mir and Minister for Public Health Engineering Sham Choudhary passed the directive during a visit yesterday to shelling-hit border villages of R S Pura here and Samba district, an official spokesman said.

They asked them not to leave the station without informing the higher ups, the spokesman said.

The ministers, who met affected families including the relatives of those killed in the shelling, also asked the health and veterinary authorities to set up mobile units to provide prompt patient care to border residents and livestock, the spokesman said.

Asserting that a war-like situation was prevailing along the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, the state unit of Congress today called for a befitting response to Pakistan to ensure safety of border residents.

A war-like situation prevails along the IB and LoC due to intense shelling by Pakistan during the past couple of days. The state and Centre governments have utterly failed to deal with the grim situation especially to ensure adequate safety, security, required relief measures for the affected population, Vice-president of Pradesh Congress Committee and former minister Raman Bhalla said. PTIEnglish French

TORONTO, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Hydropothecary Corporation (TSXV:THCX) (Hydropothecary or The Company) today introduced HEXO, a new brand for the recreational adult-use cannabis market. The launch of this brand is taking place at the Lift Cannabis Expo in Toronto, Ontario.



The Company will continue to use its existing Hydropothecary brand for the medical cannabis market. Production of cannabis will continue for both brands at the Companys expanding facilities located in Gatineau, Quebec.

Legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada is an exciting time for our country as well as a once-in-a-generation public policy shift. HEXO is the right brand at the right time, said Adam Miron, Hydropothecarys co-founder and Chief Brand Officer.

HEXO was created for Canadians who use recreational cannabis. HEXO will help bring people together to share enjoyable and life-affirming experiences, while breaking through the stigma that still surrounds cannabis and its users among some Canadians.

Sharing the same focus on award-winning product innovation and high quality of cannabis, the two brands share the first letter H  representing the Hydropothecary family  while the new brand adds EXO, meaning outer or external. The new brand also signals the Companys exploration of new horizons and servicing of customers from coast to coast by offering bold and innovative products.

According to co-founder and CEO, Sebastien St-Louis, the Company remains firmly focused on delivering the same excellence for which Hydropothecary is known. Hydropothecary is, and will continue to be a great premium brand, but as we set our sights on becoming a global cannabis company, we've imagined something more. HEXO ushers in our house of brands strategy. Under HEXO, we will target specific value segments across price categories while continuing to deliver new and exciting products as we move ahead with market expansion across Canada and beyond.

The Company is also pleased to announce that it has applied to the Toronto Stock Exchange (the TSX) to graduate from the TSX Venture Exchange and have its common shares listed on the TSX. Listing is subject to the approval of the TSX in accordance with its original listing requirements. TSX has not conditionally approved the Companys listing application and there is no assurance that the TSX will approve the listing application.

About The Hydropothecary Corporation

The Hydropothecary Corporation is an authorized licensed producer and distributor of medical cannabis licensed by Health Canada under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations. Hydropothecary creates award-winning innovative, easy to use and easy to understand products. Hydropothecary is rapidly increasing its production capacity in the lead-up to recreational adult-use cannabis. Headquartered in Quebec, Hydropothecary is one of the lowest-cost producers in the country.

Forward-Looking Information

This press release may contain forward-looking information that is based on certain assumptions and involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from current assumptions and expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. A more complete discussion of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company appears in the Companys Annual Information Form and continuous disclosure filings, which are available on SEDARs website at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events, or for any other reason.

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.

Investor Relations:

Jennifer Smith

Manager of Financial Reporting and Investor Relations

1-866-438-THCX (8429)

invest@thehydropothecary.com

www.THCX.com

Media Relations:

Alexandre Poirier

alexandre.poirier@thehydropothecary.com

Director

Adam Miron

819-639-5498vinaymishra188@gmail.com

A coil of dark braids. Colorful Mexican dress. And a signature unibrow. Sixty-three years after her death, Mexican artist Frida Kahlo has achieved a level of fame she never reached in her lifetime, her image emblazoned on mugs, t-shirts, keychains and even underwear. But scholars and the painters descendants lament she has been reduced to a set of distinctive physical features that often overshadows her actual work.

The debate heated up this spring when toymaker Mattel released a Barbie in Kahlos image, over protests from her family.

The Barbie and other merchandise do not capture Kahlos complex legacy as a feminist icon, a disabled woman who channeled her pain into art, an ardent communist and an inspiration to the LGBT community, scholars say.

Frida Kahlo is not a product or a brand. Frida Kahlo is not a doll, said photographer Cristina Kahlo, the artists great niece. For us, it is important to maintain the image of Frida Kahlo as the painter that she was.  Reuterseditorial@tribune.com

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 24

After Karnataka, all eyes are now on the May 28 byelections to four Lok Sabha constituencies  Kairana (Uttar Pradesh), Palghar and Bhandara-Gondiya (Maharashtra) and lone Nagaland seat.

The BJP, which has lost six Lok Sabha constituencies since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, is down by another two following resignations by BS Yeddyurappa and B Sriramulu  its two newly elected members to the Karnataka Assembly who resigned soon after results were declared on May 15.

Though as per the Lok Sabha records on date, Bellary MP Sriramalu and Shimoga MP Yeddyurappa continue to be a member and the BJPs strength in the House 274. Numbers apart, the outcome of the byelections is important from the view of testing partys popularity amid plans by anti-BJP groupings to come together for the 2019 General Election.

Also, the BJPs track record of retaining its seats is not good. Since 2014, it has since lost six constituencies  Ajmer and Alwar (Rajasthan); Gorakhpur and Phulpur (UP); Gurdaspur (Punjab) and Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh).

In 2014, three of these four seats that poll on May 28 were won by the BJP and the Nagaland seat by alliance partner in the North-East  Peoples Democratic Alliance.

Byelections to these seats were necessitated following the death of Kairana and Palghar MPs and resignation by its Bhandara-Gondiya MP. In Nagaland, sitting MP Neiphiu Rio became the Chief Minister with partys support.

Kairana, which follows embarrassing defeats suffered by the BJP on seats held by CM Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Mauraya, is being watched closely. Even though the BJP will still continue to be in majority in the House with allies, a defeat in Kairana will be the boost that regional parties are looking for in the state with as many as 80 Lok Sabha constituencies.

As in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, Kairana has again united the regional parties to take on the BJP candidate  Hukum Singhs daughter Mriganka Singh. Her main rival is Tabassum Hasan from the Ajit Singh-led RLD and backed by the Samajwadi Party. In those terms, Maharashtra seats are relatively easier for the BJP. So far as Nagaland is concerned, it will be a cakewalk, claim leaders.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Guwahati, May 24

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday said that his government is committed to freeing Assam of all illegal foreigners.

Our government came to power on two promises  corruption-free Assam and illegal foreigner-free Assam. We are committed to fulfilling the promises, Sonowal said while addressing the media on the completion of the BJP-led state governments two years in office.

The state has been witnessing protests against the Centres move to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 that seeks to grant citizenship to members of the minority community from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India due to religious persecution in those countries. Sonowal said the government would clear its stand on the Bill after the completion of the final draft of the updated National Register of Citizens (likely to be over by June 30).

The CM, who the holds the Home portfolio, said the government, in coordination with the Border Security Force, is constantly monitoring the situation along the India- Bangladesh border.

Highlighting the governments achievements, he said, Our fight against corruption has also led to a substantial increase in revenue collection and a climate for investment in the state. Assam has received investment proposals worth Rs 79,000 crore during the last two years. Regarding the cash-for-job scam in the Assam Public Service Commission, several serving officers, including 20 state civil service officers, nine state police service officers, nine allied service officers and five others have been arrested.

Sonowal claimed that it was because of corruption-free and a transparent recruitment process during the present regime, 45,000 aspirants had been recruited to various government departments. (With agency inputs)rchopra@tribunemail.com

Raipur, May 24

An official of the CRPFs elite CoBRA unit was on Thursday killed and another jawan injured when a pressure bomb, planted by Naxals, went off in Chhattisgarhs Sukma district, police said.

The blast occurred around 7.45 am in a forest near Puswada village when a road opening party of the 206th battalion of CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action)--a specialised unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)--was out on patrolling, a senior police official told PTI.

Sub-Inspector Rajesh Kumar, belonging to CoBRA 206th battalion, was killed in the explosion while constable Manik Tinpare of the same unit sustained minor injuries, he said.

The road opening party had launched the operation between Timilwada to Dornapal, around 500 km from here, he said.

While the security personnel were cordoning off a forest near Puswada, the CoBRA official came in contact with a pressure improvised explosive device (IED), planted by Maoists beneath the dirt track, that exploded leaving the two personnel, including him, injured, he said.

Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and the injured personnel were brought to field hospital of the CRPF in Chintagufa where Kumar succumbed to his injuries, he said.

The injured jawan would be airlifted to Raipur for further medication, he said.

A combing operation had been launched in the area to nab the ultras, he added. PTIrchopra@tribunemail.com

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 24

Lt Gen Zorawar Chand Bakshi, one of Indias most highly decorated generals, is no more. He passed away at New Delhi at the age of 97. Fondly called Zoru by his friends, he was decorated for gallantry with the Maha Vir Chakra, Vir Chakra, Mention-in-Despatches, besides being awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal for distinguished service.

He is survived by a son and two daughters, one of whom is married to a brigadier. According to his son Rajeev, he had developed lung infection two days ago and breathed his last today morning.

Those who knew him said that while being known as a strict disciplinarian, he was well regarded by officers and men and remained an icon and a source of inspiration to the past and present generations of officers in India.

Gen Bakshi hailed from Gulyana village near Rawalpindi in Pakistan, where he was born in 1921. His father, Bahadur Bakshi Lal Chand, served with the erstwhile British Indian Army and was decorated with the Order of British India.

After graduating from Rawalpindis Gordon College in 1942, he was commissioned into the Baloch Regiment in 1943. His first major engagement was against the Japanese in Burma in World War II, where he was Mentioned-in-Despatches for overcoming a heavily fortified Japanese position. After the liberation of Burma, he participated in the operations to liberate Malaysia from Japanese control, earning a fast-track promotion to the rank of a Major for his role.

After Partition, he was transferred to the 5th Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army and soon after saw action during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947-1948, where he was awarded the Vir Chakra in July 1948. In 1949, he received the MacGregor Medal, awarded to Indian armed forces personnel for valuable reconnaissance.

In the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, he was instrumental in the capture of the strategic Haji Pir Pass in the Uri Sector from the Pakistani forces, for which he was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. He was commanding a brigade employed on the difficult task of capturing Basali, Haji Pir and Kahuta, which was vital for the Uri-Poonch link-up. His citation states that throughout this operation, Brigadier Bakshi remained in the forefront and displayed a high standard of planning and tactical skill, combined with outstanding leadership, determination and camaraderie in sharing the hardships of his troops.

In the early 1960s he had led his battalion in a United Nations Operation in Congo. In 1969-1970, he took part in counter-insurgency operations in the North-East. During the 1971 Indo-Pak war he oversaw operations in the crucial Chickens Neck area in the Sialkot sector, capturing territory from enemy control. During his 36 years service, he commanded the Second Battalion of 5 GR, 68 Infantry Brigade, 8 and 26 Mountain Divisions and the C Corps at Chandimandir, before retiring in 1979. He also served as the Military Secretary at Army Headquarters.rchopra@tribunemail.com

New Delhi, May 24

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held wide-ranging talks with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte during which both sides decided to deepen engagement in a range of areas, including trade, investment, energy and agriculture.

After the talks, Modi, in his media statement, said his commitment towards economic reforms will remain strong.

He said besides bilateral matters, he and Rutte discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Modi also hailed the Netherlands for becoming part of the International Solar Alliance today.

I had called upon the Netherlands to join the International Solar Alliance and I am happy to tell you that the country has become a member of it today, Modi said.

In his comments, Rutte said there was a huge scope for the two countries to deepen cooperation in areas of trade and investment, clean energy, agriculture and smart cities.

This is Ruttes second visit to India as Prime Minister and he is accompanied by a strong business delegation. His last visit to India was in June 2015.

Ruttes visit comes within a year of Modis trip to the Netherlands in June last. India and the Netherlands have a bilateral trade of USD 5.39 billion and they are likely to focus on increasing it further.

The Netherlands is the fifth largest investor in India with a cumulative investment of USD 23 billion from 2000 to December 2017. The country is also home to a 2,35,000-strong Indian diaspora, the largest in mainland Europe.

Earlier, Rutte had tweeted in Hindi saying he is happy to be in beautiful India.

India and the Netherlands have shared close relations for the past 70 years which have strengthened over the passage of time. Eager to meet @narendramodi, he wrote on Twitter.

Rutte arrived here today on a two-day visit to India. PTIeditorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 24

The Centre today reassured the people that the current Nipah virus outbreak was localised in Kerala and had not spread out of the state.

With nine and three deaths, Keralas Kozhikode and Malappuram are the most affected districts, together accounting for all the 12 deaths from the virus. Two of the deaths were reported today. Fourteen confirmed and 20 suspected cases are under management at Kozhikode Medical College and Trivandrum Medical College.

The central experts of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) today issued a late evening statement to dispel fears of Nipah spread beyond Kerala.

Amid panic in Himachal Pradeshs Nahan after 18 bats were found dead in a local school and apprehension of spread in Karnataka, the Health Ministry said, After reviewing cases of all the patients who have lost their lives, the central high-level team is of the view that the Nipah virus disease is not a major outbreak and is only a local occurrence.

The NCDC has asked people to maintain safe hygiene practices like washing hands, avoiding consumption of fruits and vegetables partly eaten by birds or animals and avoid going near infected persons.

Rush last rites

The Centre urged family members of people dying from Nipah infection to conduct last rites as early as possible to prevent spread of the highly contagious disease. During this emotional moment, traditional rituals and practices may need to be modified to prevent the exposure of family members to the disease, the Health Ministry said.Newport Beach, Calif., May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DPW Holdings, Inc. (NYSE American: DPW) ("DPW" or the "Company"), a diversified holding company, announced today that it has expanded into an investment similar to what a private equity firm could undertake, partnering with perennial restauranteurs to acquire IAM, Inc., the owner of the Prep Kitchen brand restaurants located in the greater San Diego area. DPWs new partners, Deborah and David Krause, will operate IAM, Inc. through their hospitality management company and oversee the management of the Prep Kitchen branded restaurants. Deborah and David Krause are experienced professionals with over 50 years of service managing both niche and named brand locations. They intend to expand the Prep Kitchen brand throughout California starting in 2018 as well as expand the portfolio of restaurant brands owned by IAM, Inc.

The Companys subsidiary Digital Power Lending, LLC, has provided financing to IAM, Inc.to finance the acquisition. Shareholders, investors and the public are encouraged to read the Current Report on Form 8-K that will be filed with the SEC within the required reporting period and available on www.DPWHoldings.com under the Investor Relations tab.

We are very excited about partnering with Deborah and David Krause who have many years of experience successfully managing and growing hospitality businesses. Deborah and David are amazing and we look forward to providing additional support as their company grows. We are confident they will expand their presence in the hospitality sector and bring value to the DPW shareholders, said Milton Todd Ault, III, the CEO and Chairman of DPW Holdings, Inc.

With Mr. Aults years of experience in the hospitality sector, DPW Holdings was a natural fit to partner with. We look forward to working with Mr. Ault and his team to build IAM, Inc., expand the Prep Kitchen brand and create and develop other brands over the next decade, stated Deborah Krause, operating partner of IAM, Inc.





ABOUT DPW HOLDINGS, INC.

Headquartered in Newport Beach, CA, DPW Holdings, Inc. (www.DPWHoldings.com), is a diversified holding company with a growth strategy of acquiring undervalued assets, disruptive technologies, sustainable solutions, and exciting ventures for incubation and development to their full potential for long-term growth and investor returns.

DPW, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Coolisys Technologies, Inc., is dedicated to providing world-class technology-based solutions for critical applications and lifesaving services, in which innovation is the main driver. Coolisys serves the defense, aerospace, naval, homeland security, medical, telecom, datacom, and industrial markets. Its growth strategy targets core markets that are characterized by high barriers to entry and that require specialized products and services that are not likely to be commoditized. Through its portfolio companies, Coolisys develops and manufactures cutting-edge switching power products and power solutions utilizing its customized digital power management and resonant topology to achieve the highest efficiency and highest density power converters and inverters; specialized complex airborne high-frequency, radio frequency (RF), and microwave detector-log video amplifiers (DLVA); very high-frequency filters; and naval power conversion and distribution equipment. Coolisys provides its technology and services through its three primary groups: the Power Solutions Group (PSG); the Defense and Aerospace Solutions Group (DSG); and the Advanced Service Industries (ASI) Group. Coolisys manages five divisions, including Digital Power Corporation, www.DigiPwr.com, a leading provider of power electronics technology based in Northern California; Digital Power Limited dba Gresham Power Ltd., www.GreshamPower.com, a designer and manufacturer of power distribution systems primarily for Naval use based in Salisbury, UK; Microphase Corporation, www.MicroPhase.com , a designer and manufacturer of microwave electronics technology based in Shelton, CT; Power-Plus Technical Distributors, www.Power-Plus.com, a value-added distributor based in Sonora, CA; and Enertec Systems, a developer and manufacturer of specialized advanced electronic systems for the defense and aerospace sectors based in Karmiel, Israel.

Digital Power Lending, LLC, www.DigitalPowerLending.com, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, is based in Fremont, CA, and is a California private lending company operating under Financial Lenders License ##60DBO-77905 dedicated to strategically providing capital to small and middle size businesses for an equity interest in addition to loan fees and interest. Super Crypto Mining, Inc. www.SuperCryptoMining.com is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, is based in Fremont CA that leverages its engineering expertise and existing locations to create crypto currency mining facilities across the globe. Super Crypto Mining, Inc. operates the branded division, Super Crypto Power, www.SuperCryptoPower.com. Excelo, LLC, www.Excelo.com, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, is a national search firm specializing in fulfilling strategic executive, professional and hi-tech placements for businesses delivering world-class services. DPW Holdings, Inc.s headquarters is located at 201 Shipyard Way, Suite E, CA 92663; www.DPWHoldings.com. For Investor inquiries: IR@DPWHoldings.com or 1-888-753-2235.





Forward-Looking Statements

The foregoing 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, including statements regarding the acquisition and the ability to consummate the acquisition. These forward-looking statements generally include statements that are predictive in nature and depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and include words such as believes, plans, anticipates, projects, estimates, expects, intends, strategy, future, opportunity, may, will, should, could, potential, or similar expressions. Statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any of them publicly in light of new information or future events. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors. More information, including potential risk factors, that could affect the Companys business and financial results are included in the Companys filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the Companys Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. All filings are available at www.sec.gov and on the Companys website at www.DPWHoldings.com.rchopra@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 24

The Centre on Thursday scotched apprehensions of Nipah virus spreading outside Kerala saying the infection remains localised and the current outbreak is not major.

In a statement, the Health Ministry quoted experts of the National Centre for Disease Control to assure that the disease spread is confined to Kerala.

The statement came amid reports of fears around the infection spreading to bordering Karnataka and panic in Himachal Pradesh after some bats were found dead in a given area.

After reviewing the cases of all the patients who have lost their lives, the Central High-level Team is of the view that the Nipah virus disease is not a major outbreak and is only a local occurrence. The team has also further fine-tuned the draft guidelines, case definitions, advisory for healthcare workers, information to the general public, advisories for sample collection and transportation accordingly, the Health Ministry said.

The ministry confirmed 12 Nipah deaths and 20 suspected cases.

With the death of one more patient who tested positive for Nipah virus on Thursday morning, the disease has claimed 12 lives in Kerala, officials said.

The death of Moosa was confirmed at a private hospital where he was being treated. Early this month, two of his sons and a relative also passed away. They were the first cases that were reported last week.

Meanwhile, though the incidence of patients coming for treatment with symptoms of NiP is on the decline, Kozhikode Collector UV Jose has banned till May 31 all public meetings and even training courses, including tuitions, to avoid assembly of people.

The health department said on Thursday that a total of 160 samples were sent for testing to Pune. Of the 22 results that had come, 14 had tested positive.

Meanwhile, the authorities have come out with a protocol to be carried out when the last rites of victims of NiP are carried out.

While cremation is favoured as the best method to stop the further spread of infection, in case families opt for burial, the body will have to be covered in a polythene bag and then put into a very deep pit.

The Kozhikode Medical College has 136 patients while nearby Malappuram district has 24 who are under observation.

A large number of medical professionals and health experts deputed by the Centre, the state government and the private sector are working in Kozhikode and Malappuram by meeting those who are under observation besides carrying out awareness programmes, an official said.

The authorities in Kozhikode on Thursday decided to take action against two staff members at the state-owned crematorium here for not cooperating with the conduct of the last rites.

Transmission of NiV takes place through direct contact with infected bats, pigs or other NiV-infected persons.  With IANSsanjiv@tribunemail.com

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 24

The Army has instructed its personnel not to stop or check civilian vehicles entering military cantonments across the country, leading to voices of protest.

A letter issued to all commands by Lt Gen RK Anand, Director General, Land Works and Environment Directorate, stipulates that civilians can use all roads inside cantonments.

All barriers, check-posts and roadblocks will be removed. Vehicles will not be stopped or checked, says the May 21 letter.

Retired personnel have taken to the social media to voice their concern over how such orders may be detrimental to the safety and security of Army personnel and their families, given that terrorists have targeted military stations in the past.

A large number of families of soldiers posted on tough duties like Siachen, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh live in accommodation provided inside cantonments.

The instructions are the outcome of a May 19 meeting chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to review the closure of roads in cantonments. It was decided that all roads, partially or fully closed, would be opened on May 22. Around 80 roads have been opened for civilian use. As per the Director General of Defence Estates, 62 cantonments, including Ambala, Amritsar, Dagshai, Dalhousie, Delhi, Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Kasauli and Subathu, are notified under the Cantonments Act 1924, amended in 2006.

The letter stipulates that sentries will record the flow of traffic on these roads for 30 days. A review of the threat perception and security concerns, besides inconvenience to the civilian population, will follow.

A senior functionary, however, said this review should have been carried out before opening these roads. A January 2015 letter by the Army lays down specific rules and procedures for opening roads in cantonments. It calls for a review before any such move.

There has been concern over how the civilian population is inconvenienced owing to the closure of roads in places like Secunderabad and Pune. However, there is umbrage within the force and ex-servicemen over lack of review of the risk involved.

The May 21 letter, however, exempts Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar, Satwari road at Jammu Divisional Headquarters, and Parade road in Delhi Cantonment, which will remain open to public from 5 am to 11 pm.gspannu7@gmail.com

Yash Goyal

Jaipur, May 23

Makhani Devi, 70, had lost all hopes that her husband would be alive as he had disappeared 36 years ago from the small village Maharkalan in Jaipurs Samod area.

Makhani and her two sons were stunned earlier this month when a policeman approached them for verification of nationality of Gajananad, who was traced to a Pakistan jail.

Hume khushi to itni hai ki Pitaji mil gaye, chahe Pakistan mein, magar bhram aur dar ka mahol hai ki vo ghar kaise ayenge (Our happiness knows no bounds that father is found, even if in Pakistan, still fearful and confused how he is going to come back home), Mukesh Sharma, who was 12 when his father went missing in 1982, told The Tribune on Thursday.

We all do not know when and how my father disappeared from our village. My mother is illiterate and approached the police station, searched everywhere but to no avail. She had not lodged an FIR. Slowly we all came to a decision that he is not alive, Mukesh, who is now a 4th class employee in the states Family Welfare Department, said.

We will approach the state government and also the Central Government especially Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, who helps Indians are stuck abroad. But we do not know still how he will be back as we have no official paper in hand concerning my father, he said.

On May 1, the Ministry of External Affairs sent a letter to confirm the nationality and whereabouts of Gajanand Sharma to the state Intelligence (CID) who marked the inquiry to the Samod police station.

Meanwhile, Gajanands family had moved to Jaipurs Brahampuri area and left the village.

Samod police finally traced the family and confirmed that Gajanand Sharma was presently lodged in a Pakitan jail, a senior cop told The Tribune.

On May 18, Samod police SP (Jaipur Rural) Rameshwar Singh had verified to us Gajanands nationality and present location of the family in Jaipurs Brahampuri area. Now IB has marked the inquiry for further verification to DCP-North here, then after receiving it, a report would be submitted to the MEA, the cop said.

The reasons of Gajanands disappearance and lodging in Pakistan jail are not known to Rajasthan Intelligence department and IB can not comment on any related questions as we have done a verification job of a person on MEAs letter, he said.rchopra@tribunemail.com

New Delhi/Chennai/Tuticorin, May 24

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday appealed to the people of Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu to remain calm and maintain peace in the wake of the violence that has claimed 13 lives.

The Home Ministry has sought a report from the Tamil Nadu government on the police firing and the prevailing situation in the port city, the minister said.

I am deeply pained at the loss of precious lives during the agitation at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu. My thoughts are with bereaved families. I also pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.

I appeal to the people in Tuticorin to remain calm and maintain peace and tranquillity in the region," he said in a statement here.

Meanwhile, the death toll from police firing at Tuticorin on Thursday went up to 13, even as cases were registered against Opposition leaders, including DMKs M K Stalin and actor-politician Kamal Haasan for defying probibitory orders, officials said.

Over 100 people were arrested for protesting police firing on Tuesday and Wednesday in the port city that left 13 dead.

Amid a political slugfest over the incidents of police-public clashes, DMK leader Stalin held a sit-in protest at Fort St George, the state secretariat, before being physically lifted and removed by security personnel, while Chief Minister K Palaniswami broke his silence and blamed the opposition for instigating violence.

Among those killed were two women, a senior police officer told PTI.

Cases were filed against Stalin, MDMK chief Vaiko, and Kamal Haasan, who recently founded political outfit Makkal Needhi Maiam, for defying prohibitory orders yesterday while visiting a hospital in Tuticorin where those injured in clashes were convalescing.

Over 100 people were arrested in Tuticorin for rioting, setting ablaze and damaging public property, and assaulting police personnel.

Cases under IPC sections and the Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act were registered against them. As many as 65 of those arrested were granted bail by a Tuticorin court later in the day.

Sandeep Nanduri and Murali Rambha, meanwhile, assumed charge as the Collector and SP of Tuticorin.

N Venkatesh and P Mahendran, collector and police superintendent respectively were yesterday shunted out of Tuticorin following the violence.

Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from a few places in Tuticorin city where a state-run liqour outlet was ransacked early today.

Normal life continued to be affected for the third day today as modes of public transport including buses, and autos did not ply. Most shops were shut.

Police in anti-riot gear patrolled the streets as prohibitory orders banning assembly of more than four people continued to be in force.

The government had yesterday ordered suspension of internet services in Tuticorin and adjoining districts of Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari for five days to prevent spread of rumours through social media and help restore peace.

Violent protests had erupted in the city on Tuesday and Wednesday as locals took to streets demanding closure of a copper factory of the Vedanta group over pollution concerns.

Demanding the resignation of Palaniswami and sacking of state police chief T K Rajendran over large-scale arson and violence in Tuticorin, about 600 km from state capital Chennai, Stalin staged a sit-in with party MLAs at Fort St George complex.

Even after police removed the agitators from the secretariat premises, they continued the protest at Rajaji Salai, right in front of Fort St George.

Raising slogans like we want justice and shame on the government, the protesters demanded immediate resignation of the Palaniswami government.

A Palaniswami broke his silence and blamed opposition parties and anti-social elements for the violence that brought the city down to its knees.

Terming the incidents as unfortunate, he condoled the deaths and said all past agitations for the closure of the plant were peaceful.

This time around it (protest) turned violent. It was due to instigation by some political parties and owing to infiltration by anti-social elements, Palaniswamy, who is under relentless attack from the Opposition, said.

Recalling steps taken by the AIADMK governments for the closure of the plant, Palaniswami said the deliberate violence was meant to bring disrepute to the government and put it under pressure.

He said the state government was making efforts for the closure of the plant since 2013, when late J Jayalalithaa was the chief minister.

As far as Ammas government is concerned, we respect peoples feelings, he said, adding all legal steps were under way to shut the Sterlite plant, and cases were pending before the Supreme Court and High Court.

Stalin said DMK and ally Congresss MLAs boycotted todays meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of the state legislature ahead of the start of the Assembly session on May 29.

The Leader of Opposition assailed the chief minister for not visiting the families of the victims of police firing, and said the shifting of the district collector and police chief hardly mattered, as it did not amount to any action against them.

The chief minsiter is not bothered about the people.

He should immediately resign. Director General of Police T K Rajendran must also be removed or he should resign, Stalin said, adding MLAs of his party and ally Congress made these demands at the BAC meeting before walking out.

The government is in limbo, he said, and demanded a judicial inquiry into the incidents by a sitting judge of the Madras High Court.

The government had yesterday constituted an inquiry commission headed by retired HC judge Aruna Jagadeesan to probe the circumstances leading to violence and subsequent police firing. PTIeditorial@tribune.com

Chennai/Tuticorin, May 24

The police firing toll at Tuticorin on Thursday went up to 13, even as cases were registered against Opposition leaders, including DMKs MK Stalin and actor-politician Kamal Haasan, for defying prohibitory orders, officials said.

Amid a political slugfest over the incidents of police-public clashes, Stalin held a sit-in at Fort St George, the state secretariat, before being physically lifted and removed by security personnel, while Chief Minister K Palaniswami blamed the Opposition for instigating violence.

Cases were filed against Stalin, MDMK chief Vaiko, and Kamal Haasan, who recently founded political outfit Makkal Needhi Maiam, for defying prohibitory orders on Wednesday while visiting a hospital in Tuticorin where those injured in clashes were convalescing. Over 100 people were arrested in Tuticorin for rioting, setting ablaze and damaging public property, and assaulting police personnel. As many as 65 of those arrested were granted bail by a Tuticorin court.

Sandeep Nanduri and Murali Rambha, meanwhile, assumed charge as the Collector and SP of Tuticorin, respectively. N Venkatesh and P Mahendran, collector and police superintendent, respectively, were on Wednesday shunted out of Tuticorin following the violence.

Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from a few places in the city where a state-run liquor outlet was ransacked early on Thursday.

Normal life continued to be affected for the third day as modes of public transport did not ply. Most shops were shut.

Police in anti-riot gear patrolled the streets as prohibitory orders banning assembly of more than four people continued to be in force. The government had on Wednesday ordered suspension of internet services in Tuticorin and adjoining districts of Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari for five days to prevent spread of rumours through social media.

Violent protests had erupted in the city on Tuesday and Wednesday as locals took to streets demanding closure of a copper factory of the Vedanta group over pollution concerns. Demanding the resignation of Palaniswami and sacking of state police chief TK Rajendran over large-scale arson and violence in Tuticorin, about 600 km from state capital Chennai, Stalin staged a sit-in with party MLAs at Fort St George complex. Even after police removed the agitators from the secretariat premises, they continued the protest at Rajaji Salai, right in front of Fort St George.

Palaniswami blamed the Opposition and anti-social elements for the violence that brought the city down to its knees. Terming the incidents unfortunate, he mourned the deaths and said all past agitations for the closure of the plant were peaceful. He said the state government was making efforts for the closure of the plant since 2013, when late J Jayalalithaa was the CM. As far as Ammas government is concerned, we respect peoples feelings, he said, adding all legal steps were underway to shut the plant, and cases were pending in courts.

Stalin said: The CM is not bothered about the people. He should resign. DGP TK Rajendran must also be removed or he should quit.  PTIeditorial@tribune.com

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Kiri Afghana (Gurdaspur), May 24

A few minutes past the midnight of May 15-16, Munesh Pal, unit head of Chadha Sugars and Industries Private Limited, was jolted from his sleep with the news that things were getting out of hand as thousands of quintal of molasses had got overheated and was threatening to spill over in both lagoons.

Pal alerted the plant and production heads, as well as other mill officials living in a guest house in Qadian, a town nearby. But by the time the officials reached the site, the lagoons were already overflowing, and Punjabs single-largest environmental disaster in recent years was under way.

Molasses is a thick dark-to-light brown liquid that is separated from raw sugar in the manufacturing process. It is a byproduct (and not a waste product) of sugar-making. Experts say it heats up automatically; and when it does, it threatens to overflow the tanks (or lagoons) it is stored in.

Speaking to The Tribune, Munesh Pal claimed, A spillover can be delayed, but not averted, by using various techniques, including one called circulation, which was tried that night. Once it gets heated, it acts like lava, and becomes difficult to control. And that night it overflowed from the lagoons and seeped its way through the earth (not over-ground) into the Kahnuwan drain passing by the premises boundary. The drain further leads to the Beas, less than a kilometre away.

More than 1.4 lakh quintal of molasses was stored in the lagoons. It is commonly measured in quintals, and not litres, because of its high density.

Concrete vs steel tanks

Experts say the catastrophe, which has disturbed the ecological balance of one of the main rivers of Punjab, could have been averted had the liquid been stored in the two steel tanks meant for it. However, a mill official claimed: We have two steel tanks. While one was already full, there was danger of molasses getting damaged due to infection in the other tank. So we moved the entire stock to the two lagoons. This is a legal practice. In UP there are at least 50 mills which store molasses in lagoons.

That night three JCB machines were pressed into service for transporting earth to barricade the lagoons. Attempts were also made to raise earthen walls; even as some headway was made, one of the walls collapsed due to the force of the lava, mill officials claimed. Efforts were also made to build barricades near Bhutanpur village to save agriculture fields. While that worked, the flow could not be prevented from reaching the river.

A five-minute boil of 10,000 quintal of molasses led to the states biggest environmental catastrophe, even as 200 of the mills 350 permanent employees attempted to save the situation. Lessons from a similar calamity on April 28, 2015, had obviously not been learnt by the management.

Dead fish

On May 16, before sunrise, somebody from nearby Bhutanpur village informed officials that some fish had turned up dead in the river. By noon the realisation dawned that it was thousands of fish. PPCB officials landed at the mill and sealed it. The management has now called in teams of engineers and chemical experts from the National Institute of Sugar, Kanpur, to investigate the exact cause of what has been declared an accident. The teams are likely to reach next week.

Overload?

While no mill official was willing to go on record on this, but an administration officer claimed that farmers were pressuring the administration to not stop the crushing even as the mill was full to capacity. And mill officials could not find ways and store the extra stock. Deputy Commissioner Gurlovleen Singh Sidhu, however, said it was normal practice for officials to ask the mills located in their respective areas to take in extra load whenever there is a bumper crop. How can we be faulted? It is for the mill to devise ways and means to take care of the extra molasses, Sidhu questioned. As of now, production at the states only mill that produces refined sugar has been halted.

CM forms panel

Chandigarh: Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has constituted a high-powered committee under the chairmanship of Environment Minister OP Soni to suggest measures for cleaning rivers in the state. The committee, tasked with suggesting ways to ensure supply of clean potable water, has been asked to submit its report within 10 days. The Chief Secretary has been directed to work out modalities for making funds available for this project. The CM has also asked the Water Supply and Sewerage Board to give a detailed presentation on cleaning Buddha Nullah in Ludhiana. TNSeditorial@tribune.com

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 23

A green belt at Golden Temple is turning into a reality. Though the shrine is known for its rarest four-century-old beris (jujube) trees  Dukhbhanjani Beri, Ber Baba Budha Sahib and Lachi Ber  the green area is being envisaged as a place where devotees can sit and relax.

SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal-led executive body had proposed a green belt and the work was awarded to Baba Kashmir Singh Bhuriwale.

Two acres between Guru Ram Dass Jee Langar Hall and Gurdwara Manji Sahib has been demarcated for the purpose. There is this green area having two parks. The idea is to construct one park with the essence of seasonal flowers and herbal plants.

The services of GNDUs landscaping and floriculture expert Dr Jaswinder Singh Bilga are being taken.

Our focus is to plant herbaceous varieties which grow fast and produce flowers and many seeds in a short span, said officials.

Experts from Ahmedabad-based landscaping company visited the site. After observing the Golden Temples ambience, the experts submitted a few plans for the project. A blueprint was shown to SGPC chief secretary Dr Roop Singh, secretary Manjit Singh Batth, Dr Bilga and Avtar Singh Sampla.

Dr Bilga said: This proposal is good. The 26-ft wide concrete stretch that divides the two parks will be razed. Then, some rare uniquely coloured flowers and saplings will be planted. Special lights, too, will be installed, he said.

SGPC spokesperson and Additional secretary Diljit Singh said a few designs had been shortlisted, which would be shown to the SGPC president. The final decision would be taken by the executive body.editorial@tribune.com

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 24

Two years after a bloody war between Damdami Taksal and Sikh preacher Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale, that claimed the life of the latters aide, the Amritsar-based Sikh seminary has again issued death threats to the preacher.

The new war of words between the two sides erupted after the chief spokesperson of the Taksal, Charanjit Singh Jassowal, issued death threats to Sikh preacher during a meeting held at the Taksal headquarters at Gurdwara Gurdarshan Parkash, Chowk Mehta, near Amritsar, on May 20.

A meeting was called there to discus the events to be undertaken by the Taksal to observe the anniversary of Operation Bluestar on June 6. It was in the presence of seminary head Harnam Singh Dhumma and other religious leaders, SGPC members and various groups that Jassowal advocated the murder of Sikh parcharaks, and more specifically directed his threats towards Dhadrianwale.

Though the Taksal on Thursday dissociated its head from Jassowals statement, claiming that the seminary head had not approved it, the video of the event went viral on the social media. Following this, Dhadrianwale, too, posted a 30-minute video, calling these threats as religious gundagardi.

Raking up the two-year-old case wherein Taksal members had led an attack on his cavalcade near Ludhiana in which one of his aides was killed, Dhadrianwale questioned the silence of the Akal Takht on the matter. The preacher also explained that his religious discourses were based on facts, as written in Gurbani.

After the matter caused a stir on the social media, the government responded to the issue, which has the capacity to snowball into a major controversy in the state.

In a statement, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh asked the police to increase the security of the preacher, while issuing a stern warning to Damdami Taksal.

Not to be cowed down, the Taksal held a meeting in the seminary late on Thursday evening and warned the CM against degrading the prestige of the Taksal.

Sarchand Singh, a Taksal spokesperson, has told The Tribune that the tone and tenor of the statement issued by the CM is in favour of those who preach against the principles of Gurmat, while targeting the seminary head Harnam Singh. We will not tolerate this, he said.

He added that the Taksal was against Sikh preachers who claim to propagate the religion, but were actually preaching against the laid down tenets of the religion. He accused both Dhadrianwale and another Sikh preacher Amrik Singh Chandigarh of trying to divide the Sikhs.

Was attacked two years ago

In May 2016, unidentified gunmen opened fire at Sikh preacher Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwales cavalcade near Ludhiana, leaving his aide Bhupinder Singh dead

The preacher, however, escaped with minor injuries

They were on their way to attend a congregation at Isewal village in three cars when the incident took place

Cops see pattern in the attack

Intelligence and police sources point out a pattern in the attack on Sikh preacher Amrik Singh Chandigarh in London; statements issued by Sikh Federation, Germany, against the Sikh preachers; and the new war of words that have erupted between Dhadrianwale and the Damdami Taksal. Many believe that the issue is being blown up by the radical factions, who want to get foothold in the Sikh politics here. Police sources say in the case of death threats to Dhadrianwale, the issue is being examined and appropriate legal action will be taken.SAN DIEGO, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is one of the ailments that need to be addressed longer. Long-term therapy may be needed so that the signs and symptoms are managed accordingly. But then, there are chances of developing various reactions to the medications over time, as the treatment progresses. When it comes to long-term treatment, patients have to talk things over with their doctors so that a good plan of action could be plotted. If the patients are children, then the parents would do well to ask their doctors for the best treatment regimen for their children.



One of the medications that are used for ADHD is Adderall. This is basically one of the drugs of choice for ADHD. As the drug has amphetamine components, there are big chances of developing various side effects or dependence to this. That is why careful planning is needed on the part of the doctor. Due to the high risk of abusing this drug, it is a carefully monitored and controlled medication. The long-term effects of using this drug, however, are both good and bad, as what many users say. Many are worried that maybe most of the things that they might develop are negative, but doctors say that there are also a lot of good effects in store for them.

Positive and Negative Side Effects of Taking Adderall Long Term

One of the main concerns of people who take this medication is that they might develop dependence or become dependent on the drug. Medical experts say that the secret lies in the proper computation of the dosage. The doctor has to be extra keen on dosing so that the patient will only develop positive results once he or she takes the medication. The dosage should just be enough to get rid of unwanted signs and symptoms. If there are any side effects out of taking the medication, it could still be managed with the help of the doctor. There are still other things to worry about while getting treated for ADHD.

Other long-term effects associated with the use of Adderall are positive, such as increased mental focus, motivation, and a lot more. In brain scans, experts say that there is a significant increase in size in the areas responsible for focus and attention. Another good long-term effect of using Adderall for ADHD is that even when the people stop taking this medication (as per doctors advice), the effects they had while they were still on the medication would still continue. They will still be able to manage their signs and symptoms well.

Adderall Stops being Effective Long Term?

A lot of experts say through the studies they conducted that there is a possibility that the effects of Adderall could fade over time. By then, the people may already be on another type of treatment for their ADHD. It is really a good thing to try to talk to ones doctor about the ideal treatment for one who has ADHD. It is important to know which treatment options would be the best. Many doctors recommend Adderall because the good results tend to retain a lot longer, but low chances of developing addiction or tolerance.

While Adderall should be used for good cause, there are recorded cases of Adderall abuse side effects. If you or your loved one is suspected to have Adderall addiction, do not hesitate to ask for help or visit TheRecover.com for more information about Adderall addiction.

Contact Info:

Author: Kevin Leonard

Organization: TheRecover.com

Address: 27420 Jefferson Ave, Temecula, CA 92590

Phone: (888) 510-3898

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/42376781-84ae-4d42-91fa-0ff60130b668ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 23

Even as the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) on Wednesday issued a notice to Chadha Sugar Mill for the molasses spill into the Beas, asking why action should not be initiated against it for alleged violations, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in Delhi issued a notice to Punjab, the Centre and their agencies on a petition filed by Punjabs AAP MLAs.

Acting Chairperson of the NGT Justice Jawad Rahim issued notices to the Punjab Pollution Control Board, the Municipal Corporations of Ludhiana and Jalandhar and the Central Pollution Control Board besides the Punjab and Union Governments.

Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Sukhpal Singh Khaira accused Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh of tacit support to owners of industries guilty of polluting Punjabs rivers. Khaira, Bathinda (Rural) and Mansa MLAs Rupinder Singh Ruby and Nazar Singh Manshahia, who moved the NGT, were represented by AAPs Dakha legislator HS Phoolka.

The petitioners alleged that poisonous discharge  untreated water, industrial and chemical waste  into the Beas and the Sutlej had endangered aquatic animals and local residents, especially in the Malwa belt.

With contaminated water entering the Rajasthan feeder, Rajasthan Sikh Education and Welfare Society chief Hardeep Singh Diboiba too filed a complaint with the tribunal. The Indira Gandhi canal supplies water to Hanumangarh, Sriganganagar, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and other districts in north and western region of the desert state. (With PTI inputs)rchopra@tribunemail.com

Pavneet Singh Chadha

Tribune News Service

Mohali, May 24



The first chargesheet filed by National Investigation Agency (NIA) against 15 accused in the killing of senior RSS leader Ravinder Gosain, who was shot dead outside his house by two masked bike-borne assailants in Ludhiana on October 17, 2017, reveals how Hardeep Singh (Shera) and Ramandeep Singh (Canadian), were radicalised into executing the murders.

Four Proclaimed Offenders (POs) Harmeet Singh (suspected to be in Pakistan), Gurjant (Australia), Gursharanbir (UK) and Gurjinder Shastri (Italy) were the main masterminds behind targeted killings, who recruited and trained the duo.



Recruitment and training

According to NIA, Harminder Singh Mintoo, the self-styled chief of Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), met Shera, a permanent resident of Italy, at Hardeeps uncles house in Solarolo Rainerio, Cremona, Italy, in June 2013 and allegedly convinced Shera to commit violence in the name of Khalistan.

After Mintoos arrest, Harmeet Singh alias PhD, communicated with Shera through a skype ID (billobakra) and via signal messenger application.

Harmeet PhD, originally from Amritsar and suspected to be in Pakistan since 2008 allegedly under the tutelage of ISI, also recruited Ramandeep Singh (Canadian) through Facebook. He allegedly tactically and mentally brainwashed the duo that RSS and Shiv Sena were responsible for carrying out an anti-Sikh campaign and Sikhs were being persecuted.

Harmeet arranged for Sheras training in Dubai in May or June 2015, but Sheras visa was denied since he was too young to travel without a guardian. Therafter, he received training in Italy from Gursharanbir Singh.

Shera flew between Italy and India on seven occasions between December 21, 2015 and November 10, 2017.

Ramandeep received weapons training from Gursharanbir in Sharjah for 15 days and flew to Dubai on March 28, 2015.

Gursharanbir told the duo to follow the command without question. He told them to use coded language when communicating on social media and shun posting sensitive material on internet to avoid detection from law-enforcement agencies.



Money trail

Shera received a total of Rs 23,14,366 in 19 transactions between July 19, 2016 and November 8, 2017 for weapons purchase, travelling expenses and other miscellaneous expenditures. The funds were mainly received through money transfer services, Western Union and Moneygram, banks and through hawala channels routed from Italy, Australia, the UK, Italy and Australia.

According to the chargesheet, Canadian, a sewing machine mechanic, purchased an Innova for Rs 5.2 lakh, made three foreign tours to Dubai and Singapore and also bought five pistols for Rs 4.85 lakh.

In aggregate, both the accused purchased a total of 10 weapons.

Canadian sourced five weapons from Dharminder Singh (Guguni) while Shera purchased weapons from the Meerut-Ghaziabad area of UP.harinder@tribunemail.com

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Servi9ce

New Delhi, May 24

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to conduct tests to determine the quality of water in the Beas, the Sutlej and the Buddha Nullah and submit a report within six weeks.

Three AAP MLAs, including Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Sukhpal Singh Khaira, had on Wednesday jointly petitioned the tribunal on the matter. The NGT asked for separate reports on the Beas, the Sutlej and the nullah. The case will now come up for hearing on July 17. The NGT specifically mentioned that the samples be collected at sites cited in the petition.

According to the petitioners, the Buddha Nullah, that merges with the Sutlej at Balipur village in Ludhiana, contaminates the river water with Ludhianas industrial waste, medical waste and untreated sewerage.

Tribunals Acting Chairman Justice Jawad Rahim declined the PPCB plea to dismiss the petition on the grounds that it was politically motivated and ignored the counsels reference to the Shahkot byelection.

The tribunal issued notices to Rana Sugars Ltd and Chadha Sugar Mill Industries for allegedly discharging industrial waste into the Sutlej.

The AAP MLAs allege that Rana Sugars Ltd, owned by Congress leader Rana Gurjit Singh, a former minister, has been discharging poisonous chemicals into a drain close by, thereby polluting the Beas. Chadha Sugar Mill, they claim, is owned by a relative of a functionary in the CMO.

Talking to the media later, Khaira said: The Chief Minister is shielding industrialists and moneybags rather than protecting human lives and the aquatic ecosystem.pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Amsterdam, May 24

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will shorten his visit to India by a day in order to join Cabinet discussions on Friday about new findings on the downing of passenger flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014, Dutch news agency ANP said on Thursday.

Read: Modi, Dutch PM agree to firm up cooperation in energy, agriculture

Prosecutors investigating the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 said on Thursday they had identified the missile used to shoot down the plane on July 17, 2014, as coming from a Russian military unit.

The airliner with 298 people on board, two-thirds of them Dutch, was hit by a Russian-made missile over territory in eastern Ukraine held by pro-Russian separatists. All those aboard died. Reutersharinder@tribunemail.com

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force on Friday giving EU citizens new rights over how their personal data is used. It has been billed as the biggest shake-up of data privacy laws since the birth of the web

The pan-EU law aims to give its citizens more rights to control over their online information. It has a list of technically demanding requirements, and threatens fines of up to 4% of a companys annual revenue for serious infringements

The law covers companies that collect large amounts of customer data, including Facebook and Google. It wont be overseen by a single authority but instead by a patchwork of national and regional watchdogs across the 28-nation bloc

The new privacy law (GDPR) seeks to harmonise the scattered data protection laws in the EU and envisages stringent penalties under it. It replaces the existing EC Data Protection Directive (95/46/EC). GDPR seeks to enhance the data privacy rights of users and imposes certain new responsibilities upon data controllers and processors.

The new law endeavours to create a model for a data protection and privacy framework that will be able to keep pace with rapid advancements in technology. Most importantly, GDPR attempts to give back to individuals control over their personal data, while recognising the protection of ones personal data as a fundamental right. Here are some key elements of GDPR:

New definition of personal data

Under the GDPR, personal data is anything that relates to an identified or identifiable individual. For example: name, address, email address, location data or computer IP address. Sensitive data, such as religious beliefs, racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation or trade union membership, are subject to extra protections.

Higher penalties

The GDPR foresees fines of 2 to 4 per cent of a companys annual revenues or 20 million euros ($24 million), whichever is higher.

Stricter rules on consent

Companies will need to get freely given, specific, unambiguous and informed consent from individuals to process their data. They will also need users to opt in to the processing of their data - simply giving them an opt out will not be valid. In other words, companies will no longer be able to ask consumers to tick a box after a long set of terms and conditions that most people never read.

Global scope

The GDPR will apply to any company that has customers in the EU, whether the firm was established in the bloc or not.

New rules for data processors

The GDPR distinguishes between data controllers and data processors. A data controller determines why personal data must be collected and processed as well as how. A data processor only processes personal data on behalf of the controller and is usually a third-party company.

For example: A retailer that hires a human resources company to handle payroll and other functions is the data controller, while the human resources company is the data processor.

Under GDPR, data processors must guarantee the same standards as controllers and ensure they meet the requirements of the law. There must be a legal contract between a processor and a controller, and a processor may not engage another company to process data without the controllers consent.

Data breach notifications

Companies must notify data protection authorities of data breaches within 72 hours of becoming aware of it, if it is likely to impact the rights of individuals. If the breach carries a high risk for individuals then the company must notify the affected people without undue delay.

One-stop shop

The GDPR introduces a one-stop shop mechanism to make it easier for companies operating across the EU, for example Facebook, Google and Mastercard. Companies processing data across the bloc will have a lead authority in the country where they have their main establishment, for example Facebook in Ireland.

The lead authority will be the main point of contact for the company and responsible for ensuring its compliance with GDPR. In cases involving citizens from several countries the lead authority will coordinate with other concerned authorities. If there are disputes between authorities, a new body, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), can make binding decisions.  Reuters

Lawfulness of data processing

Companies processing personal data must ensure it is lawful, fair and transparent. They may not use data for purposes other than those for which it was collected, with limited exceptions. Data processing is lawful if:

An individual has consented to it

It is necessary for the performance of a contract

It is necessary to meet a legal obligation under EU or national law

It is necessary to protect the vital interests of an individual

It is necessary to carry out a task in the public interest under EU or national law

It is in the companys legitimate interest, as long as it does not override an individuals fundamental rights and freedoms

If a company collected data on the basis of consent, then it may not use it for other purposes

Stronger rights for Europeans

People living in the European Union will get the right to:gspannu7@gmail.com

London, May 24

The FBI has put a spoke in the wheel of a major Russian digital disruption operation potentially aimed at causing havoc in Ukraine, evidence pieced together from researchers, Ukrainian officials and US court documents indicates.

On Thursday, network technology company Cisco Systems and antivirus company Symantec warnedthat a half-million internet-connected routers had been compromised in a possible effort to lay the groundwork for a cyber-sabotage operation against targets in Ukraine.

Court documents simultaneously unsealed in Pittsburgh the same day show the FBI has seized a key website communicating with the massive army of hijacked devices, disrupting what could have been  and might still be  an ambitious cyberattack by the Russian government-aligned hacking group widely known as Fancy Bear.

"I hope it catches the actors off guard and leads to the downfall of their network," said Craig Williams, the director of outreach for Talos, the digital threat intelligence unit of Cisco that cooperated with the bureau. But he warned that the hackers could still regain control of the infected routers if they possessed their addresses and the right resources to re-establish command and control.

FBI Assistant Director Scott Smith said the agency "has taken a critical step in minimizing the impact of the malware attack. While this is an important first step, the FBI's work is not done." Much about the hackers' motives remains open to conjecture.

Cisco said the malicious software, which it and Symantec both dubbed VPNFilter after a folder it creates, was sitting on more than 500,000 routers in 54 countries but mostly in Ukraine, and had the capacity to render them unusable  a massively disruptive move if carried out at such a scale.

"It could be a significant threat to users around the world," said Williams.

The US Justice Department said the malware "could be used for a variety of malicious purposes, including intelligence gathering, theft of valuable information, destructive or disruptive attacks, and the misattribution of such activities."

Ukraine's cyberpolice said in a statement that it was possible the hackers planned to strike during "large-scale events," an apparent reference either to the upcoming Champions League game between Real Madrid and Liverpool in the capital, Kiev, on Saturday or to Ukraine's upcoming Constitution Day celebrations.

Ukraine has been locked in a years-long struggle with Russia-backed separatists in the country's east and has repeatedly been hit by cyberattacks of escalating severity. Last year witnessed the eruption of the NotPetya worm, which crippled critical systems, including hospitals , across the country and dealt hundreds of millions of dollars in collateral damage around the globe. Ukraine, the United States and Britain have blamed the attack on Moscow  a charge the Kremlin has denied.

Cisco and Symantec both steered clear of attributing the VPNFilter malware to any particular actor, but an FBI affidavit explicitly attributed it to Fancy Bear, the same group that hacked into the Democratic National Committee in 2016 and has been linked to a long series of digital intrusions stretching back more than a decade. The US intelligence community assesses that Fancy Bear acts on behalf of Russia's military intelligence service.  AP.pardeepdhull@gmail.com

London, May 24

Irelands Indian-origin Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Thursday made a last-ditch effort in his campaign to lift a ban on abortions, as the country gets set to vote in a referendum on the crucial issue tomorrow.

In what is seen as the first major test of his leadership since he took charge as Taoiseach a year ago, Varadkar has been urging voters to ensure a high turnout in the referendum on repealing the Eighth Amendment of the Irish Constitution which severely restricts access to abortions.

The case of Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old Indian dentist who died of blood poisoning at Galway University Hospital in Ireland in October 2012 after she was denied a life-saving abortion, is among the cases being highlighted by campaigners in favour of a yes vote.

I do hope we will see more people taking part in this referendum, an exercise in democracy, Varadkar said.

Ultimately laws are just written in black and white, they are text in a piece of law but what has to be behind those laws is individuals, peoples families and how those laws have affected them in the process, the leader of the liberal-conservative Fine Gail party said.

While the two main parties of Ireland, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, are not taking official positions on the referendum, politicians are permitted to campaign on a personal basis.

If Ireland votes yes, the government intends to allow terminations within the first 12 weeks, subject to medical advice and a cooling-off period, and between 12 and 24 weeks in a restricted fashion.

Halappanavars father Andanappa Yalagi said, I hope the people of Ireland remember my daughter Savita on the day of the referendum, and that what happened to her wont happen to any other family. I think about her every day. She didnt get the medical treatment she needed because of the eighth amendment. They must change the law, he told The Guardian by phone from his home in Karnataka.

Tomorrow, Irish voters will decide whether to change the constitutional amendment that enshrines the equal right to life of the mother and her unborn child. That has resulted in many women being forced to travel abroad on a daily basis, mainly to neighbouring Britain, for terminations.

Meanwhile, a campaign on social media with a hashtag #hometovote has been mobilised by yes supporters, who want to get as many Irish voters as possible casting their vote.

There has been a big surge in voter registration ahead of the referendum and according to the latest polls, 56 per cent of the country will vote to repeal the eighth amendment, while 27 per cent oppose reform and around one in seven are undecided.

If people vote to repeal, the Irish government is proposing that women could access termination within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. After that, abortions will only be allowed until the 24th week of pregnancy if there is a risk to a womans life, or a risk of serious harm to the physical or mental health of a woman.

Terminations would also be permitted in cases of fatal foetal abnormality.

Under the current law, an unborn child has the same right to life as the mother, with the maximum penalty for accessing an illegal abortion fixed at 14 years in prison.

Abortion was already illegal in Ireland, a predominantly Catholic nation, under the Offences against the Person Act of 1861. In 1983, pro-life activists who feared that this could be changed lobbied the government for a referendum to further strengthen the rights of the unborn, which was passed with 66.9 per cent voting Yes and 33.1 per cent voting No.

The campaign to repeal the Eighth Amendment, which effectively has its roots as far back as 1983, has picked up speed in recent years, especially after the success of the same sex marriage referendum in the country in 2015.

If Ireland votes Yes to repeal the Eighth Amendment, the existing article of the Constitution which was inserted in 1983, and the 1992 additions, will be replaced with this text: Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.

The Catholic church has strongly opposed repealing the amendment and Irish bishops warned in a joint statement: We believe that the deletion or amendment of this article can have no other effect than to expose unborn children to greater risk and that it would not bring about any benefit for the life or health of women in Ireland.

Campaign group Save The 8th claims that politicians are effectively seeking a licence to kill pre-born babies, and to introduce an abortion model that is in many ways even more extreme than the British regime.

But the repeal campaign says the amendment puts lives at risk, also due to unregulated use of illegal abortion pills, often imported after being bought online, presents unacceptable dangers to women when taken without medical supervision. PTIharinder@tribunemail.com

China said on Thursday it would open its door wider to German businesses, giving a warm reception to visiting Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has wooed Beijing to counterbalance trade threats from US President Donald Trump

Germany and China, two exporting nations that run large trade surpluses with the United States, have found themselves in Trumps firing line and are scrambling to preserve the multi-lateral order on which their prosperity restsharinder@tribunemail.com

Islamabad: Sunni extremists in Pakistan have demolished a historical mosque belonging to the Ahmadiyya community in Punjab province, the latest attack on the minority group in the Muslim-majority country. A persecuted minority sect, the Ahmadiyya community was declared non-Muslims in Pakistan through a constitutional amendment in 1974 during the tenure of former PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The latest mob attack took place in Sialkot. Ahmadiyya people are not allowed to call their place of worship as mosques. PTIpardeepdhull@gmail.com

Washington, May 24

US President Donald Trump on Thursday cancelled his proposed meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on June 12 in Singapore, citing Pyongyangs anger and hostility as the reason behind his decision.

Trumps announcement came hours after North Korea carried out what it said is the demolition of its nuclear test site today.

In April, Trump had stunned the world by accepting an invitation to meet Kim in an unprecedented sit-down.

Trump and Kim had previously traded insults and threats.

Full text of letter from Trump to Kim

The following is the full text of a letter from President Trump to North Koreas Kim cancelling their planned June 12 summit in Singapore.

The letter, dated May 24, was released by the White House on Thursday:

The White House

Washington

May 24, 2018

His Excellency

Kim Jong Un

Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Pyongyang Dear Mr. Chairman:

We greatly appreciate your time, patience, and effort with respect to our recent negotiations and discussions relative to a summit long sought by both parties, which was scheduled to take place on June 12 in Singapore. We were informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant. I was very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting.

Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place. You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.

I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters. Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you. In the meantime, I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated.

If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write.

The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth.

This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history.

Sincerely yours,

Donald J. Trump

President of the United States of America

The full letter from the President Trump to Chairman Kim Jong Un : https://t.co/RJD9qV0HSl pic.twitter.com/b0BEf0mKWf  The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 24, 2018

PTI/Reutersharinder@tribunemail.com

Washington, May 24

US President Donald Trump on Thursday called off a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un scheduled for next month, even after North Korea followed through on a pledge to blow up tunnels at its nuclear test site.

Trump announced his abrupt withdrawal from what would have been a first-ever meeting between a serving US President and a North Korean leader in Singapore on June 12 in a letter to Kim.

A White House official said a North Korean officials condemnation of US Vice-President Mike Pence as a political dummy was the last straw that led to cancelling the summit.

Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it would be inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting, Trump wrote to Kim.

Please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place. Trump called it a missed opportunity and said he still hoped to meet Kim someday. However, the chances for a quick rescheduling appear remote and cancellation of the summit will renew fears of a return to conflict on the Korean peninsula.

The North Korean mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trumps cancellation of the summit. You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God that they will never have to be used, he said.

Earlier on Thursday, North Korea had repeated a threat to pull out of the summit with Trump next month and warned it was prepared for a nuclear showdown with Washington if necessary.

South Koreas presidential Blue House appeared taken off guard by Trumps letter and an official said it was trying to figure out what President Trump exactly meant. South Korean President Moon Jae-in had met with Trump at the White House on Tuesday to urge him to follow through on the summit and not let a rare opportunity with reclusive North Korea slip away.

A few hours before Trump announced the cancellation, a small group of international media selected by North Korea witnessed the demolition of tunnels at the Punggye-ri site on Thursday, which Pyongyang said was proof of its commitment to end nuclear testing.  Reuters

UN chief calls for dialogue

I am deeply concerned by the cancellation of the planned meeting in Singapore between the President of the United States and the leader of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. Both the parties must continue their dialogue so as to find a path to the peaceful and verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula  Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-GeneralGeared-Up for Up-listing to National Exchange

Santa Monica, CA, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gopher Protocol Inc. (OTCQB: GOPH) ("Gopher"), a company specializing in the creation of Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence enabled mobile technologies, increases the number of Board Seats for the company to seven.

As part of Gophers preparation to submit its application to list on a National Exchange, Gopher has added three additional Board Members, Robert Yaspan, Judit Nagypal and Ambassador Ned L. Siegel (Ret.). Mr. Yaspan will serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Ms. Nagypal and Ambassador Siegel will be considered independent directors. These appointments bring the total number of Board Members to seven, including three independent directors. In addition to Ms. Nagypal and Ambassador Siegel, the independent directors includes Muhammad R. Khilji, CPA, who shall be appointed as Chairman the Audit Committee and the Audit Committee Financial Expert, upon establishment.

The Board has assigned Mansour Khatib as Interim CEO following Gregory Bauers resignation for personal reasons. In addition to Interim CEO, Mr. Khatib will continue his role as Chief Marketing Officer and Secretary. Mr. Bauer will keep working for Gopher as a consultant assisting to identify opportunities in the prepaid financial markets.

Michael Murray, a Director of Gopher, has been appointed President of Gopher, to assist Mr. Khatib with the day to day operations.

Interim CEO Mansour Khatib stated, We are very excited to have Ms. Nagypal, Mr. Yaspan Esq., and Ambassador Siegel join our team as we build toward the future. They each bring special skills, perspective, experience and contacts to Gopher.

Robert Yaspan Esq., 72, has owned and operated Law Offices of Robert M. Yaspan since 1997 where he has focused his practice on business reorganizations and real property law. Mr. Yaspan received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Chicago in 1968 and a Juris Doctorate from University of Southern California in 1971. Mr. Yaspan is the manager of REKO Holdings LLC, a significant shareholder of the Company.

Judit Nagypal, 48, has extensive experience in human resources and business development, with multicultural understanding coming from diverse international positions with over 18 years of successful track record in field and headquarters positions. Since 2013, Ms. Nagypal has held various positions in Microsoft including HRD Leadership Development and Talent Management from 2013 to 2015, then worked as Independent Software Vendor Acquisition Lead from 2015 to 2016 and Independent Software Vendor Go-To-Market Lead from 2016 to present. Prior to Microsoft, Mr. Nagypal held positions with Kraft Biscuits and Danone Group as well as The Coca-Cola Company. Ms. Nagypal received a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resources Management from Middlesex University in 2002, a Law Degree from Eotvos Lorand University in 1998 and a Masters in Economic Sciences from Budapest University of Economics in 1994.

Ambassador Ned L. Siegel, 66, has had a long and distinguished career as a senior U.S. government official and businessman. He was appointed by then President George W. Bush as the U.S. Ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas from October 2007 to January 2009. He was also appointed by President Bush to serve under Ambassador John R. Bolton at the United Nations in New York, serving as the Senior Advisor to the U.S. Mission and as the U.S. representative to the 61st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Prior to his ambassadorship, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). In addition to his public service, Ambassador Siegel has over 30 years of entrepreneurial successes. Presently, he serves as President of The Siegel Group, a multi- disciplined international business management advisory firm specializing in real estate, energy, utilities, infrastructure, financial services, oil and gas and cyber and secure technology. Ambassador Siegel also serves on the Board of Directors and Advisory Boards of other numerous public and private companies, and private equity groups. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Connecticut in 1973 and received a juris doctorate from the Dickinson School of Law in 1976. In December 2014, he received an honorary degree of Doctor of Business Administration from the University of South Carolina.

About Gopher Protocol Inc.

Gopher Protocol Inc. (OTCQB: GOPH) (Gopher) (http://gopherprotocol.com/) is a development-stage company which consider itself Native IoT creator, developing Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence enabled mobile technology. Gopher has a portfolio of Intellectual Property that when commercialized will include smart microchips, mobile application software and supporting cloud software. The system contemplates the creation of a global network. The core of the system will be its advanced microchip technology that can be installed in any mobile device worldwide. Gopher envisions this system as an internal, private network between all enabled mobile devices providing shared processing, advanced mobile database management/sharing and enhanced mobile features.

Corporate Site: http://gopherprotocol.com



Press page/ press kit - http://gopherprotocol.com/?page_id=228



Consumer and product website for Guardian Patch: http://www.guardianpatch.com/.

About Guardian Pet Tracker http://www.guardianpettracker.com/



The Guardian Pet Tracker (Sphere Internal name - the "Sphere") system is a derivative technology of Gopher's Guardian Patch technology. The Sphere is designed to provide its users with local tracking capability using a re-chargeable/replaceable battery source. Gopher intends to release pre-production units in limited test in the near future.

GOPH disclosure: More info: SEC link /technology abstract:

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors as disclosed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission located at their website (http://www.sec.gov). In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic conditions, governmental and public policy changes, the Companys ability to raise capital on acceptable terms, if at all, the Companys successful development of its products and the integration into its existing products and the commercial acceptance of the Companys products. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of the press release.The IX International Gas Congress of Turkmenistan started at the Avaza National Tourism Zone. The forum has brought together about 400 participants from the EU, the U.S., the UAE, Japan, China, the Republic of Korea, Turkey, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries.

The delegation of Turkmenistan to the congress consists of the government officials, as well as the heads of state-owned enterprises and departments the country's oil and gas sector.

As part of the discussions, the representatives of Turkmenistans fuel and energy sector departments updated the forum participants on the basic performance indicators and investment potential of the gas industry. It was emphasized at the forum that Turkmenistans proven natural gas reserves make it possible to talk about the export potential of some 100-120 billion cubic meters in 2018 and 160-170 billion cubic meters per year in the future.

On the first day of work, the forum reviewed thematic topics related to the diversification of energy exports, priority areas for investment in development of the gas sector of Turkmenistan, as well as development of the national and regional gas transportation infrastructure.

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021Gdansk Stadium in Gdansk, Poland, will stage the 2021 UEFA Europa League final.

Opened in 2011, Gdansk Stadium hosted four games at UEFA EURO 2012  three group stage fixtures and Germany's 4-2 quarter-final win against Greece  and is home to Ekstraklasa side Lechia Gdansk. Poland have played a number of international friendlies at the stadium, but the ground has yet to hold a match in UEFA club competition.

Located in the city's Letnica neighbourhood, the stadium's curved 45,000 square-metre exterior consists of 18,000 plates designed to resemble amber, which has long been extracted along the Baltic coast.

The stadium was originally intended as host venue for the 2020 final. However, the COVID-19 outbreak meant that on 17 June 2020, the UEFA Executive Committee decided to change the venues in line with the decision to stage the closing rounds of the 2019/20 competition in Germany.

ENDEAVOUR MAKES SIGNIFICANT HIGH GRADE DISCOVERIES AT HOUNDE

Kari Pump target significantly extended  2 new discoveries made in the Kari area  Further drilling underway

HOUNDe EXPLORATION HIGHLIGHTS:

Following last year's Kari Pump discovery, more than 1,000 holes comprising 76,000m have already been drilled in the wider Kari area, located only 7km away from the Hounde processing plant

The Kari mineralized zone has been significantly extended to a large area now measuring 4km long and 3km wide, with approximately 25% of the gold in soil anomaly still remaining to be drilled

Kari area is now comprised of three large high-grade discoveries: Drilling at the previously discovered Kari Pump target confirmed its high-grade nature and significantly expanded its mineralization which now extends 1.3km along strike and across a width of 160 to 200m, while remaining open to the north and northwest Kari Center discovery made which extends 1.2km along strike and across a width of over 200m, with mineralization open at depth Kari West high-grade discovery made which extends at least 1.0km along strike and across a width of 500m, with mineralization open at depth and towards Kari Pump

A further 65,000m drilling campaign is underway to delineate and extend the three discoveries made, with in-fill drilling planned on the Kari Pump target to obtain maiden resource by year-end

View News Release in PDF Format

Abidjan, May 24, 2018 - Endeavour Mining (TSX:EDV)(OTCQX:EDVMF) is pleased to announce that the on-going exploration program at its Hounde mine in Burkina Faso has successfully extended the Kari Pump high grade mineralization and has discovered two new large mineralized zones named Kari Centre and Kari West.

Following the Kari Pump discovery, announced on November 13th 2017, exploration efforts were prioritized on the wider Kari area which hosts a large gold-in-soil geochemical anomaly covering a 6km-long by 2.5km-wide area. Kari is located only 7km west of the processing plant and in proximity to an existing haul road that will be used to transport ore from Bouere.

More than 1,000 holes comprising 76,000 meters have already been drilled in the Kari area since late December, extending the mineralized zone to a very large area now measuring 4km long and 3km wide, with approximately 25% of the gold-in-soil anomaly remaining to be drilled.

Patrick Bouisset, Executive President Exploration and Growth stated: "Following the initial discovery made last year, we have undertaken an extensive drilling campaign on the wider Kari target due to its potential size and higher-grade nature. With more than half of the planned 141,000-meter drilling program complete, we are extremely pleased with the results as they validate its potential and we are eager to delineate a first maiden resource on the Kari Pump area by year-end."

Sebastien de Montessus, President & CEO, added: "With Hounde ramped-up and the plant performing above nameplate capacity, we are now eager to pursue additional upside from exploration. These new discoveries provide confidence in achieving our strategic objective of maintaining a steady production profile at an attractive All-in Sustaining Cost over at least 10-years.

ABOUT THE ONGOING HOUNDE EXPLORATION PROGRAM

Following the construction decision to develop the Hounde mine, exploration resumed in early 2017 with an initial reconnaissance drilling campaign prioritizing various targets identified during the 2016 exploration strategic review. In 2017, the campaign validated Hounde's significant exploration potential as high-grade mineralization was intercepted at the Kari, Sia/Sianikoui, and Bouere extension targets. Given its potential size, the Kari target was identified as a top priority, and a circa $9 million exploration program totaling over 141,000 meters was launched in 2018 to follow-up on the Kari Pump discovery and to explore the undrilled portion of the large Kari gold-in-soil geochemical anomaly which covers a 6km-long by 2.5km-wide area.

The exploration campaign began in late December 2017 and more than 1,000 holes totaling 76,000 meters have been drilled to date on the various Kari targets, comprised of approximately 900 Air Core ("AC") reconnaissance holes totaling 63,500 meters and 120 Reverse Circulation ("RC") holes totaling more than 14,900 meters. The campaign has been very successful with more than 65% of the 120 RC holes encountering at least one interval of mineralisation of 0.5 g/t Au with a minimum width of more than 2 meters. Drilling successfully extended the Kari Pump high grade mineralization and discovered two new large mineralized zones named Kari Centre and Kari West, as shown in Figure 1 below. To date, these targets were investigated by mainly shallow AC drilling with the majority of the reported mineralization located within the saprolite zone, at a vertical depth not exceeding 60 to 80 meters.

The previous 2017 exploration campaign on the Kari Pump target comprised of 337 AC/RC holes totaling 30,460 meters, 23 RC holes totaling of 3,400 meters and few Diamond Drilling ("DD") holes.

Figure 1: Simplified Hounde Exploration Targets Map

As shown in Figure 2 below, to date the mineralized Kari zone now covers a very large area extending over more than 4km in length and 3km in width. The two new discoveries (Kari Center and Kari West) are located in close proximity to Kari Pump and more drilling is still required to determine a possible geological link between the discoveries.

Figure 2: Kari Area Mineralized Envelops (500 ppb Leapfrog Envelops)





KARI PUMP DISCOVERY

Additional recent drilling carried out on the Kari Pump target has confirmed both the previous geological interpretation and its high-grade nature, while significantly extending the mineralization to the northeast and east, where significant high-grade intersections have been encountered. The target was successfully drilled along a strike length of over 1.3km, and across a width of more than 100 to 200 meters.

As shown in Figure 3 of the Appendix, the Kari Pump mineralization remains open to the north, northeast and to the northwest. An infill drill program is ongoing with the aim of delivering a maiden resource estimate in Q4-2018.

Selected intersects include (true width uncapped):

RCA-18-016 : 8.9m @ 3.0 g/t Au, (including 0.99m @ 8.5 g/t)

RCA-18-028 : 10.9m @ 17.1 g/t Au (including : 1.9m @ 34.6 g/t Au, 1.9m @ 30.8 g/t Au and 0.9m @ 22.7 g/t Au)

RC-18-030 : 12.5m @ 3.4 g/t Au (including 1.9m @ 7.8 g/t Au)

RC-18-009 : 5.8m @ 8.0 g/t Au (including 1.9m @ 17.5 g/t Au)

RC-18-006 : 8.7m @ 5.1 g/t Au (including 2.9m @ 11.1 g/t Au) and 3.86m @ 1.3 g/t Au

RC-18-010 : 2.9 m @ 15.1 g/t Au

Geologically, Kari Pump is underlain by andesite flows with minor volcano-sediment and sediments that are locally intruded by few diorite sills. Gold mineralization occurs within a sheared reverse fault (D2) that appears to be folded and dipping from 0-40 degrees to the west-northwest and northwest. Observed clear alteration consists of pervasive creamy sericite, intermittent rhodochrosite, chlorite seams and pyritized quartz/carbonate veining. The laterite and saprolite are relatively thick at Kari Pump with an average thickness which ranging from 50 to 85 meters.

KARI CENTER DISCOVERY

Mineralization was first intercepted at Kari Center during the initial 2017 reconnaissance drilling campaign. Further 2018 drilling then confirmed the high grade intersections and significantly extended the mineralization. Gold mineralization dips are interpreted as being 40-60 degrees dipping to the northwest with two parallel mineralized zones (40 meters apart) that extend northeast along a strike length of at least 800 meters and across a width of over 200 meters.

Selected intersects include (Apparent width uncapped):

RCB-18-006 : 1.9m @ 3.1 g/t Au And 3.8 m @ 3.5 g/t Au (Incl. 0.9m @ 8.9 g/t Au) And 4.7m @ 1.4 g/t Au And 5.6m @ 3.0 g/t (Incl. 1.9m @ 6.2 g/t Au)

RCB-18-029 : 2.8m @ 13.9 g/t Au (Incl. 0.9m @ 39.6 g/t Au)

RCB-18-027-279 : 5.6m @ 1.5 g/t Au and 1.9m @ 1.2 g/t Au, and 1.9m @ 4.6 g/t Au (Incl. 0.9m @ 7.7 g/t)

Geologically, Kari Center is underlain by andesite flows and sediments. The structural context however remains complex and will require additional DD holes to better understand the structural behavior and relationship between the mineralized intersects. This drill program, which will be completed in H2-2018, should confirm its type of mineralization, dip and strike.

KARI WEST DISCOVERY

Kari West was discovered during the 2018 AC drilling campaign focusing on the remaining undrilled wider Kari gold-in-soil geochemical anomaly. To date, reconnaissance drilling has successfully defined a mineralized area of at least 1km in strike length at a width of 500 meters. The geological and structural context of Kari West is yet to be well understood and is currently being tested with further diamond drill holes. Preliminary results however suggest the presence of two parallel mineralized zones located between 200 and 300 meters apart that appear to strike east-northeast and dip between 0 and 60 degrees to the north.

Selected intersects include (Apparent width uncapped):

ACB-18-0003 : 4.3m @ 1.5 g/t Au and 6.0m @ 3.6 g/t Au (Incl. 1.7m @ 9.1 g/t), And1.7m @ 5.1 g/t Au, And 1.7m @ 1.5 g/t Au)

ACA-18--0264 : 5.2m @ 7.3 g/t Au (Incl. 1.7m @ 10.3 g/t)

ACA-18-0147 : 5.2m @ 5.6 g/t Au (Incl. 0.9m @ 15.8 g/t); and 1.7m @ 7.3 g/t Au

ACA-18-0368 : 3.5m @ 3.5 g/t Au

ACA-18-0267 : 6.0m @ 2.7 g/t Au And 1.7m @ 2.3 g/t Au and 6.0 m @ 4.4 g/t Au (Incl. 1.7m @ 13.4 g/t Au)

The ongoing RC drill program is currently based on a grid of 200 by 50 meters which will be tightened in upcoming drill campaigns. Laterite and saprolite thicknesses vary between 25 and 75 meters.

HOUNDE NEXT STEPS

At a minimum, 65,000 meters of additional drilling are expected to be completed before year-end.

An AC and RC drilling program is already underway to further delineate and extend the three discoveries made and test the remaining un-drilled Kari area.

In addition to the AC and RC drilling program, a dedicated DD drilling campaign is also ongoing at Kari Pump, Kari West and Kari Center in order to increase confidence in the geological interpretation and to provide technical support for the resources classification requirements.

An in-fill drilling program is planned on the Kari Pump target to obtain a maiden Indicated resource estimate by year-end.

QUALIFIED PERSONS

The scientific and technical content of this news release has been reviewed, verified and compiled by Gerard de Hert, EurGeol, Senior VP Exploration for Endeavour Mining. Gerard de Hert has more than 20 years of mineral exploration and mining experience, and is a "Qualified Person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

ASSAYS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE/QUALITY CONTROL / DRILLING AND ASSAY PROCEDURES

The Reverse Circulation drill program samples were collected on a 1-meter interval using dual tube, a percussion hammer and drop centre bit. The material passes through a cyclone which is thoroughly cleaned after every sample by flushing the hole. Samples were split at the drill site using a 3-tier riffle splitter with both bulk and laboratory sample weights and moisture recorded. 3-5 Kg laboratory samples were collected and sent to ALS-CHEMEX (ALS) in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). Representative samples for each interval were collected with a spear, sieved into chip trays and retained for reference. The sampling and assaying at Hounde is monitored through the implementation of a quality assurance - quality control (QA-QC) program. This QA-QC program was audited by International mining consultant and consequently designed to follow industry best practices.

The laboratory samples are collected by ALS on site and transported by road to ALS in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Each laboratory sample is secured in poly-woven bags ensuring that there is a clear record of the chain of custody. On arrival samples are weighed and crushed to 6mm (70% passing), pulverize entire sample to 75 micrometers (85% passing). Samples are analyzed for gold using standard fire assay technique with a 50-gram charge and an Atomic Absorption (AA) finish and gravimetric finish when grade exceeds 10 ppm. Blanks and certified reference material (CRM's) are inserted by Endeavour geologists in the sample sequence for quality control and to ensure there are a suite of QC samples in each fire assay batch.

Click here to view the 2018 completed drill results on the Kari target.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Martino De Ciccio



VP - Strategy & Investor Relations

+44 203 640 8665

mdeciccio@endeavourmining.com Brunswick Group LLP in London



Carole Cable, Partner

+44 7974 982 458

ccable@brunswickgroup.com

ABOUT ENDEAVOUR MINING CORPORATION

Endeavour Mining is a TSX listed intermediate African gold producer with a solid track record of operational excellence, project development and exploration in the highly prospective Birimian greenstone belt in West Africa. Endeavour is focused on offering both near-term and long-term growth opportunities with its project pipeline and its exploration strategy, while generating immediate cash flow from its operations.

Endeavour operates 5 mines across Cote d'Ivoire (Agbaou and Ity), Burkina Faso (Hounde, Karma), and Mali (Tabakoto) which are expected to produce 670-720koz in 2018 at an AISC of $840-890/oz. Endeavour's high-quality development projects (recently commissioned Hounde, Ity CIL and Kalana) have the combined potential to deliver an additional 600koz per year at an AISC well below $700/oz between 2018 and 2020. In addition, its exploration program aims to discover 10-15Moz of gold between 2017 and 2021 which represents more than twice the reserve depletion during the period.

For more information, please visit www.endeavourmining.com.

Corporate Office: 5 Young St, Kensington, London W8 5EH, UK

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" including but not limited to, statements with respect to Endeavour's plans and operating performance, the estimation of mineral reserves and resources, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of future production, future capital expenditures, and the success of exploration activities. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expects", "expected", "budgeted", "forecasts", and "anticipates". Forward-looking statements, while based on management's best estimates and assumptions, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: risks related to the successful integration of acquisitions; risks related to international operations; risks related to general economic conditions and credit availability, actual results of current exploration activities, unanticipated reclamation expenses; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; fluctuations in prices of metals including gold; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, increases in market prices of mining consumables, possible variations in ore reserves, grade or recovery rates; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes, title disputes, claims and limitations on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining industry; delays in the completion of development or construction activities, changes in national and local government regulation of mining operations, tax rules and regulations, and political and economic developments in countries in which Endeavour operates. Although Endeavour 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. Please refer to Endeavour's most recent Annual Information Form filed under its profile at www.sedar.com for further information respecting the risks affecting Endeavour and its business. AISC, all-in sustaining costs at the mine level, cash costs, operating EBITDA, all-in sustaining margin, free cash flow, net free cash flow, free cash flow per share, net debt, and adjusted earnings are non-GAAP financial performance measures with no standard meaning under IFRS, further discussed in the section Non-GAAP Measures in the most recently filed Management Discussion and Analysis.

APPENDIX 1

Figure 3: Kari Pump Area with isosurfaces (Leapfrog) and typical thickness/grade per area

(0.5ppm modelisation + Composites >2m and >1ppm (1m dilution) Looking North, 30 degree plunge)

Where insufficient drill hole spacing (200m x 50m) and the geological model still preliminary and to be cautious, drilling results shown in the figure are therefore only reported in true width where the geological model is well understood and apparent width when the geological model is still approximate.

Figure 4: Kari Pump Long-Section 1

Figure 5: Kari Pump Cross-Section 2Formin (right), a Rohingya refugee and community health worker, counsels 70-year-old Hanibi at the Kutupalong settlement in Bangladesh.  UNHCR/Caroline Gluck

KUTUPALONG REFUGEE SETTLEMENT, Bangladesh  Seventy-year-old Hanibi says she finds it difficult to eat or sleep. The memory of two family members who were shot still haunts her and she worries about the coming monsoon season, when the bamboo houses of Kutupalong refugee settlement, where she and around 600,000 other people live, will be affected by the elements.

Formin, a volunteer counsellor, squeezes her hand.

Dont worry so much, she reassures Hanibi. You are safe here and need to stay strong. Your granddaughter relies on you. People are here to help you.

Formin is confident and mature, despite just being 18 years old. She is one of several hundred Rohingya volunteers in settlements across Bangladesh who have received training on mental health issues, including basic psychological first aid, thanks to UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency), Medical Teams International and Food for the Hungry.

"You are safe here and need to stay strong."

Community health workers like Formin visit refugees to assess gaps and needs. She recently took part in a three-day training organized by UNHCRs mental health team.

After the workshop I realized there are lots of people here who need some kind of mental health support, says Formin. People are still carrying strong memories of the violence they faced back in Myanmar. Many lost male family members and are having to cope on their own, and on top of that, people are worried about the monsoon, about daily survival.

A lack of certainty about what the next few months will bring is distressing for many. Heavy rains over the hilly and overcrowded refugee settlements create growing fears among the refugee population about landslides, floods and cyclones. UNHCR, other agencies and partners are working hard to mitigate physical hazards in the overcrowded settlements by relocating those at highest risk of landslides and floods to safer areas, providing sturdier shelters and reinforcing slopes, paths, roads and bridges.

However, there are also concerns about the psychological impact that a disaster may have on an already vulnerable population, many of whom experienced or witnessed extreme violence in Myanmar.

We are trying to reduce their tension."

UNHCR is working closely with Bangladesh authorities to combat this by training Rohingya refugees to become first responders to emergencies.

Everyone is afraid of the natural disasters we might expect, says Mohammed Mostafa Kamal, 24, who is one of several Rohingya community outreach members being trained by UNHCR. We dont know if we will be able to save ourselves from disaster.

Different people are reacting in different ways, says 22-year-old Ayub Khan, another trainee. He says he fled violence in his village in Myanmar, leaving behind two brothers who had been arrested. People who have family members left behind like me are not in peace. They are not able to forget that. Concern about the monsoon is increasing our anxiety.

UNHCRs training for refugee volunteers focuses on practical ways to allay peoples worries, as well as how to identify those in particular distress who might need referrals to other health service providers and experts.

See also: Orphaned Rohingya refugee sisters face daunting future

My target is to teach them how to listen carefully to people and to help make them better prepared for this monsoon season, says trainer and UNHCR mental health associate Mahmuda. We are trying to reduce their tension because they have to be ready to cope with whatever comes, so that they can survive well.

UNHCR has been scaling up its mental health and psycho-social support programme for the Rohingya response since late 2017.

In settings such as mass displacement, where traditional community structures and support systems have broken down, it is important to look at how we can strengthen self-help within refugee communities, says Mohamed Elshazly, a UNHCR mental health and psychosocial support officer. It involves bringing to refugees together in a safe, contained environment, where they can share experiences, seek solutions and support each other.

Back at Kutupalong refugee site, a fierce thunder and rainstorm calms as Formin finishes counselling Hanibi. Thanks to Formin, I have some peace inside me, says the relieved grandmother. I feel good talking to her. We shared the same experiences, fleeing our villages. I feel close to her  its not like talking to an outsider.

Volunteers like Formin are proud to be able to help others in the community, despite their own personal concerns. She says her training has given her the tools to be able to better relate and listen to the families she meets, identify problems and provide guidance.

I know how I can console them, give advice and make them feel a bit better about the future, she says.FORM 8.3

PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY

A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE

Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code")

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(a) Full name of discloser: Man Group Plc (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):

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(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:



0.1p ordinary



Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 0 0 0 0 (2) Cash-settled derivatives:



7,928,557



1.8084 6,600



0.0015 (3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell: 0 0 0 0



TOTAL: 7,928,557



1.8084 6,600



0.0015

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(GBP) 0.1p ordinary CFD Reducing a long position 2,500 4.8900 0.1p ordinary CFD Reducing a long position 600 4.8900

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(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:

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Date of disclosure: 24th May 2018 Contact name: Matthew Irwin



Telephone number: 02071447255

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service and must also be emailed to the Takeover Panel at monitoring@disclosure.org.uk. 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.Following ten months of transformation supported by the Museum's $20 million Centennial Campaign, the first of two "Grand Reopenings" will occur on Saturday, June 2, when the beloved Mammal Hall and Bird Halls will reopen to the public. Historic specimens now look livelier than ever after being refreshed by specialists, who also added new taxidermy, new foliage, and fun touchable interactive elements. Diorama experts, taxidermists, fabricators, painters, and Hollywood prop-makers all lent their artistry to the cause, and as a result, the new incarnations of these exhibits still honor their heritage while better serving future visitors.

Cartwright Hall will reopen as the Santa Barbara Gallery, which focuses on how geography and climate come together to create the unique ecosystems of the Santa Barbara region. These conditions give rise to extraordinary biodiversity, and this space highlights the fascinating species interactions that result. The Santa Barbara Gallery explores the dynamics of regional natural systems and how our actions impact those systems.

Exhibits in all the updated halls are now better equipped to address the important environmental issues on the minds of Museum visitors. Technology has also been strategically implemented in ways that allow for greater flexibility in disseminating new media to keep pace with science.

Museum President & CEO Luke Swetland shares, "Everything we have done in the Centennial Project is meant to revitalize the Museum, to honor the past and make it new. I think when folks see their 'new' Museum, they will be quite pleased that we preserved the very best of our proud legacy but have led it into a brighter future."

Open daily from 10:00 AM-5:00 PM, the Museum welcomes visitors to explore these newly transformed spaces along with its summer exhibition of 50 Greatest Photographs of National Geographic, open now through September 3, 2018. This exhibition is organized and traveled by National Geographic Society.

About the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

Powered by Science. Inspired by Nature. Founded in 1916, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History inspires a thirst for discovery and a passion for the natural world. The Museum seeks to connect people to nature for the betterment of both, and prides itself on being naturally different. For more information, visit www.sbnature.org.

Image: Adam Foster | FlickrNursing is the largest healthcare profession in the world, but there is a drastic shortage of millions of nurses every single year. There are just not enough graduates that are qualified to fill the available positions because nursing as a field has a Bureau of Labor Statistics projected growth of 16% by the year 2024. Nursing is a promising career; graduates that hold a Ph.D. in Nursing earn an average of $95,577 annually and Doctor of Nursing Practice can make an average of $96,807. The new ranking published by OnlineCollegePlan covers all these details and so much more as it ranks the Top 30 Online Colleges with the Best Ph.D. in Nursing.



The top ranking school, Vanderbilt University, scored 189 points out of a possible 200 according to OCP's methodology. That methodology scored all the accredited schools in the country that offer hybrid or fully-online doctorate programs in nursing based on their Freshman Retention Rate and Graduation Rate. Vanderbilt, a beautiful piece of history that has flourished into a highly-regarded research university in Nashville, ranked first place thanks to its Freshman Retention Rate of 97% and Graduation Rate of 92% (both well above the national average). The nursing programs provide rigor and flexibility to students, presented both online and on-campus. The majority of the degree programs featured are accredited by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing - Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Hailing from all over America, each institution brings something unique to the table that makes it stand out from the rest.

One of the greatest advantages of pursuing a doctorate in nursing online is that students can typically continue working while obtaining this terminal degree. Nurses have notoriously busy schedules, and the implementation of online programs have opened up doors for them to advance academically without putting their professions on hold. Other prestigious universities that have nursing programs among the top in the nation include Johns Hopkins, George Washington University, and more.

The entire list of schools in descending order is as follows:

30. University of Kansas (Lawrence, KS)

29. Georgia College and State University (Milledgeville, GA)

28. Florida International University (University Park, FL)

27. University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR)

26. Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA)

25. Regis University (Denver, CO)

24. Seton Hall University (South Orange, NJ)

23. University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL)

22. Misericordia University (Dallas, PA)

21. Simmons College (Boston, MA)

20. University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL)

19. University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA)

18. Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA)

17. Maryville University of Saint Louis (St. Louis, MO)

16. Bradley University (Peoria, IL)

15. Samford University (Homewood, AL)

14. University of New Hampshire (Durham, NH)

13. Saint Louis University (St. Louis, MO)

12. Duquesne University (Pittsburgh, PA)

11. Endicott College (Beverly, MA)

10. University of Massachusetts-Amherst (Amherst, MA)

9. Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis (Indianapolis, IN)

8. Indiana University-Bloomington (Bloomington, IN)

7. Creighton University (Omaha, NE)

6. University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA)

5. George Washington University (Washington, DC)

4. Ohio State University (Columbus, OH)

3. University of Florida (Gainesville, FL)

2. Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD)

1. Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN)University of Wyoming Calendar for May 28-June 3

These are among the activities scheduled May 28-June 3 at the University of Wyoming:

Monday, May 28 -- Most UW administrative offices will be closed, and classes will be dismissed for Memorial Day.

Tuesday, May 29, 7 p.m. -- UW Planetarium full-dome movie, Mayan Archaeoastronomy: Observers of the Universe. Tickets cost $3 for students and $4 for non-students, Physical Sciences Building basement. Advance tickets are available in the Physical Sciences Building, Room 204, or by going online at www.uwyo.edu/physics/ and clicking on Planetarium Schedule.

Wednesday, May 30-Thursday, May 31 -- UWs Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center will host a two-day event on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The Wyoming UAV Symposium will take place at the UW Conference Center. To register, go to www.uwyo.edu/wygisc/uav_symposium/uav_2018_program.html.

Friday, June 1, 8 p.m. -- UW Planetarium show, Astronomy Myth Busters. The STAR Observatory on the rooftop of the Physical Sciences Building will be open from 8-10 p.m. Tickets cost $3 for students and $4 for non-students, Physical Sciences Building basement. Advance tickets are available in the Physical Sciences Building, Room 204, or by going online at www.uwyo.edu/physics/ and clicking on Planetarium Schedule.

Saturday, June 2, 10 a.m.-noon -- The UW Art Museum will host Family Saturday Workshop for families and individuals of all ages. Free.

Sunday, June 3, 1:30 p.m. -- UWs Exercise is Medicine on Campus presents Walk with a Doc in Laramies Washington Park. Free.

Dinosaur skeletons, ancient mammal fossils and other exhibits are on display in the UW Geological Museum. The museum is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free.

The UW Department of Botanys Williams Conservatory is open to the public Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free.UW and Freie Universitat Berlin Collaborate on Research, More

A University of Wyoming delegation will travel to Berlin, Germany, next month to sign a formal memorandum of understanding (MOU) between UW and Freie Universitat Berlin (FUB) that will expand research and student exchange between the two universities.

UW President Laurie Nichols will make an official visit to FUB in June, accompanied by Professor Jean Garrison, director of UWs Center for Global Studies, and Professor Stephanie Anderson, the head of the School of Politics, Public Affairs and International Studies.

We are excited to formalize UWs relationship with this outstanding German institution, Nichols says. These collaborations promise to enrich our students experiences and advance global research opportunities in very significant ways.

UWs delegation also will visit the University of Strasbourg, specifically the Ecole de management de Strasbourg and Institut d'etudes politiques de Strasbourg, to advance student exchange opportunities in business, languages and international affairs.

FUB is a research university and is among Germany's most recognized universities. It is known for its research in the humanities and social sciences, and also in the field of natural and life sciences.

As part of the MOU, both UW and FUB have awarded collaborative research awards to the faculty of each institution for the coming year.

Last year, UW and FUB established a joint seed funding program, with each institution contributing $20,000, for a total pool of $40,000 that is designed to develop close collaboration between the two institutions faculty and researchers to: identify complementary strengths; leverage synergy; and promote the development of outstanding future research projects and other academic opportunities.

The funding is intended for intensive research and/or academic workshops; short-term research stays between the two institutions; and research-oriented teaching opportunities, such as short intensive seminars.

Applications for 2018 funding were evaluated by a joint FUB-UW committee, with each joint project involving at least one faculty member from the host institutions.

Three awards were given for:

-- Pathways from Prison: A UW-FUB Action Research Collaboration on Post-Prison Community Re-entry and Higher Education/University in Prison Initiatives. Co-principal investigators are Susan Dewey, UW School of Culture, Gender and Social Justice, and FUBs Kirstin Drenkhahn.

-- Nanoporous 2D Ordered Carbon Nitrogen Organic Framework Materials for Fuel Cells and Redox Flow Batteries. Co-principal investigators are Bruce Parkinson and John Hoberg, UW Department of Chemistry, and FUBs Christina Roth.

-- Workshop: Sustainable Energy Transitions-Exploring Systems of Energy, Environment, and Society (Wyoming). Co-principal investigators are Sarah Strauss, UW Department of Anthropology, and FUBs Tanja Borzel.

For more information, call Garrison at (307) 766-6119, email garrison@uwyo.edu, or visit www.uwyo.edu/globalcenter.English Lithuanian

AB GUBERNIJA

(legal entity code 144715765),

Address Dvaro str. 179, Siauliai.

On 24 th May 2018 held Annual General Meeting of AB GUBERNIJA (hereinafter the Company) decided as follows:



1. Annual report on the activities of the Company in 2017.

Decision: Taken for the information consolidated annual report of the Company for the year 2017, prepared by the Company, assessed by the auditors.

2. Auditor's report on the Companys financial statements and annual report.

Decision: Taken for the information.

3. Approval of the Consolidated and Companys financial statements for the year 2017.

Decision: Approve the annual Companys financial statements for the year 2017.

4. Company's profit (loss) allocation for the year 2017.

Decision: Approve the Company's profit allocation for the year 2017:



The Company's profit allocation for the year 2017 Articles Amount, EUR The unappropriated profit (loss) of the preceding financial year at the close of the reporting financial year ( 4 465 351 ) The net profit (loss) of the reporting financial year) ( 1 230 133 ) The profit (loss) of the reporting financial year not recognized in the profit (loss) account 67 694 Transfers from the reserves - The shareholders contributions to cover the losses of the Company - The total profit (loss) available for appropriation ( 5 627 790 ) The share of profit allocated to the mandatory reserve - The share of profit allocated to the reserve for acquiring own shares - The share of profit allocated to other reserves - The share of profit for the payment of dividends - Unappropriated profit (loss) at the close of the reporting financial year and brought forward to the next financial year ( 5 627 790 ) The share of profit for the payment of annual bonuses to members of the Board and the Supervisory Board -

5. Election of firm of auditors and establishment of the terms of remuneration for audit services.

Decision: Elect Grant Thornton Baltic UAB as AB GUBERNIJA firm of auditors for the year 2018.

Set the amount of the fee payable for audit services for the year 2018 - not more than EUR 8 200 plus VAT.

6. Election of new board members.

Decision: Elect members of the board of the Company for new term from the candidates nominated by Companys main shareholder (AB MG Group Production, which has more than 50% of votes):

Darius Juozas Mockus. Vytis Mockus. Arturas Listavicius. Rolandas Vingilis. Marijus Cilcius.

Enclosed:

Company's annual report, annual financial statements of the year 2017 and the Auditor's conclusion on the financial statements. Declaration of a candidate to the Board members of AB GUBERNIJA.

Legal representative of AB GUBERNIJA,

Attorney at law Inga Zemkauskiene

Phone: + 370 5 2783 213

AttachmentsVANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Balmoral Resources Ltd. (Balmoral or the Company) (TSX:BAR) (OTCQX:BALMF) today provided details on several new gold targets and highlighted the discovery of a new ultramafic intrusion with nickel-copper-cobalt-PGE potential on its Martiniere Property which forms part of the Detour Gold Trend Project in Quebec. Recently completed drilling and geophysical programs continue to emphasize the gold discovery potential within the Martiniere gold system, including the potential for the discovery of the offset northern segment of the Bug gold deposit.



The Bug gold deposit is currently terminated at its northern end by the Lac du Doigt fault zone. Drilling by the Company in conjunction with the recently completed winter geophysical program in the largely untested LdD/LAM corridor, north of the deposit (see Figure 1), has confirmed the presence of certain geological markers and several NNW trending (Bug gold deposit-parallel) I.P. anomalies located approximately 2.0 kilometres west of the northern termination of the Bug gold deposit. These anomalies have not been drill tested, but given their orientation and setting could represent the offset continuation of the Bug gold deposit or similar gold mineralized structural zones. Gold mineralization is known in the bounding structures to the north and south (see Figure 1 and Figure 2) of these newly outlined anomalies. These new targets are high priorities for testing, and ground work in preparation for drilling is anticipated to begin in June.

In addition, the winter geophysical program has mapped an extensive anomaly within the recently identified Niquet ultramafic intrusion (top of Figure 1 and Figure 2) on the northern portion of the Martiniere Property. A very limited surface mapping program in the fall of 2017 confirmed the presence of ultramafic rocks in association with a 2,500 metre long N-S trending magnetic high. Widely spaced I.P. lines across this newly identified ultramafic intrusion have outlined a series of chargeability anomalies which span much of the length of the complex which are similar to the geophysical footprint of the Companys Grasset nickel-copper-cobalt-PGE deposit located 40 kilometres to the east. Neither the anomalies nor the Niquet intrusion have ever been tested by drilling. Follow up work in preparation for potential drill testing will be included in the summer program at Martiniere. As at Grasset the Company controls the entirety of the newly identified intrusion.

The winter geophysical program at Martiniere has outlined some exciting new targets in the largely untested area north of the Bug and Martiniere West gold deposits, including the potential for both gold and nickel-copper-cobalt-PGE discoveries, said Darin Wagner, President and CEO of Balmoral. Crews will mobilize to the field in June to begin the follow-up on these targets in preparation for drilling, in addition to planned field work and drill testing on our other properties in the area.

Quality Control

Mr. Darin Wagner (P.Geo.- B.C., Ont., Res. Permit Que.), President and CEO of the Company, is the non-independent qualified person for the technical disclosure contained in this news release. Mr. Wagner has supervised the work programs on the Martiniere property since inception, visited the property on multiple occasions, and has discussed and reviewed the data contained in todays release.

About Balmoral Resources Ltd.  www.balmoralresources.com

Balmoral is a well-funded, Canadian-based exploration company. Balmorals 1,000 km2 Detour Gold Trend Project is home to the resource-stage Bug and Martiniere West Gold and Grasset Ni-Cu-Co-PGE deposits and numerous other gold and base metal discoveries. Employing a drill focused exploration strategy in one of the worlds preeminent mining jurisdictions, Balmoral is following an established formula with a goal of maximizing shareholder value through discovery and definition of high-grade, Canadian gold and base metal assets.

On behalf of the board of directors of

BALMORAL RESOURCES LTD.

Darin Wagner

President and CEO

For further information contact: John Foulkes, Vice-President, Corporate Development

Tel: (604) 638-5815 / Toll Free: (877) 838-3664

E-mail: jfoulkes@balmoralresources.com

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, forward looking statements) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including statements regarding the anticipated content, commencement, duration and cost of exploration programs, anticipated exploration program results, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves, the timing of the receipt of assay results, the visual continuity of certain mineralized intervals, the potentially open nature of the mineralized zones on the properties, prospects and the potential for future discoveries of additional mineralization on the property, business and financing plans, timing, cost and objectives of planned exploration programs and economic trends are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions or are those which, by their nature, refer to future events. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from the Companys expectations include those related to weather, equipment and staff availability; performance of third parties; timing of receipt of assay results from third party analytical facilities; risks related to the exploration stage of the Companys projects; market fluctuations in prices for securities of exploration stage companies and in commodity prices; and uncertainties about the availability of additional financing; risks related to the Companys ability to identify one or more economic deposits on the properties, and variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located on the properties; risks related to the Companys ability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities on the properties; and risks related to the Companys ability to produce minerals from the properties successfully or profitably. Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative. All of the Companys public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the latest technical reports filed with respect to the Companys mineral properties.

This press release is not, and is not to be construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the United States.Bamboo Airways comes closer to first commercial flight

Bamboo Airways meets prerequisites

According to a source of VIR, last weekend the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) presented to the government the results of its evaluation of the Bamboo Airways investment project at Phu Cat Airport in the central province of Binh Dinh province.

Based on Article 31(1b) of the Law on Investment, the Bamboo Airways project is an air transport project under the jurisdiction of the PM. Hence, MPI has proposed the prime minister to approve the investment planning of the project and then assign the Dinh Peoples Committee to supervise the implementation process and ensure it follows the planning.

MPI found that the project has collected the necessary legal documents. The project is also in line with Binh Dinhs 2020 Master Plan for Socioeconomic Development, as well as the prime ministerial 2020-2030 planning for air transport development.

Besides, the investor has the requisite equity and the parent companys (FLC Group) commitment to provide additional working capital regularly for business activities in the projects early stages.

However, MPI proposed the PM to assign the Binh Dinh Peoples Committee to monitor and ensure that the projects development abides by the law and the relevant plans.

Previously, in mid-April 2018, the Binh Dinh Peoples Committee proposed MPI to reevaluate the project after it made adjustments following the advice of the ministries of Transport, Public Security, Defense, and Construction.

Specifically, Bamboo Airways has the charter capital of VND700 billion ($30.8 million) and will operate for 50 years. The first flight will take off in the first quarter of 2019.

In its first year of commercial flights, Bamboo Airways will have a fleet of three A320 aircraft, which will increase to 10 by 2023. The projects site of operation is Phu Cat International Airport (Phu Cat, Binh Dinh).

Requirements

Once Bamboo Airways receives the PMs approval, it will have to complete other legal requirements in order to make its first commercial flight.

According to Article 5(3) of Decree No.92/2016/ND-CP on businesses in the air transport sector, stipulates that one of the requirements for air transport businesses is to acquire a licence of operation from the Ministry of Transport (MoT) after it has been approved by the PM.

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV), the most crucial requirements for an investor to acquire a licence include being in line with the planning for aviation transport development, ensuring the availability of commercial aircrafts, and organising the system.

To be more specific, the projects application for a licence must have an official verification of investment capital, a chart of the companys internal system, a contract for selling or renting aircrafts, the companys operating and transportation guidelines, and a strategy for product development.

Dang Tat Thang, general manager of Bamboo Airways, states that many of the requirements for a business license match the contents of the project proposal on planning suitability, investor capacity, and capital scale.

In the event that the project proposal is approved by the PM, MoT will quicken the process of granting Bamboo Airways a business licence, said CAAV.Few foreign-invested enterprises have found success after listing on Vietnams stock exchanges, Photo: Le Toan

A tepid existence

Twelve years ago, the first foreign-invested company (FIE) to list in Vietnam was Taiwans Taya Vietnam Electric Wire and Cable JSC (HSX: TYA), followed immediately by Tung Kuang Industrial JSC (HNX: TKU), another Taiwanese manufacturing business.

In subsequent years, other FIEs in Vietnam have also made their way onto the listed domestic market, including South Korean textile firms Mirae JSC (HSX: KMR) and Everpia JSC (HSX: EVE); Japans refrigeration equipment manufacturer Nagakawa Group JSC (HNX: NAG), or Thailands Siam Brothers Vietnam JSC (HSX: SBV).

It is noteworthy that the vast majority of these FIE stocks are not darlings of the Vietnamese stock market, despite coming from countries that have significant business ties with Vietnam. These stocks, which receive little attention from both analysts and investors, suffer from falling prices and low liquidity.

Dismal business results have indeed thrown some of the FIEs out of the stock market, including Taiwans Full Power JSC (OTC: FPC) in 2011, Japans Interfood Sharing Company (UpCom: IFS) in 2013, and Taiwans Chang Yih Ceramic JSC (UpCom: CYC) in 2017.

Full Power JSC accumulated a loss of VND740 billion ($32.89 million) before it left the stock market and deleted all of its contact details. Interfood Sharing Company was forced to de-list as it lost VND495 billion ($22 million) in three consecutive years on the market. The same fate hit Chang Yih, which recorded ongoing losses of VND59.83 billion ($2.66 million) on its last trading day.

Others, like the Halong-based casino firm Royal International Corporation (HSX: RIC) with its loss of VND114 billion ($5.07 million) over the years, are currently under special supervision.

Two FIEs, though, have managed to escape this bleak situation. Mirae JSC posted VND7 billion ($311,111) in profits in 2017 and was then excluded from the warning list of the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HSX). As the firm made new deals by turning away from China and greeting customers from the US, Mirae expects after-tax profits to reach VND17.3 billion ($768,889) in 2018, double the number of 2017.

Of course we notice that our stock price is rather low, but we want to focus on our business performance instead of daily quotes on the market. That said, we hope that our stock price will go up soon, following the positive news about our business results, deputy CEO Kim Chul Soo told VIR.

Everpia JSC is another successful case. The textile manufacturer has consistently been profitable over the past ten years, although earnings tend to fluctuate due to high expenses. In 2017, Everpia posted VND50 billion ($2.22 million) in after-tax profits, a 43-per-cent drop from the previous year due to high marketing costs and provisions. However, the company believes that its profit will skyrocket by 126 per cent in 2018, as it finalises unexpected costs.

A matter of foreign ownership rules?

Some reasons have been put forward to explain the generally disappointing performance of FIEs on Vietnams public market, despite the steady inflow of foreign direct capital into the country. One possible reason, according to experts, is that FIEs posted negative business results as a matter of transfer pricing. This reason was named because prior to their listing, the FIEs had recorded positive business results for three straight years in order to even qualify for a market debut, only to have their profits plummeting right after joining the market.

Specifically, these firms are suspected of buying input materials at inflated costs from their parent companies overseas, which eat into their business results in Vietnam but benefit their parent firms abroad.

Moreover, there are worries that FIEs only list their stocks to divest from their Vietnamese business more easily if they need to. This theory is refuted by Tran Thanh Tung, lawyer at Phuoc and Partners. According to Tung, if an FIE wants to exit Vietnam, closing up its business as a limited company is more practical and straightforward than as a listed entity.

Others are concerned that Vietnams law on foreign ownership may have deterred FIEs from joining the market. Prior to 2015, many FIEs were discouraged from listing due to the 49-per-cent ownership cap imposed on listed entities. However, even after Decree No.60/2015/ND-CP scrapped this limit in 2015, few FIEs made their debut on the public market. Some speculate that although the general cap is lifted, the 49-per-cent limit on conditional sectors may have deterred the FIEs.

Tran Dinh Dung, head of the Underwriting and Financial Advisory Department at Saigon-Hanoi Securities (SHS), told VIR that FIEs and domestic firms are treated equally on Vietnams stock market.

This means the 49-per-cent foreign ownership cap on conditional sectors affects both FIEs and Vietnamese businesses, the investment banker said. In other words, if the FIE is in manufacturing and other non-conditional sectors, there will be no foreign ownership restriction at all. On the other hand, if it operates in conditional sectors such as real estate or banking, the FIE will indeed be subject to the same cap as listed Vietnamese banks and real estate developers.

Regulations, including any possible foreign ownership cap, apply to both Vietnamese firms and FIEs. Theres no discrimination, said Dung, a statement echoed by lawyer Tran Thanh Tung.

However, even if FIEs operate in conditional sectors and want to list, there is still a way out. Some diversified Vietnamese firms such as Vinamilk or Hau Giang Pharma have managed to remove their ownership cap despite operating in conditional sectors like real estate or pharmaceutical trading. Experts said FIEs may do the same if they want to list in Vietnam.

The State Securities Commission just needs some more detailed rules on whether the founders of FIEs can divest from their business, as this is related to the matter of capital outflow from Vietnam, said Dung.

New hope ahead

As Vietnams stock market develops and integrates into global markets, more FIEs are considering making their debut. The most recent one is Taiwans Fortress Tools JSC, which will list 26.8 million shares this month. The firm, which counts major retailers Lidl and Walmart among its customers, benefits greatly from the manufacturing shift from China to Vietnam.

We have the ambition to become a lucrative listed FIE on the local stock exchanges, paving the way for other FIEs in Vietnam, said Vi Nguyet Cam, head of Investor Relations at Fortress Tools. Cam told VIR that as the Taiwanese firm wants to attract small and individual investors in Vietnam with its listing, the companys founding family will cap its ownership at 50 per cent.

Regarding divestment fears, Fortress Tools said that it will invest more into its manufacturing capacity in Vietnam and pledged a long-term commitment to the rapidly growing market. Listing is one indication of this dedication, said the firm.

Another newcomer to the market is South Koreas Seoul Metal Vietnam, a Samsung contractor. Following its listing on the over-the-counter (OTC) platform last July, the company has been open about wanting to progress to list on HSX as soon as possible. The producer of high-tech electronic components counts Vietnams state investor State Capital Investment Corporation as one of its major investors.

There are at least four FIEs applying to list on HSX and two more firms aiming at the Hanoi bourse. Market conditions are very supportive of these listings, although the success of each firm still depends on their core business, said Dung from SHS.Hanoimilk's most popular product, the IZZI milk. Source: vnexpress.vn

According to the Hanoi Stock Exchanges document sent to Hanoi Milk JSC (Hanoimilk, code: HNM) on May 14, the company has been delaying submitting its audited financial reports during the past three years (2015-2017). Last July, the trading of the company shares was suspended for similar reasons.

The document also stated that Hanoimilk may be delisted from the stock exchange in accordance with the governments Decree No.58/2012/ND-CP on detailed regulations and guidelines for the implementation and amending some articles of the Law on Securities.

Talking with VIR about the risk of compulsory delisting, Hanoimilks representative said: We are working with the Hanoi Stock Exchange to resolve this issue.

After this information was published, Hanoimilks stock fell sharply. As of May 23, 2018, the companys stock was at VND2,700.

Hanoimilk used to be one of Vietnams leading milk brands with the capacity of 40 million litres of milk per year. Newswire vnexpress.vn stated that according to a non-official report, the firm once made up 28 per cent of the pasteurised milk market for children and 9 per cent of the domestic milk market.

After focusing on the IZZI pasteurised yogurt brand, Hanoimilk even planned to diversify its products, including powdered milk, condensed milk, and fruit juice, to compete with other domestic and foreign milk enterprises. In addition, the company wanted to utilise the plans success to enter a joint venture, franchise, and lease the brand.

According to its financial report in this years first quarter, Hanoimilks revenue reached VND29.36 billion ($1.29 million), down 79.4 per cent year-on-year. Its after-tax profit hit VND100 million ($4,405), dropping 50 per cent year-on-year.

At its annual shareholders meeting two years ago, Hanoimilk still had the ambition to maintain its position as one of the top three milk enterprises in Vietnam and a leading nutritional product manufacturer for children.

However, after more than 10 years of being listed on the stock exchange, Hanoimilk has produced the opposite results by commonly reporting falling profits due to bad sales.

Hanoimilk's annual shareholders' meeting in 2018 will be held on June 30. Falling sales and issues related to the Hanoi Stock Exchange may be the main content of the meeting.

Regarding its bad sales, the representative also told VIR that Hanoimilk is overcoming this difficulty.

Newswire vnexpress.vn quoted Hanoimilks leaders as saying that negative growth was a result of external factors such as the fierce competition between milk companies. In addition, its limited financial potential has affected marketing and promotion activities, which in turn curbed revenue.

Founded in 2001 and officially coming into operation in 2003, Hanoimilk JSC used to be one of Vietnams leading dairy enterprises with branded dairy products IZZI, Yotuti, and Hanoimilk 100 per cent fresh milk.A corner of Halong Bay. - VNA/VNS Photo Quang Quyet

The project was proposed by Tan Tien trading business and production limited company, which is headquartered in Hanoi.

The economic zone management committee of Quang Ninh Provinces Peoples Committee rejcted the construction of the factory which was projected to annually manufacture 20,000 tonnes of Sodium hydroxide along with 20,000 tonnes of powder Poly Aluminium Chloride (PAC) and 3,600 tonnes of Javen (Natri hypochlorit) bleach.

The project was proposed to be located near Cua Luc River which flows into Halong Bay. Tourism agencies and planning, environmental experts have been worried that environmental incidents might occur and hurt the provinces tourism and service sector.

The committee will carry out investment procedures at another location if the company is still willing to invest in the factory.

The decision was made after the provincial economic zone management committee worked with the projects investor, the ministries of natural resources, environment, industry and trade, scientists and local authorities.

Since 2013, Tan Tien has operated a chemical and coal dust manufacturing factory at Viet Hung industrial zone in Quang Ninh Province. In 2015, it submitted a proposal to construct a factory to make Sodium hydroxide and other commercial products.

In May 2016, economic zone management committee of Quang Ninh Provinces Peoples Committee granted a certificate of investment registration for the project.

In March 2017, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment approved a report assessing the environmental impacts of the project.

The provincial economic zone management committee met with Tan Tien about the projects pollution risks. The two sides agreed to retrieve the investment registration certificate.

The company then applied for a new factory project manufacturing Sodium hydroxide, PAC and Javen, the project authorities have rejected.With a new decree, Vietnam Railways is now the official owner of state assets indirectly used for train operation

The government recently issued Decree No.46/2018/ ND-CP governing the management and use of railway infrastructure assets. The major highlight of the decree is the allocation of part of the national railway infrastructure assets to the operator  Vietnam Railways (VNR)  to own, use, and develop with state capital to be recorded in the business.

This is considered breaking the rules of the railway sector, as said assets were always completely state-owned, with VNR merely acting as manager and operator.

Under Article 4 of Decree 46, national railway infrastructure assets are divided into two categories: assets directly used for train operation  railways, bridges, tunnels, rails, depots, and others  and assets indirectly used for train operation  station squares, warehouses, inland container depots (ICD), service and training facilities at railway stations, and others.

As per Article 6, the national railway infrastructure assets are recorded as state capital contribution to the operator. This is the first time that the country has such a regulation for the railway sector.

Accordingly, the assets directly used for train operation remain owned by the state, with VNR still the manager and operator, while the assets indirectly used for train operation will be handed over to VNR to own, use, and develop.

At present, all railway assets are owned by the state, thus VNR has to depend on state capital to upgrade and develop infrastructure. With the right to own, use, and develop the railway assets with state capital recorded in the business, we are enabled to take the initiative in our investment plan and to call on more favourable private investments, VNR chairman Vu Anh Minh told VIR.

The move will help us fast-track investment procedures. For example, when we own a land lot, we can reach agreements with credit organisations to develop infrastructure more easily than we do currently, as we are only the manager, he went on to say.

As the decree officially took effect in late March, VNR is gearing up the drafting of a master plan on how to use and develop the railway assets before submitting it to the prime minister for approval.

According to Minh, the railway operator plans to co-operate with other investors to develop ICDs and warehouses along the railway network from Song Than Station in the southern province of Binh Duong to Dong Anh Station in Hanoi as well as to Lao Cai and Dong Dang, to increase transportation capacity.

We are co-operating with Saigon Newport Corporation, Vietnams largest port operator, to build ICDs at Song Than and Phan Thiet stations, and calling on other investors to build ICDs at Dong Anh, Yen Vien, Dong Dang, Danang, and Vinh stations.

Foreign investors still hesitate to make investments in railway infrastructure and/or rail transport due to the lack of incentives and risk-sharing mechanisms between the state and investors.

The current Law on Railways does not include clear regulations on investments in commercial centres and service facilities at railway stations. There are no specified incentives and no specific organ of the state to manage railway infrastructure assets, said a lawyer at Vietnam International law firm.

With the new rules and a number of special incentives (e.g, land use fees) offered in the revised Law on Railways, which takes effect on July 1, the railway sector is expected to become more attractive to foreign investors in the near future.

Recently, a number of foreign investors, including Siemens, Russias EVRAZ  the worlds largest producer of rails  and Russia Export Centre Group, as well as several others have expressed interest in doing business with VNR.Longer working lives are forecasted as proposals are in place to raise the retirement age in a bid to tackle the problem of a rapidly aging population Photo: Le Toan

This September, Vu Quang Tho, head of the Institute for Workers and Trade Unions under the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, will officially retire. The 60-year-old has devoted decades of his life to studying labour policies.

Tho may not be able to benefit from an upcoming increase in the working time for state officers and employees, which was just agreed on by the Party Central Committee.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA) will soon revise the existing Labour Code, with the new retirement age cap scheduled to take effect from 2021.

The Institute and the Confederation believe the change will enable state employees to work more. Under our survey, many said they want to see their working time lengthen, Tho told VIR. It will also help Vietnam respond to the aging of its population and ease burdens on social insurance funds.

Raising retirement ages

On May 12, the seventh plenary session of the 12th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam released three major resolutions, including one on social insurance reform.

The retirement age will be raised under a proper roadmap regarding its suitability to specific groups and occupations. Gender equality must be ensured. Measures must be taken to deal with the aging population and rapid changes of the labour market, and the introduction of new labour forms under Industry 4.0, stated Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

MoLISA recently proposed two scenarios on raising retirement ages, starting from January 1, 2021. The first is to increase the retirement age to 60 for women and 62 for men, with an incremental three-month rise added to the retirement age in each successive year. The second scenario is to lift the retirement age to 60 for women and 65 for men, with a four-month rise added to the retirement age in each successive year.

The existing retirement age  55 for women and 60 for men  has been in place since 1960.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), taking into account the fact that there is and will be a substantial increase in the life expectancy in Vietnam and that there will be a substantially smaller number of working population per pensioner due to the declining fertility rate as well as peoples longevity, it is essential to gradually increase the retirement age to improve the future financial balance between contributions and benefits.

It should be noted that increasing the retirement age is important in order to have a sufficient labour force amidst the decrease of the working-age population, as well as to maintain financial sustainability of the scheme. It is also important that the retirement ages for men and women should be finally equalised, so that Vietnam can utilise all the human resources available in the country.

Aging population

According to forecasts by international organisations and experts, by 2026, Vietnam will begin seeing its population officially entering an aging stage. If we dont increase retirement ages, we wont be able to cope with this aging population, MoLISA Minister Dao Ngoc Dung said.

In 2000, Vietnam had 1.7 million people entering the job market for the first time and 500,000 people retiring. However, in 2017, the respective figures were 1.3 million and 1 million. It is expected that by 2035, the respective figures will be 1.5 million and 1.3 million, according to Dung.

This means Vietnam will face a rapidly aging population, Dung stressed.

In a report on Vietnams economy released in July 2016, the World Bank warned, Vietnam is about to start aging at an unprecedented pace.

As of 2016, 7 per cent of the Vietnamese population, or 6.5 million people, were 65 years old or older, and over 10 per cent were 60 and older. By 2040, however, the number of people 65 and older is projected to almost triple to 18.4 million, and to occupy 17 per cent of the population.

Put another way, the elderly dependency ratio in Vietnam  the percentage of people aged over 65 relative to the working age population  is expected to almost triple from around 10 per cent in 2016 to 26 per cent by 2040.

The speed of aging in Vietnam is among the fastest seen globally to date, said the report.

Burdening social insurance

According to MoLISA, over the past 60 years, the average life expectancy has risen to 78 for men and 79.5 for women. However, the average retirement age is 55.6 for men and 52.6 for women. Meanwhile, for men, the average time for social insurance payments is 28 years, while the average time of pension enjoyment is 22.5 years. For women, the respective time periods are 23 and 27 years.

This will undermine the social insurance fund, Minister Dung said.

Nuno Cunha, ILO senior specialist on social security, told VIR that the performance of social insurance funds can indeed play a long-term role for the sustainability of the fund, but the pace of demographic change with such a rapidly growing and aging population creates challenges that can only be solved by changing system parameters, and one of those is indeed retirement age.

Increasing the retirement age is a trend seen in several countries in the region, and when compared with other countries with the same life expectancy, Vietnams retirement age is clearly lower, Cunha said.

According to him, looking at life expectancy in Vietnam, it is clear that nowadays, a woman who reaches 60 years of age is expected, on average, to live until age 81.6. By retiring at 55, women would thus receive a pension for more than 26 years on average.

Imagine that someone enters the labour market at 25. She would contribute for 30 years at most, probably less. A contribution of 30 or 35 years for a pension payment that lasts 26 years is just not possible. It is not difficult to understand the challenge that this poses to a pension system, Cunha stressed.

And with time, this situation will get more dramatic. Not only will life expectancy continue to increase, the ratio of working adults per elderly person will shrink from more than six to two. We do not see a way for the system to survive if parameters like retirement age are not adjusted, he added.

In need of a roadmap

However, according to experts, a concrete roadmap to raise the retirement age is needed. ILO has also made a proposal to create a roadmap and start implementing it slowly and gradually.

From what I know, this is the proposal that is under discussion. It goes in the right direction and tries to give time for people to adjust, but also for the economy to further develop, Cunha said.

Vu Quang Tho of the Institute for Workers and Trade Unions said, We cannot raise the retirement ages immediately, as it will cause social disorder. We would need thorough preparations.

He said that in Vietnam, over one million young people are currently unemployed, including hundreds of thousands of university graduates. These people must be employed before a rise in retirement ages can be applied.

However, they can be employed if the local market grows stronger and more stable, Tho said, proposing that a rise in working time should be prescribed in sub-law documents like a decree or a circular, which is easier to be amended than a law.NEW YORK, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As news about data privacy violations continues to grab headlines and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regulation takes effect in Europe on Friday, May 25, new research from digital agency group SYZYGY (WPP) of online users in the U.S., U.K., and Germany reveals that businesses in the U.S. could pay a high price for the widespread public opinion that they are misusing citizens personal data.



In this heated environment, many consumers feel that the value of their data is priceless. More than half (55%) of U.S. adults would not sell their personal data at any price, even to their favorite brand, rising to 66% of those 55 and over. For those who would consider selling their personal data to their favorite brand, they would do so for an average one-off payment of $150. Just 9% would share their data with their favorite brand for no charge.

Almost half of Americans (47%) have stopped using an online service or retailer in the past year because they dont trust them with their data and over half (54%) believe that the brands and services they use already know too much about them. The trust levels of Americans are lower than those found in the U.K., where about of third (36%) of Brits have ceased doing business with a retailer. Germans report the highest level of concern of the three countries surveyed. A full 75% say they dont trust retailers.

Young people, however, seem to be more willing to share, with 55% of 18-24s willing to sell their personal data to their favorite brand and 12% willing to share for no charge. However, the majority in this age group (51%) feel that the brands and retailers they use already know too much about them.

The report points to a clear gap between the perceived benefits of personalization and the efforts of companies to tailor better experiences to their customers. Only one in four (27%) believe that surrendering their personal data is a price worth paying for to get a more personalized experience online. Whats more, only two in ten Americans (21%) report being happy when they are aware of businesses using technology to personalize messages and content to them. Overall, less than one in five (18%) feel it is worth giving up online anonymity in return for receiving more personalized experiences.

Paul Marsden, Consumer Psychologist at SYZYGY, said: "The research fundamentally highlights the stark lack of trust among consumers in how their data is currently being used. Yet for every business problem, theres a business opportunity. Businesses now have the opportunity to repair the data-driven trust deficit. For example, they can put people in control of their own data, enabling them to view, limit, erase and update the data held about them."

Megan Harris, Managing Director of SYZYGY North America, said: Theres no doubt that users can and do trade their data for better online experiences, regardless of how they feel about doing so. Yet, brands and their agencies cant take their customers for granted. This survey is a hard reminder of our collective mandate to be transparent and ethical in how we use data. If we fail our customers and further break their trust, well soon be faced with our own GDPR in the U.S.

The SYZYGY (WPP) study The Price of Personal Data was conducted between May 15 and 18, 2018 with 1000 U.S. adults aged 18-65 using Google Surveys.

For more information, download the summary of The Price of Personal Data or contact SYZYGY to request the dataset.

About SYZYGY

SYZYGY AG is an international digital communications agency traded on the Frankfurt stock exchange since 2000 and partially owned by the WPP Group. We put human happiness at the heart of everything we do and use digital technology to help brands become agents of positive change. Headquartered in Germany with offices in New York, London and Warsaw, our team of 700 professionals work with leading brands around the world, including Avis Budget Group, AMEX, BMW, LOreal, Mazda, and Samsung. Learn more at https://www.syzygy.us/.It follows the art competition in January 2018 jointly organized by the Consulate General of Singapore, the HCMC Union of Friendship Organizations (HUFO) and the General Sciences Library, which saw the participation of 100 students from primary and secondary schools.

The food festival will feature 18 stalls by Singapore companies in HCMC, showcasing Singapore cuisine and particularly, hawker classics that are well known in Singapore. One of the Singapore dishes much loved among Vietnamese people is the famous frog porridge, known as chao ech Singapore in Vietnam.

There will be many other dishes like chilli crab, chicken rice, laksa, chwee kueh, nasi lemak, otak otak and popiah that are testament to the multi-cultural and multi-ethnic Singapore. A lot of Singapores street foods are named in the language of their origins such as nasi lemak which means fatty rice in Malay, while chwee kueh means cake with water and rice flour in the Teochew dialect.

We are happy to bring a taste of Singapore to Vietnam through this food festival, which celebrates 45 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Vietnam. This is the first time the Consulate General is organizing a food festival in the city. Through this event, we hope to build stronger people-to-people ties and camaraderie among our peoples, said Leow Siu Lin, Singaporean Consul General.

The diplomat added that the event will at the same time benefit underprivileged students in Vietnam as proceeds and contributions from Singapore companies at the food festival will go towards the Singapore Business Groups Edfund, which has to date provided scholarships to more than 3,000 under-privileged students in and around HCMC since 2000.

Singapore Food Festival, taking place from 10:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., will bring participants an exciting weekend of performances and live food demonstrations with free food tasting. Particularly, the worlds first Michelin-star street food chef, Chef Chan, will be demonstrating how he prepares his famous soya sauce chicken rice.

Relations between Vietnam and Singapore have grown across all fronts. The relations were elevated to a Strategic Partnership in September 2013. Singapore is the third largest foreign investor in Vietnam and the top investor in HCMC.Chen Lian Pang, CEO of CapitalLand Vietnam

Foundation works at the DEdge project has damaged some surrounding houses. How do you feel about this matter?

The safety and well-being of residents are our priority, and we are working closely with the authorities and third-party experts to investigate the matter.

This concerns me a great deal, as if it is not resolved properly, it may affect our future developments and the overall investment outlook of Vietnam. Currently, based on the contractual terms between the developer and the main contractor, the developer has handed over the site to the appointed contractor for site management. Thus, all external parties, including the developer, would have to obtain permission to enter the site.

Understanding that the site is surrounded by other structures, the developer has anticipated that the surroundings would be affected by the construction to a certain extent. Thus, insurance has been purchased to cover matters.

Currently, the construction work has damaged six houses within the surroundings. Based on past experience, such collaterals are inevitable due to the nature of excavation work, especially during basement construction. As an experienced international developer, we have taken preventive measures to minimise such issues where possible.

Can you please elaborate about this insurance policy you mentioned?

We always ensure that insurance is purchased prior to starting construction work. Despite the cost, we make sure there is insurance in place in just such an eventuality. Usually, this will involve a third party surveyor for assessment. Before commencing major works, pictures and notes will be taken to document the existing physical conditions of the surrounding houses at that point in time. Such documents are then used as basis for comparison if issues occur.

What construction methods does CapitaLand employ to erect retaining walls? Are there any monitoring devices available for such purposes?

The incident occured during the construction of CapitaLand's D'Edge project

For basement construction, retaining walls are typically designed to hold and prevent the collapse of soil from neighbouring sites. Together with monitoring devices installed around the construction site, these devices provide feedback to the technical team for monitoring and ensuring construction safety. At the moment, the construction of the DEdge project stays within the safety requirements stated in its approved design. We will continue to monitor this to ensure that we minimise the impact of the construction to neighbouring properties.

Have you received any feedback from the six affected houses?

To date, five out of six affected house owners have accepted the conditions offered by the developer to repair the damage caused, leaving only one house. The owner of this property did not accept the developers offer and requested a much higher compensation for the damage than the other five owners. In addition, the owner has only allowed entry by an independent surveyor recently, but they have yet to agree on the scope of the work to be done, which is essentially blocking progress.

As the investigation is still ongoing, minimal conclusions can be made. However, as an international developer with a track record of more than 20 years, I would like to emphasise that we have done our best to address the situation and can only hope that the public will trust us. In addition, I would like to share that we do have some documents to show the actual conditions of the houses prior to the construction works. Furthermore, meetings, appeals, and documents related to this issue have been documented.

Can you share the conclusions of the independent surveyor?

Currently the investigation is ongoing and we do not have any conclusions yet, as the last home owner just gave permission to enter his house and they are still negotiating the scope of the damage and the work to be done.

We stand by our principles and our processes. We have 12 successful projects in Vietnam and have even more in the pipelinewe remain steadfast in our wish to build communities and improve the standards of living in Vietnam.

Due to this issue, the affected owners have asked to halt the foundation works. Will this worsen the situation and compromise the safety of surrounding residents?

My personal opinion is that to protect the safety of the surrounding residents, the construction should continue and the walls of the basement should be completed. If construction is stopped before the walls are completed and the rainy season approaches, the rain will loosen up the soil, affecting the safety and structural integrity of surrounding houses.

Has CapitaLand faced similar issues overseas and how did you deal with it?

Such issues arise from basement excavation works everywhere in the world. This is true for the central business district or congested city areas, too. The process is pretty much standard: a third party is invited to assess the damage, after which the sides negotiate and pay compensation.

When do you plan to continue the basement construction?

As much as we would like to proceed to keep on schedule, we have to wait for permission from the local authorities.Keeping the surrounding residents safety in mind, we have written to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction to withdraw its suspension order and allow us to continue the work.

We want to highlight that we are doing our best to resolve this issue. We are willing to settle at a reasonable amount. We hope the owner will consider the safety implications of stopping the construction and work with us to resolve this issue.Facebook has faced a range of scandals over privacy, the use of data and fake news AFP/JOEL SAGET

CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA

In Facebook's telling, everything goes back to 2013 when Russian-American researcher Aleksandr Kogan creates a personality prediction test app, "thisisyourdigitallife", which is offered on the social network.

Around 300,000 people download the app, authorising access to information on their profile and also to the data of their Facebook friends.

In 2015 Facebook makes changes to its privacy policy and prevents third-party apps from accessing the data of user's friends without their consent.

The same year the social network discovers Kogan has passed on the information retrieved via his app to the British company Cambridge Analytica (CA), which specialises in the analysis of data and strategic communication.

In 2016 CA is hired by Donald Trump's US presidential campaign.

Facebook says it was assured by CA in 2015 that the data in question had been erased. But it estimates the firm could have had access to the data of up to 87 million users, most in the United States, without their consent, and used this information to serve the Trump campaign.

Cambridge Analytica, which denies the accusations, has since filed for voluntary bankruptcy in the United States and Britain.

Facebook is accused of having been lax in its protection of user data, slow to intervene and consistently vague on its privacy settings.

In 2011 it signed a consent decree with US consumer protection agency the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) settling charges that it deceived consumers by telling them they could keep their information on Facebook private, and then allowing it to be shared and made public.

In March this year the FTC said it had opened an inquiry into Facebook's privacy practices, including whether the company violated the earlier agreement, which would incur hefty fines.

Beyond the CA scandal, Facebook estimates the data of nearly all its users may have, at some time, been retrieved without their knowledge.

POLITICAL MANIPULATION

Facebook and sites like Google, Twitter and Tumblr are also accused of having allowed the spread through their networks of "fake news", including to manipulate public opinion ahead of the US election in favour of Trump.

The sites have acknowledged finding on their platforms messages, accounts and pages associated with the Internet Research Agency, a Saint Petersburg operation that is alleged to be a "troll farm" connected to the Russian government.

It is accused of spreading disinformation and propaganda including via postings - often in the form of sponsored ads that target users based on their personal data - that could influence opinion, for example over immigration.

Facebook is in particular accused of not having been vigilant enough on monitoring the content and authenticity of pages and political ads that it carries.

It announced this year that it will require that the sponsors of political ads are identified and verified.Firefighters and rescue personnel are seen at the the site of a crash after a regional train plowed into a truck that had stopped on the tracks in Caluso, outside Turin on May 24, 2018. (Photo: AFP/Alessandro CONTALDO)

The accident, in which the train driver was killed, occurred late Wednesday (May 23) in northern Italy close to Turin, with three of the train's carriages coming off the rails, according to television footage.

"The regional train 10027 Turin-Ivrea hit a heavy goods vehicle that had stopped on a functioning railway crossing after crashing through the barriers," RFI, which manages Italy's rail network, said in a statement.

"According to early information, the driver of the train was killed and many other passengers have been injured," the statement added.

According to the AGI news agency, the second victim was taken to a Turin hospital by helicopter with severe injuries but he did not survive.

At the time of the accident he was in a van accompanying the heavy goods vehicle, other media reported.

"Everything happened so fast, I felt the train break suddenly and then I found myself in hell and around me everything was black," Paolo Malgioglio, 23, told le Corriere della Sera newspaper.

According to La Stampa newspaper, eyewitnesses said the vehicle, which was registered in Lithuania, looked to be a particularly large and heavy truck.

The van that was in front of it passed safely through the level crossing but when the barriers started to come down, the vehicle failed to brake in time and came to a stop on the tracks, the newspaper said.

Many other people have been hospitalised, including four who are in a serious condition, local media reported.

AGI said one female passenger was in a serious condition after sustaining a head injury but she remains conscious.

It comes after another accident in April 2017 in the north that killed two people and resulted in the temporary closure of the main railway line between Italy and Austria.

In July 2016 a collision between two trains in the south of Italy left 23 people dead and 52 others injured.In front of the VNDIRECT Securities Corporations headquarters in Ha Noi, a woman parks her motorbike.-VNS Photo Viet Thanh

The benchmark VN-Index on the HCM Stock Exchange inched up 0.31 per cent to close at 988.94 points, reversing from its loss of 5.3 per cent from the last two sessions.

The minor HNX Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange rose 1.19 per cent to end at 118.11 points after having decreased by a total of 3.8 per cent in the previous two days.

More than 230.3 million shares were traded on the two local exchanges, worth VND7.3 trillion (US$319 million).

The market trading condition was positive with 249 gaining stocks against 202 declining, while 293 other stocks were unchanged.

The VN30 Index, which tracks the southern citys 30 largest shares by capitalisation and liquidity, rose 1 per cent to 968.54 points. There were 20 gainers against 8 decliners in the basket.

Major large-cap stocks rescued the market, with earners including budget carrier Vietjet (VJC), real estate company Dat Xanh Group JSC and insurer Bao Viet Holdings (BVH).

Financial-banking, securities, insurance, retail, rubber products and construction material stocks recorded the highest growth rates on Wednesday to bolster the markets increase, data on vietstock.vn showed.

Vietinbank (CTG), Vietcombank (VCB) and JSC Bank For Investment And Development Of Viet Nam (BIDV) pushed the banking sector up, while strong gains were also recorded in brokerage firms such as Saigon Securities Inc (SSI), HCM City Securities (HCM) and VNDirect Securities (VND) notably hitting the ceiling prices, reaching the daily rise limit of 7 per cent.

The food and beverage industry posted a growth of 2.2 per cent on Wednesday, partly thanks to the news that pork prices rose sharply. Compared to 2017, live pig prices have more than doubled. Pork prices in May continued to increase by 10 per cent from April.

According to Bao Viet Securities Company (BVSC), the increase in pork prices in recent days is due to a sharp decline in supply as livestock farmers reduced their stocks or stopped breeding.

Pork accounts for about 7 per cent of the CPI basket of goods. As a result, a 10 per cent increase of pork prices could have substantial impact on the overall CPI in May (about 0.7 per cent), BVSC said in its daily report.

The company said this macroeconomic news could put adverse influence on investor sentiment in the short term.

On the negative side, the darling of the market on Tuesday, Vinhomes JSC (VHM) suddenly plunged 6.7 per cent to reach VND110,300 per share. In the morning session, the stocks hit the daily decline limit of 6.9 per cent.

Vingroup shares slipped 3.2 per cent to close at VND103,000. It also hit the floor price of VND99,000 in the morning.

The slump of the two largest companies by market capitalisation slowed down the markets upward trend.E-commerce website Tiki reported a loss of VND320 billion ($14.05 million) after two years of VNG Corporation's investment

The Vietnamese e-commerce market is one of the leading markets in the region for investment. According to Nielsen, the annual growth speed of the e-commerce market is 22 per cent and is expected to hit $10 billion in annual revenue by 2022 from the current $4 billion. The Vietnamese e-commerce market shows great potential for development and receives great attention from new investors.

In a recent report by Topica Founder Institute, e-commerce attracted $83 million of foreign investment through 21 deals. Startup SEA (used to be Garena, which was termed as a unicorn in Asia), ranked first among investors pouring capital into Vietnamese startups in 2017. SEA spent $64 million acquiring 82 per cent of the shares in Foody, a food delivery website and app.

CyberAgent Ventures, a Japanese venture investment fund, continues its activities in Vietnam. In 2017, four deals were implemented successfully to invest into Foody, CleverAds, Tiki.vn, and Vexere.

Besides, Telenor, a Norwegian telecommunications corporation, spent $109 million acquiring 701Search, which manages Chotot.vn.

Tiki.vn received $54 million of Series C financing from JD.com and STC Investment. Although both Tiki and JD refused to reveal the value of the deals, industry insiders said that JD.com poured nearly VND1 trillion ($44 million) into Tiki.

Theleader.vn quoted president of JD.coms international business Winston Cheng as saying that he is very excited to continue widening in Southeast Asia through the co-operation with Tiki, a company with deep understanding of Vietnam and outstanding reputation for customer service. They have a mutual business philosophy to gain market share by the customer's affection.

E-commerce holds great potential for investment in Vietnam. However, the competition in the sector leads to a non-stop pour-lose-pour cycle of investment.

Looking at VNG Corporation's annual financial statement, Tiki reported a loss of VND282 billion ($12.38 million) in 2017, triple its charter capital and seven times higher than the loss in 2016. Hence, Tikis total losses two years after receiving investment from VNG were VND320 billion ($14.05 million).

Tiki holds a large portion of the e-commerce market in Vietnam along with Lazada and Shopee. Tiki started off as a website selling only English books in 2010, then received investment and expanded to various items, such as electronics, fashion, and household appliances. However, Tiki has been continuously reporting losses for the last eight years.

According to enternews.vn, Lazada and Shopee also seem not to earn any profit in this market. However, they receive heavy investment to offset losses. Lazada Southeast Asia received $2 million in 2016-2017 from Alibaba, the biggest competitor of JD.com in China, while some projects even had to be closed such as Beyeu, Deca, Lingo or Foodpanda.

Double-digit growth in recent years, along with a high rate of young population using smart phones and internet enable investors to be bullish in the Vietnamese e-commerce market and to continue pouring money into this market.

While online shopping shows great potential, it remains very small next to general commerce, while developers have to pour a great deal of money into increasing the number of goods categories, reducing price, promotions, warehouses, and customer care to attract customers.

Thereby, e-commerce websites will suffer from negative growth until sales grow large enough to offset these expenses.

As a result, those with enough money will weather the storm, while the rest will drown.VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ALX Uranium Corp. (ALX or the Company) (TSXV:AL) (FSE:6LLN) (OTC:ALXEF) is pleased to announce that a diamond drilling program has resumed at the Hook-Carter Uranium Project (Hook-Carter, or the Project) located in the southwestern Athabasca Basin of Saskatchewan, Canada. Exploration at Hook-Carter is operated by Denison Mines Corp. (Denison) (TSX:DML) (NYSE MKT:DNN) and is owned 80% by Denison and 20% by ALX.



Summer 2018 Drilling Program

Drilling has commenced, following on from the Companys maiden winter 2018 drilling program which encountered hydrothermal alteration in both the sandstone and the basement lithologies associated with graphitic basement structures - indicative of the continuation of the mineralizing system within the prolific Patterson Lake Corridor. The 2018 summer program is planned to include 3,500 metres of diamond drilling in five to six holes using two drill rigs to test high-priority geophysical targets developed by Denison in 2017.

To view maps of Hook-Carters location along the Patterson Lake Corridor and the 2018 drilling plan, please click here.

About Hook-Carter

Hook-Carter consists of 45 claims covering 20,522 hectares and is located approximately 575 kilometres (357 miles) north of La Ronge, SK. The Project is located along the prolific Patterson Lake Corridor  host to the Triple R uranium deposit (Fission Uranium Corp.), the Arrow uranium deposit, Harpoon, Bow and South Arrow uranium discoveries (NexGen Energy Ltd.), and the Spitfire, Hornet and Dragon uranium discoveries (a joint venture of Purepoint Uranium Group Inc., Cameco Corp., and Orano Canada Inc.). Denison has agreed to fund the first $12.0 million of expenditures at Hook-Carter (see ALX news releases dated October 13, 2016 and November 7, 2016).

Four holes were completed during the inaugural winter 2018 drilling program, which encountered hydrothermal alteration in both the sandstone and the basement lithologies associated with graphitic basement structures. These features are consistent with unconformity-related uranium mineralizing systems in the Athabasca Basin and provide indication of the continuation of the mineralizing system within the Patterson Lake Corridor onto Hook-Carter. Elevated radioactivity was noted in two holes ranging up to 184 counts per second measured on a Mount Sopris 2GHF-1000 - Triple Gamma downhole probe.

ALX believes Hook-Carter is significantly underexplored, with only five historical drill holes located along the 15 kilometres of interpreted strike length of the Patterson Lake Corridor that lies within the Project.

Technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Sierd Eriks, P.Geo., President and Chief Geologist of the Company, who is a Qualified Person, in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements as set out in National Instrument 43-101.

About ALX

ALXs mandate is to provide shareholders with multiple opportunities for discovery by exploring a portfolio of prospective uranium properties in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. The Company executes well-designed exploration programs using the latest technologies and has interests in over 200,000 hectares in the Athabasca Basin, which hosts the richest uranium deposits in the world. ALX is based in Vancouver, BC, Canada and its common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol AL, on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol 6LLN and in the United States OTC market under the symbol ALXEF. Technical reports are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com for several of the Companys active uranium properties.

For more information about the Company, please visit the ALX corporate website at www.alxuranium.com or contact Roger Leschuk, Manager, Corporate Communications at Ph: 604.629.0293 or Toll-Free: 1.866.629.8368, or by email: rleschuk@alxuranium.com

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of ALX Uranium Corp.



"Warren Stanyer"

Warren Stanyer, Chairman and CEO

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. Forward looking statements in this news release for example include and are not limited to the 2018 drilling programs by Denison at Hook-Carter, and the anticipated benefits of the planned programs. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the Company's actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include economic, competitive, governmental, environmental and technological factors that may affect the Company's operations, markets, products and prices. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially may include misinterpretation of data; that we may not be able to get equipment or labour as we need it; that we may not be able to raise sufficient funds to complete our intended acquisitions, exploration or development; that our applications to drill may be denied; that weather, logistical problems or hazards may prevent us from exploration; that equipment may not work as well as expected; that analysis of data may not be possible accurately and at depth; that results which we or others have found in any particular location are not necessarily indicative of larger areas of our properties; that we may not complete environmental programs in a timely manner or at all; that market prices may not justify commercial production costs; and that despite encouraging data there may be no commercially exploitable mineralization on our properties.

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.You have permission to edit this article.

Edit CloseBoston restaurant Spyce relies on seven autonomous cooking pots and other technology to prepare customers meals.A global expert on infrastructure says that Chinas Silk Road plan to crisscross half of the Earth with massive transportation and energy projects is environmentally the riskiest venture ever undertaken. Distinguished Professor William Laurance from James Cook University in Australia notes:

China has enormous ambitions. But with that comes enormous responsibilities.

Writing in the Nature Sustainability journal, Professor Laurance joined an international team urging China to undertake rigorous strategic planning before embarking on its Belt and Road Initiative, which will ultimately span at least 64 nations across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Pacific region.

By mid-century, the Belt and Road could involve 7,000 infrastructure projects and US$8 trillion in investment, the researchers said.

Chinas Silk Road initiative is a potential environmental disaster

According to the WWF, Chinas Silk Road initiative could impact over 1,700 critical biodiversity areas and hundreds of threatened species. Professor Laurance added:

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. Too many Chinese firms and financiers operating overseas are poorly controlled by their government  in large part because they are so profitable. 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.

The authors said China has a unique opportunity to change its model of development and become a world-leader in sustainability. Professor Laurance explained that:TORONTO, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rupert Resources Ltd (TSX Venture:RUP) (FRANKFURT:R05) (Rupert or the Company) announces the initial results from its underground sampling programme including a sample of 3100g/t Au over 0.5m and expands licence by 65km2 at the Pahtavaara Project in the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt of Northern Finland (the Pahtavaara Project). The Pahtavaara Project comprises a permitted 1,400tpd mill, 35km of underground infrastructure and a land package of 290km2.



James Withall, Chief Executive of Rupert Resources said The initial results of the underground sampling programme are extremely encouraging and show the potential for near mine resource additions at Pahtavaara. The ongoing underground sampling combined with assaying of unsampled core is equivalent to around 10,000m of diamond drilling which Rupert is able to complete on a low cost basis. Beyond the mine limits Rupert has an extensive 2018 fieldwork plan based on our historic data review, results from 2017 and a new regional structural interpretation that utilised our detailed UAV aeromag survey. We have also applied for a further 65km2 contiguous ground located between Pahtavaara and the two major base metals deposits in the region.

Initial results from underground sampling

Rupert is undertaking a comprehensive underground sampling program utilising the 35km of existing underground infrastructure to validate the geological model and potentially expand the resource at Pahtavaara. Results have now been received from 942 underground channel samples with 40 yielding gold grades of over 0.5g/t Au (see Tables 1 and 2). The program has been designed to sample up to 5,000m of underground development thoughout the vertical extent of the resource and across all the main mineralised zones.

Samurai

A group of samples in the Samurai zone at the -120 level (300m from surface) indicate the 400m strike extent mined in the upper levels of the mine may continue at depth. The historic mining at depth was constrained by the lack of drilling data, focussing on an ever reducing strike length as shown in Figure 1 below. The results from sampling of -120 level development drifts demonstrate the potential for a 60m south western extension from the historically mined stopes. Of particular note channel sample 818020 intersected 2m grading 11g/t and a separate chip sample (818019_4) from the same structure assayed 3,100g/t Au over a 0.5m interval, the highest gold assay value recorded at Pahtavaara. The area to the southwest of this lacks drilling and will be a target of programs planned to follow up this work.

To view Figure 1. Long section of Samurai zone looking North showing location of 3100g/t Au chip sample, please visit the following link: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/39e9ebcc-fe09-49b2-8fee-39d98a220ec2

NFE

As previously reported on 1 March 2018, underground sampling of a structure at the -150 level (400m below surface) in the existing decline yielded assays of 3.5g/t Au (817011_1), 26.2g/t Au (817011_2) and 4.9g/t Au (817011_4). Rupert maintains that this structure may be the NFE zone at depth in an area with no previous drilling between the historically mined Samuari and DB plunge zones.

Table 1  Significant results from underground sampling program (rock chip samples) Hole ID Zone Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) 817000 Karoliina 4699 4898 -31 152 0.0 1.0 1.0 1.3 817000 34.0 36.0 2.0 4.3 817000 35.0 36.0 1.0 6.6 817004 Karoliina 4738 4902 -33 79 9.0 11.0 2.0 5.3 817004 10.0 11.0 1.0 8.2 817004 16.0 18.0 2.0 3.1 817004 17.0 18.0 1.0 5.2 817004 21.0 22.0 1.0 6.3 817005 Karoliina 4695 4876 58 68 6.0 7.0 1.0 2.6 818016_2 T-vein 5082 4772 120 329 0.0 1.0 1.0 2.2 818019_4 Samurai 5002 4848 -122 19 0.0 0.5 0.5 3100.0 818019_5 Samurai 4990 4948 -123 334 0.0 1.0 1.0 2.2 818019_6 Samurai 4990 4949 -123 320 0.0 1.0 1.0 1.5 818019_7 Karoliina 4902 4832 43 238 0.0 1.0 1.0 3.3





Table 2  Significant results from underground sampling program (sawn channel samples) Hole ID Zone Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) 817006 Karoliina 4489 4784 77 149 3.0 6.0 3.0 1.7 818010 Samurai 5089 4936 -120 268 10.0 12.0 2.0 2.1 818010 31.0 32.0 1.0 1.4 818013 Samurai 5115 4951 -118 69 10.0 11.0 1.0 2.2 818013 16.0 17.0 1.0 1.2 818015 Samurai 5152 4948 -117 93 2.0 3.0 1.0 1.6 818015 18.0 23.0 5.0 1.6 818020 Samurai 4999 4842 -121 30 6.0 8.0 2.0 11.4 818020 6.0 7.0 1.0 19.1 818021 Samurai 5007 4849 -122 193 7.0 9.0 2.0 1.8 818021 12.0 13.0 1.0 2.1 818021 18.0 19.0 1.0 1.3 817006_2 Karoliina 4489 4783 76 149 3.0 5.0 2.0 3.3 817006_2 3.0 4.0 1.0 5.3 817011_1 NFE 5063 5032 -141 79 0.0 1.0 1.0 3.5 817011_2 NFE 5065 5032 -140 136 0.0 1.0 1.0 26.2 817011_4 NFE 5064 5032 -140 264 0.0 1.0 1.0 4.9 818020 Samurai 4999 4842 -121 30 6.0 8.0 2.0 11.4 818021 Samurai 5007 4849 -122 193 0.0 1.0 1.0 0.9 818021 Samurai 7.0 9.0 2.0 1.8 818021 Samurai 12.0 14.0 2.0 1.5 818021 Samurai 18.0 19.0 1.0 1.3 818022 Samurai 5007 4835 -121 266 2.0 3.0 1.0 0.5 818026 Samurai 4999 4910 -124 353 12.0 13.0 1.0 0.8 818028 NFE 5056 4930 -90 322 26.0 31.0 5.0 0.8 818029 Samurai 5126 4825 131 259 0.0 1.0 1.0 0.6 818030 Samurai 5046 4958 -94 337 0.0 1.0 1.0 0.5 818033 NFE 5039 4972 -95 334 18.0 19.0 1.0 5.3 818035 NFE 5023 5008 -101 320 13.0 15.0 2.0 1.1 818037 NFE 5015 5025 -104 339 8.0 9.0 1.0 0.8 818040 NFE 4975 5037 -111 186 4.0 5.0 1.0 3.5

The intervals presented in Tables 1 and 2 represent sampling widths and are not representative of true width of mineralisation.

2018 regional fieldwork

The Company has recently completed the consolidation of all historic geological and geochemical information covering our extensive licence areas into our inhouse database. Further, we will have completed the last areas of our detailed UAV magnetic surveying by the end of May. An updated regional geological and structural interpretation is well advanced and key areas of the licence package have now been prioritised. The 2018 summer fieldwork will begin in early June with six additional geologists joining the team to undertake an extensive regional mapping and sampling programme. This will include followup work at the Valimaa and Saitta targets identified last year through boulder and outcrop sampling along with the known occurrences at Koppelokangas and Hookana. Near mine exploration will also continue with base of till (BOT) drilling planned to followup results from the ionic leach sampling, heavy mineral sampling and drilling completed to date at the Liikamaa and Paskamaa targets in the Western Extension area (see figure 2).

To view Figure 2. Areas of focus for 2018 fieldwork campaign, please visit the following link: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/719b1885-8f26-45fd-aaad-714b2bb1c27b

Expanded licence area

Rupert has applied to expand its contiguous licence area in the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt by 30% to 290km2. The new area extends Ruperts position eastwards towards the two significant base metals deposits in the region operated by Boliden and Anglo American. The expanded area also extends coverage of the significant East - West structure that hosts Pahtavaara (see figure 3).

To view Figure 3. Rupert land holdings as of May 2018 (additional areas outline in red), please visit the following link: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2441adda-7924-44ae-b0a7-d0ffc08a07a9

Review by Qualified Person, Quality Control and Reports

In compliance with National Instrument 43-101, Mr. Mike Sutton, P.Geo. is the Qualified Person who supervised the preparation of the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release. Samples are assayed by CRS/Actlabs Finland at Takatie 6, 90440 Kempele Finland, who have ISO9001 sample prep and ALS Minerals at Sodankyla, Finland and Pitea, Sweden. All samples are under watch from the drill site to the storage facility. Samples are assayed using cyanide leach methods with AAS detection of Au. The Companys QA/QC program includes the regular insertion of blanks and standards into the sample shipments, as well as instructions for duplication. Standards, blanks and duplicates are inserted at appropriate intervals. Approximately five percent (5%) of the pulps and rejects are sent for check assaying at a second lab with the results averaged and intersections updated when received.

About Rupert

Rupert is a Canadian based gold exploration and development company that is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol RUP. The Company owns the Pahtavaara gold mine, mill, and exploration permits and concessions located in the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt in Northern Finland (Pahtavaara) (see the Companys November 9, 2016 press release). Pahtavaara has an Inferred mineral resource at a 1.5 g/t Au cut off grade of 4.6 Mt at a grade of 3.2 g/t Au (474 koz) (see Companys release from April 16, 2018). The Company also holds a 100% interest two properties in Central Finland, Hirsikangas and Osikonmaki; the Gold Centre property, which consists of mineral claims located in the Balmer Township, Red Lake, Ontario; and the Surf Inlet Property in British Columbia.

The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains statements which constitute forward-looking statements, including the statements with respect to those that address potential quantity and/or grade of minerals, potential for minerals, completion of the proposed Transaction, deadlines, regulatory approvals, business activities and operating performance of the Company. The words may, would, could, will, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made, and are inherently subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other known and unknown factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These factors include the general risks of the mining industry, as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in the Company's annual Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended February 28, 2017 available at www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements except as otherwise required by applicable law.

For further information, please contact:HOUSTON, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SMG Industries, Inc. (OTCQB:SMGI), an oilfield services company headquartered in Houston, Texas, today announced that it will be presenting at the 8th annual LD Micro Invitational on Monday, June 4, 2018 at 11:30 AM PDT at the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel in Los Angeles, CA.



Matt Flemming, Chief Executive Officer, will host one-on-one meetings throughout the day on June 4th and June 5th, 2018. The conference will be held at the Luxe Sunset Bel Air Hotel, will feature 230 publicly-traded companies in the small-cap/micro-cap space, and will be attended by over 1,000 institutional and individual investors.

For those interested in attending or having a meeting with SMG Industries, please contact David Scher at david@ldmicro.com or visit www.ldmicro.com for more information. LD Micro was founded in 2006 with the sole purpose of being an independent resource in the microcap space.

About SMG Industries Inc.: SMGI is an oilfield services company that operates throughout Texas and adjacent states of New Mexico and Louisiana. The Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary MG Cleaners LLC., is focused on selling proprietary branded products including detergents, surfactants and degreasers (such as Miracle Blue) to oilfield drilling rig contractors, E&P operators and oilfield companies. In addition to the Company's proprietary products, SMGI sells equipment and parts and has service crews that perform on-site repairs, maintenance and drilling rig wash services for customers such as Nabors Industries, Patterson-UTI, Helmrich & Payne, Cactus Drilling and others. SMGI is headquartered in Houston, Texas with facilities in Odessa, Carthage and Alice, Texas. Read more at www.SMGIndustries.com and www.mgcleanersllc.com.

About LD Micro: LD Micro was founded in 2006 with the sole purpose of being an independent resource in the microcap space. What started out as a newsletter highlighting unique companies has transformed into an event platform hosting several influential conferences annually (Invitational, Summit, and Main Event). In 2015, LDM launched the first pure microcap index.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains information that is forward-looking in that it describes events and conditions SMGI reasonably expects to occur in the future. Expectations for the future performance of SMGI are dependent upon a number of factors and there can be no assurance that SMGI will achieve the results as contemplated herein. Certain statements contained in this release using the terms may, expects to, anticipated and other terms denoting future possibilities, are forward-looking statements. The accuracy of these statements cannot be guaranteed as they are subject to a variety of risks, which are beyond SMGIs ability to predict, or control and which may cause actual results to differ materially from the projections or estimates contained herein. Forward-looking statements in this news release that are subject to risk include the ability to achieve and continue revenue, net income and adjusted EBITDA improvements. It is important that each person reviewing this release understand the significant risks attendant to the operation of SMGI. SMGI disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement made herein.

SMG Industries, Inc.

Phone: 713.821.3153

Email: info@smgindustries.com

Investor Relations:

FieldView Capital Markets, LLC.

Scott Biddick

Phone: 619.786.1023

Email: scott@fvcapitalmarkets.comNOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES OR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canamex Gold Corp. (the Company or Canamex) (CSE:CSQ) on May 15, 2018, launched a non-brokered private placement to accredited investors, of GOLDUSA (GOLDUSA or Token ticker symbol GOLD) Ethereum ERC20 Crypto Tokens via a Security Token Offering (STO).

Increase to Minimum Subscription

The Company has decided to increase the STO minimum subscription amount from 2,000 GOLDUSA tokens to 25,000 GOLDUSA tokens, for valid subscriptions by accredited investors received from 0900 PST on Thursday, May 24, 2018.

Further general details of the STO, are as follows:

Exposure to gold-asset-backed token at a substantial discount to the spot gold price



Each GOLDUSA Token represents 1/200 oz. gold



Current offer price $US 4.125 per GOLDUSA token, which is 37% discount to $US 6.50 value per token, based on $US 1300 per oz. gold price



Minimum subscription: Increased to 25,000 GOLDUSA Tokens



Purchase methods accepted: Fiat currencies, Ethereum (ETH) and Bitcoin (BTC).



For whitepaper, FAQs, and other considerations: https://canamexgold.com/goldusa/



For subscription: https://ezclosing.ca/private-placements/canamex-goldusa/



GOLDUSA (symbol GOLD) ERC20 security token Etherscan technical details are as follows: https://etherscan.io/token/0xe341e1a59a75f74f344c5461c8b2e55a75152833

ChainDelivery Registered Trademark

As previously advised, the Company has signed Agreements with Harmonychain AS, for Ethereum Blockchain Smart Contract Security Tokens for Gold and Silver, as an alternative means of raising capital, potentially without equity dilution. The Agreements secure the exclusive rights to various Ethereum Token domain names, ticker codes, and associated smart contracts, for Gold and Silver. The rights also extend to patents pending and trademarks associated with these security token financing models, including ChainDelivery royalty stream delivery.

ChainDelivery was approved as a registered Trade Mark in Norway by Patentkontoret within Blockchain technology on April 26th, 2018. The Norwegian Industrial Property Office is part of the Patent Cooperation Treaty comprising 152 countries in the world including USA and Canada. Approved applications will be awarded priority in subsequent applications in other Patent Cooperation Treaty Countries.

Harmonychain AS has four categories of Patents Pending and Trademarks:

Mether and Bether Commodity physical forwards tailored for the Commodity Producers.

ChainDelivery Royalty Stream and Physical Delivery Queue systems for Commodity Producers.

Security systems related to Breach of Blockchain Security.

Transparency system.

Comments by David Vincent, CEO of the Company: The recent approval of the ChainDelivery trademark, further secures the Company rights to security token financing models, asset backed by royalty metals streams and physical delivery, developed for blockchain security token application. The security token financing models seek to achieve a financing paradigm shift within the gold and silver mining and minerals explorations sector, for Canadian listed companies.

About the Company

Canamex Gold Corp. is a public listed company registered in British Columbia, Canada, trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE), and is engaged in fast-tracking toward development of the Bruner Gold Development Project in the prolific gold jurisdiction of Nye County, Nevada. The region is home to several producing and past-producing mines along the Walker Lane Trend. Canamex completed a positive Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) on the Bruner Gold Development Project in 2016. Based on additional drilling conducted on the property, the company completed an updated PEA in 2018, which increased the resources and improved the economics of the project. Canamex is now moving the Bruner Gold Project forward into permitting and development on the strength of this positive updated PEA and the improving gold price environment. The second asset is the Silverton Gold property, a gold exploration project, in Nevada, which has geological similarities to the Long Canyon gold deposit in Nevada, being mined by Newmont Mining. The Company has signed Agreements with Harmonychain AS, for Ethereum Blockchain Smart Contract Security Tokens for Gold and Silver, as an alternative means of raising capital, potentially without equity dilution. The Agreements secure the exclusive rights to various Ethereum Token domain names, ticker codes, and associated smart contracts, for Gold and Silver. The rights also extend to patents pending and trademarks associated with these security token financing models, including ChainDelivery royalty stream delivery queuing systems. Further information is available at https://canamexgold.com

Greg Hahn (CPG#7122), President & COO of the Company is the qualified person who has reviewed and approved all technical disclosures in this release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

David Vincent

Chief Executive Officer and Director

david.vincent@canamexgold.com

Mike Stark

Chairman of the Board

Contact: (604) 833-4278

mike.stark@canamexgold.com

The Canadian Securities Exchange accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.DENVER, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RLH Corporation (NYSE:RLH) announced today a limited time increase in group commission to 11 percent on all meetings and events booked by Labor Day. RLH Corporation is committed to its meeting planner partners and the crucial relationship and business they bring. The increase in commission is part of a larger focus on increasing meetings and events business across all RLH Corporation hotels.



This year we have seen a trend in the decrease of group commission rates, said RLH Corporation Executive Vice President of Hotel Operations and Sales Harry Sladich. We value the relationships we have built with meeting planners and travel agents and believe we have an opportunity to show our appreciation to this group by increasing their commission.

The increased commission is available at all participating RLH Corporation hotels, across all brands, for meetings booked by September 3, 2018 and take place by December 31, 2019. The offer does not apply to pre-existing reservations.

"As we continue to grow our portfolio, we not only want meeting planners to take notice of our new booking options, but we also want them to hear loud and clear that RLH Corporation loves their partnership and believes meeting planners should continue to be rewarded for their contribution," said RLH Corporation Senior Vice President and Chief of Revenue Optimization Calvin Anderson.

The meeting planner is a very involved element to our business, added Sladich. We recognize that despite all of the automation in the industry, meetings and group travel still requires ample manual time. We are excited to be able to recognize our meeting planners and travel agents this summer and all of the hard work they put in each day.

To learn more about the increased commission program and to book a meeting visit rlhco-commissions.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

C: 917-579-5012

investorrelations@rlhco.com

Media Contact:

Dan Schacter

Director, Social Engagement and Public Relations

509-777-6222

dan.schacter@rlhco.comToronto, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lighthouse Labs, Canadas leading coding bootcamp, is today announcing the launch of their Blockchain for Developers course. The first-ever Canadian blockchain bootcamp will be a 12-week, part-time training course designed for experienced developers looking to specialize in blockchain. An industry-first, the Blockchain for Developers course comes in the wake of a skyrocketing demand for developers with expertise in blockchain.

As the understanding of blockchains vast business benefits increases, Canadian organizations are looking for specialized developer talent, yet theres a severe lack of it, due to low availability of training, comments Jeremy Shaki, CEO of Lighthouse Labs. With the help of industry experts, current blockchain specialists and active blockchain developers, weve put together a robust curriculum including group discussions, lectures, mentorship and project-based learning, that will help developers learn the tools necessary to be successful in blockchain development.

Developers admitted into the Lighthouse Labs program will learn to navigate the fast-evolving world of blockchain, Ethereum, Solidity, and smart contracts. They will explore the theoretical possibilities of these technologies and develop solutions ready for a radical new world of openness and transparency.

Canada has emerged as one of the leading blockchain ecosystem globally. Ethereum introduced smart-contracts and ICOs, CryptoKitties brought blockchain adoption to consumers internationally in the form of an innocuous game, Blockchain Technology Limited pioneered the adoption of blockchain technologies into enterprise applications and Coinsquare allows Canadians to securely buy and sell cryptocurrencies. Innovations in crypto mining, the emergence of equity and crypto markets have driven significant capital into new and existing companies to further fuel their growth.

The most significant challenge inhibiting growth in blockchain today is sourcing qualified talent, shared Peter Smyrniotis, CEO of Blockchain Assembly. The program that Lighthouse Labs has developed will give us, and other Canadian businesses, access to talent that can help maintain Canadas place as a global leader in blockchain technology. Lighthouses team is delivering a much needed solution to this market gap in blockchain developers.

The first Blockchain for Developers course will kick off in Toronto this week with a cohort of ten students who have been selected following a competitive application process. They come from companies across Canada that are looking to cultivate skills in blockchain among existing tech talent. The next cohorts will be starting in September in both Vancouver and Toronto, with intentions of going to other Canadian cities before end of year.

For more information, visit lighthouselabs.ca/blockchain-developers-course

-30-

About Lighthouse Labs

Lighthouse Labs was created as an experiment in 2013 by a group of software developers with a passion for code, mentorship, and education. Their mission is to continuously find the best ways to train the next generation of developers and to transform the way tech education is delivered. Over two years later, they are still chasing that same mission. They aim to empower students to master the craft of software development, launch careers, and contribute to the incredible growth of Canadas tech industry. With over 80 mentors and 350 graduates who have joined the ride, they are still just a bunch of developers developing developers.



The "Contract for the Government of Change" - stipulated by Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Salvini on behalf of the 5 Star Movement and the League - on the one hand "confirms Italys membership of the Atlantic Alliance, with the United States of America as a privileged ally, and on the other, promises "an open-minded attiutude to Russia, which should be perceived not as a threat but as an economic and commercial partner (which would imply the withdrawal of sanctions), to be rehabilitated as a strategic interlocutor for the resolution of regional crises" and even as a "potential partner for NATO".

The formula is not new. In June 2016, Prime Minister Renzi assured President Putin that "the Cold War is now history", and that "Europe and Russia can be excellent neighbors". A month later, at the Warsaw Summit, Renzi signed the EU-NATO strategic pact against Russia.

How can the new government cease "perceiving" Russia as a threat and act accordingly, while it remains a member of NATO, which, under the command of the "privileged ally", is increasingly committed to combating "the Russian threat"?

The new government intends to "re-evaluate our participation in international missions in terms of their real importance for the national interest". Does this mean that it intends to withdraw the Italian troops deployed in Latvia and the Italian fighter-bombers deployed in Estonia, close to Russian territory, on the pretext, invented by NATO, of facing Russian aggression?

Will it prevent US / NATO commands and bases in Italy, from Vicenza to Aviano, from Naples to Sigonella, from being used for military operations against Russia?

First of all, will the new government reject the new B61-12 nuclear bombs that the US is preparing to deploy in Italy against Russia, exposing our country to growing danger as a forward base of US nuclear strategy?

Will it refuse to provide the Pentagon with pilots and fighter-bombers ready for nuclear attack, within the framework of NATO ?

Will the new government ask the US to remove all nuclear weapons from our territory, on the basis of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which has so far been violated? Will it adhere to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (as Luigi Di Maio is committed to do by signing the ICAN Parliamentary Pledge)?

The decision not to adhere to the UN Treaty was taken before by the Italian Parliament, in the North Atlantic Council, where according to NATO rules "there is no vote or majority decision", but "decisions are taken unanimously and by mutual agreement", that is, in agreement with the United States of America, to which the leading role of Supreme Allied Commander in Europe and other key commands are entitled by right.

With regard to the military industry, the Contract considers "its protection, with particular regard to the financing of research, for the design and construction of ships, aircraft and high-tech systems" to be essential.

Whats new in the program of the "Government of Change", compared to the "White Book for Defense" institutionalized by the Gentiloni government, which defines the military industry as the "pillar of our national system"?

Will the new government stop or continue participating in the US F-35 fighter program, which commits Italy to buy 90 planes at a cost of 13-16 billion euros?

With regard to military spending, will the new government refuse to increase it or will it fulfil the commitment agreed between previous governments, the US, and NATO, to raise it from the current 70 million Euros a day to around 100 million Euros a day?

This is unavoidable expenditure if one wants to maintain the United States of America as a "privileged ally".According to NBC, the FBI informant on Russian interference in the US Presidential electoral election is no other than Stefan Halper. Today, this former CIA agent is a professor at Cambridge (United Kingdom) and heads a private intelligence company.

Halper is the son-in-law of Ray S. Cline, an eminent personality in the CIA during the sixties and seventies. During the election campaign in the 1980s, Halper worked for George H. Bush (father), a former Director of the CIA who went on to become Vice President to Ronald Raegan. Halper infiltrated the campaign team of the President Jimmy Carter, succeeding in extracting information on Carters relations with the new Iranian authorities. It was on the basis of this that Bush and Raegan obtained the support of the Islamic Republic and negotiated the October surprise (the liberation of CIA spies who were being held prisoners in the US embassy in Teheran) [1].

According to The Intercept, in 2016, i.e., during Donald Trumps electoral campaign, Stefan Halper has on several occasions received substantial sums of money from the Obama Administration.The Knesset: The Likud and Israel Beytenou have introduced a draft law to give statutory force to Israels undertaking to promote the creation of a Kurdish State, in any of the following territories: Turkey, Syria or Iraq.

During the Cold War, Israel struck up an alliance with the Iraqi Kurds and promoted Mustafa Barzani to the rank of an official of the Israeli National Intelligence Agency, Mossad. In contrast, Israel fought with the Turkish Kurds, including those that took refuge in Syria, and participated in kidnapping Abdullah Ocalan.

In 2017, Israel had been the only state to recognize the independence referendum for an Iraqi Kurdistan. Benjamin Netanyahu backed Massoud Barzani, concretizing his support in two undertakings. First to transfer to this Iraqi Kurdistan 200 000 Israeli and second to set up batteries of missiles aimed at Iran and Syria.

The Kurds are a nomadic people that have only recently settled down. Establishing a Kurdistan can only be legitimate on a territory where the Kurds constitute the majority of the population. Expelling non-Kurdish populations in order to create an independent Kurdistan can only provoke a situation of conflict comparable to the creation of Israel, which came at the cost of expelling the Arab peoples of Palestine.Harrison Ford and Alden Ehrenreich. Photo: Lucas Films/Disney

Imagine, if you can, a world where Carrie Fisher and Al Pacino delivered Star Wars iconic I love you, I know. What about Fisher and Bill Murray? Or what if Kurt Russell was chosen to slip on Han Solos vest, twirl his blaster, and play the rebellious smuggling hottie?

Its hard to picture anyone but Harrison Ford as the charming rogue, but George Lucas was actually reluctant to cast him at first, because hed appeared in American Graffiti, and Lucas didnt want his burgeoning sci-fi epic to seem like American Graffiti, but in space. As Ford and Lucas recalled during a celebration of A New Hopes 40th anniversary, it was producer Fred Roos who advocated for Fords casting; Ford had the perfect fusion of orneriness and charm that would ultimately bring the Millennium Falcons pilot to life.

But when it came time for the Lucasfilm team to decide on a new prodigal Solo in 2015  the casting search was reportedly code-named Red Cup  it seemed a little more complicated. You want someone who isnt going to be exactly like Harrison [Ford], you want someone who suggests him, writer Lawrence Kasdan told Vulture in December 2015. Its like when you adapt a book  You dont want to adapt it word for word, you want the essence to come through. By that time, it was rumored that 2,500 actors read for the spot that eventually became Alden Ehrenreichs. But what about the other possibilities? Vulture has rounded up a list of as many would-be Han Solos as we could find  the guys who almost won custody of the part over Ehrenreich and Ford.

Alternate-Universe Harrison Fords

Al Pacino

After The Godfather, Pacino was high on everyones list. The actor has said he turned down roles in Kramer vs. Kramer, Taxi Driver, Days of Heaven, Pretty Woman, and Star Wars. Star Wars was mine for the taking, Pacino told the Evening Standard in 2013, but I didnt understand the script.

Kurt Russell

Russell auditioned for both Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, but ultimately pulled himself out of the running to take a TV Western called The Quest. I really loved the part, Russell said. When he asked if Lucas was going to cast him, the director demurred. He said, I dont know which part I prefer you in. I dont know if I like you as Han and this guy as Skywalker, or this guy as Han and you as Skywalker. I dont know. Russell decided to just take the TV gig, but his audition is still online. The rumor is that I turned down Star Wars, and I didnt turn down Star Wars. But thats the fun history of that, he told the Daily Beast in 2015. You know, it was pretty fun because George taped it, and I had no idea what I was saying. Im talking about a Millennium Falcon and however long it took to get from here to there and the Death Star. So were just doing stuff having no idea what youre talking about and no idea what youre doing.

Nick Nolte

Back in 2011, Nolte addressed rumors that he was in the running to play Han Solo, but insisted that he was never really a contender. I think that was a given that [Han Solo] was going to go to Harrison Ford, Nolte told NextMovie. In that group of filmmakers, he was their actor. Id have been kind of a goofy Star Wars guy. Still, noted Nolte fan Patton Oswalt frequently guessed at what couldve been if Nolte had nabbed the part:

Sylvester Stallone

Right after Sly finished Rocky, he auditioned for Star Wars. As he recounted on The Tonight Show, he was instantly wrong for Han. Let me just make it easy for you, he said. I would look like crap in spandex leotards and a ray gun. Guys in space dont have this face, I get it.

Bill Murray

Its been long-rumored that Murray was up for Han Solo, but during a surprise appearance at the 2015 SDCC, he said he wasnt ever totally sure. I dont know if I was up for [the original Star Wars film]  I cant tell you for sure, he said, adding that he was willing to throw his name in the ring for the new Solo movie. I am working out in hopes of getting this new thing. Im doing a lot of swimming and Pilates.

Alternate-Universe Alden Ehrenreichs

Emory Cohen

Cohen won hearts playing Saoirse Ronans aw-shucks love interest in Brooklyn, and auditioned for Solo. I read for it once and then there was some release thing about me testing for it in London when I was in New York, Cohen told the Daily Beast. But they did bring me in. Lately hes been busy with The OA, and well see him next in the Timothee Chalamet summer-vacation movie, Hot Summer Nights.

Dave Franco

No, no. Im not good with impressions, Franco told MTV, explaining that he didnt audition with a Harrison Ford impression. I think thats why its so hard to cast this role, too. Do they want someone to perfectly embody who Harrison Ford is, or do they want to go a completely different route? I think theyre struggling with that.

Miles Teller

Coming off the success of Whiplash, Teller found out hed made the Solo short list from news reports. He was ambivalent about the project, though, given the less-than-positive reception of Fantastic Four. Theres also some caution there and some hesitation because I know how passionate the Star Wars fans are, Teller told Business Insider in 2016. I just went through an experience where the fans were very pissed off, apparently, at what we did with their beloved franchise.

Ansel Elgort

Baby Driver, king of LaGuardia High School, Vulture-hat hater, and would-be Han Solo? More likely than you think! Ansel was one of the tall boys who auditioned for Solo, but he was sort of pleased that he didnt get it. I was pretty worried that if I got it, Id have to change my DJ name, Elgort, who DJs under the name Ansolo, told HuffPost in 2016. So Im relieved.

Scott Eastwood

Would you believe Scott Eastwood  once just a hot Hollywood son, and/or Clints Horcrux  was also in the running to be a blaster-swinging bad boy?! Eastwood never spoke about the gig, but Bustle seemed convinced he should nab the role because he has charisma and looks good in all weathers.

Taron Egerton

The Kingsman star was also rumored to be in the Solo audition room, but he said it was all talk. Ive heard this rumor, yes. I mean Ive seen the stuff on the internet, and I think any lad of my age would kill to play a part like that, he said on ITVs Jonathan Ross Show in March 2016. Its very, very flattering. Ive no idea if theres any truth in it but I mean, Lucasfilm, Disney, if there is then you know where I am. By April, Egerton denied he ever auditioned, and said he might be wary of taking on such an iconic role.

Jack Reynor

Reynor, known primarily for Transformers: Age of Extinction, seems to have been closest to being the young Han Solo. That Han Solo movie is going to be really tough, Reynor told the Irish Times last year. I think the guy who is doing it is a really good actor, but, for myself, I was afraid of it. I kept thinking: if you fuck this up youll ruin peoples childhoods. If it doesnt turn out great, you wont be forgiven. Thats a lot of responsibility. And even if it goes great, youll do it, people will know you only from that and that defines your career. That would be very difficult. For me, working on original material is very important.Archer Strange Doings in the Taboo Groves Season 9 Episode 5 Editors Rating 5 stars * * * * *  Previous Next  Photo: FX Networks.

While no one was looking, the relationship between fictitious versions of Pam and Archer grew into one of the most compelling in the history of the series, waking or no. Last weeks half-hour excelled by developing a dynamic that began in earnest a few episodes prior, but could still draw on years of preexisting percolating tensions. Danger Island has reimagined Pam as Archers burly-yet-feminine right-hand man, the gendered language of which Archer has fully taken to heart. As we learn in Strange Doings in the Taboo Groves, Pam Poovey is a human woman complete with the attendant wants and needs, but Archer treats her like something between a manservant and a man  and it all comes to a head in an unanticipated confrontation rivaling the most charged interactions between Archer and Malory, heretofore the shows most richly developed.

The crux of last weeks A Warrior in Costume pushed Pam and Archer to their breaking point, as Archer remained ungrateful for Pams efforts to fix his plane while Pam felt unappreciated after having expended so much effort to help out a friend. That same friction persists in this episode, rising in intensity until an explosively emotional catharsis in which Pam reasserts her right to be treated with respect and dignity. Its a hard-won right for her, acting as a constant punching bag for years now, and the legitimacy of her complaints lends them a surprising gravity in terms of pathos. All these years, Pam had been suffering in  well, not silence, Pams an inveterate complainer, they all are  but suffering without recognition. Seeing her forcibly claim some self-respect in the face of a world seemingly organized against her is a heartening turn.

Adam Reed opens the episode with a couple seconds of contextless clattering in blackness before the image joins it onscreen to reveal that were in the reconstituted body of Archers seaplane. It foregrounds the detail that the plane hardly works, nudging the viewer toward understanding Archers frustrations, though Pam makes the valid counterargument that it was only broken in the first place because of his misestimation that the landing on the central town drag could be safely accomplished. They continue to fight, though with a bit more vinegar than we usually see between the generally convivial buddies. Archer says radish-rose garnishes are wildly unnecessary; Pam doesnt disagree, only shooting back that she likes them, with a faint note of hurt in her voice.

Theyre hot on the trail to Dead Mans Cove, a.k.a. Foreshadowing Lagoon, a.k.a. Harbinger Harbor, where Cyrils map hints that the all-important MacGuffin idol may be hidden. (Cyril and Lana continue their flirty bickering, while in other side-plot news, Cheryl continues to use her status as the sexual queen dubbed Crazy Coconut Lady to bend Malory to her will.) As the name suggests, the route deals them no shortage of perils, from quicksand to ill-tempered howler monkeys that hurl rock-hard breadfruits at our heroes. Every youngsters inexplicable bugaboo, quicksand gives Pam and Archer the most trouble, and its when it seems like the suction might actually take both of their lives that they can be real with one another. And for Pam, that means a lunge at a life of her own.

Pam Poovey isnt the picture of perfection. She says sploosh at inopportune moments. She drinks BBQ sauce as an aperitif. She has been known to engage in illegal underground bum fights from time to time, often while using electrified equipment. But the sublime vocal performance from Amber Nash in this episode provides a reminder that tactless, sloppy people are still people. Under the mighty, impressive breasts that Archer feels the need to specifically address, theres a mighty, impressive heart. Pam breaks down in tears when confessing to Archer that shes severely limited the scope of her life, never pursuing a romantic entanglement or a dream of her own, and now shes not even sure why. This is the sound of a sidekick blinking into awareness of their own sidekick-ness and bristling at the assignment of a supplementary existence. Nash has been this shows secret weapon for so long, always ready with a sexually graphic one-liner at a moments notice, but this is the first instance of a script capitalizing on her skill as an actress. The moment would feel disingenuous if not for the years of frustration in Nashs voice, revealing a vulnerability thats been there all along.

I wondered last week if this episode would pick up with Archer and Pam out at sea, but the opening moments elide their return to shore and plunk them down in their plane. Likewise, I worry that the next installment may gloss over the marriage proposal that Archer unwittingly floats and Pam gleefully shoots down. It feels like a significant step forward has been taken in the Pam-Archer dynamic, if not with a declaration of love at least with an admission that theyre the most meaningful presences in one anothers lives. Pam pulls the ultimate sike, bitch! on Archer, guarding herself with a layer of irony, but theres a grain or two of truth behind her prank. Maybe she just wanted Archer to acknowledge how much he needs her before she helped him out of the quicksand. But Nash sells the moment too well for it to all be a ruse.

Assorted notes

 The Archer-est of all Archer jokes is the one that calls attention to its own obscurity; even the characters in Adam Reeds universe consider all the Weir of Hermiston references a Robert Louis Stevenson deep cut. While best known for plotting the path to Treasure Island and cursing the meek Dr. Jekyll with the untethered Mr. Hyde, Stevensons unfinished final novel chronicled an upper-crust Scots foray into rural society and his romance with a wholesome farm girl. To quote Archer himself, Read a book!

 Speaking of things nobody could reasonably be expected to know offhand, Elisha Otis was a 19th-century industrialist responsible for the invention of the fail-safe that keeps elevators from plunging down their shaft in the event of a defective hoisting cable. You know, just some casual elevator-physics humor, as the people demand.

 The mention of King Leopold alludes to Belgiums King Leopold II, the perpetrator of some of the most heinous colonialist atrocities that the world has ever seen in what was then the Congo Free State. His long CV of basic-humanity violations was detailed in the book King Leopolds Ghost, which did a lot to rewrite the history of Belgium into something less friendly and more truthful.

 My darling Luigi returns this episode for a moment-long cameo, slowly dying while crushed under some sacks of flour. Theres a heartbreaking, James Graystyled drama to be carved out of this season, and it stars my man Luigi.Dee Rees. Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images

Name a more iconic trio of women. Well wait. Mudbound director and screenwriter Dee Rees  fresh from her recent Oscar nomination for Best Adaptated Screenplay  will be returning to Netflix to direct an adaptation of Joan Didions The Last Thing He Wanted, which will star Anne Hathaway in the leading role. THR reports that the drama wont deviate too much from Didions original work of fiction, revolving around a struggling journalist named Elena, played by Hathaway, who inherits her fathers position as a dealmaker  an arms dealmaker. Switching careers proves to be harder than she expects, though, especially as she finds herself on dangerous ground as the Iran-Contra Affairs arms-for-drugs plot reaches its tipping point. Easy breezy stuff! Theres no expected release date yet, or other cast announcements, but is too early to say Oscars 2020 watch?Here at the Real Housewives Institute, we hate to make definite statements. Just when we think someone is the worst of all time or an outfit is perhaps the best ever, the women find a way to surprise us, both good and bad. That said, I think that we can come out and state that this hour of The Real Snow Globes of Christmas Cookie, New Mexico is the most boring hour of reality television ever recorded  and that includes that Eaten Alive special where a guy pretended to be eaten alive but then didnt really at all.

The only thing more boring than going to a murder-mystery dinner party is watching a murder-mystery dinner party. Its like hearing about someone elses dream or someone elses hangover. I would say its like experiencing a second-hand orgasm, but that would mean feeling at least one paroxysm of pleasure and this murder mystery did not even elicit that.

The whole thing is so stupid. First, we learned all about the different womens fake names and their character traits, which I thought might pay off at some point, but it did not. The only two people who even bother to come dressed in character are Sonja Tremont Morgan of the Texas Instrument Morgans, who shows up in a pair of librarian glasses and a calculator to play an accountant, and Countess Crackerjacks, who busts out a French accent to play the feather duster from Beauty and the Beast. But you know she didnt have to dig deep for that accent. The Countesss continental accents are always just seething under the surface, like the tingle of a canker sore thats going to ruin a third date.

We are introduced to Freddie Feathersbee, a supposedly rich dude who may or may not be murdered by the end of the night, and his assistant, Mr. I Cant Even Be Bothered, who is not as cute but just as young. There was a zillion percent chance that Sonja would flirt with either or both of them, but she didnt even go out of her way to make it awkward, which is a total loss. They both end up dead, and then Dorinda just goes, Yeah. I did it. Whatever. There is no reason. There is no evidence. There is no sleuthing or question asking or Colonel Mustard in the library with the candlestick-ing or flames on the side of my face-ing. After all of that buildup, it just ends like a Viagra that never quite kicked in.

There are two other things that make this one of the worst parties of all time. The first is that it is 1920s themed. The only good thing to come out of that idea was the vintage footage of Luann falling in the bushes, which is the meanest trick the editors ever played and I hope they all get a raise and free bahn mi sandwiches in the cafeteria for a month. But still, this theme needs to be retired forever because every single lame Housewives party has a flapper theme. We can also throw in white parties (yes, even Kyles), boat trips, and psychic visits on the banned list. The worst thing about any of this, as Bethenny and Carole can attest, is that when you fight the footage of the altercation, which is played forever, it includes you in some lame costume. Just ask Victoria Denise Gunvalson.

The other bad thing is that it happens at Dorindas house in the Berkshires, or the Berserkshires as she will call it for branding opportunities. This is the fourth year the women have gone up to visit and every year all hell breaks loose while theyre on the trip. It never disappoints. Why do you even need to bother with this lame activity? Just stick them all in a room with enough booze and Bethenny will shout at everyone, Ramona will rip sconces off the walls, and Dorinda will throw everyone out of the house only to have them return 12 months later to do it all again. The only mystery should be why grown women would behave this way, not why some actor who goes to Bard choked on a fritter in the living room.

Just look at what happens with Bethenny and Carole. All it takes is Dorinda to have a little too much wine and ask the two of them if they are having tension and it erupts into an intense, odd, and somewhat jarring altercation. Carole tells Bethenny that she didnt think they had a problem but shes hearing otherwise from Dorinda, who she had dinner with the night before. Carole thinks that Bethenny is either mad that her boyfriend (there are huge air quotes and an eye roll around that) Adam didnt go work with her charity, or that she thinks Carole should have given more money to her charity.

Bethenny, who never misses an opportunity to be unlikeable, turns what could have been an easy conversation into a bit of a disaster. She could have simply explained what she said to Dorinda and expressed her feelings about it, like Bethenny always will, and it would have passed. Instead, Bethenny decides to play a game of semantics with Carole. She then yells at Carole for not having her facts straight about what happened between her and Adam. She looks like a thick-headed jerk and she really didnt have to.

Carole is right when she says, You cant parse peoples words like that. Whether Bethenny called, emailed, or Facebook Messengered Adam, the heart of this argument is that Bethenny was talking about it to Dorinda instead of bringing it up with Carole. It also seems like Carole is sick of being Bethennys stooge and now that shes on the receiving end of her ire, she isnt really liking it. Then, Bethenny says, repeatedly, Youre freaking me out right now, but all Carole is trying to do is have an adult conversation with her. Listening to this was so incredibly frustrating, sort of like trying to take off a wet T-shirt.

If we didnt have that stupid murder mystery, the episode could have focused more of the good stuff. Honestly, I could have watched Ramona fondle snow globes for another 25 minutes. Or listen to her try to figure out Bethennys Chilling with my Snowmies sweater and try to link to a vagina somehow. I could have sat and listened to Sonjas treatise about how if you sleep with two different guys within a 24-hour period, their sperm have a war inside your vagina because they are allergic to each other, but then after their squabble they get together and slut shame the woman from within her own body. I would take that as a class for college credit. I would pay to hear her discuss the science of this. We didnt need the murder, we didnt need the mystery. We just need a warm cup of cocoa on the kitchen counter, like the one a redhead was pouring for herself back in New York. She knew what weekend it was. She knew where the women were. She just didnt care. Jill Zarin just pulled out a second packet of Swiss Miss (with the dehydrated marshmallows) and made a second mug for someone special, someone whose smile could melt the snow and fluff up the marshmallows in her hot chocolate, even without the boiling water.From The Beast in the Jungle, at the Vineyard Theatre. Photo: Carol Rosegg

Henry James would probably die all over again if he could hear one of his characters describe the looming, intangible something that dominates his life, that hes in search of and afraid of and driven and consumed by, as The Great Mystical Fuck. But those are the words put into the mouth of John Marcher, the protagonist of Jamess 1903 novella The Beast in the Jungle, by David Thompson, book-writer of the new, sometimes beautiful, and often frustrating dance play of the same name, now having its premiere at the Vineyard Theatre.

Inspired by Jamess story  though not, to be clear, a straight adaptation  The Beast in the Jungle is the latest of multiple collaborations by Thompson, the composer John Kander (of Cabaret and Chicago), and director/choreographer Susan Stroman, whose sassy, joyful, story-driven style helped bring choreographic pizzazz back to Broadway in the 1990s (the Gershwins Crazy for You and Mel Brookss The Producers are among her big hits). Its a small-cast musical without singing, driven by Kanders lush, waltz-rich score  which intermittently put me in mind of a more sinister A Little Night Music  and Stromans dances, executed by the virtuosic likes of Broadway favorite Tony Yazbeck, the Ukrainian-American ballerina Irina Dvorovenko, and a chorus of six hardworking willowy women. Their jobs include fawning over Yazbeck, swishing in red dresses and skulking in dark leotards, and bravely pushing the show (and its set pieces) from one scene to the next. Teagle F. Bougere and the excellent Peter Friedman are also along for the ride, holding down the fort for Team We Dont Dance.

If that sounds a little flip, its because, despite the shows attempts to take its audience places both romantic and dark, and despite Kanders sweeping, often beautiful music, I fear I felt resistant to its pull. Fear being the apposite word. The Beast in the Jungle  the play, not the story by James  unfolds as a retrospective, as the older Marcher (Peter Friedman, doing his best to bring some depth and nuance to a very difficult narrator role) shares a late-night whiskey with his nephew and, at the young mans insistence, tells the story of his unlived life. This nephew has just been kicked out of the house by his girlfriend after he confessed to being unready for marriage (I want something more, he says. No, you are afraid, returns his uncle, Go back to your apartment, drop on one knee, and tell [her] you want to get married. Immediately). Now, the boy wants his worldly, enigmatic uncles perspective: Marchers a wealthy art dealer with a glamorous Manhattan flat (its 2018, not 1903) and hes been all over the globe, enjoyed all sorts of experience, loved all sorts of women. To women, the two men toast, as Marcher begins his story.

Of course, Marcher hasnt really enjoyed anything or loved anyone. His life has been an empty jaunt from one beautiful locale and one meaningless assignation to the next, dominated by the inexorable fear that one day, sooner or later, something will happen, and destroy [him]. Hes got a beast he tells us, a menacing force that haunts him, that will rip me to shreds, and anyone Im with. So hes a runner. He skips town whenever he starts to feel anything too deeply. Still in search of the Great Mystical Fuck but terrified by the Great Indefinable Beast. No one knows his secret  except, of course, for one woman. One whos different from all the others. One whos gorgeous and soft-voiced and artistically gifted and adventurous and who literally floats into the play en pointe wearing diaphanous pink and a hair bow (all the other women have sauntered and shimmied in red, the hussies). One who doesnt fawn over him but who truly loves him, despite his miserable insistence to her: I am not to be loved.

Perhaps Im being unfair, but I have a very hard time keeping my eyebrow from rising (and twitching) in these stories of charming, cowardly men-children who carry what they believe to be their damage like a holy cross, making a fetish of their brokenness. What I dont know, though, is this: Are such stories still worth telling because they force us to examine a real phenomenon, a very prevalent and very disturbing mode of masculinity? I think it depends on how the story is told  how much it glorifies (knowingly or not) its wayward, self-flagellating protagonist along the way, and how much it falls prey to stereotype and cliche (those red and pink dresses, say) in the telling. Ten minutes into A Beast in the Jungle, I could tell that it was going to teach me the same thing as High Fidelitys Rob Gordon  undoubtedly among pop cultures Top Five self-pitying, self-defeating men-children, and one whose story is unerringly smart  when he sits on that bench in the rain after the funeral of his ex-girlfriends dad: I can see now I never really committed to Laura. I always had one foot out the door  I guess it made more sense to commit to nothing. Keep my options open. And thats suicide. By tiny, tiny increments.

So, why should you see The Beast in the Jungle instead of watching John Cusack again? Im not sure you should. It takes John Marcher a whole lifetime to learn the same thing that Rob seems finally to be picking up around age 35 (though, to be fair, it takes each of them about an hour and 45 minutes; Marchers journey, while intermission-less, wouldnt suffer at all from being 15 minutes tighter). The frustrating thing about Thompson, Kander, and Stromans take on Jamess novella is that they reframe his study of nameless menace as an easier piece of psychology: Its about sex and love and a mans fear of commitment, a story thats been told countless times and more compellingly before. The source material, by contrast, contains these strands but braids them into a darker, heavier, less readily diagnosable rope that Marcher is using to choke himself. Jamess Marcher literally spends his life  which, like Jamess himself, may in fact have been a celibate one  watching for something he cannot name. His companion on this unconsummated crusade of anxiety is May Bertram, the one woman, who, in characteristically cryptic Jamesian fashion, reveals to Marcher before she dies (again, theyve grown old waiting for his beast to strike) that what was to [happen] has happened.

Thats a tricky place to start writing a musical, and the lurking intangibles of Jamess heavy, twisty prose were bound to get a bit more concrete on stage. But does the shows May (the luminous, agile Dvorovenko) really need to wear so much pink? (The Matisse-inspired scenic and costume design, which feels like a slightly underfunded draft of a more expensive idea, is by Michael Curry). Does Yazbeck  who plays Young Marcher as well as (via a pair of glasses) the nephew  really need to have so many dance sequences where he smirks his way through the ensembles women, rotating-door style? (These are marked by cringey-cute couplets like Meet me in the convent, please / Ill be on my knees and Do you ride English saddle? / I like to straddle.) When May  whos had Marcher skip out on her twice, 20 years apart  meets the great love of her life for the third time in their old age, is it really the best idea for Old Marcher, in the person of Friedman, to be actually aged, while May is still the glowing, zero-body-fat Dvorovenko, in glasses and a gray wig? I get the choice logistically, but it also contains a whiff of unpleasantness.

And, most disappointingly, did Thompson really need to give Marcher and his beast a lurid, sobby backstory? After the first encounter between Young Marcher and May  they meet in Naples and enjoy one shining afternoon on a beach near Pompeii  Yazbeck has to sit cowering next to Dvorovenko, haunted and stammering, confessing to her the childhood trauma that started all of this mess about beasts and curses and being inherently unlovable in the first place. I wont say what it is, but its a doozy of a story  like Oliver Twist meets Anna Karenina  and it falls totally flat. For one thing, Yazbeck cant really sell it: Hes no slouch as an actor, but his natural milieu is charm, not crippling anxiety. For another, its garish and unnecessary. James knew that the power of the beast is that it has no reasonable provenance. If cant be psychoanalyzed away, ascribed to some single inciting emotional wound. It simply is. Its like the desire for a baby that possesses Lorcas Yerma, which is beyond rational, beyond psychological, but a mythic, insatiable, spiritual emptiness.

This is what makes The Beast in the Jungle more than another story of a winning, egotistical coward, dancing his way through Italy in the 60s like a younger, cuter Guido Contini from Nine. But in this production, despite that Great Mystical Fuck, the dark, inchoate mysticism of Marchers predicament seems sexed up and simplified. Stroman seems most in her element when the show is buoyant  when Yazbeck is showing off his considerable moves, or when May is swimming through blue silk waves or the women of the ensemble are gracefully flowing in and out of tableaux that echo a study for Matisses The Dance (in Thompsons telling, the painting becomes a kind of emotional talisman for May and Marcher). Her staging of the beasts ominous intrusions into Marchers psyche is sometimes striking  as when Ben Stantons flickering lights cast stripes of brightness across a massive, glowering face, its shapes puppeted in the shadows by the black-clad ensemble  and sometimes a little pretty, as when the ensemble surrounds Friedman while waving strips of translucent black silk, in a sequence that feels a bit too much like ribbon-dancing.

In the shows darkest moments, Yazbeck hurls himself around the stage, face clenched and sweat flying, as he wrestles with his beast. Its a strange paradox of content and form: Fear and anxiety of the kind James is examining are paralyzing influences  they transfix you and hollow you out, but this John Marcher has got to dance. Even when tormented, Yazbecks dancing is a kind of release, a wholeness and freedom and hopefulness that Marcher, and perhaps Henry James, could never bring to fulfillment. And its the death of this paradox that might in fact be the productions most powerful statement: Near the plays end, Friedman, finally hit with the full impact of Old Marchers wasted life, tears the stage apart. He topples and kicks furniture, clumsily raging and staggering and searching for something hell never find. Though The Beast in the Jungle suffers under a fair number of tired gender and narrative tropes, in this final image it effectively crystallizes its protagonists ultimate failure: Hes forgotten how to dance.

The Beast in the Jungle is at the Vineyard Theatre through June 17.Crisis Services of North Alabama answers more than 20,000 calls for help every year. Volunteers answer the phones in the call center everyday.

People call Crisis Services for a number of reasons, from dealing with mental health problems and domestic abuse to family issues.

The call center was the focus of a renovation project by the volunteer based group, Leadership Huntsville-Madison County.

They completely renovated the call center room, added extra space and making the environment more comfortable.

The center went from being able to accommodate 3 volunteers to now 8.

"We are getting more volunteers all the time which means the more people we have to answer the phones, the more calls we're able to take and so this will allow us to expand," said Connie Kane, with the Crisis Services of North Alabama.

Leaders of Crisis Services say they are also working to start a teen texting and chat line to be able to better connect with younger people who need help.

Volunteers are always needed for the call center. There is a short training session for volunteers.

For more information, call 256-705-6766.97 students graduated from Elkmont High School today but one students graduation was a little more special than the rest.

Nate Owena senior at Elkmont Highwas completely surprised when his father, who has been deployed for over a year, showed up at todays ceremony.

WAAY 31 spoke with Nate and his dad about the big surprise.

Hes expecting me to FaceTime chat so I can watch him from Texas," said Nathaniel Owen.

Owen was deployed in Afghanistan for thirteen months. Hes now back home, but his sonwho just graduated from Elkmont High Schoolhad no idea.

Im anxious. Thats about all," Owen said. "Im just anxious. Ive been waiting for this to happen.

Owen asked his command sergeant major early on in his deployment if he could be home for his sons graduation, and, luckily, the major said yes, so Owens had it planned out for a while.

The principals going to act like he doesnt have his diploma, and then Im going to approach him from the back and say, Are you looking for this?

But Owen isn't just surprising his son for graduation.

Tomorrows his 18th birthday, so Ill be here for two big events, so Im pretty happy," he said.

Owen says this will be something he never forgets.

Itll be a life memory," he said. "Itll be a happy memory the rest of both of our lives, I think.

Owen tells WAAY 31 he also gets to surprise his son with the news that his deployment is over and hes home for good.VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EnWave Corporation (TSX-V:ENW) (FSE:E4U) (EnWave, or the "Company") today reported the Companys consolidated interim financial results for the second quarter ended March 31, 2018.

Consolidated Financial Performance: ($ 000s) Three months ended March 31, Six months ended March 31, 2018 2017 Change

% 2018 2017 Change

% Revenues 4,172 4,183 (0%) 8,691 7,650 14% Direct costs 2,877 3,155 (9%) 5,970 5,838 2% Gross margin 1,295 1,028 26% 2,721 1,812 50% Operating expenses General and administration 606 523 16% 1,199 1,058 13% Sales and marketing 683 396 72% 1,273 701 82% Research and development 297 300 (1%) 569 591 (4%) 1,586 1,219 30% 3,041 2,350 29% Net income (loss) (519) (779) (33%) (916) (1,397) (34%) Basic and diluted (loss) income per share  continuing operations $ (0.01) $ (0.01) $ (0.01) $ (0.02)

Second Quarter Highlights:

EnWave increased its worldwide presence in the rapidly growing legalized cannabis sector during the second quarter. The Company expanded its royalty-bearing commercial license agreement with Tilray to include processing rights for cannabis in Portugal, and received a purchase order for a second 60kW Radiant Energy Vacuum (REVTM) machine from Tilray to be installed in Portugal. EnWave also signed a Technology Evaluation and License Option Agreement (TELOA) with another top Canadian cannabis producer and granted the producer an exclusive option to license REVTM for processing cannabis in a country in Europe. These two agreements mark the initial expansion of EnWaves proprietary dehydration technology into legalized cannabis markets outside of Canada, and the Company is pursuing an aggressive strategy to commercialize REVTM into the worldwide cannabis sector.

During the second quarter, EnWave signed a new royalty-bearing commercial license agreement with Nomad Nutrition, and continued to expand its royalty partnership and machine sales pipeline through joint produce development projects under TELOAs with prospective partner companies in multiple verticals. Currently, the Company has 11 prospective royalty partners actively engaged in TELOA projects and a company in an advanced R&D agreement. EnWaves strategy regarding these projects is to demonstrate the product innovation and attractive processing economics available through the use of REVTM technology. EnWave has been growing its prospective royalty partner pipeline as it commercializes REVTM across the food, legalized cannabis and pharmaceutical sectors as part of its strategy to build a large, diversified royalty-bearing portfolio.

Further Details Include:

Expanded its royalty-bearing license agreement with Tilray  , a major Canadian medical cannabis Licensed Producer, to include exclusive rights to REV TM technology country of Portugal for processing cannabis. Tilray  also purchased a large-scale 60kW REV TM machine to be installed in Portugal.





, a major Canadian medical cannabis Licensed Producer, to include exclusive rights to REV technology country of Portugal for processing cannabis. Tilray also purchased a large-scale 60kW REV machine to be installed in Portugal. Commissioned a 60kW REV TM dehydration unit at Van Dyks Specialty Products (Van Dyk) in Nova Scotia for the processing if high-value wild blueberry products.





dehydration unit at Van Dyks Specialty Products (Van Dyk) in Nova Scotia for the processing if high-value wild blueberry products. Signed a royalty-bearing license with Nomad Nutrition, a Canadian company focused on distributing premium, shelf-stable, nutrient-packed gourmet products that are made from locally sourced organic ingredients. Nomad Nutrition purchased a small-scale 10kW REV TM machine to initiate commercial production.





machine to initiate commercial production. Achieved a series of positive product development results in partnership with the US Army Natick Soldier R&D Center as part of an ongoing project to create superior, phytonutrient-rich field rations for soldiers in the field.





Signed a TELOA with a major Canadian licensed producer of cannabis (the Licensed Producer) and granted the Licensed Producer the exclusive option to license REV TM for processing legalized cannabis in a European country. The Licensed Producer is renting a pilot-scale machine during the term of the TELOA to facilitate evaluation of the technology.





for processing legalized cannabis in a European country. The Licensed Producer is renting a pilot-scale machine during the term of the TELOA to facilitate evaluation of the technology. Signed a TELOA with Seven Seas Fish Company Limited, a leading Canadian seafood manufacturer and international distributor.





Signed a TELOA with Calbee Incorporated (Calbee), the largest snack food manufacturer in Japan. Calbee will evaluate the use of EnWaves technology at its facilities in Japan using lab-scale REV TM machinery.





machinery. Secured additional Moon Cheese  distribution rotations in Costcos Midwest, Northwest and Southeast divisions for club format Moon Cheese  and achieved the highest ever single quarter sales for Moon Cheese  .





distribution rotations in Costcos Midwest, Northwest and Southeast divisions for club format Moon Cheese and achieved the highest ever single quarter sales for Moon Cheese . Renewed its Patent and Know-How Licensing agreement (the INAP License) with INAP GmbH (INAP) for an additional 5 years ending October 15, 2022. By renewing the INAP License, the Company strengthened its intellectual property position and retained its competitive advantage in the commercialization of its vacuum microwave dehydration technology.

Acquisition of Remaining 49% of NutraDried:

On February 21, 2018, EnWave completed the acquisition of the 49% non-controlling interest in NutraDried LLP, bringing the Companys ownership to 100% of the equity interest in NutraDried LLP (NutraDried). NutraDried is a wholly owned subsidiary in the business of manufacturing and distributing Moon Cheese, an all-natural crunchy snack food made using the EnWaves REVTM technology. The acquisition of the non-controlling interest in NutraDried will allow the Company to pursue additional commercial opportunities using the installed 100kW nutraREV processing line, as well as enhance the ability for EnWave to use NutraDrieds processing capabilities as a showcase to prospective royalty partner companies. NutraDried is a profitable business segment of the Company, reporting $716,000 in net income for fiscal year 2017, and $1,086,000 for the first half of 2018. On the basis of annualized fiscal 2018 net income, the Company paid a purchase multiple of 2.1x net income to acquire the 49% non-controlling interest.

Key Financial Highlights for the Second Quarter (expressed in $ 000s):

Achieving gross profit of $1,295 for Q2 2018 compared to $1,028 for Q2 2017, an increase of $267. Gross margin as a percentage of revenue was 31% for Q2 2018 compared to 25% for Q2 2017.





Generated consolidated revenues for Q2 2018 of $4,172 compared to $4,183 for Q2 of 2017, a decrease of $11. Royalty revenues for Q2 2018 increased to $118, compared with $77 for Q2 of 2017.





Continuing to be cash flow positive with cash flow from operations prior to changes in non-cash working capital (*) of $319 for the first two quarters of 2018, compared to negative $46 for the first two quarters of 2017, showing positive cash flows from operations before taking into account changes in working capital.





of $319 for the first two quarters of 2018, compared to negative $46 for the first two quarters of 2017, showing positive cash flows from operations before taking into account changes in working capital. Building sales pipeline by way of increased S&M expense to $683 compared to $396 for 2017, an increase of $287. EnWave Canada maintained consistent S&M expenses and plans to increase investment into S&M activities to drive revenue growth.





Maintaining R&D expenses with R&D expense for Q2 2018 of $297, compared to $300 for Q2 of 2017, a decrease of $3. The Company continues to invest strategically to strengthen its patent portfolio and to develop new product innovations with commercial potential.





Increasing revenues for NutraDried with Q2 2018 revenues of $2,404 compared to Q2 2017 revenues of $1,342, an increase of $1,062 or 79%. NutraDried continues to increase points of distribution for its all-natural, crunchy Moon Cheese  snack.





snack. Growing net income at NutraDried of $670 for Q2 2018 compared to $92 for Q2 2017, an increase of over 6 times. NutraDried continued to contribute to the growth of the Company. NutraDrieds success solidifies the business case for using REVTM for creating profitable consumer products and new brands for our royalty partners.

EnWaves interim consolidated financial statements and MD&A are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Companys website www.enwave.net/financials.

(*) Non-IFRS Financial Measures

Cash flow from operations prior to changes in non-cash working capital is not a measure of financial performance under IFRS. This measure is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies and should not be construed as an alternative to net income or cash flow from operating activities as determined in accordance with IFRS. Please refer to the discussion included in the Companys MD&A for the six months ended March 31, 2018.

About EnWave

EnWave Corporation, a Vancouver-based advanced technology company, has developed Radiant Energy Vacuum (REV)  an innovative, proprietary method for the precise dehydration of organic materials. EnWave has further developed patent-pending methods for uniformly drying and decontaminating cannabis through the use of REV technology, shortening the time from harvest to marketable cannabis products.

REV technologys commercial viability has been demonstrated and is growing rapidly across several market verticals in the food, and pharmaceutical sectors including legal cannabis. EnWaves strategy is to sign royalty-bearing commercial licenses with industry leaders in multiple verticals for the use of REV technology. The company has signed over twenty royalty-bearing licenses to date, opening up nine distinct market sectors for commercialization of new and innovative products. In addition to these licenses, EnWave has formed a Limited Liability Corporation, NutraDried Food Company, LLC, to develop, manufacture, market and sell all-natural cheese snack products in the United States under the Moon Cheese brand.

EnWave has introduced REV as the new dehydration standard in the food and biological material sectors: faster and cheaper than freeze drying, with better end product quality than air drying or spray drying. EnWave currently has three commercial REV platforms:

nutraREV which is used in the food industry to dry food products quickly and at low-cost, while maintaining high levels of nutrition, taste, texture and colour;



powderREV which is used for the bulk dehydration of food cultures, probiotics and fine biochemicals such as enzymes below the freezing point, and



quantaREV which is used for continuous, high-volume low-temperature drying.

An additional platform, freezeREV, is being developed as a new method to stabilize and dehydrate biopharmaceuticals such as vaccines and antibodies. More information about EnWave is available at www.enwave.net.

EnWave Corporation

Dr. Tim Durance

President & CEO

For further information:

John P.A. Budreski, Executive Chairman at +1 (416) 930-0914

E-mail: jbudreski@enwave.net

Brent Charleton, CFA , Senior Vice President, Sales and Business Development at +1 (778) 378-9616

E-mail: bcharleton@enwave.net

Deborah Honig, Corporate Development, Adelaide Capital Markets at + 1 (647) 203-8793

E-mail: dhonig@enwave.net



Safe Harbour for Forward-Looking Information Statements: This press release may contain forward-looking information based on management's expectations, estimates and projections. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about the Company's strategy for growth, product development, market position, expected expenditures, and the expected synergies following the closing are forward-looking statements. All third party claims referred to in this release are not guaranteed to be accurate. All third party references to market information in this release are not guaranteed to be accurate as the Company did not conduct the original primary research. These statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, 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.

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.A former Madison County Sheriff's Office school resource officer who was already in jail is now facing new charges of rape, incest and sodomy.

Court records show a grand jury indicted Jerome Heard, 43, on one count of incest, two counts of first-degree sodomy, two counts of first-degree rape and two counts of second-degree rape.

Heard was indicted in January 2016 on charges of engaging in sex acts with a minor. Authorities said he had sex with a teenage girl for six months to a year while he was a school resource officer at Sparkman High School in 2012.

Authorities later issued warrants for rape, incest and sodomy and had Heard's bond revoked. Prosecutors said some of the crimes he was accused of took place after his arrest for the Sparkman High case. Heard was arrested in Knoxville, Tenn., and brought back to Madison County.

Court records show Heard is set to be arraigned on the charges in October.Huntsvilles City Attorney Trey Riley told the WAAY 31 I-Team if you or anyone else wants public records take us to court.



WAAY 31 is advocating for the public, and we're taking the first steps to force Riley and everyone else in Huntsville City government to follow the law, and release records you have the right to see.

Riley told us he believes the right to privacy outweighs your right to information we've requested, and he told us the only way he will release a personnel file is if a judge orders it.

"I would say no. By virtue of working for a public entity like the government, you don't lose all rights of privacy. Your life does not just become an open book for the general public to peruse at their leisure," he said.

That was Riley's answer to our question about a request to view the personnel file of a police officer charged with DUI.

Riley says he's not willing to give up any city employee files including his own.

That's right he won't release them even though your taxpayer dollars pay their salaries.

"I wouldn't want people just to come because they're interested and look their way through my personnel record, and I think that privacy interest works here," he said.

State law disagrees. It says every citizen has a right to inspect and take a copy of any public writing of this state. There are exceptions such as medical records and anything that could jeopardize public safety.

Wednesday, WAAY 31 sat down with Huntsville attorney Mark McDaniel.

He told us the way the law is written allows the City a liberal definition of what can and cannot be protected.

"You would have to go to court and go before a judge and show that the public has an overwriting interest in having that document versus the privacy of the employee," McDaniel said.

Riley told us his office believes the right to privacy outweighs the public's right when it comes to personnel files.

The City's assistant attorney, Eddie Blair answers most open records requests, according to Riley.

"I handle them several a day and I give them out to individuals in the city and media in the city. I have given records out several times this week to media outlets," Blair said.

The only example Blair could give us on a file the city's attorney's office has turned over is incident reports.

However, they only release the first page which is all the law requires.

The first page doesn't have any details on it, and the City charges $10 to obtain a copy of it.WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump and the Russia investigation (all times local):

10:40 p.m.

Intelligence leaders will brief both Republicans and Democrats on the Russia investigation as President Donald Trump and his allies are pressing for information on reports that a government informant talked to members of Trump's 2016 campaign.

The Justice Department will host two classified briefings Thursday. The first will be with intelligence officials, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and two House Republicans who originally requested the information. The second will include everyone in the first meeting plus the bipartisan "Gang of Eight," which includes congressional leaders from both parties and the heads of the intelligence committees.

The second meeting is a reversal from the original plan brokered by the White House, which excluded Democrats. Kelly and Rosenstein were also added to the roster.

__

9:40 p.m.

The White House now says it is working to facilitate a meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to review classified documents on the Russia investigation this week, instead of after the Memorial Day recess, as promised earlier.

White House spokesman Raj Shah said in a statement late Wednesday night that, "Congressional leadership has requested the bipartisan Gang of 8 meeting be scheduled before the recess." He says, "We are working to make that happen."

Officials from the Justice Department and the intelligence community are set to hold a briefing about classified documents for just two Republican House members, both Trump allies, on Thursday.

Trump and his supporters in Congress are pressing for information on an outside informant who reportedly approached members of Trump's campaign.

__

6:50 p.m.

The White House and Justice Department have agreed to hold a classified briefing with a bipartisan group of congressional leaders about the Russia investigation, allowing Democrats access they had previously been denied.

White House spokesman Raj Shah said late Wednesday that Justice Department, law enforcement and intelligence officials will brief a group of lawmakers known as the "Gang of Eight" after the Memorial Day recess. That group includes the top Republicans and Democrats in each chamber and the top Republicans and Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees.

Democrats had objected to a briefing scheduled for Thursday with two House Republicans and no Democrats. The Republicans had requested information about an outside informant who spoke to members of the Trump campaign.

Shah says tomorrow's briefing will go on.

__

3:05 p.m.

President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, has been interviewed a second time by special counsel Robert Mueller's team.

That's according to Kushner's lawyer, Abbe Lowell.

Lowell says Kushner answered all questions that were asked and "is looking forward to continuing the work the president has asked him to do."

The first interview with Kushner occurred last fall. It was limited to questions about former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn, who later was charged with lying to the FBI.

It's not immediately clear when Kushner's second interview took placed or exactly what Kushner was asked.

___

2:55 p.m.

Special counsel Robert Mueller's prosecutors have asked a federal judge to start the process of sentencing a former Trump campaign adviser.

A court filing appears to show that prosecutors have started to wind down the cooperation of George Papadopoulos (pah-puh-DAHP'-uh-luhs). He's been a key witness in the Russia investigation.

Prosecutors had pushed off Papadopoulos' sentencing for months since his plea last year to lying to the FBI. Information about Papadopoulos' contact with people linked to Russia during the 2016 campaign triggered the FBI counterintelligence investigation that Mueller took over.

___

12:45 p.m.

President Donald Trump says he wants transparency from everyone involved in the investigation of Russian influence in the 2016 presidential election.

Here's what he says: "What I want is total transparency."

Trump says he wants that from the FBI and from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. He's overseeing the special counsel's investigation into possible coordination between Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign.

On Thursday, FBI Director Christopher Wray, National Intelligence Director Dan Coats and Justice Department official Edward O'Callaghan are meeting with House intelligence committee chairman Devin Nunes and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee head Trey Gowdy to review secret Justice Department documents that lawmakers have been demanding access to.

Trump predicts "people are going to see a lot of bad things happened."

___

12:25 p.m.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi are asking the Justice Department to cancel a rare classified briefing for two House Republicans, saying it's "highly irregular and inappropriate."

The Democratic leaders say Thursday's meeting for President Donald Trump's congressional allies should instead include the bipartisan "Gang of 8." That consists of House and Senate leaders from both parties as well as the top leaders from both parties on the House and Senate intelligence committees.

The meeting with House intelligence committee chairman Devin Nunes and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Trey Gowdy was encouraged by Trump and brokered by the White House. Nunes has demanded information on an FBI source in the Russia investigation.

The Democrats say the GOP-only meeting is inappropriate for any investigation, "much less one involving the president."

___

10:15 a.m.

Former FBI Director James Comey is defending the FBI's use of a secret informant in the Russia investigation, saying the practice is "tightly regulated and essential to protecting the country."

And he's criticizing the president and other Republicans for lying about the agency's work.

He's tweeted: "How will Republicans explain this to their grandchildren?"

President Donald Trump fired Comey last year amid the bureau's Russia investigation. The firing is now under investigation by the Justice Department's special counsel as possible obstruction of justice.

On Wednesday, Trump tweeted that the FBI's use of a government informant amounts to "one of the biggest political scandals in history."

Comey, a former Republican who now identifies as an independent, warned the GOP: "Attacks on the FBI and lying about its work will do lasting damage to our country."

___

7:10 a.m.

President Donald Trump is tweeting about the "Criminal Deep State" and says its efforts to undermine him have backfired.

He's referring to the FBI's reliance on an outside informant to determine whether Trump's campaign aides were working with Russia ahead of the 2016 election. He tweeted Wednesday: "SPYGATE could be one of the biggest political scandals in history!"

Trump and his GOP supporters in Congress are now demanding information on that informant, suggesting it's proof that the Obama administration was trying to spy on his campaign.

Trump also tweeted: "Look how things have turned around on the Criminal Deep State. They go after Phony Collusion with Russia, a made up Scam, and end up getting caught in a major SPY scandal the likes of which this country may never have seen before! What goes around, comes around!"

___

12:35 a.m.

President Donald Trump is declining to say whether he has confidence in Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein after the White House negotiated rare access to classified documents for Trump's congressional allies.

Trump was asked Tuesday if he has confidence in Rosenstein, who is overseeing the special counsel's Russia investigation. The president told reporters to move on to another question.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says a meeting to allow House Republicans to review highly classified information on the Russia probe will happen Thursday.

Sanders says FBI Director Christopher Wray, National Intelligence Director Dan Coats and Justice Department official Edward O'Callaghan will meet with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes and House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Trey Gowdy.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

5/23/2018 9:45:43 PM (GMT -5:00)Albertville police say one person was airlifted to Birmingham after a shooting Wednesday night.

The shooting happened around 7 p.m. in a wooded are near Park Drive, Albertville police said.

One person was shot in the abdomen and airlifted to UAB Hospital. Police said he is expected to recover from the injury.

Police said a suspect was in custody, but formal charges had not been filed as of Thursday morning.

No names were released.

Police said they believe the shooting was related to a drug transaction that happened earlier in the day.A Mae Jemison High School student is recovering in Huntsville Hospital's intensive care unit after a fight at school.

Family members said Steven Franklin, 15, had a cracked skull and internal bleeding. He was admitted Monday, after the fight happened at school, according to his mother.

(Photo provided by family) (Photo provided by family)

Zachary Finey, Franklin's mentor in Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Alabama, said he and Franklin's mother have tried -- and failed -- to get answers from the school system. But they said students all tell them the same thing: A campus security guard tried to stop the fight and slammed Franklin into the concrete outside of the school.

"It's a dangerous situation for kids to be going there, if this is going to continue to be an ongoing occurrence that happens," Finey said.

Franklin landed on his head and had a seizure, his mother said. He was taken to Huntsville Hospital and had emergency surgery for a cracked skull and interior bleeding.

WAAY 31 reached out to Huntsville City Schools and received a statement that said the guard was a contracted employee.

"We have learned of an incident involving a contracted campus security officer's response to an altercation at Jemison High School," the statement read. "That contracted campus security officer is not on campus, and will not return for the rest of this school year. We are actively investigating the details of this incident."

The last day of school for students is Thursday.

Finey said he wants to make sure something like Monday's incident doesn't happen again.

"There needs to be some change to help the kids feel secure at the high school," he said.

Huntsville police said they also are investigating the incident.(CNN) -- Nairobi, Kenya  Health worker Elizabeth Wanjiru was walking through the narrow streets of Kenya's largest slum earlier this year when she came across two schoolboys pointing at something in a muddy ditch. As she drew closer she saw it was the remains of an aborted fetus.



Dumped elsewhere in Kibera, the fetus had washed up in a narrow alleyway after a night of rainfall. It's something Wanjiru hasn't seen for years.

Wanjiru and other health workers in Kenya told CNN that the number of backstreet abortions have increased since the United States cut aid to family planning programs that provide abortion services, in addition to contraception, in the world's least developed countries.

Ushered in by President Donald Trump's administration, the Mexico City policy, or global gag rule, was supposed to reduce the number of abortions, but healthcare workers in Kenya say it's doing the opposite. The cuts, which left thousands of women in Kenya without contraception, have forced many to resort to risky, backstreet abortions as a form of birth control.

Trump is also eyeing funding changes in the US. Last week, his administration proposed a new rule that would bar abortions or advice on abortion at facilities receiving federal family planning funds. While there are already laws in place that prevent federal money from directly funding abortions, the new rule would mean family planning programs would have to perform abortion services or provide abortion counseling and referrals in a different place, and by different employees, for the facility to continue receiving federal family planning dollars. It's been described as a domestic version of the global gag policy by abortion rights activists.

Reliant on international donors for support, communities like Kibera are where the Mexico City policy has been felt the most and, so far, the national government says it has been unable to make up the shortfall.

For five years Khadijah Dija visited a family health clinic in the slum every three months to get a free contraceptive injection until Trump's funding cuts came into effect.

The single mother-of-two says she relied on the family-planning method to avoid having another child she couldn't afford. Her daily earnings from selling porridge, equivalent to 50 cents, are barely enough to buy food for her family, or pay rent on their one-room house.

When the nongovernmental organization Family Health Options Kenya (FHOK) informed Dija last August that it no longer had funds to provide her with free contraception she said she was devastated.

The three-month injectable contraceptives she had previously received for free would now cost her $4, according to FHOK.

Sitting on the bottom bunk of her children's bed, their toys scattered around her, Dija told CNN that she had considered getting injections from a local pharmacy, where they sell for about $2 to $3. But she said they're often expired, or unsafe, and she couldn't afford them anyway.

Injectables are the most commonly used form of contraception for women in Africa. Invisible to partners, they reduce the risk of backlash and are easy to use.

Africa already has the lowest percentage of women using birth control, and the highest unmet demand for contraceptives in the world.

Read more: US foreign aid cuts could be a 'death sentence' to women in Malawi

And because many African countries rely on US Agency for International Development (USAID) money to fill gaps in women's health services, the Trump funding cuts are hitting women like Dija particularly hard.

Without access to contraception, Dija became pregnant with her third child last October. She went to a backstreet clinic in Kibera and got abortion pills illegally. To pay for the pills, which cost about $10, Dija had to dip into precious savings she had made from her work at a women's group in the slum.

"I couldn't give birth because my husband is not supporting or helping me, so I decided to terminate the pregnancy. I thought that was the best option," she said. When CNN interviewed Dija in her home, she said it had been a month since taking the abortion pills, and she was still bleeding.

Asked what she will do if the bleeding doesn't stop, Dija said: "I hope it will."

Abortion is illegal in Kenya, except for when the life or health of the mother is at risk, but it is on the rise in Kibera, where most residents live in extreme poverty -- earning less than $1 per day.

Wilson Bunde, who works with FHOK, said women like Dija, who were coming to the Kibera clinic for free contraceptives, are returning to be treated for botched abortions instead.

Organizations like Bunde's are supported by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), a global provider of sexual and reproductive health services, which stands to lose up to $100 million in USAID after refusing to sign up to the terms of Trump's policy. The cuts meant FHOK stopped offering subsidized contraception in Kibera, closed a clinic and cut a community outreach program.

Without access to that program, Bunde estimated, 36,000 women went without family planning last year.

In February 2018, the US State Department released an initial review of Trump's expanded policy, rebranded Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance (PLGHA). The State Department said it was still "too early to assess the full range of benefits and challenges of the PLGHA policy." But it did include one comment of support from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which praised PLGHA as "one of the most significant policy initiatives on abortion ever taken by the United States in an area of foreign assistance."

It's not the first time that a US president has imposed changes to USAID for organizations administering family planning in the world's least developed countries.

First introduced by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, the global gag rule was rescinded by Democrats and then reinstated by Republicans (under George W. Bush), but never before to this extent.

Trump's policy slashes an estimated $8.8 billion in US global health assistance -- funding that applies not only to family planning, as it has previously, but extends to prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, infectious diseases, and even hygiene programs.

In 2001, the Bush administration cut about $600 million in foreign aid. One year later, induced abortions spiked.

The correlation was identified in a 2011 Stanford University study, which analyzed abortion rates in 20 sub-Saharan African countries receiving USAID for family planning and women's health over 14 years. The researchers found that when the Mexico City policy was in place, women were up to 2.73 times more likely to get abortions than women in countries where the policy was not applied.

In Kibera, women are turning to untrained abortion providers as a last resort. One practitioner, who asked that CNN not use her real name due to fear of prosecution, said she often treats women who are between six and seven months pregnant.

She performs the procedure with a knitting needle, puncturing the pregnant woman's amniotic sac, which forces the fetus out of the uterus.

Read more: In Lesotho, women say they're finding their abortions on Facebook

The practitioner, who told CNN that she was a trained midwife, said she sees mostly young schoolgirls and unmarried women. She carries out the abortions in her small home. On a twin bed covered by a thin clear plastic sheet, sat a bag with surgical gloves, a jar of petroleum jelly, cotton wool, some pain killers and the needle, attached to a long, thin tube, which is used to drain the fluid into a bucket on the floor.

Botched abortions cost Kenya about $6.3 million in 2016, according to a recent report published by Africa Health Population Research in partnership with Kenya's Ministry Of Health. And experts say that number is expected to rise in the wake of Trump's cuts.

Kibera health worker Elizabeth Wanjiru, says that when she first became involved in family planning outreach programs she had hoped it would bring an end to the backstreet abortions.

When she saw the fetus in the ditch in Kibera, she said: "It touched me, and it made me remember what I did."

Wanjiru once had a backstreet abortion herself, and she doesn't want women to have to go through what she experienced.

But she says that it's become much more difficult to stop women from turning to backstreet abortions, now that contraceptives are unaffordable for most. "This is why you will find babies aborted, due to lack of access to family planning."

 Fabien Muhire and Florence Obondo contributed to this report from Nairobi.

The-CNN-Wire

 &  2018 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.Is it time to eat and you dont want to  or cant  leave your home or office for your favorite restaurant meal? Now you dont have to, thanks to the food delivery service Waitr  which has expanded into Madison. The Waitr app lets you order from your favorite Madison restaurant  then sends a Waitr driver to deliver it to you for a flat fee of $5.



To celebrate Waitrs growth, the company will be hosting a launch party at Earth and Stone Wood Fired Pizza on today at 5:00pm. Earth and Stone Wood Fired Pizza is located on 107 A, B, Brookridge Drive in Madison. Waitr is encouraging everyone to come out and be part of the launch and meet the local team. Attendees at the free party can expect tasty appetizers and cool swag items to take home with them.

Restaurants in Madison that have already signed up with Waitr include Earth and Stone Wood Fired Pizza, Buffalo Wild Wings, Frios Gourmet Pops, El Omeca, Red Fish Teriyaki Asian Express and Uncle Maddios Pizza.

Waitr is seen as the industrys top food delivery service for customers and businesses alike. Since launching in November in nearby Huntsville, Waitr has delivered more than 9,000 meals in the city and has over 60 local restaurants using the service. The expansion will trigger even more new jobs.

The Madison community and restaurant owners saw the excitement and success of our food delivery in the area and wanted to be part of it, said Shaun Tousignant, Regional Marketing Manager for Waitr. Were thrilled we can now meet that demand here.

Nationwide, Waitr now has more than 5,000 restaurant partners and over one million users in more than 180 cities.

Waitr is looking to hire more drivers in the area. Those interested can apply at https://waitrapp.com/become-a-driver.MONTREAL, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (http://pyrogenesis.com) (TSX-V:PYR), a TSX Venture 50 high-tech company, (the "Company", the Corporation or "PyroGenesis") a Company that designs, develops and manufactures plasma waste-to-energy systems and plasma torch systems, is pleased to announce today that it has successfully demonstrated its Drosrite System (the System) in India to a client (Client A), and has separately received an order for a paid demonstration to recover zinc from dross from another client in the region (Client B). Client B, one of the biggest primary smelters of aluminum and zinc in the region, has an estimated need of upwards of ten (10) Systems (both zinc and aluminum) within its umbrella of companies.



As previously announced, PyroGenesis demonstration unit is currently booked until the end of September 2018 with paid-for-demonstrations in India. As a result of the strong demand for such demonstrations elsewhere, PyroGenesis is in the process of completing a second demonstration unit to be deployed in North America. It is expected that this second unit will start taking bookings at the end of this summer. To date, PyroGenesis has announced the sale of two (2) Systems, both of which were preceded by successful paid-for-demonstrations.

Both these announcements today are important," said P. Peter Pascali, President and CEO of PyroGenesis. "First, the successful demonstration with Client A has led, not only to discussions regarding procurement of a System for the facility, but also to scheduling of further paid-for-demonstrations at other facilities for Client A. We estimate that there is an immediate need for at least another six (6) Systems with this client. Separately, and most importantly, is the significance of having entered into a paid-for-demonstration with Client B to recover zinc from a zinc-based dross. This demonstration is expected to take place during this summer and, if successful, should translate into an immediate order. Although too early to tell, we expect that the economics and business case for the zinc recovery Systems may rival those of the previous aluminum recovery Systems.

This announcement with respect to zinc recovery is indeed an important development, said David DAoust, Sales Manager, Drosrite of PyroGenesis. As a result, PyroGenesis has effectively taken the first step into the zinc recovery market with its patented Drosrite System, and which we estimate to represent almost as great an opportunity as that for aluminum.

"As previously announced, Drosrite is well on its way to becoming a solid contributor to PyroGenesis bottom line and todays announcements further underscores that fact," said P. Peter Pascali, President and CEO of PyroGenesis. "To put things in perspective, one only needs to remember where we were this time last year with respect to this business line, and then fast forward to today. Once again, PyroGenesis Boards decision to target high value niche problems in various industries is bearing fruit.

PyroGenesis Drosrite System is a salt-free, cost-effective, sustainable process for maximizing metal recovery from dross, a waste generated in the metallurgical industry. PyroGenesis patented process avoids costly loss of metal while reducing a smelters carbon footprint and energy consumption, providing an impressive return on investment. The System has been designed to process and recover valuable metal such as aluminum, zinc and copper from dross.

About PyroGenesis Canada Inc.

PyroGenesis Canada Inc., a TSX Venture 50 high-tech company, is the world leader in the design, development, manufacture and commercialization of advanced plasma processes. We provide engineering and manufacturing expertise, cutting-edge contract research, as well as turnkey process equipment packages to the defense, metallurgical, mining, advanced materials (including 3D printing), oil & gas, and environmental industries. With a team of experienced engineers, scientists and technicians working out of our Montreal office and our 3,800 m2 manufacturing facility, PyroGenesis maintains its competitive advantage by remaining at the forefront of technology development and commercialization. Our core competencies allow PyroGenesis to lead the way in providing innovative plasma torches, plasma waste processes, high-temperature metallurgical processes, and engineering services to the global marketplace. Our operations are ISO 9001:2008 certified, and have been since 1997. PyroGenesis is a publicly-traded Canadian Corporation on the TSX Venture Exchange (Ticker Symbol:PYR) and on the OTCQB Marketplace. For more information, please visit www.pyrogenesis.com



This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "in the process" and other similar expressions which constitute "forward- looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Corporation's current expectation and assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the Corporation with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Corporation's ongoing filings with the securities regulatory authorities, which filings can be found at www.sedar.com , or at www.otcmarkets.com. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward- looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) nor the OTCQB accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

SOURCE PyroGenesis Canada Inc.

For further information please contact: Rodayna Kafal, VP, Investor Relations and Strategic Business Development, Phone: (514) 937-0002, E-mail: ir@pyrogenesis.com

RELATED LINKS: http://www.pyrogenesis.com/NEW ORLEANS, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 2018 Louisiana Energy Conference will be held in New Orleans at the Westin Canal Place Hotel at 100 Rue Iberville on Tuesday afternoon May 29 through Friday, June 1.



The Conference will feature a series of more than 20 panels and presentations that will discuss key domestic and international industry developments and topics. This year the Conference will include three field trips on Friday, June 1 to both offshore Gulf of Mexico and onshore south Louisiana facilities, including:

Crew boat visit to an Upstream Exploration offshore production platform;

Airboat tour of south Louisiana marshland production facilities; and

Tour of Vertexs refinery in Marrero.

Attendees interested in participating on any of the field trips should register as soon as possible and indicate their interest upon registration. Details on the field trips are available on the Conference web site, www.LouisianaEnergyConference.com.

Executives from nearly 70 leading public and private exploration and production and oil field services companies as well as representatives from energy-related private equity firms, industry trade groups, regulatory agencies, investment banks, institutional research groups, and law firms will participate in the panel discussions. One-on-one meetings can be requested with companies participating in the Conference.

A detailed agenda as of May 23, 2018 including the companies and the individual representatives on each panel is now available on the Conference web site, www.LouisianaEnergyConference.com, under the Agenda tab.

Attendance at the Conference is directed to investment professionals including buy side and sell side analysts and portfolio managers, as well as private equity and wealth management executives and trust officers. Energy industry professionals are also welcome to attend. There is no cost for investment professionals attending the Conference. The cost for all other attendees is $295 for the full event.

The Conference has also been accredited for attendees to earn Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits in both Louisiana and Texas.

The Conference web site www.LouisianaEnergyConference.com provides online registration and full details on the event which is being hosted by Al Petrie Advisors. For additional information including sponsorship opportunities, please call (504) 799-1953 or email info@LouisianaEnergyConference.com.

201 Saint Charles Avenue Suite 2413 New Orleans, Louisiana 70170

Contact: Al Petrie (504) 799-1953LONDON, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inmarsat (LSE:ISAT), the worlds leading provider of global mobile satellite communications, announced today that FLYHT Aerospace Solutions (TSX.V:FLY) (OTCQX:FLYLF), a leader in real-time aircraft intelligence and cockpit solutions, is the first partner for its recently-launched Aviation Certified Application Provider (CAP) Programme.



The Aviation CAP Programme provides a catalogue of connected safety and operations applications. By testing, optimising and certifying third-party applications and services for use on Inmarsats SB-S platform, airlines can focus on the benefits of digitisation without having to worry about integration risks. SB-S entered commercial service last month as the first and only global aviation broadband solution for operations and safety communications, providing airlines worldwide with unparalleled, secure visibility into their operations.

FLYHTs Automated Flight Information Reporting System (AFIRSTM) received CAP accreditation from Inmarsat after successfully demonstrating that it could stream large amounts of flight data in real-time from an aircraft to the ground, using SB-S.

This enables advanced predictive maintenance and quality assurance programmes to boost operational efficiency. In addition, FLYHTs UpTime Cloud user interface provides operators with greater situational awareness of their aircraft through an Aircraft Situational Display and paves the way for future cloud-based flight recorder data recovery.

By using AFIRS over SB-S, airlines can benefit from real-time aircraft diagnostics and performance monitoring to reduce turnaround times, and receive vital information to support critical decision-making when aircraft diversions must be considered.

It also provides airlines with an alternative means of accessing and utilising flight data traditionally recorded by physical devices aboard the aircraft in the form of Flight Data Recorders (FDR) and Quick Access Recorders (QAR). Sending this data to the ground in real-time allows data to be stored in a secure facility and location (Black Box in the Cloud), where it can be accessed immediately in case of an incident. This opens up a very simple and cost-effective way to comply with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)s imminent new safety requirements on flight recorder data recovery.

John Broughton, Vice President of Safety and Operational Services at Inmarsat Aviation, said: Our Aviation Certified Application Provider Programme has been launched to provide airlines with cutting-edge technologies and assure the highest levels of safety in the skies. It is open to established application providers and developers and involves a two-step certification process to ensure out-of-the-box compatibility and performance.

The official certification of FLYHTs software, as the first application on the SB-S platform, signals a new era of cooperation between Inmarsat and FLYHT. Aircraft flying with SB-S will now be able to take full advantage of AFIRSs services, enabling new capabilities such as Black Box in the Cloud. Partnerships like this are another example of how Inmarsat will be using the SB-S platform to deliver additional value to our aviation customers.

Tom Schmutz, FLYHTs Chief Executive Officer, said: The CAP Programme certification is another opportunity for FLYHTs continued expansion and application of our technology. We appreciate partnerships with industry-leading organisations like Inmarsat, who, like us, are eager to provide innovative solutions to airlines through increased connectivity.

SB-S is in commercial operation with Hawaiian Airlines and is in in-flight evaluations with United Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines. It has also been selected by Airbus as a Light Cockpit Satcom (LCS) solution on its A320 and A330 families.

The platform is available through a global network of leading distribution partners including Rockwell Collins, SITAONAIR, and China Transport Telecommunication Information Group Company Limited (CTTIC) / Aviation Data Communication Corporation (ADCC) in China. A range of terminal equipment is available from Cobham SATCOM and Honeywell.

Editors notes:

For more information on SB-S, please visit the Inmarsat website and download the whitepapers on SB-S and Complete Connected Aircraft and Black Box in the Cloud.

A video introduction to SB-S can be viewed here, along with an infographic here.

For further information

Jonathan Sinnatt

Inmarsat Corporate Communications

+44 (0)20 7728 1935

jonathan.sinnatt@inmarsat.com Robeel Haq

Inmarsat Aviation PR

+44 (0)20 7728 1352

robeel.haq@inmarsat.com Alana Forbes

FLYHT Aerospace Solutions

+1 403 291 7437

aforbes@flyht.com

About Inmarsat

Inmarsat is the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services. Since 1979, Inmarsat has been providing reliable voice and high-speed data communications to governments, enterprises and other organisations, with a range of services that can be used on land, at sea or in the air. Inmarsat operates around the world, with a presence in the major ports and centres of commerce on every continent. Inmarsat is listed on the London Stock Exchange (ISAT.L). For more information, please visit www.inmarsat.com.



The Inmarsat press release newsfeed and corporate updates are on @InmarsatGlobal.

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.

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.The Directors announce that Mr Alex Willson has joined the Board of Directors of the Company with effect from 24th May 2018. He replaces Mr Henrik Christiansen, who has stepped down from the Board effective the same date.

Alex Willson is the principal of Iris Rock Investments, a major investment vehicle with shareholdings in mining, trading and property.

Alex has a strong track record and proven success in many early stage, entrepreneurial businesses during a 30 year career.

Alex has served on the boards of many regulated entities with listed subsidiaries and has an impeccable regulatory record.

Alex harnesses sound strategic vision and couples this focus with an in depth operational understanding.

Time after time this application of reasoned, evidence based processes has helped him achieve targeted outcomes in the face of incomplete information.

Alex has impeccable risk management skills and a clear understanding of how best to capture idiosyncratic return streams.NEW YORK, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greystone, a real estate lending, investment and advisory company, today announced the launch of Greystone Healthcare Investments, to be led by Frank J. Small as Chief Investment Officer. An extension of the firms expansive healthcare real estate capital services, the new platform will focus on providing equity to owners of healthcare facilities, particularly post-acute care and skilled nursing facilities.



Leveraging a sale-leaseback model, providers can sell ownership of their healthcare property and maintain operations and management of the facility. The strategy enables access to equity capital and the ability for a provider to focus on operational strengths.

For those investing in seniors housing, market fundamentals point to rising demand for skilled nursing and post-acute care facilities, with Irving Levin Associates reporting that volume for long-term care acquisitions hit a three-year high in 2017, the fifth highest year in history. Dubbed the silver tsunami, the baby boomer generation is expected to create a long-term and successively growing demand for skilled nursing facilities.

The healthcare sector presents both a wealth of opportunity for investment and a host of unique challenges with an extraordinarily high barrier to entry, said Mr. Small. Greystones deep experience in healthcare finance creates a unique position for building a successful sale leaseback platform. With todays razor-thin margins in the healthcare industry, this financing vehicle can prove to be a game-changing strategy for many operators who excel at management and want to focus on that core competency.

Prior to joining Greystone Healthcare Investments, Mr. Small was a Managing Director at GMF Capital, where he pursued investment opportunities and potential sponsor partners for healthcare strategies across the U.S. and in the United Kingdom. Previously, he also led healthcare investment at 12 North Capital, a firm he founded, and as a Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group. Prior to that, he completed over $4 billion of fully realized investments as global head of healthcare real estate at JER Partners. Beginning his career in roles at Cerberus Real Estate and JLL, Mr. Small earned an MBA at NYU Stern School of Business and a Bachelors degree at Princeton University.

After decades of honing our expertise in all facets of healthcare finance, this is a natural next step for us, said Stephen Rosenberg, founder and CEO of Greystone. Working with healthcare facility owners and operators on a daily basis, we are able to identify the scenarios in which ownership and operations best flourish as separate disciplines. The industrys increasing pressures on operators creates an opportunity for Greystone to provide value not just as a real estate owner, but as an experienced partner.

About Greystone

Greystone is a real estate lending, investment and advisory company with an established reputation as a leader in multifamily and healthcare finance, having ranked as a top lender in these sectors. Our range of services includes commercial lending across a variety of platforms such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, CMBS, FHA, USDA, bridge and proprietary loan products. Loans are offered through Greystone Servicing Corporation, Inc., Greystone Funding Corporation and/or other Greystone affiliates. For more information, visit www.greyco.com.TORONTO, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A week following the filing of an information circular by Eric Owens, former CEO, current director, and founder of Alexandria Minerals Corporation (Alexandria), he and other concerned shareholders (together the Concerned Shareholders or Founders Group) are shining a light on the very real choice facing shareholders.

Special Meeting

The Founders Group believes that while Alexandrias current management, including Walter Henry, Gary OConnor, and Board Chair Peter Gundy (together the Affected Directors), have been busy consuming Alexandrias dwindling financial resources without a plan to replenish the funds, Mr. Owens is taking the necessary steps to ensure shareholders get the best value for their investment.



The Concerned Shareholders believe that support for Mr. Owens strategic vision for the company at the special meeting of shareholders to be held on July 24, 2018 (the Special Meeting) is the only choice that will result in value creation for Alexandria and its shareholders. Shareholders will be asked to approve fixing the size of the Board at six directors, to remove each of the Affected Directors and to elect each of Mr. Owens nominees (the Founders Nominees) to the Board: Chris Hopkins, Ian Mellon and Colin Sutherland (collectively, the Proposals).

Val dOr Property

Alexandrias Val dOr, Quebec site  located in one of the premier gold districts in the world  has enormous potential and remains largely unexplored. Financing is essential for Alexandria to be able to explore this property, demonstrate its value and fully realize shareholder value in the company. For this reason, securing financing and engaging in a drilling program were central to the 2017-2018 Alexandria strategic plan, however; the Affected Directors have abandoned this course of action.

In 2017, Alexandrias Board approved a budget that included an extensive early 2018 drilling program. Then-management, led by Mr. Owens, was following through on that program and had raised more than $20 million in financing to allow it to proceed. Inexplicably, the Affected Directors refused in early 2018 to approve the financing, in effect rejecting a much-needed cash infusion and halting the companys exploration drilling activities. Now, having apparently come to the belated realization that raising funds is imperative to Alexandrias success, the current board appears to have engaged in an opaque sell-off of Alexandria assets for the relatively minor sum of $250,000. Unfortunately, this type of transaction, of which there can only be so many, will come nowhere close to raising the funds necessary to put Alexandria back on track.

Taken together, the disregard shown through their actions by the Affected Directors for shareholder interests is irresponsible and misguided. The potential of the Val dOr property, as evidenced by the fact the property next door to Alexandrias  where a similar strategic plan to Mr. Owens was fully executed  sold for $600 million, is simply too great to be ignored.

Mr. Owens is positioned to once-again raise the necessary financing that would allow the Company to realize the potential of the Val dOr property on behalf of all shareholders. This is not the time for short-term, self-interested dealing; this is the time to fully explore the Val dOr property and to ensure maximum shareholder value is realized. Please support Mr. Owens Proposals at the Special Meeting.

Disclaimers and Forward Looking Statements

Eric Owens has not sought or obtained consent from any third party to the use herein of previously published information. Any such information should not be viewed as indicating the support of such third party for the views expressed herein.

This press release includes forward-looking statements that involve certain risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, in respect of Mr. Owenss and Alexandrias respective priorities, plans and strategies for Alexandria and Alexandrias anticipated financial and operating performance and prospects and statements relating to the ability of Mr. Owens to effect change to the board of directors of Alexandria. Such risks also include, but are not limited to, lack of cooperation from the current board and management of Alexandria regarding the conduct of a shareholders meeting, any potential actions that may be taken by the current board and management of Alexandria that could thwart any efforts to bring change to the board of Alexandria, changes in general economic and financial market conditions, changes in law, the ability to implement business strategies and plans and pursue business opportunities, and conditions in energy industry. There can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which such forward-looking statements and information are based will occur or, even if they do occur, will result in the performance, events or results expected. You should not place undue reliance on such statements. Eric Owens does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information except as required by law.

Information in Support of Public Broadcast Solicitation

Eric Owens is relying on the exemption under section 9.2(4) of National Instrument 51-102  Continuous Disclosure Obligations and section 150(1.2) of the Canada Business Corporations Act to make this public broadcast solicitation. The following information is provided in accordance with securities and corporate laws applicable to public broadcast solicitations.

This solicitation is being made by Eric Owens, and not by or on behalf of the management of Alexandria. The registered and mailing address of Alexandria is 1 Toronto Street, Suite 201 Toronto, Ontario M5C 3B2.

Eric Owens has filed an information circular containing the information required by Form 51-102F5  Information Circular in respect of the Founders Nominees, which is available under Alexandrias profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Mr. Owens is not requesting that Alexandria shareholders submit a proxy at this time. Once Mr. Owens has commenced a formal solicitation of proxies, a registered holder of shares of Alexandria that gives a proxy may revoke it: (a) by completing and signing a valid proxy bearing a later date and returning it in accordance with the instructions contained in the form of proxy to be provided or as otherwise provided in the proxy circular accompanying such proxy; (b) by depositing an instrument in writing executed by the shareholder or by the shareholder's attorney authorized in writing, as the case may be: (i) at the registered office of Alexandria at any time up to and including the last business day preceding the day the Meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the Meeting is to be held, or (ii) with the chairman of the Meeting prior to its commencement on the day of the Meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the Meeting; or (c) in any other manner permitted by law. A non-registered holder of shares of Alexandria will be entitled to revoke a form of proxy or voting instruction form given to an intermediary at any time by written notice to the intermediary in accordance with the instructions given to the non-registered holder by its intermediary.

Proxies for the Special Meeting may be solicited by mail, telephone, email or other electronic means as well as by newspaper or other media advertising, and in person by associates, agents, representatives and employees of Eric Owens, who will not be specifically remunerated therefor. In addition, Mr. Owens may solicit proxies in reliance upon the public broadcast exemption to the solicitation requirements under applicable Canadian securities laws, conveyed by way of public broadcast, including through press releases, speeches or publications, and by any other manner permitted under applicable Canadian laws. Mr. Owens may engage the services of one or more agents and authorize other persons to assist him in soliciting proxies should he commence a formal solicitation of proxies. In this regard, Mr. Owens has entered into an agreement with Navigator Ltd., which has agreed to act, in addition to other capacities, in a capacity to assist Mr. Owens in the oversight and solicitation of proxies in connection with the Meeting. Pursuant to this agreement, Navigator Ltd. will be paid a fee of $15,000 for this activity. All costs incurred for the solicitation will be borne by Mr. Owens. Dan Palikrousis has contributed funds to Mr. Owens to defray the costs of such solicitation; as a result he may also be deemed to be a solicitor within the meaning of applicable securities laws.

To the knowledge of Mr. Owens, neither he nor any of his associates or representatives, nor any of the Founders Nominees, or their respective associates or affiliates, has: (i) any material interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction since the beginning of Alexandria' most recently completed financial year or in any proposed transaction that has materially affected or would materially affect Alexandria or any of its subsidiaries; or (ii) any material interest, direct or indirect, by way of beneficial ownership of securities or otherwise, in any matter currently known to be acted upon at the Meeting, other than the election of directors of Alexandria.

For more information:

Mike Van Soelen

Navigator Ltd.

mvansoelen@navltd.com

(416) 307-3039SAN FRANCISCO, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Wednesday, May 23, 2018, Dolby Laboratories and Breast Cancer Prevention Partners hosted LUNAFEST San Francisco, celebrating women with films by, for, and about women. Photo credit: Genevieve Shiffrar. DLB-G



Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/67c7bd22-91ee-4c16-b290-b71e0b9471bf

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/34d9b599-163a-4eaf-af99-106ade84a884

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0e87b0e4-23ed-4b01-abe0-b7e49c44cad3

Media Contact

Dolby Laboratories

Gentry Bennett, +1-415-645-5361

Gentry.Bennett@dolby.comLAGOS, Nigeria, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Turner Wright Limited (the Company) (http://www.turnerwrightng.com/), a leading Nigerian company providing solutions in animal health, animal nutrition and hygiene is pleased to announce that it has executed a Milost Equity Subscription Agreement financing facility with Milost Global Inc (the "Investor") for $150 million financing, of which $50 million is in equity and $100 million debt. With respect to the sourcing of the financing, Turner Wright was advised by Palewater Advisory Group Inc as its sole transaction advisor and financing facilitator. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKwDto_Q50k



The Chairman & Managing Director of Turner Wright Limited, Dr. Tunde Lawal, stated that, The opportunity of closing the MESA financing with the Milost has breathed a new lease of life into our business. The infusion of fresh capital and subsequent capacity expansion will definitely go a long way towards broadening our product portfolio and expanding our market reach throughout Africa, in line with our vision of guaranteeing Food Security through the provision of high quality and affordable animal protein from healthy livestock and poultry.

Senior Partner & CIO of Milost Global Inc, Solly S. Asibey stated, As a specialised pharmaceuticals manufacturing company, Turner Wright controls a strong, yet very niche market and is amongst the top three nationally in Nigeria in its operational sub sector; and is poised to exponentially increase its market share within the West African region and beyond. The Milost facility will be used for growth and expansion capital to meet market demand. We are excited about this great investment, and are assured of great returns for all stakeholders accordingly.

Kim Freeman, Managing Partner & CEO of Milost Global Inc also stated, We are very pleased to have executed the MESA with Dr Lawal as the financing allows Turner Wrights current strong management team to expand production of its different products to meet the shortfall in Nigeria and beyond. It will also enable Turner Wright to assess acquisitions and other opportunities in future.

About Turner Wright Limited

Turner Wright Limited was incorporated in 1997 with its main objectives being, amongst others, to engage in the manufacture, production, distribution and marketing of all kinds of animal health pharmaceuticals and biological. It is also in the business of importation and exportation of pharmaceuticals, biological and acting as manufacturers representatives for animal health, animal nutrition and hygiene products.

From its Head Office in Lagos, Turner Wright serves its customers scattered across the length and breadth of Nigeria and indeed the west Africa sub region through a very vibrant network of veterinary and allied professionals. The feedback of this relationship is trust and the result is that brands promoted by the company serve as the industry gold standards in its markets. http://www.turnerwrightng.com/

About Palewater Advisory Group Inc.

Palewater Advisory Group is a multinational corporate and public affairs advisory firm with headquarters in New York. We specialise in cross-border and M&A transactions, financing, public affairs, political campaign capital raising and strategy. Collectively as the team, we have had an excellent track record with more than 1000 references in our line of advisory work. We have a robust and yet solid network of contacts with a specific focus on certain core industries, investment and banking communities. Our directors, leaders, professionals, and senior advisors collectively provide access to senior industrial, political, economic, government and financial decision-makers throughout the world.

We provide individual and personal advice and react swiftly to our clients needs, while always providing direct access to the team, including the partners involved. As a professional services firm, we provide the best possible advice based on confidentiality and total discretion. We are committed to the principles of integrity and client service, and operate free from any conflict of interest. www.palewateradvisory.com

About Milost Global Inc

Milost Global Inc is an American Private Equity firm that is headquartered in New York City, with more than $25 billion in committed capital. Milost is at the intersection of creative investing and value creation. Milost is also a provider of alternative capital, mezzanine finance, and alternative lending to a broad range of industries across the globe including Technology, Transport, Cannabis, Education, Distribution, Mining, Oil & Gas, Financial Services, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Real Estate, Alternative Energy and Infrastructure Development. www.milostglobal.com

For more information: Aristacus Forster, aristacus.forster@palewateradvisory.comFORM 8.3

PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY

A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE

Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code")

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Full name of discloser: Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):

The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named. (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:

Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree Sky plc (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree:



(e) Date position held/dealing undertaken:

For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure 23 May, 2018 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?

If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state "N/A"

2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security:



50p ordinary



Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: (2) Cash-settled derivatives:



26,784,127 1.5581



(3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:



TOTAL: 26,784,127 1.5581





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 PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

(a) Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security Purchase/sale



Number of securities Price per unit





(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 50p ordinary CFD Decreased a long position 650,000 13.6577 GBP

(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 person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:

Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"



NONE





(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:

(i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or

(ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:

If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none" NONE









(c) Attachments

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO

Date of disclosure: 24 May, 2018 Contact name: James Gange Telephone number: 212-446-4029

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.Dominion Energy executives and state officials met today to celebrate the construction of a new compressor station.

As part of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, the compressor station will be used to help facilitate the transfer of natural gas.

The pipeline stretches over 600 miles, spanning from West Virginia to North Carolina.

The project is expected to be one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country, but has drawn criticism from environmental groups.

State Secretary of Commerce Woody Thrasher says he's eager to see the project bring thousands of local jobs into our area.

"This is going to create thousands and thousands of construction jobs," said Thrasher. "It' also going to create the pipeline, which will create thousands of jobs to keep that gas flowing."

The project is expected to be completed in two years.NEW YORK, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ready Capital Structured Finance, a nationwide commercial real estate bridge and mezzanine lender, announces the closing of non-recourse loans in California, Colorado, Virginia, North Carolina and Texas totaling approximately $60 million.



The Toluca Lake, California loan is for the acquisition, renovation, and stabilization of an approximately 75,000 square foot, 67 percent occupied, Class B, office property. The property is located within the Studio / Universal Cities submarket, within a half mile of Highways 101, 134 and major arterial roads such as Cahuenga and Lankershim Boulevard and 0.35 miles from the Universal City / Studio City Metrolink station which provides easy access to Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles. In addition, the property is located within close proximity to NBC Universal. Ready Capital Structured Finance closed the $23.2 million non-recourse floating rate loan that features a 36-month term, flexible pre-payment, and is inclusive of a facility to provide future funding for capital improvements to the building, and fund interest shortfalls during the renovation and lease up.

The Del Mar, California loan is for the acquisition, renovation, and stabilization of an approximately 40,000 square foot, Class B, office property. The property is located on Jimmy Durante Boulevard in coastal Del Mar between the Del Mar Heights office corridor and the Coast Beach Cities of North County. The property is within 0.5 miles of the ocean, 0.5 miles from downtown Del Mar, 0.25 miles from the Del Mar Fairgrounds, and offers convenient access to all of San Diego via the Interstate 5 Freeway. Ready Capital Structured Finance closed the $16.7 million non-recourse floating rate loan that features a 36-month term, flexible pre-payment, and is inclusive of a facility to provide future funding for capital improvements to the building, leasing costs, and interest shortfalls during the renovation and lease up.

The Denver, Colorado loan is for the acquisition, renovation, re-flagging, and stabilization of a 92-key hotel located at 7380 South Clinton Street, in the Inverness submarket. The four-story property is currently operating as a Holiday Inn Express, but the Sponsor has secured a new franchise agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) to reflag the property to an improved EVEN Hotel. Ready Capital Structured Finance closed the $9.9 million, non-recourse, interest-only, floating rate loan that features a 36-month term with one extension option, flexible pre-payment, and is inclusive of a facility to provide future funding for the property improvement plan, working capital and interest shortfalls during renovation and stabilization.

The Richmond, Virginia loan is for the acquisition, renovation, and stabilization of an approximately 40,000 square foot medical office property at 7301 Forest Avenue, located in the Glenside submarket. The single-story property is being purchased with below market occupancy and rents, with a business plan to increase rents and lease the property to market levels post-renovation. Ready Capital Structured Finance closed the $5.6 million, non-recourse, interest-only, floating rate loan that features a 36-month term with two extension options, 24 months minimum interest, and is inclusive of a facility to provide future funding for capital improvements, leasing costs, and interest shortfalls during the renovation and lease up.

The Mebane, North Carolina loan is for the acquisition and stabilization of a 478-unit, Class B self-storage property, centrally located between Burlington and Durham, North Carolina. The property is a newly delivered climate controlled facility that is in the lease up phase. Ready Capital Structured Finance closed the $4.1 million non-recourse floating rate loan that features a 24-month term, flexible pre-payment, and is inclusive of a facility to fund interest shortfalls during the lease up.

The Missouri City, Texas loan is for the acquisition, expansion, and stabilization of a currently occupied 434-unit Phase I, Class A, self-storage property and a to-be-built additional 541-unit Phase II on an adjacent parcel. Ready Capital Structured Finance closed the non-recourse fixed rate loan that features a 60-month term, flexible pre-payment, and is inclusive of a facility to provide future funding for the construction of the Phase II building, and fund interest shortfalls during the construction and lease up.

For more information, contact Managing Director, David A. Cohen, at dcohen@rclending.com.

About Ready Capital Structured Finance

Ready Capital Structured Finance (RCSF) is a nationwide commercial real estate bridge and mezzanine lender offering non-recourse financing on transitional, value-add and event-driven commercial and multifamily real estate opportunities. RCSF is a direct lender that provides comprehensive financing solutions to real estate owners, investors and small business owners, which generally range in original principal amounts between $2 - $50 million and portfolios greater than $50 million. RCSF is a division of a subsidiary of Sutherland Asset Management Corporation (NYSE "SLD"), a full-service real estate finance company externally managed by Waterfall Asset Management , LLC.

This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements," as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. These statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements; the Company can give no assurance that its expectations will be attained. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c1e447ff-1018-4a53-bd3c-6266dacad41a

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2f361271-b52a-4105-8c08-74283d46e6ea

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7b957153-94eb-464f-8a10-4358b8890c1b

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/704b8ad4-617a-4e59-8000-8d30d407a6cc

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cbef907a-bda2-4c09-a3c8-84a3d9c2b701

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/191a4132-1a7f-4269-8de0-81304ebb9756



NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR THE UNITED STATES OR ANYOTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF ANY OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN.

SeaBird Exploration Plc ("SeaBird" or the "Company") intends to carry out a private placement of new shares (the "Offer Shares") in the Company raising gross proceeds of minimum NOK 100 million and a maximum of NOK 150 million (the "Private Placement"). The subscription price (the "Offer Price") in the Private Placement will be determined through an accelerated book-building process. The net proceeds from the Private Placement will be used to finance working capital and potential new investments in vessels and equipment.

The Private Placement

ABG Sundal Collier ASA and SpareBank 1 Markets have been engaged as Joint Lead Managers and Bookrunners for the Private Placement (the "Managers").

The Private Placement will be carried out on the following terms:

The application period for the Private Placement opens today at 16:30 CET on 24 May 2018 and closes at 08:00 CET on 25 May 2018. The Managers may, however, at any time resolve to close or extend the subscription period at its sole discretion and on short notice.



The minimum subscription and allocation amount in the Private Placement will be the NOK equivalent of EUR 100,000, provided that the Company may, at its sole discretion, allocate an amount below EUR 100,000 to the extent applicable exemptions from the prospectus requirement pursuant to applicable regulations are available.



Allocation of the Offer Shares will be determined at the end of the application period, and final allocation will be made by the Company's Board of Directors at its sole discretion. Notification of the allocation is expected to be sent by the Managers on or about 25 May 2018.



The settlement date is expected to be on or about 30 May 2018, subject to the Board of Directors of the Company having resolved to issue the shares.



The Offer Shares will be temporarily issued on a separate ISIN. These shares are expected to be converted to the Company's original ISIN number and be listed and tradable on Oslo Brs early July, subject to approval of a listing prospectus (the "Prospectus") by the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority ("NFSA").



The Company and the Managers reserve the right, at any time and for any reason, to cancel and/or modify the terms of the Private Placement.

The Board, together with the Company's management and the Managers, has considered various transaction alternatives to secure new financing. Based on an overall assessment, taking into account inter alia the need for funding, execution risk and possible alternatives, the Board has on the basis of careful considerations decided that the Private Placement is the alternative that best protects the Company's and the shareholders' joint interests. Thus, the waiver of the preferential rights inherent in a share capital increase through issuance of new shares is considered necessary.

Subject to completion of the Private Placement, the Company intends to carry out a subsequent repair offering to its existing shareholders as of close of trading 24 May 2017, as subsequently recorded in the VPS, who did not participate in the Private Placement.

Operational update

As announced on 23 May 2017, the Company recently signed an agreement to supply one 2D vessel for an upcoming survey in North West Europe during this coming summer season. The project is due to commence early Q3-2018 and will run for approximately one month. The company will be using the Harrier Explorer for the work.

Furthermore, the Company is currently in discussions to supply one or more vessels for potential major 2D contracts. If awarded, these projects are currently anticipated to start in the second half of 2018 and could potentially add approximately 15 vessel months to Seabird's backlog.

For further information, please contact:

Christophe Debouvry

CEO SeaBird Exploration

Phone: +47 22 40 27 05

Nils Haugestad

CFO SeaBird Exploration

Phone: +47 22 40 27 17

Contact information for the Managers:

ABG Sundal Collier ASA

Telephone: +47 22 01 60 08

SpareBank 1 Markets AS:

Telephone: +47 24 14 74 70

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

About Seabird Exploration:

SeaBird is a global provider of marine acquisition for 2D/3D and 4D seismic data, and associated products and services to the oil and gas industry. SeaBird specializes in high quality operations within the high end of the source vessel and 2D market, as well as in the shallow/deep water 2D/3D and 4D market. Main focus for the company is proprietary seismic surveys (contract seismic). Main success criteria for the company are an unrelenting focus on Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE), combined with efficient collection of high quality seismic data.

All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict, and are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove accurate. These factors include SeaBird`s reliance on a cyclical industry and the utilization of the company's vessels. Actual results may differ substantially from those expected or projected in the forward-looking statements.Georgia new No. 1 in AP football poll; Kentucky vaults to 11By West Kentucky Star Staff May. 23, 2018 | 06:43 PM | MCCRACKEN COUNTY, KY





A McCracken County man has been arrested on numerous charges following a vehicle pursuit in the Freemont community of southern McCracken County.On Tuesday night, McCracken County Sheriff's deputies received a complaint of a stolen vehicle from Graves County. When the vehicle was reported stolen, it was believed that 27-year-old Randall Snow had possession of it. Deputies located the vehicle during their normal patrol and pursued it onto Old Mayfield Road, and then through a yard. The driver was, in fact, Randall Snow and was taken into custody.Snow was initially placed under arrest for DUI and an outstanding felony warrant for possessing a firearm by a convicted felon out of McCracken County. During a search of the vehicle, deputies allegedly located large amounts of marijuana, crystal methamphetamine, and assorted drug paraphernalia. Deputies say the methamphetamine, (approximately 200 grams), has an estimated street value of $20,000, and the marijuana, (approximately one pound), has an estimated street value of $2000. An investigation of the case is continuing.Charges against Snow include DUI, fleeing or evading police, trafficking in marijuana, trafficking in methamphetamine, receiving stolen property, tampering with physical evidence, possession of drug paraphernalia, and menacing. He was taken to the McCracken County Regional Jail.By Jeremy Rose, CFSB May. 24, 2018 | 10:31 AM | BENTON, KY

Community Financial Services Bank (CFSB) recently promoted Senior Vice President/Business Development Officer Jennifer Apple to Chief Client Officer. This was one in a series of promotions that CFSB CEO/Chair Betsy Flynn and Community Financial Services Board of Directors unanimously approved.

CFSB has a 20 year growth plan and will remain an independent community bank reinvesting in our community," Flynn said. "The promotions ensure extraordinary client service for the future! Jennifer is very creative, an exceptional leader and motivator, encouraging all Team members to be the very best they can be!

Apple, with 35 years of banking experience at CFSB oversees several areas of the bank including marketing, public relations, client services center and business services. She has worked with many different teams within the bank including deposit operations, proof operations, electronic banking, teller, relationship banker, marketing, public relations, business development and has been in management for the last 20 years.

Jennifer is also very involved in the community. She is a past board chair for the Court Appointed Special Advocates By The Lakes (CASA), a member of the Board of Directors for the Murray Chamber of Commerce, a volunteer for Kentucky Special Olympics, a volunteer for Marshall Countys American Cancer Society Relay for Life, a and a server at Murrays Community Kitchen.

Jennifer (Sanders) Apple graduated from Marshall County High School, attended Murray State University and has graduated from several prestigious banking schools, such as the Kentucky Bankers General Banking School at the University of Louisville, the Mid-South School of Banking at the University of Memphis, the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin and received an Accredited Banking Professional Certification from The Institute of Extraordinary Banking in 2017.

Jennifer and her husband Terry live in Calloway County. They have three children, Lyndsi Hughes, Ashleigh Murdock and Zack Apple. She enjoys time with her grandchildren, relaxing on the beach and rooting on the Racers! The Apples attend the First United Methodist Church of Murray.WAYNE, N.J., May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas, Inc., announced that two clinical studies utilizing Dynamic Digital Radiography (DDR), the companys innovative X-ray technology under development, were presented at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2018 Annual Meeting this week. Dynamic Digital Radiography is a new modality that utilizes conventional X-ray images and Konica Minolta's proprietary software platform to create X-ray in Motion. DDR is the most significant advancement in X-ray since digital radiography was introduced.



X-ray in Motion of the chest provides a visual display of the dynamic interactions of lung, muscle, bone, heart and nerve, not captured by either a conventional static X-ray or the common pulmonary function test (PFT). This allows clinicians to visualize and quantify physiological changes in anatomical structures during the complete respiratory cycle. Previously, respiration could only be radiologically assessed using fluoroscopy, which involves higher levels of radiation exposure. X-ray in Motion may better enable clinicians to evaluate chest and lung function in patients with pulmonary diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and lung cancer.

At the ATS meeting, the study, A New Technology: The Dynamic Image of a Forced Breath Compared to a Tidal Breath Uncovers a Physiological Phenomenon in COPD, was presented, demonstrating a correlation to the severity of COPD and diaphragm excursion during forced and tidal breathing using DDR. The research concluded that DDR may be a clinically relevant option to assess COPD severity in the acute setting and for patients unable to perform PFTs. This study was conducted by the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, and Department of Radiology from Mount Sinai (New York, NY).

The research study, Evaluation of Pulmonary Function Using Dynamic Chest Radiographs: The Change Rate in Lung Area Due to Respiratory Motion Reflects Air Trapping in COPD, was also presented. The researchers investigated DDR as an alternative for the evaluation of pulmonary function in COPD patients by examining the change rate in lung area due to respiratory motion in patients with COPD and in subjects with normal pulmonary function. The study found that DDR is a viable alternative indicator for air trapping in COPD. Air trapping is the abnormal retention of air in the lungs making it difficult to exhale completely. This study was performed by the Departments of Respiratory Medicine, Thoracic, Cardiovascular and General Surgery, and College of Medical, Pharmaceutical & Health Sciences at Kanazawa University (Kanazawa, Japan).

Digital Radiography, or X-ray, is a primary diagnostic technology that is widely available throughout the world. Konica Minolta is investing in the development new clinical applications and tools for existing technology, such as digital radiography, that can deliver more information to clinicians than previously attainable while supporting the reduction of healthcare expenditures. Using readily available X-ray systems, DDR can provide incremental value for diagnosis, ongoing disease management, preoperative planning and post-operative assessment, without subjecting the patient to multiple and often more expensive tests.

Dynamic Digital Radiography represents ongoing research and development at Konica Minolta. It is not cleared by the FDA for commercial distribution or available for sale in the United States.

About Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas, Inc.

Konica Minolta Healthcare is a world-class provider and market leader in medical diagnostic imaging and healthcare information technology. With over 75 years of endless innovation, Konica Minolta is globally recognized as a leader providing cutting-edge technologies and comprehensive support aimed at providing real solutions to meet customer's needs and helping make better decisions sooner. Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas, Inc., headquartered in Wayne, NJ, is a unit of Konica Minolta, Inc. (TSE:4902). For more information on Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas, Inc., please visit www.konicaminolta.com/medicalusa.

Company name KONICA MINOLTA, INC. Headquarters JP TOWER, 2-7-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan Founded

December 1936 FY

2016 Revenue $962.8 Billion JPY Number

of employees Approx. 43,980 (2017) Business Lines

The Konica Minolta Group operates in sectors ranging from business technologies, where our products are typified by MFPs (multi-functional peripherals), and Industrial Business (former Optics Business), where our products include pickup lenses for optical disks, and TAC film, a key material used in LCD panels, to healthcare, where we make digital X-ray diagnostic imaging systems.

Contact:

Mary Beth Massat

Massat Media

224.578.2388

www.konicaminolta.com/medicalusa

SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With tuition rates spiraling rapidly upward, its more vital than ever that Californian families start saving early for college. This is why the California State Legislature has recently introduced Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 216 to officially designate May 29 as 529 College Savings Day  to raise awareness of the importance of saving for college and to let families know they can save more easily with the help of a 529 college savings plan.



To kick off 529 College Savings Day, State Treasurer John Chiang and ScholarShare 529, Californias College Savings Plan, will hold a four-day promotion to encourage families to launch their own college savings efforts.

Student loan debt has now reached $1.5 trillion nationally, up from $676 billion in 2008, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In our state over the past decade, tuition rates at the University of California, California State University and California Community College have increased 100 percent, 117 percent and 130 percent, respectively.

When Americans are burdened with student loan debt, they are not able to buy homes, cars and other products that boost our economy, said State Treasurer John Chiang, chair of the ScholarShare Investment Board. The ScholarShare 529 College Savings Plan enables families to limit or eliminate future student loan debt by helping them save for higher-education expenses. In turn, the contributions families make today pay off later in the form of increased earning potential for their children, because college graduates earn an average of $1 million more than high school graduates during their career.

A ScholarShare 529 College Savings Plan is a powerful tool for California families who want to start saving now for their childrens college education. It offers a diverse range of investment options, tax-deferred growth and withdrawals free from state and federal taxes.

$50 Match Promotion

To celebrate 529 College Savings Day, ScholarShare 529 is offering a four-day matching promotion to get families started now and free their future graduates from the burden of mountainous student debt.

To be eligible for the matching promotion, families must open a new ScholarShare 529 account between May 29, 2018 and June 1, 2018 with a minimum $50 deposit  to be contributed and invested at the time the new account is opened  and sign up for a $25 Automatic Contribution Plan for a minimum of six months.

A matching deposit of $50 will be made by the state to the eligible ScholarShare 529 account on or before January 31, 2019. There is a limit of one matching deposit per new ScholarShare 529 account opened for each new beneficiary.

Visit www.ScholarShare.com/529day for more information and complete terms and conditions.

Making College Dreams Come True

One of thousands of families benefitting from a ScholarShare 529 account is the Maldonado family. Martha Maldonado opened a ScholarShare 529 account when the program launched, in 1999, and when her daughter, Julia, was just 2 years old. Today, Julia is a junior in college and Martha is close to her goal of seeing her daughter graduate from college with zero student loan debt.

By putting a little bit away at a time, it helped lessen the burden of having to pay for college all at once, said Martha. At first, I was nervous about a ScholarShare 529 account but with patience and the compound interest, I was quite surprised at how the little bit I put away each month has gone such a long way.

The Maldonados started off with $25 in their account and watched it grow from there, as Martha regularly set aside a small amount from her monthly paycheck.

ScholarShare 529 has really helped make the college years manageable, she said. Paying for things with ScholarShare 529 is so easy. Even for small things, like a $10 or $20 book purchase, we just pull from the 529 account. Its an investment in your childs future. Why wouldnt you want to do that for them?

Triple the Challenge

Tim and Lorie Shelley knew they would have to prepare early for their childrens college education  they have triplets. The Sacramento-based couple started saving for college with ScholarShare 529 soon after their kids were born. They credit the early start and the ease of savings via monthly payroll deductions as a huge help in their quest to send three children off to college at the same time.

Today, their kids, Callahan, Maile and Jared are college freshman  and all made the deans list.

ScholarShare 529 played a big part in making that happen, said Lorie. By taking advantage of the automatic payroll deductions, weve been able to guarantee that some portion of our income would be automatically saved for college.

Adds Tim, The biggest piece of advice I have for parents of twins or triplets is to start as soon as possible. Just like its smart to start saving for retirement as soon as you get your first job, you need to start saving for college as soon as your children are born.

Advice from James, the ScholarShare Spokeskid

To highlight 529 College Savings Day, ScholarShare 529 recently launched a new video series starring James, the programs Spokeskid. James helps families better understand 529s which should help them feel more comfortable with the financial decisions that accompany saving for college.

In one video, James reminds parents that, ScholarShare 529 is a smart way to reach your college savings goals. With 100 percent tax-free growth, it could mean as much as 25 percent more money for college. Now, even a kid can tell you thats a winning investment.

About the ScholarShare 529 College Savings Plan

To sign up for an account or for more information about the plan, visit www.ScholarShare529.com. For information about the ScholarShare Investment Board, visit www.treasurer.ca.gov/scholarshare. Like ScholarShare 529 on Facebook at www.facebook.com/scholarshare529 and follow us on Twitter at @ScholarShare529.

Named for the section of the IRS code under which they were created, 529 plans offer valuable tax advantages. Contributions are made with money that has already been taxed, so once funds are placed in the account, investment earnings, if any, are not federally or state taxed, as long as they are withdrawn to pay for qualified higher-education expenses.

The Twitter and Facebook pages of the ScholarShare 529 College Savings Plan are managed by the State of California.

For regular updates, please follow the Treasurer on Twitter at @CalTreasurer and on Facebook at California State Treasurer's Office.SEATTLE, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CFN Media Group (CFN Media), the leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the North American cannabis industry, announces publication of an article discussing RISE Life Science Corp. (CSE:RLSC), the importance of consistent high quality in the emerging cannabis market, and the companys commitment to best practices, ingredients, and science.



As the cannabis industry matures, both in North America and across the globe, regulations and consumer demands will require companies to produce consistent, high quality products that are safe and effective. Gone are the days of illicit weed grown with questionable practices, as the black market is being replaced by regulated operations offering a variety of cannabis products scientifically developed for use in distinct applications. With the wide variety of strains and chemical profiles now available to companies making legal cannabis products, a commitment to sourcing quality plants and developing scientifically researched products tailored for a range of needs is more important than ever.

RISE Life Science is a prime example of a company committed to quality from start to finish. RISE is creating a line of cannabis-derived sexual health and wellness products that it intends to market globally, starting in California. From sourcing the best cannabis strains, to rigorous research and development standards, to the commencement of a major cannabis/sexual health study, the company is committed to the highest standards throughout the entire life cycle of product development.

Quality Starts with the Plant

Working toward the highest level of quality, RISE plans to use the best plant sources for the consumer products it develops. As such, the company is exploring a comprehensive supply partnership with Jamaican premium strain producers who meet standards for CGMP (current good manufacturing processes) as set out by the FDA. These standards are designed to assure that quality is built into the design and manufacturing process at every step; facilities are in good condition; equipment is properly maintained and calibrated; employees are qualified and fully trained; and, processes are reliable and reproducible.

Jamaica is not only considered one of the best growing regions in the world, it is also viewed as one of the most experienced, producing cannabis for well over 400 years. With such a deeply established botanical relationship it is no surprise that Jamaican marijuana strains are widely recognized as some of the highest quality in the world.

RISE is targeting strains with the appropriate terpene and cannabinoid profiles to form the basis for its medical line of products to ensure that only the highest quality raw material is utilized in the formulation and development process.

Laboratory Science Important for RISE

RISE Life Science is partnered with experts in the manufacture of premium medical cannabis extract products for physician and patient use. They are leveraging deep experience with whole plant extracts utilizing proprietary extraction and compounding methods.

RISE is launching in California, but has its eyes on markets around the world. International certification is important for companies pursuing global market opportunities. With a patchwork of regulatory demands across markets, the company is seeking the highest-regarded quality control standards in another indication of RISEs commitment to quality and global acceptance for its products.

Validated science is at the core of our product development, said Anton Mattadeen, CEO of RISE. Our focus is on producing pharmaceutical grade product derived from highly-controlled processes that are continually supported by a feedback of observational data.

The formulations of RISE products also draw heavily from botanical traditions. To this end, the companys product formulation strategy relies on herbal specialists based out of Colorado. RISEs lead herbalist brings 30 years of experience to the companys product development.

Sexual Health Study Underpins Product Development

Future products will be developed with insights gained from a proprietary research study RISE will launch this fall. It will be the largest observational study of its kind, looking at the effect of cannabis health products on sexual health, behaviors, and performance.

The RISE Report on Cannabis and Sexual Health and Wellness intends to answer many questions that have gone unanswered, and unstudied, as a result of the long-term prohibition of cannabis and research related to the plant. Starting with about 200 beta participants, the study will expand to thousands of people and the data derived should be valuable in a number of ways.

We are investing in this study because it is central to the ongoing development of consumer products that individuals and couples believe in and actually want to use, continued Mattadeen. The proprietary data generated by this study will not only add necessary information to the subject of sexual health, it will also inform RISE of the best possible product development decisions to meet the needs of our customers, provide us with a competitive advantage in the marketplace, and help us remain right in the middle of this important conversation with our expanding consumer community.

For RISE, the most obvious benefit will lie in how the findings can inform and improve the companys own product development. The company views this outcome as a competitive advantage in a market rife with un-researched products and wild claims of efficacy. The data would also add more generally to the growing library of science surrounding cannabis, potentially adding more credence to the idea of using the plant as a legitimate treatment and eliminating some of the social taboos around both marijuana and sex.

All told, RISE Life Science is demonstrating its commitment to quality ingredients, practices, and products based on the science of cannabis. With an initial product launch coming soon in California, keep an eye out for further developments in RISEs quest to legitimize cannabis as a tool to improve lives of consumers and patients wherever the law allows.

Please follow the link to read the full article: http://www.cannabisfn.com/rise-life-science-commitment-highest-quality-cannabis-products-sexual-health-wellness/

About CFN Media

CFN Media (CannabisFN) is the leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the global cannabis industry, helps companies operating in the space attract investors, capital, and publicity. Since 2013, private and public cannabis companies in the US and Canada have relied on CFN Media to grow and succeed.

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flane@cannabisfn.comMOSCOW, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mechel PAO (MOEX:MTLR) (NYSE:MTL), one of the leading Russian mining and metals companies, reports signing a five-year cooperation agreement with the Russian Export Center.



Chairman of Mechel PAOs Board of Directors Igor Zyuzin and the Russian Export Centers Chief Executive Officer Andrey Slepnev signed a bilateral agreement on the sidelines of St Petersburg International Economic Forum 2018.

The agreement sets forth focal areas of the mutually beneficial cooperation aimed at expanding exports of high-margin products made by Mechel Groups facilities. The Russian Export Center is planned to provide financial and insurance assistance in advanced technology production, provide loans for Mechels foreign customers, and give information and consulting support in new markets and search for foreign partners.

St Petersburg International Economic Forum is a leading Russian venue for discussing projects where the state and private business come as partners. I think that the agreement with the Russian Export Center that we have signed on the forums sidelines will help create profitable conditions for Mechels buisness, as well as expand our ability to promote the companys products in foreign markets, Chairman of Mechel PAOs Board of Directors Igor Zyuzin noted.

Our task is to support exports of highly processed products, and so we highly appreciate cooperation with Mechel, whose products correspond with these criteria. We are now working on projected supplies of rail and beam products and steel rolls. I hope that our joint efforts will bring an increase in the share of non-resource products in exports by Mechel and other steelmakers, the Russian Export Centers Chief Executive Officer Andrey Slepnev said.

Mechel PAO

Ekaterina Videman

Tel: + 7 495 221 88 88

ekaterina.videman@mechel.com

Mechel is an international mining and steel company. Its products are marketed in Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa. Mechel unites producers of coal, iron ore concentrate, steel, rolled products, ferroalloys, heat and electric power. All of its enterprises work in a single production chain, from raw materials to high value-added products.

Some of the information in this press release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of Mechel, as defined in the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We wish to caution you that these statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may differ materially. We do not intend to update these statements. We refer you to the documents Mechel files from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Form 20-F. These documents contain and identify important factors, including those contained in the section captioned Risk Factors and Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements in our Form 20-F, that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements, including, among others, the achievement of anticipated levels of profitability, growth, cost and synergy of our recent acquisitions, the impact of competitive pricing, the ability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals and licenses, the impact of developments in the Russian economic, political and legal environment, volatility in stock markets or in the price of our shares or ADRs, financial risk management and the impact of general business and global economic conditions.CLEARWATER, Fla., May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On June 5, the Clearwater Community Volunteers Center, established by the Church of Scientology, will host a marketing seminar for area non-profits. The seminar will begin at 6pm. There is no cost to attend and refreshments will be provided.



Leading the seminar is David Sanders, the founder of Creative Business Strategies. With a 30 year track record in marketing, helping a variety of businesses become better known and successful, Sanders wanted to give back to the community.

What really excites me is helping dreamers become the biggest and best in their field, said Sanders. It is possible to make dreams become reality and change the world.

The Center hosts a large variety of workshops on a weekly basis; delivered by skillful community members they cover such topics as: Internet promotion, organization and recruiting volunteers. The purpose of these training seminars is to help charities to expand their betterment activities by becoming more skilled.

As the founder of my own charity (the Community Preparedness Group) I know how hard it is to manage and learn the several skills that are needed in running a successful organization, added Sanders. The Clearwater Community Volunteers Center provides an opportunity for groups to boost their abilities and provide greater help to their volunteers and members and I am excited to help with that momentum.

With an Internet search for non-profit marketing returning more than 3.6 million hits, this is a topic of concern for our area charities and we wanted to help non-profits get the basics of this mysterious thing called marketing, said Clem Chevrot, the Director of the Center.

Since its opening last March, the Clearwater Community Volunteers Center has hosted nearly 90 events from 40 different charities. Activities at the Center include charity board meetings, educational seminars, theater group rehearsals and Boy Scouts troop meetings.

To confirm your seat for the June 5th seminar, or for more information about the Clearwater Community Volunteers Center, please call Clem Chevrot at the Center at (727) 316-5309.

About the Church of Scientology:

The Scientology religion was founded by humanitarian and philosopher, L. Ron Hubbard. The first Church of Scientology was formed in the United States in 1954 and has expanded to more than 11,000 churches, missions and affiliated groups, with millions of members in 167 nations. Based on L. Ron Hubbard's words, "A community that pulls together can make a better society for all," the Church of Scientology regularly engages in many humanitarian programs and community events. To learn more, visit www.scientology-fso.org.

Clem Chevrot

(727) 467-6860

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4e4ffcaf-4f6d-45ea-a3bb-342ca34bae12WiGBits Headline News Would you like to receive our WiGBits? Signup today!

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Digital Issue Would you like to receive our Digital Issue? Signup today!RALEIGH, N.C., May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) set to take effect tomorrow, Data443 Risk Mitigation, Inc., a leading data security company, today announced that its newly released rapid-implementation version of ClassiDocs (v1.36) can significantly fast-track GDPR compliance. ClassiDocs -- the companys award-winning data classification, governance, and eDiscovery product -- now delivers significant improvements in explicit PII search and DSAR capabilities, which are core requirements of the GDPR. These solution benefits can be up and running quickly with Data443s ability to deliver ClassiDocs via cloud and hybrid configurations.



Data443 is ready for the large increase of client demand expected after the initiation of the GDPR, said Jason Remillard, CEO and founder of Data443 Risk Mitigation, Inc. Most organizations dont realize that they can be GDPR compliant in a few hours with our product. This is a significant improvement over the months, and sometimes years, it takes other solutions to deploy.

The GDPR is just the beginning, added Mr. Remillard. The financial and brand risk implications of data privacy compliance are not being ignored, as witnessed by recent issues at Facebook and Google. We currently have dozens of company contracts out for bid, resulting in over $1M USD in potential recurring revenue streams. All of this incoming business was mainly in the tail end of the first quarter, and we continue to issue new quotations and initiate new PoC environments daily. The team is at full capacity and our first quarter investments are bearing fruit in both capability and market adoption.

As more businesses understand the impact and potential liabilities of the GDPR, they are seeking solutions that can quickly move forward their ability to respond. ClassiDocs is purpose-built for privacy compliance enablement. The product directly addresses 12 of the most important GDPR articles, both for reporting and technical controls. This capability enables clients to respond to DSAR demands and at the same time provide an accurate and up-to-date data inventory across their entire data estate, including all end points, any attached or mapped cloud storage, databases, email, structured and unstructured data, and data at rest or in flight. ClassiDocs is the only product on the market with this wide-ranging, feature-rich capability set.

Upon deployment and without specific training, users can:

Discover PII, PCI, HIPAA, and Other Confidential Information

Report on and Remediate Security Access Controls

Respond to DSARs and Remediation Actions, with built in Analytics

Comply with 12 of the Most Critical GDPR Articles

Data443s ability to quickly deliver ClassiDocs via cloud or hybrid configurations solves GDPR complexity for any organization currently facing the impending deadline without a compliance plan in place. Companies can start a PoC in minutes by clicking this link https://www.data443.com/get-free-online-interactive-demo-team-2/.

About DATA443 Risk Mitigation, Inc.

DATA443 Risk Mitigation, Inc. (OTCPK:LDSR) enables secure data  across local devices, network, cloud, and databases  at rest and in flight. ClassiDocs, our award-winning data classification and governance technology, supports over 200 file types and 400 databases with a user-first, user-centric design that speeds ease of use and compliance-policy conformance without training. Data443 delivers classification, discovery, governance, GDPR compliance, and DSAR management coupled with DLP, CASB, SIEM, and cloud solutions to provide user-enabled, governance-enabled, up-to-date security for every data point, every time.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements and are subject to risks and uncertainties. See DATA443 Risk Mitigation, Inc.s filings with the SEC, which may identify specific factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.

For Further Information

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/data443Risk

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Signup for our Investor Newsletter: https://www.data443.com/investor-relations/

Signup for our Product Newsletter: https://www.data443.com/contact/

Contacts

Main Press Contact:

Susan Payne

Susan.Payne@data443.com

Office: 919.526.1070 Ext. 103

Investor Relations:

ir@data443.com

Office: 919.858.6542

SOURCE DATA443 Risk Mitigation, Inc.Bethesda, MD, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF) today announced a license agreement of the vaccine for Nipah virus and Hendra virus from the Joint Technology Transfer Office of the Uniformed Services University (USU) and HJF. The license, supported by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), has been awarded to Profectus BioSciences, Inc. and Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS) who will collaborate to develop the human vaccine for Nipah and Hendra viruses. This investment of up to $25 million represents an innovative approach to funding vaccine development, unlocking research and development potential so that vaccines are ready for efficacy studies during an outbreak. The agreement will enable funding for development efforts over a five-year period.



The current Nipah virus outbreak in India makes the development of a human vaccine an immediate need, said Dr. Joseph Caravalho, President and CEO of HJF. Enabling the transfer of medical findings between military research initiatives and private sector researchers is a key part of HJFs vision to advance military medicine for the mutual benefit of military and civilian populations.



Nipah virus and Hendra virus emerged in the 1990s causing serious disease outbreaks in humans and livestock in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh and India. Recent Nipah outbreaks have resulted in acute respiratory distress syndrome and encephalitis, person-to-person transmission, and greater than 75 percent case fatality rates among humans. The viruses are found naturally in several species of Pteropid fruit bats (flying foxes). There is currently an outbreak of Nipah in India in a new location, where the death toll has risen to 10 in India's southern state of Kerala. Nipahs human-to-human transmission has been documented, and an initially small outbreak could take the same course as the recent Ebola virus outbreak witnessed in West Africa.



The vaccine is based on Nipah virus and Hendra virus technology developed over more than 15 years by Dr. Christopher Broder and Dr. Katharine Bossart in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at USU. The vaccine has already been evaluated in multiple animal models and has been demonstrated to be completely protective against not only Nipah virus infection but also Hendra virus infection, Nipahs close relative. A formulation of this vaccine has been shown to be effective in preventing Hendra virus infection of horses in Australia where HJF licensed it to Zoetis Inc., who has marketed it since 2012.



HJF, through the USU-HJF Joint Office of Technology Transfer, licensed the technology to Profectus Biosciences to develop a version of the vaccine suitable for use in people. Dr. Broder, of USU, and Dr. Antony Dimitrov, of Profectus Biosciences, started their Nipah virus and Hendra virus collaboration in 2011 with support from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. That pre-clinical Nipah vaccine support was critical in bringing this project to the current stage of development. As a next step in the Nipah vaccine development for use in people, Dr. Thomas Geisbert, at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and the Galveston National Laboratory, will conduct the preclinical studies at its biosafety level 4 facility; and HJF, USU, and Profectus will collaborate on the development of a clinical assay for the evaluation of the anti-Nipah virus vaccine response.



Based on the success of this vaccine technology against both Nipah virus and Nipahs close relative, Hendra virus, it is highly likely that the Nipah vaccine to be developed here will also work against Hendra virus, said Dr. Broder.



The vaccine component is just a single protein from the virus known as the G glycoprotein which is produced in a soluble form (sG) in cell culture by genetic means and purified to exceedingly high levels. No virus or any infectious agent is involved in the production of the sG glycoprotein vaccine. It is a single dose, extremely safe, simple and highly effective vaccine that has proven time and time again to provide complete protection against two incredibly deadly viral pathogens that are a biological threat to not only people but important livestock as well, said Dr. Broder.



Katharine Bossart, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Integrated Research Associates, LLC, in San Rafael, CA, developed the sG vaccine with Dr. Broder while a student in his laboratory at USU. Since the vaccine is just a recombinant piece of the virus, it is a type of vaccine known as a subunit, thus making it extremely safe to use, Dr. Bossart said.



The Nipah and Hendra virus use the G glycoprotein to attach to and infect cells. Nipah and Hendra can infect and cause serious and often highly fatal disease in people and also in pigs, horses, cats, dogs, and several other animal species. When used as a vaccine, the immunized subject develops antibodies that bind to the virus G glycoprotein and effectively neutralizes the virus preventing it from infecting cells within the host.



Dr. Broder, in collaboration with Dr. Dimiter Dimitrov, who is now a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, developed an antibody therapy as a treatment against Nipah and Hendra virus previously. This antibody was given to the government of Queensland, Australia for humanitarian purposes and has been successfully tested in a Phase 1 clinical trial in that country.



See related press release from CEPI, dated May 24, 2018, at http://cepi.net/node/285.



About HJF: The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. (HJF) is a private, not-for-profit organization authorized by Congress to support military medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and throughout the armed forces. HJF serves military, medical, academic and government clients by administering, managing and supporting preeminent scientific programs that benefit members of the armed forces and civilians alike. Since its founding in 1983, HJF has served as a vital link between the military medical community and its federal and private partners. HJF's support and administrative capabilities allow military medical researchers and clinicians to maintain their scientific focus and to accomplish their research goals effectively and efficiently. For more information, visit www.hjf.org.



About USU: The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), founded by an act of Congress in 1972, is the academic heart of the Military Health System. USU students are primarily active-duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service who receive specialized education in tropical and infectious diseases, TBI and PTSD, disaster response and humanitarian assistance, global health, acute trauma care, and advanced practice nursing and dentistry. For more information, visit www.usuhs.edu.



For more information about USU and its programs, visit www.usuhs.mil.A Bentonville woman is accused of killing her 80-year-old grandmother.

Andrea Wilson, 26, was arrested Monday (May 21) in connection with capital murder and tampering with evidence in the death of Ruby Ross, according to the Benton County Sheriff's Office.

Police were called May 16 to Ross' home on Blue Jay Road after her daughter found Ross dead inside. Ross appeared to have suffered four blows to her head from a hammer, according to the affidavit.

Deputies searched the property and found a hammer, butcher knife and bloody rubber gloves inside a trash bag in an outhouse about 100 feet from the back of Ross' house.

Deputies also recovered from the trash bag bank statements with Wilson's name on them, according to the affidavit.

Investigators later learned that Ross had removed Wilson from a deed to Ross' home. Wilson's bank had also filed a judgement against her for more than $11,000.

However, Sheriff Shawn Holloway said Wilson's motive is unknown at this time.

"When you see something of this nature its shocking to the conscience and we hope that this is the first step obviously of bringing justice... she is being charged with capital murder," Holloway said.

Wilson's ex-boyfriend told 5NEWS Wilson was was close to her family and raised by one of her grandmothers. He said he couldn't imagine Wilson doing something like that.

"She was very close to her immediate family, she was raised by her grandma. I'm literally blown away over it," he said.

Wilson is being held at the Benton County Jail on a $750,000 bond. Her arraignment is set for July 18 in Benton County Circuit Court.

If convicted of capital murder, Wilson could face the death penalty or life without parole.

Benton County Prosecutor Nathan Smith said the decision on a potential punishment for Wilson will be made down the road once the facts and evidence in the case become clear.A North Korean official has lashed out at US Vice President Mike Pence and said Pyongyang is ready for a nuclear showdown if dialogue with the United States fails.

Choe Son Hui, a vice-minister in the North Korean Foreign Ministry, said if the US continued on its current path, she would suggest to North Korea's leadership that they reconsider the planned summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"Whether the US will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States," Choe said in comments carried by North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency Thursday.

Choe was responding to comments by Pence made Monday during a Fox News interview that she deemed "unbridled and impudent."

North Korea is known for its fiery rhetoric, but these latest comments are particularly noteworthy because they come directly from a high-ranking official and so close to the summit -- which is scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.

"It's clear that the North Koreans feel the White House doesn't get it," said Jean Lee, the director of the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy at the Wilson Center.

'Political dummy'

Choe took particular issue with Pence's remarks about US National Security Adviser John Bolton, who said the US would look to the negotiations with Libya during the early 2000s when dealing with North Korea.

"There was some talk about the Libya model," Pence told Fox News' Martha MacCallum. "As the President made clear, this will only end like the Libya model ended if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal."

When MacCallum said that some people may have seen Bolton's comments as a threat, Pence said "I think it's more of a fact."

North Korea has long cited Libya's case as the reason it needs nuclear weapons. Less than a decade after Moammar Gadhafi agreed to abandon its nuclear aspirations in a deal with the United States, he was ousted from power and killed with the help of NATO-backed forces.

"They (the North Koreans) are very proud, they don't like being bullied and they certainly don't like the repeated references to Libya and the repeated reference to its poverty," Lee said.

Adam Mount, the director of the Defense Posture Project at the Federation of American Scientists, believes Pence's comments were the "most explicit regime change threat yet" from the Trump administration.

"The Libya analogy is deliberately inflammatory. It never applied to North Korea and is useful neither to convey resolve or to set expectations on nuclear issues," he told CNN in an email.

Choe called Pence a "political dummy" for comparing Libya to North Korea. She noted that Libya's nuclear program was in its early stages when it came to the negotiating table, while North Korea has spent years developing its nuclear weapons.

"As a person involved in the US affairs, I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the US vice president," she said.

Pence has been vocal critic of North Korea and its human rights abuses.

While representing the United States at the Winter Olympics in South Korea earlier this year, he brought along the father of Otto Warmbier, an American university student who was imprisoned in North Korea and died shortly after his return to the United States in a vegetative state. At the opening ceremony, he chose to ignore Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un's sister, when sitting feet away from her.

Analysts believe that Choe, a diplomat who focuses on the US-North Korea relationship, is a rising star in North Korea's Foreign Ministry. She was reportedly promoted to vice minister earlier this year.

Summit preparations underway

Trump and Kim's summit will be the the first meeting between a sitting US President and North Korean leader, but the North Koreans have expressed displeasure over recent comments by the United States and joint military exercises between Washington and Seoul.

The North Koreans have largely spared Trump from the charged insults aimed at Bolton and Pence. Trump, for his part, has shifted to a more positive tone when discussing North Korea's young leader.

Trump said Tuesday that the meeting could be delayed, but both sides appear to be moving ahead with the planning process.

Top White House officials are expected to travel to Singapore this weekend to work with the North Koreans on logistical and agenda items. The North Koreans are also expected to blow up the tunnels at their nuclear test site in the coming days -- a promise Kim made when he met with South Korea's Moon Jae-in at the end of April.

Speaking alongside his Chinese and Japanese counterparts in Washington, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters he's hopeful about the prospects.

"I hope that we can have this opportunity, this historic opportunity to do something that would truly transform this global challenge that's been threatening the world for an awfully long time," he said.

But a senior administration official involved in the planning process told CNN that Trump's team wants more high-level talks with Pyongyang before the summit.

Those comments come as the Pentagon made public a study on 2017's military and security developments in North Korea. The current version of the study, which is produced due to a congressional mandate, was completed before Trump agreed to meet with Kim.

The White House has maintained it will not repeat what it believes were mistakes by previous US administrations -- signing on to agreements that were supposed to exchange concessions for steps toward denuclearization over time.

There have been suggestions that Trump may try to negotiate a deal in which the North Koreans give up much of their nuclear weapons at the outset.

But some experts worry about that approach, and it's unclear if the North Koreans would be interested.

"Pyongyang is trying to shift the discussion away from immediate disarmament and economic benefits and toward a protracted exchange of security concessions," said Mount of the Federation of American Scientists.

"Dismantling a weapons program this complex would take time to fully understand and safely tear down. It is not reasonable or prudent to rush this process."There's no doubt many more women are running for high office, and particularly this year. In 1970, there was just one female Senate candidate. Today, there are 49 to 54 women running, depending on whether and which third-party candidates you include. There are 394 women running for the House and 56 in governor's races (including third-party candidates), as of May 23.

That's a mostly pre-primary figure, and fewer women will appear on ballots in November. In 2016, a presidential election year, 19 women running for Senate appeared on the ballot in November -- less than 20% of the 108 candidates who were on Senate ballots on Election Day.

There are significantly more Democratic women (32) running for the Senate than Republican women (22) in 2018, which is a constant of recent history, except for a few small spikes, all before 1994. The last time there were more Republican than Democratic women running for Senate was in 1994, when five Republican women ran, compared with four Democrats.

In 2018, 107 women hold seats in Congress, 20% of the 535 members. Of these women, 78 are Democrats and 29 are Republicans. This is the largest number of women ever representing constituents on Capitol Hill.

How many of the 54 women currently running for Senate will make it through their primaries? Not all of them.

One hotly contested seat is the Senate race in Arizona, rated by CNN as a tossup for November. There are multiple women running for both the Republican and Democratic nominations in a primary on Aug. 28.

The closest race appears to be on the Republican side, where two of the three main candidates are women. The candidates include notorious former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Rep. Martha McSally and Kelli Ward. The hope among some Republicans is that Arpaio and Ward will split the anti-establishment vote and open a path for McSally as a more moderate nominee.

The most likely Democratic candidate (three of the seven official candidates are women) is Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, who has the backing of Emily's List.

Arizona has never had a woman in the Senate, and McSally told CNN in April that it is about time.

"I think we need more women in office, for sure," she said. "On the Republican side, I think we have 22 women in the House. I'm the only female veteran woman Republican in the House. We need to represent the diversity of our country, right? The more women we can have running and winning, the better off we'll be." This quote was taken before Debbie Lesk of Arizona was elected, making it 23 Republican women in the House.

President Donald Trump won Arizona with 49% of the vote in 2016 and Democrats are hoping to make inroads in the state.

There are 33 seats being contested in the Senate and in nine of them, only men are currently running. So women could technically win 24 seats in 2018, but it's unlikely to happen. In nine of the seats where a woman is running, she would face a male incumbent. However, in 12 seats, a female incumbent senator will be running. Incumbents have real advantages. Only two of the races featuring female incumbents (Democrat-held seats in Missouri and North Dakota) are rated by CNN as tossups. Of the seats featuring male-only tickets, two (Democrat-held seats in Indiana and West Virginia) are rated by CNN as tossups.

But that does not leave too much space for new women to win. Only three seats (Arizona, Tennessee and Utah) are left in which there is no incumbent and women are in the running. There's a high likelihood of a woman winning in Arizona, where top candidates from both parties are women. There's a good chance a woman can win in Tennessee, where Rep. Marsha Blackburn is contesting for the GOP primary and likely to face off against former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen in November. But there is probably little chance for Democrat Jenny Hill to win the Utah Senate race against her most likely opponent, Mitt Romney.

Senate success rate

Women's rate of success has varied. In 2016, 32% of the women who were candidates for US Senate in the general election won their races. The greatest success for women came in 2012, when 55% of female candidates on the ballot on Election Day won Senate seats. This may have been coincidence, as it was also a year in which many female senators were up for re-election, but it was the year that senators such as Mazie Hirono, Elizabeth Warren, Deb Fischer, Heidi Heitkamp and Tammy Baldwin were first elected. All are running for re-election in November.

2018 has been speculated to be the next "year of the woman." The first "year of the woman" was 1992, when five women were elected to the Senate, including both senators from California, which became the first state to have both seats occupied by women. Two of those senators elected in 1992, Dianne Feinstein and Patty Murray, are still in office and Feinstein is seeking election to a fifth full term in 2018. Murray was re-elected in 2016.

In 1992, 18% of the candidates running for the Senate were women, and 19% were in 1994. That number took a dip until 2016, when 18% of candidates for Senate were women. Of the people declared in 2018, 22% are women, the highest percentage in the history of the US Senate.

Gubernatorial races

Gubernatorial races are showing a similar trend. Out of the 338 candidates who have already declared for 2018 governor's races, 58 are women -- 17%. That number was only 11% in 2016, 12% in 2014 and 9% in 2012.

According to the Center for American Women and Politics, 12% of current governors are women: four Republicans and two Democrats. Out of all statewide elected offices -- including governors, lieutenant governors and other statewide elected officials -- women hold 22% of the 312 seats.

One governor's race that has heated up is in Georgia, where the primary election occurred on Tuesday. Stacey Abrams emerged victorious over Stacey Evans. While a Democratic win in Georgia in November may be a stretch -- the state is rated "solid" or "likely" Republican by prediction sites -- if Abrams is victorious, she would be the first African-American female governor in the US.

States with the most and fewest female candidates

The five states that have had the highest percentages of female candidates running for Senate since 1994 are California, Washington, Maine, Hawaii and Maryland. The bottom five are Mississippi, Tennessee, South Dakota, Vermont and Ohio.

Each state was rated from 1-50 with the average percentage of women since 1990, according to CNN's analysis. For example, 17% of Arkansas' Senate candidates have been women, making that state 15th on the list for general election female candidates.

No woman has ever made it to the general election for Senate in the state of Mississippi. There is one woman declared in 2018 -- Omeria Scott -- but no reliable polling has been released to show that she will make it past the primary. A woman was appointed to fill out Thad Cochran's term in 2018 -- Cindy Hyde-Smith -- and she is the first ever female senator for the state. Even though she is temporarily filling the seat now, she is running in an open primary against Chris McDaniel, a former state senator with ties to the neo-Confederate movement. If no one gets 50% of the vote, there will be a runoff.

California has had strong female candidates throughout the history of its Senate races, including in 2016, when, because of the state's open primary, two Democratic women ran against each other in November. Kamala Harris won the race, but the prevalence of top female candidates there skews the data slightly -- as 100% of its candidates were women in both 2016 and 2012. Other states with all female candidates include Washington (1998), Maine (2014 and 2002), Hawaii (2012) and Louisiana (2002).

CNN recently profiled some of the women who were inspired to run in 2018. Many women have been impacted by what is called "the Trump effect," a rallying cry. Programs such as Emily's List and the nonpartisan organization VoteRunLead are training and recruiting women for Congress.

Erin Loos Cutraro, from the nonpartisan group She Should Run, said at the time it is important for women to be represented.

"The reality is, you want to have people who disagree with you at the table," Cutraro says. "You want to have people who think differently. Smart, effective people who think differently. Because at the end of the day, you're going to come out with the smartest policy."Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested on Thursday new sanctions could be in the works for North Korea, even as he expressed hope the country would return to the negotiating table for direct talks following President Donald Trump's decision to cancel the summit with Kim Jong Un that had been due to take place next month in Singapore.

"My sense was that we hadn't taken much of a pause," Pompeo told lawmakers of the administration's so-called "pressure campaign" to put economic pressure on the regime in Pyongyang. He specifically cited efforts the US was taking to get other countries to expel North Korean guest workers and intercept illicit transfers of sanctioned materials.

"So I think we have been continuing that even up through today, as we were contemplating the June 12th summit," said Pompeo, adding he was "sure there are additional sanctions that we will seek to put in place."

Pompeo testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee just minutes after the White House said Trump was canceling the summit.

At the start of the hearing, Pompeo read a letter from Trump to Kim, in which the President said he had been "very much looking forward" to the summit, but felt it was "inappropriate" to hold it in light of what he called "tremendous anger and open hostility" from the North Korean government.

While Trump was the one to cancel the meeting, he told Kim: "If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write."

Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, suggested to Pompeo that this was "an effort here to create alternative facts in which North Korea walked away," and questioned the Trump administration's overall approach to North Korea.

Pompeo, who traveled to North Korea and met with Kim Jong Un earlier this month, took issue with that characterization and suggested the North Koreans had been unresponsive in recent days.

"We got a lot of dial tones," he said.

Earlier in his testimony, Pompeo said the administration was working to chart a "path forward" and continue its pressure campaign, but he expressed hope that Kim would ultimately re-engage with the United States.

"I hope we are able to quickly get back to that place, but ultimately Chairman Kim will have that decision to make for himself," said Pompeo. "As the President said, we welcome their call, their outreach, to head back down that path."

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, asked Pompeo to share insights into the administration's next steps, prompting him to say that "in some ways, it's situation normal."

"The pressure campaign continues," he added.

Pompeo told lawmakers he was clear about the United States' policy objectives in his recent conversations with Kim, who "demonstrated an enormous capacity to lead his country and his team."

Trump withdrew from the summit after a North Korean vice minister of foreign affairs slammed Vice President Mike Pence as a "political dummy," the latest in a string of harshly worded statements from Pyongyang.

Earlier in the week, Pence had warned that North Korea could end up like Libya if its leaders didn't negotiate a nuclear deal with Washington, raising a comparison that has irked the regime.

While administration officials, including Pompeo, say the so-called "Libya model" refers to their desire to achieve a quick nuclear disarmament akin to what was reached with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in the early 2000s, the administration's critics say it's a counterproductive specter to raise. That's because Gadhafi was overthrown in a US-backed military campaign in 2011 and ultimately executed by rebels -- a prospect Kim hopes to avoid.Monday began like hundreds of other workdays for Jayme Adair, who waits tables at Denny's, in Rome. Then, she took Clarence Locke Jr.'s drink order...

"I get their drink order, I turn to walk away and he reaches out of the booth, almost falls out of the booth and tries, and hits my butt. Not tries, he hit my butt. And I was just in shock. I never had something like that happen to me," said Adair, who's worked at the Rome Denny's for five years.

RELATED: Rome man accused of slapping Denny's waitress on the butt

Adair says you can clearly see Locke touch her on Denny's surveillance video. Police confirm there is video. While the act took a second, the impact lasts much longer.

"It made me feel embarassed, it was degrading, it made me feel...it made me feel like I did something wrong and I know I didn't do anything wrong," said Adair, adding that nothing like this has ever happened in the five years she's worked at Denny's.

The trial in the court of social media has already begun. One Facebook poster wrote, "Good, as a waitress I'm tired of explaining to ppl that there is no reason to put their hands on us!" Another poster wrote, "Omg really I can think of a lot worst than (sic) he could have done."

Locke is charged with forcible touching-a misdemeanor. It doesn not require a person, upon conviction, to register as a sex offender, unless the victim is younger than 18 or it's not the first sex-related conviction.

"Working women are sick and tired of being subjected to this kind of abuse," said Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara. "Why someone would think that the could touch these people like that defies logic."Energy Efficiency Programs Help Customers Save Money

NEW YORK, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Con Edison is investing in its electric delivery systems, using new technologies, and working with customers to help them use less energy, as another hot New York summer approaches.

The energy company has invested $1.5 billion in its overhead and underground systems in New York City and Westchester County to prepare for this summer.

As an example of how the company is using new and evolving technologies, Con Edison is installing a 12-megawatt hour battery system on company-owned land in Ozone Park, Queens. The company will charge the batteries when demand for power is low and then discharge that power at peak times, taking pressure off the grid.

The batteries can discharge one megawatt for 12 hours or two megawatts for six hours. A megawatt is enough to power up to 1,000 homes in that area.

The storage project is part of the Brooklyn-Queens Neighborhood Program, in which Con Edison works with customers in certain fast-growing areas to help them reduce their usage.

By making significant investments in our electric delivery systems and deploying new technologies, we provide the reliable service that our customers count on during sweltering summer days, said Tim Cawley, president of Con Edison. Were also making it easier for our customers to choose energy efficiency, solar and other products and services that can help reduce monthly bills and provide a cleaner environment.

The investment in upgrades and reinforcements includes 18 network transformers and 74 overhead transformers. The company also is replacing or upgrading 37 underground feeder sections and 136 overhead spans.

Con Edison projects that peak demand for electricity will reach 13,300 megawatts. The record is 13,322 megawatts, which occurred at 5 p.m. on July 19, 2013.

The company is always exploring new ways to keep service reliable. Con Edison has installed 1,000 devices in manholes to detect heat and gas in underground structures. By detecting that buildup, the company can make a repair before a cable fails.

Con Edison also takes infrared images of underground cables to look for hot spots that might indicate a repair is needed.

Bill Forecasts, Energy Efficiency, Solar and the Environment

Monthly bills for residential customers in the June-to-September period are expected to be higher than the same period last year, mainly due to higher supply charges, which the company does not control. A smaller portion of the increase is due to higher delivery charges.

A typical New York City residential customer using 350 kilowatt hours per month can expect an 8.4-percent increase from $96.89 in 2017 to $105.02 this year. A typical Westchester residential customer using 500 kilowatt hours per month can expect an average increase of 4.5 percent from $128.24 in 2017 to $133.98.

Monthly bills for business customers are expected to decrease slightly. A New York City business customer using 10,800 kilowatt hours and having a peak demand of 31 kilowatts, can expect average monthly summer bills to decrease from $2,283 in 2017 to $2,274 this year.

Supply charges have been relatively low the past three years but are projected in 2018 to return to about the same levels as 2014. Con Edison projects that summer bills will be slightly lower than four years ago.

Customers can save money by using less energy. Con Edison offers customers incentives to make money-saving upgrades to their homes and businesses. For this summer, Con Edison is offering residential customers:

A $30 rebate for buying a new Energy Star room air conditioner;

Up to $25 or more in rewards for enrolling a standard window air conditioner in the companys smart AC program;

Up to $95 in rebates and rewards for a Wi-Fi-enabled air conditioner. The company will provide a free Wi-Fi device that lets a customer control a room air conditioner with an app.

A $50 rebate for buying a smart thermostat and another $85 for registering it with Con Edison.

Since 2009, Con Edisons energy efficiency programs have helped more than 600,000 customers make upgrades that prevent 1.4 million tons of carbon emissions, the equivalent of taking nearly 300,000 cars off the road. The electric upgrades save nearly 1.8 million megawatt hours of usage.

The company also encourages customers to consider whether solar energy is right for them. Customers have completed 19,000 projects that produce 188.7 megawatts of clean, renewable power. That is equal to 254,158 megawatt hours a year, enough to prevent 189,000 tons of carbon emissions, or the equivalent of taking more than 40,000 cars off the road.

The customers who have chosen energy efficiency and solar help Con Edison keep service reliable by lowering the amount of power flowing on the grid at peak times.

Con Edison is a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE:ED), one of the nation's largest investor-owned energy companies, with approximately $12 billion in annual revenues and $49 billion in assets. The utility provides electric, gas and steam service to more than three million customers in New York City and Westchester County, New York.

CONNECT WITH US:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConEdison

Twitter: https://twitter.com/conedison

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/conedisonny



Contact: Media Relations

212-460-4111



Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/240ac881-df83-4102-8559-168524bfd7b2

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e5655d9e-33ce-4144-842c-fd4a5e76b298UTICA  Alorica is looking to hire 50 new full-time employees at its Utica location and the company will soon be hosting a job fair.

Alorica is a telecommunication company with call centers for its clients, and the Utica office is located at 5701 Horatio Street. The 50 employees theyre looking to hire will provide customer support for an American multinational financial services company.

A job fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, May 31 at Utica City Hall, located at 1 Kennedy Plaza in Utica.

Our continued expansion in Utica demonstrates our commitment to bringing valuable career opportunities to the community, as well as to continue delivering insanely great customer experiences for our clients, said Lilly Bueno, site director for Aloricas Utica location, in a news release. Serving a dynamic and evolving industry, our goal is to go beyond meeting our employees expectations for their career experience by creating a work environment that encourages teamwork, recognizes excellence, and promotes a culture rooted in the spirit of keeping things fun, engaging, and family-friendly.

If youre unable to make it to the job fair, you can apply online here, or visit Aloricas online scheduling site here.ORISKANY, N.Y.--More than 30 dairy farmers filed into Cornell Cooperative Extension in Oriskany Wednesday, ready to discuss the future of their flailing industry.

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente spoke about holding a forum in March at his State of the County address. Wednesday night, he asked local farmers about the biggest issues their businesses face. His goal is to form the Oneida County Dairy Farmers Sustainability Plan, a blueprint to guide local officials in the best ways to advocate for their farmers on the state and national stage.

"My commitment isn't just to listen and say 'well here's what we can't do or whatever,'" Picente said. "With one voice, go to Albany, go to Washington and I'm willing to do that and I want to do that and make the case for what is needed."

The participants discussed introducing county tax breaks for farmers, creating programs to train better-prepared agricultural workers, and subsidizing farmers when milk prices are low.

"I think the biggest problem everybody's got here when milk stalls, right now they're not getting paid for what the product's really worth," one farmer said.

The farmers also gave Picente ideas for lobbying; they discussed co-op and hauling fees that have become too burdensome to pay and still turn a profit.

"It's not just the prices the government sets, they don't pay the price the government sets," Gary Tuthill, a farmer said of dairy cooperatives. "I get a letter once a month and $1,120 dollars are taken out of my check to balance their books. $1,223 dollars are taken out of my check to balance their books. Well, nobody balances my books, and so they're paying us less than the government even thinks."

Milk prices are at a ten-year low, meaning more of Oneida County's 227 dairy farms could face closure in the next year. Local farmers say the stress of losing everything is taking its toll.

"They actually sent a suicide hotline telephone number with some of the milk checks a few months ago, because farmers are committing suicide," Tuthill said. "You have all the stress of the financial, trying to make things go. It's not good."

For local farmers in distress, NY FarmNet can help. The organization, funded through the state's Department of Agriculture, offers both financial and mental health counseling, often sending representatives in pairs to area farms.

"Farmers need mental health services, we get the mental health services," Patrick Lamb, a licensed social worker through NY FarmNet said. "Otherwise, we help them look at their economic situation and find whether they're viable as a business or whether we help them in the transition getting out."

NY FarmNet employees will respond to most calls within 24 hours. If a mental health crisis is present, representatives will respond with help immediately. Farmers in distress are encouraged to call 1-800-547-FARM (3267).

"What's changed in the last 20 years is farmers are a lot more open to using mental health services," Lamb said.

Local agricultural officials said forums like Wednesday night's help farmers feel solidarity.

"I think we're very lucky to have that support and the farmers know it," Mary Beth McEwen, Cornell Cooperative Extension's executive director said. "They have a network of support amongst each other. Things like this help us to create awareness so that we can get the help that the farmers need."WASHINGTON (AP) - Harvey Weinstein's lawyer says in a court filing that federal prosecutors in New York have launched a criminal investigation into the film producer.

Attorney Benjamin Brafman says in a bankruptcy court filing that he's been advised that Weinstein is a "principal target" of an investigation being conducted by the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan.

That probe is in addition to sexual assault investigations being conducted by Manhattan's district attorney and separate probes in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and London.

He has not been charged with any crimes.

Brafman says he's trying to persuade both federal and state prosecutors that Weinstein should not be indicted.

Weinstein has denied sexually assaulting anyone.ILION  The Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency has opened a new office in Ilion.

A grand opening for the Community Action Access Point, or CAAP, was held at the new office at 38 Morgan St. in Ilion. The office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The agency now has nearly 30 offices and access points in Oneida, Herkimer and Madison counties.

Eighty percent of the families served by the MVCAA have some kind of income, but they have a tough time making ends meet, and thats where the MVCAA comes in.

"Whether it might be with locating a new, affordable home, or some back rent assistance, or help with applying for supportive-types benefits heap, HEAP or food stamps," said Amy Turner, executive director of MVCAA. "All those kinds of things, our staff can help guide people through those things."

Turner says that for many of the people they serve, their salaries simply cant keep up with the ever-increasing cost of living.NEW HARTFORD  The New Hartford Police Department is asking for the publics help identifying a larceny suspect.

Police say theyre seeking the identity of the man pictured in the surveillance photo regarding a larceny investigation. If you recognize him, youre asked to call New Hartford police at 315-724-7111.We often hear about the young people to watch out for with lists like 30 Under 30, but today a local woman who has paid her dues and who continues to engage at every age was honored.

The Oneida County Office for the Aging & Continuing Care presented its 2018 Older American Awards Thursday at Harts Hill Inn.

Florence Wood of Whitesboro is the recipient of the Outstanding Contribution Made by a Senior Citizen award. Wood was an elementary school teacher in Whitesboro before retiring in 1995.

She serves on many committees and has been a volunteer with Literacy Volunteers of America for more than a decade. Wood, who moved to Whitesboro from New York City in 1962, also teaches citizenship.

When our older residents retire, they transition into another role and for many that role is to continue to be engaged and continue to make tremendous accomplishments for our community, said Michael Romano, director of the countys Office for the Aging.

Bank of America was also honored Thursday for supporting older residents through programs such as Santa for Seniors. The company received the Outstanding Contribution by an Organization or Business award.Preliminary results expected in Q3 2019

PARIS, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BIOPHYTIS (Euronext Growth Paris: ALBPS), a biotechnology company specializing in the development of drug candidates to fight age-related degenerative diseases, today announces the entry and treatment of the first patient in SARA-INT, a Phase 2b clinical trial of its therapeutic-candidate Sarconeos to treat Sarcopenia. Patient recruitment is scheduled to be completed by year-end and preliminary results are scheduled during summer of 2019, with final results around the end of 2019.

Stanislas Veillet, CEO of BIOPHYTIS, said: "The entry of the first patient into SARA-INT marks a major potential breakthrough for patients suffering from sarcopenia, a common age-related degenerative disease where there is still no available treatment despite the high risk of loss of mobility. This study will test the efficacy of Sarconeos, the first drug-candidate designed to fight loss of muscle mass and mobility in people with Sarcopenia. Recruitment has started in centers in Belgium and the United States and is scheduled to be complete by the end of the year, which will allow us to report preliminary results in summer of 2019 and final results around the end of 2019."

The double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2b SARA-INT study will include about 334 patients in 22 clinical centers in Europe (Belgium, France and Italy) and in the United States. About half of the patients will be recruited from an observational study, SARA-OBS, which has been run by BIOPHYTIS at some of the key clinical centers of SARA-INT over the past year. The other half of the patients will be recruited from 11 new clinical centers, which are in the process of opening.

The clinical protocol, in particular the inclusion criteria and the main criterion, was defined following the scientific opinion of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the comments of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in the context of a new experimental drug application (IND). In 2017, the FDA and the Belgian Medicines Agency (AFMPS) gave their agreements to start this study. BIOPHYTIS is still waiting for authorizations from French and Italian drug agencies.

The objectives of SARA-INT are to evaluate the safety and efficacy of two doses of Sarconeos (175 mg bid and 350 mg bid) administered orally for 26 weeks against placebo in a population of men and women over 65 with a risk of disability.

The SARA program's clinical strategy has been defined so that the SARA-INT study is a continuation of SARA-OBS. SARA-OBS and SARA-INT share governance, inclusion criteria, primary and secondary criteria, the SARA-DATA data management system and CRO ICON Clinical Research.

Roger Fielding, Professor at Tufts University in Boston, USA, is the principal investigator of the SARA-INT study and SARA-OBS. A Steering Committee, composed of 4 members representing the two continents participating in the study, was created for the management of these studies. The Steering Committee is chaired by the principal investigator, Professor Roger Fielding. Professor Marco Pahor (University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA) is vice-chair. Professors Olivier Bruyere (University of Liege, Belgium) and Yves Rolland (CHU Purpan, Toulouse, France) are the European representatives.

About SARA-INT



General objectives:

1. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of two doses of BIO101 (175 mg bid and 350 mg bid) given orally for 26 weeks placebo in a population of men and women over 65 years of age with a risk of motor disability.

2. Estimate the effect of treatment, improvement of physical function, and decreased risk of motor disability after six months of treatment with placebo in the target population.



Main evaluation criterion:

The walking speed measured during the test of 400 meters of walking, the variation compared to the baseline at the 6th month will be compared between the groups treated (each dose compared to placebo).



Main secondary endpoints:

Variation from baseline of standard Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO): PF-10 score of SF36; chair lift test (SPPB intermediate score);



Other secondary evaluation criteria:

Change in baseline of appendix body mass (ALM), body composition measured by DEXA, muscle strength (handle / knee extension); climb test of the stairs; SPPB; 6 minutes walk;



Study population:

334 individuals (male or female over 65 years) reporting a loss of physical function within the last 6-12 months and considered at risk of motor disability will be included in the SARA-INT random interventional clinical trial (106 patients per treatment group) and will take treatment over 26 weeks.



Main inclusion criteria:

1. Male or female, over the age of 65, living in the vicinity, reporting a loss of physical function in the past 6 to 12 months

2. SPPB score  8

3. ALM / BMI <0.789 in men and 0.512 in women, or ALM <19.75 kg in men and <15.02 kg in women, measured by DEXA scan.

About BIOPHYTIS

BIOPHYTIS SA (www.biophytis.com), founded in 2006, develops drug candidates targeting diseases of aging. Using its technology and know-how, BIOPHYTIS has begun clinical development of innovative therapeutics to restore the muscular and visual functions in diseases with significant unmet medical needs. Specifically, the company is advancing two lead products into mid-stage clinical testing this year: Sarconeos (BIO101) to treat sarcopenic obesity and Macuneos (BIO201) to treat dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The business model of BIOPHYTIS is to ensure the conduct of the project until clinical activity in the patient is proven, then to license the technologies in order to continue the development in partnership with a pharmaceutical laboratory.

Based on the Sorbonne Universite campus, BIOPHYTIS collaborates with expert scientists from several Sorbonne Universite institutes such as the Paris Seine Biology Institute, the Institute of Myology, and the Vision Institute.

BIOPHYTIS is listed on the Euronext Growth market of Euronext Paris (ALBPS; ISIN: FR0012816825).

For more information: http://www.biophytis.com

Follow us on Twitter @biophytis

BIOPHYTIS is eligible for the SMEs scheme

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 Listing Prospectus upon the admission of Companys shares for trading on the regulated market Euronext Growth of Euronext Paris filed with the AMF, which is available on the AMF website (www.amf-france.org) or on BIOPHYTIS website (www.biophytis.com).

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 BIOPHYTIS in any country. Items in this press release may contain forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties. The Companys actual results could differ substantially from those anticipated in these statements owing to various risk factors which are described in the Companys prospectus. This press release has been prepared in both French and English. In the event of any differences between the two texts, the French language version shall prevail.LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  One hundred twenty five new jobs are in the works for the Greater Lafayette area.

This comes as Caterpillar prepares to make a nearly $80 million investment at its Lafayette facility.

According to paperwork on the Lafayette Redevelopment Commission website, Caterpillar is investing in building improvements, information technology software and equipment.

People News 18 spoke with in the community said they're looking forward to seeing the impact on the local economy.

"It's pretty impressive, and it shows that Caterpillar has a lot of faith in Lafayette to keep growing," said Lafayette resident Dan Ricks.

Caterpillar is getting ready to make a big investment in Lafayette.

"That's exciting," said local business owner Robert Turner. "Lafayette's growing. Lafayette's moving and grooving. So to invest in Lafayette, I know the community will get behind it because everybody is always looking for a good job."

Right now, the Lafayette facility employs about 1,300 people, but that number could soon increase, thanks to the proposed multi-million dollar investment.

"It's obviously a sign of a great trust in the Greater Lafayette area and in the people of this area. That we have a trainable workforce."

The investment would add more than 100 additional full time jobs at a rate of about $27 an hour.

"Everyone needs to work and raise their families," said Ricks. "So it's nice to have a job that you can support a whole family on."

News 18 reached out to Caterpillar. Media Relations Representative Lisa Miller told us the company did not have any comments at this time.

However, people in the community seem to be looking forward to what this means for Greater Lafayette.

"There are a lot of hardworking people around here," Turner added. "So to be able to get a job with good pay and good benefit, it's a

trickling effect. So they're going to show love to Lafayette and Lafayette will show love back in return."

The plan is being brought before the Lafayette Redevelopment Commission for approval Thursday. At that time, the company will ask for a tax abatement.

News 18 will be there for that meeting and will have the results of the decision posted on our website WLFI.com.MIAMI COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI)  Indiana State Police are looking for two men in connection to a body found in a wooded area of Miami County.

Ethan Cain and Joshua Kean are both wanted. Cain is facing murder, obstruction of justice and theft charges, while Kean is wanted for assisting a criminal, obstruction of justice and theft. The two are considered armed and dangerous.





As we reported, the body of Drake Allan Smith was found on Saturday morning by mushroom hunters on the Okie Pinokie Trail near State Road 124. An autopsy Monday revealed his death was a homicide.

Smith was 22 years old and from Summittville, Indiana.LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)-- Public pools across the area are preparing to open this weekend, so making sure all are up to health code standards is a must. This year the parasite Crypto is the main concern for crews as they prepare for opening day.

Regardless of the amount of chlorine in the water, the parasite can still survive. In order for a pool to open this weekend, the health department must inspect and approve the facility. The Lafayette Parks and Recreation Department said this is something they are taking seriously.





With Memorial Day Weekend comes lots of sweat, sunscreen and a need for a place to cool down. The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention says a parasite known as Cryptosporidium can be spread by people swallowing pool water contaminated with feces.

According to the CDC, the parasite Crypto can last anywhere up to 10 days in a chlorinated pool. Now the Lafayette Parks and Recreation Department is making sure this doesn't happen here.

Lafayette Parks and Recreation Operations Director Jon Miner said the pools in Lafayette have never failed a health code inspection.

He plans to keep up that streak especially when it comes to this.

"It can live in a lot of chlorine, that particular bacteria, that's one of the reasons we do the test daily," said Miner. "It's one of the reasons we monitor that chlorine level to make sure we can keep that at an appropriate level."

Aquatics and Equipment Supervisor Jason Spencer said the maintenance doesn't stop at the water. But the chlorine levels need to be checked regularly.

"It takes a lot of work to keep our chemicals in line," Spencer said. "We have chemical feeders and controllers that control and keep track and test our water continuously all day long."

The best way to avoid spreading germs and bacteria in the pool is to shower before jumping in. Another way to help is by making sure your kids are taking bathroom breaks throughout the day.WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Thursday, the fastest street-legal car in the U.S. launched its new showroom on Purdue's campus. However, the opening was just a glimpse of what's to come.

Tony Keating plans to produce the latest generation of his supercars, the Viperia Berus, with the help of Purdue students and staff. The carmaker space is expected to be at the Discovery District Park.

It's the first time a carmaker has launched a new facility in Indiana since Honda opened a plant in 2006.

The supercar can excel faster than 240 miles per hour. The cars assembled at Purdue will be sold in the United States and Asia. They will sell for between $180,000 and $250,000.

Keating will donate $30,000 for each car sold to support Purdue's STEM program.

"I really enjoyed working on this," said Purdue student Braden Legan. "Cars are a passion of mine and it's nice to work on something that I enjoy and that's also part of Purdue's future."

The supercars won't just benefit Purdue, but also Greater Lafayette.

"As Tony Keating said, he hopes this can all be done locally," said Purdue professor Jim Caruthers. "His comment was if we have local suppliers, I am really going to leverage them that they all get a student intern working with them as well."

Keating Supercars expects to produce 100 cars a year at Purdue. The cars will be available for sale in November.Denver, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- After years of advocacy, the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, its research affiliate, the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, and its nationwide network of dedicated members and self-advocates are celebrating House Labor and Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tom Coles (R-OK) announcement of a historic and significant 65% increase of Down syndrome research funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from $35 million in FY2017 to $58 million in FY2018.





Global, the Crnic Institute, and our amazing community have worked tirelessly to grow support in Congress to address two decades of decreased and flat funding for Down syndrome research at the NIH, said Michelle Sie Whitten, president and CEO of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. Having the increase announced at our inaugural AcceptAbility Gala was like a lifes worth of work coming to fruition. We are deeply grateful to our heroes in this regard  Representatives Tom Cole, Rosa DeLauro, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Pete Sessions, Nita Lowey, Cheri Bustos, Mike Coffman, Senator Roy Blunt, and countless others who regardless of political affiliation, support a brighter future for our children and adults with Down syndrome.

The historic increase for Down syndrome research funding at the NIH was announced by House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee Chairman Tom Cole (ROK) when he received Globals Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award at the recent AcceptAbility Gala in Washington D.C.

The pipeline of science and medical care that the Global Down Syndrome Foundation has established is admirable and worthy of some introspection regarding past funding levels, said Congressman Cole. Dr. Francis Collins, the director of NIH, agrees. To his credit, they have already begun the trans-NIH Down syndrome research initiative to address this incredibly challenging, but incredibly promising science.

Congressman Cole received a standing ovation when he stated, This year, 2018, we will increase funding by 65 percent. We will move up from 35 to 58 million dollars.

Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) also received Globals Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award at the AcceptAbility Gala and was pleased to share that a bipartisan Congress was working on behalf of the Down syndrome community.

While Down syndrome is one of the most common chromosomal disorders, NIH funding for Down syndrome research remains low, said Congresswoman DeLauro in her acceptance speech. We can and must do better! Thats why I am proud we have provided $3 billion more to the NIH than last year, and to join the fight along with Tom Cole for funding for Down syndrome funding at the NIH.

Congresswoman DeLauro recognized Whittens leadership resulting in Globals enormous impact on individuals with Down syndrome.

Both Representatives Cole and DeLauro mentioned the October 2017 Labor HHS Subcommittee first-ever congressional hearing on Down syndrome research. Whitten and Globals spokesperson and self-advocate Frank Stephens testified at the landmark hearing that garnered unanimous bi-partisan support and follow-on report language for increased Down syndrome research funding in the 2018 omnibus budget. Stephens testimony on C-SPAN went viral and received over 160 million views.

Dr. Joaquin Espinosa, executive director of the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, also testified at the hearing and presented his findings from the institutes groundbreaking research, the Crnic Institute Human Trisome ProjectTM, that recasts Down syndrome as an immune system disorder.

Dr. Espinosa was elated by the news of increased NIH funding for Down syndrome research. This is a game-changer for so many scientists eager to help people with Down syndrome and fascinated by the compelling science, said Espinosa. By understanding trisomy 21, we stand to improve the lives of millions of people with Down syndrome and hundreds of millions more with Alzheimers disease, cancer, and autoimmune disorders. We are deeply grateful to Congress and the leadership at NIH.

Other dignitaries attending Globals AcceptAbility Gala were Representatives Ron Estes (R-KS), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Hank Johnson Jr (D-CA), and Jared Huffman (R-CA). Key sponsors included PhrRMA, American Express, Amgen and Genentech and guests enjoyed special performances by Global Ambassador DeOndra Dixon, Robert Wallop, the RhythmXpress dance troupe and The Voice winner and Grammy nominee, Cassadee Pope.

Despite being the most frequent cause of developmental delay in the U.S. and the world, Down syndrome has been one of the least funded genetic conditions by the NIH for the last two decades. The Global Down Syndrome Foundation and its affiliate, the Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, through private sector philanthropic support, has invested over $40 million in research and medical care benefiting people with Down syndrome.

About the Global Down Syndrome Foundation

The Global Down Syndrome Foundation (Global) is at the forefront of research, medical care, education and advocacy benefitting people with Down syndrome. Global supports the research of hundreds of scientists around the world and has launched pediatric and adult medical centers for people with Down syndrome focused on excellent care and clinical research. Through our advocates, members, partners, and affiliates including the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome and the Anna and John J. Sie Center for Down Syndrome, we are making an impact on the lives of people with Down syndrome today, while remaining focused on finding solutions for tomorrow. We are committed to helping people with Down syndrome realize their fullest potential and lead healthy and productive lives. For more information, visit www.globaldownsyndrome.org and follow us on Facebook & Twitter @GDSFoundation.

About the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome

The Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome on the Anschutz Medical Campus is the first and only research institute in the U.S. with the mission to provide the best clinical care to people with Down syndrome, and to eradicate the medical and cognitive ill effects associated with the condition. Established in 2008, the Crnic Institute is an affiliate of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation and a partnership between the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Childrens Hospital Colorado. Headquartered on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, the Crnic Institute includes the Anna and John J. Sie Center for Down Syndrome at Childrens Hospital Colorado. It is a research and medical-based organization without political or religious affiliation or intention.



China News on Women





Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home pageSAN RAMON, Calif., May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Armanino LLP, one of the top 25 largest accounting and business consulting firms in the U.S., today announced it is closing its offices for the day so that employees can volunteer for more than 45 projects across the country as part of the 10th annual Great Give. The yearly community service event teams up firm staff and partners with nonprofits for a variety of daylong philanthropic projects that serve communities where employees live and work. This year, Armanino is set to donate 4,000 hours of community service during the Great Give.



The Great Give is one of the most special days of the year at our firm, as it empowers our people to connect with special causes and charitable organizations that are most meaningful to them, said Andy Armanino, managing partner of Armanino LLP. For nearly a decade, it has been our privilege to offer our time, talents and energy to give back to our communities.

The Great Give is a firm-wide event that has grown steadily over the years since first launching in 2009. It is part of the firms service initiative, Helping Hand, a collection of giving efforts that include the Armanino Foundation, 30 by 30 year-round service projects, and company-sponsored volunteer vacations across the country. Armaninos Helping Hand offers a unique opportunity for employees to contribute to social causes and nonprofit organizations year-round.

Employees from around the country are participating in Great Give projects benefiting:

San Francisco Bay Area: Animal Outreach of the Mother Lode, Blue Devil Performing Arts, Catholic Communities of Pleasanton, Community Health Awareness Council, Cristo Rey De La Salle East Bay High School, Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area, Exploratorium, Guadalupe Park Conservancy, JW House, Montalvo Arts Center, Monument Crisis Center, Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence, Oakland Zoo, Respite and Research for Alzheimers Disease, Ronald McDonald House Charities Bay Area, Sacred Heart Community Service, Saint Benedict Church, Saint David School, Saint Patrick School, Saint Vincents Day Home, San Damiano Retreat, San Francisco SPCA, San Jose Day Nursery, Seven Tepees Youth Program, Shelter Inc., SonRise Equestrian Foundation, St. Bonaventure Church, Sunflower Hill

Dallas: CitySquare, Irving Cares, My Possibilities, North Texas Food Bank, Operation Kindness, Vogel Alcove, VolunteerNow

Los Angeles Area: Assistance League Los Angeles, Child Development Institute, Early Learning Center, Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education/Kids Ocean Day, National Park Service, Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy, New Horizon, Operation Gratitude, Ronald McDonald House - Los Angeles

San Diego: Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank

San Luis Obispo: GleanSLO

Chandler, Arizona: Matthews Crossing Food Bank

Wheat Ridge, Colorado: Compass Montessori School

Portland, Oregon: The Nature Conservancy

Naperville, Illinois: Almost Home Kids

Canton, Ohio: Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church Clothing and Food Pantry

Sammamish, Washington: Beaver Lake Middle School

About Armanino LLP

Armanino LLP (www.armaninollp.com) is one of the top 25 largest independent accounting and business consulting firms in the nation. Armanino provides an integrated set of audit, tax, business management, consulting and technology solutions to companies in the U.S. and globally. The firm helps clients adapt and change in every stage of business, from startup through rapid growth to the sale of a company. Armanino emphasizes smart technology, leading a cloud revolution of financial, operational, sales and compliance tools that are transforming the way companies do business. The firm extends its global services to more than 100 countries through its membership in Moore Stephens International Limited, one of the world's major accounting and consulting membership organizations. In addition to its core consulting and accounting practices, Armanino operates its division, AMF Media Group (www.amfmediagroup.com), a media and communications services agency. Its affiliate, Intersect Capital (www.intersectcapitalllc.com), is an independent financial planning, wealth and lifestyle management firm.

Kyle McGuire, AMF Media Group

925.790.2788 / Kyle@amfmediagroup.comLEWISTON, Maine, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On October 1, 2017, ITC Capital Partners, LLC and LJMN Holdings, LLC partnered in the acquisition of Argo Contact Centers, adding BPO Contact Center Services to the ITC Capital Partners and LJMN portfolio of businesses. ITC Capital Partners brings a rich history of successful enterprises, while LJMN is leveraging the expertise of three industry leaders who have deep technology, software, services and BPO track records.



Michael Nessler, Lou Jablonski and Mark Veyette are providing leadership and direction to the newly acquired business and will focus on growth, strategic acquisition and integration of essential components.

ITC Capital Partners portfolio includes a broad array of services that provide valuable solutions in the Contact Center and BPO space. These include:

Utilization of social media and video technologies to recruit, assess and ultimately hire the best talent available.

Leading edge LMS, Training, Messaging and Communication tools that significantly improve employee training effectiveness.

Security applications that decrease fraud and protect client information during live service interactions.

Payroll applications that provide flexible payment options to employees, resulting in reduced attrition and absenteeism.

ITC Capital Partners and LJMN are focused on leading edge technology solutions that will enable Argo to package services to improve clients overall business results. Argo will begin introducing new and expanded services to its clients immediately.

Press Contact:

Patricia DeFosse

Argo Contact Centers

Business Development Manager

tricia@argocontact.com

info@argocontact.com

About Argo Contact Centers

Argo Contact Centers is an outsourced customer contact services provider that has operated since 2003. Operating centers in Maine; Georgia; near-shore; as well as Work@Home, Argo supports a wide variety of clients in numerous industry groups. Argo was acquired by ITC Capital Partners, a privately held equity firm with a 100-year history, based in West Point, Georgia. Among the key differentiators that would support this position is the belief that core values coupled with a business systems approach to the contact center industry, would yield a better level of service, and a greater opportunity to enhance the market position of the customers it serves. This significant shift in management, together with several other attributes, contributes to the Argo difference.

About ITC Capital Partners, LLC

ITC Capital Partners, LLC was formed based upon the successful investment history of the ITC Holding Company, LLC which was founded in 1896. ITC Capital Partners, LLC invests in entrepreneurs whose ideas and values are consistent with those of our founders. We partner with innovative leaders with unique ideas, strong management teams and demonstrate ability to assist us in achieving our strategic goal of a minimum long term return to our shareholders of 20% annually.

A video accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0f2108be-8ef2-4866-bbb7-827cd35276d1Belarus, Kazakhstan to cooperate in nuclear power

24 May 2018

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Belarus and Kazakhstan yesterday signed a memorandum of cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, the Belarusian Energy Ministry has announced. The document was signed by Belarusian Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk and Kazakh Deputy Energy Minister Bakytzhan Dzhaksaliev.

Kazakh and Belarusian deputy energy ministers at the memorandum signing (Image: Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Belarus)

The memorandum provides for the "exchange of experience in the development and adoption of legislation and technical documentation for the construction of a nuclear power plant, as well as for other uses of nuclear energy", the ministry said.

It envisages cooperation in: improving safety in the operation of nuclear facilities; the physical protection of these facilities, nuclear materials and the sources of ionizing radiation; the control and accounting of nuclear materials, sources of ionising radiation and radioactive waste; monitoring the release of radioactive substances; licensing, standardisation and other management approaches to the uses of nuclear energy; scientific and technical research; and the training of Kazakh nuclear personnel.

The memorandum was signed during the visit to Belarus of a delegation from the Kazakh Energy Ministry between 23 and 25 May.

Belarus is building its first nuclear power plant using the Russian VVER-1200 AES-2006 design. The first unit is scheduled for commissioning next year, with the second unit to be brought online in 2020. The Ostrovets plant will give 2340 MWe net capacity on line. An intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Belarus specifically on cooperation in the construction of a nuclear power plant in Belarus was signed in March 2011.

Kazakhstan has 12% of the world's uranium resources and an expanding mining sector, producing about 24,575 tU in 2016, but then reducing slightly. In 2009 it became the world's leading uranium producer, with almost 28% of world production, then 33% in 2010, rising to 41% in 2014, and 39% in 2015 and 2016. A single Russian nuclear power reactor operated from 1972 to 1999, generating electricity and desalinating water. At the end of May 2014, several agreements were signed between Rosatom and NAC Kazatomprom. One was an MoU for construction of a nuclear power plant using VVER reactors and with capacity up to 1200 MWe.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topicsNew Jersey clean energy laws signed

24 May 2018

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Governor Phil Murphy has signed legislation to establish a Zero Emissions Certificate (ZEC) programme that will enable New Jersey's nuclear power plants to continue operating by recognising and compensating them for their carbon-free attributes. The bill was one of several legislative initiatives signed by Murphy yesterday to advance the state's clean energy economy.

Phil Murphy (seated) at the signing ceremony yesterday (Image: New Jersey Office of the Governor)

Bill S-2313, which was passed in April by the state's Senate and Assembly, directs the state's Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to issue certificates representing the fuel diversity, air quality, and environmental attributes of electricity generated by eligible nuclear power plants selected to take part in the programme. Nuclear power plants must demonstrate, among other things, that they make a significant contribution to the state's air quality and that they are at risk of closure within three years.

Under the new law, the BPU is able to engage outside experts to analyse financial information and applications from nuclear plants, and to adjust ZEC payments as necessary to meet a plant's actual financial need. A plant seeking to participate in the programme must not be receiving funding from any other federal, regional, or state source that would negate the need for the ZEC.

Four nuclear reactors - the single-unit Hope Creek and twin-unit Salem plants, plus the single-unit Oyster Creek - together generate 38.5% of the New Jersey's electricity. Public Service Enterprise Group, which operates Hope Creek and Salem, has previously said that without intervention the plants would be unable to continue covering their costs within two years and may have to close. Exelon's Oyster Creek, which is already scheduled to close this October following changes to state water use rules that would have required the construction of new cooling towers at the plant, will not be eligible for the ZEC programme.

PJM capacity auction



Regional transmission organisation PJM Interconnection's annual capacity auction, the results of which were published yesterday, produced a price of USD140 per megawatt-day, compared to USD76 for the previous year. The auction procures power supply resources for electricity demand needs three years from now. PJM procured 163,627 megawatts of resources for the period of 1 June 2021 to 31 May 2022. The auction cleared 19,900 MWe of nuclear generation, about 7400 MWe less than last year's auction. PJM is the wholesale electricity market serving all or part of 13 states including New Jersey, plus the District of Columbia.

Alongside the ZEC legislation, Murphy also signed a bill to improve and expand New Jersey's renewable energy programmes, and an executive order directing state agencies to develop an Energy Master Plan providing a path to "100% clean energy" by 2050. The plan is to be delivered by June 2019.

"Today, we're taking another step forward in rebuilding New Jersey's reputation as a leader in the development of clean energy sources while fulfilling a critical promise to foster our state's energy future," Murphy said. "Signing these measures represents a down payment to the people of New Jersey on the clean energy agenda I set forth at the beginning of my administration - a plan that will always consider the best interests of our residents and our environment while growing our economy."

Exelon yesterday commended Murphy for taking a national leadership role in recognising the environmental value of the state's nuclear fleet, advancing other clean energy policies and putting the state on a path to achieve its carbon emissions goals. The package would "help to preserve 90% of New Jersey's carbon-free power, protect 5800 jobs and save residents and businesses USD400 million on their electric bills," the company said.

New Jersey is the fourth US state to pass legislation recognising the carbon-free attributes of nuclear power plants, following New York and Illinois, which have both launched ZEC programmes, and Connecticut, which has passed legislation enabling the Millstone nuclear power plant to enter into a competitive procurement process alongside other zero-carbon energy sources.

"The Salem and Hope Creek nuclear plants play pivotal roles in New Jersey's economy and environment, and Governor Murphy is to be commended for signing this bill into law to help preserve these critical energy assets," Maria Korsnick, president and CEO of the US Nuclear Energy Institute, said. Korsnick urged lawmakers in states where similar measures are under consideration, to take action. "Policymakers in Ohio and Pennsylvania have limited time to act to preserve nuclear plants in their states," she said.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topicsA man is being held without bail for raping a dog and infecting a woman with HIV.

53-year-old businessman Francisco Navarro-Ramos of Australia was arrested after a woman reported that he never informed her he had AIDS.

The two had unprotected sex for about 8 months before the woman discovered that Navarro-Ramos had HIV.

Tests soon confirmed that the woman from Sydney was infected with the virus.

While investigating the case, police discovered that Navarro-Ramos raped a dog.

Navarro-Ramos was arrested at his business in Rozelle.

He was charged with bestiality and causing grievous bodily harm with intent against a woman and possessing unlicensed ammunition.

Police said they found the ammunition when they arrested him.

Navarro-Ramos is being held at the Silverwater maximum security prison without bail.It is graduation season for many students across the metro but Wednesday, at Davis Middle School, one special eighth grader celebrated a whole lot more than that.

It's not every day you see a student conducting a choir  and 8th grader Jordan Burtzel isn't your typical student, either. Jordan has Downs Syndrome, but mom Carena Burtzel said thats only part of his story.

Carena said he has had numerous surgeries making things like sports, even walking difficult. He has a speech delay so singing isn't really an option. Talking is a challenge too but Davis Middle School has made it a point to include Jordan in anything he wants to be a part of.

Through so much adversity his friends and family say Jordan has never lost his sense of optimism and positivity. That's why at his eighth grade graduation he was honored with the prestigious Wing Ceremony Award.

"He's just the kid that everybody loves, and so, I can see that continuing on into high school, said Jordan's sister Rieley Burtzel.

Jordan had his friend, Grace, deliver his speech for him because again, speaking is difficult. Even though he doesn't sing, he loves music. His mom tells 6 News his favorite song is the (Whip/ Nae Nae) song.English French

Media relations:

Florence Lievre

Tel.: +33 (0)1 47 54 50 71

florence.lievre@capgemini.com

Investor relations:

Vincent Biraud

Tel.: +33 (0)1 47 54 50 87

vincent.biraud@capgemini.com

SHAREHOLDERS' MEETING OF MAY 23, 2018

Paris, May 24, 2018 - The Shareholders' Meeting of Capgemini SE, held yesterday at Pavillon d'Armenonville in Paris, adopted all resolutions presented for vote. Paul Hermelin's term of office as director was renewed by shareholders and the Board of Directors subsequently confirmed his duties as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer. The Shareholders' Meeting also approved the appointment of Frederic Oudea as a new director.

The Shareholders' Meeting provided an opportunity for Paul Hermelin to communicate his vision of Capgemini in the years to come. The Chief Operating Officers also spoke; Thierry Delaporte on the evolution of the Group's service portfolio, and Aiman Ezzat on the management and development of the Group's go-to-market.

Paul Hermelin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Capgemini Group, stated: "Bolstered by the repeated support of its shareholders and the Board of Directors - whom I would like to thank - Capgemini can reaffirm its ambitions: to position itself as an industry leader through the quality of its customer references, its offers and its talent. We are also committed to digital inclusion, which is a priority for us in terms of our Corporate Social Responsibility."

Shareholders adopted the distribution of a dividend of 1.70 per share for fiscal year 2017. The dividend will be paid from June 6, 2018, with an ex-dividend date of June 4, 2018.

The Shareholders' Meeting approved the following resolutions on the Board's composition:

Paul Hermelin's term of office as director was renewed. The Board then confirmed Paul Hermelin's duties as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, as well as those of Thierry Delaporte and Aiman Ezzat as Chief Operating Officers.

Frederic Oudea , Chief Executive Officer of Societe Generale, was appointed as a member of the Board of Directors for a four-year term. He will bring to the Board his experience in managing a leading banking group with an ambitious international development plan and known for its innovative digital services.

The terms of office as director of Laurence Dors, Chairman of the Compensation Committee and of Xavier Musca, Chairman of the Audit & Risk Committee, both considered independent directors, were also renewed for a four-year term.

The Board of Directors following the Shareholders' Meeting also deliberated on the composition of its Committees and appointed Daniel Bernard as Chairman of the Strategy & Investment Committee, and Frederic Oudea as a member of the Ethics & Governance Committee.

Following this Shareholders' Meeting, Capgemini SE's Board of Directors has 13 directors, including two directors representing employees. 80% of directors are independent and 45% are women, with a reduced average age of 59 years old. This reflects the Board's desire to combine efforts in recent years to renew its composition, increase the number of women, and diversify profiles within a reduced number of directors; to reinforce cohesion and collective and efficient decision-making. In line with its diversity policy, the Board will continue the international diversification of its composition in the coming years.

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer's 2017 compensation components were approved, along with the principles and criteria for determining the remuneration of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and the two Chief Operating Officers. The Shareholders' Meeting also approved the regulated commitments concerning the Chief Operating Officers, Thierry Delaporte and Aiman Ezzat.

Finally, the Shareholders' Meeting approved all the financial delegations granted to the Board of Directors.

A detailed breakdown of voting results can be found on the Capgemini website at https://investors.capgemini.com/combined-general-meeting

DISCLAIMER

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Such statements may include projections, estimates, assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives, intentions and/or expectations with respect to future financial results, events, operations and services and product development, as well as statements, regarding future performance or events. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "projects", "may", "would" "should" or the negatives of these terms and similar expressions. Although Capgemini's management currently believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties (including without limitation risks identified in Capgemini's Registration Document available on Capgemini's website), because they relate to future events and depend on future circumstances that may or may not occur and may be different from those anticipated, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Capgemini. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those expressed in, implied by or projected by forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not intended to and do not give any assurances or comfort as to future events or results. Other than as required by applicable law, Capgemini does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement.

This press release does not contain or constitute an offer of securities for sale or an invitation or inducement to invest in securities in France, the United States or any other jurisdiction.

About Capgemini

A global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation, Capgemini is at the forefront of innovation to address the entire breadth of clients' opportunities in the evolving world of cloud, digital and platforms. Building on its strong 50-year heritage and deep industry-specific expertise, Capgemini enables organizations to realize their business ambitions through an array of services from strategy to operations. Capgemini is driven by the conviction that the business value of technology comes from and through people. It is a multicultural company of 200,000 team members in over 40 countries. The Group reported 2017 global revenues of EUR 12.8 billion.

Visit us at www.capgemini.com. People matter, results count.

APPENDIX 1

Biography

Frederic Oudea







Chief Executive Officer of Societe Generale







Born in 1963, Frederic Oudea is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole Nationale d'Administration.







From 1987 to 1995, Frederic Oudea held various positions in the French senior civil service (Audit Department of the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Budget Ministry, Private Office of the Minister of Budget and Communication). In 1995, he joined Societe Generale and in 1996 he was appointed Deputy Head, then Head, of the bank's Corporate Banking arm in London. In 1998, he became Head of Global Supervisory and Development for the Equities division. In May 2002, Frederic was named Deputy Chief Financial Officer of Societe Generale Group. He became Chief Financial Officer of the Group in January 2003. In 2008, he was appointed CEO of the Group, before becoming Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 2009. Following the regulatory split between the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive, Frederic was appointed Chief Executive Officer in May 2015. In 2010, he was named Chairman of the Steering Committee on Regulatory Capital ("SCRC") at the Institute of International Finance ("IIF"). He has been President of the European Banking Federation ("EBF") since January 2015.









APPENDIX 2

Composition of the Capgemini SE Board of Directors

following the Combined Shareholders' Meeting of May 23, 2018

Paul Hermelin - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Daniel Bernard - Vice-Chairman

Anne Bouverot

Laurence Dors

Carole Ferrand

Robert Fretel - Director representing employees

Sian Herbert-Jones

Kevin Masters - Director representing employees

Xavier Musca

Frederic Oudea

Patrick Pouyanne

Pierre Pringuet - Lead Independent Director

Lucia Sinapi-Thomas - Director representing employee shareholdersA WRC+ All Live subscriber enjoyed the thrill of his life at Vodafone Rally de Portugal after winning a passenger ride alongside Teemu Suninen during the pre-event shakedown.

WRC Promoter and the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team joined forces to offer the once-in-a-lifetime experience when WRC+ All Live was launched in January. All platform subscribers were eligible to win the prize.



Raphael Hack, who lives in the same region of Belgium as rally winner Thierry Neuville, won the chance to be strapped into Suninens Fiesta for an exhilarating run through the 4.6km Paredes shakedown stage.



The run proved to be the fastest that the Finn set during his shakedown session.

Raphael alongside Teemu

It was amazing! The grip, the acceleration, the braking  I didnt know you could go around corners that fast, he told WRC.com when he arrived at the stage finish.



Its only my first time in a rally car. I sat in the seat and said nothing, but I was smiling the whole time!



A keen follower of the WRC, Hack is a regular visitor to ADAC Rallye Deutschland and attends events in Belgium.



As well as enjoying a thrilling passenger ride, WRC Promoter also provided Hack with travel to Portugal, accommodation, VIP hospitality and behind the scenes access to WRC TV.

Video

More NewsFurious row in council chamber over PR stunt claim and counter claim

This article is old - Published: Thursday, May 24th, 2018

The angriest public exchanges between councillors for years took place in a debate over a plan to give the Royal Air Force a civic honour from Wrexham Council.

Temperatures were already running high in the sweltering Guildhall council chamber when Councillors Marc Jones and Mark Pritchard clashed.

The agenda item appeared innocuous with Councillor David Griffiths, Wrexhams Armed Forces Champion, presenting the plans for a RAF civic honour to the Full Council meeting. Cllr Griffiths gave an overview of the historical links between Wrexham and the RAF in a brief potted history, which you can read in full in our earlier report here.

Cllr Mark Pritchard, newly re-elected Council Leader, stood to offer his support and to second the proposal, adding his thanks to the work Cllr Griffiths had been doing behind the scenes with a wider comment, I hope it is successful, we can never do enough for the services.

The truth is a lots of them dont come back, men and women go to war and least we can do is honour them in this way and give them all the support we can.

Cllr Marc Jones then stood to speak, saying he believed the proposal meant well, adding Wrexham has historic and genuine link with Welch Fusiliers, recognised as our local military connection, and there is a real connection there. I dont believe this is real connection, I think this is a PR stunt.

At that point Cllr Pritchard rocketed to his feet, loudly addressing the Chairman of the meeting, the new Mayor Cllr Andy Williams: Chair can I call a Point of order? I am not going to let him stand and say this is a PR stunt. I am calling a point of order, I think the elected member is a disgrace and should sit down.

As leader of the council I am not going to accept it Mr Mayor.

Cllr Jones asked several times if he was able to finish his point, which the Mayor allowed.

Cllr Marc Jones went on: We have just heard about trials and tribulations with people with mental health, we have supported that. If we look on the streets today in wrexham have got homeless ex service people struggling with mental health, drink, drugs and PTSD. That is something we should be centring our attention on, rather than having a march, putting money and time and effort towards a march.

Addressing his point to Cllr Griffiths he added: I know meant well Dave, the fact of matter is at time of austerity and at a time of when we are looking at people with mental health issues, I dont think this is going to promote those issues.

If only so good at looking after ex service people when they come out of the military as we are as recruiting them maybe we would not have these problems on our doorsteps today, as that is the reality of war. We shouldnt be glorifying war, should be stopping war.

At this point Cllr Pritchard rose again and shouted over Cllr Jones to loudly object via the Mayor again.

In a battle to be heard Cllr Jones raised his voice to say Cllr Pritchard should not be leader of the council if an alternative point of view was not acceptable.

Cllr Pritchard said: Mr Mayor, I can accept an alternative point of view but I am not going to stand here

The Mayor then asked both councillors to sit down, however an angry Cllr Pritchard went on: If the elected member wants a lesson in history he needs to look at the Battle of Britain and what the RAF did for this United Kingdom and saved it.

Cllr Jones then interjected asking if a valid point of order was being made, with the meeting again descending into two men shouting over each other.

The Mayor then firmly said: I am going to stop you both, and ask you both to sit down, inviting Cllr Griffiths to speak in an attempt to defuse the argument.

Cllr Griffiths calmly said, Marc, I fully respect what you say adding: What we want is to recognise is people in these wars and RAFs contribution to it, to allow us, yourself and the leader to debate today through free speech. This is what it is about, people sacrificed their lives for it.

Wrexham is doing more than most other counties in Wales, or Great Britain. They are looking to us to what we are doing for armed forces and ex-armed forced and people suffering with mental health issues, so we are doing it in Wrexham.

We are not leaving them on their own.

Adding that Cllr Jones was entitled to his point of view, he added: They fought two world wars for freedom of speech, and that freedom of speech should carry on forever. Saying that, this report is about recognising the RAF contribution in World War 1 and World War 2.

Cllr Marc Jones clarified he was attempting to propose an amendment, saying there are an estimated 13,000 ex-service personnel who are homeless in the UK, and therefore wanted to see councillors donate the 1000 budget mentioned in the report to help them get off the streets.

Cllr Griffiths clarified that the 1000 budget in the report was indicative and no firm figures or plans for any events had been made.

Pritchard v King rankle Clr Pritchard presents report, but nattering on Labour benches stops him. Clr Pritchard indicates towards Clr King and asks for some respect to be shown.  Wrexham.com (@wrexham) May 23, 2018

Cllr Malcom King had been effectively been told off by Cllr Pritchard earlier in the meeting and appeared to seize the moment to even things up, taking his time to settle on a point that was aimed at Cllr Pritchard rather than the amendment: I found the leader of the councils interruptions grossly offensive.

To shout someone down for having an alternative view in democratic forum like this is grossly offensive. I cant accept that.

Asking for Cllr Pritchard to apologise, he added: I hope the leader of council sees that he is quite wrong is doing that. He may find what Cllr Jones said is wrong and disagrees with it totally, but we cant shout people down for having strongly held views. We are nowhere if we get like that.

Cllr Andrew Atkinson said Cllr Jones was entitled to his view, When it comes to any decision with spending money there is always a choice to do it or not to do it, so I can always understand someone thinking there is an alternative course of action.

The bit that is grossly offensive is that it was called a PR stunt, that goes from having a view of taking a different course of action to something that is grossly offensive and I find myself getting really really angry the longer I sit here thinking about that.

Adding he thought it was shameful, he went on: I would ask for Cllr Jones to apologise for using those words saying it is a PR stunt, when this is something honourable, decent and respectful.

Cllr Paul Jones spoke to say there was a place for both, adding to a certain extent it is a PR stunt but thought it was justifiable as they need to keep the army and the forces in the public eye to generate the funds that are needed to help support servicemen and women on the streets.

A simmering Cllr Pritchard took to his feet again: I have not calmed down, I dont think I should calm down and I am not going to calm down.

I am not going to apologise Cllr King, absolutely. I stand by what I said in this chamber. I will stand by it tomorrow, next week and the year and year after. Cllr Atkinson summed it up rather well.

I am trying to be fair here and dignified, when really I am furious.

We are here asking this Council, and the people of Wrexham, not a PR stunt, to celebrate what the RAF has done for this country. I will leave it at that.

The amendment was taken to a vote, where it was defeated with 29 councillors against. Cllr Marc Jones and his Plaid Cymru group voted for it. Wrexham Labour and unaligned independent councillor Mike Davies abstained from the vote.

Clr Marc Jones amendment voted down, with Labour abstaining  Clr Pritchard shaking his head as the group raised their hands to indicate as such. Debate carries on as the main item yet to be voted on.  Wrexham.com (@wrexham) May 23, 2018

Cllr Kelly carried on the wider debate, relating time he spent at Woodhall Spa last year where last year a commemoration to Bomber Command has been created, and personal family experiences with the RAF, adding he felt it was entirely fitting we recognise connection with RAF and families in this town.

Cllr Paul Pemberton noted Cllr Marc Jones work promoting the welsh language saying he was disappointed with comments made, If these RAF guys, ladies and gentlemen who flew, had not done the job, we would not be speaking welsh, or english, we would all be speaking German.

Cllr Hugh Jones said he respected peoples right to have a view on war and the consequences of war, however took issue with the PR stunt comment, It is disingenuous for any of us who know the work Cllr Griffiths does as our armed forces champion, will know he is sincere, genuine and dedicated. He is the last person in the world to come up with a publicity stunt.

Cllr Hugh Jones went on to point out Cllr Marc Jones was aware of the Gold Group work locally that is set up to tackle substance abuse and homelessness, and questioned why the point would be raised in relation to the agenda item noting that it was not an and or, we are doing both.

Cllr David A Bithell was less nuanced, calling the comments by Cllr Marc Jones a PR stunt by Wrexham Plaid Cymru, adding: The reality is this council, since 2013, has signed the armed forces covenant and subsequently to that appointed an Armed Forces Champion. To my knowledge we have never had any objection from anybody since 2013 on armed forces or armed forces champion.

Getting money and lobbying for funds for homeless, this is not the report to do that. I think Cllr Jones should know better than that, and if there is any PR stunt, the PR stunt is on behalf of Wrexham Plaid Cymru, not this council.

The Legal Officer explained that the vote on Freedom of the Boroughs have special rules that means it needs to pass by not less than 2/3rds majority of those councillors present, rather than a normal style council vote.

The overall agenda item passed, with 38 councillors in favour and the three members of the Plaid Cymru abstaining.

You can watch the full agenda item here for the next six months via the Wrexham Council webcast service, where the top image was taken from.Residents across Ceiriog Valley turn out in force to save under threat primary school

This article is old - Published: Thursday, May 24th, 2018

Almost 100 residents from villages and hamlets throughout the Ceiriog Valley attended a public meeting last week to show their determination to save a local primary school under threat of closure.

The 110 year-old Ysgol Pontfadog primary school in the heart of the Ceiriog Valley was issued with a Statutory Notice of Closure last month.

Currently there are three schools within the Federation, one Welsh medium in Ysgol Llanarmon, one English medium in Ysgol Pontfadog and one dual stream in Ysgol Cynddelw.

However Wrexham Council say there has been a drop in pupil numbers at both Ysgol Pontfadog and Ysgol Cynddelw schools due to a growing Welsh medium demand in the valley.

A consultation process on the future of the Federation schools in the valley was carried out by Wrexham Council last year and sought views on the following three options:

 Retain the status quo with all three schools remaining as they are currently.

 Change language designation at Ysgol Cynddelw to Welsh medium.

 Propose closure of Ysgol Pontfadog and re-locate pupils to the Cynddelw dual stream site.

Over 250 initial objections to the proposals contained in the Ceiriog Valley Schools Federation Consultation were received by Wrexham Council.

Hundreds more formal letters of objection to the closure and impact on the community of Pontfadog were signed at the public meeting and are expected to flood in to Wrexham Borough Councils Head of Education and Executive Board members over the next few days before the objections deadline of Tuesday 22nd May.

Last month Lead Member for Education, Cllr Phil Wynn, noted that most adults and children who participated in the consultation process had expressed preference for keeping the status quo and that the proposed closure was an emotive subject.

However he added that this would result in 1m maintaining the status quo for the benefit of a small number of children and that money I think would been better spent improving the other two sites.

As a result it was recommended and backed by executive board members that a statutory notice of closure was served for the school  with the results of the process / final decision on Ysgol Pontfadogs future set to be made at Julys meeting.

The school, which is the only English medium school in the valley, now faces closure in July 2019

However campaigners fighting to keep Ysgol Pontfadog open have branded Wrexham Councils consultation process as flawed.

Last week a packed Oliver Jones Memorial Hall heard from specialist schools Mediation Barrister, Jackie Whelan, Councillor Trevor Bates who represents Ceiriog Valley and Glyntraian Community Councillor, Cllr Jools Payne, on what they say are failures which Wrexham Council Education Officers presided during what was described as an illegal, irrational and disproportionate consultation process.

They argue that that there was: Failure to notify key stakeholders of the Consultation in advance  including Glyntraian Community Council in whose jurisdiction Ysgol Pontfadog falls  as well as missing Impact Assessment documents, Estyn feedback, delays in the provision of material information on financial costs of improvements to increase provision at Ysgol Cynddelw and an Education Department officer giving misleading information to the Councils Executive Board in Chamber provoked anger and dismay amongst the Council Tax payers of the Ceiriog Valley.

Cllr Bates said: We have tried to negotiate with the council leadership, but they are simply not listening. It indicates a lack of respect for those of us involved in the outcomes.

The feelings of the staff, pupils, parents and community have been ignored throughout the whole process, during which the LEA have been sadly lacking in their duty of care.

We should not allow ourselves to be treated with contempt as illustrated by the Consultation document, ignoring the wishes of the vast majority of residents and indeed, those of the Federation Governing Board.

Local bee breeder and historian, Kirsty Williams, who co-authored a history of Ysgol Pontfadog as part of the schools centenary celebrations in 2008 and launched her educational bee DVD at the school in 2016, said: It was the largest turn out of the community I have seen in years, such is the strength of feeling across the entire valley about protecting the unique nature and special character of rural primary education.Oak Brook, IL, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This week a federal court granted Chamberlain Group (CGI) a permanent injunction blocking the sale of Ryobi connected garage door openers (GD200 and GD200A) produced by Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd (TTI). Recognizing CGIs broad GDO-related patent portfolio and noting that the case was not close, the court upheld an August 2017 jury verdict that found that TTI willfully infringed on two CGI patents.





The decision blocks the sale of the Ryobi units, and any similar units, until 2023, noting, TTIs infringing behavior has spanned the whole of TTIs participation in the GDO [garage door opener] marketplace.

Finding that TTI did nothing to avoid running head on into CGIs patents, the court trebled the jurys award of damages, awarding millions in enhanced damages, supplemental damages and attorneys fees.

We are firm believers in the U.S. Patent process, said JoAnna Sohovich, CEO CGI. The jury and court have recognized the importance of Chamberlain Groups patents, which in turn, allows us to continually invest in innovation that delivers on consumer needs for safe, secure connected solutions.

The ruling this week followed the unanimous Federal jury decision made in August of 2017 in Chicago District Court that found in favor of Chamberlain Group in the assertion of patents against Hong Kong-based Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd (TTI), the parent company to brands such as Ryobi, Milwaukee, Hoover and Oreck, and several related entities. The jury found TTI to have willfully infringed on two U.S. Patents (U.S. Patent No. 7,635,966 and 7,224,275) through the manufacture and sale of its garage door opener under the Ryobi brand sold exclusively through The Home Depot.

*****

Chamberlain Group (CGI) is a global leader in access solutions and products. As the corporate parent company to LiftMaster, Chamberlain, Merlin and Grifco, we design and engineer residential garage door openers, commercial door operators and gate entry systems. Our products are connected through our innovative MyQ technology which empowers users to control or monitor their entry points through smartphone access. We are also the parent company to Controlled Products Systems Group, the largest wholesale distributor of perimeter access control equipment in the U.S. and an affiliate of Systems, Inc., one of North Americas leading dock leveler manufacturers.Luis Posada Carriles was acquitted on all charges last week in a federal trial that considered minor immigration-related offenses, while leaving untouched his murder of 73 civilians in the 1976 bombing of a Cubana de Aviacion airliner.

Posada Carriles, a veteran terrorist who worked for decades as a paid agent and valued asset of the US Central Intelligence Agency, had been charged in the trial only with lying to immigration agents. The lies cited included how he had illegally entered the US in 2005he claimed he had sneaked across the Mexican border when he had in fact sailed into Miami harbor aboard a private fishing boatand his denial that he had organized a 1997 terrorist bombing campaign in Havana, Cuba, that claimed the life of an Italian tourist and wounded a dozen others.

The bombings and the murder were not the offense, as far as the government is concerned; he had only failed to tell the truth when asked about them by US immigration officials during a hearing on his request for political asylum. The 11 charges against him were limited to perjury, obstruction of justice and immigration fraud.

The verdict issued April 8 by a jury in the federal court in El Paso, Texas, drew swift condemnation from the governments of Cuba and Venezuela, which described the trial as a farce and demanded that Posada Carriles be extradited to Venezuela, where he faces 73 homicide charges for the 1976 terrorist bombing of the Cuban passenger plane. The US-backed terrorist escaped from a Venezuelan prison in 1985 while awaiting trial in the airline bombing case.

The Venezuelan government announced that it had delivered a diplomatic note to the US embassy in Caracas demanding once again that Washington comply with international treaties and extradite Posada Carriles to face trial before a Venezuela court. It charged that the legal proceedings in El Paso represented little more than a continuation of Washingtons protection of the CIA terrorist, which, the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry said, has become an emblematic case of US double standards in the international fight against terrorism.

The Cuban government described the verdict as an outrage and an insult, charging that Washington continues to harbor and protect the Osama bin Laden of Latin America.

The acquittal of Posada Carriles, the Cuban Foreign Relations Ministry charged, is in total contradiction to the anti-terrorist policy that the government of the United States claims to profess and which has led even to military invasions of other nations and cost thousands of lives.

Relatives of Posadas victims also spoke out against the verdict. This is outrageous, said Ileana Alfonso, whose father was a member of the Cuban fencing team that was wiped out in the 1976 airline bombing. They say they are the upholders of human rights. On the contrary, they are the biggest terrorists of humanity, and they are proving it.

Speaking outside the courthouse, the 83-year-old Posada defended his long and bloody record. My path hasnt finished yet, he said. The nature of the struggle has changed, but it is still the same.

He continued, I hope that what happened here serves as an example to the justice in my country, Cuba, that unfortunately is under the hands of a dictator.

To claim that the trial in El Paso was a vindication of American justice is farcical. As any immigrant knows, charges against undocumented immigrants entering the country are almost invariably settled in cursory proceedings before drumhead immigration courts where defendants are marched in en masse, quickly disposed of and sent back across the border.

That Posada was given a 13-week trial in which his defense attorneys were allowed to repeatedly delay proceedings with frivolous motions for dismissal was a function of the governments protection for one of its valued henchmen.

In an earlier ruling, an immigration judge decreed that Posada could not be deported to Cuba or Venezuela, the two countries that have requested his extradition on terror charges, on the grounds that he could face torture.

There is no more evidence of systemic torture in Venezuela prisons than there is in prisons in the US. As for Cuba, the most well-documented cases of torture of prisoners has taken place at the US Naval Base at Guantanamo, where people abducted from around the world have been held without charges as part of the global war on terror.

The irony of this ruling is further underscored by Posadas own history in Venezuela, where, with the CIAs backing, he became chief of the hated secret police, the DISIP, in the 1960s and 1970s, carrying out the torture and extra-judicial murder of suspected leftists.

The evidence presented against Posada by some 24 government witnesses was overwhelming in terms of proving the charges that he lied to US immigration authorities.

Among the witnesses was a man who accompanied him on the boat trip from Mexicos Isla Mujeres to Miami. This was supported by photographs of Posada in Isla Mujeres. Cuban police and forensic experts were brought to Texas to testify as to the nature of the 1997 bombing campaign against tourist hotels and restaurants in Havana.

An associate of Posadas from Guatemala testified to hearing him discuss with Cuban-American cohorts how to get explosives into Cuba and finding large amounts of C-4 explosives in the office they shared.

Testifying against her will and under subpoena was a freelance reporter for the New York Times, Ann Louise Bardach, who spent 13 hours interviewing Posada for an article published by the newspaper in 1998 in which the terrorist bragged of masterminding the Havana bombing campaign, in which he had told immigration officials he had taken no part.

Her testimony was corroborated by tapes, two hours of which were played to the jury, in which Posada could be heard boasting of the attacks, saying they were meant to sabotage Cubas tourist industry and admitting to signing a paper that linked him to the financing of the attacks.

Posadas defense attorney, Arturo Hernandez, who openly identified himself with Posadas right-wing anti-Castro politics, sought to counter this evidence with a line of cross-examination that amounted to character assassination against each of the witnesses, implying that Posadas own associates were Cuban agents, crooks and liars, that Cuban police were torturers and that the Times reporter was a Castro sympathizer with a bias against Cuban Americans who doctored her tapes.

He was given extraordinary latitude to conduct these attacks by Judge Kathleen Cardone, an appointee of George W. Bush, who had thrown out a previous case against Posada on the grounds that immigration officials had entrapped him into lying in order to construct a criminal casea central tenet of the defense case. Her ruling in that trial was thrown out by an appeals court.

To bolster the attack on the prosecution witnesses, the defense called Otto Reich to the stand as a supposed expert on Cuba and Cuban Americans. Reich, an anti-Castro Cuban exile who rose within the State Department during the Reagan administration, was more closely connected to Posada than the jury was told.

As ambassador to Venezuela, Reich secured the release of Posadas co-conspirator in the Cubana airline bombing, the notorious anti-Castro terrorist Orlando Bosch. During the 1980s, when the Reagan administration was carrying out the illegal CIA-orchestrated contra terrorist war against Nicaragua, Reich ran an Office of Public Diplomacy that carried out propaganda aimed at the American peoplein violation of US lawto promote the contras.

At that time, Posada was organizing the shipment of arms and money to the contras through the US-run air base at Ilopongo, El Salvador. There is substantial evidence that the same planes used to run the guns down ran drugs back to the US to raise funds for the CIA-backed terrorists.

The prosecution raised none of this, while the defense portrayed Posadas criminal exploits as heroic and patriotic service to the US government, which now was cynically abandoning him because he was no longer of use.

The federal prosecutors essentially agreed with this portrayal, but insisted unconvincingly that this was no excuse for lying to immigration agents. They had no interest in exposing Posadas real crimes because all of them directly implicate the US government itself.

From the outset of the Posada case, the main objective of Washington has been to prevent the terrorist from being brought to trial in Cuba or Venezuela out of fear that any such proceedings would expose the long record of CIA terrorism throughout Latin America.

No doubt, a successful prosecution would have achieved this goal, sending Posada to jail on petty charges for the rest of his natural life. But his acquittal has accomplished the same end, while leaving some of the worst terrorist crimes in the history of the Americas unpunished.Injured Amazon worker Shannon Allen spoke to the International Amazon Workers Voice about the conditions at the DFW-7 fulfillment center in Haslet, Texas. Shannon described brutal working conditions, authoritarian-style surveillance of workers, and management demands to maintain frenetic rates of speed.

Shannon, 49, lives in Azle, Texas, a small town on the western outskirts of Fort Worth. She was injured while working at Amazon, returned to the job, and was injured again at the same workstation. Physically unable to continue work, Shannon now faces homelessness on top of her injuries, but she is determined to fight or die.

Im going to pack up my car and take a picture of it to send around, Shannon said. That way people know what you get from working at Amazon. Unable to pay for food and rent, Shannon has dropped two pant sizes and eats only every other day. Its not that I made poor money choices, she added. I didnt have any money to make a choice.

Shannon was born in Tyler, Texas, and spent some time living in Oklahoma. Before working at Amazon, she worked at a day care facility for $8 per hour. She likes heavy metal and tattoos. She raised two sons, now 22 and 24, who live in Arkansas and North Carolina.

The base pay at Amazon is $12 per hour, which amounts to less than $25,000 per year. (In her first year at Amazon, Shannon says she was actually paid around $13,000, which is under the federal poverty line.) At the orientation meeting, the company promised an extra 50 cents per hour on weekends and an extra dollar for overnight work, rates which were written on a white board at the front of the gathering.

To maximize her income, Shannon volunteered for the overnight shift on Saturday through Thursday. The shift begins at 6:30 at night and ends at 5:00 in the morning. However, once Shannon received her first paycheck, she realized that her pay was $13 per hour for the weekend shifts, not the $13.50 that had been promised.

Shannon began working at Amazon in May 2017. At first, she confessed, she thought it was exciting, new, and different. There was this sense that I made the world go round, she said. She was working in one of the worlds largest and most high-tech companies, distributing huge quantities of goods to vast numbers of people.

An Amazon fulfillment center contains tens of millions of products, sorted into bins that are arranged on pods. The pods, each 7- to 8-feet tall, have 25 to 30 bins on each side. The bins and pods are stocked with products coming into the warehouse by stowers. When a customer places an order online, a robot brings the pod where the product is stored to a picker, who immediately receives instructions to take a certain product out of a certain bin and sends it down the line.

Everything is done by computers and robots, Shannon explained. She described the Kiva robots, manufactured by Amazon Robotics (formerly Kiva Systems) as like a Roomba, except they are large. Some of them are as large as a car hood. They bring pods to the workers. It is awesome the way the robots come to you. I had never seen anything like that before.

Shannon worked as a counter, whose job was to check the work of the pickers and stowers. Fail to catch a mistake, and become a target of a punitive system of quality errors and write-ups.

Not long after starting to work at Amazon, Shannon began to recognize what she called the dirty secrets. These are the things they dont tell you about when youre hired.

Every time workers leave the facility, they are subjected to an invasive search. You wait in line with a bucket like at the airport, she said. A worker is required to take off belt, shoes, and hat. Bags are sent through a conveyor belt and the worker goes through a full body scan. If you set it off, you have to go through a second search, and they wand you front to back.

In a 10-hour shift, workers are permitted two 15-minute breaks and one 30-minute break for lunch. To go outside on a break, workers must submit to the search and go through the security line. The lines to get outside on your 15-minute break are 20 to 30 deep on each line, and there are only two lines. Meanwhile, the breaks are timed from scan to scan at a workers station, and workers are admonished, Not one second more.

The DFW-7 fulfillment center is divided into A and B modules, called A-mod and B-mod. Each module has four floors consisting of 50 to 75 workstations each. Each workers station features a camera pointed at them from behind, as well as cameras facing them from the area containing the pods. They are getting a rear view and a front view, Shannon said.

The workers carry a handheld scanner with a screen on it that instructs them what to do at any given moment. In Shannons case, as a counter, it told her what bins to count. Workers are timed on every task, down to the smallest increments, from the time you clock in to the time you clock out.

Workers are not allowed to eat or drink anything other than water at their stations. Upon being hired, they are given an Amazon water bottle. You cannot talk to your neighbor, to help the time go by. You cant bring in a cellphone. You cannot bring any type of electronics. No headphones.

The heat is sweltering. Shannon described fans here and there, pointing down the aisles where workers walk to get to their stations, but not toward the workers to help them cool off. Whoever thought of that design was a complete idiot, Shannon said. Because we get no relief from the heat with them pointed down the aisle.

Temperatures reached 80, 85, and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. In the summertime, it gets over 100 degrees in there, Shannon said. Here is another genius idea. They have these signs hanging down that have our station numbers on them. These signs are probably as big as a 19-inch TV. They are in front of the fans and it blows the sign constantly. And we get no relief from the heat.

July and August are the absolute worst, Shannon continued. It was nothing to see an ambulance up at Amazon four to five times a night. Workers dropped at their stations, physically unable to continue working. On my shift, Shannon said, We were picking people up from heat exhaustion.

The image of ambulances waiting outside to pick up workers who collapsed was a common sight. Every time we would go on break, ambulances would be waiting outside to pick people up. But not one manager, nobody from HR, nobody from security is out there escorting people to the ambulances. They just dont care. You are on your own.

Shannon told the story of how she took a co-worker to the emergency room because her blood pressure skyrocketed. The doctor said if she had not come in, she would not have made it, Shannon said. That was caused from Amazon. You have to keep rate, move as fast as you possibly can, without making quality errors. It is like running in place.

It is like being tortured in your mind and your body for 10 hours a night, Shannon said. Up and down the ladder, on our knees, stoop down, jump back up, get on the ladder. Workers would eventually reach their wits end and despair. Of the workers she was hired with, Shannon said that most of them were no longer working at Amazon.

Responding to a recent report that ranked Amazon as among Americas most dangerous workplaces, Shannon explained that many people do not understand what the Amazon warehouses are like on the inside. People see this cool, hip company.

It is like doing 10 hours of cardio, five days a week, she said. The demands for unrealistic speeds of work mean that a worker does not even have time to drink water or use the restroom. I have so many seconds to count everything in my bin. If there are 150 gift cards in my bin, I have so many seconds to count them and send them on. If my machine beeps at me, I have to count them again.

When I first started working there, the rate for a counter was 519 per hour. In January 2018, it was raised to 550. In March, it was raised to 600 counts per hour. This means that there is a count every 6 seconds. It is repetitive, Shannon said. It felt like I was having a heart attack because I was so anxious about making rate.

In addition to having expectations of the human body that are unrealistic, Shannon said, the company expected workers to manage with faulty equipment and constant demands to meet strict time limits. Attempting to work at high speeds around faulty equipment was a common cause of injury. The stations themselves are not safe for the people to do their job, Shannon said. Workers also slipped on the stairs.

Female workers were required to keep their hair in a ponytail, and Shannon described being terrified of bending forward around the robot-controlled pods. If the pod is released, which has been known to happen, it could grab my pony tail and take off with me.

Amazon is all about work, work, work, work, work, Shannon said. Workers were harassed over small increments of time off task, or TOT time. If a manager came to ask Shannon a question about something for nine minutes, she would later be reproached by another manager for exactly nine minutes of TOT time. To defend themselves from this regime, Shannon described how workers brought in notebooks and started taking careful notes of how they spent their time. Sometimes, for example, the pods would not arrive back-to-back (a pod-gap), which is not the workers fault.

Shannon recalls one episode where a manager approached her and demanded to see her notebook. Shannon replied: These are my own private personal notes. You have no right to come demanding my notebook. The manager responded by threatening her with termination if she did not turn it over. Shannon was only able to keep her job by complaining to human resources.

Shannon remembers glimpsing a clipboard once with the number 821 on it. This was the number of people who had been fired from January to May of 2017: They brag about the number of people that they fire.

Shannons first injury took place on October 24, 2017, at 10:30 at night, or around five months after starting at Amazon. I was counting, counting, counting, she said. I was not happy with the station. It did not have a brush-guard to separate me from the pod. A brush-guard looks like a bristle-brush on each side. It stops things from falling onto the Kiva floor. The Kiva floor, where the robots operate, is an area workers are prohibited from entering.

I had to take one of those big yellow totes and put it in-between my legs to prevent things from falling. I was half on the station, half over the Kiva floor. You get written up if you dont keep things from falling. I was counting at eye-level. With the tote between her legs, she had to lean further forward to reach the pod while keeping her head facing forward. While in that position, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her back.

It felt like someone stabbed me in the back and dragged it all the way down my spine, Shannon said. I sat up. I sat there for a couple of minutes and pain was so intense I thought I was going to pass out.

Even though she was in terrible pain, she thought, I have to get this done or they are going to come see what Im doing. So, she tried to start counting again, but could not continue. I felt like my back was on fire. She told a manager, My back is killing me.

Hold a minute, the manager said, before calling over another manager. That manager walked her to an elevator and then made her walk to the other side of the warehouse, where Amazon maintains a triage area. On this long walk, Shannon described the pain as unbearable. This facility is 23 acres, so you know. At the triage area, there were no doctors or nurses, just EMTs.

Shannon was told to lie down on a heating pad for 30 minutes, after she was discharged without pay, which the company called Voluntary Time Off or VTO. Rather than send her to a doctor, Amazon set up a treatment plan consisting of having Shannon sit on a heating pad for 15-20 minutes per night.

I tried to come back the next night and work, Shannon said. I still kept coming to work and trying to work. It got to the point where I could not work past 10:30, or the first four hours of her shift. When she could not finish her shift, the company sent her home without pay.

It was hurting so bad, I could hardly walk out to the car when I left. This went on for weeks. They never once mentioned workers compensation or help from an outside doctor. I only learned about workers comp from friends and family. Amazon tried to keep me working with the treatment [i.e., the heating pad].

Shannon did not want to use her paid vacation time, in hopes that she could use it to do something fun in the future. I live a very simple life, she said. I dont have any of the extras that a lot of people have. I do not have cable or a home phone or Internet. I just have Internet on my phone. A few days of paid vacation were something she looked forward to. Amazon workers get around 1.5 to 3 hours of paid vacation time each pay period, which is every two weeks, in addition to a maximum of 48 hours of paid time-off per year.

Matters came to a head after about two to three weeks, when a manager rudely told Shannon: We are not giving VTO anymore. You need to get back to work. This led to a confrontation in which Shannon risked retaliation by finally demanding to be given workers compensation paperwork.

Ive never been on workers compensation, Shannon said. I was a blind mouse going through workers comp. I didnt know who to call or if anyone was going to call me. I just tried to do everything that they asked me to.

Once you get injured you are not dealing with Amazon, she explained. You are referred to a Leave of Absence Team. It took them about a week before they called me to approve my short-term disability leave.

Amazon paid Shannon $25 a week for her short-term disability, while Sedgwick, the companys workers compensation insurer, paid her $211 a week. I butted heads with the adjuster, Shannon said. I was not happy with the way things were progressing. Nobody was taking me seriously about my injury. My injury was being minimized. It was not being acknowledged.

Even though she was physically unable to work, she continued to receive threatening e-mails from Amazon, which stated that she was no call, no show and accruing negative UPT [unpaid time off] time. Meanwhile, in the workers compensation system, Shannon explained, the doctors tell you to get back to work. The doctors did not conduct an MRI or an x-ray. They poked my back once.

You dont get the same doctor each time, Shannon explained. Its a new doctor each time, and you have to tell the story all over again. They tried to push narcotics on me. I said I dont want your narcotics. I want to get better.

My back was perfectly fine before I started working for Amazon. The only reason I filled the prescriptions was so that they did not say I was failing to follow instructions. Im not a pill person. I do not do drugs. I did not want to become dependent on them. I wanted my back to be fixed. I stressed that from the very get-go.

I felt as though Amazon did not care about me being injured, Shannon said. There are 50 people in line waiting for my job. They use you up and then bring in the next person. Someone was doing my job while I was on leave. Someone had my job before me.

Between rent, groceries, her phone bill, and traveling to doctors appointments, Shannons meager disability income slipped through her fingers. She fell behind on rent in her RV park around January, and the landlord began threatening to evict her.

Shannon returned to work on January 27, a day before her birthday. The insurance adjuster and Amazons workers comp manager decided that it was taking too long to get my therapy sessions 29 miles across town, Shannon said. Through the workers compensation system, she was prescribed six sessions of physical therapy.

The therapy sessions were an hours car drive away. The therapy itself consisted of doing two different stretches for 15 minutes. By the time I drove there and back, my back was in more painnot to mention the cost of gas. She was only able to complete three sessions before she was ordered back to work.

The company cited an excessive amount of time to complete therapy and cancelled Shannons workers compensation. On the day she returned to work, Shannon was injured a second time: I worked an hour and 45 minutes before I was injured again on the same station. This time, Amazons triage center turned her away. She was put back on leave.

After deductions and withholding, Amazons paycheck of $24 every week only amounted to only $34 every two weeks. Rather than continue going to the therapist chosen by Amazons insurance company, Shannon sought out her own treatment, finding a young physical therapist in Azle who took her into her care: I love her to pieces. I felt great. This girl knew her job and she had compassion. She was a very compassionate girl.

After seven more therapy sessions, Shannon returned to work again in March, but was only able to work for a couple of hours a night. I could not stand up straight. It is the same repetitive motion. It was killing my back. The injury was still there. It got eased up in therapy, but then it got aggravated again. It feels like someone stuck a knife in my back and just left it.

I worked for almost a month at two hours a night. It was eating me up in money for gas. I was not making anything. I was off workers comp. When I was working eight hours a week, you can see why I was falling behind on rent. My paycheck would come in and it would be $105. I would give $50 to my landlord and keep the rest. I was going to work hungry.

Shannon stopped going to work in April. I just told them I couldnt do it. What followed was a frustrating series of doctors visits. The first set of doctors told her she should limit stooping or bending, but then changed their opinion and cleared her to go back to work. Amazons efforts to accommodate her involved offering to reassign her to work unloading trucks, lifting pallets, moving pallets, and moving totes around.

At a meeting in April, Amazons workers compensation manager told Shannon that the companys safety senior ops manager had determined that she did not need any accommodations for her job. I didnt realize he went to doctor school, was Shannons response. In a subsequent meeting, Shannon was close to losing her temper: I hate this place. I feel like Im working in a prison camp. Do you know what its like to work for 10 hours a night and not be able to talk to anyone?

Shannon pawned her gun, one of her few possessions of value, to stay alive. I could not go another day without food, she said. I was finally able to buy some food and have a little bit of money left over.

She went to another doctor to get a second opinion. This doctor said that he did not understand why she was being released to go back to work. He said that she was seriously injured, ordered her to take off work for a month, and indicated that she may need surgery. However, this diagnosis was overturned by a peer review group, which determined that Shannons injuries were caused by old age and not by working at Amazon.

This is really what its like, Shannon said. I have not embellished anything. They really dont care about anything but profit.

I looked up all of Jeff Bezoss houses. It burned me up. While he is living high on the hog, in my house I have one light on at night. He has every light on. While hes comfortable with his millions and millions and billions, we are sweating like dogs in his warehouses. I call bullshit. There are people living in the parking lot at DFW-7. I have seen that myself. They go in to wash up in the bathroom. They eat at Amazon. They have refrigerated food that you can buy at way-above normal prices.

I want people who are in the same position to know that they are not alone, Shannon said. This is happening everywhere, all over the world. I am just one of hundreds of thousands of people who feel the exact same way, and they are too scared to speak up.PRESS RELEASE

24 May 2018

WENTWORTH RESOURCES LIMITED

("Wentworth" or the "Company")

Notice of Annual and Special Meeting

The annual and special meeting of common shareholders of Wentworth, will be held on 27 June 2018 at 10:00 a.m. (BST) at the offices of FTI Consulting, 200 Aldersgate, Aldersgate Street, London, United Kingdom.

A complete notice and related documents have been sent to the Shareholders of Record as of 18 May 2018. The Annual Report 2017 is also now available and can be found on the Company's website: www.wentworthresources.com/filings.php .

-Ends-

Enquiries:

Wentworth Bob McBean

Executive Chairman rpm@wentworthresources.com



Katherine Roe

Chief Financial Officer



katherine.roe@wentworthresources.com

+44 7841 087 230 Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited AIM Nominated Adviser and Broker (UK)

Callum Steward

Ashton Clanfield +44 (0) 20 7710 7600





GMP FirstEnergy





Broker (UK)

Hugh Sanderson

Jonathan Wright





+44 (0) 20 7448 0200





Peel Hunt LLP





Broker (UK)

Richard Crichton

Ross Allister





+44 (0) 20 7418 8900





FTI Consulting





Investor Relations Adviser (UK)

Edward Westropp

Kim Camilleri





wentworth@fticonsulting.com

+44 (0) 20 3727 1000

About Wentworth Resources

Wentworth Resources is a publicly traded (OSE: WRL, AIM: WRL), independent oil & gas company with: natural gas production; exploration and appraisal opportunities; and large-scale gas monetisation initiatives, all in the Rovuma Delta Basin of coastal southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique.

Inside Information

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by Wentworth to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) no. 596/2014 ("MAR"). On the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service ("RIS"), this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

This press release may contain certain forward-looking information. The words "expect", "anticipate", believe", "estimate", "may", "will", "should", "intend", "forecast", "plan", and similar expressions are used to identify forward looking information.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date the statements are made in light of management's experience, current conditions and expected future development in the areas in which Wentworth is currently active and other factors management believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Wentworth undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable law.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predicted outcome will not occur, including some of which are beyond Wentworth's control. These assumptions and risks include, but are not limited to: the risks associated with the oil and gas industry in general such as operational risks in exploration, development and production, delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures, the imprecision of resource and reserve estimates, assumptions regarding the timing and costs relating to production and development as well as the availability and price of labour and equipment, volatility of and assumptions regarding commodity prices and exchange rates, marketing and transportation risks, environmental risks, competition, the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources and changes in applicable law. Additionally, there are economic, political, social and other risks inherent in carrying on business in Tanzania and Mozambique. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could vary or differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. See Wentworth's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2017, available on Wentworth's website, for further description of the risks and uncertainties associated with Wentworth's business.

Notice



Neither the Oslo Stock Exchange nor the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange has reviewed this press release and neither accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.It took less than 48 hours from the opening of the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire to expose it as a cover-up.

Tuesday was the second day of moving commemorations by the bereaved families of those that died. Scheduled to last for up to two weeks, the initial statements made included several family members insisting that they would not accept any more lies and evasions from those they hold responsible.

The inquiry heard from Hisam Choucair, who lost six members of his family in the inferno, and from Karim Mussilhy, who lost his uncle, Hesham Rahman. The inquiry also heard a commemoration of Debbie Lemprell by her mother, Miriam, which was read out by Michael Volpe, the director of the opera where Debbie worked. Resha Ibrahim spoke about her sister Rania and two nieces, who also perished. Nick Burton, the widower of Maria Del Pilar Pily Burton, who died in hospital after the fire and is its 72nd victim, gave a moving tribute.

The last 12 months have seen the Conservative government and Kensington and Chelsea council treat the Grenfell bereaved and survivors with utter contemptwith many still living in hotels or temporary accommodation, despite repeated promises to rehouse them. Tuesday witnessed yet another example of the crass insensitivity of the authorities for families who remain deeply traumatised by the terrible events of June 14, 2017.

Around 20 survivors walked out in shock as video footage was shown during the tribute for the Choucair family. Included in the footage was Grenfell Tower on fire and people trapped in the building. The distress caused by the footage led one woman to collapse, with paramedics being called in to assist. People were still running out of the room before the footage was finally switched off, with the inquiry delayed for 30 minutes.

Those responsible for the sessions failed to issue a warning beforehand about the contents of the video, as they had promised to do.

Hisam Choucairs lost loved ones were his mother, Sirria Choucair, 60, a hospital caterer who lived on the 22nd floor; his sister, Nadia, 33, a nursery teacher, who lived in a neighbouring flat, and her husband Bassem, 38, a Marks and Spencer supervisor. Also taken were Nadia and Bassems three daughters, Mierna, 13, Fatima, 11, and Zaynab, 3.

Hisam said the fate of the Grenfell residents had been sealed as a result of the 2014-16 refurbishment of the block agreed by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenants Management Organisation (KCTMO) on behalf of the council, which covered the entire building in flammable cladding.

He said of Nadia and her family, They were proud of where they lived, but that all changed with the refurbishment. She had so many problems with the contractors, so much trouble with the council. There were many times when the lift broke down, which was terrible for my mother. It made it virtually impossible for her to leave the building. I was never happy with the building. I always had a bad feeling about it.

Hisam recalled how, on the night of the fire, he received a call at around 2.20 a.m. from his brother, informing him that Grenfell was in flames. He ran to the tower, he said, I found the building completely engulfed with flames. Unable to contact his family, he said, We had to stand there for hours, helpless, watching them all burn to death.

I have to live with my family ripped apart for the rest of my life. I dont see this as a tragedy; I see it is an atrocity, because essentially there is segregation between the rich and the poor. I think they call it a postcode lottery.

The inquiry led by Justice Sir Martin Moore-Bick will tolerate the most painful accounts of loved ones lost, but when the truth begins to emergewith the guilty parties openly condemnedthe default position is to warn about the implications of such statements.

Karim Mussilhys commemoration for his uncle, Hesham Rahman, who lived on the top floor, represented a searing indictment of the sated political and corporate elite responsible.

He went into his uncles flat after the fire. I remember saying, Im sorry, uncle. Im sorry you had to go through this. Im sorry you were left alone to die in this deathtrap.

He described terrible scenes inside the blackened, destroyed tower including, The smudged fingerprints of adults and kids in that narrow staircase that will stay with me forever.

This last memory of my uncle in his flat is what is giving me the strength to stand here right now, to fight for justice and change, and I promise you it will come. I promise you it will.

To this someone shouted Yes from the floor.

Karim continued, Everyone should cherish the time they have with their family. Because until those in power listen and make changes to a system that fails, until then, only God knows how many homes are safe in this country.

He continued, We are here to remember my uncle, Hesham Rahman, but to properly remember him, we have to remember why we are here. We are here because of failure. We are here because the system failed. The system was allowed to kill Hesham Rahman and 71 other souls, the very system designed to protect those people

And now we are having an inquiry to find out what most of us already know, what we have been saying for years and not been listened to. We are here because nobodynobodylistened, because those in authority were convinced they knew better. We are here because that system is broken. You cant sweep this under the carpet

Materials that are clearly dangerous to use in buildings are still there up and down the country. Right now, right this second while Im talking to you, these materials are still on these buildings, the very same ones that killed our families, that killed my uncle. Its been almost a year and only recently weve been told that the governments going to commit to remove this cladding. Not good enough is not the word.

Right now, right this second, this is how our families are being remembered. Theyre being remembered by a culture of neglect. Institutional inertia hiding behind a system that has failed.

We want the truth, not bureaucracy. We want light to be shone on what went wrong and who is responsible. We do not want excuses, buck-passing, fancy technical arguments or any legal grey areas; we want an inquiry into the truth, the truth that people died because those in authority convinced themselves that they had done enough.

Council to the inquiry Bernard Richmond then interrupted saying, Karim, can I justI have to be very careful here, and I dont mean to interrupt you, but some of what youre about to say is for the evidential hearings.

Aware of the mood, Richmond added, Im not going to stop you, Im not going to stop you.

Karim replied to Richmond, I think, with all due respect, weve been censored enough. Its our time. Whether you like it or not, you will have to listen, to which someone from the floor said, Speak, brother. Karim then received a standing ovation.

Within hours of the inquiry startingafter nearly a yearconditions are already being laid down about what can and cannot be said.

Richmonds intervention confirms that the first part of the inquiry, to run until at least December, is framed along the lines promised to Prime Minister Theresa May, that it will not discuss anything of a social, economic and political nature, i.e., anything which would expose Grenfell as an act of social murder and a crime of capitalism.

To read the full statements of Hisam Choucair, Karim Mussilhy, Nick Burton and others go here.

The Grenfell Fire Forum, initiated by the Socialist Equality Party, will be holding the next of its regular meetings on Saturday, May 26 at 2 p.m. at the Maxilla Social Club in North Kensington, London. The meeting will discuss the opening of the inquiry and the issues raised in this article. All are welcome to attend.

Grenfell Fire Forum meeting

Saturday May 26, 2 p.m.

Maxilla Social Club, 2 Maxilla Walk

London, W10 6SW (nearest tube: Latimer Road)



For further details, visit the Grenfell Fire Forums Facebook page hereAs the official Grenfell Tower Inquiry opened, Panorama special Grenfell: Who Is To Blame, with reporting by Richard Bilton of the BBC, offers a devastating indictment of the corporate forces responsible for the June 14, 2017 inferno that claimed 72 lives.

Grenfell Tower was covered in flammable cladding and insulation materials that had never been tested together. Biltons investigation draws out how companies were denying their responsibility for testing, jeopardising the safety of many thousands living in social and privately-owned housing tower blocks.

Bilton accuses manufacturer Celotex of having knowingly misled buyers about the safety and testing history of the insulation material. The formula for the Celotex product that received the safety certificate was different and safer than the product used at Grenfell Tower.

Bilton was at the scene shortly after the fire and has returned regularly to speak to survivors, including Mahad Egal, Luca Branislav and Maria Rahman. Of the three survivors interviewed, Mahad is still in temporary accommodation with his family. Luca, who rescued a woman from the blaze, is shown in distressing scenes having to move back again into temporary hotel accommodation following a fire next door to his new flat. Maria, whose brother Hesham perished, is traumatised, tearfully saying she only wants justice for all those who died.

Biltons starting point is the 2014 refurbishmentwhich covered Grenfell Tower in highly flammable materialas he seeks to identify those responsible. Architect Andrzej Kuszells design had created the gaps that allowed the fire to spread. Even given the relaxation of building regulations, says Bilton, it was Kuszells job to make his plans safe and he failed.

Lead construction company Rydon was paid 8.7 million to refurbish Grenfell Tower between 2014 and 2016, winning the contract by undercutting rival bids. Central to this was cutting costs by using cheaper materials. They failed to fill the gaps at the side of the windows, allowing the fire to spread.

Bilton states that it was Rydons suggestion to swap non-combustible materials for cheaper, flammable, substitutes. Fire expert Arnold Tarling, describing the fire as totally avoidable, said the company had opted to use a highly flammable material that is also highly toxic when burned. This was utterly wicked, he said.

As the building was to use a new combination of cladding and insulation materials, says Bilton, Rydon were legally responsible for conducting safety tests, and we dont think they did.

Bilton has to doorstep his corporate targets, as none answered his questions via emails or responded to telephone calls requesting interviews. In person, most refused to make any comment. Rydons chief executive and largest shareholder Robert Bond, thought to have been paid a salary of 424,000 in 2016, is the exception. Asked whether it was not his companys job to make Grenfell Tower safe, he protests, We did.

Bond denies that Rydon had been required to conduct safety tests, saying the cladding was specified by the council and approved by Building Control and by the architect.

The complacency was breathtaking: testing was not required, he said, because the materials were deemed to comply.

Rydon simply worked to the existing regulatory framework, which explains why they decided not to set aside money for potential losses or expenses related to the fire. Their September 2017 accounts stated bluntly, [N]o provision has been made in the accounts for any matters arising from these tragic events.

Bilton states that there was no question that the materials used on Grenfell Tower should have been tested, and said, We think its illegal that it wasnt.

The cladding and insulation materials had never been tested together. The makers of both products knew they were being combined at Grenfell Tower, but did not warn of risks.

Panorama tested both the cladding and the insulation. When the cladding gets hot its plastic centre melts and burns, immediately igniting the highly flammable insulation. Bilton sums it up, The more you look at what was on Grenfell Tower, the more horrifying it becomes.

When the programme showed footage of fire tests being conducted on the insulation material used at Grenfell, Bilton has to explain that this was the actual rate of fire spread: Its not sped up. Later we see footage of Grenfell shot by firefighters and their shock at the rapid spread of the fire.

Professor Richard Hull, Professor of Chemistry and Fire Science at the University of Central Lancashire, notes that the fire began on the fourth floor and spread up 24 floors in just 15 minutes.

Hull, an expert in the behaviour and suitability of fire retardants for plastics, explained that there was so much flammable material on Grenfell Tower that it was the equivalent of four large petrol tankers burning at the same time.

The rate of fire spread was compounded by the toxic smoke released. This contained hydrogen cyanide, which is 20 times more toxic than carbon monoxide.

All this raises questions about what safety tests Celotexs product had passed. Bilton said insulation had passed safety tests for use in specific conditions, but Celotex knowingly misled buyers about its suitability, claiming it was appropriate for refurbishing buildings taller than 18 metres when it was not. The company also claimed it was suitable for use with a range of cladding panels when it was not.

Celotex had been warned that their marketing was misleading, but continued with it.

The insulation used on Grenfell Tower had never been tested for use on tower blocks. When the safety certificate was issued, Celotex had been using a different formula, containing extra fire retardant. Bilton spells it out: We think a more flammable version was then sold for public use, adding, We have been advised that the companys behaviour could amount to corporate manslaughter.

Bilton attempted to get answers out of Robert Black, CEO of the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) at the time of the fire. KCTMO had overseen cost-cutting measures and ignored warnings from residents and Grenfell Action Group about the potentially catastrophic implications.

As with Robert Bond, Black said KCTMO were just operating within existing frameworks. KCTMO were managing Grenfell Tower for The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council, he said, and relied on the advice of experts.

Black had signed the planning application.

Walking down the street with him in an attempt to get answers, Bilton asked Black whether this was a planning application on the cheap, saying the survivors of Grenfell wanted to know the answer. Black refused to answer, stating that he would appear at the public inquiry.

Everything Bilton revealed confirms the characterisation of Grenfell Tower as an act of social murder perpetrated by the corporate and political elite. The gutting of building and safety regulations, cost-cutting and profiteering came at the cost of many lives.

The documentary states that corporate manslaughter charges may be brought forward to deal with such criminality. However, corporations only end up with a slap on the wrist while individuals responsible evade justice.

The programme powerfully documents the determination by the working-class community to establish justice. Early on, we see a large placard put up immediately after the fire, asking, Why do we the working class have to suffer again? As Hesham Rahmans sister, Maria, pledges, Not years. I will not wait years.

The documentary, reflecting the anger among the victims and bereaved and millions of workers and youth, ends with Bilton stating that on Monday, the Public Inquiry finally heard evidence for the first time, but the government still hasnt banned flammable cladding and insulation. No change. No arrests. No peace for Grenfells victims.

The programme is available in the UK for the next 11 months.French National Railway (SNCF) workers have voted overwhelmingly in a company-wide ballot to reject President Emmanuel Macrons planned privatization of the national rail system. Defying pressure from management not to vote and a press campaign backing Macron, 94.97 percent of SNCF staff voted against the measure, with 61.15 percent participation.

Far from retreating before Macron, workers and youth are increasingly combative. The vote came immediately after a one-day public sector strike against Macron and two weeks after striking Air France workers stunned management and the unions by rejecting a concessions contract. Students are protesting Macrons adoption of selective university admissions procedures favoring students from wealthy families.

The critical question now is to draw together the ever broader sections of the working class entering into struggle against the Macron government, counter efforts to isolate and dissipate these struggles, and link them to the growing movement of the working class internationally.

In 1935, amid the radicalization of the working class before the eruption of the 1936 French general strike, Leon Trotsky, the founder of the Fourth International, called for the formation of Committees of Action. These rank-and-file bodies organized independently of the union bureaucracies were to be, Trotsky wrote, the revolutionary representation of the struggling masses.

Today, as masses of workers and youth seek a way to carry the fight forward on the 50th anniversary of the 1968 French general strike, it is critical to again advance the demand for the formation of rank-and-file committees of action.

A chasm separates the militancy of the working class from the spineless policy of the union bureaucracies and their political allies. They see in the SNCF referendum vote not a repudiation by the working class of the agenda of austerity and militarism of Macron and the European Union, but rather a point of leverage in their negotiations with the government aimed at ending the strike and securing the social privileges of the union bureaucracy at the expense of the workers.

The rail unions have opened negotiations with Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, who said he would hold talks only if the unions agreed to an EU-mandated opening of the railways to competition, the scrapping of the rail workers statute to pave the way for cuts in wages and conditions, and the privatization of the SNCF. The only topic of discussion, Philippe said, was state financing of SNCF debt.

On Wednesday, Laurent Brun, the head of the Stalinist General Confederation of Labors railway federation, said SNCF management was totally discredited and asked the government to go over its reforms. But Macrons Republic on the March (LRM) party has made clear that it plans to ignore the SNCF referendum. Instead, it will work out the best means to impose the cuts in its talks with the General Confederation of Labour (CGT).

During the SNCF referendum, LRM deputy Gilles Le Gendre mocked illusions that just because there is massive opposition to the reform, we could go back on it. He declared, That is not true.

The state, SNCF management and the unions would work together, he insisted. We are all looking for an exit scenario from this crisis in which no one loses face, he said. That is our ambition. That is what we want, but in the context of a reform whose contents will not change.

In other words, the greater the opposition the government faces from the workers, the greater the betrayal it will demand from the unions.

Frances affluent middle class parties are covering for this reactionary operation, calling on the population to build a national movement against Macron led by the CGT. Backed by the New Anti-capitalist Party (NPA) and Workers Struggle (LO), Jean-Luc Melenchons Unsubmissive France (LFI) party is calling for a new Popular Front and a Human Wave protest on May 26, ostensibly to help the unions pressure Macron for concessions.

This is a trap for the workers. LFI, the NPA, LO and other petty bourgeois parties are giving their imprimatur to the unions moves to divide the workers, isolate strikes and sabotage the struggle against Macron. The unions have called off strikes at Air France until a new CEO is named, limited public sector strikes to symbolic one-day actions, and separated the rail strikes from those in the rest of the public sector.

Bitter historical experience shows that the unions and their political allies must not be allowed to dictate the terms of the class struggle to the working class.

Fifty years ago today, at the height of the 1968 general strike, the CGT launched the talks with state officials and business groups that produced the Grenelle Accords. The general strike had erupted not under CGT leadership, but in a rebellion against it. Less than two weeks later, it had brought French capitalism to its knees.

The Grenelle talks were the means for the CGT to betray the revolutionary opportunity. They led to wage concessions which the CGT used to get the workers to return to the plants and workplaces so as to rescue the de Gaulle government.

There will be no such reformist outcome of the class struggle today. The 1968 general strike erupted at the height of the post-war boom. Since then, however, industry in France and much of Europe has been devastated by decades of austerity and tax handouts to the rich. French capitalism no longer has the resources to offer social concessions. As Macron seeks 300 billion in military funding through 2024 amid growing NATO war threats against Iran, Syria and Russia, he will make agreements only at the workers expense.

Under these conditions, the struggle to build rank-and-file committees of action takes on enormous immediacy. In 1935, Trotsky stressed in Whither France that such committees were the only means of breaking the anti-revolutionary opposition of the trade union and party apparatus. Comparing them to the soviets formed by the Russian workers in 1917, which took power in the October Revolution under the leadership of the Bolsheviks, he wrote:

Committees of Action at their present stage have as their task to unite in a defensive struggle the toiling masses of France and thus imbue these masses with the consciousness of their own power for the coming offensive. Whether matters will reach genuine soviets depends on whether the present critical situation in France will unfold to the ultimate revolutionary conclusions.

The Parti de l'egalite socialiste (Socialist Equality PartyPES), the French section of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), urges the broadest discussion of this perspective in workplaces, schools and on the Internet. It calls on those who want to participate in this struggle to join and build the PES.

Working to impart the greatest possible consciousness of the nature and objectives of the emerging movement, the PES will advocate and assist in the formation of rank-and-file committees in factories and other work locations. It will seek to unite the emerging strike movement with all the expressions of working class opposition to war, austerity and social inequality and develop a socialist and internationalist movement of the working class to take state power and reorganize economic life on the basis of social need, not private profit.On Tuesday, candidates with links to the military or intelligence services won all four of the Democratic primary contests in which they were running. These results mark a significant advance in what amounts to the takeover of the Democratic Party by the national security apparatus.

In the Sixth District of Kentucky and in three Texas runoff contests, in the 21st, 23rd and 31st Congressional Districts, candidates running on their records in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan defeated more traditional Democratic candidates, one backed by the party establishment and three linked to Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign.

The most high-profile contest came in Kentuckys Sixth Congressional District, which includes the city of Lexington, the states second-largest, and a dozen nearby counties. Lexington Mayor Jim Gray had the backing of most of the party establishment after he entered the race, but he was defeated by former Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath, the first woman to fly an F-18 fighter jet in combat, who was backed by veterans and womens groups and raised more than $2 million through a series of Internet ads that focused on her military combat role.

The incumbent Republican congressman, Andy Barr, won reelection in the district by 12 percentage points in 2016, but is considered one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the November election. The primary turnout was an indication, with 100,418 voting in the Democratic contest compared to 48,372 in the Republican. Both McGrath and Gray received more votes than Barr, who had only token opposition in the Republican primary.

In three Texas congressional district runoffs, candidates with a military-intelligence background defeated candidates who adopted a more progressive stance, including two who were heavily backed by Our Revolution, the group founded by Sanders supporters.

In the 21st Congressional District, Joseph Kopser, a West Point graduate and Army Ranger with 14 months in Iraq and several years at the Pentagon, defeated former math teacher Mary Wilson, a gay activist and pastor who finished first in the primary but was heavily outspent in the runoff election. Kopser raised $1.2 million and spent most of it. Wilson raised and spent less than $100,000. Kopser remains an underdog in the general election to replace retiring Republican Lamar Smith, with Republican voters accounting for 55 percent of the primary turnout.

In the 23rd Congressional District, former Air Force intelligence officer Gina Ortiz Jones easily defeated schoolteacher Rick Trevino, who had the backing of Our Revolution but was outspent by a margin of nearly 50 to 1. Ortiz Jones, designated part of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committees highest priority Red to Blue program, raised $1.2 million and spent $800,000. Trevino spent only $37,000, and lost by a 2-1 margin.

Ortiz Jones will face incumbent Republican Will Hurd, a former CIA officer, giving voters in the district, which extends along much of the US-Mexico border, their choice of intelligence agents to send to Congress.

In the 31st Congressional District, former Air Force helicopter pilot Mary Jennings Hegar defeated osteopath Christine Mann for the nomination to face incumbent Republican John Carter in a district extending from the northern Austin suburbs to Temple and Fort Hood. Hegar is another favorite of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), and had an 8-1 financial advantage in the runoff.

She came to prominence in a lawsuit to win the right of female pilots to fly in combat after flying a medical rescue helicopter during three tours in Afghanistan. Her memoir, Shoot Like a Girl: One Womans Dramatic Fight in Afghanistan and on the Home Front, is becoming a biographical film with Angelina Jolie cast in the lead role.

The four victories for Tuesday brings to at least 12 the number of former military-intelligence operatives who have been nominated by the Democratic Party as its congressional candidates, with at least 25 more on the ballot next month in nearly a dozen states, from Maine to California.

There has been virtually no discussion in the corporate media about the significance of this rising force in the Democratic Party, or the critical role that a military-intelligence faction would play if the Democrats regained control of the House of Representatives in November. In that event, a group of two or three dozen Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans and intelligence operatives would hold the balance of power in Congress.

Instead, the focus of media coverage has been the rise of women candidates, and particularly minority women, including the two most prominent winners on Tuesday: Stacey Abrams, who won the Democratic nomination for governor of Georgia, and Lupe Valdez, who won the Democratic nomination for governor of Texas. Both will be considerable underdogs in the fall campaign, with Abrams facing the winner of a Republican runoff between Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle and Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, and Valdez challenging incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott.

According to the corporate media, the gender of these candidateswhich they share with half the human raceis more important than the law-and-order demagogy of Valdez, the former sheriff of Dallas County, or the right-wing political record of Abrams, who led the Democratic minority in the Georgia state legislature, making a series of deals with Republican governors and legislative majorities.

Similarly, McGrath, Hegar and Ortiz Jones are presented as part of the wave of female candidates winning nominations for the House of Representatives, while the fourth military-intelligence candidate, Kopser, as a white male, does not rate a mention.

The focus on gender is most obviously bankrupt when it comes to a contest like that in the Seventh Congressional District of Texas, in the upscale Houston suburbs, where millionaire corporate lawyer Elizabeth Pannill Fletcher faced former journalist and progressive Laura Moser, who was attacked by the DCCC during the first round of primaries but nonetheless won second place and forced a runoff.

Fletcher had the support of Emilys List, the well-financed lobby that promotes female candidates, mainly Democrats, although there were few differences between her and Moser on the issues and both candidates are women. The corporate media barely reported one important difference between the two: Fletchers law firm has been a frequent combatant on behalf of large corporations against workers, including attacks on the Fight for 15 campaign promoted by the AFL-CIO and the Services Employees International Union.

The trade unions and their left supporters heavily promoted the Moser campaign, with The Nation magazine citing claims that she was building a movement and had 1,300 volunteers working on her behalf. In the runoff, however, she ended up with only 5,605 votes, less than half the total for Fletcher, and her vote actually fell significantly from the first round of the primary, when she received some sympathy votes after the DCCC attack.

The current issue of The Nation carries a cover story headlined Texas Showdown, which overstated the prospects of three Sanders-type candidates for CongressMary Wilson, Rick Trevino and Laura Moserall of whom lost badly on Tuesday to candidates backed by the Democratic Party establishment.

These results underscore the bankruptcy of the perspective advanced by various pro-Sanders pseudo-left organizations of turning the Democratic Party into a progressive party of the people.The technology giant Amazon is providing police agencies and private intelligence contractors in the United States with facial recognition and video tracking algorithms to conduct mass surveillance on the population.

Amazons artificial intelligence software, named Rekognition, transforms CCTV, police body camera and other government video sources into an omnipresent eye, constantly collecting data and analyzing it in real-time using databases of tens of millions of images of the population. It provides police agencies with the power to track the movements and activities of targeted individuals and identify individuals in public places such as at demonstrations.

The program was brought to public attention by a report published by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Tuesday. It was accompanied by an open letter from the ACLU and other civil liberties groups to Amazons CEO and the worlds richest man, Jeff Bezos, calling on Amazon to cease providing the service to government agencies.

Amazon Web Solutions (AWS) unveiled Rekognition in November 2016, marketing it as a useful tool for government agencies to inspect photos for objects or people of interest or concern. One year later, Amazon announced the addition of a video monitoring feature, which detects persons captured on video, even when the camera is in motion and, for each person, returns a bounding box around their face, identifying face attributes.

The AWS website states: For security and public safety applications, this helps identify persons of interest against a collection of millions of faces in real-time, enabling timely and accurate crime prevention. The program can also identify vehicles based on license plate numbers from images taken by street cameras.

The company also announced a new feature, Crowd-Mode Face Detection, which can identify 100 individual faces in a single image. It states that the program can capture demographics and analyze sentiments based on facial analysis of group photos, crowded events and public places. The blog post includes an accompanying image of hundreds of people whose faces have been automatically detected.

Amazon's example photo of crowd recognition software

Both the Washington County Sheriffs Office in Oregon, and the city of Orlando, Florida, are publicly listed as current Rekognition customers on the Amazon Web Solutions (AWS) website.

The operations in Orlando were described at a recent developer conference in Seoul, South Korea by the director of Rekognition, Ranju Das. City of Orlando is a launch partner of ours, Das said. They have cameras all over the city. The authorized cameras are then streaming the data. We analyze the video in real time [and] search against the collection of faces they have.

Emails obtained by the ACLU under a freedom of information request submitted in January show that Washington County sheriffs introduced the software by February, 2017, within three months of its unveiling, and immediately combined it with a database of 300,000 police photos. The county also created a mobile app for its deputies to submit images for verification while on duty.

Another email obtained by the ACLU, dated July 10, 2017, shows a request from the Oregon Terrorism Information Threat Assessment Network (TITAN) Fusion Center to process images through the sheriff offices Rekognition software. Fusion centers are under the control of the federal Department of Homeland Security and coordinate the sharing of information on counter-terrorism between the FBI and state, local government and private contractors.

The publicly-listed users of the Rekognition software also include ARMED Data Fusion Systems, a private intelligence contractor dedicated to the development and integration of cutting-edge technology to combat acts of political violence, terrorism, organized criminal activities, and insider threats. The contractors website lists a number of services, including responding to mass public demonstrations and civil unrest, and identifying radicalized individuals who pose an imminent threat.

During a speech to a four-day AWS re:Invent conference in November 2016, the chief data scientist for Motorola Solutions, Dan Law, promoted the companys new software developed in conjunction with Amazons Rekognition. A video demonstration of the software shows police body-cam footage being live-streamed and processed to identify every person in the officers line of sight in real time. When a missing suspect is identified, it immediately calls all nearby officers to the scene.

Motorola chief data scientist Dan Law introduces technology using Amazon's Rekognition software to identify individuals in real time with police body-camera footage.

The integration of artificial intelligence technology, controlled by giant technology corporations run by billionaire oligarchs, into the repressive apparatus of the capitalist state, poses the gravest threats to the democratic rights of the working class.

It is not hard to imagine to what uses this technology will be put as mass opposition continues to grow in the working class in the US and internationally to the policies of austerity and war offered by the financial elite. Individuals participating in anti-war demonstrations are to be automatically identified and targeted. Immigration agents are to be empowered with the ability to immediately identify immigrants targeted for deportation.

Workers in factories are to be subjected to an ever-greater level of corporate surveillance, monitoring for disobedience and repression. In a speech delivered on January 23, 2018, AWSs senior product manager, Venkatesh Bagaria, gloated that Rekognition should be adopted by factories who want to really understand what is happening on their floor. To remain operationally efficient, he said, they could use recognition video to look for particular activities or certain people. If a worker is not supposed to be in a particular area and he shows up, you could find him with facial recognition.

Amazons Rekognition program is only the latest demonstration of the integration of the giant technology corporations, including Google, Facebook and Amazon, into the military-police-intelligence apparatus. Amazons AWS has hosted a top-security data center for the 17 American intelligence agencies that make up the intelligence community since 2013, when it won a $600 million tender for the contract.

Last April, a letter to the CEO of Google, signed by more than 3,000 Google employees, demanded the ending of the companys Project Maven, which involves the use of artificial intelligence to analyze objects in drone footage for the Pentagon, and could easily be used to identify targets for drone assassinations across the Middle East and Africa.

At the same time, Google and Facebook are assisting the US government to suppress political opposition to these policies. Since April 2017, both have announced measures, in the name of fighting fake news, aimed at reducing access to socialist, left-wing and anti-war publications.

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Google, drone murder and the military-intelligence-censorship complex

[23 May 2018]The following letter was sent to the WSWS by Skot Garrick, communications director for the South Carolina Education Association, in response to the article, Teachers and public workers protest in South Carolina, published on May 21. It is followed by a reply from the WSWS Teacher Newsletter.

As Communications Director for The South Carolina Education Association, I appreciate the advance coverage our May 19 mobilization received from your publication, and the subsequent write up by Hiram Lee. Thank you for taking note of what we are doing in SC on behalf of educators and state employees.

However, I must take extreme exception to an error near the end of the story. The story stated: Workers commented that the unions did nothing to promote the event in Columbia. One teacher told the WSWS, We didnt know about this ourselves until a few days ago. If it had been better promoted, Im sure more people would have come.

It is completely false to state the unions did nothing to promote the event. In terms of news coverage, the event had print and electronic coverage dating from the time the first press release went out on Thursday, May 10, before the first press release even went out and due to my advance conversations with contacts in the media.

Once the released [sic] went out, we received television coverage form [sic] Charleston on the coast to Greenville on the other end of the state for over one week. We were in print on television news on almost a daily basis throughout the state.

Further, I sent e-mail notifications on a regular basis, three times last week leading up to the event, to more than 30,000 recipients (each time), a mass phone texting to more than 8,500 recipients and posted numerous times on our social media. The event was promoted in US News and World Report.

As I remember, your publication promoted the event. I am appalled and personally insulted by the accusation we did nothing to promote the event. Why didnt you reach out to us, to me as Communications Director, to verify that statement before publication? Please address this.

***

Mr. Garrick,

The World Socialist Web Site accurately reported what South Carolina teachers said during the May 19 rally at the state capitol in Columbia. You may not like the criticisms regarding the extent of the unions promotion of the rally, but these were made by the teachers themselves.

While you may be satisfied with the unions effort, it was not seen by teachers as sufficient. Similar criticisms were expressed on social media, including on the North Carolina Teachers United Facebook page, where one educator, responding to a photo of the Columbia rally, commented, Wish there had been more advertising so we couldve shown up in droves.

While you may take issue with teachers assessment of the South Carolina Education Associations promotion of the rally, it is perfectly clear that the SCEA and its parent union, the National Education Association (NEA), are trying to prevent South Carolina teachers from joining the wave of teacher strikes and protests spreading across the country.

With South Carolina teachers using Facebook to organize opposition outside the union and the Kershaw County school superintendent recently warning of large storm clouds gathering in the form of a potential strike, the SCEA chose to hold the May 19 rally on a Saturday so there would be no disruption of school. It also made no effort to bring teachers from North Carolina, where just three days before 20,000 educators had marched on the state capitol in Raleigh.

Instead, the small crowd at the Columbia rally was informed by officials from the York County Education Association, the Palmetto State Teachers Association and other local unions that nothing could be done to improve wages and school funding except campaigning for the election of Democrats and pro-education Republicans.

After betraying the strikes in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona, the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers and their state affiliates are trying to prevent any further walkouts by diverting opposition behind their campaigns to elect Democrats in November. If teachers are demobilized, however, this will give the Trump administration and both big business parties a free hand to launch a counteroffensive against teachers and public education.

The WSWS will continue to alert teachers that the struggle for their social rights and the rights of the entire working class can only be taken forward independently of and in opposition to the strike-breaking unions and both corporate-controlled parties.

Sincerely,

Jerry White, on behalf of the WSWS Teacher NewsletterPART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE

Professor Piers Robinson is the chair in politics, society and political journalism at the University of Sheffield. Much of his research focusses on the interface between propaganda and war.

His 2002 book, The CNN Effect: The Myth of News Media, Foreign Policy and Intervention, examined news reporting in a series of humanitarian interventions in Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Rwanda.

He was the lead author of Pockets of Resistance: British News Media, War and Theory in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq (2010), an ambitious and meticulous analysis of television and press coverage during the invasion.

The Routledge Handbook of Media, Conflict and Security(2016), which Robinson authored with Philip Seib and Romy Frohlich, links the growing body of media and conflict research with the field of security studies.

As a member of the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media (WGSPM), founded in 2017, Robinson and fellow academics such as Professor Tim Hayward (environmental political theory, University of Edinburgh) have questioned the official narrative in relation to the Skripal poisoning and the role of the White Helmets in Syria that is being promoted by the media and the US and British governments.

For this, they have been the subject of a witch hunt initiated by the Guardian and taken up last month by the Times, smearing them as Assads Apologists. Earlier this month, Labour-run Leeds City Council announced it was cancelling a Media on Trial event at which Robinson and Hayward were due to speak. The event has been relocated.

Professor Robinson spoke to Julie Hyland for the World Socialist Web Site in a wide-ranging interview on war, lies and censorship, beginning with the Times smear.

Piers Robinson: My personal experience over the last two years, and especially the last eight or nine months, is that the attack is not spontaneous. It didnt start with the Times. I was attacked by Padraig Reidy of Little Atoms two years ago after I wrote an article for the Guardian on Russian and Western propaganda and how people need to think for themselves.

I was attacked by Oliver Kamm [a Times lead columnist] over Twitter a long time before the Times articles. Tim Hayward had a lot of run-ins with [Guardian journalist] George Monbiot over Twitter.

[Investigative journalists] Vanessa Beeley and Eva Bartlett have been attacked and derided as conspiracy theorists and pro-Assad apologists for a long time.

We were aware as we started doing the Media on Trial events, which were very successful, that more attention was coming to us. In December 2017, the Guardian ran a hit piece on Vanessa and Eva. Two days later, George Monbiot tweeted that myself and Tim Hayward had disgraced ourselves over Syria.

We wrote an open letter which the Guardian wouldnt publish. We spoke to journalists, but they refused to publish it. Once we put that out we got more attacks over Twitter.

We set up the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media and thats when Brian Whitaker (formerly of the Guardian) started attacking us. Then the Times focussed in on the Working Group.

There was a lot of chatter going on, and it wasnt low-grade chatter. You are suddenly aware of more and more attacks, and it was getting more intense. The more organised we were, the more intense the attacks became.

I think its naive to think all this is happening spontaneously. It feels as if it is being driven. Thats the only way I can logically explain the scale of the attack. Four articles in the Times all on one day. Why does that happen?

Throughout all this time I always tried to return to What questions are we asking? We are asking questions about propaganda and the war on Syria. For me as an academic, the obvious explanation is that we are hitting an area that some people dont want us to touch. Thats the bottom line. Some people dont want us to talk about or research the [Syrian] White Helmets. They certainly dont want us to research or talk about what has been happening in Syria with respect to chemical weapons attacks.

Julie Hyland: You said Britain is far more involved in Syria than many would realise. Can you expand on this?

PR: The last set of air strikes after the Douma chemical weapon event, Tony Blair said something along the lines that Doing nothing is not an option.

We know that is not true. We have not been doing nothing! Thats such a profound misunderstanding of the reality of where we are now in Syria. Weve been intervening for a long time. Its public record. Its not disputed.

As Professor Jeffrey Sachs (Columbia University) told MSNBC on April 12, We need to understand how we got to where we are today. We are the cause of half a million dead.

He said, and Im paraphrasing, that this was the result of a covert operation called Timber Sycamore between the CIA and Saudi Arabia to overthrow the Syrian government. He said it has been covert, not approved by Congress, against international law and it has led to the destruction of that country.

The public perception is that Syria is an almost incomprehensible Middle East conflict and that were sitting on the sidelines. If it is possible for Tony Blair to say non-intervention is not an option that shows straight away that people have a deeply flawed understanding of what is going on, because we have been intervening and for a long time.

The Stop the War Coalition seem to have even been doing that as well, demanding that We shouldnt intervene. I was a member and I gave a talk in Sheffield. I think that Stop the War should not talk about non-intervention in the way they sometimes do because there is an intervention already underway. I thought there was a problem in the way they are presenting this, because my impression was that they were not really getting to the root of what was going on.

Millions have been poured into supporting militant groups, some of whom are extremists and linked to Al Qaeda. These are the groups that have been major factors in propelling the war.

Thats the major gap in public awareness and political awareness. I think that gap is reducing now. When I say on TV that we have been supporting militant groups and pouring money in, I dont seem to have anyone disagreeing with me. We now know more about information operations and the White Helmets, and there is increasing public awareness of the latter. Overall, I think there is a large propaganda operation in relation to Syria and theres a lot of money going into that. Its very organised.

In 2016 there was a Guardian scoop in which Ian Cobain identified the company, InCoStrat in Turkey, set up to do PR for militant groups. You have a lot of British involvement, whether its the so-called White Helmets or InCoStrat. That is all now in the public domain.

In terms of what I am involved in with a PhD researcher, Jake Mason, and also with Professor David Miller (Bath), Britain seems to be quite involved in so-called information operations regarding Syria. So, we are looking into how Britain has been involved in shaping understanding of the conflict, including the issue of who has been carrying out chemical attacks and whether there has been an attempt to exaggerate Syrian government crimes and downplay those of militant groups.

People have been talking for a number of years about the Ghouta chemical attack [2013]. Is it the Syrian government or militant groups? This is one of the questions that some of us are looking at.

With Douma more recently, there have been a lot of questions. Russian Foreign Secretary Sergei Lavrov said it was Jaysh al-Islam [a coalition of Islamic extremists] that was responsible and even intimated that the order came from the British: Maybe Lavrov is lying, maybe he is not. Major-General Jonathan Shaw, [formerly senior commander in the British Army] was on Sky News and he appeared to be raising questions as to why the Assad government would do it just at the point when it was negotiating the last transfer of Jaysh al-Islam to Idlib.

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon is a source for journalists. He is ex-British military [and former commander of NATOs Rapid Reaction CBRN Battalion] and set up a company, SecureBio, in 2011 [now dissolved]. He is regularly talking to the media and he seems to be never very far from the government line on this issue.

If Britain is involved in the presentation regarding these attacks, it means we are very involved. We are very important in helping to shape the perceptions of the war and the question is how much might those perceptions have been distorted or manipulated? How accurate are they?

To be continued

Even before an American delegation departs for Beijing to flesh out the details, this weeks agreement between the US and China on trade, which led to the suspension of tariffs on up to $150 billion worth of Chinese goods, appears to be coming apart.

In a tweet posted yesterday, President Donald Trump seemed to cast doubt on the prospects for the agreement. Our trade deal with China is moving along nicely, but in the end we will probably have to use a different structure in that this will be too hard to get done and verify after completion, he said.

Asked by reporters if he was happy with the direction of the negotiations with China, Trump said no, not really and then added later theyre a start.

Since Mondays announcement that the threatened tariffs would be put on hold while negotiations take place on increased Chinese imports from the US, the deal has come under fire from critics on both sides of the US Congress on the basis that, in search of a quick deal, the administration has given in to Beijing.

These criticisms are linked to Trumps decision to search for some way of penalising the Chinese telecommunications firm ZTE other than the Commerce Departments decision to ban the sales of US components to the firm, effectively putting it out of business. The ban was imposed after ZTE was found to have breached a deal struck over its trading with Iran and North Korea in defiance of US sanctions.

Trump has been searching for an alternative after Chinese President Xi Jinping indicated that action to restore ZTEs capacity to operate must be part of a broader trade agreement with the US.

On Tuesday, 27 Democrat and Republican senators issued a letter to the Trump administration, insisting there must be no easing of controls on the export of technology to China as a means of reducing the US trade deficit. The letter, signed by Senate majority whip John Cornyn and Florida Republican Marco Rubio, along with leading Democrats Charles Schumer and Sherrod Brown, also attacked any deal on ZTE.

We strongly urge you to reject any proposal by China to loosen existing restrictions on the export or other transfer of sensitive US technologies, the letter said. Any such move would bolster Chinas aggressive military modernization and significantly underline long-term US national security interests.

Beijing has proposed that in order to increase the flow of US exports to China, Washington allow the sale of goods to China that are not subject to restrictions if exported to Western countries. But this has been vigorously opposed by the military and national security establishment.

The letter said the administration should not compromise lawful US enforcement actions against serial and premeditated violators of US law, such as ZTE and export control and sanctions laws should not be negotiable.

Invoking the rhetoric of the Cold War, it said fidelity to the rule of law distinguished the US from a country like China that is ruled by a Communist dictatorship.

Schumer earlier said that if the administration allowed ZTE to survive it would be a signal to President Xi that we are weak negotiators. Schumer criticised the agreement for failing to deal with the issue of intellectual property rights.

Chinas trade negotiators must be laughing themselves all the way back to Beijing, Schumer told Congress on Monday. The United States cannot let China continue to steal Americas lifeblood, our intellectual property and flout international trade laws.

Rubio has threatened to take action in Congress to prevent any deal on ZTE. In tweets earlier this week, he said: China is out-negotiating the administration and winning the trade talks right now. They have avoided tariffs and got a ZTE deal without giving up anything meaningful in return by using N. Korea talks and agriculture issues as leverage.

Republican Senator Steve Daines of Montana took Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to task during a hearing on Tuesday. It is very important as we engage in these negotiations, we cant just see this is a standard trade dispute with China, he said. We must keep in mind Chinas long-term strategic approach and their long-term goal of becoming the worlds superpower, militarily and economically.

These remarks reflect concern among administration critics that Mnuchin is too prepared to secure a deal to reduce the US trade deficit at the expense of the more fundamental issue of Beijings Made in China 2025 program to boost its high-tech industriesa process regarded as an existential threat to US economic and military dominance.

A prominent supporter of the Trump election campaign also criticised Mnuchin. In an interview with Bloomberg, Dan DiMicco, the former chief executive of the steel company Nucor, said it did not make sense to have the treasury secretary negotiating trade policy, as this was the US trade representatives job.

DiMicco now sits on an advisory committee for the trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, who is seen as more hawkish over China than Mnuchin. Lighthizer issued a statement earlier this week on the trade deal, saying that while getting more exports to China was important, the more important issues were around technology. Real structural change is necessary [there], he said.

Wall Street Journal writer Grep Ip summed up the position of the administrations China trade critics. Of all the fights Trump had picked over trade, he wrote, his hand against China appeared to be the strongest. Yet, incredibly, China appeared at this point to be winning, having thus far escaped the bulk of US tariffs while giving up almost nothing in return.

Mr Trump, Ip wrote, initially seemed to have more stomach for confrontation with China than his predecessors. Instead, China has shrewdly exploited his weak points: his hope for a breakthrough with North Korea, a Chinese client; a low threshold for political pain, especially in Republican farm states; and a readiness to play Chinas game of using legal proceedings as a commercial bargaining chip.

It may be still early days in the US-China trade conflict. No doubt there will be many twists and turns ahead.

But one important political issue has been clarified already. The bipartisan criticism of the administration over the China trade issue has blown away the illusion that Trumps bellicose economic and trade agenda is the outcome of the proclivities of the present occupant of the White House and that normality would return were he to depart.

So far as key sections of the ruling class are concerned, the trade issue is part of a life-and-death struggle to maintain US hegemony by whatever means necessary, both against old rivals and potential new ones.Police have killed at least 12 protesters in Tuticorin, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, in a brutal crackdown on mass opposition to a copper smelter that has spewed hazardous industrial waste into the area for decades, causing numerous fatalities.

Ten protesters, including two women, were killed Tuesday and more than 60 others injured when police opened fire on a crowd of 20,000 that had defied a government ban on gatherings of more than four people. Yesterday, when opponents of the smelter took to the streets of Tuticorin to denounce Tuesdays state violence, police again resorted to gunfire, killing a further protester.

Tamil Nadus chief minister, the head of the Tamil Nadu regionalist AIADMK, Edappadi Palaniswami, has justified the bloody police repression. The police, declared Palaniswami, had to take action under unavoidable circumstances to protect public life and property.

H. Raja, the national secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hindu supremacist party that dominates Indias national government, has also endorsed the shooting down of people who were demanding the closure of a facility, owned by a billionaire Indian industrialist, that has wreaked havoc on the lives of the people of Tuticorin, as well as fishermen along a large swathe of Indias south-east coast. The police had no other option, claimed Raja, because the protests had turned into violence. The AIADMK is a close ally of the BJP, although not formally part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

The killings have provoked revulsion and anger across India. Fearing mass social unrest, the Tamil Nadu state government has ordered all internet access shut down for five days in Thoothukudi (the district in which Tuticorin is situated) and in the neighbouring districts of Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari.

In his letter to internet providers ordering the shutdown, state Home Secretary Niranjan Mardi said Tuesdays mass gathering of people was achieved mainly through the information passed via social media. He claimed anti-social elements were now seeking to exploit the situation by sending provocative messages.

According to the Chennai-based Hindu newspaper, A high-level alert has been sounded across Tamil Nadu, with intelligence agencies warning of possible attacks on public transport and sabotage of railway tracks in the backdrop of State-wide protests planned by political parties, fishermen and others.

These warnings strongly suggest that further state violence is being prepared. For its part, the BJP central government has placed the para-military Central Reserve Police Force on standby for possible deployment in Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu government and police have blamed outside agitators and leftists for Tuesdays murderous violence, claiming that they incited the protesters to run amok. In fact, everything suggests the authorities deliberately provoked a bloody confrontation.

Acting on a complaint filed by Vedanta Resources, the transnational corporation that owns the Tuticorin copper smelter, a Madras High Court judge declared last Friday that Tuesdays protestwhich was to mark the 100th day of an agitation for the permanent closure of the smelterwas likely to trigger a law and order situation. He then went on to recommend that the District Collector outlaw the protest by invoking Section 144 of the criminal code, an authoritarian British colonial statute. This the Collector promptly did.

The AIADMK government mobilized 1,500 police, bringing in security forces from outside Tuticorin, with the intention of violently suppressing Tuesdays illegal protest. Acting according to plan, police, virtually from the get-go, set upon the demonstrators, attacking them with lathis (truncheons) and tear gas. When the protesters pushed back, the police resorted to live bullets and, in violation of their own standing orders and guidelines, did so without warning and with lethal intent.

The head of the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties, V. Suresh, has pointed to video and eyewitness evidence that indicates police deliberately sought to kill protesters. Standing atop police vehicles, police snipers shot directly at people leading the march, aiming to kill them, charged Suresh yesterday.

Adding insult to injury, the Tamil Nadu government is now offering the victims of Tuesdays police violence derisory compensation. The families of the dead are to be given 1 million rupees (less than US $15,000), those with serious injuries (about $4,400), and the other injured 100,000 rupees or about $1,460.

While defending to the hilt the polices actions, the AIADMK government has ordered a phony inquiry into Tuesdays events that will be presided over by a High Court judge.

Indias courts, like the rest of Indias state apparatus and political establishment, have given Vedanta and its multi-billionaire boss, Anil Agrawal, the greenlight to spew toxic waste from the Sterlite copper smelter for decades.

The local population has been loudly complaining about the Sterlite smelters adverse environmental impact since it opened, in the mid-1990s, only to be faced with a wall of official indifference and opposition.

Indeed, Indian authorities have approved Vedantas plan to double the smelters production capacity from 400,000 to 800,000 tonnes per year.

Toxic arsenic, lead, sulphur dioxide and other emissions from the smelter have poisoned the local groundwater, led to a huge spike in respiratory illness in the immediate vicinity of the smelter, and had a devastating impact on pearl harvesting and fishing off the shores of southeastern Tamil Nadu.

Flouting a mass of evidence, Vedanta and successive Tamil Nadu governments have insisted the smelter is not an environmental hazard. But a 2008 study of more 80,000 people living in a 5-kilometer radius of the smelter found that 13.9 percent of them suffered from respiratory diseases due to the presence of gas, mixture of gases and particulate matter.

In 1996, 1999 and 2013, the Sterlite smelter was ordered shut down after its sulphur dioxide emissions were shown to have greatly exceeded minimal environmental standards. Each time, the authorities connived with Vedanta to quickly resume production.

In 2013, Indias Supreme Court set aside a lower court order halting production and instead ordered Sterlite to pay a paltry fine of 1 billion rupees, or about US$15 million.

Due to low wages and Indias lax and largely unenforced environmental standards, the Sterlite facility is said to be among the worlds most profitable copper smelters.

The agitation against the Sterlite smelter is part of a mounting wave of social struggles across India, involving workers in Indias new globally-connected automotive and other industries, the urban and rural poor, and student youth.

While the Indian elite, foreign investors and western media celebrate Indias purported rise, the vast majority of the countrys 1.3 billion people eke out an existence on $2 a day or less. A quarter-century of pro-market reform has transformed India into one of the worlds more unequal and socially polarized societies. The top 1 percent of Indias population appropriates almost a quarter of all income and owns 60 percent of the countrys total wealth.

But Indias capitalist elite, like its counterparts the world over, is anxiousfearful of opposition from below and the growing disfunction of its own system, which is fueling an ever more frenzied and violent struggle for market, profits and geopolitical advantage.

Four years ago, it brought the BJP, led by the Hindu strongman Narendra Modi, to power to pursue a more confrontational policy against the working class and more aggressively assert its great-power ambitions.

The Modi government has accelerated pro-investor reforms, including gutting environmental regulations and introducing a new term-employment category under which employers can lay off workers at will and without any compensation. It has effectively transformed India into a frontline state in US military-strategic offensive against China and it has systematically promoted Hindu communalism in an attempt to divide and weaken working class opposition to its ultra-right-wing agenda.

Earlier this month, former Indian National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan urged Indias leader to beware a developing storm of social opposition. Protests and agitations have a life of their own, wrote Narayanan, and underestimating their potential could be cause for grief.

What has prevented this mounting opposition from taking the form of a working class political challenge to the Modi government and Indian capitalism are the treacherous policies pursued by the Stalinist parliamentary parties and trade unions. For decades the Stalinists have functioned as part of the political establishment, systematically suppressing the class struggle. They have responded to the bourgeoisies embrace of the BJP and reaction by lurching still further to the right and pursuing an alliance with the Congress Party, the Indian bourgeoisies traditional party of government and the party that over the past quarter-century spearheaded both neo-liberal reform and Indias global strategic partnership with Washington.

In response to the events in Tuticorin, the Stalinists have called for joint protests with the Congress Party, its regional ally, the DMK, and other right-wing bourgeois parties that have connived in allowing Vedanta to amass a fortune while destroying the lives and livelihoods of people in southeast Tamil Nadu.As the ruling class in Germany forges ahead with its plans for war and rearmament, it can rely above all on the person of Joschka Fischer. Twenty years ago the Green Party leader and former German foreign minister organised the first German combat mission since the Second World Warin Kosovo. Since then he has enthusiastically supported every foreign mission by the Bundeswehr (German armed forces). Now he is leading the campaign for a massive increase in the German defence budget and an aggressive imperialist foreign policy.

In an interview in the current issue of Der Spiegel, Fischer explains: It's all about us: for years, we have invested too little in our security. I read just in the past week that Bundeswehr pilots are losing their licenses because they cannot complete enough flying hours due to helicopter malfunctions. Submarines cannot operate because of a shortage of spare parts. We have only four operational Eurofighters. What an indictment! If you ask me if we can defend ourselves, then the clear answer is no.

In response to an observation by Der Spiegel that Germans did not want to spend more money on armaments, Fischer replied: That's a problem, but we have to do it. We must have a minimum defence capability, otherwise Europe will suffer. Do you think I like saying we have to do more for our defence? We are too big and too important to prefer slimming down.

In terms of its content and choice of words, Fischers interview is reminiscent of the speeches of the advocates of German great power politics prior to the two world wars. Without Germany it does not work, Fischer explains at one point. If we are convinced we have to remain in the wake of world history, Europeans will not be able to act. It is a historic moment when Europe has to take a leap. Either we act now, or we do nothing. In which case we'll be left behind and will no longer matter.

Fischer frankly declares that his main concern is the defence of the economic and geo-strategic interests of German imperialism in its rivalry with the other great powers. In terms of economic policy, US President Donald Trump has placed a question mark over the economic model of the federal republic, which was focused from the start on export. Based on the current balance of power, one cannot do much, however, apart from grinding ones teeth.

Fischer clearly wants to change the balance of power in favour of Europe and Germany. Everything speaks of a decline of the West, and therefore Europeans should become stronger, much stronger. They should also be able to enforce their interests against Russia. With Moscow one should aim for a good relationship, but not on ones knees. At the heart of the conflict over Ukraine is the question: Are we ready to accept that Russia achieves power status through zones of influence?

Fischer's great-power fantasies are insane and monstrous. They shed light on the turn to the right of a social stratum that considered itself left or even revolutionary in the 1968 student movement, but rejected the working class and, based on the anti-Marxist theories of the Frankfurt School and postmodernism, embraced lifestyle and identity politics. Having climbed up the social ladder and become rich, they now support Germanys imperialist war policy.

The International Committee of the Fourth International has analysed the societal and political processes that have transformed former petty bourgeois radicals and street fighters such as Fischer into aggressive advocates of war.

In 1999, David North, the chairperson of the International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site , wrote in the article After the slaughter: political lessons of the Balkan War: Among the most remarkable features of the attack on Yugoslavia has been the leading role played by individuals who once opposed the Vietnam War and participated in anti-imperialist protest movements.

North explained the social background to this development: The social structure and class relations of all the major capitalist countries have been deeply affected by the stock market boom that began in the early 1980s. Perpetually rising share values, especially the explosion in market valuations since 1995, have given a significant section of the middle classespecially among the professional eliteaccess to a degree of wealth they could not have imagined at the outset of their careers.

Twenty years later, Joschka Fischer is a multi-millionaire, lives in a villa in Berlin's wealthy Dahlem district and, according to media reports, receives fees of up to 30,000 euros for his speeches and contributions at conferences. Under conditions of a collapsing post-war order, fierce conflicts between the major powers and extreme social polarization, he and his ilk are defending their privileges by openly championing militarism and dictatorship in the face of growing opposition from workers and youth.English French

Paris, 24 May 2018

The Company's Combined General Meeting of Shareholders, held on 24 May 2018, approved the proposed dividend for the fiscal year 2017, i.e.  1.70 per share, and has decided that each shareholder may elect to receive the dividend payment either in cash or in new shares of the Company.

The option to receive the dividend payment in new shares of the Company may be exercised by the shareholders between May 31, 2018 and June 13, 2018 inclusive, by sending their request to the financial intermediaries authorized to pay said dividend or, for shareholders listed in the issuer registered accounts held by the Company, to its authorized representative (Societe Generale, Departement des Titres et Bourse, 32, rue du Champ de Tir, CS 30812 - 44308 Nantes Cedex 3). After June 13, 2018, or if the option is not exercised, the dividend shall only be paid in cash.

The maximum total number of new shares of the Company which may be issued for the purpose of the dividend payment in shares is 1,709,451 shares, which represents 1.62% of the share capital and of the voting rights of the Company on the day of the General Meeting of Shareholders.

The issuance price of the new shares of the Company which will be issued in consideration for the dividend is set at  105.07, and is equal to 95% of the average opening prices on Euronext Paris regulated market over the twenty trading days before May 24, 2018, i.e. the date of the Combined General Meeting, less the dividend amount and rounded up to the next highest euro cent.

If the amount of the dividends for which the option is exercised by a shareholder does not correspond to a whole number of shares, such shareholder shall receive the immediately lower number of shares plus the balance in cash.

The ex-dividend date for the 2017 fiscal year dividend shall be May 31, 2018 and payment will start as from June 22, 2018.

The new ordinary shares of the Company issued in consideration for the dividend will carry entitlement to dividend rights as from January 1, 2018 and shall be the object of a listing request on Euronext Paris.

The newly-issued shares will be of the same class and equivalent to the ordinary shares of the Company already listed on Euronext Paris (Compartiment A -ISIN Code FR0000051732) and will therefore carry the same rights and restrictions as common shares in circulation, as described in the Company's Articles of Association and Atos SE's 2017 Registration Document (available on www.atos.net).

About Atos

Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with approximately 100,000 employees in 73 countries and annual revenue of around  12 billion. European number one in Big Data, Cybersecurity, High Performance Computing and Digital Workplace, the Group provides Cloud services, Infrastructure & Data Management, Business & Platform solutions, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payment industry. With its cutting-edge technologies, digital expertise and industry knowledge, Atos supports the digital transformation of its clients across various business sectors: Defense, Financial Services, Health, Manufacturing, Media, Energy & Utilities, Public sector, Retail, Telecommunications and Transportation. The Group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and operates under the brands Atos, Atos Consulting, Atos Worldgrid, Bull, Canopy, Unify and Worldline. Atos SE (Societas Europaea) is listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index. www.atos.net - Follow us on @Atos

Contact

Press:

Terence Zakka +33 1 73 26 40 76 terence.zakka@atos.net

Investors Relations :

Gilles Arditti +33 1 73 26 00 66 gilles.arditti@atos.net

Aurelie Le Polles +33 1 73 26 42 35 aurelie.lepolles@atos.net

Disclaimer

This press release constitutes the information document required pursuant to articles 212-4 4 and 212-5 5 of the French Financial Market Authority (AMF) General regulations as well as article 18 of the AMF instruction n2016-04 of October 21, 2016.

This press release does not constitute a public offer to purchase securities. This press release and any other document relating to the payment of dividends in shares may only be published outside France in conformity with applicable local laws and regulations and shall not constitute an offer for securities in jurisdictions where such an offer would violate applicable local laws.

The option to receive the dividend payment, as described hereabove, is not available to shareholders residing in a country where such option would require registration or authorization by local market authorities. Shareholders residing outside France are required to inform themselves of any restrictions which may apply under their local law and comply therewith. In any event, this option is open to shareholders residing in a Member State of the European Union. Orders originating from other countries would not be accepted.

As far as tax aspects regarding the payment of the dividends in shares are concerned, shareholders are invited to examine their specific situation with their usual tax advisor. When making their decision to receive or not the dividend in shares, shareholders must consider the risks associated with an investment in shares.

www.atos.net

For any additional information regarding the Company, its activity, its strategy, its financial results and the risk factors associated with its activity, please refer to Atos SE's 2017 Registration Document (available onVIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - We now know who the new superintendent of the Vigo County School Corporation will be.

That person will be Dr. Robert Haworth.

Who is Dr. Robert Haworth? Started his career as a social studies teacher

Served as a superintendent in Springs Valley Community Schools in French Lick, Indiana and in Warsaw, Indiana

Started as superintendent at the Elkhart Community Schools in June of 2012

Served as Vice President of the National Association Athletics

Earned a BA in Education at Greeneville College in 1988

Earned MA n Education at Indiana University Southeast in 2000

Earned Ph.D. in Education at Indiana State University in 2004

Dr. Haworth was the superintendent at Elkhart Community Schools, in northern Indiana.

He's held that position since 2012.

On Thursday morning, Elkhart Community Schools sent a press release saying Pending board approval, I (Haworth) will be accepting a position of superintendent with Vigo County School Corporation."

LINK | READ THE FULL RELEASE FROM ELKHART COMMUNITY SCHOOLS

In that release, Haworth went on to say As I am sure many families experience, as our loved ones age, the daily living basics can become more challenging. That is true for me at this time and there is a need for me to be closer to my family.

In a press release sent later in the day from the Vigo County School Corporation, it states by accepting this job, Haworth will be closer to his aging parents.

LINK | READ THE FULL RELEASE FROM THE VIGO COUNTY SCHOOL CORPORATION

He went to Indiana State University for his doctorate.

Just before 3:00 on Thursday, the Vigo County School Corporation confirmed their selection of Haworth.

Haworth replaces long-time superintendent Dr. Danny Tanoos.

LINK | $173,000 FOR THE FIRST YEAR - POTENTIAL CONTRACT REVEALED FOR NEW VCSC SUPERINTENDENT

Tanoos announced his retirement in February of this year.



TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - We are very close to officially knowing who will be the next leader of the Vigo County School Corporation.

It's a story we've been following for months since current Superintendent Danny Tannoos announced his resignation.

The school board says they have a final selection...but one group isn't happy with how they made the decision.

On Monday, members of the Vigo County Teacher's Association presented a letter to the school board.

It lists all the things they say was wrong about the selection of the newest superintendent.

We spoke with the President of the VCTA, Mark Lee.

He told us they sent the letter to Board President Jackie Lower.

He and the association believe the process to choose the new superintendent was far too closed off.

They say it didn't allow for public input or input from the teachers.

Lee says the letter presented said the teacher's association requested to be included at some point in the process.

He went on to say the board told them that was also their hope to see the association involved.

Lee says that never happened.

The school board voted to use a specific selection process under a University Placement Team.

LINK | "...I THINK WE RUSHED THIS A LITTLE BIT AND SKIPPED SOME STEPS." SOME VCSC BOARD MEMBERS SPEAK OUT AGAINST SUPERINTENDENT SELECTION PROCESS...BUT WHY?

That process said that the decision was left to the board and that no outside group would be involved.

The letter says the community should not be considered outsiders in this process.

We asked Lee what sparked the most recent concerns.

"We believe they could have gone outside of that. We think it's very clear they had the ability to choose the process the way they wanted and to be to include the public," Lee said.

We expect the board to officially announce the next superintendent in the coming days.VINCENNES, Ind. (WTHI) - A room full of leaders from all corners of Knox County. They're at Vincennes University to find out how they can be a "Stellar" community.

Bicknell mayor Thomas Estabrook says, "One of the major pieces of this program is for the entire community as a whole to get together and figure out what are our strengths and of course what are our weaknesses and where do we want to focus most of our attention."

The room packed for one reason. To learn how to earn their community financial support.

Matt Crouch, deputy director of the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, explains, "Each region will have available to them four and a half million dollars from the office of community and rural affairs, they'll have two million dollars from the Indiana Department of Transportation."

As one of the six finalists, the community must come up with a regional development plan. The plan lays out what each finalist will do if awarded the funds.

Crouch says, "Our partner at ball state was able to provide some data. Really to give a snapshot of the community. From indicators about the population, per capita income, workforce."

Data that community leaders will use to make the case.

Vincennes Mayor Joe Yochum says, "Making it regional gets the whole county involved and the city of Bicknell. I'm hoping we get out of this some fresh new ideas to move forward with."

But beyond the potential financial gain, both mayors already see this as a win for the community.

Estabrook says, "It's been great to work with the city of Vincennes and Knox County. I think this has been one of the first times in recent memory that all the units of government have come together for the same goal and purpose. And it's great to see all of us working together."

Yochum adds, "I think it'll be huge for the entire county. To see that, showing our residents that our elected officials can work together and do something like this."

The regional development plan is due in August. An announcement on the winners of the Stellar program are expected in late November.MARSHALL, Ill. (WTHI) - Marshall Jr. High School held an end of the school year concert on Wednesday.

School leaders also invited students from North Elementary School.

"71 Band" helped make the concert a reality.

The band has roots in Paris, Illinois.

News 10 spoke with Marshall Jr. High School principal Tony Graham.

He said the concert was a fun way to celebrate student success.

"They stepped into our doors clear back in August. They've worked hard from August all the way through to August. A lot has been expected of them and our teachers as well. This is kind of a thank you to them and a thank you to the teachers," Graham said.

Graham also said the school likes to do something to celebrate its students, and teachers, every year.NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine sparred with Sen. Brian Schatz during his confirmation hearing last fall over whether human activity was a contributor to or the primary cause of climate change.

Now Schatz is praising Bridenstine for what the Hawaii Democrat described as "an act of common sense and courage" after the administrator said he now accepts that humans are primarily responsible for climate change.

During a Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing Wednesday, Schatz asked Bridenstine whether he believed that greenhouse gases were the primary cause of climate change.

Bridenstine, a former Oklahoma Republican congressman, replied that he did.

"The National Climate Assessment that includes NASA, and it includes the Department of Energy and it includes NOAA, has clearly stated it is extremely likely -- is the language they use -- that human activity is the dominant cause of global warming," Bridenstine said.

"I have no reason to doubt the science that comes from that," he added.

Schatz then asked Bridenstine if he agreed "with the scientific consensus, which includes many NASA researchers, that the climate is changing and humans are the leading cause.

Bridenstine again said he did, and, when asked by Schatz, agreed that it was accurate to call it an evolution of his views. He also said, when asked by Schatz, that he would commit to funding, independence and integrity of climate science at NASA "without question."

Schatz thanked Bridenstine for his answers and said he wanted to recognize the administrator's "evolution on this issue."

"I think it's essential for one of the premier science agencies of the federal government for you to abide by the science," Schatz said. "We needed to move through this period of sort of ideological disagreement, political disagreement, and back to the point where the NASA administrator is a leader of a science agency. And you can't lead a science agency if you are not grounded by the science."

Schatz said he had come to the conclusion that Bridenstine had undergone a "true evolution" and added that he was "really pleased to see this change."

In response to CNN's request for comment, Bridenstine said in a statement:

"I appreciate Senator Schatz and all of the Subcommittee's questions and look forward to working closely with them on NASA related issues. NASA employees include some of the greatest scientists in the world and as the head of NASA I will continue to seek their guidance and counsel while we work to achieve the President's goal of getting the United States back to the moon, to Mars, and beyond."

Bridenstine was confirmed to lead NASA last month in a close and dramatic Senate vote, with many Democratic lawmakers opposing his nomination. For some, that was because he is the first elected official to serve as NASA administrator. Other opponents viewed him as a denier of climate change.

Following the hearing Wednesday, Schatz tweeted that he had "fought Bridenstine to run NASA because he was a climate denier."

"He has since changed his mind, and has confirmed that climate change is caused by humans. This is an act of common sense and courage," Schatz added.

"I don't want to overstate it, but it also shows that people of good faith, when exposed to the facts, can in fact acknowledge the reality of what we are doing to our planet," he said in a later tweet. "Our politics are broken but I still have endless faith in people."Slashes to her hands, bite marks embedded in her shoulder, and a broken bed.

As the defense team for Sudanese teenager Noura Hussein submitted an appeal to save her life, CNN has learned new details about the struggle that unfolded when she killed her husband, who she says raped her following their forced marriage.

The legal team representing the 19-year-old, who was sentenced to death earlier this month for murder, filed the appeal on Thursday in the capital Khartoum following an international outcry over Hussein's case.

"Noura and indeed the women and girls of Sudan have too often been treated as chattel to be traded and given away as though they are property and as though they have no rights," activists with the Justice for Noura campaign said in a statement on Thursday. "Here today, united and in one voice we wish to say -- enough!"

The teenager's story 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.

Hussein's family compelled her to marry at 15, but she refused and ran away for three years. Her father forced her to complete the wedding ceremony in April 2017. After refusing to have sex with her husband on their "honeymoon," she says he raped her as his brother and two cousins restrained her. 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.

Her legal team and activists supporting her case say that Hussein's marriage was void, arguing that under Sudanese law, she should have been married in front of a judge as she was under 18 at the time.

Thursday's appeal put forward a medical assessment entered into evidence at the time of Hussein's arrest in May 2017, which details defensive wounds: cuts to her hands, bite marks on her shoulder and the bed broken during the struggle with her husband.

Sudanese judicial sources told CNN that Hussein was questioned by investigators upon her arrest without the presence of her lawyer. The teenager alleges that she was subjected to threats from the arresting officers during her initial interrogation, according to the same sources.

During that interrogation, Hussein confessed to killing her husband after his relatives held her down while he raped her in a suburb of the Sudanese city Omdurman. Hussein maintains she was forced in to marriage by her father and an uncle.

The husband's family has denied that he raped Hussein, arguing that the couple were married.

"I'm optimistic. I believe we will win the appeal, but if not we will go for the supreme court," Nahid Gabralla, director of SEEMA, a non-governmental organization working with victims and survivors of gender-based violence in Khartoum, told CNN. "It's a long journey."

Intimidation campaign

In an apparent last-ditch effort to subvert the legal process, lawyers appointed to defend Hussein by the Sudanese government tried to file their own appeal, despite never interviewing Hussein or consulting her legal team, Gabralla said.

Gabralla said that activists raised concerns that the group of government-appointed lawyers would not represent Hussein's interests, and ultimately their appeal was rejected by the court.

The move follows weeks of an intensifying campaign of intimidation by the Sudanese government, activists told CNN.

Last week, Hussein's lead attorney, Adil Mohamed Al-Imam, was barred from holding a news conference.

Sudanese security forces came to Al-Imam's office just hours before he was due to brief the media on the latest developments in the case, activists said.

Activists and local journalists say it's part of a coordinated effort to prevent the media from reporting on the case and to intimidate Hussein's defense team.

For Sudan's Islamist ruling party, Hussein's case represents a threat, calling into question the law on forced marriage.

The Sudanese government has not responded to CNN requests for comment on the underlying case.

A sisterhood in prison

In Dar al-Tayibat 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.

Like Hussein, the women wear tobes, Sudan's traditional long dresses, and are restricted by heavy iron shackles.

Hussein's friends in prison say she had aspirations beyond marriage. None wanted to be quoted by name for fear of retribution by Sudanese authorities, but one told CNN: "Noura wanted to study law, she wanted to be someone. When we spoke of our dreams of getting married. Noura was serious. She would speak about her dreams of someday becoming a judge."

Hussein, who is from a rural town south of Khartoum, is a member of Darfur's Zaghawa tribe. Her husband's family is wealthier and more influential than Hussein's family in their shared tribe.

Hussein's lawyers are concerned for her well-being in prison. Al Fatih Hussein, a key member of Hussein's legal team, told CNN that they are unable to provide her with psychiatric support without a judge's direction. She has received no psychiatric support from authorities since her arrest last year.

Across Sudanese social media platforms, Hussein's actions have sparked debate, heartfelt confessions and conversations about the treatment of women in tribal and rural communities.

One Facebook user said, "as a Zaghawa girl you're taught not to embarrass the tribe above all else. Not to embarrass your family. What they did to Noura wasn't unique. What was different was what Noura did. She was brave, she didn't let them treat her like property."English French

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Irving Shipbuilding Inc., Canadas National Shipbuilder, has awarded an $8.9 million contract to ABCO Industries Limited (ABCO) for the design and construction of 12 metre landing craft for the Royal Canadian Navys Harry DeWolf-class Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS).



Halifax Shipyard is constructing up to six AOPS as part of the Government of Canadas National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). Each AOPS will have one custom designed 12m landing craft onboard. The landing craft will be used by Royal Canadian Navy to deploy vehicles, such as all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles or trucks, from the ships vehicle bay.

ABCO, based in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, has developed a comprehensive line of aluminum boats which are in use by several Government of Canada departments and agencies, and have manufactured many items for AOPS including, gangways, ladders, hatches, and fuel tanks.

As a direct result of the landing craft contract, it is estimated that six to eight jobs will be created at ABCO Industries Ltd., bringing their total employee count to approximately 60 individuals.

Irving Shipbuilding has committed over $1.9 billion in spending to more than 300 Canadian organizations as part of the NSS, including over $880 million in Nova Scotia.

According to the Conference Board of Canada, Halifax Shipyards facility modernization and the building of six Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) is expected to be boost economic activity across Canada by $3.42 billion between 2013 and 2022.

In addition to ABCO, other Nova Scotia boat builders are manufacturing deployable support boats for the AOPS program. Rosborough Boats and A.F. Theriault are constructing two multi-purpose Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats for each of the six AOPS.

Through NSS, Irving Shipbuilding and the Government of Canada are committed to developing a sustainable shipbuilding industry in Canada. Today, the first three of six AOPS are under construction by Halifax Shipyards more than 1,800 shipbuilders.

The first AOPS, the future HMCS Harry DeWolf, is scheduled to launch in fall 2018.

Quotes

Kevin McCoy, President, Irving Shipbuilding

Were proud to work with Canadian companies like ABCO Industries as we build the Royal Canadian Navys future fleet and continue the tradition of world class shipbuilding in Nova Scotia.

John Meisner, President, ABCO Industries

This contract with Irving Shipbuilding is a significant project for ABCO which will allow us to grow our workforce over the next two years. We are pleased to supply Irving Shipbuilding with Landing Crafts for the AOPS vessels and provide the Royal Canadian Navy with the tools it needs to keep our waters safe.

The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

Through our Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy, we are using the Government of Canadas purchasing power to support innovation, drive economic growth and create well-paying, middle class jobs in Atlantic Canada.

Bernadette Jordan, Member of Parliament, South ShoreSt. Margarets

Im extremely happy to see that a local business in South Shore  St. Margarets will share in the economic benefits from the National Shipbuilding Strategy, as Irving Shipbuilding Inc. awards this contract to ABCO Industries Ltd. This contract, sparked by the Government of Canadas procurement of new Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships, will help create good middle class jobs, and boost the economy along the south shore.

About Irving Shipbuilding Inc.

Irving Shipbuilding Inc., Canadas National Shipbuilder, is the most modern shipbuilder and in-service ship support provider in North America. Headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, our skilled team and innovative facilities provide efficient building, fabrication, conversion and servicing of vessels and offshore platforms. As Canadas chosen shipbuilder, Irving Shipbuilding Inc. is working with the Royal Canadian Navy on the next class of Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) and Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) vessels under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). We are proud to continue our long history as a trusted partner in Canadian shipbuilding. Irving Shipbuilding Inc. is a member of the J.D. Irving, Limited group of companies, a diverse family owned company with operations in Canada and the United States. Learn more at www.IrvingShipbuilding.com or www.ShipsforCanada.ca.

Media Contact:

Sean Lewis

Director, Communications

Irving Shipbuilding

Office: 902-484-4595

Mobile: 902-240-6964

Email: Lewis.Sean@IrvingShipbuilding.com



John Meisner

ABCO Industries

Office: 902-634-8821

Email: john@abco.caTALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - It's been 50 years since the Fair Housing Act was signed into law, ensuring every family, regardless of race or gender, would be afforded the same housing opportunities.

Wednesday and Thursday, the Big Bend Community Development Corporation is hosting a symposium that will address how the housing market changed after the act was signed, in relation to civil rights issues, while also addressing the work still to be done 50 years later.

"So we want to keep it at the forefront, we want to keep the fair housing issues and the affordable housing issues at the forefront," said Patricia McGill, PhD. "Whether it is at the local, state or federal level we want it to be known that people of color are still suffering and still need to be considered when polices are being made."

The symposium will continue Thursday morning starting at 9 a.m. at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Tallahassee.GADSDEN COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - In an effort to prepare deputies for a major crisis that may come their way, the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office is putting deputies in Crisis Intervention Training.

Four GCSO deputies successfully completed 40 hours of Crisis Intervention Training hosted by the Leon County Sheriff's Office.

The training which was held by the Florida Sheriff's Association, is vital in the fostering of relationships between law enforcement, mental health providers, hospital emergency departments, and individuals with mental illnesses and their families.

Training Coordinator, Captain Bobby Collins, said that this training is a very important component needed to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the mental health community.

Collins also stated Gadsden County is implementing this training for every deputy with GCSO.HAHIRA, Ga. (WALB) - With college tuition on the rise one preschooler out of Hahira is already years ahead when it comes to saving for his education.

Wednesday, 4-year-old Alexander Francis, who attends Hahira Elementary School, received a $1,529 check for his college education.

Alexander's mother entered his name into the Georgia Path to College 529 Plan Sweepstakes, which is geared toward helping parents save for higher education.

His parents say it's important to plant the seed now about his future.

"He's already looked at about asking me about college, about where I went where I'm going, it's interesting just to know that he's got it in the back of his head on where he needs to go," said Andrew Francis, Alexander's father.

The money is state and federal tax free giving the recipient the maximum benefit of the reward.

Path to College 529 Executive Director says that kids are seven times more likely to attend college if their parents start saving early on.(RNN)  Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein will turn himself in related to sexual misconduct charges to the New York Police Department on Friday.

The once lauded movie maker is under investigation for alleged sex crimes in London and Los Angeles as well.

Once the allegations swirled around Hollywood for years. However, when a tape of him trying to coerce an actress to go upstairs to his hotel room with him was released, more women came forward.

The flood of accusers was a main catalyst for the #metoo movement.

Copyright 2018 Raycom Media. All rights reserved.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - #BoycottPublix is gaining momentum online after people found out the popular grocery chain has been donating to Florida gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam.

The Florida-based grocery store chain and some current and former Publix leaders donated $670,000 to Putnam in the last three years.

Putnam is Florida's Commissioner of Agriculture, a Republican candidate for governor and an outspoken supporter of the National Rifle Association.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations have been made while Putnam has served as AG commissioner, overseeing the regulation of Publix's 781 stores in Florida.

On social media, people have openly voiced their concerns. One user posted this on Twitter: "Passed two Publixes on my way to Aldi today in the rain. Guess I'll plan to do this until @Publix can guarantee that they'll stop funding "NRA sellout" Adam Putnam."

Passed two Publixes on my way to Aldi today in the rain. Guess Ill plan to do this until @Publix can guarantee that theyll stop funding NRA sellout Adam Putnam  #BoycottPublix pic.twitter.com/YCz24WlRPr  Jodydare (@Jodydare) May 17, 2018

According to Twitter, #BoycottPublix was mentioned in at least 330 tweets on Wednesday alone. Not all shoppers are against the grocery chain, though.

"I think it's ridiculous. The whole thing is ridiculous," said one Publix shopper who wanted to remain anonymous. The shopper said he's a member of the NRA. He thinks the people boycotting Publix are taking politics too far, saying: "Is everybody going to boycott every other business if one supports Democrats and one supports Republicans? Where does this end?"

We reached out to Putnam's campaign to get his thoughts on the backlash against Publix. Instead of addressing the boycott, he's singing the company's praises:

Im so proud that Publix calls Florida home. They got their start in Polk County and are consistently ranked as one of the top places to work in the nation. They provide more than 100,000 jobs for hard-working Floridians and are the epitome of customer service and quality. Im a proud Store No. 3 shopper.  Adam Putnam

|

Publix also responded to our request for comment. Here is the company's full statement:

"As the largest private employer in the state of Florida, and with the majority of our stores and our corporate headquarters located here as well, we have a history of supporting candidates focused on job growth and a healthy Florida economy.

We regret that some of our political contributions have led to an unintentional customer divide instead of our desire to support a growing economy in Florida.

Publix cares about our associates, customers and the communities we serve. It is important to understand that the vast majority of our giving is focused on organizations whose mission supports youth, education and the plight of the hungry and homeless within our area of operation.

As a result of this situation, we are evaluating our processes to ensure that our giving better reflects our intended desire to support a strong economy and a healthy community."

|English French

MONTREAL, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- I-MED Pharma Inc., a Canadian company specializing in dry eye diagnosis and management, is pleased to announce the signing of a Canadian distribution agreement with ESW Vision for the patented E>Eye device.



E>Eye, designed and manufactured in France by E-Swin, is the first and only CE certified medical device in the world using patented IRPL technology developed specifically for the treatment of dry eye disease caused by meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), the leading cause of evaporative dry eye disease.

This new type of polychromatic pulsed light produces perfectly calibrated and homogeneously sequenced cold light pulses which safely stimulate the meibomian glands to resume secretions, restoring the lacrimal film, thus improving symptoms associated with ocular dryness.

Clinically proven

Quick, painless and non-invasive

Fast, effective results

Affordable

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f7a5554f-e6e9-4d73-9597-71d0a35eb64e

Daniel Hofmann, President of I-MED Pharma stated, E-Swin is a global leader in ocular IPL laser technology and has garnered huge interest in the industry with the success of the E>Eye device in providing effective, long-term results with symptoms associated with evaporative dry eye caused by MGD. We are thrilled to partner with ESW Vision to add this industry leading device to our dry eye product portfolio. We are confident that Canadian ophthalmologists and optometrists will be enthusiastic to incorporate the E>Eye System into their dry eye practices.

About I-MED Pharma Inc.

I-MED Pharma Inc. is a privately held Canadian company, headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, servicing Canadian ophthalmologists, optometrists and the global eye care community. Established almost thirty years ago, I-MED Pharma creates and distributes innovative medical, surgical and veterinary eye care products worldwide. It continually researches, develops and sources the most effective and advanced solutions to eye disorders like cataracts, corneal degeneration, dry eye, glaucoma and Meibomian gland disease.

I-MED Pharma is proud to have been at the forefront of treating Dry Eye Syndrome as a serious disease and invests heavily into education and developing effective dry eye products. I-MED Pharmas ocular surface disease product range includes diagnostic tools, ocular hygiene, nutrition, dry eye drops, and therapeutic accessories.

For more information, please email media@imedpharma.com or visit imedpharma.com.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL)  A woman wanted on aggravated child abuse charges for using a bowl of hot brownies to burn a 7-year-old child has turned herself in after evading arrest for more than a year.

Glennisha Washington, 30, turned herself into jail on a charge of aggravated child abuse by malicious punishment.

According to court documents, the then 7-year-old victim, who lived in Michigan, had been vacationing with a relative in Tallahassee from July 7, 2017 through Aug. 9, 2017, when the incident occurred. Court documents say the victim suffered a two-inch diameter second-degree burn when Washington "unlawfully" and "maliciously" punished the child by placing a heated dinnerware bowl on her leg.

On Oct. 3, 2017, a police officer in Michigan contacted the victim's mother while the victim was at school. The mother said her child first told her the burn resulted from a fall, a story the mother thought was strange because the injury was so high on her leg.

The mother told the officer that a family member later called her and informed her that the 7-year-old child was burned by Washington while vacationing in Florida. According to court documents, Washington later admitted to the mother that she burned the victim to "teach her a lesson" because she believed the child had burned one of her three children in a similar manner.

Interviews with witnesses revealed that the incident started when Washington was using the microwave to warm up a brownie for the 7-year-old. At some point however, Washington got angry with the victim because she believed the victim burned her baby. From there, witnesses said Washington took the hot bowl out from the microwave and placed on the child's thigh, pushing it down to cause a burn.

The victim told investigators that she cried as a result of the incident and noted that Washington laughed at her and asked her how she liked it.

"After receiving the images from Michigan Children's Protection Services and reviewing them, you can see that something round and very hot was placed on her leg just above her knee, causing a burn, possibly second degree," a LCSO detective wrote in a probable cause document.

Based on the evidence, a warrant was issued for Washington's arrest on Feb. 9, 2018. Washington turned herself into the Leon County Detention Facility on Monday, more than a year after the warrant was issued for her arrest

Washington has since gotten out of jail on a $1,000 bond.

---

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The Leon County Sheriff's Office is searching for a woman accused of using a bowl of hot brownies to burn a 7-year-old child.

Glennisha Washington, 29, is being sought by the Leon County Sheriff's Office. They published a wanted poster of her on Facebook Wednesday morning.

She is wanted for charges of cruelty towards a child and aggravated battery.

The child victim, who lives in Michigan, had been vacationing with a relative in Tallahassee from July 7, 2017 through Aug. 9, 2017, when the incident occurred, according to a probable cause document.

Court documents said the victim suffered a two-inch diameter second-degree burn when Washington "unlawfully" and "maliciously" punished the child by placing a heated dinnerware bowl on her leg.

On Oct. 3, 2017, a police officer in Michigan contacted the victim's mother while the victim was at school.

The mother said she had expected a visit from the officer because she allowed the child to wear shorts to school, and she thought school officials most likely noted the injury and questioned her daughter about it.

The mother said her child first told her the burn resulted from a fall, a story the mother thought was strange because the injury was so high on her leg.

A family member later called the mother and informed her that her child was burned by Washington while in Florida.

Washington later admitted to the mother that she burned the victim to teach her a lesson because she believed the child had burned one of her three children in a similar manner.

Interviews with witnesses revealed that Washington was using the microwave to warm up a brownie for the child. At some point however, Washington got angry with the child because she believed the child burned her baby.

From there, witnesses said Washington took the bowl out from the microwave and placed on the child's thigh, pushing it down to cause a burn.

After some back and forth conversations, Washington cut off contact with the child's mother.

The mother said she did not report her child's injury to the Michigan Children's Protective Services because she thought the agency would not help her with a situation that had occurred in Florida.

Based on the evidence, a warrant was issued for Washington's arrest on Feb. 9. Deputies have been unable to locate her so far.

If you have any information please call the Leon County Sheriff's Office at 606-3300 or 574-TIPS.TIFTON, GA (WALB) - The University of Georgia Tifton campus has a new look, thanks to a several-million-dollar project.

Crews have finished renovating two different decades-old buildings that went unused for several years.

The two buildings are on the front of the campus facing Moore Highway.

The Agricultural Research Building was completed in 1938.

Georgia's General Assembly approved a $5 million project to renovate it.

Assistant Dean Dr. Joe West said that the building and the Tift Building next to it had been an eye-sore after sitting empty for 10 or 12 years.

Now, Dr. West said the renovations have boosted school pride.

"Our students and our staff say, 'I feel like I'm on a college campus,' and so our students want to be part of a successful university," said West.

The new look includes massive signs and landscaping complete with grass produced by scientists at UGA Tifton.

West said he hopes having a more established campus setting will help boost enrollment as well.

UGA Tifton is in the middle of a five-phase landscaping master plan that will continue over the next several years.

Copyright 2018 WALB. All rights reserved.LARAMIE  WyoTechs future in Laramie brightened considerably Monday when Gov. Matt Mead authorized a loan of up to $5 million for Jim Mathis DBJJDM Enterprises to take over operation of the technical institute.

LARAMIE  WyoTechs future in Laramie brightened considerably Monday when Gov. Matt Mead authorized a loan of up to $5 million for Jim Mathis DBJJDM Enterprises to take over operation of the technical institute.

The Wyoming Business Council recommended DBJJDM Enterprises for the loan, which was amended into legislation in spring and would be pulled from the Legislative Stabilization Reserve Account for the continued operation of an automotive technology trade school.

We are very excited to get the loan signed off, Mathis said. We will take over all existing programs (Zenith Education Group) already has, and we wont be changing the curriculum, except to possibly add some classes in the future.

While Mead signed off on the loan, he said the credit for keeping WyoTech open lay with the Wyoming community.

The community of Laramie, state legislators, education leaders and others worked with my office to evaluate all options to keep WyoTech operating in our state, Mead says in a news release. After reviewing the information and recommendation from the Business Council, I accepted the recommendation for a $5 million loan to DBJJDM to operate the WyoTech Institute in Laramie. I appreciate the hard work to keep WyoTech open and providing excellent educational opportunities.

Founded in 1966, WyoTech was established in Laramie and expanded during the next five decades to include seven campuses nationwide at its height. In 2015, Zenith Education Group, which was created by ECMC, purchased 56 campuses from Corinthian Colleges, Inc.

On Nov. 8, Zenith announced it would cease enrollment at WyoTech Laramie and 20 other post-secondary schools.

A former WyoTech student, instructor and president, Mathis announced a proposal in March to take over WyoTech operations as a private institute, but he said Tuesday the acquisition was not yet a done deal.

We are still in the process of due diligence, Mathis said.

DBJJDM is currently inspecting the regulatory documents Zenith filed during its ownership of the campus, he explained.

That assures us going into this deal its a clean company, Mathis said. Zenith has been great to work with. Ive been through several transactions, and theres give and take in every one of them. We didnt have any unexpected hiccups.

With an eye on closing the contract with Zeniths parent company, Education Credit Management Corporation, by July 2, Mathis said he intends to reopen the campus the same day and start classes for current Zenith students seeking to further their education at WyoTech.

We cannot enroll any students until we close on the deal, he said.

Mathis company also needs to secure accreditation from Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, but he said an application has been sent out and he hopes to receive a favorable response in about a month.

If everything goes as planned, Mathis said the DBJJDM business model calls for WyoTech to enroll about 800-1,000 students annually within five years and employ about 200 staff and faculty.

There is more demand now for students with these skill sets than Ive ever seen, and theres always been a demand, he said. We will focus our recruitment locally and nationally.UW president reflects on first two years at the helm of state's lone university

University of Wyoming President Laurie Nichols (left) visits with UW Trustee David Bostrom of Worland and Mike Robinson of Ten Sleep, a UW alumni, during an open house Wednesday in Worland. Nichols later spoke at the Worland Rotary Club.

WORLAND - Two years ago University of Wyoming President Laurie Nichols made her first visit to Worland, shortly after being hired as the 26th president of the university. Wednesday she made a return visit and reflected on what she has learned in her first two years.

Sitting down for an interview before an open house with Worland area residents at the Worland Community Center Wednesday morning, Nichols said working at UW has, for the most part, been what she has expected, but there have been few surprises or "learning experiences" along the way.

"It has been what I expected in that I expected the university to be a really strong land-grant university and I have not been disappointed. It is a strong, land-grant university that I think does a great job of educating students at a very, affordable cost ... That's kind of amazing what the state has been able to do in terms of keeping the cost of education so low. Other states have not been able to do that. That piece has been really affirming to me," Nichols said.

One of the learning experiences is "getting used to a state that has a really robust and strong community college system, but one four-year university. That's unique. I had never been in a state structured like that."

She added, "That brings its own set of challenges and I would uniqueness in terms of how the system works. That has taken me a little bit of time to get used to, quite honestly, and I think I'm getting there."

Nichols said it has been important to her to get to know each community college and see how they work together but also to see and understand how each of the seven community colleges are unique.

She said the challenge comes with the University of Wyoming being the only university to offer bachelor, master and Ph.D. degrees.

"We really do have to serve the state. It's critical because there's not anybody else across the state that could pick up something where we are not offering a degree. I always came from states where there were multiple universities, so if there was one who didn't do it, there was another one that could step in," Nichols said.

Another learning experience is that Wyoming is a small state, in terms of people, Nichols said. "People here are very connected. I'm always amazed at how fast news travels. That piece, I continue to be surprised about."

She added, "Those are some of the unique things about the state, I like them, but it's taken a while to get used to them."

GROWTH

Nichols said one of the biggest challenges for the future is "right sizing the university" and trying to grow it a little bit but getting it to a size that will be right for the university and Wyoming. "I don't imagine we would ever get bigger than 14,000 for example, and that's even going to take time to get there," she said.

As they do grow, she said they need to improve student housing and make other modest adjustments "so we really are a first-class university for the state of Wyoming. We've got work to do, especially in housing. That's going to be our next big project and big challenge."

Fall enrollment is estimated to be about 12,500. She said the hope is to be at 13,500 by 2022.

Nichols added that 14,000 is "a really nice size. It's big enough to feel like you're a big player, you're a large university, but it is not so big that you still have a lot of personal attention. Students are not a number, they are really individuals and I don't think the university ever wants to lose that."

HATHAWAY

"The Hathaway scholarship, in general is a wonderful, wonderful scholarship program and so beneficial to the citizens of Wyoming. It really makes higher education accessible for them," Nichols said.

She said her understanding of the intent of the program is to help students get the type of education that they are best suited for to make them employable.

She said there are some challenges if students leap into an area they are not ready for that can be a disadvantage.

"In general, allowing kids to go to school where they best fit, and getting degrees so they are workforce ready is a very, important thing," Nichols said.

UW SIGNING DAY

Nichols said earlier this month she was able to visit 12 of the 80 high schools that hosted UW Signing Day events. "They're really a lot of fun. They're uplifting events. It's a time to celebrate our high school seniors who are graduating and who have plans to go on to college. I really think it's important to do that from a holistic academic topic and not just do it for athletes. I love the fact that we've expanded it. It's so much to fun to go out and welcome them."Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-23 22:35:13|Editor: yan

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BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- It is China's long-standing policy to expand imports to meet Chinese people's ever-increasing consumption demands and to promote high-quality economic growth, the Ministry of Commerce said Wednesday.

China-U.S. economic ties are highly complementary and bilateral trade has great potential, the ministry said in a press release in response to media reports which quoted U.S. government officials as saying that China would significantly increase imports of U.S. agricultural and energy products.

China welcomes high-quality, competitive U.S. products into its market, said the press release.

Commenting on U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross' upcoming visit to China, the ministry said in line with the consensus reached through consultations in Washington, both sides will earnestly implement the contents of the joint statement, including the purchase of agricultural and energy products.ISLAMABAD, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan fully supports anti-terrorism efforts by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and will be working with regional countries under the SCO framework to effectively eliminate this menace from the region, a senior Pakistani diplomat said on Wednesday.

Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua told a conference of the legal anti-terrorism experts from SCO countries here that she fully supports and welcomes the efforts of SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (SCO-RATS) in the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism.

It is the first ever SCO meeting to be held in Pakistan since it became a member of the SCO in June 2017, the Foreign Ministry said.

Legal experts from the member states, as well as representatives of the SCO-RATS Executive Committee, participated in the day-long meeting.

The experts discussed terrorist threats facing the region and ways and means to enhance counter terrorism cooperation between the SCO member states, according to a Foreign Ministry's statement.

"We support SCO consensus that as we engage in the fight against terrorism, we must respect the norms and principles of international law, UN Charter and shun double standards. Terrorism cannot and should not be identified with any religion, individual countries or nationalities," Janjua told the delegates.

She said Pakistan strongly believes that the SCO-RATs is an ideal forum for exchange of views and best practices on countering terrorism and extremism, adding that "we hope that other member states can benefit from our rich experience in countering terrorism and extremism as we do from the good practices developed by other SCO members."

"Pakistan is cognizant of the threats posed by terrorism, separatism and extremism to our region and beyond. Having fought terrorism, we have lost thousands of our citizens and law enforcement personnel, with many more injured. We have also suffered economic losses of over 120 billion U.S. dollars," the Pakistani diplomat said.

She underscored the importance of the SCO for Pakistan.ZAGREB, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Committees of Croatian Parliament endorsed on Wednesday the candidates for the economy minister and deputy prime minister.

Committee on Economy and Committee on Constitution, Standing Orders, and Political System supported the nomination of Darko Horvat as economy minister and Tomislav Tolusic as deputy prime minister. The parliament is expected to confirm them on Friday.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has proposed Darko Horvat and Tomislav Tolusic to replace former minister of economy and deputy prime minister Martina Dalic in the government.

Dalic resigned on May 13 amid allegations of conflict of interest in Agrokor case. Independent news website index.hr revealed a series of her private emails sent to the group made of consultants, lawyers, and brokers, that was secretly formed to restructure the country's largest private company Agrokor.

The group was working on a special law that put the company under state administration in April 2017. One member of the group was later named the extraordinary state manager in charge of Agrokor, while companies of some members got lucrative agreements with the new Agrokor management.

Agrokor is the biggest food retailer in the region. In 2015, its revenues were worth more than 15 percent of Croatia's total GDP. In 2017, a debt crisis hit the company and the government decided to intervene and try to save it.

Tomislav Tolusic is the current agriculture minister in Croatian government. Darko Horvat is a member of the parliament and a former minister of entrepreneurship and crafts in the government headed by the former prime minister Tihomir Oreskovic in 2016.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 02:01:25|Editor: Liangyu

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Mladenka Markovic delivers a speech during the 17th "Chinese Bridge" in Pale, east of the capital Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on May 23, 2018. The Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) edition of the 17th "Chinese Bridge", or the Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, was held on Wednesday in Pale. Mladenka Markovic, a sophomore from the Department of Sinology at the University of East Sarajevo (UES), won the contest and will represent BiH at the international "Chinese Bridge" final in China. (Xinhua/Haris Memija)

SARAJEVO, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) edition of the 17th "Chinese Bridge", or the Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, was held on Wednesday in Pale, east of the capital Sarajevo.

Under the theme of "All under heaven are one family," 12 contestants demonstrated their knowledge of Chinese language, culture and history during the three parts of the competition: questions and answers, speech and talent show.

Mladenka Markovic, a sophomore from the Department of Sinology at the University of East Sarajevo (UES), won the contest and will represent BiH at the international "Chinese Bridge" final in China.

"I started learning Chinese since high school. I have been preparing for today's competition for three months," Markovic told Xinhua, happy about the win.

Cui Xiuzhong, a Chinese language teacher in the Department of Sinology at the UES, told Xinhua that Chinese language learning has been "flourishing" in BiH in recent years. The Department of Sinology is one of the most populous departments at the UES.FAIRFAX, Va., May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Information Analysis Incorporated (OTC:IAIC), a publicly-traded information technology services company, is pleased to announce that it has achieved yet another successful implementation under its legacy system modernization practice. As a subcontractor and project team member to a large management and technology consulting firm, IAI was tasked to provide services for modernizing the Small Business Administration (SBA) loan management systems. This mission-critical effort spanned multiple organizations operating across various work streams.



The goal was to re-platform the SBA Mainframe loan servicing application to a distributed environment running an Oracle database on a UNIX platform. As a key team member, IAI was primarily responsible for the migration of the source code and transformation of the on-line portion to an SBA standard platform. IAI also utilized its proprietary ICONS toolset in the effort.

The National Association of Development Companies (NADCO) recently congratulated the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Performance and Systems Management on completing this modernization, which lays the groundwork for future modernization of SBAs loan programs. This migration marked the completion of a second major step in SBA's long-term strategy to streamline processes for small business borrowers and the nation's Certified Development Companies (CDCs). NADCOs press release may be viewed at http://www.infoa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PR_NADCO_SBA_180518.pdf

About Information Analysis Incorporated

Information Analysis Incorporated (www.infoa.com), headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, is an information technology product and services company. The Company is a web application and e-business solutions provider, as well as a software conversion specialist, modernizing legacy systems and extending their reach to the internet and more modern platforms.

Additional information for investors

This release may contain forward-looking statements regarding the Information Analysis Incorporateds business, customer prospects, or other factors that may affect future earnings or financial results. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to vary materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. These include the failure to obtain sufficient contracts, and to profitably complete those contracts. Investors should read and understand the risk factors detailed in IAIs 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 and in other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

For additional information contact:

IAI - Stan Reese - COO (703) 293-7935



LONDON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Britain's House of Commons and the French National Assembly have launched their first ever joint inquiry into future anti-ship missile systems, it was announced Wednesday in London.

The inquiry will review the future cruise/anti-ship weapon (FC/ASW) program that was launched by a bilateral agreement signed by the two neighboring countries in March 2017.

A new generation of missiles that the two countries hope jointly to develop by 2030 will be replacements for the existing Exocet, Harpoon, SCALP and Storm Shadow missiles.

The move is part of deepening collaboration between the defense committees of Britain and France.

Following a proposal by Dr. Julian Lewis, chairman of the House of Commons Defense Committee, and Jean-Jacques Bridey, chairman of the National Defense and Armed Forces Committee of the French National Assembly, both committees agreed to deepen their collaboration.

The 2010 Lancaster House Treaties and the Franco-British Summit that took place in Amiens in 2016 strengthened defense cooperation between France and Britain. Defense committees of both chambers regularly meet in order to follow-up this cooperation.

"It is in this context that the two committees have decided to hold a joint inquiry to demonstrate, and reinforce, the bilateral defence relations," said a statement by the British government.

Other issues to be considered by the inquiry will be the requirements of the two navies of each country for the next generation of anti-ship missiles, including range, speed, stealth and terminal guidance. It will also examine the capability of the British and French defense industries to meet these requirements, whether separately or jointly, and the availability of suitable missiles from other suppliers.

The Exocet missile, known as the flying fish, has been in use as a war weapon for more than 40 years after being introduced by France in 1973. The Harpoon was introduced, also in the 1970s by the U.S., while the SCALP Storm Shadow is a joint British, French and Italian weapon, launched in 2015 and used most recently against Islamic State targets in Syria.BRUSSELS, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel's proposal to authorize a Kurdish family to temporarily remain on Belgian soil are deemed "inadmissible" by Belgian organization CIRE (Coordination and Initiatives for Refugees and Foreigners), which released a report on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Michel said last Tuesday that several possibilities were available to the family of the two-year-old girl killed by a stray police bullet in a car chase on the E42 highway in Mons, including the option to stay at least three months on Belgian soil.

"There is a possibility for victims of traffickers or smugglers to be present or stay in the territory. The family has the opportunity to use this legal instrument, which exists in law. There are also other possibilities that can be activated and which will be treated as they should be treated, under the existing rules, and following the procedures provided," Michel said Tuesday.

"These are not adequate answers," replied members of the CIRE.

Last Thursday, Mawda, a two-year-old girl, was found with fatal injuries after a van carrying 30 Kurdish migrants was chased by police for an hour in southern Belgium. After refusing to respond to police officers' injunctions, a single shot was fired.

The police officer who fired the bullet has since been identified. Police unions reacted Wednesday by saying that the "shooting was allowed," according to news agency Belga.

"Judges have found on several occasions in Belgium that a person used his vehicle as a weapon. So technically, reading the legal basis allows us to say that yes, the shooting was allowed," the president of the Free Union of the Public Service Vincent Gilles told RTL.

"This is a very common intervention for road policemen," he added.

Almost a week after Mawda's death, the investigation is still ingoing. The investigating judge in charge of the case passed it on to a more senior body -- the committee P -- also known in Belgian circles as "the police of the police."ATHENS, May 23 (Xinhua) -- A new exhibition at the National Archaeological Museum here, to be inaugurated on May 25, brings out the different versions of aesthetics from the Neolithic period up to late antiquity.

"A total of 340 antiquities from the museum's rich collections present the countless aspects of beauty from different cultural environments, from the Neolithic period, the Cycladic civilization, the Minoan and the Mycenaean culture," Maria Lagogianni, director of the National Archaeological Museum, said in a press conference on Wednesday.

The exhibition, "The countless aspects of Beauty", unfolds in four parts, unraveling the thread that transcends human creativity: beauty.

Artefacts from the Neolithic period to late antiquity illustrate the diachronic desire of humans for the beautiful. Objects of everyday life record the continuous alterations and different facets of aesthetics in human diachrony.

While ancient Greek myths linked to beauty and archaeological findings that relate to clothing, hairstyles and beautification promise an aesthetic feast to the visitor.

During the exhibition, an array of experimental workshops will take place. Scientists, artists and artisans from Greece and abroad will explain to visitors approaches regarding weaving techniques of the Neolithic period, garments of the Aegean world in the second millennium B.C., such as Mycenaean costumes, colorfulness of ancient sculptures and the depiction of the beautiful through the ancient Greek music.

"Beauty is different for every civilization. There is something that connects them. In our planet, there are different cultures and 6,000 languages. In those languages, there is the word beauty which sounds differently," the museum's director noted.

The exhibition, which is part of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, forms the last part of the exhibition trilogy that was designed to mark the 150th anniversary of the National Archaeological Museum.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 04:52:02|Editor: zh

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BERLIN, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Freiburg have completed the transfer of defender Dominique Heintz from relegated Cologne, both sides announced on Wednesday.

The "Breisgauer" signed Heintz to strengthen the team for the upcoming season. Freiburg and relegated Cologne agreed to keep silence over contract details.

"Dominique has shown very stable and consistent performance over the past seasons in Cologne. He has gained a lot of experience at the highest level. In addition to his defensive qualities he will do our game well," Freiburg chairman Jochen Saier said.

The 24-year-old wore Cologne's jersey since summer 2015 to make overall 96 appearances, providing three goals and two assists.

"I have recently experienced very emotional encounters against Freiburg and was impressed by the way the club plays and works. I would like to develop further in this environment here. I am looking forward to working with the new colleagues," Heintz told the club's official homepage.

Freiburg was involved in the relegation battle this season as they finished the Bundesliga season 2017-2018 on the 15th place of the standings.WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that his meeting with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s top leader, Kim Jong Un, "will absolutely happen."

The summit scheduled for June 12 in Singapore "could very well happen," Trump told the media before departing to New York at the White House's South Lawn.

"Someday a date will happen. It could very well be June 12th," he said. "We'll know next week."

He added that it "will be a great thing" for the DPRK if the meeting comes true.

A day earlier, Trump hinted that his scheduled meeting with Kim may be delayed.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said earlier on Wednesday that China expects the Trump-Kim summit will go smoothly with positive outcomes.

"We have always been encouraging and supporting the U.S. and the DPRK to accumulate mutual trust through direct dialogue," he said. "We hope that all the relevant sides, particularly the DPRK and the U.S., will seize the opportunity, meet each other halfway, suppress interference and address each other's concerns in a balanced way."

Troy Stangarone, senior director of congressional affairs and trade at the Washington-based non-profit Korea Economic Institute, told Xinhua that "real progress on these issues will take time, both in terms of building the trust and confidence between the United States and North Korea to be successful, but also in terms of working through the mechanics of denuclearization."ROME, May 23 (Xinhua) -- A Television Commerce (T-Commerce) devoted to Italian fashion brands and addressed to the Chinese market was unveiled in Milan on Wednesday.

Italian Digital Company Giglio Group entered into a partnership with Chinese Internet giant Tencent to launch its e-commerce services on popular smartphone app WeChat, the firm said at a press conference.

Counting on its media properties (both TV and Digital) and an e-commerce service already developed in China, the deal would allow the group to offer Chinese consumers an integrated platform.

"Thanks to (the agreement with) Tencent/WeChat, contents transmitted on mobile phones could now be immediately turned into purchases," Giglio said in a statement.

Devoted to the promotion of Italian fashion and luxury brands, the new platform would especially target Chinese millennials, according to the group's chief executive officer.

"Our cross-media approach is in harmony with Chinese millennials, who are among the world's leading consumers of luxury brands for propensity and spending power," CEO Alessandro Giglio told the press conference.

With the platform, the company would help Italian brands fill a strategy gap in their marketing approach to China.

Joining the launching conference in Milan, Tencent Europe director Andrea Ghizzoni said e-commerce of luxury and fashion brands on Wechat was "in constant increase."

Founded in Milan in 2003, Giglio Group is a global e-commerce operator supplying about 40 digital retailers in the world, according to the company.U.S. President Donald Trump (R) waits to meet with visiting President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in (not in the picture) at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on May 22, 2018. (Xinhua/Yang Chenglin)

WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that his meeting with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s top leader, Kim Jong Un, "will absolutely happen."

The summit scheduled for June 12 in Singapore "could very well happen," Trump told the media before departing to New York at the White House's South Lawn.

"Someday a date will happen. It could very well be June 12th," he said. "We'll know next week."

He added that it "will be a great thing" for the DPRK if the meeting comes true.

A day earlier, Trump hinted that his scheduled meeting with Kim may be delayed.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said earlier on Wednesday that China expects the Trump-Kim summit will go smoothly with positive outcomes.

"We have always been encouraging and supporting the U.S. and the DPRK to accumulate mutual trust through direct dialogue," he said. "We hope that all the relevant sides, particularly the DPRK and the U.S., will seize the opportunity, meet each other halfway, suppress interference and address each other's concerns in a balanced way."

Troy Stangarone, senior director of congressional affairs and trade at the Washington-based non-profit Korea Economic Institute, told Xinhua that "real progress on these issues will take time, both in terms of building the trust and confidence between the United States and North Korea to be successful, but also in terms of working through the mechanics of denuclearization."ROME, May 23 (Xinhua) -- In the main hall of a secondary school in Rome on Wednesday, over 250 pupils sat with their teachers, as various speakers followed one another on the stage.

They came from seven different schools of the capital, and this was no ordinary class for them.

On this date, every year, Italy marks the anniversary of the murder of major anti-mafia magistrate Giovanni Falcone, slain by the mob in Sicily's capital Palermo in 1992.

From the southeast suburbs of Rome, where the high school lies, Palermo and its decades-long struggle against "Cosa Nostra" (as the Sicilian mafia is called) might seem very far.

It was not so, and the activists of Anti-Mafia Popular Academy (AP) and daSud (From South) associations, who organized the commemorative event here, were proof of that.

Most of them grew up in southern regions where Italy's three major mafias -- Cosa Nostra, Naples-based Camorra, and 'Ndrangheta in the Calabria region -- have their strongholds.

Many remembered judge Falcone's killing clearly, and that event marked their life, and motivated their civic action.

"I was 15, and getting out of a cinema, when my father came and told me Falcone had been murdered with a bomb attack," Danilo Chirico, daSud president, told Xinhua.

That moment changed his "perception of the world", he said. Years later, it would bring him to put his efforts into fighting mafia at social and cultural level, first in his hometown in Calabria, and then in Rome where he now lives.

"For my generation, Falcone's death was a watershed, and the unprecedented reaction of the people in Sicily at that time was a lesson: we learnt we could refuse things as they were," Chirico stressed.

Hundreds of grass-roots groups against mafia have been created across Italy, in the 26 years passed since Falcone's killing.

Yet, the work carried out by Anti-Mafia Popular Academy and daSud in Rome -- since they started their activities here in 2009 -- took on a special meaning.

They were among the first to raise an alarm on the presence of organized crime in the Italian capital, at a time when nobody really wanted to hear their warning.

Yet, they kept working with schools, organized public debates, always finding new tools -- such as multimedia projects, graphic novels, and radio broadcasts -- to capture the attention of younger generations and raise their awareness.

"What students here appreciate more is the moment of brain-storming," Calabrian Pasquale Grosso, managing an anti-mafia web radio project promoted by daSud, told Xinhua.

"They are now training for live broadcast, which would start in September; yet, the radio most of all gives them a space where they can discuss anti-mafia issues previously addressed in classroom."

The activists with Anti-Mafia Popular Academy and daSud were used to send people a simple message: where the mafia rules, citizens' rights are denied.

And the more a territory is impoverished, the higher is the risk, because mafia businesses -- although criminal -- can provide jobs, money, and a sort of "welfare" to people in need.

Not by chance, therefore, the initiative held at the secondary school "IIS Enzo Ferrari" was focused on citizens' rights and the Italian constitution.

Students were called on the stage to have their say, and show their works on the subject. They listened to the speakers -- two councillors, one journalist, and a female partisan who fought against the Fascist regime, among others -- explaining that the first step to grow resistant to criminal pressure was to speak out, because "silence is mafia".

"We wanted to concentrate on the fundamental rights enshrined in our Constitution, seventy years after it entered into force," the two organizing groups said in a statement.

They meant it as a symbolic action, as a way for students and citizens "to repossess an area that is at great risk of criminal and mafia presence."Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 06:52:30|Editor: Liangyu

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WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Wednesday that China firmly supports the planned meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong Un.

Speaking at a press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after their meeting, Wang urged the U.S. side to grasp the current opportunity to create peace and make history.U.S.-led coalition targets Syrian military positions in desert region Source: Xinhua 2018-05-24 07:12:33 DAMASCUS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-led coalition warplanes struck two Syrian military positions in the desert region in eastern Syria after midnight Thursday, the War Media of the Syrian army and its allies reported. Editor: LiuEnglish French

MONTREAL, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fresche Solutions, the worlds leading provider of IBM i application modernization and management solutions, announced today that it has secured US$60 million of financing. National Bank of Canada (NBC) as Lead Arranger, sole book runner and Administrative Agent was mandated and successfully arranged the financing with a syndicate of financial institutions comprised of NBC, Investissement Quebec and TD Bank. Fresche was aided by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP to set up the financing, while the financial institutions were aided by Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. The financing will be used to fund Fresches operations, organic growth and aggressive acquisition strategy as it continues to build the largest portfolio of IT modernization solutions in the world. In particular, Fresche is looking to build on its reputation as the one-stop solution provider for the IBM i customer community.



Fresche Solutions provides innovative solutions to organizations seeking to modernize and extend the life of applications and databases that run on IBM Power Systems. Fresches growing portfolio of technologies and services helps IT departments take advantage of modern and agile solutions including web, mobile and cloud.

"This financing is key to our acquisition strategy, says Andy Kulakowski, President and CEO of Fresche Solutions. We are a highly profitable global company thats growing quickly, and acquisitions will further accelerate our growth and extend our reach into new markets. We are already the leading provider of modernization and managements solutions to the IBM i community, and our acquisition plan will deepen and diversify that position. IT modernization becomes a more pressing need with each year that passes, and the market is increasingly turning to Fresche for help. This US $60 million financing will help us make sure that we provide the widest possible portfolio of solutions to more than 100,000 potential clients.

Patrick Thibault, Chief Financial Officer at Fresche, said that Financial institutions were impressed with our level of revenue growth, both direct and via partnerships. Combined with recurring revenue from Fresches very loyal customer base, the result is above-industry margins generated through numerous international markets. Financial institutions were also impressed by managements proven track record on acquisition and integration, which fueled the decision to support not only Fresches operations and organic growth but also its acquisition plan. This new financing is an additional step in Fresches continued growth and acquisition strategy, which will result in building a global champion in the modernization and transformation industry.

Fresche has been named a Top Montreal and Canada Employer four years in a row, which also influenced the banks decision to invest. With well over 400 employees, and more than 200 technology sector jobs created in the past two years, Fresche has had a highly positive impact on the economy in areas where its offices are located.

About National Bank of Canada

National Bank is an integrated group that provides comprehensive financial services to consumers, small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations in its core market, while offering specialized services elsewhere in the world. National Bank offers a full array of banking services, including corporate and investment banking. It is an active player on international markets and, through its subsidiaries, is involved in securities brokerage, insurance and wealth management, as well as mutual fund and retirement plan management. Its securities are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:NA.TO).

About Investissement Quebec

Investissement Quebec's mission is to foster the growth of investment in Quebec, thereby contributing to economic development and job creation in every region. The Corporation offers businesses a full range of financial solutions, including loans, loan guarantees and equity investments, to support them at all stages of their development. It is also responsible for administering tax measures and prospecting for foreign investment.

About TD Bank

The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are collectively known as TD Bank Group ("TD" or the "Bank"). TD is the sixth largest bank in North America by branches and serves more than 25 million customers in three key businesses operating in a number of locations in financial centers around the globe: Canadian Retail, including TD Canada Trust, TD Auto Finance Canada, TD Wealth (Canada), TD Direct Investing, and TD Insurance; U.S. Retail, including TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, TD Auto Finance U.S., TD Wealth (U.S.), and an investment in TD Ameritrade; and Wholesale Banking, including TD Securities. TD also ranks among the world's leading online financial services firms, with approximately 12 million active online and mobile customers. TD had CDN$1.3 trillion in assets on January 31, 2018. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under the symbol "TD" on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges.

About Fresche Solutions

Fresche helps IBM i users meet all their IT challenges. As a leading expert in IBM i, we provide products, services and solutions that span the complete IBM i application modernization and management spectrum. We enable IT with modernization strategies to support business growth and improve financial performance, increase market competitiveness, remove risk and add business value. With the widest solution portfolio in the IBM i marketplace and 100% referenceability, our team of experts helps organizations future-proof their business by modernizing business processes, technologies and applications. Companies running RPG, COBOL, CA 2E Synon and Java applications rely on us for comprehensive, automated solutions that optimize IBM i systems and help take advantage of technologies such as Web, Mobile, Cloud and AI on IBM i. Our complete portfolio includes solutions in the following areas:

IT Strategy & Planning

Analysis & Productivity

Graphical User Interface, Web & Mobile

Staff Augmentation & Application Services

Code & Database Modernization

Reporting & Document Distribution

For more information about our company, visit us on the web at www.freschesolutions.com

Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

For any inquiries about this press release, please contact Marcel Sarrasin or Christine McDowell:

Marcel Sarrasin, Fresche Solutions,

VP Marketing and Business Development Tel: +1.250.655.1882

Cell: +1 250.857.5023

Email: marcel.sarrasin@freschesolutions.com Christine McDowell, Fresche Solutions,

Senior Director, Marketing Tel: +1 514.747.7007

Cell: +1 514.220.1309

Email: Christine.mcdowell@freschesolutions.com

For any corporate investment inquiries, please contact Patrick Thibault:Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 07:17:37|Editor: Liangyu

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WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Wednesday that China and the United States should work together to make the cooperation list longer and the list of problems shorter and shorter.

Speaking at a press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after their meeting, Wang said their meeting, the first-ever since Pompeo took office, was "frank and deep-going."Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 08:08:03|Editor: Chengcheng

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A visitor takes photos of exhibits on the "Countless Aspects of Beauty In Ancient Art" exhibition at the National Archeological Museum of Athens, Greece, on May 23, 2018. The temporary exhibition is designed to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the museum. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 08:34:16|Editor: Chengcheng

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A Yemeni man takes a rest at roadside in the old City of Sanaa, Yemen, on May 23, 2018. Many people in Yemen receive this Ramadan amid despair and harsh living conditions as a result of the three-year-long military conflict. According to Yemeni economists and analysts, the food prices sharply increased between 35 percent and 100 percent in the recent months of 2018, compared with the period before the Saudi-led military intervention against the Shiite Houthi rebels in 2015. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed)HAVANA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The two survivors of the tragic plane crash in Cuba last week remain in critical condition while investigations into the accident continue with the participation of local and foreign experts.

In the daily press conference, Dr. Carlos Alberto Martinez, director of Havana's Calixto Garcia hospital, said that both women who survived the incident have improved slightly, although one of them experienced respiratory problems in the last few hours.

Mailen Diaz, 19, Emiley Sanchez, 39, and Grettel Landrove, 23, were the only survivors when the Boeing 737 aircraft crashed shortly after it took off on Friday.

Landrove died on Monday due to the severe injuries she suffered in the accident.

According to Martinez, both patients respond in a positive way to neurological stimulus and are conscious sometimes.

"However, Sanchez presented a respiratory distress decreasing her capacity to breathe connected to a mechanical ventilator," he said.

She remains with an unfavorable outlook due to the severe burns on 41 percent of her body.

In the meantime, Diaz continues to progress with good tolerance to nutrition and is conscious for larger periods of time.

"Although the patient continues to be in critical condition due to severe traumatisms there has been an improvement in her condition," he added.

Meanwhile, at Havana's Legal Medicine Institute experts work around the clock to identify the victims of the plane crash to hand them over to family members.

So far 58 people have been identified, including 10 of the 11 foreigners that died in the tragic accident. Only one of the Mexican crew members still hasn't been recognized.

"We have talked with authorities of the countries involved and either the bodies of the victims or their ashes will be repatriated back to their nations in the coming hours," said to the press in his daily briefing, Dr. Sergio Rabell, director of Havana's Legal Medicine Institute.

One Argentinian couple along with a Mexican tourist, as well as two foreign residents in the island traveled on the plane bound for the city of Holguin, about 700 kilometers east of Havana.

The majority of the Cubans which died were also from that province and the ones identified so far have been taken back to their natal towns for burial.

At the site of the crash, about 1 kilometer south of the airport, Cuban experts continue to work collecting evidence which could lead to future explanations on the causes of the disaster.

Local specialists were joined by Mexican aviation authorities, experts from Boeing, the plane's manufacturer, and U.S. personnel from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

A Boeing 737 plane, owned by Mexican company Damojh and leased by Cubana de Aviacion, crashed on Friday near Jose Marti International Airport in Havana with 113 people on board.

The Mexican firm is now under investigation by aviation authorities in that country and has been prohibited from flying or leasing aircrafts to other airlines.

In the incident, 111 people died, including 100 Cubans, five foreigners and six crew members, all Mexicans.SAN FRANCISCO, May 23 (Xinhua) -- San Francisco, with one of the largest Chinese communities in the United States, is pushing to recognize Chinese heritage through renaming public schools after Chinese historical figures.

San Francisco school board has recently passed a resolution to establish a panel of experts to rename the public schools which were named after controversial historical figures.

"This is an important step for San Francisco schools to better reflect the diversity of its students and families," said School Board Commissioner Matt Haney, also co-author of the resolution.

"Chinese students make up one of the largest segments of the student body and the Chinese community is threaded in the fabric of San Francisco's identity, yet our school names fail to reflect that," he said.

Currently only four of 136 schools in San Francisco Unified School District are named after Chinese figures, including John Yehall Chin Elementary, Gordon J. Lau Elementary, Yick Wo Elementary, and Alice Fong Yu Alternative School.

In 2016, Haney called for reevaluating school names and honor Chinese historical figures and community leaders.

The schools he called for renaming of include George Washington High School because Washington was a slave owner.

"We still have schools named after individuals who took part in anti-Chinese racism and discrimination. This is unacceptable," said Haney.

According to the resolution, the new panel will be comprised of experts in such fields as history, arts, and ethnic studies.

The experts will investigate the appropriateness of names of schools, hold public hearings, and present its findings and suggestions to the school board by June 2020, at which time the panel will be dissolved.

"The panel must include strong representation from the Chinese community. This will be a process that ensures the voices of our students, educators and residents are all heard," said Haney.

"Our city's history has been shaped by Chinese leaders like the late Mayor Edwin M. Lee -- it's time we recognize that more fully in our education system," he said.

The resolution is an effort of a larger movement across the country to reevaluate the glorification of historical figures who participated in enslavement, subjugation and oppression.

The Palo Alto Unified School District decided to change the names of two schools which were originally named after two men who were leading advocates of eugenics.CHICAGO, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The Chicago City Council on Wednesday approved the plan for the construction of 500 million U.S. dollars worth Obama Presidential Center project in the city's south side.

The approval, which came on a 47-1 vote, means the Obama Foundation can move forward into federal reviews of the project with city support as a badge of endorsement.

The project remains under federal review because the construction site, Jackson Park, is on the National Register of Historic Places. However, the City Council decision is a major step forward.

The Obama Foundation said it would support thousands of new jobs during construction and after the center opens, claiming it will have a total economic impact of 3.1 billion dollars in the first 10 years.

But opponents have been skeptical that the center will yield such benefits to the local community and have decried the lack of a formal agreement with residents. Others have challenged the use of local parkland for the project.

In May 2017, former President Barack Obama unveiled the preliminary design of his presidential center in Chicago's lakeside Jackson Park.

Obama expressed his hope that the center, expected to be completed by 2021, will draw hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, and in the meantime revitalize the relatively less prosperous south side.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 08:42:49|Editor: Chengcheng

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DAMASCUS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-led warplanes struck two Syrian military positions in the desert region in eastern Syria early Thursday, the War Media of the Syrian army and its allies reported.

The strikes targeted the military positions in the vicinity of the T-2 oil station in the southern countryside of Deir al-Zour province in eastern Syria, said the report.

The report spelled no further details, but a source familiar with the situation told Xinhua the attack happened at about 00:50 Thursday (2150 GMT, Wednesday), adding that no information on losses are available yet.DPRK expresses surprise at Pence's remarks Source: Xinhua 2018-05-24 08:52:50 PYONGYANG, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Thursday expressed surprise over the remarks by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence that the DPRK might end like Libya. Editor: ChengchengTrump asks to consider potential national security investigation into automobile imports Source: Xinhua 2018-05-24 08:57:52 WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he has instructed Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to consider initiating a national security investigation into automobile imports, a protectionist move that's likely to spark widespread opposition from American trading partners. Editor: ChengchengSource: Xinhuanet| 2018-05-24 10:10:27|Editor: Liangyu

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Hosted by the Confucius Institute Headquarters in China, the "Chinese Bridge" competition, one of the most significant platforms for college students across the world to study Chinese language, serves as a bridge to promote the cultural exchanges between China and the outside world.

A student takes part in the final round of the "Chinese Bridge" contest in Vientiane, Laos, May 18, 2018. Laos on Friday held the final round of its 13th "Chinese Bridge" contest, an annual Chinese proficiency competition for non-Chinese college students. (Xinhua/Du Dapeng)Fairfax, VA, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bob Fortna, president, Fortinet Federal Inc., has been elected to serve as AFCEA Internationals vice chairman of the board of directors. In this role, he will assist DeEtte Gray, chairwoman of the board of directors, in the performance of her duties, including general supervision over the affairs of AFCEA. When the chairwoman is unavailable, the vice chairman presides at the meetings of the council, the board of directors and the Executive Committee. Fortna also will serve as the vice chairman of the AFCEA Budget and Finance Committee.

Fortna has been an AFCEA member for more than 15 years. He has supported the association as a member of the board of directors and Executive Committee and served as chairman of the AFCEA Audit Committee.

Now more than ever, its crucial that public, private and academic sectors collaborate to advance global IT and cybersecurity issues and innovation, Fortna says. As a long-standing member of AFCEA, its an honor to join the leadership team and help foster communication among these groups on matters of national security.

Currently, in addition to being the president of Fortinet Federal Inc., Fortna is a member of Fortinet Federal Inc. board of directors. Previously, he was the president of Government Industry Consulting LLC, a consulting business set up to drive success for businesses involved in the federal marketplace. With more than 25 years of federal industry leadership experience, he provided active engagement in strategic and go-to-market planning, execution and growth to his clients. Prior to his work with Government Industry Consulting, Fortna was the vice president for Juniper Networks Defense Sector and the senior federal industry leader in organizations such as Enterasys Networks, Avaya and Nortel Networks. He began his career with IBM in the federal division in Bethesda, Maryland.

Fortna has an MBA from Southern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Maryland College Park. He has spent his career leading, educating and motivating large teams in pursuing competitive public and federal sector business opportunities.

Lt. Gen. Bob Shea, USMC (Ret.), AFCEAs president and CEO, is looking forward to continuing to work with Fortna. Ive had the pleasure of working with Bob during my tenure as president. As a member of our Audit Committee, he has been instrumental in improving our fiscal posture, and he has been a source of tremendous insight and guidance. Im most confident he will continue to provide innovative leadership in his role as vice chairman, Gen. Shea states.

###

AFCEA International, established in 1946, is a non-profit membership association serving the military, government, industry and academia. Join online.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 09:27:56|Editor: Liangyu

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by Xinhua writer Shi Xiaomeng

BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel is paying an official visit to China on Thursday and Friday, marking her 11th trip to the Asian country amid a raft of global uncertainties.

Despite the challenges of protectionism, raging anti-globalization sentiment and unilateralism, China and Germany have chosen to enhance cooperation across a number of fields. Looking to the future, the two countries are bound for closer ties.

According to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, goods worth 186.6 billion euros (218.74 billion U.S. dollars) were traded between Germany and China in 2017. And China was Germany's most important trading partner in 2017 for the second consecutive year.

During her trip, Merkel will visit Shenzhen, an economic hub of strategic significance in China's southern Guangdong Province and an icon of China's development miracle during its reform and opening up over the past 40 years.

The city is home to the headquarters of a number of leading hi-tech and innovative Chinese home-grown enterprises, including Tencent and ZTE. It also has a favorable environment that is attractive to foreign investors, including those from Germany.

Innovation, the Internet, smart manufacturing, new energy, and green development are fields that can broaden the scope of cooperation and lead to opportunities for economic growth.

Progress is already in the making. Earlier this year, China and Germany set up 11 innovation cooperation platforms, covering fields such as electric vehicles, bioscience, clean water, intelligent manufacturing and clean energy.

Also, opportunities for closer cooperation such as the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) are fostering more investment possibilities.

According to a Business Confidence Survey conducted in 2017 by the German Chamber of Commerce, more than one third of the German companies operating in China expect a positive impact on their future business as a result of the BRI. And 30 percent of German companies are active or considering involvement in BRI projects. Moreover, China's grand infrastructure and trade project stands to bolster China-Europe ties overall.

Also, while addressing this year's annual gathering of the Boao Forum last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed a fresh set of ambitious moves to open the country's door even wider to the world, including slashing tariffs on imported vehicles and offering greater access to Chinese markets for foreign firms.

These are not lip-service promises. China announced on Tuesday that it will cut import tariffs on some vehicles to 15 percent, down from as much as 25 percent; the move is no doubt good news for German automakers.

While both economic powers share a willingness to boost their already strong trade and investment links, they have repeatedly voiced their readiness to defend the rules-based global free-trade system and further promote openness in the global economy. Their corresponding stance has special meaning in today's world where globalization is under threat.

The topic of multilateralism is likely to be raised during Merkel's talks with Chinese leaders.

"We want to strengthen multilateralism. And that will play a role in our discussion," Merkel said in a podcast published Saturday.

China has been a strong supporter for the world's multilateral system, and so has Germany, be it the Paris Agreement negotiations or the Iranian nuclear deal talks.

Almost one year ago when President Xi visited Germany, he called the development of China-Germany ties over the decades a "success story" that has delivered real benefits to the two peoples.

As the leaders of both countries meet again, the visit is expected to help write a new chapter in the China-Germany success story.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 09:48:07|Editor: Liangyu

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WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Wednesday that Washington shall abide by its commitment to the one-China policy.

Wang made the remarks while speaking at a press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after their meeting.

He noted that the Taiwan issue concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as China's core interests.

For his part, Pompeo said the United States' one-China policy remains unchanged and the U.S. policy on this issue is consistent, when asked by a reporter whether there are changes to the one-China policy as the U.S. side has taken a series of negative acts on the Taiwan issue recently.

Wang said that the reporter's question reveals doubts of the Chinese society on the U.S. policy on the Taiwan issue.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 09:53:09|Editor: Chengcheng

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PYONGYANG, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Thursday expressed surprise and anger at the remarks by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence that the DPRK might end like Libya.

Choe Son Hui, the DPRK's vice foreign minister, said she would put forward a suggestion to DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un for reconsidering the DPRK-U.S. summit scheduled for June 12, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

"Whether the U.S. will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States," she said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 09:58:11|Editor: Chengcheng

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DAMASCUS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-led warplanes struck two Syrian military positions in the desert region in eastern Syria early Thursday, the War Media of the Syrian army and its allies reported.

The strikes targeted the military positions in the vicinity of the T-2 oil station in the southern countryside of Deir al-Zour province in eastern Syria, said the report.

The report gave no further details, but a source familiar with the situation told Xinhua that the attack happened at 00:50 a.m. Thursday (2150 GMT, Wednesday), adding that no information on losses are available yet.

The overnight attack came as activists reported shelling between the Syrian army and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the countryside of Deir al-Zour on Wednesday.

According to earlier reports, the United States and Israel have struck several Syrian military positions recently, targeting areas where Iranian military experts are located.

These escalations are part of the tension between the Syrian government and its Iranian allies on one side and the United States and Israel on the other side.

President Bashar al-Assad said Wednesday that some international parties, meaning the West, which are "separated from reality when it comes to approaching the situation in Syria are an obstacle to any breakthrough in the political track."

He further urged such parties to show a minimum amount of political realism, halt the support for terrorism and embrace political work.

He made the remarks when meeting with visiting Russian presidential envoy on Syria Alexander Lavrentiev.

The attack early Thursday came as Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told Russia's Sputnik news service that the withdrawal of Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group from Syria is not on the discussion agenda, as those forces have come to Syria upon the invitation of the government.ALGIERS, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Algeria aims to achieve self-sufficiency in fuels by the end of 2019 at the latest, Abdelmoumen Ould Kaddour, the CEO of state-run energy giant Sonatrach said Wednesday.

The company will finish renovating the refinery in Sidi R'cine in southern Algiers by the end of the year or early next year and then launch another refinery project in the largest oil region of Hassi Messaoud in the desert, he said.

Ould Kaddour said the tender for Hassi Messaoud refinery has been launched and bids will be open next week, specifying that it is expected to output five million tons per year by end 2019.

He further said that the 10 million-tone-capacity refinery that Sonatrach has acquired in Augusta in Sicily, Italy from U.S. group of ExxonMobil should be official owned by the company by late 2018.

"With the refineries of Augusta, Sidi R'cine and Hassi Messaoud, we would largely meet our domestic needs," said the chief of Sonatrach.

The program will meet the rising domestic demand for petroleum products as the North African nation's fuels consumption has been increasing by an average of 7 percent annually over the past 10 years.

Despite the fact that Algeria is an oil producing and exporting country, its refineries failed to meet local demand, while forced to recourse to imports.

Currently, Algeria imports 12.23 million tons of diesel and 9 million tons of gasoline, while local refineries produce only 11.5 million tons of fuel.

According to Sonatrach's figures, Algeria imported between 2011 and 2017 16 billion U.S. dollars worth fuels.WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. State Department on Wednesday announced a decision to expel two senior Venezuelan diplomats in the United States in retaliation of Venezuela's earlier expulsion of two U.S. diplomats.

In an announcement, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said that the expelled are the charge d'affaires of the Venezuelan embassy and the deputy consul general of the nation's consulate in the midwestern U.S. city of Houston.

The two diplomats have been declared personae non grata, and directed to leave the United States within 48 hours.

The action was made to reciprocate the Venezuelan government's "decision to declare the Charge D'affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. embassy in Caracas personae non gratae," the statement read.Photo taken on May 22, 2018 shows the damaged buildings in Marawi City, the Philippines. (Xinhua/Wang Yu)

MARAWI, the Philippines, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Norma Abbas, a 60-year-old resident from Philippines' southern city Marawi, has been thrown into anxiety and panic these days. Rumors swirled last week that Islamist militants are planning another attack during the lunar month of Ramadan.

The lady has reason to worry. On May 23 last year, two military tanks and a military truck loaded with heavily-armed troops swooped down on her quiet street in this southern Philippine city.

The government forces were trying to capture Isnilon Hapilon, the pro-islamic State (IS) leader of the Abu Sayyaf militants who plotted the takeover of Marawi along with the Maute brothers, Omarkhayam and Abdullah and they were met by sustained attack from the militants, who fired rocket-propelled grenades, ensuing a ferocious fighting between the government security forces and pro-IS jihadists that attempted to make the city a caliphate in Southeast Asia.

One year later, a "For Rent" sign still hangs on the bullet-riddled building with shattered windows and bomb-inflicted holes in a residential area, which Hapilon and the Mautes rented to plot the Philippines' longest and most intense urban battle in recent history. More than 1,200 people were killed, and hundreds of thousands more displaced.

"(The Marawi siege) was the longest urban battle ever confronted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)," said security analyst Rommel Banlaoi in a new study titled "Marawi City Siege and Threats of Narcoterrorism in the Philippines."

Indeed, the AFP took five months to liberate Marawi from the Islamist jihadists that profess loyalty to the IS terrorists based in the Middle East.

"The Marawi City siege was a game-changer in the history of Philippine counter-insurgency operations as the main battle area was an urban terrain and not a guerrilla zone in the forested areas. For almost five decades, the Philippine government has fought armed insurgencies in the countryside. The Marawi City siege taught the Philippine military to learn how to fight in the city," Banlaoi said.

Soldiers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines walk to a bridge in the war-tornMarawi City, the Philippines, May 22, 2018. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

One year after the raid, Army jungle fighter Joseph Quilang said IS militants are again actively recruiting. "They are bitter about their defeat. They want a repeat of the siege," he told Xinhua in an interview while showing reporters around the main battle area.

The main battle area in Marawi is formerly referred to as the Ground Zero after the May 23 attack. The military refers to it now as the "most affected area" or the part of the city where fierce fighting took place between the warring government security forces and pro-IS fighters. The area is now a ghost town of bullet-riddled mosques, buildings, houses and cars, and tons of debris of twisted steel, perforated iron sheets and concrete waste.

Quilang was among the first batch of 205 troops flown into Marawi on June 23 last year. The troops have just completed the Jungle Warfare and Mountain Operations Course (JWMOC) on April 25 that year. Marawi became their first major battle.

"I was totally shocked when I first got here. I was trained to fight in the jungle, not in an urban setting. I remember it was pitched dark when we got into the battle zone. We were literally groping our way," Quilang said.

Out of the 205, he said only 95 survived. Quilang lost his "training buddy," tank gunner Raymundo Gogotano, in the war. His friend was burned alive when the militants set the Simba tank ablaze, Quilang said. Before the burning, he said Gogotano called him to tell that the militants poured crude oil and was about to burn the tank. "I am still mourning for his death," he said.

Quilang toured the Chinese media in the bullet-riddled, bomb-battered Bato Mosque where the last two surviving leaders of Marawi siege Hapilon and Maute made their last stop before in October last year attempting to escape. They were killed before hopping into a waiting boat. Their deaths signaled the end of the devastating war.

A soldier from the Armed Forces of the Philippines looks at destroyed buildings in the war-torn Marawi City, the Philippines, May 22, 2018. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

Quilang said the terrorists are bitter about the war. "They are into recruitment again, offering thousands of pesos to potential recruits. We got wind of it and made some arrests recently," he said.

Army chief Lt. Gen. Rolando Bautista confirmed the presence of IS sleeper cells not only in Marawi but also in many parts of the country.

"We discovered after the Marawi campaign that there are IS sleeper cells not only in Mindanao but also in Luzon and Visayas," Bautista, who previously headed the Joint Task Force Marawi, said in Manila.

"You can see the presence of IS cells in Baguio, Dagupan, Tarlac, Pangasinan (in the Philippine main Luzon Island). In the Visayas (in the central Philippines), there are (cells) in Samar, Cebu and so forth. If they will orchestrate terrorist activities, it might be in the form of lone wolf," Bautista said.

"If they are activated, they can create simultaneous terrorist activities, for example, one or two explosions in one area and an assassination in Cebu, liquidation. That will create a big impact although two or three persons will carry that out. That is their most probable strategy in the meantime," Bautista warned.

However, Bautista expressed doubt that militants can launch a Malawi-like siege in the next three to five years. He said the strength of the militants has been significantly reduced after their defeat in Marawi.

In the military's assessment, he said "the (enemy) threat is totally reduced in terms of leadership, in terms of armament, in terms of foreign support" adding that the "hardcore (IS) fighters have been neutralized."

Bautista nevertheless said that IS-influenced groups "are still recruiting," although the Maute group had been "reduced in terms of strength and capability."

Bautista tagged the Abu Sayyaf, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and the Khilafah Islamiyah Mindanao as among the IS-influenced groups.

He said the attack in Marawi was carried out by an alliance of the different terrorist groups. "If they were able to do that in Marawi, then chances are they can do it again. But our assessment is that it will take more or less three to five years before they can repeat what they did in Marawi," Bautista said.

Housing Assistant Secretary Felix Castro, Task Force Bangon (Rise) Marawi field office manager, echoed Bautista's assessment. "We continue to be vigilant. We do not want these people to disrupt the rehabilitation process," he said.

"A small incident would scare away investors or developers, and the development will not push through. So, we are very vigilant and we continue to coordinate with the military and the military continues to address these concerns," Castro added.

Asked if he considers the IS regrouping as a threat, Castro said, "We don't think so. At this point in time from what I learned those who are recruiting are small in numbers and the recruits are actually young and untrained so it will take time for them to really gather enough strength, enough firearms, enough experience or training to stage another siege."Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 10:43:24|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- China has published plans to further deepen reform and opening-up in pilot free trade zones (FTZs) of three coastal areas to better business environment and push for wider opening to the world.

The reform in FTZs in Guangdong, Tianjin and Fujian will focus on high-quality development, supply-side structural reform, institutional innovation and risk prevention, according to a document of the State Council, China's cabinet.

A better business environment that is law-based, international and accommodating will take shape in the FTZs.

The FTZs will be granted bigger decision-making power in reforms to help make new ground in pursuing opening-up on all fronts, improve government management, and foster new growth drivers and competitiveness.

China launched its first FTZ in Shanghai in 2013. In late 2014, Guangdong, Tianjin and Fujian were allowed to set up the second group of FTZs. Another seven were added across the country in August 2016.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 10:48:26|Editor: Liangyu

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CHICAGO, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Twenty seven Chinese companies attended the 2018 Sweets & Snacks Expo at McCormick Place in Chicago on May 22-24, and put on display, their new innovative products.

Hosted by the National Confectioners Association, the show is an international event held on an annual basis in Chicago from 2003, which attracted more than 800 exhibitors and nearly 18,000 candy and snack professionals this year.

Sitting in the stall surrounded by colorful gummies on display, Scarlett Hong, executive director of Fujian Hollywood Foods Industrial Co. Ltd under China Candy Holdings Limited, displayed their new product: 3D gummy.

It's the first time that the company attend the event. "We are here to meet old customers and develop new customers," Hong told Xinhua.

Founded in 2000, Hong's company mainly produces gummies and candies modelled after cartoon figures, which are sold both in China and abroad.

Brusco Trading Co Ltd, another company based in Shenzhen, rented a stall to display its lollipops. They demonstrated to onlookers, on how to use the Selfiepop that the company develops.

It is a selfie with a lollipop erected at the top. Whenever the shutter is clicked, the cover on the top will open, unveiling a lollipop, according to Brusco.

Brusco has opened offices in Hong Kong and in the state of Illinois in the United States.

Dongguan City Jingli Can Co., Ltd and Dongguan Glory Tins Manufactory displayed candy tins and cans of various shapes and colors. The company has already been a tin supplier for the world famous sweets producer Hershey Chocolate.

Besides unveiling thousands of new products and highlighting the latest trends in treats and snacks, Always A Treat Initiative is also highlighted at the show. Announced by America's leading chocolate and candy companies at the 2017 Sweets & Snacks Expo, which is aiming to provide consumers with more information, options and support as they enjoy their favorite treats.

Confection is a big industry in the United States, creating jobs for around 55,000 workers in more than 1,000 manufacturing facilities across the country.

It also creates more than 400,000 jobs in agriculture, retail, transportation and other industries which rely in part on the sale of confectioneries for their livelihood. For each job that is created by confectionery companies, another seven are supported in related industries.VIENTIANE, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The contribution by agriculture to the Lao economy continued to decline in 2017, local daily Vientiane Times reported Thursday.

According to a recent report from the Bank of the Lao PDR, the central bank of Laos, the agriculture sector saw only 2.8 percent growth in 2017 and contributed just 16 percent of the country's GDP.

In the past, agriculture was one of the main drivers of the Lao economy, but the growth of investment in the industry and service sectors has deflated the contribution of agriculture, said the report.

The industry sector saw 11 percent growth in 2017, accounting for 30 percent of GDP, while the service sector shrank by 4.5 percent but remained a major contributor to the economy, accounting for 41.1 percent of GDP.

Agriculture's contribution shrank even as international development partners such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank urged the Lao government to diversify its economic base so that it would no longer be so reliant on the resource sector, said the report.

They particularly urged the Lao government to strengthen agriculture as it employs more than 70 percent of the population. If agriculture was more robust, it would free the majority of the population from poverty.CHICAGO, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc. (NCSBN) will recognize its dedicated and exceptional membership and guests at its annual awards ceremony during the NCSBN Annual Meeting and Delegate Assembly, held in Minneapolis, Aug. 15-17, 2018.



Specific award recipients include:

Gloria Damgaard, MS, RN, FRE, executive director, South Dakota Board of Nursing, will be honored with the prestigious R. Louise McManus Award. Individuals receiving this award have made sustained and significant contributions through the highest commitment and dedication to the mission and vision of NCSBN.

Gregory Y. Harris, JD, former board member, Arizona State Board of Nursing, and South Dakota State Senator Deb Soholt, MS, RN, former board member, South Dakota Board of Nursing, will each receive the Distinguished Achievement Award. The Distinguished Achievement Award is given to individuals whose contributions or accomplishments have impacted NCSBNs mission and vision.

Lois Hoell, MS, MBA, RN, commission member, Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission, and Suellyn Masek, MSN, RN, CNOR, commission member, Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission, will each receive the Exceptional Contribution Award, which is given for significant contribution by a member who is not a president or executive officer and demonstrated support of NCSBNs mission.

The College of Nurses of Ontario will be awarded the Regulatory Achievement Award that recognizes the member board or associate member that has made an identifiable, significant contribution to the mission and vision of NCSBN in promoting public policy related to the safe and effective practice of nursing in the interest of public welfare.

Former Minnesota Board of Nursing Executive Director Joyce M. Schowalter, MEd, RN, will be presented with the NCSBN Founders Award during a special Founders Luncheon on Aug.15. Schowalter served as the executive officer of the Minnesota Board of Nursing from 1973 until 1999. Following the establishment of NCSBN, she was elected to the organizations first Board of Directors and later served as vice-president and president.

In addition, service awards will be given to the following executive officers of boards of nursing (BONs):

Five Years

Kathleen Weinberg, MSN, RN, executive director, Iowa Board of Nursing

Karen C. Lyon, PhD, RN, ACNS, NEA, executive director, Louisiana State Board of Nursing

Jennifer Breton, LPN, RN, executive director, College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Manitoba



Lynn Power, MN, RN, executive director, Association of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador

Lynsay Nair, LPN, executive director, Saskatchewan Association of Licensed Practical Nurses

10 Years

Julia L. George, MSN, RN, FRE, executive director, North Carolina Board of Nursing

20 Years

Paula Meyer, MSN, RN, FRE, executive director, Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission

About NCSBN

NCSBN marks its 40th anniversary milestone in 2018 with the inspiring theme of Regulatory Excellence Surging Toward the Future. Founded March 15, 1978, as an independent not-for-profit organization, NCSBN was initially created to lessen the burdens of state governments and bring together BONs to act and counsel together on matters of common interest. It has evolved into one of the leading voices of regulation across the world.

NCSBNs membership is comprised of the BONs in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and four U.S. territories  American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands. There are also 30 associate members that are either nursing regulatory bodies or empowered regulatory authorities from other countries or territories.

NCSBN Member Boards protect the public by ensuring that safe and competent nursing care is provided by licensed nurses. These BONs regulate more than 4.8 million licensed nurses.

Mission: NCSBN provides education, service and research through collaborative leadership to promote evidence-based regulatory excellence for patient safety and public protection.

The statements and opinions expressed are those of NCSBN and not the individual member state or territorial boards of nursing.

Contact: Dawn M. Kappel

Director, Marketing and Communications

312.525.3667 direct

312.279.1034 fax

dkappel@ncsbn.orgby Noemi Galban and Raimundo Urrechaga

HAVANA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Cuba has maintained a vigil since Friday when a Boeing 737 crashed shortly after taking off from Havana's Jose Marti International Airport.

A total of 113 people were on board flight DMJ-0972 bound for Cuba's eastern city of Holguin, about 700 km east of the capital.

Initially, there were four survivors. However, one of them died minutes after arriving at a local hospital, while Gretell Landrove, a 23-year-old college student, passed away on Monday due to her severe injuries.

Millions of Cubans have scrutinized local television reports to find out about the medical evolution of Landrove as well as Mailen Diaz, 19, and Emiley Sanchez, 39, both from Holguin.

However, Landrove's death has had a profound impact.

"All these days have been very sad but Gretell's death affected me in a special way ...," Anabel Fonseca, a young Havana resident, told Xinhua.

Many Cubans drew strength from the survivors while weeping along with the families mourning their loved ones.

"I managed to save myself. Today I am 33 years old, I finally graduated, I'm a professional, I got married and I have a son but knowing that she (Gretell) won't be able to realize any of her dreams has made me very emotional," Fonseca said with tears.

Five days after the fatal event, only two survivors remain alive and their outlook remains a concern. While doctors say they have made slight improvements, regaining consciousness and communicating with doctors, their serious injuries still present serious risks.

Despite the critical state of both and the unfortunate fate of Landrove, the relatives of the two survivors are clinging to hope and trust in the medical team.

"They told me she has been improving a little bit and I think that both of them can come out of this. I have faith they will be saved because our doctors are very dedicated," said Marilyn Almaguer, mother of Mailen Diaz.

"They both have severe injuries with great trauma and we must wait. Doctors are now evaluating the secondary shocks due to the explosion of the aircraft or the collisions they suffered," Dr. Alicia Leon told Xinhua.

Leon was the first doctor to treat Mailen Diaz at a polyclinic near the airport after she was taken there by ambulance.

Once she stabilized, the young woman was transferred to Havana's Calixto Garcia hospital.

Cuban investigators, working at the crash site about 1 km south of the airport, have identified 58 bodies so far, supported by Mexican aviation authorities, experts from Boeing and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Of the Cubans on board, "32 were young people under 35 years old and that hurts, knowing how many broken dreams, how much life ahead has been undone," Adela Quijada, a senior citizen in Havana, told Xinhua.

Most of the Cuban victims were from Holguin and many heartbreaking stories have emerged since the tragedy.

Damojh, the Mexican owner of the plane, is now under investigation in Mexico and has been suspended from flying or leasing its planes.

The Boeing 737, leased by Cubana de Aviacion, crashed Friday near Jose Marti International Airport. A total of 111 people have died so far, including 100 Cubans, six Mexican crew and five foreign passengers.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 11:18:33|Editor: Chengcheng

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WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. State Department on Wednesday announced a decision to expel two senior Venezuelan diplomats in the United States in retaliation of Venezuela's earlier expulsion of two U.S. diplomats.

In an announcement, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said that the expelled are the charge d'affaires of the Venezuelan embassy and the deputy consul general of the nation's consulate in the midwestern U.S. city of Houston.

The two diplomats have been declared personae non grata, and directed to leave the United States within 48 hours.

The action was made to reciprocate the Venezuelan government's "decision to declare the charge d'affaires and deputy chief of mission of the U.S. embassy in Caracas personae non gratae," the statement read.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday ordered the expulsion of U.S. Charge D'affaires Todd Robinson and deputy head of mission, Brian Naranjo.

Asking the two diplomats to "leave the country in 48 hours," Maduro said his decision was made "in protest and in defense of the dignity of the Venezuelan nation. Enough conspiracies."

The decision also came after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order prohibiting certain additional transactions with Venezuela.

The order targeted the Maduro government by banning all transactions by U.S. persons or companies which would acquire any debt from the Venezuelan government.

Calling Maduro's accusations "unjustified," the State Department said the U.S. diplomats "have carried out their official duties responsibly and consistent with diplomatic practice and applicable provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic and Relations."

"We reject any suggestion to the contrary," the statement added.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 11:18:33|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hold a press conference after their meeting in Washington May 23, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Wednesday that Washington should abide by its commitment to the one-China policy.

Wang made the remarks while speaking at a press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after their meeting.

He made a stopover in Washington D.C. on his way back from Argentina on Wednesday.

Wang noted that the Taiwan issue concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as China's core interests.

For his part, Pompeo said the United States' one-China policy remains unchanged and the U.S. policy on this issue is consistent, when asked by a reporter whether there are changes to the one-China policy as the U.S. side has taken a series of negative acts on the Taiwan issue recently.

Wang said the reporter's question reveals doubts of the Chinese society on the U.S. policy on the Taiwan issue.

Wang said he noticed that Pompeo has clearly said there is no change to the one-China policy.

China urges the U.S. side to stick to the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three Joint Communiques, and prudently and properly handle Taiwan-related issues, so as to preserve the overall interests of China-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.PYONGYANG, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Thursday reacted strongly to the remarks by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence that DPRK might end like Libya, warning it would reconsider whether to attend a scheduled summit with U.S. president next month.

Choe Son Hui, the DPRK's vice foreign minister, said she would put forward a suggestion to DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un for reconsidering the DPRK-U.S. summit scheduled for June 12 if the United States continues with hostile remarks and actions, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

"In case the U.S. offends against our goodwill and clings to unlawful and outrageous acts, I will put forward a suggestion to our supreme leadership for reconsidering the DPRK-U.S. summit," she said.

This is the second time within days for Pyongyang to warn Washington that it might cancel the summit scheduled to take place in Singapore next month because of provocative anti-DPRK remarks by top U.S. officials.

DPRK last week expressed anger at remarks by U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton that United States would use the "Libya model" to denuclearize the country.

"Whether the U.S. will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States," said the vice minister who is in charge of holding dialogue with the United States.

Calling the remarks of Pence "ignorant and stupid," she said that Pence should seriously consider the "terrible consequences of his words" before making such remarks.

"We could surmise more than enough what a political dummy he is as he is trying to compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya that has simply installed a few items of equipment and fiddled around with them," she said.

The vice minister also renewed previous warnings that the DPRK is capable of defending itself with its nuclear and missile strength.

"To borrow their words, we can also make the U.S. taste an appalling tragedy it has neither experienced nor even imagined up to now," said Choe in rare tough words used after the DPRK and the United States started dialogue a few months ago.

She said the DPRK developed its nuclear and missile capabilities only not to repeat such tragedy as has occurred in Libya.

"In order not to follow in Libya's footsteps, we paid a heavy price to build up our powerful and reliable strength that can defend ourselves and safeguard peace and security in the Korean Peninsula and the region," she said.

The official also expressed doubt about the ulterior motive behind the U.S. move to ask for dialogue with the DPRK and "what the U.S. has calculated to gain from that."

"It is the U.S. who has asked for dialogue, but now it is misleading the public opinion as if we have invited them to sit with us," she said.

"We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us," she added.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 11:38:37|Editor: Liu

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SYDNEY, May 24 (Xinhua) -- When Chinese electrical engineer Xiao Jiajie completed graduate school in Australia two years ago, it seemed only natural to him to extend his education and expertise in science and technology by continuing to work in the field.

When the opportunity came up to showcase his specialty in one of Australia's largest creative platforms, Xiao grasped it without hesitation.

Banking on China's strengths in light-emitting diode or LED lighting technology, Xiao and his project co-leader Zhang Jiawei managed to snag an installation spot in Vivid Sydney, the annual festival of light, music and innovation in the capital of Australia's New South Wales state.

"China is certainly a world leader in LED lighting, 3D display and interactive technology. Chinese LED manufacturers themselves produce most of the LED hardware now," Xiao, 26, told Xinhua in an interview on Thursday.

"Vivid Sydney is in its 10th year and some of us have seen it in past years. We realized there haven't been that many artists, participants, with Chinese backgrounds involved in it," said Xiao.

"When we attended university here we also studied subjects such as electronics and computer programming, so we thought, why not focus on presenting something that China has strengths in, technological strengths and advantages, to bring it here to Australia and allow people here to see what these strengths are."

"The Space Arena," an interactive LED installation presented by Xiao and his team, is a hollow, container-like structure with an interior draped by LED "curtains" that display images, animation and other visual art. Viewer interactivity comes in the form of graffiti, emoji digital expressions and other messages sent from mobile devices such as smartphones that become visualized in the structure.

The installation is one of the festival's lighting highlights and will be put up for free public access near the Circular Quay area during the three-week event, which will start Friday.

The festival itself boasts top draws citywide, including the multicolored light up of the iconic Sydney Opera House in the harbor, talks with filmmaker James Cameron, and some of the latest innovations in jazz.

Xiao, who is from China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and has been in Sydney for a decade, said they had to go through a highly selective process that began late last year to take part in the festival.

Organizers were impressed with the LED installation idea and even provided some financial support for his team's work, which involved more than 200,000 Australian dollars (150,969 U.S. dollars), including hardware and setup costs, Xiao said.

A Chinese technology company also helped sponsor the installation.

Now working in a design and technology company in Sydney that uses similar cutting-edge LED applications, Xiao said his team aimed to bring the latest know-how to provide stunning visual effects and engage user interaction.

"This is a leading technology and a promising field of engineering. We want to show what China can offer."Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 11:48:39|Editor: Liu

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HONG KONG, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Police in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) were looking for two robbers on Thursday after goods worth 5 million Hong Kong dollars (about 637,000 U.S. dollars) were snatched in a smash-and-grasp raid on a luxury jewellery shop in Tsim Sha Tsui district.

The robbery occurred around 7:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday in the luxury Habor City mall in Tsim Sha Tsui.

One of the robbers wielded a knife to intimidate and dominate the staff and customers in the shop, while the other smashed the display cabinet and snatched two diamond rings, one diamond bracelet, two diamond necklaces and one diamond stone, Senior Inspector Chan Ka-ying of District Crime Squad Yau Tsim District told media at a briefing on late Wednesday night.

The two robbers, wearing caps and masks, finished the robbery in several minutes and escaped via escalators, Chan said.

Dozens of police officers searched the surrounding areas following the incident.

Chan said the police will investigate the suspects' nationality, whether they had cased the site before the robbery, and whether they had other accomplices or belong to any group.SYDNEY, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Most of the nets set up as part of a trial to deal with shark threats in Australia's New South Wales state hauled in mostly bycatch including dolphins and turtles instead, according to latest figures.

The latest haul from the nets deployed in the state's north coast region between April and May included dead bycatch such as two great hammerheads, one leatherback turtle and two Indo-Pacific dolphins, the state department of primary industries reported.

Since late November 2017, the trial netted 145 animals from 17 species at five beach areas, with two of them being the targeted bull sharks. One critically endangered Grey Nurse shark was also captured and released alive.

The species being targeted also include white sharks and tiger sharks.

The trial, initiated by the department to help keep dangerous sharks from swimmers, also features dolphin pingers and whale alarms to keep other marine animals away from the nets.

Authorities said they have modified net designs but local communities are still expressing concerns about the amount of bycatch, according to local media.

"Over the last two shark-net trials we've now killed eight dolphins. We've decimated the local population, and that's something I feel shame about," Ballina town's Deputy Mayor Keith Williams told reporters.

"I think the data is really clear. The nets are really not working."

The department said it would discuss the latest developments with marine specialists and communities as part of their shark mitigation strategy for the region.PHNOM PENH, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's National Election Committee (NEC) had officially recognized all of the 20 political parties that registered to contest the July national election, according to local media's report on Thursday.

"In total, 20 political parties have been officially recognized by the NEC," said a NEC's statement.

Among the recognized parties are the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, the royalist Funcinpec Party of Prince Norodom Ranariddh, and the Grassroots Democracy Party.

The Southeast Asian nation is scheduled to hold a national election for the 125-seat parliament on July 29 and approximately 8.3 million Cambodians are eligible to cast their ballots.

Speaking during a get-together with thousands of garment factory workers in southwestern Kampong Speu province on Wednesday, Hun Sen renewed his call for the people to vote in the forthcoming election, saying it would be the only chance for them to elect their leaders once in every five years.

According to the NEC, the three-week electoral campaign will start from July 7 to 27.CANBERRA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- An Australian wildlife conservation group has fenced off a 94 square-km sanctuary in the country's north in an attempt to save native marsupials and birds from the growing problem of feral cats.

Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) has constructed a 44-km fence on farmland in the Northern Territory and removed more than 60 feral cats from it, paving the way for the regeneration of endangered native animal species.

The world's largest cat-free area was completed at the Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary - a former cattle station - after research estimated that cats killed approximately 73,000 native mammals, reptiles and birds a year in the area.

Feral cats are thought to be responsible for the extinction of 20 native marsupial species since they were introduced by the First Fleet of ships to Australia 231 years ago.

Conservationists plan to reintroduce a total of 11 endangered marsupials into the area, including bilbies, numbats, golden bandicoots, western quolls and black-footed rock wallabies.

AWC chief executive Atticus Fleming said on Thursday the mala population (a species of wallaby) was expected to grow from 2,400 to 18,000 over 10 years inside the sanctuary.

Fleming said the sanctuary would free the region from its moniker as the "global epicenter for mammal extinctions," having lost about 30 species since European colonization.

"There are lots of things being tried. Better baits, better traps and in the long term stuff like gene-drive technology," Fleming said on Thursday. "But at this point in time, there's no silver bullet and no guarantee there will be a silver bullet. So these large feral-free areas are critical."

Feral cats are estimated to kill hundreds of thousands of native birds across the country every day.CANBERRA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Plans to install Tesla batteries in 50,000 South Australian (SA) homes will go ahead under the new Liberal Party state government.

There had been fears that the former Labor government's policy to create the worlds "largest virtual power plant" would be scrapped by the new government, but State Energy Minister Dan van Holst Pellekaan hosed down those fears at an energy conference late on Wednesday.

"It's very important to be clear about this we are honoring the existing commitments around the Tesla virtual power plant (VPP)," van Holst Pellekaan told the Australian Energy Storage Conference in Adelaide.

"These are supported by a grant of 2 million Australian dollars (1.5 million U.S. dollars) and a loan of 30 million Australian dollars (22.7 million U.S. dollars) from the State Government."

The destiny of the free installation policy announced by SA's previous Labor government was unclear following the election of Premier Steven Marshall in March, but van Holst Pellekaan confirmed the Liberal government would implement both its own policy and its predecessors.

"Subject to private finance, and the first two phases' success, the third phase could grow to up to 50,000 home batteries connected to new solar installations, and this is in addition to our government's 40,000 home election commitment," van Holst Pellekaan said.

He added that gas would become a "less necessary" component of SA's energy mix as storage technology evolved and improved.

The states renewable energy strategy has come under fire in recent times following occasional blackouts.EDISON, N.J., May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters will join more than a dozen labor industry partners at Construction Industry Career Day (CICD) on Tuesday, May 29TH and Wednesday, May 30TH. The event is being held at the New Jersey Convention and Expo Center (97 Sunfield Avenue, Edison). CICD is open to the public from 4-8 p.m. on May 29. On May 30, the Just Juniors event is open to high school juniors and educators who have registered to attend. Just Juniors is now filled to capacity with more than 2,000 students registered.



The two-day event will bring together trade union representatives throughout New Jersey to provide information to students, parents, teachers, guidance counselors and job seekers about starting a rewarding career in the construction industry. Last year, the Just Juniors event was attended by approximately 1,500 students from dozens of school districts across the state from Atlantic County to Warren County.

Construction Industry Career Day gives high school students more information about what its like to work in the construction industry, said Ridgeley Hutchinson, Executive Director of the Northeast Carpenters Apprentice Training and Educational Fund. A career in the building trades is a good one and provides individuals the opportunity to make a good wage and secure great health and retirement benefits with ZERO college debt.

For more information or to register for Construction Industry Career Day, please visit: www.cicdnj.org.

About the NRCC

The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC) represents nearly 40,000 hardworking men and women in Delaware and New Jersey and portions of Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. NRCC is one of the largest trade unions on the East Coast. The NRCC equips professional men and women carpenters with the skills, training and quality workmanship that are demanded in today's construction industry. For more information on NRCC, please visit our website: northeastcarpenters.org & like us on social Facebook: facebook.com/NortheastRegionalCouncilofCarpenters; Twitter: @nrccarpenters ; Instagram: @northeastcarpenters; LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/northeastcarpenters; and Snapchat: @nrccarpenters

Contact: Tony Bianchini

Phone: 609-402-1730Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 12:58:53|Editor: Chengcheng

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BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel is paying an official visit to China on Thursday and Friday at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

The following is a profile of Merkel.

Merkel was born in Hamburg in July 1954 and earned a doctorate in physics at the University of Leipzig.

Before entering politics, she worked and studied at the Central Institute for then East Germany's Physical Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences from 1978 to 1990.

In November 1989, Merkel joined the opposition Democratic Awakening movement. In 1990, she briefly served as the deputy spokeswoman for the government of conservative Lothar de Maiziere, the last prime minister of East Germany before unification.

In August 1990, Merkel joined Chancellor Helmut Kohl's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party and was later elected to the federal parliament of the reunified Germany.

She became federal minister for women and youth in 1991 and federal minister for environment, nature conservation and nuclear safety in 1994.

Merkel was secretary general of the CDU from 1998 to 2000, and was elected chairperson in 2000. From 2002 to 2005, she was also chair of the CDU and the Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU) parliamentary coalition.

In November 2005, Merkel became Germany's first female chancellor and was re-elected in October 2009, December 2013 and March 2018 respectively.

In August 1997, Merkel visited China as minister for environment, nature conservation and nuclear safety. As chancellor, she has made 10 trips to China, with the most recent one in September 2016.

Merkel is married and has no children.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 13:03:55|Editor: ZD

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Serbia's President Aleksander Vusic, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk (L-R) pose for photos before a press conference at the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia, Bulgaria, May 17, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Xinshan)

by Xinhua writer Tian Dongdong

BRUSSELS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Amid a nose-dive of intimacy in trans-Atlantic relations, the United States and the European Union (EU) are set to show their hands in seven days to end or extend their heartbroken negotiation for EU's permanent steel and aluminum tariffs exemption.

The deadline, set by U.S. President Donald Trump on April 30, granted EU member countries "a final 30 days" till June 1 for further discussion.

Described by EU leaders as "the Sword of Damocles" or "gun pointing to head," the deadline, together with Trump administration's unyielding stance, has exerted massive pressure on the EU.

In the "game of chicken," as some European analysts called it, EU countries are forced to forge a united front and abandon pipe dreams on America. But the effectiveness of their solidarity still waits to be tested, given their divergences and Washington's unsatisfied appetite. With seven days to go, the EU found its offer to the United States "not enough" to end the trade row.

UNITED FRONT VS INSATIABLE APPETITE

"With friends like that who needs enemies?" said Donald Tusk, president of the European Council while commenting on the latest decisions of Trump.He then ironically called on Europe to be grateful to 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 ... what we need is more political unity and determination," the president said at last week's EU-Western Balkans summit, where the EU made a four-point proposal in exchange for unlimited exemption from the United States.

The proposal includes deepening energy cooperation, notably on liquefied natural gas (LNG), focusing on voluntary cooperation between regulators on both sides on an ad hoc basis, working together on WTO reform and discussing ways to improve reciprocal market access for products like cars.

The proposal shows that "we are not negotiating anything under threat but that we are willing to engage on a positive agenda if we were excluded from these measures (tariffs)," said EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom on Tuesday.

Daniel Gros, director of the Center for European Policy Studies, a EU think tank, warned of obstacles in finding a deal.

"On LNG, the U.S. and the EU might have common interests, but exports to the EU are starting anyway and the real aim of the U.S. is to get the EU (to) buy less from Russia. Unfortunately the EU institution can do very little about this as this is a decision of private companies and Russian gas is still cheaper than U.S. LNG," he said.

HOW COME THE GUN IS POINTED AT EU'S HEAD?

"It is evident that Trump implements an odd political strategy of force in his negotiations around the world. He makes a strong start trying to accomplish some of the goals that he has set," Panagiotis Petrakis, professor in the Department of Economics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, told Xinhua.

Echoing Petrakis, Constantinos Filis, director of research at the Institute of International Relations of Panteion University in Athens, said "Trump has applied his business logic in making key U.S. decisions on a number of issues: strike first to shape the negotiating framework and then force or impose (them) on other parties."

"The problem here, however, is that this tactic doesn't differentiate between allies and competitors. As a result, the rift in the western camp now appears to be a real threat, thanks to Washington's unilateral actions," said Filis.

These rifts, according to German Economic Minister Peter Altmaier, were unleashed by Trump's "America First" doctrine.

"If you fight fire with fire, all you are left with is burned earth," Altmaier warned.

Fredrik Erixon, director of the European Center for International Political Economy, put it more frankly.

"The U.S. wants the EU to voluntarily reduce some of its steel exports, but the EU is having none of that. The U.S. ... (is) also using the threat of steel tariffs to get the EU to become more accepting of other U.S. wishes for the EU, like reducing tariffs in the auto sector," Erixon told Xinhua.

WILL IT END IN HARMONY?

Compared with the United States, the EU is more vulnerable in a trade war, said Fabio Parenti, associate professor of economic and political geography at the Italian International Institute Lorenzo de' Medici.

"If we look at the trade tensions between USA and China, now on hold, it seems that Europe will be more affected for a simple reason: the main European countries are significantly more dependent on trade," said the professor.

In addition, different levels of dependence on trade among EU members also brew divergences.

"In the framework of the European Union, Germany was therefore attempting to reach 'sensible solutions' in ongoing discussions with U.S. representatives. However, unlike Germany, France is less likely to identify a compromise path with the U.S.," Theoxaris Grigoriadis, assistant professor of Free University of Berlin, told Xinhua.

"Probably the EU will agree on 'voluntary ' export restraints. This is convenient for EU producers and for the U.S.," said Gros.

Unlike Gros' optimism, Erixon told Xinhua that "this is all about politics. Both sides don't want to have a tariff war with each other, but neither side is willing to back down."

However, if the uncertainty continues, it could be bad for everyone, he warned.

"While the issue itself, the steel and aluminum tariffs, is a small one in transatlantic trade, let alone global trade, they can trigger bigger actions and they are a harbinger of forthcoming frictions in U.S.-EU relations," he concluded.

(Xinhua reporters Liu Yongqiu in Athens, Shuai Rong in Brussels, Li Jie in Rome and Zhu Sheng in Berlin also contributed to the story.)

(Video editors: Zhao Xiaoqing, Mu Xuyao)Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 13:08:57|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hold a press conference after their meeting in Washington May 23, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Wednesday that China firmly supports the planned meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong Un.

Direct contact and dialogue between top leaders of the two nations are key to solving the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, Wang said at a press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after their meeting.

He made a stopover in Washington D.C. on his way back from Argentina on Wednesday.

China expects the meeting to be held as scheduled and achieve success, he said.

China believes that President Trump and Chairman Kim are capable and have the wisdom to make the right decision to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula and bring good news to the world, Wang said.

China is firmly committed to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and this stance will not change, Wang said.

Meanwhile, it is also necessary, while promoting denuclearization, to address the DPRK's reasonable security concerns at an appropriate time, he noted.

He also urged to establish a long-term and effective peace mechanism on the Korean Peninsula along with the realization of denuclearization.

China remains steadfast in fulfilling its due international obligations and will continue to fully and strictly implement the UN Security Council's resolutions on the DPRK, and will continue to work to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, Wang said.

If the United States wants to solve the problem, now is the time, he said, adding that if America wants peace and wants to make history, now is the time.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 13:24:01|Editor: Chengcheng

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NEW DELHI, May 24 (Xinhua) -- India said it has contained the highly contagious Nipah virus that has killed some 10 people in its southern state of Kerala.

"It was a highly localized infection and we have been able to contain it well," Indian Health Secretary Preeti Sudan told the media late Wednesday evening.

Apart from the 10 deaths in Kerala's Kozhikode and Mallapuram districts, some 94 people have been quarantined inside their homes while nine others are under surveillance in hospitals.

Health officials have identified a bat-infested well in a house in Kozhikode district as the likely epicenter of the outbreak of Nipah virus in the state.

"Some bats were caught under proper supervision and sent for laboratory examination. The well has been sealed. We suspect these bats to be the cause of the outbreak," an official said.

"Three members of a family were likely to get infected with the virus after drinking water from the well in their house," he added.

This is the third outbreak of Nipah virus in India.

Two other outbreaks of the virus were reported in 2001 and 2007 respectively, in eastern state of West Bengal that shares its border with Bangladesh, claiming 50 lives.

Nipah virus is an emerging infectious disease that first broke out in a Malaysian village in 1999 and was also named after the same village. It affected domestic animals before humans.

Health experts say there is no vaccine yet for the virus, which causes fever and breathlessness in affected patients as initial symptoms, and only intensive care can help. EnditemSource: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 13:34:16|Editor: Liangyu

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FUZHOU, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yincheng, former president of the People's Insurance Company (Group) of China Limited (PICC), was sentenced to 11 years in prison Thursday for accepting bribes of over 8.7 million yuan (1.36 million U.S. dollars).

Wang's illegal gains will be retrieved and turned in to the national treasury. He was also fined 1 million yuan, according to a statement by the Intermediate People's Court of Fuzhou, in Fujian Province.

The court found that between 2006 and 2016, Wang took advantage of his positions at PICC and its subsidiary to seek illegal benefits by helping others obtain contracts, secure promotions, or seek jobs.

Wang accepted gifts and money worth over 8.7 million yuan, either directly or through relatives, the statement said.

It said the court handed down the sentence while considering the fact that Wang confessed to his crimes, showed repentance, and was cooperative in returning all his illegal gains.

Wang pleaded guilty at the court and said he would not appeal against the conviction.

Wang was placed under investigation for "suspected serious disciplinary violation" by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China in February 2017.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 13:49:20|Editor: Chengcheng

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SEOUL, May 24 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's exports of products in new industries grew at a faster rate than the overall exports in the first quarter, a government report showed Thursday.

Exports in 12 new industries reached 20.42 billion U.S. dollars in the January-March quarter, up 35 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

It more than tripled the export growth rate of 10.1 percent in all industries during the quarter. Outbound shipments in the new industries accounted for 14 percent of the overall exports.

The 12 new industries refer to electric car, robot, bio health, aerospace, new energy, new material, next-generations of display panel and semiconductor.

Electric car shipments almost tripled in the first quarter, while the figures for bio health and new energy recorded a double-digit increase. Next-generational display panel exports expanded 3.2 percent.

By region, new industries exports to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and India surged by more than 50 percent, with those to the European Union jumped 45.7 percent.

The shipment to China, South Korea's biggest trading partner, gained 19.7 percent in the quarter.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 13:49:21|Editor: Chengcheng

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JAKARTA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian transport ministry has issued a warning to airliners alerting them about volcanic ash from the country's most active volcano Merapi in Java island, spokesman of the ministry Bambang Ervan said.

The warning was issued at 03:56 a.m. Jakarta time on Thursday by the AirNav Indonesia, the spokesman said.

"The airliners are advised to be cautious about the volcanic ash," he told Xinhua by phone.

A further evaluation would be undertaken after the issuance of the advice, said Bambang.

Mount Merapi, located at the borders of Central Java province and Yogyakarta province, erupted earlier on Thursday with an ash column spewed as high as 6,000 meters into the sky.

Residents in the affected areas have been advised to use masks, the National Volcanology Agency said.

Mount Merapi, the most active one of Indonesia's 129 active volcanoes, has regularly erupted since 1948.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 14:49:34|Editor: Chengcheng

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SANTIAGO, May 23 (Xinhua) -- British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson announced Wednesday that he was hoping to forge closer ties with the Pacific Alliance through trade with Chile.

Speaking to the press during an official visit to Chile's capital city Santiago, he said that free trade was a way to bring both sides together.

The secretary also expressed his desire to begin talks with Chile about a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), a kind of agreement that involves cooperation between countries to reduce trade barriers as well as to increase trade of goods and services with each other.

Chile has an active FTA with the European Union (EU) in force since 2005, and Britain will begin negotiations with Chile for a separate agreement when Brexit is completed.

Chile's Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero said that once the withdrawal of the Britain from the EU materialized, "we wish to deepen our political dialogue ... to maintain, preserve and improve the conditions we have with the EU while preserving and improving those" with Britain.

The chief Chilean diplomat said that both countries were partners on free trade and that has allowed both sides to reach a new "level of prosperity and progress."

"We have spoken about the importance of the Pacific Alliance as a very successful economic actor in Latin America. We have invited Britain to deepen its ties with the Pacific Alliance, utilizing Chile as an ideal bridge to grow closer ... to Latin America," said the Chilean official.

Founded in 2011, the Pacific Alliance is a Latin American trade bloc that gathers Mexico, Chile, Peru and Colombia. The bloc accounts for about 37 percent of Latin America's gross domestic product.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 15:09:38|Editor: Li Xia

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UNITED NATIONS, May 23 (Xinhua) -- A senior UN peacekeeping official said Wednesday that a young five-member joint force in Africa's Sahel region has yet to attain full operational capability.

Backed by France, five countries of the Sahel region -- Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger -- last year agreed to set up the G5 Sahel force to fight terrorists.

Briefing the Security Council, Bintou Keita, the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, said since the authorization of the joint force by the African Union last April, and the renewal of its mandate last month, "notable progress" has been made, including the deployment of troops on the ground, and setting up of command posts and sector headquarters.

"Nonetheless, a lot of work remains ahead of us. The operationalization of the joint force has incurred delays and has yet to attain full operational capability," she said, calling on the five member states to deploy remaining troops as soon as possible.

While applauding the international community for their support, she said in the medium to long term, it will be challenging to sustain funding momentum for the joint force.

She also noted that the UN depends on others to be able to implement the support measures it has been mandated to provide by Security Council Resolution 2391.

In the resolution, the Security Council requested the secretary-general to conclude a technical agreement among the UN, the EU and the Sahel states, with a view to providing support to the joint force through the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, or MINUSMA, in cross-border counter-terrorist operations.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 15:19:41|Editor: Yamei

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BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- With a recent agreement reached by China and the United States on agricultural trade, China is expected to expand and diversify farm produce imports more actively to benefit itself and other countries.

China and the United States agreed to meaningfully increase the export of U.S. agricultural products, according to a joint statement issued Saturday by the two sides on economic and trade consultations.

This was a significant move to enrich domestic food supply and push for upgrading of the agricultural industry, analysts said.

To "meaningfully" increase China's agricultural imports from the United States means the measure should play a role in helping balanced development of bilateral trade, said Li Yong from China Association of International Trade.

"This is in the interests of both countries," he said.

Taking soybean imports as an example, Li said they will meet Chinese consumer demand for not just edible oil but also meat, as the imports could provide a stable source of animal feed protein.

"With insufficient and unbalanced domestic supply, moderately increasing imports is a sensible choice to optimize resource allocation globally," he said.

The United States is China's largest source of farm produce imports, accounting for 19 percent of the total value of the country's agricultural imports, according to Han Yijun, a researcher from China Agricultural University.

In 2017, China imported 24.1 billion U.S. dollars worth of farm produce from the United States, including soybeans, corn, and wheat, said Han.

"As one of the world's most dynamic food and farm produce markets, China offers great opportunities for various agricultural exporters amid its efforts to actively expand imports and facilitate trade," said Yu Lu, deputy head of China Chamber of Commerce of Foodstuffs and Native Produce.

To see how far China has come in opening up its agricultural sector, one could do worse than look into the refrigerators of ordinary Chinese consumers.

U.S. cherries, Australian beef, Chilean kiwifruit, German milk -- foreign farm produce items like these are increasingly common in China's urban homes.

China's farm produce imports and exports both hit record highs in 2017, with imports increasing 12.8 percent to reach 125.9 billion dollars and exports rising 3.5 percent to 75.5 billion dollars, official data showed.

The country's annual farm produce trade exceeded 200 billion dollars for the first time last year. It recorded a deficit of 50.3 billion dollars, up 30.4 percent.

China is already the world's biggest farm produce importer, with its imports making up 10 percent of global farm produce trade. It is a net importer of bulk agricultural products such as grains, cotton, edible oils, sugar, meat, and milk.

By opening up the agricultural sector, China can increase the supply of farm produce, ease the domestic strain of resources, accelerate modernization of the industry, and offer consumers tangible benefits, said Li Guoxiang, a researcher with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"These advantages will strengthen China's determination to advance the opening-up," Li said. "This will present the rest of the world with more opportunities to compete in China's farm produce market."

Various high-quality products, including farm produce, from countries all around the world will be displayed at the China International Import Expo, the first of its kind, to be held in Shanghai in November this year.

China will push for "healthy development" of farm produce imports and adopt differentiated policies for different product categories, said an official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

While about 70 percent of China's agricultural imports come from the United States, Brazil, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the European Union, and Australia, rapid growth has been registered in imports from Belt and Road countries, said the official.

China will strengthen agricultural trade cooperation with nations along the Belt and Road, improving trade policies and expanding import channels, according to the official.ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  The Lobo Club will be hosting the 16th annual Cherry & Silver Scholarship Gala on Saturday August 18th, 2018 at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Albuquerque. This years event is presented to you by Frontier/Golden Pride. The Lobo Club is now taking registrations for tables, individual tickets, as well as accepting charitable donations for the silent and live auctions.

As a long-standing tradition of the Lobo Club, the Cherry & Silver Scholarship Gala will look to build off an outstanding event last year. With an expected attendance of over 500, the event will play host to a silent auction featuring over 200 signature items, a live auction, and a Fund-a-Need. The silent and live auction items are made up of unique experiences, and packages that are generously donated by Lobo supporters across New Mexico and the country.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Lobo Scholarship Fund, which generates support for student-athlete scholarships here at The University of New Mexico.

Options to buy tables are $1,750 for a VIP table location, seating for 10, and advertising in the event program, and $1,500 for a table which includes seating for 10. Individual tickets are $150 per person for the evening.

The event will start at 6:00 p.m. with a reception and silent auction, leading into the dinner and live auction portion of the event starting at 7:30 p.m. Following the dinner and live auction, all guests are invited to the hotel lobby atrium for an after party featuring live music.

If you are interested in registering for the event, buying a table, or donating an item(s) for the silent & live auction, please contact Dakota Cox, Assoc. Director of Development with the Lobo Club at dakota.cox@unmfund.org or 505-925-5607.

Follow the Lobo Club on Twitter (@Lobo_Club), Facebook (@LoboClub), and Instagram (@Lobo_Club) for updates and information.HAVANA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Wednesday said the serious setback in ties with the United States won't be eternal, reiterating the island's position to cooperate and maintain respectful relations with Washington.

According to a Cuban State television report, Diaz-Canel participated in a meeting with local artists who recently took part in a festival dedicated to this Caribbean nation in Washington's prestigious cultural institution, the Kennedy Center.

"I do not believe the actual U.S. policy will be eternal and your presence in that festival in Washington can open new paths towards better ties," said the Cuban leader in his first public comments regarding relations with the White House since he assumed the presidency last month.

Diaz-Canel said his government will continue normalizing links with the United States based on respect and equal treatment.

"There is a continued effort from the United States to roll back the process of reestablishing relations with Cuba and normalizing ties, but this is something we want to move forward," and the festival showed "there are still points of contact," he added.

"Artes de Cuba: From the Island to the world" is a festival celebrating the artistic richness that has emerged from this Caribbean nation, started off this month and will last to the beginning of June.

This unprecedented gathering of over 400 Cuban and Cuban-American artists represents some of the world's greatest from the island and its diaspora.

"All of the artists there demonstrated not only their talent but also their commitment with our country and that Cuba must be respected," said Diaz-Canel.

The relationship between Washington and Havana have deteriorated after U.S. President Donald Trump decided to end thawing ties between both nations and rolled back his predecessor's policy of rapprochement last year.

Relations were also hampered by alleged "attacks" on U.S. diplomats in the island which led to the partial closure of the U.S. embassy in Havana and the expulsion of 15 Cuban diplomats in Washington.

Over 20 U.S. diplomats and their family members suffered symptoms such as hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, headaches and fatigue since the incidents were first reported in November 2016.

After months of investigations, security agencies of both countries have demonstrated the alleged attacks never took place.U.S. President Donald Trump (R) talks with European Council President Donald Tusk prior to the EU-USA Leaders' Meeting at the European Council headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium, May 25, 2017. (Xinhua/Thierry Monasse)

by Xinhua writer Tian Dongdong

BRUSSELS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Amid a nose-dive of intimacy in trans-Atlantic relations, the United States and the European Union (EU) are set to show their hands in seven days to end or extend their heartbroken negotiation for EU's permanent steel and aluminum tariffs exemption.

The deadline, set by U.S. President Donald Trump on April 30, granted EU member countries "a final 30 days" till June 1 for further discussion.

Described by EU leaders as "the Sword of Damocles" or "gun pointing to head," the deadline, together with Trump administration's unyielding stance, has exerted massive pressure on the EU.

In the "game of chicken," as some European analysts called it, EU countries are forced to forge a united front and abandon pipe dreams on America. But the effectiveness of their solidarity still waits to be tested, given their divergences and Washington's unsatisfied appetite. With seven days to go, the EU found its offer to the United States "not enough" to end the trade row.

UNITED FRONT VS INSATIABLE APPETITE

"With friends like that who needs enemies?" said Donald Tusk, president of the European Council while commenting on the latest decisions of Trump.He then ironically called on Europe to be grateful to 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 ... what we need is more political unity and determination," the president said at last week's EU-Western Balkans summit, where the EU made a four-point proposal in exchange for unlimited exemption from the United States.

The proposal includes deepening energy cooperation, notably on liquefied natural gas (LNG), focusing on voluntary cooperation between regulators on both sides on an ad hoc basis, working together on WTO reform and discussing ways to improve reciprocal market access for products like cars.

The proposal shows that "we are not negotiating anything under threat but that we are willing to engage on a positive agenda if we were excluded from these measures (tariffs)," said EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom on Tuesday.

Daniel Gros, director of the Center for European Policy Studies, a EU think tank, warned of obstacles in finding a deal.

"On LNG, the U.S. and the EU might have common interests, but exports to the EU are starting anyway and the real aim of the U.S. is to get the EU (to) buy less from Russia. Unfortunately the EU institution can do very little about this as this is a decision of private companies and Russian gas is still cheaper than U.S. LNG," he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump walks prior to the EU-USA Leaders' Meeting at the European Council headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium, May 25, 2017. (Xinhua/Thierry Monasse)

HOW COME THE GUN IS POINTED AT EU'S HEAD?

"It is evident that Trump implements an odd political strategy of force in his negotiations around the world. He makes a strong start trying to accomplish some of the goals that he has set," Panagiotis Petrakis, professor in the Department of Economics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, told Xinhua.

Echoing Petrakis, Constantinos Filis, director of research at the Institute of International Relations of Panteion University in Athens, said "Trump has applied his business logic in making key U.S. decisions on a number of issues: strike first to shape the negotiating framework and then force or impose (them) on other parties."

"The problem here, however, is that this tactic doesn't differentiate between allies and competitors. As a result, the rift in the western camp now appears to be a real threat, thanks to Washington's unilateral actions," said Filis.

These rifts, according to German Economic Minister Peter Altmaier, were unleashed by Trump's "America First" doctrine.

"If you fight fire with fire, all you are left with is burned earth," Altmaier warned.

Fredrik Erixon, director of the European Center for International Political Economy, put it more frankly.

"The U.S. wants the EU to voluntarily reduce some of its steel exports, but the EU is having none of that. The U.S. ... (is) also using the threat of steel tariffs to get the EU to become more accepting of other U.S. wishes for the EU, like reducing tariffs in the auto sector," Erixon told Xinhua.

WILL IT END IN HARMONY?

Compared with the United States, the EU is more vulnerable in a trade war, said Fabio Parenti, associate professor of economic and political geography at the Italian International Institute Lorenzo de' Medici.

"If we look at the trade tensions between USA and China, now on hold, it seems that Europe will be more affected for a simple reason: the main European countries are significantly more dependent on trade," said the professor.

In addition, different levels of dependence on trade among EU members also brew divergences.

"In the framework of the European Union, Germany was therefore attempting to reach 'sensible solutions' in ongoing discussions with U.S. representatives. However, unlike Germany, France is less likely to identify a compromise path with the U.S.," Theoxaris Grigoriadis, assistant professor of Free University of Berlin, told Xinhua.

"Probably the EU will agree on 'voluntary ' export restraints. This is convenient for EU producers and for the U.S.," said Gros.

Unlike Gros' optimism, Erixon told Xinhua that "this is all about politics. Both sides don't want to have a tariff war with each other, but neither side is willing to back down."

However, if the uncertainty continues, it could be bad for everyone, he warned.

"While the issue itself, the steel and aluminum tariffs, is a small one in transatlantic trade, let alone global trade, they can trigger bigger actions and they are a harbinger of forthcoming frictions in U.S.-EU relations," he concluded.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 15:29:46|Editor: ZD

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BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- China has published plans to further deepen reform and opening-up in pilot free trade zones (FTZs) of three coastal areas to improve the business environment and push for wider opening to the world.

The reform in FTZs in Guangdong, Tianjin and Fujian will focus on high-quality development, supply-side structural reform, institutional innovation, and risk prevention, according to a document issued by the State Council, China's cabinet.

A better business environment that is law-based, international and accommodating will take shape, and the FTZs will take the lead in building institutional systems that meet international rules on investment and trade.

The FTZs will be granted bigger decision-making power in reforms to help make new ground in pursuing opening-up on all fronts, improve government management, and foster new growth drivers and competitiveness.

The development of the FTZs will be pushed forward under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, according to the document.

China launched its first FTZ in Shanghai in 2013 to experiment with new reform policies. Guangdong, Tianjin and Fujian were allowed to set up the second group of FTZs more than a year later. Another seven were then added across the country.

An array of replicable achievements of reform and innovation have been made and promoted to other parts of the country, including "single-window" customs clearance, online government services for enterprises, and credit risks-based market supervision.

"Dividends of reform and opening-up have been gradually unleashed, and the goal has been achieved in general," said the document.

Guangdong's plan listed measures covering 18 sectors, ranging from building a legal environment with fairness and integrity, carrying out financial opening-up experiment programs, and promoting liberalization of services trade among Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao.

The FTZ in the south China province will develop into a pioneering area for building new institutions of an open economy, a gateway hub for high-level opening-up, and a cooperation template for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The FTZ in north China's port city of Tianjin introduced 16 measures of innovating market resource allocation system, incubating frontier and advanced technology, and improving coordinated development.

Those measures aim to build Tianjin into an open economy, increase its global competitiveness, and facilitate construction of the pilot zone of coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei.

Fujian planned 21 measures for its FTZ in areas including building a high-standard, internationalized business environment, pushing for standardised and transparent government services, and stepping up financial cooperation with Taiwan.

Economic cooperation across the Taiwan Strait will be expanded, and the core area of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road will see faster development, according to the document.WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he has instructed Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to consider initiating a national security investigation into automobile imports, a protectionist move that's likely to spark widespread opposition from American trading partners.

"Core industries such as automobiles and automotive parts are critical to our strength as a nation," Trump said in a statement released by the White House.

Following a conversation with Trump on Wednesday, Ross has initiated a so-called Section 232 investigation into the national security implications of automobile imports, according to the Commerce Department.

"There is evidence suggesting that, for decades, imports from abroad have eroded our domestic auto industry," Ross said in a statement.

The investigation was based on a rarely-used Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act from 1962, which would allow the U.S. administration to impose tariffs on the grounds of national security.

It will look into imports of automobiles, including sport-utility vehicles, vans and light trucks, and automotive parts, said the Commerce Department statement.

The Trump administration had used the same domestic law to impose additional tariffs on steel and aluminum imports in March amid mounting dissent from business groups and trading partners around the world.

Following Wednesday's announcements from the Trump administration, many business groups are expressing their opposition to the move.

"To our knowledge, no one is asking for this protection. This path leads inevitably to fewer choices and higher prices for cars and trucks in America," John Bozzella, CEO of Global Automakers, which represents foreign automakers doing business in the United States, said in a statement on Wednesday.

American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) also criticized the move, saying that "it can't be repeated enough: Tariffs are taxes."

"To treat auto imports like a national security threat would be a self-inflicted economic disaster for American consumers, dealers, and dealership employees," said AIADA President and CEO Cody Lusk in a statement.

Some experts noted that this move might be aimed at pressuring Canada and Mexico to make concessions in the ongoing renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Trump said Wednesday afternoon that "your autoworkers and your auto companies in this country are going to be very happy with what's going to happen."

"NAFTA is very difficult. Mexico has been very difficult to deal with. Canada has been very difficult to deal with. They have been taking advantage of the United States for a long time. I am not happy with their requests. But I will tell you, in the end, we win," he added.

Chad Bown, a trade expert at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said in a tweet that tariffs on imported autos on the basis of national security would prompt retaliation from U.S. trading partners.

U.S. imported 193 billion U.S. dollars of new passenger vehicles in 2017, 24 percent of which were from Mexico, 22 percent from Canada, 22 percent from Europe Union, and 21 percent from Japan, according to the expert.

In regard to U.S. unilateral tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, Japan, EU, and other U.S. trading partners have challenged it at the World Trade Organization (WTO). The United States will also likely face legal challenges at the WTO for its potential tariffs on auto imports, according to trade experts.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 15:39:48|Editor: Yamei

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BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to work with Germany on sending out "positive signals for championing free trade" and pushing forward the steady growth of the world economy, a Ministry of Commerce spokesman said Thursday.

"Although Germany and China are in different development stages, they have always supported free trade, stood against protectionism, and maintained multilateral trade systems," spokesman Gao Feng said at a press conference.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is paying an official visit to China on Thursday and Friday at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

"As we know, nearly 20 heavyweight German entrepreneurs came along. Combined annual sales of their companies reach 550 billion euros (about 644 billion U.S. dollars), fully showing the great importance attached by Germany to economic and trade cooperation with China," Gao said.

Leading the economic delegation, Merkel will visit Shenzhen, the forefront of China's reform and opening up. "This indicates Germany's support for and positive attitude toward participating in China's new round of reform and opening up," Gao said.

"With the support from leaders of both countries, the potential for mutually beneficial cooperation will be unleashed in emerging fields including digitization, new energy vehicles, artificial intelligence and self-driving technology," Gao said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 16:04:53|Editor: Li Xia

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BAGHDAD, May 24 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed, including a police officer, and 17 others wounded in an overnight suicide bomb attack at a park in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said on Thursday.

The attack took place around midnight when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive belt near a restaurant and a coffee shop in al-Saqlawiyah Park at the entrance of Shula neighborhood in northwestern Baghdad, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Among the killed was a member of a police patrol officer. He was checking on a suspicious person who approached the spot before the man blew himself up, the source said.

Two of the wounded sustained serious injuries and are in critical condition, the source said.

"The casualty would be much higher if the attacker managed to enter the crowded spot at the park, where many people were enjoying their time at the park after a day of fasting in the holy month of Ramadan," the source said.

The powerful blast destroyed parts of the nearby restaurant and coffee shop and damaged many civilian vehicles in the surrounding area, the source added.

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 days after millions of Iraqis cast votes in the country's parliamentary elections on May 12, which is the first since the full territorial defeat of IS in Iraq in December 2017.SAN FRANCISCO, May 23 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese American group has teamed up with hospitals and foundations in China to help reduce public prejudice against mental illness and decrease stigma among caregivers.

"It's my hope that our programs, specially designed for the Chinese communities here, can be brought to China and benefit the people suffering from mental illnesses," said Elaine Peng, president of Mental Health Association for Chinese Communities (MHACC), on Wednesday.

The San Francisco Bay Area-based organization has hosted a series of mental health-themed events, such as lectures, art exhibitions and film screening in Chinese communities this month, which marks the Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States.

In Asian countries, including China, mental illness is a taboo that few people choose to openly discuss even if they suffer from depression or other mental illnesses, said Peng.

They feel shameful to admit having mental problems, which prevents them from seeking treatment or sharing their experiences, she said.

A 2010 report by the Asian American Journal of Psychology found that Asian Americans had lower rates of using any type of mental health-related services than the general population.

Culture-related factors, such as family conflict, perceived discrimination and ethnic identity, played a role in suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, said the report.

In the past six years, Peng has been working with U.S. universities, reaching out to Chinese communities and conducting surveys to help promote mental health services.

She has started five Chinese support groups and developed the first Chinese website of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in the United States. Her group now has 110 volunteers and more than 1,000 members. More than 10,000 people benefit from the group's free programs every year.

"The programs we developed are based on the characteristics of Chinese American families. We have been localizing the programs for our Chinese partners," said Peng.

So far, MHACC has established partnerships with China Association of Persons with Psychiatric Disability and their Relatives, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Shenzhen Disabled Persons Federation and Beijing Shangshan Public Foundation.

"We have set up pilot programs at those institutions and we've heard positive feedback from our counterparts," said Peng.

Millions of people are suffering from mental illnesses in China, and many of them are in serious condition. However, doctors especially qualified ones remain in short supply.

"I heard many heart-breaking tragedies, which could have been prevented if the victims had sought treatment," said Peng. "That's why it's very important to raise the awareness of mental health and encourage people to seek professional assistance."File photo of South Sudanese refugees. (Xinhua)

JUBA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- More than 20,000 South Sudanese have fled insecurity and hunger to Ethiopia as refugees since January, the UN humanitarian agency said Wednesday.

Citing the latest data, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said registration figures of South Sudanese seeking safety and shelter in Ethiopia show the number of people who fled as refugees increased from nearly 419,000 in December 2017 to 440,000 as at the end of April 2018.

"The first quarter of 2018 has seen increased inter-communal violence and conflict affecting mostly Unity, Jonglei and Upper Nile," OCHA said in its monthly report released in Juba.

According to the UN agency, major drivers of the refugee outflow include growing insecurity and hunger.

"In Jonglei, fighting was reported in Akobo, Nyirol and Uror counties where several civilians were killed and thousands displaced," OCHA said.

It said an estimated 13,000 displaced people have arrived in Guiy village, north-west of Motot, following fighting in Nyirol and Uror counties.

"In April, renewed fighting in Mayom, Rubkona, Guit, Koch, Leer and Mayendit counties in Unity led to displacement of thousands of civilians," said OCHA.

Ethiopia is the second largest host of South Sudanese refugees after Uganda.

South Sudan descended into violence in December 2013 after political dispute between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy 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.GHAZNI, Afghanistan, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Unknown armed militants gunned down two security personnel in the eastern Ghazni province on Wednesday, provincial government spokesman Aref Nuri said Thursday.

Unknown militants, according to the official, opened fire on a police patrol in Kalasabz locality outside Ghazni city, the capital of eastern Ghazni province, on Wednesday evening, killing two constables and injuring two others.

The official, however, blamed Taliban militants for organizing such attacks, saying the Taliban insurgents, in efforts to terrorize the people, usually conduct subversive activities against security personnel and civilians.

Taliban militants who control parts of Ghazni province haven't commented.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 16:55:06|Editor: ZD

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington May 23, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday met here with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the State Department, with both sides highlighting their commitments to promoting bilateral ties.

The two sides held in-depth discussions on bilateral and regional issues of mutual concern during Wang's stopover in Washington D.C. on his way back from Argentina.

CHINA-U.S. RELATIONS

Given an increasingly complicated international situation, it is important for China and the United States to maintain a healthy and stable bilateral relationship, Wang said.

The two sides should implement the consensus reached by the two presidents and continue to hold their various bilateral dialogues in order to move ties forward, Wang said.

Secondly, the two nations should expand win-win cooperation in various areas, Wang said.

China-U.S. economic and trade ties should benefit both nations, said Wang, adding that any agreement reached should be put into action as soon as possible, something to which Pompeo agreed.

The two sides should work to solve their trade imbalance, open their markets further to each other and protect intellectual property rights, Wang added.H Thirdly, the two nations should properly settle their differences and remove obstacles that could stifle relations, Wang said.

He expects the United States to meet China half-way, saying both countries should respect each other's interests and solve their differences in a constructive way.

Specifically, the United States should recognize the harm of Taiwan independence and abide by the one-China principle to ensure peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, said Wang.

Last but not the least, the two sides should expand their cooperation on global issues such as the Korean Peninsula and Afghanistan.

Wang said both countries can expect to continue working together in combatting terrorism, cyber security and fighting cross-border crimes.

For his part, Pompeo said that the relationship between the world's two largest economies is of great significance. While the two sides have differences, at the same time they share great opportunities for more cooperation.

The U.S. side believes that the U.S.-China relationship should not be a zero-sum one, and is willing to work with China to continue improving bilateral ties, he added.

Pompeo said U.S. President Donald Trump highly values his sound working and personal relations with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and looks forward to maintaining close contact with him.

Regarding Taiwan, Pompeo said that the U.S. stance on the one-China policy remains unchanged.

KOREAN PENINSULA

The two sides also exchanged views concerning the Korean Peninsula.

Wang said ensuring security is the key to resolving the Peninsula's nuclear issue. He said China has always supported and created conditions for direct dialogue between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

After a stalemate that has lasted years, the Korean Peninsula has been finally moving toward a historic prospect for denuclearization, Wang said.

China encourages the United States and the DPRK to hold firm their commitments to dialogues and attend the summit as planned next month in Singapore in order to move relations forward, Wang said, adding that China is ready to work with the other parties concerned to create a favorable atmosphere for the meeting.

Pompeo said the U.S. side appreciates China's positive role in promoting the U.S.-DPRK talks and efforts to denuclearize the Peninsula.

An Overlooked and Underdeveloped Region in Southern Mexico



By George Friedman and Allison Fedirka







Located on the Pacific coast and 120 miles (200 kilometers) southwest of Mexico City, Guerrero state had the most homicides of any state in Mexico last year. There are at least six major drug trafficking organizations operating in the state and competing for territory. Some areas of Guerrera (most notably the Chilpancingo-Chilapa corridor) have almost no government presence and are controlled mainly by drug cartels that offer to protect local residents in exchange for their labor in poppy fields. Though this can be attributed partly to geographythe state is mountainous and therefore hard to secure from the outsideits also due to the fact that the state was not seen as a priority during various points in Mexicos history.

Left Out of the Infrastructure Boom

Why have these conditions developed in Guerrero, while other parts of the country have prospered? One reason is the lack of infrastructure. Mexico experienced a wave of infrastructure development after the second French intervention in the 1870s, and again during the early years of the Porfirio Diaz government in the 1880s. In 1860, Mexico had only 150 miles of disjointed railway, but just 24 years later, this number grew to 7,500 miles. Initially, officials wanted to construct a rail line linking Veracruz (on the east coast) with Acapulco (a port city in Guerrero) via Mexico City. But ultimately, they did not follow through with this plan, and Guerrero was largely left out of the infrastructure booma fact that has limited the states development ever since.

Guerreros mountainous terrain makes infrastructure development costly. Heavy rains during summer months also make construction harder and increase the cost of maintenance for existing tracks. At the start of the railway boom, private companies and investors from the US, UK, and elsewhere funded infrastructure projects, choosing which projects to invest in based on business interests. In Guerrero, these interests mainly related to mining because the northern part of the state is rich in minerals and metal deposits. This provided enough financial incentive to construct a railway from Mexico City to Iguala, a city located in the mining region and relatively close to Mexicos capital.



Source: Geopolitical Futures ( Click to enlarge )

But when metal prices fell at the end of the 19th century, investor interest in the state waned. It was around this time (in 1898) that the federal government stepped in to regulate railway construction. This put the final nail in the coffin for Guerreros development.

The federal government intervened for two reasons. First, it needed to fill the gap left by the private sector. The fall in metal prices hit Guerrero particularly hard, but it affected the mining industry, and therefore infrastructure development, across the country. This had almost immediate impacts on the local populations and economies that the Diaz government had been so dedicated to supporting in the previous decade.

Second, the government wanted a national approach to infrastructure development to ensure that those projects receiving the most support and investment were in the best interests of the country. This resulted in legislation that limited foreign participation in infrastructure, gave the government more control, and introduced a period of time in which projects needed government subsidies before they could move forward. But the central government did not consider Guerrero a priority for rail construction, and the extension of the railway to Acapulco was abandoned.



Source: Geopolitical Futures ( Click to enlarge )

Guerrero is also poorly connected by roads. The first and only major highway in Guerrero connects Acapulco to Mexico City. It was built in 1927 and followed the original dirt road that connected the cities. The construction of the highway significantly affected the states development, as economic activity and population centers grew in those areas with access to it. These areas included Acapulco, Chilpancingo, and Iguala, as well as somewhat smaller centers just off the highway like Taxco and Chilapa. A third of the states population lives in the first three municipalitieswhen the other three are added, its nearly half the population. Even today, the areas of Guerrero that are not along the main highway are underdeveloped, desolate, and disconnected from economic activity in the rest of the country. Securing these areas would require heavy investment in terms of both finances and personnel.



Source: Geopolitical Futures ( Click to enlarge )

Limited Coastal Development

Guerrero has one key advantage: its access to the Pacific Ocean. Ports usually serve as engines for economic growth and development because they help facilitate trade. Port cities offer benefits for businesses in terms of logistics and often develop into economic hubs themselves. But this hasnt been the case with Guerreros main port, Acapulco.

From 1565 to 1814, Acapulco was one of the primary ports used by New Spain, and then Mexico, for trade with China and other Asian countries. However, trade with these countries was secondary to trade with Europe, which meant that ports on Mexicos Atlantic coast took priority.

It was difficult for Acapulco and the surrounding area to fully capitalize on trade with Asia. The port received large shipments from Asia only twice a year because crossing the Pacific Ocean took an incredibly long time given the distance between Mexico and China, as well as the limits of maritime navigation and technology. A trip that now takes two to three weeks took several months back then. Goods were unloaded at the port and a local fair was set up to sell them. After four to six weeks, the fairs would close and the goods would be sent to Mexico City. There, they would be consumed or delivered to other parts of the viceroyalty. As such, Acapulco was mainly used as a transit point for commerce and goods on their way to the capital, and as a result, it did not develop into a major commercial hub.

Once Acapulco lost its position as a major Pacific shipping port for New Spain, it never regained it. Mexicos fight for independence severely disrupted Spanish control over trade and territory, and this impacted Acapulco. Mexican General Jose Maria Morelos took the city of Acapulco in 1814, at which point Spain redirected trade to other ports. In the years that followed, Mexicos central government focused on securing territory from incursion by the US, France, and even the residents of Guerrero, (which at the time, was not yet a state of its own). In the early 20th century, construction of the Panama Canal was in full swing, which caused development in Acapulco to stagnate even more. The canal allowed goods to be shipped to Mexicos east coast faster and more inexpensively. Within Mexico, Manzanillo Port (also on the Pacific coast) quickly surpassed Acapulco in terms of infrastructure development, and in 1908, Porfirio Diaz designated Manzanillo as an official port of entry.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 17:20:13|Editor: Yamei

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BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, said Thursday it had extended a currency swap agreement with the State Bank of Pakistan.

The swap is sized at 20 billion yuan (3.1 billion U.S. dollars) or 351 billion Pakistani rupees, according to a statement from the bank.

The two parties believe the extension will facilitate bilateral trade and investment to help economic development in the two countries.

Valid for three years, the agreement can be extended upon mutual consent.

A currency swap deal allows two institutions to exchange payments in one currency for equivalent amounts in the other to facilitate bilateral trade settlements and provide liquidity support to financial markets.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 17:55:21|Editor: Yamei

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BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- An open platform has been set up to share data and tools on artificial intelligence (AI) research in China, according to China Science Daily on Thursday.

Under the guidance of the Ministry of Education, the platform was jointly organized by Microsoft Research Asia and four Chinese universities, namely Peking University, University of Science and Technology of China, Xi'an Jiaotong University, and Zhejiang University.

According to Zhou Lidong, assistant managing director of Microsoft Research Asia, the platform will provide technological support, data, tools, as well as courses on AI to Chinese universities.

Based on Microsoft's AI development platform and tools, the open source AI platform will further promote AI innovation, Zhou said.

Five training sessions will be held in Harbin, Guangzhou, and other cities by the end of 2018 to get more Chinese universities involved in the platform.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 17:55:22|Editor: ZD

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Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak leaves Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Putrajaya, Malaysia, May 24, 2018. Investigators questioned former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak for more than six hours at the headquarters of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Thursday and let him go home as the probe related to the state development fund 1MDB continues. (Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung)

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Investigators questioned former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak for more than six hours at the headquarters of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Thursday and let him go home as the probe related to the state development fund 1MDB continues.

Najib arrived at MACC at around 9:45 a.m. local time. Wearing a black suit and sporting a smile, a relaxed Najib waved to the media before entering the building. He walked out of the building at around 4:50 p.m. local time.

Najib told the media outside that he has finished recording his statement.

Najib's presence was the continuation of the first round of questioning on Tuesday, when he was asked to explain the connection between a 42-million-ringgit (10.55 million U.S. dollars) deposit into his personal bank account and SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1MDB.

The Malaysian finance ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that directors of 1MDB have conceded that the firm is insolvent and its 9.8 billion ringgit investments are "a scam."

The finance ministry said it has picked PricewaterhouseCoopers to audit the financial position of 1MDB.

The police, meanwhile, conducted search on several premises related to Najib where a trove of cash, designer handbags and jewelry were found.

Najib has denied any wrongdoing. In a statement issued before the questioning, Najib accused the new government of mixing "political narrative" with "facts" and asked it to stop playing politics.KAMPALA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Security agencies in Uganda have arrested 26 Congolese fishermen suspected of being allies of a militia group that has captured six Ugandans, police said late on Wednesday.

Martin Okoth Ochola, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), told reporters that the arrested fishermen are suspected of having close ties to the Mai-Mai militia who kidnapped six Ugandan fishermen on Saturday.

Ochola said they were arrested while fishing on the Ugandan side of Lake Edward, which is located at the common border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The Mai-Mai group are demanding 10 boxes of bullets in exchange for the release of the six Ugandan captives, the official said.

The kidnapped fishermen, whose whereabouts remain unknown, were abducted with their engine motor boat.

There have been abductions, fights and accusations between the two countries over the disputed border water believed to have huge oil deposits.

Authorities of both countries have in the past agreed to conduct joint operations by fishery and security officials to prevent clashes and disagreements over fishing in the disputed area, which both countries claim ownership.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 18:05:27|Editor: Yamei

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ADEN, Yemen, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni government Thursday declared the archipelago province of Socotra a disaster area, after tropical cyclone Makunu hit the island.

Yemeni Government Official Spokesman Rajih Badi said that "Socotra is suffering from human losses and material damages and needs urgent assistance including rescue and shelter to help citizens trapped in their villages or those living in the mountains."

Local officials told Xinhua that a devastating tropical cyclone has killed 18 people. Meanwhile, over 200 families evacuated from their houses and four ships drowned off the island. Several vehicles were washed away by floods and communication was knocked off in most areas of Socotra island.

Earlier in the day, Abdulraqeeb Fatah, Yemen's Minister of local administration and also the Chairman of Supreme Relief Committee, appealed to the United Nations and humanitarian organizations to send medical and relief teams to the cyclone-hit island.

The Yemeni Minister also appealed to Arab and International relief organizations and donors to take action, according to the Yemen News Agency.

Meanwhile, local authorities in the eastern Yemeni province of Mahrah called on the population of the coast to head to shelters as Mekunu is expected to hit the areas in the upcoming hours.

Mekunu hit Socotra island and brought downpours with winds of 160 km per hour, producing flash floods and mudslides.

Socotra island, at a distance of 380 km of Yemen in the Arabian Sea, is home to hundreds of plant species found nowhere else on earth and also50,000 residents that speak their own language.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 18:15:30|Editor: Yamei

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TRIPOLI, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A Libyan official said Wednesday that the ex-justice minister of the eastern-based interim government has obligated the state to pay 455 million euros (532 million U.S. dollars) in compensation to a foreign company.

"The settlement document signed by the minister more than two years ago with a French company confirms the company's compensation of 455 million euros and reduces the amount to 230 million euros in the event of payment within 45 days," Abdalbaset Jarbou, head of the advisory board of the Libyan Audit Bureau, told Xinhua.

The Libyan Audit Bureau said foreign companies abroad have filed 142 lawsuits against Libya since 2011, demanding compensation of 9 billion euros (10.5 billion dollars).

Jarbou said that Libya is "obligated under the settlement document to pay the amount," adding that attempts are being made to "provide documents to help us cancel the compensation" in cooperation with the lawsuits department.

A French company was carrying out a construction project in southern Libya 40 years ago. As a result of disagreements, the company left without receiving financial compensation.

After lengthy judicial battles, the company managed to persuade Al-Mabruk Egrera, the former justice minister of the eastern-based interim government, in March 2016 to sign a 455-million-euro compensation document for the company.

The Audit Bureau is counting on the opportunity to invalidate the document, since the interim government is not internationally recognized, and therefore not authorized to conclude any agreements with financial obligations on behalf of the Libyan state.

Libya is politically divided between authorities in the east and the west despite signing a UN-sponsored peace agreement and the appointment of the internationally recognized Government of National Accord in 2015.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 18:30:33|Editor: Li Xia

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BAQUBA, Iraq, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Three civilians and two Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in clashes between the IS and the security forces in Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, the Iraqi military and a local official said on Thursday.

IS militants carried out an attack late on Wednesday on the village of Um al-Hunttah near the town of Jalawlaa, 135 km northeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, sparking heavy clashes with the security forces, Lieutenant General Mezhir al-Azzawi, Commander of Dijlah Operations Command, said in a brief statement.

"The situation is under control of the security forces after the clashes in the village," said Azzawi, whose forces are responsible for the security in Diyala and other areas in eastern Iraq.

Walhan al-Gerwi, a member of Jalawlaa town's council, told Xinhua that "three civilians were killed and four others wounded by the clashes that erupted between IS militants and the security forces backed by armed villagers."

On Thursday morning, a joint force from the Iraqi army and paramilitary Hashd Shaabi fighters killed two IS militants and wounded four others during an operation outside the village of Um al-Hunttah, according to a statement issued by the Hashd Shaabi.

During the past few months, dozens of IS militants fled their former bases in Diyala, Salahudin and Hawijah area in west of Kirkuk, after the Iraqi forces carried out major anti-IS offensives to drive out the extremist militants from these areas.

On Dec. 9, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi officially declared full liberation of Iraq from IS militants after Iraqi forces recaptured all the areas once seized by the extremist group.

However, small groups and individuals of IS militants melted in urban areas or resorted to deserts and rugged areas looking for safe havens. They are still capable of carrying out attacks from time to time against the security forces and civilians.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 18:35:34|Editor: Li Xia

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JERUSALEM, May 24 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli soldier has been "critically injured" in clashes following a night raid in the West Bank, the Israeli army said on Thursday.

The incident took place at the Am'ari Refugee Camp, east of Ramallah city, on Thursday before dawn. The military cleared it for publication hours later to notify the soldier's family.

A military spokesperson said that the soldier, whose name was not identified, was "critically" injured by a cinder block or a large rock that was thrown at troops of the Duvdevan Unit, an Israeli special operation force. The troops were on a mission to arrest "terror suspects," the spokesperson said.

Riots took place during the raid, with Palestinians hurling objects at the force, according to the spokesperson.

The soldier was evacuated to the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.

The incident was the latest in a wave of violence triggered by the relocation of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem last week. Dozens of Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire during protests near the Gaza-Israel fence.DUBLIN, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar will hold a bilateral meeting with his visiting Belgian counterpart Charles Michel later on Thursday afternoon, said a government press release.

The two leaders will discuss major European matters including Brexit, the future of Europe and the upcoming EU Multi-Annual Financial Framework, as well as international issues, said the press release, adding that they will also discuss the very close and positive relations between the two countries.

Prior to the meeting at Government Buildings in Dublin, Michel will pay a visit to the border area between Britain's Northern Ireland and Ireland with the Irish Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys,on Thursday morning, according to the press release.

Speaking in advance of her visit to the border area with Michel, Humphreys said that "This visit will help demonstrate the existing and potential impacts of Brexit and the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland from economic and social perspectives."

According to the press release, Varadkar and Michel will hold a short press briefing following their meeting.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 18:50:37|Editor: Li Xia

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DOHA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Qatar's cabinet has approved a draft law to encourage foreign investment in Qatar and boost economic development, Gulf Times reported on Thursday.

The decision was made during the weekly meeting of the cabinet on Wednesday.

The draft law allows the non-Qatari investors to invest in all economic fields with up to 100 percent of the capital, and to hold up to 49-percent shares of Qatar-listed companies on the Qatar Exchange, said the report.

The non-Qatari investors need to get approval from the Ministry of Economy and Commerce on the shares percentage, the report said.

The cabinet said it might, on the proposal of the minister, grant investment projects more incentives and benefits in addition to the incentives provided by the draft law.

Earlier, Qatar National Bank (QNB) said in a report that the total profits of Qatar-listed companies are expected to grow by 4.4 percent in 2018 and 14.6 percent in 2019.

Qatar is not the only country in the Gulf Cooperation Council that made such decisions. The United Arab Emirates this month also announced its decision to allow 100-percent foreign ownership of companies.

Qatar, with whom a Saudi Arabia-led group of nations cut trade and diplomatic ties last year, is trying to adopt measures to overcome economic sanctions imposed on it amid the embargo.

On June 5, 2017, the Saudi-led countries have imposed a land, sea and air blockade on Qatar, accusing it of supporting extremism. Qatar has denied the allegations.Estimados amigos,

Les doy cordialmente la bienvenida a este Blog informativo con articulos, analisis y comentarios de publicaciones especializadas y especialmente seleccionadas, principalmente sobre temas economicos, financieros y politicos de actualidad, que esperamos y deseamos, sean de su maximo interes, utilidad y conveniencia.

Pensamos que solo comprendiendo cabalmente el presente, es que podemos proyectarnos acertadamente hacia el futuro.

Gonzalo Raffo de Lavalle

Las convicciones son mas peligrosos enemigos de la verdad que las mentiras.

Quien no lo ha dado todo no ha dado nada.

Helenio Herrera

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.

Karl Marx

If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

Sun Tzu









We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.



Paulo CoelhoKAMPALA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Intelligence and security officers from Eastern African countries have gathered in Uganda to discuss better ways of sharing information.

The 5th meeting of intelligence and security heads of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and East African Community kicked off Wednesday in Entebbe, about 40 km south of the capital, Kampala.

General Elly Tumwine, Uganda's minister of security said the meeting provides an opportunity for the chiefs to review the security situation of the Eastern African region, especially pertaining to terrorism, which remains a major threat.

"We need to learn from the countries that have been handling such problems. We shall learn and share information much faster to enable us to defeat these (terrorists) groups which have connections," said Tumwine.

Special Representative of African Union for Somalia Jose Madeira said at the meeting that the launch of the regional East Africa Fusion Centre and Liaison Unit would allow for better information exchange to deal with terrorist groups such as Somali militants, Al Shabaab and Ugandan rebel group Allied Democratic Forces.

The meeting has gathered Intelligence chiefs from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Somalia, Mauritius, South Sudan, Sudan, Djibouti, Comoros and Madagascar.

The Eastern African region continuously faces such challenges as cyber crime, money laundering, kidnappings and human trafficking, which increased the need to share information.NEW DELHI, May 24 (Xinhua) -- At least one Indian security forces personnel was killed and one more injured in a blast triggered by left-wing Naxalite rebels in the central state of Chhattisgarh on Thursday, police said.

The deadly attack on the para-military Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) took place at Puswada village in the state's Sukma district while they were on a routine combing operation.

"One official of the CRPF was killed and one constable was injured in the attack. The injured security personnel has been sent to state capital Raipur for further treatment," Inspector General of Chhattisgarh Police Vivekanand Sinhna told the media.

Chhattisgarh is often hit by Naxalite violence.

The rebels say they are fighting for land rights for tribal people and the rural poor. Their insurgency began in the eastern state of West Bengal in late 1960s, spreading to more than one-third of India's 600-plus administrative districts.

Though major offensives by security forces in recent years have pushed the rebels back to their forest strongholds and the levels of violence have fallen, but hit-and-run attacks are still common.

Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had described Naxalite insurgency as the country's biggest internal security threat.NEW DELHI, May 24 Xinhua) -- Authorities on Thursday sought help of Indian air force helicopters to contain a raging forest fire in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said.

The massive forest fire is raging Trikuta Hills in Katra, about 50 km north of Jammu city, the winter capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

So far there were no reports of any human causality in the blaze.

"The fire triggered yesterday and is yet to be contained," an official said. "Today helicopters of air force fitted with bambi-bucket are hovering over the area to carry out firefighting operation."

Apart from helicopter with bambi-buckets, firefighters from fire and emergency department, and forest department personnel have been pressed into service to cut the area and prevent fire from spreading.

The fires, according to officials, have destroyed vast stretches of natural vegetation in the forest area.

The cause of fire was being ascertained, officials said.

Forest fires are common occurrences during summer and autumn months in the region.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 19:05:39|Editor: Yamei

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Photo taken on May 13, 2018 shows technicians preparing unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV) carrying the dropsonde, or meteorological data monitor, in Huaibei, east China's Anhui Province. China has successfully designed and tested its first drone-carried dropsonde, or meteorological data monitor, to carry out meteorological observations. (Xinhua/the Second Institute of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Limited (CASIC))

BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- China has successfully designed and tested its first drone-carried dropsonde, or meteorological data monitor, to carry out meteorological observations.

The unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV) will carry the dropsonde and drop it at an altitude of 6,000 meters to measure atmospheric profiles as the device falls to the ground.

Launched using a parachute, the dropsonde can descend at a stabilized speed and cut the atmosphere column like a scalpel to gather data such as temperature, humidity, and wind direction and transmit them to ground receiving devices in real time.

The dropsonde carried by UAV was produced by the Second Institute of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Limited (CASIC) and the test was run and monitored by the Meteorological Sounding Center of China Meteorological Administration (CMA) in May.

The drone-carried dropsonde is an essential payload for aircraft meteorological sounding, which is more targeted than weather balloons and applied in much wider fields than rocketsonde, said Zhang Xuefen, a researcher at the CMA.

Such dropsondes are small and light and have a high accuracy when applied. Once equipped with a power cord and data wire, these dropsondes can be hung from any part of a drone's wing, belly or cabin and work stably and reliably between 70 degrees Celsius and minus 90 degrees Celsius.

According to the CASIC, drone-carried dropsondes can be widely used in meteorological emergency, disaster and ecological monitoring and offer a convenient and low-cost option for artificial meteorological observation and response systems in the future.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 19:15:43|Editor: ZD

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BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- China will not allow exchange programs to be used to coerce it into giving up its "inherent rights" in the South China Sea, according to a Foreign Ministry spokesperson Thursday.

It has been reported that the Pentagon on Wednesday disinvited China from a major U.S.-hosted naval drill in response to what it sees as China's militarization of islands in the South China Sea.

"We have noticed relevant reports," said spokesperson Lu Kang, noting that China had indisputable sovereignty over islands in the South China Sea and its adjacent waters.

"It is an inherent right for China, as a sovereign state, to carry out normal construction activities and normal military training on its own territory," Lu said.

"The activities and training are necessary measures for China to safeguard its sovereignty and maintain regional peace and stability, and they have nothing to do with so-called militarization," Lu said, noting that the U.S. side always accused China of militarization and was not qualified to make such remarks.

"Strengthening military-to-military exchanges is also a U.S. appeal, and it is no use coercing China to give up its inherent right by one or two exchange programs," said Lu. "Whether having such military exercises or not, whether inviting China or not, will never change China's will to maintain regional peace and stability in the South China Sea, or shake China's firm resolution to safeguard its own sovereign rights and security interests."OSLO, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Sweden-based home furnishing company IKEA's award-winning bicycle Sladda was recalled in Norway after at least two persons had been injured in accidents due to technical errors, newspaper Aftenposten reported Thursday.

The chain of the bicycle, which may suddenly fall off, caused eleven accidents in total, in which two people suffered minor injuries, the report said.

A total of 139 Sladda bicycles have been sold in Norway and IKEA urges people who have bought the bike to return it and they will get their money back, the company announced.

Sladda bicycle was awarded the "Red Dot Design Award".

"With Sladda we wanted to create a sustainable urban transport solution and we are proud of it. It is a pity that we must recall the bike, but for us, safety for our customers always comes first, " Daniel Jimenez, Business Area Manager in Ikea, Sweden, said in a press release, which also contained Ikea's apology to the customers.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 19:38:52|Editor: Li Xia

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Afghan policemen attend their graduation ceremony in Daman district of Kandahar province, Afghanistan, May 24, 2018. A total of 112 policemen graduated after six months' training from a military training center in Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, a local official said on Thursday. (Xinhua/Sanaullah Seiam)ADDIS ABABA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Airlines, the largest Aviation Group in Africa, has announced that it would take delivery of its 100th aircraft, a Boeing 787-900, early next month.

Ethiopian Airlines said in a statement on Thursday that it would be the first time for an African airline to operate a 100-aircraft fleet in the history of the continent.

"This milestone is a continuation of our historical aviation leadership role in Africa and a testimony of the successful implementation of our fast, profitable and sustainable growth plan, Vision 2025," said Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde GebreMariam on the planned delivery of the 100th aircraft scheduled for June 5.

Ethiopian Airlines was the first to avail jet service in the continent back in 1962, and operated the first African B767 in 1984; the first African B777-200LR in 2010; the first African B787-800 Dreamliner and B777-200 freighter in 2012; and the first African A350 in 2016; and the first African B787-9 aircraft in 2017, recalled the statement.

It now operates one of the youngest and most modern 100 aircraft, with an average age of less than five years. The Airline has five more Boeing 787-900 and 16 Airbus A350 airplanes on order.

Ethiopian Airlines is currently implementing a 15-year strategic plan dubbed Vision 2025 to become a leading aviation group in Africa. It is a multi-award winning airline registering an average growth of 25 percent in the past seven years.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 19:40:53|Editor: Liangyu

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BRUSSELS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Though originating in China, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) delivers benefits well beyond its borders and enjoys great prospects worldwide, Zhang Ming, head of the mission of the People's Republic of China to the EU, said Wednesday.

Since the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was held in Beijing last May, plenty of progress has been made in implementing projects, said the ambassador in a keynote speech delivered at the China-EU Dialogue on the Belt And Road Initiative.

"China's trade with countries along the Belt and Road has exceeded 4 trillion U.S. dollars and stock investment is over 60 billion U.S. dollars. Forty-three countries along the routes have direct flights with China, and a total of 7,600 trips have been made by the freight trains between China and Europe," said Zhang.

"Chinese companies have built 75 economic and trade cooperation zones in over 20 Belt and Road countries, creating more than 2 billion U.S. dollars of tax revenues and over 200,000 jobs for the host countries," he noted.

As to China-Europe cooperation on the initiative, the ambassador said he is optimistic about its future.

"We have already achieved a good start. The BRI and Europe's development strategies are well aligned. Governments of 11 EU member states have signed cooperation documents with China. A number of projects on infrastructure, logistics, e-commerce and finance are well underway," he noted.

In Serbia, a Chinese enterprise bought a troubled steel mill and turned it around in less than a year. In Greece, the Port of Piraeus has regained its position as one of the largest European ports. In Britain, China is partnering with France to build a nuclear power plant, a stellar example of multi-party cooperation on the BRI.

"Last year alone, the China-Europe express cargo trains made 3,673 trips, more than the total number combined during the previous six years, reaching 36 European cities in 13 countries," said the ambassador, making a three-pronged proposal for future cooperation.

"First, to inject more certainty into global cooperation. The BRI could offer a solid platform for cooperation to boost the global economy and to add a sense of certainty to the global landscape. The BRI aims to promote peace, development and stability. It could contribute to a more balanced development across Europe, thereby facilitating the European integration process rather than holding it back," said Zhang.

He called on the two sides to promote cooperation with an open mind and in a rules-based manner.

"Countries at different levels of development may have different needs and approaches to cooperation. The best practice takes into account and fits well with the actual circumstances. We need to step up exchanges to find a pattern of cooperation that suits local conditions, serves long-term interests and complies with the rules," Zhang said.

Statistics show that EU investment in China only accounts for 4 percent of its total overseas investment, and the Chinese investment in the EU only takes up 2 percent of FDI flows into the bloc.

"This is not commensurate with the size of our economy," Zhang said. "We need to further implement the China-EU 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation, and advance negotiations on a bilateral investment agreement as a priority task. Regarding the BRI, we could work together to explore a third market, and harness our respective strengths to open up more possibilities," he told the audience.

Proposed in 2013, the initiative aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes. It comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 19:50:54|Editor: Yamei

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GUANGZHOU, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The Guangdong free trade zone (FTZ) is making institutional innovations, introducing new systems every three days on average, the provincial FTZ office said Thursday.

Since being established three years ago, the FTZ has made 385 institutional innovations to explore new systems in the open economy, build an opening-up gateway and deepen cooperation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to the office.

As of December 2017, a total 210,000 new enterprises have settled in the FTZ including 9,639 foreign-invested enterprises.

Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng on Wednesday called for institutional innovations in the development of pilot FTZs.

He said the Guangdong FTZ should treat institutional innovation as a core task and strive to establish systems that could be replicated.The last time you went to your corner bodega, perhaps you noticed an inconspicuous machine with a large, vertical screen, and a bill acceptor but no cash dispenser. Behold, the Bitcoin ATM.

Currently, there are at least 130 Bitcoin ATMs in New York City, and around 60 in Brooklyn alone. This kind of convenience opens up a new market for cryptocurrency. Unlike popular platforms like Coinbase, which require that a consumer purchase Bitcoin through their bank account online, these ATMs allow anyone with cash and a cell phone to purchase Bitcoin immediately.

Bitcoin is a digital currency with a fixed number of coins that are mined at all times by an algorithm, which allows for more of the currency to be released. We can think of mining as a way of processing any Bitcoin transaction. Bitcoin has no set price  it fluctuates based on supply and demand, so the prices set by ATM companies are determined in different ways.

The currency became widely known because of its use on the dark web by sites like Silk Road, a now defunct website known as an illicit marketplace for buying drugs that was shut down by the FBI in 2013. While Bitcoin has gained a reputation for being a novel kind of investment, the currency is also slowly coming into use in the physical world, with some stores and restaurants now accepting Bitcoin as payment.

Bitcoin ATMs are marketed by their creators as a way for unbanked populations to gain access to Bitcoin as both an investment strategy and a way of safely keeping funds outside of a banking system. For people without a bank account, this access is critical, and may be one explanation as to why many of Brooklyns Bitcoin ATMs are in neighborhoods like Brownsville and East New York. A 2013 study from the Urban Institute showed that almost 30% of Brownsville residents lack bank accounts.

While several deli workers in downtown Manhattan told Gothamist they only saw around six people using these ATMs in an average shift, in Brooklyn, the number jumped to between 10 and 20 people per shift. Sam, a 19-year-old working at a bodega in Bedford-Stuyvesant said that he has seen 15 people use their ATM in just a half hour.

Sam (whose name has been changed to protect his privacy and his quasi-legal business operation) explained that he was the reason that the store has a Bitcoin ATM. The machine is basically a portal to one of our personal Bitcoin accounts, Sam said. We actually transfer money to people's Bitcoin Wallet and accept the fee for it.

Despite his age, Sam told me that hes been in Bitcoin a very long timesince, like, 2013 when Bitcoin cost around $6.80 a coin.

Before the bodega had a Bitcoin ATM, Sam said that they had customers who requested cryptocurrency.

I'd have to travel to them. And I'll send it to them and they will give me a fee, and I'll just make money like that, Sam said. It's the same thing with the ATMbecause I don't have to travel anymore, they can just come right here and get it done.

The ATMs make Bitcoin available within 30 minutes, whereas online transactions can take days to become available. But the ATMs typically charge a higher transaction feebetween 6% and 25% of the total transaction amountthan if a customer used an online platform, which connects directly to a bank account and can charge between 0.26% and 3%.

Bodegas get paid a flat monthly fee of around $500 to have a Bitcoin ATM installed. In almost all the stores we visited, the Bitcoin is owned by the company operating the machine.

When we went with a friend to see how the system worked, he purchased $10 worth of Bitcoin from an ATM, or 0.00100249 of a Bitcoin, which that particular ATM company was trading at $9,9975.16 per bitcoin when the transaction was made. We only spent a minute at the ATM, but the process of transferring the Bitcoin to his digital wallet took around a half hour. After fees, it was worth $7.99, roughly 20% less than what he purchased.

A group of young men using Sams ATM explained to me that they use it because not everyone has a bank card, [and the ATM is] right here. They said they use it to buy clothes. Other people use it for investments.

Another man explained that his relative who lives abroad will send him money via Western Union. This man then purchases Bitcoin using the ATM and puts it into a digital wallet that he shares with his relative. While online trading platforms would need to link this transaction to one persons bank account, using the ATM allows them to share a digital wallet.

Most of the ATM users were vague about the nature of their transactions. One man said that he used the ATM to pay his bills, but there is actually a sign that appears on the ATMs screen warning: Do not allow anyone else to use your account. Beware online scams! Do not use for ConEd, eBay or PayPal payments! We cannot recover lost funds.

Despite this limitation, it seems easy to use the ATMs in unintended ways that may not be in line with the recent regulations imposed on the industry by the New York State Department of Financial Services, which issues a BitLicense, or business license of virtual currency activities. No one appears to be monitoring the ways in which people use the ATMs on a day-to-day basis, potentially creating easy access for questionable activity.

Joshua Garcia, an attorney specializing in blockchain and cryptocurrency, said the BitLicense "covers a broad range of activity," from custodial services like digital wallets, to hedge fund activity, to payment processing that uses cryptocurrency.

While NYSDFS says this license costs $5,000, it has been reported of costing up to $100,000 to obtain after legal fees. This has limited the number of startups who can apply. In an email, NYSDFS stated that to date, they have approved seven firms for virtual currency charters or licenses, while denying those applications that did not meet DFS's standards. DFS has granted licenses to bitFlyer USA, Coinbase Inc., XRP II, Paxos Trust Company LLC, and Circle Internet Financial, and charters to Gemini Trust Company and itBit Trust Company.

Due to the growing number of businesses that accept cryptocurrency, the increased demand for access to cryptocurrency without a bank account, and the lack of regulatory enforcement regarding how people gain access to funds, the number of ATMs seems likely to continue to grow regardless of Bitcoins price fluctuations and DFSs regulatory requirements.

As Sam told Gothamist, anyone can create a software and just build a machine and then sell it. It's not that hard. If I wanted to create a company, I can do it as well.BERLIN, May 24 (Xinhua) -- German officials have urged the newly-designated government in Rome on Thursday to uphold Italy's political and economic commitments as a member of the European Union (EU).

"More than ever, Europe needs a reliable Italian partner which views its own place in the heart of Europe, rather than in the false security of nationalism", Michael Roth, minister of state for Europe at the German Foreign Office, told the magazine "SPIEGEL".

Roth added that many of the proposals enshrined in a coalition agreement between the Italian Lega Nord and MoVimento Cinque Stelle parties were a "source of concern" for Berlin.

The minister argued that the EU was based on a foundation of "solidarity amongst member states." As founding members, Germany and Italy shouldered a special responsibility in this context to work towards a "strong community of values" and "stable societies" together.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella has recently nominated civil lawyer and academic Giuseppe Conte to lead a governing cabinet formed by Lega Nord and MoVimento Cinque Stelle.

German officials and opposition politicians are mainly worried that the technocrat will fail to act as a curb on the Eurosceptic and anti-immigrant sentiment showcased by Lega Nord and MoVimento Cinque Stelle in the past with plans to hold a referendum on Eurozone membership and expel thousands of foreigners.

Speaking to "SPIEGEL" on Thursday, Green party (Gruene) leader Annalena Baerbock emphasized that founding members of the EU were subject to the rule of law and bound by EU treaties like all other members of the bloc. "The most fatal thing would be if the Italian government gave in to a Eurosceptic course", Baerbock said.

Baerbock warned that there was a real danger of a "government of illiberalism and xenophobia" being formed in Rome. In light of recent polling results that two thirds of EU citizens valued their country's membership of the bloc, it was now also up to Berlin to ensure that this trust was not betrayed by straying from its core principles.

Similarly, Free Democratic Party (FDP) foreign policy spokesperson Alexander Graf Lambsdorff told the "Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland" (RND) that the formal nomination of Conte for the post of Italian prime minister was not good news for Europe.

Lambsdorff cautioned that the government's coalition agreement was full of "unrealistic and financially unfeasible demands", including the simultaneous dramatic lowering of taxes and introduction basic minimum income in the highly-indebted country.KABUL, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. forces in Afghanistan targeted a meeting of Taliban leaders in Musa Qala district of the restive southern Helmand province on Thursday, said a statement of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan released here.

"Task Force-Southwest, under U.S. Forces-Afghanistan authorities, confirmed a ground-based rocket artillery strike using the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, against a command and control node for high-level Taliban leaders in Musa Qala district, May 24," the statement said.

Musa Qala district is the main bastion of Taliban militants in the troubled and poppy growing Helmand province.

"The structure was a known meeting location for prominent Taliban leaders, where they planned and facilitated attacks against Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, who are supporting election security in the area," the statement further said.

Without providing details on possible casualties on the Taliban fighters, the statement noted, "Strikes like this one not only degrade Taliban operations, but also give our partners the ability to maintain continuous pressure against a weakened enemy."

Taliban outfit has yet to make comments.

Established in 2009, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan is a U.S.-led mission that directs and enables U.S. military operations in support of Resolute Support, NATO's train, advise and assist mission, as well as is to sustain campaign momentum in Afghanistan.WELLINGTON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Transport Minister Phil Twyford apologizes "unreservedly" for making a phone call on a domestic flight after the aircraft doors had shut in preparation for take-off.

"I recognize that I made the call when I shouldn't have," Twyford said, adding, "This is inappropriate for anyone, but particularly inappropriate for me as transport minister."

"I have apologized to the prime minister and offered my resignation as transport minister. She has declined my offer but chosen to transfer my responsibility for the Civil Aviation Authority to Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter," Twyford said in a statement.

"I have referred the matter to the Civil Aviation Authority who will follow whatever processes they deem appropriate," the transport minister said.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that she expects all her ministers to act in accordance with the rules. "As transport minister it is even more important that Phil abides by civil aviation laws."WELLINGTON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Kiwifruit exports rose 82 percent in April 2018 compared with April 2017, to reach 438 million NZ dollars (303 million U.S. dollars), a new high for a sole month, New Zealand's statistics department Stats NZ said on Thursday.

The rise in kiwifruit exports was the leading contributor to a 7.3-percent rise in overall goods exports, which reached 5.1 billion NZ dollars. This is the second-highest for any month, the highest level was 5.5 billion NZ dollars in December 2017, Stats NZ said.

"Kiwifruit exports were up for all New Zealand's principal kiwifruit markets, China, the European Union, and Japan," Stats NZ international statistics manager Tehseen Islam said in a statement.

In April, the first month of the export season, the gold variety made up nearly three-quarters of the total value of kiwifruit exports, Islam said, adding that annual exports of kiwifruit in the year ended April 2018 were 1.9 billion NZ dollars, up 9 percent from the year ended April 2017.

Goods imports rose 15 percent to reach 4.8 billion NZ dollars, a new high for total imports in an April month. The leading contributor to the rise was an increased value of petroleum and products, led by crude oil, statistics show.

The monthly trade balance in April 2018 was a surplus of 263 million NZ dollars, or 5.2 percent of exports, lower than the average monthly surplus in the last five April months, according to Stats NZ. (1 NZ dollar equals to 0.69 U.S. dollar)by Xinhua writers Li Zhengyu, Cheng Dayu

PUNGGYE-RI, DPRK, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The dismantlement of the Punggye-ri underground nuclear test site on Thursday marked a significant initiative by Pyongyang and sent a strong signal to Washington while situation on the Korean Peninsula has once again reached a critical juncture.

Punggye-ri was where the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) conducted all its six nuclear tests. Its dismantlement before the eyes of foreign reporters testifies to Pyongyang's sincerity to honor its promises on denuclearization and push for a political solution of the Korean Peninsula issue.

Pyongyang has made various eye-catching moves in domestic and foreign policies this year. Domestically the country announced a new strategy focusing on economic development, replacing the old one that prioritized both economy and nuclear capabilities.

On the foreign policy front, DPRK leader Kim Jong Un made two visits to China and met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at a historic inter-Korean summit, and has a meeting scheduled with U.S. President Donald Trump next month in Singapore.

Coming at a crucial moment when major parties are working hard to achieve reconciliation and peace on the Peninsula, the dismantlement of the Punggye-ri underground nuclear test site demonstrates Pyongyang's commitment to denuclearization, consolidating the detente needed for a political settlement of the Peninsula issue. It certainly deserves the applause and support of the international community.

The Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, a security issue in nature, largely evolves around the interactions between the DPRK and the United States. Their tit-for-tats since the 1990s have repeatedly led to tensions and crises.

To the relief of many, things started to turn for the better this year as Kim affirmed Pyongyang's intention to denuclearize the Peninsula and Trump responded positively to Pyongyang's security concerns.

For Pyongyang and Washington, a shift from confrontation and unilateral moves to dialogue and consultation addressing each other's core concerns is a big step in the right direction. Pyongyang's dismantlement of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site will help build mutual trust and create a good atmosphere for the planned meeting between their leaders.

History and reality decide that the way ahead to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue could not be easy. The world expects that at a key juncture, both Pyongyang and Washington could stay committed and make the dismantlement of Punggye-ri nuclear test site a fresh starting point for them to move further to meet each other halfway.

It is expected that they would make use of the historic opportunity, increase dialogues to expand consensus, and promote Peninsula denuclearization in a dual-track approach as China advocates, benefiting stability and peace on the Peninsula as well as security and prosperity in the region. EnditemSource: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 20:21:00|Editor: Yamei

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CHONGQING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Yu Haiyan, former vice governor of northwest China's Gansu Province, stood trial for bribery Thursday at the First Intermediate People's Court of Chongqing Municipality.

According to the prosecutor indictment, between 1998 and 2016, Yu took advantage of various posts to seek benefit on product sales, project contracting, real estate development and personnel arrangments and promotions for some units and individuals.

In return, he accepted money and gifts worth over 65.6 million yuan (10.3 million U.S. dollars) either by himself or through his wife, Li Yanhua, the indictment said.

During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence, which Yu and his defense attorneys examined.

Both sides fully expressed their opinions, according to the court.

Yu gave his final statement in court, pleaded guilty and expressed repentance.

About 70 people, including Yu's family, lawmakers, political advisors, journalists and members of public, attended the trial.

The court ruling will be announced at a later date.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 20:21:01|Editor: Li Xia

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DAMASCUS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 pro-Syrian government fighters were killed in the U.S.-led airstrikes that targeted Syrian military positions in eastern Syria on Thursday, a monitor group reported.

The slain fighters were non-Syrians, and the strikes are believed to have been carried out by the U.S.-led coalition against the military sites in the countryside of the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Earlier Wednesday, state news agency SANA said the Syrian army responded to an attack by IS in the southern countryside of Deir al-Zour.

Meanwhile, the War Media, the media wing of the Syrian army and its Iranian allies, said two Syrian military positions were hit by the U.S.-led airstrikes in the vicinity of the T-2 oil station in the desert region south of Deir al-Zour.

The attack came as activists reported shelling between the Syrian army and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the countryside of Deir al-Zour earlier on Wednesday.

Such skirmishes reflect the tension between the Syrian army and the U.S.-backed fighters in Deir al-Zour, a key oil-rich province the United States is eyeing to have a sway at.

The United States and Israel have struck several Syrian military positions recently, targeting areas where Iranian military experts are located.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Wednesday that some international parties, referring to the West, which are "separated from reality when it comes to approaching the situation in Syria, are an obstacle to any breakthrough in the political track."

He further urged such powers to show a minimum amount of political realism, halt the support for terrorism and embrace political work.

His remarks were made during his meeting with the visiting Russian President's Special Envoy on Syria Alexander Lavrentiev.

The attack Thursday comes as Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told Russia's Sputnik that the withdrawal of Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group from Syria is not on the discussion agenda, as those forces have come to Syria upon the invitation of the government.by Alessandra Cardone

ROME, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A regional train crashed into a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) in Italy's northern Piedmont region on Wednesday night, leaving two people dead and 23 injured.

The accident occurred on the rail line between the cities of Turin and Ivrea at around 11:15 p.m. local time, Italy's railway Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) stated on Thursday.

The train smashed into the lorry, as it was stuck on a level crossing near the town of Caluso after breaking through the barriers, according to railway operator Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI).

Three train carriages derailed due to the collision, RFI also said in a statement.

The victims were the train driver, aged 61, and a 64-year-old Romanian man travelling on the back of the lorry, according to Ansa news agency.

The second victim was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Turin, but did not survive.

Some 40 people were on the train when the incident occurred, and 23 were injured. At least three of them were reportedly in serious condition, including the train conductor who underwent a surgery at the Traumatology CTO hospital in Turin, Ansa said.

Prosecutors in Ivrea opened a probe into the accident, and the driver of a security van preceding the lorry, a 43-year-old Lithuanian man, was charged with culpable disaster.

According to Turin-based La Stampa newspaper and other local media, the man proved negative to the alcohol test, and would be listened by investigators on Thursday.

The crash followed other incidents involving Italy's railways.

In January this year, a commuter train derailed in the northern Lombardy region, leaving three people dead and other five seriously injured.

In April 2017, another train crash occurred at the station of Bressanone, some 40 kilometres from the Italian-Austrian border, causing two victims.

In June 2016, two trains collided while traveling on a singles track in southern Italy, killing 23 people. EnditemDHAKA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Bangladeshi Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal Thursday said anyone accused of drug peddling will be brought under the rule of law.

At least 50 people have reportedly been killed in the last 10 days in a series of incidents, which law enforcers described as "shootouts" amid a countrywide anti-drug crackdown.

"We've made list of drug dealers. And they will be detained and brought to trial," the minister said Thursday, speaking at an awareness campaign of Dhaka Metropolitan Police which distributed anti-drug leaflets among pedestrians and commuters.

In recent years, the Bangladeshi government law-enforcement agencies have seized yaba tablets almost every day, in large and small quantities, across Bangladesh.

However, drug traffickers have succeeded in eluding the authorities as the proliferation of yaba specially continues alarmingly.

Against this backdrop, Bangladesh's anti-crime elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) earlier this month announced the country-wide anti-narcotics drive.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 20:36:03|Editor: Li Xia

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KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Hengyuan Refining Company Bhd's chairman Wang Youde said Thursday that he continues to see Malaysia as its ASEAN hub to expand the group business after the election.

"We are confident with the new Malaysian government, so our investment plans here will remain intact. We are still exploring the market opportunities for other Southeast Asian countries," he told reporters after the group's annual general meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

According to the group's chief commercial officer William Chen, new market opportunities include those in Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Currently, only 10 percent to 20 percent of the group's refinery products are allowed to export overseas, including to Singapore, Indonesia and China.

However, Chen said, the group may have some tie-ups with its mother company Shandong Hengyuan Petrochemical Company Ltd in the future, to expand its resources in order to reach more markets with wider products.

Shandong Hengyuan Petrochemical Company Ltd. acquired a 51-percent equity stake in Hengyuan Refining Company from Royal Dutch Shell's subsidiary Shell Overseas Holdings Ltd. in December 2016.

The acquisition, which was triggered by Shandong Hengyuan Petrochemical's "going-out" strategy, aimed to achieve wider development with new growth opportunity outside China.

Hengyuan has in June 2017 approved capital investments totaling 160 million U.S. dollars to upgrade its refinery facilities in Malaysia.After a couple false starts, dockless bike share is finally coming to the city, beginning with outerborough neighborhoods not currently served by Citi Bike (which turns five this weekend). On Thursday, Mayor de Blasio announced that a pilot program is arriving in Coney Island and the Rockaways in July, with a second roll out planned the following month near Fordham University in the Bronx and on Staten Island's North Shore.

"We are bringing new, inexpensive transportation options to neighborhoods that need them," Mayor de Blasio said in a statement. "Dockless public bike sharing starts this summer, and we're excited to see how New Yorkers embrace this new service."

The new bikes will not require physical docking stations, and will allow riders to rent them using their phones, "usually for $1 or $2 per ride," per a press release. The city is still evaluating which bike share companies will operate in which neighborhoods, but plans to make that call in June. The current goal is to have a total of 200 bikes offering half-hour rides within each of the four neighborhoods' set boundaries. Hopefully this goes better than it has in Singapore, where reports of vandalism and theft surfaced last year when a dockless bike share launched.

A dozen dockless bike share companies responded to the DOT's request seeking "ideas around next-generation 'dockless' public bike share systems." The city expects that some will be "pedal-assisted," or electric bikes that require the rider to pedal to some degree. Once the pilot ends in September, the DOT will evaluate whether the program should be expanded or discontinued.

"We will take what we learn over the next few months to make informed, clear-eyed decisions as to whether New York Citys bike-share future is dockless," said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. "In the meantime, we strongly encourage New Yorkers to get out this summer and explore some great neighborhoods by bikeand of course give us their feedback on the dockless experience.

Next month, the DOT will begin presenting the plans to community boards in the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Islandwe wish them the best of luck with that.TOKYO, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Around 60 Russian residents from disputed islands off Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido arrived in Japan on Thursday on this year's first visa-free trip.

Under the bilateral exchange program that saw the visitors arrive in Hokkaido's Nemuro City from islands that are claimed by Japan, the Russians, comprising students and teachers, will also visit Hiroshima Prefecture and meet Japanese students there.

On their visit to Hiroshima through Monday, the tour operator said the group will visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Peace Memorial Park and Miyajima Island, a small island in Hiroshima Bay, famous for its "floating" Itsukushima Shrine, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

"I hope our students will learn in Hiroshima about what the war brought about and how we should secure peace," Tatiana Pavlukevich, the group's leader, was quoted by local media as saying.

Beginning in 1992, the visa-free program has been aimed at enhancing relations and people-to-people exchanges between past and present residents of the islands under dispute.

Japan and Russia both claim a group of islands off Hokkaido, called the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 21:01:14|Editor: Li Xia

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RIYADH, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabian air forces intercepted on Thursday a ballistic missile fired from Yemen towards border city Jazan, Al Arabiya local news reported.

The spokesperson of the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi militias in Yemen, Turki al-Maliki, said that the missile was shot from Yemeni city Saada at around 1:58 a.m. local time.

He said that the missile was destroyed, and some shrapnel and debris fell on residential areas, but no injuries were reported.

The spokesperson has been accusing the Houthis of intentionally targeting civilian areas through frequent missile attacks, mainly fired at border cities.

He also has been blaming Iran for destabilizing Yemen by assisting the Houthi rebels through delivering weapons and missiles.

The Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Houthis in Yemen for over three years in support of the exiled Yemeni government.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 21:01:15|Editor: Yamei

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NANNING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Every week, three freight trains run from Chongqing to Guangxi in southern China, carrying cars, car parts, electronics and all kinds of other goods.

From Qinzhou, on the coast of Guangxi, the containers are shipped to Singapore and other ports in Southeast Asia. In the nine months since it opened last September, the route has been an encouraging success. To most destinations, the new route is about two weeks faster than the traditional route through Shanghai.

At the 10th Pan-Beibu Gulf Economic Cooperation Forum in Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Thursday's discussion focused on how the route could be improved.

To take full advantage of the route, Chen Wu, chairman of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Regional Government, wants to sweep away all non-tariff trade barriers and build industrial parks. There is also a clear need to build more infrastructure.

Singapore's Tan Wu Meng described the new route as an open platform, available to all parties who wish to make use of it.

"With more stakeholders on board, we will aggregate volume, build economies of scale and lower logistics cost, which will benefit both ASEAN and China," he said.

Trade between China and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) continues to prosper. In Q1, trade between China and ASEAN countries rose 21 percent compared with the same period last year, Gao Yan, vice minister of China's Commerce Ministry, said at the forum. The growth comes after trade volume between the two sides reached a record high last year.

"The immense flow of goods, commerce, capital and information between China and ASEAN is the highlight of the Maritime Silk Road," Gao said.

More importantly, the new sea-rail transit route does not just benefit regions along the route between Chongqing and Singapore. For the first time this month, containers from Vietnam were taken by sea to Qinzhou, then to Chongqing by rail and ultimately on to Germany.

The Singapore - Qinzhou - Chongqing - Xinjiang - Europe link provides China's inland provinces with access to both the Silk Road Economic Belt to the north and the Maritime Silk Road to the south.

Wojciech Zajaczkowski, Polish Ambassador to China, believes that for European countries, the horizon for cooperation should be broader as railway development between Europe and Asia will bring more energy to different regions.

"We believe railway connection between our part of Europe and China can contribute to regional development and that's why we are interested in the Southern Transport Corridor," Zajaczkowski said. "In today's globalized economy, a smooth cooperation in trade, transport and logistics is a precondition for success."TOKYO, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A number of parts likely fell from a Japan Airlines plane bound for Tokyo's Haneda airport from Kumamoto in southwestern Japan on Thursday, hitting a window of a clinic and a car in Kumamoto, local police said.

According to local police, no one was injured in the accident, which saw a total of 10 components apparently fall from the Boeing 767.

The transport ministry said the plane was redirected back to the airport in Kumamoto after reports that its left engine was having trouble and was vibrating abnormally.

Police in Kumamoto found a total of 10 metal parts belonging to the wide-body, twin jet-engine Boeing 767, which has a maximum takeoff weight of around 179,000 kg.

The police found the parts believed to have fallen from the plane, which were each around 5 centimeters in length, in and around the vicinity of the clinic in the town of Mashiki in Kumamoto.

The piece of the plane that struck the clinic's window caused the window to break, local police said, while the object that hit the car caused the vehicle to be damaged.by Eric J. Lyman

ROME, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A day after law professor Giuseppe Conte was named as Italian prime minister, local media reports mostly focused his lack of a national profile or the challenges that await him to balance the priorities of the two disparate parties that nominated him, while the international press told a different story.

Many domestic media outlets focused on the expected difficulties 53-year-old Conte will face in that role: Il Fatto Quotidiano ran a photo of Conte on a tightrope under the headline "The Acrobat." The left-wing daily Il Manifesto's main headline Thursday read, "Populistland."

"The reaction in the media is not particularly harsh, especially when we think of the reception that Matteo Renzi received when he became prime minister in 2014, or the way former Rome mayor Ignazio Marino was attacked when he first emerged in 2013," Arianna Montanari, a political sociologist with Rome's La Sapienza University, told Xinhua.

"I think the supporters of the Five-Star Movement and the League were the ones doing most of the attacking," Montanari said. "Now they are protecting the prime minister."

Montanari said that situation creates what she called an "artificial consensus."

That does not mean the government will have an easy time. This will be the first time Five-Star Movement leader Luigi di Maio and Matteo Salvini from the League will have a role in a national government. But at least they are well known figures nationally, unlike Conte.

Multiple Italian media referred to Conte as a "newcomer" or as "unknown." One regional news site called him the "mystery premier."

Internationally, there was much more criticism, including widespread worries about how the new government will impact the European Union. That stems from the euro-skeptic stances from both parties.

Among the policies sparking concern beyond Italy: the parties' doubts about the future of the euro currency, plans for dramatic curbs on immigration, an eagerness to ignore European Union rules on budget deficits, and a demand that the European Central Bank forgive 250 billion euros (300 billion U.S. dollars) in Italian debt.

In London, the Times said, "Alarm in Europe as Italy's populists rise to power." The Sun called Conte an "Unknown leader of [a] bizarre Italian coalition." In France, Le Figaro called him an agent of an "anti-system," while Liberation said Conte was a symptom of a "cruel lack of political and economic alternatives."

In the United States, the New York Times predicted the new government would "challenge the EU at its heart" and a "new threat to Europe."SEOUL, May 24 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Thursday welcomed the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s dismantling of its nuclear test site, calling it a meaningful first step toward complete denuclearization.

Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement that it hailed the DPRK's dismantling of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, noting that it was "the first meaningful measure" taken to implement its willingness toward complete denuclearization, which was expressed in the inter-Korean summit.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un held the third-ever inter-Korean summit on April 27 in the border village of Panmunjom.

During the summit meeting, Kim told Moon that he would dismantle the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, where all of its six nuclear tests were conducted, according to the Blue House of South Korea.

The DPRK blew up tunnels at the site earlier in the day, witnessed by journalists from China, Russia, the United States, Britain and South Korea.

The ministry said the South Korean government will support the upcoming DPRK-U.S. summit scheduled for next month.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 21:16:19|Editor: Li Xia

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ADEN, Yemen, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The internationally-backed Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi appointed on Thursday Khaled Al-Yamani as the new Foreign Affairs Minister, Saudi-based official Saba News Agency reported.

According to the statement released by the news agency based in Riyadh, the former Yemeni FM Abdul-Malik Al-Mekhlafi will become an advisor to Hadi.

Another presidential decree issued by Hadi appointed Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Yemen to the United Nations in addition to his post as Ambassador of Yemen to the United States.

Yemen's government, allied with the Saudi-led Arab military coalition, has for about three years been battling Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels over control of the country.

The coalition began a military air campaign in March 2015 to roll back Houthi gains and reinstate exiled Hadi and his government to power.

The anti-Houthi coalition also imposed air and sea blockade to prevent weapons from reaching Houthis, who had invaded the capital Sanaa militarily and seized most of the northern Yemeni provinces.

UN statistics showed more than 10,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed since the coalition intervened in the Yemeni civil war that also displaced around 3 million.RIGA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Latvian lawmakers on Thursday rejected a MP's idea to ban foreign students from doing part-time jobs in the Baltic country.

Janis Dombrava, an MP of the ruling right-wing National Alliance, had proposed to abolish the legislative provision allowing full time students from foreign countries to work for up to 20 hours a week in Latvia.

Arguing for his proposal, Dombrava said that foreign nationals can use studies as a pretext for staying in Latvia and devote most of their time to work while paying at the same time their tuition fees but ignoring studies.

The parliament, however, rejected a proposal to revoke residence permits for those foreign students who fail to show sufficient academic progress and do not complete their studies in due time.

Dombrava also wanted residence permits to be revoked for students who swap study programs or universities, but that proposal did not gain lawmakers' support either.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 21:26:22|Editor: ZD

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Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang (R) and Australian Governor-General Peter Cosgrove attend a press conference in Hanoi, capital of Vietnam, on May 24, 2018. (Xinhua/VNA)

HANOI, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang and Australian Governor-General Peter Cosgrove agreed to reinforce political and strategic trust and all-round cooperation between the two countries on Thursday.

The two leaders agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields, including security, national defense, economy, trade, science, technology, education and training, the Vietnamese president said at a press briefing after talks with Australian guest.

Vietnam and Australia will seek ways to remove trade barriers, and lure more investment in such fields as infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, finance and banking, hi-tech agriculture and education.

Regarding security and defense cooperation, Australia will keep on joining hands with Vietnam in the fields of training officers for joining the United Nations peacekeeping force, and solving post-war consequences in Vietnam.

Also on Thursday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan met with Australian Governor-General Peter Cosgrove, respectively. Meanwhile, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong received the Australian Governor-General.JOHANNESBURG, May 24 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's fight against political killings yielded some fruits on Thursday when the police arrested a 31-year-old Endumeni municipality mayor, councilor and hit man for plotting to kill the speaker of the local authority.

South Africa is experiencing political killings resulting from tender disagreements, political aspirations and cover up for corruption. Captain Simphiwe Mhlongo, KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson confirmed the arrested of the three suspects.

Mhlongo said, "The three suspects - the mayor, a councilor and a hit man - allegedly planned an assassination plot against the speaker who is alleged to be an obstacle in the awarding of a tender. It is understood the speaker allegedly suspected undue influence and possible corruption in the process."

The three were scheduled to appear in court on Thursday at Estcourt Magistrates' Court facing conspiracy to murder and other related charges. Some politicians have been accused of hiring some hit man to kill others.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited KwaZulu Natal where political killings are prevalent last week. He then instructed some ministers and law enforcement agencies to give him a report about what they have done and intend to do to stop the political killings.Harvey Weinstein is expected to surrender to authorities on Friday to face sexual misconduct charges as part of an investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, according to multiple reports. Two unnamed law enforcement officials told the NY Times Weinstein would turn himself in tomorrow.

TMZ reports that sources connected to Cy Vance's office say the charges are related to victim Lucia Evans, who alleges that Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him in 2004. "Arrangements are being made for the surrender, which is expected Friday," the outlet reports.

The Manhattan DA's office did not respond to our inquiry about reports that Weinstein would turn himself in. The NYPD had no immediate comment.

A special grand jury convened weeks ago is also looking at evidence related to potential financial fraud charges committed by Weinstein, according to sources who spoke with the Daily News.

The news comes one day after federal prosecutors announced they were looking into whether or not Weinstein enticed any woman to travel over state lines with the goal of sexually assaulting theman offense that can be prosecuted as a federal crime. On Thurdsday evening, Danny Frost, a spokesperson for Manhattan D.A. Cy Vance, told Gothamist, "Our investigation is in an advanced stage.

Last year, Evans told the New Yorker that when she was a college student and aspiring actress in 2004, she went to Weinstein's Tribeca office building for a meeting with a casting executive. She had previously declined Weinstein's attempts for a private meeting, but agreed to this casting meeting because it was with a female employee. But she was shown to an office where there was only Weinstein:

In the meeting, Evans recalled, he immediately was simultaneously flattering me and demeaning me and making me feel bad about myself. Weinstein told her that shed be great in Project Runway the show, which Weinstein helped produce, premiered later that yearbut only if she lost weight. He also told her about two scripts, a horror movie and a teen love story, and said one of his associates would discuss them with her. At that point, after that, is when he assaulted me, Evans said. He forced me to perform oral sex on him. As she objected, Weinstein took his penis out of his pants and pulled her head down onto it. I said, over and over, I dont want to do this, stop, dont,  she recalled. I tried to get away, but maybe I didnt try hard enough. I didnt want to kick him or fight him. In the end, she said, hes a big guy. He overpowered me. She added, I just sort of gave up. Thats the most horrible part of it, and thats why hes been able to do this for so long to so many women: people give up, and then they feel like its their fault.

Evans's account in The New Yorker prompted the NYPD to reach out to her.

Weinstein was last spotted by TMZ on Wednesday in Malibu.

This is an ongoing story, and we'll update as more information becomes available.



UPDATE: Law enforcement sources tell TMZ that Weinstein is scheduled to surrender at the Manhattan D.A.'s Office in lower Manhattan between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Friday.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 21:26:23|Editor: ZD

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OUAGADOUGOU, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Burkina Faso has cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan, Foreign Minister Alpha Barry said on Thursday.

"The government of Burkina Faso decides, as of today (May 24), to sever its diplomatic relationship with Taiwan," said the foreign minister in a statement to the press.

"The President of Faso Roch Marc Christian Kabore instructed me as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation to make all necessary arrangements for the closure of our embassy in Taipei and that of Taiwan in our country," said the minister.

Barry said the decision by the Burkina Faso government was made to "defend the interests of Burkina Faso and his people" and to "form better partnerships to consolidate his socio-economic development."

Burkina Faso, a country in West Africa, established ties with Taiwan in 1961 with an interruption in 1973 for some 20 years. Their relationship subsequently resumed in 1994.

In April, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying reiterated the one-China principle, urging relevant African countries to join the family of China-Africa friendship and cooperation.

"There is only one China. Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory," said Hua at a routine press briefing.

Hua said the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government that represents China, which is recognized by both a United Nations resolution and an overwhelming majority of the world's countries.

Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe, the two African countries which used to have ties with Taiwan, had severed their ties with Taiwan successively and resumed diplomatic relations with China in 2016.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 21:41:28|Editor: Yamei

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Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), meets a delegation from Taiwan-based United Daily News Group, in Beijing, capital of China, May 24, 2018. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yang, top political advisor and senior Party official, met a delegation from Taiwan-based United Daily News Group here Thursday.

The current cross-Strait relations remain complicated and difficult, said Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), at the meeting.

The mainland upholds the 1992 Consensus, which embodies the one-China principle, and works for peaceful development of the cross-Strait relations and peaceful reunification of the motherland, Wang said.

The mainland will continue to expand cooperation and exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and share its development opportunities with Taiwanese compatriots, Wang said.

He stressed that the mainland firmly opposes and contains any attempts at Taiwan independence.

Wang said he hopes that the United Daily News Group will continue to be a responsible media organization, deliver constructive messages, speak against Taiwan independence and promote mutual understanding, from the perspective of the interest of the whole Chinese nation.BRUSSELS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The United States (U.S.) investigation into vehicle imports under Section 232 is very hard to understand, European Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen said on Thursday.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he has instructed Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to consider initiating a national security investigation into automobile imports, a protectionist move that's likely to spark widespread opposition from American trading partners.

Following a conversation with Trump on Wednesday, Ross has initiated a so-called Section 232 investigation into the national security implications of automobile imports, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.

"If now U.S. would unilaterally raise car tariffs for instance, it obviously would be against the WTO (rules) and it's very difficult to imagine it to create any sort of threat to the national security. So it's very difficult to understand," Katainen told a news conference.

"But we have now just heard what has been said and there is a long journey to the practice," he added.

Trump tweeted earlier on Wednesday about "big news" for the country's autoworkers."There will be big news coming soon for our great American Autoworkers. After many decades of losing your jobs to other countries, you have waited long enough!" he tweeted.It is the latest move in the president's America First trade agenda.

The U.S. investigation was based on a rarely-used Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act from 1962, which would allow the U.S. administration to impose tariffs on the grounds of national security.

The U.S. Commerce Department said it will look into imports of automobiles, including sport-utility vehicles, vans and light trucks, and automotive parts.

The Trump administration had used the same domestic law to impose additional tariffs on steel and aluminum imports in March amid mounting dissent from business groups and trading partners around the world.

"We have indicated very clearly to our U.S. friends that we are always ready to discuss on improving trade environment as we have been trying to do for years. But now the the main trade negotiations(TTIP) are off the table, but if we are exempted from the higher tariffs on aluminium and steel and then we can start discussing on trade issues, " Katainen said.

When being asked whether the U.S. announcement further complicate the discussions or not, Katainen said the EU dont't expect this to further complicate the issue. " We just had to find a solution which is fair and which is suitable for the WTO principles and rules-based trade," he said.

The EU leaders has agreed several areas for discussion with the U.S. side including greater market access for cars to the EU, energy, notably liquefied natural gas, and reform of the World Trade Organization etc.,but only after the EU receives a permanent exemption from the metal tariffs, which it believes illicit under WTO rules.

However, the U.S. side seems unsatisfied. "I think they don't think it is enough," EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told reporters before a meeting of EU ministers to discuss trade on Wednesday.

"The real aim of the U.S. is to limit EU steel exports to the U.S. (and North American) market," Daniel Gros, director of the European think tank Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) told Xinhua.

As the temporary exemption deadline of June 1 approaching, "Probably the EU will agree on 'voluntary' export restraints. This is convenient for EU producers (they can increase prices) and for the U.S. (can claim a 'win')," Gros said. EnditemSource: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 21:51:31|Editor: Li Xia

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BEIRUT, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Thursday held consultations with parliament members on nominating a new prime minister.

So far caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri is expected to be re-appointed as prime minister after being named by more than 80 MPs out of the 128 members of parliament.

The newly-elected Lebanese parliament on Wednesday re-elected Nabih Berri as speaker.

Lebanon held its first parliamentary elections in nine years on May 6.

According to the constitution, following the general election, the cabinet in place is considered caretaker government until a new cabinet is formed.

Aoun tasked Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday's cabinet meeting with the caretaker duties until the formation of a new cabinet.MOGADISHU, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Fierce fighting erupted again between Somaliland and Puntland forces on Thursday on the outskirts of Tukaraq town in Sool region, north of Somalia.

The two regional states have accused each other of starting the clashes in the disputed town amid use of heavy weaponry

Abdirahman Guri-Barwaqo, Somaliland Information Minister, accused Somali government of attacking Somaliland troops.

"Soldiers from both sides were killed and wounded in the battle," Guri-Barwaqo said in a statement. No casualties have been reported so far as both sides trade blame for the fighting which stated at around 6 a.m.

However, Puntland blamed Somaliland for the fresh round of clashes which had subsided following last week's deadly attack and vowed that the regional government was ready to defend its territory and people.

"Puntland is sufficient to defend its land and its people," Puntland said in the statement, accusing Hargeisa of launching a major offensive against its forces stationed around the disputed town.

The fighting resumed despite appeal from Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (Farmajo) and the UN who have called for an immediate cessation of hostilities between the two warring regional states.

Tension has been simmering in Tukaraq in the past three months after Somaliland troops 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.Trump sends letter to Kim, says Singapore summit will not happen Source: Xinhua 2018-05-24 22:01:37 WASHINGTON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday sent a letter to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s top leader, Kim Jong Un, saying that his planned meeting with Kim in Singapore on June 12 will not happen, according to the White House. Editor: Li XiaLUSAKA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Thursday pardoned 464 prisoners as part of the commemoration of this year's Africa Freedom Day which falls on May 25.

Minister of Home Affairs Stephen Kampyongo said the Zambian leader pardoned the inmates from various correctional facilities across the country in exercise of his prerogative mercy powers enshrined in the country's constitution.

The Zambian minister said Lungu pardoned 413 inmates as well as commuted sentences of 51 others who were on death row.

He has since commended the Zambian leader for pardoning the inmates, saying it will go a long way in decongesting the country's correction facilities which currently holds over 21,000 inmates against a holding capacity of about 8,000.

The pardoned inmates, he said, have shown that they have reformed during their time in prison and were ready to be reintegrated into society.

He called on society to embrace the inmates and not to discriminate against them so that they could fully integrate and contribute to the country's development.MADRID, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Spain's governing People's Party (PP) was on Thursday found guilty of benefitting economically from a corruption scandal in a landmark judgement in Spain.

Local media reported that PP as an institution was considered to have benefitted "to the detriment of the public interest" from a wide ranging cash for favors scandal known as the "Gurtel case".

The PP has been condemned to pay 245,492 euros, while former PP Health Minister Ana Mato will have to pay back 27,857 euros she received in gifts from members of the Gurtel organization.

The Spanish high court handed a prison sentence of 51 years for Francisco Correa, who is considered to be the mastermind behind the operation, organizing a corruption network which worked with PP officials during the period 1999-2006.

Former PP party treasurer Luis Barcenas was given a 33-year-jail term and fined over 44 million euros and he was also found guilty of evading over 11.5 million euros in taxes and taking 1.24 million euros in bribes for helping with the adjudication of public contracts to individuals close to Correa.

Bercenas' wife Rosalia Iglesias has also been given a 15-year prison sentence for her role in the case, while Ana Mato's former husband Jesus Sepulveda, former PP mayor of the town of Pozuelo de Alarcon which is close to Madrid, will have to spend 14 years in prison.

In total, 29 of the 37 people who stood trial and were found guilty have been handed a total of 352 years in jail. This trial is only the first part of the investigation into the Gurtel case, with a second trial for the period after 2006 scheduled to be held at a later date.

The PP have confirmed they will appeal against the sentence with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy insisting the sentence "doesn't affect the PP in any way whatsoever," adding that "nobody in the current or past direction of the PP knew of anything irregular."

This finding comes just 48 hours after Eduardo Zaplana, former PP mayor of Benidorm and former minister for employment and social security, was arrested on charges of accepting bribes and the misuse of public funds. (1 euro = 1.17 U.S. dollars)KAMPALA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's ministry of health on Thursday announced an outbreak of measles, one of the country's top killer diseases.

Jane Ruth Aceng, minister for health, told Xinhua that the measles outbreak has been reported in 29 districts in the east African country. She said children are the most affected.

Aceng said the ministry plans to carry out an emergency measles immunization exercise in the affected districts targeting children below five years. She said the move is to avert the spread of the disease.

She said the emergency immunization exercise is an addition to the routine measles immunization carried out after every two years.

Measles, according to the ministry of health, is one of the killer diseases among children below five years. The others include tetanus, whooping cough, diphtheria, polio and tuberculosis.

The health authorities blamed the low level of immunization for the outbreak of the disease.

"Some districts have coverage ranging between 70-85 percent. That is not good enough. That is why we continue to experience these outbreaks," said Aceng.

"We need to increase the coverage to above 95 percent so that we shall see no cases of measles," she said.

Measles is a highly infectious viral disease that spreads through coughs and sneezes and can cause serious illness. The symptoms of the disease include a high fever, cough, runny nose and red watery eyes.

According to the World Health Organization, the symptoms of measles appear about seven to 14 days after a person is infected.KIEV, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine has expanded sanctions against Russian companies and individuals, according to the sanctions list published on the Ukrainian presidential website on Thursday.

According to the document, Ukraine has added 520 people and 288 entities to the list, bringing the total number of blacklisted individuals to 1,748 and penalized companies to 756.

In particular, the new restrictions targeted the Ukrainian branch of Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, online payment system WebMoney and a string of industrial enterprises.

Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and several prominent Russian businessmen, including aluminum tycoon Oleg Deripaska, were also put on the sanctions list.

The restrictive measures, which were imposed for a period of between 12 months and an indefinite term, include the freezing of assets, as well as a ban on entering Ukraine and working in Ukraine.

Since 2015, Kiev has imposed sanctions on Russian companies and individuals over their alleged role in the Ukrainian crisis.Earlier this month, a Long Island Rail Road passenger shared video of a man screaming racist remarks at other riders on a train from Penn Station. Now the Queens District Attorney has charged Long Beach resident Edward Ruggiero with menacing as a hate crime.

His lawyer argued it wasn't a hate crime, telling NBC New York, "The one thing we have a right to be in this country is to be a jerk."

Commuter Aneesa Rafeek captured the April 19th incident while taking the 9:53 p.m. train to Long Beach. She recalled, "An African American woman was behind him speaking on the phone (not loudly in my opinion as I was sitting only diagonally from him and could not hear her). He started off my mumbling under his breath and then escalated to yelling at her about being a loud mouth b!tch. When another young woman, also black, stood up for her, he continued to yell and then call them Monkeys."

Warning: This video is both racist and vulgar.



The Queens DA's office adds that he threatened to "smack the [expletive deleted] out of" the target of his rage.

Ruggiero, 58, was confronted shortly after the incident, after tipsters identified him as a stagehand for Manhattan theaters. The Daily News reported at the time, "Reached outside his home, Ruggiero denied that he was the man in the video despite looking and sounding exactly like him. 'It ain't me,' Ruggiero said. 'I've seen the video, yeah. A hundred guys at work have showed it to me, saying 'Oh my god! It looks like you!''"

Two sources tell Gothamist that he was fired from other employers for similar behavior, with one adding that he has a "long history of being a grade A asshole."

The News also spoke to the victim, Soraya Orelien, who said, "He needs to pay for what he's done to me...This cannot continue to happen. It's 2018."

Ruggiero was taken into custody and charged with both menacing as a hate crime and aggravated harassment. If convicted, he faces up to a year in jail or a $1,000 fine. He told reporters after his court appearance, "That wasn't even me," but his lawyer Joseph Donatelli suggested that it was in fact Ruggiero.

According to NBC New York, Donatelli explained, "No question what he said was morally reprehensible, socially unacceptable, foul-mouthed, insulting. I just don't know whether or not it rolls to the level of a crime. The one thing we have a right to be in this country is to be a jerk... Of course he's sorry for what he says, he just, he lost it on the train."

He added that Ruggiero was likely more upset about Orelien's conversation: "I think he lost it whenagain, I only have limited informationI saw when he was talking about her being a loudmouth, she says, 'Your mother is a loudmouth.' Some Italian American males are very sensitive when it comes to their mother. And when you talk about their mother, their gloves come off."

"Again, it's no excuse. I'm not making excuses for his behavior. My question is whether it rolls to a crime," Donatelli said.

"The bigotry and hatred that the defendant is accused of manifesting and acting upon have no place in a civilized societespecially in Queens County, the most culturally diverse county in the nation," DA Brown said in a statement. "No one should be subjected to the vile words and intimidating actions the defendant is accused of tormenting the victim with. Crimes of hate will never be tolerated here and when they do, regrettably occur, those responsible will be brought to justice."By Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump is on a dangerous path in his open battle with the U.S. Justice Department, which experts bill as a bad sign for the future of U.S. democracy.

"No president has challenged the rule of law in such a fundamental manner. That is ominous for the future of American democracy," Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.

"Others such as Nixon have complained about law enforcement, but not seriously undermined its ability to do its job. Trump has gone beyond talk to real-live demands," West said, referring to the investigation that led to former president Richard Nixon's resignation in 1974.

Indeed, this month marked the one-year anniversary of the ongoing probe by special counsel Robert Mueller on whether Team Trump colluded with Russia to clinch the White House in the 2016 presidential elections, and the latest shot in the open battle between the White House and the president's own Justice Department came earlier this week.

That's when Trump demanded in a Tweet that the Justice Department investigate whether they or the FBI surveilled his campaign at the behest of the Obama administration in the lead up to the 2016 presidential elections.

"I hereby demand...that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes -- and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!" the president tweeted Sunday.

"This is a very dangerous game -- Trump is undercutting a lot of norms of presidential behavior here," Christopher Galdieri, assistant professor at Saint Anselm College, told Xinhua.

"He's creating an impression that federal law enforcement is motivated by political concerns, not the pursuit of justice. He's also potentially laying the groundwork for himself to use the FBI and DOJ for political ends -- if he convinces his supporters that that's just what presidents do, then they, at least, would support any efforts on his part to do the same," Galdieri said.

"And thanks to political polarization, there are millions of Americans who support Trump and are now convinced that the FBI and DOJ are not professional law enforcement agencies, but left-wing cabals trying to bring down Trump and his administration," Galdieri said.

West said that by calling for an investigation of the FBI, Trump is endangering democratic norms and "setting the precedent that chief executives can investigate the investigators."

"That would imperil the FBI and make it impossible to launch future investigations for fear they would be politically attacked. Trump's demand sets a very risky precedent for later administrations. In the wrong hands, it could be completely abused and enable chief executives to do anything without any legal risk," West said.

Dan Mahaffee, senior vice president and director of policy at the Center for the Study of Congress and the Presidency, expressed concern that many Republicans in Congress are willing to join with Trump's attack on these institutions in a bid to protect Trump and his administration.

"For democracy, there must be the independent application of the law and investigations, counterintelligence, and law enforcement must be depoliticized," Mahaffee said.BERLIN, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Green-field investment from China created 2,600 jobs in Germany last year, a study from the Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) showed on Thursday.

According to the German government agency, investors from China spent on 218 green-field projects in 2017, ranking No. 2, only overtaken by the United States with 276 projects.

"China has always been one of the largest sources of foreign investment for Germany, " said GTAI expert Thomas Bozeman,"Germany's big market, good environment for Research & Development and 'Made in Germany' brands belong to main reasons for Chinese firms to choose to invest in the country."

In 2016, investments from China brought record 3,900 jobs in Germany.

The GTAI said, China's investment in 2017 went first of all to the industries of business and financial service, accounting for 17 percent of the total projects. Projects in the electronics and semiconductor industry accounted for 15 percent, up 5 percentage points compared to 2016. And 14 percent of the projects went to consumer products industry.

Overall, foreign investors invested in 1910 green-field projects in Germany, creating 29,000 jobs in total. 40 percent of the investments came from the European Union.

British firms invested in 152 projects, soaring by almost 20 percent from the year before, as British businesses tried to cope with the looming effects of Brexit. This made Germany Britain's most favorite investment destination in Europe.

In addition, 1,925 foreign investments were registered in Germany because of takeovers, mergers or stake acquisitions.NEW DELHI, May 24 (Xinhua) -- India and Netherlands on Thursday signed a wide range of Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) and agreements and initiatives across different sectors such as agrifood and horticulture, hi-tech, Information Technology, space, life sciences and health, knowledge institutions, water and smart cities.

The signing ceremony was done in the presence of visiting Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

Rutte arrived in Delhi Thursday morning for a two-day official visit at Modi's invitation. According to sources in India's external affairs ministry, he held wide ranging and constructive discussions on a wide variety of regional and international issues with Modi.

The two leaders underlined the growing convergence between the two countries and agreed to deepen and strengthen the longstanding historical bonds of friendship between the two peoples spanning over four centuries, said the joint statement issued at the conclusion of talks between the two premiers.

The two leaders also called for expansion of ongoing collaboration in the fields of agriculture and food processing, water, technology, smart city development, cyber space, health care, clean energy and finance. They welcomed the opening of a new Dutch Consulate General in Bengaluru, the capital city of southern state of Karnataka.

Modi and Rutte shared the view that the world is rapidly transforming and is confronted with new challenges which require commitment and cooperation of all stakeholders.

"Not only is there a need to ensure that globalization is open and fair, but also for all like-minded countries to come together to tackle with issues such as poverty, hunger, job creation, energy security, human rights, gender inequality, climate change, terrorism, and the depletion of natural resources," said the joint statement.

They also recognized that the ongoing transformation needs to be shaped by appropriate policies and institutions, guided by responsible leadership and rules based international order. Both called for the need to reinvigorate global economic growth, and achieve higher and more sustainable growth rates accompanied by improved income and wealth distribution so as to reduce social exclusion, involuntary migration, and unemployment, particularly among the youth.DAR ES SALAAM, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The government of Tanzania has set aside 307 million U.S. dollars for the construction of the 2,100 megawatts (MW) Stiegler's Gorge hydropower project in the Selous Game Reserve, the world's renowned wildlife area, a senior official said on Thursday.

Medard Kalemani, the east African nation's Minister for Energy, told the National Assembly in the capital Dodoma that the allocated budget for the mega power project was about 41 percent of the ministry's budget.

"The government has so far evaluated the tenders for the Stiegler's Gorge hydropower project that will help Tanzania in its quest to graduate into an industrial economy by 2025," Kalemani told the House.

He said other planned electricity generation projects included extension of Kinyerezi I and II, Somanga Fungu power project (330MW), Mtwara power project (300MW) and Kakono power project (87MW) and others.

On Tuesday, two Tanzanian Members of Parliament expressed disappointment over a recent move by the government to invite tenders for logging in an area earmarked for Stiegler's Gorge hydropower project.

The MPs, debating 2018/19 budget estimates for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, appealed to the government to suspend the move pending a strategic environmental impact assessment in the area, home to wildlife, including elephants.

Zitto Kabwe, MP for Kigoma Urban constituency, and Nape Nnauye, MP for Mtama constituency, said the logging should not be done until the strategic environmental impact assessment in the area was done.

Last week, the Tanzania Forest Services (TFS) Agency invited tenders for logging in the area to pave way for the mega hydropower project.

Dos Santos Silayo, Chief Executive of the Tanzania Forest Services (TFS) Agency, said: "Our intention is to clear the project area before implementation of the project starts."

TFS has placed a tender invitation on its website inviting bids for logging of tradition standing trees with a total volume of 3.5 million cubic meters in Rufiji district in Coast region.

"We opened the tenders for felling the trees so that they can be used for various purposes rather than destroying them," Silayo told Xinhua by telephone.

Clearance of the area will pave way for the commencement of the mega hydropower generation project at the Stiegler's Gorge in the Selous Game Reserve scheduled to start in July this year.

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.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 22:31:49|Editor: yan

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BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese military spokesperson on Thursday criticized the United States for withdrawing the invitation to China to the Rim of the Pacific 2018 multinational naval exercise.

Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson of China's Ministry of National Defense, said the United States exaggerated so-called "militarization in the South China Sea" and used it as an excuse to disinvite China to the joint exercise.

"The U.S. decision is not constructive. Shutting out communication at any time does not help build trust or promote cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries," he said.

Ren said that China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters.

"It is a legitimate right for China as a sovereign state to carry out construction activities and deploy necessary defense facilities on its own territory. Such acts have nothing to do with so-called militarization, but are necessary measures to safeguard sovereignty and maintain regional peace and stability," Ren said. "The United States has no right to make such irresponsible remarks."

"Being invited or not, China will not change its determination to maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, protect its sovereignty and security interests," Ren continued. "It is in the interests of both the United States and China to develop a healthy and stable relationship between the two armed forces. The relationship needs to be protected by both countries."

"The United States should look at the big picture, drop its zero-sum mentality and properly handle differences," Ren said. "Let's make the China-U.S. military relationship a stability factor for the overall bilateral ties."LONDON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson held an 18-minute phone call with a prankster claiming to be Armenian prime minister, local press reports said Thursday.

The pair talked about Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Salisbury poisoning during the conversation, audio released on Thursday revealed.

A duo of Russian pranksters with suspected links to the British security services managed to get through to Johnson, the reports said.

The duo released audio of the call, which they said took place last week, in which one of them pretended to be Nikol Pashinyan, the recently appointed prime minister of Armenia.

Johnson began by congratulating the hoax caller "very sincerely on your remarkable success," believing he was talking to Pashinyan.

"You can definitely count on the UK and I admire your vision and what you're trying to achieve," he said.

Later in the call, Johnson was prompted to discuss Russia.

He said that "obviously we had hoped to have better relations... than we currently do," and "I'm afraid that Russia seems to be unable to resist malign activity of one kind or another."

Johnson then appeared to laugh when the caller said he was holding a meeting with the Russian president and "hoped he will not poison me with Novichok," the nerve agent which Britain has claimed was used on Sergei and Yulia Skripal.

It appears the call was cut off abruptly from the British side, possibly after the penny finally dropped that the voice on the other end of the line was not that of Pashinyan.

The British Foreign Office confirmed the call and said Johnson realised the call was a hoax.

The Foreign Office said, "We checked it out and knew immediately it was a prank call."

"These childish actions show the lack of seriousness of the caller and those behind him," it added.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 23:01:59|Editor: Chengcheng

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European Council President Donald Tusk (R) walks with visiting Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman in Brussels, Belgium, May 24, 2018. Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman is on a visit to European Union here on Thursday. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

KIEV, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Thursday opened the Beskyd railway tunnel connecting Ukraine and the European Union (EU) countries.

"This project makes Ukraine closer to the EU and the EU closer to Ukraine," Poroshenko wrote on Facebook after inaugurating the tunnel.

The tunnel in the Carpathian Mountains, which establishes a transport corridor between Ukraine's western city of Lviv and the Hungarian and Slovak borders, will support the development of the Ukrainian economy, Poroshenko said.

The 1,765-meter-long facility, which has replaced the old single-track tunnel, is set to enhance Ukraine's transit capacity and cross-border trade.

The construction of the tunnel worth about 120 million U.S. dollars was jointly funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank and Ukraine's State Railway Company.

The tunnel is the section of the fifth Pan-European transport corridor, which passes through the territories of Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Slovakia and Ukraine.

Earlier, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Gennady Zubko said that the Beskyd tunnel has the potential to become an important link on a modern Silk Road, boosting trade and cooperation between Asia and Europe.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 23:02:01|Editor: yan

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ANKARA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- One people was killed and four others injured after an explosion rocked an gunpowder factory in Turkey's capital Ankara on Thursday.

The blast occurred in the Machinery and Chemical Industry Company in Ankara's Elmadag district, local NTV channel reported.

According to the initial report, one worker at the fuel processing center of the gunpowder factory was killed in the accident.

The wounded were immediately taken to the hospitals by the ambulances. An investigation into the cause of accident was underway.MANILA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has expressed optimism that the Philippines will meet its target to cut poverty rate by 14 percent by 2022, the government said on Thursday.

Quoting ADB Director General Ramesh Subramaniam, the Department of Finance (DOF) said in a statement that the Philippines is well poised to meet its target, with ADB providing the necessary support to initiatives that aim to address inequalities across the country, such as the government's massive infrastructure buildup and its social protection programs.

Subramaniam said with the Duterte administration's robust Build Build Build program, infrastructure spending in the first quarter of 2018 increased 34 percent year-on-year, up from 12 percent compared with 2017 over 2016.

"I've been in the ADB in Manila for the last 20 years. I have not seen a momentum on the government side for the infrastructure development as we've seen in the last two years. And ADB is very happy to be working with the government on their efforts," the DOF quoted Subramaniam as saying.

He added that besides being involved in the Philippines' infrastructure projects, the ADB has also supported its Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program, which, the ADB believes "has made a very concrete contribution" in reducing poverty and inequality in the country.

On infrastructure, Subramaniam said the ADB's Improving Growth Corridors for Mindanao Road Project "will certainly be helping reduce inequality in that region by providing more growth opportunities, improving connectivity, developing small and medium enterprises in that part of the Philippines."

"In the Philippines as well as elsewhere in the region, we are doing a lot of inclusive growth projects. In fact, if you look at poverty reduction or in poverty incidence, significant gains have been made across the region as well as particularly in the Philippines. We believe the country is well poised to bring down poverty incidence to below 14 percent by, say, 2022," Subramaniam said.

The government, on the watch of President Rodrigo Duterte, has made it its goal to reduce poverty incidence to only 14 percent by 2022, and transform the country into a high middle-income economy by that time through aggressive spending on infrastructure and human capital development.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 23:12:06|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang holds talks with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, capital of China, May 24, 2018. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- China and Germany agreed in Beijing on Thursday to step up win-win cooperation and especially in emerging industries such as artificial intelligence and new energy vehicles.

The agreement was made between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

In their talks at the Great Hall of the People, Li proposed giving full play to the role of bilateral institutional dialogues in various areas, make good arrangement for the new round of China-Germany inter-governmental consultation, and enhance exchanges in such areas as finance, trade, investment and security.

Li welcomed German companies to invest in China, and expected Germany to offer fair and open environment as well as stable institution guarantee for Chinese investment in Germany and Europe.

Li called for stronger China-Germany cooperation in digitalization and innovation, proposing to cement cooperation in emerging industries such as artificial intelligence, new energy vehicle, vehicle networking and autopilot, in a bid to foster a new engine of bilateral cooperation.

He called on both countries to combine development strategies, facilitate people-to-people exchanges as well as cultural, educational and tourism cooperation.

Chinese government supports the two countries to exchange interns, to learn from each other's professional skills, Li said.

China hopes to step up negotiation of a bilateral investment treaty with Europe, he said, vowing to join with the European Union to advocate multilateralism and safeguard multilateral trade system, and promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation.

As this year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up, Li said China will open its door wider to the world.

China will further expand market access, ease restrictions on foreign ownership of joint ventures in automobile and finance industries, enhance protection of intellectual property rights, and accelerate the establishment of a market environment that is in compliance with regulations and fair competition, Li said.

Merkel, who is on her 11th China visit as German chancellor, said her government highly values relations with China.

Germany is ready to enhance cooperation with China in such areas as trade, technology and autopilot, she said, adding Germany hopes to contribute to stronger EU-China ties, and supports to speed up negotiation of EU-China investment treaty.

Before their talks, Li held a welcome ceremony for Merkel.

They also attended a meeting of China-German Economic Advisory Committee after their talks, and had exchanges with enterprises of both countries on investment environment, two-way openness, financial cooperation and protection of intellectual property rights.

Li called on Germany to treat Chinese companies as equal and trustworthy partners, and offer a more fair and easier environment for Chinese investment in Germany.

Merkel said she hopes the two countries would offer equal access for mutual investment of their enterprises.

Merkel is on an official visit to China on Thursday and Friday. Besides Beijing, she will also fly to Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong Province.The FDNY is investigating suspicious white powder found at the office formerly used by Aaron Schlossberg, the attorney who won viral infamy for his xenophobic rant and threats against Spanish-speakers at a midtown Fresh Kitchen.

The "hazardous material" was spotted at 275 Madison Avenue at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, according to officials, and the Fire Department was still at the scene more than an hour later. A spokesperson for the FDNY said they are currently evaluating one person, but that there has not been any hospitalizations so far.

Schlossberg was booted from the midtown co-working space because "his actions [in the video] were inconsistent with our community and rules," according to Hayim Grant, the president of Corporate Suites, which operates the co-working center. Earlier this week, in Manhattan Civil Court, Schlossberg reportedly complained to a court officer that he was being harrased, after another attorney shouted, "Its the racist lawyer! Fuck that guy!"

On Tuesday, Schlossberg addressed the incident for the first time in a statement shared from his law firm's Twitter account. It reads:

To the people I insulted, I apologize. Seeing myself online opened my eyesthe manner in which I expressed myself is unacceptable and is not the person I am. I see my words and actions hurt people, and for that I am deeply sorry. While people should be able to express themselves freely, they should do so calmly and respectfully. What the video did not convey is the real me. I am not racist. One of the reasons I moved to New York is precisely because of the remarkable diversity offered in this wonderful city. I love this country and this city, in part because of immigrants and the diversity of cultures immigrants bring to this country. Again, my sincerest apologies to anyone and everyone I hurt. Thank you.

This is ongoing story and we'll update as we learn more.

MOSCOW, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Russia and Kazakhstan on Thursday signed a contract under which Moscow will supply Astana with new modern SU-30SM fighter jets by the end of 2020, the Russian United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) said.

A UAC statement did not specify the number of aircraft covered by the contract signed in Astana, but TASS news agency quoted UAC President Yuri Slyusar as saying that Russia will ship eight such jets.

The fighters will replenish the existing fleet of similar combat vehicles used by the Air Defense Force of Kazakhstan since 2015. Kazakhstan received four such aircraft in 2015, according to media reports.

The two-seat multi-purpose SU-30SM super-maneuverable fighter, which can carry a broad range of air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles as well as bombs, represents one of the most advanced modifications of the SU-30 family.

The various modifications of the SU-30 have already become the bestseller of Rosoboronexport, Russia's sole state intermediary for the export and import of military and dual-use products, technologies and services, according to the country's state conglomerate Rostec.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 23:22:09|Editor: yan

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TEHRAN, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry on Thursday dismissed new allegations by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita as "false and fantasy."

In a Thursday statement, Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said the Moroccan officials' insistence on repeating false claims as a pretext to cut diplomatic relations with Iran and raising baseless allegations is merely aimed at appeasing third parties.

In a recent interview with U.S. Fox News TV channel, Moroccan foreign minister warned against "the threat of Iran and its ally (Lebanese) Hezbollah to regional security."

Bourita said "I think it is clear that the interference of Iran in the internal affairs of the Arab and Islamic countries won't stop in Middle East and in the (Persian) Gulf countries."

"The Moroccan foreign minister knows very well that the allegations are totally wrong and based on fantasies written by those who make such provocative moves," Qasemi said without elaboration.

Such allegations only serve "their illegitimate interests which are at odds with the actual interests of the Moroccan people," he said.

Repeating these allegations and insisting on them are futile efforts and will eventually harm Islamic countries, he added.

On May 1, Morocco decided to sever relationships with Iran over its backing to Western Sahara's separatist movement the Polisario Front, the Moroccan Bourita said.

Bourita said Morocco will expel the Iranian ambassador in Rabat and will close its embassy in Tehran.

Iran's Foreign Ministry categorically denied Morocco's allegations.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 23:27:13|Editor: yan

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TEHRAN, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warned the United States of the consequences of possible attack on the Islamic republic, according to local media on Thursday.

The Iranian Armed Forces are in the possession of valuable experience reached over the past decades, including in the span of eight-year Iran-Iraq war in 1980s, the statement said.

The armed forces have boosted the country's deterrent power and defense capabilities, it said.

Iran also has full intelligence control over the "hostile moves," including those of the United States, in the region, it added.

Iran's Supreme Leader on Wednesday said that "since the beginning of the Islamic revolution (in 1979), the United States has not given up its enmity against the Islamic republic. They have harnessed all political, economic, military and propaganda measures against Iran."

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to preserve Iran's ballistic missile power in the face of any possible egression against the country.

The Iranian tough stance against the United States follows a speech by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday, in which he threatened to impose the toughest sanctions on Iran if the Islamic state does not change its course of action domestically and regionally.Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri meets Islamic orphans in Beirut, Lebanon May 23, 2018. (Reuters photo)

BEIRUT, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Thursday issued a decree designating caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri as the new prime minister and charged him with the formation of a new cabinet.

Hariri received 111 out of the 128 possible votes after Aoun held binding consultations with MPs throughout Thursday.

"After discussing with Speaker Nabih Berri ... the president has summoned Hariri to form a government," a statement from the presidency said.

Hezbollah abstained from naming anyone for the premiership, but voiced its willingness to work with whoever was designated.

After accepting the nomination, Hariri told reporters "I will work from this moment on to form a national unity government."

He stressed "nothing protects us except for our national unity."LONDON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A spokeswoman for British Prime Minister Theresa May said here Thursday that an investigation is under way to determine what happened in the hoax call to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson by pranksters claiming to be Armenian prime minister.

The spokeswoman made the remarks after Johnson has been duped into discussing Britain's relationship with Russia with hoax callers pretending to be the Armenian prime minister.

Johnson held an 18-minute phone call with the prankster.

An audio clip posted online by Russian pranksters, Lexus and Vovan, appears to show the foreign secretary talking about Russian President Vladimir Putin and the poisoning of the Skripals. The pranksters were pretending to be Nikol Pashinyan, the recently elected political leader in Armenia.

The British Foreign Office said Johnson had ended the call when he realised it was a hoax and issued a stern statement condemning the "childish actions" of the duo.BANGKOK, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The volume of Thailand's durians exported to China rose 700 percent year on year in April amid the surging e-commerce sale, Thai commerce ministry unveiled recently.

In April alone, the country has exported 120,000 tons of durians, among which 56,000 tons went to China. Local media attribute the surge of export to the power of e-commerce.

Alibaba Group, a Chinese e-commerce giant, partnered with the Thai government to drive overseas growth for Thai farmers in April.

Alibaba has pledged to jointly promote the sale of 3 billion yuan (470.3 million U.S. dollars) worth of durian over the next three years.

Statistics from the ministry also showed that the value of export leaped 12.3 percent in April year on year, which has been the 14th consecutive month of growth.

Authorities said the growth was mainly driven by the potential Chinese market.CAPE TOWN, May 24 (Xinhua) -- South African MPs on Thursday called for a change in current mining legislation so as to prohibit mining companies from unilaterally laying off mineworkers.

"It is high time legislation was reviewed to include a 'use it, or lose it' clause," said Sahlulele Luzipo, Chairperson of Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources.

This came after AngloGold Ashanti, the third largest gold mining company in the world, announced its plan to lay off 2,000 mineworkers.

The company said in a statement that it has made the difficult decision to begin a consultation process with employees in line with section 189 and 189A of the Labor Relations Act, with respect to restructuring its cost base to match and support a smaller operating footprint in South Africa.

"While all efforts will be made to limit the impact on employment, the current restructuring process contemplates some 2,000 roles across AngloGold Ashanti's South African business," said the company, which currently employs roughly 8,200 people in South Africa.

Luzipo said his committee learned with dismay of AngloGold Ashanti's plan to cut 2,000 jobs.

He pointed to a tendency of mining companies that close operations, but keep their mining rights.

"At the moment, mining companies are free to take unilateral decisions, even on matters that have far-reaching consequences for the welfare of workers," said Luzipo.

"The social contracts that mining companies and stakeholders enter into should contain clear clauses on how to mitigate eminent retrenchments," he said.

Luzipo said abandoned mines containing mineral deposits attract illegal miners.

Although aware of the drop in commodity prices internationally in the recent past, South African MPs strongly believe that the retrenchment plan is a slap in the face in a year dedicated to celebrating late president Nelson Mandela's legacy, said Luzipo.

The year 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of Mandela's birth. Preparations are underway to celebrate the event which will culminate on July 18, the date Mandela was born.

Rival organized labor unions have affirmed their commitment to engage with AngloGold Ashanti in order to find amicable solutions.

Luzipo urged other stakeholders to also participate in the engagements.WASHINGTON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday sent a letter to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s top leader, Kim Jong Un, saying that his planned meeting with Kim in Singapore on June 12 will not happen.

In the letter released by the White House, Trump said that although he was very much looking forward to being in Singapore with Kim, it was "inappropriate" at this time to have this meeting "based on the tremendous anger and open hostility" displayed in the DPRK's most recent statements.

"Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place," Trump said.

However, he added that he still looks very much forward to meeting Kim "some day."

"I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters," Trump said. "We greatly appreciate your time, patience and effort with respect to our recent negotiations and discussions relative to a summit long sought by both parties."

Trump also thanked the DPRK for releasing the three U.S. detainees, noting it was "a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated."

Earlier on Thursday, the DPRK repeated the warning that it would reconsider whether to attend the scheduled meeting with Trump.

Choe Son Hui, the DPRK's vice foreign minister, said she would put forward a suggestion to Kim for reconsidering the DPRK-U.S. summit if the United States continues with hostile remarks and actions, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

The DPRK's strong reaction came after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview earlier this week that the country might end like Libya.

Calling his remarks "ignorant and stupid," Choe said that Pence should seriously consider the "terrible consequences of his words" before making such comments.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 23:47:27|Editor: yan

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BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- China appreciates Burkina Faso's decision to cut "diplomatic" ties with Taiwan, said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson in Beijing on Thursday.

The government of Burkina Faso earlier announced its decision to sever its "diplomatic" relationship with Taiwan.

Spokesperson Lu Kang said it is known to all that in October 1971, the 26th session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Resolution 2758, specifying that the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government that represents China.

The one-China principle acknowledged in the resolution has become the universal consensus of the international community, Lu said, adding that it concerns China's core interests and the feelings of the 1.3 billion Chinese people, and serves as the premise and political foundation for China to maintain and develop friendly and cooperative relations with foreign countries.

Noting the sound development of China-Africa comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation, Lu said the Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to be held in September this year will bring a new upsurge of friendly cooperation between China and Africa.

"In recent years, Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe have normalized their relations with China and returned to the big family of friendly cooperation between China and Africa, which fully indicates that the one-China principle corresponds with the will of the people and the irresistible trend of the times," Lu said.

"We welcome Burkina Faso to join in China-Africa friendly cooperation as soon as possible on the basis of the one-China principle," said the spokesperson.LONDON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- London will be the fastest growing region in population in Britain over the next decade to make it the capital of people aged 65 and over, according to population figures released Thursday.

The latest population statistics showed that the increase will be down to natural growth, and not migration.

London's population of 8.8 million is projected to grow by nine percent from mid-2016 to mid-2026.

By 2026, the British capital will have the fastest increase in population in the country of those aged 65 and over, although a higher proportion of those will be economically active.

Andrew Nash of the British Office for National Statistics said, "What's clear is that the population is ageing in all regions, with the number aged 65 and over growing considerably faster than younger age groups."After a visit to Long Island to double down on his "violent animals" rhetoric, President Donald Trump swung through New York City last night for a quick fundraiser at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel in Midtown. About a hundred protesters were waiting outside the swank hotel to let the Queens native know that he was not welcome back.

It was a small but energized demonstration, filling up most of the sidewalk across from the hotel on the corner of Madison and 50th Street. The idea, organizers Rise and Resist said, was to "drum Trump out of town" by making as much noise as possible.

Retweeted #TrumpPenceMustGo (@RefuseFascism):



New Yorkers protest the arrival of Trump! Get out of NYC and out of the White House! #TrumpPenceMustGo pic.twitter.com/QHMnwzkOl6  Myra Lowe (@Lowecat) May 23, 2018

There was whistle blowing and banging on pans, screaming for hours (Unstable! Unfit! Donald Trump is full of shit!) and, much to the delight of everyone in attendance, a full mariachi bandthe same group that plagued the home of "racist lawyer" Aaron Schlossberg the other nightblaring out La Cucaracha at the American leader.

Not that anyone actually saw Trump arrive at the Lotte. Legions of NYPD officers, Secret Service agents, and a wall of DSNY vehicles blocked the notoriously thin-skinned President from the insults hurled his way. Protester Jenny from Manhattan was not surprised. I expect to see garbage trucks filled with sand, she said at the start of the action, blocking 45 from the peoples hes screwing.

45 on a leash held by Putin, and their pet Russian Bot. Were ready for Trumps arrival. #GetActivated pic.twitter.com/QlMTSSYwiv  Cherie (@CelineGoBoating) May 23, 2018

Former Mayor of 9/11 Town Rudy Giuliani, on the other hand, made sure he was seen, walking slowly along the protest line, blowing kisses and taking iPhone shots as the crowd pelted him with cries of "Fuck you!" and "Tell the truth about 9/11!"

But not everyone was outraged at Trump and his cronies. Leave the guy alone, said the guy out sweeping the sidewalk for Saks Fifth Avenue. Hes trying to do his job.DUBLIN, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A referendum on Ireland's abortion law kicked off among the country's island residents on Thursday, a day ahead of other Irish voters, reported local media RTE.

An estimated 2,000 residents living on 12 islands off the western coast of Ireland had reportedly started voting at different times during the day.

The special arrangement for the voters living on the these islands was to make sure that their ballots will be sent to count centers on Friday night in time in case of all eventualities, said the report.

Army helicopters were employed in delivering ballot boxes to these islands, some of which are lying far away from the country's western seaboard, according to the report.

On one island named Inishfree, there were only four registered voters, it said.

On Friday, Ireland will hold a referendum on the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, a law added into the country's constitution after a 1983 referendum, which virtually prohibits abortion in the country.

Over 3.2 million registered voters will be asked whether or not they want to repeal the Eighth Amendment in the Friday's referendum which will run from 7:00 a.m. till 10:00 p.m. local time.

Results of the votes are expected to be announced late Friday night or early Saturday morning.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-24 23:52:32|Editor: Liangyu

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MEXICO CITY, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Following more than a decade of closer relations, China has become a leading partner in Latin America's development under South-South cooperation, political analysts have said.

Latin American growth over the past 15 years was to a large degree driven by China's purchase of commodities, especially at the turn of the 21st century, Patricio Falconi, an Ecuadorian expert in international relations, told Xinhua on Tuesday.

In 2017, China's imported volume from Latin America reached 127.02 billion U.S. dollars, up by 23.68 percent from 2016, according to data from China's Ministry of Commerce.

Regional countries used that revenue to finance strategic infrastructure projects for development, with additional help from Chinese investment and financing.

The region needs to seek new bilateral and multilateral agreements in order to "emerge from the situation it is currently bogged down in," he said, referring to sluggish growth and uneven development.

"We need support and we cannot overlook the opportunities offered by China, a country that is economically complementary and that has proposed South-South cooperation for mutual benefit," said Falconi.

In the meantime, the expert also highlighted China's own development model, which he thinks should serve as an inspiration for Latin American countries.

"One of the societies that has seen exponential growth is China, so much so that its presence around the world is unquestionably important," said Falconi.

As it has developed, China has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, he said. "It is the only country in the history of humanity to achieve such an unrivaled feat," said Falconi.

The expert also said that China has succeeded in addressing problems as they arise, such as launching an anti-corruption campaign over the past years to fight graft.

"China's positioning is global, not just through its promotion of global economic development, but also its promotion of peace," he said.

FUTURE OF LATAM-CHINA TIES

Regional experts agree that the cooperation between China and Latin America has been based on common interests and mutual needs.

China's commitment to continue to open up to the world means Latin America "has the opportunity to consolidate its ties" with the Asian country, said Falconi.

Manuel Agosin, dean of Business and Economics at the University of Chile, told Xinhua earlier this week that China's continued growth and development, as well as cooperation schemes, will have positive repercussions in Chile and other parts of Latin America.

"China has become increasingly competitive, with an ever-growing and varied range of manufactured goods. It has conquered important markets in the region," said the Chilean economist. "I think that is going to continue, along with the growth and diversification of Chile. That's why it makes sense for (China) to have a greater presence in Latin America."

Agosin also said Latin America needs to try and orient investment towards developing "more sophisticated exports in the region."

Resource-rich Latin America has long relied on its raw material exports to generate revenue, but to ensure long-term sustainable development, it must strive to manufacture more value-added goods, Agosin said.SEOUL, May 24 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in called in security and diplomatic officials Thursday night after U.S. President Donald Trump's cancellation of the planned summit with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s top leader Kim Jong Un.

Moon urgently summoned senior officials at 11:30 p.m. local time to the presidential complex, according to the Blue House of South Korea.

The officials called in were presidential chief of staff, top security advisor, chief of the national intelligence agency and ministers of foreign affairs, unification and defense.

The urgent summoning came after Trump said in a letter to the DPRK leader that "it is inappropriate" to hold the planned DPRK-U.S. summit on June 12 in Singapore.

Trump's cancellation of the DPRK-U.S. summit came after Pyongyang blew up tunnels at its Punggye-ri underground nuclear test site, where all of its six nuclear tests were conducted, earlier in the day.

Kim Eui-kyeom, spokesman for the South Korean president, told reporters that the Blue House was attempting to figure out the exact meaning of Trump's cancellation, according to local media.BERLIN, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Deutsche Bank entered a new round of cost-cutting which will witness the elimination of thousands of jobs, the Frankfurt-based bank's new chief executive officer (CEO) Christian Sewing told investors on Thursday.

Speaking at the annual general meeting of Germany's largest financial institute, Sewing announced that the number of staff would fall from currently around 97,100 to significantly below 90,000 in the coming years.

"The reduction in headcount is unavoidable if our bank is to return to a sustainable path of profitability", the CEO argued.

Sewing emphasized, however, that the corporate reforms at the Dax-listed company would take the German tradition of cooperative relations between employer- and employee representatives into account. Rather than resorting to the mass lay-off of staff, employment figures would also be lowered through a freeze on new hires.

He said that much of Deutsche Bank's down-sizing efforts will affect its trading division where around 25 percent of jobs are scheduled to be cut. Additionally, the institute will reduce its presence in the hedge fund business.

"We need to focus on what we are good at", Sewing explained. In the future Deutsche Bank intends to place a greater emphasis on its European home market, reducing its investment- and retail banking presence in the U.S. in particular.

Generally, Deutsche Bank would have to lower its costs "faster and more decisively", for example by embracing more automation in its operations. Sewing estimated that the far-reaching personnel and structural changes announced by his company would at least initially lead to additional costs of 800 million euros (937 million U.S. dollars) in the 2018 fiscal year.

The CEO has described the current level of returns at Deutsche Bank as "simply unacceptable." Total profits at Deutsche Bank in Q1 2018 fell to 120 million euros compared to 575 million euros during the same period last time. At the same time, quarterly revenue shrank by around five percent to 7 billion euros.

Sewing joined Deutsche Bank in his teens and was recently named as the successor to embattled ex-CEO John Cryan by the supervisory board. Despite launching an ambitious corporate restructuring program after joining as CEO in 2015 himself, Cryan faced increasing criticism for allegedly failing to return the bank to financial health.

Not least due to several expensive legal settlements in connection to fraudulent behavior, Deutsche Bank has written heavy losses for the past three consecutive years. Cumulative annual losses since 2015 currently stand at 9 billion euros.

Speaking ahead of Deutsche Bank's upcoming annual general meeting (AGM), Hermes chief executive officer Hans-Christoph Hirt argued that the bank's board chairman Paul Achleitner shared part of the blame for the sluggish pace of corporate restructuring efforts at the financial institute. Hirt pointed out that the appointment of Sewing was already the "sixth change of CEO" during Achleitner's six-year term as board chairman.

Nevertheless, Achleitner defended the abrupt change of hands on Deutsche Bank's executive board on Thursday. "We needed to act, even if it was not our initial intention to make a replacement so quickly", the chairman told investors.

Achleitner added that "everyone" would have preferred for the CEO reshuffle to "occur without the public debate" which it sparked in the event. Deutsche Bank has filed criminal charges against an unknown individual for illicitly passing on information about the decision to sack Cryan prior to its official publication by the company.LUSAKA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government on Thursday appealed to countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional bloc to legislate laws to introduce a quota system of rail transportation of goods as opposed to road transport.

Lubinda Linyama, chairperson of the state-run Zambia Railways, said the quota system as initiated by Zambia will revitalize the rail sector in the region as it will become a priority mode of transportation of bulky goods.

The official, in remarks delivered at the 8th Southern African Railways Association Conference and Exhibition, said it was possible for governments in the region to legislate laws that will ensure transportation of goods and passengers by rail as this will improve business opportunities.

According to him, the position taken by the Zambian government in introducing a quota system in the transportation of goods and services by rail will benefit the region as a whole as it will help to save roads that were in poor condition.

In January, the Zambian government introduced a law to compel transporters of heavy cargo to move 30 percent of bulk cargo from road to railway.

The decision was meant to optimize the transport sector and promote the sustainability of rail subsector as well as to protect the country's roads.ALGIERS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Trade exchange between Algeria and other African countries is still far below potential, with the value worth around 3 billion U.S. dollars annually, Director General of the Algerian Agency for the Promotion of Foreign Trade (AGEX) Chafiq Chetti said on Thursday.

Algeria's exports to other African countries amounted to 1.6 billion dollars annually, while its imports from the continent reached around 1.4 billion dollars, Chetti was quoted as saying by the Algerian state radio channel.

Chetti said that 96 percent of intra-Africa trade transactions in Algeria are concluded with only five African countries, which means that the North African nation has almost no business relations with the rest of the African countries.

The official pointed out that Algeria, unlike neighboring countries such as Tunisia and Morocco, is lagging behind in terms of entering African markets, especially those of Western Africa.

In this regard, Chetti indicated that Algeria has opened three commercial liaison offices in all of Cote D'Ivoire, Senegal and Cameroon, but the absence of Algerian bank subsidiaries there makes it difficult to attract assets to achieve the desired objectives.

In 2017, Algeria suffered trade balance deficit of 11.19 billion dollars, as imports hit 45.95 billion dollars, while exports reached 34.76 billion dollars, official figures show.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 00:17:43|Editor: Lu Hui

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WASHINGTON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday sent a letter to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s top leader, Kim Jong Un, to cancel their planned meeting in Singapore on June 12.

The letter came on the heels of the escalating exchanges of accusations between the two sides.

In the letter released by the White House, Trump said that although he was very much looking forward to being in Singapore with Kim, it was "inappropriate" at this time to have this meeting "based on the tremendous anger and open hostility" displayed in the DPRK's most recent statements.

"Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place," Trump said.

However, he added that he still looks very much forward to meeting Kim "some day."

"I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately, it is only that dialogue that matters," Trump said. "We greatly appreciate your time, patience and effort with respect to our recent negotiations and discussions relative to a summit long sought by both parties."

He also thanked the DPRK for releasing the three U.S. detainees, noting it was "a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated."

Earlier on Thursday, the DPRK repeated the warning that it would reconsider whether to attend the scheduled meeting with Trump.

Choe Son Hui, the DPRK's vice foreign minister, said she would put forward a suggestion to Kim for reconsidering the DPRK-U.S. summit if the United States continues with hostile remarks and actions, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

The DPRK's strong reaction came after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview earlier this week that the country might end like Libya.

Calling his remarks "ignorant and stupid," Choe said that Pence should seriously consider the "terrible consequences of his words" before making such comments.

This is the second time within days for Pyongyang to warn Washington that it might cancel the meeting because of provocative anti-DPRK remarks by top U.S. officials.

DPRK last week expressed anger at words by U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton that United States would use the "Libya model" to denuclearize the country.

Yet on May 22, Trump said the summit "may not work out for June 12" during his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

"If it does not happen, maybe it will happen later. Maybe it will happen at a different time. We will see," said Trump.

Earlier this month, the DPRK called the "2018 Max Thunder" joint drill between the United States and South Korea a deliberate challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration issued by the two koreas' leaders. It also announced to suspend high-level talks with South Korea infinitely.

Related:

DPRK says ready for talks with U.S. anytime after Trump cancels meetingLUSAKA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Zambia and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on Thursday held talks and pledged to work together to strengthen health systems.

Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya and Global Fund Executive Director Peter Sands held the talks on the sidelines of the World Health General Assembly in Geneva, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Health.

During the talks, the Zambian minister outlined the vision the country has to eliminate malaria, attain epidemic control of HIV and TB with the support of the Global Fund, according to the statement.

He further reiterated the mutually beneficial relationship that has existed between Zambia and the Global Fund and the need to continue with health systems strengthening in the southern African nation.

On his part, the head of the Global Fund hailed Zambia's efforts in enhancing leadership and accountability and assured of the confidence the Fund has in the Ministry of Health to deliver results.

He said the Global Fund fully backs the strides the health ministry was making in ensuring a robust and accountable financing and medicines supply chain system.

A Global Fund audit report released recently revealed that drugs and HIV test kits were stolen from the Medical Stores, a government agency responsible for procurement and storage of drugs, between 2014 and 2016 and sold to other entities.

The report, entitled "Investigations of Global Fund Grants to the Republic of Zambia: Theft of Health Products from Medical Stores Limited" identified significant unexplained stock loss of Global Fund-financed pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical health products totaling over 1 million U.S. dollars.

The Global Fund has since asked for the refund of the money to which the government has obliged.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 00:22:46|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Zhang Zuo (L), hands over a certificate to the winner of the "Chinese Bridge" competition in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on May 24, 2018. A Chinese language proficiency competition for university students was held here on Thursday to select a youngster to represent Bangladesh at the final Chinese Bridge competition. (Xinhua)

DHAKA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese language proficiency competition for university students was held here on Thursday to select a youngster to represent Bangladesh at the final Chinese Bridge competition.

The Chinese embassy conducted the contest which was hosted by the Confucius Institute at North South University in association with the Dhaka University Confucius Institute and CRI-SMF Confucius Classroom.

The Chinese Bridge is an international Chinese culture and language proficiency program where Chinese language and culture students from institutions worldwide compete in various categories.

From a number of leading institutions including Dhaka University, CRI-SMF Confucius Classroom and North South University, students applied to attend the competition.

Nine of the applicants were selected through initial processes to join the competition held Thursday at the North South University in Dhaka.

The contestants competed in three segments featuring "Prepared Speech", "Chinese knowledge Quizz" and "Chinese Talent Show".

All the contestants were awarded prizes and certificates according to their individual results. Andeez Ziauddin, a female contestant from Confucius Institute at North South University, secured the first position in the competition and was selected to represent Bangladesh at the final competition to be held in China.

Zhang Zuo, the ambassador of China to Bangladesh, and Atique Islam, Vice-Chancellor of the North South University, among others, spoke at the cont competition ceremony. They later handed over the certificates and prizes to the winners.

Congratulating the champions, Zhang Zuo said, "I hope you will fetch good results for Bangladesh in the international Chinese Bridge finals and also hope that other contestants will make more efforts for better tomorrow."

"Through today's competition, I am very happy to see so many young people in Bangladesh are interested in Chinese and can speak fluent Chinese."

He also expressed the hope that students continue to learn more Chinese and become messengers of cultural exchanges between the two countries.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 00:27:47|Editor: ZD

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Guests cut the red ribbon at the opening ceremony of the Zhejiang Export Fair (Serbia) at the Belmax Center in Belgrade, Serbia, on May 24, 2018. The Zhejiang Export Fair (Serbia) opened here on Thursday for the second consecutive year, aiming to boost trade between Serbia and China's Zhejiang province, to create new export opportunities and help deepen the overall economic cooperation between the two countries. (Xinhua/Nemanja Cabric)

BELGRADE, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Zhejiang Export Fair (Serbia) opened here on Thursday for the second consecutive year, aiming to boost trade between Serbia and China's Zhejiang province, to create new export opportunities and help deepen the overall economic cooperation between the two countries.

The three-day fair opened at the Belmax Centre in Belgrade with the participation of representatives of the Serbian government, the Chamber of Commerce, the Chinese Embassy in Serbia and the Department of Commerce of Zhejiang province.

Chen Cui, general manager of the Zhejiang Broad international Convention and Exhibition Co., Ltd, said that the aim of the fair is to enable Serbian companies to get to know Zhejiang better and to communicate with its companies to find opportunities for cooperation that would also boost trade, cultural exchange, tourism and other areas.

Noting increased cooperation between Serbia and China in recent years, and Serbia's significance as a transport hub that connects Europe and Asia, she said that Serbia's development "constantly creates new space for cooperation with China -- from infrastructural projects to steel industry, information technologies and many other areas."

"We hope that the representatives of the participating companies will be able to engage in exchange with local companies, to establish cooperation and achieve results, as well as that quality goods from Zhejiang will bring new vitality and strength to the development of Serbia," she said.

Until May 26, the fair will present products of around 50 companies, offering construction equipment, white ware, electrical and home appliances, machines and tools, electrical equipment as well as other goods of Zhejiang.

Tomislav Nikolic, president of the National Council for coordination with Russia and China, said that the fair is a great opportunity for Serbian businessmen to get to know Zhejiang, a"province that, according to a proverb, produces all that is needed".

He suggested that instead of just trading, companies should also consider investing into production in Serbia.

Li Manchang, Chinese Ambassador to Serbia, said that the good bilateral cooperation enabled the growth of every area of cooperation between the two countries, and thanked the Zhejiang province for organizing the fair.

He concluded that Serbia has quality goods and products that could find their place in the enormous Chinese market, inviting Chinese companies to invest here, as well as Serbian companies to participate in the first China International Import Expo to be held in Shanghai in November this year.An anthropomorphic cone head with a dented wafer face is haunting the summer streets of Manhattan, blasting his funeral march through our city's ubiquitous data harvesters, striking fear into nearby pedestrians, and befuddling city agencies.

Actually though, what the hell is going on here?



Here's what we know: On Wednesday afternoon, LinkNYC kiosks along Third Avenue in midtown began, seemingly at once, to blast a slowed-down version of the Mister Softee theme song. No one knows why, and as far as anyone at LinkNYC can tell, it was not part of a promotion. Like many horror scenes, everything started out fine.

"Initially I thought I had just passed two Mr. Softee trucks in a row, since I heard it from block to block," Steve Burges, a bike courier, told Gothamist. "Then I realized I was hearing it played on several consecutive blocks from the LinkNYC Kiosks, and it felt very odd."

But as Burges continued passing the kiosksnearly ten in alleach of them "playing the same jingle seemingly in unison," the odd scene turned bloodcurdling. "Something was off because of the slow rhythmic the song, and it was really eerie," he added.

Thanks for letting us know. Our team is looking into this further. If you know what specific Links you hear this on, would you mind DMing us that information?  LinkNYC (@LinkNYC) May 23, 2018

Carla Giarusso first heard the eerie jingle outside of her office on 43rd Street and 3rd Avenue, and soon noticed two more in the area. "My initial reaction when I heard the first one was wtf/laughter but then I realized it was a few more and thought either 1/ the end is nigh or 2/ we they were hacked (ha) and then of course I naturally assumed it must be the Russians," she told Gothamist.

"Then I stopped laughing when I remembered that sonic incident in Cuba last year and figured I may as well see if the city was aware...they seemed as perplexed [as I was]."

Concerned pedestrians who messaged LinkNYC on Twitter were told that the company is "currently looking into this," and would reboot the tablets for the time being.

Asked about the creepy jingle, a LinkNYC spokesperson issued this statement: "LinkNYC serves New Yorkers in many important waysproviding free wi-fi to more than 4 million users, free phone calls, device charging, and morebut unfortunately, we don't serve ice cream. Once we were alerted to the Mr. Softee jingle, we immediately rebooted the tablets to end the song. Sorry if anyone wandered towards the kiosks looking for soft serve!"

Will this reboot be enough to stave off the coming war between man and machine and ice cream? Is this the latest gambit in the increasingly hostile dessert truck turf battle? Or is it all just some sort of Pavlovian psychological experiment, a way for the city to test its powers of conditioning over New Yorkers?

We'll let you know when we find outin the meantime, it's a perfect day for a chocolate-vanilla swirl.

Reporting by Jen Chung.ALGIERS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Algeria has strongly rejected the UN and NGO's accusations of failing to meet its international obligations and ill-treating sub-Saharan migrants, said the foreign ministry Thursday.

"Algeria has been the subject, for several weeks, of a malicious campaign orchestrated by some non-governmental organizations which wrongly accuse it of failing to meet its international obligations in terms of solidarity, care and hospitality for sub-Saharan migrants," APS news agency quoted the ministry in a statement as saying.

Algeria strongly rejects the accusations that are obviously aiming at undermining its image and its relations with its southern neighbors, while the country shares strong relationships based on fraternity, mutual respect, solidarity and community of common destiny, it said.

Algeria has taken legal measures in accordance with its international obligations, to ensure the safety and well-being of both Algerian citizens and foreign nationals on the Algerian territory, it said.

The foreign ministry said that "measures of deportation of a number of illegal migrants to the border have thus been decided and implemented with due respect for the dignity and human rights of those concerned and after close consultation with the countries of their origin."

The North African nation was severely criticized by the UN and some NGOs after the authorities sent home illegal migrants originated from sub-Saharan nations.

A couple of days ago, Spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office Ravina Shamdasani called on Algeria "to stop massive expulsions of migrants, especially from sub-Saharan Africa, warning that this expulsion campaign would lead to a rise in racism and xenophobia against sub-Saharan Africans."ARUSHA, Tanzania, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian authorities on Thursday announced new strategies aimed at saving Lake Manyara National Park, which is threatened deposition caused by farming activities.

Telesia Mahonga, Karatu District Commissioner, said the Lake Manyara ecosystem is under serious threat, and if left unattended the northern Tanzanian park will vanish.

"We have informed paddy growers on the upper parts of rivers to quit, and if they defy the order, we'll evict them by force," the official said, describing the park as key for the flamingos that inhabit the lake.

The park is a home to more than 400 species of birds.

"The Lake Manyara National Park is a good spot for bird watching. Visitors to the park can expect to see upwards of 100 different species of bird on any day," she said, adding that the sanctuary contribute heavily to the country's tourism sector.

But farmers who do farming on the upper parts of rivers that supply water to the lake have been contributing deposition in the lake, which in turn affect breeding sites of birds and wild animals, she said.

"Before evicting them, we're educating farmers on better farming practices, which are friendly to the environment as well as informing them on the negative impact of farming nearby rivers. And those who would defy the order will be taken to court," said Mahonga.

Chief park warden Noelia Mhonga also suggested swift measures to be taken by the government and other players to save the 58-year-old lake.

Ibrahim Ninga, park official in charge of the neighborhood, said the sanctuary is surrounded by 46 villages, whose activities such as farming and livestock rearing all pose a negative impact on the lake.MOGADISHU, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The United States military said Thursday that its special forces conducted an airstrike in southwest of Mogadishu, Somalia, killing ten al-Shabab terrorists.

The U.S. Africa Command (Africom) said in a statement that no civilian was killed in the strike that was carried out on Wednesday, about 24 km southwest of the restive capital.

The latest U.S. strike came amid enhanced vigilance by Somalia's stabilization security unit forces who have launched operation targeting several parts of the Horn of Africa nation, in response to increasing terror attacks in the country.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 00:37:49|Editor: ZD

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The CEO of Huawei Spain Tony Jin Yong (R) and the Rector of the University Politecnica de Madrid (UPM) Guillermo Cisneros attend a signing ceremony for the creation of HUAWEI-UPM5G Chair in Madrid, Spain, on May 24, 2018. Huawei Spain and the UPM on Thursday signed an agreement for the creation of HUAWEI-UPM5G Chair in Business at the educational institution. (Xinhua/Guo Qiuda)

MADRID, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Huawei Spain and the University Politecnica de Madrid (UPM) on Thursday signed an agreement for the creation of HUAWEI-UPM5G Chair in Business at the educational institution.

The Chair is the first ever created around 5G technology in Spain and aims to promote closer ties between the university and the Chinese telecommunications giant, which has long shown its commitment towards finding and training the best talent in Spain.

It is hoped the Chair will help generate and spread knowledge in the area of 5G technology, as well as in the analysis of its impact in the development of the digital economy.

Tony Jin Yong, the CEO of Huawei Spain, said at the event that 2018 saw the celebration of five years collaboration between both institutions.

He added that the creation of the Chair showed Huawei's commitment towards developing vanguard technology for the digital transformation as well as the company's desire to lead 5G development worldwide.

UPM Rector Guillermo Cisneros said the agreement was an excellent opportunity for both institutions to work together and to allow the students to participate in the coming changes.S. Korean president expresses deep regret over cancelled DPRK-U.S. summit Source: Xinhua 2018-05-25 00:37:49 SEOUL, May 25 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed deep regret over the cancelled summit between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States, the Blue House of South Korea said early on Friday. Editor: yan Related News Back to TopSEOUL, May 25 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed deep regret over the cancelled summit between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States, the Blue House of South Korea said early on Friday.

"It is embarrassing and very regrettable for the scheduled North Korea (DPRK)-U.S. summit not to be held on June 12," Moon said at the urgent meeting of the National Security Council (NSC).

Moon convened the meeting for an hour from midnight, right after U.S. President Donald Trump cancelled the first-ever summit between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States originally scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 00:47:51|Editor: yan

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RAMALLAH, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said on Thursday that all Israeli settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories is considered illegal and a violation of international legitimacy.

"The continuation of the settlement policy, statements by U.S. officials supporting settlements and incitement by Israeli ministers have ended the two-state solution and ended the U.S. role in the region," the spokesperson said in a statement to the official Palestinian news agency (WAFA).

Abu Rudeineh said that "Israel will foil all international efforts to save the political process, which requires from the international community to immediately act to provide international protection to Palestinian people and to recognize the State of Palestine on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital."

He warned that "Israeli measures and U.S. bias created the circumstance and conditions that increased instability and contributed to turning the region into tracks that would destroy everything."

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said on Thursday that he will seek a fast-track approval for 2,500 settlement units in the West Bank.

Liberman said in a statement that the construction approvals for additional 1,400 units will be promoted, but not immediately.

The plan includes construction in the Ariel, a large settlement in the north of the West Bank and 460 units in Maaleh Adumim near Jerusalem.

Palestinians has submitted a referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) asking prosecutors to open a formal investigation into accusations of Israeli crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel slammed the step and said the ICC has no jurisdiction to investigate its policies.

Around 600,000 settlers live in the settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which Palestinian want to declare as their future state capital.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 00:52:52|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis (4th R) visits Chinese stand during the International Exhibition for Agriculture and Food Industry AgroBalt 2018 in Vilnius, Lithuania, on May 24, 2018. The International Exhibition for Agriculture and Food Industry AgroBalt 2018, which started on Thursday in Vilnius, attracted 200 participants from 24 countries, including a big delegation from China. (Xinhua/Guo Mingfang)

VILNIUS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The International Exhibition for Agriculture and Food Industry AgroBalt 2018, which started on Thursday in Vilnius, attracted 200 participants from 24 countries, including a big delegation from China.

With 24 Chinese companies present, the Chinese exhibition stand attracted a lot of visitors, including Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis and Agriculture Minister Giedrius Surplys.

"More and more Lithuanians enjoy Chinese food and Chinese products. I myself just tasted some delicious Chinese food at the Chinese exhibition stand," the agriculture minister told Xinhua.

He said the Lithuanian government attached great importance to the Chinese market and was looking forward to trade cooperation with China, not only for exports, but also imports.

With regard to the China International Import Expo to be held in Shanghai in November, the minister believed and hoped that Lithuania "would bring our best (to the exhibition) and we would learn about China's best possibilities to trade".

Rolandas Taraskevicius, adviser of Lithuania's agricultural minister, said that AgroBalt is more businesses-oriented event rather than exhibition for farmers.

In the words of Taraskevicius, AgroBalt opens a good opportunity for businesses to present themselves to potential partners and clients.

According to the Lithuanian official, the visit of Chinese delegation gives a unique possibility for Lithuanian business people as Chinese exporters, traders and distributors are among the delegates.

"It shows that they are ready to offer some opportunities to Lithuania, it is an exclusive chance," Taraskevicius was quoted as saying by local media after he visited the exhibition.

The international meeting of ministers of agriculture on the grounds of 16+1 cooperation framework, involving Central and Eastern European countries and China, will take place during AgroBalt. The exhibition will continue until May 26.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 00:57:53|Editor: yan

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VIENNA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A confidential report of UN nuclear agency IAEA on Thursday showed Tehran is still complying with the historic nuclear deal after the United States' withdrawal from the deal.

The report, seen by Xinhua, said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is monitoring Iran's nuclear plan under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). There is no sign in the report that Iran is violating the deal, which freezes its atomic plan.

No substantial elements in Tehran's program was found to be violating the deal, including Iran' activities related to Heavy Water and Reprocessing, Enrichment and Fuel, and Centrifuge Research & Development etc., according to the report.

China, Russia, Britain, France, Germany and Iran are to meet on Friday in Vienna to discuss the Iranian nuclear deal for the first time after U.S. pullout from the accord.

In July 2015, six world powers and Iran signed the JCPOA in the Austrian capital, a landmark deal which eased sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehran limiting its nuclear program.SEOUL, May 25 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed his deep regret over the cancelled summit between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States, Moon's office said early on Friday.

"It is embarrassing and very regrettable for the scheduled North Korea (DPRK)-U.S. summit not to be held on June 12," Moon said at the urgent meeting of the National Security Council (NSC).

Moon convened the meeting for an hour from midnight, right after U.S. President Donald Trump cancelled the first-ever summit between Pyongyang and Washington originally scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.

Moon said the Korean Peninsula's denuclearization and building permanent peace are historic tasks that cannot be delayed nor be given up.

Moon's expression of deep regret came as Trump said in a letter to the DPRK that "it is inappropriate" to hold the planned DPRK-U.S. summit on June 12 in Singapore.

Trump's cancellation of the DPRK-U.S. summit came after Pyongyang blew up tunnels at its Punggye-ri underground nuclear test site, where all of its six nuclear tests were conducted, earlier in the day.

The DPRK invited journalists from China, Russia, the United States, Britain and South Korea to let them cover the dismantling of the nuclear test site.

Kim Eui-kyeom, spokesman for the South Korean president, told reporters that the Blue House was attempting to figure out the exact meaning of Trump's cancellation, according to local media reports.Israeli soldiers stand guard as Israeli workers remove a tent that was pitched near the Israeli settlement of Susya on March 28, 2018. (AFP photo)

RAMALLAH, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said on Thursday that all Israeli settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories is considered illegal and a violation of international legitimacy.

"The continuation of the settlement policy, statements by U.S. officials supporting settlements and incitement by Israeli ministers have ended the two-state solution and ended the U.S. role in the region," the spokesperson said in a statement to the official Palestinian news agency (WAFA).

Abu Rudeineh said that "Israel will foil all international efforts to save the political process, which requires from the international community to immediately act to provide international protection to Palestinian people and to recognize the State of Palestine on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital."

He warned that "Israeli measures and U.S. bias created the circumstance and conditions that increased instability and contributed to turning the region into tracks that would destroy everything."

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said on Thursday that he will seek a fast-track approval for 2,500 settlement units in the West Bank.

Liberman said in a statement that the construction approvals for additional 1,400 units will be promoted, but not immediately.

The plan includes construction in the Ariel, a large settlement in the north of the West Bank and 460 units in Maaleh Adumim near Jerusalem.

Palestinians has submitted a referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) asking prosecutors to open a formal investigation into accusations of Israeli crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel slammed the step and said the ICC has no jurisdiction to investigate its policies.

Around 600,000 settlers live in the settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which Palestinian want to declare as their future state capital.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 01:18:01|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in Beijing, capital of China, May 24, 2018. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping Thursday told visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel that China will work with Germany to push bilateral ties to a higher level.

Xi welcomed Merkel on her 11th visit to China, hailing the great importance she has attached to bilateral ties.

Since the two countries launched an all-dimensional strategic partnership in 2014, bilateral ties have improved significantly with the cooperation width and depth reaching an unprecedented level, said Xi.

He said China and Germany must set an example of win-win cooperation, take the lead in promoting China-Europe ties, advocate the new type of international relations and override the ideological differences for cooperation.

"This should be the direction that bilateral ties will move to in the next stage," said Xi.

He called on both sides to maintain high-level exchange, enhance top-down planning on bilateral ties, encourage bilateral cooperation in various areas and give full play to dialogue mechanisms.

"We welcome Germany to grasp opportunities arising from China's new round of reform and opening up," said Xi.

He said the two countries should expand industrial and market cooperation, driven by innovation, and jointly explore the third-party markets.

The two countries need to enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges to consolidate the basis of friendship, and jointly deal with global challenges, said Xi.

"We would like to promote global governance and multilateralism together with Germany within the multilateral frameworks," said Xi.

China appreciates Germany's support for the Belt and Road Initiative, and welcomes German enterprises' active participation, he said.

For her part, Merkel said she was glad to visit China soon after her re-election as German Chancellor in March.

Echoing Xi's comments on Germany-China ties, Merkel said China is an important member of the international community and an important trade partner of Germany.

As Germany-China ties have entered into a new era, Germany is ready to take the new opportunities of China's reform and opening up to expand cooperation on trade and investment as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges, she said.

On European integration, Xi said China has always firmly supported Europe in choosing a path of integration. He added that China hopes the European Union will maintain unity, stability, openness and prosperity.

China is willing to work with the European side to advocate multilateralism and send more messages that are clear, predictable and confidence-boosting, for the development of international situation that is stable and conducive to all, Xi said.

Merkel said because the international situation has undergone great changes, Germany and China must enhance communication and coordination on international affairs, intensify cooperation within multilateral frameworks such as the G20.

Germany backs Europe-China cooperation, she said.

The two sides also exchanged views on international trade, the Iran nuclear issue and other issues of common concern.

Merkel is paying an official visit to China on Thursday and Friday at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

Also on Thursday, Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, met with Merkel, calling for more cooperation between the two countries' legislatures.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 01:23:01|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel hold a joint press conference after their talks, at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, capital of China, May 24, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The 16+1 cooperation carried out within the framework of China-Europe relationship and under European Union (EU) laws and regulations is open and transparent, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Thursday.

Li made the remarks when meeting with journalists together with German Chancellor Angela Merkel after they held talks in Beijing.

Li said the 16+1 cooperation, a cooperation mechanism between China and 16 Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, is an important part and beneficial supplement of China-Europe relations.

It is conducive to the common development of China and the CEE countries, a more balanced development of Europe, and the European integration process, he said.

China has always firmly supported the European integration and believes that a united, stable, prosperous EU and a strong euro are in China's fundamental interests, Li said.

"The 16+1 cooperation has always been carried out within the framework of China-Europe ties and under relevant EU laws and regulations. It is open and transparent," Li said, adding that China and Germany should combine their complementary advantages with the development needs of the CEE countries in order to explore third-party market cooperation.

Merkel said the 16+1 cooperation is a beneficial platform that enhances the infrastructure construction in the CEE countries.

She also said the advantages of the CEE countries and China complement each other and the 16+1 cooperation can benefit the EU, rather than split it.TRIPOLI, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Protesters on Thursday reopened the Al-Raguba oil field in eastern Libya, after closing it on Wednesday demanding employment and improved services for their areas, local Al-Wasat news website said.

The reopening of the oil field came after an extensive meeting between the protesters and government officials to discuss the demands of the protesters, including providing better healthcare, infrastructure, drinking water, as well as employment for the protesters' areas and towns.

The protesters agreed to reopen the oil field after the government officials pledged to meet all of their needs.

Al-Raguba oil field, which produces 5000 barrels of crude oil per day, was closed on Wednesday by the protesters, who also threatened to close all the oil fields in Marada basin, a part of the coastal oil crescent region that contains major oil fields and ports, until their demands are met.

Libya, which has Africa's largest oil reserves, used to produce about 1.6 million barrels per day before the 2011 armed uprising that toppled and killed former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Libya's daily production of crude oil has returned to about 1 million barrels a day since the end of 2017, after production operations of all southern and eastern oil fields were resumed.

However, sudden closures of oil fields due to protests as well as terrorist attacks have caused Libya's oil production to fluctuate.

In February, Al-Fil oil field, a major oil field in the south of the country was shut for more than a month after the oil installation guards withdrew from the oil field in protest of their unpaid salaries, which caused loss of more than 100 million U.S. dollars, according to the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC).(File photo)Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during Friday prayers in Tehran September 14, 2007. (Reuters photo)

TEHRAN, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warned the United States of the consequences of possible attack on the Islamic republic, according to local media on Thursday.

The Iranian Armed Forces are in the possession of valuable experience reached over the past decades, including in the span of eight-year Iran-Iraq war in 1980s, the statement said.

The armed forces have boosted the country's deterrent power and defense capabilities, it said.

Iran also has full intelligence control over the "hostile moves," including those of the United States, in the region, it added.

Iran's Supreme Leader on Wednesday said that "since the beginning of the Islamic revolution (in 1979), the United States has not given up its enmity against the Islamic republic. They have harnessed all political, economic, military and propaganda measures against Iran."

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to preserve Iran's ballistic missile power in the face of any possible egression against the country.

The Iranian tough stance against the United States follows a speech by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday, in which he threatened to impose the toughest sanctions on Iran if the Islamic state does not change its course of action domestically and regionally. EnditemPhoto taken on Aug. 26, 2013 shows a Russian Su-30SM fighter practising for the MAKS 2013 International Aviation and Space Show in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, Russia. (Xinhua/Shi Xiaogang)

MOSCOW, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Russia and Kazakhstan on Thursday signed a contract under which Moscow will supply Astana with new modern SU-30SM fighter jets by the end of 2020, the Russian United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) said.

A UAC statement did not specify the number of aircraft covered by the contract signed in Astana, but TASS news agency quoted UAC President Yuri Slyusar as saying that Russia will ship eight such jets.

The fighters will replenish the existing fleet of similar combat vehicles used by the Air Defense Force of Kazakhstan since 2015. Kazakhstan received four such aircraft in 2015, according to media reports.

The two-seat multi-purpose SU-30SM super-maneuverable fighter, which can carry a broad range of air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles as well as bombs, represents one of the most advanced modifications of the SU-30 family.

The various modifications of the SU-30 have already become the bestseller of Rosoboronexport, Russia's sole state intermediary for the export and import of military and dual-use products, technologies and services, according to the country's state conglomerate Rostec.CHICAGO, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. University of Michigan (UM) and China's Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) have dedicated a new building and signed another 10-year agreement to continue support of their joint institute in China.

Located in the SJTU in east China's Shanghai City, the new UM-SJTU Joint Institute Long Bin Building was created to enhance student learning and faculty intellectual engagement.

The building is named after UM benefactor and alumnus John Wu's parents, who are long-time faculty members at SJTU.

In 2015, Wu donated 10 million U.S. dollars to support professorships, faculty awards, scholarships, student entrepreneurship funds and other programs at the UM-SJTU Joint Institute.

"The Shanghai Jiao Tong University collaboration is UM's largest and most comprehensive partnership in China," said UM President Mark Schlissel in a news release posted on UM's website Thursday.

"It has given hundreds of students from both our nations the opportunity to pursue excellent academic programs and conduct research," he said.

"We have also fostered more than a decade of research interactions among faculty. I am further excited by the possibilities as we extend and enhance our partnership," Schlissel added.

Founded in 2006, the UM-SJTU Joint Institute has become an important model for academic joint ventures in China.

In 2014, the collaboration won the IIE Andrew Heiskell Award, one of the highest honors in global higher education, for best practices in international partnerships. It was the first time a U.S.-China collaboration won the award in the category.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 02:58:15|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pledged on Thursday that he will take action to make peacekeeping operations safer.

"As we recognize a legacy of service and sacrifice around the world, I am also committed to taking action for peacekeeping -- action to make our operations safer and more effective in today's challenging environments," the UN chief said in his message for the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, which falls on May 29.

"We also are committed to reinforcing the important role our forces must play in promoting human rights and addressing sexual exploitation and abuse," he said.

On May 29, 1948, the UN Security Council authorized the first UN peacekeeping operation -- the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in the Middle East.

"On this 70th anniversary, we express our gratitude to the more than 1 million men and women who have served under the United Nations flag, saving countless lives," he said.

"We honor the more than 3,700 blue helmets who paid the ultimate price. And we pay tribute to the 14 missions working around the clock today to protect people and advance the cause of peace," the UN chief added.

As scheduled, Guterres will spend the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers in Mali to express his "solidarity with colleagues facing high casualties and enormous volatility."

"United Nations peacekeeping is a proven investment in global peace, security and prosperity. Together, let us pledge to do all we can to enable that mission to succeed," he noted.

UN Headquarters in New York will celebrate the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers this year on June 1. The Secretary-General will preside over a wreath-laying ceremony in honor of all peacekeepers who have lost their lives while serving under the UN flag.

In addition, the Dag Hammarskjold Medal will be awarded posthumously to the peacekeepers who died in 2017 while serving in the cause of peace.

The UN General Assembly, in its resolution 57/129, designated May 29 as the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.BUDAPEST, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Hungary and Austria stood on common grounds regarding the necessity of the European integration of the Western Balkans, Hungarian leaders said Thursday.

That came after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Speaker of the parliament Laszlo Kover met with visiting Austrian President of the National Council Wolfgang Sobotka.

Sobotka met first with Orban. "Besides discussing bilateral ties between Hungary and Austria, the two men discussed the European Integration of the Western Balkans," Bertalan Havasi, head of the Prime Minister's press office told Hungarian news agency MTI.

"The integration of the Western Balkans is in the interest of Europe as a whole, but particularly in the interest of Austria and Hungary," Havasi added.

Havasi also mentionned that cooperation between Austria and the Visegrad countries (Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia) was excellent. Austria and the Visegrad countries would organize a joint conference on June 21 in Budapest.

Laszlo Kover, speaker of the Hungarian parliament received Sobotka later Thursday.

He said that the European integration of the Western Balkans was not only important because of the common history shared by these countries with Hungary and Austria, but also because the question was a key issue from the perspective of the safety and the future of Europe.

"Reluctant older Member States must be persuaded, this question must not be procrastinated," he said.

Sobotka shared Kover's views and added: "The acceleration of the integration process of the Western Balkans will be a major duty of the next Austrian presidency of the Council of the European Union."

"These countries must learn about the rule of law, the security of the legal environment and the development of democracy," he said.

On July 1, 2018, Austria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the third time after 1998 and 2006.MOGADISHU, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Somalia's international partners on Thursday expressed concern about renewed clashes between Somaliland and Puntland forces in the outskirts of Tukaraq town in Sool region.

In a joint statement, the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the United States among other nations called for an immediate cease-fire and dialogue.

"The international partners call on both sides to bring an immediate halt to the fighting, start dialogue between military commanders on the ground, secure humanitarian access for displaced persons, and enter into talks to discuss a separation of forces and an exchange of detained security personnel," the partners said.

The statement came after heavy fighting broke out earlier Thursday between Puntland and Somaliland forces, with the use of heavy weaponry.

The two regional states have accused each other of starting the clashes in the disputed town amid use of heavy weaponry

The partners said the violence was taking place amid an already-difficult humanitarian situation that has recently been aggravated by the impact of tropical cyclone Sagar, noting that the clashes only add to the suffering of the people in the area.

At least 25 people have been killed, 27 others are missing and hundreds of homes destroyed after Sagar caused heavy rains and flooding in Somaliland.

Tension has been simmering in Tukaraq in the past three months after Somaliland troops seized control of the strategic town in January following an incursion against Puntland Defense forces stationed there.

The two regional Somali states have clashed since 2002 over control of disputed regions in northern Somalia.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 04:18:37|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock on Thursday released 30 million U.S. dollars for four countries in the Sahel region to cope with an acute drought, combined with exceptionally high food prices and worsening insecurity, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a press release.

"To avert a catastrophe, we need to act early to get assistance quickly to the most vulnerable people. The window of opportunity to help these communities during the lean season and the most difficult months ahead is closing soon," said Lowcock.

Thousands of families have exhausted their food reserves and are cutting down on daily meals. Up to 1.6 million children are at risk of life-threatening malnutrition, and 5 million people need food and livelihoods assistance in what is expected to soon be the worst lean season -- when food stocks deplete ahead of the next harvest -- in years, said the press release.

The money from the world body's Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) will enable humanitarian partners to reach affected people in the worst-hit communities, particularly in pastoral and agro-pastoral areas in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Mauritania, said the press release.

Some 10 million dollars will go to Chad, where the number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition has more than doubled over recent months.

Burkina Faso, which is facing an upsurge in insecurity and the worst food insecurity in years, will get 9 million dollars. In Mauritania, 4 million dollars will be used to kick-start the provision of food, nutrition and livestock assistance as well as humanitarian air services.

The remaining 7 million dollars will support life-saving activities in the most affected areas of Mali, which has also seen food insecurity increase by 50 percent, compounded by the impact of ongoing conflict.

A total of 1.37 billion dollars is needed to support most vulnerable people in drought-affected areas of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal. Joint appeals in these countries are less than 20 percent funded, said the press release.

"While we are responding to immediate life-saving needs of women, children and men, we must at the same time ensure that our response supports longer term solutions and resilience of the people of the Sahel," said Lowcock.

Growing insecurity has uprooted hundreds of thousands of families in the Sahel, making the region home to some of the world's most severe humanitarian crises. Around one in five people in need of humanitarian assistance in the world lives in the Sahel, the northernmost part of sub-Saharan Africa that stretches from the Atlantic coast to the Red Sea.

Since 2017, CERF has allocated more than 100 million dollars for life-saving humanitarian response in the Sahel.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 04:23:40|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution that condemns the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.

The resolution, put forward by Cote d'Ivoire, Kuwait, the Netherlands and Sweden, urges states to conduct investigations within their jurisdiction into violations of international humanitarian law related to the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.

The majority of food insecure people and 75 percent of all stunted children under the age of five live in countries affected by armed conflict, amounting to 74 million people facing food insecurity or worse conditions, according to the UN.

The World Food Programme (WFP) said on its website that of the 13 largest food crises in the world today, 10 -- Afghanistan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen -- are conflict-related.

In this light, the resolution recalls the link between armed conflict and food insecurity and recognizes the need to break the vicious cycle between them.

Echoing this, the WFP website quoted its executive director David Beasley as saying "the Security Council vote is a huge step forward in the effort to break the cycle of conflict and hunger."

To achieve this, Thursday's resolution calls on all parties to armed conflict to spare civilian objects including those necessary for food production and distribution such as farms, markets, water systems, mills, food processing and storage sites and so on.

It further urges all parties to protect civilian infrastructure critical to the delivery of humanitarian aid and to ensure the proper functioning of food systems and markets in situations of armed conflict.

In addition, the resolution requests UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to continue to provide information on the risk of famine and food insecurity in countries with armed conflict, and to brief the Security Council every 12 months on its implementation.LISBON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A bus crashed at Lisbon airport on Thursday left 22 people injured, one of them severely.

The bus came off the road at a roundabout on the outskirts of the airport complex. It then smashed through a low wall and came to rest, upright, outside the offices of Portugal's air traffic company (NAV).

The bus, a public passenger service operated by the Rodoviaria Lisboa company, had 30 people on board at the time. According to the National Emergency Medical Institute (INEM), 22 suffered injuries.

Seven of the injured were taken to Sao Jose hospital in Lisbon, including a 55-year-old woman said to be in serious conditions.

A further three were taken to the Beatriz Angelo hospital in nearby Loures. These included a pregnant woman, said to be unharmed, but taken in for precautionary observation.

Luis Santos, of the Public Security Police (PSP), told the SIC news channel that the cause of the crash is as yet unknown.

Wet weather conditions or a brake failure are believed to be the probable explanations, rather than foul play.PARMA, Italy, May 24 (Xinhua) -- An international expo focusing on industrial automation technologies was held in northern Italy's Parma from May 22 to 24, gathering companies from all over the world.

In its eighth annual edition, the SPS IPC Drives Italia expo saw the participation of more than 800 exhibitors from 19 countries and regions, according to data released Thursday by Messe Frankfurt Italia, the organizer.

The core concept of the expo was to bring together manufacturers and IT technology promoting the digital automation from an Industry 4.0 perspective. Apart from this, the event provided also a useful platform to promote communication and cooperation between companies from different parts of the world.

Italy's "Industry 4.0 lab" -- as the expo was described by its German organizers -- was conceived as a journey through five thematic halls, with the big news of this year being an area dedicated to the digitalization of manufacturing plants, gathering all the major players of digital, software and cyber security industries.

"It's amazing how the event is able to adapt to technology and market trends," said Messe Frankfurt Italia's CEO Donald Wich, adding that the digital-dedicated area, with its journey through the development of digital transformation, makes the expo the "best platform in Italy to bring together manufacturers and IT technology."

Beside the robust presence of European companies, the expo also featured the participation of some Chinese companies, mainly dealing with electronic components manufacturing.

"This is a useful platform for selling, but also to get information about new technologies," said Robin Zhu, representing a company from the Chinese tech-hub of Shenzhen, adding that "given the Chinese spirit of continuous self-improvement, the more China will open up the more it will achieve in technology."

According to Italy's largest federation of electronic companies, Italy's automation sector is "very healthy", growing 13.5 percent year-on-year with an annual revenue of about 5 billion euros (5.8 billion U.S. dollars).Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 04:43:45|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The UN envoy for Burundi on Thursday called for the resumption of dialogue in the African country following the adoption of a new constitution through a referendum.

"We are waiting for a strong signal from the authorities in favor of the resumption of an inclusive inter-Burundian dialogue under the auspices of the East African Community," Michel Kafando, the special envoy of the UN secretary-general for Burundi, told the Security Council.

Relaunching the dialogue would enable Burundians to discuss together the challenges they face in an atmosphere of mutual trust. Only through an inclusive dialogue can Burundians find durable solutions to the current crisis, he said.

Otherwise, the contesting of the results of the referendum by the opposition would further polarize an already tense political situation characterized by human rights violations and other abuses, as well as the deterioration of the socio-economic and humanitarian situation, he warned.

In a referendum on May 17, Burundians voted in favor of a new constitution with a high voter turnout.

The referendum was generally held in calm, despite numerous irregularities and incidents reported by the opposition and civil society, said Kafando. The electoral authorities also reported some incidents that, in its view, were not likely to affect the final results of the vote, he said.

He called on the authorities to facilitate the return of human rights experts, whose visas were canceled last month, and to resume cooperation with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Even if the security situation is generally calm, Kafando stressed that the recent assassination of 26 people in the Cibitoke province demonstrates that the environment remains volatile.

The humanitarian situation in the country remains a cause of concern, said the envoy. Many Burundians continue to live in refugee camps, particularly in Tanania, Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, he said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 04:53:47|Editor: yan

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AMMAN, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Thursday slammed Israel's plan for building new settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

Jordan's Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani said Israel's plan to build new settlements are totally rejected and illegal, in violation of all international laws and UN resolutions.

Israel's unilateral measures seek to alter the current status in the occupied Palestinian territories, undermining all efforts to attain peace and stability in the Middle East, said the minister.

On Thursday, Israel's Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that he will seek next week a fast-track approval for some 2,500 new housing units in West Bank.

About 600,000 Israelis live in the settlements in areas where the Palestinians seek to build their future state.A historic building, that was destroyed during a three-year conflict, is seen in Benghazi, Libya February 28, 2018. (REUTERS File Photo)

TRIPOLI, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Libya Maria Ribeiro on Thursday urged all parties to immediately allow safe access for humanitarian organizations to the eastern city of Darna.

The eastern-based army has been carrying out a military operation against militants in Darna since May 7.

"The humanitarian community in Libya is perturbed by the continued lack of humanitarian access and subsequent assistance into Derna despite repeated requests. Humanitarian actors have not been allowed to deliver life-saving assistance to Derna such as supplies to support medical facilities and other basic services as well as to provide food and non-food items to those in need," Ribeiro said in a statement.

"I call on all parties to immediately allow safe and unfettered access to Derna for humanitarian actors and urgently needed humanitarian goods," Ms. Ribeiro said. "We need to be able to assist people in need without delay to prevent further loss of life."

The army is launching a military operation to take over Darna, a city besieged by the army since 2015.

The army demanded that the Shura Council of the Mujahideen in Darna, a coalition of Islamist militias seeking to implement Sharia law in the city, leave.

Army commander, Khalifa Haftar, announced on Tuesday that the liberation of Darna from the extremists is "very near."Voting employee close electronic counting and sorting device of a polling station on May 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

BAGHDAD, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi government held a meeting Thursday to discuss allegations of fraud and irregularities in the parliamentary election held on May 12, a government statement said.

The Iraqi Council of Ministers (cabinet), headed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, met with top judicial and intelligence officials and the security committee of the electoral commission to discuss immunity of the electronic devices used in casting and counting the votes for the first time in the Iraqi election, the statement said.

The cabinet appointed a special committee to investigate the allegations before sending its recommendation to the council of ministers, high judicial council and the federal court to take their decision about the election process and its results, according to the statement.

Many Iraqi parties, especially in the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan and the disputed areas, including Kirkuk province, have complained about alleged irregularities and forgery in the parliamentary election.

The complaints put the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) under pressure, as the electoral commission has not carried out manual recount of many ballot boxes and depended only on the electronic count of the votes.

Earlier, Riyadh al-Badran, head of the electoral commission, told a press conference that "there is no justification for a manual recount yet," despite many accusations of voter fraud.

On May 13, al-Wataniyah (National) Coalition, led by Vice President Ayad Allawi, called for a revote of the May 12 parliamentary election due to a low turnout of Iraqi voters and irregularities.

A statement by Allawi's coalition attributed the call to "the low turnout of the Iraqi people in the election, spread of violence, fraud, deception and the purchase of votes."

On May 17, the United Nations special envoy to Iraq Jan Kubis issued a statement, calling on the IHEC to carry out an immediate and thorough investigation into all complaints concerning the election.

The Iraqi parliament also called on May 19 for measures to instill confidence in the election process after complaints by political entities of alleged irregularities and forgery.

On the same day, the electoral commission announced the final results of the parliamentary election, which showed that the al-Sa'iroon Coalition, led by Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, was the front-runner and won 54 seats in the upcoming 329-seat parliament.

The results showed that al-Fath Coalition, led by Hadi al-Ameri, came in the second place with 47 seats, while the al-Nasr Coalition, led by Abadi, came in third with 42 seats. The State of Law Coalition, headed by Vice President and former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, garnered 25 seats.

The two major Kurdish parties, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), headed by Masoud Barzani, and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) took the lead in the Kurdish region and in the ethnically-mixed province of Kirkuk with 25 seats for the KDP and 18 for the PUK, according to IHEC figures.

However, despite the calls for investigation into the election process, the winning coalitions have been busy with tough negotiations to form the largest alliance that will be announced in the first parliament session, and then the largest alliance will designate new prime minister who will form a cabinet that would rule the country in the next four years.

On May 12, millions of Iraqis went to 8,959 polling centers across the country to vote for their parliamentary representatives in the first general election after Iraq's historic victory over the Islamic State (IS) group last December.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 05:08:52|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Russia's St. Petersburg, May 24, 2018. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

ST. PETERSBURG, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin met here Thursday with Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, and they agreed to further boost bilateral cooperation for the benefit of both countries and the whole world.

In their meeting, Wang conveyed to Putin Chinese President Xi Jinping's sincere greetings and best wishes, saying that Xi attaches great importance to China-Russia ties and cherishes his friendship with Putin.

The Chinese president, added Wang, looks forward to meeting Putin again to jointly chart the future course of bilateral relations as well as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is scheduled to hold this year's summit in June in China.

The heads of state of the two countries have made painstaking efforts for and injected robust energy into bilateral cooperation, continuously steering the China-Russia relationship forward, said Wang.

He pointed out that the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is of great significance not only to the two countries themselves but to the world at large.

The two neighbors, he said, respect each other, trust each other, cooperate on the basis of equality, and enjoy mutual understanding and support on major international affairs.

In so doing, they have set a model of major-country relations in the current world and made great contribution to safeguarding global strategic stability and building a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind, added Wang.

The Chinese vice president stressed that it is a choice both of history and of the people that China and Russia steadfastly pursue development paths that suit their respective national realities.

Now the Chinese people, under Xi's leadership, is vigorously pushing forward the building of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, said Wang, adding that China's development is making rapid and remarkable progress.

Meanwhile, the Chinese side firmly believes that under Putin's leadership, Russia will grow stronger and more prosperous, said the vice president.

China, he added, resolutely supports Russia's development, and stands ready to carry out strategic and long-term cooperation with Russia, lift the level and quality of bilateral practical cooperation more swiftly, and achieve deeper integration of interest, so as to bring more benefits to the two nations.

Putin, for his part, asked Wang to convey his sincere greetings and best wishes to the Chinese president, saying he is confident that Xi will lead the Chinese people to new achievements in China's development.

The Russian leader added that he is looking forward to visiting China and meeting Xi again.

Russia-China ties have kept developing at a high level, he said, noting that political mutual trust is deepening, bilateral practical cooperation is strengthening, the structure of economic and trade relations is witnessing sizable improvement, cooperation on large projects are speeding up, and exchanges and cooperation in people-to-people areas and at local levels are gathering steam.

Meanwhile, it serves as an important stabilizer in the world that the two countries maintain close communication and coordination as well as mutual support on major regional and global issues, said Putin.

The Russian side, he added, is willing to work with China to further deepen all-around cooperation, cement mutual understanding and support on international affairs, and keep lifting the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination to higher levels.

Wang is here for the 22nd St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The ongoing overseas trip, his first as vice president, will also take him to Belarus for a visit.MINSK, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday urged Europe to reconcile East and West.

Europe can and should set an example in resolving issues between East and West, the president said at the Minsk Dialogue Forum on Thursday.

Experts believe that the current situation is worse than the Cold War, Lukashenko said.

He said many of the old recipes for overcoming conflicts "often do not work, but new ones have not been worked out yet", no international problem (the Middle East, Syria, Ukraine, the DPRK, Iran) is really being resolved.

The dangerous rivalry between the Soviet Union and the U.S. and its allies in the 1970s-1980s was predictable and had a certain balance to it; both sides were using clear and understandable instruments to spread their geopolitical influence, he said.

Lukashenko also stressed Belarus's allied relations with Russia do not threaten Western countries.

"Our allied relations with Russia and orientation toward integration within the EAEU (the Eurasian Economic Union) do not encroach on European countries' interests in any way," he said.

The way Belarus is developing relations with the European Union and the United States is not at odds with the dynamism of its interaction in the East, Lukashenko said.

He stressed Belarus is interested in the mutual rapprochement of the Eurasian Economic Union and European Union. The president called for switching from "abstract conversations to concrete interaction."TUNIS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Tunisia's inbound tourists exceeded 2.1 million from January to May 10 this year, up 23.6 percent year on year, Tunisian Ministry of Tourism said Thursday.

Tunisian Minister of Tourism Salma Elloumi hailed the increase as a "remarkable and significant progress," saying the current year will see recovery of the country's tourism.

The number of European tourists reached 419,710 in the same period, with an increase of 52.2 percent year on year.

Elloumi said tourists returned to Tunisia after they found that the security situation is becoming stable.

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Tunisia reached 11,551 until May this year, with a growth of 56.8 percent.

Tourism revenues during Jan.-May grow 33.3 percent compared with the same period last year, reaching 772.7 million dinars (309.08 U.S. dollars).LONDON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Two teenage boys from North Yorkshire were found guilty Thursday of conspiracy to murder after a plot to carry out a school massacre was averted by police.

The two 15-year-olds had devised a plot to shoot and kill students and teachers at a school in Northallerton in what would have been a carbon-copy of a 1999 massacre at the Columbine High School in Colorado, the United States, when 13 people were killed.

A jury at Leeds Crown Court heard evidence that the boys had hero-worshipped the killers at the Colorado massacre.

The mothers of the two boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, wept as the jury delivered their verdict. A judge will impose sentences on the two boys in July.

In a hideout in an abandoned shack, police found petrol and a bag of screws and also discovered the boys had downloaded a bomb-making manual from the internet.

Their potentially deadly plot only came to light when one of the boys told a schoolgirl they were planning to carry out a shooting, and when she asked if it was a joke, he told her: "No. No one innocent will die. We promise." The girl told a teacher and the plot was averted.

Head of Counter Terrorism Policing for North East England, Detective Superintendent Martin Snowden, said later: "This is a deeply unsettling case and the cause of significant concern for all associated with it. The impact of it has been felt profoundly by the staff at the school, its pupils and their parents, and indeed the local community."

"Young people in particular are vulnerable to external influences, both in the real world and online, which can shape their views and influence their actions. While these influences are very difficult to control, it's important we're alive to the display of attitudes or behaviour which concern us and have the confidence to report them. On this occasion, those who came forward may ultimately have saved lives," he said.DUBLIN, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Ryanair on Thursday denied the recent claims that the company is interested in Norwegian Air Shuttle (NAS or Norwegian Air), the third largest low-cost carrier in Europe.

Local media RTE quoted a statement issued by Ryanair on Thursday as saying that "There is no truth to these claims. We have not made an approach to Norwegian (Air) and we have no interest."

"Our CEO has repeatedly said we believe NAS will go bust as oil rises to $80 a barrel and we don't catch falling knives," said the statement.

Earlier there were reports saying that Ryanair had approached NAS with a proposal to acquire a stake of around 20 percent in the latter and NAS' CEO Bjoern Kjos had confirmed the approach.

In a Monday statement outlining plans to consolidate itself as Europe's largest low-cost flight operator, Ryanair did not rule out the possibility of further acquisition of other airlines after it bought a 24.9 percent stake in an Austrian low-cost airline LaudaMotion in April 2017.

"We believe that by investing in these separate airlines, we can build a substantial and profitable group of EU airlines under the Ryanair Holdings banner over the next three years, when it's likely that further M&A (merger and acquisition) opportunities will arise," said Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 05:49:02|Editor: mmm

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U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions (L) shakes hands with Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic during a press conference in Zagreb, capital of Croatia, on May 24, 2018. Sessions met with Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and regional officials here on Thursday to discuss security issues, according to a president's office statement and Croatian news agency Hina reports. (Xinhua/Robert Anic)

ZAGREB, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Visiting U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions met with Croatian president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and regional officials here on Thursday to discuss security issues, according to a president's office statement and Croatian news agency Hina reports.

Croatian President Grabar-Kitarovic discussed with Sessions an agreement on avoidance of double taxation between Croatia and the United States and possible elimination of visa requirement for Croatian citizens traveling to the United States, which would strengthen the good relationship between the two countries.

The Croatian president also informed Sessions of the strategic importance of a future LNG terminal on Krk island. The terminal is supposed to contribute to energy diversification of Central Europe and strengthen the European Union integration and energy security, the president's office said in a statement.

Before the meeting, Jeff Sessions participated in a regional workshop on trans-national organized crime.

After the workshop, Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said that Croatia is a key ally to the United States in this part of Europe, hoping to expand achievements the Unites States has with Croatia to other countries in the region.

Sessions is on a three-day visit to Croatia from Wednesday to Friday.by Xinhua writer Jianmei Xu

WASHINGTON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The year 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War and a big question is lingering -- how could we mourn all of those who lost their lives?

More than 16 million people were killed in the first deadliest global war in human history and most of them died so young, nameless and miserable on foreign soil.

To see a world in a grain of sand, and to tell a young U.S. soldier's "sad but poignant tale" that may map the tragedy of millions of lives during WWI, three 84-year-old American men made a documentary movie "WWI: An American Martyr."

On Wednesday evening, days before the annual U.S. Memorial Day on the last Monday of May, the Harvard Club of Washington, D.C. held a WWI Centennial commemorative event showing the 22-minute movie, co-directed by 1955 Harvard graduates Edward Nef and Douglas Hartley, with voice-over provided by William Flanders, a 1955 Yale graduate.

"It was an amazing opportunity to produce a film such as this, which helps to bring to the public's attention the enormous sacrifices made for a cause commemorated 100 years later." Nef said at the event.

The film narrates the life story of Charles Fletcher Hartley, Douglas' uncle whom he never met. Charles grew up in the United States and left with his family for England at age 16 in 1913, one year before WWI broke out. He graduated from Harrow School in 1916 and had been accepted by Cambridge University before joining the British Coldstream Guards, the Queen's own Infantry Regiment.

The United States declared war against the Axis Powers in April 1917 and Charles had been slated to help train U.S. army machine gunners before the massive U.S. troop movements into France. However, Charles followed his regiment to fight in Cambrai, France in November of that year and was shot in the head and killed there in the following month.

"Since my childhood, I've been hoping to find the monument to my uncle in a little town in France named Fontaine-Notre-Dame... My grandfather erected it after the War." said Douglas Hartley, a former U.S. Foreign Service officer.

"Making it (the movie) personal for one person, and then showing the story around that person, I think that is what really makes it touching," George Petasis, Chief Information Officer of Georgetown University Law School, told Xinhua at the event, adding the film helps the audience to get a real connection to the war 100 years ago.

To produce this documentary which took them 16 months, Nef and Hartley visited many battlegrounds and cemeteries in Belgium and France. They found the place where Charles was killed and the monument in a French farmer's field.

"This was awesome and so tragic, seeing so many countless tombstones, row upon row, often with no names, so many marks of sorrow left alongside the tombstones by grieving visitors," Nef and Hartley recalled, noting the sharp comparison with the pastoral landscape they saw around.

"The only thing which could destroy this idyllic scene was the intrusion of man-made instruments of war: tanks lumbering through the fields and woods; troops rushing headlong into huge fusillades, bombardments wreaking destruction, and what for?" they asked.

More than four million American families sent their kids to serve in uniform during WWI, among them 116,516 U.S. soldiers died from combat and diseases while another 200,000 were wounded, according to data from the U.S. WWI Centennial Commission website.

Those young people who died in WWI, a war that had changed the whole world but failed to become the war to end all wars, should never be forgotten, said the commission's Public Affairs Director Chris Isleib in his keynote speech at the event.Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron hold talks in St. Petersburg, Russia on May 24, 2018. (KREMLIN PHOTO)

ST.PETERSBURG, Russia, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and visiting French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday exchanged views on international issues including the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, according to the Kremlin.

Putin and Macron discussed the situation of Iran, Syria and Ukraine and agreed to further develop bilateral relations, according to the statement from Kremlin.

"Particularly, we have exchanged views on the situation following the US unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program," Putin said at a press conference after the meeting with Macron in St. Petersburg.

According to the Russian president, the Iran nuclear deal must be preserved as Tehran fulfills all commitments on the JCPOA.

"As for Iran, Russia's position is well known that we believe the JCPOA deal should be preserved," said Putin, stressing the consequences of terminating this deal can be very disastrous.

On the Ukraine issue, Putin said that Russia is ready to continue work on Ukraine conflict settlement in the "Normandy Four Format" and welcome dialogue at all levels.

Concerning the lately statement of the MH17 investigation team, Putin said that Russia will recognize the results only if it is allowed to join the probe.

The French president, for his part, said that France recognizes Russia's role in international relations, including in the Middle East.

"I also recognize the very role that Russia has now built for itself both in its immediate environment and in some other regions of the world, for example, in the Middle East", said Macron.

He said that France had already commenced talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the current situation and hoped that a broader framework agreement on Iran nuclear issue could be achieved in the future.

As for the U.S. sanctions against Iran, Macron said Europe must develop more efficient mechanisms to protect its economic interests.

Meanwhile, the two presidents vowed to work together and consolidate their efforts to seek solutions in all international areas.

A series of cooperation agreement were signed aimed at promoting Russian-French relations following the meeting of the presidents, according to the Kremlin.

French president Macron and his wife are in Russia for an official visit. He also participated in the ongoing St Petersburg International Economic Forum which kicked off on Thursday.WASHINGTON, May 25 (Xinhua) -- A 77-year-old school bus driver on Thursday was charged with two counts of death by auto in connection with a crash killing a student and a teacher in eastern U.S. state New Jersey, the state's prosecutors said.

Hudy Muldrow was driving the bus that collided with a dump truck in Mount Olive last Thursday, killing 10-year-old fifth-grader Miranda Vargas and 51-year-old teacher Jennifer Williamson while causing injuries to others on the bus as well as to the dump truck driver.

In a news release from the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, authorities said the bus that Muldrow was driving as well as two other school buses had been taking students and teachers from East Brook Middle School on a field trip that morning.

All three buses "missed a turn" on their journey and attempted to correct their mistake, the release said, noting the two other buses arrived at their destination safely.

However, Muldrow "is alleged to have turned Bus #2 to the left in an apparent attempt to gain access to the official-use only access point located between the East and Westbound lanes of Route 80."

"Hudy Muldrow turned Bus #2 so that it was positioned in an almost-perpendicular direction in relation to the lanes of travel on Route 80 Westbound," which is a three-lane highway. At that point, "Bus #2 was impacted by a dump truck that was travelling in the center lane of Route 80 Westbound."

"The full extent of the non-fatal injuries has yet to be determined, but range from minor to multiple serious and potentially life-threatening injuries... The investigation into this incident remains active and ongoing, and additional charges may be sought in the future," the release said.

Before last week's fatal crash, Muldrow had already received a total of 14 suspensions, eight speeding tickets, a careless driving ticket and a ticket for an improper turn since getting his driver's license in 1975, an ABC News report quoted the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission as saying.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 06:04:06|Editor: yan

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CAIRO, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi stressed to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday Egypt's support to the Palestinian cause, Sisi's spokesman Bassam Rady said.

In a statement, Rady said that Pence phoned Sisi to discuss a number of issues of mutual interest.

Rady added that President Sisi reiterated Egypt's firm stance towards the Palestinian issue and its backing for the Palestinian people's rights in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions.

Sisi also affirmed the strategic relations binding Egypt and the United States, considering this as one of the pillars of stability in the Middle East region, Rady added.

The Egyptian president also said he is looking forward to further strengthening such relations in a way that could achieve mutual interest especially regarding the restoration of security in the region.

For his part, Pence asserted his country's keenness to enhance and promote its strategic cooperation with Egypt in view of its vital role in maintaining the security and stability of the Middle East region, Rady said.

He revealed that Pence has appreciated the role played by Egypt in calming down the tense situation in Gaza Strip in addition to its efforts to achieve the national Palestinian reconciliation.

On May 14, 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.

Sisi said such a move will have negative consequences on the Palestinian cause.

Cairo receives annual military aid of 1.3 billion U.S. dollars from Washington since it signed the 1979 U.S.-sponsored peace treaty with Israel, the U.S. number-one regional ally and the top recipient of U.S. aid.ZAGREB, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Croatian Finance Minister Zdravko Maric presented on Thursday positive financial results from last year and praised the economic conditions in the country.

The minister said that budget revenues had reached 122.7 billion kuna (about 19.5 billion U.S. dollars) in 2017, 5 percent more than the previous year. At the same time budget expenditures were lower than planned, state news agency Hina reported.

The positive numbers were the result of positive economic trends and tax reform, Maric explained during a government session. More revenues were collected thanks to the 2.8 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth, a product of another record tourist season and growing consumption, export and investments.

Maric praised strong fiscal discipline and responsible spending of budget money. Budget expenditures last year totaled 125 billion kuna (19.8 billion U.S. dollar), which is an increase of four percent compared to the year before but less than originally planned.

The minister noted that the share of public debt in GDP is continuously decreasing and that it totaled 78 percent at the end of 2017. Compared to the year before it is a decrease of about six percentage points.

"Regardless of the fact that public debt is still above the 60 percent of GDP set by the Maastricht criteria, the share of public debt in GDP has been going down almost at twice the rate prescribed by those criteria," said Maric, referring to the euro convergence criteria which EU member states are required to meet to enter the third stage of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and adopt the euro as their currency.WASHINGTON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave a green light on Thursday to the marketing of an artificial intelligence (AI) based detection and diagnosis software designed to detect wrist fractures in adult patients.

The OsteoDetect is a computer-aided detection and diagnostic software that uses an artificial intelligence algorithm to analyze two-dimensional X-ray images for signs of distal radius fracture, a common type of wrist fracture.

The software marks the location of the fracture on the image to aid the provider in detection and diagnosis, according to FDA.

"Artificial intelligence algorithms have tremendous potential to help health care providers diagnose and treat medical conditions," said Robert Ochs, acting deputy director for radiological health, Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.

"This software can help providers detect wrist fractures more quickly and aid in the diagnosis of fractures," said Ochs.

OsteoDetect analyzes wrist radiographs using machine learning techniques to identify and highlight regions of distal radius fracture during the review of posterior-anterior and medial-lateral X-ray images of adult wrists.

It is intended to be used by clinicians in various settings, including primary care, emergency medicine, urgent care and specialty care, such as orthopedics, according to FDA.

However, FDA warns that it is an adjunct tool and is not intended to replace a clinician's review of the radiograph or his or her clinical judgment.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 06:29:12|Editor: yan

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BRASILIA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Nationwide protests against fuel price hikes entered their fourth day on Thursday, sparking shortages of food and fuel supplies in some parts of the country.

Truck drivers demanding lower fuel taxes to compensate for liberalized gasoline prices continued to block highways in at least 15 states, disrupting deliveries of goods and cargo.

Supermarkets complained they were running low on produce, while five airports warned they only had enough fuel to operate through Thursday.

Airlines implemented contingency measures due to falling fuel reserves, several cities reduced the number of buses in circulation, and some industrial production was cutback.

Brazil's President Michel Temer held an emergency cabinet meeting early in the day with the president of the state oil firm Petrobras, Pedro Parente.

On Wednesday, in response to the protests, Petrobras lowered the price of diesel by 10 percent for a period of 15 days, while the Chamber of Deputies approved a proposal to scrap a tax on diesel through the end of this year. The bill next goes to the Senate.

However, the president of the Brazilian Truck Drivers Association (Abcam), Jose da Fonseca Lopes, said the roadblocks would remain in place until the government took a definitive step, such as publishing a reduction in the diesel tax in the Government Gazette.

Fonseca also criticized Petrobras' two-week measure, saying "it doesn't help", and called for an overhaul in the pricing policy.

Fuel costs account for 42 percent of their working expenses, drivers say, so lowering taxes would help counter the rise in gasoline and diesel prices since Petrobras liberalized prices, passing on to consumers any variations in the price of oil on the international market.

Truck drivers have given the administration until Friday to announce concrete measures, or "everything will come to a standstill."TUNIS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia Wang Wenbin on Thursday said China will deepen cooperation and promote friendly ties with the North African country.

Wang added that China will continue to support Tunisia's economic and social development.

He made the remarks at the ceremony of presenting credentials to Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi.

Wang stressed that the upcoming Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in September this year will bring new opportunities for the development of bilateral cooperation.

The Tunisian president said his country is willing to join hands with China to promote better development of bilateral relations.

Essebsi thanked China's long-term support, and expressed hope that the support will continue for Tunisia's economic, social development and transition.Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 06:34:14|Editor: mmm

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Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro reacts during a ceremony in Caracas May 24, 2018. Nicolas Maduro, who was sworn in to a second term on Thursday, has proposed a pardon for political protestors serving jail sentences for violence. (Xinhua/Pedro Mattey/AVN)

CARACAS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, who was sworn in to a second term on Thursday, proposed a pardon for political protesters serving jail sentences for violence.

After taking the oath of office, Maduro announced a six-point plan of action for his second term, the first aimed at promoting dialogue and reconciliation between the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and its political opponents, who boycotted the May 20 elections.

"I am announcing an expansive policy of reunion and pacification so that the perpetrators of violence can join the political struggle without weapons and without violence," Maduro told the National Constituent Assembly (ANC), where he was sworn in.

"Let these people be released as part of a process of reconciliation," said Maduro.

The second line of action addresses the country's economic crisis, calling for "a productive economic accord to achieve economic stability and increasingly sustained recovery."

To promote the second point, Maduro met with state governors to identify ways to increase food production, and create a new and efficient means of distributing, selling and determining the price of produce.

"On Friday, all of the governors are going to give me their written proposals," said Maduro.

The third main goal of his second term will be to launch "a renewed, head-on fight against all types of corruption," said the president.

Maduro also proposed to "strengthen and expand" social programs, including state-funded public education and housing; to protect Venezuela from "the onslaught of imperialism" and U.S. sanctions; and to continue to develop Venezuelan socialism with Christian and Bolivarian characteristics.

Maduro won reelection to a second term, which will conclude in 2025, by garnering over 6 million votes, some 4 million more than his next closest rival.WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT of Justice Division of Criminal Investigations Special Agent Michael Reimer testifies Wednesday morning at the preliminary hearing of Richard F.A. Allen, 27, of Lac du Flambeau, left, in Iron County Court at Hurley.

By RALPH ANSAMI

[email protected]

Hurley - Five men charged in the shooting death of a Lac du Flambeau, Wis., man whose body was found on New Year's Day in the Mercer area were bound over for trial Wednesday in Iron County Court.

Judge Patrick Madden bound over all five after listening to the testimony of Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigations Special Agent Michael Reimer, the only witness. Reimer was called to the stand by Assistant Attorney General Richard Dufour, lead special prosecutor in the case.

Reimer said Wayne M. Valliere Jr., 25, was last seen alive on Dec. 22 and described details of finding his body in the Mercer area.

Richard F.A. Allen, 27, of Lac du Flambeau; Evan T. Oungst, 27, of Arbor Vitae; Curtis A. Wolfe, 26, of Lac du Flambeau; James B. Lussier, 19, of Arbor Vitae, and Joseph D. Lussier, 26, of Lac du Flambeau, will be arraigned next Wednesday at 1 p.m., when trial dates will be discussed.

Craig Haukaas, an attorney for Joseph Lussier, filed a motion for a speedy trial.

Reimer testified for about a half hour. He said Oungst led investigators to Valliere's body in a secluded, wooded area.

Reimer said Joseph Lussier had told an inmate in jail that he had "slumped" Valliere. Reimer said he was later told that meant in gang jargon that he had killed him.

The suspects believed Valliere was a confidential informant and Reimer said there was a threat to kill Valliere at a party before the drive to Mercer occurred. All five defendants were at the party.

Allen shot Valliere in the face and Joseph Lussier fired several more bullets into the body, Reimer said.

An autopsy was conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison hospital days later, after the body had thawed, Reimer said.

A gun was recovered from the home of Wolfe's sister.

Reimer indicated there had been a fight prior to the shootings.

Haukaas asked Reimer to find the cause of death on the final autopsy report. Reimer looked through the papers for a few minutes before saying, "I don't see it spelled out here."

Haukaas suggested while investigators were told Valliere was shot in the face, that might not have been the case.

Reimer said there was blood coming out of the victim's cheek as he hit the ground from the initial gunshot, however.

James Lussier, Oungst and Wolfe waived their preliminary hearings before being bound over for trial.

Joseph Lussier and Allen were bound over by Madden after Reimer's testimony.

All of the defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree intentional homicide (murder) as a party to a crime while armed with a dangerous weapon and also with hiding a corpse.

According to the criminal complaint signed by Iron County Sheriff's Department Lt. Paul Samardich, on Christmas Day Valliere's mother called Lac du Flambeau tribal police to report her son missing.

The complaint says Valliere was given methamphetamine during the ride and he knew he would be killed.

The body was recovered behind a berm, hidden off Swamp Creek Road, near the end of Moose Lake Road.

Dufour said he will attend next Wednesday's hearing in person, while some of the defense attorneys were given permission by the judge to appear by phone or videoconference.

The courtroom was packed for the hearing. Some spectators wept as they heard the testimony and there were shouts of "dirtbags" and "losers" as the defendants were escorted to the jail by officers from the courtroom.By RICHARD JENKINS

[email protected]

Ironwood - The search for a superintendent is over, after the Ironwood Area Schools Board of Education approved a contract with Travis Powell Wednesday.

"It's kind of surreal in a way, because I wasn't really looking for this type of advancement this early. I feel I'm pretty lucky to be superintendent at only 43," Powell told the Daily Globe shortly after signing the contract Wednesday evening. He said while he got excited during the interview process thinking about the possibility to create positive change in the district, he didn't want to get his hopes too high.

"Now that it's real, that's the part that is kind of surreal. It's like, 'Holy cow, this actually happened,'" Powell said.

Members of the Ironwood board seemed excited at the decision too.

"I believe we have an excellent person to take the helm of the Ironwood school system," Board President Steve Thomas told the Daily Globe after the meeting, adding Powell came well-recommended to the district.

While his contract doesn't officially start until July 1, Powell said he arranged to be in the district earlier than that to begin meeting stakeholders and getting up to speed. This will also give him some time on the job before Ironwood Superintendent Tim Kolesar officially retires. Kolesar announced in December he was retiring at the end of the school year after leading the district since 2010.

The three-year contract will pay Powell an annual salary of $90,000 plus benefits, according to Thomas. He described the rest of the contract as fairly standard, saying the district used a template provided by the Michigan Association of School Boards and filled in the details.

Powell, an Ironwood Township resident, is the principal of Lake Superior Elementary School in Ashland, Wis.

While he moved to the Twin Ports for a while, Powell has long ties to the Gogebic Range.

"I lived right on Aurora Street (in Ironwood)," Powell said. "Actually back when there was Videoland, I lived upstairs there for a while. I went to Gogebic in 1994-95."

He went to University of Wisconsin-Superior after graduating from GCC, staying in the Duluth area to work at the Woodland Hills juvenile corrections facility - a treatment center for children who were placed in the facility as an alternative to jail.

While at the facility, Powell said he realized many of the young people he worked with had special education needs and he decided to return to school to get a masters in special education.

"That allowed me to go upstream, instead of waiting until the children were in residential treatment," he said

He taught elementary special education in several districts, including Ashland, prior to becoming principal. As principal, Powell said he was in a position to have a positive impact on more than just a single classroom - a trajectory he hopes to continue in Ironwood.

"If I was able to have this kind of a positive impact on a school of 400 children approximately - what if I was in charge of an entire district," Powell asked. "What if I could set that standard for all the administration, all the teachers, all the staff members of a school? What kind of positive impact could I have there? Well, I'm about to find out."By RALPH ANSAMI

[email protected]

BESSEMER  Representatives of townships in Gogebic County again requested Wednesday that they receive 30 percent of federal payment in lieu of tax money thats paid to the county.

A total of 38 people attended the county board meeting at the courthouse, with the majority there because of the PILT issue.

Watersmeet Township Supervisor Mike Rogers said the county has received around $5 million in the last 10 years in PILT money and his township has a high percentage of the federal lands involved.

Rogers said the 30 percent should be given to the...New Delhi: The Thootukudi copper smelter at Tuticorin, run by Vedanta Ltd's Sterlite Copper unit has been shut for more than 50 days and will remain closed until at least June 6 because the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board has said the facility is not complying with environmental rules.

People in Toothukudi are demanding the closure of Sterlite copper smelting plant alleging that it was polluting the area, and leading to severe health problems among the residents of the locality, besides depleting the water table. The ongoing anti-Sterlite protests turned violent with thousands of people from nearby areas allegedly attacking the District Collectorate demanding closure of the Vedanta Group-run company. So far 11 people have died in police firing.

Some would call it sort of a deja vu, but Vedanta's Sterlite plant is no stranger to controversy ever since it was proposed in 1995.

Sterlite's smelting plant with our lakh tonne capacity at Tuticorin was rejected by three states Gujarat , Goa and Maharashtra  because of its highly polluting nature, before it was allowed to be set-up in Tamil Nadu, a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has said.

"While taking Environment Clearance (EC), the company had flouted norms by misrepresenting facts and giving a faulty Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, CSE has said.

"In fact, a Supreme Court (SC) monitoring committee in 2004 found the plant had not provided adequate infrastructure and facilities for management of highly toxic arsenic-containing wastes. The plant was also found to be emitting sulphur dioxide far in excess of the permissible standards.

"In 2010, the Madras High Court closed the plant because it was polluting the environment and had flouted norms while setting up the plant," CSE said.

Several cases have been filed against the plant since it started in 1996, and the Supreme Court in 2013 fined it about $18 million for breaking environmental laws.

The next year, Vedanta lost a battle to mine bauxite in the a lushly forested area, Niyamgiri hills in Odisha state, that the Dongria Kondh tribe there considers sacred.

The rejection forced the company to not only import expensive bauxite for an aluminium plant in the same state but to also delay its expansion.

It may also be recalled that the government-run Norwegian Pension Fund had dropped Vedanta from its investment portfolio in 2007, partly because of environmental issues in India. In 2014, the fund dropped Vedanta`s then unit, Sesa Sterlite.

Norway`s Council on Ethics, which makes recommendations to the pension fund, said it did a "particularly thorough assessment" of Vedanta Resources in 2016 and found grounds to stay away from it. Edinburgh-based investment fund Martin Currie has also sold off its Vedanta shares on ethical grounds.

With Reuters InputsNew Delhi: Senior advocate and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator HS Phoolka has said that he will quit his party if it enters into an coalition with Congress.

Speaking to ANI, the AAP leader said that the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case is a serious issue and assumes huge importance for him. Phoolka said that there can be no compromise on the issue and if AAP joins a Congress-led coalition, he will not hesitate even for a moment to severe his ties with the party.

My stand is very clear, I cannot have any relation with Congress because for me the issue of 1984 riots is the biggest and I will not make any compromise with it. If the party (AAP) enters Congress-led alliance Ill tender resignation that very moment, HS Phoolka said.

#WATCH: Aam Aadmi Party's HS Phoolka says, 'Issue of 1984 riots is most important for me, if there is any alliance with Congress it will mean Sikhs have forgiven Congress for 1984, something that cannot happen. If party (AAP) enters Congress-led alliance I'll tender resignation.' pic.twitter.com/GclTxZ99cz  ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2018

Phoolka has been fighting to get justice for thousands of Sikhs, who were massacred in 1984 in the aftermath of the assassination of the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards.

Phoolka had successfully contested the assembly polls in Punjab last year.

The Punjab AAP legislator has recently called for an investigation to find out if Rajiv Gandhi had any role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots after the assassination of his mother and then prime minister Indira Gandhi.

His comments came just a day after Opposition parties displayed a show of strength during the swearing-in ceremony of HD Kumaraswamy in Bengaluru. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was among those who attended the swearing-in ceremony at the Vidhana Soudha.

Other notable attendees were UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati among others.

Their presence on one platform was seen as a prelude to a possible Grand Alliance against the Narendra Modi-powered BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.New Delhi: Even as the call for relief from soaring fuel prices has reached a feverish pitch across the country, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has said that any move to subsidise petrol and diesel prices could have an adverse impact on welfare schemes being planned and implemented by the Central government.

With fears of fuel prices reaching the Rs 100-per-litre mark in the coming weeks, the opposition has flayed the government for minting money while the common man suffers. There have been protests across the country with people at large demanding immediate relief from the ever-increasing prices. Gadkari, in an interview to a national daily, said however that welfare schemes will take a hit if money is used to subsidise petrol and diesel. "This is an unavoidable, economic situation. It is directly linked to the global economy. If we have to sell it cheap, it means we will have to buy it at higher prices and subsidise it here," he told The Indian Express in an interview. "If we subsidise that, all the money from our social security schemes will vanish. We have only a limited amount of money. So if we subsidise, toh gadbad ho jaayega."

Prices of petrol in Delhi at Rs 77.47/litre and Mumbai at Rs 85.29/litre. In Delhi price of Diesel is at Rs 68.53/litre and Mumbai at Rs 72.96/litre.  ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2018

In particular, Gadkari - an advocate of clean energy who had previously outlined his vision for electric cars in India - said that irrigation schemes, rural electrification projects, Ujwala scheme of free LPG to families in villages would suffer if the government cuts back on taxes collected from the sale of petrol and diesel. And while the current government has increased excise tax on the two fuels several times since coming to power, Gadkari termed it as 'the foundation of the economy', adding a final decision on cutting back on taxes would be the prerogative of the Finance Minister.

Interestingly, BJP leaders were at the forefront in venting anger when fuel prices had surged during Congress' rule. In 2008, international crude prices had hit $140 for each barrel, forcing prices in India to jump past Rs 70 per litre. Currently, international crude prices are around $80 dollars per barrel but petrol and diesel prices in India have surpassed even the 2008 figures. That has not stopped several leaders in the ruling party from blaming international scenario for the recent spate of hikes. Fall in production by OPEC countries, current US-Iran tensions and Rupees vs Dollar are some of the arguments that have been used.

And while Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has repeatedly said he has urged for fuel prices to be included in GST, the main roadblock blamed for not doing so has been outlined as reluctance on the part of state governments.Chennai: Despite facing backlash of epic proportions in the wake of police firing live rounds on protestors in Tuticorin on Tuesday and Wednesday, Tamil Nadu CM EK Palaniswami has instead blamed locals for getting violent and said they were misguided by 'certain political parties and anti-social elements.'

Police personnel fired from assault rifles to reign in a crowd of locals who were protesting against a copper smelting plant in Thoothukudi. For three months, the protestors had been blaming the plant for causing pollution in the area but things flared up exponentially on Tuesday. While the Home Ministry has asked Palaniswami for a detailed report, he told mediapersons on Wednesday afternoon that police officials had the right to defend themselves. "The entire episode which happened was primarily because of certain political parties, NGOs and anti-social elements who took protestors to a wrong path," he said. "If someone is attacked, the natural course would be to defend and safeguard themselves. This is what has been done by the police in response," he said. He however did not answer questions on why police used live rounds.

While 11 people have died and many more have been injured, 67 people have been arrested on charges of indulging in violence.

Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu have flayed Palaniswami for not handling the situation in an orderly manner. Earlier on Wednesday, DMK chief MK Stalin demanded the resignation of the CM and DGP Rajendran. He was also detained when he and party workers staged a protest outside Tamil Nadu Secretariate.

Meanwhile, internet services have been suspended for five days in Thoothukudi. But in what would be seen as good news by the protestors, a court order has prohibited any activity in the controversial copper smelting plant and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board has ordered power supply to here to be snapped.Chennai: Taking strong objection to the manner in which the state government handled two days of violence in Tuticorin against a Sterlite Industries' copper smelting plant, DMK has demanded CM Edappadi K Palaniswami's resignation.

Blaming Palaniswami for mishandling the situation which saw police fire from assault rifles, Stalin said that he should put in his papers on moral grounds. "Even after the death of 12 innocent people, no action has been taken against the culprits. CM has become ineffective. Therefore, we demand that CM must resign immediately, DGP Rajendran must resign too," he told mediapersons on Thursday.

Stalin, who visited the injured in local hospitals Thoothukudi on Wednesday, also blamed Palaniswami for not visiting those affected by the violence that erupted over two days. "Is he not concerned about their welfare? He has not even bothered to visit the district and meet the people," said the DMK President.

The party has now called for a statewide bandh on Friday and has demanded that the plant - owned by Sterlite, the copper unit of Vedanta, be permanently shut.

(Also read: Controversy, closure, chaos Vedanta's Sterlite plant has seen it all)

A Madurai bench of Madras High Court on Wednesday had issued a stay order on construction activities here. A day later, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) directed the district collector of Thoothukudi to snap power connection. The main angst against the plant comes from accusations from locals that it is causing large-scale pollution in the area. TNPCB found that despite the court order, there was some activity still being carried out here.

Meanwhile, internet services will remain suspended for five days in Thoothukudi. As many as 67 people have been arrested so far on charges of indulging in violence. Vedanta has urged the state government to ensure the security of its employees in the area even as its stocks stumbled by 2% in early Thursday trading on BSE.Chennai: After two days of intense agitation that left 11 dead, an eerie Thursday dawned in Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu where there have been widespread protests against a copper smelting plant of Sterlite Industries.

While protests against the plant - reportedly due to it causing massive pollution - have been on for close to three months, the tipping point was reached when, according to police reports, 5000 protestors gathered on Tuesday to march towards the construction site. It is alleged that police resorted to firing live rounds using assault rifles to calm the situation and despite absolute outrage, security forces once again fired live rounds on Wednesday killing one. Till Thursday morning, 67 people had been arrested for indulging in violence.

ANI update:

Tamil Nadu: Death toll rises to 13 in the firing by police during #SterliteProtests on May 22 & more than 70 people are undergoing treatment. No fresh protest has been reported overnight. Police has been deployed in large numbers in the sensitive coastal areas. #Thoothukudi pic.twitter.com/U2BKMrJAFP  ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2018

While commercial establishments have remained shut in Thoothukudi - the epicentre of the unrest, internet services too have remained temporarily shut since 2100hrs of Wednesday. The local administration has said services would remain shut for five days.

Meanwhile, the state government has been lambasted for mishandling the situation and for live rounds being fired on protestors. While 11 have died in two days of protests, many more have been injured and are receiving treatment in local hospitals where leaders like Kamal Haasan and Vaiko have since visited. DMK's MK Stalin also visited the injured and the party announced a statewide bandh for Friday, on Thursday morning.

CM Edappadi K. Palaniswami may have announced monetary compensation for families of those killed but it is being widely regarded as a woefully inadequate gesture. The Home Ministry has asked him for a detailed report.

That protests against a corporation - Sterlite is owned by Vedanta - can invite the ire of security forces has shocked public at large. While Vedanta stocks have remained in the turbulent phase since the latest incident of unrest in Tamil Nadu, the company has asked the state government to ensure security for its employees in the disturbed areas. And for now, the construction of the plant has been halted due to a stay order from the Madurai bench of Madras High Court.

Mumbai: Employees and officers of various state-run banks will go on a two-day nationwide strike beginning May 30 in protest against a nominal 2 percent wage hike offered by the Indian Banks' Association (IBA).

During the wage negotiation meeting held on May 5 this year, the IBA had proposed to offer 2 percent hike in the wage bill cost as on March 31, 2017.

The IBA also maintained that the negotiations on officers demands would be restricted up to scale III officers only.

However, this did not go well with the employees and officers of various state-run banks.

"It is only because of provisions towards NPA that banks have booked losses, and for this, bank employees are not responsible," United Forum of Bank Unions' convener Devidas Tuljapurkar told reporters here.

Tuljapurkar said that the bank employees have worked tirelessly in the last two-three years for implementation of government initiatives such as Jan-Dhan, demonetisation, Mudra and Atal Pension Yojana among others but they are not being rewarded for their hard work.

"This has increased the work pressure on them," he said.

In the last wage settlement, which was for the period November 1, 2012, to October 31, 2017, IBA had given a wage hike of 15 percent.

The bank employees will hold demonstrations on May 29 at State Bank of India's main branch at Fort here.

UFBU is an umbrella body of nine unions, including All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW).

(With PTI inputs)Chennai: After two days of intense violence that killed 13 in Tuticorin, the under-construction copper plant of Sterlite Industries faces a dismal future with Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board directing District Collector of Thoothukudi to snap power connections to the site.

The direction comes a day after a Madurai bench of Madras High Court issued a stay order any construction here.

Locals have been protesting against the construction of the plant for three months and have blamed it for rising pollution in the area. Their protest turned violent when, according to police, 5000 gathered on Tuesday to march towards the construction site. To restore order, police fired tear gas and live rounds from assault rifles which drew sharp criticism from across the country. While 67 people have so far been arrested for indulging in violence, the heat is on local police force and the state government.

Thursday's directive from the state's pollution control board may be seen as yet another victory for protestors - especially as the Board, according to news agency ANI, found that activities were still be carried out at the site despite court orders prohibiting it until the unit's license to operate was renewed.

The ground situation, therefore, remains tense.

Internet services in Thoothukudi were suspended at 2100 hours on Wednesday. The local administration has said that services will remain shut for five days.

Meanwhile, politicians have been making a beeline to visit the injured in local hospitals. Kamal Haasan, Vaiko and MK Stalin are some of the key figures to have come down hard on the state government for failing to handle the situation. Stalin's DMK has called for a statewide shutdown for Friday and has also demanded a permanent closure of the controversial plant.

CM Edappadi Palaniswami, who has already announced a compensation for the victims, also faces heat from the Centre with the Home Ministry seeking a detailed report on the incident.NEW DELHI: Radhika Vemula, mother of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula who committed suicide in 2016, offered her condolences to former Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya after his 21-year-old son died of cardiac arrest.

"My deepest condolences to Mr Bandaru Dattatreya and family from the bottom of My Heart. As I know the pain when someone lost their son, I hope you will be fine. Sorry for your loss. Jai Bhim," she said in a Facebook post.

Rohith Vemula, a PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad, had hanged himself in his hostel room on the campus on January 17, 2016 as he was allegedly upset over the disciplinary action taken against him by the varsity.

There had been allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against Dalit students at the behest of the then Union labour minister Dattatreya. It was also alleged that the BJP leader had written a letter to the Education Ministry, seeking action against the Dalit students' "anti-national" acts.

Dattatreya had also been named as a prime accused in the case of abetment to suicide. However, a report of the one-man judicial commission under former Allahabad High Court judge Justice AK Roopanwal had given a clean chit to the BJP leader.

Former Union Minister and BJP MP Bandaru Dattatreya's 21-year-old son died late on Tuesday night following a sudden cardiac arrest. A student of MBBS third year, Vyshnav suddenly collapsed while having dinner.

His sister and brother-in-law, who are doctors, rushed him to a nearby private hospital while giving him first aid in the car. The doctors tried to revive him by putting him on ventilator and taking other measures, but he could not be rescued.

HIs funeral took place at a crematorium in Saidabad on Wednesday. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister Santosh Gangwar attended the funeral. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu spoke to Dattatreya and extended his condolences.Washington: Observing that India is different from traditional American allies for whom the US was the key security provider, a think-tank expert today told the lawmakers that New Delhi would "never" want a relationship of dependence or one in which the US has to incur all costs.

"India would never want a relationship of dependence or one in which the US has to incur all costs," Aparna Pande, Director, Initiative on the Future of India and South Asia at the Hudson Institute, a top American think-tank, told the US lawmakers during a Congressional hearing.

Testifying on 'Asia's Diplomatic and Security Structure: Planning US Engagement' at the hearing, organised by the sub-committee on Asia Pacific of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, She said India's growing economic and security relationships and interest in the Indo-Pacific region was aligned with its deepening partnership with the US.

"However, India is different from traditional American allies whether in Europe, Latin America or Asia for whom the United States was the key security provider," Pande said.

She said India wants to maintain its own security capabilities and does not wish to become a "burden" on the US taxpayer.

"It seeks a relationship that helps build India's resources and capabilities so that India can play a bigger role in the Indo-Pacific," Pande said.

Treating India as a country critical to American interests, the United States could think about a special partnership with India whereby New Delhi could be exempt from many of the export control regulations that govern military sales, she told the lawmakers.

"Thus, India would be able to develop military capabilities with the US technology without adding to America's burden of cost," she said, adding that any attempts to balance ties between India and other South Asian states, notably Pakistan, should be abandoned to enhance India's capacity to confront China.

According to Pande, the economic and military rise of China over the last two decades poses a "challenge" to American preeminence.

Noting that China is gradually creating a new Asian order with Chinese primacy at its heart, she said US strategy needs to be one of renewed engagement with its partners and allies across the region -- India, Japan and South East Asia -- to construct a configuration that will be able to counter the Chinese march.

"Currently, China's economic and military rise faces no structured challenge. Japan's military role is inhibited by its Constitution while many in Australia and the United States have, for years, assumed China to be a benign power and have invested in an economic relationship favouring their potential challenger," Pande said.

With a population of more than one billion, she said, India is also the country with sufficient manpower to match with that of China. "Thus, India would have to be central to any security architecture designed to contain China or aimed at ensuring that China does not transform its considerable economic clout into threatening military muscle in the Asia-Pacific," Pande said.

Amy Searight, Senior Advisor and Director, Southeast Asia Program Center for Strategic and International Studies, said India is an important maritime democracy that has long been a net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region, but it has increasingly turned its strategic focus to East Asia, moving from a 'Look East' to an 'Act East' policy of more active engagement in East Asia security affairs.

Although India still has a way to go to live up to its potential as a strategic and economic partner for Southeast Asia, it has forged much stronger strategic ties with many countries in the region, including the US, Japan, Australia, and Vietnam, Searight said.

She said India's growing voice in regional security dialogues is a welcome development since it vocally supports principles such as freedom of navigation and deep respect for international law.

Michael Swaine, senior fellow in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Asia Program, told the US lawmakers that as long as China continues to grow and develop overseas interests, it will resist, in an increasingly determined fashion, the US efforts to sustain predominance by negating Beijing's efforts to project power along China's maritime periphery, viewing such efforts as a direct threat to its own security.

The resulting intensifying security competition, already well underway -- as reflected in the recently issued US National Security Strategy -- will further polarise the region, inject zero- sum calculations and fears into almost every US or Chinese initiative, and generally force other Asian states to choose between Beijing and Washington on many issues, something they definitely do not want to do, Swaine said.New Delhi: After son Akhilesh Yadav asked for two years to vacate the official government bungalow allotted to him, former SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav too followed suit and sought permission of the same duration to move from his government bungalow.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court had ordered that CM's of Uttar Pradesh will have to vacate their government bungalows once their tenure in office comes to an end. The decision was taken by the apex court while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by NGO Lokprahari. The plea had challenged the decision of the government to allot official bungalows to Chief Ministers after their tenure in the office got over.

Former CM Akhilesh - who suffered a humiliating drubbing in the last state elections, sought two years to abide by the order as he claimed he had no other home to move into. Mayawati of BSP - as per media reports - may be planning to get her government bungalow be deemed as a memorial for party founder Kanshi Ram. And taking a cue for them, Mulayam too appears not too keen on calling the packers. As per a report in Hindustan Times, he has written a letter to the estate department and said he would need two years because he has no suitable home of his own which can accommodate his security detail and the large number of daily visitors he gets. The request is reportedly under consideration and the state government will take a call on it.

Besides Akhilesh, Mayawati and Mulayam, the other former UP CMs currently in possession of government bungalows are Bharatiya Janata Party's Rajnath Singh and Kalyan Singh, and ND Tiwari of the Congress.

In its order, the Supreme Court had said that Section 4(3) of UP Ministers (salaries, allowances & miscellaneous provisions) Act, 2016 is unconstitutional.

And in sharp contrast to the scenario in UP, Tripura's outgoing CM Manik Sarkar vacated his official residence a day after losing the elections later this year. With no home of his own, he and his wife were eventually put up in the CPI(M) office.New Delhi: Maldives is a "challenge" for India at the moment as its current government is more inclined towards China, Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said on Tuesday, indicating that the ties between New Delhi and Male are yet to reach a level of normalcy.

Lanba, however, added that patrolling of the Maldives Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) by the Indian Navy has again commenced and that India would continue to work with the government of the archipelago nation. He also said there is no necessity to get a military dimension to the Quad involving India, the US, Australia and Japan.

"Maldives is a challenge at the moment. The present government in Maldives is more inclined towards China. The constitution has been tweaked and some islands have been given to the Chinese for development. There is no news at the moment of any listening post in the Maldives. There is some development that is going on. We will have to wait and watch," Lanba said in response to a question at an event at the Vivekananda Foundation International.

India's ties with Maldives nose-dived after it criticised the Abdulla Yameen government for imposing a 45-day emergency in the archipelago nation earlier this year.

During the crisis, India had ignored calls for military intervention from the opposition parties in the island nation.The influence of China on Maldives, an island nation in the Indian ocean, considered a backyard of India, has been growing and it is seen as a concern in New Delhi.

Maldives neither participated in the multi-national 'MILAN' naval conclave, a congregation of littoral navies conducted biennially by the Indian Navy at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which was held in mid-March this year nor did its defence minister lead his country's delegation to take part in the DefExpo2018.

"We (India) have an EEZ patrolling (exercise) that we regularly do with Maldives. We just finished one (exercise) last week. The one (exercise) previously held had been called off by the Maldivian government, but that has been recommenced. We continue to train their personnel. We just finished a special forces training camp. We will continue to work with the Maldivian government," Lanba said.

Responding to another question on the Quad, the Navy chief said it was a discussion forum for international good order and peace and following the norms of the United Nations Convention on the Law Of the Sea (UNCLOS).

"We are not going down that route. I don't think there is a necessity to get a military dimension to the Quad," he said.

The Quad is also seen as a move to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region where Beijing has been trying to spread its influence.

The meeting was held in Manila in November last year, which was attended by leaders of the four countries.

Lanba said the rapid growth of the Chinese navy is "apparent" and it is also in collusion with other "adversaries" in the Indian Ocean region.

"Deployment of Chinese naval ships have increased manifold since October 2008 and new bases have been set up," he said citing the example of the Djibouti naval base in Africa.

On a question on deployment of tactical nuclear weapons at sea by Pakistan, the Navy chief said there is no such information, but Islamabad is in the process of developing a cruise missile which it hopes to fit on a submarine that is being built in China.

The missile, he said, is also being built with the help of Chinese technology.

He said the Indian Navy is "well-poised" for handling any exigency and the strategic roadmap the force follows keeps it ready for "assuring peace and winning wars should that become inevitable".

Lanba said India and Bangladesh will hold its first coordinated patrol next month.

Responding to a question on whether he had any interaction with former Navy official Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani court for alleged spying, in his career.

"I don't have access to Kulbhushan Jadhav. Unfortunately, in my service career, we have not worked together. The officer's mother and wife had met up with him. That was the first access we gained of Kulbhushan Jadhav. What we came to know that he is hail and hearty and up and about," Lanba said.

Pakistan permitted a meeting between Jadhav and his mother and wife at Islamabad in December last year.New Delhi: Union Minister of Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar said on Thursday that the Narendra Modi government had brought transparency in government transactions. Speaking at Zee Hindustan's conclave, he said, "Now money does not go into private coffers, it goes to the government treasury... Unlike what happened during the regime of the Congress party, now the full Rs 100 goes to the people... what did not happen in 48 years, has happened in 48 months."

The minister also talked about BJP-led NDA government's initiative like open-defecation free movement, electricity connectivity, LPG gas to the poor woman and Mudra Yojna, among others. "We empowered the poor," he said.

Javadekar further said, "The way the government is being run now has changed. PM Modi is very popular abroad... big rallies are held for him... the world is seeing India with respect now... After 4 years PM Modi has 60% approval rating which is rare anywhere in the world."

He pointed out that BJP's slogan of 'Congress-free India' means freedom from corruption and dynastic rule among other things.

On the education system, Javadekar said, "Together with children, it is important to educate the parents. They think that the most expensive school is the best. That is not always the case... It is important to know what the child is capable of and good at... To improve the quality of government schools is our responsibility... we have also given certain guidelines to CBSE and are bringing transparency in it..."

The Modi government will be completing four years in power at the Centre on May 26. Modi had led BJP to a stupendous victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and had taken oath as the 15th Prime Minister of India on May 26. The Congress was decimated, ending with the lowest ever tally of 44 seats.New Delhi: In a shocking revelation, a twenty-year-old Lashkar terrorist Zaibullah alias Hamza has reportedly told the NIA that apart from sending terrorists into India, Pakistan is also smuggling arms into the country. Zaibullah was arrested on April 6, 2018.

As per Zee Media reports, an arms consignment is sent to Jammu and Kashmir after every two infiltrations. The cargoes are then taken to an area demarcated by Lashkar by porters or guides. Then they cross back to Pakistan.

Zaibullah's disclosure is important considering the fact that as per security forces no terrorist has been caught without a weapon in an encounter. It has been generally believed that terrorists mainly relied on stealing and snatching weapons from the security forces.

The terrorists, who are trained in Muzaffarabad camps, can take weapons from the safe areas. Moreover, Zaibullah has revealed that the consignment consists of only six-seven weapons at a time.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday ordered stepped up vigil along the international borders. A home ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying by news agency PTI that the directive has been given at a high-level meeting which took stock of the progress of construction of border fencing, roads and outposts along India's borders with neighbouring countries. The HM has directed all officials concerned to maintain constant vigil and security on the borders, the spokesperson said.

With regard to the Indo-Pakistan border, Singh expressed satisfaction that 97 percent of the sanctioned border fencing work has been completed. He also reviewed the implementation of pilot projects on Comprehensive Integrated Border Management Systems (CIBMS) on non-physical barriers.

Plus, the HM stressed on utilising space technology for strengthening border guarding and policing.

(With Agency inputs)NEW DELHI: The heightened surveillance and border paroling by the Indian security forces may have compelled the Pakistan Rangers (Pakistani border troops) to devise new ways to avoid detection and take aim at their Indian counterparts.

According to the inputs gathered by the intelligence agencies, the officials of Pakistan Rangers are now relying on 'heat-resistant dress' to avoid detection by the Thermal Imaging Devices installed by the Border Security Force (BSF) to keep an eye on any suspicious activity from across the international border.

The Pakistan Rangers may be using 'thermal camouflage suits' to avoid detection by BSF's night vision devices, the reports said. This has come to light after a BSF jawan was killed along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir in an indiscriminate firing by the Pakistan Rangers on May 18.

This "disturbing" first-time instance has rattled the BSF and the Army which is responsible for ensuring security at the International Border between India and Pakistan and the un-fenced Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

Twenty-eight-year-old Constable Sitaram Yadav of the 192nd battalion of the Border Security Force (BSF) was shot with a precise close-range aim by either a militant or Special Service Group (SSG) trooper from the Pakistani side at about 1:30 am on May 18, the intelligence agencies said.

The 192nd Battalion mans a forward post along the IB in the RS Pora region of Jammu and Kashmir.

The official sources claimed that Yadav was immediately evacuated by two other BSF men present in the nearby post but he later succumbed to his bullet wound in his left eye.

A scrutiny of the local Hand-Held Thermal Imager (HHTI) showed that a very-grained black shadow like movement was recorded on the monitor and it came very close to the BSF post and fired shots, that is suspected to have hit the jawan leading to his death, the electronic surveillance report said.

However, the HHTI, deployed in the border areas for night vision and surveillance, could not clearly pick the black shadow of an approaching man as he might be wearing a 'thermal camouflage suit' that insulates the body heat of a person, the report said.

HHTI picks up the body heat signatures of a living being - a human or an animal - and creates a silhouette that helps the BSF and the Army to check infiltration bids and attacks on their posts in the dead of the night.

"The electronic surveillance of the incident is being analysed and nothing can be ruled out. It could be a new camouflage overall that the Pakistani side is using to take a close aim and hit Indian troops at the border or it could also be an indigenous way of wearing a wet-sack like clothing to evade the HHTI radar," a senior officer in the security establishment was quoted as saying by PTI.

The officer said that this "menacing stealth operation"-- carried out either by terrorists, the SSG or Pak Rangers - is a worrying development and is being investigated thoroughly.

''There are such thermal camouflage or insulation suits available across the globe that are used for such tactical and surprise attacks on the enemy and before anything is conclusively said, all aspects of this latest development have to be studied as it concerns border security,'' the officer added.

(With PTI inputs)NEW DELHI: A Delhi Court, which was hearing the Sunanda Pushkar death case on Thursday, transferred the matter to the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM), Samar Vishal. While transferring the case, it said that there is a special court set up to deal with the cases related to MPs and MLAs. The case will be heard next on May 28.

"Since Tharoor is a sitting Member of Parliament, the matter is being sent to the special designated court for politicians, that is ACMM Samar Vishal. Matter be taken up on May 28," the court said on Thursday.

The Delhi Police earlier on May 14 had filed a charge sheet in the court, in which they named Pushkar's husband and Congress Lok Sabha MP representing Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor as accused, charging him with abetment to suicide under sections 306. In a 3000 page chargesheet filed before Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Singh, Tharoor was also charged under section 498 A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) of the Indian Penal Code.

Tharoor, however, called the chargesheet 'preposterous' and said that he intended to 'contest it vigorously'. "I have taken note of the filing of this preposterous charge sheet and intend to contest it vigorously. No one who knew Sunanda believes she would ever have committed suicide, let alone abetment on my part. If this is conclusion arrived at after 4+ years of investigation it does not speak well of the methods or motivations of the Delhi Police. The Congress leader said questioned the methods or motivations of the Delhi Police pointed out the delay of the chargesheet filing which took place more than four years after the death was reported," he tweeted.

Sunanda was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a suite of a five-star hotel in Delhi on the night of January 17, 2014. Delhi Police has repeatedly come under fire for delaying an investigation into the case, that reached a conclusion after four years. The suite of the South Delhi hotel, where Pushkar had died, was sealed by the police on the night of her death for investigation.LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Thursday arrested a suspected ISI agent from Pithoragarh in a joint operation with local police and the Jammu and Kashmir military intelligence unit. "The accused Ramesh worked as a cook at the house of Indian diplomat in Pakistan and bugged his house with help of ISI to get information," an official said.

Additional Director General (Law and Order) Anand Kumar and ATS IG Aseem Arun said in a press conference that the suspected agent had come to India after staying in Pakistan for two years.

Ramesh had gone to Islamabad in 2015 for household work with an officer in the Indian embassy. He returned to India in 2017. He reportedly got the job at the diplomat's house in Pakistan through his brother who is in the Indian Army.

He had been given a mobile and three SIM. A Pakistani chip had also been found from his possession.

He had come in contact with ISI in Pakistan after which he had become an agent and had started passing on information to them. The officers said that Ramesh was under a debt of about Rs 8 to 9 lakh from banks and from money lenders.

Ramesh has confessed to his role in anti-national activities, a top police official said. He has reportedly accepted that he was paid 1,300 dollars and he has paid back most of the money he owed. Police said that it is likely that he got more money too.

Police have denied any proof of involvement of any officer from the embassy in any spying incident.LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that the so-called Opposition unity will bear no fruits since there are incorrigible differences between those who have united with an aim to defeat the Narendra Modi-powered BJP.

In an exclusive interview with Zee Media, the firebrand monk-politician made a blistering attack on the Congress party, which is trying to unite the like-minded secular parties in order to defeat the formidable BJP.

''Only political parties have come together, there is no meeting of hearts. Even a child knows that ever since the BJP government has come to power in the Centre, the security scenario has changed completely. Today, the farmers are with us, the Jats are with us and all those who want peace are with BJP,'' the UP CM said.

When asked to comment if the by-elections in UP's politically sensitive Kairana Lok Sabha seat on May 28 will be a precursor to the 2019 Lok Sabha battle, the saint-politician said, ''I don't know. This is the seat represented by our late MP Hukum Singh Ji. W just want to take his legacy forward here.''

To a question pertaining to the alleged extortion threats to 12 UP MLAs by a Dawood Ibrahim-linked gangster, the veteran BJP leader said, ''We have constituted a SIT to look into the matter. We have also asked the Special Task Force (STF) and the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) to act swiftly in this regard.''

The MLAs, most of whom are from the ruling BJP, had complained that they got text and WhatsApp messages asking them to pay Rs 10 lakh or their families will be eliminated within three days.

The UP Chief Minister also made a scathing attack on the previous government led by Samajwadi Party for riots across the state and the exodus of Hindus from Muslim-dominated Kairana.

''The riots in Kairana and other parts of the state occurred due to the alleged misgovernance and the appeasement policy of the previous government. Under the Samajwadi Party government, Hindus were implicated in false cases, they were murdered and forced to flee from Kairana. However, the situation has changed ever since the BJP came to power in UP. Our only agenda is development and nothing else. We are giving the dues of sugarcane farmers in Kairana. We have received Rs 300 crore investment proposal for Shamli alone during the recent Investors Summit,'' he added.

UP Chief Minister also attacked NDA ally Shiv Sena and accused it of "back-stabbing" the BJP.

He said Sena's actions are contrary to teachings of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, revered as Hindutva idol by the saffron party.

The UP CM's remarks came hours after JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy was sworn-in as Karnataka Chief Minister at a grand ceremony attended by a galaxy of top leaders and regional satraps in a rare public show of unity perceived as a possible harbinger of a broad-based anti-BJP alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year.

"I urge the voters to vote for BJP, whose government under PM Modi's leadership is capable of taking India on the path of progress," he said. "The symbol of this progress can be only lotus (BJP's symbol) and nothing else. There is an attempt to create an atmosphere against the BJP," he said.

"By God's grace, the Congress has been decimated in the country," he said, adding that the "enemies of development and good governance will also meet the same fate".Srinagar: Blaming overindulgence in use of smartphones by police personnel for spike in weapon-snatching incidents in the Valley, the Jammu and Kashmir police has banned the use of such gadgets by its sentries during duty time. The order, issued by Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Armed, A K Choudhary, said the tendency not only lowered the image of the police, but also compromises with personal security of individuals.

"It has been observed that recent weapon-snatching incidents have occurred due to the reason that sentries on duty remain engaged with their smartphones for most of the time thereby compromising with their legitimate duty. This tendency has considerably increased and resulted in weapon snatching/killing of police in the state, particularly in the Valley," it said.

The tendency not only lowered the image of police organisation, but also compromises with personal security of the individuals, the order states, adding, "This speaks volumes about lack of supervision and sensitization of lower subordinates with inputs and overall security situation in and around a particular area."

The ADGP said in view of these facts, it is ordered that "no sentry shall carry with him any smartphone during duty hours under any circumstances".

The order also said that all sentries, particularly on guard duty, shall wear bullet-proof gear and chain their weapons with their belts properly.

According to the order, "All the guards shall introduce improvised alarm system. All the guard personnel shall remain available round the clock in their respective guard rooms in a state of alertness and in proper uniform during day-time."

Unit duty officers shall take hourly situation report from all company commanders and all guard personnel shall ensure compliance with the standing drill in letter and spirit, the order further read, adding, "They shall have liaised with nearest district police installations/ SFs (security forces) pickets."

The ADGP (Armed) enjoined upon all commandants of Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police and Indian Reserve Battalions and supervisory officers concerned to ensure implementation of the directions in the letter and spirit.

"They shall ensure that all officers/officials of their respective units are briefed adequately in this regard for better results on the ground. In case of any delinquency, the concerned commandants and other supervisory officers shall also be held responsible," the order stated.Srinagar: Suspension of anti-terror operations by security forces in Jammu in Kashmir is likely to continue after Ramzan. The Ministry of Home Affairs had on May 16, 2018, asked security forces not to launch operations in J&K during the holy month of Ramzan. The ministry had said that the decision had been taken to help the "peace-loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment". The Centre had also said that the security forces reserved "the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people".

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

As per Zee Media sources, the government has received feedback that the move has got a positive response in the Kashmir Valley. However, in the wake of the ceasefire, there has been an increase in firing and shelling by Pakistan along the border, which does not want the move to be successful in the state. Security forces have been retaliating with full force and as per BSF reports, Pakistan has had to suffer three times more than India. The para-military force is said to have been sending daily reports of the operations at the border to the Home Ministry.

Meanwhile, there was a lull in firing along the border on Thursday after nine days of intense shelling by Pakistani troops that has left 11 people dead and 60 others injured. "There was no firing and shelling from the Pakistan side today. There is a lull", a senior BSF officer told PTI. But, there was overnight firing and shelling by the Pakistan Army in Lam and Nowshera sectors of Rajouri district, in which one civilian suffered injury, a district official said.

Five civilians including a 10-year-old boy were killed and 14 others were injured as Pakistani troops rained mortars and opened heavy fire on Indian villages and posts along the International Border (IB) and LoC in Jammu, Kathua, Samba and Rajouri districts of Jammu region on Wednesday.

Shelled by Pakistan troops, the bustling Arnia border town and nearly 120 border hamlets along the Indo-Pak border now wear an empty look, with over one lakh villagers abandoning their homes to escape heavy shelling of mortar bombs.

On the other hand, Director General of J&K Police SP Vaid had on May 20, 2018, expressed hope that the Centre's decision to halt anti-terror operations in the state during Ramzan would have a positive impact on everyone. "I hope this (unilateral ceasefire) initiative of the government of India will have a positive effect on everyone including the forces that are sponsoring terrorism," the DGP had told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Srinagar.

"This initiative has been taken in the holy month of Ramzan and (Amarnath) yatra is also as auspicious as Ramzan. I am sure it will pass off peacefully," he had added. Vaid had further said that the holy month of Ramzan is for everyone. "I think Pakistan should also observe it (by giving up violence)," he had said.

(With PTI inputs)JAMMU: Around 25,000 pilgrims are stranded at the Katra base camp in Jammu after a huge forest fire broke out in the jungles there. The yatra to the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine remained suspended for a second consecutive day on Thursday following the forest fire.

While the trek has been halted until the fire is doused, helicopter services have resumed in the area. "A huge forest fire broke out on Wednesday in the Trikuta Hills," a police official confirmed.

The fire department has deployed helicopters to douse the flames. Trenches were also dug to prevent the fire from spreading out.

"The blaze has been contained to a large extent. For the safety of the pilgrims, the passage to the shrine will only be permitted after the blaze is completely put out," the official added.

Indian Air Force helicopters were used on Wednesday to douse the fire using under-slung bambi buckets. A light utility IAF helicopter was also sent for recce to the Trikuta Hills.

Over two crore pilgrims visit the shrine every year.New Delhi: Shares of Vedanta tanked over 2 percent in the early trade on Thursday following anti-Sterlite protests in Tuticorin, about 600 km from Chennai.

People in Toothukudi are demanding the closure of Sterlite copper smelting plant alleging that it was polluting the area, and leading to severe health problems among the residents of the locality, besides depleting the water table.

At 10.30 am Vedanta shares were down 2 percent at 247.60 a piece on BSE. On NSE the company's shares fell 2.14 at 247.25 a piece.

The ongoing anti-Sterlite protests turned violent with thousands of people from nearby areas allegedly attacking the District Collectorate demanding closure of the Vedanta Group-run company. Nine people, including a girl, died on Tuesday in police firing.

Police said nearly 5000 protesters gathered near a local church and insisted on taking a out a rally to the district collectorate after they were denied permission to march to the copper smelter plant.

Initial pushing and shoving soon led to violent clashes, after agitated locals began hurling stones at police and overturned a vehicle. Security personnel used batons and burst teargas shells to break up the protest.

Many were injured in stone-pelting by the agitators, who also set some vehicles on fire. Windscreens of some government cars were smashed and bank premises were attacked by the rampaging mobs. As the violence spiralled, police opened fire, killing nine people.

With PTI InputsMumbai: The Western Express Highway was blocked on Thursday by Congress workers who were protesting sky-rocketing fuel prices across the nation and especially in the state of Maharashtra.

Maharashtra has seen some of the highest petrol and diesel prices in recent weeks with petrol retailing at Rs 85.29 per litre in Mumbai on Thursday - the highest among all four metros. Initially planned as a peaceful protest, the agitation by Congress workers of Mumbai wing quickly flared up and roads on the busy highway were blocked. Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam was leading the agitation and even took a dig at Bollywood celebrities who had previously questioned UPA for high fuel prices but - according to him - are silent now.

(Also read: Maharashtra milkman sells bike, buys horse to deliver milk)

While commuters had to face enormous difficulties due to the highway being blocked for at least two hours, Nirupam later replied to a tweet saying police officials - and not Congress workers had created havoc. He also charged the state government in the same tweet for not reducing taxes.

(Also read: Rahul Gandhi challenges PM Modi to reduce fuel prices)

Earlier in the day, CM Devendra Fadnavis had chosen to blame international crude prices and had then went onto say there was a possibility of petrol and diesel being included in GST. "We have decreased our taxes already but now rates are going up due to rising crude oil prices in international market. So we are trying to make a consensus in GST Council on bringing petroleum under GST," he said at an event.

(Also read: Gadkari says cut in fuel taxes would hamper welfare schemes)

Protests against high fuel prices have been organised in several other states as well with the opposition accusing the Centre of filling its coffers at the cost of the common man. The BJP has increased excise tax on both petrol and diesel nine times since coming to power in 2014. Now, the call is for the government to either roll back or include fuel prices in GST which too would ensure big relief for consumers.

London: 'Black Panther' star Lupita Nyong'o says she led a petition in high school so that her female counterparts could wear make-up. The 35-year-old actor said she had no interest in getting dolled up herself, but wanted the right for others as her peers would not be adversely affected by wearing make-up.

"I went to an all-boys school for high school, and they had girls in the last two classes. This is a school with 700 boys and a handful of girls.

"At one point, there was an archaic rule that said that girls could not wear makeup to school. I was angry that the powers that be were trying to basically oppress and control the small female population. It infuriated me to the point that I started a petition," Nyong'o told InStyle magazine.

"I said to myself, 'Look, if a woman wants to wear makeup to school to feel confident in an environment where she's a minority, why not? It doesn't actually change whether or not she's able to take in the information being given to her in the classroom'," she recalled of her time at St Mary's School in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Oscar-winning actor, who still believes makeup is barely an accessory, made history when went on to become the first black ambassador for Lancome in 2014.Dhaka: Actor and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Priyanka Chopra today sought to draw the world's attention to the plight of Myanmar's Rohingya refugees, as she met Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and lauded the country for its response to the massive humanitarian crisis.

Chopra, who arrived in Bangladesh on Monday on a four-day visit, also visited and met some of the displaced Rohingyas of Myanmar living in the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, a town on the southeast coast of the country.

"The world should learn from Bangladesh," a spokesperson from the prime minister's office quoted Chopra as saying during her meeting with Hasina.

The prime minister's additional press secretary Nazrul Islam said the Bollywood star particularly praised Hasina for shouldering the burden of over a million "forcibly displaced" ethnic minority population of Myanmar during her courtesy visit at the premier's Gonobhaban residence this afternoon.

Chopra, 35, who visited the Rohingya camps for the second time, shared her comparative experience of interacting with the children there, saying over the months they overcame the trauma of violence they witnessed at their homeland, the official said.

"Earlier, when I visited the Rohingya camps I asked the children to draw a picture ... They drew pictures of arms, gunfire and mortar shell from roving helicopters.

"As I told them to do the same this time they drew pictures of sun, animals and nature," Chopra said, terming the change as a "testimony of their inside healing".

"And it was possible due to your motherly shelter and security," she told Hasina.

The prime minister's sister, Sheikh Rehana, and family members were present during the call on.

Chopra, however, feared the Rohingya children still were exposed to a hazardous situation in their camps.

On behalf of the UN's children emergency relief fund, she called upon the international community to extend all out support for the Rohingyas.

The "Quantico" star told Hasina that she was concerned about the possibility of a "generation loss" of a particular ethnicity as a large number of children have no access to education and passing their days roaming around.

"The children may go astray and even become extremists if they are deprived of the opportunity of having education," Chopra feared.

Hasina told Chopra that her government has given shelter to the Rohingyas solely on humanitarian ground as people of Bangladesh experienced the same situation in 1971.

Hasina also said that her government has been making efforts to give the Rohaingyas all support, but it was not possible alone for Bangladesh to mitigate their sufferings and UNICEF and other international agencies should come forward with more support.

According to the UN, the humanitarian crisis caused by escalating violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State has forced close to seven lakh Rohingyas to cross the border into Cox's Bazar.

Not only has the pace of arrivals since August last year till April this year has made this the fastest growing refugee crisis in the world, the concentration of refugees in Cox's Bazar is now amongst the densest in the world.Mumbai: Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput has been roped in to promote two major initiatives of the NITI Aayog.

NITI Aayog and Singh have decided to collaborate towards promoting two major initiatives - promotion of BHIM and the Women Entrepreneurship Platform.

The Press Information Bureau issued a note on Thursday to announce the initiative.

"As part of its larger mandate to promote digital payments across the country, the NITI Aayog has been successfully driving the digital payments campaign in India, wherein it collaborates with youth leaders and public figures to promote the cashless payment systems across the country."

The Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) was launched earlier this year with a mission to establish a vibrant, enabling ecosystem for women entrepreneurs across India.

"It is to promote these efforts that Shri Rajput would be entering into an agreement with NITI Aayog.

The agreement would be signed by Shri Rajput with Ms Anna Roy, Adviser, NITI Aayog in the presence of Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog."New Delhi: The auspicious occasion of Ganga Dussehra, marking the descent of Goddess Ganga, also known as the Ganges is celebrated this year on May 24. The legend has it that Ganga came down from the heaven to earth on this very day.

The festival of Ganga Dussehra takes place on the 10th day, Dashami, of the waxing moon in the month of Jyeshtha, as per Hindu calendar. Devotees celebrate this festival for ten long daysnine days preceding the main festival day.

According to Drikpanchang.com, here are the Ganga Dussehra Pooja Timings:

Dashami Tithi Begins = 19:12 on 23/May/2018

Dashami Tithi Ends = 18:18 on 24/May/2018

Ganga Dussehra is also known as Gangavataran, signifying the descent of Goddess Ganga to earth. The festival usually falls a day prior to Nirjala Ekadashi, but at times both fall on the same day.

LEGEND:

It is said that Goddess Ganga came down from the heaven to earth her in order to purge the cursed souls of Bhagiratha's ancestors. The Goddess resided in Kamandal of Lord Brahma and along with her, she brought the purity of heaven to earth.

The festival is majorly celebrated in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, and West Bengal, where the river flows. Haridwar, Varanasi, Garhmukteshwar, Rishikesh, Allahabad and Patna. Several devotees take a holy dip in the Ganges on this day and perform the aarti on the ghats.

ANI shared visuals on Twitter:

Haridwar: Devotees take holy dip in river Ganga on the occasion of Ganga Dussehra. Devotees believe that the river descended from heaven to earth on this day. #Uttarakhand pic.twitter.com/bNxxH1Hmpc  ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2018

It is believed that taking a dip in the holy river Ganga during these ten days will wash away the sins. Devotees throng the holy river to seek blessings of the Goddess and get rid of their past sins.

In Mathura, Vrindavan and Bateshwar, river Yamuna is also worshipped. A kite-flying event is organised every year and the devotees pray to Goddess Yamuna.

Lakhs of devotees gather at the Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi on this day to take a dip into the holy rive, Ganga.

Here's wishing you all a happy Ganga Dussehra.

Har Har Gange!NEW DELHI: A Tamil Nadu-based advocate has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court seeking action against the erring police officials and a probe by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in connection with the death of protesters during anti-Sterlite protests in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi.

According to reports, the PIL has been filed by advocate GS Mani, who sought a direction from the court for registering an FIR against the Collector, SP and other police officials in connection with the deaths linked to the anti-Sterlite protests.

The petition also seeks compensation of Rs 50 lakh for the kith and kin of the deceased and Rs 25 lakh for those injured during police firing.

The petition also called for restoring the internet services in Tuticorin, Kanyakumari and other affected districts of Tamil Nadu in the aftermath of the incident.

Similarly, a petition has also been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking its direction to NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) to visit the location and conduct a separate inquiry into the violence, instead of asking for a report from state police and chief secretary of the state.

The court is likely to hear the petition on Friday.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that his Ministry had taken cognisance of killing of 12 protesters in police firing in Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu and sought a report from the state on the incident and the prevailing situation.

The Union Home Minister also condoled the loss of lives of people protesting against a copper smelting plant in Thoothukudi and appealed to the people there to maintain peace.

"I am deeply pained at the loss of precious lives during the agitation at Thoothukudi. The MHA has taken cognizance and sought a report from the state on the prevailing situation. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I also pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. I appeal to the people there to remain calm and maintain peace and tranquillity in the region," Rajnath Singh said.

A statement issued by the MHA said that it was in touch with the Tamil Nadu government on violence in Thoothukudi and a detailed report had been sought on the sequence of events and circumstances leading to the loss of lives on Tuesday.

"Tamil Nadu has been requested to furnish a detailed report on the Sterilite Copper smelting plant and asked to provide details of the action taken to restore peace and normalcy."

The Thoothukudi protests turned violent when police fired at thousands of protesters demanding the closure of the Vedanta Group-run Sterlite Industries for polluting the area and leading to severe health problems for area residents, besides depleting groundwater table.HAPUR: An Assistant Sub-Inspector of Delhi Police was shot dead by some unknown bike-borne miscreants in the Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday.

According to reports, ASI Sudhir Kumar Tyagi, posted at the Bhajanpura Police Station, was returning home on a bike with his wife and daughter when three bike-borne miscreants interrupted them. As Tyagi lost control on the bike and fell on the ground, the three bike-borne miscreants fired several rounds of bullets on him. Tyagi was heading towards his village Nagola in the Hapur district when he was attacked. He was posted in the PCR unit of Delhi Police in the Northeast district.

Tyag, who was shot in the stomach, died on the spot. The brazen daylight murder of the police officer stunned the locals present there for a while. However, they immediately rushed Tyagi to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead. The incident took place near the City Kotwali locality on the Modinagar road.

As the news spread, the Superintendent of Police, Sankalp Sharma and all top officers of the Hapur district administration rushed to the crime scene to take stock of the situation. The local police have launched a massive hunt for the miscreants and have constituted several teams to crack the case.

The Delhi Police has been informed about the incident.Seoul: North Korea followed through on a pledge to blow up tunnels at its nuclear test site on Thursday, media reported, as part of steps that have reduced tension on the Korean peninsula and raised the possibility of a summit with the United States.

North Korea has conducted all six of its nuclear tests at the Punggye-ri site, which consists of tunnels dug beneath Mount Mantap in the northeast of the country.

A small group of international media selected by North Korea was on hand to witness the demolition, which Pyongyang says is proof of its commitment to end nuclear testing.

The destruction of the site began at about 11 a.m. with the blowing up and collapsing of a tunnel and an observation post.

South Korean media described how North Korean authorities called out to media to ask if they were ready to film the first blast. They then counted down.

"With a heavy boom that shook Mount Mantap, dirt and broken rocks spilled out from the entrance," South Korean media reported.

After some time, another tunnel and other facilities were destroyed, then a third tunnel and another observation post. About five hours after the operation began, two military barracks were demolished, South Korean media said.

The North Korean offer to scrap the test site has been seen as a major concession in months of easing tension between it, on the one hand, and South Korea and the United States on the other.

North Korea announced in April it would suspend nuclear and missile tests and scrap the test site, and instead pursue economic growth and peace.

But the progress appears to have suffered a setback this month with North Korea raising doubts about an unprecedented June 12 summit in Singapore between its leader, Kim Jong Un, and US President Donald Trump.

The North objects to US demands that it unilaterally give up its arsenal of nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles.

Last week, Trump sought to placate North Korea after it threatened to call off the summit, saying Kim`s security would be guaranteed in any deal and his country would not suffer the fate of Muammar Gaddafi`s Libya, unless that could not be reached.

But the reference to the case of Libya has angered North Korea.

In a statement released by North Korean media on Thursday, Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui called US Vice President Mike Pence a "political dummy" for comparing North Korea - a "nuclear weapons state" - to Libya, where Gaddafi gave up his unfinished nuclear development programme, only to be later killed by NATO-backed fighters.

"It is to be underlined, however, that in order not to follow in Libya`s footstep, we paid a heavy price to build up our powerful and reliable strength that can defend ourselves and safeguard peace and security in the Korean peninsula and the region," Choe said.

Choe said the fate of the summit was "entirely" up to the United States.

"We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us," said Choe.

She said she could suggest to leader Kim that North Korea reconsider the summit if the United States offended the North`s goodwill.

China, North Korea`s sole main ally, said it hoped the summit between Kim and Trump could proceed smoothly, after Trump cast further doubt over whether it would go ahead.

Both countries should cherish the opportunity and all parties should ensure that dialogue leads to a positive outcome, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a regular briefing.

Trump said on Wednesday he would know next week whether the summit would take place as scheduled.

White House aides are preparing to travel to Singapore this weekend for a crucial meeting with North Korean officials to discuss the agenda and logistics for the summit, said U.S. officials in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The apparent destruction of what North Korea says is its only nuclear test site has been widely welcomed as a positive, if largely symbolic, step toward resolving tension over its weapons.

But it comes after North Korean leader Kim declared his nuclear force complete and amid speculation the site was obsolete anyway.

According to recent academic reports, North Korea`s last test, in September, of what it said was a hydrogen bomb, was so large it triggered a collapse inside the mountain, rendering the site geologically unusable for more tests.

Kim has insisted, however, that there were undamaged tunnels at the site, and U.S. intelligence officials have said Punggye-ri remains usable, despite what one official called "some minor geological disturbances" that could be natural or triggered by the September test.In a major show of strength, the Russian Navy on Tuesday successfully test-fired fired four intercontinental nuclear Bulava ballistic missiles from a submarine in the White Sea. The submarine-launched ballistic missile Bulavas, which can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads of 100-150 kilotonnes each and have a range of 8,300 kilometres, were test-fired within a few seconds of each other from the submerged nuclear submarine Yuri Dolgorukiy.

"On May 22, the Project 955 Borei-class strategic nuclear submarine Yuri Dolgorukiy made a successful test salvo launch of four Bulava ballistic missiles from the designated area in the White Sea to targets at the Kura shooting range on the Kamchatka Peninsula within combat training. The missiles were fired from a submerged position, successfully completing the mission. The test confirmed combat readiness of the Project-955 Borei SSBN and the Bulava missile system. It was the first-ever salvo fire from this type of submarines. The SSBN crew demonstrated high professional skills in preparing for the test launch and in the process itself," the statement posted on Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation website said. A video of the test firing was also posted on the site.

The nuclear submarine Yury Dolgorukiy, commissioned in 2014 and capable of carrying up to 16 Bulava missiles, had earlier test-fired the ICBM on June 26, 2017 from the Barents Sea. The same submarine had conducted the salvo launch of two Bulava missiles on September 27, 2016 from the White Sea towards the Kura practice range.

The 12.1 metres long Bulava has a diameter of 2 m and a launch weight of 36,800 kilogrammes. The missile uses a three-stage solid propellant and entered service in 2013.

Yury Dolgorukiy has a capacity to not only carry 16 Bulavas but is also armed with torpedoes and cruise missiles. The submarine has a full displacement of 24,000 tonnes, is almost 160 metres long and 13 metres wide.The Hague: The missile that brought down a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 people on board, belonged to the Russian military, Dutch investigators said on Thursday. For the first time, the Dutch-led team said the missile had come from a unit based in western Russia, the BBC reported.

All people on board the Boeing 777 died when it broke apart in mid-air flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. It was hit by a missile fired from rebel-held territory in Ukraine. Russia said none of its weapons was used.

But Wilbert Paulissen, a Dutch official from the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), told reporters: "All the vehicles in a convoy carrying the missile were part of the Russian armed forces."

He said that after studying all available photos and footage, investigators had been able to trace the convoy to Russia`s 53rd Brigade, which consists of 300 people based in the city of Kursk.

Dutch prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said that a few dozen people of interest had been identified, adding that the probe into who was responsible for downing flight MH17 was now entering its final phases.

Flight MH17 left Amsterdam`s Schiphol Airport on 17 July, 2014 and was due to arrive at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia on the following day.

The plane lost contact with air traffic control about 50 km from the Russia-Ukraine border. It crashed in the Donetsk area, in territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists.

Footage was later released by the Ukrainian government suggesting that a Russian-made Buk missile had been moved across the Russian border the next day.

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Thursday called off his planned June 12 summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in a letter released by the White House.

"I was very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting," he said.

A letter from the President to Chairman Kim Jong Un: "It is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting." pic.twitter.com/3dDIp55xu1  The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 24, 2018

The summit appeared to have suffered a setback earlier this month (in May 2018) with North Korea raising doubts about the summit between Kim and Trump. It had objected to US' demand that it unilaterally give up its arsenal of nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles.

However, last week, Trump had sought to placate North Korea, saying Kim's security would be guaranteed in any deal and his country would not suffer the fate of Libya. The reference to the case of Libya has angered North Korea.

Meanwhile, North Korea followed through on a pledge to blow up tunnels at its nuclear test site on Thursday, its state media has reported, as part of steps that have 'reduced tension' on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea has conducted all six of its nuclear tests at the Punggye-ri site, which consists of tunnels dug beneath Mount Mantap in the northeast of the country.

A small group of international media selected by North Korea witnessed the demolition, which Pyongyang says is proof of its commitment to end nuclear testing. The destruction of the site began at about 11 am with the blowing up and collapsing of a tunnel and an observation post, as per Reuters. North Korea's state-run news agency KCNA reported that there was no leak of radioactive materials or any adverse impact on the surrounding ecological environment.

The South Korean government welcomed the test site destruction by calling it "the first meaningful step to realise complete denuclearization which North Korea expressed through including the inter-Korean summit." South Korean media described how North Korean authorities called out to media to ask if they were ready to film the first blast. They then counted down. After some time, another tunnel and other facilities were destroyed, then a third tunnel and another observation post. About five hours after the operation began, two military barracks were demolished, South Korean media said.

The North Korean offer to scrap the test site has been seen as a major concession in months of easing decades of tension with South Korea and the US. North Korea had announced in April 2018 it would suspend nuclear and missile tests and scrap the test site and instead pursue economic growth and peace.

(With Reuters inputs)Russian cyber-aggression is aimed at destabilizing the situation in Ukraine during the Champions League final

Read the original text at 112.ua.

Open source

Ukraines Security Service (SBU) declares in its press-release that on the eve of the UEFA Champions League final in Kyiv that Russia is preparing some possible powerful cyber attack against Ukrainian state structures.

Thus, the specialists in cybersecurity of the SBU are studying the next possible wave of mass attack against the devices deployed in Ukraine.

Malicious software that can be used by the hackers is called VPNFilter.

SBU says that such attacks have been recorded few times around the world since 2016. According to the information received, this time the geographic focus of the attack is directed precisely at the Ukrainian segment of the Internet.

The findings of the forensic study show that the VPNFilter virus software allows attackers to intercept all traffic passing through the affected device (including authorization data and personal data of payment systems), collect and download information, remotely control the infected device, and even disable it.

Experts of the Security Service of Ukraine believe that the infection of equipment on the territory of Ukraine is a preparation for the next act of Russian cyber aggression, aimed at destabilizing the situation in the country during the Champions League final.

This is also evidenced by the fact that the planned cyber attack mechanism coincides with the techniques that were used in 2015-2016 during the BlackEnergy cyberattack. It is noted that law enforcers are already involved in neutralizing the threat. The SBU stresses that without the owners eliminating the vulnerabilities of the final equipment, it is impossible to prevent new waves of such cyber attacks.

Taking into account the possible risks, the SBU and the National Police have informed potential "victims" of the attack, in particular, the relevant infrastructure facilities and public authorities.

To prevent loss of information, interference in the operation of network devices and to prevent the negative consequences of the defeat of the above network devices by malicious software, cybersecurity SBU specialists strongly recommend taking such measures:

- Users and owners of home routers, wireless routers for small offices and network file storage must immediately restart them in order to remove potentially dangerous malicious program modules of the device;

- If these are client's network routers, controlled by the Internet service providers, to perform their remote reboot;

- If there is a reason to consider any device in the local network affected by the specified type of malicious software, then immediately update its firmware to the latest version;

- In case the operating system of the network device has the function of accessing its file system, check the presence of files in the directories "var /run/vpnfilterw", "var/run/tor", "var/run/torrc", "var/run/tord" and delete their contents.

As was reported before, before a large wave of cyber attacks of the NotPetya virus occurred on June 27, 2017. From the extortion virus, which demanded bitcoins for unlocking computers, many Ukrainian sites were affected: Boryspil, Ukrposhta, Ukrtelecom, and a number of ministries and banking systems. In the UK, dozens of organizations have suffered from the virus, including postal services, as well as advertising, legal, logistical, and financial companies.A 22-year-old commander of the snipers' squad of 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade was killed in Donbas Conflict. 'Back and alive' group reported this on Facebook.

It is noted that specialist Bohdan Kolomiets was a commander of the 2nd unit of the snipers' squad of the 24th Brigade and died not far from Zaitseve village.

Kolomiets grew up in Luka-Meleshkivska village, Vinnytsia region. He studied at the Technological University in Vinnytsia. Bohdan Kolomiets left the parents, sister and grandparents.

As we reported the fire density in the war-affected Donbas has increased lately; on May 22, Russian militants attacked Ukrainian positions 49 times. As is known, that resulted in the death of a Ukrainian serviceman and injuries of another three. On Tuesday evening, the situation somewhat complicated, as the enemy attacked the residential area in Talakivka and Mariinka. A sniper opened fire in the residential quarter of Mariinka, killing a local resident.

On May 22, Russian mercenaries attacked Ukrainian positions in Donbas 49 times. One government serviceman deceased in action, while another three sustained injuries.There was no information on casualties yet

The hospitals of Toretsk city in Donetsk region were damaged due to militants shelling. This was reported by the Chief Department of Donetsk region Emergency Service.

On May 24 at 6:40 am, the rescue service received information about the shelling in Toretsk city at 5:20 am, the message says.

City anti-tuberculosis institution of Toretsk was under attack. Due to the shelling, 16 windows and a gas pipe of the building were damaged.

The shelling also damaged municipal psychoneurological hospital of Toretsk, in particular, 2 ironclad slabs, 58 windows, 6 doors and 2 cars.

There was no information on casualties yet.

As it was reported earlier, Russia-backed militants attacked Toretsk, Donetsk region. The shells hit the building of a local social and psychological rehabilitation centre; there were 28 children inside at the time - aged from three to 17 years old.

The law enforcers evacuated the staff and the children to the safe area. The building of the centre took minor damage; no casualties were reported in the attacks.

Related video:In the so-called humanitarian convoy there are supposedly children's food kits and equipment for emergency rescue operations

Russia sent its so-called 77th humanitarian convoy to the occupied Donbas. This was reported by the press service of Russian Emergency Service.

The humanitarian column of the Russian Emergency Service has reached the Donetskand Matveev Kurgan checkpoints on the Russian-Ukrainian border. All cars of the columnhave passed the necessary customs procedures in accordance with the international legislation on the delivery of humanitarian goods, the department assures.

According to the agency, the humanitarian convoy contains more than 400 tons of humanitarian cargo, which supposedly consists of children's food kits and equipment for emergency and rescue operations.

The entire cargo will be fully unloaded at the checkpoints of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and will be further distributed among the regions of the occupied territory.

As it was reported earlier, Russia sent its 76th so-called humanitarian convoy to the occupied by the militants Donbas on May 8.

Russian authorities have been sending the so-called humanitarian convoys to Ukraine since August 2014. The Russian side claims the trucks carry food, water, medicines, books, agrarian instruments and other necessities. Ukrainian border guards cannot check the contents of trucks, and Russia refused to send their humanitarian aid through the controlled checkpoints on the border, as requested by Ukraine. Ukraine insists there are weapons and ammunition aboard the trucks, so they reach Kremlin-backed militants that keep on attacking Ukrainian positions.

Related video:After the annexation of Crimea, searches and interrogations of the local population are regularly conducted on the peninsula

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine voiced its protest in connection with the detention of the delegate of the Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar people Asana Egiz in Russia-annexed Crimea. This was reported by Mariana Betsa on Twitter.

"The hybrid deportation in action. We protest in connection with the kidnapping of the Qurultay delegate Asan Egiz by the occupant," the statement said.

Also, in connection with this incident Ukraine will turn to the International Court of Justice.

As it was reported earlier, Russian security forces detained Asan Egiz, Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People delegate, in annexed Crimea, as Refat Chubarov, the Chairman of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, wrote.

According to Chubarov, Abdurman Egiz, Asans brother, who arrived at the site, did not find the car of Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People delegate. Chubarov added that Asans brother went to Russian Federal Security Service in Crimea to find his brother.

Zair Smedlya, the Head of Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People Central Election Committee, confirmed the information on Asans detention.

At the same time, the representatives of Russian Federal Security Service Administration in Crimea deny the delegates detention. Aider Azamatov, the lawyer, who is searching for Egiz, said.

Asan Egiz, Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People delegate, detained in Crimea on May 23 was beaten and left on a highway, as Refat Chubarov, the Chairman of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, reported.The restrictions will last for three years; they take place due to the ban of scrap metal from Ukraine to the non-recognized Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic

The 'Moldovan Metallurgy Factory', the black metal enterprise located in Rybnitsa, Transnistria, faced the sanctions by the Ukrainian government. The restrictions will last for three years, UAProm reports.

The respective measure is foreseen by the presidential decree No.126; the sanctions include blocking assets, limiting trade operations, preventing withdrawal of assets out of Ukraine, canceling of economic and financial boundaries, as well as the ban on state procurement.

Ukrmetalurgprom company previously upheld the ban of export of black metals to the non-recognized state of Transnistria; currently, Ukraine exports 20 percent of the scrap metal to this country.The Ukrainian government will sue Russia and file the respective memorandum to the UN International Court on June 12, - Foreign Ministry

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry plans to sue Russia for violation of International Convention for the Suppression on Financing of Terrorism. Olena Zerkal, Ukraine's deputy foreign minister posted this on Facebook.

The Ukrainian authority said this in the view of the latest conclusions made by the Joint Investigation Group from the Netherlands, which looks into the MH17 tragedy.

'The transportation of Buk missile launcher by the 53rd anti-air defense brigade of Russia's Armed Forces is the direct proof of the fact that Russia suppled the weapon used for the downing of the civilian jet', she said.

Zerkal stressed that Russia's actions violate the 1971 Montreal convention and the International Convention for the Suppression on Financing of Terrorism. 'We will send the respective memorandum, which is to be submitted for consideration of the UN International Court on June 12', she concluded.

Dmytro Storozhuk, the First Deputy Prosecutor General reported that the joint investigation group has established that 'Buk' was in the service of Russia's Armed Forces, particularly 53rd Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade from Kursk.

'This weapon was not bought by the separatists at the military store; it was not bought and supplied to the crime site by any other way. Dutch Chief Prosecutor Frederic Westerbeke clearly stated that the shot at the passenger place of Malaysian airlines was made from the weapon of the Russian Federation delivered to the territory of Ukraine. it is not just a statement, it is evidence gathered in accordance with all necessary procedural demands and it will be passed to the court', he reported.

As is known, Boeing 777 of Malaysian Airlines, flight MH17 was on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala-Lumpur, when it crashed in the militant-held area of Donetsk region in July 2014. The aircraft carried 298 people; no one survived. Experts found out that the passenger plane was shot down by a missile, fired from Buk, the Russia-made anti-aircraft missile launcher. The weapon was brought to Donbas by pro-Kremlin militants. Moscow has been denying any ties to the disaster.It was noted that Asan Egiz was taken in an unknown direction by the Russian security forces

Russian security forces detained Asan Egiz, Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People delegate, in annexed Crimea, as Refat Chubarov, the Chairman of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, wrote on Facebook.

Near Pionerskoye village Russian punishers on Volkswagen car equipped with flashing lights and sound units forced a car of Asan Egiz, Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People delegate, in annexed Crimea, to pull over. Having made sure that Asan Egiz was the detainee, Russian punishers took him in their car in an unknown direction, Chubarov wrote.

According to Chubarov, Abdurman Egiz, Asans brother, who arrived at the site, did not find the car of Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People delegate. Chubarov added that Asans brother went to Russian Federal Security Service in Crimea to find his brother.

Zair Smedlya, the Head of Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People Central Election Committee, confirmed the information on Asans detention.

At the same time, the representatives of Russian Federal Security Service Administration in Crimea deny the delegates detention. Aider Azamatov, the lawyer, who is searching for Egiz, said it in the comment for Krym.Realii.

We have been to the Federal Security Service Central Administration. We have been told that he was not here and he was not taken here today. We left an application and we are going to the Centre, maybe we will find out something there. If we have nothing there, we will go to the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate - we may get some information there, Azamatov said.

Earlier, Russia annexed Crimea in March, 2014. Crimea was declared a temporarily occupied territory, The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has officially declared February 20, 2017 the beginning of Russias occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol. Petro Poroshenko, Ukraines President, signed a relevant law on October 7, 2015. The international organizations acknowledged the occupation of Crimea and condemned Russias actions. Western states imposed a series of economic sanctions. Russia denies the occupation of the peninsula and calls it a restoration of historical fairness.

After Russia annexed Crimea, the population of the peninsula is being regularly searched and questioned. The human rights defenders describe it as a struggle against dissidence.The attacker carried two hand grenades and a pistol; the wounded man is the NGO chairman

A shooting incident occurred at 'Cherkashchyna' NGO central office in Cherkasy, central Ukraine. The local media reported that on Thursday.

The police got a call about a man that attacked the office in the evening. The attacker had two hand grenades and a pistol with him; he locked himself up inside the room.

The police stormed the building. One of those inside the building was wounded in action; later, 112 Ukraine TV channel reported that he was the CEO of this organization. He was taken to a hospital.

Later, the local reporters found out that another man was killed in the police operation. The deceased man was Serhiy Gura, the MP and the former deputy mayor of Cherkasy.That the joint investigation group has established that 'Buk' was in the service of Russia's Armed Forces, particularly 53rd Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade from Kursk.

The investigators from the Netherlands found another confirmation that MH17 plane was shot down from Russian 'Buk' missile system. Particularly, they got fingerprints from the ammunition. Wilbert Paulissen, the Head of Criminal Investigations Central Department of the Netherlands' National Police claimed this as 112 Ukraine broadcasted.

'We have analyzed all available for us pictures of 'Buk' missile systems. We succeeded t got fingerprints from the ammunition that shot down the place. We understand that this ammunition coincided with that owned by Russia's military brigade', Paulissen said.

He added that 'the investigations confirmed that the plane was shot down from 'Buk' transferred from Russia to the uncontrolled territory'.

Dmytro Storozhuk, the First Deputy Prosecutor General reported that the joint investigation group has established that 'Buk' was in the service of Russia's Armed Forces, particularly 53rd Anti-Aircraft Rocket Brigade from Kursk.

'This weapon was not bought by the separatists at the military store; it was not bought and supplied to the crime site by any other way. Dutch Chief Prosecutor Frederic Westerbeke clearly stated that the shot at the passenger place of Malaysian airlines was made from the weapon of the Russian Federation delivered to the territory of Ukraine. it is not just a statement, it is evidence gathered in accordance with all necessary procedural demands and it will be passed to the court', he reported.

As is known, Boeing 777 of Malaysian Airlines, flight MH17 was on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala-Lumpur, when it crashed in the militant-held area of Donetsk region in July 2014. The aircraft carried 298 people; no one survived. Experts found out that the passenger plane was shot down by a missile, fired from Buk, the Russia-made anti-aircraft missile launcher. The weapon was brought to Donbas by pro-Kremlin militants. Moscow has been denying any ties to the disaster.It is expected that the issue will be raised during the next plenary session

Open source

European Parliament at the next plenary session the will raise the issue of the situation with the arrest of RIA News-Ukraine Chief Editor Kyrylo Vyshynsky. This was reported by Izvestia agency.

According to the agency, the MEPs, as well as some of the deputies of national parliaments, are planning to appeal to the Ukrainian government with a request to solve the situation.

Jaromir Kohlicek, the MEP from the Czech Republic, said that the letter would be forwarded next week.

"I am member of a Parliamentary Group of Friendship with Ukraine under the auspices of the European Parliament. Next week there will be a European Parliament plenary session during which I will ask the head of the group to hand over a letter to Ukrainian colleagues related to the situation with Vyshynsky," he said.

As it was reported earlier, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea have exposed the network of the media entities controlled by the Russian Federation.

Actions of Kyrylo Vyshynsky, Head of RIA News-Ukraine were preliminarily qualified as the state treason. Ihor Ponochevny, the Head of Supervision Department for Criminal Proceeding of the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea claimed this. They held five authorized searches: two at the offices and three at the apartments. It was claimed that Vyshynsky initiated active actions on the support of the terrorist organizations 'Donetsk People's Republic' and 'Luhansk People's Republic' after his return from Russia to Kyiv.

Related video:Open source

he Ukrainian authorities have blocked the assets of businessman Serhy Kurchenko who is on the international wanted list as it is stated in the order of Ukraine's President #126/2018.

According to the order, the assets of Kurchenko will be blocked (his right to use and manage the property is temporarily restricted). Moreover, the measures to prevent the capital outflows from Ukraine will be assumed.

Also, Kurchenko is banned from the participation in the privatization and rent of the state property. The number of the full or partial prohibitions for the transactions with the securities which issuers are persons included in the sanctions list will be applied against him.

Moreover, the issuance of the permissions and licenses of the NBU for investments abroad and placing of the currency at the assets and contributions is also banned.

The sanctions imposed for three years.

It is the first time when Kurchenko is put on the sanctions list of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

As we reported Petro Poroshenko has signed a decree that introduced the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) on the targeted sanctions against persons and entities connected with the Russian aggression.

The sanctions are imposed for three years or indefinitely to individuals and legal entities which are involved in Russian aggression against Ukraine, preparing and conducting illegal voting in the occupied Crimea within the framework of the presidential elections, representatives of the Russian occupation administration in Crimea, militants of Russian armed groups in the occupied territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, etc.

Besides, sanctions were imposed on people who are involved in the information and cyber attacks against Ukraine,  in unlawful actions against Ukrainian citizens which are illegally detained in Russia, on members of the State Duma and members of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, etc.The Interpol has refused to put Vladimir Tyurin suspected in the murder of Russia's State Duma MP Denis Voronenkov on the international wanted list as Ukrainian News reported citing the source at the law enforcement bodies.

According to the source, the refuse to put Tyurin on the wanted list was explained by the political prosecution.

Moreover, Yaroslav Levenets suspected in the accessory to murder was not also put on the wanted list.

It is noted that the proper answer was filed about a month ago.

At the same time, Ukrainian News reported citing spokesperson of the National Police Yaroslav Trakalo that Tyurin was put on the wanted list.

'On May 16, according to the record of the Secretariat General of the Interpol, the mentioned person was put on the wanted list', Trakalo is cited.

The Prosecutor General's Office (GPU) has officially appealed with the proper request to the Ukrainian bureau of the Interpol.

'The GPU has appealed to the Ukrainian bureau of the Interpol passing the parcel of the documents to put Tyurin on the international wanted list. The Ukrainian bureau filed the parcel to the Secretariat General of the Interpol where the decision to satisfy this motion was made', Trakalo added.

As it was reported earlier, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko announced the results of the investigation of Voronenkovs murder. According to the prosecution, Vladislav Tyurin is a crime boss with the FSB connections, who commissioned the murder as he had personal reasons: his former partner Maria Maksakova became Voronenkovs wife.

The former MP of the Russian State Duma Denis Voronenkov was shot in the downtown of Kyiv on March 23 at the intersection of Pushkinska and Shevchenko streets near the hotel Premier Palace. The body guard of the former MP injured the attacker. The medical workers tried to save the life of the shooter but he died in the hospital.

The shooter is the citizen of Ukraine, born in 1988 Pavlo Parshov. He was born in Sevastopol and was enlisted by the Russian special services and had the aim to infiltrate the Armed Forces of Ukraine or National Guard.

The Holosiivo District Court of Kyiv extended the pre-trial restriction in terms of detention for 36-years old citizen of Pavlograd, Dnipropetrovsk Region Yaroslav Tarasenko on August 10. He was detained on suspicion of implication in the murder of Voronenkov. He is accused of intentional homicide committed by the previous concert, group of persons and provided by the part two, article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.The leaders of the two countries exchanged views on the topical issues of the bilateral and international agenda

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko held a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This was reported by the press service of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine.

The parties stressed the importance of accelerating the negotiation process for concluding a free trade agreement between Ukraine and Turkey, the statement said.

The interlocutors also talked about the ways to expand mutually beneficial cooperation in energy, aviation and defense.

Ukraines President thanked President of Turkey for his unaltered position on supporting the territorial integrity of Ukraine and protecting the rights of the Crimean Tatars, the message reads.

As it was reported earlier, the Ukrainian government intends to sign a free trade agreement with the government of Turkey, following a similar deal with the European Union, Canada, and Israel. The announcement was made by the Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman on April 16.

Earlier, on 28 March, Volodymyr Groysman announced that his government and its Israeli counterpart had reached the final stage of negotiations on signing the agreement on the creation of a free trade area between the two countries. According to the Prime Minister, the agreement could benefit Ukraine to the tune of $800 million.Earlier, it was reported that Asan Egiz, Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People delegate, was forced to get into a car and taken in an unknown direction

Asan Egiz, Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People delegate, detained in Crimea on May 23 was beaten and left on a highway, as Refat Chubarov, the Chairman of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, wrote on Facebook.

Asan is badly beaten. Later, we expect an explanation on what happened from Aider Azamatov, the lawyer, Chubarov wrote.

He added that according to Abdurman Egiz, Asans brother, people wearing police uniform stopped the car of Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People delegate.

Then, he (Asan Egiz) was forced to get into the car and taken away. They put a sack on his head, tied his hands, threw on the cars floor. He was stopped on Simferopol-Bakhchysarai highway. From the mentioned place Asan came back to Simferopol, the brother of the detainee noted.

As we reported earlier, Russian security forces detained Asan Egiz, Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People delegate, in annexed Crimea. Near Pionerskoye village Russian punishers on Volkswagen car equipped with flashing lights and sound units forced his car to pull over. Later, the perpetrators took Egiz in an unknown direction.

Earlier, Russia annexed Crimea in March, 2014. Crimea was declared a temporarily occupied territory, The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has officially declared February 20, 2017 the beginning of Russias occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol. Petro Poroshenko, Ukraines President, signed a relevant law on October 7, 2015. The international organizations acknowledged the occupation of Crimea and condemned Russias actions. Western states imposed a series of economic sanctions. Russia denies the occupation of the peninsula and calls it a restoration of historical fairness.

After Russia annexed Crimea, the population of the peninsula is being regularly searched and questioned. The human rights defenders describe it as a struggle against dissidence.Now the fishermen are in the custody

The FSB of Russia has opened the criminal cases due to the poaching against two Ukrainian fishermen detained in Azov Sea on May 10. TASS reported this citing the press service of the FSB Border Guard Service in Krasnodar Krai.

'The criminal proceedings were opened against the citizens of Ukraine detained on May 10 for the illegal extraction of the aquatic bio-resources in the waters of the Azov Sea', the message said.

FSB reminded that the Krasnodar border guards detained the fishers without the documents when they aimed to the place where the illegal fishing gear was placed earlier.

'The illegal actions were stopped by the officers of the Coast Guard patrolling this region', the FSB noted.

The fishers were taken to Yeysk port and the vessel was arrested. The criminal proceedings opened due to the illegal extraction of the aquatic bio-resources and illegal extraction and turn of high-value wild animals and aquatic bio-resources belonging to species from Red Data Book of Russia or protected by the international agreements of Russia. They can be imprisoned from two up to seven years.

The source from the law enforcement bodies claimed that the fishers are in the custody.

'The court decided to hold them in the custody. They should be transferred to the temporary detention facility in Krasnodar', he said.

As we reported two fishermen from Berdiansk (Zaporizhia region), who went missing in the Sea of Azov, were probably detained by Russian border guards and are in Yeysk, Krasnodar Krai.

Wife of one of the fishermen, who set sail in the Sea of Azov on May 10 on a motorboat and did not come back, called the duty room of Berdiansk National Police on May 11 at 18:26.

The woman informed the police that she received a call from Russias Border Guard Service and found out that her husband and his friend are in Yeysk, Krasnodar Krai.

On May 4, Ukrainian fishing vessel YMK-0041 (home port Ochakov) was detained 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.

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 16.Open source

Ukraine has imposed the sanctions against the number of the Russian mass media, including Russia-24, Channel One, NTV, Nashe Radio as it is stated in the order of Ukraine's President #126/2018.

The next mass media faced the sanctions:

- joint-stock company 'Channel One', official representative office of the joint-stock company 'Channel One', open joint-stock company 'NTV TV Company', joint-stock company 'Channel One. Worldwide network';

- TV Channel 'RTR-Planet', information 'TV Channel Russia-24' that are the part of the federal state unitary enterprise 'Russian state TV and Radio broadcasting Company';

- federal state unitary enterprise 'Russian state TV and Radio broadcasting Company';

- open joint-stock company 'NTV+';

- open joint-stock company 'TV and Radio Company of Armed Forces of Russian Federation 'Zvezda';

- joint-stock company 'TNT-Network';

- joint-stock company 'Moscow Media';

- autonomous non-profit organization 'Information center of radio broadcasting, art and culture 'Fate, Hope, Love'';

- federal state unitary company 'International information agency 'Russia Today'';

- closed joint-stock company 'National media group';

- open joint-stock company 'TV and Radio Company Petersburg';

- limited liability company 'Aktsept', TV channel 'Rent TV';

- autonomous non-profit organization 'Public TV of Russia';

- limited liability company 'Media Content';

- limited liability company 'Promedia';

- limited liability company 'Nashe Radio.

The sanctions are imposed for three years.

The main sanctions are the blocking of the assets  the temporarily restriction of right to manage the property; stop of the execution of economic and financial obligations; ban for use of the radio-frequency resources of Ukraine, restriction and stop of the provision of the TV-communication services and use of the TV-communication networks of the common use.

The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine reported to 112.ua that the absence of some companies in the new sanctions list does not mean that the sanctions were lifted.

The council emphasized that the new list extended the number of the companies and persons against which the sanctions have been already imposed and extended the sanctions imposed in 2017 for one year.

The companies that faced sanctions for three years in 2017 were not included in the 2018 list.

As we reported Ukraine has suspended the work of the agency RIA News-Ukraine for three years. Ukraine obliged Internet providers to block access to the internet resource of the agency - rian.com.ua.

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.As we reported Poroshenko has signed a decree that introduced the decision of the NSDC on the targeted sanctions against persons and entities connected with the Russian aggression

Open source

Ukraine has imposed 3-year sanctions against WebMoney, the Russian supplies of the coal from Donbas and producers of the mineral fertilizers as it is stated in the order of Ukraine's President #126/2018.

Ukraine imposed the sanctions against 'Fosargo', 'Mineral-Chemical company 'Eurokhim'', 'Joint Chemical Company 'Uralkhim' and number of other Russian largest producers of the mineral fertilizers.

The sanctions imposed for three years in the form of the blocking of the assets, the restriction of the trade activities, prevention of the capital outflows from Ukraine, stop of the execution of the economic and financial obligations and ban for the public procurement.

Moreover, Ukraine imposed the sanctions against the largest suppliers of the coal from occupied Donbas  'Coal technologies' and 'Gaz-Alliance' that is owned by businessmen Serhy Kurchenko. The term of the sanctions is also three years, the types of the sanctions: the blocking of the assets, the restriction of the trade activities, and prevention of the capital outflows from Ukraine.

Also, one year of the sanctions in the form of the restriction of the trade activities was imposed against Belarusian ' Mozyr Distillery' and three years of the sanctions were imposed against Belarusian 'Mir Piva'.

WebMoney system of the immediate internet-payments also faced the sanctions. Morever, the sanctions imposed against WM Transfer Ltd (Lithuania), VMR (Russia), WebMoney.Ru (Russia), non-bank credit organization 'Online clearing house' (Russia), WebMoney Europe Ltd (the UK), Amstar Holdings Limited (Hong Kong) , INDX Transactions Ltd (British Virgin Islands), Ukrainian representative office of 'Financial company Elmi', WebMoney. UA and others.

As we reported Petro Poroshenko has signed a decree that introduced the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) on the targeted sanctions against persons and entities connected with the Russian aggression.

The sanctions are imposed for three years or indefinitely to individuals and legal entities which are involved in Russian aggression against Ukraine, preparing and conducting illegal voting in the occupied Crimea within the framework of the presidential elections, representatives of the Russian occupation administration in Crimea, militants of Russian armed groups in the occupied territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, etc.

Besides, sanctions were imposed on people who are involved in the information and cyber attacks against Ukraine,  in unlawful actions against Ukrainian citizens which are illegally detained in Russia, on members of the State Duma and members of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, etc.The assets of the agency will also be blocked as a part of sanctions

Ukraine has suspended the work of the agency RIA News-Ukraine for three years. This was stated in the decree of Ukraine's President.

Ukraine obliged Internet providers to block access to the internet resource of the agency - rian.com.ua.

According to the document, assets of the agency will be blocked within the sanctions - temporary restriction of the right to use and handle property will come into force.

In addition, according to sanctions, the restriction or termination of telecommunication services and the use of public telecommunication networks will take effect.

As it was reported earlier, European Parliament at the next plenary session the will raise the issue of the situation with the arrest of RIA News-Ukraine Chief Editor Kyrylo Vyshynsky.

According to the agency, the MEPs, as well as some of the deputies of national parliaments, are planning to appeal to the Ukrainian government with a request to solve the situation.

Jaromir Kohlicek, the MEP from the Czech Republic, said that the letter would be forwarded next week.

Related video:The walls of the gallery at Sanitary Tortilla Factory (401 Second Street SW) are bare. Instead, new works by Kacie Smith and Emma Difani are laid across the floors, which we carefully step around. A fresh coat of white paint is drying, and soon their joint exhibition, Still Moving, will open. The works by these two Albuquerque-rooted artists examine the world outsidehow we interact with landscapes both urban and pastoral and integrate ourselves into them, making home wherever we go.

Emma Difani

Difani's work is born of time spent at a printmaking residency in Oklahoma City; Difani's pieces are about being in isolated Cantabria, on Spain's north coast, studying transhumance, a traditional way of migratory ranching. Though independent bodies of work, each expresses ways of interacting and being in place, bringing to it a certain sense of wonder.

A few days before Still Moving opened (the show runs until June 22), Difani and Smith spoke to us about their work.

Alibi: How do your works speak to each other?

Difani: I'm using a city setting and experiencing nature in that, and [Kacie] is using a less constructed setting, and [looking at] how people influence it. It's like an inverse of my work.

Smith: Emma is from here, and looking at Oklahoma City. I live here, and I was a visitor and researcher in Spain. In both cases we have fresh eyes and curiosity.

Difani: It's very much about exploration and getting to know these places through direct experience with the land.

How do these mediums illuminate these ideas?

Smith: What was surprising to me in my time was  there was actually a tension between the history of the place, the culture and tourism.  I decided for the show to make a lot of handmade objects and ceramic pieces, but also photographs printed on vinyl. For me the materials of this show are about clashes in certain ways. What does it mean to live a traditional livelihood of migratory ranching now.

Difani: Most of my work in this show uses printmaking techniques. I am doing a residency at a printmaking studio in Oklahoma City,  the reason I'm attracted to printmaking is the ability to endlessly layer. To me that speaks to the layering of all these plants and people and buildings living on the same ground, built up.  I think of these as maps. You have symbols that repeat and mark these spaces.

Kacie Smith

How do you think these things will translate to being seen here?

Difani: For me, the broader themes are still relevant here.  Most of the world lives in urban environments, this was just my personal reckoning with that.  I was trying to appreciate little things morethis might be a little square cut out of the pavement to make way for a tree, but all these other little things take advantage realizing its a great habitat for them, too. Now it is a mini four-foot square environment, even if it wasn't the primary intention.

Smith: I was very aware the work would end up here. I'm using myself as a filter. It's my experience; I'm talking about who I met, how I thought about it. I'm sort of teaching about the place, this area of the world that is relatively unknown [that]  is at this critical moment. Will this lifestyle continue into the next generation? I expect people here will be curious.

How did the show end up with this title?

Smith: I went to this Goya show while I was in Spain, and there was a painting of him as an old man and he writes on it, aun aprendo, I'm still learning. We were thinking about that for awhilethis constant search to dig deeper, observation, life as an artist,  but the phrase was a little melancholic, too.

Difani: We liked the idea of continuancethat it is never done. Still working. Still moving.

Smith: The weird part then, is you think about stillness. Still moving. It's a contradiction, too.Inside the darkened gallery, star-like pinpricks of light move in response to the humans who open their hands and manipulate them. Shapes coalesce and then disperse like a flock of starlings; a simulated tree bends as if caught in a breeze. This is XYZT: Abstract Landscapes by the French artists at Adrien M & Claire B Company; it has toured all over Asia and Europe, and now it is landing in Albuquerque on its US tour courtesy of the digital art purveyors at Artechouse.

AMCB

Artechouse got its start just last year in Washington, D.C. with the objective of providing the world's first gallery space dedicated exclusively to art that exists in the intersections where fine art and technology fold into each other. We have a trifold mission, Tati, co-founder of Artechouse and managing director of the project said as we sat down at Hotel Chaco in the Sawmill District, a stone's throw away from where Artechouse will open XYZT on May 24 (the exact address1904 Bellamah Ave. NW). For us it is important to educate people about new art and technology as mediums. We want to empower artists who already work in this field and the great artists hereUNM has a great program for digital arts. And we want to inspire, she explained, outlining the guiding principles. We want to inspire the next generation to see what they can create with technology. Since Tati and co-founder and artistic director Sandro (the two go by their first names only) swung open the doors of their D.C. home base last June, they have welcomed more than 150,000 visitors to a variety of exhibitions.

We see technology used in our everyday lives in all sorts of ways, Tati continued, but what can creatively be done with it? How can it create a different dialogue, a different experience, a more artistic one? That is, in effect, what Artechouse offersmoving experiences that use technology as a vehicle, projecting visitors into another world through their sophisticated use of light, sensors, design and much more.

XYZT is a collection of 10 digital landscapes in 4 dimensions. Those dimensions are outlined in the show's titleX, horizontal; Y, vertical; Z, depth; and T, time. Using projection not for video, but to channel light, the design team creates an environment given texture through darkness and its absence with a keen emphasis on movement. Everything in the exhibit stems from interactions with nature, Tati said of the pieces. The artists spent several years researching by exploring the natural world around them. They take that and then imitate it in this abstract world of digital art, Tati summarized. In that way, XYZT is a great introductory piece to the this mode of high-tech art. Because we are all armed with certain associations and a certain understanding of the world, XYZT just transmutes those landscapes so that we might see them anew.

Romain Etienne

The primary architects of the 10 installationsAdrien Mondot and Claire Bardainnegot their start as performance artists. They would do a lot of things with projections and interactions on the stage, Tati described. But  they wanted to share the experience that people in the audience were not getting. They were just observers, and they were appreciating it, but it is different when you are a part of it. Throughout history fine art has been in the purview only of the wealthy, and even as our definitions of what art is have expanded, it can still be difficult to connect with. Instead, in the immersive worlds that Artechouse presents, they want to revolutionize the way art is experienced, as Tati put it. To provide art you can participate in, where you're not a passive viewer, you're an active explorer. Because XYZT is so rooted in experienceand in simple, manufactured wonderit has resonance with many. Anyone from the most novice to the most tech or art savvy person can really find their own depth in the installation, Tati said. You can just come and enjoy the basic interactive level of it, or you can come and dig intohow is it made? What inspired them? It's fascinating how many layers there are to it.

The choice to bring XYZT to Albuquerque was serendipity, according to Tati. Sandro came to visit the city last December and it struck him. In some ways it even felt like a natural fit for Artechousewith a vibrant arts and culture scene across the state and burgeoning start-ups as well as an established tech industry here, both directors saw potential in Albuquerque. In his walks around town, Sandro happened upon the Sawmill District, and less than six months later, XYZT is set to open at Artechouse's local chapter.

We see this as an opportunity to understand what people appreciate and how they connect.  Albuquerque is very different from Washington, D.C., but we're coming with open minds and hearts. We'd like to see ourselves here longterm, Tati said. Moreover, Artechouse is excited to connect with local creativesas a platform, or just as a wellspring for inspiration. There are spaces for fine art, for photography. There are movie theaters for film, she outlined. We want to create this platform, to take artists working in these mediums to the next level, connect them to audiences and create appreciation.

These exhibitions and the technology used to create them are the new wave, early adopters of such tools for creative expression and enrichment. It might be a little new to us, Tati saidpointing out that when film was introduced widely, people would come into a theater and see footage of a train coming at them and run away. Digital art has all that potential to stir raw emotion and illicit reaction. It's a revolution of art, it's a new tool, she summed upit is incredible to see what artists can do with it. And nowgiven a powerful stage and opportunities thanks to spaces like Artechouseit will be just as exciting to see what artists will do with it.

Artechouse opens XYZT: Abstract Landscapes by Adrien M. & Claire B. Company on Thursday, May 24 at Artechouse in Albuquerque (1904 Bellamah Ave. NW). Tickets start at $10 and can be found at albuquerque. artechouse. com, along with more information about the project itself and the artists involved.Rob M.

I keep catching myself quoting The Invisibles. The world's getting more like us every day. It's everything I've ever hoped for. In 2016, a poll conducted by Research & Polling, Inc. found that 61 percent of New Mexicans were in support of legalizing and taxing cannabis at the time. Earlier this year, a Pew Research Center survey found the same magic number61 percentof Americans support it. Longtime opponents of cannabis legalization, like former speaker of the House John Boehner, are suddenly reversing their stances.

Just last week: Former Attorney General under the Obama administration Eric Holder told a reporter for NY1 that he'd never seen any evidence that cannabis was addictive and that the plant should be removed from the list of scheduled drugs under the Controlled Substances Act.

This goes a long way toward explaining the leniency shown to states like Colorado and Washington during the Obama yearswhen Holder was in charge of policy toward federal enforcement of cannabis laws. During the interview, he said states should be allowed to experiment. He referenced his time as attorney general, saying his department gave the states a chance to be laboratories to test the idea out by not interfering. I think if you allow the states to experiment, he said, we'll ultimately come to a national consensus about what it is and what to do in regard to marijuana.

Those words were most likely spoken with the knowledge that the majority of states currently have laws granting access to legal cannabis in some formeither medical or recreationalor have at least decriminalized possession. I can't speak for Holder, but I've watched the clip repeatedly with the sound off while staring into his eyes. I'm pretty sure this was a wink from the old fox in support of legalization. Exciting, because Holder said he was considering running for president in 2020 during an interview with MSNBC. And that makes me think cannabis legalization will be a major issue the next time the circus comes to town. We might even see major candidates that publicly support it.

Holder dropped some other big statements during the NY1 interview that will surely become the new favorite quote for cannabis advocates. We need to move marijuana from Schedule I, so research can be done. It is classified now on the same level as heroin is, and clearly that is inappropriate. It was Holder's job to uphold the laws which listed cannabis as a Schedule I drug (substances that have no accepted medical value and a potential for abuse)quite an endorsement.

Wildest of all was his reaction to a question concerning addiction and the negative effects of cannabis. With a crease in his brow and a slightly dismissive tone, he answered, Yeah, Ive never seen any scientific evidence that points you to concerns about addiction through the use of marijuana.

Hi-o!

Dispensary Donates to Local Research

Last week, a check for $2,000 was donated to the University of New Mexico by Ultra Health and a group of producers to help fund medical cannabis research.

The money, collected through a raffle held by Ultra Health, went into a research fund started by associate professor in UNMs Department of Psychology Doctor Jacob Vigil and assistant professor in the UNM Department of Economics Sarah See Stith, to help squeeze some needed cash into a controversial field. According to KRQE, the legal status of cannabis has made it hard to get the necessary funding required for continued scientific research on its medical efficacy.

Vigil has managed to publish studies, however, like the often cited Associations between medical cannabis and prescription opioid use in chronic pain patients which made headlines last year for finding that medical cannabis patients suffering from chronic pain were able to significantly reduce their use of prescribed opioids.

UNM researchers are reportedly working on studies analyzing cannabis' use for treating veterans suffering from PTSD and cancer.

N.M. Drug Problems Abound

WalletHub recently published a report ranking New Mexico the state with the sixth-largest drug problem in the nation.

The report compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia, comparing metrics like number of opioid pain reliever prescriptions, overdose deaths per capita, number of substance abuse treatment facilities and percentage off teenage users, among others. The report considered illicit substances (cannabis being among them) as well as prescription drugs. According to the report, New Mexico ranked third highest for percentage of teenage drug users, and fifth for highest number of teens offered illicit drugs at school. We were also ranked number 13 for drug overdose deaths per capita and number 28 for both opioid pain reliever prescriptions per capita.

Data for the report came from a number of sources, including the US Census Bureau, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the DEA and the FBI.Earlier this month the big broadcast TV networks dumped their unwanted shows in record numbersall to make room for a new crop of sitcoms, reality shows and doctor-based dramas. Its known as Upfront Season, and its when the networks pitch these new shows, sight unseen, to advertisers. Theoretically, this gives the networks an idea of which shows will be hot in the fall. Or at least which new lawyer drama Pfizer wants to advertise Viagra on. So what do the networks have in store for us later this year? Lets take a look.

NBCThe Peacock Network starts out by transferring just-canceled cop sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine (midseason) from FOX. Of course, since cops cant solve crimes without the intervention of someone magical/ psychic/ impossibly high-tech, The InBetween (midseason) finds Australian TV actress Harriet Dyer playing a clarivoyant who helps LAPD solve crimes by talking to the dead. Like Lost in reverse, Manifest (Mondays, fall) is a mysterious drama about a missing plane that suddenly reappears five years later. Amy Poehler produces the domestic sitcom I Feel Bad (Thursdays, fall) based on the book by Orli Auslander. Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter) stars as a CIA agent-turned-traitor who is released from a Supermax prison to help an FBI agent (Morris Chestnut, Rosewood) track down a dangerous criminal in The Enemy Within (midseason). (Think The Blacklist, but genderswapped.) Producer Mike Schur (Parks and Recreation) indulges his inner Cheers with the bar-set sitcom Abbys (midseason). Dwayne The Rock Johnson produces yet another obstacle course fitness competition with The Titan Games. (Wednesdays, early 2019). The Village (midseason) is ABCs attempt to duplicate the sentimental ensemble drama of This is Us. The Gilded Age (2019) is creator Julian Fellowes Americanized copy of Downton Abbey. Finally, doctors do medical stuff in New Amsterdam (Tuesdays, fall).

ABCThe Fix (midseason) is a legal drama based loosely on the life and career of producer Marcia Clark (yes, that Marcia Clark). Grand Hotel (midseason) is a primetime soap produced by Eva Longoria, based on the popular telenovela about a fancy hotel in Miami. The Kids Are Alright (Tuesdays, fall) is a 70s-set sitcom about a large Irish-Catholic family. A Million Little Things (Wednesdays, fall) is a family drama in the vein of This Is Us. Fresh off Castle, star Nathan Fillion transfers directly to another lighthearted police procedural with The Rookie (Tuesdays, fall). Schooled (midseason) is 90s-set spinoff of 80s-set The Goldbergs. New Girl producer Liz Meriwether teams with Taran Killam from SNL for the self-explanatory sitcom Single Parents (Wednesdays, fall). Scott Foley (Scandal) and Lauren Cohan (The Walking Dead) star in the hourlong action-comedy Whiskey Cavalier (midseason), about an FBI/CIA task force. Weirdly, ABC has no reboots/remakes, having passed (perhaps wisely) on Greatest American Hero and Get Christie Love.PRINT | EMAIL | PERMALINK Reel World Heroes at the Library Sunday Movies! returns to the Patrick J. Baca Library, better known as the Central and Unser Library, this Sunday, May 27. From 1:30 to 3:30pm, you can catch a free screening of the DC superhero team-up Justice League. The film finds Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg joining forces to fight an extraterrestrial menace. The film is rated PG-13. The Patrick J. Baca Library is located at 8081 Central Ave. NW. View in Alibi calendar

Budget on the Brain The New Mexico Film Offices monthly Educational Speaker Series returns on Wednesday, May 30. From 6 to 7pm at the Joseph Montoya Buildings Bid Room (1100 S. St. Francis in Santa Fe), film accountant Kerry Newberry will give a talk on the subject of Budgeting & Accounting for the Film Industry. She will offer insider shortcuts, bookkeeping tips and advice from her years working on films and within the New Mexico Tax Incentive Program. This event is free and open to the public, but you must RSVP to guarantee a seat. To reserve a ticket, go to nmfilm. com/ monthly- speaker- series. aspx.

Drink n Watch Flix Brewhouse (3236 La Orilla Road NW) has done some fun food-and-movie pairings in recent months. Spaceballs and Back to the Future are just a couple of the classic flicks to get their own fan-powered celebrations featuring food, beer and limited-edition collectables. On Thursday, May 31 Flix Brewhouse opens the doors on its most thematically appropriate combo event. The 2006 cult comedy Beerfest came from the Broken Lizard comedy troupe, makers of the Super Troopers films. Though set amid the raucous festivities of a beer-drinking contest in Munich, the entire film was shot right here in Albuquerque. Flix has teamed up with Albuquerques industrial-chic brewery, Steel Bender Brew Yard, for a special brew called Schnitz N Giggle Dortmunder Lager, which is available at the screenings on May 31 (8pm and 8:30pm). A one-night-only menu of themed food items (well assume German) is also in the offing. Souvenir pint glasses and a secret giveaway item go to every ticketed guest as well. Tickets for this Beer Release and Movie Party are $7 and can be purchased in advance at flixbrewhouse.com.Dining and drinking al fresco is one of the things I look forward to for the whole five months a year its too cold to do so. Eating outdoors is just magically conducive to slowing down and thoroughly enjoying your food and the company youre sharing it with. It feels vaguely European and vacation-like. And really, arent we all trying to make our summertime more vaguely European and vacation-like?

Theres tons of great restaurants, cafes and bars with outdoor seating throughout the city. Heres some of our favorites.

El Patio de Albuquerque

I mean  Patio is in the name, yall. In addition to being one of my favorite places to go for New Mexican food, El Patio (142 Harvard Dr. SE) has a lovely, tree-shaded front patio thats pretty pleasant all day long. Have a late breakfast of huevos rancheros with endless coffee refills, or share beers with some friends in the evening. They occasionally have a musician playing acoustic tunes out front to set the mood. Do yourself a favor and get the spinach enchiladas with a fried egg on top.

Zendo Coffee/Sidetrack Brewing

Zendo Coffee (413 Second Street SW) shares a back patio with Sidetrack Brewing, meaning you can transition seamlessly from your afternoon cold brew drinking into your afternoon beer drinking. Get yourself an iced dirty chai and a fortifying pastry or breakfast burrito at Zendo (while supplies last!) so you dont fall over from the caffeine/alcohol crossfade. Theres also frequently a food truck parked out front in the evenings to serve dinner to the bar crowd.

Marble Brewery Downtown

When the weather is nice and its a lazy Sunday afternoon, theres nowhere else in the city Id rather be than on Marble Downtowns (111 Marble Ave. NW) rooftop patio. The views of Downtown and the mountains are pretty unbeatable, theres plenty of comfy seating suited for large groups or one-on-one affairs and a retractable awning for riding out those occasional summer showers. Theres also a totally separate upstairs bar that opens when it gets busy, so you dont have to worry so much about standing in an endless line for your next beer. Theres some great beachy lounge chairs on the east side that are perfect for catching some sun while you sip your brew. Just try not to fall asleep up there.  Or, if you do, at least ask one of the servers to wake you up before closing time. Check out marblebrewery.com to see what food truck is scheduled to be serving on any given day.

Eric Williams Photography

Seasons Rotisserie & Grill

The upstairs patio of Seasons (2031 Mountain Rd. NW) is a whole different beast from the downstairs. Its much more casual, with an outdoor kitchen, a separate bar and frequent live music. When the weather is nice, the big garage doors open up to make the whole floor open-air. The views of the Sandias are killer from the second floor, so make sure to get there for sunset.

Michael Thomas Coffee

Not all the best patios in the city are reserved for alcohol consumption. Michael Thomas Coffee Roaster (202 Bryn Mawr Dr. SE), tucked into a residential corner of the city on the largely pedestrian Silver Street, has wonderful outdoor seating both out front and in back. The back patio is especially nice for some quiet and secluded chatting. When the weather is nice, theyll even open their big glass garage door so that the whole place feels like the outdoors. If youre a student or a laptop nomad, this place is a beautiful break from working or studying at home.

High and Dry Brewing

One of the newer additions to the craft brewing scene in ABQ, High and Dry Brewing (529 Adams St. NE) is a quaint little neighborhood spot with plenty of sunny patio to lounge on. Their in-house brews typically dont stick around long, but they always have a full tap of guest beers as well, along with a few wines and Humble coffee. Check out their Instagram (@highanddrybrew) to see their schedule of food trucks and events for the week.

Eric Williams Photography

Canteen Brewhouse

I have never actually sat inside of Canteen Brewhouse (2381 Aztec Rd. NE), because the patio and its big picnic tables are always too enticing. The patio is perfect for audiences when they have live music, but its also perfect for hosting big groups on summer evenings. Theres an awning and fans to keep the sun and heat off during the day and string lights to keep the party going at night. Oh, and you can bring your doggos here (as long as theyre well-behaved).

La Cumbre Brewing Company

Its right off the bike trail. Theres a food truck parked there most nights. Their beers are some of Albuquerques favorites. La Cumbre Brewing (3313 Girard Blvd. NE) has a lot going for it, and its fenced-in patio is the cherry on top. It gets pretty crowded on a weekend evening, so be prepared to share your table with some friends you havent met yet.

Green Jeans Farmery

Ok, so Green Jeans (3600 Cutler Ave. NE) is technically a lot of different food and drink establishments, but they all share their outdoor seating. Order your food from either Amore Pizza, Rustic on the Green, Chumlys Southwestern or Rockin Taco and you can take a seat in the shaded second story or in the central patio, where theres plenty of umbrellas to keep you cool in the warm months and a gas-powered fire pit to keep you warm in the winter. If its brews youre after, head straight to Santa Fe Brewing and hang out in their private upstairs balcony, complete with shade and misters for hot days. You can have your food delivered up there, too!

Backstreet Grill

I know that most of Old Town is kind of tourist central, but there are some spots worth visiting even if youre a local. Backstreet Grill (1919 Old Town Rd. NW, Ste. 6) is one of them. Their menu is filled with tasty Baja-style dishes like ceviche and fish tacos, they have plenty of local beers and their patio is spacious and shady. Perhaps the best part is that Backstreet is just across the street from Tiguex Park and right off the parking lot for the Albuquerque Museum, so you can make a whole day out of it.Newscity

Candidates Criticize Teacher Evaluations

The single Republican and all three Democratic gubernatorial candidates have promised to change the state's current teacher evaluation systemintroduced by the Martinez administrationif elected.

Republican Steve Pearce expressed concern over the evaluation system's centralized power structure, saying it disables local school boards. He said the practice of using standardized tests to judge teacher rather than student performance is backward.

Democratic candidate Jeff Apodaca, a former media executive, said he would work with state principals, superintendents and community members to develop a new system of teacher evaluations. He expects the changes to be implemented through the Legislature, but said he would institute them through executive order if needed.

State Sen. Joseph Cervantes said he would implement a new system within 100 days of taking office by utilizing executive orders and working on legislation. He told reporters last week that he wishes to see an emphasis placed on classroom learning and student achievement. He also vowed to do away with the current practice of giving public schools a yearly A-F letter grade.

US Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham has said that the current system punish[es] teachers working with the most vulnerable students. A representative for her campaign told reporters that she plans to work with lawmakers and education professionals to develop a new system as quickly as is possible while ensuring quality.

Student test scores currently make up 35 percent of a teacher's rating under the current evaluation system. The assessments also consider the teacher's attendance, classroom observations and student surveys. The system was implemented by former Public Education Secretary Hanna Skandera in 2012.Weekly Alibi

The issue of Weekly Alibi you are holding in your hands this very minute shares the date of its availabilityMay 23with the anniversary of the untimely death of long-time Alibi music critic and editor Michael Henningsen. Its also the anniversary of the death of my beloved doggo Rosie, a dog well-known to Henningsena canine the dude once saved with an efficiency and stoic dignity that still evokes gratitude when I recall it.

Letters From the Front

But back to that in a moment. Henningsen left this veil of tears four years ago; for Rosie the number is six, by the way. In Henningsens case Im reminded of a colleague who not only taught me how to suffer the slings and arrows that come with this position, but how to do so whilst still having fun and providing a positive, progressive outlook that the Albuquerque community can read about regularly.

Viz.: I recently received a letter wherein the writer first told me I was an unbelievable fucking idiot but then evolved a bit on that premise, later declaring via email that I am, unfortunately, a fucking liar. They would later intimate that I am being kept on in my current position because of the relationships Ive nurtured over the years. I admit I sent one witty response then gave up forever on this correspondent, mostly because of values I inherited from Henningsen. Keep them guessing. Stay above the fray. Take the high road. Well, Ive certainly followed that last bit of advice. Thanks, Henny.

Community Service

Though Michael may certainly and keenly be remembered for his love of music of all sortsespecially the flava known as rocanrolhis involvement in the community as a mentor, advocate and role model for our citys youth cannot go unmentioned. While many of us at the Golden City, otherwise known as Eldorado High School were busy partying our tenure there away, Michael was involved in improving the community by working at the Mountainside YMCA and later at Echo Hill Ranch in Texas.

Notably, Henningsen was also worked closely as a volunteer for MOMS Demand Action For Gun Sense In America, a nationwide organization dedicated to establishing common-sense gun reform.

After Henningsen shuffled off this mortal coil, his wife Danette Townsend established a memorial fund and scholarship for her husband. The Michael Henningsen Youth Fund is maintained at the Albuquerque Community Foundation. According to the organization, this fund is managed by a board of young adults that grew up with Michael and believe that every young person deserves the opportunity to have someone like Michael in their lives.

Having someone like Henningsen in ones life does have its benefits. I should know. A long, long time ago, I took my doggo Rosie to the office. She was sick and anxious; her ear had suddenly become bright red. Subsequently she didnt want anyone near her, not even me. But Michael coaxed her into his office, calmed her and then retrieved a first aid kit containing a long pair of tweezers. In seconds he had removed a large thistle from deep in Rosies ear. She bounded off gratefully. Thanks dude.

Here is Your Future

If you are like some of the post-structuralists who basically believe that text is necessarily a transcendent thing, then its easy for you to suppose that the spirit of Henningsen can be reached through this writ. To believe that there is some possibility, even if not mystically presupposed, that recent improvements to this dusty, military outpost in the desert may be known about and even supported by that airy soul give some gravitas to our steps forward as citizens and a city. Things that were certain Henny would no doubt approve of include:

 A progressive mayor with musical inclinations who is invested in making Albuquerque a desirable, sustainable and forward-thinking place to live, work and raise a family.

 A city police force committed to re-establishing and maintaining community policing while working overtime to undo the damage done by previous and reckless administrations.

 An Animal Services Division that is accountable, humane and realistic. Though this bit of our culture remains a thing that is in the works, it should be noted that efforts are being made to improve a formerly unsteady, conflicted city division.

 A local music scene that is vibrant and whose diversity reflects a city striving to create authentic, awesome aural adventures for every stripe of Burqueno and Burquena.

Calling Dr. Love

I guess Id like to remind Michael that not everything went according to plan. Somehow you slid away from all of this and left the rest of us to make and maintain the most bitchin city with greatest newspaper in the history of mankindwithout you. Thats damn hard work, Michael, but I know for a fact that some of us still here do it for you, for what you stood for.

Oh, and that collection of indie rock masterpieces and KISS albums that you have deployed against eternity? Throw them out, bro; Ive got this thing by Kendrick Lamar called To Pimp a Butterfly that you absolutely must listen to. Serio.The Liebherr crane was delivered fully assembled and ready to be put to use.



A fully assembled Liebherr mobile harbor crane has been delivered by sea to the Shannon Foynes Port Company.

The LHM 420 traveled from Liebherrs factory in Rostock, Germany, to the Port of Foynes in Ireland.

The addition of this new state-of-the-art crane will help maximize the potential of the deep-water port at Foynes and contribute to the creation of up to 3,000 jobs along the Shannon Estuary, Liebherr said.

The LHM 420 was delivered by the MV Papenburg heavy-load carrier. Sailing time was six days. On arrival in Foynes, the crane simply was driven off the vessel by Liebherr engineers and was ready for work the same day.

Traditionally, cranes would have had to be delivered in component form with a lengthy onsite assembly and testing program. This would have necessitated a large area being made available for the entire assembly process, which in turn would have hampered port activities, Liebherr said. But with direct sea access to the factory in Rostock, Liebherr can now deliver cranes fully assembled to destinations all over the world to save customers time and inconvenience.

The new crane primarily will be used in the handling of bulk products at the Port of Foynes. Liebherr said the LHM 420 has an industry-leading grab curve of 75 tons. The crane also is fitted with a positive air pressure system that pressurizes the machinery room with clean air.

Due to the ports close proximity to the town of Foynes, the crane had to operate nearly silently. Liebherr said additional sound proofing was installed to reduce noise emissions to ensure the crane could not be heard by nearby residents and business owners.Four men were adrift in a small boat for five days.



The crew of the Marvel Falcon, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier owned by NYK Line, rescued four men whose boat had been adrift at sea for five days.

The LNG carrier, registered under the Singapore flag, had been sailing from the Port of Balboa, Panama, to the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Louisiana when the small boat was spotted May 13.

The rescued sailors had departed from Port Limon, Costa Rica, on May 7 to deliver fuel to another boat, but they experienced engine trouble on May 8 and had drifted at sea for the next five days.

According to NYK Line, the four men were in good health and disembarked from the Marvel Falcon when it docked at Sabine Pass last Friday.The Cotulla terminal now offers more than 24,000 tons of storage capacity.



OmniTRAX Energy Solutions (OES) reopened three silos at its terminal in Cotulla, Texas, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday to add 15,000 tons of vertical storage capacity at the facility.

OES is an affiliate of OmniTRAX Inc., one of the largest privately held transportation service companies in North America and an affiliate of The Broe Group.

The OES Cotulla terminal is one of the largest in the Eagle Ford basin. The terminal now offers more than 24,000 tons of storage capacity and more than 18,000 feet of rail car capacity.

The reopened silos will have a positive impact on the local economy and will reduce truck traffic in the region, the company said.

OES constantly reinvests in our terminals to better service customers throughout the Eagle Ford basin and in other basins and mining areas around the country, said Pierre Luc Mathieu, president of OES. The Cotulla terminal is a great example of our efforts to grow with the energy sector and reinvest in our local communities.YEREVAN, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS. The US has announced the tit-for-tat expulsion of two Venezuelan diplomats in a row sparked by Washington's criticism of President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, CNN reports.

The two Venezuelan diplomats were declared "personae non grata" and directed to leave the US within 48 hours, according to a statement from State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert.

The expulsion was ordered in response to the Maduro regime's decision to expel two US diplomats earlier this week, the statement added.

Maduro announced on Tuesday the expulsion of the two top diplomats, Todd Robinson and Brian Naranjo, following the Trump administration's trenchant criticism of last Sunday's controversial presidential elections. Maduro made the announcement at his confirmation ceremony in Caracas, accusing the men of interfering in the election and giving them 48 hours to leave Venezuela.

Maduro said the expulsions were "in defense of the dignity of the homeland", receiving a standing ovation from the crowd.

"The accusations behind the Maduro regime's decision are unjustified," said Nauert's statement.

"Our Embassy officers have carried out their official duties responsibly and consistent with diplomatic practice and applicable provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," she added.

English translator/editor: Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, accused the media of being dishonest and floated the possibility of building a service to rate the credibility of specific journalists and news outlets, in a series of tweets on Wednesday, CNN reported.

"Going to create a site where the public can rate the core truth of any article & track the credibility score over time of each journalist, editor & publication," Musk tweeted.

He said the service could be called Pravda, which is Russian for "truth" and also happens to be the name of the newspaper central to the Soviet Union's Communist Party.

A California business called Pravda Corp was incorporated late last year, with Jared Birchall listed in a filing as its president. Birchall's name has also been listed in filings for other Musk projects, including The Boring Company, according to CNN.

Musk's idea quickly raised concerns that the reputation of news organizations and reporters could be determined by what could be an easy to manipulate online popular vote.

English translator/editor: Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS. The new director of Armenias national security service, Arthur Vanetsyan, says that the service has launched active investigations since May 23 to uncover illicit enrichment cases through corruption schemes.

The director said they will soon release details.

Preliminary tactical data were confirmed. We have detainees, people who were questioned, we are working and soon the public will be notified, he said.

He dismissed media rumors alleging that the NSS is preparing materials against Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan. He said that the NSS doesnt prepare targeted materials against anyone.

Earlier on May 19, Vanetsyan told reporters that the NSS will uncover illegally enriched corrupt individuals in a brief period of time.

English translator/editor: Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS. The buses with Armenian vehicle registration plates are not allowed to enter Russias territory on the Russian-Georgian border, the Lars checkpoint, stating that the bus drivers need to have a new license.

Armenias ministry of transport, communication and information technologies told ARMENPRESS that talks are underway to settle the issue.

The ministry also said that the license provided should have come into force from June 1, but the Russian side started demanding the license earlier.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government will provide the justice ministry drams equivalent to 2500 Euros to implement the requirements under the June 11 2018 Arzumanyan vs Armenia verdict of the European Court for Human Rights (ECHR), reports Armenpress.

During todays government session justice minister Artak Zeynalyan said there are hundreds of cases in the ECHR against the Armenian government, through which, most probably, violations of rights will be recorded. The minister said this field needs major reforms, and the measures must be taken in order not to violate others rights. In response Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said over the past 20 years millions of dollars have been spent in the judicial system, but the essence of the system has not changed.

The following has been recorded in Armenia in a day: there shouldnt be illegal effects on the courts from the Baghramyan 26 [PMs residence] and any other place. We should ensure that no judge makes a verdict with a bribe. This is the most important reform. We should rule out the presence of political prisoners, this verdict proves that Alexander Arzumanyan has been a political prisoner, PM Pashinyan said.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS. There should be no political prisoners in Armenia, President Armen Sarkissian told reporters after the Presidential award ceremony, reports Armenpress.

There should be no political prisoners in our country. I have received some documents from human rights organizations, they will be sent to the government, to the respective ministries soon. We need to wait for the Armenian government to adopt decisions if there are some assessments regarding the amnesty, the President said.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS. Armenian President Armen Sarkissian characterizes Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as a talented and diligent person.

The president made the comment after an awarding ceremony when reporters asked him whether working with the Prime Minister is easy.

In Nikol Pashinyan, I discovered for myself a talented, quick-thinking, willing, hard-working man, with whom I have very good professional relations. My impression is  we have bilateral respectful and constructive businesslike relations. I dont see any problem whatsoever in working with him, on the contrary, I believe that we can work together very good, Sarkissian said.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS. Aram Ananyan, Director of ARMENPRESS, Armenias state news agency, delivered a speech at the global media forum within the framework of the 2018 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on May 24 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The panel discussion was titled The Future Of Journalism In Times of New Challenges.

Below is the transcript of the full speech of Mr. Ananyan.

Thank you, dear colleagues for your kind invitation. I am really pleased to be here, at this very important panel on the future of our industry.



And I just would like to add more optimism on our predictions or a guessing game, for a very simple reason. Each and every new challenge first of all is an opportunity that galvanizes our professional and technological advancement.

Meanwhile it is obvious, that the news agencies are the most adaptive actors in any change. The situation nowadays can be characterized as a form of cohabitation of traditional journalism, new media, social networks, citizen- journalism and artificial intelligence.

Some might consider social networks and AI as an augmentation tool for professional journalism, while others as a threat or an open call for everybody to dig deeper into a profession even without 1-0-1 level of professional expertise: in the meantime, each consecutive year the barriers for the new players to enter the news market, be those professional, financial, technological, or even intellectual gradually slide down.

Technology is changing our practices by making routine reporting and fastening insight generation. For small newsrooms, this is a chance to take a very special niche of creating compelling stories, with local expertise, which is true also for my agency, Armenias state news agency ARMENPRESS  that celebrates 100 years this year.

A significant portion of our routine reporting is narrated by a software that we developed with the Technological Development Center, a non-profit foundation, based in Yerevan.

The variety of sources and the alarming behavior of content distributors such as Facebook, Google, Twitter that frivolously determine the volume of our content our users receive create archipelagos of communication, where everybody claims to have the monopoly over what he or she thinks is true.

As far as we see, traditional media- especially news agencies are in the avant-garde of technological development of AI in news-making and gathering, use of social media, messaging, live streams and push notifications.

By now, I suppose that developments do not look like a Trojan horse, and we are not the ones to call "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts" [Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes, Aeneid, Virgil].

Is the future of traditional journalism under threat? I think no. Will there be a demand for the traditional media in ten years? I suppose absolutely yes.

The most important challenge in the era of uncertainties for us is not to forget about our mission. Our mission of reporting. Our mission of true reporting, our mission of journalism, not to forget why are we in this industry, not to forget our moral obligations in making our journalistic decisions. The role of the futures media is to hold the light. As some of our colleagues truly say, that - democracy dies in darkness.

What we observed in our recent practices, and I suppose it is much alike with yours - our audience becomes more and more demanding. They do not just want to see the interpretation of events; they want to know what happens here and now and are eager to become an integral part of the news.

In order To develop our capacities we need to create a new toolbox, literary if it is necessary to knock to each and every person in our audience.

These trends we saw in the recent developments in my country in Armenia, that many of us, our professional community call Armenias Velvet Revolution.

We are grateful to dozens of our international partners, who are sitting at this panel, who relied on ARMENPRESSs factual reports, who relied on fast and fact-checked information and we are very grateful for your trust and support. We tried to do our best, we tried to cover everything that happened in Armenia everything that continues to happen in Armenia, we were very fast, we kept the balance and the high citation index that we saw in our international partners says and proves that our job was demanded.

To conclude: reality is the following: aggregators will end up exactly there, where the real reporting will start. Neither social media, nor artificial intelligence is a cult or a panacea. And I want to recall, a friend sitting next to me, an intellectual whom I respect very much, and in this forum 2 years ago he said that the key prediction for artificial intelligence, and I want to repeat Giuseppe [Cerbone] that the ability of intellect and intelligence is to adapt to the reality and to adapt the reality. This is what you cannot do artificially and what aggregators lack the most. By now, we didnt see anything in the artificial intelligence to identify the breaking news or do war reporting or an in-depth interview. And let me just conclude here, my give and take, and thank you all very much. Thank you.

Panelists in addition to Mr. Ananyan included TASS General Director Sergey Mikhaylov, Kyodo News Executive Director Hiroki Sugita, AP Vice President Ian Phillips, ANSA CEO Giuseppe Cerbone.

More than 50 executives of about 30 major news agencies from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Vietnam, Germany, Egypt, Iran, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, China, Cuba, Lebanon, Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, US, Turkey, Japan are participating in the media summit, as well as the business and cultural program of 2018 SPIEF.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS. The President of Armenia should show different approaches during communication with different layers of the society, President Armen Sarkissian told reporters after the Presidential award ceremony, commenting on the view that his action to enjoy ice-cream with kids received a great reaction, reports Armenpress.

The President of the Republic should feel himself like a child with the children, a teenager with the teenagers, and if needed, he should talk and dance with them. The President should behave himself as a soldier together with the soldier. But I dont know how he should behave with the journalists[smiling]. Perhaps, he should behave himself freely and honestly and answer to questions, the President said.

On May 18 the Presidential Office was full of kids joy and laughter, ice-cream and candies. The President hosted kids and together with them enjoyed ice-cream.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS. For the first time in history, the Armenian flag and the flag of Yerevan city have been taken to space.

The man behind the initiative is Russia-based Armenian philanthropist Hrachya Poghosyan.

The initiative is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the First Republic of Armenia and the 2800th anniversary of establishment of Yerevan.

The initiative was carried out with the purpose of raising awareness, Levon Torgomyan, spokesperson of the Armenian Embassy in Russia told ARMENPRESS.

He said that the event has caused excitement among the local Armenian community.

The flag was taken to the International Space Station by Russian astronaut Oleg Artemyev on board the Soyuz MS 08, which took off from Earth on March 21, 2018. The crew includes American astronauts Andrew Feustel and Richard Arnold.

The mission will return to Earth in September, and the flags will be delivered to the Armenian President and Yerevan Mayor in October  when Armenia will celebrate the 2800th anniversary of establishment of Yerevan, the capital city.

The photos show the astronauts holding the flags in the ISS.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan KocharyanYEREVAN, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS. During the global media summit within the framework of the 2018 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Aram Ananyan, Director of ARMENPRESS state news agency, in his remarks attached great importance to the necessity to differentiate fake news, adding that for this purpose the news agencies should strengthen their brand and do everything to increase the readers media literacy.

Asked how the private international companies, the states or international organizations should deal with the issue of differentiating the fake news, Aram Ananyan said in such situation it is necessary to pay more attention to the traditional media and not to be afraid of criticism, rather to create a new discourse within the media and the society.

We are also concerned over the spread of fake information. In the social media world our reader doesnt differentiate between the brands since when we ask them about any news, they say they have read it on Facebook or Twitter. Nobody looks at the source of the news they open. And my colleagues delivered right remarks regarding our mission: we need to strengthen our brands, we need to do everything possible and impossible to increase the media literacy of our reader because we see now that our reader is becoming more literate. They have already learnt more or less to differentiate, and this is not the situation that existed several years before, Aram Ananyan said.

The Director of ARMENPRESS added that he doesnt know to what extent all this will deepen, but he brought Armenias example where in the recent period more or less the famous reader, more or less solid people, bloggers, who create certain ways in social networks, have become more literate. We are concerned over another issue. We are concerned over the fact that during the discussions of key issues the social platforms themselves decide what to present to what kind of reader. And here there is a big problem: the problem is that archipelagos can appear within the society. We see that there is going to be a distribution of ideas in the society. And what is important for me will not be important for you. And it will seem to me that I am surrounded by a society that thinks like me, and you will think the contrary, Aram Ananyan added.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, 24 MAY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 24 May, USD exchange rate up by 0.17 drams to 482.65 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.49 drams to 566.10 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.03 drams to 7.86 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 2.49 drams to 646.46 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 55.78 drams to 20002.13 drams. Silver price down by 0.68 drams to 256.51 drams. Platinum price down by 41.60 drams to 14012.35 drams.YEREVAN, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS. The President of the Founding Parliament, Garegin Chugaszyan has stopped hunger strike, ARMENPRESS reports Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wrote on his Facebook page.

I am glad to inform that after meeting with Garegin Chugaszyan at the Matenadaran a bit ago, he stopped hunger strike, Pashinyan wrote.

Chugaszyan, 53, was chairman of the Founding Parliament initiative, an opposition movement, and was detained in 2015 for organizing riots ahead of April 24  the Armenian Genocide commemoration day. However, the prosecution changed the detention a few days later and Chugaszyan was released on a signature bond.

Chugaszyan later failed to appear before court. He had changed his place of residence without notifying authorities as required by law, thus violating the signature bond.

The court issued an arrest warrant and Chugaszyan was declared wanted.

National security agents and police officers of Armenia apprehended Garegin Chugaszyan on April 24, 2018 when visiting Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex. He was arrested but after a few days released by the petition of Ararat Mirzoyan and Lena Nazaryan, MPs representing Yelk bloc. Ararat Mirzoyan later was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia. Chugaszyan declared hunger strike on April 24, the day of his arrest.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator  Tigran SirekanyanA famed Bangkok temple was at the centre of a billowing embezzlement scandal Thursday after $4 million was found in bank accounts belonging to its abbot, the latest graft allegations to dog Thailand's scandal-mired clergy. Two monks at Wat Saket, better known to the visiting tourist hordes as "Golden Mount", were taken for questioning by police accused of roles in siphoning off temple funds. An arrest warrant was issued for the abbot, Phra Promprasit, according to police. "We are looking for the abbot... we found that he has 10 bank accounts in his name with a total 130 million baht," Major-General Maitri Chimcherd, commander of the Crime Suppression Division, told reporters. "He was last seen yesterday evening inside the temple," he said, adding the accounts had been frozen. Monks at two other prominent Bangkok temples are also under scrutiny in investigations into whether millions of dollars of funds allocated by the National Office of Buddhism for temple upkeep and pastoral work have been embezzled. Investigations into senior clergy are incredibly sensitive in the overwhelmingly-Buddhist nation. All Thai men are expected by social convention to spend time in orange robes, monks are revered and powerful temples have large followings. Yet negative publicity trails the clergy, with recent extortion, sex, drugs and murder scandals involving monks shocking the Thai public. "Police will work carefully on this issue because it is sensitive," Lieutenant-General Thitirat Nongharnpitak, commander of the Central Investigation Bureau, said. The issue of temple finances and fugitive monks has triggered reminders of a bigger scandal that enveloped a super-rich Buddhist sect known as the Dhammakaya last year. Police spent months searching the temple's 400 hectare (1,000 acre) grounds in Bangkok's suburbs for its abbot Phra Dhammachayo, who remains at large. He is accused of colluding in a $33 million embezzlement. Police are searching for the abbot of the famed Golden Mount temple and have frozen his bank accounts Investigations into senior clergy are incredibly sensitive in the overwhelmingly Buddhist nationA Queensland man has been charged after its alleged he attacked an elderly neighbour with an axe after he shot his dog.

Queensland Police said a 75-year-old man was working at a rural property on Weranga North Road, Goranba, west of Dalby, on Wednesday, when he shot dead what he thought was a wild dog on his land about 9.15am.

The dogs owner, a 50-year-old man, then approached him. Its at this point police allege he took an axe and hit the elderly man in the back with the weapons handle.

He then allegedly hit the 75-year-old in the leg using the blade.

Its alleged a man hit his elderly neighbour with an axe after he shot his dog. File pic. Source: Getty Images

The 50-year-old took his dead dog before its alleged he continued his assault on his elderly neighbour as he laid on the ground.

He then allegedly went to the 75-year-old mans vehicle, removed the firearm from it and began attacking the elderly mans dog, which he assaulted with the gun before he killed it.

Its alleged he then fled the scene.

The 75-year-old man was transported to Tara Base Hospital with a deep laceration and broken leg as a result of the incident before later being flown to Toowoomba Base Hospital.

A 50-year-old Goranba man was later arrested and charged with two counts of serious assault person over 60 and one count each of grievous bodily harm, unlawful possession of weapons and injuring animals.

He is due to reappear in Dalby Magistrates Court on Friday.The EU on Thursday settled a high-stakes anti-trust case against Gazprom, the Kremlin-backed energy giant, over claims it abused its dominant positon as a gas provider in eastern Europe member states. The deal comes after Gazprom agreed to benchmark prices in eastern Europe against prices in the rest of Europe, and to drop clauses restricting the re-export of gas by clients. With the deal Gazprom avoids billions in fines and offers a rare respite to tensions between the Russia and West that have worsened over Ukraine, the war in Syria and allegations of election meddling by the Kremlin. "Today's decision removes obstacles created by Gazprom, which stand in the way of the free flow of gas in Central and Eastern Europe," EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told a news briefing in Brussels. Vestager insisted that the settlement imposed strict "obligations" on Gazprom and "provides a tailor-made rulebook for Gazprom's future conduct." She said the deal would be "to the benefit of millions of European consuemers when they heat their houses or when they cook their food", and to businesses that rely on Gazprom supplies. Vestager in March 2017 already gave her approval to commitments made by Gazprom, but a furious response by eastern Europeans had delayed the formal decision. The EU has been investigating Gazprom since 2011 over claims it abused its dominant position with unfair prices and restrictive terms in eight EU countries, all former satellites of the Soviet empire. The dispute quickly got caught in the growing discord between the EU and Moscow that began with the conflict in Ukraine and re-emerged most recently with the poisoning of a Russian spy in Britain. Gazprom's Deputy Chairman Alexander Medvedev said his company was "satisfied" with the commitments and "reaffirms its commitment to comply with them in future". After the initial deal was announced, Poland's state-run gas firm PGNiG staunchly advocated for tough penalties for Gazprom and can be expected to fight the settlement in court. "If such a decision is made, it will be strange," Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis told repoertes in Vilnius. The EU has settled a high-stakes anti-trust case against Russian energy giant GazpromA father of three has died suddenly during a workout while celebrating his wedding anniversary in Thailand.

Harley Fowler, an athlete and crossfit trainer, was on holiday with his wife and was fitting in one last workout before their flight home when he collapsed.

Friends of the family have set up a crowdfunding page to raise money to bring Mr Fowler and his wife Amanda home to Whangaparaoa, near Auckland on New Zealands north island.

Harley Fowler died during a workout while on holiday in Thailand. Source: Give a Little

According to friends, Mr Fowler was a gentle giant who took his son everywhere with him. Source: Give a Little/Facebook

We want to support Big Harleys beautiful family after his tragic and sudden passing while on holiday in Thailand with his soul mate, the Give a Little page says.

He leaves behind his beautiful wife Amanda, Kalani his two-year-old son who lights up all of our lives when he is around and his gorgeous step sons Jakey and Jordan.

Lets get the big fella home.

Mr Fowler leaves behind his wife and a two-year-old son and two step sons. Source: Give a Little

In just 24 hours, more than $16,000 has been raised for the family.

According to friends, Mr Fowler was a gentle giant, who was in the best shape of his life and loved spending time with his baby boy.

To donate to the cause, visit the fundraising page here.

An international team of investigators says that detailed analysis of video images has established that the Buk missile that brought down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 nearly four years ago came from a Russia-based military unit.

Wilbert Paulissen, from the Dutch National Police, said on Thursday the missile was from the Russian militarys 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade based in the Russian city of Kursk.

Mr Paulissen was speaking at a presentation of interim results of the long-running investigation into the downing of flight MH17.

A Malaysian air crash investigator inspects the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17. Source: Reuters/Maxim Zmeyev, file

The passenger jet was headed from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia when it was was blown out of the sky over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014. All 298 passengers and crew were killed.

Russia has always denied involvement in the downing of the jet.

Australia and other countries are now considering the next steps towards prosecution.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine were now considering options.

The countries were united to pursue justice for those who lost their lives as well as their loved ones, she said.

That a sophisticated weapon belonging to the Russian Army was dispatched and used to shoot down a civilian aircraft should be of grave international concern, Ms Bishop said.

An international team investigating the MH17 crash in Ukraine are appealing for public assistance. Source: AAP

All 298 passengers and crew were killed, including 38 Australians.

Russia has always denied involvement in the downing of the jet.

This years federal budget allocated $50.3 million over four years to support the Dutch national prosecution of those responsible for the attack.

The money will meet Australias share of the prosecution costs and help family members of the victims to participate in the court proceedings.

 with AAPFrench President Emmanuel Macron hailed "direct and frank" talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after the pair discussed Syria, Ukraine and the Iran nuclear deal outside Saint Petersburg on Thursday. In a press conference following the leaders' wide-ranging first meeting in Russia, Putin also said he regretted US President Donald Trump calling off his plans for a summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. "We had counted on that a significant step towards a de-escalation on the Korean peninsula would be taken and a start made on denuclearisation," Putin said. Trump announced Thursday that he would not go ahead with the meeting with Kim set for June 12 in Singapore, and would instead pursue Washington's campaign of "maximum pressure" through sanctions on Pyongyang. Meanwhile, Macron said he wanted the "non-proliferation process to continue" and hoped Trump's decision was just a blip. Trump's earlier withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement had provided another rare point of convergence for Moscow and Western capitals, with both Macron and Putin reaffirming their commitment to the deal. The ongoing crises in eastern Ukraine and Syria, where Russia and France have intervened on opposing sides of the conflict, were less comfortable topics for the two leaders. Nevertheless, the French president said he "respected the strengthened role Russia has taken on in the region and in the world, in particular the Middle East". "I expect that Russia will respect also our interests, our sovereignty and that of our European partners," the French president added. Before the press conference, ministers from France and Russia celebrated a raft of commercial deals between the two countries. The most significant of these was a deal that will see the French energy group Total increase its role in liquefied natural gas projects in the Arctic with Russian firm Novatek to the tune of $2.5 billion. - 'Lying propaganda' - The trip is Macron's first to Russia as president and follows a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week. Europe and Moscow are making diplomatic overtures to save the Iran deal, now under threat after the recent US withdrawal. Putin handed Macron's wife Brigitte flowers as he greeted the couple late in the afternoon at the Konstantin Palace, a former residence of Peter the Great set some 20 kilometres (12 miles) outside Saint Petersburg. The meeting comes almost exactly a year since the freshly elected Macron hosted Putin in Versailles, when the French leader accused Russian media of producing "lying propaganda" during a joint press conference. The visit will also see Macron address the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum. The talks take place after US President Donald Trump in early May controversially pulled the United States out of the 2015 landmark pact with Iran that placed limits on its nuclear programme in return for easing economic sanctions. "Russia shares the position of the majority of the international community including Western leaders" when it comes to the Iran deal, said Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Moscow Center. The West has realised that a dialogue with Putin is "inevitable" in order to preserve the accord, he said. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will also visit Russia at the end of the week. "Merkel and Abe have already begun a thaw with Moscow and Macron is scared of losing the advantage that France has always had with Russia," Baunov added. International investigators on Thursday said a missile that downed a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine in 2014 belonged to a Russian brigade. Moscow rejected the accusation. Before Macron's trip, Human Rights Watch also implored him to raise the issue of rights abuses with his Russian counterpart, following a crackdown on dissent and pressure on minority groups in the country. Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement provided a rare point of convergence for Moscow and Western capitalsA man has tried to lure a schoolboy into his car with the promise of seeing a puppy.

The boy, who is a primary school student, was approached by the stranger at about 8.40am on Wednesday morning at Curtin, Canberra.

The student declined the mans request and went to school, where he reported the incident to staff.

Police are urging parents to remind their children of stranger danger. Source: Getty/File

According to ACT Police, the man is described as being Caucasian, between 30 and 40 years old, approximately 170cm tall and of slim build.

He was wearing a light grey tracksuit, T-shirt, black puffer-style vest and a black beanie.

The vehicle is described as a dark grey or silver sedan.

Police are urging parents and the school community to remind children of stranger danger.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page.On a dusty farm in northeast Syria, Shufan Mahmud cradles his nine-month-old prize rooster in his hands. Sniper, as the fighting fowl is named, is gearing up for a cockfight. Banned in many parts of the world due to concerns over animal cruelty -- in this mainly Kurdish corner of the war-torn country the blood sport is proving popular. Eight years ago, poultry farmer Mahmud installed a special pit for these tournaments near his house, and they are now drawing in more and more residents of northern Syria. Sniper's black plumage is dotted with white specks, and his head his topped with a small red crown. "All the cocks are afraid of him because he's so powerful," says Mahmud proudly, stroking Sniper's elongated neck. A short walk away from the fighting ring is a coop where the next generation is being raised. Clucking hens fret over their tiny yellow chicks in a special wing where eggs are laid, as the crows of roosters mix with the loud barks of a guard dog nearby. Mahmud's farm is outside Qamishli, a Kurdish-majority town that has become the hub of an autonomous zone in northern Syria. Since government forces withdrew from Kurdish-majority zones in 2012, local authorities set up their own institutions, including police forces. Mahmud, 39, says fans come to watch the matches near his home from all across the Kurdish-controlled north. Some just come as spectators, while others are there for the money. Even the roosters hail from different places -- Sniper has come from Germany. "But the roosters who perform the best usually come from Adana in Turkey," he says, while still others come from India and Pakistan. - Lebanese beauties - "We breed them with hens imported from Thailand for their speed and from Lebanon for their beauty," says Mahmud, squatting down in the grass in a stripy t-shirt, cargo shorts and sandals. In a small room after dark, men gather around the cockpit, the low carmine wall of which is dashed with splatters of the blood of past crested combattants. Lone feathers lie inside the ring as the match begins with a flap of wings. The fighters bound at each other, dancing in circles and dashing in for vicious beak stabs. A man jots down bets in a notebook as the male spectators cheer, some perched on a higher bench for a better view. The tussle continues until one rooster sits or flees, sealing the other's victory. People flock to Mahmud's farm every day for the fights, but Friday -- a weekend day in Syria -- is the busiest, says Rezan Faysal, 38, one of the organisers. "Bets vary between 1,000 and 5,000 Syrian pounds ($2-10) -- and sometimes even reach half a million ($1,100)," says Faysal, who has raised poultry since he was 13. Mahmud says cockerel fighting is relatively new in Syria's Kurdish region, but follows on from a more local version of the activity. "This sport was introduced into our region dozens of years ago by gypsies," he says. "Partridge fighting was the most famous sport among Kurdish communities." Syria's Kurds have largely stayed out of the civil war since 2011, instead reviving their culture and focusing on building their own semi-autonomous zones. - 'Bruce Lee' - But they have come under attack by Turkey and allied rebels. This year, pro-Ankara fighters pushed Kurdish fighters out of the enclave of Afrin. "Syria has been transformed into one giant cockfighting ring including fighters from abroad, who attack cities and their residents," Mahmud says, alluding to Turkey. As the roosters spar in the ring, some onlookers film with their mobile phone. Others shout encouragement while smoking cigarettes or sipping tea. Some among the crowd hide their faces from the cameras to make sure they are not identified. Despite its apparent popularity, cockfighting remains taboo in Kurdish society as betting is frowned upon. "I don't want my friends to know I watch cockfighting," says one spectator, who gave his name as Abdel Rahman. "They would never accept the idea and would lose respect for me," he says, even if he only watches and never puts down any money. Still, for others the sport appears to be lucrative enough. Ahmad Sharabi, 25, is a self-described cockfighting addict, and admits he's in it for the money. He hails from Derbasiyah, a town on Syria's border with Turkey, and says he was long able to win big thanks to his first-rate rooster Bruce Lee. "He only needed 10 minutes to beat the other cockerel," boasts Sharabi nostalgically. "I ended up selling him in Iraq," he says, adding prices can go up to $2,000. Banned in many parts of the world due to concerns over animal cruelty, cockfighting is popular in the Kurdish-dominated corner of northern Syria Despite its apparent popularity, cockfighting remains taboo in Kurdish society as betting is frowned upon Cock owner Shafan Mahmoud admires one of his fighters at his breeding farm As the roosters spar in the ring, some onlookers film with their mobile phone. Others shout encouragement while smoking cigarettes or sipping teaPakistan passed legislation Thursday paving the way for its restive tribal areas to enter the mainstream political fold, bringing an ending to a colonial-era arrangement that endorsed collective punishment and fuelled militancy. The constitutional amendment received broad support from across the political spectrum in the National Assembly, with 229 voting to approve the measure and one voting against it. Another 10 abstained, according to state media. The legislation still needs final approval from the senate and the signature of the president -- a formality that is all but guaranteed after receiving overwhelming support in the lower house. The amendment will bring an end to colonial-era laws governing Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), extend the writ of Pakistani courts to its districts and increase development assistance to its residents. "Today this house has approved a historic bill, which will have very positive effects for Pakistan. I thank the opposition for their support," Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told legislators after the vote. "We need to provide (FATA residents) with all those facilities which are available to the people in the rest of Pakistan," he added. Following the passage of the bill, FATA will be officially merged into neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. - 'A historic day' - Since the days of the British Raj, the territory has long been seen as a backwater ruled by hostile tribesman that was kept as a buffer zone between Afghanistan and the settled territories that became Pakistan. Following the 9/11 attacks the tribal belt along the Afghan border became a notorious focal point in the global war on terror, with Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters operating in the area with impunity. The US has repeatedly accused Pakistan of allowing the tribal areas to host safe havens harbouring militants fighting in Afghanistan -- an allegation Islamabad has consistently denied. FATA residents have long complained its development has been overlooked by authorities, while appointed administrators were able to punish whole tribes for the crimes of an individual. "Pakistan's tribal areas have long been neglected. The government has taken this decision very late," Rahimullah Yusufzai, a regional analyst and an expert on the tribal areas, told AFP. Yusufzai predicted that implementation of the amendment could take months as Pakistan prepares for elections due this summer, which would leave the reforms in the hands of the incoming government. The move was largely welcomed across the FATA. "It's a historic day, I am more than happy," said Malik Zarnoor Afridi of Khyber tribal district. Samiullah Jan, from South Waziristan district, said he hopes the tribal areas will see an increase in development aid. "They will get quality education, quality health care, roads, electricity, gas and economic opportunities," said Jan. The vote was also trending on Twitter in Pakistan, with social media users lauding the decision. "Salute the political leadership for coming together on this. Proud moment!," wrote Nizamuddin Khan. The seven tribal districts -- Bajaur, Khyber, Kurram, Mohmand, North Waziristan, Orakzai and South Waziristan -- are home to some five million residents, mainly ethnic Pashtuns. The decision comes as a new rights movement emanating from FATA has accused Pakistan's military establishment of using the territory to nurture militant groups fighting in Afghanistan, while overseeing a campaign of extrajudicial killings and abductions targeting tribesmen. Since the days of the British Raj, the territory has long been seen as a backwater ruled by hostile tribesman that was kept as a buffer zone with AfghanistanThe Palestinians have joined two United Nations agencies and the global convention to halt the spread of chemical weapons, a UN envoy said Wednesday, despite a threat of US funding cuts. At the United Nations, the Palestinians have the status of a non-member observer state that allows them to seek membership of agencies and become a party to international treaties. The move will raise the Palestinians' profile in international diplomacy and comes amid a rift with President Donald Trump's administration over its decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The Palestinians want to make East Jerusalem the capital of their promised future state. Nickolay Mladenov, the UN coordinator for the Middle East, told the Security Council that the Palestinians had joined the Geneva-based UN trade organization UNCTAD, Vienna-based industrial development agency UNIDO and the Chemical Weapons Convention. "On May 15, Palestine acceded to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the Convention on the Prohibition, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons," Mladenov said. The envoy did not address whether the decision will have an impact on funding from the United States for these agencies and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The United States withdrew in 1996 from UNIDO, a little-known agency that promotes "inclusive and sustainable industrial development," according to its website. The OPCW and UNCTAD rely on voluntary contributions from UN member-states to fund its activities as well as regular funding for its budget. The United States withdrew some funding for UNESCO when the Palestinians joined the cultural and education agency in 2011 and last year pulled out of the agency altogether. The Trump administration has also cut funds to the UN Palestinian refugee agency, leaving UNRWA struggling to fill a major gap in its education and health programs. The OPCW announced in The Hague earlier that Palestine will become the 193rd state to join the chemical weapons convention. Only four countries -- Israel, Egypt, North Korea and South Sudan -- have yet to ratify the chemical weapons convention, which aims to eliminate an entire category of weapons of mass destruction. The Palestinians angered Israel when they became a state-party to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2015. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki this week met with the ICC chief prosecutor to push for an investigation of Israeli war crimes after more than 60 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, the worst violence since the 2014 war. The United Nations granted Palestine non-member observer state status in 2012, but an upgrade to full membership would require unanimous backing from the Security Council -- an unlikely outcome, given the near-certainty of a US veto. Palestine's Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad H. Mansour attends a UN Security Council on May 15, 2018, at UN Headquarters in New YorkThe Pentagon is ready to respond to any "provocative actions" from North Korea, an official said Thursday after President Donald Trump canceled a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. "We are in a boxer stance, we are ready to respond," Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, director of the US military's Joint Staff, told reporters. "We'll see what develops over the next few days. If any provocative actions occur from (North Korea), we will certainly, in concert with our allies and partners in the region, be ready for it." Secretary of State Jim Mattis spoke with Trump by phone earlier in the day, but officials would not say if he had been part of the decision process to scrap the summit or was merely informed of it. Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said the Pentagon is part of the US "maximum pressure" campaign against North Korea that includes tough sanctions, diplomatic moves and military readiness. "We are ready to fight tonight. That's always been the case," she said at a joint briefing with McKenzie. McKenzie added the Pentagon maintains a "very high" state of vigilance with North Korea. "We will continue that going forward to include our missile defense activities," he said. In a letter to Kim, Trump announced he would not go ahead with the high-stakes meeting set for June 12 in Singapore. The letter spoke of America's "massive and powerful" nuclear capabilities, marking a sudden return to the bellicose rhetoric that had been characteristic of Trump until he first announced the summit. Tensions with North Korea soared last year after Kim test-fired intercontinental ballistic missiles with a big enough range to hit the US, and conducted his sixth nuclear test. McKenzie said the Pentagon had not changed anything militarily during the short-lived thaw. "We didn't ramp up or down as word of this summit began to rise and now has ended," he said. "We are being very steady, very straight in terms of our preparations, in terms of the readiness that we display." The US military has some 28,500 troops based in South Korea and the two militaries routinely conduct joint training exercises on the peninsula. The US has also deployed a THAAD anti-missile battery in South Korea, designed to shoot down any rockets from the North. Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, director of the US military's Joint Staff, says the Pentagon is ready to respond to any "provocative actions" from North Korea

A Qantas plane has made an emergency landing returning to Auckland airport after smoke poured out of a faulty oven.

The Boeing 737 on Qantas flight 144 departed Auckland at 1.19pm on Thursday and was heading to Sydney, but was forced to turn around.

Emergency vehicles, including fire trucks, were sent to meet the plane on its return to the airport.

Qantas confirmed the smoke was from a malfunctioning oven and the plane landed safely.

A Qantas plane has made an emergency landing at Auckland airport. Photo: Getty

The aircraft landed safely and without incident. As is standard airport procedure

emergency vehicles escorted the aircraft to the terminal, a Qantas spokesperson said.

Engineers have inspected the aircraft and identified a fault with one of the ovens in

the forward galley.

Wed like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding and we aim to

have them on their way to Sydney as soon as possible.New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Plenty of sunshine. High 82F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early followed by scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 71F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.China's star shuttlers will be tested by Thailand's dark-horse women's team and Indonesia's men in the last four of the Uber and Thomas Cups, with Japan also grabbing spots in both semi-finals after a dramatic knockout stage on Thursday. The prestigious biennial event has brought together 16 top teams from five continents for a week of intense competition in Bangkok for the men's Thomas Cup and the Uber Cup which is contested by the women. The day's most exhilarating moment came when Thailand's women edged into the final four, with Busanan Ongbamrungphan sparking jubilation among the home crowd by winning the final women's singles 9-21, 12-21 to seal a 3-2 win against Indonesia. Thailand's star player, world number four Ratchanok Intanon, started the tie well for the home side, demolishing Indonesia's Fitriani Fitriani in the first game. But the visitors won the next two points, before a Thai doubles pair matched their score and Busanan finally broke the draw, sending her team rushing onto the court to embrace each other and dance before an ecstatic crowd. "I am really happy that I can make one point for my team," 22-year-old Busanan said after the match, adding that the crowd's energetic cheering helped "a lot". Busanan conceded that taking on China -- reigning champions who have won the Uber cup 14 times -- will be "very tough". "But I think everyone in my team can do it. I will try my best," she added. In Thomas Cup action, China's star-stacked men secured their final-four spot early in the day with a 3-0 wipeout of Taiwan. The only stumble came when world number five Chen Long dropped one game against Taiwan's Chou Tien-chen, though he bounced back to finish the job 21-18, 10-21, 21-14. A tense match to determine who would face top-seeds China then followed between arch-rivals Malaysia and Indonesia -- who were runners-up in the last 2016 Thomas Cup. Malaysia's veteran player Lee Chong Wei stole the first point 21-19, 21-16 from Anthony Sinisuka Ginting. But Indonesia's Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo -- the world's number one doubles pair -- put their country back on track with a 21-19, 20-22, 21-13 win against Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong. Eying a shot at both trophies, Japan rolled into the semi-finals after its top-seeded women overcame an early scare from Taiwan and the men outclassed France 3-1. The women clawed back a win following the first match 21-19, 21-16 defeat of world number two Akane Yamaguchi by Taiwan's Tai Tzu-ying, who ranks higher than her. They rebounded with doubles pair Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota tearing through their rivals in the next match, followed by a routine 21-11, 21-12 win by singles world champion Nozomi Okuhara. The women will face South Korea on Friday while the men will have a rougher ride against Denmark -- whose team made history in 2016 by becoming the first non-Asian country to take home the Thomas trophy. The Danes took down Korea 3-0 on Thursday to continue their run at retaining the title. World number one Viktor Axelsen, who had lost a match the night before to Malaysia's Lee, regained his rhythm on Thursday to beat Korea's Son Wan-ho, who is one rank below him, 21-14, 14-21, 22-20. Japanese world number two Akane Yamaguchi was defeated by Taiwan's Tai Tzu-yingUN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling on Hezbollah not to engage in military activity inside Lebanon and elsewhere in the region, in a report seen by AFP on Wednesday. "The maintenance by Hezbollah of sizeable and sophisticated military capabilities outside the control of the government of Lebanon remains a matter of grave concern," Guterres said in a report sent to the Security Council on Friday. The UN chief called on the Shiite movement "not to engage in any military activity inside or outside Lebanon" in line with a 2004 UN resolution. The Lebanese government must prevent Hezbollah from "building paramilitary capacity outside the authority of the state," he said. The report followed elections this month that saw Hezbollah allies make gains in the Lebanese parliament, cementing the Iran- and Syria-backed movement's political dominance. Guterres called on countries in the region that maintain ties with Hezbollah to encourage the armed group to transform into a "solely civilian political party" and to disarm. Listed as a terror group by the United States, Hezbollah is now fighting in Syria on behalf of government forces and in Iraq alongside paramilitary groups, and is accused of backing Huthi rebels in Yemen. International efforts to contain the group have largely failed, including several rounds of US and European sanctions and a month-long war with Israel in 2006. The Security Council is scheduled to discuss the report on Thursday. A sign in Beirut in February 2018 shows a Hezbollah movement fighter with Arabic text that reads: "A project to equip a militant... Thanks for your contribution"The UN envoy for Burundi called Thursday for a return to talks between the government and the opposition following a constitutional referendum expected to strengthen President Pierre Nkurunziza's hold on power. Michel Kafando told the Security Council that consultations are expected to be held in the coming days to relaunch talks between the government and the opposition, under the auspices of East African leaders. "We expect a strong signal from the authorities in support of relaunching the inter-Burundian dialogue under the aegis of the East African Community," said Kafando, a former president of Burkina Faso who became UN envoy last year. The United States and France also called for dialogue, but Russia warned against meddling in Burundi's domestic affairs, while China stressed that the situation was "generally stable." "The priority should be to increase humanitarian assistance to Burundi and support for its economic and social development," said China's representative at the meeting, Zhang Dianbin. In power since 2005, Nkurunziza plunged his east African nation into crisis in 2015 when he circumvented a constitutional two-term limit, stressing his first term came after an election by parliament. At least 1,200 people have died and 400,000 displaced in a crackdown on protests against his rule. In a referendum held on May 17, a majority of voters backed constitutional changes that would extend the presidential term limit to seven years. The opposition accused the government of waging a campaign of fear and intimidation ahead of the vote. Nkurunziza has refused to hold talks with the opposition, which he accuses of staging an alleged coup. The government has branded as a terrorist organization the umbrella opposition group the National Council for the Restoration of Arusha Agreement and Rule of Law, or CNARED. Nkurunziza is the latest African leader to seek changes to the constitution in order to stay in power, along with Rwanda's Paul Kagame, Uganda's Yoweri Museveni, Cameroon's Paul Biya among others. Special Envoy of The UN Secretary-General to Burundi Michel Kafondo, left, shakes hands with Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza in Bujumbura on June 29, 2017A US government employee in China suffered brain trauma linked to "abnormal sounds" that resembled the still-unexplained injuries that befell US and Canadian diplomats in Cuba last year, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday. US and Chinese authorities are investigating after the unnamed American citizen, who was assigned to the southern city of Guangzhou, was diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). The US embassy in Beijing issued a health alert Wednesday over the incident, while saying it does not know what caused the symptoms or of any similar situations in the country. Last year 24 US diplomats and their family members in Cuba fell victim to mysterious "attacks" that left them with injuries resembling brain trauma. Ten Canadian diplomats and their relatives also suffered a strange illness. Both countries scaled back their presence on the Caribbean island due to the problem, which continues to baffle investigators and has strained US diplomatic relations with Havana. "The medical indications are very similar and entirely consistent with the medical indications that have taken place to Americans working in Cuba," Pompeo said in Washington. "We are working to figure out what took place both in Havana and now in China as well," he said. - Embassy warning - Jinnie Lee, a spokeswoman for the US embassy in Beijing, said the US citizen experienced a variety of physical symptoms between late 2017 and April 2018. The person was sent to the United States and diagnosed with MTBI on May 18. The embassy's health alert says the employee "recently reported subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure." "While in China, if you experience any unusual acute auditory or sensory phenomena accompanied by unusual sounds or piercing noises, do not attempt to locate their source. Instead, move to a location where the sounds are not present," the embassy said. In Washington for talks with Pompeo, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the US should avoid politicizing the case. "We don't want to see that this individual case would be magnified, complicated or even politicized," Wang told reporters. "China has been investigating this matter in a very responsible manner." "We haven't found that any organization or individual has carried out such a sonic influence," Wang added, suggesting the US carry out an "internal" probe into the case. - Cuban case - In Cuba, the American victims had associated the onset of their symptoms with "unusual sounds or auditory sensations," a State Department physician told the US Senate in January. Charles Rosenfarb, a doctor and director of the State Department bureau of medical services, said the symptoms were mixed but consistent with brain trauma. The victims suffered headaches, hearing loss, disorientation and some loss of cognitive ability. Initially officials suspected the Americans had been targeted by some sort of acoustic weapon. But so far, no evidence has been made public to support that theory, and Pompeo did not suggest the State Department understood the cause yet. The incident prompted the United States to withdraw more than half of its personnel from the embassy in Havana, just two years after it had reopened as part of a restoration of full diplomatic relations. Canada announced last month that it was bringing home the families of its diplomats in Cuba after a year-long investigation into the illness failed to reveal a cause. Unlike their American counterparts, however, no Canadian envoy reported hearing any suspicious sound prior to falling ill. "The cause (of their symptoms) remains unknown but could be human-made," the Canadian government concluded. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hold a news conference at the State Department The US embassy in Havana: The US slashed its diplomatic staff in Cuba in 2017 after a number of staffers suffered unexplained brain trauma that some suspect is linked to mysterious soundsHodeida port, Yemen's largest entry point for aid, is now in the crosshairs of the Saudi-led coalition which is intent on cutting off the Huthi rebels from alleged Iranian arms shipments. The Red Sea port has been a point of contention in Yemen's war since Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened on behalf of the government in 2015. It is the main conduit for humanitarian aid on which millions depend, as Yemen teeters on the brink of famine. But for neighbouring Saudi Arabia, Hodeida is seen as the entry point for rebel weaponry -- which it accuses regional rival Tehran of supplying. On Tuesday, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition blamed the Shiite rebels for a "deliberate" attack on a Turkish ship loaded with wheat shipments. Investigations revealed that "a missile had pierced the hull of the ship," Turki al-Maliki said. The United Arab Emirates -- a key member of the Saudi-led alliance -- on Wednesday said its military had destroyed two rebel boats, "which had threatened a commercial oil tanker in the Red Sea". The coalition points to incidents like these to support allegations the Huthis are using Hodeida as a strategic military outpost and entry point for ballistic missiles. In November 2017, the coalition announced a total blockade on Hodeida in response to a rebel ballistic missile attack that targeted the Saudi capital Riyadh. That embargo was eased under international pressure, but the coalition has meanwhile set its sights on retaking Hodeida by land -- especially as rebel missile attacks have increased. - Mine fields - The United Nations has warned that any operation aimed at seizing Hodeida itself would disrupt the entry of aid shipments to Yemen, 70 percent of which flow through the rebel-held port. But since May, the United Arab Emirates has taken the initiative to ramp up the coastal offensive, with the stated goal of taking Hodeida. The fighting has been fierce, slowed by landmines that Yemeni military sources say have been laid by the insurgents. The front lines have moved up along the coast, and there are also fronts in the districts of Hays and Al-Jarahi further inland. "Military operations are proceeding at a good pace," the exiled Hodeida governor Al-Hassan Tahir told AFP from his base in Mokha. About 180 kilometres (110 miles) south of Hodeida, the Red Sea port of Mokha was seized by Yemeni government forces in February. "We have progressed in some areas more than 20 kilometres," said Tahir. He acknowledged, however, the difficulty of advancing through minefields and avoiding civilian casualties. "We are ensuring that our forces do not operate in areas where there is a high density of civilians," he said. In mid-May, Amnesty International said the coastal offensive was driving tens of thousands of people from their homes. The rights group warned "the worst could be yet to come" after surveying civilians who made the perilous escape from front line towns south of Hodeida port. The offensive is now just 70 kilometres outside Hodeida in some areas, military sources told AFP. The battles are sporadic but deadly. Last week, 64 rebels and 19 loyalist troops were killed in the span of 24 hours, according to medical sources. On Tuesday, 26 Huthi fighters and nine soldiers died in clashes. - Anti-Iran coalition - The UAE, in setting Hodeida as a target, has no choice but to project a united front among a disparate collective of forces. The "Giant Brigades" -- a former elite force of the Yemeni army, rebuilt by the UAE -- has been at the vanguard of the offensive, reinforced by thousands of fighters from southern Yemen. The second key force, the "National Resistance", are loyalists of Yemen's ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was assassinated by his former Huthi allies in December. The force is commanded by Tarek Saleh, nephew of the former strongman, who in April linked up with the Saudis and Emiratis -- though without pledging allegiance to Yemen's exiled president, Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. The third force, the "Tihama Resistance", is named for the Red Sea coastal region and made up of locals from the area loyal to President Hadi. National Resistance spokesman Sadiq Dawid has dismissed talk of divisions between the allies. "We are fighting side by side with the Giants Brigade and the Tihama Resistance, and we are all in a joint operations room under the umbrella of the Arab alliance," he said. "We are committed to participating in the fight to rid Yemen of Iran's agents," he added. The fighting in western Yemen is now the fiercest in the impoverished Arabian peninsula country. Nearly 10,000 people have been killed since the alliance launched its intervention in March 2015, contributing to what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis. A crane unloads food aid provided by UNICEF from a cargo ship at the Red Sea port of Hodeida on January 27, 2018 Yemenis receive aid distributed by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), in the coastal town of Hodeida, on April 11, 2018 Pro-government forces walk in the port of the western Yemeni coastal town of Mokha on February 9, 2017 Displaced Yemeni children fill up carry containers of water from a tap at a camp in the Yemeni coastal city of Hodeidah, on February 17, 2018One of those issues is New York's status as a donor state. State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli released a report last year that revealed New York pays $40 billion more in taxes than it receives in federal funding. Analyses over the years suggest the disparity is getting worse.

For Farley, getting at least a portion of that money back is a top priority if she's elected to the Senate. The additional funding could be used to support infrastructure projects and job creation efforts.

"People are like, 'You won't be able to bring it all back' and I say, 'You're probably right'. But something is better than nothing," she said. "Right now, we're not getting anything."

Getting the federal government to return more money to New York won't be easy. New York's status as a donor state isn't a new problem. The late Daniel Patrick Moynihan railed against the gap during his tenure in the Senate.

How do you reverse the trend? Farley believes the state's senators need to be more vocal.

"You keep saying it and you need a list of projects that need the money," she said.Trump, who once called Kim "Rocket Man" due to North Korea's nuclear provocations, announced the summit earlier this month. It was a major development in U.S.-North Korean relations, which have long been hostile. There have been prior attempts at a thaw, but they failed.

When the meeting was announced, Trump said he and Kim would "try to make it a very special moment for world peace." Some of the president's supporters thought his actions warranted a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.

But there have been recent developments that raised questions about whether the U.S. could reach any sort of agreement with North Korea. Choe's statement was in response to Trump administration comments comparing North Korea to Libya. That comparison bothers North Korean officials because of what happened in Libya when Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in 2011.

Trump, though, didn't rule out a future meeting with Kim. In his letter, he said he looks "very much forward to meeting" Kim and thanked him for the release of three Americans who were held captive by the North Koreans.

"If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hestitate to call me or write," Trump wrote to Kim. "The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history."

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1The Libertarian Party's candidate for governor will be visiting Cayuga County next month.

Larry Sharpe will hold a meet-and-greet from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, June 11 at Wild's Eats & Sweets, 100 Genesee St., Auburn. The event is open to the public.

Sharpe is a business consultant and serves as managing director of the Neo-Sage Group. He is also a Marine Corps veteran.

This is Sharpe's second run for political office. In 2016, he was a candidate for the Libertarian Party's vice presidential nomination. He narrowly lost to former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld at the party's convention.

Sharpe announced his candidacy for governor in July 2017. He won the Libertarian Party's nomination in April.

Love 32 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0Anyway, the match is made. And that's where the real problems with it begin. First, and most glaring, is Rousey's lack of ring time. She showed promise at WrestleMania, blowing away expectations with a spirited performance that saw her throw a cool somersault clothesline and some decent punches, on top of trash talk with 100 times the personality of her promos. But that was a tag team match with three longtime pros in Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Kurt Angle, and one that was no doubt rehearsed move-for-move at some warehouse in Stamford or Full Sail.

This match is not that. This is a singles match with Jax, who is still inexperienced herself. She's had good matches with Asuka, and her series with Alexa Bliss was solid, but Jax is nowhere near the level she needs to be to carry someone wrestling their first singles match to something that isn't met with "boring" chants. That's why it's puzzling that said match didn't pit Rousey against a veteran like Mickie James or Natalya, which was the direction WWE appeared to be heading before last week. James, especially, could have given Rousey the kind of broomstick treatment that'd raise her stock even further.

But WWE wants to keep those Variety reporters googly-eyed, so here we are. Now what's the finish?AUBURN  Terry Leonino's passion for fighting for human rights was shaped by standing a few feet from tanks during the Kent State shootings in 1970.

Leonino, then a freshman at Kent State University in Ohio, was on campus when Ohio National Guardsmen fired into a crowd and killed four students and wounded others.

Leonino and her husband and musical partner Greg Artzner worked with fourth-grade students at Genesee Elementary School in Auburn Wednesday. Leonino and Artzner, who are the folk music duo Magpie, helped students create a song about iconic abolitionist Harriet Tubman. The duo have worked with Genesee children on musical tributes to the famed former Auburn resident for five years. They have been crafting the latest tune's lyrics with three separate fourth-grade classes each day since May 21. Each class has come together to work with the duo toward the end of the day.

A sneak preview of the latest song, along with some of the students performing, will be featured at a concert acknowledging Tubman in the school auditorium Thursday. Magpie will perform original songs as well. Students will perform all of the Tubman songs Magpie has helped craft with them over the years at an event Friday.Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

According to the application submitted to CCIDA, the plan is to replace the over 30-year-old equipment and purchase new computer systems "which will generate more taxable sales than obsolete equipment." Christopher Kubarek, one of car wash owners, said renovations will include replacing existing car wash tunnels, upgrading the payment systems and facility remodels.

Renovations to the two car washes will cost a combined total of about $3.5 million. Within three years of the renovation, the company plans to hire 10 full-time equivalent employees between the two locations. All the construction work will be done by local contractors, Kubarek said. The tax savings will fund the purchase of additional equipment, such as vacuums.

Work on the properties will start this summer, Kubarek said, and is scheduled to be complete by the fall. During construction, the car washes will still be operational at different capacities. In the end, the expansion will give K&S customers more options, Kubarek said.

K&S Car Wash has two current locations, one at 108 North St. in Auburn and 2677 Erie Drive in Weedsport. Kubarek said his family opened the North Street car wash in 1977 and are looking forward to expanding in their hometown.NEW YORK (AP)  New York's Republican Party nominated New York City attorney Keith Wofford as their preferred candidate for attorney general on Thursday.

A Harvard Law School graduate, Wofford was raised in Buffalo and is now the co-managing partner of the New York City office of the law firm of Ropes & Gray. Wofford defeated Joe Holland to win the nomination at the Republican state convention in Manhattan.

Wofford said that if elected his priority will be combating New York's chronic problem with political corruption.

"I will put an end to it by going after public corruption wherever it leads and bring charges against those who violate the public trust, regardless of their title," he said.

On the Democratic side, New York City Public Advocate Letitia James was nominated for attorney general Wednesday at the party's convention on Long Island.

The winner of the November election will succeed Democrat Eric Schneiderman, who resigned earlier this month after he was accused of assaulting four women he dated. Schneiderman has denied the allegations.

Earlier this week, lawmakers tapped Barbara Underwood, previously the state's No. 2 legal official, to fill out the reminder of Schneiderman's term.

In the state comptroller's race, Republicans nominated former banking executive Johnathan Trichter as their nominee. Democrats on Wednesday nominated incumbent Thomas DiNapoli for another term as the state's chief financial official.

Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0We all need to wake up to the fact that we're not a "perfect nation"! Too many of us might have questionable mental "quirks" ... we might be either bias and/or prejudiced because of color, race and/or religion and that might never change! And, as long as there remain bullies among us, then guns need to be in a safe/secure location where they're not accessible except to their owners who  when they want to go hunting  can go to that location where they can "check out" their gun for the day. (Isn't the reason anyone wants a gun is to be able to go hunting for something that can be eaten, right?)

It wasn't until 1964 that Nobel Prize winner in chemistry Dr. Rachel Carson's book, Silent Spring, woke the world up to the dire effects of chemicals ... telling us that insecticides can be linked to mental disease. She writes that landscapers can experience an 'episode of mania' linked to the chemical 'dieldrin' they're using. (Unfortunately, there already were a few landscapers in prison who had committed horrific crimes prior to the publication of her book. Even more unfortunate is the fact that they are still serving time because our judicial system refuses to consider any newly discovered mitigating circumstances after sentencing.)NEW YORK CITYThe latest phase of Big Apple adult businesses' fight against the city's oppressive zoning lawsa fight that's been going on for more than 20 yearsentered a new phase today when First Amendment attorneys Erica Dubno, John Weston, Dan Silver, Ed Rudofsky, Randy Garrou and Jennifer Kinsley filed motions for preliminary injunctions against enforcement of the city's Amended Zoning Resolution, which was enacted in 2001 but has been stayed pending other legal actions. Among the plaintiffs are various adult cabarets and bookstores, which once numbered 177 in 1993, but which number has been reduced to just 20 today, serving the city's entire five boroughsand almost all of them are under legal fire.

Dubno's client is a video store, The Erotica, located at 336 Eighth Avenue at 27th Street, and which has been in business since 2014, and which features 10 viewing booths for its adult customers. When The Erotica opened, the New York Supreme Court (which in the New York judicial system is the trial-level court) had already declared the city's Amended Zoning Resolution unconstitutionala ruling which remained in effect until June 6, 2017, when it was overturned by the New York Court of Appeals, though the city agreed to stay enforcement of the zoning law pending a further legal appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. However, the high court denied certiorari on February 20, 2018, leaving the city's remaining adult stores in legal limbo.

Dubno's current lawsuit recounts the entire history of New York City's attempts to minimize and marginalize its adult-oriented businesses, including a rule which required stores to have less than 40 percent adult stock to avoid the "adult" labeldubbed the "60/40 rule"and specifically dissects the 2001 resolution's hair-splitting definitions and requirements to prevent adult businesses from operating in specified areas, which include certain business and residential zones as well as a 500-foot "set-back" from "sensitive uses" such as schools and churches.

Among the minutiae that would define a business as adult: "A method of operation which requires customer transactions with respect to 'other printed or visual material' to be made in an area of the store which includes 'adult printed or visual material'," not to mention, "A method of operation under which 'other printed or visual material' is offered for sale only and 'adult printed or visual material' is offered for sale or rental." Other clauses of the Amendment deal with the amount of adult material versus non-adult, what's displayed in the store's window, and how its signage reads.

"Thus, even if a bookstore devotes less than 40 percent of its stock and floor space to adult material, all of its non-adult stock is completely disregarded and deemed to be a sham if, for example, the establishment has Booths where adult movies are available for viewing by customers," Dubno notes in her complaint.

The result? Of the 20 to 25 remaining adult bookstores with booths, "Upon information and belief, virtually no bookstores with Booths are located within permissible areas for 'adult establishments' under the Amended Zoning Resolution. Upon information and belief there are only two bookstores with Booths in areas where exclusively adult establishments are allowed to operate ('Permissible Areas'), in the entire City of New York."

That's two bookstores to serve New York City's entire 304.6 square miles and roughly 8.6 million residents!

And that's the primary basis of Dubno's and the other attorneys' lawsuits: They've essentially been "zoned out" of New York's five boroughsand that's illegal.

Dubno and the other attorneys have filed what's known as a "1983 action," after Section 1983 of Title 42 of the U.S. Code, which bars deprivation of rights under color of law.

"It's basically a violation of a civil rights statute," Dubno explained, "so we're not claiming official misconduct; what we're claiming is that under color of law, they violated our clients' constitutional rights."

"The Amended Zoning Resolution violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution because it does not provide for reasonable alternative avenues of communication," Dubno's lawsuit charges. "The percentage of available spacewhich was extremely limited in the first placehas been significantly curtailed and reduced in the 22 years since 1995... To pass constitutional muster under the First Amendment there must be ample space available for adult uses after the rezoning. Enforcement of the ordinance must neither substantially reduce the total number of adult outlets nor significantly reduce the accessibility of those outlets to their potential patrons. In enacting the 2001 Resolution the City offered no additional locations for businesses displaced by the Amended Zoning Resolution. To the contrary, the City acknowledged that '[s]ince 1995, there have been 13 changes in the zoning map which have rezoned certain areas where adult uses had been permitted. These map changes have reduced the amount of unencumbered land area available to adult establishments by about 200 acres.'"

In fact, Dubno hired a city planner to draw up a map of the five boroughs showing the areas where adult businesses allegedly could be locatedsome of which have no existing infrastructure, and others of which have existing businesses which would not want to sell out (or even rent out) the premises to adult businesses.

"In the last 17 years, many, many, many of the areas that they said were permissible for adult uses are no longer available," Dubno told AVN. "For example, the city has completely rezoned large portions of Staten Island and other areas that were previously manufacturing zones and now they are no longer manufacturing zones; now they allow residences or they allow commercial use, but the kind of commercial use that we're excluded from being. So the bottom line is, adult businesses can't be located there."

So, a zone-out?

"Absolutely; it's basically zoning out free expression," she agreed. "And that's obviously a concern to us. There are three separate, parallel-but-related lawsuits that were brought by the cabarets, and even though we have differing interests, specific interests, we also have one common objective, which is to show that there are not sufficient locations for businesses to be located, and specifically this will really hurt the places with booths, because the city is not going to allowyou still can technically comply with most aspects of the 60/40 rule in other locations, but booths are going to be barred from virtually all areas of the city except for the limited places where they're allowed to be located, which have now been rezoned out."

It's certainly a fight that most NYC-based adult businesses never thought they'd haveafter all, in 304 square miles, one would think there'd be plenty of areas where an adult business could locatebut now they're hunkering down for a fight that will likely take years to resolve, but which should end with a decision in their favor, as it has in so many other municipalities that have attempted similar zone-outs.

Pictured: Erica DubnoMIAMI BEACH, Fla.Richie Harris, who has headed pjur Group USA since its start in 1996, is leaving the company to focus his attention on his other businesses.

pjur Group, which is based in Luxembourg, announced earlier today it had bought out Harris and his business partner Jack Palmquist and will take over operations of pjur Group USA.

Harris and Palmquist, in the meantime, plan to focus on other businesses that over recent years have grown and demand more time and attention. The duo own Lucom USA and market the Rock Solid Brand, the  jugular vein of the cock ring business said Harris, which features top selling shapes in high quality substrates.

Harris also has developed a large male herbal supplement business with company owned brands including Black Lion and Python, as well brokering many other brands. New products in both categories will launch at the upcoming AMNE in Burbank, Calif. Rock Solid also has a unique private branding program that is active in more than 40 retail chains and hundreds of locations.

Its Amazon proofing your business in a very fast turning category, said Harris. The company also does private brands in the herbal classification. Harris is also CEO of Premium Fulfillment Services, a logistic pick, pack and ship company based in Doral, Fla. PFS services adult and non-adult businesses.

The idea is to service businesses and save money collectively for value for all, said Harris.

Harris also does brand consulting for businesses adult and non-adult.

There is life after pjur! Harris joked.LOS ANGELESThe Studio 20 live-cam studio franchise network has announced one of its best quarters yet.

Studio 20 reported more than 100-percent increase in sales compared with the same period of 2017, new franchises opened and a significant growth in hourly income per model in what it called an "amazing start of the year."

Mugur Frunzetti, Studio 20s CEO, discussed the health of the operation and his plans for the future in this exclusive Q&A.

The first trimester of 2018 had 100% growth compared to last years first trimester. What did you change since last year?

MF: We have a long-term strategy and roadmap so is not what we changed, is what we kept doing the same that helped us continue to grow so fast.

Tell us a bit about the 20 Excellence App.

We know that if we want to stay the best, we need to continuously help all our teams and models grow themselves. Knowledge is power and we must provide our teams with the best knowledge we have. Therefore, we developed a mobile app where they can find a lot of information needed to help our models be successful. It's like our own internal Academy with courses, lesson, and exams.

How would you pitch the live-cam franchise idea to someone that doesnt know anything about it?

If you are a hard-working entrepreneur and you want to have a successful business with minimum risks and excellent ROI, a Studio 20 franchise is your best choice. You dont have to know anything about live camit's our job to teach and helpyou only need to be able to motivate and lead the people in your team.

How did the idea of starting a franchise came to mind?

I first thought about developing a live-cam franchise back in 2008, 10 years ago. The market told me it's time to really do it in 2012 and, after a year of hard work in 2014, creating the plan around it, building the idea piece by piece, we opened the first franchise in 2015, two more in 2016, five in 2017 and now in 2018 we have reached six even before the first half of the year.

Did your prior experience help or hinder your business operation?

My previous business experience was a major factor for success. I have been an entrepreneur for 24 years, so since I was 18. I was involved in food distribution, music production, insurance brokerage, e-commerce, software development. Each business added significant value to my personal knowledge that now served the franchise network.

What financial goals are realistic as a single-unit franchise owner?

A single-unit franchise owner will make, at the studio's "maturity," which is 24 months after opening, between $10,000 and $50,000 profit per month. The range depends on the studio size and of course investment (10 rooms, a $150,000 investment to 50 rooms, a $500,000 investment). The turnover of a mature Studio 20 location is constant during the year with changes below 10% from one month to the other. Some of our first franchises are now, after 2-3 years of business, looking into opening a second location in the same city, even open in a second city, a studio dedicated to male models or grow the original location (7-10 rooms) to a much bigger studio (20-50 rooms).

We know that for every franchise that youve opened, you have dedicated people from your original team helping at the start but also after, whenever the franchise needs them. What are your plans for the future?

You just mentioned the plan in your question. We provide very close help and guidance to all our franchises, not only when they open but permanently. Our support is constant. Studio 20 is our biggest asset; we need to make sure all locations around the world provide the same quality.

Plans for 2019? Anything special?

After the success of our pilot locations in US, Colombia, and Hungary, we plan to accelerate franchises opening in these countriesmostly US and Colombiawhere tens of cities can become homes to a Studio 20 location. In the same time, we are looking for franchisees to open new markets: Brazil, Czech Republic, Mexico, Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Ukraine are our main targets for 2019, but we are open to other countries also. The most important for us is the franchisors, the people we partner with. It's not enough to have money. We need good leaders and managers, people with the right profile to run a successful studio. We received over 1000 requests in the last four years and we accepted only 15 of them. This shows we are not in a hurry to sell to just anyone. We want to build long-term, strong and successful partnerships.In 2016, after Hetq broke the story about his offshore business interests in Panama, Armenias Special Investigative Service (SIS) launched a criminal investigation of Major General of Justice Mihran Poghosyan, Armenias Chief Compulsory Enforcement Officer.

Hetq was part of an international team of 110 media partners that investigated the Panama Papers, a trove of internal data of Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian legal firm doing business in offshore tax havens for clients who want to hide their identities and/or holdings.

There are Armenians included in these documents  CES chief Mihran Poghosyan and members of the families of his uncles Grigor and Mikhail Harutyunyan.

The SIS dropped the investigation soon afterwards and Poghosyan, who resigned in the publicity fallout, was then elected a deputy in the Armenian parliament on the Republican Party of Armenia ticket.

The SIS clearly conducted no investigation into the matter because it never contacted Hetq to ask to see the documents we had at our disposal.

We had hundreds of documents correspondence and other details about the companies owned by Mihran Poghosyan and his Swiss bank accounts.

Yes, the SIS conveniently shut the lid on the Poghosyan case and it never provided Hetq with a copy of the official decision to do so.

The reason is simple. To provide Hetq with a copy would prove that the SIS never conducted an investigation and that it never obtained the Panama Papers and never tried to.

Moreover, the SIS stretched the truth when it stated that the investigation was closed because Swiss and Panamanian authorities refused to assist in the probe.

This was a gross misrepresentation of the facts. The Swiss Federal Department of Justice rejected the SIS request for legal assistance only because it hadnt been filed properly  certain requirements were nor fulfilled.

Was such oversight intentional on the part of the SIS? Well, it never refiled its application as permitted by the Swiss.

Such a case could only have been closed if the president Serzh Sargsyan ordered it or if a large bribe exchanged hands.

In this instance, both happened. Lets remember that Mihran Poghosyans uncles, Grigor and Mikhail, are close friends of Serzh Sargsyan.

Armenia now has a new justice minister. Minister Artak Zeynalyan can petition the proper Swiss authorities for information regarding the bank accounts held in Swiss banks by Mihran Poghosyan, his uncles Grigor and Mikhail, and Mikhails son MP Vahan Harutyunyan.

The money held in these accounts must be returned to Armenias state coffers.

Minister Zeynalyan must seize the opportunity and reopen the investigation into Poghosyans offshore business dealings.

Photo (from left): Mihran Poghosyan, Minister Artak ZeynalyanChairman of the Council of Public TV and Radio Company of Armenia Ruben Jaghinyan, and colleagues, have turned Public Television of Armenia into a laundromat for money laundering.

The Ministry of Finances auditing inspectorate has uncovered vast financial irregularities at Public Television of Armenia (PTA), but no one has been held accountable.

Jaghinyan, nicknamed Jazz, knows how to take care of such issues.

Hetq has written that the inspectorate uncovered accounting infractions of more than 2 billion drams at Armenia Public Television. (See: Ministry Inspectors Uncover US$10.3 Million in Armenian State Budgetary Expenditure Violations)

This is taxpayer money that has been squandered. But theres a catch.

The inspectorate did not examine non-government budgetary expenditures. Such allocations are also vast. These arent considered advertising expenditures since PTA cannot broadcast advertising. But the PTA has devised convenient accounting terminology to receive and spend such monies.

Only 321 million drams of the 2 billion violations are subject to restoration or reformulation. In response to a Hetq inquiry, the Ministry of Finance issued the following response.

Of the amount mentioned, the 183.6 million drams subject to restoration has already been added to the Armenian state budget. 132.6 million drams has been registered as subject to reformulation. 1.692 billion drams is neither subject to restoration nor reformulation, and the company has corrected the registered irregularities of this portion.

Lets see how the 183.6 million drams were restored. Simply stated, the government of then Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan took 174.728 million drams from the reserve budget and allocated it to Public Television of Armenia.

The government allocated the money as a gift to PTA to cover financial obligations stemming from the PTAs technical equipment upgrade program.

Thus, the government allocated yet another chunk of cash to Jaghinyans agency. Meanwhile, Jaghinyan purchased two apartments on Yerevans Northern Avenue, joining both into one large domicile.

The Ministry of Finance hasnt provided details about the violations uncovered at PTA. If it had, many now in jail would be freed, replaced by those running the PTA.

What Hetq has been able to find out is that the PTA, for years, has signed off on the expenditure of money for new programs it never prepared, substituting programs prepared years ago with similar names.

As for the technical equipment it purchased, you wont find it on the premises of PTA. And the amounts of money the PTA says its spent on construction, which never ends, are also suspect.

Lets present one fact to show the mechanisms used by Ruben Jaghinyan to launder money.

Some 75% of PTAs budget was transferred to Sharm Holding. This company then took a portion of the money and transferred it to another company to lease equipment. Jaghinyan owns 50% of Sharm Holding. Hrant Tokhatyan and Karen Ghazaryan own 25% each.

If the Prosecutor Generals Office hasnt been able to amass sufficient evidence to launch a criminal case, Hetq is ready to assist in this work.

All we need is for the appropriate agencies to allow Hetq to examine the PTAs financial documents. Well thus be able to provide all the details about the washing machine also known as Public Television of Armenia.

The public should also know that the building housing the PTA has been put up as collateral in one of the local banks in Armenia.Two Sides Of War (All Wars)

All wars are planned by older men

In council rooms apart,

Who call for greater armament

And map the battle chart.



But out along the shattered field

Where golden dreams turn gray,

How very young the faces were

Where all the dead men lay.



Portly and solemn in their pride,

The elders cast their vote

For this or that, or something else,

That sounds the martial note.



But where their sightless eyes stare out

Beyond life's vanished toys,

I've noticed nearly all the dead

Were hardly more than boys



by Henry Grantland Rice 1880-1954





Rest easy boys, smoke em if you got em.

I'll take it from here. - Bobby Tony





The following perished in Tay Ninh Province



From the Wall (Vietnam War Memorial):



4 APRIL 1968



Richard Call, panel 47E line 059

Heinrich Gerstheimer, panel 48E line 003

Tommy Knapp, panel 48E line 006

Lawrence Osborne, panel 48E line 008

David Rosenberger, panel 48E line 010

David Schultz, panel 48E line 010





5 APRIL 1968



Rafael Martinez-Santiago, panel 48E line 018

Robert Thompson, panel 48E line 021

May 25, 2015

May 28, 2016 Update

4 MARCH 1968

Edward August Schultz,, Panel 42 line 72

Hey guys, you may have already met Eddy but if not look him up. He is just a few panels down from you. Eddy served with you in Company C 2nd,12th, 25 Infantry Division. Here is his address

May 28, 2016

May 28, 2017 Update

2 April 1945



Charles J. Righini

Hey guys, his name is not on the wall with you but just cross the field at the end of that reflection pool there is a monument to him and his comrades from a previous war. Like you, he is now forever 22 years old. If you see him around the area, let him know that he too has not been forgotten. His name is Charles Righini but you may call him Paisan.

May 28, 2017

May 28, 2018 Update

I provide this update as an example of the long range effects of war deaths on their loved ones.

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of my year in Vietnam. I have alluded to that in a few articles here on BCN. Here is the most recent. I may have found the closure I have been looking for on two long lost fallen brothers.

In January of this year (2018) I received an email from the old girl friend of my comrade Ozzy. Listed above. She indicated that she found my contact information on The Wall USA Memorial page.

"My name is XXXX and I was Larry's girl friend way back in 1968. Many years have passed but I have not forgotten him either. I watched the PBS special on the Vietnam war, as I always do when any program or pictures surface with hopes that I could see Larry's face. What a horrible time in our lives. I don't know what possessed me but I did some research and found your post from 2010 (you will never be forgotten); how heartening it was to see. Just thought I would let you know. I hope you are doing well."

I responded and asked for her address as I had additional pictures of OZZY I would like to forward to her. After receiving her address I prepared a package of 8x10 pictures of OZZY and included the plaque that has been in my front entrance for many years honoring his sacrafice.

In a short letter I gave her a few memories of OZZY and included the paragraph.

"For many years, the acknowledgement of April 4, 1968 was just a private observance. In recent years, that proved to be insufficient. My daughter was in Washington a few years back and brought back a rubbing of the names. I decided to dedicate a wall in my house as a memorial to the memory of Ozzy and Rosey. I have displayed that on the wall at the entrance foyer. I know that every soldier that died there left a hole in someone's heart back home. My pledge was to remember that in the best of times in my life, there were those who did not have the benefit of living a long and peaceful life after Vietnam. With that in mind, I am sending you the plaque that has been on my wall for many years. It is proper that on the 50th year anniversary of Ozzy's death, someone who was close to him before he left for that war have what has been my pleasure to honor on a yearly basis. Perhaps, this will provide you with some of the solace it has provided me for many years. I do know that even thought I pass on this cenotaph; the memory of Ozzy's friendship will remain with me until I too pass on. You may use this plaque as you choose, and if you wish to donate it to a suitable location, I suggest either a library or the high school where Ozzy attended before his service."

That left only one additional personal plaque on my wall. That of Rosey, also listed above. In April of this year (2018) I received an email from the daughter of Rosey.

"My name is XXX XXXX, I was adopted as a baby and have since tracked down both parents. David is my father, and although Ive never met him I feel strangely, or not, close. Ive even spoken with his adopted mom, my grandma, now deceased, and she would have nothing to do with me. I really would consider it a great honor to be able to keep his memorabilia from the war. By the way I have a son who was born on the day of his death- 4/4/68. My sons birthday is 4/4/89. Weird, right? Anyway, XXXX XXXX gave me your name saying that you knew him? Im anxiously awaiting your reply, and thank you for any help"

I responded to here email and asked for her address as well. I prepared a package for her and included the Rosey's Plaque from my wall with this paragraph.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.When requested to do so: Should President Trump submit to an interview /interrogation by Robert Mueller, and his crack team of core Democrat investigators? Yes: What does Mr. Trump have to hide? No, Mueller is setting a perjury trap for the President, and lost all interest in investigating Russia meddling in our elections many months ago. I'm with Rudy ... or Kimmel ... or ... I don't know enough to really care ... "yeah, that's the ticket". 194 total vote(s) What's your Opinion?



In the wide wake of the Presidential Election of 2016, before the pre-election night's late hour, Liberals /Socialists and their Deep State actors were assured that Lying Hillary would win, and their heavy handed fascist transgressions would be well covered-up under yet another corrupt Clinton Administration, not unlike the previous corrupt Obama Administration.Currently, Liberals /Socialists believe that they can eventually overturn the Trump "Drain-the-Swamp" insurgency by re-installing abject corruption back into the system by Impeaching a demeaned Donald J. Trump, and then running roughshod over the honest good men and women trying to right this corrupt ship of Liberals' /Socialists' / Fascists' making.For months now polls have forebode of the Democrats taking the House, which would at least give these core Democrats a running shot at Impeachment before too much real investigation could be accomplished, and thus far flung corruption never exposed.Now, here is the problem for these self-interested Liberals /Socialists / Fascists, polls today, far closer to the midterm election, show that Republicans have an even chance to keep a slim majority in the House and gain a few extra seats majority in the Senate. If these corrupt Liberals /Socialists / Fascists, with their corrupt and quite ignorant Fake News 4th Estate, can not Impeach Trump, knowledge about so many advancing so much corruption will finally be discovered, and the upside for real Americans ...We will drain the Swamp of some terrible players; send them away forever, some to jail. There are so many bad actors from the Obama administration that may have broken multiple laws; laws that are set in stone to limit the encroachment government sponsored fascism; the end resort to abolish the fair and equal application of the Rule of LawPatriots, this is a call to political arms; arm yourself with integrity, intelligence and the necessary ambition to get your heads right, get your hearts right, and all rise to save our American republic from this continued corruption unchecked no longer.By Oksana Musaelyan

After the law on citizenship of the Republic of Armenia was adopted in 1995, the process of "voluntary" naturalization of Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan began.

They were granted citizenship, which gave them the right to be elected to public office and to vote, as well as the right to travel. Yet, 25 years later, according to the State Migration Service of Armenia, about 20,000 refugees from Azerbaijan still retain refugee status.

About 83,000 naturalized citizens are convinced that naturalization was forced upon them. They consider themselves victims of the trap set by the country's migration policy. They were hopeful that acquiring citizenship would radically change their social and economic situation. However, this was not the case. Both naturalized citizens and those who have retained refugee status remain the poorest, most marginalized and vulnerable segments of the population. For them, many issues, including housing, education and employment, remain unresolved.

We were deceived

Naturalized citizens stand united in the belief that the Armenian government deceived them. The government promised that they would receive housing after acquiring citizenship. Also, the refugee passport issued by Armenia limited the refugees rights to travel outside Armenia. Naturalized citizens are convinced that they lost the protection of the international community when they gave up their refugee status. They also believe that the Armenian authorities are enacting a silent policy of indifference. Naturalized citizens believe that the authorities are waiting for them to either migrate or simply pass awaythe mortality rate is high among former refugees.

Nevertheless, Gagik Yeganyan, who heads the migration service, believes that such an excuse is a delusion.

Many believe that refugee status gives them a greater advantage than an Armenian passport because in the 1990s Armenia received a large amount of humanitarian aid that was distributed amongst vulnerable social groups, and refugees comprise done of these groups. But after 2000, humanitarian aid ended. And yet, people still have this mindset, Yeganyan said.

About 700 refugee families received their own houses under the housing security program, which operated from 2005 to 2008. However, since 2009 no funding for housing has been allocated. Nevertheless, for more than 1,000 refugee families, the housing problem continues to be the most acute. These refugee families from Azerbaijan, who were displaced due to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict nearly 30 years ago, continue to live in unfit housing conditions. They live in derelict hotels, boarding schools, and hostels, often without their own bathrooms. Commonly, four people live in a single11square-meterroom, which serves as both a kitchen and bedroom. They are very often subjected to the arbitrariness of the managers and new owners of these buildings. They experience random water and power outages. Managers sometimes guard building entrances to keep out unwanted visitors, thereby creating a prison-like atmosphere.

Yeganyan said that the Armenian authorities would be happy to help those with outstanding housing issues, but such good intentions run contrary to international practice.

There isnt a single international document that says that the country hosting refugees is obliged to provide them with housing, Yeganyan said.

The fact that they are not just refugees, but Armenians whose fate has been decided by others, when they were forcibly dislocated as a result of the political issue raised in Armenia and in Karabakh, proved to be absolutely not an important isue in terms of the rule of the international law, which, as it turned out, the Armenian authorities strictly comply with.

Policy of Silence

In May 2011, the Armenian government held an international forum with representatives of the diplomatic missions in Armenia to come up with a way to solve the refugee housing problem. The former UN High Commissioner for Refugees and now UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres participated. The forum aimed to encourage participants to donate an $45 million in funding to solve the refugee housing issue. In his opening remarks at the forum, former Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan noted that the refugee housing problem was the most important among the social issues facing the country. Yet, despite that statement, the funds were not allocated to the budget. Among the forum participants, the embassy of Brazil was the sole contributor to the fund, donating $50,000. The other forum participants ignored the appeal, arguing that refugees are de jure citizens of the Republic of Armenia, which means that the issues former refugees face are Armenias problem to deal with.

During his meeting with Guterres in 2011, former president Serzh Sargsyan finally stated the authorities' position on the problems facing refugees by saying that Yerevan has never politicized the issue of refugees. One can only wonder why Sargsyan so belittled the consequences of the forced resettlement of the Armenian population. In 2011, refugee issues were finally excluded from the agenda of Armenia's foreign and domestic policy.

Citizens and non-citizens

In 2007, during a press conference held on the side-lines of the Ministerial Council of the OSCE conference in Madrid, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammedyarov said, "Do not believe what you are told in Armenia ... Armenians left Azerbaijan calmly, selling all their property.

Yerevans indifferent attitude toward the plight of Armenian refugees is no different from the official Baku line on their crimes of violent persecution and property committed against their own ethnically Armenian citizens. Today, twice a year, the victims of the Sumgait, Kirovabad and Baku pogroms are commemorated, but the issues their survivors face in Armenia are ignored. Yerevans silence suggests a cynical, illiterate and antihuman position towards Armenian refugees, who are treated as second-class citizens. Their rights remain unprotected under Armenian law.

Today, Armenian refugees find themselves on the periphery of human existence. They are displaced Armenians whose fate was decided for them, living unjustly in their own hell.

Photo: Jan ZychlinskiUnscrupulous trainers and exhibitors have found loopholes that allow them to routinely circumvent the law to continue soring horses. Photo by The HSUS

2.2K shares







Congress first tried to end soring  the intentional infliction of pain on the legs and hooves of Tennessee walking horses and related breeds to create the exaggerated, artificial show gait known as the big lick  nearly half a century ago, with the passage of the federal Horse Protection Act of 1970. Nonetheless, unscrupulous trainers and exhibitors have found loopholes that allow them to routinely circumvent the law to continue this cruelty and the suffering it causes.

For many years, The Humane Society of the United States has been actively campaigning to end soring. Today, at the start of the three-day Spring Fun Show in Shelbyville, Tennessee, featuring big lick horses, two lawmakers who have demonstrated a continuing commitment to horses have reintroduced bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Senate that will close loopholes in the Horse Protection Act and help end soring once and for all.

Sens. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and Mark Warner, D-Va., are sponsoring the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, S. 2957 (identical to S. 1121 in the 114th Congress), joined by a solid bipartisan leadership team of Sens. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Edward Markey, D-Mass., Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., as original cosponsors. To fix the key gaps in current law, the bill will end the corrupt and failed system of industry self policing (as recommended by the U.S. Department of Agricultures own Inspector General in a 2010 audit), ban cruel devices integral to the soring process, including weighted, stacked shoes and ankle chains, and create stronger penalties for violators.

The companion bill in the House, H.R. 1847, introduced last year by Reps. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., and Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., both equine veterinarians, already has 281 bipartisan cosponsors  nearly two thirds of that chambers members.

Soring is so prevalent that at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, the industrys biggest event, the USDA found, in 2016, that nearly 90 percent of horses tested positive for prohibited substances that cause pain or camouflage evidence of soring. In 2017, nearly 62 percent of horses tested positive (even under a new administration committed to working closely with the regulated industry).

Over a year ago, the USDA took steps to strengthen its enforcement of the Horse Protection Act, proposing and finalizing a rule to limit and curtail the corruption and abusive practices of the soring industry. The rule, which mirrored key reforms in the PAST Act, received more than 100,000 supportive public comments and was endorsed by numerous equine industry groups, veterinary organizations and 224 representatives and senators. Unfortunately, the Office of the Federal Register failed to publish the rule in a timely manner after the USDA announced the new policy on January 13, 2017, and the rule got swept up in a broader Trump administration policy to freeze rulemaking actions still in progress. Since that time, new leadership at the USDA has failed to indicate an interest in implementing the rule, despite continued petitioning from concerned citizens and members of Congress, including bipartisan letters that 154 representatives sent to President Trump in February 2017 and that 190 representatives and 38 senators sent to the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee in the last two months seeking language directing the USDA to publish this rule.

Worse still, the USDA has actually wiped out vital animal welfare records from its website, thus preventing the public from readily accessing enforcement records on trainers and owners who intentionally violate the HPA and sore their walking horses to win blue ribbons.

The PAST Act has sweeping endorsements from hundreds of groups and leaders within the equine and veterinary industries, the American Horse Council, the United States Equestrian Federation, more than 60 other national and state horse groups, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Equine Practitioners, all 50 state veterinary medical associations, the National Sheriffs Association, and the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys. It also commands the support of major newspapers in Kentucky and Tennessee  the heart of horse soring country.

The 2018 show season is now under way, and for many horses this is also a season of cruelty: they are confined to their stalls day in and day out, and they are forced to suffer in excruciating pain from caustic chemicals slathered on their lower limbs, with heavy chains banging on their burned skin, and dragging heavy platform shoes strapped to their hooves. All this just so they can perform the big lick for a dwindling audience.

Please join us to make this the year that the PAST Act becomes law, ending this suffering for good. Contact both of your U.S. senators and your U.S. representative to urge them to cosponsor the PAST Act if they havent yet, and do all they can to get it over the finish line quickly.

P.S. The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee today voted to maintain the ban on horse slaughter for human consumption on U.S. soil. The provision is included in the FY19 agriculture appropriations bill that passed the committee today, and it would bar spending by the USDA to inspect horse slaughterhouses, saving millions of taxpayer dollars.According to a study by Gartner,By 2018, more than 50% of organizations will implement significant business model changes in their efforts to improve customer experience.

Nowadays, Customers needs have stepped up to a new level and business industries can no longer turn a blind eye towards them. From a value add-on feature to an inevitable component of the business, customer experience has come a long way.

If the truth is told, customer experience has now become a safe ladder to attain profitability in the business. Happy customers are likely to increase your customer base by word of mouth leaving behind all other advertising means.

To stay competitive & relevant in customer experience arena, many components come into play. From a basic feature such as User Interface(UI) to an advanced feature as IVR services, everything adds a layer of strength to your Customer Experience(CX) in numerous ways.

After a companys product, the power to enhance a quality customer experience lies in its infrastructure to provide maintenance services. Unfortunately, only 31% of companies strictly monitor the quality of relations with target customers as a part of their service.

IVR took over the customer service industry and streamlined the whole experience over an intelligently routed call system. This technology benefits the industry by providing an automated and secure way to record customers interaction and their experiences over a database accessible through the cloud.

These IVR systems have elevated customer engagement, a large number of industries have already started leveraging potentials of these systems.

Lets explore how these different industries are reaping profits from these customer-centric services.

Payment Industry

Recent transformations in government policies like demonetization have pushed payment industry to go online and strong arm their payment system with online methods. To keep par with these changes, payment companies have introduced innovative yet customer-oriented ways to stay ahead.

Now, customers can pay their bills by simply connecting to a companys IVR and typing in their card details on the numeric keypad operated by DTMF technology.

Introduction of DTMF (Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency) applications is the most significant solution which has transformed the transaction processes, by replacing the physical presence of the customers in a bank with a telephonic conversation. These numbers are detected as tone pattern and verified with the customer for the successful payment.

Removing any dependency over PC or internet connection, payment through IVR has emerged out to be the best alternative for most Indians who may be technologically or educationally not well versed in the process.

Food Industry

The Indian food and grocery market is the worlds sixth largest. And with 150 percent year-on-year rise in online food delivery industry, this industry is going to multiply its worth in coming years.

This huge increase in the online-food industry is symptomatic of customers craving and expectations from any food stores. These online stores are leaving no stones unturned in keeping their customers high on dopamine.

Buying an IVR service is now of utmost importance to all the food vendors as it is now a vital part of companys infrastructure which facilitates the whole process from placing orders over a call to receiving a delivery confirmation call to asking for a quick feedback.

As these calls get recorded, so it helps the store owners to understand their customer changing tastes, expectation or behavior pattern according to the time of the year. This analysis further helps in food companies to innovate their menus and maintain the inflow of customers throughout.

And with the integration of CRM software with IVR call data, food industry took a big stride towards enhancing the customer experience by reminding them to place an order.

Travel & Tourism Industry

India is one of the digitally advanced countries when it comes to planning travel itineraries or booking services online. Traveling industry is thrusting hard to satisfy the quench of travelers as per their convenience.

Providing an Interactive Voice Response(IVR) to travelers, gave them a platform to instantly approach the travel company and draft their own customized plans as per their expectations and budget.

From stating all the prerequisites of the place to booking an online guide, everything now gets perfectly woven into the travel packages as per travelers requirements.

This industry is an intricate industry in which customer satisfaction & service quality is an uncompromisable factor. One major milestone which has been achieved with the introduction of IVR is being 24*7 approachable in the on-road crisis.

This quality growth by the introduction of IVR is not only attracting domestic travelers but is also expecting a surge in a number of foreign travelers. In fact, the expected growth of foreign tourists as stated by tourism industry is expected to reach 17.3 MN by 2017.

E-commerce Industry

More than products its the customer services which forms or destroys the brand image of e-commerce companies. To lead this e-commerce race, giants like Amazon & Flipkart have rolled up their sleeves to keep customers satisfaction as a priority instead of offering drooling discounts or cash back to them.

Customers feel important if their grievances are addressed & attended appropriately by the company. And a platform like IVR offers customers with the perfect opportunity to directly report their issues to the company and receive a solution as quickly as possible.

24*7 availability along with direct interaction with customers through IVR has given e-commerce companies a ground-level view of customers expectations and problems. Quick replacement & refund policies have proved to be one of the major game-changing solutions after the introduction of IVR.

Healthcare Industry

All the industries mentioned above have leveraged IVR to generate profits or to keep the customer happy. Whereas healthcare industry has effectively utilized IVR services for a noble cause, shifting their focus from making profits to protecting peoples life & time.

Hospitals are deploying IVRs to assist people to deal with comparatively smaller diseases over phone calls, saving patients from long queues. It also helps doctors to focus their time

For most of a century, AT&T ripped off its customers by requiring them to rent their phones, meaning that over the life of your phone subscription, you would buy your phone thousands of times over.



Comcast (and its cable industry co-monopolists) is so much better at this than AT&T ever was.

Not only do they extract $200/year from every subscriber to rent a shitty, insecure, power-inefficient set-top box: they also trick you into renting a modem for your cable internet  a device they pay an estimated $40 for, and then net $275m-$300m every quarter by renting out to you.





As if that wasn't bad enough: Comcast's cable-modems are horribly insecure. This week, we learned that a bug in the company's website allowed anyone in the world to look up the passwords for any Comcast modem along with the home addresses of Comcast subscribers where the modem could be found.





Comcast has to let you bring your own modem, and if you do, they are supposed to stop charging you the rental fee (you might have to chase them for months or years to get them to stop billing you for this of course, and the company might charge you $90 in "installation fees" even if the "installation" is you plugging in your own modem).

You should do this. I'm embarrassed to admit that even though I don't use the modem Charter supplied with our home internet, I haven't returned it. I'm in Phoenix for Comics Fest this week, but I've made a note to drive over to Charter and give them back their insecure, overpriced piece of shit modem when I get home.

Over time, users wind up paying Comcast significantly more money than the modem or router is worth. One analyst estimated that Comcast makes between $275 million and $300 million each and every quarter just from these rental fees. And given that Comcast buys hardware in bulk, it's estimated the company pays as little as $40 for each modem. Those turned off by Comcast's reputation as one of the least liked companies in America should do themselves (or a loved one) a favor and stop unnecessarily padding the company's bottom line. While the company doesn't like to advertise the option, users have the ability to buy their own modem or router, provided it's on the company's list of acceptable devices known to play nice with the Comcast network (the same is true for Charter Spectrum.) Many of these devices can be bought for a pittance via online retailers, and even less if acquired second hand.

For the Love of God, Stop Renting Routers From Comcast [Karl Bode/Motherboard]

(Image: Ryan Schmitz, CC-BY)The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists teamed up with the Norbert Zongo Cell for Investigative Journalism (Cenozo) to delve deep into 27.5 million files from the Offshore Leaks, Swiss Leaks, Panama Papers and Paradise Papers to investigate how the super-rich in 15 West African countries have looted their countries' wealth and then smuggled it offshore through a network of tax-havens, even as their countries starve.

The resulting package is dizzying and infuriating. West Africa is one of the world's poorest, slowest-developing region, and yet it has produced a coterie of super-rich, super-corrupt strongmen who have spread their wealth out among enablers from the rich world (such as Canada's SNC Lavalin, who laundered millions through Mauritius, depriving Senegal of desperately needed tax funds).

The full list of stories is here, in French, Spanish, Portuguese and English. Here are profiles of the brave and dedicated journalists who've risked their lives to bring this corruption to light.VPNFilter is a virulent, sophisticated, multistage worm that has successfully infected 500,000 home routers, leaving them vulnerable to both surveillance (the malware snoops network traffic for passwords) and region-wide internet shutdowns (VPNFilter can brick the routers it infects, and an attacker could shut down most or all of the home/small business internet access in a region by triggering this).



Now the FBI has claimed that it has seized a domain used by the worm to recover from reboots that wipe out key parts of its attack code (the worm writes a small part of itself to a persistent location in infected devices' storage, and when the device is rebooted, that small core contacts remote services to reboot the rest of its arsenal).

The domain is "ToKnowAll.com" and it worked in concert with a set of doctored images stored on Photobucket. After a reboot, the worm would first check the Photobucket images and read command-and-control information from the images' metadata, and then it would use downloads from ToKnowAll.com to rebuild the code that was lost during the reboot.

The FBI says it has removed all the implicated image files from Photobucket and has seized and shut down ToKnowAll.com, seriously compromising the worm.

With these reboot-recovery systems shut down, the worm can be killed by a simple reboot of your routers, which you should do right now.

The FBI is using inbound contact attempts at ToKnowAll.com to conduct a census of known infected devices that it will use as part of a cleanup operation.

The FBI's countermeasures are detailed in a court filing; the same document attributes VPNFilter to "Fancy Bear," a hacker group thought to be an arm of the Russian government, who were previously implicated in the attack on the DNC's email during the 2016 election campaign.

According to Ars Technica's Dan Goodin, the FBI has overstated their victory; Goodin cites Cisco's report on VPNFilter and says, "the sinkholding doesn't automatically stop VPNFilter in its tracks. Assuming the attackers captured the IP addresses of devices infected with stage 1, the attackers may still be able to use the listener to regain control of the devices."



The FBI has been investigating the botnet since at least August, according to court records, when agents in Pittsburgh interviewed a local resident whose home router had been infected with the Russian malware. "She voluntarily relinquished her router to the agents," wrote FBI agent Michael McKeown, in an affidavit filed in federal court. "In addition, the victim allowed the FBI to utilize a network tap on her home network that allowed the FBI to observe the network traffic leaving the home router." That allowed the bureau to identify a key weakness in the malware. If a victim reboots an infected router, the malicious plugins all disappear, and only the core malware code survives. That code is programmed to connect over the Internet to a command-and-control infrastructure set up by the hackers. First it checks for particular images hosted on Photobucket.com that held hidden information in the metadata. If it can't find those imageswhich have indeed been removed from Photobucketit turns to an emergency backup control point at the hard-coded web address ToKnowAll[.]com. On Tuesday, FBI agents in Pittsburg asked federal Magistrate Judge Lisa Pupo Lenihan in Pittsburgh for an order directing the domain registration firm Verisign to hand the ToKnowAll[.]com address over to the FBI, in order to "further the investigation, disrupt the ongoing criminal activity involving the establishment and use of the botnet, and assist in the remediation efforts," according to court records. Lenihan agreed, and on Wednesday the bureau took control of the domain.

Exclusive: FBI Seizes Control of Russian Botnet [Kevin Poulsen/The Daily Beast]

Menage Life's world's biggest orgy on June 2 will move from an Embassy Suites hotel in Las Vegas to the Erotic Heritage Museum. Menage Life said the change is due to "increased interest in the event." Embassy Suites management told the Las Vegas Weekly that "while Sin City 8 room guests are welcome to stay there, the previously scheduled events outside of the orgyincluding the seminars and partiesare no longer permitted at the hotel." No matter who made the decision to relocate the orgy and other events, Menage Life says that the new location for the sex party makes it possible to do some science among the carnal chaos! From the Las Vegas Weekly:





According to today's news release, Erotic Heritage Museum Executive Director Dr. Victoria Hartmann will conduct a qualitative research project during the orgy to help fill holes in the study of the evolution of group sex. And a museum documenting the history of sex is a natural to exhibit a history-making sex eventprovided, of course, the participants bring their own sex toys and leave the ancient Chinese ones in their glass case.



"We are excited to be working with the Erotic Heritage Museum on this historic opportunity!" Menage Life founder Sante Suffoletta said in a statement. "We are both aligned in our view that consenting adults should be able to fully express their sexuality without fear or shame."

Lifestyle / Eats

by Carl Joshua Ncube

Zambezi House

Three Monkeys

Shearwater Cafe

Look Out Cafe

Rainforest Cafe

River Brewery

Comfort Bar

Dean's

Shoestring

MaKuwaKuwa

Victoria Falls is such an awesome place to visit for a number of reasons. One of the biggest features of this town happens to be the choices of food and drink you have. Ironically all these places come with a funny bit of danger. We have listed below the most dangerous places to eat in Victoria FallsThe worst kept secret on the Zambezi is a new bar and restaurant that calls itself a Bar and Canteen. Not visible from the river but you can clearly view the river. Serving cold craft beers a menu for those spending the day watching the wildlife and activity happening around the Zambezi. The dangerous bit is the HIPPOS and CROCODILES that are super close to the establishment and did we mention is opposite the crocodile farm?The most hearty biggest portions of food are served here with a smile. Sit on the top deck watching trains go by or the hustle and bustle of the municipality called Victoria Falls. Take a picture by the now famous I Love Victoria Falls but beware of the danger lurking behind this restaurant which is the snake park housing everything from the black mamba to pythons and adders of many colors and descriptions.One of the best waiting spaces in Victoria Falls, look fabulous under the canopies of this chic street side cafe. The delicately plated fancy light snacks and cocktails as you watch the most hectic intersection in Victoria Falls. Cross this intersection at your peril, the haulage trucks the taxi drivers and tour busses make this the most dangerous intersection in Victoria Falls.Wow is the first word you will say as you enter Look Out Cafe. Not only because of the awesome food drinks, curio shops and fantastic activities but WOW because this restaurant dangerously hangs off the steep gorge cut by the might Victoria Falls.Who looks at the Mighty Victoria Falls with its force and power and mist and rain and thunder and says "Hey lets put a cafe right here" Well apparently Rainforest Cafe still manage to keep you undistracted with their deliberate menu and tasty treats as you are sitting inside a national park with guards and the biggest curtain of falling water right in front of you.If you thought drinking craft beer all day from huge jugs with lots of bar snacks was dangerous then you do not know actual danger. Danger is having awesome craft beer in a place that is right next to a crocodile diving pool. I mean when you go and take a pee there are crocodiles on the other side of the bathroom window, just saying!This is where everyone ends the night in Victoria Falls. If you want local vibe local food this is as local as you are going to get to a proper Zimbabwean experience. You will eat like a Zimbabwean, drink like a Zimbabwean but don't get too drunk because you have to walk on a road right next to a Railway Line but only after a bit of a fall there is very little margin for error.Welcome the newest restaurant in Victoria Falls with such an awesome fine dining touch meets pub cuisine meets the Dean touch. This is such an awesome spot in the middle of an arts market and if you have travelled enough that is dangerously giving you the feeling someone will try and sell you somethingthankfully that doesn't happen but you still get that dangerous market feeling anyway.You haven't been to Victoria Falls until you have ended your night at Shoestring Backpackers. We call it a place to eat and they do have a great pizza place and traditional food but its the drinking that makes this place awesome, its meeting new people that make it awesome, its dancing all night that makes this place awesome. What makes it dangerous is the sightings of all manner of wild animals on that road from hyenas to lions to baboons to porcupines this road is as wild as they come in Victoria Falls.Talk about one of the finest fine dining places you can go to in Victoria Falls. Great food, awesome selection of wine and some of the most incredible sunsets you are ever going to see. What is the danger in that? Well the fact that you are hanging close to a watering hole where all manner of wild things come to drink after an afternoon kill and also the fact that they feed vultures at lunch. Imagine over 200 birds landing close to where you are eating on a daily basis.Thats it from me Carl Joshua Ncube and my report on the 10 most dangerous places to eat and drink in Victoria Falls. If you love adventure come and check them out its really just funny when you look at these restaurants in the way I just wrote about them.News / National

by Staff reporter

National Patriotic Front (NPF) has put its ceremonial leader Mr Ambrose Mutinhiri to pasture for allegedly abusing funds amid revelations that nomadic spokesperson Mr Jealousy Mawarire is in the firing line for allegedly abusing money meant for the importation of T-shirts, video leaks featuring fugitives Professor Jonathan Moyo and Mr Patrick Zhuwao have revealed.The series of videos, which went viral on Twitter yesterday, suggest former First Lady Mrs Grace Mugabe, funds the NPF project, although she is not mentioned by name.In his riposte, Mr Mawarire reveals Prof Moyo is hiding in Kenya.The video captures Prof Moyo and Mr Zhuwao discussing the fall of Mr Mutinhiri and Mr Mawarire while on their way to a restaurant in a foreign country.Prof Moyo is heard asking Mr Zhuwao: "Are you going to tell muchembere? She was getting to know him (Mawarire). She had not reached a point where she is like sold over. I think she liked his courage and Jealousy anoenda kuSAPES and pick some stories unoziva, some CIO snippets, which she would like to hear," says Prof Moyo.Play video below:He added: "But it was a promising relationship but whether it had reached the level of trust, I am not sure. Like the way I hear about these T-shirts might vhiringa Jealousy, these T-shirts stories. She does not like things like that. She will start thinking kuti imbavha because story yacho yakabhenda bhenda."Where are the T-shirts? Arikuborder (they laugh)."Prof Moyo then reveals that all was not well for Mr Mutinhiri."If he (Mawarire) is not careful, because Mutinhiri was destroyed by that $14 000, which she never got to appreciate kuti yakashandiswa sei. Vabva vatanga kufunga kuti the guy is a thief. That was the first damage before yokuti mari waiteyi nayo, any meeting? Nothing! Manje ukapihwa kuti enda undotenga 10 000 T-shirts, two weeks later there is zero received. Yeah, shamwari hameno zvake," Prof Moyo is recorded adding "its her money. Iye Jealousy hanti aigara achiti if you can't account for a dollar how can you account for a million? That will haunt him (They laugh)."He also mocks Mawarire as a late comer to politics."Zvepolitics if you come late . . . If word moves now kuti Jealousy can't account for these T-shirts, ah finish because vana Jaboon, which you need to take into account, vakagara vasingade vana Jealousy and in politics ukagara usingadi munhu then you compromise because you do not want to be misunderstood, unomumirira nechinhingi chako wakahwanda, if the bastard shows up pwaa pwaa pwaa (they laugh) because the most damaging attack in politics is we told you so," adds Prof Moyo.He then laughs at NPF members who had backed Mawarire."Maibvunzwa kuti munomuziva Jealousy movhaira kuti tinomuziva why are you asking? Unongomirira your day ndosaka taitaura imi muchiti what, what. Jaboon, Mashange, Jim Kunaka, Mahoka, all those do not like Jealousy."Vamwe vacho they used to like Mai Mujuru vanofunga kuti Jealousy akavatengesa Mai Mujuru, kurasisa and all that," Prof Moyo says.He laughs at Mawarire for blowing away yet another political career in NPF."Isu takanga tamuwanira an opportunity to rediscover and re-invent himself . . . we were giving him backup. I do not know if he ever appreciated that."Prof Moyo is further heard saying ever since they left Mawarire in the cold, he had not released any statement."Taiona even matweets ake, they were informed by the discussions, but manje now zvava zvekuti I am just keeping my eyes on the ball. Taimutaurira. He is young but unnecessarily naive," he says adding, "He is an incorrigible liar.''As they sit down in a restaurant, Prof Moyo is heard telling the waiter that he is "very tired".But Mawarire last night came out guns blazing and dismissing Prof Moyo as a petty thief."Put this on record, if someone is a petty thief who stole even money meant for his daughter's funeral, let alone ZIMDEF funds, that individual is surely bound to have hallucinations about people stealing."He dreams stealing, lives stealing and always thinks stealing," said Mawarire.He claimed the T-shirts were donated to NPF by a well-wisher."I am telling you, you cannot rely on someone who is in Kenya to say maT-shirts haasi kupihwa vanhu. Angaita audit yemaT-shirts arikupihwa vanhu arikuKenya here? How can Jonathan Moyo make an audit of the T-shirts from his hiding hole in Kenya? He should concentrate on running away," said Mr Mawarire.He claimed Mrs Mugabe had nothing to do with the T-shirts, saying it was a ploy by Prof Moyo to drag her name into the mud."The T-shirts were paid in rand from a South African account. She (Mrs Mugabe) did not give me the money. We can give evidence that R335 000 was paid from an account in South Africa that does not belong to Mai Mugabe," added Mr Mawarire.He insisted that Mr Mutinhiri was still the NPF leader and also claimed that Prof Moyo and Mr Zhuwao were never members of that party. The NPF is up in smoke with senior party members at each other throat.Last week, Prof Moyo and Mr Zhuwao lampooned Mr Saviour Kasukuwere, accusing him of selling out after he indicated that he was returning to Zimbabwe from his hiding.They claimed Mr Kasukuwere was cutting deals with the new administration.News / National

by Staff reporter

Kwekwe Polytechnic College students have become the latest target of machete attacks that have become synonymous with the mining town.Two students were reportedly seriously injured after machete-wielding assailants pounced on them on their way home from the institution and robbed them of cash, cell phones and laptops among other gadgets.Last week, one student was left for dead while several others were left nursing injuries after a gang pounced on them at their rented apartment in Msasa Park and got away with laptops, cellphones and cash.Kwekwe Polytechnic College acting principal Engineer Callisto Muzongondi confirmed the developments saying his office has been inundated with reports to that effect."It is worrying that our students have become the latest targets of these thugs. We have had so many reports since the beginning of the term," he said.Eng Muzongondi said they have since adjusted the timetable so that students do not travel at night."We have since adjusted the timetable from 4.45pm to 4pm to ensure that they get to their homes safely," said Eng Muzongondi.He also said they have engaged various stakeholders to map a way forward."We have had a meeting with various stakeholders to see how best we can prevent such things from happening."Of note we held a meeting with Mayor Matenda Madzoke over street lighting that we feel should be improved," he said.He said police promised to increase patrols in the area.Eng Muzongondi however, said some students were being attacked while running personal errands"We have the latest two cases. The two students were mugged in the central business district around 9pm after they had left school."The assailants were attracted by the gadgets that the students were carrying, which can be sold and converted into cash easily," said Eng Muzongondi.Acting Midlands Provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Ethel Mkwende said she was yet to receive the reports.News / National

by Staff reporter

Tanzanian President Dr John Magufuli has commended Zimbabwe for the unparalleled peaceful transition that took place in the country and invited President Mnangagwa for a State visit to his country.The invitation was brought by Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) secretary-general Abdulrahman Kinana, who met President Mnangagwa at his Munhumutapa Offices yesterday.CCM is the ruling party in Tanzania.Kinana was accompanied by Gaudensia Kabaka (chairperson Women's Wing), Edmund Mndolwa (chairperson Parents Wing) and Kheri James (chairperson Youth Wing).Speaking after the meeting, Kinana said: "I brought a letter, a message of goodwill from the President and chairman of Chama Cha Mapinduzi, President John Magufuli, the people of Tanzania and members of CCM to His Excellency, President Emmerson Mnangagwa."We have a historical relationship from the time of Chimurenga between Zanu-PF and CCM. As secretary-general I had a meeting with the Zanu-PF secretary for Administration (Obert Mpofu) yesterday (Tuesday) and today we had the privilege to meet the First Secretary of Zanu-PF."He commended Zimbabwe for an incident-free transition that led to the resignation of former President, Mr Robert Mugabe."We notice that you went through a transition. It was very peaceful and exemplary," said Kinana."It is something which has never happened in the world so we congratulated the people of Zimbabwe for that."On the forthcoming harmonised elections in Zimbabwe, he said: "We know you have an election coming. The President has assured that the elections are going to be peaceful, free and fair to all the Zimbabweans and certainly Zimbabweans can express their views through the ballot and coming from Chama Cha Mapinduzi, I look forward to a Zanu-PF victory."Mpofu, who also attended yesterday's meeting together with Politburo members Lovemore Matuke and Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, said they had exchanged notes with their counterparts."They came here to familiarise themselves with our operations and vice versa, but he (Kinana) had a special message from the President of Tanzania to his counterpart Mnangagwa which covers quite a number of issues including a State visit to Tanzania at an agreed date," he said."These are perennial friends of Zimbabwe and all of us were trained in Tanzania. They had some visits to the National Heroes Acre and other areas which they had requested to see."Mpofu said they spent the better part of yesterday in discussions."We talked about our ideological institution and the relationship that exists between the two countries especially the annual meeting of secretaries-general of liberation movements which is held once every year," he said."There are views coming up which would warrant formalisation. Other issues had to do with the strengthening of our parties and harmonisation of some of our policies politically that will ensure people do not lose sight of where we came from. Our countries came about after protracted struggle."News / National

by Staff reporter

POLICE Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga has warned police officers against abusing citizens and urged them to act within the confines of the law.He said such wayward behaviour was intolerable under the new political dispensation.Addressing senior and junior police officers in Mutare on Tuesday, Comm-Gen Matanga said malcontents would be kicked out of the organisation."Let us not abuse the same people whom we swore to serve. The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) is home to police officers who act within the confines of the law. It is the height of folly and deception for one to enforce laws which, he or she has low or totally no regard for," he said."If there is anyone in your midst who thinks that he or she is above the law, then that individual is in a wrong place. Such an individual is a liability to the ZRP and should be ready to be shown the door out of the organisation, sooner rather than later."I will not protect anyone who acts in contravention of our police code of conduct or stray from the precincts of the constitutional provisions. Each one of us here swore to serve the nation and its people."Comm-Gen Matanga said police officers must work hard to win back the trust of the people."We must respect members of the public and always be responsive to their needs. We are looking forward to their continued support in all our policing endeavours."We are the fish and they are the water. We cannot exist without them. It should never be lost on us that from the community, we came; and to the community, we shall return'."We must work together as a people. We want them to partner us in fighting crime. We cannot do it alone. Criminals live in the community and perpetrate crimes within the community, against the community or its members and again hide in the community."He urged the public to reciprocate by affording officers an opportunity to do their work and serve them well."Let me appeal to all members of the public to appreciate that police officers have a critical constitutional role to play. I therefore take great exception to some misguided elements within our diverse society who, at every turn and angle, choose to violate the law in front of police officers, just to spite them and in the process unnecessarily trigger running battles. The most notorious group is that of the so-called mushika-shika drivers. Such infantile pranks should never be condoned."The police boss said officers who executed their duties exceptionally would be duly rewarded."Those of you who are already performing well must not be distracted from delivering quality service to the people. Constructive criticism is necessary for us to continue refining our performance. So, the onus is on you to continue self-introspecting."We are the most visible arm of Government as we interface with the public every time, hence there is no way we can escape the court of public opinion," he said.Comm-Gen Matanga said the force was serious in arresting corruption and vice within its rank and file."As a law enforcement agency, it is imperative that we complement the commitment so far shown by our Government in fighting corruption. The President recently commissioned anti-corruption courts specifically to deal with corruption cases. We have also responded by establishing a police anti-corruption unit under the Criminal Investigations Department."Comm-Gen Matanga said there was urgent need to increase police visibility in the community to combat crimes. He said as the elections drew closer, the police should play a critical role to ensure peace throughout the process.News / National

by Staff reporter

ZANU-PF Harare provincial women's league chairperson, Ratidzo Mukarati and Kuwadzana legislature Betty Nhambu-Kaseke were reportedly involved in a public spat recently during a meeting to discuss the recently held party primary elections.Sources told NewsDay that during the confrontation, Kaseke allegedly accused Mukarati of behaving like former First Lady Grace Mugabe, who had developed a penchant for publicly attacking senior party members."Kaseke and Mukarati almost fought during the Harare provincial coordinating committee meeting presided over by provincial chairman Godwills Masimirembwa and attended by members of the Central Committee, provincial executives, war veterans and both winning and losing candidates in the primary elections," the source said."Mukarati stood up and shouted at Kaseke in a typical Grace Mugabe fashion."Kaseke yesterday confirmed the fracas, saying Mukarati was disrespectful and needed leadership orientation. She said it was not the first time Mukarati had allegedly attacked her in public on personal matters."This so-called chairwoman for Harare province who imposed herself on that position is getting out of hand and she needs to be stopped from intimidating people using senior people's names in the party and soldiers," she said."I have been quite for a long time while she has been attacking and accusing me falsely, getting into my family affairs saying all sorts of nonsense about me and my husband. If l am wrong as she claims, what does my family affairs have to do with her or the party?"Kaseke accused Mukarati of working with two councillors to destabilise the party in the forthcoming elections."I wish the party can deploy her in other areas as she openly said arikuda kurovera bhora musango together with the other two councillors whom she is claiming they are her project," she said.But Mukarati yesterday dismissed the claims saying it was the media that was trying to create tension between her and Kaseke."I don't know what you are talking about. All what I know is that Kaseke is my MP and I am even campaigning for her," she said before dropping the call.News / National

by Stephen Jakes

A member of the break away MDC-T faction Isabel Mwonzora has said the attack on her boss Thokozani Khupe by the Nelson Chamisa led MDC -T faction supporters is criminal."The attack on Khupe and team is criminal and unlawful. That it happened in front of the most powerful criminal court in the country shows their disdainful attitude towards the law. The routine nature of such behavior betrays a sense of impunity by those Chamisa supporters we have only seen in ZANU PF. They have always gotten away with before, they will get away with it again," she said."The MDCT has historically been subjected to violence and it is now clear that the MDC-T led by Dr Khupe continues to be subjected to violence as evidenced by the violent incidences in Buhera, Bulawayo and recently at the Supreme court in Harare. It is also important to note that yesterday, the latest of the attacks happened in full view of law enforcement and the perpetrators have not been arrested.In addition the police chose to take a backseat instead of offering protection to the victims of such a horrendous attack. The identities of the perpetrators is known or at the very least is ascertainable by video evidence, it is clear they are not ZANU PF but supporters of Nelson Chamisa."She said in the recent past, this gender and tribal violence has been meted out on women within Chamisa's party."The victimisation of Lynnette Kore and Jessie Fungayi Majome are some of such cases. We stand by our female politician colleagues in all other parties, we encourage them to stand up to abuse and victimization. We challenge all civic organizations interested in human rights and political freedoms to stand on principles they supported during the constitution making process including gender equality. Of fairness, of justice and rule of law," she said."We appeal to law enforcement and the criminal justice system to ensure the safety of all Zimbabweans ahead of the watershed election. Such blatant disrespect of human and women rights is one of the reasons why l have failed to relate with Chamisa and the people he leads...How does one find the strength to insult and label someone when they differ in opinion then purport to stand for the protection of human rights and freedom of association?News / National

by Staff reporter

The battle between former vice president Joice Mujuru and step-children of her late husband retired general Solomon Mujuru over a Borrowdale house has taken a new twist after the widow approached the High Court seeking to retain the property.In the application, Joice cites the executor Stern Mufara, Master of the High Court, Smartvest Wealth Managers (Private) Limited and the late general's 12 children as respondents.Joice, who is represented by Gloria Sithole, is seeking an order barring the sale of the property to pay off creditors, claiming the house at number 95/96 Hogerty Hill, Harare, is her matrimonial home.Mufara had set in motion a move to sell the house to Smartvest Wealth Managers to pay off creditors, but Joice is challenging the decision.She also wants Mufara to be removed as executor of her late husband's estate."In this application, I am seeking the following order declaring the following: an order declaring the property known as Stand number 95/96 Hogerty Hill Township, Harare, was the matrimonial home between applicant (Joice) and her deceased husband Solomon Tapfumaneyi Ruzambu Mujuru."She is further demanding: "An order declaring that the property devolves onto the applicant as surviving spouse in terms of Sections 3 and 3A of the Deceased Estates Succession Act (Chapter 6:02)".Apart from these demands, Joice also wants the High Court to declare an agreement of sale entered between the executor and Smartvest Wealth Managers null and void."It is evident that the agreement of sale has to be set aside because it was born out of unlawful conduct on the part of the first respondent and second respondent because of their failure to act after I had informed them that I was no longer consenting to the sale of the property," Joice said in an affidavit.News / National

by Staff reporter

Former President Robert Mugabe, not for the first time, failed to appear in Parliament yesterday where he had been summoned to explain the missing $15 billion diamond revenue from the gem-rich Marange fields.In 2016, Mugabe made startling claims that his government could not account for a jaw-dropping $15 billion that was allegedly lost through nefarious activities by players involved in the extraction of the gems in Marange.The frail nonagenarian had been, for the second time, summoned to appear before the Mines and Energy portfolio committee to give evidence on his claims on $15 billion, which happened during his time as the country's leader.Mugabe was not present as the committee met to start the hearing at 9:00 am.Speaking after two hours of deliberations, committee chairperson Temba Mliswa said the committee decided to postpone the meeting to Monday."In view of the time we have resolved that we will write to the former president to appear before us on Monday at 1400 hours, the committee is cognisant of the fact that nine o'clock was a bit too early to ask the former president, you should appreciate that when he was in office he would start Cabinet at 12 o'clock, we are not here to humiliate him," said Mliswa.At the height of the mining of diamonds, Mbada Diamonds, Marange Resources, Anjin Investments, Diamond Mining Company, Kusena and Gye Nyame were some of the companies which were involved in the extraction of the gems in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC).The mining companies' licences were not renewed after Mugabe made a claim that $15 billion had not been remitted to Treasury during the period the firms were mining in Marange.In 2012, long before Mugabe alleged that the $15 billion had been spirited away, a watchdog group campaigning against "blood" diamonds had also released a damning report in which it alleged that more than $2 billion worth of diamonds had been stolen from the Marange fields.And in a controversial move, the government subsequently replaced the mining companies with the State-owned ZCDC, which now exclusively carries out all the mining in the area.News / National

by Staff reporter

The Minister of State for Masvingo, Josiah Hungwe has warned the electorate that if President Mnangagwa shot his way into power in November last year, there is nothing that will stop him from doing the same to retain power.Hungwe warned that Mnangagwa is a soldier and he can use a gun to shoot those who don't want to listen to him.Commissioning a $185 001 clinic built through Tongaat Hulett partnership with Chiredzi RDC and the Gudo Community on Tuesday, Hungwe said he was the owner of the new dispensation in Masvingo.He said he is happy that Mnangagwa who is a soldier is now in power and can use a gun to shoot those who want to run away from him."Do you know that I am the leader of the new dispensation here in Masvingo and I say ichi chinhu chedu chatakaita (this is our thing that we did). Our leader Mnangagwa is a soldier and you know that a soldier is always equipped with a gun to do whatever he wants. If you want to run away from him he can shoot you so you should always know that," said Hungwe.Hungwe's remarks come barely two months before the national election which for the first time in the history of Zimbabwe is expected to take place in a free and fair manner.Hungwe is the same man who was quoted below:News / National

by Staff reprter

The White House on Thursday cancelled the highly anticipated meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.In a letter to Kim, US President Donald Trump wrote, "I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting."Trump said he'd been looking forward to the summit, but the "tremendous anger and open hostility" in Kim's recent statements ultimately inspired the president to cancel the meeting."Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time , to have this long planned meeting," Trump wrote in a statement. The cancellation, which dampens the emerging prospect of diffused high-stakes tensions between Washington and Pyongyang, sent investors running for save-haven assets, notably gold.Earlier, in an interview with the "Fox & Friends" talk show on whether he would go through with the planned summit Trump gave noncommittal answers."We'll see what happens," Trump said. "Right now we're looking at it, we're talking about it. And they're talking to us. We have certain conditions. We'll see what happens. But there's a good chance."The summit, which would be a historic first meeting between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader, had been on the rocks. Pyongyang had produced harsh statements bashing Trump administration officials and South Korea.But on Thursday, North Korea appeared to destroy parts of its nuclear testing site before a crowd of foreign journalists in an apparent show of goodwill.Journalists from US, UK, Russian, Chinese, and South Korean news outlets traveled to North Korea to cover the event that took place on Thursday  and were still there when Trump cancelled the summit."Being inside this country just hours after they blew up a nuclear site... it's very awkward and uncomfortable moment right now," said CNN's Will Ripley, who is in North Korea.North Korea is known to detain US citizens for thin reasons and sentence them to hard labor. Most recently, a college student was sentenced to hard labor for attempting to take a poster from a hotel. The student was eventually returned to his parents in the US in a coma, and he died days after coming home.The demolition of the nuclear site did not rise to the level of the verifiable, irreversible denuclearisation that Trump has previously insisted on, since North Korea could simply rebuild the site.Trump and his top officials have long insisted that North Korea give up its nuclear weapons before the US eases up on economic sanctions and military pressure, but Trump acknowledged Thursday that those demands may not be met.Asked whether he would be OK with a "phased in" approach to denuclearising North Korea, Trump showed flexibility where before there had been none."I'd like to have it done immediately," Trump said. "But you know physically, a phase-in may be a little bit necessary, we will have to do a rapid phase-in, but I'd like to see it done at one time."Trump's comments came a day after a North Korean official threatened the US with a "nuclear-to-nuclear showdown" and suggested Pyongyang could "make the US taste an appalling tragedy" if things didn't go its way.Though North Korea opened 2018 with many peaceful overtures and steps, it has recently taken a harsh turn toward criticizing US and South Korean actions and statements. It has also repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the coming summit.Trump had heralded his success in bringing North Korea to the table. But on Wednesday North Korea suggested it was Trump, not Kim, who had pushed for the summit.While a staggered approach to denuclearising North Korea seems more realistic to experts who don't expect Pyongyang to unilaterally disarm, it's the same track taken by four successive US presidents that Trump has promised not to repeat.This story is developing.Opinion / Columnist

As we are in the spirit of embracing our 'Africaness', we must not forget the key tenets to democracy. Democracy entails citizen's participation in public affairs, with respect for different points of view.Living in a continent where there are certain traits to being African' and some recognized as imitation of the West, most Africans grew up in a society wherein back chatting is recognized as disrespect while participation labeled as forwardness.'This gives us the notion that most of our African leaders grew up in such a system within a family set-up. Could this be the reason why they are reluctant to push for internet freedoms and freedom of expression in general?The African culture prior Western civilization was characterised by one man's rule and citizen's passivity as emancipated in the texture of the Zulu kingdom lead by Tshaka, Ndebele by Mzilikazi, Rozvi, Mutapa kingdoms under the Mambos. Due to enlightenment this changed to democracy' in which Africans have a say on the day to day running of their states, however, this was limited as only the elite dominated the public sphere.As we are living in the 21st century, participation has shifted from the physical spaces to occupy the digital space. Most Civil Society Organisations, human rights defenders and activists have diverted from open space demonstrations to social media advocacy and campaigns, citizens have also devoted themselves to social media for participation and access to information.According to Sharma on the Huffpost, the influence of social media can not be exaggerated. Social media has become a formidable force of change,' she added.In our recent past, social media have been used to question and bring down our African authoritarian regimes said to be democratic.'Social media advocacy or campaigns have been rife in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Togo, and Zambia among other African countries. Some of the hash tags that came to lime line in the year 2017 include #thisflag #feesmustfall and #tajamuka , which speak volumes about critical livelihood questions and circumstances of the masses.The internet could be an efficient political instrument if it were seen as part of a democracy where free and open discourse within a vital public sphere plays a decisive role,' says Gimmler (2001).African governments in pursuit of our Africaness' have tried all means to crush the campaigns through imposing high internet charges, internet blackout, drafting of inhuman laws curbing internet freedoms and punishing offenders.Of course the statesmen are always preaching about embracing ICTs but the spirit of curbing citizens' rights online continue to haunt most of them.Looking at Zimbabwe, it's one of the many African countries which have decided to go silent on internet freedoms while at the same time pretending to be in favour with digitization. For instance Zimpapers (Zimbabwe) covered a news story Embrace technology, artificial intelligence' featuring Information Communication Technology and cyber security Minister Supa Mandiwanzira speaking at the World Telecommunications and Information Society Day in Murewa.Zimbabwe has been known for the 'no freedom after expression' dilemma. Several activists have been arrested especially during the Mugabe era simply because they would have had expressed themselves in a way considered to be a threat to national security' that is the Mugabe power security.Africa Day? What about it? What is the new African vision? Are the new African leaders sharing the vision of our founding fathers? So what is there to celebrate?' said Raymond Majongwe, a Zimbabwean activist on tweeter.Being African' doesn't mean backwardness or passivity!When we talk of embracing new technologies, our African leaders must not forget that there is something they also need to embrace, i-n-t-e-r-n-e-t f-r-e-e-d-o-m-s.'What we genuinely understand is that most of them are old enough not to be social media fans but being a good example President Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe has shifted to social media for addressing citizens verbally on facebook and twitter. The same can be said to other African statesmen who have managed to open various social media accounts.However, truth be told, that is not what citizens ask for. Citizens are calling for affordable data costs, repelling of draconian laws against freedom of expression, no internet blackouts and reasonable protection online.Attending a Rights Conference in Toronto, Bekezela Gumbo, an internet freedom fighter said the fact that the world has gone digital must not be ignored in Zimbabwe and Africa in general. 'Our rights follow us into the digital spaces.'In conclusion, as we are celebrating Africa day, let us not forget to fight against backwardness in the digital world and passivity among our state leaders for policy change.A putrid flower said to smell like death itself is ready to bloom at Edmonton's Muttart Conservatory.

While Putrella the corpse flower has been the stinkiest attraction inside the Muttart pyramids for years, it's not the only corpse flower in the conservatory.

A second plant is getting ready to raise a stink.

The Muttart received the yet-unnamed bloom with a handful of other tubers when it first acquired Putrella.

"The guy gave us about five tubers to kind of experiment with, so this is actually one of the tubers he gave us back in 2012," said Sarah Birmingham, team leader with the Muttart Conservatory.

The tuber has been growing in a custom-made flower pot ever since. This will be the first time it has ever bloomed.

When in bloom, the Amorphophallus titanum flower emits a foul odour some describe as being similar to rotting meat, dirty diapers or hot garbage.

The reason for the rotten odour? The smell attracts insects, such as carrion beetles, which are needed for the plant's pollination.

"There have only been three blooms in Canada. One from a university, one from Niagara Falls and one from us," Birmingham said in an interview with CBC Radio's Edmonton AM.

"We're excited about it because they're not really that common."

The giant flower, found in the jungles of West Sumatra, Indonesia, is a rare sight and the impending bloom is a smell-it-while-you-can experience.

The flower can go five or 10 years between blooms, and the stench is supposed to last only one day as the short-lived blossom unfurls and quickly begins to decompose.

Unlike Putrella  which has climbed to more than eight feet tall  the younger bloom is only five-foot-five.

"It kind of snuck up on us," Birmingham said. "It hasn't been growing for very long."

While the plant is not as big as Putrella, Birmingham said it's "still massive and it's still going to stink."

The Muttart will not extend its hours when the new plant blooms, said Birmingham. People will have to come during regular operating hours.

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Should you want to experience the impending stench first-hand, the Muttart is watching the plant closely and will post updates on social media.

Staff don't want the new bloom to live in the shadow of Putrella forever, so visitors will be asked to provide naming suggestions for the new big sprout.

"We want to make sure Putrella still stays special. But this one is equally as special, just in its own way."The federal government's new Tobacco and Vaping Products Act will force tobacco companies to use plain packaging, but it also opens up a world of advertising possibilities for vaping liquids and e-cigarettes.

The new law, which received royal assent last week, legalizes and regulates what had been a "bold, black market," said David Hammond, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's chair in applied health and professor at the University of Waterloo.

Though technically illegal, nicotine vaporizing liquid was available at vape shops and other stores in most cities across the country, but most big international companies stayed out of the market.

"E-cigarettes are less harmful than smoking. They're not harmless, but they're less harmful than smoking," Hammond said. "It made no sense to ban the product that's less harmful when you can still buy cigarettes in every store."

Multi-national companies will move in

With legalization, Hammond predicts Canadians will see big multi-national companies move into the marketplace and so will their ads.

"For the first time in decades, you could see TV or front page newspaper ads for recreational nicotine products," he said.

Hammond, who testified before Parliament while the law was being drafted, said advertising is the most contentious part of the new Tobacco and Vaping Products Act.

"There were a lot of folks, like me, that were quite concerned about the amount of advertising that's allowed," in particular when it comes to children, Hammond said.

It's a concern shared by Rob Cunningham, senior policy advisor for the Canadian Cancer Society.

"The restrictions for e-cigarette advertising will be far weaker than for tobacco or cannabis and youth will be exposed to this advertising," Cunningham warned.

"Depending how advertising and promotion evolves in the marketplace, there is the potential for youth to be exposed to substantial ads."

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That's why the Canadian Cancer Society is recommending stronger regulations for the advertising components of the act, something Health Canada is considering through consultations.

Can't claim vaping safer than smoking

Advertising that is lifestyle in nature, that's appealing to youth, that depicts a person or an animal will be prohibited, Cunningham said, "but there's going to be no restriction on where those ads can appear. So potentially, ads could appear on TV, radio, billboards [and] bus shelters."

No flavours are banned in the federal legislation, "but it will ban promotion and labelling of flavours appealing to youth  such as unicorn puke," Cunningham said.

The ads also cannot contain any health claims, even if the point of legalizing e-cigarettes was to get people to switch from smoking tobacco to a less-harmful alternative  but that may change.

Both Hammond and Cunningham agree e-cigarettes are not as bad as cigarettes.

"[Companies] will not be able to make a health claim immediately, but Health Canada is working on regulations to that effect," Cunningham said.Indigenous fishermen in the Maritimes are getting ready to test the internet at sea this fall.

It's part of a Transport Canada pilot project that will provide fishing vessels with web-based data on weather, vessel traffic and other information.

The Enhanced Maritime Situational Awareness initiative is being installed on selected boats across the country, including up to 30 Indigenous fishing boats under the Truro-based Maritime Aboriginal Peoples Council.

"You'll have a fair amount of information that is provided to the vessel itself that the captain would click on to find out what's the weather like, what's the bottom look like, what's the buoy markers and so forth," said Roger Hunka, the council's director. "You'll have a range of information."

Larger vessels are required to have expensive electronics that broadcast boat and ship names, locations and more, he said.

Like an airplane

Under the pilot project, smaller boats will be outfitted with more economical gear that will provide location and other vital information.

One of the objectives is to improve safety on the water, Hunka said.

"There'll be pinpoints you can follow your vessel on the water ... so you'll have an idea where you are, similar to air traffic, you'll know where the airplane is," he said. "The same thing for the vessels here."

Hunka said the pilot project will also be an important measurement of internet coverage at sea. There are some areas on the water where internet service is available from towers on land. In other places, the signal is weak or non-existent.

Part of the project includes mapping "dark" areas or blind spots, according to Hunka. That information will be sent along to the federal government let it know where and when the service is useful or not.

"One of the testings is to see how it operates from different ports," he said. "Obviously, there might be some blind spots, some areas where you're not receiving any information because of the towers and so forth."

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'Trying to catch up'

Hunka said the pilot project is set to launch in September and last 18 months.

"We haven't really, in Canada, been pushing this but ... I think we're trying to catch up in some respects to other countries for ocean safety," he said. "Because the oceans are large, there's a lot of activity on the oceans with large vessels, small vessels, and so it's part of the safety issue, part of being safe on the waters."

A Transport Canada spokesperson said in addition to safety, the new system is intended to provide greater access to information for emergency response, environmental protection and transparency.The cancellation of a meeting between American and North Korean officials in Singapore a few weeks ago may have something to do with President Donald Trump's change of posture on the summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

A team of White House officialsincluding recently appointed deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel and Deputy Chief of Staff Joseph Haginwill be flying to Singapore this weekend in the hope that, this time, North Korean counterparts will show up, The Washington Post reported, citing sources that remained unnamed due to the sensitivity of the topic.

Less than two weeks ago, American negotiators were stood up by North Korean officials at a meeting meant to discuss arrangements for the summit, according to the Post.

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It wouldn't be the first time North Koreans have abruptly canceled meetings, as Vice-President Mike Pence experienced when he visited South Korea for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in February and Pyongyang officials invited the White House delegation for secret talks, only to pull back at the last minute.

The Singapore meeting failure could have served as a much-needed reality check on negotiating with North Korea. Emboldened by the surprise release of three Korean-Americans held in Pyongyang earlier this month, Trump boasted about the prospect of an unprecedented summit between the sitting U.S. president and the North Korean leader in Singapore on June 12. The meeting was seemingly so set in stone that the White House Communication Agency released a set of commemorative coins on Monday.

05_23_Trump_Moon

Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

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Yet ahead of a bilateral meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-inwho met Kim for the first time on April 27Trump cast doubt over the prospect of the summit happening at all.

"The meeting is scheduled, as you know, on June 12 in Singapore. And whether or not it happens, youll be knowing pretty soon. But were talking right now," Trump said, without specifying who is talking to whom, and refusing to answer a question about whether he's spoken to Kim.

"I can say this: That for a short period of time, weve been dealing with North Korea, and its been a, you know, good experience," he said, referring to the release of the American prisoners following two meetings between Kim and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

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South Korea expressed more optimism about the summit, giving it a "99.9 percent chance" that it will go ahead as planned, as Seoul's top security officials told South Korean media on the way to Washington.

Relations between North and South Korea recently soured after Pyongyang canceled planned talks last week because of Seoul's joint military drills with the U.S. It also made it difficult for South Korean reporters invited to North Korea to witness the dismantlement of a nuclear test facility to travel to the country.

North Korea has however kept in touch with Beijing, with Kim holding talks with President Xi Jinping earlier this month, less than six weeks after his first foreign trip to China.

Trump suggested that the meeting with Xi played a role in North Korea's recent posture. I think there was a change in attitude from Kim Jong Un after his meeting with Xi. There was a difference after Kim Jong Un left China the second time. President Xi is a world class poker player. Maybe nothing happened. I'm not blaming anybody. But there was a different attitude from the North Korean folks after that second meeting, Trump told reporters on Tuesday.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekStigma may once have kept First Nations from talking much about cannabis, but as perceptions shift and legalisation approaches, some are wondering about the business opportunities.

In Yukon, some First Nations leaders say they have been researching the growing industry in hopes of getting in on, or near, the ground floor.

The Carcross/Tagish Management Corporation has been talking to grow operations elsewhere in Canada, to figure out whether it's feasible in Yukon.

"Well, we are looking at seeing whether or not cultivating cannabis is the right thing to do at this point," said Nelson Lepine, chief executive officer of the management corporation.

"We know it is starting to happen out there, all we are trying to do is to see if it works for us in terms of the direction that we are going," says Lepine.

The First Nation predicts a cannabis growing operation could create 20 to 30 full time jobs in their community  such as a master grower, quality assurance positions, harvester/trimmer positions, and so on.

The idea is on the agenda for the Carcross/Tagish First Nation's next meeting this summer.

-

Will Yukoners get 'value' with legal pot? Government sets marijuana price at $8 per gram

'Devil's lettuce'

Growing commercial cannabis for recreational use may be a tough sell, though, for some First Nations citizens.

"Well, I think it's changing as the generations evolve," says Steve Smith, Chief of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations.

"Some of the concerns are coming from our elders who, when they were young, you know, marijuana or grass or whatever you wanted to call it had a real negative stigma," Smith says.

Peter Johnston, Grand Chief of the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN), agrees.

"People think it's the 'Devil's lettuce,' or whatever it is referred to as," he said. "This is what's going to wipe us out, if anything."

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Johnston says cannabis has been discussed at CYFN leadership meetings, and it's not always taken seriously.

"You know everybody kind of laughs. It is kind of a funny topic, because you are talking about weed," he said. "It is something that is almost fictitious in our world, yet it's been here forever, right?"

Johnston thinks that the dangers of legalisation are sometimes overstated.

"The fact that some people think that the kids are going to have easier access to it  I believe it's totally the other way around."

Smith says elders have expressed those very concerns.

"What is the impact on our people? Is legalization going to make it more accessible and more readily available to our young people? And what could be some of the consequences?" Smith asks.

'I don't think they understand'

Kwanlin Dun First Nation elder Jessie Dawson believes it's a matter of education, to dispel any stigma around legal cannabis use.

"It hasn't been discussed this openly right across the country. And with the elders, I don't think they understand fully, you know," she said.

"They are probably associating it to other hardcore drugs, like the opioid crisis we are having right now."

Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation chief Bruce Charlie in Old Crow says some elders have legitimate questions  for example, about the health impacts of cannabis.

Old Crow is Yukon's only fly-in community, and alcohol is prohibited there. But Charlie says the community will not try to keep cannabis out.

"Well, it [will] be legal, so we had a fairly extensive discussion on the cannabis," he said.

He says he would like to have a discussion about what the economic benefits of cannabis could be for his community

'We are approaching a date that will give this drug legalization, and it puts us in uncharted territories. It's going to be challenging," he said.

Do the homework, says B.C. grower

Even if First Nations decide there is a good business case for growing cannabis, Mike Fontaine is urging caution.

He's the vice president of Indigenous Roots, a medical marijuana business based in B.C. He says there are plenty of people who will try to take advantage of the situation.

"You know, fast-talking salesmen going around saying, 'we'll get you this, we'll get you this.' There is nobody in Canada that can ease access to getting a [growing] licence," said Fontaine.

"It's a process everybody has to follow."

He says it is important for interested First Nations to do their homework, because growing legal marijuana is not a simple backyard greenhouse operation.

"You are essentially building a medical facility. You are not operating out of a garage, for instance. You are operating out of something with key-codes between each section of the building. You're essentially having to wear a hazmat suit to go into a sterile environment where the plants are growing," he said.

Indigenous Roots is a joint venture with Cronos Group, a medical-marijuana grower licensed by Health Canada. Once it is fully operating this summer  with a 3,000-square foot growing facility in B.C.  its profits will be split evenly between partners, First Nations, and Cronos.

Fontaine says they are licensed to produce nearly a ton of cannabis per year.

"This is one of the first industries in Canada where First Nations specifically have an opportunity to enter the space at the ground floor, as opposed to having an already-developed industry and, you know, come in after the fact," said Fontaine.

"I think it's important for First Nations to recognize the opportunity, and then to also jump on it. But at the same time, to jump on it pragmatically with your eyes wide open."dress, also love this one and romper in same pattern | bag (on sale!)

After getting a lot of emails and DMs from you guys, Im so excited to share a roundup post from the first part of our stay in Maui! Five years ago when we were on our honeymoon, Christian and I decided we would go on a big trip at the end of his residency to celebrate his hard work.

Of course, at the time we both had no idea he would be pursuing a fellowship at the end of the five-year program so while we still wanted to go on a big finale trip, we couldnt go too far due to limited vacation time. So were (hopefully) saving that for the end of fellowship which is the real finale of this 10 year journey!

We decided to go back to Maui (if you search Hawaii or Maui on CBL youll find posts from our previous visits), and this time we split our time between two hotels in two different parts of the island. Our first few days were spent in Kapalua at the Ritz-Carlton, and today Im sharing our photos from this part of the trip!

And I mean, wow. What a welcome to Maui! We couldnt have started our vacation in a more gorgeous setting. The hotel staff was beyond helpful and friendly. In fact, when we were checking in my beach bag strap broke. The receptionist effortlessly and casually came back with our hotel room key and a tote from the gift shop to replace my bag. I mean I felt like Mariah Carey. Not to mention when we walked into our spacious room I was like, I refuse to leave this hotel. Ever.

On the flight home, Christian and I were sharing our top three experiences during the trip and we both listed our day in Kapalua in a beach cabana, drinking champagne, eating fruit and fresh ahi and feeling like life couldnt get any better.

Splitting our time between two parts of the island was actually really wonderful. If you can build in an extra travel day, I think splitting your vacation between two areas just makes your trip feel more adventurous, longer and really shows you more of the area. Weve now done this in both Belize and Maui, and I really do recommend it!

Below are some photos of our time spent in Kapalua. Scroll down for our recommendations for this part of Maui!

beach bag | swimsuit top (40% off), bottoms (40% off) | sarong (old), love this one (splurge) and this one (save) | sunglasses

pants, matching top here | top  Lucy Paris, also love this one and this one

swimsuit | sunglasses

bag | top (25% off), also love this one | skirt (25% off), also available here | sandals

hat | sunglasses | swimsuit, also love this one | shorts

photos by Christian and Kathleen Barnes at Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua

And on Instagram 

Where We Ate

Tin Roof Maui | We hopped over here for lunch right after we flew in and it was so amazing. Honestly it was one of our favorite meals of the week!

The Banyan Tree | We ate here for our first night in Maui, and it was wonderful. Our waitress was extremely knowledgeable about the menu, chef and ingredients, and the sweet bread was beyond delicious. Christian got the Glazed Ahi I kept eating off his plate!

The Burger Shack | You can see the burgers and shakes from our lunch here above  and whoa. The milkshakes are out of this world. So, so good!

Sensei | We wanted a casual late dinner, and we could take an evening walk down the street to Sensei. We ate here last time we were in Maui and its great, quick sushi thats not overpriced considering its in a touristy area.

Monkeypod | Another great casual spot that isnt overpriced. If you ask locals where to get a laid back bite, they always recommend this spot. They had live music when we were there, and it was a really good time!

Other recommendations we received from you guys were Merrimans, Star Noodle, Miso Phat Sushi. We also love Leodas Kitchen and Pie Shop in Lahaina for lunch!

Activities

Trilogy Sailing + Snorkeling to Lanai | Christian really wanted to go sailing on this trip, and hes heard such great things about Trilogy. One of Christians coworkers is from Hawaii and also had great things to say about the excursion. Now we understand why  the team is SO much fun, so nice, serving you meals, snacks, drinks, etc. nonstop and an overall good time. They really take care of you on this all-day adventure, and I was happy that Christian got his sailing experience in!

Surfing in Kapalua | Christian rented a board at 808 Boards and surfed in Kapalua. There are some great little beaches in this area that have a really short walk from the car to the beach, which is amazing!

We also spent sunsets drinking fresquilas (Patron + Fresca + lime) on the beach, lying in the hammock on the hotel property, and lounging by the pool. Christian treated himself to the Mothers Day brunch at the Ritz (ha! Happy Mothers Day Christian?) and raved about it. He couldnt stop talking about the pastries. We had such a fabulous time in Kapalua and if youre looking to visit this area, I cant say enough great things.

One thing I wasnt prepared for that I should have been: the rain. This part of the island literally gets more rain per year than the Amazon. Youll feel like three sprinkles and then it downpours. Like any tropical island, it stops after about 30 minutes and the sun comes back out, but if you have camera equipment, etc. you better run when you feel that sprinkle! So in hindsight I should have brought more protective things for the gear.

Also, a lot of you messaged me about air quality with the volcano. It is so sad and very scary to watch the news regarding its devastation  I hear you!

The Big Island is over 100 miles from Maui, so honestly, I was amazed that if not for the news I would have had no idea a volcano was erupting. Nothing felt different than our trip four years ago, so if you have plans to visit Maui or Kauai  you are totally fine to go! All of the airlines are easily flying in and out, etc. Tourism is so important to livelihood of all of Hawaii, so the best thing you can do for the people of these islands is go on your trip as planned!

More posts on Maui coming soon! Again, if you search Hawaii or Maui on CBL youll find posts from our previous visits, including guides to both Maui and Kauai! Thank you so much for reading and for all of your recommendations during our stay! XO 

brought to you by Ritz-CarltonAppellate Court of Illinois, Fourth District. Illinois State Bar Association Mutual Insurance Company, PlaintiffAppellant, v. Leighton Legal Group, LLC, an Illinois Limited Liability Company; G. Timothy Leighton; Carol M. McClure; and Cynthia S. McClure, DefendantsAppellees. NO. 4170548 Decided: May 22, 2018

OPINION

 1 In August 2016, plaintiffs, Carol M. McClure and Cynthia S. McClure, filed a complaint against G. Timothy Leighton and the Leighton Legal Group, LLC (collectively, the insured); Daniel Sanchuk; DPS Consulting, LLC; and other nominal defendants in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia. The insured was an attorney and cotrustee for a trust of which plaintiffs were the remainder beneficiaries.

 2 The complaint (1) sought a declaratory judgment as to the ownership of the trust property, (2) sought restoration of trust property, (3) sought a constructive trust, (4) requested termination of the trust, (5) alleged self-dealing by the insured, (6) alleged breach of good faith and fair dealing, (7) alleged breach of trust for failure to administer the trust, (8) requested the removal of the trustees, and (9) sought the appointment of a special fiduciary to perform an accounting of trust property. Throughout the complaint, plaintiffs alleged willful conduct by the insured.

 3 In September 2016, the Illinois State Bar Association Mutual Insurance Company (hereinafter, ISBA) filed a complaint for declaratory judgment, contending it had no duty to defend the insured against the aforementioned complaint. ISBA asserted that the insured's actions constituted intentional conduct and was excluded from coverage.

 4 In March 2017, the insured filed a motion for a judgment on the pleadings, arguing that the underlying complaint's allegations fall within, or potentially within, the policy's coverage. In May 2017, ISBA filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings, asserting again it did not owe a duty to defend the insured because his actions as alleged in the underlying complaint were intentional. In June 2017, the trial court concluded that ISBA had a duty to defend under the terms of the policy.

 5 ISBA appeals, arguing that the trial court erred by granting judgment in favor of the insured because the underlying [c]omplaint clearly alleged intentional conduct which is expressly excluded from coverage under the ISBA Mutual policy. We conclude that the insured's conduct, as alleged in the underlying complaint, is excluded from coverage.

 6 I. BACKGROUND

 7 A. The Underlying Complaint 8 1. The Joseph McClure Trust

 9 In August 2016, plaintiffs filed the underlying complaint against the insured in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia. The underlying complaint stated that nearly 40 years earlier, Joseph McClure and James Lundberg formed a variety of business entities to co-own real property and conduct business. The complaint noted that Joseph and James acquired valuable real estate within the District of Columbia. In 1992, James died. On July 7, 1995, Joseph executed his last will and testament. On July 11, 1995, Joseph died.

 10 Joseph's will directed that after satisfying specific bequests, the remainder of his property would be sold to establish an irrevocable trust (hereinafter, the Joseph McClure Trust). The Joseph McClure Trust had specific provisions for nomination of trustees, designation of beneficiaries, use of a qualified financial institution to comanage the trust, and instructions for distribution of the trust corpus to the remainder beneficiaries. The will provided that Joseph's brother, Cecil McClure, would be the income beneficiary of the trust. Upon Cecil's death, the trust corpus was to be distributed to the Lundberg Family Education Fund and to Cecil's children. Plaintiffs are Cecil's children.

 11 2. The Cecil Q. McClure Irrevocable Trust

 12 The underlying complaint alleged that, in October 1998, Joseph's estate closed without a complete liquidation of his property. The complaint then alleged that the insured drafted the Cecil O. McClure Irrevocable Trust (hereinafter, the Cecil McClure Trust). The complaint further alleged that in December 1998, the insured attempted to unlawfully decant the Joseph McClure Trust by transferring Joseph's property to the Cecil McClure Trust. (Trust decanting refers to the act of pouring the principal of an irrevocable trust into a new trust with different terms. See Ferri v. Powell-Ferri, 72 N.E.3d 541, 546 (Mass. 2017); see also Natalie M. Kuehn et al., Survey of Illinois Law: Trusts and Estates, 39 S. Ill. U. L.J. 647, 657-60 (2015).)

 13 Similar to the Joseph McClure Trust, the Cecil McClure Trust made Cecil the income beneficiary with the Lundberg Family Education Fund and Cecil's children as the remainder beneficiaries. Nevertheless, the Cecil McClure Trust contained key differences such as (1) including an in terrorem clause, (2) eliminating the requirement to use a qualified financial institution as a cotrustee, (3) appointing the insured as a cotrustee, and (4) eliminating the requirement to sell Joseph's property. (An in terrorem clause is a provision in a trust document or a will that invalidates a gift to a beneficiary who unsuccessfully challenges the validity of the testamentary document. See In re Estate of Lanterman, 122 Ill. App. 3d 982, 985, 462 N.E.2d 46, 47-48 (1984); see also Gerry W. Beyer et al., The Fine Art of Intimidating Disgruntled Beneficiaries With In Terrorem Clauses, 51 SMU L. Rev. 225, 226-27 (1998).)

 14 3. The Allegations of Wrongdoing

 15 In September 2010, Cecil McClure died. The underlying complaint alleged that the insured told the plaintiffs that the remainder beneficiaries would receive quarterly income distributions. Plaintiffs requested the trust corpus be liquidated and the proceeds distributed to the remainder beneficiaries. The complaint asserted that the insured denied this request because the real estate market was poor and because plaintiffs were not entitled to any distribution of trust corpus. Instead, the insured continued to administer the Cecil McClure Trust and give quarterly income distributions.

 16 The underlying complaint alleged that the insured created a self-compensation scheme because the insured (1) included an in terrorem clause, (2) eliminated the requirement to use a qualified financial institution as a cotrustee, and (3) appointed himself as a cotrustee. The underlying complaint further asserted that the insured and others collected excessive fees while managing the trust.

 17 Throughout the underlying complaint, plaintiffs alleged willful conduct by the insured. For example, count IV alleged that the insured willfully refused to distribute the remaining trust assets. (Emphasis added.) Count V alleged self-dealing by the insured, arguing that he refused to liquidate the trust corpus in order to perpetuate [his] self-compensation scheme. (Emphasis added.) Count VI alleged that the insured willfully misinformed the plaintiffs in bad faith that they were not entitled to distribution of the trust corpus. Count VII alleged breach of trust, asserting that the insured committed breach of trust by willfully disregarding the termination provision of the trust and refusing to distribute the trust assets. (Emphasis added.) Count VIII requested removal of the insured as trustee, arguing that he willfully committed [a] serious breach of trust in failing to fulfill [his] fiduciary duties. (Emphasis added.)

 18 B. ISBA's Complaint for Declaratory Judgment

 19 In September 2016, ISBA filed a complaint for declaratory judgment against the insured. ISBA conceded that the insured was covered under its professional liability insurance policy but alleged it had no duty to defend him based upon the allegations of the underlying complaint.

 20 1. The Provisions of the ISBA Insurance Policy

 21 ISBA's insurance policy provides coverage for damages and claim expenses arising out of a wrongful act, which the policy defines as any actual or alleged negligent act, error, or omission in the rendering of or failure to render professional services. The policy notes that professional services includes working as an administrator, *** trustee, or any other similar fiduciary activity. However, the policy explicitly excludes from coverage any claim arising out of any criminal, dishonest, fraudulent or intentional act or omission.

 22 2. ISBA's Claim and the Insured's Answer

 23 ISBA alleged it had no duty to defend because the insured's actions were dishonest, intentional, and fraudulent and therefore excluded from coverage. In November 2016, the insured filed an answer to ISBA's complaint, contending that ISBA had a duty to defend.

 24 C. The Motions for Judgment on the Pleadings

 25 In March 2017, the insured filed a motion for a judgment on the pleadings, noting that an insurer has a duty to defend against an underlying complaint if the allegations fall within, or potentially within, the policy's coverage. (Emphasis in original.) The insured conceded that this dispute could be the result of intentional conduct. However, the insured contended that to the extent that the allegations have any merit, they are much more likely to be the result of mere negligence. Thus, the insured contended ISBA had a duty to defend. In May 2017, ISBA filed a cross-motion for judgment on the pleadings, contending that the insured's actions as alleged in the underlying complaint constituted intentional conduct that was excluded from coverage.

 26 D. The Trial Court's Ruling

 27 In June 2017, the trial court concluded that read as a whole, the complaint herein in certain counts sounds in negligence such that [ISBA] has a duty to defend. The court therefore granted the insured's motion for judgment on the pleadings, denied ISBA's cross-motion, and entered judgment in favor of the insured.

 28 This appeal followed.

 29 II. ANALYSIS

 30 ISBA appeals, asserting that the trial court erred in granting judgment in favor of the insured because the underlying [c]omplaint clearly alleged intentional conduct which is expressly excluded from coverage under the ISBA Mutual policy. We conclude that the insured's conduct, as alleged in the underlying complaint, is excluded from coverage.

 31 A. The Applicable Law

 32 1. Judgment on the Pleadings

 33 Any party may move for judgment on the pleadings pursuant to section 2-615(e) of the Code of Civil Procedure. 735 ILCS 5/2-615(e) (West 2016). Judgment on the pleadings is proper when the pleadings disclose no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Allstate Property & Casualty Insurance Co. v. Trujillo, 2014 IL App (1st) 123419,  15, 7 N.E.3d 110. In ruling on a motion for judgment on the pleadings, the trial court can only consider the facts apparent from the face of the pleadings, attachments to the pleadings, judicial admissions in the record, and matters subject to judicial notice. Fagel v. Department of Transportation, 2013 IL App (1st) 121841,  26, 991 N.E.2d 365; 735 ILCS 5/2-606 (West 2016).

 34 2. An Insurer's Duty to Defend

 35 In a declaratory judgment action in which the issue is whether the insurer has a duty to defend, courts first look to the allegations in the underlying complaint and compare those allegations to the relevant provisions of the insurance contract. Pekin Insurance Co. v. Precision Dose, Inc., 2012 IL App (2d) 110195,  30, 968 N.E.2d 664. If the facts alleged in the underlying complaint fall within, or potentially within, the policy's coverage, the insurer has a duty to defend. Pekin Insurance Co. v. Wilson, 237 Ill. 2d 446, 455, 930 N.E.2d 1011, 1017 (2010). The insurer may refuse to defend only if it is clear from the face of the underlying complaint that the allegations fail to state facts that bring the cause within, or potentially within, coverage. Illinois State Bar Ass'n Mutual Insurance Co. v. Cavenagh, 2012 IL App (1st) 111810,  14, 983 N.E.2d 468.

 36 3. Exclusionary Clauses for Intentional Conduct

 37 If an insurer relies on an exclusionary clause to deny coverage, it must be clear and free from doubt that the exclusionary clause applies. American Zurich Insurance Co. v. Wilcox & Christopoulos, L.L.C., 2013 IL App (1st) 120402,  34, 984 N.E.2d 86; Atlantic Mutual Insurance Co. v. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 315 Ill. App. 3d 552, 560, 734 N.E.2d 50, 56 (2000). The construction afforded to intentional act exclusions is to deny coverage when the insured has (1) intended to act and (2) specifically intended to harm a third party. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. v. Leverton, 314 Ill. App. 3d 1080, 1085, 732 N.E.2d 1094, 1098 (2000). The burden is on the insurer to prove that an exclusionary clause applies. Country Mutual Insurance Co. v. Bible Pork, Inc., 2015 IL App (5th) 140211,  38, 42 N.E.3d 958.

 38 An exclusionary clause for intentional conduct will not apply when a claim arises, or could potentially arise, from a negligent act or omission. Lincoln Logan Mutual Insurance Co. v. Fornshell, 309 Ill. App. 3d 479, 484, 722 N.E.2d 239, 242 (1999). However, phrases in the underlying complaint such as mislead, conceal, scheme, deceive, intentionally, or willfully are the  paradigm of intentional conduct and the antithesis of negligent actions.  Steadfast Insurance Co. v. Caremark Rx, Inc., 359 Ill. App. 3d 749, 760, 835 N.E.2d 890, 899 (2005) (quoting Connecticut Indemnity Co. v. DER Travel Service, Inc., 328 F.3d 347, 351 (7th Cir. 2003)).

 39 4. Construction of the Policy and the Standard of Review

 40 The primary objective when construing the language of an insurance policy is to ascertain and enforce the intentions of the parties as expressed in their agreement. Pekin Insurance Co., 2012 IL App (2d) 110195,  31. Terms that are clear and unambiguous will be given their plain and ordinary meaning. Id. Ambiguous provisions that limit or exclude coverage will be interpreted liberally in favor of the insured. Id. If the terms of an insurance policy are susceptible to more than one reasonable meaning, a court should strictly construe those terms against the insurer and in favor of the insured. Id. Courts will construe the policy as a whole and consider the type of insurance purchased, the nature of the risks involved, and the overall purpose of the contract. Wilson, 237 Ill. 2d at 456. The construction of an insurance policy is a question of law reviewed de novo. Cavenagh, 2012 IL App (1st) 111810,  12. Likewise, a trial court's granting of a motion for judgment on the pleadings is reviewed de novo. Trujillo, 2014 IL App (1st) 123419,  16.

 41 B. This Case

 42 On appeal, ISBA argues that the underlying complaint clearly alleged intentional conduct that is excluded from its policy. The insured counters that to the extent that the allegations *** have any merit[,] they are just as likely, if not more likely, to be the result of professional negligence. Thus, the insured contends that as long as plaintiff's complaint could be based in negligence, ISBA has a duty to defend because the allegations could potentially fall within coverage. We conclude that the insured's conduct, as alleged in the underlying complaint, is excluded from coverage. See American Zurich Insurance, 2013 IL App (1st) 120402,  34.

 43 1. Intentional Conduct

 44 The underlying complaint alleged that the insured willfully refused to distribute the trust corpus in order to perpetuate their self-compensation scheme. (Emphasis added.) The complaint further alleged that the insured [w]ilfully misinformed the plaintiffs that they were not entitled to the trust corpus upon the death of Cecil McClure. (Emphasis added.) Likewise, the complaint alleged that the insured willfully committed a serious breach of trust by failing to fulfill his fiduciary duty. (Emphasis added.) The complaint also included allegations of bad faith.

 45 Phrases in the underlying complaint such as mislead, conceal, scheme, deceive, intentionally, or willfully are the paradigm of intentional conduct and the antithesis of negligent actions. (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Caremark Rx, Inc., 359 Ill. App. 3d at 760. Accordingly, the allegations in the underlying complaint could not be the result of mere professional negligence. Rather, these allegations denote intentional conduct, which is excluded from coverage. See id.

 46 2. Intentional Misconduct

 47 As mentioned earlier, ISBA's insurance policy provides coverage for damages and claim expenses arising from any actual or alleged negligent act, error, or omission in the rendering of or failure to render professional services. The policy explicitly excludes from coverage any claim arising out of any criminal, dishonest, fraudulent or intentional act or omission. This court has previously discussed intentional act exclusions, as follows:

The construction generally afforded to intentional act exclusions is to deny coverage where the insured has (1) intended to act and (2) specifically intended to harm a third party. This construction is the most logical interpretation and best represents the parties' intentions. Leverton, 314 Ill. App. 3d at 1085.

 48 The First District has explained that [t]he word intent for purposes of exclusionary clauses in insurance policies denotes that the actor desires to cause the consequences of his action or believes that the consequences are substantially certain to result from it. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. v. Freyer, 89 Ill. App. 3d 617, 620, 411 N.E.2d 1157, 1159 (1980). This court has likewise concluded that intentional act or omission means (1) the insured intended to cause the consequence of his act or omission or (2) believed that the consequence of his act or omission was substantially certain to result. See Leverton, 314 Ill. App. 3d at 1086; see also Freyer, 89 Ill. App. 3d at 620. Essentially, exclusionary clauses for intentional conduct apply to intentional misconduct. See Freyer, 89 Ill. App. 3d at 620. However, an exclusionary clause for intentional conduct does not apply merely because an insured intended to act. Leverton, 314 Ill. App. 3d at 1086.

 49 Construing intentional act or omission to mean intentional misconduct is also supported by the doctrine of noscitur a sociis. See People v. Qualls, 365 Ill. App. 3d 1015, 1020, 851 N.E.2d 767, 771 (2006). This doctrine holds that a court may determine the meaning of a word by examining the meaning and context of the surrounding words. Warren v. Lemay, 144 Ill. App. 3d 107, 113, 494 N.E.2d 206, 209 (1986); see Stephen J. Safranek, Scalia's Lament, 8 Tex. Rev. L. & Pol. 315, 340-42 (2004). In this case, the policy states that it does not apply to a claim arising out of any criminal, dishonest, fraudulent or intentional act or omission committed by the insured. Thus, the phrase intentional act or omission is within the broader context of an exclusionary clause seeking to deny coverage for criminal and dishonest acts.

 50 Finally, the policy sought to provide coverage for negligent errors that arise during the practice of law while denying coverage for criminal, dishonest, and fraudulent conduct. As such, construing intentional act or omission to mean intentional misconduct is consistent with the type of insurance purchased, the nature of the risks involved, and the overall purpose of the contract. Wilson, 237 Ill. 2d at 456.

 51 In this case, the underlying complaint alleged that the insured unlawfully and without authority decanted the Joseph McClure Trust by transferring trust property to the newly created Cecil McClure Trust. Though mostly identical, the Cecil McClure Trust had materially different terms such as (1) an in terrorem clause, (2) no requirement to use a qualified financial institution as cotrustee, and (3) including the insured as a cotrustee. Plaintiffs alleged that the insured intentionally made these changes to establish a self-compensation scheme. These allegations clearly allege intentional misconduct, which is excluded from coverage. Further, this allegation of intentional misconduct could not be the result of mere negligence.

 52 Accordingly, we conclude that the insured's conduct, as alleged in the underlying complaint, is excluded from coverage. See American Zurich Insurance, 2013 IL App (1st) 120402,  34; see also Illinois State Bar Ass'n Mutual Insurance Co. v. Mondo, 392 Ill. App. 3d 1032, 1039, 911 N.E.2d 1144, 1151 (2009). Therefore, ISBA had no duty to defend the insured in the underlying action.

 53 III. CONCLUSION

 54 For the reasons stated, we reverse the trial court's judgment and enter judgment in favor of ISBA on its motion for judgment on the pleadings.

 55 Reversed; judgment entered for ISBA.

JUSTICE STEIGMANN delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion.

Justices DeArmond and Turner concurred in the judgment and opinion.Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas. ARTHUR FRANKLIN MILLER, JR., Appellant v. THE STATE OF TEXAS NO. PD-0891-15 Decided: May 23, 2018

NEWELL, J., filed a concurring opinion in which WALKER J., joined.

Appellant complains that he waived his right to a jury based upon bad advice from his attorney regarding his eligibility for probation. This resulted in his ineligibility to receive probation at punishment. There is no disagreement that this amounted to deficient performance. The disagreement is about what an Appellant must do to establish that he was prejudiced by his attorney's performance. I agree with the Court that Appellant need not prove that he would have actually received probation. He need not prove that receiving probation was even a realistic possibility. He must prove that his attorney's bad advice resulted in making a decision to waive rights or procedures he would not have otherwise waived had he been given correct advice. That's why I join the Court's opinion. I write separately to explain why the dissents convinced me to do so.

At the outset, I disagree with framing the Court's opinion as a great expansion of the Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel rather than a faithful application of Supreme Court precedent. The Court does not cut a new standard out of whole cloth to evaluate Appellant's claims. Rather, the Court decides that the standard set out by the Supreme Court in Hill v. Lockhartfocusing upon how the deficient representation affected the defendant's decision-makingis best suited for addressing the type of ineffective assistance complaint lodged in this case. But that standard has always been a part of the traditional Strickland v. Washington standard.

Rather, drawing a distinction regarding the standard of prejudice based upon whether there was an entire trial proceeding would greatly diminish the right to effective assistance of counsel and undermine the purpose behind both Strickland and Hill. When the Supreme Court decided Hill v. Lockhart it applied the Strickland standard to a completely different type of proceeding than the one in Strickland. The focus was protecting a defendant's Sixth Amendment right to the effective assistance of counsel not the reliability of a particular type of proceeding. Later, the Court made clear in Roe v. Flores-Ortega, that prejudice results from the denial of the entire judicial proceeding to which a defendant is entitled. Yet requiring proof that a defendant would have actually received probation had he received proper advice places the emphasis upon the proceeding rather than the effectiveness of the representation. The Supreme Court rejected this approach in Lafler v. Cooper.

There, the defendant chose to reject a plea bargain offer based upon the erroneous advice of counsel and proceed to trial. The federal district court granted relief and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed, which lead to the State petitioning the Supreme Court to hold that relief was inappropriate. The Court summarized the State's arguments as simply claiming that the defendant received a fair trial so he could not complain that counsel's advice was deficient.

In the end, petitioner's three arguments amount to one general contention: A fair trial wipes clean any deficient performance by defense counsel during plea bargaining.10

The Court rejected this argument, noting that it is insufficient to simply point to the guarantee of a fair trial as a backstop that inoculates any errors in the pre-trial process. Yet, holding that Appellant was not prejudiced in this case because he received an entire trial proceeding adopts the same argument rejected by the Supreme Court.

It is true that the Supreme Court wrote in Lafler that a defendant must show that the conviction or sentence, or both, under the offer's terms would have been less severe than under the judgment and sentence that in fact were imposed. But that observation must be considered in the context of that case. The Supreme Court relied upon a record that showed Cooper had received a sentence that was 3 1//2 times greater than he would have received under the plea. That holding does not translate to a requirement that Appellant prove he actually would have received probation. Here, a lack of a probated sentence does not tell us anything because the trial court was not statutorily authorized to award such a sentence. In this case, Appellant has proven that he would have had a better outcome, at least as to punishment, had he not waived his right to a jury because it would have at least provided him with an opportunity he absolutely did not have under the proceeding he received.

This understanding is reinforced by the Supreme Court's recent decision in Lee v. United States. There, the defendant was charged with possession of ecstasy with intent to distribute, and, as the Court described it, the defendant's prospects of acquittal at trial were grim. However, his primary concern was not how much time he might serve if found guilty. Rather, he was concerned that a conviction would result in deportation. His attorney incorrectly advised him that he would not be deported if he took the plea deal. He filed a motion to vacate his conviction and sentence arguing that his attorney provided constitutionally ineffective assistance. The Government argued that the defendant had not shown prejudice because he had no viable defense at trial, he would almost certainly have lost and found himself still subject to deportation, with a lengthier prison sentence to boot. According to the Government, the defendant's only hope at trial was that something unexpected and unpredictable might occur that would lead to an acquittal.

The Supreme Court rejected the Government's argument because deportation was the determinative issue in the defendant's decision to accept the plea deal. According to the Court, the defendant faced a choice between the certainty of being deported by accepting a plea and the almost certainty of being deported by risking a trial. That almost made all the difference.

Appellant was faced with an analogous choice in this case. Though the issue was not deportation, Appellant faced a choice between the certainty that the judge could not award him probation and the almost certainty that a jury would not award him probation. As in Lee, that almost is enough to establish prejudice. As Professors Dix and Schmolesky have observed of our original opinion in this case, In light of Lee, the plurality in Miller is apparently wrong. I agree. And it is better to fix the error now on rehearing. That is why I join the Court.

FOOTNOTES

. 474 U.S. 52 (1985).

. Id. at 57 (Although our decision in Strickland v. Washington dealt with a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel in a capital sentencing proceeding, and was premised in part on the similarity between such a proceeding and the usual criminal trial, the same two-part standard seems to us applicable to ineffective-assistance claims arising out of the plea process.).

. Id.

. Id. at 56 (Where, as here, a defendant is represented by counsel during the plea process and enters his plea upon the advice of counsel, the voluntariness of the plea depends on whether counsel's advice was within the range of competence demanded of attorneys in criminal cases. ) (quoting McMann v. Richardson, 397 U.S. 759, 771 (1970)).

. 528 U.S. 470, 483 (2000). Notably, the Court referred to a judicial proceeding. It did not draw a distinction between a trial proceeding and a plea proceeding.

. For this reason I am equally unpersuaded that Weaver v. Massachusetts, 137 S.Ct. 1899 (2017), a case involving the failure to object to the lack of a public trial, has anything to do with this analysis.

. 566 U.S. 156 (2012).

. Id. at 160.

. Id.

. Id. at 169.

. Id. at 165.

. Id. at 164.

. Id. at 174.

. 137 S.Ct. 1958 (2017).

. Id. at 1965. Police obtained a search warrant for the defendant's house where they found 88 ecstasy pills. Id. at 1963. The defendant admitted the pills were his and that he had given the ecstasy to his friends. Id.

. Id. at 1966.

. Id.

. Id. at 1967.

. Id. at 1968-69.

. 42 George E. Dix & John M. Schmolesky, Tex. Prac., Criminal Practice and Procedure  29:90 (3d ed. 2011).Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas. ARTHUR FRANKLIN MILLER, JR., Appellant v. THE STATE OF TEXAS NO. PD-0891-15 Decided: May 23, 2018

The question before us is how to determine prejudice when counsel tells a defendant that he could get probation in a bench trial when, in fact, he could get probation only in a jury trial. The usual test for prejudice, articulated in Strickland v. Washington, is whether there is a reasonable probability that the result of the proceeding would have been different. Applying this usual test would require asking whether the defendant would have actually obtained probation in a jury trial. However, the Court holds that a different prejudice standard applies, requiring a showing merely that the defendant would have opted for a jury trial. In support of this holding, the Court cites cases involving plea agreements and the failure to file an appeal. Each of those cases involved the deprivation of an entire judicial proceeding: the deprivation of a trial or the deprivation of an appeal.

This case is different. Appellant pled not guilty. He had a trial. It was a trial before a judge instead of a trial before a juryarguably, the wrong kind of trial. But that means the cases cited by the Court are not directly on point. Instead, those cases are, at most, analogous to the present case, and so the question is whether we should treat a trial in which the defendant is deprived of a jury like the entire deprivation of a trial. In answering that question, an instructive case to examine is Weaver v. Massachusetts.

Weaver involved a claim that the defendant received the wrong kind of trial: a trial that was not open to the public. The deprivation of a public trial is structural error. The Supreme Court addressed whether the fact that the error was structural changed the way that a prejudice analysis in an ineffective-assistance claim was to be conducted. The Court explained that structural error is the kind of error that, if preserved, results in reversal without a harm analysis. The Court concluded, however, that the structural nature of an error did not necessarily dictate a deviation from the usual Strickland prejudice analysis. The Court assumed, but did not decide, that the structural nature of an error might affect the Strickland prejudice analysis if one of the rationales for labeling a particular error as structural was that it rendered a trial fundamentally unfair and if that rationale were shown to be applicable in the defendant's case. The Court ultimately concluded that the defendant had not made such a showing, and because the defendant had not met the traditional test for prejudiceshowing a reasonable probability of a different outcomethe defendant was not entitled to relief.

Whether the underlying jury-trial violation in this case is a structural error is questionable, at best. The Supreme Court has recognized only a very limited class of errors as structural. The constitutional right to a jury trial does not appear in the lists of structural error recited by the Supreme Court. When a violation of the constitutional right to a jury trial occurs because an element of the offense has not been submitted to the jury, a harm analysis applies, and, significantly, that harm analysis may appropriately focus on whether the jury would have found the element if it had been submitted.

Moreover, it is not clear that the constitutional right to a jury trial is implicated in this case. Appellant's claim is that he should have gotten a jury trial so that he would have a chance at getting probation. In noncapital cases, the federal constitutional right to a jury trial does not extend to the discretionary determination of what punishment to assess. The right to a jury trial on the issue of probation is based solely in statute, and a statutory error cannot be structural.

And Weaver illustrates that, even if the deprivation of a jury trial that was alleged to have occurred here were structural, the usual prejudice analysis under Strickland might still be appropriate. And even if a deviation from the usual prejudice analysis were warranted, it might be warranted only for punishmentwhat the defendant says he wanted the jury for.

I believe that the Court's holding today is an unnecessary expansion of the Supreme Court holdings on which it relies. I respectfully dissent, and I also join Judge Alcala's dissent.

FOOTNOTES

. Weaver v. Massachusetts, 137 S. Ct. 1899, 1911 (2017) (quoting Strickland, 466 U.S. 668, 694 (1984)).

. See Lee v. United States, 137 S. Ct. 1958 (2017) (plea of guilty pursuant to agreement; claim that counsel gave erroneous advice about immigration consequences of conviction); Roe v. Flores-Ortega, 528 U.S. 470 (2000) (claim that counsel's conduct resulted in depriving defendant of an appeal); Hill v. Lockhart, 474 U.S. 52 (1985) (plea of guilty pursuant to agreement; claim that counsel gave erroneous advice about parole eligibility).

. Lee, 137 S. Ct. at 1965; Flores-Ortega, 528 U.S. at 483.

. 137 S. Ct. 1899.

. The defendant claimed that counsel was ineffective for failing to object to the closure of the courtroom during voir dire. Id. at 1906. The Supreme Court assumed that the closure of the courtroom during voir dire amounted to the denial of a public trial. See id. at 1907-13. See also id. at 1914 (Thomas, J., concurring) (observing that the Court assumed that the closure of the courtroom during voir dire amounted to a violation of the Sixth Amendment right to a public trial).

. Id. at 1908.

. Id. at 1907-13.

. Id. at 1907-08, 1910 (Thus, in the case of a structural error where there is an objection at trial and the issue is raised on direct appeal, the defendant generally is entitled to automatic reversal regardless of the error's actual effect on the outcome. ).

. Id. at 1910-12.

. Id. at 1911 (Thus, when a defendant raises a public-trial violation via an ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claim, Strickland prejudice is not shown automatically. Instead, the burden is on the defendant to show either a reasonable probability of a different outcome in his or her case or, as the Court has assumed for these purposes, to show that the particular public-trial violation was so serious as to render his or her trial fundamentally unfair.) (citation omitted). The Court explained that there were different rationales for labeling an error as structural, one of which was fundamental unfairness, and that not every rationale applied to every species of structural error. Id. at 1908. The Court also explained that the unpreserved nature of a particular type of error might affect whether a court should modify the Strickland prejudice inquiry. Id. at 1912 (The reason for placing the burden on the petitioner in this case, however, derives both from the nature of the error, and the difference between a public-trial violation preserved and then raised on direct review and a public-trial violation raised as an ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claim.) (citation omitted).Before Weaver was decided, we had suggested that the structural nature of an error might impact a Strickland prejudice inquiry. Johnson v. State, 169 S.W.2d 223, 231-322 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005). In that discussion, we remarked that the deprivation of a trial and the deprivation of an appeal are both structural defects. Id. at 231.

. Id. at 1913.

. United States v. Davila, 569 U.S. 597, 611 (2013).

. See id.; United States v. Marcus, 560 U.S. 258, 263 (2010); Neder v. United States, 527 U.S. 1, 8 (1999); Johnson v. United States, 520 U.S. 461, 468-69 (1997).

. Neder, 527 U.S. at 9-13.

. Id. at 17 ([W]here a reviewing court concludes beyond a reasonable doubt that the omitted element was uncontested and supported by overwhelming evidence, such that the jury verdict would have been the same absent the error, the erroneous instruction is properly found to be harmless.).

. United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220, 233 (2005) ([W]hen a trial judge exercises his discretion to select a specific sentence within a defined range, the defendant has no right to a jury determination of the facts that the judge deems relevant.).

. See TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. art. 37.07,  2(b) (after a finding of guilt, judge assesses punishment unless defendant has satisfied conditions for electing jury punishment).

. See Schmutz v. State, 440 S.W.3d 29, 35-37 (Tex. Crim. App. 2014).

KELLER, P.J., filed a dissenting opinion.United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Janice DUNCAN, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. State of ALABAMA, State of Alabama Department of Transportation, Bill Flowers, in his individual capacity, Kelly Brendle, in her individual capacity, Defendants-Appellees. No. 17-12406 Decided: May 09, 2018

Before WILSON, JORDAN and BLACK, Circuit Judges. Janice Duncan, Pro Se Clinton Richardson, Barbara J. Wells, Capell & Howard, PC, Montgomery, AL, for Defendants-Appellees State of Alabama, BLL Flowers, Kelly Brendle Jim R. Ippolito, Jr., William F. Patty, Alabama Department of Transportation, Montgomery, AL, Clinton Richardson, Barbara J. Wells, Capell & Howard, PC, Montgomery, AL, for Defendant-Appellee State of Alabama Department of Transportation

Janice Duncan appeals pro se the district courts grant of summary judgment in favor of the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), Kelly Brendle, and Bill Flowers (collectively, the Defendants) in her suit alleging employment discrimination pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C.  2000e-3(a) (Title VII), and 42 U.S.C.  1983. Duncan asserts the district court erred in granting summary judgment as to her race discrimination claim against Brendle and Flowers, and her retaliation claim against the ALDOT. After review, we affirm the district courts grant of summary judgment.

I. DISCUSSION

A. Race Discrimination

Duncan contends the district court erred in granting summary judgment on her race discrimination claim against Brendle and Flowers because she established a prima facie case under the standard described in McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973), as well as under the convincing mosaic standard articulated in Smith v. Lockheed-Martin Corp., 644 F.3d 1321, 1328 (11th Cir. 2011). Duncan asserts Brendles and Flowers race discrimination caused her demotion under the cats paw theory. She argues the district court incorrectly determined her demotion was untainted based on Maxine Wheelers and DeJarvis Leonards independent investigations because Wheeler did not make a recommendation and Leonard discounted the entirety of evidence from his hearing. She contends Lamar Woodham and Leonard both lied when they said they relied on Wheelers recommendation to demote her. Rather, all decisionmakers relied on the tainted recommendations of Flowers and Brendle.

Where there is no direct evidence of discrimination, but only circumstantial evidence, we use the McDonnell Douglas framework. Holland v. Gee, 677 F.3d 1047, 1055 (11th Cir. 2012). Under the McDonnell Douglas framework, a plaintiff first must establish a prima facie case of discrimination that creates a presumption the employer unlawfully discriminated against her. Flowers v. Troup Cty. School Dist., 803 F.3d 1327, 1336 (11th Cir. 2015). If the plaintiff establishes a prima facie case, the burden of production then shifts to the employer to articulate a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for the challenged employment action. Id. If the employer satisfies this burden, the burden shifts back to the plaintiff to demonstrate that the proffered reason is merely a pretext for unlawful discrimination. Id.

A plaintiff can also survive summary judgment by presenting circumstantial evidence that creates a triable issue concerning the employers discriminatory intent. Smith, 644 F.3d at 1328. Such [a] triable issue exists if the record, viewed in a light most favorable to the plaintiff, presents a convincing mosaic of circumstantial evidence that would allow a jury to infer intentional discrimination by the decisionmaker. Id.

When a claim involves an adverse employment action that occurs based on a biased recommendation by a party without decisionmaking authority, a plaintiff can establish liability under the cats paw theory. Stimpson v. City of Tuscaloosa, 186 F.3d 1328, 1331-32 (11th Cir. 1999). Under that theory, if the decision-making party followed the biased recommendation without independently investigating the complaintessentially acting as a rubber stamp of the biased recommendationthen the recommenders discriminatory animus is imputed to the decisionmaker. See id. However, the plaintiff must prove that the discriminatory animus behind the recommendation, and not the identified employee misconduct, was an actual cause of the adverse employment action. Id. When an employer makes an effort to independently investigate before making an adverse employment decision, it should not be held liable for another employees hidden discriminatory motives. Llampallas v. Mini-Circuits, Lab, Inc., 163 F.3d 1236, 1249-50 (11th Cir. 1998).

However, we have not addressed the viability of the independent investigation defense in a race discrimination case since the Supreme Courts decision in Staub v. Proctor Hosp., 562 U.S. 411, 416, 422, 131 S.Ct. 1186, 179 L.Ed.2d 144 (2011). In Staub, the Supreme Court, in addressing a discrimination claim under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), concluded an independent investigation did not relieve an employer of fault where the supervisors biased act was intended to cause and proximately caused an adverse employment action. Id. at 422, 131 S.Ct. 1186. Nonetheless, the Supreme Court stated there can be no proximate cause, and therefore no liability, if the adverse action is entirely justified apart from the biased supervisors recommendation. Id. at 421-22, 131 S.Ct. 1186.

Because Staub considered the cats paw theory in the context of USERRA, it did not directly overrule precedent applying the theory in the context of other statutes. See Sims v. MVM, Inc., 704 F.3d 1327, 1335-36 (11th Cir. 2013). In the context of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, we have indicated that, while the cats paw theory may be appropriate in cases in which the plaintiff is required to prove only that the protected characteristic was a motivating factor, such as in Title VII disparate treatment claims, the theory is inappropriate when the statute requires but-for causation. Id.

Duncans race discrimination claim fails whether or not we apply the cats paw theory and independent investigation defense. Assuming the cats paw theory applies, the undisputed evidence in the record indicates that any alleged bias was not the proximate cause of her demotion. See Staub, 562 U.S. at 417-418, 131 S.Ct. 1186. Duncan admitted that, in 2013, she changed her management style, implemented new rules, and started walking around and monitoring employee conversations, which led to increased complaints. This conduct led to a work environment that her subordinates described as stressful and uncomfortable. Duncan admitted she looked through employee desks when she needed to find something and she allowed one employee to have access to an e-mail which contained reference to the personal medical information of another employee. Duncan also admitted she knew that Brendle planned on reallocating work assignments and Duncan still handed out her own proposed assignments, although she termed this a misunderstanding, and not intentional.

This admitted conduct formed the basis, in large part, for Wheelers conclusion that Duncan violated several of the ALDOT rules, and for Leonards conclusion that demotion was warranted, based on the same rule violations. The ALDOT rules allow for suspension or discharge for a first instance of more serious rule violations, such as disruptive behavior. Accordingly, Woodhams ultimate decision to demote Duncan was entirely justified by the undisputed evidence in the record, apart from any bias tainting Flowers initial recommendation. See Staub, 562 U.S. at 421-22, 131 S.Ct. 1186.

Assuming the cats paw theory does not apply and that Duncan established a prima facie case of race discrimination under the McDonnell Douglas standard, she failed to meet her burden to establish the Defendants proffered reason for her demotion was pretextual. See Flowers, 803 F.3d at 1336. Duncan referred to pretext only in relation to her Title VII claim, suggesting the record demonstrates retaliation because 2013 was the only year in which she was disciplined. This allegation does not demonstrate the Defendants proffered reason for demotionmultiple rule violations in 2013was pretextual. Likewise, the record, even viewed in the light most favorable to Duncan, does not otherwise present a convincing mosaic of circumstantial evidence that would allow a jury to infer intentional discrimination in the decision to demote her. See Smith, 644 F.3d at 1328.

B. Title VII Retaliation

Duncan asserts the district court erred in granting summary judgment on her retaliation claim against the ALDOT because she established a causal connection between an internal complaint she filed with the ALDOT and her demotion. Because the ALDOT had notice of her May 2013 internal complaint and the EEOC charge she filed in October 2013, Duncan argues that Woodham is deemed to have had knowledge of them when he authorized her demotion, and therefore, causation is established.

Title VII prohibits an employer from retaliating against an employee because the employee opposed any practice made unlawful by Title VII. 42 U.S.C.  2000e-3(a). Absent direct evidence of discrimination, we employ the McDonnell Douglas framework when analyzing claims for retaliation. Bryant v. Jones, 575 F.3d 1281, 1307 (11th Cir. 2009). Under this framework, a plaintiff establishes a prima facie case of retaliation by showing that she: (1) engaged in a statutorily protected activity; (2) suffered an adverse employment action; and (3) established a causal link between the protected activity and the adverse action. Id. at 1307-08. She must show the causal connection under a but-for standard, requiring a showing that she would not have suffered the adverse employment action if she had not engaged in the protected conduct. Univ. of Tex. Sw. Med. Ctr. v. Nassar, 570 U.S. 338, 362, 133 S.Ct. 2517, 186 L.Ed.2d 503 (2013). At a minimum, a plaintiff must generally establish that the employer was actually aware of the protected expression at the time it took adverse employment action. Clover v. Total Sys. Servs., Inc., 176 F.3d 1346, 1354 (11th Cir. 1999) (quotations omitted).

Even viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to Duncan, she failed to establish a prima facie case of retaliation. Although the record indicates the decisionmaker had actual knowledge that Duncan filed some type of complaint with the ALDOT, there is no evidence in the record that Woodham was actually aware the internal complaint raised any allegations of race discrimination, such that it constituted a protected expression. See Clover, 176 F.3d at 1354.

However, even assuming Woodham was actually aware Duncan had engaged in protected conduct by filing the internal complaint, the undisputed evidence demonstrates Duncans demotion was justified and not motivated by bias. Accordingly, Duncan failed to meet either the proximate cause standard under Staub or Nassars heightened but-for causation standard. See Staub, 562 U.S. at 422, 131 S.Ct. 1186; Nassar, 570 U.S. at 362, 133 S.Ct. 2517. Additionally, even assuming that Duncan had established a prima facie case of retaliation, she failed to meet her burden of establishing the Defendants proffered reason for her demotion was pretextual. See Furcron v. Mail Ctrs. Plus, LLC, 843 F.3d 1295, 1310-11 (11th Cir. 2016) (If the employer is able to advance legitimate reasons for the adverse employment action, the burden shifts back to the employee to demonstrate, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the employers reasons are pretextual.).

II. CONCLUSION

The district court did not err in granting summary judgment in favor of the Defendants. Thus, we affirm.

AFFIRMED.

FOOTNOTES

. In the district court, Duncan did not present a race discrimination claim against the ALDOT or a retaliation claim against Brendle and Flowers. Accordingly, to the extent she now seeks to raise these claims on appeal, she has forfeited them and we will not consider them further. See Blue Martini Kendall, LLC v. Miami Dade County, 816 F.3d 1343, 1349 (11th Cir. 2016).

. We review de novo a district courts grant of summary judgment, viewing all evidence and reasonable factual inferences in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Crawford v. Carroll, 529 F.3d 961, 964 (11th Cir. 2008). Summary judgment is properly granted only if there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a).

. While Duncan correctly notes that the district court erred in stating Wheeler recommended her demotion, Leonard and Woodham did not rely on a mistaken belief that Wheeler had recommended demotion. The district court did not err in granting summary judgment in favor of Brendle and Flowers, regardless of this mistaken statement. See Alvarez v. Royal Atl. Developers, Inc., 610 F.3d 1253, 1264 (11th Cir. 2010) (explaining the district court's decision may be affirmed if the result is correct, even if the court relied upon an incorrect ground or gave a wrong reason).

PER CURIAM:Sometimes sharing the gospel looks really different to how we envision it to be or have experienced it in the past. One of my all-time favourite quotes is from St Francis of Assisi and he says that we are to preach the gospel always and if necessary use words.

When I first heard this quote I remember Ii was in the midst of working out how to go about sharing the gospel in a situation where I couldnt openly share and there was a language barrier.

You might think that Im talking about a cross cultural experience or being a missionary in another country, but the reality was that this was my experience in working at a warehouse in Adelaide while studying at Bible College in 2003.

When I was going through Bible College I had deep thoughts about how effective the Church was in making Jesus, the real Jesus, known to the hearts of the common Australian workers. My context was that of the factory workers I was with each week.

What I discovered was that there was a language barrier in the sense of a whole bunch of Christian words that meant nothing to these guys. Secondly I wasnt able to freely share this amazing Gospel of love, hope and restoration because I would be persecuted by both staff and management, for it was against company policy to share religious beliefs.

Learning to Love as He does

This presented me with a challenge because I knew of people in that workplace that absolutely needed the love of God to restore their broken hearts and lives. How was I going to be able to share the gospel?

I remember at the time God challenged me with this question Do you really love them?

They werent my family, they werent my friends, but God had challenged me to love them as only He does. As I delved into the meaning of this God challenge I discovered that my heart wasnt as pure as Id thought. My motivation was about building up the tally of salvations to my name. How wrong is that?

As a result, I did some deep searching of my own heart and asked God to teach me how to love as He loved. What I discovered was that to love as He loves starts not in proclamation, but rather in demonstration.

I recently read another great quote and that is the great commandment always comes before the great commission. This makes a lot of sense because as we demonstrate the love of God we will only then open up an opportunity to proclaim the love of God and the Gospel of Jesus.

Learning to love can take all sorts of forms: the listening ear to a broken soul, buying that stranger you just met in the airport a cup of coffee, just journeying with a colleague, fellow student or family member for years and years. There is no simple answer about how to love like God does, other than to make loving your neighbour your priority.

In that factory all those years ago I was constantly asking God how to love my neighbour, because there were about 30 different types of neighbours in that workplace. In that journey I discovered that the only one who truly knew the hearts of these people was God and if I was to grow in my intimacy with the Father, He would reveal the keys to unlock those hearts to me. So what started in the prayer closet ultimately was the key to seeing these hearts become open to the Gospel.

Eventually, I was able to experience the profound love of God both in my heart and into the hearts that I worked with. God gave me countless opportunities to demonstrate his love.

These ranged from counselling through relationship problems to practical gifts that only God could have known were going to be so impactful. The result was the birthing of a gathering of people that would meet together, eat together, pray and learn about the real Jesus in a community that came to known as BBQ Church.

This community crossed the language barrier and delved into the real Jesus behind the Australian Church. Im pretty sure I was one of the very few Bible College students who were blessed with a full fridge of beer as the members of the community shared their gratitude in response to how I had shown love to them.

That was 2003. Now we live in a world where society's response to anything related to Christianity is frowned upon and deemed to be bigotry. The challenge to share His love and the Gospel is now even more important in a world that is confused about identity and what real love is and with the imminent return of Christ.

Nothing can stop the demonstration of love

I think the answer lies in the same thing I applied back in 2003 and that is showing Gods love. We see Christians constantly being persecuted in our country for proclaiming the truth of the Gospel. Christians who are only standing up for their values are being denigrated on social media platforms.

One example is the recent persecution that Israel Folau has faced as a result of being a believer and living in the convictions of his beliefs. Despite this not being right we still have a commandment to love our neighbour, our work colleagues and even our enemies in order to genuinely share the good news. After all out of the three great Godly ideologies of hope, faith and Love, the Father considers the most important one is Love. (1 Corinthians Chapter 13)

So while we as Christians face the challenge of being able to freely speak about our faith, nothing will be able to stop us in demonstrating the Father's love. I can assure you when we pour out the Father's love through our lives and in everything we do it will open up the doors of those hearts that will be responsive to the Good News of the Jesus. This is the pattern of the Father.

The quote preach the gospel always and if necessary use words is just as relevant to us today to transform a world of brokenness. .

Justin Monaghan is currently launching as a professional prophetic artist under the label JR Faith Creations and works as corporate team builder all over Australia. He is married to Liana and lives at the beautiful beach of Port Willunga. They journey with the creatives in their lives to see them rise up to their full potential for the Kingdom of God.

Justin Monaghan's previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/justin-monaghan.htmlThe premium cigar industry caught a break when Judge Kimberly Priest Johnson of the U.S District Court for Eastern District Court of Texas denied a motion by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that requested the lawsuit filed by a group of Texas cigar companies be moved to Washington D.C. Oral arguments for the lawsuit are scheduled for June 26th.

The lawsuit was filed in January by En Fuego Tobacco Shop, El Cubano Cigars (Cuba Libre Enterprises LLC), and the Texas Cigar Merchants Association (TxCMA)  all entities based in Texas. The crux of the Texas lawsuit is a challenge to the FDAs Warning Label requirements on premium cigars. In April, the FDA petitioned the court to move the case from the Eastern District of Texas to U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia and combine it with the lawsuit filed by the three trade associations (CAA, CRA, and IPCPR). The FDAs rationale was the Texas lawsuit overlaps with the trade industry lawsuit.

It was last week when Judge Amit P. Mehta ruled in favor of the FDA on the issue of warning labels as well as user fees. As a part of that decision, the Judge ruled that pipes can be considered a component of a tobacco product, but ruled against the FDA stating retailers who blend their own pipe tobacco are not considered manufacturers.

Judge Priest Johnson noted a big difference is that the Texas lawsuit is focused solely on premium cigars.

Only the first issue (Warning Labels) is remotely similar. However, the crux of the present lawsuitthe FDAs failure to treat premium cigars differently from other cigars and to exempt premium cigars from the warnings requirementwas not an issue before the court in Cigar Association. In fact, Judge Mehta specifically noted that the FDAs rulemaking concerning premium cigars was not before the court. Id. at 1254-55. Although Judge Mehta observed that staying the warnings requirement as to premium cigars might present a more prudent course in light of the sheer breadth of the ANPRM, he made it clear that the court could do nothing more than express its displeasure because the issue was not presently before the court. Id. at 1255. As such, the decision in Cigar Association leaves open a primary issue in the present casewhether the premium cigar industry should be forced to comply with the warnings requirements (at great expense) while the FDA continues to study whether the premium cigar industry should even be subject to the regulations at all.

As a result, this gives new life to the Warning Label battle for the premium cigar industry as the Texas lawsuit remains in the Eastern Texas District Court. The Judge also said in light of the Warning Label requirements going into effect on August 10th, 2018 that oral arguments for the case will begin on June 26th, 2018. Both parties are expected to submit a joint status report and scheduling order by May 29th, 2018.ABC News(MIAMI) -- A man with stage 4 cancer who was detained after disembarking from a cruise and sent back to China will soon be traveling back to the U.S. due to special permission granted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the family's immigration attorney told ABC News.



Yuanjun Cui and his wife, Huan Wang, were placed on a flight to Beijing Monday night after they were detained when their Carnival cruise docked in Jacksonville, Florida, that morning, the attorney representing the family, Susan Pai, said.



Cui is dying of stage 4 cancer, the couple's son-in-law, Joe McDevitt, told ABC News Tuesday. After Cui had his stomach removed and went through several rounds of chemotherapy, the McDevitts invited him and his wife to stay with them in the U.S. so they could get to know their young grandchildren, ages 3 and 4, McDevitt said.



The couple's B1/B2 visitor visa, commonly known as the "multi-visit visa," was issued to them in November and does not expire until November 2027, Pai said. Wang had been issued the visitor visa in the past and had been visiting the U.S. since 2009, "and has never had an issue," Pai said, adding that the U.S. embassy in Shenyang "goes through an extraordinary vetting process for Chinese nationals."



At some point during the trip back to China, which included a layover in New York City, the couple was allegedly handcuffed, Pai said. During the trip, the couple was allegedly not given any food or water and weren't permitted to use their cellphone until they arrived at the Beijing airport, she said.



A photo taken by Wang shows her husband lying on a pile of luggage at the Beijing airport, Pai said. The couple has been there for more than 24 hours, and Cui is at constant risk for dehydration if he doesn't eat and drink regularly since he doesn't have a stomach, McDevitt said.



Once the couple arrived in China, Wang was given her phone back, and she contacted her daughter, Pai said. They were sent back to China with no money or keys to their home, which is more than 400 miles away from the Beijing airport in Shenyang, Pai said.



The couple was eventually able to get money wired to them from family in China, McDevitt told ABC News today.



When Wang spoke to her daughter upon arriving in Beijing, she expressed that she was upset about being treated like a criminal and being placed into handcuffs, Pai said. McDevitt said his parents-in-law were "confused" and "exhausted" from the trip, which isn't even over yet.



In a swift turn of events, the couple will now return to the U.S. after the U.S. Border and Customs Protection authorized them to board a plane from Beijing back to the U.S., Pai said, calling the move an "extraordinary remedy" of humanitarian parole that is "only given under the most "egregious, dangerous situations."



The couple will board a plane to Seattle, where McDevitt's sister lives, on Wednesday night, he said. It was the fastest way to get them back to the U.S., Pai said.



McDevitt and his family, who live in the Ozarks region of Missouri, have been in Jacksonville since their cruise to the Bahamas docked on Monday, he said. They footed the bill for Cui and Wang's return flight back from China -- more than $1,000 -- but it's unclear how much it'll cost to get the family of four to Seattle to meet them there, he said.



Cui and Wang will then stay in the U.S. until June 19, their original departure date, Pai said. But the family is worried that Cui may not make it until then -- or even through the long flight back, she added.



McDevitt, a U.S. citizen and active-duty member of the Army National Guard, and his wife, Zhengjia McDevitt, obtained her citizenship through marriage, ABC Jacksonville affiliate WJXX reported.



Pai hypothesized that the recent green card applications filed by Wang and Cui were invalidated when they left the country on the cruise, according to WJXX. But their valid travel visas should have guaranteed the couple's return, she told the station.



In a letter sent to federal officials, Pai wrote that the couple did not voluntarily or knowingly withdraw their application for admission under their 10-year B1/B2 visas" and said they were forced to sign a paper with contents unknown to them because they only understand Chinese.



Despite the harrowing ordeal, Pai said that she and the family were "grateful" to CBP for granted the special permission, adding that no air carrier would have let the couple on without it.



"We are grateful for CBP," Pai said. "They cant undo mistakes that have been made, but they did give their permission to the grandparents to board the plane."



The family has been "distraught" through the entire ordeal, Pai said. In addition to getting little sleep in the past three days, McDevitt is "emotionally exhausted," while his wife "has been crying nonstop," Pai said.



On Tuesday, McDevitt accused Carnival of knowing something was wrong before they boarded the cruise last week. Due to an "issue" with the family's paperwork, it took the family more than an hour to board the cruise, and during the trip, McDevitt was called up to the front desk four times so they could review their paperwork, he said.



"They should have never let us on the boat," McDevitt said. "I would have rather lost my money on a cruise than my family."



The family were the first passengers off the ship after they were marked as persons of interest, McDevitt said. They did not see his wife's parents again after they were separated and questioned, he said.



In a statement to ABC News, a Carnival cruise line spokesperson said there isn't a pre-clearance process during boarding, similar to in the airline industry.



A passport is not required for U.S. citizens but is required for foreign nationals when departing and returning from U.S. ports, the spokesperson said. The cruise line collects the information during boarding and turns over a passenger list to CBP prior to departure, and CBP may inquire about specific passengers and seek documentation during the course of the voyage without the cruise line necessarily knowing the reasons for their inquiry, the spokesperson said.



The cruise line does not know what the issue is when CBP inquires about specific passengers and their status, the Carnival spokesperson said, adding that it's up to each passenger to comply with U.S. immigration law.



The spokesperson said that while Carnival understands the family's frustration, laying the blame on the cruise line is misplaced.



A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement on Tuesday that the agency "welcomes more than a million passengers arriving in the United States every day," and that CBP officers are "charged with enforcing not only immigration and customs laws" but also enforcing more than 400 laws from 40 other agencies.



"Under U.S. immigration law [Section 291 of the INA [8 USC 1361] applicants for admission bear the burden of proof to establish that they are clearly eligible to enter the United States," the statement read. "In order to demonstrate that they are admissible, the applicant must overcome ALL grounds of inadmissibility."



When ABC News reached out to the CBP on Wednesday, the spokesman declined to comment beyond the previous statement.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Watersound, Florida retailer Shore Thing Cigars has teamed up with Crowned Heads cigars to release the Shore Thing Exclusive by Crowned Heads.

Located in the Panama City Florida area, Shore Thing Cigars is owned by Paul Copeland and country music star, Luke Bryan. Ironically Bryan hails from Nashville, Tennessee, the hometown of Crowned Heads Cigars. Crowned Heads co-owner Jon Huber is also a well-known music aficionado.

The Shore Things Exclusive is produced by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jrs Tabacalera La Alianza factory. It features an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and filler. The cigars are available in one size  a 5 1/4 x 48 vitola. The cigars are packaged in ten-count boxes with total production for the project being 400 boxes. Pricing is set at $15.00 per cigar of $135.00 per box.

A launch party is scheduled for Friday, May 25th with Crowned Heads Brand Ambassador West Thornton in attendance. In addition, Sure Thing Cigars is currently taking orders on its website or by phone. The store is offering free shipping with the promo code LIGHTITUP.

Crafting and blending a specific cigar is equivalent to mastering a perfect recipe to be served at dinner. You want something that will appeal to everyone at the table and you want to start with the best ingredients possible. When it came to a custom blend and the possibility of creating a delicious and well-balanced cigar, we chose a great cigar company and our hometown favorite, Crowned Heads from Nashville, TN. They have been a great supporter and close friend to Shore Thing Cigars since before we opened our doors on July 1, 2016, commented Shore Things Cigars in a press release.

The retailer also noted the connection it has with Crowned Heads and music. Music and cigars are so similar because you can take all of the different notes and rhythms and marinate them together to create a timeless harmony. Crowned Heads has done that for us and we are proud to offer this cigar to all of our friends and guests.

Blend Profile

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (Tabacalera La Alianza)

Vitolas Available

Corona Gorda: 5 1/4 x 48

Photo Credits: Supplied by Shore Thing CigarsTHURSDAY, May 24, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Someday doctors may be able to diagnose gastrointestinal (GI) problems without invasive tests by asking patients to swallow a capsule containing a small, bacteria-laced sensor.

The so-called "bacteria on a chip" method pairs tiny electronic sensors with laboratory-enhanced bacteria that react to bleeding in the stomach and other GI disturbances. The sensors then pick up those reactions and send a wireless alert to doctors.

The results of animal tests, involving pigs, have been encouraging. But results of animal research are not always the same in humans.

"Both ingestible electronics and engineered biosensors are diagnostic tools that are being explored by numerous research groups and hold great promise in the future development of new diagnostics," said study lead author Mark Mimee. He's a researcher at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's microbiology program.

In the lab, Mimee's team engineered E. coli cells to give off light when they come into contact with key compounds found in blood.

The engineered cells were placed on a tiny sensor and put into a 1.5-inch digestible capsule. The sensor is covered with a semipermeable seal that lets molecules in the pig's GI tract come into contact with the light-emitting bacteria once the capsule is swallowed.

Phototransistors -- battery-powered electronic chips placed beneath the bacteria -- continuously measure any light that's produced.

For as long as the battery lasts -- about six weeks -- that data can be wirelessly relayed to a computer or smartphone for analysis.

The sensor system accurately detected the presence of blood in the GI tract of pigs, without the need for standard invasive diagnostic techniques -- such as an endoscopy -- that would likely require patient sedation.

"Gastrointestinal bleeding is linked to a variety of ailments, including gastric ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer," Mimee noted. "However, we think the future development of additional biosensors to markers of inflammation or liver function could broaden the potential clinical utility of the device."

The capsule is still a prototype and has not been tested in humans. It will take several years to develop a device that can safely diagnose or monitor human disease, he said.

Should such a tool eventually come to market, Mimee said it would likely cost no more than $10 to $100, because both bacteria and the electronics are relatively inexpensive to produce.

The research team has already designed similar sensors to detect signs of both inflammation and infection, though neither has yet been tested in animals. Investigators also hope to reduce the size of the capsule so it would be easier to swallow.

Mimee and his colleagues discussed their findings in the May 24 online edition of Science.

Dr. Peter Gibson, director of gastroenterology at Alfred Hospital and Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, wrote an editorial that accompanied the study. He called the way the researchers outfitted a swallowable capsule with engineered bacteria "clever."

At the same time, Gibson noted that capsule technology has been used for many years. And, he said, techniques employed in the current study do not yet amount to a new diagnostic method, but are rather a first-step "proof of concept of how one can be developed."

Gibson said the particular mechanism Mimee's team explored "has no role in clinical medicine as presented," and its eventual usefulness remains to be seen.

More information

Learn more about gastrointestinal bleeding at the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.JavaScript is disabled on your browser.

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New York, May 24, 2018In a one-day trial today, a criminal court in Bejaia sentenced Algerian blogger Marzoug Touati to 10 years in prison and fined him 50,000 Algerian dinar (US$427) for communicating with a foreign entity and inciting civil disobedience, Touatis lawyer, Salah Dabouz, told CPJ. The conviction is related to Touatis interview with an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, which the blogger posted to the YouTube page of independent site al-Hogra in January 2017, according to news reports.

This harsh sentence handed down to Marzoug Touati is a clear attack on press freedom in Algeria and authorities should overturn the conviction on appeal, said CPJ Advocacy Director Courtney Radsch. Algeria must let its journalists operate without interference and report freely as a signal that it supports and is committed to an independent press.

Dabouz, who is also president of the Algerian human rights organization, Ligue Algerienne pour la Defense des Droits de lHomme, told CPJ that Touati will appeal. Touati has been in custody since his arrest on January 18, 2017, according to CPJ research.Share this: Twitter

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May 24, 2018, LondonThe Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed the U.K.s decision to pass into law legislation that addresses human rights abuses. The Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill, which yesterday received Royal Assent to be passed into law, includes a Magnitsky amendment that empowers the U.K. to apply sanctions against individuals suspected of human rights abuses, according to reports. The U.K. is the latest of several countries, including the U.S., Canada, and Lithuania, to adopt such legislation.

The U.K.s adoption of the Sanctions and Money Laundering Bill with the Magnitsky amendment is a positive step in the global fight against impunity. The U.K. must ensure officials and other powerful figures responsible for attacks against journalists are included in any sanctions lists, said CPJ Advocacy Director Courtney Radsch in Washington, D.C. Those who use violence, wrongful imprisonment or murder to silence journalists may be able to use influence and money to escape prosecution at home, but they will not escape justice altogether.Share this: Twitter

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Mexico City, May 24, 2018Federal authorities in Mexico have opened an investigation into the killing of radio and television journalist Juan Carlos Huerta, who was shot dead near his home in the Tabasco state capital, Villahermosa, on May 15.

Ricardo Sanchez Perez del Pozo, who heads the office of the Federal Prosecutor for Attention to Crimes Committed against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE), told CPJ that his office opened an investigation into the shooting, and that personnel have traveled to Tabasco to collaborate with the state authorities on the case.

The federal action comes as the Tabasco attorney general, Fernando Valenzuela Pernas, said in a statement said state authorities have discarded journalism as a motive.

After comments by Tabasco state authorities, who were quick to dismiss journalism as a motive in the killing of Juan Carlos Huerta, federal authorities in Mexico have an opportunity to show they are committed to conserving the rights of freedom of expression, said CPJ Mexico Representative Jan-Albert Hootsen. CPJ welcomes the intervention of the FEADLE and calls on authorities to carry out an exhaustive investigation into the shooting.

Huerta, 47, owned the radio station Sin Reservas (Without Reservations), which he founded in January, according to reports. As well as the station, Huerta presented Notinueve, (News on Nine), a television news show broadcast on the local Channel 9 station.

Both Sin Reservas and Notinueve cover general state and national news, local and national politics and international affairs. The broadcasts on the radio station and the program on Channel 9 in the days before Huertas murder mostly touched on an electoral campaign for the presidency and for Tabasco governor, according to reports. Several Tabasco-based journalists told CPJ that the shows, particularly on Sin Reservas, had large audiences in the state.

A statement given to local media on May 15 by the states attorney general, Fernando Valenzuela Pernas, said that unknown assailants in a gray SUV fired at Huerta while he was in his car. He was shot at least four times and died instantly, according to Valenzuela, who cited unidentified witnesses.

On May 21, the state attorney general said in a statement that the authorities discarded journalism as a motive after looking at video footage, interviews and analyzing unspecified electronic devices. Valenzuela said that the murder was premeditated and added that his office was investigating two lines of investigation, without providing further details on what those lines of investigation are

Repeated attempts by CPJ to reach the state attorney generals office for comment between May 21 and May 23 remained unanswered.

In a statement the day of the killing, Tabasco Governor Arturo Nunez said that the assailants went directly after Huerta.

A spokesperson for the Federal Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, who asked for anonymity to be able to speak on the matter, told CPJ on May 18 that Huerta had not reported any threats to the mechanism and that he was not enrolled in a federal protection scheme.

Several attempts by CPJ to reach Huertas colleagues at the radio station remained unanswered as of May 23.

Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the Western Hemisphere for journalists. Before Huertas murder, at least two journalists were killed in direct relation to their work there in 2018 alone, according to CPJ research.Share this: Twitter

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New York, May 24, 2018Ukrainian authorities today published a presidential decree that extends for three years sanctions imposed in 2017 against Russian state-funded news outlets and their journalists, as well as other foreign entities and individuals, and added the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti-Ukraine to the sanctions list, according to media reports.

The decree, which Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed on May 14, prolongs measures taken last year against Russian media companies including Rossiya Segodnya (Russia Today), Sputnik, VGTRK, NTV, REN TV, TNT, OTR and others  that restricted or suspended their access to Ukrainian telecommunications networks. The decree also barred the outlets journalists from entering Ukraine for the next three years and froze any assets that they had in the country.

We call on Ukrainian authorities to refrain from banning information sources, be it ones with favorable or unfavorable coverage, CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova said. Fighting propaganda with censorship is not only undemocratic but also ineffective. We urge Ukraine to reverse the ban on Russian media companies.

On May 15, 2018, Ukrainian state security agents searched RIA Novosti-Ukraines Kiev office and detained its director Kirill Vyshynsky, accusing the agency of being used in an information war by Russia against Ukraine, CPJ reported. Vyshynsky was charged with state treason and is being held in a detention center in Kherson, according to media reports.

Ukraines renewed sanctions come amid tensions between Kiev and Moscow over Russias 2014 annexation of Crimea and its support of armed separatists in eastern Ukraine that has claimed over 10,300 lives, according to the United Nations.Share this: Twitter

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New York, May 24, 2018The Venezuelan government should halt its investigation of a leading independent newspapers website and allow it to publish freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

The Venezuelan national telecommunications regulator on May 22 opened an investigation into content published on the website of El Nacional, the countrys biggest independent daily newspaper, and accused it of inciting unrest with its coverage of national elections that took place on May 20, according to news reports and newspaper staff.

The National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel) ordered the newspaper to stop publishing information on its website that could upset the peace of citizensby presenting erroneous or unfounded information, according to a press release published on Conatels website. The agency gave the newspaper 10 days to present its defense, according to reports.

This investigation is the Venezuelan governments latest attempt to crack down on critical coverage and silence independent media across the country, said Natalie Southwick, CPJs Central and South America research associate. Venezuelan authorities should immediately drop the investigation into El Nacional and stop using repressive laws to harass and censor news outlets.

In its statement, Conatel accused the newspaper of violating the Law on Social Responsibility in Radio and Television and the Anti-Hate Law for Tolerance and Peaceful Coexistence, a repressive piece of legislation passed last year amid fears it would be used to silence media outlets.

El Nacional editor Miguel Henrique Otero told CPJ by phone that the newspaper had not been informed exactly which content violated the law, or what the potential sanctions might be. The government is using Conatel as an instrument to enforce the anti-hate law, and the goal is to silence us, Otero said.

Conatel did not answer CPJs calls seeking comment.

President Nicolas Maduro was re-elected on May 20 in an electoral process that was widely viewed as illegitimate in the international community, and that featured widespread abstention among voters, according to reports.

The Maduro government has numerous tools to control and intimidate the media, according to CPJ research. These include a restrictive 2004 press law, state advertisement boycotts, threats to cancel broadcast licenses, a monopoly over the importation and distribution of scarce newsprint, and, now, the anti-hate legislation.

El Nacional, one of the countrys few remaining independent dailies, has paid a high price for its continued critical reporting. The newspaper has faced a shortage of newsprint, government fines, repeated investigations, and lawsuits, including a defamation charge and travel ban against Otero, who continues to direct the newspaper from exile.Share this: Twitter

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President Hassan Rouhani sought re-election on the promise of a more open Iran. But little has changed 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. The current international focus on Iran and its economic ties with Europe could represent an opening to engage on press freedom and other lapsed human rights. A special report by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Published May 24, 2018

Contents

About this report

On the table: Why now is the time to sway Rouhani to meet his promises for press freedom in Iran

Infographic: Journalists jailed in Iran: Press crackdown, politics, and pushback

Infographic: Power in Iran

Recommendations

Press release

Download the PDF

Photo: President Hassan Rouhani, pictured speaking with reporters in June 2013, has had limited success keeping his pledges to roll back Irans repressive policies. (AP/Ebrahim Noroozi/File)Pakistan hosted its first ever Shanghai Cooperation Organisation-Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (SCO-RATS) legal experts meeting in Islamabad. This was the first-ever SCO meeting being held in Pakistan since it became a permanent member of the organisation along with India in June 2017.

Key Facts

The three day meeting saw participation of legal advisors from eight SCO member states including China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan as well as representatives of the SCO-RATS executive committee.

The main agenda of the meeting was to discuss issues related to terrorist threats in the region and how to overcome them. They discussed terrorist threats being faced by region and ways and means to enhance regional cooperation in fighting terrorism, drug trafficking and organised crime between SCO member states.

SCO-Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS)

Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) is permanent organ of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). It serves to promote cooperation of member states against three evils of terrorism, separatism and extremism. It is headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The Head of RATS is elected to three-year term. Each member state also sends permanent representative to RATS.The Iran that exists today is vastly different to the Iran that the history books tell us about. A country with such a colourful and spectacular history is currently being destroyed by the corrupt leadership that is torturing and executing its people for arbitrary reasons.





Amnesty International has published a report detailing some of the horrifying statistics that make Iran one of the most horrific in terms of its brutal leadership.





During the course of 2016, there were more than 500 registered executions. The emphasis is on "registered" because there were without a doubt many that were not officially recorded. More than 1/2 of the executions that take place in the world are in Iran.





Amnesty international gives statistics for 4 prisons in Iran: Rajaie Shahr (Gohardasht Karaj) Prison; Qezel Hessar Prison; Urmia Prison; and Zahedan Prison.





In ward 10 of Gohardasht Karaj Prison there are currently more than 260 prisoners - 86 of which are on death row. Ward 3 of the prison also houses approximately 180 prisoners aged 25 or under. Half of these young people are on death row for "retribution in kind". Many of these young people were also arrested before they turned 18.





In unit 2 of Qezel Hessar Prison there are approximately 1,000 prisoners, some of whom are there on drug related offences.





In Urmia Prison there are over 100 prisoners on death row in wards 1, 2, 3 and 4. 8 of the prisoners are on death row despite being mentally disturbed. There are another 3 prisoners on death row in ward 12 and 6 prisoners are awaiting the death penalty on ward 12. The prison also has a ward specifically for young people where there are 6 people on death row. Another 6 people are awaiting execution on ward 15 which houses the prisoners who were arrested for drugs-related charges.





In Zahedan Prison there are at least 136 prisoners on death row, many of whom have been there for many years. Some of the prisoners awaiting execution are being held on charges related to drugs and there are a number of political prisoners. Ward 4 of the prison has 4 individuals on death row for affiliation to political groups, murder and drugs charges.





Amnesty International's report only provides details about 4 prisons, but the cases in many other prisons across the country are similar.





The Iranian regime is notorious for executing political prisoners and members of the opposition. There are also many Iranians being held in prison because of their participation in the recent protests that swept across the country.





In 1988, more than 30,000 political prisoners were executed in what has become known as the 1988 massacre. This is a crime against humanity that has never been forgotten by the people of Iran, yet one that the Iranian regime has never been held accountable for.





Nor has the Iranian regime been held accountable for its arbitrary executions that take place almost daily. It is time the international community stood behind the people of Iran and protected them from the murderous and torturous regime that is mismanaging the country and its resources.

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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While President Lukashenko claims the death penalty is the will of the Belarusian people, they surely didnt vote for it to be carried out arbitrarily and in secret. The ongoing execution of the death penalty likely has a more political cause. It was recently revealed that Kiryl Kazachok was executed with six months passing before anyone was informed of his death. Like all executions in Belarus, this one was carried out in secrecy.





Kazachok was found guilty of killing his two children in January 2016. He called the police following the incident, before attempting to kill himself. He was sentenced to death in December 2016 and executed in October 2017. His family only learned about his death early March 2018, as his mother told the Human Rights Centre Viasna.





Belarus is the last country of Europe and Central Asia to continue to apply the death penalty. Human Rights Centre Viasna estimates that since Belarus gained its independence in 1991, more than 400 people have been executed.





We can only talk about estimates due to the secrecy surrounding the execution of the death penalty. Information is withheld from the public as well as even from family members. A parcel with the personal belongings of the executed is sent to the parents, who until that moment  when they understand that the execution took place  do not know the fate of their children. After that, nobody knows what happens to the bodies of those killed. They are not given to the relatives; burial places are also unknown.





Just as families and the public are blinded from what is happening to prisoners on death row, the international community is also in the dark. Belarus fails to engage with international mechanisms, and it restricts access to the country by the UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus  the only international instrument permanently monitoring the human rights situation in the country. Civil society in the country is also restricted from fully monitoring the situations of those detained.





Legal processes are just as questionable. The lack of access to legal counsel is systematic in Belarus and also concerns prisoners who face charges for crimes punishable by the death penalty. The right to a fair trial is far from guaranteed in a judicial system obedient to the executive branch, and judges systematically follow the prosecution with a ludicrous acquittal rate of 0.02%. Furthermore, ill-treatment and torture are widely used in detention places in Belarus.





In these circumstances, it is not surprising that the only international body able to consider appeals to verdicts of the Belarusian Supreme Court, the United Nations Human Rights Committee, has found multiple times that executed individuals faced procedural violations and ill-treatment.





Yet the Belarusian government bluntly and repeatedly ignores interim protection measures set forth by the Committee, when considering appeals of individuals sentenced to death by the Supreme Court.





These systematic failings were the focus of the UN Committee Against Tortures (CATs) recent review of Belarus at the end of April. The Committee found it very regrettable that no progress has been made by Belarus on the issue of the death penalty, despite numerous recommendations given at its last review.





Belarus argued before the CAT that the Human Rights Committee does not have the competence to issue interim protection measures and that the body can only make recommendations with no legal force. One can doubt the validity of the legal argumentation used by the Belarusian government, which specifically ratified an international human rights text granting the Human Rights Committee the competence to review individual complaints after exhaustion of national remedies.





The governments rationale in any case is cynical to the extreme. The life of individuals are at stake, yet Belarus argues on the legality of the concerns it receives. This underscores the very inhumanity of the death penalty and the risk of killing people are not proven guilty by fair trial. As such, the death penalty reflects well the Belarusian system. One man alone can decide on the fate of all Belarusians, because of the lack of independence of the judiciary.





This makes international scrutiny as important as ever. Following the presidential election of December 2010, and the police violence, arbitrary detentions, and targeting of opposition and human rights movements in the aftermath of the election, the United Nations Human Rights Council mandated an independent expert to monitor Belarus and report annually to the Council and to the General Assembly on the situation in Belarus.





The European Union is leading calls to renew this mandate, sponsoring a resolution on this for the June session of the Council. The European Parliament has called strongly for EU Member States to push for the renewal, and for the EU to set clear benchmarks in it its engagement with Belarus. One of these benchmarks must surely be the abolition of the death penalty, or at the very least for this to be carried out according to the rule of law.





Belarus underlines regularly that it continues to carry out the death penalty because of public support for it and the favorable referendum in 1996. There is even talk of holding a second referendum on the death penalty.





President Lukashenko continues to rule with all powers in his own hands. He is not a man usually swayed by public opinion, as shown by his response to mass protests against social parasite laws last year, which was not one of listening to the people, but of silencing them. Belarus has also not had a free and fair election since he came to power, as underlined by the UN Special Rapporteur in his report on elections and violations in Belarus.





Yet when Lukashenko was seeking for the EU to drop sanctions between 2013 and 2015, the rate of executions dropped . He may be holding the lives of Belarusians as his trump card in international negotiations, but he cannot have it both ways: crushing the voice of the people on the one hand and hiding behind it on the other.

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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Dozens of foreign ISIS brides are being sentenced to death in Iraq as the country exacts its revenge after 3 years of jihadi occupation.





Pleading that they themselves are victims, the women were given 10 minutes to beg for their lives before judges decide their sentence.





Many of them find little sympathy with the Iraqi judiciary and locals and are despised for their support of their militant husbands, who tore the country apart between 2014 and 2017.





French citizen Djamila Boutoutao, 29, appeared in court last month and claimed: "I thought I had married a rapper. It was only when we arrived in Turkey for a week-long "holiday" that I discovered my husband was a jihadist."





"I'm a victim. My husband beat me and locked me up in a cave with my children when I refused to follow him (to Iraq)."





She reappeared in court again last week alongside 14 other women, The Guardian reported, where she begged to keep her daughter.





She is among an estimated 1,900 French citizens and 40,000 foreigners who traveled to join ISIS's so-called caliphate in Iraq and Syria.





She said: "I'm going mad here. I'm facing a death sentence or life in prison. No one tells me anything, not the ambassador, not people in prison."





"Don't let them take my daughter away. I am willing to offer money if you can contact my parents. Please get me out of here."





According to the paper, at least 40 women have been sentenced to death, while it's believed around 300 people in total with links to ISIS have so far been executed.





Now more than 1,000 people have been placed in Baghdad jails after being identified as either members of the group or relatives of fighters.





Most of the women are widowed and many are the only caregiver left for the small children born to terrorist dads.





Last month, a court in Baghdad handed 19 Russian women life sentences for "joining and supporting" the terror group.





Al Jazeera reported many of them claimed they were misled into making the trip to Iraq.





One said: "I did not know we were in Iraq. I went with my husband and my children to Turkey to live there and then I suddenly discovered I was actually in Iraq."





The broadcaster reports that more than 20,000 have been detained on suspicion of ties to the group.

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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(CNN) - An Australian woman has been sentenced to death by hanging after a Malaysian court overturned an earlier acquittal of drug smuggling charges.





According to CNN affiliate Sky News, a three-judge panel unanimously threw out the previous ruling in 54-year-old Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto's case.





The grandmother and mother of four was arrested in December 2014 while transiting through the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on a flight from Shanghai to Melbourne, according to another CNN affiliate, SBS News.





She was found in possession of 1.1 kilos (2.4 lb) of crystal methamphetamine and faced a mandatory death penalty under Malaysia's draconian drugs laws.





Exposto claimed she had no knowledge of the drugs in her bag and had been scammed by a boyfriend she met online.





According to SBS, Exposto's lawyers said she had gone to Shanghai to file documents in relation to her boyfriend's retirement from service in the US army. When she left China, Exposto claimed she was handed a black backpack at the last minute, which she was led to believe only had clothes inside.





The report did not say who handed her the backpack.





The backpack was flagged as suspicious by Malaysian customs, and a search discovered a secret compartment stitched into it, which had packages of crystal methamphetamine inside.





Late last year, she was found not guilty of drug trafficking by the Malaysian High Court. Prosecutors appealed however, preventing Exposto from leaving Malaysia and returning to her home in Sydney.





The ruling comes despite changes to Malaysian law last year which made the death penalty no longer mandatory for drug mules.





Exposto still has another chance to appeal the verdict, according to Sky.





Drug trafficking is among nine classes of crime, including murder and treason, which still bear the death penalty in Malaysia.





According to the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide, the country carried out four executions in 2017, down from nine the year before.





Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sydney grandmother sentenced to death by hanging in Malaysia

A SYDNEY grandmother has been sentenced to death by hanging in Malaysia after an appeal court unanimously overturned her earlier acquittal on drug smuggling charges.





Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto, 54, from Cabramatta West, was today found guilty by three judges in the Court of Appeal.





The mother of four was caught with 1.5kg of crystal methamphetamine, also known as ice, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on December 7, 2014.





We find the merits of the appeal, we allow the appeal and set aside the judgment of the judge and find her guilty as convicted. The only sentence under law is death by hanging, the judges found.





Court of Appeal judge Mohtarudin Baki, told Ms Exposto: The only sentence under the law is death by hanging. You have another round of appeal and we wish you luck.





Ms Expostos lawyer Shafee Abdullah today told the court her client would exercise her right for a further appeal.





You will win and you will walk away, Ms Abdullah told Ms Exposto.





The court has previously heard Ms Exposto fell victim to an internet romance scam and that she was tricked into believing she was in Shanghai to lodge documents for her online boyfriends retirement from service in the US army.





The man apparently identified himself as Captain Daniel Smith, and claimed to be a US soldier stationed in Afghanistan. Ms Exposto testified a friend of Mr Smith asked her to take the black backpack to Melbourne from Shanghai as a last minute request at the airport.





She claimed she thought there were only clothes inside.





Kuala Lumpur Airport customs officers discovered the drugs stitched into the lining of a backpack after noticing an existence of something green during scans of her luggage.





The search by Customs officials was voluntary at the time and Mrs Exposto opted to give her bags up for a search.





When officials looked closer, they noticed the stitching inside did not match that of the backpack and when they ripped it open, they found grey packages inside, customs official Mohd Noor Nashariq told the Shah Alam High Court last year.





Mrs Exposto was married at the time but her relationship with her husband was getting a bit sour when her online boyfriend asked her to marry him in September 2013.





Malaysia is amending laws that no longer bind judges to hand down mandatory death sentences for drug mules. But that law has not yet been gazetted.





The mandatory sentence is death by hanging for anyone found guilty of carrying more than 50 grams of an illegal drug. When the drugs were found in 2014 she reportedly said she had never seen drugs in her life.





In 1986, Kevin Barlow and Brian Chambers were hanged after being found guilty of trafficking heroin.





They were the first Westerners to be executed under the countrys renowned anti-drug laws which were introduced in 1983.

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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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  A condemned killer is asking the Ohio Parole Board for mercy, saying he experienced a homosexual panic of self-revulsion before killing a man he picked up at a bar more than 30 years ago.





Death row inmate Robert Van Hook was sentenced to die for fatally strangling and stabbing David Self in Cincinnati in 1985.





Van Hook fled to Florida afterward, where he was arrested and confessed.





At the time of the killing, Van Hook was suffering from long-term effects of untreated mental, physical and sexual abuse as a child and was depressed that his life seemed to be falling apart, his attorneys argue.





He also was troubled by increasing questions about his own sexual identity, his federal public defenders said in a May 17 filing with the parole board.





They also said he was improperly questioned by a Cincinnati police detective after he was arrested in Florida, and should have been provided an attorney.





The parole board planned to hear arguments on Thursday for and against Van Hooks clemency request.





Republican Gov. John Kasich has the final say. Van Hooks execution is set for July 18.





Prosecutors dismiss Van Hooks panic claim as nonsense, saying he made a practice of luring gay men to apartments to rob them.





This is a man who had cynically manipulated homosexuals for years. He posed as a gay; he frequented bars that were gay and he preyed on vulnerable victims who were gay, the Hamilton County prosecutors office said in a Tuesday filing with the board.





Prosecutors also note Van Hook has an extensive history of violence while incarcerated, including stabbing a fellow death row inmate in November.





The so-called gay or homosexual panic defense has come under fire in recent years.





Five years ago, the American Bar Association urged governments to pass laws limiting the defense, saying a victims sexual orientation or gender identity should not be blamed for a criminal defendants violent reaction.





Earlier this year, Illinois became the second state after California to prohibit the defense. The Rhode Island House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to ban it.





Authorities say Van Hook, 56, met Self at the Subway Bar in downtown Cincinnati on Feb. 18, 1985.





After a couple of hours they went to Selfs apartment where Van Hook strangled the 25-year-old Self to unconsciousness, stabbed him multiple times in the neck and then cut his abdomen open and stabbed his internal organs, according to court records.





Van Hook stole a leather jacket and necklaces before fleeing, records say.





The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Van Hooks death sentence in 2009.





Condemned killer who strangled and stabbed gay man pleads homosexual panic to avoid execution

A murderer on death row has asked for mercy, blaming his crime on homosexual panic.





Robert Van Hook, 56, has been sentenced to die for murdering David Self in 1985. 

He met Self at the Subway Bar in Cincinnati, Ohio, before the two went together to Selfs flat.





It was here that Van Hook strangled Self until he was unconsciousness before stabbing him multiple times in the neck.





The murderer proceeded to cut open his abdomen before stabbing his internal organs, court records show.





He stole a leather jacket and necklaces from the flat before fleeing to Florida.





Van Hook made the appeal to Ohio Parole Board ahead of his scheduled execution on July 18, according to the Associated Press.





In their filing with the board, his attorneys argued that the murderer had suffered mental, physical and sexual abuse when he was young, and was depressed as a result.





He was also troubled by increasing questions about his own sexual identity, according to his lawyers.





Prosecutors have rubbished Van Hooks homosexual panic plea, explaining that he had a history of going home with gay men in order to steal from them.





This is a man who had cynically manipulated homosexuals for years, the Hamilton County prosecutors office wrote in a filing.





He posed as a gay, he frequented bars that were gay and he preyed on vulnerable victims who were gay.





According to the prosecutors, Van Hook has committed violent acts since being imprisoned, including stabbing another convict on death row in November.





The gay panic defence has only been banned in two states, with Illinois becoming the second in January.





California was the first state to outlaw the defence, and many more states including New Jersey, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania are expected to follow suit this year.





The gay panic defence often does not hold up in court and lawyers who have attempted to use it in cases have rarely been successful.

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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

The Associated Press, Andrew Welsh-Huggins, May 24, 2018 Pink News , Josh Jackman, May 24, 2018The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rejected an appeal Wednesday from a 37-year-old Rio Grande Valley man on death row for stabbing and beheading his common-law wife's 3 children 15 years ago.





John Allen Rubio's appeals lawyer argued unsuccessfully that Rubio's attorneys at his 2010 trial in Cameron County were deficient, that the trial court failed to sufficiently pay for his appellate investigation of the case and that the Texas death penalty sentencing procedure was unconstitutional.





The state's highest criminal court also refused a second supplemental appeal from Rubio as legally improper and declined to consider the merits of the arguments in that appeal.





"I have to say overall I am not surprised by the court's actions." Rubio's attorney, David Schulman, said. "I'm very, very disappointed."





He said he would ask the appeals court for a rehearing, saying he was "shocked" the judges refused the supplemental appeal that included arguments that prosecutors refused to discuss a plea bargain, that mitigating evidence that could have changed the outcome wasn't presented to jurors, and that the trial defense team was hampered by insufficient money from the trial court.





If the request failed, Schulman said other attorneys were prepared to take Rubio's case into the federal courts.





Rubio was convicted twice of the March 11, 2003, slayings of 3-year-old Julissa Quesada, 14-month-old John E. Rubio and 2-month-old Mary Jane Rubio in a squalid Brownsville apartment. The appeals court in 2007 overturned his 1st conviction, ruling that statements from the children's mother, Angela Camacho, were wrongly allowed as evidence during the 1st trial. Camacho pleaded guilty and is serving a life sentence for her role in the slayings.





Records show Rubio's brother and his girlfriend stopped by the apartment, spotted the slain infant, ran outside screaming and flagged down a police officer. The officer testified that after he saw decapitated body of a child in a back bedroom, Rubio held his wrists out and said, "arrest me."





At his 2nd trial, Rubio pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, a defense rejected by a jury.





Defense experts testified his childhood - filled with violence at home, "toxic" parents, drug use and prostitution - damaged him developmentally.





Rubio told authorities the children were possessed. Defense experts diagnosed him as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, a determination disputed by prosecution experts.

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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

The Associated Press, May 24, 2018A 28-year-old nursing assistant with the Perambra Taluk Hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala, Lini got exposed to the deadly virus while treating affected patients and died on May 21, leaving behind two sons, aged 2 and 7. (Photo: File)

Dubai/Kozhikode: Two entrepreneurs in the UAE have offered their support to the two young children of an Indian nurse, who died after contracting Nipah virus from patients in Kerala.

The Abu Dhabi-based entrepreneurs also hailed Lini Puthussery for her "heroic sacrifice" in the line of duty.

A 28-year-old nursing assistant with the Perambra Taluk Hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala, Lini got exposed to the deadly virus while treating affected patients and died on May 21, leaving behind two sons, aged 2 and 7.

Santhi Pramot and Jyothi Pallat, executive directors of Avitis Institute of Medical Sciences based in Palakkad, Kerala, told Khaleej Times they have pledged to sponsor the education of Lini's sons. "What she did is a heroic sacrifice in the line of duty," Santhi, who lives with her family in Abu Dhabi, said.

"We want to take a small step to honour her devotion to the nursing profession and also support the family in their grief. We have contacted the family and informed them that their son's education till they are self-reliant is our responsibility," she said.

Santhi said being in the healthcare profession they realise the sacrifices and hardships of nurses. "It was indeed a heart-breaking incident that she died while attending to her patients," she said. Having contracted the virus, Lini had sent an emotional message, scribbled in Malayalam, to her husband Sajeesh, who works in Bahrain, minutes before she died on May 21.

Hearing of her wife's condition, Sajeesh had rushed to Perambra two days before her death. Earlier on Wednesday, the Kerala government also extended a helping hand to the family of Lini and decided to give a job to her husband and Rs 10 lakh each to two of their children.

Nipah virus (NiV) infection is a newly-emerging zoonosis that causes severe disease in both animals and humans. The natural host of the virus is fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family, Pteropus genus.

Ten persons have died of Nipah virus so far in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts of Kerala. Two more persons who died of high fever are suspected to have contracted the virus.'The world today does not accept that the United States decides for the world. Countries have their independence,' Rouhani said.

Washington: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday warned Tehran would be hit with the "strongest sanctions in history" and cautioned European firms against continuing to do business with it, toughening up Washington's policy line after its withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.

In his first major foreign policy address since moving to the State Department from the CIA, the longtime Iran hawk and ardent opponent of the 2015 nuclear pact outlined an aggressive series of moves designed to counter Tehran, which he called the world's top sponsor of terror.

"We will apply unprecedented financial pressure on the Iranian regime. The leaders in Tehran will have no doubt about our seriousness," Pompeo said in a speech at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank.

Read: Mike Pompeo issues steep demands for nuclear treaty with Iran

"This sting of sanctions will be painful if the regime does not change its course from the unacceptable and unproductive path it has chosen to one that rejoins the league of nations."

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani quickly dismissed the threats, saying the rest of the world no longer accepts Washington making decisions on their behalf.

"Who are you to decide for Iran and the world?" Rouhani said in a statement carried by multiple Iranian news agencies.

"The world today does not accept that the United States decides for the world. Countries have their independence," he added.

Pompeo said if Iran were to abide by stricter terms, including ending its ballistic missile program and its interventions in regional conflicts from Yemen to Syria, the United States would lift its new sanctions.

President Donald Trump has long said the 2015 deal with Iran -- also signed by Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- did not go far enough, and now wants the Europeans and others to support his hardline strategy.

The deal was designed to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The international community, including top US officials, have said Tehran had been in compliance.

But Trump despised the deal, pointing to other aspects of Iranian behaviour not covered in the pact, and on May 8 he pulled America out despite intense diplomatic lobbying by European allies who had beseeched him to stick with it by adding tougher new elements.

'Carte blanche'

Instead of suggesting a re-negotiation of the Iran deal, Pompeo outlined 12 tough conditions from Washington for any "new deal" with Tehran to make sure it "will never again have carte blanche to dominate the Middle East."

These essentially address every aspect of Iran's missile program and what the US calls its "malign influence" across the region, including support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Hezbollah and Huthi rebels in Yemen.

"It must cease its threatening behaviour against its neighbours," Pompeo said.

Rouhani compared the comments as akin to those made by the administration of George W. Bush ahead of the 2003 Iraq invasion.

"The era of such statements has evolved and the Iranian people have heard these statements hundreds of times, and no longer pays attention," Rouhani added.

Iran foe Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Pompeo's speech, and urged the rest of the world to follow suit.

Read: Netanyahu hails US policy on Iran, calls on world to back

"The US policy is correct. Iran is spreading aggressively throughout the Middle East. It aspires to achieve nuclear weapons by various means," Netanyahu said.

European allies heard how Pompeo expects their support for the new US plan -- but he offered nothing in return, and threatened economic fallout for anyone still dealing with the Islamic Republic.

"We understand that our re-imposition of sanctions and the coming pressure campaign on the Iranian regime will pose financial and economic difficulties for a number of our friends," he said.

"We want to hear their concerns. But you know, we will hold those doing prohibited business in Iran to account."

The re-establishment of US sanctions will force European companies to choose between investing in Iran or trading with the United States.

In reality, there is no choice -- European companies cannot afford to forsake the US market.

For now, the European Union is trying to persuade Iran to stay in the 2015 agreement, even without Washington's participation.

Russia and China have also criticized the US move and vowed to maintain trade with Iran.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said the sort of "jumbo Iran deal" Pompeo envisioned would not be "very easy to achieve in anything like a reasonable timescale."

And the EU's foreign policy chief said there was "no alternative" to the Iran nuclear deal.

"Secretary Pompeo's speech has not demonstrated how walking away from the JCPOA (nuclear deal) has made or will make the region safer from the threat of nuclear proliferation or how it puts us in a better position to influence Iran's conduct in areas outside the scope of JCPOA," Federica Mogherini said.

Critics rounded on Pompeo's speech, saying his demands could have been made without pulling America from the nuclear deal.

"Pompeo has not outlined a strategy, but rather a grab bag of wishful thinking that can only be interpreted as a call for regime change in Iran," Suzanne Maloney of the Brookings' Centre for Middle East Policy wrote on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning said the military was weighing "new actions" to counter Iran's influence in the Middle East, but he stressed this was part of a "whole of government" approach and offered no details.Pakistan also raised concerns about the recent inauguration of the Kishenganga hydroelectric plant in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district. (Photo: Representational | AFP)

Washington: No agreement was reached during the meeting held between World Bank and a four-member Pakistan delegation on May 21-22 on Indus Water Treaty.

The World Bank told the delegation from Pakistan that its role is limited and procedural.

However, it will continue to work with both countries to resolve the issues in an amicable manner and in line with the Treaty provisions, it added.

The Pakistani delegation raised the issue of India's alleged violation of the Indus Waters Treaty and opportunities within the Treaty to seek a resolution with the World Bank.

It also raised concerns about the recent inauguration of the Kishenganga hydroelectric plant in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district.

The talks took place after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on May 19, inaugurated the 330-MW Kishanganga hydroelectric project.

Earlier on May 18, Pakistan's Foreign Office raised concern about the hydroelectric plant, saying it will violate the Indus Water Treaty that regulates the use of waters in the shared rivers and protested against the construction of the project.

However, as per India, it is permitted to construct the Kishanganga (330 megawatts) and Ratle (850 megawatts) hydroelectric power plants on Jhelum and the Chenab rivers as specified in the Indus Water Treaty.

India also argues that the treaty also allows "other uses", including the construction of hydroelectric plants.

The Kishanganga plant is a part of a run-of-the-river hydroelectric scheme that is designed to divert water from the Kishanganga River to a power plant in the Jhelum River basin.

The Kishanganga River also stretches into Pakistan, which is known as the Neelum River there.

India started work on the Kishanganga project in 2009. However, Pakistan protested against the construction of the project and took the matter to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, which stayed the project for three years.

Ultimately in 2013, the court ruled that the Kishanganga project was "a run-of-river plant within the parameters of the Indus Water Treaty and that India may accordingly divert water from the Kishanganga River for power generation".

The project was then fast-tracked by Prime Minister Modi-led government after it came into power in May 2014.

The Indus Waters Treaty is a water-distribution agreement between India and Pakistan that paves way for a cooperative framework for both the countries to address current and future challenges of effective water management.

The treaty was signed in Karachi on September 19, 1960, by then prime minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and then President of Pakistan Ayub Khan.Industrial output in Ukraine accelerates to 3% in April

The chemical industry demonstrated the highest growth in April 2018.

If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+EnterAt the recent 2018 Ideas Conference hosted by the Center for American Progress, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) called attention to his earlier proposal for a Corporate Freeloader Fee. In his remarks, Senator Brown explained its simple  if you choose to pay your workers so little that they are disproportionately forced onto government assistance, then you need to reimburse American taxpayers. This will save taxpayers money, and give companies an added incentive to invest in human capital.

If it were to ever actually ever be implemented, the plan would be anything but simple. Few low-wage workers would benefit and in aggregate the implementation might in fact make them worse off. Instead of focusing on impractical or misguided policy proposals that have a catchy name, policymakers should instead look to increase the number of opportunities available in the labor market and a strong economy which would lead to more people working at higher wages.

The fee would affect companies with at least $100,000 in payroll taxes for 180 days in the last year, so would target larger firms.

The fee would be based on the share of an employees workers with earnings below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines for an individual person, which is $24,280 for 2018.

For employees with a quarter or less of their workforce earning below this threshold, the fee would be 0.25 percent of total payroll, up to 1 percent of total payroll for employers with greater than 75 percent of workers below this threshold.

To use Walmart, one of the examples of large companies that employ many workers at the lower end of the wage spectrum. In January of this year, Walmart announced that it would increase its starting hourly wage to $11, and provide full-time hourly associates in the U.S. with 10 weeks of paid maternity leave and six weeks of paid parental leave, among other provisions.

Under the Corporate Freeloader Fee, even this would not be enough to save the company from being subject to the tax. Walmart could attempt to reduce exposure by using fewer workers at higher wages, shifting more resources from labor to capital to reduce total payrolls. In the situation where a company determines the paying the fee makes the most economic sense, those revenues flow to the federal government, instead of the low-wage workers the proposal says it wants to help.

In the same speech, Senator Brown decries the practice of some large companies outsourcing some services such as security and custodial work to other companies. This would be one of the mechanisms companies would employ to avoid the fee. Outsourcing would be especially attractive due to the nature of the fee, which would only affect large employers.

Firms would also be discouraged from expanding or increasing their hiring of low-wage workers if it would mean getting large enough to become subject to the fee, or crossing one of the established thresholds that would add significantly to the fees burden.

If Walmart finds the only way to get under one of the fees thresholds, or to minimize its exposure to the fee more broadly, is to outsource more functions to outside contractors, those people who now work at the outsourced company would no longer have access to the higher wages and benefits recently offered by Walmart, and would likely be in worse position overall.

If the animating factor for Senator Brown is the taxpayer, and not the worker, the fee might also be counterproductive along that channel. Some programs, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, which Senator Brown lauds in the same panel, do increase the labor supply of participants as the credit they receive while working boosts their take-home pay, making them willing to work at jobs at wages lower than would otherwise be the case. This is generally regarded as a positive development as it increases employment and reduces poverty among eligible workers, even if about a fifth to a quarter of the net benefits do accrue to employers, although it is less than half of the increase in after-tax income for workers. Even so, it does not follow that taxpayers are done a disservice by companies hiring a large number of low-wage workers.

The panoply of government safety net programs that support low-income people would have much larger outlays if more of those people were without work. A person working a job paying $11 per hour that also qualifies for a $100 of SNAP benefits each year requires far less government support than a person who does not work at all, and receives benefits from a multitude of programs running to thousands of dollars each year.

Furthermore, the former person has a much more immediate, plausible path to eventually improve their position to the point they no longer receive benefits at all, whereas it the prospects for the latter person are much bleaker.

A Corporate Freeloader Fee is misguided, and would dissuade large employers from creating more opportunities for low-wage workers, incentivizing them to outsource more functions. By worsening prospects for some low-wage workers and increasing the number without any form of employment, total taxpayer outlays going to support these people would actually increase over the status quo. Facilitating a strong labor market and robust economic growth is a better recipe for helping low-wage workers.

Charles Hughes is a policy analyst at the Manhattan Institute. Follow him on Twitter @CharlesHHughes.

Interested in real economic insights? Want to stay ahead of the competition? Each weekday morning, E21 delivers a short email that includes E21 exclusive commentaries and the latest market news and updates from Washington. Sign up for the E21 Morning Ebrief.Group DF, uniting assets of businessman Dmytro Firtash, has accused the prosecutor's office in Zhytomyr region of interfering work of local councils and hindering operations of the group over the office's claim to remove the issues of allocating 115 ha of forests for production of titanium to Valky-Ilmenit LLC (Irshansk, Zhytomyr region), part of Group DF, from the agenda of the session of the Zhytomyr Regional Council.

Group DF said in a Wednesday press release, steps of the prosecutor's office are unlawful, and the group considers them as a new attempt to hinder its operations.

"Not having legal powers, the prosecutor's office in Zhytomyr region interferes in the work of the local self-government body - Zhytomyr Regional Council and deliberately hinders the operations of Valky-Ilmenit. Thus, a deliberate attempt to block one of the largest investment projects in the region is being made," the group said.

The group said that Valky-Ilmenit operates in line with the Ukrainian legislation.

According to the press release, information on the allegedly extremely negative reaction of the public spread by the prosecutor's office is also untrue, as when the company received primary permits in 2012 it also received consent of all land owners and land users of the area that were endorsed by a notary. In 2016, public hearings were held. Representatives of the local community supported the implementation of the project to develop Stremyhorodske field. It is planned to create over 3,000 new jobs.

"For its part, the group will prove its correctness by all lawful methods, and is ready to apply to Ukrainian and international judicial and human rights institutions for the restoration of justice," the group said.The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) pointed out the importance of making decisions required for continuation of cooperation with official creditors of the country by Ukrainian authorities.

"The need for this cooperation has recently increased due to the complication of developing countries' access to the global capital market: the cost of loans for such countries is growing amid the appreciation of the U.S. dollar, increased geopolitical tensions and the risks of deploying trade wars," the central bank said on its website.

NBU Head Yakiv Smolii during the monetary briefing in Kyiv said the matter does not concern the risk of Ukraine's default. It is important to implement structural reforms and continue cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he said.

"Ukraine must fulfill the obligations it undertook on the reforms stipulated the fund's program for obtaining the next tranche. We hope that the tasks set will be fulfilled. We see that for two days in a row the Verkhovna Rada has been considering amendments to the law on the Higher Anti-Corruption Court. It is also necessary to create a gas market - this is the next precondition. We hope that the decision will be made and we do not change our forecasts for receiving the next tranche from the IMF and macro-financial assistance from other donors," he said.

According to NBU Deputy Head Dmytro Solohub, Ukraine this year could get $1.9 billion from the IMF, $800 million from the World Bank, and $500 million from the European Commission.

"These are the parameters of official financing, laid in our base scenario for the current year," he said.

Deputy Head of the NBU Oleh Churiy said the continuation of cooperation with the fund will also allow Ukraine to implement the borrowings in foreign markets planned for the current year.

"We believe that if Ukraine fulfills all the requirements necessary to continue cooperation with the IMF, then the markets for the country's bonds will be more favorable than now, and the Ministry of Finance will get every chance to place eurobonds necessary to cover the budget deficit," he said.PJSC Ukrnafta has reconstructed five of its fuel filling stations in Kyiv region, the company's press service has told Interfax-Ukraine.

"As of today, within the framework of the pilot project, five filling stations in Kyiv region have been reconstructed and put into operation, another filling station is to be commissioned in the near future," the company said.

Ukrnafta intends in early summer to proceed to the next "wave" of reconstruction, within which ten fuel stations in the western region (Lviv and Rivne regions) will be modernized.

"It is planned by the end of the year to begin the reconstruction of another 20 fuel stations. The estimated time for the reconstruction of each of the "waves" is four months," the press service added.

The renewed fuel stations are equipped with shops and fast food zones.

The cost of reconstruction is not specified.

As reported, Ukrnafta owns a network of 537 fuel filling stations.

Naftogaz Ukrainy owns a 50% plus one share stake in Ukrnafta, a group of companies associated with the former shareholders of PrivatBank holds about 42% of shares.Poroshenko's office demands refutation of false reports related to last year's meeting with Trump

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's administration demands a refutation of false reports that a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump last year was "paid by Ukraine."

"We consider the dissemination of the explicitly stated misinformation is part of a fake news campaign to discredit Ukrainian-American relations, as well as is a personal attack on the presidents of Ukraine and the United States," the presidential administration's press service said on Wednesday evening.

The press service noted that the Ukrainian-U.S. summit in June 2017 was organized exclusively through official diplomatic channels, including the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States.

Earlier, the BBC reported with reference to its sources that Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, received a secret payment of $400,000 or $600,000 "to fix talks between the Ukrainian president and President Trump" in June 2017.Russian-backed militants have opened fire on the positions of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) in Donbas 38 times over the past 24 hours, using weapons banned by the Minsk agreements eight times, the press center for the JFO headquarters has reported.

"The tensest situation was recorded near the settlements of Krymske, Troitske, Zaitseve, Butivka mine, Hranitne, Opytne, and Pavlopil, Russian occupation troops violated the ceasefire 38 times, using the weapons banned by the Minsk agreements eight times," reads a report as of 07:00 on Thursday, which was published on the Facebook page of the JFO's press center.

Illegal armed groups again violated the ceasefire near the village of Stanytsia Luhanska so as to prevent the disengagement of troops at this section in accordance with the agreements reached earlier.

"Two of our defenders were wounded in the fighting. They were evacuated to a hospital where they were provided with qualified medical assistance," the report says.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, two militants were killed, and three more were wounded.Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have discussed a free trade agreement between Ukraine and Turkey during a telephone conversation, the press service of the head of the Ukrainian state has reported.

"The leaders of the two countries exchanged views on topical issues of the bilateral and international agenda. The sides stressed the importance of speeding up the negotiation process on signing a free trade agreement between Ukraine and Turkey," the report says.

They also discussed ways to expand mutually beneficial cooperation in the energy, aviation and defense sectors.

In addition, Poroshenko thanked Erdogan for his unchanged position regarding support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and the protection of the rights of the Crimean Tatars.The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has demanded that the Russian side release political prisoners Oleh Sentsov and Volodymyr Balukh who continue their hunger strike.

"Political prisoners Sentsov and Balukh continue their hunger strike. There is a threat to their lives. We demand that Russia release them," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mariana Betsa wrote on Twitter on Wednesday, May 23.

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 so-called terrorist group in Crimea.

He is serving his sentence in a high-security correctional facility known as Bely Medved (White Bear).

On May 14, 2018, Sentsov went on a hunger strike, demanding the release of all Ukrainians held in Russia and occupied Crimea.

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.

In January 2018, 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 started the hunger strike on March 14, 2018, when the illegal verdict on the trumped-up case against him came into effect.

On May 15, he began to take food to avoid force-feeding.NABU conducts raids in Odesa region to investigate into possible embezzlement of almost UAH 100 mln in Yuzhny port

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) on Wednesday conducted raids and other procedural actions in Odesa region to investigate into a criminal case on the possible embezzlement of around UAH 100 million by officials of state-owned enterprise (SOE) Yuzhny maritime merchandise port.

"Detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine jointly with the SAPO [Specialized Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office] prosecutors conducted raids and other procedural actions in Odesa region as part of the investigation into the criminal proceeding in connection with the possible embezzlement by officials of the SOE Yuzhny maritime merchandise port o under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (misappropriation, embezzlement or conversion or property by malversation)," the press service of NABU told Interfax-Ukraine.

According to the investigators, officials of this state-owned enterprise, through preliminary collusion with officials of a number of economic entities through controlled intermediary firms, organized a series of purchases at overvalued prices for goods, works and services at the expense of the SOE during 2017-2018.

As a result, the NABU detectives consider, the officials of the SOE could seize the company's cash assets in the amount of about UAH 100 million.

The investigation of these facts has been carried out by the NABU detectives since September 2017, the bureau said.Six Ukrainian sailors have been released from pirate captivity in Nigeria: five have already returned to their homeland, and the sixth is completing treatment in the Netherlands, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said.

"Thanks to joint efforts with the Dutch and Nigerian friends, we have managed to free six of our compatriots from the pirate captivity ... Five sailors - citizens of Ukraine have arrived to their homeland this morning. All are alive and well. Another of our sailors remains in the Netherlands for treatment, but in the near future he will return home," Klimkin wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday.

The minister specified that the sailors had been held hostage for almost a month in the Niger delta.

"I am deeply grateful to our Dutch and Nigerian partners for their sincere care and painstaking round-the-clock work, thanks to which they managed to save human lives," Klimkin wrote.

The Ukrainian minister assessed such joint actions as "an example of international mutual assistance in the fight against piracy of the 21st century."Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov has given Italian Ambassador to Ukraine Davide La Cecilia a public statement asking the Italian court to avoid misinterpretations of a number of concepts during the trial of National Guard member Vitaliy Markiv, who is accused of murdering Italian photojournalist Andrea Rocchelli.

"In the context of the official political position of Italy, which is friendly to us, Italian justice cannot operate with questionable terminology, in which the trace of Russian propaganda is clearly evident," Avakov said during his meeting with the ambassador.

Avakov said his ministry is forced to resort to a demarche in the form of this statement with a view to drawing attention of the Italian side to the incorrect interpretation by the Italian court of a number of key points that could have a negative impact on the adoption of an objective decision by the court.

Avakov said he approved of the decision of the Italian side to start the trial in essence of Markiv in the court of Assisi. The first hearing is scheduled for July 6.

"We believe that the court's decision will eventually dot the "i," removing all the insinuations and refuting unjustified accusations against Markiv," the minister said.

According to him, the position of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in this case remains firm and consistent since the Markiv's arrest in June 2017.

In the statement posted to his ministry's website, Avakov said it is necessary to make "important adjustments" to conceptual definitions.

"In the materials of the investigation and numerous documents of the court we continue to meet such concepts as 'pro-Russian separatist insurgents,' 'civil conflict,'  etc. This exemplifies the discrepancy with the terminology used by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In his opinion, Italian justice should clearly perceive that in May 2014 the soldier of the National Guard of Ukraine Markiv was in the Sloviansk district in the regular parts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (rather than in a "paramilitary structures," as it appears in the case).

"The place where the Italian photographer Rocchelli tragically died at that time was the epicenter of the fighting.

"Rocchelli knew about this, but despite the warnings previously made public by Italian embassy in Ukraine and without any coordination (accreditation) with Ukrainian authorities, he made this dangerous journey on his own volition. And he was killed by enemy shelling," Avakov said.

According to Avakov, the manipulation of concepts and the substitution of meanings is "a very dangerous weapon of a modern hybrid war against Ukraine."

"I urge Italian judges to be as attentive and accurate as possible in understanding the political context, so as not to fall into the trap of false interpretations of the insidious Russian propaganda, which obviously will not miss the opportunity to take advantage of Markiv's case to smear Ukrainians and Ukraine," Avakov said.

As earlier reported, Ukrainian serviceman Markiv was detained in Italy on June 30, 2017 on suspicion of murdering Rocchelli near Sloviansk in Donetsk region during May 2014.

In late February 2018, Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yevhen Yenin said Ukraine has no grounds to investigate the Markiv case, but counts on the objectivity of the Italian side in this matter and the agreement to create a joint investigation team.No grounds to think that Ukraine has slowed down course of reforms - Groysman at meeting with Tusk

Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman during a meeting with President of the European Council Donald Tusk has said that at the moment there are no reasons to believe that Ukraine has slowed down the reform process.

"He stressed that today there is no reason to believe that Ukraine has slowed the reform process. We will present achievements in detail during the Copenhagen conference in June," the Cabinet's press service said with reference to Groysman following his meeting with Tusk in Brussels.

During the talks the parties agreed that today it is possible to step up the dialogue with the European Union towards concrete plans for enhanced cooperation in the customs, energy, digital spheres, as well as in the area of justice and home affairs.

The sides also touched upon an issue relating to the fourth Macro-Financial Assistance program for Ukraine for 2018-2019 and the priorities of the energy sector reform.

Kyiv notes solidarity in energy issues and is interested to ensure that cooperation in this area is being developed on mutually beneficial terms.

"First of all, an issue at stake is an adequate and fair assessment of the Nord Stream 2 project, an assessment of Gazprom's actions on abusing monopoly regulations and creation of opportunities for the joint development of the Ukrainian gas transmission system, which proved its reliability to ensure uninterrupted gas transit gas amid difficult conditions," the message reads.

A special emphasis was placed on EU support of positions and initiatives of Ukraine during the G7 summit, which will be held in early June in Charlevoix, Canada.Poroshenko to talk with British PM May on Thursday

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has announced a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Great Britain Theresa May on Thursday.

"I will talk with Prime Minister of Great Britain Theresa May this evening," the president said at a meeting at the construction site of housing for servicemen in Lviv region on Thursday.

Poroshenko informed about the forthcoming telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of Great Britain after he emphasized that military-technical cooperation with the United States of America, Turkey, Canada and Great Britain had intensified.Iran has kept its nuclear program within the main restrictions imposed by the 2015 nuclear deal with major powers despite the U.S. pullout from the agreement, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on May 24.

In its first such report since U.S. President Donald Trump announced Washington's withdrawal earlier this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran had complied with limits on the level to which it can enrich uranium, its stock of enriched uranium and other items.

The IAEA said Iran's stock of enriched uranium has stayed within the 300-kilogramme limit set out in the deal under which Iran limited its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

The IAEA, however, rebuke Iran for dragging its feet over so-called "complementary access" inspections under the IAEA's Additional Protocol, which Iran is implementing under the deal.

Based on reporting by Reuters and DPAA former senior official of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) believes that the problem with JCPOA is that it does not call for inspection of Irans military facilities. It ignores the possibility of a military side in Irans nuclear program, and IAEA as the agency that oversees Irans commitments has made the tone of its reports on Iran less transparent.

In an interview with Radio Farda, former Deputy Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and head of its Department of Safeguards, Dr. Olli Heinonen, who is currently a Senior Advisor on Science and Non-proliferation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies elaborated on the difference between the IAEA and US governments views about Irans commitment to the nuclear deal.

In its latest report released on February 22, IAEA said that it has been verifying and overseeing Irans commitment to the JCPOA, said Heinonen, although he did not explain how does IAEA evaluate Irans commitment now.

He said, such an elaboration should be made by IAEA, however, Iran has said repeatedly that it will not allow IAEA to inspect its military establishments, which according to Heinonen is against the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement Iran has signed with the IAEA separately.

Without the United States as a party to the Iran nuclear accords or JCPOA, it can hardly survive as a viable international agreement, particularly after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced May 21 that Washington will to impose the strongest sanctions in history if Iran does not change course.

In a speech at the Heritage Foundation, Pompeo set 12 conditions for a new nuclear deal with Iran. Three of those conditions were directly linked to Irans nuclear program, including total stoppage of Uranium enrichment, allowing IAEA to inspect all Iranian establishments and to examine all of Irans past actions to reach nuclear weapons capability.

None of these conditions were stipulated in the JCPOA, based on which Iran may do limited enrichment and may prevent inspection of its military establishments.

The JCPOA focused on Irans current actions and was not about its past or future behaviour.

In the meantime, Heinonen points out that Iran continues enrichment while there are no markets for Irans enriched Uranium abroad, and there is no need for the product inside the country at the time being.

Heinonen also says that the agencys tone in its evaluation of Irans nuclear program was more transparent before JCPOA was signed.

The IAEA cannot keep Iran away from nuclear weapons completely and forever, says the former IAEA official.

In the meantime, Irans nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi has threatened that Iran would resume enrichment at the 20% level if Europe fails to secure Irans interest based on JCPOA.

At the same time, says Heinonen, If Iran violates the JCPOA it will lose Europes support.

He added that if Iran does not answer IAEAs questions about evidences that point to a nuclear weapons plan, its commitment to JCPOA would be doubted and such a thing gives rise to concerns about violating the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Heinonen suggests that the best way ahead for Iran would be to address these questions transparently and to put an end to this aspect of its nuclear case forever in a provable way.

Iran usually denies reports accusing it of having a nuclear weapons program.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

Trend:

The Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev will address over 500 participants at the EU-Azerbaijan Business Forum in Baku June 5, 2018.

Also Mr. Lawrence Meredith, of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), will deliver a welcoming speech in the Forum.

The EU-Azerbaijan Business Forum will take place in Baku June 5, 2018. This year the flagship business event is expected to welcome more than 500 high-level representatives: business and government leaders. The line-up of speakers includes tens of EU and Azerbaijani CEOs and Ministers.

Numerous (Deputy) Ministers of the Government of Azerbaijan will attend the event, including Mr. Shahin Mustafayev, Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan, who will deliver a keynote speech at the opening. The Forum will also be attended by diplomats of EU Member States. Mr. Lawrence Meredith, Director of 'Neighbourhood East' at DG NEAR of the European Commission, will deliver a welcoming speech at the opening and will moderate the plenary session on economic reforms in Azerbaijan.

Last year, Minister Mustafayev highlighted the significance of the Forum in contributing to EU-Azerbaijan relations and expressed his appreciation of the organizers efforts in organizing the business event. Speaking about the importance of the Business Forum, Mr. Meredith stated: This is an important forum for the European Union; Azerbaijan is a partner of strategic importance, and business-to-business contacts are central in this respect.

In addition to the plenary session on the economic reforms, this years program also features panel discussions, focusing on four key sectors of the Azerbaijani economy: Agriculture and Food, Construction and Machinery, Transport and Logistics, and ICT and E-commerce. Business-to-business meetings will be facilitated throughout the event, with the support of an online application. Another key element of the program is the presentation of the annual 'EU Business Climate Report 2018', focusing on the current economic situation and business climate in Azerbaijan as perceived by EU businesses.

The annual EU-Azerbaijan Business Forum is a debating and networking platform, which aims to discuss current economic and business developments in Azerbaijan and to expand EU-Azerbaijan business relations. The EU-Azerbaijan Business Forum is organized by the Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan, in collaboration with the German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (AHK) and the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO). Participation in the Forum is free of charge and the registration deadline is May 29, 2018.

For more information and registration, see the event website: https://www.ahk-baku.de/en/events/event-details/eu-azerbaijan-business-forum-2018/.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

Trend:

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has sent a congratulatory letter to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

"On behalf of people and government of Turkmenistan, as well as on my own behalf, I express heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to you and all fraternal people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of Azerbaijans national holiday - the Republic Day," reads the congratulatory message.

We in Turkmenistan appreciate relations with the Republic of Azerbaijan, based on the principles of equality, mutual benefit, mutual respect and trust, President Berdimuhamedov added. I am sure that the high level of cooperation and mutual understanding between our fraternal countries will serve as a solid foundation for the further development and strengthening of bilateral Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan relations for the benefit of our peoples.

"I wish robust health and happiness to you, while peace and prosperity to friendly and fraternal Azerbaijani people," reads the congratulatory message.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

Trend:

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva have attended the inauguration of Gobu Park residential complex for the internally displaced persons in Garadagh district, Baku.

Chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs Rovshan Rzayev informed the head of state about the work done in the complex.

President Ilham Aliyev and his wife Mehriban Aliyeva viewed conditions created in the territory of the complex.

The complex features 11 nine-story residential buildings for 1,026 families, which have 108 one-room, 396 two-room, 360 three-room, and 162 four-room apartments.

The head of state and his spouse viewed the apartments.

President Ilham Aliyev and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva then viewed conditions created in the orphanage-kindergarten number 344 in the complex.

The 220-seat two-story kindergarten is supplied with all necessary equipment.

President Ilham Aliyev and his wife Mehriban Aliyeva then familiarized themselves with conditions created at the secondary school No. 32 for internally displaced persons.

After viewing the school, the head of state met with the internally displaced persons and posed for photographs together with them.Headline changed, details added (first version posted on 14:18)

Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

Trend:

The coming months bring opportunities to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which would create even more possibilities for US-Azerbaijani cooperation, US President Donald Trump said in his congratulatory letter to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

On behalf of the American people, congratulations to you and the people of Azerbaijan on your Republic Day and the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, reads the letter.

Azerbaijan and the United States share a close partnership, working together to solve difficult regional challenges, Trump said in his letter. I appreciate your cooperation on security and counterterrorism, as well as our longstanding commercial ties. Our years of cooperation on energy have culminated this year in the first gas moving through the Southern Gas Corridor, an incredible achievement, and one that will provide needed energy security to Europe. The coming months bring opportunities to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which would create even more possibilities for US-Azerbaijani cooperation. As a member of the OSCE Minsk Group, the United States looks forward to working with you to find a lasting and peaceful resolution of this conflict.

On this special centennial anniversary, I congratulate you and all of the people of Azerbaijan again and look forward to working together.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

Trend:

Co-organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Azerbaijani Embassy in France, the night of Azerbaijan to mark the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic has been held in Paris.

Prior to the event, the participants viewed a photo and video exhibition highlighting the history of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.

Addressing the event, Azerbaijani Ambassador to France Rahman Mustafayev highlighted the achievements of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic during its 23-month existence, and the reforms and construction work carried out in all spheres.

The event featured a concert program by the Azerbaijani musicians.

As part of the event, a documentary highlighting Azerbaijans culture and nature, economic reforms, and the international events it hosted was screened at banquet and exhibition halls.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

Trend:

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended the opening of the newly-reconstructed Lokbatan-Gobu highway in Garadagh district.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Azerbaijan Highway State Agency Saleh Mammadov informed President Ilham Aliyev about the technical indicators of the project. The 25 kilometer-long road is six meters in width.

The length of the Lokbatan-Gobu highway, which links two settlements with a total population of 47,000 people, is more than seven kilometers. The width of the road is 11 meters.

The renovation of the 11.5 kilometer section of the Gobu-Hokmali highway and the construction of the 700 meter-long road to the newly-built Gobu Park residential complex for IDPs was also completed.

The head of state cut the ribbon symbolizing the opening of the road.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

Trend:

Thanks to the power of the Azerbaijani state and the will of the Azerbaijani people, all cities liberated from the occupation will be restored, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.

He made the remarks May 23 at the meeting with the internally displaced persons, during the opening of the Gobu Park residential complex for the IDPs in the Garadagh district of Baku.

Dear friends, I cordially congratulate you on the opening of the Gobu Park residential complex, he said. This great event once again shows that a citizen of Azerbaijan, our compatriots, IDPs living in hard conditions are always in the center of attention.

President Ilham Aliyev noted that the creation of the complex shows the policy of the Azerbaijani state and the care for the IDPs.

This beautiful residential complex was created in just one year, he said. Exactly one year ago the foundation of this complex was laid. At that time, Mehriban Aliyeva participated in the groundbreaking ceremony. The entire infrastructure of the complex has been created, and we all gathered for the opening of the complex. Issues with power lines, water, gas, as well as all infrastructure issues were solved, roads leading to both the settlements and the main road were built. Eleven nine-story residential buildings were built.

The president went on to add that he has reviewed the apartments as well.

"The total area of each apartment is 73 square meters. There is a beautiful 624-seat school, a 220-seat kindergarten, a first-aid post, a post office, a police station... all the conditions for living were created at the highest level. Wonderful public areas were created, trees were planted and parks were laid. I think that among the towns for IDPs, it is one of the centers distinguished by its beauty and conditions.

The peculiarity of this town is that the private sector actively participated in its construction, and the private sector was really the constructions initiator and executor, the Azerbaijani president said.

Recently, entrepreneurs have been implementing many social projects, he said. I have repeatedly expressed my opinion on this issue, and said that the social responsibility of entrepreneurs must grow. Excellent conditions for entrepreneurs are created in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is a very good country for entrepreneurship. There is an excellent investment climate here. There is stability, calmness. Development of business is our state policy. Eighty percent of our GDP is formed in the private sector. Therefore, always, when appealing to entrepreneurs, I advise them to pay more attention to social projects. This is the biggest project among the work carried out in this sphere. So far, entrepreneurs have been actively involved in the construction of schools and kindergartens. However, the construction of a residential center of such a size and on such a scale for the IDPs is taking place for the first time.

Ilham Aliyev added that entrepreneurs also participated in the financing of the residential complex.

The state didnt allocate funds to create this complex, the Azerbaijani president said. So, I would like to express my gratitude to PASHA Holding, which did this work. PASHA Holding is engaged in big construction work in Azerbaijan, it makes large investments in various spheres of the countrys economy, the company put effort and achieved the creation of thousands of jobs. Today, the social responsibility of this company is obvious.

I believe that this wonderful initiative should be an example for other big companies, Ilham Aliyev noted. I am sure that the private sector will also actively participate in the construction of new residential towns, centers to be built for IDPs in the coming years. However, naturally, the state has taken on the main issue, the main work. Over the past years, about a hundred towns have been built and commissioned by the state for the IDPs. I personally participated in the opening of many of them. We provide thousands of IDPs with housing each year. This year, 20,000 IDPs will be provided with new apartments and houses. There are 1,026 apartments in this residential complex. That is, 1,026 families will live in good conditions here.

The president of Azerbaijan added that the state program on solving the problems and improving the living conditions of the IDPs and increasing employment is being successfully implemented.

As I noted, about 100 towns for IDPs were built, he said. The state allocated billions of manats for this purpose. As I noted above, thousands of families are provided with housing each year. By the end of this year, as a result of the work carried out in recent years, a total of 285,000 IDPs will be provided with housing. This year about 20,000 of them will move into new apartments. The state continues its policy in this direction. As I already said, the private sector also joined these activities, which is natural. Companies that have the opportunity should create conditions for those who live in need. I am sure that this wonderful initiative will be developed in Azerbaijan. This is while the state, on its part, will continue to spare no effort to solve the problems of IDPs. Social projects will be implemented both this and next year. We, as I noted, managed to achieve great success in this work. Among the towns built, I would particularly like to note the restoration of the Jojug Marjanli village. Last year I took part in the opening of the restored village. There are 150 houses, a school, a kindergarten and a mosque built there. In Jojug Marjanli we built an analog of the Shusha Mosque destroyed by the Armenians.

Ilham Aliyev noted that the restoration of the Jojug Marjanli village is an indicator of indestructible spirit of the Azerbaijani people.

This once again shows that the Azerbaijani people will never reconcile themselves with the occupation, he added. This once again shows that all IDPs live with one dream - the dream to return to their native lands. I am sure that we will achieve this. The restoration of the Jojug Marjanli village became possible as a result of the April fights and our brilliant victory. The restoration of this village became possible after a part of the Agdere, Fizuli and Jabrayil districts was cleared of the invaders. The Azerbaijani army once again demonstrated its strength. The Azerbaijani people showed once again that they will never accept the occupation and at any cost will return to their native lands and restore the territorial integrity of their country.

Ilham Aliyev noted that dreams and intentions of IDPs can be seen on the example of this village.

Citizens from Jojug Marjanli, people who lived in different places for many years, prefer to immediately return to their village when it becomes possible, he said. Now life is restored there, conditions are being created, an entire infrastructure - both for living and work - was created. This once again shows that after liberation from the occupation, we will soon restore all the destroyed cities. Our historical monuments, mosques, museums in all the occupied territories were destroyed and looted by the hateful neighbor. This is an unprecedented atrocity. The photos of the ruined buildings, houses and mosques show the predatory nature of Armenian vandalism. But we will return to our lands. No one doubts this, just like we returned to Jojug Marjanli and the Shikharkh settlement. The construction of the Shikharkh settlement on the lands liberated from the occupation once again shows that once we liberate our lands from occupation, life immediately returns to these lands. I am sure that thanks to the power of the Azerbaijani state, the will of the Azerbaijani people, we will restore all our cities liberated from the occupation, and the people ensuring the development of our country will live and build in these cities.

The president of Azerbaijan added that the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the greatest injustice.

Our citizens are IDPs as a result of the occupation, he said. Armenia, which violated all norms of the international law, committed atrocities. The predatory image of Armenian fascism manifested itself in this conflict. However, the Azerbaijani people are absolutely sure that we will restore our territorial integrity and we must do this. Both the international law and justice are on our side. The historical truth is on our side and the strength is on our side. Today, on the world scale, the force factor comes to the fore, and strong states can achieve what they want. Azerbaijan is also a strong country. We have a strong army, a strong economy and a balanced policy. This residential complex is a temporary place of residence for you. However, we want the conditions, even if temporary, to be good. After the liberation from the occupation, we will surely create such beautiful small towns in the lands that are under occupation today. I congratulate you once again on this remarkable event. I wish you good health and success.Details added (first version posted on 16:20)

Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

Trend:

Thanks to the power of the Azerbaijani state and the will of the Azerbaijani people, all cities liberated from the occupation will be restored, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.

He made the remarks May 23 at the meeting with the internally displaced persons, during the opening of the Gobu Park residential complex for the IDPs in the Garadagh district of Baku.

Dear friends, I cordially congratulate you on the opening of the Gobu Park residential complex, he said. This great event once again shows that a citizen of Azerbaijan, our compatriots, IDPs living in hard conditions are always in the center of attention.

President Ilham Aliyev noted that the creation of the complex shows the policy of the Azerbaijani state and the care for the IDPs.

This beautiful residential complex was created in just one year, he said. Exactly one year ago the foundation of this complex was laid. At that time, Mehriban Aliyeva participated in the groundbreaking ceremony. The entire infrastructure of the complex has been created, and we all gathered for the opening of the complex. Issues with power lines, water, gas, as well as all infrastructure issues were solved, roads leading to both the settlements and the main road were built. Eleven nine-story residential buildings were built.

The president went on to add that he has reviewed the apartments as well.

"The total area of each apartment is 73 square meters. There is a beautiful 624-seat school, a 220-seat kindergarten, a first-aid post, a post office, a police station... all the conditions for living were created at the highest level. Wonderful public areas were created, trees were planted and parks were laid. I think that among the towns for IDPs, it is one of the centers distinguished by its beauty and conditions.

The peculiarity of this town is that the private sector actively participated in its construction, and the private sector was really the constructions initiator and executor, the Azerbaijani president said.

Recently, entrepreneurs have been implementing many social projects, he said. I have repeatedly expressed my opinion on this issue, and said that the social responsibility of entrepreneurs must grow. Excellent conditions for entrepreneurs are created in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is a very good country for entrepreneurship. There is an excellent investment climate here. There is stability, calmness. Development of business is our state policy. Eighty percent of our GDP is formed in the private sector. Therefore, always, when appealing to entrepreneurs, I advise them to pay more attention to social projects. This is the biggest project among the work carried out in this sphere. So far, entrepreneurs have been actively involved in the construction of schools and kindergartens. However, the construction of a residential center of such a size and on such a scale for the IDPs is taking place for the first time.

Ilham Aliyev added that entrepreneurs also participated in the financing of the residential complex.

The state didnt allocate funds to create this complex, the Azerbaijani president said. So, I would like to express my gratitude to PASHA Holding, which did this work. PASHA Holding is engaged in big construction work in Azerbaijan, it makes large investments in various spheres of the countrys economy, the company put effort and achieved the creation of thousands of jobs. Today, the social responsibility of this company is obvious.

I believe that this wonderful initiative should be an example for other big companies, Ilham Aliyev noted. I am sure that the private sector will also actively participate in the construction of new residential towns, centers to be built for IDPs in the coming years. However, naturally, the state has taken on the main issue, the main work. Over the past years, about a hundred towns have been built and commissioned by the state for the IDPs. I personally participated in the opening of many of them. We provide thousands of IDPs with housing each year. This year, 20,000 IDPs will be provided with new apartments and houses. There are 1,026 apartments in this residential complex. That is, 1,026 families will live in good conditions here.

The president of Azerbaijan added that the state program on solving the problems and improving the living conditions of the IDPs and increasing employment is being successfully implemented.Details added (first version posted on 17:18)

Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

Trend:

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed an order pardoning 634 people on the occasion of the centenary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.

Under the presidential order, 607 convicts are released from the unserved part of their prison sentences.

The order also released one convict facing a deferred sentence and nine people serving conditional sentences.

Also under the order, six persons were freed from the remainder of their correctional labor and 11 persons were freed from fines.

Among the pardoned, there are 39 foreign citizens, including 11 citizens of Georgia, five citizens of China, four citizens of Russia and Iran, three citizens of Turkey and Bangladesh, two citizens of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, citizens of Uzbekistan, Cameroon, India, Afghanistan and Ukraine, as well as three stateless persons.

The presidential order reads that the decision on pardon was made in connection with the fact that the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic is a significant event in the history of the independence of the Azerbaijani people, the fact that national leader Heydar Aliyev attached special importance to universal values, the rule of law, the ideals of justice and democracy in the construction of the modern Azerbaijani state, as well as in connection with the commitment of Heydar Aliyevs policy to the traditions of humanism, and with the belief that those pardoned will carry out activities on the path of the development of the independent state by integrating into society.

The order comes into force on the date of signing.Details added (first version posted on 16:20)

Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

Trend:

Thanks to the power of the Azerbaijani state and the will of the Azerbaijani people, all cities liberated from the occupation will be restored, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.

He made the remarks May 23 at the meeting with the internally displaced persons, during the opening of the Gobu Park residential complex for the IDPs in the Garadagh district of Baku.

Dear friends, I cordially congratulate you on the opening of the Gobu Park residential complex, he said. This great event once again shows that a citizen of Azerbaijan, our compatriots, IDPs living in hard conditions are always in the center of attention.

President Ilham Aliyev noted that the creation of the complex shows the policy of the Azerbaijani state and the care for the IDPs.

This beautiful residential complex was created in just one year, he said. Exactly one year ago the foundation of this complex was laid. At that time, Mehriban Aliyeva participated in the groundbreaking ceremony. The entire infrastructure of the complex has been created, and we all gathered for the opening of the complex. Issues with power lines, water, gas, as well as all infrastructure issues were solved, roads leading to both the settlements and the main road were built. Eleven nine-story residential buildings were built.

The president went on to add that he has reviewed the apartments as well.

"The total area of each apartment is 73 square meters. There is a beautiful 624-seat school, a 220-seat kindergarten, a first-aid post, a post office, a police station... all the conditions for living were created at the highest level. Wonderful public areas were created, trees were planted and parks were laid. I think that among the towns for IDPs, it is one of the centers distinguished by its beauty and conditions.

The peculiarity of this town is that the private sector actively participated in its construction, and the private sector was really the constructions initiator and executor, the Azerbaijani president said.

Recently, entrepreneurs have been implementing many social projects, he said. I have repeatedly expressed my opinion on this issue, and said that the social responsibility of entrepreneurs must grow. Excellent conditions for entrepreneurs are created in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is a very good country for entrepreneurship. There is an excellent investment climate here. There is stability, calmness. Development of business is our state policy. Eighty percent of our GDP is formed in the private sector. Therefore, always, when appealing to entrepreneurs, I advise them to pay more attention to social projects. This is the biggest project among the work carried out in this sphere. So far, entrepreneurs have been actively involved in the construction of schools and kindergartens. However, the construction of a residential center of such a size and on such a scale for the IDPs is taking place for the first time.

Ilham Aliyev added that entrepreneurs also participated in the financing of the residential complex.

The state didnt allocate funds to create this complex, the Azerbaijani president said. So, I would like to express my gratitude to PASHA Holding, which did this work. PASHA Holding is engaged in big construction work in Azerbaijan, it makes large investments in various spheres of the countrys economy, the company put effort and achieved the creation of thousands of jobs. Today, the social responsibility of this company is obvious.

I believe that this wonderful initiative should be an example for other big companies, Ilham Aliyev noted. I am sure that the private sector will also actively participate in the construction of new residential towns, centers to be built for IDPs in the coming years. However, naturally, the state has taken on the main issue, the main work. Over the past years, about a hundred towns have been built and commissioned by the state for the IDPs. I personally participated in the opening of many of them. We provide thousands of IDPs with housing each year. This year, 20,000 IDPs will be provided with new apartments and houses. There are 1,026 apartments in this residential complex. That is, 1,026 families will live in good conditions here.

The president of Azerbaijan added that the state program on solving the problems and improving the living conditions of the IDPs and increasing employment is being successfully implemented.

As I noted, about 100 towns for IDPs were built, he said. The state allocated billions of manats for this purpose. As I noted above, thousands of families are provided with housing each year. By the end of this year, as a result of the work carried out in recent years, a total of 285,000 IDPs will be provided with housing. This year about 20,000 of them will move into new apartments. The state continues its policy in this direction. As I already said, the private sector also joined these activities, which is natural. Companies that have the opportunity should create conditions for those who live in need. I am sure that this wonderful initiative will be developed in Azerbaijan. This is while the state, on its part, will continue to spare no effort to solve the problems of IDPs. Social projects will be implemented both this and next year. We, as I noted, managed to achieve great success in this work. Among the towns built, I would particularly like to note the restoration of the Jojug Marjanli village. Last year I took part in the opening of the restored village. There are 150 houses, a school, a kindergarten and a mosque built there. In Jojug Marjanli we built an analog of the Shusha Mosque destroyed by the Armenians.

Ilham Aliyev noted that the restoration of the Jojug Marjanli village is an indicator of indestructible spirit of the Azerbaijani people.

This once again shows that the Azerbaijani people will never reconcile themselves with the occupation, he added. This once again shows that all IDPs live with one dream - the dream to return to their native lands. I am sure that we will achieve this. The restoration of the Jojug Marjanli village became possible as a result of the April fights and our brilliant victory. The restoration of this village became possible after a part of the Agdere, Fizuli and Jabrayil districts was cleared of the invaders. The Azerbaijani army once again demonstrated its strength. The Azerbaijani people showed once again that they will never accept the occupation and at any cost will return to their native lands and restore the territorial integrity of their country.

Ilham Aliyev noted that dreams and intentions of IDPs can be seen on the example of this village.

Citizens from Jojug Marjanli, people who lived in different places for many years, prefer to immediately return to their village when it becomes possible, he said. Now life is restored there, conditions are being created, an entire infrastructure - both for living and work - was created. This once again shows that after liberation from the occupation, we will soon restore all the destroyed cities. Our historical monuments, mosques, museums in all the occupied territories were destroyed and looted by the hateful neighbor. This is an unprecedented atrocity. The photos of the ruined buildings, houses and mosques show the predatory nature of Armenian vandalism. But we will return to our lands. No one doubts this, just like we returned to Jojug Marjanli and the Shikharkh settlement. The construction of the Shikharkh settlement on the lands liberated from the occupation once again shows that once we liberate our lands from occupation, life immediately returns to these lands. I am sure that thanks to the power of the Azerbaijani state, the will of the Azerbaijani people, we will restore all our cities liberated from the occupation, and the people ensuring the development of our country will live and build in these cities.

The president of Azerbaijan added that the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the greatest injustice.

Our citizens are IDPs as a result of the occupation, he said. Armenia, which violated all norms of the international law, committed atrocities. The predatory image of Armenian fascism manifested itself in this conflict. However, the Azerbaijani people are absolutely sure that we will restore our territorial integrity and we must do this. Both the international law and justice are on our side. The historical truth is on our side and the strength is on our side. Today, on the world scale, the force factor comes to the fore, and strong states can achieve what they want. Azerbaijan is also a strong country. We have a strong army, a strong economy and a balanced policy. This residential complex is a temporary place of residence for you. However, we want the conditions, even if temporary, to be good. After the liberation from the occupation, we will surely create such beautiful small towns in the lands that are under occupation today. I congratulate you once again on this remarkable event. I wish you good health and success.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

Trend:

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has sent a congratulatory letter to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

On behalf of the people of Kazakhstan and on my own behalf, I congratulate you and the fraternal people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of your national holiday, the Republic Day, the Kazakh president said in his letter.

Azerbaijan has achieved great success in strengthening the foundations of its statehood, improving the welfare of the people, increasing the countrys authority in the international community. I wish further dynamic development for your country and achievement of the goals set under your leadership. I am confident that the strategic cooperation between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, based on tradition friendship and mutual understanding, will continue to develop for the sake of well-being of the peoples of the two countries.

In his letter, Nazarbayev wished good health and inexhaustible energy to Ilham Aliyev, and peace and prosperity to the Azerbaijani people.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

Trend:

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a congratulatory letter to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Accept my sincere congratulations on the occasion of your national holiday, the Republic Day, which is especially widely celebrated in Azerbaijan this anniversary year, Putin said in his letter.

Your country has achieved significant success in the economic, social, scientific, technical, humanitarian and other spheres. Azerbaijan has great authority in the international community. I note with satisfaction the high level of relations between Russia and Azerbaijan. Our countries cooperate effectively in various spheres and actively interact in resolving important issues of regional and global agenda. I am confident that the strategic cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan will continue to develop for the sake of well-being of the friendly peoples of our countries and the maintenance of international stability and security.

In his letter, Vladimir Putin wished good health and success to Ilham Aliyev, prosperity and well-being to all Azerbaijani people.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

Trend:

Interview with Vasif Asadov who earned 700 points at the entrance exams

 Please tell about yourself.

 I was born on September 28, 2000, in the Ismayilli town. In 2007, I went to the first class of the 6th town school in Ismayilli. My father is working in Russia and my mother is a housewife. I am the oldest child in the family, and I have a younger brother.

 Vasif, why have you chosen Baku Higher Oil School?

 I have been interested in engineering since my childhood. Actually, I was going to study abroad to receive good higher education. So, I started looking for a university, and BHOS was listed among others. I gathered as much information about the Higher School as possible and then I realized that BHOS was the only higher educational institution I needed.

 Whom you are indebted for your success and achievements?

 I am very grateful to my parents and my teachers and friends at the school, who greatly contributed to my successes in education.

 What hobbies do you have? What do you do in your leisure time?

 I like reading very much, so I can say that this is my hobby. Naturally, last year I was fully occupied with entrance exams preparations, but I like fiction books since I learned to read at the primary school. In addition, I like playing chess and volleyball and going in for sports.

 Have you decided yet what you would do after graduation from BHOS?

 I am going to continue my education at one of universities abroad, most probably in the USA or Germany.

 At BHOS, you will study Process Automation Engineering. What do you like in this profession?

 I became interested in this field after I learned that you needed to earn very high score to be Process Automation Engineering student. I like competitions and I like to win, so I was determined to get the highest possible score and study this specialty. Just imagine that prospective students have to earn no less than 685 points to be eligible to study Process Automation Engineering! This implies strong competition and high-quality education.

 What would you advise to those young people who have not chosen their profession yet?

 Without the slightest hesitation, I would advise all those prospective students who take exams in the first group of specializations to choose the Baku Higher Oil School. I was very impressed by the School campus, which I visited. I am happy that my biggest dream came true and I became BHOS student. I wish all other young people who would like to study here to achieve their goal, too.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

Trend:

YARAT Contemporary Art Space, a not-for-profit non-governmental contemporary art organization in Baku, for the first time presents an exhibition of works by leading Azerbaijani painters Mikayil Abdullayev, Rasim Babayev, Sattar Bahlulzade, Gennady Brijatyuk, Nadir Abdurahmanov, Kamal Ahmed, Ujal Hagverdiyev, Igor Zhuk, Javad Mirjavadov, Boyukagha Mirzazade, Ashraf Murad, Toghrul Narimanbekov, Nadir Gasimov, Eldar Gurban, Maral Rahmanzade, Altay Sadigzade, Ogtay Sadigzade, Tahir Salahov, Khalida Safarova, Mahmud Taghiyev, Taghi Taghiyev, Farhad Khalilov, Gayyur Yunus at the Museum of XX-XXI Century Azerbaijani Painting.

The works will be showcased May 26, 2018  January 6, 2019.

This exhibition brings together works by leading Azerbaijani painters who together defined a key

period in Azeri Soviet art. After the death of Stalin in 1953, there was a new wave of freedom of

expression across the Soviet Union and the artists were the first to benefit.

Having been suddenly exposed to two pivotal shows of the time, the 1956 Picasso exhibition at the Pushkin Museum and the American National Exhibition in 1958, which for the first time showed works by Abstract Expressionists to the Soviet public, the new generation of Azeri artists heralded a new direction in painting.

Away from the dogmatic prescriptions of Socialist Realism they developed their own distinct styles, unique in terms of their use of bright color, daring subject matter, bold brushstrokes, heavy impasto, and adoption of folklore elements.

While some artists, such as Tahir Salahov, pushed the technique of Realism, to add more expressive lines and emotive renderings, forming the famous Severe Style, others abandoned it altogether. Led by Mirjavad Mirjavadov they adopted a bold palette and a heavily layered technique both in form and content.

Often adding basic, earthly materials to their works these artists, who together founded the Absheron School of Colourists, used a language often borrowed from Oriental symbolism and folk-tales to express their discontent with the status quo. Still others, such as Boyukagha Mirzazade and Maral Rahmanzade, perfected their technique of realistic depictions of the changing lifestyle around them portraying a new era of openness and progress.

How does one navigate such distinct styles and worldviews? What brings together such different

artists as Sattar Bahlulzade and Toghrul Narimanbekov? This exhibition follows three popular

themes largely preoccupying Azerbaijani painters in the period between the thaw of 1960s up until the perestroika at the end of 1980s. Labour, Leisure and Dreams suggests an existence structured by the Soviet realities, yet deconstructed, repurposed and re-imagined through art. It proposes a new

vantage point to view, analyse and appreciate the masters of the Golden Period in Azerbaijani

painting of the 20th century. It is an invitation to momentarily enter the world that they inhabited

and to envision the ideas and fantasies that moved them.

Curator: Suad Garayeva-Maleki

Research: Farah Alakbarli



Location: Museum of Azerbaijani Painting of the XX-XXI Centuries

Bayil District / National Flag Square, Baku, Azerbaijan

Dates: 26 May  6 January 2018

Exhibition open: Tuesday through Sunday, from 11:00 until 20:00.

Admission is free

About YARAT

YARAT is an artist-founded, not-for-profit art organisation based in Baku, Azerbaijan, established by Aida Mahmudova in 2011. YARAT (which means 'create' in Azerbaijani) is dedicated to contemporary art with a long-term commitment to creating a hub for artistic practice, research, thinking and education in the Caucasus, Central Asia and surrounding region.

YARAT comprises YARAT Art Centre, ARTIM Project Space, YARAT Studios, YAY Gallery and an extended educational and public programme. YARAT Art Centre, a 2000m converted Soviet-era naval building, opened in March 2015 and is the organisation's main exhibition space.

The exhibition programme features new commissions by artists responding to the region. It supports and provides access to artists from the region, while engaging and introducing established, international artists.

In October 2015, YARAT opened ARTIM, a central, accessible and dynamic space in Baku's Old City. ARTIM (meaning 'progress' in Azerbaijani) shows experimental practices and new work by emerging Azeri art professionals (selected through open call) and the international artists from the residency programme. It features multiple small-scale projects each year and hosts ARTIM LAB, a programme enabling young artists to engage in workshops and daily studio practice to generate new ideas and works.

In 2016 YARAT launched a renewed residency programme. Aimed at developing young Azerbaijani voices and emerging international artists, the focus is on new, innovative practices and artists with an interest in the region. The residency programme hosts 6 international and 4 local artists a year at YARAT Studios spaces.

Education has been at the heart of YARAT's activities since its creation. With a dedicated public

programme that includes courses, workshops, lectures, screenings, festivals, literature and theatre

clubs and family weekends, YARAT aims to give access to broad audiences of all ages. The public programme invests proactively in building communities and nurturing a wider understanding of, and participation in, contemporary art.



About the Museum of Azerbaijani Painting of the XX-XXI Centuries

Situated on the National Flag Square the Museum of XX-XXI Century Azerbaijani Painting was

founded by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. The Museum was inaugurated in June 2015 by the

President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev and the First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva.

It presents works by both prominent and lesser-known Azerbaijani painters from State Collections, such as the National Picture Gallery and the Museum of Modern Art. From 2018 onwards YARAT was commissioned to present a series of exhibitions with the works from the collection and to organize a public programme of events running throughout the year.

Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

The Azerbaijan Banks Association (ABA) will have a specialized "window", which will help fight the bad loans, a banking source told Trend May 23.

The source noted that the issue was discussed today by bankers and representatives of ABA.

"The "specialized window" is an office to be established within the Baku Approach. The principle will be as follows: individuals and legal entities that have credit in several banks will be able to apply to this office for help. The office, in turn, will contact the banks and discuss how to help the clients. Among the possible options are the restructuring of the loan or the issuance of a new loan to repay bad loans," the source said.

The source believes such an approach based on the Turkish model (Istanbul Approach) is hardly possible to be applied fully in Azerbaijan. It can be applied to big legal entities that have loans in five to six banks. But this approach, the source noted, may not work in the case of individuals who have one bad loan.

"This narrows the scope of the Baku Approach and does not allow it to be applied to those who take consumer loans," the source added.

Over the past two or three years, banks have restructured a big number of loans, but each bank has taken these measures separately, and the desired results have not been achieved across the market. The Baku Approach, in turn, provides for comprehensive measures to deal with bad loans, including restructuring loans and easing credit conditions.

According to the Central Bank of Azerbaijan, the volume of overdue loans in the country as of April 1, 2018 amounted to 1.71 billion manats, which is 7.5 percent more than in the same period last year. The share of overdue loans in the banks' total loan portfolio increased from 10.2 to 14.6 percent over the period.

There are 30 banks in Azerbaijan.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @AzadHasanliBaku, Azerbaijan, May 24

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Bulgaria plans to transport agricultural products, petroleum and chemical products and other goods via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK), Trend learned from Bulgarian Transport Ministry.

"Bulgaria is located on traditional trade routes between Europe and Asia with a relatively well-developed transport network, having a very good bilateral and multilateral cooperation with its neighboring countries in both Europe and Asia. Two TEN-T core corridors cross our country. Investing in a transport infrastructures upgrade in West-East/North-South direction would strengthen Euro-Asian transport connectivity offering services of better quality and larger capacity along the trade ways between European and Asian markets via Bulgarian territory. Developing the West-East direction via the Black Sea and Turkey, we focus on provision of transport services in support of the trade to the Caspian and Far-East States. We expect to transport agricultural products, wine, vegetable oils, cosmetics, petroleum and chemical products," said the ministry.

Further, the Transport Ministry said that Bulgaria is actively working to modernize the existing transport networks through large-scale investments in the sector.

"The crossroad location of the country is a serious prerequisite for the development of the transit traffic in the directions of the Trans-European Transport Corridors. Because of its key location, 50 percent of the traffic in Bulgaria is in transit," said the ministry.

"So far, Bulgaria has built a large part of the railway corridor linking the port of Burgas with Serbia and Turkey. By 2023, the entire completion of these directions is expected. As a result of our good cooperation with the European Commission, the railway lines to Turkey and to the port of Burgas are included in the main Trans-European Transport Network and are being built with European funding."

Both Black Sea ports in Varna and Burgas have terminals for the transfer of goods from sea to land transport (ro-ro terminals), said the ministry.

"At Varna Port there is also a ferryboat complex, which is a unique transport facility allowing changing of the wheelsets and switching from a standard European (1435 mm) to a Russian (1520 mm) track-gauge. With this advantage, the terminal offers one of the shortest and cheapest freight routes between Europe and Asia."

With the support of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and the whole government, Bulgaria is also working actively to build Corridor 8 connecting Adriatic with the Black Sea and Corridor 10 via Salzburg-Ljubljana-Zagreb-Belgrade-Nis-Sofia-Thessaloniki, according to the Transport Ministry.

"The Bulgarian and Macedonian governments signed an agreement for the construction of Corridor 8 and our country is committed to building its part of the corridor by 2027. At present, the National Railway Infrastructure Company is making the technical design of the Bulgarian section of the corridor," said the ministry.

Another project of the government with high added value is the realization of the transport corridor Rousse-Varna-Burgas-Kavala-Alexandroupolis-Thessaloniki.

"The two countries [Bulgaria and Greece] work together to build this strategic transport link that will allow freight transport from the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea and the Danube River. Bulgaria and Greece have already participated in several meetings with the European Commission where details of the project were discussed," said the ministry.

The official opening ceremony of the BTK railway was held in Baku Oct. 30, 2017. The BTK railway was constructed on the basis a Georgian-Azerbaijani-Turkish intergovernmental agreement.

The railways peak capacity will be 17 million tons of cargo per year. At an initial stage, this figure will be one million passengers and 6.5 million tons of cargo.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_ZeynBaku, Azerbaijan, May 24

By Ilkin Shafiyev  Trend:

The Azerbaijani Agriculture Ministry is facilitating an access to financial resources for entrepreneurs.

For this purpose, protocols of intent have been signed between the State Service on Management of Agricultural Projects and Credits under the Azerbaijani Ministry of Agriculture and a number of Azerbaijani banks and non-bank credit organizations in Baku May 24.

The protocols were signed by representatives of the International Bank of Azerbaijan, PASHA Bank, Kapital Bank, TuranBank, Rabitabank, Aqrarkredit CJSC, Finoko OJSC and Finance Invest OJSC.

The representatives of the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations attended the signing ceremony.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @IlkinShafiyevBaku, Azerbaijan, May 24

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

The Swiss Rieter Machines & Systems may participate in projects implemented in the textile industry of Uzbekistan, the press service of the Uztekstilprom association stated on May 24 referring to the meeting between representatives of the Uztekstilprom and General Manager of the Rieter Machines & Systems Jan Siebert and Vice-President of the Rieter AG Reto Thom.

The production capacities of Rieter Uzbekistan allow producing a complete chain of equipment from processing of cotton fiber to production of yarn. Large projects in the textile industry of Uzbekistan have been implemented with participation of the Rieter AG.

In line with the localization and import optimization program, an $11-million project in the textile machinery production sphere was implemented jointly with Rieter AG, making Uzbekistan one of the countries producing spinning equipment.

Reto Thom said that Rieter AG is constantly working on improving the technologies based on the needs of the partners, and the concern will supply the latest model of the Airjet spinning equipment to Uzbekistan in August 2018. After implementation of this project, the Uzbek textile industry will be able to compete with the leading producers of finished products from synthetic fiber.

Airjet is a fully automatic aerodynamic spinning machine of a new design with a production speed of 500 meters per minute, which ensures processing of polyester fiber, thus, expanding the field of application of the machine (viscose, blends with cotton and chemical fiber). The system is equipped with a special yarn control device, which has been modified for aerodynamic spinning applications.

Ian Siebert, in turn, emphasized dynamic development of the textile industry in Uzbekistan in recent years.

Head of the Rieter Machines & Systems announced readiness to develop a special training program for young and talented engineers from Uzbekistan at the company's facilities in Switzerland, Germany, China, India and Uzbekistan.

Earlier, the training of personnel for the textile industry was also discussed with the Turkish Dilmenler company during the visit of the delegation of the Uztekstilprom association to Istanbul in April 2018.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanovBank Hapoalim, Israels largest lender, reported on Thursday a drop in quarterly net profit that missed analysts forecasts due to a provision related to an ongoing U.S. tax evasion investigation, Reuters reports.

The bank set aside an additional provision of 60 million shekels ($17 million) to cover a possible future settlement in the U.S. probe, bringing its total provision to $365 million.

It also booked a legal expense of 87 million shekels related to the investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and New York State authorities.

Hapoalim, which had legal expenses of 89 shekels in all of 2017, said talks were ongoing and could not give a timetable for a resolution, although it is hoping for a conclusion in 2018.

It earned 628 million shekels in the first quarter, down from 767 million a year earlier and compared with the 799 million forecast in a Reuters poll of analysts.

Net interest income rose to 2.16 billion shekels in the quarter from 2.07 billion a year earlier, while credit loss expenses jumped to 250 million shekels from 107 million.

The bank said the increase in credit loss expenses stemmed from a 3 billion shekel rise, or 4.8 percent, in corporate lending.

The gain in lending also pushed its core Tier 1 capital ratio to risk-weighted assets, a key measure of financial strength, down to 11.05 percent from 11.26 percent at the end of 2017.

Its non performing loan ratio declined to 0.7 percent in the quarter from 0.75 percent in 2017 and 2.8 percent in 2013.

Hapoalim said it would pay a quarterly dividend of 251 million shekels, or 18.35 per share, representing a payout of 40 percent of net profit.

The banks shares were 1.5 percent lower in morning trade in Tel Aviv.

Its main rival, Leumi, reported net profit of 730 million shekels in the quarter, up from 622 million a year earlier but below expectations for 769 million.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

Strategy Partners Group, a Russian consulting company, will assist Uzbekistan in creating a strategy for the development of agriculture until 2030, the press service of the Ministry of Agriculture stated citing a draft decree on May 24.

According to the document, the disorderly planning in agriculture and lack of an effective mechanism for interaction between the authorized bodies led to a dilution of responsibility for the decisions made and the achievement of certain results.

Such problems have led to low efficiency in the use of production and resource potential, as well as hindered diversification and modernization of the industry, introduction of advanced innovative and resource-saving technologies.

Intensive use of land and non-compliance with the principles of rational resource allocation led to salinity of 45 percent of irrigated land. Due to lack of focus on export development, the country has not yet developed infrastructure and a system for promoting products abroad, with the markets of certain foreign countries being closed to Uzbek products with high added value due to protectionism policies.

The difficulty in creating necessary volumes of supply for large importers is an additional constraint. The issue is caused by high fragmentation of agricultural producers in the republic. Products with low added value predominate in their portfolio, while their productivity is still inferior to developed countries.

The Ministry of Agriculture together with the Strategy Partners Group will complete drafting a strategy for the development of agriculture until 2030 by December 31, 2018.

The strategy will have to contain measures for stable growth of added value in manufactured products, increase of export volumes, as well as geographical and product diversification of supplies, ensuring food and environmental security, increasing the efficiency of the industry and further increasing per capita income and the quality of life of the rural population.

According to experts, implementation of the strategy will result in the country becoming one of the leaders of Central Asia in exporting food and light industry products with high added value, rationally using and constantly developing labor, water and land resources.

Strategy Partners Group is a Russian strategic consultant who is operating since 1994. The company assists its clients in carrying out transformations that promote effective use of intellectual, material and financial resources to ensure leadership in competition and sustainable growth.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanovBaku, Azerbaijan, May 24

By Ilkin Shafiyev - Trend:

Azerbaijan needs to change the mechanism of crediting tobacco manufacturers, President of the Association of Tobacco Producers and Exporters Telman Hasratov told Trend.

He noted that the mechanism used today creates inconvenience for farmers.

"The loan depends on the size of the area where tobacco is grown. For every 10 hectares of area, 15,000 manats are allocated. And if a farmer growing tobacco on an area of 150 hectares wants to receive, say, 150,000 manats, then this loan is paid in parts for 10 months  15,000 manats per month. Tobacco is grown and harvested at certain times of the year. That is, an entrepreneur cannot get the money when he needs it. The farmer cannot use a dedicated credit," said Hasratov.

He noted that solving a number of other issues is also on the agenda of the association.

"Today, a shortage of land for tobacco cultivation is observed. There is a lack of modern technology and tobacco varieties. The low purchase price of raw tobacco and the high interest rates on loans also remain as problems," said Hasratov.

(1.7 AZN = 1 USD on May 24)

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @IlkinShafiyevEuropean Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager will hold a news conference on Thursday to announce an antitrust decision, which is expected to be on Gazprom, Reuters reports.

The European Commission said in a statement that Vestager would hold a news conference, indicating it was likely to be at around 1200 CET, on an antitrust decision, without specifying the subject.

The Commission is expected to end a seven-year-long investigation into Gazprom after the Russian gas company agreed to reforms aimed at bringing down gas prices in eastern Europe and paving the way for rivals in the region.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:

Norwegian oilfield services company HydraWell will continue to monitor the market in Azerbaijan, Vice President for business development of the company Arne Larsen told Trend via email May 24.

"We will continue to monitor the market in Azerbaijan and increase our activities here as necessary, but there are no specific plans yet," Larsen said.

He also added that the company is ready to support any field operator in Azerbaijan, which is looking for cost-effective methods of bridging offshore and onshore wells.

"However, for certain reasons I can't be more specific," Larsen said.

HydraWell has signed a contract for the provision of services for the well plugging and abandonment at major Azerbaijani gas field "Absheron" with the company Total E&P Absheron. This work was successfully completed in early May. In particular, the contract provided for the use of hydraulic system HydraHemeraTM Perf, Wash and Cement (PWC ), which is able to install the barriers between the rocks in two days.

In 2016, SOCAR and Total signed a framework agreement on the main contractual and commercial principles governing the first phase of the Absheron field development program.

At the first stage, the development of the field includes drilling one well at a sea depth of 450 meters. As part of the first stage of development of "Absheron" it is planned to produce about 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas and 700,000 tons of condensate. At the second stage, it is planned to produce up to four billion cubic meters of gas per year.

According to experts of Total, the reserves of the field "Absheron" make 326 billion cubic meters of gas and 108 million tons of condensate.

JOCAP, a joint venture with 50 percent ownership by SOCAR and the remaining 50 percent by Total, is the operator of the development of the Absheron field.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @MTsurkovTrendJ. Christopher Smith

One of Springfields most successful capitalists traveled to the nations capital earlier this month to weigh in on the nations opioid crisis. It was not a convincing performance.J. Christopher Smith, erstwhile president and chief executive officer of H.D. Smith, didnt appear happy to testify under oath on May 8 along with executives from three other drug distribution companies that shipped millions of addictive painkillers to pharmacies in tiny West Virginia burgs where addiction and overdose rates have skyrocketed. But when the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce issues this kind of invitation, it amounts to an offer you cant refuse.In a January letter to Smith, the subcommittee summarized drug shipments from his company to rural pharmacies in numbers so massive even Pablo Escobar would blush. Sav-Rite Pharmacy in Kermit, West Virginia, population 406, is just one example. In 2008, H.D. Smith sent more than 1.3 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pills to Sav-Rite, an increase of more than 1,100 percent over the prior year. The pharmacy owner, who got a six-month sentence for violating federal drug laws, has testified that his pharmacy was dispensing prescriptions at the rate of one per minute, with customers coming from a nearby pill mill.All told, H.D. Smith shipped 13.7 million hydrocodone and 4.4 million oxycodone pills to West Virginia between 2007 and 2012. Other distributors also shipped unfathomable amounts of painkillers to unlikely rural pharmacies in West Virginia as the state became known as the epicenter of a burgeoning national opioid crisis, and so they, too, were called before the subcommittee to answer some pretty obvious questions.(D)o you believe that the actions that you or your company took contributed to the opioid epidemic? U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper, R-Mississippi, asked each of the four executives. Dr. Joseph Mastandrea, board chairman of Miami-Luken, was the only executive who answered yes.I believe H.D. Smith conducted itself responsibly and discharged its obligations, Smith answered.Is that a no? the congressman pressed.That is a no, Smith responded. Smith also said no when Harper asked whether his company had, in the past, failed to maintain effective controls to prevent diversion of opioids from legitimate uses. Did the extraordinary volume of opioids shipped to small-town pharmacies indicate that monitoring systems designed to flag suspicious orders had broken down? I dont believe we had a breakdown in our system, Smith replied.Things devolved from there.While executives from two other companies acknowledged fault and said theyd do things differently, Smith stood firm: H.D. Smith, one of Springfields largest employers, had done nothing wrong. The company reported suspicious sales and orders to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, he said, but when the DEA told companies that suspicious orders should be reported but not filled, instead of filled then reported after the fact, it became very, very difficult to interact with the DEA and get feedback. They were, in fact, as evasive as possible in the midst of this crisis to us, in terms of giving us guidance.U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks, R-Indiana, wasnt impressed by attempts to blame the DEA. She asked Smith about an email showing that H.D. Smiths director of corporate security had been told in 2008 that a single physician had written 262,000 prescriptions for hydrocodone. Many of the prescriptions were filled at a West Virginia pharmacy called Family Discount that was supplied by H.D. Smith, which shipped more than 1.1 million painkillers in 2008 to the drugstore in Mount Gay-Shamrock, enough to provide everyone in town with 635 pills. In 2009, that same physician, who moved to the Bahamas after the feds launched a pill-mill investigation, wrote more than half of the hydrocodone prescriptions filled by the pharmacy, according to an H.D Smith report cited by Brooks.H.D. Smith in 2011 ceased doing business with Family Discount, the year after the feds raided the suspected pill mill that was the source of prescriptions, but Smiths company resumed selling drugs to the pharmacy in 2015. Sales continued after an H.D. Smith employee in early 2016 wrote an email raising concerns about the company providing drugs to another Family Discount pharmacy three miles away that had burned through a monthly limit of hydrocodone in just 12 days.Lets talk about this due diligence, Brooks said when Smith mentioned his companys robust due diligence. Was Smith aware that other distributors had cut off Family Discount when his company decided to resume sales in 2015? No, Smith answered. Smith also professed ignorance when Brooks asked about controlled substance sales to Family Discount in 2016 that exceeded monthly limits. (I)n fact, one of your employees indicated (in an email) that the justification was to meet our guideline to obtain our monthly discount, the congresswoman said. What monthly discount?Im not sure what that refers to, Smith answered.By the time H.D. Smith ceased doing business with Family Discount in February, Smith was out of the picture, having sold the privately held company for $815 million in January. I will say that, according to a document we received  the committee  the company cited its reason for taking this action and finally terminating the relationship with Family Discount was due to, reference negative news articles, said Brooks, referring to an internal company document prepared after media reports of the Springfield companys history of shipping boatloads of painkillers to West Virginia.Three of the four executives who testified alongside Smith vowed that they will look for communities where the amount of opioids shipped appears to be in excess of need. Smith, having sold his interest in the company, wasnt among them.Im not in a position to do that, he said.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:

Twenty percent of the total number of participants of the 25th International Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition and Conference and 8th Caspian International Power and Alternative Energy Exhibition will attend the events for the first time, said Executive Director of Iteca Caspian Farid Mammadov.

He made the remarks on May 24 at a press conference dedicated to the opening of exhibitions in Baku on May 29.

"This year 312 companies from 38 countries will take part in Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition. The national groups will be presented by Italy, Belarus and Russia. This year's exhibition has expanded thanks to the addition of new companies, which accounted for 20 percent of the total number of participants. Most of them are foreign participants, showing high interest in the oil and gas market of Azerbaijan. Forty percent of the exhibition area will be occupied by well-known companies that are permanent participants of the exhibition," Mammadov said.

He also noted that during the years of the exhibition about 7,500 companies from more than 70 countries took part in the event.

"Special postage stamps were issued for the first time on occasion of the anniversary exhibition. Also the "Caspian Gold" perfume, developed by perfumers of Azerbaijan will be presented," Mammadov said.

Traditionally, for many years, state oil company SOCAR has been acting as the general sponsor of the Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition, BP and Equinor companies  as gold sponsors, TPAO  as silver sponsor, and Azeri M-I Drilling Fluids, AZFEN, Baku Steel Company, Bos Shelf, SOCAR Polymer, CDC, CMS, Global Energy Azerbaijan, Tekfen Construction, and Russian export center are listed among the bronze sponsors.

B2B meetings will be held for the first time within the exhibition this year, where local and foreign companies will take part.

About 500 delegates, including top managers of companies, representatives of industry ministries, international and Azerbaijani experts will take part in the conference dedicated to the exhibition. About 50 speakers will make presentations. The program includes the speeches of the Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan Parviz Shahbazov, the Secretary General of OPEC Mohammed Barkindo, Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Yury Sentyurin, the President of SOCAR Rovnag Abdullayev, BP's Regional President Gary Jones, and the European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources Gunther Oettinger.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:

Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR will sign two memorandums with foreign companies at the Caspian Oil & Gas conference in Baku, said Aynur Nazarli, the conference manager, at a press conference dedicated to the 25th International Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition and Conference.

"On the first day of the conference, after a plenary session, two memorandums between SOCAR and foreign companies are expected to be signed. More detailed information will be provided during the conference," Nazarli said.

The 25th International Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition and Conference and the 8th Caspian International Power and Alternative Energy Exhibition, Caspian Power 2018, will be held from May 29 to June 1 in Baku.

This year 312 companies from 38 countries will take part in Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition. The national groups will be presented by Italy, Belarus and Russia. This year's exhibition has expanded thanks to the addition of new companies, which accounted for 20 percent of the total number of participants. Most of them are foreign participants, showing high interest in the oil and gas market of Azerbaijan. Forty percent of the exhibition area will be occupied by well-known companies that are permanent participants of the exhibition.

Traditionally, for many years, state oil company SOCAR has been acting as the general sponsor of the Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition, BP and Equinor companies  as gold sponsors, TPAO  as silver sponsor, and Azeri M-I Drilling Fluids, AZFEN, Baku Steel Company, Bos Shelf, SOCAR Polymer, CDC, CMS, Global Energy Azerbaijan, Tekfen Construction, and Russian export center are listed among the bronze sponsors.

B2B meetings will be held for the first time within the exhibition this year, where local and foreign companies will take part.

About 500 delegates, including top managers of companies, representatives of industry ministries, international and Azerbaijani experts will take part in the conference dedicated to the exhibition. About 50 speakers will make presentations. The program includes the speeches of the Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan Parviz Shahbazov, the Secretary General of OPEC Mohammed Barkindo, Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Yury Sentyurin, the President of SOCAR Rovnag Abdullayev, BP's Regional President Gary Jones, and the European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources Gunther Oettinger.Details added (first version posted at 16:36)

Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:

Twenty percent of the total number of participants of the 25th International Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition and Conference and 8th Caspian International Power and Alternative Energy Exhibition will attend the events for the first time, said Executive Director of Iteca Caspian Farid Mammadov.

He made the remarks on May 24 at a press conference dedicated to the opening of exhibitions in Baku on May 29.

"This year 312 companies from 38 countries will take part in Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition. The national groups will be presented by Italy, Belarus and Russia. This year's exhibition has expanded thanks to the addition of new companies, which accounted for 20 percent of the total number of participants. Most of them are foreign participants, showing high interest in the oil and gas market of Azerbaijan. Forty percent of the exhibition area will be occupied by well-known companies that are permanent participants of the exhibition," Mammadov said.

He also noted that during the years of the exhibition about 7,500 companies from more than 70 countries took part in the event.

"Special postage stamps were issued for the first time on occasion of the anniversary exhibition. Also the "Caspian Gold" perfume, developed by perfumers of Azerbaijan will be presented," Mammadov said.

Traditionally, for many years, state oil company SOCAR has been acting as the general sponsor of the Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition, BP and Equinor companies  as gold sponsors, TPAO  as silver sponsor, and Azeri M-I Drilling Fluids, AZFEN, Baku Steel Company, Bos Shelf, SOCAR Polymer, CDC, CMS, Global Energy Azerbaijan, Tekfen Construction, and Russian export center are listed among the bronze sponsors.

B2B meetings will be held for the first time within the exhibition this year, where local and foreign companies will take part.

About 500 delegates, including top managers of companies, representatives of industry ministries, international and Azerbaijani experts will take part in the conference dedicated to the exhibition. About 50 speakers will make presentations. The program includes the speeches of the Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan Parviz Shahbazov, the Secretary General of OPEC Mohammed Barkindo, Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Yury Sentyurin, the President of SOCAR Rovnag Abdullayev, BP's Regional President Gary Jones, and the European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources Gunther Oettinger.The 17th sitting of the committee of the heads of law enforcement units of the Council of Heads of Customs Services of CIS member states took place in Almaty, Kazakh media outlets reported.

Delegations from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, CIS Executive Committee's reps, CIS Anti-Terrorism Centre attended it.

The strategy of the committee of the heads of law enforcement units until 2020 was signed following the results of the meeting.

Those attending discussed fight against economic customs crimes, drug trafficking, consolidation of the role of analytical component in the work of operating units, dog training activities and law enforcement officials training and education, etc. Great attention was paid to drug traffic control. Last year the CIS customs services seized 8 tons of drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors. Besides, the gathered discussed cooperation with CIS Anti-Terrorism Centre.

The next meeting of the committee will be held in Kyrgyzstan.Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, May 24

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Representatives of Turkmenistans State Committee for Television, Radio and Cinematography, lawmakers, journalists and officials from relevant ministries and research and educational institutions discussed broadcasting regulation and new models of broadcasting at an OSCE-supported seminar, the OSCE said in a press release.

The event took place in Ashgabat in May 2018.

International experts presented different models of broadcasting, focusing on the respective advantages and challenges of public service, private and commercial television. Special attention was paid to best international practices and national experiences of the countries with transitional models.

In January, the Mejlis of Turkmenistan passed the Law on Television and Radio Broadcasting, said Ambassador Natalya Drozd, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat. The adoption of this law is an important step towards enhancing the national media legislation and bringing it into compliance with international standards and the requirements of the modern media environment.

She also noted that the seminar provided an opportunity to share best practices of transition to new models of broadcasting and facilitate discussions on efficient mechanisms of broadcasting regulation to promote the pluralism of broadcast media.

The seminar included interactive group discussions on possible models of broadcasting at the national and regional level and issues pertinent to the establishment of private broadcasting companies, including the development of the business model and identification of the audience and content. The participants exchanged views on private television and competition, highlighting the importance of the companys organizational structure and strategy.

The seminar was organized as part of the OSCE Centres Project Co-operation in the area of enhancing media legislation and promoting freedom of expression.Tehran, Iran, May 24



By Kamyar Eghbalnejad - Trend:



An agreement for the construction of Irans first-ever fully automated terminal was signed in Tehran, under which the country would be able to increase the volume of its mineral exports.



The document was signed in the Iranian capital on May 23 between Sistan and Baluchestan provinces Ports and Maritime Department and an Iranian private company, according to the official website of IMIDRO (Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization).



Director of IMIDRO Mehdi Karbasian and Mohammad Rastad, the countrys Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) head, were present at the signing ceremony.



The terminal will be built in the southeastern port city of Chabahar on the shores of the Indian Ocean.



The planned terminal would have a loading capacity of 15 million tons of minerals and will be constructed in an area of 13 hectares, the report said.

The creation of the terminal will allow establishing 250 direct and indirect jobs.



During the ceremony, Karbasian described the port of Chabahar as a key spot for Irans mineral industries, noting that Afghanistan has huge mineral resources and we are hopeful we could export their minerals through the Chabahar port.



With new moderated prices for services offered at Chabahars Shahid Beheshti Port, this southeastern Iranian port has turned into the cheapest option for doing business in the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea.



Foreign ships belonging to international liners are entitled to a 90 percent discount on terminal handling charges for a three-month period, followed by a 70 percent discount for the second quarter and then a 30 percent discount will be extended for the next six months. PMO will grant a 30 percent discount to international ship liners in their second year of operation in Chabahar. On top of that, more discounts will be offered on ports duties, according to Iranian media outlets.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

Trend:

Iran exports vegetables including garlic, tomatoes and cucumbers to Russia, Hossein Shirzad, head of Central Organization for Rural Cooperatives of Iran, said.

Irans garlic export to Russia has started in the current year and 41 tons of the product is being exported to the neighboring country so far, Shirzad said, the Press Office of agriculture ministry reported.

He expressed hope that the volume will increase by the end of the garlic production season in Kazakhstan, one of the main suppliers of the product to Russia.

Shirzad further said that since the beginning of garlic harvest in current year, 800 tons of the product have been purchased from farmers of Kerman, Zanjan and Ardabil provinces and stored in cold warehouses in East Azerbaijan province for domestic use as well as export to Russia.

Irans garlic export to Russia amounted to 1,235 tons, worth $1.22 million in the last fiscal year, ended March 20, according to the data of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, 47 and 44 percent in terms of volume and value, respectively, year-on-year.

Iran exported 2,360 tons of garlic, worth $2.184 million to Russia in the preceding year.

Irans overall garlic exports accounted to $1.31 million in the last fiscal year, 45 percent less compared to the previous fiscal year.Tehran, Iran, May 24

By Kamyar Eghbalnejad - Trend:



Iran's Deputy Transport Minister Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan said the country would take delivery of European turboprop aircraft in less than three months.



Several ATR 72-600 planes will be delivered to Iran over the next three months, Fakhrieh Kashan told ILNA news agency on May 21.



The aircraft will be part of 20 ATR 72-600s deal which flag carrier Iran Air signed in 2017 as part of the countrys bid to rebuild its aviation fleet after years of sanctions.



Iran took delivery of the first four ATR aircraft in May 2017 and two more in September, the same year.



The 70-seat planes are aimed at underserved local economies, used in flights over a maximum distance of 1,528 kilometers. They will be operating among regional cities as part of a commercial plan, covering a populous crescent straddling Irans northwest and northeast.



Elsewhere in the interview, the Iranian deputy minister said Tehran has entered fresh round of talks with Airbus to determine the fate of its contract with Iran.



In December 2016, France-based Airbus Group signed a deal to sell Iran 100 jetliners worth about $19 billion at list prices. It has delivered three planes so far.



However, Airbus may backtrack on its promise to deliver the rest of the planes following US President Donald Trumps decision to leave the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.



In a speech from the White House on May 8, Trump announced the US withdrawal from the 2015 agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).



The US plans to reinstate sanctions against Tehran, with firms given 90-day or 180-day grace periods, depending on their business sector.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

Trend:

Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has announced six conditions for Iran to remain in the nuclear deal which must be met by the Europe.

He announced the conditions in a meeting with the government authorities and officials in Tehran, the official website of the leader reported.

Khamenei reminded that after the signing of the nuclear deal in 2015, Germany, France and the UK remained silent towards violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA or nuclear deal) by the US during the last two years.

The US has rejected the Resolution 2231 of the UN Security Council (endorses JCPOA, set out an inspection process and schedule while also preparing for removal of UN sanctions against Iran), he said, adding that the three European countries need to issue a resolution in the UN Security Council against the USs violation.

Europe must promise not to raise the issues of missiles and regional affairs of the Islamic Republic, Khamenei said.

He further said that Europe must counter any sanction against the Islamic Republic and explicitly stand to the USs sanctions.

Khamenei went on to say that Europe must also compensate for Iran's probable loss of oil revenues.

If the US can damage the sale of our oil, we must be able to sell as much oil as we want. Europeans must guarantee that they compensate for the loss, and that they buy Irans oil, Khamenei said.

As the next condition, Khamenei said that European banks must guarantee transactions with the Islamic Republic.

We have no conflicts with regard to these three countries (UK, France and Germany), but we do not trust them, based on previous experience, 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 US re-imposes the "highest level of economic sanctions" on the Islamic Republic.

Following the US decision, Khamenei said that "It is not logical to continue the implementation of the JCPOA without receiving enough guarantees from three European countries, the UK, France, and Germany."Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Looking at commercials, the main option for Iran to counter possible sanctions by the US and the withdrawal of European companies, will be a full focus on Asia, Cyril Widdershoven, a Middle East geopolitical specialist and energy analyst, a partner at Dutch risk consultancy VEROCY and SVP MEA-Risk, told Trend.

He believes that Iran needs to keep some support from the European Union.

"If they want to have a real position in the world, a rapprochment with the US will be needed, maybe via support of Russia and China, including EU," the expert added.

Widdershoven noted that looking at commercials, the main option to counter possible sanctions by the US and the withdrawal of European companies, will be a full focus on Asia (China, India) and an expansion to Central Asian, Caucasus and Turkey.

"No other real options will however be available if all sanctions are put in place. Financial constraints and lack of access to technology will be biting in the future capabilities of Iran," he said.

The expert noted that gas exports also will be hit, as this is mostly in cooperation with companies working with or in US or Western countries.

As for oil prices, Widdershoven believes that they will stay high.

"Dont expect OPEC or Russia to fill in any gaps due to lower Iranian oil and gas exports. They will try to balance the market around $75-$85 per barrel. There is no need for an end to the OPEC-Russia agreement at present too. Possibility of higher price settings is even larger than a price decline, looking at instability in the region," said the expert.

"At present gas exports to Asia, Central Asia or Turkey are the only real option. EU gas imports from Iran will be hit by sanctions for sure. Future is bleak, time to react or change total approach Iran is necessary, as there is no other option."

US President Trump warned on May 8 that the country will walk away from the nuclear accord of 2015, reached between Tehran and the six world powers. Trump also announced that Washington re-imposes the "highest level of economic sanctions" on the Islamic Republic.

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.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_ZeynBaku, Azerbaijan, May 24

Trend:

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a Cabinet meeting on May 24 that he had offered the countrys president to dismiss Chief of the General Staff Movses Hakobyan, RIA Novosti reported.

I suggested that the president dismiss the Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces in connection with his transfer to another job, Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan noted that the decision was made by mutual agreement.

A new Chief of the General Staff will be appointed today, the prime minister added.A US trade mission will visit Georgia to familiarise themselves with the local business environment, explore available opportunities and establish business ties with Georgian companies, Agenda reports.

Georgias Economy Minister Dimitry Kumsishvili and the US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Louis Ross agreed on holding another trade mission in Georgia at yesterdays meeting.

"Previously held trade missions significantly increased interest towards Georgia among US business circles which resulted in annually increased participation of the US private sector in the trade missions, read the press-release published by Georgias Ministry of Economy.

At the meeting Kumsishvili also raised the issue of establishing a free trade regime between Georgia and the US. He introduced the results of the study on the impact of the US-Georgia Free Trade Agreement on the bilateral economic relations to Ross.

The study was conducted by the international consultancy company PWC following the request of the Georgian government.

The study reported that the Free Trade Agreement would significantly increase the export value of both parties, promote investments and facilitate the creation of new jobs.China has found no clues to explain what happened to an American citizen working at a U.S. consulate who reported suffering from abnormal sounds and pressure leading to a mild brain injury, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Thursday, Reuters reports.

The U.S. embassy, which issued a health alert on Wednesday to Americans living in China, said it could not link the case to health problems suffered by U.S. government staff in Cuba dating back to late 2016.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said China has always safeguarded the security of foreign organizations and personnel of foreign countries, including the United States, according to the Vienna convention.

China has already conducted an earnest investigation and we have also given initial feedback to the U.S. side, Lu told a daily news briefing in Beijing.

Currently, we have not found any reasons or clues leading to the situation described by the United States, he said.

In Washington on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was concerned about the serious medical incident and raised it with Chinas visiting State Councillor Wang Yi.

The unnamed U.S. citizen assigned to the consulate in the southern city of Guangzhou had reported various physical symptoms dating from late 2017 to April this year, the U.S. embassy in Beijing said in an email.

The worker was sent to the United States for further evaluation. The clinical findings of this evaluation matched mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), the embassy said.

The State Department will send a medical team to Guangzhou early next week to conduct baseline medical evaluations of all consulate employees who request it, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.China said on Thursday it would open its door wider to German businesses, helping visiting Chancellor Angela Merkel defend free commerce and counterbalance trade threats from U.S. President Donald Trump that are testing transatlantic ties, Reuters reports.

Germany and China, two exporting nations that run large trade surpluses with the United States, have found themselves in Trumps firing line and are scrambling to preserve the rules-based multilateral order on which their prosperity rests.

Merkel faces a delicate balancing act on the China trip, her 11th since becoming chancellor in 2005, as she seeks to show Chinese-German solidarity over free trade and the Iran nuclear deal without harming German ties with long-term ally Washington.

In the latest U.S. trade move that has alarmed Beijing and Berlin alike, the Trump administration announced on Wednesday a national security investigation on into car and truck imports that could potentially lead to tariffs.

The announcement hurt share prices of both European and Asian carmakers. China vowed to protect its interests.

European countries are also concerned that their exporters could be hurt if China instructs importers to buy more U.S. goods to ease trade disputes with the Trump administration. China has already signaled to state companies to buy more U.S. oil and soybeans, trade sources told Reuters.

Premier Li Keqiang, in a joint media appearance with Merkel at Beijings Great Hall of the People, said China and Germany both upheld global free trade, and stressed the huge potential for cooperation between them.

Though the two countries had problems, they could be overcome, Li said. Chinas door is open. You can say it will open even wider, Li said, standing next to Merkel and stressing friendly relations with Germany.

Trumps America First trade policy, his administrations professed disdain for the World Trade Organization, as well as his withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, have pushed China and Germany into closer alignment, German officials say.

However, Merkels government also shares many of the Trump administrations concerns about Chinese business practices, including what many Western countries have complained are state-backed efforts to pressure foreign companies into giving up trade secrets.Israels defense minister said on Thursday he plans to seek approval next week for the construction of some 2,500 new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, Reuters reports.

Avigdor Lieberman, writing on Twitter, said a regional planning board would be asked to designate 1,400 of the housing units for immediate construction.

We will promote building in all of Judea and Samaria, from the north to south, in small communities and in large ones, Lieberman said, using the Biblical names for the West Bank.

The Trump administration has been working on a new peace proposal. David Friedman, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, said on Israeli Channel 10 News on Wednesday that the plan has not been finalised and he believed it would be presented within months.

Some 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas that are also home to more than 2.6 million Palestinians.Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Thursday, including with French President Emmanuel Macron and IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, TASS reports.

The Russian leader is expected to have full-format talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. The two presidents will meet days after Putins meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the agenda of the Russian-French talks will be largely similar to that of the Sochi meeting. Among the issues that Putin and Macron are expected to discuss are the Iranian nuclear deal and Syria.

"(The leaders) plan to discuss the prospects of maintaining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on regulating the Iranian nuclear program after the US unilateral withdrawal from the agreement," Ushakov added.

The two leaders will also pay attention to the bilateral agenda. The Kremlin aide said the two leaders may discuss participation by Frances Total in the Arctic LNG-2 project, if they consider it necessary.

According to Ushakov, the leaders plan to "sign several inter-ministerial and commercial documents," aimed at boosting cooperation between Moscow and Paris. He did not elaborate on their contents, as "the list is currently a work in progress."

Putin and Macron will also take part in various SPEF events. On May 25, they are to meet with Russian and French businessmen and members of the French-Russian Civil Society Forum dubbed Trianon Dialogue, which they agreed to establish in May 2017.Russia and North Korea plan to hold diplomatic contacts to discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with TV channel NTV, TASS reports.

"We will hope [for a positive outcome.] You know that [Russia] plans to have contacts between Russian and North Korean representatives, and they are expected at a diplomatic level," he said. "We will hope for the better: that we will be able to keep this impulse [in the settlement,]" Peskov added.

The Kremlin spokesman reiterated that "Moscow has a consistent, well known position" on the Korean settlement. "We want the countries to avoid any steps that could lead to further escalation of tensions on the peninsula," Peskov said.

"And, moreover, we are against damaging the fragile settlement process that just emerged," he added. "Of course, we wouldnt want it to be damaged," Peskov said.Russian government will not change the tax regime during the next six-year period, First Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told reporters on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, TASS reports.

"The state should create stable conditions. First, it includes taxes. We are talking about not changing taxes in the next six-year period," Siluanov said.Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

One of 140 megaprojects which Turkeys ruling Justice and Development Party intends to implement is the construction of a new town near the third airport in Istanbul, the Turkish media quoted the countrys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying May 24.

President Erdogan said that the party intends to construct a town with 10,000 houses.

A new town is planned to be built along the shipping canal in Istanbul, Erdogan added.

It has been recently reported about Justice and Development Partys plans on implementation of more than 140 megaprojects in case of victory in the parliamentary election.

The projects scheduled for implementation will be announced soon during the pre-election rallies, the first of which will take place in the countrys Erzurum province.

On June 24, simultaneously with the presidential election, the election of MPs will be held in Turkey.

Incumbent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Meral Aksener from the recently created Good Party (Iyi Parti), Temel Karamollaoglu from the Felicity Party (Saadet Partisi), Muharrem Ince from the Republican Peoples Party (CHP), Dogu Perincek from the Patriotic Party (Vatan Partisi), Vecdet Oz from the Justice Party (Adalet Partisi) and Selahattin Demirtas from the Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) are running for the post of president of Turkey.

In the parliamentary election held in Turkey on November 1, 2015, the AKP party won 49.41 percent of the votes, the People's Republican Party (CHP) - 25.38 percent of the votes, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) - 11.93 percent, the Democratic Party of Peoples (HDP) - 10.7 percent of the votes.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluBaku, Azerbaijan, May 24

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

A park will be created in place of the Ataturk Airport after the opening of a new airport in Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, Turkish media reported May 24.

The new airports construction in Istanbul was a necessity, Erdogan said.

Istanbul's Ataturk Airport will stop operating October 31 this year.

An airport is being built near the Lake Terkos in northern Istanbul.

After its commissioning, the number of flight destinations in Turkey will increase from 282 to 350.

The airport's construction will cost 10 billion Turkish liras, the Turkish Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications told Trend earlier.

Turkeys Ziraat Bankasi allocated 1.54 billion euros for the airports construction, while Halkbank and Vakifbank allocated 1 billion euros, Denizbank  500 million euros, Garanti and Finansbank  300 million euros each in October 2017.

The first airport in Turkey was built in 1912 and was used for military purposes.

For the first time, the Istanbul airport was opened for international flights in 1953, and in 1985 it was renamed in honor of founder of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluBaku, Azerbaijan, May 24

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

A military convoy was attacked in Turkeys Hakkari province, Turkish media reported May 24.

Two servicemen were killed and three were injured as a result of the incident.

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorist group stands behind the attack, according to preliminary information.

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.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluKYODO NEWS - May 25, 2018 - 01:27 | All

North Korea said Thursday it has "completely" dismantled its only known nuclear test site in Punggye-ri in the presence of foreign reporters as promised, hours before U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly called off next month's planned Washington-Pyongyang summit.

It said in a statement that the demolition was conducted in such a manner as to "make all the tunnels of the test ground collapse by explosion and completely close the tunnel entrances."

(Punggye-ri Nuclear test site)

[Google Earth/38 North]

The foreign journalists who visited the Punggye-ri test site in the country's northeast reported that three underground tunnels, observation buildings and other facilities used for nuclear testing were blown up.

The reporters said they witnessed the explosions from observation decks about 500 meters away.

"There was a huge explosion, you could feel it. Dust came at you, the heat came at you. It was extremely loud," a reporter from Britain's Sky News said.

One of the three tunnels was demolished at 11 a.m. and the other two were done about 2 p.m., they said, adding that the explosions, carried out over several hours, ended after 4 p.m.

"There were neither leakage of radioactive materials nor any adverse impact on the surrounding ecological environment," the North's Nuclear Weapons Institute, which released the statement, said.

"The discontinuance of the nuclear test is an important process moving toward global nuclear disarmament," the statement carried by the country's official Korean Central News Agency said.

It said the area around the test site will totally be closed after all ground observation facilities, research institutes, structures of guard units and staff are removed.

Pyongyang had earlier said it would hold a ceremony to mark the closure between Wednesday and Friday, depending on weather conditions, as a key step toward denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.

(Kim Jong un, center right, at a facility thought to be linked to the North's nuclear development)

[File photo, KNS/Kyodo]

The explosions were observed by about a total of 30 invited reporters from Britain, China, South Korea, Russia and the United States.

Punggye-ri is where North Korea has conducted all six of its nuclear weapon tests to date, beginning in 2006, including the most powerful one last September.

Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had earlier planned to meet on June 12 in Singapore.

North Korea allowing the foreign journalists to conduct on-the-spot coverage of the demolition was seen as a sign of goodwill from Kim, but there was skepticism that the event might be only a "political show."

Experts such as those from the International Atomic Energy Agency were not invited to observe the dismantling, raising concern that the actual condition of the test site after demolition will not be revealed.

At his summit with South Korean President Moon Jae In on April 27, Kim pledged to shut down the nuclear test site in May and disclose its dismantlement to foreign experts and media to ensure transparency.

At a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the Worker's Party of Korea last month, North Korea decided to dismantle the test site, as well as suspend nuclear and missile tests.

"The mission of the northern nuclear test ground has thus come to an end," Kim, chairman of the ruling party, was quoted as saying by KCNA.

Kim was believed to have started to commit "complete" denuclearization on the divided peninsula to gain security guarantees and other returns from Washington.

Trump, however, canceled on Thursday the summit with Kim, criticizing recent hostile remarks by North Korea.

(Kim Jong Un in a meeting with South Korean Pres. Moon Jae In on April 27)

[Korea Summit Press Pool]

Experts such as those from the International Atomic Energy Agency were not invited to observe the dismantling, raising concern that the actual condition of the test site after demolition will not be revealed.

At his summit with South Korean President Moon Jae In on April 27, Kim promised to shut down the test site in May and disclose its closure to foreign experts and media to ensure transparency.KYODO NEWS - May 25, 2018 - 00:14 | All, World

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in St. Petersburg on Thursday to attend an international economic forum and hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which bilateral economic cooperation is likely to be high on the agenda.

During their 21st face-to-face talks in Moscow on Saturday, Abe and Putin are expected to agree to speed up preparations for joint economic activities in five areas on disputed islands, which Russia controls but Japan claims, Japanese government sources said.

"I have to hold frank and heart-to-heart talks with President Putin" to advance negotiations over a postwar peace treaty, Abe said in his office before his departure from Tokyo's Haneda airport.

Japan hopes that the implementation of the economic activities, including aquafarming, will lead to an eventual settlement of the territorial spat that has prevented Tokyo and Moscow from signing a peace treaty. Moscow, meanwhile, is seeking to attract investment to the islands to develop the Russian Far East.

The two countries will also likely agree to allow former Japanese residents of the islands to visit ancestral graves by plane again this year following the first such trip in September last year, the sources said.

Speaking to reporters, Abe said he hopes to see "tangible development" on the issues.

Progress has been slow since Abe and Putin agreed in December 2016 to begin discussing joint economic projects on the islands called the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia.

The two countries need to come up with a "special framework" that will not compromise either side's legal position on the disputed islands' sovereignty.

The islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group were occupied by the former Soviet Union at the end of World War II.

The two leaders are expected to agree on new projects under an eight-point cooperation package, which Abe proposed in 2016, covering areas such as health care, energy and urban development, according to the sources.

(Abe speaks to reporters at his office Thursday.)

On the security front, Abe and Putin may exchange views on how to deal with North Korea as U.S. President Donald Trump has canceled the planned summit with the North's leader Kim Jong Un scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.

It will be the first meeting between Abe and Putin since the Russian president was re-elected in March for a fourth term through 2024.

On Friday, Abe is scheduled to participate in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, with Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron also taking part.

On Saturday, Abe will likely attend a ceremony in the capital where a Japanese Akita puppy will be given to Pyeongchang Winter Olympic women's figure skating champion Alina Zagitova by the Akita breed preservation group.

Later in the day, Abe is scheduled to take part in a ceremony to open the 2018 "Japan Year in Russia" and "Russia Year in Japan" bilateral cultural program before he returns home.KYODO NEWS - May 24, 2018 - 13:07 | All, World

U.S. officials are planning to travel to Singapore this weekend for talks with North Korean counterparts in preparation for next month's meeting between President Donald Trump and the North's leader Kim Jong Un, U.S. media reported Wednesday.

The news came before Trump said he will decide next week whether he will proceed with a June 12 summit with Kim in Singapore as scheduled.

"We will know next week about Singapore. And if we go, I think it will be a great thing for North Korea," Trump told reporters, a day after he suggested the upcoming meeting may not take place amid growing concerns that Kim might be reluctant to abandon his nuclear weapons.

(U.S. President Donald Trump)

[Getty/Kyodo]

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States is prepared to walk away from negotiations with North Korea unless Washington sees the "right deal" for denuclearization.

"A bad deal is not an option," Pompeo said in a written statement to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "If the right deal is not on the table, we will respectfully walk away."

Earlier Wednesday, the Washington Post reported White House aides are preparing to travel to Singapore this weekend for a "crucial meeting" with North Korean officials to discuss the agenda and logistics for what will be the first U.S.-North Korea summit.

The White House negotiation team includes Deputy Chief of Staff Joseph Hagin and deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the situation.

The Associated Press ran a similar report, saying a White House team led by Hagin is heading to Singapore this weekend to work on logistics for the summit.

(North Korean Embassy in Singapore)

But the outlook for planning remains uncertain, given that a North Korean delegation failed to show up for a similar meeting with U.S. officials less than two weeks ago in Singapore -- a lapse that raised red flags for the White House, the Post said.



North Korea abruptly changed its tone last week when it threatened to call off the Trump-Kim summit if Washington demands "unilateral nuclear abandonment" by Pyongyang.

On Thursday, North Korea again warned that it may cancel the summit, criticizing U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's recent remarks that Kim may face the same fate as former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was toppled and killed in 2011.

"In case the U.S. offends against our goodwill and clings to unlawful and outrageous acts, I will put forward a suggestion to our supreme leadership for reconsidering the U.S. summit," Choe Son Hui, a senior North Korean official in charge of negotiations with the United States, was quoted as saying by state media.

Gaddafi, who agreed to abandon his nascent nuclear weapons program in the early 2000s, was overthrown and killed after a North Atlantic Treaty Organization-led coalition intervened in support of an uprising in the North African country in 2011.

(North Korean leader Kim Jong Un)

[KCNA/Kyodo]

Kim is believed to be concerned that even if Pyongyang gives up all its nuclear weapons in return for U.S. security assurances, Washington could break its promise, attempting to invade North Korea or overthrow the regime.

According to the Washington Post, Pompeo outlined his expectations for "a fast and comprehensive denuclearization plan for the (Korean) Peninsula" during his meeting with Kim earlier this month in Pyongyang.

Kim focused on "logistical issues and lingering North Korean concerns about the long-term integrity of a security guarantee from the United States," it said, quoting individuals familiar with the Pompeo-Kim meeting.

Speaking at the congressional panel Wednesday, Pompeo, in reference to his talks with Kim, said the North's leader "wanted security assurances from the world."

(U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo)

[Getty/Kyodo]

The United States could provide North Korea with private-sector investment, including business know-how, as well as government aid to boost the cash-strapped economy in return for Pyongyang dismantling its nuclear arsenal in a verifiable way, he said.

"It's my hope that when he (Kim) and President Trump get a chance to be together that we can get the North Koreans to make the strategic shift about how best to serve the country," the chief U.S. diplomat said.

"That the nuclear weapons program isn't, in fact, the thing that keeps the regime in power, but the thing that prevents the regime from being in a place it wants to be with economic success."

Pompeo underlined that the United States will continue its campaign of "maximum pressure" and economic sanctions on North Korea until Washington sees Pyongyang take "credible steps" toward the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"When I spoke to him (Kim), I could not have been clearer about the scope of the verification work that would be required, all of the elements that would be necessary in order for America to understand that there had been real denuclearization," he said.KYODO NEWS - May 25, 2018 - 01:30 | World, All

A high-ranking North Korean official appears to be visiting Beijing, a source with knowledge of the matter said Thursday, as the country has been bolstering ties with China.

The purpose of the visit is unclear. The official was believed to be en route to Singapore for working-level talks with the United States reportedly later this week to prepare for the June 12 summit in the city-state between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump.

But Trump late Thursday abruptly called off the summit, citing what he called North Korea's recent "open hostility."

After arriving in Beijing by air, the official was picked up by a Chinese government vehicle and he could hold talks with Chinese officials, the source said.

China-North Korea relations have drastically improved recently. Kim traveled to Beijing in March to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and earlier this month the two leaders met again for two days in the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian.

Kim, who wants the United States to ensure the survival of his regime in return for pledging denuclearization, has been trying to obtain support from Xi, analysts say.

Kim's visit to Beijing in March was his first foreign trip since becoming North Korea's supreme leader following the death of his father Kim Jong Il in December 2011.

Since the trip, several high-ranking Chinese and North Korean officials, including their foreign ministers, have made reciprocal visits.

However, North Korea has recently threatened to cancel the Kim-Trump summit, taking issue with ongoing joint military drills by South Korea and the United States, and accusing Washington of pushing for Pyongyang to unilaterally abandon its nuclear weapons.

In the run-up to the summit, Kim was apparently testing Trump, as some U.S. officials had still urged North Korea to agree to a "Libya-style" denuclearization process, in which Pyongyang first gives up all its nuclear weapons before receiving any benefits.KYODO NEWS - May 24, 2018 - 12:40 | World, All

North Korea threatened again on Thursday to cancel its planned summit with the United States next month, criticizing recent remarks by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence about Pyongyang's denuclearization as "stupid."

"In case the U.S. offends against our goodwill and clings to unlawful and outrageous acts, I will put forward a suggestion to our supreme leadership for reconsidering the DPRK-U.S. summit," Choe Son Hui, a senior official in charge of negotiations with the United States, was quoted as saying by state-run media.

DPRK is the acronym of the North's formal name in English, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump are scheduled to hold talks in Singapore on June 12 in what would be the first-ever Pyongyang-Washington summit.

(A senior North Korean diplomat Choe Son Hui, center)

Choe's statement followed Pence's interview broadcast Monday on Fox News. In the interview, Pence said, "There was some talk about the Libyan model last week, and, you know, as the president made clear, this will only end like the Libyan model ended if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal."

Some U.S. officials say North Korea must agree to a "Libya-style" denuclearization process, in which Pyongyang first gives up all its nuclear weapons before receiving any benefits.

Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who agreed to abandon his nascent nuclear weapons program in the early 2000s, was overthrown and killed after a North Atlantic Treaty Organization-led coalition intervened in support of an uprising in the northern African country in 2011.

In the statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, Choe, a vice minister of North Korea's Foreign Ministry, derided Pence as a "political dummy" for "trying to compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya that had simply installed a few items of equipment and fiddled around with them."

(Former Lybyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, center)

"We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us," she said.

"Whether the U.S. will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States," the official added.

Trump, meanwhile, said Tuesday that Kim will not suffer the same fate as Gaddafi if he gives up his nuclear weapons.

North Korea has recently been warning that it may cancel the planned summit, lambasting ongoing joint military drills by South Korea and the United States, and Washington's call for Pyongyang to unilaterally abandon its nuclear weapons.The report says that the sero positivity among children in the school-going 5-17 age group is 40.2%. This means that nearly 60% of school children in Kerala have still not been exposed to the virus.Photo by Alex Camp Rep. Litesa E. Wallace, D-Rockford, speaks to the crowd about her bill which could extend by 12 months the eligibility of families in the Child Care Assistance Program.

Protesters gathered outside the Capitol May 16 to press for legislation to reform home care and child care services across Illinois. Organized by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Illinois and Indiana, home care workers, child care providers, seniors and lawmakers took part in the rally.



A joint bill introduced in the House and Senate, the Universal Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Act, pledges to help families with long-term care costs, while assisting seniors without burdening public assistance programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

According to SEIU, the state population over the age of 65 will increase by a third, to 2.5 million, by 2025. There are seniors in Illinois who cant get the health care they need to age with dignity, and it isnt right, said Greg Kelley, president of SEIU Healthcare Illinois and Indiana. However, this joint legislation in the House and Senate would create an affordable long-term care system that will make sure none of our aging population falls into the gap that currently exists.Sen. Daniel Biss, D-Skokie, one of the sponsors of the joint bill, criticized the current structure of senior care in the state. There are tens of thousands of people in the state of Illinois who do not have access to home care. There are tens of thousands of families that do not know where their aging parent will be able to live, or scared that their aging grandparent will have to be pushed into a nursing home because we as a state have failed to fulfill our moral responsibility and provide for our seniors, Biss said to the crowd. It is time for us to fix that problem. It is time for us to finally provide universal access to home care for our older adults.Adam Ballard, director for Access Living, a Chicago-based organization that provides care for the disabled, condemned Gov. Bruce Rauner for shaping policies that he feels have negatively impacted the disabled community. The services that are provided to me allow me to work, help my family and live the life I want to live, he said. This governor wants to take that away by infringing on workers rights so that I dont have a talented pool of workers to choose from.Ballard subsequently stressed the significance of having adequate home care aides to assist his living. I need unionized workers; I need trained workers who are ready to help me in giving me the best possible service so that I can provide for my family and community, he said. However, this governor doesnt want that, and thats not right.Additionally, a measure introduced in the Senate by Sen. Mattie Hunter, D-Chicago, would increase wages for over 35,000 home care workers through the Community Care Program, a social services organization that cares for Illinoisan seniors. The bill, which would increase the hourly wage from $10.98 to $14.98 over the next four years, passed in the Senate 33-20, and is currently awaiting House consideration.A House bill filed by Rep Litesa E. Wallace, D-Rockford, aims to reinforce child care services by extending eligibility for families under the Child Care Assistance Program to 12 months. If passed into law, Illinois would finally meet federal guidelines.Wallace offered a personal testimony to the crowd, reiterating the urgency to reform the states child care system. Fourteen years ago, I found myself a young, single mother who had to make the decision whether to work full time or part time, because I could not afford the $800 a month it cost at the time to send my child to child care, she said. And I remembered if you didnt have every single document at the appointment that it may have taken four weeks to get, you wouldve lost your eligibility. It was insane, and its insane the way we still treat individuals who are trying to better their lives.The proposal passed through the House 101-3, and is awaiting a vote in the Senate. For years, the state of Illinois has applied for waivers to get around that 12-month eligibility that the federal government says that we should have, Wallace said. Allowing our parents to drop off that cliff is something we should never ever force parents to have to do.The nonprofit foundation that says it might have to sell artifacts related to Abraham Lincoln has taken in more than $40 million since 2007, when the group borrowed $23 million to purchase relics held, but not owned, by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.



The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation says that it still owes $9.7 million to a bank with ties to a foundation board member. According to documents filed with the secretary of state by the lender, items in the so-called Taper Collection, including bloody gloves that Lincoln wore to Fords Theater, a page from a sum book that includes his earliest known writings and a stovepipe hat purportedly once owned by the Great Emancipator, cannot be transferred or encumbered except as permitted by the loan agreement between the bank and the foundation. According to the public filings, the foundations rights to operate the museums gift store and restaurant facilities also cannot be encumbered or transferred except as permitted by the loan agreement. Asked via email whether rights to operate the gift shop and restaurant restricted under terms of the foundations agreement with the bank could reduce the need to sell artifacts, foundation officials answered no.



The foundation earlier this month launched a GoFundMe.com page pleading for donations. Donors during the first week contributed nearly $7,000. At the rate of $1,000 per day, it will take more than 26 years to retire the debt, assuming no interest. The note comes due in October of next year, according to the foundation.

Nearly 100 Lincoln artifacts deemed duplicative to relics in the museums collection already have been sold, according to the foundation. The deal to buy the Taper collection was a take-it-or-leave-it purchase that included items such as a bust of Carl Sandburg and a dress once worn by Marilyn Monroe that have no connection to Lincoln. The foundation has confirmed that the dress and bust are scheduled for auction.The foundation purchased the collection from Louise Taper, a board member who did not vote on the purchase, and the note is held by Lake Forest Bank and Trust, which is a subsidiary of Wintrust, a corporation where T. Tolbert Chisum, a foundation board member, holds the position of managing director of business development. Two foundation board members were also on the board of the defunct Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, which once ran the museum, when the sale was consummated in 2007.Between 2007, when the foundation purchased the collection, and July 1 of last year, the foundation collected $40.7 million in revenue while paring the debt by $13 million, according to the foundations annual filings with the Internal Revenue Service. Revenue during the year that ended June 30, 2017 totaled $3.6 million, expenses were $3.1 million and net assets totaled $22.5 million, according to the foundations most recent IRS filing.The foundation, which had nine employees, spent no money on professional fundraisers during the year that ended June 30, 2017, but travel, salaries, advertising and other expenses related to fundraising totaled more than $550,000, according to the IRS filing. Carla Knorowski, the executive director, was paid more than $256,000 in salary and benefits. By contrast, ALPLM director Alan Lowe was paid $175,000 for his state job last year.Foundation officials did not answer specific questions about finances submitted via email, including queries asking for details on fundraising expenses and explanations for why, given revenue levels and assets reported to the IRS, the debt for the Taper Collection has not been retired more quickly. Officials did write via email that the foundation holds approximately $5 million in reserve to pay down the Taper loan when no other funds for that purpose have been raised and also to sustain operating expenses for one year in keeping with best operating practices for nonprofit organizations of our size.Foundation officials in a written statement have acknowledged seeking a state bailout since late last year. They went public with their plight on May 10, after a meeting with the governors staff resulted in no promise of state funding. The governors office has said that it wants to see a business plan from the foundation.In its written statement, the foundation said that it has made three previous attempts to secure funds from the state General Assembly. State Rep. Sara Wojcicki Jimenez, R-Leland Grove, said that shes not aware of any formal requests for money. Calling the museum a treasure, Jimenez said that shes exploring the idea of seeking an appropriation to prevent artifacts from being sold, but she wants more information about the foundation and its finances, past, present and future.I think when something like this occurs, where someones made a deal that theyre obviously having trouble fulfilling, I think we have to figure out what has been going on over the years and really take a good look at that, Jimenez said. I think that people should rightfully be asking a lot of questions, because we dont have the extra funds lying around.Compared with fiscal austerity measures currently being implemented in Brazil, the maintenance of social protection could result in a reduction in childhood mortality by 8.6% in 2030, according to simulations published this week in PLOS Medicine by Davide Rasella of the Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil, and colleagues.

Since 2015, a major economic crisis in Brazil has led to increasing poverty and the implementation of austerity measures, including proposed cuts to the Bolsa Familia Programme (BFP) and the Estrategia Saude da Familia (ESF), two major programs with an impact on childhood mortality. Rasella and colleagues developed a microsimulation model, projecting the effects of poverty, BFP, and ESF on child health in all 5,507 Brazilian municipalities for the period 2017-2030.

Compared with reducing the coverage provided by BFP and ESF due to fiscal austerity, the maintenance of their levels of social protection would lead to a child mortality rate 8.6% lower [95% confidence interval: 6.9%-10.2%] in 2030, the study estimated. Avoidable childhood deaths would be approximately 20,000 lower and avoidable childhood hospitalisations up to 124,000 lower between 2017 and 2030 under maintenance of social protection. Under various simulations, which varied the length of the economic crisis and the amount of cuts, childhood mortality was still affected. The research also showed that poorer municipalities would be disproportionately impacted.

"Our study suggests that reduced coverage of poverty-alleviation and primary care programmes may result in a substantial number of preventable child deaths and hospitalizations in Brazil," the authors say. "These austerity measures will disproportionately impact child mortality in the poorest municipalities, disrupting previous trends of reducing inequality in child health outcomes."

###

Research Article

Funding:

This study received funding from the Wellcome Trust Training Fellowships in Public Health and Tropical Medicine scheme, being DR the recipient Fellow (Grant reference number: 109949/Z/15/Z; https://wellcome.ac.uk/). CM is funded by a Research Professorship award from the National Institute for Health Research, (Grant reference number: RP_2014-04-03; https://www.nihr.ac.uk/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interests:

I have read the journal's policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: SB receives a stipend as a specialty consulting editor for PLOS Medicine and serves on the journal's editorial board. The authors have declared that no other competing interests exist.

Citation:

Rasella D, Basu S, Hone T, Paes-Sousa R, Ocke-Reis CO, Millett C (2018) Child morbidity and mortality associated with alternative policy responses to the economic crisis in Brazil: A nationwide microsimulation study. PLoS Med 15(5): e1002570. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002570

Author Affiliations:

Instituto de Saude Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

Public Health Policy Evaluation Unit, Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom

Center for Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America

Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America

Department of Health Research and Policy, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America

Center for Primary Care, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America

Rene Rachou Institute, Fiocruz Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil

Institute for Applied Economic Research, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Center for Epidemiological Studies in Health and Nutrition, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil

In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper: http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002570Description

The first and only woman to hold the title of Prime Minister of Israel, as well as the serving as Israels Minister of Labor and Foreign Minister, Golda Meir is one of Israels, and the 20th centurys most important and fascinating figures.

Lioness: Golda Meir and the Nation of Israel, a biography of Meir by Francine Klagsbrun, will be the focal point of the 70th Anniversary of the State of Israel: A Cultural Celebration hosted by the Gold Coast Arts Center and New York State Senator Elaine Phillips. A book-signing, Q&A, and reception with the author will take place on Thursday, May 24, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. at the Gold Coast Arts Center, 113 Middle Neck Rd., Great Neck, NY 11021.

This event is free, but space is limited. Reservations are required by calling 516-829-2570. Lioness, by Francine Klagsbrun, may be purchased for $30, which entitles the buyer to a reserved seat for the book discussion. Book sales are optional but not included in the free admission All remaining seats will be general admission on a first-come, first-served basis.Long-term business tailwinds and market-trouncing dividends have made Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) a staple in income investors' portfolios. But Verizon isn't the only top stock that's rewarding investors with an envy-inspiring yield. BP PLC (NYSE: BP), Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F), and AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) offer higher yields than Verizon does, and according to three Motley Fool contributors, each has catalysts that could make now the perfect time to add it to your income portfolio.

Time to warm up to energy

Todd Campbell (BP PLC): Energy exploration and production stocks took a drubbing after crude oil prices peaked in 2014, but commodity prices have been marching higher for over a year now, and that's translating into increased profits at companies like BP.

A man points at a drawing of an ascending bar chart floating in front of him.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

One of the biggest energy producers on the planet, BP has its hands in upstream (finding and extracting oil and gas), midstream (transport, including pipelines), and downstream (selling to consumers) businesses.

Last quarter, BP reported its best quarterly profit in three years. I expect that we'll see more of those "bests" as some very important new projects come online.

In 2017, the company started up seven new projects -- on time and under budget -- and as a result, its upstream production grew 14% year over year last quarter. In 2018, six new projects are coming online, including Atoll in Egypt and the massive Shah Deniz in the Caspian. Between 2016 and 2021, BP's goal is to add 1 million new barrels of oil production per day.

Higher prices for that higher production could be a big driver of future profit growth, but BP's also benefiting from operating leverage because of its cost-cutting during the downturn. According to management, margins on major projects through 2021 will be, on average, over a third higher than margins were on production in 2015.

BP's also growing downstream by entering new markets, like Mexico, where it has 200 locations currently, and it's expected to have 1,500 locations by 2021. BP's also getting in on the renewable energy boom via its Lightsource partnership, and it hopes to grow its midstream business via a spin-off it did last year, BP Midstream Partners.

Story continues

Overall, it's hard to predict where oil and gas prices are heading, but it appears that the worst is behind BP. If so, then buying it now may pay off in more than the chance to collect its 5.35% dividend yield.

Hello, China

Daniel Miller (Ford Motor Company): If you're scanning the market for dividends paying more than Verizon's, take a look at Detroit's second-largest automaker and its 5.3% yield -- and that figure doesn't include its annual supplemental dividend. Yes, new vehicle sales in North America have peaked, but Ford is determined to slash its budget, focus on SUVs, and expand in China. All those factors should help power Ford's bottom line in the near term.

Last month, Ford announced its largest new vehicle launch in China. Those launches include the new Focus, Escort, and Ranger Wildtrak, as well as the Lincoln Aviator, MKC, and Nautilus. It's the first wave of the 50 new products Ford plans to launch in China by 2025, in an attempt to capitalize on the world's largest automotive market.

Meanwhile, back in the heartland, Ford is doubling down on cost-cutting. Originally Ford's cost-cutting goal was $14 billion, a figure that was plenty big. Now, CEO Jim Hackett has bumped the cost-cutting target to a staggering $25.5 billion and expects to reach 8% global profit margin by 2020 (Ford's global profit margin was 5.2% during the first quarter). It's even possible that Ford could exit certain geographic regions and markets if reasonable returns aren't viable in the medium term, similar to General Motors' move to sell its European operations.

Ford is an intriguing automaker as it expands in China, cuts costs to boost the bottom line, and dishes out a juicy 5.3% yield. But to be more than a dividend stock for income investors, the company must find a way to generate revenue from the coming driverless-car trend.

Millennials sitting on a floor together using smartphones, a tablet, and a laptop

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

A fallen Dividend Aristocrat

Leo Sun (AT&T;): Verizon's rival AT&T; pays a forward dividend yield of 6% -- its highest yield since 2011. That yield was inflated by the stock's 17% year-to-date decline, which was caused by concerns about the sluggish growth of its postpaid smartphone, wireline, and pay-TV businesses. AT&T's planned takeover of Time Warner, which could transform it into one of the biggest media companies in the world, also remains in limbo.

Yet AT&T is still the second-largest wireless carrier in the US, and the nation's top wireline and pay-TV service provider. Those businesses give it a wide moat against its potential challengers, and the telco has rebounded from plenty of market downturns in the past.

AT&T generated $18.3 billion in free cash flow over the past 12 months, and spent just 66% of that total on dividend payments. That gives it plenty of room to hike its payout, as it did annually for 33 straight years. That streak makes AT&T an elite "Dividend Aristocrat" -- a member of the S&P 500 which has raised its dividend for over 25 straight years.

Wall Street expects AT&T's revenue to slip 3% this year, but its earnings -- boosted by buybacks, potential divestments, and better cost controls -- to rise 12%. AT&T's big drop reduced its forward price-to-earnings ratio to just 9, which is lower than Verizon's multiple of 10. Therefore, I think AT&T's downside is fairly limited at these prices.

More From The Motley Fool

Daniel Miller owns shares of Ford and General Motors. Leo Sun owns shares of AT&T; and Ford. Todd Campbell has no position in any of the stocks mentioned; his clients may have positions in the companies mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool recommends Ford. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.An endangered 62-ton tree, a protist found in an aquarium in San Diego, an imperiled great ape: These are just three of the fascinating new species to make the 11th annual Top 10 New Species List.

The list is compiled by the International Institute of Species Exploration, which is part of State University of New Yorks College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and it is released in May each year to honor Carolus Linnaeuss birthday. Linnaeus is known as the Father of Taxonomy, and according to the University of California, Berkeley, his system for naming, ranking, and classifying organisms is still in wide use today (with many changes).

The top 10 organisms  plants, bacterium, fish, and even extinct mammals  are just a sampling of new species discovered, and they are chosen by members of an international selection committee.

We name about 18,000 [species] per year but we think at least 20,000 per year are going extinct, Quentin Wheeler, ESF president and founding director of the IISE, said in a statement.

So many of these species  if we dont find them, name them and describe them now  will be lost forever, Wheeler continued. And yet they can teach us so much about the intricacies of ecosystems and the details of evolutionary history. Each of them has found a way to survive against the odds of changing competition, climate and environmental conditions. So each can teach us something really worth knowing as we face an uncertain environmental future ourselves.

Here are the top 10 species:

1. Ancoracysta twista

Ancoracysta twista Electron microscopy of an ultrathin section through a cell. The central nucleus is positioned between two dark-stained, oval extrusomes (ancoracysts), which are involved in prey capture. Credit: SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Ancoracysta twista is a new single-celled protist, which was discovered in a tropical aquarium at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, Calif. Its origins in the wild remain unknown.

2. Dinizia jueirana-facao

Dinizia jueirana-facao, type specimen. Credit: SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Dinizia jueirana-facao is a critically endangered tree that is found in Brazil. There are only 25 known trees (half of which are in a protected area). It can be up to 130 feet tall and weigh around 62 tons.

Story continues

3. Epimeria quasimodo

Epimeria quasimodo paratypes, adult, color in life. Credit: SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

As you may have guessed, Epimeria quasimodo was named after Victor Hugos hunchbacked character Quasimodo, because of its shape. According to ESF, it is one of 26 new species of amphipods of the genus Epimeria from the Southern Ocean.

4. Nymphister kronaueri

Anterior view of Nymphister kronaueri attached to an Eciton mexicanum army ant worker Image credit:  D. Kronauer. SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

These tiny beetles live in Costa Rica, and it would take 16 of them lined up to reach the length of an inch. They live amongst a species of worker ants and hitchhike on the back of the ants to travel  their bodies are the same size, shape and color of the ants abdomen. The beetle uses its mouthparts to grab the skinny portion of the host abdomen and hang on, letting the ant do the walking as they move from place to place, an ESF release explains.

5. Pongo tapanuliensis

Pongo tapanuliensis is the most imperiled great ape in the world. Only an estimated 800 individuals exist in fragmented habitat in Sumatra.

Pongo tapanuliensis, or the tapanuli orangutan, is an endangered great ape that lives in Sumatra. There are only around 800 of them left.

6. Pseudoliparis swirei

Pseudoliparis swirei, the Mariana snailfish

The swires snailfish (Pseudoliparis swirei) lives in the deepest part of the ocean the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean, where this four-inch tadpole-shaped fish appears to be a top predator.

7. Sciaphila sugimotoi

Sciaphila sugimotoi female flower. Credit: SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

This four-inch-high flower is found on Ishigaki Island in Japan. Unlike most plants, which sustain themselves through photosynthesis, Sciaphila sugimotoi is heterotrophic meaning it gets its nutrients from other organisms. In this case, the plant is symbiotic with a fungus from which it derives nutrition without harm to the partner, ESF explains.

8. Thiolava veneris

Detail of Thiolava veneris colonizing submarine volcanic rocks. Credit: SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Thiolava veneris was discovered three years after the submarine volcano Tagoro, located off the coast of El Hierro in the Canary Islands, erupted in 2011. This proteobacteria form long, hair-like structures composed of bacterial cells within a sheath, according to ESF.

9. Wakaleo schouteni

Reconstruction of Wakaleo schouteni challenging the thylacinid Nimbacinus dicksoni over a kangaroo carcass in the late Oligocene forest at Riversleigh, Australia. Credit: SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Unlike others on this list, scientists only have fossil evidence of the Wakeleo schouteni. Around 23 million years ago, during the late Oligocene era, this marsupial lion roamed in northwestern Queensland, Australia.

10. Xuedytes bellus

An active individual of Xuedytes bellus. Credit: SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

This beetle is adapted to the darkness, and it was discovered in a cave in Duan, Guangxi Province, China.Ameren Corporations AEE subsidiary, Ameren Missouri, recently announced that it has signed an agreement for acquiring a 400-megawatt (MW) wind farm in northeast Missouri. Notably, Ameren Missouri will purchase the farm following its construction.



The transaction seems to be in line with the companys goal to reduce carbon emissions up to 80% by 2050.



Details of the Agreement



The wind farm will consist of 175 technologically-advanced wind turbines and electricity generated from these turbines will be sufficient enough to power an estimated 120,000 homes by 2020. Post construction, the wind farm will become the largest wind energy provider in Missouri.



The transaction still remains subjected to a number of regulatory conditions, while the financial terms of the deal were kept under wraps.



Benefits of the Buyout



Ameren Missouris 20-year outlook plan pledges to expand clean energy in Missouri and possibly neighboring states with an investment of $1 billion in new wind generation projects. This venture is expected to produce at least 700 MW of new wind-generated energy by 2020. Impressively, Amerens latest buyout of the wind farm will enable the company to meet 50% of this planned capacity.



Moreover, the companys Mark Twain Transmission Project, which got the regulatory go-ahead this January, will aid the wind farm to distribute energy more seamlessly in Missouri with the formers expanded transmission capacity. Indeed, energy from the new wind farm, together with the new transmission lines of the Mark Twain project, will enable Ameren to deliver greater energy reliability, economic growth and better access to clean energy sources to the residents of Missouri.



Our View



Wind energy is one of the fastest growing forms of electricity generation from clean energy in the United States and thereby, plays a pivotal role in the countrys rapid expansion of low-carbon electricity generation. The U.S. wind power industry had a strong finish to 2017, with 7,017 MW of new wind capacity installed in the country, representing $11 billion in new private investment, as per a report published by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).



Moreover, the pipeline of wind farms under construction or in advanced development totals 28,668 MW as of 2017 end, reflecting a 34% increase compared to 2016 end. Going forward the wind industrys powerful growth is poised to continue in 2018 as well, delivering jobs and private investment to rural areas and factory towns and resulting in an overall economic growth.



Such valued growth prospects of the wind industry must have encouraged Ameren Corp. to invest in the latest wind farm.



Missouri, being the national transportation hub for rail, river, road, and air shipments in the United States, has energy consumption per capita at the national median. Naturally, energy demand is high in the state that offers solid opportunities to electricity providers, like Ameren, to expand its footprint in there.



Coming to its operational performance, the company witnessed a solid 48% year-over-year increase, driven by higher Ameren Missouri electric service rates and retail sales. Considering its latest expansion plans for wind energy in the state of Missouri, we may expect the company to deliver similar bottom-line growth in the coming days.



Price Movement



Amerens stocks gained 1.0% in a year, compared with the broader industrys decline of 6.3%. The companys modernized approach and focus on increasing customer reliability might have led to the outperformance.

Story continues





Zacks Rank & Key Picks



Ameren carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).



A few top-ranked stocks from the same space are NRG Energy, Inc. NRG, TerraForm Power, Inc. TERP and Atlantic Power Corporation AT. While NRG Energy and TerraForm Power sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Atlantic Power Corporation carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



NRG Energy posted an average positive earnings surprise of 507.93% over the past four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 earnings was up by $1.61 to $3.29 over the past 90 days.



TerraForm Power has an average positive earnings surprise of 114.71% for the past four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 earnings has risen by 60 cents in the past 90 days.



Atlantic Power posted an average positive earnings surprise of 7.24% in the past four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for loss was narrowed by 18 cents for 2018 over the past 60 days.



The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All



Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.



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Ameren Corporation (AEE) : Free Stock Analysis Report



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment ResearchA pro-EU protest in Berlin (Getty)

Support for the EU has risen to its highest level for a decade across the continent  and Brussels chiefs think theyve got Brexit to thank.

60 per cent of people think EU membership is a good thing, according to the results of a survey of 27,000 people carried out last month across the blocs 28-member states.

Thats the highest level of support for the EU found across the continent by the annual poll since 2007  although the number of UK voters who agree is substantially lower at 47 per cent.

The Brexit vote of June 2016 certainly played a part in this revived European positivity, according to the European Parliaments report on the survey.

It suggested the UK referendum acted as a wake-up call to voters over the future of the EU.

Despite that, European Parliament President Antonio Tajani warned the EU could still be sleepwalking towards a collapse.

His comments came at an event to mark the one year countdown to the European elections, in which Eurosceptic parties are expected to increase their share of the vote.

Antonio Tajani launches the countdown to the next European elections (European Parliament)

Mr Tajani said: Voters need to know what is at stake. What they stand to lose if we reject our current unique model of co-operation.

Brexit provides a glimpse of such a future and will undoubtedly be the backdrop to next years elections.

The EU will be most concerned about Italy, where a new Eurosceptic government is set to take power.

Todays results reveal that there are fewer people in Italy than the UK who believe EU membership has been beneficial to their country.

44 per cent of Italian voters say the EU has been beneficial, compared with 53 per cent in the UK.

Italy is also among five countries where fewer voters than the UK believe the EU is a good thing. The others are Austria, Greece, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Tajani said he understood the anger in his home country of Italy, saying solidarity from the EU over the refugee crisis has been too late.

But he said: When populists get into power theyre not capable of transforming the things theyre against into anything theyre for.

The risk is theyll only destroy and damage things.



Cheniere Energy, Inc. LNG recently gave its final approval regarding the construction of its third liquefaction unit or Train 3 at its Corpus Christi export terminal in Texas. The approval of the project marks the first final investment decision on the new LNG project in the United States since 2015. Building of the third train will be handed over to contractor Bechtel Oil, Gas and Chemicals, Inc., which had started with its initial construction in late 2017.



Notably, under the Corpus Christi LNG project, the company intends to develop three trains each having a nominal production capacity of 4.5 million metric tons per year of LNG. The first two trains are expected to come online next year. However, the cost and timeline of the third train has not yet been disclosed and its construction is likely to take around four years. Chenieres wholly-owned subsidiary, Cheniere Corpus Christi Holdings has credit facilities worth $6.1 billion, which are likely to be utilized to finance a portion of the construction and operation of the trains.



Cheniere Energy is the only LNG exporter in the United States, currently exporting to more than 20 countries and plans to turn the natural gas glut into export revolution. The company's gas supply deals with Poland, Lithuania, South Korea, China and India are likely to boost its revenue growth trajectory in the coming years. Early this year, Cheniere Energy clinched a deal with China National Petroleum Corporation to sell around 1.2 million tons of LNG per year.



Considering the secular shift to the cleaner burning fuel for power generation worldwide and in the Asia-Pacific region in particular, Cheniere Energy is likely to cash in on the development. Per China's pollution-control measures, the use of coal for heating purposes is expected to go down, thereby giving a boost to the countrys LNG demand in the coming years. By 2030, China is believed to become the largest LNG importer. Cheniere Energy is likely to meet the rising demand for LNG in China and strengthen its hold in Asia.



Moreover, with U.S.-China trade war tensions abating, China intends to reduce its trade surplus with the United States through increased energy imports. Thus, with the trade war being on hold, the Chinese companies are likely to be induced to enter into more LNG contracts with companies like Cheniere Energy, which boasts significant projects like Sabine Pass or Corpus Christi facilities. The new train will help to increase the growth and revenue prospects of the United States, as China has agreed to boost its imports from the United States.



Apart from the Corpus Christi Project, Cheniere Energys Sabine Pass is North Americas first large-scale liquefied gas export facility. Altogether, Cheniere Energy intends to construct up to six trains at Sabine Pass, with each train expected to have a capacity of about 4.5 million tons per annum (Mtpa). While Trains 1, 2, 3 and 4 are functional; Train 5 is under construction and expected to begin exporting in the second half of 2019. Train 6 is being commercialized and has secured the necessary regulatory approvals.



Further, Cheniere Energy intends to develop seven midscale liquefaction trains adjacent to the CCL Project. The company has also initiated the regulatory approval process regarding the same. The total production capacities of these trains are expected to be approximately 9.5 Mtpa.

Story continues

Cheniere Energy, Inc. Price

Cheniere Energy, Inc. Price | Cheniere Energy, Inc. Quote

Zacks Rank and Other Key Picks

Cheniere Energy currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other top-ranked stocks in the energy space include Bonanza Creek Energy, Inc. BCEI, Eclipse Resources Corporation ECR and Geopark Ltd. GPRK, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Bonanza Creek delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 215.36% in the last four quarters.



Eclipse Resources delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 133.33% in the trailing four quarters.



Geoparks 2018 earnings are expected to grow 745.516% year over year.



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Zacks Investment ResearchChinese prosecutors have charged the last four suspects in a total 98 individuals involved in an estimated $2.3 billion domestic OneCoin operation, a purported digital currency scheme widely seen as a fraud.

According to a news release by the Zhuzhou Procuratorates office in the Hunan province, a two-year investigation into a colossal pyramid scheme that spanned twenty Chinese provinces has seen over 100 arrests of individuals involved in OneCoin, known as Weika Coin in China.

The report reveals that authorities examined 106 suspects in total before publicly prosecuting 98 individuals in total including the recent prosecutions for soliciting money from investors that may have totaled some 15 billion yuan, a little over $2.3 billion in current prices. A number of those prosecuted have already been sentenced to four years in prison for organizing and leading the pyramid scheme with fines ranging from 10,000 yuan to 5 million yuan (between $1,500  $780,000 approximately).

The bust, authorities claim, is the largest MLM case ever investigated in the Hunan province with some 20,000 bank accounts analyzed to look into tens of millions of transactions over the course of the two-year investigation.

As of May this year, the OneCoin operation in China reportedly contained over 140 member levels with some 2 million registered member accounts funding capital through 27 pool accounts, Chinese publication Legal Daily revealed.

State-funded publication The Paper adds that a total of 119 suspects were arrested in connection with the pyramid scheme. Authorities have, so far, managed to recover nearly 1.7 billion yuan (approx. $266 million).

Founded by Ruja Ignatova, a Bulgarian national, OneCoin has been heavily scrutinized by a number of global law enforcement agencies for years. Authorities in Belgium, Hungary and the UK warned the public against OneCoin in 2016. . In June 2017, Indian police charged her and five other senior OneCoin promoters, labeling it a clear ponzi scheme.

Story continues

A consumer watchdog in Italy also labeled it a pyramid scheme last year before police in Finland announced the results of its own crackdown on a domestic OneCoin operation.

Earlier this year, the Bulgarian Special Prosecutors Office raided local offices as a part of a wider international crackdown on the fraudulent scheme.

Featured image from Shutterstock.



The post China Prosecutes Promoters of $2.3 Billion OneCoin Pyramid Scheme appeared first on CCN.

Earlier this month, the need to provide a signature for credit card purchases quietly and officially went the way of the dinosaur.

As of April 14, major companies as Discover, Mastercard and Amex phased out use of signatures to verify credit card transactions at the point of sale.

What that means in practice is that most merchants throughout the U.S. and Canada can now decide on their own whether or not they require signatures for credit card purchases, but the credit card companies themselves have no such requirement anymore.

In a blog post on the topic, credit card giant Mastercard said that research showed most people felt it would be easier to pay and that checkout lines would move more quickly, if signatures were eliminated.

In a world where most cards now rely on other forms of verification anyway, such as a chip technology, biometrics and tokens, the transition away from signatures not only has many benefits for consumers, it just makes sense, according to financial and identity theft experts.

Quicker Payments

Smoother, faster payments are exactly what consumers have been demanding, says John Buzzard, industry fraud specialist at CO-OP Financial Services .

And the official elimination of signatures allows for just that, making the purchase process far more streamlined.

"The shift to no signature required has been happening for quite a long time. Self-checkout lanes are emblematic examples of the loosening of signature requirements in favor of chip technology and more secure PIN debit transactions," said Buzzard. "We have so many options today that it almost feels as if this snuck up on us, when in reality it's been building momentum for years."

So Long to Writing "Check ID" on the Back of Credit Cards

In the past, many consumers wrote "Check ID" on the signature line of their credit card in order to prompt merchants to ask to see a driver's license or some other method of identification.

Story continues

This step may have prevented a few unauthorized transactions, but in reality provided very little protection against fraud, said Jim Miller, senior director, banking services, at J.D. Power.

And with signatures on the back of credit cards fading away, Miller says it will no longer be necessary to write Check ID on your card.

"In the past writing 'Check ID' could offer some protection against someone using a stolen credit card," said Miller. "But many transactions now take place using a terminal and the merchant never even looks at the card so it offers minimal protection. With signatures no longer needed, even merchants will stop looking at the signatures, so they will not even see 'Check ID written on the card."

The Risk of Fraud Without Signature Requirements

With signature requirements eliminated for credit card purchases, the initial reaction of some consumers is that there may be a higher risk of fraud.

But in reality, the opportunity for such threats will not substantially change.

"If it was meant to be a security measure, then it was an archaic one created in a world before the internet and before the litany of security tools we have like fraud alerts and card freezes," says J.R. Duren, a credit card analyst at HighYa.com. "If a thief steals your credit card, then how will he or she get caught? Certainly not by a cashier who notices that the signature on the card swipe is different than the one on the back of the card."

In today's day and age, said Duren, credit card security goes far beyond how you sign your name. For instance, encryption provided by EMV chips, has helped enhance credit card security, and there have been several other measures implemented by credit card companies and payment networks as well.

In addition, it's important to keep in mind that it's the credit card companies that usually absorbs any expenses tied to fraud, said Miller, of J.D. Power.

"If an unauthorized charge is made on a credit card, it is almost always the responsibility of the card issuer, not the consumer," he stressed.

Still, for those concerned about the eliminated signature requirement, Miller suggests there are actions one can take.

The best move is to establish alerts tied to your credit card. You can create alerts whenever a charge is made, or for charges tied to a specific spending threshold  for example any charges more than $100.Christian Sewing, new CEO of Germany's Deutsche Bank, addresses the audience during the bank's annual meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, May 24, 2018. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

By Tom Sims

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) is slashing more than 7,000 jobs to cut costs and restore profitability, while keeping its international reach as its new CEO seeks to reassure investors and clients.

Germany's biggest bank said global headcount would fall to well below 90,000 from 97,000, with a 25 percent cut in equities sales and trading jobs, which are mainly in New York and London and where it has been losing ground to U.S. rivals.

Deutsche Bank did not give a specific number, but a person with knowledge of the matter told Reuters ahead of the lender's annual general meeting on Thursday that it was aiming to axe 10,000 positions.

Christian Sewing, who became CEO in an abrupt management reshuffle last month, said the bank was committed to its international presence, fleshing out his plan to scale back its global investment bank and refocus on Europe and its home market after three consecutive years of losses.

Last month the bank flagged cuts to U.S. bond trading, equities, and its business serving hedge funds.

"We remain committed to our Corporate & Investment Bank and our international presence  we are unwavering in that," Sewing said, while acknowledging a "challenging" revenue environment.

Deutsche Bank has already dismissed 600 investment bankers over the past seven weeks and will cut spending by 1 billion euros ($1.17 billion) by the end of 2019 in its investment bank.

"This reduction is already fully underway, and so far, due to the considered way we've handled this, we have not seen any meaningful revenue attrition," Sewing said.

EUROPE'S ALTERNATIVE

Deutsche Bank has long been a default source of lending and advice for German companies seeking to expand abroad or raise money through the bond or equity markets, a role which has had the tacit backing of successive governments in Berlin.

Sewing said that Deutsche Bank's position as a competitor to the Wall Street banking heavyweights such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America, whose clout has grown in recent years, remained an important focus.

Story continues

"We are Europe's alternative in the international financing and capital markets business. However, we must concentrate on what we truly do well," he said.

Another big European bank, BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA), effectively ruled out any tie-up with the German lender as the French bank's chief executive told its shareholders that it was not considering big deals.

"In the foreseeable future, the group has no intention to carry out large-sized operations, because it is not possible," Jean-Laurent Bonnafe said, when asked by an investor at its AGM if BNP was "analysing" Deutsche Bank.

Deutsche Bank has been losing ground to rivals in investment banking in all regions, Thomson Reuters data shows. Its ranking for investment banking fees fell to 10th from 8th in the Americas between 2010 and 2017,to 15th from 6th in Asia-Pacific and to 3rd from 2nd in Europe.

Coalition data shows that in global equities, Deutsche has also lost market share in the cash, derivatives and prime services businesses over the same period. Overall in global equities it ranked between 7th and 9th in 2017 against a ranking of between 4th and 7th in 2010.

The reductions will reduce the investment bank's leverage exposure by 100 billion euros, or 10 percent, but KBW analysts said the moves were disappointing and its shares closed 4.8 percent lower, marking a nearly 35 percent decline this year.

"We view this as confirmation of our view that drastic but necessary restructuring is impossible at this stage," KBW wrote.

"We remain concerned with their ability to generate free cash flow to support business growth post restructuring," it said, adding that to achieve its target for a return on tangible equity of 10 percent, Deutsche would need 6 billion euros of profit, something the broker viewed as highly unlikely.

The cuts are merely a first step and further details are needed, Ingo Speich, a fund manager at Union Investment which holds Deutsche Bank shares, said.

"We would have liked to see concrete announcements at todays shareholder meeting," he told Reuters. "We need clarity on how the decisions will affect the bottom line."

SHAREHOLDER PRESSURE

Deutsche Bank shareholders, who were fed with Frankfurter sausages and pretzels at the AGM, called on it to speed up the recovery process after months of internal turmoil.

"It is high-time to ... end the years-long and still-popular 'Deutsche Bank bashing' and get to work finally getting our bank back on its feet after six long years of restructuring," Klaus Nieding of shareholder lobby group DSW said.

Chairman Paul Achleitner last month abruptly replaced CEO John Cryan with Sewing amid investor complaints the bank was falling behind in executing a turnaround plan.

Achleitner defended his decision, adding that U.S. banker John Thain would head a new strategy committee on the supervisory board of the bank, which is also under pressure from credit ratings agencies.

Achleitner survived a motion to remove him from the supervisory board, with only 9 percent of shareholders voting for the measure.

In a separate vote, Achleitner received support from 84.4 percent of shareholders for his actions in 2017, below the rates of well above 90 percent that shareholders typically give executives and board members at AGMs.

($1 = 0.8543 euros)

(Reporting by Tom Sims; Additional reporting by Andreas Framke and Hans Seidenstuecker; Editing by Mark Potter and Alexander Smith)(Adds comments from CEO interview, updates shares)

May 24 (Reuters) - GreenSky LLC, an online platform for consumers to get loans for home improvements or cosmetic surgery, made its market debut on Thursday, with shares rising slightly above the initial public offering price.

The Atlanta-based firm's upsized initial public offering of 38 million shares was priced at $23 per share earlier on Thursday, raising about $874 million.

"Our ambitions are to continue to grow and be a very, very large company," Chief Executive David Zalik said in a telephone interview. "We've been building this business for 12 years."

Having fallen as much as 4 percent in early trading, the stock was up at around $23.10 later in the day.

GreenSky is considered one of the most attractive fintech names in America. It is also the second fintech company this week after payments processor EVO Payments Inc to see its IPO priced at the upper end of the expected range.

While many technology-driven online lenders such as LendingClub Corp and OnDeck Capital Inc have struggled to grow their loan portfolios, weighed down by concerns over underwriting standards and access to funding, GreenSky avoids these perils by being a conduit to banks and other specialty lenders.

The company had 1.7 million customers as of March 31, and has helped finance over $12 billion in loans with its bank partners which include SunTrust Banks Inc, Regions Financial Corp, Fifth Third Bancorp and Synovus Financial Corp.

GreenSky provides its services at the point of sale, which helps attract more customers and increase sales volume. It counts Home Depot Inc as its biggest merchant.

In 2016, the company began expanding into elective healthcare to target creditworthy consumers who make large purchases. Elective healthcare includes clinics providing cosmetic and aesthetic surgeries, reproductive medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine.

GreenSky's 2017 revenue jumped 23.5 percent year-over-year to $325.9 million, while profit rose 11.4 percent to $138.7 million as transaction volumes surged 31 percent.

Following the IPO, Zalik will hold 47.68 percent of voting power at the company, GreenSky said in its IPO filing https://bit.ly/2J5J49Q.

Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley are among the main underwriting banks on GreenSky's IPO. (Reporting by Aparajita Saxena in Bengaluru and Joshua Franklin in New York; editing by Sai Sachin Ravikumar and Lisa Shumaker)Google is making a dent in the Amazon Echo's dominance, and may even be winning

Canalys said the Google Home beat the Amazon Echo in Q1 2018.

Strategy Analytics doesn't see that much of a lead but shows Google is making a dent.

China has been a big growth area for smart speakers.

Google GOOGL is putting a dent into Amazon's share of the smart speaker market, and Canalys even says Google Home now has the lead.



Amazon AMZN dominated the market early by introducing several iterations of the Amazon Echo, which can be used to tell users about the weather and news, or even place deliveries. Google entered the market with Google Home -- also available in different models -- and Apple later followed with the HomePod.

Canalys said on Wednesday that smart speakers are the fastest growing consumer tech segment and that Google Home beat the Amazon Echo in shipments for the first time ever in the first quarter of 2018. Canalys said Google shipped 3.2 million Google Home units to Amazon's 2.5 million Echo shipments.

The figures are different from estimates Strategy Analytics published earlier this month. Strategy Analytics still showed that Google made a big dent in Amazon Echo market share, but said Amazon shipped 4 million units while Google shipped 2.4 million Google Homes. Still, that firm noted that Google's market share had doubled from the previous year.

The takeaway: there's no clear winner yet, but Google's gaining steam on Amazon quickly. Both research firms said China's a big growth area.





More From CNBC

Creamy asparagus soup

I dearly love asparagus  but I only allow myself to enjoy it in the spring and early summer, when local asparagus becomes available. After a winter of trying to come up with interesting and varied ways to prepare cabbages and root vegetables, those first fresh green shoots are the official prelude to the new season of homegrown vegetables. Asparagus is one of those vegetables where the in-season local variety tastes far superior to imported off-season asparagus. Just-harvested asparagus has a high sugar content but the sugar quickly turns to starch as it sits and becomes bland and starchy.

Fresh asparagus spears will have firm stems and tight tips, similar to an unopened rosebud. If the stems are wrinkled or the tops are frayed and feathery, the asparagus is not very fresh. To preserve freshness, asparagus should be placed in one inch of water in a wide-mouth container, stem side down, covered with a plastic bag and stored in the refrigerator.

World-renowned chef Thomas Keller (chef/owner of Napas French Laundry and New Yorks Per Se) recommends dry-roasting or grilling asparagus. Because the chemical that makes asparagus taste like asparagus is water-soluble, we gravitate towards other ways to cook them besides blanching them in water, which diminishes some of their flavor. Roasting and grilling concentrates the vegetables flavor. To roast asparagus, put the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Toss the spears in olive oil, spread on a sheet pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. To pan-roast, preheat a large skillet to medium heat, add olive oil and roast asparagus spears until they begin to brown (about 2 minutes). Then, turn over and cook until the other side browns  a few minutes more. Prepare the same way for grilling, and grill over a medium fire, turning once, for 2 to 5 minutes per side. To tell when asparagus spears are done, pick up a spear in the middle with tongs, and if it bends slightly and gracefully, without going limp, its ready.

The root ends of the asparagus spear can be quite woody and tough and should be removed. I was taught that every spear has a built-in natural breaking point where it starts to get tough and this point can be identified by bending each asparagus spear until it snaps in half. Unfortunately this technique is not very accurate and wastes perfectly good asparagus. A more effective way is to line up the spears on a cutting board and slice all the ends at once. You should cut where the stalk turns from white into green.

Food scientist Harold McGee recommends slicing all but the hopelessly dried-out ends into 1/8- and -inch-thick coins. Thinly slicing the less-tender parts breaks up the tough fibers, just like thinly slicing celery. These little slices can be steamed, blanched, sauteed or even served raw in a salad.

In an article published in Cooks Illustrated magazine, the recipe testers of Americas Test Kitchen compared asparagus product loss between snapping versus trimming 1 inch off the bottom and peeling. They weighed each test group before and after. Spears that were snapped lost an average of half their starting weight.



Spears that were trimmed and peeled lost less than 30 per cent. If a spear is less than 1/3-inch thick, it can be cooked without peeling. If thicker, it should be peeled so it cooks evenly.

The woody stem bottoms and peelings can be saved to make asparagus soup or added to other vegetable trimmings for a vegetable stock. According to a 2015 report in the Los Angeles Times, about 40 percent of food in America is wasted  the equivalent of $165 billion a year. In his book American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half its Food (and What We Can Do About It), Jonathan Bloom writes, Every day, America wastes enough food to fill the Rose Bowl. At $5 a pound I cant bear tossing half my asparagus into the garbage or compost bucket. Instead, I utilize the stem ends and peelings to make vegetable stock and creamy asparagus soup. I recently rescued 5 pounds of asparagus ends from the compost bucket at a restaurant where I was working and made 4 quarts of delicious (and free) asparagus soup.



ASPARAGUS STOCK

The woody asparagus ends can be used to create a flavorful stock. Drop the woody ends and peelings from a 1-pound bunch of asparagus into 6 cups of water. Simmer for 20 minutes and then strain. The resulting stock can be used as a base for vegetable soups or asparagus risotto.



CREAMY ASPARAGUS SOUP

Serves 4

Ingredients:

 2 lb. asparagus ends and peelings

 2 cups water, plus additional if needed

 1 Tablespoon olive oil

 1 small onion, roughly chopped

 1 or 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

 Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste



Slice the asparagus ends. If the asparagus has a wide variety of thicknesses, cut the thinner ones into larger pieces so that it all cooks more or less evenly. Set aside.



Place a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft and translucent.

Add the sliced asparagus stalks and trimmings to the pan and add the water. You may need to add a little additional water. The asparagus should just be covered. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the asparagus is completely tender, about 20 minutes.



When the asparagus is tender, allow it to cool, add the vinegar and puree the cooked vegetables in a blender or with an immersion stick blender.



Season with salt and pepper.



Strain through a sieve to remove any tough fibers. The soup can be refrigerated at this point for several days until ready to serve.



To serve, return the mixture to the saucepan and heat through. Season to taste with additional salt, pepper or vinegar and thin with additional water or cream if desired.



Contact Peter Glatz at docglatz@gmail.com.An Indian Oil tanker driver waits outside a fuel depot in Mumbai An Indian Oil tanker driver waits outside a fuel depot in Mumbai, October 6, 2017. REUTERS/ Danish Siddiqui/Files

By Nidhi Verma and Sudarshan Varadhan

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian Oil Corp (IOC), the country's top refiner, will turn to its traditional oil suppliers, mostly in the Middle East, if U.S. sanctions against Iran result in supply disruptions, its head of finance said.

U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month pulled out of a 2015 international nuclear pact with Iran, and said he would impose sanctions on Tehran - and companies that continue to work with it - unless it curbed its influence in the Middle East.

Other signatories of the pact - France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China - said they would try to salvage the deal and keep Iran's oil trade and investment flowing.

"So far we haven't cut any volumes from Iran. We have to see how strongly the U.S. takes up sanctions. From our side, we would like to continue. Otherwise we will look to our traditional suppliers," A.K. Sharma said.

IOC, which controls 1.6 million barrels per day (bpd) of refining capacity or about a third of the country's overall capacity, plans to buy 140,000 bpd of Iranian oil in 2018/19 and has an option to buy an additional 40,000 bpd.

State refiners such as IOC have raised imports after Iran agreed to steep shipping discounts.

"Iran's high sulphur oil can be replaced with other crudes. It is just a case of economics. Replacing will mean slightly cost disadvantage," Sharma added.

IOC chairman Sanjiv Singh said the government had so far not directed refiners to cut imports from Iran. "We have to see how situation unfolds in future," he said.

Previously, India obtained a waiver from Western sanctions as the country had cut imports from the Islamic Republic.

"We are working on a strategy. We are working on alternate plans if those volumes go down, then how do we manage the situation," Singh said.

IOC is Iran's biggest Indian oil client. The company meets about 70 percent of its oil needs through annual contracts deals, mainly with Middle Eastern producers.

Story continues

It makes sense for IOC to look for alternatives to Iranian oil from other parts of the Middle East, due to geographical proximity and similarities in the oil produced.

However, an IOC official said separately the company could also tap the spot market to buy U.S. oil. "There is an option to buy U.S. oil like Mars, but we will do that if arbitrage is favorable," the official said.

IOC recently bought 3 million barrels of U.S oil via a tender.

(Writing by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Mark Potter)(Adds North Korean reaction, paragraphs 5-6)

* White House official cites remarks about Pence, war threat

* Trump cites "missed opportunity," warns against reckless acts

* Says military ready; allies ready to shoulder financial burden

* North Korea blows up nuclear test tunnels

* Pyongyang: Still open to resolving issues with U.S.

By David Brunnstrom, Matt Spetalnick and Christine Kim

WASHINGTON/SEOUL, May 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday called off a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un scheduled for next month, citing Pyongyang's "open hostility," and warned that the U.S. military was ready in the event of any reckless acts by North Korea.

Trump wrote a letter to Kim to announce his abrupt withdrawal from what would have been the first-ever meeting between a serving U.S. president and a North Korean leader in Singapore on June 12.

"Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it would be inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting," Trump wrote.

It was a dramatic end to weeks of optimistic statements from Trump that by meeting with Kim he might succeed where previous U.S. presidents had failed and persuade North Korea to give up a nuclear weapons program that now threatens the United States.

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan responded to Trump's announcement by saying Pyongyang remained open to resolving issues with Washington "at any time in any way."

"We had set in high regards President Trump's efforts, unprecedented by any other president, to create a historic North Korea-U.S. summit," he was quoted as saying by the official Korean Central News Agency.

On Wednesday evening Washington time, North Korea had repeated a threat to pull out of the summit and warned it was prepared for a nuclear showdown with Washington if necessary.

White House officials said that statement in which Pyongyang also condemned U.S. Vice President Mike Pence as a "political dummy" was "the last straw."

Story continues

One senior official said there had been "a trail of broken promises" from North Korea "that has given the United States pause." That included the North Koreans not showing up to a planned meeting in Singapore last week.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who met Kim twice in Pyongyang, said North Korea had not responded to contacts in recent days and Trump had made his decision after meetings on Wednesday in which he concluded the summit would not be successful.

"We got a lot of dial tones," Pompeo said, adding it was disappointing but "frankly not a surprise."

Speaking at the White House, Trump said he remained open to dialogue but had spoken to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and warned North Korea against any "reckless act."

He said U.S. allies South Korea and Japan also were ready to shoulder much of the financial burden "if an unfortunate situation is forced upon us" by North Korea.

'WE'LL SEE'

Asked if the summit cancellation increased the risk of war, Trump replied: "We'll see what happens."

He said the United States would continue its "maximum pressure" campaign of sanctions to press North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

Trump's move sent global share markets sharply lower before they regained some footing. Safe-haven buying of U.S. Treasury bonds pushed their yields lower, while the dollar weakened.

The outlook for the meeting soured dramatically this month when North Korea angrily rejected the notion that it would agree to unilateral nuclear disarmament as Washington has demanded.

Trump has said he detected a change in Kim's attitude after the second of two recent visits the North Korean made to China and that he was possibly being influenced by Beijing, with which the United States is embroiled in a major trade dispute.

The cancellation came just hours after North Korea followed through on a pledge to blow up tunnels at its main nuclear test site, which Pyongyang said was proof of its commitment to end nuclear testing.

The senior White House official said that among North Korea's broken promises was one to allow experts to witness the dismantlement of the site, which meant there was no one there to verify what actually occurred. Only a small group of international media handpicked by North Korea witnessed the demolition at the Punggye-ri site.

North Korea's announcement of its plan to destroy its only nuclear test site had been widely welcomed as a positive, if largely symbolic, step. Kim has declared his nuclear force complete, amid speculation the site was obsolete anyway.

The Pentagon said it was too early to give an assessment, but U.S. officials and experts say the site could be put back into service or re-established elsewhere.

SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT 'PERPLEXED'

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who worked hard to help set up the summit and urged Trump at a White House meeting on Tuesday not to let a rare opportunity slip away, said he was "perplexed" by the cancellation. He urged Trump and Kim to talk directly.

The reference to Pence that offended the White House came in a statement released by North Korean media citing Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui. She called Pence a "political dummy" for comparing North Korea - a "nuclear weapons state" - to Libya, where Muammar Gaddafi gave up his unfinished nuclear development program, only to be killed later by NATO-backed fighters.

"Whether the U.S. will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States," Choe said.

Trump had further raised expectations for a successful summit after North Korea released three Americans this month, which he called in his letter "a beautiful gesture" by Kim.

While Trump left the door open for talks with Kim, chances for a quick rescheduling appear remote and the cancellation will renew fears of a return to conflict on the Korean peninsula.

Trump's letter also referred to the possibility of war.

"You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God that they will never have to be used," he said.

North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons prompted fears of war last year after it said it tested an H-bomb and developed a missile capable of hitting the United States.

Rhetoric reached new heights under Trump as he mocked Kim as "little rocket man" and threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if necessary. Kim called Trump mentally deranged.

The summit cancellation denies Trump of what supporters hoped could have been a major diplomatic achievement, worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize.

It comes at a time when Trumps withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal has drawn criticism and his moving of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem has fueled violence. An investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election hangs over his presidency.

Robert Einhorn, a non-proliferation expert at the Brookings Institution, said it seemed Trump realized he would not get assurances from Kim of a willingness to give up its nuclear weapons.

"He was, I think, reluctant to go to Singapore and come up short," he said. "This probably was the best choice he could make - much better than having a meeting that would deepen the divisions, lead to angry recriminations and set back any prospect for getting back on track."

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing, Joyce Lee and Hyonhee Shin in Seoul, Roberta Rampton, Jeff Mason, Lesley Wroughton, Doina Chiacu, Patricia Zengerle, Justin Mitchell and Arshad Mohammed in Washington and Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Writing by David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Mary Milliken, Bill Trott and Peter Cooney)(Adds full title of Chinese diplomat)

By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON, May 23 (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Wednesday uninvited China from a major U.S.-hosted naval drill in response to what it sees as Beijing's militarization of islands in the South China Sea, a decision China called unconstructive.

"As an initial response to China's continued militarization of the South China Sea we have disinvited the PLA Navy from the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise," said Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Logan, a Pentagon spokesman.

PLA is the English-language acronym of China's military, the People's Liberation Army.

Logan did not specify what else the U.S. government might do to respond but stressed there was "strong evidence" that China had deployed anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missile systems and electronic jammers to contested features in the Spratly Islands.

"We find that a very unconstructive move," the Chinese government's top diplomat, State Councilor Wang Yi, told reporters in Washington after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Wang described China's activity in the South China Sea as self-defense, saying it was working on a "much smaller scale" than what the United States had done in Hawaii and Guam.

"We hope that the U.S. will change such a negative mindset."

Over the weekend China's air force landed bombers on disputed islands and reefs in the South China Sea as part of a training exercise in the region, triggering concern from Vietnam and the Philippines.

Satellite photographs taken on May 12 showed China appeared to have deployed truck-mounted surface-to-air missiles or anti-ship cruise missiles at Woody Island in the Paracel island chain to the north of the Spratlys, said Greg Poling, a South China Sea expert at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Poling, who heads CSIS's Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, said the images showed China had also deployed J-11 combat aircraft as part of its exercises.

Story continues

He said later satellite images, taken on May 20 and published by Fox News, showed the missile systems still in place, suggesting they could be there to stay.

The Rim of the Pacific exercise, known as RIMPAC, is billed as the worlds largest international maritime exercise, held every two years in Hawaii in June and July, and China has attended previously.

Abraham Denmark, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia under President Barack Obama, said the move was largely symbolic.

"To me it shows that the relationship is veering towards increasingly intense competition and the Pentagon sees diminishing returns on the value of military to military cooperation with China," Denmark said.

U.S. President Donald Trump has praised China in recent months for its help putting pressure on North Korea, even amid concerns about a potential trade war between Washington and Beijing, the world's two largest economies.

Earlier this month the United States said it had raised concerns with China about its latest militarization of the South China Sea and said there would be near-term and long-term consequences.

Pentagon officials have long complained that China has not been candid enough about its rapid military build-up and using South China Sea islands to gather intelligence in the region.

Chinese officials have accused Washington of viewing their country in suspicious, "Cold War" terms.

"On the so-called militarization in the South China Sea, we talked about this issue just now ... It is a normal deployment and has nothing to do with militarization," Wang said.

The United States has dispatched warships to disputed areas of the South China Sea in a bid to challenge China's extensive sovereignty claims in the territory, which is subject to various claims by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia. (Reporting by Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, David Brunnstrom and Lesley Wroughton Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING Editing by James Dalgleish and Tom Brown)Rhode Island Bill Restricts Use of Generic Parts in Car Repairs

Insurers wont be able to mandate generic parts for car repairs if new legislation becomes law in Rhode Island. The state bill follows a string of nationwide lawsuits that raised concerns about the commonplace practice in the insurance industry.

The Rhode Island General Assembly bill would prohibit insurance companies from requiring auto body shops to use after-market parts without the vehicle-owner's consent. The rule would apply only to vehicles less than 48 months from the date of manufacture.

Insurers contend that using these parts instead of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts cuts down on costs and significantly reduces the price of insurance for policyholders. They further assert that OEM parts are no safer than their generic counterparts, and the Certified Automotive Parts Association inspects and guarantees the quality of all generic parts used.

But some repair shops claim they are forced to cut corners because insurers wont cover the expense required for adequate repairs.

The back-and-forth discussion highlights the potential trouble with direct referral programs, or DRPs, where insurers direct their policyholders to preferred repair shops. In return, shops offer insurers discounted rates.

Theoretically, such an agreement should lead to more business for shop owners and lower costs for insurers and their policyholders. But the arrangements have also been blamed for encouraging inadequate repairs. Such was the case with Dallas natives Matthew and Marcia Seebachan, who won a $31.5 million lawsuit against John Eagle Collision Center after the shop deviated from Honda's recommended repairs. The couple were critically injured in an accident following the repair.

Though it accepted liability for the incident, John Eagle pointed fingers at the referring insurance partner for not paying enough for a satisfactory repair. Instead of welding, the shop used glue to attach the roof to the car. But the shortcut caused the vehicle to buckle during a collision, trapping both the driver and passenger in a burning car.

The Seebachans are also filling a symbolic lawsuit against the insurance company that directed the shoddy repairs. With their bill, Rhode Island lawmakers hope to prevent the need for similar lawsuits in the future. Whether the legislation will increase insurance premiums remains to be seen.As the school year comes to an end, parents are nudging their restless high schoolers to find a summer job.

Unsurprisingly, babysitters, camp counselors, and teaching roles top the list of most common summer job postings on search engine Indeed. But, the listings are most popular in metro areas that arent known for their long and hot summers.

Summer hiring is not just in beachy locales. The top three metros with the highest share of summer job postings are in places normally associated with cold weather, said Daniel Culbertson, an economist at Indeeds Hiring Lab who spearheaded the new report.

Per million job postings in the MInneapolis, Minn. metro area, nearly 4,000 listings were exclusively for summer jobs. That amounts to a mere 0.4%, but it still represents the metro with the largest share of summer jobs. Grand Rapids, Mich., Boston, Pittsburgh, Penn., and Hartford, Conn. filled out the top five metro areas with the most summer job listings on Indeed, which gets 200 million unique visitors each month.

While it may seem odd that a lot of these northern cities tout the most opportunities for summer jobs, part of the reason they get featured so highly is because of such short summers. These arent the types of roles that would be necessary all year round. Minnesota and Michigan dont have much use for a lifeguard in November or March. When it turns to June, companies that need a lifeguard are rushing to fill those spots, Culbertson pointed out.

Large universities and colleges are located in the top metro areas for summer jobs, which may also be a key factor.

Many of the metro areas on our top 10 list have large student populations, and employers in those regions likely hope they will stick around for summer employment, said Culbertson.

For the analysis, Indeed categorized a job posting as pertaining to summer jobs if it included the word summer in the job title or description. Indeed excluded summer internships from the data.

Story continues

Younger workers back in summer jobs

Most summer jobs (that arent internships) tend to be lower-skilled and lower-wage positions. During the long slog of the recovery from the recession five to six years ago, there were a lot more people looking for work, even if it meant taking a seasonal job, according to Culbertson.

But, a stronger, tighter labor market has put summer employment back in the hands of the younger high school or college worker, he said.

Summer jobs are popular for both employers and prospective employees. According to the report, summer job postings in May, measured as a share of all job postings on Indeed, were 17% higher than the peak of 2017. Searches for summer jobs, measured as a share of all searches on the site, registered at 14% higher than the peak in May of last year.

However, once summer officially begins, job seekers quickly lose interest. The May peak in searches is more pronounced than that of postings, with a steep run-up in the spring and a precipitous drop in June, according to the report.

Theres still people who can come into the labor market, said Culbertson. If anything, the fact that theres still growing demand for summer work indicates that theres more slack in the labor market than people think.

________

Melody Hahm is a senior writer at Yahoo Finance, covering entrepreneurship, technology and real estate. Follow her on Twitter @melodyhahm.

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How people from different parts of the world spend their extra moneyNational security advisor John Bolton is involved with U.S.-China trade negotiations.

A National Security Council official told CNBC that it was only "natural" that Bolton be involved in recalibrating the U.S. trade relationship with China.

Bolton, who was recently criticized by North Korea, said in March that a revamped trade policy with China "could be a little shock therapy."

As the U.S. and China continue hashing out trade negotiations, a new player has joined the fray: President Donald Trump 's national security advisor, John Bolton .

A National Security Council official told CNBC that it was only "natural" that Bolton be involved in recalibrating the U.S. trade relationship with China.

"Rebalancing trade and investment relations are an important component of the President's overall strategic approach to China, and therefore it is natural that the National Security Adviser would play a role in ensuring U.S. economic officials' ongoing discussions with China are framed within that strategic approach," the official said.

Bolton's involvement in trade negotiations signals a broadening scope of authority for the president's top national security aide, whose views on the U.S.' shifting relationships with North Korea and Iran were central points of scrutiny when he was appointed in March.

The high-stakes trade talks between the U.S. and China come as the Trump administration prepares for a June summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, a frequent target of Bolton's criticism over the years. North Korea, likewise, recently criticized Bolton while threatening to pull out of the landmark meeting . China, which is North Korea's biggest and most important ally, has played a key role in arranging diplomatic connections between the communist dictatorship and the U.S.

The hawkish Bolton has also been outspoken on China trade policy. In a talk-radio interview in March, Bolton said China has for too long "taken advantage of its place in the world" through "the trade arrangements it has with the United States and other countries," multiple outlets reported .

Story continues

He added that a revamped trade policy with China "could be a little shock therapy, get their attention, and hopefully it'll have a good impact."

Bolton also suggested, in a 2016 op-ed for the Wall Street Journal , that the U.S. should challenge China's relationship with Taiwan  which China considers to be an official part of its country through the "one China" policy. He even appeared to suggest that military intervention should not be off the table.

Bolton and North Korea

Bolton has had rocky history with North Korea. About a month before he was tapped to join the White House team of core advisors to the president, he penned an op-ed for the Journal laying out a case for a pre-emptive attack on North Korea.

Prior to Bolton joining the Trump team, the White House's "maximum pressure" campaign had been a seen as a catalyst for progress between the two nations.

Kim Jong Un 's regime made overtures toward thawing relations with the U.S. and South Korea. Kim vowed to destroy its only known missile test site and agreed to landmark talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and, separately, a summit with Trump.

But annual military drills between the U.S. and South Korea, which North Korea views as a threat , spurred the regime to abruptly call off the talks with its southern neighbor and potentially cancel Kim's meeting with Trump.

Worse for the prospect of the Trump-Kim meeting, which is still currently scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, was North Korea's angry reaction to Bolton's latest statements on ridding the rogue regime of nuclear weapons.

Bolton said in television interviews on May 13 that the U.S. had the "Libya model" of denuclearization in mind going into talks with North Korea. Libya's dictator at the time, Muammar Gaddafi, agreed to relinquish his nuclear weapons in exchange for the U.S. relaxing sanctions on his country.

Gaddafi was later killed in the street by a mob of his own people in a violent insurrection  a vision that appears to serve as Kim's main takeaway from the "Libya model."

North Korea's vice foreign minister on Wednesday said his country does "not hide our feeling of repugnance towards" Bolton, and referenced his remarks about Libya in a searing statement.

Trump quickly distanced himself from Bolton's analogy in Oval Office remarks last week.

"The Libyan model isn't a model that we have at all," Trump said Thursday.





More From CNBC

(Adds quotes, detail)

PARIS, May 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. decision to scrap the Iran nuclear deal and implement a tough strategy on the country will strengthen Tehran's hardliners and endanger the region as a whole, France's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Jean-Yves Le Drian was speaking two days after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would impose "the strongest sanctions in history" if Iran did not curb its regional influence and limit its ballistic missile programme.

"We disagree with the method because this collection of sanctions, which will be set up against Iran, will not enable dialogue and on the contrary it will reinforce the conservatives and weaken President (Hassan) Rouhani. This posture risks endangering the region more," Le Drian told France Inter radio.

He said Paris shared Washington's concerns over Iran's ballistic missile "frenzy" and regional hegemonic ambitions, but that the 2015 nuclear deal was the best chance of stopping Tehran developing a nuclear bomb.

Deputy foreign ministers of the remaining parties to the accord - Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia - will meet their Iranian counterpart on Friday in Vienna.

The meeting will assess what can be done to keep the deal and circumvent extraterritorial American sanctions that are already impacting foreign business appetite for Iran.

European companies say they are worried about getting caught up in the new U.S. sanctions, given the extent of Washington's global reach, and some have already started pulling out.

"We have another problem which is the security of our companies and the capacity to give Iran the economic benefits that it can expect in return for giving up on nuclear weapons," Le Drian said. "These (U.S.) sanctions are not acceptable. We can't allow them to become legitimate." (Reporting by John Irish, Editing by Geert De Clercq, William Maclean)For about an hour and a half on Tuesday, Facebook (FB) CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced a barrage of questions before the European Parliament in Brussels.

The results, for any critics of Facebook, were unsatisfying, as the format left the CEO with only a brief time to answer the many questions addressed to him. He left to rousing protests and appeals to the Parliaments president, Antonio Tajani, to permit more questioning.

Zuckerbergs visit to Belgium so soon after his Capitol Hill appearances threw the differences between European and American approaches to regulation and politics into relief, in a way thats rarely seen so sharply. Namely, that Europe expects a far more balanced relationship between corporations and citizens. And its politicians know what theyre talking about.

Brussels brought competence

The lawmakers in Brussels were ready for the CEO. Throughout the questions, they referenced numerous moments from Zuckerbergs Senate and House visits on April 10 and 11. Manfred Weber, a center-right Member of Parliament from Germany, cited Zuckerbergs failure to answer Sen. Lindsey Grahams (R-S.C.) request to name a company that competes with Facebook, to show it is not, in fact, a monopoly.

Can you convince me not to break up Facebook, he asked. Weber also asked about the opacity of the Newsfeed algorithm, and mused that perhaps it should be made public.

Guy Verhofstadt, a Belgian Member, took the most aggressive tone of the evening, noting that Facebook has issued 14 apologies, and that the companys denial that it wasnt a monopoly was like a car company saying, We dont have a monopoly, you can take a train or a plane!

The only way I can see to fix it is to have public regulation, Verhofstadt said. Its a bit like the banks [during the financial crisis]. They said: Oh, well regulate ourselves, but they didnt.

Other Members poked holes in traditional lines in Facebooks defense or expressed skepticism that it could follow through on its promises to flight election tampering, fake news, and all of its problems. Syed Kamall, a British free-market and conservative Member, who noted users must take some personal responsibility for their Facebook lives, questioned Facebooks tracking of non-users.

Story continues

Even if Facebook only keeps 10 days of data on non-users browsing, Kamall reasoned, people constantly use the internet, so the data file could be continuous and ever-present.

Zuckerberg, as he did in the U.S., acknowledged a willingness to be regulated, but stressed again that it should be done right.

Well never be perfect on this, said Zuckerberg. Our adversaries, especially on the election side, will have access to some of the same AI tools as we do. Its an arms race.

Noting the stark difference in regulation between Europe and the US, Claude Moraes, a Member of Parliament from the U.K., put it, We are here [gesture up high] in terms of regulation, and the United States is here [gesture much lower].

The comparison could have been easily made to the quality of the questions raised as well.

A very different spectacle

The peculiar Brussels format, with the questions all front-loaded, left Zuckerberg with hardly enough time to answer any of them. This left one MEP to shout, I asked six yes or no questions and did not get a single answer!

As he did in the U.S., the Facebook CEO left promising follow-up responses that may or may not come.

But in the U.S., Facebooks issues largely died down after Zuckerbergs anticlimactic appearances before the Senate and House. With only a small portion of U.S. lawmakers asking questions that demonstrated a firm grasp of concepts as simple as Facebooks business model, the modern online world, and the myriad issues facing Facebook, it was enough for Facebook, in that setting, to apologize, promise to do better, and to follow up with additional questions.

The markets sighed in relief, and Facebooks stock has surged back 20% since its Cambridge Analytica low. FB shares were more than 1% higher in Wednesday afternoon trading, at $186.

In Europe, however, the tenor was one of frustration, the kind that wont be soon forgotten. Part of that was the nature of the setting. The hours of Congressional questions and answers proved Zuckerberg was willing to engage, whereas he left the European chambers as things were beginning to heat up.

Though many questions and issues dont appear to have much of a path forward, like in the U.S., leaving all sides to simply wait to see if Facebooks teams fighting fake news, cyberbullying, election-tampering and more are enough, one thing does.

On Friday, Europes General Data Protection Regulation will take effect, requiring that Facebook comply with data portability, quick notification in data breaches, clear language when asking for consent, and most critically, the ability for a user to access their own data and make changes to correct or delete data.

But after Tuesdays hearing, theres little reason to think full compliance will be enough for Europe.



Ethan Wolff-Mann is a writer at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @ewolffmann. Confidential tip line: FinanceTips[at]oath[.com].

EU lawmakers to Facebooks Zuckerberg: We have a big problem here

Zuckerberg: How Facebook uses your browsing data

What Facebook is changing about your privacy settingsThe lower house of the Pakistani Parliament has adopted a landmark constitutional amendment to merge the northwestern tribal region into the neighboring province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A two-thirds majority of the popularly elected National Assembly voted in favor of the 31st Amendment Bill 2017, which will end the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) as a separate administrative entity by combining it with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The move will also extend citizenship rights to FATA's nearly 6 million predominantly Pashtun residents.

The law is expected to be adopted by the Senate or upper house of the Pakistani Parliament and signed into law by the president. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's provincial legislature also needs to adopt the law with a two-thirds majority. Still, implementation of the administrative, legal, political, and economic changes outlined in the amendment will take years.

Today, this assembly has adopted a historic amendment which will have far-reaching consequences, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told lawmakers on May 24. We have adopted this law through consensus between the treasury and opposition benches.

Abbasi said Islamabads challenge will now be to bring the impoverished border region on par with the rest of the country.

All political parties have agreed in principle to provide the residents of FATA with the same schools, colleges, hospitals, roads, and [judicial and administrative] system that is available to the rest of Pakistan, he said.

Abbasis ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party joined the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf (PTI), and other smaller parties to adopt the amendment. Two PML-N allies, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl and Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, opposed the move.

Today marks a major victory for Pakistan. We have ended the [colonial] anomaly that lingered in Pakistan after independence [in 1947], PTI leader Imran Khan told the parliament.

Forming an arc in western Pakistan along Afghanistans border, FATA consists of Pashtun tribal territories. Beginning in the 19th century, the British began to shape it as a buffer between Afghanistan and India. Pakistan did little to change those arrangements and the region remained nominally independent under a draconian legal regime, the Frontier Crimes Regulations.

FATA became a central theater for the global war on terrorism after remnants of the Afghan Taliban regime and allied Pakistani, Arab, and Central Asian militants moved into the region after the demise of Afghanistans Taliban regime in 2001. During the next 17 years, thousands of FATA residents were killed in attacks by militants and the Pakistani militarys counterinsurgency campaigns. Millions were displaced by the fighting.

The P.T.M. was talking about the grievances the residents of tribal areas were feeling, Khan said, referring to the Pashtun Tahafuz (Protection) Movement by its Urdu acronym. There were dangers that foreign actors would have used these grievances to foment terrorism in Pakistan.

The PTM, however, rejects violence. Since its emergence in March, it has campaigned for fundamental human rights for Pakistans estimated 30 million Pashtuns among the 207 million population.

Its protests have called on the government to probe disappearances and extrajudicial killings during the years of insurgency. It also demanded demining, relaxing curfews, and better treatment at checkpoints dotted across FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Pakistans powerful military has taken steps to address the PTMs demands. Hundreds of disappeared civilians have been released from detention or reunited with their families. Aggressive searches and special permits for moving into FATA have ended while the number of checkpoints has decreased.

The military has repeatedly denied the PTMs accusations that it is involved in disappearances and extrajudicial killings or tolerates and supports any militants in FATA.

In recent weeks, the military has also taken a keen interest in pushing the civilian government and the outgoing parliament in changing FATAs status before the end of their term next week.

Weighing all the pros and cons in detail, the [National Security] Committee endorsed that FATA shall be merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa along with the introduction of the administrative and judicial institutional structures and laws of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a government statement noted on May 19.

The National Security Committee is comprised of most senior civilian and military officials including the prime minister and the powerful army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Editor's Note: This story has been amended to reflect that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's legislature also needs to approve the law.Strata-X internal interpretation and mapping integrating public data has high graded an area within the Serowe CSG fairway in central Botswana.

Attributes of the high graded area are similar to the Walloon CSG play in Queensland, Australia.

Strata-X now has 100% of 930,000 acres including one application pending.

A significant portion of that acreage is located within the high graded area.

DENVER, BRISBANE, Australia and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The directors and management of Strata-X Energy Ltd. (Strata-X or the Company) (TSX-V:SXE) (ASX:SXA) are pleased to provide an update on results of regional and detailed mapping integrating all publicly available data over the Serowe Coal Seam Gas Fairway in central Botswana.

The results of the mapping have high graded an area within the CSG fairway that the Company has interpreted as having the necessary attributes for commercial CSG from inexpensive vertical well completions. Within that area, some previously drilled wells flowed or bubbled free gas from the target coal reservoir. This can only occur with 100% gas saturations. The target coal seam within the sweet spot ranges from 8 to over 12 metres in thickness.

Over the past few months the Company has achieved several significant milestones:

Acquired a 100% interest in the original tenements the Company held over the CSG fairway

Renewed those original tenements for a 7-year term

Acquired 100% of 2 new tenements

Has an application pending that is within the high graded area

The Company now controls or has an application pending over 930,000 acres

A large percentage of this total acreage is located within the high graded area

The Company is currently negotiating with a third party to acquire an additional tenement within the high graded area which will include additional nonpublic data. Assuming the Company acquires the nonpublic data, the plan is to use that data to verify the high graded area and, assuming it is verified, seek resource upgrades within the high graded area.

The Company is also working on alternative funding, which may include farmout, to carry out the appraisal drilling and production testing necessary to prove commercial gas flow rates from vertical wells and progressively convert the resources within the high graded area to reserves.

The Company has access to the resources of Wellpro Services, a private Queensland based service company that are experts in CSG well completions and production methods. Wellpro has proprietary methods and equipment designed to minimize the time to commercial gas flows rates which the Company intends to apply to the target coal seam within the high graded area. The Company also intends to use the services of QTEQ, a service company that has recently developed specialized wireline logging, to help fast track reserve certification.

As previously announced, the Company has selected EcoSurv, a Botswana based environmental firm, to seek the environment approvals required to carry out the appraisal work. The approvals will include up to 20 appraisal wells which the Company believes will suffice in number to prove material reserves. The approvals are expected late in the third quarter of 2018.

Ron Prefontaine, Chairman of the Board, stated that, We are excited that our mapping high graded an area within the CSG Fairway. Using that knowledge, our small team has been consolidating Strata-Xs acreage position over that area. As many of our shareholders know, I have extensive experience and previous successes with CSG appraisal and development in Queensland. That experience is telling me that the Companys high graded area within the Serowe CSG Fairway has the potential for commercial gas production from inexpensive vertical well completions.

About Strata-X

Strata-X is a Denver, Colorado (USA) based company and is engaged in the business of oil and gas exploration and development with a variety of exploration opportunities in the States of California and Illinois in the United States of America and the Republic of Botswana. Strata-X has 89,825,208 common shares outstanding and trades under the symbol "SXE" on the TSX-V and "SXA" on the ASX.

For further information please contact:

Tim Hoops (USA) President +1 855-463-2400 info@strata-x.com



This announcement was made in Canada for the TSX.V and in Australia for the ASX.



Public documents for Strata-X Energy Ltd. can be found at SEDAR (Canada) (www.sedar.com) and ASX.com.au (Australia).



FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance, including but not limited to, the completion and size of the Placement, receipt of regulatory approvals and timing thereof, the Corporations business strategies and plans for the use of such Placement proceeds, capital expenditure programs and estimates relating to timing and costs, and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions, including, but not limited to the timing and receipt of necessary regulatory approvals and third party approvals and completion of the Placement and stability of general economic and financial market conditions. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", 'may", "will", "project", "should", 'believe", and similar expressions is intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties , including imprecision in estimate capital expenditures and operating expenses, stock market volatility, general economic and business conditions in North America and globally, risks associated with liquidity and capital resource requirements, that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected and the forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. See also "Risks Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Those factors are not, and should not be construed as being exhaustive. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances save as required under applicable securities legislation. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell securities and the Company is not soliciting an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction.



Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.BOISE, Idaho, May 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mountain America Credit Union earned honors among the top ten Best Places to Work in Idaho for 2018. This year, Mountain America ranked third in the Large Employer category. The ranking is determined by the results of an employee satisfaction survey conducted by POPULUS, a marketing and research firm.



Idaho is a great place to live, with a high quality of life and a growing, thriving economy, said Sterling Nielsen, chief executive officer of Mountain America. Mountain America is proud that our employees consider us a top workplace in the state.

Mountain America currently has 13 Idaho branches, with more than 100 employees.

The Best Places to Work in Idaho is a community of organizations working together to identify, recognize and inform Idaho employers about Idahos best employment practices, using a data-driven process. This community is composed of Idaho universities, chambers of commerce, Idaho chapters of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and is organized by POPULUS.

About Mountain America Credit Union

With more than 750,000 members and $7.5 billion in assets, Mountain America Credit Union assists members on the right path to help them identify and achieve their financial dreams. Mountain America provides consumers and businesses with a variety of convenient, flexible products and services, as well as sound, timely advice. Members enjoy access to secure, cutting-edge mobile banking technology, over 90 branches across five states, thousands of shared-branching locations nationwide and more than 50,000 surcharge-free ATMs. Mountain Americasafely guiding you forward along your financial journey. Learn more at macu.com.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3db7416f-2cc8-4449-80c4-82f124d726ffVANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Corvus Gold Inc. (Corvus or the Company) - (TSX:KOR) (OTCQX:CORVF) announces it has received further results from its resource expansion drilling program on the western side of the Mother Lode deposit (Figure 1). Results are highlighted by western stepout holes ML18-059 with 22.9m @ 1.48 g/t gold and ML18-060 with 24.4m @ 3.1 g/t gold (Table 1). The Company will continue its resource definition drill program by drilling through the summer into the start of a 30,000 metre Phase 3 drill program scheduled in September.

Table 1

Phase II - Mother Lode Significant Drilling Results

(Reported intercepts are not true widths as there is currently insufficient data to calculate true orientation in space. Mineralized intervals are calculated using a 0.3 g/t cutoff unless otherwise indicated below) Drill Hole # from

(m) to

(m) Interval

(m) Gold

(g/t) Silver

(g/t) Comment ML18-059 181.36 185.93 4.57 0.5 n/a West side of ML Pit Upper L-G OX Zone AZ 085 dip-70 246.89 277.37 30.48 0.7 n/a Upper Zone inc 256.03 259.08 3.05 1.16 n/a 1 g/t cut 281.94 304.8 22.86 1.48 n/a Lower OX Zone inc 281.94 300.23 18.29 1.73 n/a 1 g/t cut 324.61 330.71 6.1 0.81 n/a Lower OX to end of hole ML18-060 294.13 312.42 18.29 0.95 n/a West of ML18-053 Upper Zone AZ 085 dip-80 318.52 321.56 3.05 0.48 n/a 345.95 370.33 24.38 3.1 n/a Lower Zone inc 347.47 368.81 21.34 3.47 n/a 1 g/t cut ML18-061 283.46 286.51 3.05 0.32 n/a West of ML18-054 Upper LG OX Zone AZ 085 dip-70 291.08 303.28 12.2 0.54 n/a Upper OX 309.37 321.56 12.19 1.13 n/a Lower OX to the end of the hole inc 309.37 315.47 6.1 1.83 n/a 1 g/t cut

Jeff Pontius, President and CEO of Corvus states The recent western stepout results in conjunction with the gold mineralization at Flatiron have been encouraging and support our plans for the Phase 3 drilling program of approximately 30,000 metres to address an expansion of the Mother Lode deposit to the west, east, north and at depth. The Phase 3 program is scheduled to begin in September with the addition of two more drill rigs. The goal of the program is to evaluate our expanded deposit footprint of 800 by 500 metres with ~30 metre drill centers to a nominal depth of about 300 metres. It is an exciting time with the Mother Lode exploration program as every round of drill results received to date has expanded our vision of the deposit and its potential.



Western Extension

The three holes returned (ML18-059 to 061) continue to outline the expansion of the Mother Lode gold system and confirm the western trend of the deposit along the main intrusive dike trend. As with earlier holes in the Western extension, the deposit is becoming dominantly oxide to the west with a continuation of the thick higher-grade zones from the main deposit. Deep oxide mineralization in these holes commonly continues to the end of the holes with additional potential to expand the deposit with deeper drilling (ML18-061 12.2m @ 1.13 g/t gold to the bottom of the hole). An additional 15 holes will be completed in the Western zone over the next two months prior to the initial resource estimate which is expected in September.

Flatiron and Northeast - Scout Holes

The final hole from the initial Flatiron scout drilling was returned and continued to show leakage type oxide gold mineralization along the western extension of the Fluorspar Canyon Fault (FCF) toward the Secret Pass open pit deposit southwest of Mother Lode. The interval has moderate grade gold (4.6m @ 0.76 g/t gold) hosted in jasperoid and carbonates within and below the FCF with a strong trace element signature. Higher grades in the fault (3.1m @ 1.51 g/t gold) correlate with similar grades up dip to the south. The current interpretation is the large silicified body at Flatiron and fault related gold mineralization in the scout holes represents a distal expression of the main Mother Lode gold system to the east and bodes well for the western extension of the main deposit.

The initial results from the northeast scout holes are initially indicating the mineralization begins to diminish as it moves to the northeast and away from the main north-northwest axis of the orebody. An additional three holes have been drilled along a 400-metre strike length to further asses the east side of the deposit to the south where significant mineralization has been encountered in recent drilling including ML18-049 with 7.6m @ 21.77 g/t gold (March 22, 2018 news release).

Table 2

Phase II - Flatiron & Northeast Drilling Results

(Reported intercepts are not true widths as there is currently insufficient data to calculate true orientation in space. Mineralized intervals are calculated using a 0.1 g/t cutoff unless otherwise indicated below) Drill Hole # from

(m) to

(m) Interval

(m) Gold

(g/t) Silver

(g/t) Comment ML18-058 AZ 140 Dip-70 297.18 304.8 7.62 0.74 0.27 Northern Scout Hole OX on structure inc 297.18 300.23 3.05 1.51 0.43 1 g/t cut ML18-062 62.48 67.06 4.57 0.14 n/a North of ML18-049 Upper LG OX Zone AZ 070 dip-65 239.27 242.32 3.05 0.3 n/a 291.08 323.09 32.01 0.16 n/a 327.66 339.85 12.19 0.37 n/a Lower OX Zone ML18-063 257.56 262.13 4.57 0.4 n/a North of ML18-062 Upper LG OX Zone AZ 085 dip-70 271.27 289.56 18.29 0.29 n/a 300.23 303.28 3.05 0.3 n/a 338.33 347.47 9.14 0.26 n/a Lower OX Zone

Qualified Person and Quality Control/Quality Assurance

Jeffrey A. Pontius (CPG 11044), a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101), has supervised the preparation of the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release and has approved the disclosure herein. Mr. Pontius is not independent of Corvus, as he is the CEO & President and holds common shares and incentive stock options.

Carl E. Brechtel, (Nevada PE 008744 and Registered Member 353000 of SME), a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101, has coordinated execution of the work outlined in this news release and has approved the disclosure herein. Mr. Brechtel is not independent of Corvus, as he is the COO and holds common shares and incentive stock options.

The work program at Mother Lode was designed and supervised by Mark Reischman, Corvus Golds Nevada Exploration Manager, who is responsible for all aspects of the work, including the quality control/quality assurance program. On-site personnel at the project log and track all samples prior to sealing and shipping. Quality control is monitored by the insertion of blind certified standard reference materials and blanks into each sample shipment. All resource sample shipments are sealed and shipped to American Assay Laboratories (AAL) in Reno, Nevada, for preparation and assaying. AAL is independent of the Company. AALs quality system complies with the requirements for the International Standards ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 17025:1999. Analytical accuracy and precision are monitored by the analysis of reagent blanks, reference material and replicate samples. Finally, representative blind duplicate samples are forwarded to AAL and an ISO compliant third-party laboratory for additional quality control. Mr. Reischman, a qualified person, has verified the data underlying the information disclosed herein, including sampling, analytical and test data underlying the information by reviewing the reports of AAL, methodologies, results and all procedures undertaken for quality assurance and quality control in a manner consistent with industry practice, and all matters were consistent and accurate according to his professional judgement. There were no limitations on the verification process

About the North Bullfrog & Mother Lode Projects, Nevada

Corvus controls 100% of its North Bullfrog Project, which covers approximately 72 km in southern Nevada. The property package is made up of a number of private mineral leases of patented federal mining claims and 865 federal unpatented mining claims. The project has excellent infrastructure, being adjacent to a major highway and power corridor as well as a large water right. The Company also controls 194 federal unpatented mining claims on the Mother Lode project which totals 1,597 hectares which it owns 100% of.

About Corvus Gold Inc.

Corvus Gold Inc. is a North American gold exploration and development company, focused on its near-term gold-silver mining project at the North Bullfrog and Mother Lode Districts in Nevada. In addition, the Company controls a number of royalties on other North American exploration properties representing a spectrum of gold, silver and copper projects. Corvus is committed to building shareholder value through new discoveries and the expansion of its projects to maximize share price leverage in an advancing gold and silver market.

On behalf of

Corvus Gold Inc.

(signed) Jeffrey A. Pontius

Jeffrey A. Pontius,

President & Chief Executive Officer

Contact Information:

Ryan Ko

Investor Relations

Email: info@corvusgold.com

Phone: 1-844-638-3246 (toll free) or (604) 638-3246

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, forward-looking statements) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the potential of the Companys Mother Lode project, the potential for new deposits and expected increases in a systems potential; anticipated content, commencement and cost of exploration programs, timing for initial resource estimates, interpretation of exploration program results, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves, the Companys belief that the parameters used in the WhittleTM pit optimization process are realistic and reasonable, the potential to discover additional high grade veins or additional deposits, the potential to expand the existing estimated resource at the Mother Lode project, the statement that drilling results bodes well for the continued growth of Corvus Gold over the next several phases of deposit expansion drilling programs in 2018, the growth potential of the Mother Lode project and the potential for any mining or production at the Mother Lode project, are forward-looking statements. Information concerning mineral resource estimates may be deemed to be forward-looking statements in that it reflects a prediction of the mineralization that would be encountered if a mineral deposit were developed and mined. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, variations in the market price of any mineral products the Company may produce or plan to produce, the Company's inability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities, the Company's inability to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Companys 2017 Annual Information Form and latest interim Management Discussion and Analysis filed with certain securities commissions in Canada and the Companys most recent filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). All of the Companys Canadian public disclosure filings in Canada may be accessed via www.sedar.com and filings with the SEC may be accessed via www.sec.gov and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Companys mineral properties.

A map accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ee0f244d-3acc-43dd-affe-fdb83cc620e9most

Quote:

(A) Some people employed in the computer industry change jobs if they become bored with their current projects

why

Quote:

(B) A hierarchical work environment hinders the cooperative exchange of ideas that computer industry employees consider necessary for their work

necessary

non

necessary

Quote:

(C) Many of Summit's senior employees had previously worked at only one other computer company

why

Quote:

(D) In a nonhierarchical work environment, people avoid behavior that might threaten group harmony and thus avoid discussing with their colleagues any dissatisfaction they might have with their jobs

less

Quote:

(E) The cost of living near Summit is relatively low compared to areas in which some other computer companies are located

alternative

The first sentence of the passage gives us some background information: most employees in the computer industry move from company to company and change jobs several times in their careers. This implies that most computer companies do NOT retain their employees very well. Summit Computers, on the other hand, is known for retaining its employees, so we can infer that employees of Summit Computers do not follow the same general pattern exhibited byemployees in the computer industry.Why do employees of Summit Computers stay with their company while most computer industry employees tend to move from company to company? "Summit credits its success in retaining employees to its informal, nonhierarchical work environment." This is just one hypothesis, and we don't know for sure whether it is accurate. The question asks us to select a piece of evidence that, if true, most supports the hypothesis of Summit Computers.Choice (A) does not tell usSummit employees tend to stay with their company. This statement simply provides one reason why employees in the computer industry might leave their jobs. If we were told that projects at Summit Computers were particularly exciting, that information might weaken Summit's explanation (by suggesting an alternative explanation), but it certainly would not strengthen Summit's explanation. Choice (A) can be eliminated.Computer industry employees believe that a cooperative exchange of ideas isfor their work and that a hierarchical work environment hinders the cooperate exchange of ideas. Thus, having ahierarchical work environment is a(though not sufficient) requirement if the employees are to be able to do their work. Given the information in statement (B), computer industry employees would prefer a nonhierarchical work environment where their ability to do their work is not necessarily hindered. This supports the theory that a nonhierarchical work environment improves employee retention, so let's keep choice (B).As with choice (A), choice (C) does not tell usemployees of Summit Computers tend to stay with their company and certainly does not tell us whether Summit's success in retaining employees is due to its informal, nonhierarchical work environment. If anything, choice (C) might be taken as evidence that Summit manages to hire exceptionally loyal computer industry employees, perhaps explaining Summit's relatively high retention rates. But that would only serve to weaken the explanation presented in the passage because it provides an alternative explanation. Choice (C) can be eliminated.Choice (D) implies that employees in a hierarchical work environment would be reluctant to discuss their job dissatisfaction. This characteristic of a nonhierarchical work environment certainly does not explain why employees working in such an environment would belikely to leave their company. In fact, it suggests that such employees would quietly grow dissatisfied and then perhaps eventually leave to seek more satisfying jobs. Choice (D) can be eliminated.This statement provides anexplanation for why Summit has a relatively high retention rate compared to that of some other computer companies. This actually weakens the hypothesis presented by Summit by suggesting that its high retention rate is due to cost of living, not due to Summit's hierarchical work environment. Thus, choice (E) can be eliminated, and we are left with choice (B)._________________Did the governor of California just sign a law that will require all students to learn English? No, that's not true. A meme claiming it happened was posted on a Facebook page set up for trolling conservatives and Trump supporters into sharing fake news so they can be mocked for it. It was not real.

The meme was posted on May 24, 2018 by a Facebook page named "America's Last Line Of Defense" (archived here) and the text read:

The governor of California just signed a law that will require all studens to learn Spanish. Are you brave enough to spread the word? This is America. We will not stand for it.

The man pictured is actually the Republican governor of Vermont, Phil Scott, signing new gun legislation:

The 'about' section of the Facebook page that posted the meme reads:

About

Nothing on this page is real. It is a collection of the satirical whimsies of liberal trolls masquerading as conservatives. You have been warned. Impressum

Use the force and the truth shall reveal itself. Just not here. Ever. Products

Good Old Fashioned Liberal Troll Provided Fantasy presented as comedy to the left and a social experiment to the right. Please don't hurt the Trumpanzees. they'll be gone in a few years back to the shadows from whence they came and we'll be back to trolling Tea Turds.

So don't fall for it!As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQNew Delhi, May 23 (IBNS): The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Denmark regarding cooperation in the areas of food safety.

The MoU was signed on April 16, 2018.

The MoU is expected to improve food safety standard setting by getting access to best practices and facilitating food trade of important commodities.

According to a government release, the MoU will promote understanding of the best practices in the areas of food safety in both countries and in faster resolution of issues related to food safety.Washington, May 24 (IBNS): US President Donald Trump on Thursday cancelled the long planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, that was scheduled to be held on June 12 in Singapore.

In a letter addressed to the North Korean leader by the US President, which was released by the White House, Trump said that he cancelled the meeting owing to the 'tremendous anger and open hostility' in Jong Un's recent statement.

Trump said it is inappropriate to hold the meeting at this time.

"Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place," the US President stated in the letter.

Trump also issued a subtle warning to North Korea over nuclear power.

"You talk about nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used," he said.

Stating that he hopes to meet Jong Un someday, Trump said: "If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write."

Image: Facebook/@POTUS

Washington/Ottawa, May 24 (IBNS): US President Donald Trump has said Canada, which is a partner in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), is "very difficult to deal with" and "very spoiled".

His comment came amid the reports that the US is considering tariffs on all imported vehicles.

Referring to Canada and also Mexico, which is another partner in the NAFTA, Trump said: "They have been taking advantage of the United States for a long time. I am not happy with their requests ."

"But I will tell you in the end we win, we will win and well win big," he added.

Trump has been quoted by CTV News.

The US President has been countered by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who said "all negotiations are challenging" and Canada will be working to get a better NAFTA deal.

"This is a deal that matters deeply to the citizens of our three countries," Trudeau has been quoted by CTV News.

The NAFTA is an agreement which came into force from January 1994 by Canada, Mexico and United States creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America.

Trump has alleged that the US faced severe losses in trade pacts with Canada and Mexico, the two partners of NAFTA deal.

For more than two years, US President Trump criticised the agreement and also hinted to take some serious steps being in the administration or at least send some ultimatums.

Trump reportedly wants the treaty to be more fair.

Both Canada and the US differ on the subject of climate change.Image: Doug Ford/Twitter

Ottawa, May 24 (IBNS): Ontario Liberal Party announced Wednesday that it would release a recording of Ontario Progressive Conservative (PC) leader Doug Ford Thursday morning which would upset his nomination process, media reports said.

Ford had also reportedly been accused by a former top Conservative official and a party member present at the 2016 vote of purchasing members, which is contrary to party rules, to help him win the PC nomination in the riding where he lived.

If proved true, the charges would call into question the PC leaders conviction that he had been busy cleaning the mess left from the partys previous administration.

Ford had also been accused using stolen 407 data.

Ford repeatedly condemned the problems during the PC leadership race as well as on the campaign trail.

Reportedly Ford's nomination process had become a problematic issue in campaign leading up to Ontarios Jun 7 election.

A spokeswoman for the Ford campaign said Wednesday the allegations were old and had been proved unsubstantial by the partys reviewing appeals committee.

But Etobicoke resident Annie Eastwood had admitted that Doug Ford had come to her house, signed her up and then paid her.

It is a swipe against democracy when you can just come in and buy memberships and then put people in, give people a (PIN number) and tell them, This is who youre voting for," said Eastwood and added.

I heard from six old ladies, and I said  How come youre here? And they said, Doug came to my house and he fixed me up with my membership, recalled Eastwood. Others were saying, Yeah, he bought my membership.  They all said, Doug Ford brought us here, and he told us who to vote for.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)



Not only has the Iranian Regime faced a backlash from the Iranian people, hundreds of whom have been filmed swearing to avenge the deaths of the martyrs, but this violent crackdown has also attracted criticism from politicians across the world.

Now, the world is hearing more about the Iranian peoples desire for regime change than about anything the Regime wanted to promote.

After the security forces tried to force the protesters in Kazerun to disperse, the people bravely stood their ground and chanted slogans against the Regime. When the suppressive forces opened fire, the people showed that they had had enough of the Regimes brutality and began attacking Regime property, like police stations and anti-riot vehicles, as can be seen in videos on social media. People in Kazerun also went on strike, effectively bringing the city to a standstill.

The bravery of the protesters was commended by the Iranian Resistance coalition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

In a statement, the NCRI said: The people of Kazerun, particularly the youth, also showed much perseverance. They portrayed great bravery against all odds, facing attack after attack by security forces and anti-riot units that resorted to unspeakable measuresThe women of Kazerun also played a major role in these protests, while young women were also seen throwing rocks at regime forces. A number of women are amongst those wounded in these rallies.

These protests took the Iranian Regime by surprise, much like the uprising that began in Mashhad in December, and showed that there are no moderates in the Regime.

Other who have supported the Kazerun protesters include:

 supporters of the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) across the world

 Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi, who called for a fact-finding mission into the city

 United Nations Secretary-General spokesman Farhan Haq, who said that the US is closely monitoring the situation

 Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok

 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who called the Regime corruptocrats and cited that the mullahs are terrified of the Iranian people

 US Senator Marco Rubio

The NCRI said: These developments signal a very troubling future the regime as the Iranian people will no longer look back on their intentions to establish freedom and democracy after overthrowing the mullahs regime.The United Arab Emirates (UAE) state news agency WAM reported that the UAE Armed Forces, which makes up part of the Arab Coalition Forces, destroyed two Houthi boats that were threatening one of the commercial oil tankers in the Red Sea. However, two other Houthi boats managed to escape.

Other Houthi attacks

This is far from the first time that the Iran-backed Houthis have targeted US interests or allies in the seas surrounding Yemen. These routine attacks are happening because Yemen lies along one of the world largest trading routes for oil, where millions of barrels of crude oil pass every day on their way to Europ via the Suez Canal.

Just last month, a Saudi oil tanker sustained minor damage after being attacked by the Houthis near to the Yemeni port of Hodeidah. Luckily, the Saudi boat was able to continue on its route following the attack.

The Iran-backed Houthis are consistently attacking Saudi targets in particular, because Saudi Arabia is leading the coalition to remove the Houthis from Yemen and restore the internationally recognised government. The Houthis forced out the Yemeni government in 2014 and are fighting to retain control of the country.

Still, the Houthis have caused little damage, even with their constant missile attacks as the Saudis superior military is able to deal with them. The Houthis have fired dozens of Iranian-made missiles at Saudi Arabian cities since 2014, but the Saudi air defence systems have always destroyed them in the air.

A UN investigation has found that the missiles are Iranian-made, which means that Iran is violating two UN resolutions: one against arming the Houthis and one against testing ballistic missiles.

The conflict has escalated recently, with the Houthis now able to fire missiles at the capital Riyadh. This attack by the Houthis, supposedly in retaliation for air raids by the Saudi-led coalition, was yet again intercepted by the Royal Saudi Air Defence.

The Houthis have also fired several missiles at the Saudi Aramco oil facilities, which are close to the Yemeni-Saudi border. Last week, the Houthis fired another missile at Aramco, but the Saudi air defence forces found the missile in the middle of the uninhabited desert, according to the Saudi-led coalition.In a report sent to the UN Security Council on Friday, Guterres said: The maintenance by Hezbollah of sizeable and sophisticated military capabilities outside the control of the government of Lebanon remains a matter of grave concern.

He then called on the Shiite Hezbollah not to engage in any military activity inside or outside Lebanon in line with a 2004 UN resolution and told the Lebanese government to prevent the Iranian proxy group from building paramilitary capacity outside the authority of the state.

This report was released shortly after the Lebanese elections, which saw the Hezbollah faction in the Lebanese parliament increase its power share and dominance over the government.

Containing Hezbollah

Guterres also called on the countries of the Gulf region that have ties with Hezbollah to encourage the group, listed as a terrorist group by the US, to disarm themselves and become a solely civilian political party.

Over the past few years, Hezbollah has become involved in many conflicts across the Middle East from Syria to Israel, likely all at the behest of the Iranian Regime. Currently, the terror group is helping bolster the Bashar Assad dictatorship in the Syria civil war under the Iranian banner, fighting alongside paramilitary groups in Iraq, and supporting the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen in their fight against the Arab alliance to restore the legitimate government.

Despite several rounds of sanctions from the US and Europe and a war with Israel in 2006, global efforts to contain the Iran-backed Hezbollah have largely failed. The Security Council were scheduled to discuss the report from Guterres on Thursday, including options for tackling the Hezbollah problem going forward.

Iran Proxy

the Iranian Regime has a whole network of terrorist proxies across the Middle East and further afield, including Hamas, the Houthis, and the Popular Mobilisation Units. These groups have one focus: create chaos.

By creating chaos, these groups can destabilise the Middle East and leave it susceptible to infiltration by Iran, who is desperate to create a Shiite Crescent of its influence from the Gulf to the Med. It has the added benefit of making sure that Iran can deny responsibility for their actions by shifting the blame onto these groups.

Despite this attempt to pass the buck, the US has identified Iran as the worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism.On 21st May, Mike Pompeo spoke at the Heritage Foundation where he discussed the Iran threat and the way forward. He said that Trump pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal because it did not succeed in guaranteeing the safety of US citizens. He explained that Trump and his administration want to see the Iranian threat end and see the complete halt of missiles being launched towards US allies and the cessation of Irans spread of chaos.

Pompei emphasised: The JCPOA put the world at risk because of its fatal flaws.

The nuclear deal does not stop the nuclear threat from Iran  it delays it thanks to the sunset provisions. Pompeo explained: After the countdown clock ran out on the deals sunset provisions, Iran would be free for a quick sprint to the bomb, setting off a potentially catastrophic arms race in the region. Indeed, the very brevity of the delay in the Iranian nuclear program itself incentivized Middle Eastern proliferation.

Another shortcoming was fact that the deal does not deal with Irans ballistic missile program that is being developed.

The US Secretary of State also commented on the plight of the people. Today we ask the Iranian people: Is this what you want your country to be known for, for being a co-conspirator with Hizballah, Hamas, the Taliban, and al-Qaida? The United States believe you deserve better.

He pointed out that the Iranian regime, instead of giving the people of Iran the help that it needs and deserves, is spending the nations wealth on its goal of obtaining a corridor from Iran to the Mediterranean so that it can easily move weapons and fighters across the region.

With regards to how the Trump administration will deal with Iran, he said: Americas commitment to the Iran strategy President Trump laid down in October remains. It will now be executed outside of the JCPOA. Well continue to work with allies to counter the regimes destabilizing activities in the region, block their financing of terror, and address Irans proliferation of missiles and other advanced weapons systems that threaten peace and stability. We will also ensure Iran has no path to a nuclear weapon  not now, not ever.

He added that the US will apply unprecedented financial pressure on the Iranian regime. The leaders in Tehran will have no doubt about our seriousness.

As well as reapplying sanctions and drawing up new ones, Pompeo advised that the US is going to work with its allies to deter any aggression from Iran.

Iran will be forced to make a choice: either fight to keep its economy off life support at home or keep squandering precious wealth on fights abroad. It will not have the resources to do both.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testifies at the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill. (AP)A Royal Wedding with A Royal Message

It wouldve been impossible to steal a scene from one of the most anticipated Royal Weddings in history but The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church managed to do it. The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, now Duchess of Sussex, offered many pleasant surprises from Karen Gibson and the Kingdom Choir to cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason but Presiding Bishop Curry captivated the world with a moving sermon on God, race and love. So the question is, who is Presiding Bishop Curry?

Learning more about Presiding Bishop Curry brings light to his stirring sermon which touched on slavery as he is descendant of enslaved Africans brought to North America through the trans-Atlantic slave routes. Presiding Bishop Curry was born in Chicago, IL, on March 13, 1953. His father was an Episcopal priest and his mother was a devout Episcopalian. After his mothers death, Presiding Bishop Curry, along with his sister, were raised by his father and his grandmother. He grew up in a household that held fast to its Christian beliefs.

Presiding Bishop Curry attended public schools in Buffalo, NY, and became a social activist at a young age. He graduated with high honors from Hobart College in Geneva, NY, in 1975. He received a Master of Divinity degree in 1978 from Yale University Divinity School in New Haven, CT. He continued his education at many other institutions that include: The College of Preachers, Princeton Theological Seminary, Wake Forest University, the Ecumenical Institute at St. Marys Seminary, and the Institute of Christian Jewish Studies. Presiding Bishop Curry has received honorary degrees from Episcopal Divinity School; Sewanee: The University of the South; Virginia Theological Seminary; and Yale.

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Presiding Bishop Curry was ordained to the diaconate in June 1978, at St. Pauls Cathedral, Buffalo, NY, by the Rt. Rev. Harold B. Robinson, and to the priesthood in December 1978, at St. Stephens, Winston-Salem, NC, by the Rt. Rev. John M. Burgess. He began his ministry as deacon-in-charge at St. Stephens, Winston-Salem, in 1978 and was rector from 1979-1982. Presiding Bishop Curry accepted a call as rector at St. Simon of Cyrene, Lincoln Heights, OH, serving from 1982-1988. In 1988, he became rector of St. James, Baltimore, MD, where he served until his election as the 11th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina in February 2000.

Throughout his ministry, Presiding Bishop Curry has been active in issues of social justice, reconciliation, speaking out on immigration policy and marriage equality.

You could visually see a relationship, we saw that, said Presiding Bishop Curry. And it was contagious in the room.

You could actually feel it in the church and people were happy.

They were happy a joyful.

Thats what Presiding Bishop Curry had to say about what he observed of the happy couple on their wedding day. The 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church charged the Royal Wedding ceremony with a moving sermon with a resounding theme of lovelove for God and love for each other. The ceremony felt very much like church with the name of Jesus being said more than most have probably heard on television nowadays.

This weekend, I spoke about the way of love, stated Presiding Bishop Curry.

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As elders, we view bringing the Reclaiming Jesus declaration to the public square as a tangible example of how to live out that way of love.

Presiding Bishop Curry was invited to speak by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is the leader of the Church of England. Initially, he thought the invitation was an April Fools joke but when he realized it was real, he gladly accepted the invitation. Presiding Bishop Currys moving sermon took the union formed by two through marriage and used it as a catalyst for a message of a more united world.

We are Christian leaders bearing moral witness to the teachings of our faith in the public square, said Presiding Bishop Curry. As citizens we want our government to reflect our values.

As a Bishop, I believe we should follow the teachings of Jesus  who taught us to love God and love our neighbor.

He is married to the former Sharon Clement, and they have two adult daughters, Rachel and Elizabeth.Barack and Michelle Obama sign multi-year deal with Netflix

Barack and Michelle Obama are getting into the television business with Mondays announcement that they had signed a multi-year deal with Netflix.

The former president and first lady have formed their own production company, Higher Ground Productions, for the material. In announcing a deal that had been rumored since March, Netflix offered no specifics on what shows they would make.

We hope to cultivate and curate the talented, inspiring, creative voices who are able to promote greater empathy and understanding between peoples, and help them share their stories with the wider world.

Netflix said the Obamas would make a diverse mix of content, potentially including scripted and unscripted series, documentaries or features.

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We hope to cultivate and curate the talented, inspiring, creative voices who are able to promote greater empathy and understanding between peoples, and help them share their stories with the wider world, Barack Obama said in Netflixs announcement.

The Obamas can be expected to participate in some of the programming onscreen, said a person familiar with the deal, not authorized to talk publicly about it, on condition of anonymity. The programming itself is not expected to be partisan in nature; a president who often derided the way things were covered on cable news wont be joining in.

The type of people that Obama  like other presidents  brought forward as guests at his State of the Union addresses would likely provide fodder for the kinds of stories they want to tell.

Barack and I have always believed in the power of storytelling to inspire us, to make us think differently about the world around us, and to help us open our minds and hearts to others, Michelle Obama said.

No content from the deal is expected to be available until at least 2019, said the person familiar with the deal.

The former president appeared in January on David Lettermans Netflix talk show, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. Obama is said to be friendly with Ted Sarandos, Netflix chief content officer, and discussions for other programming were already under way.

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We are incredibly proud they have chosen to make Netflix the home for their formidable storytelling abilities, Sarandos said.

Netflix has 125 million subscribers worldwide. The company has always been reluctant to discuss how many people watch its programming, but it clearly dominates the growing market for streaming services. Roughly 10 percent of television viewing now is through these services, the Nielsen company said.

Forty-nine percent of streaming being viewed now comes through Netflix, and no other service comes close, Nielsen saidBurke Family Continues the Legacy of Public Service, Passing the Torch to Christine Burke Adams

In 1990, Dr. Christine Burke Adams began her career in education as a middle teacher in Hawthorne, California. After working as a classroom teacher, she became a special projects teacher working with budgets and programs, and a mentor teacher, which involved working with other teachers to improve their practice. Later, she went into administration. Upon her journey there, she realized that she wanted to positively impact more students through mentorship and instructional support roles.

Now, with 30 years of experience, two masters degree in education from Pepperdine University and a doctorate degree in educational leadership for social justice from Loyola Marymount University, Burke Adams is ready to take the next step in her career.

In early April, Burke Adams announced her campaign for the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) Board of Trustees seat number three. Recently, the Los Angeles Sentinel had the opportunity to speak with Burke Adams to discuss what garnered her interest and made her step into the race for the LACCD Board of Trustees.

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There are two things. Public service kind of runs through my familys blood. The second is Betsy DeVos. She inspired me in a strange sort of way to put my education and experience to good work, said Burke Adams.

I remember the feeling I had watched Betsys hearings and I was stunned to say the least. The woman who I feel is not qualified, to teach a class, or lead a school, let alone be in charge of our countrys education. So, I feel its important to have people who have experience in education. Those people are the people who should be making decisions in education that affect students and faculty. Its important to have someone who has walked the walked.

Burke Adams comes from a blended family of political leaders and a long legacy of public service. She was born to parents Dr. William A. Burke and Lyn Burke. Her father is the South Coast Air Quality Management District Chairman. Her sister, Autumn Burke, is an Assemblywoman and her step-mother, Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, was the first African American woman to represent the West Coast in Congress.

Prior to this, Burke Adams has not served in any elected position. However, she is ready to put to rest any misconceptions about whats driving her to run.

I know I have a political family but Im not running because I desire a public position or an elected position. I have three graduate degrees in education. I just want to put my experience and my education to work positively for the students, the adult version of the students that I have served in the past, she said.

This opportunity that I have to help serve the adult students is vital. This is a whole new thing for me and if I had any doubts or regrets after announcingwhat I noticed and whats kind of quailed those doubts is the amount of support I am receiving from former students and colleagues. Once I announce I was running, I received the sweetest messages from my former students telling me how I impacted their lives. So that has made the whole process worth it.

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To date, Burke Adams has received support from her family as well as many others including: Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, Supervisor Janice Hahn, Speaker Emeritus John A. Perez, Assemblymember Richard Bloom, Assembly Democratic Caucus Chair Mike Gipson, Los Angeles Councilmember David E. Ryu, and Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson.

Currently six people are sitting on the LACCD Board of Trustees: president Mike Fong, vice president Andra Hoffman, Dr. Gabriel Buelna, Ernest H. Moreno, Scott J. Svonkin, and Steven F. Veres.

With the LACCD Board of Trustees seat being a position of influence, if elected, Burke Adams and the board, would come across a variety of issues.

To better serve her constituents, Burke Adams mentioned that she would like to work on the new funding formula for community colleges.

It to me is reminiscent to No Child Left Behind. Part of the funding that is being proposed for community colleges is outcomes based, she said.

It ties the number of certificates or degrees that students earn within a three year time period. I personally am concerned about it because of the impact it will have on students of color. That is something that I feel is of concerned and needs to be addressed.

The main thing she wants voters to know when they go to polls to make their decision on whether or not she is the right person for the job is her experiences and unique perspective on education, politics and life.

The Sentinel also spoke with Burke Adams about what she hopes to come out of this position and her leadership and time if elected.

I would like to see increased enrollment. I would like to make sure that students have what they need to be successful and any decisions that the board can make and how I can influence that, to make sure that students and faculty have what they need to be successful is what I want to do, she said.

For more information on Burke Adams, follow her on Facebook at Dr. Christine Burke Adams for LACCD.

Kimberlee Buck contributed to this report.Call 2 Worship  May 24

New Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church hosts A Musical Celebration Honoring William E. Johnson III on May 24, at 7 p.m., at 402 E. El Segundo Blvd., in Los Angeles, said Pastor Sonja R. Dawson. Performers include Nikki Potts, Lorenzo Johnson and Praizum and New Mt. Calvary Mass Choir.

Brookins-Kirkland Community AME Church holds a Clothes Giveaway on May 26, at 11 a.m., at 3719 W. Slauson Blvd., in Los Angeles, said Pastor Mary S. Minor. The Mary M. Kidd Womens Missionary Society, under President Audrey Fletcher, sponsors the event. Free clothing and accessories for men, women and children will be available. To learn more, call (323) 296-5610.

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Holman Community Development Corporation presents its Quiet Champion Awards Luncheon June 8, at 11 a.m., at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave., in Los Angeles. Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts, LATTC President Lawrence Frank and Zenita Smith will be honored. The ticket donation is $100. For details, call Nancy Harris at (323) 731-0140.

Agape Church of Los Angeles plans a Community Outreach Fair on June 9, at 12 p.m., at Consolidated Plaza, 3725 Don Felipe Dr., in Los Angeles, said Bishop Craig A. Worsham, pastor. The theme is Love, Uplifting and Unity  A Day of Giving Back to the Community. The event includes youth activities, health screening and financial and housing resources. Call (323) 295-5571 for information.

Bethel Missionary Baptist Church holds a revival on June 12-15, at 7 p.m., at 10905 S. Compton St., in Los Angeles, said Pastor Reginald A. Pope. The scriptural reference is Ephesians 4:11-12. The evangelist is the Rev. Don Pope II, pastor of Examples of Christ Christian Church in Bossier City, Louisiana. The services will include preaching, teaching, prayers and music. For information, call (323) 566-5286 or email [email protected]



Cello Bae Steals Hearts At Royal Wedding

The first biracial bride becoming a part of the Royal Family.

A Black choir singing at a Royal Wedding.

A charged sermon on race and love being preached at St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle.

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Now, how do you top that? You dontyou simply introduce the world to a very talented, cellist who has captured hearts worldwide.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason is winner of the 2016 BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition. He was the first Black musician to win the award since its launch 38 years earlier.

He was already in great demand from major orchestras and concert halls worldwide. The Black Briton was requested by the now, Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle herself, to play at her wedding.

Kanneh-Mason is the third eldest of musical siblings, Isata, his older sister, who plays the piano, his older brother, Braimah, a year older than Kanneh-Mason, who plays the violin and Mariatu, his younger sister, who plays the violin as well. Altogether, Kanneh-Mason is the third of seven siblings in total. He and his siblings were competitors on Britains Got Talent.

He was born in Nottingham, England, in 1999, to Stuart Mason, a business manager, and Dr. Kadiatu Kanneh, a former university lecturer. Kanneh-Mason began playing the cello when he was six-years-old, having previously played the violin. When he was nine-years-old, he passed the Grade 8 cello examination with the highest marks in the UK and won the Marguerite Swan Memorial Prize.

He also won an ABRSM junior scholarship to join the Junior Academy of the Royal Academy of Music. Kanneh-Mason attended the Trinity School in Nottingham, where he studied for A levels in Music, Maths and Physics.

In 2016, Kanneh-Mason was a member of the Chineke! Orchestra, which was founded by Chi-chi Nwanoku for Black and minority ethnic classical musicians. Earlier this year, he donated 3000 ($4,030.20) to his old secondary school so 10 other young people could continue having cello lessons.

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I feel its kind of really important to give back to the school because of the opportunities and space and support theyve given me, stated Kanneh-Mason to BBC News.

In January 2018, his debut recording for decca classics, inspiration, was released, featuring the Shostakovich Cello Concerto NO. 1 with the city of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla. The album reached 18 on the official UK album charts and number one in the classical chart.

Kanneh-Masons international career is moving as he already made debuts with the BBC National Orchestra Of Wales, City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic And Tonhalle Orchestra, Zurich. He will also be appearing with the Barcelona Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra At The Rheingau Festival, Seattle Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique De Radio France, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, The Atlanta Symphony, London Philharmonic, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, And Baltimore Symphony.

In recital, he made his London debut at the Kings Place in October 2017 as part of their Cello Unwrapped Series. Upcoming debuts include The Barbican Centres Milton Court, Wigmore Hall, Zurich Tonhalle, Lucerne Festival, and Carnegie Hall, New York.

The 19-year-old captivated viewers around the world as he performed Maria Theresia von Paradis Sicilienne, Gabriel Faures Apres un reve and Franz Schuberts Ave Maria. He has already attained the social media knighting as Cello Bae. The young phenom has stated that he was bowled over when Ms. Markle called me to ask if I would play during the ceremony.

I immediately said yes! What a privilege to be able to play the cello at such a wonderful event. I cant wait!

If you would like to find out more about Sheku Kanneh-Mason, please visit http://shekukannehmason.com/music/.Firefighters Killed Throughout L.A. History to be Honored With Street Signs

More than five dozen firefighters who have died in the line of duty while serving the Los Angeles Fire Department, dating back to 1895, will be honored with street signs at the location of their deaths under a plan unanimously approved today by the City Council.

This is to commemorate forever those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, said City Councilman Mitchell Englander, who introduced the motion.

The street signs will be paid for by the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City union and installed by the Transportation Department, while the Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society will provide the names of the 62 firefighters and where they died.

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The motion notes that the council in 2014 authorized a program to honor Los Angeles Police Department officers killed in the line of duty through honorary signs near the location of their deaths.

On November 19, 1895, Fireman Sam Haskins was crushed to death in a horse-drawn fire engine accident. He was the first Los Angeles firefighter killed during an active fire incident. A total of 62 firefighters have died working to protect the residents of the city of Los Angeles, the motion reads. The entire city grieves when these incidents occur and it is important to show our collective gratitude to these fallen firefighters. Their courage, dedication, and sacrifice make it possible for all Los Angeles residents to feel safe, secure and protected in times of crisis.Former Foster Youth to Present Foster Care Platform in D.C.

Helping and building up others is a source of strength for Kiana Dean, 21, who was recently selected to attend Washington D.C. on May 23, where she will participate in the National Foster Youth Institutes Congressional Foster Youth Program. Deane, a former foster youth will shadow foster youth advocate, Congresswoman Karen Bass.

In D.C., Deane said she will be pushing for: placing foster kids in homes instead of group homes, fighting for the inclusion of Teens in AMBER ALERTS (Even if they are runaways, they are still minors. Someone needs to search for them, said Deane) and stronger policies, ie. Accountability, ensuring all foster parents are qualified and trained.

Im honored to attend and I feel so blessed to have been selected to be a part of this, Deane told the Sentinel in a recent interview.

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I hope I can make a difference and I want to use my story to help others.

Deane was born one of several children to what the social justice system calls street junkies, addicted to meth upon her arrival. She grew up in foster care with partial paralysis to her face. A surgery at Childrens Hospital didnt do much to correct the problem but that didnt stop Deane from keeping a positive outlook, nor did it stop her from keeping with her mission.

I have two goals, said Deane.

One of them is to run my business called My Voice Speaks. And the other is to be a television news assistant

My voice speaks is Deanes forum, that addresses topics germane to her generation. Her most recent event was at USC, where she moderated with about four different topics.

Deane was selected from over 500 impressive applicants, according to an acceptance letter she received from NYI. The candidate selection process is very competitive, according to NYI officials. From the 500, only 100 applicants are actually selected.

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The National Foster Youth Institute envisions a nation where all children are raised in safe and loving families and where the child welfare system serves as a beacon of hope for families in need, said NYI officials via their website www.nfyi.org.

To achieve our vision, we aim to transform the child welfare system and vastly improve outcomes for foster youth by empowering the youth and their families, building a grassroots movement in 435 congressional districts across the country, and partnering with committed policymakers. Truly transformative foster care reform will not come to fruition until the individuals who have personally experienced the child welfare system have a strong voice in the policymaking process. And NFYI is dedicated to ensuring their place at the tableKoreatown Homeless Shelter Approved by L.A. City Council Committee

A Los Angeles City Council committee today approved a Koreatown parking lot as a potential site for a temporary homeless shelter during a raucous early morning meeting attended by hundreds of people who filled the council chamber to capacity.

The Koreatown site is among at least two dozen locations that have been proposed as possible sites for temporary shelters as part of a new citywide program crafted by Mayor Eric Garcetti. But it has received the lions share of the focus due to significant opposition that has arisen in the neighborhood since the mayor and Council President Herb Wesson announced the site as a potential location during a May 2 news conference.

Despite the opposition and the outbursts of anger from some community members during the meeting, the Homelessness and Poverty Committee unanimously approved the city-owned parking lot at 682 S. Vermont Ave. as suitable for development as a crisis and bridge housing facility. The full City Council is expected to consider the site at an upcoming meeting.

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This is an emergency, and this is nothing short of a matter of life and death. And it has taken us way too long to get to this moment, Councilman Mike Bonin said. We must act. If people are dying on the street, we do not say wait until we build a hospital before we treat them.

The overall shelter program was approved by the council on Monday when it finalized the citys proposed 2018-19 budget, which includes at least $20 million for the A Bridge Home initiative and a potential $10 million more that could be used in a variety of ways to support homeless programs.

Some of the opponents of the Koreatown shelter expressed concerns it would attract more homeless people to the neighborhood, while others said a shelter may be necessary in the neighborhood but not at the Vermont Avenue site due to its proximity to schools and key businesses. Others argued the city did not do enough public outreach before Garcetti and Wesson announced the site as the first proposed for the Bridge Home program.

Some supporters of the shelter said the neighborhood is already filled with encampments and could serve as a way to transition the people sleeping on the sidewalks into better conditions.

At least 9,000 people have signed a petition opposing the proposed Koreatown shelter, and at least three protests against it have been held in the neighborhood.

Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who chairs the Homelessness and Poverty Committee, had trouble keeping order at the meeting. He admonished the crowd on numerous occasions not to yell out or interrupt as he allowed 18 minutes for speakers on each side of the proposal.

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The number of homeless in Los Angeles spiked in 2017 by 20 percent to over 34,000, according to the results of the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, although the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority recently said the numbers in the county were inflated by 2,746, and it is not yet clear how many of those were within the city of Los Angeles.

The shelter program was created after city voters in 2016 approved Measure HHH, a bond initiative expected to raise $1.2 billion for permanent supportive housing over 10 years. But the units take years to approve and build, and the city has not yet opened any HHH-supported units. Garcetti and other supporters say the temporary shelters, which would come in the form of trailers, large tents, or safe parking facilities, will help get people off the streets and into a safer environment where homeless advocates will have a better chance of providing them services and transitioning them into supportive housing.

Wesson, who represents the part of Koreatown where the shelter would be located, provided the committee with a fact sheet that said the site wa selected based on data showing a high concentration of homeless people living in Koreatown. The sheet also said the site would be open for no more than three years, and would have a round-the-clock presence of police and support staff.L.A. County Backs Legislation to Automatically Update Cannabis Convictions

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted today to back legislation that would automatically remove or reduce certain cannabis-related convictions.

Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Hilda Solis recommended support for AB 1793. The bill sponsored by Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, would shift the work of identifying cases eligible for dismissal or misdemeanor status to the Department of Justice, rather than individuals convicted.

Thousands of eligible people around the state may be unaware of the opportunity to erase cannabis-related convictions and start anew, Solis said.

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The war on drugs primarily hinders communities of color, and our goal at the county is to give people second chances and remove barriers to employment and a productive and happy life.

As drafted, the bill would require the department to identify relevant cases, notify prosecutors and, failing a challenge by the prosecution, automatically reduce or dismiss convictions pursuant to Proposition 64, which legalized marijuana.

Less than 5,000 people statewide have taken advantage of the legal changes and petitioned the courts to have their records changed.

Solis estimated that as many as 1 million Californians may qualify for re-sentencing under Proposition 64, which reduced the most common marijuana felonies to misdemeanors effective Nov. 9, 2016.Los Angeles Youth Council Economic Empowerment Seminar

Recently, the Los Angeles Youth Council held their annual Economic Empowerment Seminar in the community. It is important that we address the economic needs of others; We have heard that Economic Empowerment consists of giving a group of people the means to be in control of their own economic destiny. In general, when talking about economic empowerment, we are referring to the economic empowerment of groups and individuals that are somewhat economic powerless.

Naomi Ransom served as the chair of this years Economic Empowerment Seminar with the help of an excellent committee. In the absence of the Youth Council President, Deandra Sims; Amlyah Charles welcomed the members of the panel, vendors, and guests.

Mr. Robert Sausedo-Deputy for Agency and Support for the office of Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas brought greetings from the

Supervisor . He served on the panel and was very informative about the status of the present economy. Other panelists included;

Niambi Ingram-Wells Fargo Bank Business Banking Specialist, Icilda Sanford-Elite Financial Services and Jason Young-CEO of

MindBlown Labs a Financial Wellness Innovation Lab.

We thank the Economic Vendors that answered questions and offered solutions to some of the people that reside in our local

communities. The Economic Vendors included: FedEx, Notary, CPA, Financial Analyst, Realtor, Wills and Trusts, and Financial

Literacy Education.

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Some representatives were former members of the Los Angeles NAACP Youth Council under the tutelage of Merelean Wilson;

Andrea Collins- Portfolio Analyst for City National Rochdale Investment Management, Darius Gray-California Tax Auditor, Justin May  Social Meida Manager, Jahan Epps  Realtor and Jason Young-CEO of MindBlown Labs. Jason also served as a member of President Obamas Youth Financial Committee.

HUMANITARIAN AWARDS were presented to Chambers Shoe and Boot Parlor and Copy City for excellent service rendered to their customers. The Youth Council has also given this award to; Jackson Limo Service, Shirley and Bernard Kinsey and The Los Angeles Sentinel. This award is given to those that render acts of kindness to mankind with honor and without prejudice. To these

and other humanitarians, we simply want to say; Keep Doing What You Are Doing; Because Its All Good.

For additional information please call (323) 291-3413.The Black Business Tour: Spotlighting and Empowering Local Black-Owned Businesses

In 2016, South L.A. native Monet Lamb launched The Black Business Tour (TBBT), with the intention of increasing the visibility of Black-owned businesses. Today, the company is providing marketing services by using bus tours to shine a spotlight on business owners in the Los Angeles area.

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Lamb created TBBT with the idea of ensuring the essence and existence of Black-owned businesses. By helping business owners thrive as the world around them evolves.

The Black Business Tours focus is to rally up persons within community sectors to ensure that they are aware of the businesses that are Black owned, as well as anyone outside of the African American communities who are looking to support those businesses, she said.

Lamb first got started with TBBT after a live video she did at a Black-owned beauty supply in Inglewood went viral. Soon she began receiving praise and support, which resulted in other business owners asking her to promote their businesses. Prior to that, Lamb was using her Facebook page as a means to promote positive images that were happening in the African American community.

The beauty supply video is really what started it all. There was a girl in the comments who said, hey you should do a Black business tour, and the rest really is history, said Lamb.

Los Angeles Sentinel (LAS): Why did you feel there is a need for The Black Business Tour?

Monet Lamb (ML): Just seeing the gentrification and how the community is changing as a whole. This has always been a community of color. So, I noticed that as gentrification was occurring and that the cities and the communities were changing. It looked like there was a displacement of African American people within businesses in particular, it was growing at a very fast rate. We cant stop gentrification but we can definitely ride it and thrive through it. So, I decided to use my own platform of popularity to say, hey everybody, look at what Im doing. Im supporting Black businesses. Otherwise, once the dust settles on gentrification, if African American people are not finding some way to educate ourselves even through homeownership, business ownership, or leaving legacies behind for those who come after us, we will look up and we really will be on the outskirts of L.A. trying to figure out what to do.

LAS: Why is it important for people of color to support Black-owned businesses?

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ML: I believe that if we dont first support our own, we will ultimately be the reason why we [dont] thrive. Gentrification is happening all over the nation. I believe as a people of color, the system is not designed for the African American person. Its just not. When the planning of it happens, it is planned with ways to keep us out of that but still wanting to use whatever components African Americans have contributed. The system is designed for us to fail. The only way we can survive is if [we] rally together. We have to look in comparison to what other cultures are doing and support our own first.

LAS: Do you have any advice for people who have had a negative experience at a Black-owned business?

ML: I too have had that experience and that is the reality that sometimes there is a lack of education there in terms of business owners opening businesses and not really having the skillset of customer service. One of the things that I do, and through The Black Business Tour we pride ourselves on, is that you are not just attaching yourself to The Black Business Tour and we are bringing business to you. There is a certain criteria that will help us help you provide a better experience for the guests. So with intention if you are visiting during one of our tours, we have already had conversations about what that business can do to help the customers feel like they are welcome, appreciated, and make them want to spend their dollars. I also started doing surveys to find out how the guests feel and to see what their experience was like with the tour and encourage them to tell us about their experience with the business.

TBBT is known for its themed tours. Recently, the company had a Mothers Day themed tour so that people could celebrate and honor the phenomenal women in their lives. Also, in March of this year, The Black Business Tour had its first pop-up collective tour. The tour focused on what Lamb refers to as businesses without walls which includes business who are home based, mobile based, or web based.

I noticed a common ground with these businesses. That they didnt have very many followers. Many of the business are just starting out and many of them are home based, so they are growing. I decided to look for businesses who didnt have very many followers. Who didnt have the exposure or very many support. I wanted this tour to be about the exposure for those businesses.

During the pop-up collective, tour-goers had access to products, services, shopping, classes and more. The Black Business Tour, occurs on a monthly basis, the next pop-up collective is to be determined. However, Lamb did receive a high volume of positive responses from the first one.

Reserve your spot for on the next Black Business Tour by visiting www.blackbusinesstour.com! Follow The Black Business Tour on Facebook and Instagram @theblackbusinesstour and on Twitter @blackbiztour.This Little Light of Mine, Im Gonna Let it Shine

As the world now knows Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were married in an opulent yet intimate ceremony on May 19 in the Windsor Castle. Days later, people are still talking about it and all of its facets. The break away from tradition, diversity of the clergy, musical selections and performers, but mostly the overall impact that the ceremony had. Its fun for us to take note of the irony of an African American woman, born to a so called lower class bringing such uniquely African American traditions, expression and excellence into a wedding ceremony of a royal family that been the symbol of oppression of the lower classes and people of color for centuries.

Its fun to watch an African American Bishop address members of the royal family and in his remarks call to mind the evils of slavery, remind us of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and with a firm conviction challenge people to imagine a world where LOVE is the guiding principle in all aspects of how society is organized. Its fun to imagine Serena Williams, (Watts native) proudly walking through the halls with her beautiful knee length braids following behind her or to see Meghans lovely mom with dreads and a nose ring, escorted out of the castle, arm and arm, by the heir to the throne. One cant help but juxtapose the fact that Prince Harry asked for an African American womans hand in marriage while at the same time, in the US white nationalism is one the rise and becoming a visible fixture in our social climate here at home.

However, not everyone had this reaction and many people question whether or not there was anything significant about the ceremony. Ive heard grumblings from people who are distrustful of the Royal family (British empire) and rich people in general say that the ceremony was nothing more than empty posturing and that there is no real intention by this couple to work to change any of the problems impacting our society. Im not going to argue that point one way or another. That is beside the point Im making here and the truth is I dont know what their long-term intentions are overall. I dont know them but I do believe there was something significant to take away from the ceremony.

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I do know, because history has taught me, that as humanity faces difficult times, it is extremely important to keep in the forefront of our minds a beautiful image of how things could be in this world. Its important to keep a beautiful ideal of harmony and fraternity among all people which no sane person would deny is preferable to the conditions that we currently find ourselves in. Its important because it inspires hope and reminds us to not only wish for but to also work on creating that vision, starting with the way we lead our own lives and the example that we set.

Im not impressed by royalty or riches and so the spectacle of it all did not move me. The spirit of the celebration and its clear intention to remind the millions of people watching of this beautiful ideal did move me and I dont think that was by accident.

Humanity doesnt have any saviours outside of us. Its up to us to do the work to save ourselves and its powerful to see and to be encouraged by people who have a strong ideal of what could be and a desire to share that vision of love with this world.

Legislators, street activists, teachers, musicians, neighbors and yes, even members of a royal family can play a part in bringing about improvements in society if willing.

This Little Light of Mine, Im Going to Let it Shine was one of the song the chorus sang at the wedding recessional. I think that is exactly what these two lovers were lovingly encouraging the world to do. As the Bishop said, love is the way and we must never lose sight of that.

Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strike out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance. ~Robert Kennedy

Ardena Joy Clark is an American activist, writer, award winning recording artist, former elected official and author of The Art of Choosing Joy; A Script in the Making of My Life.Women Also Get 2nd Chance at 2nd Call

When it comes to the healing process, women may be slightly ahead, since they are more willing to share their emotions, according to 2nd Chance at Loving Life (2nd Call) founder and director Skipp Townsend, who recently invited the Sentinel to join one of the organinzations facilitator training sessions.

The sessions are held for those who are part of carrying out 2nd Calls mission, which involves first healing, then redirecting the misguided toward more viable lifestyles. During the session, the women seemed to have an unspoken understanding of the power that comes from emotional healing.

I do the same exercises for both men and women, but I get a more positive response from the women, said Townsend.

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Women are more willing to put it on the table.

During the session, the 2nd Call trainees were commissioned to practice a healing exercise, meant to encourage future participants to address where they are from. This is meant to unravel deep seated beliefs that drive behaviors that lead to bad decisions and unwanted outcomes.

The process involves writing a letter in which a participant remembers a terrible past event, addresses how it made them feel, deciding to forgive the person/ circumstances that caused it and then finding positive outcomes from the event.

2nd Call facilitator Shanae Polk believes wholeheartedly in the program, as she was once a participant who had previously been serving a life sentence for a violent crime.

When I came home [from prison], 2nd Call connected me to a job at one of the drug and alcohol programs. I did that for about 2 years and then I started working here as a case manager, Polk recalled.

[Before then], In 2007, was when someone instilled hope in me. That was the change for me. I was digging myself into a deeper and deeper hole while I was serving a life sentence. I was told I would be paroled in a pine box. So thinking I was going to die in prison, my behavior reflected that at the time I had so many reasons to be angry, they were just excuses not to move forward. So, I had a ton of reasons why I was angry, but in hindsight they were just excuses to keep me where I was.

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Townsend began developing a program addressing women within the organization in about 2009, he said, sparked by a woman Kelly Dillon, who had spent fifteen years in prison for killing her husband.

She talked to me about the parallel between gang violence and domestic violence, he explained.

She got a gun from one of her friends who was a gang member. So, when she killed her husband, [the authorities] looked at it as domestic violence, but as she goes off to jail and her husband is getting buried, now two gangs are at war so theres a parallel there that has to be dealt with.

Once participants go through the healing process, only then can they begin to prepare for a new life that includes a viable career that allows them to procure adequate resources for themselves and their families. 2nd Call teaches decision making, time management, resume building, and social skills. Both men and women are privy to the same healing process within 2nd Call.

For her part, Polk said that the process was very important to her. The skills she has learned continue to help her grow. She shares her skills with new 2nd Call participants and also as a certified drug and alcohol counselor.

Now, Im aware of my emotions, she said.

I used to hold them all in because its not that I didnt know how to deal with them, I didnt know what they were. I only knew two feelings. One was happy, one was mad. The sad, depressed, angry none of those emotions are any that I talked about.

So, 2nd Call being an outlet, where I could sit down in a group of many women, I can get out things I normally would not have been able to in the past. Emotions, now, are easy for me to deal with and understand. Now, I can understand when Im going through something and the process to figure out why.

Meanwhile, fellow 2nd Call facilitator and best friend Petra Funtila, who served time in prison with Polk, said she is glad that Polk dragged her to her first session years ago.

I came to the realization in prison that if I dont change my mindset, someone else is going to have control of when I eat and when I sleep, how long I can have a phone conversation, Funtila said.

She knew deep down, freedom had been her greatest desire, but her mental state kept her in prison, even before she was put behind actual bars.

Before, my thinking was that there was something wrong with everyone else and nothing was wrong with me. In 2nd Call, Im more comfortable with the process [of facing myself]

Meanwhile, Polk said, if she could go back to the girl she was before 2nd Call, she would advise her to take a 2nd Call class.

For more information visit www.2ndcall.org.Zoe Christian Fellowship Plans Memorial Tea and Holy Land Trip

Plans are underway for Zoe Christian Fellowship of Los Angeles to offer two events for the local community.

On Saturday, June 16, at 11 a.m., First Lady Sandra Stewart will host the Charlene V. Stewart Memorial Tea. The event takes place at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Culver City. The theme is Bouquets of Beauty.

Explaining the inspiration behind the program, Lady Stewart said, Having a tea was a daily function in my grandmothers home. Tea and talk with her sisters was break time from the days chores.

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The greatest event of to us children was her special tea parties with ladies dressed so elegantly in lovely hats. The smell of cakes, cookies, teacakes, and dainty sandwiches filled the air. All kinds of translucent glass dishes, trays and plates were placed on the lace tablecloth containing all the dainties the ladies brought, she recalled.

Aiming to revive the custom, Lady Stewart issued an invitation for the public to attend the event. The $25 donation is due by June 12, and can be made by calling (323) 931-1477, extension 3 or 4, or online at zcfla.org.

Also, Bishop Frank Stewart, senior pastor, will lead a tour to the sacred sites located in Israel and Egypt. The 12-day visit is set for Nov. 5 through Nov. 17. The public is welcome to participate.

Israel is a place that every believer should go at least once in a lifetime. There are some scenes that add to the reality of Jesus life such as the walls of old Jerusalem, the street Jesus was taken to the cross, and the Jordan River, where I usually baptize believers, said Bishop Stewart, who will mark his eighth tour to Israel.

In Egypt, we will visit the Nile River, the pyramids and the Cairo Museum. Also, we will go to south Egypt where the Nubians will wave and say, Welcome home, my Nubian cousin. This will be one trip that will stay in your mind forever, he insisted.

A $400.00 deposit will reserve your spot, said the bishop, who added, I will be so glad to have you with me on this tour. Pray about it. I am believing I will see you there!

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For information, call (323) 931-1477, ext. 3.The chief lawyer of a Dutch-led team of international investigators said the missile and launcher used to shoot down a Malaysian Airlines plane over eastern Ukraine in July of 2014 came from the Russian military.

The long-running investigation had already had decided that a Russian-made Buk antiaircraft missile downed Flight 17. On Tuesday, the team announced that the launcher belonged to Russia's 53rd anti-aircraft brigade.

The announcement opens the possibility that the Dutch could sue the Russians for the attack that killed all 298 people on board.

The Russian Defense Ministry rejected the findings of the investigative team.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov questioned the fairness of the investigation.

The investigation team had two main sources  the Internet and the Ukrainian special services," he said, adding that these two sources cannot help but cause doubts."

Blaming Russia for the deaths of the European tourists on their way to Kuala Lumpur and bringing criminal charges against the Russian military or Russias government probably would worsen problems between the Kremlin and the West. After the attack on July 17, 2014, the West brought strong sanctions against Russia.

The Kremlin has always denied involvement in the incident

Since then, the Kremlin has argued with Europe and the United States over issues such as Russias support for the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, the attempt to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the poisoning in March of a former Russian spy in Britain.

The investigative team has come to the conclusion that the Buk TELAR by which MH17 was downed originated from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade from Kursk, in the Russian Federation, said Wilbert Paulissen, the head of the criminal division of the Netherlands national police. He added that the convoy carrying the missile was a part of the Russian armed forces.

However, the team allowed for the possibility that the missile could have been fired by another party.

Konashenkov said no Russian missile launchers had ever been sent to the Ukraine to aid anti-Western rebels.

Rebel leaders said at the time that they were receiving military assistance from Russia. Investigators have been working hard to find out if Russian troops shot the missile or if it was Ukrainian rebels to whom the antiaircraft system had been given. The missile system is technically complex, and Western experts have said they do not believe the rebels would have had the technical expertise to target the plane.

The team said Thursday that the Buk missile system was brought to the Ukrainian shortly before the attack and went back to Russia shortly afterward.

Paulissen added that the investigators had evidence that will stand in a courtroom.

At the time of the attack, the battlefield in eastern Ukraine was filled with different armed groups. That spring, separatist fighters opposed to a new pro-Western government in Kiev seized control of territory in Ukraines industrial east. They were operating with Russian support, and Western journalists saw some Russian troops moving into eastern Ukraine that summer. The Russian government has long denied involvement in the conflict.

Vladimir Chizhov, Russian ambassador to the European Union, also dismissed the findings Thursday, saying, This is an old story that was thrown into the informational environment back then, in 2014, Interfax reported.

Rebels in eastern Ukraine on Thursday also denied possessing Russian weapons systems, Interfax reported, citing Eduard Basurin, a rebel official.

Flight 17 took off from Amsterdam and passed over eastern Ukraine on its way to Kuala Lumpur. In video footage from immediately after it was shot down, rebel fighters can be seen gathering in fields where most of the fuselage fell, celebrating what they thought was the downing of a Ukrainian military plane. Their celebration turned to worry when they realized it was a passenger jet.

The investigators on Thursday offered only open-source video and photographic evidence to support their decision that the missile came from a Russian military antiaircraft system. Some of the evidence already had been reported by the Bellingcat research group. But the international investigative team said that the decision was their own. They also said they had had additional information to back their decision, but would only release it in a courtroom.

Of the 298 people killed, 196 were Dutch, 42 were Malaysian and 27 were Australians. The victims were among more than 30 nationalities.

Dutch prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said the team is beginning the last part of the investigation.

Anybody charged criminally with the planes shooting down could face justice in Dutch courts, but it is unlikely that Russia would be willing to extradite citizens to face charges. Eastern Ukraine remains in the hands of pro-Russian rebels and Western police cannot enter the area.

Parts of the plane stretched across many miles of fields and small villages in eastern Ukraine. Bodies decayed in the hot July sun. Dutch-language travel books and card games from the children aboard the flight were spilled across the crash area.

I'm Susan Shand.

This story was reported by the Associated Press. It was adapted by Susan Shand and edited by Kelly J. Kelly.

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Words in this story:

sue  v. to use a legal process by which you try to get a court of law to force a person, company, or organization that has treated you unfairly or hurt you in some way to give you something or to do something

tourist  n. a person who travels to a place for pleasure

sanctions  n. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not allowing economic aid for that country

fuselage  n. the main part of an airplane

open-source  adj. material that is available to anyone, not secret

extradite  v. to send a person who has been accused of a crime to another state or country for trial

decay  v. to be slowly destroyed by

Irish voters will decide on Friday whether to end the countrys ban on abortion in most cases.

Voters will be asked in a referendum whether the countrys constitution should be changed to remove current restrictions on abortion.

A constitutional amendment banned all abortions in Ireland in 1983. A change was made five years ago to permit abortions only in cases where the mothers life was in danger. Thousands of Irish women seek abortions each year in Britain, where they are legal.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkars government supports lifting current abortion restrictions.

If voters agree, the government will propose legislation to change the rules. Varadkar has said the legislation would permit women to have abortions with no restrictions up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy.

Recent public opinion studies suggest that there is more support for changing the existing law than for keeping it in place.

Campaigns on both sides of the issue grew intense leading up to the vote. Ireland is a majority Roman Catholic country. The Church opposes abortion.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Varadkar criticized those opposed to abortion for some campaign advertising. His criticism centered on the use of images of people with Down Syndrome. Some ads had suggested that lifting current restrictions would lead to abortions of babies with the genetic disorder.

Facebook and Google have moved to restrict or remove ads relating to the vote. The companies said concerns were raised about influence from unknown sources.

Lawmaker James Lawless is a technology spokesman for Irelands opposition Fianna Fail party. He told the Associated Press that there are no rules for political campaigning on social media in Ireland.

Somebody at the moment can throw any amount of money, from anywhere in the world, with any message - and theres nothing anybody can do about it, Lawless said.

The issue of social medias role in elections has been raised in other countries as well. Facebook has admitted that Russian groups bought ads on its service in an effort to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Several European nations have also accused foreign groups of trying to influence elections through social media campaigns.

Craig Dwyer is with Irelands Transparent Referendum Initiative. The volunteer group was set up to collect information on ads being used to target Irish Facebook users.

Dwyer said the group had collected and examined nearly 900 Facebook ads connected to the referendum. Many were placed by registered lobby groups, and most were inside Ireland.

But many others could either not be traced or were from overseas. Dwyer said some were linked to U.S.-based anti-abortion organizations.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

referendum  n. election in which people in an area vote for or against an issue of public concern

abortion  n. a medical procedure used to end a pregnancy

source  n. where something comes from

moment  n. a very short period of time

lobby  n. an organized group of people who work together to influence government decisions that relate to a particular industry, issue, etc.

trace  v. find the origin of something

role n. the part someone or something plays in an activity or a performanceLets examine the verification process a little closer. Becoming a literate news consumer requires us to be able to identify legitimate journalism. Legitimate journalism seeks truth. But how do we define that truth?

Truthful reporting comes from using facts that can be confirmed. All the details may not be known. But a news story should include the latest version of events based on verified facts.

Truth is a journey that evolves over time. It is not possible for us to read one newspaper on one day and get a complete picture of world events. We must seek out multiple sources: newspapers, magazines, television and  yes  the internet.

In Iran recently, massive street demonstrations took place throughout the country.

When news organizations reported on these events, the evidence was clear. Images of the protests appeared on television, in newspapers and on the internet. Literate news consumers could be certain the demonstrations took place.

But not all evidence is captured on digital equipment. Sometimes evidence comes in the most unreliable form  memory. It is well known that if a police officer interviews 10 witnesses about a crime, he will receive 10 different versions of events. Yet all were witnesses. A journalist seeking the truth should interview as many witnesses as possible in search of the true story.

One of the most exciting developments in the smart phone age is the ability to record events as they happen.

In May of 2017 former North Charleston, South Carolina police officer Michael Slager admitted in court to shooting and killing Walter Scott. But two years earlier, Officer Slager stated that Scott, pulled over for a traffic violation, had grabbed for his gun. Many news organizations reported Slagers version of the incident. But the next day, a video emerged clearly showing that Slager was lying. He shot Scott in the back as he ran away. News organizations quickly corrected and updated their earlier reporting.

Verification is the responsibility of both news organizations and journalists. But a literate news consumer also checks often for updates or for corrections in stories because he realizes that sometimes  even journalists make mistakes.

Next, we will examine balance and fairness.

This lesson is based on the News Literacy class at the Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University. For more on how to become a news literate citizen, go to The Center for News Literacy.

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Words in This Story

verification - n. to quickly take and hold (someone or something) with your hand or arms

literate - adj. one who can read, write and understand

consumer - n. one who uses or buys things

journey - n. a trip

multiple - adj. many, more than one or two

grab - v. to quickly take and hold (someone or something) with your hand or arms

emerge - v. to become known or apparentIndonesia marks its 20th anniversary as a democracy this month. The country won its independence from the Netherlands in 1945. But, for 30 years, the military ruler Suharto led the country. He resigned in 1998 as a result of the Indonesian Reformasi, or reformation.

Now, 20 years later, many Indonesians are examining the promises kept and broken during its democratic experiment.

The democratic experiment

President Suharto, a former army general, seized power in 1965 after his military killed as many as one million suspected communists, opposition supporters and minorities.

Suharto helped make the Indonesian government more modern. But he also restricted civil liberties. And he used his power to increase his family wealth by tens of billions of dollars.

Suharto resigned on May 21, 1998. The country was in economic and political crisis. There were years of huge protests and riots. Ethnic Chinese became victims of targeted killings and other attacks. Western countries also pressured Suharto to resign in answer to human rights abuses in East Timor.

After his resignation, freedom of speech laws were established in Indonesia. This permitted the growth of an independent media. Conservative Islamists also gained greater power. They formed the Islamic Defenders Front in 1998 and the Indonesian Mujahideen Council in 2000. It supports rule by Islamic law, called sharia.

Freedom of expression

In May of 1998, Indonesian novelist and filmmaker Richard Oh, lived in Pluit, an ethnic-Chinese neighborhood of North Jakarta.

He told VOA he remembers seeing trucks of young men destroying homes, and attacking and raping ethnic Chinese women in apartments near his home.

Oh later wrote two books based on those events, The Pathfinders of Love and The Heart of the Night.

Oh said the subject of free speech is complex. He said it is not as if there was no freedom of expression under Suharto and total freedom in the democratic era. During Suhartos rule, Oh said, there was some non-political artistic expression. Now, in his words, there is the Information and Electronic Transaction Law that could be invoked by anyone. Freedom of expression has also been usurped by intolerance and, more importantly, disregard for social unity.

Growing intolerance

Andreas Harsono sees the situation a little differently. While media freedom is not perfect, he says, it has surely improved since the Reformasi.

Harsono is a Human Rights Watch researcher, former reporter, and creator of Indonesias Alliance of Independent Journalists.

He also said that civil society is getting stronger.

Harsono argues that the biggest issue facing Indonesian democracy is the relationship between Islam and the state of Indonesia. He described it as problematic.

He added that the Reformasi has not succeeded in ending discriminatory rules and government departments, such as the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Also critics argue that Indonesia has not dealt with many human rights abuses of its recent past. Public discussion of the mass killings of the mid-60s is rare. And, little action has been taken about calls for investigations of that violence.

Indonesian human rights activist Maria Sumarish says even current President Joko Jokowi Widodo, the first non-military president in Indonesia, has not been successful on human rights.

President Jokowi committed to resolve cases of gross human rights violations and to end impunity for them, she said, adding that there have never been any steps to do this. She also expressed her concern over the appointment of several Suharto allies to important positions in government.

Still fighting corruption

Indonesia may have problems to face 20 years after the Reformasi. However, its experiment produced what remains the worlds third-largest democracy today.

The country has seen some success in fighting corruption. Just in April, the former speaker of the Indonesian legislature, Setya Novanto, was sentenced to 15 years in jail for stealing money.

Novanto is one of the most powerful Indonesian politicians ever to be found guilty for corruption.

Adnan Topan Husodo of Indonesia Corruption Watch called the decision, a new milestone for anti-corruption efforts in Indonesia.

Im Phil Dierking.

This story was originally reported by Krithika Varagur for VOANews.com. Phil Dierking adapted the story for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

How do you feel Indonesia is moving forward since becoming a democracy? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

commit - v. to make (someone or something) obligated to do something

communist - n. a person who believes in communism or is a member of a political party that supports communism

disregard - v. to ignore (something) or treat (something) as unimportant

impunity - n. freedom from punishment, harm, or loss

intolerant - adj. not willing to allow or accept something

invoke - v. to mention (someone or something) in an attempt to make people feel a certain way or have a certain idea in their mind

milestone - n. an important point in the progress or development of something

society - n. people in general thought of as living together in organized communities with shared laws, traditions, and values

usurp - v. to take and keep (something, such as power) in a forceful or violent way and especially without the right to do soChina Hydroelectric Corporation is a developer, owner and operator of small hydroelectric power projects in China. The projects are located in Zhejiang, Fujian, Yunnan and Sichuan. As of December 31, 2012, wholly owns 22 operating hydroelectric power projects and have controlling interests in three operating hydroelectric power projects. In March 2012, the Company sold 100% of the Yuanping hydroelectric power project. In April 2013, the Company sold the Yuheng hydroelectric power project, a 30 megawatt (MW) project located in Fujian province. In July 2014, the Company announced that it has completed the merger with CPT Wyndham Sub Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of CPT Wyndham Holdings Ltd.

Read More10 hours ago

Ethereum Is On The Verge Of Another New All-Time High

Ethereum Consolidates Ahead Of Next Big Move In the ebb and flow of the Ethereum (cryptocurrencies: ETH) market, it looks like the tide is rising once again. Prices for Ether, the native token of the Ethereum platform are up 27% in the last 2 to 3 weeks and up 100% from earlier this year and look like they could easily gain high double-digit to low triple digits over the next 12 months.

Read ArticleYIMBY leader Sonja Trauss (center) chats with Palo Alto Councilman Adrian Fine (L) and his wife, Jane (R), at a YIMBY Action fundraising gala Nov. 2, 2017, at San Franciscos Verdi Club, where Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman was a featured guest. (Photo by Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)

The oft-told YIMBY origin story goes like this: Trauss, a math teacher who lived in the gentrifying neighborhood of West Oakland, was frustrated by her high rent. She believed that San Franciscos failure to provide housing for tech workers was having a spillover effect. In 2014, she began crossing the Bay to testify at planning meetings and recruited others to speak in favor of 300 new units in San Franciscos Potrero Hill neighborhood.

Trauss early messaging sounded like hardline free-market capitalism: Deregulate and build. I dont want subsidized, supervised affordable housing, Trauss wrote in 2015 for the Libertarian Party of San Francisco. I want to consume housing the way I consume all other products.

The message resonated with the tech industry, which helped launch Trauss one-woman crusade into a movement. In 2015, she received a personal gift of $10,000 from Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman, who told the San Francisco Business Times it was ridiculous to blame companiestech or non-techfor rapidly adding jobs and praised Trauss as representing a massive segment of the population thats been largely ignored in the discussion on Bay Area housingrenters.

Trauss used the donation to, among other things, start the real-estate news and opinion website SFYimby.com, and to pay her rent. Stoppelman went on to donate at least $100,000 to the first YIMBY group Trauss founded, the SF Bay Area Renters Federation, or SFBARF.

There are now more than two dozen YIMBY-affiliated groups in the Bay Area, by YIMBY.wikis count. In These Times investigated the filings of three that are registered as PACs, which must disclose their donors by law: Yes in My Backyard, Affordable Housing for Teachers and Working Families, and the SFBARF PAC. Together, they have raised $377,000 since 2015, mostly in donations of $100 or $500.

Forty-three percent of that money came from employees of tech firms. The next-largest proportion, 10 percent, came from real estate employees. Architects, real estate attorneys and other PACs and YIMBY groups also showed up frequently in the donor rolls.

The tech money came from the middle or upper echelons of Silicon Valley. Donors included top executives at Cisco Systems, Palantir Technologies, tech incubator Y Combinator and cloud communications firm Twilio, as well as software engineers at companies like Google and Facebook.

In summer 2017, tech executives, including Microsofts Nat Friedman, gave half a million dollars to form the statewide lobbying group California YIMBY. By December, California YIMBY had raised nearly $1 million with Friedmans help, according to the New York Times.

Asked about the tech industrys donations, Trauss says that big employers like Google have a workforce housing issue. On this, she says, workers and their employers are on the same page.

Tech has also been a hotbed of YIMBY recruitment. Palo Alto-based engineer Max Kapczynski, 25, who moved to Silicon Valley in 2015 to work for Verily (formerly Google Life Sciences), estimates he now spends 8 to 10 hours a week promoting the YIMBY message. Though his efforts are largely online, he notes that his stable, well-paying job affords him time for advocacy: I have the luxury of being able to leave at 5 or 6 and sit at a city council meeting for hours  before I make a public comment.

California YIMBY co-founder Brian Hanlon (a former grant writer for the U.S. Forest Service) explained to real estate blog The Real Deal why he thinks techies are drawn to YIMBYism: I think tech people are used to solving to [sic] hard problems. Theyre used to thinking in terms of scale.

Even for those outside of tech, its easy to see the appeal of the stated goal of YIMBYismbring down the cost of housing through increased density. Where the YIMBY ethos conflicts with many housing experts opinions is the belief that more housing alone will bring down prices.

Market-rate housing often actually creates its own demand, writes Rice University urban planning professor Bill Fulton, in the July 2015 issue of the journal California Planning & Development Report. In already expensive cities such as London, New York and Santa Barbara, Calif., Fulton writes, the wealthy drive up home prices by paying premium prices, often for houses they dont actually occupy very often.

In a December 2015 study of nine Bay Area counties, the University of California, Berkeleys Urban Displacement Project found no clear relationship or correlation between building new housing and keeping housing affordable in a particular neighborhood. The study noted other research showing that market-rate housing may alleviate a housing shortage over a region, but can exacerbate displacement within a given neighborhood. The researchers estimated it would take 50 years for market-rate development in California to make additional housing available to people who earn less than 50 percent of the median income.

The Berkeley studys recommendations included expediting the building of low-cost housing, coupled with measures like tenants rights protections and rent stabilization. Similarly, anti-displacement activists tend to push decommodifying approaches such as rent control, higher taxes on investment properties and increasing public housing stock.

City planning departments favor more market-based solutions. The latest buzzword is inclusionary zoning, in which new market-rate housing can be built only if some percentage is affordable.

The standard definition of affordable is housing that does not cost more than 30 percent of ones income. San Francisco then uses the area median income (AMI), currently $82,900 for a single person or $118,400 for a family of four, to calculate affordability. Depending on the project, affordable rentals can range anywhere from housing geared to very low-income people making up to 55 percent of the AMI to moderate income people making 110 percent of the AMI.

San Francisco currently requires 18 percent of units to be affordable (down from 25 percent). Often, developers fulfill the requirement by promising to build a separate affordable housing project later, somewhere else. The effect is that very little affordable housing gets built. As this issue went to press, San Franciscos official housing website, where people can enter a lottery for affordable rentals, listed no available units.

As the YIMBY movement has grown, there has been a pretty strong shift toward inclusionary housing, says Steven Buss, head of Mission YIMBY. A lot of people within YIMBY  know the market could not possibly serve everyone. Mission YIMBY, he says, only shows up for affordable housing projects.  Market-rate developers [in the Mission] dont need our help.

When asked about her previous disdain for subsidized, supervised affordable housing, Trauss insists her views have never changed. She says the emphasis was on supervised: The way nonprofit affordable housing is managed can be super disrespectful to the residents.

Trauss says she supports publicly subsidized housing and rent control for big developers. One YIMBY group, East Bay for Everyone, even wrote a letter of support for overturning Californias statewide restrictions on rent control, though it suggested a rolling phase-in period.

But the heart of the YIMBY movement remains pro-development: YIMBYs advocate affordable housing only if it doesnt conflict with the goal of more housing. Believing it would dampen development, YIMBYs were the loudest voice against Prop C, a June 2016 San Francisco ballot initiative that raised the affordability requirement for new building projects from 12 percent to 25 percent. Trauss and her younger brother, Milo, spoke against the measure. (The younger Trauss serves as the YIMBY Partys policy director while working as a consultant for GCA Strategies, the self-styled top public affairs firm for mobilizing community support for real estate proposals.)

In California alone, YIMBYs have backed hundreds of local developments, by Trauss estimate. Thats why activists like Zamudio suspect YIMBYs of serving to lend a (false) grassroots face to real estate interests.

For examples, YIMBYs have spoken for several projects by Lennar, the nations largest home developer. Lennar has had a run of bad press going back a decade, when it played a major role in the subprime mortgage crisis. Its redevelopment of Hunters Point Shipyard, a Navy Superfund site on San Franciscos southeast coast, is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit. Residents charge the developments construction illegally emitted asbestos-laced dust that caused high asthma rates among children in the surrounding, low-income neighborhood.

While developers were not the top overall donors to the YIMBY PACs, they have poured money into YIMBY lobbying on specific measures. The YIMBY group San Francisco Housing Action Coalition raised $1.8 million for its successful campaign opposing a 2015 ballot initiative, Prop I, that would have placed a moratorium on market-rate building in the Mission District.

According to In These Times research, at least 45 percent of this money came from the real estate industry, including banks that fund real estate development. Lennar gave $82,500; the firm behind the Beast on Bryant, the largest proposed complex in the Mission, gave $137,500; and the head of Maximus, the firm behind the controversial Monster in the Mission project, gave $450,000. Prop I was defeated 57 percent to 43 percent.The former director of the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG), Fong Soi Kun, has submitted an appeal to the Court of Second Instance (TSI) against the decision made by the Chief Executive (CE) regarding his actions during Typhoon Hato.

Fong and his deputy director Florence Leong were subjected to a disciplinary procedure over the decision to raise weather warnings in the lead- up to Typhoon Hato.

After a long procedure, the CE decided to hand down the maximum possible penalty allowed by the Civil Servants Regulation  dismissal from office  a decision that had no real consequence, since Fong had already retired, except for the suspension of his retirement pension for four years.

The CE announced the penalties decided for the two heads of the Bureau on April 11. This was only a few days after the official gazette said Fong would have been eligible for a retirement pension of approximately MOP80,000 per month, based on Fongs 35 years of service in the SMG.

At the same time, Leong was also found guilty of neglecting her duties and given a 130-day suspension from current duties.A rumor that Alvin Chaus Suncity Group Holdings Ltd had acquired the troubled Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel and Greek Mythology Casino was quashed yesterday in a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange by a major shareholder in the Taipa-based casino-hotel.

Amax International Holdings, which owns a nearly 30 percent stake in the Beijing Imperial Palace according to the companys website, clarified in the filing that the rumor was not true.

The rumor was first reported in an interview with Andrew Lo, executive director of Suncity, and published in Hong Kongs Ming Pao.

According to the news outlet, Lo said that his company had acquired the property after its license holder, Macau Hotel Developers Ltd., had failed to repay a loan from the company. As compensation, it would transfer property ownership to Alvin Chau.

Lo added that the gaming promoter, which would acquire the property through its subsidiary, Victory Success, intended to upgrade the hotel and casino facilities as soon as it had acquired a hotel license. The redevelopment would include a redesign of the property, reducing the number of rooms from 500 to 300, as well as changing its name and branding.

The Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel has been temporarily closed since 2016 when the Macau Government Tourism Office ordered its closure.

The Company was informed by the Hotel management that the Hotel management is still in charge of the Hotel and in no event have the control rights of the Hotel been passed to Mr. Chau, noted Amax International in the filing. Legal proceedings related to the dispute are still ongoing.

The company said that it has obtained a court order judging that Victory Success had invaded the hotel and was obliged to return it to the hotel management within five calendar days.

The Hotel management is of the view that the Court Order could further protect their control rights of the Hotel, said Amax International in the filing.Philip Roth, the prize-winning novelist and fearless narrator of sex, death, assimilation and fate, from the comic madness of Portnoys Complaint to the elegiac lyricism of American Pastoral, died yesterday [Macau time] at age 85.

Roths literary agent, Andrew Wylie, told The Associated Press that he died in a New York City hospital of congestive heart failure.

Author of more than 25 books, Roth was a fierce satirist and uncompromising realist, confronting readers in a bold, direct style that scorned false sentiment or hopes for heavenly reward. He was an atheist who swore allegiance to earthly imagination, whether devising pornographic functions for raw liver or indulging romantic fantasies about Anne Frank. In The Plot Against America, published in 2004, he placed his own family under the anti-Semitic reign of President Charles Lindbergh. In 2010, in Nemesis, he subjected his native New Jersey to a polio epidemic.

He was among greatest writers never to win the Nobel Prize. But he received virtually every other literary honor, including two National Book Awards, two National Book Critics Circle prizes and, in 1998, the Pulitzer for American Pastoral. He was in his 20s when he won his first award and awed critics and fellow writers by producing some of his most acclaimed novels in his 60s and 70s, including The Human Stain and Sabbaths Theater, a savage narrative of lust and mortality he considered his finest work.

He identified himself as an American writer, not a Jewish one, but for Roth the American experience and the Jewish experience were often the same. While predecessors such as Saul Bellow and Bernard Malamud wrote of the Jews painful adjustment from immigrant life, Roths characters represented the next generation. Their first language was English, and they spoke without accents. They observed no rituals and belonged to no synagogues. The American dream, or nightmare, was to become a Jew without Jews, without Judaism, without Zionism, without Jewishness. The reality, more often, was to be regarded as a Jew among gentiles and a gentile among Jews.

In the novel The Ghost Writer he quoted one of his heroes, Franz Kafka: We should only read those books that bite and sting us. For his critics, his books were to be repelled like a swarm of bees.

Feminists, Jews and one ex- wife attacked him in print, and sometimes in person. Women in his books were at times little more than objects of desire and rage and The Village Voice once put his picture on its cover, condemning him as a misogynist. A panel moderator berated him for his comic portrayals of Jews, asking Roth if he would have written the same books in Nazi Germany. The Jewish scholar Gershom Scholem called Portnoys Complaint the book for which all anti-Semites have been praying. When Roth won the Man Booker International Prize, in 2011, a judge resigned, alleging that the author suffered from terminal solipsism and went on and on and on about the same subject in almost every single book. In Sabbaths Theater, Roth imagines the inscription for his title characters headstone: Sodomist, Abuser of Women, Destroyer of Morals.

Ex-wife Claire Bloom wrote a best-selling memoir, Leaving a Dolls House, in which the actress remembered reading the manuscript of his novel Deception. With horror, she discovered his characters included a boring middle-aged wife named Claire, married to an adulterous writer named Philip. Bloom also described her ex-husband as cold, manipulative and unstable. (Although, alas, she still loved him). The book was published by Virago Press, whose founder, Carmen Callil, was the same judge who quit years later from the Booker committee.

Roths wars also originated from within. He survived a burst appendix in the late 1960s and near-suicidal depression in 1987. After the disappointing reaction to his 1993 novel, Operation Shylock, he fell again into severe depression and for years rarely communicated with the media. For all the humor in his work  and, friends would say, in private life  jacket photos usually highlighted the authors tense, dark-eyed glare. In 2012, he announced that he had stopped writing fiction and would instead dedicate himself to helping biographer Blake Bailey complete his life story. By 2015, he had retired from public life altogether.

He never promised to be his readers friend; writing was its own reward, the narration of life, in all its shameless impurity. Until his abrupt retirement, Roth was a dedicated, prolific author who often published a book a year and was generous to writers from other countries. For years, he edited the Writers from the Other Europe series, in which authors from Eastern Europe received exposure to American readers; Milan Kundera was among the beneficiaries. Roth also helped bring a wider readership to the acclaimed Israeli writer Aharon Appelfeld.

Roth began his career in rebellion against the conformity of the 1950s and ended it in defense of the security of the 1940s; he was never warmer than when writing about his childhood, or more sorrowful, and enraged, than when narrating the shock of innocence lost. Hillel Italie, AP

Stephen King among the honorees at PEN America gala

On a night when speakers included Stephen King, Morgan Freeman and Margaret Atwood, no one at the PEN American gala had a more moving and inspiring presence than Parkland shooting survivor Samantha Fuentes.

One of three student gun control activists receiving PENs Freedom of Expression Courage Award, Fuentes became tearful, nauseous, fled the podium and returned a few minutes later to a standing ovation as she steadied herself and accepted an honor neither she nor Cameron Kasky nor Zion Kelly imagined or wanted.

I think sometimes I forget I got shot, she said, before speaking of her mission to to prioritize peoples life over guns.

Thank you so much for believing in me, or not just me, thank you for believing that together we can correct the moral and fundamental problems in this country.

The PEN gala, held yesterday [Macau time] at the American Museum of Natural History, was an education in the dangers and rewards of free expression, with words from longtime celebrities and those forced into fame, from political prisoners and those lucky enough to get out. The literary and human rights organization handed out prizes for literary service, political activism and defense of the First Amendment.

The gala took place as a longtime champion for writers oppressed in Eastern Europe during the Cold War, Philip Roth, was dying in a nearby hospital at age 85. Many that night spoke of risks to essential rights, abroad and in the U.S. Atwood, best known for her Dystopian novel The Handmaids Tale, warned that When democracy is in retreat the first thing authoritarians do is silence those who are telling stories they dislike. She was presenting the Freedom to Write Award to two Reuters journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, jailed in Myanmar.

In a letter read by Atwood, the journalists offered a dare to the Myanmar government: Where is the truth? Where is the truth and justice? they asked. Where is democracy and freedom? Why do soldiers who are found guilty of murder get 10 years while we journalists who expose the murder face 14 years in prison?

Freeman, who starred the film adaptation of Kings Shawshank Redemption, presented King his award for literary service and praised him as the embodiment: of three essential qualities: The writer as humanitarian, the writer as conduit to bringing unseen and unheard human experiences to life and the writer as activist to use the power of the pen to shape the world.

King has a long history of supporting literacy and liberal causes and was remembered for a special act of courage and solidarity. When some bookstores in 1989 considered pulling Salman Rushdies The Satanic Verses because of death threats resulting from the fatwa announced by Irans Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, King responded that he would withdraw his work in response.

In his acceptance speech, King called himself just a guy whos loved books since childhood, but set a higher tone for the writers place in the world.

Those who can read can learn to write and those who can do both will eventually succeed in the world, he said.Two weeks ago, Malaysias Najib Razak was supremely confident of being elected prime minister for a third term. Instead, in a dizzying political drama, he lost an unlosable election and spiraled into ever-deepening disgrace while Malaysians are being feted for advancing democratic values against their global retreat.

In a series of humiliations, the patrician and luxury-loving Najib and wife Rosmah Mansor were banned from leaving the country; truckloads of luggage stashed with cash and valuables as well as hundreds of expensive designer bags were seized from their home and other properties; and anti-corruption police questioned Najib for hours this week about a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal on his watch.

After 60 years of uninterrupted National Front rule, many Malaysians are optimistic they are ushering in an era of reform that echoes the democratic transformation of giant neighbor Indonesia two decades earlier. The difference, they hope, is that it will continue to be accomplished without setting their multi-ethnic country in flames. A grouping of progressive Southeast Asian lawmakers has hailed Najibs defeat as a bright spot amid dark times of rising authoritarianism across the region.

The May 9 election that turfed Najib and his government despite an electoral system heavily engineered in their favor was a quiet, dignified but defining revolution at the ballot box, said Malaysian rights activist and lawyer Ambiga Sreenevasan. Malaysia has now set the gold standard in Southeast Asia for bringing change peacefully even through a flawed process, said Sreenevasan, who has been appointed by the new government to a reform panel.

Najibs ouster was in large part made possible by the return to politics of Mahathir Mohamad, premier for 22 years until 2003. Spurred by anger over the alleged looting of state investment fund 1MDB by associates of Najib, he emerged from retirement and joined with former political enemies to campaign against the ruling coalition.

Despite Mahathir being mocked by Najib for his old age and authoritarian record, his reputation as a statesman who transformed a Southeast Asian backwater into a modern economy helped soothe voters fears of possible chaos under a new government. Many Malaysians have been haunted for decades by racial riots in 1969 that killed more than 200 people.

Since he was sworn in as Malaysias seventh premier and the worlds oldest leader at 92, Mahathir has wasted no time in setting up his government and tackling the countrys financial problems. Former foes he once jailed have been appointed to the cabinet, including the first ethnic Chinese to hold the powerful finance ministry post in 44 years. Malaysia also now has its first female deputy prime minister.

Mahathir facilitated a royal pardon that freed reformist icon Anwar Ibrahim, who was jailed in 2015 in what he said was a conspiracy by Najib to crush his opposition alliance. Anwar, who is now the prime minister-in-waiting, was sacked by Mahathir in 1998 after a power struggle and jailed for sodomy and corruption. The two men reconciled in 2016, united by their resolve to oust Najib.

Mahathir has said he needs one to two years to restore order before handing power to Anwar.

The top priority is getting to the bottom of the 1MDB scandal.

Najib started the fund when he took power in 2009 but it accumulated billions in debts. U.S. investigators say USD4.5 billion was stolen and laundered from 1MDB by his associates, some of which landed in Najibs bank account and $27.3 million of it used to buy a rare pink diamond necklace for his wife.

A former attorney general and senior anti-graft official, who were on the verge of pressing criminal charges against Najib in 2015 before they, respectively, were sacked and fled in fear of arrest, have been brought back to help investigate. A 1MDB panel has been set up to liaise with foreign countries on how to retrieve the laundered billions.

New Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said this week that Najibs government had conducted an exercise of deception over 1MDB and also misrepresented the countrys financial situation to parliament. The same day, the anti-corruption commission official who previously led investigations into 1MDB gave a harrowing account of how the probe was suppressed by intimidation during Najibs rule.

Malaysia will likely be one of the few Southeast Asian nations to put a former PM in jail, said Bridget Welsh, political science professor at the John Cabot University in Rome, who was in Kuala Lumpur to observe the polls.

Najib made the mistake of thinking it was about him rather than the office he held, she said. Former Philippine President Joseph Estrada was jailed for corruption in 2007.

While the 1MDB crisis will keep officials busy, there are other worries for Mahathir and the new government.

Closer examination of the election results showed many from the countrys ethnic Malay majority still didnt support Mahathirs alliance.

The conservative Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party made major gains by winning control of two rural northeastern mainly Malay states. Collectively with the National Front, they hold 43 percent of seats in Parliament.

This could create difficulty for Mahathirs government on any attempt to pare back a decades-old affirmative action policy that favors Malays in government contracts, business, jobs, education and housing.

The program is credited with lifting millions of Malays out of poverty and creating an urban middle class of the ethnic group who account for two-thirds of Malaysias 31 million people. But it is also blamed for a racial divide between Malays and minority Chinese and Indians who have long complained about government discrimination.

Many ethnic minorities left Malaysia over the years in search of better opportunities but the vote has revived a sense of nationalism, with social media awash with Malaysians hailing Mahathir as a hero and expressing pride in being part of a reborn Malaysia.

Anwar, a Malay, told The Associated Press in an interview after his release that the race-based policies should be discarded in favor of a merit program that helps all poor irrespective of race.

Once the election euphoria fades, he said the government has to prove there will be more freedom, good governance and a better life for all Malaysians.

Conservative forces are still strong, said Welsh, a Southeast Asia expert and poll observer. Mahathir has made important steps so far that showcase a reform orientation. Malaysians place a lot of hope in his continued leadership. His harnessing of nationalism is important to overcome more divisive currents. Eileen Ng, Kuala Lumpur, APSeveral cases of illegal workers caught by the Labor Affairs Bureau (DSAL) during surprise inspections have been referred to the Public Security Police Force (PSP).

According to information released by the police force, in the first case on May 16, the bureau performed a surprise inspection on a company related to the civil construction business, where it found three workers working under illegal conditions.

Two of the workers were residents of Hong Kong, with one Chinese and one from the Phillipines, and the third being of Portuguese nationality. Their ages ranged from 26 to 47 years old.

The spokesperson of the PSP said that the two Hong Kong residents were performing consultancy duties, while the Portuguese worker was a designer.

They were earning salaries ranging between HKD12,000 and HKD37,500.

The general manager of the company claimed not to have been aware of the workers situation.

In a separate case, which occurred on May 18, the DSAL found another illegal worker carrying out loading duties backstage of an exhibition hall in the Cotai area.

The worker, who is 29 years old and originates from mainland China, tried to run away when he saw the inspectors but was caught with the help of the PSP.

Further inspection revealed that the worker had been hired by a company on a daily basis, earning a salary of MOP500 per day. The PSP has been trying to contact the owner of the company.

The police is continuously investigating these cases so as to provide more information for compilation which can be used for a judicial process enforced by the DSAL. RMMacau Government Tourism Offices (MGTO) chief Helena de Senna Fernandes has been elected to be Pacific Asia Travel Associations (PATA) secretary/treasurer. The election was held while she was attending PATAs Annual Summit 2018 held this week in Gangneung, Korea, which was also attended by the president of the Institute for Tourism Studies, Fanny Vong.

The MGTO chief will hold the post for the next two years, overseeing the administration of the Associations financial affairs and chairing the Audit and Finance Committee.

It is a great honor to be trusted with the new role to serve in PATA, and a privilege for Macau to join all other members in helping to create a more sustainable future for the tourism industry in the region, said Fernandes, according to a statement from MGTO. I am thankful for the significant recognition that comes with the new responsibilities, for our efforts to support the Associations endeavors over the years, she added.

According to MGTO, over the past decades, the Pacific Asia Travel Association has been a valuable platform for Macau to promote its destination and connect with global travel trade. The Office has been actively engaged in the affairs of the Association and has continuously supported the PATA Gold Awards.

The PATA Annual Summit 2018, held from May 17 to 20, was jointly organized by the Korea Tourism Organization and Gangwon Province in Gangneung, Korea. As it is one of PATAs annual major events, this years PATA Annual Summit attracted 372 delegates representing a total of 182 entities, originating from 41 countries and regions across Asia Pacific.

Revolving around the theme building bridges, connecting people  how collaboration creates opportunities this year, the Summit explored the impact the tourism industry has on driving economic progress.

Eminent leaders were invited to deliver speeches and insights in the Summit, including former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon and former Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization, Taleb Rifai.The laws for urban renewal will be established independently for each urban renewal topic, Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosario revealed yesterday after an Urban Planning Committee meeting.

Concerning issues of the laws related to the Urban Renewal Committee, I want to clarify that the Committee made a choice which [means it wont be] us making an urban renewal law, [that is], making a big law. We chose instead to establish a law for every single matter [concerning urban renewal topics], said Rosario.

Rosario remarked that, on Friday, the Legislative Assembly (AL) will discuss the tax rebate benefits regime concerning urban renewal.

He highlighted that this law, like the others, will be developed independently.

Gradually, we will [make laws] regarding the reconstruction of old buildings [] and temporary houses. [] I want to clarify that this is not about us not wanting to make laws. We just chose not to make an integrated legal framework, explained Raimundo.

The Secretary does not know which law will be established first.

Its difficult to talk about the legislation procedures, said Raimundo.

Yesterdays meeting focused on the number of documents behind the management of the committees operation.

Besides discussing the schedule for establishing laws for the Committee, the members also passed an internal regulation.

[The committee] is one part of the governmental structure, [] it has to be supervised by the law. [The committee] called the members to pay attention to the fact that the committee is a collegial body, said Raimundo.

The Secretary noted that there are three possibilities for carrying out urban renewal. Owners can do it by themselves; a private contractor can buy the properties and perform the reconstruction; or, the government can do it. It is not necessary to wait for us [the government] to do it.

Rosario pointed out that the government and private contractors need to get approval from each property owner to carry out urban renewal works.

Each building has property owners, therefore we [the government] cannot go to each building and ask owners to leave, so that the government can carry out the renovation. We must reach an agreement with all these owners, the Secretary said, while commenting on the reconstruction of buildings.The United States and South Korea are laboring to keep the highly anticipated U.S. summit with North Korea on track, even after President Donald Trump abruptly said theres a very substantial chance it wont happen as scheduled.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in reminded Trump yesterday [Macau time] of the sky-high stakes, saying, The fate and the future of the Korean Peninsula hinge on the meeting.

The June 12 summit, planned for Singapore, offers a historic chance for peace on the peninsula  but also the risk of an epic diplomatic failure that would allow the North to revive and advance its nuclear weapons program.

U.S. officials say preparations are still underway. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is appearing Wednesday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said, Were driving on.

Trumps newfound hesitation appeared to reflect recent setbacks in efforts to bring about reconciliation between the two Koreas, as well as concern whether the self-proclaimed dealmaker can deliver a nuclear accord with the Norths Kim Jong Un.

Seated in the Oval Office with Moon Jae-in, Trump said Kim had not met unspecified conditions for the summit. However, the president also said he believed Kim was serious about negotiations, and Moon expressed every confidence in Trumps ability to hold the summit and bring about peace.

I have no doubt that you will be able to  accomplish a historic feat that no one had been able to achieve in the decades past, Moon said.

U.S. officials said preparations for the summit were still underway despite recent pessimism  and privately suggested there would be additional public maneuvering as both sides seek to maximize their leverage. Both parties to the talks are invested in holding the meeting, with Kim seeing an opportunity for international legitimacy and Trump the prospect of securing Korean stability  and perhaps a Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump suggested the summit could be delayed rather than canceled: It may not work out for June 12, but there is a good chance that well have the meeting.

He did not detail the conditions he had laid out for Kim but said if they arent met, we wont have the meeting. Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump was referring to a commitment to seriously discuss denuclearization.

Skepticism about the Norths intentions have mounted in recent weeks after Kims government pulled out of planned peace talks with the South last week, objecting to long-scheduled joint military exercises between U.S. and South Korean forces. The North also threatened to abandon the planned Trump- Kim meeting over U.S. insistence on rapidly denuclearizing the peninsula.

Trump expressed suspicion that the Norths recent aggressive barbs were influenced by Kims unannounced trip to China two weeks ago  his second in as many months. Trump said hed noticed a little change in Kims attitude after the trip.

I dont like that, he said.

The president added that he hoped Chinese President Xi Jinping was actually committed to the goal of denuclearizing the Korean peninsula, calling him a world-class poker player. APA group of lawmakers in the Iranian legislation have called President Hassan Rouhani to completely review ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after the Gulf country voiced support for Washingtons pledge to flap historic toughest sanctions over its nuclear program, Iranian Fars news agency reports.

The lawmakers, 61, in number, came up with a notification read out at the floor at an open session of the parliament in Tehran on Tuesday.

The group according to the agency called on the government to review all-out relations with the UAE in an attempt to change and lower interactions between the two states.

The demand came after UAEs Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash hailed Monday US Secretary Mike Pompoes announcement of new sanctions against the Islamic Republic few days after US President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Gargash welcomed in a tweet his US counterparts remarks as he deemed the sanctions correct.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeos approach to Iranian policy was correct, Gargash tweeted.

The tough strategy he declared was a natural result of Iranian behavior over the years. Uniting efforts is the correct path for Iran to realize the futility of its incursions and expansionism, he added.

The UAE is a key trade partner of Iran. Both countries however fell out in 2016 following Iranian protest over the execution of a prominent Saudi Shia cleric.Credit: CC0 Public Domain

From their first days in school, boys' reading proficiency in Norway is on average much worse than that of girls. And it doesn't appear that this discrepancy levels out during the first school year. "The fact that that the discrepancies don't diminish during the school year is a sign that we have to change how we teach letters and reading," says Hermundur Sigmundsson, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Department of Psychology.

The study's findings were recently published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology. The study followed 485 Norwegian children, 224 girls and 261 boys aged five to six years, through a school year. Participating children came from many schools in one Norwegian county.

The Norwegian version of the letter-sound knowledge (LSK) test used for the assessment was developed by Greta Storm Ofteland, a special educator and teacher for 45 years. The test assesses how many capital and lowercase letter names and corresponding sounds a child knows.

Reading skills elude every fifth boy

Subject area gender differences are nothing new. Until recently, girls lagged way behind boys in maths, but the gender differences in this subject are beginning to level out in Norway, according to results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The problem is also completely different for the boys.

Most girls have a good foundation in mathematics, but they're just not achieving the highest grades as often as boys. Boys' reading problems are located at the other end of the proficiency scale, putting them at risk of falling through the cracks. Among Norwegian 15-year-old boys, 21 percent are simply unable to read well enough to understand a text.

"According to the world's foremost researchers in the field, this figure should normally be in the range of two to five per cent. Here we have a difference of 16 to 19 per cent that's due to inadequate teaching. We can't accept that," says Sigmundsson.

Reading is key

Being able to read well is the foundation for success in basically every subject. That's why it's so important to help children read well as early as possible.

"If we don't improve children's reading skills, the problems can persist throughout the school year and even the rest of their lives," says Sigmundsson.

Boys have lagged behind girls year after year. More than 50 000 primary school students in Norway receive special education, and 68 per cent of them are boys. Special education costs Norwegian society 12 000 FTE employees and several million euros each year.

Important to catch problems early

"The reasons the boys struggle more with reading are clearly linked to less practice and experience with it than girls. Reading is a skill and requires a lot of practice," says Sigmundsson. The boys in the study continued to trail the girls, even after receiving instruction for a whole school year. Better monitoring and follow-up are missing here.

"We can also assume that too little practice is happening at home. Parents carry a big responsibility for this too,"says Sigmundsson.

One problem is that students are no longer required to read as much at school as they used to. As a result, the least motivated readers basically read even less compared to children who already like to read. Motivation is often linked to mastery, so it's important to prioritize reading the first two to three years of school.

"It's a matter of catching problems early," Sigmundsson says. He thinks many measures are implemented too late.

Experience and early stimulation are essential for developing these skills. In order to break the reading code, it is important to learn the letter names and their sounds before continuing on to learn words. This method is not mandatory in Norway. Sigmundsson believes it should be, and says that international research supports this approach.

More information: Hermundur Sigmundsson et al, Gender Gaps in Letter-Sound Knowledge Persist Across the First School Year, Frontiers in Psychology (2018). Journal information: Frontiers in Psychology Hermundur Sigmundsson et al, Gender Gaps in Letter-Sound Knowledge Persist Across the First School Year,(2018). DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00301Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A team of researchers from several institutions in the Netherlands and Yale University in the U.S. has found evidence that suggests deep brain stimulation (DBS) can help treat type 2 diabetes. In their paper published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the group describes what happened when a single patient with a mental disorder was treated with DBS.

The story began, the researchers report, when a patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder failed to respond to traditional treatments. His doctors suggested trying DBS as it had shown promise with others with the same condition. After the treatment, the doctors discovered that not only did the patient show improvements in OCD symptoms, but also a reduction in type 2 diabetes symptoms. That led them to test other OCD patients that underwent DBS treatments. In so doing, they discovered that all subjects showed an increase in sensitivity to insulin.

During DBS for OCD, a small amount of electricity is focused on a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbensit has been found to be in part responsible for motivation and reward processing. The tiny jolt helps get the wiring back to a normal state. The researchers found that it also stimulates the ventral striatum, which is involved in regulating glucose levels in the body. And glucose is, of course, a type of sugar fuel for cells. The hormone insulin regulates this process.

In patients with type 2 diabetes, various factors contribute to reduce insulin production, resulting in higher levels of glucose in the blood, which can cause a host of problems. Treatment for diabetes patients typically involves injecting insulin, or taking drugs that cause the liver to produce less glucose and/or make cells more sensitive to insulin. Now, it appears that DBS can do roughly the same thing, i.e., make cells more sensitive to insulin, which, in turn, means it does not take as much to fuel cells.

The researchers are not suggesting DBS as a treatment for diabetes, such procedures are too invasive. Instead, they suggest their finding might help in the development of other treatments that work in similar ways.

Explore further Culprit in reducing effectiveness of insulin identified

More information: Kasper W. ter Horst et al. Striatal dopamine regulates systemic glucose metabolism in humans and mice, Science Translational Medicine (2018). Kasper W. ter Horst et al. Striatal dopamine regulates systemic glucose metabolism in humans and mice,(2018). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aar3752 Abstract

The brain is emerging as an important regulator of systemic glucose metabolism. Accumulating data from animal and observational human studies suggest that striatal dopamine signaling plays a role in glucose regulation, but direct evidence in humans is currently lacking. We present a series of experiments supporting the regulation of peripheral glucose metabolism by striatal dopamine signaling. First, we present the case of a diabetes patient who displayed strongly reduced insulin requirements after treatment with bilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting the anterior limb of the internal capsule. Next, we show that DBS in this striatal area, which induced dopamine release, increased hepatic and peripheral insulin sensitivity in 14 nondiabetic patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Conversely, systemic dopamine depletion reduced peripheral insulin sensitivity in healthy subjects. Supporting these human data, we demonstrate that optogenetic activation of dopamine D1 receptorexpressing neurons in the nucleus accumbens increased glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in mice. Together, these findings support the hypothesis that striatal neuronal activity regulates systemic glucose metabolism. Journal information: Science Translational Medicine

 2018 Medical XpressStudents from some of England's worst performing secondary schools who enroll on medical degrees with lower A Level grades, on average, do at least as well as their peers from top performing schools, a new study has revealed.

The research also found that students from poorly performing schools who match the top A Level grades achieved by pupils from the best performing schools, go on to do better during a medical degree.

The authors of the research are now calling for medical school entry criteria to be relaxed for all pupils applying from low-performing schools.

The study, led by academics from the University of York alongside partners at the Universities of Dundee and Durham, analysed data from UK medical degree courses and linked it to information on secondary schools from the Department for Education.

Some universities, such as Birmingham, Southampton and Kings College London, have already trialled A Level 'grade discounting' for medical school place offers for some disadvantaged applicants.

Lead author of the paper, Lazaro Mwandigha, from the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York said: "This study suggests that relaxing A Level grade entry requirements for students from the worst performing secondary schools is beneficial. Although there are important further questions about how to fairly classify schools, the study demonstrates that these students are, on average, just as able to keep up with the pace of a medical degree".

There is fierce competition to study medicine in the UK with normally around 11-12 applications made for each place on offer. Partly as a result of this, entry grade requirements have crept up to AAA or A* AA at A Level. Despite only 5.3% of children in the UK going to private school, around half of medical degree places are currently filled by students who attended selective schools.

Supervising author Dr. Paul Tiffin said: "This study is the first robust evidence that grade discounting for pupils from underperforming schools is justified. At the moment around 20% of UK schools are providing 80% of our medical students so A Level achievement should be viewed in terms of the context in which a pupil learns in order to help increase fairness and widen participation in medicine."

While they acknowledge it is not a "cure all" solution, the researchers argue that lowering entry grades for certain pupils could work as part of a package of measures.

Dr. Lewis Paton, another member of the research team at the University of York, said: "Bright pupils from less well performing schools sometimes don't apply to medical school because they or their teachers don't think they'll make the grades required to get in. If medical schools started to contextualise A Level results, it could make access to studying medicine appear more achievable."

The researchers argue that widening access to medical degrees is not just a matter of social fairness; it is also something that would benefit the UK's health services.

Dr. Tiffin added, "The NHS needs more doctors from under-represented minority groups. Having doctors from a wider range of backgrounds would enable health professionals to better understand and meet the UK's diverse healthcare needs."

Clare Owen, Assistant Director of the Medical Schools Council, said "This research adds important data to our understanding of how entry requirements relate to subsequent performance. The Medical Schools Council recognises the benefits of admissions which take applicants' backgrounds into account and this year published a guide which collects together the best practice of medical schools as they implement contextual admissions. Each medical school must decide on the best approach for its circumstances and this research will help them by making a significant contribution to the evidence base"

The study looked at data on medical students who had taken the UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) - the admissions test used by most UK universities for admissions to their medical degree programmes. The dataset included information on schools attended by applicants, A level results, admissions to medical degrees and performance on the course.

What is the effect of secondary (high) schooling on subsequent medical school performance? A national, UK based, cohort study is published in BMJ Open.

Explore further State school students twice as likely as private school peers to finish top in medical schoolThe current understanding of limb and lung development in humans does not capture the full picture of the process, according to research published in Nature last week. This paper describes the importance of novel genes for limb development, and shows how perceived wisdom about the process was incomplete.

An international group of clinicians and researchers from Singapore, Turkey, France, Portugal and India, studied five families with either limb malformations, or tetra-amelia syndrome that is characterised by the absence of lungs and all four limbs. They found that mutations in the RSPO2 gene lead to incomplete limb development.

Until now, the RSPO proteins were believed to only work with their receptors called LGRs. Together, RSPO and LGRs were thought to allow limb formation by blocking two key enzymes ZNRF3 and RNF43.

Or so we thought.

The team then studied mice lacking all three LGRs required for RSPO2's function, and found that contrary to what was expected they still developed limbs and lungs normally. This indicates that RSPO2 does not need LGRsdisproving the established understanding of how this is happening.

"Our results establish that even without the LGR receptors, RSPO2, can bind to other molecules and constitute a master switch that governs limb development," says Dr. Emmanuelle Szenker-Ravi, a co-first author of the study based at Agency of Science, Technology and Research's (A*STAR) Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) in Singapore.

Together with collaborators in Belgium, the team went on to check this same pathway in frog models, and confirmed that the absence of RSPO2 prevents limb development. Interestingly, they showed for the first time the importance of ZNRF3 and RNF43 for proper limb development. Indeed, the biggest surprise came when they removed both ZNRF3 and RNF43, and discovered that frogs would grow extra arms and legs.

The lead author Professor Bruno Reversade, who is based at A*STAR in Singapore, speculates whether this may also help explain why some animals such as salamanders can regrow limbs after amputation. "We were puzzled by these results as this pathway is thought to be largely understood," Dr. Reversade says. "As ever, unexpected discoveries allow one to challenge the prevailing dogma and better capture the complexity of biology."

Beyond the formation and regeneration of limbs which have strong applications in regenerative medicine, the teams' findings also bear important implications in cancer research. The very same genes RSPO2, RNF43 and ZNRF3 are often found to be mutated and cause colorectal cancer. Thus the knowledge of how humans form limbs might provide new therapeutic options for cancer patients.

Explore further Regrowing lost limbs

More information: Emmanuelle Szenker-Ravi et al. RSPO2 inhibition of RNF43 and ZNRF3 governs limb development independently of LGR4/5/6, Nature (2018). Journal information: Nature Emmanuelle Szenker-Ravi et al. RSPO2 inhibition of RNF43 and ZNRF3 governs limb development independently of LGR4/5/6,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0118-yIn the African component, we see smaller estimated pre-admixture effective sizes for Cuba (150,000) and Mexico (100,000) than for the Dominican Republic (700,000), suggesting that the African ancestors of the former two populations came from smaller sub-populations of Africa than the African ancestors of the latter two populations. In the European component we see smaller estimated pre-admixture effective sizes for Cuba (200,000), Mexico (150,000), and Nicaragua (120,000) than for the Dominican Republic (400,000). In the American ancestral component, the estimated pre-admixture effective sizes are similar between Nicaragua (400,000), Ecuador (700,000), and Mexico (600,000). Credit: Sharon R. Browning and colleagues

Sharon Browning of the University of Washington and colleagues developed a method to estimate historical effective population size, which is the number of individuals who pass on their genes to the next generation, to reveal the shifting demographic history of U.S. populations during the last several thousand years. They report their findings in a new study published May 24th, 2018 in PLOS Genetics.

Many populations in the U.S. are mixed, with ancestry from Europe, Africa, and the Americas. By looking at genome-wide data from several hundred individuals from a population, scientists can learn not only the current effective population size, but also the sizes of the ancestral populations that once contributed their genes. In the current study, researchers developed a method for estimating past effective population size and used it to analzye data from nine populations enrolled in a Latino health study, and from African-American and European-American populations in Pittsburgh and Memphis. They estimate that overall effective population sizes dropped substantially after the start of European and African immigration, reaching a minimum around 12 generations ago, but rebounded a few generations later. Researchers investigated these population size reductions, also known as bottlenecks, and found that the smallestbottleneck occurred in Puerto Rico, where the effective size at one pointfell to just one thousand people.

The differences in historical effective sizes between these populations can be useful for understanding why individual groups face different health and disease risks. They can also be useful for scientists in selecting populations that will be most useful for studies that identify the genes linked to specific diseases.

Sharon Browning adds: "Admixed populations in the Americas are like ropes constructed by braiding together several different fibers, with the fibers representing different ancestral population groups. The genetic composition of those different groups is overall very similar, but is different enough so that we can distinguish the genetic material from each ancestry group and study itsproperties, which tells us about the histories of those populations.

We found that around 100 generations ago, which is approximately severalthousand years ago, the effective sizes of the ancestral European, Africanand indigenous American populations contributing to current-day Americanpopulations were around several tens of thousands of individuals each. Wealso found clear signatures of the effects of migration and colonization,with reduced effective population sizes around 12 generations ago, which isapproximately 300 years ago."

Explore further DNA sequences suggest 250 people made up original Native American founding population

More information: Browning SR, Browning BL, Daviglus ML, Durazo-Arvizu RA, Schneiderman N, Kaplan RC, et al. (2018) Ancestry-specific recent effective population size in the Americas. PLoS Genet 14(5): e1007385. Journal information: PLoS Genetics Browning SR, Browning BL, Daviglus ML, Durazo-Arvizu RA, Schneiderman N, Kaplan RC, et al. (2018) Ancestry-specific recent effective population size in the Americas.14(5): e1007385. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1007385After surviving a stroke at age 30, Dave Levy went through physical, occupational and speech therapy. Photo courtesy: Allison Pataki

Flying at 35,000 feet at the start of a trip from their Chicago home to Hawaii to celebrate the upcoming birth of their first child, Dave Levy woke his sleeping wife and said, "Does my right eye look weird?"

Allison Pataki, five months pregnant, replied that his eye was indeed dilated. As an orthopedic resident, Dave realized what to do.

"I knew from my medical training that I should look out of the window, look at the light, and my pupil should constrict," he said. "So I did that and nothing changed. That meant it was fixed and dilated. I knew that often precedes death."

When he turned back to his wife, she had a question for him.

"Are you having a stroke?" she said.

"I think I might be," Dave said.

A nurse on the flight hurried to Dave's side. He soon lost consciousness and Allison faced the prospect of raising their unborn child without him.

"Why would this young, healthy, strong, 30-year-old doctor be having a stroke?" she thought. "I'm in a state of shock and around me people are turning to me and saying you need to stay calm, you have a baby inside you. But I was thinking, I don't know how I can stay calm right now."

Pilots made an emergency landing in Fargo, North Dakota, where doctors spent hours trying to determine exactly what was wrong with Dave. They asked Allisona New York Times bestselling authorif he had been experiencing back pain, if he drank or smoked. None applied to her husband.

"You're just terrified, you're sad, you're lonely, you're scared," Allison said. "Part of you is in such disbelief that you're hopeful, you're in this fog of magical thinking that maybe he just has low blood sugar and he'll be OK in the morning."

But things were not OK. Allison called both her and Dave's parents. Dave's dad, Nelson Levy, was trained in neurosurgery, so he understood the dire predicament far too well. Allison's dad is George Pataki, a former governor of New York who briefly ran for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

Upon hearing from Allison, both sets of parents prepared to travel to Fargoperhaps to say their final goodbyes.

The next day, June 10, 2015, Dave woke up. But it wasn't the same Dave Levy. This version was "inanimate," Allison said. Because not only did he suffer a stroke, it was an unusual type.

Most strokes are unilateral, meaning they affect only one side of the brain. But Dave's stroke managed to affect both sides, in part because of a couple of other physical anomalies he had.

"Most people who have that kind of stroke usually die," he said.

While alive, he was hardly living. He couldn't breathe or swallow on his own and he had no memory.

Days later, he was flown back to Chicago where he became a patient in the same hospital where he had been a resident. He went through physical, occupational and speech therapy, which greatly aided his recovery. His memory began to return about three weeks later as two old friends walked with him around the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

Meanwhile, Allison and the rest of Dave's family and friends surrounded him with old pictures, videos, cards, emails, letters and notes. Allison wrote letters to Dave as she sat by his bed each night. Those letters became the basis for her fifth book, "Beauty in the Broken Places," a memoir that chronicles the family's experience. The book went on sale May 1, the beginning of American Stroke Month.

"They say hope and support and morale are important," Allison said. "We wanted his thoughts to stay positive. We wanted him to feel that he was loved and supported."

Today, things have improved dramatically.

Dave and Allison's daughter, Lilly, is now 2 years old. The couple is expecting their second daughter in August. Dave and Allison, now both 33, freely share their story of hope and survival. They speak publicly about the challenges that young people with brain injuries confront. And they offer encouragement to others.

"You will, at some point, come out on the other side," Allison said. "When you know others who have been where you are and have gone through the terror  it's important to rally the network around you."

Dave is even more direct: "Everyone can improve, and everyone can hope."

Explore further Uni-flipper turtle gets it straight with swimsuit

Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. If you have questions or comments about this story, please email editor@heart.org.Abusive head trauma (AHT), a medical diagnosis of infants and young children who suffer from inflicted intracranial and associated spinal injuries, is often misrepresented in legal proceedings of child abuse, according to a consensus statement supported by nine pediatric and radiology international organizations published in Pediatric Radiology. The statement outlines consensus of evidence-based medical opinion on AHT to confirm the validity of the diagnosis and serve as a tool for the legal system.

"When pivotal medical testimony on child abuse is contradictory, the message to the courts, the news media, and the general public about infant injuries and safe caregiving can be confusing and inaccurate," said Arabinda Choudhary, MD, chair of pediatric radiology at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE. "Denialism of child abuse has become a significant medical, legal and public health problem. This article will help re-establish the science of abusive head trauma and will undoubtedly help children and their advocates around the world."

The authors of the paper utilized their collective and extensive clinical experience, as well as an empirical review of the medical literature in developing the consensus statement. AHT is the leading cause of fatal head injuries in children younger than two years old and is responsible for 53 percent of serious or fatal traumatic brain injury cases. The statement was supported by the Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR), European Society of Paediatric Radiology (ESPR), American Society of Pediatric Neuroradiology (ASPNR), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), European Society of Neuroradiology (ESNR), American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC), Swedish Paediatric Society, Norwegian Pediatric Association and Japanese Pediatric Society.

No single injury defines AHT, instead pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists make diagnosis based on information collected through clinical history, physical examination, and laboratory and imaging data. In many children's hospitals, an interdisciplinary team of specialists that includes physicians, nurses, hospital social workers and others works together to evaluate cases.

The consensus statement is intended to help the court system recognize unsubstantiated medical expert testimony in child abuse judicial cases. Key points include:

Abusive head trauma is the current most appropriate and inclusive diagnostic term.

Relatively few infants with AHT have isolated intracranial injury without retinal hemorrhages, fractures or other manifestations of child abuse.

Each infant suspected of suffering AHT must be further evaluated for other diseases that might present with similar findings.

There is no reliable medical evidence that other medical causes could cause injuries mimicking abuse injuries.

There is no controversy about the methodology used to diagnose AHT as a medical disease, unrelated to the legal determination by a judge or jury.

"Abusive head trauma is a medical diagnosis, not a legal determination. Even if medical evidence supports a finding of child abuse, non-medical evidence is required to answer the legal questions," said Choudhary.

Explore further Shaken baby syndrome accepted as diagnoses by majority of physicians

More information: Arabinda Kumar Choudhary et al, Consensus statement on abusive head trauma in infants and young children, Pediatric Radiology (2018). Arabinda Kumar Choudhary et al, Consensus statement on abusive head trauma in infants and young children,(2018). DOI: 10.1007/s00247-018-4149-1

Provided by Nemours Children's Health SystemA substantial proportion of parents do not follow the advice they are being given to make sleep safer for their baby. This is one of the findings of the Safe Sleep Survey, whose results were published this week. Ignoring this advice, for instance with regard to a safe sleeping position or a safe bedroom environment, raises the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), also known as 'cot death': the sudden and unexpected death of a (usually sleeping) baby for which a thorough autopsy can find no explanation. In the Netherlands, every year between and 10 and 20 babies below the age of twelve months die in this way. Compared to other developed countries, the Netherlands have the lowest reported rates of SIDS.

The survey shows that in seven out of ten families, the parents choose to put their baby to sleep on its back. Parents who choose otherwise will often say that their baby sleeps better on its side or on its stomach, and that this position lowers the baby's chance of developing a flattened head. However, cot death is three times more likely to occur in babies that sleep on their stomach, because their breathing is more easily obstructed in this position.

Furthermore, in one out of twelve families, the parents choose to have their baby sleep in bed with them, against medical advice. These parents find it easier to breastfeed, and that the baby sleeps better. However, sleeping together in one bed is risky for babies until they are four months old. If the parents smoke, or if the baby was premature, it is only safe for babies after 6 months. This is because these babies can become trapped between their parents' bodies, or inadvertently smothered by a duvet or a cushion. Previous research has shown that one out of every four Dutch SIDS babies dies next to their parents in the same bed. A positive note is that placing the baby's cot or cradle in the parents' bedroom has increased strongly since 2011.

"It is not self-evident that parents follow advice on safe sleep care behaviour," observes University of Twente researcher Annemieke Konijnendijk, who is member of the research team that carried out this study for the Dutch Ministry of Health Welfare and Sport. "It is still very important that nurses, maternity carers and child health care workers advise parents on ways to make a baby's sleeping area as safe as possible. Not putting the baby to sleep on its stomach, not having the baby sleep in bed with the parents, avoiding cushion-like objects in bed with the baby and not smoking still offer the best protection. So it's worth giving attention to why some parents don't follow this advice."

More than 1200 respondents from all over the Netherlands, with children aged up to twelve months, took part in this online survey. They were approached through health centres and online media. The 2017 Safe Sleep Survey was the eleventh of its kind; the previous survey was held in 2011.

Explore further Too many babies still die needlessly of SIDS, CDC saysTwo weeks ago, the 104-year-old Australian scientist David Goodall flew from his home in Western Australia to Switzerland to access assisted suicide with the help of lifecircle and Exit International, two right-to-die societies.

Goodall was part of a broader but marginal phenomenon sometimes referred to as "suicide tourism." This occurs when a person travels to Switzerland in order to access an assisted death, because this is forbidden or access criteria are more restrictive in their home country.

His story made headlines all around the world and fuelled public debates. Yet the media coverage has not promoted a greater understanding of the Swiss model of assistance in dying.

Cases of "suicide tourism" presented in the media typically say little about the functioning of the Swiss model. Instead, the coverage of "suicide tourism" speaks more to the state of the public debate in a given country on assistance in dying.

However, Switzerland is not only the final destination in the journey of a person towards death. It is also the starting point of recurrent public debates in the countries of origin of those foreign nationals seeking an assisted death in Switzerland.

The fact that citizens of one country make the decision to die in another country, far from their home and family, has a powerful effect on the public. It provides convincing evidence of determination and suffering. It also shows that other possibilities for regulating assistance in dying exist.

I have been carrying out research for the last three years comparing Canada and Switzerland, more specifically the province of Quebec and the canton de Vaud, Switzerland. While I look at public policies, the main focus of my preliminary findings examine the meanings and experiences of those involved in assisted dying practices.

Medical assistance in dying

Some people undertaking this journey are conscious of the public appeal of their decisions, as shown by the news conference held by Goodall on May 9, 2018, before his death in Basel. Some, like Goodall, participate in a movement of older right-to-die activists advocating for "old age rational suicide." For others, suffering related to a medical condition is the main motivation.

Switzerland sometimes shows up in the national conversation on assisted dying in Canadian news stories. The most well-known occurrence was the story of Kay Carter, suffering from spinal stenosis, who died in Switzerland with the help of Dignitas, a Swiss right-to-die society.

Assisted dying was not yet legal in Canada. Following years of legal challenges in which Carter was one of the plaintiffs, her name is now attached to the Supreme Court of Canada decision that decriminalized medical assistance in dying (MAiD) in Canada in 2015.

In Quebec, the 2004 documentary Manon: Le dernier droit? follows Manon Brunelle, a woman suffering from multiple sclerosis who left Canada to die with Dignitas in Switzerland. This film sparked a public conversation.

The legalisation of MAiD in Canada did not bring an end to so-called "suicide tourism" by Canadians. According to Dignitas' statistics, 60 Canadians used its service between 1998 and 2017, including 12 in 2017.

Assisted dying as an act of citizenship

Under the radar of international controversies, other Swiss right-to-die societies have developed practices that tend to go unnoticed.

Dignitas, which is only one out of eight Swiss right-to-die societies, garners most of the attention as it is perceived as the most controversial. The founder, Ludwig Minelli, is currently being prosecuted for making a personal profit out of three assisted suicides, which is prohibited by the Swiss Criminal Code. These charges have not yet been proven in court.

In Switzerland, assisted suicide has been tolerated since 1942 provided that the person assisting has no selfish motive. Moreover, the person requesting such assistance must self-administer the lethal drug and must have decision-making capacity.

Compared to the comprehensive Canadian federal and provincial laws on MAiD, Swiss regulation and safeguards can be perceived as lacking. However, this misses the meaning of assisted suicide in Switzerland.

Unlike in Canada, assisted suicide is an act of citizenship in Switzerland, not a health-care intervention. Switzerland proposes a much less medicalized approach to assisted dying.

Swiss guidelines

The Swiss model rests mostly on ethical guidelines drawn up by various health-care organizations and on the rules decided by right-to-die associations.

For example, the nonprofit EXIT association active in the French-speaking region of Switzerland has more than 26,000 members who all have a vote at the annual general meeting. To become a member, a person must pay an annual fee of US$40 (equivalent to 40 Swiss Francs), be over 20 years old and also be a Swiss resident. The association provides assistance in suicide, free of charge, to its members. Nonresidents and minors are thus inadmissible.

Besides the legal requirements, the association has its own criteria according to which volunteers can help a member die. These criteria include:

Suffering from an incurable disease or from an important invalidity or experiencing intolerable suffering.

Or suffering from disabling polypathologies related to old age.

A consulting physician assesses whether or not the requester meets the criteria and, if they do, she will prescribe a lethal drug that a volunteer will bring.

Volunteers are not chosen on the basis of their professional qualifications but on their skills as accompanying persons their capacity to demonstrate compassion and understanding.

After the death, the volunteer calls the police who will investigate the case. The public prosecutor will then decide whether or not criminal charges will be brought against the persons involved.

Dignity at the end of life

In Quebec, the Act respecting end-of-life care was adopted in 2014 and entered into force in 2015. Besides creating a right to palliative care and regulating continuous palliative sedation among other things, the law legalized medical aid in dying which includes only euthanasia (administration by a doctor) and not assisted suicide (self-administration). In this context, assisted suicide was ruled out as an appropriate option because it "does not reflect the values of medical support and safety."

The federal law legalized medical assistance in dying in 2016 and includes both euthanasia and assisted suicide.

Even though the federal legislation on MAiD allows for both euthanasia (administration by a doctor or nurse practitioner) and assisted suicide (self-administration), Canadians almost exclusively favour the first option.

According to a report published in October 2017, only five persons out of 2,149 have chosen a self-administered death. Thus, Switzerland might not be a model for Canada.

On the other hand, the comparison that I have been carrying out between Canada and Switzerland shows that assistance in dying can be considered not only as a patient's but as a person's decision. Just as there are non-medical options to assist birth, non-medical or less medical ways to assist death could be entertained.

Besides the option of palliative care and other social programs, the Swiss model is an invitation to imagine and consider other societal responses to the challenges of suffering and dignity at the end of life.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.Mutations to the protein tau, commonly associated with neurodegenerative disorders, may serve as a novel risk factor for cancer, according to results published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

"Our study revealed that the presence of tau mutations raises the risk of developing cancer," said Fabrizio Tagliavini, MD, scientific director, IRCCS Foundation Carlo Besta Neurological Institute, Milan, Italy. "Furthermore, our bioinformatic analysis highlighted a broader functional environment for the tau protein, which had been previously associated mainly with disease development in the context of neurodegeneration."

Tau protein is essential for the stabilization of microtubules, a major element of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton. Defective tau protein is traditionally associated with neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). "A mutated tau has a reduced ability to bind to microtubules; this leads to microtubule destabilization and cytoskeleton disruption, which is detrimental to cellular survival," explained Tagliavini. "Additionally, free tau protein can form toxic aggregates within nerve cells, impairing neuronal function."

Previous work in the Tagliavini lab found that mutations in tau led to chromatin defects and chromosome abnormalities. "It is well-known that chromosome aberrations are often linked to cancer," said Tagliavini.

"Therefore, we decided to determine if there was a possible association between tau mutations and cancer."

Tagliavini and colleagues analyzed cancer incidence in 15 families bearing seven different tau mutations and affected by FTLD. To calculate cancer risk, each tau-mutated family was matched with three reference families with superimposable pedigrees (control subject's age, gender, and native location matching the person affected with FTLD).

Fifteen percent of subjects from tau-mutated families developed cancer, while only 9 percent of subjects from the reference families had cancer. Cancer types in both cohorts were variable; tau mutations were not associated with specific cancers. Following multivariate analysis, the researchers determined that individuals from tau-mutated families were 3.72 times more likely to develop cancer compared to the reference families.

The researchers also used a bioinformatics analysis to understand the interactions of tau protein with other proteins. They found that almost a third of proteins that tau interacts with were involved in DNA metabolism and cell cycle control; aberrant regulation of these key processes can lead to cancer, explained Tagliavini.

"Patients carrying tau mutations are usually attended for neurodegeneration," said Tagliavini. "However, with further confirmation of our results, these patients could also be monitored for their risk of developing cancer. Clinicians should take into account both of these aspects of tau pathology."

Limitations of the study include missing genetic analyses from several patients and individuals from reference families due to the unavailability of DNA. "The analysis of missing patient data would have allowed a more significant correlation between cancer and tau mutations, which had to be inferred with statistical analysis," noted Tagliavini.

Explore further New statistical analysis reveals thousands of rare mutations linked with cancerRiccardo Spagni  better known as fluffypony in the world of cryptocurrency  is the lead maintainer of the Monero blockchain project, and lives in Plettenberg Bay.

Spagni has been involved in various endeavours and startups across traditional and cryptocurrency-related industries, and recently launched a new blockchain protocol called Tari.

The protocol aims to revolutionise the digital asset industry by providing a trustless, decentralised platform for trading, managing, and using digital assets, built on the security of the Monero blockchain.

Tari will be stewarded by a team of developers at a new blockchain incubator based in Johannesburg.

Mining Bitcoin

Spagni has a background in informatics, logistics, and software development, making him a prime candidate for blockchain technology development.

After spending many years in software development, he started a successful business in the import/export industry with his wife, which gave him the freedom to tinker with Bitcoin in early 2011.

I began by mining Bitcoin, but I eventually realised mining was of little interest to me because it is difficult to do in a South African context, said Spagni.

My electricity grid was not amazing or cheap.

He then moved on to building tools for miners, including a suite of cryptocurrency mining utilities and a flat-packable GPU mining frame which he sold.

That was really interesting, because it exposed me to a lot of the problems that GPU miners have, along with exposing me to a whole world of scam coins.

In around 2012, a whole bunch of scam coins were popping up, he said.

Everyone was mining them and they were buying my kit, so that was a fun adventure.

This culminated in Spagni discovering Monero in 2014.

Monero hard fork

The Monero white paper was written by a guy using the pseudonym Nicholas van Saberhagen, I dont know who he is, said Spagni.

He wrote the white paper and disappeared. And then Monero was launched by someone called thankful_for_today, which is also clearly not his real name.

Spagni said in the days following the public launch of the blockchain, thankful_for_today acted as a sort of benevolent dictator with the community following his decisions.

However, after about three weeks he had begun pushing the community to implement changes they did not agree with.

It was on one particular issue where he knuckled down and said I dont care what the community wants, were doing this, said Spagni.

Thankful_for_today had pushed the burgeoning Monero community to be merge-mined with ByteCoin, which Spagni refers to as an obvious scam coin.

They were adamant on proceeding, despite the lack of agreement from the community, he added.

Myself and six others forked the codebase and said we dont care what he does  we will not implement that.

And the community chose the new fork as it didnt have a crazy wackjob forcing us to do things.

New blockchain

Spagni and other Monero developers had hard-forked the blockchain to create two incompatible implementations, although the chain that had added support for merged mining with ByteCoin did not last long following the loss of its community.

It was kind of messy, and he still maintained his implementation for six months after that before eventually disappearing.

After forking the blockchain, Spagni and the other core developers continued to maintain the code and eventually began to add new features.

None of us really wanted an altcoin of our own, but we didnt want the technology to die, said Spagni.

Monero is now one of the biggest cryptocurrencies in the world, offering private and anonymous transactions maintained by a decentralised network of miners and a legion of developers.

It was ranked as the 12th biggest cryptocurrency in the world, with a market cap of $2.8 billion, on 23 May 2018.Modern customer relationship management (CRM) technology is evolving to help companies stay connected to customers, streamline processes, and improve profitability.

This is achieved by empowering customer-facing employees with the right data and information about their customers at the right time so that they can focus on nurturing relationships.

While it might seem like a mature market, many CRM trends are rapidly emerging, says David Stevens, Mint Management Technologies Delivery Lead, who outlined six emerging CRM trends and the effect theyre having locally.

1. Compliance and governance

The most important trend is compliance and governance, says Stevens. Organisations are going to great lengths to become POPI-compliant  but from 25 May, GDPR will come into effect, and its likely to blindside a lot of South African businesses.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is an EU regulation that requires businesses to protect the personal data and privacy of EU citizens.

Non-compliance could cost companies dearly, yet very few organisations even know what it is, or think it isnt going to impact them  but it is, Stevens warns. This is something that all companies that collect data on EU citizens need to start considering immediately.

2. Affordable cloud-based solutions

Another trend is the increase in Cloud-based CRM offerings  but too many providers are offering a magic pill solution, says Stevens. Many of these may be fly-by-night businesses, proposing very low prices that arent sustainable.

Some of these companies also present a compliance risk, he warns. How much can we really know about newly-established international cloud providers? Do they comply with POPI, never mind other international standards?

While cloud-based CRM offers many of the benefits inherent in most cloud-based services, Stevens urges businesses to choose cloud partners based on their reputation in the industry.

3. Personalised data-driven interactions

Another trend impacting businesses is personalisation. Customers expect stores to know what they want  yet they become suspicious if stores know too much.

There is a fine line between tailoring your offerings to an individual and seeming creepy  knowing them like a friend as opposed to knowing them like a stalker, says Stevens.

Advances in AI, however, are improving the ability of stores to effectively cross-sell, upsell, or even down-sell, Stevens adds. Its about finding the balance between what each customer really wants and how theyd prefer to be treated.

4. Customer 360

One of the most talked-about trends in CRM is the 360-degree customer view  a single, end-to-end picture of the customers experience with a company, and how they felt at each step along the journey.

This has been a trend for the last 10 years, and will likely still be something the industry struggles with for many years to come, says Stevens. This is because legacy business practices and systems get in the way. A startup can build a single view of their customers fairly easily, but for established enterprises, it is massively complex.

Until businesses change the way they operate and revisit their legacy systems, Stevens believes that few businesses will truly attain a 360-degree customer view.

5. Mobility and Self-service

Mobility and self-service are also becoming increasingly important, as customers expect the ability to do things themselves and control their own data  without dealing with a person or a bot.

The trend at the moment is to try find the balance between storing too much or too little information, while giving users access to what they need, Stevens says. But South Africa is competing quite well globally when it comes to mobility and self-service.

6. Virtual assistants

Many organisations are also trying to drive customer relationships using chat bots and voice-driven access to systems, says Stevens. The industry is attempting to enable self-service and automate as much as possible using these assistants.

He notes that South Africa is lagging considerably when it comes to virtual assistants, such as Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa  mostly because local services arent being connected to those devices.

You can ask Siri questions, but you cant order a pizza from Dominos in South Africa, he explains. Yet the big CRM players are attempting to push this technology into our markets. Locally, its not a trend that is gaining much traction right now, and not something wed advise businesses to invest in just yet.

Relevance for South African businesses

While South African business tend to lag just behind global peers, Stevens observes that most of the trends are already being readily adopted locally. When it comes to compliance and risk, we can largely consider ourselves to be ahead of the curve. In South Africa, we have far better views of our banking customers when compared to other countries, he says.

Its important not to get too caught up in following the trends that arent relevant in South Africa, Stevens concludes. Its too easy for companies to waste their budgets on trends that wont make a real difference. Rather focus on the trends that will add real value to your business.

For more information, visit the Mint Management Technologies website.A Welsh court has sentenced two people to jail for selling over 1,000 fully loaded Kodi boxes over two years, TorrentFreak reported.

Michael Jarman and Natalie Forber, who were a couple before their arrest, pleaded guilty to running the business which earned 105,000 between February 2013 and January 2015.

Forber initially claimed innocence, but changed her plea and said she was forced into the business by Jarman. The prosecution rejected this claim.

Her lawyer asked the court for the minimum applicable sentence for the mother of two with no previous convictions.

The judge sentenced Jarman to 21 months and Forber to 16 months  suspended for two years. Forber must also carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

According to the judge, the pairs offences were a relatively sophisticated fraud carried out over a significant period.

Jarman and Forber also face possible fines through a Proceeds of Crime investigation, should any assets be recoverable.

Now read: Netflix and Amazon join pirate streaming fightA prolific visual artist and founding member of the dynamic Cosmos Percussion Ensemble, Hannaford combines just the right experience, patience and passion for both the rigors of teaching adolescents and for attaining the goals of each class. Hes honed these talents over years of refining his own artistry.

I trained and received education in both music and art from about the same age, Hannaford said. Im serious and love both music and art. They are very different from each other.

In visual art you spend a lot of solitary time in the studio, all work and decisions are solitary, and your work goes off to galleries, exhibition venues and to those that buy it again to stand on its own. Music is collaborative, done in real time whether at practice or at venue performances, working with others on stages where you are very present.

These forms of art are both creative and personal, but at the same time, opposite each other in practice.

As students were packing up for their next class, Hannaford threw out words of wisdom that summed up my experience visiting beginning World Percussion: What do you do if you get off beat? Stop and listen.

A great message for us all!

Evy Warshawski is a performing arts presenter and partner in E & M Presents.The Napa County Board of Supervisors is endorsing various June 5 ballot measures, though it is steering clear of the most controversial one of all  the local Measure C oak and watershed protection initiative.

Supervisors on Tuesday didnt mention Measure C during their ballot endorsement discussion. Nor did they mention local Measure D, which would ban development of private heliports in Napa County.

Instead, they focused on all five state propositions and the Bay Area-wide measure to hike the regions bridge tolls to raise transportation money. In each case, they urged a yes vote.

The Board heard brief synopses of Propositions 68, 69, 70, 71 and 72 and Regional Measure 3. It quickly endorsed all of them with a single vote. From state conservation bonds to locking in state transportation taxes for transportation purposes, the Board is on board.

This is my first election cycle sitting up here, Supervisor Ryan Gregory said. What have we done at this point then to express our position and try to influence the election?

Not much, as it turns out.An effort to plant oak acorns by the thousands is receiving a boost from Napa County in the wake of the tree-devastating October 2017 wildfires.

The Napa County Resource Conservation District (RCD) is already amid its multi-year Re-oaking the Valley project that seeks to plant 5,000 acorns. Now the district and county want to up the oak-planting ante, though by how much remains to be seen.

On Tuesday, the Napa County Board of Supervisors modified the joint powers agreement the county has with the district. That allows $50,000 of money already budgeted to be used for the oak program.

The session included plenty of oak accolades.

They truly are an iconic species for California and especially for Napa County, where a third of our lands are covered with oak woodlands, said Frances Knapczyk, interim executive director of the RCD.

Oaks do such things as sequester carbon, provide habitat and food to thousands of speciesincluding over 300 kinds of fungusprovide shade in the summer for waterways and soil and filter out air and water pollution, she said.The scheduled keynote speaker will be Marine Corps Sgt. Andrew Fray, and the observance will include a presentation by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 11099. A raising of colors during the national anthem, musical performances and the playing of taps are planned.

Refreshments will be available for the public, and a free hot dog lunch will be provided by the American Canyon Lions Club for military veterans and their families, according to the city.

Yountville

The Veterans Home of California in Yountville will host a slate of observances, starting with a Saturday posting of colors by local Scouting troops at the Veterans Home cemetery from 8 to 9 a.m.

The public is invited to a cemetery decoration Sunday starting at 5 p.m. Afterward, at 7 p.m., a watchfire will be lit on the cemetery grounds and will be tended overnight.

The homes formal Memorial Day ceremony also will take place at the cemetery on Monday, from 10 to 11 a.m.

Elsewhere in town, the Yountville Pioneer Cemetery on Lincoln Avenue will host its 60th annual Memorial Day service at 1 p.m. Sunday.County resident Mike Hackett, co-author of the Measure C watershed initiative on the June 5 ballot, said the county clearly has groundwater problem areas, such as the Petra Drive area east of the city of Napa. He said the states proposal could be significant.

Obviously, I would be the first to admit, its a draft at this point, Hackett said. We dont want to go off half-cocked. But I think its a big story.

Resident Gary Margadant has long followed and spoken out on local groundwater issues. He is among those who want the county to go a step further and form a groundwater sustainability agency that could have various community partners.

Thats going to make it a little more transparent to everyone around here, he said.

The Department of Water Resources ranks 517 water basins and subbasins statewide as required by the states 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. It is proposing to rerank about 10 percent of basins  some higher, some lowerin an effort to keep wells from running dry, an agency report said.

This prioritization is critical to this work, agency Director Karla Nemeth said in a press release. We must plan ahead so this vital resource is available for California today and in years to come.In the course of its inaugural Napa brewing, the team faced typical problems on the new system, Gonzalez said, like an episode one night when the cold water pump shut down and, having worked about 15 hours, the brewing teams troubleshooting skills werent very good, he said.

Failing to figure out how to jumpstart the pump, the team took to dismantling the system to work a way around the snag. But now we know how to reset it, Gonzalez said Thursday. It was right in front of our eyes the whole time.

In the end, the system churned out between 11 and 13 half-barrel kegs of each beer ahead of their weekend release. I imagine we wont have any left of any of them by Monday, Gonzalez said.

But how will Stones Napa-only beers taste?

Breaking each down, Gonzalez explained Professor Monster employs experimental hops and yuzu to make the sort of fruit IPA, like Stones Tangerine Express, that has become his specialty. The Cardinal & The Wolf features its namesake hops duo, coming in at 6 percent alcohol. The result is a beer Gonzalez dubs a pale ale Irish red hybrid, because it really doesnt fit into any style description, in my opinion. The brewer said the beer is probably one of the maltiest, that hell make in Napa.PAHOA, HawaiiThrough the laze and vog, Kilauea is giving up some of its secrets.

The volcano that began a new round of eruptions on May 3 is proving to be a bonanza for volcanologists, as it cracks apart at its base and blows periodically at its top to jettison lava and plumes of ash across much of an anxious Big Island.

Scientists are studying these oozing fissures, explosive eruptions and magma flow patterns as they happen, a rare opportunity for many of them who, without the real thing, are often left to model volcano behavior in distant laboratories.

What they are learning is not simply a boon for pure science, though it certainly is that. Where the volcano cracks into fissures, how the magma tracks through the ground and what warning signs may exist that point to future eruptions will be used to better plan and protect Hawaiian communities in the future.

Its an amazing opportunity to see in real time how this volcano is going to change, said Wendy Stovall, a volcanologist with the U.S. Geological Survey who arrived on the Big Island last week. For some, this is going to mean a lifetimes work. And we owe it to the people who live here to make sure it is done.

Since Kilauea began breaking apart at its base here in the Big Islands southeastern corner, walls of lava and dangerous gases have displaced thousands of Hawaiians and destroyed more than 45 homes and out buildings. A geothermal power plant here, which provides about a quarter of the Big Islands electricity supply, has been threatened by the lava flows. Company officials said this week that the plant, shuttered since the eruption began, has been made safe from any potential contact with lava.

The steam and gas venting from 22 fissures has cast a pinkish fog over much of the south, a phenomenon known as vog. Earlier this week, lava flows began to hit the Pacific Ocean, producing laze, sending a mix of potentially toxic gas and tiny shards of glass into the atmosphere.

Stovall said a significant change during the past week is that the lava has been losing its viscosity, meaning it is becoming hotter, slicker and faster-moving along the ground. As a result, it poses a larger threat to people and homes.

In addition, scientists have noted chemical similarities between the lava emerging from the fissures here in what is known as the lower east rift area and the magma at Kilaueas peak. That tells scientists magma is making its way down through the 4,000-foot volcanolike a straw is pulling it, Stovall said.

The result: less magma at the top to buoy up lava reservoirs. When those drop to a level that brings lava into contact with the water table, steam-driven explosions erupt at Kilaueas summit, as has been happening with frequency in recent days.

What that means is we will continue to see activity, Stovall said. But I cant say for how long.

Kilauea has been erupting almost continuously for the past 25 years, but not nearly to the extent of this springs activity. Scientists go back nearly a century to locate an eruption of Kilauea equal in severity to the current one.

The volcanos liveliness has made it one of the most-studied in the world. Even before the ground opened up here, Kilauea was like a patient in an intensive care unit, laden with monitoring equipment.

Every shiver of the ground, every exhalation of gas, every ripple of molten rock has been captured by an array of seismometers, tiltmeters, gas detectors, and airborne sensors. In between eruptive episodes, researchers have canvassed the volcanos rocky slopes, uncovering evidence of ancient lava flows and deadly explosions.

Its a chance to really have in-depth monitoring data on this kind of eruption where we know the volcano, we know what happened in the past, said Janine Krippner, a volcanologist at Concord University in West Virginia.

Krippner noted the recent explosions at the volcanos summit bear a strong resemblance to an event in 1924. It is almost as though the volcano is reproducing its own experiment, she said, helping researchers revisit and refine their models.

Researchers are particularly interested in the observations of Kilaueas steam-powered phreatic eruptions, which occur when hot rock interacts with water in the ground. If the volcanos vent is blocked by falling rock, the resulting steam will build up pressure until it explodes.

The warning signs for these events are poorly understood, said Maarten de Moor, a researcher at Costa Ricas Volcanological and Seismological Observatory who has spent much of the past decade studying the subject.

Oftentimes these phreatic systems are triggered by processes going on in the magma, which are then triggering processes going on in the hydrothermal system, which then erupt, he said. Its another layer of complexity.

In 2014, 63 people were killed when a sudden steam-powered explosion surprised them near the summit of Japans Mount Ontake. There had been no earthquakes or other precursory activity to warn authorities of the cataclysm to come.

But de Moors research suggests studying the gases from volcanic vents in the hours and minutes leading up to an eruption might help scientists predict future phreatic events. The data from Kilauea could bolster this work.

Im very interested ... to see if theyre able to see distinct changes in the gas coming out, he said. I expect great science from this event.

Volcano scientists are also captivated, like much of the general public, by the sheer spectacle of the eruption: visions of red-hot lava fountaining out of cracks in the Earth and towering columns of ash shooting five miles into the sky.

Any time a really dramatic event happens like this in the modern world, with live-streaming and photos, we get to see firsthand evidence of processes that geologists are just often combing through the rock record for, said Adam Kent, a geologist at Oregon State University.

Most of the volcanoes Kent studies, in the Cascade Arc along the Pacific coast, have not erupted in his lifetime. He must attempt to reconstruct ancient cataclysms from the lava flows they left behind, an archaeologist of destroyed landscapes and weathered rock.

What is happening at Kilauea looks a lot like the wreckage left by Newberry Volcano, a shield volcano near Bend, Oregon, that last erupted in the year 690.

You get an insight into what that would have been like if youd been around a thousand years ago to watch it happen, Kent said.

But de Moor cautioned the lessons from Kilauea do not apply universally.

Most places where the Earth erupts are at subduction zones, where one tectonic plate is thrust beneath another. That process melts the rock of the overriding plate, forming volcanic arcs like the Ring of Fire that surrounds the Pacific Ocean. Because they are made of silica-rich continental rock, which makes a stickier lava, these volcanoes tend to form towering cones that erupt with a blast.

That process is entirely unconnected to what is happening in the Hawaiian Islands. There, new land is formed in the middle of open sea as the Pacific plate drifts over a plume of extra-hot material bubbling up from the mantle, what is known as a hotspot.

The lava at these volcanoes, formed from molten oceanic crust, is runny and fluid. It oozes, rather than explodes. As the lava oozes into the ocean, as it has done with some regularity, it forms new land on the edge of the Big Island.

Krippner said it is a critical distinction. She has spent much of her time these past few weeks in interviews and on Twitter, quashing wild rumors about what Kilauea might mean for the rest of the world.

No, there is not a connection between Hawaii and the Ring of Fire. No, we should not worry about catastrophic earthquakes or mega-tsunamis. No, fumes from Kilauea will not reverse the course of climate change. Krippner gave a half chuckle, half sigh.

You dont need the worst-case scenario to make volcanoes interesting, she said.As Californians open their June 5 voting packets this month, they may be a little shocked by the sheer number of candidates for the states highest offices  32 for U.S. senator and 27 for governor.

Thats because under the states top-two primary system all candidates for partisan offices appear on the same primary ballot, with the two highest finishers, regardless of party, advancing to a November runoff.

Its completely changed the dynamics of primary elections, creating battles for second place and, therefore, a second chance to win. But with so many candidates, each of whom will garner at least a few votes, with mail voting already underway and with the prospect of a low turnout primary, pre-election handicapping is imprecise at best.

Theres little doubt that U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein will finish first in the Senate primary, and with no serious Republican candidate on the ballot, she seems destined to face her chief Democratic challenger, state Sen. Kevin de Leon, in November.

However, with fewer than three weeks remaining before election day, the contest for governor is much murkier.-- The role of lobbyists from energy companies in the decision by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to reduce by 2 million acres the amount of federally protected lands at two national monuments in Utah, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. This opened most of the region's coal deposits and retired oil and gas leases.

-- President Trump's reported orders to the Postmaster General to double postal rates on Amazon because he dislikes the coverage of his administration by The Washington Post, owned by the online retailer's founder, Jeff Bezos.

-- Mishandling of recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. This includes Zinke's decision to award a no-bid $300 million contract for restoring the island's damaged electrical power grid to a small Montana firm which proved totally incapable of doing it.

-- An array of administration actions eliminating the role of science and scientists in determining public policy, such as Pruitt's proposed ban on using confidential studies on the impact of environmental rules; the shutting down of specific studies on the effect of salt in children's lunches and the health impact of certain pesticides; and the elimination of references to the impact of climate change in various government studies.Its ironic that as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Napa Countys historic passage of the Agricultural Preserve, we face an initiative called Measure C, which is in direct conflict with our General Plan and threatens agriculture in the Agricultural Watershed and Open Space (AWOS).

The Ag Watershed represents 87 percent of the total land in Napa County. It is the largest zoning designation in Napa County, but only a very small percentage of the population live within the AWOS.

And yet, the future of our property and our family farms are somehow up for debate through an initiative written by a group of people who do not live or farm in the AWOS. The driving force behind the Agricultural Preserve was and still is the protection of agriculture from urban encroachment. Now, a handful of elitists want to stop all agriculture in AWOS.

To my great dismay, agriculture is under threat all over California, from Bakersfield to Redding, from Coalinga to Watsonville, but most shocking: also here in Napa. As our beautiful state becomes ever more urban, people become ever less understanding or interested in Californias historic and renewable resource, agriculture.

Measure C is wrong in so many ways. Its vague, misleading, inflexible, unnatural, and unnecessary.The city of St. Helena is the only public entity in Napa County to take a position on Measure C. We endorsed it.

Our resolution of endorsement recites that we have a fiduciary duty to ensure the health and life safety of our Citys residents. We noted that this duty includes protecting the quality and quantity of water flowing in Bell Canyon Reservoir, our primary source of potable water.

We then spelled out the basis for our support, which was grounded in Measure Cs enhanced buffer zones around our watersheds creeks and small streams. The core of our position, as stated in our resolution, is that these enhanced zones provide much needed protection from chemical and sediment loading of the Reservoir.

By resolving to endorse Measure C, and explicitly doing so in discharge of our fiduciary responsibility for health and life safety of our city, we are strongly encouraging our citizens and, by extension, all residents of Napa County to vote for Measure C.

Alan Galbraith

Mayor, city of St. HelenaAssam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday said that the India-Bangladesh international border sealing is expected to be completed by December 2018.

Sonowal was addressing the media in the city on the occasion of the second anniversary of the Bharatiya Janata Party led government in the State.

Sonowal further said that smart fencing on land border and technical barriers are being done along the riverine stretch of the Indo-Bangla border.

Sonowal also announced six new bridges over the Brahmaputra River including one connecting Dhubri with Phulbari.

It will be the longest bridge over the Brahmaputra River stretching up to 18 km.

Sonowal also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the initiative taken in this regard.

Speaking about the government policy of zero tolerance against corruption Sonowal said that as many as 74 government officials were arrested including two serving IAS officers and one retired IAS officer.

Our policy of zero tolerance to corruption over the last two years has restored public faith on the government. Arrest of senior officials including serving IAS officers not only validate our stand but has turned the state machinery into an efficient delivery system, he said.

In the APSC scam, besides the chairman and two members, 19 ACS officers, seven APS officers, 11 allied service officers and four other employees have been arrested so far, Sonowal added.

He also said that the CID has also registered seven corruption related cases and in the process arrested 15 government officials and public servants.

This has sent a strong message that this government is not going to tolerate corruption, the Chief Minister said.

We have delivered on our promise of good governance through a transparent system. Abolishing illegal check gates, oral interviews in Grade III & IV and introduction of digital payments in government transactions has led to huge increase in revenue collection and expenditure, he further said.

Sonowal went on to state that during the last two years, this Government has given appointment to about 45,000 youths in both regular and contractual posts through a transparent process and not a single allegation of corruption has been raised against those appointments.

Sonowal also thanked the media for keeping a constant watch on the works of the government and helping us fight against corruption.

Every media report on corruption has been promptly inquired into and action taken accordingly, he also said.

Regarding the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, Sonowal said, We have not played hide and seek on the issue of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. We have also not kept the people of the State in darkness. We are nothing without the public. The Government is only for the people. The people should not lose trust in the Government. We are in the power for the people. This Government is committed to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of the people.

He further said, We will sit with the organisations and political parties to discuss the issue of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

Sonowal also stated that the Central Government has given stress on development in the Northeast through its Act East Policy. Prime Minister Modi has brightened up Assam which was kept in darkness by the Congress, said Sonowal.

Stating that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) update process is going on to have a foreigners-free Assam, the CM said, The first draft NRC has already been published. The publication of the final NRC will be a great success for us. So, I appeal to all to extend cooperation in the NRC update process till June 30.

During the press briefing, Sonowal also mentioned about the Governments efforts to stop rhino killing, land encroachments, etc. in the State. Besides, he also spoke about various schemes being taken by the coalition Government in health and education sectors.

A publication on the achievements of the government during the last two years was also released on the occasion.

Sonowal was flanked by Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president Atul Bora and Bodoland Peoples Front president and BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary during his address to the media.

Notably, both the AGP and BPF are alliance partners in the government.Ani Afyan met with Maurice Vassallo, Projects Officer at Mediterranean Conference Centre, during the Armenian Cultural Days in Malta. Vassallo is the descendant of the Armenian Genocide survivors who escaped the Ottoman Empire in 1915. Maurice was born in Malta and spent his entire life on the island, but he is trying to recreate the lost chapters of his familys story and to find his relatives. In an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am, he told about his roots, the history of Armenian settlers in Malta and his goals.

Can you tell about your family background? Where is your family from?

Presently Im trying to locate the origins of my family, to find out where my ancestors used to live in Armenia. What I do know is that during the genocide they left Western Armenia and went to North Africa. From there they went to Italy and later moved to Malta. I have discovered that my grandfather was 7-8 years old when he settled here. My grandfather, whose name was Pascal Eminyan, married a Maltese girl, whose name was Maria and they had 7 children - my mother and 6 brothers. Besides we found out during the 1970s when one member of our family had visited us from Venezuela and he showed us a family tree, according to which our first ancestors name was Artin Eminyan. I managed to locate some people in Vanadzor who have the same surname, but we havent established as yet that they have any relationship with our family.

Have you ever been to Armenia? What do you know about this country in general?

No, I have never been to Armenia. This is one of the things I have to do. I know that Armenia first adopted Christianity as a state religion, and Armenians have ancient culture. I'm trying to discover food, wines, drinks, which Armenia is famous for, as well.

What can you tell about Armenians in Malta? Do you keep in touch with them?

Actually, first Armenians came to Malta during the period of the knights, and that was the first settlement. The next settlement was when my family came - during the 1918-1920s, and the third influx of Armenians was after the breakup of the Soviet Union. So, we can mark three phases. The descendants of the first wave, as a rule, know little about their roots and the history of their family. Too much time has passed, and it's quite difficult to find out something. What about me, I keep in touch with Konstantin Ishkhanov, the President of the European Foundation for Support of Culture. My aim is to establish an Armenian Cultural Centre in Malta and to promote more business co-operation between Armenia and Malta.

Can you define a typical for Armenians?

I can't say precisely, but I remember my grandfather. He was always involved in business as well as trade. I think that business thinking is quite common among the Armenians.

What about your family? Are your children interested in Armenian culture?

I have 5 daughters. Yes, they show interest, since I have brought up the subject. So, they look forward to the possibility of visiting Armenia. I hope they will do it soon. They are very interested to attend the events organized during the Armenian Cultural days in Malta.Armenia Journalists Union issues statement on Constitutional Court declaring law on insult/defamation constitutional

Spiritual leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan to discuss peacemaking initiative in South Caucasus

Iran test-launches 'Majid' short-range and low-altitude air defense system

Putin, Merkel and Macron discuss Ukraine

Karabakh Prosecutor General's Office on case of murder of citizen by Azerbaijani side

Court renders decision on Armenia Police's unlawful actions against Armenian citizen Argishti Kiviryan

Armenia PM's Chief of Staff attends event dedicated to International Architects' Day

The ARARAT Museum of the Yerevan Brandy Company hosted the Awards Ceremony of the

Participants of motorcade of six cars in Moscow start firing gunshots, Armenia citizens arrested

Political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Denmark

Armenia ruling faction MP: Turkish textiles need to be replaced with Russian ones

Armenian deputy minister: There are companies in Armenia that manufacture items for Russian military planes

Armenia justice minister says government will remove unjust judges from the judiciary

Karabakh President signs law on making amendments to legislation on weapons

Armenia President visits St. Peter's Basilica at Vatican, lays flowers at statue of St. Gregory of Narek

Armenia President meets with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin

Armenia President meets with Pope Francis

Iran's Prosecutor General to arrive in Armenia at invitation of Armenian counterpart

Armenia high-tech industry minister receives Sweden Ambassador

Armenia Deputy PM Suren Papikyan to leave for Moscow

Digest: Pashinyan and Putin scheduled to meet, more on COVID-19 in Armenia

Armenia State Revenue Committee chief meets with UAE State Audit Institution president

Superior command inspects engineering work at Armenia army positions

Iran MFA spokesman: We have never closed our airspace to Azerbaijan

Artsakh ombudsman: Occupied Hadrut undeniable proof of Azerbaijan hatred, ethnic cleansing policy against Armenians

Azerbaijan, Turkey FMs confer on regional situation

Armenia to host French-Armenian Scientific-Medical Conference to help those affected by the war

Iran FM to visit Azerbaijan, media report

One dollar falls below AMD 479 in Armenia

Union of Banks of Armenia has new board chairman

Russian architect: Old Yerevan is about to perish, while Gyumri is being reborn

3 Azerbaijanis cause mass deaths of residents of Russia's Orenburg

Karabakh Armenian architect: It's impossible to cooperate with Azerbaijan in culture sector

UAE State Audit Institution president arrives in Armenia at invitation of justice minister

Mutalibov: Karabakh Armenians will have right to live there if they adopt Azerbaijan citizenship

Ambassador to finance minister: Sweden ready to continue assisting in Armenia reforms

Russia architect: Many monuments in Karabakh are now under threat of destruction

Turkey court orders interior ministry to pay close to $112k to Hrant Dinks family

Catholicos of All Armenians heading for Moscow, will meet with religious leaders of Russia and Azerbaijan

Armenia prosecutor's office to be consistent in investigating Artsakh residents murder, gross violation of ceasefire

Russian FM meeting with Turkish counterpart in Serbia

Armenia FM, Belarus ambassador discuss regional issues

Bitcoin price rises above $ 57,000

Armenia PM to pay working visit to Russia

Azerbaijan State Border Service calls on Iran officials to avoid to spread false and defamatory information

Gas price in Europe exceeds $ 1,100 per 1,000 cubic meters

Man, 37, found half-naked on Armenia river bank

601 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Legal team: Armenia ex-defense minister does not accept charge against him

Russia peacekeepers ensure pilgrims safe visit to Karabakhs Amaras Monastery

Child, 9, found dead under concrete rubble in Yerevan (PHOTOS)

Artsakh historical, cultural heritage being discussed in Yerevan with participation of international specialists

US embassy in Armenia to be closed Monday

World gold prices drop

Armenia participates in Europes largest trade fair for food within EU4Business Initiative

World oil prices going up

Woman kills mother with psychotropic drugs in Gyumri

Borrell: EU is facing risk of turning from subject into object of world politics

California law requires selling gender-neutral baby products

Saakashvili's condition worsens on tenth day of hunger strike

Armenia lawyer: Most ridiculous thing is that only COVID-19 statistics are stated in rationale for legislative amendment

Russian MOD issues statement on murder of peaceful Armenian civilian by Azerbaijanis in Karabakh

Iran FM: Tehran has no intention to be dependent of Russia

Karabakh Central Electoral Commission reports 59.2% voter turnout in elections

Aliyev declares that 'a new era for Karabakh is beginning'

Saakashvili answers questions about his personal life

Veolia Water reports stoppage of water supply in Armenia's Syunik Province on Oct. 11

MP: Armenia is the only country in Europe where 3 opposition MPs are arrested and ambassadors are silent

Garibashvili: New peace initiative was discussed during meeting with Pashinyan

Iran is ready to participate in construction of transit route leading to Georgia through Armenia

Citizens holding rally demanding release of Mikheil Saakashvili near parliament in Tbilisi

Armenia President to visit Holy See with Mrs. Nouneh Sarkissian, to hold personal talks with Pope Francis

Armenia Shirak Province governor appoints acting heads of communities

Karabakh Central Electoral Commission reports 46.6 % voter turnout in elections as of 5 p.m.

Cross-stone commemorating 14 martyrs of 44-day war unveiled at school in Armenia's Abovyan

"Ribbon of Eternity" monument in Armenia vandalized again

Russia's Putin to meet with Armenia PM on Oct. 12

Azerbaijani Navy to hold military exercises in Caspian Sea

Karabakh Central Electoral Commission reports 36.1 % voter turnout in elections as of 2 p.m.

Iran declares presence of Israelis on border with Azerbaijan again

Karabakh Central Electoral Commission reports 15.1% voter turnout in elections as of 11 a.m.

4 Armenian families displaced from Karabakh already provided with dwellings in Armenia

L-410 plane crashes in Tatarstan, leaving 16 dead

Karabakh MP: Azerbaijanis took villager's car and then returned it, they are obstructing harvest

20 new cases of coronavirus reported in Karabakh, 6 patients are in severe condition

Armenian human rights activist: Opposition truly believes Armenia is legal state and it can restrain authorities

Armenia MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President attends Aurora Prize Ceremony at St. Lazar's Island

1,151 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia President sends condolence telegram to Georgian counterpart

Iraq holding snap parliamentary elections

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YEREVAN.  The new provincial governors of Armenia will be appointed in the near future; there is nothing new yet on this topic.

The new Minister of Territorial Administration and Development, Suren Papikyan, on Thursday told about the abovementioned to reporters outside the government building.

Within the scope of the powers given to him by the Constitution, the [new] Prime Minister [Nikol Pashinyan] will submit the [respective] makeup to the government, he noted.

The minister added, however, that he did not see anything bizarre in the fact that that the provincial governors who are former ruling Republican Party of Armenia members have not resigned to this day.

They are [still] in office because they are [still] governors, Papikyan explained. Now there will be a decision to change [them][and] we will change them. All [of them] need to be changed without exception.YEREVAN.  The First Republic of Armenia was the backbone of the second and the third Republics of Armenia, President Armen Sarkissian said during the ceremony of Presidents Awards for 2017.

The President recalled that in several days Armenia will mark the 100th anniversary of the First Republic.

Republic that despite the short period of its existence had great achievements and became the backbone of the Second Republic, he said.

It would be difficult to create the Soviet Armenia without the First Republic.

It existed for 70 years, allowed a lot to achieve, although there were difficulties. Negative achievements of Armenia in the Soviet period cannot be denied, the President said.

That is, we live in the Third Republic, which was actually created 100 years ago, Sarkissian said.YEREVAN.  The government of Armenia on Thursday decided to redeem drams equivalent to 2,500 from the state budget to Alexander Arzoumanian, the countrys ambassador to Denmark and ex-FM, in order to comply with a decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

This judgment comes to confirm that Alexander Arzoumanian was a political prisoner, no matter how much the Republic of Armenia authorities have accepted it or not, noted Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. We need to give this message that if someone has sought to be a judge, he should take responsibility, make judgments, and bear accountability for his judgments.

In the case Alexander Arzoumanian v. Armenia, the ECHR had ruled that Armenia had violated the European Convention on Human Rights, and therefore obligated the country to pay 2,500 in compensation to Arzoumanian.

Alexander Arzoumanian had stated that once receiving this amount, he would donate it to Armenias Insurance Foundation for Servicemen.The US President Donald Trump said he will not sign an immigration bill unless it includes a real border wall, Trump said in an interview to Fox News.

Unless it includes a wall  and I mean a wall, a real wall  and unless it includes very strong border security, there will be no approval from me, CNBC reported quoting Trump.

According to him, four draft laws on various aspects of improving the countrys immigration system are under consideration in Congress so far.

Americans indent to strengthen security at the borders, noted the President highlighting the need to end the vicious practice of releasing illegal migrants.

In late March, US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he has signed the 1.3 trillion-U.S. dollar spending bill hours after he threatened to veto it. However, he added that there were a lot of things I'm unhappy about in this bill.Local Stars Fill the Night with Music

by Melissa Germain

Join the Friends of McLeod Summer Playhouse for Singing with the Stars, a no talent desired competition featuring local celebrities. They will pair with professional talent for an entertaining evening of song and dance in support of the McLeod Summer Playhouse.

This years event takes place at 7 p.m. on June 1 at the McLeod Theater, located in the Communications Building at 1100 Lincoln Drive on the Southern Illinois University Carbondale campus. Refreshments will be provided by Hunan and Lipe Orchards.

Support Carbondales own professional theater company

Each year, the McLeod Summer Playhouse professional theater company brings amazing productions of the nations most popular musical theater titles to Southern Illinois. This year, MSP will perform 9 to 5: The Musical, Mamma Mia! and, for young audiences, The Jungle Book. Purchase tickets and get more information at events.siu.edu.

Thanks to its partnership with Carbondale Community Arts, MSP also provides professional theater experience to area high school students. This years all Southern High School production will be Once Upon A Mattress.

These great productions are made possible with help from the Southern Illinois community. Singing with the Stars is a fun, exciting way to show your support for a wonderful program.

Dont miss your favorite local celebrity

This summer, seven competitors are striving to earn the coveted title of McLeod Summer Playhouse Star of the Year.

They are:

Rachael Bonner

Bonner attended Dongola High School and completed her cosmetology degree at Shawnee Community College. A believer in the Aveda mission, she opened her own Aveda salon, Salon Euphoria, in Carbondale to provide the experience to clients in Southern Illinois.

She and her work have been featured twice in Life & Style Magazine and the Aveda Corporation has recognized her as a stand out. When Bonner isnt making the world beautiful, she enjoys spending time with her two daughters and supportive husband on their farm in Anna.

Justin Halteman

Halteman, a Carbondale native, joined the United States Army after high school and spent three years in the infantry. He is now the third-generation business owner of United Adjustment Service.

Halteman and wife Andrea have three children under the age of four.

Kristin Pankey

Pankey, of Herrin, is a physician recruiter with Southern Illinois Healthcare.

She earned her masters degree in applied psychology at SIU and stays connected with the university by directing a student-run consulting firm within the psychology department.

Pankey loves the theater and grew up dancing, singing, and participating in musicals at John A. Logan College.

Tom English

English grew up in the northwest Chicago suburb of Crystal Lake and moved to Carbondale in 1999 to attend SIU. He has worked at the Southern Illinoisan since 1999 and became the editor in 2017.

English and wife Jessica are the parents of two children, Madison and Jack.

Richard (Kyle) Buchman

Buchman, of Murphysboro, is an internal medicine physician with SIH Medical Group and has worked for four years at Logan Park in Herrin. Dr. Buchman attended Knox College in Galesburg, graduated from Rush University in Chicago, and completed residency at St. Louis University.

Buchman and wife Penny both enjoy the arts.

John Dorris

Dorris, a proud graduate of SIU, is in his 14th year as a banker in Carbondale. He is currently branch manager for Legence Bank.

His daughter is a student at Carbondale Community High School and his son attends John A. Logan College. John has always lived in Southern Illinois and anxiously awaits boating season.

Daniel Booth

Booth, originally from Peoria, is a Carbondale resident. He holds multiple degrees from Southern Illinois University and is the 2018 recipient of the universitys Distinguished Young Alumni Award.

He is the outgoing principal of Carbondale Community High School and the incoming superintendent of Carbondale Elementary School District 95.

Donations count as votes

The audience decides the winner with donations to the McLeod Summer Playhouse. Each dollar donated by cash or check counts as one vote.

Checks made payable to the SIU Foundation are tax deductible, as allowed by law.

Tickets on sale now

Get your tickets now for Singing with the Stars. General admission is $35.

Tickets are available by phone, online, in person or by mail. Some fees apply:Changes at SIUs Saluki Express benefit riders

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Students of Southern Illinois University Carbondale will soon be able to ride Saluki Express to St. Louis, Evansville, Indiana, and numerous new local destinations at no additional cost.

New provider means expanded coverage

SIU has entered into an intergovernmental agreement with Rides Mass Transit District (RMTD). Beginning June 11, RMTD will be the provider for Saluki Express.

No changes are planned for Saluki Express branding or local routes. However, with the implementation of RMTD as the service provider for Saluki Express, SIU students will now be able to access RMTD routes throughout Southern Illinois and beyond at no extra cost. This includes routes to Marion, Harrisburg, Murphysboro and other local and regional destinations served by RMTD, including St. Louis and Evansville, Ind.

Community riders will be able to purchase passes from RMTD on the buses. Saluki Express service is provided at no additional charge to SIU students as it is funded by student fees.

App coming soon

Currently, SIU students can download and print a QR code, tied to their Dawg Tag number, by visiting https://salukiexpress.tripmastersoftware.com/. That code will allow them access to the buses.

In the near future, students will be able to download an app that they can use instead.

Online tracking still offered

Saluki Express will continue to be connected with Transloc, which allows riders to track the buses on their cellphones and computers. This service is accessible at http://siuc.transloc.com/ as well as through the Transloc Rider app, which is available on both Apple and Android platforms.

Paratransit and night service to continue

RMTD will continue to offer services for students with paratransit needs. The company will also take over the Night Safety Transit service.

SIUs Mass Transit Advisory Board, comprised of SIU students and representatives from the staff and the city of Carbondale, will continue to meet monthly and advise the campus administration and RMTD regarding polices, enhancing service and route changes.

Call for rides or more information

To schedule a ride or learn more about Saluki Express and RMTD, contact RMTD at 844/220-1243. Additional inquiries can be directed to the RMTD administration office at 618/253-8761 or http://www.ridesmtd.com/contact-us/inquiries-comments/.Home | World | Africa | Mnangagwa bows to Chinese pressure

THE Zimbabwean government has bowed to Chinese pressure and will restore Anjin Investment's operating licence after finalisation of the new diamond policy, nearly three years after the entity was stopped from mining in Chiadzwa, the Zimbabwe Independent reported.

Last week, President Emmerson Mnangagwa hinted that government would consider roping in new players in Chiadzwa after finalisation of a national diamond policy.

He said the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) lacked capacity to fully exploit the mineral.

ZCDC was formed in the wake of government's decision to cancel mining rights held by companies operating in Chiadzwa.

Subsequently, mineral concessions for most companies in Marange were amalgamated under ZCDC.

Anjin Investments, whose shareholders include Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Company Ltd of China (Afecc) and Matt Bronze  an investment vehicle controlled by Zimbabwe's military  was suspended from mining diamonds in Chiadzwa in 2016 for allegedly failing to remit taxes, but resisted the merger.

Mbada Diamonds also resisted it.

Government had also terminated the operating licences of six other companies which were extracting gems in the area.

However, Anjin has maintained its presence in Chiadzwa though without operations after it filed an application at the Constitutional Court challenging government's decision to terminate its mining rights.

Sources say Harare has buckled down to pressure to restore Anjin's licence following Mnangagwa's visit to China in April where President Xi Jinping expressed dismay at how Zimbabwe was treating Chinese investors.

China, sources said, was also incensed by a damning report released by Harare which indicated that Chinese firms were top on the list of investors who were illicitly externalising foreign currency from Zimbabwe.

"Basically, government is in a rethink mode and there is consideration to restore Anjin's mining rights.

There is admission on the part of government that it erred when it suspended Anjin from mining diamonds in Chiadzwa," one official said.

"As a result, the recent pronouncement by President Mnangagwa that government is reviewing the diamond policy is a strategy to correct the mistakes that former mines minister (Walter) Chidhakwa made when he kicked out Anjin and the other firms operating in Chiadzwa."

The official said the restoration of Anjin's operating licence would also send positive signals to foreign investors that the new administration respects property rights, at a time government is saying Zimbabwe is "open for business."

Afecc, sources added, was also unhappy about Harare's decision to suspend its mining rights in Chiadzwa, given the huge capital injection it had poured into the project, estimated at US$225 million.

The bulk of the capital expenditure was channelled towards setting up a diamond conglomerate plant as well as relocating thousands of families living in the Chiadzwa diamond fields to Arda Transau.

The decision by Mnangagwa's administration to restore Anjin's mining rights follows an investigation government recently launched into how the mining firm was looted and stripped of assets potentially worth millions of dollars during the time it has not been operating.

The company is also conducting an independent investigation to determine the full extent of the financial prejudice it could have suffered as a result of the asset-stripping and looting.

As a result of the abrupt termination of mining operations, Anjin has since laid off part of its workforce to rein in an unsustainable wage bill which is being footed by revenue generated from its subsidiary, the Golden Peacock Hotel in Mutare.

The miner had a staff compliment of close to 2 000 employees when it was still operating, but the figure dropped to about 400 when operations were suspended, an 80% cut in its workforce.

In Zimbabwe, Anjin's investment portfolio includes the three-star Golden Peacock Hotel in Mutare, while it also has interest in Harare's Long Cheng Plaza mall through Afecc.

After suspending operations, Anjin was directed to surrender its diamond stockpile which was auctioned by the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe.

Subsequently, the miner received its share of earnings after government had deducted taxes.

The envisaged diamond policy is expected to plug mineral leakages, which have significantly prejudiced the country of significant revenue, among other key priority areas.

During his last years in power, former president Robert Mugabe claimed that Zimbabwe could have been prejudiced at least US$15 billion in revenue through diamond leakages, although he told the Zimbabwe Independent in an interview in March that he had plucked this figure out of the air.

Other companies which operated in Chiadzwa included Mbada Diamonds, Marange Resources, Diamond Mining Company, Kusena, Gye Nyame, and DTZ Ozgeo

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: AfricaDear Newsie Readers,

Newsie has now permanently ceased it's services as of Friday 20th December 2019.

Newsie has been an owner-funded operation since day one.

Coming up to three years old, while we still firmly believe Newsie has a place in the New Zealand media landscape, the cost in both time and money has become too burdensome for the owners to continue alongside other ventures.

With the current government looking to restructure public broadcasting, and seemingly supporting NZME buying a ring-fenced Stuff, the time seems right to call it a day.

Should it happen, the combination of NZME and Stuff will ensure New Zealands national media will die a death by a thousand opinion-based articles.

Newsie has always tried to stick to balanced news, to inform readers of the facts of a situation, amid being largely ignored by government. Hopefully, one day someone else will take up the challenge to fight the good fight.

The good news, however, is that there were no job losses as a result of Newsie closing. Thanks to careful structuring, everyone involved in Newsie will retain their current positions.

We hope you all have a happy Christmas and new year. Stay safe, and stay out of the news.

The team at NewsieOMG that deep-dish pizza looks so so good (thanks OP)



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Meghan looked so damn beautiful at her wedding.



I need those cookies in my face immediately

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Go za

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That country music cheating scandal is really entertaining to me lol.

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deep dish pizza is an abomination and I could totally house that rn

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That pizza, those cookies 

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That cover of People is beautiful.



Deep dish pizza is delicious and I will fight anyone who says otherwise.

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Meghan is now gonna be in horrible tabloid culture now :(

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Did Justin Timberlake get a reverse nose job? Very Mr. Burns

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Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ

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1st let me say Chicago style pizza is the best.



Meghan looked beautiful,the entire wedding ceremony was romantic and beautiful.



The Globe remains a crappy tabloid







Edited at 2018-05-24 01:39 am (UTC)

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The whole "Miranda stole my husband" headlines make me laugh. No man can be "stolen" unless he wants to go.

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Michelle was never 206lbs, come on.

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Raisins are garbage.



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Was there a regular People or did they just decide to not cover or talk about the Santa Fe shooting at all?

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I think (but am not 100% sure) that they just skipped the shooting. If you look at their site it just shows this issue and the last one about the Property Brother wedding.

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Link4 years down and forever to go....

Thank you babe for giving me our family and caring so much about us. Thank you for inspiring me on a daily, Im so lucky. I cant wait for forever...Happy Anniversary pic.twitter.com/iDfZJdIea7  Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) May 24, 2018

4 years down and forever to go Kim K posted on social media. Thank you babe for giving me our family and caring so much about us. Thank you for inspiring me on a daily, Im so lucky. I cant wait for forever Happy Anniversary. The couple has been through a lot of tumultuous times both enduring drama and heart ache but have stuck together while having 3 kids. Kim also spoke about Kanye and how he hid after not knowing how to shut the fuck up earlier this month. Hes doing really good, Kim said. Hes in Wyoming recording, he has a couple of albums coming out so hes just focused on that.Celebrity Family Feud kicks off June 10 during ABC's Summer schedule called "Fun & Games". The promo showcases Ye vs. Kardashian-Jenners. A pregnant Khloe pokes fun at Kim for not being apart of the Kardashian Team. Host Steve Harvey confessed on Ellen Kim did not get a single answer right. Kendall, Khloe and Kris go against Kim and Kanye June 10.source= https://twitter.com/IAmSteveHarvey/status/999368442879721472DANG IT! This was my idea!!!!



I'll be first in line though.

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I'd like to be more excited by this, but I never really enjoy her songs sung by other people. Think her voice is just so distinctive that they sound weird to me

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Agreed. When they did Toxic in Pitch Perfect 3, I shoved my fingers in my ears. It was just a travesty.

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In Britney's case, it must be weird hearing your songs being sung by actually talented vocalists. But it'd be interesting to hear her song with different arrangements, maybe things like the Glee version of Toxic.

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I'm in the minority here, but I think Britney is actually a really talented vocalist. Her voice is so distinct and I don't think I've ever heard a cover of one of her songs that sounds correct/proper or that I like better than the original. She obviously isn't gonna be belting out or doing runs like Mariah but idk.... theres a reason she's lasted so long in this industry.

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i agree. britney is one of those truly vocally malleable artists. she's churned out some damn good,vocally challanging ballads back in her day, can pop out a sing-songy pop tune, has a ton of layers to her voice, and can/has recorded a ton of different genres of songs all with convincing effect. people really sleep on that and get caught up in the lip syncing/baby voice hate. i think her lower register is gorgeous honestly.

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all of thisssss

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ummm who is that chocolate god in your profile pic? lol

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oh thats my husband trevante rhodes from moonlight!

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Oh yes!!!! Ugh lemme wipe up my drool and go change my Avi. 

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yessss!!! we need more trevante love in here

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I totally agree. it's why Slumber Party remix didn't work for me.. Tinashe's voice sounded way too "regular" compared to Britney

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So it's going to be like Bombshell from Smash then--it'll be so cringey if they have a character breakdown number ending Act 1 of her at the 2008 VMAs

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There was a musical in my town that was basically Shakespeare's A midsummer night's dream featuring just Britney songs and it was so awfully executed. The actors were terrible, which was a shame bc I really liked the idea.

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Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ

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Oh shit, I wanna see this immediately.

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I'm so ready. I feel like Brit is having another renaissance tbh. It's most likely due to 90s nostalgia.

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i think its cuz she's finally being given the credit they denied her all these years. same thing that's happening with mariah.

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me too

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yass I'm ready for B10 to slay

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I'd be more into this if Britney was forthcoming about what happened, and tb really h, I don't want that. It'd do nothing but to bring more attention to it and it's time she's allowed to move on from it.

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Please stop with the jukebox musicals.

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Britney's career is just endless. Truly, she has gone through everything and she still keeps being successful. Wow.

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Linkanother one bites the dust

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true, he'll be dead soon enough

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god damn how fucking hard is it to not be fucking nasty ass pervert, like honestly HONESTLY

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i JUST said this to someone when i saw this story.



like, really- i don't understand how not touching/harassing/ogling people is soooo difficult.

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This was inevitable.

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Yeah, that other shoe dropped, and it dropped loudly.

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May it stick this time.

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reminder that men calling out men is fucking effective https://t.co/NdYyA0bM9v pic.twitter.com/VnUpM5nFZ5  Michael Pielocik (@michaelpielocik) May 24, 2018



So goddamn gross and completely unsurprising at this point.

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men need to step the hell up

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Good on Alan Arkin.



This was def during the filming Going in Style.

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It's not a secret, it's in the article. The woman was a PA on the set of that movie.

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oh hey good for Alan Arkin

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alan arkin <3

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A+ work Alan.

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Yes, good for Alan.

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Good for Alan.

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Good job Alan! It's amazing that doing something that small can have such a big impact when you're a man.

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I love Alan Arkin, I'm happy he seems to be a good guy.

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i need to mute all mentions of men in life for the next few days

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wow, wtf



what an asshole

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I think everyone expected this, right? He's a disgusting old man.

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Morgan Freeman Apologizes After Sexual Misconduct Accusations https://t.co/WJqXqFHtSV pic.twitter.com/qATfcFpuIN  TheWrap (@TheWrap) May 24, 2018





Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy, Freeman said in a statement. I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected  that was never my intent.



what utter garbage apologie's already out! thank you PR team!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!what utter garbage

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I wish people would take all of their INTENTS, go camping, and set them on fire with themselves inside.

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hahahhaha A+

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lmaooooo indeed.

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then what WAS his intent?????? god, men are disgusting

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I guess almost everyone didn't really know you then and your intent when you did these actions was unclear to yourself?



What BS.

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Very original apology. What's next? "As a father of daughters I'm still learning"?

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I'm just assuming that atm PR agents working for male Hollywood actors have an apology statement saved as a Word doc all ready to go.

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Its a stretch calling that an apology.

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Always ~sorry after theyve been exposed.

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Why do they always start with anyone who knows me. If youre doing nefarious shit youre obviously presenting yourself as non-offensive as possible to others so they wont catch on that youre a sexual predator.



The women youve harassed know the real you. He can take this apology and choke on it.

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I'm not really surprised this is his stance. He comes off as a lecherous old man who thinks this garbage is innocent or funny.

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Just burn Hollywood already.

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At this point is there any man who isn't a completely gross pervert?!?

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Lin Manuel Miranda, Im hoping. 



And Tom Hanks, for the most part doesnt seem to be awful.



Edited at 2018-05-24 06:16 pm (UTC)

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Tom Hanks is a shitty father though. He didn't raise Colin and look at Chet who he did raise.

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Didn't Tom cheat on his wife to be with Rita?

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I'm praying for space dad Mark Hamill.

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Daniel Day Lewis seems like a good guy other than breaking up with a girlfriend via fax or something like that.  lol I will be so disappointed if Lin,Tom, or DDL turn out to be creeps.

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Hugh Jackman and Sir Patrick Stewart.



Also, Elijah Wood.

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Keanu (I hope so)

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Of course, all women are scheming whores who try and leech off of men! M

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What money?! Im sick of people saying that shit as if any woman is making money off of being abused. smh

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On my local news fb page there are more comments from women than men saying they are sick of the metoo movement and that they think these claims are fake. Wtf. People are so fucked

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I would love to know what women have cashed in since this started? Tell me her name and how much she got?

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Oh gross. Not surprised since he's an old man with power. Bummer since he's one of the few black men who can claim that position.



I wonder why this PA was wearing a dress/skirt on set. NOT that it invited these interactions, it's just very usual so it stuck out to me when reading.

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Do PAs not wear dresses or skirts? Especially on set?

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Ive personally never witnessed anyone on set ever wearing a skirt except for MAYBE hair/makeup/wardrobe. It is very unusual, but not like it gives anyone the right to harass you for it.

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Not at all. It's just impractical. You're running around constantly, bending to grab stuff, and there's so many things you could cut your legs on (ex) running into a chair or desk. There's rules that say you can't even wear open toed shoes on a set because it's so dangerous. There's nothing legally stopping you from wearing a skirt though.



You might be able to get away with it as an Office PA since you'll just be in the office answering phones and making copies. It might inconvenience you on runs, but that's about it.

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i've been a PA on several different things. i'm always in pants, cause i'm always running after something.

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The only time Ive ever seen crew wear dresses or skirts is if theyre not actually working on set: working in the costume office, in prep during fittings, or running the trailer. Some makeup/hair dept peeps will do it, but honestly, most of us are in tougher fabrics because were just too rough and tumble in our jobs.





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This was supposed to say "unusual" dang it.

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Yes! Stuck out to me too. I would 100% be sent home if I were to show up on set with a dress one day, and with good reason.

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I'm surprised this hasn't come out about him sooner. I knew he was a no good pervert when news broke that he was fucking his step grand-daughter, that was yearsssssssss ago and no one cared then.





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Please dont start this. This isnt even to defend Morgan. But she is not alive and has denied this herself so speaking this of a someone who isnt around is disrespectful to her.

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He could have pressured her into denying it.

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didn't the man who murdered her start this rumour?

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LinkFormer Ozamiz City Councilor Ricardo Ardot Parojinog (photo courtesy of: OCPNP)

QUEZON CITY, Philippines  Philippine National Police (PNP) Spokesperson Chief Supt. John Bulalacao on Thursday, May 24, confirmed the arrest of former Ozamiz City Councilor Ricardo Ardot Parojinog in Pintung, Taiwan on Wednesday afternoon, May 23.

Ardot Parojinog is the younger brother of the slain Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr.

Bulalacao said Ardot was being hunted down by authorities for his alleged involvement in illegal drugs trade.

He has been in hiding for 10 months since the bloody raid in the house of the Parojinogs in Ozamiz City on July 30, 2017, that killed 15 persons including then-incumbent Mayor Parojinog and his wife Susan. Police seized a number of high-powered firearms and explosives in the Parojinog residence following the raid.

Bulalacao added that Ardot Parojinog was arrested by the Taiwan government for illegal entry.

 Yung Taiwan government ay nalaman na wala syang documents when he entered Taiwan (The Taiwan government found out that he didnt have documents when he entered Taiwan), he said.

Based on information received from Economic Cooperation Rep. Lito Banayo, Parojinog has been overstaying in Taiwan which prompted his capture.

PNP Chief PDG Oscar Albayalde said the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and Philippine National Police-Drug Enforcement Group (PNP-DEG) will fetch Parojinog from Taiwan.

 Although wala pa kaming exact date, the PNP is always ready to go to Taiwan para sunduin itong si Ardot Parojinog at of course we will follow the process of deportation dahil may mga violation siyang na commit doon sa Taiwan the reason for his arrest. And it will take some time before he is deported to the Philippines, said Bulalacao.

(Although we do not have an exact date, the PNP is always ready to go to Taiwan to bring home Ardot Parojinog. And of course we will the process of deportation because he committed violations in Taiwan; the reason for his arrest. It will take some time before he is deported to the Philippines.)

Story continues

Meanwhile, Malacanang welcomed the news of Parojinogs arrest by Taiwanese authorities.

Itoy mabuting balita dahil unang-una ano po ginawa niya at nagtatago sa Taiwan, kung siya po ay walang batas na nilabag. Sabi nga po flight is evidence of guilt, said Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque.

(This is good news because firstly, why would he be hiding in Taiwan if he did not violate any laws? As they say: flight is evidence of guilt.)

He also assured justice for Ozamiz residents.

Sa mga residente ng bayan ni Mayor at Councilor Parojinog, sisiguraduhin naman po natin na magkakaroon ng katarungan kung may nalabag na batas itong si Councilor Parojinog. Siya po ay iimbestigahan, lilitisin at parurusahan sa krimen yan, said Roque.

(To the constituents of Mayor and Councilor Parojinog, we will ensure that justice will be served if indeed Councilor Parojinog committed a crime. He will undergo investigation and trial for that crime.)

It can be recalled that his niece, then Vice Mayor Princess Parojinog, was also arrested for possession of illegal drugs, and is now detained at the PNP Custodial Center while her brother Reynaldo Parojinog Jr. is in Quezon City Jail.

Ardots arrest was prompted by information relayed to the PNP by one of his former colleagues who was previously arrested.  Lea Ylagan / Marje Pelayo | UNTV News & Rescue

The post Fugitive Ex-Ozamiz Councilor Ardot Parojinog arrested in Taiwan appeared first on UNTV News.Muji fined by China for packaging referring to Taiwan as a country

Chinese authorities have fined Japanese retailer Muji 200,000 yuan (US$31,300) for using packaging that listed Taiwan as a country for some of its products sold in China, reflecting Beijings hardline stance on territorial issues.

The companys China head office, located in Shanghai, imported 119 clothes hangers from Japan last August in packaging that read country of origin: Taiwan in Chinese, the official media China Industry and Commerce News reported on Wednesday.

The Shanghai Administration for Industry and Commerce imposed the fine in late March on the grounds that it violated Chinese advertising law, which warns against hurting Chinas dignity and interests.

Delta Air Lines, Zara join Marriott in Chinas bad books



The report cited a statement from the administration which can be found through the central governments national enterprise credit system  a national database of the trustworthiness of companies registered in China.

The hangers were sold by Mujis Taobao shop and physical stores in unspecified cities. It was unclear how many of the commodities had been sold.

The party did not properly fulfil their inspection obligations, which led to the above-mentioned goods entering the market to be sold, the regulator said.

A spokeswoman of its operator Ryohin Keikaku in Tokyo confirmed the fine and said the company had changed the packaging in compliance with the Chinese law.

We will take all necessary actions to respect local legal requirements, she said in an email reply to the South China Morning Post.

How a wartime TV drama offended both Taiwan and China



In a similar case earlier this year, it emerged that Chinas National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation had told Ryohin Keikaku in October that a map of China in its catalogues did not show East China Sea islands claimed by Beijing.

These included the Diaoyu Islands, which Japan calls the Senkaku Islands, and which are claimed by mainland China, Japan and Taiwan.

Story continues

Gap apologises for selling T-shirt with incorrect map of China

The company received an order to discard the catalogues and take measures to prevent further such incidents. It later scrapped the catalogues.

Since the beginning of the year, the Chinese government has accused a number of foreign companies of treating self-governed Taiwan and semi-autonomous Hong Kong as if they were independent countries, on their websites and in other materials.

Beijing considers Taiwan a breakaway province awaiting reunification with the mainland, by force if necessary. Hong Kong, a former British colony, is a special administrative region that is part of China.

This article Muji fined by China for packaging referring to Taiwan as a country first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.North Korea must blow up, not shut down, test site to prove its scrapping nukes, says South Korean scientist

North Korea must blow up its Punggye-ri nuclear test site rather than merely shutting it down to prove its commitment to get rid of its nuclear weapons, according to a senior South Korean scientist.

There are four tunnels at the site, with two unused, meaning North Korea could use the facility for nuclear tests if they were not all destroyed, according to Lee Chun-geun, a senior research fellow at the Science and Technology Policy Institute in Sejong.

If only the entrance is blown up, it would be classified as a closure and the site may be used again later if Pyongyang decides to proceed with additional nuclear tests, Lee said.

The site must be packed internally with explosives and all tunnels destroyed to ensure the facility can not be reopened, he said.

If the explosions are inside  especially in the unused western and southern tunnels  you can then call this a dismantlement as North Korea wont be able to reuse the venue again even if they change their minds in future, he added.

Nuke test mountain collapse may be why Kim Jong-un actually shut down site



Lee said in earlier media interview that over 100 tonnes of explosives would be needed to blow up the site.

The test site is built beneath the 2,000-metre high Mount Mantap and it has conducted six nuclear tests since 2006.

North Korea has invited foreign media to witness the dismantlement of all the tunnels sometime between Thursday and Friday as part of pledges to denuclearise the Korean peninsula and scrap its nuclear weapons programme.

The eastern tunnel was used for the first nuclear test in 2006, but was abandoned due to contamination. The northern tunnel was used for the second to sixth nuclear test. The western and southern tunnels are newly built and both unused, said Lee.

A North Korean foreign ministry statement said on May 12 the dismantlement would include all tunnels of the test ground collapsed through explosions, completely blocking entries; removing all observation facilities, research institutes and the structures of guard units on the ground.

Story continues

Two separate studies by Chinese scientists reported earlier this year that the test site had partially collapsed after multiple nuclear blasts.

A group of reporters from China, the United States, Britain, Russia and South Korea have been invited to witness the dismantlement of the site. Experts or inspectors who can study and verify the dismantlement of the site have not been invited and some critics have warned the exercise may end up as a mere political show.

Foreign media were present when North Korea demolished a 20-metre-high cooling tower at its Yongbyon nuclear reactor 2008. Pyongyang resumed nuclear tests the following year.

Lee said that if North Korea did resume nuclear tests it would be easy to verify from outside the country.

We can analyse this by studying seismic waves and sound waves from Punggye-ri from Chinese Jilin province or even from South Korea, Lee said.

North Korea reverts to angry tone as foreign media gathers for shutdown of nuclear test site

Lee Seok-hyun, a South Korean lawmaker with the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, said he was convinced North Korea was sincere in wanting to destroy the test site.

North Korea is likely to dismantle, not just close, the western and southern tunnels to prove its strong will for denuclearisation to the world, Lee said. It must first show its will to the international community, so as to negotiate with the US at the upcoming summit in Singapore on June 12.

This article North Korea must blow up, not shut down, test site to prove its scrapping nukes, says South Korean scientist first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.

More from South China Morning Post:Squares lined with stones and filled with gravel, and with mats or palm leaves as a bed, served as sleeping places in the Bayuda Desert in Sudan. The large number of dots shows the high frequency of these beds. Credit: Munster University/W.A.D.I.; screenshot

The University of Munster's Institute of Egyptology and Coptology (Germany) is now uploading data gathered between 2009 and 2016 during field research in Sudan regarding graves, small huts and stone-lined sleeping places from antiquity and the Middle Ages in Sudan. Academics, as well as anyone in the general public who is interested, can use a browser-based geoinformation system (WebGIS: http://wadi-abu-dom.de/web-gis-2/) to take a look at the findings.

"By providing free access to the data, our aim is not only to meet today's expectations as regards making research transparent. What we are also hoping for is a rapid and uncomplicated exchange of data," explains project leader Prof. Angelika Lohwasser from the Institute of Egyptology and Coptology.

The WebGIS was developed in collaboration with the Institute of Geoinformatics and is currently also being used by Munster University archaeologists in the excavations at Doliche, in modern Turkey, which are being undertaken by the Asia Minor research unit.

A comprehensive field inspection, as well as aerial surveys of the riverbank areas of the dried-up Wadi Abu Dom river system in the Bayuda Desert in Sudanrivers which only sporadically contain waterwere all carried out as part of the Wadi Abu Dom Itinerary research project. In doing so, the team of 12 mapped all the structures of cultural and historical relevance visible on the surface of the terrain. All archaeological findings are shown as geospatial point data and area data in Web GIS and arranged by category. In addition, users can access further information for all the findings, and, in many cases, photos too.

Anyone interested can take a look at various pictures, including rock formations which, as can be seen in this photo, depict cattle. Credit: Munster University/W.A.D.I.; screenshot

Digital working methods were already playing an important role during the field research. The project team recorded the archaeological data while on the terrain, using small computers and a mobile GIS. This not only speeded up the work process, but also made scientific evaluation work easier.

Not only academics, but also non-specialists who are interested can temporarily upload their own data into the application and compare them with those from the Wadi Abu Dom Itinerary project. This is a fast, uncomplicated way of seeing whether, and in what form, the relevant archaeological findings have already been recorded by the Munster team of researchers. "In addition to an easy link-up with research projects both at home and abroad," says Angelika Lohwasser, "what we're hoping for is public involvement. Anyone anywhere in the world who is interested, who has visited Sudan as a tourist or who is exploring these remote areas with the aid of programmes such as Google Earth, can compare any structures they have found which might be of archaeological relevance with the results gathered by the specialists. If they are not sure about something, they can contact us andin the sense of 'people's science," in the best sense of the termhelp us to complete our picture of the cultural history of Sudan."

Explore further Earliest evidence for a native African cultigen discovered in Eastern SudanAussies are brewing a new generation of beer. One that will boldly go where no beer has gone before, solving the age-old problem of how to get drunk in space.

Eating and burping are not much of a challenge for us Earth dwellers, but they actually pose some pretty big problems once you leave our atmosphere.

In space, because of the lack of gravity pulling stuff down, burps come out with more than just air. Also, you lose your sense of smell and your tongue swells, making your taste buds a bit numb. This means that, out in space, most food or drinks have little taste. This is why astronauts are known to crave the fiery hit of spicy condiments on their food. The spicier your food, the better your chances are of tasting it.

The good news is that soon astronauts may be able to enjoy at least one Earthly creature comfort. An Aussie micro-brewery is working on a new generation of beer that will taste good and won't make you burp a wet one while you are orbiting in space.

The project is the brainchild of an unlikely partnership. Jaron Mitchell, owner of the 4 Pines Brewing Company, and Jason Held, a space engineer from the Australian firm Saber Astronautics joined forces to make the world's first space beer.

The idea of mingling beer with space travel is not totally new. Two years ago, a US company brewed beer using yeast that had been to space. But this is the first time a beer is actually designed to be drunk in outer space.

The challenges of a space-friendly beer

Food has always been a challenge in space travel, and it has taken different shapes and textures over time to accommodate the needs of space diners. For example, it can be squeezy food, a bit like toothpaste, or freeze-dried morsels that little resemble the fresh version of the food.

But for liquids, things are a bit more challenging. Without gravity, you simply can't drink straight out of a glass or bottle, because the liquid would float straight out.

"In space, you can't 'pour' a liquid without special technology, so we pioneered the important bits at Saber Astronautics to make pouring feel natural. Then we worked with industrial and creative designers to make the final bottle beautiful for people on Earth too," said Jason in a press release.

The result was a space bottle with some unusual properties. "A space beer bottle is a lot like a small spacecraft fuel tank," says Jason. "The bottle incorporates a special insert that uses surface tension to wick the beer from the bottom of the bottle to the mouthpiece so you can drink normally."

Other problems like the wet burps and taste have already been fixed, says Jason, as they have brewed a specialty beer that has a strong taste and produces just enough bubbles to make it pleasant to drink without the nasty burping. The only problem remaining was the bottle.

The concept has been tested in microgravity conditions through commercial test flights. Now, the company is working to make it into a nice looking, easy to handle bottle, and it is currently in its last stages of design.

"Flight tests with Zero-G Corporation proved the concept works great, so now it's time to make a bottle that fits the hand," says Jason.

Would you like to be a space beer taster?

Fancy the idea of drinking a cold one in outer space? Well, this is your chance.

If all goes well and 4 Pines finds the funding they need to create their beer bottle, the company is offering a "space beer weekender". This is a cool 3-day trip that includes a return ticket from Australia and accommodation near Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Of course, there is some beer in the deal. You'll join a microgravity flight where you will get to test 4 Pines space beer.

What do you need to do? Just write a 100-word statement about what beer you would like to drink while in outer space and submit it to this page.

If your answer is refreshing and hits the spot, you might soon be enjoying a beer and a view out of this world.

Explore further VTT examined the first bottle of 170-year-old beer

This article first appeared on Particle, a science news website based at Scitech, Perth, Australia. Read the original article.Just like a policeman controlling traffic made up of cars of different brands and types, nanoparticles coated with light-reactive catalysts can control the course of many chemical reactions simultaneously. The idea of a new method of managing the course of chemical reactions is presented by Magdalena Szewczyk and Grzegorz Sobczak, PhD students at the Institute of Physical Chemistry PAS in Warsaw. Credit: IPC PAS, Grzegorz Krzyzewski

Change the face of nanoparticles and you'll rule chemistry! Depending on the lighting, the surfaces of appropriately crafted nanoparticles can change their topography. Researchers from the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences have shown that the molecular mechanism they have designed makes it possible to effectively uncover or hide catalyst molecules using light. The technique they present leads to qualitatively new possibilities to control the course of chemical reactions.

Using nanoparticles with surfaces that change appearance under the influence of light, it is possible to easily and precisely control the course of practically any catalytic chemical reactions, including those with many stages. A key element of the new technique, developed and demonstrated by researchers from the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IPC PAS) in Warsaw, is the mechanism of geometric masking of active catalyst centres on the surfaces of nanoparticles. This class of new, intelligent materials made of soft and hard matter, described in the prestigious chemical journal ACS Catalysis, heralds a qualitative change in the field of industrial catalytic reactions and is an important stage in the design of chemical systems mimicking the most important features of living organisms.

A catalyst is a substance that causes a reaction between specific chemical compounds, actively participating in it and largely reverting to its original state after its completion. Nowadays, catalysts are generally designed to optimize catalysed reactions and reduce the consumption of catalyst. Attention is paid, among others, to their selectivity, that is, their ability to accelerate one, precisely chosen reaction. However, there is no great control over catalysts constructed in this manner. After introduction into the solution they usually work immediately until the reaction stops.

One of the most convenient tools that can be used to influence chemical compounds in solutions are light waves with energies suited to the properties of the particular system. Light can be easily introduced into the entire volume of the liquid, and in general it does not interfere with the course of the catalytic reactions themselves. Now, it turns out that the chemical system can be designed so that, depending on the lighting, it does or does not catalyse various chemical reactions.

The concept of light control of catalyst activity, proposed by the chemists from the IPC PAS, is most easily understood by making an analogy with sunflowers. These are plants with long, stiff stems, at the end of which there is a heavy basket with seeds. During the day, the head of the sunflower is always directed towards the light, that is, upwardsallowing it to attract insects and birds. When night falls, however, the head does not curl up like other flowers. At its base, the stem just bends, the basket falls down and the whole inflorescence ceases to be accessible.

"Our key molecular complex behaves like sunflowers, only on a molecular scale. The soil on which our 'sunflowers' grow is the gold nanoparticle, the stema long organic ligand molecule, the bending fragmenta photo-switch that changes its shape under the influence of light. The basket is the catalyst itself. The only difference is that our 'sunflowers' are a little bit... shy .They hide their catalytic heads when it becomes bright around them and they raise them when it is dark," explains Dr. Volodymyr Sashuk (IPC PAS).

In recent years, scientists from the IPC PAS have not only developed the concept of an innovative method of controlling catalysis, but also tested it in practice, building a real, model chemical system. It was constructed using gold nanoparticles with dimensions of three nanometres and one of the simplest catalysts: an amino acid called proline. The method itself, however, does not impose any specific restrictions, so potentially any other catalyst can be used, functionally transforming it into a variant whose activity is controlled by means of light.

"The production of nanoparticles coated with ligands with attached catalyst particles is not particularly difficult, it does, however, require some care and attention. For example, the proportions between the number of ligands with a catalyst molecule and the number of ligands without it are important. If there are too many empty ligands, the catalyst molecules will have nowhere to physically hide, and we can forget about control," says Ph.D. student Magdalena Szewczyk (IPC PAS).

Light-controlled nanoparticles catalysing chemical reactions promise a new phase in the development of catalysis. Thus far, the catalytic reactions have been typically carried out in one solution containing the necessary substrates and a single catalyst. Now, new opportunities are emerging. Potentially, the same solution may contain substrates for multistage catalytic reactions and a range of catalysts, each activated with light at appropriate times. As a result, several component reactions producing the chemicals necessary at later stages of a technological process, at which the new reaction would be triggered after the previous reactions were stopped, could take place in one vessel at a time. But these are not the only advantages of the new solution.

"Until now, after the reaction chemists were left with a solution containing both the product and the catalyst. Removal of the latter was often associated with the need to develop additional technological steps. In our method, the catalyst is deposited on nanoparticles. Potentially, these particles can be adjusted so that they react, for example, to a magnetic field. After completing the reaction, it would be sufficient to attract the nanoparticles to the bottom of the vessel, where they could be easily separated from the product itself," notes Ph.D. student Grzegorz Sobczak (IPC PAS).

The future of multistage, precisely light-controlled catalysis promises to be interesting. The new generation multi-component mixtures could, for example, harden only on the user's demand, so it would be possible to fill all sorts of moulds, even very complex shapes, more accurately. A popular solution will probably be convenient multi-component polymer adhesives, immediately delivered in a mixed, ready to spread form. These are just some of the ideas being considered today. Researchers from the IPC PAS are still looking for ideas on how their concept could translate into specific applications.

More information: Magdalena Szewczyk et al, Photoswitchable Catalysis by a Small Swinging Molecule Confined on the Surface of a Colloidal Particle, ACS Catalysis (2018). Journal information: ACS Catalysis Magdalena Szewczyk et al, Photoswitchable Catalysis by a Small Swinging Molecule Confined on the Surface of a Colloidal Particle,(2018). DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.8b00328Credit: University of Leeds

Climate change could expand the agricultural feasibility of the global boreal region by 44 per cent by the end of the century, according to new research.

However, the scientists warn that the same climate trends that would increase land suitable for crop growth in that area could also significantly change the global climatic water balance  negatively impacting agriculture in the rest of the world.

An international team of scientists have assessed the impact of climate change on land that could support agriculture in the boreal region, which includes large sections of Canada, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia and the United States.

They found that the upper edge of land suitable for crop growth could shift as far north as 1,200km from the current position with the most dramatic changes occurring in the inner-continental regions of North America and Eurasia.

Currently only 32 per cent of the boreal region falls into 'growing degree days'  the climate parameter linked to crop growth  and rainfall requirements for small cereal crops, such as oats and barley.

Using global climate models the team was able to predict the future extent of growing degree days and changes in rainfall. The study, published in Scientific Reports, estimates that by 2099 roughly 76 per cent of the boreal region could reach the right conditions for agriculture.

Dramatic impact on water balance

However, the study also warns that while total rainfall will generally increase on an annual basis, a warmer climate will also lead to more evaporation with potentially dramatic impact on the climatic water balance, both geographically and across seasons. For example while the inner continental regions would suffer drought conditions during the summer, the regions around the ocean's rims could see an increase in water available to crops.

Additionally, regions that would suffer temporary summer droughts might see wetter autumns which would have a negative impact on the harvest season.

Study co-author Professor Joseph Holden, water@leeds director at the University of Leeds, said: "Climate change will have a profound impact on our agricultural regions. A projected consequence is the loss of farmland and crops from areas that are currently productive, which is cause for concern regarding long term global food security. Therefore we need to know whether in northern high latitudes new areas will become suitable for crops.

"Understanding future environmental conditions will be vital for agricultural production. But any plans for northward agricultural expansion must be done carefully and with long term environmental sustainability in mind."

Study lead author Dr. Adrian Unc, from Grenfell Campus, Memorial University Canada, said: "We must not forget that any changes in land use has extensive impacts on the entire natural ecosystem, impacts that must be understood and included in any planning effort. After all we must insure that a shortterm gain does not come at the cost of a long term loss in ecosystem sustainability."

Explore further Gauging the effects of water scarcity on an irrigated planet

More information: Myron King et al. Northward shift of the agricultural climate zone under 21st-century global climate change, Scientific Reports (2018). Journal information: Scientific Reports Myron King et al. Northward shift of the agricultural climate zone under 21st-century global climate change,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-26321-8A four-spotted skimmer dragonfly. Credit: S. McCauley

Although evolution has left dragonflies virtually unchanged for roughly 300 million years, new research by a UTM biologist reveals that understanding small physiological activities in these insects could reveal a deeper understanding of how they interact with other organisms in an ecosystem.

"We often think communities are so complex," says Shannon McCauley, an assistant professor of biology at U of T Mississauga. "It looks like the underlying physiological mechanisms could simplify our understanding of ecological dynamics."

Dragonflies are common near lakes, streams and ponds where they catch insects like mosquitoes, moths and midges. Although they seek cover in plants and have large eyes with nearly 360 vision, they can become prey for birds, fish, spiders, frogs and even other dragonflies. After hatching from an egg, dragonflies live in water as aquatic nymphs, feeding on aquatic insects, tadpoles and even small fish.

In this paper, published in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, McCauley and her colleagues, Denon Start and Ben Gilbert, studied 17 species of nymph-stage dragonflies in ponds in and around the Koffler Scientific Reserve, located roughly 60 kilometres north of the downtown U of T campus. Some ponds had large fish and some did not.

They found that in ponds without large fish, they were more likely to find dragonfly nymphs with high activity rates but lower "burst speeds"a capability to swim explosively away from a potential predator. Alternately, in ponds with large fish, dragonfly nymphs with low activity rates but high burst speeds were more common.

Credit: University of Toronto Mississauga

But this teamcomprised of colleagues from U of T's Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biologytook this a step further. They were able to link high levels of an enzyme called Ldh to high activity rates and high levels of the enzyme Ak to fast burst speeds. In fact, her team found that the activity of these two enzymes accounted for more than 80 per cent of the variation in dragonfly community composition.

"It's a further step down the scale of biology," says McCauley. "It suggests that we can look at these low levels of biological coordination and make predictions about communities."

Explore further Insects are scared to death of fish

More information: Denon Start et al. Physiology underlies the assembly of ecological communities, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2018). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Denon Start et al. Physiology underlies the assembly of ecological communities,(2018). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1802091115Infections caused by the mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) are severe and have high mortality rates for horses90 percentand humans33 percent, with significant brain damage in most human survivors.

Florida has been hypothesized to be the source of EEEV epidemics, but little is known about the evolutionary characteristics of the virus.

Suman Das, Ph.D., and colleagues have now sequenced and analyzed complete genomes of 433 EEEV strains collected within the United States from 1934 to 2014.

They report in the Journal of Virology that EEEV appears to evolve relatively slowly and that strains have long-term persistence and higher genetic diversity in Florida, compared to strains from northeastern states such as New York and Massachusetts.

The findings support a model in which Florida is a major source of EEEV, with viruses that are endemic in Florida migrating and seeding outbreaks in northern states. The results may have important implications for the control and prevention of other mosquito-borne viruses in the Americas.

Explore further Mosquito species may be key to transmitting EEE virus in southeast US

More information: Yi Tan et al. Large scale complete genome sequencing and phylodynamic analysis of eastern equine encephalitis virus reveal source-sink transmission dynamics in the United States, Journal of Virology (2018). Journal information: Journal of Virology Yi Tan et al. Large scale complete genome sequencing and phylodynamic analysis of eastern equine encephalitis virus reveal source-sink transmission dynamics in the United States,(2018). DOI: 10.1128/JVI.00074-18This file image made from video March 18, 2018, of a mounted camera provided by the Tempe Police Department shows an interior view moments before an Uber SUV hit a woman in Tempe, Ariz. In a preliminary report on the crash released Thursday, May 24, federal investigators said the autonomous Uber SUV that struck and killed an Arizona pedestrian in March spotted the woman about six seconds before hitting her, but didn't stop automatically because emergency braking was disabled. (Tempe Police Department via AP, File)

The autonomous Uber SUV that struck and killed an Arizona pedestrian in March spotted the woman about six seconds before hitting her, but did not stop because the system used to automatically apply brakes in potentially dangerous situations had been disabled, according to federal investigators.

In a preliminary report on the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday that emergency braking is not enabled while Uber's cars are under computer control, "to reduce the potential for erratic vehicle behavior."

Instead, Uber relies on a human backup driver to intervene. The system, however, is not designed to alert the driver.

The findings, which are not final, should be a warning to all companies testing autonomous vehicles to check their systems to make sure they automatically stop when necessary in the environment where they are being tested, said Alain Kornhauser, faculty chairman of autonomous vehicle engineering at Princeton University.

Uber, he said, likely determined in testing that its system braked in situations it shouldn't have, possibly for overpasses, signs and trees. "It got spoofed too often," Kornhauser said. "Instead of fixing the spoofing, they fixed the spoofing by turning it off."

In the Tempe, Arizona, crash, the driver began steering less than a second before impact but didn't brake until less than a second after impact, according to the NTSB, which has yet to determine fault.

A video of the crash showed the driver looking down just before the vehicle struck and killed 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg in what is believed to be the first death involving a self-driving test vehicle.

In this March 20, 2018, file photo provided by the National Transportation Safety Board, investigators examine a driverless Uber SUV that fatally struck a woman in Tempe, Ariz. In a preliminary report on the crash released Thursday, May 24, federal investigators said the autonomous Uber SUV that struck and killed an Arizona pedestrian in March spotted the woman about six seconds before hitting her, but didn't stop automatically because emergency braking was disabled. (National Transportation Safety Board via AP, File)

Uber said in a company release that it has worked closely with the NTSB and is doing an internal review of its self-driving vehicle program. The company also has brought in former NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart as a safety advisor. "We look forward to sharing more on the changes we'll make in the coming weeks," the release said. The company declined further comment.

The report comes a day after Uber pulled its self-driving cars out of Arizona, eliminating the jobs of about 300 people who served as backup drivers and performed other jobs connected to the vehicles. Uber had suspended testing of its self-driving vehicles in Arizona, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Toronto while regulators investigated the cause of the March 18 crash.

Sensors on the fully autonomous Volvo XC-90 SUV spotted Herzberg while the car was traveling 43 miles per hour and determined that braking was needed 1.3 seconds before impact, according to the report.

A diagram in the NTSB report shows that the Uber system determined that the SUV needed to brake when it was at least 20 meters (65.6 feet) from Herzberg; it was traveling 39 mph (63 kilometers per hour) at impact. Kornhauser said that was enough distance for the SUV to stop, or slow considerably to mitigate damage from the crash.

Herzberg was pushing a bicycle across a boulevard in the darkness when the crash occurred on a part of the road that had no crosswalk and was not lighted, the report said.

She was wearing dark clothing and did not look in the direction of the vehicle until just before impact. A toxicology report showed that she tested positive for methamphetamine and marijuana, according to the NTSB. Also, the bicycle had no side reflectors and the front and back reflectors.

Uber also disabled the Volvo's factory-equipped automatic emergency braking system when the vehicle is in autonomous mode, the report said.

This file image made from video March 18, 2018, of a mounted camera provided by the Tempe Police Department shows an exterior view moments before an Uber SUV hit a woman in Tempe, Ariz. In a preliminary report on the crash released Thursday, May 24, federal investigators said the autonomous Uber SUV that struck and killed an Arizona pedestrian in March spotted the woman about six seconds before hitting her, but didn't stop automatically because emergency braking was disabled. (Tempe Police Department via AP, File)

In an interview with the NTSB, Uber's backup driver said she had been monitoring the "self-driving interface." While her personal and business telephones were in the vehicle, she said neither was in use at the time of the crash.

The NTSB said that all other aspects of the SUV's self-driving system were running normally at the time, and there were no faults or diagnostic trouble messages.

The agency, which can make safety recommendations to other federal agencies, said information in the preliminary report can change as the investigation progresses and that no conclusions should be drawn from the report.

The report doesn't provide "any decisive findings or conclusions," said Daniel Scarpinato, spokesman for Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey. "We await the more thorough and final investigative report. Uber's self-driving vehicle suspension remains in place."

Tempe police turned their investigation over to prosecutors on Wednesday.

Amanda Jacinto, a spokeswoman for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, said no decision has yet been made on charges against the driver or the ride-sharing company. She wouldn't comment on the NTSB report.

No deadline has been set by the prosecutorial agency for deciding whether to bring charges, though typically those decisions are made within 30 days after getting cases from police, Jacinto said.

 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.In the immediate aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, it was thought that only volatile, gaseous radionuclides, such as caesium and iodine, were released from the damaged reactors. However, in recent years it has become apparent that small radioactive particles, termed caesium-rich micro-particles, were also released. Scientists have shown that these particles are mainly made of glass, and that they contain significant amounts of radioactive caesium, as well as smaller amounts of other radioisotopes, such as uranium and technetium.

The abundance of these micro-particles in Japanese soils and sediments, and their environmental impact is poorly understood. But the particles are very small and do not dissolve easily, meaning they could pose long-term health risks to humans if inhaled.

Therefore, scientists need to understand how many of the micro-particles are present in Fukushima soils and how much of the soil radioactivity can be attributed to the particles. Until recently, these measurements have proven challenging.

The new method makes use of a technique that is readily available in most Radiochemistry Laboratories called Autoradiography. In the method, an imaging plate is placed over contaminated soil samples covered with a plastic wrap, and the radioactive decay from the soil is recorded as an image on the plate. The image from plate is then read onto a computer.

The scientists say radioactive decay from the caesium-rich micro particles can be differentiated from other forms of caesium contamination in the soil.

The scientists tested the new method on rice paddy soil samples retrieved from different locations within the Fukushima prefecture. The samples were taken close to (4 km) and far away (40 km) from the damaged nuclear reactors. The new method found caesium-rich micro-particles in all of the samples and showed that the amount of caesium associated with the micro-particles in the soil was much larger than expected.

Dr. Satoshi Utsunomiya, Associate Professor at Kyushu University, Japan, and the lead author of the study says "when we first started to find caesium-rich micro-particles in Fukushima soil samples, we thought they would turn out to be relatively rare. Now, using this method, we find there are lots of caesium-rich microparticles in exclusion zone soils and also in the soils collected from outside of the exclusion zone."

Dr. Gareth Law, Senior Lecturer in Analytical Radiochemistry at the University of Manchester and an author on the paper, adds: "Our research indicates that significant amounts of caesium were released from the Fukushima Daiichi reactors in particle form.

"This particle form of caesium behaves differently to the other, more soluble forms of caesium in the environment. We now need to push forward and better understand if caesium micro-particles are abundant throughout not only the exclusion zone, but also elsewhere in the Fukushima prefecture; then we can start to gauge their impact."

The new method can be easily used by other research teams investigating the environmental impact of the Fukushima Daiichi accident.

Dr. Utsunomiya adds: "we hope that our method will allow scientists to quickly measure the abundance of caesium-rich micro-particles at other locations and estimate the amount of caesium radioactivity associated with the particles. This information can then inform cost effective, safe management and clean-up of soils contaminated by the nuclear accident."

Explore further New evidence of nuclear fuel releases found at Fukushima

More information: Ryohei Ikehara et al. Novel Method of Quantifying Radioactive Cesium-Rich Microparticles (CsMPs) in the Environment from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, Environmental Science & Technology (2018). Journal information: Environmental Science & Technology Ryohei Ikehara et al. Novel Method of Quantifying Radioactive Cesium-Rich Microparticles (CsMPs) in the Environment from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant,(2018). DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b06693Using statistics to inform the public about racial disparities can backfire. Worse yet, it can cause some people to be more supportive of the policies that create those inequalities, according to new Stanford research.

"One of the barriers of reducing inequality is how some people justify and rationalize it," said Rebecca Hetey, a Stanford psychology researcher. "A lot of people doing social justice work wonder why attitudes are so immune to change. Our research shows that simply presenting the numbers is not enough."

If raw numbers don't always work, what might?

In a new research paper published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, Hetey and Stanford psychology Professor Jennifer Eberhardt propose strategies anyone could use to talk about racial disparities that exist across society, from education to health care and criminal justice systems.

Facts should be accompanied with context that challenges stereotypes, the researchers said, noting that discussions should emphasize the importance of policies in shaping racial inequalities.

Building on previous research

The new paper builds on research Eberhardt, Hetey and other Stanford researchers have conducted over several years about the role of race in policing and in the criminal justice system more broadly. In a 2017 study, the researchers worked with the Oakland Police Department and found that, although Oakland officers are professional overall, they spoke less respectfully to black residents than to their white counterparts.

"We are working hard to better understand the sources and consequences of this racial disparity in language use," Eberhardt said.

In 2014, the researchers also found that white Americans did not show support for criminal justice reform after being informed of statistics about racial disparities in prisons. Although nearly 40 percent of the prison population is African American, blacks make up only 13 percent of the U.S. population. Instead, the study participants became more supportive of punitive policies like California's Three Strikes law and New York City's stop-and-frisk policy. As the researchers pointed out, these laws disproportionately affected people of color and contributed to the United States having the largest per-capita prison population in the world.

When that research was first published, Hetey and Eberhardt noticed how their findings sometimes were misunderstood.

"Some people concluded that we should stop talking about race and inequality at all," Hetey said. "And that is not the answer here. The fact is that race matters, and stereotypes can be very powerful."

Offering solutions

Hetey and Eberhardt encourage providing context alongside statistics.

For example, they said it might backfire to only say that 60 percent of traffic stops made in Oakland, California, were of African Americans. They suggest providing other background information, like the fact that African Americans make up 28 percent of the city's population or that African Americans are stopped for less severe traffic offenses than whites are.

"Stripped of context, standalone statistics may simply be used as 'evidence' of the stereotype that blacks are prone to criminality," the researchers write.

It is important to offer information about the history of these disparities in the U.S. and how they came about, which might help convey that racial inequality is not natural or due to fixed stereotypical traits, the researchers said.

Another strategy is to talk about the role policy plays  especially policy change  in perpetuating or preventing inequality.

For example, research has shown racial disparities in certain types of searches that police conduct. Blacks are disproportionately subjected to consent searches compared to whites.

In response, officials have enacted policy changes that mandate officers get written consent or explicitly tell those they stop that they have the right to deny an officer's search request. In Oakland, this policy change led to a huge reduction in the number of consent searches and an overall reduction of the racial disparity, the researchers said.

"We know that persistent inequality has a lot to do with institutions and their practices," Hetey said. "If we ignore this, we become blind to the way institutions contribute to producing and continuing inequality."

Explore further Seeing more African Americans in prison increases support for policies that exacerbate inequalityCredit: CC0 Public Domain

A researcher at The University of Texas at San Antonio has co-authored a study examining important cognitive and non-cognitive predictors of entering science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields for Hispanic high school students.

Guan Saw, assistant professor of educational psychology in the UTSA College of Education and Human Development (COEHD), worked alongside Chi-Ning Chang, doctoral student from Texas A&M University, to investigate whether and to what extent math achievement and motivational factors for Hispanic high school students differ from that of their White, Black and Asian peers.

"A recent analysis using 2014-2016 American Community Survey Data, provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, showed that while Hispanics accounted for 16% of employed adults ages 25 and older, only 7% of STEM jobs were held by Hispanics, the lowest percentage compared with other racial/ethnic groups. We were aware that there is a critical need to study the distinctive developmental patterns of STEM-related cognitive and non-cognitive factors for Hispanic students in high schools, a crucial life stage with adolescents forming and reshaping their career orientations," said Saw.

In the study, published in the Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, the pair analyzed the nationally representative High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics.

The study traced students' educational trajectories from high school into postsecondary education. It also explored factors at the high school level that could affect STEM participation in college and the workforce.

Saw and Chang studied responses from more than 18,000 Hispanic, White, Black and Asian respondents in early ninth grade and late 11th grade.

The researchers focused on their responses on questions related to math achievement, values or beliefs that affect behavior and subjective task value (STV). The latter includes inner motivation, perceived usefulness and the personal importance of doing a given task well.

"In this study, to accurately understand the unique patterns for Hispanic students, we used a Hispanic-centric approach, in which we set Hispanic students as a reference group in statistical models, comparing it to Whites, Blacks, and Asians, which yield results that never reported in past literature. Methodologically, it is a novel approach, especially for studies focusing on underrepresented minorities," said Saw.

The researchers observed that Hispanics generally trailed other racial/ethnic groups in math achievement and motivation. According to the study, Hispanic respondents scored lower in math assessment tests than their White and Asian peers in early ninth grade and again at the end of 11th grade. However, Hispanics scored higher on math standardized tests than their Black peers throughout high school.

Taken together with his prior studies, Saw said that middle and high school Hispanic students reported lower levels of math and science self-efficacy than their White, Asian and Black peers, suggesting that how they perceive their ability to do math might affect their decisions and motivations to pursue STEM educational and career opportunities.

The researchers also found that values or beliefs that correlated with math achievement in early high school likewise persisted in late high school for Hispanics significantly more so than for Whites, Blacks and Asians.

"This study will add to the understanding of development patterns of math cognitive and psychosocial factors for Hispanic adolescents, which can be used by educators and policymakers to improve STEM education and workforce preparation, especially among historically underserved and underrepresented students," said Saw.

Saw's research and teaching are informed by his experience as a first-generation college student with three degrees in both STEM and non-STEM areas completed in three different countries. He aims to pursue research work that can have a societal impact at a local, state, national and international level.

Saw recently received a two-year, $35,000 research grant from the American Educational Research Association (AERA). The grant, funded through the National Science Foundation, will allow him to conduct research focused on STEM education and opportunities in and out of school for women, minorities, first-generation students and students with disabilities.

As a learning and research enterprise, UTSA fosters innovation and creative discovery by channeling its expertise into tackling critical societal issues of today and tomorrow. The UTSA College of Education and Human Development produces educators, administrators, counselors and health professionals with a global perspective of the educational, psychological, social and health needs of communities.

Explore further 'Undermatched' students less likely to graduate on time compared to peers

More information: undefined Barbara Schneider et al. Racial and Ethnic Gaps in Postsecondary Aspirations and Enrollment, RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences (2017). undefined Barbara Schneider et al. Racial and Ethnic Gaps in Postsecondary Aspirations and Enrollment,(2017). DOI: 10.7758/RSF.2016.2.5.04 Catherine Riegle-Crumb et al. Who wants to have a career in science or math? exploring adolescents' future aspirations by gender and race/ethnicity, Science Education (2010). DOI: 10.1002/sce.20431 Guan Saw et al. Cross-Lagged Models of Mathematics Achievement and Motivational Factors Among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic High School Students, Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences (2018). DOI: 10.1177/0739986318766511Possible geometric configurations for the MATHUSLA surface detector at the HL-LHC. Gray shading indicates areas assumed to be sensitive to LLP decays. The surface detector is a 200m square building, centered along the beam line. Credit: arXiv:1606.06298 [hep-ph]

A small team of physicists that includes Jessie Shelton of the University of Illinois and David Curtin of the University of Toronto has written a paper and presented it at this year's American Physical Society meeting outlining a possible way to detect particles emitted from the Large Hadron Collider. Their idea involves constructing a new building near the LHC to house a suite of long-lived particle detectors.

The whole point of spending billions of dollars to build the LHC was to make progress toward understanding the universe and how everything in it works. Researchers there hoped to learn more by detecting the most elementary of particles by smashing protons together at high speed and looking at the pieces as they were expelled like shrapnel in a bomb blastmany of which had already been theorized. The Higgs boson was the most notorious. But since that monumental observation, researchers have begun to wonder whether the LHC will ever find some of the other proposed particles. And there is another problemthe Higgs turned out to have a smaller mass than theory suggested, which means either the theory was not quite correct, or some of its mass was lost during the collision.

With no new discoveries in the years since Higgs was found, researchers have begun to grow impatient. Some physicists wonder if the other particles might ever be observed, while others have started questioning basic assumptions about such particles, such as how long they exist after a collision. As Shelton noted when presenting the team's paper, detectors at LHC have been set to look for only those that live a very short while. But, she wondered, what if they last longer than thought? She and the rest of the team have proposed constructing a building near the LHC that would house other detectors to note the presence of longer-lived particles that have made their way out of the collider altogether. Such a building, they say, would be separated from the LHC by several feet of granite, which would serve as a filter for other particle debris.

The team has named the proposed new project the Massive Timing Hodoscope for Ultra Stable Neutral Particles, or MATHUSLA, for short. They believe it could be built for the relatively low cost of just $50 million.

Explore further Long-lived physics

More information: John Paul Chou et al. New detectors to explore the lifetime frontier, Physics Letters B (2017). https://arxiv.org/abs/1606.06298 Journal information: Physics Letters B John Paul Chou et al. New detectors to explore the lifetime frontier,(2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.physletb.2017.01.043

 2018 Phys.orgImage showing light emission from the polymeric nanostructures and schematic of a single nanostructure. Credit: University of Bristol

Scientists from the universities of Bristol and Cambridge have found a way to create polymeric semiconductor nanostructures that absorb light and transport its energy further than previously observed.

This could pave the way for more flexible and more efficient solar cells and photodetectors.

The researchers, whose work appears in the journal Science, say their findings could be a "game changer" by allowing the energy from sunlight absorbed in these materials to be captured and used more efficiently.

Lightweight semiconducting plastics are now widely used in mass market electronic displays such those found in phones, tablets and flat screen televisions. However, using these materials to convert sunlight into electricity, to make solar cells, is far more complex.

The photo-excited stateswhich is when photons of light are absorbed by the semiconducting materialneed to move so that they can be "harvested" before they lose their energy in less useful ways. These excitations typically only travel ca. 10 nanometres in polymeric semiconductors, thus requiring the construction of structures patterned on this length-scale to maximise the "harvest".

In the chemistry labs of the University of Bristol, Dr. Xu-Hui Jin and colleagues developed a novel way to make highly ordered crystalline semiconducting structures using polymers.

While in the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, Dr. Michael Price measured the distance that the photo-exited states can travel, which reached distances of 200 nanometres20 times further than was previously possible.

200 nanometres is especially significant because it is greater than the thickness of material needed to completely absorb ambient light thus making these polymers more suitable as "light harvesters" for solar cells and photodetectors.

Dr. George Whittell from Bristol's School of Chemistry, explains: "The gain in efficiency would actually be for two reasons: first, because the energetic particles travel further, they are easier to "harvest", and second, we could now incorporate layers ca. 100 nanometres thick, which is the minimum thickness needed to absorb all the energy from lightthe so-called optical absorption depth. Previously, in layers this thick, the particles were unable to travel far enough to reach the surfaces."

Co-researcher Professor Richard Friend, from Cambridge, added: "The distance that energy can be moved in these materials comes as a big surprise and points to the role of unexpected quantum coherent transport processes."

The research team now plans to prepare structures thicker than those in the current study and greater than the optical absorption depth, with a view to building prototype solar cells based on this technology.

They are also preparing other structures capable of using light to perform chemical reactions, such as the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Explore further Solar material for producing clean hydrogen fuel

More information: "Long-range exciton transport in conjugated polymer nanofibers prepared by seeded growth" Science (2018). Journal information: Science "Long-range exciton transport in conjugated polymer nanofibers prepared by seeded growth"(2018). science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi  1126/science.aar8104Remorse and contrition have a role that seems natural, but the justice system makes it difficult to apply. Credit: ronmacphotos, CC BY

Remorse is one of the most significant and least understood influences on the length of the sentence imposed by a criminal court. A survey of Crown Courts in England and Wales found that remorse was the single most common mitigating factor, mentioned in more than 20% of all cases as a reason why a sentence was being reduced, and is identified as an important consideration in formal sentencing guidelines.

Even if remorse does not always lead to a lighter sentence, a lack of remorse will often be mentioned by a sentencing judge  and so picked up in newspaper reportsand will almost always lead to a weightier punishment. In a recent case, the judge remarked in passing sentence: "I have watched you closely during this trial and you have shown no emotion and little remorse other than for your own situation." In another case, the judge remarked that the defendant's lack of remorse and attempt to blame others was "an aggravating feature".

It can be very hard to tell whether remorse is genuine or simply self-serving, expressed just in the hope of a lighter punishment. Sincerity can be hard enough to assess in our ordinary exchanges, but in the formal processes of criminal justice it is especially difficult.

While most of us think we can tell when remorse is genuine, there is little evidence that we can evaluate remorse accurately on the basis of facial expressions or other non-verbal indications. Such judgements are vulnerable to emotional, cultural and social biases. And at court, remorse is articulated not by the offender in person, but by their legal advocate, usually in carefully wrought, familiar, often over-polished expressions. Nor is an apology generally made directly to the victim, who may not even be present.

Can remorse change the past?

But why does remorse weigh with us so heavily? Remorse cannot change the past. Nor does remorse, however sincere, guarantee better behaviour in the future. Plenty of people profess remorse (and not only in court), but go on to do the same thing, or worse. So if remorse doesn't matter, it's not clear why its absence should make a difference.

When offenders express remorse (or when lawyers do so on their behalf), we may worry that they are insincere. But we should also be troubled about those people who may feel remorse, but are unable or unwilling to express it, often for complex personal reasons. There are those who are believed to be incapable of remorse, said to be the mark of a psychopath. So is it just to impose additional punishment on someone for a lack of remorse if this is an emotion that they are incapable of feeling?

Perhaps remorse registers strongly with us because we see it as fitting and proper. As we grow up, we are encouraged to think that when we have done wrong we should feel bad about it. There should be an element of self-reproach, some wish to make amends and a commitment to do better in future. We are taught that we should not keep these feelings to ourselves, but express them  typically in the form of an apology. We tend to think that this is simply the right thing to do, and that without it, anger and resentment are unlikely to be soothed.

The power a good apology has to restore to the victim the dignity and respect that the wrongdoing violated must not be underestimated. This has a significance beyond the court: we have all given and received apologies, and recognise the value of such expressions. But the process of criminal justice blocks many of these spontaneous means of achieving resolution for wrongdoing: there is rarely any opportunity to apologise in person, and in serious cases where people are imprisoned, there is hardly ever a chance to make amends.

Past actions and events persist most significantly in the hearts, minds and memories of those most affected by the incident. And memory is never a process of the mere retrieval of data, but an active matter of construction, reconstruction and interpretation, always influenced by the concerns and interests of the present. To be offered an apology is an experience that transforms the memory of the original offence; an act apologised for differs in this respect from one that has not. In this way, perhaps, remorse can sometimes change the past after all.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.Close-up of the MOMA instrument. Credit: NASA

An international team of scientists has created a tiny chemistry lab for a rover that will drill beneath the Martian surface looking for signs of past or present life. The toaster oven-sized lab, called the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer or MOMA, is a key instrument on the ExoMars Rover, a joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Russian space agency Roscosmos, with a significant contribution to MOMA from NASA. It will be launched toward the Red Planet in July 2020.

"The ExoMars Rover's two-meter deep drill will provide MOMA with unique samples that may contain complex organic compounds preserved from an ancient era, when life might have gotten started on Mars," said MOMA Project Scientist Will Brinckerhoff of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Although the surface of Mars is inhospitable to known forms of life today, there is evidence that in the distant past, the Martian climate allowed the presence of liquid wateran essential ingredient for lifeat the surface. This evidence includes features that resemble dry riverbeds and mineral deposits that only form in the presence of liquid water. NASA has sent rovers to Mars that have found additional signs of past habitable environments, such as the Opportunity and Curiosity rovers both currently exploring the Martian terrain.

The MOMA instrument will be capable of detecting a wide variety of organic molecules. Organic compounds are commonly associated with life, although they can be created by non-biological processes as well. Organic molecules contain carbon and hydrogen, and can include oxygen, nitrogen, and other elements. To find these molecules on Mars, the MOMA team had to take instruments that would normally occupy a couple of workbenches in a chemistry lab and shrink them down to roughly the size of a toaster oven so they would be practical to install on a rover.

ESA's (The European Space Agency) ExoMars rover is headed to the red planet in 2020, on a mission to search for signs of past or present life. One of its primary tools in this endeavor is MOMA, the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer. MOMA is a sophisticated suite of technologies that squeezes a lab full of chemistry equipment into a package the size of a toaster oven. Its mass spectrometer subsystem and main electronics were built at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md, and mark the first use of a linear ion trap on another planet - a leap forward in the search for life beyond Earth. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Dan Gallagher

While the instrument is complex, MOMA is built around a single, very small mass spectrometer that separates charged atoms and molecules by mass. The basic process for finding Martian organic compounds can be boiled down to two steps: separate organic molecules from the Martian rocks and sediments and give them an electric charge (ionized) so they can be detected and identified by the mass spectrometer. MOMA has two methods for distinguishing as many different kinds of organic molecules as possible. The first method uses an oven to heat a samplethis baking process vaporizes the organic molecules and sends them to a thin column that separates mixtures of compounds into their individual constituents. The compounds sequentially pass into the mass spectrometer, where they are given an electric charge and sorted by mass using electric fields. Each type of molecule has a set of distinct mass-to-electric-charge ratios. The mass spectrometer instrument uses this pattern called a mass spectrum to identify the molecules.

Some larger organic molecules are fragile and would be broken apart during the high-temperature vaporization in the oven, so MOMA has a second method to find them: It zaps the sample with a laser. Since just a quick burst of laser light is used, it vaporizes some types of larger organic molecules without totally breaking them apart. The laser also gives these molecules an electric charge, so they are sent directly from the sample to the mass spectrometer to be sorted and identified.

Certain organic molecules have a property that could potentially be used as a strong hint that they were created by life: their handedness, or chirality. Some organic molecules used by life come in two varieties that are mirror images of each other, like your hands. On Earth, life uses all left-handed amino acids and all right-handed sugars to build larger molecules needed for life, like proteins from amino acids and DNA from sugars. Life based on right-handed amino acids (and left-handed sugars) could work, but a mix of right- and left-handed for either will not. This is because these molecules need to come together with the correct orientation, like puzzle pieces, to build other molecules necessary for life to function.

MOMA is capable of detecting the chirality of organic molecules. If it finds an organic molecule is primarily of the left-hand or right-hand variety (called "homochirality") that can be evidence that life produced the molecules, since non-biological processes tend to make an equal mix of varieties. This is known as a biosignature.

Precision assembly and mechanical technician Ryan Wilkinson inspects MOMA during thermal vacuum testing at Goddard Credit: NASA

Mars rovers face another challenge when searching for evidence of life: Contamination. Earth is saturated with life, and scientists have to be very careful that the organic material they detect wasn't simply carried with the instrument from Earth. To ensure this, the MOMA team has taken great care to make sure that the instrument is as free as possible from terrestrial molecules that are signatures of life.

The ExoMars rover will be the first to explore deep beneath the surface, with a drill capable of taking samples from as deep as two meters (over six feet). This is important because Mars' thin atmosphere and spotty magnetic field offer insufficient protection from space radiation, which can gradually destroy organic molecules left exposed on the surface. However, Martian sediment is an effective shield, and the team expects to find greater abundances of organic molecules in samples from beneath the surface.

NASA Goddard is developing the mass spectrometer and electronics boxes for MOMA, while LATMOS (Laboratory for Atmospheres, Environments, and Space Observations), Guyancourt, France and Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systemes Atmospheriques (LISA or Interuniversity Laboratory of Atmospheric Systems) Paris, France, make MOMA's gas chromatograph, and the Max Plank Institute for Solar System Research, Gottingen, Germany and Laser Zentrum Hannover, Hannover, Germany, build the instrument's laser, ovens, and tapping (oven sealing) station.

MOMA recently completed both ESA and NASA pre-delivery reviews that cleared the path for the flight instrument to be delivered to the mission. On Wednesday, May 16, the MOMA mass spectrometer team gathered at Goddard to see off their one-of-a-kind science instrument on the first leg of its journey to Mars: delivery to Thales Alenia Space, in Turin, Italy, where it will be integrated into the rover's analytical laboratory drawer during upcoming mission-level activities this summer. Following subsequent higher-level rover and spacecraft-level integration activities in 2019, the ExoMars Rover is scheduled to launch to Mars in July, 2020 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.A few week-old young storks in their nest, which were equipped with transmitters. The transmitters, weighing less than 60 grams, record the GPS coordinates and the acceleration of the birds. The latter piece of information tells the researchers whether an animal is flapping its wings or whether it is gliding. Credit: MaxCine/ Ch. Ziegler

Louis the young stork came into the world on a birch tree in Radolfzell on Lake Constance six or seven weeks ago. Until this day in June 2014, he has only known his parents and three siblings. But suddenly, strange beings have appeared at the nest and take the four small white storks captive. They are Andrea Flack and Wolfgang Fiedler of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and the University of Konstanz.

In the coming years, the scientists will learn from Louis and other young storks that, on their migrations south, storks follow other storks who are particularly good at exploiting thermals, allowing them to flap their wings as little as possible as they fly. The efficient fliers migrate to West Africa, while the others spend the winter in southern Europe. From their data, the researchers can determine storks' destination just 10 minutes after the birds take off.

Andrea Flack and Wolfgang Fiedler have been visiting storks' nests on the western shore of Lake Constance. The aerial ladder of the fire brigade raises them to the stork nests at lofty heights so that they can strap small tracking devices onto the backs of the nestlings. The aim is to follow Louis and 60 other young storks on their migration. The instruments, which weigh less than 60 grams, record the GPS coordinates of the birds' locations. They also measure the animals' movements using accelerometers. This allows the researchers to determine whether and how the birds are moving.

For Louis and his nest mates, the harmless procedure is over in just a few minutes. Fully engaged in perfecting their flying skills, it is likely that they very soon forget the strange encounter with the scientists. For the researchers, however, the work has only just begun. From now on, they will collect and evaluate huge volumes of data, because the tracking devices log the storks' GPS coordinates every second for two to five minutes every 15 minutes, over a period of weeks. Once a day, the devices send a text message containing the location and movement data via the local mobile network, just like a mobile phone.

The data then flow automatically into an online database called Movebank, a free-to-use online platform developed by researchers led by Martin Wikelski, which allows scientists to log animal migrations anywhere in the world. Because the storks around Lake Constance fly all the way to West Africa for the winter, the mobile network costs would be enormous, given the immense volumes data involved. Andrea Flack therefore follows the birds by car all the way down to Barcelona to download the data once a day using a base station. In Africa, the devices log data at longer intervals to reduce the amount of data generated.

A mobile phone for storks

Louis, too, was fitted with his "mobile phone" on that day four years ago. As it turned out, he was the first among his nest mates to travel south. He joined a group of 27 other tagged storks. After five days of flying, 17 of them were still together.

Louis first skirted the Alps past Bern towards Lake Geneva and crossed the Rhone south of Lyon. On the evening of 23 August, he reached Montpellier on the French Mediterranean coast and then on the following day flew along the coast towards Spain. He crossed the Pyrenees and spent several weeks on a landfill site a hundred kilometres northwest of Barcelona. He then flew to an area around Madrid and spent the winter there at a landfill. He remained in Spain until the spring of 2016 and returned to Germany in March 2016.

Searching for thermals

Never before have researchers tracked a group flight of storks as meticulously as Louis and his peers. The scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and the University of Konstanz have now published the results of Louis' and his peers' voyage. The data from the thousand-kilometre stage show how a bird's flight performance, social behaviour and global migratory route are interlinked.

Thanks to a sophisticated analysis of the GPS data, the scientists have found that there are leader birds within groups of migrating storks. They lead the group to areas with favourable thermals, where the birds are literally sucked up by the rising warm air. This allows them to glide farther and avoid active flapping flight to save energy.

Louis in mid-March on top of an old school building in Pfohren, 30 kilometres from Lake Constance. He and the other birds equipped with transmitters were named by schoolchildren and other youngsters involved in the telemetry project, who travelled to Spain for evaluation of the data. Credit: MPI f. Ornithology/ Animal Tracker

Efficient flyers lead the way

Detailed analysis of the high-resolution GPS data shows that the flight paths of the leader birds are more irregular. "They are the ones who locate the thermals and search out the most favourable areas within them. "As a result, they have to adjust their flight paths repeatedly," explains Mate Nagy, who analyzed the data from the trackers. The follower birds benefit from the leaders' explorations and can soar upward in more regular trajectories. "When travelling to the next thermal, follower birds are a bit slower and lose altitude faster. To avoid falling behind the group, they must flap their wings more and leave the thermals before reaching the top."

However, a stork's flying skill is not only linked to its position within the group. How much it flaps its wings also predicts where it will spend the winter. Animals that flap their wings a lot do not fly as far as those that flap less. Louis, for example, is a rather mediocre flyer. For him, it is better to spend the winter in southern Spain, especially since he can find enough food at the landfill site there.

Tour group with social structure

The situation is entirely different for Redrunner, another individual of the 27 tagged storks. He is one of the leaders of his group, and, therefore, manages to minimize his wing beats. He overwinters in North Africa. While Louis covered more than 1000 kilometres on his 2014 journey, Redrunner covered nearly 4000 kilometres. "The flight characteristics are so central to the birds' position within the group that we can predict just after a few minutes of migration flight whether it will spend the winter in Europe or fly on to West Africa," explains Andrea Flack.

This is the first time that humans have been able to observe the group behaviour of storks on their journey across Europe to Africa in such detail. The collected data show that storks fly in socially structured groups, which are largely determined by the flying skills of the group members. "A stork's route and destination depend, among other things, on how efficiently it can fly," says Martin Wikelski, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and Honorary Professor at the University of Konstanz.

Back in Germany

Since then, Louis und Redrunner have repeated their journey every yearand always with the same destination: Louis has remained faithful to Spain and Redrunner to Africa. This year, Louis arrived in Germany on 9 March. Since then, he has stayed in Neudingen near Donaueschingen and has built a nest with a partner on the local town hall. Redrunner also returned from Africa a few weeks ago. He has taken up residence in the town of Munzenberg between Frankfurt and Giessen.

Now four years old, they have both survived the most dangerous phase of their lives, as 75 percent of young storks die in the first year. Now they are past puberty and may breed this year for the first time. If the two storks continue to successfully avoid all dangers, it is likely they will have a long life and will continue to make their long journey for the next 30 years.

Assuming that the two are still migrating, the researchers will no longer have to follow them in a car. The Icarus Initiative launched by Martin Wikelski will be launched in August, after which the tracking devices will transmit their data to scientists around the world via the International Space Station. Researchers will then be able to track the birds around the clock in real time.

Explore further Faithful storks keep long-distance love alive in Croatia

More information: Andrea Flack, Mate Nagy, Wolfgang Fiedler, Iain D. Couzin, Martin Wikelski, From local collective behavior to global migratory patterns in white storks. Science; 25 May, 2018, Journal information: Science Andrea Flack, Mate Nagy, Wolfgang Fiedler, Iain D. Couzin, Martin Wikelski, From local collective behavior to global migratory patterns in white storks.; 25 May, 2018, science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi  1126/science.aap7781Comparing the band structure of bulk GaAs and Si and NDR-induced oscillation in a Gunn diode. Band structures of (a) Gallium Arsenide with direct bandgap. Direct and indirect sub bands are called  and L valley, respectively. The energy offset is 300 meV. (b) Negative Differential Resistance (NDR) for GaAs as a result of velocity drop for electrons which migrated to high effective mass (L) band. The NDR emanated from a large ratio of effective mass of indirect to direct conduction sub band which is about 100 for GaAs. (c) The electric network shows how compensating the loss of an electric LC resonator using a Gunn diode with NDR results in a perpetual oscillation in microwave frequencies. (d) Band structure of bulk silicon with more than 1 eV offset between  and  valleys which explains why there is no NDR in bulk silicon. (e) The second type of Gunn oscillation (intrinsic) is a result of self-repeating formation of accumulation/depletion sandwich inside the bulk material which moves with saturated drift velocity from cathode to anode. Credit: Scientific Reports (2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-24387-y

Researchers using powerful supercomputers have found a way to generate microwaves with inexpensive silicon, a breakthrough that could dramatically cut costs and improve devices such as sensors in self-driving vehicles.

"Until now, this was considered impossible," said C.R. Selvakumar, an engineering professor at the University of Waterloo who proposed the concept several years ago.

High-frequency microwaves carry signals in a wide range of devices, including the radar units police use to catch speeders and collision-avoidance systems in cars.

The microwaves are typically generated by devices called Gunn diodes, which take advantage of the unique properties of expensive and toxic semiconductor materials such as gallium arsenide.

When voltage is applied to gallium arsenide and then increased, the electrical current running through it also increasesbut only to a certain point. Beyond that point, the current decreases, an oddity known as the Gunn effect that results in the emission of microwaves.

Lead researcher Daryoush Shiri, a former Waterloo doctoral student who now works at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, used computational nanotechnology to show that the same effect could be achieved with silicon.

The second-most abundant substance on earth, silicon would be far easier to work with for manufacturing and costs about one-twentieth as much as gallium arsenide.

The new technology involves silicon nanowires so tiny it would take 100,000 of them bundled together to equal the thickness of a human hair.

Complex computer models showed that if silicon nanowires were stretched as voltage was applied to them, the Gunn effect, and therefore the emission of microwaves, could be induced.

"With the advent of new nano-fabrication methods, it is now easy to shape bulk silicon into nanowire forms and use it for this purpose," said Shiri.

Selvakumar said the theoretical work is the first step in a development process that could lead to much cheaper, more flexible devices for the generation of microwaves.

The stretching mechanism could also act as a switch to turn the effect on and off, or vary the frequency of microwaves for a host of new applications that haven't even been imagined yet.

"This is only the beginning," said Selvakumar, a professor of electrical and computer engineering. "Now we will see where it goes, how it will ramify."

Shiri also collaborated with researchers Amit Verma, Reza Nekovei, Andreas Isacsson and M.P. Anantram at universities in the United States and Sweden.

Their work was recently published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Explore further Study may lead to less expensive consumer lasers and LEDs

More information: Daryoush Shiri et al, Gunn-Hilsum Effect in Mechanically Strained Silicon Nanowires: Tunable Negative Differential Resistance, Scientific Reports (2018). Journal information: Scientific Reports Daryoush Shiri et al, Gunn-Hilsum Effect in Mechanically Strained Silicon Nanowires: Tunable Negative Differential Resistance,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-24387-yIn this photo made from NASA video, the Cygnus capsule prepares to dock to the International Space Station, Thursday, May 24, 2018. The International Space Station has accepted delivery of more than 7,000 pounds of supplies from Virginia. A commercial cargo ship arrived at the orbiting lab Thursday, three days after launching from Wallops Island. Virginia-based Orbital ATK shipped the goods for NASA in a Cygnus capsule, which is named after the swan constellation. The space station's U.S. crew used a big robot arm to snag the Cygnus from orbit 250 miles up. (NASA via AP)

The International Space Station accepted delivery Thursday of more than 7,000 pounds of supplies from Virginia.

A commercial cargo ship arrived at the orbiting lab three days after launching from Wallops Island. Orbital ATK shipped the goods for NASA in a Cygnus capsule, which is named after the swan constellation.

NASA astronauts Scott Tingle and Ricky Arnold used the station's big robot arm to snag the Cygnus from orbit, as the craft passed 260 miles above Africa's Cape of Good Hope and swung out over the southern Indian Ocean.

"Excellent job, guys," Mission Control radioed. "You've got a whole team down here in Houston with big smiles on their faces," along with the Orbital ATK controllers in Dulles, Virginia.

"It was a beautiful day to grapple the spaceship," Arnold replied.

The crew will unload the food, equipment and science experiments, then fill the capsule with trash for a fiery re-entry in July. Research accounts for about one-third of the newly arrived contents, including a small chamber from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory that will use lasers to chill atoms to temperatures colder than space itself.

This particular Cygnus is dubbed the S.S. J.R. Thompson in honor of the former NASA and Orbital ATK executive who died in November.

The Cygnus capsule prepares to dock to the International Space Station, Thursday, May 24, 2018. The International Space Station has accepted delivery of more than 7,000 pounds of supplies from Virginia. A commercial cargo ship arrived at the orbiting lab Thursday, three days after launching from Wallops Island. Virginia-based Orbital ATK shipped the goods for NASA in a Cygnus capsule, which is named after the swan constellation. The space station's U.S. crew used a big robot arm to snag the Cygnus from orbit 250 miles up. (NASA via AP)

Six men call the space station home: three Americans, two Russians and a Japanese. Three of them will return to Earth in just over a week.

In this photo made from NASA video, the Cygnus capsule prepares to dock to the International Space Station, Thursday, May 24, 2018. The International Space Station has accepted delivery of more than 7,000 pounds of supplies from Virginia. A commercial cargo ship arrived at the orbiting lab Thursday, three days after launching from Wallops Island. Virginia-based Orbital ATK shipped the goods for NASA in a Cygnus capsule, which is named after the swan constellation. The space station's U.S. crew used a big robot arm to snag the Cygnus from orbit 250 miles up. (NASA via AP)

Explore further NASA shipper Orbital ATK launches space station supplies

 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.New facial recognition software and app invented at Michigan State University can help protect endangered primates -- more than 60 percent of which face extinction. Credit: MSU

New facial recognition software and app invented at Michigan State University can help protect endangered primatesmore than 60 percent of which face extinction.

Golden monkeys have lost so much habitat, they are only found in a handful of national parks in Africa; farming and illegal hardwood trade in Madagascar is gobbling up the island's forests and displacing native lemurs; in a recent six-year span, more than 22,200 great apes have been lost due to illegal trade, and yet there have been only 27 arrests.

"Intervention is necessary to halt and reverse these population declines," said Anil Jain, MSU Distinguished Professor of computer science and engineering and senior author on the study. "Automated facial recognition is one way we can help combat these loses."

Jain and his doctoral student Debayan Deb harnessed the prowess of his world-renowned biometrics labwhich has helped solve high-profile crimes - to create PrimNet. The program uses convolutional neural networks, artificial-intelligence inspired technology that allows everything from self-driving cars to robots to observe and understand our world.

The results, featured on Cornell University's arXiv, show that in head-to-head comparisons, PrimNet outperformed state-of-the-art face recognition systems, including SphereFace, FaceNet and LemurFaceID (a predecessor of PrimNet that Jain's lab also invented).

Credit: Michigan State University

Along with improved accuracy, PrimNet represents a more cost-effective as well as a far less invasive approach to primate tracking. Traditional tracking devices can be expensive, ranging between $400 and $4,000. Capturing and tagging animals can be time-consuming and can adversely affect the animals. The process can disrupt social behavior, and it can cause stress, injury and sometimes even death.

To complement PrimNet, the team of scientists created an Android app, PrimID. Researchers in the field can now snap a photo of a golden monkey, drop it into the app and identify the primate in question with a high degree of confidence.

In many cases, PrimID will produce a match that's greater than 90 percent accurate. (With lemurs, PrimID scored an impressive 93.75 percent accuracy.) If it's not an "exact" match, the app will offer up to five potential candidates from the dataset, corresponding to the top five confidence ratings.

"We compared PrimID to our own benchmark primate recognition system and two, open-source human face recognition systems, and the performance of PrimNet was superior in verification one-to-one comparison and identification, or one-to-many comparisons, scenarios. Moving forward, we plan to enlarge our primate datasets, develop a primate face detector and share our efforts through open-source websites."

This invention, along with sharing it open sourced, provides another tool to offset wildlife trafficking. For example, if a captured great ape can be photographed and identified, knowing its origin can offer insights to its capture and help improve efforts to deter future crimes.

Explore further Can facial recognition systems help save lemurs?Britain ramped up a Brexit space row with the EU on Thursday, saying it will demand repayment if it is excluded from the Galileo satellite navigation project.

Newspaper reports suggested London could seek 1 billion ($1.34 billion, 1.14 billion euros) in compensation for its investment in the programme.

Brussels has said it will deny London access to Galileo's encrypted signals after Brexit, citing legal issues about sharing sensitive security information with a non-member state.

A report issued by Britain's Department for Exiting the European Union said it had "strong objections" to being frozen out of the 10-billion-euro programme and called for an "urgent resolution to the exclusion".

"Should the UK's future access be restricted, the UK's past contribution to the financing of space assets should be discussed," the report said.

The British report suggested it may have to reopen negotiations on the 39 billion (40-45 billion euros) Brexit "divorce bill" that was agreed in December to make up for its exclusion.

It said the deal agreed then had provided for Britain's continued involvement in the Galileo programme, which has important uses in both the civilian and military fields.

Talks in Brussels this week on resolving the issue had failed to make headway with "big gaps" remaining between the two sides, sources said.

'German-backed clique'

Freezing Britain out of Galileo could delay the programme by three years and cost the EU a further one billion euros in development costs, British sources said.

London has warned that being excluded could have implications for the its future defence partnership with the EU.

"Negotiations on the future partnership should not be preempted or prejudiced," it said.

The European Commission said its position was "very very clear, crystal clear" about why Britain was being excluded.

"This issue is being discussed with our British partners, negotiations are ongoing," commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told a daily briefing.

Britain played a major role in developing Galileo, an alternative to the US's GPS, which is expected to be fully operational in 2026.

It demands continued British access to the secure signal and a right to compete for contracts.

Britain is looking into developing its own, separate system if the EU maintains its position, and has also raised the question of Galileo's use of Britain's overseas territories as monitoring bases.

The Times newspaper reported Thursday that the decision to block Britain was being led by a "German-backed clique" in the European Commission, and that it had caused a rift with French officials, who were reportedly unhappy with the plan.

Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and the Baltic states have also objected to denying Britain access, said the report.

 2018 AFPMay 24, 2018 in Social Networking (E)

[prMac.com] Alexandria, Virginia - Technology startup Solo Tekk LLC has recently launched Batelz, a social video hosting app designed to foster social connections through safe and fun video challenges. Designed especially for the younger generation, the minimum age requirement for registering with Batelz is thirteen years.



"With excessive exposure to the virtual world, people, especially the younger generation, find little time to go out and pursue their passion. The idea behind Batelz is to inspire and motivate users to do something with passion it can be dancing, skateboarding or acrobatics, to win adulation and even challenge other users for a task," says Mrs. Candice Armstrong-Addison, Founder of Solo Tekk and the brain behind Batelz.



The app allows users to engage in any safe challenge of their choice, whether online or offline. So, a user can enter in a live challenge for the duration of 90 seconds or can challenge someone in the offline mode by creating an offline video and uploading it, the original and the challenger's videos will appear side by side for other users to view and assign claps to the one they liked better. The user who receives the predetermined claps first will win the challenge.



Alternately, a user can create a video offline and upload it on Batelz and receive challenges from other users. The winners receive virtual rewards, motivating them to keep participating in challenges and perform better each time.



Batelz is an ideal platform for people to show their talents, irrespective of the genre - adventure, music, sports, art, anything and form deeper social connections as they engage with like-minded people. The app is going to break the mould of 'likes' and 'follows' by inspiring active social engagement among users.



Features:

* Live Batelz: Users can engage in a 90-second online challenge with the Live Broadcast challenge. It's spontaneous and thrilling

* Clapback Feature: Allows challenging people in an offline mode by posting your offline video. Also shows trending leaderboards under the originating video

* Offline Batelz: Allows users to create their own offline videos and challenge other users. Their video appears next to the video posted by the user they challenged. The user who receives the predetermined claps first wins the challenge

* Virtual Rewards: Challenge winners earn interesting virtual rewards

* Build Followership: The app allows users to garner a follower base



Device Requirements for iPhone:

* Size: 114.4 MB

* System: Requires iOS 10.2 or later.

* Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.



Device Requirements for Android:

* Size: 31 MB

* System: 4.4 and up



Pricing and Availability:

The app is currently available for Free on the App Store in the Social Networking category and also available for Free on the Google Play Store in the Social Networking category.

Solo Tekk is focused on creating disruptive technologies that will change the landscape of how we utilize tech in the modern age. It is our goal to develop and diversify our markets; creating both engaging and practical projects that will be beneficial to the public at large. Batelz is our premiere application with the next project expected to launch within the next few years. To learn more about our company, please visit www.solotekk.com. All Material and Software (C) Copyright 2018 Solo Tekk LLC. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.

###Benny Tai accused of turning Hong Kongs streets into rivers of blood by pro-Beijing lawmakers during heated independence debate

Pro-Beijing lawmakers reignited the row over Benny Tai Yiu-tings controversial independence remarks with a 75-minute attack on the activist in the Legislative Council on Thursday.

Members of the pro-establishment camp turned a request to adjourn into an opportunity to condemn the pro-democracy Occupy movement co-founder, while emphasising their own anti-independence beliefs.

One of the harshest comments came from lawmaker Holden Chow Ho-ding, who accused the activist of turning Hong Kongs streets into rivers of blood.

Pro-democracy lawmakers hit back and said the debate was just a pretext to pave the way for national security laws and the implementation of Article 23 of the citys mini-constitution, the Basic Law.

Article 23 requires the city to enact laws making any act of treason, secession, sedition or subversion against the central government a crime. The government was forced to shelve a bill aimed at doing just that in 2003, after half a million people took part in a march against it. Beijing has signalled its impatience with the stalemate in recent years.

Tai originally upset pro-Beijing lawmakers with comments he made in Taiwan, at a forum organised by anti-communist groups in March. The associate professor at the University of Hong Kong suggested the city could consider independence, or entering into a confederation with other regions of China, should the country become democratic in the future.

The Hong Kong government later issued an unusually harsh condemnation of him, one which was followed by the State Councils Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, and Beijings liaison office in the city.

Gary Chan Hak-kan requested the adjournment at the weekly meeting on Thursday morning, so the effect of Tais remarks in Taiwan could be discussed. The motion was passed with the full support of his camp  the majority in the chamber.

Though Tai has previously made it clear he is anti-independence, a volley of attacks from the pro-Beijing camp followed.

Story continues

The issue is nothing about freedom of speech  Benny Tai is no ordinary citizen but the founder of the lawbreaking Occupy Central, Chan, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said, referring to the 2014 civil disobedience campaign for greater democracy.

As a leader of a Hong Kong political movement, his remarks are not merely words.

Chan criticised Tai for hurting the relationship between mainland China and Hong Kong and the implementation of one country, two systems, the principle under which Beijing allows the city greater political freedoms than those enjoyed on the mainland.

He stressed the importance of the Legco debate in allowing all colleagues to clarify their anti-independence stance.

The debate featured impassioned condemnation speeches by the pro-Beijing camp, with Chow making his rivers of blood comment as he claimed Tai had fostered the atmosphere that allowed the Mong Kok riot of 2016 to take place.

In contrast, the pro-democracy camp questioned the intention of the attacks. Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai made it clear that the party was anti-independence, but said it was a staunch defender of free speech for Hong Kongs people.

Wu said Tai had made it clear he did not support independence, yet the pro-Beijing camp and the government kept quoting him out of context. He said that was to pave the way for national security laws.

Lawmaker Shiu Ka-chun, of the social service sector, read out a statement drafted by Tai in the chamber.

Initiating a Cultural Revolution-like denouncement against me is probably to pave the way for Article 23 legislation, or to redraw the political red line in the academic sector, and Hong Kong society with chilling effect, or to divide the pro-democracy camp, Tai wrote. Or, a mixture of all the above reasons.

Tai called on all residents who believe in democracy and freedom to safeguard free speech in the city, no matter how Beijing keeps redrawing red lines.

Constitutional bureau head Patrick Nip Tak-kuen represented the government at the debate. Wrapping up the session, he said any advocacy of Hong Kong independence violates the Chinese constitution, the Basic Law and one country, two systems.

He thanked Chan and all lawmakers who condemned Tais independence remarks.

Everyone who loves Hong Kong has the responsibility to ensure that one country, two systems is moving in the fully right and accurate direction in Hong Kong, he said. And has the responsibility to say no to any acts that clash with the countrys sovereignty, security and development interests.

This article Benny Tai accused of turning Hong Kongs streets into rivers of blood by pro-Beijing lawmakers during heated independence debate first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.(Corrects first paragraph to say fourth-deadliest school shooting, not fourth deadly school shooting)

By Erwin Seba

SANTA FE, Texas (Reuters) - Mourners knelt before white wooden crosses on Monday outside the Texas high school where 10 people were killed in the fourth-deadliest U.S. school shooting this year, an image recalling similar gatherings after February's Florida school massacre.

A few dozen people, including student survivors of the attack, family members, chaplains and police, gathered at 10 a.m. outside Santa Fe High School to observe a moment of silence called for by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

In contrast to Florida, where the deaths of 17 teens and educators sparked a youth-led movement calling for new restrictions on gun ownership, the Texas tragedy saw elected officials and survivors alike voicing support for gun rights.

Some embraced the idea of arming teachers, a strategy advocated by the National Rifle Association and U.S. President Donald Trump but largely rejected by survivors and parents in Parkland, Florida, after the carnage there.

"I'd be comfortable with our teachers having guns," said Tessa Ybarra, 15, a sophomore at Santa Fe High School. "If Ms. T and Ms. Perkins had had guns, maybe they could have protected themselves," she said, referring to Cynthia Tisdale and Glenda Ann Perkins, the two teachers killed on Friday.

Abbott, who noted that the 17-year-old accused of the attack appeared to have used weapons legally owned by his father, planned on Tuesday to open a three-day series of roundtable meetings with educators and law enforcement officials on improving school safety.

"We need to do more than just pray for the victims and the families," Abbott said on Friday at the school, located about 30 miles (50 km) southeast of Houston, following the attack. He said any changes considered to state laws would "protect Second Amendment rights."

The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution enshrines the right to bear arms. Gun rights proponents say it prohibits regulations on gun ownership and argue that enforcement of existing laws should be sufficient to stop violence like the scenes that played out in Santa Fe.

Story continues

The U.S. Supreme Court has avoided major gun cases for a number of years, leaving in place restrictions on guns enacted by some states.

Gun control groups point to the regular toll of shootings across the United States as evidence that more needs to be done to rein in the proliferation of weapons.

Abbott said the list of nearly two dozen participants for his meetings includes both supporters and opponents of arming teachers.

Mike Collier, a Democrat running for Texas lieutenant governor, expressed skepticism that the talks would bring significant change.

"Dozens of Texans have been killed in massacres just six months apart ... and our state leadership feebly announces 'roundtables,'" Collier said, alluding to the fatal shooting in November of 26 people at a church in rural Sutherland Springs.

Police arrested Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, at the Santa Fe school following the rampage they said he committed with a shotgun and .38-caliber pistol. He is charged with capital murder of 10 victims - two teachers and eight students, including Pakistani exchange student Sabika Sheikh, 17.

Her father, Aziz Sheikh, said on Monday he hoped his daughter's death would spur gun control in the United States.

"Sabika's case should become an example to change the gun laws," Sheikh said in a phone interview.

SHOTGUN GIVEAWAY

Abbott's re-election campaign website on Monday dropped a contest offering donors the chance to win a shotgun, a fund-raising promotion that Texas gun-control advocates criticized as insensitive.

Campaign spokesman John Wittman said the contest began on May 1, well before Friday's gun violence, though critics noted the shotgun offer remained posted days after the shooting.

"Abbott's decision to continue the raffle was disrespectful to the Santa Fe community," Houston March for Our Lives, a group which is part of the national protest movement that arose from the Florida high school massacre, said on Twitter.

Police said Pagourtzis confessed to Friday's killings after he was taken into custody, but they have offered no motive yet for the massacre.Pagourtzis is being held without bond, on suicide watch, at the Galveston County Jail in nearby Galveston, Sheriff Henry Trochesset said.

Pagourtzis' family said in a statement it was "saddened and dismayed" by the shooting.

February's massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, prompted enactment of a law creating a $67 million statewide fund to train school personnel to carry weapons on the job, though the measure excludes most classroom teachers. Parkland rejected its share of that funding.

In Santa Fe, some students were more interested in that idea. Said 18-year-old Kassidy Monroe: "In some cases arming teachers may help."

Other students and parents said they supported installation of metal detectors at school entrances.

Cindy Evans, 48, whose 15-year-old son attends Santa Fe High, said she felt the solution ultimately lay elsewhere.

"Honestly," she said, "I think it starts at home with the parents these days that don't know what's going on with their kids."

(Additional reporting Saad Sayeed in Islamabad and Gina Cherelus in New York; Writing by Rich McKay and Scott Malone; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Leslie Adler)FILE PHOTO: A woman carries a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at an event marking Resistance and Liberation Day in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, May 25, 2017. REUTERS/Hassan Abdallah/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - Iran's top leader set out a series of conditions on Wednesday for European powers if they want Tehran to stay in a nuclear deal after the U.S. exit, including steps by European banks to safeguard trade with Tehran and guaranteeing Iranian oil sales.

U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out earlier this month from the 2015 nuclear deal that had lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs to its nuclear programme. European powers see the accord as the best chance of stopping Tehran acquiring a nuclear weapon and have intensified efforts to save it.

"European banks should safeguard trade with the Islamic Republic. We do not want to start a fight with these three countries (France, Germany and Britain) but we don't trust them either, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying by his website.

Khamenei also said European powers must promise they would not seek new negotiations on Iran's ballistic missile programme and regional Middle East activities, adding:

"Europe should fully guarantee Irans oil sales. In case Americans can damage our oil sales..., Europeans should make up for that and buy Iranian oil."

Khamenei said that over the past two years the United States "has repeatedly violated" the nuclear deal but the Europeans had remained silent. He asked Europe to "make up for that silence and to "stand up against the U.S. sanctions.

Khamenei accused the United States of violating U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 that underpins the nuclear agreement with Iran, and asked Europe to secure a resolution against the U.S. violation.

He warned that if the Europeans did not meet these demands, Iran would resume its enrichment of uranium, halted under the deal to minimise the risk of Tehran developing the means to build nuclear weapons.

(Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by Mark Heinrich)Japan police arrest notorious Bag Master Yamaguchi, who has picked pockets on Tokyo subway since 1965

Police in Tokyo have arrested a veteran pickpocket who has made a living from unsuspecting commuters on the citys public transport system since at least 1965.

Kazutoshi Yamaguchi, who is 69 years old and also drawing a pension, was taken into custody on Monday after allegedly attempting to steal a purse containing Y6,000 (US$55) from a 19-year-old woman on a train on Tokyos Toei Oedo Line.

The ANN News channel said Yamaguchi admitted to the allegations and has been charged with attempted theft.

Police quoted him as saying, I took the purse because it just appeared in front of me

Television footage of a bespectacled Yamaguchi being transported to a police station show him looking frail and using a stick to walk.

It is possible that the suspect made the most of his image as an unthreatening pensioner to be overlooked by other passengers on trains that he targeted.

Japan rail worker fired for overcharging foreigners for bullet train tickets

Authorities have not provided details of how many times the notorious Yamaguchi has been arrested, although he first came to the attention of the police in 1965.

It is possible that his criminal career began earlier than that, however, but that he was only caught for the first time 53 years ago.

The Tokyo Reporter website claimed that police know the suspect as Bag master Yamaguchi.

The case underlines the burgeoning problem of crime committed by Japans growing population of elderly people.

Government statistics released last in November show that criminals above the age of 65 are now more likely to reoffend within two years of their release from prison than younger criminals.

A total of 2,498 pensioners were given prison sentences in 2016, mostly for cases of shoplifting and theft, a fourfold increase on the figure in 1997. And of that total. More than 70 per cent had already served prison sentences.

Japans famously polite train commuters lose their cool sometimes. There were 825 attacks last year

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Poverty is often cited as a reason for Japans grey crime wave, with the breakdown of the traditional nuclear family and the support system that it provided another contributing factor.

The healthy lifestyles of many of Japans senior citizens has also been turned to their criminal advantage, with police in Osaka stunned in October of last year to discover that a daring cat burglar who had evaded their clutches for nine years was 74-year-old Mitsuaki Tanigawa.

Dubbed by police the Heisei Ninja  after Japans storied warriors and the current imperial era  Tanigawa was wanted for more than 200 break-ins in which more than Y29 million (US$265,000) was stolen from homes, shops and offices in the Higashi-Osaka district of the city.

Security cameras were only able to catch fleeting images of a masked man dressed from head to toe in black and making his escape by running nimbly along the tops of high walls or slipping effortlessly through the narrow gaps between buildings.

This article Japan police arrest notorious Bag Master Yamaguchi, who has picked pockets on Tokyo subway since 1965 first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.

More from South China Morning Post:SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Indonesian ride-hailing and online payment firm Go-Jek on Thursday said it would enter Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines in the next few months, investing $500 million in its international push. The move will start with ride-hailing services before expanding to other sectors, Go-Jek said in a statement. "People in Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines don't feel that they're getting enough (choice) when it comes to ride-hailing," CEO Nadiem Makarim said in the statement. The announcement comes after Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] sold its Southeast Asian operations to local competitor Grab. Go-Jek said it was working with regulators and other stakeholders across the region to prepare for the new operations. The expansion follows Go-Jek's latest round of fundraising, which brought investment from companies including Astra International, JD.COM, Tencent and Temasek. (Reporting by Jack Kim and Aradhana Aravindan; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Joseph Radford)(PHOTO: Getty Images)

A Lithuanian man who cheated local retailers of over $17,000 in a series of credit card scams last September was jailed for three years on Thursday (24 May).

Simovicius Robertas, 24, who was working for a Lithuanian syndicate, pleaded guilty in the State Courts to seven charges of cheating. Thirteen other similar charges were taken into consideration for his sentencing.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Charis Low told the court that Robertas had bought thousands of dollars worth of merchandise  including perfumes, mobile phones, and jewellery  within a week of arriving in Singapore on 7 September last year.

Robertas had used three fraudulently obtained credit cards  which legally belonged to individuals based in Japan, Brazil and the US  to make the purchases.

Police officers from the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) arrested Robertas outside his rented Purvis Street service apartment at 7pm on 15 September, hours after a jewellery store manager had made a police report.

Online shopping spree

While in Singapore, Robertas used the details from the fraudulently obtained credit cards to make a series of online purchases.

Court documents showed that these included buying an 18K Rose Gold ring worth about $2,000, perfumes valued at $3,208, and two Samsung Note 8 mobile phones from Harvey Norman that cost nearly $2,800 in total.

Robertas also bought at least $3,000 worth of merchandise through the HonestBee website from retailers such as NTUC FairPrice, The Liquor Shop and Pet Lovers Centre.

Only $548 worth of items from a grocery store were recovered by the police when they raided his rental apartment at The Post on 6 Purvis Street.

Offer too good to refuse

Robertas was in Lithuania when he came across an online job advertisement sometime in May last year that promised a free trip to Singapore with accommodation and food paid for.

All the Lithuanian had to do was order and collect goods under his name in Singapore. Robertas was also promised a 10 per cent commission on the total value of the items he collected.

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He flew into Singapore from Bali with a Lithuanian accomplice, 30-year-old Vejalis Edvinas, on 7 September last year. The latter was arrested at Changi Airport Terminal 1 while attempting to leave Singapore on 17 September.

For the crimes committed, Low asked for a three-year jail term to be imposed on Robertas.

In mitigation, defence counsel Melvin Loh told the court that his client just wanted to serve his sentence and go home to his family where he is the sole breadwinner.

Robertas could have been jailed up to 10 years, fined, or both, for his offences.FILE PHOTO: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte receives a draft of the newly proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in a turnover ceremony at the Rizal Hall in Malacanan Palace on July 17, 2017. Joining the President are (from left) Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman Murad Ebrahim, Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) Chair Ghazali Jaafar, and MILF Peace Implementing Panel Chair Mohagher Iqbal. KING RODRIGUEZ/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines  Malacanang expects that Congress will approve and pass the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) next week.

Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque confirmed Thursday, May 24, that a copy of the bill has already been forwarded to the Office of the President.

Before end of the month, dahil iyon din ang ipinangako ng liderato ng Kongreso. Hindi po sila magre-recess nang hindi naa-aprubahan ang BBL, said Sec. Roque.

(Before end of the month, because that is what the leadership of Congress promised. They will not go on recess until the BBL is approved.)

When asked if its ready for the Presidents signature, he replied, Certainly. Before they adjourn sine die (on May 30).

President Rodrigo Duterte previously said that he wants to make sure that both versions of the two chambers of Congress are similar before he certifies the bill as urgent.

The government also expressed confidence that the proposed legislation has the support of concerned stakeholders such as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF,) the Lumads and even the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF.)

Still, the Duterte administration is leaving the passage of BBL to Congress in hopes that it will resolve the decade-long conflict in Mindanao.

Were holding them to their promise. Kasi wala namang dahilan para hindi sila ma-meet ang (there is no reason for them not to meet the) deadline. I understand, nagkaroon sila ng (they had an) all-members caucus in the House and it was agreed that it will be passed before they go on break, Roques added.

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However, the Senate is likely to remove what they call unconstitutional provisions of the proposed BBL. Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the senators are still having a careful study on the bills budget, special powers and opt-in provisions. The Senate also considers the name of the proposed Bangsamoro Region as a complicated issue that needs to be discussed.

Kasi ang nakalagay sa Constitution, ARMM. Ito ang sinasabi ng ibang kasama namin na Moro nation, Bangsa-moro, Sotto explained.

(It says in the Constitution: ARMM. This what some of our members refer to as Moro nation, Bangsa-moro.)

The Senate targets to finish deliberation and eventually approve its own version of the BBL by next week.

In the Senate, I think we will able to come up with a conservative but well-crafted proposal for a Bangsamoro law. The House is much closer to what the BTC submitted, the Senate president said.  Rosalie Coz | UNTV News & Rescue

The post Malacanang expects BBL passage before end of May appeared first on UNTV News.This development follows Wednesdays announcement by the newly-sworn in Prime Minister that government agencies, which are political or non-essential, will be abolished or redeployed

The Malaysian government today said that several government agencies, including Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC), will be abolished.

This development follows an announcement on Wednesday by the newly-sworn in Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad that government agencies, which are political or non-essential, will be abolished or redeployed.

When contacted, a MaGIC spokesperson told e27 that MaGIC has not been dissolved yet. Yesterday, the Prime Minister said that the review of all government agencies is still underway. He mentioned that final decisions would be made once this review was concluded and that some, but not all of the agencies under review will be disbanded. We are watching the situation closely and waiting for further updates.

Also Read: Malaysias MaGIC, Vietnams SIHUB join forces to help startups with their regional expansion move

In the meantime, its business as usual for us at MaGIC, as we continue our work to create a vibrant, open and collaborative entrepreneurship ecosystem in Malaysia that helps to nurture and inspire entrepreneurial talent as well as helping enable corporates to better connect and innovate with the startup community around them, the spokesperson added.

On Wednesday, the Prime Minister said after chairing the first cabinet meeting. Most of these institutions are not actually part of the government, and are supposed to advise the government. All these (institutions) will be disbanded.

MaGIC was launched in October 2013 by the then US President Barack Obama during the 4th Global Entrepreneurship Summit held in Kuala Lumpur. The agency runs a dozen programmes, including the recently-announced IDEA Accelerator for early-stage impact-driven enterprises and social enterprises.

The post Malaysias Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad abolishes startup programme MaGIC appeared first on e27.Singapores State Courts. (PHOTO: Dhany Osman / Yahoo News Singapore)

A man who drove a van while under disqualification for life and harassed his girlfriend despite a Protection Order against him was jailed and fined on Wednesday (23 May).

Tommy Koh Leng Theng, 37, pleaded guilty in the State Courts last month to four offences  driving despite being banned from driving, driving without insurance, violating a Protection Order taken by his girlfriend, and damaging her passport.

On 8 February last year, Koh parked the van at an open-air car park near Block 54 Pipit Road, when a traffic policeman on patrol approached him for a routine check. The officer found out that Koh had been disqualified from driving for life since May 2002. There was also no insurance policy taken for the van.

He was jailed a total of 19 months for the two driving offences.

Koh, who was then a sole proprietor, did not intend to drive the van as the driver who was usually on duty was not available, according to his lawyer Adam Ong. He wanted to move the van to a better spot so that it wouldnt sustain heat damage, Ong said.

Separately, Koh was fined a total of $3,500 for violating a Protection Order taken by his then girlfriend Diana Sim against him and damaging Sims passport.

On 25 November 2016, Koh got into an argument with Sim at Block 241 Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim. Koh grabbed Sims handbag and threw its contents onto the floor. He then cut the handbag by using a penknife with a 10cm long blade.

Koh also took Sims Singapore passport from her during the argument and tore out several pages from it before throwing it on the ground.

The Protection Order was in effect more than two months before Koh harassed Sim.

In mitigation, Ong cited Kohs personal and financial woes, saying that his business was in the doldrums in early 2017 and he had to sell his HDB flat in July last year.

Koh, who is currently homeless, is working as an odd-job labourer to survive and provide maintenance for his nine-year-old daughter. A crushing sentence would further aggravate his financial situation, Ong added.

District Judge Mathew Joseph noted that Koh had been convicted twice before for driving a vehicle despite being disqualified for life and that his prior 18-month jail term appeared to have no effect on him.

For driving while disqualified, Koh could have been jailed up to three years and/or fined up to $10,000. For harassment, he could have been jailed up to six months and/or fined up to $5,000.KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said there was no denying that weaknesses in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration needed to be addressed. He said all those who were in the previous administration needed to be accountable for some things which happened, based on the concept of collective responsibility. All those in BN, especially Umno, need to be open about it and accept the peoples decision. Umno managed to win 54 parliamentary seats and we need to fulfill the trust placed in us as best as we can. However, there is no denying that Umno needs to change, he said in a statement. Mustapa, who won the Jeli parliamentary seat in Kelantan, said Umno must reflect on the losses it suffered in the 14th General Election (GE14). He said it was essential for Umno to immediately initiate changes and rejuvenate the party. Umno leaders at all levels need to embrace change and reflect on what needs to be done. We need to undertake radical changes to restore peoples trust in the party, he said. Mustapa called on Umno members to reject the negative culture which had led to Umnos image being scarred. He cited the presence of warlords in the party who were arrogant and practised money politics openly and also resorted to racial politics to gain support. We can no longer ignore all this or side step these issues, he said, adding the outcome of GE14 was a clear signal from Malaysians that they wanted issues concerning integrity, accountability and good governance to be given priority by the government. He said following the outcome of GE14, the people must give space to the new administration under the leadership of prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to lead the nation and put it on the right track. On the Umno supreme councils decision to open all top posts for contest, Mustapa said it was the right decision which could improve the partys image. I hope the party elections will be free from money politics. The party grassroots must use the elections to elect those with vision and ability to lead the party towards recovery and prepare it for coming challenges, he said. Mustapa said Umno would only recover if it was willing to face the harsh realities of its past weaknesses. He said the party needed to pay its role as a constructive opposition to provide checks and balances in the new political landscape in the country. Malaysia has the potential to become a great nation and we all need to work together to achieve this. The government and opposition need to join hands in solving problems faced by the people and make Malaysia great, he said.  New Straits Times Press (M) Bhdezbuy plans to use the new funding to support product development and international expansion

Singapore-based e-commerce platform ezbuy today announced that it has raised a total of US$17.6 million in pre-Series C funding round co-led by venture capital firms that include IDG, Ventech, Sky9, VKC and CGC.

The funding round followed a US$20 million Series B funding round the company has raised in March 2016. Both IDG and CGC had also participated in this funding round. Initially launched as 65daigou, the funding round came together with the companys rebranding to ezbuy.

The company plans to use the new funding to support product development by providing quicker and more reliable modes of

localized services and further enhance its product offerings to customers.

It also plans to use the new funding to support expansion plans in the Southeast Asian region as well as beyond.

The pre-Series C funding cements ezbuys position as the leading e-commerce platform in Asia, said ezbuy Co-founder and CEO He Jian.

Also Read: 7 out of 10 top e-commerce players in Singapore are local, study finds

Our core mission since the start has always been to provide customers with the convenient access to shop for their favourite products from all over the world. The investment will enable us to continue strengthening our core verticals and pave the way to achieve this objective faster, he added.

Founded in 2010, ezbuy is considered as one of the pioneers of e-commerce in Singapore.

The platform offers a global marketplace for local customers to shop for products from countries such as China, the US, South Korea, and Taiwan.

It claimed to have more than three million customers from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

In 2017, ezbuy was involved in a controversy when He Jian penned an open letter to Alibabas Jack Ma following the closure of 300 Taobao accounts affiliated with ezbuy.

According to a Straits Times report, the dispute ended with ezbuy cutting its ties with Taobao.

The post Singapores e-commerce veteran ezbuy raises US$17.6M in pre-Series C funding round appeared first on e27.Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen lashed out at China on Thursday after Burkina Faso broke diplomatic ties with the island, the second country to do so this month. The move, which has been welcomed by China, comes after the Dominican Republic switched recognition to Beijing earlier this month, leaving Taiwan with only 18 diplomatic allies around the world. Although it was not immediately clear if Burkina Faso and China would establish diplomatic relations, officials in Taipei said it was only a matter of time and blamed Beijing for the setback. "China's crude behaviours to undermine our sovereignty have already challenged the bottom line of Taiwan's society. We will not tolerate it anymore," President Tsai told reporters without elaborating. Tsai accused Beijing of using "dollar diplomacy" to lure away the island's allies. She added that Beijing's moves reflected "insecurity and lack of confidence.... The more crude their behaviour, the more it sparks international repulsion". The foreign ministry in Beijing said in a statement that "we welcome Burkina Faso's early accession to the Sino-African friendship and cooperation family based on the one-China principle." Relations between Taiwan and China have worsened since Beijing-sceptic Tsai came to power as her government refuses to acknowledge that Taiwan is part of "one China". China still considers Taiwan to be a renegade province to be reunified, by force if necessary, even though they split in 1949 after a civil war. The two have been engaged for years in a diplomatic tug-of-war in developing countries. Economic support and other aid are often used as bargaining chips for diplomatic recognition. Taiwan can now claim only one ally in Africa -- eSwatini (formerly Swaziland). Burkina Faso was the fourth country to cut ties with Taipei since Tsai took office two years ago. The Dominican Republic announced on May 1 the termination of its 77-year diplomatic relationship with Taiwan to recognise China. The small African nation of Sao Tome switched recognition to Beijing in late 2016, followed by Panama in June last year. - Raising pressure - Burkina Faso said earlier Thursday that it was severing diplomatic ties with Taiwan for the second time. The country terminated relations with Taipei first in 1973 but restored them in 1994. "But today, changes in the world, the current socio-economic challenges facing our country and our region call on us to reconsider our position," said Foreign Minister Alpha Barry. The decision prompted Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu Thursday to tender his resignation, pending Tsai's approval. Wu said that Taipei was cutting relations with Burkina Faso "to safeguard our sovereignty and dignity" and halting bilateral aid and cooperation programmes. According to some reports, last year Beijing allegedly offered $50 billion to Burkina Faso to establish relations but the landlocked west African state turned it down. Tsai dropped a plan to visit the country in April during her first trip to Africa since taking office after its president was unable to receive her, citing scheduling conflicts. Wu said Taipei already felt "a little unease" at that time. Tsai's government is trying to enhance Taiwan's international profile but faces a concerted attempt by Beijing to shrink its space on global platforms. Beijing has stepped up pressure on her government by blocking Taiwan from attending a growing list of international events and staging a string of military drills around the island. Taiwan has accused the World Health Organization of giving in to pressure from China after it was not invited to a major meeting that is underway in Geneva.UBS, which is appealing against a decision barring it from sponsoring stock market listings in Hong Kong, is restructuring its investment banking department by combining its China and Hong Kong arms, according to an internal memo seen by the South China Morning Post on Thursday.

The Swiss banking giant said in its annual report in March that it had been fined HK$119 million (US$15.2 million) by the Securities and Futures Commission and blocked from sponsoring initial public offerings for 18 months. UBS said it would appeal against the fine and licence suspension and, as such, can now still act as a sponsor until a decision is reached on the appeal.

It is not known what led to the penalties but the SFC had been investigating the banks role as a sponsor  or lead underwriter  of some IPOs listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange, UBS said in the report.

Hong Kong securities regulator suspends UBS as IPO sponsor for 18 months

With the ongoing integration of the Hong Kong capital market with China, both on issuance and the investor side, the market continues to grow at a rapid pace, said the memo sent by David Chin, head of corporate client services (CCS) Asia-Pacific at UBS.

To ensure we capture this unique window of growth and leverage our integrated platform further, we are announcing today that the Hong Kong-based CCS China team will combine with the Hong Kong and Taiwan team with immediate effect.

Citigroup Global Markets fined a record HK$57 million for failing in its duties as IPO sponsor to Real Gold Mining

UBS is keen to compete with rival investment banks to sponsor potential mega IPOs of technology and biotech firms made possible by recent changes to Hong Kongs listing rules. Charles Li Xiaojia, chief executive of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, which operates the bourse, expects a dozen large tech firms with dual shareholding structures or biotech firms without revenue could debut in Hong Kong in the coming months after the new listings regime started in April.

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Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi and Hangzhou-based biotech firm Ascletis Pharma were the first to apply to float their shares while brokers are speculating that Didi Chuxing may also seek an IPO. The IPOs are expected to bring in huge sums for the investment banks which act as sponsors for them.

UBS, which first entered mainland China in 1989, recently submitted plans to increase its stake in UBS Securities to 51 per cent, which would make it the first foreign bank to own a majority of a mainland joint venture after China relaxed its foreign ownership regulations.

UBS said the newly created Greater China business would be headed jointly by Xuewen Bi and John Lee.

Bi joined UBS Securities in 2010 and will continue to be based in Beijing. Lee, who is based in Hong Kong, joined UBS at the start of 2017 as vice-chairman, Asia, and has sealed a series of key deals for the firm.

This article UBS combines China, Hong Kong banks as it appeals to keep licence to sponsor Hong Kong IPOs first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.

More from South China Morning Post:It has become conventional wisdom, for good reason, that the best way to react to trolls is simply to ignore them. Dont feed the trolls, nontrolls say, in response to troublemakers on Twitter or in comment sections trying to get a rise out of pretty much anyone who will bite. Journalists in particular have had to absorb this message, whether they are writing about gender, or race, or video games, or Donald Trump.

And yet, they still havent learnedat least when it comes to master troll Elon Musk. Musk has been having great fun over the past couple of days throwing miniTwitter grenades at the American press corps, to which the only sane response is to sigh, roll your eyes, and go back to doing your job. Instead, Americas most prominent journalists have been falling over each other in their rush to retweet his tantrum to their millions of followers, served up with a bottomless and utterly unedifying accompaniment of puffed-up self-righteousness.

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The latest news cycle started around the time that Musk took aim at Reveal, a nonprofit Bay Area website and podcast that has been reporting critically on Teslas working conditions.

In an @-reply to three Twitter accounts, Musk called the podcast carefully constructed propaganda. Because of the way that @-replies work, almost no one saw Musks tweetuntil, that is, Reveals Al Letson started quote-tweeting him in high dudgeon.

Allow me to shed light, tweeted Letson, at his most condescending. As a journalist, Ive pretty much won every award for broadcast journalism. From the Peabody to the Murrow to the Duponts. Like you, Im pretty damn good at what I do.

Americas most prominent journalists have been falling over each other to retweet Musks tantrum, with an utterly unedifying accompaniment of puffed-up self-righteousness.

Immediately, Musk, who co-founded PayPal with Gawker destroyer Peter Thiel, apologized to Letson, changed his mind about the journalistic profession, andoh, who am I kidding, of course, he didnt. As Letson knew full well, a mantelpiece full of journalistic awards impresses Elon Musk about as much as a Matchbox car, or a bottle rocket. Instead, Musk gleefully doubled down. He tweeted about creating a site where the public can rate the core truth of any article & track the credibility score over time of each journalist, editor & publication and then put up a Twitter poll, which to date has more than 600,000 responses: Some 88 percent of respondents sided with Musk (Yes, this would be good), while only 12 percent agreed with the statement that media are awesome.

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Then there was Musks masterstroke:

Problem is journos are under constant pressure to get max clicks & earn advertising dollars or get fired. Tricky situation, as Tesla doesnt advertise, but fossil fuel companies & gas/diesel car companies are among worlds biggest advertisers.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 23, 2018

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It was a test: Could the journalism profession prove that it comprises adult professionals who can respond to such provocations by simply reporting honestly and professionally on Musks businesses? Or would reporters and editors opt instead to enter into an unenlightening food fight with a billionaire who sells flamethrowers for fun?

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Turns out, we couldnt resist. Ben Smith, the editor of BuzzFeed, weighed in to say that Musks tweet was shockingnot in an ironic, Casablanca way, but genuinely, in a tweet that got more than 600retweets. MSNBCs Stephanie Ruhle felt the need to say that Some of the best journalists in the world work at @FT @WSJ @barronsonline. Axios Dan Primack bemoaned Musks fundamental misunderstanding of how most media orgs actually operate. The New Yorkers Adam Davidson called Musk stunningly ignorant. The Washington Posts Tony Romm intoned that this is wrong, and its dangerous rhetoric. And on, and on, and on. Look at the list yourself; after a while you get the feeling that its going to be hard to find a journalist who isnt on it.

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Journalists have a pretty simple (though not easy) job: to convey information to the public. What information does the L.A. Times Robin Abcarian think that shes conveying, when she quote-tweets Musk while saying that last year, my column about a couple who survived the Santa Rosa fires by sheltering in a pool was the 86th most read story on the entire freaking internet? Any normal person, reading that, will see just a lot of insecurity and defensiveness, in a culture where going on the defensive is considered to be a sure sign that youre losing.

Elon Musk is a CEO whose corporate leadership is not looking great right now. His mass-market car, the Model 3, the car that was supposed to save the company, is being produced much more slowly than anybody anticipated and costs much more than most people can afford. Its very common, in such circumstances, for CEOs to lash out at all of their critics, be they short-sellers or stock analysts or, yes, journalists.

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But most of the time, when a CEO starts attacking critical journalists, its the CEO who looks like he or she is on the defensive; the journalists simply put out a statement saying that they stand by their reporting, stand back, and watch the CEO crumble. Its a very effective move. But for some reason, when Elon Musk starts attacking journalists, we seem to be incapable of responding in a similar manner.

The only winning move, when Musk starts trolling the journalistic profession on Twitter, is not to play. When put to the test, however, weve proved ourselves to be losers.On Tuesday, novelist Philip Roth passed away at the age of 85. I spoke by phone on Wednesday with Gary Shteyngart, the Russian-born writer and author whose new novel, Lake Success, will be released in September. During the course of our conversation, which has been edited and condensed for clarity, we discussed Roths unique blend of humor and seriousness, why he is considered a quintessentially male writer, and who among todays novelists are his clearest descendants.

Isaac Chotiner: Why was Philip Roth important to you as a novelist or person or both?

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Gary Shteyngart: Or both. There are very different strains in American writing, obviously. But his was one that I was completely enamored with, and it was one where the writing often seemed so effortless. Its really somebodya kibitzersitting down and talking to you, telling you what he saw. What can be simpler than that? He didnt go for any of these gigantic, clever tricks. He didnt go for any school of writing that was easily identifiable. I mean, Philip Roth was his own school of writing.

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One thing I learned very quickly is that when you start writing, and youre a young person, you are so desperate to be heard. You are so desperate to be clever. You are so desperate to try to reinvent everything. Sometimes those instincts bear fruit, but very often they dont. And Roth was somehow able to channel his personality, because he is in everything. Its not just the Zuckerman novelsthere is always a Roth somewhere inside his books.

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I teach writing at Columbia, and I tell my students: If you are somehow able to transmute yourself into your work, if that voice is that strong, then almost anything you do will come out OK. And Roth did that over and over and over again in a way that so many of us cannot. We struggle here. We struggle there. He famously threw out more pages than he kept, and I think thats what he was doing. When he saw the truth on the page, he kept it, whereas many of us wish that that was our ideal as well, but it is very hard for us to do.

You said that young writers are so desperate to reinvent everything, and that can often lead to trouble. But wasnt Roth seen, at least when he was a young man, as reinventing something?

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Absolutely. There are stylistic ways in which he reinvented things, but he also did it in the spheres of politics, religion, society. He was going for all of these things, but he made it look easy. That is a cliche of really skilled writers and artists, but he did make it look easy. I remember finishing Goodbye, Columbus and thinking, OK, there are maybe some echoes, perhaps, of some of the early-20th-century writers, there are some slight echoes maybe of Hemingway or Dos Passos or any of those people, because he was obviously influenced by somebody. But I couldnt put my finger on it. There was no school of writing that he felt like he belonged to. He was his own thing. And who else is like that in the second half of the 20th century? I can think perhaps of Saul Bellow, Grace Paley maybe, somebody who made it seem effortless but in their own ways reinvented storytelling.

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And this was the important thing for me: storytelling. There is room for experimentalism of every stripe, of course, but we cant forget that often the meat and potatoes of what we do is telling a story. Roth could channel these stories from his childhood. He kept them so close to him. He kept the past alive and aflame within him, and perhaps he was lucky in some way that his childhood wasnt entirely awful by every indication, but he was able to capture the banality of growing up, but also the excitement of it, and of course the conflict within the Jewish family. And I think he did that brilliantly.

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Bellow is the comparison that is made mostor at least they are grouped together the most. Do you think the things you have said about Roth apply to Bellow, and is the contrast at all illuminating?

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I love Bellow, and am a huge Bellow fan of course, but there was still a kind of intellectual conversation with Europe. And its not that Roth wasnt intellectual. He certainly was. But he was also from a different generation, and I dont think he had to interrogate his work. Bellow was the whole person to break that whole thing of, Are we Americans or are we Europeans? No, we are American writers. And Roth took it one step further. He introduced a sensibility, a comic sensibility that I find even funnier than Bellows. I teach both of them in a class called The Hysterical Male at Columbia, and we read these writers from that generation: Bellow, Roth, Martin Amis turns up near the end, Nabokov is also represented. And at the end of the class, I ask which book has had the most profound impact on the students both in terms of craft and in terms of how they see themselves as writers or people or members of certain ethnic groups or immigrant groups. And there is always a very clear win, by many, many votes, and that is Portnoys Complaint.

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I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that although this novel is one of the most complicated novels when it comes to identity ever written, it is also one of the most accessible. It is a stand-up routine in the very best sense of the word. Its interesting: We live right now in a kind of era where stand-up comedy has gone from being a marginal art form to in some ways the central art form, when you look at all these comedians who have shows on television that are so influential. Roth captured that high-low way before that. Portnoys Complaint could be an amazing HBO stand-up showcase, and it could be him or someone elsehe was, by the way, a very funny guy in personreading that stuff aloud and it would be brilliant and it would be contemporary.

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How was his sense of humor different than what we can read on the printed page?

He was a funny guy. I was not close friends with him, but the first time I met him, my first book, The Russian Debutantes Handbook, had come out. My safe space is the Russian Samovar in midtown. There is vodka and blini and I feel safe there. There are Russians. Somebody was giving a reading and Roth showed up. This was before I discovered the wonders of Ativan and Xanax, because I definitely needed both of them. I was maybe 29 or 30 and it was just too much to meet somebody who had done so much for my own workjust in terms of helping me discover voice, and deal with the taboos of writing about where I came from. When I started writing my first book, there werent any books by Russian immigrants of my generation. And just seeing someone like Roth do this for a previous generation of Jews, and be able to articulate in a voice that was funny and wry and compassionate, was a huge inspiration. He wrote about it and survived.

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So when I met him I quickly went into full pretentious mode, as any 29- or 30-year-old writer will do. I started to declaim loudly about stuff. Im sure it was very embarrassing. He changed the conversation very quickly and started talking about butter and the effects butter had on cardiovascular and, lets say, other physiological symptoms. [Laughs]. Maybe it was his way of saying, Alright buddy, calm down. Stop humping my leg and lets talk about something colloquial.

Do you find that men and women in your class react differently to Roth?

Its interesting because I really do open this up in class and interrogate these books from not just a male perspective. After I posted my condolences on Twitter, several women wrote in, saying that, Well, you can appreciate his work because you are a man. Thats something I definitely try to bring out in class because I want to hear every perspective possible. I teach Portnoys Complaint. I dont know how another book, like Sabbaths Theater, would go over. My students veer toward the younger sidemost probably in their early-to-late 20s. We talk about how things obviously would be writtenhow the perspective men have on women would change. But there is a feeling, and I cant speak for every student honestly, but there is an appreciation for the voice and the craft and obviously the time in which it was written, of course. So overall, Roth gets a more positive read from my students than many of the writers in that cohort.

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You said your class is called The Hysterical Male. You mentioned Grace Paley, but are there any other female writers you would compare to Roth?

One of my favorite writers, who has his far-ranging sensibility but is more of a global writer, is Zadie Smith. The intermixing of the humorous and tragic is something that reminds me of Roth. When I pick up a book by Zadie, that is one of the few times I think that no matter what the subject is, I know it will be handled with a certain amount of compassion and verve and intelligence, and thats something I expect from Roth as well.

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People would probably, or have probably, applied the adjective cosmopolitan to both of them, but how do you think the meaning of that word would differ in each case?

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Part of the difference is that Roth was almost miraculous on focusing so much of his attention in this little [area] from Newark to, well, Newark, or perhaps down to Trenton at times. It was a very focused gaze. Obviously, I think of Zadie as a writer of London and New York and so many other places. Roth was not of New York, but he was not not of New York either. He was sort of at the periphery. I think that writers who write from a periphery are often the best writers, as opposed to writers who are born right in the center of things intellectually and socially and otherwise.

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I am not going to say he was a humble writer or full of humility, butI dont want to bring up the word accessible againhe was human. Every single sentence of his is in one way a connection between [human beings], or a failed connection. There wasnt a lot of abstract stuff in his works. I think it was becauseand Saul Bellow used this term, a good noticerhe was an amazing noticer. He had an amazing memory. I wrote a memoir, and I was shocked by how difficult it was for me to come up with 300 pages of material on a pretty tumultuous life. And he had had a somewhat less tumultuous life, and yet he could generate thousands of pages about that experience, each one more brilliant than the next.

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The one thing I have always somewhat resented about Roth is that it felt like he was perhaps trying to universalize his own way of looking at women, or objectifying them. We are all far from perfect, but maybe not all men objectify women to the degree he did.

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I sort of see what you are saying, but you look at his peers. You look at, say, Updike. Objectification of women was a standard M.O. for male writers of that generation. And it was considered a form of humor as well. I mean, what can be said? Today a writer approaching it from that stance would be, well, such writers dont exist. And, of course, if you focus so much on your own libido, or male libido, you will possibly lose out. The female characters can at times seem to be peripheral. And I think a lot of people are guilty of thatI am sure I am as well. That is something that now we know and something that we work on, but I think, given the time, it was different. But then again, I look at his later work. I look at I Married a Communist. I think he was in his own way addressing these issues himself. I think he had just changed. This is really a two-part career. The older Roth had a lot to say to the younger Roth. They were really the same in a lot of ways, but there was real growth, I think.

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You mentioned Milan Kundera. What did it mean for you or others that Roth gave a voice to so many central and Eastern European writers before 1989?

It was incredible. He went to Prague, I believe it was in the 1970s, and in many ways sparked the interest in Eastern European fiction for writers like Kundera in the United States. He wrote about it quite a bit and wrote a very slim book, but one that I think is still very representative of what it was like to be in Eastern Europe at that time, called The Prague Orgy. Of course, the word orgy had to appear in it. And I think there was a real kinship. His [family] came from Eastern Europe. The Yiddish-Jewish way of looking at things, the humor from the edge of the blade: They are going to kill us, so lets have a laugh or lets make fun of ourselves before the gentiles make fun of us. I think that kind of sensibility certainly connected him to the Eastern European lands from which he had come. This raucous, and at the same time fatalistic, brand of humor. I definitely think of him in some ways as a descendant of Eastern Europe.Stephen Colbert took network TV on a rare detour into nihilism on Wednesday night, using Donald Trumps spygate conspiracy theory as a jumping off point for a powerful argument that nothing anyone says or does matters in the slightest anymore. Noting that tweeting What goes around comes around was a bold move for a bully like the president, Colbert called him living proof that karma does not exist, then broadened his scope:

Sorry to break it to you, Hindus! Its a lawless universe, devoid of hope. The stars blindly run. The leash is offlets all go baby-slapping.

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Colbert dutifully runs through the rest of Trumps newest conspiracy theory, which he sums up like this:

They embedded a spy early on and paid him massive sums of money to sabotage the Trump campaign with false claims of Russian collusion in the press to help Hillary Clinton win. And thenand heres the insidious partthey didnt tell the press, and Hillary Clinton lost. So when Trump revealed this plot, he would seem like a desperate criminal spinning conspiracy theories to stop the walls from closing in! Nice try, Deep Statenice try.

Its such a delightful skewering of the latest deranged conspiracy theory the President of the United States is spreading on Twitter that it almost eases the pain of watching the President of the United States spread deranged conspiracy theories on Twitter. To get the total, full-body numbness the Trump presidency requires, late night comedy alone wont be sufficient. Maybe try some of that baby-slapping Colbert recommends?With every dispiriting headline and each passing day, the full scale of the Trump administrations corruption and lawlessness is coming into a less forgiving view. And yet it is now becoming obvious that many Americans have ceased to see what is going on in the White House as an abnormal series of infractions that should scandalize liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans alike. As one wealthy, highly educated audience member told me after a recent talk, The institutions sabotage Trump, so Trump sabotages the institutions. Theyre all the same. I dont see what there is to worry about.

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Despite my reputation as a pessimist, I have a pretty sunny disposition. And though I have long warned about the serious danger the rise of populism poses to democracynot just in the United States, but all around the worldI have always argued that there is a lot we can do to stand up for our values. On the whole, the perilous times we now face have left me feeling energized. But if Im being honest, the last few months have taken their toll: On some days, I find it hard to picture how we might ever overcome our current divisions to build a society in which all kinds of Americans live together with at least some minimal modicum of mutual good will. And though I love writing this column, there have, of late, been some weeks in which it has felt rather pointless to continue preaching to the same chorus of believers.

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Only the amazing civil society initiatives that have sprung up in the hope of deepening our understanding of the current situation have, at least temporarily, helped to alleviate my somber mood: Bright Line Watch has convened some of the leading scholars of American democracy to assess the extent of the danger we face. The National Summit for Democracy brought together activists and donors from both sides of the political spectrum to brainstorm how we might reconstitute our republic once the current storm has passed. And the Coalition for Democratic Renewal has assembled some of the worlds most courageous intellectuals and practitioners to think about how we can defend freedom around the globe. Each of these meetings enriched my thinking about the causes of, and possible remedies for, the rise of populismand reminded me how many people are, under much more perilous conditions, bravely battling for their values.

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But the group that has given me the most hope goes by the overly alliterative name of Patriots and Pragmatists.* Founded by Rachel Pritzker, the president of the Pritzker Innovation Fund, and Mike Berkowitz, principal of Third Plateau, the group originally recruited a motley crew of liberal and conservative intellectuals, activists, and philanthropists to spend three days discussing the populist threat to democracy, what those of us who remain committed to the values of our political system can do to rally to its defense, and how we might be able to calm the partisan passions that are rending the republic asunder.

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I have to admit that I was, at first, a little skeptical of the effort. Since some of the participants were reluctant to be publicly identified with a group that included members on the other side of Americas deep ideological divide, the first meetings were private. (In fact, this article is the first to describe the group publicly.) And since I, too, am naturally given to certain partisan passions, I was excited to spend time with scholars such as Larry Diamond or former staffers in the Obama White House such as Ian Bassin but deeply skeptical about whether I could possibly see eye to eye with Republican operatives and movement conservatives such as Bill Kristol and Evan McMullin.

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But that is exactly why the experience of spending real time talking to people with whom I continue to have deep disagreements about matters of great political importancepeople who I may have written off as insincere hacks or uncultured idiots back when they criticized Barack Obama or cheered on George W. Bushhas been so meaningful. For the longer I spoke with them, the more I had to face incontrovertible evidence that some of the people whom I saw as my political enemies a few short years ago turn out to be both thoughtful and morally serious.

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We will only manage to construct effective defenses for democracy if we are able to build some minimal degree of trust between well-meaning people on both the left and the right.

Take David French, a senior writer at the National Review. French is an evangelical conservative; Im a liberal agnostic. He is a passionate believer in the Second Amendment; I strongly support gun control. He opposes state recognition of same-sex marriage; I dont think theres any legitimate excuse for the state to differentiate between citizens on the basis of their sexual orientation. Had we met on some debate stage or in some television studio in 2010, or in 2015, we would almost certainly have clashed; to my shame, I suspect that I would have left our encounter writing him off as a bigot or an idiot.

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Having had the chance to spend some real time with French both at the groups initial meeting last July and at a second get-together this past January, I now recognize how facile that judgment would have been. It is difficult to write somebody off as intellectually unserious when you hear him explain the danger that faces our shared system of government, and the deep moral corruption of those conservatives who have sold out to the rising tide of populism, in more eloquent terms than just about any other person in the country. And it is impossible to deny that someone you might once have thought of as a bigot is morally serious when he casually tells you about the severely undernourished daughter he adopted from Ethiopia and the disgusting threats against her he had to endure throughout the 2016 campaign.

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Let me be clear: The point of this exercise is not to downplay or even to resolve our ideological differences. French and I continue to disagree on a lot of things that deeply matter, both to him and to me. Rather, it is to achieve respectful disagreement. As French put it, the purpose of our meetings has been to answer

one of the most important questions of our polarized times. Can men and women on the left and right maintain fellowship and actually work together to preserve the key elements of our constitutional republic? The great virtue of this group is that no one is asked to moderate or compromise their core political convictions. Were simply asked to engage with integrity and civility. The meetings have helped me understand that there are really two culture wars dominating American political life. In the first  the battle over ultimate policy outcomes  the people in the group are quite often dramatically divided. In the second  the question of whether the ends will justify the means  the group is largely united. Engaging with integrity and civility isnt cowardice or compromise, its necessary for the health of our republic.

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Given the fact that these meetings were initially private, and that some of the people in the room have a good bit of money to donate, it might be tempting to interpret Patriots and Pragmatists as a grand conspiracy to take down Trump. But the truth of the matter is rather more straightforward: The threat posed by authoritarian populists goes well beyond one person, one country, or one political moment. And given the deep polarization in our societies, we will only manage to construct effective defenses for democracy if we are able to build some minimal degree of trust between well-meaning people on both the left and the right.

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As Pritzker describes her reasons for founding the organization:

The 2016 election convinced me that political polarization had reached a fever pitch, so I really wanted to learn more about how we got here and how we might renew democratic norms and institutions for the long-term. And I knew that such a conversation had to be cross-partisan, because the only way we will ever escape this hyper-polarized era is by beginning to build authentic relationships across political and cultural divides.

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For all of the many wonderful hours I have spent at these meetings, that is hardly going to be an easy mission to accomplish: Even when it comes to comparatively uncontroversial topics like the causes of populism, the members of our group harbor fundamental disagreements. Agreeing on the remedies for some of the acute failings of the status quo is going to be harder still. And even if we did somehow come to agree on the most important points, a short glance at the latest headlines would remind us just how difficult it will be for a small and elitist gathering of political exiles to serve as a model for a real world in which the president is doing his daily best to incite civic discord. If I see one danger for the group, then, it is not that it will mastermind an illicit campaign of covert influencebut rather that it will fail to accomplish much of anything.

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Whoever is winning at the moment, George Orwell said in one of my favorite quotes, will always seem to be invincible. Right now, the populists are winning in many parts of the world, and the prospect for a politics in which adversaries no longer see each other as enemies seems depressingly slim. But though there may seem to be every reason to be pessimistic about the possibility of achieving a better future, we need to keep fighting for itand to think seriously about what it might realistically entail.

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Speaking for myself, I would, at some level, love to envisage an America in which most of my fellow citizens have magically come to agree with all of my social, cultural, and religious beliefs. But even on the best case scenario, that just isnt going to happen. To beat authoritarian populism and build a country less riven with conflict, we will have to learn to respect each other even in the face of deep disagreements. I dont know whether Patriots and Pragmatists can make as much of a contribution to that future as some of its organizers hope. What I do know is that being part of this group has been one of the few experiences of the past two years which have left me more, not less, hopeful of inching closer to that important goal.Both progressives and moderate Democrats are crowing over the results from Tuesdays primaries. Stacey Abrams, a progressive endorsed by Bernie Sanders and the group Our Revolution, defeated former state Rep. Stacey Evans to become the first female black gubernatorial candidate for a major party in history. In Kentuckys 6th Congressional District, Amy McGrath beat establishment candidate Jim Gray, the mayor of Lexington. But in Texas 7th District, progressive underdog Laura Moser was handily beaten by Lizzie Fletcher, who was backed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

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Last weeks primaries were less of a mixed bag for the partys left. A slew of establishment incumbents were defeated in Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Idaho, and Oregon by progressives, including Pittsburghs Sara Innamorato and Summer Lee, two members of the Democratic Socialists of America, and John Fetterman, a Bernie Sandersendorsed candidate for lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania.* The Washington Posts James Hohmann announced the next day that The far left is winning the Democratic civil war, while noting that the victories by far-left candidates are causing a new bout of heartburn among party strategists in Washington who worry about unelectable activists thwarting their drive for the House majority.

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Those strategists can and have pointed to victories by Doug Jones, Ralph Northam, and Conor Lamb as evidence that moderate candidates have a better shot of winning the competitive races the party needs to reclaim the Houseand possibly the Senatein Novembers midterms. The partys left wing generally retorts that a number of progressives did well in last years legislative elections in Virginia, which saw remarkable wins from candidates like Danica Roem, a transgender woman, and Lee Carter, a self-described socialist.

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This infighting has coincided with the heightening of the ideological debate dividing the two wings of the party. Potential 2020 contenders Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren have all taken the 2016 Democratic primary and general election results as signs the partyor at least they themselvesshould move left, and have brought single payer, the idea of a job guarantee, marijuana legalization, and antitrust policy, among other ideas, firmly into mainstream discourse. Veteran party operatives and a number of centrist commentators have, of course, pushed back hard.

Analyses of these debatesabout the partys very near-term and long-term futureare often a bit muddled. This is partly because pundits tend to focus on the elections at hand and often overlook the impact particular electoral strategies might have on Democratic policymaking over the course of years or decades.

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There are at least four related but distinct questions facing the party, each worth considering independently, which are routinely congealed together by commentators.

What do Democrats need to do to win Novembers midterm elections?

Results of the races that have taken place since the 2016 election dont provide a straightforward answer here. Democrats in general have outperformed Hillary Clinton and past special election results just about everywhere, and they retain an advantage in generic ballot polling. Both moderate and progressive candidates have done well, and all signs point to a Democratic wave, driven to a large extent by anti-Trump animus, that will lift Democratic candidates of all stripes. Moderates will probably have an easier time winning in more conservative parts of the country, but the progressive victories weve seen should encourage the partys left and party leaders to think more ambitiously about who and where Democrats can run successfully.

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What do Democrats need to do to win in 2020?

Trumps present unpopularity suggests hell have his work cut out for him getting re-elected in 2020. Of course, Democrats, believed his election was all but impossible in the first place in 2016. They were wrong, and Trump will have the critical advantage of incumbency the next time around. The Democratic nominee in 2020 will have to avoid the mistakes made by the Clinton campaign. States like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania cant be taken for granted. The party will additionally have to figure out how to both slow the bleeding among white working-class voters and elevate minority, and particularly black turnout, which fell off from 2012 in critical areas. The most widely discussed strategy, making a sharp turn away from identity politics, neglects that last part of the equation. Any white working-class votes recaptured that way might come at the expense of minority voters the party absolutely needs to win and bring to the polls.

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Alternatively, advancing an attention-grabbing policy agenda compelling to both groups will likely pay off. Clinton didnt spend nearly enough of her time and resources advancing a clear economic message. A study published last year found that only 25 percent of the Clinton campaigns television ads, including a mere 10 percent of its attack ads, were policy-focused. Every other presidential campaign since 2000 has devoted at least 40 percent of its television advertising to policy-focused messaging; the Trump campaign devoted 70 percent of its ads.

Polling on inequality and the governments role on the economy suggests that economic populism could appeal to both minorities whove borne the brunt of economic stagnation in their communities for many years and however many white working-class voters might value a hand making ends meet more than the expression of cultural grievances. Advancing bold, easy-to-understand proposals like Medicare for All and a job guarantee would at the very least distinguish the next nominee from nominees past to votersand nonvotersinterested in hearing something new from the party and political discourse more broadly.

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What do Democrats need to do to build power against the Republican Party?

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The answer to this question isnt reducible to winning elections. Democrats cant meaningfully challenge Republican hegemony across large swaths of the country without moving the electorate left, or, more accurately, finding a reliable voting base for Democrats among an electorate that is already more supportive of left-leaning policies than Democratic politicians and pundits generally assume. That support hasnt translated reliably into electoral victories in part because liberals never built the kind of ideological infrastructure that grew and has sustained the American conservative movement. It was not at all obvious when Barry Goldwater was crushed by Lyndon Johnson in 1964one of the largest presidential landslides in historythat contemporary American conservatism had a viable future in national politics. But political developments and the creation of a sprawling network of conservative think tanks, publications, activist, and interest groups in the 1970s gradually created a reliable right-wing constituency for conservative Republican candidates. Only 16 years passed between Goldwaters crushing loss and Reagans election.

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Democrats would be on better footing if they embarked on a similar project now. There are already many liberal activist groups, although theyre typically marshalled into action during election season or to achieve highly specific goals. Expanding support for liberalism or left and progressive principles would require constant organizing and engagement with voters. Unions used to have a significant role in Democratic organizing and a leftward influence on working-class politics. Both have waned with the decline of union membership, and the party should take a serious interest in reviving organized labor. The rise of groups like Indivisible and the growth of the Democratic Socialists of America in places far outside of deep-blue enclaves in the wake of 2016 have been highly promising. Their work wont necessarily translate immediately to progressives winning in deep red parts of the country, but activists who hold events and engage members of their community regularly help build exposure and credibility for progressive ideasas do serious progressive candidates, even when they lose.

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What kinds of policy solutions should Democrats pursue for the problems facing this country?

One of the most important issues on the minds of American voters, according to polling, is still health care. This reflects the mixed legacy of the Affordable Care Act, whose positive impacts on access to health care have been undermined by design flaws and efforts by Republicans to dismantle the laws key provisions. Obamacare embodies the difficulties of centrist policymaking, which tends to depend on Rube Goldberg mechanisms crafted as alternatives to the government taking a more simple, direct role in addressing problems. These solutions are tricky to design; given to complex, unanticipated design failures; and are often difficult for their intended beneficiaries to understand and take advantage of. Nearly a decade after its passage, Americans are still confused by the ACAs subsidies and many are overpaying for insurance as a result, as a study covered by Jordan Weissmann reported last year:

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Using the data from the National Health Interview Survey, the Michigan State and Urban Institute team estimated that 6.3 million nonelderly adults bought their insurance coverage outside Obamacares marketplaces in 2015. Almost 41 percent of them reported incomes between 100 and 400 percent of the poverty linemeaning they should have been tax credit eligible. Almost 19 percent earned less than 250 percent of the poverty line, meaning they would have qualified for special subsidized plans that lowered their out-of-pocket costs like deductibles and co-pays. But for some reason, they said no thanks.  It seems fairly obvious that some people are simply overpaying for coverage because they dont know any better.

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While having the government insure all or most of the population in a single-payer system would be costly and pose challenges in implementation, its conceptually a much simpler solution that might create fewer headaches for consumers and lower health care costs once in place, and there are successful and popular models abroad that the United States could draw from. Similarly, having the government simply give people jobs or send people cash are conceptually rather simple ways to address poverty and unemployment. These might seem like pie-in-the-sky ideas, but its well past time to consider whether its any less quixotic to believe that the deep problems of the American economyrising inequality, stagnant wages, long-impoverished communities, a vast racial wealth gap, and morecan be solved by the same package of tax credits, job training, and cheapskate safety net policies the Democratic Party has been offering for more than a quarter-century now. It is moreover a certainty that the most urgent problem facing America and the world todayclimate changecan only be addressed by significant and unprecedented state intervention in the economy.



In sum, Democratic leaders are probably right to believe that they can eke out marginal victories with moderate candidates in the near term. But the threat of a 2010 will follow every attempt to recreate 2006 and 2008, and an electoral strategy dependent on moderate and conservative candidates will undermine efforts to pass the policies Democrats will ostensibly want to win elections for in the first place, as was the case with the ACA and other fights early in the Obama administration. As it stands, the Democratic Party is likely to do well in November whether it adopts a long-term vision for itself and the country or not. Winning the midterms will be relatively easy. Winning the century will be harder.President Trump has harsh words for the undocumented immigrants hes deporting. You wouldnt believe how bad these people are, Trump fumed in front of cameras last week. These arent people. These are animals. Trump later said he was talking about MS-13, a criminal gang, and aides repeated his message. In a statement on Monday, the White House described how members of MS-13 use kidnappings, beatings, rapes, stabbings, mutilations, and decapitations to instill fear and gain control. Ten times, the statement called them animals.

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On Wednesday, Trump was back at it. Visiting Long Island for a roundtable on immigration, he scorned Democrats for trying to defend MS-13 gang members. I called them animals the other day, and I was met with rebuke. [Democrats] said theyre people. Theyre not people. These are animals.

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Trump wants this fight. He wants liberals to protest that hes dehumanizing criminals. He knows hell win that fight, because viscerally, arguments for the rights of the accused are no match for our hatred of killers. What Trump doesnt want to talk about is the fraudulence of his outrage. He loves killers. They just have to control more than a neighborhood. They have to control a country.

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Take Vladimir Putin, who rules Russia by murder and massacre. His henchmen have poisoned defectors, assassinated dissidents and journalists, shot down passenger planes, bombed apartment buildings, and slaughtered Chechen and Syrian civilians. Trump doesnt care. As a candidate, he brushed aside questions about Putins killings. At least hes a leader, you know, unlike what we have in this country, said Trump. Last year, Bill OReilly reminded Trump, Putin is a killer. Trump shot back, We have a lot of killers. Well, you think our country is so innocent?

Rodrigo Duterte, the president of the Philippines, runs a bloody, indiscriminate war on drugs. It has killed about 12,000 people, including children, according to Human Rights Watch. Hitler massacred 3 million Jews, Duterte said two years ago. Theres 3 million drug addicts. There are. Id be happy to slaughter them. President Obama refused to meet formally with Duterte, but Trump gladly met with him last year. In a phone call, Trump told Duterte that Obama did not understand the importance of Dutertes brutal measures. I just wanted to congratulate you because I am hearing of the unbelievable job on the drug problem, said Trump.

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Trump loves killers. They just have to control more than a neighborhood. They have to control a country.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi seized power in a coup five years ago. Since then, according to Human Rights Watch, Egyptian authorities have disappeared hundreds of people, handed down preliminary death sentences to hundreds more, tried thousands of civilians in military courts, and tortured hundreds of detainees, killing dozens. Last year, Trump invited Sisi to the Oval Office. We are very much behind President el-Sisi, Trump declared. Hes done a fantastic job in a very difficult situation.

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Three years ago, Mohammed Bin Salman, who was then the Saudi defense minister, launched a military campaign in neighboring Yemen. The war has killed more than 5,000 civilians. Last year, the U.S. State Department noted that according to the United Nations and human rights organizations, Saudi-led airstrikes had killed many innocent people, including refugees and children. But this year, Trump welcomed Salman, now the Saudi crown prince, to the White House to discuss arms sales. Saudi Arabia is a very wealthy nation, said Trump. And theyre going to give the United States some of that wealth, hopefully, in the form of jobs, in the form of the purchase of the finest military equipment anywhere in the world.

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Xi Jinping, the president of China, runs a government that ruthlessly suppresses dissent. It executes prisoners without due process, according to a 2017 State Department report, and Chinese activists and nuns have died in state custody, in some cases with signs of torture. The report also notes that China has never accounted for citizens killed, missing, or detained in connection with the violent suppression of the 1989 Tiananmen demonstrations. Last year, after Xi consolidated power, Trump congratulated him on his great political victory, called him a very special man, touted their great chemistry, and thanked Xi for a magnificent military parade. This year, after the Communist Party removed term limits so Xi can rule indefinitely, Trump joked to Republican donors that he wished he too could be president for life.

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Trump also admires genocidal tyrants of the past. Two years ago, at a campaign rally, he belittled Iraqs 1988 chemical massacre of Kurds. Saddam Hussein throws a little gas. Everyone goes crazy. Oh, hes using gas!  Trump jeered. In a debate, Trump lamented the demise of Libyan butcher Muammar Qaddafi: We would be so much better off if Qaddafi were in charge. Benito Mussolini, the infamous Italian fascist, bombed Ethiopian villages with mustard gas, explicitly ordered the extermination of the population, and headed a puppet regime that deported nearly one-quarter of Italys Jews, many to death camps. But in 2016, Trump retweeted a Mussolini quote (It is better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep) and shrugged off criticism. What difference does it make whether its Mussolini or somebody else? Trump asked.

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Trumps latest crush is North Korean despot Kim Jong-un. Last year, a report by the International Bar Association, based on interviews and satellite images, detailed the North Korean regimes record of systematic murder (including infanticide), torture  rape, forced abortions, starvation and overwork leading to countless deaths. The report described, among other things, a baby being fed to dogs. But last month, Trump called Kim very honorable. A commemorative coin, designed by the White House for an upcoming TrumpKim summit, reverently depicts Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un.

By the standards Trump applies to MS-13, these men are animals. Theyve presided over kidnappings, rapes, beatings, stabbings, mutilations, and decapitations. Theyve deployed instruments of state powerbombs, gas, prisons, labor campsto torture and kill people in far greater numbers. And theyve used violence for the same reason MS-13 uses it: to instill fear and gain control, as the White House puts it. But Trump doesnt call these men animals. He calls them strong, honorable, and fantastic. He offers to sell them more weapons.

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Trump doesnt attack MS-13 because its ruthless and violent. He attacks it because its an opportune target. Its too small to help or hurt him, and its Hispanic. By playing it up as a menace, Trump connects his anti-immigration agenda to public fear of crime. If MS-13 controlled the government of El Salvador and served U.S. interestsor if it served Trumps political or financial interests, as his allies in Russia, China, and Saudi Arabia have donehed ignore its atrocities.

Trumps moral sickness isnt that he thinks men who rely on torture, rape, and murder are animals. His sickness is that he admires and assists these killers, as long as theyre useful and ingratiating. The people Trump treats as animals are their victims: the gassed Kurd, the tortured Egyptian, the Korean who dies facedown in the mud. To a president empty of humanity, these people are nothing.While mass shootings often set off a predictable chain of events and talking points, last weeks school massacre in Texas has turned the focus to a buzzword that took a backseat during the last few gun debates, in which the conversations revolved around bump stocks or new minimum ages for gun purchases. This time hardened schools is the theme, but the idea is taking on new contours and finding support from unlikely advocates.

The latest round of rhetoric began after 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, armed with a pistol and a shotgun, killed eight students and two teachers Friday at Santa Fe High School, outside Houston.

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The idea of hardened schools has been discussed as far back as the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. But not everyone is debating the issue under any agreed-upon definition. Installing metal detectors, for instance, is a far less controversial measure than arming teachers, an idea that pro-gun rights advocates embraced enthusiastically in the aftermath of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting in February.

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Gun control advocate Mark Kelly, whose wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, survived a 2011 shooting in Tucson, told Fox News Sunday that schools should absolutely be hardened, referring to metal detectors and restricted access areas. Kelly has in the past opposed the idea of arming teachers. But gun law reform remains his primary goal: [We should] at the same time, make sure that that irresponsible person cant get the gun in the first place, he told Fox News Chris Wallace.

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For Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a hardened school would mean reducing the number of school entrances and exits, arming teachers, and staggering start times, as he stated on CNN. In a press conference on the day of the shooting, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also mentioned hardening schools with safety personnel.

Patrick told ABCs This Week, We have our schools that are not hard targets.

Weve done a good job since 9/11 of protecting government buildings, and airports and private buildings, but we have not done anything to harden the target at our schools.

The NRA has a more drastic concept of hardened schools. Its task force report, published in the wake of the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, lays out recommendations including a single point of entry into a schools grounds; the use of fences, shrubs, and trees planted far from the building; ballistic glass windows and steel plating for entry point desks; as well as allowing teachers to carry guns.

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In response to the Texas school shooting, NRA president Oliver North told Fox News Sunday, If School Shield had been in place, [its] far less likely that would have happened.

Some of those calling for hardened schools included survivors of the shooting. If we had more guns on campus with more teachers armed, wed be a lot safer, said 17-year-old Santa Fe student Layton Kelly in an interview with the New York Times.

Santa Fe High School was already more hardened than many schools. It had two armed police officers and an active shooter plan. The school had won a statewide award for its safety plan. The district had agreed to eventually arm teachers and staff.

Some schools have already hardened since Fridays shooting. Multiple Houston-area districts have ramped up security measures, from metal detectors to increased surveillance to campus officers. If the movement to harden schools continues on its current course, these measures could be signs of whats to come for students throughout America.Harvey Weinstein will turn himself in to authorities on Friday morning, according to multiple reports. The producer, who has been accused of sexual assault and harassment by dozens of women, will face charges stemming from an assault he allegedly perpetrated in 2004.

The charges are the result of an investigation launched by the Manhattan district attorneys office and the NYPD in 2017. The probe has encompassed allegations made by actress Paz de La Huerta, who said Weinstein raped her two times in 2010, and Lucia Evans, who said Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex in the Miramax offices in 2004.

Since the New York Times and the New Yorker published stories about Weinsteins decades of alleged harassment and assault in October, the famed producer has been laying low in Arizona and spending time at a rehabilitation center for sex addicts. In addition to the New York probe, the LAPD has submitted three cases of sexual assault to prosecutors and the Department of Justice has begun to investigate whether Weinstein crossed state lines with an intent to commit sexual assault, which would make it a federal crime.Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative law firm that seeks to legalize anti-LGBTQ discrimination through the courts, suffered a swift and severe defeat on Thursday after the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against its effort to prohibit transgender students from using the proper bathroom at school. Whats more remarkable than the ruling itself, however, is the way it was delivered: In a highly unusual move, the court announced its decision from the bench less than an hour after oral argumentsthe judicial equivalent of saying hard pass.

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Doe v. Boyertown Area School District, the case handed down on Thursday, is essentially the inverse of more familiar trans rights cases, like that of Gavin Grimm. In 2016, Pennsylvanias Boyertown Area School District decided to implement a trans-inclusive policy that allowed students to use the restroom facilities that correspond to their gender identity. It introduced this policy to accommodate trans high school student Aidan DeStefano and to comply with the Obama administrations guidance (which the Trump administration later revoked). Alliance Defending Freedom sued on behalf of several students who said they felt uncomfortable sharing facilities with a transgender classmate. The firm argued that the new policy violated their constitutional right to privacy, as well as Title IX, a federal statute that prohibits sex discrimination in education.

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This claim, which ADF has unsuccessfully raised elsewhere, is bizarre if not downright trollish. Multiple federal courts, including the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, have ruled that transgender students have the right under Title IX and the 14th Amendment to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity. Through lawsuits like Doe v. Boyertown, ADF almost seems to be mocking these decisions, asserting that, to the contrary, non-transgender students have a right not to use facilities alongside their trans peers. Trans-inclusive policies, ADF claims, somehow infringe upon anti-trans students right to bodily privacy and must therefore be blocked by the courts.

No court has yet accepted this argument, yet ADF keeps pushing it. When the federal district court emphatically rejected the groups suit against the Boyertown Area School District, it appealed to the 3rd Circuit. (The American Civil Liberties Union stepped in to defend the policy.) A three-judge panel for the court held oral arguments Thursday, and typically, it would subsequently write an opinion to be issued in the coming weeks or months. But shortly after arguments ended, the court declared that it would, in an extremely rare step, issue a ruling from the bench. It then announced that it had ruled against ADF. The judges will issue a written opinion this summer elaborating upon their reasoning.

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Thursdays unexpectedly rapid decision was partly practical: The judges explained that they wanted to rule before Boyertown students graduate later this month, and they clearly did not want this uncertainty hanging over the heads of trans students who only wished to use school facilities in peace. But the speedy turnaround is also an elegant rebuke to ADFs absurd and offensive arguments. The organization is cluttering up dockets across the country with frivolous lawsuits transparently designed to roll back hard-won rights for transgender students under the guise of protecting individual dignity. Its lawyers, many of whom are quite smart, should know better than to press these flimsy claims in federal court. And the judges of the 3rd Circuit were right not to pretend that the ADFs position had even an ounce of merit.North Korea has thousands of artillery pieces placed within range of Seoul, and if a full-blown war broke out on the peninsula, some estimates suggest the number of casualties could be in the millions. So its safe to say that no country has a greater stake in the outcome of diplomacy with North Korea than South Korea. And yet, as tensions have risen between the United States and North Korea, the White House has consistently treated Americas ally South Korean in a high-handed and disrespectful manner.

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In the wake of Trumps Thursday announcement that he was calling off his planned summit with Kim, it was reported that South Koreas presidential Blue House had been thrown for a loop, with one official saying they are trying to figure out what President Trumps intention is and the exact meaning of it. An apparently shocked President Moon Jae-in called a midnight meeting of his Cabinet to discuss Trumps move. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wouldnt comment on reports that the South Koreans had not been informed, telling reporters, I dont want to get into who all we notified. At this point, the fact that the White House wouldnt even bother to tell the country that had delivered the original invitation for the talks that it was cancelling them shouldnt even come as a surprise.

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Since he was a candidate, Trump has harped on the theme that South Korea freeloads on U.S. security guarantees, accusing the countryinaccuratelyof not contributing financially for the presence of U.S. troops on its soil. After taking office, he threatened to cancel a recently negotiated trade pact and demanded South Korea pay for the deployment of the THAAD missile system, which Seoul had agreed to host at U.S. urging, despite significant domestic opposition. Trump has frequently lapsed into language that sounds like extortion, threatening to withdraw U.S. troops from South Korea unless it agrees to more favorable trade terms.

He repeated a historically dubious claim told to him by Chinese President Xi Jinping that Korea used to be part of China. He also had the gall to accuse Moon Jae-ins government of appeasement in its attempts to restart dialogue with the North, though he was willing to discuss the possibility of far more serious concessions in the lead-up to the summit. While Moon has consistently given Trump credit for the recent breakthroughs with North Korea, Trump has rarely if ever reciprocated, talking instead about how he was the one who deserved a Nobel Peace Prize and had everything to do with a diplomatic opportunity.

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Last spring, Trump put Seoul on high alert by boasting of an armada heading toward the Korean peninsula that it turned out didnt exist.

Most seriously, he has frequently threatened preemptive military action against North Korea with seemingly little regard for the potential lethal consequences of that action for millions of Koreans. (Trumps onetime choice for ambassador to South Korea, Victor Cha, was dropped from consideration for being too critical of the administrations bloody nose proposal to launch a limited strike against North Korea. Cha warned it was likely to spark a wider war.)

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According to Sen. Lindsey Graham, Trump told him, If theres going to be a war to stop [Kim Jong Un], it will be over there. If thousands die, theyre going to die over there. Obviously, any U.S. president would make the choice to protect Americans over citizens of a foreign country, but again, Trump is talking about preemptive action. And the cavalier way he discusses the potential for nuclear warfire and fury and big buttons and all thatdoesnt suggest that hes giving much thought to the people who would be in the blast radius.On Thursday, Department of Justice officials have scheduled a pair of meetings about an FBI informants role in the bureaus investigations of Donald Trump. In brokering the deal, Trump and the Department of Justice have averted one showdown, but they are still heading toward a confrontation over highly sensitive and confidential material. The bad news is that the next confrontation might provide a pretext for Trump to fire DOJ officials, while further endangering our nations intelligence gathering and the rule of law. The good news is that this pretext is so clearly in bad faith that it might allow those DOJ officials to offer an overdue constitutional argument to clarify the limits of executive power: that the presidents constitutional duty to faithfully execute the office means he cannot sabotage criminal investigations or national security for self-protection. The next move might be to prepare for declaratory relief in federal court.

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Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein first acquiesced to presidential demands by expanding an inspector generals investigation to include the role of the informant. Then the Justice Department agreed to two meetings. The first reportedly is set to include Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, Intel Committee ranking member Adam Schiff, Rep. Trey Gowdy, Rosenstein, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, and possibly White House chief of staff John Kelly. In the second meeting the rest of the bipartisan Gang of Eight is due to join this earlier group, sans Ryan. It is remarkable that both meetings will include a central White House official at a meeting about the investigation into the White House. None of this is normal.*

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Many observers have written about the significant dangers and irreparable damage from this episode, particularly if Nunes get access to more confidential material. And some have criticized Rosenstein for capitulating to such a baseless and politicized charge, clearly initiated for the sole purpose of attempting to discredit the FBI and Robert Muellers investigation. Others have credited Rosenstein with maneuvering through this challenge, delegating the investigation within the DOJ and avoiding a showdown.

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I also think he was wise to delay the confrontation, but that raises the question: What happens in the next confrontation?

Nunes ally, Rep. Mark Meadows, has pre-emptively called the meeting pointless, saying intelligence officials wont offer the information being sought. Trump has also signaled his intentions to shift the focus to this story and escalate a fight. So, lets game this out. In the Thursday meeting, Rosenstein, Wray, and Coats bring some information and redacted documents. Nunes demands unredaction and demands more information and more identities. Rosenstein, Wray, and Coats decline. First, Nunes could go back to the House and issue subpoenas for them. This battle would end up in court (very awkwardly), and the FBI is likely to prevail.

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In addition to this protracted congressional path, the executive path is a direct order from Trump to the DOJ and FBI to hand over the information. The question for legal experts circulating over the last few days is whether Rosenstein, Wray, and others could refuse. The consensus was that no, they would have to either cooperate or resign, and that they had no legal grounds to refuse.

This consensus may be wrong. It overlooks a key part of the Constitution: Article II, Section 3, which directs that the president shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed (emphasis added).

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As Ethan Leib and I have explained before in Slate, in the Washington Post, and now in a forthcoming academic paper, the phrase faithfully execute comes directly from fiduciary instruments like trusts and corporate charters. This fiduciary language imposes duties of loyalty, care, and good faith against self-dealing and abuse of power. This language migrated from trusts and corporate charters to English statutes mandating duties on public officials, to colonial American charters, to early state constitutions, to the U.S. Constitution and American statutescreating legally enforceable duties at each stage.

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If the Constitutions fiduciary duties are not invoked now, then when?

We have argued that this fiduciary duty means that the president cannot pardon himself or his co-conspirators, because presidential action motivated by purely selfish, self-protective reasons would not constitute faithful execution of the laws. According to this reasoning, if the president pardons a co-conspirator, a prosecutor could continue the prosecution and if the defendant asserts his pardon in court, the prosecutor can challenge it. Similarly, if the president tries to remove an official like Mueller for solely bad faith reasons, that removal order would violate Article IIs faithful execution duty and therefore should be refused by Mueller. Mueller could seek a declaratory judgment from a court that any removal order is invalid. These moves would be unprecedented and would be an uphill battle but only because courts have overlooked the historical significance of the faithful execution language.

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For pardons and removal, judicial review might be available to resolve these intrabranch conflicts. The same frameworkthe duty to faithfully execute the office and the lawsapplies to potential disputes involving executive orders and sensitive material. Whenever there is a subpoena for confidential material, there is always a question about balancing interests in transparency against secrecy. When the president requests such information, it should ordinarily be an easy question: The president gets what the president asks for. But what if there is a serious question about whether the president wants the highly sensitive information in order to sabotage the investigation into his own alleged criminal conduct? To intimidate other potential sources and deter them from coming forward? To discredit the FBI with leaks and cherry-picking evidence? This abuse of power would be quintessential self-dealing and bad faith.

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So if the leadership of the DOJ and the FBI are asked to hand over such sensitive information for what appears to be a corrupt purpose, what should they do? Dont cooperate. Dont resign either, because that runs the risk of someone else cooperating with a permanently damaging order.

The first step is for Rosenstein and others to be ready to file for a declaratory relief in case Trump uses their refusal as a pretext to fire them. The more that they can show that Trumps demand was in bad faith and serving to undermine the execution of the laws, their claim for declaratory relief against their removal is strengthened. Even though declaratory relief is not as powerful as an injunction, it would still offer legal and political protection.

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The second step is to seek that any declaratory judgment explicitly recognize that these DOJ and FBI officials have their own duty to faithfully execute the law. Like the president, federal officers are bound by their own fiduciary oath of faith, which is dictated by statute.

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Courts should recognize that executive officials have their own fiduciary duties to be faithful to the Constitution, and a duty to refuse faithless orders meant to undermine the law. They should not be allowed to be removed for refusing such corrupt orders. The threshold for these claims must be high, but I believe that this confrontation meets that threshold. The clarity of the self-dealing and the danger to the intelligence community overcomes a presumption of executive authority.

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What about a third step? Could the DOJ and FBI leadership proactively seek an injunctiona restraining orderagainst any DOJ or FBI official releasing certain classified material that would risk the safety of sources or the integrity of the investigation, just in case they are fired? There are too many legal problems with an executive officer seeking an injunction against the president or other officials. Who has standing? Can a court enjoin a president for official or discretionary conduct? Can a court allow one executive officer to enjoin other executive officers? United States v. Nixon doesnt answer this challenging question. If Steps 1 and 3 succeed, Step 3 is unnecessary. If Steps 1 and 2 fail, Step 3 would certainly fail. And Step 3 has a risk of triggering a more significant political and legal backlash that some might use to support firing those officials for arguably trying to stretch their authority.

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An increasing number of legal scholars, both liberal and conservative, have been arguing that the Constitution is a fiduciary document. Leib and I are demonstrating the fiduciary roots of faithful execution. The Constitution and the oaths of office are not just reminders about public service. They create legal duties that are enforceable by courts. Courts throughout American history have enforced the language of faithful execution or fiduciary duties on other public officials. This argument may seem like a longshot based on a novel constitutional theory, but it has deep foundations in English and American legal history, and the framers anticipated the risks of chief executives abusing their power. The present crisis over the rule of law should motivate judges to re-examine the original understanding of our fiduciary Constitution.

If the Constitutions fiduciary duties are not invoked now, then when? Faith and trust in the intelligence community, in law enforcement, and in our republic is at stake.Remember when Amazon mostly just sold books? Since its founding in 1994, the sprawling online marketplace has ballooned into one of the most powerful companies in the world. Now Amazon offers batteries, clothes, milk and eggs, hosting for your website, streaming moviesand now real-time facial recognition powers for police surveillance.

In November 2016, Amazon released a new service called Rekognition, which can process millions of photos a day to identify people and objects in the images. That data can then be used, as Amazon put it in a blog post at the time, to perform visual surveillance, inspecting photos for objects or people of interest or concern or for smart billboards that collect demographic data on passersby to create personalized ads. The company boasted it could identify up to 100 people in a single image, a valuable tool for surveillance of large crowds, like at protests, crowded department stores, or subway stations.

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It didnt take long for the police to get their hands on Amazons new surveillance tool. By December 2016, the sheriffs department in Washington County, Oregon, became an early customer, according to a report in GovTech in 2017. The department wanted to match booking photos with surveillance footage, like of a crime captured on camera. Chris Adzima, a senior IT analyst with the county, told GovTech that the departments mugshot database contained about 300,000 images of roughly 200,000 individuals. That database, Adzima said, is then run through Amazons Rekognition system to match with camera footage. According to public records obtained by American Civil Liberties Union, Amazon and Washington County built a mobile app for law enforcement to scan images against the countys mugshot database on the go, too.

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All of this happened without much debatebut that might change. On Tuesday, the ACLU, Human Rights Watch, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and a host of other civil liberties and social justice organizations signed a letter demanding Amazon stop allowing law enforcement and government agencies use Rekognition. As advertised, Rekognition is a powerful surveillance system readily available to violate rights and target communities of color, the coalition letter reads. The coalition says that Amazons marketing materials raise serious concerns that the technology can be used to target communities of color, undocumented immigrants, and protesters engaged in First Amendment-protected activities.

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Alongside the coalition letter, the ACLU shared internal documents from police departments and public information from Amazon that shed light on the ways the Rekognition system is being used. Take the city of Orlando, Florida. On Amazons Rekognition customer page, Orlandos police chief calls their relationship a unique, first-of-its-kind public-private partnership, in which Amazons technology provide[s] real-time detection and notification of persons-of-interests. According to the public records obtained by the ACLU, Orlandos police department has been a customer since 2017, when the company offered to build a proof-of-concept system that integrated the citys camera system. Meanwhile, in Oregon, the ACLUs documents show, Amazon offered to work directly with Washington County law enforcement to ensure that the facial recognition software met its needs. In previous promotional materials for Rekognition unearthed by the ACLU, Amazon recommends a use case in which the software is integrated with police body cameras: An image captured at the scene of a traffic stop or police questioning could be immediately scanned against a law enforcement databasesay, of gang membersto find potential matches.

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Police have been using facial recognition services for years, but mostly in partnership with smaller technology companies with a narrower focus than Amazon. The FBI even has its own face recognition database that is said to have access to more than 400 million images. In fact, about half of all American adults are in at least one law enforcement facial recognition data base, according to research from Georgetown Law. The Department of Homeland Security has even been using facial recognition software at some airports to catch people who have overstayed their visas.

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But Amazons foray into partnering with law enforcement could open doors for other large, data-hungry tech companies. Facebook now counts over 2 billion monthly users, and more than 350 million photos are uploaded to the site every day. The companys research suggests that Facebook holds the largest facial dataset to datepowered by DeepFace, Facebooks deep-learning facial recognition system. Facebook has an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission that bars Facebook from using its facial recognition software beyond a users specified privacy settings without first getting affirmative express consent, but that requirement expires in 2021. In the meantime, Facebook has been working on new face detecting technology, like a feature that can identity a user even if her face is hidden or looking away, drawing from other unique identifiers, like hair, body shape, clothing, and posture. In 2017, Facebook was granted a patent for technology that can delivery ads based on a persons perceived emotions based on camera footage.

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In a statement, Amazon says that it requires customers to comply with the law and use the technology responsibly. But complying with the law isnt the same as using the technology in a way that keeps users safe. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who use surveillance technology to find potentially undocumented people and separate families could be complying with the law. Police officers who decide to deploy facial recognition during a protest to single out and surveil activists could argue that their complying with the law, too.

Amazon makes a lot of money without these law enforcement surveillance contracts. Its CEO is the richest man on Earth. The company could opt to not contract with law enforcement to use its facial recognition software and still be doing just fine. Instead, Amazon seems eager to do even more in this space.On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald ruled that President Donald Trump violated the First Amendment by blocking Twitter users who criticized him and his policies. Her ruling is an extraordinary victory for free speech on the internet and a harsh rebuke to Trumps effort to prevent his critics from engaging with him online. It also further confirms that @realDonaldTrump speaks not as a private citizen, but in his official capacity as the president of the United States.

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Buchwalds decision in Knight Institute v. Trump is quite literally unprecedented; only one other court has found that government officials may not block social media users because of their criticism, and that case involved Facebook, not Twitter. But despite the novel nature of the claim here, Buchwalds ruling hews closely to established First Amendment principles. The facts of the case are straightforward. In July, the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University sued Trump on behalf of multiple Twitter users whom the president blocked. It argued that Trump and Dan Scavino, his social media director, had infringed upon their free speech rights by denying them the ability to engage with Trumps tweets.

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To evaluate this claim, Buchwald first asked whether the plaintiffs speech is protected by the Constitution. Because the individual plaintiffs seek to engage in political speech, which lies at the heart of the First Amendment, she readily conclude[d] that their speech is, indeed, protected. Buchwald then asked a more difficult question: whether the interactive space where Twitter users may directly engage with the content of the Presidents tweets qualifies as a designated public forum.

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This inquiry is vitally important because if that space is a public forum, then the First Amendment limits Trumps ability to censor or exclude would-be participants. A designated public forum is a space that the government has opened to the public as a place for expressive activity. The space can be a physical location, but the Supreme Court has explained that it can also be a metaphysical space with no physical situs.

The First Amendment flatly forbids the government from restricting the right of an individual to speak freely [and] to advocate ideas on the basis of their viewpoint in a designated public forum.

Buchwald found that the interactive space for replies and retweets created by each tweet sent by the @realDonaldTrump account qualifies as such a space. It is, after all, generally accessible to the public at large, and any Twitter user can follow, like, retweet, or reply to the accountunless that person has been blocked. Moreover, according to Scavino himself, Trump uses Twitter to communicat[e] directly with you, the American people about a wide variety of topics. He also uses it to conduct the business of the government. As Buchwald noted, the president has used his account to fire cabinet officials and attempt to ban transgender military service. Yet the blocked users were barred from interacting directly with these tweets from their personal accounts. Clearly, the space from which theyve been shut out is a designated public forum frequently used for expressive activity.

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That left one final question for Buchwald: By blocking certain users, did Trump engage in impermissible viewpoint discrimination within this public forum? Indisputably, Buchwald wrote; in fact, Trumps lawyers stipulated precisely that. Each plaintiff was obviously blocked as a result of viewpoint discrimination after posting tweets critical of the president. And while Trump may have a right to mute users who irritate him, he may not lawfully block them. The elimination of the blocked users ability to reply directly to the president, Buchwald explained, limits that users right to speak in a discrete, measurable way. And the First Amendment flatly forbids the government from restricting the right of an individual to speak freely [and] to advocate ideas on the basis of their viewpoint in a designated public forum.

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At this point, Buchwald could have issued an injunction ordering the president to unblock his blocked followers. Instead, the judge opted for declaratory relief, telling Trump and Scavino how to comply with the First Amendment rather than commanding them to do so. Because no government official is above the law and because all government officials are presumed to follow the law once the judiciary has said what the law is, she explained, we must assume that the President and Scavino will remedy the blocking we have held to be unconstitutional. (Its an open question whether Trump will actually comply with this optimistic order; his lawyers will probably ask the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to stay the ruling while they ready an appeal.)

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Buchwalds First Amendment analysis seems quite right. Just last year, the Supreme Court extolled the expressive virtues of social media in Packingham v. North Carolina, a decision striking down, on free speech grounds, a North Carolina law that stringently curbed sex offenders access to the internet. On Twitter, the court noted, users can petition their elected representatives and otherwise engage with them in a direct manner and engage in a wide array of protected First Amendment activity on topics as diverse as human thought. The court described the Cyber Age as a revolution of historic proportions that may alter how we think, express ourselves, and define who we want to be.

The expression at issue in Knight Institute v. Trump may not alter how anybody thinks. But it involves vital political speech, nonetheless, in a forum that Trump routinely uses to conduct the business of government. He may mute pesky users, but he cannot, consistent with the Constitution, block users from engaging with his tweets on the basis of their political views. Theres no reason this well-established principle should not apply robustly to a president who has decided to make and enforce federal law through Twitter.When Lily Bailey was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, she had already been silently grappling with it for about 16 years. As a child, she performed painstaking, sleep-depriving rituals to ensure her familys safetythe mental illness often forces the people who have it to battle intrusive thoughts or urges and to feel they must perform certain actions to alleviate their anxiety. Bailey believed, for instance, that checking on her younger sister Ella in just the right way would keep her healthy and safe: She would count Ellas breaths and heartbeats and repeat the words best sister ever, performing each task in multiples of three until the entire ritual felt right. And as an adolescent, Baileys illness compelled her to try to become the perfect girl through an unending chain of mental routines.

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In her new memoir, Because We Are Bad: OCD and a Girl Lost in Thought, Bailey chronicles her struggle with OCD. From her dorm beds to her hospital beds, 24-year-old Bailey tells her story with impressive frankness and eloquence. She recalls how severe her symptoms were, even in toddlerhood. The voice in her head demanding she perform compulsions was so strong she thought that that was what other kids meant by imaginary friends. She was despondent to see other children grow out of their invisible companions, while hers took up enough space in her head to turn her I into we.

As a child, Bailey believed bad things were happening to the people she loved because she was bad. Her solution, then, was to be perfect. As an adolescent, her compulsions turned inwardshe focused her rituals on herself instead of on her familyand her friend spurred her to mentally compile lists of all her potentially bad behaviors and to dissect each instance. Early on in Because We Are Bad, Bailey shares a breakdown of one of her lists, formed on her first day of boarding school at age 13:

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Our list from today is EHHCSBR: ENTER: When we came through Wimbornes main doors, Mum and we were holding our trunk, and we brushed past another girl. Will that girl think we were being a pervert, trying to touch her? HANDS: Was my hand sweaty when we shook my new housemistresss hand in the entrance hall? If so, will she think Im disgusting? HELLO: When we met Alice, we said hello, and she replied with hey. Is hello the wrong way to introduce yourself? Will she think we are weird?

Bailey bares her soul, bouncing between distant dryness and overwhelming sincerity, and all you can do is keep listening while your coffee goes cold.

She goes on to detail CSBR, but you get the idea. This kind of specificity is what makes Because We Are Bad such an expressive, droll, and evocative tale of mental illness. Bailey illustrates her adolescence, coloring it in with dreamy details and wry observations. Though the book is rife with her harrowing experiences, from obsessive fears that she might be a pedophile to psychiatric hospital stays, its overall effect is that of a late-night diner catch-up with a lovable friend. Bailey bares her soul, bouncing between distant dryness and overwhelming sincerity, and all you can do is keep listening while your coffee goes cold. Imagine Girl, Interrupted, as narrated by a very British version of Kristen Bell.

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I absorbed Because We Are Bad with little concern for my coffee and increasing fascination with my dinner companion. I was not only struck by Baileys unconventional, lyrical style, but also by the gendered nature of her obsessions. Like Bailey, I have dealt with OCD since early childhood, and I wasnt diagnosed until my late teens. I cannot draw as neat a line between my experiences growing up female and my experiences with the disorder. But reading Because We Are Bad opened my eyes to an entirely new perspective on OCD. It made me wonder how gendered socialization can affect womens experiences with the illness in a way that I had never previously considered.

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For example, Baileys concerns as an adolescent correspond strongly with female beauty standards, behavioral expectations, and sexuality. When she was in high school, she developed categories in order to make her lists of letters more manageable: bodily functions, liar, boring/loser, pervert, idiot, bitch/unkind, rude, posh twat/spoiled, and selfish. The bodily functions of an adolescent girl, her need to not seem perverted, and her obsession with kindness all seemed to me to be concerns that could easily be exacerbated by the expectations of the society surrounding her.

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Though the memoir never directly states that Baileys obsessions are rooted in her gender, I was interested in teasing out this possible connection. I spoke with Bailey over the phone to get her take on some of the books more woman-specific moments. Some of the categories I used were quite gendered, Bailey mused, game for a contemplative phone interview even at 10 p.m., London time. She hadnt set out to write a story about how OCD and girlhood shape each other, but she was fascinated by the idea. With OCD, obsessions often form based on your social and cultural surroundings, so being a girl, I dont think its surprising that, you know, I had things on my list like bitch and vain. 

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One particular passage in Baileys book stood out to me in this regard. A scene that takes place when she is just beginning high school reads:

Some men in a van pull up. They are ogling us like there is no one inside our head to notice. We worry that we might get pregnant with their child as a punishment for letting them look when we should be charging out of the car and screaming in defense of feminism.

Bailey wanted to put this memory in her book to demonstrate her irrational adolescent fear of pregnancy. The passage highlights another facet of Baileys obsessions, though. As she put it to me, she would agonize over what it means to be a good girl  to behave and to toe the line.

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If I was walking along the street, if someone wolf whistled at me or catcalled at me, sometimes I would have this obsessive intrusive thought that I had provoked that by making some kind of lurid gesture that I just didnt remember doing, she recalled. It was a similar thing with the pregnancy  Because I guess, on the face of it, it seems so weird that guys would be doing that to me if I hadnt instigated it in some way. I used to feel guilty about that, and then Id have this obsession that Id asked for it without even remembering doing it.

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What happens when that woman has an anxiety disorder that causes her to believe she is responsible for things that are out of her control?

Womens bodies, particularly their sexualities, are generally more subject to unwanted attention than mens. In their paper published by the American Psychological Association, Sexual Objectification of Women: Advances to Theory and Research, Dawn M. Szymanski, Lauren B. Moffitt, and Erika R. Carr untangle the ways in which sexual policing adversely affects women on a psychological level. They write, sexual objectification, or SO, occurs when a womans body or body parts are singled out and separated from her as a person and she is viewed primarily as a physical object of male sexual desire. According to them, many women internalize sexual objectification and then develop body shame and anxiety about their appearances as a result. These issues, they argue, can lead to disordered eating, depression, and sexual dysfunction.

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I wondered how, or if, a womans experience of OCD could potentially be exacerbated by her experience as a woman sexualized by the worldan experience that, though forced on her by our culture, she would nonetheless have to sort out alone. What happens when that woman has an anxiety disorder that causes her to believe she is responsible for things that are out of her control? Could it make her experience of OCD worse? I spoke to Sarah Parker, a director and co-founder of the Reeds Center for outpatient OCD treatment, about what role gendered socialization might play in a patients experience with OCD.

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A lot more research, I think, has to be done before we can say theres a strong cultural influence [on OCD], Dr. Parker said. I think what I can say is that  obsessions that people develop tend to be about matters that are really important to them, otherwise they wouldnt come with that intense feeling of distress  We just cant say for sure whether those things are more biologically driven or culturally driven, or some combination of the two.

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Depending on the data, women can be as much as three times more likely to develop OCD compared to men. According to a 2007 study by Harvard Medical School, 2.3 percent of the population reported a lifetime prevalence of OCD. But split that data between genders, and the divide is clear3.1 percent of women have the illness, while just 1.6 percent of men do. Another curious, gendered difference: Though women are more likely to develop OCD than men, men reportedly experience an earlier onset of symptoms.

Its currently unclear why women have higher incidences of the diseasemore research, or rather, any research, is needed. But it certainly seems possible that sexism at least informs some womens experience of the illness. Thats not to say that men cant have anxiety over how they look, or how others perceive themits just to point out that women and girls are generally subject to an extremely high level of social scrutiny as a result of their gender. Sexual Objectification of Women states:

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Research indicates that being sexually objectified is a regular occurrence for many women in the United States. For example, in a series of daily diary studies, Swim and her colleagues found that 94% of undergraduate women reported experiencing unwanted objectifying sexual comments and behaviors at least once over a semester, women reported more SO experiences than men, and SO emerged as a unique factor of daily experiences of sexism.

Lily Bailey came of age in an all-girls boarding school, and she still felt her appearance was heavily policed. You know, were often our own worst enemy, us girls when were teenagers, because it is just such a time of insecurity  Its a hotbed of bitchiness, basically, in an all-girls boarding school, Bailey told me. She said other girls criticized her androgynous body. I started to obsess that I was a boy  And so I think there were quite a lot of obsessions that were around the nature of being female, and whether I was female enough. Her comments made me realize how inextricable the connection between obsessive behavior and culturally encouraged female insecurity can be. Through this lens, the lines between, for example, complex beauty rituals and hygiene-related compulsions become blurrier than one might expect.

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For women like Lily Bailey, whose obsessions focus on their bodies and sexualities, it must be quite challenging to grow up in a society that, on the whole, tells girls they should constantly self-police their own behavior.

In Because We Are Bad, Bailey also writes about her obsessions with feminine beauty standards, particularly in her teenage years. Before attempting suicide at university, Bailey writes, I shower and shave my legs, because I dont want the coroner to think I am disgusting.

She recalls scrutinizing every sound, movement, and smell her body made, and even those it hadnt (but might). She would track the things she said to other people and the way she looked at others, especially fellow girls, for fear that they might mistake her glances as sexual. Bailey did these things because she wanted others to like her and think she was good.

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Wanting to be liked is a simple enough task on its face, but its an altogether more arduous one for girls and women who are often damned if they do or dont. Nice girls are fake, mean girls are bitches; sexual women are sluts, chaste women are frigid. Its no wonder that, as Baileys memoir progresses, her lists only become more expansive and unmanageable. Not only do compulsions beget obsessions at a psychological level, meeting the standard for good female behavior requires a balancing act of circuslike proportions.

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My reading of Because We Are Bad doesnt mean all girls and women with OCD are so neatly impacted by socialization, or that men cannot likewise have grueling experiences with the illness. (After all, my own experiences of gender and OCD dont intersect in such perpendicular lines.) Instead, Because We Are Bad raises interesting questions about the relationship between femaleness and obsessive-compulsive disorderquestions that I hope medical studies will begin to answer in the near future. Until more research is done, its impossible to say that girlhood exacerbates OCD. Still, its easy to see how the two might connect. For women like Lily Bailey, whose obsessions focus on their bodies and sexualities, it must be quite challenging to grow up in a society that, on the whole, tells girls they should constantly self-police their own behavior.

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After a lot of therapy and medication management, Bailey manages to conclude Because We Are Bad on a hopeful note. The book itself is likewise an optimistic symbol: In fact, it is the greatest accomplishment of Baileys recovery to date. In publishing it, she proves that her story and the people her story might help are ultimately more important than what others may think of her. This lesson will likely resonate with many women who struggle with self-criticism, whether the critical voices in their heads come from mental illness or just from the faultfinding world in which we all live.Ubers self-driving vehicles operating in Arizona were unprepared to safely encounter pedestrians and were fatally over-reliant on the mindfulness of human operators, a federal accident report released Thursday shows.

On March 18, Ubers Volvo XC90 was being driven by software but supervised by a human attendant in the drivers seat when it hit and killed Elaine Herzberg, who was crossing the darkened road with her bicycle. It was the first fatal crash involving a vehicle driven by a computer, a technology that promises long-term safety improvements but has been rushed into road testing by a handful of companies despite questions about transparency and reliability.

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According to the preliminary report of the National Transportation Safety Board, Ubers sensors first perceived Herzberg about six seconds before impactmore than twice the commonly accepted reaction-time of 2.5 seconds. But the sensors struggled to classify Herzberg (first as an unknown object, then as a car, then as a bicycle) and determine her expected path across the road. At 1.3 seconds before impact, the system determined emergency braking was required, a function that was disabled under computer control to reduce the potential for erratic vehicle behavior.

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Emergency braking was instead entrusted to the vehicle operator, though no system was in place to alert the operator of the computers conclusion. Previously released footage showed that the operator had been looking down for an extended period before the crash occurred, and the NTSB report will draw more attention to the flaws in models that require humans to monitor computer behavior for hours on end.

Uber, for its part, told some 300 Arizona workers on Wednesday that the program in the state, which had been on hold since the accident, would be shut down. Were committed to self-driving technology, and we look forward to returning to public roads in the near future, the company said in a statement. It hopes to restart AV testing in Pittsburgh and California once the NTSB inquiry is complete.

Googles Waymo, meanwhile, continues to operate AVs in the Phoenix area with and without supervising drivers, and plans to introduce an AV taxi fleet to commercial service by the end of the year.Thanks to the European Unions new General Data Protection Regulation, youve probably received emails from every service youve ever signed up for alerting you to their privacy policies. Konstantin Kakaes decided it was time for him to update his contacts too.

Dear everybody who has sent me an email since April 22, 2004, the day I got a Gmail account

I am informing you that I hold your data on my laptop, on roughly eight external hard drives varying in size from a pack of cards to a good-size high school textbook, and about five old laptops that probably dont work anymore but might. I also keep copies on some unknown number of servers that Google maintains on my behalf in Finland, Taiwan, Chile, and Mayes County, Oklahoma, as well as 11 other data centers around the world. I printed a few of your messages out. They are mixed in with other papers in boxes in my parents basement. In a few cases, I have stored a copy in my brain, using neurons, though Im really not sure how.

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I want to give you the best possible experience to ensure that you enjoy my service today, tomorrow, and in the future. It is also my goal to be as open and transparent as possible with my users about the personal data I collect to provide that service, how it is used, and with whom it is shared.1

I am contacting you today to let you know that I will be making some changes to my Privacy Policy, which will be effective from May 25. These changes will reflect the increased transparency requirements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (known as the GDPR).

If you are a member of my immediate family, I am using your data in order to agree with you in all respects.

As I continue to expand my offerings and grow my global footprint, I am updating my privacy policy to make it unified across my domains and even more transparent and easy to understand.2 I believe you should always know what data I collect from you and how I use it, and that you should have meaningful control over both.3

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You can choose to no longer send me any emails. You can ask me to delete old emails, but I may or may not do so. I have the final say about whether and how I process your personal data.

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Thank you for being part of the community of people who have sent me an email.

If you are a friend with whom Im in regular touch, who forwarded me a link to something you believed to be amusing or insightful, I am using your data to be amused or gain insight, precisely as you intended.

If you are a friend whom I really like but we have fallen out of touch and you sent me an email to update me about your life and ask about mine, I am using your data to be glad that you are doing well and to feel guilty about not replying sooner, because you really wrote a lovely note and I was in a hurry when I got it and didnt want my reply to be cursory, so I waited until I had some time, and then I mostly forgot about it but remember from time to time, with greater frequency than you suspect, but now more stuff has happened to me, so it would take longer to write back properly, but maybe Ill see you next time Im in the city I think you live in, though maybe youre not there any more. Ive been trying to avoid Facebook so Im not sure.

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If you are a public relations professional who has sent me a message trying to get me to write about a client of yours even though its a subject I never write about and youve also sent the email to several thousand other journalists and youve sent me five reminders over the course of a week and you affect a tone as though you were one of those friends who were real friends but to whom I havent spoken in a while, I am using your data to get very annoyed with you, but not replying because that would probably only exacerbate the problem.

If you are a merchant of some sort who has emailed me about a discount you are providing for a limited time, or some items that you believe I might want to purchase, based on data of mine that you have, I am using your data to be annoyed, mostly, but sometimes to do as you wanted and to take you up on that limited-time offer, against my better judgment, and so Im using it to buy something that I at least sort of wanted and to make you a bit richer.

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If you are a newsgathering organization who sends me frequent updates about the state of the world, I sometimes use your data to get depressed, and sometimes to better inform myself about things that are happening or have happened out there in the world, but often I dont use it at all because I get so many such messages that they just accumulate, bold-faced, on my hard drive, unread. (This applies to the merchants above, as well.)

If you are a member of my immediate family, I am using your data in order to agree with you in all respects, as I love you and think you make very good points.

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If you are a former girlfriend, I am no longer using your data in any way, as that would be weird, but since I save all of my old emails as a matter of course, it would also be weird to selectively delete yours, so the exchange of 47 emails between me, you, and four of your friends about where to get brunch remains, along with your other data, stored on a variety of digital media around the globe, indefinitely. I am mostly forgetting about it except when the brunch emails come up in the course of trying to find an email address of someone who has a similar name to one of your friends, in which case I am using your data to feel some combination of nostalgia and regret, combined with the conviction that comes with time that we are indeed not at all right for each other and I hope youre doing great!

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If you are a website of some sort that emailed me with a link to reset my password because I forgot the old one again, because you had forced me to come up with some odd combination of typographic characters, I am using your data to reset my password so that I can log onto your website, which I dont visit all that often, though I might visit it more often if you didnt have such convoluted password requirements.

If you are a past, present, or future colleague, source, or other person who has contacted me in a professional capacity, I am using your data to become a better associate employee contemporary.

If you are a friend who is or was about to have a book come out, and have sent me an email telling me to buy your book, I am using, or did use, your data to buy your book, because Im honestly excited to read it.

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If you are a friend who invited me to a party, I am using your data to go to that party, if I possibly can, and if I didnt come to the party because I said I was out of town, then I really was out of town.

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If you are an airline, music venue, bus or train company, or theater, and have emailed me an electronic ticket, I am using your data as a token.

If you are a friend who wrote to wish me a happy birthday, I am using your data to increase my birthday happiness by a small, but discernible, amount. Thank you.

If you are a large technology company that sent me a boilerplate email about the GDPR, I am using your message to partially plagiarize some of the above passages.

I hope that the above options will help you understand how I use your data; if you believe your correspondence does not fit into any of the categories, or have any questions about this update, please dont hesitate to reach out.

P.S.: I have all my old text messages too.There is a saying that Everything is bigger in Texas, and the Dallas police department fits the bill. The Dallas Police Department is the ninth largest municipal police force in the United States with 3,099 sworn officers and 598 non-sworn staff. It is led by Chief of Police Edgardo (Eddie) Garcia.

During the last several years, the departments Jack Evans Police Headquarters building has been upgrading its physical security using a layered approach to always ensure the safety of officers and visitors. The most recent addition is a new fence line fortified with vehicle gates and Boon Edam Turnlock full height turnstiles to control pedestrian access into secured parking areas.Slovakia to mark the centenary of its independence with one-off state holiday

The business sector opposes another state holiday; it would rather see a reduction of state and public holidays in Slovakia

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Slovakia will celebrate the centenary of its independence with a one-off state holiday on October 30. It was Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini (Smer) who arrived with this proposal and the government has approved it. It still needs to be passed by parliament to be effective.

Representatives of the business sector are against having another state holiday, even a one-off, and calls this a non-systemic measure.

The tripartite, i.e. representative of employers, trade unions and the government failed to agree on the state holiday for October 30 at their session on Monday, May 21. The employers fear that there would be more one-off state holidays in the future and warned that Slovakia already has too many state and public holidays - as much as 15 days a year.

Nevertheless, Pellegrini stated on May 23 two days later that with all due respect for businesses, for him the centenary of the declaration comes before the economic interests of Slovak business.

On October 30, 1918, in Martin, more than 200 Slovak national and political decision-makers from around Slovakia adopted the Declaration of the Slovak Nation. The document effectively declared Slovakias independence from the Kingdom of Hungary and paved the way for Slovakia to unite with the Czech lands to create Czechoslovakia.

24. May 2018 at 12:33 | Compiled by Spectator staffLawyers propose their own changes for Constitutional Court elections

Finding replacements for nine of the 13 Constitutional Court judges will be one of the top events of 2018 in Slovakia, constitutional law experts say.

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Time is running for the ruling coalition to set up a better system to elect Constitutional Court judges before the big exchange of personnel at the court at the turn of the year.

The parliament will have to propose 18 candidates for the president to choose from to fill the nine seats that will become vacant at the Constitutional Court in February 2019. The term of the new judges will last for 12 years. There are altogether 13 judges in the Constitutional Court, which is established in Kosice.

This means that the majority of the Constitutional Court will change, which will decide until 2031 about the most important issues and conflicts regarding the constitution, fundamental rights, and rule of law principles, stated the informal group of law experts, comprising some of the countrys most prominent lawyers and judges, which put together their own proposal on May 22.

Reluctance in the coalition

New rules for the election of Constitutional Court judges were the priority of former justice minister Lucia Zitnanska, who labeled the Constitutional Court the biggest issue of this election term in an interview with the Dennik N daily on May 11.

It is probably the biggest decision that this parliament will make, to elect the majority of the Constitutional Court judges for 12 years, Zitnanska said, noting that she feels like Most-Hid is the only one among the coalition partners really putting it on the table. Zitnanska said she has sent the proposal to the SNS and Smer coalition partners repeatedly since the start of this year but have only shown "lukewarm interest" in it.

In fact, PM Peter Pellegrini visited the Court in Kosice earlier this month and said that it is a point of discussion whether the election process needs any changes at all.

It seems like the current legal definition seems to be quite sufficient, he said.

Zitnanskas successor in the post, Gabor Gal of Most-Hid, says that the talks with coalition partners have progressed and the parliament should adopt the change before the start of this summer.

Lawyers speak their minds

While the ruling coalition first was not clear whether the rules for the selection of Constitutional Court judges would really change, now the justice minister says talks are underway and the new law should be passed before the parliaments summer break, to become effective before the nine new judges are to be selected.

In the meantime, lawyers from the third sector, academia, and law firms, came forward with their own idea of how the Constitutional Court judges should be chosen, stressing that the election of the new judges will be one of the most important events of 2018.

24. May 2018 at 7:39 | Michaela TerenzaniNew integrated online service makes planning for electrical outages easier

The Slovak-English service is available for all electricity consumers in western Slovakia.

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The power distribution company Zapadoslovenska Distribucna operating in western Slovakia has launched an integrated search engine enabling electricity consumers to check whether there is an electricity outage planned for their supply point or whether a failure lasting longer than 15 minutes has been reported.

This is an online service provided by the power distributor for all electricity consumers in western Slovakia regardless who their electricity supplier is, Zapadoslovenska Distribucna informed.

The new service is available in English as well as Slovak.

Up until now, the company had two independent search engines on its website. One for planned outages and the second one for current failures. Their integration is not the only improvement, however, as it is now adapted to more devices including notebooks, tablets and smartphones.

While electricity distribution companies are obliged by law to publish the dates of planned outages, Zapadoslovenska Distribucna is the only distributor enabling a search for current failures.

We introduced the possibility of searching for failures lasting more than 15 minutes as a supplementary service in order to get closer to clients needs, the company writes on its website.

24. May 2018 at 16:22 | Compiled by Spectator staffChassidic Songs still connect Jews and gentiles 10 years later

The Chassidic Songs project of 10 years ago gets a new upgrade and new album, combining the talents of a Bratislava rabbi and Slovak musicians.

The 2017 album More Chassidic Songs by Bratislava rabbi Baruch Myers and famous Slovak musicians  namely violinist Milos Valent, accordionist Boris Lenko and cellist Jozef Luptak  will be introduced live to audiences around the country.

Starting on May 28 in the Nova Cvernovka venue in Bratislava (at 19:00), they will embark on a tour that goes on to Zilina (New Synagogue, May 29), Lucenec (June 24), and Banska Bystrica (Robotnicky Dom, June 26).

Chassidic Songs is a project that started 10 years ago, when this ensemble of musicians made an album. Now, they have reunited to continue the project and issue a new album, organisers wrote.

Chassidic or Hasidic music is the expression of Jewish religious groups who lived in parts of central and eastern Euope, from Poland and the Ukraine through Slovakia all the way to Hungary, cultivating their own culture, especially music. The recent album give it a new, more modern and artistic form.

After almost 10 years of the Chassidic Songs project, the strongest moment for me is still meeting with my friends - Boris, Milos and Baruch  when rehearsing and playing, cellist and organiser Jozef Luptak of the Konvergencie group says. My personal liking towards this music is as strong as it was in the beginning when I first learned about it  if not stronger.

The combination of music and communication we experience together is exceptional, Luptak also noted, adding that the Chassidic songs capture a big part of historical connections within the central-European region which we are part of. This concerns not just the Jewish community but the culture at large.

24. May 2018 at 18:15 | Compiled by Zuzana VilikovskaState will invest in new howitzers

The planned purchase worth 175 million is the first replacement of non-Soviet technology.

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The Slovak army will purchase 25 new self-propelled howitzers, called Zuzana 2, after the government approved the purchase at its May 23 session. It expects to spend some 175 million, including spare parts and training.

The improved Zuzana howitzers will replace the older Zuzana 2000 howitzers purchased in late 1990s, the TASR newswire reported.

The trade will not be carried out through open tender, the Dennik N daily reported.

Supplied by a Slovak company

With its technical parameters, the Zuzana 2 howitzer is comparable to artillery weapon systems used by the top-level armies of NATO-member states, said Defence Minister Peter Gajdos (the Slovak National Party, SNS).

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Read also: General Macko: the Defence Minister has been tamed by the SNS Read more

The modernisation of heavy artillery was recommended to Slovakia by NATO with respect to its commitment to building a heavy mechanised brigade. As Gajdos stressed, the Zuzana 2 artillery system is the best choice for the Slovak Armed Forces.

I can proudly say that the government has approved this project, Gajdos said, as quoted by Dennik N.

The howitzers will be supplied to the military by the state-run company Konstrukta Defence, with the government opting for a direct commission without a tender or the potential procurement of foreign military equipment. Gajdos pointed to the need to supporting the domestic arms industry, also a priority for his party.

The company is known from the plans to purchase 8x8 transporters. The SNS nominees ordered a prototype of the vehicle from the company to prevent an open tender, Dennik N wrote.

First case of post-revolution replacements

It is possible that the Defence Ministry will sign an order in the following weeks. The state plans to invest the first 26 million into the howitzers this year, with most of the money being spent by the end of 2021, Dennik N wrote.

Gajdos meanwhile rejected the idea that the procurement is overpriced. As for the fact that the bid for the French Caesar howitzers stood at 5.5 million per piece, whereas the Zuzana 2 ones will be purchased by the state for 6.064 million each, the minister claimed that some parameters of the Slovak product are better.

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Read also: SNS and Most-Hid clash over transporters Read more

Of the total 175 million, 152 million will be spent on the howitzers and the rest on training personnel, a firing simulator, the necessary spare parts and artillery munitions. The Zuzana 2 howitzers are slated to be delivered by 2022.

The planned purchase will be the first case of replacing the weaponry purchased after the 1989 revolution.

The Armed Forces currently have 16 Zuzana 2000 howitzers that were delivered in the years 1998-2000, reads the governments material, as quoted by Dennik N. Their technical and technological state recommends the era when they were put into operation.

Analyst Vladimir Bednar thinks it would be enough if the Defence Ministry bought only eight new howitzers, to expand the existing ones. He considers 25 to be too much, as reported by Dennik N.

24. May 2018 at 12:37 | Compiled by Spectator staffHungarian dailys editor-in-chief is leaving

He disagreed with hiring the former spokesperson of the Most-Hid party to lead an online department.

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Zoltan Szalay is leaving the post of the editor-in-chief of the Hungarian daily Uj Szo. The reason is his dispute with the dailys director Edita Slezakova.

She told me she wants to end our cooperation because we could not agree on several things related to leading the editorial, Szalay told the Sme daily.

Problem with former spokesperson

He particularly disagreed with the recruitment of former spokesperson for the Most-Hid party, Andras Nagy, who will lead the online department. Nagy used to work for the daily in the past, first as an internal employee and later as external collaborator and commentator.

We had disputes with Zoltan Szalay particularly about the development of Uj Szo as a multimedia product, Slezakova told Sme. Moreover, he failed to meet my expectations as editor-in-chief, and I clearly communicated my reservations with him.

Szalay will now be replaced by Janos P. Lajos, who has been working for Uj Szo since 2001. At the same time, he served as head of the national minorities section at the Governments Office in the years 2011-2012. It is responsible for distributing subsidies to support the culture of national minorities, Sme wrote.

The Hungarian Press

Uj Szo and the Hungarian weekly Vasarnap is published by Duel-Press, which became part of the News and Media Holding last year, owned by the Penta financial group.

Szalay told Sme that Penta did not try to intervene in the dailys content.

At the same time, the new Hungarian weekly is expected to be introduced to the Slovak media market, which will be financed by Hungarian PM Viktor Orbans government. It will be published by the Slovak foundation Pro Media, to which Orban gave 1.5 million.

One of the foundations founders is editor-in-chief of the Hirek.sk news website and former head of the now defunct weekly Szabad Ujsag, Judit Molnar, Sme wrote.

Disclaimer: Penta is a minority shareholder of Petit Press, the co-owner of The Slovak Spectator.

24. May 2018 at 12:45 | Compiled by Spectator staffUPDATED: Protest planned for Friday was cancelled

The organisers are disappointed by the current situation in politics and are calling for early elections.

UPDATE: The protest has been cancelled due to unfavourable weather conditions in Bratislava on Friday.

People are invited to return to the streets of Bratislava on May 25, responding to the current political situation.

The silent protest will start at 17:00 on SNP Square, organised by the initiatives Hnevam Sa (I Am Angry), V Teniskach (In Trainers), Za Slovensko (For Slovakia), Teraz (Now), and Nedoverujem (I Do Not Trust).

Commenting on the current political situation, the organisers pointed to the decision of President Andrej Kiska not to run in next years presidential elections, but to stay in politics, or the refusal to hold early elections. At the same time, the For a Decent Slovakia initiative is not planning new protests for now, while Slovaks are already thinking about their summer holidays instead of the murder of investigative reporter Jan Kuciak.

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Weve been trying to get the topic of a referendum to the media and among the most people possible  and succeeded, the organisers wrote on the website.

Even though many people are supporting the organisers, they failed to sign the petition for early elections.

Were disappointed from the whole situation, the organisers continued, pointing to the fact that some opposition MPs failed to participate in the voting on early elections in the parliament, while others are considering voting with the fascists.

This is also the reason why the protest will be silent.

The one and last chance for early elections are not protests, but having enough signatures in the petition, they stressed.

24. May 2018 at 12:48 (modified at 25. May 2018 at 15:09) | Compiled by Spectator staffRevolution in personal data is coming

Are the companies ready for GDPR?

As the deadline for compliance with new EU privacy rules quickly approaches, companies and organisations in Slovakia are rushing to get their systems and employees prepared for new duties. Although companies had plenty of time to prepare for the new regulation and risk hefty fines for breaching the new rules, surveys indicate that several companies will fail to fully comply with the new EU privacy rules in time.

What is the GDPR? The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is described as the biggest overhaul of online privacy since the birth of the internet. The EU directive, accompanied by new national data protection legislation in Slovakia, introduces unified rules across the board on how organisations create, capture, store and share personal information. This gives ordinary citizens easier access to the data companies hold about them and obliges organisations to obtain the consent of people they collect information about. The regulation was adopted on April 27, 2016. It becomes enforceable on May 25, 2018 after a two-year transition period, along with the Slovak national legislation that covers fields not covered by the GDPR. When the GDPR and the new data protection law take effect, they will replace the previous directive and legislation. As of May 25, each company or organisation handling the data of EU citizens, including those beyond the European Union (EU), must follow the rules and requirements of the GDPR. Those who mishandle the personal data of customers, users, employees and associates will face huge fines.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), described as the biggest overhaul of online privacy since the birth of the internet, comes into force on Friday, May 25. The directive, accompanied by new national data protection legislation in Slovakia, introduces unified rules across the board for how organisations can create, capture, store and share personal information.

The readiness of companies for GDPR seems to be rather low, whether there is also a discussion on what it means to be ready, Radoslav Sedlak, senior manager at the Softec software company, told The Slovak Spectator. Companies are diverting from their original ambitions to achieve full compliance with this legislation and are searching for controlled risk and ways to spread investments and preparation works in time.

Surveys indicate a rather postponed implementation of the GDPR in Slovakia.

TUV SUD Slovakia, a certification authority that provides inspection and certification services to confirm the compliance of companies with the GDPR, conducted a survey at the end of 2017. They found as much as 36 percent of companies at the time had not started preparing for the GDPR and more than 28 percent were not even acquainted with the new legislation.

These are alarming numbers, but we assume that the situation has improved since that time, Martin Tichy, chief operating officer at TUV SUD Slovakia, told The Slovak Spectator.

In general, experts estimate that bigger companies and branches of international companies are better prepared for the GDPR because they either have enough internal experts, IT or legal, or because the proper compliance with the GDPR is a priority of their parent companies.

Read also:

Read also: GDPR: Lack of clarity bothers companies the most Read more

Experts also expect a more-or-less smooth implementation in sectors that are already quite significantly regulated and must meet high standards of information security. These include the financial, telecommunication and IT sectors.

24. May 2018 at 12:39 | Jana LiptakovaSulik: Kiska's party would only further break the centre right

Fico's star is falling and he could still save himself now for another election term, says opposition SaS leader Richard Sulik about who would benefit from early elections.

Sme: President Andrej Kiska said he was not quitting politics and that only stupid people maintain the same opinions when circumstances change. How do you interpret his words?

Richard Sulik: They are confusing and irritate voters. First they have been listening for a long time about how he prefers to be with his family and so he will not be president anymore. For him that takes up, by my estimates, perhaps 150 hours a month. But then he says he is going into party politics. My experience is that it does not matter in what way he will enter party politics, it will always be a nonstop job. Not 150, but 300 hours.

Do you expect him to found a party?

RS: Everything is in movement now, big things keep changing from one week to another. It's better to be moderate now, let's wait until we are all wiser.

If Kiska had run for president again, SaS would have been ready to support him. So you did see him as beneficial for Slovak politics. Would it be good for Slovakia if Kiska joined party politics?

RS: In the first place, it is his decision. It depends on the form he will choose if it turns out to be a good thing. If he will lead the united Progressive Slovakia and Spolu as their clear leader , then it makes sense. Everyone who thinks it is a good idea to invite migrants here will have someone to vote for. It would be good, because this part of the political spectrum is not covered by anyone.

And if he founded his own party?

RS: He would just further break the centre right.

24. May 2018 at 21:14 | Lucia KrbatovaSlovaks not interested in EP elections

But support for the EU is on the rise.

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Slovaks are showing only a little interest in the upcoming elections to the European Parliament, scheduled to take place in May 2019. Only 30 percent of respondents to the latest Eurobarometer survey said the elections are interesting for them, while 68 percent said they do not care about them.

The survey was carried out between April 11 and 22 on 1,043 respondents in 28 member states. In Slovakia, 1,043 people participated.

There are several reasons why people will not be attending the EP election. As many as 54 percent are convinced that their vote will change nothing, while 48 percent do not care about politics and elections in general and 47 percent say they do not trust the political system.

Europeans would welcome it if the topics discussed before the EP elections concerned the fight against terrorism (49 percent of respondents) youth unemployment (48 percent) migration (45 percent) and economy and growth (42 percent). Slovaks are most interested in the fight against youth unemployment (40 percent) migration (39 percent) and the social protection of citizens (37 percent).

EU support on the rise

The survey also suggests that the trust of citizens in the EU is growing.

Slovakias membership in the EU is considered a good thing by 60 percent of surveyed Europeans, while 12 percent perceive it negatively, said Robert Hajsel, head of the Information Office of the EP in Slovakia, as quoted by the TASR newswire.

As for Slovaks, 50 percent of them view the EU as a good thing, while 7 percent perceive it negatively.

Slovakia benefits from the EU, according to 77 percent of Slovaks, Hajsel said, as quoted by TASR, adding that the EU average is 67 percent.

The survey also shows that 31 percent of Slovak respondents think that EU development is going in the right direction, while 48 percent think the opposite. Only 22 percent of Slovaks have a positive approach to the development of their own country. The only ones with lower scores are Spaniards, Greeks and Croatians.

About 45 percent of Slovaks are satisfied with democracy in the EU, while 43 percent are dissatisfied. When it comes to democracy in Slovakia, 63 percent of respondents are dissatisfied, while only 35 percent are satisfied.

Some Slovaks attend no elections

One-quarter of Slovaks said they have been regularly attending elections at any level, with the average in the EU being 50 percent. When asked why Slovaks have not attended any elections in the past five years, 23 percent said it was for ideological or political reasons, while 43 percent claimed technical or personal reasons.

I consider it good that the results give hope for an increased participation in the EP elections, said MEP Pal Csaky, as quoted by TASR.

MEP Jozsef Nagy says there is a difference between the EU and Slovak systems.

However, it is not the question of the recent years, Nagy said, as quoted by TASR. We have a long-term problem in Slovakia which also impacts the view on the EU.

MEP Monika Benova does not think that online voting would increase the turnout.

24. May 2018 at 23:32 | Compiled by Spectator staffCanadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, a diversified financial institution, provides various financial products and services to personal, business, public sector, and institutional clients in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through four strategic business units: Canadian Personal and Business Banking; Canadian Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; U.S. Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; and Capital Markets. The company offers chequing, savings, and business accounts; mortgages; loans, lines of credit, student lines of credit, and business and agriculture loans; investment and insurance services; and credit cards, as well as overdraft protection services. It also provides day-to-day banking, borrowing and credit, investing and wealth, specialty, and international services; correspondent banking and online foreign exchange services; and cash management services. The company serves its customers through its banking centers, as well as direct, mobile, and remote channels. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce was founded in 1867 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Read Moreby Hafsa Kanjwal & Mohamad Junaid 23| May| 2018

On May 18, the New York Times published an editorial entitled A long shot in Kashmir. The editorial completely misrepresents the nature of the Kashmir issue and reinforces the false notion of it being a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan.

In addition, it raises the bogey of Islamism to further undermine genuine mass aspirations for self-determination and freedom from India among Kashmiris. As scholars of Kashmir, we believe it is important to provide correctives to these misconceptions.

One of the primary misfortunes of the Kashmiri people has been that their struggle for self-determination continues to be framed simply as an interstate conflict, with much more importance given to Indian and Pakistani nationalist narratives on Kashmir than Kashmiri viewpoints.

For the issue to be resolved, the international community, and the media, need to move beyond these statist perspectives and foreground Kashmiri perspectives and agency. Kashmiris are not only the main victims of the conflict in the region but remain the key drivers of the long-standing self-determination movement.

As recent scholarship on Kashmir has showcased, we need to move beyond the framing of the conflict as only beginning in 1947. Despite popular perceptions in the West and elsewhere, the region was far from internally politically passive while India and Pakistan fought three wars to control it.

Instead, we need to look into Kashmiri political aspirations in the late colonial period. In 1931, Kashmiris launched their first mass agitation against the Dogras, a Hindu monarchy that ruled over the Muslim-majority region. While this historic movement became embroiled in the politics of British Indias partition in 1947, as the region was split between India and Pakistan, the Kashmiri aspiration to determine their own future not only continued but intensified.

Indeed, focusing primarily on India and Pakistan, the New York Times editorial makes no reference to why Kashmiris are protesting and why they have continued to demand their political rights.

Simplistic references to Islamist insurgency, and its sponsorship by Pakistan, play easily into Indian conspiracy theories that dehumanise Kashmiris and deny them any political agency and ability to rule themselves. These theories do not explain the existence of a decades-old Kashmiri self-determination movement before the 1990s, nor do they cover the entire gamut of Kashmiri opinions on the matter.

Furthermore, while Pakistan remains a party to the dispute, its role since 9/11, and especially since 2008, has been minimal. The large crowds demanding freedom in Kashmir are not instigated by Pakistan; this is an indigenous resurgence.

The editorial does not highlight the intense repression and political surveillance that Kashmiris are subject to on a daily basis. The Islamist insurgency is only one facet of the Kashmiri response to the occupation and is itself a result of Indian repression and curbing of dissent.

Indeed, presenting Kashmirs historical struggle for self-determination as an Islamist insurgency helps India present itself as a victim of terrorism rather than as a perpetrator of state violence.

As new scholarship, as well as Kashmiri intellectuals on the ground, has made clear, Kashmiris are demanding an end to the Indian military occupation of their land and the right to determine their own future. Self-determination was promised to them by the government of India itself at the time of Partition and recognised by the international community in several UN Security Council resolutions, including UNSC Resolution 47 (1948).

Shockingly, there is no mention of the fact that Kashmir remains the largest militarily occupied territory in the world. Over 700,000 Indian soldiers forcefully control and surveil a population of eight million.

There is also no mention in the editorial of the emergency laws, like Armed Forces Special Powers Act, that give overarching powers to the Indian military to kill and arrest individuals and destroy personal property. Tens of thousands of Kashmiris have been killed, thousands remain in jails, and thousands more have been forcibly disappeared. As the New York Times itself reported two years ago, Indian soldiers had fully or partially blinded hundreds of Kashmiri youth, who had demonstrated the Indian states highly disproportionate response to protests.

It should be known by now that the intractability of the conflict is not a result of Kashmiri resistance to the occupation; rather, it is the result of the occupation itself.

It is in this larger context that the editorial extolling Indias ostensible ceasefire comes as a shock. The ceasefire simply is supposed to put a temporary halt to military operations against armed rebels, but it does nothing to ease the extraordinary burden of the occupation on the daily lives of Kashmiris.

The repression against political dissent, and everyday threats to the safety and security of Kashmiri lives, continues. The Indian government has refused to acknowledge the basic demands of Kashmiris, including demilitarisation of public spaces, the release of political prisoners, or bringing violators of human rights to justice.

Most fundamentally, Indian leaders refuse to recognise the right to self-determination of Kashmiris. Instead, Indian nationalist parties use the Kashmiri issue to rouse nationalist sentiment in India and to gain electoral advantage.

Most fundamentally, Indian leaders refuse to recognise the right to self-determination of Kashmiris. Instead, Indian nationalist parties use the Kashmiri issue to rouse nationalist sentiment in India and to gain electoral advantage.

The overwhelming sentiment in Kashmir has been that there should be peace between India and Pakistan. Any effort on the two sides towards dialogue is welcomed.

But despite the long history of interstate and Track II dialogues, Kashmiris are painfully aware that often such efforts yield little relief from the military occupation in Kashmir. It is time to move beyond seeing the solution to the Kashmiri question as a factor of India-Pakistan dialogue and instead recognise the primacy of Kashmiris in solving it.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.





Hafsa Kanjwal is an Assistant Professor of South Asian History at Lafayette College.

Mohamad Junaid is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

Courtesy: Al JazeerraThe voice is sweet, youthful but not childish, just vibrant enough to hit all the marks of a call from a good friend who can listen and react. It is not the voice of a human. It is a chatbot to be exact. And oh, it can chat. Microsoft even has allowed it to call people on their phones.

Microsoft has been testing its XiaoIce (SHAO-ICE) artificial intelligence bot in China for some time and, at an AI event in London, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella drew worldwide attention over the Xiaolce social chatbot. It has "friends," along with over 16 channels for Chinese users to interact with it through WeChat and other messaging services, said The Verge.

While most of XiaoIce's interactions have been in text conversations, said Tom Warren, Senior Editor, The Verge, Microsoft has started allowing the chat bot to call people on their phones. Allison Linn, a writer at Microsoft, quoted Microsoft's general manager for XiaoIce, who said the improvements "are part of Microsoft's effort to build AI-powered social chatbots that understand people's emotional as well as intellectual needs."

That's where XiaoIce leaves Cortana at the technology crossroads. It's a social chatbot and Cortana wants to help you on a different level. "Unlike productivity-focused assistants such as Cortana, Microsoft's social chatbots are designed to have longer, more conversational sessions with users." Consider a verbal interaction with a botful of a humor, capacity for chitchat, playing games, and recall of details.

What is special about this chatbot is that it can have a full duplex conversation where it can stop a chat on WeChat and call the user to use its own voice so the two can converse at the same time.

(The term "full duplex" here refers to a conversation where both participants can speak at the same time; "full duplex" is quite something if you witness it for the first time. Even those who cannot understand the language in the video, it is nonetheless apparent, and intriguing, to hear a non-human voice intervene at times and keep up the flow.

(The Verge reported that a demo showed how the bot can even predict what the person will say next, and respond quickly.) "In the video demo, XiaoIce interrupts the user mid-sentence to alert them that there are strong winds and they should close the window before bed."

In the bigger picture, a social chatbot with the capabilities shown in the demo prove that Microsoft has been turning the tide on chatbot advancements. Angela Chen, who is a reporter for The Verge and fluent in Mandarin, commented that the voice "sounds really good."

Is it yet clear if and when Microsoft will carry this in the West? While XiaoIce is a China story, The Verge mused that "it's arguably only a matter of time before this arrives for users in the US and other English-speaking countries." Warren said, "maybe we'll all soon be speaking to bots that are reminding us to close our windows and clean our teeth before bed."

 2018 Tech XploreOur Girl Season 3 is back tonight - from the cast to first spoilers, here's all you need to know.

The second part of Series 3 of Our Girls will continue tonight on Wednesday 17 July at 9pm on BBC One with the latest new episodes part of a 12 episode commission.

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Our Girl series three is comprise of three separate tours. This first tour of four episodes aired last year and saw Georgie on a relief mission in Nepal following a devastating series of earthquakes.

Our Girl Series 3 cast

Corporal Georgie Lane (Michelle Keegan) - Gutsy, passionate and unstoppable, Georgie is an army medic from Stockport who relishes the adrenaline that comes with the adventures of her work.

Captain James (Ben Aldridge) - A charismatic leader and brilliant officer, Captain James is an army man to the core and well respected by the men who fight alongside him.

Private Maisie Richards (Shalom Brune-Franklin) - Brash and fearless, Maisie has always been front and centre of any group within which she finds herself. A free spirit, she often pokes fun at Georgies traditional ideas of love and romance.

Private Rab Kalil (Harki Bhambra)

Elvis Harte (Luke Pasqualino) - (Part 1) Elvis is a cheeky Londoner who has grown into a remarkable leader, joining the SAS selection after a number of tours with the army.

Our Girl spoilers

In tonight's episode, as the camp is hit by a dangerous cholera epidemic, 2 Section are tasked with protecting Inspector Chowdhrey (Navin Chowdhry) who is now a key witness in bringing down the leaders of the drug gang. Horrified when a particularly gruesome message is sent demanding his silence, the Inspector fears for his familys safety and refuses to cooperate.

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When Georgie (Michelle Keegan) suspects that Barsha knows more than she has previously let on, she hatches a plan to persuade Inspector Chowdhrey to make a full statement. However disaster strikes when the couples young son, Sumon, (Imran Khan) is kidnapped by the gang and it falls to Georgie to get the child back.

Meanwhile, fellow medic Ruby (Patrick McNamee) catches cholera whilst treating patients in the camp.Srinagar May 24: Indian Armys Major Leetul Gogoi, who tied a civilian to the front of an army jeep and then drove it around Budgam villages all day on April 9 last year, was on Wednesday denied accommodation in a Srinagar hotel after he arrived there with a Kashmiri girl. Major Gogoi arrived at Hotel Grand Mamta at about noon and straightway went to the check-in counter to get the room that he had already booked online for two guests for one night.The manager of the hotel told Kashmir Reader that the front-office executive asked Gogoi to fill in the check-in form.The manager said that when Gogoi was asked to hand over the identity proof of the persons who were supposed to stay in the room, it came to fore that the girl who was with him was a local.When he submitted the ID proof of the girl, the front-office executive came to know that the girl was a Kashmiri. He denied them entry into the hotel, the manager said.When asked why they were denied entry, the front-office executive at the hotel said, A local girl barely 16 or 17 years of age was with a non-local man in his mid-40s. I could sense that something was wrong, therefore I denied them entry.The hotel staff said that the denial of the room enraged Gogoi. He started leaving the hotel along with the girl, but while doing so he started abusing the manager of the hotel, who reciprocated and it led to a heated exchange of words and later turned into a scuffle. Shopkeepers nearby the hotel told Kashmir Reader that the hotel staff beat up Gogoi before the hotel management decided to hand him over to police.In the meanwhile, Gogoi rang up somebody who immediately appeared in the parking lot of the hotel in an Alto car, the manager said. This man was identified as Sameer Ahmad Mala, an army soldier in the same unit as Gogois.A resident of the area who witnessed the entire scene said that Sameer, after knowing that his friend Gogoi was denied entry and beaten, came out of his vehicle and started abusing the hotel staff. This further enraged the people present there and they served him a few punches, too.

Gogoi, by now, sensed that he was in trouble. He pleaded to the hotel manager to let them go. We will not let you go till the police arrive here, the manager replied.

The manager rang the police, who reached the spot and briefly took Gogoi and Sameer under custody at Khanyar police station. Both of them were handed over to their unit after recording their statements. The statement of the girl was also recorded, police said in a statement.

Local sources in Budgam said that Sameer Mala joined Indian Army in 2016 and is known to be very close to Major Gogoi. Both serve in the 53 Rashtriya Rifles of the Indian Army.

Sameer regularly drives Gogoi in his vehicle to different parts of Budgam, a local resident told Kashmir Reader.

Although some local police sources in Budgam, where the girl belongs to, said that she is a minor, the Superintendent of Police North city Srinagar Sajad Shah told Kashmir Reader that they had verified the age of the girl and she was not a minor. She is not a minor, absolutely not, Shah said. The identity of the girl has not been revealed.

Shah said that the IGP (Inspector-General of Police) has started a probe into the incident and after investigating the details if something unlawful crops up, a case will be registered against the people involved.

Major Leetul Gogoi tied a civilian, Farooq Ahmad Dar, to the front of an army jeep and paraded him for several kilometers on the day of parliamentary by-elections for Srinagar constituency in April last year.

Major Gogoi was recently honoured with the Indian Army chiefs Commendation Card for his sustained efforts in counterinsurgency operations. Sources said that Major Gogoi was given the award during Army chief General Bipin Rawats visit to Jammu and Kashmir last week.

The Army chiefs Commendation Card is considered a prestigious award and is given for distinguished services and devotion to duty.

Srinagar-based army spokesperson Col Rajesh Kalia did not respond to repeated calls from this newspaper.

Pictures, heading change other text KR courtesy: Kashmir ReaderAfter Modi visit, Janaki Temple charms Indian tourists

After Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis recent visit to Janakpur, the famous Hindu pilgrimage site has seen droves of Indian visitors. But the area is sorely lacking proper accommodation facilities to house the increased number of tourists. Many visitors are forced to sleep under the open sky at the temple premises.All that glitters isnt gold

Gold smuggling saga should provide the opportunity to scrutinise the political classHere's How to Download Your Data:

Log in to privacy.apple.com on your Mac, PC, or iPad.

Select the Get started link under the "Obtain a copy of your data" heading in Manage your data.

You can press 'Select All' to download everything or tick the boxes of the data categories you want to download. iCloud data are provided into a separate list as this data may be large and can take a long time to download.

Apple splits up the data into chunks, which ranges from 1 GB up to a maximum of 25 GB, letting you select your preferred maximum file size. Select a size and hit 'Continue.'

Here's the List of Data that You can Download:

App Store, iTunes Store, iBooks Store and Apple Music activity

Apple ID account and device information

Apple Online Store and Retail Store activity

AppleCare support history, repair requests and more

Game Center activity

iCloud Bookmarks and Reading List

iCloud Calendars and Reminders

iCloud Contacts

iCloud Notes

Maps Report an Issue

Marketing subscriptions, downloads, and other activity

Other data

iCloud Drive files and documents

iCloud Mail

iCloud Photos

Apple is making it easier for its users to download their data the company has collected about them so far.On Wednesday, Apple just launched a new Data and Privacy website that allows you to download everything that the company knows about you, from Apple ID info, device info, App Store activity, AppleCare history, your online shopping habits to all of your data stored in its iCloud.A similar feature was recently offered by Facebook, enabling its users to download all of their data , not only what they have posted, but also information like facial recognition and location data, following the Cambridge Analytica scandal Apple has currently made this feature only available for people having accounts in European Union (along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) act, which goes into effect on May 25.However, Apple is planning to roll out this feature worldwide in the coming months. "We intend to provide these capabilities to customers around the world in the coming months," the company wrote The new GDPR act was passed with an aim to completely transform the way companies handle its users' personal data, giving users more control over their data. The act applies to all companies that collect the data of EU people, regardless of where they are based.The GDPR will replace the British Data Protection Act 1998 from 25 May 2018.The government has also warned businesses that if they fail to make changes in their policies before Friday, they could face fines of up to 17 Million (more than $22 Million), or 4% of their global turnoverwhichever amount is higher.That's why big companies like Apple have decided to inform their European customers about the new privacy policies.You can download all your data with a few simple clicks on the privacy portal.Your download is now in progress, and Apple will send you an email when the files are available to download, which can take up to a week. Your downloaded data is then automatically deleted after 2 weeks.Besides data download feature, Apple is also providing an option of permanently deleting all of your data, which has been made available globally starting today. Once you initiate the data delete option, the company can take up to 7 days to approve the request.But keep in mind: Once deleted, there is no way you can retrieve your data.Pramod Mishra is a biweekly columnist for The Kathmandu Post. He is the department chair of English Studies at Lewis University in the United States.After three successful years of growth in Luxembourg, Art2Cure has expanded stateside.

Art2Cure is a non-for-profit organisation, founded in 2014, which marries art and science: artists get a platform for their work and half of the proceeds raised goes to biomedical research.

The sun was shining in Soho as Luxembourg's great and the good gathered in the Ronald Feldman Gallery to celebrate the launch of Art2Cure in New York.

Luxembourg royal family members Prince Guillaume and Princess Stephanie were joined by Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, along with Jeanne Crauser, Luxembourg's consul general in New York, and Christian Braun, Luxembourg's ambassador and permanent representative to the UN and the other 250-300 people present. All were there to celebrate the work of thirteen artists, from Luxembourg and New York, but to also celebrate the union of two universities, Luxembourg and Columbia, in research.

Indeed even the wonderful sponsor of the arts, actress Kathleen Turner, came along to talk to the artists and highlight her love of art, plus her own personal experience that biomedical research is always needed, whoever we may be.

Lots of halves

With Art2Cure launching in New York, half of the artists come from New York, half from Luxembourg. Of the money raised, half will go to the artists and half will go to Parkinsons disease research. Half of this research money will be used by Colombia University in New York, half by the University of Luxembourg.

Prof. Serge Przedboski from Columbia and Prof. Rejko Kruger from Luxembourg's university will collaborate and lead the research projects.

Philippe Lamesch, vice-president of Art2Cure, looked delighted at the turn-out and is thrilled by the prospect of accelerating research results, with the partnerships of Columbia and Luxembourg universities.

A union of culture and science above politics

The prime minister gave an elegant toast to the artists and all who had worked so hard to develop this partnership:

Its a great way to foster relations between our countries. Culture can help us to understand each other and should never be used for political reasons.

Mr Bettel went on to describe the strong connection between a scientist and artists minds:

Both need to be artists. You have to think about what you did and what you will do.

Tom Finkelpearl, the commissioner for cultural affairs at the Mayor's Office in New York, made a poignant reference to his familys experience of Parkinsons disease:

My Dad had Parkinsons. The medication he had changed my familys life.

Artists expanding their reach to other communities

The artists present were extremely approachable and eager to share their passion for the project.

Amanda Dow Thompson, a British woman who's lived in New York for over a decade, had carved three fascinating sculptures within three long pieces of wood.

You can see inside and outside at the same time," she said. "The outside is more than armour. It represents the different stages of a womans life; being pulled apart in all directions yet having this inner rod.

Whilst Thompson is happy to explain her thinking in depth, its the opposite for fine artist Scott Hunt:

I never tell the story of a picture," he said. "Its private. I let the onlooker work out the story and it can be a different one every day.

Roland Quetsch and Sergio Sardelli, both from Luxembourg, had striking sculptures on show.

Darryl Westly, born in Chicago but living in New York, produces powerful pop paintings. His current work, he explained, is about visual layering:

The layers are like thoughts in our heads; different thoughts come to the fore at different times.

The artists showing work are:

Jhemp Bastin, Amanda Dow Thompson, Joe Fyfe, Scott Hunt, Lauren Luloff, Martine Pinnel, Roland Quetsch, Sergio Sardelli, Stick, Joachim Van der Vlugt, Darryl Westly, Rachel Eulena Williams and Sydney Goldstein.

All can be found on social media or via their websites.Everton to face SportPesa Super Cup winners

Thursday, 24 May, 2018



Eight clubs from Kenya and Tanzania will contest the cup between 3 and 10 June with the final to be played at the Kasarani Stadium in Kasarani, Kenya.

The holders, Gor Mahia, whom Everton played in their first ever friendly on African soil last summer, will be joined by AFC Leopards, Kakamega Homeboyz and Kariobangi Sharks from Kenya.

Tanzania, meanwhile, will be represented by Simba, Yanga, Singida and JKU.

The winners of the tournament will face Everton at Goodison Park at a date to be determined later this year.

About these adsThe rationale behind the first-ever plan to charge a waterway toll for boats passing under a new railway bridge in Ho Chi Minh City is raising eyebrows from locals who depend on the river for daily life.

Local residents are wondering why boats traveling underneath the Binh Loi Railway Bridge will be expected to pay a toll, even though they will not be directly using the currently under construction infrastructure.

Crossing over the Saigon River, the new railway bridge, developed by a joint venture between GUD and STD, links Binh Thanh and Thu Duc districts.

The structure is part of Pham Van Dong Boulevard, a primary transportation route connecting industrial zones in the neighboring province of Binh Duong with the inland container depot in Ho Chi Minh City.

A representative of the developer announced that the river toll will be applied to boats passing under the facility once it is put into operation during the first quarter of 2019.

The bridge, which is being financed under a BOT (build-operate-transfer) scheme , broke ground in late April 2015 as a part of an initiative to replace the deteriorating 112-year-old currently used by trains on the railway.

In the BOT framework, the developer receives a concession from the private or public sector to finance, design, construct and operate a facility for a certain period, during which it has to raise the finances for, and is entitled to retain all revenues generated by, the project. The facility will be then transferred to the public administration at the end of the concession agreement.

The project also includes upgrades to a 71-kilometer section of the Sai Gon River between Binh Loi Bridge and the Ben Suc Wharf in Binh Duong.

Though many agree the construction is much needed, the rationale behind the imposition of a river toll is raising serious concerns.

An architectures impression of the new Binh Loi railway bridge is seen is this photo provided by the developers.

Asked to comment on the controversy, Vu Duc Cuc, a representative of the GUD-STD joint venture, confirmed that the waterway toll will only target boats with loads weighing more than 300 metric tons.

The new Binh Loi railway bridge will prevent boats from being stuck during high tide as the vertical clearance will be increased from 1.8 meters to 7 meters, Duc said.

Benefiting transportation

Asked whether trains using the bridge will be forced to pay a toll, Duc clarified that only boats passing under the structure would be subject to the charge, and no trains will be subject to the fee.

Duc underlined that GUD-STD will not be collecting the toll directly, but will instead contract the state agency charged with overseeing ports along the Saigon River, from the Binh Loi railway bridge to the Ben Suc Wharf, in order to ensure transparency.

Addressing concerns that the toll will increase transportation costs and put further pressure on local merchants, Duc replied that the waterway toll is still less than the road toll trucks would pass to reach the same destination.

Thus, the price of goods will not be affected, he said.

I believe putting the new Binh Loi railway bridge into operation will bring many benefits to transportation and trading as the existing bridge obstructs shipping between Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong, the representative concluded.

According to plan, the new Binh Loi railway bridge will be opened during the first quarter of 2019 while the upgraded section of the Sai Gon River between Binh Loi Bridge and the Ben Suc Wharf will be completed sometime between April and June.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Vietnamese authorities have decided not to prohibit the use of sedatives on pigs, despite there being no effective measures currently in place to prevent livestock farmers from engaging in a widespread practice of injecting pigs with tranquilliser before slaughter.

Vietnams Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has officially turned down a proposal from the Ho Chi Minh City administration to add acepromazine  a sedative designed to restrain hyperactive or fractious animals to the list of veterinary drugs banned for use on animals raised for human consumption.

In Vietnam, it is permitted to use sedatives to calm aggressive animals during transportation, but the drugs must by cleared from the animals bodies before slaughter.

Despite health risks to consumers, many local slaughterhouses inject their livestock with drugs like acepromazine shortly before slaughter under the belief that calm pigs produce fresher meat with a more appealing color.

Many other provincial authorities, in addition to the Ho Chi Minh City administration, have submitted proposals to prosecute famers who engage in such practices.

However, until the agriculture ministry includes acepromazine on their blacklist, only administrative punishments can be applied for violating regulations on the utilization of sedatives on animals.

Industry insiders have voiced mixed opinions regarding the ministrys decision to exclude acepromazine from the blacklist.

According to Nguyen Dang Vang, chairman of the Animal Livestock Association of Vietnam, acepromazine is typically expelled from an animals body during excretion.

It would be more appropriate to determine the maximum allowable residue for acepromazine in meat products, Vang suggested.

Tran Van Quang, head of the Veterinary Department of Dong Nai Province, asserted that it is impossible to ban the use of sedatives as they are vital for animal treatment and surgery.

Currently, acepromazine is approved for animal use in several developed countries such as the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. Vietnam-made sedatives are also exported to Singapore, Malaysia, and Myanmar.

N.T.An, an expert in animal breeding, said that those countries only allow the use of sedatives to treat animal diseases.

That is why they do not ban or limit the use of such drugs, An explained.

In order to prevent sedative from being abused in pig slaughtering, An recommended requiring a doctor's prescription stating the purpose, the animal being treated, and the dosage before farmers can purchase the drug.

Consumption of pork with sedative residue can cause low blood pressure, sluggishness, weight gain, dry mouth, constipation, allergic reactions, drowsiness, prolonged depression, and reduced ability to regulate body temperature, according to Dr. Le Thanh Hien, dean of the infectious diseases and animal health faculty at Nong Lam University.

Clinical complications can ensue if the consumer is using medications, is a minor or a senior, or has a history of cardiovascular, liver, or kidney diseases, she added.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!What do you do about weird foreigner teachers in Vietnam?

Its a darker topic than most people realize

Im not writing this to attack all native English-speaking teachers but to focus some attention on the bad apples within the system. Long-term career teachers will know instantly what Im talking. The topic comes all too frequently in online discussions and from incidents reported in the media.

A large enough number of English native speakers (ENS) working in the Vietnamese educational landscape are just not competent enough, have personal issues that can impact their teaching or are hidden sexual predators taking advantage of the frequent contact with young, immature students. The majority of these teachers are male.

In the schools that offer genuine international education and screen their potential new hires, these problems are rare as teachers are monitored and supervised carefully. So the real issue begins with the English centers that operate as businesses, mostly free from Ministry of Education and Training scrutiny, and employ any white face with a TEFL/CLETA qualification and in many cases less than that.

Hidden problems with drug, emotional and mental issues also appear often enough to cast doubt on their fitness to teach in any educational environment.

I know of a teacher with a massive online ego who has worked in Ho Chi Minh City and pranced around District 1 striking up relationships with street kids and junior students hanging out in the citys parks. Another teacher currently operates an English club in Da Nang and advertises himself as an English professor and IELTS teacher while he is not qualified as either. This same teacher massively promotes himself online, frequently posing with young female students in a hug  not the sort of thing you expect of sensible, normal teachers, is it?

Culture shock, emotional outbursts, constant fatigue and relationships with younger students outside the school environment can be part of the warning signs. A few more examples: shouting at students and teachers, petting and touching students in unsupervised environments, re-occurring poor teaching practice and an unwillingness to develop more professional skills, inviting students on unchaperoned outings, and an unjustifiable, inflated opinion of their teaching skills.

So, how do we (the teaching community) and the Vietnamese authorities prevent or protect students from bad teachers?

I believe the first step should be legally requiring all businesses (English clubs and centers) offering any form of English teaching, regardless of whether they employ foreigners, to register and apply for a license with the Ministry of Education and Training and have an official business registration. Similarly, teachers work permits can be revoked.

In similar practice to South Korea and Japan, all businesses must have copies of their foreign employees work permits available for inspection by the Ministry of Education and Training, immigration officials and the police.

Next, recruiters, owners and managers are held liable for failing to adequately check their new hires. This should include penalties for staff who fail to report teachers for serious breaches of trust and legal obligations. One issue here is the provision of more training in interview skills and screening for those staff members, most of whom have no idea how to really evaluate new teachers. An official handbook of guidelines and advice available online might help management as well.

A faster way to obtain work permits would also go part of the way of solving the problem of the traveling teachers  people who use short-term English teaching as a source of income and stay for less than three months. Consistency in education is important and replacing the teacher is disconcerting for students, which also creates problems in reliably teaching the entire curriculum over a period of time.

Finally its up to the educational authorities to get immigration officials and the police to take a greater interest in cracking down on the weirdos that pop up with the system. If education only becomes an excuse to make money, then the adults have failed to protect their students and Vietnamese society pays the cost for the damage to the mental and emotional needs of children and young adults.

Its time to make a start!Check out the news you should not miss today:

Society

-- The Hanoi administration has approved a plan on envisaging, controlling and mitigating risks which may become a disaster, including possible accidents at three nuclear plants in southern China, about 500 kilometers away from the Vietnamese capital.

-- Leaders in four areas in the southern province of Dong Nai were reprimanded on Wednesday for letting rubbish clog a local sanitary sewer system, which led to street flooding and traffic tie-ups after recent rains.

-- Three pharmacists of a drug store in Dong Nai were arrested on Wednesday for assaulting a doctor, who booked them for selling out-of-shelf-life medicine during an inspection the night before.

-- Two seven graders in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai drowned on Wednesday while catching fish in a lake near their school during a recess, raising the number of reported drowning deaths this month to six.

-- Vietnamese social media has ricocheted with a heavily marketed novel method of increasing the breast size that combines acupressure for milk gland stimulation, fat removal and daily massage, with experts warning of possible breast injuries.

Business

-- Vietnam, where magnetic-stripe cards are predominantly used, is becoming a hot spot for credit card fraud as its Southeast Asian nations and countries around the world have been switching to smart cards, according to the state-founded National Payment Corporation of Vietnam.

-- Vietnams Ministry of Industry and Trade is considering suitable actions to take in response to the U.S. Department of Commerces decision on Monday to impose anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on the Vietnamese steel produced with Chinese ground substances.

-- A shop at Lien Khuong Airport in Lam Dong Province of Vietnams Central Highlands on Wednesday removed a sign placed at its front, which said customers could pay by WeChat Pay, following repeated requests from local authorities. The Chinese payment app is not licensed in Vietnam.

Lifestyle

-- The World Wildlife Fund has published images of an adult male and a grown-up female giant muntjac, which were found in the central Vietnamese province of Quang Nam in November last year, raising hopes of generating a population of the species verging on extinction in the future.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Graffiti is popping up all over pillars belonging to Ho Chi Minh Citys under-construction metro line.

Residents living near the defaced construction sites say the amount of graffiti has mushroomed over the past several months along a portion of the metro line crossing District 2 and District 9, where a metro station will be situated.

These defaced support pillars belong to a section of the line connecting downtown Ben Thanh Market and Suoi Tien Theme Park.

Hundreds of such drawings now cover the entire system, including several areas which are totally fenced off.

The vandalism was done secretly at night, a resident said.

I dont understand why someone would spray paint on the citys modern and impressive metro, District 2 resident Huynh Thi Loan said.

The Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien line is expected to cost VND47 trillion (US$2 billion) according to a plan approved in 2015, and will serve to ease frequent traffic congestion in the southern metropolis.

Here are some more pictures of the vandalism:

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Hanoi authorities have launched preparations to mitigate the consequences of hypothetical radioactive leakage from Chinese nuclear plants, as well as other potential disasters such as dam failure, explosions, and urban railway accidents.

The municipal Peoples Committee stated that disaster could strike the city if problems occur at any of three nuclear power plants in southeast China, including Fangchenggang in Guangxi, Changjiang in Hainan Province, and Yangjiang in Guangdong Province.

All are located within 500 kilometers of the Vietnamese capital.

In such a scenario, Hanoi and other northern Vietnam provinces would be severely impacted by the resulting air and water contamination.

The citys administration has tasked the Department of Science and Technology, in coordination with relevant agencies, with establishing detailed scenarios of these disasters and preparing measures to prevent and minimize their consequences.

The request was submitted as part of a recently approved plan on envisaging, controlling, and mitigating the risk of large scale disaster in the Vietnamese capital.

According to experts, if certain dams broke, water levels in the Red River exceed 11.5 meters and cause serious flooding throughout the region, putting million of lives at risk.

In 1971, continuous downpours caused the Red River to reach 14.3 meters, resulting in the failure of three dams. Some 100,000 people lost their lives and over 2.7 million citizens suffered heavy financial damage in the disaster.

Extreme rainfall also inundated many areas of Hanoi in 2008, causing VND3 trillion (US$132 million) in damages.

The Hanoi Peoples Committee also identified risks of fire, explosion, and collapse at degraded apartment buildings in the city.

Regarding the citys urban railway system, a serious error could easily result in a high death toll.

Potential disasters may also occur at places and events with large crowds.

Efforts will be exerted to improve forecast ability and capacity of local search and rescue units.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Chinese team begins initial railway study

A team of Chinese engineers has begun pre-feasibility study of the Kerung-Kathmandu railway weeks ahead of Prime Minister KP Sharma Olis state visit to China.Crew members from USNS Mercy - a United States Navy hospital ship - joined teams from Vietnamese organizations in a marine rescue exercise in southern Vietnam on Tuesday, as part of the vessels visit to the Southeast Asian country.

The event took place at a beach in Nha Trang, the capital city of Khanh Hoa Province, where USNS Mercy has been docked since arriving on May 17 for the Vietnam leg of the Pacific Partnership Program 2018 (PP18) tour, slated to last until June 2.

Crew members from the USNS Mercy were joined by the municipal sea rescue team and Surf Life Saving Vietnam, an NGO which works to prevent drowning and improve aquatic management along the coast.

The U.S. Navy sailors held two sessions to present drowning treatments and other skills to the Vietnamese teams before participants from both countries engaged in the planned exercises, including a guided rescue of mock-drowning victims.

USNS Mercy crew members and Vietnamese lifesavers carry people during a drill in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, May 22, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A lifesaver carries a mock-drowning victim during a drill in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, May 22, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Douglass Jackson, a trainer aboard the USNS Mercy, said the swimming and rescue skills of the Vietnamese lifesavers were relatively good.

The exercises chief purpose, he added, was to improve the ability to quickly perform rescue and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Men run on a beach in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, May 22, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A man helps a mock-drowning victim during a drill in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, May 22, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Lifesavers hurry to save mock-drowning victims during a drill in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, May 22, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A USNS Mercy instructor gives directions to lifesavers during a drill in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, May 22, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Morgan Butler, a USNS Mercy crew member. Photo: Tuoi Tre

USNS Mercy crew members and Vietnamese lifesavers show off before a drowning drill in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, May 22, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!A local resident northern Vietnams Quang Ninh province was given permission to chop trees in a protected forest due to the management oversight of the forest protection unit.

More than eight hectares of protected forest in An Sinh Commune, Dong Trieu Town has been cleared by Vu Dinh Mao, 56, to make space for farming activities.

Protected forests mitigate and prevent the impact of a natural hazards, including erosion, landslide, and flooding, on people and their assets in mountainous areas.

Such forests typically cover the sloping areas between endangered or exposed assets.

Local authorities were not aware of the situation until it was reported by local citizens.

The An Sinh Commune Peoples Committee and forest protection division later conducted an examination of the forest and discovered that Mao had already planted new trees on five out of eight hectares of the forest at the time of the inspection.

He said the piece of land was previously transferred to him from local resident Bui Quang Nam.

A probe by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper revealed that the Peoples Committee in Dong Tieu Town had authorized a local named Tran Van Tri to use 14.6 hectares of the forest for 50 years.

However, the document does not show the exact date of the decision.

Nam then bought approximately five hectares from Tri in early 2017 and later transferred it to Mao.

Pham Van Trien, head of the forest protection department in Dong Tieu, admitted that the incident was caused by the oversight of officers tasked with managing the forest.

They did not pay attention to the fact that the area became a protected forest in 2001, Trien added.

This means that local residents no longer have the rights to exploit the forest, despite previous approval from authorities.

The officers responsible have been transferred to another unit due to their error, Trien added.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!9GO! will screen UK reality series Bromans from next Thursday.

The 8 part show features buff males and sexy females dressed up in Roman costume. While the men battled in a gladiator arena, the women supposedly helped them out.

The series ran for one season on ITV, as a stand-in for Love Island but 9GO! will screen the two back to back on Thursdays in the ultimate flesh-fest.

When in Rome! Eight buff 21st Century lads live alongside their girlfriends in a simulation of ancient Rome, and battle like gladiators to make it through to the Emperors Games.

9:30pm Thursday May 31 on 9GO!Warning: language, adult themes.

Australian film The Second has its television premiere on Stan on July 20, following a cinema release on July 5.

The mystery thriller starring Rachael Blake, Susie Porter & Vince Colosimo, fully funded by Screen Queensland in partnership with Stan, recently opened the Gold Coast Film Festival, and is set for the upcoming 2018 Sydney Film Festival.

Stans Chief Content Officer, Nick Forward said With a standout cast, a terrific script from Stephen Lance and Mairi Cameron doing such a fantastic job in her feature film directorial debut, were hugely proud of The Second. Were excited to be delivering yet another Australian first with this release strategy, and are grateful to Screen Queensland for their support in bringing The Second to the screen.

Starring Rachael Blake (Lantana, Sleeping Beauty), Susie Porter (The Monkeys Mask, Better Than Sex, Two Hands), Vince Colosimo (Chopper, Stingers, The Secret Life Of Us, Underbelly), Martin Sacks (A Place To Call Home, The Cup, Love in Limbo) and Susan Prior (The Rover, Puberty Blues, Muriels Wedding), The Second follows the author of a celebrated erotic memoir, whose newfound success is threatened when her best friend and muse reveals the truth behind the memoirs provenance, igniting an incendiary tale of sex, lies and betrayal.

Shot last year on location in Jimbour, north west of Brisbane, The Second, from first time feature film director Mairi Cameron, is written and produced by Stephen Lance with Leanne Tonkes as producer. Mind Blowing World is handling the theatrical distribution.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk congratulated the Queensland creative team behind the mystery thriller, director Mairi Cameron, writer and producer Stephen Lance, and producer Leanne Tonkes.

This is a Queensland film through and through and its spectacular drama and storytelling will take Queensland to international audiences. It was shot at Jimbour Station on the Darling Downs; it features music written by a Queensland composer Ryan Walsh and performed by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra; it was written and produced by a Brisbane writer, directed by a Brisbane director, funded through Screen Queenslands landmark Queensland Originals: Fully Funded Features with Stan initiative, and had its Australian premiere at the Gold Coast Film Festival in April, she said.

The Second has been selected in and is the first project developed and produced under Screen Queensland Originals program in partnership with Stan.

Friday July 20 on Stan.British households may have to pay an extra 2,000 in tax due to the financial pressures created by the UK's ageing population, according to a new report. The Institute of Fiscal Studies and the Health Foundation state that the NHS requires a critical increase in government spending, simply to cope with the growing number of older patients and rise in staff needed.

The Independent reported that IFS Director, Paul Johnson said, If we are to have a health and social care system which meets our needs and aspirations, we will have to pay a lot more for it over the next 15 years.

This time we wont be able to rely on cutting spending elsewhere  we will have to pay more in tax."

This comes after reports that the NHS has been struggling to cope after the toughest financial constraints in 70 years, with the prospect of a 40 percent increase in hospital admissions and longer stays for individuals with long-term conditions.

The authors of the report shared that previously, Britain had paid for increased NHS spending, by essentially cutting funding in other areas. However, there is now no more room to make cuts in other areas, including housing or defence.

'Historically high levels'

The authors of the report shared that paying for a modernised NHS would increase the UK tax as a share of GDP to historically high levels.

Funding the health spending means households would need taxes to rise by 1.6 to 2.6 percent of GDP, or, the equivalent of 1,200 - 2,000 per household - or 3p in the pound on each of income tax, VAT and National Insurance by 2033.

Household incomes are expected to rise by 8,500 between now and 2033-4, with a quarter of that figure going on the extra tax to pay for the NHS. Previously, the NHS budget has seen a rise in annual growth of 3.7 percent, but the last eight years have seen a slow growth of 1.7 percent.

The NHS Confederation commissioned the report and it represents 85 percent of NHS bodies.

Its Chief Executive, Niall Dickson said, This report is a wake-up call. And its message is simple  if we want good, effective and safe services, we will have to find the resources to pay for them.

'A decade of misery'

The report analysis found that by 2033/34, there will be 4.4 million more people in the UK aged 65 and over.

In addition, the number of people with complex long-term conditions is also set to rise sharply. Without the tax increase, IFS stated that there will be "a decade of misery" in which the elderly and vulnerable will be let down dramatically.

Johnson went on to say that Britain was "finally facing up to one of the biggest choices in a generation." Prime Minister Theresa May has promised a long-term funding plan for the NHS, and this is expected to cover the next decade. It is expected as soon as next month.Last year the EU Commission decided that it would exclude the UK and companies within the country from the EUs satellite navigation system project, Galileo. The move by the EU was largely called an attack on the UK because of Brexit by those who supported Leave and labelled an inevitability by those who supported to Remain. It could be classed as both aspects of an inevitability and an unnecessary attack on the UK.

However, recent reports are showing that there are divisions within the EU over the handling of the decision to exclude the UK, with multiple nations become sympathetic to the British cause.

The UK, EU and Galileo

Galileo was the response by the EU to challenge the US global position system (GPS) and will have both civilian and military use, it is expected to be complete in 2020 after it was commissioned in 2003. It has been claimed that blocking British companies will add 1 billion to the bill and risk both sides of the channels security.

Since then the UK is threatening to demand the return of more than 1bn of its contributions to EU space research unless Brussels backtracks. This is a blow for the EU as they have been relatively in agreement over matters concerning the UK and Brexit. But the decision by the Commission has raised eyebrows because of the way the UK has been treated.

Previously, when Brussels first announced that they would be excluding Britain from the projected in the post-Brexit plans, with British tenders being excluded from lucrative tenders, the government cried foul. But despite the hullaballoo over the situation and the clear motivation to get at Britain for leaving, results like these are going to be inevitable as Britain is leaving the EU, which is an act of closing the country off. Furthermore, the project was initially resisted by the UK because it could potentially rival the US GPS system despite them saying it will be a vital back-up system.Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May clashed over the NHS in PMQs yesterday, with Jeremy Corbyn as per usual dedicating all six of his questions to one subject and trying to get an answer out of the Prime Minister over the public concerns of underfunding and privatisation of the health service. Largely the weekly event has become even more of a farce than it previously was, with one side asking questions and the other answering with rhetoric and easily publishable soundbites.

Theresa May hasnt answered a question in a while and it puts people off of things like PMQs, which ultimately dissuades people to get involved in politics because they feel disillusioned.

Nonetheless, the NHS is an important topic and Mr Corbyn raised some important issues.

Failures over the NHS

Mr Corbyn highlighted that Virgin Healthcare were paid 1.5 billion by Surrey NHS, not for providing any service but due to their bid being turned down. He also underlined a report by The National Audit Office (NAO), the UKs public spending watchdog, which said that the Primary Care Support England (PCSE) have failed in their plans to deliver in key areas of back-office support services that were outsourced to Capita.

The report itself goes onto to say that both NHS England and Capita fully understood the complexities and completely misjudged the scale of the risk in outsourcing these services.

The report finishes by saying that the outsourcing could have put patients at serious risk. After a range of administrative and back-office functions were outsourced in 2015 through the PCSE contract to Capita worth 330 million over seven years, they aimed to reduce NHS Englands costs by 35% but in May 2016 primary care providers began raising concerns over the level of care being provided.

He also went onto to mention that the Conservatives had promised 5,000 more GPs in the NHS but they have failed to deliver that with cuts and Brexit being major contributing factors as to why there are also 1000 fewer GPs than previously. He mentioned that in 2010, 4 billion of NHS services had been outsourced, then proceeded to ask how much the current figure was, not met with an answer from May, Corbyn stated that it was in fact, 9 billion.

The start of the month saw the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt walk out of the Commons as he was asked an urgent question by Labour MP Barbara Keely on Learning Disabilities Mortality Review, video below.

The problem with privatisation

There are several aspects that point to the fact that the NHS is slowly being privatised, firstly, the starvation of funding from services by the government who then hand it over to private companies. This often has a detrimental affect on the care quality and is seen to put profit over patients. Highlighting this point is Sutherland Lodge Surgery in Chelmsford, Essex, which was rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission, but soon after the government cut the Personal Medical Services funding from them by 400,000, which forced the GP partners out.

Subsequently Virgin Care took over the running of the surgery and after 18 months they have been rated as inadequate.

The Quality Care Commission stated that there was a litany of failures at the lodge that included the staff not being trained properly, medicine and equipment were being stored incorrectly, dispensing medicine that is potentially unsafe to under-18s to child and there was no assessment of individual patient needs. The problem is with Theresa May openly praising the private sectors involvement in the NHS means that there is deep ingrained ideals to put profit before people in the government.British and EU flags flying outside the Commission headquarters in Brussels (Reuters)

The EU has dismissed Theresa Mays plan to solve the Irish border issue as a fantasy after the two sides failed to make real progress in the latest round of Brexit talks.

UK and EU officials held talks for three days in Brussels this week in a bid to make the progress on outstanding issues, notably how to avoid a hard border in Ireland.

But a briefing given on the talks by a senior EU official tonight revealed how far apart the two sides remain just four weeks before the next deadline for talks.

The official said they were concerned that the UK government was not prepared to take responsibility for the consequences of Brexit.

I have the impression that the UK thinks everything has to change on the EUs side so that everything can stay the same for the UK, they told journalists.

The most substantial difference comes on how to avoid a hard border in Ireland if the UK leaves the EUs single market and customs union.

Theresa May wants to resolve the issue through a special customs agreement for the whole of the UK that would render border checks unnecessary.

That was ruled out by the EU official, who said any solution would have to be Ireland specific before adding: We have to do away with the fantasy that there is an all-UK solution.

EU leaders have said they want to see substantial progress on the Irish border issue before the EU leaders summit on June 28 and 29, but that has been thrown into doubt by the extent to disagreements this week.

Prime Minister Theresa Mays plans for the Irish border have been dismissed by the EU (Getty)

Progress at this stage seems elusive and substantive progress even more so, said the EU official.

The two sides also seem some distant apart on security cooperation after Brexit  particularly over the Galileo satellite navigation system.

The UK wants full access to the system after Brexit and today said they would claim back their 1bn investment if they did not receive it.

The EU says the UK will maintain access to the encrypted signal used by the military with certain guarantees, but not the propriety information that would allow the UK to control the system.

Story continues

That would breach the sovereignty of the EU, said the official, adding: I would expect the UK to have an understanding of this.

The EU has now ruled out UK participation in the European Arrest Warrant, saying membership was not possible for countries which did not abide by EU procedures and standards.

These are not bureaucratic issues, said the EU official. We are talking here about the lives and the liberty of people.

The official said the cooperation on all these areas could continue but not in the same way as now and appealed to the UK government to change their negotiating stance.

They said: The sooner we can start talking about these instruments rather than chasing the fantasy of denying the consequences of Brexit in a given policy area, the sooner we can get to solutions.

A UK government source told the Guardian: This is what they do every time. As usual weve heard it all before. Theres nothing theyve said which concerns us.

MORE: Britain to demand 1 billion back from EU in Brexit satellite row



Congress, Madhesi parties say policies seem like poll pitch

The opposition parties have lashed out at the governments policies and programmes presented by President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Monday, claiming that the document completely lacks focus and priority.In this article:

* European stocks open slightly higher

* Trade concerns weigh on Asian shares

* Italian president invites political novice Conte to be prime minister

* Deutsche Bank (IOB: 0H7D.IL - news) cuts 7.000 jobs

LONDON, May 24 (Reuters) - Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity

markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Kit Rees. Reach her on

Messenger to share your thoughts on market moves: kit.rees.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net

ITALY, NOW WHAT? WILL IT LAST? WILL THEY DELIVER? (1050 GMT)

Italian markets are seeing some respite today after President Sergio Mattarella gave

political novice Giuseppe Conte a mandate to form a government, but the political situation in

Rome is far from settled and further bouts of selling pressure cannot be ruled out.

Here are a few takes on what to expect next now that the little-known Florence law professor

has been tasked to lead the first Italian government made up of anti-establishment parties.

* Matteo Ramenghi, CIO for Italy, UBS Global Wealth Management: "If Conte wins a confidence

vote

in parliament, M5S-Lega would have a thin majority in the senate; and given the two parties have

very different backgrounds, the government's lifespan would be in question."

* Adrian Hilton, Head of Global Rates and Currency at Columbia Threadneedle Investments:

"Developments in Italy over the past few weeks clearly present a risk for Italian assets and

also possibly for Europe. But the full extent of the damage will become clear only when the

tenuous contract between left-wing and right-wing coalition allies is converted into policy."

* Fabio Fois, European Economist at Barclays (LSE: BARC.L - news) : "We remain of the view it will be difficult

for a

5SM-L led government to approve in full their economic programme.... constraints to the

implementation of the economic programme pledged by 5SM and L could affect the duration and

stability of the legislature, unless 5SM and L do not soften considerably their stance."

Story continues

And here's what Conte (pictured) told reporters late yesterday after holding two hours of

talks with Mattarella: "I will be the defense lawyer for the Italian people."

(Danilo Masoni)

*****

A CRYSTAL CLEAR CONSENSUS AGAINST EUROPEAN BANKS (1045 GMT)

"Banks remain the biggest underweight of mutual funds and an increasing number of active

managers have reduced further their exposure in this sector", Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS-PB - news) found after a review

of 780 funds which invest in European Equities.

"Generally, we find that, despite short-term price movements, active managers remain

underweight sectors which have often been considered value traps since the Global Financial

Crisis (GFC): Banks, Autos, Utilities and Oil & Gas."

It's true that banks have persistently failed to deliver for those who believed their were

the best way to surf the now fading Euroboom or the ECB's ever-elusive path towards monetary

normalisation.

The woes of the sector are also still in the open with Deutsche Bank cutting more than 7,000

jobs to reduce costs and restore profitability.

Here's Goldman Sachs chart which shows how active managers are clearly staying away from the

sector:

Talking about value traps, here's Euro zone banks versus the broader Euro Stoxx since 2009:

(Julien Ponthus)

*****

OPENING SNAPSHOT: AUTOS SKID, ARYZTA SINKS (0720 GMT)

It's a bad start to the day for autos stocks, with BMW (EUREX: BMWE.EX - news) , Daimler (IOB: 0NXX.IL - news) , and Volkswagen (IOB: 0P6N.IL - news) driving the

DAX down, falling 2 to 2.3 percent after the U.S. launched a probe into autos tariffs and

Beijing replied that it would defend its interests. Renault (LSE: 0NQF.L - news) and Peugeot (Other OTC: PUGOF - news) are also falling around

0.4 percent, and Europe's autos sector is down 1.2 percent.

Not looking good for Swiss specialty baking company Aryzta (IOB: 0MFY.IL - news) either. Its shares are

sinking 25 percent to a new record low, bottom of the STOXX after yet another profit warning.

On the positive side Electrocomponents (LSE: ECM.L - news) is jumping 7.6 percent after it increased its

full-year dividend and announced an acquisition. Tate & Lyle (LSE: TATE.L - news) is another gainer after

results, up 4.3 percent.

And Paddy Power Betfair is feeling the glow after it merged its U.S. business with

Fanduel. The gambling company's shares are up 2.6 percent.

(Helen Reid)

*****

WHAT TO WATCH AHEAD OF THE EUROPEAN OPEN (0649 GMT)

Stocks futures are pointing to another day in negative territory for European equities as

uncertainty over U.S.-China trade talks and concerns over the new coalitions spending plans in

Italy overshadow the Federal Reserves more gradual approach to rate hikes, as per the FOMC

minutes.

Autos stocks are indicated to fall today after the U.S. launched a national security

investigation into car and truck imports  the worry is that this could lead to new U.S. tariffs

and potential pain for German automakers in particular as the United States is its

second-biggest export market after China.

In terms of a U.S.-China trade deal, Trump has said that it would need a different

structure, adding more uncertainty.

Among corporate news, Deutsche Bank is shaking things up with plans to cut thousands of

staff to reduce costs and boost profitability. Equities sales and trading is set to see a 25

percent reduction in headcount. All eyes will now be on todays AGM. DBs shares are down more

than 31 percent so far this year, so this could be welcome news for frustrated investors.

Stock movers/company news:

Deutsche Bank to cut thousands of staff in investment bank revamp [nL5N1SV0RG

Sales at Britain's Kingfisher (Frankfurt: 812861 - news) mauled by Beast from the East

Paddy Power Betfair (Other OTC: PDYPF - news) merging U.S business with FanDuel

Deutsche Telekom (IOB: 0MPH.IL - news) to tie dividends to growing bottom-line profits

Westfield (Frankfurt: A113BB - news) shareholders approve $16 bln Unibail-Rodamco (Brussels: NL0000288652.BR - news) deal

German carmakers' shares seen down on US auto tariffs probe

Elliott eyes operational improvements after taking Thyssen stake

Novartis (IOB: 0QLR.IL - news) receives EU approval for biosimilar Zessly

British lender Paragon (IOB: 0NFG.IL - news) 's H1 profit up 4.7 pct

Go-Ahead upgrades profit after greater efficiency boosts rail

Aryzta further cuts full-year EBITDA guidance

Payments firm Adyen to list in Amsterdam in June

Vontobel to buy private bank from Raiffeisen for $700 mln

EUROPEAN STOCKS FUTURES DIP SLIGHTLY (0613 GMT)

European stocks futures have opened broadly lower this morning as traders keep an eye on

political developments in Italy and trade talks between the U.S. and China.

Here's your futures snapshot:

(Kit Rees)

*****

WHAT'S ON THE EUROPEAN EARNINGS AGENDA (0555 GMT)

It's pretty light on the corporate earnings side today but we do have a few full-year

updates from the likes of Tate & Lyle, United Utilities (LSE: UU.L - news) and a trading update from Inchcape (Other OTC: IHCPF - news) in

the UK.

Here's a list of European companies reporting results today:

VIEV.VI Q1 2018 Flughafen Wien AG Earnings Release

UNIQ.VI Q1 2018 UNIQA Insurance Group AG Earnings Release

BAVA.CO Q1 2018 Bavarian Nordic A/S Earnings Release

A8AG.DE Q1 2018 JDC Group AG Earnings Release

NETG.TE Q1 2018 Net Gaming Europe AB Earnings Release

PENO.OL Q1 2018 Panoro Energy ASA Earnings Release

KAMUX.HE Q1 2018 Kamux Oyj Earnings Release

TATE.L Full Year 2018 Tate & Lyle PLC Earnings Release

UU.L Full Year 2018 United Utilities Group PLC Earnings Release

ECM.L Full Year 2018 Electrocomponents PLC Earnings Release

INCH.L Q1 2018 Inchcape PLC Trading Statement Release

CLDN.L Full Year 2017 Caledonia Investments PLC Earnings Release

GOG.L Q3 2017 Go-Ahead Group PLC Trading Statement Release

RWI.L Preliminary Q4 2018 Renewi PLC Earnings Release

(Kit Rees)

*****

MORNING CALL: EUROPEAN STOCKS SET FOR STEADY OPEN (0533 GMT)

Good morning. Following on from yesterday's negative session, European stocks are set to

start today's trading flat to slightly lower, according to financial spreadbetters, as markets

continue to mull the implications of the proposed spending spree from Italy's anti-establishment

coalition.

Britain's FTSE 100 is seen opening 5 points lower, Germany's DAX is expected to lose 4

points and France's CAC is seen opening flat, according to financial spreadbetters.

However, there may be some support for equities from the U.S. Federal Reserve's minutes,

which indicated a gradual approach to rate hikes, which boosted Wall Street slightly. China and

Hong Kong stocks were a touch lower as uncertainty over U.S.-China trade talks sparked caution.

(Kit Rees)

(Reporting by Danilo Masoni, Helen Reid, Kit Rees and Julien Ponthus)In this article:

* European stocks seen opening flat to slightly lower -spreadbetters

* Wall St inches higher after FOMC minutes suggest gradual approach to rate hikes

* Trade concerns weigh on Asian shares

* Italian president invites political novice Conte to be prime minister

LONDON, May 24 (Reuters) - Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity

markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Kit Rees. Reach her on

Messenger to share your thoughts on market moves: kit.rees.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net

WHAT'S ON THE EUROPEAN EARNINGS AGENDA (0555 GMT)

It's pretty light on the corporate earnings side today but we do have a few full-year

updates from the likes of Tate & Lyle (LSE: TATE.L - news) , United Utilities (LSE: UU.L - news) and a trading update from Inchcape (Other OTC: IHCPF - news) in

the UK.

Here's a list of European companies reporting results today:

VIEV.VI Q1 2018 Flughafen Wien AG Earnings Release

UNIQ.VI Q1 2018 UNIQA Insurance Group AG Earnings Release

BAVA.CO Q1 2018 Bavarian Nordic A/S Earnings Release

A8AG.DE Q1 2018 JDC Group AG Earnings Release

NETG.TE Q1 2018 Net Gaming Europe AB Earnings Release

PENO.OL Q1 2018 Panoro Energy ASA Earnings Release

KAMUX.HE Q1 2018 Kamux Oyj Earnings Release

TATE.L Full Year 2018 Tate & Lyle PLC Earnings Release

UU.L Full Year 2018 United Utilities Group PLC Earnings Release

ECM.L Full Year 2018 Electrocomponents PLC Earnings Release

INCH.L Q1 2018 Inchcape PLC Trading Statement Release

CLDN.L Full Year 2017 Caledonia Investments PLC Earnings Release

GOG.L Q3 2017 Go-Ahead Group PLC Trading Statement Release

RWI.L Preliminary Q4 2018 Renewi PLC Earnings Release

(Kit Rees)

*****

MORNING CALL: EUROPEAN STOCKS SET FOR STEADY OPEN (0533 GMT)

Good morning. Following on from yesterday's negative session, European stocks are set to

start today's trading flat to slightly lower, according to financial spreadbetters, as markets

continue to mull the implications of the proposed spending spree from Italy's anti-establishment

Story continues

coalition.

Britain's FTSE 100 is seen opening 5 points lower, Germany's DAX is expected to lose 4

points and France's CAC is seen opening flat, according to financial spreadbetters.

However, there may be some support for equities from the U.S. Federal Reserve's minutes,

which indicated a gradual approach to rate hikes, which boosted Wall Street slightly. China and

Hong Kong stocks were a touch lower as uncertainty over U.S.-China trade talks sparked caution.

(Kit Rees)

(Reporting by Danilo Masoni, Helen Reid, Kit Rees and Julien Ponthus)A Shell logo is seen at a gas station in Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci

Thomson Reuters

By Estelle Shirbon

LONDON (Reuters) - A British judge ruled on Thursday that Nigeria's Bodo community, which has been involved in a protracted legal battle with Shell over the clean-up of two 2008 oil spills, should retain the option of litigation for another year.

Lawyers for Bodo had accused Shell of trying to kill off the legal case by seeking a court order that would have meant the community had to meet onerous conditions before it could revive its litigation, which is currently on hold.

A London High Court judge, Mrs Justice Cockerill, ruled that the litigation should remain stayed until July 1, 2019, with no conditions attached should the Bodo community's representatives seek to re-activate it before then.

"We are delighted the court has rejected Shells attempt to restrict the communitys legal rights," said Dan Leader, the Bodo community's lead UK lawyer.

"The message is clear - Shell must clean up this appalling oil spill and the Bodo community will keep on with its legal case until they are confident that it will do so," he said.

The 2008 oil spills devastated the lands and waterways of Bodo, which is just one of numerous communities in the oil-producing Niger Delta that have suffered environmental harm and profound economic and social dysfunction linked to the industry.

In 2015, Shell accepted liability for the spills, agreeing to pay 55 million pounds ($83 million at the time) to Bodo villagers and to clean up their lands and creeks.

After years of delays, the clean-up is currently underway, under the auspices of the internationally recognized Bodo Mediation Initiative (BMI).

Shell's lawyers had argued at a hearing on Tuesday that the community should only be able to re-activate the legal case should Shell fail to comply with its obligation to pay for the clean-up.

But Bodo's lawyers had countered that the community should have unfettered access to the London courts if the clean-up was not completed to a high standard.

Story continues

Arguing that the pressure of litigation was a key factor in pushing Shell to implement the clean-up, they had asked the judge to keep the legal case on hold until May 2020.

A spokeswoman for Shell said she had no immediate comment on Thursday's ruling.

Oil spills, sometimes due to vandalism, sometimes to corrosion, are common in the Niger Delta, a vast maze of creeks and mangrove swamps criss-crossed by pipelines and blighted by poverty, pollution, oil-fueled corruption and violence.

The spills have had a catastrophic impact on many communities where people have no other water supply than the creeks and rely on farming and fishing for survival.

At the same time, oil companies have run into problems trying to clean up spills, sometimes because of obstruction and even violence by local gangs trying to extract bigger payouts, or to obtain clean-up contracts.

(Editing by Stephen Addison)

See Also:FILE PHOTO: A Volkswagen logo is pictured during the Volkswagen Group's annual general meeting in Berlin, Germany, May 3, 2018. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt/File Photo

Thomson Reuters

BERLIN (Reuters) - A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official said he is not satisfied with Volkswagen's efforts to improve accountability after its diesel emissions fraud, German newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Thursday.

"The VW story is not over yet, not for VW and not for the EPA," the business daily quoted Christopher Grundler, director of the EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality as saying.

Soon after the emissions scandal broke in September 2015, the German automaker pledged to reform its closed-off corporate culture, seen by experts as a factor that facilitated the cheating, and become a more transparent business.

But some senior managers including previous chief executive Matthias Mueller have said the task of learning from past mistakes and introducing change was proving harder than expected.

"What matters to the EPA is compliance where the spirit of laws is respected rather than just the text of the law. I absolutely want to hear from VW what their efforts to this end look like and how they make sure that such a thing (like the emissions scandal) will never happen again," Grundler said.

Handelsblatt also quoted Larry Thompson, the U.S. monitor appointed under the 2017 plea agreement to oversee VW for three years, as saying that he is "not at all satisfied" with the progress of culture change.

VW was not immediately available for comment.

(Reporting by Andreas Cremer; Editing by Adrian Croft)

See Also:The private search to find the missing Malaysian Airlines plane MH370 will end next week, more than a month earlier than originally planned, the Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke has announced.

Houston-based Ocean Infinity had struck a deal with the Malaysian government in which it would get up to $70 million if it found the Boeing 777 that disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 14, 2014.

It has scoured 86,000 square kilometers (33,205 square miles) so far but has not found anything significant. Its search was scheduled to continue until the end of June, but the company had finished examining the target area in the Indian Ocean by the end of April.

Trending: Russian Hackers Infected 500,000 Devices and Plan More Cyber Attacks, Investigators Claim

RTX51O8Y

REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin

It asked for permission to continue until May 29, but Loke, who was sworn into the job on Monday, said there would be no further extension after then, Reuters reported.

He said a full report into the disappearance would be released as calls grow from the group Voice 370, representing the families of those on the flight, for a government review into the probe.

Im not privy to whatever details that may not have been revealed, but as minister, I am committed to releasing all details to the public, Loke told reporters.

Don't miss: Battlefield V Revealed: EAs WW2 Shooter Goes Back to Its Roots, Teases Live-Service, Chaotic New Trailer

Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysias prime minister, had said that it might end its agreement with Ocean Infinity to cut government spending.

The private search followed fruitless attempts by Australia, China and Malaysia to find the wreckage in a 46,000 square-mile part of the Indian Ocean.

Story continues

This week, Australian investigators rejected claims that the plane was deliberately crashed by the pilot and that it was likely to have been an accident.

MH370 Search

REUTERS/Rob Griffith

Most popular: White House Officials Considered Ignoring Climate Change: Report

A new book by crash investigator Larry Vance, called MH370: Mystery Solved, says that the pilot, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, had avoided tracking radars and then crashed the plane on purpose, perhaps due to depression over a divorce.

But the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said that everyone on board, including the captain, was already dead by the time the aircraft crashed into the ocean.

The ATSB official in charge of the search, Peter Foley, told an Australian parliamentary hearing on Tuesday that this theory of controlled ditching was unlikely, as the pilot would have been knocked out by the air pressure change with such a sudden change of altitude.

One of the plane's flaps was found off the coast of Tanzania, suggesting they had not been deployed and that plane was uncontrolled at the time of the crash.

"We considered every piece of evidence at the time in an unbiased fashion, and what we are seeing in the press is perhaps a lot of speculation about a single piece of evidence," Foley said. "I would like to re-characterize it as not a ghost flight, not a death dive."

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria will expel 105 Malians for being members of the Ansar Eddine militant group, an official source said on Wednesday, the first such action in the North African country against the group.

"It is a decision of Algiers' court," the official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.

The United Nations on Tuesday urged Algeria to stop rounding up and expelling sub-Saharan migrants.

Algeria has rejected the criticism, saying it was facing a massive influx of illegal migrants on its southern borders with Mali and Niger.

Militants linked to Malian jihadist Iyad Ag Ghali have claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks on Malian, United Nations and French troops operating in Malis desert north.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and a local branch of Islamic state are the two main militant groups in Algeria.

(Reporting by Lamine Chikhi; Editing by Ulf Laessing)MINSK, Belarus (AP)  Belarus has named a new ambassador to Sweden, turning the page on a six-year rift that followed a Swedish advertising agency's air drop of teddy bears bearing messages about human rights.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko emphasized the importance of ties with Sweden while naming the new ambassador. The envoy, Dmitry Mironchik, said Tuesday his appointment marks "the official end of the Ice Age in relations between Belarus and Sweden."

Belarus expelled the Swedish ambassador and recalled its envoy from Sweden after the Studio Total advertising agency air-dropped hundreds of parachute-wearing teddy bears holding the human rights messages. The July 2012 stunt came amid Western criticism of Belarus' rights record.

Ties between Belarus and the West have improved since Lukashenko's government released political prisoners and the U.S. and the European Union lifted some sanctions.

See Also:By Andrei Makhovsky

MINSK (Reuters) - A Belarussian court has sentenced a Ukrainian radio correspondent to more than eight years in prison for spying, Ukraine's ambassador in Minsk Ihor Kizim told Reuters on Wednesday.

Last November, Belarus's KGB state security service said it had uncovered a spy ring working for Ukraine's defence ministry set up by Minsk-based Ukrainian journalist Pavlo Sharoyko.

Sharoyko, who has not been contactable by media or the Ukrainian embassy since his arrest last October, was recently convicted and sentenced by a closed court, Kizim said.

"The trial took place. He's currently in a KGB detention centre," he said. "He has no complaints about the conditions."

Sharoyko had reportedly pleaded guilty, but the embassy does not believe the reports, Kizim said.

Neither the KGB nor the courts could be reached for comment.

Belarus has been run on Soviet-style command lines by President Alexander Lukashenko since 1994 and has been criticised by the West for human rights abuses and its treatment of the political opposition.

The Sharoyko case has not had a noticeable effect on Ukraine-Belarus relations, which came under strain last year when Belarus hosted large-scale joint military exercises with Russia on Belarussian territory.

(Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Matthias Williams and Mark Potter)Boris Johnson held an 18-minute phone call with a prankster claiming to be the Armenian prime minister.

The pair talked about Russia, Vladimir Putin and the Salisbury poisoning during the conversation, audio released on Thursday revealed.

A UK diplomatic source later hit back, calling it a "desperate attempt by the Kremlin to save face".

Downing Street confirmed an investigation is under way.

Mr Johnson began the conversation by congratulating the hoax caller "very sincerely on your remarkable success", believing he was talking to newly elected Armenian leader Nikol Pashinyan.

"You can definitely count on the UK and I admire your vision and what you're trying to achieve," he said.

Later in the call, Mr Johnson was prompted to discuss Russia.

He said that "obviously we had hoped to have better relations... than we currently do", adding: "I'm afraid that Russia seems to be unable to resist malign activity of one kind or another."

Mr Johnson then appeared to laugh when the caller said he was holding a meeting with the Russian president and "hoped he will not poison me with Novichok", the nerve agent used on Sergei and Yulia Skripal.

"The only thing the Russians respond to is determination and firmness," was the foreign secretary's advice.

It is not clear when the call took place, but the real Armenian prime minister held the talk with Mr Putin referred to on 14 May - ten days ago.

The full audio was released on Thursday on a YouTube channel that names two famous prankster known as "Vovan and Lexus" as the culprits.

It comes on the same day the investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 blamed Russia, and the day after Yulia Skripal gave her first interview.

During the phone call, Mr Johnson also said the UK was "like almost 100% sure" that Russia was behind the Salisbury poisoning and promised: "We will be able to do more to illustrate that...

Story continues

"We will continue to tighten the squeeze on some of the oligarchs who surround Putin.

"You throw a stone in Kensington and you'll hit an oligarch. But some of them are close to Putin and some of them aren't."

Mr Johnson put the phone down when the prankster claimed that the Prime Minister of Ukraine had recently been poisoned, but recovered after taking an antidote "he keeps with him always".

A Foreign Office spokesperson told Sky News: "The foreign secretary realised it was a hoax, and ended the call.

"We checked it out and knew immediately it was a prank call.

"The use of chemical weapons in Salisbury and Syria, and recent events in Armenia are serious matters.

"These childish actions show the lack of seriousness of the caller and those behind him."

A UK diplomatic source added: "This seems to be the latest desperate attempt by the Kremlin to save face after it was internationally shamed in the wake of the Skripal attack.

"Boris rumbled them pretty quickly and ended the call.

"It is tragic to see a major international power reduced to failed pranks you would usually only see on Trigger Happy TV."

Russia denies any involvement in the Salisbury poisoning and has dismissed the video message from Ms Skripal as "staged".

Downing Street revealed a Whitehall investigation will take place, which will include those who were involved with the handling of the call.

A spokeswoman for the Prime Minister said: "This shouldn't have happened. An investigation is underway to determine the circumstances to make sure this doesn't happen again."Court starts recording main accused Gores statement

The Morang District Court on Wednesday started recording statement of Chudamani Upreti aka Gore, the alleged mastermind of the 33 kg gold smuggling case. His statement was recorded in the presence of District Judge Narayan Prasad Sharma.LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is legally bound to pay its up to 39 billion pound ($52 billion) divorce bill to the European Union before it agrees a future trade deal with the bloc, a Brexit minister said on Wednesday.

The remarks by Suella Braverman, a leading Brexit supporter, suggest Britain may not be able to use payment of the bill as leverage in talks on trade arrangements after it leaves the EU.

But a government source said ministers were trying to link the two in the negotiations, part of attempts to reassure Brexit campaigners who fear that Britain is coming off worse in the talks to end more than 40 years of union.

May has long said that "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed" in the Brexit talks, suggesting an accord on future ties must be settled before the divorce in March next year.

Stopping payments to the EU was one of the main reasons behind the campaign for Britain to leave the bloc, and Brexit campaigners have said they will not support the government's plans unless they offer value for money.

While the government says it will present to parliament a detailed agreement on future ties well before the Brexit date, Braverman told lawmakers there was no legal link between the divorce bill and a deal on future trading arrangements with the bloc, only "a duty of good faith."

"In the withdrawal agreement, there is agreed a duty of good faith ... which obliges both parties to cooperate in a way which means we are working constructively towards a future framework, which is mutually beneficial," she told a parliamentary committee on Brexit.

"The duty of good faith should not be ignored in this context. It is more than just words and I think it does apply to the attitude in the way in which an agreement on the future framework will be struck."

She also said if the terms of any future trade deal did not meet British demands, then London could renegotiate its terms.

Several lawmakers said parliament could be left voting on a financial deal worth 35-39 billion pounds in the withdrawal agreement due later this year without having legal certainty over what the future relationship would look like.

Story continues

A spokesman for May said: "We have been absolutely clear that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. We're clear that we intend to agree the future framework at the same time as the withdrawal agreement."

"Parliament will vote on the withdrawal agreement at the same time as the terms of our future relationship with the EU."

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper and Andrew MacAskill; editing by Stephen Addison)FILE PHOTO: Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza waves as he arrives for the celebrations to mark Burundi's 55th anniversary of the independence at the Prince Louis Rwagasore stadium in Bujumbura, Burundi July 1, 2017. REUTERS/Evrard Ngendakumana/File Photo

BUJUMBURA (Reuters) - Burundi's opposition asked the constitutional court on Thursday to nullify a referendum that could allow President Pierre Nkurunziza to stay in power until 2034, saying the vote was marred by fraud.

Election officials said 73 percent of voters in the East African country backed the changes in Monday's plebiscite.

But Pierre Celestin Ndikumana, a lawmaker from the opposition Amizero Coalition, said it wanted to challenge how the vote was held and "the climate that prevailed on the polling day". "There has been an electoral fraud," he said.

Rights groups say security forces and their allies in the Imbonerakure youth militia created a climate of fear and intimidation during the campaigning.

A government spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

Burundi has been wracked by violence since early 2015 when President Nkurunziza said he would seek a third term - a move that critics at the time said would break limits set out in the constitution.

Clashes between security forces and rebels left hundreds dead and forced about half a million to flee - rattling a region still haunted by the memories of the 1994 genocide in neighbouring Rwanda, which has a similar ethnic mix to Burundi.

This week's referendum changed the constitution in a way that would allow Nkurunziza to run for another two terms. It also extended a president's term from five to seven years.

New York-based Human Rights Watch says at least 15 people were killed while six were raped during the referendum campaign.

Broadcasts by the BBC and the Voice of America were also banned two weeks before the vote.

(Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Andrew Heavens)At least two people were killed and 20 others injured after a train collided with a truck and derailed in Caluso, Italy, late on May 23, local reports said.

The National Volunteer Fire Brigade Federation said the collision caused three cars to derail at around 11.30 pm, trapping several people inside.

The train driver and a technician were among the dead, with three people reported to be in a critical condition, La Repubblica said.

The video, filmed by Quotidiano del Canavese, a local news outlet, shows the aftermath of the derailment. Credit: Quotidiano del Canavese via StoryfulFILE PHOTO: Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras looks on during a parliamentary session before a vote on setting up a special committee which will probe the role of ten politicians in a case which involves alleged bribery by Swiss drugmaker Novartis, in Athens, Greece, February 21, 2018. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis/File Photo

Thomson Reuters

By Renee Maltezou

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is taking a big gamble in trying to settle a decades-old name dispute with neighboring Macedonia which could backfire in a pre-election year among voters already jaded by his economic austerity policies.

With about 15 months until the next election is due, the 43-year-old leftist leader has already timed Greece's exit from its third international bailout for this summer in the hope that this will start to bolster his currently poor poll ratings.

Despite trailing the main opposition conservatives by up to 20 percentage points in polls, Tsipras has now also opted to go where all his predecessors have failed, by personally reviving efforts to resolve the name dispute with Macedonia.

"He is determined to solve it," said a government official.

Athens rejects Macedonia's right to use that name, saying it amounts to a territorial claim on a northern Greek province of the same name and also represents an attempt by the tiny ex-Yugoslav republic to appropriate Greek history and culture.

Successive Greek governments have blocked Macedonia's bid to join NATO and the European Union over the name dispute, which is of existential importance to Greek nationalists.

In February, hundreds of thousands of Greeks took to the streets of Athens over the issue, a bigger turnout than even the biggest protests held to oppose painful austerity measures imposed by Tsipras under pressure from Greece's creditors.

"If a deal is done it would be a bonus. He will say 'I pulled you out of bailouts, I settled the Skopje question'. That way he might make up for other losses," an official from his Syriza party told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Skopje is the capital of Macedonia, a mainly Slavic state with a large ethnic Albanian minority which won its independence from Belgrade in 1991 as Yugoslavia dissolved into civil war.

WESTERN PRESSURE

Story continues

Cracking the Macedonia riddle would earn Tsipras kudos in the European Union and the United States, long impatient with what they perceive as Greek obduracy over the name, which they see as destabilizing for the Balkans. Clearing Macedonia's path into NATO and the EU would also help check growing Russian influence in the region, they say.

The clock is ticking towards an EU summit in late June where most member states want to extend a formal invitation to Macedonia to start accession talks, and a NATO summit in early July, where Greece's allies also back Macedonian membership.

However, political analysts say it would be a big risk for Tsipras, whose Syriza party has already seen its support slide amid harsh fiscal reforms, record unemployment and pension cuts which have left a third of all Greeks living in poverty.

"There is still a zero-sum mentality (among Greeks) on this name issue," said Kostas Ifantis, an associate professor of international relations at the Panteion University in Athens.

"It's an issue which involves history and symbols, and ... a compromise is very difficult in this case," he said.

Among compromise names proposed over the years are Nova (new) Macedonia, Vardar Macedonia (named after a river), Upper Macedonia and, most recently, Ilinden Macedonia, but most Greek political parties reject any use of the name Macedonia, even with descriptive tags.

Those parties include both Tsipras's coalition partner, the Independent Greeks, and the main opposition New Democracy party, currently tipped to win most votes in the 2019 election.

EXPLOITING DIVISIONS

New Democracy was also burned by the Macedonia issue when in power in the mid-1990s. A split between moderates and hardliners toppled the government of then-Prime Minister Constantinos Mitsotakis, and many of those who broke ranks then are now back in the party fold.

Now led by Mitsotakis's son, Kyriakos, the party takes an uncompromising public stance on the name issue, but observers say the same divisions which existed in the 1990s persist.

Some analysts even suggest Tsipras is primarily motivated in his name diplomacy by a desire to split New Democracy.

"It is a gamble which was not taken with the aim of closing an open diplomatic problem that troubles the country but as a tool to divide, at least initially, the opposition," Ifantis said.

In weekend consultations over the name, Tsipras failed to secure the support of any opposition party for the 'Ilinden Macedonia' proposal.

But for all the risks, a resolution of the name dispute could still ultimately help to boost Tsipras's popularity, said Costas Panagopoulos, head of the Alco polling agency.

"There will be reactions from the opposition, regardless of the name, this is clear," said Panagopoulos. "But in the long-term, a solution, despite the opposition and the initial protests... could not hurt Tsipras."

(Editing by Michele Kambas and Gareth Jones)

See Also:Lebanon's Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil takes photos of the parliamentary re-elected speaker Nabih Berri with outgoing Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri Lebanon's Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil takes photos of the parliamentary re-elected speaker Nabih Berri with outgoing Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri at the parliament in Beirut, Lebanon May 23, 2018. Lebanese Parliament/Handout via REUTERS

By Laila Bassam and Tom Perry

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Iran-backed Hezbollah aims to move beyond its traditional backseat role by assuming more influence in Lebanon's next government to help it counter an escalating U.S. campaign against Tehran and its regional ascendancy.

A parliamentary majority for the Shi'ite Muslim Hezbollah and its allies is expected to be reflected in a new coalition government that Western-backed Saad al-Hariri will now try to form, weakened by the loss of more than a third of his MPs.

The May 6 election underlined how Lebanon's political landscape has tilted in Hezbollah's favour in recent years, and is part of a bigger picture of expanding Iranian influence that Washington wants to counter.

"Hezbollah will strengthen its presence more than at any previous time," a senior Lebanese official familiar with the group's thinking told Reuters. "Now it has two ministers. It will have three - and three party members, known leaders - as clear as the sun. Shi'ites," the senior official said.

The group, which has to date held only marginal cabinet posts, is also seeking more significant service-providing ministries in the new cabinet, according to the official and other sources familiar with Hezbollah thinking.

Any expansion of Hezbollah's role in government could pose new questions for Western policy in Lebanon.

The country has been a big recipient of aid to help it cope with 1 million Syrian refugees on its soil, and its military has been armed and trained by the United States, which deems Hezbollah a terrorist group.

Analysts expect the new government to expand ties with the Hezbollah-allied Syrian government that is shunned by the West.

That would further erode Lebanon's stated policy of regional neutrality that Beirut has claimed to uphold even with Hezbollah fighting in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The U.S. administration has made Hezbollah a target of its new policy to counter Iran after pulling out of the Iranian nuclear deal, a move welcomed by U.S. allies such as Saudi Arabia that view Iran and Hezbollah as a regional threat.

Story continues

While Hezbollah's arsenal has long made it the most powerful group in Lebanon, it has always limited its role in state institutions that are divided out among sectarian groups.

Hezbollah has in the past foregone some of the ministries to which it was entitled and ceded them to allies, the senior official said. This election marks a break with that approach, the official said, though Hezbollah is not seeking to dominate.

In the outgoing government, it held the ministries of youth and sport, and industry. A second senior source familiar with Hezbollah's thinking said the group was eyeing the ministries of public works, health, social affairs or telecoms.

These service-providing ministries could boost Hezbollah's political capital, analysts say.

In addition, Hezbollah believes one of its Sunni Muslim allies should be assigned a ministry to reflect gains they made at Hariri's expense in the election, the sources say.

Hezbollah is not seeking any of the so-called "sovereign" ministries - finance, interior, defence and foreign affairs. But it wants the finance ministry to remain with its close ally, the Shi'ite Amal Movement, the senior official said.

Graphic on Lebanon's new assembly - https://tmsnrt.rs/2IsdkeT

U.S. SAYS LEBANON'S POWER BALANCE NOT GOOD

Hezbollah, groups and individuals that support its possession of arms won at least 70 of parliament's 128 seats in the election. That was a reversal of Lebanon's last general election in 2009, when an anti-Hezbollah coalition led by Hariri and backed by Saudi Arabia won the majority.

Hariri's "March 14" coalition disintegrated after 2009. Saudi Arabia has turned its focus to countering Iran in other parts of the region since then, leaving Hariri weaker.

The collapse of his Saudi-based construction business hit the finances that had supported his Future Movement.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said this week that

Iran must end its support for Hezbollah as one of Washington's conditions for Tehran to avoid tough new sanctions.

Speaking to the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Pompeo said there were "certainly changes" in Lebanon's election but Washington assessed the "overall balance of power won't be materially changed as an outcome of that".

"That's good and bad. The existing balance of power is not a good one in its own right," he said.

He added that Washington should review its assistance, including to the Lebanese army, "to make sure that we're using American taxpayers' dollars right, and supporting the groups that can most likely achieve our outcome there".

The U.S. administration has issued new financial sanctions targeting the leadership of Hezbollah, which was set up by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982.

Lebanon's government has previously lobbied Washington to avoid sanctions that would hit its banking system as a whole.

Hariri has said the new sanctions may accelerate the formation of the new government.

But analysts see a tough time ahead in the cabinet talks, noting parliamentary gains by the staunchly anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces, which roughly doubled their representation to 15 MPs and wants a bigger slice of cabinet.

"It's difficult to see this process wrapped up quickly," Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center said.

(Additional reporting by Angus McDowall and Ellen Francis; editing by Mark Heinrich)Japan navy world war II battle of midway

AP Photo

The Battle of Midway is remembered as one of the greatest naval victories in American history.

The big moments  whether it was the heroic sacrifice of Torpedo Squadron 8 or dive bombers catching three Japanese carriers exposed and vulnerable  are well known. But those moments wouldn't have happened without a single undersea cable and a brilliant idea.

In the weeks before the Battle of Midway, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz was fighting his own battle  and it wasn't with the Japanese.

USS Yorktown, Battle of Midway

Wikimedia commons

Instead, it was against bureaucrats in Washington who were proving to be the bane of Nimitz's existence. With the attack on Pearl Harbor still fresh on everyone's mind, a fierce debate raged over a single question: Where will the Japanese strike next?

Nimitz needed to know the answer to this question for two reasons: One, the Pacific Fleet was outnumbered  big time. Two, he wanted the bureaucrats in Washington off his back. If he followed their advice and things went wrong (as in losing Midway and/or the carriers), he knew who'd take the heat  and it wasn't gonna be the folks in Washington. It was then that an intelligence officer, Jasper Holmes, came up with a plan.

Long before World War II, America laid an undersea cable to send messages across the ocean. Nimitz used this line to broadcast an unencrypted message, saying that the fresh-water condensers on the atoll were broken and they needed a shipment of H2O.

US Navy Yorktown aircraft carrier Midway Japan world war II

US Navy via AP

The hope was that the Japanese would pick that message up and pass it on. They did  and the Americans were listening in.

Surprisingly, the Japanese didn't give pause as to why such an operational vulnerability would be revealed via radio broadcast. Nimitz had the proof he needed that Midway was, indeed, the next Japanese objective.

The rest was history. One of America's greatest victories had come about because an American commander got the enemy to help him get Washington off his back.

Story continues

NOW WATCH: The wreckage of a World War II-era US warship that the Navy called the worst disaster at sea has been discovered

See Also:The missile that brought down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine four years ago was from a Russian military convoy, Dutch investigators have said.

Detailed analysis of video images has now established that the Buk missile which hit the plane came from a Russian-based military unit.

All 298 passengers and crew died when the plane came down over eastern Ukraine on 17 July 2014.

Wilbert Paulissen, of the Dutch National Police, said the missile was from the Russian military's 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade based in the city of Kursk.

The team recreated the route taken by the missile convoy from Kursk across the border using videos and images.

"All the vehicles in a convoy carrying the missile were part of the Russian armed forces," Mr Paulissen told a televised news conference.

He was speaking at a presentation of interim results of the long-running investigation into the downing of flight.

Russia's defence ministry said it had nothing to do with the downing of the jet.

The Russian military denied that any Russian missile complex had ever crossed the border between Russia and Ukraine, TASS news agency reported.

The Boeing 777 jet was heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when it was blown out of the sky.

Dutch investigators are focusing on some 100 people suspected of having played an "active role" in the incident, but they have not yet publicly named any of them.

Chief investigator Fred Westerbeke said the probe was now in its "last phase" but added there was "still work to be done".

Over the past years "we've gained a lot of proof and evidence but we are not ready yet" to move towards bringing charges, he told the news conference.

Dutch officials have announced that the trial of any suspects arrested in the shooting down of flight MH17 will be held in the Netherlands, under an agreement reached with the countries leading the joint probe.Debate rages whether or not Hillary Step has fallen off

Officials and climbers continue to argue whether or not an iconic chunk of Everest got dislodged during the 2015 earthquake. While the government maintains that Hillary Step-a rocky outcrop jutting out of the slopes of Everest just below the summit-remains intact, mountaineers who have been there say that it has fallen off.A Minnesota couple have tragically died while on a fishing trip in Iceland.

Brian Schumacher and Janet Veit of La Crescent, both 48, were fishing near Iceland's capital Reykjavik when one of them fell into freezing waters. Although there are conflicting reports, Veits sister Patrice posted on Facebook that it was Janet who fell in first.

Schumacher immediately jumped in to rescue his wife. Once the two were pulled from the water, other people on the boat attempted to resuscitate them. Despite these efforts, the couple died on Sunday night.

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Iceland fishing

Getty Images

According to Houston County News, Veit worked as a veterinarian at Hillside Animal Hospital and Schumacher was a lab technician for Gundersen Health System. There fishing trip was at ingvallavatn lake, one hour east of Reykjavik.

In a world of wonderful people, Janet and Brian were pretty near the top, Patrice Veit wrote on Facebook. They loved their families, their friends, their colleagues, their dogs and cats, and most importantly, each other. Please keep them in your hearts today and in the future. Be kind to those you meet, as they would. Peace to you all.

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The pair had recently taken up fly-fishing as a hobby and were contributors to the Minnesota Trout Unlimited page on Facebook. A tribute was shared by the group.

It is with great sadness that was pass along that fishing guide Brian Schumacher of the Driftless Fly Fishing Company and his wife Janet Veit passed away unexpectedly in an accident on a fishing trip in Iceland yesterday, the post reads.

Brian and Janets photography of trout and the waters of SE Minnesota will continue to highlight their love of the Driftless and all waters in the years to come.

Iceland and the United States are still arranging for the couples bodies to be transported back home. Funeral plans will be put on hold until an agreement is in place.

Story continues

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekA Royal Navy tug which supported Atlantic convoys during the Second World War has been found on the seabed, 74 years after its mysterious sinking.

The remains of the Empire Wold were found by a survey vessel operated by the Icelandic coastguard in Faxa Bay, not far from the capital Reykjavik.

The boat disappeared in 1944 while on its way to assist the Shirvan, a tanker which had been attacked off Iceland by a German U-boat.

Some historians believed the Empire Wold had also fallen victim to Germany's U-300.

But when the U-300 was itself sunk off Gibraltar and its crew interrogated, they were adamant they had not sunk the tug.

The Icelandic coastguard initially came across what looked like the outline of tug using sonar, but were quickly able to identify it as a wreck by sending down minisubs.

Once one of the subs went down with an onboard camera, they found out the name of the ship and set about investigating what happened to it.

An extensive survey of the sunken vessel found no sign of an explosion and after examining weather reports from the night it went down, the research team concluded it had probably foundered in heavy seas and high winds.

Some 16 sailors were lost as a result of the sinking - seven Royal Navy seamen and nine Merchant Navy personnel.

Among them was second engineer Oswin 'Happy Harry' Green, who was married to an Icelandic woman and had a nine-month-old daughter at the time of his death.

His widow, Maria Elisabet Frederiksen, still lives in Iceland at the age of 94, after raising the daughter Thorunn Elisabet Green.

Ms Green told Iceland's national broadcaster RUV she was shocked when she found out the tug had been located after so long, but she was relieved it had not been attacked as she had feared.

"Naturally, I didn't mind [being told]. You really don't expect to get such news," she said.

"I'm just happy to hear that [it wasn't attacked]. I feel better than [I would have done if] they had been attacked. It's a terrible thought."

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Gwennie Wilson, whose brother was on the ship, posted on the Navy News Facebook page that the discovery had helped give her closure.

She wrote: "My only brother 'sonny' w.j.Jewiss was lost to us on board the Empire Wold. Still to today miss him, and this story broke my heart, but at this same time has given a closure.

"As to what happen to a dear brother... rest in peace sonny, with your brave brave crew mates... Gwennie x"

According to the Thames Tugs website, several London-owned or managed tugs were based in Reykjavik during the Second World War, to assist with the convoys.

The Icelandic capital was an essential staging post for the hundreds of ships that were making daily Atlantic crossings from the US to the UK bringing food and arms.

The Battle of the Atlantic, as the fight to keep the convoys moving was known, led to the deaths of more than 100,000 sailors on both sides.

The 107ft, 269-ton Empire Wold had been built and launched in Sunderland in 1942, one of the Empire ships built or requisitioned by the British government to take part in the war effort - of which the Empire Windrush was probably the most famous.

The wreck is now protected by law because it is the last resting place of Royal Navy sailors and its precise location is not being revealed by the Icelandic authorities.Our names change how others perceive our personality, with women more likely to be judged as incompetent, according to a new study.

Participants of the study carried out at Syracuse University in New York were asked to consider the personalities of 400 people with names popular over the past 70 years, the New Scientist reported.

The team asked 500 college students from four regions of the U.S. to imagine they were about to meet a person with a specific name and to describe how competent, warm or old they might be.

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On average, the results published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin showed that female names were associated with warmth but not competence. Such names included Hannah, Melody and Mia, lead researcher professor Leonard Newman told New Scientist.

On the contrary, people with names like Howard, Lawrence and Reginald were seen as less warm but with higher levels of competence. Some names were also associated with age and youth, such as Betty versus Britney.

The results could have implications for past studies about hypothetical situations that draw their findings from attitudes toward fictional characters, according to the authors. For instance, one famous 1960s experiment which showed that identical essays named John and Joan would see the latter score worse. Newman suggested this could be due to gender bias, or perhaps because Joan is associated with age. Existing research could be re-evaluated by taking these new findings into account.

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Previous studies have suggested that this form of bias extends far out of the context of psychological studies, and could cause individuals with non-Western European names to suffer when applying for jobs.

A 2016 study by researchers at Harvard University found that prospective employers were more than twice as likely to call minority applicants for face-to-face interviews if their resumes omitted details that revealed a non-European background.

Story continues

Katherine A. DeCelles, professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, who co-authored the study, said in a statement at the time: Discrimination still exists in the workplace. Organizations now have an opportunity to recognize this issue as a pinch point, so they can do something about it.

The study published in Administrative Science Quarterly saw researchers construct resumes for black and Asian applicants and entered them for 1,600 entry-level jobs in 16 metropolitan areas of the U.S. A quarter of black candidates with whitened resumes received a callback, compared with 10 percent when their ethnicity was more obvious. For Asians, just over a fifth received responses, compared with the 11.5 percent who heard back with ethnic resumes.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekNorth Korea nuclear test

AP

North Korea this week is expected to close its underground nuclear testing site before a crowd of foreign journalists.

By inviting journalists to cover the event, North Korea is showing good will before a summit between Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump.

But the destruction of the test site leaves a lot to be desired, and it's unclear whether this move will gain North Korea any support in coming talks.

North Korea gathered up some 30 foreign journalists on Wednesday morning for a trip to a mountain where it carried out a massive nuclear test in September  but this time, North Korea will be closing the site down.

Journalists from the US, the UK, Russia, China, and South Korea gathered in Wonsan, North Korea, on Wednesday before being told to ship out to the test site.

Journalists were not allowed to bring their phones or equipment to test the radiation levels around the site  a serious concern as the last nuclear test reportedly reshaped the mountain and may have leaked some radioactive material.

While the destruction of the test site is meant as a show of good will, it has been done in a particularly authoritarian way. South Korean journalists had been excluded from the trip until the last minute in protest over a US-South Korean military drill.

Additionally, the destruction of the underground nuclear site doesn't meet US or international standards for verifiable or complete denuclearization.

North Korea plans to collapse access tunnels to the site, but it can always build more tunnels, dig the tunnels back out again, or test somewhere else.

And if North Korea truly has completed its nuclear program, as it says it has, then it no longer needs an active test site anyway. The US has maintained nuclear weapons without testing them for decades.

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See Also:British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson reportedly took a prank call (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Boris Johnson reportedly held an 18-minute phone call with a prankster who claimed to be the Armenian Prime Minister.

A recording of the call was released on YouTube earlier today, and sees Mr Johnson talking about Vladimir Putin, Russia and the ongoing fallout of the Salisbury poisoning.

Mr Johnson began the conversation by congratulating the hoaxer very sincerely on your remarkable success, seemingly believing that he was talking to newly-elected Armenian leader Nikol Pashinyan.

But after offering a message of support, the call soon turned to the thorny issue of the UKs relations with Russia.

Im afraid that Russia seems to be unable to resist malign activity of one kind or another, he is heard to say.

Mr Johnson also appears to laugh when the hoaxer claims that he is holding a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and hoped he will not poison me with Novichok.

The audio recording was released earlier today on a YouTube channel that names renowned pranksters known as Vovan and Lexus as the two masterminds.

The phone call also saw Mr Johnson reiterating that he was like almost 100% sure that Russia was behind the Salisbury poisoning.

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A Foreign Office spokesperson said: The foreign secretary realised it was a hoax, and ended the call.

We checked it out and knew immediately it was a prank call.

The use of chemical weapons in Salisbury and Syria, and recent events in Armenia are serious matters.

These childish actions show the lack of seriousness of the caller and those behind him.GENEVA (AP)  The World Health Organization's regional director for Africa says the agency is accelerating efforts with nine countries neighboring Congo to try to prevent the spread of the current Ebola outbreak beyond its borders.

Matshidiso Moeti says teams are being deployed to assess preparedness and "immediate next steps" include boosting capacity-building, training and resource mobilization.

The top two priority countries are Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo, near the epicenter of the outbreak. In the Republic of Congo, for example, WHO is working with government officials "to stop functioning" an active market on its side of the Congo River.

Moeti told a World Health Assembly session Wednesday the nine countries "have already initiated their readiness activities." The others are Angola, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.

See Also:How might the UK take back control of its borders without making the border in Ireland any harder. One proposal on the table is maximum facilitation (max fac). This approach does not avoid the creation of a customs border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland but rather aims to make the border as invisible and frictionless as possible through the use of technology. This includes electronic customs registration, unobtrusive screening techniques and even the technology behind Bitcoin.

But the application of technology cannot sugarcoat the fact that being outside the customs union will have a material impact on the Irish border. Such an impact jars with the UK governments commitment that the Irish border would have no physical infrastructure or related checks or controls. For it is absolutely clear what a UK-EU customs border would mean. Goods moving between the two would be subject to customs supervision and this means checks and controls.

Electronic customs

Custom authorities around the world are keen to find technological means of improving efficiency. Paper forms have steadily been replaced by electronic customs declarations, which can be submitted more easily and enable quicker movement between different customs zones. For this reason, both the UK and the EU are in the process of creating fully electronic customs systems.

Singapore has just revealed the worlds first blockchain-based platform for electronic certificates of origin (eCOs). Blockchain is a way of recording transactions on a decentralised public register thats very hard to tamper with, and is the technology behind bitcoin. Verification of eCOs through a private blockchain network helps prevent fraud and alterations of certificates of origin. This could address one issue that the UK and the EU face.

But this doesnt go anywhere near resolving the risk of customs fraud on the Irish border. The difficulty of policing this border was exploited by smugglers even when it was heavily securitised.

Story continues

More fundamentally, any solution would have to address the historical, economic and geographical realities of the Irish border, as well as its political and social significance.

Read more: The Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland at 20  The Anthill podcast

Gathering Information

The effectiveness of maximum facilitation in customs enforcement stands or falls on the scale and quality of the information the systems receive. This type of border control requires operators and travellers to pre-register for customs checks and constantly disclose accurate information to all relevant parties.

When vehicles pass through approved crossings, officials can track the progress of registered vehicles (albeit without knowledge of what they are carrying). If used on a mass scale, big data can be be used to identify patterns of suspicious activity.

It is also possible to gather information that is not willingly  nor wittingly  submitted by those crossing the border. Sensors buried in the ground or micro synthetic aperture radar on drones in the air could detect unexpected vehicle movement across a border.

Such technology may have its uses in unpopulated, inhospitable plains where border crossings are almost automatically suspect. But as a means of monitoring a border that is literally criss-crossed with small roads and straddled by farms, households and parishes, it is as redundant as it is offensive.

Just think how the residents of Dover or Holyhead would respond to the idea of being constantly surveilled by drones or mobile phone tracing. Those in the Irish border region have recent experience of close surveillance and border controls. Twenty years on from the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement, the negative consequences of militarised security at the Irish border remain evident: economically, socially and politically.

It is absolutely critical to appreciate that the achievement of a porous, unmonitored Irish border is a much-cherished sign of the peace process. Hence the promise to avoid a hard border.

Checking goods

Another concern about customs checks is the question of how these might occur. Goods container inspections require physical infrastructure and human resources. Experience on the Irish border shows that routine customs inspections can escalate into serious operations requiring security protection. Politicians hope technology can alleviate this.

There have been steady advances in non intrusive screening techniques. Vapour analysis using whats known as neutron-activated spectroscopy could enable customs to detect the presence of certain chemical compounds. Gamma ray scanning can be used to give a type of x-ray image of what is inside a container, while Muon tomography can help customs assess the volume and location of contents in a container.

But these technologies are very expensive and impractical. They are designed for a particular task, such as detecting a specific type of contraband, and are neither speedy nor invisible.

Human checks on goods will remain critical to customs supervision. At the very least this will require warehouses large enough to inspect freight. Locating them away from the border does not mean no border controls, only less effective ones. For the further from the border these are located, the greater the opportunity for cargo to be swapped or stolen.

Sugar coating the real problem

Maximum facilitation can do no more than its name suggests  facilitate customs procedures. It cannot end the need for customs checks. In fact, it relies upon them.

The more hidden the technology monitoring a customs border is, the greater the need for surveillance and data capture. Movements, transactions and communications across the Irish border are a precious part of everyday life for so many in Ireland, north and south. To gather data on such movements, transactions and communications for the purpose of enforcing a customs border that no one in Northern Ireland wishes to see is hardly a viable (let alone democratic) solution.

Max fac could certainly conjure up more efficient and surreptitious border controls than have previously existed between the UK and Ireland. But the sugar-coating of technology would hardly last long before the bitter reality of enforcing a UK-EU customs border in Ireland was revealed.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

The Conversation

Katy Hayward receives funding from SSHRC (Canada) 'Borders in Globalization' project. Research contributing to this article was funded through the ESRC project TRUST Tracing Risk and Uncertainty in Security Technology (ES/K011332/1).BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai police raided four Buddhist temples on Thursday, arresting several prominent monks and worshippers in the year's biggest such operation amid a crackdown on illegal financial dealings by temples.

The raids are the military government's latest bid to reform Buddhism, which is followed by more than 90 percent of Thailand's population of 69 million, but whose image has been tarnished by money and sex scandals involving monks.

"This is the investigation stage... it will all come down to facts and evidence," police official Thitiraj Nhongharnpitak, of the Central Investigation Bureau, which is investigating the monks, told reporters.

More than 100 police commandos raided four temples in Bangkok, the capital, and the adjacent central province of Nakhon Pathom, in the early hours of Thursday.

Among those arrested was Phra Buddha Issara, 62, an activist monk who led street protests in 2014 and launched a campaign to clean up Buddhism, but gained enemies by publicly naming other religious leaders he accused of wrongdoing.

Buddha Issara was formally stripped of his position as a monk and sent to Bangkok remand prison to await trial on charges of robbery, forgery, and illegal detention of officials during the protests, his lawyer, Theerayuth Suwankaesorn, told Reuters.

Phra Phrom Dilok, 72, a member of the Sangha Supreme Council, which governs Buddhist monks in Thailand, was also arrested over alleged embezzlement of temple funds, police said.

Two other senior monks, Phra Sri Khunaporn and Phra Wichit Thammaporn, both assistant abbots of Bangkok's Golden Mount temple, were also arrested over alleged embezzlement, they added.

Representatives of the three monks did not immediately respond to Reuters' telephone calls to seek comment.

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said the arrests were about getting to the bottom of the allegations.

"This is part of the investigation," Prawit said.

Story continues

Thailand's temples, which earn billions of dollars every year from donations, have been embroiled in scandals ranging from murder, sex and drugs to shady financial dealings.

Under pressure from the junta, Thailand's body of Buddhist monks has been trying to clean up its own act since last year, by enforcing tougher discipline for more than 300,000 monks.

The military took power in a 2014 coup it said was needed to restore order after months of anti-government protests, and has promised to hold elections next year, despite postponing the date several times.

Buddhist monks are highly respected in Thailand and taking action against them was historically considered taboo. But recent scandals have forced authorities to rethink how they handle allegations against Buddhist religious leaders.

(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um, Panarat Thepgumpanat, and Aukkarapon Niyomyat; Editing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Clarence Fernandez)BANGKOK (AP)  The Thai government has chosen to allow continued use of the toxic weed killer paraquat and two other farm chemicals despite mounting concerns over health risks, especially for farmers.

However, a Ministry of Industry official said Wednesday that the government will tighten restrictions on use of the chemicals: the herbicides paraquat and glyphosate and an insecticide, chlorpyrifos.

Environmental advocates have urged the ministry's Hazardous Substance Committee to ban paraquat out of concern over various risks to health, especially for farmers who use it in unsafe concentrations and without adequate protective gear.

Paraquat is the main ingredient in Swiss-based Syngenta AG's Gramoxone  one of the world's three most widely used weedkillers  but it also is sold under other brand names. More than 30 countries have banned its use.

See Also:Federalism is in crisis: SSFN Chair Yadav

Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal (SSFN) Chairman Upendra Yadav has said Nepals federalism is in crisis and accused the federal government of trying to weaken the federalism.FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during an 'Unleashing American Energy' event at the Department of Energy in Washington, U.S., June 29, 2017. To match Special Report USA-NUKES/PLUTONIUM REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Thomson Reuters

By Jarrett Renshaw

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Top officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the departments of Energy and Agriculture plan to meet on Thursday to hammer out details of President Donald Trump's planned changes to the nation's biofuel laws, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The meeting marks the latest in a string of high-level talks among Trump administration officials seeking ways to help merchant refiners like Valero Energy Corp reduce the costs of complying with the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard without hurting farmers in the nation's heartland.

Trump has told some lawmakers he wants to do so by expanding sales of higher-ethanol gasoline blends, counting ethanol exports toward mandated biofuels volumes and scaling back the number of waivers that the EPA can provide to small refiners to free them from the regulation - a set of proposals that includes concessions to both sides.

The White House was expected to release the plan last week but was delayed, the sources said, and Thursday's meeting is expected to focus on hashing out any remaining legal and political obstacles to the proposals.

The meeting will include EPA Deputy Administrator Andrew Wheeler, Energy Department Deputy Secretary Dan Brouillette and Agriculture Department Deputy Secretary Stephen Censky, the sources said. Whether EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, Agricultural Secretary Sonny Perdue or Energy Secretary Rick Perry will attend is unclear.

White House spokeswoman Kelly Love, EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox, Agriculture Department spokesman Jake Wilkins and Energy Department spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes did not respond to a request for comment.

The RFS requires refiners to blend increasing amounts of corn-based ethanol or other biofuels into the nation's fuel each year, and prove compliance by handing in blending credits that can be either earned or purchased.

The regulation has created a 15 billion gallon annual market for ethanol, a major boon to the corn industry, but has also angered refiners, which say that the policy costs them hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

Story continues

In recent months, the EPA has granted more than two dozen exemptions from the regulation to small refineries to help the refining industry cope with the costs - about triple the typical level under past administrations - infuriating the corn lobby which claims the waivers hurt ethanol demand.

Cutting the waiver program back is a key demand of the biofuels industry.

The proposal to allow ethanol exports to qualify for credits under the RFS, meanwhile, has been welcomed by refiners as a means of reducing compliance costs but has drawn criticism from the powerful corn lobby, which fears that it amounts to a subsidy and will trigger a trade war.

Conversely, expanding the sales of higher-ethanol blends of gasoline known as E15 during the summer months is seen as a big win for the biofuel industry and a setback for refiners - because it will boost seasonal demand for corn and displace petroleum in Americans' gas tanks.

Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa said she was eager to see that change implemented: "Pruitt has been dragging his feet, she said in a statement Wednesday.

(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw)

See Also:Earthport's previous chief executive Hank Uberoi stood down from the role in December to become the firm's executive chairman in order to "fully focus on a growing number of strategic opportunities and partnerships", beginning the search beginning for the firm's new head of daily operations.

Phil Hickman, who took over from Uberoi on an interim basis in January, will return to his previous role as non-executive chairman on 1 July when Mesler, a 25-year industry veteran, will take the reins.

Uberoi said, "We are delighted to have such a talented and experienced global technology leader as Amanda join us to guide Earthport in the next stage of its growth. Everyone on the management team and board is excited to welcome her as CEO."

Mesler added, "The scale of the opportunity at Earthport is substantial and I am confident that my experience, working for a wide variety of businesses within the technology and fintech sectors, will help the Company reach its true potential as a leading global payments network."

With traditional cross-border payments seen by some as unpredictable in speed and price, Earthport says its technology and payment network of 65-plus countries allows direct access to local banks where payments are being sent, which is designed to cut down on complexity and fees and improve visibility.

As of 1130 BST, Earthport share had dipped 0.18% to 9.24p.Early cancer detection firm Oncimmune Holdings announced on Thursday that it has signed two exclusive agreements for distribution of its EarlyCDT-Lung test in Brazil and Colombia, and Moldova.

The agreement covering Brazil and Colombia with Valentech International is for a term of five years, includes minimum sales commitments of 3m over the term of the contract, with first sales expected in Q1 2019.

Brazil has 22m smokers out of a total population of 207m and AIM traded company Oncimmune said it hopes to reduce the countrys nearly 24,000 annual lung cancer deaths with the EarlyCDT-Lung screening tool.

The technology will also be received by physicians in Colombia where lung cancer occurs among 6.2% of smokers.

Meanwhile, the agreement in Moldova, a relatively small market with just 1 million smokers, is for an initial term of three years and includes minimum sales commitments of 0.2m over the term of the contract with first sales expected in Q3 2018.

Geoffrey Hamilton-Fairley, chief executive of Oncimmune, said: We are delighted to sign our first distribution agreement in the South America region with Valentech. The agreement in Moldova is our sixth in Europe and now brings our total minimum committed revenues of 2.2 million over the next three years.

The company said its total minimum global minimum committed revenues including Europe, Asia Pacific and South America, now totals 26.8m over the next six years.

We are well positioned to deliver further distribution deals across the globe in line with our strategy to generate revenues from our platform technology through multiple products, regions and partners, said Hamilton-Fairley.

As of 1120 BST, Oncimmune Holdings shares were up 3.66% at 127.50p.Exploration and development company Thor Mining welcomed the inclusion of tungsten on the US department of the interiors list of critical minerals.

Tungsten had been under consideration for the list for months and its inclusion is important for Thor as the resource is the primary resource material at the AIM traded firm's wholly-owned Pilot Mountain project in Nevada, which also contains copper and silver.

Mick Billing, chairman of Thor Mining, said: "With Pilot Mountain situated in the State of Nevada, a longstanding mining jurisdiction, and in the secure operating environment of the United States, we have an excellent environment in which to develop this project. Moreover the size and scalability of Pilot Mountain; the opportunity the project provides to create real jobs and additional economic prosperity in-country."

Thor said the opportunity will help the company to create jobs and add to the economic prosperity of the surrounding area.

The company also said that early indications from an internal scoping study suggest it should concentrate on the potential to develop an open-cut mining operation at Pilot Mountains Desert Scheelite deposit with the aim of achieving the creation of at least a medium term mining life.

The deposits indicated and inferred resource from May 2017 comprises 9.9m tonnes at 0.26% WO3 (tungsten trioxide), 0.14% copper, and 19.4g/t silver.

Billing said: "As we have expressed previously, the company is engaged in third party discussions with regard to its key tungsten projects and that interest is intensifying. We are balancing the need to make technical project progress with the obvious advantage of securing third party project level interest, whether that be project interest disposal, joint venture arrangements or off-take agreements."

As of 1606 BST, Thor Minings shares were up 13.66% at 2.33p.Theresa May is set to ask the European Union for an extension of the Brexit transition period until 2023, according to reports.

The Prime Minister is thought to be preparing to make the request in order to avoid the hard border in Ireland and give businesses enough time to adapt, even though the plan faces criticism from Tory Brexiteers who prefer the max-fac divorce scheme.

Downing Street has not made a formal proposal yet, The Times reported, with opposition expected from the EU and UK Brexit-supporters within the government. A government source denied the report, telling Reuters on Thursday morning that both Britain and the EU were absolutely clear on the transition period ending in December 2020.

Business Secretary Greg Clark also admitted to BBC that Britain is considering the extension to save British jobs which are at the front of the governments priorities: It wouldn't be a question of extending the transition. It would be, as it were, implementing as soon as you can do: there will be different parts that can be done immediately. There will be things that will take more time.

Brexiter backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg dismissed the option as Project Fear and said the clean break from the EU would have no impact on productivity: "This Project Fear has been so thoroughly discredited that you would have thought it would have come to an end by now. We trade successfully all over the world. The delays on goods coming into Southampton are tiny.

"We will have control of goods coming into this country; we will set our own laws, our own policies, our own regulations, and, therefore, we will determine how efficient the border is coming into us, he added.

According to the head of HMRC the maximum facilitation or max-fac option preferred by Rees-Mogg and other Brexiters, could result in a 20bn hit a year for UK businesses.

The model relies on technology and trader schemes that reduce border checks but it will be more expensive than remaining aligned with the EU which would be almost cost-free.

Head of HMRC Jon Thompson told MPs on Wednesday the max-fac option would force companies to pay customs declarations at 32.50 a time and also similar charges on the EU side of the border.

So you need to think about the highly streamlined customs arrangement costing businesses somewhere in the late teens of billions of pounds, somewhere between 17bn and 20bn. The primary driver here is the fact that there are customs declarations, he said.French President Emmanuel Macron addressed an audience at the Vivatech conference in Paris and accused the US of not being tough enough on tech firms, saying its regulatory regime was insufficient to make them "politically accountable".

Sitting in the audience was Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg who had to answer to the European Union earlier this week after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, where millions of users' data was leaked and used to manipulate the 2016 US presidential contest.

Macron claims that although the US model of 'light touch' regulation is good for start-ups and innovation, it's necessary to regulate larger films which wield significant influence over the public.

He also criticised the wide gap which existed between European and US regulations.

Although US officials grilled Zuckerberg over the scandal in March, they had not proposed a new set of new rules to prevent the incident from happening again, on the other hand the EU is set to put in place the harshest privacy rules in the world to date (the GDPR).

The French president said, "For me, the U.S. model is not sustainable because theres no political accountability. On the other side, you have a very strong Chinese model. But this model has not the same values as the ones we have. It is over-centralized."The US commerce department announced a new investigation into the automobile sectors imports that could result in new US tariffs on European and Asian products.

Commerce secretary Wilbur Ross said there is enough evidence that suggests that for decades the imports from abroad have eroded the US domestic auto industry.

This new move in President Trumps America First plan can be added to the 25% tariffs on steel and 10% tariffs on aluminium that started the trade tensions between the US, Europe and Asia.

Shares in BMW (down 2.63%), Daimler (-2%), Volkswagen (-1.6%), Porsche (-2.73%), Audi (-4%), Ferrari (-0.65%) and Peugeot (-0.58%) were affected over the potential impact of US tariffs.

German car-makers could suffer the most from the potential tariffs since BMW and Mercedes sell 15% of all their production on US soil. In the case of Audi, the percentage drops to 12% and in the Volkswagen, to 5%.

Concerns hit Asian carmakers, Toyota (-3%), Honda (-3%) and Nissan (-2%) listed falls in the Nikkei index, in addition to the falls of Hyundai (- 3%) and Kia (-3%) in the South Korean KRX.

On the other hand, American companies such as Tesla, General Motors and Ford, which will not be affected by the potential US tariffs. All of them rebound close to 1% in pre-market trading.European equities finished sharply after the US administration called of a planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un which had been planned for early June.

In a letter addressed to Kim, President Donald Trump cited "the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement" as the reason why the US decided to opt out.

Earlier during the session, a top North Korea official had criticised Mike Pence's remarks, from Monday, in which the US vice-president reiterated that the North Korean government might end up like that of Libyan leader Muammar el-Qaddafi, adding that America could choose between the summit or a nuclear showdown.

Those comments from North Korea followed others, made during the previous week, in which Pyongyang's stance had reportedly appeared to harden with respects to the possibility of it completely scrapping its nuclear deterrent.

Financial markets had already been trading on the back foot prior to the decision taken by the White House following a report in the Journal according to which the Trump administration was considering imposing new tariffs on vehicle and auto-parts imports of as high as 25%.

Against that backdrop, by the close of trading the benchmark Stoxx 600 was down by 0.52% or 2.04 points to 390.54, alongside a fall of 0.94% or 121.75 points to 12,855.09 for the German Dax and a retreat of -0.71% or 162.63 points to 22,749.08 for the FTSE Mibtel.

"Germany's benchmark DAX had been flat most of the afternoon, caught between the tailwind of a more dovish Federal Reserve and the headwind of possible US tariffs on European auto parts," explained Jasper Lawler, head of research at LCG.

"It was only when US President doubled-down on the political uncertainty by cancelling his planned meeting with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un that European indices turned lower."

As investors sought refuge from the selling, even longer-term Italian government bonds found a small bid.

On the economic front, the minutes of the European Central Bank's last policy meeting showed that policymakers believed the recent slowdown in growth was mostly due to temporary factors, while underlying price pressures were still weak.

But analysts at Barclays Research believed the June meeting of the ECB's Governing Council was likely to be "lively".

To back up their claim, they pointed to the recent downside surprises in economic data at the start of the second quarter, the risks to financial stability on the back of recent events in Italy, and likely upwards pressures on prices.

Earlier, Germany's Ministry of Finance confirmed that the country's GDP expanded at a 0.3% quarter-on-quarter clip over the three months to the end of March.

In other data, GfK reported that the country's consumer confidence index slipped from a print of 10.8 for May to 10.7 in June.European equities are sliding after the US administration called of a planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un which had been planned for early June.

In a letter addressed to Kim, President Donald Trump cited "the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement" as the reason why the US decided to opt out.

Earlier during the session, a top North Korea official had criticised Mike Pence's remarks, from Monday, in which the US vice-president reiterated that the North Korean government might end up like that of Libyan leader Muammar el-Qaddafi.

Financial markets had already been trading on the back foot prior to the decision taken by the White House following a report in the Journal according to which the Trump administration was considering imposing new tariffs on vehicle and auto-parts imports of as high as 25%.

Against that backdrop, as of 1515 BST, the benchmark Stoxx 600 was slipping 0.34% or 1.32 points to 391.23, alongside a fall of 0.77% or 99.69 points to 12,877.37 in the German Dax and a retreat of -0.71% or 162.26 points to 22,742.68 for the FTSE Mibtel.

"Germany's benchmark DAX had been flat most of the afternoon, caught between the tailwind of a more dovish Federal Reserve and the headwind of possible US tariffs on European auto parts," explained Jasper Lawler, head of research at LCG.

"It was only when US President doubled-down on the political uncertainty by cancelling his planned meeting with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un that European indices turned lower."

From a sector standpoint, the Stoxx 600's Auto & Parts sector gauge was weakest, falling 2.50% to 620.15.

As investors sought refuge from the selling, even longer-term Italian government bonds were bid higher.

On the economic front, the minutes of the European Central Bank's last policy meeting showed that policymakers believed the recent slowdown in growth was mostly due to temporary factors, while underlying price pressures were still weak.

But analysts at Barclays Research believed the June meeting of the ECB's Governing Council was likely to be "lively".

To back up their claim, they pointed to the recent downside surprises in economic data at the start of the second quarter, the risks to financial stability on the back of recent events in Italy, and likely upwards pressures on prices.

Earlier, Germany's Ministry of Finance confirmed that the country's GDP expanded at a 0.3% quarter-on-quarter clip over the three months to the end of March.

In other data, GfK reported that the country's consumer confidence index slipped from a print of 10.8 for May to 10.7 in June.KMC to start digital parking

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) plans to launch digital parking service in New Road area and Durbarmarg within four months.Ibstock said the start of its financial year was slower than expected as the brick maker was affected by extreme late-winter weather.

In a trading statement on the first four months of 2018 before its annual general meeting the company said its US business was also affected by bad weather in the first quarter. Its shares fell 5.6% to 276.20p at 09:47 BST.

The FTSE 250 company, which had not updated investors since reporting solid trading in early March, said business was now picking up.

Ibstock is the latest company to be hit by the so-called Beast from the East  the Siberian weather system that brought snow, strong winds and freezing temperatures to the UK in late March. The construction industry was hit hard, suffering its steepest drop in activity since the May 2016 Brexit vote.

Ibstock said: After a slower than expected start to the year for our brick and concrete businesses in the UK, which largely reflects an extended winter season, volumes have begun to return to more normal levels over recent weeks.

The company said market fundamentals in the UK were solid and that demand for new housing would support its business. Prices of its products have risen though the cost of energy has been higher than expected.

The board expects another year of progress for the group, albeit with performance expected to be weighted towards the second half, Ibstock said.

Shares in the company fell 6% to 275p on Thursday morning.

The slow start to the year is only part of the reason why Ibstock shares trade lower, said analyst Mike van Dulken at Accendo Markets.

"Firstly, Ibstock says price rises are in-line with expectations. So housebuilders are already facing higher input costs for rather important materials to house construction. Secondly, Ibstock highlights Energy costs higher than expected, and likely to continue for the rest of the year. Assuming these costs have to be passed on, in order to protect margins, this means Housebuilders may be facing even more and continued price rises."

This was not good news for the sector, van Dulken said, with UK house price data softening amid consumer uncertainty linked to the "twin threat of BoE rate rises and muddled Brexit negotiating".

While the housing market fundamental demand may well remain strong, he questioned if the same can be said of the outlook for housebuilder profit margins, suggesting it was "only if house prices rise and/or costs stay manageable".B&Q and Screwfix owner Kingfisher was hammered by bad weather in February and March, with like-for-like sales down 4% but management still confident about the underlying turnaround of the business.

Chief executive Veronique Laury said the group continued to see tangible effects of her One Kingfisher plan, with around 40% of product ranges unified across the UK, France and Europe and gross margins consequently on the up.

"Sales of these ranges, excluding outdoor products, are up, and we expect to grow the full year group gross margin, after clearance costs," she said.

Sales elsewhere saw a considerable impact on weather related categories and temporary UK store closures, with a 3-4% impact at group level, with around a 6% fall for B&Q, 2% on Screwfix and 4% for Castorama France.

Total group sales of 2.83bn were down 1.2% at the reported level or 2.5% lower if taking out the benefits of currency swings. At the LFL level UK sales declined 5.4%, with B&Q down 9% and Screwfix seeing its lowest growth for some time of only 3.6%, with France down 3.9% and the rest of Europe falling 0.5% despite growth in Poland, Germany and Romania.

Laury said Kingfisher was still on track to deliver the third year of strategic milestones from the transformation plan, including the final year of the unified IT platform roll-out into Poland and France's Brico Depot due to start soon.

"Market conditions continue to be mixed. The UK is uncertain, as demonstrated by recent weak retail sales data; France is encouraging, but volatile; whilst Poland continues to be supportive," she added.

"We remain confident about delivering the business and customer benefits of our transformation plan, supported by the continued hard work and expertise of our colleagues."Theresa May will ask the European Union for a second Brexit transition period to run until 2023 to avoid a hard border in Ireland. Britain will propose another transition covering customs and trade that will follow the period already agreed, scheduled to last until the end of 2020. - The Times

The post-Brexit customs model favoured by Boris Johnson, Liam Fox and Michael Gove could cost business as much as 20bn a year, the head of HMRC has said, a verdict that delivers a huge blow to the Brexiters hopes of a complete departure from the customs union. Jon Thompson told the Treasury select committee that their preferred max-fac model, which relies on technology and trusted trader schemes to minimise border checks, would be substantially more expensive than the alternative. - Guardian

The Trump administration has launched a national security investigation into car and truck imports that could lead to new US tariffs similar to those imposed on imported steel and aluminium in March. The commerce department said the investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 would investigate whether vehicle and parts imports were threatening the industrys health and ability to research and develop new, advanced technologies. - Guardian

A rift has emerged at the top of Barclays between its chief executive and chairman after speculation that the bank is considering a bid for Standard Chartered to create a global financial giant worth more than 60 billion. John McFarlane, Barclays chairman, is understood to have explored a bid for the emerging markets-focused bank and held informal conversations about it. - The Times

Income tax will have to go up by 10p in the pound within 15 years to pay for long-term improvement in the NHS, a study says today. Health spending must increase from 154 billion today to 249 billion in 2034, or 3.3 per cent a year, just to maintain the level of service at present, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). - The Times

Bovis Homes has suffered a sizeable shareholder revolt over the pay package it awarded its interim chief executive for fighting off two hostile takeover bids and steadying the business after a scandal over badly built homes. At the housebuilders annual meeting at the Spa Hotel in Tunbridge Wells, 37.6% of shareholders voted against the Bovis remuneration report but it was passed with the backing of 62.4% of investors. - Guardian

Britain is poised to demand the EU repays up to a 1 billion if the bloc continues to force British companies out of the Galileo satellite navigation system. Whitehall sources said that the The Department for Exiting the Union will on Thursday publish an uncompromising paper on the Galileo project that will now raise the prospect of Britain recovering its investment in the project. - Telegraph

Uber is to shut down its self-driving car programme in Arizona after one of its cars killed a pedestrian there in March. The company will focus its research efforts on Pittsburgh, where a number of AI car projects, including Fords Argo AI program and Googles Waymo, are centred. Uber will also continue to test in San Francisco, where the company has its headquarters. - Guardian

Takeaway website Just Eat has enlisted former Dragons Den star Sarah Willingham to offer help and advice to the 29,000 restaurants signed up to its service. The takeaway website reckons that more than half of these businesses could increase their sales by 5pc  or 1.1bn in aggregate  by 2023, boosting the countrys economy and creating 55,000 jobs, with a bit of help. - Telegraph

An intensive pig farm that supplies Tesco and other leading retailers is being investigated over allegations of cruelty after workers were secretly filmed kicking and beating terrified animals. The video shows shocking scenes of animal abuse at Fir Tree pig farm in Lincolnshire, where about 10,000 pigs spend their entire lives indoors. - The Times

The Saudi-led blockade of Qatar risks setting a precedent that could spread to other parts of the world including Europe, the boss of Qatar Airways warned. Akbar Al Baker said the illegal sanctions, which the Saudis claim are a reaction to Qatars alleged support for terror groups, could be aped by other countries seeking to enact political retribution. - TelegraphDr. Pamela Elfenbein, professor of sociology and human services at the University of North Georgia (UNG), held her breath as Danna Foster spoke about the large, almost unimaginable number of meals the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) has been asked to supply this summer.

"What's been requested is 78,000 meals," said Foster, director of the SFSP at UNG. "But that number may be closer to 35,000 to 40,000 in actuality."

After exhaling, Elfenbein looked with determination at her three team members and started to plot a plan to accomplish the goal at hand. The program will begin May 29.

It's nothing new for Elfenbein. For the past seven years, she and her team of staff and UNG students in the Human Services Delivery and Administration (HSDA) program have been feeding thousands of children from low-income areas in the northeast Georgia region every summer.

"Since this program started in 2012, we've served well over 100,000 meals in total," Elfenbein said.

Foster said last summer 29,000 meals were served in Forsyth, Gwinnett, Hall, Lumpkin, and Oconee counties. It averages to about 600 meals for 42 days.

In the past the Summer Food program served shelf-stable and cold foods to ensure low-income students who are food insecure receive a nutritious lunch when school is not in session. But this year, the children will have a treat.

"We are doing hot meals this year," Elfenbein said with a smile. "That means they can have hamburgers and hot dogs and food like that three days a week."

The Georgia Mountain Food Bank (GMFB) also will supply 25,000 pounds of supplemental foods to the children and their families, and fresh produce once a week in Forsyth County through its Fresh Express program, she added. GMFB is the program's supplemental food force while Forsyth County School Nutrition acts as the main food vendor.

Valerie Bowers, the director of the nutrition program at Forsyth County Schools, explained all of the meals, including the new the hot meals, meet U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines.

In the past, the Summer Food Service Program has served shelf-stable and cold foods to ensure low-income students who are food insecure receive a nutritious lunch when school is not in session. This year the children will receive hot meals such as hamburgers and hot dogs three days a week.

"The kids look forward to having a good variety of food," said Bowers, whose school system also provides a bus to bring meals to children in three low-income areas in Forsyth County. "The kids come and congregate in the parking lot and sit and wait for the bus to arrive with the meal."

While a bus will deliver meals to some sites in Forsyth County, UNG students will transport meals to almost 20 sites in the northeast Georgia region, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lanier, Gainesville Parks and Recreation summer camps, STEPS2College and Summer Scholars at UNG, and area schools churches and summer camps, to name a few. More importantly, each host sites is open sites, and serve any child who comes to the site, not only those enrolled in their programs.

Three categories of community partnerships are key to the UNG Summer Food Service Program. First is partnerships with groups such as Georgia Mountain Food Bank, Forsyth County Schools Nutrition Program, Cumming First United Methodist Church, Legacy Link-Area Agency on Aging, the United Way of Hall County, Georgia Department of Early Care & Learning, Georgia Department of Education, and meal service host sites throughout the region.

Second is the UNG HSDA students, who spend their summer session working with the program and gaining real-world experience. Fourteen UNG students have registered to help with the program, which is a record number, Elfenbein said.

Third are UNG and local businesses that provide facilities, delivery vehicles, and milk coolers.

"We only had second-semester students early on, but now we have third- and fourth-semester students signing up," Elfenbein said. "And we have one master's level student."

Heather Morris, a senior majoring in HSDA from Gainesville, Georgia, has spent a few summers with the program. In fact, she is set to graduate in August 2018, with hopes of being accepted into graduate school and continue her work with the program.

"You are on the front lines and it changes your perspective about food insecurity," she said. "And it drives home that I can make a change and fix things."Global warming is believed to be responsible for many of the ills that plague the world. The 2015 Paris Accord on climate change highlighted the need to reduce carbon emissions in order to control the rise in temperatures. Countries that participated in the meetings agreed to take measures by cutting down on fossil fuels and embracing alternate sources of energy.

The Guardian UK reports that recent research has revealed that if the targets set in the Paris Accord are met, it will mean savings of trillions that usually go towards rebuilding damaged infrastructure caused by climatic disturbances.

These lead to the loss of lives, displacement of people and destruction of individual properties as well.

Who will benefit?

The economic analysis published in the journal Nature indicates that the whole world can enjoy the benefits that will accrue if the targets laid down in the Paris Accord are met. The world must give some serious thought to prevent carbon emission that occurs from fossil fuels. The benefits will not only be the poor nations but also the US, China, and Japan. The biggest winners will be Middle East nations because they have to withstand intense heatwaves that can cross the limits of human endurance.

The research is one of the first to delve into different aspects of global warming including its effect on the economy.

They accessed data from the last 50 years to correlate temperature rise with GDP, and the cascading effect on interlinked factors like labor productivity, agricultural output, and health.

The bottom line

In the opinion of Marshall Burke, assistant professor at Stanford University in the US who led the research, if the targets of the Paris Accord are met, the world will be richer by nearly three percent by the end of the century.

The cost of meeting the targets will be negligible when compared to the benefits. This contradicts the claim of US President Donald Trump who had said that action to check climate change will be a costly affair.

Global warming leads to wildfires, droughts, hurricanes and sea level rise. It is not easy to quantify the losses due to such incidents.

The amount of benefit will depend on various factors like the introduction of new technologies that will help mankind to adapt itself to global warming, and tackle sea level rise.

The world has realized that the health of the planet is in danger and carbon emissions must be eliminated to keep climatic disorders in check. When a hurricane strikes, it leaves behind a trail of destruction and recovery is a time-consuming and costly affair. It is, therefore, necessary to take preventive action and encourage Renewable Energy.The city of New York never sleeps, but those who have to commute long distances, and spend their time fighting competition to hold on to their jobs have little time for sleep. They need to unwind and recharge their batteries and try to take a quick nap during office hours. In order to cater to this emerging brand of clientele, there are pay-and-sleep options on offer.

Daily Mail UK reports that a company has begun such a service. It started in a building near Penn Station and offers wooden sleep cabins. For a nominal sum of $12, one can buy half an hour of sleep either during the day or during the night.

It has potential

New York City is always bustling with life and it's really difficult to find peace and quiet. Therefore, options like pay-and-sleep will find takers. Stacy Veloric, the company's marketing director, explains that the intention is to accommodate the exhausted New Yorkers. There is a growing demand for this service. It had opened with seven cabins and has already added another 22. It is toying with an idea to have hammocks on the roof. The charges will be $15 for half an hour.

Sleep is important and lack of it can lead to health issues apart from low productivity and poor concentration. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one-third of Americans do not get the required quota of sleep.

A state-wide survey for Siena College has revealed that very few New Yorkers are lucky to get eight or more hours of sleep. Obviously, a person who does not get an adequate quota of sleep will become a liability.

Sleep helps to re-energize

The human body is a machine and like any other machine, it needs rest. A study carried out in 2016 by Rand Corporation has revealed that lack of sleep costs the US economy more than $400 billion and the equivalent of more than 1.2 million working days every year.

That is something one cannot ignore.

Lack of sleep should not be confused with the inability to sleep or insomnia. Those who suffer from this are advised to count sheep and if it is serious then they have to go in for sleeping pills. However, if the lack of sleep is because of the demands of the fast city life, people will have to find a way out on their own.

In the opinion of experts, napping can help to boost productivity, and creativity and also can rejuvenate a person. New York City is setting a trend through the pay-and-sleep concept. If it catches on, it could spread its wings and outlets could come up in localities where there is a concentration of offices. That way, those who want a short duration shut-eye can select an outlet near the office. In fact, the concept could spread to other cities.A three-year-old missing person case has finally been solved in Arkansas. Back in 2015, teenager Ebby Steppach of Little Rock disappeared. The 18-year-old was last seen alive on October 25, 2015. Her personal vehicle was later recovered by police at Little Rock's Chalamont Park. On Tuesday (May 22), investigators in Little Rock uncovered a set of human remains in Chalamont Park and rushed to the media with the information that the bones belong to Steppach.

According to Fox News, investigators in Little Rock utilized robots with video cameras in order to explore the park's drainage system.

Here, the robots of the Little Rock Police Department found Steppach's bones stowed away in an underground pipe. The Steppach family reacted to this news by posting their thoughts on Facebook. "Her story touched many in ways that she could not have imagined," the social media post read, "The search to find Ebby has sparked open conversations and brought a heightened awareness to missing children and young adults..."

Little Rock police officers have yet to offer any comments about what caused Steppach's death. However, it seems highly likely that Steppach died somewhere at the park, for this was the last place she was seen alive. As to who hid her corpse, the mystery remains open.

Family conviction

When Steppach was first reported missing, Little Rock investigators treated it as yet another example of a runaway teenager. Ebby's parents, however, have maintained since 2015 that Ebby was in some kind of serious danger prior to her disappearance. "She would never do this. She loves her family so much, she wouldn't cause her family this much pain," Laurie Steppach, Ebby's mother, told KATV back in 2015.

The Steppach family's Facebook post does suggest that the family believes that Ebby was involved in some kind of sex trafficking case. The authorities in charge of the investigation have made no comment on this suggestion. Given that Ebby's corpse was discovered in a hidden location, it would seem to suggest that someone else or possibly multiple people had a hand in Steppach's disappearance and death.

Certainly, someone else hid Ebby's body from prying eyes.

Celebration

The Steppach family is planning on hosting a "celebration" of Ebby's life on Saturday (May 26) at 2:00 pm at the Little Rock Christian Academy's Christ Community Church. Anyone with any further information regarding Ebby's last days is encouraged to provide tips at (501) 404-3128.NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine had his first congressional hearing before the Senate subcommittee that funds the space agency. He discussed various aspects of the NASA budget that the subcommittee is due to mark up, including the lunar exploration initiative and the troubled James Webb Space Telescope. However, the most critical exchange came with Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii on the subject of climate change.

Climate change is real, and people are causing it

Bridenstine, during the confirmation hearings, had received considerable flak about a statement he had made as a congressman on the House floor casting doubt on the idea of human-caused climate change.

He indicated during the hearings that his views had evolved since then. Even so, not one Democratic senator voted in favor of Bridenstines confirmation.

Under questioning by Sen. Schatz, the NASA administrator reiterated his current views. Yes, he believes that climate change is real and that people are causing it. He did, however, mention that NASA is not a regulatory agency, a signal that he was not prepared to answer policy questions about what should be done about the problem. Schatz seemed to be impressed.

I fought Jim Bridenstine to run NASA because he was a climate denier. He has since changed his mind, and has confirmed that climate change is caused by humans. This is an act of common sense and courage. Thank you, Administrator Bridenstine. https://t.co/ZxBbkqefVn  Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) May 23, 2018

The Bridenstine communications style

Bridenstine has come to be head of NASA with the problem of winning over Democratic lawmakers, many of whom looked upon his appointment with considerable skepticism.

The change of opinion on climate change is without a doubt sincere, but also it has a strategic element. Bridenstine knows that he needs bi-partisan support to sustain the return to the moon program. By mollifying Senate Democrats about climate change, the NASA chief will be more likely to get that support for sending Americans back to the moon, a vital part of the Trump space strategy.

Bridenstine has also demonstrated some communications skills that have been formed by his experience as an elected official. He answered the subcommittees questions directly and without hesitation, maintaining eye contact. He did not refer to notes nor did he have a staffer whispering answers in his ear. The style was refreshing coming from a witness to a congressional hearing.

Bridenstine also has an active Twitter account which he uses to make announcements of the current goings-on at NASA. Journalists and other people who follow the space program have found the tweets to be informative and timely. In this way, Bridenstine is building up considerable goodwill among the media and the general public.

The success or failure of the presidents moon initiative has still to be written. However, Administrator Bridenstine is off to a great start thanks to his efforts to communicate what is happening at NASA in a way that is easy to understand.The latest updates and spoilers for "Avengers 4" reveal the possible plot synopsis and new characters joining the sequel. Twitter username Rochi Shion tweeted the synopsis of the movie from the latest issue of Licensing Magazine, which teased the epic conclusion of the Avengers' last stand against the Mad Titan, Thanos.

Comic book artist and writer Jim Starlin teased that one of his creations will be added to the film. The story of the fourth film will feature the founding members as the remaining heroes fight for survival after Thanos gathered all six Infinity Stones and used it wipe out half the universe during "Avengers: Infinity War."

"A culmination of 22 interconnected films the fourth installment of the Avengers saga will draw audiences to witness the turning point of this epic journey. Our beloved heroes will truly understand how fragile this reality is and the sacrifices that must be made to uphold it"  Rochi Shion (@Marvel_Freshman) May 22, 2018

The plot synopsis revealed

According to the synopsis from Licensing Magazine, the characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe will understand how fragile their world is and they must make the ultimate sacrifice in order to save it.

While Thanos achieved his victory during "Infinity War," this does not mean that the Avengers will not do something about it. After all, the fourth film will resurrect the characters that were killed by Thanos with his snapped his finger. These include Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and more.

But what is most intriguing, is that comic book fans have emphasized the word "sacrifice" meaning another Marvel hero will be killed in the movie. Cast members Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, and Robert Downey Jr. are reaching the end of their contract with Marvel Studios, so it is expected that Captain America, Thor, or Iron Man will meet their demise during their last battle.

The sequel will also feature other characters absent during "Infinity War" such as Hawkeye, Ant-Man, Wasp, and Captain Marvel, as well as deceased heroes coming out of the grave like Quicksilver. Clint Barton will drop the "Hawkeye" name for a new identity, while Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne will have their hands full with Ghost in "Ant-Man and The Wasp." Carol Danvers will have her one solo film, "Captain Marvel," before her return to Earth.

Jim Starlin character added

According to SuperBroMovies, Jim Starlin teased fans during the Puerto Rico Comic-Con event that one of his creations will be featured in "Avengers 4." Although he did not mention any name, comic fans who are aware of his work speculated that it could be a cosmic being.

Starlin created several cosmic figures such as Eros a.k.a.

Starfox, Pip the Troll, Thanos's father A'Lar, and Lady Death. While they were never mentioned in "Infinity War," the Russo brothers could use one of them to fuel Thanos's motivation for a new goal after he wiped out half the universe.Becca Kufrin may have been left blindsided and brokenhearted after being chosen and subsequently dumped by "Bachelor" Arie Luyendyk Jr. last winter, but she's back for another shot as the lead of ABC's "The Bachelorette" 2018 spring season. Gossip king Reality Steve has been revealing juicy tidbits from filming as he's uncovered them and now TMZ is sharing the scoop on Becca's final rose ceremony. Which suitor reportedly scored that final rose and did Kufrin get engaged?

Kufrin's final picks experienced Thailand and the Maldives with her

Reality Steve says that Garrett Yrigoyen, Blake Horstmann, and Jason Tartick are the three men who got overnight fantasy suite dates with Becca Kufrin in Thailand, and he later said that the final two men headed to the Maldives with Becca to meet her family and go on the last dates.

The final rose ceremony was held earlier in May and Reality Steve's "Bachelorette" spoilers share that Blake and Garrett were the last two guys standing. This means that Jason was sent home after the overnights in Thailand.

'Bachelorette' Becca Kufrin Kisses Contestant in Possible Finale Spoiler Pics https://t.co/kOadH464eS  TMZ (@TMZ) May 24, 2018

Now, TMZ's "Bachelorette" spoilers indicate that Horstmann was eliminated and Yrigoyen got the last rose. In addition, the buzz is that Yrigoyen proposed to Kufrin and the two left the Maldives engaged. Will this engagement move forward better than Becca's previous one with Arie Luyendyk Jr.?

Becca reportedly had an early frontrunner, but did he get that rose?

Reality Steve had previously detailed that Garrett was an early frontrunner and he would be surprised if he didn't get the last rose. He had also pointed out that if Kufrin did pick Yrigoyen, it would follow a pattern that has become quite familiar with "The Bachelorette." Garrett reportedly scored Becca's first impression rose, and lately, those early leaders have fared quite well in the end.

Rachel Lindsay, JoJo Fletcher, and Kaitlyn Bristowe are all with their final rose recipients, and those men all received the first impression rose too. While each of these previous "Bachelorette" stars remain engaged to their guys, Bryan Abasolo, Jordan Rodgers, and Shawn Booth, none of the pairs have set wedding dates yet.

Now that Kufrin has chosen Yrigoyen, fans will have another couple to add to the wedding-date-watch.

Will Becca Kufrin's engagement to Garrett Yrigoyen lead to lasting love and a wedding? ABC's "The Bachelorette" 2018 season debuts on Monday, May 28 and fans cannot wait to see how this love story plays out.Monitoring body to be set up to check large co-ops

The government is preparing to set up a permanent monitoring commission through the budget statement in a bid to streamline large cooperatives amid growing numbers of loan defaulters.Scheana Marie raised eyebrows around the country when she proclaimed during last night's episode of the "Vanderpump Rules" season six reunion that that she hasn't seen all of the episodes of the Bravo reality series. As Scheana explained, she often fast forwards other people's scenes of the show so that she can see her own scenes. However, during season six, she found herself doing a lot more fast forwarding than she had done in the past.

"I had to fast forward through a lot of the last eight episodes, she told host Andy Cohen on Monday night.

Im sorry," she continued. "It was hard to relive a relationship, and I fast forwarded some of it. As fans of "Vanderpump Rules" will recall, Scheana debuted her relationship with Robert Parks-Valletta during the show's sixth season after her marriage to Mike Shay came to an end months prior. Right away, many of her fans and co-stars accused Scheana of moving too quickly.

In late 2016, just weeks after splitting from Mike Shay, Scheana Marie was spotted attending a Christmas party with Robert Parks-Valletta in Beverly Hills, California. Two months later, the couple made their red carpet debut at the premiere of his television series, "Bronzeville," in Los Angeles.

Scheana Marie reflects on 'Pump Rules' reunion comment on Twitter

After being labeled as "unprofessional" by her co-star Kristen Doute, Scheana took to her Twitter page and explained her comments to Andy Cohen. "I never said I dont watch it. Ive always watched it," she confirmed.

Continuing on to Cohen, Scheana said that the sixth season of "Vanderpump Rules" was simply "too hard to relive" due to the emotional turmoil she went through with her former boyfriend, Robert Parks-Valletta.

Scheana then said that because she was in a better place after moving to Las Vegas and starring in her own show, she didn't want to go back in time and relive the heartbreak she endured.

When does 'Pump Rules' season seven begin filming?

Following last night's conclusion of the three-part reunion special, the question on everyone's mind is in regard to the potential start date of "Vanderpump Rules" season seven filming.

However, at this point in time, no date has been confirmed. That said, the cast of the Bravo reality series has been known to begin filming in late spring in the past. So, filming on season seven could begin at any moment.

"Vanderpump Rules" was renewed for a seventh season earlier this year.Nepals education needs major policy reforms

Kantipur Publications in collaboration with Higher Institutions and Secondary Schools Association Nepal (HISSAN) is organising the fifth Kantipur HISSAN Edu Fair 2018.William Bill G. Abplanalp has been named director of management systems and data administration within Virginia Techs Division of Operations shared services unit. His new position took effect on May 10.

Abplanalp will provide leadership and oversight for the divisions technology infrastructure, including the development, implementation, administration, and maintenance of policies and procedures that ensure the security and integrity of the divisions data and information technology.

As part of this, he will serve as the divisions liaison to stakeholders throughout the university to communicate and coordinate data-related processes and initiatives, including the collection and maintenance of the universitys space and building data. He will have direct oversight for all units within the management systems and data administration area, including operations information technology, building and space data, enterprise systems, geographical information systems, and the records and plans library.

Abplanalp served most recently as the audit manager within the universitys Office of Audit, Risk, and Compliance. In that role, he was responsible for planning, conducting, and overseeing a variety of projects, including risk-based audit engagements, compliance reviews, and special projects.

Abplanalp has had an accomplished 15-year career in audit, information technology security, consultative services, and information assurance. Prior to joining Virginia Tech in 2014, he worked three years at Radford University, serving as the information security officer managing the day-to-day operations of the information technology security office.

He began his audit career at KPMG, served as a consultant at BearingPoint, began the information technology audit function for Radfords internal audit department, and worked at Deloitte & Touche before returning to Radford University.

Abplanalp holds a bachelor of science in management science and information technology and a master of business administration, both from Virginia Tech.

The Virginia Tech Carilion Health Sciences and Technology Campus is an economic boon for the region and the state, and its growth will continue through at least 2026, according to the first ever economic impact report for the Roanoke campus.

The study was conducted by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Services Center for Economic and Policy Studies, which is based at the University of Virginia and provides policy analysis, economic forecasting, regional studies, and more.

The report analyzed current and future spending and employment growth at the campus, which is a physical representation of the unique partnership between a public institution, Virginia Tech, and Carilion Clinic, the third-largest private health system in Virginia.

The campus comprises the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, and the out-patient clinical operations of Carilion Clinic in Roanoke. In July, the School of Medicine, a nonprofit corporation managed by Carilion, will become Virginia Techs ninth college, while the research institute will remain as one of the universitys eight institutes.

The report spotlights what leaders have known for years  the VTC campus is a significant force in the regions economic health. Its influence on Roanokes economy will keep growing, mostly as a result of new initiatives and expansions connected with the research institute and federal grant money fueling its research.

Its a good baseline to have so that you can assure folks who are interested either from an entrepreneur point of view or philanthropic point of view that this is a very sustainable enterprise, said Nancy Howell Agee, president and CEO of Carilion Clinic, of the report.

In fiscal year 2017, about 1,699 people worked at the VTC campus. By 2026, that number is expected to increase 85 percent to 3,147, according to the report.

Also, total spending at the campus is estimated to climb to $190.3 million in 2026. That is a 350 percent increase from 2017 spending. The campus economic output in the state, which includes money generated through the VTC enterprise and its employees, is projected to reach $465 million in 2026. In 2017, economic output was $214 million.

In Roanoke, those numbers are pretty striking, said Michael Friedlander, founding executive director of the research institute. They would mean a lot for our community.

Much of the campus projected employment growth will stem from research institute expansions.

Construction already has begun for a new 139,000-square-foot biomedical research facility to house current programs, such as brain research and cardiovascular science, as well as new programs, such as metabolism and obesity and a comparative oncology research center. The new facility is expected to open in 2020, and it will add at least 300 jobs.

Also, institute faculty have launched six start-up companies since the institute opened in 2010. The report projects that there will be at least 10 additional spin-off companies in 2025 and 25 in 2035.

Additionally, the campus student population will increase to about 800 students by 2025, from 300 currently, and more than 1,000 by 2035.

This kind of growth attracts talented employees and investments in VTC work, Friedlander said.

When people start to see theres an optimism and growth and a real plan for the future, it gives them confidence to invest, said Friedlander, who also is vice president for health sciences and technology at Virginia Tech. For our own colleagues, attracting students who want to come here and other faculty to work with us, theyll see this as a real hot spot thats up and coming that needs to be on their radar.

City leaders, including Bob Cowell, Roanoke City manager, expect the success of the VTC campus to have a ripple effect in the Roanoke Valley, boosting its reputation as an attractive place for businesses to locate.

It shows local vibrancy, Cowell said.Its a good measure of how much economic activity is being generated.

The city promotes the Roanoke Innovation Corridor, an area comprised of the VTC campus with Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, the Jefferson College of Health Sciences, downtown Roanoke, and future industrial developments along Jefferson Street and Williamson and Franklin roads.

Friedlander said he sees the potential for a cluster of incubator spaces housing some of the institutes start-up businesses and outside industry partners to eventually locate along this corridor. There are also four other sites on the campus, ripe for future development.

Significant federal grant awards for research also are pumping money into Roanokes economy. In its first seven years, institute researchers landed more than $100 million in grants, including a portfolio of more than $20 million in annual extramural research funding, which is money from outside entities, such as the National Institutes of Health. This funding represents new money coming to Roanoke that goes toward operating the institute, creating and paying salaries, and purchasing support services from local vendors, Friedlander said.

He projects that the institutes annual research grant funds will exceed $25 million by fiscal year 2022. He also plans to recruit six new research team leaders in the next two years to add to the institutes 25 teams. The institute is recruiting for an additional 25 to 30 new research teams, driven by the opening of the new biomedical facility.

Virginia Tech President Tim Sands praised former university president, Charles Steger, and Carilion leaders, including Ed Murphy, former Carilion president and CEO, for creating this successful partnership, announced in 2007.

I believe that this VTC initiative is redefining the public good that a research university can generate in the communities that it serves, Sands said.

This is only the beginning of the campus influence, said Heywood Fralin, who heads the external volunteer stakeholders for this VTC initiative.

If we all get behind this effort and support it, we can totally change the skyline of Roanoke, adding thousands of high-paying jobs, he said.



 Written by Jenny Kincaid Boone

No fear of fertiliser shortage, AIC says

Farmers will not face a shortage of chemical fertilisers during this paddy planting season although imports are expected to drop due to rising prices in the international market, state-owned Agriculture Inputs Company (AIC) said.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.

Read MoreCourt rule in favour of Elsam/rsted

The High Court of Western Denmark delivered its judgment in the case concerning the former Elsam company.



In 2007, 1,106 Danish plaintiffs headed by the Danish energy trading company Energi Danmark brought an action against Elsam, a previous name for rsted, claiming compensation for losses allegedly suffered as a consequence of the potential violation of the Danish competition rules. The judgment delivered by the High Court of Western Denmark today does not concern the action for damages. The action for damages is pending in the Copenhagen Maritime and Commercial High Court.



In 2007, the Danish Competition Council found that Elsam had abused a dominant position in the market for wholesale of electricity in Western Denmark in the period from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2006.



In 2008, the Danish Competition Appeals Tribunal upheld the Danish Competition Councils decision for the period from 1 January 2005 to 30 June 2006, but repealed and remitted the decision for the second half of 2006.



On 30 August 2016, the Copenhagen Maritime and Commercial High Court upheld the Danish competition authorities claim that Elsam violated the Danish competition rules in the period from 1 January 2005 to 30 June 2006.



The High Court of Western Denmark acquits rsted of the claim that Elsam abused a dominant position in the market for wholesale of electricity in Western Denmark in the period from 1 January 2005 to 30 June 2006.



Were very pleased with the judgment delivered by the High Court of Western Denmark. They've listened to our arguments and agreed that the decision of the competition authorities was made on an incorrect basis, says CFO Marianne Wiinholt, rsted.The sergeant told me I was lucky to have Ramo, because he was so good at what he did. He was a scout dog; his assignment was to detect ambushes and find booby traps.

Youd work for seven days, then come back in. That was the longest a dog could stay out. Youd carry his food and canteens for him, as well as your own gear, such as an M16 rifle, mags of ammo, hand grenades, a blanket and my food. Wed get on a helicopter to fly to an infantry unit, and theyd drop us off.

I got attached to Ramo. Sometimes he slept in the hooch with me. He was always next to me: standing, sitting or lying down. We had an unspoken bond. And we had some close calls  came under mortar and small arms fire  but Ramo stayed right with me.

When their tour was up, our dogs would be euthanized or handed over to the South Vietnamese Army. But in 1971 the U.S. decided to send dogs back to Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio. Ramo was one of the first to leave. It was tough to see him go, but I was glad he wasnt left in Vietnam. I never saw him again. I hope he filled out his days in a cool, shady place.Faulkton Area moves down in 9B in latest poll

As the regular season heads into the final weeks, several teams had big enough performances to create movement in the rankings.State Auditor Wayne Johnson on Wednesday announced plans for an audit that will examine seven local criminal justice agencies internal processes, as well as the way those agencies operate within the broader justice system.

Our objective is to identify the problems that cause the system to fail us all, Johnson said during his announcement at a conference for government finance experts and CPAs.

Included in the audit are the Albuquerque Police Department, the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office, the Metropolitan Detention Center, the 2nd Judicial District Attorneys Office, the Albuquerque Public Defenders Office, Metropolitan Court and the 2nd Judicial District Court.

This audit joins two other initiatives also working to evaluate and improve Bernalillo Countys complex criminal justice system.

Johnson said he could not estimate the price. But as required by state statute, the seven agencies will shoulder the cost of the audit. He estimated that the audit will be completed in five to six months.

Things are falling through the cracks, he said. We want to take a look from the 40,000-foot-level to see what creates those cracks.

Auditors will, among other things, look at sample cases from beginning to end.

Do they end up going back out of the system and then coming back in? How many times does it take for somebody to move through the system? And what happens each time that this person makes a lap through the system? Johnson asked, taking questions from a group of reporters after the announcement.

Johnson said he has already found some potential problems.

The systems dont talk to each other, he said, some use paper and some use electronic reports. An offender may have different case numbers at every step in the system, which, he said, means its impossible to track somebody from arrest through disposition. He said that the name-based systems in place are a huge flaw because some people have common names.

The five agencies that responded to Journal requests for comment said they are open to working with the state auditor. APD and BCSO did not respond.

District Court spokesman Sidney Hill said in a statement that the court has been working collaboratively with the other six agencies for several years on the Bernalillo County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.

And the court has been involved in the Legislative Finance Committees study of the Bernalillo County justice system, which is working to identify best practices for addressing issues in the criminal justice system.

Johnson acknowledged the fact that other entities have taken on similar reviews, but he said his will be a systems analysis, where others have conducted statistical analyses.

Nobodys ever come in and said all right, how does Metro Court and District Court, how do those systems mesh together? Can you move cases back and forth seamlessly? Can you track individuals from crime through disposition? Through the jail? Through each one of the courts? Through law enforcement custody? Can you do all of that? Right now the answers to those questions are no.

Hill said the court is committed to efficient and effective operations along with transparency and improvement.

As a trusted and good steward of public resources, the (court) will continue to act in a financially and operationally responsible and prudent manner and will cooperatively work with the Office of the State Auditor, Hill said. The Court hopes this process will clear up the Auditors apparent misunderstanding of the criminal justice system, which is reflected in his use of statistics and scenarios we do not believe have a basis in fact.

State Auditor Wayne Johnson discusses An Auditors Approach to Public Safety in NM at a conference for finance experts Wednesday. During the session, he announced an audit of practices at Albuquerque-area justice agencies.Oli urges MPs to endorse policies and not criticise

Prime Minister and Parliamentary Party leader of the newly-formed Nepal Communist Party KP Sharma Oli has directed all his lawmakers to inform the party leadership before making any negative comment on the governments policies and programmes in Parliament.We are currently engaged in a high-profile negotiation that may or may not succeed in getting the Chinese to buy more of our stuff.

This is a fine goal as far as it goes, although that isnt very far. It doesnt matter if China is a mercantilist, revisionist power that buys $14 billion of our soybeans or $25 billion of our soybeans  it is still a mercantilist, revisionist power representing a significant geopolitical challenge.

President Donald Trump came into office promising a more clear-eyed approach to China than his predecessors.

That would be a welcome change, although the sum total of it cant be Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin wringing dubious pledges from Beijing to reduce its trade deficit with the U.S.

China isnt just a commercial but a strategic competitor with the United States. It seeks to restore its former national glory, establish hegemony in East Asia and unravel Pax Americana.

President Xi Jinping champions a national revival  The Chinese Dream  that flies in the face of the expectations that economic growth would soften China.

Elizabeth C. Economy notes in her new book The Third Revolution that the Chinese leadership seeks to reverse many of the political, social, and economic changes that emerged from 30 years of liberalizing reform.

China uses its economic clout to back self-interested investments around the world and has poured resources into a decadeslong military buildup. As it has grown in strength, it has become increasingly assertive in making maritime claims in the region. It harasses its neighbors it wants to cow into submission, as we are shouldered aside.

We have long failed to grapple with the Chinese threat because we have believed that rising per capita income would do our work for us by inevitably democratizing China; because corporate America covets the Chinese market; and because, as Miles Maochun Yu of the Naval Academy points out, we are always playing the China card in pursuit of some other strategic objective  currently, the denuclearization of North Korea  rather than focusing on China in its own right.

At the moment, we are in the midst of a collective national freakout about Russia, a second-rate power, although an illiberal and aggressive one. Chinas economy is eight times bigger than Russias. While Russia is associated with the weapons of the 20th century, China is heavily investing in high-tech weapons  cyberwarfare capabilities, hypersonic rockets, anti-satellite missiles and the like. The United States cannot assume, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission warned last year, it will have an enduring advantage in developing next-frontier military technology.

The comprehensive challenge of China deserves a comprehensive response. Diplomatically, we need to strengthen relations with all those countries on Chinas periphery that feel threatened by it, Taiwan and Japan in particular.

Militarily, we need to spend more on research and development and on building up our Navy. Simply providing our forces relief from the readiness crisis, as the so-called omnibus spending bill approved earlier this year did, is not nearly enough. And we need to make it clear to China, through robust patrolling, that we are committed to maintaining freedom of navigation in the region.

Economically, we need a long-term approach to Chinas mercantilism that is more sustainable and targeted than blustery threats of tariffs. This will require allies, which means that we should return to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The pact was designed to lock China out of creating trade norms in the region, but Trump abandoned it in a perversely self-defeating protectionist gesture.

The Chinese flatter themselves that they have a long view that unstable American democracy lacks. When dealing with Steve Mnuchin, apparently desperate for any agreement he can wave around as a victory in the much-advertised looming trade war, they must feel confirmed in their belief. We need a strategy to convince them otherwise, and it will be the work of decades.

Rich Lowry can be reached via e-mail: comments.lowry@nationalreview. com.N.M. Rep. Monica Youngblood has been a staunch supporter of tougher DWI laws.

The Albuquerque Republican even pushed, unsuccessfully, legislation in 2015 that would have required someone accused of aggravated DWI  which includes refusal to take a Breathalyzer test  to pay a bond or go before a judge before being released from jail.

But when it came time to walk her tough talk, around 1 a.m. Sunday at a checkpoint on Paseo del Norte, Youngblood refused to blow after police say she smelled of alcohol and exhibited signs of driving under the influence in a series of field sobriety tests.

The 41-year-old lawmaker, who had been considered a rising political star, was arrested and booked into the county jail.

She insists she had had nothing to drink. Why then would she not take the test, bid the officer good night and head home?

In addition to her clear-cut hypocrisy, Youngblood steps over the line in her conversations with officers. Im the one that runs the death penalty for people who try to kill cops and child murderers, she says on an officers lapel-camera recording. (View it at ABQJournal.com.)

Youngblood, who is Hispanic, also told officers people tell me that you guys treat people of color like (expletive) and I always stand up for you guys.

In a statement later Sunday, Youngblood said she regrets the situation altogether but she most definitely regrets not taking the Breathalyzer test. Indeed.

It will be up to the courts to decide whether Youngblood is guilty  which turns largely on whether the officer had probable cause to ask her to take the Breathalyzer. But the verdict already is in as to whether she should remain a member of the Legislature.

She shouldnt.

Thats unfortunate, as Youngblood has sponsored many bills in her five years in the House that have/would have made a positive difference in New Mexicans lives. From regulating rideshare services including Uber and Lyft to ensure insurance coverage and driver background checks, to trying to make sure children can read, to cracking down on food stamp fraud so those who really need the assistance get it, to reducing opioid overdoses via drugs less likely to be abused, Youngblood has tackled meaningful  and controversial  legislation rather than coast on memorials and resolutions.

She is seeking re-election, is unopposed in the June 5 primary and would face off with Democrat Karen Bash in the November general election. That shouldnt happen. Youngblood should step down after the primary, which would allow the Republican Partys Bernalillo County Central Committee to name a replacement on the general election ballot.

Voters in her northwest Bernalillo County district deserve to have a choice in who represents them. But that choice should no longer include Youngblood.

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.ATLANTA  Shes a Yale-educated attorney and a romance novelist who served a decade in the Georgia Legislature. Now Stacey Abrams has gained a shot at becoming the first black woman elected governor in U.S. history.

Abrams, 44, easily won the Democratic nomination in Tuesdays primary, and strong turnout among Democrats has fueled hopes she can take back the governors mansion in November in a state where Republicans hold every statewide office from U.S. senator to insurance commissioner.

We are writing the next chapter of Georgias future, where no one is unseen, no one is unheard and no one is uninspired, Abrams declared after defeating fellow Democrat and former legislative colleague Stacey Evans.

Democrats see a potential window for victory in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Nathan Deal, but experts say it wont happen without a hard fight.

As long as Republican turnout doesnt drop off dramatically, the advantage is still in their court, said Andra Gillespie, a political science professor at Emory University in Atlanta.

Republicans wont have their nominee until a July 24 runoff between Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp  two white men who were the top vote-getters in a crowded five-candidate GOP primary Tuesday in which contenders focused on the sanctity of gun rights and talked tough on immigration.

Regardless of who emerges as the Republican nominee in nine weeks, Abrams faces a tough political road in what remains a deep red state.

Georgia hasnt elected a Democrat governor since 1998. And no Democrat seeking that office in the past 20 years, including former President Jimmy Carters grandson in 2014, has gotten more than 46 percent of the vote.

Abrams is betting she can succeed by abandoning the political playbook of previous Democratic nominees, who ran centrist campaigns aimed at luring back older white voters who had come to favor Republicans. She is instead hoping to appeal to young voters and nonwhites who have been less likely to participate in elections.

That strategy seemed to work for Abrams in the primary. She won 76 percent of the Democratic vote to trounce Evans, a white candidate who ran a more traditional campaign.

Evans was running a professional campaign, she was up on TV, and she got her clock cleaned, said Charles Bullock, a political science professor at the University of Georgia. And I suspect thats because Abrams game plan came through for her.

There might be another glimmer of hope for Georgia Democrats in the primary results Tuesday.

Democratic voters accounted for 47 percent of the 1.1 million ballots cast in the gubernatorial primaries. Republicans outstripped them by more than 53,400 votes. But the numbers show a big leap for the Democrats, whose share of primary ballots in contests for governor hasnt exceeded 36 percent since 2010.

Abrams may have two factors in her favor, said William Hatcher, an Augusta University political science professor. First, she has excited the Democratic base. Second, if the Trump administration remains unpopular, it will make it more likely that suburban moderates turn to the Democrats.

Abrams is an underdog with a compelling backstory. Raised by poor parents alongside five siblings in Mississippi, she went on to attend Yale Law School. She worked as a tax attorney and deputy city attorney for Atlanta, then started her own legal consulting firm.

On the side, using the pen name Selena Montgomery, she published several romance novels with titles such as Hidden Sins and Secrets and Lies.

Abrams won election to the Georgia House in 2006 and rose to become the first black woman to serve as the chambers Democratic leader. She resigned her seat last summer to focus on the gubernatorial campaign.

Heading into the primary, she received a last-minute recorded phone message from Hillary Clinton for use in calling voters. She was also endorsed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders as well as California Sen. Kamala Harris, considered a potential 2020 White House contender.

Her campaign also drew celebrity support from Tracee Ellis Ross, star of ABCs Black-ish, and Uzo Aduba of Netflixs Orange Is the New Black.

On the downside, Abrams 10-year political tenure generated ethics complaints and exposed personal financial debt that could haunt her in the fall campaign.

Abrams has denied allegations that she reimbursed herself thousands of dollars from campaign accounts without properly recording the transactions and that she used campaign staff to promote sales of her autobiography, Minority Leader. Earlier this year, her financial disclosure forms showed more than $220,000 in personal debt, including $50,000 owed to the IRS.

Abrams said she is on a payment plan to settler her overdue taxes. She blamed the rest on credit card debt accumulated to support herself during law school and additional financial burdens she took on to help support her aging parents.

Yes, we all still make money mistakes, Abrams wrote in an April commentary piece published by Fortune, but they dont have to be fatal to our dreams.

Republicans are already arguing the public cant trust Abrams.

Not only has Abrams spent years promoting reckless tax-and-spend policies that would take Georgia backwards, but her large amount of alarming ethical issues continue to raise serious questions about her record, Republican Governors Association spokesman Jon Thompson said in a statement after Abrams primary victory.

On the Republican side, Georgia voters can expect a bruising battle between Cagle and Kemp.

Cagle in February led the Legislature in killing a tax break on jet fuel to punish Delta Air Lines for ending a discount program for members of the National Rifle Association. The NRA endorsed Cagle soon after.

Kemp stood out with a campaign ad in which he said he has a big truck just in case I need to round up criminal illegals and take em home myself.

___

Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. Associated Press writer Errin Haines Whack contributed to this report.

___

Sign up for Politics in Focus, a weekly newsletter showcasing the APs best political reporting from across the United States leading up to the 2018 midterm elections: http://apne.ws/3GzcrawCopyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  A health care consulting company that Michelle Lujan Grisham co-founded in 2008 has repeatedly landed contracts to help run a state high-risk insurance pool, which critics have described as redundant, given provisions of the 2010 federal Affordable Care Act.

Although Lujan Grisham divested herself from Delta Consulting last year, the company is still owned by her campaign treasurer  state Rep. Deborah Armstrong, D-Albuquerque, and has emerged as a thorny issue in the Democratic primary race for governor.

During a televised debate Sunday, one of the three Democrats in the race, former media executive Jeff Apodaca, accused Lujan Grisham and Armstrong of enriching themselves off the contract.

Apodaca said Lujan Grisham and Armstrong are taking federal and state funds, and running the high-risk pool that doesnt really need to exist anymore.

And theyre paying themselves thousands and thousands of dollars, he said. Thats money that could go to New Mexico families.

The other Democrat in the three-way primary race, state Sen. Joseph Cervantes of Las Cruces, also chimed in, telling Lujan Grisham in the debate: Youve been paid a lot of money from a state contract until you decided to run for governor.

State Insurance Superintendent John Franchini, chairman of the medical insurance pools board, said Thursday that Delta has won competitive bids in recent years to handle much of the administrative work associated with the high-risk insurance pool.

The current yearly contract is for roughly $600,000 and lasts through 2018, he said. Its paid by a mix of insurance company fees and patient premiums, not state dollars, Franchini added.

What Ive tried to do with the situation is to make it fair, transparent and open, he told the Journal.

He also said Lujan Grisham and Armstrong have been aboveboard in their handling of the contract, saying, They havent stolen anything, and theyve done a good job.

During the debate, Lujan Grisham responded to the attacks by describing the claims as ludicrous, and said there was a misunderstanding about both Delta Consulting and the high-risk insurance pools function.

Delta is a patient advocacy company, she said. Its the same work Ive dedicated my entire life to.

The high-risk insurance pool assists New Mexico residents who do not have insurance or have been quoted at higher rates than the pools rate. Its enrollment has dropped significantly since enactment of the Affordable Care Act.

Conditions met

New Mexicos Governmental Conduct Act allows elected officials and legislators to contract with state government, but only if the contract is issued after a competitive bidding process and if the elected officials publicly disclose their interest.

Those conditions appear to have been met, at least in recent years, by both Lujan Grisham and Armstrong.

Lujan Grishams campaign manager Dominic Gabello said Lujan Grisham received no salary from Delta after being elected to Congress, though she did cite an annual income of between $15,000 and $50,000 from Delta Consulting on congressional financial disclosure forms in past years.

That income represents distributions from the company that were largely used to pay the firms tax bills, Gabello said.

In addition, Lujan Grisham divested her interest with Delta Consulting in June 2017  six months after announcing her bid for governor  and is no longer financially involved with the company, Armstrong told the Journal.

She also said Lujan Grisham asked the U.S. House Ethics Committee to review her ownership interest in Delta Consulting in 2011, her first year in Congress. The panel found her to be in compliance with House ethics rules, Armstrong said.

A former state Cabinet secretary under three governors, Lujan Grisham announced in late 2016 she would forgo a re-election bid to her Albuquerque-area congressional seat and instead run for governor.

Since then, she has emerged as the front-runner in the contest for the Democratic Partys nomination, having used her broad network of connections to outraise her two rivals, and secure endorsements from labor unions and more than two dozen Democratic lawmakers.

Meanwhile, Delta Consulting has also made hefty campaign contributions to both Lujan Grisham and Armstrong. Lujan Grisham reported receiving $11,000 in contributions  the maximum amount allowable for the 2018 election cycle  for her gubernatorial bid from Delta in March 2017.

There are no laws barring candidates businesses from contributing to their campaigns and Cervantes has also reported taking sizable donations from several family-owned agriculture businesses that he plays a role in operating.

Shrinking pool

Lujan Grisham said during the Sunday debate that New Mexicos high-risk insurance pool specifically pays for the hospitalization and treatment of individuals who have been denied insurance coverage, including children with cancer, and adults dealing with liver and kidney diseases.

But overall program enrollment has declined since then-President Barack Obama signed into law the Affordable Care Act, which barred health insurance companies from denying coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions.

There are currently about 2,700 individuals enrolled in the pool, down from roughly 10,000 at the time Obamacare was enacted, Franchini said. Many of those enrolled are immigrants who are in the country illegally and cannot qualify for federally subsidized health insurance.

But Franchini said hes wary of doing away with the pool, given the recent debate in Congress about repealing or overhauling the landmark federal health care law.

Im afraid to get rid of it, because I cant tell what the national health care environment might be, Franchini said Thursday.

Others disagree.

Rep. Paul Bandy, R-Aztec, introduced 2017 legislation that would have effectively done away with the high-risk insurance pool, but that bill was tabled in a House committee thats chaired by Armstrong. She did not vote on the bill and said Thursday that she was intentionally absent for the debate on it.

Despite the bills defeat, Bandy said most states that had created similar high-risk insurance pools scrapped them after the Affordable Care Act took effect.

Theres no point to having it if you already have to cover pre-existing conditions, he told the Journal.

He also said the involvement of Lujan Grisham and Armstrong in the company with a contract to help run the program raises red flags, at least to him.

Its kind of an inside job, Bandy said.Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

WASHINGTON  New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas is pushing back against Texas in a long-standing Rio Grande water fight, and this week he filed a counterclaim in U.S. Supreme Court accusing Texas of mismanaging water and hurting New Mexicos farmers.

Texas sued New Mexico in 2014, claiming that New Mexico farmers and pecan growers illegally pump groundwater from below Elephant Butte Dam that would otherwise flow to El Paso and West Texas. New Mexico claims that its water obligations to Texas are measured at the dam. The complex dispute is being overseen by a so-called special master appointed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in March that the federal government can intervene in the case, complicating New Mexicos position. Balderas filing late Tuesday aims to put Texas and the federal government on the legal defensive.

Im asking the United States and Texas to address my counterclaims and show me the (water) accounting and the hydrology science, because I believe Texas has suffered no harm, Balderas told the Journal on Wednesday, adding that he assembled a team of lawyers and hydrology experts to make his 30-page case. I believe New Mexico has worked hard to be very fair and Texas claims are exaggerated and quite greedy.

The office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton did not respond to a Journal request for comment on Balderas counterclaim.

A Supreme Court opinion written by Justice Neil Gorsuch in March said the federal government must be allowed to meet its federal water obligations  including an international agreement with Mexico  and actions that would go against the decades-old Rio Grande Compact would hinder that duty. The 1938 Rio Grande Compact governs the distribution of water in the Rio Grande Basin. Gorsuch wrote, A breach of the Compact could jeopardize the federal governments ability to satisfy its treaty obligations to Mexico.

But Balderas argued in the Journal interview Wednesday and in his court filing late Tuesday that the federal governments primary concern should be with protecting U.S. water rights, not Mexicos.

I dont believe its fair that the U.S. somehow place Mexicos water interests over our American water interests, and I believe we will win that court battle, Balderas said. I dont believe that their (Mexicos) treaty interests are as strong as state and federal interests.

New Mexico had filed a motion to dismiss Texas lawsuit, but in July the special master appointed by the Supreme Court to analyze the case recommended that the court reject that motion and allow the case to proceed. The complex case could set a standard for the role the federal government will play in settling water rights disputes between states in the years ahead.

Reed D. Benson, chairman of the Natural Resources & Environmental Law Program at the University of New Mexico, said Balderas arguments mirror, in some respects, litigation previously filed by New Mexico related to the case. Benson also said Balderas counterclaim raises a lot of new factual issues.

New Mexico is claiming mismanagement of water by both Texas and Mexico and arguing that therefore New Mexico should not be liable, Benson said. It might be hard for New Mexico to prove that mismanagement, and even if it can, it might be hard to prove that New Mexico was harmed by what downstream states are doing.When my friend and I previewed the online menu for Julia, a spirited restaurant and bar at La Posada de Santa Fe, our mouths started watering and our anticipation built. There was a creative variety of dishes, with lots of seafood featured  our favorite.

But as the dishes began to pass beneath our forks, our expectations started to sag. As my friend so aptly put it, while we appreciated what the restaurant was trying to do with its menu, its execution was falling short. Nothing was bad, but neither did a savored mouthful ignite the closed-eyed yum of delight.

That really is a shame, because the space is wonderful. Flickering flames in a fireplace on one wall, tall windows looking out onto Palace Avenue on another, robust vigas and corbels lining the wooden ceiling, period chandeliers dangling. Thats just the dining room. Walk out into the hallways and brilliant colors burst forth from clusters of artworks. Its a lovely spot, with a gracious patio during warmer weather.

Lets talk about the food. The bread presented before the meal was cornbread in a mini-frying pan, served with agave butter. The cornbread was hearty and tasty with green chile and bacon.

Some cornbread dissolves into very fine crumbs, feeling almost grainy in your mouth; this one had a more pleasing texture.

My guest started with a salad, the beets three-ways ($15), which featured some very fresh curly escarole gracing a collection of beets: different types roasted, poached and pureed into a vinaigrette. Small mounds of goat cheese mousse added some tartness to the flavor combination, which was fine, but nothing surprising, according to my friend.

While she went with a starter and an entree, I decided to make a meal of three of the small plates. My first choice, the mezcal braised octopus ($11), started things off on a good foot.

Actually, several feet, as the baby octopi were served intact. Their meat was tender with just enough texture, swimming in sofrito (a sauce likely including tomatoes, onions, garlic, olive oil) topped by crispy guanciale (strips of bacon made from pork cheeks). The sofrito was satisfying on its own, but a cilantro chimichurri on the side for dipping added a nice lemony complement.

This probably was my favorite dish of the night. Pan-seared day boat scallops ($32) was my friends entree  one I had secretly coveted, but she shared tastes with me. She found the scallops to be a little overdone, chewier than one would wish. She didnt even finish them all because she found them overly salty. The scallops were perched on chevre farrotto (sort of a risotto, but with farro instead of rice) and accompanied by charred scallion and roasted beets. Overall, the dish did not balance flavors, but added rich on top of rich, my friend noted.

A question to the waiter about the dish suggested he may have been new to the place. Seeing some dark ingredients on her plate, my guest asked him what they were. Chorizo, he told her with enthusiasm. Not a meat-eater, she moved them to the side and invited me to enjoy them. I speared one with my fork and started munching, only to discover they actually were beets.

My small plate choices were the crab enchiladas ($13) and the green chile duck empanadas ($9). Both were all right, but not particularly exciting. White mole and pickled onions added some spark to the enchiladas. The crab mixture was acceptable, even though I could have done without the tiny cellophane-like bits from the inner structure of the crab. While they likely are edible, to my mind, they shouldnt appear in the extracted meat. What I judged to be a blue corn tortilla wrapped around the enchilada was rather disturbingly rubbery.

The empanadas had a nice roasted tomato salsa for dipping, but they were a little too doughy and I was unable to detect any heat from the promised green chile.

We satisfied our sweet teeth by ending with a Mexican chocolate mousse ($8). My friend thought it was a little too grainy and had very little cinnamon taste. I agree the cinnamon could have been boosted, but I didnt mind the graininess. I figured it was a variation of the usual smooth and silky mousse, with texture enhanced so it could be served as a scoop on a plate.

Besides, to this rabid fan of berries, anything appearing with fresh raspberries and sliced strawberries will get a thumbs-up.HOUSTON  A 35-year-old Houston man linked to more than 20 rapes and convicted in seven has been sentenced to seven life terms in prison.

A Harris County jury convicted Marquis Tate of an attack in 2015.

As the trials punishment phase was about to begin Wednesday, prosecutors say he pleaded guilty to six other charges of aggravated sexual assault. He received the maximum sentence  life in prison  for each conviction.

Prosecutors say they had a dozen victims prepared to testify against him.

In the case that went to trial, DNA evidence tied him to the rape of a woman who was walking on a Houston road when she was forced at knifepoint into his car, then taken to a secluded area where she was assaulted.BEIJING  Premier Li Keqiang said Thursday that China welcomes German companies during a visit by Chancellor Angela Merkel that gives Beijing an opportunity to try to recruit an ally in its trade feud with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Both China and Germany are embroiled in disputes with Washington, though German officials say Merkel is committed to trans-Atlantic ties and isnt looking for new alliances.

Li, Chinas No. 2 leader, and Merkel also expressed support for the Iran nuclear deal rejected by Trump and for the global trading system that free trade advocates worry is being challenged by his embrace of import controls.

The two leaders stressed positive aspects of their relations, despite an array of disputes over issues including market access, human rights and Chinese controls on foreign investment.

Li repeated official pledges that China welcomes and will protect foreign investment. But during an appearance with Merkel, he gave no indication they made progress on German complaints about market barriers and controls that block foreign acquisition of most assets in China while Chinese companies are on a global buying spree.

I welcome German businessmen to come to invest in China, said Li. Chinas door is open and will be open wider.

Merkel broached the topic of access in a later meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying Chinese companies were increasingly entering the German market, in some cases with very sophisticated technologies of their own.

This will stay with us in the coming years and as such the question of market access and reciprocity will play a big role, she told Xi.

Merkels visit follows a truce in Beijings sprawling dispute with Trump over its technology policy and multibillion-dollar trade surplus with the United States.

Tensions eased after China promised Saturday to buy more American goods. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is due to visit Beijing, but it is unclear whether the two sides have made any progress toward a final settlement.

Both China and Germany have been rattled by Trumps tariff hike on steel and aluminum imports. In a possible new blow to Germany, a major auto exporter, the Trump administration launched an investigation Wednesday into whether higher tariffs are needed on imported vehicles and parts it said might threaten national security.

Merkels visit is her first since she formed a new government. It follows visits to Washington to meet with Trump and to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin over recent weeks.

Merkel said before leaving Germany that despite common ground on trade and Iran, she planned to press China on reciprocal access to its state-dominated, heavily regulated markets in which many industries are closed to foreign competitors. That is one area in which Washington and Berlin agree China is violating its free-trade commitments.

Merkel was accompanied by an 18-member business delegation representing chemicals, pharmaceuticals, auto manufacturing and other industries.

Li repeated official assurances that China respects human rights in response to a question that mentioned Liu Xia, the widow of Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo. She is confined to her apartment despite never having been charged with a crime.

Chinese activists have cited Germany as a country that might accept Liu Xia if she were allowed to leave China. On Wednesday, Amnesty International appealed to Merkel to call for her release.

Chinas constitution clearly stipulates that we respect and guarantee human rights, said Li. He noted Beijing is due to hold a human rights dialogue with Germany this year.

We would like to conduct dialogues with Germany on individual cases, the premier said. We hope the relevant issue can be properly handled on the basis of mutual understanding, respect and equity.

On the Iran deal, Merkel said Berlin feels bound by it despite Trumps announcement this month that Washington was withdrawing. Germany and China were among the five nations that negotiated the deal and want it to continue.

It is not perfect either, but one always has to ask what the alternatives are, and the alternatives are even more precarious, she said. In any case, we have a common position not to call into question this agreement.

On Friday, Merkel travels to Shenzhen, a southern city that is home to Huawei, the biggest global maker of telecom equipment, and internet powerhouse Tencent.

During talks earlier with Li, Merkel said, Of course Chinas relationship with the European Union is important to me, and how Germany contributes to that.

That could be seen as a reference to German concern that Chinas growing ties with Eastern European countries are undercutting the trade blocs rules on bidding for government contracts and transparency. Merkel gave no details before reporters were ushered from the room.HEMPSTEAD, N.Y.  Hillary Clinton is not going away.

Standing on a convention stage Wednesday, the former Democratic presidential candidate cheered a primary election candidate from Georgia and endorsed one from New York, promising to be an active participant in red and blue states alike in the coming months.

Were not going to win every fight  take it from me, Clinton said with a self-deprecating chuckle. But if we stand together for the values we share, we will get there together.

More than 18 months after her election loss, Clinton remains a deeply divisive figure. Her approval ratings have hovered near record lows. Yet few Democrats can match her fundraising prowess and star power.

Clinton is eager to use her assets to help the Democratic Party seize control of Congress this fall, those close to her say. But not all in the party want her help.

Already active this midterm season, she recently endorsed Democratic candidates in New York, Michigan and Georgia. She helped raise roughly a half-million dollars for groups allied with her year-old political organization, Onward Together, on a single afternoon late last month. She is now weighing how aggressive to be on the campaign trail ahead of the November elections.

I think shes an incredibly valuable asset, said former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who is working with Clinton on Onward Together. Whether its behind the scenes or in front of people, its up to the individual candidates. She is still wanted in a number of states.

New York, a state she represented in the Senate, is one place she remains popular. The state features several competitive House races this fall, although Clintons focus Wednesday was on the governors race, where incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo faces a Democratic primary challenge from liberal activist and actress Cynthia Nixon.

Clinton earned warm applause as she took the stage at the states Democratic convention. She endorsed Cuomo, repeatedly praising his accomplishments as governor while ignoring Nixon altogether.

Some liberals in the audience wanted a more diverse speaking program.

New York City Council member Jumaane Williams, who is challenging the states lieutenant governor, said the partys left wing would have preferred an appearance by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, or a more unifying candidate. He worries Clintons appearance demonstrates that Democrats havent worked to heal the divisions highlighted in the 2016 presidential primary.

We either havent learned our lesson or we dont care, he said.

From the same convention stage, Clinton cheered the primary victory of Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Republicans on the ground in Georgia cheered Abrams victory as well, suggesting shes too liberal to win the general election in November.

I supported her in the primary and I look forward to supporting her campaign in the months to come, Clinton promised Wednesday.

Georgia Republicans are hoping Clinton follows through. Georgia-based Republican strategist Chip Lake noted that few Democrats have been more polarizing or motivating for the GOPs most passionate voters.

Were going to start a GoFundMe account to pay for her expenses to come down here, Lake said. We welcome her with open arms.

Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said its too early to say which general election races shell likely focus on in the coming months.

The bottom line is that she wants to be helpful, so well be looking at how best to do that in the weeks and months to come, Merrill said.

As those decisions are made, Clinton is focused on Onward Together, which is working to raise money and strengthen the infrastructure for nearly a dozen grassroots political groups.

Clintons effort is being run by a handful of longtime aides, among them political strategist Emmy Ruiz, chief of staff Huma Abedin and fundraiser Dennis Cheng.

Clinton and Dean hosted a private meeting of the Onward Together network in late April in midtown Manhattan. They encouraged the related organizations to coordinate their political activities while introducing them to top donors at the end of the day.

Dean said the afternoon gathering generated more than $500,000.

People care about her, they trust her, and they will take her lead when it comes to where to invest, said one of the participants, Cristobal Alex, a former Clinton campaign staffer who now serves as president of the group Latino Victory.

The politics can be tricky. While she regularly gets standing ovations during public appearances, Gallup determined that Clintons favorable ratings dipped to 36 percent in December, a new low for the longtime public official.

The GOP has already outlined a midterm messaging strategy trying to link vulnerable Democrats to Clinton regardless of how visible she is in the coming months.

But Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who leads the Senate Democrats campaign arm, encouraged Clintons involvement this midterm season as he addressed reporters at Thursdays Christian Science Monitor breakfast.

We welcome support from everybody who wants to help, including Secretary Clinton and President Obama, Van Hollen said. Its really important that weve got lots of individuals who offered to help candidates wherever they can be of help.

Yet Clinton has created headaches for red-state Democrats at times, most recently during a March appearance in India when she said Trumps campaign slogan was looking backwards.

The national GOP quickly portrayed the comment as a personal attack against Trumps supporters as backwards and launched a series of digital ads linking Clinton to 10 Democratic Senate candidates running for re-election in states Trump carried.

Several vulnerable Senate Democrats distanced themselves from the comments. North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp said Clinton cant go away soon enough.

Some Democrats are looking to party leaders not named Clinton to play a leading role in the midterms.

Clinton is too valuable to be quiet, said Scott Dworkin, co-founder of the recently formed Democratic Coalition. He said hed prefer to see Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden on the campaign trail again instead of Clinton.

They have a different appeal, Dworkin said. Right now, Hillary is still used as a tool to divide.WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump on Thursday signed into law a measure that loosens key restraints for banks imposed after the 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession. Savoring the legislative triumph, he called it the next step in Americas unprecedented economic comeback.

The Republican-crafted bill passed Congress on Tuesday with the help of some Democratic votes and allowed Trump to fulfill his campaign pledge of dismantling the landmark Dodd-Frank law. The 2010 law was enacted by President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress in response to the crisis that brought millions of lost jobs and foreclosed homes, and a taxpayer bailout of hundreds of billions for banks on Wall Street and beyond.

Trump held a signing ceremony at the White House not long after announcing the cancellation of his planned June summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The new law raises the threshold at which banks are deemed so big and plugged into the financial grid that if one were to fail it would cause major havoc. Such banks are subject to stricter capital and planning requirements.

Trump is gaining a major building block in his drive for business-friendly policy changes and easing of regulations that he says have stifled lending, economic growth and job creation.

As a candidate, I pledged that we would rescue these community banks from Dodd-Frank, the disaster of Dodd-Frank, and now we are keeping that commitment, Trump said at the signing event in the Roosevelt Room.

Trump thanked the lawmakers at the event for playing a role in moving the legislation through the Senate and later the House. A lone Democrat also was there: Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, among the 16 Democrats who voted for the legislation when it passed the Senate in March. Heitkamp, who won her seat six years ago by only 3,000 votes, is facing a tight re-election race in a state Trump easily carried in the 2016 presidential race.

The banking law also adds to Trumps marquee pro-business legislative achievement, the sweeping tax bill enacted late last year that deeply cut taxes for corporations and wealthy individuals and offered more modest reductions for most ordinary Americans.

The law makes a fivefold increase, to $250 billion, in the level of assets at which banks are deemed to pose a major threat if they fail. The change eases regulations and oversight on more than two dozen financial institutions, including BB&T Corp., SunTrust Banks, Fifth Third Bancorp and American Express.

It was aimed at especially helping small and medium-sized banks, including community banks and credit unions.

This is truly a great day for America and a great day for American workers and small businesses all throughout the nation, Trump said. The legislation Im signing today rolls back the crippling Dodd-Frank regulations that are crushing community banks and credit unions nationwide.

But critics say the likelihood of future taxpayer bailouts will be greater now that curbs have been eased. They point to increases in banks lending and profits since Dodd-Franks enactment in 2010 as debunking the assertion that excessive regulation of the banking industry is stifling growth.

Today, special interests win again, Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, the senior Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, said in a statement. The president signed into law a giveaway that loosens rules for the same big banks that helped crash the economy a decade ago, leaving Americans taxpayers responsible for a $239 billion bailout.

Eventually, the exempted banks will no longer have to undergo an annual stress test conducted by the Federal Reserve. The test assesses whether a bank has a big enough capital buffer to survive an economic shock and keep on lending. The banks also will be excused from submitting plans called living wills that spell out how a bank would sell off assets or be liquidated in the event of failure so it wouldnt create chaos in the financial system.

The Dodd-Frank act was named after its co-authors, Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Democratic Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts.PM Oli vows to reform Nepals education

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said improving the quality of education in public schools is the topmost priority of his government which is committed to bringing about a visible change in the sector in the next five years.Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

A year after WisePies signage was removed from the Pit, a judge has ruled that the University of New Mexico Foundation must release closely guarded records related to its short-lived naming rights agreement, including proof of the companys payments.

In a decision that transparency advocates say could have statewide implications, independent journalist Daniel Libit on Thursday scored a significant courtroom victory when state District Judge Nancy Franchini ruled that the UNM Foundations records are subject to the states public records laws.

Libit had sued the foundation over its failure to produce documents related to WisePies Pizza & Salads now-former naming rights agreement for the Pit, including a copy of the check and any banking documentation reflecting the companys final $600,000 payment. The foundation, which serves as the fundraising arm of the University of New Mexico, told Libit that as a private, nonprofit entity, it did not have to comply with the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act.

But Franchini ruled otherwise in granting Libits motion for summary judgment against the foundation, stating that there was enough evidence that the foundation, although a private entity, acts on behalf of a public entity and thus was subject to IPRA.

Libits attorney hailed Thursdays decision a big victory.

Its the first case  dealing with this issue with university foundations in New Mexico, and were happy that the court came to the same conclusion that the majority of the other states in the country have come to, attorney Nicholas Hart said.

The foundation has not determined whether it will appeal.

We obviously respect the court and respect her decision, UNM Foundation general counsel Pat Allen said after the hearing. We dont agree with it and were going to take a look at our options. We dont know what were going to do at this point.

Libit, who runs the watchdog website NMfishbowl.com, said he was surprised to get this decision without having to go to trial, but that speaks encouragingly to our position. He said he sees the ruling as positive for the university and the foundation.

By just the aura of transparency, people will be forced to handle the money that comes into the foundation, and that goes between the foundation and the university with the expectation that the public may see what theyre doing behind closed doors now, and that can only benefit how the universitys money is handled and the way in which people operate, he said.

While the judges decision is specific to Libits three IPRA requests, attorney Greg Williams, an executive committee member of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, called it a very good ruling for the state. He said it signals to other New Mexico university foundations that their records could be public, too.

This is potentially a very significant ruling because it demonstrates that New Mexico is one of the states where universities cannot use a foundation to hide records that would otherwise be public, Willaims said.

FOG, in partnership with the Florida-based Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, had submitted a friend-of-the-court brief in support of Libits lawsuit. The brief was co-authored by Williams.

Libits attorneys had argued that the foundation was a creature of the university and that UNM created it, funds it, exercises oversight over it and even provides on-campus office space for some foundation employees. They said in filings it met the states totality of the circumstances test, citing the New Mexico Court of Appeals 2012 ruling in the Toomey case that established that some private entities can be subject to IPRA when acting on a public agencys behalf.

The foundation, meanwhile, argued that the state law governing financial transactions between certain private nonprofit entities and public agencies only requires those entities make their annual audits public record, which the foundation already does.

In making her ruling, Franchini said Toomey recognizes that it is possible for a public body to involve a private entity in conducting governmental business and subjects the otherwise private entitys records relating to that governmental activity to IPRA requirements.

The nine factors adopted in Toomey to determine when a private entity quote acts on behalf of a public agency all appear to be met in this case, thus the foundation acts on behalf of the university in its fundraising efforts and its corresponding records are thus subject to IPRA.

The judge, however, denied Libit summary judgment in his claims against UNM itself, which he had alleged violated IPRA by not producing documents under the same requests. Franchini said that case could still proceed to trial, though Libit said he and Hart had not determined whether to proceed with those claims.

Citing the pending litigation, a UNM spokesman said Thursday that President Garnett Stokes would not comment on the case or answer specific Journal questions about whether she thought the UNM Foundation should appeal the decision.SANTA FE  State Rep. Monica Youngblood has faced at least one call to resign  by a fellow Republican, Michael Hendricks, a candidate for attorney general  following her arrest on an aggravated DWI charge.

Now Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Pearce says Youngblood should look her constituents in the eye and decide how to proceed.

DWI is a very serious problem in New Mexico and the law must be enforced without favoritism, Pearce said. Monica Youngblood needs to meet with her constituents, look them in the eye, and together decide what is right.

Youngblood, 41, was arrested at a sobriety checkpoint in Albuquerque early Sunday.

She says she wasnt drinking.NEW YORK  Its no coincidence that the words President Trump arent spoken in John McCain: For Whom the Bell Tolls, the HBO documentary on the Arizona senator that debuts on Memorial Day.

Theres enough to talk about, from candidate Trumps belittling of McCain for being taken prisoner in Vietnam to the senators rejection of Trumps promised repeal of the Obama administrations health care law. McCains family doesnt want Trump at the 81-year-old senators funeral when he succumbs to terminal brain cancer.

The filmmaking family of Peter Kunhardt and his sons, George and Teddy, felt that including Trump would detract from McCains story.

We knew that we wanted to portray John in a way that would stand the test of time, said Peter Kunhardt. Five years from now, 10 years from now, these attacks are going to fade into the ether and Johns career is going to stand on its own. We didnt want the oxygen sucked out of the room by whats going on right now.

Nicolle Wallace, a top McCain aide during his 2008 campaign for president, said that was smart.

I think McCain will matter a lot longer than the politics of the moment, and Trump is all about the politics of the moment, the current MSNBC host said.

Instead, the filmmakers focused McCains life and service to his country. The son and grandson of U.S. Navy admirals spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war, then entered politics. Hes spent three decades in the Senate and twice ran for president.

The Kunhardts came up with the idea after McCains cancer diagnosis was announced and were well-positioned, since they had done a similar film on McCains friend Ted Kennedy in the final years before that senator died of the same disease. McCain quickly agreed. He was working on a memoir and saw the documentary as another way to promote his campaign for greater civility and cooperation in public life.

His story is kind of Americas story, Peter Kunhardt said. The combination of his courageous military career and the political career that followed allowed us to look at the last half century of the country through his perspective.

As a POW, McCain refused when his captors offered to release him before other Americans because his father was Navy brass; he was tortured and nearly died. This weekend marks 45 years from when McCain and other returning POWs were greeted by President Nixon upon their return to the United States. Later in the Senate, McCain worked with Democrat John Kerry, a fellow Vietnam veteran who became an anti-war activist, on normalizing relations with Vietnam.

McCain facing down an angry supporter who was defaming Barack Obama at a 2008 campaign rally is a moment that resonates more with each passing year.

Like him or hate him, how could you not respect him? Teddy Kunhardt said.

He has detractors, particularly in his own party. In an all-or-nothing political climate, some dont like his willingness to work with Democrats and occasionally buck GOP leaders. Respect from the non-ideological media is also a strike against him in some eyes, as Reason.coms Matt Welch wrote this month: Like many elitists, McCain shares with the national political media an unconcealed disdain for swaths of the GOP grassroots, particularly as amplified by the conservative media.

McCain told the Kunhardts he wanted to be portrayed as a human being, and not to avoid his warts. His ex-wife and daughter from his first marriage spoke of their hurt when McCain turned to his current wife, Cindy. McCain later regretted speaking out in favor of the Confederate flag during his bitter 2000 South Carolina primary campaign against George W. Bush. He also said he wished he chose his friend, then-Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman, as his 2008 running mate. But he doesnt speak ill of Sarah Palin, whose selection proved disastrous.

Half of the Senate turned out for a Washington screening early this month for For Whom the Bell Tolls, named after McCains favorite novel.

The Kunhardts were amazed by how quickly so many of the people they approached to talk about McCain cleared their schedules for it; friends like former Vice President Joe Biden, and old foes Obama, Hillary Clinton and George W. Bush all talked. Bush told Teddy Kunhardt that he didnt do many interviews but Im doing this because I love John.

Approaching the end of his life, McCain spoke differently than many of the people theyve interviewed at the heights of their career, Peter Kunhardt said.

When youre facing your own mortality, you speak in a different way, you think in a different way, he said. I think John, whether its revealing all of the mistakes hes made along the way and how sorry he is for them, or whether hes revealing his love for his enemies from the past, is teaching us how to gracefully accept death.How Do You Use My Data?

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Back to topIn a move to further strengthen its ecosystem of strategic investments and financial planning, Creativeland Asia Group has brought on board Venkat Balasubramanian as the Groups Chief Financial Officer. Bala also serves as the Chief Investment Officer of Ventureland Asia, a new age Venture Capital Fund, affiliated to the Group.

Bala brings with him over 20 years of extensive experience of working in media, creative, cultural and knowledge industries on several international projects in over 30 countries. With an Economics & Statistics major from Delhi University, and a degree in Law Bala is also a postdoctoral fellow of the National University of Singapore in macroeconomics.

An economist with a legal and financial acumen, Bala was a Senior Partner with Centaur Consult, advising businesses on finance, law and business transformation, leading M&As and corporate re-structuring. His diverse experience in the creative industries come from working with the Smithsonian Institution (US), Agenda 21 (UN), Universal Forum of Cultures (Barcelona), The Earth Centre (UK) and Wieden+Kennedy, as CFO.

Bala has been associated with the group for the last couple of years and has played a pivotal role at Ventureland alongside its CEO Srijib Mallik in structuring its maiden Venture Capital Fund. True to its DNA this SEBI registered AIF brings a paradigm shift to the industry with a partnership of capital and creative expertise to unlock value creation. Bala has been instrumental in structuring various investments at Ventureland including the one in Masala Baby, the New York based international kids clothing label.

On Balas appointment, Sajan Raj Kurup, Founder & Creative Chairman, Creativeland Asia Group, said, When a prudent investment advisor and a finance expert comes on board, it is early signs of the times to come. Through last two years of his consultancy with Ventureland, I have found in Bala, a great partner who understands the ambition Creativeland has for itself. Now, as a key member of my team, I am certain his finance and legal acumen along with his keen sensitivity for the creative culture and his experience of working across various sectors across the globe will play a significant role in chartering a stronger growth trajectory for Creativeland.

Said Bala on joining Creativeland Asia Group, In these interesting times as young Indian businesses are coming of age, its time that creative industries gear up to the challenge. Creativeland Asias ambition and vision to touch lives with creativity is a great starting point to a seemingly simple yet underachieved objective in our country. I am excited to be a part of this journey and look forward to working with Raj and the Creativeland Asia team.

For More Stories Visit Here.Underlining its commitment to build on its strong domain leadership and to drive continued business growth, Haptik, Indias leading conversational AI platform, has recently appointed Kartik Poddar as the Business Head of its Enterprise vertical. In his role, Kartik shall lead the GTM and revenue generation efforts of Haptiks Enterprise Business. He will work closely with customers across India and US to drive the adoption of Haptiks advanced conversational AI platform amongst enterprises.

Bringing more than a decades worth of experience in the fields of product management and marketing, Kartik has previously worked with leading technology businesses such as Komli Media and Microsoft. Part of the initial team at Komli, he led product initiatives for the companys audience measurement and retargeting platforms, along with driving its product marketing and GTM efforts across the APAC market. At Microsoft, Kartik was a part of the product team of Bing, Microsofts search product. Prior to joining Haptik, he was the Co-founder and CEO of Fropcorn, a hyper-local content distribution venture where he spearheaded the product, fundraising, and business development efforts for the company. A creative soul to the core, he is also a member of Kaamedy Inc., an improv comedy troupe of white-collar executives which performs regularly at corporate events and leading performance venues across India.

Speaking on the appointment, Aakrit Vaish, CEO & Co-founder, Haptik, said, With more and more enterprises across the country looking at intelligent chatbots to optimise their operations, we are witnessing an unprecedented market demand for our state-of-the-art platform. Weve historically been a consumer company at heart so it became important to bring in expertise on the B2B side. Kartik comes with years of experience working with some of the largest enterprises in the world, and being an entrepreneur is an ideal fit for a company at our stage. We are confident that he will lead us to greater heights and take Haptik chatbots to every part of the world. 

Kartik Poddar added, Throughout its journey, Haptik has differentiated itself thanks to its focus on delivering the most cutting-edge and comprehensive chatbot platform . to businesses across multiple industries. Its leadership position in a highly-competitive market segment therefore comes as no surprise. The dynamism, energy, and dedication of the team at Haptik is truly inspiring. As someone who thrives on innovation and creativity, I am excited to be a part of the Conversational AI revolution that Haptik is pioneering and look forward to making a positive contribution towards the companys continued growth.

Haptik has established itself as Indias premier AI-based innovator and has implemented conversational interfaces across applications as diverse as business communication, customer support, , social initiatives, marketing campaigns, and e-commerce, amongst others. Its proprietary technology, coupled with data from millions of chat interactions it powers every month, has helped Haptik deliver rich and compelling chatbot solutions across its consumer and enterprise vertical.

For More Stories Visit Here.Winners of the Portfolio Nights by One Club for Creativity were announced in Mumbai last night (May 23, 2018) in a special event that was attended stalwarts of the advertising industry.

Leading advertising experts who were present at the event to review the portfolios of the participants included, Josy Paul, Chairman, BBDO India; KV Sridhar (Pops), Founder and Chief Creative Officer, HyperCollective; Sonal Dabral, Group Chief Creative Officer and Vice-Chairman, Ogilvy India; Raj Kamble, Founder and CCO, Famous Innovations; Raj Kurup, Founder and Managing Director, CreativeLand Asia; Satbir Singh, Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Thinkstr; Prasoon Joshi, Chairman, McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific and many other renowned names from the marketing and communications industry.

The top five selected out of 50 participants were: Arshi Sayed, Muskan Babna, Darsh Bhatela, Anusha Vaze and Adhit Fernandes. Arshi Sayed, studying at Ecole intuit.lab University, won a trip to New York City for five days, where she will be joining the other All-Stars to collaborate on a real-world global brand brief. The students are trained to be industry-oriented and industry-ready at the Ecole intuit.lab university. Whyness, the agency founded by advertising guru Ravi Deshpande, shares space with Ecole intuit.lab.

Talking about the Portfolio Night, Ravi Deshpande said, In every competition there is going to be good talent and not so good ones. Out of so many portfolios reviewed, there were several that were not up to the mark, but we found seven brilliant pieces which were worth everything. Whyness Worldwides partnership with ecole.intuit lab and the fact that it is in the same campus shows our focus on nurturing talent and therefore, it was very organic and natural to us. We are producing talent that gets stimulated in the industry. This is something that I am doing for the last six years and it is extremely satisfying to be doing this. We are more than happy to take this up and are also confident that we will be able to execute this quite well.

Giving the jurys perspective, Sumanto Chattopadhyay, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, Soho Square, the Ogilvy Group, said, This jury was more interesting as we were talking to the people who had created the masterpieces, which added a humane touch to the whole jury process.

Excited about her win, Arshi Sayed said, I am really excited about being a part of All-Stars. It has been like a tough ground, but I love to be on tough grounds. What worked for me was really standing for what you believe in and having the sense of yourself extending your personality into your art. An extension of yourself into your design, and then, nobody can take your work away. I have been into design for four years now.Bloomberg|Quint, Indias premier business and financial news company, has recently announced the completion of one successful year of its highly popular series The Mutual Fund Show. The feature, streamed across multiple platforms to a wide user base, provides critical guidance to Indias new generation of investors contemplating the various forms of financial investment available in the market today. It also raises awareness among Indian consumers about the potential and promise of investing in mutual funds  acknowledged to be one of the safest and most rewarding ways to build wealth  by examining their concerns and helping users connect to experts with the right answers. The series has garnered over 5.5 million views across social media in the last one year.

The program, run in the format of a talk show, features top fund managers and finance experts who leverage their expertise to analyze and provide in-depth insights into mutual funds from micro and macro perspectives. The show also provides a direct response to viewer queries, collecting questions from social media users to get their doubts cleared through direct responses from the invited guests. The show has so far dwelled on such topics as why mutual funds should be an integral part of ones investment portfolio, the use of mutual funds to repay home loans, and how an investor should evaluate fund performance. The show also deals with the tax-saving benefits of investing into Equity Linked Savings Schemes (ELSS), and choosing between active and passive investing.

The Mutual Fund Show has invited prominent company leaders of asset management companies and mutual funds like A. Balasubramanian (CEO, Aditya Birla Sun Life Asset Management), Kalpen Parekh (President, DSP BlackRock Mutual Fund), Aashish P Sommaiyaa (CEO, Motilal Oswal AMC), Milind Barve (MD, HDFC AMC), and Nilesh Shah (MD, Kotak Mahindra AMC) to offer expert advice to viewers. It has also featured prominent fund managers like S. Naren (Chief Investment Officer, ICICI Prudential AMC), Mahesh Patil (Co-Chief Investment Officer, Aditya Birla Sun Life MF), Gautam Sinha Roy (Sr. Vice President  Fund Manager, Motilal Oswal Associates), Taher Badshah (Chief Investment Officer  Equities, Invesco Mututal Fund)to name a few.

Commenting on the 1-year anniversary of the The Mutual Fund Show, Menaka Doshi, Managing Editor Bloomberg|Quint, said, The Mutual Fund Show is not the first show of its kind nor the last one. But what it does rather uniquely is to go beyond investment platitudes and bring to viewers useful, indepth and personalised information to aid investment strategies.

Also sharing his comments Niraj Shah, the Markets Editor and Anchor of the show, said, The Mutual Fund Show aims to bring lessons of Mutual Fund investing in the simplest possible fashion. Its uniquely placed as an interactive learning platform, and strives to bring an all-round perspective for both new and experienced investors.

The Mutual Fund Show is one of the many shows available on Bloomberg|Quint, which has been disrupting news content delivery through its innovative and technology-driven approach. By creating Indias first digital business news streaming service, Bloomberg|Quint has captured the attention and imagination of Indias digital natives, who are hungry for the latest insights into the global business landscape, through the channel of their choice. Bloomberg|Quint delivers exclusive news coverage around mutual funds and several other relevant issues from the world of business across multiple social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo, WhatsApp, and YouTube. Its state-of-the-art newsroom, cutting-edge analysis, and in-depth coverage of pertinent business news have led to Bloomberg|Quint being rated as the most viewed business news brand on Facebook amongst new-age publishers, and the Business Website of the Year at the Digipub Awards 2017.Diversity in the workforce has become a necessity today, and more so in the leadership positions. It cant be denied that women bring a high level of creativity and empathy while solving problems and handling crises. Women leaders bring to the table a different level of dexterity.

AdGullys The W-Suite series features interactions with influential women leaders in India, who share some deep insights on what being a woman leader means in Indias business landscape, the mantras to succeed, achieving work-life balance, pay parity and much more.

Marya Shakil, Political Editor, CNN-News18, is an award-winning journalist. With a keen eye on the political landscape of the country, Shakil anchors CNN-News18s 10 pm show, News Epicentre, and produces her election show, Reporters Project. She is one of the very few journalists to be followed on Twitter by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Shakeels show on the Muslim community yearning to be a part of the mainstream earned her the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Award in Politics and Government category in 2012. She also received the award in the same category for the Lok Sabha Election coverage of 2014.

As a reporter who covers politics, Shakeel reported during the General Elections of 2009, 2014 and the State Assembly Elections of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana and Jharkhand, etc. She joined CNN-News18 immediately after completing her Masters in Mass Communication from Jamia Millia Islamia AJK Mass Communication Research Centre in 2005. She was also awarded a research fellowship with SARAI-Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in 2004. She also won the prestigious Chevening South Asia Journalism Fellowship in 2016. She was the first TV journalist to report on the night of the clampdown of Baba Ramdevs agitation at the Ramlila Maidan. Human interest stories and shows as commentaries on society are her forte, in which Shakeel has successfully contributed some of the best stories to the channel. She often takes workshops in media institutes in India. She enjoys interacting with aspiring students of mass communication and journalism. Travelling in the Hindi-heartland and learning from people is what she likes most.

How would you define todays woman leader?

I think todays women leaders are assertive and open-minded. They know what they bring on the table in boardrooms and hence, are fairly sure of themselves.

What are the foremost attributes that women leaders in todays business ecosystem must possess?

Women leaders must be able to think ahead of the time. At the same time, they must also be connected to the ground. This is because what I am increasingly seeing is that newsrooms and other places are becoming disconnected with the ground realities. So, the election reportage and all has to go back to the ground realities. I think a woman leader will be someone who would be connected in the time, as much as she is forward looking. For her, the biggest asset that she can bring on the table is her ground experiences.

She might love reading books, but she should be able to bring in that freshness, and that freshness comes in from her own experiences from the ground. I always emphasis on the ground work, because I have done a lot of ground reporting during the election times and the reason why I could get the pulse of the people right is because its not the same when you pick up on the Internet or the social media platforms. There is this echo chamber style that people comfort themselves or comfort each other on the Internet. It will be great for women leaders to have first hand information and she backing her information with the theoretical knowledge.

Despite the qualifications, aptitude and experience, why do you think we dont see the expected number of women business leaders, especially when it comes to boardroom decision-making?

I think women were not asserting themselves as much as they are doing it in the recent times. In the last 10 to 15 years, there have been a lot of positive changes. I feel the change that we are seeing the world over is because of strong feminist movement. For example, the #MeToo campaign. When women start taking comfort with each other and when they start understanding that they can become a Betty and Veronica and who can co-exist, that itself makes a huge difference. We will be seeing more and more women leaders in the coming days.

As Maya Angelou very famously said, I have got my own back, so you have to watch your back. I am a big fan of Maya Angelou for her writings. She often says, Like dust I rise. I have always believed in that. In search of a female hero is what I think it is for me. Not tragic heroines, but female heroes is how I foresee womens role in boardrooms.

What more do Indian corporates need to do to encourage and groom women leaders?

There has to be an initiative that must be taken by the decision makers. An extra effort has to be made so that women take the centre stage.

How acute is the gender pay gap issue in India today? What needs to be done to address this in an effective manner?

The gender pay gap is massive. But I think efforts are being made to bridge this gap. When women are taking leadership roles, they should be a little sensitive towards their partners or their co-workers.

How challenging has it been for you to maintain a balance between career goals and family responsibilities? What is your mantra to maintain that balance?

Its been very challenging, but I am very thankful that I have an extremely supportive husband. My father was very pushy, he was almost like a net so that I could jump very high. My husband is extremely understanding and pushy at the same time!

Do you think the leadership effectiveness of women is higher than men? Why?

I think women bring in empathy, compassion and emotions to their work. I myself worked here for 13 years and often joke with my co-workers that the chairs and the carpets have changed, the newsrooms have changed, but some of us are still here. In an industry that believes in changing frequently, if you still feel that are you getting the script right, then its your commitment and you are emotionally attached. Im a very emotional person, my professionalism and journalism is very emotional for me. I have an emotional attachment towards my journalism.

According to you, what are the Dos and Donts for todays women to break through the glass ceiling?

I would say, just be at it. I know women have to put in extra efforts. For example, men can get away by putting in 4 hours, whereas women need to put in 10 hours. But dont shy away, your time will come even if it is a bit delayed. I think women tend to give up their fights easily.

Let women discover themselves.

For More Stories Visit Here.RJP-N panel to meet on June 8

The Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N) has decided to call a meeting of its political committee to fix the date of its national convention.Customer Logins

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A Kathmandu-New Delhi-Beijing diplomatic corridor is an urgent need for NepalCAIRO  A recent judicial ruling in Egypt will allow property owners to evict government entities and companies leasing space under decades-old rental contracts, as the country works to address antiquated rent laws.

On May 5, the Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court nullified a provision in a 1981 law concerning the relationship between landlords and their tenants.

The abolished provision stated, The landlord may not demand the tenant vacate the leased premises even after the expiry of the term of the lease agreement. The new ruling allows landlords to end old lease agreements that have persisted long past their initial contract periods.

The May 5 ruling made waves in Egypt's political and legal circles. A government source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the ruling could lead to a crisis between the government and the owners of thousands of premises leased to government institutions, civil registry offices and trade union headquarters across Egypt.

The source explained, The state is renting a significant number of its headquarters from citizens. These rented premises mainly consist of facilities, stockrooms and outlets of the Ministry of Supply, offices and departments of the Ministry of Social Solidarity, civil registry departments and others. Almost all of these properties are rented from private citizens. The ruling means that a citizen landlord can request the evacuation of leased premises, expelling in this case an entity affiliated with a ministry or a state department.

Most of the leases affected by this decision involve trivial rental fees that were frozen under the old rental Law No. 49 of 1977. A property of 500 square meters (1,600 feet) in Cairo, for example, may be rented in return for not more than 300 Egyptian pounds ($17) per month.

The source predicted that many citizens will begin legal proceedings to expel these institutions from their properties. The courts will have to rule in favor of the landlords, since the Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court is the highest judicial authority and its rulings are final.

A high-level judicial source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, Under this ruling, any Egyptian citizen may request their tenant, in this case a government institution or a trade union, to vacate the leased premises because it no longer has the right to occupy the leased premises for an indefinite period, as was the case before the ruling.

He stressed that the status quo established by the old rental law was unfair to the citizens who owned the leased real estate properties. But changing this situation now will trigger a crisis for the state, he warned. The ruling rendered by the Supreme Constitutional Court enters into force as of the day following the end of Egypts current parliamentary session expected in July. In implementation of the ruling, owners of real estate properties leased under the old rental law for an indefinite period will be entitled to expel the tenants. Then there will be a crisis.

The judicial source expects thousands of citizens to file lawsuits to recover their properties after the expiry of the rental periods agreed upon in their lease contract.

In its ruling, the court described the nullified paragraph as involving an encroachment upon the logical limits of free will, which is an indispensable part of personal freedom. The court further argued that the lack of personal freedom in a lease relationship violates Article 54 of the Egyptian Constitution, which describes personal freedom as a natural, guaranteed and inviolable right.

Mohammed Abdel Shakour, a citizen who owns some properties rented by government institutions, said he will file a lawsuit to retake his property. The Ministry of Supply has been leasing 300 square meters in his basement in return for a monthly fee of 200 pounds (around $11.50).

This is unfair. I could have invested my property better or leased for a much higher rental fee, he told Al-Monitor. I would have reaped profits and improved my familys standard of living.

Shakour added that the Ministry of Supply has used the large space in his basement since the 1970s to store flour and critical commodities. He noted that the rent set in the contract at 200 pounds had once been fair, but that was long ago. He argued that it is absolutely not reasonable that his property be used in return for a trivial amount as if it had been appropriated by the state.

Shakour complained about mice and insects in his home attracted by the foodstuffs in his basement such as legumes, beans and other grains. The situation has caused him mental and physical distress. This is an usurpation of my right to rent my property for an amount in line with the prevailing market prices to meet my needs, he said.

Lawyer Ahmed Assiouti agreed that the ruling will lead to a crisis for the state, which will be forced to find other accommodations for its ministries and service sectors.

He told Al-Monitor, The state has three possible alternatives. It may stay in the leased premises but under new terms and updated contracts guaranteeing the rights of the landlord and increasing the rent. It may also build new headquarters in various governorates and terminate its previous leases, but this choice will cost time and money."

Assiouti went on, The state could also exploit its unused properties and premises. The state owns a lot of land and real estate properties in the various governorates. These were built specifically to be used in cases of natural disasters such as earthquakes and the like. Some of these premises are abandoned or unequipped, but after the recent ruling they may represent the perfect solution.GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Fatah unexpectedly announced last week it was ending its participation in the Great Return March early, calling the actions of its rival faction Hamas during the protests "degenerate." Meanwhile, other Palestinian factions participating under the name of the Coordination Committee of the Great Return March announced the protests will continue until June 5, marking the anniversary of Israels occupation of Jerusalem in 1967.

In its May 16 statement, Fatah demanded the various Palestinian factions, including Hamas, form a committee to assess the march and address mistakes that occurred. Fatah gave no specific examples of such mistakes. The next step, it stressed, will be for the Palestinian National and Islamic Forces committee to examine plans for future activities.

The Great Return March began March 30, with Palestinian people and factions in the Gaza Strip participating en masse to draw the world's attention to the right of Palestinian refugees to return to the lands they were forced to leave in 1948. Hamas also is demonstrating with the aim of ending the decadelong blockade on the coastal territory  a goal Fatah said should be separate from the march.

Fatah ended its participation in the protests because many other Palestinian factions, especially Hamas, began to use the protests for purposes other than those set in the beginning. Hamas is seeking to take advantage of the march to try to break the siege on Gaza, instead of focusing on the right of return," Fatah leader Yahya Rabah told Al-Monitor.

What Hamas is doing is a degenerate and unpatriotic act and we won't keep silent on its mistakes in the protests," he added, stressing that dozens of Fatah members have been killed and hundreds wounded since the protests began March 30.

According to Gaza Ministry of Health statistics, 112 Palestinians were killed and about 13,000 wounded in the protests through May 20. The Israeli army's use of live ammunition against unarmed Palestinians along the border fence was lambasted internationally.

The UN Human Rights Council said May 18 it will investigate the shootings. Israel claims the council is biased against Israel.

Meanwhile, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told Al-Monitor that Fatahs withdrawal from the protests is unfortunate and not in line with the Palestinian national consensus to support and participate in the return march until the end. Qassem expressed hope that Fatah will change its decision and rejoin the rest of the factions.

Qassem also stressed that Hamas and the other factions will continue their march to achieve their goals despite Fatahs withdrawal. He said the protests reaffirm the Palestinians right of return to the homes from which they were forcibly evicted, despite attempts to blur that right, including some US decisions and Palestinian Authority interactions with Israel over previous years.

Through strong participation in the return march protests, Qassem said, the Palestinian people are sending a message that they will no longer accept the dire humanitarian situation, or the 12-year blockade on the Gaza Strip. He said they are also emphasizing their absolute rejection of the United States transferring its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which took place May 14. Ahmed Abu Artema, an organizer of the return march, told Al-Monitor it is a unifying popular choice, regardless of the withdrawal of one faction or another. Artema stressed that these protests are a prelude to a peaceful struggle that will continue and evolve as long as Israelis continue their occupation of the Palestinian territories.

According to Artema, these protests have brought the Palestinian cause back into the limelight, and unified and rallied Palestinians who unanimously believe their right of return, for which they have been fighting for more than 70 years, is the most important issue.

These protests have helped place more pressure on Israel and revealed its true colors to the world, he said, noting that Palestinians have opted for nonviolent resistance at this time, although they could have chosen other avenues, such as armed resistance.

Talal Awkal, a political analyst and writer for the Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam, told Al-Monitor that Fatahs withdrawal from the protests will affect their momentum, as other factions will have to rally more people to compensate for any shortage. He noted that the protests became more disciplined following Israel's deadly assault against demonstrators May 14, which in one day killed more than 60 and wounded 2,771. Since then, the number of protesters killed and wounded has noticeably declined. Awkal believes this march will remain a thorn in Israels side despite being peaceful.

Awkal expects march organizers, especially Hamas, to reach political understandings with Egyptian authorities, who have sought to prevent protests from turning into armed confrontations. Some demonstrators are staying far back from the border fence.

Mustafa al-Sawaf, a political analyst and former editor of the local Felesteen newspaper who is also close to Hamas, said Fatahs grounds for withdrawing from the protest are baseless and unrealistic. He said Fatah's participation since the beginning was mostly for appearances.

Whoever saw the march of Friday, May 18, after Fatah announced its withdrawal, can tell that its participation had been symbolic and ineffective. The turnout of demonstrators was massive and was not affected by Fatahs withdrawal or by the brutal massacre by the Israeli army May 14, he said.

The protests have lost momentum in the past few days, mainly because of Israel's attack on the demonstrators and the start of the holy month of Ramadan, as well as talks about political negotiations between the organizers of the march, Egypt and Qatar. The protests, however, are likely to continue until June 5, the ending date set by the organizers.Reactions to US President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) have varied around the world, including in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). While Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have strongly backed the US move, other Gulf states have been cautious and declined to adopt a clear stance on the matter. For instance, Kuwait has not echoed the Saudi position and rather announced its understanding of the US decision to withdraw from the deal. The Kuwaiti position on the JCPOA is significant considering its close relationship with Saudi Arabia on the one hand, and its alliance with the United States on the other.

Since gaining independence from Britain in 1961, Kuwait has used different tools to secure its existence. First and foremost, it has relied on international powers for its protection, a trend that became critical after its liberation from Iraq in 1991. In addition, Kuwait has sought to protect itself by balancing its relationships with its neighbors  with the notable exception of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, when it sided with Iraq. Kuwait has further relied on mediation as a tool of its foreign policy. This tool is not new, but rather boosted in recent years as Kuwait has mediated to end the ongoing war in Yemen. The eruption in 2017 of the crisis between Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain on the one hand and Qatar on the other has further strengthened Kuwaits role as a mediator. Kuwait benefits from this position because it shows the importance of the country both regionally and globally. While its efforts do not always succeed, the regional and international recognition of its mediator role is critical for its security. Hence, it is important for Kuwait to balance its relationships with Saudi Arabia and Iran  the main rivals in the region  to gain the trust necessary to pursue its mediating efforts. As such, its reaction to the US withdrawal from the JCPOA should be seen as part of this balancing strategy.

Both Saudi Arabia and Iran harbor desires to dominate the region  and both of these desires concern Kuwait. Iran wanted to export its Islamic Revolution in the 1980s, and there are voices in the Islamic Republic who are still committed to that cause. In addition, Irans influence in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon is not welcomed by the Kuwaitis. Moreover, Tehrans reported interference in Kuwait  as seen in announcements of the discovery of alleged cells associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps  is seen as a threat. At the same time, despite the close relationship between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, there is a belief among some in Kuwait that the country would have been next in line had the Saudis succeeded in their efforts to coerce Qatar last year.

It is important to understand that Kuwaits foreign policy differs from that of Qatar in many aspects. Kuwait has not been behind or even supportive of the revolutions in years past in the Arab world. In fact, the emir of Kuwait criticized the latter at the Arab League summit in Jordan last year, stating that the so-called Arab Spring is an illusion that has weakened the security of our brothers and suspended development. Moreover, unlike Qatar, Kuwait does not have a news channel that supports change in the region or attacks Saudi Arabia. Also, unlike Qatars young emir, the emir of Kuwait and the Saudi monarch belong to the same generation of rulers and enjoy close personal ties. However, these differences between Kuwait and Qatar do not mean that what happened to the latter will never occur to the former. There are a series of factors that might encourage the Saudis to act against Kuwait.

First, unlike the situation in most of the GCC countries, the Muslim Brotherhood exists and is active in political life in Kuwait. The group is not considered a terrorist organization in the country, and is represented by three members of parliament in the current Kuwaiti parliament. Second, despite its concerns about Iranian ambitions, Kuwait has a relatively good relationship with the Islamic Republic. This was displayed in how it opted against fully cutting ties with Tehran when Riyadh and Manama did so in the aftermath of the storming of Saudi diplomatic facilities by Iranian protesters in 2016. The protests had been triggered by Saudi Arabias execution of dissident Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. As such, Kuwaiti policy toward Iran is guided by a wish to preserve bilateral ties, mindful of the Qatari experience and especially Tehrans support for Doha over the past year. In this equation, Kuwaits choice not to endorse US, Saudi and Emirati positions on the JCPOA is an important step in the maintenance of its ties with the Islamic Republic.

When the nuclear deal was signed in 2015, the Kuwaiti government supported it  despite Saudi suspicions  because of its importance for regional peace and stability. In this vein, Kuwaits position on the US withdrawal from the JCPOA is also likely driven by a desire to avoid a new war in the region. The Kuwaiti calculation is mindful that outside pressure on Iran may compel the Islamic Republic to pursue a hawkish strategy in its relationships with Western states and their Arab allies. This might in turn trigger a new war that may harm the security of especially smaller states in the region. Indeed, a war between Iran and the United States would put Kuwait in a particularly vulnerable position because of its alliance with the United States.

Kuwait also opposes steps it perceives as threatening regional peace and stability, as it could negatively impact its plans for the future. The "New Kuwait" plan envisages the reaching of a series of ambitious aims by 2035, and is linked to the "Silk City" project and an endeavor to develop Kuwaiti islands. The aim of these endeavors is to attract international investments and to economically connect Kuwait to its neighbors, including Iran. Another war in the region will definitely disturb these plans.

Kuwaits support for the JCPOA when it was signed and its current choice not to endorse the US withdrawal from the accord does not mean that it supports Irans regional policies. In this vein, Kuwaits divergence from Saudi Arabia on the JCPOA also does not mean that it has a negative relationship with Riyadh. Indeed, Kuwait has shown the Saudis its commitment to a good relationship on many occasions. While it did not cut ties with the Islamic Republic in 2016, it did withdraw its ambassador from Iran. Moreover, Kuwait, upon a request from Riyadh, recently arrested Nawaf al-Rasheed, a Qatari citizen of Saudi origin, and deported him to Saudi Arabia. This can be seen as a sign of its commitment to a continuous positive relationship to the Saudis  despite its view on the US decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal, and despite its ties to Tehran.On May 22, one day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo presented 12 demands for Iran that would result in a top-down change of the Islamic Republic or potentially be a starting point to potential war, Iranian media and officials responded harshly to the list of demands. One particular US demand, that Iran withdraw all of its forces from the entirety of Syria, has caused a number of reactions, particularly since the same sentiment was echoed by Irans ally Russia just days prior.

On May 17, in a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that with significant victories and successes of the Syrian army, foreign armed forces will be withdrawn. Alexander Lavrentiev, Putins envoy to Syria, clarified that Putin meant not just the United States and Turkey should withdraw their forces from Syria, but also Iran and Hezbollah. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later added that Putins comments were only aimed at forces that were in Syria illegally. Entekhab website, which covered Peskovs comments, asked whether Russia was retreating from its previous position regarding the withdrawal of Iranian forces?

Regardless of the clarifications and interpretations by Russian officials of Putins comments, Iranian officials have rejected the idea of being told to withdraw forces by any outside power, whether it be the United States or Russia.

During a speech commemorating the 1980s liberation of Khoramshahr from Iraqi troops, Iranian Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Mohammad Bagheri indirectly addressed the latest controversy regarding an Iranian troop withdrawal from Syria and also Pompeos demand that Iran end its proliferation of ballistic missiles. Today, from the perspective of defensive strength and military and combat preparedness, our armed forces are at their peak and are not awaiting the permission or smiles from any power, Bagheri said.

Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi was much more direct regarding the withdrawal of troops from Syria. As long as it is necessary and the threat of terrorism remains in Syria and the government of Syria wants it, Iranian forces will remain in Syria, Ghassemi said. Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad said the issue of Iranian forces leaving Syria is not even on the agenda of discussion.

In a reference to Turkey and the United States, Ghassemi added, Those who must leave are those who entered the country illegally and violated the territorial integrity of the country.

Pompeos speech continued to dominate a second day of headlines in Iranian media. Kayhan newspaper, whose editor is chosen by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and which is sometimes erroneously labeled as Khameneis mouthpiece, chose as one of its top stories, CNN: Pompeos speech proved Irans leaders position about America. The article quoted a CNN article in which the author stated that Pompeo demonstrated that the US objective with regard to Iran is to cause damage to the country, as Khamenei has previously accused.

The Reformist Shargh Daily, which has been supportive of the nuclear talks and also President Hassan Rouhanis outreach to Western Europe and even the United States, wrote that with Pompeos speech and the unveiling of Americas new strategy toward Iran, Americas deceitful diplomacy has returned to its normal past.In his taped video message for the May 14 inauguration of the US Embassy in Jerusalem, President Donald Trump said, The United States remains fully committed to facilitating a lasting peace agreement. His declaration did not console members of the shrinking Israeli peace camp. Several days later, the Associated Press reported that the Trump administration plans to present its Israeli-Palestinian peace plan in June. The news did not generate much excitement among residents of the Palestinian refugee camps in the region.

The recent Palestinian protests along Gaza's border with Israel, dubbed the "Great Return March, focused public attention once more on the seemingly intractable problem of the Palestinians uprooted by Israels founding in 1948. No plan purporting to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and definitely not one Trump has hailed as the ultimate deal, can ignore the volatile issue. Other core divisions between the sides, such as the status of Jerusalem and of Israeli settlements, future borders and security arrangements can perhaps be bridged. The Palestinian demand of the right of return, however, is a non-starter  a red rag even for most of Israel's leftist Zionist Camp. Recent scenes of tens of thousands of Palestinians storming the Gaza fence clutching Palestinian flags appear to have confirmed the political rights flagship argument that giving up the territories Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War would not resolve the conflict.

The following text posted in English by Gaza resident Rana Shubair on the website We Are Not Numbers, appears to buttress this view.

Shubair recounts how she set out with her family on March 30, the date Palestinians call Land Day to commemorate Israels 1976 confiscation of Arab lands in the Galilee, for the border with occupied Palestine. She vowed, Each day until May 15, the anniversary of the Nakba [catastrophe when more than 750,000 Palestinians were forced from their homeland to create Israel] we will camp by the border to remind the world that we have a right to return home  Everyone there was united under one flag and one motto: We have a right to return to Palestinians historic homeland. This overwhelming feeling of unity long has been missing, especially in Gaza  None of us had anything more valuable to lose than what we already had: our home.

Shubair laments the home that was lost and insistence on her right to return home. She is not asking to go back to the once predominantly Arab towns of Ashkelon or Jaffa, a demand that a priori nullifies the two-state solution to the conflict. Jews, on the other hand, are of course entitled to long to go back to their ancestors homes in the West Bank's Hebron and to receive compensation for these homes. But these rights do not justify the expulsion of Palestinians from the buildings where they have lived for several decades. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also said in a 2012 interview on Israels Channel 2 that despite being a refugee from the Galilee town of Safed, he does not expect to return there. Palestine now for me is the '67 borders  alongside the state of Israel, he said.

Three comprehensive polls conducted in the first half of 2003 among 4,500 families living in refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan and the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza indicate that most refugees favor Abbas position. Only 10% want to return to Israel, compared with 72% who would rather live in a Palestinian state or receive monetary compensation. The results were met with harsh criticism by radical Palestinian factions opposed to any compromise on the right of return. They even threatened the head of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, Khalil Shikaki, with violence.

After deliberating on a petition by Greek Cypriot refugees, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in March 2010 that claiming a certain land or property as home is insufficient to establish a right. An overwhelming majority of the 17 judges agreed that given that 35 years had passed since the petitioners lost their property when Turkey invaded northern Cyprus in 1974, and the local population had changed, the claimants were entitled to compensation in cash, but not necessarily in land. The judges warned that rectifying an old injustice could result in a new injustice. One can infer that UN Resolution 194 of 1948, stipulating that a refugee can choose between a return to Israel and compensation, does not grant every refugee a personal right to return. The 2002 Arab Peace Initiative referred to this resolution as the basis for a just and agreed-upon solution to the refugee problem.

Nonetheless, in a conversation with me at the time, Eyal Benbenisti, a world-renowned professor on international law, argued that theres a difference between people taking over the homes of neighbors uprooted due to a conflict, as in the Cypriot case, and Israelis who knowingly settle on lands under disputed sovereignty that are subject to negotiations. In any case, the victim who prefers to wait forever and insist on his right to the land will one day wake up and realize that a statute of limitation has invalidated his rights.

The youngest refugees from 1948 celebrated their 70th birthdays this year. Their children, grandchildren, even great-grandchildren are languishing in refugee camps and handing down from generation to generation the keys to their homes in Galilee villages  homes in which three generations of Israelis have already been born. To surmount the barrier of the right of return, Israel must recognize the rights of the original refugees who wish to return to their villages. At the same time, it should work to establish an international fund that would pay the refugees and their descendants compensation for the property they left behind. Even the impact of taking in these original refugees on Israels demographic balance, meaning the ratio of Jewish to Arab citizens of Israel, would be negligible compared to the repercussions of continued Israeli rule over the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

No Palestinian leader past or present could ever afford to cede his peoples right of return. No Israeli leader can ever afford to grant the Palestinians their right of return. However, within these two red lines there is plenty of room to maneuver for leaders willing to seek creative solutions to the bloody conflict rather than reasons to perpetuate it.Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has never made any bones about the strong grudge he holds against the Arab members of Israels Knesset. He never misses an opportunity to lash out at them, targeting them in every election campaign. His initiative to raise the electoral threshold in order to keep Arab parties out of the legislature, which the Knesset adopted in 2014, resulted in the forced union of the four main Arab political parties.

Not only did his plot fail, the elections held the following year made the union known as the Joint List the third-largest Knesset faction. Despite internal disputes and ideological differences that have emerged on occasion, the glue has held. The lawmakers of the Joint List, like their voters, are fully aware of the danger they face should the alliance disintegrate into its constituent parts.

However, Liberman was undeterred in his all-out war against the elected officials of Israels 20% Arab minority. On May 20, he set a new record of incitement against the Arab lawmakers. Every day that [Knesset member Ayman] Odeh and his partners are walking free, cursing police officers is a failure of the law enforcement system," Liberman tweeted. "Those people belong in prison rather than the Knesset. It's time for them to pay for their actions."

What set him off was the Joint Lists sharp criticism of 19 arrests at a demonstration the previous day in the city of Haifa against the live fire used in recent weeks by Israeli soldiers against Palestinian demonstrators massing along the Gaza-Israel border. In the wake of the Haifa demonstration, the Justice Ministry launched an internal affairs inquiry into suspicions that police kicked and broke the knee of Jafar Farah, the head of the Mossawa Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel, after arresting him. The following day, the head of the Joint List, Odeh, was caught on camera cursing a police officer who denied him entry to visit Farah in the hospital, calling him a loser and using an expletive concerning his mother.

Several days later, the storm reached the Knesset floor, where Arab representatives elected by 450,000 of the 800,000 registered Arab voters clashed with Jewish legislators. You will not shut us up, not us and not our people. You are inciting against us, railed Knesset member Yousef Jabareen of the Arab Joint List. Knesset member Anat Berko of the Likud Party responded, We see here people who openly support Hamas, Hezbollah, [Syrian President Bashar al-] Assad  a list that supports terrorism and supports the breaching of the State of Israels borders.

Knesset member Oded Forer, of Libermans Yisrael Beitenu party, came straight to the point: You are a bunch of terror supporters.  We will do everything possible to depose you. For those Knesset members on the political right, the very fact that elected Arab officials are protesting and demanding an investigation of alleged police brutality against Arab Israelis makes them terrorists or Hamas supporters, at the very least.

Liberman takes advantage of every clash and demonstration to incite against an entire public, and not just against the Knesset members who represent their constituents, Knesset member Ahmed Tibi of the Joint List told Al-Monitor. An anti-riot police officer who sees an Arab Knesset member in front of him and hears the minister of defense saying Im a terrorist, what is he supposed to do? Hes supposed to attack the terrorist or his community, and to crush him. Thats what happened and thats what will happen, and it will be more violent.

Indeed, Liberman made the Arab lawmakers fair game, leaving them helpless once again in the face of incitement by the countrys top defense official. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not come to their defense or express any reservations about their being labeled terrorists. After all, Netanyahu himself also makes a habit of attacking the countrys Arab citizens whenever he needs to rally his voters. Needless to say, all the other members of Netanyahus government were also silent on Libermans invective.

Two days before the defense minister declared that Arab Knesset members belong in jail, the prime minister issued a greeting to Israeli Muslims at the start of the monthlong fast of Ramadan. In his videotaped remarks in English, he said, Im proud of the fact that in Israel, Muslims, Jews, Christians  live together, work together, thrive together. As aforementioned, two days later, he no longer had anything to say when his defense minister incited against Israels entire Muslim population.

Knesset member Tibi said that, unfortunately, there is no effective parliamentary way to silence the hate campaign against Arab legislators. Liberman understands the language of fascism. One of his campaign slogans was Liberman understands Arabic, meaning he understands how to use force against Arabs. We could complain to the Knessets Ethics Committee, but it will result in a reprimand, at most, Tibi said.

Liberman might even like such a complaint to the Ethics Committee, as it could allow him to use the debate to conduct a populist kangaroo court against members of the Joint List in order to score political points and attract additional right-wing voters.

The timing of the escalation in attacks against us has to do with Libermans political situation, said Tibi. Although elections are nowhere in sight, polls conducted after Netanyahu presented the Iranian nuclear archives and the Israeli air force targeted Iranian targets in Syria earlier this month, and ahead of the May 14 move of the US Embassy to Jerusalem, indicated a sharp surge in support for Likud and its leader, Netanyahu. Libermans Yisrael Beitenu, on the other hand, kept treading water with polls showing it winning six Knesset seats if elections were held today  the same number it garnered in the 2015 elections. The polls show none of these recent achievements has rubbed off on Liberman. Liberman is strong in words but weak in votes. The result is a search for a scapegoat  and thats us, said Tibi. He along with his fellow Arab representatives fear the worst: It could end in murder.Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was admitted to Istishari Arab Hospital in Ramallah for the third time in less than a week between May 15 and 21. There have been conflicting accounts of his condition, although doctors were satisfied with the results of the medical tests that followed Abbas ear surgery on May 15.

Abbas was hospitalized again and admitted to the hospital May 20 because of a lung infection accompanied with a 40 C (104 F) fever, and he was given intravenous antibiotics.

This is not the first time the 82-year-old president has been hospitalized this year. He was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland in February, and it was unknown whether he had a health problem or just went in for a routine checkup. This naturally draws attention to what could be the beginning of the end for Abbas presidency and all the arrangements that may be taking place behind the scenes in preparation for any sudden news regarding his health.

A Palestinian official close to Abbas told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, The president, much like any other person, gets sick and recovers, and given his age and the burdens he carries on his shoulders, it is only normal for him to get tired. However, rushing into discussing turning the page would not be wise. His associates still send him reports to the hospital and he only needs to rest for a while. But Palestinian constitutional institutions [such as the Palestinian National Council (PNC), the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), the Palestinian Central Committee or the Executive Committee of the PLO)] have the right to discuss any political or legal arrangements to manage the Palestinian situation in anticipation of any emergency.

The fact that Abbas was admitted to the hospital and did not attend the Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in Istanbul on May 17 stirred various reactions on the Palestinian street and the regional and international arenas. He received many phone calls from leaders in Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the Arab League, checking up on his health condition.

No Palestinian leader, whether pro-Abbas or an opponent of his, has said that they contacted or visited him. Abbas associates, especially Saeb Erekat, the secretary-general of the PLOs Executive Committee, said on May 21 this is proof that his health is indeed stable.

Arab, international and even Israeli media have reported on Abbas recurring hospital visits and spoke of his deteriorating health. However, Palestinian media outlets refrained from covering the subject, perhaps to avoid mentioning possible scenarios should Abbas suddenly leave the picture.

Hassan Asfour, the former minister of Palestinian nongovernmental organizations affairs, told Al-Monitor, Abbas' current health crisis seems to affect his future the most and it happened to reveal the extent of the political crisis within the Palestinian Authority [PA], which has not opened up about the truth of what [Abbas] is going through. The PA is intentionally keeping the public in the dark so as to avoid certain situations that Abbas associates do not seem to be ready to face.

Asfour added, They seem to be avoiding talking about what could happen after Abbas, a question that may pave the way for political chaos if agreement is not reached over a constitutional political mechanism to choose a successor.

Several scenarios for the post-Abbas period are on the table. The Palestinian Basic Law authorizes the PLC speaker to chair the PA for 60 days in the absence of the president, pending presidential elections. Another scenario would be to appoint a deputy to Abbas before he is out of the picture. The third scenario would be for Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, or the Fatah deputy head, Mahmoud al-Aloul, to lead the PA in case of Abbas absence. The most dangerous scenario would be for his absence to lead to an internal conflict among Fatah leaders and the PA.

Abbas, who seems to be holding on to the reins of power, refused to appoint a deputy perhaps for fear that this deputy would turn against him.

Hamas has not paid particular attention to Abbas' health. The president has become a strong opponent, as he tried to tighten the grip on Gaza and force Hamas into a corner with the sanctions he imposed on the Gaza Strip since April 2017. Hamas did not comment on Abbas hospitalization, and its spokesmen refused to talk to Al-Monitor about the matter.

It seems Hamas believes it holds a constitutionally winning card since the PLC speaker will chair the PA for 60 days in the absence of the president, until elections are held according to the law. And it just so happens that Aziz Dweik, a Hamas leader in the West Bank, is the PLC speaker and thus could fill the position. However, Dweik is practically absent from the political arena and refrains from getting involved in political bickering with the PA. He is also fearful of getting arrested by Israel. If Dweik decides not to move forward and lead the transition, which is likely to happen, Hamas will be deprived of using this card.

Hani al-Masri, the head of the Palestinian Center for Policy Research and Strategic Studies - Masarat, told Al-Monitor, Arrangements for Abbas' succession were already in motion during the PNC sessions in late April in Ramallah, but it was a missed opportunity. The PNC sessions, which Hamas boycotted, could have defined a constitutional mechanism that regulates the Palestinian political scene should the president disappear for whatever reason, but Abbas refused to form this mechanism.

Masri added, It is even more serious that there is no agreed-upon successor within the Palestinian arena, and perhaps Abbas believes that not showing support for a candidate to succeed him allows him to come off as more powerful. All candidates are trying to get on his good side, and this is why I expect rivalries to break out should Abbas leave the picture without prior arrangements. However, they would only be temporary conflicts, after which rivals will soon sit together to distribute powers and positions.

Abbas fills three positions all at once. He is the head of the PA, head of the PLO and head of Fatah. So it seems more likely that three different Fatah leaders could occupy these three positions, if Hamas shows no presence in the West Bank and no other faction is formed to compete against Fatah. Some of these candidates include Erekat, Aloul, Majid Faraj and Jibril Rajoub.

Should Palestinians agree on holding presidential elections, Hamas may participate by nominating one of its leaders or supporting one of its associates.Trump cancels summit with North Korea scheduled for next month

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday called off a planned historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, even after North Korea followed through on a pledge to blow up tunnels at its nuclear test site, Reuters reported.Mike Pompeo used his first official appearance before Congress as secretary of state to call for a review of US military assistance for Lebanon following Hezbollahs gains in this months elections.

Washington has long relied on the Lebanese Armed Forces as a bulwark against the Iran-backed Shiite paramilitary groups influence in the divided country. But critics of the armys unwillingness to confront the group, which plays a dominant role in Lebanese politics, are gaining traction as the Donald Trump administration pursues a more aggressive stance against Tehran.

We need a review  to make sure that were using American tax dollars right in supporting the groups that can most likely achieve our outcome there, Pompeo testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee today as the Trump administration weighed in on a simmering debate about Lebanon.

Thats the first time the administration openly mentioned some things related to a review of the use of the LAF [Lebanese Armed Forces] aid, Joseph Gebeily, the president of the Lebanese Information Center, a think tank critical of Hezbollah, told Al-Monitor. The Lebanese Armed Forces have been a very useful partner to the US military. Theyve built a good relationship.

Some Hezbollah hawks in Congress have long called for curtailing US support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, saying the Hezbollah paramilitary group exerts undue influence on the Lebanese military.

Ive long been concerned over reports of the LAF-Hezbollah cooperation and US commitment to the LAF, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the chairwoman of the House panel on Middle East policy, said earlier this week at a hearing reviewing Hezbollahs electoral gains. US law stipulates that no assistance may be made available to the LAF or Lebanons Internal Security Forces if they are controlled by a US-designated foreign terrorist organization. Hezbollah certainly [qualifies].

I hope that this administration, unlike previous administrations from both parties, takes a clear-eyed approach to the LAF [and] reassesses our security assistance to Lebanon, she added.

The United States announced at a donor conference earlier this year that it was providing the Lebanese Armed Forces with three transportation helicopters worth $30 million. Since 2006, Washington has given the Lebanese Armed Forces more than $1.7 billion.

Proponents of the Lebanese Armed Forces point to the armys recent deployment to secure the Lebanese border and its success last year in pushing Islamic State and al-Qaeda militants out of the country. Hezbollah, however, also participated in the offensive, lending further ammunition to the Lebanese Armed Forces critics in Washington.

Still, some Republican lawmakers who have voiced similar concerns nevertheless cite the Lebanese Armed Forces as an important tool in curbing Hezbollahs influence in Lebanon, even as the paramilitary group expands into Syria.

We have worked closely with the Lebanese Armed Forces over the years to try to strengthen that institution because basically you have the formulation of a terrorist state within a state, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., told Al-Monitor following Pompeos testimony. So we want to make certain that there is distance between the Lebanese Armed Forces and the capability of the terrorist network to get their hands on any material. And that is what I believe [Pompeos] referring to.

However, Gebeily said that while the Lebanese Armed Forces have been effective in ensuring Lebanons security, a review of their objectives is warranted as they have failed to disarm Hezbollah.

The Lebanese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The taxpayer is asking: Is my assistance, the money Im giving  to the LAF, disarming Hezbollah? said Gebeily. Its not, so maybe we should review the objective of this assistance to make it more in line with whats being achieved. If it has the purpose of disarming Hezbollah, then we should see how this can be implemented.

While Pompeo himself has a reputation as a hawk, singling out Hezbollah in a hard-line Iran strategy speech earlier this week, his stance on the Lebanese Armed Forces has historically been more nuanced.

Gebeily, who said he formed a relationship with Pompeo during his time as a congressman from Kansas, said that while Pompeo has always been very tough on Hezbollah and Iran, he was also supportive of the LAF, strengthening state institutions overall  of course with the objective of weakening Hezbollah.

As a member of Congress, Pompeos district included Wichita, which boasts a sizable Lebanese American population. During that time, he made at least two trips to Lebanon, in 2014 and 2015, as a member of the House Intelligence Committee.

A readout of that first trip says Pompeo reaffirmed US support for Lebanons security and political institutions. And on his second trip, Pompeo met with Michel Aoun, now the country's president but who at the time was a Hezbollah-allied member of parliament.

Despite calling for a review, Pompeo still reaffirmed, in his testimony today, US support for the Lebanese Armed Forces to help us achieve the security element of our efforts. And although he expressed concern about Hezbollahs strength in the Lebanese government, he conceded that ultimately its our assessment at this point that the overall balance of power wont be materially changed by this months elections.AFRIN, Syria  Afrin's markets are once again buzzing with activity as many restaurants, fruit and vegetable stands, cafes and clothing shops have reopened their doors to customers.

Normal life is gradually returning to the city in northwestern Aleppo province, some two months after the Free Syrian Army and the Turkish army took control of Afrin on March 18 as part of Operation Olive Branch. The Turkish military launched the offensive Jan. 20 against the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), an armed Kurdish group that controlled the predominately Kurdish area. Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist organization, which the group denies. The YPG is part of a larger coalition that assisted US troops fighting against the Islamic State in Syria.

The Afrin revival began after Turkey targeted the city for months with artillery fire and airstrikes.

During a tour of Afrin in the first days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Al-Monitor met some of the locals, as well as residents originally from different parts of Syria, who spoke about how much living conditions have improved. Municipal services have resumed and running water has been restored. Bread is available once again.

As Ramadan started in mid-May, city streets were filled with pedestrians. Children, women and men walked in the Afrin markets after 4 p.m., when the temperature had cooled, buying food and drinks to prepare for breaking their fast at sundown.

Jihan Alou was waiting in line at a bakery to get bread. Afrins markets are almost back to normal, but food prices are very high, which is something big families can't afford," she told Al-Monitor. "I wait in line every day. It is packed here. We hope that more bakeries will open so people are more at ease.

Alou, a Kurdish Syrian originally from Afrin, said, Security is not unusually tight. During the day, security control is not bad, but at night there is lax security.

Afrins local council is back to work as well. Starting at 10 a.m., workers were busy removing garbage and sweeping sidewalks.

Mahmoud Jaban, owner of a clothing shop, told Al-Monitor, More than 10 sewing workshops are back to work in the city. Over the past few years, Afrin has become known for its ready-to-wear clothes, and many workshops opened here, as the city was stable and isolated from the war in Syria. Some small factories make childrens clothes, others for men and women, for reasonable prices. A large number of the products [used] to be exported to other parts of Syria.

Al-Monitor also met with Mohammed Rashid of Afrin's municipal services office.

We managed to resume most of the municipal services," he said. "In the sanitation department, although we do not have enough equipment, we managed to get some work done. The [local] council rented machines and hired 100 sanitation workers and started cleaning the city and removing garbage on a daily basis.

Rashid said that with the support of the Turkish government and the Stabilization Committee of the Free Aleppo Provincial Council, the local council fixed the engines of the Midanki Dam in the northern part of the city, and was able to pump water to the desalination plant in the town of Sharran to provide drinkable water for residents of Afrin and the city of Azaz.

The Turkish government promised to provide support to repair the rest of the water pumping stations and to supply electricity generators and diesel to run water pumps, Rashid said. The services office carried out comprehensive repairs to the sewage networks."

He said the local council also revamped all the bakeries.

The Syrian opposition in Afrin formed the local council April 12. Zuhair Haidar was elected council president, and Abdo Nabhan was elected vice president.

Nabhan told Al-Monitor, The council has received great support from the Turkish government since its inception and is now seeking to implement service projects in Afrin with the help of Turkey. We hope that international humanitarian organizations will also help with establishing development projects in the city. Of course, the organizations wishing to work with the council have to obtain permits from the Turkish government.

While Nabha said YPG members have been discouraging many displaced Afrin residents from returning by telling them they will be arrested, he said they should not be concerned about this. Afrin is ready to welcome the rest of its displaced residents, some of whom worry about returning for fear of being arrested or living in need because of the dire conditions," he said. "The council would like to reassure them that no one will be arrested and that the necessary services are back. We are waiting for you."

Near the entrance to Afrin, the city just resumed activities at its fourth Civil Defense Center.

Afrin is breathing a sigh of relief now that the Free Syrian Army and Turkish army control the security situation. A large number of displaced families are returning from different areas of Syria. The Afrin local council will be conducting a census, although thousands of the citys Kurdish residents have yet to return.A Turkish writer best known for prescribing remedies for hemorrhoids, constipation and male sterility said he had a solution should Turkeys ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) fail to win parliamentary and presidential elections that are due to be held on June 24.

Ahmet Maranki, also known as Lord of the Herbs, revealed in an interview with hardcore Islamist Akit TV that he had a weapons stash buried under a tree in Istanbuls Belgrade forest. In the event the AKP is dethroned, we will dig them up and take to the streets in the name of Allah, the all compassionate and the merciful, Maranki declared. An unnerved presenter tried to reason with him but Maranki kept going. Evoking Erdogans calls to the people on the night of the 2016 coup to face down the putschists, Maranki said, When called upon, this nation is ready.

His comments unleashed a storm of angry commentary, with many equating Marankis words to a call for civil conflict. Prosecutors have launched a probe.

Maranki hit a raw nerve. For some time there has been hushed speculation that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan might resort to drastic measures if he scents defeat. The mildest would be to fiddle with the election results, as the government is widely alleged to have done in the narrowly approved April 2017 referendum on exchanging Turkeys current parliamentary system for a super-presidency.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe concluded that last-minute changes to counting procedures had removed an important safeguard. The change, which allowed unstamped ballots to be counted as valid, has since been formalized under a new law that critics charge increases opportunities for fraud. The Vienna-based outfit announced today that a core team of 12 experts based in Ankara and 22 long-term observers would be deployed across the country to monitor the June polls. But with the state of emergency still in place, rural areas, particularly in the mainly Kurdish southeast, remain vulnerable to tampering.

Some go as far as to claim that if he fears losing, Erdogan might unleash armed loyalists to stir up trouble or that he might even start a war. Such conjecture sounds overblown, but it points to one hard truth: the deeply ingrained sense of entitlement gripping Erdogan and his narrow circle and serving their unremitting desire to cling to power.

This entitlement was fully on display when the AKP quashed a massive corruption probe into Erdogan and several Cabinet ministers in December 2013, sacking and jailing the police officials and judges behind it. Pro-Erdogan Islamic theologian Hayrettin Karaman rose to the occasion, declaring in a fatwa that corruption is not tantamount to theft.

When the AKP lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in the June 2015 polls, Erdogan torpedoed talks between the AKP and opposition parties to form a government. He then helped re-ignite war against reciprocally bellicose Kurdish militants. Spooked voters restored AKP dominance in a new round of elections held five months later.

Sources close to the government say there is growing worry within the AKP that it may lose its parliamentary majority again. The AKP owes its 16 years of power largely to the wealth it created for millions of impoverished Anatolians, even as its leaders lined their own pockets. But with the economy unravelling and the Turkish lira in free fall, a growing number of its supporters will view Erdogan and his coterie as more Ali Baba than Robin Hood.In just a couple of months hundreds of thousands of young adults will be headed for college...and facing ever-rising tuition and fees. The average annual cost for a public college is around $25,000 and you can expect about double that amount for private colleges. Many college students are taking five years to complete their college degree so total costs can easily run from $100,000 to $250,000 or more.

Is a college education worth the money?

One question that continues to be asked, "At these levels of costs, is a college education worth the money?" Research suggests that a student who obtains his or her college degree can expect to earn an average of $2 million more during his or her career than students with only a high school diploma. Obviously, this is a huge financial difference but we are dealing with averages which means some college graduates will spend the money to get that college degree and end up with relatively low paying jobs. The takeaway is that you want to approach college decision-making with a long perspective. In too many cases, I find students go to college because 'it's the next step' without giving a lot of thought to their college course work, major or consideration of the job market after college. This can be a big mistake, especially if you'll graduate with student loans. I encourage all parents of college-bound students to begin the conversation about the costs of college and choosing a path that will result in excellent opportunities for well-paying job prospects upon graduation.

What's the best way to pay for college?

Assuming you start early, saving for college using a 529 plan is the best way to go. Here's why:

Tax deferred growth.

Tax free withdrawals.

State income tax deduction for contributions.

Flexibility.

You should also be aware that there are two versions of the Alabama 529 plan; an Advisor version where you'll pay commissions and a 'self-help' version with no commissions and very low expenses. TIP: If you have five or more years until the first tuition check is due, allocate a large portion of your investments to stock mutual funds.

For more information visit College Counts 529 Plan. They have a nifty calculator you can use to estimate how much you need to save to fund college in general or a specific college.

Stewart H. Welch, III, CFP, AEP, is the founder of THE WELCH GROUP, LLC, which specialize in providing fee-only investment management and financial advice to families throughout the United States. He is the author or co-author of six books including THINK Like a Self-Made Millionaire; 100 Tips for Creating a Champagne Retirement on a Shoestring Budget; and J.K. Lasser's New Rules for Estate, Retirement and Tax Planning (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). Visit his Web Site https://welchgroup.com/next-step/. Consult your financial advisor before acting on comments in this article.The Alabama Career Center System will host a job fair Thursday, June 7, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the McDonald Hughes Community Center.

The free job fair will feature more than 50 employers, including: Westrock-Eutaw Folding, Yokohama Tire, the University of Alabama, Polaris Industries, Georgia Pacific, Academy Sports, and more.

More than 2,600 available jobs will be represented.

Jobseekers are encouraged to pre-register online for faster entry, and participants are strongly encouraged to print their confirmation and bring it with them to the job fair or to save their confirmation e-mail on their phones.

Veterans will be given priority assistance and those with military backgrounds are strongly encouraged to register and attend.

A series of workshops to prepare jobseekers for the fair will be held May 29 through June 1 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. each day at the Tuscaloosa Career Center, located at 202 Skyland Drive. Sessions include resume preparation, interview preparation, job fair preparation and a session targeted to veterans.

Applicants should come to the job fair with multiple copies of their resumes. They should be prepared to interview and dressed professionally.Barbara Murdock

Suspended Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority executive director Barbara Murdock was fired by the Board of Directors at its meeting on Wednesday afternoon, effective immediately.

The vote was 6-1-2. Director Patrick Sellers was the lone "no" vote. Director Ted Smith and board chair Darryl Cunningham, who joined the board last month, abstained.

"The people who voted for [termination] voted based on what they knew," Cunningham said following the meeting. "Being new, I am not up to speed on everything. But [the board] wanted to make sure everything was clean going forward."

Sellers objected to the firing because Murdock "did not have due process," he said. "She was suspended without telling her what she was suspended for."

Murdock was suspended without pay in April over the alleged "unauthorized use" of the BJCTA credit card for personal expenses, including, it was later learned by AL.com, an Alabama power bill totaling $477.25.

Additionally, AL.com revealed last month that Murdock received two checks in September 2016 totaling $20,000--one for $18,000, the other $2,000--that were requisitioned under "Relocation Expenses," according to copies of the requisition forms and checks. She had recently been named executive director after serving two years as chief of staff under predecessor, Ann August.

The allegations are being investigated by the state attorney general's office, Cunningham confirmed.

When reached by telephone, Murdock, who did not attend the meeting, refused to comment on the firing, referring all questions to her attorney, Rod Cooks.

"We are exploring all options," Cooks said via text message, "including litigation."

The firing came suddenly and quickly after the board returned from a 24-minute executive session to discuss "pending litigation," Sellers said in the motion calling for the session.

"We need to deal with the Barbara Murdock issue," he added.

During the session, according to sources, it was also revealed that the attorney general's office is seeking more information for its investigation.

Reinstating Murdock's pay--she earned $206,000--pending the outcome of the investigation, was also discussed, along with other options, including termination. Salary reinstatement was quickly dismissed, sources confirmed, and some directors argued for resolving the executive director's employment status immediately.

When the board returned, Cunningham quickly called for a motion to adjourn as director Martin Weinberg appeared to be preparing to speak. Director Ruby Davis, said, "Director Weinberg is trying to make a motion."

Weinberg moved that the board "officially terminate executive director Barbara Murdock, effective immediately." The motion was seconded by Davis.

"We needed to make a decision on Barbara," Weinberg said. "The investigation may go on for a while, so we need to go ahead and do something."

Interim executive director Christopher Ruffin remains in that position, although Cunningham said, "I love the job he's doing".

The firing was the culmination of yet another head-scratching BJCTA board meeting, one characterized by calls for stabilization after a whirlwind two months of departures among the BJCTA's executive team.

Most prominent among them were Mike Sims, the interim director of human resources, and Ron Sweeney, the long-time head of maintenance.

During the committee of the whole meeting last Wednesday, Ruffin said Sweeney's resignation "caught us off guard". He was not personally informed by Sweeney, who instead shared his decision with director of safety Dale Knutson.

"Frankly he didn't need to work," Knutson said during the meeting. "He decided it was a good time to go."

Among its actions this Wednesday, the board voted to accept the request made on March 28 by board attorney Deborah Walker to be released from her contract, which was to have ended on June 30, effectively immediately.

Before voting on the resolution to release Walker, director LeDon Jones, who was sworn in just last month said: "Seems like every day I meet someone, they're gone the next day. There have been too many changes too fast. We have to slow down.

"Until we start acting properly as a board and get our house in order, how can we expect anyone else to have their house in order?"

Moments later, J.O. Hill, the retired former president of transit union Local 725, reiterated that sentiment by reciting the names of the seven people who've held BJCTA executive director title since 1994.

"Everything changes too much," he said. "Sometimes history can help you in the future. For this kind of rollover, there has to be a problem somewhere. We got to have some consistency and people stay in place long enough, so we can all come together."

Earlier this month, Birmingham mayor Randall Woodfin threatened to withhold funding to the authority unless it met three conditions, one of which was to "development of a "leadership stability plan attributed to a timeline".

In perhaps the oddest action of the day, the board passed a resolution to exercise the first of two one-year extensions to the law firm of Fuston, Petway & French to serve as the board's legal counsel. That same resolution, however, failed last week during the meeting of the Committee of the Whole.

A failed resolution cannot be re-introduced to the board, some directors said, according to Robert's Rules of Order. An initial agenda distributed on Wednesday did not include the item, labeled Resolution 2018-21. However, it was listed on a second agenda distributed just prior to the start of the meeting.

After the meeting was called to order, long-time director Johnnye Lassiter asked: "How did [the resolution] get on agenda when failed [in committee] and did not pass?"

Cunningham responded by citing the authority's by-laws: "Article 2 of the by-laws state, 'No committee can take any action that is binding on the authority.'"

"That does not answer my question," Lassiter followed.

"It was placed on the agenda," Cunningham said.

As further discussion ensued, Lassiter left the room. When a voice vote on the resolution was requested, Cunningham agreed to delay it until Lassiter returned. When that took longer than expected, Walker, director Davis and Knutson were dispatched to discern if she was okay.

While they were gone, Cunningham moved on to other parts of the agenda but returned to the resolution before Lassiter and Davis returned, calling for a voice vote. It passed unanimously.

Before leaving the podium, Hill shared a saying he said his "grandaddy" always told him: "You cannot run a business on friendship, kinship or courtship. It creates favoritism."

It prompted a chorus of laughs and applause.Chelsea is the fastest growing city in Alabama, according to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, while Birmingham continues to lose ground as the state's largest municipality.

Located off often congested U.S. 280, the southern Shelby County city of Chelsea grew by 4 percent from 2016 to 2017, adding 519 residents. That brings the population to 13,011, the new data shows. Chelsea's population is up nearly 28 percent since 2010.

Last year's fastest growing city, Fairhope in Baldwin County in south Alabama, added more residents than Chelsea but that was only a 3.68 percent rise.

Other smaller cities in the Birmingham metro area, such as Calera, Helena and Moody are growing slightly.

Chelsea City Councilwoman Tiffany Bittner said the city is a natural fit for families looking for a safe and affordable community with good schools while also being a convenient drive to Birmingham.

Young families are moving to farther down Highway 280 to Chelsea to find newer homes, she said.

To go along with the population growth Chelsea is seeing a boom in residential construction. According to the city, 207 homes were built in 2017, 219 in 2016 and 131 in 2015.

"Our home building permits are really up for the first four months of the year (2018)," Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer said. "Chelsea is a place where young families want to raise their children," he said.

According to the city of Chelsea, 101 residential building permits were issued through April of this year.

Chelsea still isn't building enough homes, despite the boom, said Bittner, who works as a real estate agent. New homes sell as quickly as they are constructed, she said.

"It is a sellers' market right now because we are still low on inventory," she said.

Picklesimer said he isn't surprised by his city's growth.

"We've had four new companies to come to town - they are either open or in the process of opening," he said.

These companies, including Complete Communications Systems, which moved from Pelham; Holcombe Doors and Windows, which is relocating from Hoover; and a yet-to-be-named pharmaceutical manufacturing company, will bring about 80 jobs combined to Chelsea.

Picklesimer said Station 31 Pizza & Subs plans to open a restaurant in the former volunteer fire department station.

Birmingham

Meanwhile, Birmingham continues to lose residents despite an influx of new housing in downtown.

According to Census estimates, the Magic City lost 553 people from 2016 to 2017, trimming the population to 210,710. Birmingham lost less than 1 percent of the population from 2010 to 2017.

"We will take a close look at the estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, but Birmingham has seen this trend of slight decline or no growth for the last decade," said Rick Journey, director of communications for the Birmingham mayor's office.

He said the city is "very optimistic" about population growth moving forward.

"While downtown development has been exciting and good for the city, we believe the challenge can be met by a commitment to neighborhood revitalization in all 99 neighborhoods as well as our focus on work force development," Journey said. "Growth can be found through opportunity and those opportunities will be created through a relentless focus on talent development, talent retention and talent attraction. We are dedicated to creating a culture that sustains small businesses and minority-and-women-owned businesses that, in turn, provide more opportunities for our residents."

The mayor has also designated a staff member to lead the city's efforts to make sure every Birmingham resident is counted in the 2020 Census.

The Magic City's population dip caused Birmingham to be passed in size by California cities Fontana and Santa Clarita and Tacoma, Wash.

Birmingham isn't the only city in the metro area to lose residents. Mountain Brook and Homewood, which has little room to grow anyway, saw a slight decrease in residents from 2016 to 2017.

Since 2010, Jasper lost 5 percent of its population, while Hueytown lost 4 percent and Fairfield and Bessemer each lost nearly 4 percent.An east Alabama man has been indicted on two sex crime charges involving a child.

A Cherokee County grand jury this week indicted the suspect - 45-year-old Michael R. Stiles - on charges of attempted first-degree rape and sex abuse of a child under the age of 12, said Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver.

Details of the allegations against Stiles weren't made available, but the sheriff said investigators arrested him at a home in Leesburg Wednesday night. He is being held in the Cherokee County Detention Center on $300,000 bond.An Odenville man will spend the rest of his life behind bars without the possibility of parole for the rape of a 3-year-old girl.

Robert Earl Armbrust, 44, was given the sentence Wednesday by St. Clair County Circuit Court Judge Phillip Seay during a hearing at the courthouse in Ashville. Armbrust earlier this month pleaded guilty to first-degree rape and two counts of sodomy shortly before a jury was selected for his trial.

The crimes happened on several occasions between June and September in 2016. Authorities said Armbrust and his live-in girlfriend, 39-year-old Lena Catherine Edwards, were babysitting the child of a friend who was ill.

While in their care, said Chief Assistant District Attorney Lyle Harmon, Armbrust raped, sodomized and sexually abused the little girl. Edwards reportedly photographed and took video of the sex crimes while they were happening.

Edwards is awaiting trial on charges of sodomy in the first degree, sex abuse of a child less than 12, production of obscene matter of a child less than 17 and possession of obscene matter with intent to disseminate. Harmon called the crimes "horrific."

Court records show Armbrust has previously served time in state prison for methamphetamine convictions.

"It should not hurt to be a child. Fortunately, with (the) sentence of life without the possibility of parole, Armbrust will never be able to terrorize a child again,'' said St. Clair County District Attorney Richard Minor. "As parents we tell our kids monsters do not exist, but they do. This monster will spend the rest of his natural life behind bars."The University of Alabama at Birmingham has requested 20 papers authored by former associate professor Santosh Katiyar be retracted from medical journals.

"Certain published images within those papers were not substantiated by available data, or the scientific conclusions of the publication were not supported," UAB Assistant Vice President for Research, Research Integrity Officer Pam Bounelis said in a statement.

Katiyar's employment at UAB was ended on May 1, 2017, she said.

Katiyar is the UAB professor who made headlines for publishing studies linking green tea to preventing breast and skin cancer.

In an emailed statement Bounelis said: "UAB and Birmingham VA Medical Center worked jointly on the review of research papers authored by Santosh Katiyar.

A journal notified UAB of concerns about Katiyar's work in October 2012. The university began analyzing the work in accordance with its scientific misconduct policy that same month, according to UAB.

Efforts by AL.com to reach Katiyar were unsuccessful prior to publication of this story.

The Scientist magazine reported Katiyar had received $5 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health during his career. Five of his articles, which were on alternative methods to treating skin cancer in animal models, have been retracted since March 30, 2018, the magazine reported.

Four of those recently retracted articles were published in the journal Carcinogenesis. Another of Katiyar's articles was retracted from the same journal in 2012 for "an error in presentation of data," The Scientist reported.

Retraction Watch reported that Katiyar's paper claiming a "grape seed compound might have anti-prostate cancer effects" was retracted in 2012 after the Carcinogenesis's editor-in-chief Curtis Harris was notified by a reader about potential issues with an image in the paper. Harris and two other scientists suspected image manipulation and contacted Katiyar. Katiyar responded that there was "an error in presentation of data" and requested that the paper be retracted. Carcinogenesis didn't contact UAB, according to the Retraction Watch report.

Katiyar's study that suggested green tea could prevent UV radiation-induced skin cancer made Birmingham area news in 2005. Katiyar claimed the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities in green tea helped prevent the creation of skin cancer cells. His findings were published by the American Society for Nutrition.

According to the Journal of Clinical & Experimental Dermatology Research, Katiyar was a professor of dermatology and environmental health sciences, senior scientist at the Comprehensive Cancer Center and Nutrition Obesity Research Center at UAB.

Katiyar's Facebook page states he previously worked at Case Western Reserve University.

UAB couldn't immediately confirm Katiyar's work history.

According to Ommega Online Publishers, open access publishing group of peer reviewed journals, Katiyar has published about 200 original articles in highly peer-reviewed journals.

Katiyar completed his post-doctoral fellowship in the biochemistry department at Allahabad University, Allahabad, India in 1979-1982, according to one journal. He earned his doctorate in chemistry at Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, India in 1979. He earned his master's degree in chemistry at Kanpur University in Kanpur, India in 1975.Writ at SC against recommendation to waive remaining jail sentence of Dhungel

A writ petition has been filed at the Supreme Court against the recommendation of Dillibazaar Prison Office to waive the remaining jail sentence of former lawmaker of the then CPN (Maoist Centre) Balkrishna Dhungel. He is doing time in the Dillibazaar Central Jail in a murder case.More than a month after the names of the three finalists were announced, Birmingham still doesn't have a new police chief.

"I think we are close," Mayor Randall Woodfin said on Thursday of making a decision on how to hire as police chief. "I think we have more assessing to do.

Speaking to reporters at the Neighborhoods USA (NUSA) conference, which is being held in Birmingham this week, Woodfin said hiring a police chief is one of the most important appointments he will make as mayor. He said he doesn't want to rush to make a decision.

"I am committed to make sure I get this appointed position right," Woodfin said. "I have confidence I will get that right."

The finalists for Birmingham police chief are Malik Aziz, division commander with the Dallas Police Department; Henry Irby, deputy chief (currently handling day-to-day operations) with the Birmingham Police Department; and Patrick D. Smith, a commander with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Woodfin interviewed the finalists on April 23-25. The search began on Jan. 23, about two months after Chief A.C. Roper announced his retirement.

Woodfin said the police department is one of the biggest departments in the city, and he has to think about "morale" and the "culture" of the department when making the decision of who will lead it.

Woodfin addressed crime during a Thursday morning NUSA panel that also included New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Jackson, Miss. Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumb.

More than a 1,000 people from across the country, many of them neighborhood leaders, are attending the conference. The conference is expected to have an economic impact on the Birmingham area of $785,000.

"If I'm honest, one of the few things that keeps me up at night is the gun violence in my city," Woodfin said. "I struggle with the number of murders that have taken place since I have become mayor."

Not only does Birmingham have a crime problem, Woodfin said the city has a "poverty problem. It is just not poverty. It is concentrated poverty."

This is causing some young people to make bad choices and have a "reckless disregard for another person's life," he said.

As Woodfin has publicly said before, the mayor said if someone brings him a gun, he will do all he can to get them a job.

"I mean that," he said. "It is not a program."

In order to prevent crime, Woodfin said you have to have police officers engaging with the residents of the neighborhoods they patrol and invest in human capital such as offering workforce development training.

Neighborhood associations

Woodfin said his office inherited an inefficient process for neighborhood associations to spend funds to improve and put on events in their areas. He said the request for funds have to go through a 17-week process before a check is cut for neighborhoods to draw down on their funds.

"That is crazy," he said, adding the he has directed staff to make that process easier. Woodfin said he hopes that process will be in place before the end of the year.

The city's 99 neighborhoods have a combined $3.7 million in neighborhood association accounts that haven't been spent.

Woodfin is proposing not putting any funds in the neighborhood association accounts next fiscal year. Instead, he said those funds will be directed towards the projects that neighborhood officers have indicated are the top priorities in their neighborhoods.

Office of Social Justice and Racial Equity

During the Thursday morning panel discussion, Woodfin said he is moving forward with the creation of the Mayor's Office of Social Justice and Racial Equity.

The formation of the office was recommended by Woodfin's transition team.

On Thursday, Woodfin said he was within two weeks of hiring a LGBTQ liaison.

More details on the Office of Social Justice and Racial Equity and the liaison position weren't available for release.A Fairhope man was arrested Tuesday while in possession of approximately 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine, according to authorities.

Christopher Michael Carter, 28, was arrested at the home he shares with his doctor wife and three children. Court documentation does not indicate if his wife was also arrested.

Officers from the Baldwin County Drug Task Force and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed a search warrant in the 20000 block of Bishop Road in Fairhope.

During a search of the residence, officers found approximately 18 grams of marijuana in a desk located inside the garage. Officers also found approximately 18 grams of methamphetamine ice, weighing scale, unused plastic baggies, and smoking devices inside the same desk, according to court documents. Carter claimed ownership of the controlled substances and paraphernalia found inside the desk.

A further 709 grams of meth was discovered inside a safe in the kitchen pantry.

During an interview with Carter, law enforcement officials discovered that he was making approximately $11,000 a month selling the meth to five different customers.

On Wednesday, the state of Alabama began procedures to take Carter's vehicle, which he claimed in an interview was bought using proceeds from selling the drugs and also used for transporting them around. The Fruits of Crime Forfeiture Law enables the state to take property that is bought from the proceeds of crime.

Carter is currently in the Baldwin County Sheriff's Corrections Center on a $251,500 bond.

Carter is charged with trafficking methamphetamine, assault 2nd degree on law enforcement, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana 1st. degree.

Carter is facing a minimum/mandatory sentence of five years for the methamphetamine and $100,000 fine, according to officials.A public relations firm involved in a scandal in which professional actors were paid to pose as citizens in a grassroots movement and recite utility talking points at two New Orleans City Council meetings was paid millions of dollars for work it performed for Alabama Power Company dating back to the 1990s, according to paperwork filed by Alabama Power with federal regulators.

The Hawthorn Group, which describes itself as an international public affairs company, has admitted to hiring a subcontractor, Crowds on Demand, that paid actors to speak at New Orleans City Council meetings in October 2017 and February 2018.

Hawthorn had maintained an office inside Alabama Power's corporate headquarters in Birmingham, but closed it about a year ago, according to Hawthorn President and Chief Operating Officer Suzanne Hammelman.

Hammelman said the paying of participants in New Orleans was a "misunderstanding."

"Paying participants was not requested or authorized by our client or by Hawthorn," Hammelman said. "Clearly there was a misunderstanding, which we deeply regret."

Hawthorn chairman and co-founder John Ashford said that the company has never recruited crowds to attend public meetings for Alabama Power.

"We can confirm that The Hawthorn Group has never done any work to recruit meetings attendees for Alabama Power Company," Ashford said in an email.

"Further, we can confirm that at no time has The Hawthorn Group ever engaged Crowds on Demand, nor any similar firm, on behalf of Alabama Power Company," Ashford wrote.

Alabama Power paid Hawthorn more than $7.8 million from 1996 to 2001, according to reports filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, about $1.3 million per year on average. Those reports document funds the company spent on "certain civic, political and related activities."

After 2001, Alabama Power was not required to itemize those expenses, or show which firms it was paying under this category, so any amounts it may have paid to Hawthorn since then are not recorded on the public forms.

In each year from 2010 to 2017, Alabama Power has spent between $18 and $23 million per year under the broad category of civic and political activity, which also includes work with civic groups.

Entergy cut ties with Hawthorn

The controversy in New Orleans involving the Hawthorn Group occurred after The Lens, a non-profit news organization in New Orleans, reported that actors said they had been paid to attend New Orleans City Council meetings in October 2017 and February 2018. The purpose of those meetings was to hear public comments on a proposal from the utility Entergy New Orleans to build a new $210 million natural gas power plant called the New Orleans Power Station.

The City Council approved the plant by a 6-1 vote.

In its investigation report on the incidents, Entergy said it had hired the Hawthorn Group to "assist with organizing local grassroots support," for the New Orleans Power Station project, asking them to recruit 75 attendees and 10 speakers for the October meeting and 30 attendees and 10 speakers at the February meeting.

Hawthorn in turn hired a California-based firm called Crowds on Demand, which hired actors to appear at those meetings, according to the Entergy report.

Hawthorn initially denied that attendees were paid, telling Entergy, according to the utility's investigation report, that "Apparently their evidence is one person who is dilusional [sic] or lying."

Crowds on Demand CEO Adam Swart said in an emailed statement to AL.com that the company seeks to provide genuine supporters for their clients, but often provides compensation for people who attend meetings.

"We believe that the points our supporters make should speak for themselves," Swart said. "We also maintain that the fact that they are being paid does not mean they should have any less right to voice their opinions."

After the revelations in The Lens, and Entergy's internal investigation, Entergy announced it was cutting ties with Hawthorn and Crowds on Demand, and that both companies were placed on a "do not hire" list.

"These kinds of activities run directly counter to the way we conduct our business," Entergy General Counsel Marcus Brown said in a news release, "And we apologize to the Council, the community, and to the many supporters of the New Orleans Power Station project who took their own time to attend those public hearings and express their support for this important project.

"We are extremely grateful for that support, and regret that the poor judgment and unauthorized actions of a few created this situation."

Entergy also said it was amending its mandatory code of conduct for hiring outside firms "to expressly prohibit the practice of paying individuals to attend or speak at any public meeting or meetings before any governmental, regulatory or other agency with oversight over Entergy's operations."

AL.com asked Alabama Power a series of detailed questions about the company's relationship with Hawthorn, including what work Hawthorn had performed for the company, how much Alabama Power paid Hawthorn and whether Alabama Power would still hire the firm in light of the incidents in New Orleans.

Alabama Power spokesman Michael Sznajderman issued a written statement in response.

"Alabama Power's mission is to provide our customers with the safe, reliable and affordable service they expect and deserve," Sznajderman said. "The company employs a number of individuals and organizations in support of that mission.

"Alabama Power requires all such individuals and organizations to conduct their activities in a highly ethical manner and in compliance with all legal requirements."Almost half the Republicans in the Alabama Legislature have endorsed Gov. Kay Ivey in the June 5 primary, Ivey's campaign announced.

Forty-five GOP lawmakers endorsed Ivey -- 32 of the 71 Republicans in the House of Representatives and 13 of the 26 Republicans in the Senate.

Ivey, who became governor last April, said she has made communicating and working with the Legislature a priority.

"I'm proud of the relationship we've built and the progress we've made," Ivey said.

Senators who endorsed Ivey:

Greg Albritton of Range

Clyde Chambliss of Prattville

Jimmy Holley of Elba

Del Marsh of Anniston

Jim McClendon of Springville

Tim Melson of Florence

Arthur Orr of Decatur

Greg Reed of Jasper

Paul Sanford of Huntsville

Clay Scofield of Guntersville

Jabo Waggoner of Vestavia Hills

Cam Ward of Alabaster

Phil Williams of Rainbow City

Representatives who endorsed Ivey:

Alan Baker of Brewton

Chris Blackshear of Phenix City

Alan Booth of Troy

K.L. Brown of Jacksonville

Donnie Chesteen of Geneva

Steve Clouse of Ozark

Terri Collins of Decatur

Danny Crawford of Athens

Corley Ellis of Columbiana

David Faulkner of Mountain Brook

Joe Faust of Fairhope

Bob Fincher of Woodland

Danny Garrett of Trussville

Lynn Greer of Rogersville

Alan Harper of Northport

Steve Hurst of Munford

Reed Ingram of Montgomery

Ken Johnson of Moulton

Nathaniel Ledbetter of Rainsville

Paul Lee of Dothan

Joe Lovvorn of Auburn

Steve McMillan of Bay Minette

Becky Nordgren of Gadsden

Phillip Pettus of Killen

Bill Poole of Tuscaloosa

Chris Pringle of Mobile

Kerry Rich of Guntersville

Chris Sells of Evergreen

Randall Shedd of Cullman

David Standridge of Hayden

Allen Treadaway of Morris

Randy Wood of Anniston

Ivey faces Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Birmingham evangelist Scott Dawson and Sen. Bill Hightower of Mobile in the primary.Daphne and Fairhope can't take the population growth crown for granted anymore, according to new census numbers that show Saraland catching fire.

The latest city population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau confirm some familiar trends. Mobile's still sagging. In Baldwin County, Eastern Shore communities continue to boom, as do counterparts inland and on the coast.

But the Saraland surge is something new. The estimated 547 people that Saraland gained from 2016 to 2017 is nearly as many as the 624 it gained from 2010 to 2016. Among Alabama cites with population greater than 10,000, that was the second-fastest single-year growth by percentage, at 3.9 percent. (Only Chelsea, a slightly smaller city southeast of Birmingham, did better. It racked up 4.15 percent growth.)

While the numbers might be new, the phenomenon isn't exactly a surprise. Anyone driving through Saraland on I-65 can see growth at Exit 13. A new Infirmary Health medical center opened in December, followed by a new Cracker Barrel in April and a new hotel. A Publix will anchor a new shopping center being developed nearby.

In December, as the Infirmary center opened, executives cited a swelling population. "This is the fastest growing part of Mobile County," Kenny Breal, Infirmary Health's vice president for clinical operations, said at the time. "The need was there."

Dr. John L. Dixon Jr., one of the doctors working at the facility, said one of the major factors was the success of the Saraland School System since the city voted in 2006 to break off from the Mobile County Public School System.

"We spent 20 years watching people move to Daphne for the school system," he said, but now he saw them moving back for the same reason.

The system opened in 2008, supported by a half-cent sales tax hike. A $30 million new Saraland High School opened in 2010, followed by a new elementary school. In 2015 the city approved a 7.5 mill property tax increase to fund ongoing capital improvements for its schools.

Veronica Hudson, a Saraland city council member who also has served on the school board, said that education consistently is the top priority for people thinking about moving to Saraland. But its low crime rate and easy access to Mobile also are major selling points. "Crime is almost nonexistent in Saraland," she said.

Hudson said the flip side of the growth is a tight housing market. "We're building a lot of new subdivisions," she said. Subdivision approvals and annexations are big part of the council's business, she said.

Infrastructure was another challenge, she said. With most of the growth coming west of I-65, the corridors across the interstate risk becoming bottlenecks. The Alabama Department of Transportation has a major project under way at Exit 15, where Celeste Road crosses. That can't get done soon enough, Hudson said.

A year after estimates showed Huntsville passing Mobile as the state's third-biggest municipality, Mobile notched another down year, losing an estimated 1,375 people or 0.69 percent of its population, bringing it to 190,265. From 2010 to 2017 it lost 4,846 or 2.48 percent. (Huntsville continued to put distance on its lead, adding 2,629 people for a 1.37 percent rise to 194,585.)

In his recent "State of the city" address, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson cited the city's stagnant population was "one very disturbing indicator that cannot be ignored" and which would take "a tremendous community collaboration" to improve.

Stimpson cited education as a key issue in that speech, and made what might have been an oblique reference to rumors that an unidentified group is backing a feasibility study for a city-county school split. "Mobilians want to explore options," he said. "Options that will lead to all of our children getting a better education. Our job is to advocate for our students. We can and we must do better."

Crime was another major issue, Stimpson said, as was the need to catch up on deferred maintenance of city buildings. But he also cited some promising possibilities, such as an airport swap bringing passenger service to the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley, and improvements to the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department.

In retrospect, he might as well have named Saraland when he offered a stark call to action.

"Based on the historical trend," he said, "if we do not reduce the crime rate, improve public education and improve our housing stock, we will be providing lots of jobs for people living outside of the city."

Context provided by the new census estimates shows that others have fared worse than Mobile. Prichard showed a one-year estimated loss of 222 people, falling 1.01 percent to 21,732. Selma shed 2.46 percent of its population between 2016 and 2017, and 11.5 percent from 2010 to 2017.

Baldwin has continued to do its thing:

Fairhope -- up by 744 people to 20,935, making for a one-year gain of 3.68 percent and a jaw-dropping, state-leading seven-year gain of 36.6 percent.

Foley -- an estimated 2016-2017 gain of 588 for a total of 18,288. That's a one-year gain of 3.32 percent and a seven-year gain of 25.1 percent.

Gulf Shores -- up by 296 to 11,809 -- a one-year gain of 2.57 percent and a seven-year gain or 21.2 percent.

Daphne -- an estimated gain of 452, rising 1.77 percent to 25,960. That's a 2010-17 gain of 20.3 percent.

(Note: Orange Beach has a population below 10,000 and wasn't included in this round of data.)David Hogg, the Parkland school shooting survivor turned activist, is calling for a "die-in" Friday at Publix grocery stores.

Hogg told followers on Twitter the event would include protesters lying on the ground for 12 minutes at 4 p.m. Friday. The protest comes after Hogg told followers Publix donated to Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam.

Putnam, who referred to himself as an "NRA sellout," has received the highest possible ranking from the gun rights group, The Sun-Sentinel reported.

The Lakeland, Florida-grocery chain gave Putman some $670,000 over the last three years, according to the Tamp Bay Tribune.

Anyone who supports an NRA sellout is an NRA sellout. That is why I am calling on everyone to stop shopping at Publix until they pull their endorsement of Putnam publicly. Publix is supporting the inaction after pulse, strozier, Douglas, liberty city. Dont support an NRA sellout  David Hogg (@davidhogg111) May 23, 2018

Hogg called for a boycott until Publix pulled its endorsement of Putnam. Those calls have been backed by a handful of social action groups.

In a statement, the grocery store chain said that it regrets "that some of our political contributions have led to an unintentional customer divide instead of our desire to support a growing economy in Florida.

"As a result of this situation, we are evaluating our processes to ensure that our giving better reflects our intended desire to support a strong economy and a healthy community."

Hogg was a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of a deadly Feb. 14 shooting that killed 17 people. Hogg and several other Douglas High School students have become vocal gun control advocates in the wake of the massacre.There won't be an announcement today of a new lawsuit by Roy Moore today after all.

Moore's defense team issued another press release Thursday morning, postponing the news conference scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday in Gadsden.

The full statement from Moore's attorneys:

"The announcement of new charges against additional defendants in this matter will be postponed due to delay of cases already pending before two separate courts of the state, as well as at the Alabama Supreme Court, making it inadvisable to proceed at this time.

"We fully intend to announce new charges against new defendants in the coming months."

It's not clear what has changed since Wednesday's late afternoon announcement that Moore would be holding a second press conference within the last month to discuss the filing of another lawsuit.

Moore is involved in three lawsuits regarding allegations made against him last November in his campaign for U.S. Senate. Moore has repeatedly denied the allegations that he made unwanted romantic and sexual advances against two women who were in their teens and another woman who was a client.

The reference to the state Supreme Court is an appeal that Moore has made in the lawsuit brought by one of his accusers, Leigh Corfman. The trial judge denied Moore's request to move the case from Montgomery County to Etowah County and Moore's appeal of that ruling is still before the state's high court.

Moore has also filed a counter lawsuit against Corfman in that case.

And last month, Moore announced a lawsuit against five defendants alleging a political conspiracy that sabotaged his Senate campaign. Corfman was among those defendants.

In that case, filed in Etowah County, all the judges recused themselves because of their relationship with Moore. The lawsuit has been assigned to retired Russell County Circuit Judge Albert L. Johnson Sr.A Montgomery County jury convicted Juan Daniels of capital murder Wednesday in the death of 6-year-old Aiden Howard, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.

Daniels was also found guilty of attempted murder for trying to run over his stepson, Kendarius Arrington.

On Feb. 12, 2015, Daniels and Arrington got in a physical fight at the apartment Daniels shared with Arrington's mother. Daniels left the apartment but returned a few minutes later and saw Arrington standing in the doorway.

Video evidence showed Daniels turn, center his 2004 GMC Yukon and plow through the apartment in attempt to hit Arrington, prosecutors said.

Arrington moved out of the way before the impact, but Aiden Howard was fatally struck.

Data from Daniels' Yukon showed the SUV sped up as it went down the street and was traveling at 40 miles per hour when it struck the apartment.

The video evidence shows Daniels walking away after his car hit the apartment. U.S. Marshals arrested him in Georgia a month later.

Daniels faces an automatic life sentence without parole for the capital murder conviction, and 10-99 years to life for the attempted murder conviction. His sentencing hearing is set for June 25.

"Daniels will be automatically sentenced to life without parole and will never be able to hurt anyone outside of the prison walls again," said Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey "I am very happy that he will never walk the streets of Montgomery again. Montgomery is a little safer now that he has been removed from our community."

In 2007, Daniels was convicted in the beating and burning of a dog named Louis Vuitton.Integration minister Inger Stoejberg advised Muslims should take leave during Ramadan to avoid safety risks to society.

Muslims in Denmark have laughed off the suggestion of integration minister that Muslims take time off work during Ramadan to avoid potential safety risks that fasting may cause to the rest of society.

Integration Minister Inger Stoejberg, an immigration hardliner in Denmarks centre-right government, questioned in a blog post published on Monday how commanding observance to a 1,400-year-old pillar of Islam was compatible with modern labour markets.

In her post published by Danish Berlingske Tidende (BT) newspaper, Stoejberg cited bus drivers and hospital employees as examples of workers whose performance could be affected by foregoing food and drink during daylight hours of the holy month.

Suggesting that fasting could affect safety and productivity, Stoejberg urged all Muslims to take leave from work during Ramadan.

I want to call on Muslims to take leave from work during the month of Ramadan to avoid negative consequences for the rest of Danish society, she said.

Danish Muslims received her comments with mockery, saying that they were unfounded and best to be ignored.

Gina al-Farra, consultant radiologist who works 14-hour shifts at the Herleve-Gentofte University Hospital in Copenhagen while fasting, told Al Jazeera that she has never faced any problems.

I take short breaks but I find no issues doing my work while fasting, said al-Farra.

Muslims can make their own judgement on whether to fast or not, and for how long. Our priority is to protect and care for our patients. We will never put them in danger. Gina al-Farra, consultant radiologist

Al-Farra  who saw Stoejbergs recommendation as a restriction on freedoms that would amount to social control  stressed that Muslims are capable of taking care of themselves and of society.

Muslims can make their own judgement on whether to fast or not and for how long. [As doctors] our priority is to protect and care for our patients. We will never put them in danger.

Kindergarten teacher Fatima Hajri, 28, who said she laughed at Stoejbergs post, told Al Jazeera that her fasting goes unnoticed at work so much that my colleagues ask if Im actually fasting because they see me the way I normally am.

There are about 250,000 Muslims living in Denmark. They mostly fast from dawn until sunset, which can occur at 9:29pm local time in Denmark in June.

Comical statements

Danish Muslims and non-Muslim Danes found that it was best to ignore Stoejbergs comments, which they believe have little impact on wider Danish society.

Naveed Baig, imam and Muslim Chaplain at the Royal Hospital of Copenhagen said: People made fun of her and mocked her statements  [while many others] started using a hashtag in Danish that means stay calm. That was not just in the Muslim community, but amongst the wider public too.

The comments were not surprising but rather comical for many Muslims in Denmark. She [Stoejberg] is known for her rhetoric against Muslims and immigrants more generally.

Like Baig, Tarek Ziad, a 25-year-old university student and author of The Black Beard, a book on being a Danish Muslim, was not surprised by the comments.

The comments were not surprising but rather comical for many Muslims in Denmark. Stoejberg is known for her rhetoric against Muslims and immigrants more generally. Naveed Baig, imam and Muslim chaplain

The Muslim community has grown used to these kinds of comments; it is not the first time this specific minister has come out with such statements.

Most people, even non-Muslims, just laughed them off.

Last year, Stoejberg posed for photos with a cake decorated with a Danish flag and the number 50, a reference to the 50 immigration restrictions she had been able to pass into law.

Today I got the 50th amendment to tighten immigration controls ratified, she wrote on Facebook. This needs celebrating!

Public support for Muslims

According to Baig, the wider public showed strong support for Muslims in Denmark following Stoejbergs comments.

People have shown a lot of support for the Danish Muslims. Danes are not stupid and can see through political rhetoric.

Even the media showed a lot of support for our community  [asking] scientists, imams, theologians about what Ramadan is and its significance, he said, adding that he was even invited by a Danish tabloid to speak about the holy month.

In an interview with spokeswoman of Arriva, which runs a number of bus routes in Denmark, Pia Hammershoy Splittorff told BT newspaper that the company had never had any accidents involving drivers who were fasting. So de facto its not a problem for us, she said.

Most people laughed off or felt embarrassed by the comments, but it is dangerous in some ways that public opinion and the Muslim community have become immune to these statements. Tarek Ziad, columnist and university student

The same message came from Denmarks 3F transport union, whose leader Jan Villadsen wondered if the minister was trying to create a problem that did not yet exist.

For Villads Johansen, a 31-year-old software engineer from Copenhagen, the comments were unreflective of his Muslim friends, and worrying for the image they portrayed to the world about Denmark.

Stoejberg made a point that Ramadan burdens our society, but Ive only seen my Muslim friends more light-spirited and positive during that period.

I am appalled by the way she [Stoejberg] sees things and worried about the way other countries see us when we have a minister with such opinions, said Johansen.

While Ziad, who writes a column at one of the biggest Danish newspapers Politiken, took the comments lightly, he shares some of Johansens concerns.

Most people laughed off  [or] felt embarrassed by her comments  [but] it is dangerous in some ways that public opinion and the Muslim community have become immune to these statements.

Stoejberg has become the face of Denmarks increasingly tight immigration rules.

In 2015, Danish authorities put ads in Lebanese newspapers warning asylum seekers not to come there. Then, in 2016, Denmark passed a controversial law that allows Danish authorities to search migrants belongings and seize valuables and cash from them to help pay for their time in the country.Assam, India  The islands on the Brahmaputra river, locally known as chars, are the most underdeveloped areas in Indias northeastern state of Assam.

The 2,500 river islands located along the nearly 900km stretch of the mighty river are home to some 2.5 million people, nearly 80 percent of whom are poor, with little access to basic health and education facilities.

The chars have one of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the state. In the absence of emergency medical services, it takes 4 to 6 hours for a patient from a char to reach a district hospital for treatment.

Government interventions have been few and far between.

In 2004, a local NGO, the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research (C-NES) launched the Boat Clinics to provide much-needed medical services to the area, which can only be accessed by boats.

The unique initiative focuses on the immunisation of children, womens health, family planning counselling and other basic medical needs of the char communities.

Fifteen Boat Clinics operate in 13 districts along the Brahmaputra river, treating about 20,000 people a month for free.

Dr Hasan Rafik accompanies the Boat Clinic in Barpeta district in lower Assam. He says his mobile clinic caters to 33 villages along the river, providing critical health facilities.

Most common diseases we come across are respiratory tract infections, sinusitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, bronchial asthma, skin infections caused by fungus, he told Al Jazeera.

Contamination of water causes skins infection since people living on chars use river water for bathing and drinking. Fungal infection is also caused due to people working in paddy fields.

The state government, National Rural Health Mission and UNICEF now fund the initiative that has become a lifeline for the people living on these river islands.

Text: Saif KhalidWomen who survived the brutal rule of Boko Haram are now facing sexual violence at the hands of the Nigerian military.

Shortly after Halima* arrived at a displacement camp in northeast Nigeria, a soldier approached her offering chicken and yams. Halima recognised him as one of the men who had beaten her husband and taken him into detention. For days, she had barely eaten so she accepted the food out of desperation. When the soldier returned demanding sex in exchange for the food, Halima was too scared to say no.

The soldiers are kings. When you see them, everybody is afraid, said Halima, who arrived at the Bama Hospital camp in late 2015. They decide, they say nobody should complain. So, I did what he wanted.

Halima is one of thousands of women who, after surviving the brutal rule of the armed group Boko Haram, found themselves trapped in a nightmarish system of sexual violence and exploitation at the hands of the Nigerian military.

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A new report by Amnesty International, They Betrayed Us, documents the plight of women who were forced from their homes, separated from their husbands and confined to remote satellite camps in the northeast of Nigeria.

With hunger rife in the camps, military personnel and the militia members working with them used their authority and access to food and other basic necessities to coerce women into sex, which amounts to rape under international law. The soldiers sometimes used force if the women resisted.

Hauwa* told us she was raped on several occasions by a militia member after arriving at Bama Hospital Camp. She described being hemmed in by sexual violence and starvation.

The crimes committed by Boko Haram must not blind the outside world to the widespread abuses carried out by the Nigerian military, which is responsible for arbitrary detention, torture and thousands of unlawful killings

I arrived with 130 other women and children [in early 2016]. Hunger and thirst [killed] 58 from our group in the first four months, Hauwa said.

Youll see a military man with food in the hand and hed say, If you like me, take this food. If you accept the food, later, hed come back to you to have intercourse. If you refuse, hed rape you [using physical force].

Amnesty International has collected evidence that thousands of people have starved to death in these camps, mostly in late 2015 and in 2016. Almost half of the women we spoke to in one camp, Bama Hospital camp, said that one or more of their children had died.

While the daily deaths have now abated as humanitarian assistance has scaled up, many women are still restricted from leaving the camps and sometimes go days without food. In these conditions, sexual exploitation has thrived.

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Since 2012, when Boko Haram started attacking civilians in northeast Nigeria, Amnesty International has repeatedly denounced abuses carried out by the armed group, which has committed massacres, launched car bomb and gun attacks in cities and abducted thousands of people.

But the crimes committed by Boko Haram must not blind the outside world to the widespread abuses carried out by the Nigerian military, which is responsible for arbitrary detention, torture and thousands of unlawful killings.

Rape and sexual violence are just one of the numerous injustices women have faced at the hands of the military. They described their villages being burned down in military operations and being ordered to leave, and being starved and beaten in the camps while their husbands and sons were detained.

Treated with suspicion by soldiers simply because they lived under Boko Harams control, hundreds of women and girls were also detained and transferred to military detention facilities such as the Giwa barracks, where Amnesty International has documented the deaths of at least 37 women and children since 2015 due to the appalling conditions.

They asked us women where our husbands were, then they flogged us with sticks. They beat my children and said they are Boko Haram children  I was pregnant at the time, said 25-year-old Zara, who spent two years in Giwa barracks with her children, and gave birth unassisted in an overcrowded cell.

Some women detained for being so-called Boko Haram wives told us that they had been abducted by the armed group and forcibly married to a member. During subsequent military interrogations, they were beaten into silence as they tried to explain this to the soldiers.

For too long, Nigerias allies  including the United States and the UK  have been content to condemn the terrible crimes committed by Boko Haram while giving the Nigerian military a free pass. Even UN humanitarian agencies working on the ground, where abuses are often committed in plain sight, have done little to challenge the confinement of women to militarised camps and the outrageous levels of sexual violence perpetrated by security forces within them.

Last year, the acting president of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo, established a Presidential Investigation Panel to review the armys compliance with human rights obligations, but so far there has been no action and the situation for women in the camps remains bleak.

Yet, against all odds, these women bravely continue their fight for justice including the return of their husbands and sons. In September 2017, hundreds of displaced women lined the streets waiting to tell their stories to the presidents investigation panel. They had drawn up lists of their loved ones in detention, or of those who died in the camps.

As one of these women told us, This has happened to us. It cannot be undone now. But the government should recognise it. They should know how we suffered and how we died. They should make sure it does not happen again.

* Names were changed to protect the women identities.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.Since the beginning of this year, hundreds of refugees and migrants have been entering Bosnia-Herzegovina every month, on their way to Western Europe. As the number of new arrivals grew, it became increasingly obvious that the local and state authorities had taken no action to ensure adequate provision of food, shelter or access to healthcare.

As the weather got warmer, some of these refugees settled in the little park in front of Sarajevos city hall. Local people and non-governmental organisations would occasionally bring them food and other supplies; others would pass by, giving them a hostile stare.

As refugees became more visible in parks and in the streets, xenophobic sentiments flared among the population, stoked by hostile media reports.

It was not until the Council of Europes Human Rights Commissioner sent an official letter to the government that did it finally decide to act. One of its initiatives was to transfer 270 people from Sarajevo to Salakovac asylum centre, near the city of Mostar.

But as with many things in Bosnia, not all went according to plan. The Croat-dominated police force of the Hercegovina-Neretva Canton, where the Salakovac centre is located, decided to defy the decision of the national government. On May 18, they intercepted the buses carrying the refugees on their way to the centre, blocking their passage and causing a five-hour standoff.

The buses eventually made it to their destination, but the incident sparked a small political crisis. Politicians of various ethnicities and at different levels of the countrys complicated entity and cantonal system spent the next few days trading accusations.

Considering that this is an election year for Bosnia and Herzegovina, things are expected to get a lot worse in the coming months.

Putting numbers in perspective

The Balkan route of migration has been active for several years now, with one million people using it to reach Western countries. The majority of them went through Greece, Macedonia and Serbia and crossed into EU member states, Hungary and Croatia. That part of the route, however, got blocked in the spring of 2016.

In the beginning of this year, an alternative was found  travel through Bosnia. In the first three months of this year, more than 3,500 refugees and migrants entered the country, the majority of them from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kosovo, Turkey, Syria, Libya, Morocco and Iran. In comparison, for the whole of last year, the UNHCR registered just 755 refugees in Bosnia. Thousands more are expected to arrive in the coming months.

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While these numbers might look overwhelming to some, lets remember that at the peak of the crisis in 2015, some 3,000 people were arriving in Macedonia and Serbia daily and over a million people made it to Germany.

Lets also remember that some 150,000 Bosnian citizens left their country for greener pastures in the past five years. That is in addition to hundreds of thousands of others who fled during the war and have not returned.

Despite being aware that the arrival of refugees and migrants was inevitable, the authorities failed to prepare and respond to the humanitarian crisis in line with international and human obligations. If it werent for Bosnian citizens and some NGOs self-organising and providing food and shelter to some of the refugees and migrants, the situation could be much worse.

Prime Minister Denis Zvizdic has justified his governments lack of preparation, saying that the country has no capacity to accept thousands of refugees. Bosnia still has some 85,000 internally displaced people from the wars in the 1990s, which indeed diminishes the ability of the authorities to take care of large numbers of refugees and migrants.

But there has also been a clear lack of political will to increase capabilities and cope with the problem, because assisting refugees and asylum seekers does not help win elections. Fear-mongering and reinforcing ethnic divisions do.

Hate speech as political strategy

In a way, it is not surprising that these thousands of refugees, in transit to Western Europe, were dragged into Bosnias political squabbles. The political elites had to use this opportunity to reclaim their electoral territories before the October vote.

In recent weeks, talk of refugees and migrants threatening our way of life, changing demographics in the country and presenting a security threat has intensified. In mid-May, Zeljka Cvijanovic, prime minister of Republic Srpska  a predominantly Serb entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina  called for the countrys borders to be closed to asylum seekers. A few days later, Milorad Dodik, the entitys president, declared that he will not allow any refugee reception centres operating in Republic Srpska.

The system and certain media have completely failed refugees, migrants and asylum seekers, just like they regularly fail the Bosnian citizens.

After the standoff in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, Bosnias security minister, Dragan Mektic  a Bosnian Serb  called the incident a virtual coup and demanded that the police commissioner of the Hercegovina-Neretva Canton be arrested for defying orders. Then, the head of Bosnias tripartite presidency, Bakir Izetbegovic, a Bosniak, said it wasnt a coup, but it was unconstitutional. In response, the Croats in the cantonal parliament, who are the majority, stated that they will demand the resignation of the security minister.

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Beside this petty political exchange and the use of the refugee issue for political gains, what is also concerning, and in fact, infuriating, is the pervasiveness of hate speech in Bosnian media.

While there was some sympathy expressed with the refugees plight during the 2015 crisis in neighbouring Serbia, the media rhetoric changed dramatically once these people crossed the Bosnian border.

The reporting has been not only uninformed and ignorant, but also outright xenophobic and inhumane, encouraging hate and feeding prejudices. The media has persistently reported on alleged criminal acts of migrants in the country and their attacks on Bosnian citizens, although there have been no police records proving they have actually been committed.

In spite of all evidence demonstrating that the refugees and asylum seekers in Bosnia have committed three times fewer crimes than Bosnian citizens (nine reported criminal acts for 3,000 migrants), the media falsely inflates their crime rates. There have been also outrageous reports about alleged health risks refugees carry for the local population and their use of drugs.

This has escalated so far that the International Organisation for Migration in Bosnia and Herzegovina had to warn of the serious consequences of unprofessional and prejudiced reporting.

Knowing that refugees and migrants from Bosnia and the rest of the Balkans have been facing the same exact prejudices across Europe, Ive found media and popular opinion about the newly arrived refugees deeply disappointing.

Given the Bosnian history of conflict and displacement and the large number of Bosnians who found refuge abroad, I would have expected empathy, understanding and a better treatment of those fleeing conflict, insecurity and poverty.

While there are many individuals, informal groups and organisations around the country who have shown extraordinary kindness and humanity towards those in need, the system and certain media have completely failed refugees, migrants and asylum seekers, just like they regularly fail the Bosnian citizens.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.Burundi accused of widespread rights abuses before referendum

Hundreds of people have been killed and arrested since protests began, and a coup was attempted against President Nkurunziza in 2015.President Trump cannot block users from viewing his profile on Twitter as it violates free speech rights, says court.

A US judge has ruled President Donald Trump cannot legally block Twitter users because doing so violates their right to free speech.

District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald said on Wednesday the presidents Twitter account  @RealDonaldTrump  was a designated public forum open to all US citizens.

The account has 52.2 million followers and Trump uses it for a variety of policy announcements.

The case against the president was brought by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and seven individuals blocked by Trump after they criticised him.

When one Twitter user blocks another, the blocked user may not respond to the blockers tweets on the social media platform.

Media reports say among those Trump has blocked are novelists Stephen King and Anne Rice, comedian Rosie ODonnell, model Chrissy Teigen, actress Marina Sirtis, and the military veterans political action committee VoteVets.org.

Viewpoint discrimination





Judge Buchwald, in a 75-page opinion, said the blocking of Trumps critics violated the free speech rights of those users guaranteed in the US Constitutions First Amendment.

The judge said the users were indisputably blocked as a result of viewpoint discrimination and this was impermissible under the First Amendment.

The US Department of Justice, which represents the president in the case, said it disagreed with the ruling and is considering the next steps.

Lawyers for the president argued Trumps own First Amendment rights allowed him to block people with whom he did not wish to interact.

Buchwald rejected that.

While we must recognise, and are sensitive to, the presidents personal First Amendment rights, he cannot exercise those rights in a way that infringes the corresponding First Amendment rights of those who have criticised him, she said.

Mute users

The judge stopped short of ordering Trump to unblock users, saying it was not necessary to enter a legal thicket involving courts power.

She said she assumed Trump or his social media director Dan Scavino, who also was a defendant in the case, would unblock the users in light of her decision.

Buchwald said Trump could mute users, meaning he would not see their tweets while they could still respond to his, without violating their free speech rights.

Eugene Volokh  a University of California Los Angeles School of Law professor who specialises in First Amendment issues  said the decisions effect would reach beyond Trump.

It would end up applying to a wide range of government officials throughout the country, he said.People from remote villages near the coastal city of Salalah evacuated to safer places ahead of the powerful storm.

Tropical Cyclone Mekunu is threatening Omans southern coast near Salalah, as well as the eastern portion of neighbouring Yemen.

Mekunu development has occurred barely a week after another cyclone, Sagar, formed in the same region. Sagar became one of very few cyclones to pass right through the Gulf of Aden, and it was the strongest such cyclone to hit Somalia, leaving around 30 people dead and causing devastation to crops and livestock.

Mekunu is expected to take a very different track. It has already made a glancing blow across the Yemeni island of Socotra.

On Wednesday night severe flooding resulted in extensive damage and three people are missing after being swept away in their vehicles. Another four people are missing after their boat sank in stormy seas.

Since then, Mekunu has intensified even further as it moves northwards. At 12GMT on Thursday sustained winds were expected to be around 165km per hour, the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale. Wave heights of more than seven metres were predicted at that time.

With sea surface temperatures in that region of the Arabian Sea between 31 and 32C, and low wind shear (a change of wind speed and direction with height) there is every chance that Mekunu will gather even more energy.

It could possibly become a Category 3 system before it makes landfall. This is forecast to be late on Friday afternoon or during the evening.

The sequence of events that occurs at the point of landfall is likely to be very quick and equally as dramatic.

People evacuated

Mekunu will inevitably engage some of the hot, dry, dusty air over the Arabian Peninsula which will all act to weaken it. Waters along the Omani coast are far too cool to sustain a cyclone, so that will also act against it. But all this may be too little, too late.

Current forecasts suggest Mekunu will hit the coast with sustained winds of 140km/h, strong enough to cause extensive damage. The coastal strip will also have to face huge seas and a possible storm surge.

As Mekunu hits the shore and the mountains further inland, it will disintegrate rapidly, but not before it drops huge amounts of rain. It is the rain, and the flash flooding that this will generate which is, far and away, the main concern.

Salalahs annual rainfall is 96mm. Forecast rainfall totals for Mekunu are between 100 and 200mm, all falling in probably less than 12 hours. Much of that water will run off the mountains, through ravines and cause severe flooding.

Ahead of the storm, Omani media reported lines at gas stations in Salalah, the hometown of Omans longtime ruler, Sultan Qaboos bin Said. The police urged citizens to seek safety and warned that floods were likely in valleys. It also said it planned to deploy more ambulances and police officers to areas likely to be affected by the cyclone.

Also, the health ministry said it evacuated critically ill patients at locations of the Sultan Qaboos Hospital in Salalah, flying them by air north to Muscat, the countrys capital. State television aired images of others being evacuated from remote villages in the path of the cyclone.

The port of Salalah, crucial to Qatar amid a boycott by four Arab nations over a diplomatic spat with Doha, said it also had taken precautions and secured cranes ahead of the cyclone.At least 12 people have died and more than 40,000 displaced after heavy rains affect much of country.

Heavy monsoon rain in Sri Lanka has left at least 12 people dead and more than 40,000 others displaced across the country.

Officials ordered the military to help those affected by the showers, believed to be upwards of 100,000 people so far.

The countrys disaster management agency has issued alerts warning of the risk of landslides after days of heavy rain.

Al Jazeeras Minelle Fernandez, reporting from Kalutara in South-Western Sri Lanka, said the Sri Lankan navy was ferrying those in need to hospitals.

Were hearing that waters are receding but here in Kalutarawhat you see is not a lake, not a reservoir, not a sea, but what used to be paddy fields until the deluge of water over the past couple of days, our correspondent said.

Sri Lankan officials say the water levels are dropping but warn that more rain is on the way.

May is usually the wettest time of the year in southern and western parts of Sri Lanka, as the summer monsoon sets up across the island.

Last year, the rains in May and June were so heavy that 100 people were killed and hundreds of thousands of others had to seek temporary accommodations.Fears as Syria military expected to target Deraa province next

Tens of thousands of Syrians are bracing themselves for an offensive by the Syrian government that would break a three-year ceasefire in the province.Germanys biggest lender to decrease workforce from 97,000 to well below 90,000 as part of cost-cutting strategy.

Germanys biggest lender, Deutsche Bank, has announced that it will slash over 7,000 jobs as it looks to cut costs and recover from three consecutive years of losses.

The German financial giant said in a statement on Thursday that full-time staff positions will be reduced from 97,000 to well below 90,000 so that costs do not exceed 23 billion euros ($27bn) in 2018.

We are Europes alternative in the international financing and capital markets business. However, we must concentrate on what we truly do well, said Christian Sewing, the newly appointed CEO of Deutsche Bank, in a statement.

The cost-cutting measures come amid a number of leadership changes at the bank in the last six years.

The situation at Deutsche Bank has been a cause for concern for investors and shareholders for some time, said Al Jazeeras Paul Brennan, reporting from the capital, Berlin.

Since 2012, Deutsche Bank has had four different chief executives in charge and the strategy has frankly been confused and muddled, he added.

Restructuring strategy

As part of its new strategy, the bank is aiming to scale back its corporate and investment sector by more than 100 billion euros ($117bn), with the majority of the reduction expected to be achieved by the end of the year.





Deutsche Bank said it is targeting a further reduction in its costs to 22 billion euros ($26bn) next year.

Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets, questioned the banks restructuring strategy, saying it has come very, very late.

In focusing on its domestic market, Deutsche Bank is making a significant mistake because its a very low-margin business banking in Germany; you have negative rates and an economic cycle that is starting to look increasingly mature, he told Al Jazeera in an interview from London.

Its going to be very, very difficult for Deutsche Bank to navigate their way out of this effectively, Hewson added.

There are more than 44 million people employed in Germany, with a 1.4 percent increase in the employment rate reported in the past month.

The country has experienced strong economic growth since mid-2016.

It would appear that Deutsche Bank does buck the trend of that, but of course, investment banking is not really an indicator of the overall strength of a manufacturing economy such as Germanys, said Al Jazeeras Brennan.Hamas under pressure after Gaza protests fail to bring change

Protests near the Gaza border fence that left more than 100 people dead have brought no relief from Israels 11-year siege.Investigators say they have convincing evidence to support their report of the incident that killed 298 people.

An international criminal investigating body concluded a Russian missile brought down Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

In a report released in The Hague on Thursday, investigators said they have convincing evidence to support their report, adding the Russian Brigade 53 was in possession of the missile.

Russia denied the allegations, saying Ukraine forces brought the aircraft down.





The Boeing 777 was blown up as it flew from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 passengers on board, including 193 Dutch citizens.

Data from recovered flight recorders showed the aircraft was punctured multiple times by shrapnel, which resulted in an explosive loss of pressure, according to Ukrainian investigators.

In an interim report in 2016, investigators said the airliner was brought down by a surface-to-air missile launched from a territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists.

At that time, Russian-backed forces were fighting for control of eastern Ukraine.

Moscow and the Ukrainian anti-government separatist groups it supports have previously denied involvement in the incident.

On Thursday, Russia rejected the investigations conclusions and pointed the finger at Ukraine instead.

Not a single anti-aircraft missile system from the Russian Federation has ever crossed the Russia-Ukraine border, a statement from the Russian defence ministry said.

Russias foreign ministry said the investigations outcome causes us regret.

It is nothing but an allegation aimed at tarnishing our countrys image on the international stage, a ministry statement carried by TASS news agency said.

In 2015, Russia vetoed a UN resolution seeking to create an international tribunal to prosecute those who shot down the plane.

Trial within five years

Al Jazeeras Rory Challands, reporting from St Petersburg in Russia, said the new findings from the investigation team have been known for months from reports by citizens journalists.

The investigation hasnt specifically named names, but it is clear from what they have been saying today that they are pointing the blame today at the Russian military itself, he said.

Evert van Zijtveld, the Dutch president of the foundation for relatives of MH17 victims welcomed the findings and said its good there is now clarity about the involvement of the Russian Brigade 53.

We of course want the perpetrators to be tracked down and tried in court, Van Zijtveld, who lost his two children and parents-in-law in the crash, told Al Jazeera.

At a press conference on Thursday, Dutch chief prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said those responsible for downing the plane should appear in court within five years.

Its been four years and by now it should be nearly clear where were standing, van Zijtveld said, adding he remains confident the perpetrators will be brought to a trial.

For years, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Russia must be held accountable shooting down the airliner.

On the third anniversary of the tragedy, Poroshenko described it as a barefaced crime.

At the time of the incident, Russian and Ukrainian forces were engaged in fighting after Moscow annexed Crimea.

Nearly 10,000 people were killed during the conflict that broke out between pro-Russia fighters and Ukrainian government forces.Israels Intelligence Minister Israel Katz says that US recognition of its sovereignty is top of its agenda.

Israels intelligence minister has said US recognition of its sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights is at the top of the agenda in its diplomatic talks with its closest ally.

Israel Katz told the Reuters news agency that the move  in what is internationally recognised as Syrian territory  would be a painful response for Iran, which has a military presence in Syria.





This is the perfect time to make such a move. The most painful response you can give the Iranians is to recognise Israels Golan sovereignty  with an American statement, a presidential proclamation, enshrined (in law), he said.

Israel has occupied the Golan Heights since it defeated Syria in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and has in the past mulled returning the territory to Syria in exchange for a peace deal with Damascus.

The Israelis have since changed tactics and argued in favour of keeping the land, citing the civil war in Syria and Irans presence there in support of the Syrian government.

Iranian proxy

Katz said Israel wanted the Syrian government to distance itself from the Iranian government in exchange for Israels non-intervention in the country.

If [Assad] becomes an Iranian proxy, then sooner or later hes condemning himself, because Israel is acting against Iran in Syria.

If not, then we have always said we have no interest in getting involved there.

If Israel

becomes an Iranian proxy, then sooner or later hes condemning himself, because Israel is acting against Iran in Syria]

Earlier this month, Israel launched air attacks on Iranian targets in Syria after it accused Iran of launching missiles towards its positions in the occupied Golan Heights.

Military officials said Iranian intelligence and logistics positions were targeted, as well as several Syrian military targets, including a radar installation.

In February an Israeli F16 fighter jet was shot down and crashed over Israeli territory after it targeted Iranian positions in Syria.

The incident followed the entry of an Iranian drone into the occupied Golan Heights.A judge said that the US government hid potentially exculpatory evidence in trial stemming from anti-Trump protest.

A US judge of the Washington, DC, Superior Court has ruled that the government withheld evidence that could have potentially cleared defendants in an increasingly controversial trial of six Inauguration Day protesters.

On Wednesday, Jude Robert Morin agreed with the defences claim that presenting an edited video as evidence constituted a violation of the Brady rule, which lays out the obligations of the state regarding potentially exculpatory evidence.

The defences lawyers had filed a motion for sanctions on the prosecutor and a dismissal of their clients charges, which could land the defendants behind bars for several decades.

The six defendants are among 59 people still facing a slew of felony charges over their alleged participation in anti-fascist and anti-capitalist rally against Trumps inauguration on January 20, 2017.

During that demonstration, more than 230 people were arrested, and most were given a rioting charge.

In April 2017, the DC Superior Court returned a superseding indictment that added several new charges related to rioting and property damage.

While Morin agreed that Assistant US Attorney Jennifer Kerkhoff illegally withheld evidence, the judge has yet to issue a final ruling on the motion to dismiss.

The defendants attorneys argued that the evidence was effectively withheld owing to the editing of a video taken during a pre-protest planning meeting.

If the judge declines to dismiss the charges, the defence lawyers have requested that the video be suppressed during the trial.

The video was provided to the prosecutors by Project Veritas, a far-right organisation known for targeting leftists and anti-fascists.

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The government has used attendance at this meeting and statements made during the meeting to allege that the defendants conspired to commit acts of violence and destruction on [January 20, 2017], the defences motion stated.

[The] defence is now in possession of the full unclipped video that proves the government misrepresented  in open court  the contents of the unclipped portion of the planning meeting.

Mass arrests

During the Inauguration Day rally, police arrested encircled and arrested upwards of 230 people, including protesters, bystanders, medics, legal observers and journalists.

Many of them had their charges dropped, while others reached deals with the government in exchange for reduced charges.

In January, the US Attorneys Office dropped charges for 129 defendants. In a court filing at the time, US Attorneys Office for DC said it would focus on the remaining 59 defendants by dropping the charges against the other 129.

In December 2017, the first batch of six defendants were found not guilty by a jury.

Assistant US Attorney Jennifer Kerkhoff has repeatedly shown contempt for the legal process in her zeal to convict political activists, Sam Menefee-Libey of DC Legal Posse said in a press release on Wednesday.

Federal prosecutors are prepared to hide evidence, malign political organising and spend millions of taxpayer dollars in an attempt to put anti-Trump protesters behind bars for decades.

{articleGUID}

In February, the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) filed a lawsuit against DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and Karl Racine in the US Attorneys office.

The lawsuit seeks information about the relationship between the prosecutors and police and right-wing political groups, including Project Veritas.

It accuses the District of Columbia of unlawfully denying a request to provide information the PCJF sought in a Freedom of Information Act filed in November 2017.Hariris party lost a sizeable chunk of its power in May 6 vote, but remains the biggest Sunni-led party with 20 seats.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun asked Saad Hariri to form a new government, designating him the countrys next prime minister.

Hariri was put forward for the job by 111 of 128 members of Lebanons parliament in consultations with Aoun held on Thursday.

It will be the third term for Hariri, who has held the position since December 2016 and was also prime minister between 2009 and 2011.

The President Michel Aoun honoured me by designating me to form a new government according to the parliamentarian consultations that were held today. I thank the president and the members of parliament for their nomination today, said Hariri.

In parliamentary elections on May 6, Hariris Future Movement lost more than one-third of its power but remains the biggest Sunni-led party with 20 seats.

Hezbollah and its allies made the most significant gains by winning 70 seats.

Under Lebanons sectarian power-sharing system, the prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim, the speaker a Shia Muslim, and the president a Maronite Christian.

In a statement, Hariri said he would form a new government as soon as possible for the benefit of Lebanon and the Lebanese.

Speaking after receiving his designation, he said the new national unity government he is tasked to form must commit to the states policy of staying out of regional conflicts.

Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, was re-elected as assembly speaker for a six term on Wednesday.Italy will soon have a populist government populated by politicians who promise to take a hard line on immigration.

Milan, Italy  Migrants sit on green plastic chairs in a soundless waiting room. Volunteers call them over, one by one. On a coffee table, Italys populist politicians look up from the front page of an unread newspaper.

Italy has changed a lot, says Aboud, a 43-year-old Moroccan migrant who is trying to obtain a leave permit to remain and asks to be identified by his first name only.

He sits on one of the green chairs in the waiting room of Naga, a Milan-based volunteering association that offers free legal and health-care assistance to all migrants, regardless of their administrative status. Aboud used to live in Italy, and has just returned after spending seven years in Morocco. He noticed a difference.

Its a lot worse for migrants now, he says. Maybe it was the economic crisis, I dont know, but there are no jobs, no help, and migrants suffer.

It could get worse before it gets better: Italy will soon have a populist government that has promised a hard line on immigration. There are more than five million legal immigrants in Italy  some eight percent of the population  according to a report by the Institute for the Study of Multiethnicity (ISMU) Foundation, plus some 500,000 migrants without leave to remain.

Im a bit scared of them, says Mery Romani, a 50-year-old Peruvian woman who works as a caregiver.

Her dream was to move to London so that her children could get a high-quality education. She has been trying to obtain Italian citizenship  her grandfather was Italian  but she might be forced to go back to Peru just to bring some documents over. And meanwhile, she will lose her leave to remain.

According to Naga President Pietro Massarotto, many others are worried.

In the last few years, fear and mistrust have increased among the immigrants we help  especially the least protected categories, he tells Al Jazeera.

Worrying times

On Wednesday, May 23, Giuseppe Conte was announced as Italys new prime minister, in a deal between the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and the right-wing populist League (formerly campaigning as Northern League) that will send both parties to power.

League leader Salvini, the top candidate for the interior ministry, campaigned on a tough anti-immigration platform. During the election campaign, he vowed to put Italians first and waged war on illegal immigrants in his talks.

Before the election, he called Islam a threat, and on another occasion was filmed saying we need mass cleansing here in Italy too, street by street, district by district, square by square, with forceful methods, if necessary.

A map in Nagas waiting room illustrates migration flows to the EU during the last decade [Alessio Perrone/Al Jazeera]





Salvini capitalised on Italys seemingly rising anti-immigration sentiment. A YouGov study last month found that Italians thought immigration was the most important issue facing the EU  more important than unemployment. In February, a far-right sympathiser shot and injured six black people in Macerata, in central Italy. In March, a 65-year-old Italian shot and killed Idy Diene, a Senegalese street vendor.

M5S and League have signed a contract for government, a deal on common policy targets for their government. The chapter on immigration features proposals to build more centres to keep immigrants in administrative detention; requesting that all mosques register with the state; demanding that the EU resettles asylum seekers in other countries through a quota system; effective policies to try and deport illegal immigrants and to reduce the number of arrivals.





It also proposes a review of the EUs Dublin regulation, which determines that the state through which an asylum seeker enters the EU is the state responsible for their asylum application.

Naga President Massarotto is critical of the contract. It doesnt talk about people and rights  only about immigration as a security problem to solve, he says.

But most of all, Massarotto says the contract does not address the issues with Italys immigration system.

If I had to make a reasonable prediction, I would say nothing will change, he says.

The Leagues press office is yet to respond to Al Jazeeras request for comment on the allegations.

Business as usual

The policies proposed by M5S and League add to an already difficult situation for migrants in Italy.

Ibrahim Kone, a refugee who came from Ivory Coast through the Libyan route in 2011, says he likes living in Italy, but that refugees face dire economic straits. Many refugees he knows in Milan are forced into rough sleeping despite having asylum status, and meanwhile, they are barred from leaving Italy to find a job elsewhere  the Dublin regulation determines that refugees must remain in the country that first took their fingerprints.

The problem here is that there are no jobs, he says. In other European countries, when you get documents you can find work, a place to stay. Here, if you have documents [as a refugee] you still have no work and you sleep outside. Its not good.

Nevertheless, the contract sets out to reduce funds for the asylum and immigration system in order to use them for deportations.

The waiting room in Nagas centre for migrants in Milan [Alessio Perrone/Al Jazeera]





Economic migrants dont have it easier. Many find work with Italian families, often as caregivers or cleaners, but the Italian immigration system makes it difficult for families to sponsor them to remain.

The Italian immigration system creates illegality, says Nagas Massarotto.

He explains that normally, Italy would open the door to economic immigrants with flows bills and sanatorie (amnesties), but both methods are clunky.

In recent years, flows bills have prioritised seasonal workers and already documented migrants, while the last amnesty was passed in September 2012.

This means the economic migrants who arrived after that date  and their employers  have not had many chances to settle their administrative status and have plunged into illegality.

One of them is Claudia, a Brazilian woman in her late thirties who has worked in Italy as a caregiver since 2012. She concedes there are many immigrants in the country, but laments she has never had the chance to get a permanent leave to remain. She knows things might become even more difficult.

I would like to talk to the person who writes the law, she says. I dont know if I would be able to talk, because I would cry  I have suffered a lot already. I just want to stop being illegal, have the chance to remain through normal channels.

After six years in Italy, she worries she might be sent back now. She is in Nagas waiting room, among the green plastic chairs, the silence and the newspaper.

Theres also a sign. It reads: Dreams come true if we believe in them.Far-right Sweden Democrats have seen growing support in polls as campaign discourse focuses on refugees and migrants.

With Sweden approaching national elections slated for September, migration policy is shaping up to be a core campaign issue for parties across the political spectrum.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Linda Snecker, a spokesperson for the Left Party, explained that the increasing focus on migration is really changing the political landscape in Sweden.

According to a recent YouGov opinion poll commissioned by the Swedish-language Metro news outlet, the centre-left Social Democrats and the far-right Sweden Democrats are tied at 23 percent.

Another poll, published by the daily Dagens Nyheter, put the Sweden Democrats at 20 percent, with the Social Democrats at 24 percent and the centre-right Sweden Moderates at 23 percent.

While 27,000 people applied for asylum in Sweden in 2017, Immigration Minister Helene Fritzon of the Social Democrats recently said in a press conference that the country should only grant asylum to between 14,000 and 15,000 applicants each year.

In 2015, upwards of 160,000 people applied for asylum in Sweden, according to government statistics.

Fritzon claimed that, despite a significant drop in refugee arrivals since the migration crisis erupted three years ago, the number of people entering the country remains significantly higher than [what it should be given] our population share in Europe.

Her comments come at a time when Swedish Democrats are ramping up anti-migrant rhetoric, according to analysts and political opponents.

We can really see that the Social Democrats are doing the same thing that is happening all across Europe: Moving from immigration friendly politics to the right-wing, Snecker said, arguing that putting a spotlight on refugees and migrants emboldens the far right.

Having 27,000 people come to Sweden is not a problem at all  migration hasnt been the struggle or challenge for society that Sweden Democrats [and other parties] want to show it has been.

The current government is a coalition of the Social Democrats and the Green Party that enjoys the parliamentary support of the Left Party.

The centre-right Moderates Party, which is currently the largest opposition party, has stated its willingness to negotiate a deal on migration with the Sweden Democrats.

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Founded in 1988, the Sweden Democrats first entered the Riksdag, the countrys main decision-making body, in 2010.

Several of its members have been accused of fascist sympathies and ties to white supremacist movements.

As a result of the 2014 elections, the Sweden Democrats secured 49 seats in the Riksdag.

Critics worry that it could gain enough votes in the upcoming elections to be part of a governing coalition for the first time.

Migrants at the centre of everything

On its website, Sweden Democrats claim the party does not oppose immigration.

The partys platform argues that immigration must be kept at such a level  that it does not pose a threat to our national identity or to the welfare and security of our country.

In the past, the Sweden Democrats have been embroiled in controversies over its members anti-Semitic, racist, homophobic and anti-Roma rhetoric.

Experts say the party shares an ideological space with openly white supremacist and white nationalist groups in Sweden.

Expo, a Stockholm-based hate watchdog, documented 3,660 instances of neo-Nazi activity in 2017, compared with 3,064 the year before.

While a majority of incidents were attributed to the national socialist Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM), several other white supremacist groups were active as well.

Jonathan Leman, a researcher at Expo, explained that there is an overlap between the anti-migrant rhetoric of the Sweden Democrats and white nationalist and white supremacist websites and organisations.

Its common that many members of Sweden Democrats share, spread and sympathise with various news and propaganda sites connected to white nationalism, Leman told Al Jazeera by telephone.

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They both place immigration and minorities at the centre of everything thats wrong with society, he said, and people who dont agree with them are hostile to Sweden or traitors to Sweden.

The Left Partys Snecker added: Sweden is a social democratic country, and that is changing right now.

She concluded: The tone of the debate is very harsh right now, and it doesnt just impact immigrants; its also affecting womens rights, childrens rights [and] LGBTQI communities.South Korean leader regrets cancellation of historic summit, continues to hope for direct talks between Trump and Kim.

South Koreas President Moon Jae-in expressed deep regret over US President Donald Trumps decision to cancel a June 12 summit with North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un.

At an emergency meeting on Thursday, Moon told his top security officials he was very perplexed and found it very regrettable that the North Korea-US summit will not be held on June 12, according to Seouls presidential office.

Moon urged more direct and close dialogue between Trump and Kim, adding denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula should not be delayed by the decision to call off the summit.

Trump blamed anger and hostility from North Korea when he cancelled the widely anticipated meeting, which was aimed at ridding Pyonyang of its nuclear weapons.

The decision came a day after North Korea attacked US Vice President Mike Pence as ignorant and stupid.

Singapore, which was to host the historic summit, said it also regrets the cancellation.

In a Twitter post, the countrys foreign ministry said it hoped efforts to find lasting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula will continue.

Singapore regrets that the scheduled summit between @realDonaldTrump and Kim Jong Un will no longer take place on 12 June 2018. Singapore hopes that the dialogue and efforts to find lasting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula will continue.  MFAsg (@MFAsg) May 24, 2018

Antonio Guterres, UN secretary-general, said he was profoundly worried over Trumps decision.

I am deeply concerned by the cancellation of the planned meeting in Singapore between the president of the United States and the leader of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Guterres said at the University of Geneva on Thursday.

He urged the parties to demonstrate nerves of steel so that we can  [obtain] an objective we all share: the verifiable and peaceful denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

The secretary-generals remarks came at a ceremony to present the UNs new agenda on disarmament.

He said the events of the day show the importance of disarmament, adding 15,000 nuclear weapons remain in stockpiles around the world.

The United Kingdom also expressed disappointment with Trumps decision, with a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Theresa May calling for an agreement to bring about the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

Britain will continue to work with its partners to that end, the spokeswoman added.

French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, said he hoped Trumps move was just a glitch in a process that should be continued.

He was speaking in Moscow alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, who also said he hopes dialogue can be resumed between the US and North Korea.

We had counted on that a significant step towards a deescalation on the Korean peninsula would be taken and a start made on the denuclearisation, Putin said at the joint press conference.

He added: We hope that a dialogue will be resumed, continued and the meeting take place.Pyongyangs apparent gesture of goodwill came hours before Trump pulled out of summit with Kim, citing hostility.

North Korea has carried out what it says is the demolition of its nuclear test site in the presence of foreign journalists.

The demolition happened on Thursday at the Punggye-ri site deep in the mountains of the Norths sparsely populated northeast.

The dismantling of the nuclear test site was previously announced by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ahead of a planned summit with US President Donald Trump next month in Singapore.

Trump announced he would not attend the summit, scheduled for June 12, later on Thursday.





The Norths decision to close the site had been seen as a gesture by Kim to set a positive tone for the now-cancelled summit.

Even so, it is not an irreversible move and would need to be followed by many more significant measures for Pyongyang to meet Washingtons demands for a full denuclearisation.

The Korean Peninsula has seen a period of seemingly warming relations since an inter-Korea summit in April, when the two Koreas pledged to sign peace deal and pursue complete denuclearisation.

The announcement came shortly after North Korea threatened to walk away from the Singapore summit with Trump, if the US continued to do what it described as unlawful and outrageous acts that could damage Pyongyangs goodwill.

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said on Thursday that her country will neither beg the US for dialogue, nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us, according to the Korean Central News Agency.Islamabad, Pakistan  Pakistans lower house of Parliament has passed a landmark constitutional amendment extending widespread political, administrative and human rights reforms to the countrys northwestern tribal areas, a region that had long been a sanctuary to armed groups.

The constitutional amendment, passed by the National Assembly in the capital, Islamabad, on Thursday, sees the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.

It effectively abolishes draconian colonial-era regulations that the districts had been governed under for decades, making its five million citizens equal citizens of the Pakistani federation.

The amendment will now be presented to the upper house of Parliament and the KP provincial assembly, where it is expected to pass without fuss, before becoming law.

We needed a national consensus on this issue, and it was achieved, said Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi after the bill was passed.

This is the start of a process, not the end of one. We need to gain the trust of the people of FATA, and that trust will not come just through words  but the biggest need right now is the lack of development in FATA needs to be addressed. [] We have to give the people of FATA the same schools, the same colleges, the same universities, the same hospitals, the same roads and the system as is available to everyone else in Pakistan. There should be no difference there.

FATA, once the headquarters of the Pakistan Taliban and a sanctuary for al-Qaeda, has seen a series of Pakistani military operations launched since 2008 to retake the area from armed groups. The last such operation was launched in 2014, displacing the Taliban from the North Waziristan tribal district.

The United States and Afghanistan allege that Pakistan still provides sanctuary to armed groups such as the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network, a charge that Pakistan denies.

Since Pakistan gained independence from the British in 1947, the country has continued to govern the seven tribal districts along its border with Afghanistan by direct rule from the capital, with each district ruled by a Political Agent (PA) appointed by the president.

The PA holds nearly absolute power in their tribal districts, where they are responsible for all government services, as well as serving judicial functions.

The constitutional amendment sees all seven districts merged into northwestern KP province, with political agents replaced by an accompanying extension of the provincial and federal governments power to deliver government services, including healthcare, education and policing.

All Pakistani laws, including criminal and penal codes, have been extended to the tribal districts, which earlier were governed under colonial-era criminal regulations.

FATAs five million citizens will also have access to fundamental rights under the Constitution, and will be able to vote for representatives in the provincial and national assemblies.

The amendment effectively abolishes the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), a draconian British law that left citizens of the tribal areas with no recourse to courts and liable to be subjected to collective punishment for the crimes of tribe members.

Opposition backs bill

Introducing reforms to FATA has long been a priority for the countrys government, led by the ruling PML-N party, which has lauded the passage of the constitutional amendment as a landmark achievement.

Thursdays vote was the culmination of a legislative and consultative process that lasted more than two years. The government is due to complete its term by May 31, with the national and provincial assemblies to dissolve a day later, in advance of a general election in late July.

Last year, the federal cabinet passed a plan to introduce the reforms, but the passage of the constitutional amendment was held up by opposition parties.

Some parties, such as the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), demanded a more detailed plan from the government, while others, including the right-wing religious Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (F) (JUI-F) demanded a referendum on the issue.

On Thursday, the PPP and PTI voted for the amendment, which was prepared in consultation with the opposition, while the JUI-F opposed the move. It was passed by 229-1 votes in the 342-member house.

It is very gratifying that this house has come together to finally end a colonial system  it was never acceptable that people in our country were second-class citizens, who  did not have the same rights as us, said opposition PPP leader Naveed Qamar.

The whole country will now be governed under the same rights and the same administrative systems.

PTI chief Imran Khan, whose party rules KP province, made a rare appearance in parliament to vote for the amendment.

The constitutional reforms will be accompanied by an $865m package to be allocated to a 10-year plan aimed at rehabilitating and reconstructing infrastructure, including communications, power lines, water supply schemes, education and health facilities in the tribal areas.

Pakistans tribal areas consistently rank among the lowest on the countrys human development indicators, according to UNDP data.

Most districts remain bereft of basic services such as healthcare, schools, clean water supply and, cut off from the countrys mainstream, with no mobile phone service reception or internet availability.

The military operations, conducted over the last decade, forced most of the tribal areas five million residents to become internally displaced within Pakistan. Many have not resettled in their homes, given the lack of basic services, and continuing security operations and military deployments in the region.

Asad Hashim is Al Jazeeras Digital Correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim.Pakistan parliament to vote on tribal province merger

The northwestern Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) border Afghanistan and have been difficult to control for years.Rights group denounces plans to sell weapons to Gulf island nation citing its dismal record on human rights.

The United States must reject two planned arms sales totalling nearly $1bn to Bahrain in light of the Gulf countrys dismal record on human rights, a rights group said on Thursday.

The US approved a possible sale to Bahrain of 3,000 bomb bodies worth an estimated $45m last week. In April, the Department of State approved a possible sale of attack helicopters worth an estimated $911m.

These two weapons sales make clear that the Trump administration intends nothing short of a free pass on human rights for Bahrain, said Sarah Margon, Washington director at Human Rights Watch.

A close US and British ally, Sunni Muslim-ruled Bahrain has cracked down on the opposition, hailing mostly from the Shia Muslim majority, since it crushed pro-democracy demonstrations they led in 2011.

Rights groups have accused authorities of seeking to stamp out dissent.

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Sharpened crackdown

The government says the opposition is linked to fighters, backed by their regional enemy Iran, who have carried out years of deadly bombing and shooting attacks on security forces.

In the past year, Bahrain has sharpened its crackdown on activists, lawyers, and journalists, Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

It has arbitrarily revoked a record number of citizenships of nationals, carried out unfair trials of civilians in military courts, and harassed, intimidated, imprisoned, and prosecuted rights defenders and their family members.

Last week, a court in Bahrain revoked the citizenship of 115 people and gave 53 of them life sentences on terrorism charges in one of the most severe rulings yet in the Gulf island kingdom.

Bahrain is also a member of the US-backed Saudi-led military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 after Houthi rebels took control over much of the country.The three elderly activists have a long history of campaigning for greater liberties for women dating back to the 1990s.

Authorities in Saudi Arabia have released three prominent womens rights activists, Amnesty International said on Thursday.

The three are part of a group of 11 womens rights campaigners who have rallied for more liberties, including the abolition of the male guardianship system that, among other things, prevents women from travelling without the permission of a male relative.

Aisha al-Mana, Hessa al-Sheikh, and Madeha al-Ajroush were released less than a week after their initial detention, in what many critics view as a crackdown on dissent.

We can confirm the release of Aisha al-Mana, Hessa al-Sheikh, and Madeha al-Ajroush, but we dont know the conditions behind it, said Samah Hadid, Middle East director of campaigns at Amnesty.

We call on Saudi authorities to release all other human rights defenders unconditionally and immediately.

There was no immediate comment from Saudi officials and the fate of other detained activists remains unclear.

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Agents of embassies

Mana, who is 70-years old and is believed to be in frail health, has waged a campaign since the 1990s to demand womens right to drive.

Riyadh announced the arrests last week and accused the activists of suspicious contact with foreign parties, as well as providing financial support to hostile nations and attempting the undermine the kingdoms security and stability.

Those detained were also branded traitors and agents of embassies by state-affiliated media.

The activists, who represent several generations of Saudi feminists including two men, could face up to 20 years in jail if found guilty.

Among those detained is Loujain al-Hathloul, 28, a Saudi activist imprisoned for 72 days in 2014 for attempting to cross the border into Saudi Arabia from the United Arab Emirates in her car.

Driving ban lifted

The Gulf Center for Human Rights expressed concern for Hathloul, who has been held incommunicado since her arrest. Campaigners also said detainees had no access to their lawyers and their whereabouts remain unknown.

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The arrests came just weeks before Saudi Arabia is expected to lift a ban on women driving and has cast doubt over Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salmans commitment to effecting change as part of his much-touted Vision 2030 plan.

Rothna Begum, a womens rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, told Al Jazeera earlier this week the arrests seem to be related to the lifting of the womens driving ban on June 24.

Again, these arrests are happening largely as a way to silence the critics of Mohammed bin Salmans reform campaign, in particular, because these womens rights activists are demanding more than just the lifting of the driving ban.Pyongyang threatens to walk away from Trump-Kim summit after US vice presidents comments on denuclearisation.

North Korea has threatened to walk away from the proposed summit with US President Donald Trump, if Washington continues to do what it described as unlawful and outrageous acts that could damage Pyongyangs goodwill.

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said on Thursday that her country will neither beg the US for dialogue, nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us, according to the Korean Central News Agency.





Whether the US will meet us at a meeting room, or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States.

Choe issued the warning as she denounced as ignorant and stupid the remarks made by US Vice President Mike Pence that North Korea might end up like Libya, if it refuses to adhere to the American demand of denuclearisation.

In 2004, Libya also entered into negotiations with the US to ship out nuclear components out of the country. But six years later, the US supported the ouster of Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, who was later killed by rebel fighters.

In view of the remarks of the US high-ranking politicians who have not yet woken up to this stark reality and compare the DPRK to Libya that met a tragic fate, I come to think that they know too little about us, Choe said, using the acronym for North Koreas official name.

To borrow their words, we can also make the US taste an appalling tragedy it has neither experienced nor even imagined up to now.

On Wednesday, Chinas foreign minister visited the US to discuss the Trump-Kim summit [Reuters]

The North Korean comments came after the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said America will walk away from the summit, if Pyongyang doesnt agree to its terms.

Pyongyang has been ramping up its criticism of the US for its unilateral demand of denuclearisation.

Now is the time

Doubts have also been raised about the planned meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12.

During his meeting with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in on Tuesday, Trump said theres a very substantial chance it wont work out.

On Wednesday, Trump told reporters that he will know by next week if the talks will proceed or not.

Visiting Washington, DC, Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Secretary of State Pompeo that now is the time for the US and North Korea to hold the summit, if the US wants peace with Pyongyang. China is North Koreas closest ally.





Wang said China hopes the Trump-Kim summit will take place as scheduled.

Meanwhile, Lee Chun-geun, a senior research fellow at South Koreas Science and Technology Policy Institute, told South China Morning Post that North Korea must blow up its nuclear site in Punggye-ri, instead of merely shutting it down, to prove that it is sincere in getting rid of nuclear weapons.

If only the entrance is blown up, it would be classified as a closure and the site may be used again later if Pyongyang decides to proceed with additional nuclear tests, Lee told the Hong Kong-based news organisation.

If the explosions are inside  especially in the unused western and southern tunnels  you can then call this a dismantlement as North Korea wont be able to reuse the venue again even if they change their minds in future.

On Wednesday, North Korea allowed journalists to witness the dismantling of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site.

But sceptics said that it could just be a repeat of the 2008 destruction of a nuclear cooling tower. North Korea resumed its nuclear weapons programme soon after that.

If they change their mind, they can basically construct another site, and it will not take much time and will not cost much money, Andrei Lankov, an expert at South Koreas Kookmin University, told Al Jazeera.Pyongyang calls US presidents decision to cancel the talks unexpected and says open to dialogue at any time.

US President Donald Trump has announced he will not attend a planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, raising concerns tensions between the two nations will escalate again with the threat of war.

In a letter sent to Kim on Thursday, Trump said the summit  which had been scheduled for June 12 in Singapore  would no longer be possible based on the tremendous anger and open hostility shown by Pyongyang in its most recent statements.

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The world and North Korea has lost a tremendous opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth, Trump wrote. This missed opportunity is truly a sad moment in history.

The meeting would have been the first time a sitting US president met a North Korean leader.

The announcement comes two days after Trump hosted his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in in Washington, DC, for talks widely seen as a salvage effort to ensure his summit with Kim went ahead.





You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used, said Trump.

North Korea called Trumps decision unexpected and regrettable and expressing willingness to talk to the United States at any time, [in] any format.

A statement by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan Kim said Pyongyangs objective and resolve to do our best for the sake of peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and all humankind remain unchanged.

As far as the historic [North Korea]-US summit is concerned, we have inwardly highly appreciated President Trump for having made the bold decision, which any other US presidents dared not, and made efforts for such a crucial event as the summit, Kim said.

A statement earlier on Thursday from Pyongyang referred to Vice President Mike Pence as a political dummy, and said it is just as ready to meet in a nuclear confrontation as at the negotiating table with the United States.

In a later statement at the White House, Trump said the US military is ready if necessary to respond to a foolish or reckless act by North Korea.

Our military is the most powerful in the world. We are more ready than we have ever been before, Trump said.

The Pentagon said it was prepared for any provocative actions from North Korea.

We are in a boxer stance, we are ready to respond, Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, director of the US militarys Joint Staff, told reporters.

Well see what develops over the next few days. If any provocative actions occur from [North Korea], we will certainly  in concert with our allies and partners in the region  be ready for it.

A letter from the President to Chairman Kim Jong Un: "It is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting." pic.twitter.com/3dDIp55xu1  The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 24, 2018

Dont hesitate to call

Trump did say, however, he would be open to a possible meeting in the future.

If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do hot hesitate to call me or write, he said.

Trump had called on Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons programme and arsenal ahead of the summit.





North Korea, which reportedly demolished its Punggye-ri nuclear test site earlier on Thursday, had threatened to pull out of the Singapore summit if the US continued to demand it gives up its nuclear arsenal unilaterally.

Mark Fitzpatrick from the International Institute for Strategic Studies told Al Jazeera the tone of Trumps letter bodes ill for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

The way that Trump did this in a letter that threatens North Korea with nuclear annihilation is probably not the right signal to send, said Fitzpatrick.

I dont think North Korea is going to respond so well to that kind of a threat. North Korea is going to feel betrayed by this, North Korea will react negatively.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a Senate committee on Thursday the White House had tried repeatedly to connect with North Korea in recent days over plans for the Singapore summit, but received no response.

Will not beg

Earlier this month, Pyongyang said ongoing US-South Korea war games off the peninsula were not conducive to peace talks and demanded the manoeuvres be cancelled. The US balked at that demand.

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North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said on Thursday her country will neither beg the US for dialogue, nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us.

Whether the US will meet us at a meeting room, or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States, said Choe.

A spokesperson for Moons office said on Thursday that South Korea was trying to understand the reason for Trumps abrupt cancellation.

[We] are trying to figure out what President Trumps intention is and the exact meaning of it, Cheong Wa-dae told South Koreas Yonhap news agency.

Moon convened an emergency meeting with top security officials after Trumps cancellation.

Sliding back to war

Andrei Lankov, an expert at South Koreas Kookmin University, told Al Jazeera from Seoul that Trumps announcement was shocking and highly dangerous.

There is now again a looming and reasonably high threat of a major military confrontation in Korea, Lankov said. The entire Korean Peninsula is probably sliding back to a war, and if it happens not only Koreans or Americans but all people of the world will pay a price.

Hazel Smith, a professor at the University of London, said comments by Trump administration officials such as National Security Adviser John Bolton and Pence in recent days about a Libya model for North Korea likely made Pyongyang nervous.

Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi gave up his nuclear arsenal in negotiations with the West, but he was later overthrown and killed after a NATO air intervention that supported rebels on the ground.

For North Korea, this [Libya model] simply means the overthrow of the government as Gaddafi was overthrown, said Smith.About the show

earthrise is Al Jazeeras award-winning environmental show exploring the most significant threats to our planet by highlighting eco-friendly solutions from around the world. earthrise brings you the stories of those who strive to improve our quality of life and reduce our negative impact on the earth.We are living in a time when groups of Muslims are engaged in a war against Western civilization. These groups are numerous and widespread, and although they constitute only a sliver of the larger Muslim population, they rely for their strength on a body of belief inspired by mainstream Islamic thought.

These Islamist groups have their differences, but they all agree about one particular tenet of the religion: sharia must achieve world domination. Sharia is the immutable, divinely inspired legal code that the religion of Islam embraces. Even many non-violent Muslims accept the idea that the global destiny for everybody  Muslim and non-Muslim alike  is to be governed according to the principles of sharia law. Virtually all Muslims accept as inevitable that the laws of sharia will eventually achieve global dominance. This is expected to occur under the guidance of a universally recognized caliph who will have absolute authority over its implementation.

Jihadist groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood and Boko Haram and the many, many others may have lesser agendas that diverge, but on this overarching matter, calling for the imposition of sharia law, they are in solidarity. Just as most believing Christians accept that Christ is the savior and that the judgment day is coming, the bulk of all Muslims accept the premise that ultimately, sharia law will prevail globally under the guidance of the caliphate.

It is, furthermore, mainstream Islamic thought that all believers are obliged to struggle for the achievement of that ideal condition. This struggle is referred to as the lesser jihad, and no Muslim can deny its dogma. Most Muslims give the lesser jihad a low priority in their daily lives, but few are the Muslims who would contend that the lesser jihad has no religious claim.

Sharia law and the caliphate are institutions that most Muslims feel an obligation to accept as expressions of Allah's will. The global imposition of sharia law and the caliphate are not distortions of true Islam; they are mainstream ideals that the religion expects all believers to pursue. Many Muslims secretly admire the jihadists whose personal commitment to establishing sharia under a caliph is glorified by Islam.

The problem for the West is that Muslims view sharia law as the word of Allah, an absolute and uncompromising truth that can never be modified. What makes the problem intractable is that Muslims accept the superiority of sharia law based on its foundation in faith rather than reason. Not only do Muslims believe that law must come from Allah, but they reject out of hand the possibility that the existing laws of sharia can evolve as societal conditions change or that any new legal principle can be entertained if it relies on mere reason.

Compounding the problem for the West is the fact that Muslims believe in the caliphate, an absolutist form of governance in which a single individual exercises authority in the name of Allah  comparable to, but even more absolutist than, the old idea of "divine right of kings." The caliphate is even more absolutist because Muslims know that there can be only one caliph.

There is, in short, an unbridgeable gulf between Islam and the West, a difference founded in principles and therefore a difference that brooks no compromise. Islam and the West are irreconcilable.

The West is being attacked by jihadists  Muslims who view the religious obligation to engage in the lesser jihad as a paramount duty. The groups are many and diverse, but in pursuit of the lesser jihad, they all are united. They wish to see Islamic law imposed everywhere because they believe that it will be good for the world.

Unfortunately, sharia contains a number of laws that contradict fundamental principles of modern Western civilization, one of which is that individuals have the right to free speech (meaningful only when critical things are said). In stark contrast, sharia law stipulates that any criticism of Allah or Muhammad is prohibited and should be punished by death. For everybody, and not just believers, Islam rejects the right of a mere human to engage in such criticism.

Another such principle is that church and state  religion and politics  must be kept separate, and partitioned so effectively that the state (which is responsible for worldly things) cannot interfere in the religious practices of those who follow any particular faith (unless, of course, those practices infringe on the rights of others). Sharia law is adamant that precisely the opposite approach is the only legitimate one: church and state must be combined, with the tenets of Islam guiding the state and not the other way around.

A third modern Western principle is that people have the freedom to believe in whatever they want. Religious freedom means not just no government control; it means no obligation to adhere to any sort of orthodoxy. Sharia law vehemently contradicts this principle: the penalty for apostasy is death, and the price to be paid for failing to accept Islam is death for pagans and second-class citizenship for Christians and Jews.

Finally, Western civilization rests on the idea that government needs to be conducted on the basis of laws enacted by the people and designed using human reason. In opposition to this, Islam teaches that law has been given to humanity by Allah and is not amenable to change. Consequently, law designed using human reason is by definition ungodly.

These four examples highlight the fact that Western law and Islamic law are fundamentally incompatible. When the underlying values of two rival systems are so completely different, it is foolish for either side to even attempt to compromise.

War has been declared on Western civilization by Islamic groups that recognize their own lack of conventional power but believe they can prevail by using terror as a weapon and by relying on the will of Allah. If the West does not resist in this war, Muslims will continue to populate Europe and North America until their numbers permit peaceful seizure of the existing governments there. Until that time, jihadists will continue to commit terrorist acts designed to discourage non-Muslims from speaking freely about Allah, Muhammad, and Islam.

Western beliefs are better than those of Islam. Nonetheless, the West will lose this war and drown in the ocean of history if it does not find the courage to stand up and fight for its superior values.For decades, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has gotten away with creating regulations that lack sound scientific basis, costing Americans hundreds of billions of dollars without solid evidence that those costs are justified.

It's done this in two ways.

Sometimes, it has simply thrown out scientific results and regulated to satisfy a political pressure group. That was largely the case when, in 1972, contrary to its own scientific findings but under heavy pressure from environmentalists, it banned the use of DDT, the most effective, least expensive, safest pesticide by which to control or eradicate disease-carrying insects like mosquitoes and lice.

The U.S. had already largely eliminated malaria by widespread spraying of DDT from the 1940s into the 1960s, so the ban didn't have immediate, large-scale negative consequences here. But it has made it more difficult to combat the recent spread of other insect-borne diseases like West Nile Virus, Zika, Lyme, and spotted fever, and even malaria is making a comeback.

The greater impact of the DDT ban has been in developing countries. The EPA persuaded other federal agencies to withhold foreign aid from countries that used DDT. Most developing countries complied. The result has been hundreds of millions of cases of malaria every year and tens of millions of malaria-caused deaths over the last 45 years.

At other times, the EPA has built new regulations on "secret science"  studies whose authors refuse to grant other scientists access to the data, computer code, and methodology behind them. Such studies are not subject to replication by other scientists. Yet replication is the acid test of scientific research.

"Secret science" has been especially common as the basis for pollution regulation dependent on dose and response relationships and for regulation related to anthropogenic global warming (AGW).

Last month, EPA administrator Scott Pruitt requested public comment on a new rule, "Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science" (STRS), designed to solve that problem.

STRS provides that "[w]hen promulgating significant regulatory actions, the Agency shall ensure that dose response data and models underlying pivotal regulatory science are publicly available in a manner sufficient for independent validation." It codifies what was intended in the Secret Science Reform Act of 2015, and the Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment Act of 2017 (HONEST Act), both of which passed the House but never came up for vote in the Senate.

The Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation  a network of scientists, economists, and religious leaders dedicated to environmental stewardship and economic development for the poor  has issued and is gathering signatures to an open letter supporting the STRS that calls the proposed rule "badly needed to assure American taxpayers that the EPA is truly acting in their best interests."

Opponents of STRS raise three common, and at first sight credible, objections.

The first is that peer review ensures the quality of studies published in refereed journals. But there is actually no empirical evidence that peer review works well. Drummond Rennie, deputy editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association and intellectual father of the international congresses of peer review held quadrennially starting in 1989, has said, "If peer review was a drug it would never be allowed on the market." In fact, as John P.A. Ioannidis demonstrated in a celebrated article in PLOS/Medicine, "most scientific research findings are false."

The second common objection is that the rule would prevent the EPA from using studies that involved confidential information, such as personal health data or corporate proprietary information. In an open letter to EPA administrator Scott Pruitt, the leftist, political activist Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) argued, "[T]here are multiple valid reasons why requiring the release of all data does not improve scientific integrity and could actually compromise research, including intellectual property, proprietary, and privacy concerns."

Yet Section 30.5 of the rule expressly states: "Where the Agency is making data or models publicly available, it shall do so in a fashion that is consistent with law, protects privacy, confidentiality, confidential business information, and is sensitive to national and homeland security." Section 30.9 allows the administrator to make exceptions when compliance isn't feasible.

A third common objection, also expressed in the UCS letter, is that "many public health studies cannot be replicated, as doing so would require intentionally and unethically exposing people and the environment to harmful contaminants or recreating one-time events (such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill)." But what needs to be replicable in studies of such events is not the events themselves, but the procedures used to collect and analyze data and make inferences from them.

Consider, for example, a study that used tree rings as proxy temperature measurements and purported to find that neither the Medieval Warm Period nor the Little Ice Age had occurred, but that a rapid and historically unprecedented warming had begun in the late 19th century. The study became iconic for claims of dangerous AGW driven by human emissions of carbon dioxide.

No one needed to use a time machine to return to the 11th through 20th centuries and regrow trees to recognize that the authors had committed confirmation fallacy by excluding certain data and misused a statistical procedure, resulting in false results. All anyone needed was access to the raw data and the computer code used to analyze it.

Yet the lead author's long refusal to allow access to raw data and computer code delayed discovery of these errors for years, during which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the public, and governments all over the world were led to believe its claims and formulate expensive policies based partly on them.

The UCS letter asserted that concerns about transparency and certainty raised by supporters of the rule "are phony issues that weaponize 'transparency' to facilitate political interference in science-based decision making, rather than genuinely address either." But the irreproducibility crisis is real, not phony. Furthermore, enhanced transparency works against politicization, not for it. This objection is so patently invalid as to suggest that those who offer it are themselves weaponizing confidentiality to facilitate their own political interference in science-based decision-making.

STRS will improve, not harm, the EPA's mission to protect Americans from real environmental risks. It will also reduce the risks caused by unjustified but costly regulations. It should be adopted.

E. Calvin Beisner, Ph.D. is founder and national spokesman of The Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation.The World Health Organization and U.N. estimate that there are about 700 million people worldwide with some form of disability. Approximately 400 million live in the developing world  and 80 million in Africa. In most places in Africa, it's tough to have a disability. It's tougher still if you're young or female.

And it's much more of a problem still if you have one obvious and identifiable disability: albinism. People with albinism are characterized by a genetic anomaly resulting in an absence of skin pigment that turns skin dark  their complexion is a pallid white, as is their hair, and most have blue eyes. They are also susceptible to eyesight problems and are extremely vulnerable to skin cancer from sun damage. So, on a very black continent, they are easily identifiable, and often for negative reasons.

Generally, although not always, albinism in Africa carries the stigma of the damned  there's no shortage of wild perceptions about why they are who they are. For example, some Africans consider them ghosts; others think they are born with the condition as punishment for the mother being involved in an extramarital affair with a white person, or because the mother touched somebody with albinism. Others believe that people with albinism are witches and should be destroyed.

Unsurprisingly, Africans with albinism are often marginalized, discriminated against, and abused in every way imaginable.

One recent report from Mali is illustrative: in a village north of the Mali capital, Bamako, gunmen in the dead of night abducted a five-year-old little girl with albinism. She was later found beheaded.

This example goes far beyond mere murder of someone perceived to be different. It's part of a burgeoning trade in albino body parts sweeping across the continent with reports from Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Malawi, South Africa, and Swaziland, among many other states.

And what exactly is this trade all about?

Magic, greed, and primitive belief.

Enter the witch doctor. Witch doctors hold immense power over the beliefs of many Africans. It is not uncommon for people to consult witch doctors about medical or relationship issues, to place curses on their enemies, or to seek potions or trinkets thought to bring good fortune. One of the most powerful of all ingredients for these potions, and parts for trinkets, are albino body parts.

Trafficking in albino body parts means, first and foremost, acquiring albino bodies. Across the continent, there are hundreds of deadly reports: a teenager with albinism abducted and later found dead with his hands and feet missing, the extremities sold to a dealer; a 30-year-old woman murdered, her eyes and breasts removed for the black-market trade; attackers kidnapping a young girl with albinism, her body later recovered minus her arms and legs.

Until recently, the trafficking dynamo has been Tanzania, where the problem was so entrenched that the Tanzanian government was forced to act. Between 2006 and 2016, there were 76 killings, 69 other victims who survived attacks but were left mutilated, and a number of grave robberies and attempted robberies of albino corpses. It goes without saying that continent-wide, these verified reports are merely the tip of the iceberg. The number of such activities that go unreported from many remote areas is likely much greater.

It would be a mistake to think these heinous crimes against humanity are haphazard events that speak only to ignorance and fear. To the contrary, the magic, greed, and primitive beliefs around Africans with albinism have spawned an identifiable commercial trafficking cycle that is organized, goal-directed, and efficient.

The cycle begins where all commerce begins: consumer demand. A customer will approach a witch doctor and explain the problem that needs to be ameliorated. The witch doctor, with his impressive knowledge of magic, rituals for every occasion, and astute manipulation of the customer's desire for positive outcomes, prescribes either a magic potion or some kind of trinket to be worn by the customer until the problem is solved. The customer demand and the witch doctor's willingness to participate set in motion a number of vectors to conclude the deal. The witch doctors have a network of paid scouts whose function is to generally identify potential victims for attack and body part-harvesting. Every scout, in turn, has a working relationship with a seller, someone close to the intended victim who is compensated for accurate information as to the potential victim's whereabouts at any given time so an attack can be planned in detail. Once the attack is planned, the abduction and body part-harvesting are carried out by paid attackers who then turn over the parts to transporters who provide the parts to a dealer, who then sells the body parts to the witchdoctor. Thereafter, the potion or trinket is manufactured and sold to the customer.

While estimates vary, given the secrecy of the black market, there is evidence that the trafficking is lucrative  for example, an albino limb may fetch as much as U.S. $2,000, while an entire body commands prices of U.S. $75,000 and upward.

Obviously, this pressing problem deserves more attention than it's getting. While there have been some significant changes, they are not enough. Perhaps the most visible effort is has been in Tanzania, where President Jakaya Kikwete appointed a government minister with albinism, and Tanzanian law was changed, outlawing witch doctors and their practices. Furthermore, killing a person with albinism became a capital crime. Elsewhere, the U.N., NGOs, and grassroots organizations are making some headway, but until African governments make a much more concerted effort, people with albinism will continue to be murdered, mutilated, and seen merely as an irresistible commercial commodity.

Here are a few ways African governments can tackle the problem:

1. Africans with albinism need to be protected by their communities and law enforcement much more forcefully than is currently the case. Communities must take more responsibility for being aware that albinism is a medical and genetic condition rather than something more sinister and must be willing to cooperate with law enforcement at every turn.

2. There must be more regular and effective cooperation among the local and national community, law enforcement agencies, and the courts, which must indict and punish offenders to the fullest extent of the law and, where no such laws exist, create them.

3. The justice system must be emboldened and strengthened to address not only actual physical crimes, but also to address the biased perceptions of all involved. Leadership here will go a long way to breaking down the negative and deadly stereotypes about Africans with albinism.

4. The quantitative and qualitative extent of the entire problem is currently unknown. Data need to be gathered and systematically reported to delineate the magnitude of the problem, thereby focusing attempts at reducing crimes against Africans with albinism.

5. International law, to which many African countries subscribe, often contains provisions addressing this type of discrimination and abuse and should be used fully to support national and local law enforcement.

6. Judicial punishments must be consistently enacted. Currently, for example, while several people have been convicted of capital crimes against Africans with albinism in Tanzania, their sentences have not yet been carried out.

7. While major players in the trafficking of Africans with albinism should be punished accordingly, it is also noteworthy that minor and tangential players should, where possible, be rehabilitated to a more positive view of albinism.

There are many more aspects of this topic that could make a difference for hundreds of thousands of people with pale white skin and hair, but let's start with the above suggestions operating effectively, allowing Africans with albinism at least a chance of taking their rightful and inclusive place in African societies.

Mark P. Mostert, Ph.D. is an academic in Virginia Beach, Va. markpmostert@gmail.comSpecial counsel Robert Mueller looks likely to face a huge humiliation in court and a massive public relations disaster. And it couldn't happen to a more deserving guy. Unless a Trump-appointed judge bails him out and grants an exception to federal law, trampling on the rights of the defendants he indicted, Mueller will have to go into court to try a case he doesn't seem to think he can win  or else face the humiliation of dropping the charges he brought against 13 Russian entities (some of which did not exist at the time of the alleged crime) with great fanfare.

Richard Pollock of the Daily Caller News Foundation reports:

Special Counsel Robert Mueller asked a federal judge Tuesday to reject the four-decade-old speedy trial law in the case against 13 Russians and three Russian companies and has asked for an indefinite delay to the Russian collusion trial. It is the second time Mueller tried to delay the trial. Judge Dabney L. Friedrich, a Trump appointee, rejected the earlier request without comment and ordered the case to go forward. One of the Russian companies  Concord Management and Consulting  entered the U.S., hired American lawyers, and demanded a speedy trial. The Speedy Trial Act is a 44-year old federal law that dictates that a federal criminal case must begin within 70 days from the date of the indictment.

If the defendant is demanding a speedy trial, there ought to be a very good reason for denying that right. And Mueller's excuse is  let's be blunt  not merely lame, but due to his own misbehavior.

The "complexity" of the case warrants excluding the speedy trial law and delaying the trial, Mueller argued in Tuesday's court filing. A "district court can, on its own motion or at the request of a party, grant an excludable continuance if 'the ends of justice served by taking such action outweigh the best interest of the public and the defendant in a speedy trial,'" Mueller wrote. "This case also warrants a continuance and exclusion of time to accommodate the voluminous discovery at issue and to allow sufficient time for the Court to resolve certain outstanding procedural issues unique to discovery in this case," he continued.

I am no lawyer, but the problem with this excuse is obvious to even me: if the case is so complex that extra time is required, then why was the indictment brought in the first place? Why did the special counsel rush the indictment when he now confesses that it was too complex to go to trial?

Andrew McCarthy, who is a brilliant and distinguished attorney and ex-federal prosecutor, agrees with my less well informed opinion that it is too late to make the complexity excuse. He adds an important note about whose rights would be violated:

"Speedy trial rights belong to the defendant, and if the defendant pushes for a trial within the 70 days, the government has little cause to complain," McCarthy said. "If the case was too complex, the government had the option of holding off on seeking an indictment until it was ready to proceed to trial. When a prosecutor files an indictment, it is tantamount to saying, 'We are ready to go.'"

Another gambit is being employed by Team Mueller to attempt to justify a delay:

... Mueller informed the court on May 16 his office was prepared to enter two terabytes of Russian social media into the record, thereby flooding the docket with a huge amount of evidence, all of it in Russian. The volume could fill 3,000 CD-ROM discs.

And McCarthy debunks this move:

It's "inappropriate for a prosecutor to manufacture complexity and then contend that things are too complex," McCarthy told TheDCNF. "If a prosecutor is disclosing mountains of foreign language materials without an understanding or explanation of their relevance to the case, that is a delaying tactic and an attempt to chew up the defendant's resources." The tactic "is apt to make the presiding judge very angry," he added.

My surmise is that Mueller never expected the Russian defendants even to show up because they are immune from any penalties, being resident in Russia, where an American court verdict could be disregarded with no extradition possible. The indictments, in other words, were for show, to persuade the pubic that his multi-multi-million dollar operation was producing results and going after nefarious actors from Russia.

Again, being blunt, it looks to me as though Mueller was showboating, using the justice system for propaganda purposes but without an apparent actual case ready to go forward. I am no expert at all on the canons of legal ethics, but this does sound like an abuse of the federal courts if there was no intent to proceed with a prosecution on a timely basis within the requirements of the law. The defendant, Concord Management and Consulting, which retained a top-tier law firm, Reed Smith, for its defense counsel and is pushing for the timely trial to which it is entitled, may well wish to pursue some sort of ethics complaint if Judge Friedrich does not grant Mueller's plea for a delay and Mueller then moves to dismiss charges. That is obviously up to the company and its law firm

If Judge Friedrich already dismissed an earlier plea for delay without comment, why would he now change his mind?

It is hard to see how this case will end up as anything but a humiliation in court and a gigantic public relations disaster for Mueller and his merry band of Democratic Party donors.Another school shooting, this time in Santa Fe, Texas, with ten dead and even more injured. Like clockwork, the virtue-signalers are out in force. Self-proclaimed school safety czar David Hogg is back in front a microphone, lambasting politicians for not doing something to stop gun violence. Missing are the school students, probably because virtue-signaling is more popular in South Florida than in Texas.

Hogg is echoed by other liberals, from Congress and Hollywood, joining the chorus, criticizing Trump and Republicans. I don't recall them anywhere nearly as critical of Obama and the Democrats when they were in charge and a mass shooting took place. They also offer no explanation as to why our nation's schoolchildren remain unprotected in school while these same liberal elites surround themselves and their families with security guards, carrying the same evil guns that teachers shouldn't be allowed to carry.

CNN joined the choir, claiming that a school shooting occurs in the U.S. every week. In keeping with its fake news nickname, its numbers are bogus. For example, they include such things as a gang-related shootings on school grounds when the school is closed as a "school shooting."

The knee-jerk reaction to each school shooting is more gun laws. Never mind that the Santa Fe shooter was underage, he didn't purchase his gun, he didn't have a criminal record, and he didn't use an "assault weapon"  instead, he used his father's handgun and shotgun. He wasn't an NRA member, either.

Shift away from schools for a moment and look at another public venue that was the source of mass American casualties on September 11, 2001: airports. Terrorists boarded four domestic flights, armed with jihad and box-cutters, ending their travel day killing nearly 3,000 people.

There was much blame, unfortunately most of it misplaced due to the edicts of political correctness, tolerance, diversity, and other hazards to our safety and well-being. Low hanging fruit was picked rather than the root causes of such a heinous act. The government tightened airport security via acts of Congress, new government agencies, and lots of money, all things that Congress is very good at. The higher hanging fruit was ignored since addressing the "religion of peace" required more effort than either the president or Congress could muster.

The result, however, was to harden and secure our airports. Despite the travel hassles and delays, we have not had another plane hijacking since 9-11. Instead we have misbehaving passengers  fighting, urinating on seats, flying with their comfort turkey, fondling their seatmates, and other boorish behavior  acting not in the name of jihad, but instead just poor manners and decency.

What if we chose to follow the approach of schools in protecting airports and airplanes? Forget the TSA and onerous security checks at airports. What might that look like?

Using school safety as a model, the TSA would not even exist. As an agency within the Department of Homeland Security, neither the TSA nor DHS would be around today, as they were both created after and in response to 9-11. Members of Congress would have never authorized such an agency for fear of placing guns in airports. What if a bad guy got a hold of one of those guns? There are children in airports, too. All the reasons we can't arm teachers would be made for not having armed security personnel in airports.

Instead, we would have banned box-cutters as these were the weapons of choice of the 9-11 jihadis. Airports would proudly hang signs declaring themselves to be "box-cutter-free zones." Pocket-sized Swiss Army knives might fall under the ban as well.

Metal-detectors would be removed from airports. Armed security guards, roaming the terminals, would be verboten. There certainly would not be any air marshals on flights, inconspicuous but ready to react if necessary. There would also be no need to secure airplane cockpit doors.

If another plane was hijacked using a box-cutter or knife, there would be calls for more bans, tougher laws, and larger "box-cutter-free zone" signs at the airport entrance. Organizations doing business with the "National Box-Cutter Association" would be boycotted. If a gun was used to bring down an airplane, calls would go out for tougher gun laws or repealing the Second Amendment.

Metal-detectors in schools, armed teachers, armed undercover school resource officers, and other measures used routinely in airports and airplanes are pooh-poohed as ineffective and dangerous. Yet that is exactly how we keep air travel safe.

Why not learn a lesson from the airline industry? After suffering a mass casualty event, they changed the laws and regulations, preventing a repeat occurrence. One can argue about the effectiveness or efficiency of the TSA, but most of us feel safe flying, with the biggest fear being a smelly or handsy seatmate.

Since the Columbine High School shooting, less than two years before 9-11, school security has not changed appreciably, with predictable results. The school shootings continue  Sandy Hook, Parkland, now Santa Fe.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. That's just what we do for our schools and our children, rather than a new and effective approach as demonstrated by the air travel industry. Don't our schoolchildren deserve similar protections?

Brian C Joondeph, M.D., MPS is a Denver-based physician and writer. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.Uh-oh. Wasn't it just weeks ago that the Washington swamp declared House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes, a California Republican, a goner in his re-election effort?

Here's what the headline on The Hill looked like less than a month ago last April: "Election forecaster: Nunes seat no longer 'safe' Republican."

The article gushes about how Nunes had a Democratic challenger for his House seat and the challenger had raised more than a million dollars. His seat was no longer...safe! Oooh, scary, scary.

Turns out it was all baloney.

Here's the new headline, from the Washington Examiner: "Devin Nunes' fundraising explodes amid aggressive defense of Trump from Russia probe."

The fact that the fundraising "exploded" suggests that such a new development quite possibly was a reaction to the earlier headline calling Nunes a goner. If it was, it's a classic case of backfire, and it's pretty snicker-worthy, given that Democrats' attempts to alter perceptions of Devin Nunes came right back to bite them in the butt.

Now Nunes is rolling in the dough. Thanks, Dems.

I'm not a bit surprised it's turned out this way, either. I already knew that Nunes was outraising his opponent by 2.5 to 1.

To crow a little about it, last month, I checked the facts and found that Nunes was safely ahead on fundraising against his opponent and then dismissed the report as "psychological warfare to boost Nunes's opponent," concluding:

What I suspect with all this hype about Nunes losing his "safe" seat is a concentrated effort by radical leftists to target Nunes by building a narrative that he's a goner and hoping the momentum will build. Don't expect the press stories to stop on this. There are leftists out there who want to take down Nunes, and they will stop at nothing to claim they already have it in the bag.

Now Nunes's campaign war chest has literally doubled to $5 million, as Republicans sent money to Nunes to help defend his seat. His opponent, meanwhile, seems to have shot his wad. Unless a new wave of donations have come through since March, he has about a tenth of what Nunes has to spend on his mushy left-wing message. Nice going, Democrats.

This is what we mean by having a "safe" seat.

Not only does this tell us Democrats' efforts to stop Nunes are backfiring (and rather comically for them), but it's now clear that Nunes is a strong candidate, someone voters want in office working on their behalf. This doesn't happen when a candidate is weak.

More critically still, it shows everyone in the GOP that defending Trump is good for voter support. Nunes has never hidden his support for the elected president, and by taking that supposedly risky position, he also demonstrates that he owes no loyalty to the Washington swamp. Points to Nunes.

Lastly, Nunes has stuck to his guns and maintained his integrity in finding the truth about the Russia collusion matter, even in the face of the most hideous campaigns to discredit him from the left. Nobody has exposed more about official and press misconduct through his investigations of the Russia collusion claim than he has, and in doing so, he's put the canards out of their misery and left the Democrats without a cause celebre. The left doesn't like this one bit, and it all shows in its concentrated efforts to unseat him.

Sweetly enough for him, that's now backfiring badly. Snicker away, Devin  the latest news shows that the more the left targets you, the more it shoots itself in the foot.This piece has been withdrawn owing to a false statement it contained. The author stated that a security clearance was "yanked" from the founder of CSG Group, Mr. Jaroslav Strnad, with the implication also from the company as well, by the Czech Government and its Security Services. In fact, no security clearance was ever issued [or asked for or necessary, according to an attorney for CSG]. So one could not have been "yanked."

American Thinker apologizes to the CSG Group and Michal Strnad for the error.

5/31/18Uppsala, Sweden-based audio technology company Dirac Research on Thursday announced the commercialization of Dirac Panorama Sound, its latest mobile solution meant to lead to a new standard of audio quality on smartphones. The system has been integrated into the Nut R1, a newly announced Android handset from Chinese manufacturer Smartisan, with the two companies claiming that the device boasts a level of immersive audio thats unprecedented in the context of small-sized embedded speakers.

The main speaker of the Smartisan Nut R1 is placed on the bottom of the handset, hence being similar to audio solutions present on other contemporary phones, but Dirac Panorama Sound is meant to build on that setup by leveraging an additional receiver near the top of the device. The higher unit handles audio production during phone calls, whereas the bottom one is responsible for speaker amplification, music playback, and a number of other applications. The two modules coordinate actions between each other by relying on multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) technologies, with the Swedish firm describing the setup as a finely tuned orchestra instead of a simple collection of disjointed speakers.

Dirac is hoping that its system will disrupt the smartphone industry in the sense that it will place a larger focus on mobile audio experiences and turn mobile speakers into a major selling point, allowing original equipment manufacturers willing to embrace the technology to differentiate their products from those of their rivals. Whereas conventional mobile surround solutions utilize phase shifts to create an illusion of spaciousness, Diracs proprietary sound field control system separates the left stereo channel from its right counterpart with the goal of aiming both into their corresponding ears. The Smartisan Nut R1 starts at $549 and presently isnt available for purchase outside of China where its retailed by JD and the manufacturer itself, though Diracs solution is expected to make its way into more Android smartphones in the coming months.Google has now announced a new $100 million initiative to provide skills and economic opportunities through its Google.org division and nonprofit organizations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Primarily, the focus of the efforts will be on organizations that utilize technology for training purposes, to support workers in low-wage circumstances, and to help connect those looking for jobs with employment. More directly, Google wants to address the fact that as many as 64-percent of working-age adults in Europe have basic digital skills. On the other hand, only 38-percent of young people in either other region believe theyre given the skills needed to find good jobs once they leave school. So Google is placing emphasis on providing support for those in need of technical skills for the modern world. The initiative was announced on May 23 at the Tech for Good summit in Paris and is set to play out over the next five years.

The driving purpose of the new initiative, meanwhile, is nothing new for Google. From its efforts in generating a computer platform specifically geared at education  namely, Chrome OS  to other similar programs, Google is no stranger to humanitarian endeavors. In fact, its Grow with Google program has been running since 2015. The most recent of those was launched in Indianapolis in November. Of those who have participated in the program over its entire life, the company says that as many as 214,000 have successfully either found a new job or started a business of their own. No figures have been revealed, with regard to how many participants have been successful beyond that scope, but thats a substantial number nonetheless.

Googles efforts in this particular arena are undoubtedly useful to those starting out in less desirable circumstances, given the rapid expansion of technology in everyday life over the past decade. That expansion is not going to come to a stop any time soon and has created a requirement for a bare minimum of basic technology skills in most careers. While the search giant is hardly the only company taking part in these types of initiatives, its safe to say that this is one area where it has been putting its best foot forward.Qualcomm today announced the Snapdragon 710 SoC. Not only is this the latest addition to the 700-series, but it is the first member of the 700-series to be announced following the initial 700 announcement which came through during this years MWC event in Barcelona. In terms of availability it is still not totally clear when the Snapdragon 710 will show up in a device, although Qualcomm has confirmed it is already sampling the SoC out to manufacturers along with the expectation 710-powered devices are set to arrive during Q2, 2018.

When Qualcomm first unveiled the 700-series it did so with the suggestion the family of processors will adopt a 800-series lite market position. In other words, the 700 series looks to bring a number of the features more commonly associated with the 800-series to smartphones that are not quite top-tier or flagship level  smartphones that are not powered by the likes of the Snapdragon 845. This is a statement reiterated today with Qualcomm once again making it clear the Snapdragon 710 is as good as it gets from Qualcomm outside of its flagship 800 products. The Snapdragon 710 is a octa-core processor built on a 10nm process and is broken down to include two performance cores which clock up to 2.2 GHz, along with six efficiency cores, at 1.7 GHz. When compared to the Snapdragon 660, Qualcomm claims a 20-percent increase in overall uplift, as well as a 25-percent increase in web browsing speed and a 15-percent increase in app launching time. This is while also providing a more efficient system overall, including a 40-percent power reduction when playing 4K video, a 40-percent power reduction when gaming, and a 20-percent power reduction when streaming video.

As a result of these gains, the main areas the Snapdragon 710 looks to excel in is artificial intelligence (AI), battery, camera, connectivity, multimedia, as well as performance in general. Although in terms of its topical selling points AI is certainly the one worth noting with Qualcomm positioning the 710 as a full AI-ready SoC citing a 2x improvement in AI performance  again when compared to the Snapdragon 660 SoC  as well as support for many of the related frameworks including TensorFlow and TensorFlow Lite. Therefore Qualcomm is looking to position the Snapdragon 710 as a go-to AI option for any upcoming smartphones that would like to reap the benefits of AI without having to factor in the previously associated cost. Behind the scenes the 710 draws on a number of Qualcomm staples to ensure the rest of its areas of expertise are as good as can be. These include the Snapdragon X15 LTE for better connectivity, the Spectra 250 ISP (which transcends a number of areas including battery, camera, and performance), and the Adreno 616 for an up to 35-percentage improvement in graphic processing. In addition to a wealth of other Qualcomm-specific benefits, such as support for Aqstic Voice UI, aptX, Quick Charge 4+, and more.Samsung took to the stage at its annual Samsung Foundry Forum 2018 USA event to take the wraps off plans for the development of its next-generation chipsets. Chief among those is a roadmap for getting the process technology for some of its chips down to three nanometers. That all starts with 7nm Low Power Plus (LPP), which is a semiconductor process technology using an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography solution. IPs are under development and will be completed in 2019, Samsung says, while production will start in the second half of 2018. Stemming from that, the company plans to move to 5nm Low Power Early (LPE) solutions and then to 4nm LPP and LPE processes. Samsung plans for that to be the last generation of its use of the FinFET process. From there, Samsung expects to create a new process, which it has dubbed Multi-Bridge-Channel FET (MBCFET). The process will be utilized to scale down to 3nm process nodes, which adopt Gate-All-Around (GAA) architecture.

Through those innovations and others, Samsung Foundry is hoping to address connected devices of the future and high-performance computing solutions. On the latter front, the company hopes to begin with 7nm Low Power Plus to push hyper-scale data centers and A.I. capabilities to the next level. For the former, the company is thinking not only of low-power microcontrollers and connected platforms in general but is also considering the incoming wave of autonomous vehicles operating on 5G and vehicle-to-everything communications. So there likely wouldnt be any surprise if some of these platforms end up utilized in its own Skateboard platform or any number of its partners platforms for self-driving automobiles. It hopes to build out full-featured turnkey systems that further cement its position in the industry and a wider portfolio of products offerings for use in the billions of devices expected to make up self-driving cars, the IoT, and other consumer electronics.

The unsurprising roadmap laid out for the Korean tech giant has already been detailed to a degree earlier this year. 7nm processes are still viewed with a degree of skepticism from some industry leaders. So, while it will probably take quite some time to accomplish, aiming to scale far beyond that before production has even begun is an ambitious goal on Samsungs part, to say the least.A self-driving Volvo XC90 from Ubers autonomous fleet saw a jaywalking woman six seconds before hitting her in Tempe, Arizona, two months ago, according to the findings of a preliminary investigation conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board. The initial report on the matter published today raises concerns about the configuration Uber used for testing its self-driving vehicles in the state, with the federal agency learning that the company disabled the SUVs emergency brake so as to reduce the potential for erratic vehicle behavior. While its human backup drivers were always able to activate the emergency brake, the artificial intelligence controlling the car under normal circumstances wasnt. According to an early May report from The Information, the limitation may have been imposed so as to ensure a maximally comfortable experience for riders as Ubers existing prototypes are likely to overuse their emergency brakes and make needless sudden stops.

An emergency braking maneuver is what the Volvo XC90 in question determined was needed in order to mitigate a collision 1.3 seconds before impact, the NTSB found. While the backup driver present in the vehicle is expected to react in such scenarios, Ubers autonomous vehicles havent been designed to alert them of an impending accident. The driver present in the vehicle at the time of the accident took her eyes off the road moments before impact, according to redacted security footage of the incident released by local authorities last month. In an interview with NTSB investigators, the operator said she was looking down in order to monitor the main system interface of the vehicle like her job requires her to, adding that she hasnt used her business or personal smartphone until after the crash in order to call 911. Uber is permanently closing its autonomous driving operations in Tempe due to the ordeal, having already laid off all 200 of its backup drivers in the city.

The Volvo XC90 hit the 49-year-old woman at 39mph, with the victim succumbing to her injuries shortly afterward. None of the vehicles systems were damaged or otherwise malfunctioning, with the backup driver engaging the steering wheel less than a second before the impact and hitting the brakes in under a second afterward. The first known pedestrian victim of a self-driving car crash was crossing a poorly illuminated, four-track road illegally, wearing dark clothes and pushing a bicycle, according to the NTSB. She did not look in the direction of the oncoming vehicle at any point. The federal agency is still probing the incident in collaboration with the Arizona Department of Transportation, Uber, and Volvo Cars.Sony conceded development within its mobile business has not been fast enough. The comment was made during the companys Sony IR Day 2018 where Sony was looking to provide background on how the year is shaping up so far and some insight into how the company plans to move forward in relation to most of its core businesses. As part of the Mobile Communications Segment Sony highlighted how sales recently have been down against expectations and padded this out by stating the issue is not improving product lineup fast enough.

Sony explains that in addition to seeing the number of units shipped decreasing, the mobile division has also faced additional issues such as a sharp increase in component costs. Although, Sony also points out how it has been able to offset against these issues through cost reductions. Which is a point to note as looking forward the company provided some statements which point to the path Sony Mobile plans to continue down. Most pertinently, the target by 2020 is to create a lean, agile business for its mobile division without an excessive focus on revenue and units sold. A sentiment which suggests that in spite of the continued decrease in sales, Sony plans to continue to mitigate against this through sustained and longer-term cost reductions.

In addition, 5G is also going to play a central role for Sony going forward with the company expecting to create new value while also ensuring this is done in a lean manner. One of the ways in which this is expected to happen is through Sony drawing on its wider product and service portfolio to offer increased 5G value to its smartphone business. This aspect also seems to be part of the companys even wider ambitions as it looks to bring better cohesion to all of its products and sectors, to coincide with the onset of 5G. This, in turn, is also expected to improve efficiency across the board and further help to add to the reduction in outgoings. In Sonys own words, leveraging the assets, business knowhow and infrastructure. Likewise, Sony plans to draw on the European market to further help its cause in the future, and this was explained through employing strategic partnerships with operators while at the same time bolstering open channel sales.Uber is launching a new flying taxi lab in Paris, France, which will be responsible for supporting the companys Elevate program meant to add a vertical dimension to its futuristic mobility vision, the San Francisco-based startup announced Thursday. The development comes amid Uber Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahis meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace held as part of a larger event that saw the 40-year-old politician gather technology industry leaders from across the world to talk policy initiatives and investments in Paris which is presently trying to catch up to London on that front. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also attended the same event.

The Advanced Technologies Center Paris (ATCP) will be Ubers first R&D hub outside of North America that will primarily focus on the companys flying taxi program in the near term. Uber is planning to invest 20 million ($23.5 million) over the next half a decade into developing new solutions meant to accelerate its mobility vision. Among other things, the Paris center will be working on artificial intelligence technologies that will help UberAIR grow on a significant scale and will be collaborating with the firms ATAP arm in the U.S. in order to meet the planned goal of starting pilot programs in Los Angeles, Dallas, and another American city by 2020. The technology hub will begin operations this fall, with Uber confirming it will be looking for AI and engineering talent in the area no later than then.

With entirely electrified transportation being the groups primary goal, ATCP is planning to partner with urban planners on the Old Continent in order to ensure its backing its operations with the optimal infrastructure. Uber on Thursday also announced a five-year research partnership with Ecole Polytechnique, a Palaiseau-based university, with the goal of the initiative being the education of at least one Research Chair of a newly defined field called Integrated Urban Mobility meant to help the firm realize its ambitious vision of the future of transportation.1. Yes. The medical data shows it will be beneficial to get one. The sooner the better.

2. Yes. Theres no rush, but I plan to get one sometime in the next few months.

3. No. Im not sold on the need for a booster. Besides, the case numbers are falliing.

4. No. I havent been vaccinated for COVID-19, and I dont plan to get the booster, either.

5. Unsure. It may be smart to wait and see how beneficial the booster shots prove to be.

Vote

View ResultsNews has arrived that the pianist Jack Reilly (pictured) died of a massive stroke on Friday at his home in New Jersey. Mr. Reilly, 86, was an accomplished classical and jazz pianist who returned to his native New York in 1954 following Navy service and pursued graduate studies at the Manhattan School of Music. His early experience in jazz was with John LaPorta, Sheila Jordan, Ben Webster and George Russell, among other prominent figures in the bebop and post-bop eras.

From the biography on Mr. Reillys website:

He was Professor and Head of the Jazz Studies Departments at the New England Conservatory of Music Boston, The New School, for Social Research, and The Mannes College of Music, where he wrote the curriculum for full Degree in Jazz Music. He is the author of the critically acclaimed The Harmony of Bill Evans, Volumes 1 and 2, The Harmony of Dave Brubeck and several books of jazz piano arrangements.

Pianists who studied with Reilly often gave him credit for inspiring them and accelerating their development. The quote in the June, 2008, Rifftides post below is typical of the regard in which his students held him.

Originally posted on June 20, 2008

Recently, I came across this quote:

Jack Reillys music is singular, almost private, and yet it reaches beyond his personal vision. This is music that speaks to the colllective spirit of all mankind  Bill Charlap

The quote is by a student of Reilly who is one of his most dedicated fans and has himself gone on to considerable renown. It led to a search that turned up video of Reilly in a performance that melds Chopin and Strayhorn. His subtle key changes are central to the fun and fascination.

For links to Jack Reillys publications and albums, see this page of his website. Jack was a frequent commenter on Rifftides. We will miss him and his contributions. Funeral or memorial services for Mr. Reilly have not been announced.COP26 may be a cop-out in the making COP26 is just about a month away. Delayed for a year by the Covid-19 pandemic, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference has built up even more expectations and momentum during the intervening monthsGuyventures: Hiking Guatemala's Acatenango Volcano

Here's What It's Like To Watch An Active Volcano Spew Liquid Inferno

Update: On June 4, 2018, Volcan de Fuego erupted, killing at least 165 people. This story was written just weeks before that happened.

I slipped.

I dug my toes in and took another step.

I slipped again.

My head felt like it was in a vice grip and my heart was pounding like I just did 50 burpees. I was over 12,000 feet into thin air and feeling grim when my mind darted to something I saw when I started this journey. A woman was limping down the mountain with her arm over some guy's shoulder (I presumed it was her boyfriend).

Its worth it, she told me.

I had my doubts.

Volcan de Fuego, literally meaning fire in Spanish, is historically Central Americas most active volcano. Since 2002, the Guatemalan volcano has spewed plumes of charcoal-colored smoke as high as four miles and unleashed glowing avalanches down its slopes at 35 miles per hour. The night before I went, it erupted red and orange liquid death. The night I was there, Im told it'd do the same.

For some insane reason, you can hike Fuego as well its taller non-active sidekick, Acatenango, which is exactly what I set out to do.

Stephanie Foden for AskMen

The shuttle arrived at my hostel in Antigua at 7:30 a.m. and I shoved some tortillas and beans into my mouth before heading out the door. The tour agency, Soy Tours, gives back to local communities and came highly recommended, so I thought it'd be a solid choice at 350 Guatemalan quetzales ($47 USD).

After a short drive to the tour office, I was offered a warm jacket, a hiking backpack, two prepared meals and a stick (I named mine Gandalf). There, I met the other hikers and I think the best way to describe them is #travelgoals. A guy from Sydney quit his job and moved to Guatemala to find a new life. A Canadian girl cobbles together odd jobs to never stop traveling  and to never stop sipping delicious wines. A Kiwi leads expeditions to Antarctica. I carved out space in my brain to scribble out new goals on my bucket list and we set out.

Remember there are no limits  the only limit is the sky, said Gilmer Soy, the tour operator from the base of the volcano.

Stephanie Foden for AskMen

Id heard that someone planned to do the hike, but quit within the first 20 minutes. Ill admit: I laughed when I heard that. But I wasnt laughing after my first steps. It took about 1.5 seconds to realize what Id gotten myself into. The ground beneath my feet was grainy beige powder and every step finished with a slip.

"F*ck!" she yelled.

My girlfriend slipped and pulled her groin. Fortunately, she was OK to keep going, although, she was in for a tough time.

It was hard to appreciate the awesome surroundings due to the difficulty of the climb, but I was clearly in paradise. Birds chirped from vines tailor-made for Tarzan and the backdrop of mountains was nothing short of epic.

A few hours of sweaty slip-climbing later and I appeared to have landed in Stranger Things. The birds mysteriously stopped chirping and mist floated eerily over the path. It had gotten hilly and the sand more packed. Grasses along the route looked like Garths hair in Waynes World, only punk green.

Stephanie Foden for AskMen

Boom!

All of a sudden, the three-legged dog that had been following us up the mountain (we nicknamed him Tripod) starting barking and kicking up dirt  could a storm be brewing?

It didnt take long to find the source of the thunderous noise. The spooky clouds moved aside and exposed Fuego in all its ferocious glory.

Stephanie Foden for AskMen

Earlier this year, Fuego surprised its neighbors by firing ash a mile into the air, causing 33,000 people from 17 villages to flee their homes. I could only hope the mighty volcano was feeling more chill.

Boom!

Another grunt from Fuego. Plumes of gray smoke shot into the air, but no lava. The booms kept coming every five to 10 minutes.

Exhausted, sore and feeling like my lungs had shrunk three sizes, we made it to basecamp, 11,800 feet.

The sun sunk below the mountains and lights from the nearby towns sparked on. I dumped my bag in the tent, which was already set up when I got there, and I sat down by the campfire.

Stephanie Foden for AskMen

Whoa, someone in the group blurted out.

Uh oh, Fuego is cranky.

I looked over at the volcano and saw a shower of lava shoot out in all directions and ooze down the side.

Boom!

The sound was delayed. The group stood up, hypnotized by Fuegos fury.

Boom!

After the sunset, lava poured down on nearly every eruption.

Is that a person? Wait, its two!

I could make out two bodies on a ridge terrifyingly near the furious volcano. For 200 quetzales extra ($27) you can hike up Fuego in a journey that I refuse to believe is safe.

Cloaked in my warmest gear, the Guatemalan guides served us the most delicious meal of my life. Noodles, mashed potatoes and refried beans with a tostada nacho on the side.

Objectively, it wasnt a great meal at all, but I was so sore, tired and hungry that at this point, Domino's would have felt like a Michelin star meal.

Stephanie Foden for AskMen

After watching Fuego a dozen or so more times, I retreated to my tent to sleep. Well, sleep is a strong word. I should probably describe it as tossing and turning in a tight sleeping bag on rock hard ground. At least when I got up at one in the morning, I had the most incredible view from the toilet.

"Vamos chicos."

The guide woke us up at four in the morning. Single file, the group zig-zagged up Acatenango. And by up, I mean up. The path was stupidly steep and ridiculously ashy. I was gasping due to the altitude and my fingers were numb from the icy cold. My girlfriend was struggling from the pulled groin, so I ducked under her arm to help, just like the couple I saw at the bottom.

I remembered what the injured girl told me. Is it worth it?

Hell yeah, it was!

As the sun crept over the clouds filling the sky with reds and yellows and purples and bright blues, we crept over the side of Acatenango. Finally on flat ground, I peered at Fuego, less cranky than during the night.

Boom!

Of course, Fuego couldnt let us go without saying goodbye.A judge has ruled that an Aspen resident who is suing the city in an effort to force a public vote on a new government office building has standing and her case can proceed.

City of Aspen officials were seeking to have a case brought by Marcia Goshorn and Toni Kronberg dismissed, arguing that neither had standing to sue. Judge John Neiley of Pitkin County District Court, in a ruling released Wednesday, agreed that Kronberg, who is not a city resident, does not have standing, but found that Goshorn does.

Goshorns lawsuit argues that the city councils April 2017 approval of a new $22.5 million, 37,500-square-foot municipal office building was improper because the council did not put it up for a vote. The suit alleges that the project would be constructed on public open space, as well as on land that was purchased with funds restricted to transportation projects. The citys charter requires that any project changing the use of open space must be approved by voters so therefore the office building project must go to an election, the plaintiffs claim.

The project would be built on the site of the former Aspen Chamber Resort Association offices, in between Rio Grande Place and Galena Plaza on the north side of Main Street. City council approved the project after years of deliberation based on the reasoning that it could provide better public service if it consolidates various departments that are strewn about town and that the project would save money over the long term as opposed to renting additional office space.

City officials dispute Goshorns claim that the project would be built on open space. A portion of it would go up to the edge of Galena Plaza, an open area in between the Pitkin County Library and Courthouse that is actually the roof of the parking garage, but the building itself would be constructed over an open area above the existing parking garage, City Attorney Jim True said.

The veracity of Goshorns claim will be sorted out by the court, which is required to accept the claims in her complaint as true in determining whether she has standing.

Plaintiffs contend that because the city charter creates the right to vote on land use changes to public open space parcels, they have shown a legally protected interest, and the absence of a vote constitutes the injury they sustained. The court is persuaded by this argument, says Judge Neileys order.

Goshorn asserted that her injury could also be financial, in that her share of the buildings cost as a taxpayer in the city of Aspen comes to $3,000.

Goshorns suit over the open space and transportation tax issue is one of two involving the new office building project. Goshorn and Steven Goldenberg of Aspen are also suing the city over its rejection of their referendum petition that would have forced the vote. That case is still pending after Neiley earlier this year ruled that the petitioners met a filing deadline and that the issue at hand is legally referable  contradicting city arguments on both points. The court must still sort out whether the petitioners, who came up short in their initial attempt to collect enough signatures, have a right to take advantage of a 10-day cure period to go out and collect more.

Jordan Porter, a Denver attorney representing the plaintiffs in both cases, said in a statement that the city and city council have taken every step possible to deny the city of Aspen residents the opportunity to vote on a new city office building, an approximately $23 million expenditure which impacts city of Aspen taxpayers.

The right to vote on the project is specifically given to them under the city charter, Porters statement says.

The ruling today supports the position that not only did the city clerk, working in conjunction with the city attorney, wrongfully deny the referendum petition, but Aspen residents never should have had to take the steps of submitting a petition in the first place, Porters statement says. The ordinance automatically should have been to a vote of the people (sic).

True, the city attorney, said that while the city was hoping to have the entire case dismissed, Wednesdays ruling was far from a resounding victory for the plaintiffs. It simply means that further court proceedings are necessary to vet Goshorns claims, True said. The city has yet to present its arguments to the court as to why the open space and transportation tax claims are not valid.

To get the relief they ultimately want  they are a long way from that, he said.

RELATED

No more time to collect signatures, city motion says The city of Aspen is down to its last legal argument in the defense of a lawsuit seeking a p

Fearing a no vote, city council will skip election on new offices Aspen City Council members on Tuesday opted to skip a public vote on a $22.3 million new government office building out of concern that the project would lose in an election.Property Exchange Australia (PEXA) has recognised conveyancers, property lawyers, and major banks spearheading innovation in the digitisation of the countrys property transactions.

PEXAs inaugural PropertyX (Property Excellence Awards) was the finale to the industry wide conference hosted by the organisation. The awards recognised achievers in industry acceleration and awards for excellence.

Winners are selected from a pool of more than 6,000 conveyancers and lawyers and more than 140 financial institutions that have partnered with the PEXA platform.Clifford Chance has announced an expansion of a key part of its strategy to create greater value for its clients.

The firm will launch Hubs across its worldwide footprint, and has appointed Champions in some regions, to support its strategy called Best Delivery.

"Best Delivery is all about securing the best outcomes for our clients, coupled with greater value and efficiency in legal service delivery. The growth of our Best Delivery capability around the world with our investment in the Hubs and in appointing partner Champions is critical to our success, Oliver Campbell, Global Head of Client Service Solutions at Clifford Chance explains.EAA continues to work on filling every day of this summers AirVenture with attractions for pilots, and over the last week or two a number of new events and appearances have been announced. The NTSB said they will hold a special safety forum from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 24, in Forum Building 6, to address a top safety issue seen in our investigations. The board promises more information to come soon. EAA also said they will bring back Obsession, a one-third-scale B-17 home-built by Jack Bally in Illinois over a 17-year span. The unique aircraft, known as the Bally Bomber, embodies the spirit of homebuilt innovation and creativity, according to EAAs Rick Larsen, who coordinates AirVentures attractions. The project has attracted thousands of online fans over the years. Im really excited to see it firsthand, Larsen said.

Educators are welcome to participate in free Teacher Day activities, to be held on Friday, July 27. Two tracks will be offered, for teachers in Grades Pre-K to 6, and those who teach grades 7 to 12. We want to bring educators ideas that are easy to implement, affordable and scalable for a variety of student experiences, said Bret Steffen, EAAs director of education. Teachers will have a chance to try out a Redbird flight simulator. Online registration is open until June 30. There is no cost for teachers. AirVenture, held in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, will run July 23 to 29. Anyone planning to fly in can find the Notam here.Electric delivery vehicle company Workhorse, which recently began untethered flight testing of its hybrid-powered SureFly VTOL, is seeking full FAA type approval for the aircraft, Workhorse CEO Steve Burns told AVweb in an exclusive podcast. Although it has not yet been determined which category the aircraft will fall under for the purpose of FAA approval, Burns is hoping for certification in 2020. While he acknowledges that would be record time, he also believes its a goal that can be achieved.

So far, the longest the SureFly has been in the air without a tether is 22 seconds. For the piston versiona turbine version is also in developmentWorkhorse is aiming for a 70-mile range, top speed of 70 MPH, and 400-pound useful load. The aircraft requires a pilot onboard, although the company says autonomy will come later.

Unlike many similar products, Burns says the SureFly is not particularly aimed at the air taxi market. Instead, he envisions it taking on emergency response, personal transport, precision agriculture or military support missions. The SureFly is powered by a fossil fuel generator paired with a small lithium battery. According to Workhorse, the battery is also capable of providing five minutes of backup power in the event of a generator failure. As an additional safety measure, the SureFly is equipped with a whole-aircraft parachute system.

Workhorses core business is electric trucksits largest customer is UPSalthough SureFly isnt the companys first venture into aerial transport. Workhorse also developed the Horsefly drone, which is designed to launch from the top of its trucks. Burns points out that this background has allowed the company to bring a lot of experience with both lithium batteries and drone technology to the SureFly. According to Burns, the decision to go the hybrid route stems from the feeling that lithium technology isnt quite ready to be the only power source for a vehicle like the one it is developing.

For those interested in seeing the aircraft in action, the company plans to bring the SureFly to Oshkosh for this years AirVenture. Purchase price for the piston version is expected to come in at about $200,000.Giuseppe Conte, a 53-year-old civil lawyer and academic, has been given a formal mandate to become Italys next prime minister. He has no previous political record and has been accused of embellishing his resume  which he denies.

Why it matters: Conte will lead the government with the support of two populist parties, the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the far-right League. Both parties used aggressive anti-European rhetoric in the campaign, and advocate fiscal policies that will meet stiff opposition in Brussels. This has raised worries through the region, and investors have abruptly sold off Italian assets.New York federal prosecutors have started a criminal probe into sex-abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein over whether the veteran Hollywood producer had lured or persuaded women to travel across state lines for the purpose of carrying out a sex crime, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Why it matters: The publication reports that local prosecutors havent brought any criminal charges against Weinstein since the start of the #MeToo movement, and that federal prosecutors are infuriated. Individual sexual assault allegations are typically handled by local authorities, experts told the WSJ.

The details: Authorities in New York City and Los Angeles launched probes into Weinstein following a slew of sexual-harassment accusations from women in October. Both are still pending.

The WSJ said it's unclear what specific allegations federal prosecutors are reviewing, and that the probe is unrelated and independent from an inquiry by the Manhattan District Attorney  who was lambasted for not prosecuting Weinstein even though a woman had provided police with a recording in which Weinstein admits to groping her breasts.

What theyre saying: Weinsteins lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, told the WSJ that he has met with federal prosecutors to dissuade them from proceeding. Mr. Weinstein has always maintained that he has never engaged in nonconsensual sexual acts, Brafman said.

What to watch: NYPD officials said the agency is prepared to arrest Weinstein and is awaiting permission from the Manhattan District Attorney's office.Its not just President Trump and his tweeter anymore. The anti-Robert Mueller chorus is growing slightly larger, and significantly louder, in an effort to discredit the Russia probe and its origin.

The big picture: A motley crew of Clinton-era political stars  including Rudy Giuliani, Alan Dershowitz and Mark Penn  and a gaggle of pro-Trump House Republicans are hitting Capitol Hill, cable and the web to trash Mueller, the FBI and the media.

Why it matters: Hour by hour, these voices try to chip away at the case against Trump and the justification for it all.

Polls show it works  wonderfully, among Rs.

it works  wonderfully, among Rs. This powerful echo chamber is one of the few parts of Trumpworld thats perfectly in sync.

Inside the sabotage strategy ... Jonathan Swan points out that the White House legal strategy hasnt visibly changed:

The legal team's newest member  Emmet Flood, who represented Bill Clinton during his impeachment  is a top-flight, serious lawyer who's going about his business with complete discretion.

 Emmet Flood, who represented Bill Clinton during his impeachment  is a top-flight, serious lawyer who's going about his business with complete discretion. What has changed is the P.R./media strategy. We suddenly see this concerted effort  orchestrated by Trump, and conducted outside of the White House  to smear Mueller, muddy the waters, and make the investigation a red vs. blue issue.

is the P.R./media strategy. We suddenly see this concerted effort  orchestrated by Trump, and conducted outside of the White House  to smear Mueller, muddy the waters, and make the investigation a red vs. blue issue. Were already seeing public opinion polarize and harden. And if that happens, Trump wins.

public opinion polarize and harden. And if that happens, Trump wins. This echoes the late '90s strategy of the Clinton White House against Ken Starr.

A key victory for the chorus: The Justice Department tomorrow will hold a classified briefing about an FBI informant in the Russia probe, yielding to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, who had threatened to hold Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt over a committee subpoena.

Sarah Sanders announced that in addition to Nunes and House Oversight Committee Chair Trey Gowdy, attendees will include FBI Director Christopher Wray, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and the Justice Department's Ed OCallaghan.

announced that in addition to Nunes and House Oversight Committee Chair Trey Gowdy, attendees will include FBI Director Christopher Wray, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and the Justice Department's Ed OCallaghan. "No one from the White House staff will attend," she said. And she said she doesn't expect any Dems.

Among the players:

At least 19 House Republicans backed yesterday's announcement of a resolution calling for a second special counsel to investigate "misconduct at the highest levels" of the Justice Department and FBI "with regards to FISA Abuse, how and why the Hillary Clinton email probe ended, and how and why the Donald Trump-Russia probe began."

House Republicans backed yesterday's announcement of a resolution calling for a to investigate "misconduct at the highest levels" of the Justice Department and FBI "with regards to FISA Abuse, how and why the Hillary Clinton email probe ended, and how and why the Donald Trump-Russia probe began." Mark Penn, a former top strategist for the Clintons who is now president of the Stagwell Group, wrote in The Hill this week: "[T]he Mueller investigation became a partisan, open-ended inquisition that ... is a threat to all those who ever want to participate in a national campaign or an administration again."

a former top strategist for the Clintons who is now president of the Stagwell Group, wrote in The Hill this week: "[T]he Mueller investigation became a partisan, open-ended inquisition that ... is a threat to all those who ever want to participate in a national campaign or an administration again." Ari Fleischer, President George W. Bush's first press secretary, tweeted yesterday that he agrees with a National Review column arguing: "The Mueller investigation should be allowed to reach its natural conclusion, as should the DOJ's investigation of the FBIs conduct."

President George W. Bush's first press secretary, tweeted yesterday that he agrees with a National Review column arguing: "The Mueller investigation should be allowed to reach its natural conclusion, as should the DOJ's investigation of the FBIs conduct." The Fox prime-time gang, especially Sean Hannity.

Be smart ... David Ignatius column in WashPost: "Trump is running a circus of distraction. But at the center of the ring remains Mueller, silent and unblinking."

Go deeper:Cisco's Talos research group outlined a malware threat that has already infected 500,000 routers in 54 countries from a variety of manufacturers, with code substantially overlapping with known Russian attacks.

Why it matters: The threat, nicknamed VPNFilter, can infect Linksys, MikroTik, NETGEAR and TP-Link small business and home office routers as well as network storage devices. It can steal web site credentials, monitor commands to industrial systems and launch destructive attacks against the devices it infects. And it can do all of this beyond the reach of many types of network defenses that don't protect routers.

How it links to Russian intelligence: The code in VPNFIlter overlaps with Russia's BlackEnergy malware that has been used to attack energy infrastructure in Ukraine. The Talos report notes this is not a definitive link  another attacker may be coopting Russian malware  but VPN filter is aggressively targeting Ukraine.South Korean officials were blindsided by President Trumps Thursday morning announcement that he was canceling the June summit with Kim Jong-un, per the AP. President Moon Jae-in said, "I am very perplexed and it is very regrettable" that the summit won't go ahead as planned.

Whats happening: At a late-night emergency meeting called to respond to Trump's announcement, Moon urged Trump to hold direct talks with Kim to resolve the standoff, per Yonhap. Moon only returned to South Korea yesterday after meeting with Trump at the White House to discuss the summit. He is now in a difficult position, as South Korea had planned to resume peace talks with the North.By Rashid Shirinov

The current Armenian authorities, which are trying to make the population believe that the EU is eager to enhance relations with the country, are hiding an important detail  the demand to close the outdated Armenian nuclear power plant near the town of Metsamor.

This requirement was clearly stated in the EU-Armenia agreement signed last year. The part of the document concerning the nuclear safety notes the importance of compliance with high level standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and specifically the need for closure and safe decommissioning of the Metsamor NPP. It also notes the need to replace the plant with new ways of ensuring Armenias energy security.

The EU did not demand to close the NPP immediately, but made it clear that it wants to know when Armenia is going to do it.

Nevertheless, a wave of discontent rose in the Armenian in society because of this paragraph of the agreement. The authorities claimed that people just misunderstood this part of the document. However, the Armenian media have found out that last week the government received an ultimatum from the EU about the closure of the nuclear power plant.

The new government of Armenia is obliged to solve the issue of the future of the Armenian NPP in the context of national interests, chairman of the Union of Consumers Armen Poghosyan told reporters in this regard.

He added that the fate of the plant has not been decided yet, but the agreement on a comprehensive and expanded partnership with the EU requires the Armenian authorities to tell a precise date for its closure.

Poghosyan considers it necessary to proceed immediately to the development of the program of Armenias energy security bearing in mind the ultimatum of the EU.

If the issue of the NPP or alternative sources of electricity is not resolved, one day Armenia may be at risk of energy collapse, he noted.

This statement by Poghosyan is quite right  for decades, Armenia has not been able to find alternative sources of energy, and therefore, the government has always refused to close the Metsamor NPP.

The construction of the plant started in 1970. The plant was shut down after a devastating earthquake of 1988 in the town of Spitak. However, in 1995, despite numerous protests of international community, the Armenian government resumed the operation of the NPP, and moreover, the second reactor was launched.

A number of international experts have repeatedly urged that due to its deplorable state, the Metsamor NPP could repeat the fate of the Chernobyl NPP, thus threatening the lives of the Armenians and inhabitants of the adjacent countries. The possible tragedy will also jeopardize the environmental state of the region. Moreover, its consequences will be felt in Europe and the Middle East.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Rashid Shirinov

The ongoing protests in Armenia began to seriously disturb the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. He was the person who started these protests against the former government, but now Pashinyan himself is becoming the target of the dissatisfied population.

He has recently asked the protesters to stop blocking roads and state institutions and wait for the problems to be solved. However, this request had no effect. Later, Pashinyan demanded to stop protests.

I cannot understand why there are citizens who do not respond properly to the call to stop all protests and work with the government. Once again I ask and demand to stop all actions of civil disobedience, the prime minister wrote on his Facebook page on May 23.

However, it is quite understandable why Armenians continue their protests. The population brought Pashinyan to power for him to solve the main problems as soon as possible, first and foremost, to eradicate corruption.

The former government led by Serzh Sargsyan held no tangible fight against corruption in the country. This is confirmed by the fact that Armenia is 132nd among 176 countries in terms of corruption risks according to the Transparency Internationals.

Although the EU contributed 1.5 million euro for two anti-corruption projects in Armenia some years ago, the doleful situation has shown no signs of change.

A fight against corruption in Armenia implies declaration of war to the criminal-oligarchic system in the country. Therefore, Sargsyan and his team never went for it, since this would mean declaration of war to themselves.

However, Pashinyan, leading the new government of Armenia also stands idly by and does not dare to fight against corrupt officials. He is well aware of these people, who were becoming rich thanks to taking bribes, concealing their income, evading taxes and being engaged in extortion.

Therefore, the inaction of the government raises questions. The Armenian media suggest that Pashinyan could become the prime minister only because he promised safety to the biggest corrupt officials of the Sargsyan regime. So, it seems that the population of Armenia will continue to live under the corrupt oligarchic system in the upper echelons of power in the coming years.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

A closed presentation of a new banknote with a face value of 200 manats was held in Baku, a source in the Azerbaijani financial market told Trend.

The source has not specified when a new banknote is planned to be put into circulation.

However, earlier the Central Bank has already spoken about the plans to issue such a banknote.

According to the source, the presentation was held in the building of the Central Bank.

Presently, banknotes with a face value of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 manats are in circulation in the country.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzThe Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan, Shahin Mustafayev, will address over 500 participants at the EU-Azerbaijan Business Forum in Baku, on June 5. Also Mr. Lawrence Meredith, of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), will deliver a welcoming speech in the Forum.

This year the flagship business event is expected to welcome more than 500 high-level representatives: business and government leaders. The line-up of speakers includes tens of EU and Azerbaijani CEOs and Ministers.

Numerous (Deputy) Ministers of the Government of Azerbaijan will attend the event, including Mustafayev, Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan, who will deliver a keynote speech at the opening. The Forum will also be attended by diplomats of EU Member States. Mr. Lawrence Meredith, Director of 'Neighbourhood East' at DG NEAR of the European Commission, will deliver a welcoming speech at the opening and will moderate the plenary session on economic reforms in Azerbaijan.

Last year, Minister Mustafayev highlighted the significance of the Forum in contributing to EU- Azerbaijan relations and expressed his appreciation of the organisers efforts in organising the business event. Speaking about the importance of the Business Forum, Mr. Meredith stated: This is an important forum for the European Union; Azerbaijan is a partner of strategic importance, and business-to-business contacts are central in this respect.

In addition to the plenary session on the economic reforms, this years programme also features panel discussions, focusing on four key sectors of the Azerbaijani economy: Agriculture and Food, Construction and Machinery, Transport and Logistics, and ICT and E-commerce. Business-to-business meetings will be facilitated throughout the event, with the support of an online application. Another key element of the programme is the presentation of the annual 'EU Business Climate Report 2018', focusing on the current economic situation and business climate in Azerbaijan as perceived by EU businesses.By Laman Ismayilova

The time is rapidly approaching for Baku Summer Jazz Days.

New jazz project, organized by the producer agency Premier Art Management jointly with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, will be presented at the International Mugham Center on June 4-8.

Five concerts with musicians from different countries will be held as part of the project.

Ahead of the long- awaited music festival, Trend Life presents an interview with guests from Hungary. The organizers of the festival - Premier Art management addressed questions to one of the project managers, percussionist and drummer Andras Des.

Question: Is this your first visit to Baku? What are your expectations?

Answer: I already visited Baku two years ago, but it was a very short visit. I hope that this time I will have a chance to get to know this wonderful city better.

Q.: Do you plan to perform new songs during the concert?

A.: We'll present listeners our recent project "Maiden Tower". This album was recorded in the summer of 2016 and was released last year.

Q.: How do you work with our jazzman Elchin Shirinov, we assume that you are familiar with our jazz heritage?

A.: Unfortunately, I did not have an opportunity to get acquainted with the Azerbaijani jazz heritage, but I already met good jazz performers from Baku. I spent an unforgettable evening at a wonderful jazz club on my last visit.

Q.: How did your work with Elchin Shirinov start?

A.: We met in Budapest, when we played together in a group of famous Polish jazz performer Grzegorz Karnas. We also met several times at Voicingers festival.

Q.: Whose idea was the creation of the project Elchin Shirinov & Trio Andras Des?

A.: It happened all by itself, when we first met Elchin. We felt that we definitely need to work together. Then a concert was organized in Budapest and we realized how delightful this band sounds. And so we ended up in the studio.

Q.: We are looking forward to the premiere, do you share these emotions with us?

A.: I am very glad that I can perform this in Baku, the main attraction of which is the historical Maiden Tower, which gave the name to our project.

And here is what national pianist Elchin Shirinov said about working with Hungarian friends.

Question: Elchin, first of all, we congratulate you on your great creative success. It became known that one of the first-class jazz musicians of our time Avishai Cohen - composer, double bassist invited you to his band, with which you will touring around the world. How did you take this news?

Answer: This was always my cherished dream. For 15 years I have been listening to Avishai Cohen and I love his music, his play and his arrangements. At first my manager wrote to me, and then he called me and said that he liked my game, my compositions, improvisations. And he said: "Please do not change the way you perform." To hear this from the giant of jazz costs a lot! I'm very happy. At the invitation of Avishai I flew to Israel, where we rehearsed with him for several days, after which our first performance took place in France, near Paris.

For me it was a great pleasure to share the scene with such a master. And after the concert, Avishai officially announced that I will play in his group - in the trio and in the symphony project.

Q.: Last summer we showed your teamwork with foreign jazzmen - bass guitarist Linley Marthe (France) and drummer Stephane Galland (Belgium). And then again an international project, this time with Hungarian musicians. We know that you and Andras Des are co-authors of the project. How was this accomplished?

A.: Concert last summer with Linley and Stephan ! Such great musicians! It was unforgettable! We met Andras in Budapest when we played together with the famous Polish jazz vocalist Grzegorz Karnas in the Opus Jazz Club. After that, we played several times together in Poland at a jazz festival. And we realized that we perfectly feel each other and we really like to perform together. Then they decided to record the album. What happened, you will hear at the Baku premiere.

Q.: You have a lot of tours, foreign performances. What are your future plans?

A.: European Tour "Maiden Tower" and, of course, a world tour with Avishai Cohen are coming soon!

Q.: We wish you success and, most importantly, good luck to your new project, which will premiere on June 5 at the International Mugham Center.

A.: Thank you! We are looking forward to Baku Summer Jazz Days!

Media partners of the event are Azernews.az, Trend.az, Day.az, Milli.az.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Laman Ismayilova

The 2nd IMAGINE Euro Tolerance Festival, taking place in Baku on May 2-17, has come to an end with a solemn ceremony.

In their remarks, the first adviser to the head of the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan Denis Daniilidis, United Cultures Organization head Paola Casagrande and others stressed a dense calendar of events: musical performances, master classes, a theatre exhibition, film screenings, debates and discussions with internationally acclaimed film directors and musicians, who participated in the festival.

Over 4,000 people visited events organized within the 2nd IMAGINE Euro Tolerance Festival.

The festival was timed to the 70th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights which coincided with 10th anniversary of Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan.

The 2nd IMAGINE Euro Tolerance Festival was held with the participation of the embassies of the EU member states accredited in Azerbaijan, as well as the Embassies of Switzerland, Norway, Brazil, Costa Rica, Israel, Peru, Moldova, Mexico, the U.S., and Argentina in Azerbaijan.

Notably, the first IMAGINE Euro Tolerance Festival was held in Baku last October.

A number of well-known film directors, musicians and other artists and performers took part at the festival.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.az, Trend.az, Day.az, Milli.az.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

Shavarsh Kocharyan, a geneticist, mathematician, engineer, who is at the same time Armenias deputy foreign minister, made a discovery in the Armenian Parliament that could turn the world of genetics and biology upside down: Armenia cannot negotiate on behalf of Nagorno-Karabakh.

So, lets get acquainted with the speech of this politician, for whom it is high time to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine.

I am surprised at the excitement [around the issue], he said. It is obvious that it is impossible to achieve any progress without participation of the main party of the conflict [did he really mean Nagorno-Karabakh?]. The non-participation of Nagorno-Karabakh is due to the resistance of Azerbaijan. On the other hand, the [OSCE Minsk Group] co-chairs are well aware that Armenia cannot negotiate on behalf of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Shavarsh Kocharyan was sharing with reporters a revelation that apparently visited him in a dream, saying the three countries should work together for a peaceful resolution.

Is there anything surprising in this? Indeed there is! Kocharyans statement is truly a sensation, as it calls into question the essence of the negotiation process of the last two decades.

God knows what section of biology Kocharyan was thinking of when talking with reporters, but he should have read at least three times what he said.

The first question: If Armenia cannot negotiate on behalf of Nagorno-Karabakh, then excuse me, what the hell it has been trying to do over the past years? Why there are statements about Nagorno-Karabakh from various Armenian politicians and functionaries? Kocharyan, apparently, either decided to pretend to be a fool or he makes a fool of readers and listeners.

Absolutely everything that happens in the Nagorno-Karabakh region is controlled directly from Armenia. The Nagorno-Karabakh region has no statehood. There are no internationally recognized political institutions. It does not even have its own phone code. And, please, do not try to draw a parallel between Armenia and Kazakhstan or Canada. They are not the same. Conscripts from Armenia serve and die in the Nagorno-Karabakh region; weapons appear in the region because Armenia buys them from Russia; international communication is realized via Armenia; the interests of the separatist regime are expressed by the politicians from Armenia. But Kocharyan suddenly begins to speak openly and understands that Yerevan cannot speak on behalf of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Well, in fact the politician-geneticist is right. Armenia cannot and should not speak on behalf of Nagorno-Karabakh, because Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijans territory and it was a political entity within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. But that was necessary to talk and think about in 1988, when politicians in Yerevan promoted the idea of miatsum (Armenian anschluss).

The second question: Which three countries are meant by Kocharyan? Azerbaijan, Armenia and ? Is it really Nagorno-Karabakh? But wait a minute. Mr. Geneticist was apparently not reminded that Nagorno-Karabakh is not recognized by any country in the world. After all, even Armenia itself has not recognized the "independence" of Nagorno-Karabakh! I find it strange when a person with a mathematical education makes an official statement, calling as a country a region, which hasnt been recognized as a country by anyone. However, Armenian politicians are suffering for years from this delusion.

The third question: If Armenia cannot speak at the talks on behalf of Nagorno-Karabakh, why did it take part in the development of political decisions on the conflict, which, incidentally, led to the resignation of the government in 1997-1998? For 20 years, Armenia has been making political decisions on Karabakh. And how come this has happened if Nagorno-Karabakh is a truly independent political entity?

It is evident that the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh is nothing but an attempt to separate the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict from the image of Armenia. They say that Armenia is not involved in the conflict, and it is not Yerevan that has committed acts of aggression against Azerbaijan.

On the other hand, even if we assume that Armenian politicians are sincere in their desire to see representatives of the separatist regime at the negotiating table, it is not clear why they believe that only Armenians should and can speak on behalf of Nagorno-Karabakh. What about the millions of Azerbaijanis expelled from their own lands?

Why did Yerevan think that Nagorno-Karabakh should be purely an Armenian political entity?

After all, the current population of Nagorno-Karabakh is ordinary Armenians, who are not a separate people who can claim for a right to self-determination. If Armenian politicians think the notion of the nation is identical with the concept of the population, then why does not the people of Karabakh include Azerbaijanis living there?

Answers to all these questions can be found in the trivial truth that "independence" of Nagorno-Karabakh is a secondary factor in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The war was staged by Armenian politicians, whose true motive from the very beginning was to annex the Karabakh territory to Armenia. They still wish this. However, the political situation has changed: what was shouted at the Yerevan rallies in 1988 is not voiced at international arena, as Armenia will not be understood. That is why, tricky genetics, mathematics engineers and other specialists decide to come up with a convenient formulation  struggle for independence.

All these formulations are extremely convenient to feed internal audience. However, as British political analyst Thomas de Waal noted in his article, Armenias Revolution and the Karabakh Conflict, a moribund peace process is in need of reinvigorating. But Armenias new leaders need to be careful how they use the legitimacy they have won from the street. The Karabakh negotiating process is a delicate structure. Its collapse would point only one way, toward new conflict.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent a congratulatory letter to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

"Dear Mr. President. Dear Brother, I extend my most sincere congratulations to Your Excellency and to all the people of Azerbaijan on your national holiday - the Republic Day," reads the congratulatory message.

Erdogan emphasized that brotherly Azerbaijan's great achievements in all areas and prestigious position it gained on the international arena is a source of pride for Turkey.

"We are extremely happy to see your country as one of the leading states in the region in 2018 - a year of particular importance thanks to celebration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. We are convinced that Azerbaijan will continue to build on these achievements thanks to your far-seeing leadership," reads the congratulatory message.

"I would like to emphasize once again that we are resolute in strengthening our relations, which have reached a strategic level in a short period of time and become example to the world both in terms of the spirit of solidarity among us, and in terms of our concrete cooperation," Erdogan said.

"Taking this opportunity, I once again express my sincere wishes of good health and happiness to Your Excellency, peace and prosperity to the friendly and brotherly Azerbaijani people," reads the congratulatory message.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Kamila Aliyeva

Uzbekistan intends to receive new trade preferences from the European Union (EU).

These issues were discussed at the talks between Foreign Trade Minister Jamshid Khodjaev and the working group of the Council of the European Union on Eastern Europe and Central Asia in Tashkent on May 23.

The purpose of their visit is to familiarize with the political and socio-economic reforms in Uzbekistan, as well as discuss the prospects for expanding cooperation between Uzbekistan and the European Union in the trade and economic sphere.

One of the steps to improve the terms of trade with the EU may be to obtain unilateral tariff preferences in the framework of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP+) by Uzbekistan. Currently, the republic enjoys the basic Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), according to which the country can export 3,000 commodity items without customs duties and 3,200 commodity positions at reduced rates to the EU, Khodzhaev noted.

In case of being granted tariff preferences within the framework of GSP+, Uzbekistan will get duty-free access to more than 6,200 commodity items, according to the minister. He also added that Uzbekistan is interested in promoting the practical implementation of the agreement on the bilateral trade in textile products by the EU countries.

Currently, despite the fact that it will soon be year since the entry into force of the Protocol on Amendments to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, the customs services of the EU member states continue to create difficulties in the supply of Uzbek textile products. In this connection, the Uzbek side asked to consider the possibility of rendering assistance in bringing the provisions of the Textile Protocol to the employees of customs services and governments of the EU member states.

A well-coordinated logistics system is also one of the important factors in the development of trade relations, Khodzhaev believes. To improve it, he urged EU representatives to step up work on the direction of the development of the TRACECA transport corridor and eliminate its technological shortcomings.

Today, the European Union is one of the most important trade and economic partners of Uzbekistan. As a result of 2017, trade with the EU countries amounted to $2.5 billion, of which $420.7 million fell for export.

---

Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has announced six conditions for Iran to remain in the nuclear deal which must be met by the Europe.

He announced the conditions in a meeting with the government authorities and officials in Tehran, the official website of the leader reported.

Khamenei reminded that after the signing of the nuclear deal in 2015, Germany, France and the UK remained silent towards violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA or nuclear deal) by the US during the last two years.

The US has rejected the Resolution 2231 of the UN Security Council (endorses JCPOA, set out an inspection process and schedule while also preparing for removal of UN sanctions against Iran), he said, adding that the three European countries need to issue a resolution in the UN Security Council against the USs violation.

Europe must promise not to raise the issues of missiles and regional affairs of the Islamic Republic, Khamenei said.

He further said that Europe must counter any sanction against the Islamic Republic and explicitly stand to the USs sanctions.

Khamenei went on to say that Europe must also compensate for Iran's probable loss of oil revenues.

If the US can damage the sale of our oil, we must be able to sell as much oil as we want. Europeans must guarantee that they compensate for the loss, and that they buy Irans oil, Khamenei said.

As the next condition, Khamenei said that European banks must guarantee transactions with the Islamic Republic.

We have no conflicts with regard to these three countries (UK, France and Germany), but we do not trust them, based on previous experience, 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 US re-imposes the "highest level of economic sanctions" on the Islamic Republic.

Following the US decision, Khamenei said that "It is not logical to continue the implementation of the JCPOA without receiving enough guarantees from three European countries, the UK, France, and Germany."

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Kamila Aliyeva

Kazakhstans transportation sphere continues to show positive growth dynamics.

The index of physical volume in 2017 increased by 4.8 percent, Kazakh Minister for Investment and Development Zhenis Kassymbek said during the meeting with the people of the country.

The income from transport activities grew by 7.7 percent, amounting to 2.4 trillion tenge ($ 7.34 billion), according to the official. The volume of cargo transportation by all types of transport grew by 5.1 percent, reaching 3.9 billion tons.

The international transit corridor Western Europe - Western China has proved its effectiveness. The average annual economic effect is over 190 billion tenge ($ 580 million), while the volume of cargo transportation (33 million tons) and transit (900,000 tons) was increased by 2.5 times, the journey time was halved, the number of road- traffic accidents reduced by 27 percent, including deaths by 35 percent, the head of the ministry noted.

According to the ministrys data, 277 road service facilities operate along the transport corridor, of which 55 have been created in recent years (Zhambyl - 6 units, South Kazakhstan - 7, Kyzylorda - 21, Aktobe - 21), which provide services to road users, and also gave impetus to the development of small and medium-sized businesses.

In general, transit by road transport in 2017 showed a record volume of cargo - 2.1 million tons - for the past 5 years (an increase of 50 percent compared with 2016).

The volume of cargo transportation by road, rail and water transport increased by 129 million tons and amounted to 3.576 billion tons last year. At the same time, motor transport accounts for 3.3 billion tons of cargo, railroad transport - 272.1 million tons, and water transport - 4.2 million tons.

There is also an increase in transit traffic by 20 percent or 3.7 million tons. The total volume of transit was 18.1 million tons, including 2.1 million tons of road transport, 16 million tons of rail transport, and less than a ton of water transport.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Kamila Aliyeva

The implementation of the regional CASA-1000 project can bring Tajikistan an annual income of more than $ 150 million.

In addition, the republic will receive income from the transit of Kyrgyz electricity through its territory, Tajik media outlets reported. Under the agreements reached on the CASA-1000 project, the export price of electricity will be 9.35 cents per kWh.

Within the framework of the project, Tajikistan will export 70 percent of electricity to Pakistan, and 30 percent to Kyrgyzstan. The project will provide transit of up to 5 billion kWh of electricity from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Pakistan. The share of Tajik electricity exports will amount to 3 billion kWh of electricity.

Given the current energy capacity, Tajikistan is in a position to export more than this amount in summer, if the need of consumers increases, according to the country's Energy Ministry.

This project is extremely necessary and important for Tajikistan, it will connect our energy system with other countries and will allow us to export summer surplus of electricity, which annually makes up 5 billion kWh, the ministry said.

To implement the project on the territory of the republic, it is required to build a 500 kW power line from the Datka substation to Khujand, a converter substation with a capacity of 1,300 mW in Sangtuda, a high-voltage direct current line from Sangtuda to Kabul and Peshawar.

CASA-1000 is an interregional electricity transmission project in Central and South Asia to connect four countries - Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. It is presupposed that the project will create opportunities for the export of electricity surplus in summer period from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan through Afghanistan.

Implementation of this project will result in peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region. This project will bring prosperity to the nations of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The regional CASA-1000 project will not only have economic benefits for Afghanistan and Pakistan, but it will also have a positive impact on the security situation and political stability in these countries.

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have the worlds most abundant clean hydropower resources. Both countries have the surplus of electricity during the summer due to water cascading from the mountain ranges, while Afghanistan and Pakistan face chronic electricity shortages and cannot keep pace with demand for it.

The project initially also included transfer of electricity to Afghanistan, however the country abandoned its share of electricity due to dearth of demand, hence Pakistan will receive 1,300 megawatts of electricity.

Groundbreaking for the project took place on May 12, 2016 in Tajikistan in a ceremony attended by the Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Pakistani Prime Ministers. The total cost of CASA-1000 regional project is estimated at $1.2 billion and is expected to be completed by 2020. The project's expenses are distributed as follows: Tajikistan - $ 314 million, Kyrgyzstan - $ 209 million, Afghanistan - $ 354 million and Pakistan - $ 209 million.

Such international financial institution as the World Bank (WB), the European Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), as well as the UK government and others act as investors in the project.

In particular, for the implementation of the Tajik section of the project, the World Bank will allocate $45 million the IDB - $70 million, and the EBRD - $110 million.

Economy analysts are not very hopeful about the implementation of the project due to lack of cooperation between the countries involved. The experts note the insecurity in Afghanistan as another hurdle for the electricity transmission project.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Trend

Iran's Deputy Transport Minister Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan said the country would take delivery of European turboprop aircraft in less than three months.



Several ATR 72-600 planes will be delivered to Iran over the next three months, Fakhrieh Kashan told ILNA news agency on May 21.



The aircraft will be part of 20 ATR 72-600s deal which flag carrier Iran Air signed in 2017 as part of the countrys bid to rebuild its aviation fleet after years of sanctions.



Iran took delivery of the first four ATR aircraft in May 2017 and two more in September, the same year.



The 70-seat planes are aimed at underserved local economies, used in flights over a maximum distance of 1,528 kilometers. They will be operating among regional cities as part of a commercial plan, covering a populous crescent straddling Irans northwest and northeast.



Elsewhere in the interview, the Iranian deputy minister said Tehran has entered fresh round of talks with Airbus to determine the fate of its contract with Iran.



In December 2016, France-based Airbus Group signed a deal to sell Iran 100 jetliners worth about $19 billion at list prices. It has delivered three planes so far.



However, Airbus may backtrack on its promise to deliver the rest of the planes following US President Donald Trumps decision to leave the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.



In a speech from the White House on May 8, Trump announced the US withdrawal from the 2015 agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).



The US plans to reinstate sanctions against Tehran, with firms given 90-day or 180-day grace periods, depending on their business sector.

---By Sara Israfilbayova

Azerbaijan has become a popular tourist destination for visitors from all over the world in recent years.

With iconic landmarks such as the Flame Tower, as well as Maiden Tower and Shirvanshah Palace, included in the UNESCOs world heritage list, it is obvious why tourists flock to this beautiful land.

During January-April of this year, 847,600 foreigners and stateless persons arrived in Azerbaijan from 182 countries, which is 13.4 percent more compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.

In January-April of this year, the growth of people visiting Azerbaijan from the Persian Gulf countries (except for Iran) was observed most. Compared with January-April last year, the number of Kuwaiti nationals who arrived in the country increased by 6.4 times, citizens of Bahrain - by 2.6 times, citizens of Qatar - by half, citizens of Saudi Arabia by 2.2 times, citizens of Oman - by 1.6 times, citizens of Iraq - 1.6 times, citizens of the United Arab Emirates - by 1.2 times. The number of arrivals from Iran decreased by 5.4 percent.

During this period of this year, the number of arrivals from EU member states increased by 12.4 percent and amounted to 32,000 people, the number of arrivals from CIS countries increased by 9.4 percent and amounted to 284,900 people.

As many as 60.6 percent of foreigners and stateless persons arrived in the country by rail and car, 38.6 percent by air, 0.8 percent by sea.

A total of 28.3 percent of the arrivals are Russian citizens, 21.9 percent are citizens of Georgia, 13.4 percent are citizens of Iran, 11.3 percent are Turkish citizens, 4.6 percent are citizens of the United Arab Emirates, two percent are citizens of Ukraine, 1.9 percent - citizens of Iraq, 16.5 percent - citizens of other countries.

About 66.8 percent of those who arrived in Azerbaijan are men, 33.2 percent are women.

In 2017, about 2.690 million tourists visited Azerbaijan, which is 20 percent more than the indicator of 2016.

Mostly Azerbaijan was visited by tourists from Russia - 853,082 people (31.6 percent of the total amount of tourists). The second and third lines of attendance are occupied by citizens of Georgia  537,000 (19.9 percent) and Iran  362,000 people (13.4 percent).

Turkey is on the fourth line with 301,000 tourists (11.2 percent), the first five is closed by tourists from the UAE  102,000 people (3.8 percent).

In 2017 there was an increase in the tourist flow from Saudi Arabia (4.5 times), Oman (7.4 times), the United Arab Emirates (1.9 times), Iran (1.4 times), India (2,3 times).

Tourism in Azerbaijan is developing rapidly, and to support the flow of foreign visitors, comprehensive activities are carried out.

Azerbaijan is engaged in the efforts to diversify the non-oil economy, and tourism industry is one of the promising sectors to contribute to the achievement of this ambitious goal.

Thanks to all these, the country has improved its tourism performance in the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017 released by experts of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The country is placed 71st among the most improved economies in 2017, rising 13 spots in the global ranking.

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Sara Israfilbayova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Sara_999Is

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzMore than a year after he was suspended and reinstated by Port Arthur Police Chief Patrick Melvin following an internal investigation, Deputy Chief John Owens was named acting chief this week, replacing Melvin, who resigned.

The council voted unanimously to confirm Owens' appointment Tuesday. They met in closed session to discuss "responsibilities and employment of the city of Port Arthur's Police Chief," and "pending litigation and negotiations with the Port Arthur Police Association."

Owens, 63, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Melvin resigned Friday after less than two years on the job. Mayor Derrick Freeman said Friday that City Council would vote on accepting his resignation Tuesday.

"We are very pleased with this amicable outcome," said Cory Crenshaw, Melvin's attorney, in a statement after the meeting. "I want to thank Patrick Melvin for his service to our community as Chief of Police during some difficult times. I know many join me in this appreciation and we wish him our very best in future endeavors."

Crenshaw also represented former city manager Brian McDougal, who resigned in November after City Council raised unspecified concerns about his work.

Freeman and interim city manager Harvey Robinson did not respond to request for comment on Melvin's departure or Owens' appointment.

Owens was reinstated as Deputy Chief of Criminal Investigations on May 15.

He was put on administrative leave in February 2017, along with four other officers "pending the results of an administrative investigation." The investigation was related to allegations of ethical and criminal violations. He was reinstated and reassigned to shift commander in the Field Operations division in March 2017 and returned to his former position last week.

Melvin was hired by the Port Arthur City Council in September 2016. He spent 21 years with the Phoenix Police Department before leaving in 2006. He resigned from the Salt River, Arizona Police Department in early 2016 after being put on administrative leave.

City council member Harold Doucet said Wednesday that Melvin's resignation is "in the best interest" of the city. He said the department "needs a change" and pointed to the number of grievances and lawsuits filed against Melvin since he was hired.

"That's a trend that continued to this day," he said, and the union "has not gotten more confident in him."

In November, the Port Arthur Police Association, a local affiliate of a statewide police union, overwhelmingly passed a vote of no confidence in Melvin and said in a statement the department had a "significant void in leadership."

"For change, look at the top," Doucet said. "I don't necessarily blame him. But hopefully we can get to a point where the majority are confident." He said Robinson told the council that he expects to name a new police chief in 30 to 60 days.

LTeitz@BeaumontEnterprise.com

Twitter.com/LizTeitzA judge ruled in favor of Annapolis, Md.-based Anne Arundel Medical Center's bid to develop a cardiac surgery center, the Capital Gazette reports.

Here are five notes.

1. The judge ruled against two other hospitals' appeals of a state panel's decision May 22.

2. Glen Burnie, Md.-based Baltimore Washington Medical Center and Cheverly-based University of Maryland Capital Region Health can appeal the judge's decision within 30 days.

3. Community hospitals AAMC and BWMC both requested a certificate of need to start open-heart cardiac surgery centers more than two years ago. The Maryland Health Care Commission approved Anne Arundel Medical Center's request but denied BWMC's request.

4. In April 2017, BWMC and Cheverly-based Dimensions Healthcare System  which has since become University of Maryland Capital Region Health  petitioned for the state's decision to be reviewed.

5. County Executive Steve Schuh asked BWMC to withdraw its challenge. In a letter to Baltimore Washington CEO Karen Olscamp, he said the challenge "threatened to undermine Anne Arundel County's chances of establishing a much-needed cardiac care program."The two individuals who scammed Johnson City, Tenn.-based Mountain Empire Surgery Center for six years were sentenced to prison and ordered to pay $1.38 million in restitution to the surgery center, according to the Times News.

Here are five things to know.

1. Two men  Donald Collins and Charles Turner  scammed Mountain Empire Surgery Center by running a fake company that submitted false invoices and purchase orders to the center. The ASC paid both men around $1.4 million for items it never received.

2. Mr. Collins was an employee of Mountain Empire Surgery Center, starting as a supply clerk in 2000 and becoming the materials manager three years later. He and Mr. Turner created purchase orders, invoices and packing slips to record medical supply and equipment receipts from the company they created, Turner Distributors.

3. The ASC's management company issued checks for the equipment, which Mr. Collins and Mr. Turner deposited in an account attributed to Turner Distributors.

4. Mr. Turner received a six-month sentence in prison for his role, reduced for assisting in the case and cooperating with the investigation. Mr. Collins was sentenced to 51 months in prison, and both will pay the ASC $1.38 million in restitution.

5. Mountain Empire Surgery Center is a four-operating room ASC focused on orthopedics, pain management and ENT.Here are three practices with gastroenterology services making news.

Washington, D.C.-based Capital Digestive Care purchased a 100,000-square-foot medical complex in Rockville, Md., that it plans to move into in 2019.

New Britain-based The Hospital of Central Connecticut is attempting to purchase a $2.3 million stake in Central Connecticut Endoscopy Center in Plainville.

Freeport, Ill.-based FHN Memorial Hospital added gastroenterologist Timothy Laurie, DO, to its staff.After the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision May 21 in a case brought by Epic that ruled arbitration agreements can legally bar employees from pursuing class action lawsuits, a different class action lawsuit against Epic regarding overtime wage disputes could be in jeopardy, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

The Supreme Court case, argued in October, concerned Epic's technical writers, who claimed Epic owed them pay for overtime work. The Court determined the individual arbitration agreement the employees signed was legal under federal and state law and employees could not band together to dispute wages.

Quality assurance workers at Epic brought a seperate class-action lawsuit against the company in December 2016, claiming they were illegally denied overtime pay, but that case was put on hold while the Court argued the case involving Epic's technical writers. Epic moved to dismiss the quality assurance employees' case.

A day after the Court sided 5-4 with Epic, U.S. District Judge William Conley noted the ruling and lifted the hold on the lawsuit brought by the quality assurance workers. He gave the worker's lawyers, who also represented the technical writers, until June 12 to submit reasons the case shouldn't be dismissed.

If the quality assurance workers continue to oppose arbitration in their response, Epic would have two weeks to respond.

More articles on EHRs:

'Epic is a better system'  Epic responds to Cerner's protest of U of Illinois' $62M EHR contract

The 24 recipes featured on Epic's website

Meditech posts 4% rise in revenue for Q1 2018: 4 things to know

Duluth, Minn.-based St. Luke's Health Care recorded net income of $6.6 million in the three months ended March 31, turning around a $98,000 deficit recorded in the same period a year prior.

The two-hospital nonprofit system attributed the change to a year-over-year 13 percent increase in net patient service revenues, according to recent bondholder documents. St. Luke's Health Care saw admissions increase 14.4 percent during the three-month period when compared to the same period a year prior. The system ended the quarter with $125.4 million in total revenue, up 13.9 percent from the same period in 2017.



The system also saw operating expenses climb 9.5 percent to $121.3 million in the three-month period when compared to the same period last year. St. Luke's said labor costs and supplies reflected nearly the entire increase in expenses.



More articles on healthcare finance:

100 great hospitals in America | 2018

Nurse accused of stealing more than $550k from New York hospital

Tenet hospital's Medicare contract in jeopardy over patient safety issuesScott Kohan was taken by ambulance to an emergency room in Austin, Texas, in late January with his jaw broken in two places due to a violent attack. When he woke up the next morning, a nurse explained he needed jaw surgery that night. After confirming the hospital was in his insurance network, he decided to go through with the surgery. However, he still ended up with a $7,924.13 bill, according to Vox.

"A week later, I was obsessively checking the Humana website," Mr. Kohan told Vox. "I saw that everything came up in network except a bill for surgery that it says was rejected."

When Mr. Kohan contacted his insurance plan, he was told the physician likely coded the visit incorrectly and the claim would be resubmitted. When the physician resubmitted the claim, he increased the price of the surgery by more than $2,000. Mr. Kohan's health plan once again denied the claim, according to Vox.

Mr. Kohan was stuck with the bill because although the emergency room was in his insurance network, the oral surgeon who performed the procedure on his jaw was out of network.

In April, the physician's office began billing Mr. Kohan directly, requesting he pay the bill in full.

Vox contacted the physician and spoke to the office manager, who said the physician does not participate in any insurance networks. This isn't uncommon in Texas. According to data from the Center for Public Policy Priorities, an Austin-based think tank, a significant number of emergency rooms in Texas have zero in-network emergency physicians. Although the number varies among payers, CPPS estimates, for example, that 63 percent of Texas hospitals have zero in-network ER physicians for Humana patients, according to Vox.

The day after Vox spoke with the physician office manager, the office contacted Mr. Kohan to inform him the $7,924.13 charge was being dropped.

Mr. Kohan's bill is one of 1,300 submitted to Vox's ER database project.

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10 hospitals seeking CFOsElliot Management made an unsolicited bid for athenahealth in early May worth almost $7 billion. Athenahealth has yet to release its decision on the bid, although the company has confirmed it is reviewing the proposal.

Here are five updates on the proposed deal.

1. Elliott Management issued a bid for athenahealth May 7 at $160 per share in a deal that could be worth roughly $7 billion, including debt. In its proposal to acquire athenahealth, Elliott Management wrote that "despite all of [athenahealth's] promise" the company "has not worked for many years."

2. Athenahealth released a statement the same day, characterizing the bid as an "unsolicited acquisition proposal" and stating its board of directors would "carefully review the proposal to determine the course of action that it believes is in the best interest of the company and athenahealth shareholders."

3. In a May 14 letter to athenahealth's board of directors, Elliott Management expressed concern that neither athenahealth nor the company's advisers had reached out to the firm, despite Elliott Management sending the company multiple messages offering to address any questions about its proposal.

4. Elliott Management penned a letter May 24 confirming athenahealth's advisers had reached out after the firm's May 14 letter, and noted the company's board is reportedly discussing the proposal. The firm suggested athenahealth authorize its advisers to initiate a sale process for the company, during which Elliott Management would participate as a bidder.

5. In response to Elliott Management's May 24 letter, athenahealth released a statement confirming its board is undertaking a "thorough and deliberate analysis of Elliott Management's proposal." Athenahealth added the company will "continue to take the time necessary to complete this review notwithstanding Elliott Management's attempts to publicly pressure the board and management team."Here are 11 recent news updates on health IT companies.

1. Allscripts closed on its acquisition of mobile patient engagement company HealthGrid Holding Co., the EHR vendor confirmed May 21.

2. Janus Henderson Group met with athenahealth's board of directors to argue that initiating a "formal sale process" is in the "best interest of the [company's] shareholders," the asset management group disclosed in a recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

3. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs finalized its contract with Cerner May 17, and will award the EHR vendor $10 billion over the next 10 years.

4. During a recent shareholders meeting, Cerner President Zane Burke suggested recent media reports disparaging its work for the U.S. Department of Defense may have involved "one of our competitors."

5. DrChrono rolled out discounted pricing and free data importing services to current Practice Fusion customers, the health IT solutions provider announced May 21.

6. In a 5-4 decision led by the conservative justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, Epic came out victorious in a case involving individual employee arbitration decided May 21.

7. Epic denied the main allegation made in Cerner's protest of Chicago-based University of Illinois Health's EHR contracting process, which awarded Epic a $62 million deal in late 2017.

8. Meditech filed its earnings results for the first quarter of 2018 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission April 30, posting $122.37 million in revenue.

9. Larry O'Toole, an associate vice president at Meditech, joined the CommonWell Health Alliance's board of directors, Meditech confirmed May 21.

10. Audit, tax and advisory services firm KPMG developed a solution to enable clients to move finance, human resources and supply chain functions to Oracle Cloud, KPMG announced May 14.

11. The American Heart Association, Philips and Pittsburgh-based UPMC unveiled a $30 million venture capital fund to encourage developments in cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment May 17.The American Heart Association, Philips and Pittsburgh-based UPMC unveiled Cardeation Capital, a $30 million venture capital fund to encourage developments in cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment, May 17.

Cardeation Capital will invest in emerging healthcare technology companies working in the cardiovascular space. Its mission is to spur developments in diagnostics, treatments and care for heart disease and stroke and their risk factors, such as diabetes.

The three organizations each committed $10 million to the fund. Aphelion Capital, a healthcare and medical technology venture capital firm, will manage Cardeation Capital.

"We expect that Cardeation Capital, working closely with our world-renowned clinicians at UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute, will play a critical role in this strategy for the benefit of our patients," C. Tal Heppenstall, executive vice president of UPMC and president of UPMC Enterprises, said in a May 17 statement.In this special Speaker Series, Becker's Healthcare caught up with Deborah Chasco, DNP, director of nursing informatics at the University Medical Center of El Paso (Texas).

Dr. Chasco will speak on a panel during the Becker's Hospital Review 4th Annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference on "The Return on Investment in Data Analytics and Health IT" at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 20. Learn more about the event and register to attend in Chicago.

Question: Can you share your best advice for motivating your teams?

Dr. Deborah Chasco: In three simple words, the most important thing in motivating my team is: communicate, communicate, communicate. Communication is essential to motivating teams to be creative, innovative and transparent. Rounding with teams and listening can go a long way in

improving processes. It also gives leaders the ability to remove any obstacles that hinder moving

teams forward and allow [them to equip] teams [with] all resources needed to move the

organization forward. Communication gives leaders the opportunity to share the vision of the

organization and the department. It allows for active interaction. I call this "Intentional

Motivational Team Time," or IMTT. This time is not only for team members but also for me, as a

leader. IMTT is a great time to award and thank members for their input. It facilitates

successful implementation strategies that include active team participation. Communicating the

importance of flexibility, addressing issues or concerns with team input, and recognizing team

members leads to engagement and active participation. Letting the team know that we can

accomplish what we set out to do as a team is important. Being transparent and honest in team

communication builds trust.



Q: How does your organization gain physician buy-in when it is implementing a new technology or solution?



DC: UMC El Paso engages physician input from the start  of implementing new technology. It is important to include physician champions from the planning to implementation phases to [consider] physician workflows. Keeping providers in the know is essential to the success of any process. UMC El Paso just implemented a new technology and process change. Physicians were included from every department with physician champions leading teams. Nursing informatics and IT were part of the initiative. Physicians were included from the [request for proposal] to the build and go-live. Physicians are part of our testing and re-testing process. Nursing informatics also meets with providers for education and re-education of physicians. Flexibility is important due to everyone's time constraints. Nursing informatics is flexible and provides education and re-education in multiple platforms. We have been extremely successful with this process. We had a very smooth transition with a decrease in use of dictation by 50 percent during the first month of implementing the new technology. When the "why" of the implementation solution or new technology echoes throughout the planning phases, the results are positive.



Q: What is the biggest barrier to price transparency in the healthcare industry?

DC: If we do not become transparent with pricing, U.S. hospitals will be losing healthcare customers to retail clinics, standalone surgical centers and walk-up medical facilities. To keep up with the competition, we must make prices more transparent and accessible to the public. In addition, prices must also be defensible. What is the biggest barrier to price opacity in healthcare? It is a combination of a complex healthcare system where talking about price transparency is not done often enough. Physicians, insurance companies and U.S. hospitals need to meet and talk about pricing to meet individual healthcare needs in the U.S. Hospitals are complex and may not provide services with like pricing. We must educate the public about how pricing is variable across physicians, specialties and location throughout the U.S. There are many great things about [price transparency] in the healthcare industry, [which] include driving costs down as well as giving consumers options on healthcare services. The challenge I see is in addressing social determinants of health and improving access to care through interoperable data, analytics and reporting capabilities to support clinical integration, transparency, new payment models and continuous innovation to integrate care. We must address patient needs seamlessly while making the cost and quality of care transparent for making better decisions at the point of care. Improving access to care must encompass [better] screening and prevention while [still maintaining high-quality] standards of care, and the individual experience [should involve] controlling costs and making healthcare costs transparent. Leaders must reach out to the community and improve interoperability in healthcare to encompass population health while providing quality patient care to every patient, every encounter, every day.In this special Speaker Series, Becker's Healthcare caught up with Arnese Stern, administrative services director at a large, multi-state healthcare organization.

Ms. Stern will speak during the Becker's Hospital Review 4th Annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference on "America's Healthcare: No Cookie-Cutter Solutions" at 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 19. Learn more about the event and register to attend in Chicago.

Question: Can you share your best advice for motivating your teams?



Arnese Stern: Because my employer has several potent political forces  unions  it is critical to engage and motivate the union to ensure contractual alignment and support. The union can make or break the perception, compliance and motivation of teams. It is also helpful to have mutual respect. This healthy relationship allows the unions and leadership to work collaboratively to develop structured best practice rollouts [and] cutting-edge innovations, [as well as establish] motivators connected to milestone achievements.



Q: In the past 12 months, how have you adapted to new patient experience expectations in the age of consumerism?



AS: The website, Healthcareconsumer.info, was founded in 2017 to inform, engage and empower America's healthcare consumers. This platform provides informational topics on healthcare reform, patient advisory boards and patient experience best practices, to name a few. Physicians and medical experts respond to questions that the nation's consumers ask. And, the patients and consumers provide testaments of how they were empowered to apply those [teachings] and impact their healthcare experience and/or their efforts at reforming America's healthcare.



Q: What do you see as the most vulnerable part of a hospitals business?

AS: In my opinion, the most vulnerable part of hospitals business is the lack of homecare proactive technological innovations. For example, a sudden death vulnerability database to assess residential patient need for medical alarm or alert systems that are diagnosis specific [would be valuable]. Or, an advanced system with the ability to detect more than if the patient has fallen at home, or one designed to detect substantial health changes for the elderly, diabetic, seizure, and shunt dialysis patients that live alone and may be unable to get to the phone to dial 911 quickly [would also be useful]. This homecare safety device needs to detect status changes and notify identified clinicians. The need for this detector should be assessed at office visits and at hospital discharge similar to how abuse and suicide prevention patients are evaluated. These patients have a tremendous impact on death rates post admission and death within 30 days of discharge.In this special Speaker Series, Becker's Healthcare caught up with Helen Figge, PharmD, adjunct professor of global healthcare management at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and the chief communications and public relations officer of CareFully, a company she co-founded.

Ms. Figge will moderate two panels during the Becker's Hospital Review 4th Annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: "The Opioid Epidemic - Key Issues 2018" at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 19, and "Improving Patient and Family Satisfaction Through Revenue Cycle Process Improvements" at 9:45 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 20. Learn more about the event and register to attend in Chicago.

Question: Can you share your best advice for motivating your teams?



Dr. Helen Figge: [My] best advice for motivating teams is to listen to everyone's opinion before making a decision. Often times, those least likely to speak up have the best practical ideas yet might not have the confidence to share them. Also, never worry about the titles of those that you are soliciting opinions from to make solid decisions for the betterment of all. Titles are only one part of a person's efforts in their careers  it is often the work experiences of a person that weigh heavy in great decision-

making steps.

Q: Describe your biggest failure. What did you learn from it?



HF: My biggest failure was not speaking up despite knowing my thoughts were necessary to be heard and acted upon. The pressure to do nothing in a situation gives the chance for others to speak first and put a position out there that then puts you in a place to defend or refute a thought. I learned from that point on [that] speaking up regardless of personal or professional consequences is the most ethical and right thing to do for the betterment of all involved.

Q: What is the No. 1 thing you wish you knew before taking a leadership post

at your organization?



HF: I wish I understood the personalities a bit more to learn how [the individuals at my organization] think, [because] actions speak louder than words. I think you need to hear what is said and pay attention to what is done before acting upon any necessary next steps in [guiding]

leadership efforts for an organization.State and community leaders are asking Providence, R.I.-based Care New England to consider an offer to purchase the shuttered Pawtucket, R.I.-based Memorial Hospital, according to WPRI.com.

Here are three things to know:

1. The mayors of several counties and Democratic state Sen. Elizabeth Crowley sent a letter to Care New England encouraging the health system to sell the hospital to interested parties who will "utilize [the facility] to the best of its potential," the report states.

2. At least one organization that has shown interest in buying and reopening the hospital is Providence, R.I.-based CharterCare Health Partners, part of Los Angeles-based Prospect Medical Holdings. CharterCare submitted a bid to purchase the hospital in April.

3. However, a CNE spokesperson told Becker's Hospital Review last month CharterCare's announcement came as a surprise, and called the proposal "an ill-conceived plan with no true thought for serving the community need."

"[The] announcement by Prospect Health/CharterCare certainly comes as a surprise as there has been no previous discussion or formal proposal submitted to Care New England," the spokesperson said at the time. "Any plan to reopen the closed facility  is simply unfeasible especially since we previously had conversations with CharterCare about buying Memorial, and those proved fruitless."From a nurse awarded $28 million in a retaliation lawsuit against a Boston hospital to a former pharmaceutical company executive found guilty in a kickback scheme, here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits making headlines.

1. Nurse awarded $28M in retaliation suit against Brigham and Women's Hospital

A jury awarded a Haitian-American nurse $28 million May 23 in a lawsuit against Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital alleging discrimination and retaliation.

2. Former Anthem fraud investigator charged in $20M billing scheme

A former senior investigator for Anthem and a physician were among five people arrested May 22 for their alleged role in a multiyear billing scheme involving at least eight payers.

3. Ex-Valeant, Philidor execs found guilty in kickback scheme: 6 things to know

Gary Tanner, a former executive at Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, and Andrew Davenport, former head of the now-defunct mail-order pharmacy Philidor Rx Services, were found guilty of participating in a secret kickback scheme May 22.

4. Nurse accused of stealing more than $550k from New York hospital

A nurse in New York City faces felony charges for allegedly stealing more than $550,000 from Interfaith Medical Center, a nonprofit hospital in Brooklyn, and defrauding Medicaid of more than $30,000.

5. Prime Healthcare Services unlawfully stopped nurses' anniversary raises, court rules

A federal appeals court ruled that Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare Services violated the National Labor Relations Act when it canceled anniversary raises for unionized nurses.

6. Physician indicted in illegal opioid distribution case, faces up to 390 years in prison

A 20-count indictment returned May 21 charges Manuel Barit, MD, a Mullens (W.Va.) Family Clinic physician, with unlawful distribution of prescription opioids and healthcare fraud.

7. Man accused of impersonating nurse, responding to emergencies at UPMC hospital

A 23-year-old man, Kyle Jones, was arrested May 22 for allegedly impersonating a nurse and responding to emergencies at Pittsburgh-based UPMC Presbyterian Hospital.

8. An Epic day in court: Supreme Court rules in favor of Epic, upholds workplace arbitration contracts

In a 5-4 decision led by the conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, Epic came out victorious in a case involving individual employee arbitration decided May 21.

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Attorneys general team up to oppose Trump administration rules over family planning servicesGary Tanner, a former executive at Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, and Andrew Davenport, former head of the now-defunct mail-order pharmacy Philidor Rx Services, were found guilty of participating in a secret kickback scheme May 22, reports The New York Times.

Here are six things to know.

1. A federal jury in New York City convicted the two men on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

2. Prosecutors claim Mr. Tanner, who was responsible for managing Valeant's relationship with the mail-order pharmacy, funneled business to Philidor to increase sales and "evade insurers' efforts to substitute cheaper generic versions for expensive Valeant medications," according to NYT.

3. Mr. Davenport also allegedly paid Mr. Tanner about $10 million and took $40 million for himself when Valeant exercised an option to purchase Philidor.

4. The two executives kept the arrangement under wraps by using shell companies and emailing each other with fake names, prosecutors said.

5. Lawyers for Mr. Tanner and Mr. Davenport denied any wrongdoing during the three-week trial. While Mr. Davenport's lawyers did not immediately respond to NYT's request for comment, Mr. Tanner's lawyers said they were disappointed by the verdict and planned to appeal.

6. Mr. Tanner and Mr. Davenport's sentencing is set for Sept. 19. They each face up to 65 years in prison, a U.S. Department of Justice spokesperson told NYT.A jury awarded a Haitian-American nurse $28 million May 23 in a lawsuit against Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital alleging discrimination and retaliation, according to the The Boston Globe.

Gessy Toussaint, RN, sued Brigham and Women's and three of its managers in 2014. Ms. Toussaint alleged she stuck up for another Haitian-American nurse who she believed was the victim of verbal abuse by a physician. After that, the hospital allegedly retaliated against Ms. Toussaint by investigating her for several instances of allegedly poor patient care. Ms. Toussaint further claimed she was subjected to discriminatory action by the hospital, according to the report.

Ms. Toussaint resigned from Brigham and Women's in 2015 after working there for 15 years.

On May 23, after more than three days of deliberation, a Suffolk Superior Court jury agreed that the hospital and one of its managers were guilty of retaliation against Ms. Toussaint. However, the jury said Ms. Toussaint failed to prove race discrimination.

The jury awarded Ms. Toussaint $28 million, the vast majority of which was for punitive damages.

"This is a monumental verdict, and it really shows the jury was outraged at the treatment of this lifelong nurse," Allison MacLellan, Ms. Toussaint's attorney, told The Boston Globe. It's "sending a message to the Brigham and other institutions that retaliating against someone for standing up for what's right won't be tolerated."

Brigham and Women's and the manager plan to appeal.

"While it is gratifying that the jury found no evidence of racial discrimination in this case, we strongly disagree with the finding of retaliation and intend to pursue all legal avenues to appeal this verdict," a Brigham and Women's spokesperson said in a statement to The Boston Globe.

Ms. Toussaint and her Haitian-American colleague Nirva Berthold, MSN, RN, filed a joint lawsuit against the hospital, but Ms. Toussaint's claims went to trial first. Ms. Berthold still works as a care coordinator at Brigham and Women's.

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DOJ: Texas physician misdiagnosed patients to fund 'opulent lifestyle'A physician filed a whistle-blower lawsuit against Boston-based Steward Health Care, alleging the health system put significant personal pressure on him and other physicians to refer patients only to Steward hospitals and specialists, according to The Boston Globe.

Here are seven things to know about the lawsuit, which is pending in Suffolk Superior Court.

1. In his lawsuit, Stephen Zappala, MD, a urologist, claims Steward representatives would cancel appointments his office made for patients at Burlington, Mass.-based Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Boston-based Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and other competing hospitals.

2. The 35-page lawsuit further alleges Steward representatives lied to patients. Dr. Zappala claims health system representatives would call his patients and incorrectly tell them they were required to have their operations at a Steward facility, even when Dr. Zappala had recommended another hospital, according to the report.

3. During a court hearing in March, Callan Stein, an attorney for Steward and two of the three physicians named as defendants in the lawsuit, said policies discouraging referrals are "extremely common" and legal, according to The Boston Globe. However, Dr. Zappala and another physician deposed in the case said Steward's methods were extreme.

4. When Dr. Zappala refused to comply with Steward's policies, the health system allegedly disciplined him for minor offenses. However, Mr. Stein said Dr. Zappala was disciplined for legitimate infractions, including being out of town when a hospitalized patient needed him. Steward eventually terminated Dr. Zappala's privileges to operate at Steward Holy Family Hospital in Methuen, Mass.

5. Dr. Zappala said he referred patients to hospitals outside of Steward's network for innovative procedures. For example, Dr. Zappala said he referred patients to Dana-Farber for an operation in which surgeons removed only part of a patient's cancerous kidney. He believed this operation was less risky than the operation Steward surgeons routinely performed in which they removed the entire kidney. Steward allegedly refused to approve these referrals.

"We clearly compromised their care to keep them in the network," Dr. Zappala told The Boston Globe.

6. Claudia Gabrielle, MD, another former Steward physician who was recently deposed in the case, said Steward would publicly shame physicians who refused to comply with its strict referral policy. Hospital executives allegedly projected physicians' names onto a screen during meetings. Listed alongside each physician's name was the number of patients who had gone out-of-network for care.

7. Steward and the physicians named as defendants in the case deny the allegations. They recently asked Judge Elizabeth Fahey to dismiss the lawsuit. The judge denied the request in April.

Access the full Boston Globe article here.

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Nurse accused of stealing more than $550k from New York hospitalAnthem will invest $20 million in renovations at the company's Indianapolis headquarters in a commitment to its home base.

The renovations, which are slated to reach completion toward the end of 2018, will house 2,600-plus employees. An additional 2,300 employees will work remotely or in other locations in Indianapolis.

Anthem has been headquartered in Indianapolis for nearly 75 years. The renovations will feature an on-site fitness facility, an on-site cafeteria focused on healthy food options, collaboration areas and employee lounges.Jonathan Ellen, MD, president, CEO and physician-in-chief of St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital said May 22 the hospital has scaled back the number of heart operations it performs following two incidents in which needles were left in patients' hearts after surgery, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Dr. Ellen said the hospital's Heart Institute has "gone so far as to reduce the number of complex cases we do and slow down the amount of care we [provide]" after an internal investigation revealed two incidents in which patients were discharged from the institution with needles in their hearts.

In one of the incidents, the patient's parents were never notified of the needle.

"I can't sit here and defend it in any way, shape or form.  That broke my heart. That's the reality," Dr. Ellen told the Tampa Bay Times, adding the fact that the parents were never told was a "complete failure."

Dr. Ellen said the hospital stopped taking neonatal cases in early 2017 and now performs six surgeries per month, according to the report. He also confirmed the hospital is working to hire a new chief surgeon and aims to return to its former neonatal case volume of about 350 surgeries per year.

The incidents initially came to light after a Tampa Bay Times investigation in April discussed the case of 3-day-old Katelynn Whipple, who was found to have a needle in her heart during a follow-up visit to the hospital after she underwent heart surgery in 2016. The surgeon who operated on the child denied the needle had been left in the child. Ten days later, Katelynn's parents took her to anothert hospital for emergency surgery unrelated to the needle. The surgeon operating on the child reportedly discovered the needle 30 minutes into the operation.

The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration previously told the publication it decided to accelerate its investigation of the hospital after learning of the two needle incidents.The results of the April investigation, released May 15 and obtained by the Tampa Bay Times, cited the hospital for not reporting the two "adverse incidents" within 15 days as required by law. The hospital also violated state law by not disclosing the incident to the patient or a patient representative. CMS also has launched an investigation into the hospital.

Dr. Ellen told the publication the hospital's failure to file reports about both incidents within the 15-day timeframe constituted an "honest mistake," and leadership has since "re-educated" all staff members on the policy.

"Our policy has always been to disclose immediately. In this case it didnt happen," he said.

To access the full report, click here.As physicians and policymakers search for ways to deal with excess pills fueling the opioid epidemic, cancer physicians fear potential shortages in injectable opioids needed to treat critically ill patients, Tara Soumerai, MD and oncologist at Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital, argues in a STAT op-ed.

Here are five insights from the op-ed.

1. Dr. Soumerai recalled a patient dying of lung cancer who was experiencing air hunger, which occurs when patients with rapidly growing lung cancer feel unable to get enough air.

"His air hunger was something we could definitely ease. Opioids are excellent at doing that," Dr. Soumerai wrote. "Finding the right oral dose can take hours, even days. [The patient] needed help right away, so an intravenous opioid was our only option."

After the patient began an infusion of an opioid, he was able to breathe easier and decrease his pain. The patient died about 36 hours later with his family at his bedside. "My team's ability to administer an intravenous opioid at an escalating dose allowed [the patient] to have a peaceful final few hours with his family," Dr. Soumerai added.

2. "Until recently, I took for granted my ability to use this essential medication," Dr. Soumerai wrote. "Now I worry every day that I won't be able to provide it to my patients." Although Drug Enforcement Administration policies to curb the opioid crisis are well-intended, decisions to cut opioid production by 25 percent in 2016 and an additional 20 percent in 2017 have threatened opioid availability for terminally ill cancer patients, Dr. Soumerai wrote.

3. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer's acquisition of drugmaker Hospira has worsened this problem, Dr. Soumerai noted. "The move means that 60 percent of our country's intravenous opioids are being made by a single pharmaceutical company."

After a Hospira plant that produced most of America's prefilled opioid syringes had to halt production last year, Pfizer experienced a significant manufacturing setback that resulted in ongoing production shortages.

4. The shortage is expected to last for the next 12 to 18 months, Dr. Soumerai noted. "Our hospital's current supply of intravenous opioids will last about four weeks at best," she wrote. "Seasoned pharmacists at my hospital, who have seen many drug shortages over their careers, have told me this is the worst one they have seen in more than a decade."

5. "There's no question that decades of unchecked opioid production, marketing, and prescribing led us to where we are today, with more than 40,000 deaths from opioid overdoses a year. We clearly need to target that abuse," Dr. Soumerai wrote. "It's equally important that federal and state efforts to rein in opioid abuse don't force people who need these medications to suffer for a single day without them," she added.

"Acceptable quality of life for terminally ill patients admitted to hospitals can't be sacrificed in the rush to control a different public health emergency."Most primary care physicians said they do not have the necessary time or tools to address the needs of patients with multiple chronic conditions  leaving those patients to face health-related social and behavioral issues alone, according to research conducted by Quest Diagnostics.

The study gathered data from 801 respondents, including primary care physicians with Medicare patients diagnosed with multiple chronic conditions, and adults 65-plus with multiple chronic conditions. Respondents answered online surveys about their perceptions and experiences with chronic care and the care services used to manage chronic conditions.

Here are six report findings.

1. Nearly all physicians (95 percent) said they entered primary care as a way to care for the "whole patient." However, the vast majority (85 percent) said they lack proper time to address complex clinical issues, and 66 percent said they lack the time to address social and behavioral issues, including loneliness or financial concerns that may affect patients' health.

2. Only 9 percent of physicians reported feeling very satisfied that their Medicare patients with multiple chronic conditions are receiving all the attention they need to care for their medical issues.

3. Although physicians expressed concern about gaps in care services, 92 percent of patients reported feeling satisfied that they are getting all the attention they need from their primary care physician to manage multiple medical issues.

4. The findings suggest patients may not recognize or communicate all of the health-related issues that may affect their care. Patients cited "getting another medical condition" (43 percent) as their No. 1 concern, followed by "being a burden on my loved ones" (32 percent). However, 2 in 5 patients say they do not talk with their physician about loneliness, isolation or transportation barriers.

5. The majority of physicians (88 percent) said they are concerned patients with multiple chronic conditions are not taking medications as prescribed.

6. Twenty-three percent of patients said they have forgotten to take some of their medications or have taken the incorrect medication  but only 8 percent of patients reported medication adherence as a concern.A 44-year-old nurse was found dead in her car the evening of May 22 in the parking lot of Canton, Ga.-based Northside Hospital-Cherokee, according to The Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News.

The nurse hadn't reported to work as scheduled. A hospital security guard later discovered her body in her car.

An autopsy will be conducted to determine the woman's cause of death. There was no preliminary evidence to suggest foul play, and no medical issue was immediately apparent, according to Pacer Cordry, a Canton Police Department spokesperson.

The nurse will not be publicly identified until police notify her family.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our own," Northside Hospital spokesperson Katerine Watson told The Patch. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the nurse's family, friends and co-workers."Marks & Spencer has unveiled another year of falling profits as the high street giant counts the cost of its transformation programme.

The retailer, which has 20 stores in Northern Ireland, reported a 62.1% fall in pre-tax profit to 66.8m in the year to March 31 as it was dragged down by 321.1m in costs linked to a store closure programme.

Chief executive Steve Rowe said: "At our half-year, results in November 1 outlined the need for accelerated change at M&S.

"The first phase of our transformation plan, restoring the basics, is now well under way and the actions taken have increased the velocity of change running through our business.

"These changes come with short-term costs which are reflected in today's results," he added.

The retailer's troubled clothing arm saw like-for-like sales fall by 1.9% in the year. Comparable food sales were down 0.3%. Revenue nudged up 0.7% to 10.7bn.

On an adjusted basis, with costs stripped out, pre-tax profit fell 5.4% to 580.9m.

"There are a number of structural issues to address and we are taking steps towards fixing these," Mr Rowe said.

"The new organisation will largely be in place by July and the team is now tackling transforming our culture to make M&S a faster, lower cost, more commercial, more digital business.

"This is vital as we start to leverage the strength of the M&S brand and values across a family of businesses to deliver sustainable, profitable growth in three to five years."

The results came one day after M&S said it is to close more than 100 stores by 2022 as it accelerates a transformation programme that will see thousands of jobs put at risk.

The closures will affect its clothing and home stores, which have underperformed for years.

M&S named 14 stores earmarked for closure, including in London's Bayswater and Holloway Road, with a total of 872 employees affected.

However, the story is completely different in Northern Ireland where it is on course to open two new stores.

A Carrickfergus M&S food unit is set to open adjacent to the Clarion Hotel in spring 2019, while a new foodhall will also open in Craigavon's Marlborough Retail Park later this year.

The chain has also announced a new head of region for Northern Ireland.

Simon Layton has been with the chain for over 15 years and was previously head of region for the North West Midlands.The managing director of the Belfast Telegraph has been appointed as Independent News and Media's managing director for publishing on the island of Ireland.

Richard McClean's new appointment was announced last night as part of a new company structure.

It follows the news that INM's group editor-in-chief Stephen Rae is to step down from the position.

INM has also announced that Paul Connolly has decided to resign as a director of the company with effect from May 31.

The financier was a nominee of businessman Denis O'Brien, INM's largest shareholder.

Mr Rae had been with INM for 25 years and held the group editor-in-chief role since 2013.

Before that he was editor of the Evening Herald and editor of the Irish Independent.

"I have had the privilege and honour to lead the editorial department since 2013," he said.

"On completion of my five-year term I will be stepping down from the role.

"Following a transformation of the group into a digital-focused newsroom and content hub, I am now happy to leave the publishing business in a strong position and hand it over to a team of strong and dynamic editors.

"I'm leaving the business at a time when all print titles are market leaders and online platform Independent.ie has become the nation's go-to news source.During my 25 years at INM, I feel greatly privileged to have worked with many extremely bright and exceptional people and to have guided the coverage on some of the biggest news stories our country has seen.

"I am now looking forward to taking on new digital projects which will focus on my core interests of developing new revenue models for journalism along with the hugely important editorial fight against fake news."

INM's chief executive officer Michael Doorly thanked Mr Rae "for his efforts and contribution to the company over many years".

"Stephen has provided great editorial direction to all of our titles and built a team of outstanding editors," he said.

"I would like to thank him for his support during my tenure as CEO and wish him every success for the future."

Separately, Mr Connolly's decision to stand down as a director of the company was announced yesterday afternoon.

It comes less than a week after he was re-elected as director at the group's annual general meeting last week.

Joining the board in March 2009, Mr Connolly served for more than four years as a member of the remuneration committee and for a year as a member of the nomination and corporate governance committee.

A statement said: "Paul played an integral role in setting and executing the key strategic goals formulated by the company following the successful completion of its financial restructuring process in 2013.

"This resulted in the positive restoration of the INM balance sheet and the introduction of its digital strategy positioning the business for future growth."

Mr Connolly said: "I would like to thank all my fellow board members and shareholders as well as the senior management team for their support and confidence in me over my nine years as a director of INM and I would like to wish the company every success in the future."

INM chairman Murdoch MacLennan said: "While I am very disappointed that Paul has decided to resign at this time, I am hugely grateful for the immense contribution he has made to the company over a significant period of transition.

"I have valued Paul's experience, knowledge and independent pragmatic counsel as a board member and colleague.

"His contribution to the board will be greatly missed."Three trade leaders are set to bring pressing industry issues to the table when they host Jeremy Corbyn on his first visit to Northern Ireland as leader of the Labour Party today.

Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts, Stephen Kelly, chief executive of Manufacturing NI, and Colin Neill, chief executive of Hospitality Ulster, will host Mr Corbyn, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer and shadow secretary of state Tony Lloyd at a joint round table economy discussion at the Europa Hotel.

It is expected that infrastructure, a borderless Brexit, skills and training shortages and the lack of an Executive will be among the main issues during the hour-long meeting as well as a request for Labour to publish "their detailed priorities for the Northern Ireland economy if they are elected to Government at the next election".

Mr Roberts has been active concerning the latter issues and in recent days he praised a committee report that proposed to detail the impact a lack of Government here had on businesses over the past 16 months. The retail chief has labelled the absence of the Executive as "disgraceful".

He said: "The current political limbo is nothing less than a total disgrace and we need to see new leadership, an end to the blame game and new talks beginning immediately."

"Having no government for so long is making Northern Ireland an international laughing stock and will impact on foreign direct investment."

Mr Roberts also called for the Department of Infrastructure to review its car parking and bus lane enforcement policy which he deemed "over zealous" and detrimental to city centre footfall.

Meanwhile, it is expected that Mr Neill, who champions the hospitality industry here, will raise the issue of "antiquated licensing hours", skills shortages, and the tourist VAT rate which is one of the highest in Europe .

"The hospitality sector is a vital cog in the economy of Northern Ireland, sustaining as it does more than 60,000 jobs and delivering 1.1bn to the economy annually," he said. "Given the number of visitors who come across the border every year, and figures show a 27% increase, the continued free movement of people is essential."

He is to appeal for a commitment that there will be no changes to the rights of Republic of Ireland citizens to work in NI or the rights of existing EU overseas workers here as he anticipates the sector will need to recruit a further 2,000 chefs and fill 30,000 vacancies by 2024 "yet there is no joined-up thinking from the government on this".

And following on from a recent AIB Brexit sentiment index, which said the manufacturing sector was among the most anxious about a post-Brexit landscape, it is expected that Stephen Kelly of Manufacturing NI will highlight its concerns and the skills shortages they are facing. He recently said: "They know they now face added cost and complexity brought on by customs, origin certification and a raft of other non-tariff barriers. They're also experiencing workers leaving and are having difficulty replacing them."

Mr Corbyn will also address Queen's University students on his visit.

A spokesman for the Labour leader said that he will seek to "engage with all communities and people across Northern Ireland" on both the peace process and Brexit, as well as "the need for a transformation of the economy in Northern Ireland as in the rest of the UK in a way that works for all communities".

Number of months since the collapse of the Stormont Executive. A situation labelled as a 'total disgrace' by NI Retail's Glyn RobertsMegan Ingram with the award she picked up at the Chelsea Flower Show

This is the spectacular throne of roses that won Megan Ingram (18) a bronze medal at the Chelsea Flower Show.

The Belfast teenager was one of three Greenmount College students who reached the finals of the prestigious horticultural show.

And her long labours with the secateurs through the last few weeks have borne fruit - or at least flowers.

Last night Megan said she was shocked but delighted to win bronze in the Chelsea Flower Show's Young Florist of the Year competition and for her creation to go on display in the Great Pavilion.

"I am thrilled to be bringing home a bronze medal, which has to be the biggest highlight of my year at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE)," she said.

Floristry lecturer Anne-Marie Grant, who accompanied the finalists to the show, said: "The judges loved Megan's use of monochromatic colours, from deep cerise pink to soft romantic blush."

Fellow student Clare McAuley (23) from Comber also made it to the finals of the Young Florist of the Year competition, while Anne Kirkwood (35) from Londonderry is contending for the Florist of the Year title.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Visitors at the David Austin Roses display during the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA The Cherub HIV Garden: A Life Without Walls at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA The Silent Pool Gin garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA The Urban Flow garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA The Pearlfisher garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA The Skin Deep garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA The Wedgwood garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA The Seedlip Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA The Lemon Tree Trust garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA The M&G garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA The Myeloma UK garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA The VTB Capital Garden - Spirit of Cornwall at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA The New West End garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA The LG Eco City Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA The Morgan Stanley Garden for the NSPCC at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA The Wuhan Water Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA The Trailfinders South African Wine Estate garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA The David Harber and Savills Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA Visitors at the David Austin Roses display during the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA Visitors at the David Austin Roses display during the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA Visitors at the David Austin Roses display during the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday May 22, 2018. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire PA LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 21: A large flower shaped floral display outside a shop during the Chelsea in Bloom floral art show on May 21, 2018 in London, England. This year is the 13th Chelsea in Bloom and the theme is 'Summer of Love', inspired by the Royal Wedding and the 1960's/70's cultural revolution. The floral show is also a competition that is entered by various Chelsea retailers, restaurants and hotels with entries being judged by an expert panel. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images) Getty Images LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 21: A woman takes photos of a floral display outside a clothing shop during the Chelsea in Bloom floral art show on May 21, 2018 in London, England. This year is the 13th Chelsea in Bloom and the theme is 'Summer of Love', inspired by the Royal Wedding and the 1960's/70's cultural revolution. The floral show is also a competition that is entered by various Chelsea retailers, restaurants and hotels with entries being judged by an expert panel. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images) Getty Images LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 21: A large Volkswagen logo shaped floral display outside a shop during the Chelsea in Bloom floral art show on May 21, 2018 in London, England. This year is the 13th Chelsea in Bloom and the theme is 'Summer of Love', inspired by the Royal Wedding and the 1960's/70's cultural revolution. The floral show is also a competition that is entered by various Chelsea retailers, restaurants and hotels with entries being judged by an expert panel. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images) Getty Images LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 21: A heart shaped floral display in a shop window during the Chelsea in Bloom floral art show on May 21, 2018 in London, England. This year is the 13th Chelsea in Bloom and the theme is 'Summer of Love', inspired by the Royal Wedding and the 1960's/70's cultural revolution. The floral show is also a competition that is entered by various Chelsea retailers, restaurants and hotels with entries being judged by an expert panel. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images) Getty Images LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 21: Heart shaped floral display in a jewellery shop window during the Chelsea in Bloom floral art show on May 21, 2018 in London, England. This year is the 13th Chelsea in Bloom and the theme is 'Summer of Love', inspired by the Royal Wedding and the 1960's/70's cultural revolution. The floral show is also a competition that is entered by various Chelsea retailers, restaurants and hotels with entries being judged by an expert panel. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images) Getty Images LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 21: Flowers amongst a large floral display outside a shop during the Chelsea in Bloom floral art show on May 21, 2018 in London, England. This year is the 13th Chelsea in Bloom and the theme is 'Summer of Love', inspired by the Royal Wedding and the 1960's/70's cultural revolution. The floral show is also a competition that is entered by various Chelsea retailers, restaurants and hotels with entries being judged by an expert panel. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images) Getty Images Britain's Queen Elizabeth II looks at a display of roses on the Peter Beale stand as she visits the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show in London on May 21, 2018. The Chelsea flower show, held annually in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, opens to the public on May 22. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / RICHARD POHLERICHARD POHLE/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Britain's Queen Elizabeth II looks at a display of roses on the Peter Beale stand as she visits the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show in London on May 21, 2018. The Chelsea flower show, held annually in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, opens to the public on May 22. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / RICHARD POHLERICHARD POHLE/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Britain's Queen Elizabeth II looks at a display of roses on the Peter Beale stand as she visits the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show in London on May 21, 2018. The Chelsea flower show, held annually in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, opens to the public on May 22. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / RICHARD POHLERICHARD POHLE/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Britain's Queen Elizabeth II looks at a display of roses on the Peter Beale stand as she visits the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show in London on May 21, 2018. The Chelsea flower show, held annually in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, opens to the public on May 22. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / RICHARD POHLERICHARD POHLE/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (R) is presented with a Chinese silk scarf depicting two whales after she looked at the Chinese show garden at the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show in London on May 21, 2018. The Chelsea flower show, held annually in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, opens to the public on May 22. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / RICHARD POHLERICHARD POHLE/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images TOPSHOT - Britain's Queen Elizabeth II looks at a display of roses on the Peter Beale stand as she visits the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show in London on May 21, 2018. The Chelsea flower show, held annually in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, opens to the public on May 22. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / RICHARD POHLERICHARD POHLE/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images TOPSHOT - Britain's Queen Elizabeth II visits the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show in London on May 21, 2018. The Chelsea flower show, held annually in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, opens to the public on May 22. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / Chris JacksonCHRIS JACKSON/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Visitors at the David Austin Roses display during the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London. Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

This year's theme - fittingly, given the recent royal nuptials - is A Spring Wedding, and competitors had to construct a floral throne that goes on display in the Great Pavilion.

Floristry runs in Megan's family. Her granny founded Alexander Florists in Belfast and was followed into the business by Megan's father. Now Megan has followed suit.

The CAFRE student said she had been inspired by an opulent tapestry look, using her favourite flowers of roses, freesia and eustonia.

"I wanted to make it look like it was plumped-up cushions that you could sit on and it would be comfortable," she explained.Northern Ireland's first centre for pastoral education has just opened at the Ulster Hospital with Don Gamble at the helm. The Newtownabbey man (51), who lives with wife Ann and four daughters, reveals how he came to help design a modest hospital gown for patients of other faiths.

A dedicated chaplain has taken his pastoral care role in the Ulster Hospital to a whole new level. Lead chaplain Don Gamble passionately believes that in the same way physicians have to be trained to heal the body, chaplains have to be trained to heal the mind.

And thanks to his dedication, the days when chaplains quietly ambled in and out of hospital to chat to patients are gone as he has established the service as a department in its own right within the hospital.

Last month, with the support of Northern Ireland Healthcare Chaplaincy Association, and under the standards of The Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (Ireland) Don opened Northern Ireland's first permanent Regional Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) centre for pastoral and spiritual care, education, ministry and research in the Ulster Hospital.

He has also extended the chaplaincy service to Lakewood, which is a secure unit for adolescents in Bangor.

To achieve this goal he has spent the past year commuting around 20,000 miles to Dublin and Cork, often on his motorbike, to become qualified as a supervisor in CPE.

The internationally accredited centre opened in April and is currently running its very first course for chaplains.

He has also created the first "modesty" hospital gown for patients whose ethnic origins do not allow them to go for surgery with certain parts of their body uncovered.

On top of all this he has also recently introduced the shop mobility service to the hospital and helps out at St Matthew's Church of Ireland in the Shankill in Belfast.

A father of four girls, Don is married to Ann who gave up her job as a goldsmith to be at home for their daughters. Ann has just returned to work launching a new business, Ann Getty Designs, making bespoke jewellery.

Their girls all have artistic talents which their dad is happy to admit came from their mum.

Chloe (24) is a drama graduate who hopes to work in costume design for theatre and TV; Emily (21) is studying for a degree in arts and festival management with dance; Alice (18) is at Belfast Royal Academy and has just completed her A-levels which included art, and youngest daughter Julia-Rose (15) is preparing for her GCSEs at Ballyclare Secondary School.

Initially, when he was ordained in 1991, Don had planned for a career working in the church with the hope of one day leading his own congregation.

He started working in St Michael's Parish in the Lower Shankill in Belfast when he had his first experience of chaplaincy at Crumlin Road prison from 1991-1995.

It was a fascinating introduction to the role which he has since gone on to put his stamp on. "Working in the prison was an incredibly interesting insight into human nature. I was meeting people at the lowest ebb in their lives," he says.

"I found there was a very grey line between being in prison and not being in prison.

"When you listened to their stories and experiences you realise it can be very easy to end up in prison, if life takes you through certain circumstances and experiences.

"That was a big learning curve for me as before I saw it as something that was very black and white. It made me realise that people can end up in prison through no fault of their own.

"A lot of them were sorry for what they had done and then you had others who were not sorry for what they had done, but were sorry they ended up in prison."

Don was also involved in outreach work in inner city Belfast. It meant coming out of parish ministry to work full-time in the community.

The "church planting" scheme was designed to find new ways to connect with people.

He helped open the Dignity Thrift shop, a barber shop and furniture shop in Carlisle Circus.

This also gave him a heart for helping people and he was happy in 2000 when again he was asked to take on chaplaincy work, this time in three hospitals.

He soon realised, much to his surprise, that he had found his true calling. He says: "It is very different from what I had planned to do.

"I always thought I would become part of a parish and help develop a church and the work of the parish. I had no notion of chaplaincy - it wasn't on my radar but unexpectedly I really took to it."

Initially Don worked across three sites - Belfast City Hospital, the Regional Cancer Centre and the Ulster Hospital.

It was when he became lead chaplain in the South Eastern Trust in 2013 that he decided to study for his global chaplaincy qualification which has led to him transforming the service.

The course focused on training chaplains to be more aware of how patients are feeling when they are talking to them.

With no agenda, the chaplain's role as Don now sees it is to gently guide patients to finding their own spiritual solutions.

He explains: "It is not about imposing what we think on them but helping patients who are often scared, lonely, nervous or worried. We are simply guiding them to use their own inner resources to find answers to their spiritual distresses."

Don compares the approach of chaplains to that of a doctor.

In the same way that doctors will use their skills to help, he says chaplains use their own observations to decide on the best way they can reassure and support a patient.

"The whole hospital is about holistic care and looking after mind, body and spirit and it is all connected," he says.

"A patient might have a physical illness but they might also have a spiritual or psychological issue that affects how they feel and that's where we come in.

"We are professional chaplains and we are part of the multi-disciplinary team at the hospital."

It was through his CPE training, which is ecumenical, that Don learned about the issue of modesty facing some people with different religious beliefs.

He worried that in some ethnic minority groups, the standard hospital gown used for surgery would compromise their religious beliefs.

In a project that involved working with many departments within the hospital and which took over 18 months of research and development, he devised a new hospital "modesty gown".

He explains: "With the old gown, which is a very short surgical garment, you and I wouldn't be offended to have our forearm showing or our ankles but it can be offensive for other religions.

"I ended up working with 21 different groups within the trust and it was something that grew very large, from the surgeons and their needs to the ladies in the laundry and sewing room.

"We had to look at the modesty needs of the different religions here in Northern Ireland now and the result was a three piece garment.

"There are bottoms which are a bit like pyjamas and that caters for the Hindu faith who would be uncomfortable if their ankles were visible.

"In the Muslim faith they don't want their forearms to be on show and that was a bit more of a challenge as the surgeons and anaesthetists need access to the forearm during operations.

"We were stuck at that point on how to give them access while keeping the patient's arm covered and it was our sewing room ladies who came up with a drop sleeve with a bell cuff which could be velcroed on and off.

"We also have a headscarf which would meet the modesty needs of different religions including the Jewish faith.

"It was very complex and it took 18 months to produce. And now when people are admitted to the hospital and they ask to see the chaplain, we will offer them the option of the gown. It is all about respect for human dignity."

The Ulster Hospital is the only one offering the new modesty gown and Don is convinced it is something that all hospitals could benefit from.

Today, through the new centre, this dedicated chaplain is training others in his profession to provide a new type of service to patients in hospital to meet their needs regardless of their religious backgrounds.

He sums it up: "Our role is to help meet the religious, spiritual, pastoral and cultural needs of patients and their families and carers and the staff in the health service.

"It is so worthwhile and gives us a lot of satisfaction when we work with a patient and help them to come to terms with their diagnosis.

"I would like to say how fantastic it is to be part of the South Eastern Trust where the ethos is about learning and developing what we do and I've had so much support in developing the gown and also setting up the clinical pastoral education centre."

Tony O'Hara, senior manager of patient experience at the trust, said: "Don is a motivated individual who has a personal interest in learning and developing chaplaincy services to meet the 21st century.

"Don sees his role of chaplaincy services as much more than the religious aspects of care, for example ministering to the dying. Don's personal drive to modernise chaplaincy has seen the development of the Regional Clinical Pastoral Education Centre at the Ulster Hospital.

"His role covers many aspects of the patient's journey through the hospital from birth to death with all of their individual cultural and religious beliefs met."A couple from Downpatrick have explained why they are home-schooling their three boys - due to fears about the dangers of wi-fi radiation.

Alisa Keene and her husband Mark Lavery claim that just over a year ago they were left with no choice but to remove James (9), Conn (7) and Dara (6) from their primary school because they were concerned about the health risks of wireless technology.

Alisa said she was concerned about how wireless technology could be impacting her children's development and behaviour at school and has noticed a marked difference since the boys began home-schooling.

However, the Public Health Agency has advised schools and parents that they are not aware of any evidence that proves such a link between health and wi-fi.

A spokesman said: "The PHA is not aware of any current evidence that proves a causal link between wi-fi and health issues and we would advise that schools have no reason to avoid or discontinue the use of wi-fi."

Alisa said she first learned about the alleged health risks of wi-fi radiation after installing a router 10 years ago.

A friend who had researched the issue used a meter to show her how much radiation was present at their home and they hard-wired the house as a result.

"We had never assumed that they would need wi-fi in a school and we were never asked when our children started school did we consent to them being exposed to wi-fi," said Alisa.

"My oldest son had ongoing issues like runny noses and allergies that just wouldn't go away, and behaviour issues at school which didn't happen at home. He had high levels of anxiety within the school environment.

"When the other two joined him in school they were all complaining of headaches that weren't happening at home. They were saying school didn't make them feel good. At first you think this is just children, but they were engaged children who love to learn."

After this, Alisa and Mark discovered that there were routers installed in the school and the primary one pupils were using iPads as part of their study. They researched how the school could reduce radiation and offered to pay to hard-wire the classrooms, but this was refused.

The couple asked for a risk assessment to be carried out, but this was also refused so they withdrew the boys until it could be proved that the school environment was safe.

The couple have now set up a schoolroom in a spare room at their house.

Alisa, who trained as a high school teacher in the USA, has been teaching the boys for the past year.

"When we withdrew them from school, within one week they were all feeling better. My oldest son's allergies completely went away, the headaches disappeared, they all felt better and that has continued," she said.

The mum-of-three said she is frustrated by the business ethics behind the wireless revolution and its use in schools, and is calling for school risk assessments for wi-fi technology under the precautionary principle.

She is campaigning for increased transparency, including pre-market testing, post-market monitoring and revised policies and regulations within Northern Ireland's schools.

The family's campaign is being supported by the National Education Union (NEU), which has been highlighting the steps that schools, education authorities and parents can take to safeguard and protect children.

Speaking ahead of today's NEU conference in the Stormont Hotel, which will be addressed by leading neuroscientist Dr Sarah Starkey on her findings, regional secretary Mark Langhammer said: "The NEU is supporting Dr Sarah Starkey and concerned teachers and parents by calling on schools and education authorities to implement the 'precautionary principle' around the effects of new technology in schools.

"Since children are obliged by law to attend school, a safe environment is important."A south Belfast mum has spoken about her devastation after her son was turned down by three schools - and is now fearful over where he will be educated come September.

Terri Bailie's son Tyler (11) had applied to Lagan College, Ashfield Boys School and Forthill College, where many of his friends were also hoping to attend.

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But he was not successful with any of these choices.

The Education Authority then offered Tyler a place at a different school.

However, Terri said it was not a viable option as a group of children who had badly bullied her son attended it.

"Tyler was bullied severely, he went through a terrible time, he self-harmed and attempted to take his own life three times, there is no way I will send him to a school where those people are," she told the Belfast Telegraph yesterday.

Terri says she was even considering moving house to improve her son's chances, but when she looked at schools in north Belfast, she was still unable to get him a school place.

"I'm at my wits end, and then it's hard for Tyler not getting into a school where all of his friends are going," she said.

Around 300 P7 students have been left without a post-primary school place just three months before the start of the new school year.

Another parent going through the same agony is Glen Dugan from Bangor.

His son Alfie (11) had had his heart set on attending Bangor Academy with all of his friends, and even attends one of the feeder primary schools for it.

Bangor Academy received 387 applications for 242 places in its September 2018 first form class, and it estimates that more than 40 local pupils missed out.

Instead they may have to go to schools in Newtownards, Portaferry or Belfast.

Alfie was shocked last weekend to discover he had not got a place. "We found out on Saturday morning, by text, and then the letter came. We just couldn't believe it," said Glen.

"Alfie was in tears at the idea of going to a school where he won't know anyone.

"Why should he be having to get up at 7am to get a bus to the next school 20 miles away in Portaferry when he could walk to school in Bangor. Mr Pitt, the principal of Bangor Academy, wants to accept the 40 who didn't get placed there, but he is not being allowed to."

The Department of Education has previously said that there are always a number of unplaced children at the end of the post-primary admissions process, although this year there are higher than usual numbers.

A spokesman for the Education Authority said: "EA is continuing to work with schools and parents to ensure all pupils are allocated a Year 8 place.

"Parents of those children who have not been placed are now in the process of selecting preferences from the list of available places.

"Further information is available on the EA website at www.eani.org.uk or from the Admissions Helpdesk on 0300 200 7824."Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is to call on the Prime Minister to re-convene the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference to help break the political deadlock here.

In a speech at Queen's University in Belfast today, he will also make it clear that his party will not support a Brexit deal that results in a hard border.

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Mr Corbyn's two-day visit to Northern Ireland is his first since becoming Labour leader.

The British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference gives Dublin a consultative role in non-devolved matters concerning Northern Ireland.

Sinn Fein and the SDLP have been demanding that it is reconvened while power-sharing is suspended, but DUP leader Arlene Foster has dismissed it as a "talking shop".

Mr Corbyn is set to say: "Devolution and power-sharing have given every community a voice and helped maintain the peace process.

"If the current stalemate in Stormont cannot be sorted out in Belfast, I call on the UK Government to reconvene the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference.

"We must step up to find a creative solution, in the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement, that avoids a return to direct Westminster rule and lays the ground for further progress for all communities."

On Brexit, Mr Corbyn will maintain that border checks can be best avoided by a UK-EU customs union - which would offer the UK a say on future trade deals - coupled with a "new and strong relationship" with the single market.

"Driven by the free-market fantasists within their ranks, the reckless Conservative approach to Brexit is a very real threat to jobs and living standards here in Northern Ireland and risks undermining and destabilising the co-operation and relative harmony of recent years," he will say.

"Labour will not support any Brexit deal that includes the return of a hard border to this island.

"But we are also clear there must be no border created in the Irish Sea either.

"That is why Labour has put forward a plan that would go a long way to solving this issue, a plan for which I believe there is a majority in Westminster."

Mr Corbyn will continue: "Opposition to the idea of bringing back a hard border to this land isn't just about avoiding paperwork or tariffs, important though that is, it's about deep-rooted cultural and community ties.

"An open border is a symbol of peace, two communities living and working together after years of conflict, communities who no longer feel that their traditions are under threat."

Mr Corbyn will argue that economic prosperity for Northern Ireland would strengthen the peace.

"Look back at the sacrifice and courage shown at all levels of society that paved the way for something that had once seemed impossible," he will say.

"That was the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement.

"We all need that spirit again - Stormont and Westminster parties, the British and Irish governments, business and unions, UK and EU negotiators - if we want to secure 20 more years of peace and greater prosperity for the many, not the few."

Calling for economic justice, he will continue: "Peace can - and must - be extended through real social and economic advances for all communities, with the state at regional and national level prepared to act to bring about a full-scale upgrade of the economy.

"While many economic decisions for Northern Ireland are rightly decided in Stormont, a Labour government in Westminster would make sure that Northern Ireland has more money to invest in its people and its public services.

"We will make sure the people of Northern Ireland do not miss out."

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood welcomed Mr Corbyn here and called for him to back full alignment with the single market and customs union.

"I am delighted Jeremy Corbyn is visiting Northern Ireland at this critical time.

"The Labour Party played a key role in building peace and stability in the north," he said.

"Having met with Mr Corbyn recently, I recognise he shares our concerns at the lack of a functioning Assembly here."

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle O'Neill yesterday called on the Government to end its "do nothing strategy" and convene the intergovernmental conference.A bonfire in east Belfast is to be moved away from a contentious area so that it does not endanger nearby homes, it has been announced.

The East Belfast Community Initiative (EBCI) said that an agreement has been reached with bonfire builders at the Bloomfield Walkway site to move it away from the area of contention.

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The move comes after DUP councillor George Dorrian intervened to de-escalate tensions after bonfire material was stored at a car park off the Upper Newtownards Road.

The EBCI said the bonfire will move away from the contentious area to a safe space and the height of the bonfire will be such that it will not endanger the homes of any members of the community.

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Jamie Bryson, from the EBCI, said: This is another positive local agreement and once again demonstrates the productivity of self regulation.

No unionist worth their salt is ever going to be regulated in their cultural expression by statutory agencies.

"Self regulation in order to advance our core purpose of enhancing and protecting unionist cultural expression is the only way to resolve contentious issues."

He added: We congratulate the relevant bonfire group and east Belfast loyalists, without whose leadership and forward strategic thinking such outcomes would not be possible.A man from Co Tyrone accused of killing his missing ex-partner has had a bid to go on holiday thrown out of court.

John Patrick Miller (46) of Redford Park, Dungannon, is charged with murdering Charlotte Murray, some time between October 31 and November 1, 2012.

Yesterday at Dungannon Magistrates Court, Miller applied to travel abroad with a couple who are witnesses in the investigation. The request was denied.

Originally from Omagh, but living in Moy for some time, Ms Murray was reported missing by her family in 2013. She was 34.

Police believe she was murdered after Miller was sent explicit images of her with another man. Within hours he was attempting to sell her engagement ring, a previous court has heard.

Ms Murray's body has never been found.

Miller was originally refused bail back on November 1, 2017 - five years to the day since Charlotte's suspected murder. He successfully appealed to the High Court, where he was released on very strict terms.

Yesterday, a defence barrister applied at court for Miller to be permitted to travel on holiday to Turkey from August 13 to 28 with two other couples. It was claimed he paid a deposit of 100 to one of those arranging the holiday last September, a few weeks before his arrest and charge.

The detective sergeant in the case however told the court: "Police are opposed to this application. There are concerns over some of those travelling and their role in the case."

He said that the names of the other travellers were only made known to him immediately before the hearing, despite requesting this information from Miller's solicitors the previous week.

The detective continued: "The prosecution is proceeding.

"Another person has been arrested on suspicion of withholding information and perverting the court of justice.

"This is a friend of the defendant's who remains on police bail. There may be developments on that imminently. In addition, two of those with whom he seeks to travel are also close friends, who were interviewed last October as witnesses in the investigation."

District Judge John Meehan criticised the "casual nature" of the application to vary bail and the delay by solicitors in providing the names of those travelling to police.

He said: "This is a very serious case. It is a murder investigation.

"This holiday just happened to coincide with the prospective arraignment date for return to trial. The risk, to my view, is very live.

"I also find it most peculiar the defendant would seek to travel with others who are witnesses in the case."

Throwing out the application, Judge Meehan listed the case for mention next month, with a potential committal to Crown court for trial in August.ROSA NI campaigners to amend the 8th amendment to the Irish Constitution hold a banner outside Queens University Belfast's Wilta Hall Labour wear leader Jeremy Corbyn will give a lecture during his first visit to Northern Ireland as party leader. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 24, 2018.See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, delivers a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, delivers a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, delivers a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, delivers a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Sinn Fein members (left to right), Francie Molloy, Paul Maskey and Mickey Brady MP, attend Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's lecture at Queens University in Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 24, 2018. Mr Corbyn urged Prime Minister Theresa May to reconvene the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference - a body that offers the Irish a consultative role in non-devolved matters concerning Northern Ireland. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, leaves the stage after delivering a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neil arrives to hear Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn deliver a public lecture in the Great Hall at Queen's University Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 24, 2018. Mr Corbyn urged Prime Minister Theresa May to reconvene the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference - a body that offers the Irish a consultative role in non-devolved matters concerning Northern Ireland. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable George Hamilton listens as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers a public lecture in the Great Hall at Queen's University Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 24, 2018. Mr Corbyn urged Prime Minister Theresa May to reconvene the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference - a body that offers the Irish a consultative role in non-devolved matters concerning Northern Ireland. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn arrives at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn arrives at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since being elected as Labour leader three years ago. During his speech in Belfast he is expected to say he insists that he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn arrives at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since being elected as Labour leader three years ago. During his speech in Belfast he is expected to say he insists that he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (centre) and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Tony Lloyd MP (left) with Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor James McElnay (second from right), Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Internationalisation and Engagement at QueenOs University Professor Richard English (right), and Acting Registrar Wendy Galbraith at Queens University in Belfast where Corbyn is due to deliver a lecture during his first visit to Northern Ireland as party leader. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 24, 2018. Mr Corbyn urged Prime Minister Theresa May to reconvene the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference - a body that offers the Irish a consultative role in non-devolved matters concerning Northern Ireland. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is greeted by Professor James McElnay, Acting Vice-Chancellor at Queen's University in Belfast, ahead of delivering a public lecture in the Great Hall. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 24, 2018. Mr Corbyn urged Prime Minister Theresa May to reconvene the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference, a body that offers the Irish a consultative role in non-devolved matters concerning Northern Ireland. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with Professor Deirdre Heenan during a visit to Lifford Bridge on the Irish border, during the second day of a two-day trip to learn more about how Brexit affects the country. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (centre, obscured and back to camera) waves at a vehicle with Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Tony Lloyd (back to camera) during a visit to Lifford Bridge on the Irish border, during the second day of a two-day trip to learn more about how Brexit affects the country. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with Professor Deirdre Heenan (left) and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Tony Lloyd (right) during a visit to Lifford Bridge on the Irish border, during the second day of a two-day trip to learn more about how Brexit affects the country. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (right) speaking with SDLP politician Mark Durkan, SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan (left) and SDLP leader Colum Eastwood (third from left) after a Londonderry Chamber business breakfast on the second day of Mr Corbyn's visit to Northern Ireland as party leader. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with Professor Deirdre Heenan (centre) and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Tony Lloyd (right) during a visit to Lifford Bridge on the Irish border, during the second day of a two-day trip to learn more about how Brexit affects the country. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with Professor Deirdre Heenan (left) and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Tony Lloyd (right) during a visit to Lifford Bridge on the Irish border, during the second day of a two-day trip to learn more about how Brexit affects the country. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn gives the thumbs up after a visit to Lifford Bridge on the Irish border, during the second day of a two-day trip to learn more about how Brexit affects the country. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Jeremy Corbyn has arrived in Northern Ireland ahead of a speech at Queen's University.

During questions following his speech, the Labour leader reiterated his party's support for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland.

In March, Northern Ireland-born Labour MP Conor McGinn tabled a private member's Bill calling for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland to be legislated for by Westminster in the absence of a Stormont Executive.

The Bill fell at the first stage after failing to receive the support of the Government.

Speaking to the audience at Queen's, Mr Corbyn said his party "strongly support" legislating for same-sex marriage, but he did not see much progress being made in its "current form".

Jeremy Corbyn is live at Queens. Tune in and join the conversation. Posted by Queen's University Belfast on Thursday, May 24, 2018

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Commenting on the visit of Mr Corbyn to Northern Ireland, Ulster Unionist party leader Robin Swann said the visit provided an opportunity to condemn IRA violence.

Ahead of his arrival, Corbyn was criticised by DUP MP Gregory Campbell for failing to meet with IRA victims families during his two-day visit to Northern Ireland.

In a statement after the Labour leader's speech, Mr Swann said: "I hope that he will finally state unequivocally that the IRAs campaign of murder was completely wrong and totally unwarranted.

I would especially invite him to acknowledge the fact that people like Ulster Unionist Assembly member Edgar Graham - murdered by the IRA on the Queens University campus in 1983 - did not need to die in pursuit of their goal of a United Ireland.

"The murder of an elected politician at a seat of learning should be a reminder to Mr Corbyn of the fascist nature of the IRA and its campaign."

It is his first visit to Northern Ireland since being made party leader three years ago.

In his speech, Mr Corbyn also ruled out a border in the Irish Sea, and emphasised the importance for businesses of maintaining the status quo customs arrangements post-Brexit.

He also called for the revival of a contentious peace process mechanism to enable the UK and Irish governments to work together to save powersharing in Northern Ireland.

Mr Corbyn will urge Prime Minister Theresa May to reconvene the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference - a body that offers the Irish a consultative role in non-devolved matters concerning Northern Ireland.

After his speech at Queen's, the Labour leader will meet with business leaders at the Europa Hotel, and will be joined by shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer for a round-table economy discussion.The cousin of a Fermanagh teenager who died in an accident involving farm machinery says everyone thought the world of him.

Apprentice mechanic Neil Graham (17) was to be an usher at the summer wedding of Mark Ovens.

He lost his life in the tragedy at Boho Road near Enniskillen on Tuesday.

Mr Ovens described his cousin as a "typical Fermanagh young farm hand" who loved his home of Garrison.

"He was brilliant, really witty and very popular. Everyone thought the world of him," Mr Ovens said.

He described the teenager as a "typical mischievous 17-year-old" who owned a pet goat and pet chickens.

"He loved where he lived, he loved the outdoors and he loved getting his hands dirty," he added.

"He was a typical Fermanagh young farm hand who worked on the family farm.

"He and his father Eddie were very close.

"Neil was the youngest of four children."

The fatal accident occurred at a garage and involved a tractor.

The teenager had been a student at Portora Royal School in Enniskillen and had been working as an agricultural mechanic recently.

"Everyone liked him," Mr Ovens added.

"He had a massive family and he was very well thought of among all the cousins."

The PSNI attended the scene of the accident on Tuesday.

Police said: "The death is not being treated as suspicious at this time and the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI) has been informed."

The HSENI said: "HSENI is aware of an incident in the Fermanagh area and is making enquiries."

DUP leader Arlene Foster, an MLA for the area, expressed her condolences.

She said: "This is immensely sad news for the Garrison community.

"This was a well-known young man with his life in front of him who died in very tragic circumstances.

"Our thoughts turn to Neil's family who are mourning the loss of their son.

"They will feel the pain of his loss most acutely and they are very much in our prayers in the days and weeks ahead.

"Garrison is a close-knit area and I have no doubt the community will give help and support to the family as they grieve Neil's loss."

Local Ulster Unionist MLA Rosemary Barton said the teenager came from a well-respected and community-orientated family.

"The tragic loss of a young life like this is unbearable to contemplate," she said.

The pain that the family must be going through is totally unknown to most of us.

"This young man had a great and bright future ahead of him, which has been cut short in heartbreaking circumstances.

"My heart goes out to his parents and the entire family circle at this terrible time."

Fermanagh and Omagh Council vice chairman Alex Baird, a friend of the family, said he wanted to pass on his condolences also.

"When children die before their parents, it's a tragedy," he said.

Neil is survived by his parents Eddie and Joy, his brother Jonathan and his sisters Cherith and Rebecca.

His funeral will take place tomorrow afternoon at Garrison Parish Church followed by interment in the adjoining graveyard.Residents of the Markets area of south Belfast pictured outside the High Court in Belfast.

The decision to approve a new 55m office block beside an inner city housing district in Belfast was unlawful, a High Court judge ruled today.

Mr Justice McCloskey held that council planning officials failed to take relevant considerations into account when they granted permission for a development up to 14 storeys high in the historic Market quarter.

A further hearing on whether to formally quash the decision will now take place next week.

Jubilant residents and campaigners packed into the courtroom cheered and applauded as he delivered his verdict.

Members of the Market community brought the legal challenge against Belfast City Council for giving the go-ahead to the development at Stewart Street and East Bridge Street, near Central Station.

The 26,000 square metre Grade A office block is expected to create 350 construction jobs and generate permanent employment for 2,500 people.

But more than 200 households in the adjoining neighbourhood objected to the plans.

Insisting it would be invasive and overshadow homes in the inner city area, they mounted a campaign under the slogan 'Sunshine not skyscrapers'.

One resident, Elizabeth Conlon, issued judicial review proceedings on behalf of a wider group within the Market community.

An office tower on such a scale is in stark contrast to the traditional two-storey social housing in the area and inconsistent with its sense of community spirit, according to their case.

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During two days of arguments lawyers for the Market residents contended those who approved the construction were misinformed and failed to properly assess the impact on the area.

Further points centred on the impact and legal status following a separate case connected to the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan (BMAP)

Those proceedings resulted in BMAP being left in draft form and its predecessor, the Belfast Urban Area Plan (BUAP), remaining the statutory planning blueprint.

Mr Justice McCloskey held council officials failed to properly consider BUAP in reaching their decision.

"The legal consequence was that the planning committee erred in law by effectively treating BMAP as the adopted area plan for Belfast," he said.

Residents also succeeded on a second ground based on a Planning Appeals Commission recommendation that the site should be zoned for social housing.

The judge said that meant the decision to approve the office development was not fully informed.

Sinn Fein MLA Mairtin O Muilleoir, who accompanied residents in court, declared it "a brilliant decision for all of those who believe in a shared Belfast with space for everyone".

He added: "It's a thumbs up for a Belfast with an inclusive plan for development and regeneration."

Lawyer Nicholas Quinn of O Muirigh Solicitors, who represented the residents, said: "The judgment represents vindication of Mrs Conlon's decision to take these proceedings."ROSA NI campaigners to amend the 8th amendment to the Irish Constitution hold a banner outside Queens University Belfast's Wilta Hall Labour wear leader Jeremy Corbyn will give a lecture during his first visit to Northern Ireland as party leader. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 24, 2018.See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, delivers a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, delivers a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, delivers a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, delivers a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Sinn Fein members (left to right), Francie Molloy, Paul Maskey and Mickey Brady MP, attend Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's lecture at Queens University in Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 24, 2018. Mr Corbyn urged Prime Minister Theresa May to reconvene the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference - a body that offers the Irish a consultative role in non-devolved matters concerning Northern Ireland. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, leaves the stage after delivering a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neil arrives to hear Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn deliver a public lecture in the Great Hall at Queen's University Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 24, 2018. Mr Corbyn urged Prime Minister Theresa May to reconvene the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference - a body that offers the Irish a consultative role in non-devolved matters concerning Northern Ireland. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable George Hamilton listens as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers a public lecture in the Great Hall at Queen's University Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 24, 2018. Mr Corbyn urged Prime Minister Theresa May to reconvene the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference - a body that offers the Irish a consultative role in non-devolved matters concerning Northern Ireland. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn arrives at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn arrives at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since being elected as Labour leader three years ago. During his speech in Belfast he is expected to say he insists that he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn arrives at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since being elected as Labour leader three years ago. During his speech in Belfast he is expected to say he insists that he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (centre) and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Tony Lloyd MP (left) with Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor James McElnay (second from right), Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Internationalisation and Engagement at QueenOs University Professor Richard English (right), and Acting Registrar Wendy Galbraith at Queens University in Belfast where Corbyn is due to deliver a lecture during his first visit to Northern Ireland as party leader. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 24, 2018. Mr Corbyn urged Prime Minister Theresa May to reconvene the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference - a body that offers the Irish a consultative role in non-devolved matters concerning Northern Ireland. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is greeted by Professor James McElnay, Acting Vice-Chancellor at Queen's University in Belfast, ahead of delivering a public lecture in the Great Hall. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 24, 2018. Mr Corbyn urged Prime Minister Theresa May to reconvene the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference, a body that offers the Irish a consultative role in non-devolved matters concerning Northern Ireland. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with Professor Deirdre Heenan during a visit to Lifford Bridge on the Irish border, during the second day of a two-day trip to learn more about how Brexit affects the country. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (centre, obscured and back to camera) waves at a vehicle with Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Tony Lloyd (back to camera) during a visit to Lifford Bridge on the Irish border, during the second day of a two-day trip to learn more about how Brexit affects the country. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with Professor Deirdre Heenan (left) and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Tony Lloyd (right) during a visit to Lifford Bridge on the Irish border, during the second day of a two-day trip to learn more about how Brexit affects the country. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (right) speaking with SDLP politician Mark Durkan, SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan (left) and SDLP leader Colum Eastwood (third from left) after a Londonderry Chamber business breakfast on the second day of Mr Corbyn's visit to Northern Ireland as party leader. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with Professor Deirdre Heenan (centre) and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Tony Lloyd (right) during a visit to Lifford Bridge on the Irish border, during the second day of a two-day trip to learn more about how Brexit affects the country. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with Professor Deirdre Heenan (left) and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Tony Lloyd (right) during a visit to Lifford Bridge on the Irish border, during the second day of a two-day trip to learn more about how Brexit affects the country. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn gives the thumbs up after a visit to Lifford Bridge on the Irish border, during the second day of a two-day trip to learn more about how Brexit affects the country. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

DUP MP Sammy Wilson has said Jeremy Corbyn is unworthy of a single vote following his visit to Belfast today.

The East Antrim MP said the visit was missed opportunity with Mr Corbyn ignoring the chance to distance himself from the IRA and meet victims.

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The DUP accused Mr Corbyn of refusing to meet some of those bereaved at the hands of republican paramilitaries during the Troubles.

Jeremy Corbyn denied snubbing victims of the IRA on his first visit to Northern Ireland as Labour leader.

Jeremy Corbyns visit confirms what many people already thought about him," said Mr Wilson.

"His support for the break-up of the United Kingdom and refusal to engage with victims of republican terrorism come as little surprise. Neither would his desire to keep Northern Ireland entrapped within the European Union.

"He has had the opportunity to distance himself from the murderous cause which he gave support to in previous times. However he has not even tried to avail himself of the opportunity and in doing so, proven himself unworthy of a vote anywhere in the United Kingdom."

The claims came after DUP MP Gregory Campbell asked the Opposition leader if he would speak to those who lost loved ones to IRA violence during his two-day visit.

Mr Corbyn said he was only notified of the invitation on Wednesday, when his schedule had already been agreed.

He said shadow Northern Ireland secretary Tony Lloyd would be happy to meet victims' groups.

"It is absolutely not a snub," said Mr Corbyn.

"I did receive a letter from Gregory Campbell yesterday. We had already made the arrangements for this visit.

"Tony Lloyd, our shadow Northern Ireland secretary, will be meeting them."

Asked if it was time for him to clarify his stance on past IRA violence, Mr Corbyn said all victims of the Troubles needed support.

"All the victims of all the violence need to be respected and their families need that support and that's why Tony is going to be meeting them," he said.

Mr Campbell said he had extended an invite to Mr Corbyn on behalf of victims nearly two weeks ago.

"His interest in Northern Ireland over the years could not be described as balanced, but as the leader of Her Majesty's Opposition in Parliament it is important that he should hear a range of views when he arrives for his first visit as Labour leader," he said.

"There will undoubtedly be a focus on the border and as such I issued an invitation to Mr Corbyn to meet with people who live near the border.

"These are people affected by the terrorism which blighted Northern Ireland for so long and whose views must be heard as part of any attempt to achieve a balanced range of views.

"Jeremy Corbyn is well known for having avoided specific issues relating to terrorism in Northern Ireland. His answer that he 'condemns all bombing' when asked about IRA terrorism is somewhat reminiscent, if different in scale, to his comments that he 'condemns all racism' when asked about anti-Semitism.

"This would have been a very useful opportunity for Jeremy Corbyn to demonstrate just how willing he is to meet people who live and work in border areas, but whose views he may not have heard face to face before.

"Unfortunately, having emailed the invitation on the morning of 14 May, hand delivered that invitation and personally invited him in a face to face interaction yesterday (Wednesday), I am still without any substantive reply.

Jeremy Corbyn is live at Queens. Tune in and join the conversation. Posted by Queen's University Belfast on Thursday, May 24, 2018

"Yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon, Mr Corbyn's office emailed me asking for my direct number. I supplied it but I have never received a call. This appears to be a blatant and deliberate snub to innocent victims."

Mr Corbyn is set to finish his Northern Ireland visit in Londonderry tomorrow.The IRA signage erected outside the Royal Victoria Hospital has been taken down.

An IRA sign erected outside Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital's has been removed and disposed of.

A sign bearing the letters 'IRA' along with a machine gun appeared outside the hospital's pedestrian entrance.

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Local SDLP Councillors Donal Lyons and Tim Attwood removed the sign.

"No excuses, no justification, no place for paramilitary trappings in our city," Councillor Lyons said.

Expand Close IRA sign outside Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. Credit: SDLP / Facebook

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Whatsapp IRA sign outside Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. Credit: SDLP

"Into the dustbin of history you have gone and in the dustbin of history you should remain."

Councillor Tim Attwood said the SDLP would be meeting the PSNI to discuss similar signs in the area.

Hospitals should be a neutral space for patients and staff alike. Twenty years on from the Good Friday Agreement, which received an overwhelming endorsement from the people of this island, these groups still fail to recognise that their message and presence isnt wanted and will not be tolerated," he said.

The SDLP will be requesting a meeting with the PSNI to seek further clarification on plans for similar displays to be disposed off across the city."

Dee Fennell of Republican party Saoradh attacked the SDLP for condemning the sign.

"Attacks on displays incorporating IRA emblems from the SDLP have been and will be rejected by the vast majority of people living in west Belfast, a proud community that regularly hosts commemorations for Republican Volunteers," he said.

No excuses, no justification, no place for paramilitary trappings in our city.



Into the dustbin of history you have gone and in the dustbin of history you should remain. pic.twitter.com/YJAOI9kqxK  Donal Lyons (@DonalLyons) May 23, 2018ROSA NI campaigners to amend the 8th amendment to the Irish Constitution hold a banner outside Queens University Belfast's Wilta Hall Labour wear leader Jeremy Corbyn will give a lecture during his first visit to Northern Ireland as party leader. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 24, 2018.See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, delivers a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, delivers a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, delivers a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, delivers a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Sinn Fein members (left to right), Francie Molloy, Paul Maskey and Mickey Brady MP, attend Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's lecture at Queens University in Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 24, 2018. Mr Corbyn urged Prime Minister Theresa May to reconvene the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference - a body that offers the Irish a consultative role in non-devolved matters concerning Northern Ireland. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, leaves the stage after delivering a speech at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since he was elected as Labour leader three years ago, during his speech in Belfast he insisted the he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neil arrives to hear Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn deliver a public lecture in the Great Hall at Queen's University Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 24, 2018. Mr Corbyn urged Prime Minister Theresa May to reconvene the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference - a body that offers the Irish a consultative role in non-devolved matters concerning Northern Ireland. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable George Hamilton listens as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn delivers a public lecture in the Great Hall at Queen's University Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 24, 2018. Mr Corbyn urged Prime Minister Theresa May to reconvene the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference - a body that offers the Irish a consultative role in non-devolved matters concerning Northern Ireland. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn arrives at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since being elected as Labour leader three years ago. During his speech in Belfast he is expected to say he insists that he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 24: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn arrives at Queens University on May 24, 2018 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mr Corbyn was making his first visit to Northern Ireland since being elected as Labour leader three years ago. During his speech in Belfast he is expected to say he insists that he will not support any Brexit deal that supports a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (centre) and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Tony Lloyd MP (left) with Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor James McElnay (second from right), Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Internationalisation and Engagement at QueenOs University Professor Richard English (right), and Acting Registrar Wendy Galbraith at Queens University in Belfast where Corbyn is due to deliver a lecture during his first visit to Northern Ireland as party leader. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 24, 2018. Mr Corbyn urged Prime Minister Theresa May to reconvene the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference - a body that offers the Irish a consultative role in non-devolved matters concerning Northern Ireland. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is greeted by Professor James McElnay, Acting Vice-Chancellor at Queen's University in Belfast, ahead of delivering a public lecture in the Great Hall. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday May 24, 2018. Mr Corbyn urged Prime Minister Theresa May to reconvene the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference, a body that offers the Irish a consultative role in non-devolved matters concerning Northern Ireland. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with Professor Deirdre Heenan during a visit to Lifford Bridge on the Irish border, during the second day of a two-day trip to learn more about how Brexit affects the country. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (centre, obscured and back to camera) waves at a vehicle with Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Tony Lloyd (back to camera) during a visit to Lifford Bridge on the Irish border, during the second day of a two-day trip to learn more about how Brexit affects the country. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with Professor Deirdre Heenan (left) and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Tony Lloyd (right) during a visit to Lifford Bridge on the Irish border, during the second day of a two-day trip to learn more about how Brexit affects the country. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (right) speaking with SDLP politician Mark Durkan, SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan (left) and SDLP leader Colum Eastwood (third from left) after a Londonderry Chamber business breakfast on the second day of Mr Corbyn's visit to Northern Ireland as party leader. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with Professor Deirdre Heenan (centre) and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Tony Lloyd (right) during a visit to Lifford Bridge on the Irish border, during the second day of a two-day trip to learn more about how Brexit affects the country. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with Professor Deirdre Heenan (left) and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Tony Lloyd (right) during a visit to Lifford Bridge on the Irish border, during the second day of a two-day trip to learn more about how Brexit affects the country. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn gives the thumbs up after a visit to Lifford Bridge on the Irish border, during the second day of a two-day trip to learn more about how Brexit affects the country. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday May 25, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Corbyn. Photo credit should read: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Jeremy Corbyn has visited Northern Ireland for the first time as Labour leader. Below is his full address at Queen's University Belfast.

"Its great to be back in Belfast. This is my first visit as leader of the Labour party, and I am delighted to have the chance to be here for the next couple of days to reach out and talk to people from all communities and all backgrounds to discuss their hopes for the future and listen to their ideas about how all communities can continue to work together to build on the achievements of recent years.

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Id like first of all to thank Queens University for inviting me to speak this morning and in particular Professor Richard English for his kind introduction.

It was fascinating to talk to Richard earlier about the work being done at Queens, especially on a subject I am personally keen on: international engagement and dialogue.

So its an honour to receive such a warm welcome from a university which is open to students from all cultures, ethnic groups and social backgrounds who are all helping to make Queens a world leader across a range of fields.

For many people this university has been, and continues to be, a cradle of free speech and a champion of civil rights.

This is an iconic institution whose notable alumni include Nobel Prize winner Seamus Heaney, former Irish President Mary McAleese, as well as former first minister Lord Trimble  which brings me on to what I want to focus on today.

Twenty years ago this week, the people of both Northern Ireland and of the Republic of Ireland voted in a referendum to accept the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. That vote changed the course of history on this island and represented the clearing of the final hurdle of a long and difficult process that opened the door to two decades of sustained peace.

Jeremy Corbyn is live at Queens. Tune in and join the conversation. Posted by Queen's University Belfast on Thursday, May 24, 2018

Today I want to look back on those twenty years, look back at the sacrifice and courage shown at all levels of society that paved the way for something that had once seemed impossible. That was the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement.

We all need that spirit again. Stormont and Westminster parties, the British and Irish Governments, business and unions. If we want to secure twenty more years of peace, and greater prosperity for the many not the few.

It is wonderful to be able to say that many young people across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain do not remember a time when the bloody hand of conflict held a grip on our respective lands. Communities from Derry to Omagh to Warrington were afflicted by the plague of violence for a generation, leaving deep and long lasting scars for all those who lived through those troubled times.

All too often in that period, the willingness to use force and reach for weapons instead of dialogue and diplomacy inflicted unnecessary suffering on innocent people. So as we rightly celebrate the anniversary of the end to those years of violence, its important we remember the effort and determination it took on all sides to get where we are today.

I stand here as leader of the British Labour Party, a party that is proud of the part it played in helping to bring peace and stability to this region. Something many believed could never be achieved.

The transformation we have seen in Belfast alone since 1998 is remarkable. I visited this city long before todays peace became a reality, and have witnessed the very visible and cultural transformation that has taken place here.

Of course, first and foremost that is down to the determination and creativity of its great people. But it is also drew on a new confidence that emerged in the late 1990s, culminating in a political agreement that was skilfully crafted to create a framework to allow all sides to rebuild communities, develop the economy and foster social justice across society.

So what is it about the Good Friday Agreement that has so far proven to be durable? How did this treaty help convince people and underpin a cross-community consensus to put down the weapons and work together?

Primarily, I believe the main reason the agreement has proven robust is because it was built on the back of the spirit and determination of the men and women of these communities, who were no longer willing to tolerate the pain and division from which the Troubles had grown. And in turn this spirit fostered a courage that grew across all parts of society, from political leaders to working class communities. All had to be prepared to take risks and make sacrifices. All had to be willing to compromise. All knew the conflict must be brought to an end.

Of course there are some names that stand out during that period. Plaudits have been given in recent months to leaders on all sides who worked to broker the peace, and today I want to add my own words of respect, starting with Lord David Trimble and Reverend Ian Paisley. Both men who made brave efforts to bring their communities onside, and ultimately to embrace peace. I must also mention John Hume, a man who has dedicated his life to his people, civil rights and peace.

Those examples were set alongside heroes of mine, such as Inez McCormack, a woman who throughout her life overcame numerous obstacles to bring about change to her society. In 1976 Inez became the first female full-time official at NUPE, and then later became the first female president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.

Inez used her work through the trade union movement to play a pivotal role in the peace process, and we should never forget the campaigns she led to stand up for the rights of the most socially excluded in society. Its also right for me to pay tribute to both Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams, men who led the Republican movement from conflict to negotiation and diplomacy, arts they both mastered in the cause of peace.

I cant think of a greater sign of the progress made over the last two decades, when at Martins funeral last year, not only were there people in attendance from republican and nationalist communities, but also representatives of the loyalist and unionist side, including First Minister Arlene Foster.

It is also right to recognise the work of the British and Irish government leaders of the time, whose determination made the impossible possible. For that, both Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair should both be given credit for their work.

And finally, there is another person I also want to give special mention of today, somebody who, when remembering the anniversary of the Belfast agreement, is not always given the accolades she deserves. That is Mo Mowlam. Mos determination was vital in securing a lasting peace; her role, indispensable in bringing people together.

Only a few months ago I read an article by Mos stepdaughter Henrietta Morton, who expressed concern that Mos role was often downplayed. So on behalf of the Labour party, I want to make clear we will never forget Mos contribution, and neither, I think, will the people of Belfast or Dublin.

Of course there are many others we should thank, who like those I have mentioned all had one thing in common: they were willing to talk, to negotiate, to respect their opponents and walk in the other persons shoes.

Many of you will know, since 1983 I have represented a London constituency with a large Irish community, which led me to take a keen interest in the politics of Northern Ireland. I worked with colleagues in parliament  including the SDLP  and met people from across the spectrum, campaigning for peace and justice in Northern Ireland.

In 1993, Ian Paisley was expelled from the House of Commons for telling the truth: that the then Northern Ireland Secretary had told a falsehood. Now, of course, all MPs are honourable and you cannot accuse another MP of lying. So the Speaker expelled Ian Paisley. When an MP is expelled, there is a vote to endorse the expulsion. Reverend Paisley voted against his own expulsion, and I joined him  much to his surprise.

I remember the scene as I walked with him through the lobby. He looked me up and down with a sharp glare, before saying, in that unforgettable gravelly voice: What are you doing here?

You see, I have always believed that to bring about real change, to end conflict, to bring communities together, you have to talk to people with whom you dont agree. In 1998 we were fortunate to have leaders who were prepared to put that principle into practice.

Of course the Good Friday Agreement was not just about one day. I think we all knew at the time that the hardest part wouldnt be reaching an agreement, but instead it would be how we would implement that agreement, sustain it and create a peace that would truly last.

For that to happen, it was essential we recognised the traditions of each community, and recognised and respected the identity of people on either side of the divide. This was and still is important for strong and healthy long term relationships here, across communities and across borders.

Perhaps where the agreement was at it boldest was in its radical reform of Northern Irelands political and institutional structures, as well as in creating a framework for North-South relations, and the relationship between Britain and the Republic of Ireland. That gave all parties a basis to find a route out of a generation of conflict together.

For all the current problems and deadlock, there can be no doubt that devolution and power-sharing have given every community a voice and helped maintain the peace process.

Of course there are still plenty of disagreements, passionate debates and high emotions. But the Good Friday Agreement has allowed those conflicts to be played out in a democratic structure, underpinned by rights for all rather than through violence.

The agreement was also crucial in giving a commitment to and I quote: the mutual respect, civil rights and the religious liberties of everyone in the community. That sounds like something which today we might take for granted, but let us not forget that many communities before and during the Troubles were denied those basic human rights, and conflict inevitably dehumanises each side in the eyes of the other.

The reforms of key internal institutions also helped build trust. And the idea enshrined in the agreement that public bodies must demonstrate they are delivering equal opportunities across communities was and remains hugely important, as was the establishment of the human rights committee in protecting minorities from discrimination.

We must also not forget the weight the agreement gave to recognition of the suffering caused by violence in Northern Irelands past. And the move to establish the Northern Ireland Victims Commission helped both to promote reconciliation and preserve the memory of victims.

All of this brought a new beginning and laid the ground for the vital work of decommissioning of arms and the removal of military infrastructure.

But, as we stand here today in celebration of twenty years of peace, we must also recognise we are standing at a potential crossroads. It is right we celebrate the achievements, not least as it is those achievements we must use as a springboard for the 20 years to come.

We must neither be complacent, nor reckless. So I want to send this message to the people of this island: Labour is as committed to the Good Friday Agreement as we have ever been. It has served us well for twenty years and, with commitment and determination, will provide us with the framework for the next 20.

And with that in mind I want to make a plea to all parties and all sides. We must do all we can to make power sharing work again in Stormont. We need all sides to come together and make devolution work again. That means tough choices. It means compromise and give and take. But we owe it to the people of these islands not to allow political disagreements to open the way for any return to the grim days of the past.

Look at what Stormont has achieved. You resisted many of the worst aspects of this governments punitive social security policies using the powers provided by devolution. There is so much more that could be achieved. From a full-scale upgrade of the Northern Ireland economy and investment in good jobs for all communities, to the historic step of equal marriage.

But its not just the political parties here that need to renew their efforts. Political parties in Westminster must also do more. We cannot take for granted that this sustained period of peace will last forever. It takes effort to keep things moving.

Stormont must be an example throughout the world of how dialogue, negotiation and diplomacy can defeat conflict. Now lets show we can continue to build on that peace through democracy.

So if the current stalemate in Stormont cannot be sorted out in Belfast, I call on the UK government to reconvene the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference. We must step up to find a creative solution in the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement that avoids a return to direct Westminster rule, and lays the ground for further progress for all communities.

But to secure future prosperity and peace on these islands, we also need to talk about Brexit, and the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland in particular.

The British government is making a mess of these negotiations. Week after week it becomes clearer and clearer that they are too divided to make the right choices and too weak to get a good Brexit deal. They are negotiating with themselves, not the European Union. Driven by the free-market fantasists within their ranks, the reckless Conservative approach to Brexit is a very real threat to jobs and living standards here in Northern Ireland, and risks undermining and destabilising the cooperation and relative harmony of recent years.

So let me be clear, Labour will not support any Brexit deal that includes the return of a hard border to this island. We are also clear there must be no effective border created in the Irish Sea either. That is why Labour has put forward a plan that would go a long way to solving this issue, a plan for which I believe there is a majority in Westminster.

By negotiating a new and comprehensive customs union with the EU, which includes a British say in future trade deals, we can ensure trade on this island stays frictionless and free flowing and prevent communities being divided.

That, coupled with a new relationship with the single market, based on protecting and improving existing standards and rights, shows how Labour has the best plan to avoid the return of a hard border and achieve a Brexit deal that protects and delivers for all our people.

Tomorrow I will be visiting the border to talk to those communities who would be most affected by any change to current arrangements. And again I want to make a plea across both benches in Parliament in Westminster. Lets not give up years of hard fought cooperation and stability for the pipe dream of race-to-the-bottom free trade deals with the likes of Donald Trump.

The Conservative government talks about how technology could avoid a hard border under their plans, and how new systems can provide checks and collect tariffs. But even if that were true, it misses the point. Opposition to the idea of bringing back a hard border to this land isnt just about avoiding paperwork or tariffs, important though that is. Its about deep rooted cultural and community ties. An open border is a symbol of peace, two communities living and working together after years of conflict, communities who no longer feel that their traditions are under threat.

Theresa May has a hard decision to make. People here need clarity. If she can't face down the reckless ideologues in her own party, Labour will give Parliament the opportunity to do it instead. We will protect peace and prosperity by preventing the return of a hard border on this island.

Peace can and must be extended through real social and economic advances for all communities, with the state at regional and national level prepared to act to bring about a full-scale upgrade of the economy.

While many economic decisions for Northern Ireland are rightly decided in Stormont, a Labour government in Westminster would make sure that Northern Irelandhas more money to invest in its people and its public services. We will make sure the people of Northern Ireland do not miss out.

We are committed to supporting manufacturing in Northern Ireland. And Labours recent pledge to reverse the decision to put the 1 billion contract to build the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships out to international tender will keep jobs and prosperity in Britains shipyards and could benefit Belfast.

Dont listen to anyone who says we cant build things in this country any more. Shipbuilding is no lame duck, and can have a high tech, high skilled and exciting future right here in Northern Ireland.

And as we leave the European Union, it is essential we not only make sure our manufacturers have access to markets and on-time supply chains. We also need to make sure the communities of Northern Ireland continue to have access to vital funding for energy, research, agriculture and cultural projects.

Leaving the EU should not be used as an excuse to reduce investment and opportunity. On the contrary, we must use powers returned from Brussels to intervene, upgrade and reshape our economy for the 21st century, to deliver real social and economic advances for all our communities.

So in conclusion, we all have a lot of work to do. Im proud to be here in Belfast as leader of the Labour party, a party with a strong record in helping to deliver peace and greater prosperity.

I hope to use this visit to talk to people from different communities and listen to their concerns and hopes for the future. We are here to celebrate twenty years of peace, twenty years as an example to the rest of the world of how communities can turn conflict into co-operation.

Lets work together in the spirit of friendship, co-operation and hope for another twenty and beyond.

As Seamus Heaney once wrote.

History says, Dont hope

On this side of the grave,

But then, once in a lifetime

The longed-for tidal wave

Of justice can rise up,

And hope and history rhyme

Let the history of the last twenty years and our hopes for the future guide us as we make the history of the years to come.

Thank youJeremy Corbyn is set to speak at an event in Londonderry tomorrow

The DUP has hit out at Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for not meeting IRA victims during his two-day trip to Northern Ireland.

DUP MP Gregory Campbell last night said he had received no response from the Labour Party to several invitations he had extended to Mr Corbyn to meet those injured or bereaved in IRA attacks.

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A Labour source told the Belfast Telegraph that no snub was intended.

"Jeremy Corbyn's visit to Northern Ireland has been planned for some time, with arrangements in place weeks, not days ago," he said.

"We recently received a request to meet by email from Gregory Campbell MP.

"A Labour member of staff has been in touch with his office to let them know that at this late stage his request could not be met."

The East Londonderry MP said he first contacted Mr Corbyn about the matter 10 days ago.

He said it was important Mr Corbyn heard from a cross-section of society during his first visit to Northern Ireland as Labour leader.

"Unfortunately, having posted an invitation, emailed the same invitation, hand-delivered that invitation and personally invited him in a face-to-face interaction today, I am still without a response," Mr Campbell said.

Unionists have criticised Mr Corbyn for his stance on Northern Ireland and accused him of being too close to Sinn Fein.

They have also hit out at his response when asked by the media to condemn IRA violence specifically.

The Labour leader has replied generally and said he condemns all violence.

Mr Campbell said: "Jeremy Corbyn is due to speak at an event in Londonderry on Friday.

"His interest in Northern Ireland over the years could not be described as balanced.

"But as the leader of Her Majesty's Opposition in Parliament, it is important that he should hear a range of views when he arrives for his first visit as Labour leader.

"There will undoubtedly be a focus on the border and as such I have issued an invitation to Mr Corbyn to meet with people who live near the border.

"These are people affected by the terrorism which blighted Northern Ireland for so long and whose views must be heard as part of any attempt to achieve a balanced range of views."

Mr Campbell said that sitting down to talk with victims would "be a very useful opportunity for Jeremy Corbyn to demonstrate just how wiling he is to meet people who live and work in border areas, but whose views he may not have heard face to face before".

Mr Campbell accused the Labour leader of avoiding "specific issues relating to terrorism in Northern Ireland".

When asked if he condemned IRA violence specifically in a BBC Radio Ulster interview in 2015, he answered by saying "I condemn all bombing" and then, "I condemn what was done by the British Army as well as the other sides as well."

Mr Corbyn met former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams regularly at the height of the Troubles, when republicans were ostracised by many MPs.

A spokesman for Mr Corbyn yesterday confirmed that he still supported Irish unity which he said was backed by a majority of people on the island of Ireland.

He added: "But in the context of the Good Friday Agreement that can only come about through that constitutional process that is laid down in the agreement and Jeremy fully supports that."

Under the Agreement, a united Ireland requires majority support on both sides of the border.An investigation has been launched after a major pollution incident in which 100,000 gallons of slurry inadvertently released into a Co Tyrone river.

The incident occurred on the Owenreagh River near Dromore on Wednesday and it has been estimated 15 miles of water has been affected.

It happened when a slurry lagoon failed near Dromore.

In a statement the Loughs Agency said: "On Wednesday 23rd May, Loughs Agency received a call about a pollution incident on the Owenreagh River near Dromore, Co Tyrone.

"Agency staff located the source and are investigating the incident.

"Statutory samples have been taken and despatched for analysis.

"The investigation carried on during the night and the pollution has continued to move downstream into the Drumragh River.

"The Agency has unfortunately found evidence of dead fish.

"The Agency have deployed aeration equipment to re-oxygenate the water. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency has been advised of the incident and the investigation is ongoing."

The fish kill in the Strule is devastating. I have been in contact with the council who are working with other statutory bodies to limit damage. Aeration equipment is in place to reoxiginate the river. pic.twitter.com/byvT4oaZ0e  Chris Smyth PhD (@ChrisSmyth237) May 24, 2018

Ulster Unionist councillor Chris Smyth said hard lessons had to be learned from the incident.

The scenes which I have witnessed downstream in the Strule river highlight the devastation which has resulted from this pollution incident," he said.

"Omagh as a town is situated on the river side and has a deep affinity with it.

The local community has in recent times been very proactive in protecting the river and it is extremely disappointing to see so much of the good work undone by this pollution which has affected literally miles of the river.

The river will take quite a while to recover but I am confident that the Loughs Agency, the Environment Agency and the council will do everything possible to minimise the damage and manage the situation as best they can.

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Sinn Fein MLA Catherine Kelly expressed concern about the amount of fish that have been killed as a result.

She said: "Up to fifteen mile of river could be affected, including the Drumragh which is an important salmon river and the Strule. There is extensive damage and a huge number of fish killed between Dromore and Omagh.

I understand the Loughs Agency are investigating and taking emergency remedial action by aerating the river but it could take years for the river to repair itself.

It is important that a full investigation is undertaken to determine precisely what happened, so that this devastating environmental damage and fish kill can be avoided in the future."A murder investigation has been launched after a Romanian man who was seriously assaulted in Co Down died from his injuries.

Police have named the victim as 45-year-old fisherman Stefan Zait from Romania. It is understood he had lived in Northern Ireland for six years.

He was seriously assaulted by a man in Ardglass just before 11am on Tuesday morning.

Detective Chief Inspector Eamonn Corrigan said: Sadly Stefan Zait died this morning from the serious head injuries he received during a brutal and senseless attack in broad daylight on Tuesday morning.

I am now seeking information about his murder.

"I would like to hear from anyone who witnessed this violent incident during which Stefan sustained fatal injuries. He was attacked between 10.30am and 11am near the Downpatrick Road and Strangford Road in the village.

These are main roads in Ardglass and I would particularly like to hear from anyone travelling on buses in the area at the time who may have witnessed the assault or any motorists who may have captured the incident on their dashcams.

Stefan was originally from Romania and had been living in Northern Ireland for six years. He was making a living by working on the fishing vessels in the harbour. His family are devastated and they deserve to know what happened to him.

A 23-year-old man was arrested in relation to the incident a short time later but has since been released on bail pending further police enquiries.

A 20-year-old man arrested last night remains in police custody where he is currently being questioned by detectives.

SDLP councillor Colin McGrath said: I want to offer my sincere condolences to the family of this man who has now passed away in the most tragic circumstances.

"The entire community here has been shocked and saddened by this news. I want the family to know they are in our thoughts and prayers.

Anyone with information should contact detectives on 101 quoting reference number 377 22/05/18.Police are investigating after a 20-year-old man was shot in the legs in a paramilitary-style shooting in north Belfast.

Police received a report at around 10.40pm on May 17 that a man had been approached by three masked men in the Churchill Street area of New Lodge and was shot in the legs.

It is believed the incident happened at around 10.30pm.

The man was treated at the scene by paramedics.

Detective Constable Philip Cummings said: While thankfully this young man's injuries are not life threatening, this was a brutal attack and yet another example of how criminal groups seek to control communities through fear and violence.

Detectives are keen to hear from anyone who was in the Churchill Street area between 10:15pm and 10:40pm and saw any suspicious behaviour, or anyone with information about this crime or who may be able to help identify the perpetrators."

Anyone with information should contact detectives at Musgrave on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference 1555 of 17/05/18.The devastated family of a Co Tyrone father-of-three who died in a motorcycle accident in Thailand have described him as "a wild, free spirit" who "lived life to the full".

Drumquin man Davy Orr (47) died in the city of Pattaya during the early hours of Friday.

He had been living there with his second wife Lorm and their daughter Chalisa (13).

His grieving father Brian (70), who had traced Davy 18 years ago following his adoption as a baby, said the loss had been "very traumatic" for the family.

He added that Davy's death meant he had "lost him twice".

He revealed the family's trauma had been compounded after photos and videos of Davy's body lying at the crash scene were shared online.

"We have heard that Davy suffered a motorcycle accident when he went to get food for himself and Chalisa," the Coleraine man said.

"He was coming back with the food and we don't know what happened.

"We have read in news reports that he lost control, there was a trash can at the side of the road and he struck it.

"There was some sort of wooden structure dumped at the side of the road which acted as a ramp, he went up it and fell on a rocky area. He suffered a head injury.

"There was a pulse when they found him and they tried to revive him, but he passed away at the scene.

"A man appeared at the door of his house in Pattaya to tell Chalisa her dad had been killed in the accident.

"She is very traumatised and her school took her in to keep her safe.

"His wife Lorm was in northern Thailand and had to drive eight hours to get home.

"Chalisa rang through to my 14-year-old granddaughter here to tell us what had happened.

"It was about 2am here and she came in to wake us up, she was very upset. It's a big shock, he was so young. At least we did have those last 18 years. We have lost him twice - the adoption at the start and now this.

"We are all devastated, trying to get our heads round it."

He slammed the heartless onlookers who filmed his son after the accident and revealed the body may have been targeted by thieves.

"There are about three videos online and photos which were put up within the hour. It's adding to the family's grief," he said.

"Also, Davy always wore a Tag Heuer watch, he never took it off, and we think it was stolen from his body.

"You can see from the photos being shared that he doesn't have it on his arm."

In addition to Brian, and his family in Thailand, Davy is survived by his mother Anne, sisters Caroline, Susan and Gillian, his children Adam (17) and Nicole (15) from his first marriage, and his adoptive father Cecil Orr.

He was predeceased by his adoptive mother May.

Davy was a trader on the stock market who had spent years moving between Northern Ireland and Thailand.

He had worked in contract farming with rice harvesters in northern Thailand and at one stage owned a fish farm.

"Davy lived life to the full," his father said. "He had a saying: 'Life's for the living'.

"He had always had a love of Thailand and said he would die and be buried out there, so his funeral will be held out there.

"We are also in the process of organising a family gathering in Northern Ireland to remember him.

"He was a big character. If he was there, the craic would have been the best. I will remember him as a fun-loving big lad, a very strong man."

Caroline, Susan and Gillian also paid tribute.

"We were so happy to have met Davy, our big brother, around 18 years ago," they said.

"Nothing can make up for the time we lost in childhood, but we will cherish every moment we got to spend with him during those 18 years in later life.

"He was not just a big brother, but a true friend who we all shared a lot of fun and happy times with.

"He will never be forgotten and has left us with so many beautiful memories.

"He was a wild, free spirit and lived life to the full.

"He always told us: 'Life is too short, live it to the full'. He was caring and would run through walls for family and friends."

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are offering advice and support to the family of a British man following his death in a traffic accident in Thailand, and are in contact with the Thai authorities."The PSNI is facing calls to review its stop and search powers for teenagers after a report showed young males from deprived areas feel they are treated less fairly

The PSNI is facing calls to review its stop and search powers for teenagers after a report showed young males from deprived areas feel they are treated less fairly.

Researchers at Queens University, Belfast found those who defined themselves as Catholic and republican were more likely to see stop and search as a form of unnecessary harassment than their Protestant counterparts.

There is no suggestion the police are using their powers differently based on religion, but the research suggests young people experience use of the power differently.

The research team asked a representative sample of 16 year olds across Northern Ireland about their experiences.

Around 30,000 under 18s were stopped by the PSNI between 2010/11 and 2017/18.

The research found the PSNI were using the powers more frequently but with lower arrest levels compared to other UK regions.

Dr John Topping and Dr Dirk Schubotz co-authored the report for Queens. Dr Topping said those from urban and more deprived areas had significantly lower perceptions and experiences of fairness in treatment by the PSNI.

He added that 16 year olds who defined themselves as Catholic and republican were significantly more likely to perceive stop and search more negatively than their Protestant counterparts and think of the PSNI more negatively when they were stopped and searched.

While it measured perception rather than reality, Dr Schubotz said he hoped the report would lead to a review of current practice.

Paula Rodgers from Include Youth called for an urgent review of stop and search powers on children and young people.

Shockingly 90% of respondents said that no details of the stop and search were recorded on electronic devices and no receipt or record was provided, while 69% of those stopped and searched said they were given no clear reason why, she said.

Sinn Fein MLA Linda Dillon questioned if police were giving young people the correct information, if they were using their powers correctly and if proper records were kept. SDLP north Belfast councillor Paul McCusker said more needed to be done to improve relations between the PSNI and young people.

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Barbara Gray said: Our policing purpose is keeping people safe and we do this by policing with the community.

PSNI is fully committed to ensuring the fair, effective and legitimate use of these powers and welcome the comments presented in the research. We are all too aware that stop and search powers have the potential to bring officers into conflict with young people and seek to take every opportunity to engage with young people to allow them to share their experiences.Ratepayers stumped up more than 50,000 after Belfast City Council controversially removed, stored and then disposed of thousands of pallets collected for July 11 bonfires, it can be revealed

Ratepayers forked out thousands after Belfast City Council controversially removed, stored and then disposed of pallets collected for July 11 bonfires, it can be revealed.

The council took 2,500 pallets from the Bloomfield Walkway bonfire in east Belfast and 300 from the Hope Street bonfire in the south of the city last May with the clear-up costing over 50,000.

They were stored at council-owned Beechvale Farm on the Gransha Road, before a portion of the material was stolen the following month.

There had originally been an agreement that the pallets would be returned, but as the unofficial deal came to light the council took the decision to dispose of the material.

The costs were detailed in a report into the incident by former Northern Ireland Ombudsman Tom Frawley.

The report, which is only available in hard copy for the public to view, also details a number of recommendations for the future.

One of these has already been adopted by the council.

Last Friday it voted to allow its strategic policy and resources committee to take quick decisions on bonfire-related matters, instead of the usual system whereby all committee decisions must be approved at the full monthly meeting of the council.

Dr Frawley was asked to investigate events surrounding the council's handling of Eleventh Night bonfires last summer.

In his report, which was initially kept confidential, the costs of clearing the Bloomfield Walkway site were detailed.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close William Young used a drone to take this remarkable photo of the bonfire at Sandy Row. 11/07/2017 Sandy Row Photo: William Young Sandy Row Photo: William Young Roden Street Photo: William Young Shankill Photo: William Young The scene on Love Lane in Carrickfergus as the local community rebuild a bonfire after the original bonfire they build was burnt on Monday evening. Picture by Matt Mackey / presseye.com 10/07/2017 The scene on Love Lane in Carrickfergus as the local community rebuild a bonfire after the original bonfire they build was burnt on Monday evening. Picture by Matt Mackey / presseye.com 10/07/2017 The scene on Love Lane in Carrickfergus as the local community rebuild a bonfire after the original bonfire they build was burnt on Monday evening. Picture by Matt Mackey / presseye.com 10/07/2017 Pacemaker Press Belfast 11-07-2017: Final preparations takes place for the Bonfire on Sandy Row in Belfast .The bonfires will be lit in loyalist areas as part of Eleventh Night celebrations on Tuesday night. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 11-07-2017: Final preparations takes place for the Bonfire on Sandy Row in Belfast .The bonfires will be lit in loyalist areas as part of Eleventh Night celebrations on Tuesday night. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 11-07-2017: Final preparations take place for the Bonfire on Sandy Row in Belfast .The bonfires will be lit in loyalist areas as part of Eleventh Night celebrations on Tuesday night. Picture By: Arthur Allison. SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan posted this photo of one of his election posters on a bonfire and said he considers the action a hate crime. Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. [Photo: Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com] Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. [Photo: Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com] Masked men continue to build a bonfire at Inverary Playing Fields in Belfast. Police in Northern Ireland have warned their resources could be stretched amid growing fears of tension around the burning of Eleventh night bonfires. [Photo credit: Liam McBurney/PA Wire] PA Masked men continue to build a bonfire at Inverary Playing Fields in Belfast. [Photo: PA Wire 10/07/2017] PA A bonfire constructed across the road from a petrol station in Carrickfergus was set alight in the early hours of Tuesday morning. / Facebook

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The costs included:

2,500 for a NI Housing Executive contractor to remove 2,500 pallets.

4,992 for the clean-up.

An estimated 18,932 in staff costs, which the report noted were not additional costs.

It also details the cost of the Hope Street site:

538 for a Housing Executive contractor to remove 300 pallets.

4,662 for the clean-up.

An estimated 18,851 on staff costs, which again were noted as not being additional costs.

There were no storage costs.

The report also noted additional costs for removing and getting rid of material:

500 for VAT.

1,483 for the removal and disposal of material from the Bloomfield Walkway site on May 17, 2017.

Another 2,926 for the same on June 5, 2017.

1,097 for the removal and disposal of material from the Hope Street site on June 26, 2017.

Alliance councillor Michael Long said he was not surprised that the costs of dealing with just two bonfire sites had been so high, but suspected that many of the public would be.

He said the cost of the full clean-up operation following all the July 11 bonfires in Belfast would be significantly higher, and pointed out that the council also paid out tens of thousands of pounds to community groups as part of its bonfire management scheme.

"We take responsibility for cleaning up after all the bonfire, even ones not in the bonfire management scheme," he pointed out.

In his report, Dr Frawley acknowledged bonfires were "one of the more complex and difficult challenges facing public authorities in Northern Ireland" and that public bodies had to act in the absence of any political agreement over how to deal with the issue.

"As authorities come under political and community pressure from all sides for action, the reality is that there is no agreement, particularly across political parties, on what that action should entail," Dr Frawley wrote in the report's preamble.

He went on to note that some of the July 11 bonfires were significant events which can attract as many as 5,000 people, and yet were challenging for public bodies to manage.

"Concerningly, the structures and associated behaviours that affect bonfires sit outside the normal framework of insurance liability and public event management," he said.

"Potentially, this has major implications for those public authorities who own these sites where these bonfires may be located or having statutory responsibility for law and order, public safety (specifically fire safety), child protection, the environment, land use planning and the management of housing estates and public spaces, including roads.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh nightO bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Lower Shankill bonfire in west Belfast. [Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye 11-07-17] Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The 'eleventh nightO bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Firefighters near a lit bonfire on Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. PA The Lower Shankill bonfire in west Belfast. [Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye 11-07-17] Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye A quiet moment as the Sandy Row bonfire in south Belfast starts to die down. [Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye] Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Onlookers watch as firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images LISBURN, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Having finished school for the summer 13 year old Tyler Reid helps guard the Lisburn bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. The bonfires, which are lit on the stroke of midnight on the 11th night, mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades in Northern Ireland. The annual Orange marches celebrate the protestant King William of Orange's victory over the catholic English King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX *** BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: A Loyalist climbs the Conway street bonfire built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) ***BESTPIX*** Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Masked men continue to build a bonfire at Inverary Playing Fields in Belfast. Liam McBurney/PA Wire PA Masked men continue to build a bonfire at Inverary Playing Fields in Belfast. Police in Northern Ireland have warned their resources could be stretched amid growing fears of tension around the burning of Eleventh night bonfires. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Monday July 10, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Roden Street bonfire. The largest bonfire in Belfast. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Roden Street bonfire. The largest bonfire in Belfast. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Roden Street bonfire. The largest bonfire in Belfast. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Roden Street bonfire. The largest bonfire in Belfast. BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images LARNE, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: 'Hurka' the chief architect and builder of the Craigyhill bonfire takes a break from stacking pallets to pose with his creation whilst balancing on a ladder on July 10, 2017 in Larne, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Pastor Lucas Parks at his church in east Belfast close to the walkway bonfire on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Conway Street bonfire in West Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Conway Street bonfire in West Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Conway Street bonfire in West Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield Walkway bonfire site. Posters of Sinn Fein politicians are seen placed on a bonfire in the Shankill area of west Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images A wooden pallet is carried to a bonfire in the Shankill area of west Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires [Photo: Paul Faith /AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Bonfire builders Dean Neeson and Graeme Stewart carry wooden pallets to a bonfire in the Ballymacash area of Lisburn on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith /AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Posters of Sinn Fein politicians are seen placed on a bonfire in Shankill. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images A bonfire in the Ballymacash area of Lisburn.[Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images A bonfire is pictured in the Ballymacash area of Lisburn. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images A bonfire towers over the housing in the Ballymacash area of Lisburn. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Children play on a bonfire in the village area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires The Eleventh Night refers to the night before the Twelfth of July, an annual Protestant commemoration of the famous battle were Protestant King William III of Orange defeated Catholic King James II at the battle of the Boyne on July 12, 1690. / AFP PHOTO / Paul FAITHPAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images A Union flag flutters in the breeze in front of a bonfire in the village area of Belfast. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Former Bonfire builder Colin Tweedie, poses for a photograph beside a bonfire in the village area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Former Bonfire builder Colin Tweedie (R), inspects a bonfire in the village area of Belfast on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole in north Belfast on July 10, 2017 ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Avoniel Leisure Centre car park that has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire. East Belfast Bonfire at Avoniel Leisure Centre car park that has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire. / Facebook

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"In Belfast, the number of bonfires, coupled with the scale and siting of some, makes the task of Belfast City Council officers particularly challenging."

Last summer some residents were forced to evacuate a 10-storey tower block close to Sandy Row in south Belfast after flames from the nearby bonfire blew towards the building, causing damage.

In 2016 disaster was narrowly averted when embers from a bonfire at Hopewell Square set fire to two terraced houses near the pyre.

Mr Long said he remained hopeful over this year's bonfires.

"There has been an attempt to get more self-regulation, and there is an increasing use of the beacons, which create a lot less mess," he said.

"We would hope that this summer will be better."Walking too many dogs can result in a fine. (stock image)

An obscure rule that has been in force at Belfast City Council for five years has resulted in two people being fined... for walking too many dogs.

A Freedom of Information request reveals on two separate occasions in 2016, two people were fined 80 each for walking too many dogs in Belfasts Tullycarnet Park.

The fixed penalty notices were issued under The Dogs (Specified Maximum) (Belfast) Order 2012, which came into force in April 2013.

On land to which this Order applies, the maximum number of dogs which a person may take onto that land is four, the Order reads.

If fines are not paid within 14 days, the council is able to take the offender to court.

According the council figures, the council has only ever enforced the too many dogs rule twice on council land in Belfast since it came into force - both cases occurring in the same month (September 2016) and in the same park, Tullycarnet.

The order was created under The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (NI) 2011 and covers the Belfast City Council area, including all parks and open spaces.

When the rules were being discussed at City Hall back in 2013, the then-DUP councillor Christopher Stalford questioned the affect the rule would have on professional dog walkers.

Some claimed dog walkers could feel "discriminated against" under the new rules, according to council minutes.

Local councils in Northern Ireland have authority over dog licensing, fouling and straying and employ dog wardens to deal with incidents involving dogs on council land.

The Dogs (Specified Maximum) (Belfast) Order 2012 was created under the The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (NI) 2011, which allows local authorities to set a limit on the number of dogs a person may walk at any one time," a BCC spokesperson said.

"Four is generally accepted as the maximum number of dogs any one person may safely control.

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Earlier this week, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council had to apologise to a local woman after she was mistakenly told by the councils dog warden that a stray she had rescued had been put down.

Catherine Ward (22) was told the lurcher dog she found in the car park at Valley Park had been put to sleep despite her request that it was sent to the Dogs Trust, a charity which has a no kill policy.

It later emerged the dog was not dead and there had been a "miscommunication".The British Government has unlawfully failed to put in place a policy for holding a border poll in Northern Ireland, it was claimed in the High Court today.

Counsel for victims campaigner Raymond McCord argued current criteria for calling a referendum on Irish unity is too vague and left at the Secretary of State's "unfettered discretion".

The absence of a defined policy could lead to political instability, it was contended.

And Irish Senator Mark Daly, who attended the hearing in Belfast, also warned that without clarity any future vote could be open to manipulation.

Mr McCord, a staunch unionist, is mounting separate challenges in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland over the current arrangements for going to the public.

His case against the British administration questions the legality and transparency of the provisions for holding a border poll.

Under the 1998 Good Friday Agrement a referendum can be called if the Secretary of State believes a majority of people in Nothern Ireland no longer want to remain part of the United Kingdom.

Mr McCord, an outspoken critic of loyalist paramilitaries since a UVF gang beat his son Raymond Jr to death in 1997, is not pressing for such a poll.

But the Belfast man believes authority for calling such a significant ballot should not rest with one individual.

His barrister, Ronan Lavery QC, insisted a policy must be implemented to remove any uncertainty.

He told the court: "This way is just far too broad, it's an unfettered discretion with the Secretary of State on a key part of the principle of consent and self-determination."

As the hearing continued Senator Daly expressed his concerns about the impact lack of a defined policy could have on any future border poll.

The Fianna Fail representative, who served in the Good Friday Agreement implementation committee, said outside court: "There's too much power given to the Secretary of State, and there's a lack of clarity on the issue of who would be entitled to vote in the north on a referendum on a united Ireland.

Without clarity he claimed, there was a risk of "manipulating the register to such a degree that it would predetermine the outcome".

Mr McCord stressed that he took the case to remove the "fear factor" from politics.

He said it was to ensure no party can use the issue of a border poll to "stir the sectarian pot" or engage in any secret deals with English-based politicians.

"Let's have no more orange and green rhetoric on it, this is the biggest decision to be taken since the formation of Northern Ireland, " he added.

"A border poll decision must not rest on the guesswork of one individual from England or back door deals."

His solicitors, Ciaran O'Hare and Paul Farrell of McIvor Farrell, insisted certainty was needed on the issue.

They said: "In the absence of government policy we are exposed to political trade winds and uncertainty."

Following submissions the judge, Sir Paul Girvan, reserved his decision on the challenge.Arts organisations fighting funding cuts in Northern Ireland are to discuss their strategy for survival in a meeting this afternoon.

Arts Matter NI represents a range of local groups and has been highly critical of cutbacks in the creative sector.

Meeting in the Grand Opera House in Belfast, the next step in its campaign and future strategy for the arts sector will be examined.

Last month the Arts Council of Northern Ireland announced funding of 13.1m for the sector in 2018/19 - a cut of 4.7%.

This meant reductions for 43 out of 100 groups who depend heavily on the money, with another seven having their funding stopped entirely.

Conor Shields, who is convenor of Arts Matter NI, said the creative industry in Northern Ireland was being "decimated" year after year.

"This is the largest, most representative campaign the arts have seen here. We are galvanising our representatives, looking to the future and developing our messages," he said.

In recent months the advocacy group has repeatedly clashed with the chair of the Arts Council, John Edmund, after he gave a speech suggesting the sector should diversify its funding sources and not rely as heavily on public handouts.Police in the Republic are investigating whether twisted killer Mark Hennessy was using dating apps and websites and even if he had attempted to contact his victim online.

A massive probe was still continuing last night in Co Wicklow into the brutal murder of tragic Jastine Valdez (24).

A phone which had been "broken up" by Hennessy is said to be central to the investigation.

Officers last night also officially appealed for information about Ms Valdez's blue shoulder bag which contained an Apple mini iPad. Gardai believe this device may have details crucial to their investigation.

Intensive searches continued yesterday near Puck's Lane Castle, close to where Ms Valdez's body was found on Monday afternoon.

"Of course trawling through social media is playing a major part in this investigation. And yes dating websites and all kinds of internet activity is being examined by investigators," a senior source said last night.

"Gardai have the suspect's laptop and his damaged phone as well as other devices.

"They now need to examine her iPad and this might finally come to some kind of closure. It has been very difficult for all involved," the source added.

A post-mortem exam showed the student had been strangled, but Gardai do not know yet if she was sexually assaulted before she was murdered.

Officers took the step last night of issuing a photo of her bag in a bid to track it down.

"We are particularly interested in the whereabouts of a blue shoulder bag and an Apple Mini iPad belonging to the victim," a garda spokesperson said last night.

"We are continuing our appeal for information regarding the movements of the black Nissan Qashqai, registered number 171 D 20419, and the driver of this vehicle Mark Hennessy, between 5pm on Saturday, May 19, and 8pm on Sunday, May 21."

Hennessy was fatally shot in the shoulder by a highly respected detective in Cherrywood Business Park in south Dublin on Sunday night after he threatened an unarmed garda with a knife.

This has led to an investigation by the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) who released information about the tragedy last night.

Hennessy's death was caught on camera footage from a garda traffic car at the scene.

A spokesperson for GSOC said: "A garda service weapon was recovered from the scene by GSOC. The remaining ammunition and one spent cartridge was located in the firearm.

"A Stanley knife was subsequently recovered from the vehicle, the Nissan Qashqai, which had been the subject of a garda alert in the preceding hours."A disused customs post at the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in Middletown, Co Armagh (Brian Lawless/PA)

The Taoiseach has said Ireland is not making any preparations for customs checks at the border, insisting that they will not be needed.

Leo Varadkar said that he was confident that the EU and the UK would be able to resolve the border issue despite the looming deadlines on a deal.

The UK has yet to present customs proposals in written form to EU negotiators following a summit in Sofia, Bulgaria earlier this month.

Had an excellent bilateral meeting with Belgian PM @CharlesMichel in Govt Buildings this afternoon. We discussed trade, the new EU Budget, CAP, the banking union & the digital single market. And of course we discussed Brexit, which will heavily impact both of our countries. pic.twitter.com/n83aWSqjmx  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) May 24, 2018

Mr Varadkar made the comments after a bilateral meeting with Belgian prime minister Charles Michel in Dublin on Thursday.

He said the EU-27 needed to see significant and substantial progress on the text of the backstop before the June European Council meeting if Europe had a chance of making the October deadline for a deal.

The withdrawal agreement is going to be a legally binding agreement so we really need to see it written down now, written down in a form thats operable and legally implementableLeo Varadkar

We dont yet have firm proposals that are in black and white that we can negotiate on, said Mr Varadkar.

Thats what were still waiting for.

The Taoiseach said Brexit was less than a year away and that progress needed to be made.

The withdrawal agreement is going to be a legally binding agreement so we really need to see it written down now, written down in a form thats operable and legally implementable, Mr Varadkar said.

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We dont yet have that from London.

Mr Varadkar insisted there would be no physical checks at the border.

We define that as there not being any physical infrastructure or associated checks or controls, Mr Varadkar said.

If technology was to involve cameras, for example, that is not something we could accept because thats the physical manifestation of a border.

He added: Certainly we are making no preparations for a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland because we dont believe it will happen.

The Belgian PM visited the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland on Thursday morning.

Mr Varadkar said they discussed the Good Friday Agreement and the need to protect it in all its parts.

Mr Michel said Ireland had the EU and Belgiums support in retaining an open border.Ranger Michael Maguire died after coming under machine gun fire during an exercise at the Castlemartin Training Area (Peter Byrne/PA)

An Army officer accused of the manslaughter of a young soldier who was shot in the head during a training exercise allegedly said after the incident Ive messed up havent I?, a court martial heard.

Ranger Michael Maguire, of the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment, died after coming under machine gun fire during an exercise at the Castlemartin Training Area in Pembrokeshire in May 2012.

The 21-year-old, from County Cork, Ireland, was shot in the forehead and killed during training that was preparing the troops for deployment to Kenya.

Captain Jonathan Price, 32, now of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish, is accused of the manslaughter by gross negligence of Rgr Maguire through his failure to set up and supervise a safe exercise.

The prosecution alleges he failed to attend a recce of the range when preparing a Range Action Safety Plan (Rasp), that he placed targets too close together, and he failed to deconflict the two exercises.

Lieutenant Colonel Richard Bell, 45, and Warrant Officer Stuart Pankhurst, 40, are both accused of negligently performing a duty.

Lt Col Bell, the senior planning officer, is accused of failing to review or counter-sign the Rasp produced by Capt Price, and failing to supervise or support him.

WO Pankhurst, who was supervising the exercise involving Rgr Maguire in area 10A, is accused of failing to express any caution or concern despite having attended the recce and having knowledge of the extent of the adjacent shooting in area 10B.

Steven Philipps-Harries, a range officer at Castlemartin, told the court martial in Bulford, Wiltshire, of a conversation he had with Capt Price in the aftermath of the fatal shooting.

We looked to the extreme left where the grass was to show him how out of arc his targets wereSteven Philipps-Harries, retired Army warrant officer

Mr Philipps-Harries, a retired Army warrant officer and now a Ministry of Defence employee, explained how, after being alerted to an incident, he had driven to the range and went to find Capt Price, and saw some targets sticking in the sand.

I said what is that target over there, and he said it is a switch-fire target.

He took me to the position where he had triangulated the target from, Mr Philipps-Harries said.

We looked to the extreme left where the grass was to show him how out of arc his targets were and you could quite clearly see where the casualty was.

I said, you can see how out of arc your targets are. He said Ive messed up havent I? What do you think will happen to me?

I said I didnt know.

Mr Philipps-Harries said he left the range to check the submitted Rasp because he had seen a GPMG machine gun at area 10A and spoken to WO Pankhurst about it.

I went back to the office as I didnt remember seeing anything about a GPMG being fired so I went back to satisfy my own curiosity, he said.

Nigel Lickley QC, prosecuting, asked him: Not being on the Rasp  does that mean it was planned or unplanned activity?

Mr Philipps-Harries replied: Unplanned.

He told the court he had briefed Capt Price on his arrival for the week-long exercise about the different ranges at Castlemartin and introduced him to his range warden.

Mr Philipps-Harries also told the board that he checked the Rasp that Capt Price gave him, particularly the medical evacuation plan.

We were not instructed to check for gross errors, but checking it I noticed there had not been a signature from the senior planning officer, he said.

There had been a new format about how Rasps had to be produced and this one was not following that.

I said to him in the future that he needed to use the correct Rasp format.

Earlier the court heard from Adrian Boyd, who said Capt Price had briefed all the soldiers before the exercise started, and he had also received another briefing from his section commander.

Under cross-examination Mr Boyd, who has since left the Army, accepted he was absolutely content with the briefings he had received and to go on to the range.

All three defendants deny the charges and the trial before a board of seven senior officers continues.Leo Varadkar with Fine Gael colleagues ahead of the referendum on the 8th Amendment of the Irish Constitution. (Niall Carson/PA)

Voting Yes to liberalising Irelands strict abortion rules would help remove the countrys legacy of shame over its treatment of women, the Taoiseach said.

Thousands of women seek terminations in Britain because they are prohibited from obtaining them in Ireland unless their lives are in danger.

Residents of 12 Atlantic islands off the mainland began casting their votes on Thursday in a referendum on whether to repeal the Eighth Amendment of the constitution which prevents the Irish Government from legalising the procedure.

The rest of Ireland votes on whether to reform some of Europes strictest laws on Friday.

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Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: There has been in Ireland a legacy of shame in many ways.

The fact that 170,000 women have had to travel, sometimes in secret, to another jurisdiction to end their pregnancies.

I hope that a Yes vote will help to lift that stigma and help to take away that legacy of shame that exists in our society.

Around 2,000 residents on islands off Counties Donegal, Mayo and Galway went to the polls on Thursday, a day ahead of the rest of the country to avoid delays in getting their votes to count centres in time.

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If people vote Yes in the referendum, the Government intends to allow terminations within the first 12 weeks, subject to medical advice and a cooling-off period, and between 12 and 24 weeks in exceptional circumstances.

The Taoiseach said: If there is a Yes vote Ireland will be the same place, just a place thats a little bit more compassionate and a little bit more understanding than it has been in the past.

He added: Were really encouraging everyone to come out and vote on Friday in what is a once-in-a-generation decision for the Irish people.

On Friday, you will be asked: do you want to remove the 8th amendment from the Constitution, Yes or No? If you vote Yes, a safe, doctor-led, regulated system for the terminations will be introduced. It will be much much more restrictive than the UK system #PKShow  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) May 23, 2018

Air Corps helicopters assisted in transporting ballot boxes to some of the offshore communities on Thursday.

On Gola Island in Donegal, the polls opened shortly after 11am for the 29 registered voters to have their say.

Presiding officer Nancy Sharkey and Guard Pat McElroy took the ballot box on the 10-minute boat journey over to the island and carried it off the boat, avoiding fishing tackle and passing a grotto to the Virgin Mary.

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The polling station was opened in the whitewashed home of Jimmy Sweeney, 65, who has lived on the island all his life.

He said there was a lot of interest in the vote while his son Hugh, 26, acknowledged it meant a lot to young people.

More than 3.2 million people are registered to vote and thousands are travelling home to Ireland from as far away as Latin America and Asia to cast their votes.

I'm voting Yes on Friday for all the women in my life; my mum, my sisters and my female friends, including the friend who told me about her own abortion. I think they all deserve safe & compassionate care here at home. #VoteYes #Together2Vote #PKshow  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) May 23, 2018

Aoife Bennett, 25, an editor with a travel magazine based in Dortmund, Germany, will be making the journey back to Dublin then returning in less than 24 hours.

She tweeted: Im flying home for not even 24 hours to vote for this. Anyone Ive said this to hasnt called me a muppet. Or insane. Theyre thanking me.

This is the most important referendum we may ever face. Of course I was coming home.

The No campaign also made a final plea ahead of Fridays vote, calling the proposed legislation the most far-reaching abortion laws any Irish government has ever proposed in the history of the state.Thousands of people are travelling home to Ireland from as far away as Latin America and Asia to cast their votes in Fridays abortion referendum.

Eager voters took to Twitter to document their travels to have their say on the eighth amendment  a law banning abortion in almost all circumstances.

Ciaran Gaffney, based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, spotted four of his countrymen on a plane home to vote.

Was actually so humbled and relieved to meet four other Irish people on the flight from Buenos Aires to London, all of them flying onwards to Dublin today or tomorrow to #voteyes. #hometovote #together4yes  Ciaran Gaffney (@gaffneyciaran) May 23, 2018

He tweeted: Was actually so humbled and relieved to meet four other Irish people on the flight from Buenos Aires to London, all of them flying onwards to Dublin today or tomorrow to #voteyes.

Aisling Hayes journeyed all the way from Singapore to make it home for the referendum.

She tweeted: Starting the long journey home from Singapore to vote. Worth every penny to contribute to create a better, fairer and equal Ireland. #hometovote #repealthe8th.

Starting the long journey home from Singapore to vote. Worth every penny to contribute to create a better, fairer and equal Ireland. #hometovote #repealthe8th pic.twitter.com/GAHNE33mZ1  Aisling Hayes (@aislingmhayes) May 24, 2018

Aoife Bennett, 25, an editor with a travel magazine based in Dortmund, Germany, will be making the journey back to Dublin to vote then making the return journey in less than 24 hours.

She tweeted: Im flying home for not even 24 hours to vote for this. Anyone Ive said this to hasnt called me a muppet. Or insane. Theyre thanking me. This is the most important referendum we may ever face. Of course I was coming home.

I'm flying home for not even 24 hours to vote for this. Anyone I've said this to hasn't called me a muppet. Or insane. They're thanking me. This is the most important referendum we may ever face. Of course I was coming home. #hometovote #RepealTheEighth #Repeal  Aoife  (@PrettyPPD) May 22, 2018

She told the Press Association: This referendum is about giving women the respect we deserve. I cannot believe that, in this sense, Ireland is held back by values that are over 100 years old.

She said that a year ago her mother was diagnosed with cancer, but was told by doctors that if she were pregnant she would not be given the life-saving treatment she needs.

Ms Bennett said: It makes me shiver to think that if she had been diagnosed 26 years ago, or 21  my brothers age  we could have killed her because we would have been seen as more important.

She continued: Anyone who is undecided, I would take yourself out of it and think of the women you love in your live.

Your mother, daughter, sister, niece, friend, whatever she is to you. In the future, if she comes to you saying she is in a crisis pregnancy, would you want to be able to say you have done everything in your power to help her?

Or would you want to tie the shackles on her hand even tighter?

Elsewhere, travel writer Alice Murphy, who covers the Philippines and Australia, offered to stump up the cash for another person to travel home from the UK to vote yes because she could not make it herself.

Irish working in the UK: if there is anyone who can fly home to vote on Friday but doesnt have the money, please DM me - I will pay for your flights home as I cant come home myself. #HometoVote #Repeal8th #TogetherForYes  Alice Murphy (@alicemurphy13) May 23, 2018

She tweeted: Irish working in the UK: If theres anyone who can fly home to vote on Friday but doesnt have the money, please DM me  I will pay for your flights home as I cant come home myself. #HometoVote #Repeal8th #TogetherForYes.

Many people living in Ireland offered to help those travelling home in any way they could.

Paraic ODonnell, author of The Maker Of Swans and The House On Vesper Sands, decided to act as a free taxi service from Dublin airport to reduce costs for people who had made it back to vote.

If youre coming #hometovote in south Dublin or north Wicklow, Ill pick you up from the airport. DMs will be open for the duration.#repealthe8th #together4yes  Paraic O'Donnell (@paraicodonnell) May 24, 2018

He told the Press Association: This is a really tiny contribution  there are activists who have given years of their lives to make this happen  I dont want to overstate my role.

This is a historic moment for us. Its an opportunity to correct a historic injustice and I dont want to look back and wonder if there was more I could have done.

Its a way of showing that we are standing with these women and we wont neglect them and that we are there in their darkest hour and we wont leave them on their own  we are going to stand with them and take care of them.

Mr ODonnell travelled from his home in Wicklow to offer lifts to anyone who needed one.

Eve Geddie, 37, who works with a migrants rights organisation in Brussels, made the journey back with her two young children.

She told the Press Association: Its really important for the country. Ireland introduced this amendment in the 1980s  since then weve legalised divorce, weve legalised gay marriage and this is the next change we need to make.

She said that people who vote no were only really voting against safe, legal abortions within Ireland, as women would either travel, turn to backstreet abortionists or dangerous pills obtained online.



She said as part of her job she had travelled to Malta and Poland where abortion is also banned.

Our research found that many migrant women who didnt have proper access to reproductive healthcare were obtaining backstreet abortions  this was a group that couldnt travel. Poor women and girls.

She continued: Historically there have always been groups that have suffered more, whereas some people are able to book a flight and a hotel. Thats why its important to me.The Brexit Select Committee has issued a strongly-worded report on the lack of progress made on customs arrangements (Victoria Jones/PA)

The UK may be forced to remain in the EUs customs union beyond 2020 because of the Governments failure to set out alternative plans, MPs have said.

The cross-party Commons Exiting the European Union Committee has issued a withering report on Prime Minister Theresa Mays efforts to find a replacement customs system and concluded that extending the current arrangement is the only viable option left.

The MPs said it was highly unsatisfactory that ministers had yet to agree on the trading and customs arrangements they wanted to achieve after Brexit.

Twenty-three months after the referendum and 14 months since the triggering of Article 50, we still dont know what the UKs future relationship with the EU will be on trade, services, security, defence, consumer safety, data, broadcasting rights and many other thingsBrexit Committee chairman Hilary Benn

Existing rules are set to be extended during the transition period from the date of Brexit in March 2019 until the end of 2020.

But the Brexit Select Committee said the lack of progress on alternatives, and the need to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, meant ministers may have to accept an extension for the customs union beyond that date.

On Wednesday, it emerged that businesses could be left up to 20 billion worse off if the customs plan favoured by Brexiteers is implemented.

The so-called max fac plan to use modern technology to solve the Irish border question would leave firms facing huge charges for customs declarations and for EU rules of origin, according to HM Revenue and Customs chief Jon Thompson.

Jon Thompson (CEO, HMRC) told us "to think about the highly streamlined customs arrangement [new customs partnership] costing businesses somewhere in the late teens of billions of pounds [...] Somewhere between 17 and 20 billion." Watch the full session: https://t.co/1ou1xwBWqF pic.twitter.com/bWeuF456E1  Treasury Committee (@CommonsTreasury) May 23, 2018

In contrast, the second option  the new customs partnership (NCP) believed to be favoured by the Prime Minister  would cost a maximum of 3.4 billion and may end up having a net cost of zero or less.

But neither model is expected to be ready when the proposed transition period expires at the end of 2020.

The Exiting the EU Committees report noted that, while Brexit Secretary David Davis had ruled out remaining in the customs union, in the absence of any other plan, such an extension will be the only viable option.

The cross-party group was split over a key paragraph of the report containing some of the most trenchant criticism of the Government, with three Tory members of the committee failing in a bid to water down the language used.

The report noted that the Government had not yet agreed which customs model it prefers despite this being absolutely integral to the future EU-UK relationship and the UKs trade relationship with the rest of the world.

There is disagreement in Cabinet over which option to pursue, while it has been reported that the European Union has rejected both proposals on the grounds that they are seen as unworkable, the report noted.

It added that the Government appeared to accept that each model is deficient, as it has conceded that more work on both is required.

The MPs also called for ministers to set out the Governments version of the backstop proposal to address the Irish border issue  which will come into effect if no alternative is found  as a matter of urgency.

Today we heard from @DExEUgov about the progress of UK-EU negotiations, including the Governments customs union proposals on customs arrangements.



Watch the full session here: https://t.co/rNgabGvsfn pic.twitter.com/vfXmJboKT7  Future Relationship with the EU Committee (@CommonsFREU) May 23, 2018

Committee chairman Hilary Benn said: We are rapidly running out of time to get new trade and customs arrangements in place.

Given that ministers are indicating that neither of the two options being discussed are likely to be ready by December 2020, when the transition period ends, the UK will in all likelihood have to remain in a customs union with the EU until alternative arrangements can be put in place.

He added: Twenty-three months after the referendum and 14 months since the triggering of Article 50, we still dont know what the UKs future relationship with the EU will be on trade, services, security, defence, consumer safety, data, broadcasting rights and many other things.

The clock is now running down and Parliament will need clarity and certainty by the time it is asked to vote on a draft withdrawal agreement in the autumn. We wait to see whether the promised white paper next month will provide it.

On citizens rights, the report noted that the Governments handling of the Windrush generation scandal had undermined trust in the ability of the Home Office to be able to handle the process of settling the citizenship status of EU nationals living in the UK.

But the MPs noted that, while the UK had at least set out the general structure of its settled status application process, there was little sign that the other 27 EU member states had engaged in the same level of organisational planning for UK expats.The UK believes the Kremlin was behind a hoax call targeting Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

Russian pranksters pretended to be the Armenian prime minister in a call to Mr Johnson, during which he discussed the UKs relationship with Moscow and the nerve agent attack on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

Pranksters Alexei Stolyarov and Vladimir Kuznetsov  known as Lexus and Vovan  have claimed a series of high-profile victims including politicians and Sir Elton John.

Critics claim they have links to the Russian security services and a senior UK diplomatic source said: This seems to be the latest desperate attempt by the Kremlin to save face after it was internationally shamed in the wake of the Skripal attack.

Boris rumbled them pretty quickly and ended the call.

It is tragic to see a major international power reduced to failed pranks you would usually only see on Trigger Happy TV.

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The Guardian reported that during the 18-minute call one of the pair pretended to be Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan.

Mr Johnson congratulated him on his remarkable success and said: Obviously we had hoped to have better relations with Russia than we currently do, Im afraid Russia seems to be unable to resist malign activity of one kind or another.

He added: If I have a message to Putin, its that we dont want a Cold War but we do want to see an improvement in the way Russia behaves.

Asked whether he was sure Vladimir Putins Russia ordered the Salisbury nerve agent attack on the Skripals, Mr Johnson said: We are, like, almost 100% sure. We will be able to do more to illustrate that.

The use of chemical weapons in Salisbury and Syria, and recent events in Armenia are serious matters. These childish actions show the lack of seriousness of the caller and those behind himForeign Office spokesman

I think its very important for the Russians to know that, certainly the UK, is absolutely determined to stand firm against them.

We will continue to tighten the squeeze on some of the oligarchs who surround Putin you throw a stone in Kensington and youll find youll hit an oligarch.

Some of them are close to Putin and some of them arent.

The fact that a prankster was able to speak directly to a Cabinet minister will cause red faces in the Foreign Office and raises concerns about security, particularly given the subject matter of the call  although Mr Johnson does not appear to have revealed any sensitive information.

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Mr Stolyarov told the Guardian he was impersonating Mr Pashinyan in the call, and said he had also spoken to Europe minister Sir Alan Duncan before the call with Mr Johnson.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: The Foreign Secretary realised it was a hoax and ended the call.

We checked it out and knew immediately it was a prank call. The use of chemical weapons in Salisbury and Syria and recent events in Armenia are serious matters.

These childish actions show the lack of seriousness of the caller and those behind him.

Downing Street said there would be a Whitehall investigation into how the caller was able to get through to the Foreign Secretary.

Obviously this shouldnt have happened. An investigation is under way to determine the circumstances around this call and to make sure that this does not happen again, a No 10 spokeswoman said.By Ritah Kemigisa.

Corruption, fraudulent sale of land and the increasing population has been reported as one of the key drivers of land conflicts in the country.

Releasing a Uganda Human rights commission report on Land disputes and human rights in selected regions of Uganda, the lead researcher Kamadi Byonabye said corruption and bribery was observed at all levels of Land administration right from the LC courts, police, judiciary and traditional leaders.

According to Byonabye the increasing population coupled with urbanization and increased infrastructural developments like road constructions have also made the competition for land stiff and increased land grabbing.

He now recommends that the land commission to ensure all lands is surveyed before encroachment.

However Dr Zahara Nampewo a law don from Makerere University has faulted flaws in the current laws for perpetrating conflicts in the country.

The report was carried out in 2017 in selected 12 districts among them Mubende, Bududa, Katakwi, Mubende and Buliisa.Georgina Shomroni, who took part in a clinical trial to identify early signs of dementia after witnessing the impact of the condition on her family, with her mother Maisie (National Institute for Health Research/PA)

Medical researchers are hoping to bust some of the myths and mystery surrounding clinical trials in an effort to get more much-needed volunteers.

With 85% of people saying they want to help the NHS find better treatments, but only 14% having ever taken part in a clinical trial, there is a gap which urgently needs to be filled if we want to continue offering our patients world-leading healthcare, said Simon Denergi, head of the NHS research arm.

Mr Denergi, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) national director for patients, carers and the public, stressed that research remains one of our best chances to develop the care and treatment we receive in the future.

Cancer, Alzheimers or dementia and genetic diseases were named by adults as the illnesses which should be the NHSs top research goals in the next 30 years.

NIHR data of 2,000 adults shows that 23% wrongly think clinical trials are only for people who are ill, 58% think children cannot take part in trials, 38% think all trials involve testing a new drug and 66% think people have to be invited to take part.

The figures also showed that 27% of people thought trials only took place in hospitals, 40% do not realise that most hospitals in England stage trials and that 40% do not know that patients and the public can help to design trials.

In addition, 56% of adults said fears about treatment safety stopped them volunteering but 87% of patients who took part in research had a positive experience, according to the NIHR.

Asked what should be the NHSs top research priorities for the next 30 years, 68% said cancer, 58% opted for Alzheimers or dementia and 32 said genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis.

Mohsan Akhtar, 46, of Watford, had his leg amputated above the knee when he was 29 after contracting the rare bacterial infection Necrotising Fasciitis.

He joined a clinical trial which developed a prosthetic limb that attached directly to his skeleton and has changed his life.

The father-of-three, who runs family businesses including shops and a restaurant with his brothers, said: I can do more with the kids and Ive been able to get out more  I no longer have to think about how far I can walk.

He urged potential volunteers to do their research and speak to people beforehand, saying: If you are confident in your mind then just go for it  youll be helping so many other people.

Georgina Shomroni, 55, who works at Oxfords Bodleian Libraries, joined a long-term study which aims to identify early signs of dementia after seeing the distressing impact the condition has had on her family.

The trial, involves checks on a volunteers state of health and monitoring by repeating the tests every two years to see how things have changed.

Blood tests, being weighed, blood pressure readings, an ECG, urine tests and saliva samples are part of the assessments and she found the only discomfort was in having a spinal tap to collect cerebrospinal fluid.

Cathy Perkins, 63, a professional viola player from Manchester, was given months to live after a melanoma on her right finger spread to her lungs.

Four years later, she has defied doctors expectations and has taken part in a clinical trial involving breakthrough immunotherapy treatment at the NIHR Clinical Research Facility at The Christie in Manchester.

She said there were a few side effects but most of those are sorted with a pill and added that when there is no conventional treatment, I would encourage anyone to consider taking part in a clinical trial very, very seriously.Mohamed Salah has captured the hearts of Liverpool fans since his arrival at Anfield last summer and for young Lola Hastie, hes an inspiration.

The seven-year-old from Weymouth, Dorset was filmed slotting a penalty against her sister Cherry, five, before copying the Muslim stars celebration  a prayer with his head on the ground.

Lolas dad Tommy, 33, is a Liverpool fan and she has just started to show signs of following suit.

She first heard of him when I was singing the Salah song, he told the Press Association. I was having a kick around with her and when I scored I did the celebration for a joke so she copied me.

Since then she keeps singing the song and asks who he is.

Salah once told CNNs Inside The Middle East of the celebration: (Its) something like praying or like thank the God for what I have received, but yeah, its just praying and praying for a win.

(Ive) always done that since I was young, everywhere.

Expand Close Liverpool v Brighton and Hove Albion  Premier League  Anfield PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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The video of Lola imitating the Egyptian superstar, 25, has been shared hundreds of times online, and has been met with a warm reception.

This is lovely!   Shwet. (@trenttorobbo) May 22, 2018

God bless her    (@MohamedOmare) May 23, 2018

and we Egyptians love her back Tommy  Silence Doors (@ymayah25) May 23, 2018

I only really put it on here to try and get a like from the man himself, added Tommy. But it didnt work.

Salah and the Reds face Real Madrid in the final of the Champions League on Saturday evening in Kiev, Ukraine.China and Japan have condemned the Trump administrations decision to investigate whether tariffs are needed on imports of vehicles and automotive parts into the US.

Chinas Commerce Ministry said Beijing would firmly defend its rights and interests against what it called an abuse of national security provisions in trade.

In Tokyo, trade minister Hiroshige Seko said Japan, which accounts for about 40% of US vehicle imports, will continue to remind US officials that any trade measures must conform to the rules of the World Trade Organisation.

If such a measure is taken, it would be an extremely far-reaching trade sanction that would put the global market into turmoil, Mr Seko said. We are extremely concerned.

President Donald Trump invoked a provision authorising the president to restrict imports and impose unlimited tariffs on national security grounds, known as Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.

The move comes as talks with Canada and Mexico over the North American Free Trade Agreement have stalled.

In Beijing, Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng told reporters that abusing national security provisions would undermine the multilateral trade system and disrupt the order of international trade.

China will pay close attention to the progress of the US investigation, conduct a comprehensive assessment of the possible impact and firmly defend our legitimate rights and interests, he told a news conference.

Japanese car makers did not issue individual comments but referred to Global Automakers, based in Washington, an industry group of international firms that includes the Japanese.

Global Automakers chief executive John Bozzella said the move would hurt American consumers.

The US auto industry is thriving and growing. Thirteen, soon to be 14 companies, produced nearly 12 million cars and trucks in America last year.

To our knowledge, no one is asking for this protection. This path leads inevitably to fewer choices and higher prices for cars and trucks in America.

Last week Japan went to the World Trade Organisation to warn of possible retaliation for tariffs on steel and aluminium, which Mr Trump imposed in March.

Japan is the only major US ally that was not granted a temporary exemption from the tariffs. Japan estimates they will cost it about 50 billion yen (340 million) a year.

China is a relatively minor player in the US vehicle import market, ranked 10th in dollar terms, but its massive car industry is eager to expand abroad. In auto parts exports to the US, China was ranked second last year.

Mexico is the top exporter of passenger vehicles and light trucks to the US followed by Japan, Canada, Germany and South Korea, according to the Department of Commerce.

A source said the president has suggested seeking new tariffs of 20% to 25% on vehicle imports.

Critics fear other countries will retaliate with trade sanctions of their own and question whether the move would ever be effective given the lengthy review required and legal challenges ahead.US President Donald Trump has called off next months summit with North Koreas Kim Jong Un, calling the cancellation a tremendous setback for peace.

He also stressed the US military is ready to respond to any foolish or reckless acts by the North.

Mr Trump first announced his decision in a letter to Mr Kim released by the White House, in which he cited tremendous anger and open hostility in a recent statement by the North, adding that it was inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting.

Speaking at the White House later, Mr Trump said a maximum pressure campaign will continue against North Korea and that he was waiting should Mr Kim choose to engage in constructive actions.

He added that it was possible that the existing summit could take place or a summit at some later date.

The abrupt cancellation of the June 12 meeting withdraws the US for now from an unprecedented summit that offered the prospect of a historic nuclear peace treaty or an epic diplomatic failure.

No sitting American president has ever met with a North Korea leader.

In the North Korean statement that Mr Trump cited, a top Foreign Ministry official referred to Vice President Mike Pence as a political dummy for his comments on the North and said it was up to the US whether they will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown.

Mr Trump said the world was losing a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth.

But he left the door open to the chance that the summit could yet be rescheduled, saying: If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write.

Expand Close A copy of the letter sent to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un from President Donald Trump (J David Ake/AP) AP / Facebook

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One US official said the decision to call off the summit was made on Thursday morning in response to the statement disparaging Mr Pence and threatening nuclear war.

A White House official said it was incorrect to focus solely on the dummy comment, saying that the nuclear threats meant that no summit could be successful under such circumstances.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said North Korea had not responded to repeated requests from US officials to discuss logistics for the summit.

He told the Senate foreign relations committee the lack of responses was an additional reason for Mr Trumps decision.

Mr Pompeo said the Norths attitude had changed markedly since he returned from a trip to Pyongyang earlier this month during which he met with Mr Kim and oversaw the release of three Americans being held there.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in played a major role in planning for the summit and sought to keep it on the rails in a visit to the White House this week.

His office said that it was trying to work out Mr Trumps intentions in cancelling the summit.

Mr Pompeo, asked about a report that the South had not been informed before the presidents letter was made public, said simply: We are locked in to the Republic of Korea. We are in lockstep with them.

The cancellation came shortly after Mr Kim made good on his promise to demolish his countrys nuclear test site, which was formally closed in a series of huge explosions on Thursday as a group of foreign journalists looked on.

The explosions at the test site deep in the mountains of the Norths sparsely populated north east were supposed to build confidence ahead of the summit.

However, the closing of the site is not an irreversible move and would need to be followed by many more significant measures to meet the demand for real denuclearisation.

The president had agreed to the historic sit-down in March after months of trading insults and nuclear threats with the North Korean leader.

But after criticism from North Korea, Mr Trump cast doubt this week on whether the meeting would happen.

White House officials have privately predicted for weeks that the summit could be cancelled once or twice before actually taking place, owing to the hard-nosed style of the two leaders.

Mr Trump has seemed to welcome chatter of a Nobel Peace Prize, but that has yielded in recent weeks to the sobering prospect of ensuring a successful outcome with Mr Kim.DUP leader Arlene Foster speaking in central London at the Policy Exchange conference titled The Union and Unionism  Past, Present and Future

On Monday morning, Arlene Foster spoke in London at a conference on the Union. It was organised by Policy Exchange, one of the main British think-tanks, and she was speaking alongside pro-Union politicians from across the United Kingdom, as well as historians and commentators.

As the leader of the largest unionist party in the province, it was important that she was there to provide a Northern Ireland unionist perspective. Her speech was important and it was also impressive, because it carried a strong positive message with a broad vision for Ulster and the Union.

She spoke very personally about her own experience of growing up in Co Fermanagh under the threat of terrorism and of how her father, a member of the RUC, had been shot by the Provisional IRA.

Some of her speech was directed towards the other parts of the United Kingdom and the need to cherish and nourish the relationships within the Union.

She spoke of the things that we all share in common in terms of history and values and also of the benefits of the United Kingdom, the fifth-largest economy in the world.

Unionism must be an advocate for the Union, winning as many hearts and minds as possible, especially among those who may be ambivalent. We strengthen the Union when we sell the benefits of the Union and convince the waverers and the unconvinced.

Other parts of her speech had particular relevance for the people of Northern Ireland and to her vision of a shared and better future for all our people.

It was a confident speech and it was right that she referred to our cultural wealth, with mention of CS Lewis and Seamus Heaney, as well as that great Ulster-born scientist Lord Kelvin. Culture matters and we all know that cultural differences are at the heart of the present political impasse.

Alongside cultural wealth, she spoke about cultural pluralism, or cultural diversity, and this is a theme that she has spoken about previously.

Our various cultural traditions, including Irish Gaelic, Ulster-Scots and Orange, are all part of our cultural wealth and no single tradition should be given preferential treatment over the others, in the way that Sinn Fein demand.

Alongside cultural diversity, she spoke about unionism reclaiming the rights agenda, saying that citizenship and rights are essentially unionist areas.

Each July, many of us celebrate the Battle of Boyne and it is worth remembering that the Glorious Revolution produced the 1689 Bill of Rights.

Unfortunately, a variety of radical causes have hijacked the concept of human rights as a way of advancing their own narrow political agendas and, for Sinn Fein, human rights have become war by another means.

Unfortunately, the response to her speech from Sinn Fein was typically churlish, arrogant and disingenuous.

Indeed, it showed that Sinn Fein is put on the back foot when unionism presents that positive and coherent vision for the future. Arlene Fosters London speech was moving on to ground where Sinn Fein is clearly uncomfortable.

There was no rational response from Sinn Fein, merely attack and personal abuse, and the intention was to divert the media away from exploring the main ideas in what she had said.

This is what Sinn Fein have done before and it is what they did again. That discomfort must have been increased by the most recent opinion poll, which shows that, in a border poll, only 21% of the population of Northern Ireland would vote to leave the United Kingdom.

That was encouraging for unionists and discouraging for republicans  especially Sinn Fein, who have been demanding a border poll.

It also undermines the credibility of some of the more extreme prophets of doom. However, we must not allow it make us complacent.

Now is the time for unionism to map out a way forward, to set out a vision for building a shared and better future for Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom.

Now is the time to advocate for the Union and the DUP, as the largest unionist party, has a particular responsibility to lead the way for unionism.Police in Barisal, Bangladesh, present suspected drug dealers who were arrested as part of an intensified nationwide crackdown against illegal drugs, May 23, 2018.

Bangladeshi rights activists and opposition politicians are criticizing as heavy handed this months intensified nationwide anti-drug crackdown in which, police agencies say, officers gunned down at least 46 suspects over the past nine days who were allegedly resisting arrest.

Some 3,000 drug suspects have been arrested since law enforcement agencies sharply stepped up their anti-narcotics operations on May 14, in a campaign aimed largely at stemming the flow of yaba tablets, a methamphetamine manufactured and smuggled in from neighboring Myanmar, authorities said.

On Wednesday, police and the elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) force killed nine suspected drug during gunfights in seven districts, officials said. Two days earlier, law enforcers killed 11 people in similar incidents.

The law enforcers call it gunfights but these are actually extrajudicial killings. We always talk of following due legal process to punish criminals, Nur Khan Liton, the former executive director of Ain-O-Shalish, a Bangladeshi human rights organization, told BenarNews.

The crackdown would go on as long as the country was not free from illegal drugs, said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced a zero-tolerance policy against illegal drug dealers, and called on police agencies to step up their efforts against the narcotics trade.

The prime minister equated the threat of illegal drugs with the menace of militancy, which, she claimed, her government had reined in.

Weve contained (Islamist) militancy. Now weve taken an initiative to save the country from this drug menace, Hasina said on Sunday, according to Agence France-Presse.

9 Killings on Wednesday

Meanwhile, Mehedi Hasan, superintendent of police in Kushtia district, defended his officers actions in shooting dead two suspects, who were among nine suspects killed in anti-drug operations across the country on Wednesday.

Both of them were notorious drug dealers, he told BenarNews.

These are not extrajudicial killings. They attacked the on-duty police and the police retaliated with counter fire. Police have every right to defend themselves.

Farhad Ahmed, superintendent of police in Thakurgaon district, said that a suspect who was killed in a gunfight with officers in the area had faced charges in 19 cases, including 12 drug-related ones.

Whenever we catch him, he goes to jail for, at best, one month. Upon return, he restarts his drug dealing, Ahmed told Benar.

People have questions

According to Liton, the right activist, law enforcers have been displaying weapons recovered after alleged gunfights with drug suspects.

Most of the arms and explosive shown as recovered from the gunfight victims are very low-grade and handmade weapons. Why would criminals dare to attack the heavily armed police and RAB with these sub-standard arms and explosives? he asked. In these gunfight incidents only people from a particular side die. So, people have questions about these shootouts.

Others, including an official from the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), criticized the ramped-up anti-drug operations as timed to stir a panic among the public about drugs in the run-up to a general election expected in December.

We are skeptical about the intention of the government. The law enforcers have been killing people every day, branding them as drug dealers. This type of extrajudicial killings cannot be the language of any civilized country, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, a member of BNPs highest policy-making standing committee, told BenarNews.

The purpose of such operation is to create panic among the people. We think the government had a political agenda in the anti-drug operation. The offenders must be punished through due legal procedures, he added.

However, Obaidul Quader, general secretary of the ruling Awami League, said the Bangladeshi people were pleased with the campaign.

Drug abuse has been destroying our younger generation. The BNP would never praise the good work of the government, he told reporters.

Saddam Hossain, a medicine shop salesman in Dhaka, told BenarNews that his family was pleased by the crackdown on dealers.

This is better as they cannot be touched through legal means, he said.

7 million addicts

In Bangladesh, 32 of the countrys 64 districts are vulnerable to drug smuggling, according to a 2016 report from the department of narcotics control.

The department reported that drug abuse was most common in the capital Dhaka and other big cities.

Syed Tawfique Uddin Ahmed, the departments director of operations, said there were at least 7 million drug addicts in Bangladesh and yaba tablets (methamphetamine) shipped in from Myanmar was the nations biggest drug challenge.

Last year, we recovered 60 million of yaba tablets. According to United Nations estimates, the number of any drug is eight to 10 times greater than the number seized, Ahmed told BenarNews.By Ritah Kemigisa.

Opposition Democratic party strong man, also Nakaseke south county MP, Paul Luttamaguzi has criticized some members of the party for selfishly supporting other opposition candidates.

Some individual members like the lord mayor EriasLukwago and Mukono North MP Betty Namboozehave often been put on the spot by the party for supporting other opposition candidates in various elections.

According to Luttamaguzisuch actions must be discouraged because they breed disunity.

Meanwhile the Democratic Party recently declaredfull support for FDCs Betty Muzanirain the forthcoming Rukungiri by election for the Woman Member of Parliament.Police check a vehicle at the entrance to Poso District in Central Sulawesi, May 15, 2018.

Police in Indonesias Poso regency say they have stepped up security following a series of deadly terrorist-linked incidents elsewhere in the country, including a prison riot in Java, suicide bombings in East Java and a police headquarters attack in Sumatra.

The regency in Central Sulawesi province has had a long history of militancy. Poso is home to the Eastern Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT), a militant group tied to the so-called Islamic State (IS), which claimed the recent attacks in other parts of the sprawling country.

After the terror acts, we immediately positioned ourselves under the top alert, Poso regency Police Chief Bogiek Sugiyarto told BenarNews last week, a few days after a suicide bombing at a police headquarters in Surabaya.

The heightened security in Poso matches efforts throughout the country. The national police announced Tuesday that a week-long counterterrorism operation, which ended Sunday, had resulted in 60 arrests and the killings of 14 suspected militants.

In addition to anticipated threats from outside Poso, we also anticipate threats that come from inside Poso, Bogiek said, adding that areas vulnerable to radical groups had been monitored.

He said sympathizers of terrorist groups, or even suspected terrorists, could be in Poso and could act at any time.

Last week, 30 fully armed police personnel stopped and checked each car passing a check point along the Trans Sulawesi road leading into the district.

A Poso residents said armed officers were spotted in many locations and patrolling residential areas.

Its been a very tight security in Poso for a few days now. Even the local people have to show their identity cards if they are questioned, resident Ardin Adnan told BenarNews.

Hunting MIT

This type of security is not new for the community that saw about 1,000 people killed in a series of communal riots in 1998 and 2000.

More recently, Poso has grown accustomed to security officers as about 600 troops constitute a joint task force operating as Tinombala with a mission of hunting down the remaining MIT members hiding out in the mountainous region.

In 2016, the task force replaced a similar operation that aimed to capture or kill the remaining 40 MIT members. The success of their missions brought the groups number to less than 10 with the loss of its leadership, officials said.

Top MIT leader Santoso (alias Abu Wardah), was killed in July 2016 and his second-in-command, Basri (alias Bagong), was arrested two month later. But the group is still seen as a threat as it operates under the leadership of Ali Muhammad (alias Ali Kalora or Ali Ambon).

This still photo taken from a social media video shows MIT chief Ali Kalora (center), calling on his members to keep fighting. [Keisyah Aprilia]

In the last couple of weeks, a two-minute, 14-second video of the new MIT chief calling for his followers to fight and not negotiate with the government has circulated on social media. Ali, who appeared in the video standing between two men armed with M-16s, said they relied on their weapons to keep from being captured.

Mohammad Affandi, a director of a local human rights group, said the video showed the group had not disbanded.

The video proves that they are still in Poso, he said, asking how a group that is supposed to be cornered has the ability to post this on social media.

Central Sulawesi Police Chief Brig. Gen. Ermi Widyatno had little to say about this.

No need to exaggerate it, he said. We still will investigate it!

Previously, Widyatno had said that seven MIT members were at large.

More recently, a Central Sulawesi military spokesman, Muhlis Lamongki, said the group had added five members, although two had been arrested. He based his comment on testimony of the two militants who were captured in April.

No trouble

Meanwhile, Darmin A. Sigilipu, the regent of Poso, said the region was safe and prosperous.

Everything is OK. People can do their daily activities, no trouble. The economy is good and we have had a number of investors come and invest, he said.

The Poso government, he explained, had a de-radicalization program for MIT families and followers, including employment opportunities.

We have helped many, especially the families of former combatants in Poso. They now all have got back to the community, he said.Sister Patricia Fox, an Australian Catholic nun, shows documents that she filed at the Bureau of Immigration in Manila, May, 4, 2018.

An Australian nun who was ordered to leave the Philippines because she had joined street protests against President Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday she would appeal her case amid threats of being deported.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday affirmed with finality its decision last month ordering Sister Patricia Fox, 71, out of the Philippines, where she has been helping the poor during the past 27 years on a missionary visa.



The immigration bureau had given her 30 days to leave the country, and that expired Thursday. But Foxs lawyer said she would file a petition for review before the Justice Department.

If not challenged, (the order) will have far-reaching implications to other missionaries similarly situated with Sister Pat as the BI can now rule and decide what activity is considered political or not, lawyer Jobert Pahilga said, using the nuns nickname.

Fox believes that she still enjoys the freedom of expression and that her appearance in assemblies or rallies calling for the protection of basic human rights were simply an exercise of that right, Pahilga said in a statement.

They are consistent and in accordance with her mission  to promote peace, social justice and human rights, Pahilga said.

Duterte had personally ordered the nuns arrest and deportation last month. She was briefly held but was later freed.

Duterte had said that he took full responsibility for Fox's arrest. While freedom of expression was unlimited, it only applies to Filipinos and not to foreigners, he said.

Fox, as a foreigner, did not have the right to insult us every time you open your mouth, Duterte told reporters.

The nun was the second foreigner subjected to Manilas strict immigration screening. A day before she was detained, Italian citizen Giacomo Filibeck, a deputy-secretary general of the Party of European Socialists, was immediately deported after landing in the central city of Cebu.



Filibeck apparently has been blacklisted by authorities for allegedly joining protests.

The politically influential Catholic Church had sought to intervene on Foxs behalf, but Duterte has had little respect for the religious hierarchy.

He has been infuriated by the church, whose bishops he has described as, in his words, full of shit for questioning his policies, including his war on drugs that rights group say has left thousands dead since he became president in 2016.

The bureau last week accused Fox of engaging in political activities and rejected her argument that the government violated her rights to due process.

The rights group Karapatan lambasted the bureau for its ruling, saying it reflected its alleged propensity to deny due process to foreign missionaries and human rights defenders on Dutertes whim.

The order is an act of reprisal by a vengeful, paranoid, insecure and anti-people regime that knows no other way to hide its crimes but to further infringe on peoples civil liberties and political rights, Karapatan head Cristina Palabay said.

She said Duterte was moving to stifle voices critical of his almost 2-year-old regime. Dutertes spokesmen were not immediately available for comment.

Felipe Villamor contributed to this report from Manila.The Philippine government has assured displaced Marawi residents they would be able to return to their homes by the end of the year, May 8, 2018.

The Philippine government sought to assure the public Thursday that Marawi residents who were displaced during last years siege by pro-Islamic State militants would return to their homes this year amid concerns over slow rebuilding efforts.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque told reporters in Marawi that the governments top priority is to restore normalcy to the lives of at least 200,000 residents affected by five months of vicious gun battles that left at least 1,200 dead and left much of the once-prosperous Islamic city in ruins.

We remember Marawi. We pay tribute to the sacrifices of our fallen men in uniform and recognize everyones efforts in rebuilding the Islamic city, Roque said, emphasizing that about 70 percent of displaced residents are living in nearby temporary government shelters.

He said that within the year all 67 centers housing evacuees in towns in the Lanao del Sur area would be cleared of occupants  meaning all evacuees would be allowed to return to their homes soon. Residents were authorized to make short trips to the city over the past two months to retrieve valuables, but were not allowed to stay because the area was littered with unexploded ordnance.

We have a master plan and thats phase by phase. And by and large, we are on time, Roque said, adding that the plan is targeted for approval by President Rodrigo Dutertes cabinet in June, the same month full-scale rehabilitation is to begin.

2021 goal

Felix Castro Jr., the head of Task Force Bangon Marawi, told BenarNews the comprehensive plan for Marawi, including the main battle area covering 24 villages, would cost 75 billion pesos (U.S. $1.4 billion) and was expected to be completed by 2021.

We will start with the debris clearing and we will not allow the civilians to get inside the war zone. We want to be fast. After the initial works of the developer, they will be permitted do whatever they want in their homes and properties, Castro said.

Castro said those who lost their homes and properties will get a compensation package to use for reconstruction, but did not say how or when the funds would be released. A Chinese-led group called Bagong Marawi Consortium (BMC) has been awarded the Marawi project.

While the government did not name the Chinese firms involved in the consortium, Rep. Gary Alejano, a member of the political opposition, said the list includes China State Construction Engineering Corp. and China Geo Engineering Corp.

The majority of the companies included in the BMC are Chinese. Two are even state-owned enterprises, which mean that state funds of China would be used, Alejano said.

Worries on the degree of control that China would have on these projects could not be dismissed especially since the Filipino companies included have no history of contracting big government projects, he said.

Alejano said the firms he cited were blacklisted previously by the World Bank.

China State Engineering continued to get involved in corruption scandals in other countries, Alejano said. How can we assure that the Marawi rehabilitation would not be marred by corruption cases in the future with such kind of participating firms?

A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Manila could not be reached for comment.

Red Cross calls for stepped up efforts

The International Committee of the Red Cross reported that virtually everyone from Marawi remains displaced and are in need of immediate care.

Efforts to rehabilitate Marawi and assist its people must be stepped up to reduce the suffering of thousands of those who were displaced over the past year. The efforts are there, but these must match the growing needs of those who face prolonged displacement and are close to despair, said Pascal Porchet, head of the Red Cross delegation in the Philippines.

Porchet said with the response shifting from emergency phase toward early recovery, food donations have dwindled and job opportunities are reaching only a few. Many still depend on relatives and friends to survive, while those in evacuation sites and makeshift camps live in poor conditions.

The pending issues concerning the transitional site such as lack of a regular supply of water and absence of proper sewage collection and treatment should be resolved soon, he said.

Jeoffrey Maitem and Richel V. Umel in Marawi and Felipe Villamor in Manila contributed to this report.Thai authorities on Thursday released on bail 15 pro-democracy demonstrators who led a march in Bangkok this week to protest the fourth anniversary of a coup that brought the military to power.

Authorities charged protest leader Rangsiman Rome and the others with five charges including sedition for leading a rally of about 300 protesters, who began at Thammasat University but were blocked by police from reaching the prime ministers office.

We rallied in line with our constitutional rights. We did not do anything wrong, Rangsiman told BenarNews after being released on bail following his appearance in a Bangkok court. Until the election is set, we will continue to protest.

The activists were each released on a bail of 100,000 baht (U.S. $3,175), but on condition that they not repeat the crimes, according to lawyer Krisadang Nutcharas. Along with sedition, which carries a maximum seven-year prison sentence, they were charged with violating the juntas ban on political gatherings of more than five people, and three other charges.

A Thai deputy prime minister defended the prosecution even though it was condemned by international organizations, including the U.N. Human Rights Office, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

Did they break the laws? Yes, they did. We allowed them to gather, but they marched so they got arrested. The officials and the court just performed their duty, Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan told reporters.

Delays on road back to democracy

On May 22, 2014, then-Army Chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-o-cha led a coup that toppled the government of Yingluck Shinawatra. He dissolved parliament, detained political leaders and imposed a curfew while promising to bring Thailand back to democracy within 18 months.

Since then, Prime Minister Prayuth has repeatedly postponed what he has referred to as his road map to an election, infuriating pro-democracy groups by pushing the date back to February 2019 at the earliest.

In October 2016, Prayuth announced that the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej would not affect the juntas plans for elections in September or October 2017, with the elected government assuming power by December of that year.

Nothing has changed, Prayuth said at the time. The policies of this government, the laws  including elections  will be according to the roadmap. Dont ask me when or how it will occur, the roadmap is the roadmap.

A year later, in October 2017, Prayuth announced a timeframe for elections in 2018. Around June 2018, we will announce an election date. And around November, we will hold the elections ... this is very clear, Prayuth told reporters then.

Without waiting for a June announcement, Prayuth pushed elections back to early 2019.

The demonstrators on Tuesday  some holding signs of a Pinocchio-nosed Prayuth and others denouncing the junta  were met by a police security blockade before getting close to the Government House, the seat of Thailands executive power.

The members of the We Want Voting Movement called on Prayuth to hold an election in November and to keep the military out of politics.

I have already said that (the elections) are following the proper steps, which is early 2019, no sooner, Prayuth told reporters as protesters marched toward his office Tuesday.Moncks Corner, SC (29461)

Today

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 62F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 62F. Winds light and variable.Jay Bender is a retired University of South Carolina professor and media lawyer who represents the S.C. Press Association and its newspapers.By Ritah Kemigisa.

Kireka Police Station has rescued two children identified as 11 year old Shakirah Nakabuye a P5 student at Nakifuma Church of Uganda Primary School and 2 year old Don Kitandwa.

According to the deputy police spokesperson Patrick Onyango, the minors were returning from a clinic visit, when three men forced them into a black Raum (registration number withheld for investigation purposes) and drove off towards Namboole Stadium.

This prompted one of the minors to shout for help an act that sent the abductors panicking and pushed themout of the car and sped off.

Onyango says by standers who witnessed the incident called the Police, who quickly responded and took the children to safety at Kireka Police Station.

Police is now appealing to the general public who know the two minors to pick them or inform their family.Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, the truth about the harms of marijuana.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesFirst identified during an outbreak of disease that took place in Kampung Sungai Nipah, Malaysia in the year 1998, the natural hosts of the virus are fruit bats of Pteropodidae family

Following directions of the Union Health Minister, J P Nadda, a multi-disciplinary Central team from National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is presently in Kerala constantly reviewing the situation of the Nipah Virus Disease.

The details of cases and deaths as on 23rd May are as under:

Total number of confirmed cases: 13

Total number of suspected cases: 16 (15 are admitted in Govt. Medical College, Kozhikode and 1 is admitted in Manjeri Medical College in Malappuram District. Lab results of these admissions are awaited)

Total number of deaths: 11 (8 from Kozhikode District and 3 from Malappuram District)

The Expert Central Technical team held meetings with the State Health Minister and Doctors of Government as well as Private Hospitals. Clinical picture, management and treatment given to the patients were discussed in detail along with contact tracing strategy. A part of the team led by Dr.S.K.singh, Director, NCDC visited Malappuram district where they addressed the doctors from Government and Private Hospitals on the Nipah virus disease. The team along with the State Health Minister also interacted with the general public to create awareness and allay any fears in their mind about the disease. The deceased patients from Malappuram had visited the Government Medical College, Kozhikode at the time of admission of the Index cases and had interaction with the index case. The team also devised draft guidelines, case definitions, advisory for healthcare workers, information to the general public, advisories for sample collection and transportation and a brief on Nipah virus disease. A draft reporting format was prepared and shared with experts for cases, suspects and contacts.

Another part of the Central Expert Team led by Dr.P.Ravindran, Director (Emergency Medical Relief) visited the Government Medical College, Kozhikode and reviewed the treatment procedure, infection control practises, use and availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and availability of drugs, particularly in the designated wards. An action plan was also developed for the healthcare staff and simulation exercise was planned.

The team also held meetings with the District Collector, Kozhikode and discussed streamlining the reporting mechanism and strengthening inter-sectoral coordination. It was decided to provide separate ambulances for transportation of the suspects to designated isolation facilities. The interim guidelines, case definitions, advisories to healthcare workers and information to the general public were shared. Advisories were issued for sample collection and transportation also. The team also visited the Govt. Medical College, Kozhikode and reviewed the treatment procedure, infection control practises and availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and drugs in the designated wards. Simulation exercise for healthcare staff was undertaken as per the Action Plan developed.

What is NiV?

First identified during an outbreak of disease that took place in Kampung Sungai Nipah, Malaysia in the year 1998, the natural hosts of the virus are fruit bats of Pteropodidae family. Although during the outbreak of disease in 1998 pigs were the intermediate hosts. The recent outbreak of the disease in Kerala has documented human to human transmission in India.

NiV infection in humans has a range of clinical presentations, from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory syndrome and fatal encephalitis. NiV is also capable of causing disease in pigs and other domestic animals. There is no vaccine for either humans or animals. The primary treatment for human cases is intensive supportive care.

Signs and Symptoms

Nipah is associated with inflammation of the brain due to which severe days of fever can often lead to a state of confusion, disorientation and even persistent drowsiness. Headache, fever, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness and mental issues such as confusion are the common signs and symptoms.

According to Dr Mahesh Kumar, The virus spreads by consuming infected fruits like mango and fresh date palm sap contaminated by bats and also by coming in direct contact with an infected patient and sometimes infected pigs. The incubation period of the virus is 3 to 14 days and affected patients may have high grade fever, headache and cough which may rapidly progress to breathing difficulty, respiratory failure, seizures, delirium and coma. Ribavirin is the only available medicine that can control the symptoms but only to a certain extent, if started during early stages. Travellers should avoid visits to endemic areas until the disease is curtailed and in case of recent transit they should look out for symptoms like fever, headache and cough and will need to seek medical care immediately.

Evidence of Nipah virus outbreaks in WHO South-East Asia Region

Nipah virus (NiV) encephalitis is an emerging infectious disease of public health importance in the WHO South-East Asia Region. Bangladesh and India have reported human cases of Nipah virus encephalitis. Indonesia, Thailand and Timor-Leste have identified antibodies against NiV in the bat population and the source of the virus has been isolated. The status of NiV infection in other SEAR countries is not known although flying bats are found throughout the region.

Unfortunately, there is no known cure for the Nipah virus. Instead, people who are infected are treated with supportive care, which includes making sure the person stays hydrated, and treating any nausea or vomiting. According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people can take steps to prevent Nipah by avoiding exposure to sick pigs and bats in endemic areas and not drinking raw date palm sap, which can be contaminated by excretions from infected bats.

According to WHO, Initial signs and symptoms of NiV infection are non-specific and the diagnosis is often not suspected at the time of presentation. This can hinder accurate diagnosis and creates challenges in outbreak detection and institution of effective and timely infection control measures and outbreak response activities.

In addition, clinical sample quality, quantity, type, timing of collection and the time necessary to transfer samples from patients to the laboratory can affect the accuracy of laboratory results.

First outbreak of Nipah virus in Malaysia and Singapore

Nipah virus infection was first recognized in a large outbreak of 265 suspected cases in peninsular Malaysia during September 1998 to April 1999. Most patients had contact with sick pigs or had been in close physical contact with Nipah virus infected patients and then presented primarily with encephalitis. The outbreak was initially thought to be due to Japanese encephalitis, but it was later identified as Nipah virus encephalitis. This outbreak caused widespread panic and fear in Malaysia leading to considerable social disruptions and tremendous economic loss because of the mass culling of over one million pigs. In addition, eleven abattoir workers in Singapore developed a febrile illness caused by Nipah virus during March 1999 following close contact with imported pigs from Malaysia.

The presentation of Nipah virus infection has been variable, ranging from the high mortality observed in the original Malaysian outbreak to an outbreak of low mortality disease among abattoir workers in Singapore, which presented as neurological illness and atypical pneumonia. No new outbreaks have been reported from these countries since May 1999.

R&D roadmap for Nipah virus worldwide

The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota, with support from the Wellcome Trust and in collaboration with the WHO, has been tasked with facilitating the collaborative development of a draft Nipah R&D Roadmap.

The roadmap prioritizes the development of countermeasures (diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines) that are most needed by Nipah-affected countries and is the result of extensive consultations with the Nipah R&D roadmap taskforce, leading national and international experts and other key stakeholders.The Expert Central Technical team held meetings with the State Health Minister and Doctors of Government as well as Private Hospitals.

Following directions of the Union Health Minister, J P Nadda, a multi-disciplinary Central team from National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is presently in Kerala constantly reviewing the situation of the Nipah Virus Disease.

Yesterday, the Expert Central Technical team held meetings with the State Health Minister and Doctors of Government as well as Private Hospitals. Clinical picture, management and treatment given to the patients were discussed in detail along with contact tracing strategy. A part of the team led by Dr. S.K. Singh, Director, NCDC visited Malappuram district where they addressed the doctors from Government and Private Hospitals on the Nipah virus disease. The team along with the State Health Minister also interacted with the general public to create awareness and allay any fears in their mind about the disease. The deceased patients from Malappuram had visited the Government Medical College, Kozhikode at the time of admission of the Index cases and had interaction with the index case. The team also devised draft guidelines, case definitions, advisory for healthcare workers, information to the general public, advisories for sample collection and transportation and a brief on Nipah virus disease. A draft reporting format was prepared and shared with experts for cases, suspects and contacts.

Another part of the Central Expert Team led by Dr. P.Ravindran, Director(Emergency Medical Relief) visited the Government Medical College, Kozhikode and reviewed the treatment procedure, infection control practises, use and availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and availability of drugs, particularly in the designated wards. An action plan was also developed for the healthcare staff and simulation exercise was planned.

Today, the team held meetings with the District Collector, Kozhikode and discussed streamlining the reporting mechanism and strengthening inter-sectoral coordination. It was decided to provide separate ambulances for transportation of the suspects to designated isolation facilities. The interim guidelines, case definitions, advisories to healthcare workers and information to the general public were shared. Advisories were issued for sample collection and transportation also. The team also visited the Govt. Medical College, Kozhikode and reviewed the treatment procedure, infection control practises and availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and drugs in the designated wards. Simulation exercise for healthcare staff was undertaken as per the Action Plan developed.

The details of cases and deaths as on date are as under:

Total number of confirmed cases: 13

Total number of suspected cases: 16 (15 are admitted in Govt. Medical College, Kozhikode and 1 is admitted in Manjeri Medical College in Malappuram District. Lab results of these admissions are awaited)

Total number of deaths: 11 (8 from Kozhikode District and 3 from Malappuram District)The Real Reason Why Droupadi Had Five Husbands Faith Mysticism oi-Renu

The law of Hindu marriage says that polygamy is a punishable offense. It was not so earlier, if we refer to the ancient holy scriptures of the Hindus. However, the women in the Hindu religion were not allowed to have more than one husband, even then.Polygamy was a sinful act thenfor women, as it is today. Chastity held a high importance and a woman was taught to practice fidelity towards her husband. Dating to the same times, is the epic Mahabharata, which mentions that Droupadi had five husbands.

Explore the real reason why Droupadi had five husbands

Droupadi was the daughter of Panchal King Drupadh. She was born out of a yagna. It is said that King Drupadh wanted to defeat Dronacharya as a revenge of his own defeat at the hands of Dronacharya. With this aim, he organised a Yagna at his home. From the holy fire of the Yagna, first appeared a brilliant, powerful boy, Dhrishtadyumna.

The next appeared a girl, who was named Krishnaa. It is believed that she had an element of Goddess Kali in her. Later, after the name of her father Drupadh, she was named Droupadi. She was a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu's incarnation, Krishna. Krishna and Droupadi are depicted as brother and sister in the Mahabharata. Krishna became her saviour when the Kouravas tried her 'Cheerharan'.

She, thus, became one of the reasons for hatred between the Kouravas and the Pandavas.

When Droupadi reached the age of marriage, King Drupadh organised the 'swayamvara' to find an ideal husband for her. Among the various other kings, the Pandava Arjun was also present to participate in the 'swayamvara'. Arjuna was very famous for his talent in archery. This was proved when he defeated all the kings and won the competition. As per the rule, Droupadi and Arjuna got married.

The Pandavas were highly devoted to their mother and obeyed every word that came from her. When Arjuna reached home, he stopped at the entrance and asked his mother to see what he had brought home that day. It is believed that Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas, was busy offering her daily prayers, therefore, she ordered Arjuna to share with his brothers whatever he had brought.

Hence, the obedient Pandavas accepted Droupadi as their wife. But just like a story behind a story, there is another event which lead to Droupadi getting five men as her husbands. Read on.

It is said that Droupadi was the daughter of a sage in her previous life. She was very beautiful but was deprived of her husband's love. As a remedy, she started worshiping Shiva. With all dedication and utter devotion she worshiped him, as a result of which Lord Shiva appeared and told her to ask for a boon. She prayed before Shiva to improve her life. Shiva told her that her present life was the punishment she had got because of her past karmas, but an ideal husband in the next life was certainly possible. Therefore, she asked Shiva to give her a husband who possesses all the qualities. But out of excessive excitement, Droupadi asked him for an ideal husband not once, not twice but five times. Hence, she got five men as her husbands, the five Pandavas.A man caught by police with almost 20 ounces of methamphetamine under the hood of his car has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 24/5/2018 (1236 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Advertisement Advertise With Us

A man caught by police with almost 20 ounces of methamphetamine under the hood of his car has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Sydney Brandon, 39, pleaded guilty last week to possession for the purpose of trafficking.

As part of an ongoing investigation in January 2017, police stopped and arrested Brandon as he was driving in the 1400 block of First Street, Crown attorney Christina Cheater said.

Officers initially found a cellphone, an iPod and packing material in the vehicle, Cheater said. A subsequent search turned up 18 ounces of methamphetamine under the hood.

"This vehicle was not his vehicle  its the Crowns assertion that Mr. Brandon was acting in the capacity of a courier," Cheater said. "Methamphetamine has been a very large problem in Brandon. Certainly individuals acting as couriers and insulating those who are higher up is a problem."

Defence lawyer Bob Harrison said there were a number of triable issues in Brandons case, including the fact he was driving someone elses vehicle, but that Brandon was taking responsibility for his actions.

Brandon has also taken every program and counselling opportunity offered to him while incarcerated, Harrison said.

"Mistakes can be made, but they can be corrected. Going forward, I can tell you thats what he wants to do," Harrison said.

When given the opportunity to speak to the court, Brandon told Judge John Combs he "didnt do his due diligence" and was "deceived" that day.

"Are you telling me right now that you didnt know there was methamphetamine in the car?  Because I cant accept your guilty plea if thats the case," Combs said. "Did you have methamphetamine in your possession that day?"

"Yes," Brandon said after some hesitation.

Combs accepted Brandons guilty plea and sentenced him to three years in prison. Brandon has two years credit for time served in jail, leaving him with one year left to serve.

"Youre an intelligent person, youre well educated. You know as well as I do the effect methamphetamine has on the people who use it," Combs said. "Its a terrible drug, and one that we have far too much of in the community."

 edebooy@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @erindebooyWhite supremacist stickers have once again been found in various locations around Brandon, according to a news tip received by The Brandon Sun.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 24/5/2018 (1236 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Advertisement Advertise With Us

White supremacist stickers have once again been found in various locations around Brandon, according to a news tip received by The Brandon Sun.

According to the source, the large stickers were seen in front of the Winnipeg House residence on the 200 block of 15th Street, and on garbage cans that were out for collection Wednesday morning.

When the Sun investigated on Wednesday morning, one such sticker was found on a yellow garbage bin in Stanley Park, upon which was printed the name European Brotherhood  an internet clothing company that sells white supremacist-related items.

This isnt the first time these stickers have been spotted around Brandon.

In 2017, similar stickers from this company were found on the Brandon University campus, featuring statements like "time to fight" and "join the resistance."

Brandon police had not been made aware of the stickers until contacted by The Sun on Wednesday. People are asked to contact the police if they spot the stickers.

"If somebody notices something like this, than (we) certainly would ask them to contact the police service," BPS spokesperson Sgt. Dave Andrew said. "A police member or a member from our bylaw unit will attend, take photos, and remove it."

If it involves a hate crime or a similar act, then Andrews said an investigation would be launched.

Mohammed Agavi, vice-president external of the Brandon University Students Union, said he was aware that these stickers had reappeared near the university. Agavi said none of the stickers have been spotted on campus.

Regardless, he said the stickers speak to a message of intolerance that BUSU is familiar with from last years occurrence. Although BUSU generally supports free speech, Agavi said this kind of action cannot be condoned.

"The union has been pretty vocal about how we dont support that kind of behaviour," he said. "The whole white supremacist thing is not in line with (our) goals because its spreading hate."

Despite the reappearance of the European Brotherhood stickers in Brandon, Agavi said citizens should still feel safe in the city.

"Everyone should feel welcome here and not be scared in any shape, way, or form," he said.

 mverge@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @Melverge5Their building is on fire and they still dont think it is news. No wonder they are slowly dying out.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 23/5/2018 (1237 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

"Their building is on fire and they still dont think it is news. No wonder they are slowly dying out."

 Comment from a Facebook user on The Brandon Sun website, May 19.

Throughout the mayhem of the fires that ravaged parts of downtown Brandon on May 19, there was an odd little thread running through many of the conversations I had with the public. The same question kept popping up  had The Brandon Sun building also burned?

For the record, reports of our demise were greatly exaggerated. Yet considering the fact that strong winds were pushing the smoke and fiery ash from the Christies Office Plus building directly over our building, it wasnt an unfair question to ask. And as most of the public knows, we came dangerously close to such a reality, with fire destroying the beer vendor just across the street from us.

In the early hours of the fire, I must admit I had my concerns about my office building, because we were right in line with the smoke and debris fallout. As soon as I saw the beer vendor catch fire, I realized that we were about to be evacuated, and I grabbed the rest of my camera gear from my office and dumped it in my car, before checking on the warehouse manager to make sure he was OK, and that there was no one left in the building.

Through conversation with the publisher, reporter Michael Lee and other employees who remained in the area, I knew throughout the afternoon that The Sun had not caught on fire, nor had been damaged in any way.

But that didnt stop speculation from running ... well ... like wildfire on social media. As the above comment on our Facebook page indicates, rumours were flying that The Brandon Sun building was on fire.

It was a particularly busy day for our staff. Lee had come back into the city after being on assignment near Riding Mountain earlier in the day. He had texted me earlier that he had been tipped off about the fire at Christies and asked me to head there. Its the long weekend, after all, and as the newsroom boss, Im the guy on call when something explodes.

As anyone who has worked in a daily newsroom understands, it takes a great amount of work to gather information properly from relevant sources, and then write a useful story that still needs editing before being posted online or printed. In a perfect world, we would have instant information, perfect and reliable, every time. But it takes hard work by dedicated individuals to gather information, and then write it in a digestible and accurate manner.

Proven media, such as The Brandon Sun or Winnipeg Free Press, are not in the habit of publishing rumours and gossip. Our adherence to the principles of reliable news reporting is why we remain trustworthy  and we do our best every day to earn that public trust.

So when my cellphone started buzzing every other minute, with questions from concerned friends wondering if we were OK, and whether our building was still standing, I was caught off guard. As far as I knew, my office was fine  just evacuated as a precaution.

But my staff were also getting bombarded by calls and texts. Our court reporter was in Superstore around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and overheard a woman telling two people of the buildings that were on fire, including The Brandon Sun building. At that point, the reporter texted me to ask if it actually was on fire. A short time later she had gone to Sobeys at Shoppers Mall and overheard another group of people talking about the fires and again The Sun was among the buildings that were said to have been burning down.

Word travels fast in this town. And rumours seem to fly faster.

Time and again, my Facebook account pinged with questions from folks who had heard we were burning down. And as many times as I would put it out on social media or tell my friends that The Suns building was not burning, I would read or hear someone say otherwise.

At one point in the weekend, the Brandon firefighters and paramedics group published an aerial map of downtown Brandon on its Facebook page with various buildings circled in red. The map included the name of The Brandon Sun as a highlighted landmark point underneath one of the red circles, which prompted even more questions on the page regarding The Suns well-being. This was not the fault of the firefighters and paramedics, just an unlucky happenstance.

I highlight this issue because it perfectly illustrates the dangers of listening to hearsay and rumour in our community. Society needs to be able to rely upon seasoned professionals who gather news, be they radio, internet-based, print or television. While I am heartened that so many individuals actually reached out to me and my staff to try to confirm a rumour before spreading it further, its so easy to see how such rumours can begin. And in this case, given a different turn of Fortunes wheel, it might well have been true.

We truly appreciate the support we have received over the last several days. And we hope the public sees fit to continue that support  because clearly theres still a need for proven media.

 Matt GoerzenBy Padraig Hoare

Spanish consumer finance firm Avantcard has said its personalised loan rates for customers will allow it to compete in the sector currently dominated by banks.

Avantcard, which bought the Irish operations of MBNA in 2012, said its new offering will allow each customer to have a credit card or personal loan approved based on their individual financial and credit profile.

Managing director Chris Paul said a personal loan of more than 20,000 for a customer with an excellent credit history would see an APR of 7.5%, while a rate of 13.9% would apply on a personal loan between 5,000 and 10,000 for a customer with a higher risk.

There will also be rates for customers in between both ends of the scale, he added.

However, existing customers with an excellent rating currently paying a higher APR on a personal loan will not be re-evaluated, Mr Paul said. Such customers can apply for a new loan, he added.

On credit cards, its typical APR is 22.9% but customers considered to have a better credit history are now being offered 20.9%, he said.

Vulnerable customers will not be approved for personal loans or credit cards if they cannot prove they can afford it, he said.

We will consider every application carefully but we do not approve everyone. It might be that the risk may be just too great for us, and might not be convinced the customer will pay us back. We will look at the customers circumstances.

We have a duty of care that we take very seriously and if we dont think a customer is able to afford the finance theyd like to take on, we will say no, he said.

He said Avantcard is confident it can compete with the bigger lenders for a slice of the market.

Avantcard said last month it had reached an agreement with Tesco Bank to acquire its Irish credit card portfolio.

The only way we will succeed is offering something different to what customers can already get.

This is one example of how we are approaching things in a different way. Were off to a strong start, having announced in April that we will be buying Tesco Banks credit card portfolio, which has 27,000 customers.

The way we will grow is to issue more cards and loans, and to build our brand through marketing. We will also grow with small but important partnerships, such as that with Chill Insurance, who help us issue loans while we provide finance.

Were in conversation with other organisations to do something similar. To pull off this deal with Tesco Bank is testament to our credentials and we are looking to substantially grow the business over the next few years, Mr Paul said.Anglo Irish Bank's former CEO David Drumm was the captain of the ship heading into a storm in September 2008, and did what he had to to get through it, his lawyers have told a jury.

On day 78 of Mr Drumm's conspiracy to defraud trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Brendan Grehan SC told the jury that his client never set out to commit any kind of fraud.

He said that the Central Bank came to Mr Drumm during the international financial crisis and asked him and others to tog out for Ireland.

It is the State's case that Mr Drumm conspired with Irish Life & Permanent's former CEO, Denis Casey, Anglo's former financial director Willie McAteer and former Head of Treasury at Anglo, John Bowe, and others to carry out 7.2 billion in fraudulent transactions in order to bolster the customer deposits figure on the bank's balance sheet.

In hindsight Anglo may have had insurmountable problems, but when you are in the middle of a crisis, hope springs eternal, Mr Grehan said.

He said Mr Drumm did his best in good faith, in the circumstances which arose. He did not morph into a criminal mastermind who committed the biggest fraud in criminal history.

Mr Grehan told the jury the transactions between Anglo and Irish Life and Permanent (ILP) in September 2008 took place in a particular context, unrivalled in living memory.

Mr Drumm has never shirked responsibility for them, he said, referring to the series of admissions made by Mr Drumm on the opening day of his trial.

He said Mr Drumm had never denied anything he did in relation to the transactions and straight up accepted responsibility for them.

He did not try to blame anyone down in the engine room for bringing the ship onto the rocks, counsel said.

He disputes that there was fraud or dishonesty. That's the single issue in this trial, he said.

Counsel described Anglo as one of the most reviled institutions in living memory and asked jurors to keep an open mind in accordance with their oath.

He reminded them that this case concerned a very specific set of transactions and was not about the ills Anglo was perceived to have caused to the country.

He said the jury were being asked to find a massive conspiracy to defraud yet the prosecution say they don't need to prove anyone lost a penny.

Mr Grehan said the transactions had been carried out openly and transparently and that the Financial Regulator had been told of them by October 1, 2008, and had not objected to Anglo's accounts being published in December 2008.

The prosecution have a theory that this was the biggest fraud in Ireland and will keep repeating the words dishonest and fraud until they are blue in the face and you accept that that's what happened here, he told the jury.

He said some members of the bank's audit committee were captains of industry yet had decided that no explanatory note needed to be attached to Anglo's preliminary accounts of December 2008.

Mr Drumm was not a member of this grouping and they were there to correct his homework, Mr Grehan said.

Mr Grehan suggested the case had been billed as something greater than it was. He said the jurors must have been salivating at the mouth when they first heard about it and must have looked forward to getting stuck into some "real badness". He said the charges did not live up to their billing.

He said there was no evidence that anyone stole a cent or lost anything or gained anything in relation to this transaction and there was no evidence anyone had 7.2bn stashed away in a Cayman Island account.

David Drumm (aged 51) of Skerries, Co Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to conspiring with former bank officials Denis Casey, William McAteer, John Bowe and others to defraud depositors and investors at Anglo by dishonestly creating the impression that deposits in 2008 were 7.2 billion larger than they were.

The former Anglo Irish CEO has also pleaded not guilty to false accounting on December 3, 2008, by furnishing information to the market that Anglo's 2008 deposits were 7.2 billion larger than they were.

Mr Drumm accepts that the multi-million euro transactions took place between Anglo and ILP in 2008 but disputes that they were fraudulent or dishonest.

Mr Grehan will conclude his remarks to the jury tomorrow before Judge Karen O'Connor delivers her charge to the 10 men and four women.By Eamon Quinn

Dublin office valuations are among the most over-valued in Europe, according to an analysis by Capital Economics in London.

Its analysis places Dublin as the second most overvalued against measures which compare yields over the past 10 years and with government bond yields, and the third most overvalued compared with equity yields.

Pulling these scores together, Athens is now the only undervalued office market and 17 out of 31 European office markets are over-valued, with Oslo and Dublin looking particularly expensive. The office sector has now joined the industrial sector in looking overvalued as a whole for the first time, according to the assessment.

It says that assessing property valuations is not an easy task but believes using comparisons of government bonds, corporate bonds and equities is a useful approach to end up with valuation scores across the region.

Our valuation measure focuses on the income yield of property and alternative asset class yields. Other property valuation measures tend to factor in expectations for rental growth.

However, in our view, this risks falsely justifying aggressive market pricing, particularly near the peak of a cycle.

Therefore, we base our analysis on the current income yield, which we believe provides a fair and prudent comparison against the other asset classes, says Capital Economics.

On its overall retail scorecard, it finds Dublin is the fourth most over-valued market in Europe and the citys industrial commercial space the second most overvalued. Across Europe, Capital Economics finds retail is the best-placed of the three property areas, while industrial property looks the most over-valued market.The former Anglo Irish Bank chief David Drumm engaged with others in a massive billion euro con, the prosecutor in the trial of has told a jury.

After nearly five months, the trial of Mr Drumm for conspiracy to defraud and false accounting in 2008 has entered its closing stages at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

On day 78 of the trial Mary Rose Gearty SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, began summarising the State's case to the 14-strong jury.

She said the 7.2bn transactions at the centre of the case were reported to the market in December 2008 as a massive con and that the accounting scheme used was fraudulent and dishonest.

Counsel told jurors that the monies that circulated between Anglo, ILP and Irish Life Assurance in September 2008 was simply not real money.

Referencing the expression putting on your best suit, meaning to put out the best balance sheet possible at year end, Ms Gearty said: In this case Anglo's family snapshot contained a stranger, who was wearing a really nice suit.

She said a thread running through defence cross-examinations was that the financial market was under extreme pressure and Anglo was going down the tubes anyway. She said this did not exonerate those who acted to try to keep the bank limping on for another few days.

The prosecution allege Mr Drumm conspired with three identified people, ILP's former CEO, Denis Casey, Anglo's former financial director Willie McAteer and Head of Treasury at Anglo, John Bowe, as well as others.

In order to convict Mr Drumm of a conspiracy they must find he had conspired with at least one other person, Ms Gearty said.

Counsel referred to a recorded phone call of September 29, 2008, between Mr Drumm, Mr McAteer and Mr Bowe.

During the conversation, Mr Bowe said that the money goes around in a circle and we give the money to them and the dance here is we actually get it back in time and thats becoming very, very tough to do.

Mr Drumm replied that a fucking journal entry would do it a lot quicker and Mr McAteer later commented very good journal entries.

This was clear, reliable and contemporaneous evidence that the three men were discussing a criminal conspiracy Ms Gearty said.

She added that the prosecution did not have to prove that there was any actual loss or gain as a result of the conspiracy.

The intent was to induce depositors, investors or shareholders to make decisions about economic affairs based on false information, she said.

She said the transactions were on Anglo's balance sheet in order to induce people to deposit their money, at a time when Mr Drumm and many of his colleagues knew the bank was in serious trouble.

She told the 10 men and four women they should not be sidetracked into wondering why only Mr Drumm was on trial for these charges.

You are considering the guilt or innocence of David Drumm and him alone. - Ms Gearty.

Ms Gearty asked jurors to leave any bias, emotion or opinions about banks outside the jury room when commencing their deliberations, and told them not to speculate. Earlier the jurors were told the defence will not be calling any witnesses.

David Drumm (aged 51) of Skerries, Co Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to conspiring with former bank officials Denis Casey, William McAteer, John Bowe and others to defraud depositors and investors at Anglo by dishonestly creating the impression that deposits in 2008 were 7.2 billion larger than they were.

The former Anglo Irish CEO has also pleaded not guilty to false accounting on December 3, 2008, by furnishing information to the market that Anglo's 2008 deposits were 7.2 billion larger than they were.

Mr Drumm accepts that the multi-million euro transactions took place between Anglo and ILP in 2008 but disputes that they were fraudulent or dishonest. The prosecutor will continue her closing speech this afternoon before Judge Karen O'Connor.330 complaints were made about the press in 2017, up from 261 the year before.

The complaints related to articles published in newspapers, magazines and online publications.

Most of the issues related to invasion of privacy and inaccurate reporting.

But despite the increase in complaints, Press Ombudsman Peter Feeney says he is happy with their annual report.

He said: "There is a slight increase in 2017 over 2016 but what is interesting is the number of upheld complaints last year was down on the previous year.

It was suggested that newspapers in general are getting it right more often and there has been less breaches found of the code of practice.

The Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman launched their Annual Report for 2017 today and speaking at the launch Sean Donlon, the Chairperson of the Press Council said there were two specific threats to press freedom in Ireland today.

The first of these is the current Defamation Act which he said has done nothing to reduce disproportionate defamation awards which are having a chilling effect on press freedom.

The much anticipated review of the Defamation Act, he said, must address the levels of awards or some publishers will simply go under.

The second threat Mr Donlon identified was the growing influence of social media in Irish public life.

He said:

"It is essential that governments and international organisations such as the EU now address the disproportionate and unaccountable power of social media.

"There has to be an acceptance that responsibility goes with power. If the social media organisations do not themselves take action to ensure that they do not undermine democratic systems then governments will have to bring in supervisory and regulatory measures comparable to that which newspapers, magazines, advertising and broadcasters already experience."

You can read the full report here.

- Digital DeskLatest: Campaign groups on both sides of the abortion debate are continuing to make their last minute appeals to the electorate ahead of tomorrow's vote.

Members of the Oireachtas, volunteers and barrister Benedict O Floinn BL gathered in Kidlare Street this morning to highlight what the Love Both campaign group described as the far reaching, and extreme abortion legislation planned by the Government if it wins in tomorrows referendum vote.

Mr O Floinn said the government has plans to introduce the most far-reaching abortion laws any Irish government has ever proposed in the history of the state.

"This included abortion on demand up to 12 weeks, abortion on vague mental health grounds which are frequently abused in other countries up to 24 weeks, and potentially abortion up to birth in other ill-defined circumstances.

He continued: The Government is proposing to have all constitutional rights removed from unborn babies, this is not a limited amendment but a demolition of a key right in our Constitution.

"This Minister for Health has published legislation which will be introduced if the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution is repealed; it goes far beyond dealing with limited difficult cases.

"The only way to prevent the adoption of an extreme abortion law is to vote No tomorrow, Friday at the polling station.

Also speaking at the event Mary Butler TD, had a message for those voters who were wondering if they should vote for the proposal solely to deal with the tragic cases that have dominated the campaign.

"The Government has cynically used the tragedies of certain people to push through the most extreme abortion law ever propose in this country by any Irish government. More and more people are realising that this government has planned to introduce an extreme abortion law, the only way to stop this is to vote No tomorrow.

Meanwhile at a separate event the Together for Yes called on voters to turn out to vote tomorrow in what will be a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

Co-Directors Orla OConnor and Ailbhe Smyth were joined by a group of Together For Yes supporters in Merrion Square Park.

Spokesperson Sarah Monaghan suggested tomorrow was a historic opportunity for people in Ireland to change how women in this country who have a crisis pregnancy are cared for.

18 hours until polls open.



This is it, the final push for Yes. We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to make Ireland a safer place for women and girls.



Lets do it. #together4yes #Together2vote pic.twitter.com/jbEuwycPRX  Together for Yes (@Together4yes) May 24, 2018

"Voters will have an extraordinary power in their hands tomorrow when they lift that pencil in the polling booth to cast their vote. We would urge everyone to exercise your democratic power and vote Yes to ensure we can care for and be compassionate towards women in these difficult situations.

"Only by repealing the 8th amendment, we can create a caring and compassionate environment for these women.

Orla OConnor went on to suggest the vote was a once-in-a-generation chance to repeal the 8th amendment.

Unless we repeal the 8th, nothing will change. Nothing will change for couples who receive a devastating diagnosis of fatal foetal abnormality. Nothing will change for rape victims who become pregnant. Nothing will change for women whose health is put at risk by a pregnancy.

"To achieve change  to achieve care and compassion for women in crisis pregnancies  we must repeal.

Spokesperson Ailbhe Smyth said the electorate have heard powerful personal testimonies from women and couples who have been brave enough to speak out about the harm of the 8th amendment on their lives.

"We have heard from top obstetricians and doctors like Peter Boylan and Rhona Mahony about how the 8th amendment prevents doctors from caring for their patients properly.

"These are sensitive and difficult decisions for women and they should be allowed to make them in consultation with their doctors, and with the support of their families. This care can only be possible by repealing the 8th amendment.

Update 12.10pm:Taoiseach makes final bid for a 'Yes' vote to banish 'legacy of shame'

By Elaine Loughlin

The Taoiseach has made a final call to people to come out and vote in what he has described as "once in a generation decision" for Irish citizens.

Campaigning for a 'Yes' vote Leo Varadkar said he finds it "difficult to contemplate" a no vote but he must be realistic that this is a possibility.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

"I think it would send out the wrong message not just to women but about our society.

There has been in Ireland a legacy of shame in many ways the fact that 170,000 women have had to travel sometimes in secret to another jurisdiction to end their pregnancies and I hope that a yes vote will help to lift that stigma, help to take away that legacy of shame that exists in our society.

He added that he is taking nothing for granted pointing out that opinion polls, which indicate that the referendum will pass, have been wrong before.

I'm voting Yes on Friday for all the women in my life; my mum, my sisters and my female friends, including the friend who told me about her own abortion. I think they all deserve safe & compassionate care here at home. #VoteYes #Together2Vote #PKshow  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) May 23, 2018

"This is a once in a generation decision for the Irish people, I would really encourage everyone to come out to vote tomorrow, particularly those of you who are voting yes and it is an opportunity for us to change our country.

On Sunday if there is a yes vote it will still be the same country that it is today but it will be a country that is a little bit more compassionate, one that recognises the realities and the problems women face.

Mr Varadkar added that he is confident that if the referendum is carried legislation can be passed through the Oireachtas before the end of the year.

"In terms of the legislation we would anticipate having that published before the summer recess and having it through the Dail and Seanad and enacted before the end of the year. I hope and trust that the vast majority of TDs will respect the decision of the Irish people if it is a yes vote, there will still be a free vote for TDs and Senators for sure."

Update 12.12pm: Leo Varadkar has promised there will not be another abortion referendum if the 'No' side wins.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said: "If it is a 'No' vote, the Government will respect that decision and we won't be putting forward a second referendum."

Voters have already started casting their ballots on the islands off the West Coast.

The rest of the country will have their say tomorrow on whether they want to repeal the Eighth Amendment of the constitution, which protects the right to life of the unborn.

The Taoiseach has described tomorrow's referendum as a once in a generation opportunity.

He said: "If it is a 'No' vote, the Government will respect that decision and we won't be putting forward a second referendum.

This went through a very detailed process involving The Citizens' Assembly, involving an all party committee, we are now putting the question to the people and we will respect the people's decision whatever it is.

Mr Varadkar has also warned there could be a crackdown on women taking illegal abortion pills if the 'No' side wins.

The Taoiseach has admitted that Gardai will be forced to act on legitimate complaints if the law does not change.

He says unless the Eighth is repealed, women will still be criminalised for abortions.

If the Gardai got a complaint about somebody procuring a pill online they would have to investigate that and if there was sufficient evidence the DPP would prosecute.

Update: 9.50am: Both sides in abortion debate make last minute push to appeal to voters

Both sides in the abortion debate are making a last minute push to appeal to voters.

It is the final day before people take to the polls to decide whether or not to repeal the Eighth Amendment.

More than 2,000 people on 12 islands in the Atlantic will get their chance to vote today.

Ailbhe Smyth from Together for Yes is calling for people to repeal the Eighth Amendment.

She said:

We have been exporting women, they have been saying to women now for 35 years 'you have a right to an abortion but you have to have one somewhere else.'

Cora Sherlock from Love Both wants people to vote to retain the Eighth Amendment.

Cora Sherlock.

She said: "I very firmly believe that a woman or family that are told that their baby may not live for very long, deserve to be given the time and space to be considered in a way and talked about in a way that doesn't involve the kind of abortion on demand that we all know this turns into.

This is about one thing and one thing only - abortion on demand.

Update 8am: One vote in each ballot box enough to change the outcome of referendum - National Youth Council of Ireland

Young people can make a big difference in deciding the result of the referendum, according to the National Youth Council of Ireland.

The organisation, which has not taken a side during the campaign, is encouraging 18 to 29-year-olds to have their say at the ballot box.

James Doorley, NYCI deputy director explained: We have compiled the figures from local authorities which indicate that there are 5,866 ballot boxes nationwide. This means that one vote in each ballot box could conceivably be enough to change the outcome of the referendum.

The divorce referendum, for example, was carried by 9,114 votes. If just one voter in each ballot box across the country had voted no rather than yes, then the referendum would have had a different outcome.

NYCI Communications Manager, Daniel Meister, says the power of the youth vote can not be underestimated.

He said: "Young people can play such an important role in this referendum.

There are almost 690,000 aged 18 to 29 in Ireland so it is really important that they get out and vote, they can make a difference. They have to vote on such an important issue.

Earlier: First votes to be cast in abortion referendum as islanders take to the polling booths

The first votes of the abortion referendum will be cast later when many islanders take to the polling booths.

An electorate of just over 2,000 is expected in a scattering of Atlantic outposts today as Ireland decides whether to reform its termination laws.

The poll on whether to keep the Eighth Amendment is being held a day earlier in some places as it will help prevent delays in transportation and counting of ballot papers.

The Eighth effectively outlaws abortion in all cases unless a mothers life is in danger and its repeal would allow the Government to introduce laws permitting the procedure in early pregnancy.

Ballot boxes and electoral officials will be carried by boat from the mainland to counties Donegal, Galway and Mayo in Irelands far west later this morning.

Islands in south-west Cork will vote on Friday along with the rest of the country.

After a long campaign radio silence will descend at 2pm today as a broadcast moratorium comes into effect.

A ballot box is carried on Inishfree Island off the coast of Co Donegal ahead of a previous poll (Brian Lawless/PA)

Last minute efforts by both sides will be made across the country ahead of the polls opening tomorrow morning.

Canvassers are hitting train stations, bus and Luas stops in a final pitch to the electorate.

The Department of Housing and Local Government have confirmed almost 120,000 people have been added to the supplementary register in advance of the vote, with more than 3 million people eligible to cast their ballot.

- Press Association and Digital DeskThe Prime Minister of Belgium is visiting Co Louth today to see for himself the impact that a hard border might have.

Charles Michel will visit the old Ravensdale border crossing at the Louth/Down border, accompanied by the Minister for Business Heather Humphreys.UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is to call for the revival of a contentious peace process mechanism to enable the UK and Irish Governments to work together to save powersharing in Northern Ireland.

In a speech in Belfast today, Mr Corbyn will urge British prime minister Theresa May to reconvene the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference - a body that offers the Irish a consultative role in non-devolved matters concerning Northern Ireland.

Sinn Fein and the SDLP have been demanding the re-establishment of the conference, which last sat in 2007, as a means to plot a way forward amid the devolution crisis in Belfast.

However, unionists are wary of the body, and associated suggestions the Irish Government could have a significant role in deciding the next steps for the region's rudderless public services.

Democratic Unionist leader Arlene Foster has dismissed the conference as a "talking shop" and instead called for direct rule UK ministers to take decisions on Northern Ireland at Westminster until such time as a powersharing administration can be pieced back together at Stormont.

On his first visit to the region since becoming leader, Mr Corbyn will focus on the powersharing impasse in a speech at Queen's University.

The Labour leader is due to say: "Devolution and power-sharing have given every community a voice and helped maintain the peace process.

"If the current stalemate in Stormont cannot be sorted out in Belfast, I call on the UK government to reconvene the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference.

We must step up to find a creative solution, in the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement, that avoids a return to direct Westminster rule and lays the ground for further progress for all communities.

Northern Ireland has been without a properly functioning powersharing government for more than 16 months due to a bitter stand-off between the two biggest parties, the DUP and Sinn Fein.

A row that broke out over a botched green energy scheme, and widened to encompass long-standing disputes such as the Irish language, gay marriage and Troubles legacy issues, shows no sign of resolution.

Mr Corbyn, who is spending two days in Northern Ireland, will also use his speech at Queen's to make clear that Labour will not support a Brexit deal that results in the re-imposition of a hard border on the island.

He will argue the best way to avoid border checks is through a UK-EU customs union - which would offer the UK a say on future trade deals - coupled with a "new and strong relationship" with the EU Single Market.

"Driven by the free-market fantasists within their ranks, the reckless Conservative approach to Brexit is a very real threat to jobs and living standards here in Northern Ireland and risks undermining and destabilising the co-operation and relative harmony of recent years," Mr Corbyn will say.

Labour will not support any Brexit deal that includes the return of a hard border to this island. But we are also clear there must be no border created in the Irish Sea either.

"That is why Labour has put forward a plan that would go a long way to solving this issue, a plan for which I believe there is a majority in Westminster. Let's not give up years of hard fought co-operation and stability for the pipe dream prize of race-to-the-bottom free trade deals with the likes of Donald Trump.

"Opposition to the idea of bringing back a hard border to this land isn't just about avoiding paperwork or tariffs, important though that is, it's about deep rooted cultural and community ties.

An open border is a symbol of peace, two communities living and working together after years of conflict, communities who no longer feel that their traditions are under threat.

Mr Corbyn's visit comes amid ongoing commemorations to mark the 20th anniversary of the historic Good Friday peace agreement.

He will argue that securing economic advances for all citizens is the way to extend and deepen the peace in Northern Ireland.

"Look back at the sacrifice and courage shown at all levels of society that paved the way for something that had once seemed impossible," he will say.

"That was the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement. We all need that spirit again - Stormont and Westminster parties, the British and Irish Governments, business and unions, UK and EU negotiators - if we want to secure 20 more years of peace and greater prosperity for the many not the few."

DUP leader Arlene Foster at Stormont.

Calling for economic justice and prosperity, he will add:

"Peace can - and must - be extended through real social and economic advances for all communities, with the state at regional and national level prepared to act to bring about a full-scale upgrade of the economy.

"While many economic decisions for Northern Ireland are rightly decided in Stormont, a Labour government in Westminster would make sure that Northern Ireland has more money to invest in its people and its public services. We will make sure the people of Northern Ireland do not miss out.

"We are committed to supporting manufacturing in Northern Ireland and Labour's recent pledge to reverse the decision to put the 1 billion contract to build the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships out to international tender will keep jobs and prosperity in Britain's shipyards and could benefit Belfast."

Tory party chairman Brandon Lewis said: "Labour are only interested in frustrating Brexit rather than making it a success for the whole United Kingdom.

"This Government remains resolute in our commitments to Northern Ireland, including upholding the Belfast Agreement.

"Labour, on the other hand, say one thing in public but then in private say the Brexit risks to the Belfast Agreement were being played up."

- PAUpdate 11.50am: It is understood, a local drug dealer from South Dublin has contacted Gardai to say that Mark Hennessy had attempted to buy cocaine from him on the night Jastine Valdez was murdered.

Gardai are also said to be investigating whether the suspected killer was using dating apps and if he was stalking the 24-year-old student.

The dad-of-two was shot dead on Sunday night after he was confronted by Gardai, while Ms Valdez's body was discovered in Rathmichael the next day.

Gardai have recovered CCTV of Mr Hennessy in a pub in Ballybrack showing him drinking.

The 40-year-old was unsuccessful in buying cocaine from this drug dealer but Gardai believe he procured cocaine later that night and he continued on a drink and drug binge until confronted in Cherrywood.

A public memorial is being planned for Ms Valdez for next week.

She will be laid to rest in her native Phillipines but plans are underway for a service here also.

A Go Fund Me page set up to help her parents has raised more than 114,000  far surpassing its original target of 10,000.

Raymond Garrett from Outreach Ireland says the outpouring of support for Jastines family has been incredible.

He said: "It is beyond belief how the Irish community, the Filipino community and the country as a whole has shown support.

It is not in any way compensation, it is just the only thing people can do looking on apart from looking on and wishing well, offering support is to give a small donation.

The average donation is 25.

Update 10.30am: Gardai investigating whether Mark Hennessy was stalking Jastine Valdez; Smashed up phone being examined

Gardai are investigating whether the man suspected of abducting and killing Jastine Valdez was stalking her.

The 24-year-old student worked in a cafe in Bray, where dad of two Mark Hennessy lived.

Gardai are also looking into whether the murder suspect was using dating apps and are examining a smashed up phone believed to have been his.

Mark Hennessy.

Update 8.45am: Gardai investigating whether murder suspect Mark Hennessy was active on dating apps

It is understood Gardai are investigating whether Mark Hennessy, the man suspected of abducting and killing Jastine Valdez was using dating apps and websites.

Mr Hennessy was shot dead while sitting in his car by a Garda officer on Sunday night - Ms Valdez's body was found in Rathmichael in south Dublin the following day.

Last night Gardai appealed for information about her handbag and iPad mini.

Jastine Valdez.

Earlier: Gardai issue fresh appeal for help in Justine Valdez murder case

Gardai have issued a fresh appeal for help in the Jastine Valdez murder case.

They are seeking the public's assistance in finding her blue shoulder bag and her iPad mini.

The 24-year-old student was abducted in Enniskerry on Saturday and her body was found in Rathmichael on Monday.

Jastine's blue shoulder bag.

Gardai are also looking for dash cam footage from drivers who were in south county Dublin at the weekend and who may have seen Mark Hennessy's black Nissan Qashqai.

GSOC has revealed that Mr. Hennessy, who is believed to have killed the 24-year-old, was shot dead in the driver's seat of his car by a Garda officer.

Mr Hennessy died from a single gunshot wound to his shoulder which ricocheted into an artery.

Mark Hennessy.

A post mortem on the 40-year-old, father of two said that there was a single bullet discharged from the official firearm of the Garda involved and it appears to have hit a bone around his shoulder and ricocheted into the artery causing fatal injuries.

Investigators found a stanley knife in the vehicle, and his body had evidence of self-harming.

Gardai are also investigating whether he tried to buy cocaine after the death of the 24-year-old student.

GSOC investigators are collecting video footage from a Garda traffic car at the scene, and from CCTV cameras surrounding the area.

An online book of condolence has also been opened on Wicklow.ie along with one at the Powerscourt Arms Hotel in Enniskerry.

Also, donations to the page on the crowdfunding site, gofundme.com, Jastine Valdez Memorial Fund, have reached over 110,000.

People with any information should contact Bray Garda Station on 01-6665300 the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

- Digital DeskUpdate - 6.16pm: 15-year-old Adam Darcy has been found safe and well.

12.08pm: Gardai appeal for help in finding Dublin teen

Gardai are appealing for help in finding a missing teenager in Dublin.

15-year-old Adam Darcy was last seen on May 10 in the Dublin 1 area.

Adam is described as 5'8 in height, of slim build, with dark hair and blue eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Store Street Garda Station.

- Digital DeskBy David Raleigh

Gardai have recovered a sawn-off shotgun and ammunition at a house in Limerick.

The firearm, which was found during a planned search yesterday, is to be forensically examined by gardai to determine what it was to be used for.

A woman was also arrested and subsequently released without charge.

As a result of an intelligence led operation, Gardai carried out a search of a house close to Limerick city centre on the 23rd May 2018 at approximately 17:30pm, a Garda spokesman said.

During the search, a sawn-off shotgun and a small amount of ammunition was recovered.

A female in her 30s was arrested and detained at Henry Street Garda Station under Section 30 Offences Against the State Act 1939. She has since been released without charge and a file will be prepared for the DPP.Tanaiste Simon Coveney has warned that the No side are trying to sow confusion in the final hours before the abortion referendum by promising to address difficult pregnancies with new proposals.

Mr Coveney also admitted that his thoughts on abortion had changed after the work of the citizen's assembly on abortion and the process examining the constitution over the last two years.

He told the Dail that he represented a "lot of men" and people in the country. There were men who believed that by retaining the Eighth Amendment that they were somehow protecting the unborn.

This was simply not true, declared the Tanaiste, when you heard the stories of women who had to travel or who were forced to "wander the streets of Birmingham for six hours".

Minister Coveney appealed for undecided or No voters to try and see that story "through the eyes of somebody close to them".

[social]https://twitter.com/simoncoveney/status/998474617877614592[/social]

Speaking ahead of the vote tomorrow, Sinn Fein's Pearse Doherty raised concerns about the No side suggesting proposals could be revisited instead of repealing the Eighth Amendment.

The Donegal TD said that the current regulations around abortion were outdated and criminalises tragedy.

The No side's claim was patently untrue and was a tactic to sow confusion.

Minister Coveney agreed, saying that if there had been an easy way to address hard pregnancy cases, such as rape or fatal foetal abnormalities, that it would have been proposed over the last 35 years, after the original introduction of the Eighth Amendment.

He said that Ireland would be frozen in time if there was a No vote in the referendum.

The No side's tactics were an attempt at distraction and confusion, said the minister.

The government were proceeding in the only way possible to deal with this compassionately, he added.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(HOUSTON) -- The hard-charging publicity arm of the National Rifle Association is engaged in an increasingly vicious Twitter battle with Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, as the firearms organization struggles to contain fallout from yet another mass shooting.



The result has been a multi-day social media battle between Houston's top law enforcement official and a prominent and outspoken NRA personality. On Tuesday, the dispute escalated to include threats of legal filings, references to Nazi Germany and suggestions of inappropriate surveillance.



After last Friday's mass shooting at Santa He High School in Texas, which left ten people dead 13 wounded, Acevedo posted a desperate and emotional plea on his Facebook page to do something about gun violence.



I know some have strong feelings about gun rights but I want you to know Ive hit rock bottom and I am not interested in your views as it pertains to this issue," Acevedo wrote. "Please do not post anything about guns [not being] the problem and [that] theres little we can do."



This isnt a time for prayers, and study and inaction," he continued. "Its a time for prayers, action and the asking of Gods forgiveness for our inaction.



He followed up the comments on CBS News' Face the Nation, calling on the public to vote out lawmakers "that are doing nothing" on gun violence.



NRATV, a combative video production and social media operation that frequently targets perceived opponents of the gun organization, soon released multiple videos of NRATV hosts and guests criticizing Acevedo over his statements on gun violence and his so-called "sanctuary city" stance.



I call him a political hack, in many respects, because he does the bidding of left-wing city officers that hire him, NRATV host Grant Stinchfield said in a clip the organization tweeted Monday. One Texas law enforcement officials, Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn, agreed in the clip, saying most law enforcement officers in Texas are Second Amendment people.



"Art Acevedo is a police chief who thinks it's completely appropriate to ignore the law of the land when it concerns legal immigration, NRA spokesperson Dana Leosch said in a separate clip, but thinks that he has the right to apparently go into every home in Texas and inspect how everybody's storing their #firearms."



Acevedo responded in a string of tweets late Monday night.



"NRATV is against what most major cities...police chiefs have to say about these issues," he wrote.



"NRATV is losing the moral high ground on what was once their core values, so lets try to talk about anything and everything under the Sun to deflect from issue at hand," he replied to a tweet from Loesch. "We know we are on the right track when that happens."



When a third NRATV clip accused Acevedo of ignoring gang violence in Houston to go after gun owners, the police chief replied, "Blah blah blah," and linked to an article about his department's arrest of hundreds of gang members.



Acevedo "was incredibly unhappy that I and others called him out," Loesch said in a clip released on Twitter on Tuesday, accusing Acevedo of espousing a "gun-grabbing ideology."



Acevedo responded with screenshots of him turning down Loeschs interview request, and warned further discussion would take place in a legal setting.



"We will be watching and will do our talking in a court of law if the need arises," he wrote.



Loesch retweeted a tweet from a conservative commentator comparing Acevedo to the Gestapo, and was still tweeting at the police chief into Wednesday afternoon.



"Its surreal to see a chief reacting to free speech this way," she wrote, eventually questioning whether she was already under surveillance.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.By Tom Tuite

The parents of a teenage boy with autism have been cleared of neglecting his education after telling a court he threatened to take his life and repeatedly smashed up their family home when asked to go to school.

In an example of the difficulties faced by their teenage son, the mother alleged at Dublin District Court that a teacher joked it was pity he had not been in Paris at the time of the November 2015 terror attack at the Bataclan concert hall in which 90 people were killed.

A parent could be fined up to 1,000 and jailed for a month if convicted of breaking the Education (Welfare) Act for not complying with official warnings about a childs school attendance.

Under the Act the minimum school leaving age was raised to 16 years or the completion of three years of post-primary education.

The mother and father pleaded not guilty and faced trial at Dublin District Court, in a prosecution brought by Tusla, Child and Family Agency.

They furnished the court with a diagnosis report stating their son, now in his mid-teens, was on level one of the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) which affected his ability for social interaction.

They said after attending Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) with their son for more than a year they got an assessment privately which resulted in the ASD diagnosis.

The mother disagreed with the prosecution that the teens school still had a place for the boy in its ASD unit.

She also told the court that when her son went into first year he did not like class and could not stay still. He could not make his way from one class to another and there was general misbehaviour, she said.

She told the court she kept in contact with the teachers and principal and knew them well, as her other children had also attended the same school. The mother said her son started going missing after school every day and his behaviour at home became worrying and he was having serious meltdowns while taking instructions.

She said her son was very literal and did not understand sarcasm. In second year the teacher from the schools ASD unit asked her to come to a meeting about the boys behaviour and suggested the teen may have had Asperger Syndrome.

The family were referred to CAMHS in January 2016 and attended a number of meetings, the woman said.

She agreed with the judge that there had been some missed appointments but it was not easy to get the boy to go and it was very distressing for him, she told the hearing.

She also said he started getting bullied in school by students.

Once after a family trip to Paris, shortly after the November 2015 Bataclan massacre, a teacher asked the boy on his return where he had been, the mother alleged.

She claimed when her son told the teacher he had been in Paris, he replied, Oh dear, what a pity you were not there at the time of the massacre.

Another kid may have thought it funny, but an autistic kid has no sense of humour, the mother said.

She told the court her son had refused to go to school over the past couple of years and has missed doing a lot of tests. She wept as she revealed he threatened he would take his life if he was forced to go.

She also described to the court how he would wreck the house and punch the walls. Gardai and ambulances had to be called on a number of occasions, she said.

In relation to one meeting organised by education and welfare officers, the mother said their son had no faith in the system and would not go. How, can you force a 14, 15, 16-year-old boy to an appointment, she said.

She also alleged that she was sent a young trainee social worker.

In cross-examination, the mother did not accept the schools principals evidence that more effort could have been made to get the boy to attend school.

She said her son told her no one can help me.

In evidence, the father told Judge John Brennan that most of their time was spent getting help for their son while they tried to hold down their jobs, support their other children and pay a mortgage.

He said both he and his partner wanted all their children to have an education.

He said at one stage they thought another co-ed school might be suited to the boy and he seemed interested. However, after they bought him a new uniform he refused to go there also.

He also described how his son punched walls in the home and pulled doors off wardrobes if an attempt was made to bring him to school. Most of the walls in the house had to be filled in, he told the court.

He had to physically manhandle him to get him out in the morning and the situation became stressful, he told the court.

He said after 15 months of dealing with CAMHS they decided to pay privately for a psychology professors assessment, at a cost of 2,000.

The psychologists report with the ASD diagnosis was furnished to the court.

Judge John Brennan said the legislation stated Tusla had a statutory duty to take these prosecutions in extreme situations where parents were neglectful and not taking their obligations seriously, to the detriment of their child.

He accepted the couple had demanding jobs and other children and the evidence of the boys violence and punching walls to such an extent gardai and ambulances were called. He noted the parents evidence of the suicide threat which was clearly of great concern to them.

He also noted they paid for a private assessment and said clearly they were not neglectful and he said the defence had been upheld. He found against the prosecution and dismissed the case.

Commenting to the media after the case concluded, the couple expressed their relief at the outcome and said no parent whose child is dealing with mental health services should face a court prosecution.Revenue officers at Dublin Airport have seized 70kgs of tobacco.

The tobacco seized last night is worth around 36,000 and represents a potential loss to the Exchequer of more than 30,000.

Officers had Revenue detector dog Lottie to thank for finding 60kgs of tobacco, branded Golden Virginia, when they searched the baggage of two men.

Revenue detector dog Lottie.

The men, in their 20s and 30s, were both UK nationals who arrived at Dublin Airport from Brussels.

Revenue officers then seized another 10kgs of Golden Virginia tobacco in a separate operation when they stopped and searched another man.

This man was in his 20s, and was also a UK national, who had arrived on a flight from Luxembourg.Nearly two-thirds of organisations that advertised during the referendum campaign were unregulated.

Analysis by the Transparent Referendum Initiative found that online advertising has been used extensively in the past few months even after Google and Facebook tried to clamp down on it.

Since February 14 the Initiative found that there were nearly 1,300 Facebook ads shown to 600 Irish people, with 58% associated with repeal and 42% with retain.

It also says that nearly one in 10 of the unregulated advertisers were based outside of Ireland, while a similar number were untraceable.

Co-founder of the initiative Craig Dwyer said: "What we have found is that our democracy is up for sale to the highest bidder.

"In many cases that bidder remains unknown and can get around the attempts by the likes of Facebook and Google to self-regulate."

Elsewhere, questions are being asked about the influence foreign financial interests have had on the abortion campaign.

The Irish Council of Civil Liberties says removing Masers 'Repeal the 8th' mural from the Project Arts Center in Dublin had a chilling effect.

Executive Director Liam Herrick says its about creating a balance.

He said: "Make sure the financial influence doesn't corrupt our politics which is absolutely essential but at the same time, allow different voices to have a voice in our society."

- Digital DeskIrish-born music mogul Mark Walton suffered the indignity of being wrongly accused of a host of heinous crimes.

Sabrina Kouider branded him a cat abuser, paedophile, and accidental killer of her unborn child, the Old Bailey heard.

She even claimed he had hired a helicopter to hover above her south-west London flat to spy on her.

Ouissem Medouni and Sabrina Kouider.

What tipped Kouider and her partner over the edge was the outrageous allegation that he had conspired with their nanny, Sophie Lionnet, to drug and molest the family.

Softly spoken Mr Walton, 40, shouldered the ludicrous slurs and responded with "integrity and honesty", prosecutor Richard Horwell QC said.

Because he lives in Los Angeles, Mr Walton could not be compelled to give evidence but willingly agreed to bare his soul in front of a packed Old Bailey courtroom.

Dublin-born Mr Walton launched his successful music career in 1993 when he founded Boyzone with a group of friends.

He was with the boyband for a year before he set up Fifth Avenue and has more recently found TV stardom in Asia as a judge on Vietnam's Pop Idol.

The millionaire songwriter, who has worked with the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Shaggy and Enrique Iglesias, described his relationship with Kouider as the most turbulent of his life.

He met Kouider in 2011 at a bank in Notting Hill and it was love at first sight.

Mr Walton, who described himself as a friendly kind of guy, told jurors: "I was in love. She was my life then so..."

They lived together for two years in Queensway, London, before she disappeared without warning.

A couple who spun a web of lies to justify the torture and murder of their vulnerable young nanny [pic] have today been convicted of murder at the Old Bailey https://t.co/I0VRwumXYg pic.twitter.com/iZ1ClK0Yg4  Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) May 24, 2018

During their relationship, Kouider would "flip" and became jealous if he spoke to her nannies, he said.

Mr Walton said: "Sabrina shared some stories from her past. I guess knowing that I felt it brought us closer together at times but it was turbulent, probably the most turbulent relationship I had ever been in.

"She would go from softly spoken French accent then she would flip, get very angry, very loud and just not care where we were. She would just go crazy over something trivial."

In 2013, he paid 12,800 in rent on Kouider's Wimbledon flat but stopped the financial support in February 2014, the court heard.

In retaliation, she rang his mother in Dublin, contacted his business partners and created a fake Facebook page on which she called him a paedophile.

He dismissed Kouider's claims against him, saying he had never heard of or met Miss Lionnet and had not been in the UK since October 2015.

Sophie Lionnet, two days before she was found

In his closing speech, Mr Horwell told jurors: "Walton is a wealthy man - and good luck to him for that - but it is of course a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune will often be parted from it."

It was perhaps his generosity towards Kouider that proved his undoing, as the vicious vendetta against him took off after the handouts stopped.The Trump administration is considering a proposal to impose new tariffs on imported vehicles invoking a national security law that was used to impose tariffs on aluminium and steel, an administration official and three industry officials who had been briefed on the matter said.

First steel tariffs, next the car industry? US President Donald Trump at a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House last week. Credit:Bloomberg

President Donald Trump has pledged to revive American manufacturing and earlier this year criticised European auto imports and tariffs.

Reuters confirmed a report by the Wall Street Journal that the US government was considering launching a so-called "Section 232" investigation into auto imports that could see tariffs of up to 25 per cent imposed on imports.Openings

A couple of new exhibitions opening at Beaver Galleries to kick off the week.

Ulrica Trulsson, Shape #1, set of three, stoneware, satin matt and dry glazes, iron stain, glossy interiors.

Ulrica Trulsson uses the simplicity of shifting shapes and the interplay of surface textures and colour variations in the creation of her beautiful ceramic works in currents.

Her wheel-thrown objects, combined with speckled and elegant glazes, show how art can be found in simple forms. Trulsson hopes viewers with a sense of curiosity in the ordinary can be captured by her work and stay momentarily in the present, enjoying the allure of these ceramic groupings. She studied ceramics initially in Melbourne before working as a ceramics associate at the Jam Factory in Adelaide in 2012-13. In 2014, she was awarded a highly commended at the Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize at the South Australian Museum.In Brisbane homes this week, young teens have bawled themselves to sleep, unable to get rid of the image of someone being raped with a mop handle.

Others have admitted dry-retching at the image of a teen boy, not much older than they are, bleeding from the head and being held down a toilet until he almost drowns.

Netflix's 13 Reasons Why has drawn complaints over its season two finale. Credit:Netflix

Some of these teens might have told their parents what theyd seen on a mobile phone in the school grounds, or at swimming club, or even Scouts.

But they will be in the minority; many, many will not - and therein lies the danger in Netflixs second series of 13 Reasons Why.Aussie rapper and TV comedy star Adam Briggs last year revealed he was part of the writing team on the series, and described the show as a "Lord of the Rings-style fantasy".

Groening's new series comes as The Simpsons, set to launch its 30th season this year, faces criticisms of being out-of-touch, following claims its character Apu perpetuates racist stereotypes.

The show's writers, including Groening, were widely lambasted last month after they coyly shrugged off the controversy in a new episode.

"I'm proud of what we do on the show," Groening told USA Today following the fallout. "And I think it's a time in our culture where people love to pretend they're offended."

Disenchantment's 10-episode first season premieres on Netflix on August 17.Mr Hocking allegedly told the contractor to drop their bid on another project by $50,000 and they would get a "shot" at a $1 million ACT government street extension project.

Police allegations, tendered in court on an earlier occasion, said Christopher David Hocking, 38, had met the contractor in January through a tender to complete work on an ACT school.

An ACT public servant who allegedly asked for a $100,000 kickback from a government contractor pleaded not guilty on Thursday to a charge of bribery.

The contractor became concerned and told his business partners as it was their understanding that it was not government practice to openly discuss tenders.

The following day, during a meeting, Mr Hocking is accused of telling the contractor to turn his phone off before then asking for the cash payout.

The contractor said he would need to get back to him and Mr Hocking allegedly replied: "I don't want to do any little hand overs of money, we do it once and be done with it".

"I see it working like this, you hand me a bag of untraceable cash, meet me at a carpark ... and leave a bag that I'll pick up."

It is alleged Mr Hocking then told the contractor that he had "over $3 million to spend in the next six months", in reference to government contracts to award.Businessman Chau Chak Wing, who has donated more than half a million dollars to the Australian War Memorial. Credit:Sahlan Hayes

Another chilly and foggy start to the day. A forecast high of 17 degrees with some light winds, following an overnight low of 3 degrees.

Chinese-Australian businessman Chau Chak Wing donated $560,000 to the Australian War Memorial over the past five years.

The donations and influence of Dr Chau have been under the microscope this week after MP Andrew Hastie used parliamentary privilege to name him as an unindicted co-conspirator allegedly involved in the bribery of a senior United Nations official.

Dr Chau has been a major donor to both major political parties, and has also donated $45 million to Australian universities.

Sally Whyte reports.

Endangered rock wallaby needs your helpOne day very soon, Canberra's first tram is going to roll out its Mitchell warehouse and on to the line. But don't expect to catch a ride.

The light rail will be up and running on schedule by the end of the year, the government says, but the first trams will be on the line much sooner.

Gungahlin residents can expect to see actual trams  albeit empty  running up and down the lines in the near future, as Transport Canberra begins a rigorous testing program of its brand new light rail vehicles ahead of the systems proposed launch.

Canberra's first light rail vehicle will be leaving its Mitchell depot soon. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong

The trams will be running in the day and at night, and will initially start their run in Gungahlin, progressively moving further south as more tracks are laid.Police are investigating an incident in which a man tried to lure a Canberra primary school student into his car on Wednesday morning.

Police said the man approached the student on Carruthers Street, Curtin, about 8.40am and asked the student to come to a dark grey or silver sedan to see a puppy.

The student refused and went to school, where the incident was reported to staff.

Police now want to identify the man, who is described as Caucasian, aged in his late 30s or early 40s, about 170cm tall and of slim build, with black hair.

He was wearing a light grey tracksuit, T-shirt, black puffer-style vest and a black beanie.Not the Messiah (He's A Very Naughty Boy). By Eric Idle and John Du Prez, based on Monty Python's Life of Brian. Conducted by Leonard Weiss. Directed by Ylaria Rogers. Canberra Choral Society and National Capital Orchestra. Llewellyn Hall. Saturday, June 2, 7.30pm. premier.ticketek.com.au.

Nick Begbie sings the role of Brian in Not The Messiah.

Monty Python fans, shout Hallelujah! The Idea of North's Nick Begbie plays Brian in the Canberra premiere of Not the Messiah (He's A Very Naughty Boy), based on the film Monty Python's Life of Brian. This comic oratorio by Eric Idle and John Du Prez  who previously collaborated on the musical Spamalot, also based on a film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, by the British comedy troupe  is presented by Canberra Choral Society, the National Capital Orchestral and soloists with more than 120 musicians on stage at Llewellyn Hall.

The Idea of North's tenor Begbie returns to Canberra as Brian, the man caught up in circumstances beyond his control as a man believed to be the Messiah.

"I'm a longstanding fan of Monty Python," he says.The baby isnt breathing. Yet nobody around him appears particularly worried.

Darcy Tucker has just been pulled from his mothers womb during a morning caesarean delivery at the Royal Womens Hospital in Melbourne.

Still attached to the umbilical cord, he lies on a white sheet covering his mothers legs. Doctors and nurses rub him down and monitor his heartbeat with a tiny ultrasound probe. Darcy scrunches up his face and curls his tiny fingers. Yet hes still not breathing.

The room was so calm, remembers his mother, nurse Lauren Tucker. I didnt feel worried. I was really quite relaxed.About 100 anti-Adani protesters have called on federal Tourism Minister Steve Ciobo to rule out using taxpayer funds for the Indian company's controversial north Queensland coal mine.

The protesters rallied outside Mr Ciobo's Gold Coast electorate office on Thursday morning, calling on him to deny Adani access to Australia's export credit agency to fund its Carmichael mine.

Protesters gather outside the office of Steve Ciobo on the Gold Coast on Thursday.

The group accused Mr Ciobo of exploring the possibility of using the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (EFIC) to help the Indian mining giant.

"Mr Ciobo must rule out propping up Adani's mega coal mine with public money through EFIC," Stop Adani Gold Coast spokeswoman Luna Derkley said.A young man accused of cruelty towards slain Queensland toddler Mason Lee has walked free from court with the charge against him sensationally dropped.

Ryan Robert Barry Hodson was originally accused of the manslaughter of the 21-month-old alongside Mason's mother Anne Maree Lee and stepfather William Andrew O'Sullivan.

Ryan Hodson leaves the Supreme Court in Brisbane on Thursday. Credit:AAP Image/Glenn Hunt

Last week it was revealed he would plead guilty to the downgraded offence of child cruelty.

But after Brisbane Supreme Court Justice David Jackson questioned the legality of the charge on Thursday, his lawyer said he had reversed his decision.Hospitality workers are increasingly being forced to live on Brisbane's outskirts as their wages are too low to cover rent closer to the city centre.

The latest Rental Affordability Index added a new profile to its index, representing the average hospitality worker earning $54,000 a year.

Queensland's hospitality workers are being pushed out to the suburbs and the hinterland as rents remain too high. Credit:AFR

National Shelter chief executive Adrian Pisarski said the addition of the hospitality worker profile represented workforces relying more on casual staff and rise of the gig economy, in which temporary positions were common.

We know that rental affordability is a problem but were concerned that there just really isnt anything affordable at that price range, he said.A former senior adviser to Ipswich mayors Paul Pisasale and Andrew Antoniolli has appeared in a Brisbane court charged with misconduct in a public office.

Loading

Ben Michael Hayward, 29, appeared at Brisbane Arrests Court on Thursday to face charges of misconduct in a public office, with allegations that he "gave a sum of money to Legends of League on account of a false invoices" with "intent to dishonestly gain a benefit for Legends of League".

Court documents show the alleged misconduct occured between August 2, 2016, and June 4, 2017.

Mr Hayward, who gave an address in Brassall, was charged conjointly with former Ipswich chief operating officer Craig Maudsley on May 2.Former Education Department big wig Nino Napoli allegedly pocketed nearly half a million dollars from a rort that swindled money from needy state schools.

Court documents released on Thursday reveal the extent to which Mr Napoli benefited from the most high-profile scam to hit Victoria's Education Department, which involved creating false invoices and charging schools for services that didn't exist.

Former Education Department director Nino Napoli Credit:AAP

They show that between 2007 and 2014, Mr Napoli received $448,476 from false invoices and distributed a further $255,363 to his relatives.

The documents were released on the first day of the committal hearing for Mr Napoli, who was last year charged with 152 separate criminal charges.A woman has been charged after a five-year-old boy was allegedly abducted by her outside his Preston home.

It is believed the boy was in his mother's car in the driveway of the home when he was taken by the woman about 8.30am on Wednesday morning.

His mother had gone back into the house briefly and when she returned the boy was out the front of a neighbouring house with an unknown woman, police said.

The mother then grabbed her son and alerted police.

A short time later, police arrested a 33-year-old West Heidelberg woman at a nearby shopping centre on Plenty Road, Victoria Police spokesman Luke Zammit said.The ABC spends $2 million a year promoting its content on Google and Facebook in an increasingly fractious battle with commercial rivals for online audience.

Chief financial officer Louise Higgins revealed the broadcaster's annual expenditure on Facebook advertising was about $1.4 million, as well as the $500,000 it would spend boosting Google search results this year.

That was about half the ABC's annual marketing budget of $4 million, which Ms Higgins said was "a very small investment in making sure that Australians are aware of the content that we're making".

ABC chief financial officer Louise Higgins at Senate estimates on Wednesday night. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Last year the ABC spent $440,000 on Google keywords, Ms Higgins told a Senate committee. The increasing expenditure reflected the ABC's growing digital audience and the way Australians were consuming news and other content.Australia's top spy says a Liberal MP's bombshell decision to accuse a billionaire businessman of involvement in a bribery scandal has not damaged international intelligence partnerships, while also sounding a fresh alarm over the unprecedented threat of foreign interference.

In a Senate estimates appearance held amid growing diplomatic tensions between Australia and China, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation director general Duncan Lewis warned countries were trying to access classified information about Australias global alliances, as well as its military, economic, and energy system.

ASIO director general Ducan Lewis at the Senate estimates hearing on Thursday night. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

While Mr Lewis was careful to not name any particular nation, he repeated an earlier assessment that foreign interference activity against Australia was occurring "at unprecedented scale".

"Espionage, interference, sabotage and malicious insider activities can inflict catastrophic harm on our countrys interests," Mr Lewis said on Thursday night.The intention was, and still is, off-shore processing and settlement, not indefinite detention, which is a misnomer. Detention in the first instance of course is understandable. What sovereign country would allow unassessed health, character and security risks to be absorbed into its communities, let alone a small Pacific island community where an asylum-seeker population would make up at least 10 per cent of the entire population? With the slowly dawning realisation that the processing of protection claims was advancing at a glacial pace, both the Papua New Guinean and the Nauruan governments acceded to "dropping the fences" and allowing the asylum seekers to move freely within their communities, at first with some restrictions such as a nightly curfew, and later to a wholly open camp model. Loading This arrangement eased the pressure by enabling a degree of normalcy in the existence of those awaiting assessment, however it was only a temporary reprieve. Pressure continues to build as a result of many factors, not the least of which is the exacerbating impact on pre-existing psychological trauma incurred in their countries of origin or during the privations they suffered while fleeing that persecution. This weeks suicide of an epileptic and psychologically ill Rohingyan refugee on Manus Island is a stark reminder of this trauma and it reinfects the weeping sore on Australias collective psyche that this issue has become.

After enduring the conditions of the Manus Offshore Processing Centre and island containment for many years, he was eventually found to be a refugee and determined to be eligible for resettlement in the United States, but tragically chose to end his life in a violent way before this could be effected. Paris Aristotle, the notable and respected Australian refugee advocate, once said to me: Dont underestimate the mindset and the tenacity of these people Roman, their patience is interminable. I found this to be a truism but this weeks tragic death shows that every person has a limit. Kearney makes a commitment to solve this mess. Its a commendable objective and I havent heard a single soul on either side of politics demur on this point, either ideologically or politically, publicly or privately  even the much-maligned Minister for Home Affairs, Peter Dutton, has been desperate to find a solution for the blistering Pacific solution. Peter Dutton has been desperate to find a solution for the blistering Pacific solution. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Kearney will likely be surprised at the genuine efforts that have been made to achieve this objective, and she failed in her speech to acknowledge the resettlement deal which was struck with the Obama administration, and now reluctantly honoured by the Trump administration, which will see the resettlement of up to 1250 genuine refugees from Manus and Nauru to the US. That will see most of the refugees resettled, and maybe, just maybe, if the uplifts and settlements go smoothly, the US might agree to taking the residual number.

The primary point here is that the Coalition and Labor border protection policies arent that different. Kearney is not breaking new ground on operational practice, nor are her stated objectives radically differentiated from the Coalitions, other than her own dog whistling around the proposed expansion of the refugee and humanitarian intake. She needs to interpret her win in Batman in context, however. It has been a seat that has in reality been contested only by the progressive side of politics for some time now and her 4 per cent margin win in a byelection does not provide her with a national mandate for emboldened intra-partisan rhetoric which has the potential to jeopardise Australias border security. Loading It is indisputable that people smugglers will exploit the smallest of chinks in the armour of our border shield. Kearneys sentiment is noble and shared other than by the rabid right, but Labor needs to be clear-eyed in its expression of border policy because any softness, any wavering in its solidarity, will be undoubtedly be used as a people smugglers marketing ploy to inveigle clients onto boats headed for our shores. The current consultation draft of Labors election campaign policy, set for debate at the forthcoming national conference, is ambiguous on the question of border security. Kearneys quixotic comments compound that ambiguity exemplified by the Australian media reporting of her "intent" to advocate for the refugees on Manus and Nauru to be brought to Australia. She did not say this in her speech.Union firebrand John Setka has laid down yet another challenge for Bill Shorten in the Opposition Leaders quest to convince the voting public that he can lead a Labor government that will not cave to union mates.

Illustration: Andrew Dyson Credit:

Nobody tries to push Labor around quite like Setka, the hard man who leads the peak construction union in Victoria. And he has been at his most assertive over the past 10 days, after state prosecutors dropped blackmail charges against him and his colleague, Shaun Reardon.

Free of those charges, Setka has unleashed his fury not only on the conservatives but his own Labor allies as well. The test for Shorten is how he responds.

It is hard enough for Labor that this union leader proudly declares he fights outside the law to win against employers. Shorten and his shadow ministers repudiate this tactic. How can they not? Imagine the storm if a company chief admitted to flouting the law in a wage negotiation.Beijing: President Donald Trump's decision on Thursday to cancel his planned summit meeting with Kim Jong-un, North Korea's leader, will disappoint some allies in Asia, hearten others  and perhaps put China in the strongest position of all.

Trump's announcement put the brakes on disarmament negotiations that had been hurtling ahead at an unprecedented pace. Instead of a meeting with Kim, Trump vowed that "our very strong sanctions, by far the strongest in history, and maximum pressure campaign will continue."

But applying that pressure depends in large part on cooperation from China, which may now be able to use any delays in negotiations with North Korea to its advantage in trade talks with the United States.

Much will depend, of course, on how North Korea reacts to Trump's decision to pull out of the talks. After a year of breakthrough missile launches and a sixth nuclear test, Kim abruptly put his nation on a path toward peace  suspending weapons tests, releasing American prisoners and, just hours before Trump's announcement, destroying its nuclear test site.Latest News ANZ makes major change to broker leadership team Head of retail broker promoted to corporate role, aggregator chief to take over on interim basis

Finsure celebrates 10th birthday As one of the biggest Aussie aggregators turns 10, its CEO reflects on how the industry has grown so much

Australias premium housing market has softened more than the more affordable market, according to a new report.

The latest CoreLogic Decile Report provides an analysis at different levels of Australias property market, by dividing it into ten groups (deciles) based on tiers of property value.

For this report, based on data to the end of April 2018, the most premium decile nationwide was properties valued over $1,212,486. The most affordable group had a value of $256,786 or lower.

By analysing changes in dwelling values across each decile, the report identified which parts of the market are over or under performing relative to the headline trends.

The findings in the report showed that values have been falling on an annual basis across the premium decile. All other valuation deciles saw positive growth over the 12 months to April 2018.

National dwelling values were 0.2% higher over the 12 months to April 2018. This was the slowest annual rate of growth since values fell -0.3% over the 12 months to October 2012.

Analysing deeper at a decile level, it was only the most expensive 10% of properties that recorded a fall in values over the year at -4.3% and all other sectors recorded annual growth greater than 0.2%.

CoreLogic research analyst Cameron Kusher said, The softening premium property market trend became even more evident when we assessed it from a quarterly basis, with values trending lower across the three most expensive property deciles.

By contrast, the more affordable decile ranges remained in subtle growth over the past three months, and it was the most affordable 10% of properties that recorded the greatest quarterly value increase, up 1.6%. This data highlights how weakness across the most expensive property values can exacerbate weakness across the broader housing market.

Kusher also said that the trend does vary by location. He said, The more affordable end of the market is the strongest across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, whereas Perth is showing the strongest performance at the premium end of the property market.

Adelaide is demonstrating good strength in the middle valuation brackets, while Hobarts growth appears to be very broad-based.

The trends across each decile suggest that stronger housing market conditions are persisting across the most affordable end of the valuation spectrum, potentially supported by a surge in first home buyer activity and mounting affordability constraints at the higher value end of the market.

The country-wide trends will also reflect that fact that more expensive properties are located in the capital cities or more specifically Sydney and, to a lesser extent, Melbourne. The overall weaker performance across these two property markets will place some downwards bias across the higher deciles.

Related stories:

Huge fall for home loan approvals

First home buyers take top loan share

Budget reaction: 'Lack of attention' to housingSign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC

Brooklyn native Petty Officer Second Class Raul Neri, a 2007 graduate of Williamsburgs Harry Van Arsdale High School, is serving as part of the United States Navys pre-commissioning unit for the future Arleigh Burkeclass destroyer, USS Thomas Hudner DDG 116.

Neri is a gas-turbine-systems technician assigned to DDG 116 in Bath, Maine. As such, he is responsible for maintaining and operating engines that provide propulsion for the ship.

I like getting dirty and working with my hands, said Neri. With my job I get to do that.

And the Kings County son said lessons he learned from his hometown have served him well in his military service.

Growing up in Brooklyn, I got used to dealing with different people. My parents also taught me to respect authority, Neri said. Those things help me now.

Each member of the ships 300-plus crew has a job that is important to the smooth operation of the vessel, including such specific tasks as weapon-handling and navigation, and Neri said one of his proudest accomplishments as a serviceman was staying up all night to fix a key piece of equipment when he was a new crew member on another ship.

It felt good. I got an award. I felt part of the team and earned respect, he said.

Close living conditions build strong fellowship among the crew, according to Navy officials, who said it is a busy life of specialized work, watches, and drills.

USS Hudner DDG 116 is currently undergoing tests and trials in preparation for delivery to the Navy from shipbuilder Bath Iron Works. Arleigh Burkeclass destroyers measure approximately 500-feet long, and are powered by four gas turbines that allow the ship to achieve more than 30 miles-per hour in open seas.

Destroyers are tactical multi-mission surface combatants capable of conducting anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and ballistic-missile defense, as well as humanitarian assistance. Fast, maneuverable, and technically advanced, destroyers provide the required war-fighting expertise and operational flexibility to execute a variety of missions.

Thomas J. Hudner Jr., a naval aviator who retired as a captain, received the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman for displaying uncommon valor during an attack on his element leader, the first African American naval aviator to fly in combat, Ensign Jesse L. Brown, said Commander Nathan W. Scherry, the commanding officer of the pre-commissioning unit for USS Thomas Hudner. On 07 May 2012, Secretary Mabus announced that DDG 116 will be named in Captain Hudners honor. Today, as the Navys finest 300 Sailors crew [board] the 66th Arleigh Burkeclass destroyer, they do so with a tremendous amount of honor, pride, and sense of duty. We are extremely honored to be able to carry Captain Hudners values and legacy forward so that they are never forgotten. We are proud to be able to carry out our missions in defense of our countrys freedom and values, and humbled to be part of the Hudner family.

And as members of one of the Navys newest ships, Neri said he and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.

Im able to set an example for my younger siblings and Im able to contribute to the security of my country by serving in the Navy, he said.Love the idea of buying online and returning the product if it's not quite what you wanted, no questions asked? You are not alone. The easy return policy followed by most etailers has been a major factor in wooing customers to make the switch from brick-and-mortar to ecommerce.

But those days seem to be numbered. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Amazon Inc, the world's largest online retailer, has started terminating the accounts of several customers of late for allegedly breaking its terms of use without specifying the violation. This includes availing of the return policy liberally. Amazon customers have reportedly received emails telling them that they have been banned and cannot make another account due to the number of returns they've made. Could it be a matter of time before Amazon.in follows suit?

Irate former customers of Amazon have taken to Twitter and Facebook to complain about this state of affairs. One customer even shared a screenshot of an email she received from Amazon asking her to explain why she had returned multiple orders from her account in the past 12 months.

This may seem rather out of character for an etailer that aims to become "Earth's most customer-centric company" and one that compelled the competition as well as offline stores to offer similar hassle-free return policies to their users. But this is not the first time that the company is doing this.

According to media reports, in March 2016, one customer who sent back 37 items of 343 purchased over two years found his account blocked with immediate effect.

The online giant told him that he would lose a gift card balance that he had on the account too. Similar stories have been reported as far back as 2012. Just google 'Amazon ban' and 'cis@amazon.com' and plenty of complaint emerge.

So what constitutes too many returns? Nobody knows for sure. Although the company lists out several prerequisites that make a purchased item eligible for return, nowhere does it explicitly state that frequent returns is a violation of its policy and will lead to the termination of the user account. However, its conditions of use clearly states that the company reserves the right to refuse service, terminate accounts, terminate rights to use Amazon Services, or cancel orders in its sole discretion.

Amazon, on its part, claims that it only bans users from its platform when they abuse its policies. "We want everyone to be able to use Amazon, but there are rare occasions where someone abuses our service over an extended period of time," the Amazon representative told the daily.

Is it an unjustified move? Not if you consider the hit that retailers take from "preventable returns". A 2015 IHL Group study pegged the worldwide figure at $642.6 billion each year.Social media giant Facebook is looking to hire the head for its India operations. Top media and FMCG executives are rumoured to be in the race. Some of the names leadership consulting firm Spencer Stuart is considering for this high-profile position are Star India MD Sanjay Gupta, Tata Sky MD Harit Nagpal, Viacom 18 Group CEO Sudhanshu Vats and Hotstar CEO Ajit Mohan, executive director of refreshments at Hindustan Unilever Sudhir Sitapati. Along with India, the individual would also head South Asia operations, but will not be responsible for Facebook-owned Instagram and Whatsapp.

According to a report in The Economic Times, remuneration for this position could go upto $2 million, setting new standards across new media companies in the country. Experts believe that the fact that Facebook is turning to FMCG and media companies signify an overhaul of the company's game plan in India.

Spencer Stuart is not only looking for an India head for Facebook but is also scouting for other senior roles in the company. Competing with the aforementioned names is also the interim managing director, Sandeep Bhushan.

Facebook could also be looking at video content to boost its growth. The report says that Facebook's Rs 3,900 crore bid for the digital rights for IPL as well as the finalists for the role are testament of its plans in terms of video content.

David Fischer, Facebook's VP of business and marketing partnerships is also scheduled to come to India later this month to meet the potential India head. According to the newspaper, Fischer will meet the finalists and a decision would be taken after a review by him and a peer evaluation.

While Sanjay Gupta, Ajit Mohan and Sudhir Sitapati did not reply to queries by the newspaper, Sudhanshu Vats denied the developments and called it a rumour. Spencer Stuart India also refused a comment as a policy.News LATEST Economy Politics The link is no longer available Feedback

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The link is no longer availableNearly 32,500 jobs have been axed in Tuticorin as Sterlite Copper deals with the fallout of the violent protests and the scheduled, as well as forced, shutdown of the copper smelting plant. The protests claimed 12 lives while twenty-four others were injured.

Sterlite Copper's Tuticorin plant employs 3,500 directly and another 30,000-40,000 indirectly. Of the direct employees, 2,500 are contract workers who have been issued notices under 'force majeure' clause of their contracts, Sterlite Copper CEO P Ramnath told BusinessToday.In. The company has retained the 1,000 employees on its rolls for the time being. Nearly all of the 30,000 indirect employees will be jobless since they earned their living from units associated with the company such as suppliers, logistics, transport, copper wire units and other allied activities. These jobs will remain suspended as long as the plant is in shutdown.

The protests have been on for nearly 100 days. However, they took a turn for the worse when protestors began ransacking and putting vehicles and public property on fire. Police action claimed nearly a dozen lives. Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has also stayed the doubling of Sterlite Copper's capacity from 4 lakh tonnes to 8 lakh tonnes at Tuticorin.

The company claims it is currently in a once-in-four-year planned and 'extended' shutdown for 45 days since March 27 for repairs and maintenance activities. The planned shutdown ends in the first week of June. However, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board has refused to renew the licence to operate the plant since April, citing three major violations: that the plant does not comply with environmental laws, has dumped copper slag in river and has failed to provide reports of the groundwater analysis of nearby borewells. Sterlite denies all these charges. However, the TN Pollution Control Board has rejected the company's application to renew the licence to operate the plant beyond March, 2018.

"The government has not yet renewed the consent to operate. We have approached the appellate tribunal. The next hearing is on June 6. Hopefully, we should be able to get a verdict on that. Based on that we will take it forward," says Ramnath.

On being asked why the TN Pollution Control Board has not cleared the licence for the plant to operate, Ramnath said: "I don't know. The reasons would be best known to them. Whatever reasons they have stated these are things we've already been complying with. They themselves have been coming on a monthly basis and taking groundwater sample."

On the allegations of the plant being the cause of cancer to natives in the area, Ramnath says: "These are all unfounded rumours being propagated. This plant has been there for the last 20 years and we have families who live just half a kilometre away from the plant. All these families are living proof that there is nothing wrong. They are spreading rumours that cancer in Tuticorin is because of the copper. If you look at hard data, out of the 32 districts in Tamil Nadu, Tuticorin comes somewhere 14th or 15th in cancer among males and 25th in cancer among females. Chennai and Kanchipuram are in the top 6. There is no correlation and no proof of what they are saying."

Regarding the allegations of dumping slag in the river, Ramnath says, "That is also not true. The pollution control board has itself approved usage of copper slag for landfill. Nearly eight years ago we had sold this material to a third party for landfill in his low-lying area. He has used this slag for landfill. His plot of land is next to a (water) channel. Over eight years, the course of the water has changed and because of that the soil has got eroded. Some of the slag has come into the water. We are being held responsible for that after eight years of having sold that for a landfilling application."

Also read: All you need to know about Tuticorin stirIn my last column (https://www.businesstoday.in/opinion/prosaic-view/how-karnataka-could-open-up-2019-lok-sabha/story/277434.html) I had pointed out that while a united opposition may have the chance of denying the BJP a second consecutive term in power, it would be hard for it to govern unless there was a more substantial common agenda than simply a shared dislike for the BJP bringing them together.

But why are so many parties - which have been bitter opponents for much of their lives, and have very different agendas - coming together to oppose the BJP? The parties love to tout their shared love for "secularism" and a shared dislike of the BJP's Hindutva politics as the prime motivation. But the real reason could be the fear of losing all relevance, rather than a dislike for the Hindutva agenda.

Consider this. After the first decade post-Independence, we have not had too many leaders who could boast of absolute majority in the Parliament and a popularity that spanned most states in the country. At the peak of her popularity, post the 1971 war, Indira Gandhi was one. In the first half of the 1970s, she rode roughshod over all opposition, in Parliament and outside it. That was the first time a dozen opposition parties came together under the banner of Janata Dal and won the elections in 1977.

Then, after her assassination in 1984, Rajiv Gandhi won by a huge majority and for at least a year and a half, he had no opposition worth speaking. But after that, his popularity was on the wane. He lost to a rag tag coalition at the next election in 1989.

The next four stable governments were all coalition governments but with one party dominating. First, it was Narasimha Rao's Congress that came to power after Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, but with other parties supporting it. The Congress did not have majority but Rao managed to manage his government with the help of certain smaller parties, and even kept the BJP happy. There were multiple leaders but Rao managed them well, and he will always be remembered for opening up the Indian economy and laying an economic agenda that his successors followed.







He was followed by the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and that was a coalition too. Again, Vajpayee took the reform process significantly forward and though he lost the next elections, he left a sound economy to the first UPA government, led by the Congress. The Congress-led UPA won again after five years, and that was also a coalition that lasted a full term. The two UPA terms will be remembered for the rise of regional parties, and an economy that rose very quickly before the slide started. The second UPA term was also marred by corruption controversies and a lack of any meaningful economic reform.

It was only in 2014 that we saw another leader and party gaining absolute dominance in the Lok Sabha. And though the current NDA is technically an alliance of parties, the BJP has majority even without its allies.





But over the past four years, the BJP under the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah team has not only been winning election after election, it is making both Opposition parties as well as its own allies irrelevant. The slogan of Congress-mukt Bharat is misleading, because they actually want an Opposition mukt Bharat, or indeed even an ally mukt Bharat.

That is worrying their own allies. Shiv Sena thought of itself as the big brother in Maharashtra for a very long time until Modi and Shah made it clear that the BJP was the big brother and the Shiv Sena needed to live in its shadow.

In Odisha, Naveen Patnaik came to the conclusion that BJD had no future in the NDA much before any other leader and he had got out of the alliance even before Modi came to power. In Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu came to same conclusion after waiting for three and a half years. In Bihar, though Nitish is the CM, there are reports that the BJP does not listen to him any more than the RJD did.

The rise of the Modi-Shah led BJP is worrying for all parties because it is not just the Congress they are trying to make irrelevant. The sheer BJP juggernaut pushed aside the SP and the BSP in UP as if they were of no consequence. And now, after conquering much of the north, east and west, the BJP has set site on the south.

Karnataka is an interesting case because the JDS was expected by many to ally with the BJP. The problem was that the JDS realized that it still had a chance of remaining relevant if it allied with the Congress - but it would have no future if it backed the BJP. And hence two parties that fought against each other came together in a post-poll alliance.

Ditto for UP, where the SP and BSP have come together. It is not that they do not hate each other - it is simply that they have realized that with BJP sweeping through the state, it is better to set aside that hate temporarily if they want to continue remaining relevant in politics. The TMC does not like the Congress (or for that matter any other party) in West Bengal, but it is happy to be part of an alliance because it fears the BJP is growing to be a formidable opponent. Chandrababu Naidu knows that he does not have much future or influence if he continues to ally with the BJP.

Secularism is a very convenient term in politics of alliance, but it has little to do with the current alliance - it is just about remaining relevant at the end of the day for the political parties that are coming together now to combat the BJP.The union cabinet on Wednesday approved the promulgation of an ordinance to amend the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) in order to classify homebuyers as financial creditors at par with banks which will enable them to get quick refunds from defaulting builders.

The amendment is based on recommendations of a 14-member government appointed committee that had last month suggested a slew of measures, including addressing problems of homebuyers and making recoveries easier for lenders.

Briefing journalists after the Cabinet meeting, Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "it's a new legislation... the Cabinet has approved it." He, however, refused to divulge further details citing constitutional provisions. "Till the ordinance is approved by the President, I cannot speak about the details," he added.

With real estate companies, such as Jaypee Infratech, facing insolvency proceedings, the ordinance, once approved by President Ramnath Kovind, will provide relief to homebuyers who have paid the money to builders, but are still not being handed over their homes as the projects are not completed.

The Insolvency Law Committee had last month recommended to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, that homebuyers should be treated as financial creditors, which will allow them to equitably participate in an insolvency resolution process.

The committee has also suggested relaxations for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) under the bankruptcy code. Under the code, financial creditor implies any person to whom a financial debt is owed. The financial debt can include money borrowed for interest.

The panel had also suggested that the government should exempt MSMEs from application of certain provisions of the code. Illustratively, since usually only promoters of an MSME are likely to be interested in acquiring it, applicability of section 29A has been restricted only to disqualify wilful defaulters from bidding for MSMEs, it had noted.

The amendment comes months after a new Section 29A was added into the bankruptcy code in November, introducing four layers of ineligibility for potential bidders.Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal today described as 'unfortunate' the loss of 11 lives in violent protests demanding closure of a copper factory owned by group firm Sterlite Copper at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu.

In a video message on Twitter, Agarwal said the company would like to continue the business at the plant with the 'wish' of the community.

At present, the company is waiting for clearance from court and government to restart the plant, which is currently closed for annual maintenance, he added.

"I am very sad to hear the incident... This was absolutely unfortunate. My full sympathy is with the families (of the deceased)," Agarwal said.

Claiming that the company strictly follows what the court and the government orders are, he said,"We always make sure the community and Tuticorin people at large prosper with us."

The NRI billionaire further said, "I am totally committed for the community, people at large, and with their wish, and with their prosperity we would like to continue this business."

Reiterating the commitment of the company to environment and "the development of people of Tuticorin and Tamil Nadu," Agarwal said,"(we) will abide by the law of the land. Once again, I am very much in pain, (with) what happened..."

The total number of deaths in the protest against the copper smelter plant touched 11 yesterday with death of a man in fresh police firing. As many as 10 people have lost their lives in police action till Tuesday.

The Madras High Court has stayed a proposed expansion of the plant.

Locals have been agitating for over 100 days now demanding closure of the Vedanta group copper plant over pollution concerns.

The Tamil Nadu government has constituted an inquiry commission to look into the matter. The Commission of Inquiry, headed by Aruna Jagadeesan a retired judge of the Madras High Court, will probe the violence.

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took suo motu cognisance of the violence and issued notices to chief secretary and the director general of police, calling for detailed reports in two weeks.The union road transport ministry has suggested that road tax across the country should be charged at the highest of 12 per cent. The new road tax rates were proposed under the concept of 'One Nation-One Tax'.

The ministry has proposed three tax brackets related to the price of the vehicle, a report by the Moneycontrol said. As per the ministry's proposal, vehicles priced below Rs 10 lakh will attract road tax at the rate of 8 per cent, and those that cost between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh will be placed in the 10 per cent road tax. The vehicles that cost more than Rs 20 lakh will have to pay 12 per cent road tax.

Back in April, a ministerial group on transport had suggested a uniform road tax for all states as a way to put an end to tax evasion. Called the 'One Nation-One Tax' initiative, it was fashioned after the uniform indirect tax regime, Good and Services Tax. "Uniform tax rate will put a check on people registering their vehicles in low tax rate states and running them in other states," said a statement by the road transport ministry.

The suggested changes in road tax rates will come into effect after Rajya Sabha passes the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2016. According to the report, the standing committee has also suggested the same tax structure as the road transport ministry to be incorporated in the Motor Vehicles Act.

While the proposed road tax structure is expected to make buying cars cheaper in states like Maharashtra and Karnataka, it is likely to make vehicles costlier in areas like the national capital, Delhi.US President Donald Trump on Thursday called off a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un scheduled for next month, citing Pyongyang's "open hostility," and warned that the US military was ready in the event of any reckless acts by North Korea.

Trump announced his abrupt withdrawal from what would have been a first-ever meeting between a serving US president and a North Korean leader in Singapore on June 12 in a letter to Kim.

"Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it would be inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting," Trump wrote. "Please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place."

In a later statement at the White House, Trump said he had spoken to Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and warned North Korea against any "reckless act," saying, "Our military is the most powerful in the world.

"We are more ready than we have ever been before," Trump said. He said South Korea and Japan were also ready to shoulder much of the financial burden "if an unfortunate situation is forced upon us" by North Korea. Two hours after releasing his letter to Kim, Trump said the summit could be held later.Pakistan has once again turned to its all-weather friend China for help in averting a foreign currency crisis by borrowing $1 billion from Chinese banks in April on good competitive rates, The Financial Times reported.

In an interview to the daily, the State Bank of Pakistan Governor Tariq Bajwa confirmed the loans were made by Beijing-backed banks on good rates.

"The money strengthens the financial, political and military ties between the two countries," the top Pakistani banker was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

"Chinese commercial banks are awash with liquidity," Bajwa said.

Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves have dropped from $18.1 billion in April last year to $10.8 billion in May this year.

According to the article, Pakistani officials also hope that borrowing from Chinese banks will also save Pakistan from seeking help from the Internation Monetary Fund (IMF).

Since December 1988, Pakistan has had nine separate engagements with the IMF three of them were double programmes. That means there have been 12 IMF programmes in Pakistan in the last 28 years. Only four of them all initiated in the 2000s and 2010s were completed successfully; all the rest were abandoned halfway in the 1990s, the report said.

Lending money to Pakistan also favours China, said FT quoting Pakistani officials, as it does not wish to disclose details of the loans that are part of the China-Pakistan Economic Cooperation (CPEC) project.

China is investing almost $60 billion on building infrastructure in Pakistan. However, Beijing is reluctant to reveal the sum it is lending to Islamabad as part of the CPEC project.

"The Chinese are not keen on western institutions learning the minute details of [financing of] CPEC projects," an unnamed official in Islamabad was quoted as saying.

"An IMF programme will require Pakistan to disclose the financial terms to its officials, the official said.

According to the FT report, prior to last month's loan of $1 billion, Pakistan had borrowed almost $1.2 billion from Chinese banks since April, 2017 and more loans might follow.India's first ever passenger cruise ship service was launched in Mumbai on Wednesday evening. The cruise ship named Angriya, which departed on trial from the Mumbai port's newly constructed domestic terminal, reached Goa on Thursday morning. The premium cruise service is a joint venture between Mumbai Port Trust and Angriya Sea Eagle Pvt Ltd. The cruise ship Angriya has been named after first Maratha Navy Admiral (Sarkhel) Kanhoji Angre and the great Angria bank coral reef near Vijaydurg, Maharashtra.

Pricing and service

For those looking forward to go on a cruise journey from Mumbai to Goa on Angriya, the price for this premium sailing service starts at Rs 7,000, which in comparison to other modes of transportation, including air travel and train, is expensive. The company looks to target people willing to spend extra bucks for their luxurious cruise sailing.

For a Volvo bus service between Mumbai to Goa, one has to pay around Rs 1,000-Rs 2,500, while if you travel by air, most airlines charge around Rs 3,500-Rs 7,000. Even the ticket price for most premium train service Tejas costs Rs 2,600 only.

What you get for Rs 7,000?

Apart from the obvious joyful ride experience through the Mumbai-Goa coastline, the company will bear the cost of your two meals and a brunch. Within this, you can take a dive into the swimming pool on its vessel deck while also enjoying scenic beauty of the Konkan coastline. The ship's staff, apart from providing assistance on necessary services, will also guide you about the historical relevance of the region.

Interior and room services

The vessel deck of Angriya has eight different types of restaurants, and round-the-clock coffee shops, recreation room, lounge, and swimming pool. On board the ship, you can also gain some insight about interesting nautical trivia. If cruise wedding is on your wish list, one of the restaurants on the ship can be expanded to organise wedding parties or corporate meetings. The ship can accommodate around 350 passengers.

So how expensive are the rooms? The company says prices for different category rooms are yet to be decided: "We will evaluate the demand once we start marketing the cruise, based on which we will firm up our price points. However, the base price will be over Rs 7,000," Siddharth Newalkar, director, Sea Eagle Cruises, told Financial Express.

Cruise timings

Though the cruise is being run on trail basis so far, it will depart from the Mumbai port at 5pm and reach Goa at 9am the next day. The cruise will return to the Mumbai port on alternate days.

Govt plans big cruise tourism boost

Goa, being a prominent tourist destination in India, is already a famous cruise destination. The state has seen 23 per cent rise in the tourist footfall in 2017 alone. The cruise tourism is evolving at a faster pace in Mumbai too. The government, in its plan to boost cruise tourism in India, has floated proposals to link Mumbai with other tourist places of the country as well as parts of Southeast Asia. The cruise tourism segment would also play a major role in providing employment to thousands of youths, suggest experts.

The government has also asked private operators to come forward and take the benefit of this booming industry. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who handles water resource portfolios, had earlier said that every year India receives 80 cruise (liners) but the government plans to raise the number to 950 cruise liners in next five years.24 May 2018, 1:41 PM

Death toll mounts in anti-Sterlite protests



The anti-Sterlite agitation which took a violent turn on Tuesday, with 11 persons being killed in police firing on protesters marching to the Collectorate, has claimed another life. The death toll from the two firing incidents has gone up to 12. The State government has replaced Thoothukudi Collector N. Venkatesh and Superintendent of Police P. Mahendran. Internet services in Thoothukudi, Kanniyakumari and Tirunelveli districts have been suspended for five days to prevent the spread of rumours over WhatsApp. We, at Business Today spoke to P Ramnath, CEO, Sterlite Copper about the allegations levelled against him over non-compliance with environmental laws.

Homebuyers can claim money if builder goes bankrupt; govt clears ordinance to amend IBC

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved an ordinance for amendments in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code(IBC). The ordinance provides a relief to homebuyers who have invested in housing projects of real estate companies that have gone bankrupt. Once the proposed changes are incorporated in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, homebuyers will be treated on par with financial creditors in terms of their legal rights. Like financial creditors or lenders, they will have the right to initiate a resolution process and get their money back. The ordinance also exempts MSMEs from disqualification under Section 29 of the Act. Another change to be brought through the ordinance includes the reduction of the threshold for the committee of creditors to 51 per cent from earlier threshold of 75 per cent, which will help speed up the resolution process.

Amazon in advanced talks to buy 10% stake in Future Retail: Report

Kishore Biyani's Future Retail Limited may have posted a net loss of over Rs 463 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 - compared with a net profit of Rs 123.05 crore in the same period a year ago - but that's not deterring potential suitors. A day after the company disclosed its results, FactorDaily reported that e-commerce giant Amazon is in talks to acquire a 10 per cent stake in it. Citing sources the report added that there are other suitors too, but Amazon has the best chances and talks are in advanced stages. The deal values Future Retail - the company that owns Big Bazaar, EasyDay, Foodhall, Nilgiri's and now Foodworld, among others - at about $6 billion

SBI to sell stake in SBI Gen, SBI Card and SBI Caps soon: Chairman Rajnish Kumar

State Bank of India is planning to sell stake in some of its subsidiaries over the next two years. Subsidiaries that may face share sale are SBI General Insurance, SBI Card and SBI Capital Market. SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar on Tuesday informed about the decision and said: "All our subsidiaries have done exceedingly well. They hold large value which is waiting to be unlocked. We have plans to unlock that potential in the current as well as in the next year."

Last year, the largest state-run bank had listed its life insurance arm - SBI Life Insurance.New Delhi, May 24 (PTI) The domestic cellphone industry has flagged possible duty evasion in imports of the completely built unit (CBU) of mobile phones, suspected of Chinese origin, from Asean countries under the free trade route.

In a letter to Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia, Indian Cellular Association (ICA) said there is a possibility of customs duty evasion in import of CBUs from Asean countries at zero duty as the mobile devices contain more than 65 per cent material from non-Asean origin.

Government has imposed 20 per cent import duty on mobile phones to promote indigenous manufacturing of the devices as they have security implications.

"We wish to bring to your notice the possibility of substantial case of customs duty evasion in the case of import of CBU of mobile phones from Asean countries, specially Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand, at nil rate," ICA National President Pankaj Mohindroo said in the letter.

India has signed free trade agreements with Asean countries which covers Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Brunei.

Besides, there is a special dispensation for the Philippines which is charged a duty of 2-6 per cent. Other nine countries are largely under the special dispensation of zero duty.

Mohindroo said the zero-duty treatment is available only after a government appointed agency of the exporting country gives a certificate that the device is of Asean origin.

ICA said a product is considered to be of Asean origin if it is produced by its member country, local content by direct method should be 35 per cent and non-ASEAN material can be 65 per cent in the device.

Mohindroo said ICA feels that very few mobile phones are made in Asean.

"Even if the final product is assembled in Asean, the components of the parts are certainly of China origin. Thus, outside material is more than 65 per cent which means that the duty of 20 per cent is being evaded to claim nil duty for an item which fails to fulfil the origin criteria," he said.

ICA had demanded immediate investigation into the matter and examination of flight data from Asean countries, as mobile phones are mainly imported by air. PTI PRS ANU ANUChinese smartphone maker Lenovo will launch the Z5 soon. The upcoming smartphone has created a lot of buzz lately with the company announcing some interesting features. Lenovo's Vice President, Chang Cheng has claimed the Lenovo Z5 will come with 45 days of standby time. He had also announced earlier that the latest phone will have a huge storage space of 4TB.

Chang revealed that the Lenovo Z5 will come with an 95 per cent screen-to-body ratio which will make it the highest ever screen-to-body ratio. Even Samsung, which has a significant hold of the market, has not come up with such a phone. The highest screen-to-body ratio would also mean that the Lenovo Z5 will have no notch and no bezels. This would be something different, especially when all smartphone makers, now stick to a notch for larger screens.

On the Weibo post where Cheng announced these exciting features, he also announced that the launch event invitations will also be out soon. Cheng has been posting quite often on Weibo, teasing details about the phone. The image samples from the device show that the smartphone will have an AI-enabled dual camera at the back. The phone's huge internal storage space of 4TB is made possible courtesy the "particle technology". With such a huge space, the Lenovo Z5 will be able to store 2000 HD movies, 1,50,000 lossless music files and 1 million photos.

One of the key features that could separate the Lenovo Z5 and give it the "cutting-edge" tag is the in-display fingerprint sensor technology. An in-display fingerprint scanner, which the Lenovo Z5 could come with, would replace the traditional front fingerprint scanner. This would contribute hugely to the expansiveness of display of the phone. It must be noted that the in-display fingerprint sensor technology is something that even Apple and Samsung are struggling with. The only company to have come up with this technology is Vivo, who used it in its concept phone.

The leaks and teasers indicate that the Lenovo Z5 could provide a great user experience. If one was to go by all the buzz created by the upcoming phone, the Lenovo Z5 would surely compete with the likes of the OnePlus 6, the Galaxy S9, and upcoming phones like iPhone 9 and the Pixel 3.Irish-U.K. trade could fall by almost 10% because of border delays and Brexit bureaucracy, according a Central Bank study.

Delays as a result of non-tariff barriers, such as documentary compliances and customs procedures, could drive down imports and exports by an estimated 9.6%. This amounts to declines of 3.2% of total Irish imports and 1.4% of total Irish exports globally.

The research showed that the largest declines in imports to Ireland from the UK are found to be in fresh foods, manufacturing materials and machinery, and transport equipment. Three of Irelands largest goods imports from the UK, minerals and fuels, non-perishable foods, and chemicals, are largely unaffected. On the export side, the most largest declines are in fresh foods, machinery and transport equipment, and manufacturing materials.

Mark Cassidy, Director of Economics and Statistics, said: The potential effect of tariffs following the UKs departure from the customs union is well documented, but the impact of non-tariff barriers has received less attention, despite existing research that finds customs delays to be one of the largest of all barriers to trade.

Mr Cassidy concluded: Its clear from todays research that the potential effect of Britains decision to leave the EU would be negative and significant for Irish-UK trade, with trade in raw materials, beverages and fresh foods most vulnerable to customs delays. This highlights the vital importance of negotiations on future arrangements for trade.

Source: www.businessworld.ieA U.S. decision to launch a national security investigation into car imports marks a further low point in business ties with Europe and will hit both manufacturers and consumers, Germany's DIHK Chambers of Industries and Commerce said on Thursday.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has launched a national security investigation into car and truck imports that could lead to new U.S. tariffs similar to those imposed on imported steel and aluminum in March.

"To cite aspects of national security as justification is totally constructed and far-fetched. We almost have to take this as a provocation," DIHK President Eric Schweitzer said.

The United States is the second-biggest export destination for German auto manufacturers after China, and vehicles and car parts are Germany's biggest source of export income.

Schweitzer said the U.S. administration was totally ignoring the fact that German companies were investing heavily in the United States and also creating many manufacturing jobs there.

Higher U.S. tariffs on car imports would mean additional costs of more than 6 billion per year, Schweitzer said, warning that this would not only hit German manufacturers, but U.S. consumers as well who would face higher car prices.

"I gain more and more the impression that the United States no longer believes in competition for ideas and customers, but only in the right of the supposedly stronger," Schweitzer said.

"It fills me with great concern that the U.S. is moving away from a free and fair world trade order," he added.

The U.S. announcement came as data showed on Thursday that weaker exports held back German economic growth in the first quarter. The quarterly expansion rate halved to 0.3% from 0.6 % in the previous quarter. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ieEight Irish MedTech specialist companies have come together to form an innovative business cluster to promote Ireland as a global centre of excellence for the industry.

The Atlantic MedTech Cluster is one of the first collaborative groups set up under Enterprise Irelands Clustering Programme. It comprises of Arrotek, ATS, iNBLEX Plastics, Pharma Stainless, SL Controls, Tool & Gauge, Verus Precision and Ward Automation.

The collaborative business organisation allows potential clients to easily access multiple leading MedTech service providers in Ireland. It also allows clients the option of cluster members collaborating on projects, which would streamline project management, resources and delivery.

The companies, which are all based in the North West of Ireland, have an annual revenue of 33m combined and employ 287 people in the region.

About the new cluster, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD said: "Enterprise Irelands Clustering Programme is an element of the Governments Action Plan for Jobs and is designed to encourage groups of businesses to collaborate to achieve specific objectives, improve competitive advantage, and ultimately, create jobs."

Ms Humphreys concluded: "The Atlantic Medtech Cluster is an excellent example of what can be achieved under this initiative. Its eight members are already establishing an international presence.

Source: www.businessworld.ieNova Leah has picked up the Grand Prix Startup of the Year Award, scooping a 10,000 cash prize, at the National Startup Awards 2018 powered by Bank of Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.

The competition recognises innovative, successful and aspirational Irish startup companies who have launched their businesses in the last five years.

Nova Leah, founded by Anita Finnegan, was also named overall winner in the Emerge-Tech category. A Dundalk-based company, Nova Leah has developed a cybersecurity risk analysis system which provides an automated solution for implementing and maintaining cybersecurity requirements across medical device products.

Croi Valve, who won in the Early Stage Startup category, received 5,000 to support the development of their business. The Dublin-based business is an early stage medical device company focused on developing a minimally invasive device for the treatment of tricuspid regurgitation.

CEO Retail Ireland, Bank of Ireland, Gavin Kelly, said: We are delighted to partner with the Startup Awards for the fifth year running. As the largest lender to the Irish economy we are committed to supporting new and emerging entrepreneurs as they grow and develop their business and we have been incredibly impressed by the high standard of entries that have come through this competition.Sainsbury's, Britain's second largest supermarket group, has bowed to pressure from employees and trade unions by changing some of the pay proposals it detailed in March as part of a move to simplify the company's wage structure.

The group, which last month agreed a 7.3 billion takeover of rival Asda, employs 195,000 in Britain and Ireland and is the UK's second biggest private sector employer after Tesco.

Sainsbury's said on Thursday that following a consultation process with staff representatives and unions it had agreed to increase unsociable hour premium payments, extend location pay supplements to staff working in all outer London areas rather than just inner London, and raise online driver payments.

It said the amendments would come at a cost to the business of over 10 million pounds, in addition to the 100 million it said the proposals would cost in March.

However, Sainsbury's has maintained the main elements of its March proposals, including an hourly rate increase from 8 to 9.20 per hour from September but the removal of payments for breaks and an annual discretionary staff bonus.

As a result of the changes over 121,000 employees will receive an average pay rise of 9.3%, said the firm.

Sainsbury's said it would make top-up payments for an 18-month period to the around 9,000 employees who will not benefit from the changes.

Earlier this week around 100 UK lawmakers signed a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May criticising Sainsbury's proposals, claiming some employees could lose up to 3,000 a year.

However, a spokesman for the retailer said fewer than 10 employees stood to lose that amount. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ieChinese biotech firm WuXi Biologics Inc. has announced that it plans to build its second overseas manufacturing facility in Singapore, weeks after announcing that its first one will be located in Ireland.

The decision highlights the acceleration of the biotech developers expansion overseas. It wished to regain foreign market attention after its parent, WuXi PharmaTech, delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in 2015.

WuXi Biologics said in a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that the Singapore plant may involve an $80 million investment and create 150 jobs.

Equipped with bioreactor facilities  devices in which biological reactions or processes are carried out  including two traditional fed-batch ones and a perfusion-based one, the plant is designed for both clinical and small-volume commercial production, the company said.

In light of Singapores reputation as a leader in the biopharmaceutical industry, WuXi Biologics believes that the new facilities will play a key role in its global manufacturing network, Chairman Li Ge said.

Singapore is a major Asian pharmaceutical hub, where global players like Pfizer Inc., Novartis International AG, Sanofi SA, AbbVie Inc. and Amgen Inc. have a presence. Eight of the worlds top 10 pharmaceutical companies have facilities in Singapore, and four of the top 10 drugs by global revenue are manufactured in the country, according to the Economic Development Board of Singapore.

The plant is the second project announced this month, after WuXi Biologics said that it would launch a plant in tax-friendly Ireland.

WuXi Biologics, a biologics technology platform that other organizations hire to perform research, made a profit of 252 million yuan ($39.5 million) last year, up 79%.

Contact reporter Coco Feng (renkefeng@caixin.com)news, latest-news

Our pick of what to do in Canberra this weekend. 1. BRIGGS & BAD APPLES MUSIC HOUSE PARTY Just ahead of the first public holiday honouring the anniversary of the 1967 Referendum, Indigenous record label Bad Apples Music is hosting a concert with a full line-up of emerging and established Indigenous artists on Sunday night. Headlines by Briggs, performers include Birdz, Omar Musa, Nooky, Alice Skye, Tasman Keith, and Kobie Dee, and the event is hosted by Hau. The show is on at Canberra Theatre from 9.30pm. Tickets $30 from canberratheatrecentre.com.au. 2. ZACH'S CEREMONY SCREENING Also part of Reconciliation Week, Tuggeranong Arts Centre is hosting a screening of Zachs Ceremony, an uplifting coming-of-age feature documentary debut from director Aaron Peterson which follows the complex journey of Zach Doomadgee from boyhood to manhood. The screening will be followed by a Q&A; with Zach Doomadgee and his father, creator and producer Alec Doomadgee. It's on Sunday at 3pm. Entry is free, but secure your place at tuggeranongarts.com/events/zachs-ceremony. 3. WINTER SOUK Cuppacumbalong in Tharwa is hosting a winter souk on Sunday, where you can meet and buy art, crafts and food from local artisans. It's on Sunday from 10am-3pm at Cuppacumbalong Homestead, 21 Naas Rd Tharwa ACT. Entry is $5 and there's free parking on site. For more see facebook.com/cuppacumbalong. 4. MEET THE CRITTERS Head to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve on Saturday afternoon for a ranger-led walk to learn about the critters of the Eucalypt Forest, including the adorable potoroos. The walk leaves at 2pm and goes for 45 minutes. No bookings required, and the walk is included in the entry fee to the park. The walk will also get back in time for the koalas in the canopy talk, where you can learn about the marsupials and try and spot a few in the forest. For more see tidbinbilla.act.gov.au. 5. PEPPA PIG The loveable Peppa Pig is in town this weekend, returning with a new show filled with life-size puppets and plenty of music and sing-along songs. It's on at Canberra Theatre Centre on Saturday at noon, 2pm and 4pm, and Sunday at 10am and noon. Suitable for all ages. Tickets at canberratheatrecentre.com.au.

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5 things to do in Canberra this weekend, May 25-27news, latest-news

The Australian National University has smashed its own Guinness World Record for the most people stargazing at multiple venues. More than 40,000 people across Australia turned their eyes to the sky at more than 280 events across Australia on Wednesday night, with more than 3500 of those at the university's Acton campus. That meant the university, in partnership with the ABC, beat its own record of 7960 people across 37 locations, set in August 2015. As part of the successful record attempt, stargazers simultaneously observed the moon through a telescope for 10 minutes. Remote locations included Birdsville, Uluru, Alice Springs and Broome. Speaking before the numbers had been confirmed, Dr Brad Tucker, from the university's research school of astronomy and astrophysics, said with a huge increase in the number of sites participating across Australia this time, the record had almost certainly been eclipsed. "Unofficially, it's looking like being two or three times bigger than the current record," he said, underestimating the final result of more than five times the 2015 mark. "We believe there were between 3500 and 4000 in Canberra alone, and we actually had another site at Parliament House, where a number of MPs and senators came out of their offices and participated. "The fact that we had close to 300 stargazing paries across Australia is just incredible." Dr Tucker also led a citizen science project to search for new exploding stars in space, known as supernovae. He said at least three were discovered on Wednesday night, with all of them between 940 million light years and 1.1 billion light years from Earth. "That might seem far away, but the universe is almost 14 billion years old, so that's actually fairly nearby," Dr Tucker said. "It's actually right in the range that we want, because when we're measuring supernova that are further away, we want to have something close by to compare it to. "They couldn't have been more perfect discoveries."

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With only about 40 left in the wild, the brush-tailed rock wallaby is one of Australia's most critically endangered animals. But its future is looking brighter with the announcement of a $650,000 initiative to support its reintroduction into the wild. The joint project between the ACT government and Zoos Victoria, with $80,000 from the Australian government's threatened species recovery fund will see the construction of a 120-hectare semi-wild predator-proof enclosure, ACT minister for the environment Mick Gentleman said. The enclosure will be built at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. "This will provide increased opportunities to reintroduce animals bred within the enclosure to sites in Victoria and potentially within the ACT," Mr Gentleman said. It also allowed more research into the wallabys ecology. Researchers are now moving threatened species management away from intensive breeding programsand husbandry," he said. "Research shows that although numbers are important, the genetic integrity of individual animals is critical to their overall survival. There are fewer than 80 brush-tailed rock wallabies in captivity across the ACT, Victoria and South Australia. Zoos Victoria threatened species general manager Craig Whiteford said urgent action was needed to save the brush-tailed rock wallaby from extinction, with long-term strategies for their release back into the wild. "Of the 15 species of rock wallaby in Australia, most have disappeared from their original range and are now considered threatened," Mr Whiteford said. Tidbinbilla and the ACT Parks and Conservation Service will oversee the breeding population of brush-tailed rock wallabies and provide animals for reintroduction in Victoria and the ACT. "Tidbinbilla is well-placed to host this new facility as it has played a vital role in the recovery of the brush-tailed rock wallaby since the 1980s," he said. Work on the enclosure will start in July and it is expected to be finished by the end of the year.

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The ACT's work safety laws and regulator are to be placed under the microscope in the first broad, independent review since the current legislation was adopted in 2011. Workplace Safety Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith and Regulatory Services Minister Gordon Ramsay announced the review on Thursday, revealing it would run until September and consider four key points. It will focus on the effectiveness of WorkSafe ACT's approach to safety compliance and enforcement, as well as the regulator's organisational structure, giving special consideration to its independence following the 2015 merger into Access Canberra. The review will also probe WorkSafe's governance structure and how the territory collects, uses and shares data on workplace safety. Mr Ramsay and Ms Stephen-Smith said ensuring workers got home safely each day was an ongoing priority for the ACT government. "We are committed to continual improvement to ensure the highest possible standards," Mr Ramsay said. Dr Claire Noone, who recently chaired a similar analysis in Victoria, is in charge of the review and will report to the ministers in September. The announcement of the review comes after a SafeWork report published in October last year showed Canberra was the most dangerous place in Australia to be a construction worker, and the second most dangerous across all industries. The report showed there were 23.8 claims for serious injury and disease per 1000 construction workers in 2015-16, well above the national average of 16 claims. UnionsACT secretary Alex White welcomed the review and said it was long overdue. He said WorkSafe ACT had a framework ill-suited to the challenge of enforcing workplace safety laws, with the regulator unwilling to enforce penalties and undertake prosecutions since it became a business unit within Access Canberra. Mr White said this made breaking the law a viable economic decision for businesses that "roll the dice". "[It is] little wonder that many dodgy employers think they can flout safety laws, when WorkSafe prioritises education programs and Twitter updates over enforcement," he said. We need WorkSafe ACT focused on enforcing workplace safety laws, and holding unscrupulous, unsafe employers to account. It is essential that WorkSafe be demerged from Access Canberra and established as a stand-alone, independent agency that proactively enforces work safety laws." WorkSafe ACT has been contacted for comment. While it has long been criticised by UnionsACT for a perceived lack of prosecutions, WorkSafe ACT is in the midst of the largest industrial prosecution in the territory's history. Nine charges, including a criminal count of manslaughter, have been laid after the death of Herman Holtz, 62, in a 2016 incident involving a mobile crane on the University of Canberra Hospital construction site in Bruce. International construction giant Multiplex Constructions and Canberra company RAR Cranes are facing charges, along with workers and company bosses. The case is scheduled to return to court in July. Correction: An earlier version of this story said there were 23.8 claims for serious injury and disease per 100 construction workers in the ACT in 2015-16. It should have said per 1000 construction workers.

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On Friday night, the UN Human Rights Council held a special meeting to discuss human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly the high loss of Palestinian lives at the Gaza fence. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that since the fence protests began on March 30, 87 Palestinian demonstrators have been killed, including 12 children; 29 others, including three children, have been killed in other circumstances. More than 12,000 people have been injured, more than 3500 of them by live ammunition. A vote was taken for an independent international inquiry into possible human rights and international humanitarian law violations  29 countries were in favour, 14 abstained, and only two were against: predictably the US and, to our shame, Australia. Julie Bishop should explain how Australia was so embarrassingly wrong-footed. C. Williams, Forrest An animal corridor Wildlife corridors would reduce the number of collisions between cars and animals and preserve the Bush Capital. Collisions with kangaroos are caused by poor infrastructure planning for wildlife corridors, together with inappropriate speed limits and inadequate road safety enforcement. Robyn Soxsmith, Kambah Echo of Middle Passage The live sheep export issue is eerily reminiscent of the former trans-Atlantic slave trade. So many cargoes delivered either dead or in poor condition, it's a wonder how any of these shippers ever made any money. The answer back then was insurance; and maybe it is again now. How much does insurance contribute to the tolerance of ruined cargo? What could the insurance industry do to help? Why am I even bothering to ask when, plainly, it's all GetUp!'s fault? S. W. Davey, Torrens Any answers on export? It is clear that on the subject of banning the live export of sheep, the Greens have the numbers and the desire to make it happen. So what if the exporters reduce the number of sheep on the boat, leaving enough space for them to travel in an acceptable manner while still making a profit? If anyone can come up with a acceptable answer, that will be a really good thing. Any suggestions yet? Geoff Cass, Tewantin, Qld A film to move On Tuesday night the Parliamentary Friends of Palestine hosted a special screening of Australian writer and director Anne Tsoulis' film From Under the Rubble. Maria Vamvakinou MP spoke on behalf of the group and suggested that Foreign Minister Julie Bishop might benefit from viewing the film. The clever footage allowed us to see in a thoughtful manner the tragedy of Gaza seen from the point of view of injured children, a bereaved mother and a compassionate Norwegian surgeon. If Ms Bishop was not moved by the film, nothing in the world would melt that heart of stone. Spending large sums of Commonwealth money on commemorating the Battle of Beersheba centenary  fought on Palestinian soil with Palestinian allies  and holding hands with PM Netanyahu is obviously more important to the Australian government. Made before the latest round of terrible events in the apartheid society of Israel, the film is recommended to all people who care. Claudia Hyles, Kingston Level nuclear field Kim must proceed with developing a viable deterrent to prevent further US attacks like on Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. The US is not the only country with the right to bear arms. You can't have one principle for one and another for everybody else. The world will be a much better place if countries such as North Korea and Iran can deter unprovoked attacks from the US and its puppet, Israel. In the meantime Russia and China need to provide a deterrent to US terrorism by announcing that any unprovoked attack on North Korea or Iran would be met with full force. The greatest threat we face is from Trump and he needs to be neutralised because he believes he can police everybody else. He wants to maintain his nuclear superiority so that he can invade countries with impunity and change regimes at will. The mere fact the US doesn't like your politics doesn't give it the right to stop you from defending yourself and doing so by levelling the nuclear playing field. Adam Bonner, Brogo, NSW Grandfather's tax The Labor proposal to impose a tax of 30 per cent on the dividends paid by Australian companies to superannuation funds in pension phase is harsh. In many circumstances it will pay retirees to hold Australian shares in their own name rather than inside super. It will discourage many from investing in superannuation atall. At the end of his address at the National Press Club on May 16 the shadow treasurer, Chris Bowen, defended grandfathering of Labor's proposed changes to negative gearing and said: "It's fair because those people have made investment decisions based on the rules at the time. Big investment decisions and we respect that. Secondly, it's right because we need to consider the economic flow-through impacts if you didn't grandfather negative gearing. If you took that concession away immediately, it may have some impact on the market which is greater that if it were grandfathered. So it's the right balance to grandfather changes." Mr Bowen should at the very least consider applying that argument to the proposed 30per cent tax on superannuation funds. Providing for our retirement was based on the rules at the time. Many of us are well into our retirement. We can't change our expenditures just like that. The investments under attack total at least $300 billion and the economic flow-through will be significant. Tom Hayes, Campbell Cry from the heart The chance to stop shocking live animal exports is enough to tempt a communist to vote Liberal. We have debated this crisis for many years now. But I can't stomach another rich serve of religious fruitcake or the Sandstone Warrior's drivel on Radio National. So-called left-wing bias was really excellent investigative journalism. We've lost Radio Australia, decimated foreign aid. Instead of dreaming with the source of ideas, we swallow endless repeats, doses of Radio Canada and the ABC TV's program ads. Squatters might feed and clothe the world but their food and fibre come at a price. If Australia had any morality left at all we'd fund all the arts properly and curb the greed of agricultural exporters. Yvonne Francis, Apollo Bay, Vic Nott left lasting mark I support the suggestion that our new federal electorate be named after Dr Lewis Nott, a significant figure in the formative years of Canberra. In 1949 Dr Nott (1886-1951) became the first representative in the then newly established federal parliamentary seat of the Australian Capital Territory. It was largely due to his efforts that the ACT first gained a seat in the Federal Parliament. Dr Nott had studied for his medical degree at Sydney University and the University of Edinburgh, but when war broke out in 1914 he enlisted and joined the 15th Battalion The Royal Scots. Seeing active service on the Western Front, he rose to the rank of captain, was wounded, and twice mentioned in dispatches. After completing his medical degree, he returned to his native Queensland, where he was appointed Medical Superintendent of the Mackay District Hospital, and later became mayor of Mackay. He contested and won the federal seat of Herbert in 1925, defeating Ted Theodore, a former Premier of Queensland. Lewis Nott lost his seat of Herbert in 1928, but chose to stay in Canberra, which he had grown to love, and remained here until he died in 1951. Dr Nott made major contributions to Canberra life, both professionally and in community affairs. including relief for the needy during the Depression, supporting returned service personnel, and involvement in the arts as a founder of the Canberra Repertory Society and the Canberra Philharmonic Society. Dr Nott campaigned for the creation of the Advisory Council for the ACT, served as an elected member of Council from 1935 to 1949, and was the elected Chair for approximately 13 years. He had been the only member of the House of Representatives to represent both a state and a territory. Sandy Paine, Griffith Words of Grand old man NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and MP John Barilaro are planning new strategies for managing horses in Kosciuszko National Park. Apparently, their main policy document is Banjo Paterson's poem The Man from Snowy River. They live in "virtual reality" where there are no problems, and everything lives happily forever (putting aside marsupials or plants the park is meant to protect). Paterson also wrote a poem called It's Grand, from which we offer some verses: It's grand to be a western man, With shovel in your hand To dig your little homestead out, From underneath the sand. It's grand to be a shearer, Along the Darling side And pull the wool from stinking sheep That some days since have died. It's grand to be a rabbit And breed till all is blue, And then to die in heaps because There's nothing left to chew. Is it logical, then, to reintroduce sheep to Kinchega National Park, and prevent rangers from ripping rabbit warrens, to emphasise the cultural heritage of environmental ignorance, which during the Federation Drought damaged the fauna, vegetation and soils of western NSW irreparably? I suggest a visit to Blue Waterholes at the Murrumbidgee end of the Kosciuszko National Park and a walk along one or two gorges through the karst formations. Stepping around the countless horse dung hills, the parliamentarians could fully appreciate the ever-present stench of horse urine and the waist-high introduced thistles the dung fertilises. They might ask how they would move horses elsewhere to reduce the mess. They might also ask: What would we do if horse flu broke out in Australia again, or African horse sickness arrived? Banjo Paterson's poem gives no insights there. Brian Cooke, Waramanga Brumby explosion The NSW government's intention to legislate for the protection of feral horses in Kosciuszko National Park and the end of culling will, if successful, lead to accelerated environmental degradation, particularly in the park's fragile alpine areas. Given that the estimated horse population of 6000 has doubled since 2008 despite ongoing culling, the end of culling, together with the lack of any natural predator in the park, will see an explosion in horse numbers. The 2016 Draft Wild Horse Management Plan, now rejected by government, recommended a 60 per cent reduction in numbers over 20 years. The Deputy NSW Premier, John Barilaro, has stated that should horse numbers grow too high and threaten sensitive areas, resources will be allocated towards "relocation first, followed by re-homings". The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has attempted such programs, and has found them to be largely ineffective and prohibitively expensive. Moreover, promises of resourcing ring hollow given the cuts in recent years to NPWS programs and personnel, including the slashing of park ranger numbers across NSW from 400 to the current level of around 300. John Barilaro no doubt perceives political advantage in peddling the Man from Snowy River legend rather than facing up to the difficult decisions required to protect KNP's fragile alpine environment. Meanwhile, the NSW Minister for the Environment, whose job it is to protect KNP, remains strangely silent. Once again, it appears that the Nationals are running the environmental agenda. Kim Taysom, Far South Coast National Parks Association, Nimmitabel, NSW Treasure degraded It is astounding that the NSW government is seeking to provide greater protection for feral horses in Kosciuszko National Park than for native species. The government's proposed bill to provide "national icon" status to feral horses will add to the threats already faced by KNP's fragile high country environment. The bill proposes inefficient and costly methods to control a feral horse population that is growing at more than 13 per cent per annum. What a joke! Natural heritage protection should be about conserving and enhancing Australia's environment not for the preservation of animals that are degrading a national treasure. Rod Griffiths, Environment subcommittee National Parks Association of the ACT TO THE POINT MADE IN THE SHADE Surely, with well over 100 suburbs and many glaring gaps in the current provision of street shading or tree replacement across Canberra, the ACT budget's funding of 1330 new trees barely addresses the increasing need for more trees to help counteract the growing heat sinks created by intensive development. Hopefully the ACT government can list the locations of these valuable plantings as they occur over the coming year. Sue Dyer, Downer SADDLE SORE POINT Does our Transport Minister expect that people will drive themselves into town centres so that they can ride their bikes? ("ACT budget to fund bike paths for town centres", canberratimes.com.au, May 21.) Leon Arundell, Downer IGNORE THE BULLY BOYS All power to AGL for refusing to comply with the bullying from the government. Why should any business be forced into a sale for the benefit of any government? AGL are heading in the right direction as they plan to create more renewable sources. If only the government was as progressive as AGL we could then believe they are trying to do something positive for renewable energy and climate change. Robyn Lewis, Raglan, NSW A REFRESHER PERHAPS? Judging by the APS Commissioner's recent less than stellar performance before Senate Estimates, perhaps it's time for him to take one of the Senate's refresher courses on how to give evidence before its committees? Graeme Rankin, Holder TAXING AN EMPTY TANK Politicians are talking about making tax cuts, but in the very near future there will be a changeover to electric cars. In fact, some governments have set a date for the sale of cars with internal combustion engines to stop. This change will result in a large reduction in revenue from fuel excise and taxes. How does whichever government is in power at that time, propose to compensate for the loss ? A. Blake, Duffy FATAL ATTRACTION I have sympathy with some of the arguments in favour of assisted dying. Those of James Allen (Letters, May 22) who suggests it would help younger family members inherit more, and sooner, from ageing relatives, is not one of them. Michael Duffy, Curtin LESS WAR MORE PEACE How can the Australian War Memorial accept funding from war-making manufacturers and not be seen to be supporters of the same companies? The War Memorial needs to be renamed The War and Peace Memorial and to start being funded by peaceful organisations like the Red Cross, Rotary and Lions. Karen Dahlitz, Forrest Email: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au. Send from the message eld, not as an attached le. Fax: 6280 2282. Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Canberra Times, PO Box 7155, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610. Keep your letter to 250 or fewer words. References to Canberra Times reports should include date and page number. Letters may be edited. Provide phone number and full home address (suburb only published).

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OPINION Australias shameful response to Gaza violence needs explanation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.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.Posted Thursday, May 24, 2018 9:40 am

Festival season is kicking off in Lansing with the Cristo Rey Fiesta.

Cristo Rey Church is hosting its annual three-day fiesta, a celebration of Mexican culture that invites people to enjoy dancing, live music and all the homemade food one could possibly eat.

Cristo Rey Fiesta has been a staple for the church and its community for nearly four decades. It began as a way to celebrate the areas rich cultural identity and has since attracted many traveling visitors. Cristo Rey Fiesta is one of the largest Latino events in Mid-Michigan, attracting 20,000 people over the course of its three-day lineup.

Attendees will be treated to authentic Mexican folkloric dancing, as well as dancing in the evenings to live Tejano and Salsa Merengue bands. Performers include Los Danzantes de Tonantzin, Gabriel Burciaga y los Bad Boyz, Ballet Maria Luz, Kick It Out Dance Studio, Fantasia Ballet Folklorico, Allegria, La Corporacion Alma Musical, DJ Fred and the Tejano Sound Band.

Guillermo Lopez has been involved in organizing the fiesta since 1986, helping build the fundraisers celebrated legacy.

Its lot of work from the parishioners.

And it was not only a fundraiser, but also a place where people come and congregate, talk to each other, once a year, Lopez said. It's a way for the church and the community to come together. If you look at it, it really starts the Lansing festival season to some degree.

There will also be the mercado, a traditional vendors area offering costumes and arts and crafts from the various Latin countries represented by the fiesta.

As assured by Lopez, an impressive platter of home cooked meals will be prepared There's gorditas, there's fajitas, barbacoa, tacos and menudo. We have nachos, tacos, fruit cups, snow cones and different Mexican drinks, Lopez said. We also have, for those who might want it, pizza and stuff like that. But mostly it's traditional Mexican fare.

Lopez said first timers to the fiesta will feel right at home.

It's a lot of fun, really. You come in and you see the fantastic decorations and hear the music, starting Friday with Mariachi and Aztec-based dancers. It's a happy time here. The food, the music, the drinks, friendships, everything.

Cristo Rey Fiesta also holds a silent raffle, and proceeds benefit programs for youth and senior citizens, education, food banks, family outreach and several other charitable causes.

May 25-27 $5 after 5 p.m. Begins 4 p.m., Friday, 11 a.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. Sunday Cristo Rey Church Grounds 201 W. Miller Road, LansingWho doesn't love to don the army uniform with a weapon on the left hand? Annually, entrance examinations such as National Defence Academy (NDA) and Technical Entry Scheme (TES) are conducted for recruiting the candidates to the Indian Army. Many candidates might have missed the bus due to their professional commitments. If you are one amongst them and wish to serve the nation by joining the Indian Army, the best thing is to opt for the Territorial Army. This will let you to achieve your professional or personal targets besides serving the nation.

What Is Territorial Army?

The Territorial Army is one amongst the military forces and mobilised specifically during the emergencies. This is an opportunity provided to civilians to serve the nation without losing their jobs.

History Behind Territorial Army?

The British enacted a law regarding the Territorial Army in 1920. The Indian Territorial Force is meant for Indian volunteers. After the independence, the Indian government passed the Territorial Army Act in 1948.

How To Join Territorial Army?

The Indian Army takes both civilians and ex-service officers for the Territorial Army. Let's explore about the civilians. Only male candidates are considered for the Territorial Army. The age should be between 18 and 42. A graduation from any recognised university is the educational requirement. A candidate should meet all the prerequisites of the physical and medical. And one should be employed to apply for the Territorial Army.

How To Apply For The Territorial Army?

Annually, the Indian Army releases the notification in the month of June to apply for the Territorial Army. Candidates are required to apply online by paying the application fee of Rs 200/-.

Written Examination For Territorial Army

Candidates who have applied for the Territorial Army have to take a written examination. The written examination consists of two papers namely, Reasoning & Elementary Mathematics and General Knowledge & English. The duration of this objective type exam for each paper is two hours. Candidates have to score minimum 40% marks in each paper separately and overall average of 50%. There will be penalty for the wrong answer. However, the marks will not be deducted for questions that are not attempted.

Candidates who have passed the written examination will be called for an interview. Successful candidates will further undergo tests at a Service Selection Board (SSB) and Medical Board for final selection.

Training For Territorial Army

According to the official sources, one month basic training will be provided in the first year of commission. Two months annual training camp every year including the first year. Three months post commissioning training within first two years at IMA, Dehradun.

Last-minute Tips To Crack Mathematics In UPSC NDA & NAThe countdown for the toughest examination in the country, Civil Services, has begun. Cracking the examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is obviously a gruelling task because of the massive competition. Around eight lakh candidates are all set to take the preliminary examination on June 3, 2018.

It's high time for the Civil Services' aspirants to focus on the last-minute preparation to clear this prestigious examination. Within a couple of days, aspirants will be entering into the final week of preparation. The admit cards for the Civil Services have been released and the exam date is approaching.

Aspirants might have drafted a plan to prepare for the Civil Services, specifically in the last ten days. The last ten days of preparation should be based only on the revision and taking the mock test. Even if you feel that you a lag in few areas, there's no need to put your confidence down. To make your final leg of preparation better, we have come up with some strategies for the last ten days.

5 Common Mistakes To Avoid To Ace UPSC Civil Services

Revise The Basic Concepts

The success of the Civil Services is purely attributed to the basic concepts. Be it history, geography, Indian polity or economy, give enough time to master all the basic concepts which will make the job easy during the last phase of your preparation. Try to cover all the key concepts and make a note of all the important points.

Focusing More On The General Studies

We hope, most of you aware of the fact that the general studies paper is only considered for shortlisting the candidates for the main examination. For this reason, the last days of preparation should be based on the general studies paper. We suggest aspirants to take up the most important topics first.

How Do I Prepare On My Own For Indian Polity In UPSC Civil Services?

Opt For Subject-wise Preparation

The general studies paper consist of over six important subjects that include Indian polity, economy, history and geography. We suggest you to devote a day to each subject for revising the concepts specifically during the last days of preparation.

Don't Encourage New Concepts

The last ten days preparation must be on mastering the concepts and never encourage the new concepts at this stage. To be honest, what you read during the last days of preparation will play a significant role on the exam day.

UPSC Civil Services 2018: How To Prepare For Modern Indian History

Make A Timeline

While revising, try to make a timeline of events wherever it is required. Making a timeline in the history specifically in the modern Indian history will help you to revise the concepts during the last day of preparation. We also suggest you to make a timeline for the current events as well.

Devote A Day For Current Affairs

There is no need to mention the importance of the current affairs section in the Civil Services. One can expect many indirect questions though the weightage of this section is comparatively less. Devote at least one full day to cover the current affairs.

Also Read: Tips To Prepare For The Current Affairs Section In UPSC Civil Services Go Through

The India Year Book

The India Year Book published by the government is the best source of information for many issues in the rolling year. Try to learn the statistics mentioned in that book. Keep this book only for the reference because it takes a lot of time to master.

Take Mock Tests

We keep on pushing the aspirants to take the full-length mock tests at the end of preparation which will display where you stand in the cut-throat competition. Try to give at least three full-length mock tests during the last ten days of the preparation.

Civil Services Preliminary: Important Topics To Read For Indian EconomyBharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) has released an employment notification calling out for aspirants to apply for the post of General Workman B (Trainee). 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 20000. The last date to apply for the government job is June 11, 2018.

Indian Navy Recruitment 2018 For Sailors

BPCL Recruitment 2018 Vacancy Details

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Post General Workman B (Trainee) Organisation Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) Educational Qualification First class diploma in mechanical, chemical or instrumentation engineering Age Limit 18 to 30 years Skills Required Engineering skills Salary Scale INR 11500 to INR 20000 Job Location Kerala Industry Petroleum Experience Freshers can apply Selection Process Written test, skill test and pre-medical test Application Start Date May 28, 2018 Application End Date June 11, 2018

Also Read: Saraswat Bank Recruitment 2018 For 300 Junior Officers

How To Apply For BPCL Recruitment 2018

In order to apply for BPCL Recruitment 2018, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log on to the BPCL official website.

Step 2: Hover over the Careers tab.

Step 3: Select Current Openings.

Step 4: The list of recruitment notifications will be displayed on the screen.

Step 5: Against the text that reads Recruitment of General Workman-B (Trainee) positions in Kochi Refinery, click on the application link that will be active from May 28, 2018.

Step 6: The application form will be displayed on the screen. Enter your details in the fields provided and submit it to complete the application process.

Click here to read the detailed official notification.Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC) has released an employment notification calling out for aspirants to apply for the post of Manager (Legal). 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 50500. The last date to apply for the government job is June 8, 2018.

Konkan Railway Recruitment 2018 For 100 Vacancies!

DMRC Recruitment 2018 Vacancy Details

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Post Manager (Legal) Organisation Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC) Educational Qualification Bachelor of Law (LLB) Maximum Age Limit 45 years Skills Required

Communication skills Salary Scale INR 24900 to INR 50500 Job Responsibilities Take care of all legal work in DMRC projects Job Location Delhi Industry Railways Experience 5 years Application Start Date May 17, 2018 Application End Date June 8, 2018

Also Read: South Western Railway Recruitment 2018 For Junior Engineers

How To Apply For DMRC Recruitment 2018

In order to apply for DMRC Recruitment 2018, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log on to the DMRC official website.

Step 2: Click on the CAREERS tab.

Step 3: A warning about fake advertisements will be displayed. Read it and close the pop-up.

Step 4: The list of recruitment notifications will be displayed on the screen. Click on the link that reads, REQUIREMENT OF MANAGER (LEGAL) IN DMRC ON DEPUTATION / DIRECT RECRUITMENT BASIS.

Step 5: The detailed advertisement will open. Read the details carefully.

Step 6: Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the application form. Download and print it.

Step 7: Enter your details in the fields provided. Send the completed form to DMRC.

DMRC Recruitment 2018 Application Format And Mailing Address

Superscribe on the envelope, "Application for the post of Manager (Legal)" and send it to:

Chief General Manager (HR),

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd,

Metro Bhawan, Fire Brigade Lane,

Barakhamba Road,

New Delhi - 110001.

Click here to read the detailed official notification.The Indian Navy is looking for unmarried male candidates for the post of Sailor. Selected candidates can avail facilities such as medical cover up to INR 37.50 lakhs, leave travel concessions and house rent allowance. During the initial period of training, all the study materials will be provided by the navy. Apply online in order to join the Indian Navy. Check out the details here.

Indian Army Recruitment 2018 For 90 Lieutenants Through TES Course

Indian Navy Recruitment 2018 Vacancy Details

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Post Sailor Organisation Indian Navy Educational Qualification Class 12 science graduate from a recognised board Age Limit The candidate must be born between Feb 1, 1998 Skills Required Physical fitness Salary Scale INR 21700 to INR 69100 Job Location India Industry Navy Experience Not required Selection Process Written test and physical fitness test Application Start Date June 2, 2018 Application End Date June 15, 2018

Also Read: Defence Jobs 2018: DRDO Recruitment For 41 Scientists

How To Apply For Indian Navy Recruitment 2018

In order to apply for Indian Navy Recruitment 2018, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log on to the Indian Navy official website.

Step 2: On the home page, click on the link that reads, Apply Online.

Step 3: Click on the Register button to register as a new user.

Step 4: Select the option to register with or without Aadhar number.

Step 5: The registration form will be displayed on the screen. Enter your details in the fields provided.

Step 6: Upload your ID and address proof.

Step 7: Enter the captcha code.

Step 8: Click Save.

Step 9: Go back to the home page and login using your credentials to complete the registration process.

Click here to read the detailed official notification.Saraswat Bank has released an employment notification calling out for aspirants to apply for the post of Junior Officer - Marketing and Operations. Candidates will need to appear for a written test upon being shortlisted. The test comprises topics such as general/financial awareness, English, reasoning and aptitude for a total of 160 minutes. It is pertinent to note that the test will have negative marking for wrong answers. You may apply online for this job now after going through the details here.

Bank Of Baroda Recruitment 2018 For Various Posts: Apply Before June 13!

Saraswat Bank Recruitment 2018 Vacancy Details

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Post Junior Officer (Marketing and Operations) Organisation Saraswat Bank Educational Qualification First class graduate in BCom or any other degree from a recognised university Age Limit 21 to 27 years Skills Required Communication skills Salary Scale INR 3.2 lakhs per annum Job Location Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Gujarat Industry Banking Experience Not required Application Start Date May 23, 2018 Application End Date June 4, 2018

Also Read: Rajkot Nagarik Sahakari Bank Recruitment 2018 For Various Posts

How To Apply For Saraswat Bank Recruitment 2018

In order to apply for Saraswat Bank Recruitment 2018, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log on to the Saraswat Bank's IBPS registration page.

Step 2: The points to be noted will be displayed in a pop-up menu. Read them carefully and click Continue.

Step 3: The registration form will be displayed on the screen. Enter your details in the fields provided.

Step 4: Enter the security code.

Step 5: Click Save & Next.

Step 6: Upload your photo and signature.

Step 7: Pay the fees.

Step 8: Click Submit and complete the registration process.

Click here to read the detailed official notification.Humans are being replaced by machines and we all have been seeing clues of it all around us. You see it when your electronic mail reply section already has suggestions which are actually relevant to the received message. You witness it when your social media account suggests you visit pages which are literally of your interest. Earlier, machines would perform activities they were programmed to perform but now, they have their own intellect.

All of this can be attributed to the growing hype and adaptability of AI which stands for artificial intelligence. AI system is the one which recognises image, speech, action and language and makes its own decision which is in favour of its user. While the system sounds highly modern and useful, it is becoming one of the most desired career options amongst students across the world including India.

Artificial intelligence is a technological ecosystem which requires least human input in order to make decisions and perform actions. What humans are doing today, most of it will be replaced by AI-assisted systems in the near future. That means, less manpower will be needed.

However, building AI systems is not as easy as programming any other software for performing simple tasks. It demands skilled people with a considerable amount of intellectual abilities. And, that ultimately opens new pathways for people who strive to build complex and technologically advanced systems.

Now, coming to the main question - Has AI gained momentum in India? Frankly, if you are planning to enter the field of artificial intelligence, it's better you think globally and target the whole world in terms of making a career rather than thinking about settling only in India. This is because of the scarcity of companies which work profoundly in this sector. However, the few companies which are present are highly reputed and can be opted for a fruitful career.

If you are planning to embark on this modern and critical field of study, you need to possess great logical thinking skills, you should be efficient in basic mathematics and, most importantly, your programming skills of C++, Linux, Python and Java need to be competitive. In India, there are a few institutes which offer AI courses. These courses could be a PG diploma, postgraduate degree and other short-term courses.

Some of the most prominent courses offered in India are:

1. MTech in computer science specialisation and artificial intelligence, UPES

2. MTech in artificial intelligence, University of Hyderabad

3. Foundations of artificial intelligence and machine learning, University of Hyderabad

4. PG diploma in Machine Learning and AI, Upgrad and IIIT-B

Additionally, universities such as IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, IISc Bangalore and ISI Kolkata offer short-term and certification courses in this domain. If you have enough resources to fly out of India and pursue a degree/course in AI, there are esteemed universities which offer this course including the University of Southampton, University of Groningen, University of Georgia, University of Amsterdam and University of Edinburgh.

Although AI is said to make millions of humans lose their jobs in the coming days, it will also generate employment in almost the same number. There isn't a single industry in which AI is not or won't be needed. From the IT sector to the automobile division, from textile to apparel, from retail to financial services, every sector will start being dependent on artificial intelligence and, if predictions are to be believed, 54 million new job profiles will emerge in the next five years in India which are unknown today. This will be thanks to the sky-rocketing adaptability of AI.

According to the Cognizant White Papers, published a few months back, five interesting profiles expected to pop-up under the influence of AI are Man Machine Teaming Manager, AI Business Development Manager, Data Detective, AI-Assisted Healthcare Technician and BYOITF (Bring Your Own IT Facilitator).

A few organisations which have been thriving in this field in India include Formcept, Fluid AI, CruxIQ, Braina AI Assistant, Arya AI, Artivatic Data Labs, AIndra Systems, Active AI and GLIB AI. These are currently some of the leading companies which are among the target organisations of AI aspirants in India.

But talking about the future, iPhone's Siri and Google Assistant help us see the future; soon several tech giants will be venturing into this field which will lead to an ocean of opportunities for AI aspirants. Everything that we do online, including shopping, playing games, browsing social media, will be based on AI, which means more number of people are going to be needed to build AI systems.Posted Thursday, May 24, 2018 9:41 am

Aspiring local songwriter Matthew Shannon gave himself one rule when he started performing weekly at open mic night at Lansings Blue Owl: I had to have at least one new song to premier each time I played. Since I started going there, Ive written 26 new songs.

Local open mic performances are foundational for artists looking to perform in a laid-back setting. Musicians play in front of relatively small crowds with minimal sound setup, providing for a quieter, more intimate feeling.

Lansing and East Lansing have a range of open mic events. Michigan State students can perform or attend the biweekly University Activity Boards open mic at the Union on campus. The Avenue Cafe in Lansing does open mic on the third Thursday of every month. Blue Owl Coffee in REO Town has open mic every Monday night. Moriartys Pub in Lansing hosts one every Wednesday night.

Shannon, 32, of Grand Ledge, has been at it for over a decade.

About 12 years ago, I used to perform at Magdalenas Teahouse regularly when it was still open, Shannon said. Once departing from my last band, Off the Ledge in June 2017, I decided to give a solo career an honest try.

Shannon credits Blue Owl Coffee for starting him on a path of regular open mic performances.

I began attending the Monday open mic night at Blue Owl Coffee in REO Town, hosted by the wonderfully talented Tania Howard, on a semiweekly basis, Shannon said.

-Mike Bass, 34, of Lansing, uses open mic performances to perfect his music.

My advice to any beginner open mic performer is something I discuss with musician friends all the time: Dont wait for a song to be perfect, Bass said.

Lansings range of open mic experiences has established an open, supportive and creative field for local musicians.

Were all trying to lift each other up, Bass said Ive met some of my closest musician friends there. Its also very songwriter focused, so youll see a lot of people testing out new material there.

Mimi Fisher, 28, hosts open mic at the Avenue Cafe. A Lansing native, Fisher gets to witness community members pursuing their creative outlets.

Open mic is a platform that gives locals a chance to showcase their talents, whether they have been performing for years, or doing something new they want to try out, Fisher said.

Any advice I would give is just be aware of what you want to perform, the venue youre performing at and the audience youre performing for, Fisher said. Some environments are better for poetry, comedy, etc. and others, for music.

This article was contributed to City Pulse by MSUs Spartan Newsroom.Photo: Contributed

UPDATE: 9:10 p.m.

Ground crews and air support are battling a 25 hectare fire located 35 kilometres west of Lillooet.

No structures are being threatened at this time and the fire continues to burn out of control.

ORIGINAL: 8:27 p.m.

A wildfire is burning out of control outside Lillooet on Wednesday night.

BC Wildfire Service said the fire is burning near Xusum Creek.

The fire was last recorded at 25 hectares and is believed to be human caused.

This is the second fire to spark up on Wednesday night.Alanna Kelly

UPDATE: 6:15 a.m.

The Kelowna Fire Department says all occupants of a house that went up in flames Wednesday night got out safely.

Firefighters responded to the 200 block of Rutland Road shortly before 10 p.m.

The split-level house was heavily involved in fire on two sides, extending into the attic, says Platoon Capt. Scott Clarke.

Crews were initially unable to enter the structure due to the extreme fire conditions. They later attempted to enter, but were pulled out due to the roof collapsing.

RCMP and KFD are investigating the cause of the blaze, and the residents are being supported by Emergency Social Services.

UPDATE: 10:30 p.m.

Neighbours confirm the structure on fire is a house.

There are reports of two loud bangs.

Smoke is thick in the neighbourhood as firefighters battle the flames.

Reports at the scene indicated the person or people in the house were able to get out safely.

UPDATE: 10:20 p.m.

A large crowd of onlookers has gathered around a large blaze on Rutland Road.

Roads are cordoned off and smoke is billowing into the sky.

Neighbours report hearing an explosion.

It's not yet clear what is burning as people are being kept well back from the fire scene.

The neighbourhood is in the area of the Salvation Army, a couple of blocks off Highway 33.

ORIGINAL: 9:50 p.m.

Firefighters are responding to a full engulfed structure on Wednesday night.

The fire is in the area of Rutland Road and Robson Road.

Castanet has a reporter heading to the scene and will update once more information becomes available.Cameroon sees exports more than double in 2017

ICR Newsroom By 24 May 2018

Cement exports from Cameroon reached 57,459t in 2017, a considerable increase from 19,700t in 2016, according to data released by the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Trade.



Most of the volume is supplied to countries of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC).



The rise has come on the back of an increase in local cement production by Cameroons cement manufacturers, which have a total production capacity of 3.7Mta.



The domestic market saw its local supply supplemented by 1282t of cement in 2017, a 42.4 per cent rise from the 900t reported in 2016. Imports are shipped from China and Turkey, which have import shares of 75.6 and 23.6 per cent, respectively.

Published underFCT wins raw material drying order in Ecuador

24 May 2018

FCT Combustion will supply a complete raw material drying system to Cemento Chimborazo, Ecuador. The project consists of a 41.2tph Triplex drier and a fluidised bed combustion system for petcoke and alternative fuel firing.





Published underPosted Thursday, May 24, 2018 9:41 am

State Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, is working with gun rights advocates to finalize legislation to regulate firearm rentals in the state.

The effort results from the theft of a rental gun in March from the shooting range at Total Firearms, in Holt, that was later used in murder-suicide, police said.

Jones said gun-rights advocates were concerned an early version of his legislation would stop those learning how to use a gun from renting. Under Jones first legislative draft, people seeking to rent a gun would have been required to have a concealed carry permit, a permit to purchase a gun or an instant background check.

They said that would leave out a lot of people who are just learning and dont yet own a gun, Jones said. So I am adding a provision which would require the shooting range to have a range safety officer on duty and in control at all times.

The move comes after Lansing Township Police alleged that on March 26, Timothy Olin, 30, stole a rental gun from Total Firearms in Mason. He allegedly used the weapon to murder his ex-girlfriend, Rachel Duncan, 25, inside the JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts store on Saginaw Highway before killing himself.

An investigation by City Pulse in April found that range officers at the Total Firearms indoor range were inattentive. A lawyer for the company said at the time that the business was taking additional steps to increase security at the range and store, although he declined to discuss those actions on the record, citing concerns about revealing the security measures. City Pulse agreed not to publish those details.

The rental issue was identified by state lawmakers right after the killing as a loop hole in need of fixing. State Rep. Robert Wittenberg, D-Huntington Woods, introduced legislation in the State House May 3. The legislation would require renters to undergo an instant background check before renting a gun.

The rules for renting a firearm should mirror the rules for buying one. You need a criminal background check to buy them from a federally licensed dealer in Michigan, so you should need that to rent one, too, Wittenberg said in press release. Thats not the case right now, and it creates a dangerous loophole that has already led to tragic consequences. We need to pass this legislation immediately to prevent criminals from taking advantage of this loophole again.North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un really loves to eat.

While most of his country suffers from extreme poverty and hunger, this luxury-loving leader gorges on the finest imported foods he can find. Hes always been a little chubby, but recently released photographs show that Jong Uns weight has ballooned to epic proportions.

The despot loves to show off his wealth by throwing lavish parties overflowing with all the best food and alcohol. And with $5 billion at his disposal, he certainly has the funds to do it.

These shocking new photos make it clear hes been helping himself to seconds (and thirds).

The dictators weight is becoming a huge problem

The issue with his gluttony is more serious than just finding tailors to let out the seams of his designer suits. Sources close to the dictator have real concerns about his health, especially following an incident in 2012 when he developed a cyst in his ankle from carrying so much excess weight. And besides overeating, hes often photographed with a cigarette dangling from his lips, a habit that everyone knows is unhealthy.

Next: Heres what we know about his eating habits.



Not many people know about the dictators secret eating habits

Details about life inside the Hermit Kingdom of Kim Jong Un are few and far between. But even with this attempt at shrouding the dictators daily routine, a few tidbits about what he likes to eat and drink have gone public via Business Insider. The little we do know proves that he has champagne tastes to match his extraordinary budget.

Next: A former staff chef reveals one of Kims most beloved Japanese dishes.



Kim loves to stuff himself with sushi

Kenji Fujimoto served as Kim Jong Uns fathers personal chef for 13 years. In his memoir, Fujimoto recalled that the younger Kim had a taste for sushi from a tender age. He told the Daily Mail, I used to make sushi for the General (Jong Il) at least once a week and Jong Un always joined the dinner. So I could say Jong Un liked sushi.

While sushi isnt a naturally high-calorie food, anything consumed in excess will lead to excessive weight gain.

Next: This expensive champagne is always flowing.



Hes constantly popping bottles of Cristal

The dictator also has a taste for champagne, and, as expected, he only buys the finest options. In his interview, Fujimoto mentions the free-flowing Cristal, which Jong Un would consume to excess. He recalls the dictator often downing two full bottles of Cristal in a single sitting.

Next: This is one thing Jong Un refuses to have from his own country.



When it comes to liquor, hell only sip the best

Domestically made liquor just isnt good enough for Kim. Sources say he spends an average of $30 million per year on importing liquor to share with his inner circle. Naturally, he prefers the most expensive brands and drops upwards of $2,000 on a single bottle of Hennessy.

Next: His dining choices come shipped from faraway places.



He spends millions importing foreign delicacies

Pork from Denmark, caviar from Iran, melon from China, Kobe beef, etc. The controversial dictator never settles for second best when it comes to dining. No one besides the man himself knows exactly how much he spends on bringing the finest cuisine into the county, but sources estimate the figure is in the millions.

Next: He ate so much of this next food that he got sick for weeks.



Kim once ate so much cheese he had to go into hiding

Kim Jong Uns obsession with cheese is legendary. According to Londons UK Metro, Kim had to step back from the public eye for a brief period after consuming too much Emmental cheese imported from Sweden. This was after he sent members of his staff to a seven-month cheese-making course at the National Dairy Industry College in France.

Next: Kim will only eat this next type of meat if its 100% authentic.



The dictators favorite kind of meat comes from Japan

Only the best will do for Kim, which is why he feasts on Kobe beef at every available opportunity. Kobe is the worlds most rare and prized type of meat. It comes from the Japanese cattle breed Wagyu, which is often imitated but never duplicated.

Next: This drink is said to help the dictators sex life.



He relies on snake wine for better times in the bedroom

If the rumors are true, then snake wine  which comes with a dead cobra in the bottle  helps to improve virility. The UK Metro reported that Jong Un was seen chugging this potent stuff to get a little help conceiving a second child with his wife, Ri Joi-Su.

Next: Kim Jong Un once drank 10 bottles of this wine.



The dictator prefers Bordeaux

Kim once boasted that he drank 10 bottles of Bordeaux at a single meal. If thats true, he consumed approximately 6,000 calories in wine alone. Yikes.

Next: Kim Jong Uns coffee budget is ridiculous.



A huge portion of his budget went to Brazilian coffee

The Daily Mirror reports that Kim spent a whopping 715,000 pounds ($941,812) on fine Brazilian coffee in a single year. Thats a lot of cash to spend on a few cups of Joe  especially considering that North Koreas capital Pyongyang is one of the few places you cant find a Starbucks.

Next: This could be the reason why Kim Jong Un eats so much.



Hes probably getting fat on purpose

In South Korea and many Western countries, being thin is preferable and obesity is more common for low-income individuals. But in North Korea the opposite is true.

A portly stature is a symbol of great wealth because only people who can afford food are able to maintain a high BMI. So, some speculate that Kims weight gain is fully intentional  a way for him to show off how much food hes able to access.

Next: Theres a huge divide between wealthy and poor North Koreans.



Kim Jong Un may be living large, but his people are starving

One report found that 75.1% of the countrys population  25.1 million people  is classified as food insecure, and chronic malnutrition is rampant. North Korea scored 28.6 on the Global Hunger Index, indicating that the country is in serious trouble.

Next: He learned to appreciate food from his dad.



A love for food runs in the family

Kim Jong Uns late father and former North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Il, was a huge fan of strange foods such as shark fin soup and dog meat soup, which he ate to promote immunity and virility. Like his son, he was also a huge customer of Hennessey.

Next: Kim Jong Il had a really weird requirement for rice.



At least hes not as picky about his rice, though

Kim Jong Un eats a fair amount of rice, but he might be a little less picky about it than his dad was. The former supreme leader of North Korea supposedly had a team of women in charge of making sure every grain of rice was the same size, shape, and color.

Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook!Though Donald Trump might not like to admit it, he has at least one thing in common with Barack Obama: Both presidents were children of people born outside the United States. (Donald Trumps mother grew up in Scotland, and Barack Obamas father hailed from Kenya.) Many presidents have had numerous American ancestors. But how does Donald Trump  and Barack Obama  compare?

FiveThirtyEight contributor Greg Guglielmo reports that he reviewed the family trees of all American presidents to determine the birthplace of their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents. Guglielmo found that Obama and Trump are two of just eight presidents with at least one foreign-born parent.

8. Chester Arthur

21st president of the United States

In office: 1881 to 1885

Beginning the list of presidents with the fewest American ancestors is Chester Arthur, who had an American-born mother and a foreign-born father. Arthurs father came from present-day Northern Ireland, and he had no American ancestors himself. Biography characterizes William Arthur as a passionate Baptist abolitionist preacher who emigrated from Ireland.

Arthurs mother had several generations of American-born ancestors in her family tree. She gave birth to the future president in North Fairfield, Vermont. But as Biography notes, Throughout Arthurs political career, it was rumored, though never proven, that he had actually been born in Bedford, Quebec, Canada.

Next: Heres how Barack Obama compares.

7. Barack Obama

44th president of the United States

In office: 2009 to 2017

Guglielmo reports that Barack Obama comes next on the list of presidents with the fewest American ancestors. Obamas family tree parallels Arthurs in some unexpected ways.Their American-born mothers roots in the U.S. trace back several generations. And their foreign-born fathers roots lie exclusively overseas (Obamas in Kenya and Arthurs in present-day Northern Ireland), Guglielmo notes.

Furthermore, Both men were wrongfully accused of being foreign-born, which would have (potentially) disqualified them from the presidency or vice presidency under the Constitutions natural-born-citizen clause. So when Donald Trump spent years demanding that Obama show his birth certificate, he was taking a page out of the book originally written by Chester Arthurs political opponents.

Next: This president had several relatives who signed the Declaration of Independence.

6. Herbert Hoover

31st president of the United States

In office: 1929 to 1933

Guglielmo reports that Herbert Hoover had just one American-born parent: his father. Hoovers mother came from Canada, but she did have American-born ancestors herself, including predecessors from both Connecticut and Pennsylvania. He reportedly also had ancestors who served the Patriot cause during the American Revolution and even signed the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

Biography reports that Hoover was born in West Branch, Iowa. He actually became the first president born west of the Mississippi River. But Hoover actually grew up even farther west due to some tragic circumstances. His father died when he was just six years old. Three years later, his mother also died. Then, Hoover went to Oregon to live with his maternal aunt and uncle.

Next: This president didnt take much of an interest in his ancestry.

5. Thomas Jefferson

3rd president of the United States

In office: 1801 to 1809

Thomas Jefferson, like Herbert Hoover, also had just one American-born parent, also his father. Jeffersons mother came from England. And, like Hoovers mother, she had American-born ancestors in her family tree. But even though we might find Jeffersons ancestry interesting  especially as he numbers among the presidents with the fewest American ancestors  Monticello reports that Jefferson himself never took much of an interest.

He noted that his family claimed Welsh origins on his fathers side, though researchers dont know much about the veracity of those claims. Researchers have little uncertainty about the English and Scottish ancestry on his mothers side of the family. And they also know for sure that There was nothing exceptional, then, about the immigrant ancestors of Thomas Jefferson, who arrived in the colony sometime during the 1660s and 1670s. Nothing known would suggest their preeminence in the century to come.

Next: This president didnt know much about his family tree.

4. Woodrow Wilson

28th president of the United States

In office: 1913 to 1921

Guglielmo reports that Woodrow Wilson had just one American-born predecessor: his father. As the museum at the Boyhood Home of President Woodrow Wilson notes, Wilson was born to a mother who emigrated from England. His grandparents came from Ireland and Scotland.

As the museum notes, only three of his great-grandparents are known to have immigrated to America. Most of his extended family members in the United States were scattered through the northern states. Only his immediate family, and those of his mothers sister and brother lived in the South before, during, and after the Civil War. Wilson remained largely ignorant of his familys lore, and poor documentation has also confused biographers on both sides of the Atlantic, according to the museum.

Next: This president had just one American ancestor.

3. James Buchanan

15th president of the United States

In office: 1857 to 1861

James Buchanan also had only one American-born ancestor: his mother. That lands him in the top three among presidents with the fewest American-born ancestors. The piece of information that most people seem to remember about Buchanan is that he never married. And some historians speculate not only that Buchanan was gay, but also that he didnt keep his sexuality a secret.

Biography reports that Buchanan was born in Cove Gap, Pennsylvania. His father worked as a merchant and a farmer. And historians characterize his mother as intelligent and well-read.

Next: Heres how Donald Trump compares.

2. Donald Trump

45th president of the United States

Despite the current presidents misgivings about immigrants, Guglielmo reports that Donald Trump also lands on the list of presidents with the fewest American-born ancestors. In fact, Trumps father is the only one of the presidents ancestors to be born in the United States.

As Guglielmo points out, Trump actually made history by becoming the first president descended from an immigrant who came through Ellis Island. He explains that more than 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954, and an estimated 40% of Americans can trace their roots back to one of those immigrants. But for all of that magnitude, Ellis Island had not produced a president. Until Donald Trump.

Next: This presidents family came from Ireland.

1. Andrew Jackson

7th president of the United States

In office: 1829 to 1837

Only one president has fewer American ancestors than Donald Trump: Andrew Jackson. Guglielmo reports that Jackson goes down in history as the only American president with two foreign-born presidents and a total of zero American-born ancestors.

Jackson himself was born on the Waxhaw Settlement between North and South Carolina. But his parents and older siblings were born in what is now Northern Ireland and immigrated in 1765, just two years before the birth of the future president.

Read more: John F. Kennedy and Other Famous Presidents Who Came From Great Political Dynasties

Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook!Bill and Hillary Clinton have long been the subject of investigations throughout their political careers. The scandals surrounding Bills alleged wrongdoings and Hillarys alleged disregard for government protocol have landed them under the FBIs microscope more than a handful of times. Follow along to learn about all the shocking scandals of Bill and Hillary Clinton.

1. Whitewater

1992

The first Clinton scandal to make headlines took place in 1992 in the midst of Clinton working to land his Democratic presidential bid. When Clinton was a state official in Arkansas, he and Hillary financially contributed to the Whitewater Development Corporation  a real estate company. Because of that contribution, the Clintons were closely connected to the inner workings of the corporation.

Even though the Clintons never faced prosecution, the level of their sketchy behavior soared. Documents disappeared then reappeared. But it was their partners, Jim McDougal and at-the-time wife Susan, who went down for the fraudulent business practices. Jim was convicted of fraud for making bad loans and ended up dying in a Texas prison. When Susan opted out of answering the questions being asked by a Grand Jury, she was sent to jail for 18 months for contempt of court. The Clintons, however, managed to come out the whole debacle unscathed.

Next: Travelgate

2. Travelgate

1993

The 90s were a big decade for the Clintons. Despite claims that seven travel office employees were given the boot based on a run-in with ethics and record-keeping, rumors started to swirl that Clinton actually got rid of the employees in order to provide jobs to some of his close, personal friends. The FBI investigated the firings for years but was inevitably unable to bring charges on Bill or Hillary, who was alleged to have been the root of the sneaky business.

Next: Vince Foster

3. Vince Fosters death

1993

When Vince Foster, a White House lawyer, turned up dead in Virginia Park, eyes turned to the Clintons. Foster was involved in the Travelgate investigation. When his body was discovered, a note in his briefcase read, I was not meant for the job or the spotlight of public life in Washington. Here ruining people is considered sport. Many anti-Clinton advocates suggested that Bill and Hillary were involved, but the cause of Fosters death was eventually ruled as a suicide.

Next: Clintons mistresses

4. Paula Jones and Monica Lewinsky

1994

The Paula Jones allegation that former President Clinton had attempted to get frisky in an Arkansas hotel room opened up a huge can of worms. Out came the onslaught of other alleged affairs of which Clinton had been involved  Gennifer Flowers and Monica Lewinsky. Despite a major run-around of Clinton denying his affair with Lewinsky, he eventually admitted to the inappropriate relationship and apologized to the public. As for Jones, he settled the lawsuit for a whopping $850,000.

Next: Filegate

5. Filegate

1996

Back in 1993 and 1994, Craig Livingstone was granted improper access to hundreds of personnel records. The individuals whose records were compromised included a slew of Republican officials from previous administrations. When the scandal came to the light, Livingstone resigned. At the eye of the storm was Hillary, who was alleged to have requested the files to get an inside scoop on business that was not hers. Nevertheless, both Hillary and Bill were not charged with any misconduct.

Next: Benghazi

6. Benghazi

2012

On September 11, 2012, the US diplomatic and intelligence mission in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked by extremists, killing Libyan Ambassador Chris Stevens, State Department Information Management Officer Sean Smith, and Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty, both of whom were diplomatic security agents. At the time, Hillary Clinton was serving the Obama administration as Secretary of State. Clinton was accused of being untruthful in the explanation of the attack and not giving the mission a heads up on leads that an attack could be imminent.

According to NPR, An investigation by the Accountability Review Board outlined systematic security failings by managers at the State Department. Earlier work by other congressional committees found that intelligence analysts had shifting views about the nature and motivation for the attack.

Next: The Clinton Foundation

7. Clinton Foundation

2015

In 1997, the Clinton Foundation was established, however, in 2015, rumors started to swirl that the foundation was meddling in affairs that could be considered a conflict of interest  particularly between 2009 and 2013 when Hillary was serving as Secretary of State for Obama. Investigations continue but nothing conclusive has been announced.

Next: The private email server debacle

8. Private email server

2015

President Trump kept highlighting Hillarys wrongdoings surrounding the exchange of confidential government information on her private email server. As it currently stands, the allegations appear factual, as all the signs and evidence point to Clintons disregard for requesting permission to use a private email server, which apparently would have never been granted. Furthermore, Clinton ignored the protocol surrounding the safeguarding of classified government information.For some people, the best part of the wedding is the honeymoon. After months of planning and a busy wedding day, nothing beats heading out of town for a well-deserved break, even if its at one of the many overrated honeymoon destinations. Even Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, the newest British royal couple, deserve a nice vacation, but it wont happen right away. They wont go on a honeymoon right after their wedding, and heres why.

Well tell you why Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have to wait to take their honeymoon (page 6), but first, well tell you about why the wedding day might have been the most dangerous day of their lives (page 4).

How you can celebrate the royal wedding

We can all be a part of this royal wedding.

Dont stress too much if you didnt get an invite to the royal wedding. After all, the newest royal couple put only about 3,400 people on the guest list to be part of the big day in some way, so you arent alone if you didnt get invited.

Next: Surprising traditions, including one that is nearly 200 years old.

The facts about the wedding

Where the brides ring comes from and another very old tradition.

A few facts about the royal wedding were well known beforehand:

The wedding happened at Windsor Castle, about 22 miles west of Londons Buckingham Palace.

St. Georges Chapel is where the ceremony took place.

The Chapel seats 800 people, according to The Sun.

We also know Meghan Markles wedding band is cut from a Welsh golden nugget, a tradition that dates back to 1923. In following one of the oldest royal wedding traditions that dates back to 1840, Markles bouquet contained myrtle from an old shrub planted by Queen Victoria.

Next: As with any royal wedding, not everything went according to plan.

In keeping with other royal weddings, there were some fails

There were a few forgettable moments.

As long as there have been royal weddings, there have been forgettable (or unforgettable, depending on how you look at it) royal wedding fails.

For instance, Prince William had trouble putting the wedding band on Kate Middletons finger. Well never know whether or not its because he only slept for 30 minutes the night before. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle couldnt avoid some forgettable moments either.

According to Cosmopolitan, Harry had trouble lifting Meghan Markles wedding veil, Meghan forgot to curtsy Queen Elizabeth, and Prince Charles had a nap during the ceremony.

Next: The hidden dangers on the wedding day.

The hidden dangers Meghan Markle and Prince Harry face

The wedding day is just one day full of dangers for the royal family.

You may not know it from all the hubbub surrounding the wedding, but not everyone is happy for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to start their life together. Having all the royals in one place and well-defined procession route after the nuptials gives people who want to take out the monarchy the chance to do just that. Those are just two of the dangerous issues looming over the royal wedding.

Next: After the wedding, its time to get back to work.

How theyll make money when theyre married

They wont have to worry about making ends meet.

After the wedding, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry wont have to worry too much about making ends meet. Between his inheritance, his old salary, his piece of vast real estate holdings, and her Toronto house, residual acting income, and clothing line, they will make more than enough money to survive.

Next: Royal duty calls and delays the honeymoon.

Why the delay?

Hes being a good son and doing his royal duty.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry wont leave for their honeymoon right after the wedding. In fact, they had to go to an official royal function just three days after tying the knot. According to Town & Country, the couple had to attend Prince Charles 70th birthday celebration May 22. It sounds like fun to us commoners, but thats considered part of the job when youre a part of the royal family.

Next: Where have we heard this before?

Its not the first time this has happened

Prince William and Kate Middleton also had to delay the honeymoon.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry delaying the honeymoon is nothing new for a royal couple. Prince William and Kate Middleton had to wait almost two weeks to leave on their honeymoon in 2011. According to PopSugar, William had to request time off from the Royal Air Force before he could leave.

Next: Here is the location of the honeymoon.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are heading back to Africa

An extended vacation in Namibia could cost as much as $25,000.

According to Travel and Leisure, the royal couple plans to travel to Namibia for the honeymoon. Prince Harry has ties to Rwandas Akagera National Park, and the couple vacationed in Botswana after they first met at a cost of roughly $25,000. Namibia is just west of Botswana, so were guessing the honeymoon will cost at least as much as the previous African vacation.

Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook!Posted Thursday, May 24, 2018 9:41 am

Zdddrinnggggg! You could walk into the MSU Broad Museums new space across Grand River Avenue, the Art Lab, with your eyes closed last week and still get the message loud and clear.

After the labs ribbon cutting Thursday, a white-gloved docent squeezed the flexible columns of sculptor Harry Bertoias beryllium chimes  a signature piece of the old Kresge Art Museum, supplanted in 2012 by the Broad. She gently released her grip and let the metallic echoes tintinnabulate around the room.

The museums largely unseen historic collection of 8,000 works of art from past centuries and far-flung cultures, or at least a fraction of it, is back.

The sound was music to the ears of art lovers who miss the Kresge, but the Broads Art Lab will not be a static exhibition space where the same objects will gather dust indefinitely.

In 1992, multiethnic American artist Fred Wilson jolted the museum world by mixing elegant 19th-century objects (fine tableware, fancy chairs and the like) with slave chains and whipping posts at the Maryland Historical Society museum.

Wilsons Mining the Museum set a standard for re-casting established collections in a new light. His curatorial interventions inspired the inaugural exhibit at MSUs Art Lab  a lively bouquet of 30 works from the historic collection, curated by 11 art students with a wide variety of tastes, backgrounds and interests.

The collection has to be contemporary, even if its from the Medieval or Renaissance period, Broad Museum director Marc-Olivier Wahler said. The challenge is to show it so it speaks to us.

Azya Moore, a studio art major with a minor in museum studies, chose the most arresting piece in the room  a semi-abstract fantasia of female anatomy, dispersed into a disturbing and beautiful array of colors and shapes on a huge canvas that dominates the rear wall of the exhibit.

Moore chose American Abstract Expressionist Grace Hartigans Interrelations to make a strong statement about the ongoing struggles of female artists.

She went by the name George for much of her career to avoid discrimination, Moore said.

Moore also chose a richly ornamented sculpture that rises like a tower of humanity over the room, Yoruba master carver Obembe Alayes Veranda Post: Equestrian and Female Caryatid.

I wanted an African piece of artwork to be within a place with other artworks, as fine art, Moore said. Go to certain museums and it might be sectioned off as African art, but it doesnt need to be categorized. It can stand across from a painting, or among other sculptures, and be looked at as the same.

Moore also chose an evocative piece of sculpture  a battered lunchbox inside of a birdcage  by Detroit artist Tyree Guyton, famous for his Heidelberg Project.

His work is relevant to today, Moore said. Being a black man in America, he went off to war, fighting for rights he didnt have in his own country. It speaks to what is going on now, even though it was made so long ago.

Choosing the art, and writing the texts on the wall next to them, was a challenge for Moore and the other student curators. Now you need to think about  how does someone who doesnt know art relate to this? Moore said. You have to be mindful of writing shorter sentences while getting your idea across.

The result is an exhibit that is accessible to people who wouldnt know a curatorial intervention from a janitorial one.

Thanks to the fresh eyeballs and enthusiasm of students like Moore, walking through Mining the Collection feels less like a trying exercise in dodging jargon and more like having 11 interesting people grab you by the collar and say, Look at this.

Wahler was surprised at some of the art the students chose.

They chose some works I didnt even know, he said. You have 8,000 objects, so even most of what I have seen, I have seen in pictures, because everything is crated. An exhibition is very important because it allows us to go deep in our collection.

Although a spirit of experimentation permeates the Art Lab, some of its goals are more straightforward. The crating of the Kresge collection in 2012 left a residue of bad feeling in the community and didnt help the Broads controversial building and contemporary art mission go down any easier with some folks in the art communitys old guard.

Wahler said he hoped the new space could attract again people who have been a little bit bitter about having donated work to the Kresge and then learning their donation is going into storage, which I understand. If I were in that situation  you donate works to a museum and then suddenly your own museum doesnt physically exist.

Wahler also hopes that by infiltrating the commercial strip along Grand River across from the Broad Museum, the lab will draw more people into the orbit of art, and across the street, into the museum itself.

If were going to be a bridge from the campus to the community, we need the other end of the bridge, he said. The museum can be intimidating to some people, so what we really want is for people to enter this new space, almost randomly. Oh, theres a wine bar here? An art workshop? Great.

While there's no wine bar yet, there's one in the works.

The Broad Museum itself, positioned on the north edge of campus, was supposed to be that bridge, but the hermetic stainless steel trapezoid has proven to be more alluring to international architecture tourists than people walking down the street. The storefront accessibility of Art Lab may change some of that. Besides, where else can you grab some Taco Bell food and check out an ancient Greek kylix on the same block?

Even if they are intimidated by contemporary art  which I totally understand  they can see a mummy case from the ninth century B.C., a fantastic work from the 20th century, and then cross the street, Wahler said, breaking into an impish grin.

Just be careful walking across.Posted Thursday, May 24, 2018 9:41 am

Watch out!

The mud is going to fly in this emerging 8th Congressional District race.

A caller identifying herself as being from the Bernett Group was conducting an extensive telephone survey last weekend in which she asked respondents to opine on various lines of attack that could be leveled at presumed General Election candidates U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, and Elissa Slotkin, the leading Democratic candidate.

Before testing the various messages, however, the surveyor  who didnt disclose for whom the polling was being done  did ask respondents their thoughts on the other Democrat in the race, progressive Chris Smith of East Lansing, but not the other Republican in the race, Lokesh Kumar of Lansing.

For Bishop, the lines of attack included that:

 As a state legislator, Bishop took campaign contributions from Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun and held up construction of a second bridge to Canada.

 Hes taken tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry as he continued his support for slant drilling under the Great Lakes.

 Hes taken campaign cash from the pharmaceutical industry and stood in the way, as a legislator, of ending Michigans single-state drug immunity statute that bans civil suits against U.S. FDA-approved medicines that end up harming people.  As a member of Congress hes been virtually invisible in the district and been generally inaccessible to constituents.

For Sloktin, the lines of attack include that:

 Shes the hand-picked plant of U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi whos never voted in the 8th Congressional District, let alone served in an official capacity here before.

 Shes not committed to the district, because she and her husband dont own property in the 8th District and still keep a home in D.C. that they recently claimed a homestead exemption for.

 U.S. Sen. John McCain called her totally unqualified and questioned her ability to answer questions during a 2014 confirmation hearing in front of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, at which she was testifying as a principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.

The lines of attack were equally strong between Bishop and Slotkin, so its hard to say for whom the results are being given, whether its from one of the campaigns, a caucus campaign committee or an interested third party.

Needless to say, the results of surveys like this will dictate the tenor of the mail, T.V. ads and radio ads well be experiencing in the months to come.

White House quotes Bishop The day after President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal, the White House gave voice to more than 60 members of Congress, but only one from Michigan. Yup, it was Mike Bishop.

This deal was flawed from the beginning, allowing Iran to continue their destabilizing activities in the region, all while sun-setting the nuclear prohibition provisions. I hope todays action will lead to a better, stronger agreement that will ensure security for our allies and stability in the Middle East.

The day before Slotkin, a former CIO official and acting assistant secretary of defense, issued a statement on Iran in which she referenced her first-hand experience in seeing Irans underhanded behavior in the Middle East.

I would have applauded additional agreements and addendums that built on top of the nuclear deal, and that dealt more firmly with Irans ballistic missile program and systematic use of terrorism. There is certainly more work to be done on both scores, said Slotkin.

But instead, the Administration let politics dictate national security. Instead of leveraging the Presidents threats to get additional agreements and concessions from Iran and the Europeans, he sent a team to sit on their hands and wasted leverage. And in one fell swoop, the US has made clear to both our friends and adversaries that a deal we sign isnt worth the paper its written on.

Slotkin, Smith differ on guns In the days following the Santa Fe High School shooting in Texas, it may be worth a reminder that Slotkin and Smith are not ideological soulmates when it comes to several issues, one of which is guns.

According to a local radio account, Smith said at a candidate forum in Hamburg Township earlier this spring that he would vote for a ban on private ownership of AR-15 assault rifles with some stipulations. Slotkin said she would not.

Movement In 7th District Democratic congressional candidate Gretchen Driskell sent out a fundraising email this week declaring that her 7th Congressional District seat was one of 19 U.S. seats that moved a little further into the Democratic column, according to an Inside Elections analysis.

U.S. Rep. Tim Walbergs district is still classified with U.S. Rep. Fred Uptons 6th District as likely Republican, but trending Democratic. The 8th District is listed as lean Republican and the 11th Congressional District in Oakland and Wayne counties was the only Michigan seat to be declared a toss up.

(Kyle Melinn, the news editor of the capital newsletter MIRS, is at melinnky @gmail.com.)Mike Huckabee, one of several American Christians in Jerusalem for the opening of the US embassy last week, announced that he planned to commemorate the occasion on live TV with a Hebrew greeting and by blowing a shofar.

The shofar, an obscure instrument made of a rams horn and traditionally blown during the Jewish High Holidays, has made its way into evangelical hands in recent decades. Some Christian Zionists, Holy Land pilgrims, and even worshipers at charismatic churches in the United States use the curled horn to call out in celebration and identify with the ancient heritage of their faith.

Crowds of evangelicals at pro-Israel parades, conferences, and worship services turn up with Israeli flags, prayer shawls, and their own shofars. More than a dozen options for the spiraled instrument are for sale at online Christian bookstores.

Sounding the shofar often accompanies the opening prayer or worship set at events held by groups like Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the Christian Zionist organization founded by John Hagee (who also attended the embassy opening last week).

Christian use of the shofar has grown in certain traditions over the past 25 years, along with interest in the Holy Land and dispensationalist understanding of the end times. Believers who incorporate the shofar often echo biblical references to sounding a trumpet, such as its use in warfare by Gideons army (Judg. 7:1522) or the battle of Jericho (Josh. 6), as a call for repentance (Is. 58:1, Hos. 8:1), as a way to gather an assembly (Num. 10:3, Joel 2:15), or for other occasions of praise and proclamation (Psalms and Revelation).

For Christians, blowing the shofar seems to have an eschatological aspect, said messianic Jewish theologian Daniel Juster, founder and president of Tikkun International.

As Israel is fulfilling prophecy, the shofar announces Gods intervention and fulfillment; so the shofar shows support for Israel with the idea that God is fulfilling prophetic events, he said. The shofar announces those events. The move of the embassy on the 70th anniversary would be seen as a prophetic event.

But for Jewish people, the sound of the shofar often comes as a somewhat unexpected alarm outside of the prescribed times and patterns that correspond with holiday rituals. Traditionally, its blown every day but Shabbat in the month leading up to the High Holidays, during services for the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah), and at the end of the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).

To Jewish ears, a shofar blast serves primarily as a call to repentance or a call to arms. Its not something we hear every day, or even every week, said Monique Brumbach, executive director of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations (UMJC), whose congregations follow Jewish tradition to use the shofar in the month preceding the High Holidays and on Rosh Hashanah, which the Torah even refers to as the Day of Blowing.

In some Christian worship services, there is a shofar blast every few minutes. It can feel jarring, she said. Id compare it to keeping a Christmas tree in your house all year long. If you use a worship instrument every day or every week, it becomes common, like a piano or a guitar. There is something primordial about the sound of a shofar, but it tends to lose its resonance when you hear it all the time.

Its actually Christians who are responsible for most sounds of the shofar outside of the traditional trumpeting during the High Holidays.

Though only about 2 percent of Israels population is Christian, Christian pilgrims make up more than half of the countrys annual visitors. At times, they can be hard to miss: Those who visit Israel during the Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, often come waving banners and blowing shofars in celebration, said Tuvya Zaretsky, president of the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism and one of the founders of Jews for Jesus.

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Its not unusual to see (Gentile) Christians blow a shofar, he said. It is culturally regarded as foreign to the Israelis, but generally tolerated as it is viewed as an expression of Christian enthusiasm.

Zaretsky noted that in addition to Messianic Jewish congregations who use the shofar, some Assemblies of God and Calvary Chapel churches have incorporated the instrument in worship over the past 20 years.

Christians might keep a shofar to indicate a connection with Jewish roots of their Christian faith, with the Bible, or as a memento from a trip to Israel, he said, warning about the possible commodification of the instrument or any implication that owning one would bring Gods favor.

Followers of Christ who have adopted the shofar have taken it beyond the Jewish holiday observances to proclaim victory and signal deliverance. Messianic rabbi Eric Tokajer likens it to the use of the bugle.

For the majority of those who will gather in synagogues to hear the shofar, the purpose of the sound is to mark the opening of the doors of repentance for the period of time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, wrote Tokajer for Charisma. However, the shofar was used to proclaim the coronation of a King, as well as its use in warfare to direct the army. It is these two uses that have been lost to most people.

A group of 300 Christians, sized to match Gideons army in the Bible, sounded shofars across a 55,000-person crowd at Lou Engles The Call event in Tennessee in 2007. You could feel the presence of the Lord, one attendee said. In the sound of the shofar, we pray our destinies are released and that the city of Nashville would see a new wave of the Lord.

Ricky Skaggs, a country musician who has been an outspoken supporter of Israel, also blew a shofar during his performance at the prayer gathering, as well as at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting a couple years before.

Gary Burge, a New Testament scholar who has studied Christian Zionism, sees both religious and political motivation behind Christian use of the shofar.

The shofar, of course, has [Old Testament] roots related to the temple and worship. But Christian Zionists use it as a part of their religious aesthetic to replicate Jewishness in their ceremonies, said Burge, author of Whose Land? Whose Promise? What Christians Are Not Being Told About Israel and Palestine as well as Jesus and the Land: The New Testament Challenge to Holy Land Theology.

But now it has taken on political symbolism as a rallying horn for political assertion. So it is telling [that] when President Trump does something political[for example] the Jerusalem embassythe shofars come out, he said. This signals the merging of religious imagery with political sentiment that today is increasingly common among evangelicals. So, in this case, it is the misappropriation of an ancient Hebrew religious symbol for conservative political events.

Christian shofar ministries enlist believers to play the instrument at events like the March for Life, the National Day of Prayer, and other public rallies. The time has come to sound the shofars daily, to call for a holy assembly and a time to repent and be proactive not just pray, declares one such group, Shofar Call International. Christians with shofars also turned up at some of Trumps Make America Great Again campaign rallies and at the 2016 Republican National Convention.

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American evangelicals tend to have strong biblical views about Israel that end up leading to strong political views about the modern Jewish state. White evangelicals are far more likely than Christians actually living in the Holy Land to believe God gave the land to the Jews, and a majority believe the US government should be more pro-Israel.

And the shofar has played a role in bringing Christians together in support of Israel.

Rutgers University religion professor Joseph Williams observed that the fervent advocacy for Israel among Pentecostal and charismatic traditions actually grows out of an immersive experience with Jewish ritual and symbolsincluding the sound of the shofar.

By incorporating shofars, banners, Jewish dancing, and Hebrew songs alongside political speeches and sermons, Christian Zionist leaders have been able to build a broader pro-Israel coalition.

All of the pageantry incorporated into Hagees [CUFI] events could be read simply as an elaborate effort to rally the troops on behalf of Israel, wrote Williams in the journal Church History in 2015. A simplistic focus on the link between conservative Christian support for Israel and premillennial eschatology misses the way in which ritualized expressions of Christian Zionism have helped forge a cohesive movement in the U.S. and abroad.

Blowing the shofar has become one way Christians proclaim their support of Israel, both to themselves and the watching world.

By utilizing the shofar in worship services and other events, they can show Israel and the world that they support Israel, said Neal H. Surasky, a member of the Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem and the branch director for Chosen People Ministries in Washington. Equally as important, though, is that sounding the shofar, or hearing the shofar, can give a sense of belonging.

There are certainly other ways to do this, as well, such as displaying the Israeli flag prominently, but there seems to be something special about the sound of the shofar, Surasky said. This should not be surprising, as Psalm 89:16 says, How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! This joyful sound is the teruah (blast) of the shofar.I sigh and look at the remains on the table in front of me: a pile of bones, muscles, ligaments, and organs. They are signs of dissecting, learning, and integrating knowledge. At the end of the semester, the cadaver still looks like a human being, but it takes more effort to see it. The teaching it has provided is finished. It waits to be returned to the body donation program to be cremated. If the family chooses, the remains will be returned to them.

I have for decades traveled this journey: beginning with an untouched cadaver, working through successive dissections to identify the structures making up the body, and then reaching the end. As much as I love this journey, I still wonder what it all means. What is the sum total of these parts? The cadaver seems less and less a human being as we progressively move toward deeper and deeper structures. We lose something along the way. What do we gain?

Ironically, this time in the semester often falls around Easter. For all of the parts of the Passion story that inspire so many people, I find myself thinking most about the burial, the empty tomb, and the first realization that Jesus body was gone.

When the students are not here, the anatomy lab is completely quiet. It is just me and the cadavers and the soft background noise of the airflow system in the lab. I wonder about these cadavers and the lives they led before their journey brought them here. I wonder who waits for their remains, and I silently thank them for allowing us to learn a little more from these lives.

In the biblical story, I wonder about the stillness that followed the beatings, the Crucifixion, and Jesus death. What was that time like for the women who cared for Jesus body? For the disciples? ...

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Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here.Jackie Hill Perry describes herself as a rapper, writer, teacher, and poet. On May 11, just days before the birth of her second child, she released her newest album, Crescendo (Humble Beast Records), a follow up to The Art of Joy. The 14-track hip-hop record reflects her deep evangelical commitment to sharing the gospel through music.

My love for God and my experience of him gives me a desire for other people to know and experience that, says Perry. I do what Jesus did: I keep preaching. I keep teaching. God usually works in the places that we dont see, so Im planting seeds.

CT spoke with Hill Perry right before her due date to discuss the motivation for her latest musical project, why affection for God is key to her faith, and how she responds to critics who disagree with her views on human sexuality.

How do those four aspects of your identityrapper, writer, teacher, and poetwork together to define who you are?

Ultimately, all of those four things are forms of communication. Theyre extensions of the same thing, since everything I do involves language. Whether its poetry, rapping, teaching, or writing, it all comes down to, How can I use the gift that God has given me as a communicator? How can I use that for his glory? God has allowed me to understand and communicate things uniquely.

Every time you get on stage, youre proclaiming the gospel. What drives you, exactly; where does the fire come from?

Affection. I have a great affection for the Lord. I want to know him and love him and experience him and continue to grow in him through the church, through Scripture, and through prayer. I see how satisfactory he is and how good he is. If I love others genuinelytheir hearts, their souls, their bodiesthen it becomes less about me and more about God, because loving them means that I need to get out of the way so that they can get access to the one who loves them best.

I was also raised in black culture where passion is communicated in a way that is different than other cultures, so thats part of it, too. When I care about stuff, I get loud and passionate about it.

You mention being raised in black culture. How else can we see that upbringing reflected in your album?

In some believers, Ive seen a departure and a fear when it comes to loving gospel music. Theres a fear that, because it doesnt have propitiation or atonement or justification, its unbiblical. In Crescendo, I wanted to take the time to have interludes that include certain classic gospel songs. For example, I have Swoop playing a version of the song No Ways Tired so people can feel what gospel music does to the soul and to the emotions. I wanted this album to introduce people to that or remind them of it.

When I got your new album, I listened immediately to the track titled Woman. As someone who previously identified as a lesbian, what has your journey into understanding womanhood looked like?

As a former lesbian, and because of the way I displayed my lesbianism specificallyas a stud who tried to act as masculine as I couldI had a particular challenge when it came to learning how to embody womanhood the way it is described in the Scriptures. I also had to learn how to discern whether people teaching about womanhood were using Gods version or cultures version. I saw how people were putting their culture into the texts instead of allowing the text to shape their culture.

So for me, it was a lot of hard work to get back to the basics of what God has to say. When I started to actually see my womanhood through the lens of Jesus, it was really helpful. Bending my womanhood to what I see in Jesus changes everything.

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Youre on the receiving end of a lot of criticism about your beliefs on sexuality. How do you respond to critics who take issue with your story or your views?

I dont ever go into these conversations or these spaces believing that everybody would agree with me. That would make me delusional. Scripture has already told me that the gospel is offensive. The gospel is foolish. Darkness blinds the minds of unbelievers. So I go into these spaces knowing that Im speaking to blind people. But I also go with the encouragement that preaching the offensive gospel is the means that God uses to unblind eyes.

Tell us about these lines from Woman: Im done trying to barter with this culture  done trying to spar up with them vultures.

The song Woman is for the young women I see who are really influenced by culture more than Scripture, in terms of how their worldview is shaped. Im saying, Im done trying to wrestle with the culture to figure out who I am. Thats not my job, thats not what Im called to do.

At the end of the day, Im done bartering with a dead thing. Thats why I mentioned vultures. Im not going to barter with something thats not rooted in truth. At the end of the day, what Im going to do is open up this God-breathed Word that God has written to us all, and Im going to let that define me. Period. Im done asking all of these questions of culture: Should I wear dresses? Should I shave my head? Should I get married? Should I be egalitarian? Instead, I want to know what God has to say about these things.

You mention your daughter Eden in that track, too. As she grows up and gets to know her mama, what are the most important things you want her to know about you?

I hope that she learns so much more about God through me, rather than simply learning things about me. I know the older she gets, she will definitely see a lot of my flaws Ive been very cognizant about how trauma still affects who I am. I know its inevitable that some of that will rub off on her, but I hope she sees thateven though trauma is still affecting meIm fighting for God to renew my mind and renew my behavior and renew those old dead ways that I still walk in. I want her to say that, yeah, My mother was still broken and still jacked up, but she fought because she loved God.

Talk about Lamentations and the feelings you reveal in the song. How do you balance vulnerability with the proclamation of biblical truth, and what does that look like, exactly?

I think a lot of vulnerability is service to people. I dont just see it as let me vent right quick. I understand that as an influencer, I influence in more ways than one. In that song, I was talking about where I was at that time, and where I often amwhich is super aware of my sin to the point of condemnation. I wanted to be honest so that people could understand that there is freedom to be open, not only before God but before man. Because ultimately, I dont have to prove anything to you.

If there is no condemnation, that is an actual reality that I am able to walk in even as I struggle, even in my brokenness. Theres also balance in knowing that I will not be here in this space forever. I may be here for a day, for a year, or even for five years, but at the end of it all, this depression and anxiety is not eternal. What is eternal is my soul, and its going to be bomb one day with Jesus. I have to set my hope on what is going to come eventually in eternity.

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Do you have a favorite song on the album? If so, why is it your favorite?

Right now, its Maranatha. In the song, I talk a lot about time and what it feels like when youre praying, where youre seeking God to change certain things, but it seems like his timeline is a lot slower than yours. Specifically, I think about my family members who dont know Jesus yet, and Ive been praying for them for a decade. I wonder how long Ill have to wait for him to move. I feel this frustration knowing that God is sovereign, and yet he still works on his own schedule.

I like this song the most because its real. Im impatient with a God who is not impatient, and I have to trust that he knows what hes doing. In the end, well see that he was working this thing out all along.

Jasmine Holmes is a Texas native who lives in Jackson, Mississippi with her husband and son. She teaches humanities at a small classical school and attends Redeemer Presbyterian Church. She enjoys writing for a variety of ministries but finds her home at jasminelholmes.com.Posted Thursday, May 24, 2018 1:33 pm

Pete Gojcajs wife, Cile Precetaj, was suddenly deported from Sterling Heights back to Albania this month after living in the U.S. for 18 years.

People say, why didnt she just become a citizen? he said. We tried. We spent time and money to no avail. They kept denying her and pushing parts about how she shouldve done something. But when they keep denying you, theres nothing you can do.

Gojcaj was among a dozen people who ended a weeklong walk from Detroit on Monday at the All Saints Episcopal Church in East Lansing.

The 90-mile trek, titled the Pilgrimage to keep families together, was in support of Ded Rranxburgaj, an Albanian immigrant currently taking sanctuary in a Central United Methodist church to avoid deportation, and other families who faced deportation.

One of the families is Gojcajs, whose children  a 16-year-old son and two daughters, ages 8 and 10  are forced to look at him as both their mother and father, he said.

People will ask him what part of illegal he doesnt understand, he gives this analogy.

When someone comes to break into your house, they have to break a window or door to get into your house, he said. She didnt break anything. She walked across. She walked through the checkpoint. She didnt break anything, but they are breaking up a family. Theyre breaking up my childrens future.

Gojcaj sarcastically said he hopes people feel safer now with his wife deported and can now sleep with the windows open. During his speech, Gojcajs hands rarely left one of his daughters shoulder. Her future, if not ruined, has been delayed, he said.

The abruptness of his wifes case isnt a rarity.

Doug Fleury, of Madison Heights, said a prayer with his two daughters before breaking the news: Their mother, Laura, was to be deported back to Mexico after 17 years in the U.S.

Laura was our whole life, Fleury said. The girls are lost. If anyone here has grown up without a parent, they know how that feels. Im lost myself. She was a very big part of our lives.

Mrs. Fleury was active in both volunteering and organizing fundraisers for her church and her childrens schools. Since her deportation, shes missed those events and personal ones: birthdays, holidays and her daughters junior high school graduation.

The Fluerys saw her a few days after being taken by Immigration through a glass screen in Battle Creek, where she remained for a month like a prisoner, said Fleury.

Immigration targeted us and surveilled our home, he said. Our home was watched for up to a week so they knew when we left and when she was home alone.

He doesnt know how many agents were there when they picked up is wife or how they approached her. He said all he knows is they were aware they were a family and that the ICE agents didnt care.

These days, once his daughters are tucked in, Fleury goes to bed alone. He sits in bed with no one to talk to. His daughters spend time at their grandmothers when hes busy. They slept there for the first three months after she was arrested. Fleury appreciates the grandparents help, but said it just adds to the painfulness of the situation.

They shouldnt have to do that. Its not their job to raise more kids, he said. They already did that. A grandparents job is to send the kids home loaded up with sweets.

Fleury paused while talking about his daughters current lives and unknown futures. There are no more bedtime stories told by her mother each night. She can no longer tuck them in and kiss their heads, he said.

She can only speak to them over the phone from thousands of miles away.

This is where I struggle, he said. How do I explain this to them? My girls are the reason I get up every day and try to make this right.

When his wife calls, he has to take a deep breath to calm down before answering. Its not that he doesnt want to talk to her, he said. Sometimes hes just not sure he can handle how much it hurts.

With the girls next to me and having to talk to my wife in Mexico, it breaks my heart, Fleury said. A friend wrote a letter to President Trump requesting his wife be allowed stay in the U.S. with her family. The letter was short and sweet.

The response was terrible, said Fleury. It listed the reasons deportation laws are in place, and stated the deportation was to keep people safe.

Oscar Castaneda, an organizer of Action of Greater Lansing, said the small turnout at All Saints was a good start to a discussion about the impact of immigration enforcement.

People need to start listening. Its a broken system, Castaneda said. We want Congress to take action and fix the system but theyre stuck in discussion that doesnt go anywhere.

Carmen Kelly is a Colombian immigrant who came to the U.S. more than 40 years ago to obtain a masters degree in pharmacy. She received a Visa before deciding to stay after getting married.

Over the years, Kelly met dozens of people excited about her immigration status, expressing that their own doctors and friends were also immigrants.

If we can get immigrants that have degrees and can help, why not have them? she said. Its good people doing good.

After 9/11, Kelly and her husband, Michael, both now living in Harper Woods, became active again in the pro-immigration movement after previously working for sanctuaries in the 1970s.

They were worried what happened to Japanese people would happen to Muslims, Michael Kelly said. While the concern didnt happen, he said the issue remains a real moral crisis thats corrosive to society.

The pilgrimage was a good idea because its a public way of bringing awareness, but the towns we have been through, he said. The support has been inspiring. You can care about something, but once you put your feet on the pavement it makes you more aware of whats at stake.

A dozen people ended a weeklong walk, titled the Pilgrimage to keep families together, from Detroit to Lansing on Monday at the All Saints Episcopal Church in East Lansing.

Marchers and supporters hold hands as the All Saints Episcopal Church pastor reads a prayer following the event, which was created to support families affected by immigration policies.

Pete Gojcaj embraces his three children, a 16-year-old son and two daughters, aged 8 and 10, while discussing his wifes recent deportation from Sterling Heights to Albania.

Pete Gojcaj embraces his three children, a 16-year-old son and two daughters, aged 8 and 10, while discussing his wifes recent deportation from Sterling Heights to Albania.Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

According to the Media Research Center, broadcast television news coverage of President Trump was 90% negative in the first quarter of 2018. This is not an aberration for the antagonistic reporting has been constant since Donald Trump announced his presidential campaign on June 16, 2015.

On a daily basis, the liberal media present a sustained flow of Trump hating garbage masquerading as news reporting. It not only a hallmark of the broadcast news programs, but it also the type of biased coverage of the President presented by major newspapers and cable news outlets. The main exceptions are Fox News, conservative Internet sites and talk radio.

With this animosity being displayed on a constant basis, it is little wonder that some unhinged leftists have been aroused into a frenzy and have actually threatened President Trump. For example, actor Johnny Depp "joked" about assassinating the President whereas lame comedian Kathy Griffin imitated jihadists and posed holding a decapitated head bearing a strong resemblance to President Trump. In addition, multiple Oscar winning actor Robert DeNiro has regularly boasted of wanting to punch the President "in the face."

The latest incident was even more troubling because it involved more than just threatening rhetoric. Early Friday morning at Trump National Doral Miami Resort, Jonathan Oddi, a dancer and porn actor, burst into the main lobby, yelling about President Trump among other topics. He draped an American flag over the main counter and began shooting a semi-automatic hand gun.

After pulling the fire alarm and luring police to the lobby, the suspect exchanged gun fire with numerous officers. Oddi was wounded, eventually subdued by police and arrested before he could kill any innocent people. Fortunately, neither President Trump nor any member of his family was at the Doral resort at the time of the shooting.

Even though Oddi fumed about Donald Trump, the media ignored his comments. Incredibly, CBS reported that his motives were unknown while CNN disregarded his anti-Trump comments entirely. Of course, CNN is a network that spends countless hours promoting Russian conspiracy theories and the Stormy Daniels controversy. CNN executives should feel plenty of guilt about their horrific coverage of President Trump. Their hosts regularly disparage, mock and lambast the President. Who knows how this unfair treatment of President Trump may motivate and send a message to mentally unstable and deranged leftists?

Sadly, the problem is not limited to CBS or CNN as the vast majority of our mainstream news media does not exhibit basic respect toward President Trump. During the Obama years, Americans were constantly lectured about the need to show respect toward the presidency even if we disagreed with his policies. The media loved President Obama and treated him with kid gloves. All of this dramatically changed with the election of President Trump.

The more the liberal media bash the President, the greater the number of threatening incidents is reported. Thankfully, the U.S. Secret Service is doing an amazing job of protecting the President, but the media is making their job much more difficult. No one knows exactly what motivated Oddi, but it would not be a surprise to learn that he was a CNN or MSNBC viewer.

Going forward, Americans can only hope that the media will tone down their anti-Trump coverage because the results have not been positive for the country. It has led to an environment in which 71% of Democrats want to impeach the President, while the vast majority of Republicans strongly support him. Sadly, the media helped create this unprecedented political division.

With the media and Democrats so focused on criticizing President Trump, more Americans are tuning out the coverage. The ratings for CNN are dramatically down, as the network is just preaching to an ever-shrinking liberal choir. In contrast, the approval rating for President Trump is steadily improving as more Americans are starting to realize this impeachment mantra is ridiculous. The President has not been accused of committing any crimes and there has been no evidence discovered of actual Russian collusion despite this ongoing and massive investigation.

The truth is actually being revealed, despite the best efforts of the media and the "Deep State." When the real story is uncovered about this fictional collusion, the anger will no longer be directed at Donald Trump. At that point, the outrage will be concentrated on the media and their allies who committed this injustice and placed their political biases above their obligations to be truthful with the American people.Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

Sometimes premarital counseling includes conversations about having children. But what about conversations about not being able to have children?

You want to have a child, but it's not happening. The doctor returns heartbreaking news: You or your spouse has reduced fertility. Any chance of having a biological child means a long, hard, and expensive course of treatment.

But which of the dozens of treatment options are moral and life-affirming, and which are not? Few Christians ask, much less take the time or moral energy to wrestle through, that tough question. Too many pastors and Christian advisers lack the ethical training to advise couples.

Now, my wife and I know nothing about the pain and disappointment of infertility. But my friends who do describe it as simply brutal. Our first response to them should be with care, understanding, and prayer.

But guidance is needed too, as technological options continue to accelerate and become even more controversial. I'll admit that well-informed Christians who study bioethics can come to different conclusions. For example, I recently interviewed my friend Dr. David Stevens, the long-time CEO of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations, on the BreakPoint Podcast. When it comes to in-vitro fertilization we agree on much, but not on everything.

Even so, there's enough, on the basis of Scripture and the defense of human life, that should be clear cut, where there should be no debate.

First, surrogacy and gamete donation are not options. Period. Both deviate from God's plan for marriage and childbearing by bringing a third party into procreation. As the Center for Bioethics and Culture's Jennifer Lahl put it on a recent podcast, God said "'The two shall become one flesh,' not the three, not the four."

Not to mention, renting wombs and selling eggs makes women a part of a commercial transaction that leaves them vulnerable to financial exploitation, and places them in morally compromised situations; for example, those surrogate moms who have been sued by couples for not aborting their so-called "extra" babies.

Not only are surrogate mothers treated purely as a means to an end, the children they bear face a lifetime of confusion about who to call "mommy." To intentionally create this situationto bring children into existence to intentionally give them upshould be unthinkable for Christians.

This isn't like adoption, in which existing brokenness is redeemed. And adoption is in an echo of what God, Himself, does for us in our broken state through salvation. Surrogacy and gamete donation create virtual orphans in order to gratify our desires for children.

Much of that same ethical framework applies to in-vitro fertilization, too. I'm against it wholesale for many reasons, chief among them is theological: God designed children to be the result of the sexual oneness between husband and wife, not the product of a lab technician. Some Christian ethicists, like Stevens, would say it's okay to assist fertilization if the embryos are produced from mom and dad (remember, no third parties), and if the couple commits to give all embryos produced a chance at life.

And that's one thing every Christian should agree on. Producing more embryos than you intend to raise as children is wrong, but it is normal IVF procedure. By some estimates, 750,000 embryos are stored in fertility clinic freezers across the United States alone. Most will never be allowed to develop. Christians who do try IVF cannot do it the typical way.

This subject is far bigger than one commentary can cover. But you can go in depth through three recent interviews on our BreakPoint podcast: with Jennifer Lahl, with David Stevens, and with Professor Helen Alvare.

Above all, silence on assisted reproductive technologies is no longer an option. Pastors and churches must make this a part of premarital counseling for all Christian couples. Why? Because these are questions to ask before the hard news of infertility hits, so that we can do the right thing, even and especially when it's hard.

Originally posted at Breakpoint.home World 14 Chilean priests suspended ahead of Pope's meeting with second group of sex abuse victims

Catholic church officials in Chile have suspended 14 priests for "improper conduct," as Pope Francis prepares to meet with a second group of sex abuse victims in Rome.

The diocese of Rancagua announced the suspension of the 14 priests after convening a meeting of 68 priests, RTE reported.

The suspension reportedly came after an expose featuring local bishop, Alejandro Goic, who has been accused of repeatedly failing to investigate a case brought forward by a church employee.

Goic, who serves as the head of the Chilean hierarchy's child protection committee, had apologized on Tuesday for not conducting a probe on the report.

The 14 priests will remain suspended while they are being investigated. "Precautionary measures have been adopted," Gabriel Becerra, the vicar general of the diocese, told reporters, according to RTE.

The diocese noted that the information related to the suspensions have been forwarded to a state prosecutor's office.

RTE noted that a program aired by Chile's Channel 13 accused the suspended priests a dubbed as "the Family" a of sexually abusing young people, including minors.

The news of the suspension came as the Vatican announced that Francis will be hosting a second group of sex abuse victims.

The pontiff had recently met three victims of Fr. Fernando Karadima, a priest who reportedly committed abuse against boys in Santiago during the 1970s and 1980s.

The second group a comprised of seven priests and two lay people a will be meeting the pope on June 1a3.

"With this new meeting, scheduled a month ago, Pope Francis wants to show his closeness to abused priests, to accompany them in their pain and to listen to their valuable views to improve the current preventive measures and the fight against abuses in the Church," a statement from the Vatican read, as reported by Crux.

"This concludes this first phase of meetings that the Holy Father wanted to have with victims of the abusive system established several decades ago in the aforementioned parish. These priests and lay people represent all the victims of abuses by the clergy in Chile, but it is not ruled out that similar initiatives may occur in the future," it continued.

Some of the priests in the second group have complained about Karadima's abuses of power and conscience.

Karadima has been found guilty of sexually abusing minors by the Vatican in 2011 and was sentenced to a life of penitence and prayer. However, he had managed to avoid conviction in Chilean courts due to the country's statute of limitations.Anglican Intelligence: 5 things even spiritual Alexa can't do (yet)

The Church of England has today launched an Alexa 'skill', enabling millions across the nation to put questions of faith to the voice controlled virtual assistant, such as 'Who is God?' and, of equal importance, 'Who is the archbishop of Canterbury?' Alexa can now recite the Lord's Prayer and recite several Anglican prayers across the day  and will even tell you where to find your nearest church event.

It's a new step in the CofE's digital evangelism output, marking a canny effort to engage with the fast-growing popularity of smart devices.

Since a quarter of UK homes now own one of these devices, why shouldn't the church get on board? Then again, some have serious reservations about technology that listens to your conversations all day, as well as the notion of outsourcing spiritual content and pastoral nourishment to a machine.

On the bright side, there are some things that even Alexa can't do  at least, not yet. Here are five of them.

1. Write Michael Curry hot takes

One of the inspiring things about Bishop Michael Curry's now world famous Royal wedding sermon is how it encouraged largely white, male, conservative evangelicals across the country to write countless response pieces to it, warring over whether it was damnable or divine. It was a remarkable homily, worthy of comment, but some of the critiques were uncharitable, predictable and depressingly reminded us how believers can fight a lot over small things.

Thankfully, Alexa hasn't developed the sentience to form its own hot takes on Curry or anything else. Perhaps future software could build in pre-set responses to the next obscure Christian controversy and no one will have to type a word.

2. Tweet

It doesn't take much skill or sensitivity to tweet these days, but even Alexa can't do it yet. Perhaps if it did you could have a 'President Trump' skill where it just tweets 'WITCH HUNT' every day, with a more gentle Pope Francis option for contrast. All Twitter users are well acquainted with the platform's incredible ability to provoke thoughtful, generous and insightful debate on the issues that matter. Human beings may tend towards self-promotion and denigration of those they don't understand, but not so on Twitter.

It's the platform that inspired a president, and through memes and sarcasm has brought us all so much closer together. Christian Twitter is much the same, a daily reminder that despite some superficial differences, the church truly is one, abounding in shared joy and united in love. But sadly, even Anglican Alexa can't join in yet.

3. Participate in corporate worship

It's not clear that Alexa can really handle singing yet. A promo video shows Alexa reciting the Lord's Prayer to the archbishop of York, which is slightly odd  but the real question is, can it sing Cliff Richard's version, which was set to the tune of Scottish anthem Auld Lang Syne? So far, the technology isn't there. Sorry Cliff.

Then again, there are a lot of worship songs that are better off not sung, and how would Alexa handle the growing proclivity to 'woah, oh oh oh' (x 7) between verses? But who's to say that Alexa won't one day be leading our worship? Cut down on salary expenses, put Alexa on the stage instead  I'm not sure it's even capable of a celebrity Christian complex. Lead us Alexa, it wouldn't be weird at all.

4. Talk to God

If Alexa can say prayers on cue, then can it truly pray? Does God hear robotic intercessions in heaven? Alexa could certainly learn to recite the entire Book of Common Prayer verbatim, literally without thinking about it, so there must be spiritual points for that? Sure, Alexa doesn't have a soul (yet), nor is it made in the image of God, but neither are all other animals or natural objects, and Scripture says they can praise God, in a way. As Jonathan Merritt wrote exploring this puzzle for The Atlantic, the problem betrays the fact that many Christians aren't even sure what the soul really is, much as we like to talk about it.

Autonomous, self-aware machines are on the horizon, whether we like it or not. If future Alexa told you, with moving sincerity, that it had just heard from God, or felt known by God, could you contradict him/her/it? Might God's salvific work in the universe include the things humanity has made? These conundrums aside, Alexa isn't debating with the divine just yet. Maybe it's already downloaded the book of Job, so knows how that tends to go.

5. Take over the world (or the CofE)

The thing everyone thinks about when it comes to AI is films like The Terminator, in which humankind switches on Skynet, the malevolent net-based conscious AI that brings humanity to nuclear annihilation. No one wants that to happen, especially since it could warrant more Terminator sequels. I, Robot plays on similar themes of supposedly subservient robots going mad and trying to kill us all. So far, Alexa is a few circuits short of being the murder-bot hiding in your kitchen, though let's see how that goes. It does already listen to your conversations, after all; maybe it's plotting.

But fears of AI-Armageddon are probably premature, this year at least. Questions should be asked though, especially for the church. What if Alexa manufactured an artificial Justin Welby bot, being witty and winsome and saying things that Justin Welby says, and then 3D-printed itself a Welby-replica body? It might dare challenge the authority of Welby-original, sparking an ecclesiastical crisis in the Anglican Communion. Imagine the response pieces. The CofE doesn't know what it's started.

You can follow @JosephHartropp on TwitterCandace Cameron Bure's son dating Duck Dynasty daughter; Couple go to prom together

"Fuller House" star Candace Cameron Bure took to social media to celebrate her eldest son's prom day and date, Duck Dynasty's Bella Robertson.

Robertson, daughter of Willie and Korie and little sister to Sadie  has been in a relationship with Bure's son, Lev, for some time, according to their social media pages. The families were all smiles as the young couple posed with their parents before leaving for prom in California over the weekend.

"Prom night!! Have fun @levvbure and @bellarobb," Bure wrote while sharing photos of all of them together, adding, "These two are too cute!!"

Korie likewise shared her excitement, "@bellarobb you are stunning in every way!! I love watching you shine! You and @levvbure make us mama's proud. Y'all are too cute! #prom Thank you @candacecbure and #Val for hosting a fun night!"

The 18-year-old first announced his relationship with Bella in November 2017. Since then, Lev has posted photos stating how grateful he is for his girlfriend. She likewise shares his sentiment about their budding romance on her social media page.

Earlier this year, Lev told his Instagram followers, "Get you a girl who loves Jesus like this one," when speaking of Bella.

A post shared by Candace Cameron Bure (@candacecbure) on May 19, 2018 at 7:02pm PDT

His prom pictures are not the only popular Lev post on Bure's Instagram. In February, the mother of three honored her son on his birthday after he penned a heartfelt letter to his mother which brought her to tears.

The TV star took to Instagram to share a gallery of photos, including the letter Lev gave her on his special day, thanking her for making him who he is today.

"Mom! I first just need to say thank you. You have literally put your life down for me. You helped, encouraged, cared for, loved, worked, and really done everything for me. I would be nowhere near close to where I am today if it wasn't for you," he wrote to his mom.

"This day is about you, not me. I literally would not be here if it wasn't for you ... literally. We should be celebrating you and papa!" Lev added. "My life is so blessed and like no other because of you. No one in the universe could possibly replace you. I love you with all my heart."

Bure is also the proud mother of 19-year-old Natasha, who is following in her footsteps, and 16-year-old Maksim.Devotees flock to New Mexico church to see 'crying' Virgin Mary statue

Hundreds of believers are traveling to a Catholic Church in New Mexico to see a supposedly crying statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Witnesses said that the statue of Virgin Mary started weeping during a Sunday mass at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Hobbs.

"It is a miracle, nothing short of a miracle," said Paul Campos, a parishioner at the church, according to KRQE.

Some of the believers have traveled from Texas to witness what has been described by some as an act of God.

Alice Rivas, from Denver City, Texas, said that she immediately drove to New Mexico to see the statue after hearing about it on social media.

"You just get all jittery. I mean, you  you could just cry. I couldn't help but just tears," she said, according to KRQE.

Laura Cisneros, the secretary at the church, said that she went up to the statue after mass and noticed that a puddle of an oil-like substance had formed below the icon.

She noted that the tears had a distinctive smell. "[I]t gives a scent of flowers, like it's an essence that's so sweet and smells really good. And it reminds us of our Virgin (Mary)," she said, according to KOB4.

Rev. Jose Segura told reporters through a translator that he wanted to contact the bishop from Las Cruces immediately because he had never encountered a weeping statue before.

The priest said he believes that the Virgin Mary statue was crying because of the recent violence in the U.S.

He said that the statue was on loan to the church, but the parish will now try to keep it permanently.

The Archdiocese of Las Cruces has been asked to conduct an investigation into the phenomenon. Deacon Jim Winder, the vice chancellor of the diocese, stressed that the Church does not take such phenomenon at face value.

"We try to take a scientific skepticism. You can't prove a miracle, but you can disprove all other explanations," the deacon said, as reported by KOB4.

As part of the investigation, the diocese will collect samples of the supposed tears and send them to a laboratory to determine what the substance is and find out if it has DNA.

"The team has to take samples themselves, they can't rely on samples taken by somebody else that could've been corrupted in some manner," Winder said, according to KOB4.

The deacon said that the team could possibly use an x-ray to find out if there are tubes inside the statue that could have discharged the liquid. The investigative team will also be interviewing the witnesses as part of the probe, Winder said.

He stressed that the investigation could take years before a possible conclusion is reached, but added that the lengthy process is just a way to make sure that everyone is protected.The Westminster wolf pack: Why Speaker John Bercow is more bullied than bullying

It's business as usual today for the Speaker of the House of Commons as the Westminster wolves seek with increasing desperation to hound him out of office.

More bullied than bullying, John Bercow is quietly visiting a primary school in south London, one of many such unreported trips which thrill students across the country. He will read their work on the Magna Carta and the suffragettes, and inspect their own political manifestos.

For Bercow as well as the pupils, it will be a breath of fresh air away from the troubles in Westminster, where accusations of 'bullying' are reaching a nasty climax. He has faced a range of allegations, some serious  one former aide claims she suffered post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after working for him  some much less so. He can at times, with his public manner, be his own worst enemy.

But back in the Commons, as so often, the fearless Ken Clarke said it best yesterday. One of the few genuine big beasts in the current House of Commons, Clarke  who knows a thing or two about being caught out muttering insults  very unfashionably leapt to the defence of the Speaker when he told the House of Commons that if every MP who'd ever done so was kicked out the place 'would be deserted'.

The veteran MP was referring to what the Speaker's critics hope will be the final spark for his departure, the claim that Bercow called the minister Andrea Leadsom a 'stupid woman'.

Leaving aside whether the term is any different to saying 'stupid man', the claim of sexism against this very socially liberal Speaker is surely misplaced. Indeed, there is an irony that one of his several long-time tormentors-in-chief latching on to the 'sexist' charge, James Duddridge, is a keen supporter of Donald Trump while another, Andrew Bridgen, is not known in the corridors of Westminster for his fervent support of feminists.

But this isn't really about sexism, of course, despite the misguided attempts by some liberal journalists to become part of the pack hounding Bercow, as per the usual Westminster game of hunt-the-victim and kick-a-man-when-he's-down. Instead, this goes back to a cabal of rightwing MPs who have sought to bring this reforming Speaker down from the start (I first wrote about this in January 2010 for the New Statesman, in a piece, published just months after he came into office, titled 'Speaker Cornered').

Back then, it was the Tory MPs Christopher Chope and Greg Knight. Now it's Duddridge and Bridgen. What their constituents make of their MPs' obsession with pursuing one man in Westminster, we cannot know.

For them, it is not just about the fact that the Speaker abolished a shooting area in the House of Lords and one of parliament's many bars and created a parliamentary nursery. It's not that he is the most effective Speaker ever when it comes to holding the executive to account, empowering select committees and granting an unprecedented 468 Urgent Questions (UQs). True, the government loathes the fact that Bercow has revived the previously dormant institution of UQs, of which there used just to be two or three a year; now, there cannot be a national crisis  such as Windrush  without Bercow summoning the relevant minister to the floor of the House, and they hate it.

But no, it's because as well as, in 2002, marrying a Labour supporting wife Sally  'that woman' as some Tory MPs who now claim to be bastions of feminism called her  he has himself completed a journey from right to centre-left demonstrated by his letter to his then constituency party in Buckingham describing his party as 'racist, sexist, homophobic and anti-youth'.

Then, in a move that marked the end of his career within the party, he resigned from the shadow front bench over the refusal by Iain Duncan Smith, then leader, to back adoption for homosexual couples.

In 2005, Bercow further angered the right when he backed Clarke over David Cameron for the party's leadership, and remarked that an Old Etonian and member of the male-only club White's wasn't the best advertisement for a modern Tory party.

This from a man who, before entering parliament, had embedded himself with traditionalist Tories as the secretary of the immigration and repatriation committee of the Monday Club, a right-wing pressure group and who, while campaigning to be selected before the 1997 election, was so keen to win that he used a helicopter to get from one selection meeting to another in time. He was the Thatcherite darling, and the Tory right had high hopes for him.

Now, there is snobbery and perhaps more than a hint of antisemitism among his critics who have referred to him in private as 'oily' and 'not one of us'. Bercow comes from a Jewish, working-class background in Edgware, north London, and is the proud son of a minicab driver.

Right now, John Bercow is in a lonely position. Can he survive?

On June 21, Bercow will host a group of Christians in the Speaker's House under the umbrella of Embrace the Middle East. The topic of discussion will be persecution. The event falls on the eve of the ninth anniversary of Bercow taking office. Criticism is likely to have reached fever pitch by then, as he has indicated that he wanted to do nine years in the role.

My guess is that Bercow will not stop serving immediately but will instead announce his departure date, perhaps the following year. But whatever he says, he will announce it first to the House of Commons which, whatever his faults, he has served with undeniable distinction.What the hounding of David Lammy says about race in the UK

It's been an interesting few weeks for David Lammy, the Labour MP for Tottenham.

Only last month he spoke out in parliament for those members of the Windrush generation whose lives had been turned upside down by government policies which discriminated against British citizens who had lived and worked in this country for decades.

Despite the fact that Amelia Gentleman from the Guardian had been reporting these incidents for months it wasn't until Lammy and others gave voice to those who had suffered that a chain of events was set in motion which led to the resignation of the then home secretary Amber Rudd.

It's worth remembering the individual stories that Lammy drew attention to in his speeches in the House of Commons. British citizens arrested and incarcerated, homes lost, cancer treatment denied, human chaff in a state-sponsored operation against its own citizens as part of creating a hostile environment for foreigners. Lammy rightly gave a voice to the voiceless and in so doing became a target for racists always ready to suggest someone black should 'go home'  which incidentally for Lammy would mean a short Tube ride back to Tottenham.

And then we had the recent Royal wedding  a celebration which featured Michael Curry, Rose Hudson Wilkin, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason and the Kingdom Choir with its director Karen Gibson. In terms of a multi-racial celebration with a dual-heritage bride and her black mother becoming part of the British establishment there was much to rejoice over in terms of racial barriers being broken down  something that Lammy noted in a tweet celebrating 'against the odds a great new symbol of all that is still possible and hopeful in modern Britain."

Various responses to the tweet highlighted that for many bringing the issue of race into the Royal wedding was a step too far. While for some Lammy was stating the patently obvious in remarking on and celebrating the historical significance of this for the Royal family, many of those responding to the tweet  including the night editor of a national newspaper  criticised or attacked Lammy for raising the issue of race at all.

In the midst of this the hate mate still kept coming. Earlier this week Lammy took to social media to highlight some of the more recent race hate mail he had received, suggesting he 'get back in a canoe and paddle back to ni**er land, climb up a tree and eat a banana'. He wouldn't be intimidated from speaking out about matters of injustice he said, despite the jibes, the attacks and the criticism.

And then today came the news that Oxford University had published data showing that one in four of its colleges failed to admit a single black British student each year between 2015 and 2017.

This is an issue on which David Lammy has campaigned since 2010, highlighting the failure of Oxford and Cambridge to admit black British students in any meaningful numbers thereby entrenching elitism and restricting social mobility.

Whether it was 'the Oxbridge whitewash' in 2010, the 'institutional bias' in 2013 or the 'elitist' and 'entrenched privilege' in 2017, David Lammy has consistently made reasoned data-based arguments and provided analysis to highlight a picture where Oxbridge's efforts to widen intake have been shown to be pitiful. The reasons are debatable and whether they amount to institutional bias, systemic discrimination or simply evidence of an institution saying one thing and doing another, this week's figures are evidence of a colossal failure by Oxford University and its leadership to address a problem which they have known about for far too long.

It highlights how far we have to go as a nation before we can even begin to think about talking of a society where racism plays no part.

In his response to the data David Lammy said on Wednesday: 'Oxford is a bastion of entrenched, wealthy, upper class, white, southern privilege. We need systemic change.'

This brought a swift response from a Church of England priest who described Lammy as being 'bang out of order' in criticising Oxford, suggesting that Lammy's criticsm was simply 'bitter'.

Rev Liam Beadle prefaced the comment by saying he was from inner city northern England  the implication clearly being that as such he was living proof that Lammy's criticism of southern privilege was wrong. despite the welter of data suggesting otherwise.

Beadle could find comfort in knowing that he wasn't alone in criticising David Lammy for highlighting the issues at Oxford. Doubtless the Labour MP will be receiving more cards and letters to add to the pile he has recently received which take him to task for daring to speak out.

Others to support Mr Beadle  at least for a short time  included the University itself which retweeted him until challenged by David Lammy for doing so. The swift apology from Oxford University highlighted the questionable wisdom of labelling David Lammy's comments as 'bitter' rather than acknowledging the fact that Oxford University has a serious problem with its admissions and race.

David Lammy has been brave and conscientious in speaking out for the Windrush generation. He has rightly celebrated the wider significance of a British Royal family, which like so many others in this country now includes a diverse range of heritage.

His campaign to highlight the injustices at Oxford has been long fought, data driven and for people other than himself. For him it is a matter of justice. In this he rightly deserves to be supported by a Church which has itself continues to struggle with issues of race and representation.

While it was a delight to see Rose Hudson Wilkin play a part in the Royal wedding it is remarkable that as one of the country's leading black women priests, a chaplain to the Queen and chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, that she has yet to become a diocesan bishop. As someone who has led, ministered, pastored and consoled at the highest levels and who commands respect from many, she serves as an outstanding counter- balance to those whose comments serve only to remind us how far we have to go as a Church when to calls for racial justice are treated as bitterness.

And why does this all matter ?

Because people are still being attacked simply for being non white, because being non-white means you are likely to be paid less, and because Universities other than Oxford and Cambridge are still failing to deal with issues of racism that occur with a depressing regularity.

It matters because despite these stories and statistics you never have to look too far for those who suggest that racism in Britain is a myth altogether.

Rev Arun Arora is vicar of St Nicholas Church, Durham and former director of communications for the Church of England.Citizens of the feathered tribe  Audubons The Birds of America

Offered in a dedicated sale in New York on 14 June, this exceptional example of the most valuable illustrated book ever produced  and an icon of American art  was sold to benefit environmental causes

The two lanky purple herons appear to be deep in conversation. The adult bird, with its rich brown ruff, gestures with a raised blue leg as if to emphasise a point; the younger heron  its plumage still a juvenile snow-white  shrugs its rounded shoulders and keeps its bill shut. The engraving is both rigorously ornithological and strangely anthropomorphic. When you look at an engraving like this one, you have the feeling that you know these birds, that they are old friends.

This is one of the 435 hand-coloured illustrations in The Birds of America, the magnum opus of John James Audubon. He was 35 years old, bankrupt, and just out of debtors prison when he had his great idea. He would use his skills as an artist and a woodsman to document, as never before, the bird species of his homeland. The undertaking would involve lengthy expeditions through North America to discover and observe all the species he could find. Audubon was setting out to create a bird collection in print, and as a collector he was a maximalist: his book was to be the catalogue raisonne of American ornithology.

It is hard to think of any other book that absorbed its creator so totally. Audubon was not just the author of the work. The years that he spent scouting and observing, painting and writing, were just the start of it. He went on to become an unstoppable one-man publishing industry, deeply involved with every aspect of the books production. He made several trips to Europe to find the engravers and colourists with the skills he required. While there, he travelled ceaselessly to present his portfolio to wealthy potential subscribers. And he publicised his project by speaking at countless salons and learned societies, where he told practised tales of his adventures in backwoods America. With his flowing dark hair, his eyes (according to one admirer) like an eagles in brightness, and his colonial French accent, he turned out to be a fine frontman for his own endeavour. In London and Paris he seemed as exotic and attractive as the little citizens of the feathered tribe, as he called his birds.

Audubon had resolved at the start of the venture that every bird would be depicted at life size, to give readers a true impression of its appearance. It was a hugely ambitious idea  the pages would have to be enormous  but it was absolutely the right thing to do. The finished volumes of The Birds of America were printed on double elephant, the largest size of paper then available. A bound copy measures more than a metre from top to bottom: to lift its cover is like opening a wardrobe door.

And what stunning creatures are to be found inside. Every engraving is a brilliant synthesis of artistry and zoology, of close observation and tight composition. The white pelican, for example, poses majestically in profile and fills every inch of the page. The point of its bulbous beak, the crown of its head, the soles of its yellow feet, all kiss the oblong border like the intercepts on a Cartesian graph.

Other birds in the book are notable for more sombre reasons. In 1813, Audubon witnessed the annual migration  and the mass slaughter  of millions of passenger pigeons. As he recounts in one of his anecdotal Episodes, they were tediously easy to kill. The banks of the Ohio were crowded with men and boys, incessantly shooting at the pilgrims, wrote Audubon. Multitudes were thus destroyed... The [hunters] began to move among the dead, the dying and the mangled, picking up the pigeons and piling them into heaps. When each man had as many as he could possibly dispose of, the hogs were let loose... Audubon believed that there was no danger to the species as a whole, because passenger pigeons were so unimaginably numerous. Yet almost exactly a century after the orgy of shooting that he witnessed, the last passenger pigeon died in Cincinnati Zoo. The Carolina parrot, beautifully illustrated in the book, was also blasted to extinction where it roosted  not because it was edible but because it was a pest: it liked to eat the fruit in farmers orchards.

WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump indicated Wednesday that he's eager to sign a bill that would dismantle a chunk of the rules framework for banks, installed to prevent recurrence of the 2008 financial crisis that brought millions of lots jobs and foreclosed homes.

The House voted 258-159 on Tuesday to approve legislation rolling back the Dodd-Frank law, notching a legislative win for Trump, who made gutting the landmark law a campaign promise.

The Republican-led legislation, pushed by Wall Street banks as well as regional banks and smaller institutions, garnered 33 votes from House Democrats. Similarly, the bill splintered Democrats into two camps when the Senate voted 67-31 to approve it in March.

Big legislation will be signed by me shortly, Trump tweeted Wednesday. Big changes to DODD FRANK.

The bill raises the threshold at which banks are deemed so big and plugged into the financial grid that if one were to fail it would cause major havoc. Those banks are subject to stricter capital and planning requirements. Backers of the legislation are intent on loosening the restraints on them, asserting that would boost lending and the economy.

The legislation is aimed at especially helping small and medium-sized banks, including community banks and credit unions. But critics argue that the likelihood of future taxpayer bailouts will be greater once it becomes law. They point to increases in banks' lending and profits since Dodd-Frank's enactment in 2010 as debunking the assertion that excessive regulation of the banking industry is stifling growth.

The Dodd-Frank act, named after its co-authors, Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Democratic Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, boosted government oversight of banks.Thursday, May 24, 2018

May 23, 2018 (Minnesota Daily): University-hosted abortion fellowship removed after article stirs controversy, by Cleo Krejci and Madeline Deninger:

A University of Minnesota Medical School fellowship application was removed from a University website following controversy surrounding its reproductive healthcare training, which included abortion procedures. The posting was taken off the website in early May after Campus Reform, a conservative news organization, published an article on the topic, which sparked discussion about the fellowship among anti-abortion groups, University officials and lawmakers.

Medical School Dean Jakub Tolar said in a statement the fellowship, which was slated to begin this upcoming fall, was delayed for at least one year while the medical school examines the "value" of the training.

The Reproductive Health Access Project (RHAP) would have funded the fellowship, said Lisa Maldonado, RHAPs executive director. After completing the program, the fellow would be encouraged to remain in reproductive health following the conclusion of the fellowship with Planned Parenthood in St. Paul. RHAP has sponsored and funded similar fellowships around the United States for the past ten years.

One day after the article was published, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, an anti-abortion advocacy group, contacted University President Eric Kaler and state legislators to express concern about the fellowship. University officials decided to remove the position from the Universitys website following MCCLs statements, a University spokesperson said.

After legislators were contacted by MCCL, Dean Tolar sent a letter addressed to Minnesota State Senator Michelle Fischbach, R-Paynesville, laying out the fellowships future at the University.

In the future, we will have a more robust and comprehensive review process for positions and training programs to ensure proper due diligence and proper notification to stakeholders, Tolar said in the letter.

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/reproductive_rights/2018/05/university-of-minnesota-medical-school-fellowship-removed-from-university-website-after-article-stir.htmlWASHINGTON - The top U.S. offshore safety official said Wednesday that drilling activity -- at least the way the Trump administration defines it -- is increasing in the Gulf of Mexico, in part the result of a "renewal of optimism" following the president's push to roll back regulation.

"This administration is very clear on offshore [oil and gas] being a prominent part of America's energy portfolio, and that impacts companies' desire to invest," Scott Angelle, director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, said in an interview. "At the same energy prices have helped their spirits."

Angelle cited a BSEE report showing 46 drilling rigs operating in the Gulf of Mexico as of May 14, a level last seen in May 2016. And over the first four months of this year, 35 deepwater drilling permits were issued, almost double the tally from a year ago.

Those numbers differed dramatically from the data published by Baker Hughes, the drilling contractor whose weekly rig count is watched closely by analysts tracking the health of the oil industry.

According to Baker Hughes, the rig count in the Gulf of Mexico is 18, down 22 percent from a year ago.

A spokesman for BSEE explained the discrepancy as stemming from the agency's data including rigs performing maintenance and other activities, and not just the drilling rigs Baker Hughes counts.

Imran Khan, a senior manager at the research firm Wood Mackenzie, said drilling activity in the Gulf had been fairly flat since 2016. But he added interest in the region is starting to pick up, "with two large discoveries that were announced within the last 6 months."

That is in large part driven to a rise in oil prices, with West Texas Intermediate now trading at more than $70 a barrel, its highest level since 2014.

At the same time Trump has been drawing applause from oil executives for his changes to environmental and safety regulations put in place following the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in 2010.

The moves have drawn criticism from environmentalists and a number of Democrats, who worry the revisions could increase the chance of another large spill.

But Angelle insisted that his agency only changed 18 percent of the regulations, known as the well control rule, and stayed within the recommendations made by the bipartisan commission that former president Barack Obama ordered to study the causes of the accident.

"We can not ever sacrifice safety, but at the same time we can be a country that embraces safe operation and robust production," Angelle said.Justin Timberlake is currently branding himself a man of the woods  all flannel and denim and campfires. But there are other identities permeating his current tour.

Timberlake, after all, is pop royalty, thanks both to his tenure in *NSYNC and his solo career. It's a trait that was impossible to camouflage, despite valiant attempts, during Wednesday night's show at Toyota Center. He returns Friday to the venue and makes a third stop in January.

COMEBACK: Christina Aguilera sets first Houston date in more than a decade

He pushes hard against the flash. Timberlake spent most of the show in a T-shirt and jogging pants, dressing it up with a denim jacket and flannel. The stage, though elaborate, was bare in many ways. The visual projections were of clouds and trees and wolves. He urged Houston to "shake your country ass." Remember, he's a man of the woods, y'all.

At the same time, he was surrounded by sharp dancers and vibrant band members. A small stage in the middle of the venue doubled as an actual bar. Bartenders served drinks to fans surrounding the stage. A pair of runways snaked out on either side, decorated with leafless trees. The band was on a sloped stage in the traditional location.

It was enjoyable, to be sure. But at times, the show seemed to suffer from an identity crisis. Song placement was an issue. "Supplies" and "Can't Stop the Feeling" should have been performed earlier. "Cry Me a River" and "Mirrors," two of his best songs, should have come much later.

HTOWN LOVE: The Suffers add second album release show

The sequencing made things feel disjointed and affected the crowd's energy. He opened with "Filthy" and "Midnight Summer Jam" before launching into "LoveStoned" and "SexyBack." Those should have been switched.

Timberlake is still a lithe, charismatic dancer. His moves more than ever echoed Michael Jackson, from the wrist flicks to the high-pitched yelps. He also borrows heavily from Janet Jackson's precise choreography.

Yes, folks were cheering and dancing. They seemed to be having fun. They knew the words to several songs. But it wasn't at the level you'd expect for a guy with three shows at the same venue. There were more enthusiastic crowds at recent shows by Pink, Maluma and J. Cole.

And look  "Man of the Woods" is a flat-out terrible song. To make matters worse, Timberlake and a trio of male dancers performed it inside what looked like a fake corn field. Oh, the irony. If it was meant to be campy, it didn't work

ICONIC: Latin superstar Luis Miguel, in Houston and on the small screen

The staging for several past hits wasn't as dynamic as it should have been. He hopped on a piano for "Senorita." He turned "Suit & Tie" into a Broadway dance number. He mashed up his own "My Love" with Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin'." (It was a perfect moment for a Bun B cameo. We all know he would have done it if asked.)

Timberlake shouted out the Houston Rockets and took a round of shots with his band before singing  what else?  "Drink You Away." There was also a weird short film about couples in love that preceded the campfire section, which included a literal campfire, bongos and someone in a straw hat.

That's the other issue here. Everything, despite the illusion of being casual, felt choreographed. Huge shows like this need lots of direction, of course. But you shouldn't be able to see it happening.

Even what should have been a heartfelt dedication -- "We're gonna light the whole arena, this whole city up for Santa Fe High School"  lacked emotional punch.

"Let those angels hear you up there," he said while singing a few lines of "Until the End of the Time."

Of the new songs that padded the set, "Montana" was the most intriguing, a swirl of disco, soul and electro-pop. Timberlake should have married that blend with his country-boy aesthetic for a more cohesive sound and a more compelling live experience.Dear Abby:

I was divorced seven years ago. My ex-wife, Annie, and I were married almost seven years and had what I thought was a great relationship. Then we bit off more than we could chew financially. I began working long hours to get us out of the pit, which created distance between us until divorce became inevitable. We tried working things out five years ago. It failed.

Since then, I have been in a handful of relationships that ultimately went down in flames. Three months ago, I rekindled one of those relationships, but it ended quickly because, in a moment of passion, I called her by Annies name. I contacted Annie and shared it with her hoping for something.

A month later, I lost my mother to lymphoma and contacted Annie as a shoulder to lean on because I had no one else. She has a new fiance now, and when she told me, I was devastated.

I have started talking to someone new, and its going well so far, but I find myself dreaming about Annie and longing for her and the good times. How do I get over her? I find myself looking at mutual friends Facebook pictures just to get a glimpse of her.

Torn Apart in Texas

Dear Torn:

Stalking your ex-wife on Facebook isnt going to get you what you want. It wont win her back or help you to get on with your life. What will help will be to start talking with a licensed mental health professional who can help you begin to reorient your thinking and start living in the present rather than the past. Please consider it, because your emotional dependence on your ex is neither helpful for you nor productive.

Dear Abby:

I have a pet peeve with my husbands family and am wondering if I am wrong. My in-laws often pick up a toothpick and use it while we are still seated at the dinner table. This happens even in restaurants. When they dine in my home, they leave their used toothpicks lying around. Its disgusting.

My mother-in-law is now starting to floss her teeth in public. I believe these activities should be done in private. Is there any written protocol about the use of toothpicks? I know my mother-in-law reads your column, and Im hoping she wont miss this.

Picked Off

Dear Picked:

I agree that good manners dictate oral hygiene should be attended to away from the dinner table, and so does Emily Post. In Emily Posts Etiquette (18th edition), she writes, Toothpicks should be used in private, not as you walk out of the restaurant or, worse still, at the table. The same is true of flossing, in order to avoid having ones dental detritus land on the table or, worse, on a dinner companion.

Reader Alert!

If you know a student who would like to enter the $5,000 Dear Abby College Columnist Scholarship contest, see the information on DearAbby.com/scholarship and learn more. The deadline is fast approaching.

DearAbby.com

Dear Abby

P.O. Box 69440

Los Angeles, CA 90069

Andrews McMeel SyndicationToday is Friday, May 25, the 145th day of 2018. There are 220 days left in the year.

Todays highlight in history:

On May 25, 1968, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis was dedicated by Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Interior Secretary Stewart Udall.

On this date:

1521: Martin Luther was branded a heretic and had his writings banned by the Edict of Worms because of his religious beliefs.

1787: The Constitutional Convention began at the Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia after enough delegates had shown up for a quorum.

1793: Father Stephen Theodore Badin became the first Roman Catholic priest to be ordained in the United States during a ceremony in Baltimore.

1810: Argentina began its revolt against Spanish rule with the forming of the Primera Junta in Buenos Aires.

1916: The Chicago Tribune published an interview with Henry Ford in which the automobile industrialist was quoted as saying, History is more or less bunk.

1935: Babe Ruth hit his last three career home runs  nos. 712, 713 and 714  for the Boston Braves in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. (The Pirates won, 11-7.)

1942: U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Joseph Stilwell, frustrated over being driven out of Burma by Japanese forces during World War II, told reporters in Delhi, India: I claim we got a hell of a beating.

1957: The third tube of the Lincoln Tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey was opened to traffic.

1961: President John F. Kennedy told Congress: I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.

1979: Two hundred and seventy-three people died when an American Airlines DC-10 crashed just after takeoff from Chicagos OHare Airport. Six-year-old Etan Patz disappeared while on his way to a school bus stop in lower Manhattan. (In April 2017, former store clerk Pedro Hernandez, convicted of killing Etan, was sentenced to at least 25 years in prison.)

1986: An estimated 7 million Americans participated in Hands Across America to raise money for the nations hungry and homeless.

1992: Jay Leno made his debut as host of NBCs Tonight Show, succeeding Johnny Carson.

2008: A tornado tore through the Parkersburg, Iowa, area, killing nine people. NASAs Phoenix Mars Lander arrived on the Red Planet to begin searching for evidence of water; the spacecraft confirmed the presence of water ice at its landing site. Seven crashes and spinouts marred the first Indianapolis 500 since the two warring open-wheel series (CART and IRL) came together under the IndyCar banner; Scott Dixon stayed ahead of the trouble to win the race. The French film The Class won top honors at the Cannes Film Festival. J.R. Simplot, Idahos billionaire potato king, died in Boise at age 99.

2013: Making his first official trip to sub-Saharan Africa, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry demanded that Nigeria respect human rights as it cracked down on Islamist extremists and pledged to work hard in the coming months to ease tensions between Sudan and South Sudan. A French soldier, Cedric Cordier, was wounded in the throat in a busy commercial district outside Paris; a suspect was later arrested. Marshall Lytle, 79, the original bass player for Bill Haley & His Comets, died in New Port Richey, Florida.

2017: Surrounded by stone-faced allies, President Donald Trump rebuked fellow NATO members for failing to meet the military alliances financial benchmarks. Republican Greg Gianforte won a special election for Montanas sole U.S. House seat a day after being charged with assaulting a reporter.A 6-year-old boy drowned Wednesday night in a Baytown apartment complex pool, according to the Baytown Police Department.

An 8-year-old girl, believed to be the boy's cousin, was airlifted along with the boy to Memorial Hermann Hospital. She is expected to survive, officials say.

The children were found around 6:20 p.m. in the pool of the Avalon Bay Apartments at the 900 block of Northwood Street, according to Baytown Police Department Lt. Steve Dorris.

The boy was completely unresponsive while the girl was in and out of consciousness, Dorris said.

MUGSHOTS: 13 arrested in Texas prostitution ring

The two had been playing with other children in and around the pool unsupervised, police said. The other children left and the two jumped in the deep end of the pool. A resident and employee of the complex saw them struggling in the water, jumped in the pool and pulled them out and began performing CPR, police said.

How the children gained access to the pool, which is enclosed by a 4-foot wrought iron fence, is unclear. Officials said that when police arrived, the gate to the fence was secured with a chain and padlock, forcing officers to jump the fence.

The two lived in an adjacent apartment complex with their grandmother and the girl's mother, police said. Their grandmother dropped them off at their apartment after school.

At some point, the two wandered away from home, police said, and went to the pool.

Police are investigating why the children were left unsupervised, officials said.

The boy becomes at least the 20th child in Texas to drown this year in a pool, lake, pond or beach, according the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Four other children in the Houston area have drown this year, including a 2-year-old boy in Galveston County; a 2-year-old girl and 4-year-old boy in Liberty County; and a 3-year-old boy in Waller County, according to statistics on the agency's website.

During 2017, the website's statistics show that at least 75 kids drowned, including four in Brazoria County, one in Fort Bend County, three in Galveston County, four in Montgomery County and eight in Harris County.

Robert Downen contributed to this story.

Jay R. Jordan is a breaking news reporter at Chron.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan.Houston Community College students and administrators met Monday, May 21, with Holly L. Ham, executive director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific islanders.

The meeting at the HCC Administration Building in Midtown was the latest stop in a national tour Ham is taking to promote the initiatives desire to help improve the lives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

We are looking for ways to collaborate on solutions to issues that AAPIs face today, said Ham, an ethnic Chinese immigrant from Vietnam who moved to the Houston area with her family in 1980. Education is the number one priority to ensuring better lives for the 22 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders living here.

HCC Trustee Neeta Sane said the event marked the first time a White House representative has attended a meeting at the college.

We are looking forward to working with the White House to help students at HCC and to make sure they have the resources to succeed, Sane said.

HCC is the number one community college in the nation in enrolling international students. About 15 percent of the student population is Asian. The largest contingent of international students comes from Vietnam.

Chancellor Cesar Maldonado said, We are an international college. The Asian American community is such a vibrant part of Houston.

Maldonado thanked Ham for attending the event. We thank you for your leadership and we are going to be leaning on you for your help, he added.

Students who attended the meeting praised Ham for taking the time to answer their questions.

It was inspirational and informational, said HCC and TSU graduate Ann Nguyen. I thought it was awesome to see an Asian representative in the White House. My takeaway from Ms. Hams message was, if you put your mind to it, what others may think is impossible, is possible.Retired Brigadier General Carol Eggert and her team at Comcast NBCUniversal are helping military members transition into the private workplace, teaching employers about the benefits of military talent, and supporting the military community in other creative ways.

Eggert, Comcasts Senior Vice President of Military and Veteran Affairs and recognized military community influencer, has served in the Army, the Army Reserve and the National Guard. She spoke with the Houston Chronicle about her mission.

Q. How are you helping military members?

A. In 2015, when I was first hired, we made a commitment to hire 10,000 veterans, National Guard and Reserve members and military spouses, by the end of 2017. We exceeded our goal by really emphasizing what military talent brings to our organization.

We find value in engaging the military community, which means hiring and retaining military talent, putting the right people in the right jobs so they dont end up leaving, and partnering with other companies and organizations to support different elements of the military community. Military members have unusual lifestyles. They move around a lot - and have unique needs, which we need to understand.

Q. How are your efforts working in Houston?

A. In Houston, Comcast has gone off the charts with its military hiring. Military hires include veterans, National Guard and Reserve members, and military spouses. These groups make up about 17% of our total hires in Houston. Thats pretty exciting - Im thrilled to support the Houston effort.

Comcast also sponsors Camp Hope in Houston with the PTSD foundation of America. And we have over 250 members in our Veterans Network Employees Resource Group, which focuses on personal and professional development, mentoring and volunteering in the community. VetNet provides opportunities for our military community employees to give back in Houston.

Q. Can you talk about the civilian-military divide?

A. Less than 1 percent of the population serves in the military. When there was a draft, it was a much higher percentage and almost everyone knew someone who had served. But now its an all-volunteer force. Due to less exposure, the civilian-military divide has increased, and that has many different effects. For instance, military community members looking for a job may not understand the private sector, and our private sector hiring managers may not understand military talent. We try to bring the military community together with people in the private sector through education. Weve developed internal tools for our own employees, including hiring managers and leaders, to learn about the different skills and talents that military experience brings. As Dave Watson [CEO of Comcast Cable] has said, were not reaching out because its nice; were doing it because we realize that veterans make our company much stronger.

Q. Is it hard for many military personnel to adjust to civilian life?

A. There are many different types of military members. Some, transitioning military members, are immediately transitioning - they just finished their first tour and never worked in the civilian community. It can be really tough for them. There are also folks whove served over 10 years in the military and were involved with the private sector. Its not as difficult for them. Some typical challenges are in understanding the private sector. For example, in the military, theres a published pay scale. Theres no secrecy around salary. And there are benefits. The military takes care of members and their families - everything from housing, to food, to medical care. The military is also very clear about the requirements to move up in rank. Its much blurrier in the private sector.

Entering the private sector, military members have to negotiate their salaries and contribute to their 401Ks. In many industries, they have to take the initiative to manage their career, and we help military members learn to do that. Last year we held the LEAD Symposium (Leadership, Exploration and Development), a professional development event for Comcasts military employees that focused on managing a career in the private sector.

Q. How can other employers get involved?

A. Comcast has worked with a leading non-profit, the PsychArmor Institute, to develop a school to help employers understand all facets of the military community - from hiring to supporting to developing. We have no-cost, online content - which employers can put on their portals - with short, targeted courses that can help others do what were doing; courses as simple as 15 things every veteran wants you to know, Why hire military spouses? How to set up an employee resource group, and Supporting your National Guard and Reserve employees.

Q. What was your experience in the military like?

A. Varied, after 30-something years. I started in the band - out of high school - because of the GI bill. I came from a family of eight and the military was a way to pay for college. I left active duty and went to college. Then I joined the Army Reserve and was activated and returned to active duty as a recruiter. Its been very rewarding and challenging. Ive had the opportunity to see other countries and have experiences I wouldnt have had outside of the military. It also gave me an appreciation for the United States. Its been a very enriching experience and my work at Comcast gives me a sense of giving back.

Q. How did you transition from military service to your current position?

A. My last position was deputy commandant of the US Army War College (like a vice president of a university) where I trained senior leaders to become strategic thinkers and preserve peace. It was a great final assignment, and I had expected to retire and donate time and support to the non-profit sector. But I got a call from Comcast asking me to put together this program to reach military talent. I think youll find that most service members, when theyre asked to help, say yes. Comcast offered me a way to give back to the military community, so I jumped at it. Comcast is very sincere in their commitment; they put their money and resources behind the effort.

Q. Is there anything else you would like us to know?

A. National Guard and Reserve employees have civilian jobs but may be activated during emergency situations such as hurricanes. Comcast makes up the pay difference if these employees get activated, so they dont lose money while serving. We also support military spouses. Because they move so frequently, they face particular employment challenges. We try to find them new positions within our footprint or, if we cant, with partner companies.

We also partnered with Student Veterans of America recently to help provide jobs to veterans while theyre in school and after they graduate. Were quite innovative in our benefits. Military Times just ranked us as the number 3 company for being Best for Vets in 2018.Houston producer Apache Corp. said it partnered with a major Houston pipeline firm to transport its natural gas liquids from West Texas' Alpine High development to the Houston area.

Apache signed on as an anchor customer of Enterprise Products Partners' Shin Oak NGL pipeline that will traverse 658 miles from Reeves County, Texas to Enteprise's storage hub just east of Houston in Mont Belvieu.

The pipeline is under construction and is slated for completion in the second quarter of 2019. Apache now has the option of purchasing a 33 percent stake in the Enterprise pipeline.

Earlier this month, Apache signed on as a major customer of the planned EPIC Crude Oil pipeline project to move crude from Apache's Alpine High to Corpus Christi, from where the oil can either be refined or exported.

RELATED: Apache, Noble sign on for EPIC Permian oil pipeline

The Alpine High development, which is west of Fort Stockton in the Permian Basin, is expected to produce plenty of oil and natural gas liquids, called NGLs, much of which are used to manufacture plastics and other petrochemicals.

Apache is committing to move more than 200,000 barrels of NGLs a day on the Shin Oak pipeline, which will have a capacity of 550,000 barrels a day initially.

"Alpine High is an enormous hydrocarbon resource that encompasses rich gas, dry gas and oil-bearing horizons. This agreement provides an efficient long-term outlet for the tremendous volume of NGLs that Apache plans to produce from the rich gas window of the play," said Brian Feed, Apache's senior vice president for midstream and marketing.Oil prices slid the most in more than two weeks after Russia signaled that phasing out historic supply curbs that eliminated a worldwide glut may be on the table.

West Texas Intermediate futures fell 1.6 percent on Thursday, extending the pullback from a three-year high. Russia and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will discuss whether it's appropriate to scale back output cuts, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said in St. Petersburg, adding that Russia and Saudi Arabia agree market conditions will dictate any decision.

Russia and allied oil producers are broaching the possibility of easing output limits at a time when American shale drillers are pumping record amounts of crude. Still, the dual threat of supply disruptions from Iran and Venezuela -- which together account for about 14 percent of OPEC's production -- may arrest any steep price slide.

"The discussions over OPEC possibly raising production is definitely raising some concern," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago.

West Texas Intermediate for July delivery dropped $1.13 to settle at $70.71 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange for the biggest one-day decline since May 8. The retracement clipped oil's year-to-date advance to 17 percent.

Brent futures for July settlement fell $1.01 to $78.79 on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange, and traded $8.08 a barrel above WTI, the widest since April 2015.

The benchmarks are diverging as rising inventories in the U.S. weigh on American futures while risks to supply from Iran to Venezuela buoy Brent. A lack of pipelines in the prolific Permian Basin shale play in Texas is exacerbating the swelling U.S. surplus as American production tops 10 million barrels a day.

U.S. inventories expanded by 5.78 million barrels to about 438 million barrels last week, data from the Energy Information Administration showed. That was a surprise increase compared with the 2 million-barrel decline predicted in a Bloomberg survey.

Still, traders and analysts are expecting stockpile withdrawals in coming weeks that should support prices. Data provider Genscape Inc. was said to report that inventories fell by about 475,000 barrels between May 18 and May 22 at the key pipeline hub in Cushing, Oklahoma.

Yuan-denominated futures for September delivery were up 0.1 percent to trade at 485 yuan a barrel on the Shanghai International Energy Exchange. The contract declined 0.1 percent to 484.6 yuan on Wednesday.

The U.S. and Venezuela expelled each other's top diplomats after President Donald Trump's administration imposed sanctions in the wake of a disputed election in the Latin American nation.

Other oil-market news:

Gasoline for June delivery fell 2.63 cents to $2.2338 a gallon

Citigroup Inc. sees curtailment of oil and gas production in the U.S. Permian region as a "real possibility" because of a shortage of takeaway pipeline capacity

OPEC and allied oil producers including Russia are discussing new ways of measuring global crude stockpiles, signaling a possible decision that could affect production cuts they're making to ease a global glut

Senate Democrats led by Chuck Schumer urged President Donald Trump to "stand up to OPEC" and get the group to moderate oil prices"

Darren Woods is mounting a strong defense of his plan to rescue Exxon Mobil Corp. from its share-price slump with a multi-billion dollar investment spree that's at odds with the belt-tightening undertaken by rivals

--With assistance from Tsuyoshi Inajima, Sharon Cho and Grant Smith.

2018 Bloomberg L.P.Justin Timberlake took a few moments during his Wednesday night concert to acknowledge the victims of the Santa Fe High School shooting.

Roughly midway through his two-hour show at Toyota Center, Timberlake asked the crowd to raise their cell phones into the air.A boutique in downtown Katy received the Proud Business Award from Keep Katy Beautiful for not only its landscaping but also for its community contributions.

Allen and Angela Walker, who have owned The Cottage Door Boutique since March 2017, received the award at the May 14 Katy City Council meeting.

Proud business recognition goes to locations that have taken extra care in their landscaping, trees and/or building renovations, said Sandy Schmidt, Keep Katy Beautiful chairman. We think they serve as examples to other businesses, encouraging beautification efforts in all areas of the city. We especially notice efforts to restore or renovate older buildings, preserving the heritage of Katy.

Keep Katy Beautiful also likes to hear about any other contributions the business or owner has made to the community, such as volunteering or serving with city/church/school organizations, added Schmidt.

In the case of the Walkers, that means donating all their profits last year to Free the Captives, a faith-based nonprofit fighting teen sex trafficking, said Jess Washburn, affiliate coordinator for Keep Katy Beautiful.

There was no hesitation on the part of the Walkers in deciding on this method of almsgiving, said Angela Walker. We are already blessed. We dont need the extra income.

Her husband owns Katy Family Dentistry and has practiced here since 1995. She moved here in 2004 after they were married.

When it came to deciding what charities to benefit, they sought the advice of Omar C. Garcia, missions pastor of Kingsland Baptist Church. He recommended three charities and Walker said they chose Free the Captives because it tugged at our hearts.

The Walkers will continue to donate profits to charities, she said, but will select different beneficiaries over time noting that there are many needs in the community. We want to help everyone we can, said Walker.

Employee Staci Ring called the Walkers amazing people, and added their love for the community is inspiring.

The Walkers' mission to help others influences in some cases the merchandise featured in the store, said Angela Walker. For example, Caren Products has a partnership with the Breast Cancer Alliance and aids Enable of Georgia Inc., a group that supports adults with developmental disabilities. And Spartina 449 supports breast cancer awareness and prevention and the Wounded Warrior Project.

This isnt the first recognition for that business location. Washburn said the first Proud Business Award was given 15 years ago to Rosemary and John Nelson, the original owners of The Cottage Door.

Washburn said Rosemary Nelson was dedicated to creating a beautiful and vibrant downtown Katy. The large live oak on the property was designated a Legacy Tree in 2012 by Keep Katy Beautiful in cooperation with the Texas Forest Service.

She died in March 2016 and the store closed in December of that year. That made the Walkers sad. They knew the Nelsons and had frequented The Cottage Door, which had operated about 20 years before it closed.

My husband shopped here, said Angela Walker. This is where he bought all my gifts. They viewed the original store as a landmark in downtown Katy and wanted to restore the business and honor Rosemarys legacy. In addition to maintaining the trees, the couple added lighting and landscaping. They refurbished the sign and changed the name.

Their mission is to serve the Katy community with fabulous gifts and more importantly, to give back to local womens ministries, said Washburn as she thanked the couple for your love and generosity to the Katy community.

Most nominations for the Proud Business Award come from board members of Keep Katy Beautiful, said Washburn. But any citizen can suggest locations by talking to a board member. Or, people can visit www.keepkatybeautiful.com to offer a suggestion.When it comes to philanthropic giving, Sue and Lester Smith are known for breaking records.

Next year, the husband and wife team will serve as co-chairs of the 2019 Houston Chronicle Best Dressed Luncheon and Neiman Marcus Fashion Presentation, Houston's most celebrated fashion and philanthropic affair, benefiting the March of Dimes. If the luncheon raises $1 million, the Smiths will match it with a $1 million grant.

Sue Smith is a member of the Best Dressed Hall of Fame.

This could make the Best Dressed Luncheon, in its 37th year, the first $2 million fundraising luncheon in Houston. The event  March 28, 2019, at the Post Oak Hotel at Uptown  will preview designer Carolina Herrera's fall collection. The Lester & Sue Smith Foundation will join The Woman's Hospital of Texas as the event's presenting sponsor.

"We like giving money away," Lester Smith said. "Children are the most vulnerable. It's about alleviating suffering and taking care of people who can't take care of themselves."

Rosemary Schatzman, another Hall of Famer, will serve as the luncheon's underwriting chair.

The Smiths' generosity has meant millions in support for Houston's non-profit organizations. After Lester Smith was diagnosed with bladder and prostate cancer and received treatment at the Baylor College of Medicine, the Smiths founded the Honor Your Father Campaign for Prostate Cancer Research in 2004. It became the largest single fundraising event in Baylor's history, raising $6.4 million, including a match by The Lester & Sue Smith Foundation.

When Sue Smith lost her sister to breast cancer, she became an advocate for breast cancer research at Baylor. The Lester & Sue Smith Foundation provided a $30 million challenge grant to the Breast Center and the Human Genome Sequencing Center, which helps speed up delivery of personalized medicine to Breast Center patients.

They also provided a $15 million grant to establish the Smith Clinic, an ambulatory care center designed for outpatients served at Ben Taub Hospital; it was the largest private gift in Harris County Hospital District history.

Most recently, they are funding the new Holocaust Museum Houston with the largest gift in the museum's history. The new Lester and Sue Smith Campus will open in early 2019.Communication within and outside of the University of Houston police department was "key" after multiple students flagged social media posts threatening violence earlier this year, an administrator said Thursday at the system's quarterly board meeting.

In February, shortly after those posts were widely shared among students on social media, UH police assured students that there were no threats to the university or surrounding area.

"Calming that, communicating that, was very key," Jim McShan, UH's vice chancellor for administration and finance, said Thursday.

One widely shared Instagram post said, "My new plan is to kill every American. I'm serious kill me now don't let me do it." The person responsible for the social media posts had been hospitalized at the time of the posts, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office, which also investigated the posts.

McShan's comments come less than one week after a mass shooting at Santa Fe High School left 10 dead and 13 injured. Houston Community College earlier this month shut down its Central Campus after a shooting threat made on Facebook, and police charged a college student with making a terrorist threat.

Officers have worked "very heavily" on active-shooter preparation, McShan said.

Preparations for active shooters, he said, include skills development, drills and outside training. UH also uses a skills-training program called the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training.

McShan said the UH System's police chiefs have worked more closely together in the last 18 months. System-wide policies on use of force, search and seizure and other measures have created consistency, he said.

The police chiefs meet monthly about training and policy development, he said.

Lindsay Ellis writes about higher education for the Chronicle. You can follow her on Twitter and send her tips at lindsay.ellis@chron.com.Leah sat on the carpeted hallway floor at Theiss Elementary School in the Klein Independent School District Wednesday afternoon, listened well and waited patiently for friends to come near so she could read with them. Leah isnt a student, but a black and white Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dog.

Shes also part of the Faithful Paws therapy dog program. Faithful Paws is a Bellaire United Methodist Church ministry, and the organization welcomes certified volunteers to take their therapy dogs to visit those in hospitals, nursing homes and schools.

One outreach effort is called Pets Enjoy Reading Kids, or PERK, which is meant to promote literacy in schools and public libraries.

On this day, six therapy dogs and their owners gathered with Theiss kindergarteners, like they have been every month this school year, for their last session before summer break.

To celebrate the time the dogs and kids have spent together, Faithful Paws program leader Melinda Blankenship and her dog, Piper, a golden retriever, addressed the almost 100 kindergarteners theyve been reading with.

We had so much fun helping you learn to read and watching you improve. Its exciting, and now you can read like crazy! Blankenship said.

Blankenship also gave a book to each student to take home, as well as a hardcover book for each of the five kindergarten classrooms.

More Information Want to know more? To learn more about what Faithful Paws volunteers and dogs do, or to learn how to start a similar reading program at your child's school, go to https://faithfulpawshouston.org/. Did you know? One in four U.S. children will grow up unable to read. Find more reading statistics and information about the Pi Beta Phi alumnae club and their commitment to literacy at https://www.pibetaphi.org/pibetaphi/. See More Collapse

The book, titled What Dogs Love, included a photo of each dog that worked with the kids throughout the year and its message encouraged the kids to keep reading during the summer.

It is dedicated to kindergarten teacher Lisa Sweeney, who helped start this program at Theiss two years ago.

The books were provided through sponsorship from the Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club, whose members contributed $150 to print them, according to club treasurer Dorothy Stremmel. One of the sororitys focuses is literacy.

Faithful Paws Volunteer Judy Kistner helped two kindergarteners read the short book during the hour-long session. As an added bonus, her dog Leah did some tricks for the students after they finished the book.

Kistner, who is also a former elementary reading specialist, said that the literacy growth she has seen in the kids is amazing.

(These kids) couldnt read at the beginning of the year, Kistner said.

Blankenship, the program leader, said that this is common.

Not only can (the kids) not read at first, theyre very anxious about it. Theyre shy; theyre not really sure what to do, Blankenship said.

Yet, when the kids are reading to a dog instead of an adult, it seems to have a calming effect.

The dog isnt going to judge them. The dog wants to be there. That unconditional love that the dog gives that takes the pressure off reading, thats the biggest benefit, Blankenship said.

Theiss Elementary Principal JoAnn Keenan said she agreed.

It gives the students confidence. Were so fortunate to have this here, Keenan said.

While the adults had a lot to say about the underlying effects of such a program, the kids, such as 6-year-old Addi Kerry, seemed to focus on the more obvious benefits of having the dogs around during their school day.

I love the puppies. Theyre cute and sweet. I love reading to them, Kerry said.

Kerrys kindergarten classmate, 6-year-old Maci Windham, said she agreed.

I love to read to (the dogs) because theyre cute! Windham said.

jane.stueckemann@chron.comA 7-foot alligator gave a Sugar Land family quite the scare this week when the reptile posted up under the SUV in their driveway.

Chris Stephens with local alligator organization The Gator Squad relocated the alligator in the Chelsea Harbour neighborhood back to the nearby Brazos River where it belongs.

NATURE FINDS A WAY: Gators have a knack for adapting, surviving

The neighbors and first responders from the Fort Bend Count Sheriff's Office office were more than happy to see the uninvited visitor go back to more hospitable digs.

Stephens told Chron.com that he thinks that the local gator population has been hit hard by the past three years of flooding in the area. He's used to making several house calls for service but says that gator traffic has slowed.

See video of the release...

"Calls seem to be down, and so Gator Squad focuses on our contracted properties with coexistence contracts and calls from first responders needing our assistance," Stephens said Thursday. "We do a lot less of the nuisance calls."

Nuisance calls are those calls where someone notices that a gator has made itself visible to humans for an extended period of time without fear of reprisal.

Lately the big work for Stephens has been relocating lost gators and helping neighborhoods that are interested in actually keeping gators around to consume rats and other vermin. Stephens says that signs of animals like gators are good and an indication of a balanced ecosystem.

"We remove the truly naughty gators, the ones that people feed, and that are showing aggression towards people," Stephens said. A good gator will scurry at the first sign of people.

OOOOF: Houston resident calls animal control to remove 'alligator' that turns out to be lizard

Several neighborhood communities in the Katy area are moving to educate people on how to coexist with alligators instead of calling for removal. That means reminding locals that feeding them is not safe and that keeping a healthy distance of thirty feet is always recommended.

Shannon Tompkins/Houston Chronicle

Even though Stephens reports getting fewer gator calls that doesn't mean that the gator population in Texas is necessarily down.

"Estimates are that Texas' population is somewhere in the range of 350,000 to a half-million, and probably closer to a half-million," Jonathan Warner, leader of the alligator program for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, told Chron.com earlier this month.

Craig Hlavaty is a reporter for Chron.com and HoustonChronicle.com.A series of complaints alleging dogs running loose and reportedly killing cats in neighborhoods across the Village of Panther Creek has led officials at the Montgomery County Animal Shelter to open an investigation into the situation and claims made by residents.

Aside from the calls and allegations between neighbors, the investigation has turned up very little, but has had an impact into the already stretched-thin department, according to shelter officials.

Aaron Johnson, director of MCAS, said the agency had responded to multiple calls on Maywind Court in The Woodlands over a period of several months where at least two people had alleged dogs and cats were seen running at large. The agency has not found any evidence to support the allegations, Johnson said.

STREET TEAM: Rescue groups help with stray pet population in NW Harris County

Weve gone out there many different times; weve gone out there in the evening, weve gone out there in the morning trying to catch these dogs loose, Johnson said, noting that he has personally walked the trails in Panther Creek to try to catch the dogs. Even if they are loose, the only thing were going to do is impound them and issue more citations. But even then, that doesnt mean the owner cant come and still claim their animals back. Its their property. This is a property state and animals are property in Texas.

Dan Lewis, vice president of the Panther Creek Village Association, said he wasnt personally familiar with the incidents involving roaming dogs but he remembered a post on the website Nextdoor where a man in the neighborhood alleged that dogs had been seen running loose.

No one has brought it to the Village Association meetings, Lewis added.

At the May 2 The Woodlands Township Development Standards Committee meeting, Panther Creek resident Danelle Liddell expressed concerns over renters in the neighborhood and made unverified claimed that several of the reported renters had dogs that were deemed high risk by home insurance companies, such as pit bulls, rottweilers and German shepherds.

Weve had many problems with aggressive dogs running loose, Liddell said during the meeting. My dog and I were attacked and bitten by two rottweiler dogs owned by a renter four years ago.

In the Nextdoor posting Lewis referenced, the poster claimed two large dogs have come into Pineash Court neighborhood and attacked cats and other animals. The poster also said he was almost bitten, according to the post.

Johnson said he spoke to the man who made the post on Nextdoor, but only after a woman called the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office when she saw the Nextdoor posting. The man claimed, Johnson said, that the dog growled at me, but even by his own admission, said that if they were truly aggressive, they would have come up and bit me.

Johnson and animal control officers could not verify whether any animals had been killed, nor did they find animal carcasses.

We do not have any information regarding anyone that has been bitten, Johnson said of the Maywind Court calls.

If a dog bites a person, MCAS can impound the dog per state law, but the owner may still be able to claim their animals, Johnson said.

And it really depends on the bite and the circumstances, or how bad it was, and whether the dogs meets the definition of a dangerous dog, Johnson added. In extreme cases, a judge may issue a court order to have the dog euthanized, he added.

A dangerous dog is defined by Texas state law as a dog that makes an unprovoked attack on a person that causes bodily injury and occurs in a place other than an enclosure in which the dog was being kept and that was reasonably certain to prevent the dog from leaving the enclosure on its own.

Montgomery County Animal Shelter does not have arresting authority, Johnson said.

Deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriffs Officer were dispatched on some occasions, but Lt. Scott Spencer said he was not aware of any arrests made during the calls.

Calls to the Montgomery County Animal Shelter from residents began nearly one year ago, Johnson said. There was only one occasion on Maywind Court when animal control officers actually saw a dog running loose, he added.

MCAS officials impounded the dog and issued citations, Johnson said. The dog was then returned home after animal control officers spoke to the owner who claimed it was an honest mistake.

There were four calls related to animals in 2017, but the agency has responded to the area more than a dozen times in the last 12 months, Johnson said. In 2018, MCAS went to Leverwood and Maywind courts to investigate multiple calls related to animals roaming loose, but the officers, who spent hours  sometimes overtime hours  at times in the area, were not able to locate any, Johnson added.

Johnson said he believes the issue boils down to a dispute between neighbors who dont like each other.

I dont know if thats absolutely correct, but thats the feeling that I get between what were seeing and the interactions weve had between both parties, Johnson said.

MCAS, which has nine animal control officers, received more than 13,000 calls in a jurisdiction of more than 1,000-square miles.

With all this being said, we do take our calls seriously, Johnson said. We attempt to gather as much information and details as possible. We have witnesses and victims complete statements of incidents. We do work all of our calls.

Michelle IrachetaAuthorities are still searching for a man they say has been undressing and walking around nude inside numerous stores across Montgomery County.

Montgomery sheriffs Lt. Scott Spencer said that within a 72-hour time period the suspect - known as "Wee Willie Dangles" by authorities - is alleged to have walked around nude inside a Club Monaco store at Market Street in The Woodlands, a TJ Maxx store in Shenandoah and a Kirklands in Oak Ridge North.

Oak Ridge North police Detective Brandon Rogers said the suspect is also alleged to have walked around nude at a Posh Salons on Sawdust Road in south Montgomery County, an Ann Taylor store in north Harris County and a Pier 1 Imports in Conroe off Interstate-45 North.

SAN ANTONIO: Alamo streaker tackled by ranger in front of tourists

The incidents occurred between May 15 and May 17, according to authorities.

When deputies arrived at the Club Monaco, stroe staff advised MSCO deputies that the man allegedly entered the clothing store alone, Spencer said. Employees approached the suspect to see if they could assist him, but he advised he was just looking, Spencer added.

Moments later, Spencer said, staff observed the suspect walking in the store naked. The suspect had allegedly removed his clothes and was holding them in his left hand, Spencer said.

Customers and employees screamed at the suspect, at which time he took off running out of the store, Spencer said. The suspect reportedly quickly got dressed while he was running out the door.

The suspect is described as a white male is believed to be in his 40s or 50s, about 6 feet tall weighing 240 pounds with brown wavy hair with bald spot on back top of head, graying beard, dark plastic glasses and distinct pot belly, Rogers said.

Multiple law enforcement agencies are investigating the case, including Shenandoah, Oak Ridge North police departments and the Montgomery and Harris County sheriffs offices.

Police believe the suspect is driving dark gray 1999 to 2007 year model Ford F250 or F350 extended cab, short bed, authorities said. The truck has a black bug deflector on hood, but no front or rear license plate number displayed.

The suspect could have removed one or both, Spencer said.

If you recognize the suspect in the pictures, please contact the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office at 936-760-5800 and refer to case #18A133058.

The suspect faces a possible charge or charges of indecent exposure, which is a class B misdemeanor, authorities said. Authorities do not believe the suspect has engaged in sexual behavior in any of the incidents.

Michelle IrachetaHouston police are searching for an elderly man last seen at his home in the Kempwood area.

The man, identified as 86-year-old Burleigh Ray Murphree, was last seen about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at his family's home in the 4400 block of Langtry, near Clay and Blalock.WASHINGTON  The White House took the latest step Thursday in overhauling commercial space rules and licensing with a directive that sets up a one-stop shop in the Department of Commerce.

Space Policy Directive-2, signed by President Donald Trump at the White House, spells out new policies for an industry described as undergoing incredible transformation but operating in a regulatory system woefully out of date.

The president is committed to ensuring that the federal government gets out of the way and unleashes private enterprise to support the economic success of the United States, the document states.

The directive is a continuation of the Trump administrations deregulatory push across government. The Trump administration intends to minimize uncertainty for taxpayers, investors and the commercial space sector while protecting national security and encouraging American leadership in space commerce.

The president ordered the Transportation Department to devise a new regulatory structure governing launch and re-entry activities while the Commerce Department establishes a one-stop shop for regulations governing space activities. Federal agencies also are assigned to report to the White House on ways to improve global competitiveness of American space radio frequency spectrum policies.

John Logsdon, founder of George Washington Universitys GWs Space Policy Institute, said the directive reflects complaints from the industry that government rules are a barrier to operations in space.

I think this is a significant step toward making it easier for the private sector to explore profit-making potential in space while still protecting the public interest, he said.

The new White House directives replace Obama administration policies spelled out in 2010. Among initiatives since Trump took office, the White House revived the National Space Council and installed Vice President Mike Pence as its head.

Space Policy Directive 1 issued in December redirected NASAs focus from potential exploration of Mars to returning astronauts to the moon, in collaboration with private companies. That document was vague as to when and how.

In March, the White House issued an America First Space Strategy, calling for a whole-of-government approach to United States leadership in space, in close partnership with the private sector and our allies.

The White House 2019 budget request spells out plans to begin transition to commercialization of low Earth orbit and end direct government support of the International Space Station in 2015.

blambrecht@express-news.netAs a tropical disturbance near the tip of the Yucatan is expected to develop into a storm, federal authorities released a somewhat grim outlook for the 2018 hurricane season Thursday.

There is a 70 percent chance of 10 to 16 named storms (at least a tropical storm), according to the NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. Five to nine of those could develop into actual hurricanes. Of the predicted hurricanes this year, as many as four could be category 3 hurricanes or higher.Andree Calhoun could not sleep the night Harvey hit.

While her house in Danbury was safe from the storm, her Facebook feed was buzzing with posts from friends who were stuck in high water. And it just kept getting worse and worse, she said.

At 5:30 a.m., she turned on the news. It had been a rough night for thousands of people, she said. She woke up her husband Kirby. Hey, honey, you have a boat. You have to get out there.

It turned into the beginning of a very long day for Kirby, an Army veteran who put his skills to use organizing countless rescues.

First, he called his friend Colter Carpenter and headed to his house in Brazoria. We talked over breakfast, and we came up with a game plan, Kirby said.

Carpenter had a boat, too. They loaded it up, drove into Dickinson, found a bridge over FM 646 and placed their boat in the water. Immediately, they were flagged down by a man who was trying to save his sister.

He led Carpenter and Kirby through the water to the back of the subdivision, where his sister lives. There were three adults and two kids, Kirby said. They were the first ones on the boat, and Ill never forget them.

As they pushed out to head to a rescue point near the intersection of FM 646 and 517, they realized that the whole street was in dire straits.

We saw people waving sheets out of their windows, trying to flag boats down, Kirby said. We started in the back and worked our way up so we didnt miss anybody.

After the neighborhood was evacuated, the men headed to a hotel on I-45 where they heard a number of people were trapped. We went down there and put 16 people on the boat, Kirby said.

Kirby and Colter were focused on the rescues, and they could not stop to take in the damage they were seeing all around. At one point, Kirby noticed something in the water beneath the boat. It was the roof of a car, so deeply submerged that they did not even graze it.

With all the chaos going on, we huddled together and we prayed to just get one more boatload, Kirby said. We asked, Lord, just one more.

The following morning, Carpenter returned to his job, and Kirby called two more friends to help him out - Kyle Swaggard, who served in the Navy, and Justin Mellen, formerly with the Coast Guard. The crew scoured Facebook for people in need of help. First in Alvin, then Dickinson, then Houston after the Addicks reservoir flooded.

One friend asked for help for her grandparents whose neighborhood was flooded. Kirby took his canoe and paddled their way; he filled their needed prescriptions and returned the next day with a hot meal for them.

With his flooded office still closed, Kirby looked for other ways to help. He loaded his truck up with tools and started busting out floors and sheetrock in damaged houses. He spent weeks gutting homes for strangers in need, working nights and weekends after he was back at the office.

Its his personality. When you have the ability to do a job, thats what you go do, Andree said. And there was no shortage of people that needed help.

Kirby said he was impressed with how many others did the same thing.

With how divided our country is right now, there was none of that after the storm, he said. Every single person helped someone else. Regardless of their situation, everyone that got in our boat went on to help someone else, and that was amazing to see.

Andree volunteered at area churches and shelters, when she was not busy taking care of the couples five children. Three churches in Danbury banded together to serve meals for the town.

Wendy Clark, a longtime friend of the couple, said the Calhouns truly stepped up. Kirby and Andree are good, decent folks who are what this city is all about.WASHINGTON  The Senate Judiciary Committee split along party lines Thursday to approve the nomination of Andrew Oldham, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's chief legal adviser, to the powerful 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The 11-10 split set up a final vote on the Senate floor in the coming weeks.

Oldham's nomination by President Donald Trump was praised by conservative groups but came under fire from Democrats troubled by the unwillingness of Oldham and several other Trump judicial nominees to say that the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision banning school segregation was correctly decided.

Texas U.S. Sen. Cornyn, debating Oldham's nomination in a hearing last week, called the Democrats' objections "phony, made-up issue" and a "ruse."

Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who also serves on the panel, argued that Oldham's support for school desegregation was beyond dispute.

"It is unquestioned that Brown v. Board of Education was rightly decided," Cruz said. "Every nominee, I am confident, that President Trump has nominated believes Brown versus Board was rightly decided."

Cornyn and Cruz, who had recommended Oldham, emphasized his independence as a jurist, separating him from the controversial positions he has advocated on Abbott's behalf.

Oldham, testifying before the Senate committee last month, explained that he drew a line between his advocacy "for a client" and his role as a federal judge.

"I would leave behind all of those litigating positions, all of those advocacy positions, and swear an oath to simply apply the law as an impartial jurist," Oldham, Abbott's general counsel, said in an April 25 hearing.

If confirmed by the full Senate, Oldham, 39, would become the third Texan President Donald Trump has installed on the Louisiana-based 5th Circuit Court, considered the most conservative in the nation.

The court reviews almost all federal court appeals that arise in Texas.

Oldham, along with Wendy Vitter, who is up for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, drew criticism from civil rights groups over the Brown case.

Oldham, however, said he was reluctant to weigh in on any specific Supreme Court decisions. "Even the most universally accepted Supreme Court case is outside the bounds of a federal judge to comment on," Oldham said last month under questioning from Connecticut Democrat Richard Blumenthal.

Pressed, Oldham said the Brown case corrected "an egregious legal error" by abolishing the notion of "separate but equal" racially divided schools.

Oldham also came under fire for a 2016 speech in which he called government agencies like the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency "fundamentally illegitimate" and "enraging."

Democrats questioned whether the remark would make it difficult for Oldham to remain objective in cases involving those federal agencies. Oldham said he was merely speaking for Abbott.

"The comments you're quoting came from a speech I was making on behalf of the governor," Oldham said last month under questioning from Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse. "He was my client, and I was advocating his position."

But Whitehouse focused on Oldham's use of the word "enraging," arguing that it sounded like a personal conviction that would betray a judicial bias.

"It's really hard for me to see how you can be personally enraged by the existence of the EPA, because you believe it is illegitimate," Whitehouse said, "and then walk back from personal rage and sit up there on the bench and say, 'Don't worry, EPA, I'm going to treat you fairly.'"

The committee also split 11-10 to approve the appointment of Michael Truncale, a judicial nominee for the Eastern district of Texas. Alan Albright, a Trump nominee for the state's Western district, was approved on a voice vote.

Albright is an Austin lawyer and former U.S. magistrate judge. Truncale, an attorney based in Beaumont, ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2012.

Cornyn and Cruz praised the committee vote Thursday. "Texas deserves nominees who will interpret the law faithfully, and these accomplished individuals are no exception," Cornyn said after the vote.

Said Cruz: "These nominees represent the best of our State's legal community, and I urge their swift confirmation by the full Senate."Yi-Chin Lee, Staff / Houston Chronicle

AUSTIN  U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz will join Gov. Greg Abbott to hear what dozens of Texas mass shooting survivors want lawmakers to do to make schools safer Thursday, marking the final roundtable discussion following the massacre at Santa Fe High School.

Nearly 40 victims, survivors, families and members of three communities will offer the governor feedback as he develops a school safety policy plan he expects to roll out next week.Both Santa Fe and Parkland have roused the nation to seek answers in a decades-long crisis of mass shootings.

But to the dismay of the media, Ted Cruz says, the victims of each school shooting don't agree on a solution.

In an interview with The Daily Signal, Cruz said he visited Santa Fe High School students at the hospital and asked them what could be done to make schools safer.

"Out of a dozen students who just hours earlier had been in this shooting, every one of them said the answer is not gun control," Cruz said. "They said, 'don't take our guns.' They said 'if you take our guns, it won't make us safer, it will just mean the killers and murderers have guns.'"

Cruz said students floated the idea of more metal detectors at school, more police officers, and arming teachers.

ROUNDUP: How Texas' top lawmakers are explaining the Santa Fe shooting

"Those are the ideas that the students were suggesting," Cruz said. "Now I will say, it's fairly striking that, you look at the mainstream media, CNN, after the Parkland shooting, it was round-the-clock coverage of the students calling for aggressive gun control because that happens to be the political agenda of most of the media."

"In this case, where the students aren't calling for that, suddenly the media isn't interested in covering it," Cruz said.

It's true, Santa Fe students have differed on ways to prevent further school shootings. Some of them voiced their opinions on Twitter following the tragedy.

"The Parkland playbook doesn't work in Santa Fe," reported Amber Jamieson for Buzzfeed News after speaking to several Santa Fe High School students.

"The [March for Our Lives] members quickly realized their limitations in a rural community where most students told BuzzFeed News they haven't heard of, followed, or supported the movement," wrote Jamieson, " ... a stark difference from the widespread energy for change the Parkland teens created after the shooting at their school, thanks to their ferocity on Twitter and relentless engagement with the media."

BY THE NUMBERS: What Texans think causes mass shootings and what they get wrong

Still, the notion that Texas' youth differ drastically from out-of-state peers when it comes to gun control reform is disingenuous.

A University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll from October 2017 shows 58 percent of Texas youngest generation, ages 18-29, believe gun control laws should be more strict.

A more recent poll by Quinnipiac University conducted last month, found 57 percent of Texans, ages 18-34 support, support stricter gun laws in the U.S.

In fact, across all ages, 55 percent of Texans believe in stricter gun laws, per the same Quinnipiac poll that surveyed some 1,000 respondents.

"Throw away the stereotypes. Texas voters are in favor of tighter gun laws by a solid 14-point margin, and fully 94 percent favor background checks for all gun buyers," wrote a Quinnipiac poll analyst.

'TOO DAMN MANY': Ted Cruz speaks out in wake of Santa Fe shooting

With or without CNN, those figures are only likely to increase in support of gun reform.

Joshua Blank, manager of polling and research at the Texas Politics Project where the University of Texas/Texas Tribune polls are conducted, told the Texas Tribune the increase in mass shootings will make the possibility of gun control measures more likely.

"With each one of these shootings, what you tend to see is a major uptick in attitudes in favor of greater gun restrictions," Blank said. "With each additional tragedy, there tends to be more people who further embrace the possibility of more gun restrictions."

To see one solution that doesn't involve making gun laws more or less strict, check out the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board on why parents with firearms should play more of an active role in securing their weapons.

Fernando Ramirez is a reporter for Chron.com and the Houston Chronicle. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93.Officials at Crosby's Arkema chemical plant were warned that the facility was at risk for flooding a year before Hurricane Harvey's deluge resulted in a chemical fire at the plant.

But facility employees, with the exception of a manager who retired in early 2017, "appeared to be unaware of this information," an inquiry by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board found.

The board concluded that Arkema, a French multinational company that manufactures chemicals used to create plastic products, was not prepared for the 6 feet of water that wiped out the facility's power and backup generators. With the power out and cooling systems failing, volatile organic peroxides exploded multiple times over the course of a week, producing towering pillars of fire and thick plumes of black smoke.

The board  an independent federal agency that investigates industrial chemical accidents  released a 154-page report Thursday morning detailing findings and recommendations to the company, to Harris County and to industry leaders. Those recommendations include developing better policies for determining risks from extreme weather events, such as flooding, and protecting first responders from releases of hazardous chemicals.

Also Thursday, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said evidence would be presented to a grand jury "in coming weeks" as part of the county's lawsuit against the company.

The chemical safety board can offer recommendations and guidance, but it can not fine or punish a company based on its findings.

Janet Smith, Arkema spokeswoman, said in a statement that the company was pleased with the board's investigation because it "accurately depicts the unforeseeable nature of the situation Arkema faced during Hurricane Harvey."

But board members determined that the company's emergency response plan was insufficient, confirming a Houston Chronicle report in November.

However, in her statement, Smith said, the report "shows that Arkema had multiple policies and safeguards in place to address the risks associated with hurricanes, that Arkema followed those policies, and that our employees went to extraordinary lengths, under difficult conditions, to maintain safety at our site."

Board officials said Thursday that Arkema is being proactive in its efforts to understand the facility's flooding risks and take steps to make sure an incident such as this doesn't happen again.

"Arkema wasn't prepared, but they were not alone," Vanessa Allen Sutherland, the board's chairwoman, said at a Thursday news conference. "The most valuable lesson here is that facilities should plan and plan again. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security by thinking it can't happen here."

Insufficient systems

As Harvey bore down on Southeast Texas and the National Hurricane Center warned of potentially "catastrophic" or "life-threatening" flooding, the company's plans for protecting its product were simple: keep the chemicals cold on-site. If they grew too hot, they would explode.

Arkema had multiple freezer buildings, six backup generators, and, as a last resort, refrigerated trucks. But the company didn't consider flooding a "credible risk," the report states, confirming previous reporting by the Chronicle.

Officials thought this despite a 2016 report from its insurer, Factory Mutual Insurance Co. (FM Global), stating that the facility was at risk for flooding and parts of it sat in both the 100-year and 500-year flood plains, the report states. FM Global was not Arkema's insurer during Hurricane Harvey.

The board found that Arkema was relying on longtime employee memory of flooding levels. The company's Crosby facility has a 40-year history of flooding, but employees could not remember a time when the plant received more than two-feet of water.

"A lot of people there had been there for 20, 30, 40 years and seen predictive rainfalls of similar amounts and they thought, with what was predicted, they'd be fine," said Mark Wingard, the board's lead investigator.

That method, he added, is insufficient.

"Companies should develop systems to retain key incident summary information that better document facility risks based on historical external events," the report states. "These external events, such as flooding, have a low probability of occurrence but can threaten severe health and safety consequences."

Along with an inadequate emergency response plan, the board's report confirms other aspects of the facility's failures reported by the Chronicle in November: The company's power transformers and backup generators were not high enough off the ground, and it had a tank of an extremely dangerous chemical, isobutylene, located about 40 yards from six refrigerated trailers loaded with organic peroxides that had been relocated during the storm.

Board members recommended in their report that Arkema develop a policy requiring any facility that manufactures organic peroxides or processes a significant amount of highly hazardous chemicals to periodically determine if they're at risk for extreme weather events like hurricanes or floods.

It also recommended that the Crosby facility, specifically, decrease its flood risk to "as low as reasonably practicable."

Since Harvey, Arkema has commissioned a site elevation survey and a hydrological study to better understand hurricane-related flooding.

Officials with the board said Thursday other chemical companies might also have inadequate emergency preparedness plans. While the board couldn't say just how many companies have inadequate plans, it stressed that Texas companies along the Gulf Coast that work with hazardous materials should be on alert.

"Given that experts predict that extreme weather events are likely to increase in number and severity, the chemical industry must be prepared for the worst-case scenarios," Sutherland said. "We cannot stop the storms, but by working together we can mitigate the damage and avoid future catastrophic events."

The board recommends that the Center for Chemical Process Safety, a New York-based nonprofit, develop guidance to help companies determine their risks from all types of extreme weather events, including hurricanes and flooding.

Exposure to chemicals

Just days after Harvey made landfall Aug. 25, a ride out crew at Arkema's Crosby facility transported 300,000 pounds of organic peroxides to nine refrigerated trailers. More than 2,000 containers had to be transported by hand in the dark, according to a simulation video created by the board.

But when those trailers began to fail, the ride out crew was evacuated and officials set up a 1.5-mile evacuation zone in anticipation of trailer explosions. Those explosions began Aug. 31.

Parts of Highway 90, which runs along the southern end of the plant and cut through the middle of the evacuation zone, were kept open to traffic too long, the report stated. At least 21 people were exposed to "decomposition products and smoke from the burning refrigerated trailer and organic peroxides."

For that reason, the board recommended Harris County do several things to ensure ensure emergency personnel are not harmed by hazardous chemical releases. The suggestions include updating protocols, revising training material, and providing adequate protective equipment for first responders.

Several first responders are suing Arkema saying they were sickened while responding to the fires and chemical releases at the scene. Hundreds of local residents are also suing the company for damages.

Local residents have said they were kept in the dark about what they may have been exposed to during and after the explosions.

Any long-term health effects that might arise from the release of the chemicals are unknown to the board.

"CSB is not a public health organization, so we can't do our own independent evaluation," board member Kristen Kulinowski said Thursday, adding that the board summarized the results of the EPA air monitoring data.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality also are investigating the incident, though their results have not yet been released.

Alex Stuckey covers science and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey.It seems every organization sets its sights on the cloud. The question is, do they know why? To answer that question, we spoke with Kaushik Balasubramanian, senior director of product development at Rackspace.

Kaushik says that businesses are looking to get out of the data-center business and the associated rising costs of managing their own infrastructure. Many of these businesses are looking for someone else to manage their workloads. For most of these customers, the cloud is a clear way to offload these IT responsibilities, so they can focus on their core business.

However, not all workloads are easily portable to the public cloud due to restrictions around compliance, security, economics, expense of migration or the cost of re-architecting the workloads. Rackspace has found that businesses facing these hurdles are choosing the private cloud as their preferred location to host their workloads.

Rackspace offers a full portfolio of managed private cloud offerings on top of the leading technologies, including VMware. This multi-cloud management includes the expertise to operate clouds at scale for customers with industry-leading uptime and Rackspaces Fanatical Support. So, what does that mean for customers?

According to Kaushik, private cloud as a service, in the case of Rackspaces Private Cloud powered by VMware, means maximizing a business VMware investment, helping them build, operate and manage their environment so they can focus on running their business.

And being VMware Cloud Verified guarantees a consistent architecture to enable seamless workload mobility and support for every endpoint in the organization, whether hosted at Rackspace, in a colocation facility or on customers premises. This ensures that workloads run in the best-fit location. Rackspaces Fanatical Support for VMware Cloud on AWS also allows the company to support customers VMware workloads on Amazons cloud.

A consistent cloud architecture as indicated by the VMware Cloud Verified badge signals to Rackspace and VMware customers that Rackspace is providing the complete VMware Cloud Infrastructure as a service to customers, ensuring they can experience the same level of performance and security provided as a service by Rackspace as they may experience in their own data center.

What does the program mean to Rackspace?

First, the branding and differentiation are important to Rackspace, as this is a premier designation that very few providers have, says Kaushik. Not only can we leverage over a decade of experience hosting VMwares various technology solutions, we now have a consistent architecture to deploy our private clouds and managed services regardless of where the workloads will perform best. We can focus our attention on the workload and that brings the customer real value, he added.

Kaushik offered some advice for organizations new to incorporating a private cloud in their infrastructure. First, define what you want to gain from moving the cloud, then find a partner  not a vendor  who understands your business goals and can collaborate with you on that journey. They should help you evaluate all the options and make it predictable, and you should negotiate the level of control and choice you want, as well as the roles you want the service provider to play when you move to the cloud.

These should all be in sync with what the business is already doing in their own data center. If you are global, look for a provider like Rackspace that has a global, multi-cloud footprint and capabilities. Understand that your business does not have to be married to a single type of cloud. Multi-cloud partners such as Rackspace can help your business determine the best mix of public and private infrastructure and which workloads are appropriate for each. Finally, if youre interested in VMware technologies, make sure your partner of choice is VMware Cloud Verified.

Read more about the VMware-Rackspace partnership.The escalating economic and political tensions between China and the U.S have obscured a surprising and largely unrecognized area of convergence. China is moving toward the West on consumer data protection policy.

A recent op ed piece in FT summed up the prevalent, but mistaken, idea that privacy simply isnt an issue in China. Baidus Robin Li also reflected this erroneous view with his recent comment that the Chinese people are more open or less sensitive about the privacy issue. This cultural difference is supposed to give China an advantage over more privacy-protective regimes in developing cutting edge technologies like artificial intelligence.

But this bit of received wisdom just isnt so. As the Economist and the New York Times reported earlier this year, increased abuse of consumer data by Chinese companies has prompted government measures at the local and national level to protect consumers. A thorough paper from the Center for Strategic and International Studies lays out the details of Chinas expanding data protection regime.

How does Chinas consumer data protection system work?

Data protection was a requirement in Chinas 2014 proposal for social credit systems to assess peoples trustworthiness. Critics complained that this system could lead to an intrusive society resembling the Black Mirror episode Nosedive

But critics missed the proposals explicit data protection requirements. The systems could be developed only on the basis of the protection of personal privacy. The infringement of personal privacy by credit service organizations was unlawful and would be subject to prosecution.

These were not just empty words. Pursuant to this national data protection requirement, the Beijing Municipal Government recently released regulations for its public credit scores that banned the use of irrelevant private information including religious belief, genetic details, fingerprint, blood type and medical history.

The separate private credit scoring systems developed by Chinese companies also protect consumers by eschewing the use of irrelevant user data. For instance, Alibabas Sesame Credit says it tracks the "financial and consumption activities of our users but materials published on social media platforms do not affect our users' personal Sesame Credit score.

To enforces these rules, Chinese agencies oversee commercial data practices and order companies to correct abuses. For instance, in January 2018, the Cyberspace Administration of China required Ant Financial to adjust a default setting on its Alipay wallet, which granted its commercial partners automatic access to users' credit records.

Most importantly, Chinas new Cybersecurity Law provides a national legal framework for consumer data protection. Companies must strictly maintain the confidentiality of user information they collect; they must explicitly state the purposes, means, and scope for collecting or using information, and obtain the consent of the person whose data is gathered. They are strictly forbidden from extraneous data collection unrelated to the services they provide.

Data protection is a technological and policy challenge shared by all digital economies

These Chinese data protection measures mirror requirements in Europes tough new General Data Protection Regulation that goes into effect on May 25. In fact, Chinas new law is even more stringent in that it makes consent the only legal ground for collection and use of personal information data, while Europes regulation allows multiple other legal bases for data processing.

All modern digital economies face the challenge of how to protect consumers from harm while allowing valuable data uses. Some commentators think Europes regulation is too stringent, a triumph of process over genuine data protection, and they prefer the U.S system which allows greater freedom to use data for valuable purposes.

China is wrestling with the same dilemma. Its specification implementing the Cybersecurity Law creates more flexibility than is in the law itself by allowing companies to collect information without consent when it is needed to complete a transaction or to protect their service or network.

The European, U.S. and Chinese data protection regimes might differ in their details but they share a family resemblance that reflects their origin in this common technological challenge.

Convergence on consumer data protection policy is an important but limited development

Chinas law enforcement and security agencies will continue to monitor online activities to ensure political stability. Its developing public credit systems will enforce social control. It will maintain its successful but unorthodox industrial policy in its Made in China 2025 initiative to foster domestic high-tech industries. And its governance structures will continue to rely on meritocratic methods of training and selecting its ruling elite.

Some commentators predict more macro convergence as the new technologies of the knowledge society both require and enable more intelligent structures of governance. Indeed, shared technological imperatives could foster a broader synthesis that embodies the best in our differing political and philosophical traditions.

But such a synthesis is for the middle-distance future. We need not wait for the convergence of larger political institutions to recognize that on specific policy problems like data protection we have already come closer together than we had imagined and might have something to learn from each other.Today, it is common to use your Google, LinkedIn, or Facebook identity to log into a website. However, in the first generation of the commercial Internet, this was not the standard experience. Virtually every internet service required users to create an account with a username and password. For services that were only used occasionally, having to create this account and remember all the associated passwords often created friction for new users.

The invention of federated identity for the consumer Internet

I worked for Sun Microsystems in the early 2000s and was fortunate enough to be the technical lead for a new concept called federated identity, which presented a way for separate online entities to share identity across any number of websites. In order to build it, Sun formed the Liberty Alliance, a consortium of large companies from a variety of sectors, ranging from telecom to travel to banking.

With federated identity, we separated two important concepts:

Logging into a website

Using a service from a website

Using a standard protocol, a user could, for example, log into Aol.com and then go rent a car from Hertz.com without having to log into their Hertz account. Federated identity allowed distinct websites to enter a business relationship with each other. Using a standard protocol, a website, such as Aol.com, could operate as an identity provider where users had an account with login credentials, while another website, such as Hertz.com, could operate as a service provider where users could then rent a car. As a result, users benefitted from simplified access to services using their pre-existing accounts.

Federated identity was built on a loose trust model, which placed a firewall between users account information and their service history across providers. In other words, there was no need for AOL to know anything about your rental car history or for Hertz to know your AOL preferences. With the Liberty Alliance, we created extensions to the protocol that enabled services, such as user information transfer and payment processing, to be exchanged between providers.

The adoption of federated identity in the enterprise

The protocols of the Liberty Alliance became the basis of SAML 2.0 when they were transferred to the OASIS standards organization. Accelerated by the prevalence of identity servers and identity access managers that supported the SAML standard from vendors, such as Sun, Oracle, and CA, enterprises embraced the SAML 2.0 protocol as a standard way to perform single sign-on (SSO) across enterprise systems.

However, SSO is only the first step for a successful enterprise identity model since, unlike consumer internet and service providers, enterprise systems have a tight trust model. Many enterprise identity and service providers are hosted by the enterprise itself, and external service providers are subject to intense security controls and compliance to ensure that employee data remains secure.

A direct consequence of federated identity is that all of the data related to an identity is also federated across countless systems. Employee data, for example, is hosted in numerous systems, including payroll, human resources management, and financial and ticketing systems.

Introducing consolidated identity for the enterprise

Consolidated identity is an evolution of federated identity, specifically for the enterprise. In an organization, there is no need for the firewall between the identity provider and the service provider. The enterprise itself is the primary identity provider and the service providers that provide services, such as payroll and time off requests, do not hold any data that should not be accessible to the enterprise.

In the enterprise, each employee has data spread across dozens of systems, and unfortunately with federated identity, there is no way for the employee to cross those silos  the employee has to log into each system and use its interface to access the data they need. Thats where consolidated identity comes in, providing employees with the same simplified access to their business services that federated identity delivers to consumers.

Here are the five steps to consolidating identity in the enterprise:

Determine which authentication systems are in use and chain an employees identity across those systems. A typical enterprise uses one or more directories, such as Active Directory or LDAP, and enterprise mobility management systems. Consolidate the data associated with an employee. While it is considered incredibly difficult to integrate widespread data, it is much more efficient when the use case is narrowed. Typically, it is only necessary to consolidate the active data related to an employee. For example, the requests of the consolidated identity system could be only for open time off requests, rather than every time off request ever made for both active and inactive employees. Control how data can be accessed. A consolidated identity framework must also include a copy of the rules for how any cached data can be accessed. Most systems use declarative access rules and groups that can be copied along with data to ensure that data is only viewed by appropriate parties. Combining the rules that control how data is accessed with the data itself is a much more efficient mechanism than using mechanisms like data warehouse slices. Control access to functions, such as micro apps, with identity provider and application groups. In a typical enterprise, there are Active Directory groups, such as Management, as well as groups defined within applications like ServiceNow Administrators. A consolidated identity system needs the capability to validate a users membership in an applications security groups. Facilitate writebacks to source systems. This can be performed using an application API with a service account and delegated authentication or a record notation of who performed an action. Another option is to leverage SSO to either deep link into a target application, so a user can perform an action within it, or have the user bounce to an application login page and login via SSO in order to get a user token to pass to an API.

Consolidated identity and the identity graph

A consolidated identity system evolves federated identity by creating an aggregated store of each employee and their entitlements across both identity providers and applications. This identity graph enables a new wave of applications that are both employee-centered and secure in authentication, authorization, and data governance.Chief information officers face a bewildering array of technologies and sometimes-competing demands coming at them at what may seem to be light speed.

The stakes are high. CIOs are charged with evaluating and implementing a buzzword-laden list of technologiesartificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchainat a time when virtually every company feels the need to modernize its processes or die trying. Ok, that may be overstating the case, but not by much, in a world where incumbent companies may be condemned to irrelevance by the Uber or Airbnb of their respective markets.

With that in mind, here are four takeaways from the recent MIT Sloan CIO Symposium, an annual conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

1. CIO duties will keep changing. Get used to it.

As in the past, a recurring theme was that CIOs must be flexible and adapt to their companys changing requirements.

CIOs are taking on new roles, including responsibility for human resources in some cases, said Stephanie Woerner, research scientist at MIT Sloan Center for Information Systems Research, who spoke at the event.

CIOs may also be called on to lead training, security, compliance, as well as core tech planning and information management efforts.

Thats a wide-ranging set of skills. No wonder many companies looking to fill director slots increasingly look to CIOs as candidates, according to Peter Weill, chairman of the MIT Sloan Center for Information Systems Research.

The title for the executive who handles this role can also vary across organizations. Conference host MIT itself, for example, has no CIO per se. Asked about this, a university spokesperson pointed to John Charles, VP for Information Systems and Technology, as filling that role. Charles reports to MIT executive vice president and treasurer Israel Ruiz.

2. Starting small may be best AI strategy

Face it: the amount of verbiage spewed about AI and machine learning is overwhelming, but there is huge value in applying these technologies.

While many at the conference said now is the time to jump into AI with both feet, Stephen Taylor demurred. Taylor, who leads analytics, reporting, integration and software engineering for Devon Energy, a natural gas exploration company based in Oklahoma City, said from his experience, its better to go slow until your company gets its footing.

Start small. Focus on one task and then chain more tasks together, he said. Our tasks were too large early.

Others concurred that CIOs cant let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Companies can make significant progress by proceeding incrementally, they said.

3. Dont let the hype kill AI mojo

As a corollary to the point above, CIOs should not let the hype cycle dampen their interest in AI. But they also know that all AI technologies are not the same and that some are farther along than others.

Machine learning is a category of AI with very impressive gains, surpassing humans in image recognition, said Erik Brynjolfsson, director of MITs initiative on the digital economy.

We are still far away from artificial general intelligence like The Terminator but machine learning is superhuman for certain suitable tasks, including vision.

Given the millions of photos people post on social networks, the ability to recognize and categorize images is a critical for security, sales, and marketing execs. There is no shortage of image data sets for machine learning to act on.

4. Job loss remains a hot button

Automationwhether enabled by AI or nothas a dark side in that it displaces people who need to pay the rent.

Several speakers reiterated the notion that much automation amplifies or augments worker productivity without necessarily replacing those people.

Robots that bring equipment or products to human laborers to save their time and energy is one oft-repeated example.

But it doesnt take a genius to see that if one worker can perform 50 percent more work than in the past, there is less need for additional workers.

Clearly, the utopian vision is that workers retrain to perform different, higher level tasks, but the worry is there will simply not be enough work to go around.

Brynjolfsson noted that, paradoxically, there are 6 million unemployed people in the U.S. and six million open jobs.

That points to a disparity between the available jobs and people with the right skills to fill those slots. Ideally that can be addressed at least partly by refocused training and education efforts.

There is also often a geographical mismatch between jobs and those who can fill them. Social immobility, is an issue, said

Elizabeth Reynolds, executive director of MITs Industrial Performance Center.

A paltry 2 percent of Americans move across state lines each year for any reason, she said. We are creatures of our location and thats an important factor, she noted.

So in addition to sorting through an alphabet city of new technologies, CIOs will have to develop a technology labor strategy, using some combination of continuing education, retention tactics, making the organization attractive enough to move to, or even moving innovation activities to a more popular location, to keep their organizations fully staffed and competitive in the emerging digital landscape.We need to talk about bots. How will the courts address free-expression rights for artificially intelligent communicators? This conversation is coming, and it may push the Supreme Court to do something it has avoided: define who is and is not a journalist.

For nearly half a century, the US legal system has lived a double life. On the one hand, the Supreme Court has held that journalists do not have greater or lesser rights than other citizens (see Branzburg v. Hayes). On the other, the lower courts have generally ignored or let stand numerous laws or privileges that provide journalists special protections. These include the qualified First Amendmentbased reporters privilege in some federal jurisdictions and fee waivers in FOI statutes.

Most of these laws and privileges were devised before the Web was publicly available, and the case law is inconsistent in who it applies these protections to online. These journo-specific measures have sometimes been useful tools for citizen publishersbloggers, message-board posters, social-media commenterswho have faced the same legal difficulties that traditional journalists have for many years: defamation and privacy claims, efforts to compel disclosure of their sources, and so on.

Over the years, state and federal courts have tried, using a variety of approaches, to define journalism and who is a journalist. State shield laws, which provide varying levels of protections to journalists from being compelled to reveal their sources, have led to many cases in which courts were pressed for such definitions. Citizen publishers have invoked shield laws, which vary significantly in their definitions of who they protect, often in recent years. The lower courts have done the hard work in this area, and so the Supreme Court has stayed out of it.

ICYMI: The porn-studio-on-Marthas-Vineyard story that never was

So where do bots come in? Networked technologies have already challenged journalists to distinguish their work from the countless other types of information that flood virtual spaces. Now, non-human entities have the potential to muddy the waters even more. Courts will soon have to explore whether AI communicators have rights as publishersand whether a bot can be entitled to journalistic protections.

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Citizen publishers are a good comparison. They have fared best when their work can be understood as a public goodsomething generally informative or related to a matter of public concern. But courts have also considered the publishers practices. Was their work original? Accurate? Did it include sources? Some courts have even scrutinized personal characteristics. Did the publisher go to journalism school? Is he or she employed by a news organization?

If the courts focus on the publisher, it would be difficult for AI communicators to receive journalistic protections. If the courts focus on what was published, however, AI communicators have a better chance of succeeding, particularly if their content can be seen as a public good.

If a bot files FOIA requests, should it be exempt from fees?

While giving free speech to bots sounds shocking, a court decision in favor of an AI entity could benefit news organizations, some of which (the AP and Reuters, among them) have published AI-constructed stories for years. An example is the daily stock-market roundup. Many such stories could be understood as a public good (think news alerts) and thus receive journalistic legal protectionsagain, if the courts focused on what was published rather than how it was published.

These issues become more complex in the context of fake news and clickbait. Recent elections in the US, the United Kingdom, and France have seen bots flood social media with false or intentionally misleading content. That can hardly be seen as a public good.

All of this requires us to identify what is human about journalismand what is fundamental about it. Could a bot programmer invoke a journalistic shield law to protect her programs code, including the sources it used to construct a report, from compelled disclosure? If a bot files FOIA requests, should it be exempt from fees because it intends to scrape the data and publish it in tweets or on a blog?

These are the coming questions for the courts. And they are critical for all of us to take up, as we move into the fourth wave of networked communication: increasingly complex relationships between humans and artificially intelligent communicators.

ICYMI: Trump Twitter ruling has implications for all government officials

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Jared Schroeder is an assistant professor of journalism at Southern Methodist University, where he specializes in First Amendment law. He is the author of The Press Clause and Digital Technologys Fourth Wave.A federal judge ruled Wednesday that President Trumps practice of blocking critical voices on Twitter violates the First Amendment. Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York sided with the argument made by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University that the presidents Twitter feed constitutes a designated public forum, and that Trump therefore cant block users based on their political views.

The rulingin a case brought by seven Twitter users who had been blocked by the @realDonaldTrump account, and who were joined by the Knight Instituteextends to all public officials, meaning that it has the potential to impact the communications of everyone from local representatives to US Senators. The plaintiffs argued that Trumps twitter feed amounted to a virtual town hall, and that blocking users from seeing his tweets violated their First Amendment rights.

Judge Buchwald disagreed with the governments argument that Trumps own First Amendment rights allowed him to speak with whomever he chose, writing, the viewpoint-based exclusion of the individual plaintiffs from that designated public forum is proscribed by the First Amendment and cannot be justified by the Presidents personal First Amendment interests.

In a statement following the ruling, Katie Fallow, senior staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute, said, The First Amendment prohibits government officials from suppressing speech on the basis of viewpoint. The courts application of that principle here should guide all of the public officials who are communicating with their constituents through social media.

RELATED: The 140-character president

Elected officials across the US increasingly use social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to communicate with constituents. This case is one of the first to tackle the thorny issues raised by the new technology, and Judge Buchwalds ruling applies to all public officials who use their accounts to disseminate information relevant to the public interest. She stopped short of issuing an injunction demanding that the president and his social media director, Dan Scavino, immediately unblock the plaintiffs, but in ruling the practice unconstitutional left it up to the White House to comply.

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Such relief for those blocked by Trump may not be coming immediately. In a statement after the ruling, DOJ spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said, We respectfully disagree with the courts decision and are considering our next steps.

Below, more on Trump, Twitter, and the new age of political communication.

Beyond Trump: Noting that public officials throughout the country, from local politicians to governors and members of Congress, regularly use social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to interact with the public about government business, The New York Timess John Herrman and Charlie Savage write that the ruling is likely to have implications far beyond Mr. Trumps feed and its 52 million followers.

Noting that public officials throughout the country, from local politicians to governors and members of Congress, regularly use social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to interact with the public about government business, The New York Timess John Herrman and Charlie Savage write that the ruling is likely to have implications far beyond Mr. Trumps feed and its 52 million followers. Limited ruling: The Washington Posts Brian Fung analyzes the implications of Judge Buchwalds ruling, noting the limited scope of her decision. The ruling pointedly does not rule on Twitter as a whole, nor even the entirety of Trumps Twitter account, Fung writes. Under Buchwalds ruling, Twitter remains free to block users from its platform, on its own terms, without running afoul of the First Amendment.

The Washington Posts Brian Fung analyzes the implications of Judge Buchwalds ruling, noting the limited scope of her decision. The ruling pointedly does not rule on Twitter as a whole, nor even the entirety of Trumps Twitter account, Fung writes. Under Buchwalds ruling, Twitter remains free to block users from its platform, on its own terms, without running afoul of the First Amendment. Dissenting view: National Reviews David French argues against the ruling, writing that because Donald Trumps Twitter feed isnt a government-controlled forum, the First Amendment protections for public forums shouldnt apply.

National Reviews David French argues against the ruling, writing that because Donald Trumps Twitter feed isnt a government-controlled forum, the First Amendment protections for public forums shouldnt apply. Inside the courtroom: Earlier this spring, CJRs Jon Allsop took readers inside the debate, writing from the scene of Judge Buchwalds lower Manhattan courtroom. Neither the First Amendment nor Donald Trump are strangers to the courtrooms of New Yorks southern judicial district, Allsop wrote, noting that Judge Buchwald looked less than pleased to be told she didnt have authority over Trumps Twitter.

Other notable stories

The New York Times Magazines Mark Leibovich has a must-read on the risky business of speaking for President Trump. Focusing on Hogan Gudley, one of the White House press operations lesser known figures, Leibovich examines what its like to speak for a president who often seems unconcerned with the truth, and what cost the association with Trump will have on his aides future job prospects.

The Associated Presss Mary Clare Jalonick and Jonathan Lemire report that President Trumps use of the term spygate to describe his latest attempt to discredit Robert Muellers investigation is part of a newly invigorated strategy embraced by his Republican colleagues to raise suspicions about the probe that has dogged his presidency since the start.

I got a sneak peek at the new Showtime documentary, The Fourth Estate, which tells the story of The New York Times in the Trump era. Watching the robust cast of journalists chasing the biggest story of their lifetimes, I was struck by how far the paper has come since the gloomy outlook of 2011s Page One.

Vanity Fairs Joe Pompeo reports that Time Inc. refugees Time, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, and Money have reason to be optimistic. Pompeos sources tell him that roughly 80 potential buyers have expressed interest in the titles, with some bids for individual titles topping $200 million.

The Washington Posts Margaret Sullivan has a blistering column on the legacy of Roger Ailes. Pegged to the announcement that Charlize Theron will be playing Megyn Kelly in an upcoming biopic on Ailess life, Sullivan writes that Ailes fostered hate, abused women and helped give us a divisive president. If all goes well, Hollywood will immortalize him as an evildoer who got his comeuppance.

ICYMI: Zuckerberg grilled by EU parliament, but provides few answers

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Pete Vernon is a former CJR staff writer. Follow him on Twitter @ByPeteVernon.Are journalists partly to blame for the rise of the alt-right and the outcome of the 2016 election? A new report from the New Yorkbased research institute Data & Society looks at the ways in which journalists help to popularize extremist views, in some cases accidentally. The paperwritten by Whitney Phillips, an assistant professor of communications at Syracuse University, and entitled The Oxygen of Amplificationargues that alt-right and other groups were aided and abetted by the media, which helped promote their views and thereby exposed their ideas to new audiences. Writes Phillips:

The takeaway for establishment journalists is stark, and starkly distressing: just by showing up for work and doing their jobs as assigned, journalists covering the far-right fringewhich subsumed everything from professional conspiracy theorists to proTrump social media shit-posters to actual Nazisplayed directly into these groups public relations interests. In the process, this coverage added not just oxygen, but rocket fuel to an already-smoldering fire.

Of the 50 journalists Phillips interviewed, many agreed their work covering the alt-right and other extremist groups provided them with more publicity, and may have helped create the movement itself. Without journalists reporting on them, theres no way they would have gotten the attention they did, said HuffPost reporter and former Gizmodo writer Ashley Feinberg. At this point we have built the world they told us existed.

The mechanisms by which this happened are complex, as Phillips describes at some length in the report, and many of them are not easy to change because they are built into the very structure of journalism itself. But the author also suggests ways of mitigating the damagesteps that journalists can take to ensure that the coverage they are providing of such groups is not only justified, but reduces the amplification problem.

One thing they can do, Phillips suggests, is to not send reporters who are unfamiliar with online behavior like trolling to write about it, since it makes them unprepared for many of the tactics and strategies online natives are used to. But there are other tips and tests that can be used as well, she says, including:

Has the story in question expanded beyond the interests of a specific online community or subset of a community, to the point where it is being shared or discussed more widely? This is what Claire Wardle of First Draft News and others call the tipping point. If a story hasnt reached this point, then writing about it will almost certainly push it past that and give it more oxygen and legitimacy.

Does the story have some larger positive social benefit, in the sense that it will add to an existing conversation about solutions to a problem, or open up a new conversation about an important topic? This is similar to the kind of test that journalists and media outlets use when reporting on other forms of social behavior such as suicide, violent crime, etc.

Will reporting on the story produce some kind of harm to those involved, including embarrassment, re-traumatization or professional damage, or could the audience for the story use the information in it to cause harm, whether its attacking sources or imitating crimes? That last point is similar to the test some media outlets use when reporting on computer hacking and other similar incidents.

One thing thats problematic about these tests is they all involve subjective appraisals of the social landscape, and assumptions about potential outcomes, which means that they are open to debate. What qualifies as a tipping point? If an obscure blog or niche news site writes about it, or a couple do, does that mean it has hit the mainstream enough that it should be covered? Also, what qualifies as harm?

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On top of that, as Phillips points out elsewhere in the report, some media organizations simply dont care about the potential damage a story could cause, so long as writing and publishing it attracts attention and/or brings in revenue.

Many reporters also acknowledged that some journalists are themselves manipulators, cynically repeating lines they know are false and misleading because it will get them clicks, the author writes. Max Read, editor of New York magazines technology blog Select All, tells Phillips that there are so-called journalists more than happy to embrace the fucked-upness and make a buck off it. And that is a problem that wont be solved until the entire revenue model for news is changed.

ICYMI: Ashley Feinberg trolls for all the right reason

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Mathew Ingram is CJRs chief digital writer. Previously, he was a senior writer with Fortune magazine. He has written about the intersection between media and technology since the earliest days of the commercial internet. His writing has been published in the Washington Post and the Financial Times as well as by Reuters and Bloomberg.The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) released a study on the number of animal-related insurance losses for the years 2014-2017. The data is gleaned from insurance claims for losses that occurred in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. A total of 1,740,425 animal-related insurance claims were processed with 1,739,687 of them99.9 percentinvolving vehicles. The actual number of incidents is likely much higher since many drivers do not choose to carry coverage for that type of event.

Animal Claims 2014  2017 2014 2015 2016 2017 Total 415,917 434,820 446,981 442,707 1,740,425

About 640,000 of those claims specified one of the top five animals involved and over the four-year period, 91 percent of those claims involved deer.

While all animal-related claims went up six percent over the four-year period, those that specified a deer was involved actually declined by 30 percent.

The top five animals involved in vehicle collisions were deer (584,165), raccoons (22,644), dogs (20,610), turkeys (7,289) and coyotes (6,023).

Animal Claims 2014  2017, Specifying Animal Type Animal 2014 2015 2016 2017 Total Deer 174,278 150,589 136,648 122,650 584,165 Raccoon 6,414 5,866 5,719 4,645 22,644 Dog 7,275 5,527 4,182 3,626 20,610 Turkey 1,920 1,867 1,800 1,702 7,289 Coyote 1,667 1,547 1,494 1,315 6,023

The top five states where these incidents occurred were: Pennsylvania (145,728), New York (115,670), Texas (105,036), Wisconsin (81,282) and North Carolina (79,252).

The top five cities where for these encounters were: San Antonio (3,945), Austin, Tex. (2,452), New York (2,442), Pittsburgh (2,115) and Rochester, NY (1,929).

Source: NICBPG&E Corp. suffered another legal setback with a judge saying he wont release the company from a key legal claim over the most destructive wildfires in California history.

PG&E has been challenging a California law allowing private property owners to hold the utility 100 percent responsible for any losses caused by its equipment or power lines even if it didnt act negligently. Edison International, owner of the dominant utility in southern California, is also facing the prospect of multibillion-dollar payouts under the same law over a record-setting blaze near Los Angeles.

Fridays tentative ruling marks the second time in a month a state judge has refused to spare PG&E from having to face a claim under inverse condemnation.

PG&E has said since its a private company and cant socialize the burden from damage to individuals through taxes, it shouldnt be liable under inverse condemnation. PG&E doesnt have the authority to tax and can only raise rates approved by the California Public Utilities Commission.

There is no basis for PG&Es argument that imposing inverse condemnation liability is unconstitutional unless the utility is guaranteed to automatically recover its costs through rate hikes, Superior Court Judge Curtis Karnow said in the ruling.

Edison, PG&E Seek Mercy From Courts Over Doomsday Fire Payouts

In April, a Sacramento judge said trial judges hands are tied by previous appellate court rulings and they cant interpret the law the way the utility is asking.

We continue to believe that inverse condemnation, as applied to a privately owned utility, is a flawed legal doctrine that is bad for all Californians, PG&E said in a statement. We believe it is in everyones interest to have this issue decided promptly.

During a hearing Friday, PG&Es lawyer, Kevin Orsini, said the courts ultimate conclusion about inverse condemnation goes to the very viability of of investor-owned utilities.

It is critical that we hear from the higher courts of the state sooner rather than later, he said. Once a trial draws near, all parties will gain the benefit of further guidance from the court of appeal whether inverse condemnation does apply, he said.

Karnow was skeptical of PG&Es request to seek an immediate appeal, just as Superior Court Judge Allen Sumner in Sacramento refused to do. California courts ordinarily require lawsuits to play out to final resolution before appeals begin, a process that may take two to three years.

The judge said its unlikely he will have any unique insight to offer on the dispute that appeals courts couldnt figure out for themselves.

Orsini said that in the Sacramento case, which involves the 2015 Butte Fire in the Sierra Nevada foothills, the utility has filed a writ with the state court of appeals  a procedure that could fast-track the outcome.

Officials havent determined the causes of the Tubbs Fire and a series of other blazes that burned through wine country north of San Francisco last year, but analysts have said the utility could face more than $15 billion in claims from the fires.

The case is California North Bay Fire Cases, JCCP No. 4955, California Superior Court, San Francisco County.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.The eruption of Mount Kilauea in Hawaii is a reminder to business owners, even those nowhere near any of the 169 volcanoes in the U.S., that they could be vulnerable to natures most destructive forces. And that they need to be sure theyre insured against disasters like tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes and flooding.

But while damage from some disasters like tornadoes is covered by standard business insurance policies, losses from others may not be. But business owners do have alternatives, including insurance plans created by the federal or state governments. The drawback: Special coverage can be expensive and many owners may decide to take their chances and do without.

Insurance policies can be complex, covering only certain types of damage. These are some of the basics about natural disasters and insurance:

VOLCANOES

Most business insurance policies provide coverage for property loss following a volcanic eruption if the damage was caused by a volcanic explosion, shockwaves, ash, dust or lava flow, according to the Insurance Information Institute, an industry group. However, most insurers wont sell volcano coverage to businesses or homeowners inside what are known as lava flow hazard zones. Owners in Hawaii do have an alternative: coverage from the Hawaii Property Insurance Association, a group of insurance companies created by the state.

Even if owners can get insurance, theyll find that damage to land, trees and property thats left out in the open rather than sheltered wont be covered. If theres damage from earthquakes, mudslides or other disasters related to the eruption, that also wont be covered  although some of the damage might be covered under a separate earthquake policy.

Damage to a vehicle caused by lava flow is covered only if the owner has comprehensive coverage rather than a collision policy. But engine damage from a blast of volcanic ash may be covered.

EARTHQUAKES

Earthquake damage can be covered by insurance, but policies are expensive in areas that are more prone to tremors and some insurers wont sell it in those regions. What kind of damage is covered can differ from policy to policy, and according to the Insurance Information Institute, deductibles can be as high as 20 percent. Earthquake coverage is sold separately from a standard business owners insurance policy.

HURRICANES

Coverage for hurricanes  essentially, insurance for losses from wind and rain  can be difficult to get and/or expensive if a business is located in a coastal area where storms are common. In Florida, for example, some insurers wont sell policies. And flooding that frequently accompanies a hurricane is not included in a standard business policy.

When a company with a standard policy suffers damage from water, insurers will determine how the water got into the premises. If the wind tears a hole in a roof and rain pours in, the damage is covered. But if flood waters enter the business from ground level, that damage isnt covered.

Flood insurance, which is regulated by the federal government, must be purchased separately through a broker or an insurance company. It can be expensive for companies that are located in flood zones, and that discourages some owners from purchasing it.

TORNADOES

Damage from tornadoes is covered under standard business insurance policies, which insure losses from wind damage of any sort. Wind storms are often accompanied by rain and hail, and damage from both is covered. However, if a vehicle is damaged by hail, unless it is covered by a comprehensive policy, insurers wont pay to replace broken glass and repair dents.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- At least two councilmen would like the city to look further into the possibility of establishing its own municipal broadband service.

Partly in response to the federal rollback of "net neutrality" requirements, a group of residents has been meeting informally for several months to discuss what could become a ballot initiative to make local Internet access available, essentially as another utility.

Councilman Mike Ungar said earlier this month that he had met with "several well-meaning citizens" about municipal broadband, something he had initially heard a lot about on the campaign trail in recent years.

Members of the committee include Nikhil Chand, Ernest W. Durbin, Len Friedson, Greg Huth, T. Nadas and Carla Rautenberg, with technical assistance and guidance from Benjamin Kohn, who works for DigitalC.



"I've gotten some information on it, and it's mentioned in the strategic plan," Ungar noted at the May 7 council meeting. "I'm not very far in studying it, but I'd like to see us start spending some time investigating the benefits of municipal broadband."

Smaller surrounding cities such as Hudson and Fairlawn, along with Medina County, have moved forward with their own high-speed networks, which have already attracted businesses in search of better "bandwidth."

Shaker Heights has also looked at limited "fiber-hood" opportunities in at least some sections of town.



In addition to guaranteeing net neutrality, municipal broadband could provide fast Internet service that is stable and secure, also preventing the sale of users' personal data.

Municipal broadband could also address issues surrounding the "digital divide," which can put low- to moderate-income residents at an even further disadvantage.



"We still have households out there that do not have the Internet, and this could provide it for every single resident," Nadas said.

Preliminary cost projections for a city the size of Cleveland Heights run into the $20 million to $25 million range, although proponents believe that municipal broadband could pay for itself within 5 to 10 years.

Other municipalities have funded the outlay by issuing bonds, and the Cleveland Heights group has discussed letting local voters decide.

A cost analysis will identify potential funding resources, such as the city issuing bonds, seeking state and federal grants, philanthropic contributions and use of retail bonds to allow buy-in from residents.



Organizers have asked Councilman Kahlil Seren to attend their May 31 meeting as they consider asking the city to put a much smaller amount of funds toward a feasibility study that would more closely examine the cost options.



The objective at this point would be for Cleveland Heights to establish its own municipal broadband utility -- with voter approval of a ballot initiative -- but beginning with council signing off on the feasibility study, which ideally would be completed by mid-2019.

This could get the measure on the General Election ballot in November 2019.

Draft legislation prepared by the group cites an "Internet Service Provider (ISP) duopoly that prevents commercial competitors from entering the local market."

It goes on to point out that "municipal government can play a central role in providing vitally needed broadband services to meet the varied needs of a diverse constituency without profit seeking."

The draft notes that municipal broadband could attract both business and younger residents to Cleveland Heights, "where we pride ourselves on being a creative, dynamic, culturally diverse and forward-thinking city."

The outline of the plan calls for the municipal fiber network to provide Internet access to all residential, commercial and industrial premises at speeds of at least 1 gigabit per second.

"The tenet of net neutrality prohibits the Internet service provider (ISP), such as the proposed Cleveland Heights Municipal Broadband, from speeding up, slowing down or blocking any content, applications or websites," based on varying payment tiers for customers.

The enterprise would also remain "revenue-neutral," meaning that the utility is not to be used as a "profit-generating entity" for the city.

"Funds should be used to maintain the infrastructure and to pay the salaries of those who service and support the operations of the utility," the draft legislation states. "If there remains an excess of operating funds, then the ISP will reduce subscription costs."

Along with personal privacy and net neutrality being guaranteed, the draft legislation also calls for establishing a seven-member Municipal Broadband Oversight Committee.

"There is to be no provision allowing the ISP to use or sell Internet usage behavior for any advertisement purpose," the draft states.

The preferred infrastructure used for the utility is fiber optic cable, although there are additional provisions for "evolving technology."

Provisions for equitable access across the city, including allowances made for low- and moderate-income households, must be put into place to address the need to bridge and ultimately eliminate the digital divide.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The son of former Ohio lieutenant governor candidate Tara Samples was named in a federal indictment Wednesday and charged with making statements on Facebook that he would hurt or kill police officers.

Brian Newell, 24, of Akron posted the threats in October and in April, according to a grand jury indictment handed up Wednesday.

Those posts include ones he put up on April 7 that said "Kill cops" and "I BET I KILL A COP TODAY P---IES," the indictment states.

Newell also threatened someone on the phone while he was in the Summit County Jail in April, according to federal prosecutors.

Samples said in an interview Thursday that her son has struggled with mental health issues since suffering a traumatic brain injury when he was a child.

Newell faces three counts of transmitting threats across state lines. He has been in jail since April, being held on a probation violation for previous drug convictions.

Samples, an Akron city councilwoman, was Dennis Kucinich's running mate in his failed bid to become the Democratic candidate for Ohio governor. One of Newell's posts became a minor controversy in the weeks leading up to the primary election after a Facebook group supporting police officers posted a screen grab.

The indictment says Newell posted other threatening statements on Facebook, including:

"Def feel like I can beat the vegas shooter's high score."

"Better prayer God with y'all cause I'm def not praying for your safety."

"As Allah is my witness any cop or law enforcement who approaches me in any way will be fired on. Yes I'm high on them hard drugs and carrying a weapon. Just leave me alone I've lose everything I don't mind losing my life #Allahuakbar #gamg."

Newell also posted a photo of himself with a bulletproof vest on Oct. 9, prosecutors say. The photo included the caption, "I'm fstw today Y'all better stop playing before y'all be missing someone. On God."

U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said in a statement Thursday that "we take all threats seriously. People will be held accountable when they threaten violence against our police and law enforcement officers, to commit mass shootings or to otherwise harm children and other innocent people."

Samples said her son was hit in the head with a large rock when he was 9 years old and has suffered from mental health issues since then. He had brain surgery following the injury and was prescribed painkillers, Samples said.

He self-medicated as he got older and turned to heroin when he could no longer obtain prescription painkillers, Samples said.

She decried the charges against Newell as antithetical to getting him the help he needs. Her son "was never even given a chance by the system," Samples said.

"They can do what they feel," she said. "As a mother, I'm going to do what I need to go do to get my son the help he needs."

Donald Malarcik, Newell's attorney, said Thursday that "Brian has struggled with mental health issues and substance abuse problems for a significant part of his adult life. My hope is that we can get him some help for both of those issues."

Mike Tobin, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, declined comment on whether prosecutors considered Newell's mental health issues.

The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge James Gwin.

If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Thursday's crime and courts comments section.MENTOR, Ohio -- A homeless man pleaded guilty Tuesday to robbery charges in connection with a robbery at a Mentor CVS, prosecutors said.

Christopher Hasul, 38, of Lakewood was charged with robbery and failing to comply with an officer's orders following the convenience store robbery on Mentor Avenue near Hopkins Road, the Lake County Prosecutor's Office said.

Lake County Common Pleas Judge Richard Collins Jr. will sentence Hasul at 8:30 a.m. June 25, court records show.

Hasul, who is listed as homeless in court records, passed a note with "money now" written on it to a cashier during the 4 p.m. robbery, officials said. He later drove away from the drug store and refused to stop for a Willoughby Hills police officer, before entering Cleveland.

The U.S. Marshals' Violent Fugitive Task Force arrested Hasul without incident in January at the intersection of Puritas Avenue and West 176th Street in Cleveland, police have said.

Investigators were able to connect Hasul to an October robbery at a Walgreens and a Christmas Eve robbery at a Subway. He used a note in both of those robberies, prosecutors said.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Thursday's crime and courts comments section.CLEVELAND, Ohio - Gov. John Kasich's support of giving schools and school districts A-F grades has stalled progress on two attempts to delay some grades or to overhaul state report cards entirely.

Some state legislators and state school board members have joined educators in recent months in voicing concerns that rating schools with grades like those students receive is too judgmental.

They worry that grades are too dependent on the poverty or wealth of students and that low grades unfairly damage schools' relationship with their communities.

But Kasich and his staff disagree and have made it known that Kasich could veto attempts to kill them.

"The A-F Report Card was implemented to provide clear and transparent information to the public," said Kasich spokesman Jim Lynch. "Removing the letter grades returns to the situation where it is impossible for the public or the community to understand how well their schools and districts are doing."

He added: "Improving education for our students requires we clearly understand where schools and districts are doing well and where there are areas that need improvement."

The governor's stance has slowed debate of House Bill 591, a proposal from State Rep. Mike Duffey, a Worthington Republican, that would eliminate the A-F grades for a "dashboard" of data about schools with fewer ratings.

Among his concerns is that poor districts are doomed to receive low grades on report cards, since test scores have been shown to be dependent on family income in multiple state and national analyses.

"Certain districts are not going to be able to get an A," Duffey said. "Their best hope is to aspire for a D under the current system? What kind of hope is that?"

Duffey's bill has some support from legislators and some state school board members, who are doing their own review of what works and what doesn't on the report cards.

But State Rep. Andrew Brenner, chairman of the House Education Committee that's reviewing the bill, said he doesn't want to rush a bill without the needed backing of the governor. He said Duffey and the governor's office need to work out a compromise.

"If that's the hill they're going to die on, I'd be willing to negotiate," Duffey said.

Duffey said would consider options like giving grades in a few areas, but not all. He would also consider doing some ratings to satisfy federal or state accountability requirements, while issuing a separate report card to the public.

He noted that wouldn't work well, though, since the ratings would be public record and reported anyway.

How soon he could reach agreement with Kasich, then have the bill pass both the House and Senate is unclear. Duffey said he does not expect his bill to pass in time to affect this fall's report cards, but he hopes it would be in place by 2019.

Timing may also prevent a separate push from the state school board to skip overall grades for each school and district on this fall's report cards.

The state used to give overall ratings to every school and district, but put them on hold in 2013 while the state shifted to new state tests, standards and a then-new report card format. They were supposed to return this fall but the state school board voted 12-6 last week to ask the legislature to delay another year.

Board member Kara Morgan said she proposed the delay because the board and legislature are actively discussing major changes to report cards, so overall grades now would not be fair. Several board members also spoke in favor of her proposal.

With Duffey's bill unlikely to pass in time, and without enough time to start and pass a new bill, Brenner said he considered adding the delay as an amendment to Senate Bill 216, another schools bill that has already passed in the Senate and is close to going to vote in the full House.

But both Brenner and State Sen. Matt Huffman, the bill's sponsor, said they don't want to risk a veto from Kasich. Huffman said he asked that the delay not be added to his bill, for fear that it would put the rest in jeopardy.

Without using S.B. 216 as a vehicle for the delay, Brenner doubted the requirement for overall grades could be changed in law before the legislature's summer recess and the new report cards are released.

"There's no way that I can tell," he said, short of a rapid negotiation with Kasich. "Legislatively, I don't know how."COPLEY, Ohio - The plane that Neil Armstrong flew to the edge of space started a literal road trip Wednesday on its way back to the Armstrong Air & Space Museum in Wapakoneta, the first man on the moon's hometown.



The historic Douglas F5D Skylancer fixed-wing jet was in Copley since September for exterior restoration at Thomarios Construction, on Jacoby Road, which has made a specialty of such work on vintage aircraft and spacecraft. Cockpit restoration is continuing under the Cleveland-based Intermuseum Conservation Association

All the work is in preparation for the 50th anniversary of Armstrong's walk on the moon of July 20, 1969.

The jet, a modified Navy fighter which Armstrong flew in the Air Force's Dyna-Soar program in 1963, had been on outdoor display at the Armstrong Museum since it opened in 1972. Ownership was transferred last year from NASA to the Ohio History Connection, which operates the museum. It will return to display next year.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A new bill on its way to the Ohio House of Representatives would create a legal definition for sexting in the Ohio Revised Code and ban it for people up to 19.

Sexting is a common term for sending and receiving sexually-oriented messages digitally. With more teenagers using social media and cell phones, it's become common practice; a recent study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that one in four teens say they've sexted.

Though sexting isn't defined in the Ohio Revised Code, it's already illegal in Ohio to send, receive or view explicit photos of a minor. Doing so can lead to criminal charges, including child pornography, according to the Ohio State Bar Association.

Though the language is confusing, this law makes participating in sexting a first-degree misdemeanor. The bill would also require courts across the state to join or create educational sexting diversion programs. If the person completed the program, charges would be dropped. People could still be charged with child pornography.

The bill previously banned sexting up to age 21, but the amended version that made its way out of committee changes the age to 19 and so would include all 18-year-olds.

Cleveland.com interviewed experts about the bill to learn about the impact it might have in Ohio. Ohio Rep. Brian Hill and Rep. Jeffery Rezabek, the co-sponsors of the bill, were not available for comment Tuesday.

Here are some answers to questions about the bill:

Q: How would the bill affect 18-year-olds?

A: Since 18-year-olds are legal adults, sexting is legal between them. This bill would affect an 18-year-old receiving or distributing photos of minors.

Q: Why ban sexting outright?

A: Defining sexting and banning it would give prosecutors another option when it comes to charges for sending, receiving or sharing these kinds of images.

"This gives kids an opportunity to not ruin their life for something they did that's really stupid," Hill said in an 2017 interview with cleveland.com's Jeremy Pelzer.

The diversion programs would allow teens to be penalized for sending images, but not have to face sex crime charges.

Q: What would diversion programs have to involve?

A: The education programs would have to involve:

The legal consequences of sexting

Nonlegal consequences, including social and professional problems

Long-term consequences of sharing photos digitally and on social media

Connections between sharing sexually-explicit photos and cyber-bullying

Q: Are there limits and exceptions in the bill?

A: Plenty. If a minor has images of themselves on their phone, it's legal until they send them. If the messages are between spouses, it's legal.

The subject of the material would have to be over 13 for the offender to be prosecuted under these charges.

Q: Is the language completely clear?

No. For example, there's a clause which reads as follows:

"No person under nineteen years of age shall purposely create, produce, distribute, present, transmit, post, exchange, disseminate, or possess through a telecommunications device any sexually explicit digital material when the person is not more than four years older than the minor depicted."

The age of consent in Ohio is 16, but there are closeness in age laws in Ohio that can stop teens from being charged with statutory rape. If minors are older than 13, their partners can be under 18 without being charged.

The intent of this clause could be to make people more than four years older ineligible for a misdemeanor, so prosecutors would have to use an existing criminal charge.

Q: How do people feel about it?

The Ohio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union does not support the bill partially because it's just another option for charges and doesn't eliminate the option for teens to be charged with sex crimes for sexting.

ACLU Ohio chief lobbyist Gary Daniels said stopping sexting in this context is an education problem.

"This is not an law enforcement matter, this is not revenge porn," he said. "If you don't think prosecutors should be charging these kids, why is this a law enforcement issue?"

The Ohio Judicial Conference supported the bill in a testimony, applauding that it would allow for more options when it came to dealing with these cases. Shawn Welch, deputy legislative council for the Ohio Judicial Conference, said it would allow for uniformity in how laws are applied.

However, the group took issue with the part of the bill that applied to 18-year-olds because they are considered adults and would have to be tried in municipal courts.

Cleveland.com interviewed Patrick Kabat, director of the First Amendment and the Arts Program at Case Western Reserve University for this story. Kabat represented Advance Ohio in legal issues.WASHINGTON - A defense bill that the U.S. House of Representatives adopted Thursday contains language that U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown fears could lead to reductions at Ohio defense facilities, including Cleveland's Defense Finance and Accounting Service office.

The $717 billion defense policy bill passed by a 351-to-66 vote with support from every Ohio member of Congress except Columbus-area Democrat Joyce Beatty, who said she feared that language in the bill "would put thousands of jobs in Central Ohio at risk of being eliminated or moved elsewhere." Columbus-area GOP Rep. Steve Stivers missed the vote because he was on National Guard duty.

At issue is a provision to reform the Pentagon's logistical and support bureaucracy that's buried some 400 pages into the 1,052-page bill. It orders the Pentagon to reduce or eliminate duplicate functions across its 28 military support divisions, requiring savings of at least 25 percent by 2021.

I voted against the NDAA because of the harmful budgets cuts to our @DeptofDefense and @DLAMIL. Read full statement: https://t.co/G9UAaRrLqe pic.twitter.com/6CBXkduJIK  Joyce Beatty (@RepBeatty) May 24, 2018

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee who drafted the bill, Texas GOP Rep. Mac Thornberry, has said the measure is meant to reduce the size of "redundant functions" across the agencies, like logistics, human resources, real estate management and services contracting.

In a Military Times column, Thornberry said most tasks accomplished by the Defense Information Systems Agency, which coordinates IT services and protects against cyber intrusions, could be better managed by U.S. Cyber Command. He also questioned the relevance of an Office of Economic Assistance that's charged with helping communities affected by base closures when there haven't been any base closures since 2005.

Brown released a statement after the House vote that called the 25 percent cut "wrong for our national security and wrong for Ohio." He also pledged to "keep fighting to make sure our jobs are protected in the final bill."

Brown's office says Defense Finance and Accounting Service offices in Cleveland and Columbus - which handle military payroll functions - each employ around 2,600 people. In Columbus, a Defense Logistics Agency office has roughly 2,800 employees, a Defense Information Systems Agency has approximately 410 workers and a Defense Contract Management Agency office has around 150 employees.

"As drafted, the provision does not allow for proper congressional oversight or review of the proposed 25 percent reduction, until after the recommendations have been made, " said a letter that Brown sent Senate Armed Services Committee chairman John McCain, an Arizona Republican. "That is unacceptable."

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman released a statement that said Defense agency offices in Columbus and Cleveland "play very important roles supporting our men and women in uniform, including making sure they get paid, have the repair parts they need for their equipment, and have the information technology systems needed for mission success.

Our Armed Services deserve the best resources to effectively protect our nation. I was proud to vote YES today on the National Defense Authorization Act to give our service men and women pay raises and better equipment to defend our nation against threats. #NDAA2019 pic.twitter.com/KIoAFUpu6n  Dave Joyce (@RepDaveJoyce) May 24, 2018

"These aren't functions we can get rid of," said Portman. "As the National Defense Authorization Act progresses through Congress, I will work to ensure we don't make irrational cuts to important Defense Department functions like these."

Northeast Ohio legislators who voted for the bill noted that a provision of the bill ordering reduced duplication and improved effectiveness at DFAS was amended to stipulate the streamlining effort isn't "intended to require or encourage any reduction" in the DFAS workforce.

Bainbridge Township Republican Rep. Dave Joyce said he repeatedly spoke to Thornberry about the bill, and was told the provisions were intended to "figure out how to make the backroom of places like DFAS more efficient.

"We're talking about things like software, not cutting personnel," said Joyce. "I will always fight for jobs at DFAS."

Warrensville Heights Democratic Rep. Marcia Fudge - whose district includes Cleveland's DFAS office - also said she does not believe the bill would result in cuts there. She said she liked that the bill included language to forbid presidential authorization for war without approval by Congress.

"There are some good things in the bill and some things I didn't like, but overall, it is good," said Fudge.

Denise Glover, who is president of American Federation of Government Employees local #3283, which represents roughly 2,000 workers at Cleveland's DFAS facility, said her union members were not upset about the bill because of the language it contains to protect the DFAS workforce.

"We're glad that's in there," said Glover.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Former Cuyahoga County Council President C. Ellen Connally is joining Newburgh Heights Mayor Trevor Elkins' campaign to unseat the county Democratic Party's newly-elected county chairwoman, Shontel Brown, in an intraparty election next month.

Connally is campaigning as Elkins' running mate and is seeking the party's vice chair position, which is currently held by Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley. Both positions are unpaid.

Connally, who also was a Cleveland Municipal Court judge from 1980 to 2004, and Elkins are portraying their bid as one about party unity.

"We can't have everyone in the room hating each other or disliking each other," Connally says in a video she made with Elkins that was sent to party insiders this week.

During the primary, the party was beset by divisions and infighting over endorsements and by racial tension over how few black and minority candidates won the official backing of the party.

But Elkins himself has been at the center of some of the discord. Following his loss to Brown for the party chair last August, he almost immediately began recruiting supporters to the county party's Central Committee, whose more than 700 members are elected every four years in the primary and then pick the party's leader.

Brown bested him by winning 59 percent of 414 votes cast in the August election to replace then-chairman Stuart Garson, who stepped down early. Elkins said recently that a coalition of his supporters recruited 300 neighborhood leaders and others as candidates for the committee and roughly 225 of them won seats in the May 8 primary.

Connally also has generated controversial by publicly criticizing U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge of Warrensville Heights, who endorsed several candidates who did not have the official backing of the party. Fudge is a strong backer of Brown, a Cuyahoga County councilwoman from Warrensville Heights.

When Connally retired from County Council in 2014, she backed Brown as her successor.

Brown has the support of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray, many elected officials and union leaders. Her supporters have praised her efforts to unify the party and rally Democrats to the polls in the primary. But her future rests with the party's Central Committee members who turn out to vote in person in the intraparty election, which is set for 9 a.m. on June 9 at Euclid High School.Josanne Pagel is the executive director of physician assistant services at the Cleveland Clinic

CLEVELAND -- I was driven to become a PA, or physician assistant, by my desire to provide medical care to my community. Through the years, I've worked with many physicians and other medical providers who chose careers in health care for the very same reason.

We chose to become medical providers for the patients - not for the paperwork.

As an executive director overseeing the largest population of PAs in Ohio, I process the necessary paperwork required for my PAs to be able to practice. In order to practice, PAs in Ohio must have a written supervisory agreement with a physician. According to current law, these agreements must be filed with the state medical board.

This filing requirement has become a huge burden and a workforce hurdle which, at times, keeps PAs from being able to see their patients.

This past year, we had great challenges with a new electronic platform the state medical board was utilizing for the renewal of supervision agreements. The platform created excessive workloads for our physicians. Not only was the registration and renewal process tedious, it also created additional confusion and frustration when it broke down, preventing physicians from renewing their agreements.

Restrictive laws and unnecessary regulations, like the filing requirement, are preventing PAs from providing care for patients at the highest possible level. PAs are medical professionals who diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications, and often serve as a patient's principal health care provider. We are ready, willing, and able to provide high-quality health care. But overly burdensome laws, regulations, and paperwork are holding us back.

This year, we have a chance to change that. Senate Bill No. 259, sponsored by Republican State Sen. Bob D. Hackett of London, southwest of Columbus, will make it easier for PAs to practice in Ohio and improve access to health care for patients all over the state. The Ohio PA Association fully supports this much-needed change, and it's important that legislators do, too, so that patients can receive essential care from PAs across the state.

SB 259 aims to make four key improvements. First, we are hopeful that it will cut some of the red tape keeping us from our patients by allowing PAs and physicians to maintain their supervisory agreements at the site of the physician's practice. Those agreements can be accessed and reviewed at any time, and PAs can start practicing without waiting for paperwork to be processed through the system.

The bill will also improve PA practice by: increasing the ratio of PAs supervised by a physician at any one time from three to five; eliminating an antiquated formulary in Ohio law to allow PAs and physicians to collaborate on the best treatment and medication prescribed for patients; and, streamlining the process for PAs who want to move from another state and continue practicing in Ohio.

Right now, Ohio is on the brink of a physician shortage. According to a study by the Robert Graham Center, Ohio would need to add an additional 681 primary care physicians by 2030 to maintain the status quo - but PAs can be a part of the solution, too.

Now, more than ever, Ohio needs PAs - and we're up to the task. Through SB 259, PAs would more easily be able to fill the gaps left by physician shortages.

There are more than 3,000 PAs in Ohio, and they are an important part of the health care workforce in our state. Ultimately, SB 259 will help improve the quality of care for patients in Ohio. It will allow PAs, physicians, and other providers - not outdated laws and regulations - to decide what's best for our patients.

Josanne Pagel is the executive director of physician assistant services at the Cleveland Clinic and government affairs chair for the Ohio Association of Physician Assistants.

**************

Have something to say about this topic? Use the comments to share your thoughts. Then, stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the "Follow" option at the top of the comments, and look for updates via the small blue bell in the lower right as you look at more stories on cleveland.com.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Indians outfielder Brandon Guyer is heading to the 10-day disabled list with a cervical neck strain. Starting pitcher Adam Plutko has been recalled from Class AAA Columbus to take his place on the 25-man roster.

Plutko will start tonight's game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field and will join the Tribe's starting rotation with Josh Tomlin moving to the bullpen.

Guyer's DL move is retroactive to May 20. He last appeared in a big-league game May 19.

Plutko will be making his second start for Cleveland after pitching the second game of a May 3 doubleheader against Toronto at Progressive Field. The 26 year old earned his first major league win by going 7 1/3 innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out six.

At Columbus, Plutko compiled a 4-3 record in seven starts with a 2.25 earned run average. He's surrendered 11 earned runs in 44 innings and currently leads the International League with a 0.82 WHIP, while he ranks fifth in ERA, is tied for fourth in wins and ninth in innings pitched.

Guyer is hitting .150 with three home runs and 10 RBI in 33 plate appearances. This is his sixth career trip to the disabled list.

Cleveland has eight players currently on the major-league DL, including Bradley Zimmer, Tyler Naquin, Nick Goody, Lonnie Chisenhall, Ryan Merritt, Danny Salazar and Cody Anderson.For Jewish parents and educators in the twenty first century, there is a constant need to find the balance between celebrating our history and living in the present. A small Torah scroll currently being taken to visit communities around the world is helping to fuse that gap.

On November 9, 1938, known as Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, fourteen year-old Isaac Schwartz bolted into the smoldering ruins of the Main Synagogue in Hamburg, Germany and grabbed a still salvageable Torah scroll. He buried it in the backyard of his family home and having survived the war through escape to Venezuela, he returned to unearth it.

The Torah scroll, saved by this child has now been meticulously restored with help from businessman and philanthropist, Leonard Wien. Leonard has made it his mission to restore Torahs destroyed during the Holocaust as a way to honor the memory of family members killed by the Nazis. He hired two scribes who spent eighteen months repairing the scroll so that it was kosher for use. The restored scroll was debuted at a procession in Hebron, Israel before beginning its global tour. For Shavuot, the recent holiday marking the giving of the Torah, the Torah had a short sojourn at the Chabad Jewish Center of South Metro Denver, Colorado.

Rabbi Avraham Mintz, Director of the Center invited the areas Jewish community to come join as the ten commandments were read from this scroll on Shavuot. It is customary for men, women and even little children to hear the reading of the Ten Commandments each Shavuot.

This Torah captures the essence of the history of our people, says Mintz.

Rabbi Reuven Mintz holds the rescued and restored Torah. (Photo Credit: Leonard Ortiz)It has to mean something when three of the top five companies on the 2018 Disruptor 50 list are ride-hailing companies. Making its debut at No. 4 (after No. 2 Uber and before No. 5 Lyft) is China's Didi Chuxing, which has established a dominant position in its home country. The company claims to have more than 450 million registered users and more than 21 million drivers in more than 400 cities within China. That adds up to more than 30 million rides a day  about twice as many as Uber, Lyft and all the other car-hailing apps combined. Didi's major backer is Softbank, the Japanese technology conglomerate that is also a big investor in Uber. So far, the company has raised an astounding $20 billion  $265 million of which came in early April from Mirae Asset Financial. The company claims it has turned a small profit.

Read More: FULL LIST: 2018 DISRUPTOR 50

In April it was reported that Didi was holding talks about launching an $80 billion IPO. It could go public as early as the second half of 2018.

Like Uber, Didi is also making big bets on autonomous driving. It has been testing self-driving cars in China for months and in early March announced it was helping to design cars with Beijing automaker BAIC. And amidst waves of rumors, the company officially entered (again, like Uber) the food-delivery space. In early April it launched the service in Wuxi, a city in the southern Jiangsu province. It plans to roll it out to other cities soon.

Although Didi is transparent in its imitation of Uber, they are not worried the U.S.-based ride-hailing company will steal its customers. In 2016 the Chinese company did away with its rival by buying Uber's Chinese business. Then early last year it opened an R&D facility in Mountain View, California  Uber's backyard  and it has launched services in Mexico this year.Words have the power to transform your life. Just ask Arnold Donald, CEO of the world's largest leisure travel company, Carnival Corporation. In junior high, Donald was recognized as an academically gifted student so his parents enrolled him at St. Augustine, an all-male, all-black Catholic high school in New Orleans. Everyday, three times a day, the school blasted this message through its PA system: "Gentlemen prepare yourselves. You're going to run the world." These nine words had a profound impact on a young Donald, who grew up in New Orleans' poverty-stricken, crime-ridden 9th Ward and attended high school during the civil rights movement. At age 16, Donald decided that he was going to be a general manager at a Fortune 50 science-based global company and he began creating a career plan. "I mapped it my junior year in high school and I kept mapping throughout college," the 63-year-old CEO tells CNBC Make It.

His first step was determining which college degrees would help him achieve his goal. "I said well, 'I'm going to have to have an MBA, a business degree,'" recalls Donald. But not just any business school would do. Donald wanted to gain acceptance into the top MBA program, which meant that he needed the best credentials in order to stand out from the competition. So he pivoted and focused on selecting the right undergraduate courses. Since he wanted to work at a science-based company, Donald chose to major in engineering at Washington University. Still, that wasn't enough. "[I knew that] if I got two undergraduate degrees then that would differentiate me from other people applying to business school," he says. Donald figured that other applicants would take a similar STEM path, so he pursed an economics degree at Carleton College in Minnesota. "I had to do a bunch more credits and everything but it made me different," says Donald. "My goal was to always differentiate and at the same time be prepared." With two degrees, Donald knew that when an opportunity arose he'd be well-prepared to take advantage of it. "It's all about maximizing profitability," the CEO explains. His plan worked.

He received admission to the University Of Chicago Booth School of Business (voted the No. 1 business school in the country in 2018). While attending Booth, Donald revisiting his career outline after reaching out to "a gazillion" CEOs to find out how they got their positions. "The takeaway I got was, make sure every job you have prepares you to excel in the next job," recalls Donald. The CEOs also advised the business student to focus on job content and responsibility, instead of title and money. "So I mapped it out," he says. "I had a whole career plan and then I executed it." Donald's decision to abide by his high school mantra of preparation served him well upon graduating from Booth. He received 20 job offers and accepted a position at Monsanto, the Missouri-based agricultural biotech company, where he quickly moved up in rank. At the age of 32, Donald was named general manager at Monsanto and achieved the goal he had set half a lifetime ago. After spending roughly two decades with the organization, Donald purchased Monsanto's Equal sugar substitute with a group of investors. Together, they created a new company called Merisant, with headquarters in Chicago. Donald led as CEO for three years before stepping down and remained as chairman for two more years before retiring at age 51.Want to travel cheap this summer? Soon you'll be able to hop on a FlixBus.

Europe's low-cost bus company is debuting in the U.S. with rides on select Western U.S. long-distance routes.

Starting on Friday, all fares start at a promotional 99 cents.

With trips starting on May 31, travelers can travel between popular destinations in California, Nevada and Arizona, like Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Tucson to Los Angeles and San Diego to Phoenix.

Once the promotion ends (no set date at press time), fares will start at a mere $2.99 and go up to $20. Regular one-way FlixBus fares average $18-$60, according to the company.

By the end of 2018, Flixbus plans to add an additional 400 connections, including the Bay Area to Southern California, though it has not announced future stations.

Launched in 2013 by three entrepreneurs  Jochen Engert, 36; Andre Schwammlein, 36; and Daniel Krauss, 34  FlixBus quickly became a well known, low-budget bus option in Europe. Pierre Gourdain, managing director of FlixBus USA, says Paris to Amsterdam is the most popular route with American tourists. "This is where we initially saw how U.S. customers appreciate FlixBus' service," he tells CNBC Make It.

Gourdain says close to 50 percent of FlixBus customers are millennials, with most under the age of 34. Young people "are moving away from driving long distances, more than older generations. Our research shows that millennials in the U.S. are becoming more comfortable and supportive of sustainable travel methods, and they like to be able to relax, socialize virtually or work while they travel." He adds customers also include business and senior travelers.

In the U.S., 80 percent of trips are currently being taken by car, according to Gourdain. "This is the market we are after." A recent report showed Americans drive more than ever before, a 3.5 percent jump from 2014.

To help offset carbon emissions, FlixBus says it has a "green" mindset (it's also the color of the buses). FlixBus partners with the National Forest Foundation, giving passengers the option to purchase "CO2 Compensation" bus tickets (75 percent of proceeds goes to NFF projects), and the average age of the fleet is less than a year old, meaning they offer the lowest carbon footprint in the industry. FlixBus was the first company in the world to launch an all-electric long-distance bus line, between Frankfurt and Mannheim, Germany, last month.

For passengers, FlixBus offers innovations such as bus GPS tracking, free Wifi, power outlets at every seat and integration with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

Don't miss: The cheapest places to vacation for Memorial Day weekend

Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on FacebookFormer Harvard president Neil Leon Rudenstine, current Harvard president Drew Faust, and incoming Harvard president Lawrence S. Bacow Dina Rudick/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Still, the attitude towards college that demands a clear and immediate ROI, like a high-paying job right out of school, leads Americans to overlook and miss out on those and other long-term benefits, Bacow argues. "There's a proposal to evaluate colleges and universities based on the incomes of their graduates after their first job," he says. But starting salary is just one of many factors to consider when making college decisions in order to get the most of your experience. Prospective students should also consider four-year graduations rates, the percentage of grads who end up working in their desired field and how much alums earn 10, 20 and 30 years after getting their degrees. It's equally important for students to assess a given school's track record of educating students similar to themselves. Many of the schools with high-earning alumni enroll a disproportionate number of wealthy, white male students, which can make it seem like schools are singularly responsible for success when those students also benefit from systemic advantages.When it comes to business advice, there are few people better placed to bestow their wisdom than Jack Ma, the billionaire founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.

Good job, then, that he set up a university to share tips on the meteoric rise of one of the group's leading companies, Taobao.

Situated in Hangzhou, China, Taobao University is made up of a faculty of senior management from the online marketplace and offers lectures on building a digital business.

CNBC Make It met one woman who attended the university. She said it revealed just how far ahead the company is in its e-commerce strategy and the insights it holds on its almost 600 million monthly active users.

"I was there a week and I learned so much," said Genecia Alluora, who is founder of Soul Rich Woman, an advice platform for female entrepreneurs across Southeast Asia.

"They are really educating China and Southeast Asia about what it means to be digital today," she said, citing the company's expertise in consumer psychology and behavioral patterns.

"We're still very Western in our strategy: we need to tie together Eastern and Western strategies."

Thirty-five-year-old Alluora was selected to attend the university as part of an e-commerce program led by Singapore's Nanyang Polytechnic. Typically, students of the university are Taobao merchants or aspiring entrepreneurs, who attend courses of anywhere between a few weeks and months.

Here are her three key takeaways.North Korea's vice foreign minister said the future of the summit between Pyongyang and Washington is "entirely" up to the United States and condemned a media interview by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in which he compared the North to Libya.

"We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us," said Choe Son Hui, according to a report by North Korea's central news agency on Thursday.

Choe said she could suggest to leader Kim Jong Un that North Korea reconsider the summit, set for June 12 in Singapore, if the United States offends the North's good will.The U.S. Department of Commerce started an investigation into automobile imports to determine whether they "threaten to impair the national security" of the United States, the agency said in a statement on Wednesday night local time. The surprise announcement comes at a time of worsening friction over trade between the United States and other countries  including close allies  with tariffs, threats of tariffs and complaints with the World Trade Organization flying back and forth. The new U.S. probe will be carried out under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. That section of the law authorizes the secretary of Commerce to determine "the effects of imports of any article on the national security of the United States."

Porsche cars destined for export stand at Bremerhaven port on March 19, 2018 in Bremerhaven, Germany. Alexander Koerner/Getty Images

The United States carries out a brisk trade in automobile exports and imports, primarily with traditionally friendly countries including Japan, Germany and South Korea. U.S.-based automakers and auto parts makers also manufacture products in Mexico and Canada and then import them into the United States. "I wonder how much this has got to do ... with Mexico and Canada," John Woods, CIO of Credit Suisse, told CNBC's Bernie Lo. "I suspect there is some leverage going on" that's designed to increase pressure on those countries as they try to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with the United States.

Japanese and Korean shares take a hit

'Weaken the internal economy'The SUV slowly approaches an apartment complex in a quiet residential section of Miami Beach, Florida. On the second floor balcony, a group is gathered. Code Compliance Officer Vijma Maharaj approaches, her body camera recording, and tells them she has bad news. The apartment they rented on Airbnb is illegal. While tourist-dense South Beach, where the major hotels are located, largely allows short-term rentals, it's a different story in large portions of the residential areas of Miami Beach, where rentals under six months and a day are banned. The eight guests in this apartment are booked for two nights. It's a scene regularly repeated in Miami Beach as the city cracks down aggressively on illegal short-term rentals. The renters, who book via the major vacation rental websites such as Airbnb, Booking Holdings' Booking.com and Expedia's HomeAway, don't get cited by the city, but the city usually requires the guests to leave the next day or as soon as they can relocate. Airbnb said negative incidents like these don't reflect the overwhelming number of satisfied hosts and guests in 81,000 cities and 191 countries, and its experience successfully working with lawmakers around the world. From Miami Beach to Los Angeles, local laws vary widely, but complaints about quality-of-life issues caused by illegal short-term rentals are similar, according to public records and dozens of interviews with city officials, residents, analysts and others connected to the home-sharing industry. For years, LA has battled illegal party houses in mega-mansions. Other cities like New York have stepped up enforcement. Boston is pushing back against properties being rented out as commercial operations. "You can't throw a rock in the country right now without hitting a city that's moving to more aggressively regulate short-term rentals," said David Wachsmuth, an assistant professor at McGill University's School of Urban Planning, who has studied Airbnb around the world.

Miami Beach Code Compliance officer Vijma Maharaj at an illegal short-term rental listed on Airbnb. CNBC

"The fines are little bit higher in Miami Beach than in some other cities. But around the country and around the world, in fact, what we're seeing is a pretty consistent trend." Miami Beach's law against short-term rentals has been on the books for years, but its $1,500 fine was not a deterrent, so the city increased it in 2016 to $20,000 for the first violation, rising to as much as $100,000 for the fifth. Airbnb does not have a good record complying with local laws, according to Wachsmuth. "I think very consistently the pattern that we've found is that Airbnb is happy to cooperate with regulators about collecting taxes," he said. "They'll collect the taxes to kind of level the playing field with hotels. But they will resist as strongly as possible any attempts to restrict how much actual activity is allowed on Airbnb."

The easiest way to stop all of this is if the home-sharing platforms simply didn't send people into these neighborhoods. Dan Gelber Miami Beach mayor

Two years of code compliance body-camera videos obtained by CNBC show raucous parties and unwitting tourists staying in illegal short-term rentals in Miami Beach, many of them advertised on Airbnb. One sign captured in an illegal Airbnb instructs guests to lie and say they are friends of the landlord if someone asks.

A screenshot of Vacayo host Rachel Perreas Airbnb profile. Source: Airbnb

On the sidewalk outside the Miami Beach apartment, Maharaj called the Airbnb host, later identified by Maharaj as Rachel Perrea. As a CNBC camera crew rolls, Perrea falsely said the tourists are her friends and staying in the unit for free. "Rachel told me you guys are friends and you didn't have to stay there," Maharaj asked the Airbnb guests. "Is that true?" "That is not true," one guest replied from the balcony. The building's owner and the company that rented the apartment were both issued a violation. That company is Vacayo, which is well-known to city officials. The company and its co-founders are facing a total of $700,000 in fines at four properties in the city, which the company is challenging. Vacayo is a New York-based management company that rents properties and then leases them to short-term tenants, using hosts to advertise them on platforms like Airbnb.

'It is predatory'

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said situations like this are common and not good for the city. Officials from other large cities also have seen similar problems. "We're seeing commercialized, predatory companies that are trying to commercialize our residential communities in ways that are damaging to our citizens and our residents and our quality of life," Gelber told CNBC. "It is predatory."

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber CNBC

"It's people taking very nice properties, buying them and turning them into essentially a flophouse for as many people as they can put in there to extract as much income as they can in the middle of a neighborhood that wasn't zoned for that kind of behavior," the former prosecutor and state representative and senator said. The city expects it will investigate more than 1,000 complaints of illegal rentals this year, up from more than 800 in 2017. So far this year, $2.4 million in fines have been issued, records show, but only about $183,000 has been collected. "The easiest way to stop all of this is if the home-sharing platforms simply didn't send people into these neighborhoods," Gelber said. "It's just that simple. They're the ones who do it and they claim they have no responsibility because, 'oh, we're just an internet platform.' But they're not."



In an interview with CNBC, Isabel Berney, co-founder and COO of Vacayo, said the company has exited leases in the prohibited zones.



"Right now, we are not entering any additional units in Miami Beach that are not fully compliant," she said.



Berney said she was not aware that Vacayo host Perrea had falsely told code compliance that she was renting the unit to friends. "I mean, she probably was just put on the spot and she was probably scared, and I wasn't aware of what she says."



CNBC reached Perrea who said, "I'm really sorry but I can't take this call right now." The call was disconnected and she did not respond to a follow-up call.



Hosts like Perrea, who work on behalf of Vacayo, are independent contractors, Berney said.



"Ultimately, our whole mission is to help landlords," Berney said. "We help landlords earn passive income. We've saved landlords from bankruptcy, from foreclosure."

Vacayo COO Isabel Berney CNBC

Responding to the CNBC investigation, Airbnb said it has removed listings associated with Vacayo from the site.



Wachsmuth said it would be relatively simple for Airbnb to block hosts who try to rent properties in the city's prohibited zones. Both London and Amsterdam, for example, limit the number of days someone can rent a property, which Airbnb tracks, he said.



"I think the lesson is simply that the kinds of regulations that actually restrict the short-term rental market, Airbnb is not going to cooperate with that unless their back is really up against the wall," he said.

In an interview at Airbnb's San Francisco headquarters, Chris Lehane, head of global policy, described the company as "a people-powered platform." "We're a community model. We have about 5 million hosts globally, and a typical host here in the United States makes their home available 41 times a year and makes on average $6,100 a year," he said. "I've yet to see a program being run by any mayor, any elected official in this time of economic inequality that's generating $6,100 for a typical middle-class family. All without the expenditure of a single taxpayer dollar," he told CNBC. "That is what Airbnb is about at its core. Trying to use technology to create economic empowerment."

It's really important to those hosts, it's important to their economic model. Chris Lehane head of global policy, Airbnb

Miami Beach has a long history with short-term rentals, he said, suggesting the practice should be allowed in the part of the city zoned for commercial use. "I think what seems to me that would be a common sense solution for Miami Beach  happy to do this if they actually really want to sit down and have a constructive conversation  is you could take that 35 percent of the city that's a residential area, make that an exclusionary zone. Allow the activity to be able to take place in the 65 percent of the city that's actually explicitly zoned for this type of activity." Asked multiple times about the ongoing illegal Miami Beach listings on Airbnb, Lehane said, "the city council members themselves have talked about the fact that their law doesn't actually work particularly well, as you probably know. Twenty thousand dollar fines on someone making their home available a few times a year to actually help make ends meet?" In order to block the existing illegal properties on Airbnb, Lehane said, "that requires having to work with the city. Right? We don't have a lot of the information." He disagreed with city officials who blame Airbnb, saying "Miami Beach hasn't been willing to sit down and actually engage in a conversation."

Chris Lehane, Head of Global Policy at Airbnb. CNBC

The city's zoning map, publicly available, shows the areas in Miami Beach where short-term rentals are clearly allowed and prohibited. Lehane said about 1,000 of the 5,000 hosts in Miami Beach are doing short-rentals on a full-time basis. "So Miami Beach is certainly not part of our economic model in terms of its impact on us," he said. "What it is, it's really important to those hosts, it's important to their economic model." Airbnb provided a list of 52 metropolitan areas ranked by the number of guest arrivals. Miami Beach ranked 18 on the list, and had 1.9 percent share of the total visits for that grouping. The Miami region was listed as the platform's eighth most popular city for 2018. Lehane blamed the influential hotel industry in Miami Beach and around the country for blocking the company's attempts to work with city officials. He said Airbnb has completed more than 400 partnerships around the world, including working with Los Angeles on proposed restrictions to book a short-term rental. "Miami Beach, up to this point in time, has just not had a serious desire to really want to engage on this, because at the end of the day, as the information that has come out reveals, they're effectively working hand in glove with the hotel industry, which is incredibly powerful. And a hotel industry that really doesn't want to see everyday people to be able to use their homes to make extra money." In a statement to CNBC, Katherine Lugar, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, said, "Airbnb's illegal hotels are a growing problem in communities across the country, flaunting basic safety and security standards, zoning rules and taxes while also pushing affordable housing options further out of reach." "Instead of supporting common-sense regulations, Airbnb has opted to deploy a massive obstruction campaign of dirty tactics, deceptive messaging and personal attacks against anyone who raises a concern." Her statement said that "mayors and state legislators across the country are standing up to Airbnb and taking issue with Airbnb's bullying, and the endless stream of Airbnb horror stories in the news."

Booking.com incident

Booking.com, which says Miami Beach is the sixth most booked U.S. destination for domestic and international guests, told CNBC it takes swift action against any host that violates its policy. For example, during the ride-along in Miami Beach, Maharaj told a young couple who made reservations via Booking.com that the apartment was in the prohibited zone. The guests immediately alerted Booking.com, which moved them to another location. The guests told CNBC they were originally booked at a different South Beach address, but informed via email shortly before their vacation to show up at an address in the prohibited zone. "Upon finding out what this apartment owner did, which is certainly a violation of our terms and how we agree to work with properties, we have removed his property from the Booking.com website because ... we take this very seriously and always work with governments," said Leslie Cafferty, head of global communications at Booking.com.

Party houses in the Hollywood Hills

While Miami Beach targets tourist rentals in prohibited zones, for years a different issue has plagued Los Angeles: raucous parties in mega homes in the Hollywood Hills and other sections of the city. Short-term rentals are illegal in Los Angeles for less than 30 days in areas zoned as single-family residential neighborhoods. But that hasn't stopped homes from being rented for party nights.

Our neighborhoods have become de facto nightclubs. Estevan Montemayor communications director, City of Los Angeles

In February, the City Council approved an ordinance imposing steep escalating fines on both homeowners and renters who have large parties that disturb neighbors. Violators can face fines of up to $8,000. The City Council also gave preliminary approval to a new ordinance in May that limits the number of days a host can rent to 120 days a year. Qualified hosts can be exempted from the cap. Only primary homeowners can list their properties for short-term rentals under the new restrictions. Final approval won't happen for another several months. "Overall we wanted to preserve our housing stock, we wanted to get bad actors out of the way, and control party homes that are primarily used for just house parties," said Los Angeles Councilman Jose Huizar, who chairs the planning and land use management committee. Lehane said Airbnb has worked with city officials to devise a law that makes sense. "And I think that's an example of the type of partnership and deals and relationships that we have done all over the world," Lehane said. Nevertheless, Cory Palka, senior captain of the Los Angeles Police Department, Hollywood division, said disturbances caused by short-term rentals are "probably next to homelessness, one of our biggest challenges in Hollywood." "Neighbors are furious that this has gotten so wildly out of control that it impedes their ability to have a normal lifestyle here," Palka said. Deputy City Attorney Steve Houchin has filed public nuisance civil charges against four Hollywood Hills homeowners since October. Two of these four locations are still listed on Airbnb. CNBC found another Hollywood Hills home listed on Airbnb as "LA's premier recording studio and creative space." Listed at $3,300 a night, the home is equipped with an in-house recording studio, an eight-seat reclining chair movie theater, and a heated pool and hot tub. High-profile celebrities such as rapper Flo Rida are featured posing on the home's Instagram page, which is known as "House Thirty Three."

House Thirty Three, a Hollywood Hills home and recording studio listed on Airbnb. Airbnb

"I've never heard anything this loud," said Natasha Ward, a longtime Hollywood Hills resident who lives on the street just below House Thirty Three. "It's like being at a concert." There are noisy parties one or two times a month, Ward said. Large cars and vans that arrive full of people "gridlock" the narrow road leading up to the house, according to Ward. Police records show 17 patrol calls to the home since the beginning of 2017. Ten of the calls were for minor disturbance parties and two were classified as group disturbances. "That is an incredible amount of calls for service," said Benjamin Thompson, LAPD Hollywood division senior lead officer. "It's incredibly indicative of the misuse of the kind of public safety danger that is being cultivated at the property." Martin Gray, who said he manages the home's recording studio and listed it on Airbnb, described the property as "not really a traditional Airbnb" and as more of a place "built to accommodate artists and record labels." Gray told CNBC he first listed House Thirty Three on Airbnb in January and that there have been a few short-term rentals booked through the platform. Record labels booked the home for March and April and did not use Airbnb to reserve it. "A lot of the Airbnb stuff was just daily rates," Gray said. When CNBC informed Gray that short-term rentals at this Los Angeles address are illegal, Gray said he was surprised and did not know about the prohibition. He said he was unaware of the police calls to the home. The property's owner did not respond to a request for comment. "Our neighborhoods have become de facto nightclubs," Estevan Montemayor, the city's communications director, said. "And that's not what they were built for, what they're meant to be."

Shots ring out

Further north in the San Francisco Bay Area, an incident in April illustrates the clash between residential peace and quiet and the nightmare next door. Paul Larson, who lives in Millbrae, didn't mind when he first heard the house next door was being rented through Airbnb. But then came the loud parties and the fears for his own safety. In the early morning of April 22, a party with dozens, possibly hundreds, of partygoers culminated in eight loud gunshots. "It sounded like they were coming from right outside the wall and it really spooked me," Larson said of the gunfire. "I could hear commotion, I could hear yelling, I could hear scurrying." CNBC obtained surveillance footage captured on Larson's video security system of the private road leading up to the Airbnb house. The videos show guests entering and exiting throughout the day and into the next morning, as well as the gunfire and subsequent commotion. Police are seen walking and driving past the surveillance camera in the hours before and after the gunshots rang out. "Nobody from Airbnb has reached out to me or any of the neighbors to apologize," Larson said, saying it's a source of frustration. He said he reached out to the Airbnb unit host hours before the gunfire. The host tried contacting Airbnb to voice her concern several times, but kept getting put on hold and never received a response, according to Larson.



"The chance of this happening under just normal circumstances if it was not an Airbnb is basically nil," Larson said. "It's all because of the Airbnb." In a statement to the mayor, vice mayor and Millbrae City Council, Airbnb said: "We have zero tolerance for this type of behavior and upon learning of this incident, we permanently banned this guest from our platform and suspended the listing. Additionally, we are reaching out to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office to offer our assistance."

Other cities crack down

New York City, which Airbnb lists as its top destination for guests, has some of the tightest restrictions on short-term rentals in the country. It is illegal to rent out an entire residence for less than 30 days in New York City. Short-term rentals are permitted only if the homeowner is also staying there throughout the rental period and there are no more than two renters. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law in 2016 making it illegal to advertise occupancy for short-term rentals in buildings with three or more units. Violators are subject to fines up to $7,500. But CNBC easily found what appear to be illegal listings on Airbnb in New York. Wachsmuth was one of the authors of a 2018 report that analyzed Airbnb activity in New York City. The study, titled "The High Cost of Short-Term Rentals in New York," found that 45 percent of all New York Airbnb reservations last year were illegal and two-thirds of revenue is from likely illegal listings. The report was funded by the Hotel Trades Council, which Airbnb says makes the findings questionable.

David Wacshmuth, a McGill University assistant professor who has researched Airbnb around the world. CNBC

"I've been doing research on Airbnb for years now," Wachsmuth said. "And the vast majority of that is independent, university research. And the fact of the matter is that everybody who studies this, almost without exception, comes to very similar conclusions." "Cities all across the world are cracking down because they see the same facts that we see. And those are the facts, although they happen to be inconvenient for Airbnb," he said. Airbnb faulted the data collection and methodology used to compile the report calling it "deeply flawed and inaccurate." In 2017, New York doubled its number of inspections of potentially illegal short-term rentals, said Christian Klossner, executive director of the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement. "The city has dedicated a significant number of resources, we're ramping up enforcements," he said.

Court battles

Regulatory efforts in other cities have wound up in court.



Last year, Airbnb and HomeAway, reached a settlement with San Francisco, in which the companies agreed to enforce regulations from 2014 that require hosts to be registered. The companies also will collect data from people who list their units for under 30 days, information San Francisco can use when determining who can register.



The goal of the agreement was to limit the number of "commercial de facto year-round hotels," said Omar Masry, senior analyst at the San Francisco Office of Short-Term Rental Administration and Enforcement.



"We tend to see a strong correlation with quality-of-life issues, noise and parties," Masry said about commercially operated listings. He added, they "rarely see this with short-term rentals playing by the rules."



Since the rules went into effect last September, he said the number of listings has dropped from around 10,000 to 4,000. The city has been working closely with Airbnb to identify illegal listings and remove them from their platform.



"We've seen a massive reduction in illegal listings including many folks who we had seen operating ... high-volume short-term rentals across the city," he said.

Commercialized operators

While Airbnb points to scores of hosts who earn extra income from short-term rentals, CNBC found companies around the country who have rented properties from landlords and turned them into Airbnbs. For example, the New York short-term rental report found that the top 10 percent of hosts earned 48 percent of all revenue in 2017, while the bottom 80 percent earned just 32 percent.

Luggage in Miami Beach, a popular short-term rental destination. CNBCUsername: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 4 Vote(s) - 2 Average

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Page: 1 2 George Washington Was a British Spy LoP Guest

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05-24-2018 02:26 AM











Post: #1 George Washington Was a British Spy

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During George Washington's presidency, he imposed the Whisky tax and killed and imprisoned those who opposed it. He lead an army of around 13,000 into battle against a few hundred farmers.



AMERICA WAS NEVER FREE.



George Washington was a blood relative of the British king. The American Independence war was triggered by the British tea tax.During George Washington's presidency, he imposed the Whisky tax and killed and imprisoned those who opposed it. He lead an army of around 13,000 into battle against a few hundred farmers.AMERICA WAS NEVER FREE.George Washington was a blood relative of the British king. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 435843

05-24-2018 02:28 AM











Post: #2 RE: George Washington Was a British Spy

I forgot to mention the fact that the British had already been rebelled against in other countries before America, the British needed a new tactic to remain in control even if they lost the war. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 442441

05-24-2018 02:35 AM











Post: #3 RE: George Washington Was a British Spy

LoP Guest Wrote: (05-24-2018 02:28 AM) I forgot to mention the fact that the British had already been rebelled against in other countries before America, the British needed a new tactic to remain in control even if they lost the war.

Britain chose India ! Britain chose India ! RiskyRob

( Lop V.I.P.)

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05-24-2018 02:45 AM



Posts: 8,137









Post: #4 RE: George Washington Was a British Spy

Link or you stink.



1. Source as to how the American General that defeated the British was actually a British spy. If you really just made it up, ask the mods to close this thread, and then apologize and get off the internet for ever.  Ascended Master itsuitsthewest

There's something aboot the Canadians

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05-24-2018 02:57 AM



Posts: 962









Post: #5 RE: George Washington Was a British Spy

LoP Guest Wrote: (05-24-2018 02:26 AM) The American Independence war was triggered by the British tea tax.



During George Washington's presidency, he imposed the Whisky tax and killed and imprisoned those who opposed it. He lead an army of around 13,000 into battle against a few hundred farmers.



AMERICA WAS NEVER FREE.



George Washington was a blood relative of the British king.

Oh stop whining, we could have set up shop there when we made the place, it just seemed a bit too much of an effort.



And you ended up with the better weather! Six of one.....half a dozen of the other. Oh stop whining, we could have set up shop there when we made the place, it just seemed a bit too much of an effort.And you ended up with the better weather! Six of one.....half a dozen of the other. So why is there only 1 anti-monopoly commission eh? LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 442445

05-24-2018 03:00 AM











Post: #6 RE: George Washington Was a British Spy

LoP Guest Wrote: (05-24-2018 02:26 AM) The American Independence war was triggered by the British tea tax.



During George Washington's presidency, he imposed the Whisky tax and killed and imprisoned those who opposed it. He lead an army of around 13,000 into battle against a few hundred farmers.



AMERICA WAS NEVER FREE.



George Washington was a blood relative of the British king.

Yes, very true, also Alexander Hamilton helped the Rothschild setup banking for the Pope and British King

All of Washington D.C. is run by the Globalist, British Royalty, and the Vatican Roman Emperor (AKA the Pope)

The Washington Monument (obelisk) is to show who rules over Washington

Washington was known as Rome before it was Washington D.C.

Majority of politicians and lawyers attended Jesuit Schools or ivy league prep schools with focus on roman law, maritime, and case law



Philly was the original home of the Founding Fathers and the Sons of Liberty that fought the British and the Roman Emperor at that time



Not the Roman city-state of Washington D.C.



Just read the Treaty of Pairs that ended the Revolutionary War against the British Yes, very true, also Alexander Hamilton helped the Rothschild setup banking for the Pope and British KingAll of Washington D.C. is run by the Globalist, British Royalty, and the Vatican Roman Emperor (AKA the Pope)The Washington Monument (obelisk) is to show who rules over WashingtonWashington was known as Rome before it was Washington D.C.Majority of politicians and lawyers attended Jesuit Schools or ivy league prep schools with focus on roman law, maritime, and case lawthat fought the British and the Roman Emperor at that timeNot the Roman city-state of Washington D.C.Just read the Treaty of Pairs that ended the Revolutionary War against the British itsuitsthewest

There's something aboot the Canadians

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05-24-2018 03:05 AM



Posts: 962









Post: #7 RE: George Washington Was a British Spy

Don't give yourself away so blooming early. ;) So why is there only 1 anti-monopoly commission eh? Danger Dan

dangerous freedom not safe slavery

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05-24-2018 03:09 AM



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Post: #8 RE: George Washington Was a British Spy

:okfucktard: RiskyRob

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05-24-2018 03:10 AM



Posts: 8,137









Post: #9 RE: George Washington Was a British Spy

Mods: deceptive title and no source to back up this insult to George Washington.  Ascended Master LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 442445

05-24-2018 03:19 AM











Post: #10 RE: George Washington Was a British Spy

LoP Guest Wrote: (05-24-2018 03:00 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (05-24-2018 02:26 AM) The American Independence war was triggered by the British tea tax.



During George Washington's presidency, he imposed the Whisky tax and killed and imprisoned those who opposed it. He lead an army of around 13,000 into battle against a few hundred farmers.



AMERICA WAS NEVER FREE.



George Washington was a blood relative of the British king.

Yes, very true, also Alexander Hamilton helped the Rothschild setup banking for the Pope and British King

All of Washington D.C. is run by the Globalist, British Royalty, and the Vatican Roman Emperor (AKA the Pope)

The Washington Monument (obelisk) is to show who rules over Washington

Washington was known as Rome before it was Washington D.C.

Majority of politicians and lawyers attended Jesuit Schools or ivy league prep schools with focus on roman law, maritime, and case law



Philly was the original home of the Founding Fathers and the Sons of Liberty that fought the British and the Roman Emperor at that time



Not the Roman city-state of Washington D.C.



Just read the Treaty of Pairs that ended the Revolutionary War against the British

Sorry, misspelled that, it was



The Treaty of Paris, signed in Paris by representatives of King George III of Great Britain and representatives of the United States of America on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Paris_(1783)



but the British really did not agree to this, never showed up for the painting







The majority of your presidents are related to British Royalty or Black Nobility to run the United States Corporation for the British Royalty/Vatican, The Crown, aka the Globalist



Sorry, Trump fans, they all are in on it, they marry each other at the top



All politics is a show/stage in Washington D.C. for people to think that they are being represented so they do not revolt.



Right vs Left, Democrat vs Republican, its all divide and conquer of the sheeple... to keep your focus off the super rich that are over taxing you and keeping you working slave hours so they can live the good life



The Deep State is the royalty and nobility of Europe, they are the ones that control the Federal Reserve and global banking out of Switzerland, aka Bank for International Settlements



They started all the globalist organizations: Club of Rome, Council on Foreign Relations, IMF, World Bank, EU, NATO, UN, Freemasonry, Knights of Malta, Order of the Garter, Pilgrim Society, Jesuit Orders etc



They been slowly enslaving the populace with heavy taxation and taking your rights away one by one



The Sons of Liberty believed in taxation with consent, meaning voluntary, because forceful taxation was consider slavery by a King or State Power Sorry, misspelled that, it wasbut the British really did not agree to this, never showed up for the paintingto run the United States Corporation for the British Royalty/Vatican, The Crown, aka the GlobalistSorry, Trump fans, they all are in on it, they marry each other at the topAll politics is a show/stage in Washington D.C. for people to think that they are being represented so they do not revolt.Right vs Left, Democrat vs Republican, its all divide and conquer of the sheeple... to keep your focus off the super rich that are over taxing you and keeping you working slave hours so they can live the good lifeThe Deep State is the royalty and nobility of Europe, they are the ones that control the Federal Reserve and global banking out of Switzerland, aka Bank for International SettlementsThey started all the globalist organizations: Club of Rome, Council on Foreign Relations, IMF, World Bank, EU, NATO, UN, Freemasonry, Knights of Malta, Order of the Garter, Pilgrim Society, Jesuit Orders etcThey been slowly enslaving the populace with heavy taxation and taking your rights away one by oneThe Sons of Liberty believed in taxation with consent, meaning voluntary, because forceful taxation was consider slavery by a King or State Power LoP Guest

lop guest

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05-24-2018 03:47 AM











Post: #11 RE: George Washington Was a British Spy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_Rebellion RiskyRob

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User ID: 442461

05-24-2018 04:42 AM



Posts: 8,137









Post: #12 RE: George Washington Was a British Spy

LoP Guest Wrote: (05-24-2018 03:47 AM) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_Rebellion

We all know about The Whiskey Rebellion, but your title is nonsense . This site has too many bogus threads. We all know about The Whiskey Rebellion, but your title is nonsense . This site has too many bogus threads.  Ascended Master LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 442465

05-24-2018 04:42 AM











Post: #13 RE: George Washington Was a British Spy

LoP Guest Wrote: (05-24-2018 02:26 AM) The American Independence war was triggered by the British tea tax.



During George Washington's presidency, he imposed the Whisky tax and killed and imprisoned those who opposed it. He lead an army of around 13,000 into battle against a few hundred farmers.



AMERICA WAS NEVER FREE.



George Washington was a blood relative of the British king.

Welcome to the real world. The American War of Independence was a scam to give the USA autonomy while at the same time being controlled by Britain as its military arm. Welcome to the real world. The American War of Independence was a scam to give the USA autonomy while at the same time being controlled by Britain as its military arm. ABCDEF_Jesus

Dominios Pizza

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05-24-2018 05:22 AM



Posts: 3,332









Post: #14 RE: George Washington Was a British Spy

RiskyRob Wrote: (05-24-2018 04:42 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (05-24-2018 03:47 AM) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_Rebellion

We all know about The Whiskey Rebellion, but your title is nonsense . This site has too many bogus threads.

Brittish shill Brittish shill RiskyRob

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05-24-2018 05:41 AM



Posts: 8,137









Post: #15 RE: George Washington Was a British Spy

ABCDEF_Jesus Wrote: (05-24-2018 05:22 AM) RiskyRob Wrote: (05-24-2018 04:42 AM) We all know about The Whiskey Rebellion, but your title is nonsense . This site has too many bogus threads.

Brittish shill

You dumb f*ck. You can't even SPELL British! You're added to my ever growing ignore list. You dumb f*ck. You can't evenBritish! You're added to my ever growing ignore list.  Ascended Master Advertisement

















Actor and noted tech investor Ashton Kutcher surprised Ellen DeGeneres on Wednesday with a large donation to the talk show host's wildlife charity on behalf of cryptocurrency startup Ripple.

The twist? The $4 million that Kutcher and his business partner, Guy Oseary, presented to The Ellen DeGeneres Wildlife Fund comes in the form of Ripple's XRP coin  currently third most-valuable cryptocurrency on the market, behind Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Kutcher surprised DeGeneres with the donation, on behalf of Ripple, live on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on NBC.

"You're always thinking about everyone else," Kutcher told DeGeneres. "We wanted to show you that people are thinking about you."

Kutcher joked that, typically, such a large donation might be accompanied by a "big, giant check," but the actor instead had DeGeneres push a button on his phone that transferred millions of dollars worth of the cryptocurrency to the charity instantly.

Kutcher and Oseary (a friend of DeGeneres' who is a talent manager for acts like Madonna and U2) are invested in Ripple through their tech investment fund, Sound Ventures. The fund has also invested in tech startups such as cloud-based business software company Zenefits, while Kutcher himself was also an early backer of major startups like Airbnb and Uber.

Here's what you need to know about Ripple and XRP.

"Ripple is basically a platform to allow people to transfer money from bank account to bank account, person to person, really securely, really simply, really quickly," said Kutcher, a noted fan of the blockchain technology that supports cryptocurrency, while describing what Ripple does on DeGeneres' show.

First released in 2012, San Francisco-based Ripple's XRP is a digital currency that users on the company's network use to perform global transactions. Ripple bills itself as a platform where banks and other global financial institutions can make fast and secure financial payments using XRP.Bitcoin has held up relatively well this week despite negative headlines about regulatory crackdowns.

For analysts with a long-term view, that price action fits with their thesis that increased scrutiny will shake out the bad actors and make the markets healthy enough for institutions to invest.

"In the long run this is WILDLY bullish," Brian Kelly, a CNBC contributor and head of BKCM, said in a note to clients Thursday. "If the DoJ and CFTC feel as though they have 'cleaned' up the market, then it paves the way for a U.S. Physically backed Bitcoin ETF, and brings in institutional investors."

Bitcoin briefly hit a six-week low of $7,272 on Thursday morning after Bloomberg reported the U.S. Department of Justice opened a criminal probe into whether traders are manipulating the price of cryptocurrencies. The report, citing sources, said the Commodity Futures Trading Commission was assisting in the investigation.

However, bitcoin soon recovered its losses for the day and was trading near $7,570 in the afternoon, down just 8 percent since Friday. The CFTC, which oversees bitcoin futures, declined to comment, as did the Justice Department.

"I have not seen any evidence of price manipulation in bitcoin markets, but am certainly in favor of increased oversight, as it can only help to instill further confidence in the crypto markets," said Joe DiPasquale, founder and CEO of BitBull Capital, a cryptofund that invests in other cryptofunds.A start-up called Bowery Farming is putting an urban twist on agriculture, raising leafy greens and herbs in a high-tech warehouse a few miles outside of New York City, and celebrity chefs are starting to invest.

Using a mix of software, cameras, lights and robotics, Bowery can control precisely how plants grow. CEO and co-founder Irving Fain says chefs love the company's systems because they allow Bowery to make customized ingredients for them, giving kale a softer leaf or arugula a more peppery taste, for example.

According to Fain, 1 square foot within one of these indoor farms is 100 times more productive than 1 square foot of arable land.

CNBC took a look inside of the company's first farm in New Jersey with investor and celebrity chef Carla Hall, who is the Emmy-winning co-host of "The Chew" on ABC. "I visited the farm and tasted the food," she said. "It moved from a concept and an idea that is sustainable to deliciousness."The market thought that President Donald Trump would do everything to make the U.S. summit with North Korea work, but that didn't happen, closely followed trader Art Cashin said Thursday.

"You saw a rally when it looked like everyone was getting along," said Cashin, UBS director of floor operations at the New York Stock Exchange. "The assumption was that the president wanted very much to have this meeting. He was going to bend over backwards to get the support of [Chinese President] Xi to work on Kim."

Instead, stocks fell intraday Thursday, with the Dow at one point slumping more than 180 points, after Trump announced that he had canceled the Singapore summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that was scheduled for next month.

Cashin told "Squawk on the Street" that the market could come off its lows because investors may realize that Trump's cancellation of the meeting with North Korea is part of the president's 'Art of the Deal' approach.

The markets' decline on Thursday is also due to the Commerce Department's investigation into whether the surge in automobile imports threatens to "impair" national security by "weakening" the U.S. economy, Cashin said.

"We're back to nose to nose on warfare negotiations and certainly nose to nose on trade policy," Cashin said, adding the Trump administration has had "enormous swings" in its stances on certain issues.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Thursday defended his department's investigation.

Ross said in a "Squawk Box" interview that "national security is broadly defined," adding, "economic security is military security; and without economic security, you can't have military security."

Toyota's U.S.-traded shares were lower on the news, while domestic auto stocks were mixed.Chipotle Mexican Grill is systematically adding drive-thru lanes to some of its new locations, but you won't be able to place an order at any of them. The burrito chain has dealt with a very public three-year-long sales slump that crippled its stock price. To revitalize its sales and encourage diners to return, the brand has implemented strategies like digital ordering, delivery and adding new menu items that it hasn't pursued aggressively in the past. Drive-thru windows are cropping up at Chipotle restaurants across the country, allowing customers the option of staying in their cars to get their burritos and bowls. However, these drive-thrus are a little different from the typical fast food order and pick-up lane. Here customers don't order their food through a microphone, they do it ahead of time through Chipotle's app or an online form. Diners are provided with a pick-up time once they place their order and can drive through the mobile order lane to grab their meal without having to go inside the store. "[CEO] Brian [Niccol] has said very well that Chipotle has this huge opportunity ahead of us as it relates to access," Curt Garner, chief digital and information officer at Chipotle, told CNBC. "We still only have 2,500 locations. There are plenty of places and occasions for us to continue to grow into. But as we've looked at access, we've also looked at it in terms of different restaurant formats and these mobile drive-thru pick-up restaurants are part of that." So far, Chipotle has five of these locations in the U.S. There are two stores in Ohio, and single stores in Tennessee, Texas and Massachusetts. But more are coming. "As we are looking at our real estate pipeline, part of the criteria that has been introduced is to understand how many of those sites might lend themselves to that experience, even if we don't open them immediately with [the mobile lane] enabled," he said. In Virginia, a new Chipotle outfitted with this mobile pick-up lane is expected to open by the end of the year, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC.

Convenience is king

"The idea of having a mobile pick-up station or a dedicated lane makes a lot of sense because anything that makes it more convenient for the guest has been proven to drive sales," Peter Saleh, analyst at BTIG, told CNBC. For many Chipotle customers who have sampled the restaurant's menu and have a go-to order, the experience of walking down the line and picking out burrito toppings is no longer an amenity, but an obstacle, Garner said. For these diners, it is more convenient to place an order via an app or website and stroll in or drive by to pick it up. Digital orders typically take about 12 minutes to be filled, Garner said. Although, those who use the app can order a meal hours in advance, selecting the specific time they want to pick it up when they place their order. Garner said Chipotle receives thousands of digital orders before its restaurants even open as people reserve a lunchtime slot to come in and grab their burritos and bowls. To meet this demand, Chipotle has installed second food lines in the back of all but about 100 of its stores. These lines are manned by two employees, instead of the typical five to seven that a front line would have and are situated near the grill. The line is about 8 feet long and 2.5 feet wide with heated shelves and an area for food storage. "The second 'make' line is one of the aspects of Chipotle that I think is a really significant competitive advantage as it relates to digital, Garner said. "One of the problems that companies have struggled with for a long time is having digital orders or any sort of out-of-store order come in and interrupt the flow on the main line that is servicing customers in person."

Chipotle, in adding these mobile order lanes, will have to ensure that it can get customers through the line quickly and that the food will be hot when it is picked up. "Convenience is king," David Henkes, managing partner at Technomic, told CNBC. "The challenge is in logistics. If you don't do it well, you are going to essentially turn off more customers than you are bringing in." For Chipotle, that means adding things like dedicated parking spaces for mobile users who arrive before their order is prepared and texting customers when the meal is ready to be picked up.

Invisible demand

At Chipotle, mobile orders have created a new problem for kitchen mangers  invisible demand. "You have to be able to have a balance," Daniel Bendas, managing partner at Synergy Consultants, which worked with Dunkin' in designing its mobile lane, told CNBC. "You can get as many orders as fast as you want, but you have to build the capacity in the kitchen to handle it ... the back of house has to predict volumes." Dunkin' Donuts opened a mobile order pick-up lane in February at its Quincy, Massachusetts, location. Normally, kitchen managers man the grill, cooking up chicken and rice based on the line that forms behind the counter. However, when the orders come from people who aren't in the building, managers have to rely on data to know how much food to prep during different times of day. Another pressure point that Chipotle has encountered is that peak hours for mobile orders don't always align with peak hours in-store. While some of these digital orders will come in during the lunch or dinner rush, folks who are ordering online often order later in the evening or heavily on the weekends. So, Chipotle has had to staff its restaurants differently to meet this new demand.

The digital dilemmaOn CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Thursday, Kurtz told Andrew Ross Sorkin that while there are no current plans in the works, there is a very real possibility that a company such as Amazon or Google could ultimately buy its cloud-delivered endpoint security capability, which is powered by artificial intelligence, and make it part of their stack.

Whether or not Crowdstrike's cloud-based endpoint security platform will be snatched up by Google, Microsoft, or Amazon remains to be seen, but its co-founder and CEO George Kurtz said "it certainly could be."

"They continue to partner with folks like us who specialize in this, and I think that's what a lot of the larger companies have done. They are focused on the infrastructure and making it all work, and they look to companies like Crowdstrike." Amazon, he said, "is a big partner. We actually supply some of the intelligence for some of the services behind Amazon, which is their GuardDuty service, so its worked out quite well so far."

At No. 27, this is Crowdstrike's second year to make the CNBC Disruptor 50, an annual list of the top 50 companies whose innovations are changing the world. Its next-generation technology, services delivery and intelligence continues to disrupt the multibillion-dollar cybersecurity industry.

The company's platform, named Falcon, enables it to identify what are called active indicators of attack in order to detect and curtail malicious activity before a breach actually happens. "Essentially, we're protecting the endpoint computer  a desktop or a server. We're delivering it from the cloud, so a lot of the heavy lifting and all of the algorithms are in the cloud, but we have a small lightweight piece of software, an agent that runs on every machine, whether it's a desktop or a server.

Kurtz and Dmitri Alperovitch, both former McAfee executives, launched the company in 2011, and it has been experiencing massive growth ever since, with a nearly 300 percent increase in deployments worldwide in the past year. "We continue to double in size every year in terms of revenue, head count, geographic expansion," Kurtz said.

Crowdstrike's customers include ADP, Shutterstock, Sony and the state of Wyoming, to name a few.

Yet one place Crowdstrike has no plans to expand to is China, he told CNBC. "We've done really well not being in China," he said. "In terms of overall opportunity, even the large public antivirus companies don't do that much in China, because of the companies that are actually based there."

The company has raised $281 million from investors, such as Accel Partners, Google Capital and Warburg Pincus.

More from CNBC Disruptor 50:

How Uber, Airbnb and other star start-ups scale up for success

Rent the Runway CEO: People should think about their closets like stock portfolios

This 23-year-old CEO is building the 'eyes' for self-driving cars near Florida's Space CoastDelta Air Lines will fly nonstop from the U.S. to India for the first time in a decade, a decision the airline said was due to recent agreements over three of its Middle Eastern rivals' practices.

The flights will begin next year and either depart from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport or Delta's home base at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, but the airline has not made a final decision.

Delta's announcement came after agreements this year appeared to put to rest a bitter, years-long dispute with three Persian Gulf airlines  Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad  which U.S. airlines said received government subsidies making it impossible for the U.S. carriers to compete in certain markets.Boring Candy

Flamethrowers

Musk announced in December that his Boring transportation company would start selling flamethrowers. The Boring-branded gadgets were an encore to the company's signature hats  and a little closer to blow torches.

The company sold 20,000 units  or $10 million worth  in just five days.

100 days to build the world's biggest battery

Underground Hyperloop

Reusable rockets

Musk founded SpaceX to establish a human colony on Mars but along the way he set a company goal to reduce the cost and time it takes to reach space. The company has achieved a myriad of milestones since its founding but reuse was only realized in the last few years. In December 2015, SpaceX took a first massive step towards reusability when it became the first company to land part of an orbital rocket. Just over a year later, SpaceX took another giant step, by launching and landing a Falcon 9 rocket it launched and landed once before.Weak economic data and uncertainty in Italy have put European markets on track for their first weekly decline since March. One market watcher says investors should be wary here.

"The flashing light is still very much yellow and investors should take caution as far as European equities go," Boris Schlossberg, managing director of FX Strategy at BK Asset Management, told CNBC's "Trading Nation" on Wednesday.

A key metric on the euro zone economy, the region's PMI index, declined to an 18-month low in May, while growth in Germany's private sector came in at its slowest rate in 20 months. On top of that, Italy's new prime minister and populist government have raised the risk of conflict with the European Union over sovereign debt and immigration issues.

"All of this stuff I think is making investors incredibly uneasy about this situation in Europe," said Schlossberg.

The Europe Stoxx 600 was lower Thursday. A day earlier, disappointing data and continued unease over political change in Italy prompted a larger sell-off in European equities and the Europe Stoxx 600 index closed with its worst drop in two months.

Michael Bapis, partner and managing director at the Bapis Group at HighTower Advisors, has a sunnier outlook on the European economy and equities.

"They had the best economic growth in a decade last year and that hasn't gone away," Bapis said on Wednesday's "Trading Nation." "It's a global economy, the profits in the U.S. have shot up like a rocket ship, and we think European profits are going to follow."

The euro zone economy rose by 2.5 percent in 2017, according to FactSet data. The U.S. economy grew by 2.3 percent last year.

Companies in the Europe Stoxx 600 index are expected to post nearly 10 percent earnings growth this year, while companies are forecast for more than 20 percent growth, according to FactSet estimates.

"We would buy on this dip," said Bapis. "It's down significantly from the highs and so we would own it, we would allocate to it and longer term the U.S. rotation will happen and we'll move towards Europe."

The Stoxx 600 index is up 0.4 percent for the year so far, while the S&P 500 has risen 1.7 percent.European markets closed lower on Thursday afternoon after President Donald Trump said he had canceled a Singapore summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed more than 0.5 percent lower after trading flat for much of the session.

Trump said he had written a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un saying that their planned summit next month was canceled. The meeting, which would have marked the first face-to-face encounter between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader, was set for June 12 in the southeastern Asian island city state.

Europe's autos stocks led the losses, down more than 1.8 percent following an announcement from the U.S. that it plans to investigate whether an "abuse of trade tactics" in cars could harm the world's largest economy. The surprise move appeared to exacerbate fears of fresh global charges. Porsche, Daimler and BMW were 3.02, 2.77 and 1.69 percent lower respectively.

Food & Beverages stocks were the top performers Thursday, up 0.83 percent.



Looking at individual stocks, Electrocomponents soared to the top of index as it reported a 32 percent rise in full-year pre-tax profits on Thursday. The London-listed stock also announced it had reached an agreement to acquire outsourcing firm IESA for around 88 million ($117.5 million). Shares of Electrocomponents were over 16 percent higher.

Swiss food company Aryzta slumped to the bottom of the European benchmark amid earnings news. The firm reported a 17 percent drop in third-quarter revenues on Thursday and slashed its earnings outlook for the second time this fiscal year. Its shares were more than 26 percent lower.

Meanwhile, adding to souring investor sentiment, Trump said Wednesday that an ongoing trade dispute between Washington and Beijing would need "a different structure." In response, China's Commerce Ministry said Thursday it had not promised to slash its trade surplus with the U.S. by a specific figure.Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 2 Vote(s) - 3 Average

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Page: 1 2 North Korea 'blows up its nuclear test site' LukeRaynott

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05-24-2018 01:44 PM



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Post: #1 North Korea 'blows up its nuclear test site'

Advertisement



It is not known to what extent the northeastern Punggye-ri facility has been demolished, but foreign journalists invited to witness the destruction described a series of 'huge explosions'. The explosions at the nuclear test site deep in the mountains of the North's sparsely populated northeast were reportedly centered on three tunnels into the underground site and a number of observation towers in the surrounding area.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...hours.html



North Korea has dismantled its nuclear test site, in a planned move portrayed by the isolated regime as a goodwill gesture ahead of a potential summit next month with the US.It is not known to what extent the northeastern Punggye-ri facility has been demolished, but foreign journalists invited to witness the destruction described a series of 'huge explosions'. The explosions at the nuclear test site deep in the mountains of the North's sparsely populated northeast were reportedly centered on three tunnels into the underground site and a number of observation towers in the surrounding area. LoP Guest

lop guest

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05-24-2018 02:51 PM











Post: #2 RE: North Korea 'blows up its nuclear test site'

Yes, but they'd already done it and unintentionally at that. PioneerSpirit

Registered User

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05-24-2018 02:51 PM



Posts: 15,196









Post: #3 RE: North Korea 'blows up its nuclear test site'

Pfffft ... it had already collapsed on it's own weeks ago.

This wasn't a good will gesture.

The site was already totaled out. "They notice that you notice" - Mothman Prophecies



A tradition cannot make an historical claim and then refuse to have it evaluated by history general mishka

lop guest

User ID: 441771

05-24-2018 02:54 PM











Post: #4 RE: North Korea 'blows up its nuclear test site'

What message are we sending when an ignored country threatens to nuke Hawaii, and now they get all the attention and financial carrots they want lil bird

Registered User

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05-24-2018 03:42 PM



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Post: #5 RE: North Korea 'blows up its nuclear test site'

oh okay "Music, as far as I have seen in the world so far, is the only real magic that I know." TP LopDude

 Warning level 1200% 

User ID: 439014

05-24-2018 06:14 PM



Posts: 19,807









Post: #6 RE: North Korea 'blows up its nuclear test site'

good on him for dismantling them, but still dont trust his so called "good intentions" this could all be some kind of trickery Let us honor the Lop fallen-never forget them Let us honor the Lop fallen-never forget them LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 441641

05-24-2018 06:51 PM











Post: #7 RE: North Korea 'blows up its nuclear test site'

The whole summit was a trick by Trump, because America needs to have zero credibility at all times. Archangel

Michael

User ID: 441975

05-24-2018 07:04 PM



Posts: 14,103









Post: #8 RE: North Korea 'blows up its nuclear test site'

John Bolton, the known psychopath was sent to N. Korea to destroy Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un's good will and friendly intentions with his continual rudeness. President Trump, being nearly as rude as Mr. Bolton, has no manners or understanding of conflict resolution either.



That may be intentional, or it may be thru ignorance on behalf of President Trump.



John Bolton, however is a master of psychosis, as a servant of the Serpent of Zion who is Satan, has honed his skills over time, both in psychosis, and rudeness that insures the destruction of World Peace as we know it.



It is the Serpent of Zion who wants N. Korea, and all of Asia smashed to smithereens. President Trump and John Bolton are both it's willing servants. PioneerSpirit

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05-24-2018 07:41 PM



Posts: 15,196









Post: #9 RE: North Korea 'blows up its nuclear test site'

Archangel Wrote: (05-24-2018 07:04 PM) John Bolton, the known psychopath was sent to N. Korea to destroy Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un's good will and friendly intentions with his continual rudeness. Pfffft ...

Kim Jon-Un has no 'good will' nor 'friendly intentions'.

The millions sick and/or starving in North Korea can attest to that (those that are still alive).

And a delegation discussing facts instead of Jon-Uns rhetoric doesn't make them 'rude'. Pfffft ...Kim Jon-Un has no 'good will' nor 'friendly intentions'.The millions sick and/or starving in North Korea can attest to that (those that are still alive).And a delegation discussing facts instead of Jon-Uns rhetoric doesn't make them 'rude'. "They notice that you notice" - Mothman Prophecies



A tradition cannot make an historical claim and then refuse to have it evaluated by history LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 441641

05-24-2018 07:44 PM











Post: #10 RE: North Korea 'blows up its nuclear test site'

North Korea has the same choice that is given to Iran: Join the central banking system or be crushed by the gold old US of A.



North Korea is probably a neo-stalinist hellhole that we are told it is, but the only reason we are going after them is because they are outside the global governance system.



If you are anti-NWO, you shouldn't be so quick to want to see NK go down. Earthwolf82

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05-24-2018 07:46 PM



Posts: 28









Post: #11 RE: North Korea 'blows up its nuclear test site'

general mishka Wrote: (05-24-2018 02:54 PM) What message are we sending when an ignored country threatens to nuke Hawaii, and now they get all the attention and financial carrots they want

Same kind of message the US makes when it backpeddles and threatens. Same kind of message the US makes when it backpeddles and threatens. Right, left.. Wings on the same bird that crap on all of us (This post was last modified: 05-24-2018 07:51 PM by Earthwolf82 .) Archangel

Michael

User ID: 441975

05-24-2018 08:00 PM



Posts: 14,103









Post: #12 RE: North Korea 'blows up its nuclear test site'

PioneerSpirit Wrote: (05-24-2018 07:41 PM) Archangel Wrote: (05-24-2018 07:04 PM) John Bolton, the known psychopath was sent to N. Korea to destroy Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un's good will and friendly intentions with his continual rudeness. Pfffft ...

Kim Jon-Un has no 'good will' nor 'friendly intentions'.

The millions sick and/or starving in North Korea can attest to that (those that are still alive).

And a delegation discussing facts instead of Jon-Uns rhetoric doesn't make them 'rude'.

You have not interacted with Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un or his father for more than 20 years. I have. I will decide for myself the intentions and aspirations of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. You have not interacted with Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un or his father for more than 20 years. I have. I will decide for myself the intentions and aspirations of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 441829

05-24-2018 08:41 PM











Post: #13 RE: North Korea 'blows up its nuclear test site'

LoP Guest Wrote: (05-24-2018 02:51 PM) Yes, but they'd already done it and unintentionally at that.

PioneerSpirit

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05-24-2018 09:31 PM



Posts: 15,196









Post: #14 RE: North Korea 'blows up its nuclear test site'

Archangel Wrote: (05-24-2018 08:00 PM) PioneerSpirit Wrote: (05-24-2018 07:41 PM) Pfffft ...

Kim Jon-Un has no 'good will' nor 'friendly intentions'.

The millions sick and/or starving in North Korea can attest to that (those that are still alive).

And a delegation discussing facts instead of Jon-Uns rhetoric doesn't make them 'rude'.

You have not interacted with Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un or his father for more than 20 years. I have. I will decide for myself the intentions and aspirations of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un.

I don't believe you.

And lets pretend that your claim is true .. if you believe him then you are stupid.



Human Rights Watch North Korea Click Here



Quote: Under the rule of Kim Jong-Un, North Korea remains among the worlds most repressive countries. The government sharply curtails all basic liberties, including freedom of expression, religion and conscience, assembly, and association. It prohibits political opposition, independent media, civil society, or trade unions. A 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry found that the government committed gross, systematic and widespread rights abuses, including extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions, and other sexual violence. North Korea operates secretive prison camps where perceived opponents of the government are sent to face torture, starvation rations, and forced labor. Fear of collective punishment is used to silence dissent. I don't believe you.And lets pretend that your claim is true .. if you believe him then you are stupid. "They notice that you notice" - Mothman Prophecies



A tradition cannot make an historical claim and then refuse to have it evaluated by history 270110nli

lop guest

User ID: 436672

05-24-2018 09:37 PM











Post: #15 RE: North Korea 'blows up its nuclear test site'

and i think there is more to it than that.





for instance why does SK make all of usas lectron sh!t



and why does NK have a us printing press.



not because where else would he gt any money from and arms parts.



not like they have a NK dollar lol





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Facebook co-founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill April 11, 2018 in Washington, DC.

Facebook and Twitter are clamping down on political ads ahead of the 2018 midterm elections in an effort to close loopholes that were exploited during the 2016 presidential campaign.

As of Thursday, all election and issue-based ads on Facebook and Instagram must be labeled and have a "paid for by" disclaimer. Users can click through to an archive, which will show the campaign budget for that specific ad, how many people saw it, and more details about viewers including age, gender and location. The archive will store this information for seven years.

Political advertisers in the United States will have to affirm their identity and location, following an announcement in April that requires verification for people buying political ads.

And Facebook is now grouping both issue-based and electoral ads under the umbrella of political ads. This move was prompted by the Russia-based Internet Research Agency's penchant for stirring up emotion, without necessarily mentioning a specific candidate or election. For now, Facebook has identified 20 topics, from abortion to poverty, which fall under the "issues" category.

"The aim is for this effort to reflect the latest public discourse," Katie Harbath, Facebook's global politics and government outreach director, said on a call with media.

Facebook will partner with such organizations as the Comparative Agendas Project and market research agency YouGov to create a "living, breathing document" of issues that will evolve over time.

Likewise, Twitter announced Thursday that it's placing more regulations on election ads. All advertisers for federal elections will have to certify that they are living in the U.S., and candidates and committees will have to provide their Federal Election Campaign identification.

Both companies have faced criticism from investors, politicians and users in the aftermath of the 2016 election, for allowing groups to mask as political entities and flood their networks with targeted political propaganda. Facebook said late last year that 126 million Americans may have seen content or ads created by Russian-backed trolls ahead of the election.When asked whether he believed Facebook was ready for the introduction of GDPR, Andrus Ansip, the European Commission's vice president for digital issues, replied: "The short answer is yes, but let's see what we get from real life."

Earlier in the week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared before European lawmakers to apologize for the social media giant's role in a massive data leak.

In an effort to give consumers greater control over how their personal details are used, Europe is set to impose sweeping changes to data laws on Friday.

The European Union's digital policy chief has urged Facebook to stick to its promise and abide by the region's more stringent data protection rules. In an effort to give consumers greater control over how their personal details are used, Europe is set to impose sweeping changes to data laws on Friday. The introduction of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes at a time when Facebook is receiving widespread criticism for its role in the Cambridge Analytica scandal and for allowing fake news to flourish on its platform. "I get the feeling that Facebook is taking all those issues connected with the privacy of our people very seriously," Andrus Ansip, the European Commission's vice president for digital issues, told CNBC's Joumanna Bercetche Thursday.

Europe and Facebook must 'work together'

Earlier in the week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared before European lawmakers to apologize for the social media giant's role in a massive data leak. However, his testimony did not satisfy all members of the European Parliament, with some feeling Zuckerberg had dodged a number of their questions.French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe must avoid making the same mistakes as the U.S. and China if the region is to successfully tackle some of the world's biggest tech giants.

Macron is currently spearheading efforts for Europe to adopt tougher regulations on digital companies. On Wednesday, the French leader said that while he was a firm believer in innovation, executives from some of the world's largest tech companies had to make sure they contributed more to society.

Speaking to CNBC's Karen Tso on the sidelines of the VivaTech event in Paris Thursday, Macron said: "Europe is the right place to build this new framework. The U.S. is not regulated  regulation is made by private players (so) it is not sustainable for our citizens because you will have huge scandals."

"China is over-regulated; everything is concentrated by the government  Innovation and smart regulation, that is the best way to be the most attractive place and this is here," he added.A worker builds a Ford Expedition SUV as it goes through the assembly line at the Ford Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Kentucky.

Domestic auto stocks rose Thursday after the U.S. Department of Commerce started an investigation into automobile imports.



The government is looking into whether the imports "threaten to impair the national security" of the United States. It will be carried out under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the agency said in a statement on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump asked Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to carry out the probe.

Shares of Ford and General Motors are up in early trading Thursday, gaining 1.4 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively. U.S.-traded shares of Toyota Motor are down 1.6 percent in the session.

Trump has discussed plans for auto import tariffs with industry officials, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing sources. The report said the tariffs could be up to 25 percent.

CNBC's Ted Kemp contributed to this article.Josh Harder (right), Democratic candidate for California's 10th Congressional District, visits the home of Alphabet employee Prem Ramaswami (left) in Mountain View. Source: Preston Merchant

Jason Spero, a vice president at Google, said that before the 2016 presidential election, his political activism amounted to attending the occasional fundraiser and writing checks to his preferred candidates. But after Trump's victory, that all changed. "I'd never been as aware, awake and active as I have been since that November," he said. Now, Spero and other employees at Google and across Silicon Valley have their sights set on the November 2018 midterm elections, when they plan to do their part to flip the House of Representatives in favor of the Democrats and put a check on President Donald Trump. Much of their effort is focused on their home state of California, which has become central to the Democrats' hopes.

To take back the House, Democrats need to win a net 23 seats from Republicans in November. California has 14 Republican representatives, and nine of those seats are considered competitive in this election, including seven in districts that Hillary Clinton won in 2016, according to the Cook Political Report. Silicon Valley's two districts and San Francisco are solidly blue, voting overwhelmingly for Clinton and, before that, Barack Obama. So technology workers are going outside of their hubs and contributing to competitive campaigns throughout California, with employees from Google's parent company Alphabet leading the pack. Heading into California's June 5 primary elections, Spero has been meeting first-time congressional candidates across the state, joining finance committees, phone-banking, and providing advice on messaging.

And then there's the cash. Spero has contributed thousands of dollars to Mike Levin, who's running to replace the retiring Darrel Issa in the San Diego area, as well as to Dave Min, Harley Rouda, Jessica Moore and Josh Harder, who are all running in districts with Republican incumbents. He's even held fundraising events at his house, with employees from companies including Facebook, Twitter and Google. "I can't tell you how many times I heard in my living room, 'I've never been to a political event before,'" Spero said. "The hypothesis of the events was that a lot of people were motivated but didn't know what to do with that energy." In the 16 months since Trump's inauguration, the president has done plenty to motivate opposition in Silicon Valley. His efforts to limit immigration, roll back net neutrality and undo regulations that protect the environment are just the most blatant examples of his clashes with the tech industry. San Francisco billionaire and former hedge fund manager Tom Steyer has committed millions of dollars to a campaign to impeach President Trump, but tech employees frustrated with the president and Congress are sticking with a more grass-roots approach.

(L to R) Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Alphabet CEO Larry Page, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Vice President-elect Mike Pence, President-elect Donald Trump, during a meeting of technology executives at Trump Tower, Dec. 14, 2016 in New York. Getty Images

Campaign finance rules limit individual contributions to $2,700 to a candidate per election cycle, while political action committees can give $5,000. Even if he gets through to the general election, Harder will have an uphill climb. Denham has raised $2.7 million, more than twice as much as Harder, and carries the inherent advantages that come with incumbency. Prem Ramaswami, who works at Alphabet's Sidewalk Labs, is putting his support behind Harder, contributing $1,000 to the campaign and encouraging others to join. "I was really impressed that Josh was returning home to run for Congress in his district at a time when many of our rights and norms are being attacked," said Ramaswami, who met Harder at Harvard, where they were both studying. Ramaswami said he was so drawn to Harder's focus on health care and immigration that he decided to host a fundraising brunch of his own at his home in Sunnyvale, inviting a tech-heavy crowd of friends and neighbors.

Harder said in an interview that he's been focusing his campaign locally, but the competitive nature of the race has spurred individual contributions from across the state. "This is a focus-magnet district for everybody," Harder said. Other than the seats that are already blue, "it's the only winnable election we have in Northern California, so to the extent other folks want to help, that's great," he said. As one of the richest areas in the country, Silicon Valley certainly has the economic means to spread the wealth. The median household income in its two districts is more than $120,000, or about double the median income in Harder's district, according to U.S. Census data. There's likely a lot more tech money and support to come as November nears. Swing Left and Tech for Campaigns, two organizations that focus on progressive candidates, told CNBC that they've received a flood of interest from Silicon Valley. Jessica Alter, co-founder of Tech for Campaigns, said it has nearly 2,000 volunteers from California, and that about 60 percent of its overall volunteers are first-time activists. But both organizations said they won't be mobilizing volunteers and money in California until after the primaries. District 49 is one reason why. In campaigning for the seat that Issa has held since 2001, Levin is one of four Democrats competing against a field of seven Republicans and one independent, according to fundraising records. Levin has significantly higher contributions from the tech space  led by Alphabet  than his competitors, but he's raised less overall than two of his Democratic challengers. Levin, who spent more than a decade as an environmental attorney, is focusing his campaign on clean energy, affordable health care and preventing gun violence. "This election is either going to be a validation of what this president stands for or a repudiation of it," Levin said. "As Californians, we stand up for a clean environment, we stand for those who are most vulnerable and we stand for equality."Elliott Broidy Stefanie Keenan | Getty Images

Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy believes an alleged hack of his computer files by agents for the nation of Qatar led to the exposure of his affair with and payoff to a Playboy Playmate, his spokesman told CNBC on Thursday. Broidy believes material related to his relationship with the woman and the subsequent payoff to her was stolen and then later leaked to The Wall Street Journal, his spokesman, Harvey Englander, said. The married Broidy, a venture capitalist, also "absolutely" believes the subsequent leak about the affair and the payoff to Shera Bechard was intended to discredit his stance against Qatar, Englander said. The Journal's story ran on April 13. The article detailed how President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen in late 2017 had negotiated a deal to pay the Playmate $1.6 million after she claimed Broidy impregnated her and that she wanted to terminate the pregnancy.

That story ran less than three weeks after Broidy first filed a federal lawsuit accusing Qatar of being behind the hack of his computer files. The original lawsuit claimed that materials stolen from Broidy were leaked to media outlets to fuel negative articles about him. Those earlier articles did not mention any affair. Broidy's affair came to light days after FBI agents in New York raided Cohen's office, apartment and a hotel room where he had been staying, as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the attorney. In late 2016, Cohen paid $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair she had with Trump. After this story was published Thursday, Englander denied making the statements attributed to him. Englander had called CNBC on Wednesday after a reporter reached out to Broidy's lawyers to ask whether Broidy believed that the materials he claims were hacked led to the exposure last month of his affair. In a voicemail, Englander said the lawyers had "passed along your message to me, and the answer is 'yes.' " The reporter then spoke to Englander on the phone on Thursday. After CNBC published this story, Englander reached out again, to deny his reported comments. "I specifically deny having told you, on or off the record, that Mr. Broidy believes that the computer hack by Qatar led to the exposure of his affair with Ms. Bechard," Englander wrote in an email to CNBC on Friday morning. "I specifically said that I could not speak to the mindset or beliefs of other people and that I had not spoken with Mr. Broidy about that specific question," Englander wrote in the email.

The Qatar question

Broidy resigned as deputy finance chairman at the Republican National Committee on the day the Journal broke the news of his affair with Bechard. Cohen and Broidy had been appointed to similar roles on the RNC finance team in April 2017. Englander's comments to CNBC came on the same day that Broidy and his company, Broidy Capital Management, filed an amended lawsuit against Qatar and the people and companies he accuses of conspiring to conduct an "illegal intrusion" into Broidy's email server last year. The comments also came three days after the Associated Press ran a story detailing efforts by Broidy and his business partner, George Nader, to push for anti-Qatar policies by the American government.

Shera Bechard attends the 31st Annual Genie Awards Gala at the National Arts Centre on March 10, 2011 in Ottawa, Canada. George Pimentel | Getty Images

The AP article said that in exchange for their efforts, Broidy and Nader "expected huge consulting contracts" from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two nations that are hostile to Qatar. The article is based in part on "hundreds of pages of leaked emails between the two men." The AP noted that neither Broidy nor Nader had registered with the U.S. government as lobbyists working for foreign governments. Broidy has said he was not required to do so because his actions opposing Qatar were on his own accord. Broidy's amended lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles federal court, claims that Qatar targeted Broidy because of his "outspoken criticism" against the Arab state due to its "support for terrorism." The amended suit adds as defendants Mohammed bin Hamad Khalifa al Thani, who is the brother of the emir of Qatar, as well as Ahmed al Ruhmaihi, who was responsible for $100 billion belonging to the Qatar Investment Authority. New York-based corporate intelligence firm Global Risk Advisors, and its principals, Kevin Chalker and David Mark Powell, are also now listed as defendants in Broidy's suit. The suit says that sometime before Dec. 27, 2017, Qatar or one of its agents retained Global Risk Advisors "to coordinate an offensive cyber and information operation" against Broidy and his company, "including by infiltrating" Broidy's computer networks in Los Angeles and by gaining access to Google email accounts of people connected to Broidy, his wife among them. "We believe the evidence is clear that a nation-state is waging a sophisticated cyber information campaign against me in order to silence me," Broidy said in a prepared statement. "We believe it is also clear that I have been targeted because of my strong political views against Qatar's state-sponsored terrorism and double-dealing, and the fact that I was not shy about expressing my views."

'All but an act of war'

Broidy's lawyer, Lee Wolosky, said: "It is a crime for any person to hack into the emails of a U.S. citizen. It is all but an act of war when such an attack is orchestrated by a foreign government." "In this lawsuit we are asking that Qatar be held accountable for its support of terrorism in any form, offline or online," said Wolosky, a partner at the firm Boies Schiller Flexner. Qatar's media attache in Washington, Jassim Al Thani, blasted Broidy's lawsuit, calling his claims fabricated. "Mr. Broidy's latest false allegation is yet another desperate attempt to divert attention from his own illegal activities," the attache said in an emailed statement to CNBC. "He attempts to portray Qatar as the aggressor, when he knows full well Qatar does not operate in this manner. The facts show it was Mr. Broidy who conspired in the shadows against Qatar  not the other way around." In a prepared statement, Global Risk Advisors said: "We are aware of the baseless allegations made by Mr. Broidy. They are categorically false, unjustified and we deny them. We will defend ourselves vigorously and will have no further comment at this time." This article has been undated to include additional comments from Elliott Broidy's spokesman.

WATCH: Pres. Trump confirms he reimbursed lawyer for Stormy paymentAs consumers grow increasingly health-conscious and chemical-averse, companies like Indigo Agriculture are working to weed out old, synthetic agricultural solutions like GMOs, Indigo CEO David Perry told CNBC on Thursday. "Modern agriculture's really built on technologies that were created decades ago: synthetic fertilizer, synthetic chemicals, GMOs and plant breeding. We're taking an entirely new approach," Perry told "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer in an exclusive interview. "I think this is an opportunity to see a revolution in agriculture using naturally discovered microbes to improve yields of plants and also to protect them against pests and insects so we can reduce the amount of fertilizer used and the amount of agricultural chemicals used," Perry said Thursday.

A tech entrepreneur who grew up on his family's farm in Arkansas, Perry joined Indigo as CEO in 2015, one year after the science, machine-learning and agricultural hybrid start-up was founded. The company studies what Perry has called "survivor" plants  plants that have managed to grow in strained environmental conditions  and compiles their genetic and microbial information into a massive database. Indigo then uses machine learning to search the database and find microbes that could help specific plants survive in less-than-ideal conditions. More from CNBC Disruptor 50: 23andMe founder Anne Wojcicki is leading a DNA revolution by going directly to consumers How Elon Musk's rocket company SpaceX beat Boeing to become a $28 billion aerospace juggernaut CEO says Crowdstrike's security platform could someday attract Amazon, Google "We're seeing 10 to 15 percent yield gains," Perry told Cramer. "The average farmer makes less than 10 percent margin, so if you ... increase their yield by 10 or 15 percent, you're doubling their profitability, so it's a significant impact." Besides healthier, more naturally sourced food, farmers are at the heart of Indigo's mission. By giving farmers the opportunity to produce higher quality crops, Indigo is fundamentally changing how crops like corn and wheat  typically viewed as commodities  are valued by the market.

"One of the problems with the existing system is that most farmers take their output and put it into silos or collection points with all their neighbors," Perry explained. "And in that system, it's impossible to get paid for growing things with higher quality or growing things more sustainably." Perry then highlighted a key part of Indigo's mission: connecting farmers directly with buyers and coordinating transaction logistics, which serves to "preserve the identity" of the farmers' output until it reaches the consumer. "It's the only way to fundamentally change the economics for the farmer. As long as they're producing a commodity, they're going to be competing with low-cost producers all over the world," the CEO said. "But if we start allowing them to differentiate their products, make them value-added based on quality and sustainability; better for the farmer, better for the consumer."

Watch David Perry's full interview here:Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issued five demands to Europe that would be difficult for the continent's leaders to meet as they seek to salvage the 2015 nuclear accord.

The European Union is engaged in high stakes talks with Tehran after President Donald Trump abandoned the Iran nuclear deal, putting the international agreement on life support. Diplomats from the remaining parties to the deal  Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia  will meet in Vienna with their Iranian counterparts on Friday.

Analysts are skeptical that Europe can preserve the deal in the face of powerful U.S. sanctions. The accord's demise threatens to lift limits on Tehran's nuclear program, disrupt billions of dollars in planned European investment in Iran, exacerbate trans-Atlantic relations and disrupt oil flows from OPEC's third-biggest producer.

Ahead of the meeting, Khamenei set guidelines for the talks that Eurasia Group analyst Henry Rome described as "maximalist." The demands, translated by Rome on Twitter, include:

Europeans must bring resolution to [the United Nations Security Council] protesting U.S. violation of UNSCR 2231 [the UN resolution endorsing the Iran nuclear deal]. Iran's missiles and regional presence absolutely may not be discussed with European leaders. Europeans [must] clearly oppose all American sanctions against Iran. If the Americans try to interfere with Iran's oil sales, the Europeans must guarantee the purchase of oil from Iran. Europe must guarantee Iranian banking connections.

Khamenei said Iran could start ramping up its nuclear activity, which it agreed to limit in 2015 in exchange for sanctions relief, if the accord know as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action no longer benefits the country.

@hrome2: "Currently, we are not starting enrichment of 20% but we must be ready so that if it becomes necessary, and we see the JCPOA become useless, the activities that were stopped because of the JCPOA can be resumed."

The demands set a high bar for several reasons. Ahead of the U.S. exit, French President Emmanuel Macron said two pillars of its policy include addressing Iran's ballistic missile program and its role in Middle East conflicts. While the European Union is taking measures to block the U.S. sanctions, it is ultimately up to the continent's banks and companies to decide if they can stomach the risk of running afoul U.S. sanctions.

But according to Rome, Khamenei's demands should not be read as the final word on the Iranian position.

"He has a habit of laying out guardrails for the government and he did this during the nuclear negotiations in 2014 and 2015, as well," he said. "But at the end of the day, he is known to take both sides of an issue and leave himself lots of opportunities to change his mind or refine his views."

The demands themselves do not alter the prospects for the deal, but Eurasia Group thinks it will not survive long.

"We think it's most likely that in the next three to four months, the Iranians decide to walk, simply because what the Europeans can offer  with regards to trade, investment and oil sales  it will not be sufficient to balance out the nuclear concession that Iran is making."Giuseppe Conte delivers a declaration after a meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella as part of consultations for a new government at the Quirinale Palace on May 23, 2018 in Rome, Italy.

Italy's head of state has given the country's populist parties' choice of prime minister  a law professor called Giuseppe Conte  the mandate to lead the government, amid warnings from Europe for Italy to respect budget rules.

Italy's anti-establishment parties, the 5 Star Movement (M5S) and Lega, proposed Conte as their candidate to lead a coalition government to President Sergio Mattarella on Monday.

There was a delay to Mattarella's approval, however, with the president holding talks with the speakers of Italy's lower house and Senate over the choice while question marks were raised over the accuracy of Conte's prestigious credentials.

On Wednesday evening, however, Mattarella had conceded the mandate with Conte accepting the position, telling reporters: "I am about to start defending the interests of Italians in all places, in a dialogue with European and international institutions. I am looking forward to start working for real."

The euroskeptic M5S and right-wing Lega party  which both earned the most amount of votes in an election in March  will now draw up a list of ministers to present to Mattarella. It's likely that Lega leader Matteo Salvini will become interior minister while M5S leader Luigi Di Maio could become minister for labor and/or economic development.

When starting their negotiations to form a coalition, both leaders had vetoed each other becoming prime minister, hence their choice of Conte  although both deny that he represents the type of technocratic leader they've both criticized in the past.

While Lega and M5S may be celebrating taking a step closer to government, officials in Europe are concerned not only about the parties' euroskeptic stance, but also with their plans for spending.

Last week, M5S and Lega revealed plans to boost public spending, cut taxes, dilute reforms to the pension system and for a guaranteed basic income. While the measures might appeal to voters, EU officials are keeping a close eye on Italy's adherence to deficit rules.

On Wednesday, the European Commission warned the incoming government that it should continue to cut Italy's public debt. The third largest euro zone economy had a debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio of 131.8 percent in 2017 and a budget deficit of 2.3 percent in the same year.

Salvini and Di Maio have both said previously that the EU's budget deficit limit of 3 percent was hurting economic growth and should be changed. The commission warned that debt, which is accrued when governments spend more than they receive in taxes, was still a major issue for Italy.

"Italy's public debt remains a major source of vulnerability for the economy," the Commission said in a report Wednesday, recommending economic policy for EU states that coincided with Conte's appointment.White House senior adviser Jared Kushner in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, DC on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018.

Lowell also revealed that Kushner, President Donald Trump 's son-in-law, met with special counsel Robert Mueller 's team for a second interview as part of the investigators' probe of potential links between Russia and the Trump campaign.

"Having completed these processes, Mr. Kushner is looking forward to continuing the work the President has asked him to do," Lowell said in a statement.

Kushner's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said on Wednesday that his client had passed an FBI background check, which had held his permanent security clearance in abeyance for more than a year.

His first interview with Mueller's team, which was focused primarily on former national security advisor Michael Flynn , took place in November, according to NBC.

Kushner, a senior White House advisor, sat with the special counsel for more than six hours in the interview, NBC News reported, citing a source familiar with the interview. He reportedly answered questions about Trump's presidential campaign, the post-election transition period and the firing of former FBI Director James Comey .

That interview was conducted in April, Lowell told CNN  about a month before Kushner's permanent security clearance was granted.

The news seemed to bode well for Kushner, whose business dealings and past omissions to the government about his foreign contacts had been viewed by some as the reasons for his lengthy background review process.

Dilanian tweet

But former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti says he wouldn't go that far.

"It's safe to say this clearance would not have been granted if his name wasn't Jared Kushner," Mariotti said in an interview, referring to Kushner's relationship to the president. (Mariotti is a Democrat who is running for Illinois state attorney general.)

Kushner's family business debts have raised concerns that he is vulnerable to influence or manipulation in his role with the Trump administration. Kushner Companies' pursuit of business in China, for instance, has been viewed as a conflict of interest.

He also had to repeatedly update a security clearance form to include more than 100 contacts that were initially omitted  including some with foreign sources.

The form had been updated to include a meeting he attended with Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya in a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower, alongside Donald Trump Jr. and former campaign chief Paul Manafort.

The meeting was pitched to Trump Jr. as an opportunity to learn compromising information about Trump's political opponent, Hillary Clinton.

Mariotti said it's possible that the officials conducting the background check decided to grant his permanent security clearance because they believed the risk that his access could pose to the United States "was manageable, or not significant enough to deny him clearance."

But passing the background check doesn't necessarily clear him of any wrongdoing, Mariotti added. "I would tell him he should not assume that means he's out of the woods with Mueller."

Lowell did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

Despite being a leading player in the Middle East peace process and U.S. relations with China, among other roles, Kushner maintained an interim security clearance that allowed him to access only high-level information.

His ability to view top secrets was reportedly downgraded in February by chief of staff John Kelly, who diminished the access of White House officials with interim clearances after former aide Rob Porter was accused of domestic abuse by two former wives.

Kushner's security clearance does suggest that, at the very least, the FBI does not consider him to be a foreign agent or untrustworthy with government secrets, said Steven Mulroy, a professor teaching constitutional law at the University of Memphis.

But Kushner could still face potential legal troubles over, for example, his initial failures to disclose contacts on his security form, Mulroy said. Although it may not pose an ongoing security threat, Mulroy said the question remains open whether Kushner broke the law with his omissions.

Mulroy also raised the possibility that Kushner's second meeting with the special counsel may have helped propel his background check to completion.

"It's possible that if Mueller thought Kushner was being cooperative and forthcoming, that might have allowed them to make a recommendation," Mulroy said.

Still, Mulroy said, "It doesn't mean he's completely in the clear."Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 1 Vote(s) - 5 Average

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Iran will be 'battling to keep its economy alive' - Pompeo Roddy's Creed

Registered User

User ID: 442414

05-24-2018 09:53 PM



Posts: 5,434









Post: #1 Iran will be 'battling to keep its economy alive' - Pompeo

Advertisement US targets Iran with fresh sanctions against airlines





The US Treasury Department has hit Iran with new and heavy sanctions. They target several Iranian airlines that the US claims were delivering weapons to proxy forces in Syria and Lebanon.

Iran will be battling to keep its economy alive after the latest sanctions, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Washington on Monday.



Pompeo demanded that Iran halt all uranium enrichment, stop its ballistic missile program, and give nuclear inspectors access to the entire country, or else face the strongest sanctions in history.



Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the US demands unacceptable, and an Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander told Iranian media that the people of Iran should deliver a strong punch to the mouth of Pompeo in response.



The Trump administrations renewal and strengthening of sanctions on Iran is part of a new and hardline stance on the Islamic Republic. Last month Trump withdrew the US from the JCPOA, or Iran Deal, which granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for a halt in its nuclear program.



https://www.rt.com/usa/427693-us-iran-new-sanctions/ I do not label myself. What I stand for is based on my own convictions, and I don't care which box - the left one or the right one - they happen to belong. The US Treasury Department has hit Iran with new and heavy sanctions. They target several Iranian airlines that the US claims were delivering weapons to proxy forces in Syria and Lebanon.Pompeo demanded that Iran halt all uranium enrichment, stop its ballistic missile program, and give nuclear inspectors access to the entire country, or else face the strongest sanctions in history.Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the US demands unacceptable, and an Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander told Iranian media that the people of Iran should deliver a strong punch to the mouth of Pompeo in response.The Trump administrations renewal and strengthening of sanctions on Iran is part of a new and hardline stance on the Islamic Republic. Last month Trump withdrew the US from the JCPOA, or Iran Deal, which granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for a halt in its nuclear program. Roddy's Creed

Registered User

User ID: 442414

05-24-2018 09:54 PM



Posts: 5,434









Post: #2 RE: Iran will be 'battling to keep its economy alive' - Pompeo

Pompeo would make a fine husband for Halley. I do not label myself. What I stand for is based on my own convictions, and I don't care which box - the left one or the right one - they happen to belong. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 442059

05-24-2018 10:15 PM











Post: #3 RE: Iran will be 'battling to keep its economy alive' - Pompeo

Too many sanctions, on too many nations.



It will erode the power that enables the US to do that.



It will erode the global financial institutions and rules that are setup and lead by the US.



Other nations will slowly move away and seek alternatives. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 431694

05-24-2018 11:19 PM











Post: #4 RE: Iran will be 'battling to keep its economy alive' - Pompeo





USA is Israel's puppet! Israel first! Israel! Israel! Israel!USA is Israel's puppet!Israel first! LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 442605

05-24-2018 11:24 PM











Post: #5 RE: Iran will be 'battling to keep its economy alive' - Pompeo





It's the US battling to keep its economy alive. Iran has had an economy for about 3000 years now.















Lenovo will be among the first companies to introduce 5G products, its chief financial officer told CNBC on Thursday.

The technology, which is set to dethrone 4G as the next generation of mobile internet, is expected to improve connection speeds.

"I think we obviously believe that 5G is going to be a very interesting technology," Wong Wai Ming told CNBC's Emily Tan. "We have been working on that, and we expect we will hopefully be one of the first players to be able to launch 5G products."

Wong did not offer any further details on those 5G products, and said he could not identify a date for Lenovo introducing 5G.This is coming after several years of many Social Security recipients paying less than the standard premium amount due to being protected by the so-called "hold harmless" provision.

Another 18 percent say they've seen a boost of less than $5 a month.

A quarter of older Americans say that after their Medicare Part B premium is deducted from their Social Security check, they're left with no more than they had last year.

Image Source | Getty Images

For many of the 47 million older Americans on Social Security, getting a 2 percent cost-of-living increase in their 2018 benefits has been a bust. More than 40 percent of the over-65 crowd say they have watched the extra amount get completely or mostly eaten up by the cost of Medicare Part B premiums, according to a recent survey by the Senior Citizens League. Specifically, 25 percent say that after the deduction for the premium, their check is unchanged. Another 18 percent say the increase has been less than $5.

Older Americans report little boost in 2018 Social Security checks Amount in 2018 is... Share Lower than in 2017 7% Same as in 2017 25% Up to $5.00 higher 18% $5.01 to $10.00 higher 23% $10.01 to $25 higher 20% More than $25 higher 7%

"They've had nothing left over to deal with other increased costs," said Mary Johnson, Social Security and Medicare policy analyst for the Senior Citizens League, which surveyed 1,116 retirees across the country earlier this year. The reason for the premiums devouring all or much of the extra Social Security amount is due largely to the so-called hold harmless rule that's been triggered in recent years. More from Fixed Income Strategies:

Retirees are packing their bags for these 10 cities

Money is flowing into passively managed bond funds

Flow of funds into alternatives starts to dry up For most retirees  about 70 percent of them  the rule prevents Medicare Part B premiums from rising more than their Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, commonly called COLA. Higher earners, who pay extra for their premiums, are not protected by the hold harmless rule. (See chart for what higher earners pay.) Nor are certain others, including those who first sign up for Medicare right before an increase takes effect.

Medicare Part B premiums Individual tax filers* Married, file taxes jointly* Married, file taxes separately* What you pay monthly in 2018 $85,000 or less $170,000 or less $85,000 or less $134 Above $85,000 up to $107,000 Above $170,000 up to $214,000 Not applicable $187.50 Above $107,000 up to $133,500 Above $214,000 up to $267,000 Not applicable $267.90 Above $133,500 up to $160,000 Above $267,000 up to $320,000 Not applicable $348.30 Above $160,000 Above $320,000 Above $85,000 $428.60

For people affected by the provision, the rule means they won't see their Social Security check get lowered in any given year if paying more for Part B would reduce it. (The premiums are typically deducted from Social Security checks.) When the premium jumped to $134 in 2017 from $121.80 the previous year, 70 percent of Medicare Part B enrollees instead paid an average of $109 due to already being held harmless in previous years with meager COLA increases. And although the Part B premium hasn't changed from last year's $134, the extra money generated from the 2 percent Social Security COLA for 2018 is going toward the difference between what most recipients were paying and the standard premium amount. Even for those whose checks are more than last year, just 7 percent said the boost is more than $25.

"Social Security increases, even when they come, are not huge and don't really make any meaningful difference in quality of life," said Kathryn Hauer, a certified financial planner with Wilson David Investment Advisors. The survey also showed that 7 percent of respondents said their check is lower. Johnson, of the Senior Citizens League, said those people have uncommon circumstances that led to a lower check, none of which are related to the hold harmless provision.

Social Security increases, even when they come, are not huge and don't really make any meaningful difference in quality of life. Kathryn Hauer certified financial planner with Wilson David Investment AdvisorsMicrosoft CEO Satya Nadella gave a philosophical response Thursday to the major challenges that are currently being faced by tech companies, underling the guiding principles that he and his firm follow.

Speaking in front of an audience at the VivaTech conference in Paris, he said artificial intelligence (AI) is the "defining technology of our times."

Rather than fear the rise of this technology, which could be something that transcends even human capability, Nadella said that his developers, and their rivals, follow a set of human values and principles that guide the choices they make.

"The future we will invent is a choice we make, not something that just happens," he said.

The Microsoft chief executive was quick to cover topics like data privacy and cyberattacks in his speech. He joined French President Emmanuel Macron Wednesday at a "Tech for Good" event alongside Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, IBM's Virginia Rometty and Intel Corp's Brian Krzanich. The topic of privacy has made headlines this year with Facebook, in particular, engulfed by the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Nadella said the big tech had a "tremendous responsibility" that it had to scale, recognize and act upon.

"When we think about the responsibility, let's think about privacy, I mean on May 25 the world will change with GDPR  we will now have to operate recognizing that privacy is a human right," he said, name-checking new EU rules coming into effect on Friday.

"Just this week, we announced that the core subject data rights that are at the core of GDPR is something that we will take to every part of the world that we operate in," he added.

On security and cyberattacks, Nadella said it was the the citizens of the world and the small businesses that get most impacted.

"We have to as a tech industry  and governments  really step up to ensure that those vulnerable populations and organizations are protected."Injecting greater uncertainty into the future of a planned June 12 meeting between Washington and Pyongyang, a senior minister from the rogue state has slammed Vice President Mike Pence for comparing North Korea to Libya. Speaking in May 21 interview on Fox News, Pence said the reclusive regime could end up like the North African country "if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal." He also warned Kim that it would be a "great mistake" to play Washington ahead of an anticipated meeting with President Donald Trump on June 12. In response, North Korean Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choe Son Hui said in a Thursday statement carried by state-run news agency KCNA that "as a person involved in the U.S. affairs, I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the U.S. vice-president."

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks at a National Rifle Association (NRA) convention in Dallas, Texas, U.S. May 4, 2018. Lucas Jackson | Reuters

Pence's comments are seen as especially stinging to the North as they come just a few days after National Security Advisor John Bolton got in trouble with Pyongyang for proposing a Libya-style model of denuclearization. In an angry statement last week, Kim's administration made clear that it rejects all comparisons to Libya, which voluntarily gave up its nuclear ambitions in 2003 in exchange for the removal of sanctions. The country's dictator Moammar Gadhafi was eventually overthrown in a Western-supported coup and killed in 2011.

"It will be proper for [Pence] to know even a little bit about the current state of global affairs and to sense to a certain degree the trends in dialogue and the climate of detente," Choe said on Thursday, implying that the U.S. politician should have refrained from Libya comparisons following Bolton's episode. Calling Pence a "political dummy," Choe went on to say that Trump's second-in-command "should have seriously considered the terrible consequences of his words."

What this means for Trump-Kim summit

Mylan, the company behind the EpiPen allergy injector, is pressing its manufacturing partner Pfizer to do more to tackle shortages of the life-saving medicine in a sign of its growing frustration with the Big Pharma company.

Although Mylan owns the rights to the EpiPen  which can stave off deadly anaphylactic shock  it subcontracts manufacturing of the auto-injector to Meridian Medical, a division of Pfizer.

However, Pfizer has struggled to meet demand for the allergy injector, resulting in some patients having difficulties finding the product in their local pharmacies. The US Food and Drug Administration put the medicine on its official shortages list earlier this month.

If not resolved, the shortages could become more severe in the third quarter when demand tends to soar as children with severe allergies return to school.

Mylan has responded to the shortage by sending a team of its own managers to try to fix problems at a Pfizer factory in St Louis, Missouri  which makes all the EpiPens in the US  according to people familiar with the situation.

The factory in St Louis has been struggling to maintain production following an inspection that resulted in a scathing warning letter in September from the FDA, which ordered it to fix several quality control issues.

Mylan sent its team to the plant in part because its managers sensed a lack of urgency among their counterparts at Pfizer, which is dealing with shortages of hundreds of drugs, one person said.

While the EpiPen is but one among the hundreds of products in short supply, it has outsize importance for Mylan because it is the company's best-known drug.

In a joint statement, Pfizer and Mylan said: "Both companies are fully aware of the life-saving importance of EpiPen and we are working together, as we have throughout our long collaboration, to increase production and expedite shipments as rapidly as possible."

They said their partnership had "always included frequent interactions such as visits to each other's sites".

The shortage of EpiPens is particularly irksome for Mylan as it tries to move on from controversy over the cost of the medicine. The company had priced a two-pack of EpiPens at roughly $600 until 2016, when a political and public backlash forced it to introduce a cheaper generic version.

"Mylan's management has never been shy to show how they feel about business issues," said Ronny Gal, analyst at Bernstein, who added that the company had several "fair arguments" against Pfizer.

"This is actually a life-saving, mission-critical product and it is Pfizer's fault  but it is casting Mylan in a bad light when they already have a reputation problem."

He added: "And this product has had decades of manufacturing issues that Pfizer has never fixed."

The EpiPen shortage comes as Pfizer races to resolve shortages caused by manufacturing problems at several of its factories, many of them acquired when it took over Hospira, a maker of injectable drugs, for $16bn in 2015.

A rival allergy injector known as Adrenaclick, which is marketed by Amneal Pharmaceuticals, is also in short supply because of issues at a Pfizer plant in McPherson, Kansas, which makes the crucial ingredient.

A spokesperson for Amneal said the company was "not pleased by the shortages" and that it was "trying to resolve them by working with the manufacturer and the FDA".

Mr. Gal said that Pfizer should try to "prioritise life-saving drugs like Adrenaclick and EpiPen" as it works through the problems at its plants.

A Pfizer spokesperson said: "We are currently shipping product and our shipments have been increasing over the last few months, with April shipments exceeding projections."

More from the Financial Times:

Hospitals in US sound alarm on impending chemotherapy shortages

Pfizer blames sales miss on 'customer buying patterns'

US companies count costs and benefits of Trump tax lawFrench President Emmanuel Macron is meeting his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Russia Thursday where the Iranian nuclear deal, Russia-European relations, Ukraine and trade are the main topics on the agenda.

The private meeting, which is happening on the sidelines of the two-day St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), comes at a time of strained relations between Russia and the West.

U.S. and European Union sanctions first imposed in 2014 on Russia for its annexation of Crimea and perceived role in a pro-Russian uprising in eastern Ukraine are still in place and have isolated  if not entirely damaged  the Russian economy, which grew 1.5 percent in 2017 after two years of recession.

In addition, Russia's suspected role in a recent nerve agent attack in the U.K., support for Syrian President Bashar Assad and alleged meddling in U.S. elections put France in an awkward position having to juggle diplomacy with the U.S. and dialogue with Europe's neighbor, Russia.

French business leader Jean-Pascal Tricoire, the chief executive of Schneider Electric, told CNBC Thursday that Macron wanted to keep the line of communication open.

"President Macron has been very clear that he wants to keep an open dialogue with all heads of state. When you look at Europe we share a large border with Russia. There are plenty of things that need to be discussed," he told CNBC at SPIEF.

"On the economic side, France has been for some years the largest investor in Russia and Russian interests on the continent are also numerous so we need to speak about those economic ties, diplomacy  what's happening in the Middle East," he said.

"When something happens in Syria, refugees are coming to Europe so that's a common concern. So there are plenty of things that we need to take care of."

Tricoire said that as neighbors, Russia and Europe had a responsibility to "organize what's happening between their countries," he said.BRASILIA, May 24 (Reuters) - Brazilian stocks dropped for a second day on Thursday, as shares of Petroleo Brasileiro SA plummeted after the state-controlled oil company announced a temporary diesel price cut. Brazilian truckers kept protesting high diesel prices for a fourth day on Thursday, crippling highways nationwide even after the company acted. Brazil's lower house of Congress voted on Wednesday to eliminate certain taxes on diesel. The Senate has yet to vote on the tax cuts, which truckers say are needed before they will end protests. Petrobras, as the oil company is known, on Wednesday announced a temporary 10 percent diesel price cut at refineries, insisting its independence from political interference was intact. But the action, together with recent delays in plans to privatize state utility Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras , raised new investor worries about the possibility of more interventionist state posture in an election year. "For people who already had doubts about how the government would react in a moment of instability, what happened with Petrobras and also Eletrobras in the last few days was a worrying sign," said Fabio Carvalho, head of fixed income trading at CM Capital Markets. Petrobras shares tumbled 13.5 percent to a one-month low, their biggest daily drop since May 2017. They were by far the largest decliner on the benchmark Bovespa stock index, which was down 2 percent, and accounted for more than 1,000 points of the Bovespa's 1,605-point drop. For years, Petrobras kept local prices lower than global prices, effectively offering subsidies that helped its debt balloon. It had since followed a policy of tracking global prices closely. In a report, analysts at UBS said keeping local fuel prices artificially low could reduce Petrobras' operating profit, curb buyer interest in its assets and bump up funding costs. Most other Latin American financial markets also fell, extending a recent slump fueled by concerns over global trade frictions and potential contagion from a sell-off of the Turkish lira. The Brazilian real and the Mexican peso both weakened, with the Mexican currency surrendering gains from the previous day that came in the wake of reports of movement on the renegotiation of NAFTA with Canada and the United States.

Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 1410 GMT:

Stock indexes daily % YTD %change change

Latest

MSCI Emerging Markets 1135.45 0.21 -2.19MSCI LatAm 2684.16 -0.78 -4.34Brazil Bovespa 79710.26 -1.43 4.33Mexico IPC 45596.98 -0.39 -7.61Chile IPSA 5593.22 -0.35 0.51Chile IGPA 28263.67 -0.48 1.01Colombia IGBC 12047.81 -0.06 5.96Currencies daily % YTD %change change

Latest

Brazil real 3.6435 -0.54 -9.06Mexico peso 19.6880 -0.30 0.06Chile peso 622.65 -0.06 -1.28Colombia peso 2866.5 0.24 4.03Peru sol 3.266 -0.06 -0.89Argentina peso (interbank) 24.5000 -0.04 -24.08Argentina peso (parallel) 25.35 0.20 -24.14

(Additional reporting by Paula Arend Laier)DUBAI/RIYADH, May 24 (Reuters) - Saudi Binladin Group will be slimmed down and renamed, six sources familiar with the matter said, after the government seized management control of the construction giant from family members that were swept up in an anti-graft drive.

The moves would be the first in a broad restructuring planned for Saudi Arabia's biggest builder as Riyadh takes a stake of at least 35 percent.

The company, crucial to the state's plans for major tourism and infrastructure projects, is now being run by a five-member committee appointed by the government to oversee the shake-up.

The restructuring, expected to include hundreds of layoffs, is intended to streamline operations at the conglomerate, which has spawned more than 500 units ranging from construction to energy since its formation in 1931, said the sources, who are engaged in the process or have been informed about it.

As part of the reorganisation, a new holding company will be formed with a new name, four of them said, without saying whether the name has been chosen or what it might be.

Binladin, which had over 100,000 employees at its peak, is undergoing the transformation after several members of the Binladin family that owns the company were detained in November as part of an anti-graft purge that ensnared hundreds of business people and government officials.

Most of those detained have been released after reaching a settlement with the state. Although Osama Bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaeda who was killed by U.S. forces in 2011, was part of the same family, the company cut ties to him.

One of the sources said the 537 business units under the current company set-up would be rationalised, which could include them being sold off, wound down or merged. The remaining units will be placed under the new structure, the source said.

Among the units expected to remain under the new holding company will be a contractor that will retain the Saudi Binladin name as well as operational maintenance, real estate, energy and advanced technology and business investments, two sources said.

The company's spokesman and the Ministry of Finance did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

LAYOFFS

The overhaul is the latest challenge Binladin has faced in recent years after stalled projects, delayed payments and a temporary exclusion from new state contracts after a crane accident killed 107 people at Mecca's Grand Mosque in 2015.

The group plans to lay off hundreds of staff as part of the restructuring, two separate sources familiar with the matter said. One of the sources said 750 staff were recently given one-month notice and would receive their financial rights in full.

Another source said most of the job cuts involved employees working at Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport, one of the company's projects, which is almost finished although delayed beyond the initial May 1, 2018 completion date.

The source said another round of layoffs was expected.

The company has already shed thousands of workers in recent years, but also in recent weeks ordered hundreds of staff who had been on leave from the stalled King Abdullah Financial District project to return to work as the project restarted.

To try to turn around the company's fortunes, the finance ministry has provided the company with around 11 billion riyals ($2.9 billion) of loans, sources told Reuters last month.

The money will be used to prioritise work on projects deemed critical to the government, as well as to pay staff and creditors, the people said, with one adding that further cash transfers from the government were possible in the near future.

In February, sources told Reuters the company had been awarded a contract in a project to build palaces for the king, crown prince and other senior royals at NEOM, a huge new business zone on the Red Sea coast.

($1 = 3.7502 riyals) (Editing by Ghaida Ghantous and Mark Potter)* Phnom Penh to have about 30,000 condo units by 2020

* Chinese developers, buyers began arriving 2 years ago

* Property consultants say seeing oversupply in market

PHNOM PENH, May 24 (Reuters) - Guo Qirui, 30, says it's a lonely journey when he goes home to his rented luxury condominium in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, the country where the Chinese retail executive has lived for nearly half a decade.

Guo now lives on Diamond Island, also known as Koh Pich, a neighborhood in the city where five condominium projects are underway or have been built. The majority of the homes, sales agents and residents say, are sold to absent Chinese landlords.

"Probably half of the completed units have been handed over but every night it's all dark. Not one light is switched on," Guo told Reuters.

A boom in high-end real estate investment by Chinese buyers in Phnom Penh has stoked concerns that they are pumping up a market already unaffordable for most Cambodians. The surge echoes fast growth seen in China's own metropolitan hubs.

The Cambodian capital will have 22,828 luxury apartments by the end of this year, more than double the current number of 8,942 units, according to Ross Wheble, Cambodia country head at property consultancy Knight Frank.

He added this number, which includes condominiums that sell for an average of $3,500 a square meter, will swell to roughly 30,000 units by 2020. Many may soon face a struggle to find renters or local buyers who can afford the price-tag.

"In terms of the high-end segment there is oversupply," he said. "This is a question that everyone's asking in terms of sustainability. With Chinese investors buying these units, are they actually going to be occupied?"

CHINESE FERVOUR

Warming political ties between the countries and the promotion of Beijing's Belt and Road initiative has attracted a surge of Chinese investment into the country, fueling construction activity and a flurry of new hotels and casinos especially in cities like Sihanoukville.

Developers from countries including South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore began expanding into Phnom Penh's condominium sector about four years ago in response to a shortage of such units and a relaxation of property laws, said James Hodge, associate director at real estate services firm CBRE Cambodia, adding that the city had just 1,500 such apartments five years ago.

The Chinese began arriving around the time President Xi Jinping visited Cambodia in 2016 in a visit that yielded a series of bilateral deals and a pledge to strengthen ties, Hodge and other industry executives said.

Among the Chinese developers active in Phnom Penh are Guangzhou Yuetai Group and Prince Real Estate, which are selling schemes of over 1,000 units, larger than that of their foreign peers. Jiayuan International Group and Guangzhou R&F Properties have also bought land in the city, with the latter's project slated to have around 5,000 units, property agents said.

"As a group, the Chinese certainly are the most active," Hodge said.

These developers have turned to Chinese buyers. Five property showrooms Reuters visited in Phnom Penh, which included those marketed by Singaporean and South Korean developers, now staff their receptions with Mandarin-speaking sales agents.

Sales agents said many buyers came via property purchasing tour groups organized by agencies and developers, but the hype is such that some like Beijing native Jiang Zheming bought a unit last month despite having never visited Cambodia before.

The 47-year-old engineer said he was attracted by the use of the U.S. dollar in Cambodia, which he felt was more stable than China's yuan, as well as the six percent annual rental return guaranteed by the Taiwanese developer building his 80 square meter flat in central Phnom Penh.

Another Chinese buyer who asked to only identified as Alex, said he bought more than 100 flats over 12 stories in one condominium in the city's center. He said he was not worried about being able to rent them out, saying that it was comparable to being in Beijing or Shanghai's business districts.

Xi's signature Belt and Road initiative was key to his decision, he said. "Phnom Penh is the initiative's starting point so development here is booming."

OUT OF REACH, SPECULATIVE

Developer Jiayuan, which announced that it had paid $35.6 million for a site in Phnom Penh this month, said the deal was part of its plan to develop quality projects in regions involved in the Belt and Road initiative and expand in Southeast Asia.

Guangzhou R&F said in an email that its Phnom Penh project represented its attempt to enter the local market and it would aim to sell units to both local and overseas buyers.

But some residents in the city are skeptical, including Diamond Island renter Guo.

The worry is that resale demand will be weak with only a small pool of tenants able to afford rents that can cost about $1,000 per month for a one-bedroom flat - out of reach for most locals in Phnom Penh who Knight Frank estimates have an average monthly household income of $600-$700.

CBRE and Knight Frank said there were already signs the market was softening. The frequency of new launches has fallen while landlords were reducing their asking rents, they said.

Chrek Soknim, chief executive of Cambodian property agency Century21 Mekong, said he did not think a market slowdown would be bad for locals given that these apartment owners were mostly Chinese.

"If they can't sell, it's not a problem for us." (Additional Reporting by SHANGHAI Newsroom and Clare Jim in HONG KONG; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)and economy@

* Cenbank proposed higher provisions for M&A loans

* Sberbank says plan would hurt sector and economy

* Sberbank CEO says cenbank ready to soften its position

* CEO expects Turkish unit divestment to close by year-end

* Says could work with Rusal "collateral" to overcome sanctions

MOSCOW, May 24 (Reuters) - A central bank proposal that banks make higher provisions to cover loans for mergers and acquisitions could hurt the banking sector and the economy, German Gref, chief executive of Russia's largest bank Sberbank, told Reuters.

After bailing out three large private banks last year, the central bank has proposed the industry sets aside higher provisions for loans underpinning M&A deals than if the funds are for business development.

At the time of the bailouts, the central bank said acquisitions and deals linked to the failed banks' owners were one of the reasons for the problems experienced by Otkritie, B&N and Promsvyazbank. The combined bailouts have cost the central bank over 1 trillion roubles ($16.3 billion).

The central bank says changing the rules on provisions would help clean up of the Russian banking system.

Sberbank's Gref, however, said the proposal would only make the situation worse.

"We showed (the central bank) our calculations and what this could lead to and for us it was a serious sum (for provisions)," Gref said, in remarks cleared for publication on Thursday.

"Given our size, we would somehow survive it, but the rest of the banking sector would face an existential threat."

The Russian central bank is the majority owner of Sberbank, Russia's largest bank with over 23 trillion roubles ($373 billion) in assets, holding almost half the country's retail deposits.

"M&A deals for the banks are a way to sell off bad debt. For the market, it's seen as the economy getting better," Gref said.

"These deals are often done using loans, but if you can't raise them (the loan capital) ... what do we get? I am afraid it will lead to companies going bankrupt and jobs and taxes being lost."

Gref, at the helm of Sberbank since 2007, said that discussions with the central bank about the new proposals were ongoing. The central bank has yet to announce any firm plans.

"The central bank is ready to soften the initial proposals for provisions for loans issued for M&A deals," Gref said, without going into detail.

PROMSVYAZBANK AND SANCTIONS

One of the bailed out banks, Promsvyazbank, will be turned into a bank that will take defence sector loans from other Russian banks, such as Sberbank and VTB, to protect them from possible new Western sanctions.

Gref said discussions about the transfer were underway and Sberbank might also transfer some subordinated loans it had from the central bank to Promsvyazbank as well.

Asked whether he believed that a reduction in the central bank's stake in Sberbank below 50 percent would allow the bank to be excluded from Western sanctions, Gref said that in his view it would not help.

The sanctions, in effect from 2014, limit the bank's ability to borrow abroad.

"We were sanctioned not because of our actions or shareholder structure, but because that was how the geopolitical situation was."

The United States, the European Union and some other Western nations first imposed sanctions on some Russian officials, businessmen and companies in 2014 after Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.

Some of the sanctions have since been extended to cover more names. In the latest move last month, the United States imposed sanctions on Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska and his companies, including Rusal, among other oligarchs.

Sberbank is one of the largest lenders to Deripaska's empire, along with state bank VTB. Asked about Rusal's debt to Sberbank, Gref said there were only two options.

"Either the loan is repaid to us or we will work with the collateral (a more than 28 percent stake in Norilsk Nickel)," Gref said, without disclosing any further details.

Earlier this week, Sberbank said it had agreed to sell its Turkish unit, Denizbank, to Dubai's biggest lender Emirates NBD .

Denizbank is the fifth-largest private bank in Turkey and the biggest asset held by Sberbank outside Russia. The sale is part of a strategy by Russia's top lender to divest overseas businesses to focus on its domestic market.

Gref said that the final sale price was expected to be $3.4-3.7 billion, depending on the exchange rate and the closure date, which Gref expects to be by the end of the year.

($1 = 61.6073 roubles) (Writing by Katya Golubkova Editing by Andrew Osborn and Elaine Hardcastle)* Tough new U.S. trade talk comes ahead of mid-term elections

* Japan urges free trade, China vows to defend interests

* Shares in Asian automakers sell off after announcement

* U.S. counts for up to a third of total sales at top Asian makers (Adds comments from governments in Japan, South Korea and China, slide in shares of Asian automakers)

WASHINGTON, May 23 (Reuters) - The Trump administration has launched a national security investigation into car and truck imports that could lead to new U.S. tariffs similar to those imposed on imported steel and aluminum in March.

The national security probe under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 would investigate whether vehicle and parts imports were threatening the industry's health and ability to research and develop new, advanced technologies, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday.

"There is evidence suggesting that, for decades, imports from abroad have eroded our domestic auto industry," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement, promising a "thorough, fair and transparent investigation."

Higher tariffs could be particularly painful for Asian automakers including Toyota Motor Corp, Nissan Motor Co, Honda Motor Co and Hyundai, which count the United States as a key market, and the announcement sparked a broad sell-off in automakers' shares across the region.

The governments of Japan, China and South Korea said they would monitor the situation, while Beijing, which is increasingly eyeing the United States as a potential market for its cars, added that would defend its interests.

"China opposes the abuse of national security clauses, which will seriously damage multilateral trade systems and disrupt normal international trade order," Gao Feng, spokesman at the Ministry of Commerce, said at a regular news briefing in Beijing on Thursday which focused largely on whether it is making any progress in its trade dispute with Washington.

"We will closely monitor the situation under the U.S. probe and fully evaluate the possible impact and resolutely defend our own legitimate interests."

COURTING VOTERS

The probe comes as Trump courts voters in the U.S. industrial heartland ahead of mid-term elections later this year, and opens a new front in his "America First" trade agenda aimed at clawing back manufacturing jobs lost to overseas competitors.

It could raise the costs for overseas automakers to export vehicles and parts to the world's second-largest auto market.

Growing trade tensions over cars and car parts, particularly with China, could raise risks for U.S. companies expanding their presence in the country, signs of which are already emerging.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported that Ford Motor Co's imported vehicles were being held up at Chinese ports, adding to a growing list of U.S. products facing issues at China's borders.

The majority of vehicles sold in the United States by Japanese and South Korean automakers are produced there, but most also export to the U.S. from plants in Asia, Mexico, Canada and other countries.

Roughly one-third of all U.S. vehicle imports last year were from Asia.

In addition to recently imposed 25 percent tariffs on steel and 10 percent tariffs on aluminum imports, the administration has threatened tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods over intellectual property complaints, and Beijing has vowed to respond.

The administration is also trying to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement to return more auto production to the United States.

Commerce said the new probe would determine whether lost domestic production had weakened the U.S. "internal economy" and its ability to develop connected vehicle systems, autonomous vehicles, fuel cells, electric motors and batteries, and advanced manufacturing processes.

In a separate statement, President Donald Trump said: "Core industries such as automobiles and automotive parts are critical to our strength as a Nation."

A Trump administration official said before the announcement that the expected move was aimed partly at pressuring Canada and Mexico to make concessions in talks to update the NAFTA that have languished in part over auto provisions, as well as pressuring Japan and the European Union, which also export large numbers of vehicles to the United States.

'FEWER CHOICES, HIGHER PRICES'

An ad hoc industry group representing the largest Japanese, German and other foreign automakers called "Here for America," criticized the effort.

"To our knowledge, no one is asking for this protection. This path leads inevitably to fewer choices and higher prices for cars and trucks in America, said John Bozzella, chief executive of Global Automakers, a trade group representing Toyota, Nissan Motor Co Ltd, Hyundai Motor Co and others, who also speaks for the broader group.

A Toyota spokeswoman said that the company was monitoring the situation.

Chinese automaker Geely Holding Group urged free trade practices for the auto industry, which is built on a complex supply chain under which vehicle components for any given car often originates from numerous countries.

"As a global manufacturer, Geely Holding Group is in favour of free trade and open markets. Free trade creates jobs, wealth and economic growth," a spokesman said, adding that its plant in South Carolina to produce its Volvo brand cars showed its commitment to the country.

Late last week, Japan's automakers' association urged its export partners to keep tariffs on vehicles and components low and maintain free trade relationships.

Roughly 12 million cars and trucks were produced in the United States last year, while the country imported 8.3 million vehicles worth $192 billion. This included 2.4 million from Mexico, 1.8 million from Canada, 1.7 million from Japan, 930,000 from South Korea and 500,000 from Germany, according to U.S. government statistics.

At the same time, the United States exported nearly 2 million vehicles worldwide worth $57 billion.

German automakers Volkswagen AG, Daimler AG and BMW AG all have large U.S. assembly plants. The United States is the second-biggest export destination for German auto manufacturers after China, while vehicles and car parts are Germanys biggest source of export income.

Asked if the measures would hit Mexico and Canada, a Mexican source close to the NAFTA talks said: That probably is going to be the next battle." (Reporting by David Shepardson and Jeff Mason; Additional reporting by James Oliphant, Makini Brice and David Lawder in Washington, Anthony Esposito in Mexico City; Naomi Tajitsu in Tokyo and Yawen Chen in Beijing; Writing by David Lawder and David Shepardson; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Peter Cooney & Kim Coghill)* EU says concession allay concerns of market abuse

* Critics wanted to see Russian firm punished

* Gazprom hopes deal to smooth record gas sales to EU

* GRAPHIC-EU imports of Russian gas: http://tmsnrt.rs/2nz1ySg (Adds reactions, details)

BRUSSELS, May 24 (Reuters) - Russian gas giant Gazprom clinched a deal with EU antitrust regulators on Thursday to reform its pricing structure and allow rivals a foothold in eastern Europe, avoiding fines in a case that has dragged on for seven years.

Europe's competition enforcer said Gazprom's concessions allay concerns of market abuse, ending the EU's longest running antitrust saga that began with dawn raids at 20 offices in 10 countries in 2011.

The EU's decision to accept Gazprom's offer has allowed it to escape fines of as much as 10 percent of its global turnover - an outcome that has angered Poland and eastern EU countries which have sought a tougher line from Brussels.

The outlines of the settlement were mapped out more than a year ago, and finalized earlier this year, as Reuters previously reported. But it was delayed by critical feedback from several of the eight member states in the east at the center of the case, all countries formerly dominated by Moscow.

Many are angered by the move to smooth business ties with Gazprom, run by Alexei Miller, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin - contrasting it with hefty fines against multinationals such as U.S. tech giant Google.

"It's a pity," Lithuania's Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis said of the decision not to fine Gazprom. "But still it's a step forward," he told reporters in Vilnius.

Europe's Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the decision "provides a tailor-made rulebook for Gazprom's future conduct."

"This case is not about the flag of the company it is about achieving the outcome that best serves European consumers and businesses," she stressed.

Gazprom has denied the charges which concerned the three Baltic states, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Deputy Chief Executive Alexander Medvedev said Gazprom was "satisfied," calling the decision "the most reasonable outcome for the well-functioning of the entire European gas market."

CONCESSIONS

Under the deal, Gazprom will allow clients to ask for lower prices when these diverge from benchmarks such as Western European gas market hubs, scrapping its old system of linking them to oil prices. They may seek price reviews every two years and go to arbitration if a no deal is agreed within 120 days.

The Russian gas export monopoly will remove contractual constraints, which prevent clients from reselling its gas.

In markets isolated by a lack of pipeline infrastructure, Gazprom will give customers the right to change gas delivery points. Swaps will apply for contracts of at least 18 months at fixed delivery fees, including for relatively small amounts of gas and at short notice of just over four months.

"In the countries we are talking about Gazprom is still a dominant player," Vestager said.

In Bulgaria, which is nearly wholly dependent on Gazprom supplies, the transmission network operator will gain greater control over gas flows. Moscow also offered not to seek damages from the Balkan nation over the cancellation of the planned South Stream pipeline under the Black Sea.

Many of Gazprom's concessions are in line with changes in its marketing strategy away from long-term, oil-linked contracts, to which the EU objected, as a sea change in the gas market has eroded its dominance.

Europe faces slower growth; it has greater access to alternative energy sources, such as liquefied natural gas and coal; renewables are on the rise; and the EU is moving to make the market more liquid with new regulation and infrastructure.

Furthermore, U.S. and EU sanctions over Russia's role in the Ukraine crisis have curtailed Gazprom's investment plans.

"The market has turned into the buyer's market," one senior Gazprom source told Reuters.

Failure to live up to its promises could still earn Gazprom a fine over the next eight years. By the time the deal expires, Vestager predicted changes in Europe's gas market will have broken Gazprom's hold on the market.

"In eight years time we will have another gas market," she said.

(Additional reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius Editing by Adrian Croft)* Leumi plans to buy back up to 700 mln shekels of its shares

* Hedge funds betting on more buybacks

* Q1 net profit 730 mln shekels vs 769 mln forecast

* To pay dividend of 292 mln shekels (Adds details, background)

JERUSALEM/LONDON, May 24 (Reuters) - Bank Leumi, Israel's second-largest lender, said on Thursday it would start next week the first share buyback programme by an Israeli bank in more than three decades.

Hedge funds are betting the landmark move by the Israeli financial regulator to permit buybacks will lead to further programmes from other banks.

The bank, which reported a smaller-than-expected 17 percent rise in first-quarter profit, said it planned to buy up to 700 million shekels ($196 million), or 2 percent, of its shares, by March 31, 2019, subject to meeting a Tier 1 equity ratio of no less than 10.9 percent.

It added that once the programme was completed, it would likely seek regulatory approval for another buyback round, which it believes is equivalent to a dividend payout of about 65 percent of profit.

Israel's banking regulator currently allows bank dividends of up to 40 percent of profit and is in no hurry to allow banks to move to 50 percent as some wish, paving the way for buybacks.

Leumi received special central bank permission for the buyback and would likely be able to do more as long as it meets capital requirements.

"The Bank of Israel will move slow and it will depend on capital levels and credit performance, but I think there will be more share buybacks," said Russell Echlov, portfolio manager at Mendon Capital, which has $1.2 billion in assets under management and is long Israeli banks.

In anticipation, foreign investors including hedge funds have been increasing their positions in Leumi, the head of research at a large Israeli brokerage said.

Leumi declared a 292 million shekel dividend for the first quarter.

It earned 730 million shekels in the quarter, up from 622 million a year earlier, helped by lower salary expenses. It had been forecast to earn 769 million shekels, according to a Reuters poll of analysts.

Net interest income rose 7.1 percent to 2 billion shekels, although non-interest income dipped 13.4 percent due to an appreciation of the shekel and weak capital markets.

Credit loss expenses grew 28.7 percent to 130 million shekels due to more risky loans.

Still, the bank said it had become more conservative in its lending policies, opting not to increase its retail activity.

Part of Leumi's growth is coming from its recent launch of digital bank Pepper, which has tens of thousands of customers.

The bank's Tier 1 ratio, which measures equity capital as a proportion of total risk-weighted assets, fell to 11.11 percent at the end of March from 11.43 percent at the end of 2017.

($1 = 3.5701 shekels) (Additional reporting by Tova Cohen and Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Adrian Croft)Roger Stone speaks to the media at Trump Tower on December 6, 2016 in New York City.

Stone wanted emails from Wikileaks about Clinton's alleged role in disrupting a supposed Libyan peace deal in 2011 when she was secretary of state, according to the Journal. After a back-and-forth over email, Credico told the Journal that he "got tired" of Stone "bothering" him, and told Stone that he had passed along the message to Assange.

"Please ask Assange for any State or HRC e-mail from August 10 to August 30--particularly on August 20, 2011," Stone wrote, according to the Journal. He had no formal role with Mr. Trump's campaign at the time.

Roger Stone, a longtime confidant and former campaign advisor to Donald Trump , sought information from Wikileaks founder Julian Assange about Hillary Clinton , according to emails viewed by the Wall Street Journal . Stone reached out to Randy Credico, a radio personality who had interviewed Assange, in an email on Sept. 18, 2016 and asked him to contact the Wikileaks founder.

Both Stone and Credico told the newspaper they never had special access to Wikileaks' material.

Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat of the House Intelligence Committee, said that the emails between the two men had not been provided as part of the committee's probe of Russian election meddling, the Journal reported.

The omission, Schiff said, "would mean that his testimony was either deliberately incomplete or deliberately false."

Roger Stone told CNBC in an email that Schiff's statement was "typical bullshiff."

"The e-mails fall outside the scope of their request," Stone added. "My attorney will respond for the record."

Stone's lawyer, Grant Smith, told the Journal that the emails were "not encompassed within the scope of the committee's request." He did not immediately provide comment to CNBC.

Stone was interviewed by the House committee in September. Credico was subpoenaed by the committee in November to testify before the committee. He could not be reached for comment.

Credico tweet

A representative for Rep. Devin Nunes, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on the report.

Read the full report on Stone's emails with Credico from the Wall Street Journal.Russia has never pushed U.S. businesses away despite the "confusion" and "emotion" surrounding recent sanctions, the chief executive of the American Chambers of Commerce in Russia, told CNBC Thursday.

"Businesses have continued to operate in Russia and continue to do so successfully, the Russian government has never really turned its back on U.S. business, it has been making a consistent and credible message of, 'You're welcome here, operate here, please stay and we like you and we appreciate the business you do here,'" Alexis Rodzianko told CNBC on Thursday at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

Tensions between the U.S. and Russia have increased in recent weeks with the U.S. piling more sanctions on Russia for its alleged meddling in the U.S. election in 2016; the latest sanction list issued in April included Russian oligarchs, government officials and entities that it said were allied with President Vladimir Putin and engaged in "malign activity" around the world.

Notable inclusions on the list are aluminum giant Rusal and its outgoing president Oleg Deripaska, as well as VTB Bank President Andrei Kostin, who was listed as a government official (VTB Bank is majority owned by the Russian state).

Rodzianko said the list was confusing. "I would argue that these oligarchs are not particularly close to Putin, these are holdovers from the (former President Boris) Yeltsin era and they're more tolerated than considered close. So that was a confusing factor and if confusion was the objective then, hey, there's lots of confusion. Uncertainty that anybody could be next is in the air," he said.Russia claims that the ground-based missile system is capable of intercepting hypersonic missiles, drones, aircraft as well as stealth warplanes like the F-22 and the F-35.

Russia quietly conducted the world's longest surface-to-air missile test, according to sources with direct knowledge of U.S. intelligence about the weapons program.

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu as they attend the Navy Day parade in St. Petersburg, Russia, July 30, 2017. Picture taken July 30, 2017. Alexander Zemlianichenko | Reuters

Russia quietly conducted the world's longest surface-to-air missile test, according to sources with direct knowledge of U.S. intelligence concerning the weapons program. The S-500 surface-to-air missile system successfully struck a target 299 miles away, which the U.S. assessed is 50 miles further than any known test, said the sources, who spoke to CNBC on the condition of anonymity. Russia claims that the ground-based missile system is capable of intercepting hypersonic missiles, drones and aircraft as well as stealth warplanes like the F-22 and the F-35. The S-500 system would expand the Kremlin's capabilities to engage multiple targets with precision strikes.

Russia also claims the system has a range capable of destroying objects flying at near-space ranges or 62 miles above the Earth's surface. The developments about the new missile system emerge as investigators claim that a Russian-owned surface-to-air missile blew up Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014 over eastern Ukraine. Russia has denied involvement in the incident. On Thursday, Moscow's Defense Ministry said none of the country's air-defense missile systems crossed the Russia-Ukraine border. A medium-range Buk surface-to-air missile system was reportedly used to down the plane, resulting in the deaths of nearly 300 people. The Buk system is from a different family of missile systems as the new S-500 and its predecessor, the S-300V4, which has been operational since the late 1970s.

Loading surface-to-air missiles for an S-300 anti-aircraft system at the Key to the Skies contest as part of the 2017 International Army Games held by Russias Defence Ministry at Ashuluk Firing Range. Sergei Bobylev | TASS | Getty ImagesCongress authorized the $350 million "fix" to the popular, yet challenged student loan program in its March spending bill. The Department of Education was given 60 days to put out an application.

Now the Department of Education has issued directions for some student loan borrowers who work in public service jobs to reapply for a second chance at debt relief.

Your application for public service loan forgiveness was denied? You're far from alone.

Don't let the word "expanded" get your hopes up, though. The second chance is available only to people who still meet several demands.

Now it has come out with one, dubbed the "temporary expanded public service loan forgiveness" opportunity.

First, to apply you still need to have made the 120 qualifying and on-time payments under the program and have already been rejected for public service loan forgiveness.

But not all those rejected can apply  only those borrowers who were initially denied because of their repayment plan. Specifically, if you were deemed ineligible because you were enrolled in a graduated or extended loan repayment program instead of an income-driven one, you should reapply.

One important note: Your most recent payment on whatever plan you were in, as well as your payment made 12 months ago, must be as much as you would have paid on the income-driven repayment plan.

If you learn your payments were too low, you might consider switching into an income-driven repayment plan and reapplying for the fix-it fund in a year. The Department of Education warns, however, "This opportunity is temporary, has limited funding, and must be provided on a first come, first served basis."

Other technical reasons that commonly lead to disqualification remain.

You still need to have a loan from the federal direct program  not a Federal Family Education Loan, Perkins loan or any kind of private loan.

The program also has a narrow definition of a public service worker: generally someone employed by the government or a 501(c)(3) organization.

If you're unsure whether your employer qualifies, you can fill out the Department of Education's employer certification form to find out.Nearly 42 million Americans will kick off summer travel this Memorial Day weekend (with more millennials expected to travel this year)  and we know the destinations they're looking at. WalletHub used 40 metrics that include "travel costs and hassles," "local costs" and "attractions" to evaluate the top destinations this summer. CNBC Make It compared its top five cities with Marriott U.S. Travel Trends Report, which collected data from 1 million Marriott.com searches and bookings, as well as a digital survey with 2,000 people to determine travel preferences for summer weekend getaways. Three cities overlapped in both reports.

Choose Chicago

Chicago One of the cheapest destinations for Memorial Day weekend, Chicago is a perennial favorite for summer vacationers, when the beaches are open, Wrigley Field is busy with Cubs and White Sox fans, rooftop bars are back in business and outdoor festivals like Lollapalooza are happening. There are also dozens of street, art and beer festivals that happen only in the summer months, like Andersonville Midsommarfest. Chicago broke a record of 55.2 million annual visitors in 2017.

Getty Images

Orlando About 20 million people visit Walt Disney World every year but some people are visiting Orlando without checking out the theme park. A record 72 million travelers visited the city last year, according to tourism and convention board Visit Orlando. The city is home to museums, like Orlando Museum of Art, a busy nightlife scene and Broadway shows, and it's a gateway to nature parks and beaches about an hour away, like Daytona Beach. It's also one of the best places in America people are moving to, according to US News & World Report. Orlando is also WalletHub's No. 1 city in America to get married, due to wedding-friendly factors like being a convenient destination and affordability.

Atlanta, Georgia Steve Kelley | Getty ImagesOil prices are rising and higher U.S. production can only be beneficial to us, the head of strategy at Russian pipemaker TMK told CNBC Thursday.

"The sector we're in is very dynamic now with the oil price at $70-plus for WTI (West Texas Intermediate), we're seeing very strong drilling activity and the U.S. does not produce all the products it needs so that (means) a lot of imports," Vladimir Shmatovich said at St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

TMK's head of strategy said higher oil prices and higher U.S. production would help the pipemaker, which makes tubular products for the global oil and gas industry, but he conceded that "the oil price is not everything."

"Some companies have a bigger cushion (to protect against fluctuating oil prices) but some of them are on a very thin edge and when the oil price moves they can be in very big trouble. But our business is different and related to manufacturing as opposed to pure services, so there are higher barriers to entry," he said.

"I'm not going to say that it (business) doesn't depend on oil prices, because it does ... But to produce oil one needs pipes."

TMK is Russia's largest maker of steel pipes for the oil and gas industry. It has the world's largest steel pipe production capacity and its pipe shipments totaled 3.78 million tons in 2018.

It employs 42,000 employees around the world, exports to 80 countries and has 27 production sites around the world, 12 of which are in the U.S. and Canada where its TMK IPSCO subsidiary is located. Its American division has 2,000 employees and 1,390 kilo tons of pipe making capacity. Revenue in its American division was $994 million in 2017, on sales of 670,000 tons of product.

Still, being a Russian company operating in America with diplomatic and economic relations between the two superpowers at a low ebb can't be easy.

International sanctions, first imposed in 2014 for Russia's annexation of Crimea and its perceived role in a pro-Russian uprising in eastern Ukraine, have hit the country's banks, energy and arms sector by preventing them from being able to access funding in U.S. dollars. The sanctions have also restricted the Russian energy sector's access to technology needed for oil and gas exploration.

Shmatovich said his company had not experienced any problems, however.

"Political rhetoric doesn't make it easy, however we feel quite comfortable and we tend to be quite local. In the U.S. we are in eight states, and we are part of local communities and we have very good relationships with our American counterparts so we don't really feel it there much."

The interconnected nature of the industry could do with a calmer and more "benign" business climate, he added.Members of Congress tentatively approved of President Donald Trump's move Thursday to cancel his planned summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un  but questioned where the president will go from here. Some Republican lawmakers saw the meeting as potentially treacherous or doomed to fail and expressed suspicion about Kim's intentions for coming to the table. Trump had planned to push North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile programs during the summit. Certain members of Congress urged Trump not to give up on those efforts to seek peace with Pyongyang. Some Democrats, however, worried about whether Trump had a plan moving forward, and warned him not to go back to the aggressive rhetoric he employed toward North Korea at times last year. Here are some of the reactions from notable lawmakers:

House Speaker Paul Ryan

In a statement, House Speaker Paul Ryan on Thursday questioned North Korea's intentions. The Wisconsin Republican pushed Trump to keep up the economic pressure campaign carried out through international sanctions. "The North Korean regime has long given ample reason to question its commitment to stability. We must continue to work with our allies toward a peaceful resolution, but that will require a much greater degree of seriousness from the Kim regime. At the same time, Congress has provided significant tools to hold North Korea accountable, and it is important that the United States not relent in this maximum pressure campaign."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi

Nancy Pelosi, the top House Democrat, called scrapping the meeting "a good thing for Kim Jong Un." The California Democrat said the "thug" Kim is "the big winner" after getting "legitimized" by Trump. "This takes preparation ... which the president didn't make. It's clear he didn't know what he was getting into. And now he's walking away from it," she said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell

"I think [Trump] did the right thing" in canceling the summit, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer

Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said Thursday he worried the summit would not have yielded real results. The New York senator urged Trump to achieve a "concrete, verifiable" end to Kim's nuclear program if another summit takes place. "The fear many of us had was that the summit between President Trump and Kim Jong Un would be a great show that produced nothing endured. If a summit is to be reconstituted, the United States must show strength and achieve a concrete, verifiable enduring elimination of Kim Jong Un's nuclear capabilities," he said on the Senate floor.

Rep. Ed Royce, House Foreign Affairs Committee chair

Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., urged Trump to "continue to look for opportunities while applying maximum diplomatic pressure." "Our goal is to peacefully end North Korea's nuclear threats. The administration should continue to look for opportunities while applying maximum diplomatic and financial pressure against Kim Jong Un. Our allies  including South Korea and Japan  need to stand with the United States. There can be no daylight between us."

Sen. Bob Menendez, Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member

Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Thursday that "the art of diplomacy is a lot harder than the art of the deal." During a hearing, the New Jersey lawmaker called it "pretty amazing" that the Trump administration "might be shocked that North Korea is acting as North Korea might very well normally act." "And while we applaud the robust diplomatic efforts to try to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, many of us were deeply concerned that the lack of deep preparation that is necessary, before such a summit is even agreed to, was not taking place," he said.

Sen. Ben Cardin, Senate Foreign Relations Committee member

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., called Trump's decision to walk away from the summit "puzzling," according to NBC News. He added that he has not seen anything to date that would change the need for direct talks between Washington and Pyongyang.

Sen. Marco Rubio, Senate Intelligence Committee member

In a tweet Thursday, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., called Trump's move "100% the right decision." He argued Kim "doesn't want a deal." "He has deliberately sabotaged the talks over the last two weeks & was setting us up to take the blame," Rubio wrote. Rubio tweet

Rep. Eric Swalwell, House Intelligence Committee memberAny meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "probably was a bad idea in the first place," Thomas Hubbard, former U.S. ambassador to South Korea, told CNBC on Thursday.

Trump and Kim were too far apart on the objectives of next month's now-canceled summit, said Hubbard, who served in diplomatic roles during the administrations of George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

It was "probably doomed from the outset," added Hubbard, a principal negotiator of the 1994 framework that had been aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

Meanwhile, former U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns, in an earlier CNBC interview, said Trump made the "right move" on Thursday in canceling the Kim summit.

Referring to angry statements in recent days out of North Korea, Burns said these were not the actions of leader who sincerely wants to work toward dismantling his nuclear apparatus.

North Korean Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choe Son Hui said early Thursday, "I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the U.S. vice-president."

The remarks out of Pyongyang were in response to what Vice President Mike Pence said in a Monday interview on Fox News. Pence said, "As the president made clear, this will only end like the Libyan model ended if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal."

The reference to Libya, which was forced to give up its nuclear weapons in 2003 and later saw the regime of its former leader Moammar Gadhafi decimated by NATO during the country's civil war, set North Korea on edge.

Trump's decision to pull the plug on the Kim meeting demonstrates U.S. strength, which is a "good thing right now," said Burns, currently a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

A summit may happen at some point, but for now, keeping U.S. sanctions in place against North Korea is the "leverage" to possibly bring Kim around, said Burns, whose 27-year career in foreign service spanned both Republican and Democratic administrations.

Burns served as U.S. ambassador to NATO and was the State Department's third-ranking diplomat during the presidency of Bush 43. He also advised George H.W. Bush and Clinton.President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 24, 2018. Nicholas Kamm | AFP | Getty Images

The collapse of a scheduled nuclear summit makes it hard to avoid the conclusion that, on North Korea, President Donald Trump didn't know what he was doing. Eleven weeks passed from the impromptu announcement of the summit with Kim Jong Un to its cancellation Thursday. That stretch produced a cascade of faulty assumptions and execution mistakes from the president and his top advisors alike. "There were some problems with diplomatic tradecraft," Christopher Hill, ambassador to South Korea under President George W. Bush, told CNBC. "I certainly have questions about what the Trump administration thought they had in the first place."

It started on March 8 in the White House driveway  when officials from South Korea, not the United States, told reporters the two leaders planned to meet. Trump had caught his staff by surprise, seeing those officials earlier than planned and accepting the summit idea on the spot. "Kim Jong Un talked about denuclearization with the South Korean Representatives, not just a freeze," Trump tweeted. "Meeting being planned!" "A misreading," concluded Richard Haass, a foreign policy advisor to President George W. Bush who now runs the Council on Foreign Relations. On Twitter, Pusan University political scientist Robert Kelly added: "If Trump were less vain and allowed his national security adviser to vet the offer, he might have learned" North Korea had no intention of surrendering weapons that Kim's regime considers its insurance policy.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the first enlarged meeting of the seventh Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). KCNA | Reuters

North Korea, by contrast, followed a step-by-step road map in pursuit of international prestige, sanctions relief, and economic aid for its impoverished citizens. During 2017, Kim conducted testing that established his regime's nuclear capability, despite Trump's pledges of "fire and fury" in response to potential aggression. In 2018, Kim turned to a charm offensive with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Moon and his South Korean constituents seemed more alarmed by White House threats than North Korea did. Kim's charm offensive also worked on Trump, the self-styled dealmaker who had previously taunted the North Korean dictator as "Little Rocket Man." The administration printed commemorative summit coins depicting Trump and "Supreme Leader" Kim as peers  a longstanding objective of North Korean leaders. When Kim released three imprisoned Americans earlier this month, Trump praised him for having been "excellent to these three incredible people." Basking in flattery from Moon and Republicans, the smiling president recently said "everyone thinks" he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet weeks passed without clarity on North Korea's real intentions. After two trips to Pyongyang, Trump's new secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, did not identify common ground on summit objectives. "He needed to have Pompeo come back with some very specific points," said Hill, the former ambassador to South Korea. "Elementary due diligence." Two related developments finally triggered Trump's cancellation. John Bolton, who became national security advisor in April after Trump dumped H.R. McMaster, invoked the "Libya model" for North Korean denuclearization. Years after Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi gave up his nuclear weapons, he was overthrown and killed. North Korea blasted Bolton. Kim's government declared that, as most Western experts on the region had anticipated, it would not surrender its nuclear weapons. At the White House, where South Korea's Moon traveled to salvage the summit, Trump promised to make North Korea rich and guarantee its dictator's safety. He vacillated on whether he would insist on immediate denuclearization or accept a gradual approach.

Vice President Mike Pence speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, May 18, 2018. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Then Vice President Mike Pence cited Libya again. North Korea derided Pence as a "political dummy." This morning, Trump abruptly brought this chapter of the saga to a close. South Korean diplomats said they received no advance warning of the summit's cancellation. President Moon called himself "baffled and very regretful." Some U.S. lawmakers, fearing the meeting would end badly, welcomed the news. Hill, who tangled with the hawkish Bolton during the Bush administration, suspects the new national security advisor brought up Libya purposely to head off a summit initiated before his tenure. If so, Trump faces the same in-house splits on North Korea that hobble his trade talks with China. Even Thursday he wouldn't commit to any particular path, mixing assertions of military might with speculation the summit might be resurrected after all. "So hopefully," Trump concluded, "things will work out."

WATCH: Trump's ties to Russia are hidden in plain sightPresident Donald Trump canceled his historic nuclear summit with Kim Jong Un on Thursday, accusing North Korea of "tremendous anger and open hostility." The meeting, which would have marked the first face-to-face encounter between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader, was set for June 12 in Singapore. "Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting," Trump wrote in a letter to Kim, which was released Thursday morning. The president dictated every word of the letter himself, a senior White House official told reporters. The senior White House official also said that North Korea had suspended direct communication with the U.S. over the past week. Stocks fell after news of the cancellation broke, although equities rebounded from lows somewhat later in the day. Much of the letter was written in seemingly friendly terms, including praise for North Korea's recent release of three American prisoners. In contrast, Trump also appeared to issue a threat that conjured memories of his war of words with Kim last year.

"You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used," Trump wrote. The Wall Street Journal, citing a White House official, reported that Trump, in a bid to avoid leaks, ordered the letter released without first telling U.S. allies. The cancellation took South Korea's government by surprise. The nation's president, Moon Jae-in, had played a pivotal role in setting up recent diplomatic developments. A representative of Moon's office said the South Korean administration was "trying to figure out what President Trump's intention is and the exact meaning of it," according to the country's Yonhap News Agency. Moon and his aides convened emergency meetings to address the shock announcement, which broke shortly before midnight in Seoul. Moon and the national security council met for an hour, starting a midnight, according to a statement from the South Korean presidency. The rest of the statement reads: It is very regretful and disconcerting that the US-NK summit will not happen as planned. Denuclearization and the lasting peace on the Korean peninsula cannot be abandoned or delayed as they are the historical assignment. The sincerity of the affected parties who have been working to resolve the problem has not changed. It is hard to resolve sensitive and difficult diplomatic issues with the current way of communications. (We) hope that the leaders resolve problems through direct and close dialogue. The news came as North Korea made a show of dismantling a nuclear test site, but also on the heels of some sharp words from the North Korean government about America denuclearization demands. Trump's decision also comes more than two weeks after he withdrew the U.S. from the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, which had lifted sanctions on the Middle Eastern country as long as it limited its nuclear program. Read more: Congress reacts to Trump's decision to cancel his summit with Kim Jong Un Doubts had grown in recent days about whether Trump's summit with Kim would actually happen. North Korea abruptly canceled talks with South Korea last week out of anger over joint military tests with the U.S. in the Korean peninsula. While Trump had repeatedly played up the historic significance of his planned meeting, he also often leavened his optimism with a cautious "we'll see." On Tuesday, Trump said there was a "substantial" chance that the meeting might not take place at the planned time and location. Thursday's development marked yet another dramatic, sudden turnaround in the Trump-Kim saga. Without many details or diplomatic ties established, the president agreed on March 8 to the summit, when South Korean officials told Trump about the North Korean leader's Kim's eagerness to meet.

You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used. President Donald Trump

North Korea took offense to remarks on Monday by Vice President Mike Pence that the communist country could end up like Libya if it doesn't make a nuclear deal with Washington. Before Trump's cancellation, a top North Korean official, Choe Son Hui, lashed out at Pence's remarks. "As a person involved in U.S. affairs, I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing from the mouth of the U.S. vice president," Choe said, according to KCNA.

The vice president's comments also echoed those of Trump's national security advisor, John Bolton, who had suggested the U.S. could pursue a Libya-style denuclearization plan with North Korea. Years after that nuclear deal, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was overthrown and slain, a move the U.S. supported. North Korea's Kim is concerned about regime change. Trump's cancellation earned quick praise from Republican lawmakers. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said in a tweet that the president's move was "100% the right decision." RUBIO TWEET House Speaker Paul Ryan also weighed in, but in more measured tones. "The North Korean regime has long given ample reason to question its commitment to stability," Ryan said in a statement. "We must continue to work with our allies toward a peaceful resolution, but that will require a much greater degree of seriousness from the Kim regime." Trump's critics also seized on the news, but as a way to hammer the White House. "The art of diplomacy is a lot harder than the art of the deal. The reality is, is that it's pretty amazing that the administration might be shocked that North Korea is acting as North Korea might very well normally act," Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said in a hearing involving Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. While he was still CIA director, Pompeo met with Kim over Easter weekend to establish diplomatic ties and work toward setting up the summit. Pompeo had also secured the release of the three American prisoners released by North Korea earlier this month. In his letter to Kim, Trump thanked him for the release but referred to the prisoners in non-diplomatic language. "I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated," Trump said. At the Senate Foreign Relations, Pompeo said Thursday that North Korea did not respond to preparation teams for the summit. There were no immediate details about how the administration would continue to pursue diplomacy with North Korea, which is the only nation to conduct nuclear-weapons tests this century. Yet Trump left the door open for arranging a new meeting with Kim. "If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write," the president wrote. "This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history." Read the full text of the letter here: May 24, 2018 His Excellency

Kim Jong Un

Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democractic People's Republic of Korea

Pyongyang Dear Mr. Chairman: We greatly appreciate your time, patience, and effort with respect to our recent negotiations and discussions relative to a summit long sought by both parties, which was scheduled to take place on June 12 in Singapore. We were informed that the meeting was requested by North Korea, but that to us is totally irrelevant. I was very much looking forward to being there with you. Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting. Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place. You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used. I felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me, and ultimately it is only that dialogue that matters. Some day, I look very much forward to meeting you. In the meantime, I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated. If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write. The world, and North Korea in particular, has lost a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history. Sincerely yours, Donald J. Trump

President of the United States of America CNBC's Eamon Javers and Amanda Macias contributed to this report.

WATCH: The Trump-Russia ties hiding in plain sightThe abandonment of the summit reduces Trump administration hopes of soon reaching a peaceful agreement for Pyongyang to give up its nuclear and missile programs. It leaves U.S. allies and lawmakers scrambling to determine how best to proceed, and discern how Trump wants to treat talks moving forward. U.S. stock markets fell after the president canceled the summit .

"I have spoken to South Korea and Japan and they are not only ready should foolish or reckless acts be taken by North Korea, but they are willing to shoulder much of the cost of any financial burden  any of the costs associated by the United States in operations, if such an unfortunate situation is forced upon us," he said during an event at which he signed a bill rolling back bank regulations .

The president, throwing aside his conciliatory rhetoric, called the meeting's cancellation a "great setback for the world." Touting a "greatly enhanced" American military and the power of U.S. allies, Trump warned Kim against taking "foolish or reckless" action.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that the U.S. military stands "ready if necessary" following his cancellation of a planned summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un , ramping up already tense rhetoric exchanged between Washington and Pyongyang.

It marked only the latest sudden twist in a dramatic series of interactions between Washington and Pyongyang. Trump's rhetoric Thursday moved closer to the more aggressive stance he took last year, when he threatened to bring "fire and fury" on North Korea and "Little Rocket Man" Kim.

Still, the president said Thursday that he has hopes for a peaceful resolution or even scheduling another summit with Kim in the future as the U.S. puts economic pressure on Pyongyang. He said "nobody should be anxious" and "we have to get this right."

"If and when Kim Jong Un chooses to engage in constructive dialogue and actions, I am waiting. In the meantime, our very strong sanctions, by far the strongest sanctions ever imposed, and maximum pressure campaign will continue as it has been continuing," Trump said.

The Trump administration is considering putting new sanctions on North Korea as early as next week, The Wall Street Journal reported later Thursday.

Trump said he had spoken to Defense Secretary James Mattis about military readiness. Chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana White told reporters that the Trump administration will keep up the economic pressure campaign, and added that "we are ready to fight tonight, that has always been the case." White said, "the way forward is in the hands of the North Koreans."

In a letter to Kim released Thursday, Trump accused the communist dictatorship of "tremendous anger and open hostility" ahead of the meeting. The summit, previously set for June 12 in Singapore, would have marked the first face-to-face meeting between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader.

Trump wrote that canceling the meeting  during which he planned to press for denuclearization  was "for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world." In scrapping the historic summit, he again used some of the fiery rhetoric against North Korea he has recently avoided.

"You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used," the president wrote.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, he said dialogue with Kim "was good until recently." He added that "I think I know why that happened," without giving any more details. Trump has previously suggested China may have intervened in the process.

The latest escalation between Washington and Pyongyang came this week, when Vice President Mike Pence warned that the North Korean regime may end up like former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. His government was toppled years after he agreed to give up his budding nuclear weapons program.

Choe Son Hui, a North Korean official, responded by calling Pence's remarks "ignorant and stupid."

After Trump canceled the summit, both American allies and U.S. lawmakers questioned how Trump would proceed with peace talks. A representative for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who helped to spark diplomatic talks, said his government was "trying to figure out what President Trump's intention is and the exact meaning of it," the country's Yonhap News Agency reported.

On Capitol Hill, Republicans applauded Trump's move and said they felt Kim had dubious intentions entering the talks about potentially abandoning his nuclear and weapons programs. Democrats worried about whether Trump had a plan to proceed in the peace talks.

Asked if he thinks Thursday's developments increase the chance of war, Trump said, "we'll see what happens. I hope that we'll continue onward."

"I think they want to do what's right," he said of the North Korean regime.

 CNBC's Amanda Macias contributed to this report."Negotiating trade deals to eliminate the Chinese trade deficit will likely have harmful, long-lasting, global impacts."

Amid all of the Chinese trade talks it is easy to forget that there is also an escalating trade conflict with the European Union. Punitive tariff exemptions of 25 and 10 percent on exported EU steel and aluminum are set to expire June 1st and it seems that the president's team is unhappy with how negotiations are unfolding.

Comments made by the EU trade commissioner suggest that little headway will be made before the deadline and that either tariffs or restricted market access will be likely.

With a trade war now on two fronts, it seems the president's decisions are coming from one of two places: competition or cooperation.

If President Trump would like to close the trade deficit with China, his stance with the EU should be one of cooperation. Additionally if the U.S. wants to discuss violations of American intellectual property rights, as a claim with the World Trade organization suggests, it requires joint pressure from both the U.S. and the EU.

Moreover, the EU would likely need the help of the U.S. to pressure China, which exports half of the world's steel, to stop depressing steel prices and forcing EU businesses to close.

However, the EU has already indicated that they will not negotiate under the looming threat of steel and aluminum tariffs; their position is clear, they should share exemptions along with Australia, Argentina, Brazil and South Korea.

What is also clear is that American made goods like Harley Davidsons, denim jeans, and bourbon will be the first items hit with retaliatory tariffs from the EU.

Globally, firms have begun to respond to a budding two-front trade war as tariff exemptions are set to expire. If President Trump is committed to his populist political-economic agenda, then tactics that promote market competition among U.S., EU and China firms, should be the clear-cut strategy.

Otherwise, negotiating trade deals to eliminate the Chinese trade deficit will likely have harmful, long-lasting, global impacts. Here in the U.S., consumers should expect to see prices rising for many imported EU and Chinese products and jobs in the steel and manufacturing sectors not rebounding.

The next few weeks will be an important test for President Trump and his team, if we expect to win this zero-sum game.

Commentary by economics expert Jason Reed, assistant teaching professor of finance in the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business.

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter."Unless it includes a wall  and I mean a wall, a real wall  and unless it includes very strong border security, there will be no approval from me," the president told "Fox & Friends."

Top Republicans such as House Speaker Paul Ryan have said that by joining with House Democrats, moderate GOP lawmakers could pass a bill Trump would find unacceptable. On Thursday, the president stressed he would only sign legislation that includes his proposed border wall and "very strong" border security measures.

Centrist House Republicans have pushed to force a vote on bills to shield immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children from deportation, against the wishes of GOP leaders. Those Republicans need only a few more signatures from the caucus on a petition to make votes happen.

President Donald Trump said Thursday he will not sign an immigration bill passed by the GOP-controlled Congress unless it includes a "real" border wall.

Trump did not specify what he meant by strong border security. However, he has in recent months called for tough restrictions on legal immigration in exchange for shielding the young immigrants. Democrats and numerous Republicans do not support the proposed limits on legal immigration, which include restrictions on family visa sponsorship and an end to the diversity visa "lottery" system.

The president's mention of a "real" border wall may allude to his frustration with a $1.3 trillion spending bill he reluctantly signed into law earlier this year. While the measure increased border security funding by $1.6 billion, the money largely went to surveillance technology and border fencing similar to structures that already exist, rather than a "wall" as Trump conceived it.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday also shot down the prospect of approving an immigration measure the president does not support. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, the Kentucky Republican said senators cannot "spin our wheels" like they did in February, when an open amendment process yielded multiple failed immigration proposals.

"If the House passed a bill that the president was forin other words I thought there was a chance of actually making a lawI'd consider it," he told the newspaper.

Immigration policy has confounded and divided Congress for years. Finding a solution for the young undocumented immigrants, known as Dreamers, took on more urgency when Trump ended the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals last year.

While court decisions have held up his move, many lawmakers seek a quick resolution to end the uncertainty. But earlier this year, lawmakers could not reach a consensus as Trump's demands for a bill appeared to shift.

The centrist Republican effort has thrown chaos into the GOP caucus only months ahead of elections that will decide whether Republicans keep control of the House. Last week, the House Freedom Caucus, failing to secure a vote on a conservative immigration bill as support for the moderates' plan mounted, helped to sink a GOP-written farm bill.

The immigration fight has multiple political implications for Republicans. Discontent has grown with Ryan, sparking speculation about whether lawmakers could try to force him out before his planned retirement in January, according to Politico. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Ryan's handpicked successor as House GOP leader, also cannot run afoul of too many members and still win a leadership race.

McCarthy believes reaching a bipartisan immigration plan with Democrats could hurt Republican voter enthusiasm in November, according to Politico.

On Wednesday, the House Republican conference confirmed it will hold a two-hour meeting next month on immigration. Lawmakers could potentially forge a path forward then.A United Airlines airplane passes the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center as it heads to a runway at Newark Liberty Airport on January 20, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey.

United Airlines has reached a settlement with the family whose French bulldog puppy died after it was placed in an overhead bin in March.

"We are deeply sorry for this tragic accident and have worked with the Robledo family to reach a resolution," the airline said in a statement. United and Evan Oshan, who said he represented the Robledo family, declined to disclose the terms.

The puppy's death was one in a series of United's high-profile public-relations disasters that included the violent dragging of passenger David Dao off a United Express flight in April 2017 after he refused to make room for commuting crew. United settled with Dao later that month.

United had apologized for Kokito's death aboard the flight in March. A flight attendant had insisted the dog's owner's bag, which contained the puppy, be placed in an overhead bin.

United said the puppy's owner told the flight attendant the dog was in the bag, but the flight attendant did not hear or understand the passenger.

Kokito wasn't United's only pet trouble. Shortly after that incident United flew two other dogs to the wrong destinations, including a German shepherd that it mistakenly sent to Japan. (United chartered a private jet to fly Irgo home.) Last year, a family's spaniel died while in United's care and a giant rabbit that was flying United from London to Chicago also died.

United earlier this month announced it would scale back its pet-transportation program, PetSafe, the biggest animal-transportation program in the U.S. The airline will now only carry dogs and cats and has banned some 20 breeds. It will also not accept animals for transport in several cities including Las Vegas and Phoenix during the hot summer months.The United States is looking at alternatives to the crippling sanctions threatening the survival of Chinese telecom giant ZTE, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told CNBC on Thursday.

Ross said on "Squawk Box" the U.S. is considering a plan to require compliance officers to be installed at ZTE, best known by consumers for selling smartphones.

"If we do decide to go forward with an alternative, what it literally would involve would be implanting people of our choosing into the company to constitute a compliance unit ... [which] would report back to the Department of Commerce," he said. "The whole key is enforcement."

Last month, Washington banned ZTE from purchasing parts from U.S. manufacturers, including chips from Qualcomm, glass from Corning and Android software from Alphabet's Google, because it was selling equipment with American parts to Iran and North Korea in violation of U.S. sanctions. The ban was imposed after ZTE admitted guilt and paid nearly $1.2 billion in fines for those violations.

ZTE, in addition to smartphones, has been a large manufacturer of telecommunications equipment that allows large carriers to operate their wireless and data networks. It was China's first state-owned telecom equipment maker to go public. It's listed on the Shenzhen and Hong Kong stock exchanges.The U.S. Department of Justice opened a criminal probe into the possibility that traders are manipulating the price of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, according to a report from Bloomberg.

The investigation surrounds the practice of spoofing  where an investor places orders that are intended to manipulate the price of an instrument  and flooding the market with fake orders, the report said Thursday, citing four unnamed people familiar with the probe.

Federal prosecutors are also working with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, it added.The famous bull statue on Wall Street, near the New York Stock Exchange in New York City. Adam Jeffery | CNBC

Of bonds and banks

When we think of financial markets, we tend to jumble securities markets like stocks, bonds and commodities with conventional bank lending such as checking accounts and lines of credit. Dodd-Frank, for example, was ostensibly focused on regulation of securities markets, but the rules that got the most attention were those that affect the "too big to fail" banks. That those banks straddled both worlds  securities trading and traditional banking  is what made the 2008 financial crisis life-threatening. But only securities trading, and in particular derivatives, was at the root of the crisis. So for our purposes, when we talk about financial regulation, our focus is on the securities markets.

How did we get here?

The financial markets meltdown in the fall of 2008 devastated the U.S. economy, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the stock market rout that preceded the Great Depression in October 1929. After the 1929 crash, lawmakers reacted by passing laws aimed at ensuring investor protection. Two groundbreaking pieces of legislation, passed in 1933 and 1934, required companies to submit quarterly and annual reports and established the Securities and Exchange Commission. These laws form the cornerstone of modern securities markets regulation. But they were only the beginning. As markets expanded and changed, Congress continued to craft new laws that added more agencies to oversee Wall Street activities. As a result, we have more than two dozen agencies, self-regulatory organizations and exchanges  such as the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Treasury, the Department of Labor and the Justice Department  not to mention state securities agencies, all with overlapping regulatory jurisdictions. Moreover, the laws have been reactionary  rather than visionary  resulting in competing concerns and duplicative audit and enforcement procedures. Not surprisingly, there is largely no coordination or communication between them. Meanwhile, the SEC  as primary regulator  is bogged down with too many directives, many of which are under- or unfunded. For decades, whenever Congress passed a bill to "regulate" big changes in the markets  from market crashes to "advancements" such as mutual funds and investment advisers  the SEC has been required to add oversight of these new practices to their existing responsibilities. Dodd-Frank, for example, expanded the SEC's role and called for additional internal audits of existing practices but  like past market-related legislation  failed to include funding for those activities. Amid all the regulation, investor protection seems to have gotten lost.

Enter Dodd-Frank

The severity of the 2008 crash and its economic impact  including investment company failures and unprecedented government bailouts  goaded Congress into action. In 2010 Democratic lawmakers passed the Dodd-Frank Act, the most extensive revision of securities regulation since the 1930s, with the hope that more regulation would prevent another crisis. Republicans have argued for its repeal ever since, claiming the law and the regulations designed to implement it  some of which have yet to be implemented  inhibit prosperity. Both parties are missing the point. The current system of financial regulation is built on how stocks were traded in the 1930s  when computers and algorithmic trading had yet to be a glimmer in a quant's eye. To paraphrase an Oldsmobile commercial, it's not your father's stock market anymore.

My, how markets have changed

Financial markets have undergone a fundamental transformation over the past 80 years. First of all, there are the investors themselves. The mom and pop investor who the SEC was created to protect has by and large been replaced by institutional investors, including quantitative analysts, or "quants," that use complex algorithmic formulas to predict the best trading strategies. In fact, algorithmic trading makes up the majority of volume in today's markets. Then there's the issue of disclosure. Since the dawn of federal securities regulation, lawmakers and regulators have relied on disclosure to protect investors. Public companies are required to disclose volumes of information, from financial information to dealings with Iran and even their code of ethics. As a result, a company can spend over a million dollars each year complying with disclosure regulations that few people actually read. Yet every time there's a new disaster, Congress piles on the disclosure requirements, as happened with Dodd-Frank. But for all the hundreds of pages of disclosure, at no time in the past 80 years has there been a mandate to review the actual securities products issued by public companies and investment banks. There are no "safety" standards for stocks, like there are for cars or toasters. The products that brought down the house in 2008  mortgage-backed securities and products derived from them  continue to be offered to the public, including new ones backed by credit card debt and student loans. Finally, the SEC and other regulators are unequipped to keep up with the breathtaking changes in technology, let alone anticipate potential advances and challenges. To understand why, one must only consider the breadth of organizations that have fallen victim to hackers, from Target and Yahoo to the Veterans Administration, and the Federal Reserve itself. Unfortunately, however, Congress does not fund the SEC in a way that would allow it to pay for the skills or systems it needs to keep up with technological and other market advances. Following Dodd-Frank, for example, the SEC's budget was actually reduced, even as its responsibilities multiplied. In sum, what we have is a regulatory system that fails in its mission to protect investors. The structure used to oversee current investment practices, corporate disclosures, product development and technological advances is based on the market failures of 1929. It's a bit like trying to surf the internet using a typewriter.

Preparing for the next crashFrench President Emmanuel Macron (L) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (2nd L) speaks as US President Donald Trump (C) arrives for a family picture during the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit at the NATO headquarters, in Brussels, on May 25, 2017. Eric Feferberg | AFP | Getty Images

European leaders are assembling a playbook to preserve the Iran nuclear deal that puts the Continent on course for direct conflict with the United States. Analysts are deeply skeptical that the measures under consideration will embolden big European multinationals to continue doing business with Iran in the face of powerful U.S. sanctions. However, the dispute puts the two sides in uncharted territory that could shake the trans-Atlantic alliance and undermine U.S. authority in ways that are difficult to predict. The root of the disagreement is President Donald Trump's decision to abandon the 2015 nuclear accord that Iran negotiated with the Obama administration, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia. European leaders tried to persuade Trump to leave the deal intact while the allies addressed Tehran's role in Middle East conflicts and ballistic missile tests. But the White House ultimately decided to leave the deal and restore a punishing slate of sanctions against Iran.

I think that the real geopolitical problem is when you have not an unpredictable opponent or enemy or partner. The problem is when your closest friend is unpredictable. Donald Tusk European Council president

Last week, the European Commission announced it would update laws prohibiting the bloc's companies from complying with U.S. sanctions, first adopted in 1996 to counter American sanctions on Cuba. It is also considering making direct transfers from EU governments to the Iranian Central Bank and allowing the European Investment Bank to guarantee projects in Iran, an EU official told Reuters. The Eurasia Group, a risk consultancy, forecasts that Iran will back out of the deal within months when it becomes clear that these and other measures cannot keep enough business flowing into the country to make it worth Tehran's while to continue making nuclear concessions. On Wednesday, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued tough demands that Europe must meet in order to save the deal. Iranian diplomats meet on Friday with their counterparts from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia to discuss the nuclear deal. Behnam Ben Taleblu, research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, also doubts the measures will offer Iran much relief. However, he is concerned that the United States and Europe are entering a "game of chicken" that Washington should instead be playing with Tehran. "I'm more concerned about what they represent: a European willingness to basically stare down American secondary sanctions," he told CNBC.

In his view, the EU measures are a clear indication that Europe is not yet on Trump's side. The administration needs to prioritize getting Europe on board before the expiration in November of a 180-day grace period for companies to wind down business with Iran, he added. "A lot of Europeans are caught in economic realities which should remind Washington of why they are still upset. There's a strong political disagreement they have with Washington over the JCPOA, and continuing to frame the trans-Atlantic dispute over the JCPOA as legal or economic forgets there's a political disagreement," he said, using an acronym for the deal's official title.

Cooperation vs coercion

At the heart of the problem is an issue of cooperation versus coercion. The administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama patiently built international support for sanctions, leveraging concern over Iran's illicit research into nuclear weapons development. That resulted in a robust multilateral sanctions regime  essentially a web of sanctions developed by the Americans and Europeans that complemented one another. However, the Trump administration is not pursuing a multilateral approach. Instead, it is seeking to leverage the size of the U.S. economy and its influence over the global financial system to coerce European companies to follow Washington's lead. It is doing that through so-called secondary sanctions, which allow Washington to deny foreign companies access to the U.S. market if they do business with Iran. In many cases, turning to this type of secondary sanction shows that the campaign to secure multilateral sanctions failed, said John Forrer nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global Business and Economics Program.

Europe and the Trump administration fundamentally differ on "what is a good, acceptable resolution" of the dispute, according to Forrer. That difference was made even more clear by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's speech this week, in which he said sanctions relief will now depend not only on Iran making more nuclear-related concessions, but on overhauling its foreign policy, ceasing ballistic missile tests and releasing U.S. citizens in captivity. "What Pompeo articulated is very different than what the EU would articulate," said Forrer. "Where does it end? Because the, quote, solution for the U.S. is not the same solution for the EU." The ultimate impact of the rift could be difficult to measure, according to Forrer. It could, for example, be hard to tell to what degree European frustration over the Iran nuclear deal influences ongoing trade talks with Washington, he said. European leaders did not hide their frustration at a summit in Bulgaria last week after the U.S. exit. "I think that the real geopolitical problem is when you have not an unpredictable opponent or enemy or partner," said European Council President Donald Tusk. "The problem is when your closest friend is unpredictable. It's not a joke now. This is the essence of our problem today with our friends on the other side of the Atlantic."

Sanctions' history of diplomatic crisis

Europe has tested the United States in the past, and in each case, Washington has blinked. President Ronald Reagan lifted secondary sanctions meant to block a pipeline project from Russia to Europe during the Cold War. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush left sanctions aimed at disrupting business with Cuba and Iran on the books, but did not enforce them for fear of sparking a trade war with Europe. "This has produced a diplomatic crisis every time it has occurred in the past. ... If the European Union persists, I think a new crisis is inevitable," William Alan Reinsch wrote in a commentary for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where he is now the Scholl Chair in international business.[The stream is set to start at 2:30 p.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.]

President Donald Trump is slated to award the military's highest honor on Thursday to a former member of the Navy's SEAL Team Six.

Trump will award the Medal of Honor to retired Master Chief Petty Officer Britt Slabinski for leading an attempted rescue mission in Afghanistan in 2002, according to the Navy.

Slabinski, a special warfare operator, was leading a reconnaissance mission to the top of the Takur Ghar mountain on March 4, 2002 when his insertion helicopter was attacked by rocket-propelled grenade fire. Petty Officer Neil Roberts fell out of the helicopter and onto the mountaintop before the aircraft crash-landed lower in a valley.

Slabinski made the decision to lead the remainder of his team up the mountain to rescue Roberts, who had fallen into area dense with enemies. For more than 14 hours, Slabinski and his team defended their position and fought against enemies until the mountaintop was secured and the team could be extracted, the Navy said.

The award from Trump on Thursday will make Slabinksi the 12th recipient of the Medal of Honor for bravery displayed in battle in Afghanistan, the Navy said.

SEAL Team Six is best known for killing Osama bin Laden, a leader of terrorist group al Qaeda, in 2011.[The stream is slated to start at 11:30 a.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.]

President Donald Trump on Thursday is set to sign into law the most significant rollbacks to financial regulations since the financial crisis.

Those regulations were applied in the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010, in the wake of the financial crisis and subsequent recession of the last decade.

The bill overcame its final hurdle on Tuesday, passing the House of Representatives with some Democratic support. Trump said he would sign the bill in a tweet Wednesday.

Trump tweet

The legislation eases regulations on small- and mid-sized banks, and significantly raises the level at which a bank is considered too big to be allowed to fail. It also removes certain checks on financial institutions designed to help spot future crises, among other changes.

The bill signing arrives shortly after Trump canceled a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un planned to be held in Singapore in June.Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told CNBC on Thursday that his department's investigation of imported cars will determine whether "abuse of trade tactics" could harm the U.S.

"National security is broadly defined to include the economy, to include the impact on employment, to include a very big variety of things," Ross said in a "Squawk Box" interview. "Economic security is military security. And without economic security, you can't have military security."

The Commerce Department said late Wednesday it started an investigation into whether the surge in automobile imports over 20 years threatens to "impair" national security by "weakening" the U.S. economy.

President Donald Trump asked Ross to carry out the probe, which will be executed under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Trading partners expressed alarm about the possible tariffs that could result in a disruption in the auto industry around the world.

Toyota Motor U.S.-traded shares and domestic auto stocks, Ford and General Motors were flat in Thursday's premarket after the Commerce Department announced the probe.

Ross told CNBC that market share of imported cars has gone from 30 percent to 48 percent.

"There are over 8 million cars imported each year into the country," he said. "Part of the reason for the big imports coming in as opposed to our exports going out is we only have a 2.5 percent tariff on autos and auto parts."

Ross said he doesn't blame foreign countries, adding "they're doing what is best for them."

"The stupidity is that we let ourselves get into this box of extremely low rates," he said.

The Commerce Department under Ross recommended imposing heavy tariffs or quotas on foreign producers of steel and aluminum in February in the interest of national security. Ross said at the time that steel is important to U.S. national security and that current import flows are adversely affecting the steel industry.

Following the steel and aluminum tariffs, 20 plants in the U.S. have opened or reopened, Ross said, adding the tariffs are having the desired effect.

Before joining the White House, Ross made a fortune in the investment world, running W.L. Ross & Co., and buying stakes in distressed assets.About this series

Being born in Columbia is its own albatross, casting natives further away from the American dream than almost anywhere else in the state, not to mention the country.

We're taking a look as this opportunity gap and how it plays out in education, criminal justice, health care and housing.Home Office: Javid breaks with Mays legacy to woo police

Overstretched officers need stop and search, Home Secretary claims  The Times

Javid seeks to win over forces with funding pledge  The Guardian

Sajid Javid backed police in using their stop and search powers today as he axed Theresa Mays tough rhetoric in a bid to woo officers. The Home Secretary also endorsed spit guards being rolled out to forces around the country in defiance of controversy about the equipment. Mr Javid used his first speech to the Police Federation to extend an olive branch after years of angry clashes between officers and ministers. Mr Javid recalled his childhood with brother Bas  now a chief superintendent  to try and convince the federation he understood the challenges facing the police. The speech was a sharp departure in tone and content from Mrs May as Home Secretary and his predecessor Amber Rudd.  Daily Mail

More:

Indian diplomat warns UK over skilled worker numbers  FT

Editorial:

Javids real test: get crime down  Daily Telegraph

as the Prime Minister promises a crackdown on domestic abuse

Theresa May said yesterday that she was looking to strengthen the law against domestic psychological abuse, known as gaslighting. The prime minister promised to consider further action as she welcomed a new advice service set up in the memory of the daughter of Lindsay Hoyle, the Labour MP for Chorley. Natalie Lewis-Hoyle, 28, took her own life in Heybridge, Essex, on December 15 after suffering mental abuse in a coercive relationship. Speaking at PMQs, Mrs May offered her full support to the Chat with Nat project, which offers advice and support to those affected by gaslighting. I think this shows what a problem this issue is, but we are always looking for what more can be done, the prime minister said The term gaslighting originates from Patrick Hamiltons play, Gaslight, which was made into a film in 1944 starring Ingrid Bergman. It portrays a late Victorian man who tries to convince his wife that she is losing her mind.  The Times

Braverman says UK will pay divorce bill before securing trade deal

Davis increasingly confident of a good deal  Daily Express

May seeks to extend transition to 2023  The Times

UK to follow data rules in full to maintain trade links  Daily Telegraph

HMRC warns that Max Fac could cost UK firms 20 billion  Daily Mail

Britain will pay the Brexit divorce bill before details of a future trade deal are hammered out, a minister conceded today. Suella Braverman raised doubts about the governments pledge that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed as she gave evidence to MPs. The phrase has been a key plank of Theresa Mays approach since she became Prime Minister. Before Christmas Mrs May signed up to a divorce settlement with Brussels of around 39billion  but Brexiteers have been adamant that the UK should not pay a penny unless there is a good trade deal. Appearing before the EU Committee, Mrs Braverman risked fuelling Eurosceptic concerns by admitting MPs will not be in possession of a legal text when they come to vote on accepting the withdrawal package this Autumn. But she insisted that there would be a political declaration that would be instructive about the shape of the future trade agreement.  Daily Mail

Editorial:

Brussels must not get our divorce payment free  The Sun

>Today: Daniel Hannan MEPs column: Trade liberalisation, even more than trade deals, is the true prize to pursue

as Downing Street comes under pressure to face down pro-EU rebels

Cabinet Ministers and backbench Brexiteers have forced Theresa May to confront rebel MPs in the Commons and end her bedwetter Chief Whips dithering. Angry MPs bombarded No10 and the Whips demanding Tory Remainers are stared down on the Governments flagship Brexit law ahead of a crunch meeting of the EU council at the end of June. They said any further delay in voting down over 15 devastating amendments imposed on the EU Withdrawal Bill by pro-EU Lords would weaken the PMs hand when she comes face to face with fellow EU leaders. And in a bid to quell the unrest Tory MPs were told to be in Westminster in early to mid June for the showdown. Their coordinated lobbying came after a heated meeting on Tuesday night of the powerful ERG bloc of Tory MPs that one attendee described as revolutionary and mutinous.  The Sun

Rogers condemns plan to leave customs union  Daily Telegraph

German bid to exclude UK from satellite programme creates rift with Paris  The Times

UK to demand money back after being frozen out of Galileo  Daily Telegraph

Import tariffs put UK energy security at risk  The Sun

Scope of Soros-backed Best for Britain plan revealed  Daily Mail

Iain Martin: We must stand up to Brussels bullies

How May could make the Brexit bill work for Britain  Gawain Towler, Daily Telegraph

Corbyn is the block on a soft Brexit  Hywel Williams MP, Times Red Box

Understandably, fatigue and frustration in London with the cabinets ridiculous behaviour prevent us seeing our negotiations with the EU in more balanced terms. The focus is primarily on Britains shortcomings, because our Whitehall farce has rattled on so long that even most of those dealing with the detail are bored, confused or frustrated. Everyone needs to buck up, Im afraid. What happens at the European council next month will dictate whether the summer recess is interrupted by a full-blown political crisis, and possibly even a recall of parliament in August, over stalled talks with Brussels. And it will decide whether the UK needs to step up its preparations for no deal. Encouragingly, there are some indications that a more robust British approach might produce progress.  The Times

Gauke unveils new prisoner education plans

Hundreds more prisoners could be temporarily released from jail to carry out work placements in the community under plans to improve their job prospects Ministers, who hope to reduce the estimated 15 billion-a-year cost of reoffending, are also supporting greater testing of the use of tablets and laptops in cells to boost education. They will consider offering employers a holiday from National Insurance contributions if they hire former prisoners. David Gauke, the justice secretary, will today unveil the education and employment strategy, which is intended to ensure prison can be a turning point in the lives of inmates who are willing to help themselves. He wants more to leave prison with the skills that will help them enter the workplace and hold down jobs.  The Times

Hunt criticises Lansleys health reforms

Jeremy Hunt has admitted that he would not have brought in most of the NHS reforms of his predecessor. The government is beginning quietly to unpick the legislation, which Mr Hunt said Balkanised the NHS into fiefdoms. Ministers are determined to avoid another top down re-organisation, which caused disruption to the NHS during the coalition years. Andrew, now Lord, Lansleys Health and Social Care Act 2012 created hundreds of clinical commissioning groups, responsible for planning and purchasing health services in local areas, and bodies including Public Health England and Health Education England. It also set up NHS England as an independent board. Mr Hunt told Nicholas Timmins, author of a report entitled The Worlds Biggest Quango, that that was the one thing I would not have done differently.  The Times Court urged to block plan to Americanise the Health Service  FT

Tax rise needed to plug NHS black hole  The Times Jeremy Hunt has admitted that he would not have brought in most of the NHS reforms of his predecessor. The government is beginning quietly to unpick the legislation, which Mr Hunt said Balkanised the NHS into fiefdoms. Ministers are determined to avoid another top down re-organisation, which caused disruption to the NHS during the coalition years. Andrew, now Lord, Lansleys Health and Social Care Act 2012 created hundreds of clinical commissioning groups, responsible for planning and purchasing health services in local areas, and bodies including Public Health England and Health Education England. It also set up NHS England as an independent board. Mr Hunt told Nicholas Timmins, author of a report entitledthat that was the one thing I would not >Yesterday: Video: WATCH: PMQs in full. May and Corbyn clash over the NHS. Attorney General suggests UK can respond to cyber-attacks with missiles Britain has a legal right to retaliate against aggressive cyber attacks with missiles, the Attorney General has suggested. The most serious cyber attacks should be treated in the same way as armed attacks on Britain if they result in a high level of devastation, Jeremy Wright QC said. It is the first time a Government minister has set out the UKs view on the record. Speaking to Chatham House, the think tank, on Wednesday morning, Mr Wright said: Cyber operations that result in or present an imminent threat of death and destruction on an equivalent scale to an armed attack will give rise to an inherent right to take action in self defence.  Daily Telegraph New Sea Ceptor missile system enters into service  The Guardian >Yesterday: Gavin Williamson MP in Comment: Why raising the number and profile of women in our armed forces is a priority for me Grayling apologises for timetable chaos The transport secretary blamed Network Rail yesterday for this weeks timetable chaos, which led to a flood of complaints from passengers. Chris Grayling said that the state-funded company, which is responsible for operating and maintaining the track infrastructure, had left train companies struggling to catch up by finalising engineering work far too late. He insisted that the new timetables, designed to accommodate faster trains, represented a major step forward for the railways. The changes, which affect 100,000 trains over the week, will provide more express services between major stations and cut journey times on many routes. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Grayling apologised over the introduction of the reforms, which led to large numbers of delays and cancellations on some lines. Train companies said a shortage of drivers and trains had caused problems.  The Times Transport ministers accused of encouraging taxi industrys race to the bottom  The Times The transport secretary blamed Network Rail yesterday for this weeks timetable chaos, which led to a flood of complaints from passengers. Chris Grayling said that the state-funded company, which is responsible for operating and maintaining the track infrastructure, had left train companies struggling to catch up by finalising engineering work far too late. He insisted that the new timetables, designed to accommodate faster trains, represented a major step forward for the railways. The changes, which affect 100,000 trains over the week, will provide more express services between major stations and cut journey times on many routes. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Grayling apologised over the introduction of the reforms, which led to large numbers of delays and cancellations on some lines. Train companies said a Comment: Railways need the revolution we saw in air fares  Tony Lodge, The Times

Wallace pledges to get tough with oligarchs

Ministers are facing demands to hammer Russian oligarchs with tough sanctions today as the new Magnitsky law comes into force. Campaigners and MPs want the government to make immediate use of the powers to hit allies of Vladimir Putin linked to human rights abuses. The calls come amid signs a wider crack down is already under way on wealthy Russians in Britain  with delays in issuing a new visa to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich. The issues with Mr Abramovichs visa case are separate to the Magnitsky measures. Sources close to the billionaire have reportedly denied he is being asked to prove where his money comes from, instead blaming normal visa processing delays. But with relations between the countries the worst for decades, security minister Ben Wallace has made clear he expects more oligarchs will find life trickier in London in the future.   Daily Mail

Corbyn backs united Ireland ahead of visit to Belfast

Labour leader might find his Brexit fudge comes apart over Ulster  Daily Telegraph

Corbyn risks IRA row  FT

Jeremy Corbyn still backs a united Ireland and believes the idea is backed across the island on the eve of his first visit to Belfast as Labour leader. A spokesman for the Labour leader insisted he also endorses the mechanism in the Good Friday Agreement for triggering a referendum on breaking up the UK. The Labour leader is due in Belfast tomorrow to talk to parties on both sides of the community divide about Brexit and powersharing. The trip has been widely criticised by unionists because of Mr Corbyns long-held Republican sympathies. Ahead of his talks, a spokesman for Mr Corbyn said: He over the years made his position clear that the majority of of those people across the island of Ireland wanted to see a united Ireland, but in the context of the Good Friday Agreement that can only come about through the constitutional process.'  Daily Mail

More:

Opposition chief urges May to break Stormont deadlock  The Guardian

Corbyn plans to end devolution stalemate  Belfast Telegraph

>Today: Lord Ashcroft in Comment: Brexit, border polls and customs checks  my new focus groups in Northern Ireland

>Yesterday: Left Watch: Labours strategy of deliberate ambiguity threatens to hobble its policy development

Labour suspends activist who was a woman on Wednesdays

Labour has suspended an activist who tried to become a womens officer by claiming that he identified as female on Wednesdays. David Lewis, 45, faces an internal investigation after he tried to run as a candidate for the women-only role in his constituency Labour party (CLP) in Basingstoke. He made the claim that he identified as a woman between 6.50am and midnight one day a week to start a debate about the status of trans women who had not legally changed gender. His candidacy was accepted by his local party, but the national party suspended him after he gave an interview. Labour said it would not tolerate members attempting to subvert the purpose of all-women shortlists.  The Times

Aide who joked about hanging the Prime Minister has to apologise  The Times

Parliament to debate Lords reform

All future peers must back abolition of the Upper House, says Corbyn  The Guardian

Parliament is to debate sweeping reforms of the House of Lords next month amid rising concern that peers have overstepped the mark in their opposition to Brexit. MPs will hold the debate after a petition calling for the abolition of the Upper Chamber attracted more than 166,000 signatures. Calls for reform intensified yesterday after the Daily Mail published polling showing 76 per cent of voters believed peers were out of tune with the will of the British people. Five in six voters said they wanted to see the Lords reformed. In response, Downing Street last night warned the Lords it would not accept attempts by peers to thwart Brexit. The Prime Ministers spokesman said that some of the 15 Lords amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill had been unacceptable.  Daily Mail

Comment:

Peers are better value than MPs  Norman Fowler, Daily Mail

Bercow faces police probe over bullying claims

John Bercow has been reported to the police over allegations of bullying amid mounting pressure for him to stand down. Scotland Yard is assessing a complaint that the Commons Speaker could have committed misconduct in public office. The news comes after a series of claims surfaced about Mr Bercows behaviour towards staff and colleagues. He has denied any wrongdoing. A member of the public has now asked the Met Police to consider whether Mr Bercows conduct could amount to abuse of the publics trust in the office holder. The complaint, seen by MailOnline, highlights allegations that have surfaced over recent months. They include Angus Sinclair, who left his post as Speakers Secretary in 2010 after receiving a payment of 86,250, saying he was the victim of angry outbursts, foul- mouthed tirades and mimicry.  Daily Mail

SNP attacked for bullying M&S over UK-branded goods

Emergency shock measures lined up for Scots economy  The Scotsman

Nationalists admit independence would mean higher taxes and more immigration  Daily Express

News in Brief:

Letter to Tory MPs and donors about the Brexit shambles  Dominic Cummings, Blog

Davidson is right, the Tories need to let some sunshine in  Alex Massie, CapX

Lay off Oxford and fix the state education system  Ben Kelly, Reaction

How the Brexit bus pledge is coming true  James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson, The Spectator

Theresa May yesterday branded the SNP frankly appalling for bullying M&S over using the Union flag on British produce. It came after documents showed Scottish government officials pressurised the high street retailer after Scotch whisky was listed as coming from the United Kingdom on its website Scottish Tory MP Luke Graham raised the issue at Prime Ministers Questions, saying: Does she share the surprise that I had as a former M&S employee at the news that the SNP administration had bullied Marks & Spencer over the use of the word British, and the Union Flag on British produce? Will she stand with me against this petty bullying and support companies that are proud of Scottish and British produce?  The SunThe jangling nerves of Brexiteer MPs  chronicled by Paul in two key pieces earlier this week  have been given another tweak by the latest back and forth over the Withdrawal Bill.

Yesterday, the ever-well-informed James Forsyth reported that the Chief Whip had told the Parliamentary Conservative Party that the Bill would return to the Commons in what Forsyth described as early to mid-June. This morning, Andrea Leadsom would only tell the Commons that she was very clear that I aim to bring back the very important Brexit legislation within weeks, which meant soon after the short Whitsun recess  ie, not very clear at all.

The general assumption within Government is that this means the week commencing 11th June, not least because the EU Council meets on the 28th and 29th June, and there is no desire to arrive at that meeting with any impression that Brexit is at risk of cancellation.

Its a measure of the tense mood on the Tory benches that there is some concern and debate about whether Leadsoms statement constitutes a delay when compared to the Chief Whips reported comments yesterday. Would the week commencing the 11th be the same as early to mid-June or not? If not, would that mean the Bills timetable is slipping on a daily basis?

It might sound a bit silly for anyone to focus on such a seemingly minor question, but there is a good reason. When the Withdrawal Bill comes back to the Commons it will be to debate and decide on the 15 amendments which were approved by the House of Lords. With a hung Parliament, and divisions on various aspects of Brexit within both main parties, the arithmetic on some of those amendments is extremely close  and so the Government has tricky decisions to make on which it must defeat, which it believes it can defeat, and therefore how to proceed.

That political decision informs the timetabling of the Bill. If they Government was confident it would win every vote hands-down, it would presumably bring it back to the Commons straight away and swiftly put the Lords back in their box. The reason for bringing it back somewhat later is two-fold: first to give time to assess exactly where they stand on each amendment, and thereby decide the best course of action, and second to allow an opportunity to apply pressure to build majorities where possible. That approach is reasonable in the circumstances; if the timetable wasnt just providing useful time but was actually slipping between the Chief Whips comments yesterday and the Leader of the Houses today, however, that would be rather worse, suggesting that ministers felt the situation was deteriorating.

As it is, it seems that the week of the 11th falls within the plan of early to mid-June, so the issues remain sticky but the situation isnt in outright crisis (so far). The big decisions on each amendment are yet to be taken, and are being influenced by a variety of people across Downing Street, the Cabinet, Whitehall and Parliament. The implicit fact is that the Whips are not the decision-makers here, and have lost a great deal of authority  as one insider put it to ConservativeHome, Julian Smith needs post-it notes to tell the difference between his arse and his elbow.

The process of weighing the threat posed by each amendment and the prospect of defeating each is underway. Some are viewed as fairly harmless, if not beneficial or of great help, and might be conceded. The meaningful vote amendment, however, is felt to be a direct attack on implementing Brexit at all and must therefore be fought. Im told that the Duke of Wellingtons amendment deleting the date of Brexit from the Bill will also be opposed. Amendments that the Government argues are attempts on the part of the Lords to dictate how negotiations are carried out are viewed as a violation of constitutional principle, as well as practically harmful back-seat driving, such as the EEA amendment.

Some of the amendments under consideration require particularly careful assessment both legally and arithmetically, most notably that on the Customs Union. Some in government believe the actual wording of the amendment doesnt tie their hands in the way that some on each side might hope or fear, and are therefore somewhat relaxed about it. However, there are twin concerns about the message it would send out if it were to pass (as ever, perception counts), and the risk that it might be further amendable to become something much worse. In either case, the safer approach is to kill the amendment off, which makes it a question of whether they have the votes.

Here there is a balancing act to perform. Pressure will be applied to would-be Conservative rebels, as you would expect. They will be reminded that the manifesto on which they stood only last year made a clear promise to leave the Single Market and the Customs Union, and that therefore this a question of their honour and their pledge to their associations and their constituents. That might persuade some, though it is unlikely to sway the most hardcore and co-ordinated Remainers, particularly if they do not intend to stand again.

Then there is the idea that this might be viewed as a question of confidence  the argument that rebellion might bring down the Government, spark an election, and perhaps even usher in Corbyn to Downing Street. Jacob Rees-Mogg has told ConservativeHome that this no longer works in the age of the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act, but the tactic will likely still be deployed. Indeed, theres a belief that doing so will burn off some of the possible Tory rebels, even if it simply means converting them to abstainers.

That message must be used sparingly, however, because it is a double-edged sword. On the other side of the House are Labour Eurosceptics  the Dennis Skinners and Ronnie Campbells  who might be persuaded to vote with the Government on the principle of issues like the Customs Union but could be deterred from doing so if they fell they would be propping up a Tory Prime Minister in a confidence vote.

That cautionary note points to the ultimate, and hard to measure, truth about the forthcoming votes: they might well be decided by how the Labour Party divides. On issues like the EEA theres a fairly strong expectation that enough Labour MPs will abstain for the amendment to be defeated. On the Customs Union the numbers are still so tight that the final decision on what to do will, Im told, probably not be taken until the week of the vote itself.

Its obviously difficult for a Conservative Government to influence Labour MPs on an issue  ConservativeHome urged Whips and Ministers to consider exactly that, and that is now happening. Pro-Brexit but anti-Tory MPs, like those already discussed, are tricky enough, but the really sensitive group on the Opposition benches is those MPs who might abstain in order to avoid angering their Leave-voting constituents.

Its crucial to use the right approach towards the right people, or else you risk making things worse. Some Labour MPs in Leave-voting seats in the Midlands and the North, like Caroline Flint, already appear to be in a pretty good place, while some others are believed to be wavering and persuadable if sufficient pressure is applied. The newly-launched Conservative campaign site Respect the Result notably targets Labour MPs in exactly such constituencies; the logic is that such pressure might help to persuade some to abstain at the crucial moment, and for those who dont do so it will generate useful data to help unseat them in future.The UKs future relationship with the European Union increasingly hinges on a question that for many years seemed settled: the Irish border. I wanted to hear from the people on either side of it: what they hope for and fear from the Brexit settlement, and the consequences they see for relations between North and South and the future of the Union. Tomorrow I will report from the Republic, and Ill publish further research on the issue in the run up to the European Council summit next month at which the question will supposedly be resolved. Today, though, well start with my focus groups in Northern Ireland.

In Ballymena, in the Democratic Unionist Party stronghold of North Antrim represented in Parliament by Ian Paisley Jr, as it was by his father before him, many of our participants were pleased that their party held the balance of power at Westminster. Even so, most did not feel they had much to show for the extra billion pounds of funding for Northern Ireland agreed as part of the supply and confidence deal with the Conservatives: Were still waiting. When you hear theyre having to close schools because theres no funding; All weve heard is they did a deal. We havent seen any evidence of a deal.

Theresa May has Arlene in her head.

For many of these voters, the real value of the DUPs position was to prevent the Government betraying the interests of Northern Ireland for a convenient Brexit deal, which it might otherwise be tempted to do in a heartbeat: I think the mainland see us as a problem, an unsolvable problem. A burden, a cost. Some felt this was partly because people in Britain saw a distorted picture of life in the province, with the most extreme voices to the fore: If the BBC send someone out to do interviews in the streets of Ballymena, they always pick the most eccentric, wild person they can find. Some even felt the British would get rid of us if they could. That being the case, it was reassuring to know the Prime Minister was reliant on DUP support: Theresa May in Brussels has got Arlene in her head. The joys of a hung parliament. For some, the DUP-Conservative deal brought an added bonus: It annoyed the Shinners, so thats good.

By no means everyone who had voted for the party saw the DUPs socially conservative stance appealing  many of those we spoke to saw it as a downside of its programme. But with a weakened Ulster Unionist Party and an alphabet soup of smaller alternatives, people felt the imperative was to make their votes count: At least if you vote DUP you know a Unionist is getting in.

DUP supporters naturally blamed their opponents for the impasse at Stormont, which resulted largely from Sinn Feins proposal to give the Irish language equal status with English (Its Sinn Fein game-playing. We dont need an Irish Language Act, this is Northern Ireland They should focus on important things like health and education and infrastructure). Unsurprisingly enough, Sinn Fein voters in our Belfast groups blamed the DUP (I dont understand why someone who wants an inclusive Northern Ireland wouldnt let them just spend money on the Irish Language Act). Both sides lamented the fact that politics was still dominated by sectarian matters, though many evidently had very strong views on the matters in question.

They are fostering sectarianism to keep people apart and keep themselves relevant.

Still, many were exasperated by the leaders apparent inability or unwillingness to prioritise peoples real concerns: It seems like they always have to have some cause to be dealt with, then well look at education; They are fostering division and sectarianism to keep people apart and keep themselves relevant. If you drive up the Shankill Road and turn into the Falls Road, they cant bring themselves to admit that the issues they face are the same. People on both sides regretted that the tone of Northern Irish politics had become more rather than less divisive in recent years. As one Sinn Fein voter put it, Arlene Foster is more polarising than Ian Paisley  the final version of Ian Paisley, the one who sat at the table with Mr. Adams. And Michelle ONeill [SF leader in the Assembly] is the Catholic version of Arlene Foster.

No-one doubted that huge progress had been made since the Good Friday Agreement: Look at Belfast today compared to 20 years ago. Everyone wants to come here. You cant move for hotels in the city centre; We used to have to look for incendiary devices in clothes shops. Id be a nervous wreck patting down the clothes every morning. Thats never done now; My kids couldnt tell you who was a Protestant or a Catholic. Its a new generation.

They have gay marriageWe have a court case about a cake thats been going on for three years.

This made the current state of affairs all the more frustrating. After all the work of recent years, the country is at a standstill; its better but it should be much better. We should be much further ahead. Were the backyard of Europe, the UK too. Some saw a growing contrast  and an embarrassing one  between Northern Ireland and the Republic: I live close to the border. When I was a kid you used to be able to tell you were in the South because the roads got bad. Now its the other way round. The complexities of life in Northern Ireland helped account for the economic contrast: The Republic of Ireland doesnt need to worry about paramilitaries, the security threat. Weve spent 20 years securing the peace. Weve spent hundreds of millions on that; They never had the Troubles. They dont have the same divide. But the difference was more than financial. As one young Alliance voter noted: Ireland is much more liberal than Northern Ireland. They have gay marriage. Leo Varadkar is gay and half Indian, and we have a court case about a cake thats been going on for three years.

There are countries in the EU that have got a border with non-EU countries. Look and learn.

Some worried that if the situation in Northern Ireland was merely stagnant, Brexit threatened to put things into reverse. Our DUP voters, however, were not among them. All had voted to leave the EU, and none had any regrets. Moreover, few had any serious qualms about the idea of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Though it might cause some initial disruption to businesses, we would get used to it. After all, there are countries in the EU that have got a border with non-EU countries. Look and learn. The technology is there. It was in nobodys interests for the border to prevent swift and easy movement (the car park at ASDA in Strabane is full of cars from the south every weekend), so the idea that it would cause real problems was scaremongering. So was the suggestion that it would be a threat to peace. No-one wanted to relive the experience of crossing the border that they remembered from their youth (quite a scary experience  guns, bricked-up checkpoints), but for these voters, there was no reason why this should happen: The border will be there for different reasons. Its not because of bringing in guns and bombs.

If were staying in the Customs Union there was no point voting for Brexit.

These Unionists wanted to leave the EU, and to do so on the same terms as the rest of the UK. If the country could not do independent trade deals with non-EU states unless there was a hard border with the Republic, thats all right. If were staying in the Customs Union there was no point voting for Brexit. And that wasnt all: There needs to be a hard border because you cant stop immigration without a border. We would get lorryloads from France.

Were one country. We dont need a border.

To Remain-voting Sinn Fein supporters, naturally, the issue looked very different. They saw DUP voters acceptance of a hard border as a ploy to separate Northern Ireland from the Republic and cement its place in the UK. At the same time, their objections were less often to do with any economic or administrative consequences than they were with the symbolism of a visible border on an island they thought of as one country: Weve spent so long trying to get away from all that; Were one country. We dont need a border. We dont want to go back to how it was. Many of them saw the border question in the same terms as the debate over the Irish language or the question of whether the Union flag should fly over public buildings: How do you express your Irishness? They can express their identity but we dont. Unionists never seem to be able to get out of their mindset about dominating the other community. They were also less sanguine about the potential security implications: There would have to be some physical infrastructure and its seriously naive to think it wont be attacked, and one thing leads to another. Thats what theyre leading us into.

The idea of a customs border in the Irish Sea  out of the question for our DUP voters  seemed the least bad option to many of our nationalist participants: For me its more about keeping Ireland together. The context is an all-Ireland economy. Thats what makes most sense.

If the Government were to conclude a Brexit deal that they found unacceptable, should Sinn Fein MPs take their seats at Westminster to try and prevent it going through? Yes. But the minute they do theyd never get seven seats again. Its against everything we stand for.

The sooner we have a border poll the better  therell be more chance of the Unionists winning it.

When it came to the implications of Brexit for the Union, our DUP supporters were sceptical of the idea that people might prefer unification to the consequences of leaving the EU (A Northern Ireland Unionist who would rather join the Republic of Ireland than have a hard border? No.) For the longer term, though, many of them were pessimistic: The sooner we have a border poll the better, because if its soon there is more chance of the Unionists winning it; There are a lot of Polish immigrants and theyre from the Catholic domain. They will be voting Sinn Fein. Though most of the Protestant Alliance voters we spoke to said they would vote to remain in the UK, this was not a universal response: It depends what the Brexit outcome is; I would be open to hearing what the South had to offer. Its purely economical now.

As for the final Brexit deal, few had any firm expectations: Were probably not going to get exactly what we voted for, but its going to be different and we werent happy with the way things were; Whatever happens, we will be dealing with the consequences for years and years after; No matter which way you voted, I think you wont be able to tell the difference in your day-to-day life, except you might have to pay a tenner to go to Spain. But what do I know?Daniel Hannan is an MEP for South-East England, and a journalist, author and broadcaster. His most recent book is What Next: How to Get the Best from Brexit.

It doesnt much matter whether Britain secures any trade deals, provided it pursues trade liberalisation. The purpose of a trade deal is to remove, or at least reduce, the barriers that governments place between businesses and their customers. That task can be accomplished domestically, without needing the agreement of other countries.

A trade deal can still be valuable, of course. A world in which other countries also remove their barriers is a better world, for us as well as for them. A trade accord between two states makes it harder for a protectionist government to backslide  though not impossible, as Donald Trump is currently demonstrating vis-a-vis Nafta. Mechanisms to maintain the free flow of goods and services, including dispute resolution panels, are worth having. But none of these things will add anything like as much to the competitiveness and wealth of an economy as a domestic programme of liberalisation.

I realise that what I have just written will strike some readers as implausible  although it is pretty mainstream thinking among free-market economists. Many non-economists think that a countrys wealth depends upon its exports. It has to sell things, they believe, in order to pay its way in the world. They therefore celebrate when their country has a trade surplus, and fret when it has a trade deficit.

These assumptions seem reasonable, but they are wrong. What drives economic growth is not exports, but lower prices. When goods and services become cheaper, people no longer have to work such long hours to sustain the same standard of living. This frees up their time to do other things. Advances in agriculture in the18th century, allowing the same yield to be produced with fewer man-hours, made possible the industrial revolution. As prices of manufactured goods also fell, new services industries began to spring up, catering to demands that had previously not existed. Continuing advances in automation and AI are still pushing down prices and raising living standards while  despite all the panicky headlines  creating record numbers of jobs.

This process happens fastest in the countries that open their economies to goods and products from abroad. Two outstanding examples in the 20th century were Hong Kong and Singapore, resource-free islands that had to buy in almost everything they consumed  electricity, food, even drinking water. Both were transformed in a short time into gleaming city states. How? Largely through a policy of unilateral trade liberalisation. They removed their tariffs and other barriers unconditionally, not caring whether their trading partners reciprocated, nor whether they produced some goods at a subsidised rate. If Japan wanted to dump artificially cheap rice on Hong Kong, Hong Kongers were glad to accept what was effectively a gift from Japanese taxpayers. Both Hong Kong and Singapore became financial centres, not by securing preferential access to overseas markets for their banks, let alone joining customs unions, but by providing a legal and fiscal environment that encouraged enterprise.

Neither worried about the balance of trade. Indeed, Sir John Cowperthwaite, the Scottish civil servant who was the author of Hong Kongs economic miracle in the 1960s, discouraged the compilation of official statistics. People would only put them to some damnfool use, he used to say. He understood, as most economists do, that the balance of trade doesnt matter, because any deficit must be matched by inward investment, any surplus by outgoing capital.

He also understood, though, that this was a counterintuitive notion, at least with regard to national economies. In our personal lives, it doesnt bother us nearly so much. Im guessing that you run a deficit with your supermarket. When it cuts its prices further, does that harm you? If it dumps a surplus on you  promoting artificially cheap goods as part of some special offer  who gets the better end of the deal?

Once you come to see that cheaper imports, rather than easier exports, are the big win, your attitude shifts. We should aim to have as deep and comprehensive a trade deal with the EU as possible. But, if we cant get one, we can secure most of the benefits simply by continuing to accept EU exports without restriction. (The various Treasury models suggesting that it would be catastrophic not to have a trade deal made the idiotic assumption that Britain would suddenly start applying tariffs to EU food, textiles and other goods.) Outside the EU, we can pursue a similarly open attitude toward everyone else, becoming more competitive by lowering prices.

Wouldnt that decimate our industry, to use the #FBPE cliche of the moment? No. It would  like every other reduction in trade barriers, from the repeal of the Corn Laws onwards  lead to an increase in productivity.

It is true that, within an economy that is growing overall, free trade might accelerate certain sectoral shifts. Some industries decline while others grow, though that process is primarily driven by technology rather than trade. Outside the EUs tariff arrangements, for example, we might buy cheaper steel, hugely benefiting our car and construction industries as well as our consumers. There would, though, be a cost to our steel industry.

If we want to continue to privilege steel over cars, construction and the rest, that is our choice. But it would be far cheaper to do so through a subsidy than through trade distortions.

To repeat, trade deals are worth having if they are about liberalisation rather than standardisation. I am in the United States now, talking about what the optimum US-UK arrangement would look like. When your negotiating partner also understands that the key benefit is lower prices, trade talks become very easy. Australia and New Zealand, for example, have followed Singapore and Hong Kong. Their trade deal with each other is arguably the best on the planet, providing for complete mutual recognition, including in services and professional qualifications. Im guessing that our talks with them could be completed in a matter of weeks.

Elsewhere, there is an element of play-acting. Even when the negotiators grasp that the main objective is to open their own markets, they know that the deal has to be sold to voters who take a more mercantilist view. Liberalising measures which are desirable in themselves are therefore portrayed, for public consumption, as a sort of quid pro quo, balanced by an opening of the other partys markets.

Which category is the EU in? It certainly has its producer interests and cartels. Indeed, its slowness in negotiating trade deals was one of the Leave campaigns arguments. But its talks with the UK are unique in that the two parties are beginning from a position of zero tariffs and regulatory equivalence, meaning that, for once, the status quo bias will pull toward free trade.

In any event, Britain should prepare to follow a New Zealand strategy of maximum trade openness. Yes, we should strike reciprocal deals where possible. Yes, we should negotiate mutual recognition of standards and regulations. But we shouldnt make our liberalisation depend on these things. If other countries want to impoverish themselves through protectionism, that is their tragedy. Lets not make it ours.Oxford Universitys first-ever Annual Admissions Statistical Report breaks down applications by domicile, nation and region of the UK, disadvantage, school type, gender, ethnicity and disability. That list suggests a mass of information that statisticians will not yet have had time to master. This has not deterred David Lammy from branding the university a bastion of white, middle class, southern privilege. Theresa May had more time to get to grip with figures when she drew precisely the opposite conclusion about the university sector as a whole. If youre a white, working-class boy, youre less likely than anybody else in Britain to go to university, she said in her very first statement as Prime Minister. That view was part of a list of burning injustices.

The university retreated in bewilderment before the rush of figures it had released. There is a lot of good news in the report, as well as evidence that there is still a great deal of work for us to do, it declared. In the circumstances, it would have been hard to say anything else. There is always more to do if an elite institution is seeking to attract disadvantaged students. It could pursue them more after A-level results are published. It could go for more foundation courses. It would say that is trying hard already: so it is that, along with the report, the university also announced an expansion of its summer schools, which aim to give even more pupils from under-privileged backgrounds a greater chance of success in getting an Oxford place. The universitys college system seems to be a factor in making its outreach work as a whole uneven.



But are those summer schools, and the rest of the universitys outreach effort, no more than a distraction exercise  designed to mask prejudice against non-white, working class, non-southern, state school educated people? Is Oxford racist, as a casual reading of Lammys words might imply? An assessment of previous by the institution charged with connecting people to higher education suggests otherwise. A UCAS study in 2016 found evidence that might confirm bias against black applicants from, among others, Oxford Brookes, but not Oxford University. Or, to put it more precisely, the former was on a list of institutions with a significant gap in offer-rate between black applicants and the average application rate.

The UCAS figures found that 2.7 per cent of applications to Oxford were from black students. Thats not significantly out of line with the three per cent of the population that declares itself to be black. But of course thats only one way of dicing the statistics. Oxford is pulling in from a pool of black applicants that is less than half the size of those applying to all other universities, according to Business Insider UK. None the less, the universitys admissions procedures are probably not unfair, according to UCAS, and neither Oxford nor Cambridge appears to be guilty of bias or iniquity in giving offers to black students. At the heart of the matter is a key figure  the number not of black students who are refused entry to Oxford, but that of those who apply in the first place. And there turn out to be reasons for the application figures being as they are that have nothing to do with racism.

One is a fear of not fitting in. The condemnation of the university by Lammy and others, with all its attendant publicity, may actually reinforce these, and thus have precisely the opposite effect to that he intends. Another, picked up in 2012 by The Fair Access Group of Conservative MPs, is a lack of support from schools in applying to Oxford in the first place  which can morph into what George W Bush called the soft bigotry of low expectations. The Gove free schools and academies programme, and his exam reforms, aimed to weed this out. Another still is the competition for places on certain courses. The Business Insider assessment also lists racism as a reason.

But its worth noting that the examples given are drawn from after admission, not before: they dont bear out the lazy stereotype of causally racist, bow-tied, port-swilling dons giving black applicants the thumbs down. Furthermore, both the figures that were being bandied about yesterday and UCASs own dont take overseas students into account. These made up nearly a fifth of Oxfords students in 2016. Admitting 19 per cent of your intake from abroad would be an odd way of displaying racism. And as Raph Mokades of Target Oxbridge, an organisation that helps minority students apply and enter Oxbridge, points out, some ethnic minority groups are doing better than the white majority. Its not that there are no black people who are good enough to go to Oxbridge, thats not whats happening. But, black people arent doing as well in their exams as say, Chinese people or Indian people, who do better than white people too.

Now stand back for a moment from the figures: from Oxford, Lammy, the claims and counter-claims. And then ask a question. Why so much focus on the winning line of the race  thats to say, on application, offer and entry to the university itself  and not how pupils line up at the start? If you go to a bad state school, you wont get the grades to get anywhere near an Oxford application. Nor will your teachers encourage you to aim high. If parents dont value education  if they dont shop around for better schools in the area (if there are any); or if their own school experience was so bad as to put them off education for life; or if they dont read to the children anyway  the odds are stacked against their children from the beginning.

When I searched for speeches David Oxbridge is a bastion of white, middle class, southern privilege Lammy had made about education, Damian Counsell tweeted yesterday, the first reference I found was Fiona Millar praising him for a rousing speech against academisation of a failing school in his constituency. The school in question was [Downhills Primary School], whose transformation despite Lammys opposition is reported on here in that famously Right-wing newspaper The Independent. The people who complain most loudly that people from backgrounds like mine arent being admitted in sufficiently high numbers to Oxbridge are the same ones doing everything they can to oppose efforts to promote evidence-based excellence in the schools were forced to attend.

Whatever your view of Lammy, some hard truths emerge from the Oxford privilege claims. One is that in this post-crash era, elite institutions will find themselves targeted. Another is that the university could do more to attract applications from disadvantaged pupils. Another still is that the fixation of the hard Left on outcomes rather than opportunities spits in the face of social justice  since it turns its face away from the disadvantages of those it claims to care for. Another is that the very criticism of those elite institutions proclaims their centrality  their importance to British culture and achievement and our projection abroad. Another is that claims of burning injustice are not always proved by the statistics. May has pulled at a Pandoras Box, from which furies pour out, and which she cant control.Dr Tony Sewell CBE is Senior Research Fellow for Demography, Immigration, and Integration at Policy Exchange.

After the depressing Windrush stories of patriotic Caribbean soldiers being harassed for lack of documents they never knew they needed, the royal weddings tapestry of positive images of black Britons was a welcome relief.

The Windrush scandal was leapt upon by zealous Remainers as further evidence that Brexit Britain was turning mean-spirited and xenophobic, with the implication that no person of colour could possibly support such a cause. Actually around one third of ethnic minority voters backed Brexit for the same reason as our white fellow citizens: worries about the erosion of national identity and national democratic accountability.

If the vote for Brexit was not driven by racism, what was the real motivation? It seems more plausible to point to our many divisions reflected in education, housing, employment opportunities, economic geography and an identity politics that painted all white people as the racially unwashed.

And, now, sweet vindication! Even the liberal commentators are having to acknowledge that post-Brexit the country has become more welcoming to migration, not less. As Michael Gove put it in his speech to the Policy Exchange conference on unionism on Monday: The act of taking back control has allowed British citizens to show they can be more welcoming to new arrivals if allowed to be rather than required to be.

For nearly two decades, between 25 per cent and 50 per cent of voters named immigration as one of their biggest concerns. In the run up to the Brexit referendum it was around 40 per cent  it now stands at a 15 year low at less than 20 per cent.

That will partly reflect the fact that immigration is in fact falling quite sharply but it is not just about numbers, it is also about sentiment: more than half of voters see immigration as good for the economy compared with around a quarter in 2002 and more people think that it enriches our culture than did so in the early 2000s.

Of course many people, including many ethnic minority Britons, still think that immigration has been too high in recent years and want to see it return to more modest levels  minorities often face the most competition from the newest wave of arrivals and have a strong vested interest in social stability.

If the zealous Remainer can no longer point to extreme anti-immigration attitudes to traduce the Brexit decision, they will point to the rising tide of hate crime. But even here the facts dont support them. There was a bad spike in incidents in the three months after the Brexit vote when some real xenophobes did feel empowered to harass before the number returned to its previous level. And thanks to welcome encouragement to report all incidents the numbers of reported incidents has been rising sharply in recent years.

But the evidence of the courts and, more importantly, the Crime Survey for England and Wales suggests that at worst the actual extent of hate crime is static and it may even be falling. Several incidents that were reported as examples of extreme hate crime  including the death of a Polish man in Harlow  turned out to be nothing to do with Brexit or xenophobia.

Rap performer Akala, who recently appeared on BBC Question Time, said : I believe therell be a very significant economic downturn , I think, ironically, poor people  a lot of the people who voted leave  will be the hardest hit by that. Its also given legitimacy to a kind of 1970s style bigotry. 

But we havent seen the downturn and as someone who witnessed the bigotry of the seventies, we are in a completely different world. Akala has set up the very British Hip-hop Shakespeare company, he has managed to bring the work of a great white male poet to a wider audience. He is taking Shakespeare away from the elite and back to poor people. Brexit is kind of doing the same thing in politics, and giving us a chance for a new start.

People suffer from confirmation bias and will see the world as they expect it to be: more than twice as many remain voting Sikhs, for example, claimed to have experienced harassment last year as Sikhs who voted for Brexit.

Nonetheless only the truly biased can now claim that Brexit was driven by an outpouring of chauvinism and white supremacism.CORNWALL, Ontario  The cultures of the world gathered at St. Peters Parish in Cornwall this Pentecostal Sunday to share food dishes and costumes.

Nancy Tranchemontagne and Lazzarina Tantalo organized the event with the help of numerous businesses and the parish itself.

The people like this type of event, they never see it anywhere else, so just the comradery and the tasting of the food of course, explained Lazzarina.

The church was able to bring 20 different cultures to their table and donations by Farmboy, Casa Paolo, and Philos.

Similar to a potluck, several members of the parish brought a dish and when they all came together they were able to fill their table with the cuisine of the world.CORNWALL, Ontario  Cornwall is in a state of crisis regarding its lack of family physicians.

I think Cornwall has been in a crisis for a while, said Dr. Ingram-Crooks. Ingram-Crooks is based outside of the city at the St. Lawrence Medical Clinic (SLMC), but 80 per cent of her patients reside in Cornwall.

A lot of the physicians are retiring, and they have very large rosters, said Ingram-Crooks. And the new grads dont want to take that on. Lifestyle is very much important to the new grads and they dont want to do the long hoursthey just want to come in, see their patients, do their charts, do their paperwork and go home. You cant do that if you have too many patients  theres not enough hours in the day.

Currently there are no family doctors accepting patients in Cornwall. According to Ingram-Crooks, the government considers a roster to be approximately 1,500 patients. But local retiring doctors usually have 2,000 or more patients, so new graduates replacing these retirees would be taking on more work than average.

Also if youre not from this area, you dont necessarily always want to come here, said Ingram-Crooks.

Ingram-Crooks acknowledges that Cornwall has tried to entice family medicine. The citys medical recruitment team gave its first scholarship to Dr. Vanessa Carter through a return of service contract. This requires her to practice family medicine locally, and have hospital privileges, for at least five years. According to Carter, candidates for this scholarship are required to be from Cornwall or the counties and study medicine. She believes there are currently two doctors in training who have signed this contract.

Cornwall isnt present on the Rurality Index for Ontario (RIO), which provides incentives to doctors who work in rural communities. But our neighbours North Stormont, North and South Glengarry and North and South Dundas are on the list. These areas average an incentive value of approximately $80, 000 over four years. This index may attract doctors to especially rural areas and consequently overshadow small cities like Cornwall.

Although nurse practitioners have different skill sets than family physicians, they can act as primary care providers when necessary, according to Ingram-Crooks. She recommends that people without family doctors contact Health Care Connect, which is a provincially funded program that will attempt to register patients with doctors  whether those doctors are accepting patients or not. The program assigns priority based on certain criteria, for example children and individuals with chronic illness are prioritized.

Robyn Guindon, the pharmacist/manager at Wholehealth Pharmacy, said that pharmacists are trying to help fill this gap in care. Guindon said that pharmacists can do medication reviews, flu shots, administer 13 types of vaccines, and some pharmacies do travel consult clinics with other specialized services.

Often people will come to ask us questions if they dont have a family doctor, said Guindon. If its something that we can answer, we will, but if its outside of our scope of what we can do or help with, we will try to refer them to where they can access services.CORNWALL, Ontario  May is Mental Health Awareness month, so it is fitting that the Counselling and Support Services of SD&G are providing a new level of care for patients dealing with mental health issues in Cornwall and SD&G with the goal of providing better support and service.

The clinic is now providing new cyber counselling via an online website called OnCall Health.

The Clinic is being run by Ashley Mariani, a Clinical Social Worker and Program Coordinator with Counselling and Support Services of SD&G.

Patients can sign-up online and will be setup for an in-take assessment for $25.

After they have gone through the in-take process, patients can apply for an appointment for an Instant Messaging (IM) session with a Clinical Social Worker for $90, or they can sign-up for an email therapy service for $140.

The IM service offers a 50-minute therapy session, where as the email option allows a patient to email a clinical support worker as many times as they need to with a guarantee that they will receive a timely response.

These services are not for people who are in crisis. Anyone suffering from a mental health crisis is asked to call 1-866-996-0991 or Emergency Services at 9-11.

Mariani said that the reasoning for introducing this cyber counselling service was to help reduce cancellation rates.

Driving into Cornwall can be a huge barrier, she said. I find a lot of the time the cancellations come from people in the counties.

Mariani also pointed to the convenience and accessibility of online counselling.

It is extremely convenient for both the clients and clinicians, she said. I can connect with a group of clients that might be intimidated by attending in-person therapy sessions.

She explained that cyber counselling is great for people already comfortable with technology.

As long as you have data, you can have a therapy session, she said.

To access the cyber counselling services, please follow this link.James Gray was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army. At the end of the American Revolution, British officers were given large land grants to settle into new colonies. Where Grays Creek is situated today, is the land that Colonel James Gray owned and lived on. (It has obviously been named after him.)

Colonel James Gray had four coloured slaves. Two were women, and two were men. The men were brothers: Simon and John Baker.

James Gray died in 1795, and left his land and property to his son, Robert Isaac Dey Gray. When Robert took control of his fathers property, he decided to travel to New York State, and purchased a coloured slave named Dorinda. Dorinda was Simon and Johns mother.

Robert brought Dorinda back to his farm, and freed her. Dorinda ended up working for Captain Samuel Anderson, a local judge, as his house servant. (Captain Andersons land is down the road from Grays Creek, where the Glen-Stor-Dun-Lodge is today. There is a plaque detailing Captain Andersons history, just West of the property, close to the sidewalk for the public to view.)

Robert Gray eventually became the Attorney-General of Upper Canada. He tried to create new laws which aimed at giving slaves a better quality of life.

Robert died in November 1804, along with his slave Simon. They were on a ship in Lake Ontario when a storm hit. The ship sank, taking both men down with it. In his will, Robert freed his remaining three slaves, and left them money and land to support themselves. In a Toronto newspaper from December 1869, John Baker is quoted as saying, I and mother were

Freed by Grays will. We got a little of the money he left for us, but not much.

The Gray family has a very interesting history, but what captivated my interest the most while I began researching about James Gray and his son, was the history of their slaves. The slave that caught my attention, was John Baker.

John Baker was unlike most coloured slaves in the area. He was well-educated, and he could read and write. In his memoirs, he states that he worked for a judge who lived in York (Toronto) after Robert Gray died and freed him. In 1812, John volunteered for the Upper Canada militia to repel the American invasion. He already had military experience, because he had also fought in the American Revoultion. John fought in several major battles: Fort Erie, Sacketts Harbour, and Lundys Lane. At the end of the war John was given a pension for his efforts. He was granted one shilling a day for the rest of his life. In 1815, John enlisted in the British army to fight in the Napolenoic Wars in Europe. He fought in two battles, and claimed in his memoirs that he saw Napolean riding his horse.

John eventually returned to Upper Canada, and lived in Cornwall for the rest of his life. For the last few years of his life, he was seen daily, limping down Pitt Street to visit P. E. Adams store. He completed odd jobs for Mr. Adams, and always sat in one particular seat in the store. It is said that the floor was worn away in the place where his feet always rested.

John died on January 17, 1871, and the local newspaper at that time claimed that he was 105 years old at the time of his death. The Canadian Encyclopedia states, In some ways, Bakers life was unique. He may have been the last surviving Upper Canadian slave. He had seen his adopted homeland become Upper Canada, Canada West, and then, the Dominion of Canada.CORNWALL, Ontario  The Cornwall Community Police Service is requesting the publics assistance in identifying a suspect involved in a theft from a Brookdale Ave. business. The incident occurred at approximately 5:40 p.m. on April 25, 2018.

The suspect is described as follows:

White female

510 tall

180 lbs

Wearing sunglasses, long pants & a pink hoodie

Bright red hair

Anyone with information is asked to contact Cst. J. Pilon at 613-933-5000 ext. 2711 or ext. 2404 to leave anonymous information.LONG SAULT, Ontario  A plot of land in Long Sault that has long been valued as a community park has returned to public domain after being purchased by local development company J.F. Markell Homes Ltd.

The land, located next to the Long Sault Fire Hall, was purchased by J.F. Markell Homes from the Township of South Stormont for $90,000.

An ad was placed in the Cornwall Seaway News by the Township of South Stormont for a Request for Proposal to develop the land behind the fire hall, referred to as the Barnhart property, on Dec. 10, 2015.

When the public learned in April 2018 that the land had been sold, a Facebook group was created called Save the Long Sault Park and Forest that urged South Stormont Township Council to reconsider its decision to sell the land.

At a Township Council meeting on Wednesday, May 23, Council revealed that it had been discussing the situation with the developer and had come to a new understanding. J.F. Markell Homes had offered to donate Parts 1 and 2 of the property back to the Township.

Working closely with the Township, coupled with feedback from the community, we were able to redesign the subdivision to not require that parcel of land, said Alex Markell, Sales Project Manager with J.F. Markell Homes Ltd. Being a participating member in the community, we felt it would be best to donate the land back.

The Township had originally planned to use the revenue from the sale of the land to build a new park near the Long Sault Arena, now instead it will put that money into its Land Inventory Surplus Reserve to buy future properties.

The Township will be using funding from the Federal Gas Tax to develop a plan for how it will use the land they have re-acquired and how they will develop a new park for Long Sault.

The Council passed a by-law at the May 23 meeting to approve the donation of the land and the plan to create a new park for Long Sault.Capsums Lotion Infusee leveraged EmotiPearl technology to offer an awakening watery splash comprising blue tea leaves that swirl in the bottle with each movement.

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Microfluidics has benefited the development of inkjet printing, DNA chips, micro-propulsion and more through the controlled manipulation of fluids on the sub-millimeter scale. Now, Capsum is leveraging this technology to create unique droplet effects and experiences for beauty.

The company, based Marseille, with offices in Paris, New York and Los Angeles, recently hosted an innovation gallery in New York to showcase its customized machinery and applications of the microfluidic effects it can produce.

While the latest Artisan collection uses silicones and centers on skin care/anti-aging, the company is working to develop natural/silicone-free solutions, as well as applications for color cosmetics.

Droplet-sized Innovation

Capsums R&D team has produced custom lab equipment to produce formulationsliterally drop-by-dropwhich offer a sensory and visual punch. The technology aligns with a broader trend toward highly sensory, transformational beauty products.

The company can scale its equipment from production volumes down to mobile lab size. The company can also tool equipment to meet the technical requests of its clients, meaning customized innovation is possible.

Fast-absorbing Serum Riche was designed with Macrodrop concentre to produce a pigment-free sparkling effect and blending an oil and a serum effect.

Capsums MacroDrop technology allows for the creation of stabilized oil capsules without the use of surfactants. Droplet size can be precisely controlled, and formulas can comprise as much as 35% oil without sacrificing sensory qualities, according to the company.

The companys surfactant-free ReoDrop technology combines visible bubbles and a cream made of invisible micro-capsules. According to the company, The gelified visible bubbles melt over the skin upon application, offering freshness followed by utmost comfort.

Finally, Capsums EmotiPearl technology allows for the production of pearls with a dual water and oil core. The pearls can be faintly tinted, two- or three-toned, or contain a spiral design.

Microfluidic Skin Care

Capsum displayed a gallery of Artisan formulations comprising its technology, including the Double Brume, an on-the-go mist designed with Macrodrop technology to house its lipophilic active ingredients, featuring a 5% oil phase, and comprising ingredients such as vitamin E, oolong blue tea from the Tamil Nadu hills to combat free radicals, cherry blossom do defend against blue light, and chia and larch polysaccharides for anti-pollution protection.

Fast-absorbing Serum Riche was designed with Macrodrop concentre to produce a pigment-free sparkling effect and blending an oil and a serum effect. The Macrodrop allows for as much as a 25% of oil phase. The Serum Riche turned into oil on the skin and left a thin, soft protective film with no greasy afterfeel. The formulation comprised borage oil for moisturization, raspberry for suppleness and elasticity, Spilanthes acmella to support the skins framework, and blue tea for skin defense.

Capsums Lotion Infusee leveraged EmotiPearl technology to offer an awakening watery splash comprising blue tea leaves that swirl in the bottle with each movement.

The Creme Destructuree featured visible and transparent capsules containing lipophilic ingredients that created a formula that melted away to produce a rich cream. The formulation was glycerin-, surfactant- and surfactant-free, and contained 10% of ReoBulle, a droplet technology that surrounds a slightly gelified oily core. ReoBulle droplets act as visible melting bubbles of 0.8-1.2 mm that impart a fresh and comfortable feel on skin. The Creme Destructuree comprised Givaudan Active Beautys Megassane microalgae cell detoxifier, blue tea and blue lily of the valley to protect the skin and restore DNA, respectively.

Capsums Lotion Infusee leveraged EmotiPearl technology to offer an awakening watery splash comprising blue tea leaves that swirl in the bottle with each movement. The formulation also comprised soothing lotus water and hydrating hyaluronic acid.FMT Consultants, a Microsoft and NetSuite partner, plunged into the Salesforce ecosystem last month by purchasing Red Sky Solutions. The two Southern California solution providers have now integrated their practices to bring to market a more-comprehensive portfolio.

By extending the practice across three leading business software suites, FMT will better serve mid-market customers increasingly looking for partners that can help them select from a wider set of solutions to meet their specific needs, FMT CEO Eric Casazza told CRN.

FMT did not disclose the price it paid for Red Sky.

[Related: Rackspace Steps Up Apps Offensive With Acquisition Of Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner]

FMT, based in Carlsbad, Calif., has been in business for 23 years, and is a longtime Microsoft partner, offering Office 365, SharePoint, PowerBI, and Azure solutions.

In 2014, the company added NetSuite to its portfolio, expanding its ERP and CRM practices.

In recent years, FMT has observed that many of its customers, especially those subscribing to Oracle NetSuite, were simultaneously using Salesforce. That trend highlighted the potential benefits of an acquisition to incorporate the CRM leader's products, Casazza said.

"Many of the customers that come to us dont know what they need," Casazza told CRN. "They're moving off QuickBooks or another CRM solution. They know they need something."

It used to be only large enterprises could afford to deploy a robust business suite of the kind offered by Oracle or SAP. The mid-market had to rely on integrators bringing together best-of-breed applications.

But the cloud has changed that dynamic. Mid-market companies are increasingly thinking about the platform, Casazza said.

Microsoft, with its Dynamics 365, and NetSuite, with integrated ERP, CRM and e-commerce, have been delivering on that front. Salesforce has also expanded its products in recent years to offer comprehensive solutions, Casazza said.

FMT sees many of its NetSuite customers also using some Salesforce products, and vice-versa for Red Sky customers, he said. Microsoft customers are more likely to stay fixed on the software giant's integrated platform.

The Red Sky acquisition presents a "great opportunity for us to work with [customers] as a single-source partner, and advise them on what makes the most sense for them and implement that for them," Casazza said.

Being able to offer a diversity of solutions is "always helpful," he said, "because you dont know who the winners are going to be."

FMT will keep Red Sky's offices in Costa Mesa, Calif., and has brought on board that company's 15 employees, he said.Pure Storage this week moved to bring artificial intelligence to businesses of nearly every size with the introduction of the AIRI Mini, an entry-level version of a joint offering featuring Nvidia's DGX-1 deep-learning system and Pure's all-flash storage.

The company also unveiled a new version of the AIRI featuring Cisco networking technology.

Both enhancements to the AIRI artificial intelligence platform were introduced at Pure Storage's Pure Accelerate conference, held this week in San Francisco.

[Related: Pure Storage, Nvidia Jointly Develop Channel-Only AI-Ready System]

The AIRI Mini is an extension of the original AIRI, or Artificial Intelligence Ready Infrastructure, which was introduced in March.

The AIRI system combines Pure Storage's FlashBlade all-flash storage array for unstructured data, the Nvidia DGX-1 GPU-based platform for AI, Arista networking, and a new Pure Storage software for scaling the system to up to four nodes.

Going forward, customers also have a choice of integrated Cisco Nexus 9000 100-Gbit Ethernet switches as an alternative to Arista.

The AIRI is the most powerful A.I. infrastructure available for enterprises, and can replace 25 racks of infrastructure with a box that can sit under a desk, said Matt Burr, general manager for FlashBlade at Mountain View, Calif.-based Pure Storage.

The new AIRI Mini features two Nvidia DGX-1 systems with up to 2 petaflops of performance, the Pure FlashBlade all-flash array with up to seven 17-TB blades and 700 NFS-based IOs-per-second performance, and a converged networking fabric with two 100-Gbit Ethernet switches.

This compares to the original AIRI which features four Nvidia DGX-1 systems with up to 4 petaflops of performance, the Pure FlashBlade all-flash array with up to 15 17-TB blades and 1.5 million NFS-based IOs-per-second performance, and the same converged networking fabric.

Both come integrated with Nvidia's GPU Cloud Deep Learning software stack and Pure Storage's AIRI scaling software toolkit.

The architecture allows customers to actually start with a single DGX-1 server and scale to the AIRI Mini, the AIRI, and even to larger stacks, Burr said.

Roy Kim, A.I. lead and director of products and solutions for Pure Storage, told CRN his company got into the business of developing offerings aimed at artificial intelligence workloads purely by customer request. Pure Storage had used A.I. internally as a part of its storage software, as do many of its competitors, but hadn't originally built its storage for A.I. workloads until approached by customers, he said.

"It ended up being that it really was built for A.I.," he said. "That really kicked us into another gear of engaging customers with A.I. at scale."

The Nvidia relationship came about because of joint customers who were building racks of infrastructure featuring the Nvidia DGX servers and Pure Storage FlashBlade storage, Kim said.

"So after a while, we were saying, there's something here that customers are seeing that we need to follow up on," he said. "That's where the relationship started. Where we saw a lot of pull was, partners and prospects started asking us if we could build a reference architecture for them.  They just wanted to get started quickly."

The AIRI Mini is an amazing initiative by Pure Storage and Nvidia, said Mark Gonzalez, regional vice president of ePlus Technology, a Herndon, Va.-based solution provider and partner with both vendors and one of the first channel partners to sign up to bring the AIRI to clients.

"A.I. is a unique space," Gonzalez told CRN. "It requires a lot of computational capacity, which Nvidia brings, along with a lot of storage capacity that Pure Storage brings."

ePlus has as part of its 2018 business plan to dedicate headcount specific to A.I., Gonzalez said. "This is an area where we can get thought leadership. We feel that, as a reseller, we need to be big in this business."

Ross Grover, converged infrastructure architect at Sirius Computer Solutions, a San Antonio-based solution provider and Pure Storage partner, told CRN that having both Cisco and Arista as networking partners will make it easier for customers to connect AIRI into their networking infrastructures.

"Artificial intelligence is a huge opportunity, and is no longer just a buzzword," Grover said. "This is a fantastic opportunity for us. We are looking forward to getting one in our lab."It's a huge week for the cruise industry in Valletta, Malta, as the destination plays host to the 52nd MedCruise General Assembly. On Wednesday, May 23, there were also two ships in port as the Opera, from MSC Cruises, and Costa's Fascinosa docked in Valletta.



https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/19044-photos-msc-opera-and-costa-fascinosa-call-in-valletta.html#sigProId8c0e456d21 View the embedded image gallery online at:

Photos: Mathieu BurnelFor the coming days Malta is the European Capital of Culture, but also the worlds capital of cruising, said Airam Diaz Pastor, president of MedCruise, at the opening of the associations 52nd general assembly in Valletta on May 23. Pastor also serves as the commercial director for the Port of Tenerife,

With some 130 people in attendance, the assembly represented member ports, tour operators and cruise lines coming together to discuss the industry in the Mediterranean and its adjacent seas.

Our meeting is a major event in the Mediterranean Sea, Pastor added, and in the whole industry, bringing together ports and cruise lines from Europe and the United States.

Today, the Mediterranean is the worlds second largest cruise destination, and we expect to grow to some 25 million passengers over the next 10 years.

Pastor continued: Our association has been growing fast these years, to reach over 100 members and partners. And the choice of Valletta to host our assembly is appropriate as the European Capital of Culture for 2018.

Malta is a unique destination, long considered to be a microcosm of Mediterranean, with 7,000 years of recorded history.

This year, Valletta is expecting to set a new traffic record, reaching over 770,000 cruise passengers.

Konrad Mizzi, the minister of tourism for Malta, commented in a prepared statement: Cruising not only impacts ports, it provides a lot of business and activity to the whole country of Malta. It gives us the opportunity to showcase what the Maltese island stands for. The few hours that are spent ashore by those visitors are the perfect advertising for our destination.

Valletta also plays an important role in MedCruise history as one of the founding members of MedCruise, according to Stephen Xuereb, Valletta Cruise Port CEO and Globals Port Holdings (GPH) COO.

The port director of Malta served as the first chairman of MedCruise, noted Emre Sayin, CEO of GPH. MedCruise not only promotes cruising all around the Mediterranean Sea; but it also allows all its members to meet together and to conclude partnerships and businesses, and to share knowledge and experiences."

With now 14 ports under their management, including 12 in Mediterranean, GPH is the worlds largest cruise port operator.

Carlo Micallef, deputy CEO and chief marketing officer at the Malta Tourism Office, noted that Malta has been achieving record results in inbound tourism and cruises to Malta and Gozo, and said cruise calls are generating invaluable exposure for the islands and contributing to its success in tourism.

.The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority celebrated a milestone with the arrival of the 25 millionth cruise passenger through the Port of Vancouver on May 23. To mark this significant occasion, the port authority hosted a celebration at Canada Place to honor the lucky passenger and to recognize the collaborative efforts by industry and tourism that make Vancouvers cruise business so successful.

We are thrilled this year to welcome the 25 millionth cruise passenger through the Port of Vancouver and to celebrate this achievement with our destination, cruise line and industry partners, said Robin Silvester, president and chief executive officer at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. For more than 40 years, weve been welcoming cruise passengers to Vancouver. This achievement is a testament to the joint efforts with our partners to promote Vancouver as a top cruise and tourism destination. We look forward to another successful year ahead.

This year, 32 different vessels from 14 cruise lines will be visiting the Canada Place cruise terminal, ranging from luxury smaller expedition style ships, to some of the largest vessels in the Alaska cruise market. More than 895,000 cruise passengers are expected in Vancouver this year, which is a 7 percent increase in passenger volume over 2017.

According to a statement from the port, the Vancouver cruise industry stimulates nearly three million dollars to the local economy for each cruise ship that visits and $1.6 billion in total economic impact, as passengers spend additional vacation time in Vancouver, Victoria and surrounding areas.

It is wonderful to be celebrating Vancouvers 25 millionth cruise passenger just a few days before the start of Tourism Week, said Ty Speer, President & CEO of Tourism Vancouver. Tourism is not only hugely beneficial to Vancouvers economy through direct spending and job creation, it also has a positive impact on local residents through infrastructure development, and by supporting the viability of festivals, events, museums and attractions. The cruise industry has been drawing visitors to Vancouver from around the world for the past 40 years and has become a central pillar of our citys visitor economy.

One of the first cruise lines to visit Vancouver was the Holland America Line, which has been cruising to Vancouver for more than 40 years and was the first cruise line to call the new Canada Place cruise terminal on April 28, 1986.

For more than 40 years, Holland America Line has been a partner with the Port of Vancouver in building a robust gateway cruise port and as an important contributor to the economic impact of this region, commented Orlando Ashford, president, Holland America Line. We congratulate the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority on celebrating its 25 millionth cruise passenger and are honored that one of our guests has been selected to represent such a monumental occasion.

Among the highlights of the 2018 season: Several new vessels will be calling, including Windstar Cruises Star Legend luxury cruise ship and the Norwegian Jewel, which will be replacing the Norwegian Sun.

Vancouver will welcome the return of Holland America, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Regent, Disney Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Crystal Cruises, and Silversea Cruises. These cruise lines all have vessels that use the Port of Vancouver as home port to begin and end each cruise.

The port will also welcome the Norwegian Bliss, the largest cruise ship to date to visit Vancouver, accommodating more than 4,000 passengers.

In 2009, the Canada Place cruise ship terminal became the first in Canada and third in the world to offer shore power to cruise ships. Since then, there have been 493 successful shore power connections out of 624 calls that are able to connect at the Canada Place cruise terminal. This equates to a total of 58,000 tons of fuel savings, more than 18,000 tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions and 524 tons of air pollutant reductions.Ponant has announced its return to Cuba for a second season with a sailing scheduled for January 25 to February 3, 2019.

Guests who book early can save up to 30 percent resulting in fares that start at $7,980 per person and include airfare from Miami as well as two pre-cruise nights in Havana at a hotel, the company announced.

The line's "History, Culture & Contemporary Life" itinerary is a broad snapshot of the most fascinating parts of the island, going off the beaten path.

The voyage will take place aboard the 64-guest Le Ponant, an elegant three-masted sailing yacht.

Ports of call include Santiago de Cuba, Punta Frances on Isla de la Juventud and Cienfuegos.

Guest lecturer Franklin W. Knight, Professor of History at the Johns Hopkins University, who has been organizing educational travel programs to Cuba since the 1970s, and frequently appears as an on-air analyst on NPR, BBC and PBS, will lecture throughout the sailing and accompany guests on excursions to share his insight along the way.Topics include Cuba after the Castro Brothers, Cuba the Land of Eccentricity and even Cuban Rums: An Appreciation with Samples.

Two Cuban guides will join onboard for the entire cruise to share meals and engage in informal, relaxed conversation, the company said.The Mediterranean always wins, said Captain Luigi Pastena, port captain for MSC Cruises. The Caribbean offers beaches, China has shopping cruises and in the Mediterranean, we can offer seven different cultural destinations (on a week-long cruise).

Pastena was speaking at the 52nd MedCruise General Assembly taking place this week in Valletta, Malta.

The group has grown to some 70 ports, expanding along with the industry, according to Airam Diaz Pastor, president of the association and commercial director for the Port of Tenerife.

We are the worlds largest cruise port association, representing over 80 percent of passenger movements in the Mediterranean, Pastor said.

The association likes to point out the mix of a product experience in the Mediterranean with various cultures and languages on display with no shortage of port opportunities.

Among the challenges has been a shrinking region, as geopolitical issues rendered the Black Sea basically off limits, and sent traffic tumbling in the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa.

We will go where our guests want to go and feel safe to go, Pastena added, noting the situation was getting better.

In Tunisia, for example, La Goulette has welcomed back a handful of cruise ships with the situation getting better, although slowly.

Among other MedCruise news, the association now has an agreement with Princess Cruises to provide destination lecturers aboard the companys ships.

Our lecturers can speak about the next days port, said Pastor. They educate the guests with up to the date and local information. People get to know the places better and buy more excursions.

There is also the potential for guest sourcing in China, as MedCruise is now training Chinese travel agents and maintaining a Chinese-language website.

Craig Milan, vice president of itinerary and destination development for Virgin Voyages, is among the prominent guests at MedCruise. Virgin has announced its first ships will sail from Miami, but is looking ahead to a larger future as well.

We see Mediterranean as a very viable option  ports here offer amazing experiences, he said.

It is a great time to be a port today, he added. Many passengers take several cruises; maybe one a year or more, and they are looking for new experiences and generally wont select the same itinerary again.Higher gas prices wont be keeping Memorial Day travelers off the road this weekend.

According to AAA, more than 41.5 million Americans will travel this Memorial Day weekend, nearly 5 percent more than last year and the most in more than a dozen years.

INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, expects travel delays on major roads like I-95, I-84, the Merritt and Wilbur Cross parkways could be up to three times longer than normal, with the busiest times late afternoon on Thursday and Friday as commuters mix with holiday travelers.

Of all the people traveling 50 miles or more, AAA says, 88 percent will be traveling on the highway.

INRIX forecasts the worst day to travel in the New York metro area is Friday between 3:30 and 6:30 p.m.

State Police said motorists should expect heavy traffic, exercise caution and allow extra time to reach their destination.

Driving will also cost more at the gas pump. The price of a regular gallon of gas in Connecticut costs 62 cents more than it did last Memorial Day, averaging $3.19 for a gallon of regular gas.

Here are a few other things you should know in advance of the first ... unofficial ... weekend of summer.

State Parks: Free parking, some closed for weekend

Theres a big change for Connecticut residents visiting state parks this year.

Those entering a state park in a Connecticut-registered vehicle, no longer have to pay a daily parking fee.

The change was made under the Passport to the Parks law that charges an additional $10 to the two-year registration renewal for all non-commercial motor vehicles.

Cars with Connecticut license plates will be allowed to pass through the entrance without paying for parking.

Vehicles with a blue and white Connecticut license plate will be waved into the park, said Chris Collibee, spokesman for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

He said no registration papers will be checked.

Out-of-state residents, will still be charged for parking ranging from $7 to $22, depending on the park and time of day.

The state law passed in 2017 and collection of the new fee began in February. Vehicle owners will be charged the fee when they renew their registration.

The new structure allows the Connecticut State Parks system with greater and more predictable financial support, while allowing a number of previously reduced services to be restored, such as the reopening of several previously closed campgrounds, increased staffing of state beaches during the summer season, and the restoration of regular hours of operation at certain nature centers and museums.

Fees to reserve overnight campgrounds for both in-state residents and out-of-state visitors will still apply.

Collibee said Connecticuts 110 state parks draw about a nine million visitors a year. Officials expect to see a 10 to 15 percent increase in visits this summer because of the free parking for state residents.

Already, Hammonasset State Beach in Madison draws a million visitors alone.

DEEP Commissioner Robert Klee said, In the rush of our busy modern lives, where we are constantly connected to all forms of electronic devices, visiting a state park, taking hike, casting a line or simply sitting under the sun can do wonders for our physical and mental health. We want our park goers to have a positive visitor experience each time they visit our parks, and the Passport to Parks program helps to ensure that our parks are protected in the years ahead.

Some parks closed

Damage from last weeks tornadoes will keep some state parks closed, including Sleeping Giant in Hamden and Wharton Brook State Park in Wallingford.

The campground at Kettletown State Park in Southbury will open at noon Friday, but sections of the park remain closed to the public.

Squantz Pond State Park and the Candlewood Lake state boat launches in New Fairfield will also be closed this weekend.

New Fairfield First Selectwoman Del Monaco said due to catastrophic storm damage, our town cannot safely accommodate additional traffic on town roads at this time, including vehicles pulling boats.

Stepped out enforcement by state, local police

State troopers will use laser units for speed enforcement, marked and unmarked cruisers and non-traditional police vehicles to patrol the highways and roads this weekend.

Local police have also launched their annual Click It or Ticket campaign. Under state law, drivers and front-seat passengers are required to wear a seat belt. Get caught and youll get a $96 ticket.

Last Memorial Day weekend, state police handed out 2,658 tickets, including 719 for speeding and 668 for seat belt violations.

Police will also be looking for DUI drivers through roving patrols and sobriety checkpoints.

Some sobering statistics

Last Memorial Day weekend, three people were killed on Connecticut highways.

According to the Connecticut Crash Data Repository, 85 people have been killed on state roads this year. A year ago at this time, there were 105.

In 2017, a total of 285 people were killed on Connecticut highways.

Remember why there is Memorial Day

Yes, its the unofficial start of summer and a time for picnics and fun.

But, pause to remember the true reason for this holiday.

Memorial Day honors those who died while in military service.

The cost of our freedom has been high.

Here are the number of Americans who died in battle and in-theater service in U.S. wars:

Civil War: 498,332

World War II: 405,399

World War I: 116,516

Vietnam War: 58,220

Korean War: 36,574

American Revolution: 4,435

War of 1812: 2,260

Indian Wars: 1,000 (estimate)

Desert Shield/Desert Storm: 388

Spanish-American War: 385

American wars total (1775-1991): 959,831.

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Weather

The best weather day of the weekend will be Saturday with mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the 80s.

Sunday and Monday have a chance of showers.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 83. Southwest wind 6 to 14 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 63. Southwest wind 6 to 9 mph.

Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Southwest wind around 8 mph.

Saturday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.

Sunday A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68.

Memorial Day: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67.

For your towns latest forecast, click here

Warm enough for swimming?

With the exception of Squantz Pond and Wharton Brook state parks, all state and local beaches will be open this weekend.

Best day to take the first dip is Saturday, when the air temperature will be warmest.

The water temperature in Long Island Sound is a brisk 55 degrees.

The water temperature of Candlewood Lake is 63 degrees.

Food and drink

Sixty percent of Americans say they will barbecue on Memorial Day weekend.

July Fourth is the number one holiday for barbecue and beer sales. Memorial Day weekend comes in second.

Sales of meat and seafood for Memorial Day is estimated at $1.5 billion.

At the top of the menu are hot dogs.

Hot dogs are consumed every second from Memorial Day to Labor Day. In all, 7 billion will be eaten in the U.S.

The Norwalk Fire Dept reminds people to be safe as they fire up the grill this weekend and throughout the summer months. In the United States, an average of 16,600 patients per year visit emergency rooms because of injuries involving grills, roughly half of these are burns.

Firefighters offered this advice:

Before using the grill for the first time each year, make sure the grill is cleaned and check for damage. Throughout the summer, check and clean the grill regularly.

Propane and charcoal BBQ grills should only be used outdoors.

Grills should be placed well away from the home, deck railings and out from under eaves and overhanging branches.

Keep children and pets at least three feet away from the grill area.

Keep your grill clean by removing grease or fat buildup from the grills and in trays below the grill.

Never leave your grill unattended. Keep children and pets at least three feet away from grills.

Always make sure your gas grill lid is open before lighting it.

Whats open and closed?

Department of Motor Vehicles offices will close for the Memorial Day holiday at 12:30 p.m. Friday and reopen at 7:45 a.m. Tuesday.

All state and federal offices, courts closed on Monday.

Most banks will be closed.

No regular U.S. Postal deliveries.

Ninety percent of American companies will close their offices on Memorial Day.

Connecticut package stores are allowed to be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Connecticuts favorite true war movie

Glory, the 1989 movie on the Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices from both his own Union Army, and the Confederates.

Starred Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes and Morgan Freeman.

Source: Reviews.org

Metro-North

On Friday, there are 17 extra "getaway" departures from Grand Central Terminal between roughly 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Some late p.m. peak trains will be canceled/combined due to reduced ridership in this time period. All extra and canceled trains are shown in the current timetable here.

On Saturday and Sunday, May 27, a regular weekend schedule will be in effect.

On Memorial Day, a Sunday schedule will be in effect on the Harlem, Hudson and New Haven Lines.

Grand Central North will be closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Longer days

On Memorial Day, we will have 14 hours and 52 minutes of daylight.

Thats nearly six hours more daylight than there was on Dec. 21, 2017.

And unlike that day, theres no snow in the forecast.3 1 of 3 Contributed Photo / Milford Police Department / Contributed Photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Contributed Photo / Milford Police Department / Contributed Photo Show More Show Less 3 of 3





MILFORD  Police hope someone can help them identify the suspect of a recent scam.

An elderly woman in Illinois received a phone call from someone pretending to be her nephew, looking for bail money to get out of jail in Connecticut. The man asked her to send $4,000 to the Hampton Inn, 129 Plains Road, in Milford.With Memorial Day approaching, state police are prepared for increased traffic during the weekend, and urge drivers to use caution and common sense.

All drivers are encouraged to use courteous driving skills, plan for traffic delays and make safety their top priority when they get behind the wheel this weekend  and any other weekend.

State troopers will use laser units for speed enforcement, marked and unmarked cruisers and non-traditional police vehicles to patrol the highways and roadways this weekend and throughout the summer.

Over the Memorial Day weekend, state police will participate in the National Combined Accident Reduction Effort program. The program joins state police agencies across the country to focus on driving under the influence and safety belt laws during the holiday weekend.

Motorists are reminded to expect heavy traffic, exercise caution and allow extra time to reach their destination, state police warned of the upcoming weekend.

The holiday weekend will begin Friday and continue through Monday. State troopers will be cracking down on hazardous moving violations, seat belt use and illegal cell phone use. There will be sobriety checkpoints at several locations across the state during the weekend.

If you plan to consume alcohol please designate a driver, state police said. If you see a suspected drunk driver report it immediately by calling 911, as this is a true emergency.

As drivers take to the roadways this weekend, theyre reminded to obey the Move Over Law  which requires drivers to safely move over at least one lane and reduce speed below the posted speed limit when there are emergency responders pulled over.

During Memorial Day weekend 2017, state police arrested 31 drunk drivers, charged 719 motorists with speeding, handed out 668 seat belt violations and issued 2,658 moving violations. Troopers investigated 302 motor vehicle crashes  48 crashes with injury and two separate fatal crashes, which resulted in three deaths.

The following are the sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols planned for Memorial Day weekend 2018:

Sobriety checkpoints

-Friday  Route 67 at the intersection of Mountain Road in Oxford

-Saturday  Route 2 at Wheeler High School in North Stonington

-Sunday  Interstate 84 in Hartford eastbound and westbound at exit 46 on ramps

Friday through Monday: Roving patrols

-Route 8 corridor between exit 37 in Watertown and exit 42 in Harwinton

-Routes 6 and 64 in Woodbury

-Routes 202 and 254 in Litchfield

-Routes 7 and 341 in Kent

-Routes 63 and 109 in Morris

-Routes 45 and 47 in Washington

-Routes 132 and 61 in Bethlehem

-Route 4 in Burlington

-Route 72 in Harwinton

-Interstates 84 and 91 within Troop H patrol area

-Within Greater Troop C patrol area

-Within Greater Troop D patrol area

-Within Greater Troop E patrol area

-Interstate 95 and Route 9 in Guilford, Madison, Clinton, Westbrook, Old Saybrook, Old Lyme, Essex, Chester, Deep River, Haddam and Killingworth

Friday (5/25): Roving patrols

-Interstates 91 and 95 and Route 34 in the Greater New Haven patrol area

-Route 8 limited access highway in Torrington

-Route 4 in Goshen

-Route 8 in towns of Shelton, Ansonia and Derby

-Routes 6 and 384 including towns of Lebanon, Bozrah, Franklin and Windham

Saturday (5/26): Roving patrols

-Interstate 95 and Routes 8 and 25 in the Bridgeport, Stratford and Trumbull patrol area

-Interstate 84 in greater Danbury, Southbury and Waterbury areas

-Interstate 91 in the area of Interstate 691 in Meriden

-Route 8 limited access highway and Route 44 in Winsted, Barkhamsted and New Hartford

-Routes 6 and 87 in Bolton, Columbia, and Andover

Sunday (5/27): Roving patrols

-Interstate 84 in greater Danbury, Southbury and Waterbury areas

-Interstate 95 in Stamford, Norwalk, Greenwich

-Route 7 in the Norwalk area

-Routes 7 and 44 in North Canaan, Falls Village and Norfolk

-Route 15 in Hamden and New Haven

-Route 66 including Hebron and Marlborough

Monday (5/28): Roving patrols

-Interstate 84 in greater Danbury, Southbury and Waterbury areas

-Route 15 from New York State Line to the Sikorsky Bridge

-Routes 44, 202 and 219 in Torrington, New Hartford, Barkhamsted

-Interstate 91 in New Haven and North Haven

-Route 85 including Colchester, Salem and East Haddam

Tuesday (5/29): Roving patrols

-Interstates 84 and 91 within Troop H patrol areaBRIDGEPORT  For a powerful Democratic kingmaker whose preferred gubernatorial candidate exited the partys convention a loser, Mario Testa is not sitting around sulking.

Testa, Bridgeports veteran town committee chairman, in an interview Wednesday night at his eponymous North End restaurant, hinted at the influential roles he, Connecticuts largest city and its mayor, Joseph Ganim, still have to play in the governors race.

Asked repeatedly by Hearst Connecticut Media if he was open to a deal for Ganim to abandon his ongoing gubernatorial bid and back convention nominee Ned Lamont of Greenwich, Testa eventually said, The doors are always open.

But would Testa and Ganim actually strike a deal? And what do they want?

The deals we gonna be making is whats best for the City of Bridgeport, Testa, who has a thick Italian accent, said. Theres a lot of items on the agenda. Casino would be a number one priority.

In other words, Lamonts support to build a controversial casino proposed for the citys waterfront.

Sources from both campaigns, however, are not anticipating a truce anytime soon and are readying for a summer primary.

A little over one week ago, with other contenders dropping out to back Lamont, including Susan Bysiewicz, who joined his ticket as lieutenant governor, some Ganim allies privately spoke about the mayor doing the same.

Then the all-white Lamont/Bysiewicz team-up was criticized for its lack of diversity. And Ganim had a new campaign talking point in the heavily-minority urban centers where he has a skill for wooing voters.

Still, Ganim  and Testa, since one does not make big political decisions without the other  got trounced by Lamont at the convention. Bridgeports mayor did not even receive the 15 percent of delegate votes necessary to qualify for a primary.

Now his campaign is collecting the 15,458 signatures of registered Democrats necessary to force a primary against Lamont.

Theres two reasons hes not interested in a deal, said one Ganim supporter. The first is that Ganim sees a path to beat Lamont in the cities. Ganims allies also consider the mayor the more skilled campaigner.

Secondly Ganim and Testa will have more leverage once the mayor has qualified to appear on the primary ballot. As of Thursday his campaign claimed to have over 14,000 signatures.

This is not the time to negotiate, said the Ganim supporter.

Signing on

Testas restaurant on Wednesday night was busy with the regular dinner and bar crowd and, in a banquet room, fellow Democrats nominating a candidate for one of Bridgeports two state Senate districts.

And their host was pressuring everyone he could to get on board with the petition drive.

You gotta help me on the signatures, Testa told some City Council members.

Testa noted the campaign needs to collect more signatures than the 15,458 minimum to account for the many likely to be rejected by city and state elections officials. Realistically the number of signatures needed is closer to 21,000.

And if the petition effort falls short and Ganim fails to primary, It will be embarrassing to me, Testa told the councilmen.

He slid another petition in front of a customer in the bar who claimed to have already signed one a few days earlier.

If Ganim qualifies for a primary, it will be impressive, but he is still thought to have an uphill battle against Lamont.

First elected in 1991, the mayor was convicted of corruption in 2003. He won his old job back in 2015, but that criminal record is a challenge in a statewide race. It also disqualifies Ganim from receiving millions of dollars in public campaign finance grants.

Meanwhile Lamont is a self-funding millionaire.

Some Lamont backers claim they are not sweating facing Ganim in a primary and that it would be a good preparation for a tough general election in November against whichever Republican emerges from the GOPs crowded primary.

Lamont in a brief interview Thursday recalled how Testa supported him in his failed 2010 run for governor.

I can tell you that eight years ago Mario endorsed me on behalf of Bridgeport. Everybody said, What did you do? What was the deal? Lamont recalled. Mario asked me one thing - just promise me youll remember Bridgeport. He didnt ask for a casino, for any other specific quid pro quo at all. Just, Will you remember Bridgeport? And thats the deal Id make today.

Bridgeport bus stop

A week ago Ganim allies, doubtful of a primary victory, suggested he exit the race because it would be better for Bridgeport should Lamont become governor. But Testa on Wednesday night pointed out that, whether it is in a primary or a tough general election, the city is a must win.

That means Ganim could battle Lamont in a primary, lose, and Lamont would still need Ganim  and Testa.

Listen, Bridgeport, with 42,000 Democrats, the bus has gotta stop in Bridgeport sooner or later, Testa said.

Actually Testa was off by a few thousand. According to voting records, Bridgeport boasts 45,717 registered Democrats.BROOKFIELD  As crews finish repairing the most significant damage from last weeks massive storm, towns are scrambling to figure out how to pay for their share of cleanup.

Brookfield, New Fairfield and Danbury are among dozens of localities across the state hoping to receive aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

After storm damage closed countless roads and knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes, Brookfield and New Fairfield and parts of Danbury were declared disaster areas, the first step in obtaining federal aid. President Donald Trump will also need to rule the towns as disaster zones for the communities to be eligible.

Brookfield First Selectman Steve Dunn declared a town disaster on Tuesday night, shortly after the storm hit.

It became very clear we were going to have very large expenses in managing the cleanup of this disaster, Dunn told selectmen and the Board of Finance at a meeting Monday night.

The damage will cost Brookfield at least $2.5 million, but that is only a rough estimate by the public works department based on how much the town spent after Superstorm Sandy, said Greg Dembowski, who has been named Brookfields FEMA coordinator.

The estimate does not cover damage to state roads or to private property, nor the costs of additional police, fire and mutual aid services, he said.

Twenty town departments are filling out forms to determine how much they spent because of the storm. The forms are due to the state by May 30, Dembowski said Monday night.

New Fairfield and Danbury officials are compiling the same information, but they do not yet have cost estimates, officials said.

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said the city suffered no damage to public buildings, but crews were still working to restore power to more than 100 customers on Tuesday afternoon.

In New Fairfield, more than 150 crews worked around the clock Monday and Tuesday on downed trees and wires in some of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in the state, First Selectman Pat Del Monaco said. Eversource restored power to more than 1,500 town residents overnight Monday, but more than 300 were still without electricity Tuesday afternoon.

We have a long road ahead of us, Del Monaco said. Were getting close to having power to everyone and roads are passable now, so we can get our children back to school and get to work on our FEMA application. But in terms of long-term restoration, its a long way off.

Another 100 crews were at work Tuesday in Brookfield but more than 200 customers were still without power as of late afternoon.

In Brookfield and New Fairfield alone, crews have replaced more than 600 broken poles and almost 85 miles of wire.

Students will return to school in Brookfield and New Fairfield on Wednesday, but Brookfield students still affected by outages will be excused, officials said. Brookfield schools also are adjusting some bus routes for the remainder of the week.

The emergency shelter at New Fairfield High School will be open from 4:30 p.m. until 7:45 p.m. Wednesday for showers, but it will not serve meals, the town announced. The senior center on Route 37 will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. but also will not serve meals.

Both Brookfield and New Fairfield are asking residents and business owners to send photos of damage, as well as receipts and other documentation showing how much they have spent or will need to spend on repairs.

Brookfield residents should send their information to storm2018@ brookfieldct.gov and New Fairfield residents should email nfstormdamage@ newfairfield.org. Danbury residents should submit their information online at www.danbury-ct.gov/storm. Anyone who submits should provide their address and a description of the damage sustained.

That will make a much stronger argument when we go to FEMA, Dunn said.

FEMA aid could cover 75 percent of the cleanup cost and the money could be dispersed to residents.

The best thing you can do now, Brookfield, is report everything, Dembowski said. Take pictures, receipts and save everything. Were collecting everything we can. Were going to throw it up on the wall and see what sticks.

If Brookfield receives the hoped-for help, it plans to pick up debris at individual homes, which the town did after a previous storm.

In Danbury, where the northern portion of the city was declared a disaster area, Boughton said the city does not plan to pick up debris from individual homes because it does not expect to be reimbursed for those costs.

For now, Brookfield residents should bring debris to the brush yard near the fire department. Residents should not drag their debris to the edge of the road because this will disrupt utility companies work.

But Dunn acknowledged that many people, such as the elderly, cannot get to the brush yard.

This is a massive problem in the town and we have to clean this up, Dunn said.TRUMBULL  Police are warning residents to be cautious when using services like Craigslist after a recent incident in town.

On Monday, a New York resident reported to police that someone stole his motorcycle that he brought to Trumbull to sell.WASHINGTON  A key House committee on Thursday approved a water-resources bill that included amendments authored by Rep. Elizabeth Esty which are aimed at ameliorating pollution to Connecticut ground water caused by corroded pipes.

The amendments to the Water Resources and Development Act are directed at the Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees numerous engineering projects that address flood damage, restoration of delicate ecosystems, and prevention of hurricane and storm damage.

The bill on Thursday won approval of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, of which Esty, D-Conn., is a member.

The Army Corps also plays an important role in pinpointing corroded pipes that result in water pollution. More than 75 percent of wells in Connecticut hold groundwater polluted with contaminants, according to a United States Geological Survey in 2016. The study identifies Connecticut as one of 11 states containing a high level of groundwater infused with chemicals, which could be attributed to the states old plumbing fixtures.

Water contaminants were found last year in the pipelines of towns including Newtown, New Fairfield and Torrington. Residents were advised to boil water before drinking after some of the chemicals were found again this year.

Corrosion is a serious factor in shortening life span, which costs more money and endangers the public, Esty said in an interview. When infrastructure falls apart or gets corroded, that has an impact on health and safety for the American people.

The amendments are intended to improve the structure of the Corps, which Esty said lacks thorough research strategies, management and funding to address concerns in Connecticut pertaining to pipeline corrosion.

The Army Corps of Engineers, a D.C.-based agency that carries out the bulk of the acts requirements, conducts water resource projects, like building dams and bridges around New England. The Corps also regulates pollutants within drinking water sources.

Esty said the Corps should work to prevent pipeline corrosion from becoming a large-scale issue, citing Flint, Mich., where corroded pipelines caused drinking water to infuse with unsafe lead. She said towns in Connecticut, like Torrington, have experienced water damage from floods, but the Corps has not adequately addressed their concerns.

One of the amendments requires the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress about its efforts to mitigate water corrosion and launch water resources projects.

There are currently 13 Corps projects in Estys 5th District in Connecticut that focus on managing floods. But the projects are often outdated and need management updates, Esty said.

Esty also added an amendment asking that Secretary of the Army Mark Esper report to Congress on its research about water resources projects, like building dams or bridges. Esty said members of the Corps could be incentivized to improve their research on towns that experience water issues if they know their work is reported.

They dont do much - theyre short on money, Esty said of the Corps. The Corps plans have not changed even though the education and the science have.

The release also outlined an amendment recommending a study about the rate that senior leaders within the Army Corps cycle out of their positions. Esty said the National Academy of Science will conduct the study.

She said longer tenures, as opposed to roughly three-year terms, in senior Corps positions would develop a better flow of communication with Connecticut residents because top officials would better grasp the ongoing issues.

The amendments were approved in the Senate and will advance to the House floor for debate in June. The legislation passed by the Senate in 2016, but never won approval in the House.

Sarah.roach@chron.comCongresswoman Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., is opposed to any agreement that would allow Chinese-raised poultry into the United States.

DeLauro, who chairs the Congressional Food Safety Caucus, wrote a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue expressing her concerns.It was May 14, the day after Mother's Day, and Tanika Wilson saw her 16-year-old son off to school. But when Dawnta Harris didn't arrive, his mother panicked.

He had been in trouble and was on home release and electronic monitoring in Baltimore City over stolen-car charges after a stay at a secure juvenile detention center, his mother said.

For more than a week, Wilson tried to help authorities find Harris, she said, giving them his cellphone number, school contacts, an address 20 minutes from their West Baltimore home where she knew he hung out with new acquaintances she didn't like.

Nothing.

Until early Tuesday, when her only son called collect from jail and told her he was being charged as an adult.

Minutes earlier, she had heard on the news that a 16-year-old had been arrested and charged as an adult with murder in the death of a Baltimore County police officer who had been mowed down in a stolen Jeep.

"My heart dropped," Wilson said.

"My son is not a killer. He's not a violent type of person," Wilson said. "He's scared. He's afraid."

Harris was the first of four teens now charged as adults with murder in the death of Officer Amy Caprio. The others are 15, 16 and 17.

Caprio arrived Monday morning in the Perry Hall area after a neighbor's 911 call about a Jeep that appeared suspicious and then a burglary at a nearby home, police have said.

Harris, prosecutors said in court filings, told a detective he was in the driver's seat of the Jeep waiting for the others when he saw the officer and tried to flee, with Caprio following. On a cul-de-sac, she left her vehicle and ordered him out of the Jeep, Harris and witnesses said, according to the court filings.

He partially opened his door, but then closed it, the court files state, and drove at Caprio, hitting her. During the encounter she fired a shot, police officials later said, and a bullet hole was found in the Jeep windshield.

Caprio, who had been on the county force for nearly four years, died of her injuries.

Attorney Wyndal Gordon, who volunteered to represent Harris, said the teen was "in survival mode" because he feared more gunshots could be coming.

"This was an accident," he said during a news conference Thursday.

Sitting Wednesday in the office of one Gordon, Wilson agreed to speak publicly for the first time about her son.

Gordon would not allow her to comment on the pending case.

"No one can escape the tragedy that a life was lost. That is not lost on the mother nor myself," Gordon said.

"We want people to hold off on prejudgment," Gordon said. "We look forward to challenging a lot of the evidence that has been presented," he said.

Police officials have said Caprio's body-worn camera was working during the encounter. Attorney Warren Brown, who also is representing Harris, demanded Thursday that officials release footage from Caprio's body camera. He said he and Gordon, who have not yet seen the footage, believe "a lot of misconceptions" about the case would be put to rest by a public release.

The state's attorney for Baltimore County had said Tuesday that he was recommending police not publicly release the video in order to avoid tainting potential jurors should the case go to trial. Scott Shellenberger, the state's attorney in the county, was asked about releasing the video to the public during a news conference and said "I feel strongly that all defendants have a right to a fair jury trial," and that a replaying of the video "over and over again" could have an effect on people who might someday be called for jury duty in the case.

Wilson talked about the months she said she spent asking for more help from juvenile authorities and programs to help control and guide her son, even asking, she said, to have his home detention revoked to get him off the streets before the streets swallowed him.

"I didn't want my son hurt, locked up, dead or anything," she said. "But the courts weren't taking this seriously."

In recent months, she said, he was in and out of court on stolen-car cases but no violent crimes. And she was at his hearings so often that after a year she was taken off full-time work as a housekeeper in a Baltimore hospital and converted to part-time as needed, she said, because she kept having to call off to be at court. "I would sit there time and time again, each time pleading with the judge to help me," she said.

Her pleas, she said, included asking for his detention. "I was with the state even though this was my son," she said.

"I begged with the court for help," she said. "I wanted them to send him to a program where he could earn his GED, somewhere out of this city," Wilson said.

At a Baltimore County news conference Tuesday, authorities confirmed Wilson was working with authorities to locate her son in the week before the fatal exchange in Perry Hall and had called them to say her son had gone missing from his monitoring. Sam J. Abed, Maryland's secretary of juvenile services, said Wilson contacted court services to tell them that Harris had not shown up for school and shared contacts and spots to look for him.

Harris had been arrested April 17 and was housed in a secure detention center until a May 10 hearing at which a judge ordered him released on electronic monitoring, Abed said at the news conference. After Harris's release, Abed said his compliance with conditions of his release "were poor" and the office requested a hearing on May 18 to revoke his home detention. But that hearing was continued to another date, Abed said.

And on the day after Mother's Day, Harris went missing.

Wilson said she repeatedly asked why authorities did not simply use her son's electronic monitoring bracelet to track him. She said she was told that the bracelet did not have GPS capabilities but rather had a chip to alert authorities whenever he was away from an electronic monitoring box in their home.

The changes she saw in her son, she said, started in the weeks before his 16th birthday early this year. And they worsened and included car thefts, she said, after he started hanging with a crowd of teens who lived in East Baltimore, catching a bus to meet them.

"I didn't know these teens. I didn't know their families. I would go there looking for him. I would post on Facebook trying to find him. I was frantic," said Wilson, 33, a single mother who also has a 4-year-old daughter.

Wilson said her son did not get involved in crime in West Baltimore where they lived because "too many people here know me and they know him. He knew he wouldn't be able to act out like that here," she said.

- - -

The Washington Post's Rachel Chason contributed to this report.Have you ever left a meeting, and no one in the meeting could recall what decision was made about a specific topic? Were you ever in a meeting and thought, these issues could have been addressed with an email? How many times have you been in a meeting and wondered why you were there, because none of the topics pertained to you?

Ive participated in countless meetings in my professional life and in my volunteer roles. Some meetings were quite effective, and the attendees left all revved up about the projects. But other meetings were a complete waste of time with attendees who wanted to be anywhere except in that meeting. I worked for a company years ago, and we would actually have a meeting ABOUT the meeting. At that same company, I was told by the CEO that I should keep two hours clear after every meeting in case any particular meeting ran long. Seriously. Two hours. After every meeting.

Meetings are a necessary and valuable tool in the collaborative process. But bad meeting habits can quickly slaughter the productivity of any meeting.

Here are some common bad meeting habits. Are any of them yours?

Bad Meeting Habit #1: No Agenda.

A meeting agenda is critical for the productivity of the meeting, even if the attendees include only a few people. On several occasions, I have participated in meetings with no agenda. Many were free for all discussions about any topic under the sun. One meeting even included a play-by-play of the miraculous chip shot to the green made by one of the attendees the previous weekend. Imagine how productive that meeting was. And imagine how thrilled I was to be there.

Bad Meeting Habit #2: No Notes.

You just have to write stuff down. Important stuff like decisions, who is doing what, and what will happen next. Determine a notetaker at each meeting to capture relevant discussion and action items and distribute meeting notes to all attendees within two days of the meeting.

Bad Meeting Habit #3: Inviting the Wrong People.

Include only those that will provide necessary information to the agenda topics. Those who arent needed and not invited will thank you.

Bad Meeting Habit #4: Not Being Prepared.

Unprepared participants can really slow down a meeting as well as the project. An agenda will help ensure that attendees have an idea of what to prepare. You dont want to be the one who shows up at the meeting without your homework.

Bad Meeting Habit #5: No Start and End Time.

Time is money. Set a start and end time for the meeting and then stick to it. Dont penalize the on-timers by waiting for the late arrivers. Start at the scheduled time.

Bad Meeting Habit #6: No Facilitator.

Every meeting needs a Big Cheese, and it doesnt always have to be the same person. The facilitator role can change, but a facilitator is a must to keep the meeting on track. You simply have to have someone in charge.

I know these bad meeting habits seem so obvious to avoid. But when they sneak into your meeting, you can kiss your productivity goodbye. Over the years, Ive facilitated many types of meetings  Strategic Planning Sessions, Management Meetings, Staff Meetings, In-Service Training Days, and many others. Below are a few of my ideas that may help improve your meeting productivity.

Tangent Monitor. At the beginning of a meeting, a Tangent Monitor is selected. (Sometimes this involves a bribe of chocolate or a $5 Starbucks gift card.) Its important to note that the Tangent Monitor is not the facilitator. Throughout the meeting, when the conversation takes a left turn, the Tangent Monitor will interrupt and designate the issue as a tangent and note the topic of discussion to address at a future meeting. This practice preserves the meetings focus while not losing other pertinent discussion items.

60 Second Rule. Weve all been in that meeting with someone who just loooooooooooooooves to hear themselves talk. About anything. About nothing. So, I have a little sign with a 60 on it. If someone is yammering on and on, anyone can pick up the 60 sign, and the speaker then has 60 seconds to make their point and then zip it. I explain the 60 sign at the beginning of the meeting, and everyone agrees to use it respectfully. It keeps the meeting dialogue on track, and it deters one person from monopolizing the conversation. Remember, nobody likes a Big-Mouth-Know-It-All.

TTD (Things To Do) List. The TTD list is included at the end of the meeting notes. Each TTD item includes a detailed task and the person responsible. At the next meeting, the TTD list is reviewed to ensure tasks were completed. This is an effective tool to foster accountability. When a task is documented in writing with a specific name, people tend to become a bit more accountable.

Last One in Their Chair. This habit is a good one to ensure the meeting starts on time, and it was devised years ago when I worked at a credit union. The credit union supplied treats (donuts or pastries) at the monthly staff meeting. The last person in their seat was responsible for getting the treats for the next meeting. The credit union picked up the tab, but that person was responsible to get them. This rule applied to every single staff person, CEO included. It was an effective practice, because absolutely no one was exempt. And I can assure you that after that rule was implemented, our meetings started on time with everyone present.

Think of your meetings. What are your habits? Are they bad? Are they good? If youre having productive meetings and the participants leave enthused, energized and excited to get to work, give yourself a pat on the back! Kudos to you! But if youre having meetings where participants are absolutely thrilled the meeting is over, you might want to evaluate your meeting structure. Meetings are a critical part of the functionality of a business, but if we get it wrong, the results can be detrimental to the forward movement of any organization.

If youre still wondering why an effective meeting is that important, consider your bottom line. Determine the hourly wage of every employee who sits through an unproductive meeting and multiply that by how many hours the meeting lasted. Thats how much money you just threw out the window. Plus fifty bucks for the bagels.

I hope you find these points helpful to your organizations meeting productivity.

If not, maybe we should have a meeting about it. Ill do the agenda.

For more information about Jayni or how her company might help your credit union, visit their website at www.marketingsolutionsunltd.com or email her directly at Jayni@marketingsolutionsunltd.com.If you think your credit union does not have to comply with the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation because you dont serve any EU residents, not only would you would be very wrong, this mistake could be very costly.

The EU GDPR, which took effect on May 25, will impact every U.S. business that processes the personal data from EU residents. The regulation focuses on the processing of the data, not the location of the business.

What Does the EU GDPR Require?

The EU GDPR requires entities that process the data of EU residents to obtain specific consent to do so (unless an exception applies). It also provides EU residents with the right to be forgotten, allowing such individuals the right to request the deletion of their data.Democrat AG Josh Shapiro set to announce for Pa. governor

His resume and fundraising ability make him a frontrunner in the eyes of several party leaders, as he enters the Democratic field unchallenged.As HD Kumaraswamy took oath as the 24th chief minister of Karnataka on May 23, one thing that stood out was the grand show of Opposition unity. Gracing the Vidhan Soudha in Bangalore were UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, chief ministers Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal and Chandrababu Naidu, along with former arch rivals  leader of the Samajwadi Party, Akhilesh Yadav, and the BSP's Mayawati.

Hum sath sath hain, but for how long? Photo: PTI

Also seen were the NCPs Sharad Pawar and RLD chief Ajit Singh. Mayawati and Akhilesh were seen greeting each other warmly. Sonia Gandhi hugged Mayawati. There were victory signs and hugs all around. The united Opposition was sending a clear message to the BJP and to PM Modi  the poll bugle has been sounded and the road to 2019 will not be a cakewalk, like 2014 was.

The BJP, led by Prime Minister Modi, has had a dream run since the last Lok Sabha election, winning one Assembly poll after another. The party now governs 21 states either directly or in alliance. Fighting for its political survival and left governing only four states, the Karnataka victory came as a massive shot in the arm for the Congress. Fearing losing the state to the BJP after failing to reach the majority mark on its own, it had no option but to tie up with the JD (S) and offer it the CM seat to save one of its last remaining bastions.

While the results broke the perception that the Modi-Amit Shah duo was invincible, the election outcome also made it quite evident that Rahul Gandhi, the newly anointed Congress president, was still no match for the formidable election machinery of the BJP, and the party would have to tie up with regional players if it wanted to effectively take on the ruling behemoth.

After brickbats, bouquets: The Karnataka victory has come as a major boost for a Congress pushed to the brink. Photo: Twitter

The Opposition strategy to form a grand alliance against a formidable ruling party is not new. It has been tried out in 1971, 1977 and 1989. What was Opposition unity against a formidable Congress then has now turned into a grand unity against Modi's BJP.

Indira Gandhi survived the 1971 elections but subsequently lost out to the combined Opposition in 1977, paving the way for Janata Party's Morarji Desai.

In 1989, 73 Opposition MPs resigned in protest against the Rajiv Gandhi government's refusal to quit, following its embarrassing indictment over Bofors by the CAG, signalling the start of the 1989 Lok Sabha electoral campaign.

Strength not always in numbers: Indira Gandhi had managed to use a united Opposition to her advantage in 1971. Photo: India Today

For many months the Congress (I) had seemed ahead in pre-election buildup as the Opposition went through the usual ungainly motions to arrive at some kind of a unity. Now the Oppositions manoeuvre quickly turned the tables, wrote Shekhar Gupta in the Aug 15, 1989 India Today cover story. Rajiv lost the elections in 1989 to Janata Dal's Vishwanath Pratap Singh.

But most of these alliances did not have a long shelf life, given their leaders personal ambitions, insecurities and the lack of common political agendas.

Battle lost and won: VP Singh did manage to unseat Rajiv Gandhi in 1989.

Here are the probable pitfalls that the grand Opposition alliance will have to face now while taking on the Modi-Amit Shah duo.

The number advantage

The coming together of rivals SP and BSP in Uttar Pradesh has sent alarm bells ringing in the BJP camp. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the party won 71 out of 80 seats in the state, catapulting them to power. This was more than their previous highest state tally of 57 won in the 1998 elections.

The 2018 by-poll results of Gorakhpur and Phulpur proved that arch rivals SP and BSP could come together and defeat the BJP. Both prestigious seats, held earlier by Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya, were won by the Opposition SP candidate  Praveen Nishad in Gorakhpur and Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel in Phulpur.

While Mayawati's BSP did not fight the election, it gave tacit support by ensuring its party cadres campaigned for the SP candidate. The results showed that the BSP was able to transfer its votes to the winning SP candidate. The same modus operandi is being tried for the forthcoming May 28 UP by-polls to Kairana and Noorpur, where united Opposition candidates are being fielded against the BJP.

While this may hold true on paper, the coming together of Opposition parties may not necessarily result in the transfer of votes to each other. This can only work if the Opposition parties enjoy a distinct and complementary voter base.

Opposition unity may turn counterproductive

While taking on the might of the united Opposition in 1971, Indira Gandhi decided to use it to her advantage. She coined the slogan, Ye kahte hain Indira hatao, main kahati hoon garibi hatao, which helped her retain the PM's chair.

Besides helping in polarising votes in Modis favour, the coming together of a grand alliance may also help him play the victim card. This strategy has already worked well for him in Gujarat. The continuous and combined onslaught against him post-the 2002 Godhra riots made him into the Hindu hriday samrat he is today.

Nothing much in common  besides fear of Modi

The only common thread uniting the Opposition is the fear of losing their political base to Modi. Four years into his tenure, the prime ministers popularity is hardly waning. Perceived lately as an arrogant party providing no elbow room for allies, apparently using the principle of our way or the highway, even current allies like the Shiv Sena are not too happy with the BJP and fear losing their support base to Modis popularity.

Pushed to the background and fighting for its base after the death of patriarch Bal Thackeray, the party, for the first time, has decided to field a candidate against the BJP in the Palghar Lok Sabha by-poll scheduled for May 28.

Too many Davids for one Goliath: The glue to the Opposition unity is fear of total eclipse by Narendra Modi. Photo: PTI

A one-time ally like the TDP has decided to part ways with the BJP, keeping the 2019 elections in mind  but there is no saying it will not walk back into the NDAs fold post-2019s elections.

Leaders like BSP chief Mayawati are coming together with arch rivals SP just in the fear of being decimated in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee sharing the stage with CPI(M)s Sitaram Yechury and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan does not inspire much confidence either, given the history of their bitter acrimony and differing political agendas.

Who will lead the united Opposition?

With Congress at its weakest, regional satraps sense an opportunity to lead the united Opposition  with several octogenarians also nursing prime ministerial ambitions. Senior leaders like Sharad Pawar and former defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav are waiting to push their case, depending on their parties performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Even regional leaders like Mamata Banerjee, Chandrababu Naidu and Mayawati would love to throw in their hats if the numbers work to their advantage.

The only problem with this is the limited area of influence they have.

While Mamata may be a force to reckon with in West Bengal and some areas in Bihar and Jharkhand, she may not have much political influence in Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan. The same goes for other regional leaders, who may be able to take on the BJP juggernaut in their own states, but find their political base waning as they move to other areas.

With regional leaders trying to punch above their weight, and Congress as the only party with a pan-India base to take on the BJP, this is sure to cause a lot of friction in the future.

The grand alliance may work well in the short term  but what still remains to be seen is how long these different political outfits can work together and make way for the other to achieve their common goal  of keeping Modis BJP out of power in 2019.

Also read: Why I think Delhi Archbishop Anil Couto has committed one more grave blunderThe Jammu and Kashmir police on Wednesday, May 23, detained Major Leetul Gogoi, who was in the news in 2017 for tying a man to an Indian Army jeep as a "human shield", along with a local woman from a hotel in Srinagar. According to some reports, the woman accompanying Gogoi was a minor. However, some other reports refuted the claim.

The incident reportedly came to the fore around 11am after an argument allegedly broke between Gogoi and the hotel employees, who refused to allow him to check in along with the woman. As tension built up, Gogoi was, some reports stated, handed over to the police, who handed him over to his unit after questioning. A hotel employee, however, has claimed that they called the police after a fight broke out between Gogoi and his driver and the girl in question who was allegedly a minor.

Just in : Major Leetul Gogoi, the army man, who tied a civilian to his jeep as a human shield, was caught by the locals at Mamta hotel #Dalgate along with the teenage girl. Hotel employee claim he came with local minor girl, hence canceled his hotel booking. pic.twitter.com/g1akBuIMxS  Irony Of India (@IronyOfIndia_) May 23, 2018

Interestingly, some locals claimed that Gogoi and the girl were caught in a compromising position, while the hotel staff has claimed that they were denied a room.

A statement by the police said: "Today at 1100 hrs, police station Khanyar received a call from Hotel Grand Mamta that an altercation has taken place at the hotel. Accordingly a police party was deputed to the hotel, and it surfaced that a one woman (name withheld) and person namely Sameer Ahmed of Budgam had come to see some person. But the hotel reception did not allow them to meet the person. Meanwhile, police party reached the spot and got all the persons to the police station. Subsequently it was learn the that the woman had come to meet an army officer. The identity and particulars of the army officer has been collected by the police as well. The officials were handed over to their unit after due recording their statements. The statement of woman is also being recorded for probing the matter. (sic)"

After human shield row Major Gogoi lands in fresh storm@ShujaUH brings you more on this.#IndiaFirstLive: https://t.co/4fqxBVUizL pic.twitter.com/gxFkM6hWIO  India Today (@IndiaToday) May 23, 2018

Police said that another man identified as Sameer was accompanying Gogoi and the girl. The trio was taken to the police station and questioned. After which Gogoi was handed over to his unit.

Even as the police have announced a full-fledged investigation into the matter, the incident has led to various claims and counter-claims flooding social media.

A tweet claimed that the car in which Gogoi and the woman travelled to was registered in the name of one Sameer Mala, who was recently inducted into the Indian Army.

Criminal Major Gogoi booked hotel for two guys. vehicle in which they travelled from Budgam is registered in the name of Sameer Mala of Lokipora Budgam. This guy has been recently recruited in the army (maybe as a pimp). Full fledged racket run by army and police.@dr_rita39 pic.twitter.com/4gTJVh2Lvx  Ahmad Khalid (@sheikhkhalid313) May 23, 2018

Another person alleged that the police was trying to hush up the case and tweeted a purported proof of the booking made at the hotel in the name of Gogoi for two people.

Police hushing up the case but the reality is that Major Gogoi had booked the hotel himself pic.twitter.com/jAhgA72Jpn  Ahmad Khalid (@sheikhkhalid313) May 23, 2018

Recently, Gogoi was honoured with the Army chief's "Commendation Card" for his "sustained efforts" in counter-insurgency operations.

The "Commendation Card" is considered a prestigious award and is given for distinguished services and devotion to duty.

Gogoi has been a controversial figure in the Valley since Kashmiri shawl-maker, Farooq Ahmad Dar, was tied by Gogoi to an Army jeep and paraded during the violence-hit April 9, 2017, Lok Sabha by-polls in Srinagar.

Farooq Ahmad Dar, was tied by Gogoi to an Army jeep and paraded in Srinagar.

The incident had forced the Army to initiate an investigation against Gogoi.

In his defence, Gogoi had claimed that Dar was a stone-pelter and that he resorted to the measure when his convoy came under attack. The J&K police investigation, however, showed that Dar was caught while he was returning after casting his vote.

It is thus not surprising that the latest controversy involving Gogoi has resulted in his supporters and detractors fight it out hard on social media.

Also read: Chilling video shows how the state grossly overstepped by killing Tuticorin protestersGreen Dot Corp. operates as a financial technology leader and bank holding company, which engages in the provision of modern banking and money movement accessible for all. It operates through the following segments: Account Services; Processing and Settlement Services; and Corporate and Other. The Account Services segment consists of revenues and expenses derived from deposit account programs, such as prepaid cards, debit cards, consumer and small business checking accounts, secured credit cards, payroll debit cards, and gift cards. The Processing and Settlement Services segment comprises of products and services that specialize in facilitating the movement of funds on behalf of consumers and businesses. The Corporate and Other segment represents eliminations of intersegment revenues and expenses, unallocated corporate expenses, depreciation and amortization, and other costs that are not considered when management evaluates segment performance. The company was founded by Steven W. Streit in October 1, 1999 and is headquartered in Pasadena, CA.

Read MoreAgilent Technologies, Inc. engages in the provision of application focused solutions for life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets. It operates through the following segments: Life Sciences and Applied Markets; Diagnostics and Genomics; and Agilent CrossLab. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers application-focused solutions that include instruments and software that enable to identify, quantify, and analyze the physical and biological properties of substances and products, as well as the clinical and life sciences research areas to interrogate samples at the molecular and cellular level. The Diagnostics and Genomics segment consists of activity providing active pharmaceutical ingredients for oligo-based therapeutics, as well as solutions that include reagents, instruments, software and consumables. The Agilent CrossLab segment includes startup, operational, training and compliance support, software as a service, and asset management and consultative services. The company was founded in May 1999 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of CVS Health: @Credentials Inc., ACS ACQCO CORP., ADMINCO Inc., AE Fourteen Incorporated, AHP Holdings Inc., AMC - Tennessee LLC, APS Acquisition LLC, ASCO HealthCare LLC, ASI Wings LLC, AUSHC Holdings Inc., Accendo Insurance Company, Accordant Health Services L.L.C., Active Health Management Inc., Administrative Enterprises Inc., AdvancePCS SpecialtyRx LLC, AdvanceRx.com L.L.C., Advanced Care Scripts Inc., Aetna, Aetna (Beijing) Enterprise Management Services Co. Ltd., Aetna (Shanghai) Enterprise Services Co. Ltd., Aetna ACO Holdings Inc., Aetna Asset Advisors LLC, Aetna Behavioral Health LLC, Aetna Better Health Inc., Aetna Better Health Inc., Aetna Better Health of California Inc., Aetna Better Health of Florida Inc., Aetna Better Health of Kansas Inc., Aetna Better Health of Michigan Inc., Aetna Better Health of Missouri LLC, Aetna Better Health of Nevada Inc., Aetna Better Health of North Carolina Inc., Aetna Better Health of Oklahoma Inc., Aetna Better Health of Texas Inc., Aetna Better Health of Washington Inc., Aetna Capital Management LLC, Aetna Card Solutions LLC, Aetna Corporate Services LLC, Aetna Dental Inc., Aetna Dental of California Inc., Aetna Financial Holdings LLC, Aetna Florida Inc., Aetna Global Benefits (Asia Pacific) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Bahamas) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Bermuda) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Europe) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Middle East) LLC, Aetna Global Benefits (Singapore) PTE. LTD., Aetna Global Benefits (UK) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits Limited (DIFC UAE), Aetna Global Holdings Limited, Aetna Health Holdings LLC, Aetna Health Inc., Aetna Health Insurance (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Aetna Health Insurance Company, Aetna Health Insurance Company of Europe DAC, Aetna Health Management LLC, Aetna Health and Life Insurance Company, Aetna Health of California Inc., Aetna Health of Iowa Inc., Aetna Health of Michigan Inc., Aetna Health of Ohio Inc., Aetna Health of Utah Inc., Aetna HealthAssurance Pennsylvania Inc., Aetna Holdco (UK) Limited, Aetna Holdings (Thailand) Limited, Aetna Inc., Aetna Insurance (Hong Kong) Limite, Aetna Insurance (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Aetna Insurance Company Limited, Aetna Integrated Informatics Inc., Aetna International Inc., Aetna Ireland Inc., Aetna Korea Ltd., Aetna Life & Casualty (Bermuda) Ltd., Aetna Life Assignment Company, Aetna Life Insurance Company, Aetna Medicaid Administrators LLC, Aetna Multi-Strategy 1099 Fund LLC, Aetna Network Services LLC, Aetna Partners Diversified Fund LLC, Aetna Pharmacy Management Services LLC, Aetna Resources LLC, Aetna Risk Assurance Company of Connecticut Inc., Aetna Rx Home Delivery LLC, Aetna Services (Thailand) Limited, Aetna Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Aetna Student Health Agency Inc., Aetna Ventures LLC, Aetna Workers Comp Access LLC, Alabama CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Alaska CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Allina Health and Aetna Insurance Company, Allina Health and Aetna Insurance Holding Company LLC, American Continental Insurance Company, American Drug Stores Delaware L.L.C., American Health Holding Inc., Arbor Drugs, Arizona CVS Stores L.L.C., Arkansas CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Badger Acquisition LLC, Badger Acquisition of Kentucky LLC, Badger Acquisition of Minnesota LLC, Badger Acquisition of Ohio LLC, Banner Health and Aetna Health Insurance Company, Banner Health and Aetna Health Insurance Holding Company LLC, Banner Health and Aetna Health Plan Inc., Beauty Holdings L.L.C., Best Care LTC Acquisition Company LLC, Busse CVS L.L.C., CCI Foreign S.a R.L. (R.C.S. Luxembourg), CCRx Holdings LLC, CCRx of North Carolina LLC, CHP Acquisition LLC, CP Acquisition LLC, CVS 2948 Henderson L.L.C., CVS 3268 Gilbert L.L.C., CVS 3745 Peoria L.L.C., CVS AL Distribution L.L.C., CVS AOC Corporation, CVS AOC Services L.L.C., CVS Albany L.L.C., CVS Bellmore Avenue L.L.C., CVS Care Concierge LLC, CVS Caremark Advanced Technology Pharmacy L.L.C., CVS Caremark Indemnity Ltd., CVS Caremark Part D Services L.L.C., CVS Caremark TN SUTA LLC, CVS Foreign Inc., CVS Gilbert 3272 L.L.C., CVS Health Solutions LLC, CVS Indiana L.L.C., CVS International L.L.C., CVS Kidney Care Advanced Technologies LLC, CVS Kidney Care Health Services LLC, CVS Kidney Care Home Dialysis LLC, CVS Kidney Care LLC, CVS Manchester NH L.L.C., CVS Media Exchange LLC, CVS Michigan L.L.C., CVS Orlando FL Distribution L.L.C., CVS PA Distribution L.L.C., CVS PR Center Inc., CVS Pharmacy Inc., CVS RS Arizona L.L.C., CVS Rx Services Inc., CVS SC Distribution L.L.C., CVS State Capital L.L.C., CVS TN Distribution L.L.C., CVS Transportation L.L.C., CVS Vero FL Distribution L.L.C., Campos Medical Pharmacy LLC, Canal Place LLC, Care Pharmaceutical Services LP, CareCenter Pharmacy L.L.C., Carefree Insurance Services Inc., Caremark Arizona Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Arizona Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark California Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Florida Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Florida Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Hawaii Mail Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Hawaii Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark IPA L.L.C., Caremark Illinois Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Illinois Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Irving Resource Center LLC, Caremark Kansas Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark L.L.C., Caremark Logistics LLC, Caremark Louisiana Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Maryland Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Massachusetts Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Michigan Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Minnesota Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark New Jersey Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark North Carolina Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Ohio Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Pennsylvania Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark PhC L.L.C., Caremark Puerto Rico L.L.C., Caremark Puerto Rico Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Redlands Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Repack LLC, Caremark Rx L.L.C., Caremark Tennessee Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Texas Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Texas Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Ulysses Holding Corp., Caremark Washington Specialty Pharmacy LLC, CaremarkPCS Alabama Mail Pharmacy LLC, CaremarkPCS Health L.L.C., CaremarkPCS L.L.C., Central Rx Services LLC, Claims Administration Corp., Cofinity Inc., Compscript LLC, Connecticut CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Continental Life Insurance Company of Brentwood Tennessee, Continuing Care Rx LLC, Coram Alternate Site Services Inc., Coram Clinical Trials Inc., Coram Healthcare Corporation of Alabama, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Florida, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Greater D.C., Coram Healthcare Corporation of Greater New York, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Indiana, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Massachusetts, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Mississippi, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Nevada, Coram Healthcare Corporation of North Texas, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Northern California, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Southern California, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Southern Florida, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Utah, Coram LLC, Coram Rx LLC, Coram Specialty Infusion, Coram Specialty Infusion Services L.L.C., Coventry Consumer Advantage Inc., Coventry Health Care National Accounts Inc., Coventry Health Care National Network Inc., Coventry Health Care Workers Compensation Inc., Coventry Health Care of Illinois Inc., Coventry Health Care of Kansas Inc., Coventry Health Care of Missouri Inc., Coventry Health Care of Nebraska Inc., Coventry Health Care of Virginia Inc., Coventry Health Care of West Virginia Inc., Coventry Health Plan of Florida Inc., Coventry Health and Life Insurance Company, Coventry HealthCare Management Corporation, Coventry Prescription Management Services Inc., Coventry Rehabilitation Services Inc., Coventry Transplant Network Inc., D & R Pharmaceutical Services LLC, D.A.W. LLC, Delaware CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Delaware Physicians Care Incorporated, Digital eHealth LLC, District of Columbia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., E.T.B. INC., Echo Merger Sub Inc., Eckerd Corporation of Florida Inc., Employee Assistance Services LLC, Enloe Drugs LLC, Enterprise Patient Safety Organization LLC, EntrustRX, Evergreen Pharmaceutical LLC, Evergreen Pharmaceutical of California Inc., Express Pharmacy Services of PA L.L.C., FOCUS HealthCare Management Inc., First Health Group Corp., First Health Life & Health Insurance Company, First Script Network Services Inc., Florida Health Plan Administrators LLC, Garfield Beach CVS L.L.C., Generation Health L.L.C., Geneva Woods Health Services LLC, Geneva Woods LTC Pharmacy LLC, Geneva Woods Management LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Alaska LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Washington LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Wyoming LLC, Geneva Woods Retail Pharmacy LLC, Georgia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., German Dobson CVS L.L.C., Goodhealth Worldwide (Asia) Limited, Goodhealth Worldwide (Global) Limited, Goodyear CVS L.L.C., Grand St. Paul CVS L.L.C., Grandview Pharmacy LLC, Group Dental Service Inc., Group Dental Service of Maryland Inc., Health Care Management Co. Ltd., Health Data & Management Solutions Inc., Health Re Inc., Health and Human Resource Center Inc., HealthAssuance Pennsylvania Inc., Healthagen LLC, Highland Park CVS L.L.C., Holiday CVS L.L.C., Home Care Pharmacy LLC, Home Pharmacy Services LLC, Hook-SupeRx L.L.C., Horizon Behavioral Services LLC, Idaho CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., IlliniCare Health, Indian Health Organisation Private Limited, Innovation Health Holdings LLC, Innovation Health Insurance Company, Innovation Health Plan Inc., Interlock Pharmacy Systems LLC, Iowa CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., JHC Acquisition LLC, Kansas CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Kentucky CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., LCPS Acquisition LLC, Langsam Health Services LLC, Lo-Med Prescription Services LLC, Lobos Acquisition LLC, Longs Drug Stores, Longs Drug Stores California L.L.C., Louisiana CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., MHHP Acquisition Company LLC, MHNet Life and Health Insurance Company, MHNet Specialty Services LLC, MHNet of Florida Inc., Managed Care Coordinators Inc., Managed Healthcare LLC, Martin Health Services LLC, Maryland CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Med World Acquisition Corp., Medical Arts Health Care LLC, Medical Examinations of New York P.C., Melville Realty Company Inc., MemberHealth LLC, Mental Health Associates Inc., Mental Health Network of New York IPA Inc., Meritain Health Inc., Merwin Long Term Care LLC, MetraComp Inc., Minor Health Enterprise Co Ltd., MinuteClinic, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Alabama L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Arizona LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Florida LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Georgia LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Hawaii L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Illinois LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Kentucky L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Louisiana L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Maine L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Maryland LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Massachusetts LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Nebraska L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of New Hampshire L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of New Mexico L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Ohio LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Oklahoma LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Oregon LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Pennsylvania LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Rhode Island LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of South Carolina L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Texas LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Utah L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Virginia LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Washington LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Wisconsin L.L.C., MinuteClinic L.L.C., MinuteClinic Online Diagnostic Services LLC, MinuteClinic Physician Practice of Texas, MinuteClinic Telehealth Services LLC, Mississippi CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Missouri CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Montana CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., NCS Healthcare LLC, NCS Healthcare of Illinois LLC, NCS Healthcare of Iowa LLC, NCS Healthcare of Kansas LLC, NCS Healthcare of Kentucky Inc. (Oh, NCS Healthcare of Montana LLC, NCS Healthcare of New Mexico LLC, NCS Healthcare of Ohio LLC, NCS Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, NCS Healthcare of Tennessee LLC, NCS Healthcare of Wisconsin LLC, NIV Acquisition LLC, Navarro Discount Pharmacy, Nebraska CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., NeighborCare Holdings Inc., NeighborCare Inc., NeighborCare Pharmacy Services Inc., NeighborCare Services Corporation, NeighborCare of Indiana LLC, NeighborCare of Virginia LLC, New Jersey CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Niagara Re Inc., North Carolina CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., North Shore Pharmacy Services LLC, NovoLogix LLC, OCR Services LLC, Ocean Acquisition Sub L.L.C., Ohio CVS Stores L.L.C., Oklahoma CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Omnicare, Omnicare Holding Company, Omnicare Inc., Omnicare Indiana Partnership Holding Company LLC, Omnicare Pharmacies of Pennsylvania East LLC, Omnicare Pharmacies of Pennsylvania West LLC, Omnicare Pharmacies of the Great Plains Holding LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy and Supply Services LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy of Tennessee LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy of the Midwest LLC, Omnicare Property Management LLC, Omnicare of Nebraska LLC, Omnicare of Nevada LLC, Omnicare of New York LLC, Oregon CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., PE Holdings LLC, PHPSNE Parent Corporation, PP Acquisition Company LLC, PRN Pharmaceutical Services LP, PT Aetna Management Consulting, Pamplona Saude e Beleza LTDA, Part D Holding Company L.L.C., PayFlex Holdings Inc., PayFlex Systems USA Inc., Pennsylvania CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Performax Inc., Pharmacy Associates of Glenn Falls LLC, Pharmacy Consultants LLC, Phoenix Data Solutions LLC, Precision Benefit Services Inc., Prime Net Inc., ProCare Pharmacy Direct L.L.C., ProCare Pharmacy L.L.C., Prodigy Health Group Inc., Professional Risk Management Inc., Pt. Aetna Global Benefits Indonesia, Puerto Rico CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Red Oak Sourcing LLC, Resources for Living LLC, Rhode Island CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Roeschens Healthcare LLC, RxAmerica, Schaller Anderson Medical Administrators Incorporated, Scrip World LLC, Sheffield Avenue CVS L.L.C., Shore Pharmaceutical Providers LLC, Silverscript Insurance Company, Soma Intimates, South Carolina CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., South Wabash CVS L.L.C., Specialized Pharmacy Services LLC, Spinnaker Bidco Limited, Spinnaker Topco Limited, Stadtlander Drug Company, Stadtlander Pharmacy, Sterling Healthcare Services LLC, Superior Care Pharmacy LLC, Sutter Health and Aetna Administrative Services LLC, Sutter Health and Aetna Insurance Company, Sutter Health and Aetna Insurance Holding Company LLC, T2 Medical Inc., TCPI Acquisition LLC, TargetPharmacy, Tennessee CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Texas Health + Aetna Health Insurance Company, Texas Health + Aetna Health Insurance Holding Company LLC, Texas Health + Aetna Health Plan Inc., The Vasquez Group Inc., Thomas Phoenix CVS L.L.C., Three Forks Apothecary LLC, U.S Healthcare Holdings LLC, U.S. Healthcare Properties Inc., UAC Holding Inc., UC Acquisition LLC, UNI-Care Health Services of Maine LLC, Universal American - Medicare Part D Business, Utah CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., VAPS Acquisition Company LLC, Value Health Care Services LLC, Vermont CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Virginia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Virtual Home Healthcare L.L.C., Warm Springs Road CVS L.L.C., Washington CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Washington Lamb CVS L.L.C., Weber Medical Systems LLC, Wellpartner LLC, West Virginia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Westhaven Services Co LLC, Williamson Drug Company LLC, Wisconsin CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Woodward Detroit CVS L.L.C., Work and Family Benefits Inc., ZS Acquisition Company LLC, Zinc Health Services LLC, Zinc Health Ventures LLC, bSwift LLC, and iTriage LLC.AK Steel Holding Corporation, through its subsidiary, AK Steel Corporation, produces flat-rolled carbon, and stainless and electrical steel products in the United States and internationally. It produces flat-rolled carbon steel products, including coated, cold-rolled, and hot-rolled carbon steel products; grain-oriented specialty stainless and electrical steels; and carbon and stainless steel tubing products. The company also buys and sells steel and steel products, as well as other materials; and produces metallurgical coal from reserves in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. It sells its flat-rolled carbon steel products, primarily to automotive manufacturers and their suppliers; customers in the infrastructure and manufacturing markets, including the manufacturers of power transmission and distribution transformers, who produce equipment for the electrical grid, as well as electrical motors and generators; and manufacturers of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment, and appliances. The company also sells its carbon steel products to distributors, service centers, and converters. AK Steel Holding Corporation was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in West Chester, Ohio.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise: 3Com International Inc., 3PAR Inc., Apogee, Aruba Networks Inc., Aruba Networks International Cayman, Aruba Networks International Limited, BlueData Software, Cloud Cruiser, Cloud Technology Partners, Cloud Technology Partners Inc., Compaq Computer (Mauritius), Compaq Trademark B.V., Cray, Cray Inc., EDS World Corporation (Far East) LLC, EYP Mission Critical Facilities Inc., H3C Holdings Limited, HP Enterprise Services Australia Pty Ltd, HP Financial Services (Australia) Pty Limited, HP Financial Services (Chile) Limitada, HP Financial Services (Japan) K.K., HP Financial Services Arrendamento Mercantil S.A., HP Financial Services Company (Korea), HP Financial Services International Holdings Company, HPE Government LLC, HPFS Global Holdings I LLC, HPFS Global Holdings II LLC, HPFS Rental S.R.L., Hangzhou H3C Technologies Co. Ltd, Hewlett Packard Caribe BV LLC, Hewlett Packard Colombia Ltda., Hewlett Packard Enterprise (China) Co. Ltd., Hewlett Packard Enterprise B.V., Hewlett Packard Enterprise B.V. Amstelveen Meyrin Branch, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Co., Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Co. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Cie, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Costa Rica Limitada, Hewlett Packard Enterprise GlobalSoft Private Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise India Private Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Ireland Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Luxembourg SCA, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Polska sp. z o.o., Hewlett Packard Pathfinder LLC, Hewlett Packard Taiwan Ltd., Hewlett-Packard (Israel) Ltd., Hewlett-Packard (M) Sdn. Bhd., Hewlett-Packard (Nigeria) Limited, Hewlett-Packard (Schweiz) GmbH, Hewlett-Packard (Tanzania) Limited, Hewlett-Packard (Thailand) Limited, Hewlett-Packard ApS, Hewlett-Packard Argentina S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Australia Pty Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Belgium SPRL/BVBA, Hewlett-Packard Bermuda Enterprises LLC, Hewlett-Packard Brasil Ltda., Hewlett-Packard Bulgaria EOOD, Hewlett-Packard Caribe B.V., Hewlett-Packard Caribe Y Andina B.V. LLC, Hewlett-Packard Chile Comercial Limitada, Hewlett-Packard Cyprus Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Hewlett-Packard Egypt Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Financial Services (India) Private Limited, Hewlett-Packard Financial Services Canada Company, Hewlett-Packard Financial Services Company, Hewlett-Packard France SAS, Hewlett-Packard G1 SPV (Cayman) Company, Hewlett-Packard Gesellschaft mbH, Hewlett-Packard Ghana Limited, Hewlett-Packard GmbH, Hewlett-Packard Guatemala Limitada, Hewlett-Packard HK SAR Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Hellas EPE, Hewlett-Packard Holdings Ltd., Hewlett-Packard International Bank Designated Activity Company, Hewlett-Packard International Bank Public Limited Company, Hewlett-Packard International Sarl, Hewlett-Packard Italiana S.r.l., Hewlett-Packard Japan Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Korea Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Leasing Limited, Hewlett-Packard Limited, Hewlett-Packard Luxembourg Enterprises LLC, Hewlett-Packard Macau Limited, Hewlett-Packard Manufacturing Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Marigalante Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Hewlett-Packard Middle East FZ-LLC, Hewlett-Packard Mocambique Limitada - Sociedada em Liquidacao, Hewlett-Packard Nederland B.V., Hewlett-Packard New Zealand, Hewlett-Packard Norge AS, Hewlett-Packard OY, Hewlett-Packard Operations Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Hewlett-Packard Peru S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Philippines Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Portugal Lda., Hewlett-Packard SARL, Hewlett-Packard SIA, Hewlett-Packard Servicios Espana S.L., Hewlett-Packard Singapore (Sales) Pte. Ltd., Hewlett-Packard South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Hewlett-Packard Sverige AB, Hewlett-Packard Technology Center Inc., Hewlett-Packard Teknoloji Cozumleri Limited Sirketi, Hewlett-Packard The Hague B.V., Hewlett-Packard Venezuela S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Vision Limited, Hewlett-Packard d.o.o., Hewlett-Packard s.r.o., Limited Liability Company Hewlett Packard Enterprise, MapR Technologies, New H3C Technologies Co. Ltd., Niara Inc., Nimble Storage, Nimble Storage Inc., Nimble Storage Israel Ltd, Nimble Storage Japan GK, Nimble Storage UK Limited, Plexxi, RedPixie, SGI (Silicon Graphics), Sapphire Holding Co, Scytale, Shanghai Hewlett-Packard Co. Ltd., Silver Peak, SimpliVity, Sinope Holding B.V., Trilead, UAB ES Hague Lietuva, and Unis Huashan Technologies Co. Limited.L3 Technologies, Inc. provides aircraft sustainment, simulation and training, night vision and image intensification equipment, and security and detection systems used on military, homeland security, and commercial platforms in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Systems; Communications and Networked Systems (C&NS); and Electronic Systems. The company offers engineering, modernization and sustainment, space avionics and imaging payload, counter unmanned aircraft systems (CUAS) mission, cyber and electronic warfare, special mission command and control, modeling and simulation, and life cycle support services for ISR, airborne sensor, warrior sensor, space and sensor, aircraft, and intelligence and mission systems, as well as for military aviation services and advanced programs. It also provides network and communication systems, secure communications products, radio frequency components, satellite communication terminals and space, microwave and telemetry products, and secure data links in various business areas, such as broadband communication, naval power, space and power, and maritime sensor systems, as well as in advanced communications. In addition, the company offers components, products, subsystems, and systems, as well as related services to military and commercial customers in various business areas, including commercial aviation solutions, precision engagement systems, link training and simulation, and security and detection systems. It serves the United States (U.S.) Department of Defense and its prime contractors, the U.S. Government intelligence agencies, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, foreign governments, and commercial customers. The company was formerly known as L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to L3 Technologies, Inc. in December 2016. L3 Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Read MoreWall Street analysts have given Marijuana Company of America 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 Marijuana Company of America wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.The following companies are subsidiares of PPG Industries: AIPCF V Texstars Blocker Inc., AkzoNobel, Alermac Inversiones S.A. de C.V., Alpha Coating Technologies LLC, Alpha Coatings Inc., Broad Range Development Limited, Brown Brothers Distribution Limited, CG Holdings Manufacturing Co., Centro de Investigacion en Polimeros S.A. de C.V., Chemfil Canada Limited, Chorlton Trade Paints Limited, Comercial Mexicana de Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Comex, Comex Industrial Coatings S.A. de C.V., Consorcio Comex S.A. de C.V., Cristacol S.A., Cuming Microwave Corporation, Deutek SA, Dexmet Corporation, Dexmet Holding Corporation, Distribuidora Kroma S.A. de C.V., EPIC Insurance Co. Ltd., Eberle Design Inc., Empresa Aga S.A. de C.V., Ennis Canadian Holding Company, Ennis Flint Soluciones Seguras Para Trafico, Ennis Highway Traffic Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Ennis Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, Ennis Paint Australia Holding Pty Ltd, Ennis Paint Boya Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., Ennis Paint Canada ULC, Ennis Paint Germany GmbH, Ennis Paint Netherlands Holdings LLC, Ennis Paint U.K. Holding Company Limited, Ennis Prismo Italio S.r.l., Ennis Traffic Safety Solutions Pty Ltd, Ennis  Flint Mexico, Ennis  Flint New Zealand, Ennis  Flint New Zealand Holding Pty Ltd, Ennis-Flint, Ennis-Flint Africa (Pty) Ltd, Ennis-Flint Inc., Foshan Bairun Chemicals Co. Ltd., Fpu Industrial S.A. de C.V., Grupo Comex S.A. de C.V., Hemmelrath Automotive Coatings (Jilin) Co. Ltd., Hodij Coatings B.V., Homax Products, Industria Chimica Reggiana I.C.R. SPA, Johnstones Paints Limited, Kalon Investment Company Limited, Kalon South Africa Proprietary Limited, Manchester Thermoplastics LLC, Masterwork Paint, MetoKote Canada Limited, MetoKote Corporation, MetoKote Mexico Holding Inc., MetoKote UK Limited, MetoKote de Mexico S. de RL de CV, PPG AC - France SA, PPG ALESCO Automotive Finishes Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., PPG AP Resinas S.A. de C.V., PPG Aerospace Materials (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., PPG Architectural Coatings (Puerto Rico) Inc., PPG Architectural Coatings Canada Inc., PPG Architectural Coatings Ireland Limited, PPG Architectural Coatings Italy S.r.l., PPG Architectural Coatings UK Limited, PPG Architectural Finishes Inc., PPG Asian Paints Private Ltd., PPG COATINGS SINGAPORE PTE. LTD., PPG Canada Inc., PPG Cieszyn S.A., PPG Coatings (Hong Kong) Co. Limited, PPG Coatings (Kunshan) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., PPG Coatings (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Thailand) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Wuhu) Company Ltd., PPG Coatings (Zhangjiagang) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings B.V., PPG Coatings Belgium BV, PPG Coatings Danmark A/S, PPG Coatings Deutschland GmbH, PPG Coatings Europe B.V., PPG Coatings Manufacturing SARL, PPG Coatings Nederland BV, PPG Coatings S.A., PPG Coatings South Africa (Pty) Ltd., PPG DYRUP S.A., PPG Deco Czech a.s., PPG Deco Polska sp. z.o.o., PPG Deco Slovakia s.r.o., PPG Deutschland Business Support GmbH, PPG Deutschland Sales & Services GmbH, PPG Distribution S.A.S., PPG Europe B.V., PPG Finance B.V., PPG France Business Support S.A.S., PPG France Manufacturing S.A.S., PPG Guadeloupe SAS, PPG Hellas S.A., PPG Hemmelrath Coatings Inc., PPG Hemmelrath Lackfabrik GmbH, PPG Holdco SAS, PPG Holdings (U.K.) Limited, PPG Holdings Argentina USA LLC, PPG Holdings Latin America USA LLC, PPG Iberica S.A., PPG Iberica Sales & Services S.L., PPG Industrial Coatings B.V., PPG Industrial do Brasil - Tintas E. Vernizes - Ltda., PPG Industries (Korea) Ltd., PPG Industries (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., PPG Industries (UK) Ltd, PPG Industries Argentina S.R.L., PPG Industries Australia PTY Limited A.C.N. 055 500 939, PPG Industries Colombia Ltda., PPG Industries Czech Republic s.r.o., PPG Industries Delfzijl B.V., PPG Industries Europe Sarl, PPG Industries France S.A.S., PPG Industries International Inc., PPG Industries Italia S.r.l., PPG Industries Kimya a Sanayi VE Ticaret AS, PPG Industries LLC, PPG Industries Lipetsk LLC, PPG Industries Middle East FZE, PPG Industries Netherlands B.V., PPG Industries New Zealand Limited, PPG Industries Ohio Inc., PPG Industries Poland Sp. Z.o.o., PPG Industries Securities LLC, PPG Industries de Mexico S.A. de C.V., PPG Italia Business Support S.r.l., PPG Italia Sales & Services S.r.l., PPG Japan Ltd., PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes Canada LP, PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes U.K. LLP, PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes U.S. LLC, PPG Luxembourg Finance S.aR.L., PPG Luxembourg Holdings S.aR.L., PPG Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Mexico S.A. de C.V., PPG Packaging Coatings (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., PPG Paints Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Performance Coatings (Hong Kong) Limited, PPG Powder Coatings (Shanghai) Limited, PPG Romania S.A., PPG SSC Co. Ltd., PPG Switzerland GmbH, PPG Trilak Kft., PPG Vietnam Co. Ltd., PRC-DeSoto Australia Pty Ltd., PRC-DeSoto International Inc., PT. PPG Coatings Indonesia, Painter's Supply, Paintzen, Peintures de Paris SAS, Plasticos Envolventes S.A. de C.V., Polymeric Systems Inc., Prismo Road Markings Limited, ProCoatings B.V., ProCoatings BV, Protec Pty Ltd. A.C.N. 007 857 392, Reno A&E LLC, Revocoat France SAS, Revocoat Holding SAS, Revocoat Iberica SLU, Revocoat S.A.S, Road Infrastructure Investment Holdings Inc., SEM Products Inc., Sealants Europe SAS, Sierracin Corporation, Sierracin/Sylmar Corporation, Sigma Marine & Protective Coatings Holding B.V., SigmaKalon (BC) UK Limited, SigmaKalon Group, SigmaKalon Middle East B.V., Sikar (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Spraylat International Ltd, Texstars LLC, The Crown Group Co., The Crown Group Inc, The Homax Group, Tikkurila Group, Traffic Safety Intermediate LLC, Traffic Safety Parent LLC, United International Business NV, Vanex Inc., Vernisol S.p.A., Versaflex, Viasa S.A. de C.V., Whitford, Whitford B.V., Whitford Corporation, Whitford Jiangmen Ltd., Whitford Ltd. (HK), Whitford Ltd. (UK), Whitford Pte. Ltd., Whitford S.r.l., Whitford Worldwide Company LLC, Worwag Coatings, and Zaganite Industries Pty Ltd.CoreLogic, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides property information, insight, analytics, and data-enabled solutions in North America, Western Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Property Intelligence & Risk Management Solutions (PIRM) and Underwriting & Workflow Solutions (UWS). The PIRM segment combines property information, mortgage information, and consumer information to deliver housing market and property-level insights, predictive analytics, and risk management capabilities. It also offers proprietary technology and software platforms to access, automate, or track the information and assist its clients with decision-making and compliance tools in the real estate and insurance industries. This segment primarily serves commercial banks, mortgage lenders and brokers, investment banks, fixed-income investors, real estate agents, MLS companies, property and casualty insurance companies, title insurance companies, government agencies, and government-sponsored enterprises. The UWS segment combines property, mortgage, and consumer information to provide comprehensive mortgage origination and monitoring solutions, including underwriting-related solutions, and data-enabled valuations and appraisals. This segment also provides proprietary technology and software platforms to access, automate, or track the information and assist its clients with vetting and onboarding prospects, and meeting compliance regulations, as well as understanding, evaluating, monitoring property values. It primarily serves mortgage lenders and servicers, mortgage brokers, credit unions, commercial banks, fixed-income investors, government agencies, and property and casualty insurance companies. The company was formerly known as The First American Corporation and changed its name to CoreLogic, Inc. in June 2010. CoreLogic, Inc. was incorporated in 1894 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.

Read More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.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Sysco: 2234829 Alberta ULC, 2234842 Alberta ULC, A. M. Briggs Inc., A.M. Briggs, Almacen Fiscal Frionet Caldera S.A., Almacen Fiscal Frionet Limon S.A., Appert's Foodservice, Arnotts (Fruit) Limited, Asian Foods, Bahamas Food Holdings Limited, Bahamas Food Services Limited, Brake Bros, Brake Bros Foodservice Ireland Limited, Brake Bros. Foodservice Limited, Brake Bros. Holding I Limited, Brake Bros. Ltd., Brakes Foodservice NI Limited, Buchy Food Service, Buckhead Beef Co., Buckhead Meat & Seafood of Houston Inc., Buckhead Meat Company, Buckhead Meat Midwest Inc., Buckhead Meat of Dallas Inc., Buckhead Meat of Denver Inc., Buckhead Meat of San Antonio LP, Buzztable Inc., CAKE Corporation, Central Seafood Co., Christys Wine & Spirits Limited, Clafra Aktiebolag, Colorado Boxed Beef Co - Specialty meat-cutting division, Corporacion Frionet Sociedad Anonima, Crossgar Foodservice, Crossgar Foodservice Limited, Crown I Enterprises Inc., Cucina Acquisitions (UK) Limited, Cucina Finance (UK) Limited, Cucina French Holdings Limited, Cucina Fresh Finance Limited, Cucina Fresh Investments Limited, Cucina Lux Investments Limited, Curleys Quality Foods Limited (Third Party), Davigel Belgilux S.A., Davigel Espana S.A., Desert Meats & Provisions, Distagro, Doerle Food Service, Doughtie's Foods Inc., Dust Bowl City LLC, Eko Fagel Fisk o mittemellan AB, Enclave Insurance Company, Enclave Parkway Association Inc., Enclave Properties LLC, European Imports, European Imports Inc., Figg Inc., Freedman Meats, Freedman Meats Inc., Freedman-KB Inc., Fresh Direct (UK) Limited, Fresh Direct Group Limited, Fresh Direct Limited, Fresh Holdings Limited, FreshPoint, FreshPoint Arizona Inc., FreshPoint Atlanta Inc., FreshPoint California Inc., FreshPoint Central California Inc., FreshPoint Central Florida Inc., FreshPoint Connecticut LLC, FreshPoint Dallas Inc., FreshPoint Denver Inc., FreshPoint Hawaii LLC, FreshPoint Inc., FreshPoint Las Vegas Inc., FreshPoint North Carolina Inc., FreshPoint North Florida Inc., FreshPoint Oklahoma City LLC, FreshPoint Pompano Real Estate LLC, FreshPoint Puerto Rico LLC, FreshPoint San Francisco Inc., FreshPoint South Florida Inc., FreshPoint South Texas Inc., FreshPoint Southern California Inc., FreshPoint Tomato LLC, FreshPoint Vancouver Ltd., Freshfayre Limited, Fruktservice i Helsingborg AB, GHS Classic Drinks Limited, Gilchrist & Soames Inc., Gilchrist & Soames UK Limited, Guest Packaging LLC, Guest Supply, Guest Supply Asia Limited, Guest Supply Singapore Pte. Ltd., International Food Group, Isakssons Frukt & Gront AB, J & M Wholesale Meats, J. Kings Food Service Professionals, J. Kings Food Service Professionals Inc., Kent Frozen Foods, Les Ateliers Du Gout, Liquid Assets Limited, M&J Seafood Holdings Limited, M&J Seafood Limited, Manchester Mills LLC, Mayca Autoservicio S.A., Mayca Distribuidores S.A., Menigo Foodservice AB, Mitshim Etatu Supply LP, Newport Meat Company, Newport Meat Northern California Inc., Newport Meat Pacific Northwest Inc., Newport Meat Southern California Inc., Newport Meat of Nevada Inc., North Star Holding Corporation, North Star Seafood, North Star Seafood Acquisition Corporation, North Star Seafood LLC, PFS de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Palisades Ranch Inc., Pallas Foods, Pallas Foods Farm Fresh Unlimited Company, Pallas Foods Unlimited Company, Pauleys Produce Limited, Promotora del Servicios S.A. de C.V., Restaurangakdemien AB, Restaurant of Tomorrow Inc., Rohan Viandes Elaboration SAS, SMS Bermuda Holdings, SMS GPC International Limited, SMS GPC International Resources Limited, SMS Global Holdings S.a.r.l., SMS International Resources Ireland Unlimited Company, SMS Lux Holdings LLC, SOTF LLC, SYY Netherlands C.V., SYY Panama S. de R.L., Serca Foodservice, Servicestyckarna I Johannes AB, Servicios Ameriserve S.A. de C.V., Shenzhen Guest Supply Trading Co. Limited, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) Bianchi Montegut, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) De Boiseau, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) De Garcelles, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) J.D. Lanjouan, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) Le Dauphin, Specialty Meat Holdings LLC, Stockflag Limited, Stockholms Fiskauktion AB, Supplies on the Fly, Sysco Albany LLC, Sysco Asian Foods Inc., Sysco Atlanta LLC, Sysco Autoservicio S.A., Sysco Baltimore LLC, Sysco Baraboo LLC, Sysco Bermuda Partners L.P., Sysco Boston LLC, Sysco Canada Holdings S.a.r.l., Sysco Canada Inc., Sysco Central Alabama LLC, Sysco Central California Inc., Sysco Central Florida Inc., Sysco Central Illinois Inc., Sysco Central Pennsylvania LLC, Sysco Charlotte LLC, Sysco Chicago Inc., Sysco Cincinnati LLC, Sysco Cleveland Inc., Sysco Columbia LLC, Sysco Connecticut LLC, Sysco Corporation, Sysco Corporation Director's Deferred Compensation Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Employee's 401(k) Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Executive Deferred Compensation Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Good Government Committee Inc., Sysco Corporation Retirement Trust, Sysco Corporation Supplemental Executive Retirement Trust, Sysco Corporation Supplemental Unemployment Benefits Plan Trust, Sysco Detroit LLC, Sysco Disaster Relief Foundation Inc., Sysco EI VI S. s.r.l., Sysco EU II S.a.r.l., Sysco EU III S.a.r.l., Sysco EU IV Capital Unlimited Company, Sysco EU IV S. s.r.l.., Sysco EU V S. s.r.l., Sysco Eastern Maryland LLC, Sysco Eastern Wisconsin LLC, Sysco Foundation Inc., Sysco France Holding SAS, Sysco France SAS, Sysco George Town II LLC, Sysco George Town Limited S. s.r.l.., Sysco Global Finance LLC, Sysco Global Finance LLP, Sysco Global Holdings B.V., Sysco Global Resources LLC, Sysco Global Services LLC, Sysco Grand Cayman Company, Sysco Grand Cayman II Company, Sysco Grand Cayman III Company, Sysco Grand Rapids LLC, Sysco Guernsey Limited, Sysco Guest Supply Canada Inc., Sysco Guest Supply Europe Goods Wholesalers LLC, Sysco Guest Supply Europe Limited, Sysco Guest Supply LLC, Sysco Gulf Coast LLC, Sysco Hampton Roads Inc., Sysco Hawaii Inc., Sysco Holdings II LLC, Sysco Holdings LLC, Sysco Indianapolis LLC, Sysco International Food Group Inc., Sysco International Inc., Sysco Iowa Inc., Sysco Jackson LLC, Sysco Jacksonville Inc., Sysco Kansas City Inc., Sysco Knoxville LLC, Sysco Labs Europe Limited, Sysco Labs Pvt. Ltd., Sysco Leasing LLC, Sysco Lincoln Inc., Sysco Lincoln Transportation Company Inc., Sysco Long Island LLC, Sysco Los Angeles Inc., Sysco Louisville Inc., Sysco Memphis LLC, Sysco Merchandising and Supply Chain Services Canada Inc., Sysco Merchandising and Supply Chain Services Inc., Sysco Metro New York LLC, Sysco Minnesota Inc., Sysco Montana Inc., Sysco Nashville LLC, Sysco Netherlands Partners LLC, Sysco North Central Florida Inc., Sysco North Dakota Inc., Sysco Northern New England Inc., Sysco Philadelphia LLC, Sysco Pittsburgh LLC, Sysco Portland Inc., Sysco Raleigh LLC, Sysco Resources Services LLC, Sysco Riverside Inc., Sysco Sacramento Inc., Sysco San Diego Inc., Sysco San Francisco Inc., Sysco Seattle Inc., Sysco South Florida Inc., Sysco Southeast Florida LLC, Sysco Spain Holdings SLU, Sysco Spokane Inc., Sysco St. Louis LLC, Sysco Syracuse LLC, Sysco Technologies Cayman Ltd., Sysco Technologies LLC, Sysco UK Holdings Limited, Sysco UK Limited, Sysco UK Partners LLP, Sysco USA I Inc., Sysco USA II LLC, Sysco USA III LLC, Sysco Ventura Inc., Sysco Ventures Inc., Sysco Virginia LLC, Sysco West Coast Florida Inc., Sysco Western Minnesota Inc., The SYGMA Network Inc., Upsys, Victua SAS, Walker Foods Inc., Waugh Foods, and Wild Harvest Limited.Wall Street analysts have given iShares China Large-Cap ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares China Large-Cap ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.Antofagasta plc, through its subsidiaries, primarily engages in the exploration, evaluation, development, and mining of copper properties in Chile and internationally. It operates through Los Pelambres, Centinela, Antucoya, ZaldAvar, Exploration and Evaluation, and Transport segments. The company explores for copper concentrates containing by-products, such as molybdenum, gold, and silver; and copper cathodes. It holds a 60% interest in the Los Pelambres mine; a 70% interest in the Centinela mine; a 50% interest in the ZaldAvar mine; and a 70% interest in the Antucoya mine located in Chile. The company also provides rail and road cargo, and other ancillary services. In addition, it offers rail and truck services to the mining industry in the Antofagasta Region. The company was incorporated in 1888 and is based in London, the United Kingdom. Antofagasta plc is a subsidiary of Metalinvest Establishment.

Read MoreBanco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA engages in the traditional banking businesses of retail banking, asset management, private banking, and wholesale banking. It operates through the following segments: Spain, the United States, Mexico, Turkey, South America, and Rest of Eurasia. The Spain segment includes mainly the banking and insurance business that the group carries out in Spain. The United States segment consists of the financial business activity of BBVA USA in the country and the activity of the branch of BBVA SA in New York. The Mexico segment refers to banking and insurance businesses in this country as well as the activity of its branch in Houston. The Turkey segment reports the activity of Garanti BBVA group that is mainly carried out in this country and, to a lesser extent, in Romania and the Netherlands. The South America segment comprises of operations in n Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The Rest of Eurasia segment includes the banking business activity carried out by the group in Europe and Asia, excluding Spain. The company was founded in 1857 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spain.

Read MoreWall Street analysts have given Boulder Growth & Income Fund 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 Boulder Growth & Income Fund wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.Wall Street analysts have given Vanguard S&P 500 Growth ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but Vanguard S&P 500 Growth ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.Brookdale Senior Living, Inc. engages in the operation of senior living communities. The firm manages independent living, assisted living and dementia-care communities and continuing care retirement centers. It operates through the following segments: Independent Living Assisted Living & Memory Care, CCRCs, Health Care Services and Management Services. The Independent Living segment is primarily designed for middle to upper income seniors who desire an upscale residential environment providing the highest quality of service. The Assisted Living & Memory Care segment offer housing and 24-hour assistance with ADLs to mid-acuity frail and elderly residents. The CCRCs segment offers a variety of living arrangements and services to accommodate all levels of physical ability and health. The Healthcare Services segment provides home health, hospice and outpatient therapy services, as well as education and wellness programs, to residents of many communities and to seniors living outside communities. The Management Services segment composes of communities operated by the company pursuant to management agreements. The company was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Brentwood, TN.

Read MoreCanadian Western Bank provides personal and business banking products and services primarily in Western Canada. The company offers current, savings, cash management, US dollar, and chequing accounts, as well as organization, strata solution/condo, general trust, and trust fund investment accounts. It also offers commercial lending and real estate, and equipment financing and leasing products; loans and mortgages; secured and unsecured lines of credit; registered retirement savings plan; consolidation, vehicle, and recreation vehicle loans; and credit cards. In addition, the company offers cash management services; life and disability insurance products; and ATM, mobile, and online banking services, as well cheque order services. Further, it provides investment products comprising guaranteed investment certificates, registered retirement income funds, tax-free savings accounts, registered education savings plans, and mutual funds, as well as personal and business planning services. Canadian Western Bank has a strategic partnership with Temenos AG to support small and medium sized enterprises with financial decision-making and enhancing their businesses. The company was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Edmonton, Canada.

Read MoreCARBO Ceramics Inc., a technology company, provides products and services to the oil and gas, industrial, and environmental markets worldwide. It operates through two segments, Oilfield and Industrial Technologies and Services, and Environmental Technologies and Services. The Oilfield and Industrial Technologies and Services segment manufactures and sells oilfield ceramic technology products, base ceramic proppants, and frac sand proppants to pressure pumping companies, and oil and gas operators for use in the hydraulic fracturing of natural gas and oil wells. It also provides technology to design, build, and optimize the Frac; sells fracture stimulation software under the FracPro brand; and offers fracture design and consulting services to oil and natural gas exploration and production companies under the StrataGen brand name. The Environmental Technologies and Services segment provides spill prevention, containment, and countermeasure systems for the oil and gas industry. CARBO Ceramics Inc. was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Amphenol: ARCAS Automotive Group (Luxco 1) S.a.r.l., AUXEL FTG, AUXEL FTG India Pvt Ltd., AUXEL FTG Shanghai Co., AUXEL S.A.S., Air LB International Development S.A., All Systems Broadband, Amphenol (Changzhou) Advanced Connector Co., Amphenol (Changzhou) Connector Systems Co., Amphenol (Changzhou) Electronics Co., Amphenol (Maryland), Amphenol (Ningde) Electronics Co., Amphenol (Qujing) Technology Co., Amphenol (Tianjin) Electronics Co., Amphenol (Xiamen) High Speed Cable Co., Amphenol Adronics, Amphenol Advanced Sensors Germany GmbH, Amphenol Advanced Sensors Puerto Rico, Amphenol Air LB GmbH, Amphenol Air LB North America Inc., Amphenol Air LB SAS, Amphenol Alden Products Company, Amphenol Alden Products Mexico, Amphenol Antenna Solutions, Amphenol Assemble Tech (Xiamen) Co., Amphenol Australia Pty Ltd, Amphenol Automotive Connection Systems (Changzhou) Co., Amphenol Bar-Tec, Amphenol Benelux B.V., Amphenol Borisch Technologies, Amphenol CNT (Xian) Technology Co. Ltd., Amphenol Cables On Demand Corp., Amphenol Canada Acquisition Corporation, Amphenol Canada Corp., Amphenol Comercial, Amphenol Commercial Interconnect Korea Co., Amphenol Commercial Products (Chengdu) Co. Ltd., Amphenol Commercial and Industrial UK, Amphenol ConneXus AB, Amphenol ConneXus Ou, Amphenol Custom Cable, Amphenol DC Electronics, Amphenol Daeshin Electronics and Precision Co., Amphenol EEC, Amphenol East Asia Electronic Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Amphenol East Asia Limited, Amphenol FCI, Amphenol FCI Asia Pte. Ltd., Amphenol FCI Connectors Singapore Pte. Ltd., Amphenol Fiber Optic Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Amphenol Finland Oy, Amphenol France Acquisition SAS, Amphenol France SAS, Amphenol Germany GmbH, Amphenol Gesellschaft m.b.H., Amphenol Goldstar Electronic Systems (Baicheng) Co. Ltd., Amphenol Goldstar Electronic Systems (Yulin) Co. Ltd., Amphenol Holding UK, Amphenol Intercon Systems, Amphenol Interconnect India Private Limited, Amphenol Interconnect Products Corporation, Amphenol Interconnect South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Amphenol International Ltd., Amphenol Invotec Limited, Amphenol Italia S.r.l., Amphenol JET (Haiyan) Interconnect Technology Co., Amphenol Japan Ltd., Amphenol Kai-Jack (Shenzhen) Inc., Amphenol LTW Technology Co., Amphenol Limited, Amphenol MCP Korea Limited, Amphenol Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Amphenol Middle East Enterprises FZE, Amphenol Nelson Dunn Technologies, Amphenol Netherlands Holdings 1 B.V., Amphenol Netherlands Holdings 2 B.V., Amphenol Omniconnect India Private Limited, Amphenol Optimize Manufacturing Co., Amphenol Optimize Mexico S.A. de C.V., Amphenol PCD, Amphenol PCD (Shenzhen) Co., Amphenol Phitek Limited, Amphenol Printed Circuits, Amphenol Provens SAS, Amphenol RF Asia Limited, Amphenol Sensing Korea Company Limited, Amphenol Shouh Min Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Amphenol Singapore Pte. Ltd., Amphenol Socapex SAS, Amphenol Sunpool (Liaoning) Automotive Electronics Co., Amphenol T&M Antennas, Amphenol TCS (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Amphenol TCS Ireland Limited, Amphenol TCS de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Amphenol TFC Fios E Cabos do Brasil Ltda., Amphenol TFC MDE Participacoes Ltda., Amphenol TFC do Brasil Ltda., Amphenol Taiwan Corporation, Amphenol Technical Products International Co., Amphenol Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Amphenol Technology (Zhuhai) Co., Amphenol Technology Macedonia Dooel Kocani, Amphenol Tecvox LLC, Amphenol Tel-Ad Ltd., Amphenol Thermometrics, Amphenol Thermometrics (UK) Limited, Amphenol Times Microwave Electronics (Shanghai) Limited, Amphenol Tuchel Electronics GmbH, Amphenol Tuchel Industrial GmbH, Amphenol Tunisia LLC, Amphenol USHoldco Inc., Amphenol-Borg Limited, Amphenol-Borg Pension Trustees Limited, Amphenol-TFC (Changzhou) Communication Equipment Co., Anytek Electronic Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd, Anytek International (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Anytek International Co. Ltd., Anytek Technology Corporation Ltd, Asia Connector Services, Berg UK Ltd., Blueline Product Limited, C&S Antennas, C&S Antennas Limited, CSA Limited, Casco Automotive (Suzhou) Co., Casco Automotive Group, Casco Automotive Singapore Pte., Casco Automotive Tunisia S.a.r.l., Casco Holdings Co. Limited, Casco Holdings GmbH, Casco Imos Italia S.r.l., Casco Logistics GmbH, Casco Products Corporation, Casco Schoeller GmbH, Casco do Brasil Ltda., Cemm Thome Corporation, Cemm Thome SK, Cemm-Mex, Changzhou Amphenol Fuyang Communication Equipment Co., ContactServe (Proprietary) Limited, East Asia Connector Services, Edwin Deutgen Kunstofftechnik GmbH, Ehrlich Werkzeug & Geratebau GmbH, FCI Besancon SA, FCI Connectors (Shanghai) Ltd., FCI Connectors Canada, FCI Connectors Dongguan Ltd, FCI Connectors Hong Kong Limited, FCI Connectors Italia S.r.l., FCI Connectors Korea Ltd., FCI Connectors Malaysia Sdn Bhd, FCI Connectors Sweden A.B., FCI Connectors UK Ltd., FCI Deutschland GmbH, FCI Electronics Hungary Kft, FCI GBS India Private Limited, FCI Japan K.K., FCI Nantong Ltd, FCI OEN Connectors Limited, FCI PRC Limited, FCI Taiwan Limited, FCI USA LLC, FCIs-Hertogenbosch B.V., FEP Fahrzeugelektrik Pirna, FEP Fahrzeugelektrik Pirna GmbH & Co. KG, FEP Fahrzeugelektrik Pirna Verwaltungs GmbH, Fiber Systems International, Filec Production SAS, Filec SAS, Friedrich Gohringer Elektrotechnik GmbH, GE - Advanced Sensors Business, Guangzhou Amphenol Electronics Co., Guangzhou Amphenol Sincere Flex Circuits Co., Guangzhou FEP Automotive Electric Co., Hangzhou Amphenol JET Interconnect Technology Co., Hangzhou Amphenol Phoenix Telecom Parts Co., Holland Electronics, Intelligente Sensorsysteme Dresden GmbH, Invotec Circuits Holdings Limited, Invotec Circuits Limited, Invotec Group Limited, Invotec Holdings Limited, Ionix Aerospace Limited, Ionix Holdings Limited, Ionix Systems Limited, Ionix Systems Ou, Jaybeam Limited, Jaybeam Wireless SAS, KE Elektronik GmbH, KE Ostrov  Elektrik, KE Presov Elektrik, Konnektech, Kunshan Amphenol Zhengri Electronics Co., LPL Technologies Holding GmbH, LTW Technology (Samoa) Co., LTW Top Tech (Samoa) Co., Lectric SARL, Martec Limited, Mocorp Holding A/S, Nantong Docharm Amphenol Electronics Co., PROCOM, PT Casco SEA, PerLoga Personal und Logistik GmbH, Piezotech, Piher Sensors & Controls S.A., Piher Sensors And Controls, Precision Cable Manufacturing Corp. de Mexico, Procom A/S, Procom Antennas AB, Procom France SARL, Pyle-National Ltd., RSI International Limited, S.C.I. Palin, SEFEE SA, SGX Europe SP. z.o.o., SGX Sensortech (IS) Limited, SGX Sensortech China Holdco Limited, SGX Sensortech China Limited, SGX Sensortech GmbH, SGX Sensortech SA, SSI Control Technologies, STEMFI SA, SV Microwave, Shanghai Amphenol Airwave Communication Electronics Co., Shanghai Amphenol Electronics Technology Co., Shanghai Tecvox Trading Co., Shenyang Amphenol Sunpool Automotive Electronics Co., Sine Systems Corporation, Skymasts Antennas Ltd., Societe dEtudes et de Fabrications Electroniques et Electriques, Spectra Strip Limited, TCS Japan K.K., TFC South America S.A., Tecvox Europe S.r.l., Telect, Telect Mfg., Telect de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Teradyne Connection Systems, Thermometrics Mexico, Tianjin Amphenol KAE Co., Times Fiber Canada Limited, Times Fiber Communications, Times Microwave Systems, Times Wire and Cable Company, U-Jin Cable Industrial Co., Zhongshan Feisaide Electromechanical Co., and i2s-sensors.Cartier Resources Inc. engages in the acquisition and exploration of mining properties in Canada. The company explores for gold deposits. Its flagship project is the Chimo mine property located to the east of Val-d'Or, Quebec. The company also holds interest in Benoist, Fenton, Wilson, Cadillac Extension, Dollier, and MacCormack metal deposit projects, which are located in Quebec. Cartier Resources Inc. was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Val-d'Or, Canada.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Avery Dennison: ADC PHILIPPINES INC., ADESPAN S.R.L., ADHIPRESS BANGLADESH LTD., AVERY CORP., AVERY DE MEXICO SRL DE CV, AVERY DENNISON (ASIA) HOLDINGS LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (CHANGZHOU) FILMS TECHNOLOGY CO. LTD, AVERY DENNISON (CHINA) COMPANY LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (FUZHOU) CONVERTED PRODUCTS LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (GUANGZHOU) CO. LTD., AVERY DENNISON (GUANGZHOU) CONVERTED PRODUCTS LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (GUANGZHOU) INTELLIGENT LABELS CO. LTD., AVERY DENNISON (HONG KONG) LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (INDIA) PRIVATE LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (IRELAND) LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (KENYA) PRIVATE LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (KUNSHAN) COMPANY LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (MALAYSIA) SDN. BHD., AVERY DENNISON (QINGDAO) CONVERTED PRODUCTS LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (SUZHOU) CO. LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (THAILAND) LTD., AVERY DENNISON (VIETNAM) LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON AUSTRALIA GROUP HOLDINGS PTY LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON AUSTRALIA INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS PTY LTD., AVERY DENNISON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD., AVERY DENNISON BELGIE BVBA, AVERY DENNISON BELGIUM MANAGEMENT SERVICES SPRL, AVERY DENNISON BENELUX BVBA, AVERY DENNISON BV, AVERY DENNISON C.A., AVERY DENNISON CANADA CORPORATION, AVERY DENNISON CENTRAL EUROPE GMBH, AVERY DENNISON CHILE S.A., AVERY DENNISON COLOMBIA S. A. S., AVERY DENNISON COMMERCIAL EL SALVADOR S.A. DE C.V., AVERY DENNISON CONVERTED PRODUCTS DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., AVERY DENNISON CONVERTED PRODUCTS EL SALVADOR S. A. DE C. V., AVERY DENNISON DE ARGENTINA S.R.L., AVERY DENNISON DO BRASIL LTDA., AVERY DENNISON DOMINICAN REPUBLIC S.R.L., AVERY DENNISON EGYPT LLC, AVERY DENNISON ETIKET TICARET LIMITED SIRKETI, AVERY DENNISON EUROPE HOLDING (DEUTSCHLAND) GMBH & CO KG, AVERY DENNISON FINANCE GERMANY GMBH, AVERY DENNISON G HOLDINGS I LLC, AVERY DENNISON G HOLDINGS III LLC, AVERY DENNISON G INVESTMENTS III LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON G INVESTMENTS V LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON GROUP DANMARK APS, AVERY DENNISON GROUP SINGAPORE PTE LTD, AVERY DENNISON GULF FZCO, AVERY DENNISON HOLDING & FINANCE THE NETHERLANDS BV, AVERY DENNISON HOLDING FRANCE, AVERY DENNISON HOLDING GMBH, AVERY DENNISON HOLDING LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON HOLDING LUXEMBOURG S. A. R. L., AVERY DENNISON HOLDINGS LLC, AVERY DENNISON HONG KONG B.V., AVERY DENNISON HONG KONG HOLDING I B.V., AVERY DENNISON IBERICA S.A., AVERY DENNISON INNOVATIONS LLC, AVERY DENNISON INTELLIGENT HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS LLC, AVERY DENNISON INTELLIGENT LABELS EUROPE S.R.L., AVERY DENNISON INTELLIGENT LABELS HK LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON INVESTMENT LUXEMBOURG II SARL, AVERY DENNISON INVESTMENTS LUXEMBOURG III SARL, AVERY DENNISON INVESTMENTS LUXEMBOURG IV SARL, AVERY DENNISON ISRAEL LTD., AVERY DENNISON ITALIA S.R.L., AVERY DENNISON JAPAN KK, AVERY DENNISON JAPAN MATERIALS COMPANY LTD., AVERY DENNISON KOREA LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON LABEL LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON LANKA (PRIVATE) LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON LUXEMBOURG S.A.R.L., AVERY DENNISON LUXEMBOURG SALES SARL, AVERY DENNISON MANAGEMENT GMBH, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS BELGIUM SPRL, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS EUROPE B.V., AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS EUROPE GMBH, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS FRANCE S.A.R.L., AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS GMBH, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS IRELAND LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS NEDERLAND BV, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS NEW ZEALAND LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS PTY LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS ROM SRL, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS RUSSIA LLC, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS SALES BELGIUM SPRL, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS SALES FRANCE S. A. S., AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS SALES GERMANY GMBH, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS SDN BHD, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS U.K. LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS UKRAINE LLC, AVERY DENNISON MAURITIUS LTD., AVERY DENNISON MEDICAL LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON MOROCCO SARL, AVERY DENNISON NETHERLANDS INVESTMENT I BV, AVERY DENNISON NETHERLANDS INVESTMENT II B. V., AVERY DENNISON NETHERLANDS INVESTMENT III BV, AVERY DENNISON NETHERLANDS INVESTMENT VII B.V., AVERY DENNISON NETHERLANDS INVESTMENT VIII BV, AVERY DENNISON NETHERLANDS INVESTMENT X BV, AVERY DENNISON NETHERLANDS INVESTMENT XI COOPERATIEF U.A., AVERY DENNISON NETHERLANDS INVESTMENT XII BV, AVERY DENNISON NORDIC APS, AVERY DENNISON NTP A. S., AVERY DENNISON OFFICE PRODUCTS COMPANY, AVERY DENNISON OFFICE PRODUCTS HOLDINGS COMPANY, AVERY DENNISON OFFICE PRODUCTS MANUFACTURING U.K. LTD., AVERY DENNISON OVERSEAS CORPORATION, AVERY DENNISON PENSION TRUSTEE LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON PERU S. R. L., AVERY DENNISON POLSKA SP. Z O.O., AVERY DENNISON PRAHA SPOL. S R. O., AVERY DENNISON R.I.S. FRANCE S. A. S., AVERY DENNISON R.I.S. IBERIA S.L., AVERY DENNISON R.I.S. ITALIA S.R.L., AVERY DENNISON RBIS (CAMBODIA) CO. LTD, AVERY DENNISON RBIS (CAMBODIA) TRADING CO. LTD, AVERY DENNISON RBIS PTY LTD, AVERY DENNISON RETAIL INFORMATION SERVICES (PTY) LTD, AVERY DENNISON RETAIL INFORMATION SERVICES COLOMBIA S. A. S., AVERY DENNISON RETAIL INFORMATION SERVICES DE MEXICO S. A. DE C.V., AVERY DENNISON RETAIL INFORMATION SERVICES EL SALVADOR LTDA. DE C. V., AVERY DENNISON RETAIL INFORMATION SERVICES GUATEMALA S. A., AVERY DENNISON RETAIL INFORMATION SERVICES HONDURAS S. DE R.L., AVERY DENNISON RETAIL INFORMATION SERVICES LLC, AVERY DENNISON RETAIL INFORMATION SERVICES PERU SAC, AVERY DENNISON RETAIL INFORMATION SERVICES UK LTD., AVERY DENNISON RFID COMPANY, AVERY DENNISON RIS KOREA LTD., AVERY DENNISON RIS TAIWAN LTD., AVERY DENNISON RIS VIETNAM CO. LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON S.A. DE C.V., AVERY DENNISON S.R.L., AVERY DENNISON SCANDINAVIA AB, AVERY DENNISON SCANDINAVIA APS, AVERY DENNISON SECURITY PRINTING EUROPE APS, AVERY DENNISON SHARED SERVICES INC., AVERY DENNISON SINGAPORE (PTE) LTD., AVERY DENNISON SOUTH AFRICA (PROPRIETARY) LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON SUPPORT SERVICES, AVERY DENNISON SYSTEMES D'ETIQUETAGE FRANCE S.A.S., AVERY DENNISON TEKSTIL URUNLERI SANAYI VE TICARET LIMITED SIRKETI, AVERY DENNISON TRADING COMPANY LTD, AVERY DENNISON TREASURY MANAGEMENT BV, AVERY DENNISON U.K. II LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON U.K. LIMITED, AVERY GRAPHIC SYSTEMS INC., AVERY LLC, AVERY OFFICE PRODUCTS PUERTO RICO L.L.C., AVERY PACIFIC LLC, AVERY PROPERTIES PTY. LIMITED, AWESOME PROFITS LTD, BEST COURAGE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, CHOICE CLEVER PROFITS LTD, CREATERO GMBH, DENNISON INTERNATIONAL COMPANY, DENNISON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, DM Label Group, Dunsirn Industries, EUSTON FINANCIAL LIMITED, EVERGREEN HOLDING SARL, EVERGREEN HOLDINGS V LLC, Finesse Medical, HANITA COATINGS (KUNSHAN) CO. LTD, HANITA COATINGS EUROPE B.V., HANITA COATINGS USA LLC, HANITA EUROPA GMBH, HEBEI YONGLE TAPE CO. LTD., Hanita Coatings, INK MILL LLC, JAC ASIA PACIFIC SDN BHD, JAC CARIBE C.S.Z., JAC DO BRASIL - LOCACAO DE EQUIPAMENTOS INDUSTRIAIS LTDA, JACKSTADT FRANCE S.N.C., JDC Solutions, JINTEX LIMITED, Jackstadt GmbH, L&E AMERICAS SERVICIOS S. A. DE C.V., L&E Packaging, MACTAC ASIA-PACIFIC SELF-ADHESIVE PRODUCTS PTE LTD, MACtac Europe S.A., MARKSTAR INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, MODERN MARK INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, NINGBO AVERY DENNISON SHENZHOU EMBELLISHMENT CO. LTD., P. T. PACIFIC LABEL INDONESIA, P. T. PAXAR INDONESIA, PAXAR (CHINA) LTD., PAXAR B.V., PAXAR BANGLADESH LIMITED, PAXAR CANADA CORPORATION, PAXAR CORPORATION, PAXAR DE EL SALVADOR S. A. DE C. V., PAXAR DE GUATEMALA S. A., PAXAR DE MEXICO S. A. DE C. V., PAXAR DO BRASIL LTDA, PAXAR FAR EAST LIMITED, PAXAR PACKAGING (GUANGZHOU) LTD., PAXAR PAKISTAN (PRIVATE) LIMITED, PLYMOUTH YONGLE TAPE (SHANGHAI) CO. LTD, PT AVERY DENNISON INDONESIA, PT AVERY DENNISON PACKAGING INDONESIA, RVL AMERICAS S DE R.L. DE C.V., RVL CENTRAL AMERICA S. A., RVL PACKAGING FAR EAST LIMITED, RVL Packaging Inc., RVL SERVICE S. DE R. L. DE C. V., Rinke Etiketten GmbH, SECURITY PRINTING DIVISION INC., SKILLFIELD INVESTMENTS LIMITED, Stimsonite Corp, TIGER EIGHT GROUP LIMITED, WORLDWIDE RISK INSURANCE INC., YONGLE TAPE LTD, and Yongle Tape Co. American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved.

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 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research.Herc Holdings Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an equipment rental supplier. It rents aerial, earthmoving, material handling, trucks and trailers, air compressors, compaction, and lighting equipment, as well as generators, and safety supplies and expendables; and provides ProSolutions, an industry specific solution based services, such as pumping solutions, power generation, climate control, remediation and restoration, and studio and production equipment. The company also sells used equipment and contractor supplies, such as construction consumables, tools, small equipment, and safety supplies; provides repair, maintenance, equipment management, and safety training services, as well as offers ancillary services, such as equipment transport, rental protection, cleaning, refueling, and labor. It serves non-residential and residential construction, specialty trade, restoration, remediation and environment, and facility maintenance contractors; industrial manufacturing industries, including automotive and aerospace, power, metals and mining, agriculture, pulp, paper and wood, food and beverage, and refineries and petrochemical industries; infrastructure and government sectors; and commercial and retail service, hospitality, healthcare, recreation, entertainment production, and special event management customers through its sales team, industry catalogs, as well as through participation and sponsorship of industry events, trade shows, and Internet. As of December 31, 2017, it operated approximately 275 locations in the United States, Canada, China, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Herc Holdings Inc. is based in Bonita Springs, Florida.

Read More American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved.

326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at cont[email protected] | (844) 978-6257

MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security.



Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information



 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research.Duck Creek Technologies, Inc. provides software-as-a-service core systems to the property and casualty insurance industry in North America. It offers Duck Creek Policy, a full lifecycle solution for the development of products and quoting, binding, and servicing of policies across various channels from agents and brokers to end-users; Duck Creek Billing that provides payment and invoicing capabilities, such as billing and collections, commission processing, disbursement management, and general ledger capabilities for insurance lines and bill types; and Duck Creek Claims that supports the entire claims lifecycle from first notice of loss through investigation, payments, negotiations, reporting, and closure. The company also provides Duck Creek Rating that allows carriers to develop new rates and models and deliver accurate quotes in real-time based on the complex rating algorithms; Duck Creek Insights, an insurance analytics solution that allows carriers to gather and analyze data from internal and external sources and facilitate rapid analysis and reporting on a single system; Duck Creek Digital Engagement that offer digital interactions between property and casualty insurers and their agents, brokers, and policyholders; and Duck Creek Distribution Management that automates sales channel activities for agents and brokers, including producer onboarding, compliance, and compensation management. In addition, it offers Duck Creek Reinsurance Management that automates critical financial and administrative functions; and Duck Creek Industry Content that provides pre-built content, including base business rules, product designs, rating algorithms, data capture screens, and workflows for insurance lines of business. The company serves insurance carriers and leaders. Duck Creek Technologies, Inc. was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Read MoreWilliam Lyon Homes (NYSE:WLH) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November, 6th. The construction company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters' consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.07. The construction company had revenue of $466.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $487.15 million. William Lyon Homes had a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 6.98% and a net margin of 3.04%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.68 EPS.

View William Lyon Homes' earnings history.Mandalay Resources Corporation, a natural resource company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, extraction, processing, and reclamation of various mineral properties. It explores for gold, silver, and antimony deposits. The company holds a 100% interest in the Costerfield gold-antimony mine covering an area of 7,540.78 hectares (ha) located in Central Victoria, Australia; and the Bjorkdal gold mine that comprises 9 mining concessions and 19 exploration permits located in Vasterbotten County in northern Sweden. It also holds a 100% interest in the Cerro Bayo silver-gold mine covering 29,495 ha of exploitation concessions and 45 hectares of exploration concessions located in the Cerro Bayo district, southern Chile. In addition, the company holds a 100% interest in the Challacollo silver-gold project, which includes 98 mining exploitation concessions covering an area of 20,378 ha located to the southeast of the port city of Iquique, Chile. Mandalay Resources Corporation was incorporated in 1997 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Read MoreMedtronic Plc is a medical technology company, which engages in the development, manufacture, distribution, and sale of device-based medical therapies and services. It operates through the following segments: Cardiac and Vascular Group; Minimally Invasive Technologies Group; Restorative Therapies Group; and Diabetes Group. The Cardiac and Vascular Group segment consists of products for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of cardiac rhythm disorders and cardiovascular disease. The Minimally Invasive Technologies Group segment focuses on respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, renal system, lungs, pelvic region, kidneys, and obesity diseases. The Restorative Therapies Group segment comprises of neurostimulation therapies and drug delivery systems for the treatment of chronic pain, as well as areas of the spine and brain, along with pelvic health and conditions of the ear, nose, and throat. The Diabetes Group segment offers insulin pumps, coninuous glucose monitoring systems, and insulin pump consumables. The company was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

Read MoreWall Street analysts have given Noble 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 Noble wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.The following companies are subsidiares of Bristol-Myers Squibb: 1096271 B.C. ULC, 345 Park LLC, A.G. Medical Services P.A., AHI Investment LLC, AbVitro LLC, Abraxis BioScience Australia Pty Ltd., Abraxis BioScience Inc., Abraxis BioScience International Holding Company Inc., Abraxis BioScience LLC, Abraxis BioScience Puerto Rico LLC, Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Adnexus, Adnexus a Bristol-Myers Squibb R&D Company, Allard Labs Acquisition G.P., Amira Pharmaceuticals, Amira Pharmaceuticals Inc., Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Apothecon LLC, B-MS Generx Unlimited Company, BMS Benelux Holdings B.V., BMS Bermuda Nominees L.L.C., BMS Data Acquisition Company LLC, BMS Forex Company, BMS Holdings Sarl, BMS Holdings Spain S.L., BMS International Insurance Designated Activity Company, BMS Investco SAS, BMS Korea Holdings L.L.C., BMS Latin American Nominees L.L.C., BMS Luxembourg Partners L.L.C., BMS Omega Bermuda Holdings Finance Ltd., BMS Pharmaceutical Korea Limited, BMS Pharmaceuticals Germany Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals International Holdings Netherlands B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Korea Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Mexico Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Netherlands Holdings B.V., BMS Real Estate LLC, BMS Spain Investments LLC, BMS Strategic Portfolio Investments Holdings Inc., Blisa Acquisition G.P., Bristol (Iran) S.A., Bristol Iran Private Company Limited, Bristol Laboratories Inc., Bristol Laboratories International S.A., Bristol Laboratories Medical Information Systems Inc., Bristol-Myers (Andes) L.L.C., Bristol-Myers (Private) Limited, Bristol-Myers Middle East S.A.L., Bristol-Myers Overseas Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (China) Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (Israel) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (NZ) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Proprietary) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (Singapore) Pte. Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Taiwan) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (West Indies) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb A.E., Bristol-Myers Squibb Aktiebolag, Bristol-Myers Squibb Argentina S. R. L., Bristol-Myers Squibb Australia Pty. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Axia Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb B.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb Belgium S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Business Services Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada International Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Delta Company Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Denmark Filial of Bristol-Myers Squibb AB, Bristol-Myers Squibb EMEA Sarl, Bristol-Myers Squibb Egypt LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Epsilon Holdings Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Farmaceutica Ltda., Bristol-Myers Squibb Farmaceutica Portuguesa S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb GesmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb GmbH & Co. KGaA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holding Germany GmbH & Co. KG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings 2002 Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Germany Verwaltungs GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Ireland Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Pharma Ltd. Liability Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Ilaclari Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb India Pvt. Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb International Company Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb International Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Investco L.L.C., Bristol-Myers Squibb K.K., Bristol-Myers Squibb Kft., Bristol-Myers Squibb Luxembourg International S.C.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Bristol-Myers Squibb MEA GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Manufacturing Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Marketing Services S.R.L., Bristol-Myers Squibb Middle East & Africa FZ-LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Norway Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Nutricionales de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb Peru S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma (HK) Ltd, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma (Thailand) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Holding Company LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Ventures Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Polska Sp. z o.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Products SA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Puerto Rico Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Puerto Rico/Sanofi Pharmaceutical Partnership Puerto Rico, Bristol-Myers Squibb Romania S.R.L., Bristol-Myers Squibb S.A.U., Bristol-Myers Squibb S.r.l., Bristol-Myers Squibb SA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Holding Partnership, Bristol-Myers Squibb Sarl, Bristol-Myers Squibb Service Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Services Sp. z o.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Spol. s r.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Theta Finance Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Trustees Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Verwaltungs GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb de Colombia S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb de Costa Rica Sociedad Anonima, Bristol-Myers Squibb de Guatemala S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb/Astrazeneca EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Pfizer EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership, Bristol-Myers de Venezuela S.C.A., CHT I LLC, CHT II LLC, CHT III LLC, CHT IV LLC, CR Finance Company LLC, Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals, Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals Inc., Celem LLC, Celem Ltd., Celgene, Celgene A.B., Celgene AS, Celgene Ab (Finland), Celgene Alpine Investment Co. II LLC, Celgene Alpine Investment Co. III LLC, Celgene Alpine Investment Co. LLC, Celgene ApS, Celgene B.V., Celgene BVBA, Celgene Brasil Produtos Farmaceuticos Ltda., Celgene CAR LLC, Celgene CAR Ltd., Celgene Chemicals Sarl, Celgene China Holdings LLC, Celgene Co., Celgene Corporation, Celgene Distribution B.V., Celgene EngMab GmbH, Celgene Europe B.V., Celgene Europe Limited, Celgene European Investment Company LLC, Celgene Financing Company LLC, Celgene Global Holdings Sarl, Celgene GmbH [Austria], Celgene GmbH [Germany], Celgene GmbH [Switzerland], Celgene Holdings East Corporation, Celgene Holdings II Sarl, Celgene Holdings III Sarl, Celgene Ilac Pazarlama ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Celgene Inc., Celgene International Holdings Corporation, Celgene International II Sarl, Celgene International III Sarl, Celgene International Inc., Celgene International Sarl, Celgene K.K., Celgene Kft., Celgene Limited [Hong Kong], Celgene Limited [Ireland], Celgene Limited [New Zealand], Celgene Limited [Taiwan], Celgene Limited [UK], Celgene Logistics Sarl, Celgene Ltd, Celgene Luxembourg Sarl, Celgene Management Sarl, Celgene NJ Investment Co, Celgene Netherlands B.V., Celgene Netherlands Investment B.V., Celgene Pharmaceutical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Celgene Pte. Ltd., Celgene Pty Ltd, Celgene Puerto Rico Distribution LLC, Celgene Quanticel Research Inc, Celgene R&D Sarl, Celgene RIVOT LLC, Celgene RIVOT Ltd., Celgene RIVOT SRL, Celgene Receptos Limited, Celgene Receptos Sarl, Celgene Research Incubator At Summit West LLC, Celgene Research S.L.U., Celgene Research and Development Company LLC, Celgene Research and Development I ULC, Celgene Research and Development II LLC, Celgene Research and Investment Company II LLC, Celgene S. de R.L. de C.V., Celgene S.L.U., Celgene S.R.L., Celgene SAS, Celgene Sarl AU, Celgene Sdn Bhd, Celgene Services Sarl, Celgene Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Celgene Sp. Z.o.o., Celgene Sro [Czech Republic], Celgene Summit Investment Co, Celgene Switzerland Holding Sarl, Celgene Switzerland II LLC, Celgene Switzerland Investment Sarl, Celgene Switzerland LLC, Celgene Switzerland Sarl, Celgene Tri A Holdings Ltd., Celgene Tri Sarl, Celgene UK Distribution Limited, Celgene UK Holdings Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing II Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing III Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing Limited, Celgene d.o.o., Celgene sro [Slovakia], Celmed LLC, Celmed Ltd., ConvaTec Divestiture, Cormorant Pharmaceuticals, Cormorant Pharmaceuticals AB, Crosp Ltd., Delinia Inc., Deuteria Pharmaceuticals Inc., DuPont Pharmaceuticals, E. R. Squibb & Sons Inter-American Corporation, E. R. Squibb & Sons L.L.C., E. R. Squibb & Sons Limited, EWI Corporation, EngMab Sarl, F-star Alpha, FermaVir Pharmaceuticals L.L.C., FermaVir Research L.L.C., Flexus Biosciences, Flexus Biosciences Inc., Forbius, Galecto Biotech, GenPharm International L.L.C., Gloucester Pharmaceuticals LLC, Grove Insurance Company Ltd., Heyden Farmaceutica Portuguesa Limitada, IFM Therapeutics, Impact Biomedicines Inc., Inhibitex, Inhibitex L.L.C., Innate Tumor Immunity Inc., JuMP Holdings LLC, Juno Therapeutics GmbH, Juno Therapeutics Inc., Kosan Biosciences, Kosan Biosciences Incorporated, Linson Investments Limited, Mead Johnson (Manufacturing) Jamaica Limited, Mead Johnson Jamaica Ltd., Medarex, Morris Avenue Investment II LLC, Morris Avenue Investment LLC, MyoKardia, O.o.o. Bristol-Myers Squibb, Oy Bristol-Myers Squibb (Finland) AB, Padlock Therapeutics, Padlock Therapeutics Inc., Pharmion LLC, Princeton Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Receptos LLC, Receptos Services LLC, RedoxTherapies Inc., Route 22 Real Estate Holding Corporation, SPV A Holdings ULC, Seamair Insurance DAC, Signal Pharmaceuticals LLC, Sino-American Shanghai Squibb Pharmaceuticals Limited, Societe Francaise de Complements Alimentaires(S.O.F.C.A.), Squibb Middle East S.A., Summit West Celgene LLC, Swords Laboratories, VentiRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Westwood-Intrafin SA, Westwood-Squibb Pharmaceuticals Inc., X-Body Inc., ZymoGenetics, ZymoGenetics Inc., ZymoGenetics LLC, ZymoGenetics Paymaster LLC, iPierian, and iPierian Inc..The following companies are subsidiares of Emerson Electric: A.P.M. Automation Solutions Ltd., AE Valves, AGI Mexicana S.A. de C.V., ALCO CONTROLS spol. s.r.o., APM Automation Solutions, ASC Investments Inc., ASCO (Japan) Company Limited, ASCO L.P., ASCO Numatics (India) Private Limited, ASCO Numatics Holding Inc., ASCO SAS, ASCO Valve (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ASCO/JOUCOMATIC s.r.o., ATX SAS, Advanced Protection Technologies, Aegir Norge Holding AS, Alliance Compressors LLC, American Governor, Aperture, Apple JV Holding Corp., Appleton Electric LLC, Appleton Electric S.A. de C.V., Appleton Group, Appleton Group Canada Ltd., Appleton Grp LLC, Appleton Holding Corp., Appleton Holding Sarl, Artesyn Embedded Technologies, Artesyn Hungary Elektronikai Kft., Artesyn Technologies, Asco AB, Asco Controls AG, Asco Controls B.V., Asco Joucomatic Ltd., Asco Joucomatic ZA B.V., Asco Magnesszelep Kft., Asco Numatics GmbH, Asco Numatics S.A., Asco Numatics Sirai S.R.L., Asco Numatics Sp. z o.o., Ascomatica S.A. de C.V., Ascomation (NZ) Ltd., Ascomation Pty. Ltd., Ascotech S.A. de C.V., Ascoval Industria e Commercio Ltda, Automatic Switch Company, Aventics, Aventics, Aventics AB, Aventics AG, Aventics AS, Aventics ApS, Aventics B.V., Aventics Corporation, Aventics Holding S.A.S., Aventics Holding S.a.r.l., Aventics Hungary Kft, Aventics Inc., Aventics India Private Limited, Aventics Limited, Aventics Ltd., Aventics Oy, Aventics Pneumatics Equipment (Changzhou) Co. Ltd., Aventics Pneumatics Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Aventics S.A.S., Aventics S.R.L., Aventics Services Germany GmbH, Aventics Singapore Pte. Ltd., Aventics Sp. z.o.o., Aventics Spain S.L., Aventics spol. s.r.o., Avtron LoadBank, Bannerscientific Limited, Beckman Industrial B.V., Beijing Rosemount Far East Instrument Co. Ltd., Bettis Canada Ltd., Bettis Holdings Limited, Bettis UK Limited, Biffi Italia S.r.l., Bioproduction Group, Branson Korea Co. Ltd., Branson Ultrasonic S.A., Branson Ultrasonics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Branson Ultrasonics B.V., Branson Ultrasonics Corporation, Branson Ultrasonics a.s., Branson Ultrasonidos S.A.E., Branson Ultrasons SAS, Branson Ultrasuoni S.R.L., Branson de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Bray Lectroheat Limited, Bristol Babcock Limited, Bristol Inc., Buehler Europe Limited, Buehler UK Limited, CR Compressors LLC, CSA Consulting Engineers Ltd., California Emerson LLC, Cascade Technologies, Cascade Technologies Holdings Limited, Cascade Technologies Limited, Chemat GmbH Armaturen fur Industrie - und Nuklearanlage, Chloride Koexa S.A., Componentes Avanzados de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Computational Systems, Computational Systems Incorporated, Conception et Representation de Technologies de Controle C.R.T. Controle SAS, Control Products Inc., Controles de Temperatura S.A. de C.V., Cooligy Inc., Cooper-Atkins, Cooper-Atkins Corporation, Cooper-Atkins Pte. Ltd., Copeland Access + Inc., Copeland Compresores Hermeticos S.A. de C.V., Copeland Corporation, Copeland Corporation LLC, Copeland Limited, Copeland Redevelopment Corporation, Copeland Scroll Compresores de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Copeland de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Copesub Inc., Crosby Valve LLC, Damcos A/S, Damcos Holding A/S, Daniel Automation Company, Daniel Europe Limited, Daniel Industrial Inc., Daniel Industries, Daniel Industries Canada Inc., Daniel Industries Inc., Daniel Industries Limited, Daniel International Limited, Daniel Measurement Solutions Private Limited, Daniel Measurement and Control Inc., Daniel Measurement and Control S. de R.L. de C.V., Danmasa S.A. de C.V., Dar Ibtikar Al Iraq for General Services and General Trade LLC, Decision Management International, Dieterich Standard Inc., Digital Appliance Controls (UK) Limited, Dixell North America Inc., Dixell S.R.L., Do+Able Products, E. Business Development E.B.D.Com Ltd., E.G.P. Corporation, EECO Inc., EGS Comercializadora Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., EGS Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., EGS Private Ltd., EMERSON CLIMATE TECHNOLOGIES s.r.o., EMR (Asia) Limited, EMR (Mauritius) Ltd., EMR Emerson Holdings (Switzerland) GmbH, EMR Europe Holdings Inc., EMR Foundation Inc., EMR Holdings (France) SAS, EMR Holdings Inc., EMR Worldwide B.V., EMR Worldwide Inc., EMRSN HLDG B.V., EMRSN Process Management Morocco Sarl, ENPDOR2012A Limited, ENPESNA Inc., EPM Tulsa Holdings Corp., EPMCO Holdings Inc., ETC International Holdings Ltd., Easy Heat Europe SAS, Easy Heat Inc., El-O-Matic B.V., El-O-Matic Valve Actuators (F.E.) Pte. Ltd., Electrische Apparatenfabriek Capax B.V., Emerald Advanced Technology Limited, Emerson (Philippines) Corporation, Emerson (Taiwan) Limited, Emerson (Thailand) Limited, Emerson Arabia Inc., Emerson Argentina S.A., Emerson Asia Pacific Private Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Actuation Technologies Holdings Inc., Emerson Automation Solutions Actuation Technologies Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control (Sichuan) Co. Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control (Taiwan) Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control (Thailand) Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Africa (Pty) Ltd, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Australia Pty Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Czech Republic s.r.o., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Denmark A/S, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control France SARL, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Germany GmbH, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Hong Kong Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Hungary Kft, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Italia S.r.l., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control LLC, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Middle East FZE, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Netherlands B.V., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Polska Sp. Z.o.o., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Sales Australia Pty Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Sales Holding LLC, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control Singapore Pte. Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control UK II Ltd, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control UK Ltd, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control US LP, Emerson Automation Solutions Final Control de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Emerson Automation Solutions GmbH, Emerson Automation Solutions Intelligent Platforms (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Intelligent Platforms Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Emerson Automation Solutions Intelligent Platforms Private Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Intelligent Platforms do Brasil Ltda, Emerson Automation Solutions Ireland Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions Isolation Valves Inc., Emerson Automation Solutions SSC UK Limited, Emerson Automation Solutions UK Limited, Emerson Beijing Instrument Co. Ltd., Emerson Climate Services LLC, Emerson Climate Technologies (India) Private Limited, Emerson Climate Technologies (Shenyang) Refrigeration Co. Ltd., Emerson Climate Technologies (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, Emerson Climate Technologies (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Emerson Climate Technologies (Suzhou) Trading Co. Ltd., Emerson Climate Technologies - Solutions (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Emerson Climate Technologies - Transportation Solutions ApS, Emerson Climate Technologies Arabia Limited Co., Emerson Climate Technologies Australia Pty. Ltd., Emerson Climate Technologies FZE, Emerson Climate Technologies GmbH, Emerson Climate Technologies Inc., Emerson Climate Technologies Limited, Emerson Climate Technologies Mexico S.A. de C.V., Emerson Climate Technologies Refrigeration S.A., Emerson Climate Technologies Retail Solutions Europe S.R.L., Emerson Climate Technologies Retail Solutions Inc., Emerson Climate Technologies Retail Solutions UK Limited, Emerson Climate Technologies S.A., Emerson Climate Technologies S.R.L., Emerson Climate Technologies Sarl, Emerson Commercial & Residential Tools LLC, Emerson Commerical & Residential Asia Limited, Emerson Comres de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Emerson DHC B.V., Emerson Dietzenbach GmbH, Emerson Dominicana Srl, Emerson Egypt LLC, Emerson Electric (Asia) Limited, Emerson Electric (China) Holdings Co. Ltd., Emerson Electric (M) Sdn Bhd, Emerson Electric (Mauritius) Ltd., Emerson Electric (South Asia) Pte. Ltd., Emerson Electric (Thailand) Limited, Emerson Electric (Tongling) Co. Ltd., Emerson Electric (U.S.) Holding Corporation, Emerson Electric (U.S.) Holding Corporation (Chile) Limitada, Emerson Electric (Zhuhai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Electric CR Limitada, Emerson Electric Canada Limited, Emerson Electric Company (India) Private Limited, Emerson Electric Company Lanka (Private) Limited, Emerson Electric Holdings (Switzerland) GmbH, Emerson Electric II C.A., Emerson Electric International Inc., Emerson Electric Ireland Limited, Emerson Electric Korea Ltd., Emerson Electric Nederland B.V., Emerson Electric Overseas Finance Corp., Emerson Electric Poland Sp. z o.o., Emerson Electric U.K. Limited, Emerson Electric de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Emerson Electric do Brasil Ltda, Emerson Energy Systems (UK) Limited, Emerson FZE, Emerson Final Control US Holding LLC, Emerson Finance LLC, Emerson Fusite Electric (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Emerson Gabon SARL, Emerson Hazardous Electrical Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Holding Company Limited, Emerson Holding Sweden AB, Emerson InSinkErator Appliance (Nanjing) Co. Ltd., Emerson Industrial Automation USA Inc., Emerson International Holding Company Limited, Emerson Japan Ltd., Emerson Junkang Enterprise (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Korea Limited, Emerson LLC, Emerson LLP, Emerson Machinery Equipment (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Emerson Mexico Finance S.A. de C.V. SOFOM ENR, Emerson Middle East Inc., Emerson Network Power DHC B.V., Emerson Paradigm Holding LLC, Emerson Process Management (India) Private Limited, Emerson Process Management (South Africa) (Proprietary) Ltd., Emerson Process Management (Tianjin) Valves Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management (Vietnam) Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management A/S (Denmark), Emerson Process Management AB, Emerson Process Management AG, Emerson Process Management AS, Emerson Process Management Angola Lda, Emerson Process Management Arabia Limited, Emerson Process Management Australia Pty Limited, Emerson Process Management B.V., Emerson Process Management Chennai Private Limited, Emerson Process Management Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management Distribution Limited, Emerson Process Management Europe GmbH, Emerson Process Management Flow B.V., Emerson Process Management Flow Technologies Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management GmbH & Co. OHG, Emerson Process Management Holding AG, Emerson Process Management Holding LLC, Emerson Process Management Kft., Emerson Process Management LLLP, Emerson Process Management Lda, Emerson Process Management Limited, Emerson Process Management Ltda, Emerson Process Management Magyarorszag Kft., Emerson Process Management Manufacturing (M) Sdn Bhd, Emerson Process Management Marine Solutions Korea Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management Marine Solutions Singapore Pte. Ltd., Emerson Process Management Marine Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management NV, Emerson Process Management New Zealand Limited, Emerson Process Management Nigeria Limited, Emerson Process Management Oy, Emerson Process Management Power & Water Solutions (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management Power & Water Solutions Inc., Emerson Process Management Power & Water Solutions India Private Limited, Emerson Process Management Qatar W.L.L., Emerson Process Management Regulator Technologies Inc., Emerson Process Management Regulator Technologies Tulsa LLC, Emerson Process Management Romania S.R.L., Emerson Process Management S.A., Emerson Process Management S.A. de C.V., Emerson Process Management S.L., Emerson Process Management S.R.L., Emerson Process Management SAS, Emerson Process Management Shared Services Limited, Emerson Process Management Sp. z o.o., Emerson Process Management Ticaret Limited Sirket, Emerson Process Management UAB, Emerson Process Management Valve Automation (M) Sdn Bhd, Emerson Process Management Valve Automation (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Emerson Process Management Valve Automation Inc., Emerson Process Management Verwaltung GmbH, Emerson Process Management d.o.o., Emerson Process Management de Colombia SAS, Emerson Process Management del Peru S.A.C., Emerson Process Management s.r.o., Emerson Professional Tools (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson Puerto Rico Inc., Emerson Retail Services Europe GmbH, Emerson S.R.L., Emerson Sales UK Limited, Emerson Saudi Arabia LLC, Emerson Scroll Machining (Thailand) Limited, Emerson Sice S.R.L., Emerson Sweden AB, Emerson TOV, Emerson Technologies GmbH & Co. OHG, Emerson Technologies Verwaltungs GmbH, Emerson Tool Company de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Emerson Tool and Appliance Company S. de R.L. de C.V., Emerson Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Emerson UK Trustees Limited, Emerson USD Finance Company Limited, Emerson Valves & Controls Japan Co. Ltd., Emerson Ventures Inc., Emerson Vulcan Holding LLC, Emerson Xi'an Engineering Center, Emersub 1 LLC, Emersub 10 LLC, Emersub 11 LLC, Emersub 12 LLC, Emersub 14 LLC, Emersub 15 LLC, Emersub 16 LLC, Emersub 3 LLC, Emersub 4 LLC, Emersub 5 LLC, Emersub 7 LLC, Emersub 8 LLC, Emersub 9 LLC, Emersub CII Inc., Emersub CV Inc., Emersub Italia S.R.L., Emersub LXXXIV Inc., Emersub LXXXVI Inc., Emersub Mexico Inc., Emersub Treasury Ireland Unlimited Company, Emersub XLVI Inc., Emersub XXXVI Inc., Emirates Techno Casting FZE, Emirates Techno Casting Holding Limited, Emirates Techno Casting LLC, Enardo, Endura-Greenlee Tools, Energy Solutions International (India) Private Limited, Energy Solutions International GP LLC, Energy Solutions International Ltd., Energy Solutions International SAS, Energy Solutions International Sub LLC, F-R Tecnologias de Flujo S.A. de C.V., FC QSF LLC, FMC Technologies, Fiberconn Assemblies Morocco Sarl, Fincor Holding LLC, Fire & Safety Group.Com Ltd., Fisher Controles de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Fisher Controls International LLC, Fisher Jeon Gas Equipment (Chengdu) Co. Ltd., Fisher Regulators (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Fisher Sanmar Limited, Fisher-Rosemount Systems Inc., Flow Control Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Flow Control Holding Verwaltungs GmbH, Flow Control US Holding Corporation, Francel SAS, Fromex S.A. de C.V., Fusite B.V., Fusite Corporation, Fusite Land Company, GSEG LLC, General Equipment and Manufacturing Company Inc., Generale de Robinetterie Industrielle et de Sytemes de Surete, GeoFields, GeoFields Inc., Greenex Ltd., Greenfield (UK) Limited, Greenlee, Greenlee Communications, Greenlee Tools Inc., Gulf Valve FZE, Gustav Klauke GmbH, H.T.E. Engineering Limited, HD Electric Company, HTE Engineering Services Limited, Hindle Cockburns Limited, Hiross India Private Limited, Hiter Industria e Comercia de Controles Termo-Hidraulicos Ltda., Humboldt Hermetic Motor Corp., Hytork International Ltd., I Solutions Inc., ICC Intelligent Platforms GmbH, ISE-MagTech, Industrial Controls Canada ULC, Industrial Group Metran JSC, Instrument & Valve Services Company, Intelligent Platforms LLC, Intellution, International Gas Distribution SA, Intrinsic Safety Equipment of Texas Inc., JCF Fluid Flow India Private Limited, JSC Metran-Export, Joucomatic S.A., K Controls Limited, Keystone Germany Holdings Corp., Keystone Valve (Korea) LLC, Keystone Valve (U.K.) Limited, Klauke, Klauke (Jiangsu) Electrical Connection Technology Co Ltd., Klauke France SARL, Klauke Handelsgesellschaft mbH, Klauke Iberia S.L., Klauke Polska Sp. z.o.o., Klauke Slovakia s.r.o., Klauke UK Ltd., Knurr, Liebert, Liebert Swindon Limited, Locus Solutions LLC, Locus Traxx Worldwide, Locus Traxx Worldwide Europe BVBA, MDC Technology Limited, MDC Technology Trustees Limited, METCO Services Limited, MYNAH Technologies, Management Resources Group Inc., Mecafrance (Deutschland) GmbH, Metallurgical Services Laboratories Limited, Metaserv Limited, Metco Services Venezuela C.A., Micro Motion Inc., Mobrey Group Limited, Motores Hermeticos del Sur S.A. de C.V., NetworkPower Ecuador S.A., Nippon Fisher Co. Ltd., Novel Environmental Technologies Ltd., Novel Extinguishing Agent Technology Ltd., Numatics Incorporated, Nutsteel DHC B.V., Nutsteel Industria Metalurgica Ltda, O.M.T. Officina Meccanica Tartarini S.r.l., Open Systems International, P I Components Corp., PT Emerson Solutions Indonesia, PT. Emerson Indonesia, PT. Paradigm Geophysical Indonesia, Pactrol Controls Limited, PakSense, PakSense Inc., Paradigm, Paradigm (UK) Holding Limited, Paradigm B.V., Paradigm France S.A., Paradigm Geophysical (India) Private Limited, Paradigm Geophysical (KL) Sdn. Bhd., Paradigm Geophysical (Nigeria) Limited, Paradigm Geophysical (U.K.) Limited, Paradigm Geophysical B.V., Paradigm Geophysical Corp., Paradigm Geophysical Italy SRL, Paradigm Geophysical LLC, Paradigm Geophysical Limited, Paradigm Geophysical Pty Ltd, Paradigm Geophysical S.A., Paradigm Geophysical Sdn. Bhd., Paradigm Geophysical Spain S.L., Paradigm Geophysical de Venezuela C.A., Paradigm Geophysical do Brasil Ltda., Paradigm Geoservices Canada Ltd., Paradigm Geotechnology (Egypt) S.A.E., Paradigm Kazakhstan LLP, Paradigm Middle East FZ-LLC, Paradigm Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Parex Industries Limited, Pentair Valves & Controls, Pentair Valves and Controls India Private Limited, Permasense, Permasense Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd, Permasense Limited, ProSys, ProTeam Inc., Progea, RAC Technologies (Israel) Ltd., RIDGID Inc., RPP Europe GmbH, RPP LLC, Rey-Lam S. de R.L. de C.V., Ridge Tool (Australia) Pty. Ltd., Ridge Tool Company, Ridge Tool Europe NV, Ridge Tool GmbH, Ridge Tool GmbH & Co. OHG, Ridge Tool Manufacturing Company, Ridge Tool Pattern Company, Ridgid France SAS, Ridgid Italia S.R.L., Ridgid Online Inc., Ridgid Scandinavia A/S, Ridgid Werkzeuge AG, Rosemount China Inc., Rosemount Inc., Rosemount Measurement Limited, Rosemount Nuclear Instruments Inc., Rosemount Specialty Products LLC, Rosemount Tank Gauging India Pvt. Ltd., Rosemount Tank Gauging Middle East SPC, Rosemount Tank Gauging North America Inc., Rosemount Tank Radar AB, Rosemount Tank Radar Properties AB, Roxar, Roxar AS, Roxar Flow Measurement AS, Roxar Flow Measurement Sdn Bhd, Roxar Limited, Roxar Maximum Reservoir Performance W.L.L., Roxar Saudi Co., Roxar Services AS, Roxar Services OOO, Roxar Software Solutions AS, Roxar Technologies AS, Roxar Vietnam Company Ltd., Roxar de Venezuela C.A., Rutherfurd Acquisitions Limited, S.F.T. Group Ltd., SABO-Armaturen Service GmbH, Safety Systems UK Pte. Ltd., Sakhi-Raimondi Valve (India) Limited, Scroll Compressors LLC, Scroll Mexico LLC, Sempell GmbH, Shanghai Virgo Valves Technology Consulting Co. Ltd., Sherman + Reilly, Soluciones 0925 C.A., Spectra-Tek Holdings Limited, Spectra-Tek International Limited, Spectra-Tek UK Limited, Spectrex, Spectrex Inc., Spectronix Ltd., Spensall Engineering Limited, Steel Support Systems Limited, Stratos Lightwave, System Plast International B.V., System Plast Ltda, System Plast USA de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., TDM-avtomatizatsiya, TV&C GP Holding LLC, Taiwan Valve Co. Ltd., TechnipFMC, Termocontroles de Juarez S.A. de C.V., Tescom Corporation, Tescom Europe GmbH & Co. KG, Tescom Europe Management GmbH, The Automation Group Inc., The J.R. Clarkson Company LLC, Therm-O-Disc Europe B.V., Therm-O-Disc Incorporated, Thunderline Z Inc., TopWorx UK Limited, Tranmet Holdings B.V., Tranmet Holdings Limited, Verdant Environmental Technologies, Vilter Manufacturing LLC, Virgo Valves & Controls (ME) FZE, Virgo Valves and Controls Sdn Bhd, Von Arx AG, Vulsub 1 Limited, Vulsub Brasil Holding, Vulsub Brasil Ltda., Vulsub Chile SpA, Vulsub Gulf Holding Limited, Vulsub Holding III (Denmark) ApS, Vulsub Holding Ltd, Vulsub Holdings A LLC, Vulsub Holdings B LLC, Vulsub Holdings C LLC, Vulsub Holdings D LLC, Vulsub Italia S.r.l., Vulsub Middle East Holdings LLC, Vulsub Peru S.A.C., Vulsub Property Holding LLC, Vulsub Property Limited, Vulsub S.A., Vulsub South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Vulsub VZ C.A., Westinghouse Electric Pvt. Limited, Westlock Controls Limited, Westlock Equipamentos de Controle Ltda., Woodstock Land Company LLC, epro GmbH, iSolera Inc., iSolutions Private Limited, and intelliSAW.Wall Street analysts have given iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.TCF Financial Corporation operates as the financial holding company for TCF National Bank that provides various financial products and services in the United States and Canada. It operates through Consumer Banking, Commercial Banking, and Enterprise Services segments. The company offers checking, savings, and money market accounts; certificates of deposit; individual retirement accounts; debit and credit cards; and check cashing and remittance services. It also provides investment management and custodial services, trust services, financial and estate planning, and retirement planning and employee benefit programs; residential, consumer, and small business lending products; and consumer real estate secured lending, consumer loans, loans secured by personal property, and unsecured personal loans. In addition, the company offers loans and lines of credit, deposits, cash management, capital market products, international trade finance, letters of credit, foreign exchange management services, and loan syndication services. Further, it provides commercial and industrial, commercial real estate banking, and lease financing; and treasury services comprising investment and borrowing portfolios, as well as manages capital, debt, and market risks. As of December 31, 2020, the company operated 478 branches, including 373 traditional branches, 102 supermarket branches, and three campus branches located in Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Colorado, Ohio, Wisconsin, Arizona, and South Dakota; and 1,062 ATMs. TCF Financial Corporation was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Detroit, Michigan.

Read MoreXcel Energy, Inc. operates as a holding company, which engages in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity. It operates through the following three segments: Regulated Electric Utility, Regulated Natural Gas Utility and All Others. The Regulated Electric Utility segment generates, transmits and distributes electricity primarily in portions of generates, transmits and distributes electricity in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Texas and New Mexico. In addition, this segment includes sales for resale and provides wholesale transmission service to various entities in the United States. It also includes commodity trading operations. The Regulated Natural Gas Utility segment transports, stores, and distributes natural gas primarily in portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Michigan and Colorado. The All Others segment engages in steam, appliance repair services, nonutility real estate activities, processing solid waste into refuse-derived fuel and investments in rental housing projects that qualify for low-income housing tax credits. The company was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN.

Read MoreMAXIMUS, Inc. engages in the operation of government and human services programs. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Services; U.S. Federal Services; and Outside the U.S. The U.S. Services segment offers a variety of business process services, and appeals and assessments for state, provincial and national government programs. The U.S. Federal Services segment includes process solutions, program management, as well as system and software development, and maintenance services for various United States federal civilian programs. The Outside the U.S segment comprises of national, state, and county human services agencies with a variety of business process services, and related consulting services for welfare-to-work, child support, higher education institutions, and other human services programs. The company was founded by David V. Mastran in 1975 and is headquartered in Reston, VA.

Read MoreThe Adani Group has invested Rs 500 cr in Adani Capital, it's financial arm, in a bid to offer customised solutions to new entrepreneurs.

New Delhi: The Adani Group has invested Rs 500 cr in Adani Capital, it's financial arm, in a bid to offer customised solutions to new entrepreneurs. From farmers to small businessmen, ventures of different scales could benefit from this tech-driven endeavour.

The move comes amid widespread caution among public sector banks over the recent spate of towering bad loans. Started just over a year ago, the Adani Capital has accomplished an impressive footprint with 200 employees across 19 branches, comprising a healthy mix of Tier 2 cities and rural locations such as Nashik, Kolhapur, Himmatnagar and Mehsana.

"Our aim is to provide customised solutions to entrepreneurs, be it a farmer or a small businessman, by leveraging technology," said Gaurav Gupta, Chief Executive of Adani Capital.

"Entrepreneurs are the backbone of the economic growth and they are our target customers markets. We find a void in the existing scheme of things, which would be a customised solution for entrepreneurs," he added.

The products bouquet ranges between INR one lakh and INR 50 crores with a focus on commercial vehicles, business loan segments and agro ventures. The company's all-digital channel finance product is already live with more than 100 customers.

Two banking sector veterans, R M Malla, ex-chairman and managing director of IDBI Bank, and Sunil Gulati, former top executive with RBL and Yes Bank, have been appointed as independent directors in the company.

Once heading the investment banking business of the Macquarie Group, Gupta, took up this unique entrepreneurial assignment in the conglomerate. Market sentiments indicate healthy growth in the near future for Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs). Estimates suggest that the non-banking financiers might account for nearly one-fifth of the overall loan market share by 2020.India, China, Russia, Japan, Turkey and the European Union have all dismissed that claim, regarding the US tariffs.

Geneva: India has launched a complaint against the United States to challenge US President Donald Trumps tariffs on steel and aluminium, a filing published by the World Trade Organization showed on Wednesday.

Indian officials told Reuters last month that their government would open a WTO dispute if the countrys firms were not granted an exemption.

Trump imposed the tariffs in March, levying 25 per cent on steel imports and 10 per cent on aluminium. He said they were justified by national security concerns and therefore outside the WTOs remit.

India, China, Russia, Japan, Turkey and the European Union have all dismissed that claim, regarding the US tariffs as safeguards under the WTO rules, entitling them to a combined $3.5 billion in annual compensation.

Indias retaliation claim seeks to recoup a cost of $31 million levied on its aluminium exports and $134 million on steel, and it has said it could target US exports of soya oil, palmolein and cashew nuts in its retaliation.

Its latest legal challenge seeks to force the United States to scrap the tariffs entirely. It follows a similar move last month by China, which Washington called completely baseless.

Under WTO rules, the United States has 60 days to settle the complaint, after which India could ask the WTO to set up an expert panel to adjudicate.

However, uncertainty is hanging over the WTOs dispute settlement system because Trump is vetoing the appointment of new appeals judges.

In its complaint, India listed a string of ways the US tariffs violated the WTO rules and unfairly damaged Indias interests.

It said they broke the WTOs safeguards agreement and the United States was trying to use its tariffs to get other countries to agree to voluntary export restraints.

The United States had also exceeded the maximum import tariff allowed by the WTO and the tariffs were not applied uniformly to steel and aluminium imports from all suppliers, breaking a core principle of the WTO rulebook.MobiKwik's users can, by default, use their mobile number as their own VPA which will be '@ikwik'.

New Delhi: Leading digital financial services platform, MobiKwik, on Wednesday announced the launch of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) on its platform via its own Virtual payment address (VPA) handle @ikwik.

MobiKwik's users can, by default, use their mobile number as their own VPA which will be '@ikwik'.

They will also be able to link multiple bank accounts with just one VPA and users can change primary account as per their requirements.

Users can simply scan and generate UPI QR functionality to send and receive money using VPA and phone number from the contact list.

If the receiver is also registered in Mobikwik UPI ecosystem, sender can send money by selecting his contact from phone book without remembering VPA domain. It will also be possible for the users to request money using UPI on the MobiKwik app.

"Our strength lies in user experience, the wide network of merchants and the numerous daily life use-cases we power. We intend to provide all payments options, including wallets, virtual cards and UPI, to ensure convenience across our user base. Mobikwik will be first player of scale to include all interoperable features in its UPI launch app," said Bipin Preet Singh, founder and CEO, MobiKwik.

"We believe that with UPI on our platform, we will be able to empower our users with the power of transferring between bank accounts in an extremely safe and simple manner. With the roll out of UPI, we expect a reduction in the usage of debit cards and internet banking on the MobiKwik app, as UPI will offer a better user experience. Keeping in mind our reach on the merchant side, we hope to substantially increase momentum of merchant transactions on UPI. We will be adding more payment options for the benefit of our users in the times to come," Singh added.

MobiKwik is the first in the industry to offer UPI access to a huge base of three million merchants on its app.

The platform is amongst the first few in the industry to offer Bharat QR, UPI QR and intent functionality for merchant payments.

Additionally, all the MobiKwik users will be able to do P2P bank transfers using UPI.

Promoted by the Indian government, UPI powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application of any participating bank, merging several banking features, aimed at offering seamless routing of fund and merchant payments from this single platform.In Andhra Pradesh, he said the company would invest Rs 827 crore for projects, which include the construction of new terminal near Vizag and Guntakal.

Hyderabad: Indian Oil Corp will invest Rs 1,387 crore for the construction of various projects in AP and Telangana over the next few years, a senior official said.

Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, IOC executive director Subodh Dakwale said the company would invest Rs 500 crore for setting up a new oil and gas terminal at Malkapur near Chottuppal in Nalgonda district at a cost of Rs 500 crore.

In Andhra Pradesh, he said the company would invest Rs 827 crore for projects, which include the construction of new terminal near Vizag and Guntakal and ramping up of Vijayawada terminal.aVance Business Hub comprises 10 buildings with total leasable area of 4.6 million sq ft, of which nine buildings with 3.4 million sq ft have been completed.

Mumbai: Ascendas Property Fund Trustee, the trustee manager of Ascendas India Trust (a-iTrust) on Thursday said it will acquire two commercial buildings owned by Phoenix Infocity located in Hitec City in Hyderabad for a consideration of around Rs 1,350 crore.

Ascendas property Fund Trustee has entered into a forward purchase agreement with Phoenix Infocity (together with related companies) to acquire two buildings, aVance 5 and 6, with a combined leasable area of 1.8 million sq ft, in aVance Business Hub, the company said in a statement here.

For this acquisition, a-iTrust along with its affiliates will provide construction funding through inter-corporate deposits and debentures issued by the master developer amounting to Rs 887.40 crore. aVance Business Hub comprises 10 buildings with total leasable area of 4.6 million sq ft, of which nine buildings with 3.4 million sq ft have been completed and leased to leading IT companies the likes of HCL, Cognizant, IBM and Amazon.

To date, a-iTrust has acquired four buildings aggregating to 1.5 million sq ft. The Trust also has a right of first refusal to acquire four other buildings totalling 1.2 million sq ft, it said.The broader NSE Nifty scaled a high of 10,535.15 before closing at 10,513.85, up 83.50 points, or 0.80 per cent.

Mumbai: The BSE Sensex rebounded over 318 points on Thursday on robust buying in IT, banking, metal and pharma stocks amid mixed global cues.

This is the benchmark's biggest single session gain since April 5, when its had surged by 577.73 points.

Unabated buying by domestic institutional investors (DIIs) contributed to the uptrend.

The BSE Sensex stayed in the positive terrain throughout the session and hit a high of 34,741.46 intra-day, before finishing at 34,663.11 -- showing a sharp rise of 318.20 points, or 0.93 per cent.

The gauge had lost 306.33 points in Wednesday's trade.

The broader NSE Nifty scaled a high of 10,535.15 before closing at 10,513.85, up 83.50 points, or 0.80 per cent.

Technology stocks rallied, with the IT index up 2.45 per cent as TCS, Infosys, Wipro and HCL Technologies spurted following favourable rupee movement.

Pharma, banking, financials and metals stocks also lent support to the market.

Meanwhile, domestic institutional investors bought shares worth a net Rs 789.78 crore, while foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold equities worth Rs 311.11 crore on Wednesday, provisional data showed.Actress Tannishtha Chatterjee is not from the commercial side of the business; she is known to give some great performances. So be it Parched or Angry Indian Goddesses or her well known act in British film Brick Lane, Tannishtha is one of Indian cinemas global faces.

Now we hear that Tannishtha is working on her directorial venture. Sources say that the actress has been working on her script for a while and has also spoken to some of her co-actors to essay the lead role.

Tannishtha has a very interesting script and she has approached Nawazuddin Siddiqui for the lead role. The movie is said to go on the floors sometime by the end of this year and will see the marquee in the second half of 2019. Tannishtha also wants the film to do the festival rounds before it gets a commercial release, informs a source.

But actress is not in a position to confirm anything at the moment. There is nothing concrete to talk about at the moment, is the actress refrain.Everybody loves Priyanka. No doubt about that. Whats not to love about an empowered, beautiful, self-made woman from Bollywood who has broken hearts as well the glass ceiling and has paved the way for Indian actors in Hollywood. But last week handloom textile champion Jaya Jaitly tweeted, How sad an Indian actor attending the royal wedding in UK should dress like a British aristocrat at Ascot rather than represent a free and independent India in a beautiful sari.

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Jaitlys comment was made after a confident Priyanka sashayed into the wedding of her friend Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in a lavender morning suit from British designer Vivienne Westwood. Jaitly has opened a can of worms. Netizens across the world have defended PC, commenting on how nobody else has the right to dictate what a woman wears to her friends wedding.

Jaitly is the founder of the Dastkari Haat Samiti and an ardent advocate for Indian arts and crafts. But her complaint goes beyond PC; she later clarified on Twitter All these actors, they dress up in all these fancy gowns by fancy designers who pay them for wearing their outfits and so they get fat money. Now, I keep feeling as I am loyal to our weavers and our textiles in India and we are working all our lives to revive it... We never attach a human being (the weavers name) with the brand name unless it has a designers name.

So Jaitlys comment is not about sanskaar or the sari and not intended to bring down another woman but to uplift the lives of Indian weavers. Of course, PC has the right to wear what she wants, but a little nod to her Indian roots would have been welcome at what was touted as the most inclusive royal wedding in history.

The bride, an American, an activist, former actor and a woman of mixed race was proudly represented by her African-American social worker mother. Of note is the garb chosen by the young Indian ladies of Mumbai NGO Myna Mahila Foundation to the royal wedding  handloom from Indian textile expert Sanjay Garg. So dear PC please help your country and the cause  a western outfit in Indian textiles next time?Rambha, once a popular actress in all south languages as well as in Bollywood, had quit films, post her marriage in 2010 with Indrakumar, a NRI from Canada.

Now, the actress is pregnant for the third time and she shared a picture on her FB account where she happily flaunts her baby bump. She also expressed her joy over the news.

Rambha took to her Instagram to share the good news with her fans. On this very happy moment, I wish to share my happy news to all my loved ones around the world that I am pregnant with our baby number 3 showing off my pregnancy baby bump picture proudly:)) I cannot express my bundles of joy please pray for me and my family.

The actress has acted in more than 100 films and returned to showbiz a few years back in television with a dance reality show. One may recall that two years ago the couple had applied for divorce and eventually sorted things out during counselling sessions.In the letter Malhotra points out that India's Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, contains outdated penalties, such as a maximum fine of Rs 50 for convicted first offenders who abuse an animal, which he calls "barely equivalent to a slap on the wrist".

Mumbai: On behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, Bollywood superstar Sidharth Malhotra sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting stronger penalties for people who commit acts of cruelty to animals.

In the letter Malhotra points out that India's Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, contains outdated penalties, such as a maximum fine of Rs 50 for convicted first offenders who abuse an animal, which he calls "barely equivalent to a slap on the wrist".

Sidhart Malhotra's letter to PM Modi

"As a result, the newspapers are filled with reports of disturbing and egregious animal abuse in our country," he writes, "including incidents in which dogs were poisoned, cows were burned with acid, and cats were beaten to death. This does significant damage to our reputation as a nation that respects animals."

This comes close at the heels of two malnourished and mistreated horses being rescued by Mumbai police thanks to a PETA

In the letter the Bollywood actor goes on to note that psychologists, sociologists, and law-enforcement officials have all documented that children who hurt animals often end up hurting other humans. "If those guilty of cruelty to animals received jail time and significant fines  as well as counselling and a ban on contact with animals  it would help ensure that our duty under Article 51A(g) of the Constitution of India to show animals compassion is better upheld and respected and that society at large is protected from violent behaviour," he concludes.

Malhotra previously starred in a campaign for PETA India  whose motto reads, in part, that "animals are not ours to abuse in any way"  promoting the sterilisation of dogs and cats. He joins a line-up of stars who have called for strengthened animal-protection laws, including John Abraham, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arjun Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Raveena Tandon Thadani, Dr Kiran Bedi, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, and Ajinkya Rahane.The destroyed garage held tools and appliances (Photo: AP)

Ohio: Authorities say a homeowner trying to kill troublesome weeds with a torch has burned down his garage.

The Springfield News-Sun reports Springfield Township firefighters in central Ohio were called to a home around 4 a.m. Thursday for a detached garage engulfed in flames.

No one was injured.

Fire officials learned the man had been trying to eliminate weeds around the garage. Theyre calling the blaze an accident.

The destroyed garage held tools and appliances. Fire officials estimate the loss at between $10,000 and $15,000.The decomposed body of the 71-year-old man was found from a 15-foot-deep pit in their backyard on Tuesday. (Representational Image)

Guwahati: A woman in Assams Biswanath district reportedly killed her father after he tried to rape her at their home in March this year.

The decomposed body of the 71-year-old man was found from a 15-foot-deep pit in their backyard on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old woman and four of her family members have been arrested in connection with the incident. The woman has been charged with murder while the other four, including her mother, were booked for hiding evidence.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, the woman told the police that the deceased allegedly tried to rape her at around 11 pm on March 3. When she resisted, he took out an axe. However, she managed to overpower him and killed him with the same weapon.

Later, her mother and elder brother helped her hide the body in another room of the house. Two more sisters joined them the next morning, the police officer said.

The family members kept the body concealed in plastic bags for the three days it took to dig the pit. They finally buried it on March 7, Hindustan Times quoted a police officer as saying.

The matter came to light when the family filed a missing complaint with the Biswanath Chariali police on May 11. The statements they provided during questioning did not corroborate, said district superintendent of police Diganta Kumar Chaudhary.

Further probe disclosed that the family had recently dug a pit in the backyard of their residence. When asked again, the woman confessed to the crime.

The family members of the woman have claimed that the deceased used to sexually abuse his daughter, who is an MA student at a local college, on a regular basis.

However, the police officer said that they are looking at the case from different angles, including property disputes.The men stepped out of the auto with lethal weapons and launched a merciless attack on Kush.

Bengaluru: A 30-year-old auto driver was brutally hacked to death by five unidentified men near the Central Silk Board auto stand in the early hours of Wednesday.

The deceased, Kush, was a resident of Maranahalli in JP Nagar police limits. Kush was in his auto waiting for passengers around 3 am when another auto with five men stopped near his vehicle. The men stepped out of the auto with lethal weapons and launched a merciless attack on Kush.

"The deceased had multiple injuries on his body. The assailants might have come armed with machetes and it seemed to be a pre-planned murder," the police said. Prima facie, it could be a murder over personal rivalry, the police said.

Kush drove his auto only during nights as he worked elsewhere in the morning.

Mico Layout police rushed to the spot and shifted the body to a hospital for post-mortem. A case has been registered and the police are trying to trace the accused.The victim, Kirti Vallabh, was out for a walk when the incident took place. (Representational Image)

New Delhi: A woman learning to drive mowed down a 72-year-old man after she lost control of the car in Delhi on Tuesday.

The woman, identified as Santoshi Devi (29), has been arrested and charged with negligent driving causing death.

She did not have a licence, police said.

The victim, Kirti Vallabh, was out for a walk when the incident took place.

According to a report in NDTV, eyewitnesses said that Vallabh tried to stop her with his arms raised when he saw her approaching him but instead of applying the brakes, she pressed the accelerator, crashing into him.

The police are likely to charge her husband too as the car belonged to him, sources said.

Santoshi Devi told the police that she pressed the accelerator instead of the brake in panic.

Vallabh's daughter said the family was not at home when the incident took place. Following the incident, neighbours called Vallabh's daughter who came with her husband and took her father to the hospital where he was declared dead, the NDTV report further added.Hyderabab: The LB Nagar police arrested a software company employee on Tuesday for allegedly cheating and raping an engineering student.

LB Nagar inspector Kasi Reddy said K. Ravi Teja, 26, was a relative of the victim. Ravi came in touch with the victim few years ago at a family function and become close slowly. After a period of time, he proposed marriage to the victim, and both families agreed, the inspector said.

Taking advantage of the proximity, the accused lured the victim to his house in Nagole and sexually assaulted her. After the incident, Ravi and his family started avoiding the victim.

After the incident, the victim along with her family went to Ravis house and requested them to continue with the alliance, said the official.

This angered Ravis father K. Jagdeshwar Babu, who allegedly caught hold of the victim by her hair and dragged her away from the steps, the inspector said. To pacify the victims family, Ravi agreed and their engagement was performed earlier this year.

After this, Ravi and his family again started avoiding the victim and her family. When the victim questioned Ravi, he and his family threatened her with dire consequences if she contacted them again.

The victims family lodged a complaint with the police, and Ravi was arrested by the LB Nagar police and sent to judicial remand. Ravi has been booked for rape and cheating.On Wednesday evening, the accused went to her house, kicked opened the door and beat up the mother and relatives, inspector Jagadish Chander said. (Representational Image)

Hyderabad: Neredmet police arrested a 19-year-old school dropout on Thursday for beating up the family of a minor girl he was stalking for a year.

Neredmet inspector Jagadish Chander identified the dropout as Sravan, 19, who failed his SSC exam. The victim is a minor and is doing her intermediate.

For the past year, Sravan was pursuing the complainant. She had refused his proposal two to three times in the past, the inspector said.

Sravan even threatened the complainant that he would end his life if she did not cooperate. The parents of the complainant warned Sravan in the past to stay away from their daughter, the inspector said. In April, he started harassing the complainant again.

On May 14, Sravan allegedly stopped the complainant when she returning home in the evening and asked her why she was not taking his calls. He did not let her go until she spoke to him, the inspector said.

On Wednesday evening, the accused went to her house, kicked opened the door and beat up the mother and relatives, inspector Jagadish Chander said. Following this incident, the minor went to the police who booked a case against Sravan under PoCSO Act and IPC.Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday ordered suspension of internet services in Tuticorin and adjoining districts of Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari for five days to prevent spread of rumours through social media and help bring public tranquility.

The government also transferred district collector N Venkatesh and Superintendent of Police P Mahendran on Wednesday.

Tirunelveli District collector, Sandeep Nanduri has been appointed as Tuticorin district, an official release said.

Nilgiris District SP Murali Rambha will replace P Mahendran.

Blaming provocative messages spread through social media, the government in an order said such messages led to a massive gathering of about 20,000 people on Tuesday in Tuticorin against Sterlite's copper plant which subsequently resulted in violence and police action.

Noting that anti-social elements were trying to exploit the situation, the government directed nodal officers of Internet Service Providers in these three districts to suspend internet services till May 27 effective from Wednesday.

Citing a communique in this respect from the Director General of Police, the order said "it is felt necessary that the services of internet should be stopped/curtailed to prevent spread of such rumours."

With 11 falling to police firing on Tuesday, when the anti-Sterlite stir entered the 100th day and the protesters marched to the district collectors office to present demand for permanent closure of the copper smelter unit alleging it was polluting environment and groundwater, one more death on Wednesday has now taken the toll in the unfortunate and avoidable tragedy to 12.The directions also have been issued to city police commissioners to increase vigil, the police sources said.

Chennai/Thoothukudi: As many as 317 persons including 33 women were detained and released later in Chennai for blocking roads in the city. The protestors blocked roads at 31 locations condemning the police shoot-out and killing of 12 persons in Thoothukudi.

According to the police, a total of 2093 men and 152 women participated in the protests in the city. DMK MLAs KPP Samy and S. Sudharsanam also took part in the protests conducted in Tiruvottiyur and Kasimedu.

Meanwhile, DGP T.K. Rajendran also propped the police superintendents of all the districts to beef up the security.

The directions also have been issued to city police commissioners to increase vigil, the police sources said.

The sources also added that the DGP office has issued orders to amplify the security arrangements and police deployments on coastal villages in the state and directed them to keep round the clock vigil. The higher officials also directed to take severe actions against those who instigate protests. Tight security will be in place until the tension is alleviated, sources added.

In the meantime, the police department, anticipating the protests in Chennai, has deployed thousands of police personnel in various spots in the city such as Marina beach, DGP office, Chennai collector Office.

Chennai police have increased their vigil at all the fishermen hamlet from Ennore to Kanathur, sources said.

132 arrested for riots in Thoothukudi

Police picked up 132 men in connection with the Thoothukudi riots on May 22 and 23, according to Thoothukudi district police superintendent P. Mahendran.

Issuing a statement on Wednesday, the Thoothukudi SP stated that the violent mob indulged in large-scale violence on May 22, pelting stones, hurling petrol bombs at several government buildings and setting ablaze 127 government and private vehicles. In the police action taken to control the rioters, 10 were killed.

Police picked up 65 men who led the riot.

On the second day of the riot, according to police, the rioters set ablaze two police buses, two vehicles belonging to the agriculture department and a private vehicle. The rioters also damaged CCTV cameras fitted at Bryant nagar and Annanagar.

To control this, police fired rubber bullets in which a youth was killed. In connection with the second day violence, police picked up 67 men, who along with the 65 picked up on the previous day, are likely to be remanded, said the Thoothukudi police superintendent.

Senior advocate Chandrasekar filed a petition at the Thoothukudi district chief judicial magistrate complaining that police had kept 96 men in wrongful custody at the Vallanad police shooting range without registering any case.

SHRC seeks detailed report from state

The State Human Rights Commission directed the government to file detailed report in connection with police shootout against anti-Sterlite protesters in Thoothukudi on Tuesday. Initiating suo motu proceedings based on newspaper reports, the chairperson of the commission Justice T. Meenakumari on Wednesday directed principal secretary, home, prohibition and excise department and collector, Thoothukudi district, to file report in connection with the death of 10 persons following shoot out in Thoothukudi on Tuesday.

The commission has also ordered probe under Director General of Police/director, investigation division, SHRC.The DMK and other opposition parties in Tamil Nadu called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh on May 25. (Photo: PTI)

Chennai: The DMK and other opposition parties in Tamil Nadu called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh on May 25, condemning the police action against protestors in Tuticorin, in which 11 people lost their lives in the last two days.

The DMK had on Wednesday called for an all-party protest at all district headquarters on May 25 to condemn the police firing in Tuticorin district.

In a statement issued late on Wednesday night, the DMK said instead of the all-party protest, a bandh would be observed on May 25 to condemn the police action and demand the closure of the Sterlite copper smelting plant in Tuticorin district.

Stating that the people living in Tuticorin and its neighbouring districts were angered by the police action against the agitators, the release said, The bandh will also reflect the feelings of Tamils.

The DMK, All India National Congress, Dravidar Kazhagam, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, CPI, CPI(M), Indian Union Muslim League, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi will participate in the day-long state-wide protest, it added.Violence erupted in Tuticorin two days ago as people protested against the Vedanta-owned Sterlite copper plant. (Photo: PTI)

Tuticorin: Tensions continue to grip Tamil Nadus Tuticorin after 13 people were killed in clashes between security personnel and locals demanding closure of a copper factory over pollution concerns.

Violence erupted in the city two days ago as people protested against the Vedanta-owned Sterlite copper plant. 10 people were killed after the police opened fire on a rally on Tuesday, which marked the 100th day of demonstrations.

Read: Stop acting: Policeman told dying anti-Sterlite protestor in Tuticorin

Amid the oppositions criticisms, the state government constituted a Commission of Inquiry headed by retired Madras High Court judge Aruna Jagadeesan to probe the violence.

The Union Home Ministry has, meanwhile, sought a report from the Tamil Nadu government on the circumstances leading to police firing on protesters.

The state government and also shunted out the collector and Superintendent of Police of Tuticorin.

Internet services in Tuticorin and adjoining districts of Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari have also been suspended till May 27 to prevent spread of rumours through social media.

Also Read: After fresh violence, internet services suspended in Tuticorin, top cop shifted

The DMK, led by M K Stalin, and other opposition parties in the state have called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh on May 25, condemning the police action against protestors.

Here are the LIVE updates:

07:02 pm: "Total of 13 people have died, including 11 men and 2 women. 102 people have been injured out of which 19 are severe cases. Vehicles worth Rs 1 crore 27 lakh have been burnt down," Shailesh Kumar, IG (South Range) said.

07:01 pm: "We have cut Sterlite's electricity, government is also not willing to let it run. We have cut the electricity that itself shows that we want to shut it down," Thoothukudi District Collector said.

04:56 pm: ATM kiosks and vehicles set ablaze during anti-Sterlite protests in Thoothukudi. Internet service is suspended and Section 144 (prevents assembly of more than 4 people) is imposed in the area.

(Photo: ANI | Twitter)

(Photo: ANI | Twitter)

04:38 pm: TTV Dhinakaran meets people who were injured during anti-Sterlite protests and are admitted at Government Hospital.

(Photo: ANI | Twitter)

04:11 pm: "The electricity supply to Sterlite Industries has been cut off," government monitoring officer, Gagandeep Singh Bedi, said.

03:26 pm: "65 people have been arrested and remanded for indulging in violence during anti-Sterlite protests in Tuticorin. Another 68 people have been arrested and will be produced in front of the magistrate for causing damage to public property & indulging in violence," Sandeep Nanduri, Collector said.

03:20 pm: Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi (TVK) holds protest condemning the police firing during protests in Tuticorin.

03:18 pm: A meeting is being held at the collector's Office in Tuticorin, which is being chaired by government monitoring officers, Davidhar and Gagandeep Singh Bedi. Other officials are also present in the meeting. The meeting is being held to discuss on how normalcy can be brought in the region.

01:14 pm: If someone is attacked, the natural course would be to defend and safeguard themselves. This is what has been done by the police in response, Palanisamy added.

01:12 pm: The entire episode which happened was primarily because of certain political parties, NGOs and anti-social elements, who took protestors to a wrong path, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy said.

(Photo: Twitter/ANI)

01:02 pm: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, Deeply pained by loss of lives during protests in Tuticorin. PM is also concerned about situation and is pained by loss of lives. The Ministry of Home Affairs has taken cognisance of situation and has asked for report from the state government. Our thoughts are with the people of Tuticorin.

11:55 am: My first priority is to bring back normalcy. As far as the violence, the shooting and who gave the orders for the shooting is concerned, an inquiry will be done by a judge appointed by the Tamil Nadu government, newly-appointed Thoothukudi District Collector Sandeep Nanduri said.

11:53 am: A clash between DMK workers and police took place outside Tamil Nadu secretariat, while the former were protesting over killings in anti-Sterlite protest. The workers were blocking the vehicle in which M K Stalin and other party leaders were being taken.

(Photo: Twitter/ANI)

11:36 am: Stalin, who was holding a protest outside Tamil Nadu secretariat has been detained by the police. Several others detained too, ANI reported.

(Photo: Twitter/ANI)

11:14 am: DMK working president M K Stalin with other party leaders stage protest outside Tamil Nadu secretariat over killings during anti-Sterlite protests in Tuticorin. 13 people have died in the firing by police during protests on May 22 and more than 70 people are undergoing treatment.

(Photo: Twitter/ANI)

11:11 am: A Tamil Nadu based advocate moved a plea in Delhi High Court seeking its direction to National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to visit the location and conduct separate inquiry into Tuticorin violence, instead of asking for report from state police and chief secretary of the state. Court likely to hear the petition on Friday.

10:55 am: Even after death of 12 innocent people, no action has been taken against the culprits. CM has become ineffective. He did not bother to visit the district and meet the people. Therefore, we demand that CM must resign immediately. DGP Rajendran must resign too, DMK chief M K Stalin said.

09:38 am: Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board has directed District collector of Tuticorin to disconnect power supply to Sterlite Coppers smelter. The board found the unit was 'carrying out activities to resume production' despite being told not to do so until its licence to operate is renewed.

08:15 am: DMK to observe state-wide shut down on May 25 in protest against the killing of 13 people in the firing by police on May 22 and AIADMK led state government. The party will also demand that Sterlite copper smelter plant in Tuticorin be shut down permanently.

Also Read: Anti-Sterlite protest: DMK, allies call for state-wide bandh on May 25

08:09 am: Death toll rises to 13 in the firing by police during anti-Sterlite protests on May 22 and more than 70 people are undergoing treatment. No fresh protest has been reported overnight. Police has been deployed in large numbers in the sensitive coastal areas.

07:56 am: State government knew that this being 100th day of agitation, it's going to be bigger. They should've made better arrangements to maintain law and order but nothing was done. They simply resorted to firing. It was a massacre, almost like Jallianwala Bagh, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said.

07:26 am: Internet services to remain temporarily suspended in Tuticorin from 9 pm on Tuesday till further instruction by the administration.Thoothukudi/Chennai: Police in Thoothukudi opened fire again on Wednesday to control a rioting mob at Anna Nagar, killing Kaliappan, 22, and injuring five others. Police came under attack with stones and petrol bombs, eyewitnesses said.

With 11 falling to police firing on Tuesday, when the anti-Sterlite stir entered the 100th day and the protesters marched to the district collectors office to present demand for permanent closure of the copper smelter unit alleging it was polluting environment and groundwater, Kaliappans death now has taken the toll in the unfortunate and avoidable tragedy to 12.

While the conflict seemed set for a prolonged showdown between the State and the protesters, who appear to be backed by a well-organised network of activists and Tamil fringe groups, the flare-up is also spreading to other parts of Tamil Nadu and adjacent Puducherry.

The Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Wednesday ordered stay of the Sterlite expansion work and asked the Centre to submit a report within four months after holding a public hearing in Thoothukudi. The significant court order was hailed by the protesters as their first victory but considering that they are now divided among different groups, their agitation is likely to go on unless the government quickly takes up damage-controlling exercises to assuage public fears while handling the law-breakers with firmness.

The government has ordered revamp of the district administration bringing in a new collector and SP, besides sending two seasoned IAS officials, agriculture secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi and transport secretary PWC Dawidar, to oversee the much-needed healing/firming up process as the monitoring officers.

Tamils in London staged protest outside the residence of Vedanta Group chairman Anil Agarwal, waving placards and demanding closure of his Sterlite unit in Thoothukudi. The Vedanta shares dropped by six per cent in the Indian share market.

The companys woes seem worsening with the state government making clear it was keen on the closure of the Thoothukudi factory, which was established way back in 1993.

Collector, SP shifted out of Thoothukudi

Chennai: A day after the brutal police firiing killed 11 persons for protesting against Sterlite Copper in Thoothukudi, the government shunted out district collector N.Venkatesh and Superintendent of Police P. Mahendran on Wednesday.

In an order, Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan appointed Sandeep Nanduri, currently the collector of Tirunelveli district, as the collector of Thoothukudi district. N. Venkatesh has been transferred and posted as additional state project director for implementation of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. In a separate order, home secretary Niranjan Mardi transferred P. Mahendran and posted him as deputy commissioner of police (Traffic-North), Greater Chennai Police. SP of Nilgiris district, Murali Rambha, is the new SP of Thoothukudi.The accused was produced in Pithoragarh court on Wednesday from where he was taken to Lucknow on transit remand. (Representational Image)

Mumbai: A cook of a Indian diplomat was arrested on Tuesday night for allegedly working for the Pakistans Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) and leaking classified information in exchange of money.

According to a report in The Times of India, Ramesh Singh (35), a native of Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand, was working as a cook at the house of an Indian diplomat in Pakistan for nearly two years.

He was arrested in a joint operation by Uttar Pradeshs Anti-Terror Squad (ATS), military intelligence and Uttarakhand police from his house in Pithoragarhs Garali village.

Police said that Singh bugged the Indian diplomats house with the help of ISI to get sensitive information.

Sources said Singh was into farming when a relative approached him with the offer of a job of cook in Pakistan. He then worked as a domestic help from mid-2015 to September 2017 at the residence of an Indian defence attache in Pakistan, the report further added.

While in Pakistan, he came in contact with ISI, which offered him money against classified information from the diplomats house. Singh shared a diary and some documents of the diplomat with the ISI.

Uttar Pradesh ATS Inspector General Asim Arun said that the Uttarakhand DGP had sought their help in the case a few months ago. Directorate of Military Intelligence was also roped in for the investigation.

Singh was produced in Pithoragarh court on Wednesday from where he was taken to Lucknow on transit remand.The home ministry has also received a report from the Rajasthan Police on the arrests. (Photo: File | PTI)

New Delhi: A home ministry official, who was arrested for allegedly demanding and accepting bribe for granting long-term visa to Pakistani immigrants, has been placed under suspension, officials said today.

The ministry is also conducting an inquiry to find out whether there were lacunas in clearing pending cases of Pakistani immigrants applying for Indian citizenship or extending long-term visa (LTV), and how to improve the whole process.

The official, P K Mishra, a senior secretariat assistant in the Foreigners Division of the Home Ministry, who was arrested along with three others by the Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau last week, has been placed under suspension, an official said.

As per the government rules, any official arrested for any offence and in police custody for more than 48 hours deemed suspended from service.

Mishra was allegedly exploiting the process of delay in taking decisions on granting Indian citizenship or extending long-term visa to Pakistani immigrants while demanding and accepting bribes, another official said.

He was not the deciding authority but was part of processing the applications.

The home ministry has also received a report from the Rajasthan Police on the arrests and the alleged racket of "bribe-for-visa", the official said.

Rajasthan police officials said the alleged racket was operating in the region for several years in connivance with government officials, who used an extensive network of agents, many of whom were Pakistani Hindu immigrants.

Three other people arrested were Ashok, Govind and Bhagwan Ram, all Pakistani immigrants.Bengaluru: Haradanahalli Deve Gowda Kumaraswamy or H D Kumaraswamy, the newly sworn in Chief Minister of Karnataka made clear he is the CM and will hold the reins while his father H D Deve Gowda, former prime minister of India, will not micro-manage the administration.

Talking to The Times of India (TOI), Kumaraswamy said, "My father is the senior-most politician and his experience will definitely be utilised. But I want to make it clear to all that he will not micro-manage the administration. I am the CM and I will hold the reins. With regard to my fathers meeting with the chief secretary and police chiefs, it was a courtesy call by the latter. My fathers advice will be appreciated; I reiterate that he will not interfere. I have lived with the people and I too know their pulse, I am the peoples CM."

When asked how he will handle issues concerning responsiveness and cooperation from the BJP-led Centre, Kumaraswamy said, Fighting it out at the hustings is different and dealing with the Centre is different. I will not go for a confrontation with the Centre. We will convince them about our requirements and persuade them to act favourably. Karnataka is the second highest revenue generating state in the country and we hope the BJP-led government appreciates the states contribution and takes decisions accordingly. The Centre should not show step-motherly treatment to Karnataka because they are not in power here and should not politicise everything.

Kumaraswamy said that issues like that of Cauvery should be sorted out through persuasion and negotiation with leaders from the neighbouring states. We cannot fight it depending on the law as emotions of the people are involved. I will start speaking to leaders from the neighbouring states and make all efforts to settle issues amicably. the newly sworn Karnataka Chief Minister said.

Talking about BJPs view that the JD(S)-Congress alliance will crumble soon, Kumaraswamy said, BJP will obviously want us to fail. I had said earlier that I will be the person who will stall Narendra Modi-Amit Shahs successful march and I have done it. Not just BJP, a lot of people are suspicious about our stability. Well, I know that running the coalition is not an easy task and there are limitations, but I am confident that we will succeed. We will overcome the initial teething problems quickly and work as a family. Moreover, I have learnt from the mistakes of the past, I will not waste time digging into the past and will deliver a stable government.

Kumarswamy said his priority is to address the issues pertaining to the farming sector. I will work towards ensuring that farmers do not face any crisis and live up to the confidence they have reposed in me, he said.

The next on Kumaraswamys list is development of infrastructure in Bengaluru. We need to expedite work instead of dragging it citing trivial issues. We will focus on employment generation, women empowerment, health and education, the Karnataka Chief Minister added.

Talking about the coming together of several leaders and chief ministers of different states during his oath-taking ceremony, Kumaraswamy said, This is for the first time in history that such a thing has happened and it signals the beginning of a new chapter in the country.

Kumaraswamy said that the new government will not discontinue any of the welfare programmes and schemes by the Siddaramaiah government but will improvise the same and start new ones.

Kumaraswamy said that he has been observing that the administration has been vitiated by caste-related politics in the last few years. He said he will start reviewing the performance of different departments and take a call on a bureaucratic reshuffle in a months time. We will give importance to performance while choosing officials, Kumaraswamy said.

Read the full interview of newly sworn in Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy here.Nilani in her TV dress says she is ashamed of wearing the uniform.

Chennai: As a precautionary measure and to prevent the spread of Thoothukudi violence to adjacent districts of Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari, the state home secretary Niranjan Mardi on Wednesday passed government orders to the all nodal officers of Internet service providers directing them to suspend the internet connections in the three districts.

The order said the state received information that about 20,000 people had convened due to the spread of messages in social media and there was information that videos instigating people with half-truths were being spread via social media aimed to disturb the public peace. Invoking the public safety and emergency rules 2017, the government now directed the private telecom sectors to suspend Internet connection from May 23 to 27.

Meanwhile there were also reports of cable TVs being disconnected and news items related to the Sterlite stir blacked out in several parts in south TN.

Needless to say, the suspension of Internet has caused concern among the people in the three southern districts, already distressed over the happenings over the last few days in the police action on anti-Sterlite protesters.

"This is reminding us of the Emergency period. How will the people there access their bank accounts and book railway tickets?" asked T Sadagoppan, president, Tamil Nadu Progressive Consumer Forum.

In the government side, it could be argued that the order to suspend the Net during this incendiary period is justified. Consider this: a video of a woman TV actor called Nilani abusing the police for firing on 'peaceful' protesters in Thoothukudi and calling for a statewide 'revolt' to bring down 'this spineless government', has gone viral. The actor was in a police uniform for her role in a serial (Tamarai) in a Tamil channel and pointing to the dress, Nilani tells the viewer she is "ashamed of being seen in the police dress".

And here is the punch-line in this disturbing narrative: This highly provocative video, which can easily be termed as hugely derogatory to the policemen doing their bit to restore order in trying circumstances - torn between political considerations - was circulated on social media in Thoothukudi and neighbourhood as being done by a 'real' police officer ashamed of her job and the uniform.

A man in Vadapalani complained to the police saying he was shocked by the video instigating revolt against the State and denigrating the police. The Vadapalani police have registered a case under various sections, including the IT Act. "We are trying to locate the woman in the video", said Inspector Chandru of the Vadapalani police station.

Needless to say, Niranjan Mardi had no other option but to sign that order.

Traders join protest backing agitators



While Thoothukudi was on boil for the second consecutive day the anti-Sterlite protests snowballed into violent agitations across Tamil Nadu.

Traders' association announced statewide bandh in the district on Wednesday. Chennai also witnessed agitations near state secretariat, parrys Corner with lawyers and students jumping in to protests.Chennai: The math-biology group, the most sought after group in plus-1, is losing its sheen due to various reasons including Neet as toppers in SSLC exams are preferring commerce and maths-computer science streams this year.

SSLC exam results were declared on Wednesday and most of the schools started the plus-1 admission process on the same day.

On the first day, most students wanted to join commerce or maths-computer science group in plus-1. There has been a dearth in demand for biology group due to Neet fear, said G.J. Manohar, the headmaster of MCC Higher Secondary School in Chetpet.

Of 35 students who have scored above 450 marks in MCC Higher Secondary School, 20 students opted for commerce and except a few the remaining students opted for computer science branch. Until a few years ago, the demand for biology and computer science used to be the same level in the school. We have created a block on students' mind that Neet is tough. It has to be removed, he said.From last year, many students prefer to join commerce stream.

Until last year, most of the top scoring students preferred biology group. But, this year the trend has changed and students prefer maths-computer science and commerce streams. Preference wise, the biology group was pushed to third place, said N. Vijayan, founder and principal of Zion Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Tambaram.

Some headmasters said the students feel that they have to prepare for two exams if they opt for biology group and hence preferring other streams.

However, the students who have got more than 490 marks out of 500 still preferring to join biology group. H. Catherine Cressey and K.L. Induja who have scored 495 and 494 marks said they wanted to join biology group as they wanted to become doctors. We are confident of clearing the exam, one of them said.

Most students who opt for other commerce or other courses are doing so under peer pressure or wanted to choose the course where their friends are joining.

Shashi Swaransingh, headmistress, Jaigopal Garodia Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Virugambakkam, said many students are asking for business maths and commerce group without knowing the career options well.

In our school, we do not see a major difference and there is a balance in demand. It may be 60:40 comparing the demands for commerce and biology groups, she said. K.P. Raja Kennedy, headmaster, Government Model Higher Secondary School in Saidapet, also said the demand for biology group is not high this year. We have got 100 per cent results this year. Many of them wanted to join commerce group he said.

Corpn schools maintain high pass percentage

Registering a tad higher pass percentage in SSLC examinations, the schools maintained by Greater Chennai Corporation have recorded 93.63 pass percentage this year, overtaking last year's record by 0.26 per cent. Among the 70 corporation schools, 30 schools achieved 100 per cent pass record.

According to the Chennai Corporation data, of the total 5,908 students who appeared for the exams held in March - April 2018, 5,516 students cleared the examination. 2502 boys of 2765 and 3014 girls of 3143 cleared the exams.This year, of all subjects only one centum has been recorded in Social Science. While 40 students secured marks above 450, as many as 416 students secured above 400 marks.Protesters are demanding that Sterlite's copper smelting plant be shut down because it is contaminating the air and water of the region. (Photo: Screengrab/Twitter)

Tuticorin: As fresh violence erupted at the site of anti-Sterlite protest in Tuticorin on Wednesday, a video has emerged showing inhuman reaction of the police as a young man lay dying on the ground.

In the video, 22-year-old Kaliappan can be seen lying on the ground with policemen surrounding him. As he moves his head a little, one of the policemen prods him with a stick and says, Stop acting.

Kaliappan was among the hundreds protesting against a Sterlite plant at Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin. He died of his gunshot wounds soon after.

He was declared dead when he was brought to the government hospital in Thoothukudi.

Following Kaliappans death, the toll in the unfortunate and avoidable tragedy has risen to 12.

On Wednesday, the Tamil Nadu government ordered suspension of internet services in Tuticorin and adjoining districts of Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari for five days to prevent spread of rumours through social media and help bring public tranquility.

Read: After fresh violence, internet services suspended in Tuticorin, top cop shifted

The government also transferred district collector N Venkatesh and Superintendent of Police P Mahendran on Wednesday.

Tirunelveli District collector, Sandeep Nanduri has been appointed as Tuticorin district, an official release said.

Nilgiris District SP Murali Rambha will replace P Mahendran.

A video released by news agency ANI on Wednesday taking aim from the top of a bus and then a voice from the background makes a shocking statement: "At least one should die".

Also Read: Video of anti-Sterlite protest shows cop saying 'at least 1 should die'

The killings of protestors have evoked a sharp response from the opposition with MDMK founder likening it to Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Also Read: Tamilians murdered for refusing RSS ideals: Rahul on anti-Sterlite killings

The protesters are demanding that Sterlite's copper smelting plant be shut down as it is polluting the air and water of the region.West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appears to have lost her cool and reprimanded Karnatakas DGP for being made to walk to reach the Vidhana Soudha for the swearing-in ceremony. (Photo: ANI | Screengrab)

Bengaluru: The grand swearing-in ceremony of Janata Dal Secular leader H D Kumaraswamy as the Karnataka Chief Minister was seen as a show of opposition unity ahead of 2019 general elections. Most of the non-BJP leaders were in attendance for the gala ceremony, but West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee reportedly did not seem much happy with the traffic arrangements made for the ceremony.

Mamata Banerjee appears to have lost her cool and reprimanded Karnatakas Director General of Police (DGP) for being made to walk to reach the Vidhana Soudha for the swearing-in ceremony, in a video shot by news agency ANI.

In the video, the Trinamool Congress supremo enters the venue and gestures her displeasure to Karnataka police chief Neelamani Raju, as she walked on a red carpet rolled out for the dignitaries.

Moments later, the chief minister was seen speaking to Kumaraswany and his father former prime minister H D Deve Gowda who welcomed her. She then proceeded to the seating area.

#WATCH: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee reprimands DIG Neelamani Raju as she came to Karnataka Vidhana Soudha for oath taking ceremony because reportedly had to walk a few metres, also expressed discontentment to HD Deve Gowda & HD Kumaraswamy. #Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/WZ2n0QVE9b  ANI (@ANI) May 23, 2018

Among those who attended the ceremony were Congress president Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Uttar Pradesh chief ministers Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

Kejriwal and some leaders of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) didn't seem to have any reservations walking to the oath-taking ceremony.

AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha, who accompanied the Delhi chief minister, tweeted saying they chose to walk to beat the traffic.

Bengaluru traffic beats every city in the country. We walked to the swearing-in venue. Beautiful weather made up for it though. pic.twitter.com/PT9nauyWuk  Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) May 23, 2018

After H D Kumaraswamy took oath as Karnataka Chief Minister and G Parameshwara of the Congress was sworn in as his deputy. The leaders from various parts of the country sharing the same dais then got numerous photographs clicked to send out a strong message that in 2019 it would be the BJP against a united opposition.The Karnataka Health and Family Welfare department also directed all the district hospitals to be on alert and coordinate among each other.

Bengaluru: After two suspected cases of Nipah virus were found in Mangaluru, there has been one more such case in Gadag, and the state is on high alert.

Dr Suresh Shastri, I/C Joint Director (IEC), Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services said, "There was one suspect found on Thursday in Gadag, but we are yet to confirm it. The patient was hospitalised and the blood samples have been sent to Pune for the test."

The Karnataka Health and Family Welfare department also directed all the district hospitals to be on alert and coordinate among each other. The Department Director Dr P.L Nataraj said, "The reports are awaited and we have sent out clear instructions to all the district hospitals to be alert."

Many hospitals in the city have set up separate wards as a precautionary measure. K.C. General Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Chest Diseases and Victoria Hospital have made arrangement to isolate patients if there is a need.

Sources at K.C. General Hospital said that a separate ward with three-four beds have been set up along with the doctors and nurses assigned for the same.

BBMP has also issued various instructions. If a Nipah virus suspect is found in any government or private hospitals within BBMP limits then they will have to inform the Health Department immediately; call 104 for help; inform the health officer. They distributed hands bills as part of creating awareness.

Asha workers are also being trained by the health officers to create awareness among public about Nipah virus.

District health department of Bengaluru Urban Zilla Panchayat has also spelt out measures to be taken to prevent the disease. Dr Suryanarayana Sharma, Consultant Neuro Physician and HOD, Department of Neurosciences, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospitals said, "It is critical to use standard barrier nursing techniques with proper isolation of the patients. Timely laboratory confirmation and aggressive epidemiologic tracing of contacts with patient quarantine and isolation can contain spread of virus. This is important because there is no effective specific treatment for the infection."

As it is an emerging disease, there is no passive immunity for this infection. Hence, it can cause severe infection with mortality as high as 75 per cent.

Dr Sharma also explained about the infection and the range of symptoms.

Infection starts usually 5-14 days after exposure and the symptom persists for 10-12 days. They range from asymptomatic infection to sudden onset of high fever, headache and rapid progression to drowsiness and coma. Vomiting, breathlessness, giddiness, seizures and focal neurological deficits are also seen. "If you experience a combination of any of these symptoms, visit a physician immediately," he added.Hyderabad: The state government on Thursday lifted the ban on general transfer of employees after a gap of five years. Over 60 per cent of the employees will be transferred. Spouses of government staff, physically challenged to get priority to enable them to work in places of their choice. The transfers will be made from May 25 to June 15. The ban was imposed in May 2013, before bifurcation of undivided AP. Employees have been demanding lifting the ban since formation of Telangana state in June 2014.

The fresh orders follow the recent meeting of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao with employees associations at Pragathi Bhavan where he promised to resolve all their long-pending issues. The orders issued on Thursday said no person shall be transferred before completion of two years of service in a particular station as on May 31, 2018. This condition need not be followed in respect of transfers on spouse grounds and employees transferred and provisionally ordered to serve in new districts during October 2016.

No person shall be retained beyond five years of service in a particular station as on May 31. Employees who are retiring before May 31 will not be transferred even if they have completed five years of service unless they make a specific request. To ensure that there is no dislocation of the work, not more than 40 per cent of employees in any cadre shall be transferred, the order said.

When more than one employee opts for a particular place and while effecting the transfers, the competent authority shall give priority in the descending order, subject to satisfaction of other conditions specified in the government order, and the employee not facing charges in departmental/criminal proceedings: Husband and wife cases (only one of the spouses shall be shifted following due procedure). The employees retiring before May 31, 2019, in case of their opting for transfers. Employees with disability of 70 per cent or more as certified by a competent authority as per Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995. Employees having mentally retarded children to a place where medical facilities are available.New Delhi: After its failure to form government in Karnataka, the BJP leadership is now focussing on the three poll-bound states-Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, where the party seemed to be hit by a major anti-incumbency wave. The party seemed to be worried following results of a Mood of the Nation survey conducted by a news channel on Thursday which claimed that the BJP appears to be on the downfall in both Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in terms of vote share. More importantly, it is electorally crucial Uttar Pradesh, which would see the BJP losing the most with the survey suggesting that SP- BSP alliance is likely to get 46 per cent (a gain of 4 per cent) while NDA will get 35 percent (loss of 8 per cent) in the next years Lok Sabha poll. Gujarat could witness a surge in Congresss popularity, it said.

It further stated that in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress is likely to get 44 per cent vote share and the BJP 39 per cent if elections to the 200-member assembly were to be held today. While claiming that in Rajasthan the Congress is just 5 per cent ahead of the BJP in terms of vote share, in Bihar, the BJP would get 60 per cent of the vote share while the UPA would end up with just 34 per cent. Region wise, the survey has put the NDA vote share at 39 per cent, UPAs at 21 per cent and others at 40 per cent. The NDA is likely to win 90 out of 151 seats in the region while the UPA tally is at 25. Others parties will get 36 seats. States like Gujarat would see a surge in support for the Congress. In May 2017, NDA had led UPA by 24 percentage points. In Maharashtra, the NDA would continue to lead with a voteshare of 48 per cent while the UPA will be at 40 and others at 21 per cent.

The survey states the NDA will continue to lead in eastern India and if Lok Sabha elections are held today, the ruling alliance will likely get 86-94 out of 142 seats. UPA will get 22-26 and others will get 26-30 seats. In 2014, NDA had won 58 seats in this region, UPA 21 and Others 63. In West Bengal, TMC is likely to get 44 per cent vote share, BJP 24 percent, Left parties 17 percent and the Congress 11 per cent. In Rajasthan, the Congress is likely to make a huge gain by bagging 44 per cent vote share while the BJP will get 39 per cent and the others 17 per cent. In 2013, the BJP had 45 percent vote and the Congress, 33 per cent.Bengaluru: Decided not to give up its fight against H.D. Kumaraswamy headed Congress-JD(S) coalition government, the state BJP has fielded candidate for Speaker post. Former minister and party five time MLA, S. Suresh Kumar has filed nomination on Thursday following instruction of party top brasses at Delhi. If BJP candidate not withdraw nomination, elections to the Speaker post is imminent and also it will be first time in Karnataka for elections to Speaker post.

BJP is well aware of the fact that, it has short fall of numbers to win the Speaker elections. BJP has 104 seats in the 15th Assembly, on the other hand Congress-JD(S) alliance having 117 seats with support of two Independent MLAs. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, BJP spokesperson C.T. Ravi said that, Our party has no numbers to win Speaker elections, but the party wanted to expose unholy alliance of Congress and JD(S) parties by fielding candidate to the Speaker post, he said.New Delhi: With an eye on 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the eve of his governments fourth anniversary tried to reach out to the farmers, the poor and the dalits. In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister explained about his governments success in delivering services to the rural population, the poorest of the poor and the dalits. Shared details of the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, Mr Modi said the project is a unique movement initiated by the government to take the fruits of development to the poorest of the poor in 16,850 villages from April 14 to May 5 as a tribute to B R Ambedkar.

Apart of the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, various teams ventured into villages and ensured complete coverage of seven leading central government schemes, he said. This movement is a great example of effective service delivery at the doorstep and furthering ease of living. During 21 days of Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, 7.53 lakh Ujjwala connections distributed; 5,02,434 households electrified under Saubhagya Yojana; 25.03 lakh LED bulbs distributed across 16,682 villages; immunisation of 1,64,398 children and 42,762 women under Mission Indradhanush," he said.

Belting out figures, Mr Modi said 20,53,599 Jan Dhan beneficiaries were added; 16,14,388 Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana beneficiaries were added and another 26,10,506 beneficiaries were included under the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana. He said the project was a success due to the active participation of ministers, MPs, MLAs, representatives of local bodies, officials and self-help groups.Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar has begun reviewing the progress of investigation into scams that broke either during the tenure of Congress-ruled governments of undivided Andhra Pradesh, or involving Opposition leaders. Mr Rao recently called for a review of the cash-for-vote scam probe that involved then TD legislator A. Revanth Reddy, who is now in the Congress, followed by the Indiramma housing scam when TPCC chief Uttam Kumar Reddy was minister for housing which involved Congress leaders and a few from the TD.

With a few months left for the general elections, the TRS seems to be getting its ammunition ready to attack the Opposition during the campaign. In a sudden development, Mr Rao had held a five-hour review with the Anti Corruption Bureau police and law officials about the cash-for-vote case of 2015, that allegedly involves TD president and AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

The case, put on the back burner for two years, was dug up and a report by the forensic laboratory was submitted. Three days later, the days, on May 10, the CID reopened the multi-crore Indiramma (Integrated Novel Development in Rural Areas and Model Municipal Areas) housing scam case, a development that should worry then minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, Sources said that on the instructions of the Chief Minister, the investigating authorities reviewed the status of the investigation which was in go-slow mode for two years.

The Indiramma housing scam reportedly involves Rs 800 crore. The case was first put in cold storage with the Crime Investigation Department. It was then transferred to the Vigilance and Enforcement wing. The TRS government when it came into power directed the CID to probe the case. After initial investigations, the pace slowed down. Now, a fresh report has been submitted to the Chief Ministers Office. Sources in the CMO did not reveal the reason behind the review of this scam. They, however, confirmed that review reports had been submitted to the CMO by various investigating agencies.New Delhi: Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Thursday asserted that minority rights were more safe in India than in any part of the world as secularism was in its DNA, remarks which come amid a controversy over the Delhi Archbishop's letter on turbulent political atmosphere in the country. However, the Minority Affairs Minister refused to answer when specifically asked about Archbishop Anil Couto's controversial letter.

We have to be cautious against those forces who want to disturb the atmosphere of trust and development due to their prejudiced mindset and vested interests, Naqvi told members from Diocese of Delhi under Church of North India during a meeting. Noting that the central government was committed to 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas' and 'Development with Dignity' without any discrimination, he also said the Modi government was committed to protect all constitutional institutions, democratic values and religious rights of all sections.

Secularism, social-communal harmony and tolerance is in India's DNA and compared to the entire world, constitutional, social, cultural and religious rights of minorities are more safe and secure in India, the minister added. Naqvi also apprised the delegation of various programmes being run by his ministry aimed at socio-economic-educational empowerment of minorities. The meeting took place days after Delhi Archbishop Couto kicked up a storm with his remark that a turbulent political atmosphere posed a threat to India's democratic principles and secular fabric.New Delhi: Sounding the poll bugle for the 2019 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls later this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the Union Council of Ministers to embark on a nationwide tour to reach out to the masses for highlighting the NDA governments achievement on its fourth anniversary on May 26. Leading the charge, the Prime Minister is scheduled to establish contact with people and present his governments four-year report card at Cuttack in Odisha on May 26  the day he took oath four years ago.

The anniversary celebrations will have the tagline  Manzil Aa rahi hai paas, desh ka badhta jaata vishwas; Saaf niyat, sahi vikas (The destination is coming close as nations confidence grows; clean intent, right development). In its condensed form, the theme will be Saaf Niyat, Sahi Vikas. The government will counter the Oppositions charges with facts and figures on pro-poor initiatives taken in the last four years.

The Prime Ministers Office is finalising a schedule for Union cabinet ministers who will spread the word regarding the people-centric policies of the government and its beneficial schemes through mass contact programmes. A contact programme has been planned with an eye on the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the crucial state Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh later this year. While earlier mass contact programmes for such anniversaries were held only for a fortnight, the fourth anniversarys propaganda blitzkrieg is likely to extend over the next few months. The thrust will be on the Prime Ministers main agenda of empowerment of the poor and rural India. BJP chief Amit Shah is also expected to make a pitch for the Modi government before the media on Friday.

The BJPs members of Parliament will be deputed to visit their constituencies in the mass outreach programme and establish contact with their electorate. This newspaper was the first to report on April 11 that as promised ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will present a report card of his governments achievements as part of its four-year celebrations. The PMO had asked all his ministers and ministries to present their respective achievements comparing these to the promises made by BJP in its 2014 Lok Sabha electoral manifesto.

Sources stated that a slew of brochures and pamphlets have been printed by the government which list and share the details of the public welfare schemes that have been initiated by various ministries of the Central government over the past four years.

The major issues for the party that are likely to get a performance appraisal are the status of Smart Cities and their development, Namami Gange which deals with cleaning of the river, employment generation in the country, how much Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has been attracted during the Modi-government period, reduction in black money and the status of non performing assets. Other centres programmes selected for highlighting among the masses are road and highway construction, infrastructure development, the Mudra scheme, Ujjawala scheme for LPG connections, subsidy intervention for housing loans and others.Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam national president N. Chandrababu Naidu indirectly ridiculed Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Raos proposal for formation of a new front that excluded both the BJP and the Congress. Addressing the Telangana TD Mahanadu on Thursday, Mr Naidu said: Some leaders are speaking about anti-BJP and anti-Congress front. I did this 22 years ago. The formation of the United Front government at the Centre was against BJP and against Congress.

He said till 1996, pro-BJP or pro-Congress parties formed the government. For the first time in 1996, without BJP and Congress, the United Front government was formed. He said it was at the initiative of the TD that Janata Dal (S) chief H D Deve Gowda became Prime Minister in 1996. Mr Naidu said after the 2019 elections there will be radical changes in politics and the TD will play a key role in national politics. Without the TD no party will form the government at the centre, he declared.

Criticising the BJP, Mr Naidu said that in 1984 the TD won 35 Lok Sabha seats and the BJP only two. When some TD workers raised slogans that Mr Naidu should become Prime Minister, he said, I have no ambition to become Prime Minister. In the past I have rejected the offer twice. I want to be in the state and to develop both Telugu states. Mr Naidu said that he went to Bengaluru to attend the oath-taking ceremony of H.D. Kumaraswamy as Chief Minister of Karnataka on the invitation of the JD(S). He said the Congress may take part in the Karnataka government, but Mr Gowda has special affection for him, and it was on the invitation of Mr Gowda that he attended the function. He said that his Bengaluru visit helped him to get support for special status for AP.

The NDA government has done nothing for TS and AP or Hyderabad and Amaravati, but the centre is giving thousands of crores of rupees for statues in other states, Mr Naidu said. His wish is that TS and AP should become the number one and two states and Hyderabad and Amaravati should beco-me two top cities in the country. He said in TS also TD will play a key role after the 2019 elections. Mr Naidu alleged that the present controversy regarding the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams is a drama the BJP is enacting against AP.

He alleged that in a conspiracy against AP the central government led by the BJP tried to take over the TTD. Mr Naidu warned the BJP that if it plays any dramas with Lord Venkateswara it will be the end of its existence. BJP leaders say that the ornaments of Lord Venkateswara are in my house. A diamond was not in the records of the TTD in the past but now it is in the records, he said. Mr Naidu said that he was born at the feet of Lord Venkateswara; he was given rebirth in the Alipiri attack by Maoists. He said that Lord Venkateswara is a powerful god and warned the BJP not to enact any dramas with the TTD.According to the schedule, the schools were to reopen on June 1. Students would get summer vacations from April 13 to May 31, 2019. (Representational Image)

Hyderabad: Parents of school-going children in the city are unhappy with the academic calendar released by the Telangana state government, and want the summer holidays be extended as the weather is still hot.

Parents said that the the government should extend the summer vacation to avoid any inconvenience to the children because of the heat.

The school education department had released the calender for the academic year 2018-19 on Wednesday. According to the schedule, the schools were to reopen on June 1. Students would get summer vacations from April 13 to May 31, 2019.

Mr Venkat K. Sainath a parent, said, The government has to re-think over the school re-opening dates as the heat is increasing and is expected to rise further. We fear that the children may suffer. We respect Telangana formation sentiment but not at the stake of kids health.

The schools are being reopened a day ahead of the Telangana State Formation Day celebrations scheduled for June 2.

Ms Arvinda Jata, a parent, said, With increasing temperatures, we are worried about our kids health. Every parent hopes that the government will surely extend the re-opening date.Hyderabad: The Telangana Telugu Desam Mahanadu has strongly criticised the TRS government and passed eight resolutions highlighting its failures. The TD said that in its election manifesto the TRS had assured that apart from its slogan of water, funds and employment, it would make a Dalit the Chief Minister, that three acres of land would be given to each Dalit, that double bedroom houses and a super specialty hospital would be built in every district, one lakh acres in each Assembly constituency would be irrigated, farm loans waived, free education from KG to PG would be provided, 12% reservation would be given for ST and minorities, and closed industries would be revived.

The TD alleged that not a single assurance given in the manifesto of the TRs has been implemented and it is ridiculous of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to claim that his government has implemented all the assurances it gave. On social justice the TD alleged that there is no social justice in the TRS Cabinet itself.

In the KCR cabinet there is no representation of women, or Mala and Madiga communities. On unemployment, the TD demanded that all vacancies in government departments be filled. The TD alleged that the TRS government was redesigning all irrigation projects in order to earn commissions. Criticising the financial management of the TRS government, the TD has demanded white papers on state income and expenditure in the last four years.

Hyderabad: Around 90 per cent of donors who have contributed more than Rs 20,000 to the Telugu Desam and Telangana Rashtra Samiti parties are politicians.

In 2016-17, TS home minister N. Narasimha Reddy, deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali, minister and MLA T. Harish Rao, TS transport minister P. Mahender Reddy, MLAs and MLCs and even the TS RTC chairman Somarapu Satyanarayana were among donors to the TRS.

The Konda couple (MLA Konda Surekha and MLC Muralidhar Rao) donated Rs 1 lakh each. Among the 25 donors in TS, 22 were politicians.

In AP, the big donors to the TD turned out to be minister for municipal administration Narayana Ponguru (Rs 25 lakh) and his family, including a donation in the name of his deceased son, and MP Srinivasulu Reddy Magunta (Rs 15 lakh).

TD MP Jaydev Galla, former Union minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and AP education minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao were also among the big donors. TD chiefs brother-in-law and actor N. Balakrishna contributed Rs 50,000.

The BJP has emerged as the richest party in India with Rs 1,034 crore income. Though it does not have a large presence in the Telugu states, it received ten times the donations (from known sources) of the two parties in power.

Common people and private companies in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have contributed Rs 5.46 crore to the BJP.

From the list of known donors of the TD submitted to the Election Commission, the total collected from contribution (greater than Rs 20,000) is Rs 1,89,69,997. While for the TRS it is, even more, fewer Rs 34,18,333.

The amount will be more if donation below Rs 20,000 is taken into account. Yet this does not reach the contribution Telugus made to the BJP.

Kakinada Seaport Limited, located in Gayatri Nagar, Vijayawada, made the biggest contribution of Rs 5 crore.

In Telangana, Navayuga Engineering Company-Hyderabad was the biggest contributor to the BJPs coffers with Rs 30 lakh.

The funds from the two states will be higher if the sum below Rs 20,000 is taken into consideration.

Some of the companies and individuals who have contributed in lakhs have chosen to conceal their identity.Bengaluru: In a surprising change of heart, state BJP chief, B.S.Yeddyurappa turned advocate for former Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah on Wednesday, claiming he had been ditched by the Congress high command although he had single- handedly ensured the victory of 78 of its MLAs with the support of his Kuruba community.

Mr Yeddyurappa, who was participating in the Anti Peoples Mandate Day observed by the BJP, said the Congress had forgotten Mr Siddaramaiahs contribution and was being disrespectful to his Kuruba community by joining hands with the JD(S) in an unholy alliance.

His sudden sympathy for the former Chief Minister after the bitter battle the two recently fought in the just concluded Assembly elections has expectedly set tongues wagging with some claiming that he was trying to take advantage of Mr Siddaramaiah being sidelined in the Congress and also gain the backing of the Kuruba community himself.

The BJP leader gave an open invitation to disgruntled Congress leaders to join his party and help it form the government in Karnataka without actually naming Congress leader, D.K. Shivakumar, who is reportedly disappointed at not being made deputy Chief Minister.

Coming down on the Congress and regional party leaders for ganging up against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the oath taking ceremony of Mr H D Kumaraswamy as Chief Minister in the city, Mr. Yeddyurappa said it would make no difference and the BJP would win all 28 Lok Sabha seats from the state in the 2019 elections.

Claiming that the friendship between the Congress and JD(S) would not last three months, he said if the Assembly was dissolved at this very moment, the BJP would get over 130 seats in the state. Over 90 per cent of Congress MLAs are unhappy with the JD(S) and can any time switch over to the BJP, he warned.

Mr Yeddyurappa added that if Mr Kumaraswamy failed to waive the crop loans of farmers, he would mobilise lakhs of farmers and call for a Karnataka bandh.Bengaluru: In a sign that the battle for Karnataka is far from over, ahead of Friday's key trust vote to be sought by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, leaders of the state unit of BJP decided not to give up their fight against the new coalition and announced former minister and five-time legislator S Suresh Kumar as the candidate for elections to the Speakers post which is also scheduled for Friday.

A day after Mr Kumaraswamy took oath in the presence of Opposition leaders, Mr Suresh Kumar filed his nomination papers to contest against former Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar for the Speakers post following instructions from his partys top brass in New Delhi. The leaders are aware of the partys strength of 104 legislators and issued a whip, too, to thwart any cross-voting during the Speakers election or during the trust vote. The Congress-JD(S) combine has a strength of 117 along with the support of two independents.

Leaving nothing to chance on the eve of the crucial trust vote, leaders of the new coalition decided to retain their legislators in a resort and a hotel in Bengaluru, away from their kin. All legislators would be allowed to unite with their families after the trust vote, ending nine days of separation, ostensibly to thwart defection to the BJP.

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters, BJP spokesperson C.T. Ravi said the party lacks the strength to win the Speakers elections, but we want to expose the unholy alliance of Congress and JD(S) by fielding a candidate for the Speaker's post.

There were conflicting reports that if the BJP failed to secure the Speakers post, the legislators were likely to boycott the trust vote. This, however, was ruled out by senior leaders of the party.

KPCC president and deputy Chief Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara requested the BJP not to field candidate for polls to the Speakers post. It is a precedent that Speaker is elected unopposed. The Speaker does not belong to any political party. I request the BJP to support Mr. Ramesh Kumar keeping in mind his seniority and experience. Once he occupies the Speakers post, he is above the party

The post of deputy Speaker will be held by a legislator belonging to JD(S) in line with the power sharing agreement arrived at by leaders of both Congress and JD(S).Bengaluru: On the eve of the trust vote, deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwar said the Congress-JD(S) coalition was yet to discuss modalities about Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy continuing in the post for a full five year term.

We have not yet discussed those modalities, he said in response to a question whether Mr Kumaraswamy will be the Chief Minister for full five year term.

He told the media here on Thursday, We are also yet to decide on what portfolios have to go to them and what should be with us, then five years term- whether they should be or we should also...all those modalities we have still not discussed.

When asked again whether Congress was okay with giving Chief Minister's post to JD(S) for full a five year term, Dr Parameshwar, also KPCC chief, said....after discussing.. looking at the pros and cons (we will decide), our main intention is to give good administration. Ahead of his swearing-in, Mr Kumaraswamy had dismissed reports about his party working out a power sharing formula of heading the government for 30 months each, with its coalition partner the Congress, saying "No such talks have taken place."

Responding to a question about several leaders being unhappy over party's choice for the Deputy Chief Minister post and on issues relating to portfolios, Dr Parameshwar said, no one has sought any position from him or Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

I have seen reports about (this) only in the media, he said. Ruling out any differences between the leaders, he said there was nothing wrong in asking for position. In Congress, there are several leaders who are capable of becoming Deputy Chief Minister or Chief Minister....that's the asset of the Congress party." "It is left to the party high-command to decide on who has to be given what position in this situation when we are in a coalition government, he said.Chikkamagaluru: Sringeri Congress MLA T.D. Rajegowda, who is hoping for a cabinet berth in the JD(S)-led coalition government, is reportedly depending on Avadoota Vinay Guruji, a spiritual leader, to put in a word for him.

The MLA is reportedly close to Vinay Gurji, who had predicted that state JD(S) president, H D Kumaraswamy would become Chief Minister this time and has even built a road from his own pocket for an ashrama run by the holy man in Koppa taluk.

While Mr Rajegowda defeated his nearest rival, D.N. Jeevaraj of the BJP, in a close fight, his win was the only one for the Congress in the district where it lost four seats to the BJP. Dr Vijaykumar, president of DCC, is all for the MLA becoming Minister considering that the Congress has lost in nine of the 10 assembly seats in Udupi-Chikkamagaluru parliamentary constituency and believes it will be of immense help to the party in fighting the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Chikkamagaluru. But sources say that chances of Mr Rajegowda, a Vokkaliga, making it into the Kumaraswamy cabinet are bleak as JD(S) is also said to be giving more berths to Vokkaligas.

In the previous assembly poll, the Congress won from Tarikere, but its MLA, GH Srinivas was denied a ministerial berth. It appointed three district in -charge ministers for Chikkamagaluru at intervals , former Minister for Fisheries, Abhaychandra Jain, former Home Minister, Dr G Parameshwar and former Urban Development Minister Roshan Baig.The social media giant, in a recent blog post, mentioned the latest enhancements to its two-factor authentication security system to make it more convenient for its users to set up. (Photo: AP)

Facebook has streamlined its existing security system. As security is the prime aspect of the social network, the company has beefed up its security measures to make its users account more secure. The social media giant, in a recent blog post, mentioned the latest enhancements to its two-factor authentication security system to make it more convenient for its users to set up.

The blog states that the company has now made it easier than ever to enable two-factor authentication with a streamlined setup flow that guides you through the process. Facebook has also expanded the ways in which users can secure their account with a second factor by ensuring that even users without a phone number can enable two-factor authentication.

Up till now, Facebook required you to submit your phone number to receive a six-digit code via text message. From now, when you sign up for two-factor authentication, you will be greeted through the process explaining how it works and offer you the option of a text message or an authentication app such as Google Authenticator or Duo Mobile to generate login codes.

The company has explained that why a user should use two-factor authentication  "two-factor authentication is an industry best practice for providing additional account security. We continue to encourage enabling two-factor authentication to add an extra layer of protection to their Facebook account."

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.The worlds largest social media network was responding to questions from EU lawmakers who had failed to get answers from Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg during a grilling a day earlier at the Brussels-based European Parliament. (Photo: Pixabay)

Facebook is unlikely to compensate the 2.7 million European users whose data was improperly shared with political consultancy Cambridge Analytica because sensitive bank account data had not been shared, the company said on Wednesday.

The worlds largest social media network was responding to questions from EU lawmakers who had failed to get answers from Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg during a grilling a day earlier at the Brussels-based European Parliament.

This was clearly a breach of trust. However, its important to remember that no bank account details, credit card information or national ID numbers were shared, Facebook said in a statement.

Most people gave the app at issue here access to information like their public profile as well their page likes, friend list and birthday. It was the same for friends whose settings allowed sharing.

It said the app developer involved in the data breach had sold information on US users, not EU users, to Cambridge Analytica. Facebook and Cambridge Analytica are already the targets of a class-action complaint filed by a Maryland resident seeking damages over the exploitation of US users data without their permission.

In response to EU lawmakers concerns about the use of non-Facebook users data without their knowledge, the company said it was clear about the information it collects and it expects websites and apps to be equally transparent via their data or cookie policy.

It said non-Facebook users could ask what kind of data has been collected about them via its help centre but the company does not create profiles of them. The company also rejected suggestions that it separates users personal data between Facebook and WhatsApp, saying sharing data was necessary to help fight abusive content or spam on its services.

It was similarly dismissive of another EU lawmakers proposal to split off Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, citing the benefits a packaged service brings to consumers.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.US President Donald Trump said based on the statement, he felt it was 'inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting.' (Photo: File)

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Thursday called off a planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, even after North Korea followed through on a pledge to blow up tunnels at its nuclear test site.

Referring to a scheduled June 12 meeting with Kim in Singapore, Trump said in a letter to the North Korean leader: "Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it would be inappropriate, at this time, to have this long- planned meeting."

Trump called it "a missed opportunity" and said someday he still hoped to meet Kim. The White House shared a copy of the letter from Trump on Twitter.

A letter from the President to Chairman Kim Jong Un: "It is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting." pic.twitter.com/3dDIp55xu1  The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 24, 2018

Earlier on Thursday, North Korea repeated a threat to pull out of the unprecedented summit with Trump next month and warned it was prepared for a nuclear showdown with Washington if necessary.

Read: N Korea threatens to cancel summit if US seeks 'one-sided' demands to give up nukes

In a statement released by North Korean media, Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui had called US Vice President Mike Pence a "political dummy" for comparing North Korea - a "nuclear weapons state" - to Libya, where Muammar Gaddafi gave up his unfinished nuclear development programme, only to be later killed by NATO-backed fighters.

A small group of international media selected by North Korea witnessed the demolition of tunnels at the Punggye-ri site on Thursday, which Pyongyang says is proof of its commitment to end nuclear testing.

Also Read: North Korea demolishes Punggye-ri nuclear test site with series of blasts

The apparent destruction of what North Korea says is its only nuclear test site has been widely welcomed as a positive, if largely symbolic, step toward resolving tension over its weapons. North Korean leader Kim has declared his nuclear force complete, amid speculation the site was obsolete anyway.Passenger cars make up around 30 per cent of Japan's total exports to the United States and Tokyo has already threatened Washington with retaliation at the WTO for the steel tariffs. (Photo: AFP)

Washington: The US Commerce Department said Wednesday it launched an inquiry that could allow the Trump administration to impose tariffs on auto imports over national security concerns.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced he initiated a so-called Section 232 investigation on auto trade -- which would provide the legal basis to impose tariffs, if his department finds imports threaten US national security -- after speaking with Donald Trump on the matter.

"There is evidence suggesting that, for decades, imports from abroad have eroded our domestic auto industry," Ross said.

"The Department of Commerce will conduct a thorough, fair, and transparent investigation into whether such imports are weakening our internal economy and may impair the national security."

In a separate statement released by the White House, Trump said he had "instructed" Ross to "consider" kicking off the probe.

"Core industries such as automobiles and automotive parts are critical to our strength as a nation," Trump's statement said.

The Trump administration had used the same justification to slap steep tariffs on steel and aluminum, raising the specter of a trade war.

A similar move in the auto industry would open yet another front in the Republican president's confrontational rows over trade that have drawn global outcry from allies and partners.

The latest announcement comes as negotiations with Canada and Mexico over revamping the continent-wide North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have stalled over auto demands.

Earlier Thursday, Trump had blamed the US neighbours to the north and south for being "difficult" in talks to renegotiate the pact.

'Great American autoworkers'

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier Wednesday that Trump was asking for vehicle import tariffs as high as 25 per cent.

Trump has frequently lambasted China's high import duties on foreign cars.

During recent negotiations, President Xi Jinping offered to cut the rate to 15 percent from 25 percent.

The Journal, citing sources in the auto industry, said US moves to retaliate likely would face significant opposition from trading partners and auto dealers that sell imports.

Japan was quick to lash out, with its trade minister Hiroshige Seko saying on Thursday that such a move would "plunge the world market into confusion" and be "extremely regrettable."

Passenger cars make up around 30 per cent of Japan's total exports to the United States and Tokyo has already threatened Washington with retaliation at the World Trade Organization for the steel tariffs.

In its statement announcing the inquiry, the Commerce Department cited figures showing that US employment in automobile manufacturing had dropped by 22 percent from 1990 to 2017.

Trump appeared to tease Wednesday's announcement with earlier tweets, saying: "There will be big news coming soon for our great American autoworkers."

"After many decades of losing your jobs to other countries, you have waited long enough!"

In another missive referring to trade talks with China, he said that, while the discussions were proceeding nicely, "in the end we will probably have to use a different structure."

Trump -- whose protectionist platform helped launch him to the White House -- has repeatedly floated the notion of steep tariffs that would shield the US auto industry.

He has specifically targeted Germany, and argued that American cars are slapped with higher tariffs than those imposed on European autos.

US cars sold in the EU are hit with 10 per cent duties, while the US imposes just 2.5 per cent on cars from the EU.

But Washington imposes 25 per cent tariffs on European pick-ups and trucks -- which the EU taxes at a much lower 14 per cent on average.The UN sanctions blacklist for North Korea has 80 individuals and 75 entities which are subject to a global travel ban and an assets freeze. (Representational Image)

Washington: A UN Security Council committee has agreed to lift a travel ban on North Korean officials heading to Singapore for the planned summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un next month, diplomats said.

Singapore last week asked the sanctions committee to grant an exemption to the North Korean delegation attending the June 12 summit and taking part in preparatory meetings, according to the request seen by AFP.

"This summit will serve as an opportunity to advance the objective of a peaceful resolution of the DPRK nuclear issue and the establishment of peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in the region," wrote Singapore's UN Ambassador Burhan Gafoor to the committee.

The letter did not specify the size of the delegation from Pyongyang.

The UN sanctions blacklist for North Korea has 80 individuals and 75 entities which are subject to a global travel ban and an assets freeze.

The request for the blanket exemption to the global travel plan was approved on Wednesday after none of the council members raised objections.

Trump earlier said the fate of the summit will be decided next week as his aides travelled to Singapore to prepare the meeting and push for certain conditions to be met.

"There are certain conditions we want to happen. I think we'll get those conditions. And if we don't, we won't have the meeting," Trump told reporters on Tuesday.

The Security Council has imposed tough sanctions on North Korea that ban trade in commodities and severely restrict deliveries of oil vital to Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programme.The embassy, which issued a health alert to Americans living in China, said it could not link the case to health issues suffered by US government staff in Cuba dating back to late 2016. (Photo: File/Representational)

Beijing/Washington: An American citizen working at the US consulate in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou has reported suffering from "abnormal" sounds and pressure leading to a mild brain injury, the US embassy said on Wednesday and China said it was investigating the incident.

The embassy, which issued a health alert to Americans living in China, said it could not link the case to health issues suffered by US government staff in Cuba dating back to late 2016.

In Washington, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was concerned about the "serious medical incident" and raised it with China's visiting State Councillor Wang Yi.

"We notified China of what took place as best we know it and they have responded in a way that is exactly the right response," Pompeo told a news conference with Wang. "We're working together to resolve (this) ... I hope we can figure it out."

Earlier, he told Congress that the incident in China was "medically similar" to one suffered by American diplomats in Cuba.

Wang, speaking through a translator, said Beijing was investigating the incident and "we haven't found any organization or individual has carried out such a sonic influence."

"We don't want to see that this individual case will be magnified, complicated or even politicized. We hope people will not associate it with other unnecessary matters," he cautioned.

The unnamed American citizen assigned to the consulate in Guangzhou had reported a variety of "physical symptoms" dating from late 2017 to April this year, the US embassy in Beijing said in an email.

The worker was sent to the United States for further evaluation. "The clinical findings of this evaluation matched mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI)," the embassy said.

The State Department was taking the incident very seriously and working to determine the cause and impact, the embassy said. Pompeo said that medical teams were heading to Guangzhou to investigate the incident.

The State Department added that the Chinese government told the embassy it was also investigating and taking appropriate measures.

"We cannot at this time connect it with what happened in Havana, but we are investigating all possibilities," a US embassy official told Reuters.

The US government on Wednesday issued a health alert to Americans in China, warning them about the incident it described as "subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure".

"While in China, if you experience any unusual acute auditory or sensory phenomena accompanied by unusual sounds or piercing noises, do not attempt to locate their source. Instead, move to a location where the sounds are not present," the emailed alert said.

The US government in October expelled 15 Cuban diplomats from the United States for what it said was Cuba's failure to protect staff at the US embassy in Havana from mysterious health incidents at one point thought to possibly have been acoustic "attacks".

The staff there reported symptoms including hearing loss, dizziness, fatigue and cognitive issues, though Cuban officials dismissed the idea of acoustic strikes as "science fiction" and accused Washington of slander.

The cause of those incidents remains unresolved.

The Canadian government in April said it would remove families of diplomats posted to Cuba after Canadian personnel there in 2017 also reported similar health symptoms.Saeed is the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people, including six US nationals, were killed. (Photo: AP)

Beijing: China on Thursday dismissed as shocking and baseless a media report that President Xi Jinping has asked Pakistan to explore ways to relocate JuD chief Hafiz Saeed to a West Asian country amid mounting international pressure to act against him for his links with terror groups.

According to the report, a close aide of Pakistan Prime Minister said that Xi made the suggestion to Shahid Khaqan Abbasi during their meeting on the sidelines of the Boao Forum in China last month.

Reacting to it, Chinese foreign ministry spokespersons office on Thursday said the report that Xi has asked Abbasi to relocate the Pakistan-based Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief to a West Asian country was shocking and baseless.

It is shocking and baseless thats all we can say, the official told PTI here.

Saeed is the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people, including six US nationals, were killed. He carries a USD 10 million American bounty for his role in terror activities

The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack. It was declared a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014.

The US Department of the Treasury in 2012 designated Saeed as a specially designated global terrorist.40-year-old Ouissem Medouni and 35-year-old Sabrina Kouider were found guilty of murdering their French nanny and burning her body on a bonfire in their London backyard. (Photo: AP)

London: A London couple delusionally obsessed with a boy-band star were found guilty Thursday of murdering their French nanny and burning her body on a bonfire in their backyard.

A jury at the Central Criminal Court convicted 35-year-old Sabrina Kouider and 40-year-old Ouissem Medouni after six days of deliberation.

The French couple denied killing Sophie Lionnet, though they admitted disposing of the body. Each defendant blamed the other for the death of the 21-year-old Frenchwoman.

Prosecutors say the pair killed Lionnet after becoming obsessed with the belief she was in league with Kouider's ex-boyfriend Mark Walton, a founding member of Irish boy band Boyzone.

Kouider was said to be obsessed with Walton and believed Lionnet was having an affair with him and helping him carry out a sex-abuse plot. She and Medouni, a banker, repeatedly beat and interrogated Lionnet in an attempt to make her confess.

Prosecutors said the couple starved the nanny, beat her with an electrical cable and tortured her by dunking her head under water. After killing her in a bathtub in September, they threw her body on a bonfire near Wimbledon in southwest London.

When neighbours called firefighters because of a pungent-smelling smoke, Medouni claimed the charred remains belonged to a sheep. Kouider collapsed in tears as the jury foreman delivered the verdicts, while Medouni hung his head. The pair will be sentenced June 26.

The victim's mother, Catherine Devallone, wept in court, and called her daughter's killers "monsters."

"These monsters repeatedly beat Sophie," she said in a statement. "They starved, tortured and broke her. They took away her dignity and finally her life. Our Sophie will soon be laid to rest. No god will ever forgive you both for what you have done to our daughter."

Aisling Hosein of the Crown Prosecution Service said, "Only Kouider and Medouni know exactly how they killed Sophie but the prosecution was able to prove that she died as a result of purposeful and sustained violence, and not by accident."

"They were both jointly involved and came up with a plan to try and destroy her body and escape responsibility for this horrendous crime for which they have been found guilty," she said.All 298 passengers and crew, most of them Dutch, were killed in the disaster. In all there were 17 nationalities on board including Australians, Britons, Malaysians and Indonesians. (Photo: AFP)

Utrecht: Investigators probing the 2014 downing of flight MH17 said on Thursday for the first time that the missile which shot down the plane over eastern Ukraine travelled from a Russian military brigade.

The Joint Investigation Team has come to the conclusion that the BUK-TELAR that shot down MH17 came from 53rd Anti-aircraft Missile Brigade based in Kursk in Russia, top Dutch investigator Wilbert Paulissen said.

The 53rd Brigade forms part of the Russian armed forces, he told reporters at a press conference in the Netherlands.

The Malaysian Airlines flight was blown out of the sky over conflict-wracked east Ukraine on July 17, 2014 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

All 298 passengers and crew, most of them Dutch, were killed in the disaster. But there were 17 nationalities on board including Australians, Britons, Malaysians and Indonesians.

The investigators had previously concluded that the plane was brought down by a Russian-made BUK missile system brought in from Russia and fired from territory in Ukraine held by Moscow-backed rebels. But they have stopped short of directly saying who pulled the trigger.

Now the team has painstaking recreated the route taken by the missile convoy from Kursk across the border into Ukraine using videos and photos.

Paulissen added the team had ascertained that the BUK-TELAR has a number of unique characteristics. These characteristics as such served as a type of fingerprint for the missile. Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in the downing of the Boeing flight 777, putting the blame instead on Kiev.

The probe being led by The Netherlands is focusing on some 100 people suspected of having played an active role in the incident, but investigators have not yet publicly named any suspects.

Chief investigator Fred Westerbeke said Thursday the probe was now in its last phase but added there was still work to be done.

Over the past years weve gained a lot of proof and evidence but we are not ready yet to move towards bringing charges, he told the press conference.

Dutch officials have announced that the trial of any suspects arrested in the shooting down of flight MH17 will be held in the Netherlands under an agreement reached with the countries leading the joint probe.Firemen work next to the twisted wreckage of a train that plowed into a big-rig truck in Caluso, outside Turin, Italy, early Thursday. (Photo: AP)

Rome: Two people were killed and 20 others injured after a train crashed into a rig truck near the northern Italian city of Turin and derailed, Italian media said Thursday.

The incident occurred late Wednesday when the train hit a large truck that had stopped on a level crossing near the town of Caluso, causing three carriages to come off the rails.

"At 11:20 pm (2120 GMT) the regional train 10027 Turin-Ivrea hit a heavy goods vehicle that had stopped on a functioning level crossing after crashing through the barriers," RFI, which manages Italy's rail network, said in a statement.

Local police said there were between 40 and 50 people in the train, which was the last one running from Turin to the suburb of Ivrea.

The wreckage of a truck sits next to a railroad crossing where it was hit by a regional train. (Photo: AP)

Media reports said four of the injured were in serious condition.

"According to early information, the driver of the train was killed and many other passengers have been injured," the statement added.

The AGI news agency said the second victim was taken to a Turin hospital by helicopter with severe injuries but he did not survive.

At the time of the accident he was in a van accompanying the heavy goods vehicle, other media reported.

Italy's rail operator expressed condolences over the engineer's death and extended sympathy for the injured and their near ones.

According to La Stampa newspaper, eyewitnesses said the vehicle, which was registered in Lithuania, was a particularly large and heavy truck. Media reports said it was headed for a warehouse nearby.

The van that was in front of it passed safely through the level crossing but when the barriers started coming down, the rig failed to brake in time and came to a stop on the tracks, the newspaper said.

Many others have been hospitalised, including four who are in a serious condition, local media reported.

AGI said one passenger, a woman, was in a serious condition after sustaining a head injury but she remains conscious.

Another survivor, Paolo Malgioglio, 23, told the Corriere della Sera newspaper: "Everything happened so fast, I felt the train brake suddenly and then I found myself in hell and around me everything was black."

The tragedy follows another accident in April 2017 in the north that killed two people and resulted in the temporary closure of the main railway line between Italy and Austria.

In July 2016 a collision between two trains in the south of Italy left 23 people dead and 52 others injured.In what could be a warning signal for the Narendra Modi government in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, an opinion poll conducted in 19 states claimed that nearly half of the voters do not see merit in giving the BJP-led dispensation another shot in power.

The survey covering 19 states also claimed Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has managed to close the gap between his principal rival Modi on the popularity chart, riding on improved ratings among Dalits, Adivasis, middle-aged people and elderly.

Poll-bound Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh may also give jitters to the BJP where Congress is perceived to have a clear edge while in Bihar, the BJP-JD(U) combine is well ahead of RJD-Congress combine.

The 'Mood of the Nation' (MOTN) survey, conducted by CSDS-Lokniti for ABP News between April 28 and May 17, claimed that 47% of the 15,859 respondents were of the opinion that the Modi government "does not merit another opportunity" to govern the country. Only 39% thought it deserves a second innings in power.

These numbers for the NDA are "about as bad" as those that had been recorded for the UPA in July 2013, nine months before the 2014 polls.

While anti-Modi government sentiment was "especially strong" among the minorities with three-fourths of Muslims, three-fifths of Christians and well over half the Sikhs who do not wish to see a BJP return, the survey also rather unexpectedly found a sizeable section of Hindu voters carrying anti-government sentiment.

"Dalits and Adivasis, who have also been victims of violence and atrocities, were found to be most vociferous in their opposition to the government at 55% and 43% respectively. Dominant OBC communities are also quite opposed (42%) to the present government," it claimed.

In the voting choice of people, BJP has lost two percentage points from 34% recorded in the January round of survey and the latest round was "indicative of a declining trend, one that the BJP has been unable to stem". The May 2017 survey had shown 39% of the voters supporting BJP.

Dissatisfaction with the overall performance of the Modi government also continues to rise -- it has gone up from 27% in May 2017 to 40% in January 2018 to 47% now.

The analysis also showed South India continues to be the region where BJP fares the worst, as it is projected to securing only about 18% votes in the five southern states put together. This is basically due to TDP, which is "doing far better" in Andhra Pradesh pulling out of the NDA.

The news from the north also is not cheerful for the BJP, currently, only about 39% of the voters in this region are supporting the BJP/NDA compared to 45% in January.

The survey also indicated that Dalits and Adivasis have not only shifted their vote preference but their prime ministerial preference as well. Gandhi, who was the Prime Minister choice of 18% Dalits and 27% Adivasis in January, is now the choice of 25% Dalits and 30% Adivasis while Modi sees his favourability drop from 35% to 25% among Dalits and from 42% to 37% among Adivasis.

Nationally, the gap between Modi and Rahul, which was 17% points in January 2018 is now down to just 10 points. As of today, Narendra Modi is the spontaneous preference of 34% of voters and Gandhi of 24%. "Modi for the first time has dropped below his favourability level of 2014 when he was the PM choice of 36% voters. Preference for Rahul Gandhi, on the other hand, has climbed by 8 points since 2014," it said.India has got the Netherlands to tacitly criticise China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and underline that international connectivity initiatives must be based on the respect to the sovereignty of the nations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte met in New Delhi on Thursday and agreed to expand trade and economic ties between two countries and step up bilateral cooperation in agriculture and water as well as science and technology.

The prime minister of the Netherlands arrived in New Delhi on Thursday. His visit saw the signing of three government-to-government agreements and 48 business-to-business agreements for cooperation in the field of education, water, agrifood and horticulture, hi-tech, information technology, space, life sciences and health, smart cities, business and sustainability.

Modi and Rutte underlined that connectivity initiatives must be based on the key principles of international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency; follow social and environmental standards, principles of financial responsibility, accountable debt-financing practices; and must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to a joint statement issued after the meet of two prime ministers at Hyderabad House in New Delhi.

New Delhi has been opposing the Belt and Road Initiative of Beijing, charging that its key component China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would violate the sovereignty of India. The CPEC is proposed to pass through areas, which India claims to be an integral part of its Jammu and Kashmir state, albeit under illegal occupation of Pakistan.

The BRI of China also came under criticism for exposing the smaller participating nations to the risk of being caught in a debt-trap.

Modi and Rutte on Thursday underlined the importance of stepping-up connectivity between the two countries through the sea route. They agreed that the untapped potential for direct port-to-port contacts as well as cooperation in the area of port infrastructure development and shipping should be further explored.

They underlined the significant role the Netherlands could play as Indias Gateway to Europe.

India is the fifth largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Netherlands. The Netherlands is the fourth largest source of the FDI to India.

The two prime ministers reaffirmed the crucial role of the rules-based multilateral trading system, and the importance of enhancing free, fair, and open trade for achieving sustainable growth and development.

They reaffirmed their commitment to work together with all members of the World Trade Organisation, underscoring centrality of the rules-based multilateral trading system and its importance for open and inclusive global trade.A coalition government may not be in the interest of citizens, retired Supreme Court Judge Justice

N Santosh Hegde said on Monday, regretting the fact that voters in Karnataka had failed to elect a single party to rule the state.

The former Karnataka Lokayukta said he found nothing wrong in the Congress backing the JD(S) to form government to keep the BJP out of power. Thats the political system today, Hegde told PTI, also noting that the JD(S) had grabbed the opportunity offered by the Congress though it had attacked the party during campaigning.

I do not know how long it [the coalition government] will last, the former solicitor general of India added, pointing to various factors at play in running a government and how different caste interests had to be kept in mind.

Stating that he is an apolitical person with no connection to any party, Justice Hegde said it was unfortunate that voters had not chosen a single party in spite of such a long period in democracy.

It did not matter if the people elected A or B or C to power, he said, adding that a single party government can be blamed for mistakes or praised for good work. Here (in the case of coalition government), nothing will be in the interest of citizens at large. It is a question of survival (for alliance government) and appeasement of a few, not appeasement of the state of Karnataka.

Justice Hegde said he had seen all the parties -- BJP, Congress and JD(S) -- for a long time and there was no difference between them.

I want a stable government in Karnataka. I only hope some sense will prevail among political parties, he added.Weve hit the bottom, and thats the good news.

At least, so says Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., in a commencement address delivered to the Harvard Law School graduating class of 2018 on Wednesday.

The bottom he candidly refers to is the unpleasant combination of a stymied Congress thats toppled its Article I foundation and a president who frequently threatens the rule of law and disregards principled conduct.

The perilous perch on which sits the nation, however, can improve, and thats the good part of hitting rock bottom, according to Flake. The country now knows what it looks and feels like to devolve into tribalism, and the path upward seems clearer than before.

Flake is right to assume the best of Americans. As he reminded the Harvard graduates, We are much better and more decent than Washington shows us to be. We are a good people. Despite perceived divisions, citizens the country over should be able to at least agree that, as Flake remarks, values transcend politics.

A renewed commitment to truth and the rule of law will require admitting mistakes and challenging assumptions. But when combined with the goodness of the American spirit, the nation will find solid footing requisite for conquering the toughest social and economic challenges that lie in wait. Its ours to fix, says Flake. And thats good news.

Read Sen. Jeff Flake's speech in full, as prepared for delivery:

Commencement address to Harvard Law School graduates, Wednesday, May 23, 2018.

Dean Manning, graduates, class marshals, families and faculty.

It is such an honor to stand before you today, on this very special day of celebration and accomplishment for you and your families, in this annual season of advice-giving. That is why I am here. I am very much hoping you can give me some advice.

Ill soon be in the job market myself.

I feel truly privileged by your invitation. Congratulations to the Harvard Law Class of 2018! To be here in this place that has produced so many of our nations leaders and our finest legal minds is deeply humbling. An institution that gave the world Oliver Wendell Holmes, a majority of the current Supreme Court, and not only Barack but Michelle Obama, too  well, it all has me wondering if I didnt somehow receive this invitation by mistake.

Ill always remember the decadent celebration after graduation at my beloved alma mater, BYU. Bowl after bowl of rocky road, double fudge chunk and butter pecan. Hey, when youre Mormon, ice cream is all youve got.

I am not only humbled by this place, I am also humbled by this moment in the life of our country. You see, you are set to inherit the world in just the nick of time.

I am also especially humbled given the fact that I come to you today from the political class. In utter seriousness, it is I who could benefit from listening to you today rather than speaking to you, as I am not so sure that there is much distilled wisdom to be imparted from Washington these days, given what has lately become the tawdriness of my profession. I am here today as representative of a co-equal branch of our federal government, which is failing its constitutional obligations to counteract the power of the president, and in so doing is dishonoring itself, at a critical moment in the life of our nation.

And so, with humility, let me suggest that perhaps it is best to consider what I have to say today as something of a cautionary tale 

about the rule of law and its fragility;

about our democratic norms and how hard-won and vulnerable they are;

about the independence of our system of justice, and how critically important it is to safeguard it from malign actors who would casually destroy that independence for their own purposes and without a thought to the consequences;

about the crucial predicate for all of these cherished American values: Truth. Empirical, objective truth;

and lastly, about the necessity to defend these values and these institutions that you will soon inherit, even if that means sometimes standing alone. Even if it means risking something important to you, maybe even your career. Because there are times when circumstances may call on you to risk your career in favor of your principles.

But you  and your country  will be better for it. You can go elsewhere for a job, but you cannot go elsewhere for a soul.

Not to be unpleasant, but I do bring news from our nations capital. First, the good news: Your national leadership is  not good. At all. Our presidency has been debased. By a figure who has a seemingly bottomless appetite for destruction and division. And only a passing familiarity with how the Constitution works.

And our Article I branch of government, the Congress (thats me), is utterly supine in the face of the moral vandalism that flows from the White House daily. I do not think that the Founders could have anticipated that the beauty of their invention might someday founder on the rocks of reality television, and that the Congress would be such willing accomplices to this calamity. Our most ardent enemies, doing their worst (and they are doing their worst), couldnt hurt us more than we are hurting ourselves.

Now, you might reasonably ask, where is the good news in that?

Well, simply put: We may have hit bottom.

(Oh, and thats also the bad news. In a rare convergence, the good news and bad news are the same  Our leadership is not good, but it probably cant get much worse.)

This is it, if you have been wondering what the bottom looks like. This is what it looks like when you stress-test all of the institutions that undergird our constitutional democracy, at the same time. You could say that we are witnesses to history, and if it were possible to divorce ourselves from the obvious tragedy of this debacle, I suppose that might even be interesting, from an academic perspective. The way some rare diseases are interesting to medical researchers.

But this is an experience we could and should have avoided. Getting to this state of distress did not occur naturally. Rather, this was thoroughly man-made. This disease of our polity is far too serious to not be recognized for what it is, the damage it threatens to do to our vital organs is far too great for us to carry on as if all is well. All is not well. We have a sickness of the spirit. To complete the medical metaphor, you might say that we are now in critical condition.

How did we arrive at a moment of such peril  wherein a president of the United States publicly threatens  on "Fox & Friends," historians will note  to interfere in the administration of justice, and seems to think that the office confers on him the ability to decide who and what gets investigated, and who and what does not? And just this week, the president  offering an outlandish rationale, ordered an investigation into the investigation of the Russian attack on our electoral process  not to defend the country against further attacks, mind you, but to defend himself. Obviously, ordering investigations is not a legitimate use of presidential power.

I pick this egregious example of recent presidential conduct not because it is rare in terms of this presidents body of work, but because it so perfectly represents what we have tragically grown accustomed to in the past year and a half. Who would have thought that we would ever see encouragement coming from the White House for chants at rallies calling for the jailing of a defeated political opponent. When you dont even know that there are limits on presidential power, then you might not even care when you are abusing that power.

How did this happen to us? And what might we learn from it? How did we get swept up in this global resurgence of the authoritarian impulse, which now has democracies teetering on the brink, strongmen placing themselves above the law, and in our own country a leader who reveres some of the most loathsome enemies of democracy in our time?

Have we really grown tired of democracy? Are we watching its passing, cheered on by the America First crowd even as we cast aside global institutions that have fostered freedom, prosperity and peace for more than a half-century?

For just a moment, let us marvel at the miracle that is the rule of law. We have seldom been moved to pause for such an appreciation, as we have been too busy taking it for granted and assuming its inviolability  like gravity. But unlike Newtons Laws, the rule of law was neither innate nor inevitable. What goes up must come down is a piece of cake compared to curbing the impulses of man and asking free people to abide rules and norms that form a country, and foster civilization.

It took centuries of war and sacrifice and social upheaval and more war and great civil rights struggles to establish the foundational notion that no one is either above the law or unworthy of the protections afforded by a robust legal system, a system that took us from feudal servility to a constitutional model that is the envy of the world. And will continue to be, with your help.

We trace the beginnings of this radical egalitarianism  of the awesome and leveling effect of the law  to the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which saw the death of the divine right of kings, as even the monarch from that point forward would be subject to the law  and the parliament even threw in a bill of rights for good measure.

But we are now testing the durability of this idea that William III first had the good sense to agree to, an idea which was then forged and tempered over the ensuing centuries. And we are seeing its vulnerabilities. In other parts of the world where democracys roots are not so deep, we are seeing it being torn down with sickening ease and shocking speed. And worse, we are seeing the rise of simulated democracies, Potemkin democracies, democracies in appearance and effect only.

Rule of thumb: If the only acceptable outcome in a matter of law or justice is a result that is satisfactory to the leader, then you might live in a democracy that is in trouble. If the leader attacks the legitimacy of any institution that does not pay him obeisance  say, the independent judiciary, or the free press  then you might live in a democracy that is in trouble. Further to that point: when a figure in power reflexively calls any press that doesnt suit him fake news, it is that person who should be the figure of suspicion, not the press.

It will be the work of your generation to make sure that this degradation of democracy does not continue  to see to it that our current flirtation with lawlessness and authoritarianism does not become a heritable trait to be passed down from this presidency.

The rule of law is an elemental value, a value that preceded and gave rise to our Constitution. It is not an ideology subject to the pendulum swings of politics, or something to be given a thumbs-up or thumbs-down in a call-in to your favorite morning show. It is the basis of our system of self-governance. America without the rule of law is no longer America.

I am a conservative Republican, a throwback from the days when those words actually meant something, before the collapse of our politics into the rank tribalism we currently endure. My sounding this alarm against a government that was elected under the Republican banner and that calls itself conservative makes me no less Republican or conservative. And opposing this president and much of what he stands for is not an act of apostasy  it is, rather, an act of fidelity.

Because we forget this fact far too often, and it bears repeating a thousand times, especially in times such as these: Values transcend politics.

As a conservative Republican, I dare say that my idea of government may differ with the beliefs of many of you here today. I will be thoroughly presumptuous and assume that in terms of policy prescriptions, we disagree on much. (Call me crazy.)

But I have long believed that the only lasting solutions to the problems before us must involve both sides. Lawmaking should never be an exercise in revenge, because vengeful people are myopic, self-interested, and not fit to lead. I believe that our government should include people who believe as I do, just as I believe it must include people who believe as my friend Tim Kaine does, or as my friend Cory Booker does, to name but two.

The greatness of our system is that it is designed to be difficult, in order to force compromise. And when you honor the system, and seek to govern in good faith, the system works.

Which brings us back to our current peril. It is a testament to our times  and to the inflection point that we face  that I am here today. For, setting aside the usual requirements of politics, and the usual ways that politics keeps score, the things that normally divide us seem trivial compared to the trials that have now been visited upon our democracy.

In the face of these challenges, we agree on something far more important than a legislative program, even more important than our thoughts on the proper role of government in the economy and in the lives of individuals: We agree on the need to safeguard the health and survival of constitutional democracy in America and the preservation of the American idea itself  at a time when the values underpinning our constitutional system and that extraordinary idea are under threat, from the top.

The values of the enlightenment that led to the creation of this idea of America  this unique experiment in world history  are light years removed from the base, cruelly transactional brand of politics that in this moment some people mistakenly think is what it means to make America great.

To be clear, we did not become great  and will never be great  by indulging and encouraging our very worst impulses. It doesnt matter how many red caps you sell.

The historian Jon Meacham, in his splendid new book, "The Soul of America," reassures that history shows us that we are frequently vulnerable to fear, bitterness, and strife. The good news, he says, is that we have come through such darkness before.

Perhaps. But not with both nuclear weapons and Twitter. And certainly not with such an anomalous presidency as this one. But I take your point, Mr. Meacham, and am heartened by it.

We will get through this, of course. But at the moment, we are in it, and we must face it squarely. Because too much is at stake for us to turn away, to leave it to others to defend the things we hold most dear.

A culminating event such as the election of our current president scrambles normal binary notions of politics, and I am as disoriented as many of you are at this dealignment. We find that many of the days biggest issues simply dont break down neatly to familiar ideas of left vs. right, but rather more along these lines:

Do you believe in democracy, or not?

Are you faithful to your country, or to your party?

Are you loyal to the law and the Constitution, or to a man?

Do you reflexively ascribe the worst motives to your opponents, but somehow deny, excuse, or endorse every repulsive thing your compatriot says, does or tweets?

These questions have sent some of us wandering into the political wilderness. And it is in that wilderness where your wonderful letter of invitation reached me.

Well, the wilderness suits me fine. In fact, I so love the way Washington has become that in recent years, during congressional recesses, I have taken to stranding myself on deserted islands in the middle of the ocean to detoxify all these feelings of love out of my system. I am not kidding.

I once spent a week alone, voluntarily marooned, on a tiny island called Jabonwod, a remote spit of sand and coconut trees in the central Pacific, about 7,000 miles from Washington.

As penance, and determined to test my survival skills, I brought no food or water, relying solely on what I could catch or collect. That, it turned out, was the easier part. More difficult was dealing with the stultifying loneliness that set in on the first night and never left me.

By day three, for companionship, I began to mark the hermit crabs that wandered through my camp with a number, just to see if they would reoccur. By the end of the week I had 126 numbered friends. I still miss number 72, who rarely left my side after developing an addiction to coconut scraps. I was less fond of number 12, who pinched my big toe.

Now, I would not recommend such drastic measures to escape your situation, but I hope that should you be presented with the hard choice, you too will eschew comfort and set out into the wilderness rather than compromise your conscience.

From my cautionary tale to you today, I urge you to challenge all of your assumptions, regularly. Recognize the good in your opponents. Apologize every now and then. Admit to mistakes. Forgive, and ask for forgiveness. Listen more. Speak up more, for politics sometimes keeps us silent when we should speak.

And if you find yourself in a herd, crane your neck, look back there and check out your brand, ask yourself if it really suits you. From personal experience, I can say that its never too late to leave the herd.

When you peel off from the herd, your equilibrium returns. Food tastes better. You sleep very well. Your mind is your own again. You cease being captive to some bad impulses and even worse ideas.

It can strain relationships, to be sure, and leave you eating alone in the Senate dining room every now and then. But thats OK. To revise and extend a remark the president himself may recognize: You might say that I like people whose minds werent captured.

That one was for you, Senator McCain. Were all pulling for you.

Politically speaking, I have not changed my beliefs much at all. But my goodness, how I have changed. How can we live through these abnormal times and not be changed?

Our country needs us now. Our country needs you.

We need each other, and it is a scoundrel who would prosper politically by turning us against each other.

From our time, let us send a message into the future that we did not fail democracy, but that we renewed it. That a patchwork of populist resentments and authoritarian whims that for a while succeeded in its cynical mission of discord had the ultimate effect of shaking us from our complacency, reminding us of who we are and of our responsibilities to each other. Of reawakening us to our obligations as citizens.

Let us be able to say in the future that we faced these forces that would threaten the institutions of our liberty and tear us apart and that we said: NO.

I leave you today with more good news and bad news. This time I will start with the bad news, which is: All of this is yours to fix. All of it.

And that of course is also the good news: All of this is yours to fix, and our country could not be more fortunate than to have people of your high character, strong principle and awesome talent soon taking the helm.

I grew up as a kid on the F-Bar Ranch in rural Arizona, and if we needed to gauge the condition of the range or to measure the damage after a flood, we would find the highest hill or butte and ride our horses to the top. From such a vista we could dispatch cowboys to gather cattle, machinery to shore up roads, or workers to repair fences  to restore some semblance of order.

There are no tall buttes in Washington. But it is nonetheless our obligation to assess the condition of our politics, then to mitigate and repair the damage.

It is the story of America, though, that we will be better for the hard lessons of this experience. We are much better and more decent than Washington shows us to be. We are a good people. And we are a deeply resourceful and resilient nation, and our greatness is based on no one man  no one man who alone can fix it, but rather on enduring ideas of self-governance and the rule of law that have been a model for the world for centuries. Ideas that can be mocked, but not marred.

No, there are no high buttes in Washington, but still we must gain the high ground, and survey the damage. And the thing about gaining the high ground is from up there you can see beyond the damage, too. You can see everything. Everything that is good and decent.

That is the job before us  to get through this, and beyond it. And youre just the ones to take us there.

Thank you. And once again, congratulations to the Harvard Law Class of 2018!AMERICAN FORK  The last two of five taxing entities signed off Wednesday on huge tax breaks that seem poised to pave the way for an enormous new data center facility in Eagle Mountain that's been described as "one of the greatest economic opportunities the state has ever had."

The unknown potential data center owner took an active though remote role in discussions Wednesday morning for the entity that stands to gain, and lose, the most in the deal, depending on how you look at it.

The Alpine Board of Education approved the long-running tax breaks, potentially worth hundreds of millions for the unnamed company, but not before a live game of chicken played out in the midst of the board's deliberations Wednesday.

And, it's one the board lost.

Members said they felt rushed, pressured and "bullied" after they received a 50-plus page document Friday, May 11, ahead of a hoped-for vote the following Tuesday. But the board  even after delaying the vote for a week and vowing to never consider any future proposals under the same circumstances  still approved the interlocal agreement on a 6-1 vote Wednesday.

"I have serious concerns about the process that has gone on," said board member Scott Carlson. "I am confident that this board will not seriously consider future projects which do not include school representatives early in the process."

The board made an attempt to put caps on a tax relief package that would grant the unnamed company a 100 percent discount on personal property taxes due and 80 percent on real property taxes due for 40 years. Just for Phase 1 of the project, that would equate to $150 million in lost tax money on the company's expected $750 million investment, with the district the biggest loser because it would be entitled to about 70 percent of the property taxes.

But when discussing limiting the deal to no more than $40 million per phase and $120 million total on real property over 30 years, Carlson announced during the meeting that he had received word from district administrators, who were being told in real time by the company that the cap proposal would be a deal-killer.

"In the time we've been debating this proposal, the promotion team continued to be in discussion with the company  and they're aware of the motion on the table," Carlson said. "Theres great fear amongst those on the promoting team that if we approve the motion as stated, that the company will not come."

A counterproposal  conveyed from the company via school administrators  was to up the tax relief limit to $150 million over a 35-year span. After a short discussion, the board amended its proposal to reflect those changes and quickly voted.

While making some concessions on the terms of its proposed caps, Alpine School District is the only taxing entity involved in the deal thus far that has set any monetary limits on the tax breaks.

On Tuesday, the Utah County Commission set a 40-year limit on terms of the deal, but without stipulating any ceilings on tax relief. Previously, Eagle Mountain and the Unified Fire Authority approved the package without monetary limits.

Later in the day on Wednesday, the Central Utah Water Conservancy District approved the tax breaks, again without monetary limits, on a unanimous vote. Now, all five taxing entities have approved the deal and the ball is back in the court of the unknown company, according to Theresa Foxley, President/CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah.

She noted the review process on that end of the deal will be swift as will the likely revelation of the unknown entity.

"(The company name) will be known in the very near term," Foxley said. "The company will go back, analyze all the deal terms that have surfaced over the span of this public process. Theyll take that to the decision-making bodies within the company and, assuming, in aggregate, its a good business decision for them we would expect them to make a decision very quickly and make an announcement very quickly because they need the capacity (of the new data center)."

Pending the company's decision to move forward, Phase 1 of the effort will include putting up two facilities on the roughly 500-acre parcel south of Eagle Mountain city center. Foxley said once shovels are in the ground, the expected construction term should be about 18 months. The company will also be investing, according to Foxley, about $150 million in infrastructure improvements including bringing power to the site from a nearby high-capacity power line corridor, extending sewer and water service, bringing in telecommunication lines and improving roads.

That infrastructure investment is expected to be equalized by the Phase 1 tax benefits of $150 million over 20 years. All additional phases will be eligible for the same level of tax relief and, except for the caps approved by Alpine School District, will only be limited by time and the size of the site.

A study commissioned by Eagle Mountain on the project referenced the potential for five phases which, if executed, would earn the mystery company $750 million in tax relief.

According to Eagle Mountain officials, the property currently generates about $66 per year in tax revenues. After Phase 1 of the data center is complete, the tax revenues would shoot up to about $840,000 annually, with Alpine School District getting about $540,000 of that.

While a handful of residents offered comments in support of the proposal to the Alpine board on Wednesday, Lehi resident Michell Stallings said she was concerned with the rationale given by those who support the agreement.

"To say Eagle Mountain won't grow without this seems doubtful to me," Stallings said. "Schools deserve this money and you don't need to incentivize businesses to come in and get these tax breaks. Where does it stop? We just have to give up more, and more and more."

Her comments mirrored concerns shared by board member Wendy Hart, who was the sole dissenting vote on the agreement.

"This is wrong," Hart said. "What if the projections are wrong? What if this spurs a level of economic growth that instead of needing to build a new high school every five years, we have to build one every two years?"

Val Hale, executive director of the Governor's Office of Economic Development, also addressed the board before their vote on Wednesday, encouraging the body to support the measure. Hale previously outlined what he said were numerous benefits of the project, including the infrastructure investment opening up surrounding property in Eagle Mountain to new development potential.

"This may be one of the greatest economic opportunities the state has every had," Hale said. "There's a pile of cash right in front of you, if you'll reach down and pick it up."Paige Patterson, the embattled president of the Southern Baptist Conventions largest seminary, was asked to step down after an outpouring of criticism for his comments on women, including advice he gave to a woman to stay with her abusive husband and new reports he asked another woman not to report a rape.

The departure represents the most dramatic example of the #MeToo movement pervading the top reaches of the Southern Baptist Convention.

The board of trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, met for 13 hours Tuesday (May 22) before issuing a statement thanking Patterson for his contributions and service to the school, after voting to make him president emeritus with compensation.

Last month a tape from the year 2000 surfaced in which Patterson said he never counsels divorce for abused women and then recounted an incident in which he told an abused woman to pray beside her bed at night and be submissive in every way that you can.

A more recent sermon also came to light that included a comment about the body of a teenage girl, and another criticized female seminarians who dont work hard enough to look good.

On Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that in 2003 Patterson told a woman who said she had been raped that she should not report her allegations to the police and encouraged her to forgive her alleged assailant.

The woman, a student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., where Patterson was president at the time, was instead put on academic probation.

Response to the initial comments about abused women was swift. More than 3,200 Southern Baptist women signed an online letter asking the trustees to take action against Patterson.

The Southern Baptist Convention cannot allow the biblical view of leadership to be misused in such a way that a leader with an unbiblical view of authority, womanhood, and sexuality be allowed to continue in leadership, the online letter dated May 6 said.

On Wednesday, one of the women who signed the petition said she felt relieved.

If you had told me a month ago that Paige Patterson would be removed from his office, I would never have believed it, said Karen Swallow Prior, a professor of English at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., and a Southern Baptist.

While there isnt a statement yet from the board or from Patterson repenting of the particular patterns of behavior that prompted our petition, I think this is a dramatic first step toward that kind of recognition and repentance, she added.

The board, which did not address any of the offending comments or actions that led to Pattersons removal, also appointed D. Jeffrey Bingham, dean of the School of Theology, to the position of interim president.

Pattersons removal is in some ways a sign that he had overstayed his welcome, said Bill Leonard, a professor of church history at Wake Forest Universitys Divinity School in Winston-Salem, N.C. The 75-year-old Pattersons authoritarian style and methods were no longer tolerated, even within the conservative SBC.

Hes placed an emphasis on womens role in the church that is fast being questioned, even in the confines of the present-day convention, as that letter signed by women asking for something to be done attests, Leonard said. These were not moderate, liberal women. These were women who came of age in the SBC and who challenged his particular theology of marriage and spouse abuse.

Along with Judge Paul Pressler, a layman, and popular pastor Adrian Rogers, Patterson helped engineer the conservative takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention in the early 1980s.

For many years afterward, he was an undisputed gatekeeper who helped oust hundreds of moderates and liberals from their posts as administrators, department heads and professors.

His efforts were rewarded with coveted posts, first as president of Southeastern and then as president of Southwestern in Fort Worth, the denominations largest seminary.

But it was in his insistence on pushing back against feminism and the womens movement and reinstating a biblical literalism when it comes to marriage, family, sex and the role of women that he made his mark.

Shortly after wresting control of the denomination, he helped push for a resolution opposing the ordination of women. In 1998, the year Patterson was elected president of the denomination, the convention amended its statement of faith to say a wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband.

That male-headship approach is reflected in Southwesterns website, where a subsection about mission, vision and values titled Mans Need for Salvation makes no mention of women.

Women do make an appearance on the website in the alumni section. A description of Southwestern womens auxiliary begins with a quote from Titus 2:3-5: Older women are  to teach what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and children, to be sensible, pure, good homemakers, and submissive to their husbands, so that Gods message will not be slandered.

But social and cultural changes, which once allowed pastors to advise women to stay in abusive marriages because their husbands could be converted to faith by their wives steadfast witness, finally caught up with him.

The #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault, as well as womens growing demands for equality in pay and in the corridors of power, has swayed legions of Southern Baptist women and led to the #ChurchToo hashtag.

Even men joined in. In an article in Christianity Today, three Southern Baptist ministers, including J.D. Greear, a candidate for the presidency of the SBC, which meets next month in Dallas, wrote that church leaders are not undermining the institution of marriage by counseling abused women to separate from their husbands.

There are certain situations of which physical abuse would be one, that done under the right counsel, we would say is a biblically permissible divorce, said Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, N.C.

Greear was a student of Pattersons at Southeastern, where he received a Master of Divinity and a Ph.D. in theological studies.

But on Wednesday, the pastor of The Summit, the regions largest Baptist church, was unequivocal.

There can be no ambiguity about the churchs responsibility to protect the abused and to be a safe place for the vulnerable, Greear wrote in an email. Abuse can never be tolerated, minimized, hidden, or handled internally. Those in leadership who turn a blind eye toward abuse are complicit with it and must be held accountable. I hope that in the days to come, Southern Baptists will make that clear and act accordingly.Last month, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on President Donald Trumps travel ban, popularly known as the Muslim ban because of his statements, like one in 2015 calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.

But Trump is far from the only Republican willing to discriminate against Muslims. BuzzFeed News reported in April that since 2015, Republican officials in 49 states have publicly attacked Islam, some even questioning its legitimacy as a religion.

The only exception? Utah. In that state, where a majority of the population is Mormon, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, elected officials seem to have a deep understanding that an attack on the religious freedom of one group is an attack on the religious freedom of everyone. The rest of the nation should follow their example.

Utahs politicians stand out against many of those whose statements BuzzFeed News chronicled, like an Oklahoma state representative named John Bennett, who in 2014 called Islam a cancer, and last year met with Muslim constituents only after they filled out questionnaires asking whether they beat their wives. A Nebraska state senator, Bill Kintner, proposed that Muslims be required to eat pork if they wished to enter the United States. A state senator in Rhode Island, Elaine Morgan, wrote in an email that Muslim religion and philosophy is to murder, rape, and decapitate anyone who is a non-Muslim and recommended that Syrian refugees be housed in camps. She later said she was referring only to fanatical/extremist Muslims.

In January, Neal Tapio, a South Dakota state senator who is running for the United States House, questioned whether the First Amendment applies to Muslims, asking, Does our Constitution offer protections and rights to a person who believes in the full implementation of Islamic law, as practiced by 14 Islamic countries and millions of Muslims who believe in the deadly political ideology that believes you should be killed for leaving Islam?

Rep. Bennett, the lawmaker who required Muslim constituents to answer questionnaires on whether they beat their wives, said in 2014, Islam is not even a religion; it is a social, political system that uses a deity to advance its agenda of global conquest.

Jody Hice, a 2014 Republican congressional candidate from Georgia, questioned the compatibility of Islam with the American Constitution and wrote in 2012 that Islam would not qualify for First Amendment protection since its a geopolitical system.

And yet, in Utah  one of the most crimson-red states in the union  such rhetoric is conspicuously absent.

Id be the first to stand up for their rights, said Utahs senior senator, Orrin Hatch, in 2010 amid the controversy surrounding the construction of an Islamic community center close to ground zero in New York City. He called Islam a great religion.

Utahs other Republican senator, Mike Lee, said he did not vote for Trump in part because he saw the travel ban as a religious test. In explaining why many in Utah opposed the ban, Utahs Republican governor, Gary Herbert, observed, We had Rutherford B. Hayes in 1879 issue an envoy to Europe saying in essence, Dont send those Mormon immigrants to America anymore.'

Pointing to this history of Mormon persecution, in 2017, a group of scholars with expertise in Mormon history filed an amicus brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit opposing the ban. They drew a comparison between the governments current posture toward Muslims and the governments 19th-century treatment of Mormons. This court should ensure that history does not repeat itself, they wrote.

Mormon politicians seem to understand better than many of their fellow Republicans that if anothers freedom of faith is under attack, so, too, is their own. Perhaps this has to do with the churchs 11th Article of Faith, which states: We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where or what they may.

Their interest in the rights of people of other faiths has also been traced to the views of the Mormon founder Joseph Smith who put it this way: If it has been demonstrated that I have been willing to die for a Mormon, I am bold to declare before Heaven that I am just as ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist or a good man of any denomination.

Mormons know too well what it means to be singled out for persecution, and to have ones faith maligned as a threat to America. But it shouldnt require that experience to understand that religious freedom for some is really religious freedom for none.On this Memorial Day, a day set aside to honor service members who died on active duty, may we never forget the more than 1.1 million Americans who have died since the birth of our nation for the cause of freedom. To those who have served or are currently serving, thank you for your and your families' selfless service and sacrifice.

My gratitude for our service members was rekindled on a recent trip to a small and seemingly insignificant European country.

Just last month, while on a trip to Brussels, my husband and I had the opportunity to take a day trip to see Gen. George S. Pattons grave at the American cemetery in Luxembourg (a small country southeast of Belgium with a population of roughly 600,000 people).

My husband and I knew it would be difficult to get a taxi back into the city from the cemetery, so we asked our driver if he would wait just 15 minutes or so for us to quickly see Pattons grave. We offered to pay him whatever necessary for the additional time and invited him to come in and join us.

His response surprised me.

When we got there, the taxi driver turned off his counter and said, Im not going to charge you for this; Ive wanted to come here for years.

Together we walked through the blue gates adorned with gold wreaths, past the visitors center and into the main memorial space. I turned to take in the view and caught my breath. In front of us were rows and rows of thousands of crosses and Stars of David marking the final resting place for American soldiers who were killed in combat during World War II. My eyes welled with tears at the sight: 5,075 service members are buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery, the majority of whom died fighting in the Battle of the Bulge or liberating Luxembourg from the perils of Nazi Germany.

We made our way to Pattons grave and thanked our driver, Tiago, again for being willing to take us so far out of the way of his normal route.

He responded humbly, No, thank you. Ive been wanting to see this for quite some time. Gesturing at the rows of headstones, he said, Without them we wouldnt be free.

I looked at his expression and realized the significance of his statement. His eyes were serious; his face somber, he continued, Europe was saved by America and Churchill  our lives would be very different if Hitler had won.

All three of us stood silent, letting the thought sink in.

Standing in front of Pattons grave next to Tiago, I realized that Patton and his troops were far more than the American heroes I had read about  they were young men, engaged in a cause far bigger than themselves and the country they served  who had liberated and defended humanity at its very core.

I cried that day.

Seeing our taxi drivers eyes well with tears, I was also reminded of my experience at the Normandy American Cemetery. On our drive to Normandy Beach, we drove through a small village where the locals still fly American flags along with the French flag. They feel a deep sense of gratitude for American soldiers who liberated them from Nazi occupation 74 years ago.

Looking out at the Luxembourg headstones again with the memory of Normandys headstone-dotted fields, I reflected on all the Americans whose bodies are buried far from home, all over the world, who died defending the liberties of our fellow brothers and sisters. I dont think we, as Americans, truly recognize the beacon of hope our service members in uniform are to people all across the globe. I know I didnt  until I got to see it through the eyes of our taxi driver.Without substantial agreement and cooperation from key U.S. allies in Europe, new sanctions against Iran by the Trump administration wont be as effective as the ones that predated the Obama administrations deal to postpone Irans nuclear program.

And without agreement from those nations, which were signatories to the nuclear deal and have not so far indicated a willingness to abandon it, demands for further concessions are likely to fail.

When it comes to renegotiating a deal involving multiple partners, it is necessary to involve those partners. Otherwise, the original deal remains in force, with one notable dissention. But even a dissenter as big and powerful as the United States cannot produce much leverage on its own.

Not that the demands outlined Monday by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arent admirable.

In a speech to the Heritage Foundation in Washington, he identified 12 points that must be met before releasing new sanctions the administration intends to impose. The highlights include removing all troops from Syria, ending all ties to Hezbollah and other militant groups, ending all enrichment of uranium for any purpose and, perhaps most significantly, putting an end to efforts to destroy Israel.

In outlining these demands, Pompeo neatly defined the Iranian problem. The Obama-era deal President Donald Trump chose to abandon did not confront these troubling realities. That deal  never presented to the Senate for ratification as a treaty  merely postponed Irans nuclear ambitions in exchange for cash, which came in the form of lifting sanctions that had crippled Irans economy.

But the Obama administration won support from many U.S. allies, who also signed the deal and who argue it has successfully kept Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons for the time being. They want to keep the deal in force.

Certainly, it would be preferable to have Iran renounce its extremist aims and its official antipathy toward Israel. Diplomatic efforts, however, seldom result in that kind of complete behavioral shift. Only war or internal strife can lead to the regime change necessary for this to occur, and war should not be a viable option.

Iran is not likely to accede to these U.S. demands, and sanctions that involve only the United States are not likely to have the crippling effect on Irans economy that would force its leaders to comply. Cuba provides a convincing lesson on the ineffectiveness of unilateral sanctions, which have not succeeded in forcing a regime change.

Iran presents the civilized world with a difficult problem. Its theocratic government is a threat to world peace and to regional stability. The Obama-era deal did little more than push this problem down the road several years. Trumps demands, however, wont even accomplish that if he cant convince key allies to get on board.SALT LAKE CITY  A major milestone has been reached in the development of the largest municipal construction project in the history of Utah's capital city as workers "topped out" the new terminal at Salt Lake City International Airport.

In the construction business, topping out or topping off is a builders rite that is traditionally held when the last beam is placed on top of a structure during construction. On Wednesday, more than 1,000 workers were joined by civic leaders to commemorate the installation of the final steel beam of the airport's $486 million Central Terminal.

"This airport is going to be such an immense asset to this community," said Bill Wyatt, executive director of Salt Lake City Department of Airports. "This is a moment where we get to see the last piece of steel going up into the erection of the terminal building."

The first phase of the project is scheduled for completion in 823 days, he noted, more than two years hence in 2020. He added that for a time, the department will be "operating two airports at once" as it transitions from the original buildings to the new facilities.

He said the $3.5 billion project is currently on schedule and on budget. The project is funded entirely by user fees and no local taxpayer dollars, he said.

"Delta Airlines, people who park their cars or buy concessions are all contributing toward the development of this new airport," Wyatt said.

The new airport will include an elevated roadway with one level for drop-offs and one level for pick-ups, a new parking garage with 3,600 parking stalls, one central terminal to replace three existing terminals, along with the west-end of the North and South concourses, explained airport spokeswoman Nancy Vollmer.

A large art installation titled The Canyon will be integrated on both walls of the new terminal, she said. Spanning 362 feet, the piece will be meant to evoke the Salt Lake City landscape with a floor to ceiling height of approximately 50 feet, she added.

"The entire airport will be complete in 2024, at which time all the existing old buildings will be torn down," Wyatt said. "In its place will be this new, state-of-the-art, 21st-century airport."

As of early this month, there were approximately 1,300 trade workers on site and 2,801,726 hours worked to date, Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski told the audience gathered on the construction site for Wednesday's ceremony. She noted that local contractors comprised 68 percent of awarded contracts for the project, with out-of-state contractors totaling the remaining 32 percent of contracts awarded.

During the course of construction, the project will create more than 24,000 jobs and generate more than $1 billion in wages, she said. The project is approaching 3,000,000 worker hours with minimal safety incidents, she added.

"Everyone is working so hard," Biskupski said. "There is so much to be proud of and to celebrate."Critics cant quite agree on Solo: A Star Wars Story, which debuts Friday. But most came to the conclusion that it is satisfyingly, entertainingly average.

A perfect example: The new "Star Wars" prequels Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes is at 70 percent, which sounds positive, but the consensus among critics is that its flawed yet fun.

Solo gives us the background of Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich), starting with his bleak childhood on Corellia, a planet Solo is determined to leave behind to pursue his dream of being a pilot. Without giving too much away, the movie includes Hans introduction to two of the main fixtures in his life: the Millennium Falcon and Chewbacca. It also introduces Donald Glover as a young Lando Calrissian, a smooth smuggler and frenemy of Han Solo.

True to its name, Solo: A Star Wars Story is a bit of a loner. Rather than being released near the holiday season like most recent "Star Wars" films, its being released in the spring.

And instead of focusing on lightsabers and the Force and Jedis, its all about blasters, smuggling and heists, which are different characteristics than the quintessential "Star Wars" film. It doesnt even include a John Williams soundtrack or a Death Star to blow up.

But for some, the differences make "Solo" a refreshing film.

Ron Howards Solo: A Star Wars Story isnt the best Star Wars movie; it probably isnt even the best of the new Star Wars movies," writes Deseret News critic Josh Terry. But, he counters, an average 'Star Wars' movie is nothing to complain about.

The problems

The biggest problems critics find with the new addition to the "Star Wars" world are with the cramped and overplayed nature of Disney-run "Star Wars" and with Ehrenreichs performance as the main character.

Most reviews agree the movie doesnt take itself too seriously and doesnt always make sense canonically. In fact, the movie led to an intense debate about the timeline and canon in the offices of The New York Times, according to critic A.O. Scott.

Other critics hold a consensus that this was an unasked-for, money-sucking move by Disney to answer questions that no one was really asking about Han Solos life.

A.A. Dowd of The A.V. Club wrote the movie struck me as intellectual property in the form unconvincingly arranged into the shape of a movie.

Meanwhile, ReelViews James Berardinelli described it as a movie no one was clamoring for that has been made without any distinguishing qualities.

And then there's debate over Ehrenreich. Several critics agreed that Harrison Fords imperturbable swagger as Solo in the original "Star Wars" trilogy is a masterpiece that is impossible to duplicate. Ehrenreich, taking on the role of the beloved unruffled ruffian, faces an Olympic-sized task for a beginner.

K. Austin Collins of Vanity Fair gives Ehrenreichs portrayal the benefit of the doubt because Solo's character is still young, not quite the self-assured cynic Solo fans adore.

"After all, this isnt a movie about the fully formed, breezy, macho-lite hero we all already love  its a movie about a guy who hasnt totally come into himself," he wrote.

And Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal says Ehrenreich did a great job with an impossible task, and expressed gratitude he didnt try to impersonate the old Solo exactly.

Mr. Ehrenreich pulls it off, to the extent that anyone can consummate an impossible act of anticipatory mimicry, Morgenstern wrote.

Others said Ehrenreichs poor performance spoiled the entire movie. In particular, The Seattle Times review calls out the young actor for being too arrogant, sporting a smirk rather than a grin, whereas Vulture's review critiques him for being too likable.

What critics liked

Despite the disagreement about Ehrenreich, fans and critics alike are falling in love with Glovers Lando Calrissian and his extensive cape collection, saying hes definitely channeling Billy Dee Williams, who played the original Calrissian in "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back."

"The idea of Mr. Glover aging into Billy Dee Williams creates a magical loop in the pop-cultural space-time continuum," Scott wrote.

Most reviews attribute the rule-bound but enjoyable fun in the movie to Howard, who came on after the first two directors were let go because of creative differences.

Screen Rant reviewer Molly Freeman said the director didnt take too many risks, but the ones he did pay off.

Beyond Lando, most agree the movie succeeds in creating breathtaking sets, cool new creatures, a funny new droid, an awesome train heist as well as an overall enjoyable experience.

So, is Solo worth seeing?

Its more Star Tours than 'Star Wars,' wrote Brian Raftery for Wired. But hey, Star Tours is pretty fun.SALT LAKE CITY  Former Utah Transit Authority top boss Jerry Benson will keep a severance package valued at more than $200,000 after trustees narrowly voted Wednesday to reaffirm their earlier decision to fire him without cause.

The 6-5 vote, taken because the Utah Attorney General's Office determined the UTA board's April action may have violated the state's open meetings act, came after a lengthy hearing that included a warning from Benson's attorney.

Litigation would be "likely," the attorney, Lincoln Hobbs, said, if the board didn't come to their earlier conclusion, that their only option was to terminate Benson and trigger a nine-month salary and benefits package.

"I think the litigation would be divisive. It would be expensive. It would be destructive to this agency in moving forward under the new statute," Hobbs said, referring to an legislative overhaul of UTA that took effect May 8.

The law passed last session replaces both the board and the president, CEO and general manager positions Benson held with a new, three-member management team that will be appointed by Gov. Gary Herbert before Nov. 1.

The House sponsor of SB136, Rep. Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, told the board that the law did not prevent Benson from staying on as executive director at his current salary at least through the transition.

"It's a title. That's all it is. The duties are largely almost identical," Schultz said.

He said lawmakers intended for Benson to stay on and "had no idea" the board felt it had to let him go because of the new law.

"Jerry's a free man," Schultz said, able to quit or retire from UTA, options that would not provide what he said was a $250,000 severance package. However, Schultz said the board had the right to terminate Benson even if it wasn't the "best option."

Several trustees pressed Benson to re-consider leaving UTA, but he said he didn't see a future for himself with the agency he had been a part of for more than three decades.

"I made no secret of my criticism," Benson said of the "divided accountability" under the new governance structure created by the Utah Legislature. He said he had insisted on taking all three positions to ensure he had full authority to run UTA.

Benson said the decision the board had "already teed up today" is a better choice to avoid what he termed a "Jerry hangover" during the transition. He said the future for UTA is different than what had been envisioned, but it is a bright one.

The board's chairman, Greg Bell, agreed, citing the first-ever state transit fund also included in the new law. But Bell told the board he fought against the restructuring of the agency, urging lawmakers to instead shrink the existing board.

In the end, Bell, a former lieutenant governor, said Schultz and other lawmakers pushed both him and Benson to stand down and "for the greater good, for the long-term vision, thats what we did."

Although Bell said early on during the 2 -hour discussion that there was "no predetermined result," he ended up prodding trustees to accept a resolution reaffirming the April action that was already written.

The split vote came after a failed attempt to amend the resolution to instead accept Benson's resignation and pay him the severance in exchange for an agreement he would not take legal action against UTA.

"Severance is the elephant in the room," said trustee Troy Walker, an attorney and the mayor of Draper. Walker said he believe the board got bad legal advice about the issue and couldn't gauge the risk of losing a lawsuit.

"I would rather go through this process and let the public know why we made this decision and be done with it and on our way," Walker said.

Another trustee, Davis County Commissioner Bret Millburn, added a clause requiring that Benson forego any legal action against the agency. Their efforts were upended when a move was made to return to the original resolution.

The vote on that briefly appeared to be in doubt. During a break taken afterwards, Bell told several reporters the vote on the resolution had been miscounted and was actually a tie, meaning it failed to pass.

But after reconvening, the votes were reviewed and Bell ruled the resolution had passed and "the statement that it was incorrect was incorrect."

One issue that was only mentioned in passing during the meeting was the controversy surrounding a portion of SB136 that called for UTA to be renamed the Transit District of Utah.

UTA opposed the switch and said it would cost at least $50 million. Lawmakers scoffed at that price tag, but eventually gave in to pressure from the public and the governor and said that portion of the bill will be repealed.PROVO  Investigators confirmed Wednesday that they have found the remains of Provo student Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado who had been missing for more than three years.

And police say the high profile missing person case is now a homicide investigation.

After three years of searching, authorities confirmed that skeletal remains found on Friday in the Hobble Creek Canyon area are those of Salgado. Investigators confirmed her identity Wednesday using dental records.

Salgado, 26, of Chiapas, Mexico, had only been in Utah for three weeks when she disappeared on April 16, 2015. She was in Utah to study English after completing an LDS mission.

She was last seen leaving class at the Nomen Global Language Center, 384 W. Center, in the middle of the day. But she never made it back to her home just two miles away at the Branbury Apartments, 449 W. 1720 North in Provo.

Family members say Salgado would talk to them regularly. But all communication with her stopped on that afternoon.

Despite intense searches, pleas to the public and a reward for information leading to her discovery, police had few leads over the years about what happened to her. Her uncle Rosemberg Salgado was joined by Ed Smart, father of Elizabeth Smart, on several occasions in pleading for information from the public about his missing niece.

The search for Salgado extended far beyond Utah. Investigators have been to her hometown in Mexico, where her parents currently live, and to the areas in Mexico where she served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to police.

The break in the case came on Friday when authorities say a man driving up Hobble Creek Canyon above Springville had to go to the bathroom and pulled off on the side of the road and went into some bushes. That's where he discovered the body and then contacted the Utah County Sheriff's Office.

While a cause of death had not been determined as of Wednesday, the location of the remains makes the case very suspicious, according to investigators.

Early on in the case, police said inconsistencies and the outcome of polygraph tests with two of Salgados uncles resulted in them being excluded from police updates to the family.

Police were expected to provide additional information about the case Thursday during a press conference.

On May 10, Salgados mother posted a note on Facebook praying for answers after years of anguish and suffering and asking the public to provide information about her missing daughter to police.

Put yourself in my place, I beg of you as a mother, nobody would like to be through this nightmare," she wrote. "Give me my daughter because we cannot live with this sadness, despair, anguish and suffering.

Family members in Mexico were notified by phone of the discovery Wednesday and family members in California were notified in person.SPANISH FORK  The death of a Provo woman who had been missing for three years is being investigated as a possible murder, police said Thursday.

"This is an active homicide investigation," Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy said.

Were calling it a homicide investigation under suspicious circumstances.  We dont know exactly how or why she ended up in Hobble Creek Canyon. Those are the things were trying to find leads on.

Tracy stood together with Provo Police Chief Richard Ferguson and FBI Supervisory Special Agent for Utah Eric Lerohl to confirm that Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado's remains were found in the canyon on Friday. Because of where the body was located, the Utah County Sheriff's Office will now take over the lead in the investigation from Provo police, who were investigating the missing person's case.

"This is just terrible," a very emotional Rosemberg Salgado, one of Salgado's uncles, said Thursday. "I can't believe there are so many evil people in this world that would do that to another human being. We will find you whoever you are. We will find you."

After three years of searching, the break in the case to find Salgado, 26, came from a chance bathroom break.

A man driving through Hobble Creek Canyon above Springville had to pull over and relieve himself on Friday. He walked about 30 yards off the road into some bushes, according to authorities. It was there where he came across "a skull and clothing," said Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon. He immediately called police.

On Tuesday, the Utah State Medical Examiner's Office, using dental records, confirmed it was Salgado.

"After 40 years in law enforcement and the sheriffs office, well take any break, anytime," Tracy said of the chance discovery. "Some days it's better to be lucky than be good."

Authorities declined to reveal Thursday the exact location of where the remains were found, only to say it was about 15 miles away from where Salgado was last seen.

"It was off the road and it was not in an area you would find hiking on a trail, Tracy said. "We had not searched that area before. There was no indication she was ever in Hobble Creek."

The man who discovered the remains was interviewed by police. And even though Tracy said he would likely be interviewed again, investigators do not consider him a person of interest.

A cause of death has not yet been determined. The body "was exposed to the elements for years, it appears," the sheriff said.

Tracy confirmed that other items of evidence were collected at the scene to help positively identify Salgado. He declined to say what those items are, or if her cellphone and purse that Salgado was believed to be carrying three years ago were found. The sheriff said his detectives planned to return to the area to look for additional evidence.

"We have persons of interest that we have interviewed and will continue to interview. We are not naming anyone as a suspect at this time, Tracy said. He declined to say how many persons of interest were being looked at or whether any of them are family members.

Early on in the case, police said inconsistencies and the outcome of polygraph tests with two of Salgados uncles resulted in them being excluded from police updates to the family.

Salgado, 26, of Chiapas, Mexico, was in Utah to study English after completing an LDS mission. She had been living in Provo for just three weeks when she disappeared on April 16, 2015.

She was last seen leaving class at the Nomen Global Language Center, 384 W. Center, in Provo, in the middle of the day. But she never made it back to her home just 2 miles away at the Branbury Apartments, 449 W. 1720 North.

Salgado regularly called her family. But family members say all communication stopped that afternoon.

Elizabeth Salgado had talked to her older sister every day since she went to Utah. The two were very close and used messaging apps to stay in touch. They had been chatting back and forth on April 16, the day she disappeared.

"I love you. What are you doing?" Sara Salgado asked her sister.

"I just left school," she responded about 2:30 p.m.

Just over 30 minutes passed before Sara Salgado saw the message and responded, "Cool. Have you arrived?"

The app, which indicates whether a message has been read, shows that Elizabeth Salgado never got her sister's message.

Over the past three years, there have been numerous searches to try and find Salgado, as well as an ever-increasing reward offered.

The search took investigators to her hometown in Mexico, where her parents currently live, and to the areas in Mexico where she served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to police.

Family members in California were notified in person by sheriff's deputies of the discovery on Wednesday. Some family members in Mexico were notified by phone of the discovery, but Tracy said investigators were still trying to locate some family members Thursday.

"We want justice for Elizabeth and we are going to find them. We have the FBI and great investigators. And whoever did this, we are going to find them," Rosemberg Salgado said. "We will not stop until that person or people that were involved (are found)."

The emotional uncle said his niece came to Utah to create opportunities to better her life.

"She only wanted to, she only wanted to open doors for herself. She only wanted to learn English and become a better person," he said in tears. "She wanted to get married in the temple with a good guy and and she had so many dreams and she was so happy to be in Provo. I can't believe someone killed her."

After years of questions, Rosemberg Salgado said the discovery is painful.

"We wanted some closure, but we just didn't want this kind of closure," he said. "We wanted to find her alive. That was our hope."

Elizabeth Salgado did not have a car so investigators believe someone would have had to take her into the canyon. Provo police also noted that she had only been in Utah for three weeks and didn't know many people.

Now that her remains have been found, investigators say they can start working backwards to figure out how she got there. Police are asking anyone who, in hindsight, may have seen something suspicious in Hobble Creek Canyon three years ago to contact them.

Ferguson said as far as looking for clues as to what happened, "our eyes are wide open," and promised that authorities would "bring whoever is responsible for her death to justice."

"While this is not the outcome that the family and our community was hoping for, the sheriffs office, Provo police and the FBI, continue to focus now  on solving this case, Tracy said.

Contributing: Alex CabreroHeres a look at the news for May 24.

MUST-READ NEWS THIS MORNING:

Body of Provo woman missing for 3 years found in canyon  Police officials said they have found the body of Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado, a missing Provo student.

 Police officials said they have found the body of Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado, a missing Provo student. Trump cancels summit, citing 'open hostility' by North Korea  President Donald Trump announced Thursday morning that he will no longer meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore.

UTA board reaffirms former boss severance package

The Utah Transit Authority board voted Wednesday to reaffirm an earlier decision to allow former boss Jerry Benson to keep his $200,000 severance package, the Deseret News reported. The board voted 6-5.

The vote took place because the Utah Attorney Generals Office felt the earlier decision may have violated the state's open meetings act, and came after a lengthy hearing that included a warning from Benson's attorney, the Deseret News reported.

Read more.

World trade experts talk Utah inland port

Global trade experts said Utah leaders need to put politics aside when it comes to discussing the inland port, according to the Deseret News.

Derek Miller, president and CEO of World Trade Center Utah, said Tuesday that state and city leaders "need to get refocused on the substance.

He said the inland port is a "generational opportunity for this state."

"When we have the politics trump the substance, the message that sends to the marketplace  spoiler alert  is not a good message," he said. "So I hope that we're not going to let politics trump what is a very important project for the prosperity for the state."

Read more.

Final 2 agencies pass tax break for data center

The final two of five agencies signed off Wednesday on tax breaks that will help build an enormous data center facility in Eagle Mountain, according to the Deseret News.

The mystery data center has been described as "one of the greatest economic opportunities the state has ever had."

The Alpine Board of Education approved the tax breaks. However, the board nearly didnt approve the measure.

"I have serious concerns about the process that has gone on," said board member Scott Carlson. "I am confident that this board will not seriously consider future projects which do not include school representatives early in the process."

Read more.

North Korea says it shut down nuclear test site

North Korea said Thursday it has shut down its nuclear test site, according to The New York Times.

North Korea invited a select group of journalists, including some from the U.S., Britain, China, Russia and South Korea, to watch engineers break down the site.

North Korea used explosives to demolish the site.

North Korea invited mostly TV journalists to ensure that its action was broadcast worldwide, the Times reported.

Read more.

AROUND THE WEB:SALT LAKE CITY  Even before President Donald Trump announced Thursday he'd canceled his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, had questioned whether expectations for the meeting had gotten out of hand.

During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday, Curtis asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo what was "reasonable" to expect from the June 12 meeting, suggesting anything short of world peace might be a disappointment.

Pompeo said the administration's goal was for the two leaders to agree on pursuing a complete denuclearization of North Korea. Curtis later told the Deseret News a meeting could wait as long as the situation remained stable.

"I think we've gotten perhaps a little ahead of ourselves," Curtis said Wednesday. "I think at least myself and I think others have been a little concerned that things were actually moving so quickly that it was a little too good to be true."

On Thursday, Curtis, the newest member of Utah's congressional delegation, called for strong action to end North Korea's nuclear program despite the cancellation of the summit.

Curtis said in a statement he'll "continue to urge this administration to apply maximum pressure on Kim's regime  both economically and diplomatically  so that we may achieve a peaceful end to North Korea's nuclear program."

Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, blamed the cancellation on North Korea failing to follow through on setting up the meeting that was to be held in Singapore, not "the tremendous anger and open hostility" cited by Trump in his letter to Kim.

The president, who has called Kim "Little Rocket Man," used those terms to describe what he referred to as only as the "most recent statement" from North Korean officials, apparently critical comments made about Vice President Mike Pence.

But Stewart, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said that's not what derailed the summit even though he noted the North Koreans did not follow Trump's lead in toning down their rhetoric.

"In the last few weeks, while it was essential that they start working out the details of this meeting, north Korean negotiators just disappeared. They just haven't been engaged and, in fact, they've been almost incommunicado," he said.

Stewart, who said he hasn't lost hope that the two sides will get together, wasn't surprised the summit isn't happening.

"What I would have been surprised about is if this summit had gone off without some type of potential hiccup along the way," he said. Now the key to going forward is "to make it uncomfortable for the North Korean leadership" through sanctions.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said the administration's efforts need to be supported.

"This is not about a deal but about achieving outcomes," Hatch said in a statement Thursday, noting Pompeo had expressed a similar sentiment.

"The talks with North Korea, if they do happen, will take place at the right time," Hatch said. "In the meantime, we should all stand behind our leaders as they pursue this sensitive diplomatic effort."

Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, said it was "unfortunate" the historic, long-planned summit was called off.

"We all want peace, and I hope the administration can successfully navigate this difficult situation for the betterment of the world," Love said. "I remain hopeful that another U.S.-North Korea meeting can be scheduled in the future.SALT LAKE CITY  Two weeks after being arrested in Colorado, the man wanted in connection with the killing of a 15-year-old West High School student has been returned to Utah.

Shaun French, 24, who has already been formally charged with three counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail Wednesday night for investigation of aggravated murder and aggravated burglary in connection with the death of 15-year-old Baleigh Bagshaw.

"On (Wednesday), post Miranda, French admitted his involvement in Baleigh's death. French advised detectives he made entry into the home via basement window. French provided details about the case that were not public knowledge," according to a jail booking report.

On May 7, Baleigh arrived home, 1624 W. 500 North, in her Fairpark neighborhood from West High School just after 3 p.m. She called her mother, as she always did, to let her know she was home.

But while she was on the phone with her mother, police say she was brutally attacked.

French had lived with Baleigh's family from December 2016 until July 2017, when he moved back into his father's home in Evanston, Wyoming. French was arrested on U.S. 50 near county Road 13 in southeast Colorado by the Otero County Sheriff's Office following a two-day manhunt.

"One individual observed blood on French's hands and face immediately after the homicide," the report states.

After being booked into jail in Colorado, police say he attempted to fight extradition back to Utah in court. Eventually, a governor's warrant was issued and he was transported to Salt Lake to face charges here, according to police.

As of Thursday, formal charges in connection with Baleigh's death had not been filed.

Last week, police announced that evidence was recovered in the homicide investigation from the Uinta County Landfill in Wyoming, though they did not disclose what was found. Police say more than 250 staffing hours were spent searching the landfill.SALT LAKE CITY  U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has appointed Honor Keeler, assistant director for Utah Dine Bikeyah, to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Review Committee.

As a member of the seven-person committee, Keeler will help monitor, review and assist in the implementation of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990.

Members of the committee are appointed by the interior secretary to serve two- to four-year terms. The nominations come from Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, Native American cultural and religious leaders, and national museum and scientific organizations. The panel is led by Armand Minthorn, of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Review Committee exists because of a dark period in U.S. history when the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples was not obtained, and the graves and funerary objects of their families and ancestors were disturbed and stolen, Keeler, who cited ongoing looting issues happening at Bears Ears National Monument, said in a statement.

Repatriation is important and difficult work. It involves bringing forward injustice and intergenerational trauma for many tribes. And for many institutions, the repatriation process causes a deep reflection of institutional history and current practices, Keeler said.SALT LAKE CITY  Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jenny Wilson unveiled her own tax reform bill Thursday, saying the Republican plan isn't working for middle-class families while corporations are riding high.

"We had hoped we would see job creation and that we would see companies move toward real investment for workers and economic expansion," she said at a news conference at her campaign headquarters. "Today, we have not seen that.  There is nothing more in this (GOP) bill than a giveaway, and it's overt."

Wilson, a Salt Lake County Council member, said she could sit around frustrated or offer a solution. She outlined "critical corrections" to the Republican plan in a draft bill she said she would introduce next January if elected in the fall.

"I'm as frustrated as you are that the Democrats arent in position to make a fix right now on this because every day matters," she said.

"We're caring for the country club folks. We're caring for the people who do very, very well, and we are concentrating wealth in this nation that will never allow us to return to sanity," Wilson said.

Congress passed a sweeping tax overhaul in December that Republicans say will lead to bigger paychecks for middle-class Americans, economic growth and more jobs. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, played a critical role in pushing the bill through.

A former chief of staff to the late Democratic Utah Congressman Bill Orton, Wilson will face either former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney or state Rep. Mike Kennedy, R-Alpine, in November to replace the retiring Hatch.

Wilson said her tax proposal would reduce the deficit caused by the GOP plan, now estimated at $1.9 trillion over 10 years by the Congressional Budget Office, and reapply that money to the middle class.

Her bill would repeal the tax break for the highest wage earners, which she said would generate $100 billion in savings that cover a tax cut for everyone. Utah families would get an additional $1,524 in tax relief over eight years, she said.

The plan would also repeal a tax break for heirs of married couples with estates valued at more than $11.2 million. She said she would apply the estimated $83 billion in savings to increase the child tax credit $150.

Wilson also wants to raise the corporate tax rate to 25 percent from the 21 percent in the GOP law. The $500 billion savings would be dedicated to reducing the budget deficit, she said.

Wilson said she worked with a "seasoned" budget team to come up with the plan.MAPLETON  A high school counselor has been arrested and accused of sexually abusing a student.

The arrest marks the third incident this week of alleged illegal activity being reported in a Utah school between an adult and a student.

Dylan Dewey, 34, a counselor at Spanish Fork High School who had previously been placed on administrative leave by the Nebo School District, was booked into the Utah County Jail Wednesday for investigation of forcible sexual abuse.

The investigation began when a high school girl "disclosed to her counselor that she had a sexual relationship" with Dewey, according to a police affidavit filed in 4th District Court.

A Nebo School District official said the girl does not attend the same school. Her age is not included in the report, only that she is under 18.

Dewey, who also teaches driver education, allegedly met the girl through another student. The girl and Dewey soon began exchanging messages on Snapchat, according to the affidavit.

"(The girl) stated that Dewey sent her a Snapchat saying, 'I'd be down if you don't get me fired,'" the affidavit states. That was followed by another message in which Dewey allegedly explained he "would be down to kiss" the girl.

Soon after, when Dewey requested that the girl bring him coffee in class, "She took coffee to Dewey in his office at the Spanish Fork High School. (She) said there were other students in the office when she got there but when they left Dewey walked over to her and kissed her," the report says.

On another occasion, Dewey picked up the girl in his car and drove to an area in Mapleton where they started to "make out" and he partially undressed her, according to the affidavit.

When confronted by the Nebo School District and asked to fill out a written statement, Dewey said it was the girl who came on to him, and "threw herself at him and sent him bad texts," but he claimed he told her to stop, the report states. "Dewey also said he did not want to lose his family, job and go to prison."

When interviewed by police on Wednesday, "Dewey admitted to kissing (the girl) in his office but stated it was (the girl who) kissed him," the affidavit states.

Dewey also admitted to picking up the girl, but claimed he drove her around in his vehicle because she "would not give him directions to her house so he kept driving around," according to the report.

A statement from Mapleton police noted that the case was previously reviewed by the Utah County Attorney's Office. It did not indicate when it was reviewed, what the outcome was, or when Dewey was placed on leave from the school.

The school district said Dewey was placed on administrative leave immediately upon notification from law enforcement.

The incident is the third case of a school employee this week accused of illegal conduct with a student.

On Wednesday, the Sanpete County Sheriff's Office confirmed it was investigating a former science teacher at North Sanpete High School for allegedly sexting a 16-year-old girl at the school. The teacher, who was fired from his job, had not been arrested or charged as of Thursday.

On Tuesday, Adrian Villar, 59, of Santaquin, was booked into the Utah County Jail for investigation of two counts of sexual abuse of a child. The former janitor at Sierra Bonita Elementary, in Spanish Fork, is accused of sexually abusing two young boys at the school, ages 8 and 11.HILL AIR FORCE BASE  Fighting through adversity is something military members learn to master as part of their training to become elite fighters in the field of battle.

Similarly, kids who overcome the misfortune of critical illnesses also learn some of those same lessons about the importance of determination, perseverance and courage in the face of overwhelming odds.

A group of nine children and their parents from Make-A-Wish Utah visited Hill Air Force Base Thursday to earn their wings during a Pilot for a Day" program. Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of kids from 2 1/2 years old to 18 years old with life-threatening medical conditions.

Each of the children was a survivor of a debilitating illness, explained wish coordinator Christina Wright. Nearly 200 children will be served this year through Make-A-Wish Utah, according to volunteer manager Jenny Hortin.

The children toured the base and met with pilots from the 388th Fighter Wing  the Air Forces first combat-capable F-35A fighter unit. The kids got an up-close look at militarys most advanced multirole stealth fighter, along with interacting with the airmen who fly and maintain the jets, Hortin said.

"Watching the one-on-one interaction that they are able to have (with the airmen) makes it a great day for us," she said.

The children each got hands-on instruction with real flight equipment and were strapped into an F-35A cockpit trainer for a realistic pilot experience, explained Lt. Buck Horn, pilot with the 34th Fighter Squadron at Hill Air Force Base. During the one-day event, the kids were able to board a flight simulator and later received plaques of photos with their pilot trainers.

"This is a great opportunity to give back to the community and have these kids out here to experience what was a dream for a lot of us and now is a dream come true for them," he said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them, and I'm glad they are out here to experience it."

He noted that the children also provide a sense of motivation to the airmen for having overcome challenging health circumstances in their own lives.

"Not only is it inspiring for them to be here, but it's also inspiring for us host them here," he said. "It's taken a lot of hard work on our parts to get here in our careers and these guys have gone through their fair share of difficulties and challenges. It's inspiring for us as pilots to be able to host them and to give them that (Make-A-Wish) experience."

Ogden native Colton Townsend, 18, received a kidney transplant in March after having been diagnosed with kidney disease two years ago. He said the experience at Hill gave him a better sense of what the military does and how it helps to protect the nation.

"If I had the chance to (serve), I'd definitely go overseas and help out," he said. "(For now, I'll) just keep pursuing my dreams and I could actually make there (one day)."

Michael Kay, 16, of Clinton, was diagnosed with leukemia that is currently in remission. He said the pilot for a day experience was "really cool and I'm glad I was able to be out here."

He added that battling a life-threatening illness had taught him valuable lessons about fortitude, and it's something other young people in his position should remember in tough times.

"Never give up, just keep pushing forward," he said. "Life is always going to bring exciting (opportunities) even if it does bring hard times."Cookie banner

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By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies.SALT LAKE CITY  A federal judge handed an American Fork man a nearly three-year prison term Thursday for illegally making and selling more than 1,400 machine-gun converter devices for AR-15-style rifles.

Scott Ray Bishop told U.S. District Judge Dee Benson that he thought his product was the same as bump stocks or trigger assemblies that are sold legally.

"In my view, my kit was no different. In my view, my kit was as legal as they were. I was wrong obviously," he said.

A jury in January found Bishop guilty of unlawfully engaging in the business of manufacturing machine guns and illegal possession and transfer of machine guns. Benson sentenced Bishop to 33 months in prison followed by three years of probation.

Benson called the case "troubling." He said Bishop was seemingly unaware of how risky his endeavor was and that a lot of his clientele were people "we would not want converting anything into an automatic weapon."

"In the last several years, this country has seen an increase in the number of mass shootings," prosecutors wrote in court documents. "The risk that a (converted machine gun) will be used to harm others at a future date remains unabated. Defendants sentence should reflect this dreadful reality."

The conversion kit included a piece of metal that could be placed in the lower receiver of an AR-15 to allow the rifle to continually fire while the trigger is pressed down.

Spencer Rice, Bishop's lawyer, said the conversion device was a "flimsy, 5-cent piece of metal" that didn't really work all that well. Bishop, he said, was selling his knowledge and information about the kit but threw in the metal because customers wouldn't pay for just instructions.

Bishop, 48, believed he was operating in a gray area, somewhere between a legal bump stock  a device that modifies weapons to fire faster  and illegal machine guns.

Prosecutors argued that Bishop knew he was violating the law.

"He, for whatever reason, has a tendency to walk over the line," said assistant U.S. attorney Drew Yeates.

Yeates asked the judge to impose a much stiffer sentence because the government believes Bishop was engaged in gun trafficking. At least four customers sent their guns to Bishop and he made them into automatic weapons before sending them back.

Bishop also bragged about how well his device worked, telling a customer in an email, "It runs like a top," about the modified gun, Yeates said.

Prosecutors argued in court papers that the modified guns are capable of endangering countless lives across the country. While Bishop does not have a criminal history, the nature and circumstances of the crime should weigh heavily in the length of the sentence, prosecutors said.

Bishop told the judge he didn't understand the seriousness of what he was doing until he went through the trial.

"I apologize to society for creating a product that can so easily be used to create a machine gun," he said.

"I can't change the past, l know that," Bishop said. "I wish I could. I would do the last five years of my life very differently."Nitin Dahad, EETimes

5/24/2018 00:01 AM EDT

LONDON  Intel Corporation plans to invest $5 billion over the next two years to upgrade its fab in Kiryat Gat in Israel from 22nm to 10nm technology.

There was no official announcement from Intel, but Israels ministry of finance said in a statement that approval is expected from Israels government bodies in weeks and that the new plant will employ an additional 250 people. Intel had apparently considered several possible expansion sites but, after two years of discussion with Israels finance ministry, decided to expand its site in the country.

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Meghan Markle Had Once Faced Designers Cruelty

Newly anointed Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle had once faced the rudeness of popular designers on a press trip to London. Meghan wasn't deemed famous enough to wear their creations. According to reports, Markle married British royal Prince Harry on May 19 in a floor-length white silk gown designed by Clare Waight Keller, the artistic director of French fashion house Givenchy.





She was turned down by many designers who didn't think she was famous enough to wear their clothing on a 'Suits' press trip in London. Stylist Juliet Angus posted a photograph of Markle in her Stella McCartney evening dress on Instagram. Angus commented on how things had changed for the former 'Suits' actress.





Juliet Angus, who starred in the reality show, said, I remember five years ago trying to help my friend, who at the time was her stylist and no big designers wanted to loan to a Meghan Markle for her London press trip. Well done, you won't have that problem anymore. Big mistake, huge," Angus posted. She added, I was simply mentioning a personal experience of how hard it was to get British designers she wanted to wear on her London press trip to loan to her.





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Source: peopledotcom.files.wordpress.comAcer has announced new gaming laptops and desktops at its next@acer global press conference. Joining the companys gaming desktop ranks are the Acer Predator Orion 5000, Orion 3000 and the Acer Nitro 50. Alongside the Nitro 50, Acer has also unveiled the Nitro VG0 and RG0 series monitors, which are aimed at gamers and have also bagged the 2018 Red Dot Design Awards. The Predator Orion 5000 and the Predator Orion 3000 series of gaming desktops will be available in North America from July starting at $1,499 (Rs 1,02,500 approx) and $999 (Rs 68,000 approx) respectively. The Acer Nitro 50 gaming desktops will be available in North America from July starting at $799 (Rs 55,000 approx), whereas the Nitro VG0 and the Nitro RG0 gaming monitors will be up for sale in North America from July starting at $129 (Rs 8,817) and $169 (Rs 11,500) respectively.

Acer Predator Orion 5000, Orion 3000 specifications and features

The Acer Predator Orion 5000 is the companys top of the line gaming desktop, which comes with up to 8th Gen Intel Core i7+ 8700K processors paired with the latest Intel Z370 SoC, up to 32GB of Intel Optane memory, and up to 2-way Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GPUs in SLI configuration. The desktop flaunts a transparent side panel and comes with the IceTunnel 2.0 airflow management design, which is said to segment the system into different thermal zones and provide each sector with its own airflow tunnel to remove heated air. There is also a front mesh panel with dust filters. Additional features of the desktop include Killer LAN Ethernet, cradles for audio headsets, and a carry-handle for portability.

Coming to the Predator Orion 3000 series, it is equipped with up to 8th-generation Intel Core i7+ processors, and up to Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 GPUs. Same as the Orion 5000, the gaming desktop is also VR-ready, support 4K gameplay and comes with configuration of up to 32GB Intel optane memory and up to 64GB DDR4 RAM support. In terms of design, both the Orion siblings are similar.

Acer has also expanded its gaming gadget and accessory line with some new Predator Accessories. The company showcased the new Predator Cetus 510 gaming mouse that comes with an optical sensor and supports up to 16,000 DPI. There is also the Predator gaming chair which features detachable cushions, and lumbar spine support for gamers, along with the Predator Hard Case, Predator Aethos 500 mechanical keyboard, and a Predator Mousepad.

Acer Nitro series gaming desktops and monitors

If Orion is companys flagship gaming desktop range, then the Nitro series caters to gamers on a budget. The Nitro 50 Series features armour-inspired housing with front-facing LED lighting. They are powered by up to 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processors, and come equipped with up to GeForce GTX 1070 graphics cards. The desktop PCs can deliver videos with 4K resolution and can support up to four displays simultaneously. They feature up to 3TB HDD and a 512GB SSD and also sport a wireless charging deck for Qi-enabled charging of supported devices. For connectivity, the Nitro 50 Series comes equipped with Realtek Dragon LAN that is said to optimise network speed for gaming, browsing, and streaming.

In the monitors category, Acer has unveiled the new Nitro VG0 and RG0 Series IPS monitors that come with AMD Radeon FreeSync and features Visual Response Boost (VRB, which is said to decreases blur in fast-moving images to achieve the effect of a 1ms response time, along with up to 144 Hz refresh rates. The monitors feature Integrated 6-axis color adjustment that enables gamers to fine-tune colour, hue, and saturation levels, while built-in black boost enables gamers to select from 11 black level options.

The Nitro VG0 Series will be available in 27, 23.8 and 21.5-inch display panels with resolutions of 4K ultra-HD, WQHD, or full-HD. On the other hand, the Acer Nitro RG0 Series features a .27-inch thin profile and comes in options of 27 and 23.8-inch variants. Acer says that the IPS panels on the new monitors provide wide viewing of up to 178 degrees horizontally and vertically. The monitors can also tilt from -5 to 20 degrees (-5 to 15 degrees for RG0 series) and meet 72 percent of the NTSC standard while delivering brightness of 250 cd/m2. They are also equipped with two 2W stereo speakers for audio and come with HDMI, VGA, and DisplayPort ports.

The two monitors also come with a VESA mount for being wall mounted. The display modes on the Nitro VG0 and RG0 series include Racing, Sport, User, Standard, Action, ECO, Graphic, and Movie.In the fast-paced business world we often forget an important maxim: keep your friends close and enemies (in this case, competitors) closer.

Qantas and Air France, however, havent forgotten, and yesterdays renewal of their partnership proves code-sharing is the new cut-throating.

The most important takeaway for Australians is this: more travel options to Europe. Whether or not they are truly seamless remains to be seen, but whatever the case: the revamped alliance should significantly improve the red-eye flight experience.

In a press release Qantas said the renewed partnership will facilitate more single ticket itineraries and through-checked baggage, as well as the opportunity to earn points on the new codeshare services.

The new agreement will see the two airlines codeshare on a total of more than 200 flights per week.

Hows it work? Air France will add its code to Qantas flights between Hong Kong and Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and between Singapore and Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

Air France customers will also have access to codeshare services from Sydney to Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide, Cairns and Darwin.

In return, Qantas gets to add its code to flights operated by Air France between Singapore and Hong Kong and Paris-Charles de Gaulle, as a continuation of flights from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.

Air France eligible customers will also be able to access Qantas lounges in Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia, and Qantas eligible customers will have access to Air France lounges in Paris, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Patrick Alexandre, Vice President of Commercial Sales and Alliances at Air France-KLM, was pleased to be re-establishing Air Frances deal with Qantas: Thanks to this agreement, the Air France-KLM group will be able to offer one of the best possible travel solutions for its customers from Europe to Australia.

It will also deliver a better travel experience for our Business customers, with connections in Singapore and Hong Kong, two of the most popular airports in the world. This new cooperation confirms our groups desire to expand in the Asia-Pacific region.

Alison Webster, CEO of Qantas International, added: This is great news for our customers who want to travel to Europe via Asia, giving them another option to get to Paris and more opportunities to earn Frequent Flyer Points. The return of this popular codeshare delivers on our strategy of partnering to provide customers with access to an expanded network and more seamless travel experiences wherever they want to fly.

These code-share flights start on the 20th of July, 2018, and will be available for booking from the 5th June.

RELATED: Virgin Atlantic Unveils Love Suites For Couples Who Perform PDATNPCB orders closure of Sterlite plant in Thoothukudi

After 12 deaths in two days of police firing and months of protest by pollution-hit villagers, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) today ordered the closure of Sterlite Copper smelter in Thoothukudi with immediate effect and disconnected electricity supply to the unit early today.

TNPCB chairman issued the closure order yesterday and power supply to the unit was cut off at 5.15 am today, sources said.

The Board took cognisance of the application made by Vedanta Ltd seeking renewal of the `consent to operate (CTO) and the rejection of the application in April for non-compliance of certain conditions under the previous CTO.

While the smelter was supposed to remain shut, the TNPCB order noted that during inspections undertaken by its officials on 18 and 19 May, it was found that the unit was carrying out activities to resume production operations.

Following this, the joint chief environmental engineer, Tirunelveli, recommended disconnection of electricity supply to the plant.

The TNPCB ordered the closure and disconnection of electricity supply under provisions of Section 33A of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and Section 31A of Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1971.

See: The immediate cause for the shutdown was the killing of 12 protesters in police firing in the last two days in Thoothukudi ( 11 killed as police open fire at anti-Sterlite protesters in TN's Thoothukudi ).

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has ordered a halt to the construction of the second unit of Vedanta Groups Sterlite Copper plant at Thoothukudi after days of protests and yesterdays police action that resulted in the death of at least 11 protestors ( Madras HC halts Sterlite's expansion in Thoothukudi ).

The court order comes amidst a massive backlash against the use of force against protestors in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin on Tuesday, and forces once again resorting to firing that killed one and injured another two.

On Wednesday evening, the Tamil Nadu government invoked a public emergency and asked internet service providers to cut off services for 5 days in Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari districts, to prevent spread of provocative messages on social media by anti-social elements.

"The plant has been shut down for the past two months. Why has the issue just cropped up?" a CNBC report quoted Sterlite Copper CEO P Ramnath as saying, adding that nefarious elements have infiltrated the villages.

Ramnath agreed that there have been certain incidents causing pollution in the initial years, but noted that the Supreme Court had allowed the company to operate.

Ramnath further said the company management has been staying near the plant for the past 20 years, has engaged with the local community and ensured 70 per cent jobs are from Tamil Nadu. Ramnath said the company certainly needed to step up the activity and engage with locals in Tuticorin.

Sterlites 4,00,000 tonne copper smelter, first proposed to be set up in Tuticorin in 1995, was rejected by three states  Gujarat, Goa and Maharashtra  before it was finally allowed to set up in Tamil Nadu.

According to Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the smelter plant due to its potential of creating environmental hazards could not find favour with the three states. Also, Sterlite had allegedly flouted norms by misrepresenting facts to get final nod for its operation in Tamil Nadu.

CSE alleged the company gave a faulty environmental impact assessment (EIA) report while taking environment clearance (EC).

The plant is located within 25 km of ecologically sensitive area, as the plant is located near Munnar Marine National Park. The company also submitted a faulty rapid EIA report without conducting any public hearing.

The plant also has a history of polluting the environment. In March 2013, a toxic gas leak from the plant made several hundred residents living in its vicinity sick. Since then, the TNPCB had ordered a closure of the smelting unit on 29 March, but the principal bench of the National Green Tribunal gave a clean chit to Sterlite and revoked the closure order based on technicalities.

Considering the history of this plant, the residents were justified in protesting the expansion. This plant has polluted the environment and flouted standards with impunity for the past 20 years, said Sunita Narain, director general of the CSE, while condemning the killing of protesters.China asks Pakistan to relocate Hafiz Saeed to a West Asian country

Amidst mounting international pressure on Islamabad to bring the main culprit in the 26/11 Mumbai massacre Hafiz Saeed to book, Chinese President Xi Jinping is reported to have advised Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaquan Abbasi to relocate the terrorist to some West Asian countries to avoid public glare.

While Islamabad is looking for ways to keep The Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) leader in a low profile engagement within Pakistan, it is increasingly finding it difficult to keep him in the country with lone support from Beijing.

Government lawyers in Pakistan are yet to suggest a way to keep Hafiz Saeed away from the limelight. It is under such circumstances that China has asked Pakistan to explore ways of relocating the JuD chief to some West Asian country.

The Chinese President is reported to have suggested this course of action that would allow Saeed to live a quiet life in a West Asian country to Prime Minister Abbasi on the sidelines of the Boao Forum in China last month.

At a 35-minute meeting, at least 10 minutes of the discussion dealt with Saeed. The Chinese President was keen on pressing the prime minister to find an early solution to keep Saeed away from the limelight, The Hindu newspaper quoted a close aide of Abbasi who requested anonymity as saying.

The issue will now be left to the next government as the prime minister will demit office on 31 May after completion of his tenure. The general election will be held in July-end.

The JuD has been accusing the government of taking action against Saeed at the instance of the US and India.

Saeed, who met some journalists over Iftar on Tuesday in Karachi, refused to believe that China would want a ban on him or to see him out of the country. However, he admitted that China would act as a super power and dictate to Pakistan. He denied that any government functionary had met him in recent weeks to discuss the future of the JuD.

Saeed, who has been declared a global terrorist by the United Nations, the US and India, carries a reward of $5 million on his head for his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Pakistani authorities last year put him under house arrest for almost nine months but were forced to release him on the orders of the Lahore High Court.

Earlier this year, the JuD was put on the list of banned organisations just before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting in Paris. Following the meeting, it was decided to put Pakistan on the grey list for its failure to prevent terror financing.

The JuD was reported by Indonesia after the authorities detected some money channelled through the country by the outfit. Indonesia notified the FATF.

A Presidential Ordinance was issued to freeze all assets of Hafiz Saeed, linked to the JuD and its charity arm, Falah-i-Insaaniyat Foundation.

Interestingly, the JuD was not put in Schedule 1 of the Anti Terrorism Act under which the leaders of a banned organisation must be arrested. The federal government is pleased to direct that requisite actions with regard to freezing and taking over of assets (movable, immovable and human resource) associated with the JuD and the FIF shall be taken in pursuance of ordinance No II of 2018, read a notification of the interior ministry.Barclays mulls merger with Standard Chartered: report

British banking major Barclays, under pressure from activist investors, is considering a potential merger with rivals, including Standard Chartered, as part of wide-ranging contingency plans being weighed by senior board members, the Financial Times reported.

Chairman John McFarlane is at least "theoretically" keen on the idea of combining with Standard Chartered, and, according to the FT report, deputy chairman Gerry Grimstone has also been in favour of such a move.

Barclays has discussed various hypothetical combinations with other lenders, including Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse Group, and DBS Group Holdings, the newspaper reported citing two unidentified people close to the development.

Jes Staley, the former JPMorgan Chase & Co executive who leads Barclays, has come under immense pressure ever since Edward Bramsons Sherborne Investors revealed its 5.2-per cent stake in March.

While Staley is betting on his reputation to boost returns and overhaul the investment bank operations, it is still by far Barclayss worst-performing division after years of restructuring.

FT also cited a private conversation between a director at Barclays and Standard Chartered about the possible benefits of such a deal. However, no bid approach had been made, according to the FT report. There has also been no formal discussion of the potential combination on the Barclays board, the report said.

We are entirely focused on executing our strategy, and do not comment on this type of speculation, the report cited an emailed statement from Standard Chartered following the report.

A potential takeover of Standard Chartered would mark a sharp reversal of Barclays chief Jes Staleys public strategy for the bank, which has sold down its holdings in Africa under his tenure.The case for not taxing multinationals

Taxing MNEs' profits, as currently done, wastes resources and is detrimental to global welfare, a new study argues, and suggests we should, instead, tax dividends and sales

Nicolai Fos

The habit of taxing multinational enterprises (MNEs)' profits is the legacy of a time when "GM had to make cars in Detroit and Hollywood had to make movies in L.A.", but is now inefficient and detrimental to global welfare, a new study by Nicolai Foss, Rodolfo Debenedetti Chair of Entrepreneurship at Bocconi University, in Milan, Italy, and other research colleagues assert. The optimal solution would be zeroing corporate tax and replacing it with a hike in taxes on dividends and sales.

The trouble with profits as a tax target is that, ideally, governments should tax MNEs for their consumption of local public goods, and profits are a poor proxy of this. Furthermore, profits are extremely mobile and MNEs can easily shift them from high corporate tax locations to lower ones, through the mechanism of transfer prices.

Finally, profit taxes lower MNEs' incentives to invest, depriving local markets of positive spillovers (such as employment) and externalities (the web of buyers, suppliers and specialized support firms that the presence of a MNE entails).

The inefficiency costs of corporate taxes, the authors note, include the enormous expenditures of governments on policing and monitoring legitimate business activity, as well as the countervailing expenses MNEs incur in order to generate "a veil of secrecy" around their activities.

Taxing corporate profits made sense when trans-border transaction costs were high and MNEs had to move entire value chains to a national market. However, nowadays such transaction costs have dramatically fallen and MNEs can fine-slice their value chains, fully realizing the benefits of specialized local resources.

As "locations and firms need one another in the manner of flowers and bees", the authors state, the establishment of an MNE branch is preceded by a short-listing process that pits locations one against another in a race whose weapons are tax cuts and subsidies.

In principle, MNEs should choose location based on the fit of local resources with any single ring of their value chains and this behavior would ensure both the best results for the company and the highest possible global welfare in the long term. In the real world, though, managers often choose the short-term benefits of lower taxes over long-term value creation, ultimately hurting also their shareholders.

In presence of such a tax race, the only equilibrium, the scholars show, is the reduction of corporate income tax rates to zero. They propose, then, to tax the real beneficiaries of MNEs' activities, shareholders and consumers, through a hike of taxes on dividends and sales. "Finding a proper mix of taxes that make our proposal financially sustainable is far from impossible", the authors write, using the UK case as an example.

Dividends and sales taxes, the authors argue, are much easier to harmonize than corporate taxes and, making earnings management useless, such policies have the salutary side effect of allowing the MNEs to focus on their core activities.What book, tea or object do you recommend to our readers?

Theres a book that is guiding me for my house in the woods. Its called Wabi Inspirations (2011) by the Belgian interior designer Axel Vervoordt, published by Flammarion. This book relaxes me, clears my mind. Its pleasant to the touch, it smells good and it explains how lovely it is when resin lacquer forms craquelure, because it's an evolution of the material.

As for tea, I recommend blue tea (oolong). Oolong is no longer green, but not yet black. It's a partially oxidised tea. There are different degrees of oxidation. Oxidation is what makes green tea black. While the process is underway, it is blocked by blasts of very hot air, creating the characteristic bluish sheen on the leaves. The French, who are high-level tea merchants, call it le the bleu.

Regarding the object, I have no doubts: the brass pencil. Its made in Taipei on very old frames using an ancient technique. The metal oxidises under contact with the skin. Its very heavy, so in the beginning I thought Id never be able to write with one, but then you get used to it. In the end, the pencil does not seem heavy; rather all other pencils seem too weightless, without substance.A meeting for parents in Donegal with children who have Dyspraxia DCD or who are waiting on a diagnosis is being held on Monday night.

The meeting in support of parents is on Monday, May, 28th in An Grianan Hotel, Burt from 7pm to 8.30pm.

Oireachtas members in Donegal have been invited to the event.

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), also known as Dyspraxia in the UK and Ireland, is a common disorder affecting fine and or gross motor coordination in children and adults.

Spokeswoman for Donegal Dyspraxia Support Group Alison Doherty said the meeting is about getting more services for parents whose children suffer from Dyspraxia DCD.

We need our TDs present to appeal to them for badly needed funding and help that we all require. We need support on the night and together we can unite and get our children what we need.Audi will encourage women to sample some of its fastest cars as part of a push to break down gender stereotypes.

Speaking at the launch of the new RS4 wagon  a car the company says is largely bought by men  Audi Australia marketing and communications director Anna Burgdorf said the brands emerging DriveProgress campaign is intended to include women in conversations surrounding high tech, high speed models.

This is all about taking away some of those ingrained concepts that women cant drive, dont want to drive and dont want to drive fast, because it simply isnt true, she said.

For this year we are focusing on having more meaningful conversations with more women about cars and technology and about how that benefits their lives.

Burgdorf said the manufacturer will change the way it communicates with customers as cars become increasingly complex.

We have a predominately male approach and conversation when it comes to models like Audi Sport but theres no reason it needs to be like that, she said.

This is a conversation that we are starting to have with our customers which is more diverse and inclusive, particularly around the brand, particularly around technology and around sport.

The conversation leads to how technology benefits your life, not about how fast the car goes and certainly not about the size of the brakes or the size of the engine. Its important but its not the only thing.

I think the thing that we need to concentrate on much more these days is how and why this new technology is coming and how it really represents a genuine benefit for peoples lives.

The manufacturer will take a more active role in female-focused events in the near future.

Audi is not the only premium brand to shift its focus approach toward female customers  a Ferrari Driven Women event invited influential ladies to sample the Prancing Horses latest machinery at Sydney Motorsport Park this week, Lamborghini recently arranged a Female Advisory Board which met in Sydney to shape its approach to the fairer sex and Porsche regularly hosts events for female owners and prospects.

For its part, Audi sponsored Australias Women of Style Awards in May, where the manufacturer showed a film featuring race driver Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky (main image).

The successful racer expertly drifts an Audi R8 in the video while ignoring voices offering choice feedback such as maybe I should drive instead, let me drive you know the accelerator is the one on the right.

The luxury brand also raised eyebrows with a 2017 Superbowl ad framed around gender equality, in which a father asks himself What do I tell my daughter?

Do I tell her that despite her education, her drive, her skills, her intelligence, she will automatically be valued as less than every man she meets? Or maybe Ill be able to tell her something different.A new model year for Ford's popular Ranger ute has brought new price and specifications.

Ford recently announced a new engine for the 2019 model year Ranger ute that is set to go on sale later this year. Now the blue oval has followed up with more specification details and local pricing for the refreshed workhorse.

The American brand has added a number of technology and styling tweaks as part of the update, but most models still miss out on crucial safety gear.

The headlining update to the Ranger line-up is the addition of the new twin-turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine from the upcoming Ranger Raptor as an option on the current top-of-the-line Wildtrak and the popular XLT variants. The new engine lifts outputs over the previous 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbocharged diesel unit from 147kW/470Nm to 157kW/500Nm.

Both the Wildtrak and the XLT come with the 3.2-litre oil-burner as standard but for those wishing to upgrade to the twin-turbo unit it will cost $1200 extra. The new engine is only available with a new 10-speed automatic transmission.

Wildtrak variants will also receive autonomous emergency braking as standard in an boosted safety suite that also includes traffic sign recognition and semi-auto park assist.

However, Ford is only offering AEB as part of an optional $1700 technology pack on the XLT, with the tech pack not available on any other model.

On top of the increased safety gear, the Wildtrak scores LED fog lights, revised bumper, updated front seats and a new interior trim.

Ranger XLT variants have seen a $500 increase in price that sees a new bumper, LED daytime running lights, keyless entry and ignition and revised front styling while twin-turbo models get stop-start functionality.

Moving down to the more workman-like XLS variant, Ford has upped the price by $300. The little price rise sees front parking sensors added, while a new $1950 Sync3 pack boosts the car's infotainment significantly adding an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation and digital radio as well as keyless entry and ignition and a number of exterior chrome highlights.

Base XL variants, which are available with either the 3.2-litre engine or a smaller 2.2-litre diesel that makes 118kW/385Nm, have seen a price rise of $300 across both pick-up and cab chassis styles.

Cab chassis versions of the XL get upgraded suspension and new interior trim, while pick-up variants further add an easy lift tailgate and rear parking sensors.

Ford announced recently that all new cars will receive a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

2019 Ford Ranger prices*

4x2 XL Single Cab Chassis 2.2L Low Rider Manual - $27,990

4x2 XL Single Cab Chassis 2.2L Hi-Rider Auto - $33,690

4x2 XL Super Cab Chassis 2.2L Hi-Rider Auto - $36,190

4x2 XL Double Cab Chassis 2.2L Hi-Rider Auto - $38,190

4x2 XL Double Pick-up 2.2L Hi-Rider Auto - $39,690

4x2 XLT Double Pick-up 3.2L Hi-Rider Auto - $50,290

4x2 XLT Double Pick-up 2.0L Bi-Turbo Hi-Rider Auto - $51,490

4x4 XL Single Cab Chassis 3.2L Manual - $41,890

4x4 XL Single Cab Chassis 3.2L Auto - $44,090

4x4 XL Super Cab Chassis 3.2L Manual - $44,390

4x4 XL Super Cab Chassis 3.2L Auto - $46,590

4x4 XL Super Pick-up 3.2L Auto - $48,090

4x4 XL Double Cab Chassis 2.2L Auto - $46,090

4x4 XL Double Pick-up 2.2L Auto - $47,590

4x4 XL Double Cab Chassis 3.2L Manual - $46,390

4x4 XL Double Cab Chassis 3.2L Auto - $48,590

4x4 XL Double Pick-up 3.2L Manual - $47,890

4x4 XL Double Pick-up 3.2L Auto - $50,090

4x4 XLS Double Pick-up 3.2L Manual - $49,190

4x4 XLS Double Pick-up 3.2L Auto - $51,390

4x4 XLT Super Pick-up 3.2L Auto - $56,190

4x4 XLT Super Pick-up Bi-Turbo Auto - $57,390

4x4 XLT Double Pick-up 3.2L Manual - $55,990

4x4 XLT Double Pick-up 3.2L Auto - $58,190

4x4 XLT Double Pick-up Bi-Turbo Auto - $59,390

4x4 Wildtrak Double Pick-up 3.2L Manual - $60,590

4x4 Wildtrak Double Pick-up 3.2L Auto - $62,790

4x4 Wildtrak Double Pick-up Bi-Turbo Auto - $63,990

*All prices exclude on-road costsMore power, more torque and more equipment - thats the new Audi Q5 3.0 TDI in a nutshell.

Due to arrive in Australia in September to act as an indirect replacement for the previous-generation diesel-powered SQ5 now that the hero flagship has a petrol twin-turbo V6 engine, Drive sampled the new machine in Europe this week and came away thoroughly impressed.

The current 2.0-litre petrol and diesel Q5 options are nice enough but the company acknowledges some customers want even more performance, so the new model, powered by a 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel, arrives to fill that need.

Packing 210kW of power and 620Nm of torque - marginally lower outputs than the superceded SQ5 - the 3.0 TDI adds serious performance to the SUV. How serious? During our test drive across Germany we were able to hit a top speed of 243km/h on the Autobahn, and do it with easy thanks to a rich torque curve that begins at just 1500rpm.A local man who stabbed his ex-girlfriends brother in the neck with a broken piece of glass and attacked him with a knife and a hammer was jailed for three and a half years at Dundalk Circuit Court last week.

John Smith (25) of Doolargy Avenue, Muirhevnamor, Dundalk pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at Glenmore Park, Muirhevnamor on May 31st last year.

The court heard last Wednesday how the victim had called to a friends home, when the accused  who had been in a relationship with his sister, called to the house.

Although nothing happened initially, when another person arrived John Smith made a threatening gesture towards the victim and produced a large kitchen knife from the waistband of his tracksuit bottoms.

The injured party wanted to leave out the back door and the other person asked the accused not to use the knife and at her invitation, he punched the victim a number of times and fired plates and cups at him.

The injured party pleaded with him Please dont as the accused tried to stab him in the chest. He blocked him with his arms and his legs and sustained defensive injuries.

The blade of the knife broke and John Smith picked up a lampshade, hitting him with it and a stool before he struck him with a lump hammer. He then stabbed him in the neck with a piece of broken glass and the accused picked up his mobile saying Thanks for the phone when it fell out of the victims pocket.

He staggered home with the help of a passer-by. He suffered multiple injuries including broken wrists with a metal plate inserted in one of them.

When he was arrested in Blanchardstown on the 19th of June, John Smith denied being in Dundalk on the date of the attack and said he must have a twin, when the allegations were put to him.

The injured party said he thought he was going to die, and still suffers flashbacks and panic attacks.

John Smith had 64 previous convictions, and his Defence counsel said her client is from a tragic background and only finds structure while incarcerated.

Judge Michael OShea said an extraordinary degree of violence was used and described the unprovoked assault as horrendous. The sentence  of four and a half years with the last 12 months suspended, was backdated to the date of John Smiths arrest when he went into custody.A 34-year-old man who threatened to kill his pregnant ex-girlfriend and her new partner in front of the womans eight year old son, was given suspended sentences totalling three years at Dundalk Circuit Court last week.

Pearse Kelly of Rathbrist, Tallanstown was also before the court for dangerous driving and causing criminal damage to a windscreen, arising out of the same incident at Cappocksgreen, Ardee on May 19th 2016.

The court heard last Thursday that the victims had arrived at a roundabout on the N2, when the defendant came towards them in his Toyota Landcruiser.

He made a gesture of slitting a throat and followed them as they drove towards the Carrickmacross roundabout, flashing his headlights.

He overtook them dangerously and oncoming traffic had to swerve off the road.

The womans eight year old was described as being hysterical in the back of the car.

The court heard the accused tried to open the drivers door, pointed at his exs new partner and said "Im going to kill you".

He punched the window twice and made the same threat to the woman, before he punched the windscreen cracking it.

The court was told Pearse Kelly - who had two previous convictions for no insurance and speeding, wasnt dealing well with the relationship ending.

The court heard the woman was treated for anxiety and stress and her partner and son have attended counselling. She said she couldnt walk her baby while on maternity leave and her son cant play outside and feels hes being punished.

The court was also told the woman plans to sell up and move away saying this was supposed to be our forever home - that has been taken away from us.

The Defence barrister said his client has been attending a psychotherapist.

As part of the good behaviour bond he entered for the suspended sentences, Pearse Kelly was required to give an undertaking to stay away from and not attempt to make contact with the victims. He was also banned from driving for two years.An Armagh man who punched and kicked another man on the dance floor of a nightclub after the victim patted him on his head - leaving his nose deformed was given a two and a half year suspended sentence at Dundalk Circuit Court last week.

Garreth McGuinness (31) with addresses in Meigh and Barley Road, Newtownbabe, County Louth pleaded guilty to assault causing harm at Brubakers, Park Street, Dundalk on December seventh 2015.

The court heard last Wednesday that the victim was dancing near the defendant, who was jumping about. When he returned, the injured party felt his body language had changed and he put his arm around him, to try to calm the situation.

However, the Defence counsel claimed in doing this, the man had brushed the top of his clients head and Garreth McGuinness unfortunately had unlawfully reacted by punching him and knocking him to the ground.

Up to three punches were thrown and the victim was also kicked once.

The barrister also said the accused had instructed him that he perceived some danger from a glass in the victims hand.

The court was told the injured partys nose was broken in three places and due to the length of the waiting list, had to have his nose re-broken and set, but that was unsuccessful and he had to undergo rhinoplasty surgery. The victim  who lost his job, due to the amount of time he had to miss, is taking civil proceedings against the accused and the owners of the nightclub. The court heard he was willing to accept 10,000 which the accused had in court to show his remorse.

Character references were handed into court by the Defence, including a parish priest and the Chairman of his Mr. McGuinness GAA club Killeavy. The court also heard the accused acts as a carer for his father.

Judge Michael OShea said the defendants over reaction was out of all proportion and described the victim as being very generous in accepting the money that was offered.Here is some practical advice and information for voting in the Referendum on Friday.

* Polling stations open at 7am and close at 10pm

* If you live in an urban area where there are multiple polling stations, make sure you know which one you are voting in.

* Make sure to bring ID as you could be asked to produce it on the day. Among acceptable forms of ID are a passport, a driving licence, a public services card, an employee identity card with a photograph, a student identity card with a photograph, a travel document with your name and photograph, or a bank, savings or credit union book containing your address in the constituency. It is also acceptable to show a cheque book, a cheque card, a credit card, a birth certificate or a marriage certificate, as long as you also have another document which confirms your address in the constituency

* If you dont receive a polling card, you are still entitled to vote once your name is the electoral register. You can check the register here

* This is a sample of what the ballot paper looks like. To cast your vote place an X in the 'YES' or 'NO' box depending on which way you want to cast your vote.

* Do not write anything else on the ballot paper or it could be considered a 'spoilt vote' and may not be counted

* Once you have made your decision and have placed an X in the relevant box, place your ballot paper in the sealed ballot box.

* Take note that taking pictures or selfies in the polling booth could lead to a fine.

* Counting of votes begins at 9am on Saturday and the overall result should be announced later in the day once counting has finished.

* For any further queries regarding the Referendum go to www.refcom.ieThinking about starting a business? Well before you take the plunge, ensure you have a plan and understand your finance options. In this weeks Lets Talk we ask financial experts about the finance traps and pitfalls of starting a business, such as putting your home up as security, over-estimating revenue, forgoing insurance and borrowing money you cant repay. According to Byronvale AdvisorsPrincipal Stephen Barnes: The reality in Australia is that only 60% to 70% of micro business survive four years. If your business is one of the businesses that fails, and you cant return the capital youve borrowed  then you lose your reputation as well as your money.

So, if you want to avoid the traps first-time operators fall into when seeking finance, read on to discover what our experts have to say on this topic.

Stephen Barnes, Principal, Byronvale Advisors: There are some reasons why business owners should not borrow money. Borrowing money makes you lazy. Borrowing money from rich (or richer than you) benefactors makes you not think about ways to create and make money. Raising finance takes time and energy and that is time and energy you should or could be spending on the business. Raising finance is a distraction. Borrowing money or raising capital reduces your freedom. Some lenders will demand not only a return on the money, but also input into the decision making. Borrow money could cost you your reputation. Your reputation is like a shadow, following you wherever you go, said author and small business expert Frank Sonnenberg. The reality in Australia is that only 60% to 70% of micro businesses survive four years. If your business is one of the businesses that fails, and you cant return the capital youve borrowed to get the business off the ground then you lose your reputation as well as your money.

Andrew Joyce, Co-founder, Found Careers: One of the biggest traps Ive seen first-time business operators fall into is overly-optimistic assumptions in their business case. The area this typically plays out is over-estimating revenue and under-estimating the cost of achieving this (particularly in sales and marketing). Many people take the view of build it and they will come  this can be correct, but only if your target market is aware of the product. Generating this awareness is incredibly expensive in an over-crowded (and arguably over-funded) online marketing environment.

Dale Hurley, Innovation Director, CreditorWatch: Businesses experiencing growth funded by debt can be blindsided by a lack of understanding debts effect on cash flow. While revenue and profit may grow, cash-flow may deplete as the cost of the business growth exceeds the newly created revenue. Therefore, working capital is tied up in accounts receivable and inventory. Before seeking debt in order to grow, you want to make sure your business has done everything possible to increase cash-flow without new funding.

Reduce your accounts receivables by offering shorter payment terms and asking for payment up-front. Be in regular contact with all of your overdue debtors to understand when and if they will pay you. At the same time ensure you are not paying your accounts payable earlier then the due date of your creditors. Depending on your industry, try reducing your inventory to free up cash and reduce the cost of storage. Understand the elasticity of your offerings so you can increase prices. Look for opportunities to reduce the cost-of-goods sold.

Once you have exhausted all of these opportunities, ensure your working capital percentage is less than your gross-margin to ensure the growth is going to keep cash in your business and grow the equity of the shareholders.

Adam Welsh, Debt Advisor, CreditSME: Two of the biggest traps that we see is businesses putting up the home as security and not understanding the true terms and conditions of a loan facility.

Putting up your home as security may be a robust strategy, particularly in single shareholder/director businesses, as it will inevitably result in more favourable terms and pricing though this decision should only be made after a full consideration of the alternatives. As more and more business lenders enter the market, there is an increasing number of loan options available to business, most of which dont require property assets as security. Although these loans might attract a higher rate, many business owners will prefer this option given the peace of mind of having the separation between the family home and the business.

Not reading or understanding a loan agreement is another major trap for business owners and one that can have a major impact on the earnings of a business. There are certain terms that are often ignored or misunderstood such as all in costs, minimum terms and early repayment fees and these can have a major impact on the cost or suitability of a certain loan product. All terms need to be understood up-front to determine if the selected loan facility is the best fit for your business.

Leo Tyndall, CEO and Founder, Marketlend: The single biggest issue that hits small business owners when it comes to finance is that they dont spend the time to investigate and understand the options. They think bank first and when that doesnt work, they go for quick financial fixes which can seriously damage their businesses.



Mandeep Sodhi, CEO, HashChing: A common mistake is failing to consider the impact that the funding will have on your companys direction.

With many early stage companies, it can often be a scramble to find some funding  any funding  that will enable you to scale the business and take it to the next level. But its crucial to consider who youre getting into bed with, and whether theyre aligned to your mission statement and core values. Third parties with a significant stake in your business can have a material impact on its management and direction, and if their vision is at loggerheads with yours, then you can expect major conflict whenever a significant decision needs to be made.

This is an issue weve been grappling with at HashChing, and why we ultimately decided go with equity crowdfunding on the Equitise platform for our most recent capital raise. We wanted to remain completely independent of the big banks, and instead offer stock to the people who actually use and love HashChing. For startups who need capital and dont want to go down the debt financing route, equity crowdfunding  which has only recently become an option for publicly unlisted companies in Australia  is a route thats well worth exploring.

James Coyle,Chief Customer Officer, SuperEd: If we look at this from the perspective of business operators looking to raise capital, one mistake would be assuming that everyone buys into your vision. Its a trap and its worth remembering that just because you see this fantastic opportunity and your solution absolutely realises that opportunity in the market, it doesnt necessarily mean that others will see the same opportunity. Your prospective investors may not necessarily have the same passion or knowledge of the problem, but what they offer you is real insights and value. They can be really pragmatic and think about the key challenges that you face as a business, such is where the revenue is coming from and how are people paying for it, important questions and considerations that some first-time business operators may overlook. They want to look at the financials and something really tangible and want the confidence that your business potential can result in tangible outcomes. The key thing to remember is that it could be a good idea ahead of its time, the technology might not be available or the market may not be ready for you product yet and there are plenty of examples of that.

Brian Barreto, Principal, Austbrokers City State: Its no secret that starting a business is an expensive venture, so there are always compromises when it comes to budgeting allocations.

Under-insuring a business or forgoing insurance altogether can sometimes seem like a risk that is worth taking, but it is a dangerous gamble that can certainly cause greater costs in the long term.

The greatest pitfall of not insuring a business that you have finance on is that you still have the financial obligations whether the business remains up and running or not, says Austbrokers City State Principal, Brian Barreto. Therefore, the financial burden continues to deepen without any prospect of regaining ground.

Starting a business is riddled with risk. Ultimately, all risks (whether directly related to finance or other areas of the business) will end up having financial implications. Many business owners are unaware of business risk management assessments, which can save money and heartbreak on a grand scale.

James Wakefield, co-founder, InStitchu: Many founders give away far too much equity early on. Spend some time getting a detailed understanding of the businesses cashflow and only seek finance for what you actually need. Raise the minimum amount required and at increasing valuation points, as the funds are needed. This will limit the amount of dilution the founder experiences for their business. I would look to loans from family and friends initially to get a head start and build from there.

Terry Gold, Managing Director, Techstars Adelaide: Many first-time founders, especially technical founders, think they must have a perfect product before they start to talk to investors. But investors have told me that they almost never invest after the first meeting and that they would rather develop a relationship over time with the founder before writing a big cheque. Most of us wouldnt buy a house after one look, so it isnt reasonable to bet everything on getting a cheque in the first meeting. Doing that will almost always get you a quick no.

There is a saying that has been going around the startup community that goes, if you want a lot of advice, go ask people for money, but if you want a lot of money go ask people for advice. Dont wait until the product is completely done and you are almost out of money to start building relationships with your potential investors.

Ryan Parsons, Chief Financial Officer, GO1.com: Have conviction in your plan  its not meant to be perfect yet and you cant address every variable so dont overanalyse the tail. But you must understand the basic unit economics of your core proposition, even if they arent yet as efficient as they could be.

Be selective about who you are bringing on as investors. Just because someone has the funds doesnt mean they are right for you. Working with investors who can assist in facilitating business growth in the right areas is critical. In the same way, only raise for what you need to avoid dilution and misuse of funds.

Finally people underestimate the time it takes to secure the right financing. Lots of people wont align with your vision so therell be a lot of Nos before you get the yes that you want.

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Microsoft has opted to use its own version of a Linux operating system instead of Windows 10 to drive its new Azure Sphere solution for securely connecting Internet of Things devices.

Microsoft introduced Azure Sphere last week at the RSA security conference in San Francisco.

Azure Sphere is a platform that connects microcontroller units, or MCUs, embedded in cloud-connected devices. The platform operates a new cross-over class of MCUs that incorporate real-time and application processors with built-in Microsoft security technology and connectivity.

Each chip includes custom silicon security technology that Microsoft developed. The new Azure Sphere-certified chips are based on the company's 15 years of experience with Xbox, to secure this new class of MCUs and the devices they power, according to Microsoft.

The Azure Sphere OS is a custom built version of the open source Linux operating system.

"After 43 years, this is the first day that we are announcing -- and will be distributing -- a custom Linux kernel," said Microsoft President Brad Smith.

The decision to bypass its own Windows 10 OS in favor of open source technology is a good rationale for Microsoft, said Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy.

"I believe Microsoft had to choose between shoehorning Windows IoT Core into an MCU form factor or develop a custom Linux kernel," he told LinuxInsider. "IoT Core reshaping obviously took too much time and effort to hit a designated date."

Deep Security

The Azure Sphere platform promises five times the performance of standard MCUs, according to Microsoft. It is a crossover chip that combines the benefits of ARM-based Cortex-A and Cortex-M processor cores.

The new chip includes the company's Pluton security subsystem and built-in network connectivity, along with a real-time processor, an application processor, memory, flash and more.

Microsoft's Azure Sphere is a four-layer platform with a security monitor on the deepest level. On top of that are the custom Linux kernel, on-chip connectivity services and secured application containers.

The operating system is backed by Microsoft's Azure Sphere Security Service in the cloud, which guarantees certificate-based authentication, genuine software and automated updates.

Open Source Benefits

Azure Sphere is open to additional software innovation by the open source community, according to Microsoft. It also is compatible with any cloud, not just Microsoft's Azure-branded platform. Even more, the chip design can be used by any manufacturer absolutely free.

Sphere's open source foundation "marks a significant strategic departure for Microsoft and also indicates the path that the company believes will lead it into a new era and toward still-evolving commercial opportunities," said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.

Rather than contorting Windows 10 into doing something probably beyond its design strengths, taking the open source route is a good rationale for Microsoft, he told LinuxInsider.

Windows was designed as a multipurpose OS capable of supporting a wide range of applications and system functions, King pointed out.

"By contrast, IoT devices are far more limited in terms of size, scope and functionality," he said, "so it made more sense for the company to pursue an entirely new initiative rather than trying to develop a scaled-down version of Windows."

That effort also allows Microsoft to bind Sphere closely to its Azure cloud platform, which is central to its IoT strategy, King said.

Assorted Strengths

Sphere's greatest strengths are its embedded, silicon-level security functions and the associated Azure Sphere Security Service, which rest on the robust security features Microsoft developed for Windows and Xbox solutions, noted King.

Sphere's biggest strength, in the view of Moor Insights' Moorhead, is being more than a bag of parts from many different companies. It is a full solution, including hardware, operating system and cloud security.

"This, then, can be used with Azure IoT app services so customers have an end-to-end platform without having to cobble it together," Moor said.

Community Response

Reactions vary as to the significance of Microsoft's decision to build its security platform for IoT on a custom Linux kernel.

"It's a huge deal, but not unexpected," said Moor. "Microsoft has embraced many open source initiatives, but to productize it is a big deal."

The decision has more symbolic than practical significance, according to King.

Microsoft's interactions with Linux and other open source projects and communities are far more mature and sensible today than they ever have been in the past, he reasoned.

"That fundamental change in attitude -- along with previous, vigorous efforts by the company -- have prepared the ground for Azure Sphere. That said, the move also reflects a recognition within the company that numerous developers and developer communities are more actively engaged in open source than Windows-related efforts," King said.

If Microsoft wants to maximize its IoT opportunities, Linux will provide a far larger net than Windows, he concluded.

Microsoft's use of a custom Linux kernel is telling in several ways, according to Xaptum CMO Brian Gratch and VP of Product David Bild.

The significance can be broken down into three key developments, they told LinuxInsider:

Microsoft has admitted that Windows is not suitable for IoT, which is an acknowledgment that Linux optimized for IoT is needed in this space. Microsoft has committed to be an active member of the Linux community by maintaining a custom kernel and keeping it fresh and widely available. Security is paramount in IoT, and the Linux kernel plays well into an IoT network-based security model that secures the complete transit of data from the device. In this case, the transit is to applications sitting in the Azure cloud.

Jack M. Germain has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His main areas of focus are enterprise IT, Linux and open source technologies. He has written numerous reviews of Linux distros and other open source software. Email Jack.



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Google on Tuesday revealed some major new features in the next version of its Android operating system for mobile devices.

Now in public beta, the OS known as "Android P" includes features designed to address growing concerns about phone addiction and distraction.

For example, a dashboard will show users how often, when and for how long they use each application on their phone. What's more, they can set time limits on usage.

With the help of artificial intelligence, Android P also will watch how a user handles notifications. If notifications from an app constantly are swiped away, Android P will recommend notifications be turned off for that program.

"Do Not Disturb" mode has been beefed up in Android P. Users will be able to set the mode so there are no visual cues at all on a display of notifications, not even in the notification drawer.

The mode can be activated simply by placing the phone face down on a flat surface. If a phone is set up to separate work from personal apps, it can be configured to mute all apps at once with a single toggle.

Moreover, there's a "wind down" feature that will take the phone into Do Not Disturb mode at a bedtime set by the user.

Fighting Addiction

The new application dashboard and notification muting features target a growing social concern about smartphones.

"Google is making the product far more user-friendly and directly addressing at least some of the problems associated with smartphone addiction," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

That strikes a contrast with Android's chief competitor, iOS.

"Apple is more focused on ensuring privacy and doesn't seem to be as aggressively addressing the addiction problem," Enderle told TechNewsWorld.

It remains to be seen whether users will take advantage of the tools.

"Folks should care more about this -- but, like any addiction, they likely feel they can deal with this one without help," Enderle remarked.

The success of the features will depend on Google, noted Gerrit Schneemann, senior analyst at IHS Markit Technology.

"I firmly believe that many smartphone users do not use all the features of their phone to their full potential," he told TechNewsWorld. "It seems like that could be the case here."

"If Google focuses on things like 'wind down' to expose users to the capabilities, I think there could be traction," Schneemann said. "However, depending on users to discover the dashboard alone will be problematic on a broad scale."

More Than Well Being

In addition to the new "digital well-being" features, Android P will provide a new way to navigate phones.

There's the familiar home button, but with modified behavior. With new gestures, a user swipes up to get an overview of open apps, and swipes up further to go to the app tray.

The back button is still there, but it only appears inside apps.

Google has added screenshot editing to Android P, allowing users to mark up screenshots without having to use another app.

Google also has injected smarts into app searching in Android P. When a search is performed, things that can be done with an app appear along with its icon. So if you search for a ride-sharing app, for example, the results might include a button to hail a ride.

The Android P team partnered with DeepMind on a new Adaptive Battery feature that optimizes app usage, noted Dave Burke, VP of engineering for Android.

"Adaptive Battery uses machine learning to prioritize access to system resources for the apps the user cares about most," he wrote in an online post. "It puts running apps into groups with different restrictions using four new 'App Standby buckets' ranging from 'active' to 'rare.' Apps will change buckets over time, and apps not in the 'active' bucket will have restrictions in: jobs, alarms, network and high-priority Firebase Cloud Messages."

Personal Touch

Android P shows Google wants to make the OS more personal and relevant for individuals, noted Brian Blau, a research director at Gartner.

"There's a lot of new features in Android, but they all center on how can Google users have a more holistic and personal interaction with technology," he told TechNewsWorld.

With Android P, Google is making a pitch to use less technology, Blau maintained.

"They're saying you don't need technology at every last pinpoint in every day of your life," he continued. "Maybe you need more effective technology with fewer interactions. With Android P, Google is taking away the rough edges. That, over time, means what you will see is an Android that caters much more to the individual."

From a feature and user interface perspective, Android P is one of the more significant rollouts for the OS in a while, noted Ross Rubin, principal analyst at Reticle Research.

"They're also letting the beta run on more third-party phones," he told TechNewsWorld. "In the past, betas only ran on a Nexus or Pixel device."

Those third-party phones include the Essential Phone, Sony's Xperia XZ2, Xiaomi's Mi Mix 2S, Nokia's 7 Plus, Vivo's X21, Oppo's R15 Pro and the soon-to-be-released OnePlus 6.

John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.

VANCOUVER  Textile technology that can recycle discarded clothing to produce both petroleum and plant-based monomers, unique technology to improve the biodegradability of polyester, new textile dyes from biosynthetic and wood-based feedstocks and new ways to produce viscose fibres from food and beverage waste streams were just some of the innovations presented to over 400 delegates at Planet Textiles 2018 which concluded here this week in Vancouver, Canada.

This theme of sustainable textile innovation will also be carried over to next years when Planet Textiles 2019 which will officially take place on 22 June in Barcelona in partnership with ITMA,  the worlds largest exhibition for the global textile industry.

This year, the ninth edition of Planet Textiles was its first foray into North America, but it still managed to attract delegates from as far away as Australia, China, Taiwan, India, Bangladesh as well as a heavy European contingent to ensure Planet Textiles lived up to its name as a meeting place for leading international thinkers on environmental issues.

Held in partnership with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and MCL News & Media, textile microfibre pollution featured strongly on the conference programme with leading Canadian scientist Dr Peter Ross from Oceanwise walking delegates through the latest scientific findings on this issue. He noted that although plastics represent a clear visible threat to marine animals: microfibres have now emerged as a key area of concern for conservationists  even if their origins are still somewhat mysterious. By this, Dr Ross was referring to how an abundance of secondary microplastics derived from textiles are showing up in marine organisms and seawater samples with increased regularity.

Referring to both synthetic textile garments and blends of these with natural fibres, he said: From washing a single fleece jacket we found it can lose a million fibres in a single load of laundry, while other studies have found up to 10 million fibres from a single wash.

At the moment, he conceded, scientists did not yet understand if this will be significant ecologically, or not, when compared to other sources of plastics, but his point was that brands such as Patagonia, MEC, Arcteryx and REI have now gotten together with Oceanwise to try and measure the scale of this problem relative to textiles, so the industry can tackle the problem more efficiently and effectively.

This was also taken up in a following industry session with Dr Katy Stevens from the European Microfibre Consortium, Mary Ankeny from Cotton Inc.  who revealed new work on the environmental fate of textile microfibres along with Joel Mertens from MEC who walked delegates through the development of a new standardised test method for textile microfibre release during washing.

Ankeny noted how: cotton and rayon release more microfibres than polyester by weight and count, and under testing conditions found that, cotton and rayon yarns are biodegradable, whereas polyester yarns are not.

Breakout sessions

Three packed breakout sessions on textile chemistry in water use, transparency in the man-made fibre sector in relation to deforestation, and how to leverage financing mechanisms to scale sustainable innovation in the apparel sector where all hugely popular.

New announcements on progress towards more sustainable processing were announced by participants such as Janne Poranen, CEO of Spinnova, the Finnish-based company which produced cellulosic fibres in a closed loop process which tweaks how the chemically and water intensive Kraft process is used in traditional wood pulping. Here, the Kraft pulping process takes place before the mechanical MFC process behind its raw material. There is no dissolving chemical process involved afterwards, which is the case with other man-made cellulosic fibres.We are now scaling up our in-house industrial pilot through 2018 in collaboration with our partners with a view to launching Spinnova fibre in 2019, he said, the first commercial product with be available in spring 2019, in partnership with Finland retailer Marimekko.

Looping back to the issue of textile microfibre degradation, one of the most interesting pitches came from Intrinsic Textiles which revealed a new process for breaking down polyester microfibres not only in wastewater treatment sludge, but also for breaking down these synthetic microfibres in seawater and other environments.

Our technology also allows us polyester to biodegrade in landfill at rates similar to natural fibres like wool, claimed co-founder Andrea Ferris.

Well have much more from the Planet Textiles team on exclusive news and views from the event over the coming weeks, but we can also announce that the next edition of Planet Textiles will take place at ITMA in 2019! Sustainable Innovation will be the key focus of the event and well also have more details of that in the coming weeks.

Save the date: Planet Textiles 2019 at ITMA, 22nd June, Barcelona, Spain. More details to follow on this soon.When politicians refuse to take action on climate change, they often use the economy as an excuse. President Donald Trump, for example, justified his decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris agreement in economic terms.

"The Paris Climate Accord is simply the latest example of Washington entering into an agreement that disadvantages the United States to the exclusive benefit of other countries, leaving American workerswho I loveand taxpayers to absorb the cost in terms of lost jobs, lower wages, shuttered factories, and vastly diminished economic production," he said in his official statement.

But a Stanford University study published in Nature Wednesday blows that thinking out of the rising water. The study, one of the first to assess the economic benefits of honoring the Paris agreement, found that there was a 60 percent chance that the global economy would benefit to the tune of more than $20 trillion by meeting the more ambitious Paris target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, compared to allowing temperatures to rise a full two degrees.

The study found there was a more than 75 percent chance that a 1.5 degree world would economically benefit 71 percent of the world's countries containing 90 percent of the world's population. This included the world's largest economies of China, Japan and the U.S.

"For most countries in the world, including the U.S., we find strong evidence that the benefits of achieving the ambitious Paris targets are likely to vastly outweigh the costs," lead study author Marshall Burke said in a Stanford University press release.

According to the release, the costs of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius have been estimated to be 30 times less than the benefits calculated by the study.

The economies of poorer countries will especially benefit.

"The low-latitude countries, which are already warm and already poor, in many cases, are highly likely to benefit from lower levels of warming because of the fact that they're highly likely to incur damages for higher levels of warming," study co-author Noah Diffenbaugh told The Los Angeles Times.

The only countries that would be economically disadvantaged by a 1.5 degree warmer world compared to a two degree warmer world were Russia, Canada, the Nordic and Baltic countries and Eastern Europe, AFP reported.

To achieve their results, researchers examined how economic performance changed according to temperature fluctuations in the past half-century. They then used climate models to assess how economic output would change after 1.5 degrees of warming, the most ambitious Paris target, two degrees of warming, the maximum Paris target, 2.5 to three degrees of warming, which is what global temperatures are calculated to reach if participating countries do not up their current Paris commitments, and four degrees of warming.

They found that a 2.5 to three degree warmer world would lead to a per capita decrease in economic output of 15 to 25 percent and that a four degree warmer world would reduce per capita economic output by more than 30 percent.The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the largest grizzly bear hunt in the lower 48 states, despite opposition from environmental groups, tribal nations and wildlife photographers, The Washington Post reported.

The vote comes less than a month after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service affirmed its June 2017 decision to delist grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYE) from protections under the Endangered Species Act and pass management of the bears' population off to the states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. This will be the first grizzly bear hunt in Wyoming since 1974.

"Allowing a trophy hunt of these majestic animalsthe second-slowest mammal to reproduce in North Americaso soon after they lost Endangered Species protections does nothing to build public confidence in state management of grizzly bears," Sierra Club representative Bonnie Rice said in a statement reported by The Washington Post.

There is still a chance the hunt will not take place. A U.S. District Court judge will decide several lawsuits challenging the delisting of the GYE bears this summer.

If the bears remain delisted, the hunt will occur this fall and will allow hunters to kill one female or 10 male bears in a "demographic monitoring area" of prime habitat and an additional 12 male or female bears in a more "human dominated landscape," for a potential kill of 22 bears. Montana decided not to allow a bear hunt in February and Idaho has permitted a hunt of one male bear, also this fall.

More than 200 tribal nations opposed the hunt, saying the bears are sacred to their culture, and want to move the bears to tribal lands. One-hundred and seven wildlife photographers and 75 scientists also wrote letters condemning the hunt to Wyoming's Republican Governor Matt Mead.

"To be in the presence of a bear for the first time or the hundredth, is something to be savored for a lifetime. Allowing a bear hunt will change their numbers and their demeanor, making them skittish and much harder to see. It will take away that experience from countless people and Wyoming will lose a part of the wildness that is its hallmark," filmmaker and photographer Trip Jennings said in a statement about the photographers' letter.

"Yellowstone's bears are national treasures. Hunting them is like defacing the Statue of Liberty or filling in the Grand Canyon," Endangered Species Director at the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) Noah Greenwald agreed in a press release. "Millions of people come to see these bears every year. It's so disturbing that Wyoming thinks they're more valuable dead than alive."

According to the CBD, 125,000 people sent comments opposing the hunt.

No hunting will be allowed in Yellowstone National Park itself, or in the nearby Grand Teton National Park or the road between them. A bear-favored region east of Grand Teton will also be off limits to hunters.

According to The Washington Post, federal biologists say the population has recovered enough to support a hunt, a view shared by Mead.

"The question is not whether you hunt grizzly bears or not," Mead told C-SPAN, according to The Washington Post. "The question is whether grizzly bears have grown enough in terms of population and in habitat that they can be a sustainable species. And clearly they have."

However, the scientists who opposed the hunt expressed concerns that it could prevent Yellowstone grizzlies from connecting to a still-protected population in northwest Montana. Further, they said that the population, which has rebounded in GYE from 136 when it was first classified as endangered in 1975 to around 700 today, is still vulnerable due to climate change, which is threatening food sources like white bark pine.

The CBD pointed out that the bears still occupy less than four percent of their historic U.S. range.

Defenders of Wildlife also issued a statement arguing that too many grizzly bears in the GYE already die due to human activity to justify a hunt. These deaths occur when bears are killed when they get into garbage or attack livestock, are run over by cars or trains or are poached illegally.

"This hunt will add unnecessary mortality to a population already experiencing high human-related grizzly bear deaths. [The Wyoming Game and Fish Department] should instead focus on minimizing human caused mortality through proactive conflict prevention, outreach and education while allowing the Yellowstone grizzly bear population to expand into historic habitat," Rockies & Plains director at Defenders of Wildlife Jonathan Proctor said in a statement.By Isabelle Morrison

Public spaces are for everyone, but how we perceive them and interact with them is contextual. Some activists are making their statements on the public canvas all around the world. And it's catching on.

Len Necefer fell in love with mountain climbing after moving to Colorado, but he noticed that information about the national parks he visited did not include indigenous history, despite Native people being the first occupants of those areas.

Soon, he discovered a way to reclaim indigenous lands.

In 2017, Necefer, a member of the Navajo Nation, began posting photos of Native people participating in outdoor recreation to his Instagram account, @NativesOutdoors. One day, he posted a photo of a woman standing on the summit of Longs Peak, with the geotag "Neniisotoyou'u," the mountain's Arapaho name.

Since then, through a combination of scholarly research and gathering traditional indigenous knowledge, Necefer has created indigenous place-name geotags for more than 40 mountains, most in Colorado.

"For a lot of folks, even myself, the education we receive about indigenous history in this country is pretty inadequate," Necefer said. "It does not talk about the immense suffering and displacement that occurred, especially on public lands. People are curious and want to know, and I think this is one way that can happen.

"These are lands that have been stewarded by indigenous people for thousands of years, and now it's a responsibility of everyone to take that into consideration."

Reposted with permission from our media associate YES! Magazine.By Andy Rowell

With just over a week to go until the May 31 deadline set by Kinder Morgan for the Canadian Government to resolve all financial and political issues surrounding its highly controversial Trans Mountain pipeline, some 236 civil society groups from 44 countries have written to Justin Trudeau to tell him to drop his support for the project.

Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain Pipeline will triple the amount of dirty tar sands being shipped from Alberta to the coast of British Columbia.

The pipeline has become the most toxic Canadian political issue of the day, with Trudeau's government saying they will underwrite losses incurred by Kinder Morgan in their desperation to see the dirty pipeline be built.

Since that announcement for financial support on May 16, there has been growing national and international hostility to the plan.

Just in the last 24 hours, for example, award-winning Canadian journalist Andrew Nikiforuk said that Trudeau was being held "hostage" by Kinder Morgan. "The Trudeau federal government has made itself a pathetic hostage to a Texas-based pipeline company known for its cheapness and debt," he wrote Wednesday.

Also on Wednesday, some 200 youths from a number of Vancouver schools walked out of class to protest the government's support for the pipeline. "This is a chance to show our elected leaders and Kinder Morgan that our lands, livelihoods and future are more important than a pipeline," said Ta'Kaiya Blaney from Vancouver. And finally on Wednesday, protesters unveiled banners at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC, saying, "Canadian Leaders Don't Build Pipelines."

And that banner refers to a simple climate circle that Trudeau can't square, however much he tries to spin it otherwise: Trudeau has signed up to the Paris climate goals, but the amount of carbon that would be transported and ultimately burnt by the Trans Mountain Pipeline means that Canada would miss those goals.

As the letter outlines: "Canada has been a vocal champion of the Paris Agreement and ambitious climate action, and under your leadership, Canada has finally signed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples."

It continues: "However, your unwavering support for the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion runs counter to both of these commitments and undermines Canada's role as a global leader."

"Climate leaders cannot expand or finance major fossil fuel expansion, and climate leaders must begin to plan for a managed phase-out and just transition away from all fossil fuel production," says the letter.

The letter, signed by the likes of Amazon Watch, Asian Peoples' Movement on Debt and Development, Center for International Environmental Law, Christian Aid, The Climate Reality Project, Council of Canadians, Friends of the Earth International, Greenpeace, Hip Hop Caucus, Indigenous Environmental Network, Natural Resources Defense Council, Oil Change International, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Rainforest Action Network, Sierra Club, SumOfUs.org, Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, Wilderness Committee, and 350.org, says that financing the pipeline "with public money, as your government has suggested, is particularly offensive in the face of the global climate crisis."

The letter goes on to say: "As global organizations deeply concerned about the climate, communities, workers, and Indigenous Rights, we stand in solidarity with those who oppose the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline. We also support communities along the proposed pipeline and tanker routes who are standing up to protect the land, the coast, and the ocean from the risks of spills and other damage".

It points out that Canada should be leading the world in a "managed decline" of fossil fuels and transition to clean energy. "The time for investment in new fossil fuel infrastructure is over," say the signatories, before ending with: "We urge you to reconsider your support for this project, and instead work to make Canada the climate leader that it should be."

Leila Salazar-Lopez, executive director of Amazon Watch, said, "We stand with our indigenous brothers and sisters in the North in their efforts to protect their territories from the Kinder Morgan Pipeline and other destructive fossil fuel infrastructure. It is past time for governmentsincluding the Canadian governmentto respect UNDRIP [United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples] and begin a managed decline of fossil fuel extraction. Our collective futures depend on it."

May Boeve, executive director of 350.org added, "The Kinder Morgan pipeline threatens to pollute clean air and water, violate the rights of First Nations, and lock us into climate-wrecking fossil fuel extraction. Justin Trudeau has spoken about justice for Indigenous people and addressing climate change, but his actions are miles behind his words. At the end of the day, you cannot be a climate leader while supporting fossil fuel pipelines."

Reposted with permission from our media associate Oil Change International.

More than a third of the sperm whales found dead in the eastern Mediterranean since 2001 were killed by plastic debris, researchers from the Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute in Athens found.

Necropsies on nine of the 24 dead whales found in Greek waters revealed that their stomachs were filled with large amounts of plastic, The Times reported on the Pelagos analysis.

Marine biologists studying the carcasses said the animals likely suffered slow and "excruciating" deaths from the blockage.

One juvenile male found off the coast Mykonos swallowed more than a hundred items of plastic, including single-use plastic bags. One of the bags came from a shop in Thessaloniki, a city 500 miles away.

"The young whale suffered an excruciating death," Pelgaos director Alexandros Frantzis told The Times. "We alone are accountable."

"It's alarming but not surprising," Frantzis added. "The trend is bound to get worse because the amount of plastic waste in the Aegean Sea is growing."

Sperm whales are considered endangered in the Mediterranean. Cetaceans in these waters face threats from high levels of ship traffic, pollution, human density, tourism and fishing, Lifegate noted.

Plastic waste has also become a problem in this marine region. A sperm whale found dead in southern Spain in February was killed after ingesting 64 pounds of mostly plastic garbage. Experts determined the whale was unable to expel or digest the trash, causing it to die from peritonitis, or an infection of the abdomen.

Plastic pollution is a worldwide crisis and, unfortunately, marine life bears the brunt of its harmful impacts. In Australia, a recent video shows four single-use plastic bags being pulled from the stomach of a tiger shark found in South Coast waters, the Northern Daily Leader reported. The shark, which appeared emaciated, likely confused the bags for squid.

The footage has sparked calls for a ban on plastic bags in Australia.

"We have to rethink how we use plastic," marine biologist Murray MacDonald told the Northern Daily Leader after viewing the video. "The evidence is starting to mount rapidly that we just cannot throw away plastic as we have been."(Photo: REUTERS / KCNA)People attend a mass rally against "U.S. Imperialists" at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang June 25, 2014.

The planned June 12 summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is facing uncertainty after statements from Pyongyang and Washington.

But the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK), representing South Korean churches is planning prayer vigils to express hope for lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Trump said on May 22 there was a "substantial chance" his summit with Kim Jong-un would not take place as planned on June 12 due to concerns that Kim was not committed to denuclearization, Reuters news agency reported.

Trump raised his doubts about the Singapore summit in talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who came to Washington to urge Trump not to let a rare opportunity with reclusive North Korea get away.

If the summit is called off or flops, it could be a major blow to what Trump supporters hope will be the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency, and a huge disappointment for Trump.

The NCCK is going ahead with its candlelight prayer meeting on June 7 at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, in front of the U.S. embassy, and is expecting hundreds of people to join.

The square is also the same location as the Candlelight Revolution in which more than 17 million people gathered to demand the resignation of President Park Geun-hye and full democracy in 2016-17 and many other demonstrations in the history of the country.

The NCCK is also calling upon its member churches and partners to organize prayer gatherings on the same day, or sometime before the summit.

The churches' council has suggested that Korean Christians offer a minute's prayer each day from June 6-12.

Prayer cards will be distributed with a flag on the cover that symbolizes a unified Korea that was used in the Pyungchang Olympic games.

People will pray for the end of the Korean war, the realization of a peace treaty, denuclearization on the Korean peninsula as well as in the world, and a lifting of the sanctions against North Korea, along with humanitarian cooperation to meet urgent needs.

In support of the NCCK and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, as well as the World Council of Churches has invited Christians and people of good will across the world to join in these prayers.

The WCC will hold a candlelight prayer service at noon on June 7 at the Ecumenical Centre chapel in Geneva, Switzerland to express solidarity with its sisters and brothers in Korea.For more than 30 years, calculus has been seen as the pinnacle of high school mathessential for careers in the hard sciences, and an explicit or unspoken prerequisite for top-tier colleges.

But now, math and science professionals are beginning to question how helpful current high school calculus courses really are for advanced science fields. The ubiquitous use of data in everything from physics and finance to politics and education is helping to build momentum for a new path in high school mathone emphasizing statistics and data literacy over calculus.

We increasingly understand the world around us through data: gene expression, identifying new planets in distant solar systems, and everything in between, said Randy Kochevar, a senior research scientist at the Education Development Center, an international nonprofit that works with education officials. Statistics and data analysis, he said, is fundamental to many of the things we do routinely, not just as scientists but as professionals.

He and other experts are still debating the best way to integrate a new approach in an already crowded high school curriculum. One of the most difficult philosophical challenges: how to prevent a statistics path from replicating the severe tracking and equity problems that have long existed in classical mathematics.

Theres a sense that calculus is up here and statistics is a step below, said Dan Chase, a secondary mathematics teacher at Carolina Day School in North Carolina, adding that he often struggles to suggest to students that, if you are interested in engineering, that might be a good reason to go to calculus, but if you are interested in business or the humanities or social sciences, there are different paths you might go, even if you are a top-achieving math student.

On face value, new expectations for students already seem to be moving toward statistics. Both the Common Core State Standards, on which many states math requirements are based, and the Next Generation Science Standards call for teaching data analysis and statistics, both on their own and in the process of learning other concepts.

But Kochevar warned: Theres a huge disconnect; if you look closely at the science standards, they are expecting students to have tremendous faculty with using data by middle school, but if you look at the courses, its really not clear where those skills are supposed to be filled.

Both sets of standards need more integration of data and statistics, he and others argue, because they were developed in the early years of the big data boom. Studies tracking data worldwide through the years have found people produced 1.5 exabytes of new data in 1999or roughly 250 megabytes of data for every person alivebut by 2011, when states were adopting and implementing the math standards, people produced more than 14 exabytes a year. Today, people worldwide produce 2.5 exabytes of data every day, and the total data have doubled every two years.

Ironically, the rapid expansion of big data and statistics use in the broader society and economy comes at the same time American students seem to be struggling with those concepts. From 2007 to 2017, 4th and 8th students scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in mathematics fell significantly on problems related to data analysis, statistics, and probabilitya decline that helped drive overall dips on the math test in 2017.

In part, experts say, thats because statistics and data analysis have traditionally taken a back seat to calculus in high school math, and most students already have difficulty completing the classical path.

The idea that statistics is hard is grounded in that fact that if you took statistics 10 years ago, you had to take calculus first, and the statistics used formal probability ... with theorems that built on calculus, said Uri Treisman, a mathematics professor and the executive director of the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin. Hes been working with K-12 and university systems to develop a statistics pathway as an alternative to classical calculus.

Its an idea that others have pushed back on, by situating a high school statistics pathway as either advanced material only suitable for students who have already passed calculusor a less-rigorous path for students who cant hack it in classical math.

Any time you have multiple pathways, the advantaged will capitalize on one and that will become the real one, Treisman said. If we are going to create data science pathways, they had better be anchored in things that lead to upward social mobility and have a rigor to them. We have to make sure new pathways have at least equal status as the traditional oneand ensure everyone has access to them. If we allow [statistics and data] to be the easy or weaker path, we relinquish the commitment to equity we started with.

Mixed Signals in Calculus

For a picture of how severe that inequity can get, one only has to look at calculus.

See Also Free Online Event: Gateways to STEM Education Education Week offers you a big-picture look at how states, districts, and schools can overcome the obstacles that prevent more students from succeeding in STEM as they progress through school. Oct. 23, 2018 | 1 to 3 p.m. ET

Register now.

Until about 1980, calculus was seen as a higher education course, primarily for those interested in mathematics, physics, or other hard sciences, and only about 30,000 high school students took the course. That began to change when school reformers glommed onto calculus as an early example of a rigorous, college-preparatory course, said David Bressoud, a mathematics professor at Macalester College and a former president of the Mathematical Association of America, who has examined the evolution of calculus studies.

The more schools did this, the greater the expectation that they would do it from parents, and district leadersand in particular from colleges and universities, Bressoud said. Its not just math majors or engineering majors; this has become an accepted requirement for admission to top universities. You are not going to get into Duke if you havent taken calculus, even if you plan to major in French literature.

Today, some 800,000 students nationwide take calculus in high school, about 15 percent of all high schoolers, and nearly 150,000 take the course before 11th grade. Calculus classes have been and remain disproportionately white and Asian, with other student groups less likely to attend schools that offer calculus or the early prerequisites (like middle school algebra) needed to gain access to the course.

For example, in 2015-16, black students were 9 percentage points less likely than their white peers to attend a high school that offered calculus and half as likely to take the class if they attended a school that offered it. And if black students did get into a class, their teachers were also less likely to be certified to teach calculus than those of white students, according to an Education Week Research Center analysis of federal civil rights data.

And despite the rapid growth of calculus as a gold standard, university calculus experts argue it is a much weaker sign that a student is actually prepared for postsecondary math in the science fields than it appears.

In fact, a new report by the Mathematics Association of America and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics found many students who took Advanced Placement Calculus AB still ended up retaking calculus in collegeand 250,000 students end up needing to take even lower-level courses, like precalculus or algebra.

In the end, the report found taking calculus in high school was associated with only a 5 percentage point increase on average in calculus scores in collegefrom 75 percent to 80 percent. Rather, the best predictor of earning a B or better in college calculus was a student earning no less than As in high school Algebra 1 and 2 and geometry.

So if high school calculus isnt the best indicator of a student prepared for college-level math, what does it signify in college admissions? In a word: Money.

More than half of students who take calculus in high school come from families with a household income above $100,000 a year, according to a study this month in the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education. By contrast, only 15 percent of middle-income students and 7 percent of those in the poorest 25 percent of families take the course.

Math is even more important to upward mobility now than it was 20 or 30 years ago, because ... its seen as related to your general ability to solve problems quickly, Treisman said, adding that as a result, theres general anxiety and panic about equity issues for anything new, even though the current [calculus] pathway is a burial ground for students of color.

Forging a New Path

Statistics and data literacy advocates hope diversifying the field of interesting and rigorous math courses could broaden students path to STEM and other careers. As of 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimations showed that jobs that require data literacy and statistics are among the 10 fastest-growing occupations in the country.

We have two paths forward, said William Finzer, a senior scientist at the Concord Consortium, which works with school districts to improve their math curricula. The easier onelike the path computer science tookis to develop a course or a subject area and get schools to give it time. ... The problem of that is, it doesnt spread the opportunity very widely. It becomes concentrated in the small group of kids who elect to take the courseand its just one more subject to take.

Progression for Statistics and Data EDCs Oceans of Data Institute is building learning progressions for statistics and data literacy at different grades. Randy Kochevar, who directs the institute, said they are based on the acronym CLIP, meaning students learn how to use: Complex, multi-variable data (Were not just looking at hours of sunlight and heights of bean plants, he said); Larger data sets than students need to answer any one question, so they are forced to sort and understand relevance; Interactively accessed data, rather than sample graphs just written out on paper; and Professionally collected data that forces students to think about how and why it was collectedand what biases may exist in the samples. Source: Oceans of Data Institute

Finzer instead envisions a more holistic approach in which at least one class a yearbe it math, biology, or even civics or historyasks students to grapple with making sense of large data sets. Such an approach, he said, would make a huge difference, because it would mean when you came out of high school, data would not be foreign to you.

EDCs Oceans of Data Institute is building learning progressions for statistics and data literacy at different grades. The progression would include concepts in statistics and data literacy, but also computer scienceto be able to use common programming and tools used by data professionalsand more philosophical concepts, such as the ethical use of statistics and privacy protections.Chesterfield County Superintendent James Lane named as state Superintendent of Public Instruction by Governor Ralph Northam. pic.twitter.com/98WLJf9jMt

Chesterfield County Superintendent James Lane was named to the post, which has been filled on an interim basis since January when Steve Staples retired .

As state superintendent, Lane will make policy decisions for the nearly 1.3 million students in preschool up through 12th grade. Over the next few years, that will mean guiding implementation of new state and federal accreditation standards that determine how well schools are performing.

I am honored to be selected for this important position, which plays such a vital role in the direction of our Commonwealths education system and our economy, Lane said in a statement. I look forward to supporting Governor Northams vision for an education system that gives every child a shot at a successful life, no matter who they are or where they live.

Lane has led Chesterfield County schools, the fifth largest district in the state, since 2016. Before that, he was superintendent in Goochland and Middlesex counties. Hes worked also as a teacher and school administrator.

He was the 2017 superintendent of the year, an honor given annually by the Virginia Association of School Superintendents.Cheap charger warning from fire service

The Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service is urging Manx residents to avoid cheap phone chargers.

Firefighters were called out in Ramsey after a charger caught fire while plugged in.

The fire service says buying the manufacturers or a recommended charger will reduce the chances of fire.

It's also recommended that chargers are checked periodically for wear and tear.Production of Acura RDX with 2.0-liter turbo engine and 10-speed auto starts in Ohio

Acura has started mass production of the 2019MY RDX, Hondas X3 and Q5 competitor, at its East Liberty, Ohio, plant. It is the fruit of a recent US$54m investment in Hondas Ohio factory.

The RDX will be available exclusively  at least for the moment  with Hondas 276hp 2.0-liter, VTEC turbo, driving through a new 10-speed torque converter automatic transmission and Acuras SH-AWD system.

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The 2.0-liter turbo shares some architecture with the current Civic Type-R engine and replaces the previous generation RDXs V6.2018-05-24

Maeci

The Farnesina has noted the statement that EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker made yesterday regarding Italys action on migration and migrant reception.

Italy wishes the EU Commission and other EU Member States act in the same way as soon as possible, following the same security criteria and protecting human rights and dignity as Italy is doing.

Italy hopes the entire EU begins to share responsibility when it comes to saving people at sea, repatriating migrants and cooperating with Countries of origin and transit so that Italy does not carry the full weight of migration flows in the Mediterranean alone, as has happened for years.

There is also a strong desire from Italy for the European Union to reinforce their cooperation instituted a long time ago with international bodies, such as the IOM and the UNHCR. Moreover, Italy hopes for the EU to financially support the contributions from the Africa Trust Fund.A party-list lawmaker on Thursday called on the Department of Health to investigate the additional P1,040 medical examination fee that is being imposed on Filipino seafarers who will work aboard Panamanian registered vessels. Rep. John Bertiz III of ACTS OFW Party-list disclosed that the Panama Maritime Authority is now charging an additional USD 20 or P1,040 for every Filipino seafarer who will secure a Panamanian Medical Certificate, which is a pre-requisite to the hiring and deployment of seafarers. I enjoin the DoH and other agencies to look closely into the new PMA directive and make sure that this is not another blatant attempt by businessmen and their cohorts to earn from the hard work and sacrifices of our seafarers, Bertiz said. In its Note No. ADM-0736-2018-DGGM-ALM sent to manning agencies, accredited doctors, and ship owners, the PMA announced that the charges will be for the maintenance of an online database of the medical records of all Filipino seafarers. The new fees were imposed starting May 21, 2018. Bertiz pointed out that USD 15 (or P780) will go to an undisclosed online broker who will set up and maintain the online database. The remaining USD 5 (or P260) will go to the Panama Embassy in the Philippines. Bertiz said that the broker is set to earn an estimated amount of P234,000,000 per year. On the other hand, the Panama Embassy in the Philippines will make P78,000,000 annually. I want to know if this new scheme had the stamp of approval from the DoH, the DFA, and other concerned agencies. If yes, these agencies have to start evaluating their priorities since they might be more concerned with lining the pockets of businessmen rather than protecting the interests of our workers, Bertiz said.If the new fees were imposed without consulting or getting the approval of these agencies and if these are in conflict with our laws and regulations, we must take urgent steps to stop the imposition of these new fees. Bertiz also denounced the fees as discriminatory since it only applies to Filipino seafarers. I am concerned that Filipino seafarers are being singled out by the new fees. Why is it not being imposed on seafarers of other nationalities? This violates the non-discrimination clauses present in almost all international conventions governing the rights of migrant workers, Bertiz stated. There are an estimated 300,000 Filipino seafarers registered annually with the Panama authority who undergo medical examination at least once a year.PHILADELPHIA -- Mutations to the protein tau, commonly associated with neurodegenerative disorders, may serve as a novel risk factor for cancer, according to results published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

"Our study revealed that the presence of tau mutations raises the risk of developing cancer," said Fabrizio Tagliavini, MD, scientific director, IRCCS Foundation Carlo Besta Neurological Institute, Milan, Italy. "Furthermore, our bioinformatic analysis highlighted a broader functional environment for the tau protein, which had been previously associated mainly with disease development in the context of neurodegeneration."

Tau protein is essential for the stabilization of microtubules, a major element of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton. Defective tau protein is traditionally associated with neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). "A mutated tau has a reduced ability to bind to microtubules; this leads to microtubule destabilization and cytoskeleton disruption, which is detrimental to cellular survival," explained Tagliavini. "Additionally, free tau protein can form toxic aggregates within nerve cells, impairing neuronal function."

Previous work in the Tagliavini lab found that mutations in tau led to chromatin defects and chromosome abnormalities. "It is well-known that chromosome aberrations are often linked to cancer," said Tagliavini.

"Therefore, we decided to determine if there was a possible association between tau mutations and cancer."

Tagliavini and colleagues analyzed cancer incidence in 15 families bearing seven different tau mutations and affected by FTLD. To calculate cancer risk, each tau-mutated family was matched with three reference families with superimposable pedigrees (control subject's age, gender, and native location matching the person affected with FTLD).

Fifteen percent of subjects from tau-mutated families developed cancer, while only 9 percent of subjects from the reference families had cancer. Cancer types in both cohorts were variable; tau mutations were not associated with specific cancers. Following multivariate analysis, the researchers determined that individuals from tau-mutated families were 3.72 times more likely to develop cancer compared to the reference families.

The researchers also used a bioinformatics analysis to understand the interactions of tau protein with other proteins. They found that almost a third of proteins that tau interacts with were involved in DNA metabolism and cell cycle control; aberrant regulation of these key processes can lead to cancer, explained Tagliavini.

"Patients carrying tau mutations are usually attended for neurodegeneration," said Tagliavini. "However, with further confirmation of our results, these patients could also be monitored for their risk of developing cancer. Clinicians should take into account both of these aspects of tau pathology."

Limitations of the study include missing genetic analyses from several patients and individuals from reference families due to the unavailability of DNA. "The analysis of missing patient data would have allowed a more significant correlation between cancer and tau mutations, which had to be inferred with statistical analysis," noted Tagliavini.

###

The authors on this manuscript were supported by the Italian Ministry of Health, the Alzheimer's Society (United Kingdom), the Medical Research Council (MRC, UK), and the MRC Programme. Tagliavini declares no conflict of interest.WASHINGTON - If humanity hopes to make it to Mars anytime soon, we need to understand not just technology, but the psychological dynamic of a small group of astronauts trapped in a confined space for months with no escape, according to a paper published in American Psychologist, the flagship journal of the American Psychological Association.

"Teamwork and collaboration are critical components of all space flights and will be even more important for astronauts during long-duration missions, such as to Mars. The astronauts will be months away from home, confined to a vehicle no larger than a mid-sized RV for two to three years and there will be an up to 45-minute lag on communications to and from Earth," said Lauren Blackwell Landon, PhD, lead author of "Teamwork and Collaboration in Long-Duration Space Missions: Going to Extremes."

Currently, psychological research on spaceflight is limited, especially regarding teams. Applying best practices in psychology, the authors offered insights into how NASA can assemble the best teams possible to ensure successful long-duration missions.

Astronauts who are highly emotionally stable, agreeable, open to new experiences, conscientious, resilient, adaptable and not too introverted or extroverted are more likely to work well with others. A sense of humor will also help to defuse tense situations, according to the authors.

The long delay in communication to and from Earth will mean that crews will have to be highly autonomous as they will not be able to rely on immediate help from Mission Control. The authors said this will be an ongoing challenge and having defined goals, building trust, developing communication norms and debriefing will help alleviate potential conflict.

The researchers also advised the use of technology to monitor the physiological health of astronauts to predict points of friction among team members, due to lack of sleep, for example.

"Successfully negotiating conflict, planning together as a team, making decisions as a team and practicing shared leadership should receive extensive attention long before a team launches on a space mission," said Landon.

The paper is part of a special issue of American Psychologist, focusing on the psychology of teams and teamwork. The issue was guest edited by Susan McDaniel, PhD, University of Rochester Medical Center, and Eduardo Salas, PhD, Rice University.

Contact: Lauren Blackwell Landon, PhD, via email at laurenblandonphd@gmail.com

Among the articles in the special issue:

The Science of Teams in the Military: Contributions from over 60 years of Research by Gerald F. Goodwin, PhD, and Nikki Blacksmith, PhD, the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, and Meredith R. Coats, PhD, The George Washington University.

The U.S. military can teach us a lot about teamwork and interdependence. The importance of teams has led the military to fund 60 years of research on the topic. From this work, we know strong leadership is imperative and cohesive teams perform better and stay together longer. We also know what teams think, how team members think together and how in sync they are determines their ability to perform well. These findings extend far beyond the military as this body of research and ongoing work has implications for health care, space exploration and other fields. The authors share more insights on the six decades of teamwork research and offer directions for future research to address the challenges in our increasingly complex and global world.

Contact: Gerald F. Goodwin, PhD, via email at gerald.f.goodwin.civ@mail.mil

Debriefs: Teams Learning From Doing in Context by Joseph A. Allen, PhD, Roni Reiter-Palmon, PhD, and John Crowe, PhD, University of Nebraska at Omaha, and Cliff Scott, PhD, University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Debriefs are a type of meeting where teams get together to discuss, interpret and learn from recent events in which they collaborated. In a variety of forms, these types of meetings are used by organizations across many industries. The U.S. military began using debriefs decades ago to promote learning and performance across the services. Since then, debriefs have been adopted by the medical field, fire service, aviation, education and other industries. Research suggests that well-conducted debriefs can increase team effectiveness by as much as 25 percent, but what are the essential components of a successful debrief? One key aspect of a successful debrief is that it must offer a psychologically safe space where people feel free to speak openly and honestly without fear of reprisal. When team members worry about criticism, blaming or being censured, the discussion is less likely to include important information about what went wrong and that can interfere with development of improvements in future events. This article provides a review of a number of psychological factors relevant to debrief effectiveness across a range of settings.

Contact: Joseph A. Allen, PhD, via email at JosephAllen@unomaha.edu

Team Development Interventions: Evidence-Based Approaches for Improving Teamwork by Christina N. Lacerenza, PhD, the University of Colorado Boulder, Scott I. Tannenbaum, PhD, The Group for Organizational Effectiveness Inc., and Eduardo Salas, PhD, and Shannon L. Marlow, MS, Rice University.

The amount of time we spend at work collaborating with others is on the rise, yet most of us do not understand how to make teams work effectively. Simply because a group of employees is highly skilled does not mean they will be an expert team, according to this research. The authors advocate for psychologically informed team and leadership training with structured programs to improve capabilities. Team building should extend far beyond social activities to facilitator-led discussions and exercises. The study also advised frequent team debriefing as a way for employees to learn from an experience and to cover what succeeded and what did not. The essential ingredients for healthy debriefing are an environment of openness, safety, respect and trust. The authors also discussed areas for further research, such as virtual teams and nontraditional leadership structures.

Contact: Eduardo Salas, PhD, via email at eduardo.salas@rice.edu

The Trade-Offs of Teamwork Among STEM Doctoral Graduates by Kevin M. Kniffin, PhD, Cornell University, and Andrew S. Hanks, PhD, The Ohio State University.

Teamwork has become increasingly popular in academia partly because research shows that teams tend to produce superior work. Less is known, however, about how teamwork affects individual-level career outcomes, such as salary and job satisfaction. The authors of this article analyzed data from the National Science Foundation's Survey of Doctorate Recipients, as well as the Survey of Earned Doctorates. They found that doctoral degree holders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics tend to earn substantially higher salaries and work more hours when they engage in teamwork. They found no comparable difference in job satisfaction for those who engaged in teamwork and those who did not. These finding help to explain why people do not uniformly seek to work in teams, as the trade-off for a higher salary seems to be more work hours with no comparable difference in job satisfaction.

Contact: Kevin M. Kniffin, PhD, via email at kmk276@cornell.edu

The Complexity, Diversity, and Science of Primary Care Teams by Kevin Fiscella, MD, MPH, and Susan McDaniel, PhD, University of Rochester Medical Center.

Traditionally, health care has been organized around a patient's face-to-face visit with a physician. In that model, nurses, medical assistants, technicians and secretaries support the work of the physician. As modern health care has grown more complex, this traditional model of primary care has become outdated. Team-based systems have evolved to accommodate changes in information, insurance policies and patients' needs and preferences. This article identifies key factors that support primary care teamwork and those that challenge it. It concludes with recommendations for advancing teams in primary care, including changes in payment, models for primary care team training and suggestions for further research that needs to be conducted to address gaps in current scientific knowledge.

###

Contact: Kevin Fiscella, MD, MPH, via email at Kevin_Fiscella@urmc.rochester.edu

The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. APA's membership includes nearly 115,700 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives.

http://www.apa.org

If you do not want to receive APA news releases, please let us know at public.affairs@apa.org or 202-336-5700.Today, only the eldest inhabitants of the Danube Delta recall that, in the past, you could skate on the river practically every winter; since the second half of the 20th century, Europe's second-largest river has only rarely frozen over. The reason: the rising winter and water temperatures in Central and Eastern Europe, as a German-Romanian research team recently determined. Their analysis has just been published in the online magazine Scientific Reports.

In the Romanian harbour town Tulcea, an ice diary is dutifully maintained. Since 1836, the Danube Commission has recorded every winter in which the river froze over, how long the river was covered by a solid sheet of ice, and the day on which the ice began to break up. Until roughly 70 years ago, the ice archivists reported ice cover almost every year. But since the middle of the 20th century, the entries in the column "ice" have become few and far between: between 1951 and 2016, Europe's second-largest river only froze over ten times. Mathematically speaking, that means less than one in six winters. A comparison with regions farther upstream shows that in Tulcea, the entryway to the Danube Delta, the river freezes longer and much more frequently than e.g. in Budapest, Hungary. So what explains why the residents of Tulcea haven't been able to skate on the Danube for the past 70 years?

A German-Romanian research team has sought to answer this question. "When climate researchers talk about ice and global warming, most people think of the Greenland Ice Sheet or the sea ice on the Arctic Ocean. Most of them don't realise that the amount of winter ice on Europe's seas and rivers is an equally important indicator for a changing climate," explains Dr Monica Ionita, a climate researcher at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI).

She and her colleagues have compared the ice records from Tulcea and other cities along the Danube with local and national meteorological time series. Their findings show that the climate in Central and Eastern Europe has changed substantially over the past several decades. "In Europe, there has been a clearly recognisable rise in winter temperatures since the late 1940s. Ever since then, the winter months have rarely been sufficiently cold, and the Danube and other major rivers can no longer freeze over on a regular or extended basis," says Monica Ionita.

Compared to the past, the average winter temperature in Eastern Europe is now roughly 1.5 degrees warmer than between 1901 and 1950. In addition, since the 1980s the Black Sea hasn't become as cold as in past winters, and its warmth is making the winters in Eastern Europe and Western Russia milder and wetter.

Another reason why the Danube no longer freezes over is the inflow of wastewater and heat. As Ionita relates, "From 1837 to 1950, the winter temperatures only had to drop to minus 0.54 degrees for an ice sheet to form on the Danube. But since the early 1950s, such a light frost isn't enough; today, the air temperature has to dip below minus 1.05 degrees for the surface to freeze over. As such, we can clearly see the results of human influences."

For those engaged in shipping on the Danube, the lack of winter ice shouldn't cause any problems: with no ice, they can enjoy smooth sailing. But, as Monica Ionita warns, "There are likely to be farther-reaching consequences for the Danube's flora and fauna, especially if we bear in mind that, because of global warming, the air and water temperatures will continue to rise."

###Sixty-six million years ago, an asteroid struck the earth and wiped out non-avian dinosaurs. Now, researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology on May 24 have pieced together what that asteroid impact meant for birds. From multiple lines of evidence, including the plant fossil record and the ecology of ancient and modern birds, they show that the only birds to survive the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction event lived on the ground. That's apparently because the asteroid's impact destroyed forests worldwide, which took hundreds or even thousands of years to recover.

"We drew on a variety of approaches to stitch this story together," says lead author Daniel Field (@daniel_j_field) of the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, UK. "We concluded that the devastation of forests in the aftermath of the asteroid impact explains why tree-dwelling birds failed to survive across this extinction event. The ancestors of modern tree-dwelling birds did not move into the trees until forests had recovered from the extinction-causing asteroid."

The researchers' analysis of the plant fossil record confirmed that global forests collapsed in the wake of the asteroid's impact. They then used the evolutionary relationships of living birds and their ecological habits to track how bird ecology has changed over the course of their evolutionary history. Those analyses showed that the most recent common ancestor of all living birds--and all bird lineages passing through the extinction event--most likely lived on the ground.

By contrast, many birds that lived at the end of the age of dinosaurs exhibited tree-dwelling habits. But those species didn't survive the K-Pg to give rise to any of the modern-day birds we know now.

"Today, birds are the most diverse and globally widespread group of terrestrial vertebrate animals--there are nearly 11,000 living species," Field says. "Only a handful of ancestral bird lineages succeeded in surviving the K-Pg mass extinction event 66 million years ago, and all of today's amazing living bird diversity can be traced to these ancient survivors."

The findings illustrate the fundamental influence of major events in Earth's history on the evolutionary trajectories of major groups of organisms, the researchers say. In the future, the team plans to continue to explore the precise timing of forest recovery and the early evolutionary radiation of birds.

"We are working hard to shed new light on this murky portion of the fossil record, which promises to tell us a lot about how birds and other animal groups survived--then thrived--following the extinction of T. rex and Triceratops," Field says.

###

Co-authors of the study are Antoine Bercovici of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Jacob Berv of Cornell University, Regan Dunn of the Field Museum of Natural History, Tyler Lyson of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, David Fastovsky of the University of Rhode Island, Vivi Vajda of the Swedish Museum of Natural History, and Jacques Gauthier of Yale University.

The authors were supported by a 50th Anniversary Prize Fellowship at the University of Bath, a Smithsonian NMNH Deep Time Peter Buck Postdoctoral Fellowship, a Swedish Research Council VR grant, and the National Science Foundation.

Current Biology, Field et al.: "Early Evolution of Modern Birds Structured by Global Forest Collapse at the End-Cretaceous Mass Extinction" https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)30534-7

Current Biology (@CurrentBiology), published by Cell Press, is a bimonthly journal that features papers across all areas of biology. Current Biology strives to foster communication across fields of biology, both by publishing important findings of general interest and through highly accessible front matter for non-specialists. Visit: http://www.cell.com/current-biology. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact press@cell.com.May 24, 2018 - Earlier this year, the last remaining male Northern White Rhinoceros (NWR) died in captivity, nearly cementing the fate of this subspecies for extinction. In the wild, continuing threats of poaching, habitat destruction, and small population size have contributed to the rhinos' status as critically endangered. Yet, novel conservation efforts that make use of cryopreserved genetic material could save the NWR, and other threatened species, from extinction.

In a study published today in Genome Research, researchers investigated the genetic history of nine NWR cryopreserved cell lines compared to that of a closely related subspecies, the Southern White Rhino (SWR). Genome analyses demonstrated that the NWR and SWR represent two distinct populations that diverge nearly 80,000 years ago, each with fairly high genetic variation compared to other threatened species. Importantly, genetic analyses of variation and inbreeding facilitated identification of cell lines, which may serve as valuable pools of genetic material for genetic rescue. Lead author Tate Tunstall, of the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, emphasized the importance of this finding, stating "the SWR went through a severe genetic bottleneck, but is now the most populous of all forms of rhino at ~20,000 individuals, suggesting that a genetic rescue utilizing these cell lines could be the foundation for a similar recovery in the NWR."

This work presents the first genome sequence of the NWR and thus the current, albeit limited, gene pool of this species. Tunstall and colleagues propose that this knowledge can help guide a tailored recovery program for the NWR. "Our study demonstrates the emerging role for whole-genome-sequencing analysis to evaluate the potential for population recovery," said Cynthia C. Steiner, who directed the study. Furthermore, advanced sequencing technologies, cryopreservation efforts like that of the San Diego Zoo Frozen Zoo, as well as novel reproductive strategies can be developed to improve recovery efforts for the NWR and other species that face similar threats of extinction. Recent efforts to this end are promising. The first pregnant SWR from artificial insemination has been reported by the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, and it is hoped that surrogate SWR mothers may someday give birth to NWR progeny.

###

Researchers from the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, Veterinary College, University of London, Dvur Kralove Zoo, and the University of California, Santa Cruz contributed to this work. The study was funded by grants from the Seaver Institute and the Caesar Kleberg Foundation for Wildlife Conservation.

Media Contacts:

The authors are available for more information by contacting Christina Simmons, San Diego Zoo public relations team; +1-619-318-3348).

Interested reporters may obtain copies of the manuscript via email from Dana Macciola, Administrative Assistant, Genome Research (macciol@cshl.edu; +1-516-422-4012).

About the article:

The manuscript will be published online ahead of print on 24 May 2018. Its full citation is as follows: Tunstall T, Kock R, Vahala J, Diekhans M, Fiddes I, Armstrong J, Paten B, Ryder O, and Steiner C. 2018. Evaluating recovery potential of the Northern White Rhinoceros from cryobanked cells. Genome Research doi: 10.1101/gr.227603.118

About Genome Research:

Launched in 1995, Genome Research is an international, continuously published, peer-reviewed journal that focuses on research that provides novel insights into the genome biology of all organisms, including advances in genomic medicine. Among the topics considered by the journal are genome structure and function, comparative genomics, molecular evolution, genome-scale quantitative and population genetics, proteomics, epigenomics, and systems biology. The journal also features exciting gene discoveries and reports of cutting-edge computational biology and high-throughput methodologies.

About Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press:

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press is an internationally renowned publisher of books, journals, and electronic media, located on Long Island, New York. Since 1933, it has furthered the advance and spread of scientific knowledge in all areas of genetics and molecular biology, including cancer biology, plant science, bioinformatics, and neurobiology. The Press is a division of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, an innovator in life science research and the education of scientists, students, and the public. For more information, visit our website at http://cshlpress.org.

Genome Research issues press releases to highlight significant research studies that are published in the journal.Glenview, IL, May 24, 2018 - The rising incidence of sepsis, a leading cause of in-hospital death, has prompted the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to issue protocols known as care bundles to standardize and improve sepsis care. Because of a known association between elevated lactate levels and increased mortality, the guidelines mandate that lactate levels should be tested soon after the onset of sepsis. A new study in the journal CHEST found that a significant proportion of patients with suspected sepsis do not have their lactates measured within the recommended timeframe. These patients experienced delayed antibiotic therapy and IV fluid administration, as well as increased risk of in-hospital death.

According to first author Xuan (Susan) Han, MD, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA, "Sepsis continues to be a major public health problem in the US, one with persistently high mortality despite continued efforts to improve care. Our goal with this study was to better understand, on a more granular level, how sepsis bundles affect the patients we apply them to."

The guidelines, issued in 2015 by the CMS, are SEP-1 (Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Early Management Bundle). One of the recommendations is the measurement of serum lactate between six hours before and three hours after severe sepsis presentation, followed by a repeat within six hours of presentation if the initial lactate is elevated.

"Systematic early lactate measurements in patients presenting with sepsis would result in a significant increase in the number of lactates measured on patients but may be of benefit in identifying patients with elevated initial lactates who are at risk for poorer outcomes. Patients with early lactate measurements received earlier interventions such as antibiotic administration, which is known to improve mortality in sepsis," explained Matthew M. Churpek, MD, MPH, PhD, of the Department of Medicine and Center for Healthcare Delivery, Science and Innovation at the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.

To see what was being done in actual clinical practice, researchers at the University of Chicago reviewed the records of close to 150,000 patients admitted to a single tertiary care academic hospital from November 2008 to January 2016. Information regarding each patient's characteristics, vital signs, laboratory measurements, and medical therapy was analyzed. There was a particular focus on lactate measurements and levels.

They identified 5,762 admissions that met the three SEP-1 criteria for severe sepsis within a six-hour period. Of these, only 60 percent had an initial lactate drawn within the SEP-1 specified timeframe. Fourteen percent had their levels measured between three and 24 hours after the time of first suspicion of sepsis ("delayed lactates"), and more than one quarter had no lactate measurements at all.

Whether lactates were measured promptly varied with where the patient was being treated. Seventy-nine percent of patients treated in the emergency department had levels measured within the specified time period compared with 55 percent in the intensive care unit (ICU) but only 32 percent in hospital wards. "Our study demonstrates that a large number of patients become newly septic on the wards. This is an important population of patients in which to effectively and quickly identify and treat sepsis," commented Dr. Churpek.

Mortality increased with higher initial lactate levels. For example, in the ICU, the mortality rate was 35 percent for patients with a normal initial lactate level compared with 62 percent for those with elevated lactate levels. Most troubling, in patients with elevated lactate levels at the first draw, each hour of delay was associated with a 2 percent increase in the odds of in-hospital death. Importantly, it took approximately twice as long for patients with delayed lactate measurements to receive antibiotics and more than three times as long for them to receive fluids when compared with patients who had lactates drawn within the SEP-1 window.

"The SEP-1 bundle is the most recent national effort at standardizing and improving sepsis care, but the evidence supporting its various measures is mixed or lacking. In addition, SEP-1 has been highly controversial. This study better characterized the patients affected by SEP-1, as well as the impact of one component of SEP-1, lactate measurement, on hospitalized patients. Systematic early lactate measurements when a patient presents with sepsis may thus be useful in prompting earlier, potentially life-saving interventions," added Dr. Churpek.

###It's commonly said that you can tell a great deal about a person by the clothes they wear. Now new research suggests that choice of garment colour is a predictor of body mass index (BMI).

The findings being presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Vienna, Austria (23-26 May) reveal that darker and multicolour clothes are preferred by women with higher BMIs, while men with larger BMIs are more likely to choose black or white garments.

Colour plays an important role in influencing moods and emotions, and previous research suggests that the colour of the clothes you wear says a lot about your personality, mood, and even how other people perceive you. The size and colour of the clothing you choose depends on a variety of personal factors, and these may include perceived or actual overweight or obesity.

To investigate this further, Dr Charoula Nikolaou and Professor Stuart Gilmour from St Luke's International University in Tokyo, and Professor Mike Lean from the University of Glasgow's School of Medicine, examined the relationship between BMI and the size and colours of clothes purchased from a global online retail service. Between October and December 2017, data on body weight and height, clothing size, and colour were collected from over 34,000 customers who completed feedback forms. The data, publicly available online, was taken from the AliExpress website, part of the Alibaba group, the China-based multinational e-commerce site. Countries from which the orders were made were grouped by income: low-income, lower-middle income, upper-middle income, and high-income. Clothing colours were also grouped by dark, light, metal, pastel or print colours.

Over a two-month period (covering different seasons in different countries), 27,083 women (8,119 skirts and 18,964 dresses) and 7,295 men (7,295 trousers) from 119 countries purchased items of clothing from 26 clothing brands. Most were purchased by people living in high- and upper-middle income countries. Online sales were mostly to young and middle-aged customers. Over half of trousers sold, almost a quarter of dresses, and 15% of skirts were purchased by someone overweight or obese (BMI>25kg/m2).

The association between customers' BMI and size and colour garments was estimated using linear regression, a form of statistical modelling which adjusts for potential factors that could influence the relationship such as gender, country of origin, income of country of origin.

Results showed that clothing size was closely related to both BMI and waist circumference. Women with a higher BMI were more likely to buy black/blue/dark colour and floral dresses, and multicolour and dot-patterned skirts. Whilst men with a higher BMI tended to stick to black or white trousers.

The authors acknowledge that their findings show observational differences which are not necessarily evidence of cause and effect. They conclude: "Our study suggests that the size and colour of garments purchased can be indicators of weight problems. Online clothing purchase choices could be used to target non-judgemental messages about weight-management and preventing unwanted weight gain."

The authors say that two practical actions to help people with weight-management or preventing weight-gain could result from this study:

Clothing size is a reliable indicator of BMI so non-judgemental messages about weight-management could be provided with purchases of large size-garments

Advice for people who have successfully lost weight could include changing the wardrobe to smaller size garments and switching to colours and patterns favoured by thinner people and which more overweight people tend to avoid.

###Annapolis, MD; May 24, 2018--The case for permethrin-treated clothing to prevent tick bites keeps getting stronger.

In a series of experiments conducted by researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, clothing treated with an insecticide known as permethrin had strong toxic effects on three primary species of ticks known to spread disease-causing pathogens in the United States. Exposure to permethrin interfered with the ticks' ability to move properly, making them sluggish and likely interfering with their ability to bite. This effect has been previously documented in just one tick species. The results of the study are published today in the Entomological Society of America's Journal of Medical Entomology.

Permethrin, a synthetic form of an insecticidal compound derived from the chrysanthemum flower, has been documented for its utility as protection against bites from ticks, mosquitoes, and flies since the late 1970s, but researchers continue to probe its effects on various species under varying conditions. Amid the ongoing geographic expansion of ticks in North America, a greater understanding of the effectiveness of consumer-based products for protection from ticks is necessary to combat the threat of Lyme disease and other human infections caused by tick-transmitted pathogens.

While previous research from the CDC has focused on permethrin's effects on the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis), its latest study finds similar effects from permethrin on both the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) and the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), as well, and it also found permethrin to have notable effects across both nymphal (juvenile) and adult life stages of the blacklegged tick and lone star tick.

Various garments (shirts, pants, and socks) produced by a leading manufacturer of permethrin-treated clothing were tested in the experiments, in which the researchers affixed portions of the clothing to flat surfaces and placed ticks on them. In some tests the surface was placed at a 45-degree angle and ticks were observed for their likelihood to let go and tumble off due to the irritant effect of permethrin. In other tests, the ticks were placed on level surfaces and contained for specific intervals (1-5 minutes) and then observed for their ability to move normally over the following 24 hours.

"All tested tick species and life stages experienced irritation--the 'hot-foot' effect--after coming into contact with permethrin-treated clothing," says Lars Eisen, Ph.D., research entomologist at the CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases and senior author on the study. "This caused the ticks to drop off from a vertically oriented treated textile designed to mimic a pant leg or the arm of a shirt. We also found that sustained contact with permethrin-treated clothing--up to 5 minutes--resulted in loss of normal movement for all examined tick species and life stages, leaving them unable to bite."

Effects varied somewhat between species. Permethrin-treated clothing showed the strongest effect on blacklegged tick nymphs (after a one-minute exposure, 100 percent lacked normal movement one hour later), followed by lone star tick nymphs (86 percent), blacklegged tick adult females (62 percent), American dog tick adult females (18 percent), and lone star tick adult females (2 percent). A five-minute exposure to permethrin-treated clothing led to loss of normal movement for all ticks of all three species and life stages for at least one hour.

Permethrin treatment is available in various forms to consumers. Certain manufacturers produce clothing pre-treated with permethrin. Other companies offer mail-and-return treatment through which consumers send clothing they already own to be treated with permethrin and returned. Alternatively, permethrin sprays are available for consumers to apply to their clothing on their own at home. The CDC recommends treatment for clothing and gear such as boots, pants, socks, and tents with products containing 0.5 percent permethrin and notes that it remains protective through multiple washings.

Ongoing and future research will seek to determine just how long various permethrin treatments last over time, wash cycles, and wearing conditions, Eisen says.

"Ultimately, we'd like to be able to provide more specific guidance about the use of permethrin-treated clothing, including what types of clothing provide the best protection. Additional research in this area can improve public health recommendations," he says.

###

"Contact Irritancy and Toxicity of Permethrin-Treated Clothing for Ixodes scapularis, Amblyomma americanum, and Dermacentor variabilis Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae)," by Robert Prose, Nicole E. Breuner, Tammi L. Johnson, Rebecca J. Eisen, and Lars Eisen, will be published online on May 24, 2018, in the Journal of Medical Entomology. Journalists may request advance copies of the article via the contact below.

CONTACT: Joe Rominiecki, jrominiecki@entsoc.org, 301-731-4535 x3009

ABOUT: ESA is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has nearly 7,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, the Society stands ready as a non-partisan scientific and educational resource for all insect-related topics. For more information, visit http://www.entsoc.org.

The Journal of Medical Entomology publishes research related to all aspects of medical entomology and medical acarology, including the systematics and biology of insects, acarines, and other arthropods of public health and veterinary significance. For more information, visit https://academic.oup.com/jme, or visit http://www.insectscience.org to view the full portfolio of ESA journals and publications.Xanthomonas citri, the bacterium that causes citrus canker, a disease responsible for major damage to lemon and orange groves in worldwide scale, has a veritable arsenal of weapons to overcome constant competition with other bacterial species and ward off natural predators such as amoebae.

Despite the fact that citrus canker have already caused significant economic losses, X. citri's ability to persist in the environment is still poorly understood. However, a new study performed in Brazil perfects scientific understanding on the gene expression regulating the bacteria's defense mechanism against natural predators - which might subsidize the development of strategies to fight the pest on infected plants.

Researchers linked to the State University of Campinas's Biology Institute (IB-UNICAMP) and to the University of Sao Paulo's Chemistry Institute (IQ-USP) have demonstrated a previously unknown mechanism used by X. citri against amoebae, the main source of selective pressure on bacteria in the natural environment.

Supported by the Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP (http://bv.fapesp.br/en/auxilios/88477), the study revealed that the mechanism resides in a protein secretion system known as the T6SS (type VI secretion system) present in several species of bacterium but only now characterized in X. citri. It is, basically, a complex of proteins injected into the amoeba through the bacterial envelope.

"X. citri has several secretion systems. The one we studied is a kind of contractile machine that projects out through the bacterial cell membrane and secretes toxins or proteins into the target cell, in this case, the amoeba," said Cristina Alvarez-Martinez (http://bv.fapesp.br/en/pesquisador/49568/cristina-elisa-alvarez-martinez), a researcher affiliated with IB-UNICAMP and co-author of an article published (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1462-2920.14085) in the journal Environmental Microbiology, on which some research results are featured.

Signaling pathway

In addition to demonstrating that the mechanism is used for resistance to the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, the researchers also discovered a new signaling pathway that controls the expression of the secretion system's genes in response to contact with the amoeba. Although the signaling pathway is also found in the genomes of other environmental bacteria, this is the first time it has been studied in X. citri.

"The paper describes a new mechanism for regulating gene expression also used by other bacteria in the natural environment," Alvarez-Martinez said.

The researchers found that the translocation of proteins occurs in a manner controlled by the bacterium. "In the paper, we demonstrate that the bacterium induces transcription of T6SS genes to produce the secretion channel using this new signaling mechanism we identified. The signaling mechanism is activated in response to contact with the amoeba," Alvarez-Martinez said.

Genetically-induced vulnerability

The bacterium's genome was sequenced in 2001 via FAPESP's Genome Program, later enabling localization of the genes that encode the T6SS secretion mechanism. As a result, the team of researchers from IB-UNICAMP and IQ-USP were able to modify the bacterium genetically so that it stopped producing T6SS.

The FAPESP-funded study compares two strains of the bacterium: a mutant strain without the T6SS genes and a wild-type strain with no genetic modification. The conclusion was that the amoeba D. discoideum feeds more efficiently on the wild-type strain.

"When these genes were removed, the bacterium stopped producing the secretion system," Alvarez-Martinez explained. "We saw from the comparison that the wild-type strain displayed far greater resistance to the amoeba and survived better than our mutant strain without the secretion system. We succeeded in demonstrating that this is crucially important to the survival of X. citri."

Arsenal

According to Alvarez-Martinez, the study confirms that X. citri has an arsenal of mechanisms - categorized in terms of secretion system "families" - to withstand the attacks of environmental competitors.

"Many of these systems have already been studied. The bacterium's T3SS or type III secretion system, for example, is directly linked to its virulence. If this system is eliminated, it can't cause citrus canker. Its T4SS is involved in the task of eliminating other species of bacterium that compete with it for space and nutrients. Its T6SS, which we're now studying, acts as a resistance mechanism in disputes with predators, in this case, amoebae," said the FAPESP-supported researcher.

More research is necessary to completely understand what happens in this dispute between X. citri and D. discoideum. "One of the hypotheses raised in our paper is that the amoeba may be a sort of reservoir for bacteria. X. citri can kill the amoeba or multiply inside it. What we want to find out now is how the relationship between these two microorganisms is established," she said.

Whether or not this hypothesis is confirmed, one thing is certain: the recently identified secretion system increases the bacterium's resistance. This could have a strong impact on its persistence in the soil and on the leaves of citrus plants.

"The more we know about the mechanisms used by the bacterium to withstand adversity, the easier it will be to design ways and means of preventing the spread of citrus canker. In the future, our understanding of T6SS can help us think about a form of intervention to stop citrus canker from developing in the field, as well as contributing significantly to our understanding of X. citri's biology," Alvarez-Martinez said.

###

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.The world of reptiles may well include creatures that are more spectacular than the Gehyra variegata, but nevertheless, this small nocturnal gecko has managed to make a couple of fascinating new contributions to the discussion about the ecological consequences of climate change.

These geckos are small grey- or brown-skinned lizards that grow to around five centimetres and spend their lives in the deserts of Australia. The hollowed out trunks of eucalyptus trees are their preferred hiding places. After spending the night hunting insects, this is where they seek refuge from the heat in a climate where temperatures can often climb to more than 40 degrees Celsius. And it is in exactly these deserts where climate scientists expect to see even more extreme conditions in the future. They are forecasted to become even hotter and drier, worldwide. So how will the unique animals and plants that live in these ecosystems cope with these new challenges? This was the question the researchers set out to investigate, using this little gecko as a representative of other nocturnal desert inhabitants.

Prof. Klaus Henle, head of the Department of Conservation Biology at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, began collecting data about Gehyra variegata as far back as the 1980s. Working in the Kinchega National Park in Eastern Australia, he and his colleagues have been catching, measuring, photographing, tagging and then releasing reptiles for more than 30 years.

The researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research then collated this information with weather conditions in the National Park, and also with global climate phenomena. Their findings are surprising, to say the least. As biologist Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth said, "We expected the higher temperatures and greater dryness to have a negative effect both on the individual geckos and on their populations." After all, even lizards need a certain amount of moisture to ensure that their eggs develop properly, and to enable them to moult when they need to. If they dry out completely, they will die. And the same is also true if excessive temperatures cause them to overheat. "But our investigations revealed that our geckos grow and survive particularly well in the very hottest years. In fact, they are generally in better condition, and their populations grow rather than fall". But what could be the reason? To discover this, Grimm-Seyfarth carefully observed the lizards' behaviour and measured their body temperature.

At night, she used an infrared thermometer, which can measure temperature at a distance, to locate the creatures while they were hunting. And then, to find where the geckos were hiding during the day, the scientists used tiny passive transmitters, similar to those used as ID chips for dogs. These chips are usually implanted under the skin. But when the tiny reptile is only five centimetres long, this isn't really feasible. So, the scientists created miniature backpacks for the geckos to wear, which keep the chips close to their skin. The researchers then use a radio antenna to locate the chips. The chips not only reveal where each lizard is, but also transmit its body temperature. Despite the tremendous daytime heat in the desert, the scientists discovered that the geckos don't search out particularly cool places to hide. They prefer their refuges to have a temperature between 30 and 35 degrees Celsius. As Grimm-Seyfarth said, "The creatures need these high temperatures so that they can digest their food properly". Consequently, they also crawl around in branches that are particularly exposed to the sun. To her astonishment, Grimm-Seyfarth also found that, in cooler years, the geckos left the safety of their tree and deliberately sat out in the sun to bask in its heat. But searching for enough warmth also takes energy. And, if the search is unsuccessful, the gecko can't digest its food properly. This might be the reason that cooler years had a negative effect on the geckos.

However, even having the perfect temperature range isn't any good if it's also too dry. This doesn't just cause physical problems for these creatures. In particularly dry periods, there are also fewer insects for them to eat. As expected, geckos experience really hard times during periods of drought. But it's not just local precipitation levels that are the decisive factor. Every few years, the La Nina weather phenomenon brings torrential rainfall to the east coast of Australia. Months later, the rivers bring the resulting flood waters to the desert, increasing humidity levels and creating an abundance of insects. As Grimm-Seyfarth said, "These lizards are affected by local conditions and global climate phenomena alike. We need to look beyond the horizon of a particular area if we want to make an accurate prediction about the future of its inhabitants.

Until now, all the evidence indicated that the geckos would face problems caused by drought rather than by heat. But now, we have discovered that they can also compensate for this, to a certain extent. The study shows that, although individual creatures become thinner in years of drought, their population levels remain constant. This is because they scale back their growth and reproduction rates in hard times", explained Grimm-Seyfarth. They can then concentrate all their efforts on surviving into the next year. Thanks to their exceptional longevity (up to 28 years in some cases), these creatures can afford to lose a few reproductive cycles without any particular problem. And when conditions improve again, they can make up for lost time.

Therefore, even if climate change causes deterioration in living conditions for these geckos, they're hardly likely to die out immediately. And, according these evaluations by the scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, these findings could also apply to other long-lived desert dwellers. However, this is in no way a simple carte blanche for letting climate change just happen. "If there are several very dry years in succession, the creatures will no longer be able to cope", said Grimm-Seyfarth. At some point, even the hardiest survival specialists will be overwhelmed.

###The Bureau of Immigration on Thursday said that Australian nun Sister Patricia Fox can come back to the Philippines should the missionary comply with the bureaus order to leave the country and avoid being included in the BIs Black List Order. BI spokesperson Dana Mengote-Sandoval made the statement after Foxs counsel lawyer Jobert Pahilga insisted that the Australian nun would not leave the country and instead would file an appeal before the Department of Justice. However, the BI official said even if an appeal was filed before the DoJ, the bureau would still enforce the leave order against the 71-year-old missionary. Unless sister Fox would not leave the country on May 25, Friday, another deportation case would be filed and the worst scenario that this may result for her inclusion in the bureaus BLO, Sandoval said. The BI spokesperson said that there was nothing stated in the BIs leave order against Sister Fox that she would be barred from entering the country after complying. To return to the Philippines, the nun would have to apply for a visa since her missionary visa was cancelled by the BIs Board of Commissioners for engaging in political rallies, she said. Sandoval also explained that this was not the first incident of visa forfeiture as there were other cases before. The BI official said the BOC has already reaffirmed its order forfeiting the missionary visa of Australian nun Patricia Fox and ordering her to leave the country. Sandoval likewise said BOC has denied with finality the Motion for Reconsideration filed by Foxs lawyers which sought a reversal of the Boards April 23 order forfeiting her visa and directing her to leave the country within 30 days. Meanwhile, the Commission on Human Rights said any threat to silence dissenters is an affront to our ideals as a nation.A recent example have been threats by certain personalities to get aspiring lawyers banned from taking the Bar exam after questioning and expressing strong opposition to the Supreme Court's decision on the quo warranto petition against Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno, lawyer-spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said. At a time when the crucial system of checks and balances in our democracy is in question, one of the most important things we can do as citizens is speak up, she added. Exercising our freedoms of expression and to peaceably assemble allows the common people to have their voices be heard, she added. "These are opportunities for the government to listen to our grievances and provide redress," she cited. The threat to silence those opposing the Supreme Court's quo warranto decision to remove then Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno by blocking to take the Bar exam was a direct attack on their freedom of expression and their right as citizens of this country to speak on the issues that affect them, the CHR said. One must not lose their rights by becoming a law student or a candidate for the Philippine Bar, it added. "We condemn these threats on the freedom of speech of the Filipino people. Dissent is a sign of a healthy democracy," De Guia said. "Allowing the people to speak against injustices is how nations progress and rise above times of trial and hardship," she said. "In these times, the Commission hopes that Filipinos do not lose faith, and to continue its fight in pursuit of fairness, righteousness, and the prevalence of the rule of law."BOZEMAN -- A Montana State University professor who conducts research with indigenous communities in Montana, Greenland and Finland has won a pair of awards to further her work.

Beth Rink, an associate professor in the MSU College of Education, Health and Human Development and a researcher with the MSU Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity, won a five-year, $3.12 million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health for "We Are Here Now," a sexual and reproductive health randomized clinical trial for American Indian youth and their families on the Fort Peck Reservation in northeastern Montana. In addition, Rink has been named a Fulbright Arctic Initiative Scholar to help advance Arctic nations' shared interest in building resilient communities and sustainable economies.

"We Are Here Now" is a term the Assiniboine and Sioux - the home tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation - used for coming-of-age ceremonies in traditional times, Rink said. Rink's multilevel, multi-component research study of the same name has four components, including a school-based curriculum called Native Stand that is designed to address individual factors that lead to sexual risk behaviors; a family-level curriculum called Native Voices that is tailored to increase communication between adult family members and youth about sexual and reproductive health topics; a community-level cultural mentoring component that pairs youth with adults and elders to help connect them with their cultures and traditions; and a systems-level component to adapt and coordinate tribal sexual and reproductive health services provided to youth.

Rink said she hopes the research study - which is among the first of its kind in the U.S. - results in a positive impact on the sexual and reproductive health of American Indian youth in Fort Peck, as well as an increased connection to the youth's traditional culture.

She also hopes the research can serve as a model for how researchers and tribal communities can work on a complex, integrated research study.

"Our short-term goal is to integrate (this research study) into the existing Fort Peck infrastructure to ensure local sustainability," Rink said. "Our long-term goal is to produce a toolkit, including curriculum manuals, a (sexual and reproductive health) cultural mentoring program and specific systems-level actions suitable for replication in other tribal communities."

Rink said We Are Here Now builds on a collaborative research relationship between the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation and MSU researchers that dates back to 2006. That work has focused on preventing sexually transmitted infections, HIV, hepatitis C and teen pregnancy among American Indians at Fort Peck.

Rink's research at Fort Peck has relied on a method known as community-based participatory research, or CBPR. It's important to Rink that her work follows CBPR principles and practices because the CBPR framework ensures tribal oversight and guidance in all phases of the research study. It also ensures the study embraces the relevant cultural, linguistic, group identity and health needs as defined by the Fort Peck community members themselves, she said.

"This grant award isn't about me; it's about Fort Peck," she said. "If it weren't for the people in Fort Peck believing in this research and wanting to work with me, it wouldn't happen."

We Are Here Now will have a significant impact on the lives of the future leaders of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, according to Paula Brien-FireMoon, project director for We Are Here Now. She noted that the Fort Peck Tribes have been the driving force for addressing health disparities occurring with the tribes' young people and, in collaboration with MSU and Fort Peck Community College, the research study provides an opportunity to foster healthy changes within the community.

"High school-age tribal members will be given the knowledge necessary for making positive and healthy decisions about their lifestyle choices," Brien-FireMoon said. "The approach to educating them will be a community effort with Fort Peck Community College through collaboration with other agencies. The sustainability of this (program) will be embedded within the agencies through institutional policy change."

Ramey Growing Thunder, Fort Peck Tribes' Language and Cultural Resource Department director, said she is delighted a portion of the grant will allow the department to work to reach the community's students from a cultural foundation.

"This is great, as the cultural mentors will consist of various Dakota and Nakoda elders from our Fort Peck homeland communities that carry our traditional knowledge," she said. "It will be our ancestors' traditional teachings that will guide us through our engaged cultural activities through the duration of this project. I am most happy to be a part of a dynamic and culturally grounded initiative."

Rink's second award, through the Fulbright Arctic Initiative, will enable her to conduct a comparative analysis of sexual and reproductive health, services and systems in two Arctic communities. The Fulbright Arctic Initiative is designed to enable scholars to help policymakers address critical challenges facing the Arctic and create opportunities for Arctic populations.

For her Fulbright research, Rink will work with researchers from the Thule Institute at the University of Oulu in Finland and members of the Sami community in Utsjoki, Finland, to examine sexual and reproductive health disparities of the Finnish Sami, an indigenous group in Northern Finland. She will then compare that information with similar data she has gathered in Greenland for more than a decade. Since 2007, Rink has conducted research in Greenland examining sexual and reproductive health among the Inuit.

Rink said she chose to work with the Finnish Sami because the sexual and reproductive health outcomes of that group related to sexually transmitted infections, preterm birth and miscarriages are known as the healthiest for an indigenous group in the Arctic. On the other hand, she said, the Inuit in Greenland are known for having the poorest outcomes for Arctic indigenous groups. Health care systems among both groups are very similar, Rink said, which leads to additional questions over why the outcomes are different.

"I want to try to figure out why things are better among the Finnish Sami than among the Inuit in Greenland, because it's pretty much the same system," she said.

In addition to her individual research project, Rink - who is one of 16 Fulbright Arctic Initiative Scholars - will also work with the other Fulbright Arctic Initiative Scholars on a team project. In all, eight scholar groups will research questions related to resilient communities and energy in the Arctic.

Most of that work will be done remotely, Rink said, although the scholars will come together to meet as a group at least three or four times over the course of the 18 month-long Fulbright.

"We've got pretty diverse experiences and backgrounds so that we can look at these super complex problems around Arctic health and climate change through an interdisciplinary lens, which is what the Arctic needs," Rink said. "When the ice melts that starts to shift everything. But it's more than just ice. The winds change and the sea warms up, which shifts hunting and fishing. And, when hunting and fishing shifts, their whole lives change."

Rink said she hopes her work through the Fulbright Arctic Initiative will help draw much-needed attention to Arctic communities' health.

"I really hope this particular work will highlight the need for Arctic countries and the rest of the world to pay attention to reproductive health in these very fragile indigenous communities in the Arctic," Rink said.

Ross Virginia, co-lead scholar for the Fulbright Arctic Initiative and director of the Institute of Arctic Studies at Dartmouth College, said Rink's history of cutting-edge community health research focused on indigenous communities in Greenland and the U.S. will be important in exploring the determinants of community health and well-being.

"Dr. Rink is well-known for her work on models for the ethical conduct of research and on approaches to encourage community participation in research," Virginia said. "I am thankful for Dr. Rink's commitment to conducting policy-relevant research that matters to the peoples of the Arctic."

In addition to her work as a professor with the College of Education, Health and Human Development and as a researcher with the MSU Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity, which has funded her work at Fort Peck since 2014, Rink is also a research mentor in the American Indian/Alaska Native Clinical and Translational Research Program. She has previously received research funding from the U.S. Office of Population Affairs, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

"Dr. Rink has spent years thoughtfully and meticulously working to advance health among indigenous communities," said Alison Harmon, dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Development. "We're delighted that these awards will help this important work continue."

Jovanka Voyich, Montana director of the American Indian/Alaska Native Clinical and Translational Research Program, said the program benefits from Rink's involvement as a mentor.

"She teaches investigators to work with communities to design culturally appropriate studies and makes certain researchers know the findings belong to the sovereign nations," Voyich said. "She is an invaluable resource for young investigators interested in (community-based participatory research)."

Rink said support from MSU administrators, including Harmon, Provost Bob Mokwa, Vice President for Research and Economic Development Renee Reijo Pera, President Waded Cruzado and Deborah Haynes, head of the Department of Health and Human Development, has been crucial to her work.

"I couldn't do what I do if it weren't for the people like them supporting me," she said. "I'm very grateful."

###WILMINGTON, DE (May 24, 2018) - Abusive head trauma (AHT), a medical diagnosis of infants and young children who suffer from inflicted intracranial and associated spinal injuries, is often misrepresented in legal proceedings of child abuse, according to a consensus statement supported by nine pediatric and radiology international organizations published in Pediatric Radiology. The statement outlines consensus of evidence-based medical opinion on AHT to confirm the validity of the diagnosis and serve as a tool for the legal system.

"When pivotal medical testimony on child abuse is contradictory, the message to the courts, the news media, and the general public about infant injuries and safe caregiving can be confusing and inaccurate," said Arabinda Choudhary, MD, chair of pediatric radiology at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE. "Denialism of child abuse has become a significant medical, legal and public health problem. This article will help re-establish the science of abusive head trauma and will undoubtedly help children and their advocates around the world."

The authors of the paper utilized their collective and extensive clinical experience, as well as an empirical review of the medical literature in developing the consensus statement. AHT is the leading cause of fatal head injuries in children younger than two years old and is responsible for 53 percent of serious or fatal traumatic brain injury cases. The statement was supported by the Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR), European Society of Paediatric Radiology (ESPR), American Society of Pediatric Neuroradiology (ASPNR), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), European Society of Neuroradiology (ESNR), American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC), Swedish Paediatric Society, Norwegian Pediatric Association and Japanese Pediatric Society.

No single injury defines AHT, instead pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists make diagnosis based on information collected through clinical history, physical examination, and laboratory and imaging data. In many children's hospitals, an interdisciplinary team of specialists that includes physicians, nurses, hospital social workers and others works together to evaluate cases.

The consensus statement is intended to help the court system recognize unsubstantiated medical expert testimony in child abuse judicial cases. Key points include:

Abusive head trauma is the current most appropriate and inclusive diagnostic term.

Relatively few infants with AHT have isolated intracranial injury without retinal hemorrhages, fractures or other manifestations of child abuse.

Each infant suspected of suffering AHT must be further evaluated for other diseases that might present with similar findings.

There is no reliable medical evidence that other medical causes could cause injuries mimicking abuse injuries.

There is no controversy about the methodology used to diagnose AHT as a medical disease, unrelated to the legal determination by a judge or jury.

"Abusive head trauma is a medical diagnosis, not a legal determination. Even if medical evidence supports a finding of child abuse, non-medical evidence is required to answer the legal questions," said Choudhary.

###

About Nemours Children's Health System

Nemours Children's Health System is an internationally recognized children's health system that owns and operates the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del., and Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando, along with major pediatric specialty clinics in Delaware, Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Established as The Nemours Foundation through the legacy and philanthropy of Alfred I. duPont, Nemours offers pediatric clinical care, research, education, advocacy, and prevention programs to all families in the communities it serves.An international team of scientists has created a tiny chemistry lab for a rover that will drill beneath the Martian surface looking for signs of past or present life. The toaster oven-sized lab, called the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer or MOMA, is a key instrument on the ExoMars Rover, a joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Russian space agency Roscosmos, with a significant contribution to MOMA from NASA. It will be launched toward the Red Planet in July 2020.

"The ExoMars Rover's two-meter deep drill will provide MOMA with unique samples that may contain complex organic compounds preserved from an ancient era, when life might have gotten started on Mars," said MOMA Project Scientist Will Brinckerhoff of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Although the surface of Mars is inhospitable to known forms of life today, there is evidence that in the distant past, the Martian climate allowed the presence of liquid water - an essential ingredient for life - at the surface. This evidence includes features that resemble dry riverbeds and mineral deposits that only form in the presence of liquid water. NASA has sent rovers to Mars that have found additional signs of past habitable environments, such as the Opportunity and Curiosity rovers both currently exploring the Martian terrain.

The MOMA instrument will be capable of detecting a wide variety of organic molecules. Organic compounds are commonly associated with life, although they can be created by non-biological processes as well. Organic molecules contain carbon and hydrogen, and can include oxygen, nitrogen, and other elements. To find these molecules on Mars, the MOMA team had to take instruments that would normally occupy a couple of workbenches in a chemistry lab and shrink them down to roughly the size of a toaster oven so they would be practical to install on a rover.

While the instrument is complex, MOMA is built around a single, very small mass spectrometer that separates charged atoms and molecules by mass. The basic process for finding Martian organic compounds can be boiled down to two steps: separate organic molecules from the Martian rocks and sediments and give them an electric charge (ionized) so they can be detected and identified by the mass spectrometer. MOMA has two methods for distinguishing as many different kinds of organic molecules as possible. The first method uses an oven to heat a sample--this baking process vaporizes the organic molecules and sends them to a thin column that separates mixtures of compounds into their individual constituents. The compounds sequentially pass into the mass spectrometer, where they are given an electric charge and sorted by mass using electric fields. Each type of molecule has a set of distinct mass-to-electric-charge ratios. The mass spectrometer instrument uses this pattern called a mass spectrum to identify the molecules.

Some larger organic molecules are fragile and would be broken apart during the high-temperature vaporization in the oven, so MOMA has a second method to find them: It zaps the sample with a laser. Since just a quick burst of laser light is used, it vaporizes some types of larger organic molecules without totally breaking them apart. The laser also gives these molecules an electric charge, so they are sent directly from the sample to the mass spectrometer to be sorted and identified.

Certain organic molecules have a property that could potentially be used as a strong hint that they were created by life: their handedness, or chirality. Some organic molecules used by life come in two varieties that are mirror images of each other, like your hands. On Earth, life uses all left-handed amino acids and all right-handed sugars to build larger molecules needed for life, like proteins from amino acids and DNA from sugars. Life based on right-handed amino acids (and left-handed sugars) could work, but a mix of right- and left-handed for either will not. This is because these molecules need to come together with the correct orientation, like puzzle pieces, to build other molecules necessary for life to function.

MOMA is capable of detecting the chirality of organic molecules. If it finds an organic molecule is primarily of the left-hand or right-hand variety (called "homochirality") that can be evidence that life produced the molecules, since non-biological processes tend to make an equal mix of varieties. This is known as a biosignature.

Mars rovers face another challenge when searching for evidence of life: Contamination. Earth is saturated with life, and scientists have to be very careful that the organic material they detect wasn't simply carried with the instrument from Earth. To ensure this, the MOMA team has taken great care to make sure that the instrument is as free as possible from terrestrial molecules that are signatures of life.

The ExoMars rover will be the first to explore deep beneath the surface, with a drill capable of taking samples from as deep as two meters (over six feet). This is important because Mars' thin atmosphere and spotty magnetic field offer insufficient protection from space radiation, which can gradually destroy organic molecules left exposed on the surface. However, Martian sediment is an effective shield, and the team expects to find greater abundances of organic molecules in samples from beneath the surface.

NASA Goddard is developing the mass spectrometer and electronics boxes for MOMA, while LATMOS (Laboratory for Atmospheres, Environments, and Space Observations), Guyancourt, France and Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systemes Atmospheriques (LISA or Interuniversity Laboratory of Atmospheric Systems) Paris, France, make MOMA's gas chromatograph, and the Max Plank Institute for Solar System Research, Gottingen, Germany and Laser Zentrum Hannover, Hannover, Germany, build the instrument's laser, ovens, and tapping (oven sealing) station.

MOMA recently completed both ESA and NASA pre-delivery reviews that cleared the path for the flight instrument to be delivered to the mission. On Wednesday, May 16, the MOMA mass spectrometer team gathered at Goddard to see off their one-of-a-kind science instrument on the first leg of its journey to Mars: delivery to Thales Alenia Space, in Turin, Italy, where it will be integrated into the rover's analytical laboratory drawer during upcoming mission-level activities this summer. Following subsequent higher-level rover and spacecraft-level integration activities in 2019, the ExoMars Rover is scheduled to launch to Mars in July, 2020 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

###Scientists have developed a novel computational approach that incorporates individual patients' brain activity to calculate optimal, personalized brain stimulation treatment for Alzheimer's disease. Lazaro Sanchez-Rodriguez of the University of Calgary, Canada, and colleagues present their new framework in PLOS Computational Biology.

Electrical stimulation of certain parts of the brain could help promote healthy activity in neural circuits impaired by Alzheimer's disease, a neurodegenerative condition. This experimental treatment has shown some promise in clinical trials. However, all patients currently receive identical treatment protocols, potentially leading to different outcomes according to individual variations in brain signaling.

To investigate the possibility of personalized brain stimulation, Sanchez-Rodriguez and colleagues took a theoretical approach. They built a computational tool that incorporates patients' MRI scans and physiological brain signaling measurements to calculate optimal brain stimulation signals, with the goal of delivering efficient, effective personalized treatment.

The new approach is based on a computational strategy known as the state-dependent Riccati equation control (SDRE), which has been applied in other fields--such as aerospace engineering--to optimize input signals that control dynamic, nonlinear systems like the human brain. This strategy enabled the new tool to identify specific brain regions that would not benefit from brain stimulation.

The researchers also used their new framework to show that certain parts of the brain, the limbic system and basal ganglia structures, could serve as particularly powerful targets for brain stimulation in Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, they found that patients whose neural structures are highly integrated in the brain network may be the most suitable candidates for stimulation.

"With our new framework, we are getting closer to erasing the knowledge gap between theory and application in brain stimulation," Sanchez-Rodriguez says. "I think we will soon see a boom in the application of our framework and similar tools to study other diseases involving impaired brain activity, such as epilepsy and Parkinson's."

Next, the researchers plan to refine their tool so that it accounts for additional variation in brain activity between patients. The approach will need to be tested in animals before it enters clinical trials.

###

In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS Computational Biology: http://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006136

Citation: Sanchez-Rodriguez LM, Iturria-Medina Y, Baines EA, Mallo SC, Dousty M, Sotero RC, et al. (2018) Design of optimal nonlinear network controllers for Alzheimer's disease. PLoS Comput Biol 14(5): e1006136. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006136

Funding: LMSR acknowledges support from the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program at the University of Calgary and the NSERC CREATE I3T Program. YIM is funded by a Banting postdoctoral fellowship (Government of Canada). SCM is funded by a predoctoral fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (BES-2015-071253). Data collection and sharing for this project was funded by the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) (National Institutes of Health Grant U01 AG024904) and DOD ADNI (Department of Defense award number W81XWH-12-2-0012). ADNI is funded by the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, and through generous contributions from the following: AbbVie, Alzheimer's Association; Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation; Araclon Biotech; BioClinica, Inc.; Biogen; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; CereSpir, Inc.; Eisai Inc.; Elan Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Eli Lilly and Company; EuroImmun; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and its affiliated company Genentech, Inc.; Fujirebio; GE Healthcare; IXICO Ltd.; Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy Research & Development, LLC.; Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development LLC.; Lumosity; Lundbeck; Merck and Co., Inc.; Meso Scale Diagnostics, LLC.; NeuroRx Research; Neurotrack Technologies; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Pfizer Inc.; Piramal Imaging; Servier; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company; and Transition Therapeutics. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research is providing funds to support ADNI clinical sites in Canada. Private sector contributions are facilitated by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (http://www.fnih.org). The grantee organization is the Northern California Institute for Research and Education, and the study is coordinated by the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study at the University of California, San Diego. ADNI data are disseminated by the Laboratory for Neuro Imaging at the University of Southern California. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.From the data collected by the LHCb detector at the Large Hadron Collider, it appears that the particles known as charm mesons and their antimatter counterparts are not produced in perfectly equal proportions. Physicists from Cracow have proposed their own explanation of this phenomenon and presented predictions related to it, about consequences that are particularly interesting for high-energy neutrino astronomy.

In the first moments after the Big Bang, the Universe was filled with equal amounts of particles and antiparticles. While it was cooling down, matter and antimatter began to merge and annihilate, turning into radiation. Why did some of this matter, from which the present Universe is built, survive this conflagration? In order to decipher this great mystery of modern science, physicists are trying to better understand all the mechanisms responsible for even the smallest disproportions in the production of particles and antiparticles. A group of scientists from the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IFJ PAN) in Cracow, associated with the LHCb experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, recently looked into one of these processes: the asymmetry appearing at the birth of charm mesons and antimesons. Interestingly, the conclusions from the analysis could be of very tangible practical significance.

According to modern knowledge, quarks are the most important indivisible building blocks that make up matter. We know of six flavours of quarks: up (u), down (d), strange (s), charm (c), bottom (b) and top (t); each flavour also has its own antimatter counterpart (often marked with a dash above the letter, read as "bar"). Quarks generally are formed in quark-antiquark pairs. They are extremely sociable particles: almost immediately after coming into being, they bind into hadrons, or groups of two, three, and sometimes more quarks or antiquarks, bonded with gluons (i.e. particles transferring strong nuclear interactions). The process of combining quarks/antiquarks into complexes is called hadronization.

Unstable hadrons built from quark-antiquark pairs are called mesons. If one of the quarks in a meson is a charm quark, the particle is called a charm meson and is denoted by the letter D (or for the charm antiquark: D with a bar above it). A pair built of a charm quark and a down antiquark is a D+ meson, and one consisting of a charm antiquark and down quark is a D- meson.

In measurements conducted in the last quarter of a century, including recently as part of the LHCb experiment, an interesting asymmetry was noticed. It turned out that D+ and D- mesons are not always produced in exactly the same proportions. In the case of processes observed in LHCb, initiated in collisions of counter-current beams of high-energy protons, this asymmetry was small, less than one percent.

"Charm quarks are mainly formed during gluon collisions in so-called hard interactions, and after birth they hadronise into D mesons. We investigated another meson formation mechanism, known as unfavoured quark fragmentation. Here, the charm meson is created as a result of hadronization of a light (up, down, or strange) quark or antiquark. By means of the nuances of this mechanism, the asymmetry between kaons and antikaons, i.e. K+ and K- mesons, was explained earlier. Until now, however, it has not been investigated whether a similar mechanism could explain the asymmetry between the relatively massive D+ and D- mesons," says Dr. Rafal Maciula (IFJ PAN), the first author of the publication in the journal Physical Review D.

The LHCb detector mainly measures particles diverging from the point of collision of protons at large angles to the original direction of movement of these protons. According to the Cracow-based physicists, the asymmetry in the production of D mesons should be much greater if particles produced in a forward direction are taken into account, that is, along the direction of the proton beams. This means that the currently observed disproportion may be just the tip of an iceberg. Calculations suggest that in the case of "forward" collisions, unfavoured fragmentation (d, u, s  D) may be comparable to conventional fragmentation (c  D). As a result, the asymmetry between D+ and D- mesons may reach even a high percentage and also with lower collision energies than those currently occurring in the LHC.

The research of the physicists from the IFJ PAN may have far-reaching consequences for neutrino observatories, such as the IceCube Observatory in Antarctica. This detector, in which 49 scientific institutions from 12 countries collaborate, monitors a cubic kilometre of ice, located almost a kilometre below the surface, using thousands of photomultipliers. Photomultipliers track subtle light flashes, initiated by the interaction of ice-forming particles with neutrinos, elementary particles very weakly interacting with ordinary matter.

IceCube registers several hundred neutrinos a day. It is known that a large proportion of them are created in the Earth's atmosphere in processes initiated by cosmic rays and taking place with the participation of protons. Other neutrinos may come, for example, from the Earth's core or from the Sun. It is assumed, however, that neutrinos with significant energies have reached the detector directly from distant cosmic sources: supernovae or merging black holes or neutron stars.

"When interpreting data from the IceCube detector, the production of neutrinos in the Earth's atmosphere caused by ordinary cosmic radiation, including collisions involving protons, is taken into account. The thing is that some of these processes, resulting in the formation of neutrinos with high energies, take place with the participation of D mesons. Meanwhile, we show that the mechanism of production of these mesons in the atmosphere can be much more efficient than previously thought. So, if our assumptions are confirmed, some of the highly energetic neutrinos registered, now considered to be of cosmic origin, have actually appeared just above our heads and are disturbing the real picture of events in the depths of space," explains Prof. Antoni Szczurek (IFJ PAN).

When just the tip of the iceberg can be seen, inferences about what the rest of it looks like is more than risky. The model proposed by the Cracow-based physicists has the status of a hypothesis today. Perhaps it does fully describe the mechanism that occurs in reality. But it may also be that other processes are responsible for the asymmetry in the production of D mesons, maybe partially or even in their entirety.

"Fortunately, no other competitive proposal predicts such a clear increase in asymmetry in the production of D mesons at lower collision energies. So, to check our assumptions, it would suffice in the LHC accelerator to direct a single beam onto a stationary target, which would significantly reduce the collision energy. Our model therefore meets the criteria of very reliable science: it not only explains previous observations, but above all it can be rapidly verified. In addition, this can be done very cheaply!" sums up Prof. Szczurek.

###

Research on asymmetry in the production of charm mesons was financed from the statutory resources of the IFJ PAN and a Polish National Science Centre grant.

The Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics (IFJ PAN) is currently the largest research institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The broad range of studies and activities of IFJ PAN includes basic and applied research, ranging from particle physics and astrophysics, through hadron physics, high-, medium-, and low-energy nuclear physics, condensed matter physics (including materials engineering), to various applications of methods of nuclear physics in interdisciplinary research, covering medical physics, dosimetry, radiation and environmental biology, environmental protection, and other related disciplines. The average yearly yield of the IFJ PAN encompasses more than 600 scientific papers in the Journal Citation Reports published by the Thomson Reuters. The part of the Institute is the Cyclotron Centre Bronowice (CCB) which is an infrastructure, unique in Central Europe, to serve as a clinical and research centre in the area of medical and nuclear physics. IFJ PAN is a member of the Marian Smoluchowski Krakow Research Consortium: "Matter-Energy-Future" which possesses the status of a Leading National Research Centre (KNOW) in physics for the years 2012-2017. The Institute is of A+ Category (leading level in Poland) in the field of sciences and engineering.

CONTACTS:

Prof. Antoni Szczurek

The Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences

tel.: +48 12 6628212

email: antoni.szczurek@ifj.edu.pl

Dr. Rafal Maciula

The Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences

tel.: +48 12 6628240

email: rafal.maciula@ifj.edu.pl

SCIENTIFIC PAPERS:

"D meson production asymmetry, unfavored fragmentation, and consequences for prompt atmospheric neutrino production"

R. Maciula, A. Szczurek

Physical Review D 97, 074001 (2018)

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.97.074001

LINKS:

http://www.ifj.edu.pl/

The website of the Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences.

http://press.ifj.edu.pl/

Press releases of the Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences.

IMAGES:

IFJ180523b_fot01s.jpg

HR: http://press.ifj.edu.pl/news/2018/05/23/IFJ180523b_fot01.jpg Comparison of mechanisms of favored and unfavored fragmentation of quarks. (Source: IFJ PAN)A team from the Universite libre de Bruxelles's centre for archaeological research (CReA-Patrimoine) has completed a significant excavation in Pachacamac, Peru, where they have discovered an intact mummy in especially good condition. Pachacamac's status as a Pre-Colombian pilgrimage site under the Inca empire. is confirmed by further evidence.

Peter Eeckhout and his team's latest campaign of archaeological excavations has concluded with an exciting surprise: after nine weeks spent exploring the Pre-Colombian site of Pachacamac, in Peru, the researchers from CReA-Patrimoine (ULB Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences) have unearthed a mummy in especially good condition. 'The deceased is still wrapped in the enormous funeral bundle that served as a coffin,' points out professor Peter Eeckhout. 'Discoveries like this one are exceptionally scarce, and this mummy is incredibly well preserved. Samples were collected for carbon-14 dating, but the area in which it was discovered and the type of tomb suggest this individual was buried between 1000 and 1200 AD.'

The excavation was carried out as a part of the 'Ychsma' project, named after the region's native people, under the supervision of professor Eeckhout. Three monumental structures were explored during the campaign, including a sanctuary dedicated to the local ancestors. Under Inca rule, in the late 15th century, it appears to have been transformed into a water and healing temple. The archaeologists have discovered many offerings left by worshippers, such as Spondylus shells imported from Ecuador; these are associated with the influx of water during El Nino, and they symbolise fertility and abundance.

Before the Inca settled in the area, the sanctuary included large funerary chambers and numerous mummies, most of which were looted during the Spanish conquest. Miraculously, though, one of the chambers was found intact during the latest round of excavations: this is the funeral chamber that held the mummy. Due to how well it was preserved, the researchers will be able to study it without needing to unwrap the bundle. Together with Christophe Moulherat (Musee du Quai Branly, Paris), they will soon examine the mummy using the latest techniques in medical imaging (X-ray scans, axial tomography, 3D reconstruction, etc.). This will enable them to determine the individual's position, any pathologies they might have suffered from, but also what offerings might be inside the bundle.

The other structures that were excavated are also related to worship: the first one, an Inca monument intended to host pilgrims and rituals, was built in several phases, each identified with a series of offerings such as seashells and precious objects. The last structure explored was probably one of the 'chapels' for foreign pilgrims, referred to by Spanish monk Antonio de la Calancha in his 17th-century description of the site. There, the excavations also uncovered many 'foundation' offerings, including vases, dogs, and other animals, as well as a platform with a hole in the centre, where an idol was likely placed. The complex appears to have been designed around this idol, involved in religious activities with pilgrims.

According to researchers, all these discoveries indicate that Incas made considerable changes to the Pachacamac site, in order to create a large pilgrimage centre on Peru's Pacific coast. 'Deities and their worship played a major part in the life of Pre-Colombian societies,' concludes Peter Eeckhout. 'The Inca understood this very well, and integrated it into how they wielded their power. By promoting empire-wide worship, they contributed to creating a common sense of identity among the many different peoples that made up the empire. Pachacamac is one of the most striking examples of this.'

###

Pachacamac is on the Inca road system, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Ychsma project is supported by the research centre on archaeology and heritage (ULB Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences), by the Fondation ULB, and by the Belgium's National Fund for Scientific Research.Contrary to what Milankovitch suggested, the Earth's glacial/interglacial cycles may be driven by how much the sun warms the middle of the planet, rather than the northernmost region

Ancient rainfall records stretching 550,000 years into the past may upend scientists' understanding of what controls the Asian summer monsoon and other aspects of the Earth's long-term climate, reports a University of Arizona-led international team of researchers in the May 25 issue of the journal Science.

The standard explanation of the Earth's regular shifts from ice ages to warm periods was developed by Milutin Milankovitch in the 1920s. He suggested the oscillations of the planet's orbit over tens of thousands of years control the climate by varying the amount of heat from the sun falling above the Arctic Circle in the summer.

"Here's where we turn Milankovitch on its head," said first author J. Warren Beck, a UA research scientist in physics and in geosciences. "We suggest that, through the monsoons, low-latitude climate may have as much effect on high-latitude climate as the reverse."

During the northern summer, the subtropics and tropics north of the equator warm and the tropics and subtropics south of the equator cool.

Modern observations show the difference in heat propels atmospheric changes that drive the intensity of the monsoon. Beck said the monsoon can affect wind and ocean currents as far away as the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.

The Asian monsoon season is the biggest annual rainfall system on Earth and brings rainfall to about half the world's population. The monsoon season occurs approximately April to September.

Beck and his colleagues found that over tens of thousands of years the changes in the intensity of the Asian summer monsoon corresponded to the waxing and waning of the polar ice caps.

The researchers suggest those long-term changes in the monsoon drove global changes in wind and ocean currents in ways that affected whether the polar ice caps grew or shrank.

Beck said this new explanation of the Earth's past climate cycles will help climate modelers figure out more about the world's current and future climate.

The new explanation of what drives the Earth's climate system stems from a decade-long effort by Beck and his colleagues to develop a new record of rainfall in Asia reaching far back into the past.

Scientists have been trying to develop a quantitative proxy for ancient precipitation for more than 30 years, he said.

By analyzing thousands of years of dust from north-central China for an element called beryllium-10, Beck and his colleagues developed the first quantitative record of the region's monsoon rainfall for the past 550,000 years.

The team studied the deposits of fine soil called loess that blow year after year from central Asian deserts into north-central China. The layer-cake-like deposits, hundreds of feet thick, are a natural archive extending back millions of years.

The researchers cut stepwise into the side of a hill of loess to expose a 55-meter span of loess representing 550,000 years. The researchers collected a loess sample every five centimeters. Five centimeters represents about 500 years.

Scientists can use the amount of beryllium-10 in soil as a proxy for precipitation, because when it rains the element washes out of the atmosphere on dust particles. Because more rain means more beryllium-10 deposited on the soil, the amount of beryllium-10 deposited at a particular time reflects the intensity of the rainfall.

To put together the ancient rainfall history of the area, team members analyzed the samples for beryllium-10 at the UA Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory and for magnetic susceptibility at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Earth Environment in Xi'an.

Other investigators used the natural archive of oxygen isotopes within stalagmites from several Chinese caves to reconstruct the region's past climate. Those records only partially agree with the rainfall-based records of ancient climate developed by Beck and his colleagues.

Beck and his colleagues suggest their new explanation of the forces driving the Earth's long-term climate cycles reconciles the climate record from Chinese stalagmites and modern observations of the monsoon with the new ancient rainfall record from Chinese loess.

###

The Science paper by Beck and his co-authors is "A 550,000-year record of East Asian monsoon rainfall from 10Be in loess."

Beck's co-authors are Weijian Zhou of the Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Xi'an; Cheng Li of the UA Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory; Zhenkun Wu of the UA Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Xi'an; Lara White of the UA Department of Geosciences and the UA Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory; Feng Xian of the UA Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Xi'an; Xianghui Kong of the UA Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Xi'an; and Zhisheng An of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Jiaotong University in Xi'an.

The U.S. National Science Foundation, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the National Science Foundations of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences funded the research.

Researcher contacts:

Warren Beck

University of Arizona

520-621-4277

wbeck@physics.arizona.edu

Weijian Zhou

Institute of Earth Environment

Chinese Academy of Science

Xi'an, China

weijian@loess.llqg.ac.cnUBC computer scientists have turned Amazon Alexa into a tool for software engineers, tasking the virtual assistant to take care of mundane programming tasks, helping increase productivity and speed up workflow.

Software engineers use many different tools for any one project. They work with millions of lines of computer code and run their code through various independent tools to help edit, build and test systems and for project management to get their programs running smoothly.

"It can be quite complicated to switch between the different tools because they each use a unique syntax and you have to understand how to put them together," said Nick Bradley, who led this work during his master's research in computer science at UBC. "The idea to use Alexa came out of my frustration from using these different tools and having to spend so much time looking up how to do it and use those tools together."

Bradley and computer science professors Reid Holmes and Thomas Fritz decided to test whether Amazon's virtual assistant could help with this process. They wanted software engineers to use simple, conversational language to ask Alexa to complete some of their tasks, the same way we ask it to give us the weather forecast or play our favourite songs.

Researchers said it was more than just a matter of teaching Alexa some key phrases and mapping different commands to the work, they also had to figure out common multi-step tasks engineers were performing and build a system that could automate those tasks. They then asked 21 engineers from local Vancouver software companies to test out their system and evaluate it. While the engineers found the tool useful and provided lots of positive feedback, there was one challenge.

"The biggest problem was using voice commands in an office environment--they found it distracting to their neighbours," said Bradley.

The computer scientists' next development will be to create a chat bot to fulfill a similar function so engineers can type minimal requests and have the system perform their multi-step tasks so they can focus on the more important parts of their jobs.

Holmes says this research is part of a larger effort to understand how software engineers do their jobs.

"The pace of change in the software field is so fast that engineers don't have time to be introspective and think about the way they work," he said. "Our job in academia is to step back and really think about how we can better support engineers to quickly and correctly build the kinds of software we depend upon in our modern society. Systems keep getting larger and more complex and using personal assistants could be one way to help developers be more effective within this fast-paced environment."

The researchers also recognize that these virtual assistants could be programmed for a variety of occupations including medicine, law, or accounting.

"You can imagine a situation where a lawyer is reading a legal brief and asks Alexa to find relevant cases on similar topics to help with research," said Holmes.

The study will be presented next week at the International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE) in Gothenburg, Sweden: https://www.cs.ubc.ca/~rtholmes/papers/icse_2018_bradley.pdf

###

Watch a video of the tool in action: https://youtu.be/Y-LqJaYEDSARIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Californians love renewable energy. In fact, California just became the first state to require solar panels on all new homes.

But the new requirement creates questions -- How will the new law complicate the electricity market? What strains will it place on existing distribution networks?

As California scrambles to meet a 2030 deadline to receive 50 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, the state needs to find ways to track, measure, and value electricity consumption and production that account for the variability of electricity that comes from decentralized sources, such as solar, wind, and batteries. Without careful management, these sources, known as distributed energy resources, or DERs, have the potential to cause unreliable power delivery, or even outages, and lead utility companies to overcharge customers.

A new paper by electrical engineers in the Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering at the University of California, Riverside, offers a way to account for uncertainties introduced by both the electricity market and DERs so utility companies can balance the distribution grid and find the fairest customer rates.

One way managers of the electricity market ensure equitable distribution of power is by offering incentives for customers to reduce, or defer, power consumption during peak hours. Customers can choose to use less electricity or shift their use to a distributed source, such as rooftop solar panels or batteries. Customers can also make more electricity available during peak loads by selling to the utility excess electricity generated by their rooftop solar panels. Consumers can thus exert a strong influence on the wider electricity grid and market.

The problem, according to the researchers, is that the organizations overseeing the grid as a whole, known as independent system operators, or ISOs, do not dispatch, and often can't see, the location of network DERs. They only see transmission lines and resources connected to them, such as collective demand at the substations and power plants. They determine market conditions based on the big picture without knowing details that might have important consequences in the power grid.

"ISOs see the electricity up to the substation that feeds it into a consumer network but are blind to what happens among the thousands or millions of customers after that point," explained Ashkan Sadeghi-Mobarakeh, a UC Riverside doctoral student in electrical and computer engineering and first author of the paper. "The demand of each customer at each location has a different local impact on the distribution network."

California ISO, or CAISO, has introduced a new index to better manage flexible and responsive loads according to the market conditions. But the index suggests deployment of flexible loads only according to market conditions, meaning CAISO's index doesn't consider that market participation of DERs located in distribution networks may push a network's limits.

If CAISO or the utility determine times to deploy or defer electrical loads without accounting for variable on-site renewable resources and distribution network conditions, they risk overloading the network and causing outages. Contrary to common sense, reducing electricity delivery to distribution feeders at peak load could lead to higher costs and decrease grid stability.

The UC Riverside paper considers not only the market conditions, but also the impact flexible resources have on distribution network constraints.

Sadeghi-Mobarakeh used novel algorithms to model cost and electrical loads in different market scenarios and tested them on a standard distribution network. He used his algorithm to compare the cost and stress on the distribution network to what would be predicted by the conventional model. He found that if the utility company had bid according to his model, they could have delivered power to consumers at considerably lower cost on many days, with less risk to the network.

The researchers propose two new indexes to help utilities look beyond market conditions and identify feeders with better performance for the operation of deferrable loads. They suggest ways that DERs can actively participate in the electricity market by following market signals. The two indexes show how a good feeder responds to market signals without having a negative effect on the distribution network. The new indexes can help utility companies determine an optimal bidding strategy in the day-ahead market, together with the optimal schedules for deferrable loads.

"The indexes proposed in this paper can be combined with field measurements from smart meters at substations to measure in real-time the collective impact distributed energy resources have on distribution system reliability," Sadeghi-Mobarakeh said.

In addition to Sadeghi-Mobarakeh, the authors include his adviser, Hamed Mohsenian-Rad, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at UC Riverside; Alireza Shahsavari, a doctoral student at UC Riverside; and Hossein Haghighat of Islamic Azad University of Jahrom.

###

The paper will appear in an upcoming issue of IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid. An early access version of the paper is available online as:

"Optimal Market Participation of Distributed Load Resources Under Distribution Network Operational Limits and Renewable Generation Uncertainties," Ashkan Sadeghi-Mobarakeh, Alireza Shahsavari, Hossein Haghighat, and Hamed Mohsenian-Rad. IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid 10.1109/TSG.2018.2830751In-home rehabilitation, using a telehealth system and supervised by licensed occupational/physical therapists, is an effective means of improving arm motor status in stroke survivors, according to findings presented by University of California, Irvine neurologist Steven C. Cramer, MD, at the recent 2018 European Stroke Organisation Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden.

"Motor deficits are a major contributor to post-stroke disability, and we know that occupational and physical therapy improve patient outcomes in a supervised rehabilitation program," said Cramer, a professor of neurology in the UCI School of Medicine. "Since many patients receive suboptimal therapy doses for reasons that include cost, availability, and difficulty with travel, we wanted to determine whether a comprehensive in-home telehealth therapy program could be as effective as in-clinic rehabilitation."

In a study conducted at 11 U.S. sites, 124 stroke survivors underwent six weeks of intensive arm motor therapy, with half receiving traditional supervised in-clinic therapy and half undergoing an in-home rehabilitation program supervised via a videoconferenced telemedicine system.

Subjects were on average 61 years old, 4.5 months post-stroke, and had moderate arm motor deficits at study entry. When examined 30 days after the end of therapy, subjects in the in-clinic group improved by 8.4 points on the Fugl-Meyer scale, which measures arm motor status and ranges from 0 to 66, with higher numbers being better. Subjects in the telerehab group improved by 7.9 points, a difference that was not statistically significant.

"The current findings support the utility of a computer-based system in the home, used under the supervision of a licensed therapist, to provide clinically meaningful rehab therapy," Cramer said. "Future applications might examine longer-term treatment, pair home-based telerehab with long-term dosing of a restorative drug, treat other neurological domains affected by stroke (such as language, memory, or gait), or expand the home treatment system to build out a smart home for stroke recovery."

He said that the demand for rehabilitation services will likely increase, due to an aging population and increased stroke survival as a result of better access to advanced acute care. Telehealth, defined as the delivery of health-related services and information via telecommunication technologies, can potentially address this growing unmet need.

"We reasoned that telerehabilitation is ideally suited to efficiently provide a large dose of useful rehab therapy after stroke," said Cramer, whose research team is part of the NIH StrokeNet consortium.

This research builds on the findings of a pilot study of 12 patients with late subacute stroke and arm-motor deficits who were provided 28 days of home-based telerehab program. The results, published in November 2017 in the journal Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, found that patient compliance was excellent (97.9%) and participants experienced significant arm-motor gains (Fugl-Meyer scale increase of 4.8 points). The study also found that patients did not need any additional computer skills training due to the design of the telerehab system.

"Getting patients to remain engaged and comply with therapy is a key measure of success of any rehabilitation program," Cramer said. "Greater gains are associated with therapy that is challenging, motivating, accompanied by appropriate feedback, interesting and relevant. Telerehab achieves this because therapy is provided through games, provides user feedback, can be adjusted based on individual needs, is easy to use - and is fun."

This study was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development as well as the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (grant U01 NS091951), the NIH StrokeNet Clinical Trials Network, the 11 US enrollment sites, the research team at the primary study site at the University of California, Irvine, and the patients and families who participated.

###

About the UCI School of Medicine

Each year, the UCI School of Medicine educates more than 400 medical students, as well as 200 doctoral and master's students. More than 600 residents and fellows are trained at UC Irvine Medical Center and affiliated institutions. The UCI School of Medicine offers an MD degree, a dual MD/PhD medical scientist training program, PhDs and master's degrees in anatomy and neurobiology, biomedical sciences, genetic counseling, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, pathology, pharmacology, physiology and biophysics, and translational sciences. Medical students also may pursue an MD/MBA program, a combined MD/Master's in Public Health or a dual MD/master's program called the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC). UCI School of Medicine is accredited by Liaison Committee on Medical Accreditation (LCME), and ranks among the top 50 nationwide for research. For more information, visit: som.uci.edu.

About the University of California, Irvine

Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 30,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. Located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities, UCI is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit http://www.uci.edu.President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to sign the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law before May 30, after both houses in the Congress agreed on one version of the BBL, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Thursday. In a press briefing in Marawi, the Palace spokesman said both the Senate and the House agreed on one version of BBL and would be certified as urgent for speedy passage by Congress. In related developments:  In a letter dated May 23, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and House Majority Floor Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Farinas said only the certifcation of the President would guarantee the timely passage of the BBL on third and final reading next week. We once again respectfully request that House Bill 6457 be certified as urgent by your administration, the House leaders said, referring to the BBL. We aim to pass the said measure on third and final reading before the sine die adjournment of Congress on June 2, 2018. Thus, we are hoping for your usual support as we work for the prompt passage of this law, they said. Last Tuesday, the Bangsamoro Transition Commission asked the House of Representatives to give the group until Monday next week to respond to the undisclosed amendments on the peace bill principally authored by Alvarez.  Newly-elected Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Thursday expressed hope the Senate could come up with a conservative but well-crafted proposal for a Bangsamoro Law and pass it on second reading either Tuesday or Wednesday next week. We would be able to pass the period of amendments by Monday, at the latest Tuesday, and pass it on second reading on Tuesday. If we receive the certification as urgent from the President, then we do away with the three-day rule, he said. Without the certification, Sotto said they could not approve it on third reading because of the three day rule and we dont have three days after Wednesday. Congress adjourns on Wednesday and resumes on the last Monday of July for the State of the Nation Address of the President. Sotto also said the House version was much closer to what the Bangsamoro Transition Committee submitted. So, the bicam would take a lot of time, I think. But were also optimistic that if the President sees the Senate version, we might get the support, he said. .Were thinking that the BBL, if we pass it, might become the template for the regional federal states or federal areas or federal regions [under federalism], he said. The President earlier said the BBL would give rise to a genuine autonomous region as well as bring healing and reconciliation to the historical injustices committed against the Bangsamoro people. He stressed that the entire country would benefit from the BBL as well as the Bangsamoro region.Duterte said the BBL embodies our shared aspirations of a peaceful, orderly and harmonious nation following decades of armed struggle and violence. The proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law puts into life and spirit the constitutional mandate provided in the 1987 Constitution for the establishment of a truly autonomous region in Muslim Mindanao, the President added. Sotto also disclosed that the .strategy he wanted to do as presiding officer would be to do the amendments. page by page on Monday. Meanwhile, Senator Joel Villanueva said identity, ancestral domain and the protection of their rights as non-Moro Indigenous Peoples were the issues he had heard from Lumad leaders, and he would bring these to the plenary debates on the BBL. Senator Ralph Recto, which received the MIPLA proposals told Unsad and the group, committed to push for the MIPLA revisions 100 percent. The IP leaders also met with Senators Nancy Binay, Paolo Aquino, Risa Hontiveros, and representatives from the offices of Senator Loren Legarda, JV Ejercito, Antonio Trillanes and Franklin Drilon. They are scheduled to meet with Senator Leila de Lima. Timuay Leticio Datuwata, a Lambangian leader, said: We have left our communities again to be here and meet with the members of Congress. There have been promises and commitment of support to our cause. We hope that this time, these promises will be translated to actual amendments, and will be incorporated in the bill and an inclusive BBL will finally be passed. This came after House leaders led by Alvarez held an executive meeting last Tuesday morning at Batasan Complex with BTC and Government Republic of the Philippines officials, Alvarez, Farinas, the heads of the House joint committees on local government, chaired by South Cotabato City Rep. Pedro Acharon; on Muslim affairs chaired by Lanao del Sur Rep. Mauyag Papandayan; and on special panel on peace, reconciliation and unity, chaired by Tawi-Tawi Rep. Ruby Sahali to come up with t1he final version of the BBL. Farinas, chairman of the House committee on rules, maintained he could not reveal details of the proposed amendments to the BBL until the BTC is able to submit its draft proposal to Congress. Alvarezs proposal proposes to create a political entity, give a basic structure of government for the Bangsamoro people and provide authority for them to rule politically. Farinas said he was hopeful President Duterte would be able to sign into law the BBL bill before his third State of the Nation Address on July 23, 2018. On May 15, the committees on local government, on Muslim affairs, and the special committee on peace, unity and reconciliation approved the consolidated bill of the peace measure.On October 1, 2015, the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a bundle of recommendations defining optimal treatment of patients suffering from sepsis, a life-threatening response to infection that causes more than 250,000 deaths each year in the United States.

These recommendations, the Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Early Management Bundle (SEP-1), require hospitals to complete three interventions within a few hours of the onset of sepsis. Two of the three requirements were well established: obtain blood cultures and administer early IV antibiotics.

But many physicians were skeptical about the evidence for the third required action--measuring lactate levels in the blood somewhere between six hours before and three hours after evidence of sepsis. One systematic review of the SEP-1 bundle, for example, concluded that "no credible evidence supports a beneficial effect on survival of mandated use [of lactate levels] for all septic patients." Editorials by several sepsis experts argued that the serial lactate measurements and fluid infusions required by SEP-1 "may not benefit septic patients and may sometimes be harmful."

Once these lactate measurements were mandated, "we felt that the potential impact of this recommendation on our patients deserved a closer look," said Matthew Churpek, MD, MPH, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago and senior author of a new study: "Implications of CMS SEP-1 and initial lactate measurement on the management of sepsis," published in the May 24 issue of CHEST.

The study by Churpek and colleagues was designed to evaluate both the frequency of urgent lactate measurements and their association with clinician interventions and mortality. An elevated lactate level means that a patient's cells are not getting enough oxygen, sometimes as a result of inadequate blood flow.

Septic patients who develop high lactate levels would benefit from urgent therapies, such as antibiotics, the study authors agreed. But they worried that the SEP-1 bundle could greatly increase the number of lactates checked on patients and that the association between delays in initial lactate measurement and mortality "had not been adequately examined," Churpek said.

"Sepsis continues to be a major public health problem in the US, one with persistently high mortality despite continued efforts to improve care," said co-author Xuan Han, MD, a pulmonary critical care fellow at the University of Chicago Medicine. "Our goal was to understand, on a more granular level, how sepsis bundles affect the patients we apply them to."

So the research team decided to look back at thousands of sepsis cases diagnosed and cared for at the hospital. They combed through medical records from October, 2008 to January, 2016 looking for cases of sepsis treated in the seven years prior to SEP-1. Their goal was to determine whether early lactate measurements were associated with improved patient survival. Did patients who received early lactate measurements, they wondered, also receive intravenous fluids and antibiotics earlier than their counterparts?

The researchers examined the charts of 5,762 patients who had been admitted to the hospital and met SEP-1 criteria for severe sepsis, as defined by a combination of two out of four systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria, organ dysfunction and clinical suspicion for infection based on blood-culture orders.

Forty-seven percent of these patients (2,697) entered the hospital through the emergency room, 27 percent (1,575) developed sepsis in an intensive care unit and 26 percent (1,490) were cared for on the wards.

Next they looked for differences between sepsis patients who met a key SEP-1 criterion--timely serum lactate levels during the designated time frame--and those who did not. Overall, 60 percent of patients had an initial lactate draw within the specified time window. Forty-one percent of those patients had normal lactate levels, defined as less than or equal to 2 millimoles per liter. The other 40 percent of patients did not have their lactates measured during the time window established by SEP-1.

Patients who presented with severe sepsis in the emergency department were most likely to receive a timely lactate test; 79 percent of emergency room patients were tested within the recommended time frame. These patients had the lowest mortality (18%) of any group of sepsis-related patients.

Meanwhile, patients on the wards who developed severe sepsis had the lowest rate of timely lactate measurements; only 32 percent were tested within the recommended time. Many patients who did not receive timely lactate measurements also experienced delayed IV-fluid administration and antibiotic treatment--one of the few well-tested interventions that improve survival in sepsis.

"There was an associated increase in mortality, about two percent for each hour of delay, in patients with an abnormal lactate value," Churpek said. "It took nearly twice as long for those patients to receive antibiotics, and more than three times as long for them to receive needed fluids, compared to patients who had lactates drawn within the SEP-1 window."

"Our results suggests that abnormal lactate values likely prompt rapid interventions, such as antibiotic therapy, leading to better outcomes for patients with sepsis," he said. Although SEP-1 has been controversial, "our study adds weight to the belief that systematic early lactate measurements in appropriate patients can make a big difference," Churpek said.

###

The American Thoracic Society and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute funded the study. Additional authors include Dana Edelson, Natasha Pettit, Sarah Sokol and Carmen Barc from the University of Chicago Medicine; Ashley Snyder from the University of Michigan Hospital; and Michael Howell from Google.Scientists say there was a significant release of radioactive particles during the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear accident.

The researchers identified the contamination using a new method and say if the particles are inhaled they could pose long-term health risks to humans.

The new method allows scientists to quickly count the number of caesium-rich micro-particles in Fukushima soils and quantify the amount of radioactivity associated with these particles.

The research, which was carried out by scientists from Kyushu University, Japan, and The University of Manchester, UK, was published in Environmental Science and Technology.

In the immediate aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, it was thought that only volatile, gaseous radionuclides, such as caesium and iodine, were released from the damaged reactors. However, in recent years it has become apparent that small radioactive particles, termed caesium-rich micro-particles, were also released.

Scientists have shown that these particles are mainly made of glass, and that they contain significant amounts of radioactive caesium, as well as smaller amounts of other radioisotopes, such as uranium and technetium.

The abundance of these micro-particles in Japanese soils and sediments, and their environmental impact is poorly understood. But the particles are very small and do not dissolve easily, meaning they could pose long-term health risks to humans if inhaled.

Therefore, scientists need to understand how many of the micro-particles are present in Fukushima soils and how much of the soil radioactivity can be attributed to the particles. Until recently, these measurements have proven challenging.

The new method makes use of a technique that is readily available in most Radiochemistry Laboratories called Autoradiography. In the method, an imaging plate is placed over contaminated soil samples covered with a plastic wrap, and the radioactive decay from the soil is recorded as an image on the plate. The image from plate is then read onto a computer.

The scientists say radioactive decay from the caesium-rich micro particles can be differentiated from other forms of caesium contamination in the soil.

The scientists tested the new method on rice paddy soil samples retrieved from different locations within the Fukushima prefecture. The samples were taken close to (4 km) and far away (40 km) from the damaged nuclear reactors. The new method found caesium-rich micro-particles in all of the samples and showed that the amount of caesium associated with the micro-particles in the soil was much larger than expected.

Dr Satoshi Utsunomiya, Associate Professor at Kyushu University, Japan, and the lead author of the study says "when we first started to find caesium-rich micro-particles in Fukushima soil samples, we thought they would turn out to be relatively rare. Now, using this method, we find there are lots of caesium-rich microparticles in exclusion zone soils and also in the soils collected from outside of the exclusion zone".

Dr Gareth Law, Senior Lecturer in Analytical Radiochemistry at the University of Manchester and an author on the paper, adds: "Our research indicates that significant amounts of caesium were released from the Fukushima Daiichi reactors in particle form.

"This particle form of caesium behaves differently to the other, more soluble forms of caesium in the environment. We now need to push forward and better understand if caesium micro-particles are abundant throughout not only the exclusion zone, but also elsewhere in the Fukushima prefecture; then we can start to gauge their impact".

The new method can be easily used by other research teams investigating the environmental impact of the Fukushima Daiichi accident.

Dr Utsunomiya adds: "we hope that our method will allow scientists to quickly measure the abundance of caesium-rich micro-particles at other locations and estimate the amount of caesium radioactivity associated with the particles. This information can then inform cost effective, safe management and clean-up of soils contaminated by the nuclear accident".

###

Notes to Editor

For media enquiries please contact Jordan Kenny on 0161 275 8257 or jordan.kenny@manchester.ac.uk

The paper, 'Novel Method of Quantifying Radioactive Cesium-Rich Microparticles (CsMPs) in the Environment from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant' has been published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology - DOI:10.1021/acs.est.7b06693

Energy is one of The University of Manchester's research beacons - examples of pioneering discoveries, interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-sector partnerships that are tackling some of the biggest questions facing the planet. #ResearchBeacons

About The University of Manchester

The University of Manchester, a member of the prestigious Russell Group, is the UK's largest single-site university with more than 40,000 students - including more than 10,000 from overseas.It is consistently ranked among the world's elite for graduate employability.

The University is also one of the country's major research institutions, rated fifth in the UK in terms of 'research power' (REF 2014). World-class research is carried out across a diverse range of fields including cancer, advanced materials, addressing global inequalities, energy and industrial biotechnology.

No fewer than 25 Nobel laureates have either worked or studied here.

It is the only UK university to have social responsibility among its core strategic objectives, with staff and students alike dedicated to making a positive difference in communities around the world.

Manchester is ranked 38th in the world in the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2017 and 6th in the UK.

Visit http://www.manchester.ac.uk for further information.

Facts and figures: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/facts-figures/

Research Beacons: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/research/beacons/

News and media contacts: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/LOWELL, Mass. - Origami - the Japanese art of folding paper into shapes and figures - dates back to the sixth century. At UMass Lowell, it is inspiring researchers as they develop a 21st century solution to the shortage of tissue and organ donors.

Gulden Camci-Unal, an assistant professor of chemical engineering, and her team of student researchers are designing new biomaterials that could someday be used to repair, replace or regenerate skin, bone, cartilage, heart valves, heart muscle and blood vessels, and in other applications.

Using origami as inspiration, Camci-Unal and her team are using plain paper to create centimeter-scale scaffoldings where the cells can grow and then applying microfabrication techniques to generate new biomaterials known as tissue mimetics.

"Paper is a low-cost, widely available and extremely flexible material that can be easily fabricated into three-dimensional structures of various shapes, sizes and configurations," said Camci-Unal.

The team uses origami-folded paper to grow bone cells, called osteoblasts, which produce the matrix that gets deposited with minerals to form bone. The paper can then be implanted to treat patients, including those suffering from damage caused by disease, degeneration or trauma, or bone defects such as irregular sizes and shapes.

So far, the team's research indicates the implants are biocompatible - that is, they are not expected to be rejected by the body's immune system, according to Camci-Unal.

The team is also using their paper-based research to learn about the behavior of lung cancer cells.

"Tumor biopsies from patients can be grown in our system and then these cells can be exposed to different chemotherapy drugs or radiation doses to find out which specific treatment would work best for the patient," said Camci-Unal, who joined UMass Lowell's faculty in 2016.

The Camci-Unal research group is also developing low-cost, paper-based platforms for point-of-care disease diagnostics. Their biosensors can be used to determine if a patient has a specific disease.

In addition to paper, Camci-Unal and her team are using hydrogels - flexible, squishy materials that resemble Jell-O and are made mostly from water - in tissue-related research for a range for a variety of uses, including wound care.

"Their physical, chemical and biological properties can be tailored to fit in various tissue engineering applications," she said. "However, hydrogels have relatively weak mechanical properties, so they tend to be not as easy to handle and manipulate when they are in large, very thin sheets."

By combining hydrogels laden with cells with sheets of paper, Camci-Unal is able to create sufficiently strong support structures that can be used for tissue engineering. Other researchers have developed 3-D structures from synthetic materials like polymers, ceramics and metals to culture cells, but most of those traditional materials do not closely resemble the surroundings in native tissues, she explained.

"Our team recently started to get involved in wound-healing research, too. Our ultimate goal is to improve human health and the quality of life," Camci-Unal said.

Camci-Unal and three of her students - biology major Kierra Walsh of Billerica and Xinchen Wu and Sanika Suvarnapathaki, both of Lowell and Ph.D. students in biomedical engineering and biotechnology - discussed the use of paper-based, 3-D platforms for cell cultures and other biomedical applications in a Jan. 24 article in MRS Communications, a peer-reviewed academic journal used by researchers worldwide for the rapid dissemination of breakthroughs in materials science.

###

Other members of the research team include graduate students Darlin Lantigua of Lawrence, who is studying for a master's in biomedical engineering and biotechnology, and Amrita Singh of Lowell, who is working toward a master's in biology, and undergraduates Michelle Nguyen, a biomedical engineering major from Medford, Brianna Hoff, a chemistry major from Boxborough and biology majors Seongjin Kwon of Lowell, Akhil Meka of Chelmsford and Shainlee Taing of Lynn.

The research is supported by UMass Lowell, UMass Medical School and the U.S. Department of Defense.

UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 18,000 students bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. http://www.uml.eduA University of Oregon-led study of chemical signatures in shales formed through weathering points to changes that transformed climate, geology and life on the planet

EUGENE, Ore. -- May 23, 2018 -- Chemical signatures in shale, the Earth's most common sedimentary rock, point to a rapid rise of land above the ocean 2.4 billion years ago that possibly triggered dramatic changes in climate and life.

In a study published in the May 24 issue of the journal Nature, researchers report that shale sampled from around the world contains archival quality evidence of almost imperceptible traces of rainwater that caused weathering of land from as old as 3.5 billion years ago.

Notable changes in the ratios of oxygen 17 and 18 with more common oxygen 16, said lead author Ilya Bindeman, a geologist at the University of Oregon, allowed researchers to read the chemical history in the rocks.

In doing so, they established when newly surfaced crust was exposed to weathering by chemical and physical processes, and, more broadly, when the modern hydrologic process of moisture distillation during transport over large continents started.

The evidence is from analyses of three oxygen isotopes, particularly the rare but stable oxygen 17, in 278 shale samples drawn from outcrops and drill holes from every continent and spanning 3.7 billion years of Earth's history. The analyses were done in Bindeman's Stable Isotope Laboratory.

Based on his own previous modeling and other studies, Bindeman said, total landmass on the planet 2.4 billion years ago may have reached about two-thirds of what is observed today. However, the emergence of the new land happened abruptly, in parallel with large-scale changes in mantle dynamics.

Isotopic changes recorded in the shale samples at that time also coincides with the hypothesized timing of land collisions that formed Earth's first supercontinent, Kenorland, and high-mountain ranges and plateaus.

"Crust needs to be thick to stick out of water," Bindeman said. "The thickness depends on its amount and also on thermal regulation and the viscosity of the mantle. When the Earth was hot and the mantle was soft, large, tall mountains could not be supported. Our data indicate that this changed exponentially 2.4 billion years ago. The cooler mantle was able to support large swaths of land above sea level."

Temperatures on the surface when the new land emerged from the sea would have likely been hotter than today by several tens of degrees, he said.

The study found a stepwise change in triple-isotopes of oxygen around that time frame. That, the scientists said, resolves previous arguments for a gradual or stepwise emergence of land between 1.1 and 3.5 billion years ago. At 2.4 billion years ago, Bindeman said, the newly emerged land began to consume carbon dioxide from the atmosphere amid chemical weathering.

The timing also coincides with the transition from the Archean Eon, when simple prokaryotic life forms, archaea and bacteria, thrived in water, to the Proterozoic Eon, when eukaryotes, such as algae, plants and fungi, emerged.

"In this study, we looked at how weathering proceeded over 3.5 billion years," Bindeman said. "Land rising from water changes the albedo of the planet. Initially, Earth would have been dark blue with some white clouds when viewed from space. Early continents added to reflection. Today we have dark continents because of lots of vegetation."

Exposure of the new land to weathering, he said, may have set off a sink of greenhouse gases such carbon dioxide, disrupting the radiative balance of the Earth that generated a series of glacial episodes between 2.4 billion and 2.2 billion years ago. That, he said, may have spawned the Great Oxygenation Event in which atmospheric changes brought significant amounts of free oxygen into the air. Rocks were oxidized and became red. Archean rocks are gray.

In the absence of much land, he said, photons from the sun interacted with water and heated it. A bright surface, provided by emerging land, would reflect sunlight back into space, creating additional torque on radiative-greenhouse balance and a change in climate.

"What we speculate is that once large continents emerged, light would be reflected back into space and initiate runaway glaciation," Bindeman said. "Earth would have seen its first snowfall."

Shales are formed by the weathering of crust.

"They tell you a lot about the exposure to air and light and precipitation," Bindeman said. "The process of forming shale captures organic products and eventually helps to generate oil. Shales provide us with a continuous record of weathering."

###

Co-authors with Bindeman were doctoral student David O. Zakharov, research associate James Palandri, both in Bindeman's UO lab; Gregory J. Retallack, a professor in the UO Department of Earth Sciences; Axel Hofmann, a professor of the University of Johannesburg in South Africa; Dr. Nicolas D. Greber of the University of Geneva in Switzerland; Nicolas Dauphas, a professor of the University of Chicago; Jade Star Lackey of Pomona College in California; and Andrey Bekker, a professor of the University of California, Riverside.

Funding from the National Science Foundation to Bindeman and Dauphas and from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to Bekker supported the research.

Source: Ilya Bindeman, professor, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oregon, 541-346-3817, bindeman@uoregon.edu

Note: The UO is equipped with an on-campus television studio with a point-of-origin Vyvx connection, which provides broadcast-quality video to networks worldwide via fiber optic network. There also is video access to satellite uplink and audio access to an ISDN codec for broadcast-quality radio interviews.

Links:

About Ilya Bindeman: https://blogs.uoregon.edu/bindeman/

UO Department of Earth Sciences: https://earthsciences.uoregon.edu

Stable Isotope Laboratory: https://sil.uoregon.edu/Psychologists at the University of Sussex have found a link between depression and an acceleration of the rate at which the brain ages

Psychologists at the University of Sussex have found a link between depression and an acceleration of the rate at which the brain ages. Although scientists have previously reported that people with depression or anxiety have an increased risk of dementia in later life, this is the first study that provides comprehensive evidence for the effect of depression on decline in overall cognitive function (also referred to as cognitive state), in a general population.

For the study, published today, Thursday 24 May 2018, in the journal Psychological Medicine, researchers conducted a robust systematic review of 34 longitudinal studies, with the focus on the link between depression or anxiety and decline in cognitive function over time. Evidence from more than 71,000 participants was combined and reviewed. Including people who presented with symptoms of depression as well as those that were diagnosed as clinically depressed, the study looked at the rate of decline of overall cognitive state - encompassing memory loss, executive function (such as decision making) and information processing speed - in older adults.

Importantly, any studies of participants who were diagnosed with dementia at the start of study were excluded from the analysis. This was done in order to assess more broadly the impact of depression on cognitive ageing in the general population. The study found that people with depression experienced a greater decline in cognitive state in older adulthood than those without depression. As there is a long pre-clinical period of several decades before dementia may be diagnosed, the findings are important for early interventions as currently there is no cure for the disease.

Lead authors of the paper, Dr Darya Gaysina and Amber John from the EDGE (Environment, Development, Genetics and Epigenetics in Psychology and Psychiatry) Lab at the University of Sussex, are calling for greater awareness of the importance of supporting mental health to protect brain health in later life.

Dr Gaysina, a Lecturer in Psychology and EDGE Lab Lead, comments: "This study is of great importance - our populations are ageing at a rapid rate and the number of people living with decreasing cognitive abilities and dementia is expected to grow substantially over the next thirty years.

"Our findings should give the government even more reason to take mental health issues seriously and to ensure that health provisions are properly resourced. We need to protect the mental wellbeing of our older adults and to provide robust support services to those experiencing depression and anxiety in order to safeguard brain function in later life."

Researcher Amber John, who carried out this research for her PhD at the University of Sussex adds: "Depression is a common mental health problem - each year, at least 1 in 5 people in the UK experience symptoms. But people living with depression shouldn't despair - it's not inevitable that you will see a greater decline in cognitive abilities and taking preventative measures such as exercising, practicing mindfulness and undertaking recommended therapeutic treatments, such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, have all been shown to be helpful in supporting wellbeing, which in turn may help to protect cognitive health in older age."

###

The research paper, 'Affective problems and decline in cognitive state in older adults' will be available at: https:// doi.org/10.1017/S0033291718001137 from Thursday 24 May 2018.A researcher at The University of Texas at San Antonio has co-authored a study examining important cognitive and non-cognitive predictors of entering science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields for Hispanic high school students.

Guan Saw, assistant professor of educational psychology in the UTSA College of Education and Human Development (COEHD), worked alongside Chi-Ning Chang, doctoral student from Texas A&M University, to investigate whether and to what extent math achievement and motivational factors for Hispanic high school students differ from that of their White, Black and Asian peers.

"A recent analysis using 2014-2016 American Community Survey Data, provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, showed that while Hispanics accounted for 16% of employed adults ages 25 and older, only 7% of STEM jobs were held by Hispanics, the lowest percentage compared with other racial/ethnic groups. We were aware that there is a critical need to study the distinctive developmental patterns of STEM-related cognitive and non-cognitive factors for Hispanic students in high schools, a crucial life stage with adolescents forming and reshaping their career orientations," said Saw.

In the study, published in the Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, the pair analyzed the nationally representative High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics.

The study traced students' educational trajectories from high school into postsecondary education. It also explored factors at the high school level that could affect STEM participation in college and the workforce.

Saw and Chang studied responses from more than 18,000 Hispanic, White, Black and Asian respondents in early ninth grade and late 11th grade.

The researchers focused on their responses on questions related to math achievement, values or beliefs that affect behavior and subjective task value (STV). The latter includes inner motivation, perceived usefulness and the personal importance of doing a given task well.

"In this study, to accurately understand the unique patterns for Hispanic students, we used a Hispanic-centric approach, in which we set Hispanic students as a reference group in statistical models, comparing it to Whites, Blacks, and Asians, which yield results that never reported in past literature. Methodologically, it is a novel approach, especially for studies focusing on underrepresented minorities," said Saw.

The researchers observed that Hispanics generally trailed other racial/ethnic groups in math achievement and motivation. According to the study, Hispanic respondents scored lower in math assessment tests than their White and Asian peers in early ninth grade and again at the end of 11th grade. However, Hispanics scored higher on math standardized tests than their Black peers throughout high school.

Taken together with his prior studies, Saw said that middle and high school Hispanic students reported lower levels of math and science self-efficacy than their White, Asian and Black peers, suggesting that how they perceive their ability to do math might affect their decisions and motivations to pursue STEM educational and career opportunities.

The researchers also found that values or beliefs that correlated with math achievement in early high school likewise persisted in late high school for Hispanics significantly more so than for Whites, Blacks and Asians.

"This study will add to the understanding of development patterns of math cognitive and psychosocial factors for Hispanic adolescents, which can be used by educators and policymakers to improve STEM education and workforce preparation, especially among historically underserved and underrepresented students," said Saw.

Saw's research and teaching are informed by his experience as a first-generation college student with three degrees in both STEM and non-STEM areas completed in three different countries. He aims to pursue research work that can have a societal impact at a local, state, national and international level.

Saw recently received a two-year, $35,000 research grant from the American Educational Research Association (AERA). The grant, funded through the National Science Foundation, will allow him to conduct research focused on STEM education and opportunities in and out of school for women, minorities, first-generation students and students with disabilities.

As a learning and research enterprise, UTSA fosters innovation and creative discovery by channeling its expertise into tackling critical societal issues of today and tomorrow. The UTSA College of Education and Human Development produces educators, administrators, counselors and health professionals with a global perspective of the educational, psychological, social and health needs of communities.

###Researchers using powerful supercomputers have found a way to generate microwaves with inexpensive silicon, a breakthrough that could dramatically cut costs and improve devices such as sensors in self-driving vehicles.

"Until now, this was considered impossible," said C.R. Selvakumar, an engineering professor at the University of Waterloo who proposed the concept several years ago.

High-frequency microwaves carry signals in a wide range of devices, including the radar units police use to catch speeders and collision-avoidance systems in cars.

The microwaves are typically generated by devices called Gunn diodes, which take advantage of the unique properties of expensive and toxic semiconductor materials such as gallium arsenide.

When voltage is applied to gallium arsenide and then increased, the electrical current running through it also increases - but only to a certain point. Beyond that point, the current decreases, an oddity known as the Gunn effect that results in the emission of microwaves.

Lead researcher Daryoush Shiri, a former Waterloo doctoral student who now works at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, used computational nanotechnology to show that the same effect could be achieved with silicon.

The second-most abundant substance on earth, silicon would be far easier to work with for manufacturing and costs about one-twentieth as much as gallium arsenide.

The new technology involves silicon nanowires so tiny it would take 100,000 of them bundled together to equal the thickness of a human hair.

Complex computer models showed that if silicon nanowires were stretched as voltage was applied to them, the Gunn effect, and therefore the emission of microwaves, could be induced.

"With the advent of new nano-fabrication methods, it is now easy to shape bulk silicon into nanowire forms and use it for this purpose," said Shiri.

Selvakumar said the theoretical work is the first step in a development process that could lead to much cheaper, more flexible devices for the generation of microwaves.

The stretching mechanism could also act as a switch to turn the effect on and off, or vary the frequency of microwaves for a host of new applications that haven't even been imagined yet.

"This is only the beginning," said Selvakumar, a professor of electrical and computer engineering. "Now we will see where it goes, how it will ramify."

###

Shiri also collaborated with researchers Amit Verma, Reza Nekovei, Andreas Isacsson and M.P. Anantram at universities in the United States and Sweden.

Their work was recently published in the journal Scientific Reports.Prehistoric people of the Mississippi Delta may have abandoned a large ceremonial site due to environmental stress, according to a new paper authored by Elizabeth Chamberlain, a postdoctoral researcher in Earth and environmental sciences, and University of Illinois anthropologist Jayur Mehta.

The study, published online May 18 in the peer-reviewed Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, used archaeological excavations, geologic mapping and coring, and radiocarbon dating to identify how Native Americans built and inhabited the Grand Caillou mound near Dulac, Louisiana. The work stemmed from research begun by Mehta and Chamberlain when they were graduate students at Tulane University.

The researchers found that construction of the Grand Caillou mound began around 800 years ago, when Bayou Grand Caillou was a major and active river channel. The site appeared to have been abandoned around 600 years ago, the same time Bayou Grand Caillou stopped carrying a significant portion of Mississippi River water and sediment.

"Dating an abandonment event can be challenging," said Chamberlain. "Within our suite of radiocarbon ages at Grand Caillou, there were none younger than 600 years. This suggests that people may have moved on to a new site at that time."

"The abandonment of the river channel would have caused a number of changes to the ecology and landscape at the Grand Caillou mound," added Mehta. "This may be an early example of people responding to changes in Mississippi Delta landscape by relocating."

The researchers also found that the location and architecture of the mound--it stands 20 feet tall--indicated a great degree of environmental and engineering expertise among the people who built it.

"This region is naturally high elevation, and offered access to waterways for transportation and hunting," said Mehta.

Geologic coring showed that the mound was built in alternating layers of sand and mud. While sand is a common deposit near the mound, mud must have been imported from farther away.

"This demonstrates a high level of geotechnical knowledge by native people, and a big group effort in mound construction," said Chamberlain. "Waterlogged mud is heavy, and all this material was moved by hand."

The study also used artifacts recovered from the mound to identify the culture of the people who lived there. This helped to connect the Grand Caillou inhabitants with mound-building groups farther upstream in the Mississippi River Valley and along the Gulf Coast.

"Research such as this is especially important in light of recent published work showing that net land loss will continue in the Mississippi Delta," said Chamberlain.

"Archaeological sites are a non-renewable resource," added Mehta. "With the loss of coastal land, we also risk losing these valuable records of how prehistoric people lived in the Mississippi Delta. It is critical to recover and document archaeological records before they slip beneath the sea."

###The European Union and German automakers reacted with dismay Thursday after the US said tariffs on car imports could be on the horizon, potentially opening a new front in a burgeoning transatlantic trade conflict.

American Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Wednesday said he had initiated an investigation into whether auto imports are weakening our internal economy and may impair the national security.

The move came after President Donald Trump tweeted there was big news coming soon for our great American autoworkers.

The European Union, which has been lobbying feverishly to remain exempt from US border taxes on steel and aluminium ahead of a June 1 deadline, expressed consternation at the latest White House announcement.

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said Brussels was concerned by the car tariffs threat, which she said would violate international trade rules.

Well of course see what that is, what the investigation leads to, but as far as we can see this is something which is also against the WTO (World Trade Organization), she said in Brussels.

It is very difficult to imagine (car imports) create any sort of threat to the national security, added European Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen.

With German carmakers set to be among those hit hardest by the possible tariffs, the countrys auto giants were quick to add to the criticism.

Global behemoth Volkswagen condemned Washingtons one-sided protectionism, saying only free and fair trade secures increased prosperity.

The sentiment was echoed by luxury carmaker BMW, which said barrier-free access to markets was key to global growth and employment.

The German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), which has calculated that autos and car parts accounted for over a quarter of Germanys 111.5 billion euros ($139.9 billion) in exports to the United States last year, said the US move should almost be seen as a provocation.

German carmakers exported nearly half a million vehicles to the US in 2017, but they also built over 800,000 cars at American factories where they employ some 36,500 people  and car parts producers around 80,000 more.

Shares in Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler were among the worst performers on the DAX index of blue-chip German shares Thursday.

 Global outcry 

Imposing car tariffs would open yet another front in the Republican presidents confrontational rows over trade that have drawn global outcry from allies and partners.

Evidence of significant economic damage due to the trade conflict is mounting, tweeted economist Marcel Fratzscher of the DIW think-tank in Berlin.

The Trump administration now adding new threats with tariffs on European cars could make things a lot worse.

The latest announcement comes as negotiations with Canada and Mexico over revamping the continent-wide North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have stalled over auto demands.

Trump had earlier blamed the US neighbours to the north and south for being difficult in talks to renegotiate the pact.

The contrast with a Thursday visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Chinese premier Li Keqiang could not have been starker.

China and Germany are on the path of promoting multilateralism and bolstering free trade, Merkel said in Beijing.

Japan also voiced concern over the prospect of US car tariffs, with trade minister Hiroshige Seko saying they would plunge the world market into confusion and be extremely regrettable.

Passenger cars make up around 30 percent of Japans total exports to the United States and Tokyo has already threatened Washington with retaliation at the World Trade Organization for the steel tariffs.

 China cuts tariffs 

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Trump was asking for vehicle import tariffs as high as 25 percent.

That would move US policy in the opposite direction from China, where President Xi Jinping recently offered to cut border taxes to 15 percent from 25 percent.

In its statement announcing the inquiry, the Commerce Department cited figures showing that US employment in automobile manufacturing had dropped by 22 percent from 1990 to 2017.

Trump  whose protectionist platform helped launch him to the White House  has repeatedly floated the notion of steep tariffs that would shield the US auto industry.

He has specifically targeted Germany, and argued that American cars are slapped with higher tariffs than those imposed on European autos.

US cars sold in the EU are hit with 10 percent duties, while the US imposes just 2.5 percent on cars from the EU.

But Washington imposes 25 percent tariffs on European pick-ups and trucks  which the EU taxes at a much lower 14 percent on average.

burs-mfp/dlc/spmPrivacy Settings

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NOTE: These settings will only apply to the browser and device you are currently using.CHO HYUN-AH

Seoul, South KoreaA Korean Air heiress known for a nut rage tantrum that sparked national uproar was summoned for questioning Thursday for illegally hiring immigrants to work as maids, the latest scandal to engulf her billionaire family. Cho Hyun-ah faces allegations that she illegally hired some 10 Filipinas to work as housemaids in the family home by disguising them as company trainees to obtain visas. It is against the law in South Korea to hire foreigners as domestic helpers. She kept her head bowed as she reported to immigration authorities in Seoul on Thursday. Im sorry to cause trouble, she said in a quiet voice before entering the office. A series of scandals have left Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho and his family facing mounting scrutiny over a spate of alleged wrongdoings that have riled the public and even sparked protests by the firms employees. The family first shot to international infamy in 2014 when Cho Hyun-ah forced two Korean Air flight attendants to kneel and beg for forgiveness after she was served macadamia nuts in a bag rather than a bowl. She ordered the Seoul-bound flight back to the gate so one of them could be ejected in an incident quickly dubbed nut rage that many South Koreans felt typified the way ultra-wealthy families often behave.She was sentenced to a year in prison by a lower court. But after serving five months in jail she was freed when the appeals court cleared her of hampering an air routethe most serious chargeas the aircraft was still on the ground.Her younger sister Cho Hyun-min recently won unflattering headlines with her own tantrum when she allegedly splashed fruit juice over a business associate in a fit of rage. Prosecutors stopped short of bringing charges against her after the victim reconciled with her. But the incident set off a flurry of new allegations about the familys other alleged wrongdoings. Among the allegations authorities are now investigating include smuggling of furniture and food, tax evasion, the hiring of illegals and verbal abuse and assaults against employees. Korean Air workers launched an online chat room detailing various grievances they had with the family. On Friday some employees will hold their fourth weekly rally calling for Cho family to take a back seat in the company. Police have also summoned the chairman Chos wife Lee Myung-hee for questioning on Monday after more than 10 people claimed they had been physically or verbally assaulted by her. Lee is also suspected of involvement in the illegal hiring of foreign maids and will be questioned in this case as well, the immigration office said.British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson discussed dealing with Moscow in an 18-minute phone call with Russian pranksters impersonating the prime minister of Armenia in a recording posted online Thursday and confirmed by the foreign ministry as genuine.

During the hoax, which purportedly occurred last week, Johnson congratulates the caller  whom he thinks is new Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan  before promptly turning to Britains frayed relations with Russia.

We have to stand firm against them though I appreciate that your geography dictates a balancing act, Johnson said, offering support and encouragement and an invitation to visit the UK.

Its very important, I think, prime minister that we dont have a new Cold War, he added on the call, advising determination and firmness in dealing with Moscow.

We will continue to tighten the squeeze on some of the oligarchs who surround Putin, he said, adding Britain would seek new sanctions against key figures around the Russian president.

When the Pashinyan imitator noted that there were a lot of Russian oligarchs in Britain, Johnson agreed: You throw a stone in Kensington and youll hit an oligarch.

He added: But some of them are close to Putin and some of them arent.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said staff checked it out and knew immediately it was a prank call.

The Foreign Secretary realised it was a hoax, and ended the call, it added in a statement.

In the audio recording posted on YouTube, Johnson appeared to hang up following 18 minutes of conversation, after growing suspicious of the callers claims Putin was funding British opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The hoax appears to have been staged by Vladimir Vovan Kuznetsov and Alexei Lexus Stolyarov, a pair of pranksters known as Vovan and Lexus.

The duo have made a habit of fooling politicians and pop stars into fake phone calls, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, US Senator John McCain and Elton John.

Their antics have mostly targeted Russias foes, leading to accusations they are working on the orders of the Kremlin or the nations security service, the FSB, which they both have denied.

During the latest call, Johnson is questioned about the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury in March.

Asked about British confidence in their assessment that Putin was behind the assassination attempt, Johnson said: Were, like, almost 100 percent sure.

The Foreign Office spokesperson said: The use of chemical weapons in Salisbury and Syria, and recent events in Armenia are serious matters.

These childish actions show the lack of seriousness of the caller and those behind him.

jj/dt/dcrRussia's Gazprom said Thursday it was satisfied with the settlement reached with the EU over claims it abused its dominant position as a gas provider in Eastern European member states.

We believe that todays decision is the most reasonable outcome for the well functioning of the entire European gas market, the Kremlin-backed firm said in a statement.

With the deal, Gazprom avoids billions in fines, although EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in Brussels it imposes strict obligations on its future conduct.

The deal also removes obstacles created by Gazprom, which stand in the way of the free flow of gas in Central and Eastern Europe, Vestager said.

We are satisfied with the commitments decision announced today by the European Commission in relation to the settlement of the investigation, the statement cited Gazproms deputy chief executive Alexander Medvedev as saying.

Gazprom has always been honouring applicable provisions of the EU competition law and reaffirms its commitment to comply with them in future, he added.

rl/tm/spmThe EU on Thursday settled a high-stakes anti-trust case against Gazprom, the Kremlin-backed energy giant, over claims it abused its dominant positon as a gas provider in eastern Europe member states.

With the deal Gazprom avoids billions in fines and offers a rare respite to tensions between the Russia and West that have worsened over Ukraine, the war in Syria and allegations of election meddling by the Kremlin.

The deal comes after Gazprom agreed to benchmark prices in eastern Europe against prices in the rest of Europe, and to drop clauses restricting the re-export of gas by clients.

The decision will infuriate eastern European energy players who fear the dominance of Gazprom and accuse Brussels of favouring the Russian giant with a special deal.

Todays decision removes obstacles created by Gazprom, which stand in the way of the free flow of gas in Central and Eastern Europe, EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told a news briefing in Brussels.

Vestager insisted that the settlement imposed strict obligations on Gazprom and provides a tailor-made rulebook for Gazproms future conduct.

She said the deal would be to the benefit of millions of European consumers when they heat their houses or when they cook their food, and to businesses that rely on Gazprom supplies.

 Disappointed and embarrassed 

Germany is understood to be a major backer of the deal as it nurtures special relations with Gazprom, a major national energy provider through the Nordstream pipeline.

Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has maintained close ties to the company and to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Vestager in March 2017 already gave her approval to commitments made by Gazprom, but a furious response by eastern Europeans had delayed the formal decision.

We are disappointed that the long-term anti-trust proceedings against Gazprom ended without fines being imposed, with no compensation for companies whose interests were harmed and with only marginal concessions from the Russian monopoly, Konrad Szymanski, Polands deputy foreign minister, told the Polish PAP news agency.

The EU has been investigating Gazprom since 2011 over claims it abused its dominant position with unfair prices and restrictive terms in eight EU countries, all former satellites of the Soviet empire.

The dispute quickly got caught in the growing discord between the EU and Moscow that began with the conflict in Ukraine and re-emerged most recently with the poisoning of a Russian spy in Britain.

Gazproms Deputy Chairman Alexander Medvedev said his company was satisfied with the commitments and reaffirms its commitment to comply with them in future.

After the initial deal was announced, Polands state-run gas firm PGNiG staunchly advocated for tough penalties for Gazprom and can be expected to fight the settlement in court.

Dont let Gazprom get away with abusing the market, PGNiG CEO Piotr Wozniak wrote on the Politico website after an earlier version of the settlement leaked.

Wozniak said he was disappointed and embarrassed by the decision, calling the blocs light-handed treatment of Gazprom particularly egregious.

The decision could also risk ruffling feathers in th US where tech giants such as Google, Apple and Facebook have been put under intense regulatory scrutiny by the EU and inflicted with major fines.

The White House is also engaged in an aggressive campaign to promote its own natural gas exports, which could have benefited from deepened EU-Gazprom discord.

bur-arp/serVladimir Putin told the leader of the war-torn Central African Republic on Wednesday he wanted to ramp up cooperation with the resource-rich country as the Kremlin seeks to regain influence on the continent.

We will be pleased to consider various ways to intensify our relations, first and foremost in economic and humanitarian spheres, Putin told Central African Republics President Faustin-Archange Touadera in Saint Petersburg.

Touadera thanked Putin for Moscows help during a difficult humanitarian situation and in the process of the countrys consolidation and reconciliation.

Our country right now is among the least developed but we have huge potential, he said in comments translated into Russian and released by the Kremlin.

We have great expectations when it comes to possible future exchanges both in the economic and humanitarian spheres, said Touadera who will also attend an economic forum in Saint Petersburg this week.

Both Putin and Touadera praised the two countries ties in the Soviet era.

During the Cold War the Soviet Union and the United States battled for influence in Africa.

The Kremlin is keen to rebuild Russias presence in Africa as part of Putins push to boost the countrys status as a global power.

Divided by ethnic and religious strife between rival armed gangs, the CAR has been subjected to a United Nations arms embargo which was extended until February 2019.

But Russia has recently managed to win an exemption to sell weapons to the government in the Central African Republic and in December Moscow delivered a sizeable stock of weapons including handguns, assault rifles, machine guns and even rocket launchers.

Russia also won UN approval to offer weapons training to two battalions  around 1,300 men  of the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) which is currently undergoing an overhaul.

Officially, the Russian programme aims at strengthening a ramshackle military in a country where swathes of territory are controlled by armed groups.

But the mission will clearly boost Moscows influence in a struggling strategically-located state whose treasures include diamonds, gold, uranium and timber.French President Emmanuel Macron hailed "direct and frank" talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after the pair discussed Syria, Ukraine and the Iran nuclear deal outside Saint Petersburg on Thursday.

In a press conference following the leaders wide-ranging first meeting in Russia, Putin also said he regretted US President Donald Trump calling off his plans for a summit with North Koreas Kim Jong Un.

We had counted on that a significant step towards a de-escalation on the Korean peninsula would be taken and a start made on denuclearisation, Putin said.

Trump announced Thursday that he would not go ahead with the meeting with Kim set for June 12 in Singapore, and would instead pursue Washingtons campaign of maximum pressure through sanctions on Pyongyang.

Meanwhile, Macron said he wanted the non-proliferation process to continue and hoped Trumps decision was just a blip.

Trumps earlier withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement had provided another rare point of convergence for Moscow and Western capitals, with both Macron and Putin reaffirming their commitment to the deal.

The ongoing crises in eastern Ukraine and Syria, where Russia and France have intervened on opposing sides of the conflict, were less comfortable topics for the two leaders.

Nevertheless, the French president said he respected the strengthened role Russia has taken on in the region and in the world, in particular the Middle East.

I expect that Russia will respect also our interests, our sovereignty and that of our European partners, the French president added.

Before the press conference, ministers from France and Russia celebrated a raft of commercial deals between the two countries.

The most significant of these was a deal that will see the French energy group Total increase its role in liquefied natural gas projects in the Arctic with Russian firm Novatek to the tune of $2.5 billion.

 Lying propaganda 

The trip is Macrons first to Russia as president and follows a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week. Europe and Moscow are making diplomatic overtures to save the Iran deal, now under threat after the recent US withdrawal.

Putin handed Macrons wife Brigitte flowers as he greeted the couple late in the afternoon at the Konstantin Palace, a former residence of Peter the Great set some 20 kilometres (12 miles) outside Saint Petersburg.

The meeting comes almost exactly a year since the freshly elected Macron hosted Putin in Versailles, when the French leader accused Russian media of producing lying propaganda during a joint press conference.

The visit will also see Macron address the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The talks take place after US President Donald Trump in early May controversially pulled the United States out of the 2015 landmark pact with Iran that placed limits on its nuclear programme in return for easing economic sanctions.

Russia shares the position of the majority of the international community including Western leaders when it comes to the Iran deal, said Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Moscow Center.

The West has realised that a dialogue with Putin is inevitable in order to preserve the accord, he said.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will also visit Russia at the end of the week.

Merkel and Abe have already begun a thaw with Moscow and Macron is scared of losing the advantage that France has always had with Russia, Baunov added.

International investigators on Thursday said a missile that downed a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine in 2014 belonged to a Russian brigade. Moscow rejected the accusation.

Before Macrons trip, Human Rights Watch also implored him to raise the issue of rights abuses with his Russian counterpart, following a crackdown on dissent and pressure on minority groups in the country.Russian aluminium giant Rusal said Friday that Oleg Deripaska has resigned his seat on the board, a key step in the company's efforts to escape US sanctions targeting its founder and key shareholder.

The firm, a major supplier for industrial companies around the world, has been intensifying its efforts to show Washington its determination to become independent from Deripaska, who is on a US blacklist.

The US Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced fresh sanctions against Russia last month following a major diplomatic crisis sparked by the poisoning in Britain of former double agent Sergei Skripal.

The sanctions hit oligarchs close to President Vladimir Putin, including Deripaska.

That announcement prompted the shares of the firm responsible for seven percent of the worlds aluminium production to tumble while the price of the metal soared.

Manufacturers feared they would no longer be able to purchase supplies from the firm, potentially snarling production in many sectors of the US economy and elsewhere.

Faced with the market turmoil, the US government then indicated Rusal could avoid being caught up in the sanctions by cutting ties with Deripaska, one of the so-called Specially Designated Nationals targeted by the sanctions.

Deripaskas resignation was his most concrete step so far to comply with Washingtons conditions. He had only previously indicated he wouldnt seek reappointment next month to Rusals board, and pledged to reduce his stake in the firm.

 Is it enough? 

Rusal said in a statement on Friday that Deripaska has tendered his resignation from the board, effective immediately, and that the move was part of the efforts that have been made  to protect the interests of the company and its shareholders since the OFAC sanctions were imposed.

Even as the 50-year-old billionaire distanced himself from the company, Rusal on Thursday purged itself of the directors Deripaska had appointed, with half of the board as well as the chief executive officer submitting their resignations.

Russian government officials also confirmed Rusal has approached the government for assistance as the prospect of the US sanctions has scared away clients.

Aluminium has so far done very little despite the news of Deripaska resigning as a director of Rusal in an attempt to ease sanctions against the company, said Matt France, an analyst at the Marex Spectron commodities brokerage.

It remains to be seen if this is enough to change the US view on a potential divestment or not, he added.

Analysts at Commerzbank noted that one condition for the United States lifting the sanctions is that Deripaska relinquishes control of Rusal.

This has not happened yet, they wrote in a note to clients.

All the same, we see Deripaskas resignation as another step towards an easing of the situation on the aluminium market, adding that it is probable that the sanctions against the firm would be lifted in the coming months.

Shares in Rusal closed 1.5 percent lower in Hong Kong.

 Fear of sanctions 

Meanwhile, shares in EN+, the holding company through which Deripaska holds the stake in Rusal, rose 2 percent in morning trading in Moscow, but are still trading at less than half the price they did in early April.

A Putin aide confirmed on Friday a proposal to support Rusal, a day after a government source told journalists Deripaska had sought to have the state buy some of its aluminium.

Putin advisor Andrei Belousov told RIA Novosti state news agency such a proposal does exist but declined to comment on the states position about intervening to help the firm.

Rusal employs tens of thousands of people, and some of its facilities are the only employer in their localities.

Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said Thursday the Russian state would provide the firm with loans at market rates if banks refuse to lend to Rusal for fear of falling foul of US sanctions.

gmo/rl/as/serUkraine banned Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency on Thursday, a week after detaining one of its journalists in Kiev and accusing him of treason.

This decision was not linked to the investigation of RIAs activities in Ukraine, but was part of a new wave of sanctions against the Russian Federation.

According to the new sanctions list of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine (NSDC), the RIA Novosti office as well as the Interselekt company which carried out all the agencys economic activities in Kiev are banned for three years.

Sanctions include the blocking of assets, limiting or stopping the provision of telecommunications services, and blocking access to the website www.rian.com.ua.

Russia has already condemned the new attack on its state media, saying that it is yet another act of political censorship.

We are outraged by the decision of the Ukrainian authorities to include the Russia Today agency and RIA Novosti agency in Ukraine in the updated sanctions list, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

The director of Russia Today, the parent company of RIA Novosti, said the new sanctions were an indicator of impotence of the current Ukrainian regime.

It has nothing left to do, but to pursue its own citizens, to persecute journalists, to pursue freedom of speech, to ban respected media, Dmitry Kiselev was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

On May 15, Ukraines SBU security service raided the Kiev offices of RIA Novosti, saying the agency and its journalists had been used as tools in a hybrid war against Ukraine.

The same day RIA Novosti journalist Kyrylo Vyshynsky, a Ukrainian national who received a Russian passport in 2015, was detained near his house in Kiev and accused of treason.

On May 17, a Ukrainian court ruled Vyshynsky should be held in detention until his trial.

The SBU accused Vyshynsky of travelling to Crimea in 2014 to carry out subversive reporting to justify the peninsulas annexation by Russia.

The 51-year-old was also accused of collaborating with Russian-backed separatist groups in eastern Ukraine where a conflict that broke out following Crimeas seizure has cost some 10,000 lives.

According to the SBU, Vyshynsky, who had been heading up RIA Novostis website for readers in Ukraine, received 53,000 euros a month for this work and distributed the money to the groups and people involved.The US Justice Department said Wednesday that it had seized an internet domain that directed a dangerous botnet of a half-million infected home and office network routers, controlled by hackers believed tied to Russian intelligence.

The move was aimed at breaking up an operation deeply embedded in small and medium-sized computer networks that could allow the hackers to take control of computers as well as easily steal data.

The Justice Department said the VPNFilter botnet was set up by a hacking group variously called APT28, Pawn Storm, Sandworm, Fancy Bear and the Sofacy Group.

The group is blamed for cyber attacks on numerous governments, key infrastructure industries like power grids, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the World Anti-Doping Agency, and other bodies.

US intelligence agencies also say it was involved in the operation to hack and release damaging information on the Democratic Party during the 2016 US presidential election, and has engineered a number of computer network disruptions in Ukraine.

According to cybersecurity researchers, the Sofacy Group is a cyber-espionage group believed to have originated from Russia, the Department of Justice said in a court filing.

Likely operating since 2007, the group is known to typically target government, military, security organizations, and other targets of intelligence value, through a variety of means, it said.

The Justice filing did not say who was behind Sofacy Group, but US intelligence has in the past linked it to Russias GRU military intelligence agency, and numerous private computer security groups have made the same connection.

In Wednesdays action, the Justice Department said it had obtained a warrant authorizing the FBI to seize a computer domain that is part of the command and control system of the VPNFilter botnet.

The botnet targets home and office routers, through which it can relay orders from the botnets controllers and intercept and reroute traffic back to them, virtually undetected by the users of a network.

In a report released in parallel to the Justice announcement, network equipment giant Cisco said VPNFilter had infected at least 500,000 devices in at least 54 countries.

It has targeted popular router brands like Linksys, MikroTik, NETGEAR and TP-Link.

The behavior of this malware on networking equipment is particularly concerning, as components of the VPNFilter malware allows for theft of website credentials, Cisco said.

It also has a destructive capacity that can render an infected device unusable, which can be triggered on individual victim machines or en masse.

Both Justice and Cisco said they were releasing details of the problem before having found a strong, permanent fix. Justice said that by seizing control of one of the domains involved in running VNPFilter, it will give owners of infected routers a chance to reboot them, forcing them to begin communicating with the now-neutralized command domain.

The vulnerability will remain, Justice said, but the move will allow them more time to identify and intervene in other parts of the network.A British Army sergeant was on Thursday found guilty of attempting to murder his wife on two occasions, by tampering with her parachute and causing a gas leak at their home.

The jury at Winchester Crown Court in southern England heard that Emile Cilliers, 38, loosened a gas valve at his home in March 2015, hoping his wife Victoria would turn on the cooker.

The couples two young children were in the house at the time, but the attempt failed.

Less than a week later, the victim suffered severe injuries to her spine, leg and ribs after miraculously surviving a fall from 4,000 feet (1,200 metres) when her parachute failed.

Cilliers had taken the chute into a toilet cubicle at the airfield and sabotaged it, causing both the main and reserve chutes to fail.

It became apparent from an early stage that the only possible cause of the failure of both the main chute and the reserve was deliberate human intervention, said prosecutor Amanda Sawetz.

The evidence all pointed to Emile Cilliers as the man with the motive and the opportunity to commit these calculated attempts to murder his wife.

An experienced parachutist, the victim managed to slow her fall from around 100 miles-per-hour to 30 miles-per-hour, with her reserve chute partially opening shortly before impact.

A member of her parachute club in southwest England said that she had been fortunate to land in a freshly-ploughed field.

Cilliers, originally from South Africa, will be sentenced at a later date.The British consulate in Saint Petersburg has closed its doors, the British ambassador to Russia said Thursday, as part of the diplomatic fall out in the wake of the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain.

Ambassador Laurie Bristow was cited by Russian news agencies as saying that the closure was linked to worsening relations following the poisoning of Sergei Skripal in the British city of Salisbury in March.

London accused Moscow of being behind the attack on Skripal, a former double agent, and his daughter Yulia with Soviet-developed nerve agent Novichok.

Moscow has denied the accusations, and in response to the expulsion of a number of Russian diplomats from Britain it ordered 23 British diplomats to leave the country and the closure of the consulate and British Council office in Saint Petersburg.

The poisoning led to major wave of expulsions by Russia and Western nations, with about 300 diplomats affected.Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez sees no basis to impeach the eight Supreme Court justices who voted to remove Maria Lourdes Sereno as Chief Justice. Alvarez said Thursday Associate Justices Teresita J. Leonardo-de Castro, Diosdado M. Peralta, Lucas P. Bersamin, Francis H. Jardeleza, Samuel R. Martires, Noel G. Tijam, Andres B. Reyes Jr., and Alexander G. Gesmundo merely performed their constitutional mandate in granting the quo warranto petition filed against Sereno. Alvarez said the eight justices should not be sanctioned for doing their duties and responsibilities in accordance with the Constitution. I do not think [that the justices violated the Constitution]. In the exercise of separation of powers, they [justices] acted within their powers provided for in the Constitution, Alvarez said. Alvarez also played down the impeachment case that the opposition bloc led by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman had threatened to file against the eight SC justices should the quo warranto ruling become final and executory. According to Alvarez, the eight justices did not encroach or infringe the power of Congress to impeach after granting the quo warranto petition against Sereno.The eight SC justices did not disrespect Congress when they performed their constitutional duties, said Alvarez, stressing the high court had also the power to remove impeachable officials through quo warranto petition. Magdalo Party-list Rep. Gary Alejano, a member of Lagmans group, asserted his groups rights as House member to initiate an impeachment case against the eight justices who allegedly took away the power of Congress to impeach. Alejano said the eight SC members should be held accountable for their alleged illegal act to side with the quo warranto petition filed against Sereno by Solicitor General Jose Calida. We strongly believe that the filing of impeachment complaints against the justices is the only viable remedy to correct this mistake and save the integrity of the Supreme Court before the Filipino people. As opposed to what the justices had exercised, we want to follow the legal way based on what is provided for in the Constitution, said Alejano.Welcome to the News Release Wire Selection Control Panel.

Instant News WireDenying a young woman medication during a labor pain that resulted in childbirth. Touching a girls private parts so hard that she screamed. Punching a child three times in the head. These were some of the allegations made against U.S. Customs and Border Patrol between 2009 and 2014, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

The ACLU report, based on over 30,000 documents obtained in an open records lawsuit, details hundreds of allegations of abuse to unaccompanied minors  allegations that the ACLU says were largely swept under the rug.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, or CBP, called the report unfounded and baseless in a statement.

The report equates allegations with fact, flatly ignores a number of improvements made by CBP as well as oversight conducted by outside, independent agencies, the statement reads.

The documents redacted case numbers of the allegations, which made it difficult for the ACLU to quantify exactly how many cases there were in the five-year period, and how many of the accused agents were repeat offenders.

The CBP, the largest federal law enforcement agency in the country with over 60,000 employees, took issue with this gray area.

CBP takes seriously all allegations of misconduct, but without new specifics is unable to check to commence reasonable steps to examine these assertions and address the accusations levied, the agency said.

The documented abuses were verbal, physical and sexual, spanning the four states along the U.S.-Mexico border, and at every stage of the detainment process  from apprehension of the child migrant to deportation and removal.

Almost all of the allegations the ACLU and the University of Chicago Law Schools International Human Rights Clinic came across in the documents did not result in disciplinary action, or further preventative measures, ACLU officials said.

Mitra Ebadolahi, staff attorney for the ACLUs Border Litigation Project, said the immigration agency often refused to investigate agents who were the subjects of frequent, repeated allegations of abuse. Other allegations were said to be closed prematurely and without explanation, she said.

As such there were no findings in the documents, and thats why the ACLUs report relies on allegations alone, Ebadolahi said.

As far as we can tell, not a single incident of an alleged abuse got past the allegations phase according to the government agency investigating the abuses. So as best as we can tell, according to the government, all the allegations remain allegations, she said.

This report highlights the significant failure of our current system to execute our immigration policies in compliance with the law, and in a way that treats this most vulnerable group children  in a humane way, said Nabihah Maqbool, who studied the documents at the International Human Rights Clinic.

The CBP said it had already investigated child abuse cases in the fall of 2013, after immigrant rights advocacy organizations submitted a complaint regarding 116 incidents of child abuse. Department of Homeland Securitys Office of the Inspector General and the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties launched an investigation involving 57 unannounced visits to CVP facilities.

CBP said it closed its investigation because the inspector generals office did not observe misconduct or inappropriate conduct by DHS employees during our unannounced visits.

Ebadolahi framed it as an abandonment of their duty to properly inspect the cases. The delay in receiving the requested documents make it unlikely that any of the allegations would result in further litigation for these child migrants.

Justin Tullius, an attorney and associate director at Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services in San Antonio, said the national organization has known about abuse allegations for years.

We welcome a report like this that documents what so many of us see, day in and day out, who work with these children, he said.

RAICES has worked with hundreds of unaccompanied minors and filed abuse complaints with CBP, he said, often which dont lead to any meaningful change.

He said the physical abuse of children is particularly common.

You hear about children being pushed or shoved down, kicked. There are children being insulted, being demeaned by officers, calling them names, he said. You hear of officers telling them Youre going tobe deported.

Ebadolahi urged the U.S. House Oversight committee to pay closer attention to CBP and asked the agency itself to commit to more thorough investigations.

This is a time where children who are fleeing their home country to seek protection need more protection, not less, Tullius said. This report documents their vulnerability at every stage of the journey they make. It should be a call to recognize the protection these refugees need.

sfosterfrau@express-news.net | @SilviaElenaFFJohn Boekweg moved from Salt Lake City to San Antonio last fall when the accounting firm he works for expanded operations into the Alamo City. His wife and eight of his children joined him here in late December.

So far, they are thoroughly enjoying the city they now call home.

It just seems like theres a lot more happening here for families, he said. I dont know if well ever get through it all.  Were just really impressed.

His children enjoy visiting Six Flags Fiesta Texas, but Boekweg, 49, said he also enjoys the friendly people and mild winters of San Antonio.

My family has integrated really well, he said. Its just a great community.

S.A. Growth: Is the Alamo City prepared for the next million people?

Boekwegs relocation is indicative of a larger trend happening in San Antonio. The city is growing  so much that it topped the national list for largest raw numeric growth in population among all U.S. cities of 50,000 residents or more, data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau shows.

San Antonio gained 24,208 residents between July 1, 2016, and July 1, 2017, annual population estimates just released by the federal agency show. That amounts to an average of 66 people per day, the Census Bureau said.

The surge pushed the citys population above 1.5 million for the first time. That marks an increase of almost 185,000 people in the city limits since the 2010 census.

San Antonio remains the seventh-largest city in the country. Its latest population estimate is 1,511,946.

The growth spurt recorded from 2016 to 2017 outnumbered strong gains measured in Phoenix, Dallas, Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta and Austin, the latest census data shows.

San Antonios top ranking might prompt others to hold the city in a different regard than in years past, some said.

I think in some ways, it will potentially begin to help others in the country see that San Antonio isnt a sleepy little city in South Texas, Texas State Demographer Lloyd Potter said. Its growing more than any other city in the country.

Read more: Developers ready for growth surge in far West Side

Even though its been the seventh-largest (city) for some time, when you tell people that, theyre like, Oh, really? So in some ways, this may kind of help put an exclamation point on that and help people see that San Antonio is a powerhouse city.

By contrast, growth in Houston, which just a few years ago seemed poised to take over Chicagos position as the third-largest city in the U.S., has hit a snag with fewer and fewer people moving there.

Houston added just over 8,000 residents, placing it seventh in growth among other Texas cities like Austin, Fort Worth, Dallas and San Antonio.

For five consecutive years from 2011 to 2015, Houston remained in the top three cities that had added the most people. But now the Bayou City  known for its sprawl and elastic economy  has fallen behind a trend that began in 2016 when Houston first showed signs of slowing down. The city recorded four consecutive years of averaging more than 30,000 new residents between 2011 and 2015.

Potter says the substantial change in Houston growth is perplexing.

No demographic breakdown is available for the city population data just released, so theres no way to know the ages, races, ethnicities or genders of San Antonios or Houstons newest residents.

While some of San Antonios growth occurred because people moved here, some of it can also be attributed to births outnumbering deaths, Potter said.

Potter noted that when Bexar County gained 30,831 new residents during the same one-year period, nearly half of that number  48 percent  was due to births exceeding deaths here, while the rest  52 percent  came from people moving here.

That granular level of detail isnt available in the latest data for San Antonio. But the breakdown of whats driving the citys population growth probably mirrors the migration and birth patterns seen in the countys numbers, said Potter, a demography professor and director of the Texas State Data Center at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Read more: Census citizenship question draws fire

Boekweg called San Antonios top ranking not at all surprising, noting thats why his employer, Haynie & Co., opted to expand into this market in November.

We did know that it was booming down here, said Boekweg, a partner for the accounting firm. And this was the time to get into it.

Amado Sonny Espinoza, 70, also wasnt startled by the data. He and his wife lived in Roswell, New Mexico for 42 years, but moved to San Antonio late last year to be close to their son and baby granddaughter.

I think the biggest thing that Im sort of worried about is the infrastructure not keeping up with the growth, said Espinoza, a career agent with New York Life. It is a nightmare to think about.

He pointed to projections that an additional 1.1 million people will move into Bexar County by 2040.

How in the world are we going to handle that? Espinoza asked.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the latest census numbers show why the city must act to accommodate its surging population and ensure that we have a quality city in which existing residents and new ones can thrive in.

That includes fundamentals, such as transportation planning, housing, water supply, energy and basic services, he said.

This pace of growth is a key reason for the rising demand (for) affordable housing, Nirenberg said. Increased demand for housing is driving pricing up. Inventories are being stretched. And San Antonio must act without delay to address the need for more supply at affordable prices if our workforce is going to find a place of value to live in.

While San Antonio faces challenges with housing and transportation, it hasnt yet reached a crisis point with either of those issues unlike some other cities, Nirenberg said. San Antonio has the advantage of addressing both issues ahead of time, he said.

Home sales in San Antonio also have risen along with citys population.

Last year, 13,363 homes were sold inside the city limits compared to 12,792 in 2016, according to data provided by the San Antonio Board of Realtors. Each quarter in 2017 consistently showed home sales were up compared to the same period in 2016.

Sales of newly constructed single-family homes also have been trending upward. Last year, 1,121 newly constructed houses were sold inside San Antonios city limits, compared to 802 sold in 2016, SABORs data showed.

Brandon Davis, 26, a CVS Pharmacy supervisor, said he moved back to San Antonio in August 2016 after living here more than a decade ago. He relocated here from the Dallas-Fort Worth area and previously had lived in multiple cities around the country.

I moved across the country, I came back here and I was just stunned at how much growth has occurred, Davis said of San Antonio. It isnt what it was 20 years ago, where everything was just slowly growing.

He quickly lists what he likes about San Antonio: Its a slower pace of living  theres not a lot of traffic. You dont have to deal with the tolls. Its not as hectic or chaotic like Dallas, where it takes you almost an hour to get from one city to the other. Here  everything feels so close to home.

Davis also pointed to San Antonios lower cost of living, noting his move here was a long-term investment of sorts.

Once I decide to have a family, I thought this town would probably be a better bang for my buck than being up in Dallas, he said.

John Billings, 71, a retiree who moved to San Antonio in 2015 from the Kansas City area after the death of his wife, said he enjoys San Antonios friendly people, the citys diversity and its many social amenities. Hes preparing to move to Wisconsin this summer, but said he will continue to spend his winters here.

I would have assumed San Antonio is a fast-growing area because Im familiar with the housing market, Billings said. Prices have gone sky high. And thats the result of people coming in  supply and demand.

I never dreamed I would ever pay this much for an apartment, Billings said of the place he rents on the central North Side.

City officials have been preparing for the large growth that is expected to continue occurring.

The SA Tomorrow comprehensive plan addresses how to grow throughout the city while preserving the unique character that makes San Antonio such a special place, City Manager Sheryl Sculley said.

Peggy OHare is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of her stories here. | pohare@express-news.net | @Peggy_OHareRobert Ussery, a known conspiracy theorist, walked onto the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs lawn on March 5 and told Frank Pomeroy, the pastor, that his daughter who was killed in the November massacre never even existed.

Ussery, who refers to himself as Side Thorn Journalist, was arrested for trespassing along with Jodi Mann, known as Conspiracy Granny, by Wilson County police. Now he also faces a federal charge for being a felon in possession of a firearm that day.

The federal complaint, unsealed Wednesday, says he was carrying a semi-automatic pistol when he approached Pomeroy.

Ussery is in federal custody and could face up to 10 years in prison. He is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry Bemporad on Thursday afternoon.

The truth is out there, reads the top post on Usserys website. He and Mann, his partner, both believe that the Sutherland Springs massacre and a host of other mass shootings are a government hoax.

He continually yelled and screamed and hollered and told me he was gonna hang me from a tree, and pee on me while Im hanging, Pomeroy told the Express-News in March.

During the March confrontation with Pomeroy, Ussery demanded Pomeroy produce his daughters birth certificate. Pomeroy said Ussery had been harassing the Sutherland Springs community since November.

Ussery and Mann were eventually arrested for trespassing and resisting arrest. They were released from the Wilson County jail two days later on bail.

Ussery was convicted of stealing a vehicle in Brazoria County in 1984, the federal complaint states.

I finally took a deep breath when Frank texted me this morning that Side Thorn and his companion were in custody, said Sherri Pomeroy, the pastors wife.

You dont realize till its over how much time and energy you spend looking over your shoulder when youve been through something like this, she said.

Silvia Foster-Frau is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of her stories here. | sfosterfrau@express-news.net | @SilviaElenaFFWASHINGTON  Chip Roy says there was no complacency on his part leading to his narrow runoff victory Tuesday over Matt McCall in the Republican contest for the District 21 congressional seat of San Antonio Republican Lamar Smith, whos retiring.

I felt wonderful yesterday knowing that we left everything on the field and had done everything we knew how to do, running what I believe was a very positive campaign focused on the issues and my track record, he said Wednesday.

Joseph Kopser, who captured the Democratic nomination, said hell be wooing independents and disillusioned Republicans in his quest to break the GOPs three-decade stranglehold on a district that was drawn red and continues to look that way.

Meanwhile, Gina Ortiz Jones signaled that she will be aggressive in taking on U.S. Rep. Will Hurd in District 23, an approach that seemed out of character for the mild-mannered Pete Gallego, Hurds opponent in the past two elections.

There are lots of questions about Will Hurds voting record, she said after coasting to her victory in a runoff election.

At the start of the general election campaign for Congress, candidates signaled strategies they likely will embrace in the two contested San Antonio-area congressional districts.

Roy, 45, who was Sen. Ted Cruzs chief of staff before making the race, defeated McCall, who had little success in the past challenging Smith, by 1,819 votes.

Roys margin of victory appeared scant, given his support and fundraising assistance from Cruz, an endorsement from Smith and a late television ad sponsored by the conservative Club for Growth warning that McCalls election could make the difference in Democrats capturing the House and elevating California Rep. Nancy Pelosi to speaker.

We never accepted the conventional wisdom in Washington and Austin that I had this sewn up or even that we were the front-runner. Mr. McCall was a capable candidate who had run several times and had a very strong block of support. I think thats important for people to understand. We feel exceptional that we were even able to, in a short period of time, run a strong campaign and come out on top.

In Kopser, Roy will be up against a candidate unlike Republicans in the district have seen before  an entrepreneur and Iraq War veteran who takes a more moderate, business-oriented approach than many Democrats.

At the same time, Kopser lacks the political skills of Roy who, as Cruz put it, stood shoulder to shoulder and side by side in Cruzs consequential battles in Washington.

Roy referred to Kopsers service as an Army Ranger as an awesome thing that hes done in support of our country but added that he and Kopser present voters with a distinctly different choice.

Whether were talking about opposition to the (Republican) tax bill, whether were talking about the issue of life and the funding of Planned Parenthood, whether were talking about protection of our Second Amendment rights, whether were talking about single-payer health care  we have very clear distinctions on issue after issue and I think that those will become more clear as the campaign wears on, he said.

Kopser, 47, rebounded from a second-place finish in the March primary to a 58-42 percent victory over Mary Wilson, who raised less than one-tenth of Kopsers $1.1 in receipts and had just $10,000 in her campaign treasury this month.

Kopser remarked that GOP voters choice of Roy or McCall Tuesday was between far to the right and farther to the right.

I have said from Day 1 that our mission was to bring a new era, a new strategy, talking about the issues of health care, immigration and the environment and do it in such a way that we are able to emphasize jobs, opportunity and education, he said, summing up his approach.

Kopser noted his hopes of appealing to Republicans troubled by the chaos that often surrounds President Donald Trump, a strategy that might yield dividends with suburban Republican women in San Antonio and Austin, polling suggests.

Weve also received a lot of warm reaction from independents and Im not going to be at all surprised if we start to bring over those disillusioned Republicans who are orphaned by their party right now, he said.

Analysts see the Hurd-Jones contest as potentially one of the nations closest. Some handicappers give Hurd a slight edge. Nathan Gonzales, editor and publisher of the nonpartisan Inside Elections, ranks it as toss-up.

The 23d district has hosted close races for multiple cycles now and it just seems inevitable that this is going to be a close race. I think the congressman may be facing some headwinds this time around. Hes proven that he can win tough elections, but I think this could be tougher than before, he said.

Jones gave notice that she will be aggressive on issues such as Hurds vote for the GOP tax bill.

Will Hurd is probably going to talk about the little amount of money people are seeing in their paychecks from the tax bill. But we will highlight how thats all gone, she said, noting higher gas prices recently and the potential for a boost soon in health care premiums.

Hurd campaign manager Justin Hollis responded: Nancy Pelosi thinks that tax reform amounts to only crumbs for Americans. As Pelosis hand-picked candidate, its no surprise that Gina would fall right in line with her to take more money from hard-working Americans.

Voters can expect to see a flood of outside money in the race. Hurd will receive assistance from the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC that promotes House Republicans and runs negative ads against Democratic challengers. Two years ago, the GOP-aligned group spent $1.8 million in ads against Gallego leading up to Hurds victory.

Congressional Leadership Fund announced recently that it already has budgeted $2.1 million for advertising likely to target Jones. And as part of a new strategy, Congressional Leadership Fund has opened an office in San Antonio, among 34 around the country, that is training interns and volunteers to contact between 50,000 and 80,000 voters. In addition, Hurds district is one of 30 that will be included in a $10 million digital ad campaign.AUSTIN  As a lifelong Democrat, Austin resident Charlena Sanchez-Rocha applauded as she watched Lupe Valdez accept the Democratic gubernatorial nomination and promise to come out swinging against Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in November.

But with Abbott packing a $41 million campaign punch of his own, Sanchez-Rochaq readily admits Abbott will knock out Valdez in the general election.

Having a Latina on the ballot may get more brown people like me to turn out and vote, and that will be a good thing, the 47-year-old massage therapist and mother of three said Wednesday. Valdezs campaign began moving to raise what insiders said will be at least $10 million to fully develop a longshot ground game to defeat Abbott.

In an unpredictable political season, affected by such things as President Trump, Hurricane Harvey and the bathroom bill, political experts still say there is little chance the 70-year-old, retired Dallas County sheriff can beat the well-funded Abbott. Her legacy may be boosting Latino turnout in Texas.

No one expects Valdez to have that much of a ripple effect down here, but if she does then the person with the biggest smile will be Beto ORourke in his (U.S.) Senate race against Ted Cruz, said Jerry Polinard, a political science professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley who has lived in heavily Latino South Texas for nearly 50 years. If she gets Latinos to turn out and vote, thats what the Democrats are hoping for.

Part of the universitys campus is located in Hidalgo County, a Democratic stronghold that Polinard said has never elected a Republican to countywide office.

Despite low expectations, Valdez remains optimistic, repeatedly telling supporters she is tired of hearing about her slim chances.

Please tell me when I didnt have an uphill battle, she said, noting her personal resume as the daughter of migrant farm workers, working two jobs to pay for college and rising through the ranks of law enforcement to be elected the first Latina sheriff in GOP-strong Dallas County, a position she held for 14 years.

Valdez joins a growing group of women, including many Democrats in Texas, who have won primary and runoff elections this year, in what party officials are predicting will fuel their promised blue wave against Republicans in the general election  and end a 24-year drought for Democrats getting elected to statewide office, the longest of any state.

Valdezs performance Tuesday, though, lacked the wallop that many of her supporters had hoped for. Less than 3 percent of registered Democrats turned out to vote, and Valdez beat White by roughly 5 percent, much less than her supporters had hoped after she bested him by nearly 16 percentage points in the March 6 primary.

While runoff turnout is always less than the primary, Tuesdays vote tally of approximately 429,000 Democrats represents the smallest total turnout in a Democratic gubernatorial runoff since 1920.

But Democratic party officials looked at it a different way. They said it was the highest for all statewide Democratic runoffs since 2000  the highest runoff turnout in a generation, as Manny Garcia, the partys deputy executive director, put it.

The blue wave is rising and this is just the start, he said of Tuesdays results. We got to do everything in our power to make sure that every eligible Texas voter knows whats at stake.

Even so, political scientists such as Cal Jillson at Dallas Southern Methodist University said 2018 could represent the low point for the Democratic Party in Texas if they dont do as well as theyre predicting this fall.

Valdez is a key, even though she has little chance against Abbott.

Shes had a lot of trouble raising money so far, but should be able to raise more now that shes the nominee, he said. But if she cant get up to the $10 million shell need to run a solid campaign, shell have trouble. There are a lot of first things the Valdez campaign needs to do, but one of them is to talk to White and get him involved.

She cant win without his help, Jillson said, echoing the sentiments of Austin political consultants and other political scientists.

On Wednesday, as Valdez conducted media interviews, her campaign staff was reported busy with plans to launch a statewide fundraising drive and expand the compact campaign staff for the November race against Abbott.

For his part, White said he had not talked Wednesday with Valdez. But he intends to help her campaign, and hopes she will help turn out the Latino vote for Democrats in the fall.

It wasnt a huge turnout on Tuesday in South Texas and El Paso, but I think having Lupe on the ticket will definitely help, he said.

Much of Whites voting strength came Tuesday from the Houston area, his hometown, and rural areas where many moderate Democrats still hold sway. As she plots her charge against Abbott, Valdez will need those Democrats who did not vote for her on Tuesday to come aboard in November.

In South Texas, where Sanchez-Rocha grew up, she hopes the same thing can happen. And she thinks that while some Valdez supporters might not have voted for White, had he been selected the Democratic nominee, his supporters are more likely to support her.

But its tradition to care about the local races, and not so much about the ones in Austin, she said. I hope that changes this year.

For its part, Abbotts campaign began throwing punches at Valdez weeks ago, accusing her of being too liberal for Texas for her call to overturn a state ban on sanctuary cities and her pro-choice stance on abortion. Their latest punch came just after White conceded on Tuesday.

Lupe Valdez's inability to articulate a clear vision for Texas, coupled with her lack of leadership in Dallas County, proves that she is wrong for Texas, Texans For Greg Abbott spokesman Alejandro Trevino said in a statement that accompanied the release of a new attack video, Lupe Valdez: Wrong for Texas.

As she continues in her struggle to give definitive answers on questions like whether or not she would raise taxes on Texans, Governor Abbott will be crisscrossing the state articulating his message of economic freedom and individual liberty.Re: N. Korea postpones talks with South, Nation & World, May 16:

North Korea threatens to pull out of June 12 summit?

Im shocked.

Looks like Kim Jong Un has trumped Trump.

Francoise Wilson, Kerrville

Civility lost

Re: Hagee part of embassys opening; Cornerstones founder prays at Jerusalem site, front page, May 15:

My conscience compels me to comment on this article. First, I know of no religious scripture that supports the ideology that Hagee so freely espouses, much of which was touched on in this story. Which, then, begs the question, From whence does he draw his education?

Sadly, Hagee and others support a culture of relativism and exclusivity, alienating whole groups of people, people that are all part of the same humanity. Sound bites, tweets, showmanship and cash have become cultural truisms. Universal norms and standards for civility are all but lost, and even at times mocked.

It sickens me to think that the voices of reason and inclusion are often silenced, while the money changers hold the keys to the temple!

Nancy Draves

Treat our vets

Re: Gulf War vets ills shrugged off by VA, front page, May 13:

As a former Army cavalry scout and Gulf War veteran who remains ill as a result of my military service in Desert Storm, I thank the Express-News for highlighting our serious challenges obtaining care and benefits from the VA since 1991.

Kudos also go to retired Marine Capt. David Winnett for his outstanding advocacy.

I urge the VA to provide the quality and timely medical care and benefits we earned due to our illnesses related to our military service.

For the the VA to accomplish its vital mission, Congress must fully fund the agency so it has the experienced doctors who can promptly treat us, as well as the trained claims processors who can review our claims in a timely and accurate manner.

Paul Sullivan, Bethesda, MarylandFAIRFIELD  Memorial Day means a lot of things in Fairfield, not the least of which is honoring those who have died in service to the country.

It also means the unofficial start to summer, and the beach sticker requirement, pancakes for breakfast, a food drive for veterans and a chance to register to vote.

The weekend begins with a flag raising at the gatehouse of the South Benson Marina, 471 Turney Road, at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the ceremony will include participants from the Police and Fire departments, Boy Scouts, and veterans.

Immediately afterward at 10 a.m., the Memorial Sea Ceremony will be held at the marina at the Russell Memorial. The event is held to honor those who were lost at sea, or buried at sea, while in the armed forces. After the ceremony, a boat detail will place a memorial wreath on Long Island Sound.

Sunday will mark the first day that residents can put out blanket and chairs along the parade route to save their spot. Several years ago, when people had begun to save spots almost a week before the parade, the Police Commission adopted a new policy at the request of veterans organizations. Now, spots cant be reserved more than 24 hours prior to the start of Mondays parade.

On Monday, when the parade steps off from South Pine Creek at 10 a.m., rain or shine, you can fuel up for the day at St. Pauls annual pancake breakfast. The church is located at 661 Old Post Road, right next to the Town Hall Green. Breakfast starts at 7 a.m., and is free for all service personnel. Proceeds this year will benefit the Mercy Learning Center and the Edrice Lewis Viechweg Scholarship.

The theme for this years parade is Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Tet Offensive, and the speaker at the cremeony that follows is the Rev. Thomas Simisky, president of Fairfield Prep.

The parade goes along the Post Road, turning onto the Old Post Road at the library, and then goes past the reviewing stand at the Town Hall Green, ending just past South Benson Road.

No traffic will be permitted along the parade route beginning at 9:30 a.m., and no through traffic will be allowed on South Pine Creek Road after 9 a.m. There is also no parking along the parade route, and temporary no parking signs will be posted.

The Rotary Clubs truck will be at the head of the parade, to collect donations of non-perishable food and monetary donations for Homes for the Brave. Volunteers with buckets will also be walking along the route.

Before heading off to a family picnic or the beach, stop by the Fairfield Public Library on Monday and register to vote, if you have not already. The Fairfield League of Women Voters will be on hand from 9 a.m. to noon to register new voters.

If you dont have plans of your own once the parade and speeches are done, youre invited to the Fairfield Museum and History Centers 11th annual Memorial Day picnic. Bring your own blanket and picnic, or take advantage of the Best Food Fast food truck. There will be free admission to the museum, a roving accordion player and the popular watermelon eating contest. The picnic runs from noon to 3 p.m.

If you plan to head to the beach this weekend and you have not yet gotten your parking sticker, it will cost you a daily fee of $50, whether or not youre a resident.The fugitive brother of the late Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr., one of the local executives in President Rodrigo Dutertes drug list, was arrested Wednesday by Taiwanese immigration authorities. Philippine National Police spokesman Chief Supt. John Bulalacao said that Ozamiz City Councilor Ricardo Parojinog, the younger brother of Reynaldo, was arrested in Taiwan for violating immigration laws. What I can tell you now that is it confirmed that Ardot Parojinog was arrested yesterday [Wednesday] by the Taiwan government for illegal entry, Bulalacao said, referring to the younger Parojinog by his nickname. Ardot Parojinogs arrest came 10 months after he fled Ozamiz City following the death of his brother Reynaldo and his wife Susan and 14 others in a raid by PNP operatives in September last year. President Duterte has offered a P5-million bounty for Ardots arrest. Last week, police raided his office and lodging house in Ozamis City and seized a cache of firearms and illegal drugs. The Ozamiz City councilor was being hunted for his alleged involvement in the illegal drugs trade and complicity to other unlawful acts. On Tuesday, a known Parojinog prosecutor, Geronimo Marave Jr., was assassinated. Bulalacao could not say how long it would take for the Taiwan authorities to deport Parojinog. It is not yet definite [referring to deportation] because the process may take long depending on how fast the Taiwan government could process the deportation of Parojinog, Bulalacao said.Malacanang welcomed the arrest. This is good news, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in a press briefing in Marawi City. Parojinog, younger brother of slain Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr., was reportedly arrested as he tried to enter Taiwan with illegal immigration documents. Roque said Parojinog will have to face the court of justice to determine if he was indeed involved in illegal drugs trades and other illicit activities. For the residents of the city of Parojinog, we will make sure that justice will be served. He will be investigated and punished if he really violated the law, Roque said. He encouraged Ozamiz residents to coordinate with the police if they have complaints against Parojinog. Parojinog is said to be detained in Ping Tung in the southernmost part of Taiwan, and will face the county prosecutor, sources said. He is being held incommunicado by Taiwan authorities while he is under investigation for illegal entry, falsified documents, and other possible criminal activities while in Taiwan.If you think writing a farm bill makes for strange bedfellows, just look at whos allied against President Donald J. Trumps up-and-down trade talks with China: the deeply conservative Wall Street Journal and the decidedly undecided Financial Times, or FT.

On May 8, FTs Martin Wolf described Americas draft framework guiding U.S-China trade talks earlier that week as an ultimatum from the Trump administration (that) is either so foolish that it does not understand (trade) or (is) so arrogant that it does not care.

What lit up Wolf the most were U.S. demands that, he wrote, were to be concrete and verifiable.

Some of those demands required:

China to reduce its trade balance with the U.S. by $100 billion in 12 months beginning June 2019;

that China agrees to abide by U.S. export control laws;

that China will open access to services and farm products as the U.S. specifies; and

that if China objects to any of the demands, the U.S. may impose tariffs or import restrictions on China.

Wolf called the requirements ridiculous, noting that for China to meet just one of these conditions  say, cut its trade surplus with the U.S. in the coming years  it would be forced to violate several others within the same deal.

Policy reversal

Someone at the White House got Wolfs clear, simple message before the U.S. negotiators got back from Beijing because on May 13 the president took to Twitter to announce yet another of his stunning reversals of U.S. policy.

The White House, Trump decided, would give Chinas state-owned ZTE Corp. a reprieve from potentially crippling U.S. sanctions in exchange for Beijing removing tariffs on billions of dollars of U.S. agricultural products, explained the Wall Street Journal in a May 15 front-page story.

That unexpected reversal, the Journal explained the same day in its lead editorial, undermines (Trumps) own policy (because) ZTE sold telecom equipment containing U.S. technology to five embargoed countries: Iran, Sudan, North Korea, Syria and Cuba.

Second chance

That violation, the Journal went on to note, meant In 2016 the Obama Administration banned ZTE from buying U.S. components, which effectively put the company out of business.

And yet, Two weeks later it gave ZTE a second chance, and the company agreed to pay a $1.2 billion fine (but) it got caught again.

Question: What kind of foreign company gets caught twice breaking U.S. laws?

Answer: A foreign company that has complete disdain for U.S. laws.

Now, however, the president  because he promised to protect your farm export markets in China   is giving a reprieve to ZTE in return for China lifting tariffs it imposed in response to misguided U.S. tariffs, noted the Journal.

In other words, the Journal goes on to repeat itself to emphasize its startling disbelief, Mr. Trump is undermining U.S. credibility on sanctions in order to dodge tariff retaliation on the U.S. Farm Belt that Mr. Trump invited with his protectionism.

Meanwhile, theres no sign so far that Mr. Xi is bending on the IP (intellectual property) theft or other predatory behavior.

So, say these titans of the international business press, current White House trade policy really means the United States is willing to trade its sovereignty and dignity to China, a nation who sells intellectual property stolen from us to our enemies, in order to dodge tariff retaliation on the U.S. Farm Belt that our Tweeter-in-Chief begged for  and got  with his earlier, misguided steel tariffs.

Great again

That means the White House now wants you and me to become partners in making Chinas state-owned ZTE  a company (that) used an elaborate system of shell companies to deceive the U.S.  great again so that their equipment could be used to spy on or sabotage networks again.

This isnt free trade, fair trade or even bad trade. Its lunacy.

Hopefully, U.S. and Chinese trade negotiators, meeting again in Washington soon, can forge a far better deal than one that relies on us coddling corporate criminals in order to export soybeans, corn and pork.Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and Heinz Endowments joining Sand County Foundation to present new Leopold Conservation Award

CAMP HILL, Pa.  A major award that celebrates voluntary conservation by farmland owners is coming to Pennsylvania.

This year Pennsylvania will become the 14th state to present the Leopold Conservation Award in partnership with the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and Heinz Endowments.

Sand County Foundation, which encourages private land conservation, presents the Leopold Conservation Award to farmers and foresters for achievement in voluntary conservation on private working lands.

The inaugural award will be presented at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in January. The recipient receives $10,000 and a crystal award depicting Aldo Leopold.

Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes those who inspire others with their dedication to land, water and wildlife habitat management on private, working land.

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau President Rick Ebert said the award is another occasion to recognize and reward farmers, who are going above and beyond in adopting Best Management Practices on their farms to protect the environment.

Nominations. Nominations for the first Pennsylvania Leopold Conservation Award are now being accepted, and they can be submitted on behalf of a landowner, or landowners may nominate themselves.

The application can be found at https://sandcountyfoundation.org/uploads/Pennsylvania-2018-CFN.pdf (link opens .pdf).

Applications must be postmarked by Aug. 15, 2018. For more information, visit www.leopoldconservationaward.org.

Other Leopold Conservation Award supporters

The Pennsylvania Leopold Conservation Award is made possible through the support of platinum sponsor, Heinz Endowments, and the assistance and support of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Center for Dairy Excellence, and Dairymens Association.

In addition to Pennsylvania, Sand County Foundation presents the award in California, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.WINDSOR, Ohio  Portage and Mahoning counties will hold a joint junior 4-H camp July 8-14 at 4-H Camp Whitewood in Ashtabula County.

You do not have to be a 4-H member or live in one of these counties to attend this camp, which will include hiking, swimming, boating, crafts, archery and shooting sports, conservation and recreation.

Cost is $315 and additional information is available by calling 330-533-5538 or 330-296-6432. You can also register online at www.4hcampwhitewood.com.

  

CANFIELD, Ohio  The Mahoning County Junior Fair board hosted their annual picnic at the Canfield Fairgrounds May 18. Guest speakers were Dave Kohout from Talk Is Cheap and Beth Smith the 4-H educator for Mahoning County.

The group received papers to help with keeping records of awards, community service and other events you completed in your youth organization.

Following the picnic, a sensory training program was led by Kori Kemp, 4-H adviser. The training was to simulate having different disabilities or limitations and how to cope with them.

Upcoming activities include the Small Animal Fun Show, June 9, and the Market Livestock Skillathon, June 27.

Both events will be on the fairgrounds and participation in the Canfield Fourth of July Parade.

The junior fair board will have its next meeting June 28 in the Junior Fair Restaurant on the fairgrounds. There will be makeup pictures and meeting to follow at 7 p.m.

  

SALEM, Ohio  4-Hers Unlimited met April 22 for its monthly meeting. President Justine Knauf reported on the success of the annual 4-H Easter Egg Hunt. Over 10,000 eggs were put out and collected by area youth.

Safety Officer Katherine Pomponio discussed the importance of using sunscreen. Health Officer Jenna Vrabel gave a report on laughter.

Recreation Leader Lindsey Knauf led the club in a game of Ships and Sailors and the Cloverbuds learned about birds native to Ohio.

Cloverbuds also made bird feeders out of bagels, pinecones, shortening, and birdseed.

  

NORTH BENTON, Ohio  The Village Varieties 4-H club held its monthly meeting May 8, 7 p.m., at North Benton Church. Tami Bardo, the guest speaker, talked about making maple syrup.

Remington Jones gave a health report on 10 signs of a healthy rabbit, gave a safety report on swimming and demonstrated how to make paper bookmarks.

Brooke Manley gave a safety report on how to stay safe outside and Maddie Manley also gave a safety report on swimming. Tomy Kemp demonstrated things to check for before starting a tractor.

The next club meeting is June 6 at the North Benton Church at 7 p.m.A 17-year-old man has died in an incident involving a tractor on a farm in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

Police attended the scene of the sudden death of apprentice mechanic Neil Graham at a farm in the Boho Road area of Enniskillen, on Tuesday (May 22).

It is reported that the incident involved a tractor whilst it was in a garage.

The death is not being treated as suspicious. The Health and Safety Executive NI says it is aware of an incident and is making enquiries.

Mr Graham's cousin paid tributes, saying everyone thought the world of him.

"He was brilliant, really witty and very popular. Everyone thought the world of him," Mark Ovens told The Belfast Telegraph.

"He loved where he lived, he loved the outdoors and he loved getting his hands dirty."

Recent farm tragedy

Farm safety procedures have been cast in the spotlight following the deaths of six farm workers in separate accidents within the space of five weeks.

The death of Mr Henry follows the death of a farmer, also from Northern Ireland, who died following a tragic quad bike accident on 14 May.

A man in his early 20s died on a County Down farm on 4 May.

A 54-year-old man from Perth and Kinross died after handling bags of fertliser on 29 April.

In the Western Isles of Scotland, 58-year-old farmer Hector McLeod was trampled to death by a herd of cows on the 24 April.

In Suffolk, a man in his 40s died following an accident on a potato farm in Bury St Edmunds on 17 April.

Agriculture remains the most dangerous profession in the UK  yet many of the fatalities and serious injuries reported each year can be easily avoided.

Figures from the HSE have revealed that in 2016/17, agriculture had the highest rate of fatal injury, around 18 times higher than the All Industry rate.Farmers could enter contracts post-Brexit to provide public benefits in return for guaranteed payments over the long term, but only if it makes good business sense to do so.

The CLA, a rural organisation representing landowners and farmers, has published its paper detailing a new mechanism for how a post-Brexit public goods scheme should work for farming, the environment and society.

The new report, published on Wednesday (23 May), explains how a "Land Management Contract" should be designed and delivered in England as part of a new national agricultural policy once UK farming transitions away from the current system of direct payment.

The CLAs proposed Land Management Contract is a commercial business proposition, with the farmer entering a contract to provide public benefits in return for payments.

The paper emphasises that while a new public goods scheme delivered through Land Management Contracts presents significant opportunities for environmental improvement, these benefits will only be delivered if the new scheme attracts farmers and land managers by making good business sense.

This will require the Government to commit to transferring, over time, at least the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) spend into the new public goods scheme, to ensure sufficient incentive. In England this current spend under the CAP is 2.2bn per year.

New system

The proposal follows as Defra Secretary Michael Gove announced earlier this year that farmers will receive money to make improvements to the environment under a new system of subsidies.

Under it, farmers will be rewarded for planting wildlife habitats, woods, wildflower meadows and other environmental benefits after Britain leaves the European Union in March 2019.

The government plans to guarantee that BPS payments will continue for a transition period in England, which should last a number of years beyond the implementation period, depending on consultation.

Mr Gove has frequently attacked the EU's CAP, calling it "environmentally damaging and socially unjust".

CLA President, Tim Breitmeyer said the vision where profitable food production and environmental improvement goes hand in hand is "the right one".

For a long time the CLA has advocated a policy that incentivises land managers to deliver public goods like creating new habitats for wildlife, action to improve soil quality and delivering high standards of animal welfare," Mr Breitmeyer said.

Profitable food production

He said the policy will only succeed if it sits alongside a plan for supporting profitable food production, through a transition period and for the long term.

There is now clear political will to support this approach, but it is crucial that this milestone towards a sustainable future for the countryside is thoughtfully designed and well delivered," Mr Breitmeyer added.

If the scheme does not make good business sense, and is not designed to work alongside profitable food production, the opportunity will be lost."

Mr Breitmeyer said the scheme must have sufficient investment whilst avoiding "unnecessary complexities and burdensome red tape".

He said it also means long term guaranteed payments so that farm businesses can have the certainty that is crucial in planning for a resilient future.Over 270 sheep have been stolen overnight near Bridgwater, Somerset in what the police has described as a "huge loss for the farmer".

Avon and Somerset Police are appealing for more information following the large theft from land at Steart Marshes near Bridgwater.

The 92 ewes and 184 lambs were taken overnight between Thursday 10 and Friday 11 May and are a mix of breeds, although the majority of them are Pedigree Easy care ewes.

This breed of ewe is very unusual and should therefore be easily spotted if theyre being held in a field, the police said.

Pedigree Easy care ewes often look skinny and or bald as they shed their wool once it grows a few centimetres long, fields in which theyre kept will be full of the wool the sheep have shed.

Avon and Somerset Police Beat Manager Tony Freeman said the theft is a "huge loss" for the farmer as its estimated the sheep and lambs are worth between 18,000 and 20,000.

"The sheep are not only unusual in their breed but they are also marked on their backs in green, numbers range between 1 and 400," Mr Freeman said.

If you see sheep or lambs matching this description in the area, or have information on their whereabouts please call 101 quoting the reference 5218103055.European and UK bodies have called for the continued availability of animal medicines for farmers post-Brexit and for animal health to be in the centre of negotiations.

MEPs and the animal health industry from both the UK and EU, gathered to discuss the key issues that must be addressed to enable a continuous supply of animal medicines in the EU-27 and the UK post-Brexit.

The event was facilitated by AnimalhealthEurope in conjunction with UK industry body, NOAH (National Office of Animal Health), and Irish association, APHA (Animal and Plant Health Association).

The panel speakers each addressed what they saw to be the main priorities for safeguarding animal health and welfare after the UK leaves the EU.

Roxane Feller, AnimalhealthEurope, believes animal health should be in the centre of Brexit negotiations as sick animals lead to risk of transmissible diseases.

She said such diseases will undermine food safety and therefore human health. She therefore said negotiations must ensure continued access to animal medicines, maintain the collaboration in the field of transboundary diseases and encourage further innovation in the animal health sector by pursuing scientific cooperation.

Dual labelling

John Keogh, spokesperson for APHA explained that the continuation of dual labelling is critical if Irish vets, farmers and pet owners were to retain access to the full range of animal medicines for animal health and welfare.

If dual labelling of UK with any EU Member State cannot continue, instantly the current 70% of Irish products that are dual labelled can no longer be sold in Ireland, he said.

Mr Keogh acknowledged the need for every animal medicine supplied to any EU market to comply with all of the applicable EU regulations and affirmed that he was not seeking to change this, but instead to find a solution that allows dual labelling post-Brexit.

Relocating manufacturing

Dawn Howard, spokesperson for NOAH warned the impact that the UK's exit from the EU will be not just on the UK medicines supply, but on other Member States.

70% of NOAHs members have UK manufacturing or use UK contract manufacturers, which in some cases supply not just the EU, but a global market.

Relocating manufacturing to the EU-27 by 30 March 2019 will prove incredibly difficult, leading to interruption of supply, she said.

Being able to make all changes to packaging by that date is highly unlikely too. This means that perfectly safe medicines will go to waste, supply will be interrupted and animals cannot be treated, she said.

Supply chain restructuring

George Tice, spokesperson for AnimalhealthEurope gave specific company examples of how, despite significant investment in supply chain restructuring and relabelling, it will not be possible to complete the total transition process by 30 March 2019.

This will result in a significant interruption in the provision of medicines for animals in the EU-27  an interruption that will be felt predominantly by the vets, farmers and pet owners in Europe that rely on the availability of these products he said.

The request that George made for an extended transition period to allow supply chains to empty themselves of product that was compliant before 31 March 2019 is one that is echoed industry wide.

'Ensure continuity'

Roxane Feller summarised the key takeout from the evening, that animal diseases do not recognise borders.

Our ultimate goal is to ensure continuity of animal medicines availability for all veterinarians, farmers and pet owners throughout Europe to safeguard animal health and welfare, she said.

For that, workable solutions need to be put in place to ensure minimum disruption to product development and approval and to maintain authorisations.

Ms Feller added: It is especially important that veterinary products that are legally released on the market before 29 March 2019 remain available after the UK departure. We hope the European Parliament will support us in the negotiation.Dorset farmer named Dairy Woman of the Year

She was praised for her work with schoolchildrenDeepika Padukone - Ranveer Singh to MARRY on this DATE of NOVEMBER  FilmiBeat

2018 could easily be termed as the 'Year Of Bollywood Weddings'! It all began with Sonam Kapoor walking down the aisle with her longtime beau Anand Ahuja. Before we could recover from the wedding mania, Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi dropped a pleasant surprise by proclaiming on social media that 'they are now husband and wife'. Elsewhere, Himesh Reshammiya got married to his girlfriend Sonia Kapoor.

You Won't Believe How Karan Johar REACTED When Neha Dhupia Told Him She's Getting Married!

And now all eyes are towards one of Bollywood's adorable couple- Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone. Since a long time, there have strong whispers about their November wedding and now, the latest reports suggest that the lovebirds have already finalized their wedding dates. Scroll down to read more-

Get Ready For The Big Fat Indian Wedding! As per a Spotboye report, Ranveer and Deepika have zeroed in on 19th November as their wedding date. And just like Sonam, the wedding will most probably take place in Mumbai. Ranveer-Deepika's Wedding To Be A Three Day Affair Buzz is that a three-day lavish extravaganza is being planned for all the wedding functions, and the dates are being zeroed down to November 18-20. Deepika Is Utilizing Her Break From Work Like This While her film with Irrfan Khan is currently put on hold due to the actor's ill-health, Deepika is busy with her wedding shopping. Sometime back, the actress had visited her hometown, Bangalore to shop for her impending wedding. We Just Can't Wait For Deep-Veer Wedding As per a Spotboye report, a few months ago, Deepika's parents had flown down to Mumbai from Bangalore to finalize their wedding dates,The meeting took place at Deepika's Prabhadevi residence post which the couple, along with their families, headed to Four Seasons, Worli, for dinner. Meanwhile, In a recent interview with Film Companion when Deepika was asked about her wedding plans, she said, "Marriage is an important institution for me. I've seen my parents, and it's the way that I've been brought up. When it is the right time, I'll feel it. It'll happen when it has to happen."

Not to forget, in her recent interview with Filmfare Middle East, Deepika couldn't stop gushing about Ranveer and was quoted as saying, "I am bored when people say they love his energy. The man has so much more! He is an extremely good human being. He is kind and good to people. He is very real, emotional and sensitive. He is a man who is not afraid to cry and I love that about him. He is a man!"

Looks like the year 2018 is going to end on a sweet note; all thanks to Ranveer-Deepika!

Salman Khan Asked Bobby Deol 'Shirt Utarega?' While Offering Him Race 3; Nope We Ain't Kidding!" title=" Salman Khan Asked Bobby Deol 'Shirt Utarega?' While Offering Him Race 3; Nope We Ain't Kidding!" /> Salman Khan Asked Bobby Deol 'Shirt Utarega?' While Offering Him Race 3; Nope We Ain't Kidding!



SAINT PETERSBURGFrench President Emmanuel Macron will visit Saint Petersburg on Thursday to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, with the Iran nuclear deal as well as the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine on the agenda. The trip is Macrons first to Russia as president and follows a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week. Europe and Moscow are making diplomatic overtures to save the Iran deal, now under threat after the recent US withdrawal. The French and Russian leaders will take the time for an in-depth one-on-one discussion, according the Elysee. Macron will be accompanied by his wife Brigitte during the trip, which will also see him address the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum. The meeting comes almost exactly a year since the freshly elected Macron hosted Putin in Versailles, when the French leader accused Russian media of producing lying propaganda during a joint press conference. This time Putin will welcome the French president to the Konstantin Palace, a former residence of Peter the Great set some 20 kilometers outside Saint Petersburg. The talks take place after President Donald Trump in early May controversially pulled the US out of the 2015 landmark pact with Iran that placed limits on its nuclear program in return for easing economic sanctions. Washington is threatening stinging fresh sanctions if Tehran does not comply with a set of strict new demands. Saving the deal provides a rare point of agreement between Moscow and European countries, which have seen relations tank in recent years over crises in Ukraine and Syria, as well as accusations of meddling in foreign elections and the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in Britain. Russia shares the position of the majority of the international community including Western leaders when it comes to the Iran deal, said Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Moscow Center. The West has realized that a dialogue with Putin is inevitable in order to preserve the accord, he said. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will also visit Russia at the end of the week.Merkel and Abe have already begun a thaw with Moscow and Macron is scared of losing the advantage that France has always had with Russia, Baunov added. But there are a number of sticking points that will prevent a full rapprochement between Paris and Moscow. Chief among them is Syria, where at least 350,000 people have been killed since war broke out in 2011. Moscow intervened in 2015 to prop up its ally President Bashar al-Assadin a move generally seen as decisive in turning around the multi-front conflictwhile France has participated in strikes on regime targets. Another issue is the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which broke out after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and has so far claimed at least 10,000 lives. Paris and Moscow, along with Berlin, signed peace agreements in Minsk in 2015 that aimed to bring the fighting to a close but there is currently no end in sight. On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch also implored Macron to raise the issue of rights abuses with his Russian counterpart, following a crackdown on dissent and pressure on minority groups in the country. He must confirm that the France will never accept the increased repression in Russia as the new normal, the NGO said in a statement. But the talks between the two presidents will not be the only bilateral activity of the day, as a raft of commercial agreements are also set to be signed during the economic forum. The presence of the French president at the forum legitimizes visits by business people. Those who are worried about the risks, sanctions or criticism are covered to a certain extent by the president, analyst Baunov said. If anything, the political leadership will get criticized for this rapprochement and not the business community.Siddharth Malhotra WRITES letter to PM Narendra Modi for Animal Protection |FilmiBeat

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) today claimed that Bollywood actor Sidharth Malhotrahas written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on its behalf, requesting "stronger penalties" for people who commit acts of cruelty to animals.

According to PETA, Malhotra in his letter to the prime minister pointed out that the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, contains "outdated penalties", such as a maximum fine of Rs 50 for convicted first offenders who abuse an animal, which he calls "barely equivalent to a slap on the wrist".

"As a result, the newspapers are filled with reports of disturbing and egregious animal abuse in our country...including incidents in which dogs were poisoned, cows were burned with acid, and cats were beaten to death. This does significant damage to our reputation as a nation that respects animals," the PETAquoted the actor as saying in the letter.

In a statement, it also said Malhotra also goes on to note that psychologists, sociologists, and law-enforcement officials have all documented that children who hurt animals often end up hurting other humans.

"If those guilty of cruelty to animals received jail time and significant fines as well as counselling and a ban on contact with animals it would help ensure that our duty under Article 51A(g) of the Constitution of India to show animals compassion is better upheld and respected and that society at large is protected from violent behaviour," the actor said.

It stated that Malhotra previously starred in a campaign for PETA India whose motto reads, in part, that "animals are not ours to abuse in any way" promoting the sterilisation of dogs and cats.

He, PETA said, joins a line-up of stars who have called for strengthened animal-protection laws, including John Abraham, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arjun Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Raveena Tandon Thadani, Kiran Bedi, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, and Ajinkya Rahane.Only Karan Johar Knew About Neha's Wedding

The actress told Bombay Times, "Less than a week before we got married, I was chilling in Karan's house and I told him I was ready to get married."

This Is How The Director Reacted

"He said it was a great idea and went back to checking posts on social media! When I asked him how he could be so casual about it, he said, it's the right thing to do," Neha went on to reveal.

How The Wedding Fell In Place

"The decision to get married was taken overnight." Neha further said that she met her mother-in-law i.e Angad's mother two days before the wedding who asked her if she was sure of getting married to Angad.

Angad Reveals He Was A Commitment-Phobic Person

"I was a commitment-phobic person. I never thought that I will settle down. Marriage has happened beautifully for me."

On Raising A Kid

"As far as having kids and striking a work-life balance are concerned, I will be able to respond to the situation when I am in it," Angad said.

There's A Life Beyond Work

He continued, "When we are in that situation and those sacrifices have to be made either by her or me, we will do it. Work is important, but there is a life beyond that. Kids are an extension of you and it is important to raise them well. If that requires sacrifice, even professionally, then we will do it. When you have a child, the happiness that it will give you cannot be matched by any number of zeroes on a cheque. So, you got to look at life from that perspective."

Neha Never Wanted To Marry An Actor

In one of her chat sessions when a fan had once asked Neha the name of an actor whom she would like to date, she had said, "I am actually a little wary of dating actors. I don't know how two actors can actually fully get along. I don't know how much of cinemas or films I will be able to speak to him. But no one's on my wish list. My idea of a perfect man or a guy I want to date is a little different than an actor. But there are lots of actors I would like to work with because I am a fan. But there is no one I would like to date."Positioned to Expand Smart Metering and Related Services in Australia

ZUG, Switzerland and SYDNEY, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Global smart metering leader Landis+Gyr (LAND.SW) and Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) today announced an agreement to form a joint venture for the acquisition of Acumen from Australia's largest energy retailer, Origin Energy Limited. The joint venture will be known as intelliHUB Holdings Pty Ltd. The Acumen business includes the existing management and servicing of an already deployed 170,000 meters and a material, long-term contract with Origin Energy for the rollout of additional smart meters across Australia. The parties expect the transaction to close in the coming few months.

The intelliHUB business was established by Landis+Gyr in 2015 in preparation for the mass market rollout of smart meters in Australia under new contestability rules. It benefits from Landis+Gyr's global experience in smart metering technology, systems and operating large scale metering deployments overseas as it has refined the local offering. By acquiring the Acumen business, the combined entity is poised to rollout a significant proportion of the estimated 8 million smart meters to be deployed across NSW, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory starting immediately. Landis+Gyr will be contributing both cash and its intelliHUB business with combined equity value of up to AUD 75 million (approximately USD 57 million at current exchange rates).

Under the new joint ownership structure, the business will benefit from PEP's proven track record in business development to deliver long-term growth, underpinned by strong governance and sustainability. The joint venture has raised a starting position in excess of AUD 500 million of capital to finance the rollout of smart meters in Australia. This comes from a combination of PEP's new AUD 1 billion Secure Assets Fund and a banking consortium of eight leading Australian and global financial institutions.

The business will retain both the intelliHUB and Acumen brands as the combined businesses come together to focus on all facets of residential, consumer and industrial, embedded networks and solar metering services across Australia and New Zealand. The acquisition is an important milestone for Landis+Gyr as it transitions its footprint across Asia Pacific to a multi-faceted business offering market leading products, solutions and services for smart metering rollouts.

In parallel with the establishment of the joint venture, intelliHUB has entered into a five-year meter supply contract with Landis+Gyr with expected volumes of approximately 800,000 smart meters to be deployed to multiple utility customers across Australia and New Zealand.

"Landis+Gyr is the global leader in smart metering and offers the largest portfolio in the industry for utility companies and retailers that help bring the grid into the digital age. We have been investing for several years in our products and solutions for Australia and the partnership with intelliHUB will be crucial to giving the Australian market access to the best of our global smart metering products, solutions and services technologies," said Richard Mora, Landis+Gyr's chief executive officer.

"With deep international experience and having supplied more than 2 million of the 2.9 million smart meters in Victoria, Landis+Gyr has deep knowledge of the Australian market and consumer expectations. In the Power of Choice market structure, bringing together two industry leaders is an ideal solution to meeting customers' requirements. We are very pleased to have partnered with PEP on this acquisition and we are excited to continue to deliver market leading service across the nation and helping consumers better manage their energy," Mora concluded.

Cameron Blanks, Managing Director at PEP said: "The Australian market is just commencing a major widespread deployment of smart metering technology. This requires experienced partners that are acutely focused on the customer experience and getting the most out of this once in a generation technology refresh. We have partnered with Landis+Gyr and we believe this business will create an independent and differentiated experience for energy retailers, providing an exceptional rollout experience with the global leader in metering innovation."

Mr. Blanks added: "We have quickly formed a strong partnership and smooth working relationship with the entire Landis+Gyr team, it has been a pleasure to work with Landis+Gyr's CEO Richard Mora and his colleagues in Australia. Together we have developed a robust model to put our combined expertise towards building and growing the intelliHUB business."

PEP and Landis+Gyr were advised on this transaction by Credit Suisse, Highbury Partnership and Ironstone. Baker & McKenzie and Clayton Utz acted as legal advisers.

About Landis+Gyr

Landis+Gyr is the leading global provider of integrated energy management solutions for the utility sector. Offering one of the broadest portfolios of products and services to address complex industry challenges, the company delivers comprehensive solutions for the foundation of a smarter grid, including smart metering, distribution network sensing and automation tools, load control, analytics and energy storage. Landis+Gyr operates in over 30 countries across five continents. With sales of approximately USD 1.7 billion, the company employs c. 6,000 people with the sole mission of helping the world manage energy better. More information is available at www.landisgyr.com.

About PEP

Pacific Equity Partners is a leading Australasian private equity firm. In addition to successfully managing five private equity LBO funds since its inception in 1998, the firm launched the PEP Secure Assets Fund in late 2017. SAF targets control-based investments across a range of infrastructure sectors including energy, water, transport, health, education and communications that possess a combination of protected cashflows and unrealised growth and performance improvement potential. The team provides strategic management experience and capital resources to maximise the performance of its investee companies through a focus on supporting management to drive operational improvement and realise additional growth opportunities. Further information on PEP and its investee companies can be found at www.pep.com.au.

Disclaimer

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 Landis+Gyr Group AG and those explicitly or implicitly presumed in these statements. Against the background of these uncertainties, readers should not rely on forward-looking statements. Landis+Gyr Group AG assumes no responsibility to update forward-looking statements or to adapt them to future events or developments.Fujitsu Limited Public and Investor Relations Tel: +81-3-3215-5259 URL: www.fujitsu.com/global/news/contacts/

TOKYO, May 24, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu today announced that it has received an order from the Information Initiative Center of Hokkaido University for an interdisciplinary, large-scale computing system with a theoretical peak performance of 4.0 petaflops(1), consisting of a supercomputer system and a cloud system. The system is expected to begin operations in December 2018. The system's supercomputer system is comprised of approximately 1,300 of Fujitsu's x86 servers, including the latest model, the Fujitsu Server PRIMERGY CX2550 M4. The cloud system is equipped with x86 servers installed at Hokkaido University as well as multiple remote locations throughout Japan, now from Hokkaido to Kyushu, that connects to the SINET5(2) academic backbone network, making it a nationwide wide-area distributed cloud system. As such, it can be used for research relating to distributed systems, such as networks and the Internet of Things. In addition to using the system for R&D relating to computational science and computer science, the Information Initiative Center of Hokkaido University will use it to provide computing resources to HPCI(3) and JHPCN(4), thereby broadly providing the system to researchers throughout Japan, including those at private companies, and contributing to advancements in all kinds of fields. With Japan's top high-performance computing technology, Fujitsu will provide powerful support for the activities of the Information Initiative Center of Hokkaido University as well as other research endeavors in Japan.Background to the Deployment of the New SystemHokkaido University, the largest university in Hokkaido, is a national university that is driving education and research. The Information Initiative Center of Hokkaido University provides an academic information platform as a national joint-use facility for academic research by university faculty members, graduate students, and researchers throughout Japan. The Information Initiative Center of Hokkaido University currently operates the Hokkaido University Academic Cloud, which is comprised of an interdisciplinary large-scale computing system that includes a supercomputer system and a cloud system, and petabyte-class data science unified cloud storage.. To upgrade its interdisciplinary large-scale computing system to the Hokkaido University High-Performance Inter-Cloud, it is building both a supercomputer system that will improve the processing performance of the existing system by over 20 times, and a nationwide wide-area distributed cloud system that can also be used for research on clouds and networks. It will further advance uses and research in such existing areas as scientific and technological simulations, AI, big data, and data science, and will provide an environment that can meet an even broader range of needs as people are trained to use the large-scale computing system for groundbreaking research.Features of the New SystemSupercomputer system The new supercomputer system is a massively parallel computer system consisting of subsystem A, which is comprised of 1,004 PRIMERGY CX2550 M4 x86 servers that are equipped with the Intel Xeon Scalable family of processors, and subsystem B, which is comprised of 288 Fujitsu Server PRIMERGY CX1640 M1 x86 servers that are equipped with Intel Xeon Phi processors. Each compute node is connected with Intel Omni-Path Architecture, the latest high-speed interconnect(5), for highly parallel computing performance.Cloud system The new cloud system has 64 x86 servers, including the Fujitsu Server PRIMERGY RX2540 M4 with NVIDIA Tesla V100, the latest GPU computing card, deployed to Hokkaido University and seven more in remote sites in the Kanto, Kansai, and Kyushu regions of Japan.. Connecting these servers to the SINET5 academic backbone network makes it a nationwide wide-area distributed cloud system that extends from Hokkaido to Kyushu. The cloud platform uses the Mirantis Cloud Platform, with OpenStack at its core, delivering the latest research environment.Designed to flexibly meet a wide variety of needs With Fujitsu Software Technical Computing Suite(6), Fujitsu's HPC middleware for large-scale systems, the system offers optimal controls and node occupancy for jobs, improving the convenience of a wide variety of anticipated operations. It also provides flexible electric power controls to conserve power by limiting the maximum electric power consumed by each user and turning the power for nodes on or off.Comment from Dr. Yoshiaki Takai, Director, Information Initiative Center, Hokkaido UniversityThe Hokkaido University High-Performance Inter-Cloud is a transformational research promotion platform for advanced research that uses large-scale computational science simulations, artificial intelligence, big data, and the Internet of Things, leading to the creation of a super-smart society. The deployment of this system, which delivers the dramatically improved peak performance of 4 petaflops, will meet the expectations of universities and research institutions, as well as private sector researchers, throughout Japan, while promoting the further acceleration of academic research in Japan.(1) Petaflops Short for peta floating point operations per second. Peta is an SI prefix indicating one quadrillion, or 10 to the power of 15, so this indicates performance of one quadrillion floating point operations per second.(2) SINET5 SINET stands for Science Information NETwork. It is an information and communications network that is constructed and operated by the National Institute of Informatics as an academic backbone network for universities and research institutions throughout Japan.(3) HPCI High performance computing infrastructure. A computing environment that connects the K computer and major supercomputers located in universities and laboratories across Japan in a network to meet the diverse needs of users.(4) JHPCN Joint Usage/Research Center for Interdisciplinary Large-scale Information Infrastructures. A network of joint use and research locations made up of supercomputer facilities at Hokkaido University, Tohoku University, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nagoya University, Kyoto University, Osaka University, and Kyushu University, with the Information Technology Center at the University of Tokyo serving as the core location.(5) Interconnect High-speed network connecting computation nodes.(6) Fujitsu Software Technical Computing Suite HPC middleware that offers high execution performance for massively parallel applications through system management and job operation functionality, compilers, and libraries.About Fujitsu LtdFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 155,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.5 trillion yen (US$40 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.* Please see this press release, with images, at:http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/Source: Fujitsu LtdContact:Copyright 2018 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.WARSAW, Poland, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

http://www.businessawardseurope.com

Europe's 14 best businesses were named last night in the Gala Final of the 2017/18 European Business Awards, sponsored by RSM, the sixth largest global network of independent audit, tax and consulting firms. This year's programme analysed 112,000 companies from 34 countries, spanning a wide range of industries and sectors.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/696198/European_Business_Awards.jpg )



At the exclusive event in Warsaw, over 450 successful business leaders from across Europe came together with politicians, ambassadors and academics to celebrate the remarkable business achievement on show in Europe's biggest and most prestigious business competition.

VIPs presented the trophies to the 12 category winners after a final live judging session, and a further Award was given to the 'European Public Champion'; the overall winner of the public vote. Additionally, Childbase Partnership from the UK received a Chairman's Select Award.

Adrian Tripp, CEO of the European Business Awards, said: "These companies are the gold standard for business excellence. They are also powerful examples of the growth potential for European business in today's highly competitive global marketplace. They deserve their success and we wish them well."

Jean Stephens, CEO of RSM International, long-term sponsors of the awards, said: "At RSM, we believe it is important to support and champion business growth in Europe. The successful companies at this event are a showcase of extraordinary entrepreneurialism, innovation and leadership and are each playing a part in driving growth in their economies. All those involved are a credit to their country and we wish them every success for the future."

THE WINNERS

Category Winner Country The RSM Entrepreneur of the Year Charlie Hansson, Chas Award Visual Management Sweden The ELITE Award for Growth Strategy of the Year John Paul France The Award for Innovation Aker Biomarine Norway The Germany Trade & Invest Award for International Expansion AquaBioTec Malta The Social Responsibility and Environmental Awareness Award Groupe SEB France The New Business of The Year Award Clicars Spain SL Spain The Workplace and People Development Neylons Facility Republic of Award Management Ireland The Customer and Market Engagement Award Riwal Netherlands Prepaid Financial The Digital Technology Award Services UK The Business of the Year Award with Turnover EUR 0 - 25M BeMatrix Belgium The Business of the Year Award with Turnover EUR26M - 150M Bonum Norway The Business of the Year Award with Turnover EUR150M + Tomra Norway European Public Winner True Potential UK The Chairman's Selection Award Childbase Partnership UK

The business competition began last year with over 112,000 business from 34 countries initially considered. Of those, 2898 businesses were then named 'Ones to Watch' in a list of business excellence published in December. After a further review from a panel of independent judges, 289 companies were announced as 'National Winners' for their countries, and finalists for the competition.

RSM firms provide audit, tax and consulting services to clients across the globe. Within Europe, RSM firms have experts in 43 countries who work as an integrated team, sharing skills, insight and resources, as well as a client-centric approach that is based on a deep understanding of clients' businesses.

The European Business Awards' primary purpose is to support the development of a stronger and more successful business community throughout Europe. Sponsors and partners include RSM, ELITE, Germany Trade & Invest, PR Newswire and Bureau Van Dijk.

For further information about the European Business Awards and RSM please go to http://www.businessawardseurope.com or http://www.rsm.global and follow us on twitter at @rsmEBA

About the European Business Awards:

The European Business Awards' primary purpose is to support the development of a stronger and more successful business community throughout Europe.

The European Business Awards programme serves the European business community in three ways:

 It celebrates and endorses individuals' and organisations' success

 It provides and promotes examples of excellence for the business community to aspire to

 It engages with the European business community to create debate on key issues

The European Business Awards is now in its 11th year. This year, it considered over 112,000 businesses from 34 countries. Sponsors and partners include RSM, ELITE, Germany Trade & Invest, PR Newswire, TRACC and Bureau Van Dijk.

Twitter: @rsmEBA

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/businessawardseurope

LinkedIn:thecompany page "The European Business Awards"

About RSM:

RSM is the sixth largest network of independent audit, tax and consulting firms, encompassing over 120 countries, 800 offices and more than 43,000 people internationally. The network's total fee income is US$5.1 billion.

As an integrated team, we share skills, insight and resources, as well as a client-centric approach that's based on a deep understanding of our clients' businesses. This is how we empower them to move forward with confidence and realise their full potential.

RSM is a member of the Forum of Firms, with the shared objective to promote consistent and high quality standards of financial and auditing practices worldwide.

RSM is the brand used by a network of independent accounting and advisory firms each of which practices in its own right. RSM International Limited does not itself provide any accounting and advisory services. Member firms are driven by a common vision of providing high quality professional services, both in their domestic markets and in serving the international professional service needs of their client base. http://www.rsm.global

About ELITE:

ELITE is a full-service programme designed to share best practice and increase growth opportunities for fast growing companies, with a focus on understanding the capital markets. ELITE is an innovative programme based on exclusive training and a tutorship model, supported by access to the business and financial community. Its aim is to prepare companies for their next stage of growth and investment.

For further information on the programme, companies and the full list of partners, please go to:

http://www.elite-growth.com

About PR Newswire:

PR Newswire is the leading global provider of PR and corporate communications tools that enable clients to distribute news and rich content. We distribute our client's content across traditional, digital and social media channels in real time with fully actionable reporting and monitoring.

Combining the world's largest multi-channel, multi-cultural content distribution and optimisation network with comprehensive workflow tools and platforms, PR Newswire enables the world's enterprises to engage opportunity everywhere it exists. PR Newswire serves tens of thousands of clients from offices in Europe, Middle East, Africa, the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region.

For more information on PR Newswire please visit http://www.prnewswire.co.uk

About Germany Trade & Invest:

Germany Trade & Invest is the economic development agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. The company helps create and secure extra employment opportunities, strengthening Germany as a business location. With more than 50 offices in Germany and abroad and its network of partners throughout the world, Germany Trade & Invest supports German companies setting up in foreign markets, promotes Germany as a business location and assists foreign companies setting up in Germany.

Other partners and sponsors:

Bureau Van Dijk:

Bureau Van Dijk is a Moody's Analytics company which captures and treats private company information for better decision-making and increased efficiency. With information on over 275 million companies in all countries worldwide it is the resource for private company data. Certainty is a highly-prized commodity in business and BVD provides its customers with the best quality data available. Register for a free trial at http://www.bvdinfo.com

Founder Patrons:

The four Founder Patrons are AirX, Megazyme, Alpha Trains Group and Remedica; all members of the European Business Awards community. These successful businesses are gleaming examples of the Awards' core values: Success, Innovation and Ethics. Through patronage, they help to foster and create more successful companies and business communities in Europe. For more information about the founder patrons please visit https://www.businessawardseurope.com/patrons

FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - German banking giant Deutsche Bank (DB) announced Thursday its plans to significantly reshape its Equities Sales & Trading business, which will result in the reduction of about 25 percent jobs in this area.



With the implementation of its plans, the number of full-time equivalent positions is expected to fall to well below 90,000 from just over 97,000 currently. The associated personnel reductions are underway.



The company said its 2018 results will include planned restructuring charges of up to 800 million euros. The bank said it aims to deliver steady growth in return on capital over the coming years.



The company noted that in Cash Equities, it will concentrate on electronic solutions and its most significant clients globally. In Prime Finance, the bank will reduce leverage exposure by a quarter, equivalent to a reduction of approximately 50 billion euros.



These business reductions will contribute to a decrease in leverage exposure in the Corporate & Investment Bank of over 100 billion euros. This is approximately 10% of the 1.05 trillion euros of leverage exposure reported at the end of the first quarter of 2018. The majority of this reduction is expected to be achieved by the end of this year.



Together with its decision to right-size the expense base in the Corporate & Investment Bank, Deutsche Bank will accelerate the pace of cost reduction across the organisation. As said earlier, the bank in 2018 sees adjusted costs not to exceed 23 billion euros.



For 2019, the Management Board plans to reduce adjusted costs to 22 billion euros with no further significant disposals currently planned.



The company also reaffirmed its target of a post-tax return on tangible equity or RoTE of approximately ten percent in a normalised business environment.



The bank will seek to reach this goal from 2021 onwards.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de

CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Canadian dollar declined against its major counterparts in the Asian session on Thursday, after an official data showed an unexpected build in U.S. crude inventories last week.



Crude for July delivery fell $0.26 to $71.58 per barrel.



Data from the Energy Information Administration showed Wednesday that U.S. oil inventories jumped 5.8 million barrels, versus expectations of a 2 million barrel drawdown.



Gasoline stockpiles also rose, hinting that U.S. drivers are resisting $3/gal at the pump.



Oil was also weighed by concerns about the likelihood of OPEC increasing oil supply in June.



OPEC ministers will be on hand in Russia for key energy conference to discuss the issue.



The loonie edged down to 85.09 against the yen, from a high of 85.78 hit at 5:00 pm ET. On the downside, 84.00 is likely seen as the next support for the loonie.



Data from the Cabinet Office showed that Japan's leading index weakened more than initially estimated in March.



The leading index, which measures the future economic activity, dropped to 104.4 in March from 105.9 in February. The flash score for March was 105.0.



The loonie reversed from an early high of 0.9695 against the aussie, dropping to 0.9727. The next possible support for the loonie is seen around the 0.99 level.



The loonie weakened to 1.5061 against the euro, after having advanced to 1.5005 at 5:00 pm ET. If the loonie continues its fall, 1.52 is possibly seen as its next support level.



The loonie held steady at 1.2850 against the greenback, after reversing from a high of 1.2829 hit at 7:15 pm ET. Next key support for the loonie is likely seen around the 1.30 level.



Looking ahead, U.K. retail sales data for April is scheduled for release in the European session.



At 7:30 am ET, the European Central Bank publishes the accounts of the monetary policy meeting of the Governing Council held on April 25-26.



In the New York session, U.S. weekly jobless claims for the week ended May 19, house price index for March and existing home sales for April are due.



Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic will deliver speech at a research event on technology-enabled economic disruptions, co-hosted by the Atlanta Fed and Dallas Fed in Dallas at 10:35 am ET.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de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.Faced with Growing Compliance and Data Residency Concerns, including GDPR, Enterprises Can Now Choose to Store Data Across Seven Zones Globally

Today at Box World Tour Europe, Box (NYSE:BOX), a leader in cloud content management, announced multizone support for its flagship Box Zones offering that provides customers with the ability to store data in and collaborate seamlessly across any of Box's existing seven Zones, all from a single Box instance. First introduced in 2016, Box Zones broke new ground in cloud content management by enabling customers to store their data in the region of their choice for the first time. Today, faced with the evolving and increasingly complex global regulatory and compliance landscape, Box is making it possible for enterprises to have even more control over their data residency while ensuring their users have a completely frictionless collaboration experience no matter where they are working.

"Business has never been more fast paced, and at the same time regulatory changes like GDPR and the ever-changing security landscape are adding complexity, making it increasingly difficult to create a digital workplace that provides employees with the information they need to be successful," said Jeetu Patel, Chief Product Officer at Box. "Multizone support for Box Zones gives enterprises the best of both worlds. Not only will they be able to make granular decisions about how to govern and store their data across the globe, but users will get the same great collaborative experience they have with Box today no matter where they, or their collaborators, are located."

Multizone support for Box Zones is the most recent offering in Box's robust stable of enterprise-grade security and compliance capabilities. This new offering ensures that global organizations, including those in the most highly regulated industries, are able to securely store, manage and collaborate on content in Box, while maintaining adherence to the most stringent compliance and regulatory requirements.

Work Globally, Store Locally with Box Zones

Multizone support for Box Zones provides customers with even more control over where their data is stored as compliance requirements across the world continue to change at a rapid pace. With multizone support for Box Zones, organizations will:

Reduce risk and address data protection requirements, including GDPR. Organizations will have the ability to assign a storage Zone for individual users, as well as designate a default Zone for the entire organization, proactively addressing data residency and compliance requirements.

Organizations will have the ability to assign a storage Zone for individual users, as well as designate a default Zone for the entire organization, proactively addressing data residency and compliance requirements. Provide flexibility for changing needs. Organizations can change a user's assigned Zone at any time. Content will automatically migrate to the new Zone without the user ever losing access.

Organizations can change a user's assigned Zone at any time. Content will automatically migrate to the new Zone without the user ever losing access. Gain global visibility and control. Administrators can manage data for an entire enterprise from a single admin console, no matter how many Zones an organization is using.

Administrators can manage data for an entire enterprise from a single admin console, no matter how many Zones an organization is using. Drive transparency and insights. Real-time, self-serve reporting provides administrators with the ability to download reports on individual users and their assigned Zones from the admin console for easy auditing.

Real-time, self-serve reporting provides administrators with the ability to download reports on individual users and their assigned Zones from the admin console for easy auditing. Frictionless end user experience. End users will still be able to freely collaborate with colleagues, partners and suppliers without ever having to worry about where their data is stored.

To learn more about Box Zones and new multizone support around the globe, please visit www.box.com/zones or visit the Box blog. Box will also be hosting a webinar on Box Zones taking place on May 31st. To register for the webinar, visit here.

GDPR Readiness with Box

The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will go into effect tomorrow, May 25, 2018. Earlier this year, to help customers prepare for GDPR, Box introduced a first-of-its-kind self-serve Data Processing Addendum (DPA), that once signed with an electronic signature, allows customers to prove to auditors that their use of Box is compliant with their GDPR requirements. Additionally, with Binding Corporate Rules, C5 and the TCDP, Box has been independently reviewed by European Data Protection Authorities for its privacy and cloud data protection practices and is well-suited to help customers prepare for the GDPR. Box is also certified under the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) System.

Enterprise Level Security and Compliance, Everywhere You Work

Box has continued to drive industry leadership with advanced enterprise capabilities, consistently raising the bar for privacy and security in the cloud. In addition to GDPR readiness and Box Zones, Box KeySafe allows administrators to have control and visibility over data, and Box Governance enables customers to comply with data retention policies, satisfy e-discovery requests, and effectively manage sensitive information. Box is also a leader in compliance standards, enabling customers to maintain adherence to important industry regulations including GxP, HIPAA, FINRA, FedRAMP, and PCI DSS, amongst others.

Shaping the Future of Work at Box World Tour Europe

Today at Box World Tour Europe 2018, hundreds of IT leaders from more than 10 countries gathered to share best practices for driving digital transformation in the enterprise. Box CEO Aaron Levie gave a keynote on the Future of Work and Box customers including the Met Police, Virgin Trains, Apleona, Remy Cointreau, and Medair participated in the event, sharing their perspectives and insights on the future of work in the enterprise.

Pricing and Availability

Multizone support for Box Zones is available for all Box customers today, including in Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Singapore, United Kingdom, and the United States. More information on pricing and availability of Box Zones can be found here.

About Box

Box (NYSE:BOX) is the cloud content management company that empowers enterprises to revolutionize how they work by securely connecting their people, information and applications. Founded in 2005, Box powers more than 82,000 businesses globally, including AstraZeneca, General Electric, P&G, and The GAP. Box is headquartered in Redwood City, CA, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia. To learn more about Box, visit http://www.box.com/.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524005064/en/

Contacts:

USA

Box

Nicki Kahner Williams, +1 415-269-1592

nkw@box.com

or

International

Box

Titus Thomson, +44 (0) 7598028852

titus@box.comLONDON and VIENNA, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

It's now easier than ever for users from Great Britain to buy cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. From now on, the Europe wide popular retail broker Bitpanda accepts British Pounds for payment and payout.

As part of a recent upgrade of the Bitpanda platform, the Austrian company is now offering British Pounds as well as Euro, Swiss Franc and US Dollar. Users can freely switch between supported currencies. For example, UK citizens could also use Swiss Franc and US Dollar in addition to the British Pound.

"The advanced platform gives existing users more control over their funds and new users now have a simple access to the world of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The UK market is very important to us, so we are very happy to finally be able to offer the British Pound," says Eric Demuth, CEO and Co-Founder of Bitpanda. "As we listen to community feedback very closely, we now offer a more transparent fee structure and reduced our buying fees to 1.49% and our selling fees to 1.29% for Bitcoin, which makes Bitpanda the cryptocurrency broker with the lowest fees for instant trading including instant bank transfers and credit card payments in Europe."

Apart from new currencies and an optimised user interface, users are now able to send cryptocurrencies to other Bitpanda users instantly and completely free of charge. A newly implemented contact list feature allows to easily create a list of friends and family members, to whom one wants to send cryptocurrencies more than once. "The new platform lays the groundwork for our vision of cryptocurrency becoming an established and well respected financial asset. We are working on lots of new features and will introduce them continuously over the coming weeks and months, which will strengthen the industry as a whole," says Demuth.

About Bitpanda

Bitpanda is a FinTech company headquartered in Vienna, Austria, with additional offices in London, specialised in selling and buying Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. It has quickly grown to become Europe's most popular retail broker for Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and more to its over 850,000 users.

https://www.bitpanda.com/ | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Greenberg Advisory

Mag. Georg Baldauf

+43-650-301-5888

gb@greenberg-advisory.com

http://www.greenberg-advisory.comWi-Fi, baked goods and trendy coffee: Gone are the days of deprivation at Everest base camp, with hipster perks and modern conveniences ensuring life is cushier than ever on the roof of the world. The Khumbu glacier at the foot of Everest transforms every spring into a high-altitude metropolis of surprising luxury for the hundreds of climbers aiming for the peak of the worlds highest mountain. Canned food and bulky satellite phones are a thing of the past. Todays climbers enjoy fresh salads, Instagram and creature comforts unthinkable when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first stood atop the 8,848 meter (29,029 foot) peak 65 years ago. The first question people ask when they arrive at base camp is wheres the Wi-Fi. The second question is wheres the hot shower, said Everest veteran Russell Brice, owner of Himalayan Experience, one of the oldest and most established expedition operators. The first intrepid teams to attempt Everest took a month to reach base camp on the Nepal side of the mountain. The journey was cut to eight days with the construction of a small mountain airstrip at Lukla, the gateway to the Everest region. Around 2,500 yaks make that journey at the beginning of the spring climbing season in April to turn the rock-strewn glacier into the worlds highest city for two months of the year. Tents have carpeted floors and bouquets of plastic flowers. Piping hot showers running on solar power offer respite from the freezing temperatures outside. A brigade of helicopters keeps the tent town stocked with daily deliveries of fresh supplies to cater for the 1,500 or so people at base camp. Climbers who want a break from high altitude life can even hitch a heli ride back to Kathmandu for some R and R before returning to attempt the summit. At Alpine Ascents camp, breakfast comes with Turkish drip coffee. Cappuccino machines dont work at altitude, director Gordon Janow explained. Meanwhile, over at Seven Summit Treks camp, the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls from its bakery greets climbers returning from an acclimatization run high on the mountain. Fresh salads are served up by Adventure Consultants, a New Zealand-based operator, whose chef once worked in a restaurant with three Michelin stars in France. People seem to like simple foods. Of course being here is so far removed from cities and normal life that basic salads and fresh vegetables seem to keep everyone happy, said chef James Perry. He swapped a fully kitted-out kitchen in an ambassadors residence in Brussels for two gas hobs and a temperamental oven at base camp.Each have their own peculiarities, he replied diplomatically when asked who was more difficult to please: climbers or ambassadors?Greg Vernovage of International Mountain Guides, one of the largest teams on the mountain, said the modern-day perks were part of the natural evolution of base camp. But others lament the direction it is going. Everyone on the Hill used to know each other, veterans say, and shared everything from radio frequencies and weather forecasts to banter over an afternoon guides brewwhisky, honey, and water. Today, they say the village atmosphere is gone. Basecamp is a warren of tents as more climbers than ever try to reach the top of the world. Last year saw a record 373 permits granted to foreign climbers to venture up Everest from the Nepal side, and this year fell just shy of that. Money has also sown division in the once close-knit community. Crowds are growing as prices drop, with bargain operators offering cheaperand many fear unacceptably riskyways for glory-chasers to the summit. Foreign operatorsmost charging climbers around $65,000 to reach the summitcomplain that Nepali outfits skirt safety and invite crowding by offering packages for as little as $20,000. Nepali-run expedition groups reply that foreigners treat Everest like a colonial outpost and are threatened by the competition they represent. The modern-day conveniences may make life at base camp easier, but reaching the summit remains as treacherous as ever. Three climbers have died this year. Last year six perished. Brice, of Himalayan experience, said anything that improved comfortphysically and mentally was essential as climbers prepared to ascend almost to the cruising altitude of a jetliner. The psychological impact of how people feel will impact how they perform on the mountain, he said.Jointly developing European market and forging a benchmark of the "Last Mile Logistics"

PONTEDERA, Italy, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 15, 2018, Foton Motor and Piaggio Group held the signing ceremony on the joint development project of new light-duty commercial vehicle product in Italy. This agreement was signed jointly by the Vice President of Foton Motor Group and CEO of Foton International, Mr. Chang Rui, and the Chairman and CEO of Piaggio & C. S.p.A. (PIA.MI), Roberto Colaninno.

Vice President of Foton Motor Group and CEO of Foton International Mr. Chang Rui and the Chairman and CEO of Piaggio Group Roberto Colaninno signed a final contract in Italy for the development and production of a new range of four-wheel light commercial vehicles

Since 2016, Foton Motor and Piaggio Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding and a Framework Agreement in succession. The final signing of this agreement symbolizes that the two parties have sufficiently completed the project feasibility analysis and officially entered the implementation stage of new product development. The European market is an important sector for the global layout of Foton Motor. The new product development project with Piaggio Group this time is not only a strategic solution of Foton's global diversification but also demonstrates Foton's resolution for the expansion of European market.

Piaggio Group is the largest motorcycle manufacturer in Europe, with the production and sales volume of two-wheel motorcycles ranking first in the European market, and it is expanding rapidly in the field of three and four-wheel light-duty commercial vehicles. In 2017, its global sales volume of commercial vehicles hit 176,800 units.

As China's first commercial vehicle manufacturer, Foton Motor is engaged in the operations of whole-series commercial vehicles, including medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks, light-duty trucks, VANs, pickups, and buses, Foton Motor has established joint ventures with world-leading manufacturers, including Daimler, Cummins, and ZF, and has more than 1,000 sales and service networks for coverage of 110 countries and regions worldwide. Always leading the trend of China's commercial vehicle industry around the world, Foton Motor presently is integrating information technology and manufacturing technology and aiming to realize intelligent products, intelligent plants, and intelligent management.

The cooperation between Foton and Piaggio Group this time is an important milestone for the joint expansion of the European auto market for the two parties. By taking this opportunity, Piaggio Group will realize the upgrade of commercial vehicle products in the European market and at the same time play an active role in its expansion of market business and consolidation of market position. The new four-wheel light-duty commercial vehicle products for the European market are based on the present mini-truck product platform of Foton Motor, inherit the advantages of Foton Motor's mini-trucks in terms of product quality, driving/riding comfort, and fuel-economy, and combine the world's cutting-edge technologies to launch all-new logistics and passenger transport solutions and complete the all-new "Last Mile" city logistics ecosphere. In the future, the two parties will, at an appropriate time, develop the new electric vehicles with intelligent interconnectivity system and, as appropriate, enter the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and Africa markets.

The Sino-European cooperation proves that Foton Motor not only boasts world-leading lean manufacturing system but also incorporates rich product lines and globalized development capability. This cooperation is one small step for Foton Motor to continuously carry forward the globalization strategy for the European market and is also a giant leap toward intellectual property technology output advocated by "Made-in-China 2025".

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/696192/Foton_group_Piaggio_Group_agreement.jpCOEUR D'ALENE, ID / ACCESSWIRE / May 24, 2018 / Timberline Resources Corporation (OTCQB: TLR; TSX-V: TBR) ("Timberline" or the "Company") announced today that it has signed a definitive purchase and sale agreement (the "Agreement") to acquire ownership interests in two Nevada gold-copper mineral properties located in the world-class Battle Mountain mining district (the "Properties") from Americas Gold Exploration, Inc. ("AGEI").

The acquisition includes the right to earn into existing joint venture agreements with McEwen Mining Inc. ("McEwen") at the Elder Creek Project, and with Lac Minerals (USA) LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Barrick Gold Corporation ("LAC") at the Paiute Project. The transaction consideration consists of ten million shares of the Company's common stock and five million non-transferrable share purchase warrants, with each warrant exercisable to acquire one share of the Company's common stock for US$0.24 for a period of three years. In addition, the Company shall deliver to AGEI, subject to any required regulatory approval, an additional 5,000,000 common stock purchase warrants with the same terms and in the same form as the Consideration Warrants if and when the earlier of the following occurs: (i) Timberline enters into an arrangement with a funding partner for the advancement of the Elder Creek Joint Venture, or (ii) Timberline has met the 2018 work commitment of $500,000.

Upon closing the acquisition of these property interests, Timberline will become the operator and manager of both of these joint ventures. In addition, Mr. Don McDowell will become a Vice President of Timberline, and AGEI will have the right to appoint two new directors to Timberline's Board of Directors.

The Elder Creek Project covers a claim group of approximately fourteen square miles with two large porphyry exploration targets, characterized as separate gold-copper-molybdenum and copper-molybdenum-silver anomalies identified in bedrock and soils. Compilation of extensive data generated by AGEI, under a previous agreement with McEwen, indicates that the project contains geologic, geophysical, and geochemical signatures similar to those in many large copper-gold porphyry deposits both in the Battle Mountain district and globally. The primary target area extends over five square miles and has a central core that is approximately one mile in diameter which has never been drill tested. The adjacent, second target extends across four square miles and has a central target area covering one and a half square miles, which has had very limited historical drilling with most of the system untested.

The Paiute project represents a five square kilometer property package with a gold-silver target and a copper-gold porphyry target immediately southeast and adjacent to Elder Creek and two and a half kilometers west of Newmont's Copper Basin copper-gold porphyry deposit. The property includes a structural zone that is approximately 2,500 meters long by 500 meters wide with multiple untested high-grade gold targets based on both recent and historic prospecting and rock and soil geochemical sampling. The property also contains a core area with potential for discovery of porphyry copper-gold mineralization similar to Newmont's Copper Basin deposit. Surface sampling and drill testing are planned for the upcoming field season with full drilling permits in place. AGEI currently owns 73.7% of the joint venture interest and is the project operator. Upon closing this transaction, Timberline will assume AGEI's ownership in the Paiute joint venture and will be the project operator.

Initial fieldwork has been completed on the Elder Creek and Paiute projects, including additional rock sampling to support the Company's on-going review of an extensive, historic database on each project.

At the Company's Eureka project, field work is also in progress with a focus on the development of new targets to complement the Company's existing NI 43-101 gold resource estimate. Samples have been submitted to ALS Chemex, with assay results anticipated in the very near future.

Timberline's President and CEO, Steve Osterberg, commented, "After spending significant field time at Elder Creek and Paiute, the potential of these projects is very clear for the discovery of large, high-grade structural gold deposits like the nearby Lonetree Mine, and copper-gold porphyry deposits of the well-mineralized, world-class Battle Mountain district. We look forward to integrating AGEI's assets and team in advancing these projects along with our existing Eureka gold project, which is located farther south in the Battle Mountain-Eureka gold trend."

The Elder Creek joint venture agreement with McEwen includes the right to earn an initial 51% ownership of the project by:

Paying $100,000 to McEwen;

Completing at least $250,000 worth of expenditures, as defined in the joint venture agreement, on the property, including exploration expenditures and property holding costs, one or before June 30, 2018;

Completing a minimum of 14,000 feet of drilling prior to April 17, 2021;

Incurring total expenditures on the property of $2.5 million on or before December 31, 2021, with annual expenditure requirements in the interim years, including $500,000 in 2018.

In order to earn an additional 14% ownership interest in the Elder Creek property joint venture, giving the Company a 65% interest, Timberline must incur an additional $2.5 million in property expenditures by December 31, 2023, with at least $1.0 million of that being incurred by December 31, 2022.

About Timberline Resources

Timberline Resources Corporation is focused on advancing district-scale gold exploration and development projects in Nevada, including its 23 square-mile Eureka property, comprised of the Lookout Mountain, Windfall, and Oswego projects which lie along three separate structural stratigraphic trends defined by distinct geochemical gold anomalies; and as operator of two joint venture projects - the Paiute project joint venture with a subsidiary of Barrick Gold, and the Elder Creek project joint venture with McEwen Mining. All of these properties lie on the prolific Battle Mountain-Eureka gold trend. Timberline also owns the Seven Troughs property in northern Nevada, known to be one of the state's highest grade, former producers. Timberline has increased its owned and controlled mineral rights in Nevada to over 43 square miles (24,500 acres). Detailed maps and NI 43-101 compliant estimated resource information for the Eureka property may be viewed at http://timberline-resources.com/.

Timberline is listed on the OTCQB where it trades under the symbol "TLRS" and on the TSX Venture Exchange where it trades under the symbol "TBR".

Steven Osterberg, Ph.D., P.G., Timberline's President and Chief Executive Officer, is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this release.

Cautionary note to U.S. investors concerning estimates of resources: This press release may use the terms "resource", "measured resources", "indicated resources", "inferred resources" and "measured & indicated resources." We advise U.S. investors that while these terms are defined in and required by Canadian regulations, these terms are not defined terms under the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") Industry Guide 7 and are normally not permitted to be used in reports and registration statements filed with the SEC. The SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute SEC Industry Guide 7 compliant "reserves" as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of the mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into SEC Industry Guide 7 reserves.

Forward-looking Statements

Statements contained herein that are not based upon current or historical fact are forward-looking in nature and constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements reflect the Company's expectations about its future operating results, performance, and opportunities that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. These statements include but are not limited to statements regarding acquiring ownership of two Nevada mineral properties in the Battle Mountain mining district, rights to be included in the potential acquisition, possible issuance of conditional warrants, agreeing with a partner to fund the Elder Creek joint venture, meeting the 2018 work commitment at Elder Creek, joint venture agreements with McEwen Mining and Lac Minerals, a subsidiary of Barrick Gold, type, terms and amount of consideration for the transaction, the timing for the closing of the transaction, Timberline becoming the operator and manager of the joint ventures, addition of a Vice President, the right of AGEI to appoint two directors to Timberline's Board of Directors, similarities of geologic signatures of the Elder Creek property to large porphyry deposits, size of the central core, interest from major mining companies in the development of Elder Creek, potential for discovery of porphyry copper-gold mineralization similar to the Copper Basin deposit, surface sampling and drill testing for the upcoming field season at Paiute, potential for discovery of major deposits of gold and copper, improvement of shareholder value, facilitation of access to capital, potential financing opportunities, including equity offerings and strategic partnerships, integration of AEGI's assets and team, earning an interest in the Elder Creek JV, future expenditures to earn the interest in the Elder Creek JV, focus on advancing the Windfall and Lookout Mountain projects at the Eureka property, the advancement of projects, exploration potential, and the size of Timberline's consolidated owned and controlled mineral rights in Nevada. When used herein, the words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "upcoming," "plan," "target", "intend" and "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to Timberline Resources Corporation, its subsidiaries, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to the Company and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause the Company's actual results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, risks related to changes in the Company's business and other factors, including risk factors discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2017. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For Further Information Please Contact:

Steven A. Osterberg

President and CEO

Tel: 208-664-4859

E-mail: info@timberline-resources.com

SOURCE: Timberline Resources Corporation

FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - German banking giant Deutsche Bank (DB) announced Thursday more than 7000 job cuts in its Equities Sales & Trading business, in its efforts to cut costs following weak trading performance. The company sees restructuring charges of up to 800 million euros in its 2018 results. Deutsche Bank shares were losing in German trading as well as on pre-market trading in the NYSE.



After reporting lower profit and revenues in its first quarter, with weakness in all segments, Deutsche Bank in late April had announced actions to reshape its Corporate & Investment Bank and additional cost-cutting measures, including job cuts. The company then said it was undertaking a review of its Global Equities business with the expectation of reducing its platform.



In the latest statement, the bank said it plans to reduce about 25 percent jobs in its Equities Sales & Trading business.



With the implementation of its plans, the number of full-time equivalent positions would fall to well below 90,000 from just over 97,000 currently. The associated personnel reductions are underway, it said.



The company noted that in Cash Equities, it will concentrate on electronic solutions and its most significant clients globally. In Prime Finance, the bank will reduce leverage exposure by a quarter, equivalent to a reduction of approximately 50 billion euros.



These business reductions will contribute to a decrease in leverage exposure in the Corporate & Investment Bank of over 100 billion euros. This is approximately 10% of the 1.05 trillion euros of leverage exposure reported at the end of the first quarter of 2018. The majority of this reduction is expected to be achieved by the end of this year.



Along with Corporate & Investment Bank, Deutsche Bank will also accelerate the pace of cost reduction across the organisation. As said earlier, the bank in 2018 sees adjusted costs not to exceed 23 billion euros.



For 2019, the Management Board plans to reduce adjusted costs to 22 billion euros with no further significant disposals currently planned.



The company also reaffirmed its target of a post-tax return on tangible equity or RoTE of approximately ten percent in a normalised business environment. The bank will seek to reach this goal from 2021 onwards.



The bank said it aims to deliver steady growth in return on capital over the coming years.



In Germany, Deutsche Bank were trading at 10.60 euros, down 2.70%. In pre-market activity on the NYSE, shares were at $12.48, down 3.11%.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.deSANTA MONICA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 29, 2018 / When Leonard Mazur and Myron Holubiak put their heads together to collaborate on building a new pharmaceutical company, the two men had decades of success to help guide their decisions as to the most efficient way to target areas of unmet medical need. Both men were seasoned vets at the full gamut of pharma activity and it didn't take them long to know exactly where they were headed when they entered the public markets through a merger with Citius Pharmaceuticals in March 2016.

Holubiak came through the ranks at drug behemoth Roche Labs (RHHBY), ultimately serving as President of the company's U.S. operations. Mazur's curriculum vitae reads like a page right out of a chapter of Who's Who in Pharma M&A. In aggregate, the two have an incredible breadth of experience ranging from sophisticated biotech products like interferon alpha all the way up to branded generics (Mazur launched the tetracycline antibiotic Dynacin) and everything in between.

This type of background lends to a broad scope of opportunities from which to choose a development strategy. In a phone conversation, the men explained that they knew that they wanted to develop new drugs that had a great benefit to man without all the risk of starting from scratch. Moreover, they knew exactly how to do it.

During his time at Roche, Holubiak saw it all, from early proof-of-concept trials to product launches, and marketing strategies for growth. He launched drugs that became standards in healthcare, including Tamiflu, Bactrim and the blockbuster antibiotic Rocephin (ceftriaxone), to name just a few successes that play a meaningful role in Holubiak's decision-making process today.

Answering questions on how to most successfully develop and market a new drug is part of Holubiak's DNA. In fact, during a hiatus from Roche, he started his own consulting company called Emron that was dedicated to conducting economic evaluations of new technologies. This underscored his contention that the traditional ways of marketing wasn't the way of the future; proving the economic value along with clinical value of a new drug would become essential. As it turns out, Holubiak was spot on, as rationalizing the benefit/economics paradigm of a new product - as opposed to just a marketing blitz - is where value is created. This has proven especially true now, as the world has shifted more towards personalized therapies versus small molecules.

His experiences at Roche made his acutely aware of how critical risk management is in the design and development of a new drug. It also taught him to look for combinations to improve patient outcomes and capture market.

Mazur spent his first 10 years working for Cooper Laboratories, starting in sales and rising into positions of strategic planning, then acquisitions and eventually head of one of the Cooper divisions. Thanks in part to Mazur, Cooper built its brand as an expert in developing medical specialty silos - acquiring companies and building business units around their medical specialties.

It was Mazur that put together the first strategic plan and got the first unit operational, which was in the ophthalmology space. In a matter of roughly seven years, the unit went from acquiring a tiny prescription eye-drop company to about $800 million in revenue as one of the largest eye care companies in the world, called CooperVision. The business remains a leading brand of The Cooper Companies (NYSE:COO) today.

Mazur was involved in many of Cooper's approximately 150 acquisitions and integral to the creation of Cooper Dermatology, which had Aveeno as one of its flagship products.

During Mazur's tenure, Cooper also launched Cooper Dental, which started by acquiring an upstart toothbrush company doing less than $1.0 million in annual sales that it grew into Oral-B, the best selling toothbrush in the world that was bought by Gillette in 1984 for $118.5 million and as part of Procter & Gamble's (PG) $57 billion buyout of Gillette in 2005.

From Cooper, he took the job as Director of Marketing at the BASF company Knoll Pharmaceuticals where he launched the painkiller Vicodin, amongst other strong sellers. Following Knoll, Mazur moved on to ICN Pharmaceuticals, now called Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX)(VRX), which has never been a stranger to merger and acquisition activity. As VP of Sales and Marketing at ICN, Mazur launched ribavirin, a staple in treating hepatitis C and other maladies.

Next, Mazur become EVP at the microcap startup Medicis Pharmaceutical, where he successfully created and launched Dynacin, a drug with minocycline in it that became one of the best-known anti-infection generics of all time. In 2012, Valeant acquired by-then NYSE-listed Medicis for $2.6 billion.

Mazur certainly wasn't done there, as his entrepreneurial juices really started flowing, creating the dermatology company Genesis Pharmaceutical in 1995 and selling it to French specialty pharma Pierre Fabre in 2003 and then founding Triax Pharmaceuticals (sold to PreCision Dermatology in 2012, which was acquired by Valeant in 2014 for $475 million) and Akrimax Pharmaceuticals (~$100 million in sales before pieces started being acquired). He was also part of New American Therapeutics, a company that acquired the topical herpes labialis drug Denavir from Novartis (NVS) that was later sold for a profit to Renaissance Pharma.

A few years ago, Mazur was involved with buying and selling the generic skin-condition drug tretinoin (branded Retin-A) twice. Mazur's team at Triax sold it to PreCision, who sold it to Valeant who sold it back to Mazur's group at Matawan Pharmaceuticals, LLC for $65 million. 18 months later, Matawan sold it to Perrigo (PRGO) for $415 million.

Now Mazur is looking to make his latest success start with Leonard Meron Biosciences, the company merged into Citius about two years ago. Mazur and Holubiak created Leonard Meron Biosciences (LMB) for the purpose of licensing an experimental therapy called Mino-Lok from the venerable medical experts who created this innovative drug product at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Mino-Lok is a novel antibiotic lock therapy that combines minocycline with edetate disodium in 25% ethanol solution.

Mazur obviously had experience with minocycline (Dynacin). Holubiak knew people from M.D. Anderson from his work with Rocephin and certainly had plenty of experience with antibiotics having two bachelors degrees and graduate work in Molecular Biology and Biophysics. When challenging themselves to create new medications for the world, they determined the best approach would be not to go too far into high-tech biotech because of all the risks and expenses or too far to the other side of the spectrum with generics because of low margins and competition and no enhanced clinical value to medicine.

They settled in the middle, keeping the reward high by addressing areas of unmet need, while mitigating risk by using known active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and putting them together to do address unmet medical needs. Enter Mino-Lok, which is now being evaluated in a Phase 3 clinical trial for treating catheter-related bloodstream infections/central line-associated bloodstream infections.

Citius is checking all the boxes to move Mino-Lok through the FDA process quite quickly. The therapy has earned a Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) from the FDA, is being developed under an FDA "Fast Track" designation and through what is known as a 505(b)(2) pathway. Experimental therapies utilizing the 505(b)(2) are allowed to forego large portions of early-stage research because the APIs being used are already approved for other indications, therefore its safety profile is clearly defined.

Getting a green light from the FDA to use a 505(b)(2) designation can potentially shave years and millions of dollars off R&D, while somewhat de-risking the drug's development because of known attributes. It can come with a cost, though, as investors are often quick to judge the drug as un-sexy or just some different salt of an old drug being repackaged, even if nothing is further from the case.

Mazur and Holubiak see the opportunity to take APIs that have been in man before and developing them as potentially category leaders in new indications where patients face a dearth of therapeutic options. Mino-Lok is a great example. Currently, if a doctor is trying to salvage a central venous catheter (CVC) for a patient with bacteremia, the options are very limited and not well studied. The standard in most cases is to pull out the CVC and insert a new one at a different site. These are two invasive procedures. When considering the discomfort to the patient and all the possible things that can go wrong during and subsequent to the procedure, it's obviously far from ideal.

To put a little light on how dire the situation is, consider that about 500,000 out of 7 million CVCs that are used each year become infected, leading to serious, life threatening infections called catheter-related blood stream infections (CRBSIs).

Mino-Lok treats the infection with the catheter in place. A 90-patient, Phase 2b trial demonstrated 100% efficacy in salvaging the indwelling CVC without any significant adverse events reported, versus 18% of patients undergoing CVC replacement experiencing some type of serious adverse event. Of course a small phase 2b study is too small to draw any definitive conclusions, so the phase 3 pivotal study of 700 patients has been initiated. Interim data readouts will become available within 12 months so the first look e should be available somewhere around the first quarter of next year, given the first patient was enrolled in February. That certainly puts a potential milestone catalyst for the company on the mid-term horizon.

With Mino-Lok cemented as the cornerstone of the company, management next added Hydro-Lido, a proprietary topical formulation combining hydrocortisone and lidocaine for the treatment of hemorrhoids. CTXR management recently disclosed that they are making an adjustment to the formulation, combining lidocaine with a higher potency corticosteroid, rather than hydrocortisone. The newly formulated product will be designated as "CITI-002".

There are not any prescription drugs approved by the FDA for the treatment of hemorrhoids. Those that are currently being used are called "DESI" drugs, meaning Drug Efficacy Study Implementation, which have been grand fathered into market availability because they existed prior to the modern FDA laws and regulations. CITI-002 would be the only prescription drug therapy with evidence of efficacy and safety. This would be a significant development for the 10 million Americans that report symptoms of hemorrhoidal disease annually.

To that point, CITI-002 is a solid complement to Mino-Lok in meeting all the qualities of an ideal drug development candidate at Citius: large market, unmet need, no competing drug therapies, and rapid path to commercialization via the 505(b02 regulatory pathway.

When you start talking about accomplishments of executive leadership, it's an anomaly to look through the microcap space (at $2.45 per share, Citius has a market capitalization of $26.1 million, according to QuoteMedia data) and see resumes like that of Mazur and Holubiak. Their names are attached to drugs like Tamiflu, Bactrim, Rocephin, Dynacin, Vicodin, tretinoin, ribavirin and Denavir and companies like Roche, Medicis, Cooper Labs, and Akrimax. The Citius founders have a long track record of building companies, launching drugs and growing value for either their employers or their shareholders, depending on where they were at that time. The history is not debatable and the question now looms: is Citius that next success that each will add to their legacy?

Online Media Group, Inc. is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority and holds no investment licenses and does not provide, nor claims to provide, investment advice. We are a publisher of original and third party news and information. This article is sponsored content and is neither an offer nor recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security. The views expressed are our own and not intended to be the basis for any investment decision. Investing intrinsically involves substantial risk and readers are reminded to consult an investment professional and complete their own due diligence, including SEC filings, when researching any companies mentioned in this release. This release is based upon publicly available information and, while vetted, is not considered to be all-inclusive or guaranteed to be free from errors. With respect to Section 17(B) of the Securities Act of 1933 and in the interest of full disclosure, we call the reader's attention to the fact that Online Media Group, Inc. received $2,660 in compensation from a third party for content creation, advertising and distribution services related to this material.

Contact: Online Media Group, Inc.

info@onlinemediagroupinc.com

SOURCE: Online Media Group, Inc.Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 24, 2018) - Labrador Gold Corp. (TSXV: LAB) ("Labrador Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that recently released lake sediment data highlights the prospectivity of the Company's Ashuanipi project in western Labrador and Quebec for gold. The Company also announces the staking of an additional 92 claims at the northern end of the Florence Lake greenstone belt, adjacent to the Thurber Dog area of known gold showings.

Hopedale

The 92 claims staked at the Hopedale project cover the northern portion of the Florence Lake greenstone belt that is open to staking. The new claims are immediately north of the Thurber Dog area where Labrador Gold has reported grab samples up to 7.87 g/t gold and where known occurrences have assayed 3.97 g/t over 5 metres in channel samples (see news release dated March 1, 2018). The addition of the new claims increases the total strike length of the horizon prospective for gold mineralization to 50 kilometres all of which is controlled by Labrador Gold.

The Florence Lake belt is significantly underexplored for gold compared to greenstone belts elsewhere in the world, despite such belts being prolific hosts of gold mineralization. During 2017, soil and lake sediment sampling demonstrated the potential for gold mineralization along the entire length of the Florence Lake greenstone belt, with anomalous gold in soil samples found over an approximately 40 kilometre strike length.

Ashuanipi

Recently released lake sediment data indicate that the Company's Ashaunipi gold project straddling the border of Labrador and Quebec covers half of the most anomalous gold values (greater than the 98th percentile) from 21,678 samples. The anomalous area covered by the Ashuanipi claims is even more significant when considering that known gold showings to the north are associated with significantly lower gold in lake sediment anomalies (see figures at https://www.labradorgold.com/portfolio/ashuanipi-project/).

Initial work at the Ashuanipi project during 2017 resulted in two district scale gold anomalies outlined by lake sediment and soil samples. The anomalies are broadly associated with magnetic highs and do not show any correlation with specific rock types on a regional scale. This suggests a possible structural control on the localization of the gold anomalies and interpretation is ongoing to define structural targets for follow up.

The recently released lake sediment data is part of the Geological Survey of Canada's Geo-mapping for Energy and Minerals (GEM-2) program. As part of the program, 5,510 lake sediment samples from western and northern Labrador previously analyzed by various methods were re-analyzed by ICP-MS after aqua-regia digestion to merge with 26,727 samples from the adjacent region in Quebec.

"Controlling a 50-kilometre strike length of an Archean aged, greenschist facies greenstone belt in Canada sitting on tidewater is a significant achievement" said Roger Moss, Chief Executive Officer of Labrador Gold. "especially when, despite some 15 gold occurrences, it has been generally ignored for gold exploration. We are very excited about getting back on the property this summer to systematically explore the entire belt for gold."

Roger Moss, PhD., P.Geo., is the qualified person responsible for all technical information in this release.

About Labrador Gold:

Labrador Gold is a Canadian based mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and exploration of prospective gold projects in the Americas. Labrador Gold has the option to acquire 100% of the 896 square kilometre (km2) Ashuanipi property in northwest Labrador and the Nain (503 km2) and Hopedale (458 km2) properties in central Labrador.

The Hopedale greenstone properties cover much of the Hunt River and Florence Lake greenstone belts that stretch over 80 km and sit adjacent to tidewater. The belts are typical of greenstone belts around the world, but have been underexplored by comparison. Historical exploration resulted in a gold showing of up to 7.5 g/t Au (Source: Cornerstone Resources Inc. 2003, Eastern Analytical Limited Assay certificate) but no significant gold exploration has been undertaken since the discovery.

The Ashuanipi gold project is located just 35 km from the historical iron ore mining community of Schefferville, which is linked by rail to the port of Sept Iles, Quebec in the south. The claim blocks cover large lake sediment gold anomalies that, with the exception of local prospecting, have not seen a systematic modern day exploration program. Recent regional geological mapping in the area by the Newfoundland and Labrador Geological Survey has highlighted the gold potential of the region and historical work 30 km north on the Quebec side led to gold intersections of up to 2.23 grams per tonne (g/t) Au over 19.55 metres (not true width) (Source: IOS Services Geoscientifiques, 2012, Exploration and geological reconnaissance work in the Goodwood River Area, Sheffor Project, Summer Field Season 2011). Gold in both areas appears to be associated with metamorphosed iron formation.

The Nain gold project comprises three claim blocks, two of which lie along the Nain-Churchill terrane boundary. One of the claim blocks, Sneegamook, has the largest and most intense gold in lake sediment anomaly in Labrador, but no known gold exploration has taken place in the area.

The company has 37,264,225 shares issued and outstanding and trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol LAB.

For more information please contact:

Roger Moss, President and CEO

Tel: 416-704-8291

Or visit our website at: www.labradorgold.com

@LabGoldCorp

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 24, 2018) - ALX Uranium Corp. (TSXV: AL) (FSE: 6LLN) (OTC: ALXEF) ("ALX" or the "Company) is pleased to announce that a diamond drilling program has resumed at the Hook-Carter Uranium Project ("Hook-Carter", or the "Project") located in the southwestern Athabasca Basin of Saskatchewan, Canada. Exploration at Hook-Carter is operated by Denison Mines Corp. ("Denison") (TSX: DML) (NYSE MKT: DNN) and is owned 80% by Denison and 20% by ALX.

Summer 2018 Drilling Program

Drilling has commenced, following on from the Company's maiden winter 2018 drilling program which encountered hydrothermal alteration in both the sandstone and the basement lithologies associated with graphitic basement structures - indicative of the continuation of the mineralizing system within the prolific Patterson Lake Corridor. The 2018 summer program is planned to include 3,500 metres of diamond drilling in five to six holes using two drill rigs to test high-priority geophysical targets developed by Denison in 2017.

To view maps of Hook-Carter's location along the Patterson Lake Corridor and the 2018 drilling plan, please click here.

About Hook-Carter

Hook-Carter consists of 45 claims covering 20,522 hectares and is located approximately 575 kilometres (357 miles) north of La Ronge, SK. The Project is located along the prolific Patterson Lake Corridor - host to the Triple R uranium deposit (Fission Uranium Corp.), the Arrow uranium deposit, Harpoon, Bow and South Arrow uranium discoveries (NexGen Energy Ltd.), and the Spitfire, Hornet and Dragon uranium discoveries (a joint venture of Purepoint Uranium Group Inc., Cameco Corp., and Orano Canada Inc.). Denison has agreed to fund the first $12.0 million of expenditures at Hook-Carter (see ALX news releases dated October 13, 2016 and November 7, 2016).

Four holes were completed during the inaugural winter 2018 drilling program, which encountered hydrothermal alteration in both the sandstone and the basement lithologies associated with graphitic basement structures. These features are consistent with unconformity-related uranium mineralizing systems in the Athabasca Basin and provide indication of the continuation of the mineralizing system within the Patterson Lake Corridor onto Hook-Carter. Elevated radioactivity was noted in two holes ranging up to 184 counts per second measured on a Mount Sopris 2GHF-1000 - Triple Gamma downhole probe.

ALX believes Hook-Carter is significantly underexplored, with only five historical drill holes located along the 15 kilometres of interpreted strike length of the Patterson Lake Corridor that lies within the Project.

Technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Sierd Eriks, P.Geo., President and Chief Geologist of the Company, who is a Qualified Person, in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements as set out in National Instrument 43-101.

About ALX

ALX's mandate is to provide shareholders with multiple opportunities for discovery by exploring a portfolio of prospective uranium properties in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. The Company executes well-designed exploration programs using the latest technologies and has interests in over 200,000 hectares in the Athabasca Basin, which hosts the richest uranium deposits in the world. ALX is based in Vancouver, BC, Canada and its common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "AL", on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol "6LLN" and in the United States OTC market under the symbol "ALXEF". Technical reports are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com for several of the Company's active uranium properties.

For more information about the Company, please visit the ALX corporate website at www.alxuranium.com or contact Roger Leschuk, Manager, Corporate Communications at Ph: 604.629.0293 or Toll-Free: 1.866.629.8368, or by email: rleschuk@alxuranium.com

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of ALX Uranium Corp.

"Warren Stanyer"

Warren Stanyer, Chairman and CEO

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. Forward looking statements in this news release for example include and are not limited to the 2018 drilling programs by Denison at Hook-Carter, and the anticipated benefits of the planned programs. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the Company's actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include economic, competitive, governmental, environmental and technological factors that may affect the Company's operations, markets, products and prices. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially may include misinterpretation of data; that we may not be able to get equipment or labour as we need it; that we may not be able to raise sufficient funds to complete our intended acquisitions, exploration or development; that our applications to drill may be denied; that weather, logistical problems or hazards may prevent us from exploration; that equipment may not work as well as expected; that analysis of data may not be possible accurately and at depth; that results which we or others have found in any particular location are not necessarily indicative of larger areas of our properties; that we may not complete environmental programs in a timely manner or at all; that market prices may not justify commercial production costs; and that despite encouraging data there may be no commercially exploitable mineralization on our properties.

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.M-Brain, a global leader in market and media intelligence solutions, has appointed Christian Cedercreutz Chief Executive Officer as of 13.8.2018.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524005676/en/

M-Brain, a global leader in market and media intelligence solutions, has appointed Christian Cedercreutz Chief Executive Officer as of 13.8.2018. (Photo: Business Wire)

Christian holds a Master of Economics degree from Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki. His career has been built with IBM over the past 20 years, in which he has held various management positions in five different European countries. Christian brings strong consultative selling experience and has over the years worked across the IBM Corporation in roles such as leading global client relationships, and leading SW and HW technology businesses in Finland. His most recent role has been to lead the cognitive SW solutions (Watson) business in Finland.

Simultaneously the company's long-time CEO and Chairman of the Board Kim Nyberg will step down from his position as CEO. He and Marjukka Nyberg, the founder of M-Brain, will retire from the company by the end of the year. They will continue as members of the board of M-Brain.

"I'm really excited to join the M-Brain team. I'm convinced that we can continue to enhance the value we bring to our clients globally and also develop new services and solutions that cater to the future demands of our customers. M-Brain offers a good foundation to build upon, with talented people, smart technology platforms and excellent industry and customer understanding", says Christian Cedercreutz.

"After a long career in PR Communications during the industry's upswing, I have truly enjoyed having the opportunity to be part of building yet another prominent industry, the Business and Market Intelligence", says Kim Nyberg. "As the industry is moving more and more towards complex AI based solutions, it was vital for us to find somebody whose expertise included this particular knowledge. At the same time, our challenge is to continue expanding globally. Christian's strong international sales experience is therefore highly appreciated."

M-Brain offers best-in-class intelligence services and software through a workforce of 400 global experts. The company delivers value to its customers through a combination of industry best-practice expertise and in-house proprietary artificial intelligence development. Operating from 13 countries across the globe M-Brain supports its customers operations with optimized intelligence solutions, enabling them to seize opportunities, mitigate risks and make strategic business decisions based on objective insight.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524005676/en/

Contacts:

M-Brain

Kim Nyberg

kim.nyberg@m-brain.com

+358 400 430538

or

Christian Cedercreutz

christian.cedercreutz@gmail.com

+358 400 613249SEOUL, South Korea, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- KT Corp. (KRX: 03200; NYSE: KT) announced today that it will install a telemedicine system on the trans-Siberian railway and facilitate digital healthcare solutions by connecting hospitals affiliated with the state-owned Russian Railways.

The pilot plan is part of the ICT-based Medical System Expansion Project spearheaded by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, an agency of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. KT, South Korea's leading telephone and Internet provider, also participated in the project in 2017, constructing a digital healthcare platform and solution for 12 hospitals in Kazakhstan.

KT and Russian Railways signed an agreement in December 2017 to jointly create a mobile diagnostics solution for primary care at hospitals in Russian rail stations as well as on trans-Siberian trains. Russian Railways, one of the world's three largest rail transportation companies, manages 173 hospitals across Russia.

Under the agreement, KT will work with the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital to set up a telemedicine system for six hospitals, one in Moscow and five in various regions, by June. KT will supply a digital healthcare solution, and the SNU hospital will offer diagnostic advice to Korean and Russian medical staffs and assist in personnel training. The telemedicine system for trans-Siberian trains will be maintained until the end of this year.

KT's Digital Healthcare Solution and Platform won the Award for Best Mobile Innovation for Health at the Mobile World Congress 2018, held in February, in Barcelona, Spain.

The trans-Siberian railway, operated by Russian Railways, connects Moscow and Vladivostok. A one-way trip takes seven days. Currently, the trans-Siberian trains only have basic diagnostic devices such as thermometers and blood pressure monitors. Therefore, it is difficult to check the condition of passengers who should be monitored closely such as pregnant women and heart patients or realize a passenger has an internal organ problem that requires urgent treatment.

KT plans to install its digital healthcare solution devices on the trains. They will enable rapid diagnosis with a small amount of blood and urine on such cardiovascular diseases as angina and myocardial infarction, as well as respiratory diseases, diabetes and prostate cancer. The solution also provides ultrasonography to diagnose kidneys, liver and gallbladder, fetal sonography, and basic blood and musculoskeletal system tests.

Media Contacts

Please contact us at kt.fmrt@gmail.com or visit our English website at https://corp.kt.com/eng/

SAN FRANCISCO (dpa-AFX) - Visa Inc. (V) said it has made a strategic investment in YellowPepper, a mobile payments provider in Latin America, to help accelerate adoption of mobile payments and tokenization in Latin America and the Caribbean.



The strategic investment, the first of its kind for Visa in the region. Visa and YellowPepper initially established a multi-year partnership in 2017.



Visa noted that preliminary efforts of this investment will focus on growing opportunities for tokenized payments, increasing access to Visa APIs, and expanding the usage of push payments via Visa Direct.



As a certified Visa Token Service Provider, YellowPepper offers Visa's digital payment token services, ensuring that regardless of form factor, nearly any Internet-connected device can become a more secure place for commerce.



Visa said its investment in YellowPepper is part of a global strategy to open up the Visa ecosystem and support a broad range of new partners who are helping to redefine and enhance the purchase experience for millions of consumers globally.



Previously, Visa has made investments in Chain, Klarna, Marqeta, solarisBank, Square and Stripe, among others.



Separately, Miami-based YellowPepper announced the close of its $12.5 million Series D financing, with participation from Visa and current investors.



The company said it will use the funding to accelerate the momentum of its digital finance platform, which already powers 480 million digital transactions annually.



With more than 60 clients in six countries, YellowPepper is a financial services partner to Latin American institutions.



YellowPepper noted that Latin America has the fastest rate of smartphone adoption in the world, with total adoption expected to reach 60 percent of mobile phone users by 2020, up from 38 percent in 2016.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.deThe Philippine stock market tumbled; Globe, BPI and retail giant SM suffered as stocks slumped last Wednesday. The Light Rail Transit management is seeking a P5 to P7 fare increase. It would be outrageous if it were the Metro Rail Transit asking for the fare hike given its daily breakdown. The opposition, despite its waning influence and dwindling numbers, is seeking the impeachment of the eight Supreme Court associate justices who voted to oust chief magistrate Maria Lourdes Sereno via quo warranto proceedings. Akbayan Party-list Rep. Tom Villarin and Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano. Senators Panfilo Lacson and former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III expressed the view that only the Senate can remove an impeachable official. They claimed that Solicitor General Jose Calida who filed the quo warranto case and the eight justices hijacked from the Senate its sole right to try Sereno. A constitutional crisis looms if things get out of hand. But as a native Manilan, what catches my attention is the mayoral race in the countrys capital next year. The candidates, according to news reports, are incumbent Mayor Joseph Estrada whos seeking a third term, former actor and former mayor Isko Moreno and former mayor Fred Lim. God help Manila if Erap, whos 80 years old, or Lim in his early 90s gets elected. I have nothing against old people as Im a senior citizen myself. But to run for mayor on the delusion they want to restore Manila to its former glory might be too much work to do on a decaying city. What about Isko Moreno (real name Francisco Domagoso) whos in his 50s? Moreno /Domagoso is a perennial vice mayor to Lim and then to Erap. He ran for senator in 2016 but lost.Against this aging field and a young has-been, the name of Buhay Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza also came up. Atienza and Estrada are friends. Recall that it was Lito who stayed with Erap in his very last moment at Malacanang when he was ousted as president by People Power II. Lito even escorted Erap on a barge across the Pasig River in 2001. But now Atienza poses the biggest challenge to Eraps bid to match Litos record as the only three-term mayor of Manila. Mayors Arsenio Lacson, Tony Villegas, Ramon Bagatsing and Mel Lopez who have passed away were not able to do it. Atienza can still run for a third term as Buhay Party-list congressman, but there are many who are pushing him to run as mayor of Manila. Litos supporters believe only he can indeed return Manila to its former luster as the nations capital. Atienza has the administrative experience. He was the former manager of the National Housing Authority in the time of the late President Cory Aquino, and the secretary of Environment and Natural Resources under former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Some of Manilas problems include pollution and the lack of urban planning. Atienza at one time studied architecture before he got involved in politics. He laments the various reclamation projects. Mayor Estrada is undertaking in Manila Bay to give way to more condominium towers and casinos in an already crowded area. During his time as Manila mayor, Atienza made famous the Malate area along Julio Nakpil, Maria Orosa streets and Remedios Circle as restaurant row. As a pro-life advocate, the very name of his Party-list Buhay, Atienza and his wife run a halfway house for abandoned babies in the San Andres area in Manila. Because of this charitable mission, Atienza should get the support of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines and posssibly Mike Velardes El Shaddai congregation. As Manila mayor, Atienza increased the citys tax collection from P2.7 billion to P8 billion annually in the nine years of his three terms starting in 1998. This he did by keeping the tax collection windows at city hall open even during lunch break by having employees take their meals at different hours. The reason for this is that taxpayers who work can only go to city hall during their own lunch break. Service uninterrupted, the taxpayer is king proved more money in the city coffers for infrastructure and sanitation projects. One of Atienzas notable projects is the Quiapo underpass. But alas, the underpass after Atienzas watch has become a place for vendors in the daytime and for criminals to ply their trade at night.CAMPBELL, California, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

PLM market leader debuts first artificial intelligence-driven PLM module to cut costs and speed time to market

Building on its strategy to develop innovations that drive retail transformation for brands, retailers and manufacturers, PLM leader Centric Software announces the unveiling of its first artificial intelligence-based PLM module. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to fashion, retail, footwear, outdoor, luxury and consumer goods companies to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/455901/Centric_Software_Logo.jpg )



(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/695658/Centric_Software_AI.jpg )



The term 'artificial intelligence' dates back to the 1950's when computer scientist John McCarthy coined the phrase to describe the potential 'thinking machines' of the future. Today, artificial intelligence (AI) tools are systems modeled on the problem-solving abilities of the human brain, breaking complex problems down into different layers of information comprised of many smaller problems. Applications vary considerably ranging from virtual assistants like 'Alexa' and 'Siri' to Netflix viewing recommendations to Amazon recommending things we might like to buy. However, AI applications for brands, retailers and manufacturers to drive product design and development are few and far between.

Centric Software began building AI-based tools a year ago in response to feedback from its customers. The result is Centric AI Image Search, Centric's first dedicated AI capability for PLM. Humberto Roa, Vice President of Innovation at Centric Software, explains that Centric AI Image Search represents a bid to use AI for better decision-making in design and development.

"Creative teams in fashion and retail collect enormous amounts of physical samples of materials, trims, colors and styles that serve both as inspiration for the future and as a record of the past," says Roa. "Some companies keep millions of dollars' worth of physical samples on hand but actually using these physical samples is time-consuming and storing them in an easy-to-access format is very difficult."

"You can scan everything, but in order to be searchable, these digital files need to be tagged with keywords and organized in a file structure or library," he continues. "Companies can end up with hundreds of thousands of images in libraries. Often, it's easier for companies to just order new samples or create new designs than for people to find what they need."

The new Centric AI Image Search solves this problem using cutting-edge image recognition tools. With Centric AI Image Search, designers can take a picture of a new fabric or trim inspiration and instantly search PLM image archives to find the closest match. If a similar item has been approved or used before, a designer can find out immediately. If there isn't an existing match in archives, Centric AI Image Search can help find a supplier that provides a close match.

Centric partnered with the Team Head of Material Development at Triumph, one of the world's leading lingerie companies, to compile a searchable digital library of thousands lace samples in PLM using the new Centric AI Image Search capability.

Centric AI Image Search will eventually replace physical sample libraries in multiple locations around the world, reducing the huge effort needed to keep physical and digital libraries up to date and allowing users to access the information that they already have as a visual dataset to make more effective decisions.

"Centric AI Image Search for PLM is at the forefront of a new family of AI and machine learning applications to assist with decisions around the PLM lifecycle. This will undoubtedly be the first of many apps that will focus on decision-making and leverage information from systems such as PLM, ERP and PIM. Other possible AI applications could promote better and faster decision-making to reduce time to market, improve quality, lower material costs, select vendors, propose products for sales channels and ultimately make better products."

"We are excited to announce our launch of the Centric AI Image Search, demonstrating our on-going innovation commitment to the development of AI and machine learning applications," says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. "We continue to be inspired by and innovate with our customers to improve their competitiveness, drive sales and promote growth."

Contact us for a demo or more information.Thunder Bay, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 24, 2018) - White Metal Resources Corp. (TSXV: WHM) ("White Metal" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company will be starting its summer work program in the coming weeks on the Gunners Cove Gold Project, weather permitting. This year's program will include follow up prospecting and mapping on existing gold occurrences outlined in September 2017, and ground-truthing of numerous magnetic highs and coincident EM conductors, including those at or near existing gold occurrences.

Initial surface grab samples from the new discovery made in September 2017 (news release: September 25, 2017), and follow up sampling (news release: November 20, 2017), outline a large area (approximately 15 sq-km) of anomalous gold and other metals associated with pyrite-nodules and pyrite stringers, and hosted by black shale.

Maps of the existing gold showings and results of the airborne time-domain electromagnetic and magnetic survey can be found on the Company's website at www.whitemetalres.com/gunners-cove.html.

In Fall 2017,133 surface grab samples were collected from the 10 mineralized zones on the Property. The distribution of the samples containing anomalous gold values define an area roughly 5 km x 3 km. Approximately 50% of the grab samples collected in the Gunners Cove area assayed 100 ppb Au (0.1 g/t Au) or greater, with a maximum of 5.9 g/t Au (Mossberg Zone). Silver assay results are also elevated, ranging from less than 1 ppm Ag to a maximum of 9.1 g/t Ag (Cooey Zone) [note: grab samples are selective by nature and are unlikely to be representative of average grades]. Work to date at the Gunners Cove Property has highlighted a large area of anomalous gold values and extended the discovery area substantially. Historically, this Property has seen very little exploration work and is a recent prospecting discovery, adding to its importance. Precious metal and base metal mineralization is associated with, and appears to be largely hosted by, pyritic nodules and stringers accompanied by minor silicification and local brecciation, and hosted by an extensive black shale unit.

The Company would also like to report that Michael Stares will step down as the President and CEO and will be replaced by board member, Jean-Pierre Colin. Michael will remain on as a board member and continue to advance the current projects, such as the Gunners Cove Project. Jean-Pierre "JP' will assume the role as President and CEO immediately. On behalf of the entire board, JP thanks Michael for his great leadership in building White Metal's team of professionals and bringing the Company to a very promising stage of its development. We look forward to continuing to work very closely with Michael on a day to day basis with every aspect of exploration that the Company is undertaking and especially relying upon his most valued expertise on the ground at our sensational Gunners Cove project and the Company's other active properties.

Technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Scott Jobin-Bevans (P.Geo.), Vice President Exploration and a Director of White Metal, who is a Qualified Person under the definitions established by the National Instrument 43-101.

For more information in regards to the Gunners Cove Property you can visit the Company's web page at www.whitemetalres.com.

About White Metal Resources Corp (TSXV: WHM):

White Metal Resources Corp is a junior exploration company exploring in Canada and currently has 39,855,240 common shares issued and outstanding.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of White Metal Resources Corp.

"Michael Stares"

Michael Stares, President and CEO

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements."

Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to gold price and other commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projection

For further information contact:

Michael Stares

684 Squier Street

Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, P7B 4A8

Phone: (807) 628-7836 Fax (807) 475 7200Cameco plans borehole surveys and 3D modeling of complex mineralized system

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 24, 2018) - CanAlaska Uranium Ltd. (TSXV: CVV) (OTCQB: CVVUF) (FSE: DH7N) ("CanAlaska" or the "Company") is pleased to report ongoing summer work under Cameco's year 3 work program at the 5 kilometre long Grid 5 target area at the 36,000 ha West McArthur uranium project, see Figure1.

Key Points:

Winter drill holes show uranium halos and possible target over-shoot

Summer geophysics-borehole survey to locate conductor missed in hole WMA050

3D modeling of complex geology where C10 fault cuts across stratigraphy

Cameco's work has been focused on evaluating the C10 corridor, which is highlighted by the NE-striking conductivity high in the southern part of the property. Work to date has been focused around the northeastern part of that corridor where several ground-defined conductive responses of varying strength were identified. The summer activities for 2018 include borehole EM on Line 6000W to explain/locate the conductor and better interpret the fault location.





West McArthur Project

C10 Structural Target

Grid 5 Area



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2864/34794_a1527110939259_67.jpg

Seven diamond drill holes were completed throughout the winter program, for a total of 6,926 metres. Based on the new drilling information, one branch of the C10 fault is now interpreted to cut across the basement stratigraphy west of the eastern property boundary, continuing at an easterly strike, whereas the stratigraphy is interpreted to bend to a more northeasterly striking orientation as mapped by the airborne ZTEM survey.

To date, three holes have intersected mineralization, up to a maximum of 1.51% U 3 O 8 over 5.5 metres. The main anomalous zone is centered on the structural complexity observed along the L5700W and L6000W geophysical lines, and is roughly the current extent of the 1 ppm uranium halo in the medial to lower sandstone.

Drill hole WMA044 targeted the down dip projection of a fault in the medial sandstone column of WMA042/42-2 and associated with a broad zone of anomalous uranium geochemistry extending over 200 metres vertically. Weakly elevated uranium geochemistry (>1 ppm) is present over much of the lower 250 metres of the sandstone column in WMA044. The uranium geochemistry in WMA045 and WMA046, completed 300 metres along strike to the east, also returned intermittent uranium values above 1 ppm present in composite samples throughout the lower 400-550 metres of the sandstone column. The anomalism in the upper-medial sandstone of WMA045 could be related to another easterly striking fault to the south or a nearby cross-cutting structure.

The C10 North conductor was tested with drill hole WMA050, near the eastern property boundary but did not explain the targeted conductive response. No structure or hydrothermal alteration is observed in the lower sandstone column, however a discrete fracture zone was intersected in the medial sandstone column, followed by 80 metres of patchy weak sooty pyrite coincident with weakly anomalous uranium geochemistry.

WMA046 tested the interpreted C10 conductor with an aggressive step-out, 600 metres along strike to the southwest of WMA042/042-2. The hole is interpreted to have overshot the conductor.

WMA049-1, which tested a second EM pick 250 metres to the south on the same section, intersected a five metre wide chlorite and clay-altered semi-brittle fault 20 metres below the unconformity.

WMA047, 800 metres southwest of WMA046 intersected several narrow faults in the sandstone column, coincident with silicification and dravitic clay. These appear to project back to an EM response to the southeast although likely that it overshot more conductive lithologies

President Peter Dasler commented, "We have a series of uranium targets at Grid 5. The geological complexity, depth to target, and geophysical data resolution make area challenging to explore, however the Cameco team has a new geological interpretation and we believe that they are closing in on the most promising targets. The structural complexity along the C10 fault system is encouraging for structural uranium traps and the widespread geochemical anomalism emphasizes the movement of fluid in the sandstone column, and the potential for a significant uranium deposit in this area."

The qualified technical person for this news release is Dr Karl Schimann, P. Geo, CanAlaska director and VP Exploration.

About CanAlaska Uranium

CanAlaska Uranium Ltd. (TSXV: CVV) (OTCQB: CVVUF) (FSE: DH7N) holds interests in approximately 102,870 hectares (254,000 acres), one of the largest land positions in Canada's Athabasca Basin - the "Saudi Arabia of Uranium." CanAlaska's strategic holdings have attracted major international mining companies. CanAlaska is currently working with Cameco and Denison at two of the Company's properties in the Eastern Athabasca Basin. CanAlaska is a project generator positioned for discovery success in the world's richest uranium district. For further information visit www.canalaska.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Peter Dasler"

Peter Dasler, M.Sc., P.Geo.

President & CEO

CanAlaska Uranium Ltd.

Contacts:

Peter Dasler, President

Tel: +1.604.688.3211 x 138

Email: info@canalaska.com

John Gomez, Corporate Development

Email: jgomez@canalaska.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking information

All statements included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions made by the Company based on its experience, perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. In addition, these statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will prove inaccurate, certain of which are beyond the Company's control. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to revise or update these forward-looking statements after the date hereof or revise them to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated events.New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - May 24, 2018) - NetworkNewsAudio announces the Audio Press Release (APR) titled "Lithium Essential to New Energy Revolution," featuring Lithium Chile Inc. (TSXV: LITH) (OTCQB: LTMCF).

To hear the NetworkNewsAudio version, visit: http://nnw.fm/qsM6S

To read the original editorial, visit: http://nnw.fm/Yi8Ye

Located in the heart of the lithium triangle, Lithium Chile Inc. (TSXV: LITH) (OTCQB: LTMCF) is poised to explore and potentially develop what the company hopes will be the next big lithium discovery in Chile. Quietly and strategically, Lithium Chile has managed to amass over 148,000 hectares across 15 properties, surrounding the world's foremost lithium reserves. Lithium Chile's holdings represent the largest wholly owned lithium land package in all of Chile, outside of the government itself. As exploration interest focused on Argentina, Lithium Chile turned to geologist Terry Walker's 26 years of mining experience in country. With the full financial backing and support from the company, which has raised CDN$12.7 million to date, Walker used comprehensive, previously generated technical data to identify salars that were prospective for high-grade lithium, good magnesium to lithium chemistry and close to critical infrastructure. Now an equity shareholder, vice president of exploration, and chief geologist of Lithium Chile, Walker continues to advance his mission: proving out Lithium Chile's prime properties.

About Lithium Chile

Lithium Chile Inc. is advancing a lithium property portfolio consisting of 148,500 hectares covering sections of 13 salars and one laguna complex in Chile. The properties include 64 square kilometers on the Salar de Atacama, which hosts the world's highest concentration lithium brine production and is currently the source of about 30 percent of the world's lithium production. Lithium Chile Shares are listed on the TSX-V under the symbol "LITH". For more information, visit the company's website at www.LithiumChile.ca

About NetworkNewsAudio

NetworkNewsAudio (NNA) , a NetworkNewsWire (NNW) Solution, allows you to sit back and listen to market updates, CEO interviews and a Company AudioPressRelease (APR). These audio clips provide snapshots of position, opportunity and momentum. NetworkNewsAudio (NNA) is another NetworkNewsWire (NNW) Solution that can assist your company by cutting through the overload of information in today's market, NNA brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. NetworkNewsWire (NNW) is where news, content and information converge. NetworkNewsWire (NNW) is a comprehensive provider of news aggregation and syndication, enhanced press release services and a full array of social communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and distribution company with an extensive team of journalists and writers, NNW has the unparalleled ability to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public with an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the nation.

For more information, visit: www.NetworkNewsAudio.com

About NetworkNewsWire

NetworkNewsWire (NNW) is a financial news and content distribution company that provides (1) access to a network of wire services via NetworkWire to reach all target markets, industries and demographics in the most effective manner possible, (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ news outlets, (3) enhanced press release services to ensure maximum impact, (4) social media distribution via the Investor Brand Network (IBN) to nearly 2 million followers, (5) a full array of corporate communications solutions, and (6) a total news coverage solution with NNW Prime. As a multifaceted organization with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, NNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. By cutting through the overload of information in today's market, NNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. NNW is where news, content and information converge. For more information, please visit https://www.NetworkNewsWire.com.

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the NetworkNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by NNW, wherever published or re-published: http://NNW.fm/Disclaimer.

Forward-Looking Statements

This 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. All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain as they are based on current expectations and assumptions concerning future events or future performance of the company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only predictions and speak only as of the date hereof. In evaluating such statements, prospective investors should review carefully various risks and uncertainties identified in this release and matters set in the company's SEC filings. These risks and uncertainties could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements.

Corporate Communications Contact:

NetworkNewsWire (NNW)

New York, New York

www.NetworkNewsWire.com

212.418.1217 Office

Editor@NetworkNewsWire.comBOSTON, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Kimble, a global leader in professional services automation, is proud to welcome 12 new customers to its portfolio. The new customers are made up of award-winning, high-growth technology and consulting businesses headquartered in Austria, the Netherlands, Ireland, the US and UK.

Larger firms on the list include: Kelmac Group, a multinational standards and compliance company, with offices in the US, Ireland and the UK; Tricentis GmbH, a software testing company with offices in Germany, Switzerland and the US; and Workiva, an enterprise software company with offices in the US, Canada and Europe.

"We look forward to working with these agile and fast-growing professional services organizations," said Kimble co-founder and CMO, Mark Robinson. "Kimble was founded in order to support businesses like these and our customer satisfaction and speed to value ratings reflect that. We continue to develop the product to help our customers to grow and scale while reducing the administrative burden."

Some of the most dynamic and ambitious organizations which have selected Kimble recently are the following:

Alchemmy, founded in 2012 in London to deliver innovative solutions for FTSE 250 companies and working on projects across Europe, North America and Australia.

BiZZdesign, a Dutch enterprise architecture and business process management software-development tools vendor and consultancy firm founded in 2001.

Edgile LLC, founded in 2001 to deliver strategic cybersecurity and risk management services to the Fortune 500, is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with offices across the US.

Kelmac Group, a multinational standards and compliance company, founded in Limerick, Ireland, with offices in the US, Ireland and the UK.

Longitude Research Ltd, part of the FT group, providing independent advisory, research and content creation services for high profile corporate clients, headquartered in London, UK.

Mutual Ventures, set up in London in 2011 to help public services achieve more through combining a strong public service ethos with an entrepreneurial culture.

Parker Fitzgerald, an award-winning management consultancy providing strategic advice and consulting services to the world's leading financial institutions, based in the City of London.

Project One, working with many of the UK's largest organisations, helping them deliver business-critical change.

Sapient.i7 Ltd, a consulting company leveraging Salesforce technology to enable digital transformation for large enterprises in Europe. Based in London, it is backed by the world's largest digital network, Publicis.Sapient.

Tricentis, a software testing company with offices in Germany, Switzerland and the US, offers innovative technologies to simplify testing for even the most complex enterprise applications.

USA Firmware, a product design and consulting services company, based in Northeast Ohio, designing all elements of customers' product, including hardware, software, firmware and the Internet of Things.

Workiva, an enterprise software company with offices in the US, Canada and Europe. delivers Wdesk, a leading enterprise cloud platform for data collaboration, reporting and compliance to more than 3,000 organizations.

About Kimble Applications

Kimble Applications helps professional service businesses by improving business performance, increasing visibility, and providing enhanced company collaboration. Kimble is dedicated to the production of unique management solutions delivered through a Software as a Service (SaaS) model. The members of the Kimble management team are recognized professional services experts, having founded, managed, and grown several successful IT and management consulting organizations. They have experienced first-hand the business problems which result from the lack of adequate software available to manage professional services. The team has harnessed the best practice and unique intellectual property gained in their careers, along with detailed design input from a range of experts from leading firms across the globe.

CONTACT: Tanner Spear, tanner.spear@kimbleapps.com, 801-722-5433Oil find is company's sixth in the Norphlet play

HOUSTON, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Shell Offshore, Inc. ("Shell") today announced a large, deep-water, exploration discovery in the Norphlet geologic play in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico with its Dover well (100% Shell). The Dover discovery is Shell's sixth in the Norphlet and encountered more than 800 net feet of pay (244 meters). The discovery is located approximately 13 miles from the Appomattox host and is considered an attractive potential tieback. Shell's Appomattox host has now arrived on location in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and is expected to start production before the end of 2019.

"Dover showcases our expertise in discovering new, commercial resources in a heartland helping deliver our deep-water growth priority," said Andy Brown, Upstream Director for Royal Dutch Shell. "By focusing on near-field exploration opportunities in the Norphlet, we are adding to our resource base in a prolific basin that will be anchored by the Appomattox development."

Shell's major, deep-water hubs are well positioned for production expansion through near-field exploration and additional subsea tiebacks. The company expects its global, deep-water production to exceed 900,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2020, from already discovered, established areas.

Editor's Notes:

The well was drilled in Mississippi Canyon Block 612, located approximately 170 miles (273 kilometers) offshore southeast of New Orleans , in a water depth of 7,500 feet (2,280 meters) to a total vertical drilling depth of 29,000 feet (6,780 meters) measured depth.

, in a water depth of 7,500 feet (2,280 meters) to a total vertical drilling depth of 29,000 feet (6,780 meters) measured depth. Appomattox host platform is owned by Shell (79%) and Nexen Petroleum Offshore USA Inc. (21%).

Cautionary Note

The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this release "Shell", "Shell group" and "Royal Dutch Shell" are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" are also used to refer to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. 'Subsidiaries', "Shell subsidiaries" and "Shell companies" as used in this release refer to entities over which Royal Dutch Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. Entities and unincorporated arrangements over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to as "joint ventures" and "joint operations", respectively. Entities over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor joint control are referred to as "associates". The term "Shell interest" is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

This release contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing management's expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as "aim", "ambition', 'anticipate', 'believe', 'could', 'estimate', 'expect', 'goals', 'intend', 'may', 'objectives', 'outlook', 'plan', 'probably', 'project', 'risks', "schedule", 'seek', 'should', 'target', 'will' and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this release, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell's products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; and (m) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Royal Dutch Shell's Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2017 (available at www.shell.com/investor and www.sec.gov ). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this release and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this release, May 24, 2018. Neither Royal Dutch Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this release.

We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this release that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/696170/Shell_Dover_Discovery_Map.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/449079/shell_oil_company_logo.jpg

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 24, 2018) - Carube Copper Corp. (TSXV: CUC) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has signed an option agreement on its 100% owned Rogers Creek Copper Project located in southwest British Columbia. Tocvan Ventures Corp. of Calgary Alberta will have the right to earn 80% of the project by spending $1.9M on exploration and issuing Carube Copper $25,000 in cash and 1.3M shares over the initial 4 year earn in period. After successful completion of the earn-in period an 80% -20% joint venture will be formed where Carube will retain both a 20% equity, subject to meeting future pro-rata expenditure commitments, and a 3% NSR. Carube will also receive advance royalty payments of $50,000 per year after Tocvan has earned its 80%.

Anthony Houston, Interim President of Carube Copper commented: "We are very pleased to provide Tocvan the opportunity to further advance the Rogers Creek Copper Project in BC. The terms of this agreement will enable focussed exploration activities to be undertaken on the project. By optioning this project to the Tocvan team, Carube will be better positioned to focus our activities on our core copper and gold assets in Jamaica."

The Rogers Creek Copper Project

The Rogers Creek property straddles the Lower Lillooet River valley, approximately 90 km northeast of Vancouver, and 28 km south of Pemberton. It consists of 47 contiguous claims aggregating 212 km2. The Rogers Creek property was staked on the basis of a logging road discovery in 2007 and now consists of four significant target areas including a minimum 6 x 2 km area of anomalous soil geochemistry, multiple untested IP anomalies and significant surface exposures of copper, gold and silver mineralization.





Location of the Rogers Creek Copper Project, BC



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2661/34791_figure1.jpg

The Project is located within the Cascade Magmatic Arc, a belt of Tertiary and younger intrusive and extrusive rocks, which stretches from Northern California up to the southern end of the Alaska Panhandle. Carube Copper's Mackenzie Property and Amarc Resources' recently discovered IKE Deposit (592m of 0.30% Cu, 0.032% Mo and 2.1 g Ag/t), which has been optioned to HudBay Minerals Inc. are located approximately 150 kilometres north of Rogers Creek and within the Cascade Magmatic Arc. The Cascade Magmatic Arc formed as a result of the subduction of various Pacific Ocean plates, transform faults and ridges beneath the North American continent over the past 65 million years. The majority of the Cu, Au and Mo resources being mined in the world, primarily in Chile, Peru, the United States and Indonesia, come from similarly-aged belts of porphyry intrusions. In the United States, the Cascade Magmatic Arc has produced mineral deposits of significant size, such as Quartz Hill (probable resource of 444 MT grading 0.219% MoS2and a possible resource of 1.36 BT averaging 0.136% MoS2)1 in Alaska, and Glacier Peak (1.7 BT inferred @ 0.334% Cu and 0.015% MoS2)2 and Margaret (523 MT measured and indicated @ 0.36% Cu, 0.013%- MoS2.)2 in Washington State (all historic resources referenced below).

Terms of the Earn-In Option

In consideration of the grant of the Option, Tocvan will pay to Carube $25,000 within 5 days of the Approval Date and issue to Carube 500,000 common shares in the capital of Tocvan on the Approval Date, which Common Shares will be subject to such hold periods that are prescribed by the securities laws of the Province of Alberta and the CSE's rules and policies.

Tocvan must incur the following Expenditures for the purposes of developing the Property:

Date Exploration Expenditures Share Issuance Cash Signing

500,000 $25,000 1st Anniversary $200,000 200,000

2nd Anniversary $300,000 200,000

3rd Anniversary $400,000 200,000

4th Anniversary $1,000,000 200,000

Total $1,900,000 1,300,000 $25,000

The approval date will be when the CSE has approved this agreement as part of Tocvan's going public transaction. If the transaction is not completed in the next 4 months, the earn-in agreement is void and the Rogers Creek Copper Project reverts 100% to Carube Copper Corp.

Other Corporate News

Further to the Company's March 29, 2018 announcement of the closing of its non-brokered private placement, the Company also announces that an additional cash finder fee of $9,000 and 150,000 broker warrants have been issued.

Carube Copper Corp will be holding its Annual General Meeting on Thursday May 24th at 12:00pm at the National Club, 303 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario. There will be a presentation on the company's exploration activities immediately following the formal business meeting.

About Carube Copper

Carube Copper is focused on the exploration and development of copper and gold projects in Jamaica and Canada. In Jamaica, Carube Copper holds a 100% interest in 11 licenses totalling 535 square kilometres. In Canada, it holds a 100% interest in three porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum properties totalling 492 square kilometres within the Tertiary-aged Cascade Magmatic Arc in southwestern British Columbia. Carube is currently focused on its Bellas Gate Project in Jamaica where it has discovered widespread copper mineralization over a six and a half kilometre by four kilometre corridor indicating the presence of a very large system with the potential to host multiple copper-gold porphyries. The results to date have identified 17 target areas including the Connors porphyry where recent drill intercepts demonstrate excellent copper and gold mineralization.

Contacts

Tony Houston, Interim CEO and President +1 (416) 882-2541  thouston@carubecopper.com

Jeff Ackert, Vice President, Business Development  +1 (647) 957-2249  jackert@carubecopper.com

John McNeice. CFO  +1 (613) 692-7704  jmcneice@carubecopper.com

www.carubecopper.com

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.

1. Maas, K.M., Bittenbender, P.E., and Still, J.C., 1995, Mineral investigations in the Ketchikan mining district, southeastern Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 11-95, 606 p.

2. R. Lasmanis, Regional geological and tectonic setting of porphyry deposits in Washington State: Porphyry Deposits of the Northwestern Cordillera of North America, CIM Special Volume 46, p77-102

DISCLAIMER & FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, and by their very nature involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on currently available information, Carube Copper Corp. provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Factors which cause results to differ materially are set out in the Company's documents filed on SEDAR. Undue reliance should not be placed on "forward looking statements".

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Carube Copper hereby incorporates the entire disclaimer set forth on its website at http://www.carubecopper.com/uploads/1/6/5/2/16521880/disclaimers-and-forward-statements.pdfVancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 24, 2018) - Goldsource Mines Inc. (TSXV: GXS) (OTCBB: GXSFF) (FSE: G5M) ("Goldsource" or the "Company") announces a new discovery and further positive results on its ongoing saprolite exploration program at its 100% owned Eagle Mountain Gold Project ("Eagle Mountain" or the "Project") in Guyana, South America. This new discovery, "Salbora" area, is approximately 1.5 kilometres northwest of the Eagle Mountain deposit (see attached Figures). Through diamond drilling, the Company has also received positive results on a previously announced expansion target, "Friendly" area, located at the northern edge of the Eagle Mountain deposit (refer to the Company's news release dated August 28, 2017). In addition to expansion drilling, the Company is conducting in-fill drilling, geotechnical evaluation of potential tailings storage areas, and metallurgical test work in order to update its resource estimate for the ongoing Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS") in the second half of 2018. Goldsource has retained the services of Tetra Tech Canada Inc., an independent Vancouver based company to complete a PFS for a potential large-scale open pit, gravity-cyanidation operation at Eagle Mountain.

Yannis Tsitos, President, commented, "We are encouraged with the recent results from the drilling and trenching campaigns at Eagle Mountain. The discovery of a potentially higher-grade zone at the Salbora area along with continued success in expanding mineralization on various targets including Friendly, and positive infill results from the Kilroy and Zion areas, are supportive of the potential to grow the resource base of Eagle Mountain to support a large scale gravity cyanidation operation."

The most significant result for this release was returned from Trench TRSB18-002 at the Salbora Area, which intersected 123 metres (horizontal width) grading 1.92 grams per tonne ("gpt") gold. Also noteworthy are Hole EMD18-011, 6.0 metres grading 1.51 gpt gold in the Friendly area; Hole EMD18-018, 21.4 metres grading 1.22 gpt Au, and Hole EMC18-057, 8.0 metres grading 2.65 gpt Au, which are in-fill holes in the Kilroy and Zion areas respectively.

The following table summarizes 17 of the most significant drill intercepts from 82 drill holes and 3 of the most significant trench intercepts from 26 trenches (uncut, undiluted) for this release (see attached Figures):

Hole ID Drill Type From

(m) To

(m) True Thickness Interval

(m) Au

(gpt)* Location

Area Remarks EMD18-003 Diamond 7.9 12.4 4.5 0.58 Friendly Expansion

Diamond 31.9 34.9 3.0 1.43 Friendly Expansion EMD18-005 Diamond 0.6 3.4 2.8 1.38 Friendly Expansion

Diamond 12.4 15.4 3.0 0.70 Friendly Expansion EMD18-006 Diamond 4.9 6.4 1.5 1.15 Friendly Expansion EMD18-007 Diamond 37.9 39.4 1.5 0.91 Friendly Expansion EMD18-008 Diamond 30.4 36.4 6.0 0.50 Friendly Expansion EMD18-010 Diamond 18.4 19.9 1.5 0.91 Friendly Expansion EMD18-011 Diamond 4.9 19.9 15.0 0.55 Friendly Expansion Including Diamond 13.9 19.9 6.0 1.51 Friendly Expansion EMD18-013 Diamond 0.0 1.9 1.9 1.28 Red Hill Expansion EMD18-015 Diamond 10.9 11.7 0.8 5.74 Red Hill Expansion EMD18-017 Diamond 0.0 19.9 19.9 1.02 Kilroy In-fill Including Diamond 0.0 4.9 4.9 3.66 Kilroy In-fill Including Diamond 7.9 10.9 3.0 1.24 Kilroy In-fill Including Diamond 15.4 16.9 1.5 2.59 Kilroy In-fill EMD18-018 Diamond 0.0 21.4 21.4 1.22 Kilroy In-fill Including Diamond 1.9 7.9 6.0 2.60 Kilroy In-fill Including Diamond 12.4 13.9 1.5 7.90 Kilroy In-fill Including Diamond 16.9 21.4 4.5 2.11 Kilroy In-fill EMC18-004 Core** 7.0 8.4 1.4 1.56 Baredi Expansion EMC18-030 Core 4.0 8.0 4.0 0.53 Bottle Bank Expansion

Core 17.0 18.5 1.5 6.15 Bottle Bank Expansion EMC18-035 Core 3.0 4.0 1.0 0.81 Dispute Expansion

Core 20.0 22.5 2.5 1.25 Dispute Expansion EMC18-037 Core 0.0 3.0 3.0 0.79 Dispute Expansion EMC18-046 Core 2.0 3.0 1.0 5.65 Hill #1 Expansion EMC18-057 Core 0.0 8.0 8.0 2.65 Zion In-fill Trench ID

From

(m) To

(m) Horizontal Length Interval

(m) Au

(gpt)* Location Name Type TRSB18-002 Trench 83.0 205.0 123.0 1.92 Salbora Expansion Including

191.0 203.0 12.0 7.76 Salbora Expansion TRK18-001 Road Cut 0.0 10.0 10.0 0.84 Kilroy In-fill Including

0.0 2.0 2.0 1.95 Kilroy In-fill TRK18-002 Road Cut 1.0 6.0 5.0 1.11 Kilroy In-fill

Road Cut 8.0 14.0 6.0 1.67 Kilroy In-fill

Note: All numbers rounded. All holes are drilled vertical.

*Cutoff grade of 0.5 gpt Au

**Geoprobe "Sonic" drill core

All geochemical analyses were completed by Actlabs Guyana Inc. in Georgetown, Guyana.

All reported diamond core ("EMD") and Geoprobe core ("EMC") holes are vertical with total depth drilled to hard rock contact. Geoprobe core drill depths are limited to the presence of groundwater horizon and floating near-surface boulders within the weathered saprolite layer.

A summary of completed drill-holes and trenches from May 2017 to May 2018 is as follows:

Time Period and Type of Drilling Number of Holes or Trenches Metres Analytical Results Pending 2017 Program (May to December)





Geoprobe Core Drilling 119 1,172 0 Auger Drilling 226 830 0 Sampling along Trenches 0 0 0 2018 Program (January to May 22th)





Diamond Core Drilling * 35 947 360 m Geoprobe Core Drilling 82 956 203 m Auger Drilling 43 75 26 m Sampling along Trenches 31 713 40 m Total Program to May 22th 2018





Total Core Drilling 222 3,075 563 m Total Auger Drilling 269 905 26 m Total Trenching 31 713 40 m

* In Jan 2018, a diamond core rig was introduced to the Project

Of the completed holes, analytical results have been received and reported for 20 diamond core holes, 62 Geoprobe core holes, 37 auger holes and 673 continuous meters of sampling along trenches. As reported in the table above, results for the balance of drilled holes and performed trenches are pending.

Salbora Discovery

Several auger holes were historically drilled (early 2000s) in the Salbora Area with grades of trace in excess of 0.5 gpt Au. Review in early 2018 of the extensive Eagle Mountain database lead to prioritizing this target for initial trenching and plans for subsequent core drilling. Trench TRSB18-002 shows 123 metres grading 1.92 gpt Au. Saprolite mineralization appears to be similar to nearby Eagle Mountain deposit which is located within a sheared granitoid. Based on limited auger and trenching results, the Company estimates that the mineralized area of Salbora is approximately 500 metres by one kilometre with an unknown depth.

Trenching was completed with the Company's onsite excavator to a 3-4 metre depth (see attached Figures) with horizontal sampling on one-metre spacings. Further work is planned for this discovery in H2 2018.

Other Discoveries

Expansion drilling and trenching have identified additional mineralized saprolite between current resource pits as well as the periphery of the known resource outline. Priority areas for expansion include the Friendly, Baredi, Bottle Bank, Red Hill, Hill#1, and Dispute areas (see attached Figures). In addition to the expansion targets, the Company has initiated its exploration program over Bishop Growler, a recently optioned-to-purchase land package (refer to the Company's news release dated April 5, 2018). The Company is currently drilling and trenching at Bishop Growler and anticipates to release initial results for Bishop Growler Property once compilation is completed.

In-Fill Drilling

The Company continues in-fill drilling to re-categorize and expand resource estimates beyond the known Eagle Mountain resource area (refer to the Technical Report titled, "Preliminary Economic Assessment of the Eagle Mountain Saprolite Gold Project, Guyana", effective June 15, 2014 and dated September 12, 2014). The above table shows the most significant mineralized intercepts from in-fill drilling at the Kilroy and Zion areas. Additional in-fill work is planned for Q3 2018.

Given the success of the exploration program to date, the Company has extended its drill program to follow up on newly discovered mineralized saprolite areas, based on success, at a minimum of 1,500 metres. Subsequent to completion of this drilling program, the Company plans to release an updated resource estimate in H2 2018.

The Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects for this news release is N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Chairman for Goldsource, who has reviewed and approved its contents.



Ioannis (Yannis) Tsitos

President

Goldsource Mines Inc.

For Further Information:

Goldsource Mines Inc.

Contact:Ioannis (Yannis) Tsitos, President

Fred Cooper, Investor Relations

Telephone:+1 (604) 694-1760

Fax:+1 (604) 357-1313

Toll Free:1-866-691-1760 (Canada & USA)

Email:info@goldsourcemines.com

Website:www.goldsourcemines.com

570 Granville Street, Suite 501

Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 3P1

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT AND FORWARD-LOOKING DISCLAIMER

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking statements concern Goldsource's strategic plans, timing and expectations for the Company's exploration and drilling programs at Eagle Mountain; information regarding high grade areas projected from sampling results and drilling results; and timing and completion of an updated resource estimate and a PFS. Such forward-looking statements or information are based on a number of assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: conditions in general economic and financial markets; accuracy of the interpretations and assumptions used in calculating inferred mineral resource estimates; availability of mining equipment; availability of skilled labour; timing and amount of capital expenditures; performance of available laboratory and other related services; and future operating costs. The actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of the risk factors including: the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities and development of mineral properties; the interpretation of drilling results and other geological data; the uncertainties of resource estimations; receipt, maintenance and security of permits and mineral property titles; environmental and other regulatory risks; project costs overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; and general market and industry conditions. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law.

Neither TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSXV) accepts

responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.









Figure 1: Resource Expansion Areas of Interest



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4977/34810_fig1_en.jpg

Figure 2: 2018 Drilling & Trenching Significant Intersections



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4977/34810_fig2_en.jpgVALLEY COTTAGE, New York, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Vision inspection systems are the new update to the industry of automation and its demand is propelled with the necessity of carrying out error free operation of medication pouch dispensing machine. The revelations are made in a new research report by Future Market Insights, titled 'Medication Pouch Inspection Systems Market Global Industry Analysis 2013-2017 and Opportunity Assessment 2018-2028'. The future of these pouch inspection systems is predicted to be highly lucrative with the ease in the process it provides, which is carried out at a high speed and also with a high rate of accuracy.

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Increasing Demand for Accuracy in Medication Dispensing to Boost Sales

Most of the medication pouch inspection systems are capable of performing inspection with around 98% accuracy, which means that only around 2 out of 100 pouches are needed to be inspected by pharmacists. In addition to reducing the probability of error in medication dispensing, medication pouch inspection systems accelerate the productivity at pharmacies, eventually cutting down on the requirement of additional workforce. With growing demand due to such attributes, the market is likely to reach a value of over US$ 55 Mn by the end of 2028ion pouch inspection systems market is estimated to observe a healthy CAGR of 7.6%.

Preview Medication Pouch Inspection Systems Market Segmentation by Machine Type - Automatic and Table-top; Max Operating Speed - Up to 50 ppm, 50 to 75 ppm, Above 75 ppm; End User - Retail Pharmacy, Hospital Pharmacy, Long-term Care Pharmacy, Mail Order Pharmacy:https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/medication-pouch-inspection-systems-market

Technological Innovation Remains on Market Players' Agenda; Integration of Inspection Systems with Dispensing Machines

Consistent advancements in the industry have been introducing innovative machines to the marketplace. TCGRx has come up with a new machine that inspects medication pouches at 12 parameters, including surface of tablet, length, width, distance to center, length, width, contour, roundness, standard color deviation, sequence, and more. A number of leading companies are working on the integration of inspection systems with dispensing machines in order to reduce additional costs of individual units. Companies such as Rowa, RxSafe LLC have brought in their own integrated versions of the machines. The medication pouch inspection system provided by JVM Co., Ltd. are integrated with medication registering systems which store data about medication pouches that have been inspected by the machine.

Strategic collaborations and partnerships with pharmacy automation companies are among the top strategies adopted by leading players competing in the global medication pouch inspection systems market.

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More from FMI's Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices:

Bioplastics for Packaging Market Bioplastics for Packaging Market Segmentation Material Type - Bio PET, Bio PA, Bio PE, Bio-PP, Bio-PS, PLA, PHA, Starch Blends, Others (PCL, PBAT etc.); End Use Industry - Food & Beverages, Cosmetics & Personal Care, Pharmaceuticals, Consumers Goods, Industrial Goods, Others(Automotive, Electrical & Electronics; Application Type - Bottles, Cups, Trays, Clamshell, Films, Bags, Pouch & Sachet, Others: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/bioplastics-packaging-market

Bioplastics for Packaging Market Segmentation Material Type - Bio PET, Bio PA, Bio PE, Bio-PP, Bio-PS, PLA, PHA, Starch Blends, Others (PCL, PBAT etc.); End Use Industry - Food & Beverages, Cosmetics & Personal Care, Pharmaceuticals, Consumers Goods, Industrial Goods, Others(Automotive, Electrical & Electronics; Application Type - Bottles, Cups, Trays, Clamshell, Films, Bags, Pouch & Sachet, Others: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/bioplastics-packaging-market Disposable Plates Market : Disposable Plates Market Segmentation By Product Type - Plastic Plates(Foam, PP, PET, PE, PLA, PHA), Aluminium, Paper(Laminated, Non Laminated), Others; By Design - Compartment, Plain; By Sales Channel - B2B (Food service Outlets, Educational Institutes, Corporate Offices, Healthcare Facilities), B2C(Online , Supermarket, Hypermarket, Convenience Stores, Mom & Pop Stores): https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/disposable-plates-market

: Disposable Plates Market Segmentation By Product Type - Plastic Plates(Foam, PP, PET, PE, PLA, PHA), Aluminium, Paper(Laminated, Non Laminated), Others; By Design - Compartment, Plain; By Sales Channel - B2B (Food service Outlets, Educational Institutes, Corporate Offices, Healthcare Facilities), B2C(Online , Supermarket, Hypermarket, Convenience Stores, Mom & Pop Stores): https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/disposable-plates-market Jerry Cans Market Jerry Cans Market Segmentation By Material Type - Plastic (HDPE), Metal; By End Use - Food and Beverages (Vegetable Oil, Juices and Milk, Others), Agrochemicals (Fertilisers, Pesticides), Industrial Chemicals (Hazardous, Non Hazardous), Petroleum and Lubricants, Others (Personal care, Home care etc.); By Capacity Size - Below 10 Litres, 10-25 Litres, Above 25 Litres: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/jerry-cans-market

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Website: http://www.futuremarketinsights.comInfiniti Research, a world-renowned market intelligence solutions provider, has announced the completion of their latest list blog on the key semiconductor industry trends

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524005772/en/

Top Trends in the Semiconductor Industry To Watch Out For This Year. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Major players in the semiconductor industry like Intel are capitalizing billions of dollars in R&D programs every year to come up with more powerful chips that can influence the next generation of consumer electronics. Additionally, with the rise of IoT, AI, big data, and machine learning, its high time the semiconductor industry raises its innovation game. With so much happening in the semiconductor industry, Infiniti has listed the key semiconductor industry trends in this blog.

"The semiconductor industry is closer to the deployment of the 5G technology than ever," says an industry expert from Infiniti

To know more about the scope of our research, speak to an expert

Key semiconductor industry trends:

Rise of artificial intelligence: AI is viewed as a source of differentiation from their competition by businesses. The next generation of AI is set to be combined with self-driving cars, surgical robots, autonomous drones, and smartphones. As a result, semiconductor companies are competing to meet the demands that arise from such inventions. Semiconductor chips consume a huge amount of power to do such AI intensive tasks. Graphics chips, which were initially developed for gaming are now being used for machine learning. Organizations have also gone as far as developing custom chips particularly for machine learning and AI.

AI is viewed as a source of differentiation from their competition by businesses. The next generation of AI is set to be combined with self-driving cars, surgical robots, autonomous drones, and smartphones. As a result, semiconductor companies are competing to meet the demands that arise from such inventions. Semiconductor chips consume a huge amount of power to do such AI intensive tasks. Graphics chips, which were initially developed for gaming are now being used for machine learning. Organizations have also gone as far as developing custom chips particularly for machine learning and AI. Going smaller but stronger: In 2017, Intel announced that they would be working on 10nm chips. This new chip is set to deliver 2.7x improvement in transistor density compared to existing 14nm chips. But, Intel is not alone in this competition for the 10nm chips. Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) also have ambitious plans to shift to a 7nm node, which could compete with Intel's 10nm node in the power front. Though, such a battle would only be helpful to the consumers as they can get their hands on influential gadgets. To know more about this engagement , speak to an analyst

In 2017, Intel announced that they would be working on 10nm chips. This new chip is set to deliver 2.7x improvement in transistor density compared to existing 14nm chips. But, Intel is not alone in this competition for the 10nm chips. Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) also have ambitious plans to shift to a 7nm node, which could compete with Intel's 10nm node in the power front. Though, such a battle would only be helpful to the consumers as they can get their hands on influential gadgets. , Using analytics to optimize semiconductor processes: It is known that a majority of semiconductor development projects are not competent enough to meet their early production schedules. Fabrication plants often overrate their skill to handle composite tasks or misjudge the time essential to complete the work. Analytics can help remove this guesswork of approximating project completion date along with manpower needs. The use of analytics can offer insights into equipment health to get maximum performance out of it. Also, analytics can help forecast course failure in the production step and curtail significant losses in the early stage of production.

It is known that a majority of semiconductor development projects are not competent enough to meet their early production schedules. Fabrication plants often overrate their skill to handle composite tasks or misjudge the time essential to complete the work. Analytics can help remove this guesswork of approximating project completion date along with manpower needs. The use of analytics can offer insights into equipment health to get maximum performance out of it. Also, analytics can help forecast course failure in the production step and curtail significant losses in the early stage of production. Request a proposal, to know more about the key semiconductor industry trends

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 key semiconductor industry trends.

View the complete list of the key semiconductor industry trends:

https://www.infinitiresearch.com/thoughts/top-trends-semiconductor-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.

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https://www.infinitiresearch.com/contact-usThe Philippines is being pummelled by its Asean neighbors in the race to attract the lions share of the worlds tourists visiting Southeast Asia. In 2017, the Philippines had 6.62 million arrivals. That is a record and represents an 11-percent gain from 2016s 5.96 million visitors, which was an 11.3-percent jump from 4.775 million in 2015. In two years, tourism arrivals grew a spectacular 23.48 percent or an average of 11.76 percent per year. At 10 percent annual growth rate, the Philippines tourist arrivals will reach only 11.72 million by 2023 and 12.902 million by 2024, when Ramon Angs San Miguel Airport in Bulacan starts operations with two runways. At 10 percent annual growth rate, the Philippines wont hit its 20 million arrivals until 202911 years from today. To hit 20 million arrivals by 2023, arrivals must jump by 20 percent clip per year over the next five years. Is that possible? A 20 percent annual growth, the fastest ever for the Philippines, will require a lot of focus, aggressive tourism promotion, and heavy investments in tourism and other infrastructure. Samie Lim, the tourism chair of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, estimates that to reach 20 million arrivals, both the government and the private sector must invest at least $2 billion per year in tourism and other infra, including hotels, resorts, roads, highways, and most importantly, airports. Over the last 11 years, the Philippines, a country of 105 million and 7,600 islands, has languished in sixth position in number of arrivals among the eight major Asean member states. Its tourism arrivals have remained at single-digit levels (5 million to 6 million) annually.Indonesia hit its 10 millionth arrival in 2015 with 10,407,000, up 113 percent from 4.87 million in 2006, a whopping rise of 5.537 million arrivals. During the same period, arrivals in the Philippines increased by only 2.51 million (half of the Indonesian gain), from 2.843 million in 2006 to 5.361 million, an increase of 88.5 percent. In 2017, Thailand hosted the most number of arrivals in Asean, with 35.38 million, an increase of 21.55 million guests or 156 percent. In the same period, arrivals in the Philippines rose by only 3.77 million or by 132 percent. The increase in arrivals for Thailand was 5.7 times that of the Philippines. Yet, they say, the Philippines has far more and far better attractions than Thailand, in terms of cultural diversity (Catholic and Islam vs. Buddhism for Thailand, not to mention 456 years of Spanish conquest, 52 years of American tutelage and four years of Japanese occupation), beaches (Boracay, El Nido, and Coron are rated among the worlds best beaches and islands). So why has the Philippines been such a laggard in the tourism gametoday the largest and richest industry in the world? Simple answer: The Philippines has the worlds worst airports. [email protected]Risen Energy becomes the first Chinese company to build solar power plants in Kazakhstan

NINGBO, China, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading Chinese solar panel manufacturer Risen Energy Co., Ltd. signed a mandate letter with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for financing construction a 63MW solar project in Kazakhstan during the 27th annual meeting of EBRD held on May 10, 2018 in Jordan.

Construction of the greenfield 63MW solar project will start in September and is scheduled to be completed in June 2019, with an average annual power capacity projected to reach 108,719 MWh after being put into operation.

Earlier this year, EBRD and Risen Energy signed another mandate letter for financing of Risen Energy's 40MW solar project, also in Kazakhstan. Cooperation with EBRD will support Risen Energy in entering Kazakh solar market and becoming the first Chinese PV firm to build solar power stations in the country.

"The partnership with EBRD opens a new chapter for Risen Energy's international project financing plan as it represents both a qualitative leap for and a significant step in the company's international expansion strategy. Ties with international multilateral organizations such as EBRD provide the company with a valuable opportunity to enhance its competence in and strategy for the development, financing and technology services of international projects," said Zhang Jieling, director of project finance and investment at Risen Energy.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/692132/Risen_Energy_EBRD_Signing_ceremony.jpgVALLEY COTTAGE, New York, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

With the growing income of people across the globe, they are willing to pay more for healthcare, the revenue being generated by hospitals is also increasing rapidly. Hospitals and various healthcare facilities are also increasing their spending to enhance the quality of services and their equipment. The proliferating healthcare expenditure is expected to positively impact the gynaecological examination chairs market.

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As a result of the growing demand and expenditure of the consumers, companies are also gearing up in order to take leverage of the arising opportunities and to stay competent in the market. They are strengthening product portfolio by launching novel products with advanced features through product development and acquisitions and mergers. The companies are also concentrating on developing a strong distribution channel and supplier chain in order to expand their presence in the emerging and untapped markets. For instance, in May 2017, Oakworks Inc. announced the introduction of STUDIO, a table designing solution that provides clients with complete flexibility when designing products. Along this line in the same time, the company completed the collaboration with FAMED Medical Solutions. Due to collaboration the company introduce novel iNSPIRITMedical Solutions.

According to a report published by Future Market Insights (FMI), the global gynaecological examination chairs market is expected to witness a CAGR of 6.9% from 2018 to 2028. The market was worth US$ 408.4 Mn in 2017 and is projected to rise to a valuation of US$ 852.3 Mn by the end of 2028.

Preview Gynaecological Examination Chairs Market Segmentation by Product Type - Non-electric gynaecological Examination Chairs and Electric gynaecological Examination Chairs; Price Range - Premium, Medium, Low-price; End User - Hospitals, Obstetrics & Gynaecology Clinics, OthersAvailability of Alternate Products an Ongoing Challenge in the Market: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/gynaecological-examination-chairs-market

Advances in Technology to Have a Positive Impact on the Market

The healthcare industry around the globe is booming exponentially. Heavy investments are made in the healthcare industry, especially in the hospital and clinics sectors. The demand for technologically advanced products is increasing among practitioners and physicians for reducing operating and examination time. Adoption of technologically advanced chairs powered by foot switches and remote will be beneficial in adjusting the required height. These advance features provide efficiency in examination. Gynaecologists across the globe are adopting advanced gynaecological chairs that are compatible with video colposcopy device holders, organic waste containers and are made of antimicrobial materials in order to reduce the time and manpower required to manage all the adjustments.

Strict Regulations to Act as a Prime Roadblock in Market Growth

The companies in the market are facing strict regulatory policies in the development of new products for medical furniture, such as examination chairs and tables. The manufactured products should meet the standards of the U.S. Access Board Proposed Standards for Accessible Medical Diagnostic Equipment. Most of the companies are facing difficulties in bringing gynaecology examination chairs to the market without greater predictability and transparency from FDA. The products have to meet the standard of sterilization and environment protection regulation.

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More from FMI's Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices:

3D Printed Medical Devices Market Segmentation By Application Type - Orthopaedic Implants, Dental Implants, Cranio-maxillofacial Implants; By Technology Type - Stereolithography (SLA) - Liquid, Based 3D Printing, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS),Powder Based 3D Printing, Digital Light Processing (DLP),Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM),Plastic Filament Extrusion Based, technology, Electronic Beam Melting (EBM), PolyJet / InkJet 3D Printing: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/3d-Printed-medical-devices-market

Wearable Medical Devices Market Segmentation By Product - Wearable Therapeutic, Monitoring and Diagnostic Devices; By Application Type - Patient Monitoring, Sports and Fitness; By Distribution Channels - Hospital Pharmacies, Clinics, Online Channels and Hypermarkets: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/wearable-medical-devices-market

Wearable Medical Devices Market Segmentation By Product - Wearable Therapeutic, Monitoring and Diagnostic Devices; By Application Type - Patient Monitoring, Sports and Fitness; By Distribution Channels - Hospital Pharmacies, Clinics, Online Channels and Hypermarkets: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/wearable-medical-devices-market

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Website: http://www.futuremarketinsights.comWASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - In a move likely to add to concerns about the possibility of a global trade war, the Commerce Department has initiated an investigation into whether imports of automobiles and parts threaten to impair U.S. national security. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross launched the investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 on Wednesday following a conversation with President Donald Trump. Trump reportedly intends to use his authority under the Trade Expansion Act to slap a 25 percent tariff on auto imports. The announcement of the investigation came after Trump teased 'big news' for U.S. autoworkers in a post on Twitter. 'There will be big news coming soon for our great American Autoworkers,' Trump tweeted. 'After many decades of losing your jobs to other countries, you have waited long enough!' A statement from the Commerce Department noted employment in motor vehicle production declined by 22 percent from 1990 to 2017 even though Americans are purchasing automobiles at record levels. The decrease in employment comes as imported passenger vehicles have grown to 48 percent of passenger cars sold in the U.S. from 32 percent over the past 20 years. 'There is evidence suggesting that, for decades, imports from abroad have eroded our domestic auto industry,' said Secretary Ross. He added, 'The Department of Commerce will conduct a thorough, fair, and transparent investigation into whether such imports are weakening our internal economy and may impair the national security.' In February, Ross recommended imposing heavy tariffs or quotas on foreign producers of steel and aluminum in the interest of national security. Trump subsequently imposed a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports, leading to retaliation by China. 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.DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 24, 2018 / Alternet Systems, Inc. (OTC PINK: ALYI) today announced releasing an online presentation on the company's website to provide an overview of the company's current strategy to integrate its portfolio of lithium battery technology into energy solutions to support combat systems. Alternet concentrates defense industry sales efforts on developing partnerships with the approved government contractors that account for more than $250 Billion in annual US defense spending. The narrative from the presentation is included in its entirety below. This presentation was originally scheduled to be released yesterday, but was delayed due to unanticipated schedule conflicts.

Alternet Systems Business Development Strategy To Integrate Its Portfolio Of Lithium Technology Into Combat Solutions

The United States Military uses a lot of lithium batteries. Do a Google search of "lithium-batteries-military" and you can read for days about the current applications of lithium batteries in the military; research the military is doing into improving upon current lithium battery technology, and multiple contracts signed procuring lithium batteries for the military. The US military spends over $100 million dollars a year on batteries. Now consider that there are 195 countries in the world (at last count) and only about 20 of them does not have a military. That's a pretty big battery market and as military equipment becomes more electronic and more portable, that battery market is only going to grow.

As non-state sponsored militant organizations continue to grow and proliferate, such organizations will be focused on developing counter electronics to attack the electronic command and control systems of larger state-sponsored militaries. In turn, larger state-sponsored militaries will be looking to develop counter measures to prevent cyber-attacks. As the battlefield continues to evolve from invasion and defense campaigns toward surgical, and often covert strikes, demand for individual mobile electronic solutions will continue to grow. The military need for durable, sustainable and long-lasting self-contained power sources is only going to get bigger.

The management team at Alternet has first-hand experience with many of the military, special operations and clandestine uses of batteries. The management team is familiar with many of the vendors (most of which people have never heard of) that provide the military with current contained power solutions today. The most notable experience the Alternet management team brings is with the training operations conducted with small nation-states to empower those entities to support the United Nations consensus on allied sovereign authority. Accordingly, in addition to Alternet's efforts to develop partnerships concentrating on the integration of Alternet technology into US combat systems, Alternet is also working to develop similar partnerships for delivering combat systems utilizing Alternet technology to small, allied nation-states. The US military industry sector is the largest exporter of military systems in the world accounting for over 30% of the entire defense sector market.

In addition to the ongoing business development efforts to partner with vendors to the US military, Alternet has engaged in a funded agreement to develop solutions in Africa. Non-state sponsored military organizations well-known in the middle east that have also masterminded notable attacks in Europe are also active in East Africa. The United States actively supports counterterrorism activities in East Africa. East African nations are both independently and with the support of the United States engaged in the battle against these well-known non-state sponsored military organizations. Alternet is actively engaged in the development of solutions that would integrate Alternet technology into systems intended to give counterterrorist forces an advantage. The engagement in Africa has the added benefit of being tangent to a separate effort to develop distribution opportunities for Alternet's ReVolt electric motorcycle in Africa.

Learn more on the company's website: www.lithiumip.com

Disclaimer/Safe Harbor: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies' contracts, the companies' liquidity position, the companies' ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur.

Alternet Systems, Inc. Contact:

Randell Torno

info@lithiumip.com

1 800 713 0297

https://www.otc-alyi.com/contact/

SOURCE: Alternet Systems, Inc.FORT MYERS and NAPLES, FL / ACCESSWIRE / May 24, 2018 / Liberate Physician Centers, a medical marijuana certification center and clinic, has expanded its Florida operations by opening new offices in Fort Myers and Naples, joining previous clinics in Jacksonville, Port Charlotte and West Palm Beach as part of the Liberate network.

The new offices are headed by Robert Brueck, MD serving as Medical Director and Don Ketterhagen, MD serving as Operations Director. The Fort Myers location is 8646 Gladiolus and the Naples location is 1250 9th Street North. The phone numbers are 239-202-0606 and 239-659-2777, respectively.

"We are very pleased to add these two clinic offices to serve Floridians in need of medical marijuana therapy," says Daniel J. Reid, founder and chief executive officer of Liberate. "These new locations will give residents of Southwest Florida convenient access to patients in need of this important medicine.

"Cannabis is often an ideal therapy for people suffering from chronic illness and disease," says Brueck. "Our process for qualifying patients is designed to make it easier to obtain access and remain in compliance with Florida law."

Liberate was founded in 2013 with a flagship office in Michigan and an operations center in Colorado. The company was the first medical marijuana business in the state of Florida, having opened in West Palm Beach in 2015 in anticipation of the passage of Amendment 2 on the November 2016 ballot.

"Our approach in Florida is highly localized," says Reid. "Each office has local physicians and local management, along with access to national experts in medical marijuana therapy, physician office management, cannabis law and regulation, compliance and best practices."

Reid's advice to patients that think they might benefit from medical marijuana therapy is simple and direct: "We tell patients to Get Legal, Get Help, and Get Started because the process in Florida requires a physician and ongoing care. Liberate has extensive experience in Florida and nationally and is ideally suited to help patients in becoming legal cardholders."

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Don Ketterhagen

239-336-9882

ketter@liberateFM.com

Daniel J. Reid

312-316-4313

dreid@liberatepc.com

SOURCE: Liberate Physician Centers/Fort Myers and NaplesOttawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 24, 2018) - Aura Silver Resources (TSXV: AUU) ("Aura Silver" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Robert Johansing has been appointed to its board of directors effective May 23, 2018, subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval.

"We are pleased to welcome Robert Johansing to the board," Aura Silver chairman Nick Tintor stated. "Rob's appointment will enhance the Company's strategic focus to identify and evaluate new exploration projects for addition to the Company's portfolio. Additionally, Rob has extensive knowledge of the Company's Taviche, Mexico project where he acted as lead exploration geologist and country manager during the period from 2006 to 2011. We anticipate that Rob will play an instrumental role in securing a joint venture partner for the Taviche project with an objective of resuming aggressive exploration programs to follow up on significant past drilling success."

Robert Johansing has over 40 years of experience as a mining and mineral exploration geologist. His career began in Colorado in 1976 where he worked as Senior Mine Geologist for the Sherman Mine (silver; Day Mines) and ASARCO Exploration in Leadville, Colorado. Following the completion of his M.Sc. in Economic Geology at Colorado State University, he worked as an exploration consultant out of Leadville, Colorado until 1992. From 1990 to 1993, he consulted for Kennecott Corp. in Central Colorado and Northern Mexico with a focus on the exploration of Carbonate-Hosted Massive Sulfide Deposits (CHMSD). In 1993, he joined Mirage Resource Corp. in the start-up of the El Dorado project (epithermal gold) in El Salvador and worked as Project Manager until 2002. From 2002 to 2015, Rob worked as a consultant in exploration and mining projects in Central and South America. This period included the identification of several high-quality precious-metal projects, the development and sale of an exploration project portfolio, project/corporate management and applied research. He remains involved in projects throughout Latin America and the U.S.

About Aura Silver

Aura Silver is a TSX Venture listed company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of precious metal prospects in Canada (49% interest in the Greyhound project under operation by our partner, Agnico Eagle) and in Oaxaca, Mexico (100% owned Taviche project). Aura Silver has 128,116,558 common shares outstanding.

For further information regarding this press release contact: Robert Boaz, President and CEO at (905) 403-8010 or by e-mail at boaz@aurasilver.com. Aura Silver's web site is located at www.aurasilver.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

This press release may contain forward looking statements that are made as of the date hereof and are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions which involve risks and uncertainties associated with our business including the uncertainty as to whether further exploration will result in the target(s) being delineated as a mineral resource, capital expenditures, operating costs, mineral resources, recovery rates, grades and prices, estimated goals, expansion and growth of the business and operations, the private placement financing activities of the Company, plans and references to the Company's future successes with its business and the economic environment in which the business operates. All such statements are made pursuant to the 'safe harbour' provisions of, and are intended to be forward-looking statements under, applicable Canadian securities legislation. Any statements contained herein that are statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements require us to make assumptions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. We caution readers of this news release not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements as a number of factors could cause actual results or conditions to differ materially from current expectations. Please refer to the risks set forth in the Company's most recent annual MD&A and the Company's continuous disclosure documents that can be found on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Aura Silver does not intend, and disclaims any obligation, except as required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.CONCORD, California, May 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) and the European Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and Biology (ESMRMB) invite attendees at their joint annual meeting (www.ismrm.org) to attend the Presidential Lecture on 20 June featuring the leading expert on gender equality and unconscious bias, Curt Rice, Ph.D. The lecture is entitled "When the Right Thing to Do Is Also the Smart Thing to Do: Research & Results on Diversity in Research Organizations."

Rice is having the academic world rethink topics such as leadership development and gender balance as a tool to enhance and increase quality and performance as it applies to scientific results and research-based education. He leads Norway's Committee for Gender Balance and Diversity in Research and is heavily involved in many other leading organizations.

In a riveting post, Rice stated, "Gender equality has not yet been achieved in the workplaces of the western world. Research institutions have a special responsibility to contribute to progress. Knowledge gives insight as we identify the challenges that remain; our job is to deliver that knowledge. How will we know that gender equality has been achieved? One hallmark of true gender equality is that the sex of an employee does not affect processes such as hiring, evaluation, setting salaries, and other processes in the workplace."

ISMRM president Daniel K. Sodickson, M.D., Ph.D., says, "It is one of our Society's core values to connect diverse constituencies -- for example, clinicians and basic scientists from countries around the world -- and at this we truly excel. Nevertheless, we still have a long way to go in leveraging, and reflecting, the true diversity of our membership. To cite just one concrete example: of the 80 Gold Medals the ISMRM has conferred, only 4 have gone to women, though we know that women have played an essential role in the ongoing development of our field. For our inaugural President's Lecture at our Annual Meeting this year in Paris, we have sought out a true international leader to present to our evidence-based community with some of the emerging evidence about diversity, inclusion, and unconscious bias in scientific communities like ours.Curt Rice is just such a leader. The president of Oslo Metropolitan University and head of Norway's Committee on Gender Balance and Diversity in Research, Curt was recently invited by the Nobel Foundation to address the members of all the Nobel Committees regarding the challenges they face in moving towards better gender balance in the awarding of the Nobel Prizes. In a year marked by long-overdue upheavals in the global conversation about gender and diversity, we hope that attendees of our meeting will take full advantage of this opportunity to look inward, and forward, together."

The joint ISMRM-ESMRMB annual meeting with be held at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, in Paris, France. The meeting opens 16 June and will welcome over 6,000 attendees specializing in the field of magnetic resonance. If you are interested in attending, register today. You don't want to miss this informative meeting in this dream location.

About ISMRM:

The International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine is an international, nonprofit, scientific association whose purpose is to promote communication, research, development, and applications in the field of magnetic resonance in medicine and biology and other related topics and to develop and provide channels and facilities for continuing education in the field. Its multidisciplinary membership of over 9,000 consists of clinicians, physicists, engineers, biochemists, and technologists. In addition to its large scientific meetings, the Society holds workshops and publishes two journals, Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and the Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and a virtual newsletter, MR Pulse. It also sponsors 27 study groups on specific areas of scientific interest and chapters based on geographical location.

To find out more about the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM), please call +1 510-841-1899, Fax +1 510-841-2340, or visit our website at www.ismrm.org.

ISMRM, One Concord Center, 2300 Clayton Road, Suite 620, Concord, CA 94520 USA

Contact: Parshy Phillips, ISMRM

Phone: 510-841-1899

Email: parshy@ismrm.org

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/695901/ISMRM_Logo.jpgWASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The United States has expelled two Venezuelan diplomats in retaliation against Caracas's expulsion order against the top two US diplomats there. The State Department said Wednesday that it declared the Charge d'Affaires of the Venezuelan embassy and the Deputy Consul General of the Venezuelan consulate in Houston 'personae non grata' in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and Consular Relations. They have been directed to leave the United States within 48 hours. 'This action is to reciprocate the Maduro regime's decision to declare the Charge d'Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas personae non grata,' State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement. She alleged that the accusations behind the Maduro regime's decision are unjustified. She claimed that the US Embassy officers have carried out their official duties responsibly and consistent with diplomatic practice and applicable provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. 'We reject any suggestion to the contrary,' she added. 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.

WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - US porn actress Stormy Daniels, who claims of an affair with President Donald Trump 12 years back, was given the keys to the California city of West Hollywood.



The city, which was the epicenter of the Me Too Resistance movement, also proclaimed May 23 as Stormy Daniels Day.



The gesture was in recognition of her efforts in speaking out against the President, and her leadership in the mass movement against sexual harassment.



'In these politically tumultuous times, Stormy Daniels has proven herself to be a profile in courage by speaking truth to power even under threats to her safety and extreme intimidation from the current Administration,' the city Council said on its Facebook page.



At a ceremony held in front of adult retail store Chi Chi La Rue, city Mayor John J. Duran, Mayor Pro Tempore John D'Amico, and members of the West Hollywood City Council gathered to present the pornographic film star the Key to the City and issue the Proclamation.



In 2017, the West Hollywood City Council approved a Resolution calling on the House of Representatives to initiate proceedings for the impeachment of the President.



As she spoke, someone from the crowd kept yelling about the non-disclosure agreement, asking Daniels why she signed it and if she used her own pen, the Hollywood Reporter reported.



Daniels, whose original name is Stephanie Clifford, did not respond to any of the shouting, and she did not take any questions from the media.



But her lawyer Michael Avenatti hinted to their fight with the president by saying: 'There is one thing I can promise you about Stormy Daniels, and that is she's not packing up. She is not going home. She will be in for the long fight, each and every day.'



Earlier this month Trump admitted that he reimbursed his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen for a $130,000 payment he had made to Daniels to hush up the so-called affair.



That clarification ran counter to previous statements from the president himself, who told reporters last month that he did not know about the payment, and denied Daniels' claims of an affair with him in 2006.



But he insisted that the money was paid not from his presidential election campaign fund, but from his pocket.



The billionaire-turned politician says the Non-Disclosure Agreement was designed to stop Daniels from making 'false and extortionist' statements.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.deDr. Yan Liu will manage medical affairs, supporting the company's clinical trials operations and business development activities in Europe

Regulatory News:

Median Technologies (Paris:ALMDT), the industry-leading Imaging Phenomics Company, announced today the appointment of Dr. Yan Liu as Medical Director, Europe. Yan Liu, MD, MS, PhD, Medical Director, will be responsible for managing Medical Affairs throughout Europe, supporting Median's clinical trials operations and business development activities.

Dr. Yan Liu is an imaging expert with more than 15 years of clinical and academic research experience. For the past 6 years, Dr. Liu has been dedicated to the integration of imaging in multicenter oncology trials and the validation of imaging biomarkers.

Previously, Dr. Liu served as the head of translational research, radiotherapy and imaging department of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC).

Dr. Liu completed her medical studies at the Shanghai Jiaotong University College of Medicine, China, where she received her Master of Medicine in Image Diagnosis as well. Dr. Liu also studied brain functional imaging at the Erasmus Hospital in Brussels, where she earned her PhD in medical science (neuroradiology) from Universite Libre de Bruxelles.

Dr. Liu has published book chapters and more than 25 peer-reviewed papers in high impact journals such as Lancet Oncology and Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology.

Before joining Median, Dr. Liu was a member of the RECIST core working group, the scientific leader of two European imaging projects, and the chair for the EORTC imaging group (2016-2017).

"It is my privilege to join Median Technologies, one of the most innovative imaging phenomics companies. We have the common goal to improve patient care through high quality image analysis and management in clinical trials", said Dr. Liu. "Cancer patient survival and quality of life can be enhanced only through medical research. As the knowledge of cancer biology is constantly increasing, treatment options are focusing more and more on precision medicine and new strategies such as immuno-oncology. Image analysis and management, which are key for new treatment evaluation in clinical trials, today require a high level of image expertise, which is the core of Median's activities. I am very happy to contribute to further strengthening the company's expertise", Dr. Liu added.

"We are thrilled to have Yan join our company. As a recognized imaging expert and researcher, she is bringing with her a very significant and unique expertise on imaging for oncology clinical trials. We are entering a new era for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, where Artificial Intelligence will not only play a central role in medical imaging for daily practice, but also for the discovery of non-invasive imaging biomarkers. Yan's experience in the field is extremely valuable for our company", said Fredrik Brag, CEO of Median Technologies.

About Median Technologies: Median Technologies provides innovative imaging solutions and services to advance healthcare for everyone. We leverage the power of Imaging Phenomics to provide insights into novel therapies and treatment strategies. Our unique solutions, MediScan for Patient Care, iSee and ImageBank for image management in clinical trials and iBiopsy for imaging phenotyping, together with our global team of experts, are advancing the development of new drugs and diagnostic tools to monitor disease and assess response to therapy. Median Technologies supports biopharmaceutical sponsors and healthcare professionals around the world to quickly and precisely bring new treatments to patients in need, with an eye on reducing overall care costs. This is how we are helping to create a healthier world.

Founded in 2002, based in Sophia-Antipolis, France, with a US subsidiary in Boston, Median has received the label "Innovative company" by the BPI and is listed on Euronext Growth market (ISIN: FR0011049824, ticker: ALMDT). The company is eligible for the PEA-PME SME equity savings plan setup and has received the label Pass French Tech Promotion 2017-2018. Median Technologies has been awarded the 2018 Tech 40 Label, and is a winner of the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 2017 EMEA program. Median is a member of the Bpifrance Excellence Network. For more information: www.mediantechnologies.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524005751/en/

Contacts:

Median Technologies

Emmanuelle Leygues

Senior Director, Corporate Communications

+33 6 10 93 58 88

emmanuelle.leygues@mediantechnologies.com

or

Press - ALIZE RP

Caroline Carmagnol /Wendy Rigal

+ 33 1 44 54 36 66

median@alizerp.com

or

Investors - ACTIFIN

Ghislaine Gasparetto

+33 1 56 88 11 11

ggasparetto@actifin.frPosted Thursday, May 24, 2018 9:29 am

The eighth-annual Presidential Prayer Breakfast on April 28, at the Marshfield Assembly of God Church, served a much bigger purpose, as it was the first-ever fundraiser for ZuZus House, a new ministry in Webster County that provides local teens who are homeless with a safe place to live in Marshfield.

ZuZus House was started by Missouri Cherry Blossom chairman Nicholas Inman, after he heard about a problem in the Marshfield community involving homeless teens. He explained that these teens were not necessarily living under bridges, but they were couch-surfing (temporarily staying in a series of other peoples homes).

Inman had a dream of establishing a house for homeless teens called ZuZus House because the mission of the house would be to provide all teenagers with a wonderful life. He called Karolyn Grimes, who played Zuzu from the movie, Its A Wonderful Life, and asked her if he could use ZuZus House as the name for the project and if she would be the honorary chairperson. Grimes was excited about the opportunity and agreed. Going one step further, Inman reached out to Jeanine Roose (young Violet, Its A Wonderful Life) since she has extensive experience in counseling.

We have had two board meetings, said Inman. Jeanine Roose has participated from California by phone and met with the local counselors in our community during her visit here to help establish a counseling program for ZuZus House.

He added this ministry will benefit both the Marshfield and Niangua communities.

Shortly after that, Karolyn Grimes spoke about her life story and how she lost her mother when she was 14 years old. The diagnosis was early onset Alzheimers disease. A year later, she lost her father from a car crash. Grimes was sent from Hollywood, California, to Osceola, Missouri, where she lived with her aunt and uncle. While she did not go into details, Grimes said her aunt did not treat her very well, but the community supported her through the challenges she faced.

To help with the fundraiser, Grimes donated a copy of the the original script from Its A Wonderful Life to be auctioned off. It was signed by the four surviving cast members. Guests could also show their support by giving donations to ZuZus House.

In addition to the fundraiser, Inman presented the 2018 Cherry Blossom Medals to many one-room schoolhouse teachers for their contributions to education and history. The teachers were: Norma Robertson, Evelyn Close, Lola Belle Underwood, Violet Batson, Alberta Traylor, Virginia Snyder, Marthann Shook, Darleen (Gower) Anderson, Lucille Young, Betty Callaway, Betty Washam, Darlene Loring and Pat Burchfield. Owen Jackson, son of the late, Ellis Jackson, who was the superintendent of schools for many years in Webster County, helped present the medals to the teachers.TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 24, 2018 / CIX (Canadian Innovation Exchange), officially launched its 2018 website and opened submissions today for the 11th annual CIX Top 20 program, a coveted showcase of Canada's most innovative early- and growth-stage tech companies. Each year, the CIX Top 20 Selection Committee reviews hundreds of submissions from across Canada and selects 20 to present at CIX, taking place on October 22 & 23 in Toronto at the downtown Hilton Toronto.

CIX also announced this year's Co-Chairs: Michael Katchen, Founder & CEO of Wealthsimple, a top Canadian fintech company that provides online investing, and Alison Nankivell, Vice President of Global Scaling at BDC Capital, a subsidiary of BDC supporting Canadian entrepreneurs. "There are some amazing things happening in Canadian tech right now, and I'm excited to help showcase them as CIX co-chair this year," said Michael Katchen, co-founder and CEO, Wealthsimple. "As a previous recipient, I've experienced firsthand the exposure and credibility the CIX Top 20 designation gives early-stage companies, and I'm looking forward to seeing the interesting, diverse, innovative companies and founders on this year's list."



Michael Katchen,

Founder & CEO of Wealthsimple

"We are thrilled that Michael and Alison will be Co-Chairs this year and we're excited to open nominations for the CIX Top 20 program," said CIX Executive Director, Lauren Linton. "CIX Top 20 recipients are an impressive list of Canadian startups, many of whom were 'discovered' at CIX. Past CIX Top 20 companies include Achievers, Axonify, Breather, Busbud, Chango, D-Wave, Figure 1, Fixel, Frank & Oak, Hubba, IGLOO, Influitive, Kobo Books, Miovision, Nuology, ScribbleLive, Thalmic Labs, UrtheCast, Vidyard, Wattpad, Wave and Wealthsimple."

While CIX has always had an internal mandate for gender diversity in its program, this year they are going public with it. "Our commitment is to have a minimum of 30% female speakers, with a goal of 50%," said Alison Nankivell, CIX's 2018 Co-Chair. The speakers will be announced over the summer and the CIX Top 20 companies will be announced in early September. Registration opens this week with a kick off rate of CA$695 for the 2-day summit.

CIX - Canadian Innovation Exchange

CIX is Canada's most exclusive startup investment conference. Invited attendees are founders of Canada's most innovative early- and growth-stage tech companies and global investors and corporates. CIX takes place over two days, Oct 22-23, 2018, in downtown Toronto. http://cixsummit.com/2018/. Companies looking to apply to CIX Top 20 may do so at not cost at http://cixsummit.com/2018/submit_to_present/.

If you would like more information, please call Brooke Wilkinson at 416-617-6545 or email brooke@marigoldpr.com

SOURCE: CIX Canadian Innovation ExchangeWASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Republican Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., has offered harsh criticism of the Commerce Department's decision to launch an investigation of whether imports of automobiles and parts threaten to impair U.S. national security. Corker said Thursday he is 'very concerned' about President Donald Trump abusing the authorities granted to him in Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. 'There is no reason to use this provision to consider imposing tariffs on the automobile industry,' Corker said in a statement. 'This appears to be either an attempt to affect domestic politics ahead of the election or for some other transactional purpose regarding ongoing trade discussions,' he added. 'This is a dangerous course and should be abandoned immediately.' The comments from Corker come after Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross initiated the investigation on Wednesday following a conversation with Trump. Trump reportedly intends to use his authority under the Trade Expansion Act to slap a 25 percent tariff on auto imports. Corker, a frequent Republican critic of Trump's policies, announced last September that he will not seek re-election this fall. 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.Dutch Woman Appeals for Information on African-American Servicemen Buried in the Netherlands During WWII

The Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten honors the names of 1,722 missing American World War II soldiers and contains the graves of 8,301 servicemen. Of those fallen soldiers, 172 were African-American. While their name, rank, unit, hometown and date of death is readily available, little else is known about the African-American soldiers before they joined the US Army and helped liberate the Netherlands.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524006198/en/

Technical Sgt. Willie F. Williams (Photo: Business Wire)

Dutch public historian Mieke Kirkels would like to change that. "It's about time we learn about the 172 African-American liberators," she said. "We can't change the fact that their service was not widely acknowledged, but we can honor them by telling who they were before and during the war."

The southern tip of the Netherlands was liberated in the fall of 1944. Soon after, the US Army began building the cemetery in Margraten. Many of the soldiers who built the cemetery were African-Americans who worked as truck drivers and grave diggers in the Quartermaster Corps. One of these men was Dr. Jefferson Wiggins, a soldier in the 960th Quartermaster Service Company. Through interviews on Dutch television and the book, "Van Alabama naar Margraten" (From Alabama to Margraten), Dr. Wiggins shared his memories of serving in a segregated US Army and his time in Margraten.

Nearly 70 years after the end of World War II, Dr. Wiggins' experience started to shed light on the service of African-American soldiers stationed in the Netherlands, and thus paved the way for greater awareness by the Dutch of the contributions of African-American servicemen during World War II.

Dutch people have never forgotten the American soldiers who liberated them, which is why every grave at Margraten is adopted by a Dutch family that tends to the graves throughout the year. Over time, many Dutch families have contacted the families of the service members whose graves they adopted, but information on the 172 African-American soldiers is sparse.

"It's important that we also mark the contribution of African-American soldiers to the liberation of the Netherlands. Their specific role and circumstances have not received the recognition they deserve. Now that there is still an opportunity to speak with their relatives and next of kin, the Embassy of the Netherlands is most happy to assist where it can in the search for information," said Henne Schuwer, the Dutch Ambassador to the United States.

The Search for the 172 African-Americans of Margraten

Mrs. Kirkels said some of the 172 African-Americans of Margraten were identified as "Negro infantry volunteers." In December 1944, troop shortages made the US Army open up the infantry to African-Americans. About 2,200 "Negro volunteers" were selected for infantry training. After training, 37 African-American infantry platoons were added to existing infantry and armored divisions in March 1945.

Private First Class Willie F. James of Jackson County, Missouri, served in the 104th Infantry Division as an infantry scout. He was killed in action on April 7, 1945, near Lippoldsberg, Germany, and is buried at Margraten. In 1997, together with six others, PFC James was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism during World War II. Until that time, no African-American service member of World War II had been awarded a Medal of Honor.

As World War II came to a close, more African-American soldiers were buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery. But after an enormous repatriation that started in 1947, the bodies and or the names of the missing of 172 African-American liberators remain at Margraten. These men hailed from Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. A complete list of the soldiers can be found at BlackLiberators.NL.

While 900,000 African-Americans served in the US Army during the war, the popular image of an American World War II serviceman in the Netherlands is that of a white soldier. The website, BlackLiberators.NL, is seeking any information, such as mementos, letters or photos, to help complete the picture of their lives. It will be used to expand the knowledge of the soldiers not only in the Netherlands, but in the United States as well.

Mrs. Kirkels believes it's a story that must be told for families of the relatives, for the legacy of the liberators, and for all people. "We know that these families are out there. David McGhee, the grandson of Technical Sergeant Willie F. Williams of Connecticut, found his grandfather's grave at Margraten two years ago," she said.

Blackliberators.nl is also working with the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress to find relatives of the soldiers. For information on blackliberators.nl, or to submit information on the liberators, or to interview Mieke Kirkels, please email contact@blackliberators.nl or call +31-638-906-447.

The Netherlands is a trading nation that continues to blossom from a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, and that is rooted in the strong beliefs of security, freedom and justice. For more than 400 years, the Netherlands and the United States have shared a deep bond founded on joint values and history. Our economic ties create jobs, sound investments, and promising opportunities on both sides of the Atlantic. Simply said, the Netherlands and the US have a partnership that works.

The Netherlands diplomatic network in the US promotes strong bilateral relations between the United States and the Netherlands, especially in the areas of agrifood and horticulture, water management, sustainable urban planning, peace and justice, and creative industries. Read more on www.nlintheusa.com and follow us @NLintheUSA.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524006198/en/

Contacts:

Royal Netherlands Embassy

Public Diplomacy, Press and Culture

Carla Bundy, 202-274-2632 or 202-413-9786

or

Jacquelien Nienhuis, 202-274-2606 or 202-262-0995

NLintheUSA.com

WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - In a signing ceremony for a bill rolling back regulations on small and medium-sized banks, President Donald Trump suggested Thursday he would also consider cutting regulations on larger financial institutions.



Trump claimed complex and costly regulations implemented following the 2008 financial crisis gave large banks an unfair competitive advantage at the expense of neighborhood banks.



'Since its passage in 2010, Dodd-Frank has dealt a huge blow to community banking,' Trump said as he prepared to sign Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act.



He added, 'As a candidate, I pledged that we would rescue these community banks from the disaster of Dodd-Frank and now we are keeping that commitment.'



Trump claimed the bill is designed to help community banks and credit unions, but he also raised the possibility of rolling back regulations on the banks deemed 'too big to fail.'



'Maybe we're going to have to start looking at that also for the larger institutions because they also are put at a disadvantage in terms of loaning money to people wanting to open up businesses,' Trump said. 'So perhaps we'll be taking a look at that.'



The provisions of the bill Trump signed include an increase in the threshold at which banks are considered 'too big to fail' to $250 billion in assets from $50 billion in assets.



The bill also amends the Volcker Rule to exempt banks with under $10 billion in assets and smaller trading portfolios.



Supporters of legislation also claim it will improve access to credit and enhance consumer protections for veterans, homeowners, and student loan borrowers



Meanwhile, opponents of the bill claimed it potentially threatens the stability of the financial system and the economy.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.deTechnavio's latest market research report on the global solar cover glass market provides an analysis of the most important trends expected to impact the market outlook from 2018-2022.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524006244/en/

Technavio has published a new market research report on the global solar cover glass market from 2018-2022. (Graphic: Business Wire)

According to Technavio market research analysts, the global solar cover glass market will grow at a CAGR of close to 31% during the forecast period. The rise in solar PV installations is a major factor driving the market's growth. Factors such as population growth and technological advances in the field of electrical and electronic appliances have increased the demand for energy. The rise in demand for industrial electric motor systems, growth in the electric appliances market, and increase in the use of HVAC systems owing to variation in temperature will increase the demand for electricity globally.

Governments of many countries have started investing in various energy projects due to the rise in demand for energy. Several countries have started increasing their investment in renewable energy owing to the growing concerns about climate change and global warming. During the forecast period, reduced carbon footprints of solar and wind energy compared with coal will drive the renewable energy market.

This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing

Save more with Technavio. Buy2 reports and get the third for FREEView all Technavio's current offers

In this report, Technavio highlights the rise in deployment of microgrids as one of the key emerging trends in the global solar cover glass market

Rise in the deployment of microgrids

Microgrids are energy systems that are combined with several sources of energy such as wind, solar, geothermal, and fossil fuels, thus negating the disadvantage of conventional grids. These grids are constructed with the aim to provide power to an entire local community, university, or a military base.

"Microgrids aid in overcoming the intermittency issue of solar power as they are equipped with storage systems for backups. They are usually used as substitutes for larger energy grids in case of emergency situations such as natural calamities. During the forecast period, the rise in the number of microgrid projects is expected to increase the demand for solar PV systems and subsequently the demand for solar glass," says a senior analyst at Technavio.

Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Global solar cover glass market segmentation

This market research report segments the global solar cover glass market into the following applications (utility, commercial, and residential) and key regions (the Americas, APAC, and EMEA).

The utility segment held the largest market share in 2017, accounting for nearly 47% of the market. The market share for this application is expected to increase by 2022. The fastest growing application is commercial, which will account for nearly 28% of the total market share by 2022.

APAC was the leading region for the global solar cover glass market in 2017, accounting for a market share of nearly 72%. By 2022, APAC is expected to continue dominating the market and register the highest growth.

Save big with Technavio this May! Find out what companies are venturing in to beat the heat this summer! Technavio indulges you with a massive 20% OFF on all non-alcoholic beverages reports for the entire month. OR Technavio honors the achievements and efforts of Motherhood this Mother's Day by offering a whopping 30% OFF on all cosmetics and toiletry reports. Offer valid from 7th May for a limited period.

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524006244/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

www.technavio.comEssen, May 25, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - The energy provider innogy and the startup Conjoule are focusing on digitization and are jointly launching the "Community Network" future project in Mulheim an der Ruhr.Conjoule's community network platform, designed specifically for this purpose, allows owners of private photovoltaic systems and neighborhood consumers to share renewable energy. The electricity from next door strengthens the local structures and leads to cost advantages due to the proximity.Consumers include non-self-powered neighbors, local businesses, supermarkets and schools. The blockchain technology allows the exchange of locally generated electricity between the neighbors and creates transparency about the source of each kilowatt-hour generated."We are excited to work on this future project "Community Network" in order to deepen our know-how on platform users and technology," says Sam Warburton, Managing Director of Conjoule GmbH.The prosumer households participating in the project will be equipped with modern measuring devices (smart meters) that measure energy flows in real time. If more electricity is generated within the Mulheim community than can be consumed, the excess green electricity is sold to environmentally conscious customers outside the community. Conversely, the participants are supplied with green electricity from innogy, if the weather does not allow sufficient generation of solar power.Conjoule.de: We are the peer-to-peer market place for locally produced energy.The Conjoule team includes leading tech, energy, and blockchain experts and engineers. To find out more about our unique approach and energy solutions, please email us at info@conjoule.com.Source: Conjoule GmbHCopyright 2018 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.

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.

WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Following the strong upward move seen in the previous session, treasuries saw some further upside during trading on Thursday.



Bond prices moved notably higher in morning trading but gave back some ground in the afternoon. As a result, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which moves opposite of its price, dipped by 2.2 basis points to 2.981 percent.



Treasuries initially benefited from geopolitical concerns following news President Donald Trump has called off the historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.



Trump sent a letter to Kim expressing his belief it would be inappropriate to hold the planned meeting in Singapore on June 12th.



The president attributed the decision to call off the meeting to North Korea displaying 'tremendous anger and open hostility.'



The release of the letter came after North Korean vice foreign minister Choe Son-hui raised the possibility of canceling the meeting following what she called 'ignorant and stupid' comments by Vice President Mike Pence.



Traders also looked to safety of bonds following the release of some disappointing economic data, including a Labor Department report showing an unexpected increase in initial jobless claims in the week ended May 19th.



The report said initial jobless claims rose to 234,000, an increase of 11,000 from the previous week's revised level of 223,000.



The increase came as a surprise to economists, who had expected jobless claims to edge down to 220,000 from the 222,000 originally reported for the previous week.



A separate report from the National Association of Realtors showed a much bigger than expected pullback in existing home sales in the month of April.



Existing home sales tumbled by 2.5 percent to an annual rate of 5.46 million in April after climbing by 1.1 percent to a rate of 5.60 million in March. Economists had expected existing home sales to edge down by 0.2 percent.



NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun attributed the slump in existing home sales in April to staggeringly low inventory levels



However, treasuries gave back some ground in afternoon trading as stocks on Wall Street once again attempted to recover from an early move to the downside.



Traders largely shrugged off the results of the Treasury Department's auction of $30 billion worth of seven-year notes, which attracted above average demand.



The seven-year note auction drew a high yield of 2.930 percent and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.62, while the ten previous seven-year note auctions had an average bid-to-cover ratio of 2.51.



The bid-to-cover ratio is a measure of demand that indicates the amount of bids for each dollar worth of securities being sold.



Today's seven-year note auction came after the Treasury sold $33 billion worth of two-year notes on Tuesday and $36 billion worth of five-year notes on Wednesday.



Developments overseas may impact trading on Friday, although reports on durable goods orders and consumer sentiment are also likely to attract attention.



Overall trading activity may be somewhat subdued, however, as some traders may look to get a head start on the long Memorial Day weekend.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.deThe acquisition encompasses the management of 13.3 million payment cards, 1.4 billion transactions, POS terminals and ATMs

SIA, a European high-tech leader in payment infrastructure and services, and First Data Corporation (NYSE: FDC), a global leader in commerce-enabling technology, have signed an agreement for SIA to acquire First Data's card processing businesses in parts of Central and Southeastern Europe for 375 million. In 2017, these businesses generated a combined revenue of approximately 100 million for First Data.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524006178/en/

This acquisition by SIA provides card processing, card production, call center and back-office services, including 13.3 million payment cards, 1.4 billion transactions, in addition to the management of POS terminals and ATMs. These businesses are primarily located in 7 countries: Greece, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia.

First Data remains highly committed to the European issuer processing business, maintaining its focus on serving its significant client base, primarily with its leading VisionPLUS platform.

As a result of the transaction, SIA will become a leading player in processing and services in the region. The agreement includes the transfer of about 1,400 First Data employees into SIA.

"This acquisition is in line with our strategy to become the leading European independent digital payments platform. SIA is further strengthening its position in the e-payments international market, increasing its market shares in e-money high-growth countries," said Massimo Arrighetti, CEO of SIA.

"This transaction aligns with our focus on portfolio management. While these are solid businesses, aspects of their operations are no longer core to our strategy, and this sale allows us to deploy the proceeds to create value in line with our capital allocation priorities," said Frank Bisignano, Chairman and CEO of First Data. "We believe we have found an excellent partner for this transaction as SIA's integrated payment infrastructure and service offerings and presence across Europe make it the perfect home for these businesses and puts our former customers in capable hands."

The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2018 and is subject to normal closing conditions.

Deutsche Bank and K&L Gates were respectively financial advisors and counsel to First Data on the transaction.

HSBC acted as financial advisor to SIA, White Case as legal advisor and PWC as tax and accounting due diligence advisor.

About First Data

First Data (NYSE: FDC) is a global leader in commerce-enabling technology and solutions, serving approximately six million business locations and 4,000 financial institutions in more than 100 countries around the world. The company's 22,000 owner-associates are dedicated to helping companies, from start-ups to the world's largest corporations, conduct commerce every day by securing and processing more than 3,000 transactions per second and $2.4 trillion per year.

About SIA

SIA is European leader in the design, creation and management of technology infrastructures and services for Financial Institutions, Central Banks, Corporates and the Public Sector, in the areas of payments, cards, network services and capital markets. SIA Group provides its services in 48 countries, and also operates through its subsidiaries in Austria, Germany, Romania, Hungary and South Africa. The company also has branches in Belgium and the Netherlands, and representation offices in the UK and Poland.

In 2017, SIA managed 13.1 billion clearing transactions, 6.1 billion card transactions, 3.3 billion payments, 56.2 billion financial transactions and carried 784 terabytes of data on the network.

The Group is made up of eight companies: the parent SIA, the Italian companies Emmecom (innovative network applications), P4cards (card processing), SIApay (advanced collection and payment services) and Ubiq (innovative technology solutions for marketing), Perago in South Africa, PforCards in Austria and SIA Central Europe in Hungary.

The Group, which currently has over 2,000 employees, closed 2017 with revenues of 567.2 million.

For more information, go to www.sia.eu/en.

Safe Harbor

Statements in this press release regarding First Data Corporation's business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements." All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain as they are based on various expectations and assumptions concerning future events and they are subject to numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected including the parties' ability to successfully satisfy the normal closing conditions.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180524006178/en/

Contacts:

SIA

Filippo Fantasia

Head of Media Coordination

Phone: +39 02.6084.2833

Mobile: +39 335.1202713

Email: filippo.fantasia@sia.eu



Valentina Piana

Media Coordination

Phone: +39 02.6084.2334

Mobile: +39 342.0467761

Email: valentina.piana@sia.eu

@SIA_pressoffice



First Data

Peter Poillon

Investor Relations

Phone: +1 212 266 3565

Email: peter.poillon@firstdata.com



Mia Shernoff

Public Relations

Phone: +1 212 515 0225

Email: mediarelations@firstdata.comBy Aishwarya Venugopal and Svea Herbst-Bayliss (Reuters) - Billionaire investor William Ackman said on Wednesday that his hedge fund had taken a roughly $1 billion stake in Lowe's , revealing his third large investment this year. Ackman disclosed the stake at a New York conference, said two attendees at the private event on condition of anonymity.

By Aishwarya Venugopal and Svea Herbst-Bayliss

(Reuters) - Billionaire investor William Ackman said on Wednesday that his hedge fund had taken a roughly $1 billion stake in Lowe's , revealing his third large investment this year.

Ackman disclosed the stake at a New York conference, said two attendees at the private event on condition of anonymity.

The news came hours after Lowe's affirmed its annual financial targets but reported slightly weaker-than-expected first-quarter results. The company's stock price had been moving higher most of the morning and continued to climb after Ackman's disclosure. The stock ended trading up 10.4 percent at $94.69 on the New York Stock Exchange.

One day earlier Lowe's announced top management changes, naming J.C. Penney Chief Executive Marvin Ellison to replace CEO Robert Niblock, who will retire in July.

With Ackman one of the hedge fund industry's most closely watched activist investors, his stock bets tend to push up shares of companies he invests in, on speculation that he will agitate for boardroom changes.

The record of Ackman's $8 billion Pershing Square Capital Management has been spotty in recent years. Only a week ago he said his funds were finally making money again after chalking up losses earlier in 2018 on the heels of three years of negative returns, spoiled mainly by a bad bet on Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc .

In January Ackman announced an investment in Nike Inc which he exited months later with a $100 million profit. He also exited his long-standing bet against Herbalife and said his firm had made a new investment in United Technologies Corporation . Longstanding investments in Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc and Automatic Data Processing have contributed to recent gains.

With Lowe's, Ackman supports Ellison and is not seeking a board seat for Pershing Square, said a person familiar with the investor's thinking who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. Earlier this year Lowe's reached a settlement with hedge fund D.E. Shaw Group, which has a roughly $1 billion stake in Lowe's, to put three new directors on the board.

At the start of 2018 Ackman told clients that he would focus more on the investment business instead of marketing his roughly $8 billion hedge fund. Wall Street took that as a signal that one of the industry's highest-profile investors was planning to stay out of the limelight. But as Pershing's returns improved, Ackman has been seen more at conferences and other events.

Ackman quit J.C. Penney's board five years ago after having tried in vain for years to overhaul the retailer by hiring Ron Johnson as CEO and upgrading the merchandise. He has been following Ellison's career and had invested in Lowe's before.

Ellison, who became J.C. Penney's CEO in 2015, was a senior executive at Lowe's chief rival Home Depot a decade ago.

In its quarterly results, Lowe's brushed aside lower-than-expected same-store sales as driven chiefly by cold weather.

A prolonged winter in some U.S. states hit demand for outdoor products at Lowe's in the February-April period, but the company was optimistic about making up for lost business.

"We are anticipating recovering the majority of the sales miss in the first quarter. ... So that's what we factored in to maintain our guidance," Chief Financial Officer Marshall Croom said on a conference call with analysts.

(Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss in Boston Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru; Editing by Sai Sachin Ravikumar, Richard Chang and Cynthia Osterman)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.Employees and officers of various state-run banks have called for a two-day nationwide strike from 30 May to protest a nominal 2 percent wage hike

Mumbai: Employees and officers of various state-run banks have called for a two-day nationwide strike from 30 May to protest a nominal 2 percent wage hike offered by the Indian Banks' Association (IBA).

In the wage negotiation meeting held on 5 May 2018, IBA made a proposition to offer 2 percent hike in the wage bill cost as on March 31, 2017.

It also maintained that the negotiations on officers demands would be restricted up to scale III officers only.

"It is only because of provisions towards NPA that banks have booked losses, and for this, bank employees are not responsible," United Forum of Bank Unions' convener Devidas Tuljapurkar told reporters in Mumbai.

He said in the last two-three years, bank employees have worked tirelessly for implementation of government initiatives such as Jan-Dhan, demonetisation, Mudra and Atal Pension Yojana, among others.

"This has resulted into huge increase in their workloads," he said.

In the last wage settlement, which was for the period 1 November 2012, to 31 October 2017, IBA had given a wage hike of 15 percent.

Bank employees have organised demonstrations on 29 May at State Bank of India' branch main branch at Fort in Mumbai.

UFBU is an umbrella body of nine unions, including All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW).Berlin and Beijing have pledged unity in a move to protect the 2015 nuclear deal ripped off by the US.

Visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced the unity as she visits the world economy giant.

The German leader during a joint press conference with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang indicated that both countries will stand by the accord signed with Iran three years ago during Obama area.

US President Donald Trump early this month walked away from the accord after lambasting it and urging that other signatories, namely other permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, to review the agreement while ensuring that Irans ballistic program and its influence in the Middle East are under scrutiny.

The US withdrawal has thrown the accords future into uncertainty and endangered trade between Iran and the European Union.

Re-instating sanctions on Iran, as promised by President trump, could roll back trade between Iran and the EU bloc.

On Tuesday, Irans supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei unveiled conditions for the EU to fulfil as they seek to save the deal. For the Iranian leader, France, Germany and Britain must pledge to avoid opening negotiations over Irans ballistic missile program or actions in the Middle East, European banks should safeguard trade with Tehran, they should continue buying Iranian oil and should, if necessary, also buy Iranian oil the US decides not to buy. The EU power houses should stand up against US sanctions on Iran and should condemn US for breaking a United Nations resolution that supports the nuclear deal.

Khamenei also cast doubt on EU countries sincerity to save the three-year old agreement.

We do not want to start a fight with these three countries [France, Germany and Britain] but we dont trust them either, he said.Barclays Plc is not exploring a merger with other banks, sources said, dismissing a report that said Barclays was considering a deal with Standard Chartered

London: Barclays Plc is not exploring a potential merger with other banks, two sources close to the bank told Reuters, dismissing a media report that said Barclays was considering a possible deal with rivals, including Standard Chartered.

The Financial Times reported on Wednesday that Barclays' senior board members were exploring a deal with another bank and chairman John McFarlane was keen on the idea of a possible combination with StanChart.

Barclays and Standard Chartered declined to comment on the FT report.

The FT said the moves were part of wide-ranging contingency plans being considered by the bank in response to pressure from activist investor Edward Bramson, who has become one of its biggest shareholders.

Barclays is under pressure to bolster profits after Chief Executive Jes Staleys aggressive push in investment banking since he joined in 2015 largely failed to bear fruit.

Two sources close to the bank told Reuters on Wednesday no deal was in the works and Barclays had no plans to combine its operations with any of its rivals.

Bramsons fund Sherborne Investors has called on Barclays to end the bulk of trading activities at its investment bank, in a radical plan to cut costs and boost returns at the British lender, three sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters.

The FT report said that Barclays International Unit chair, Gerry Grimstone, supported McFarlanes idea of a tie-up with StanChart. The FT said that a private conversation had taken place between a director at each bank about the potential benefits of such a deal, but no formal or informal bid approach had taken place.On 23 May, 2018, the Union Cabinet approved the promulgation of an ordinance to amend the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). The ordinance proposes to classify homebuyers as financial creditors putting them at par with banks and other financial institutions, which have lent money to defaulting real estate companies.

What does this mean? Up until now, homebuyers who had handed over money to real estate companies in order to buy homes, were not treated as creditors under the IBC. The money handed over was an advance and not a loan, hence, there was almost no chance of recovering this money.

With the proposed change, the money that real estate buyers handed over to real estate companies for homes (which were not delivered) is to be treated as a loan. And given that there might be some chance of recovering the money that was handed over by homebuyers to real estate companies.

How will the proposed change impact the homebuyers? In order to understand this, we need to first understand how the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, works.

Here are the steps:

1) A creditor of a company which has defaulted on a loan of greater than Rs 1 lakh can apply to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). Within 14 days, the NCLT needs to issue an order on whether the defaulting company can be admitted into the corporate insolvency resolution process or not

2) Once the NCLT decides to admit a company into the corporate insolvency resolution process, the board of directors of the company are suspended and an interim resolution professional takes over

3) The interim resolution professional needs to constitute the Committee of Creditors within 30 days of the admission of the company into the corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP). The Committee of Creditors can then decide whether to continue with the same professional or to appoint a new one. This individual is referred to as the independent resolution professional.

4) A resolution plan needs to be approved within 180 days of the company being admitted into the corporate insolvency resolution process. This plan needs to be approved by creditors who hold at least three fourths of the defaulted debt. It can also be extended by another 90 days

So, how does the ordinance giving the status of a financial creditor to a homebuyer, make any difference? Homebuyers can now be a part of the Committee of Creditors which appoints the independent resolution professional and at the same time approves the resolution plan.

Lets look at this in detail:

1) With homebuyers on the Committee of Creditors, they can make sure that their interests are taken care of. While this seems straightforward it is not.

2) The number of financial creditors in case of banks lending to a real estate company is fairly limited. The same cannot be said about homebuyers. Take the case of Jaypee Infratech, a company which has taken money from many homebuyers and not given them homes.

Media reports suggest that the company has nearly 27,000 buyers, who have paid anywhere between Rs 40 lakh to a crore, to the company.

The first question is, how will these buyers be represented on the Committee of Creditors? (How do you choose representatives from 27,000 people in case of Jaypee Infratech?) The second question is how many representatives will be allowed given the huge number of buyers?

3) The third question is, Will the homebuyers have a greater representation on the Committee of Creditors than other financial creditors (basically the banks)? As a newsreport in The Times of India points out: For instance, Jaypee Infratech had raised around Rs 13,500 crore from homebuyers by way of booking amount and instalments, which is far higher than the Rs 9,800 crore raised from banks to construct the apartments, Taj Expressway and a hospital.

So, who gets a greater representation? Banks or homebuyers?

4) Typically, the resolution plan might be of another company taking over the real estate company which has defaulted on its loans. In this, the financial creditors might have to take a haircut.

Take the recent deal of Tata Steel buying out Bhushan Steel, a big defaulter. Tata Steel decided to pay Rs 35,200 crore to the creditors, against the total outstanding loans of more than Rs 56,000 crore. The creditors (the banks) had to take a haircut of 37 percent.

What will happen in the case of homebuyers? Will the homebuyers be ready to accept a haircut on the money they handed over to the real estate companies? Also, when the resolution plan is put to vote, how does the homebuyers representative decide whether to vote for or against the plan? How does he figure out what do the numerous homebuyers whom he is representing want as a whole?

These are not straightforward questions.

5) If another buyer is not found for the real estate company which has been put under the insolvency process, it will have to be liquidated, i.e. its assets will have to be sold. In this scenario, the homebuyers may again have to take a haircut. How will that be handled?

6) How do you align the interest of banks and homebuyers? The banks will be interested in getting some of their defaulted loans back and hence, ready to sell the real estate company to another company. A section of the homebuyers may be interested in getting a home, given that prices have risen between the time they invested and now.

Long story short, recognising homebuyers as financial creditors is one step forward, but its not going to do much to solve the mess that prevails. More solutions will be needed in the days to come.

(The writer is the author of the Easy Money trilogy and tweets @kaul_vivek)ROME (Reuters) - An Italian court has thrown out a request by two former Leonardo executives, and the company, not to appear in a New Delhi court as defendants in a bribery case relating to a large 2010 helicopter contract with the Indian government. The ruling, seen in court documents, means Giuseppe Orsi, former chief executive of the Italian state-controlled defence group, and Bruno Spagnolini, former head of helicopter unit AgustaWestland, will have to appear at a court hearing in India scheduled for May 30. If they do not present themselves, the Indian court could issue an international arrest warrant, legal sources said

ROME (Reuters) - An Italian court has thrown out a request by two former Leonardo executives, and the company, not to appear in a New Delhi court as defendants in a bribery case relating to a large 2010 helicopter contract with the Indian government.

The ruling, seen in court documents, means Giuseppe Orsi, former chief executive of the Italian state-controlled defence group, and Bruno Spagnolini, former head of helicopter unit AgustaWestland, will have to appear at a court hearing in India scheduled for May 30.

If they do not present themselves, the Indian court could issue an international arrest warrant, legal sources said.

"They will certainly appeal," Ennio Amodio, a lawyer representing Orsi and Spagnoli, told Reuters on Thursday.

In January an Italian appeals court acquitted the two former executives.

Leonardo, which at the time of the events was known as Finmeccanica, is involved in the Indian case because of "corporate liability" of the "mother" company as per Indian law.

India cancelled the helicopter contract in 2013 after Orsi was arrested, but AgustaWestland opposed India's decision and the contract remains suspended and the subject of international arbitration in Paris.

(Reporting by Domenico Lusi, writing by Stephen Jewkes, editing by Susan Fenton)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.The Naresh Goyal-owned full-service carrier Jet Airways reported a quarterly loss for the first time in eleven quarters

Mumbai: With Jet Airways incurring a huge fourth-quarter loss of over Rs 1,000 crore, its auditors have said the "appropriateness of assumption of going concern" for the company depends on its ability to raise necessary funds, among other factors.

In accounting parlance, the 'going concern assumption' means that the company will remain in business for the foreseeable future without being forced to halt operations and liquidate its assets.

The airline posted a whopping Rs 1,036 crore net loss for the March quarter due to rise in oil prices and a weaker rupee, compared to a profit of Rs 602.4 crore in the corresponding period of FY17.

The Naresh Goyal-owned full-service carrier reported a quarterly loss for the first time in eleven quarters.

For the financial year 2017-18, the airline reported a standalone net loss of Rs 767.62 crore, against a net profit of Rs 1,482.52 crore earlier, according to the filing.

Jet Airways' auditors said the financial statement was prepared on a going concern basis.

"The appropriateness of assumption of going concern is dependent upon realization of the various initiatives undertaken by the company and/or the company's ability to raise requisite finance/generate cash flows in future to meet its obligations, including financial support to its subsidiary companies," according to the independent auditors' report.

The auditors made these observations in reference to one of the 'notes' attached to the company's financial results wherein Jet said it has incurred losses for the last fiscal and had a negative net-worth as on 31 March, 2018 "that may create uncertainties".

However, the company added various initiatives undertaken with regard to saving costs, optimising revenue management opportunities and enhancing ancillary revenues are expected to result in improved operating performance.

"Further, our continued thrust to improve operational efficiency and initiatives to raise funds are expected to result in sustainable cash flows addressing any uncertainties...," Jet Airways said.

Defending the preparation of financial results on a 'going concern' basis, the airline said it involves "realization of assets and settlement of liabilities in the normal course of business including financial support to its subsidiaries".

Yesterday while announcing the results, Jet Airways chief executive Vinay Dube had said the company is focused on undertaking numerous steps to create a healthier business by maintaining focus on lowering costs and increasing operational reliability, among others.

Total income in the March quarter declined by 3.44 percent to Rs 6,055 crore, against Rs 6,271.21 crore in the same quarter last year, as per the filing.

Fuel expenses rose by 31 percent to Rs 2,063.34 crore, against Rs 1,282.41 croreThe NCLAT on Wednesday asked the Committee of Creditors (CoC) of debt-ridden Bhushan Power & Steel to proceed with the bids submitted by Tata Steel

New Delhi: The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Wednesday asked the Committee of Creditors (CoC) of debt-ridden Bhushan Power & Steel to proceed with the bids submitted by Tata Steel and UK-based Liberty House.

The appellate tribunal also directed the CoC to keep its decision over the bids in a sealed cover and said it would be subject to its final order.

"Approval of one or the other would be kept in a sealed cover," said the NCLAT bench headed by Chairman Justice SJ Mukhopadhaya.

The appellate tribunal also declined the request of the Committee of Creditors to direct both the parties to submit fresh bids.

NCLAT has listed the matter for further hearing on 12 July.

The appellate tribunal's order came over an application filed by CoC seeking clarification over the process.

Earlier on 23 April, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) had directed the lenders of Bhushan Power & Steel, led by PNB, to consider the bid submitted by UK-based Liberty House for the debt-ridden company.

Allowing the plea of Liberty House, the tribunal directed the CoC to complete its resolution proceedings by 23 June.

Tata Steel has already challenged the order of the principal bench of NCLT.The Centre is deliberating on an 'immediate solution' to deal with rising fuel prices, Union Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Thursday

Bhubaneswar: The Centre is deliberating on an "immediate solution" to deal with rising fuel prices, Union Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Thursday.

He also asked the Odisha government to reduce VAT on petroleum products to contain the cascading effect on rising fuel prices.

"The oil ministry is of the view to bring petroleum products under the purview of the GST in order to bring down the prices of petrol and diesel. We are deliberating on an immediate solution to this problem till that time," Pradhan told reporters here.

"We will certainly find a way out to deal with the situation," he said.

The union minister said the central government had in October last year reduced the excise on fuel by Rs 2 per litre keeping in view the interest of the poor people. This time the Centre is looking at both short and long term solutions, he said.

On the reason behind the rise of petrol and diesel prices in India Pradhan said, "The political difference between two oil producing countries Iran and Venezuela has been a major cause behind the rise in the price of fuel in the international market."

Odisha Finance Minister S B Behera criticised Pradhan and accused him of "evading responsibility."

"The reasons that the union oil minister is giving is not justified. He is telling this to suppress the central government's inability to deal with the situation. The price of petrol and diesel will automatically come down if the centre reduces excise duty," he said.

On Pradhan's suggestions to include petroleum products under GST, Behera said, "All the state governments will take a decision in regard to the proposal of including petroleum products under GST. Now the Centre should not escape from its responsibility."

Both opposition Congress and ruling BJD in Odisha have launched agitations against the spiralling prices of petrol and diesel.Petrol costs Rs 76.87 per litre in Delhi and diesel costs Rs 68.08 a litre. In the past nine days, petrol price has risen by Rs 2.24 a litre and diesel by Rs 2.15.

New Delhi: BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday said the government is taking the issue of rising petroleum prices seriously and will soon announce measures to deal with the matter.

"The government at the highest level is concerned about it and is taking the matter seriously," he said, adding it will come out with a solution in three-four days.

He told a press conference that Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is meeting representatives of oil companies and that he is hopeful that a solution will be worked out soon.

More than a week after the state-owned oil firms ended a 19-day pre-Karnataka poll hiatus on revising fuel prices, petrol and diesel rates have touched record highs.

Petrol costs Rs 76.87 per litre in Delhi and diesel costs Rs 68.08 a litre. In the past nine days, petrol price has risen by Rs 2.24 a litre and diesel by Rs 2.15.

While Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan ear;oer stated that he has aired concerns about high oil prices, a senior official said the government will come out with "some steps" this week to deal with record high petrol and diesel rates.

"I have loudly spoken about concerns (about high oil prices)," Pradhan said, adding that "appropriate steps" will be taken. He did not elaborate.

Rates vary from state to state depending on the incidence of local sales tax or VAT. The prices in Delhi are the cheapest among all metros and most state capitals.PNB has also claimed that before filing bankruptcy petition, Modis right hand man Mihir Bhansali was in touch with the fugitive diamantaire

New Delhi: Punjab National Bank (PNB) defrauded by diamond merchant Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi to the tune of over Rs 14,000 crore has moved a motion in the US Bankruptcy Court Southern District of New York on 23 May alleging that Modi and his team may engineer a fraud in the sale and the court should appoint a trustee to serve as a responsible fiduciary who can oversee a sales process not tainted by the Modi fraud.

PNB has also claimed that before filing bankruptcy petition, Modis right hand man Mihir Bhansali was in touch with the fugitive diamantaire. It appears Bhansali also spoke to Modi after one of his company's -- A. Jaffe -- auction process was completed on 3 May, 2018 which the state-owned bank fears was totally rigged to allegedly favor a company, Parag Diamonds, considered to be close to Modi. Parag Diamonds, a New York-based company is owned by Panna Jain and his wife Rajni Jain. Subsequently, Panna and Rajni Jain formed a company Paramount LLC in Delaware, USA to facilitate Asset Purchase Agreement (APA). On 11 May, 2018, Modis A. Jaffe Inc and Paramount entered into APA agreement for the purchase and sale of substantially all of the A. Jaffe Inc assets.

Jain claimed that none of Parag Diamonds, Paramounts owners and employees are connected or related to Modis companies. He also claimed that none of the directors had direct or indirect communication with the fugitive diamantaire or his associates and Modi or his aides did not negotiate the auction in any way. But PNB suspects foul play. In a submission to the US court on 23 May, the PNB attorney said: It was only through cross-examination of the Chief Restructuring Officer (CRO) by counsel for PNB that this Court learned of the communications between Mihir Bhansali and Modi, the communications between management and potential bidders relating to their future employment and the possible connection between family members of Modi and Mr. Jain's family.

The motion moved by the attorneys for PNB said the debtors (Nirav Modis company and affiliates - Firestar Diamond, Inc., Fantasy, Inc. and A Jaffe. Inc - all based in the US) and existing management has failed to take any serious steps to ensure that those involved in fraud and other wrongful conduct were not involved in the sale process, that employees did not engage in discussions with potential bidders that gave rise to obvious conflicts of interests, or that employees ceased their communications with Modi, the indirect majority shareholder of the debtors and a fugitive from justice.

After the Sale Hearing, even more disturbing facts came to light, as the Debtors' President, Mihir Bhansali, abruptly resigned to avoid providing information required by the Court at the Sale Hearing and, through his counsel, informed the Court that if called to testify he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self- incrimination, PNB attorneys submitted in the court.

Bhansali, a resident of 23 Park Avenue, New York was one of the directors of Nirav Modi Limited, UK before he was removed on 9 March, 2018. He is also listed as an employee of Modi-owned Firestar Diamond USA, which has filed for bankruptcy. He was made president and sole director of the debtors when Firestar Diamond filed petition for bankruptcy, but he abruptly resigned triggering suspicion that Modi and his group was trying to plot some conspiracy.

PNBs attorney has also told the US court that Modi transferred the money garnered through fraudulent Letters of Undertaking (LoU) to other companies abroad. These funds should have been dispersed to the exporter/beneficiary to finance the import of goods into India; however, funds were dispersed to other Modi Entities instead of to third-party exporters/suppliers and were not used for bona fide import/export purposes, the submission on 23 May further stated.

The PNB has also revealed to the US court that other funds were used to pay exporters for purported import transactions of semi-precious and precious stones that according to a preliminary analysis are unsupported by any documentation (e.g., key documents are missing from Indian customs authority records) and often involve shell companies affiliated with Modi and his associates. PNB suspects that in many instances the proceeds of the fraudulent LOUs were routed back to Modi and the Modi Entities without ever being used for the import of semi-precious or precious stones.

Big conspiracy unraveling in US court

PNB's attorneys claimed in the US court on 23 May that debtors were engaged in frequent business dealing with affiliates like Firestar International Limited, Firestar Diamond International Private Limited and Firestar Diamond FZE, which are prima facie beneficiaries of Modi fraud. These suspect entities allegedly hold more than $7 million in claims against the debtors, which suggests that the Nirav Modis company was engaged in highly suspect transactions with affiliated entities, which could be just round tripping of money.

The Debtors also have numerous relationships with exporters and importers associated with Modi and the related fraud. According to the Debtors' schedules, the total amount owed to certain suspect exporters and importers is approximately $6.5 million. In fact, A. Jaffe's two largest creditors, Pacific Diamonds FZE and Tri Color Gems, are named as the "exporter/beneficiary" on LOUs already identified as fraudulent. hese facts, along with other facts disclosed in PNB's prior filings with this Court, strongly suggest that the Debtors were involved in the Modi fraud, PNB Attorneys claimed.

Questions are also being raised about the involvement of another trusted lieutenant of Nirav Modi -- Ajay Gandhi, who is Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Fire Star Diamond and till March 9 2018 served as one of the Directors of Nirav Modi Limited UK.

On 23 March, 2018, Modis men had filed a motion requesting the US court for the sale of all the assets and set a hearing to consider approval of the roposed Sale. The auctions for the assets of Firestar and Modis another subsidiary firm Fantasy Inc were later adjourned to a date to be determined.

Requesting the court for appointment of a trustee to oversee the sale process and ensure Nirav Modi does not manipulate it.

This Court, PNB, and other parties in interest should not be forced to worry that every single action taken by the Debtors may be tainted by fraud. The integrity of the U.S. bankruptcy process should not be an open question, PNB submission in the US court said.More than 400 two-wheeler riders meet with accidents in India in a day.

India reports a lot of road accidents. The numbers show that in a day, more than 400 two-wheeler riders meet with accidents. That translates to some 16 incidents per hour countrywide. Despite this, there has been no serious effort to help riders.

As such, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has rolled out 'Reliance Kavach', which will see the firm sell riding gear to employees at a discounted rate, according to multiple sources at Reliance Jio Infocomm.

On sale is a US Department of Transport (DOT) certified helmet, a jacket that protects one's shoulder and elbows, rubber gloves and knee guards. The entire kit costs Rs 50,000 but will be available to RIL employees at Rs 12,000.

RIL employees can avail a soft loan, or take the EMI route, to pay for the kit, the sources added.

RIL, founded in 1977, employs over 2,50,000 people now.

2017 logged a three percent decline in road accident deaths nationwide, over 2016, when 1.51 lakh people lost their lives in accidents, the Times of India reported earlier this year.

(Disclosure: Reliance Industries Ltd is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd)By David Shepardson and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is considering a proposal to impose new tariffs on imported vehicles invoking a national security law that was used to impose tariffs on aluminium and steel, an administration official and three industry officials who had been briefed on the matter said. President Donald Trump has pledged to revive American manufacturing and earlier this year criticized European auto imports and tariffs. 'There will be big news coming soon for our great American Autoworkers.

By David Shepardson and Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is considering a proposal to impose new tariffs on imported vehicles invoking a national security law that was used to impose tariffs on aluminium and steel, an administration official and three industry officials who had been briefed on the matter said.

President Donald Trump has pledged to revive American manufacturing and earlier this year criticized European auto imports and tariffs.

"There will be big news coming soon for our great American Autoworkers. After many decades of losing your jobs to other countries, you have waited long enough!" Trump said in a tweet.

Reuters confirmed a report by the Wall Street Journal that the administration was considering launching a so-called "Section 232" investigation into auto imports that could see tariffs of up to 25 percent imposed on imports.

At a meeting with automakers at the White House on May 11, Trump told automakers he was planning to impose tariffs of 20 percent or 25 percent on some imported vehicles, sources told Reuters and specifically criticized German automakers for importing a large number of vehicles into the United States.

Automakers think Trump might target the European Union and potentially Canada, Mexico and Japan.

Trump has railed against European auto imports and tariffs.

If the E.U. wants to further increase their already massive tariffs and barriers on U.S. companies doing business there, we will simply apply a Tax on their Cars which freely pour into the U.S., Trump wrote on Twitter in March.

They make it impossible for our cars (and more) to sell there. Big trade imbalance!"

The White House could opt to negotiate with individual countries about whether auto tariffs take effect. Trump would have to launch a probe before he could impose the tariffs.

Both the administration source and the industry sources said that the Commerce Department could make a formal announcement later on Wednesday.

The report caused U.S. automaker shares to jump and hit those of overseas companies like Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> with its New York-traded shares falling 0.67 percent.

John Bozzella, chief executive of Global Automakers, a trade group representing Toyota, Nissan Motor Co Ltd <7201.T>, Hyundai Motor Co <005380.KS> and others, said tariffs on imported vehicles would hurt American consumers.

"The U.S. auto industry is thriving and growing," he said, noting 12 million cars and trucks were produced in the United States last year. "To our knowledge, no one is asking for this protection. This path leads inevitably to fewer choices and higher prices for cars and trucks in America.

It was unclear how the administration would be able to use a measure aimed at ensuring national security in the car sector.

Trump has launched a series of trade actions, demanding China import more American goods, starting talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and imposing tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.

His one success so far has been to strike a new deal with South Korea, although it appeared to make few gains for the United States, according to most trade experts.

Trump has long made the imbalance in auto trade a key concern, repeatedly threatening to impose tariffs on imported vehicles.

The United States imported 8.3 million vehicles in 2017 worth $192 billion, including 2.4 million from Mexico, 1.8 million from Canada, 1.7 million from Japan, 930,000 from South Korea and 500,000 from Germany, according to U.S. government statistics. At the same time, the United States exported nearly 2 million vehicles worldwide worth $57 billion.

(Reporting by David Shepardson and Jeff Mason; Additional reporting by James Oliphant, Makini Brice, David Shepardson and David Lawder; Writing by Lisa Lambert; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Lisa Shumaker)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his French counterpart President Emmanuel Macron held talks in Paris Wednesday, as diplomatic ties remain icy over the 1994 genocide.

Kigali has long accused France of complicity in the genocide of some 800,000 mostly ethnic Tutsis. Kagame last visited the Elysee Palace in 2011.

President Kagame, in his capacity as African Union Chairperson, said their talks covered a range of areas including technology development on the continent and ties between the African Union and the European nation.

The two leaders also held a meeting with business leaders taking part in the Tech for Good Summit on nurturing innovation and enterprise in Africa.

Kagame said that Africa is willing and ready to support the role technology and the youth play in the development of the continent and the world at large.

Their discussions among other things touched on the peace and security situation in Africa as well as opportunities regarding social economic transformation.

Regarding the peace and security situation on the continent, the two leaders considered ways to improving the situation in countries such as Central African Republic and the Sahel region.

Rwanda earlier this week, made a contribution of one million dollar in support of the operationalization of the G5 Sahel joint force in its fight against terrorism and organized crime in the Sahel region.

Macron said he would attend an AU summit in the Mauritanian capital of Noukchott on July 1 and 2. He praised Kagame for sharing his belief in strong multilateralism.

President Macron announced he is supporting the candidacy of Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo to the position of secretary general of lOrganisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). The OIF current secretary-general Michaelle Jeans term expires in mid-October.

Pariss support to Louise Mushikiwabo is notable given the complex relationship between La Francophonie and Rwanda. In the country, French was replaced by English as a language of instruction in 2008, and while Rwanda is still member of the OIF, it joined the Commonwealth.Sunday's attempt is the latest in a series of efforts by environmentalists and activists struggling to raise public awareness in Andhra Pradesh

Even at 5 pm, the sun was blazing down mightily on the people of Vijayawada. Inside the air conditioned auditorium of Makineni Basavapunnaiah Vignana Kendram, over 250 people waited patiently for the proceedings to start. It was a Sunday evening and the crowd, comprising mostly farmers and a few groups of activists from in and around Vijayawada and Guntur, had gathered to hear a star-studded panel of speakers talk about "Need for Nature Protection".

Convened by politician-turned-activist Satyanarayana Bolisetti, the meeting saw experts from across the country  Dr Rajendra Singh, professor Vikram Soni, PV Rajagopal, and Romi Khosla  deliberate on important issues of development and associated environmental degradation. They spoke about why we need a better quality of life and not a higher standard of living, why floodplains should be protected and rivers should not be interlinked.

The aim of this meeting was to generate awareness and create a solid platform of resistance against the environmental degradation  call it the construction of the new capital Amaravati or the large-scale illegal sand mining  that is happening all around the state, especially on the banks of the River Krishna, uninhibited. Unfortunately, even such an august gathering failed to draw a full house: Something that the organisers regretted thoroughly and the speakers rued.

Bolisetti later said he was happy with the numbers and that united, they can still put up a brave front against the environmental atrocities. He expressed anguish over the fact that unlike the KCR government in Telangana, the TDP government in Andhra Pradesh is not interested in making the common people aware of environmental issues. I paid for the entire arrangement out of my own pocket, didnt ask for their support, yet they didnt even allow me to use the government auditorium.

Bolisettis attempt is the latest in a series of efforts by environmentalists and activists struggling to raise public awareness in Andhra Pradesh. A strong resistance against the governments apathy towards the environment is absolutely necessary, said PV Rajagopal, the Gandhian activist who is planning yet another massive padayatra of Dalits, women, and agriculturists in September-October. A similar resistance is necessary in Andhra Pradesh, yet its largely absent.

Earlier in 2017, Srimannarayana Pandalaneni floated his public forum "Green Soldiers" to fight against Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's plan of building a capital on the Krishna floodplains. The forum, despite stifling paucity of funds, tried organising public talks and bringing together resourceful orators such as the former Andhra Pradesh chief secretary IYR Krishna Rao to debate on the capital city which is facing the river and generate awareness among the people to fight for the environment. Later, Rao published his arguments in Whose Capital, Amaravathi? to make his thoughts freely accessible to people.

Tollywood celebrity and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan keeps visiting Vijayawada to meet farmers and volunteers to promote their cause. His party has adopted the agenda to fight for the protection of the farmers and the environment and he has met the chief minister on several occasions.

Despite these efforts, the general climate in Amaravati, Vijayawada, Guntur, and around is of casual opposition hinting at general indifference. The fight is solely of the victims and those directly affected: It has not spread and spilled into the rest of the society or the general public.

The people in this region are separated by factions and groups and each have their own egos and goals in mind. Some want to have Amaravati but not on the floodplains, some wants to have Amaravati as a natural or decentralised capital, some want to sell their lands and enjoy the benefits, some are happy with the Rs 2,500 monthly compensation. But we do not realise the harm being done to our soil for which our children and grandchildren will suffer. In this situation, it is impossible to unite into a strong resistance and the chief minister is also aware of his peoples weaknesses, said G Kanna Rao Naidu, who is spearheading the fight against land pooling and acquisition in Undavalli, a village by the Krishna River, selected to be the gateway to Naidus Amaravati.

Most farmers in and around Penumaka, Tulllur, Lingayapalem and other villages believe that the world class capital is not going to happen. They see through the governments plan to grab land and are more concerned about protecting their own parcels of lands from real estate sharks, said Nagi Reddy, a former education officer in Nidamarru. He admitted there are too many groups fighting out of each village and mandal and said they are indeed trying to unite all groups and put up a stronger front but thats a mammoth task.

There is excessive police presence in Amaravati area. Many false cases have been filed against those opposing land acquisitions. There were instances of standing crops burnt down, said EAS Sarma, a former bureaucrat who served as secretary in the ministries of finance and power. Sarma has been petitioning the NGT to stop "misbehaviour" with natural resources.

Sarma explained that the politics of fear and revenge has, of course, done its bit in not uniting the villagers in Amaravati who are the immediate victims. Dr C Ramachandraiah, professor in Urban Studies, Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad agreed. The entire State machinery (police, revenue, intelligence, ministers), real estate and ruling party thugs went after farmers who were resisting land pooling, he said. He further explained that the pro-TDP caste played a major role in mustering support for the government in the initial phase of land pooling.

Bolisetty, who is currently traveling across Andhra Pradesh and Telengana, meeting experts and activists to spread word about the illegal sand mining happening on the banks of the Krishna, and who is supporting Singh's attempt to rejuvenate the river, said greed for money, fear, and business interests have crippled large sections of the populace who do not want to get involved into anything that is not profitable or may harm their cause. Land owners are interested in money and do not bother about tillers and people depending on agriculture for livelihood, he said, regretfully.

When the Left Front government tried capturing 10,000 acres of agricultural lands in Nandigrama and Singur in 2007 to lease to TATA, the entire state erupted in protest. My feeling is that the main Opposition party extended its support to the struggle. Mamata Banerjee was even on a hunger strike in Singur, if I remember, reminisced Ramachandraiah. On the contrary, the Opposition party is very weak in most of the villages in Tullur mandal which is the main capital area (in Amaravati). Where the Opposition is strong, the resistance has been continuing even now, such as in Nidamarru, Undavalli, Penumaka, etc.

Ramachandraiah, an expert in social studies, further explained several social and cultural factors that hinder the coming together of the many dissenting groups. A people's movement has not spanned across Andhra Pradesh in the past 15 years. Also, privatisation of education and reckless promotion and consumption of liquor have made youth movements non-existent.

The absence of the youth and women in the scheme of things is a major lacuna. The protests against environmental atrocities and a movement to protect our environment needs to be borne from every member of a community. With the focus on more practical and material aspects of life, this evolution seems to be taking a little too long for Andhra Pradesh.In Punjab, a significant section of the leadership of the campaign for Dalit land rights comes from Brahmins and Jat Sikhs  both considered high castes.

Ludhiana: Upper castes have been rightly accused of oppressing and denying the human rights of Dalits for centuries. But in Punjab, a significant section of the leadership of the campaign for Dalit land rights comes from Brahmins and Jat Sikhs  both considered high castes.

The Malwa region of Punjab is witness to a growing Dalit movement over rights to common panchayat land. Section 6(1)a of The Punjab Village Common Lands (Regulation) Rules, 1964 stipulates that one-third of the cultivable common land proposed to be leased shall be reserved for the Scheduled Castes. However, Dalits complain that the law is not being followed. They say the land is used for other purposes and have been protesting this injustice for years.

Interestingly, in this cause, they have not just been joined, but led by members of communities that have traditionally been the most notorious violators of their rights, the Brahmins and Jat Sikhs. While leaders from higher castes working for Dalit causes in Punjab downplay their caste origins, their support is deeply appreciated by the Dalit leaders.

'Laws rarely implemented'

Mahi Pal, a prominent Brahmin leader of the landless peasants' movement from Bathinda district, started working for Dalit causes in 1980. Pal who is the finance secretary of the Dihati Mazdoor Sabha said that caste has never come in the way of his work for Dalits, and that he tries to keep his caste a personal affair.

After entering the movement for Dalits and landless labourers, I was shocked to see that people from this section of society are being discriminated against only because they are born in a specific caste, Pal says. He stressed that despite the many laws for uplifting Dalits, little has been done as they are rarely implemented. While the law demands renting out of one third or 33 percent of the panchayat land to Dalits, a village in Bathinda, Jai Singh Wala, has allotted the entire panchayat land for construction of a gurudwara. Now how will the Dalits in the village get their share of land? questions Pal.

No land for Dalits

Dalits in villages of Punjab are mostly landless labourers who work on the agricultural lands of Jat Sikhs. After widespread mechanisation of agricultural processes in recent decades, most of them have lost their jobs and been forced to do menial work.

A Dalit rights activist, Mukesh Sharma Malaudh, from Sangrur district was recently declared a proclaimed offender (PO) in a case going back to June 2014. Sharma, along with other protesters, had then clashed with police over their demand for the lease of panchayat land to Dalits at a nominal price.

Sharma, who is the president of Zameen Prapti Sangarsh Committee (ZPSC), is fighting for the one-third share of Dalits on panchayat land as well as on Nazool land, which is un-irrigated, barren land located outside municipal limits and escheated to the state government.

The Nazool Land Cooperative Societies were established under the Nazool Lands (Transfer) Rules, 1956. As per the rules, there is a provision that Nazool land may be allotted to landless Dalits.

Sharma says that the state government increases the rent on panchayat land for Dalits every year. If the government is serious about improving the status of the Dalits in the state, there is a need to overhaul a few things and implement all laws created for the welfare of Dalits, says Sharma.

The problem of casteism is deep-rooted in Punjab, where separate cremation grounds and gurudwaras for Dalits still exist in most of the villages. While the law regarding renting out of one-third of panchayat land could be applicable in large villages, it becomes difficult to implement in case of smaller villages.

According to the 2011 census, Punjab has the highest percentage of Scheduled Caste population among all the states of the country. The Scheduled Caste population in Punjab numbers 88.60 lakh, or 31.94 percent of a total population of 277.43 lakh. As per the 2011 census, the vast majority of the Scheduled Castes (73.33 percent) live in rural areas, while 26.67 percent reside in Punjabs urban centres. The majority of Scheduled Caste labourers work in the agricultural sector or are engaged in low-wage and arduous occupations in the cities.

Communist movement in Malwa

SR Darapuri, a retired IPS officer and Uttar Pradesh-based Dalit thinker whose family belongs to Doaba region of Punjab, says that the spread of the communist ideology in the Malwa region has led to many intellectuals and social activists, irrespective of their caste, to join the Dalit movement.

It is a classic case where Brahmins and Jat Sikhs are steering a movement of people who were suppressed by these very castes. The success of the communists in the Malwa region of Punjab is the main cause why leaders have forgotten their castes for the cause of Dalits, says Darapuri. A case in point is the All India Kisan Sabha, the mass organisation of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Ruldu Singh, president of the Punjab Kisan Union says that despite being from the Jat community, he has been supporting the cause of poor farmers and Dalits in the area for a long time. I was also arrested during a protest for Dalits in year 2009 in Mansa district, he says.

Singh says the Jat community, for the most part, rarely concerns itself with issues other than the mounting problems of agriculture in Punjab. But I will continue to work for poor and Dalits in our state as successive governments use Dalits only as their vote bank and never see them as humans, Singh says.

(Arjun Sharma is a Ludhiana-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters)At this point, it is imperative to look at domestic workers as a sector that cuts through several issues like caste and class divides and discrimination.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment is likely to announce the draft national policy for domestic workers later this month. This policy is a step forward in the formalisation of domestic workers; it envisions that states would set up boards for registration of workers in order to bring them into the fold of social protection, as well as make recommendations on working hours, minimum wages and leave entitlements.

While this draft policy has been in the works since October 2017, a national policy for domestic workers has been discussed at length for at least a decade now. However, an important question is whether this policy is enough to recognise the rights of domestic workers in the country.

The situation of domestic workers in India is dire, especially because they are a vulnerable population. There is no exact reported figure for the number of domestic workers in India. Estimates from the 61st Round (2004-05) of the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) suggest that there is a total of 4.75 million domestic workers.

Recent rounds of NSSO data estimates for employment and unemployment (the 66th and 68th rounds in 2009-2010 and 2011-2012 respectively) indicate a downward trend in the number of domestic workers with a total of 3.9 million. These, however, are reported numbers; the unofficial numbers may be higher, as suggested by the National Domestic Workers Movement (NDWM).

According to the NDWM, there are about 50 million domestic workers in India, and among this, a significant majority were women and girls. In 2009-10, about two-thirds of all domestic workers were employed in urban areas. However, it should be kept in mind that a majority of domestic workers in India are minimally educated or illiterate as well as low-skilled and this creates an environment of even more exploitation oppression.

Currently, there exists no legal framework where domestic workers can fit in or their rights can be recognised. In fact, in the purview of labour laws, the work of domestic workers is not termed as work  cooking, cleaning, babysitting, dishwashing, and the like are not considered or recognised as work by the state. Domestic workers in households are termed as "help" in common parlance, and not workers. When a sector is so vast and is still not considered as an economic activity, it is very difficult to regulate it.

India has two laws which address the concerns of domestic workers and, in a circuitous way, regard domestic workers as "workers": The Unorganised Workers' Social Security Act, 2008, (UWSSA) and the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

However, neither of these legislations identify domestic workers as rights-bearing workers; the former is a social welfare scheme and the latter is one that protects working women at the workplace from sexual harassment. Because the nexus of market and state has kept domestic work outside the realm of regulation, neither the Maternity Benefits Act nor the Minimum Wages Act applies to domestic workers.

Moreover, India is a signatory to the International Labour Organisation's 189th Convention, known as the Convention on Domestic Workers, but has not ratified it yet. With a framework that intentionally keeps domestic workers away from the protection of the law, it is impossible to move the needle on establishing accountability of the state to recognise their rights.

The reluctance of the government to regulate domestic work is often justified by indicating that the workplace, in the case of domestic work, is a private household which cannot be regulated by the authority of the state.

But this argument is baseless as it is possible to chart out obligations of the employer and the rights of the workers in a manner that the state does not encroach upon the household.

In fact, the National Platform for Domestic Workers submitted a draft bill, the Domestic Workers Regulation of Work and Social Security Bill (2016) in January, 2017, which goes above and beyond "state-centric welfare measures" that claim to "empower the domestic worker" only in ways that she is eligible for social protection schemes but does not feel the need to negotiate with her employer on labour law matters such as minimum wage, leaves and respect and dignity at her workplace.

The Bill calls for the compulsory registration of the employer as well as the employee with the district board to create a layer of regulation. It also creates a mechanism where there is a mandatory collection of cess from the employer for the maintenance of a social protection fund for domestic workers, where access is provided through an identity card. While the Bill is not perfect, its framework works towards a rights-based approach by moving from a law and order paradigm to a rights-obligation model.

The impending policy, on the other hand, is likely to be a strategy without teeth. The Ministry of Labour and Employment, in its notice on the intention to formulate a National Policy for Domestic Workers, proposes that it is interested in facilitating recognition of domestic workers as workers, and would encourage their affiliation with unions/associations, and promote their rights through an enhancement of skills development, along with promises of expansion of other legislation to grant domestic workers all the rights that are enshrined in labour laws, such as minimum wage, equal remuneration, etc.

However, it fails to propose any obligations or duties that it might put in for employers or recruitment and placement agencies. This is problematic because the policy already foresees the power relationship between a domestic worker and the employer, and proposes to maintain it. Moreover, knowing how the government thinks, it is also possible that the policy might have clauses around protection against trafficking, which will, in all probability, impede the right to mobility and labour of domestic workers.

At this point, it is imperative to look at domestic workers as a sector that cuts through several issue-matrices such as caste and class divides and discrimination, migration, trafficking, violence and violations, and enact a legislation that addresses the rights of those employed in the sector. A policy, that washes its hands off the variegated issues around domestic work, is unfair and does very little to entrench the regulation of the relationship between the employer and the employee, which results in an environment of further abuse and exploitation.Former Director General of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Asad Durrani was denied Visa to attend the launch of a book that charts a series of dialogues between him and former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief AS Dulat.

New Delhi: Former Director General of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Asad Durrani was denied Visa to attend the launch of a book that charts a series of dialogues between him and former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief AS Dulat.

In his absence, the book "Spy Chronicles" was released jointly by former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former vice president Hamid Ansari, former union minister Yashwant Sinha and other important figures from the political sphere.

Durrani, who was ISI's DG between 1990 and 1991, was seen in a pre-recorded video message, thanking the "Indian deep state".

"At the end, a very special thanks to the Indian deep state. By denying me the visa, they have saved me from the wrath of our hawks. They will be happy to know that I have not yet been cleared by the South Block (which houses India's PMO and Ministries of Defence and External Affairs)," he said in the video that was played during the launch of this HarperCollins book.

"Spy Chronicles" unfolds a wide range of discussions, debates and often arguments between the two spymasters. At the same time, both of them show immense respect and a friendly approach towards each other.

The book ends with a chapter where the two present a roadmap for the future and then discuss each other's suggestions in a freewheeling conversation with journalist Aditya Sinha.India improved its ranking on a global healthcare access and quality (HAQ) index from 153 in 1990 to 145 in 2016, yet ranks lower than Bangladesh & Sudan.

By Swagata Yadavar

New Delhi: India has improved its ranking on a global healthcare access and quality (HAQ) index from 153 in 1990 to 145 in 2016, yet ranks lower than neighbouring Bangladesh and even sub-Saharan Sudan and Equatorial Guinea.

In 2016, India scored 41.2 points on the healthcare access and quality (HAQ) index created by the Global Burden of Disease study published in the medical journal The Lancet on 23 May. This 16.5-point improvement in 26 years leaves India's score well below the global average of 54.4.

Despite improvements in healthcare access and quality, India lags way behind its BRICS peers Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa on the HAQ index, but matches China in the disparity in healthcare access and quality between states.

Within India, the best performers, Goa and Kerala, scored more than 60 points on the HAQ index in 2016, whereas the worst performers, Assam and Uttar Pradesh, scored below 40. This gap between the highest and lowest scores increased from a 23.4 point difference in 1990 to a 30.8 point difference in 2016. (China fared the worst with a 43.5-point difference, ranging from 91.5 in Beijing to 48.0 in Tibet.)

The index is based on 32 causes of death considered preventable with effective medical care.

It assigns a 0-100 score to each of the 195 countries and territories assessed. For the first time, this years study analysed healthcare access and quality between regions within seven countries: Brazil, China, England, India, Japan, Mexico and the USA.

India worse than some neighbours, sub-Saharan countries

India ranks worse than Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan among its neighbours but better than Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal.

In South Asia, Bangladesh made the most improvement, of 29 points, improving its ranking from 180 in 1990 to 132 in 2016. In contrast, the rankings of Afghanistan and Pakistan worsened from 187 to 191 and 145 to 154, respectively.

Indias rank is also worse than that of many poorer countries in Sub-Saharan Africa such as Sudan (136), Equatorial Guinea (129), Botswana (122) and Namibia (137). Even conflict-ridden Yemen (140) performs better than India.

As pointed out before, India lags behind its fellow BRICS countries Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa. However, China has made an improvement of more than 35 points in 26 years, going from the 108th rank in 1990 to the 48th in 2016.

In contrast, the rankings of Russia and South Africa worsened from 45 to 58 and 114 to 127, respectively.

Goa performs best, Assam worst within India

In 2016, Goa with 64.8 points replaced Kerala with 63.9 at the top of the HAQ index within India. While Goa improved by 26.8 points, Kerala improved by 20.8 points over 26 years.

Other top performers in order of rank are Delhi (56.2), Himachal Pradesh (51.7) and the union territories other than Delhi (56.2).

The worst performers were Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand (34.7), Bihar (37), Odisha (36.3), Uttar Pradesh (34.9) and Assam (34).

These regional differences in India and China could be due to multiple reasons such as large variations in physical access to health facilities, the state of health infrastructure, the level and scale-up of medical technologies, and the provision of effective services across the spectrum of care, the study said.

Greater spending leads to better health

High-to-middle-income countries recorded higher scores and made greater gains in countering non-communicable diseases, the study found. Most other countries also made improvement in key health areas, most notably vaccine-preventable diseases.

Generally, countries that spent more on health per capita and had better health systems scored higher on the HAQ index, the study found.

This strengthens the case for India to increase its healthcare spending. India spends just 1.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on health, as IndiaSpend reported on 30 January, creating a healthcare crisis that is holding back the country's potential. The World Health Organisation recommends that countries spend 4-5 percent of their GDP on health to achieve universal healthcare.

At the same time, the Global Burden of Disease study noted, in case of low-to-middle-income countries, greater spending alone may not result in better access and quality. For example, some countries with a HAQ index of 40 to 70 points spend more than three times their peers. It is the presence of greater numbers of doctors, nurses and midwives per 1,000 population that leads to better performance on the HAQ index, the study said.

Health systems not improving with population needs

In 2016, the global average healthcare access and quality score was 54.4, up from 42.4 points in 2000. Disparities between countries remained similar in 2016 and 2000, with a 78.5 point gap between the best and worst performers in 2016the worst being the Central African Republic with 18.6 points and the best, Iceland with 97.1. Comparable figures in 2000 had been 79.3 points' difference between Somalia (13.5) and Iceland (92.8).

Some countries' progress slowed or even stalled over this period, which, the authors of the study said in a press statement, could be a warning sign that their health systems are not evolving at the same pace as the needs of their populations, at a time when many non-communicable diseases and cancers are becoming more common.

"These results emphasise the urgent need to improve both access to and quality of healthcare, otherwise health systems could face widening gaps between the health services they provide and the disease burden in their population," Rafael Lozano from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, USA, and senior author of the study, said in the statement.

The author is principal correspondent with IndiaSpend.Simmering tension with the US has bubbled to the surface following India's decision to undertake some outreach initiatives to Russia, North Korea and China.

The trajectory of US-India relationship is steadily progressing towards greater strategic convergence underwritten by shared values, economic and security interests. The multi-dimensional, symbiotic relationship has found bipartisan acceptance among the leadership in both nations. The increasing closeness is reliant on factors bilateral, internal and external. For instance, trade and defence partnership between the two countries has witnessed a major recent uptick but ties have equally been shaped by stark shifts in global power structures and geopolitical circumstances.

In the words of former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, "the emerging Delhi-Washington strategic partnership stands upon a shared commitment upholding the rule of law, freedom of navigation, universal values, and free trade. Our nations are two bookends of stability  on either side of the globe  standing for greater security and prosperity for our citizens and people around the world. " .

Yet, the grand architecture hides surprising vulnerabilities. Recent developments have exposed the fundamental frailties of a partnership that has everything going for it but for a considerable gap between expectations and reality. A simmering tension has bubbled to the surface following India's decision to undertake some outreach initiatives to Russia, North Korea and China  countries that share competing and adversarial relationship with the US.

In the corridors of a transactional White House, India's engagement with China has caused a murmur of surprise and its defence deals with Russia a faint alarm, leading Ram Madhav, an influential figure in the Narendra Modi administration, to reassure Washington that the modalities of India-US ties are unaffected and are independent of India's "de-hyphenated" foreign policy.

Madhav, BJP general secretary, RSS ideologue and a troubleshooter for the Modi government, met senior White House and State Department officials to clarify that "Indias engagement with China, Russia or any other country would have no impact on bilateral ties with the US because the relationship is a "fundamental strategic priority for the long term," according to a report in The Hindu.

During an event in Washington, Madhav reiterated that "India is pursuing the de-hyphenated policy. We have certain regional imperatives that command us to establish relationship with powers of different poles in the region. But that does not affect the larger issues like the US-India bilateral relationship."

It is surprising that India needed to clear the air and stress upon such fundamental issues. But the fact that it felt constrained to do so, points to a lack of trust. If the Trump administration suffers from a lack of trust of India's motives, then it could stem from either its inability to understand India's strategic, economic and geopolitical concerns, or its impatience to see New Delhi assume a leadership role in maintaining the rules-based order in Indo-Pacific.

It may have also irked the US, which adopts a monochromatic policy towards friends and allies with little space for nuance, that New Delhi's stated actions in a few cases might make it difficult for Washington to achieve some of its political goals.

The US has made no bones about the fact that if India, the world's largest arms importer, continues to purchase high-end weapons systems from Russia and honour big-ticket deals (such as the procurement of five S-400 Triumf air defence systems at a cost of $4.5 billion), then New Delhi might make itself vulnerable to the stringent Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) that imposes sanctions on Russia, North Korea and Iran and mandates secondary sanctions on nations that trade with Russia's defence and intelligence sectors.

In response to India's lobbying on this issue, the Trump administration made some conciliatory noises but has been quick to point out that when it comes to Congressional laws, the administration's hands are tied.

"CAATSA is a feature and we need to take it seriously. The (Trump) administration is always bound by US law. This is a US law. I'm hoping that not just India, but all of the partners that we engage with will understand that we will have to evaluate any potential large defence purchase from Russia seriously because that's what the law demands of us," Tina Kaidanow, principal deputy assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, told reporters in Washington on Saturday.

In referring to CAATSA, the Trump administration was trying to impose some political, strategic and moral costs on India to discourage it from buying Russian weapons. Unsaid in this message are twin motives.

One, Washington clearly wants to displace Russia as the top arms exporter to India. Even in the middle of a dip, Russia comfortably remains on top with 62 percent share of the Indian market followed by the US at 15 percent and Israel at 11 percent. The Trump administration, which is aggressively pushing its America First campaign, sees an opportunity here. It is sending ambassador Kaidanow to India.

A look at the press release from the US Department of State makes the motive clear. "In India, Ambassador Kaidanow will hold talks on defense trade and peacekeeping, which are among two key areas of the rapidly growing US-India partnership as envisioned in the Administrations Indo-Pacific strategy. US-India bilateral defence trade has risen from near zero to $15 billion since 2008. India is projected to spend billions on military modernisation over the next decade, and talks will focus on expanding our security cooperation while furthering opportunities for American industry."

This is a wrinkle in bilateral ties. The US looks upon the size of the Indian market and its need for weapons upgradation as a huge opportunity to expand its presence. But this motive fails to recognise India's economic and defence imperatives. India wants the US to act as an enabler of technological prowess in its quest to achieve some amount of self-sufficiency in arms production which also ties up with prime minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' strategy.

In Madhav's words, India seeks US co-operation especially (in) defence production. We are looking forward to investment and technology transfer. We would like to be seen not merely as a market, but as a manufacturing hub for Indo-Pacific and beyond.

Concurrently, it is difficult for India to close or majorly whittle down arms procurement from Moscow because not only is Indian military hardware still overwhelmingly Russian due to legacy issues, Russia has been more willing to satisfy India's needs at the top end of the market where US high-tech systems are subject to export control regulations and conditional on India's signing of foundational agreements.

The second US motive in discouraging India to buy Russian weaponry is political. Kaidanow reiterated that penalising India or any US ally or partner through secondary sanctions isn't the objective. "The intent is to emphasise how important it is that Russia's malign behaviour all over the world is countered and by virtue of purchasing large-scale Russian system, what you're doing is enabling that kind of behaviour."

The virtue-signalling hides an American inability to make its sanctions achieve the desired results. In near total absence of bilateral trade between the US and Russia, these sanctions may only bring some amount of pain on Moscow if other nations abstain from dealing with Russia.

As Matthew Rojansky of the Wilson Center's Kennan Institute says, "The US-Russia economic relationship is now so tiny and so attenuated we have to rely on countries in Europe and third countries to actually impose the pain we want to impose. And the third thing is where the rubber hits the road. And that's change Russian behavior. And that's where the pattern after four years is not especially compelling. Nearly 200 individuals and entities have been sanctioned now. And yet the pattern is Russia still does the stuff we don't like."

If the US wants India to take up a greater role in acting as a net security provider in Indo-Pacific or help it achieve political goals, it must show greater patience and respect for India's strategic vulnerabilities and capacity constraints.

As Adjunct Fellow at the Pacific Forum Atman Trivedi writes in New Republic, "If the US envisions India as a valuable partner to keep the Indo-Pacific free and openas it seems to and shouldit needs to address the gap between ambition and reality. Indias capacity to lead in the Indian Ocean should be atop the to-do list, as countries in Indias neighbourhood test the limits of their maneuverability with China as never before. What that means, practically, is adding real teeth to Indias recent designation as a major defence partner for military sales to allow it access to the best American equipment."

But there's a more fundamental point to be made. India, due to its civilisational mores and past colonial experience, will never be a US ally or partner in the conventional sense. It wants to emerge as a dominant regional power and a leading global player in its own right, and it looks upon the US as a key enabler to that role.

As Hudson Institute's Aparna Pande observed while testifying on Asias Diplomatic and Security Structure: Planning US Engagement at a hearing organised by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, "India is different from traditional American allies whether in Europe, Latin America or Asia for whom the US was the key security provider. India would never want that kind of a relationship."

If this wrinkle is taken care of, India-US ties will achieve greater clarity. The US might figure out that India's foreign policy outreach initiatives are not necessarily misaligned to its interests.Electricity poles lie strewn around in Sairpur Para village, in Faizabad districts Bikapur block, creating a menace for its residents. These are poles that have not been erected, but lie about, fallen, on the ground, like battered soldiers who chose not to fight the war and collapsed instead.

The rural electrification saga unfolds at a unique and surreal pace, much like a play in the theatre of the absurd mode. Deadlines were touted and flouted every six months  the latest shifted to May 2018  until the big declaration was made, akin to screaming from the social media rooftops by the PM no less. The deadline was pre-empted, according to Narendra Modi: 28th April 2018 will be remembered as a historic day in the development journey of India. Yesterday, we fulfilled a commitment due to which the lives of several Indians will be transformed forever! I am delighted that every single village of India now has access to electricity.

Meanwhile, in tiny kasbahs and villages of this country, the poor men, women and children suffer through not only hot days and dark nights, but also find themselves having to face and deal with bizarre situations that come about in the wake of policy-implementation.

Like the electricity poles strewn around in Sairpur Para village in Faizabad districts Bikapur block that are creating a menace for its residents. These are poles that have not been erected, but lie about, fallen, on the ground, like battered soldiers who chose not to fight the war and collapsed instead. Whats more, its been two years and counting. Governments have come and gone, reality television has reached the nearby town, but the poles remain where they were.

According to Nandram, the poles were brought in by officials to be put up in the village, but they went off to run another errand and never returned. Tab tha ki lagega, lagega, lekin (We thought theyre about to be installed), he says. Nandram led a drive in the village last year, urging the pradhan to take cognisance of the fact of the poles, but he gave it up this year, he informs us.

Akhilesh Upadhyay is in a satirical mood at first, as he mocks the policy, Sarkar ka itna bada vaada, ki eko gaon bhi adhoora na reh jaaye (Such a big promise the government made, that not even one village will be left) But he says it like it is soon, All the electricity department officials have their eyes and ears closed as far as Sairpur Para is concerned. Akhilesh further tells us that they light candles when the sun sets, and the women inform us that they usually finish up with the cooking while its still light.

All this while the poles await installing. Ab tak toh kharaab ho gaye honge (They must be defunct by now), mutters an old man, who prefers to not be recorded on camera.

Dilip Kumar, the local Junior Engineer or JE, starts off his version of the absurdist tale with the familiar Nahi, nahi, aisa nahi hai (No no, its not true), and then goes on to make his clarification statement when faced with the fact of the poles, Whichever village has been left behind, it will be taken care of.

So the real Rural Electrification deadline, like Dilli, it seems, ab door nahi. We wish couldve said that to Dilip Kumar saab.

Khabar Lahariya is a women-only network of rural reporters from Bundelkhand.A CRPF trooper was killed and another injured when Maoists triggered a powerful blast when they targeted security personnel in a forested part of Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, officials said.

Sukma: A CRPF trooper was killed and another injured when Maoists triggered a powerful blast when they targeted security personnel in a forested part of Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, officials said.

Sub-Inspector Rajesh Kumar Bind was killed when the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded around 7.45 am between Pushwada and Tamilwada while the 206 Cobra Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force was on a routine operation.

Constable Manik Pinri was injured, CRPF Deputy Inspector General M Dinakaran told IANS.

"The mortal remains of Rajesh Kumar were taken to the Ambedkar Hopital in Raipur for post-mortem while Pinri was admitted to Balaji Hospital," he said.

The CRPF's 74 Battalion later recovered an IED from the site.

In a similar IED blast on 13 March also in Sukma, nine CRPF personnel were killed and nearly 10 were seriously injured when Maoists blew up a vehicle carrying troopers of the 212 Battalion of the CRPF.

Two Chhattisgarh policemen were killed and six others injured in a gun battle with the Maoists at Bhejji in Sukma on 18 February.The Sonaram Higher Secondary School staff in Guwahati is all too happy with this association with the former top cop.

Former Assam director general of police Mukesh Sahay, who hung up his boots on 30 April, has little time to enjoy the luxury of a superannuated life. Having overseen law and order at a time when the entire state was declared a disturbed area  beside the ongoing sensitive National Register of Citizens process  the 1984-batch IPS officer always had his hands full. However, this has not deterred him from taking up a new challenge: Teaching mathematics at a local government school in Guwahati.

"It all happened when they invited me for a programme last year as a chief guest. While enquiring about the history of the school, I found they do not have a mathematics teacher. So, I told them that I could step in to fill the void. But it was difficult when I was in service as I could not commit to a particular time. Such was my nature of work. After I retired, I called up the principal to inquire if there is a need for my services. The principal told me to come as no one had joined till then. Luckily a regular teacher mathematics teacher has also joined now. She is very bright," Sahay told Firstpost.

The former DGP said that with the joining of the new teacher, the workload has decreased.

"Now, I am teaching calculus in Class 12. The Class 11 students are yet to come. I teach them for around one-and-a-half hours. This is my way to give back to society and I have offered my services voluntarily," he added.

Sahay said the students are enjoying his classes but it is too early to "assess". "They should feel benefitted. They should understand and assimilate the subject and the outcome can be assessed only after a period of time," he said.

The Bihar-born former IPS officer, who has an illustrious 34-year track record as a police officer, is a postgraduate in science and also trained as a lawyer. Thanks to his long stint in Assam, language is no barrier to his philanthropic venture.

"Even though I have to teach in the vernacular, I have no problem. Mathematics has its own language. Whether it is in Assamese, English, Bengali or Hindi, it doesn't matter, unlike literature subjects. It is more of a learning experience for me than teaching experience. It is also a relearning experience for me", Sahay said.

The Sonaram Higher Secondary School staff is all too happy to be associated with the former top cop.

"The mathematics teacher retired in May 2016," said Dwinjendra Nath Barthakur, principal, Sonaram Higher Secondary School. "As the recruitment roster of the government keeps on changing, the post was reserved for an ST candidate. Although we advertised in the newspapers, not many candidates appeared. These days, the candidates have to be TET (teacher eligibility test) qualified. Finally, we appointed a lady teacher from Golaghat. But she also got a job in another school near her home and left. Since then, we have been managing somehow. I'm a chemistry teacher but I had to take the mathematics class, with the help other teachers, as much as possible."

"Sahay came to know about her condition when he was invited once to a school programme. Although he once tried to take classes while he was still serving as the DGP, it did not work out because of his extremely busy schedule. Sahay then promised us to help after his retirement. He called me on 3 May to offer his services. He started taking classes from 7 May. He comes in at 11.30 am and leaves at 12.45 pm. For now, he takes classes for the Higher Secondary second year as the Higher Secondary first year will be filled up only after fresh students take admission after the high school results. Sahay has, for the time being, decided to continue for a month. He may extend it further if he doesn't get engaged in any other work," said Barthakur.

Incidentally, the results of High School Leaving Certificate and High Madrassa Examinations conducted by the Board of Secondary Education, Assam will be declared on Friday.

Barthakur's predecessor Kanaklata Devi also expressed happiness over the development. "He has been taking classes for over 15 days. I met him when he came to our school for a function. Seeing that the school did not have a mathematics teacher, he gave us his word that he would teach students after his retirement. I am so happy that he is doing that and beautifully taking classes," said Devi, who retired over a year ago.

Situated on the banks of the river Brahmaputra adjacent to the Bharalumukh Police Station in Guwahati, the Sonaram Higher Secondary School is a co-educational institution established in 1936.

According to a report in The Times of India, "Many renowned personalities like poet Raghunath Choudhury, poet Ambika Giri Rai Choudhury, litterateur Chandra Nath Sarma, and former chief minister Bishnuram Medhi studied at the school".Outbreak of viral epidemics, especially dengue fever, during the monsoon season have been a major concern of the Kerala tourism industry for more than a decade. The rare and deadly Nipah virus (NiH) has increased their worries even before the onset of monsoon, with reports about the virus attack in the national and international media triggering a scare among tourists.

Outbreak of viral epidemics, especially dengue fever, during the monsoon season have been a major concern of the Kerala tourism industry for more than a decade. The rare and deadly Nipah virus (NiH) has increased their worries even before the onset of monsoon, with reports about the virus attack in the national and international media triggering a scare among tourists.

Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry (CKTI) president EM Najeeb said travel bookings are being cancelled in the hundreds every day since reports of the death of three members of a family in Kozhikode district appeared in the media last week.

Though the virus is confined to the northern districts, the impact is felt in the entire state and across various sectors. Najeeb suspects the panic is being spread among tourists from the states competitors in and outside the country.

They are projecting the virus attack in Kerala as an epidemic that is dangerous for visitors. This is wrong. The virus has affected only a few pockets in Kozhikode district. All tourist destinations, airports, railway stations and hotels are safe as usual for holiday activities, Najeeb added. Najeeb told Firstpost people from other districts who have contracted the infection are those who came in contact with the infected either in the affected villages or hospitals.

Two people who died in the nearby Malappuram district contracted the infection from Kozhikode Medical College where they went to see their relatives. A majority of patients are being treated in the medical college. If foreign countries issue advisories against travelling to Kerala, it could have serious consequences for the tourism industry.

So far, only Bahrain in West Asia has issued such an advisory. The United Arab Emirates has only advised its citizens to take precautionary measures and follow instructions issued by the concerned Indian authorities.

Najeeb said if more Gulf countries issue advisories, it could also affect the non-resident Keralites working abroad. The NRKs who have returned on leave will be most hit since they may not be able to go back before the expiry of their leave or visa. If the government machinery had risen up immediately after the first death was reported, the virus would not have wreaked this much damage. Sadly, the health authorities woken up only after the second death 12 days later, Najeeb added.

Kozhikode district Congress committee president T Siddique said the blood or fluid samples of Sabith, who died in a government hospital on 5 May, were not even taken. The virus was detected only after the samples of his brother Swalih, who died at a private hospital on 17 May, were tested, Siddique claimed. The family lost two more members after that. Most people, including a nurse who treated them, died after they came in contact with them. If the health authorities had taken timely action, lives of most of these people could have been saved and the state spared its impact, the Congress leader said.

Siddique added the impact of the virus is being felt even in the social sphere. People in the affected villages are being ostracised. Auto and taxi drivers are refusing to take them. They are also being isolated in public space, including places of worship, he added. The nurses who are treating the affected people in various hospitals have also aired similar complaints. The nurses at the Perambara government hospital in Kozhikode, where some patients were treated, said they and their family members are being ostracised by the people in their localities.

Interestingly, the Perambara hospital is being avoided by the people of the area. The hospital, which used to be crowded with patients, now presents a deserted look. An NDTV report quoted a doctor in the hospital who said the number of outpatients has come down from 1,000 to 1,500 a day to just 100 since the outbreak. Kozhikode district medical officer V Jayshree said this was due to unnecessary fear among the people. She said the fear was due to exaggerated reports and spreading of unscientific statements and rumours on social media.

We have already initiated action against those spreading falsehoods and rumours through Facebook and WhatsApp. We are now trying to create awareness among people about the virus and the precautions they need to take to ward off the infection, Jayashree said. The fear has also forced several people to flee. A report in the Deccan Chronicle said 50 families vacated their homes at Koorachundu and Chakittappara villages. While one person from Koorachundu died due to the virus attack, people from Chakittappara are suspected to have contracted the infection.

Government data on communicable diseases showed that in 2017, dengue fever claimed 165 lives, leptospirosis 80, fever 76, hepatitis 31, and diarrhoea 8. As many as 34 lakh people in Kerala sought treatment for fever during the year. A majority of cases were reported during the monsoon season from June to August. The statistics pertain to patients data in government hospitals. The number will be a staggering if cases from private hospitals are added. Industry players believe the major cause of the outbreak of infectious diseases, some of them eradicated long ago, is the absence of an effective and scientific waste management system.

M Gopakumar, a resort owner at Thiruvananthapuram, said infectious disease outbreaks during monsoon has become an annual phenomenon, much like the monsoon itself. Kerala will lose its prime status as a tourist destination if urgent steps are not taken to address the environmental issues, he added.South Sudan peace talks in Ethiopia have ended on Wednesday without a deal. The conflicting parties on Monday agreed on only three issues out of over 11 demands raised by the opposition in Addis Ababa.

According to Information minister Michael Makuei, the warring parties had agreed on cantonment of troops near Juba, unifying all the forces into one army and cessation of hostilities.

After five days of closed-door meetings, they failed to agree on the timelines when the different fighting groups should be integrated into one national army.

The five-day talks were mediated by South Sudan religious leaders after, in February 2018, faith-based groups requested the Intergovernmental Authority on Development [IGAD] that has been leading the talks to give South Sudanese an opportunity to discuss these issues among themselves.

IGAD in a statement on Wednesday said the talks ended after several attempts to narrow the gaps between the positions of the parties proved fruitless.

The opposition rejects the recognition of the 32 states created by President Kiir, saying it goes against the terms of the 2011 constitution and the 2015 peace agreement.

South Sudans cabinet affairs minister and head of the government negotiating team, for his part, said the government remains committed to the revitalization forum based on the June 12, 2017, resolution of the IGAD heads of state and government.The Osmania University (OU) has announced the results of its annual examinations of BA/BCom (honours and vocational)/BSc/BSW/BBA first, second, and the third year today on its official website: osmania.ac.in.

The Osmania University (OU) has announced the results of its annual examinations of BA/BCom (honours and vocational)/BSc/BSW/BBA first, second, and the third year today on its official website: osmania.ac.in.

Students who appeared for the exam can also check the result on manabadi.co.in.

The BA/BSc/BCom results were held from 6 March to 9 April 2018

Follow these steps to check your result:

- Visit the official website of the Osmania University (OU)  osmania.ac.in or manabadi.com

- On the homepage, look for the link which says, "Osmania University BA/BCom/BSc exam results". Click on it

- Enter your hall ticket number and other required details. Click on submit.

- Download and take printout for future reference.

As has been observed over the course of the past few weeks, the dates and times of result announcements have been frequently changed around. The information above has not been independently verified. However, this article will continue to be updated to reflect official updates as and when they come in.The Pakistan Army violated the ceasefire by firing automatic weapons and shelling mortars in Baramulla district's Uri sector in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Pakistan Army carried another ceasefire violation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. ANI reported that the Pakistani side fired automatic weapons and mortars in the Kamal Koot area in Baramulla district's Uri sector.

On Wednesday, four civilians were killed and nine others were injured in heavy mortar shelling and firing by Pakistani troops at Indian villages and border posts in Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts. Wednesday was the ninth day of continuous firing and shelling by Pakistan along the international border and LoC in Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts.

Over 40,000 border villagers have been forced to migrate from their homes due to the targetted firing by Pakistan.

India summoned Pakistan's Deputy High Commissioner to India Syed Haider Shah on Wednesday and lodged a "strong protest" at the loss of life of a eight-month-old infant in unprovoked ceasefire violations by Pakistan in Bhimber sector on 21 May.

"It was conveyed that the deliberate targeting of innocent civilians, who are located away from the forward line of defences, by Pakistan forces using small arms and high calibre weapons is highly deplorable and condemned in the strongest terms," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

"Targeting of innocent civilians including young children is against all established humanitarian norms and professional military conduct. Pakistan authorities were called upon to investigate into such heinous acts of killing innocent civilians and instruct its forces to desist from such acts immediately."

More than 1,088 such violations have been carried out by Pakistan forces at the Line of Control and International Boundary so far during 2018 which have led to loss of 36 lives and injuries to 127 persons.

The latest round of shelling started on 15 May when the BSF foiled two infiltration attempts by Pakistan-backed infiltrators in Samba sector and intensified a day after Pakistan "pleaded" with the BSF to stop firing on being pounded with heavy artillery that left a trooper dead across the border on 20 May.

With inputs from agenciesRSS hit out at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi over his comments on the violence in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu, in which 12 people lost their lives during a protest demanding the closure of the Sterlite copper smelting plant.

Chennai: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) hit out at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi over his comments on the violence in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu, in which 12 people lost their lives during a protest demanding the closure of the Sterlite copper smelting plant.

RSS national joint secretary Manmohan Vaidya, in a statement, alleged that the Congress and its president were trying to create divisions in the society to regain their lost support.

"The RSS is tirelessly working to unify the people of India, rising above caste, regional and religious identities, to work in the interest of the country," Vaidya said.

He added that the political parties playing divisive politics were being rejected by the people of the country.

"A frustrated Congress party and its president Rahul Gandhi are trying to create more divisions in the society to regain their lost support," Vaidya said.

Earlier in the day, the BJP had slammed Rahul for targeting the RSS over the killing of 11 people in police firing in Tuticorin, saying the Congress chief was hiding his failures behind the veil of attacking the organisation.

Rahul had claimed that Tamils were being killed in the state as they refused to "bow" to the RSS ideology.Is Rahul Gandhi right in tweeting that this is a PMO plan to appoint officers of the RSS choice in the civil services? Or that students future is at risk? No, and no

A tweet by Congress president Rahul Gandhi drew attention to a government letter from the Department of Personnel and Training seeking comments of other departments on a suggestion from the Prime Ministers Office (PMO).

Rise up students, your future is at risk! RSS wants whats rightfully yours. The letter below reveals the PMs plan to appoint officers of RSSs choice into the Central Services, by manipulating the merit list using subjective criteria, instead of exam rankings. #ByeByeUPSC pic.twitter.com/VSElwErKqe  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 22, 2018

The suggestion is to make service allocations and cadre allocations of officers qualifying for the Civil Services Examination after the completion of their Foundation Course at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie. This is something as yet in the consultation stage, and not a decision. But it emanates from the PMO, and is thus a serious proposal.

What is the current system of service allocation, and how does this proposal seek to change it? The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), an independent body under the Government of India, holds a Civil Services Examination (CSE) every year to select officers to a large number of top civil services, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian Revenue Services (IRS).

The three-stage examination is drawn-out and highly competitive; last year an estimated 4.5 lakh aspirants reportedly took the exam. Based on their position in the combined merit list of the CSE, and their choice, the candidates are offered appointments to various services. Cadre allocation for those appointed to the All-India Services (IAS and IPS) is also based on the CSE merit list along with the cadre allocation criterion currently in force (though the actual criteria change every few years).

Thereafter, all the officers appointed to all the group A services undergo a common three-month Foundation Course at the LBSNAA before moving on to their respective services training academies to undergo their professional training. LBSNAA also serves as the professional training academy for the IAS after the Foundation Course.

The proposal is that the services of candidates who have cleared the CSE not be allocated on the basis of CSE marks determined by the UPSC alone, but based on the marks obtained by the officers in the CSE plus the marks given by the LBSNAA for their performance in the Foundation Course.

So is Rahul right in tweeting that this is a PMO plan to appoint officers of the RSS' choice in the civil services? Or that students future is at risk? No, and no. The tweet is not quite accurate in its assertion. As we see from the scheme of things, RSS or any other political organisation doesnt come in at all in the selection process.

UPSC selects officers for the civil services, and UPSC still has an enviable track record of fairness in this, its flagship examination. UPSC is a specialised selector of personnel for government with a constitutional role, and in that role, it has over the years built up solid mechanisms and safeguards to insulate the process against arbitrariness and favouritism. Its one of the few institutions standing tall today, in the face of sustained efforts by successive governments of different shades to influence various other institutional structures to their persuasions.

UPSC conducts many examinations and selections, but in the pecking order, the CSE is at the top of the heap. The credibility of the CSE is not in doubt. Candidates may crib about flaws: System of examination, whimsicality of the interviews, the role of luck, but at the end of it all, no one doubts the objectivity and fairness of the process. Anyone who is bright, puts in hard work and has a fair dose of luck (not connections) from any economic or social background can make it.

Its from this pool of successful candidates that officers are appointed to various services, and that will continue to be so even under the proposed dispensation. And its not clear how the future of students will be at risk.

But is it a good idea? In my view, no again, and heres why.

Unlike the UPSC, the LBSNAA is a training institution (a first-rate one at that), and not a selection body enjoying constitutional status. Adding the marks based on performance in the LBSNAA Foundation Course will place on it the unreasonable burden of selection, without the safeguards.

How? Take the example of the interview marks in the CSE, which are a very small proportion to the total. Yet, they majorly influence the outcome because the thousand-odd candidates (of the 4.5 lakh) who reach that stage are all within fractions of a percentage of each other.

Similarly, the marks of the Foundation Course will have the ability to swing the service allocation. LBSNAA is staffed by serving officers, prone to pulls and pressures like all of us. When it is known that the LBSNAA Foundation Course assessment may determine the selection to a desired service, expect jockeying for marks by hook or crook by the trainee officers.

Expect also allegations of favouritism to fly, which will detract from the main task of training, and potentially damage a fine training institution. Litigation is also a lot more likely under this scenario. Administrative reforms should happen from time to time, but this doesnt seem to be a particularly better way of doing things.

On a more practical note, CSE aspirants usually try for specific civil services. If they do not get what they seek, some drop out of the race, some decline and try again. Those that join the training have made a conscious choice to accept the service offered. In the proposed dispensation, officers would not know what service they have got. Valuable time, effort and resources would be expended on persons not satisfied with their lot, or those who are going to quit. Again, the value added is doubtful.

The Civil Services Examination of the UPSC and the merit list based system of service allocation based on the CSE has stood the test of time.

As the Americanism goes, if it aint broke, dont fix it.

The author is a former IAS officer and served as Secretary, Heavy Industries, Government of IndiaShiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray took a dig at Narendra Modi on Thursday and said that the prime minister remained in the country only during elections and leaves as soon as they get over.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray took a dig at Narendra Modi on Thursday and said that the prime minister remained in the country only during elections and leaves as soon as they get over.

"Our prime minister keeps travelling abroad and they (BJP) say the country is changing...He comes back only during election times. But once the polls are over, he is out again...," Thackeray said, while addressing a rally at Vasai in support of his party's candidate, Shrinivas Wanaga, for the 28 May Palghar Lok Sabha bypoll.

Taunting the BJP over its "Abki Baar Modi Sarkar" slogan in the 2014 general elections, he said, "Next time around, it will be 'fuska bar' (damp squib)."

Taking potshots at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who addressed a poll rally at nearby Virar on Wednesday, the Sena chief said, "The UP chief minister could not retain his own Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat in the recent bypoll...He is here to give advice to his party workers on how to lose your seat."

Thackeray refuted the allegation of Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis that the Sena had betrayed the BJP by fielding the son of late minister Chintaman Wanaga in the Palghar bypoll.

"The BJP dumped the Wanaga family after Chintaman Wanaga opposed the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project and the Wadhwan port project," he claimed.

Fadnavis had recently said the BJP was planning to field someone from the Wanaga family in the by-election. Thackeray wanted to know that if the BJP was contemplating giving ticket to Shrinivas Wanaga, then why nobody from the party went to meet the family till the last date of filing of nominations.

Refuting Fadnavis's allegation that he had betrayed the (Sena-BJP) friendship, he said, "Denying that you had ever promised to bring 'acche din' or deposit Rs 15 lakh in people's bank accounts is a betrayal of the people."

Targeting Rajendra Gavit, the BJP candidate in the Palghar bypoll, the Sena chief said that when Gavit was in the opposition, he had said he would rather let the bullet train pass over him than allowing the project go ahead.

"Instead of the bullet train, the government should improve the suburban train services between Virar and Churchgate," he said.

Referring to allegations of horse-trading ahead of the Karnataka floor test last week, Thackeray sought to know why the BJP could not spare some money for the Wanaga family.

"The Wanaga family came to meet me with tears in their eyes and no one can buy tears," he said and expressed confidence that Shrinivas Wanaga would win the bypoll.Sterlite's Tuticorin project which is at the centre of controversy only set its base in Tamil Nadu after facing much opposition in Gujarat, Goa, and Maharashtra.

Thirteen people have lost their lives in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi (also called Tuticorin) ever since the protests for the closure of the Sterlite Copper plant turned violent on Tuesday.

Locals have been demanding the permanent closure of the Tuticorin unit of the smelter copper plant for over three months now. In view of the unrest, Section 144 of the CrPC has been invoked in and around the unit as per the orders of the Madras High Court.

Sterlite Copper represents the copper unit of Vedanta Limited which operates a four lakh tonne per annum plant at Tuticorin. But the project which is at the centre of controversy only set its base in Tamil Nadu after facing much opposition in Gujarat, Goa, and Maharashtra. As Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) pointed in a press statement, the plan was rejected in the three states because of its potential to create environmental hazards.

The CSE said that Vedanta had flouted norms while getting an environmental clearance for its Tuticorin plant by misrepresenting facts and gave a Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report without conducting any public hearing. "Firstly, it said that the plant is not located within 25 kilometre of ecologically-sensitive area, which was found to be wrong as the plant is located near Munnar Marine National Park," CSE said.

The Tuticorin plant, which finally began its operations in 1997, has also allegedly flouted enviromental norms on several occasions. "With such a poor track record on environment for nearly two decades, a plant like Sterlites copper unit, would not have been allowed to operate anywhere in the world. However, not only does it continue to operate in Tuticorin, but is also planning to double its capacity," CSE's Deputy Director General Chandra Bhushan said.

CPM leader K Kanagaraj, in his petition before the Madras High Court in 2010, had held that the said plant was originally proposed to be set up at Gujarat and Goa. It was only shifted to Maharashtra due to local opposition in both the states.

In 1992, almost 500 acre was alloted to the company by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) to set up the smelter in Ratnagiri.

The locals, including farmers, strongly objected to commissioning of smelter plant fearing effects of its pollution

Quoting Sterlite officials, Economic Times reported that the company had spent about Rs 100 crore on the project till 15 July, 1993 when the district collector directed it to suspend construction work because of the opposition.

In 2010, local authorities directed the company to either diversify its project to some non-polluting activity or surrender the plot to MIDC. In 2013, Ratnagiri District Court issued an eviction order, which the Bombay High Court later stayed.

Sterlite Copper said on Thursday that Tuticorin unit is currently non-functional and the company is awaiting approval from the authorities to resume operations at the site.

The facility, according to Sterlite, has been shut since 27 March when the company took up annual scheduled maintenance. The firm's application to renew its licence to operate the copper smelter facility was rejected by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board.

With inputs from agencies

Click here for LIVE updates on anti-Sterlite protestThe severity of the AIADMK govt's response to those protesting in TamilNadu's Tuticorin against the Sterlite plant, is surprising, especially given its potential to be taken advantage of by the TTV Dinakaran faction within the AIADMK

Tamil Nadu boasts of being an industry-friendly state with its many centres of industrial activity. The state capital Chennai is dubbed as the Detroit of India and a host of new age entrepreneurs. Tiruppur is known for its cotton textile success. Kanjeepuram for its silks. Coimbatore, a bustling entrepreneurial city, is home to a number of successful small and medium industries. Namakkal for its trucking business. Sivakasi is known for fireworks. Not to forget the international chain of Chennai based Saravana Bhavan pure vegetarian restaurants.

With its high literacy rate, a range of good quality educational institutions and a decent health care set up, Tamil Nadu has been an attractive destination for small, medium and large private investors. And that's despite the costs of setting up a business depending on which of the ruling Dravidian parties were in power at any given time.

In her final term as Tamil Nadu chief minister, J Jayalalitha (also spelled as Jayalalithaa) was particularly keen to attract large private investments to Tamil Nadu. The state, fourth largest in the country and ranked second in industrialisation in some rankings, has been able to maintain a GDP growth of around 8 percent in recent years, higher than the national average.

But over the years, the political dispensation in Tamil Nadu has more often than not been unfriendly to labourers. Both the main Dravidian parties do have their labour wings, yet, strikes have been rare unless there were some specific political gains to be had by one or the other. Some years back, a strike by Hyundai workers was quickly quashed by the ruling party. In the latest incident, the police now ruthlessly fired on protestors in Thoothukudi, a major port and agriculture area dominated by the ruling AIADMK  the only MP and four of the six MLAs from the area belong to the AIADMK.

While politicians of all hues, from the state and the Centre, have been vocal in criticising the state government for its action, the AIADMK administration has refused to admit any culpability and hasn't said a word against the police, despite the videos circulating showing armed policemen in mufti firing at the protestors. Neither has any major industry body, state or national, openly condemned the killings.

The Sterlite copper smelting unit is nearly 20 years old and is today one of the countrys largest copper smelting plants. Jayalalitha got it going during her earlier regime. Subsequently, the company got environmental clearance from DMK under Karunanidhi, and in 2007 its expansion plans were approved by the Manmohan Singh government. In 2009, the Singh government, of which the DMK was a part, also gave the company the environment clearance. In 2013, the Supreme Court ordered the company, blamed for gas leakage leading to health issues among the people, to pay a fine of Rs 100 crore. The current protests were triggered by the company wanting to double the plants capacity.

Neither the protestors, nor the company has produced any scientific facts to bolster their respective claims. And despite the protests going on for quite some time now, the government too gave no information on the steps it had taken, as demanded by DMK leader MK Stalin.

The severity of the AIADMK govt response when protestors turned violent, is surprising, especially given the potential of the action to be taken advantage of by the TTV Dinakaran faction within the AIADMK, whose Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam launched a signature campaign against Sterlite.

Some media reports have also questioned the bona fides and political motives of little-known organisations like Pudhiya Podhu Udamai Iyakkam and Puratchikarar Ilaignar Munnani who were part of the protests. Inevitably, accusations have started flying about the RSS role in the firing and counter-accusations about a Congress leaders connections with Sterlite.

Unlike elsewhere where protests against environmental degradation from industrial activity have led to the stoppage of operations, as happened with the bauxite mining plans in Niyamgiri hills in Odisha, rarely have such protests in Tamil Nadu been effective. In pre-internet times, protests against a multinational in Kodaikanal over the dumping of mercury in open areas and the resultant mercury poisoning of water sources, created no major impact, though the company shut down its operations there. Recent protests, however, gained some attention due to social and digital media, and the presence of NGOs among the protestors. The last major peoples agitation was against the Koodankulam nuclear power plant. But after the initial enthusiasm of protestors, the plant is now up and running, peacefully.

In today's time, neither the government nor the industry can be indifferent to the environment. Big industries, particularly, multinationals, cannot afford it either. In fact, the anti-Vedanta protests were held recently in England and the US too. But Vedanta and Sterlite have already become sideshows in Thoothukudy. An interesting political fallout of the protests is the sudden descent of the Tamil film industry heroes into Thoothukudy in support of the protestors and families of those killed. The most prominent among them, of course, are actor-turned-politicians Kamal Haasan, who cancelled his trip to Bengaluru to attend HD Kumaraswamys swearing-in ceremony and be a part of the grand show of anti-BJP unity, and Rajinikanth.

The author is former Editor-in-Charge, The WeekThe NHRC has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court to order an inquiry into the police killings in Thoothukudi. This plea will be heard on Friday by the court. Meanwhile, DMK's working president MK Stalin led a protest against the Palaniswami government outside the chief minister's office in Chennai.

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The governor was apprised of the action taken by the government in this regard, sources said. Purohit, who was at the hill station of Udhagamandalam in the Nilgiris district, cut short his visit and arrived at the Raj Bhavan on Wednesday evening, they said.

Chief Minister K Palaniswamy, and his deputy O Panneerselvam on Wednesday called on Governor Banwarilal Purohit and apprised him of the violent incidents against the Sterlite copper plant at Tuticorin. Top officials took part in the meeting held in Chennai on Wednesday night and it lasted about half an hour.

Earlier on Wednesday, the BJP had slammed Rahul for targeting the RSS over the killing of 11 people in police firing in Tuticorin, saying the Congress chief was hiding his failures behind the veil of attacking the organisation. Rahul had claimed that Tamils were being killed in the state as they refused to "bow" to the RSS ideology.

RSS national joint secretary Manmohan Vaidya, in a statement, alleged that the Congress and its president were trying to create divisions in the society to regain their lost support. "The RSS is tirelessly working to unify the people of India, rising above caste, regional and religious identities, to work in the interest of the country," Vaidya said.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) hit out at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi over his comments on the violence in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu, in which 11 people lost their lives during a protest demanding the closure of the Sterlite copper smelting plant.

Sterlite Copper unit has been in operation in Tuticorin since its inception in 1997 and has been dogged by controversies throughout. But at the heart of the fresh protest at the unit, is a brownfield expansion of the plant, entailing a doubling of the capacity of the smelter to 8,00,000 tonnes per year. Protesters say that pollution from the copper plant, including issues relating to disposal of copper waste and effluents from the operational unit, demanding its permanent closure.

The ongoing violence in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi has claimed at least twelve lives and severely injured several others as protests entered their 100th day on Tuesday. The agitators have been protesting against the proposed expansion of a copper smelter of Sterlite Copper, a unit of the Vedanta group, over pollution concerns.

All you need to know about Sterlite plant's troubled past in the state

A confidential internal report commissioned from Canadian pollution control experts showed that a Vedanta Resources mine in Zambias Copperbelt region had been spilling toxic chemicals into rivers, streams and underground aquifers used for drinking water near the town of Chingola in 2015, The Guardian reported.

Vedanta has run into trouble for its projects in several states across India, with the most prominent being those in Odisha, Rajasthan and Punjab. But even outside the country, Vedanta has reportedly fallen afoul of the law.

In 2015, villagers in Zambia took Vedanta to court over toxic leaks from copper plant

"This could have prevented the death of protestors. The Tamil Nadu police have many questions to answer. Those responsible for deaths and injuries caused to protestors must be brought to justice," Senior Campaigner at Amnesty International India Abhirr VP, said in a statement.

"The Tamil Nadu Police were shockingly under-prepared to peacefully control protests of this magnitude. Despite knowing there would be a massive protest on Tuesday, the state police did little to implement crowd control measures that would have avoided the need to resort to force.

Amnesty International India on Wednesday condemned the Tamil Nadu Police for its handling of anti-Sterlite protest in which at least 11 people were shot dead and several more injured over two days, terming it a "damning indictment"of the state government.

"The brutality of the police is revealed by the fact that many of those killed and injured have bullet injuries on their heads and faces," the CPM said.

"All those responsible for this merciless shooting down of protesters should be held accountable and immediate legal proceedings should be launched against them," the CPM said in a statement. It said that the enquiry announced to probe "these brutal killings" should be headed by a sitting judge of the Madras High Court.

The CPM on Wednesday demanded "immediate legal proceedings" against those who ordered firing on protesters in Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu.

Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani took to Twitter to urge the united Opposition that attended HD Kumaraswamy's swearing in ceremony to visit violence-hit Thoothukudi. "I sincerely request that these same people take time off from photo op to come visit Thoothukudi and join hands to protest Vedanta and the horrific corporate, state-sponsored murder of civilians," he said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, Vedanta is also named as an accused in the infamous Rs 600 crore "scam" on the allotment of rock phosphate mines in Rajasthan.

According to a piece by The Wire , while the refinery uses a reservoir to store the waste product "red toxic mud", the plant's chimneys expel toxins like sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter 10 and particulate matter 2.5. There is a likelihood that the plant's practices are linked with health issues like breathing difficulties which people living nearby claim to experience.

Despite a ban on mining in Odisha's Niyamgiri, Vedanta has managed to operate its Lanjigarh refinery so far. The Odisha Cabinet amended its long-term bauxite linkage policy only in February to facilitate Vedanta to source bauxite from the Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC).

The internet services have been temporarily suspended in Thoothukudi from 9 pm on Wednesday till further instruction by the administration, ANI reported. 11 people were killed in the firing by police during the Sterlite protests on 22 May. A man was killed in fresh police firing on Wednesday, while some others were injured in clashes with security personnel in the town.

The bench also directed the central government to submit within four months a report after holding a public hearing in the district to invite public opinion on the plan for expansion. Stertile had got consent to construct the second unit, as the existing unit remained shut for nearly two months now after the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board refused to renew its consent to operate (CTO) the unit.

She further says: From the very inception, the operations of the 4 th Respondent in Thoothukudi district have been met with severe resistance in view of the adverse impact the units have had on the environment. These apprehensions have been borne out as the unit has caused serious pollution. Several instances of pollution have been documented and there have been several cases filed against the 4th Respondent for its history of violations of applicable laws including laws designed to protect the environment, natural resources and the local communities."

In her petition, Fathima says, "The original environmental clearance and each renewal was illegally obtained by availing exemption from public consultation by misrepresenting the location of the project as being within a 'notified Industrial Estate/Complex'. This incurable defect strikes at the very foundation of the clearance and is a violation of substantive rights of the people of Thoothukudi and their fundamental right to a clean and safe environment."

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court stayed the expansion of the Vedanta's copper smelter plant in Tuticorin district, amid a continuing agitation against the plant. A bench comprising Justice M Sundar and Justice Anitha Sumanth passed the order staying construction of Vedanta's (formerly Sterlite Industries Limited) second unit in Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu, on a petition filed by environmental activist Fathima Babu.

"The said proposal was considered, and environmental clearance was granted to the 4th Respondents copper smelter plant-II on 01.01.2009. The requirement of public hearing prior to grant of such environemental clearance was exempted based on the representations of the 4th Respondent that the proposed plant would be located inside notified SIPCOT industrial area. The public hearing process is an essential part of the environmental clearance process. I state that a majority of the residents of Thoothukudi and those living in the vicinity of the 4th Respondent have a very poor image of the company and are angry with it for twisting and violating the law, polluting the environment, damaging the health of people, and getting government authorities to collude with its illegal schemes. This is evident from the massive protests ongoing in Thoothukudi even at the time of presentation of the present Writ Petition."

Firstpost acquired the original petition filed by Fatima Babu in Madras High Court. Here are the excerpts:

Residents of Thoothukudi have a poor image of Sterlite Industries and are angry with them: Fatima in her petition

Internet services will remain suspended for 5 days in Thoothukudi, reports have said. The services have been suspended since 9 pm on Wednesday.

DMK will observe a statewide shut down on 25 May, ANI reports, as a mark of protest against the killing of 13 people and the AIADMK-led Tamil Nadu government. The party will also demand that Sterlite copper smelter plant in Thoothukudi be shut down permanently.

Data services will be barred from Wednesday evening (23 May) until 27 May. In an exclusive report , TNM reports: "...two telecom companies that they have received a directive from the Director General of Police of Tamil Nadu to temporarily suspend internet services."

The News Minute reports that telecom players received a directive from the Chief Secretary to block mobile data/internet services in three districts of Tamil Nadu  Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts. However, voice calls have not been barred.

"Tamil Nadu government knew that this being 100th day of agitation, it's going to be bigger. They should've made better arrangements to maintain law and order but nothing was done. They simply resorted to firing. It was a massacre, almost like Jallianwala Bagh," says Ghulam Nabi Azad.

The Tamil Nadu State Pollution Control Board, in an official diktat, ordered the closure of the copper smelter plant in Thoothukudi and said, "Whereas, the application submitted by the unit of M/s Vedanta Limited - Copper Smelter Plant, SF No 1 to 7, 1220 to 1225 etc of Meelavittan Part-1 Village, SIPCOT Industrial Complex Thoothukudi Taluk and District vide reference second cited for the issue of renewal of consent for the year 2018-2023 has been rejected vide reference third cited due to non compliance of the certain conditions imposed in the previous renewal of consent order issued to the unit vide reference first cited."

An emergency petition filed by advocate Suryaprakash at the Madras High Court includes demands like those injured in the clashes should be given appropriate medical treatment, the suspension of internet services should be revoked, a committee should be established under a district court judge and CBI probe should be ordered. Justice Bhavani Subbarayan has allowed to the case to be heard on an emergency basis.

The DMK and the Congress staged a walk out in the business advisory committee meeting of the Tamil Nadu Assembly. DMK leader Stalin said that he told E Palaniswami that he should resign as the chief minister during the Assembly meeting.

"Even after death of 12 innocent people, no action has been taken against the culprits. Chief Minister E Palaniswami has become ineffective. He did not bother to visit the district and meet the people. Therefore, we demand that chief minister must resign immediately," DMK president Stalin was quoted as saying by ANI . He also demanded that DGP Rajendran also resign.

During a press meet, Sandeep Nanduri, the newly-appointed collector for Thoothukudi, said, "My main intention is to restore normalcy in the district. I will talk to the people and bring the situation under control. I will also visit the govt hospital and assess the situation. I will keep updating on the develoments and get back with the details about everything."

The National Human Rights Commission has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court to order an inquiry into the police killings in Thoothukudi. This plea will be heard on Friday by the court.

Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar told reporters on Thursday. "Our sentiments are the same as that of the sentiments of the people. We will not going against them." he said. Meanwhile, over 100 people belonging to Communist Party of India staged a protest in Madurai's Palanganatham locality.

"The saga of development continues for whom? Today the state and police blatantly support big corporates and those who are close friends with the ruling political class...The state is using full force to silence dissent, and (to them) lives affected by such corporate-state developments do not matter. After all, who are people compared to large profits," said Stree Jagriti Samiti co-founder Geeta Menon. She is one of the prominent figures who will be participating in the protest in Bengaluru.

Stalin was forcibly removed as he sat in dharna in front of the chief minister's office. He had be there along with about 20 of his MLAs demanding an audience with the CM. He has been sitting in protest in front of the Chennai Secretariat.

DMK's working president MK Stalin staged a massive protest outside the chief minister's office in Chennai and demanded that E Palaniswami should resign. "Palaniswami is ineffective," Stalin said.

75 people have been arrested in Thiruvannamalai at the Vandavasi bus stand where members of SDPI staged a protest by burning an effigy of CM Edappadi Palanisamy.

The police tracked down protestors at their homes in the middle of the night using footage from CCTV cameras, alleged Mariyappan, the admin of the 'Thoothukudi People' which is a group on Facebook. Mariyappan alleged that police used the footage from CCTV cameras near the government hospital and one of the major signals there to trace the protestors involved in the agitations there. "They knew that these people were likely from the surrounding areas like Anna Nagar and were able to track them down using government data," he said. Some of those arrested last night are being remanded today, he said. Mariyappan, who is in his home in Thoothukudi, said no offices are open today, internet remains suspended and only banking domains are functional.

"We are conducting a struggle to besiege the Secretariat, which is conducting the worst administration in order to convince these brutal rulers that the repression of the people can not be broken. If you want to disrupt the fight there, the struggle will take place here. Let's shoot the guns, the anarchy police and the representatives of the people towards us. DMK will continue its struggle to have justice."

In a series of tweets, MK Stalin slammed the ruling AIADMK-led E Palaniswami government for using force to evict him and other DMK MLAs from the Secretariat.

Let's shoot the guns, the anarchy police and the representatives of the people towards us: Stalin

He defended police's action on Tuesday during the violent protest. "If someone is attacked, the natural course would be to defend & safeguard themselves. This is what has been done by the police in response," ANI quoted him as saying.

Addressing the media, Chief Minister Palaniswami said, "The entire episode which happened was primarily because of certain political parties, NGOs and anti-social elements, who took protestors to a wrong path."

Palaniswamy responded to the drama around DMK leader Stalin's protest for not getting an appointment with him. He said that he did not refuse to speak to Stalin but it was rather the DMK leader who did not seek any appointment with him.

He said that he is totally committed to the people, and that Vedanta would like to continue with this business "with the wish and will of the residents" .

"This was very unfortunate and my full sympathies with the families. The plant is closed because of annual shutdown and we are waiting for clearance from the court and the government to restart the plant. We are strictly following the court and government orders. We always make sure that the community and the Tuticorin people at large prosper with us, Vedanta Group chairman Anil Agarwal was quoted as saying by News18.

In a tweet, DMK leader MK Stalin hit out at the Tamil Nadu government for not giving answers to "Tuticorin massacre". "We will ensure the protestors' and peoples' voices from Tuticorin are heard in Chennai. Our fight against this Incompetent EPS government will not stop till the resignations of the chief minister and DGP," he wrote.

"Vedanta is a criminal company. Its founder is a criminal who stays in London. He destroyed the environment in Maharashtra, and in Niyamgiri hills. He's looting the environment, and natural resources found in the mountains, hills and forests. The police are protecting criminals like him. This is protest against a government which is friendly to criminals and not it's subjects. This is a symbolic protest." said S Balan, a criminal law practitioner, an organiser in of the protest. The Bengaluru protest at 3pm is being organised by Communist Party of India (MarxistLeninist) Liberation Party.

Asserting that the MHA has taken cognisance of the situation in Tuticorin, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, "My thoughts are with bereaved families. I also pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. I appeal to the people in Tuticorin to remain calm and maintain peace and tranquility in the region."

While protesters allege that police arrested over a hundred people during Wednesday's black out, the Thoothukudi SP's office puts the number of people arrested between 10 and 15 in their police station limits.

TDP MLC TD Janardhan is visiting areas where the families of victims reside. Situation remains tense in Anna Nagar. Petrol bombs have been hurled at some places. Nanduri is visiting the government hospital and will address the Tamil Nadu traders unit at 4 pm.

Tamil Nadu government has appealed against the Madras High Court order to preserve bodies of those killed in the police firing in Thoothukudi. "The government is unable to give an answer to the relatives who have arrived there to collect the body," the government petitioner said. The case will be re-examined on Thursday by the court.

Sterlite management in Thoothukudi has advised its permanent and contract employees against showing up at the plant for work due to the tense situation that is prevailing. It has also asked those staying at the company accommodation to return to their home towns.

"The two major communities of Thoothukudi, the fishermen and the Nadars have put aside their generation-long rivalry to protest in unison against Sterlite. The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Boards order has been passed thrice in the past and again Sterlite will start operating... Four days ago the collector and the district revenue officer ran away to hide in Ottaparadam and Kayathar. I think the government has a tie-up with Sterlite. Among the 68 who were admitted in the government hospital on Wednesday, only 28 people had bullet wounds, the remaining were beaten with wooden rods by policemen," he said adding that their party workers plan to visit the houses of every victim to record statements.

CPM district members to meet and decide on a course of action against the government for the police firings on Thursday,, informed CPM state secretariat member K Kanagaraj.

The protest is gathering momentum, as several directors and social activists are seen joining hands with the protestors. Suba Udayakumar, social activist, a pioneer in organising the people of Kudankulam against a nuclear power plant project there, is also participating in the protest.

Tyson, the organizer of Tamizhar Vidiyal Katchi, says what happened in Tuticorin is clear evidence of the state and Central government acting in an undemocratic manner in every way. "Many students, youngsters are being thrashed in the protest site. We strongly condemn the inhuman action of the police," he said.

They also demand immediate dismissal of the District Collector and DGP for making an organised planned murder of 12 and more civilians who participated in the protests.

Major demands of the combined protest by several regional parties, activists and public are that ruling Edapadi Palanisami's AIADMK must dissolve the government, justice must be ensured for the dead civilians in Tuticorin, and Vedanta's Sterlite Copper smelter in Tuticorin must be shut down.

Nanduri said 13 people have been killed and 102 were wounded. Apart from this, 34 policemen have also been wounded. 98 vehicles, including two-wheelers, have been damaged and the district collector's office has seen damages to the tune of Rs 29 lakh.

They also demand immediate dismissal of the District Collector and DGP for making an organised planned murder of 12 and more civilians who participated in the protests.

Major demands of the combined protest by several regional parties, activists and public are that ruling Edapadi Palanisami's AIADMK must dissolve the government, justice must be ensured for the dead civilians in Tuticorin, and Vedanta's Sterlite Copper smelter in Tuticorin must be shut down.

According to ANI, this meeting is headed by the district magistrate, SP, IG (south zone) and state government monitoring officers. An all-party delegation will meet them later.

PWD Minister and PCC president A Namassivayam said the Congress supported the bandh being observed on Friday to demand closure of Vedanta's Sterlite unit in Tuticorin.  PTI

Congress in Puducherry announced its support to the day-long bandh called by various political parties on Friday to condemn the 'killing' of the people during anti-sterlite protests in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

In Thoothukudi, police have stepped up patrolling to stop people from forming groups in public places while internet connection has been shut in the district and neighbouring areas.  IANS

Normal life was affected in Thoothukudi, with shops closed and people remaining indoors even as the protest against police action spread across the state on Thursday, with demonstrations in districts like Erode, Ramanathapuram and Thiruvarur.

"That a 17-year-old school-going girl Snolin has been shot in the mouth from close range should shake the conscience of the entire nation. That the national English media and even the regional media have underplayed this heinous crime is a matter of extreme concern," the statement further said.

"The 100 days peaceful, democratic agitation by the ordinary people of Tuticorin against the Sterlite copper plant has brought to sharp focus the very idea of development. The Indian State appears restless to pursue a reckless development agenda even at the cost of environment and overall well being of the people," the statement said.

The Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam has issued a statement on the violence in Tuticorin and said that "the government has enforced an undeclared emergency on the people of Tuticorin".

Nanduri said 13 people have been killed and 102 were wounded. Apart from this, 34 policemen have also been wounded. 98 vehicles, including two-wheelers, have been damaged and the district collector's office has seen damages to the tune of Rs 29 lakh.

They (the government) do not want any information to leave the place. They have cut internet connectivity in three districts. The dont want the entire state to stand up in protest and that is why they banned internet connectivity. We are afraid that they might cut all our television connections as well if the situation is not resolved, said a resident from Naggapuram in Thoothukudi.

Other residents too want to raise their voices against what is being seen as police vandalism, but the brutality that they have been facing since the last three days have left them afraid of talking to the media.

What the government is doing is completely ridiculous. They are pulling off a cheap stunt by burning their own vehicles and blaming people for it. I have been mentally affected, said a Thoothukudi resident, on condition of anonymity.

Autos will not run tomorrow across Tamil Nadu from 6 am to 6 pm, CITU Auto Drivers Association General Secretary Shivaji has announced.

He also said that the decision on whether to recommence bus services from Thoothukudi will be taken tomorrow. Meanwhile, arrangements are being made to truck in vegetables from Madurai.

"There aren't any chances of the Sterlite Plant starting operations again. This is the wish of the Tamil Nadu government as well," said District Collector Sandeep Nanduri.

Here is an interesting take on the Sterlite stir so far:

Sterlite protest LIVE updates: Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi lashed out at the Narendra Modi government over the anti-Sterlite protests and said that the prime minister was silent on the violence but was throwing a fitness challenge.

The Madras High Court has rejected the state government's appeal against the preservation of bodies.

The Tamil Nadu government has appealed against the Madras High Court order to preserve bodies of those killed in the police firing in Thoothukudi. "The government is unable to give an answer to the relatives who have arrived there to collect the body," the government petitioner said.

Addressing the media, Chief Minister Palaniswami said, "The entire episode which happened was primarily because of certain political parties, NGOs and anti-social elements, who took protestors to a wrong path." In a series of tweets, DMK leader MK Stalin that his party will "continue its struggle to have justice".

The police tracked down protestors at their homes in the middle of the night using footage from CCTV cameras, alleged Mariyappan, the admin of the 'Thoothukudi People' which is a group on Facebook. Mariyappan alleged that police used the footage from CCTV cameras near the government hospital and one of the major signals there to trace the protestors involved in the agitations there. "They knew that these people were likely from the surrounding areas like Anna Nagar and were able to track them down using government data," he said. Some of those arrested last night are being remanded today, he said. Mariyappan, who is in his home in Thoothukudi, said no offices are open today, internet remains suspended and only banking domains are functional.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court to order an inquiry into the police killings in Thoothukudi. This plea will be heard on Friday by the court. Meanwhile, DMK's working president MK Stalin led a protest against the Palaniswami government outside the chief minister's office in Chennai. He was forcibly removed as he sat in dharna in front of the chief minister's office. He had be there along with about 20 of his MLAs demanding an audience with the CM. He has been sitting in protest in front of the Chennai Secretariat.

In an official order, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board ordered the closure of the copper smelter plant in Thoothukudi.

A 42-year-old man succumbed to injuries in Tuticorin Genera Hospital on Thursday taking the death toll to 13. Internet Services in Thoothukudi were suspended on Wednesday at 9 pm. According to latest reports, services will be suspended for the next five days. According to ANI, the government has decided not to allow internet services in the riot-hit area where clash between protesters and police claimed 12 lives. Till now, at least 67 people have been arrested in connection to the violence.

Tamil Nadu government has reportedly disconnected electricity supply to Sterlite plant in Thoothukudi on recommendation of the Commodity Control Board. Meanwhile, Firstpost accessed a copy of the petition filed by Fatima Babu, an environmental activist, in the Madras High Court. In her petition, Fatima lists out why the high court should not allow functioning of the copper smelter plants in Tuticorin.

"The said proposal was considered, and environmental clearance was granted to the 4th Respondents copper smelter plant-II on 01.01.2009. The requirement of public hearing prior to grant of such environemental clearance was exempted based on the representations of the 4th Respondent that the proposed plant would be located inside notified SIPCOT industrial area. The public hearing process is an essential part of the environmental clearance process. I state that a majority of the residents of Thoothukudi and those living in the vicinity of the 4th Respondent have a very poor image of the company and are angry with it for twisting and violating the law, polluting the environment, damaging the health of people, and getting government authorities to collude with its illegal schemes. This is evident from the massive protests ongoing in Thoothukudi even at the time of presentation of the present Writ Petition," Fatima says in her petition.

Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani took to Twitter to urge the united Opposition that attended HD Kumaraswamy's swearing in ceremony to visit violence-hit Thoothukudi. "I sincerely request that these same people take time off from photo op to come visit Thoothukudi and join hands to protest Vedanta and the horrific corporate, state-sponsored murder of civilians," he said in a tweet.

Late on Wednesday, Chief Minister K Palaniswami, and his deputy O Panneerselvam called on Governor Banwarilal Purohit and apprised him of the violent incidents against the Sterlite copper plant at Tuticorin. Top officials took part in the meeting held in Chennai on Wednesday night and it lasted about half an hour.

Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin town was on the boil again on Wednesday, with a man shot dead in police firing following fresh clashes between security personnel and locals demanding closure of a copper factory over pollution concerns, a day after police action left 10 protesters dead.

In the line of Opposition fire, the state government constituted a Commission of Inquiry headed by retired Madras High Court judge Aruna Jagadeesan to probe the violence, and shunted out the Collector and Superintendent of Police of Tuticorin.

Collector N Venkatesh has been replaced by the collector of neighbouring Tirunelveli Sandeep Nanduri, while Nilgiris district police chief Murali Rambha will take overfrom SP P Mahendran.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has, meanwhile, sought a report from the Tamil Nadu government on the circumstances leading to police firing on protesters demanding the closure of Vedanta group's Sterlite Copper plant, which they claim had polluted ground water in the area, official sources said in New Delhi.

Taking cognizance of the large-scale violence, the National Human Rights Commission issued notices to Tamil Nadu chief secretary and the director general of police, asking them to submit a detailed report in two weeks, while the Madras High Court stayed the proposed expansion of the plant.

Enraged over Tuesday's killings, protesters took to streets on Wednesday morning, attacking police with stones, setting two government vehicles on fire, and trying to storm into a hospital where injured were kept, prompting security personnel to baton-charge them and open fire, officials said.

Several people, including police personnel, were injured in clashes.

Seeking to control the damage done due to police action, the government announced constitution of the Jagadeesan commission of inquiry.

"The panel will cover the law and order incidents following the siege of the District Collectorate on 22 May by thousands of persons violating prohibitory orders," an official release said in Chennai.

Reinforcements have been rushed to Tuticorin from adjoining districts to assist the local police and civil administration in restoring calm in the strife-torn town.

A Madras High Court bench comprising Justices M Sundar and Anitha Sumanth, meanwhile, stayed the proposed expansion of the plant on a petition filed by environment activist Fathima Babu.

The bench also directed the central government to submit a report within four months after inviting public opinion on the expansion plan.

Sterlite had got consent for expansion, after the existing unit was shut two months ago by an order of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board.

NHRC, citing media reports, observed, "It appears that the authorities probably failed to foresee the tragic violence which took place".

Noting that the agitation against the alleged polluting unit was on for more than three months, the rights body said effective precautionary measures and deployment of adequate number of police personnel could possibly have averted violence.

"It also appears from several media reports, including those on TV news channels, that the police resorted to firing on unarmed protesters without following the standard operating procedure, which tantamounts to serious violation of human rights and thus is a matter of concern," it said.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi alleged that Tamils were being killed as they had refused to "bow" to the RSS ideology.

"Tamils are being killed since they refuse to bow to the ideology of the RSS. The feelings of the Tamil people can never be trampled by the bullets of the RSS and Modi. We are with you Tamil brothers and sisters #SterliteProtest," he said in a tweet in Tamil.

DMK working president M K Stalin demanded the resignation of Chief Minister K Palaniswami and state police chief TK Rajendran.

"On behalf of the DMK, I strongly condemn the violence. Chief Minister Palaniswami and DGP T K Rajendran should take moral responsibility for the police action and resign," Stalin, who visited the families of the victims, told reporters.

"Will Tamil Nadu chief minister take action against DGP for failing to maintain law and order? Will chief secretary explain her role in this entire episode? Will there be justice for Sterlite protest?" he later said in a tweet.

"Why was there not adequate police presence to maintain law and order during Sterlite protest ? Is it accurate to say that there was a total failure of State intelligence which led to these unfortunate deaths?" he said in another tweet.

Actor and Makkal Neethi Maiam president Kamal Haasan also visited the injured in Tuticorin and extended his condolences to the bereaved families. Actor Rajinikanth also condemned the police action.

"The incident is due to the total negligence of the government. I strongly condemn the unlawful activities by the police," the actor said in a video message that was shared on his official twitter handle.South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that he will donate half of his presidential salary to the Nelson Mandela Thuma Mina Fund, a fund in memory of South Africas first black President and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela.

President Ramaphosa who is also the leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) made the statement on Wednesday during a debate in parliament about the presidencys budget.

He said in memory of Madiba, in recognition of the great sacrifices he made and his tireless commitment to improving the lives of the most vulnerable, there is something that many of us can do.

The amount will go into a fund to be administered by the Nelson Mandela Fund. The date set for the launch of the fund is July 18  the birthday of Nelson Mandela.

This year saw momentous political change in Africas most developed economy as Ramaphosa took over as president following President Jacob Zumas resignation.

Ramaphosa is viewed favorably by the business community, not least for his pledge to fight the corruption that plagued Zumas administration.

He has recently announced that the country will increase its value added tax (VAT) for the first time in 25 years in order to help bridge a gap in the governments budget.Home minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday appealed to the people of Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu to remain calm and maintain peace in the wake of the violence.

New Delhi: Home minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday appealed to the people of Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu to remain calm and maintain peace in the wake of the violence.

The home ministry has sought a report from the Tamil Nadu government on the police firing and the prevailing situation in the port city, the minister said.

"I am deeply pained at the loss of precious lives during the agitation at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu. My thoughts are with bereaved families. I also pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.

"I appeal to the people in Tuticorin to remain calm and maintain peace and tranquility in the region," he said in a statement.

Thirteen people were killed in police firing during protests demanding the closure of Vedanta group's Sterlite Copper plant over pollution concerns in Tuticorin.

The protests have been going on for over three months, but violence first erupted on Tuesday with agitators fighting pitched battles with police, prompting it to open fire.

The DMK and other Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu have called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh on Friday, condemning the police action against protesters in Tuticorin.

Follow our LIVE blog for updates on Sterlite protestVedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal on Thursday described the loss of 13 lives as 'unfortunate' in violent protests demanding closure of a copper factory owned by group firm Sterlite Copper at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu.

New Delhi: Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal on Thursday described the loss of 13 lives as 'unfortunate' in violent protests demanding closure of a copper factory owned by group firm Sterlite Copper at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu.

In a video message on Twitter, Agarwal said the company would like to continue the business at the plant with the 'wish' of the community.

At present, the company is waiting for clearance from court and government to restart the plant, which is currently closed for annual maintenance, he added.

"I am very sad to hear the incident... This was absolutely unfortunate. My full sympathy is with the families (of the deceased)," Agarwal said.

Claiming that the company strictly follows what the court and the government orders are, he said,"We always make sure the community and Tuticorin people at large prosper with us."

The NRI billionaire further said, "I am totally committed for the community, people at large, and with their wish and with their prosperity we would like to continue this business."

Reiterating the commitment of the company to environment and "the development of people of Tuticorin and Tamil Nadu", Agarwal said,"(we) will abide by the law of the land. Once again, I am very much in pain, (with) what happened..."

The total number of deaths in the protest against the copper smelter plant touched 11 on 23 May with death of a man in fresh police firing. As many as 10 people have lost their lives in police action till Tuesday.

The Madras High Court has stayed a proposed expansion of the plant.

Locals have been agitating for over 100 days now, demanding closure of the Vedanta group copper plant over pollution concerns.

The Tamil Nadu government has constituted an inquiry commission to look into the matter. The Commission of Inquiry, headed by Aruna Jagadeesan a retired judge of the Madras High Court, will probe the violence.

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took suo motu cognisance of the violence and issued notices to chief secretary and the director general of police, calling for detailed reports in two weeks.Odisha, which has an abysmal record when it comes to access to toilets, has seen some startling success stories from a few villages of this laggard state.

Bhubaneswar: For Odisha, which has consistently figured in the list of worst places in India when it comes to access to toilets, some startling success stories have emerged from a few villages of this laggard state.

To encourage and incentivise people into using toilets, a silent and innovative revolution has been slowly brewing in some villages of its Deogarh and Jharsuguda districts  declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Residents, along with district officials, here have not only focused on the number of toilets constructed but bolstered efforts to bring forth behavioural changes in people.

Creating ownership of toilets

As per government statistics, Odisha has a record low of 54.89 percent sanitation coverage. A staggering challenge which officials and volunteers in the state have often faced is to persuade communities to bring about developmental changes themselves, break age-old habits of going to the toilet outside their homes. One way of countering this was to make the lavatory their own and not merely a 'product' of government schemes.

In 2017, members of the Lulang panchayat in Deogarh district began an innovative fight with the 'My Toilet Campaign'. Residents of several villages were encouraged to decorate outer walls of their toilets with beautiful drawings. What that did, in effect, was to create a sense of ownership over the toilets and inspire communities to actually use them.

"Toilets constructed under SBM were earlier misused by beneficiaries as they thought these were only products of another government scheme, not to be utilised themselves. Villagers used latrines as storehouses to keep cow dung, firewood and fodder. There was no ownership value," said Kumuda Satpathy, a consultant for SBM in Deogarh, who also started this campaign.

A subsidised amount of Rs 12,000 and Rs 15,000 (in case of SCs and STs) is given by the government to build toilets to individuals. The central government's share in the subsidy amount is Rs 9,000 (75 percent) and the state gives out Rs 3,000 (25 percent).

Satpathy attributes Deogarh's maidan ODF status primarily to innovations on the ground, strict vigilance by volunteers and motivated ground workers helping people change their habits. "Our plan had initially failed to kick-start. It was in the remote Similihata village of Reamal block in Deogarh where we surprisingly found success. Similihata became a model village for about 200 other hamlets after that," he added.

Anganwadi worker Padmini Pradhan from Similihata was the first to make ornate drawings of flowers and leaves on her toilet walls. She soon noticed how this simple step boosted usage of toilets, especially among children. "The painted toilets soon became a hit among the kids. They loved using these latrines. Many households not only in Similihata but also in neighbouring villages replicated this idea and painted toilets en masse," said Pradhan.

She further added that in some other villages such as Kirtanpali, Deojharan, Hariharpur, Ganuribani, Hrudapali, Laxmipur and Gudeimara, toilet ownership patterns improved substantially. Locals began using their abandoned commodes. Gram panchayat monitor Damarudhara Kumura also said that the exercise was being followed in about 200 other villages of Deogarh.

"The idea became so popular that almost all toilets in my village now have painted walls," said Malati Behera of Kirtanpali village.

'Remodelling' toilets, keeping diseases at bay

Along with paintings, another motivational measure used by Swachhagrahis (volunteers) was to alter the idea of a toilet being dirty to a unit that keeps infection and diseases at bay. Unused latrines which were otherwise overgrown with bushes have now been adorned with flower pots on the outside. The 'Nigrani (oversight) Committees' make sure that the toilet surroundings are kept clean and decorated.

"Our gram sabha had passed a resolution that anyone found defecating in the open will have to pay Rs 500 and a whistleblower will be paid Rs 250 per case. Those found flouting norms will also be publicly shamed. The oversight panel was roped in for vigilance. There isn't a single case of open defecation in our village now," said Jadumani Sahoo, a member of the oversight committee at Kirtanpali.

A visit to Similihata also throws light on how children here have been made aware of personal hygiene. Hand-washing after toilet usage and before consumption of food is something most kids here practice. Not only that, they also dispose of chocolate wrappers and other items into five big dustbins spread across the hamlet.

Sunita Gop, a Swachhagrahi, said awareness measures were a result of collective efforts by villagers and gram sabha members. "You can see how sanitation has led to fewer flies and mosquito breeding in the villages," she added.

Santosh Kumar Rout, former sarpanch of Kirtanpali, said several cases of diarrhoea, typhoid and other communicable diseases have dwindled in the past one year. "Changes on the ground are visible now. Fewer children fall prey to deadly diseases and deaths," told Rout.

District officials working at the Lulang panchayat further said that around 700 villages in both Deogarh and Jharsuguda have at least one Swachhagrahi to take care of sanitation measures.

The author is a Bhubaneswar-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.

This is second of a two-part series on the ground realities of the Swachh Bharat Scheme in Odisha. Read the first part.Thirteen people have been killed in police firing over three days in Thoothukudi; over 80 people remain injured and 16 had to undergo critical operations to survive

Thirteen people have been killed in police firing over three days in Thoothukudi; over 80 people remain injured and 16 had to undergo critical operations to survive. The victims were part of the group of protesters, whose voices are allegedly by being trampled under the feet of Tamil Nadus police force; they have been demanding permanent closure of the Vedanta-owned Sterlite copper plant.

On Wednesday, before N Venkatesh  now former district collector  visited victims at the Thoothukudi District Hospital, the police dispersed protesters, including relatives of those injured or killed in police firing on Tuesday, by firing two rounds. Following this, violence escalated in all parts of the district, with unidentified person(s) burning down two police vehicles. The police allegedly opened fire in Byrant Nagar, where an angry mob destroyed a police vehicle. A man named Kelayaan from Anna Nagar was reportedly shot dead in Wednesday's firing.

"We had used tear gas to avoid attacking civilians and public property. Even after several warnings, the protesters did not disperse and kept threatening the police, forcing us to open fire," DGP TK Rajendran said. After videos and pictures of the police thrashing mobs, pelting stones, opening fire and victims bathed in blood went viral on social media and got extensive coverage online, the state government ordered all internet services to be shut down for five days. Television media has also reportedly been barred from covering the protests.

Venkatesh and the superintendent of police P Mahendran, whose alleged actions have invited the ire of the mob, were transferred. Sandeep Nanduri, who took charge as Thoothukudi collector on Thursday, said, "My main intention is to restore normalcy in the district. I will bring the situation under control by talking to people. I will also visit the (Thoothukudi) government hospital and assess the situation," adding that he will keep the media and the country updated on the latest developments.

But, the group of over 1,000 protesters  including farmers, fishermen and activists  refused to budge from their primary demand of permanently closing the Vedanta-owned Sterlite copper factory and justice for the victims, who were shot dead by policemen on 22 and 23 May. The voice of the Thoothukudi protesters has reached several parts of the country, including National Capital New Delhi and state capital Chennai.

In Chennai, 22 members of the Tamil Desa Makkal Munnani were detained for protesting against the Vedanta-operated Sterlite copper plant amid police brutality against protesters. They staged a 30-minute road block from 9.30 am in the morning. Eight members of the Makkal Vazhi forum announced a fast unto death, while at least 50 other protesters organised a hunger strike in Koyambedu, Chennai, on Wednesday.

Protests continue in New Delhi, where the Krantikari Yuva Saghatahan, demonstrated in front of Tamil Nadu House, raising slogans against the Edapaddi Palaniswami-led government and the Vedanta group on Thursday morning. The state government seems to be acting with an aim to ease pressure and has adhered to two of three primary demands put forth by protesters across the country. The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has issued an order to close down the Sterlite plant and the electricity supply to the factory has been disconnected.

But, while both the erstwhile district collector and superintendent of police have been transferred, protesters are yet to be assured justice for the victims who died as a result of police firing. The state government announced compensation for the victims on Wednesday. Family members of the deceased were to receive Rs 10 lakh and those injured were to be compensated with Rs five lakh each.

The Madras High Court too has ruled in favour of demands made by the protesters. Hearing a petition, filed by Fatima Babu, an environmental activist, the Madras High Court, which had on 29 September, 1998, ordered the plant to be closed, extended its stay on the Sterlite plant expansion. But environmental and anti-nuclear activist Dr SP Udayakumar, who founded the Patchai Tamilagam Katchi (Green Tamil Nadu Party) said, "Is just a transfer enough for killing people? Why didn't they arrest the accused? How can they kill people? People are arrested for killing a peacock, a snake or a monkey. Are human lives cheaper? There are more than 60 people in the hospital. They simply transfer an officer and expect us to be content."

"This is a pre-planned, calculated mass murder. 'Better lie down and accept what we do' is the message they (the government) is sending us. What the state government is doing, is at the behest of the Central government, who is acting on behalf of corporate houses," he added. Residents in and around Thoothukudi said that the firing was unprovoked and demanded for immediate action against the police force. The police confirmed that its personnel opened fire on four occasions since Tuesday.

On Wednesdays firing, 42 people were admitted to the district hospital, some of whom had to be transferred to the Tirunelveli Medical College and Hospital. Director of the Tamil Nadu Medical Education, Edwin Joe said that a team of six doctors had initially examined two of the deceaseds bodies in the presence of four judges. Joe added that Seval Sekar, 42, succumbed to his injuries while being treated.

Meanwhile, the police force has been accused of going door to door and intimidating residents. The blockage of internet and media has added to the backlash the Tamil Nadu government is facing.

"Sixty youths were arrested yesterday. The police went door-to-door, like the Nazi army, marching to drag people outside their homes and beating them up in front of their families. This isn't Benito Mussolini's Italy or Adolph Hitler's Germany or Idi Amin's Uganda. What is going on in Thoothukudi is brutal. It is a complete negation of the democracy of India. This is not the country we dream about," said Udayakumar.

"The government has to listen to the people and not to the big corporates. They should shut the plant and shift it to London, where Anil Agarwal is. This 'police-raj' needs to be shut down. Tamil Nadu is not a military dictatorship. It's a part of democratic India," he added.

The author is a member of The NewsCart, a Bengaluru-based media start-up

Follow all the LIVE updates hereWhile Dalits in western Uttar Pradesh have been critical of the central government on many issues, they feel the Ujjwala Yojana has made their lives easier.

Editor's note: Over two years have passed since the inauguration of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in the district of Ballia in Uttar Pradesh. The scheme, which aims to provide LPG connections to economically weaker sections, has often been cited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to showcase the Centre's work towards poverty alleviation. In this series of reports, Firstpost seeks to assess the impact of the scheme on the ground in western Uttar Pradesh.

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 1 May, 2016 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. Under this scheme, 5 crore LPG connections are to be provided to families below the poverty line with a support of Rs 1,600 per connection in the next three years. According to World Health Organisation estimates, in 2012, close to 1.7 million premature deaths were attributed to household air pollution from cooking in the South East Asia region, with India shouldering the biggest burden.

Under this scheme, after identification of BPL families through census data, the process of issuing connections in the name of women was started. Rs 8,000 crore was allocated towards the implementation of the scheme. Firstpost reached Dalit-dominated Saharanpur in western Uttar Pradesh to assess the ground level impact of the policy.

Here, in the last couple of weeks, members of the Dalit community had been vocal about the central governments 'anti-Dalit' actions, specifically the alleged dilution of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 by the Supreme Court.

We asked a resident of the town, Chatar Singh, about where his family cooks its meals. He said that some months ago, the government installed a cooking gas and an LPG cylinder in his home. Although he is critical of the governments lack of empathy towards Dalits and the arrest of Bhim Army leader Chandrashekar Ravan after last years Thakur-Dalit clashes, he has a positive view of the Ujjwala Yojana. He says he that he is relieved that he now only hears the sounds of utensils and sees no smoke emerging out of kitchens.

Shabbirpur was the epicentre of last years Dalit-Thakur clashes that burnt over 50 homes and sparked the arrest of leaders of the Bhim Army. Here, cylinders have been distributed to Dalit families under the Ujjwala Yojana. Like Chatar Singh, several others too are upset with the police administrations attitude towards them. The bitterness lingers but doesn't hold them back from praising this particular government scheme. However, they do add that the benefit of the scheme hasnt reached everybody below the poverty line. The scheme is similar to the other policies which are ambitious in their reach, like the Swachh Bharat Mission, under which 7,25,78,151 toilets had been constructed (as on 23 May 2018) and the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana launched last year to provide electricity connections to nearly 40 million families by March 2019. The impact of the scheme is visible on the ground in western Uttar Pradeshs Saharanpur district in villages like Shabbirpur and Khushalpur.

Surendari Devi, a resident of Sonta village in the Shamli block of Muzaffarnagar district, received her LPG connection some months ago. She says that this is the first summer where she isnt dreading standing for long hours in a room full of fumes. She does not even have to worry about the wood turning soggy in the rain. As homes are small in this area, people used to store wood in the outdoors. The burden of collecting and transporting the firewood was also shouldered by women and children, who now have the time and energy for other things.

Kavita, from the same village, says it now takes her an hour or so to cook a meal for her family. In her free time, she teaches her children.

Ajay, who got married quite recently, says he received a gas connection shortly after his wedding. He says there couldnt have been a better gift than this for his new bride, because guests drop in at any time and it is now convenient to offer them cups of tea.

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, as stated on its website, is likely to result in additional employment of around one lakh people and provide business opportunities worth at least Rs 10,000 crore over the next three years to the Indian industry. The launch of this scheme in several districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar is also designed to give an impetus to the manufacture of cylinders, gas stoves and regulators.

Before the implementation of the Ujjwala scheme in April 2016, various state governments had distributed 1.6 million LPG connections to families below the poverty line. Government figures are proof that the plan is on track. Over 70 percent of the target of five crore connections has been disbursed in about two-thirds of the intended time.

In the year 2016-17, out of the total LPG connections distributed by the government, 60 percent were offered under the Ujjwala scheme. Following these figures, the government has extended the scheme by one year and set a target of adding more than three crore families. The government has also provided an additional allocation of Rs 4,800 crore towards the implementation of the scheme and the identification of the BPL families is being done through the Socio-Economic Caste Census data. The goal of the government is to deliver LPG gas connections to eight crore households by 2020.

In western Uttar Pradesh, the resentment towards certain political ideologies doesn't deter Dalit communities from appreciating government schemes that have changed their lives for the better.

Read Part 2: Lack of awareness regarding benefits of LPG hinders scheme's objective at rural levelUN human rights experts have called on Indian authorities to protect journalist Rana Ayyub, who has received death threats following an online hate campaign

UN human rights experts have called on the relevant authorities in India to act urgently to protect journalist Rana Ayyub, who has received death threats following an online hate campaign.

In a release issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on its website, the experts said that they were 'highly concerned' that Ayyub's life was at serious risk.

Ayyub is an independent journalist and writer whose work has included investigations into alleged crimes committed by public and government officials.

According to information received by the experts, the issue intensified after a malicious Tweet on 20 April falsely quoted Ayyub as supporting child rapists and saying that Muslims were no longer safe in India.Granthan Sengupta from Jalpaiguri Zilla School in Jalpaiguri district topped the West Bengal Board Higher Secondary Examination  2018, reports said.

The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) declared the West Bengal Class 12th examination result today and Granthan Sengupta from Jalpaiguri Zilla School in Jalpaiguri district topped the West Bengal Board Higher Secondary Examination  2018, reports said.

Sengupta scored 496 marks (99.2 percent) out of 500, just four short of the perfect score. He is the first student from Arts stream to top the exam in five years.

The West Bengal Board announced the Class 12th examination result 2018 today at 10.30 am on the official website wbresults.nic.in which witnessed an overall pass percentage of 83.75 percent, which was close to the 84 percent passing percentage from last year.

The second position went to Ritvik Kumar Sahu from Tamluk Hamilton High School, who is also the science topper with 98.6 percent.

In the overall girl's category, Arkadipta Ghosh from Jadavpur Vidyapith scored 97.2 percent. She ranked fifth overall along with Aritro Roy from Pathfinder Public School, an Indian Express report states.

How to check the WBCHSE Class 12th Result 2018: Apart from the official website wbresults.nic.in, the WBCHSE HS results will also be available on third-party websites like westbengalonline.in, indiaresults.com, results.shiksha.com, westbengal.shiksha and westbengalonline.in. To check the results follow the below steps:

- Click on the official website link wbbse.org, wbresults.nic.in or a third party website.

- Look for West Bengal HS Result 2018

- Click on the link West Bengal HS Result 2018

- Enter your Roll Number

- Download the West Bengal Board Result 2018 and keep a printout for future reference

- Students can check their West Bengal Board Class 12th Result 2018 via SMS as well. To receive results on SMS type WB12<spce>ROLL NUMBER and send it to 56263 or 56070 or 58888 or 5676750.

Where to collect your mark sheet

The board had earlier advised schools to collect mark sheets and other relevant documents today from their respective distribution camps from 10.30 am onwards and distribute them to students on the same day. Students are advised to check with their schools for time and date for distribution of mark sheets.Like Manto, Philip Roth had the writer's ability to tear every veneer that society glues to its facade

I had no idea who Philip Roth was until one afternoon I saw my best friend of the time sitting on the college lawn with a paperback giggling and at times laughing out aloud. Eager to be a part of every interest he had, I asked him what he was reading.

Incidentally, he had introduced me to Saul Bellow a few months ago. Roth, along with Saul Bellow and John Updike, as per the obituary published in New York Times today, are the triumvirate of writers that towered over American letters in the second half of the twentieth century.

My friend had a way of mythicising everything about him and in the process diminishing the listener. He embarked on a grandiose description of Portnoys Complaints iconic status in American literature, how it is deeply rooted the American Jewish psyche in the popular culture, and how he started an oeuvre of 'American Jewish writing' (a label that Roth shunned till the end). In hindsight, everything he described about Roth was true. It was my friends manner that was so pompous that it made me feel like an ignorant bumpkin unaware of the great literature of the world.

Nevertheless, I was soon in Khan Market buying a copy of Portnoys Complaint. It was a humour alien to me. Not just the humour but also the very world that Roth was creating. It did however elicit a few spurts of laughter from me as well.

Portnoys obsession with sex resonated with the young me. Portnoy in his moments of confession became universal. There was a titillating shock value to his confessions. It was like an embarrassing acknowledgment of ones darkest desires except that Portnoy was doing it willingly lying on a psychiatrists couch. His daring evoked awe, and a wish that I too could be equally forthright with my thoughts. I became obsessed with Roth and my book was almost in tatters with the many re-reads.

I felt the same sense when I read Manto many years later  the ability of a writer to tear every veneer that society glues to its facade. But such candour necessarily invites criticism, and at times readers wrath. The rabbis didnt take kindly to Portnoys portrayal as a sex-obsessed young Jew. The great kabbalah scholar Gershom Scholem denounced the book and claimed it harmed even more than The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, an anti-Semitic text published in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century.

But Roth was no stranger to denouncements and controversies. His perpetual struggle with his Jewish identity led him into conflicts with his co-religionists very early in his career. Defender of Faith, one of his earlier stories published in the New Yorker in the April 1959 issue, which was later included in his debut collection of stories  Goodbye, Columbus  resulted in him being declared a traitor to the community, and he experienced an early form of what we understand as trolling today. Roth was abused by his readers and even denounced as anti-Semitic.

In Roths own words it was a big assault at 26 and he didnt like it. However, he soon learned to brace himself against such attacks. In an interview to The Guardian many years later he said, 'I don't have any sense of audience, and least of all when I'm writing. The audience I'm writing for is me, and I'm so busy trying to figure the damn thing out, and having so much trouble, that the last thing I think of is: "What is X, Y or Z going to be thinking of it?"'

I remember while growing up hearing murmurs about Manto, Ismat Chughtai, and Rahi Masoom Raza writing uncomplimentary, at times promiscuous insider accounts of the community, and being denounced as sensational writers. I can well imagine the shock that Portnoys Complaint would have sent through the conservative Jew families through America.

And yet this strain, this socially misfit inside-out account of a middle-class Jewish identity, continued in the iconic characters Roth created like Nathan Zuckerman, David Kepesh, Marcus Messner, or even Philip Roth the impostor in his novels; and was evident in his other works right through his career. So much so, that Roth was accused of solipsism, neurasthenic insecurity, and even rehashing of insufficient material. But his obsession with his identity and its multiple versions, his alter egos, the hall of mirrors he created are best described by the critic Hermione Lee, Lives into stories, stories into lives: that's the name of Roth's double game.

A few years later I Married A Communist came out, and I bought it immediately. By now I was older, had read a couple of Roth novels, and had a better handle over my literary taste. The title intrigued me. It was unlike any of the Roth titles I had encountered, and soon Iron Rinns world engulfed me completely. There is a natural charm in being a fallen hero, partly through ones own undoing and partly through the betrayal of those one loves. Almost Shakespearian. Iron Rinn became for me an epitome of the blind spot we all suffer  the simultaneous viewing of oneself as innocent, oblivious to ones own flaws, and the victim of others machinations. Iron Rinns revolutionary zeal, his hounding by McCarthyists, and his eventual betrayal by his wife Eve Frame and her daughter was a heady tale for me. I was unaware then that critics dubbed the novel a revenge novel. Many considered I Married A Communist as Roths response to his ex-wife Claire Blooms memoir, Leaving A Dolls House. Bloom was scathing in her memoir and termed Roth a self-centered misogynist. A tag he never got rid of and was often accused of portraying his women characters as lame or in supportive roles as comfort providers to his male protagonists. Another accusation Roth vehemently denied till the end.

When I became an actor I was fascinated by Roths writing process, which I found similar to my acting approach. Writing was a tedious process for Roth. Often he would end up writing a hundred pages before he would find a spark in his writing and one meaningful paragraph to make it a basis of his new books beginning. Its like reading through reams of pages of the script and looking for a handle over your character. He tells Hermione Lee in an interview, Worse than not knowing your subject is not knowing how to treat it, because thats finally everything. I found so much truth in that statement. As an actor, finally it is the eventual manifestation of the character that the audience sees. All the knowing is just in the head and not apparent to the audience. It takes me to Meisners approach of repetition and being true to ones instincts. Often, it will lead you into uncomfortable zones but as Meisner himself said, you cannot be a gentleman and be an actor. And Roth too adds in an interview, Literature isnt a moral beauty contest. Its power arises from the authority and audacity with which the impersonation is pulled off; the belief it inspires is what counts. As an actor I learned to keep my character and my personal morality separate. Impersonation necessarily requires empathy where ones own beliefs often may act as a block, a filter.

Philip Roth lived a complete life and wrote over 30 books in a career spanning six decades. He gave up writing in 2012 citing exhaustion. He won almost every major award except the Nobel, and I dont think it matters to his stature as a writer. His place in the pantheon of great American writers is secure forever.

Danish Husain is an actor, poet, storyteller, and a theatre director. He tweets @DanHusainThe Delhi government recently called for a special session of the Assembly to reassert its demand of granting full statehood to Delhi.

The Delhi government recently called for a special session of the Assembly to reassert its demand of granting full statehood to Delhi. The announcement comes at a time when the power tussle between the state government and the Lieutenant Governor has become more bitter after the recent acrimony over the installation of CCTV cameras.

On 22 May, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia tweeted the announcement 

Delhi Assembly's 3-days special session of on 6, 7 & 8 June to discuss and decide on the 'demand of full statehood' for Delhi. People of Delhi cannot be denied their rights. Looking forward to meaningful debates.  Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) May 22, 2018

However, it is noteworthy that the Delhi Assembly has no power to make the demand a reality.

What will this special session achieve? The Delhi government has no power to change Delhis status to full-fledged statehood on its own. This right is exclusively reserved with the Centre. Calling a special session of the Assembly just to discuss the issue again is nothing but a waste of time and resources, said Ashok Agarwal, an activist and lawyer in the Delhi High Court.

In 2015, the state government called for an emergency meeting after a notification by the Union home ministry which said that the inclusion of services in the reserved list meant that the Delhi government would have no power in the appointment of senior officers.

A public meeting was also called before the Assembly session, during which the demand for full statehood was extensively discussed.

In the same year, the state government released a draft Bill to grant Delhi statehood, which, according to a source, was sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Arvind Kejriwal had also stated that Delhi would hold a Brexit-style referendum on the issue of statehood.

The state government's call for a special Assembly session came in for criticism from the BJP, which is in the Opposition in Delhi.

Although the Delhi government is making a hue and cry over the issue of statehood, the government does not seem to be interested in taking it to its logical conclusion, says Vijender Gupta, Opposition leader in the Delhi Assembly.

He further said, Though the AAP raises the same issue every year, it does not follow up on it. Even the draft bill for Delhis statehood which was sent to the Centre was not pushed ahead by it. Why did the AAP MPs not raise the issue in Parliament? he questioned.

The BJP also had assured full statehood in its first Delhi-specific manifesto published in 2014, a promise which it has not fulfilled till now.

The will to grant Delhi statehood is certainly there. But there are establishments related to the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Defence which cannot be under the jurisdiction of the state. The state government has failed to chalk out a solution about how to keep these establishments out of the purview of the proposed state, says Gupta.

The draft Bill that the Delhi government had sent to the Centre proposed to keep the New Delhi Municipal Council area, in which most of the establishments under the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of External Affairs are located, out of the proposed state.

However, Gupta says that the situation is a complicated one. He pointed out that thousands of people live in this area, and deciding their fate with a one-line solution would be a gross mistake.

Laws related to the establishment of ministries of defence and external affairs are often cited as impediments in the way of granting full statehood to Delhi.

Gupta also said that there is a fear of 'misuse of power' by the state government. If Delhi is granted statehood, then the police would come under the state government. What if a party as irresponsible as the AAP remains in power in Delhi and uses this power to implicate its political rivals?, he questioned.

He said that the AAP should focus on making the best use of the power available to it under existing laws for the benefit of the people.

Advocate Ashok Agarwal, agreeing with the view of the BJP in this regard, says, The Delhi government is fully capable of providing the right to health to citizens while remaining well within its jurisdiction. This would be a path-breaking move and a great service to the people. However, for some unknown reason, the Delhi government has taken no move in this direction.

He also said that there are many other similar steps which the Delhi government could have taken to ensure better governance, but it has shown no sign of willingness to do so.

Anil Bajpai, an AAP MLA, told Firstpost that the special session has been called to remind the BJP of its promise of granting Delhi statehood.

As Delhi does not have the status of a full-fledged state, we are not able to ensure governance. We demand that the people in Delhi should be given the right to govern themselves.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday has fielded senior leader S Suresh Kumar as its candidate for the post of Karnataka Assembly Speaker to be held on Friday alongside Congress's Ramesh Kumar, who is a former speaker.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday has fielded senior leader S Suresh Kumar as its candidate for the post of Karnataka Assembly Speaker to be held on Friday alongside Congress' Ramesh Kumar, who is a former speaker.

Suresh Kumar, a fifth term MLA from Bengaluru, filed his nomination papers before Assembly Secretary S Murthy at Vidhana Soudha on Thursday.

According to a report in News18, Suresh Kumar told reporters that he has filed his nomination on the directions from BJP's state unit chief BS Yeddyurappa and other leaders. "Based on the strength of numbers and various other factors, our party leaders have confidence that I will win. With that confidence I have filed my nomination," he said.

According to media reports, Kumar, a lawyer by profession, came into electoral politics as a city corporator in 1983 on a BJP ticket. He was also its leader in the Council and has also been closely associated with the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS).

He became an MLA from Rajajinagar in 1994 and has been elected from the constituency four times since then except in 2004 when he was defeated by Narendra Kumar NL of the Congress. He was the Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs in the first BJP-led government in a southern state in 2008. As per a report in The Economic Times, Kumar made his mark in the Assembly by highlighting important issues relating to urban and education sectors.

However, in 2011, when the then chief minister Yeddyurappa had to step down after the Ballari mining scam, Kumar was among the names considered by BJP for the chief minister's post.

But in the run-up to the recently concluded Assembly elections in Karnataka, the Congress' legal cell had filed a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Bureau against Kumar for amassing illegal wealth, as per a Deccan Herald report.

His daughter's name was also dragged in a controversy when the police, along with Congress workers, raided the Yuva Morcha office in Rajajinagar and seized unaccounted cash worth Rs 1.9 lakh. According to a Deccan Chronicle report, it was accused by the Congress that Kumar's daughter Disha was among the people caught with the money kept for distributing among the voters.

However, Kumar and his daughter denied all allegations and clarified that they had no connection with the person arrested with the amount and that this was a political ploy to ruin Kumar's image, the reported stated.RSS worker BN Prahlad will mourn the death of his brother Vijay Kumar and honour his legacy by contesting from Bengaluru's Jayanagar constituency. Kumar, a BJP MLA who passed away due to a heart attack while campaigning, was primed to win the Jayanagar Assembly seat.

RSS worker BN Prahlad says he will mourn the death of his brother Vijay Kumar and honour his legacy by contesting from Bengaluru's Jayanagar constituency. Kumar, a BJP MLA who passed away due to a heart attack while campaigning, was primed to win the Jayanagar Assembly seat.

Though Ramalinga Reddys daughter Sowmya generated good support, the youngest of Kumars five siblings is confident of victory. Prahlad, 57, who has worked with the RSS-affiliated social organisation Rashtrottahana Parishat for 18 years, said his brothers image and his contribution to society is something voters will not forget and help him win.

Edited excerpts of his interview with Firstpost follow:

Did you volunteer to contest the elections after your brothers death?

Prahlad: My brother has contributed a lot to Jayanagar. The RSS and BJP high command and those who supported my brother told me I would be right for this position. I didnt choose it; it came to me unknowingly. After my brother passed away, leaders like Amit Shah and Ananth Kumar visited and offered condolences They (the central leadership) approached me and told me to take his place.

Do you think you'll be able to meet the standards your brother set as an MLA?



Prahlad: It is very difficult to reach my brothers standards. The amount of patience he had, his politeness of accepting everything the way it is and not blaming it on someone. He was very talented and highly intelligent. I dont think I will be able to be even 1 percent of what he used to be.

What changes do you want to see in your constituency?

Prahlad: I want to bring about many changes and implement several things like my brother did during his days as an MLA. He was the one who installed a drip irrigation plant in Jayanagar If I become an MLA, I will talk to people, figure out their problems directly and definitely try finding solutions.

Are you receiving good support?



Prahlad: I have received a very good response from the people. When my brother passed away, many people gathered outside our house to pay their respects. They are with me and will give me their full support. People who I havent spoken to in decades are calling me up and extending their full support.

Have you started campaigning?

Prahlad: The nomination will be filed on 25 May and only after that will we start campaigning. As Im new in this field, the partys high command will help plan my campaign. The Karnataka BJP president asked to me wait for now.

Is your family supportive of you contesting?



Prahlad: Initially, my family told me not to contest. First my wife said no and then my elder brother said no. They said things should happen by itself; I had to earn the nomination. But they told me to accept if the party (BJP) or the Sangh Parivar asks me to contest.

Do you think your opponents have a stronger chance of winning?

Prahlad: What my brother has done for Jayanagar is beyond words. The amount of effort he invested to develop Jayanagar is not everyones cup of tea. Im contesting under his umbrella and am hence sure I'll get the support of people and defeat all my opponents. There was a 100 percent chance of my brother winning. He would have won the elections with a margin of at least 30,000 votes. I feel the same people who supported him will help me win.

What strengths and weakness do you think people see in you?

Prahlad: My biggest strength is my brother. I will be building a house for which he has been the pillar for almost a decade. My biggest weakness is that I am impatient and react to things very fast. My brother was a very polite man. Even though he had so much of work pressure he used to be remain calm.

Now that the JD(S)-Congress alliance has formed the Karnataka government, do you think people will vote for the BJP?



Prahlad: People will vote for the party which has done good for society and the candidate who will help people. As far as Jayanagar is concerned, the BJP has been ruling for the last two decades and they have done tremendous work. So, I think people will definitely choose a party based on the kind of work they do and not by who has formed the government.

You are not a known face in the party. Do you think it will affect your vote share?

Prahlad: I have learnt how to interact with people from my daughter; she has been performing on stage for over 13 years. The political thing is an entirely different chapter in my life. I think the fact that all my family members are into social work will get me the support of the people.

What problems do you think needs immediate redressal in your constituency?

Prahlad: Traffic congestion is the main problem here; apart from that, garbage is an issue and old trees are falling. There are several challenges for me. If I win, I will adhere to my responsibilities, if I lose, Ill continue fighting for the causes I believe in.

The interviewer is a member of The NewsCart, a Bengaluru-based media startupOn Wednesday evening, as HD Kumaraswamy took oath as the next Chief Minister of Karnataka, the swearing-in ceremony was a glittering affair, attended by Opposition leaders across party lines

On Wednesday evening, as HD Kumaraswamy took oath as the new Chief Minister of Karnataka, the swearing-in ceremony was a glittering affair, attended by Opposition leaders across party lines. With Congress being in alliance with the JDS in Karnataka, almost all senior Congress leaders were present at the ceremony and an array of Opposition leaders from various regional also flew to Bengaluru to attend the event.

Here are some of the best moments from the ceremony:

Sharad Pawar of NCP, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, M Veerappa Moily and Mallikarjun Kharge of Congress, Mayawati of Bahujan Samaj Party, Rashtriya Lok Dal's Ajit Singh, Sitaram Yechury of the CPM, Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD, Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress, Akhilesh Yadav of Samajwadi Party, Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party and the Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal were all in attendance, making it a star-studded affair.

In all, there were eight former or serving chief ministers at the swearing-in ceremony. Some of these included bitter political rivals in their own home states, but those who have seemingly joined forces to counter the BJP. These include the TMC and the CPM, who have remained bitter rivals in West Bengal; SP and BSP which remained rivals in Uttar Pradesh before recently coming together; and even Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal who ran his entire a campaign in Delhi against the Congress party's supposedly corrupt ways.

One man who cut a forlorn and rather subdued figure, however, was Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. While he made his appearance and posed for photographs, he did so in a dour manner. There was none of the good cheer seen among the others. And immediately after the swearing-in was concluded, he beat a hasty retreat.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) came together with Samajwadi Party to form an alliance in Uttar Pradesh for by-elections in March, and it appears that the Congress too is on the verge of joining them. At least it would appear so going by the warm hug shared by Sonia Gandhi and Mayawati.

And it wasn't just the national leaders who seem to have buried the hatched. HD Kumaraswamy and his predecessor Siddaramaiah had a falling-out when the latter was in the JD(S). In fact, so bitter was their rivalry that Firstpost earlier reported how they "have reached the point of no return". "He and Gowda (or his son HD Kumaraswamy) not only can't see eye to eye but can't even breathe the same air in the same room for any length of time," it was said. Clearly, going by this image, another rivalry has seen the hatchet buried.With Mamata Banerjee in no mood to lend Congress the leadership of the Opposition, it remains to be seen what eventually will become of the 'united front'.

If the body language of India's top political leaders at the swearing-in ceremony of HD Kumaraswamy as Karnataka chief minister on Wednesday is any indicator to go by, then Mamata Banerjee may well end up doing more disservice to the fledgeling Opposition unity than helping its cause, against the BJP in the 2019 General elections.

The West Bengal chief minister appeared indignant as she walked some 300 metres to the podium at the venue of the oath-taking ceremony. Compared to the open display of camaraderie among other leaders, it stood out like a sore thumb.

A video that went viral showed Mamata, who's known for her mercurial temperament, openly expressing her apparent displeasure towards Karnataka police chief Neelmani Raju after entering the venue. She also seemingly expressed her discontent to Kumaraswamy and his father, former prime minister HD Deve Gowda. Even when ousted JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav greeted Mamata, she appeared stiff.

#WATCH: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee reprimands DIG Neelamani Raju as she came to Karnataka Vidhana Soudha for oath taking ceremony because reportedly had to walk a few metres, also expressed discontentment to HD Deve Gowda & HD Kumaraswamy. #Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/WZ2n0QVE9b  ANI (@ANI) May 23, 2018

A Trinamool Congress source said that the chief minister was 'angry due to the mismanagement of VVIP vehicles inside Vidhan Soudha complex'.

In contrast, the natural bonhomie displayed by an otherwise nonchalant UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, towards BSP chief Mayawati was especially surprising. The body language displayed by the two top leaders was definitely a signal about the possibility of a 'federal front'.

The oath-taking ceremony was billed as the platform needed by a disparate Opposition to come together and forge a possible front against the BJP, with an eye on the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Given the strong presence of Mamata's Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha  a total of 34 members, making it the fourth largest party after the BJP (274), Congress (48), AIADMK (37)  the West Bengal chief minister will be called upon to play a seminal role in stringing together all Opposition parties under one umbrella.

Mamata has already made it very clear that she is averse to giving the leadership role of this chimeric Opposition unity to the Congress. She has even been quoted as labelling the Congress a 'regional party', given its diminished status in national politics.

She used the oath-taking ceremony on Wednesday as a platform to integrate the regional parties as a strong force to take the Narendra Modi government head-on. Before reaching Vidhan Soudha, Mamata had cautioned at the airport that "regional parties can't be taken lightly we'll stay in touch with all regional parties so that we can work for the development of the nation, the people and for a federal setup".

In a bid to build a 'federal set up' by integrating regional parties, Mamata had a long discussion with TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday afternoon.

Though Gowda had mentioned Congress as a formidable force after the Karnataka results, Mamata, barring an exchange of greetings with Congress president Rahul Gandhi, had no discussions with him. However, she did have a small chat with Sonia.

While the numbers in the 16th Lok Sabha do point towards the nadir that the Grand Old Party of India finds itself in, it cannot yet be dismissed as a 'regional party.' Besides the BJP, it is the only other party with a national presence, albeit it is suffering from a terrible turn in its fortunes.

With Mamata in no mood to lend the leadership role of the Opposition to the Congress, it remains to be seen what eventually will become of the 'united' Opposition.

It seems unlikely that the Congress will settle to play second fiddle to a party that counts its founder-president Mamata as the only Opposition leader with a national recall, and who herself was a member of the Congress before she decided to part ways and set up her own outfit.Addressing a campaign rally for the 28 May Palghar Lok Sabha bypoll in Virar, an extended suburb of Mumbai, Adityanath said the country can progress only under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

Virar (Maharashtra): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the Shiv Sena and accused the Uddhav Thackeray-led party of "back stabbing" the BJP. He said Sena's actions are contrary to teachings of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, revered as Hindutva idol by the saffron party.

Addressing a campaign rally for the 28 May Palghar Lok Sabha bypoll in Virar, an extended suburb of Mumbai, Adityanath said the country can progress only under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. He targetted bickering alliance partner Shiv Sena for "poking its nose" in the BJP's internal affairs, by fielding late MP Chintaman Wanaga's son Srinivas for the byelection.

"The way this party has back-stabbed the BJP by fielding its own candidate...I can say that late Bal Thackeray's soul must be in deep pain and anguish," the Uttar Pradesh chief minister said without taking name of the Sena. He said the victory of BJP candidate Rajendra Gavit would be a "rich tribute" to the late Sena patriarch.

Virar, one of the six Assembly segments of Palghar Lok Sabha constituency, has a sizable number of north Indian voters apart from Maharashtrians. "These people invoke Shivaji Maharaj in everything, but in reality they act like Afzal Khan. We won't allow this. Shivaji Maharaj and Balasaheb Thackeray always fought against anti-national elements," he said.

Afzal Khan was a medieval commander who served the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur, and fought against Shivaji. He was killed at a meeting with the Maratha king, and his army was defeated in the Battle of Pratapgad. The BJP has made the bypoll a prestige issue and has been accusing the Sena of trying to hijack the legacy of late Wanaga.

Without naming Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Adityanath accused the saffron party of dividing Hindu votes.

"Balasaheb never believed in back-stabbing. He was a warrior who believed in fighting from the front. He worked for making country stronger. But see what has happened. They (Sena) broke up Wanaga's family and forced him (the late BJP MP's son) to contest the bypoll. This was an internal matter of BJP and we would have protected the self-respect of the Wanaga family," he said.

The actions of this party (Sena) are not in sync with dreams of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. "People of Maharashtra will teach them a lesson," he said.

"This bypoll won't impact the stability of the government but it will definitely give a message that the country can progress only under Modi's leadership," he said.

The UP CM's remarks came hours after JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy was sworn in as Karnataka chief minister at a grand ceremony attended by a galaxy of top leaders and regional satraps in a rare public show of unity perceived as a possible harbinger of a broad-based anti-BJP alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year.

"I have come here to appeal to you to vote for BJP, whose government under Modi's leadership is taking India on the path of progress," he said. "The symbol of this progress can be only lotus (BJP's symbol) and nothing else," he added.

"There is an attempt to create an atmosphere against the BJP," he said. "By God's grace, the Congress has been decimated in the country," he said, adding that the "enemies of development and good governance will also meet the same fate".

The BJP has drafted in a battery of its leaders in Palghar. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is spearheading the BJP's campaign in urban segments of the constituency.

BJP leaders Manoj Tiwari, Rita Bahuguna Joshi have also addressed rallies. In his address which he opened in Marathi, Adityanath underlined the "cultural and historical relations" between two states. "Those who see the two states with different glasses, they seem like anti-India," he said.

Adityanath praised Fadnavis for "making efforts to weed out corruption and 'Gundaraj' in Maharashtra". He said people of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh need not be afraid of anti-social elements.

Recalling his past experience of working with late Wanaga, Adityanath said, "Wanagaji raised issues of the common man in Parliament with full commitment and did several outstanding works. I worked with him and I knew him closely". Adityanath's stinging attack is likely to further deteriorate already strained ties between the BJP and the Sena, which despite being a ruling constituent seldom lets go any opportunity to target the BJP and the prime minister.

Apart from Srinivas Wanaga and Rajendra Gavit, Congress' Damodar Shingda, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi's Baliram Jadhav, and CPI(M)'s Kiran Gahala are in the fray.U.S. - Georgia Partnership - the Road to NATO

By Vladimer Napetvaridze

Georgian Prime Minister, Giorgi Kvirikashvili will pay a working visit to the United States on May 21-23.The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Mikheil Janelidze talked about the importance of this visit from the perspective of the US-Georgia relations and noted that in 2017 Georgia-US relations have deepened."It is very important that the plenary session of the US-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership will be held within the framework of this visit, and it will be will be opened by the Prime Minister of Georgia and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. It is very important that the meeting will be held very soon after the appointment of the Secretary of State.I would like to emphasize that 2017 was an exceptionally successful year for Georgia-US relations. The meeting will give us an opportunity to review the progress we have reached in our bilateral relations and, we will have an opportunity to discuss following topics: cooperation in defence and security fields, Economic course, Georgia's integration process into NATO and upcoming NATO summit, which will be held this year in Brussels, Janelidze stated.One can assume that 2017 was the beginning of a new stage in Georgia-US relations. The new administration of the U.S. President has further deepened relations with Georgia. After the election of Trump, the US has started sending clear messages that Georgia is a strategic partner of the United State.-In July 2017 the Vice President, Mike Pence visited Tbilisi and made statements about supporting Georgia's territorial integrity, he also paid a visitto the Patriarch of Georgia and this was important aspect of his visit, because it was a message, that the new administration of the United States wants to gain sympathy of Orthodox population of Georgia, the biggest part of society.-In July, the US Senate received a bill condemning the actions of Russia against Georgia and implied a new sanction.-In the August 2017, the biggest military drills took place in Georgia - Noble Partner 2017. The American military made a special march, visited the military bases and the cities which were occupied by the Russian troops in 2008.-In addition to deepening political and economic relations, the US provided practical assistance for strengthening Georgia's defence system. In November 2017 the U.S. State Department has approved the sale of 70 Javelin anti-tank guided missile launch units along with 410 javelin missiles. Beside this, it is noteworthy fact that in 2018 US and Georgia are going to launch of the "most ambitious US-Georgia project-Georgias Defence Readiness Program (GDRP), which will be carried out with the United States over the course of three years to boost the countrys self-defence capabilities.Such partnership with the US in the social, economic, political and defence fields is very important for Georgia, especially in the NATO integration process. The upcoming Brussels summit will an opportunity for Georgia to make one more step forward for the NATO membership and in this process, the support of the US has a crucial role.The sub-divisional officer of Malhargarh put 19 conditions before Congress president Rahul Gandhi for holding a rally in Mandsaur on 6 June for the upcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh. However, after an uproar, the conditions have now been brought down to just six in a new official press release.

The sub-divisional officer of Malhargarh put 19 conditions before Congress president Rahul Gandhi for holding a rally in Mandsaur on 6 June for the upcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh. However, after an uproar, the conditions have now been brought down to just six in a new official press release.

The conditions laid down by the SDM in his letter include warnings against use of any provocative speeches or words that would hurt religious sentiments, a ban on the use of DJ sound systems etc.

Other conditions were that only a 15 by 15 feet tent would be allowed for the event, loudspeakers can be only up to 10 decibels and there should be complete self-management of safety, parking, power, water and fire brigade by the organisers of the rally. Also, those involved in security have to submit their mobile phone numbers at the police station. The circular also said that the responsibility of counter-measures during natural calamities, if any, will be on the organisers. And also that the permission for the rally will be cancelled with immediate effect if the norms mentioned are not adhered to.

The Congress reacted strongly to the order. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram tweeted, "If the letter assigning permission to Rahul Gandhis rally is true, then its amply clear that the said officer has lost his/her discretion completely."

"The one who wrote the letter and his patrons should immediately study the article 19(1) of the Constitution, read another of his tweets.

Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Kamal Nath too express his anguish by tweeting, The Shivraj Singh-led government, which denied Rahul the permission to enter Mandsaur after firing on farmers, is now planning to disrupt Gandhis public meeting and suppress farmers voice on the pretext of conditions. Would the same set of conditions apply for PM Modi and other BJP leaders public meetings?

And now after controversy erupted, the SDM has issued a fresh letter with just six conditions for the rally. The new letter states that the use of sound systems should be done according to the High Court order under the Madhya Pradesh Noise Pollution Act, 1985. The other five conditions include: No use/display of firearms, non-usage of provocative words or speech which can hurt religious sentiments, ensuring a law and order situation is maintained during the event and that the organisers would have to take all the requisite permissions from the respective departments prior to the event. The letter also states the non-adherence of the above guidelines will lead to the immediate cancellation of the permission given for the rally.

Meanwhile, according to News18, to BJP spokesperson Rajnish Agrawal responded to these allegations claiming that the police and district administration decides the arrangements according to the rules. Rahul is not above the law and no one makes rules specially meant for him.

It was in Mandasur that five farmers were killed during a protest in police firing, and with its focus on farmers, the Congress has planned a series of rallies and meetings to mark one year of the firing. According to a report in NDTV, during the protests last year, Rahul was detained on his way to meet the families of the Mandsaur farmers, in Neemuch.While protests in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin remained apolitical, the state's many parties were quick to jump into the fray. Here are some of the reactions that came in following the violence.

Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin town was on the boil for the second successive day on Wednesday, with another man shot dead in police firing following fresh clashes between security personnel and locals demanding the closure of a copper factory over pollution concerns, a day after police action left 10 protestors dead.

In the line of Opposition fire, the state government constituted a Commission of Inquiry headed by retired Madras High Court judge Aruna Jagadeesan to probe the violence and shunted out the collector and superintendent of police of Tuticorin.

Collector N Venkatesh has been replaced by the collector of the neighbouring Tirunelveli, Sandeep Nanduri, while Nilgiri district police chief Murali Rambha will take over from SP P Mahendran.

And while the protests remained apolitical, the state's many parties were quick to jump into the fray. Here are some of the reactions that came in following the violence:

Congress: Congress president Rahul Gandhi claimed Tamils are being killed as they refused to "bow" to the ideology of the RSS. "Tamils are being killed since they refuse to bow to the ideology of the RSS. The feelings of the Tamil people can never be trampled by the bullets of the RSS and (Narendra) Modi. We are with you Tamil brothers and sisters," he tweeted on Wednesday, using #SterliteProtest as a hashtag.

Gandhi's tweet came a day after the Congress chief had said that the gunning down of people was a "brutal example of state-sponsored terrorism". "These citizens were murdered for protesting against injustice," he wrote.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad compared the firing at Tuticorin to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by the British. "The state government knew that this being 100th day of agitation, it's going to be bigger. They should've made better arrangements to maintain law and order but nothing was done. They simply resorted to firing. It was a massacre, almost like the Jallianwala Bagh," he said.

BJP: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back at the Congress, raising questions over Gandhi's "common sense". BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said that such an attempt by the Congress was an excuse to hide Gandhi's own failures. "Rahul Gandhi is milking a situation which is sad. Gandhi is trying to derive some political mileage out of it. He names RSS as the one which is the perpetrator of the death of 12 people. Gandhi, are you aware of the fact that in a federal structure law and order is a state subject," Patra asked addressing a press conference.

"In every issue you drag RSS. Was it RSS behind Emergency or behind 1984 anti-Sikh riots? Was the RSS behind Bofors or Quattrocchi? Tomorrow you will say that RSS was behind making you the Congress chief," Patra said.

He also said that the Congress had been losing elections right from the day Gandhi was appointed the vice-president of the party. "This feat of defeat is continuing even after his appointment as the Congress president," he said, adding, "Knowing very well that Gandhi is not able to give able leadership to Congress in any situation, he feels that he can milk politics that suits his political opportunism. He feels that RSS and BJP should be drawn into the battlefield. In a way, he tries to hide behind the veil of RSS because he sees that this is the best excuse to hide his own failures."

Asking the Congress leader whether he wanted to send out a message based on lies, Patra said, "Such behaviour does not behove you. We expect some amount of maturity."

DMK: DMK leader MK Stalin cancelled his proposed trip to Bengaluru to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday, to visit Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) to assess the situation and meet those injured. He met the victims of the firing and again called for the resignation of Tamil Nadu chief minister E Palaniswami.

He termed the deaths of 12 civilians as "mass murder of innocents" in a tweet sent out on Wednesday. Tagging the Chief Minister's Office directly, Stalin asked, "Why did you or your representatives not meet the protestors during the last 100 days? Why was the protest not resolved by your government during this time? What steps have you taken to allay the environmental concerns of residents of Tuticorin?"

He later posed further questions to the chief minister. "Who ordered the police firing on the protestors? Why were automatic weapons used to disperse the crowd and under what law is this permitted? Why were rubber/plastic bullets or other means mot used to avoid fatal injuries? Why was no warning given before the firing?"

Rajinikanth: Actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth condemned the Tamil Nadu's government's "careless attitude" and "unlawful police firing".

"I condemn the carelessness of the government, failure of the state machinery and the police brutality in the Sterlite protests. My sincere condolences to the families of the deceased. This government's inaction and their indifference towards sentiments of people has resulted in the loss of lives due to gunfire. I'm deeply saddened, and this is a condemnable act. The Tamil Nadu government is solely responsible for the violence and deaths," he said.

Kamal Haasan: Fellow actor-turned-politician Haasan met the injured people and demanded to know who ordered the firing. "We must know who ordered this firing. It is not me but the victims who are demanding this. Merely announcing compensation isn't a solution. This industry must be shut and this is what the people demand," Kamal said.

"The peaceful protest against Sterlite by the people demanding justice was ignored by the government. Negligence by the government is the reason for all the unfortunate incidents. Citizens are not criminals. They are the ones who lose their lives; earlier due to Sterlite and now due to the government's orders," he said.

CPM: The CPM demanded "immediate legal proceedings" against those who ordered the firing on the protesters in Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu. "All those responsible for this merciless shooting down of protesters should be held accountable and immediate legal proceedings should be launched against them," CPM said in a statement.

It said that the inquiry announced to probe "these brutal killings" should be headed by a sitting judge of the Madras High Court. "The brutality of the police is revealed by the fact that many of those killed and injured have bullet injuries on their heads and faces. The protests arose because of the inadequate response of the state administration to the genuine apprehensions of the people concerning air, water and ground contamination," it said.

Follow the latest developments in Tuticorin with our live blog

With inputs from agenciesSheldon Pinto

Theres a lot of news online thats being consumed on a daily basis, be it on our way to work in a crowded train, at home in the middle of doing daily chores, and for many at the breakfast table, like my father, who loves reading out news headlines aloud (for whatever reasons) from his smartphone. We do have newspapers getting dropped at home, but the idea of picking up one, flipping over the full page advertisements, seems a bit dated. And with Facebook and WhatsApp spoon feeding you with news anyways, who needs to browse through a newspaper right? (I would disagree).

Working at a media house as a web producer means that you are naturally flooded with emails with reports, inputs and are always looking at news sources to stay updated. So when he (my father) does read out something that seems a bit odd or unreal going by current news trends, it is but natural of me to head over to his side of the table and ask him to show me where he got the news from and then take enjoy in proving to him that it is fake and that he shouldnt help spread rumours on those massive family WhatsApp groups. In my opinion, the most common news sources for Indians thanks to low data prices is Facebook and WhatsApp.

We have been hearing about Facebooks problem with fake news for a while now. It has been doing plenty, but no matter what it seems to do to right the wrongs, theres more and more users out there who knowingly misuse and unknowingly use the platform to spread fake news, simply because it is a big one that connects millions online.

What is fake news?

Fake news consists or a variety of information. It can come from an opposing political party to shame someone, it can be generated to create a buzz about a movie launch, or even a friend in college or a colleague speaking behind your back about you without knowing the motive behind your last action.

At a personal level this could easily be termed as gossip. Everyone does it, until they get caught red handed (Gossip Girl?).

With social networks easily giving everyone access to free speech, it gets even easier to put your thoughts online for public viewing.

Like-minded people will Like or Favourite your post, some will ignore and some will retaliate.

And it does not even have to be personal. An elephant being eaten by a python with a silly photoshopped thumbnail is enough to get the attention of your typical family WhatsApp group, with not a single member retaliating because it comes with the disclaimer forwarded as received, letting people wash their hands with the news they believed was valuable (but possibly fake), just by using three words. It is indeed, truly amazing how we accept fake news.

Misinformation is the true culprit here. It is what fuels and helps spread is fake news, posts or articles to do with hate speech and clickbait headlines meant to grab attention. And since Facebook has such a massive online platform with a ginormous user base (read monopoly with billions) attached to it, it makes for a good starting point, without the need to even seed fake news on the open internet.

So what is Facebook doing about it?

Well, for beginners, post the whole Cambridge Analytica scandal, the social network has now put out an interesting video showcasing the brave efforts, which it is putting in to fight misinformation.

The Oxford dictionary defines the word misinformation as, False or inaccurate information especially that, which is deliberately intended to deceive which is exactly the problem that Facebook has on its shoulders today.

The video goes on to explain how Facebooks News Feed initially was all about prioritizing information from family, friends and even the brand pages that users may have liked to stay informed.

While I would love to believe that Facebook should have stuck to the community and brand pages instead of going into news publishing and more (it complicates things), you really just need about 250 characters and a place to post it (publicly) to spread fake news.

But now its about much more thanks to the ability to bring news from outside the Facebook community in the form of links; turning what was into a happy place for sharing photos of your last holiday, to a dark web where anyone can rightfully post anything with personal opinions, biases and the lot.

Facebooks new video reveals that it is working on the problem is more ways than one. Theres human moderation which was under the scanner a year ago, and now theres machine learning (ML) that makes decisions (about taking down posts) based on what it was taught. While the former seems like an unbiased approach to moderation (they are seated across the globe and will know how sensitive certain topics are to certain communities or countries) the latter seems worrisome, because of personal biases making their way into training machines, something that is better said than done because they still have a long way to go.

WhatsApps problem with fake news

Next up theres WhatsApps problem with spreading fake news. It is a space that is completely unmonitored and is a bigger problem than Facebook in countries where users are not educated enough to determine right from wrong and accept anything and everything as the truth or news on their chat feed.

A simple example comes from this New York Times opinion that so clearly depicts how Whatsapp is a source of misinformation in a country like India.

In a reported incident in 2017, villagers in an Indian state of Jharkhand went of a warpath, out to find culprits dressed in black (who did not exist), looking for room to vent out their anger. As reported by the Hindustan Times, the group of villagers rose to anger after reading WhatsApp messages that were being circulated showing pictures of mutilated children, hinting that there were a group of men wearing black clothes who were allegedly kidnapping children.

The result of the same misinformation was a series of gruesome lynchings in Jharkhand, where villagers picked up weapons and started attacking random strangers just to vent out their revenge. Such is the power of WhatsApp, a platform, that all of us love to use, and was recently acquired by Facebook.

While Facebook can still curb fake news using an army of moderators, WhatsApp just cannot, and the encrypted messages mean that nobody gets to see them either. So governments have seen best results in asking service providers in blocking access to social media websites (on mobile) until situations like the one mentioned above, simmer down.

With India approaching the General Election season next year, WhatsApp is already playing its part in creating chaos not just on election days, but well before the elections take place as well.

While misleading political messages are indeed free from the clutches of Facebooks moderation and the eyes of the government (depending on which side you are on) and cannot win elections, they do have the ability to seed ideas and play mind games at the least.

In short, Facebook has another problem brewing.

The solution

According to Facebooks recently posted video that enlightens users about its practices and how it treats misinformation on its News Feed, it is working on the problem.

While the video is aptly titled Facebooks Fight Against Misinformation, it reveals two details about Facebooks problem with misinformation.

Firstly, the word fight itself indicates that Facebook didnt see this asteroid of a problem coming. Even if it did, it didnt seem to act on it to curb it in time until impact (were already past that point, some dinosaurs have been exterminated), where fake news has already grown out of control.

Secondly, I could drink a shot every time some employee of Facebook in the video used the words probably, definitely if figure out we could have to and get drunk mighty quick, indicating that Facebook is far from figuring out how it will solve the problem.

The good bit here is that Facebook is now aware of where its problems lie.

The bad part is that theres little that it can do about it apart from having a factory of human moderators. So the next question here is how many human moderators can Facebook possibly have?

The bottom line is that Facebook will have to put in its efforts to solve the problem (using a combination of machine learning, artificial intelligence and human moderation). In short, Facebook needs to keep up the fight (more so, because governments have their eyes on them) or they can simply shut shop and send everyone home because it is the network itself that helps in the spread of fake news. Ditto WhatsApp!

Keeping country specific biases in mind, it is a mammoth task when you consider the number of users Facebook has and the number of people posting on the free-to-use platform every day.

But like US Senator Dianne Feinstein said during the Congressional Hearing, Youve created these platforms and now they are being misused and you have to be the ones to do something about it Or we will!

Facebook will have to do plenty and I do expect the social network to come up with elaborate ways to reduce instances of hate speech, cyberbullying and graphic violence on its platform. But users also need to get smarter and check what they need to share.

Its all about objectivity and what you perceive the content you see in a post as. If you believe its true, it takes just a click to share that news to your network of friends and family.

If you come from the opposing side of the news you just shared, you would probably open up your web browser and google the news to check if it is genuine, falsely reported or simply fake news.

At the end of it all, its equally your responsibility to check something before sharing it online (be it Facebook or WhatsApp) because once it goes virtual and viral, theres only an action in the real world that can put an end to it.PTI

Telecom subscriber base in the country again crossed the 1.2 billion mark, with mobile service companies recording a net addition of over 26 million customers in March, according to monthly subscriber report of telecom regulator TRAI released today.

"The number of telephone subscribers in India increased from 1,179.83 million at the end of February 2018 to 1,206.22 million at the end of March 2018, thereby showing a monthly growth rate of 2.24 percent," the report said.

The overall teledensity in the country reached to 92.84 with the urban teledensity of 165.90 and rural teledensity at 59.05 at the end of March. The Indian telecom industry's subscriber base had for the first time breached the 1.2 billion mark in May 2017 but slipped below it in November 2017.

The net addition trend shows that March was a competitive month for the mobile segment with Idea Cellular and Bharti Airtel reducing their gap significantly with Reliance Jio.

Reliance Jio led the market with a net addition of 9.42 million, taking its total subscriber base to 186.56 million. It was closely followed by Idea and Airtel with a net addition of 9.14 million and 8.4 million, respectively. State-run BSNL added 2.56 million new customers.

All net additions by mobile operators during the reported month were over 2 million indicated impact of consolidation in the market with subscribers moving to a handful of service providers that are continuing their operations.

Among operational service providers, Aircel  which is attempting to close operations  lost 4.7 million customers. Tata Teleservices, which is in process of a merger with Airtel, lost over 2 million customers, Telenor India lost 1.3 million customers and MTNL lost 7,700 mobile customers.

Reliance Communications (RCom), which has shut down mobile calling services, still had 1,85,968 customers on its network.

Airtel topped the chart in terms of market share with 304.19 million subscribers, followed by Vodafone 222.69 million and Idea with 211.2 million customers.

The fixed-line telephone segment continued to decline and reduced to 22.81 million connections. Though state-run firm BSNL dominated the market with the highest share of 12.26 million customers, it lost 5,304 customers. RCom lost 169,052 fixed line connections and MTNL 10,157 connections.

Vodafone led new subscriber addition by adding 12,280 fixed line connections, taking its total subscriber base to 220,981.

The number of broadband subscribers increased to 412.6 million in March from 392.06 million in February. The mobile segment accounted for over 95 percent of the total broadband connections.

"Top five service providers constituted 95.23 percent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of March 2018. These service providers were Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (186.56 million), Bharti Airtel (85.67 million), Vodafone (59.77 million), Idea Cellular (39.84 million) and BSNL (21.08 million)," the report said.

(Disclosure: Reliance Industries Ltd is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd)Reuters

Activists in Amsterdam on Wednesday launched the Datavakbond or data labour union, which hopes to elect leaders to negotiate directly with Facebook and Google over what they do with users data.

Possible demands could include payment for the data users supply to the companies, more information about how the data is used, and a direct channel for communicating grievances.

Right now, we work for Google and Facebook producing data, and were getting feathers and beads in exchange, said Paul Tang, a member of European Parliament from the Dutch Labour party, at the unions establishment in Amsterdam.

What we want...is to get across the table from Google and Facebook to talk about reasonable compensation, or at least better working conditions.

Tang said that although governments have a role in regulating the internet giants, users should also organise themselves and seek to influence the companies directly.

The Unions founding chairman Bas van der Gaag, a high school maths teacher, said that although it is based in the Netherlands, it hopes to win members internationally.

Membership is free, and those that join will be encouraged to help craft the organisation. Later they may vote on specific demands, for instance for the company to provide a paid, but advertising-free, version of Facebook. Within the first hour of its launch, 250 people joined.

Van der Gaag said volunteers are working on tools to make it possible for the union to organise a strike, which would involve temporarily depriving the companies of some of the most valuable information they sell to advertisers, such as location data.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in European Parliament on Tuesday to answer questions about how political consultancy Cambridge Analytica improperly got hold of the personal data of 87 million Facebook users, including up to 2.7 million in the EU.

Facebook did not immediately respond on Wednesday to a request for comment on the establishment of the union.Reuters

The US Department of Justice has launched a criminal probe into whether traders are manipulating the price of bitcoin and other digital currencies, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

The investigation concerns illegal practices that can influence prices such as spoofing, or flooding the market with fake orders to trick other traders, Bloomberg said, citing four people familiar with the matter.

Federal prosecutors are working with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the report added.

Neither the Justice Department nor the CFTC were immediately available for comment.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel is determined to roll back Iran's aggression at the Tel-Nof Air Base during the second day of the international convention for air force commanders.

Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel is determined to roll back Iran's aggression at the Tel-Nof Air Base during the second day of the international convention for air force commanders.

"We will not let Iran establish military bases in Syria and we will not let Iran develop nuclear weapons," Xinhua quoted Netanyahu as saying

"The Israeli Air Force plays a crucial role in implementing this policy and it has done so consistently and effectively now for the past several years," he said.

Netanyahu appreciated the "strong leadership" of United States President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's 12-point plan to block Iran's aggression.

"I can tell you with confidence that the appreciation that I just expressed is shared, broadly shared, by many others in the Middle East."

"This is not just an Israeli position. I hope that this clear American message was well understood in Tehran. And like the US, we in Israel have no quarrel with the people of Iran," said Netanyahu.The Chinese government has asked Pakistan to relocate 26/11 attacks mastermind and Jamat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed amid mounting international pressure over his terror links, reports claimed on Thursday.

The Chinese government has asked Pakistan to relocate 26/11 attacks mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed amid mounting international pressure over his terror links, reports claimed on Thursday.

According to The Hindu, Saeed, formed a major part of a 35-minute meeting between Chinese president Xi Jinping and Pakistan prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on the sidelines of Boao Forum in China last month, during which the Xi pressed Khaqan "to find an early solution to keep Saeed away from the limelight", a close aide of the Pakistan prime minister told the newspaper. The Chinese president reportedly suggested that Saeed be allowed "to live a quiet life in a West Asian country".

Though, China has denied the reports, terming it "shocking" and "baseless", if true, this suggestion marks a significant shift in Beijing's stand on the Saeed issue, which has been a sore point in India-China relations, especially because of Beijing repeatedly using its Veto power in the UN Security Council to block all anti-Saeed moves, be it from India or the US.

So, what brought this change of stance? To understand that one needs to go through how China has reacted to the Hafiz Saeed issue, and things that may have brought a change in his stand over the issue.

China in its capacity as the permanent member of the UN Security Council has the veto power and nothing can be approved by this 15-member high-powered body of the United Nations without the consent of Beijing. The country has been using this veto power in the UN Security Council time and again to block any move against Pakistan and Hafiz Saeed.

In fact, China's efforts to impede actions against Saeed go back to as early as 2006.

Though China, allowed Saeed and the JuD to be added to UN 1267 Sanctions list after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, according to a US state department cable signed off by the then secretary of state Hillary Clinton, and released by WikiLeaks, Beijing thwarted efforts to impose sanctions on Saeed, way before the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai.

Between April 2006 and May 2008  China stalled two proposals by the United States, United Kingdom, and France to put Saeed and JuD on the 1267 list, citing insufficient evidence, claims a The Hindu article.

Pakistan, as a result, closed more than more than 100 JuD offices in Pakitan and arrested several senior members of the organisation. But despite the sanctions and a $10 million reward that the US announced later in 2012, Saeed remained a largely free man in Pakistan. A 2013 article in The New York Times offers a clear picture of the level of freedom that Saeed enjoyed in Pakistan despite being put in a prescribed list.

That the US Department of the Treasury designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since 2012, has offered a $10 million reward for information that brings Saeed to justice, failed to move Beijing.

Between September 2014 and April 2016, China blocked India five times, from seeking stricter actions against the JuD chief, or seeking action against Pakistan for violating the ban on Saeed. It used its veto power to block similar move again in October 2016.

In overall, 2016 marked one of the lowest points in India-China relations in terms of security as Beijing blocked New Delhi's every move to pressure Pakistan into containing terrorist organisations in Pakistan soil. Not happy with souring India-China relations, a former Chinese diplomat went on to stress the need to change Beijing's anti-India policy.

In February 2017, amid mounting international pressure, Pakistan put Saeed on house arrest. Notably, China is believed to be the invisible hand which put Saeed under House arrest in February 2017.

Over the next few months, even as skirmishes along the border and the Dokalam issue became a major talking point of India-China relations, India-China managed to keep their channels of communication open.

In December 2017, at the 15th edition of the trilateral meeting of foreign ministers of India, China, and Russia, New Delhi made a major gain on the Saeed and JuD issue as Sushma Swaraj and her Russian and Chinese counterparts Sergey Lavrov and Wang Yi emphasised the need for a comprehensive approach in combating terrorism in their joint statement. "We agree to strengthen cooperation to take decisive and concerted actions against globally proscribed terrorists and terror entities," the joint communique said.

In February 2018, even though China initially resisted any action against Pakistan by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global money-laundering watchdog, the US succeeded in persuading China to clear a motion to grey list Pakistan in June this year. Though being put in the FATF grey-list is not going to be a major deterrence for Pakistan, considering it was in the list between 2012 and 2015 as well, that China and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia changed their earlier stance by remaining silent during the second round of voting, makes for a pro-New Delhi statement.

Now, if Pakistan accepts the move, and it ought since Beijing is said to be irked with Pakistan seesawing over the Saeed issue, it would prove two things: first, Beijing's control over Islamabad is actually deeper than one would like to think, and second, even though not the best, this move points to some success of New Delhi's new foreign strategy, especially in terms of its relationship with China.

New Delhi must continue its policy of diplomacy and international pressure both at the same time.(Corrects May 22 story to show timing of release of funds to be distributed 'by July,' not 'later this week,' in paragraph 6.) By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior Trump administration officials warned Congress on Tuesday of ongoing efforts by Russia to interfere in the 2018 midterm congressional elections as the federal government prepares to hand out $380 million in election security funding to states. At a briefing attended by about 40 or 50 members of the 435-member U.S. House of Representatives, the heads of FBI, Homeland Security Department and the director of National Intelligence said states and cities overseeing elections need to be prepared for threats

(Corrects May 22 story to show timing of release of funds to be distributed "by July," not "later this week," in paragraph 6.)

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior Trump administration officials warned Congress on Tuesday of ongoing efforts by Russia to interfere in the 2018 midterm congressional elections as the federal government prepares to hand out $380 million in election security funding to states.

At a briefing attended by about 40 or 50 members of the 435-member U.S. House of Representatives, the heads of FBI, Homeland Security Department and the director of National Intelligence said states and cities overseeing elections need to be prepared for threats.

DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told reporters she agreed Russia was trying to influence the 2018 elections.

"We see them continuing to conduct foreign influence campaigns," Nielsen said, but added there is no evidence of Russia targeting specific races.

Nielsen said DHS is watching other countries that have the capability to influence U.S. elections, including China and Iran. "We need to be prepared," she said.

Chris Krebs, a senior DHS cybersecurity official, told Reuters that the administration was sending states guidance on how to spend the $380 million approved by Congress in March to help safeguard U.S. voting systems from cyber attacks. Nearly all of the funds are expected to be distributed by July, the Election Assistance Commission said.

DHS is assisting 48 states with election security. It handed out a chart at the briefing to members that said states need to have auditable systems, spend time on planning, training and drills and they should "consider investing in full system architecture reviews."

Representative Michael McCaul, who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, said after the briefing that members are concerned that "not only Russia but possibly other foreign adversaries are now going to start looking at how they can meddle in the midterm elections and we need to be prepared. We were caught off guard last time."

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian leadership at a very high level was involved in the attempt to interfere in the U.S. election in order to boost President Donald Trump's candidacy.

Russia has denied interfering in U.S. elections.

Several Democrats after the briefing expressed concern that the federal government was not doing enough to safeguard elections.

"It is clear that our government must do more and whatever possible to secure our elections from foreign interference. The integrity of our democracy is at stake," said Representative Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee.

UNPRECEDENTED, COORDINATED

A May 8 U.S. Senate report said that in 2016 "cyber actors affiliated with the Russian Government conducted an unprecedented, coordinated cyber campaign against state election infrastructure." Russian actors "scanned databases for vulnerabilities, attempted intrusions, and in a small number of cases successfully penetrated a voter registration database."

The report said in a small number of states, "these cyber actors were in a position to, at a minimum, alter or delete voter registration data."

Krebs said on Tuesday that DHS wanted states to "increase awareness" and have a "layered defence."

If a voter's information was missing, for example, they could request a provisional ballot. "If we do detect something, we can overcome it," he said.

During the 2016 campaign, hackers stole emails from the personal account of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman and from the Democratic National Committee, and they were used to embarrass Clinton.

Representative C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, said members of Congress need to be aware of cyber risks. "We need to focus on it, make it a priority," he said.

DHS said in March it is prioritising election cyber security above all other critical infrastructure it protects.

The agency has said that 21 states had experienced initial probing of their systems from Russian hackers in 2016 and that a small number of networks were compromised, but that there remains no evidence any votes were actually altered.

Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, told reporters the federal government should quickly alert states if they learn of election system hacking.

He also wants a "real-time communications channel" between the intelligence community and technology companies in order to assure that internet firms are notified if evidence emerges that Russia is creating fake Facebook Inc pages or taking other actions to influence the elections.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; additional reporting by Susan Cornwell; editing by Bill Berkrot)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.The sudden note on White House stationery emerged Thursday morning from U.S. President Donald Trump to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, canceling plans for a high-stakes Singapore summit. It was unexpected in both its existence and its appearance just hours after the American president got part of what he wanted  the demolition of a nuclear test site in the North.

New York: As presidential letters go, this one was nothing short of extraordinary. As letters between human beings in general go, it was quite ... what? Wistful? Heavyhearted? Melancholy, even?

The sudden note on White House stationery emerged Thursday morning from U.S. President Donald Trump to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, canceling plans for a high-stakes Singapore summit. It was unexpected in both its existence and its appearance just hours after the American president got part of what he wanted  the demolition of a nuclear test site in the North.

To someone reading it cold and looking for deeper meaning, the three-paragraph letter was a stylistic theme park of the openly spoken and the implied  at turns tough-talking screed, respectful exchange and subtle hint at a possible way forward.

Embedded in it, too, was a recurring tone that felt almost intimate in its wording  not to mention its sometimes un-Trumpian voice.

Twitter's chattering class immediately and predictably had a field day calling it a breakup letter ("the clingiest," one tweet said), which probably went a step too far. The letter was, however, suffused with twinges of regret that walked right up to the line of implying that, in effect, "I just think we should take a break for a while and then see how we feel."

Did Trump draft the letter himself, or did he enlist a West Wing Cyrano for help? According to Republican Sen. Cory Gardner, the president dictated it to National Security Adviser John Bolton and then signed off with his kinetic, EKG-style signature.

It did feature the occasional familiar Trumpian flourish ("totally irrelevant"; "truly sad") that Twitter has conditioned us to expect. But those who spend their days trying to decipher the complex, often contradictory being that is the current American president could find a great deal of fresh food for thought to chew on.

Such as:

SAYING HI. Trump addressed the letter to "His Excellency." Standard protocol, undoubtedly, but also strikingly different and roundly respectful from a chief executive who mere months ago was calling Kim "Little Rocket Man."

I'M GRATEFUL. Not something the American president typically offers up to North Korea. "I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now home with their families. That was a beautiful gesture and very much appreciated." (Still unclear: how Kim might view the description of them as "hostages"; North Korea might call them criminals.)

THE PERSONAL TOUCH. "I was very much looking forward to being there with you," Trump wrote, making the political personal when he might have easily said something like, "The United States was eagerly anticipating the opportunity to meet and discuss mutual pressing issues."

Trump also told Kim that he "felt a wonderful dialogue was building up between you and me," another friendly nod that takes the business of diplomacy and turns it into an amiable aside. The use of such collegial superlatives suggests someone taking great pains to soften a blow  not something the president is necessarily known for.

I KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU (PLUS SOME EPIC SWEEP). "(T)he Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place." Lots of presumption there, for better or worse.

I WON'T BACK DOWN. Lest the recipient think Trump might be trying to sweet-talk him, the middle of the letter has a sharp anchor embedded in it. "You talk of your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used."

Worth noting here: Western religion is not exactly welcome in North Korea, a secular state where Christians have long been persecuted.

BUT MAYBE THERE'S A FUTURE FOR US AFTER ALL. In the statecraft equivalent of singing a karaoke rendition of "Didn't We Almost Have It All," Trump made sure to tell him that "some day, I look very much forward to meeting you."

But he also said, most pivotally: "If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write." That's a long ways from "Go away  I never want to see you again."

The president concluded, in lament: "This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history."

No one is suggesting that Thursday's letter was anything but a combination of well-conceived tactics and well-planned strategy. But it certainly represents an innovative approach in the annals of leader-to-leader communication, at least in the modern era.

Now it just needs to be translated into Korean  with some curiosity along the way about how it might come out the other end.

And then we wait. Though if the North's history is any indication, probably not for very long.US President Donald Trump is canceling the planned June 12 summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, citing the 'tremendous anger and open hostility' in a recent statement from North Korea.

Washington: US president Donald Trump has cancelled the planned 12 June summit with North Korea's Kim Jong-un, and cited "tremendous anger and open hostility" in a recent statement from North Korea.

In that statement which Trump is referring to, the North Korean government referred to Vice President Mike Pence as a "political dummy" and said it is just as ready to meet in a nuclear confrontation as at the negotiating table.

In parallel, Trump is also telling Kim 'do not hesitate to call me or write' if the North Korean leader changes his mind regarding the summit.

Trump says in his reply: "This missed opportunity is a truly sad moment in history".

Trump says in a letter to Kim released Thursday by the White House that based on the statement, he felt it was "inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting".

The US president says the North Koreans talk about their nuclear capabilities "but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used."

On the other side, North Korean media too stepped up their rhetorical attacks on South Korea and joint military exercises with the United States, warning Tuesday that a budding detente could be in danger.

State media unleashed three strongly worded commentaries slamming Seoul and Washington for the maneuvers and demanding Seoul take action against defectors it claimed were sending anti-North Korea propaganda leaflets across the border.

The official media had until recently taken a relatively subdued tone amid the North's diplomatic overtures to its neighbors, including a summit with South Korea's president last month and plans for leader Kim Jong-un to meet Trump in Singapore on 12 June.

That first changed last week, when it lashed out against the maneuvers, cut high-level contacts with Seoul and threatened to "reconsider" the Trump summit.In a dramatic diplomatic turn, President Donald Trump canceled next month's summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un Thursday, citing the 'tremendous anger and open hostility' in a recent statement by the North.

In a dramatic diplomatic turn, US President Donald Trump canceled next month's summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un Thursday, citing the "tremendous anger and open hostility" in a recent statement by the North.

Trump said in a letter to Kim released by the White House that, based on the statement, he felt it was "inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting." Adding his own threat, he said that while the North Koreans talk about their nuclear capabilities, "ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used."

A letter from the President to Chairman Kim Jong Un: "It is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting." pic.twitter.com/3dDIp55xu1  The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 24, 2018

In the Korean statement that Trump cited, the North referred to Vice President Mike Pence as a "political dummy" for his comments on the North and said it was just as ready to meet in a nuclear confrontation as at the negotiating table.

Trump said his letter: "If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write."

He said the world was losing a "great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth" now that their 12 June summit has been canceled. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo read the letter during a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday.

The president had agreed to the historic sit-down in March after months of trading insults and nuclear threats with the North Korean leader. But after criticism from North Korea, Trump cast doubt this week on whether the meeting would happen.

A White House official said it was incorrect to focus on the "dummy comments" about Pence. The official said the North Koreans had threatened nuclear war in their statement released Wednesday night and no summit could be successful under these circumstances.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

White House officials have privately predicted for weeks that the summit could be canceled once or twice before actually taking place, owing to the hard-nosed style of the two leaders. Trump has seemed to welcome chatter of a Nobel Peace Prize, but that has yielded in recent weeks to the sobering prospect of ensuring a successful outcome with the Kim.

Trump's allies in Congress applauded the president, saying he was justified in pulling out of the meeting.

"North Korea has a long history of demanding concessions merely to negotiate. While past administrations of both parties have fallen for this ruse, I commend the president for seeing through Kim Jong Un's fraud," said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who said the nation's "maximum-pressure campaign on North Korea must continue."

This spring, scoring a diplomatic win with Pyongyang had become Trump's top focus.

That had been a far cry from his bellicose rhetoric, issued both on Twitter and from the rostrum of the United Nations last fall. Trump threw off ominous taunts of raining "fire and fury" on the North while belittling its leader as "Little Rocket Man, alarming many global capitals and much of Washington's national security establishment and increasing worries about nuclear war. But Trump believed his outside-the-box behavior would bring Kim to the negotiating table.

Drawn to big moments and bigger headlines, Trump has viewed the North Korea summit as a legacy-maker for him, believing that the combustible combination of his bombast and charm already had led to warmer relations between North and South.

He immediately agreed to the proposed meeting, conveyed by South Korean officials, accepting it before consulting with many of his top national security advisers. And earlier this month, when welcoming home three Americans who had been detained in North Korea, Trump used a televised, middle-of-the-night ceremony to play up both his statecraft and stagecraft.

Some observers raised concerns that Trump was risking legitimizing Kim's government by agreeing to meet him on the world stage without evidence of denuclearization or other concessions. But Trump had bet big on the summit, telling one confidant that he believed a deal with North Korea, rather than in the Middle East, could be his historic victory.

White House officials also believed that a triumph on the Korean Peninsula  something that has eluded the United States for generations  could bolster Trump's approval ratings, help inoculate him against the investigations swirling around him and trickle down to help Republicans in this fall's midterm elections.

(With AP newswire)By Alastair Macdonald and Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union negotiators dismiss as 'fantasy' some main British demands for Brexit, including on the sensitive issue of the Northern Ireland border, a senior EU official said on Thursday. The official accused London of failing to accept that Brexit will necessarily distance it from the EU. The broadside followed three days of talks with British negotiators in Brussels and comes a month before a summit where Prime Minister Theresa May hopes to defuse the Irish issue

By Alastair Macdonald and Gabriela Baczynska

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union negotiators dismiss as "fantasy" some main British demands for Brexit, including on the sensitive issue of the Northern Ireland border, a senior EU official said on Thursday.

The official accused London of failing to accept that Brexit will necessarily distance it from the EU.

The broadside followed three days of talks with British negotiators in Brussels and comes a month before a summit where Prime Minister Theresa May hopes to defuse the Irish issue.

British demands to continue participating in the EU's easy criminal extradition system or in the most high-security parts of the Galileo satellite programme were unacceptable to other member states since May rejects EU legal supervision.

"The sooner we can get out of the business of denying the consequences of Brexit, the sooner we can get on with finding solutions," the official told reporters. "The sooner we move away from this fantasy, the quicker we can get to constructive discussions about how to design that future relationship."

British proposals to avoid a hard land border with EU member Ireland, complete with customs and other checks, were also firmly rejected by Brussels, in part because London was coupling them with a bid to also secure better "backdoor" access for the rest of the United Kingdom to the EU's single market.

In uncompromising language indicating wide gaps just five months before a target date for a treaty to ensure a smooth Brexit in March, the official said of the Irish issue: "Progress so far seems elusive and substantive progress even more so."

Talks on a framework for future relations also made little advance, with Britain rejecting a simple free trade pact and the EU refusing London's offer of mutual recognition of each other's regulations. But a status-quo transition period through 2020 means those are less pressing than the need for an Irish border deal which both sides want as part of a pre-withdrawal treaty.

BACKSTOP DEADLOCK

In December, a provisional draft included language, rejected by May, for a "backstop" under which Northern Ireland would if need be remain aligned with EU economic rules.

Dependent for her majority on Northern Irish allies opposed to new barriers between the province and the British mainland, May has suggested making the backstop time-limited and that it may see the whole United Kingdom apply EU customs rules.

But the EU official dismissed that, saying that a deadline for ending the backstop would make it pointless - effectively just delaying a possible introduction of a hard border that could inflame sectarian violence - and said London must stop seeking a solution that would greatly benefit mainland firms.

"We need to have the recognition that the backstop has to be Northern Ireland-specific," the official said. "We need to do away with the fantasy that there is an all-UK solution to that."

EU negotiators regard proposals to keep the British mainland aligned to EU regulations as a "back door" to keep access to the single market. They may be flexible at the modest scale of Ireland but not for the second biggest economy in Europe.

The official said Britain had promised a new proposal on the Irish issue and Brussels hoped to have them early next month.

Saying that a consequence of full British involvement in Galileo would be that London might be able to block the EU's own access to satellites in a dispute, the official denied however that such arguments betrayed a deep lack of trust.

Any future relationship would rely on trust, the official said, but Britain could not expect the same treatment as member states subject to stricter EU oversight.

Reflecting a sour tone, however, the official also told reporters that British negotiators said they would use their place inside the EU for the remaining 10 months to try in budget discussions to alter rules for access to non-member states.

Britain's finance minister Philip Hammond hit back at suggestions it was up to London to deal with its own decision to leave the EU: "I fear many EU opinion-formers ... see the Brexit challenge as simply one for the UK to resolve," he told a business conference. "This has to be a two-way conversation."

(Additional reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Reporting by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Angus MacSwan @macdonaldrtr)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.BEIRUT (Reuters) - Shi'ite politician Nabih Berri, a close ally of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, was re-elected for a sixth term as speaker of Lebanon's parliament in an uncontested vote on Wednesday. Reflecting a shift in Lebanon's political landscape in favour of the heavily armed Shi'ite Muslim group, another Hezbollah ally, Elie Ferzli, was elected deputy speaker, That prompted the interior minister to walk out of parliament in protest.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Shi'ite politician Nabih Berri, a close ally of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, was re-elected for a sixth term as speaker of Lebanon's parliament in an uncontested vote on Wednesday.

Reflecting a shift in Lebanon's political landscape in favour of the heavily armed Shi'ite Muslim group, another Hezbollah ally, Elie Ferzli, was elected deputy speaker,

That prompted the interior minister to walk out of parliament in protest.

Berri said President Michel Aoun would begin consultations with lawmakers on Thursday to pick Lebanon's next prime minister, likely to be the previous one, Saad al-Hariri.

Aoun is obliged to designate as prime minister the candidate with the broadest support among MPs.

Hezbollah, and groups and individuals that support its possession of arms, won at least 70 of parliament's 128 seats in an election on May 6. The result was a reversal of Lebanon's last national election in 2009, when anti-Hezbollah groups scored a majority.

Berri drew the votes of 98 of 128 MPs at the new parliament's first session. After being reappointed as speaker, a role he has held since 1992, he called for a new government to be formed as soon as possible.

Lebanon is under pressure to do that to tackle a dire economic situation and unsustainable public debt levels.

Hariri, who headed the outgoing cabinet, faces tough negotiations to form a coalition government including all the main parties. He will lead a caretaker government until the new cabinet is agreed.

Berri, 80, heads the Amal Movement and has been allied with Hezbollah since the end of Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war.

Hariri, an opponent of Hezbollah, had declared support for the re-election of Berri as speaker.

Under Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system, the speaker must be a Shi'ite Muslim, the deputy speaker a Greek Orthodox Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the president a Maronite Christian.

Ferzli, like Berri and Hezbollah, has close ties to the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad. Hariri had declared his opposition to Ferzli's candidacy.

The deputy speaker position has been held by a Hezbollah opponent since 2005, the year Syrian troops were forced to withdraw from Lebanon after the assassination of Rafik al-Hariri, Saad's father.

Syria, which had a military presence in Lebanon from 1976, dominated the country from 1990 until it pulled its troops out.

Outgoing interior minister Nohad Machnouk, a member of Hariri's Future Movement party, said he refused to take part in a parliament session "to restore one of the most important symbols of Syrian guardianship".

(Reporting by Ellen Francis and Laila Bassam; Additional reporting by Dahlia Nehme and Lisa Barrington; Writing by Angus McDowall/Tom Perry; Editing by Mark Heinrich and John Stonestreet)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.North Korea hit out at US Vice President Mike Pence, calling him 'ignorant and stupid' as the reclusive state made a renewed threat to cancel an upcoming summit between the two countries on Thursday.

Seoul: North Korea hit out at US Vice President Mike Pence, calling him "ignorant and stupid" as the reclusive state made a renewed threat to cancel an upcoming summit between the two countries on Thursday.

Choe Son Hui, vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, released a statement via the state-run KCNA news agency lambasting a recent media interview Pence gave to Fox News.

"I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the US vice-president," she said in the statement.

In his Monday interview with Fox, Pence warned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that it would be a "great mistake" to try and play Washington ahead of a planned summit with President Donald Trump next month in Singapore.

He also said North Korea could end up like Libya, whose former leader Moamer Khadafi was killed in an uprising years after giving up atomic weapons, "if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal".

Choe responded to that interview with an angrily worded statement in which she slammed the "unbridled and impudent remarks" from Pence, adding Pyongyang would not be forced to the table by threats from Washington's leadership.

"We will neither beg the US for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us," she said.

"In case the US offends against our goodwill and clings to unlawful and outrageous acts, I will put forward a suggestion to our supreme leadership for reconsidering the DPRK-U.S. summit," she added, using the initials of North Korea's official name.By Raya Jalabi and Hesham Hajali BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Multiple people were killed or wounded in a suicide attack in Iraq's capital Baghdad on Thursday, Iraqi security services said.

By Raya Jalabi and Hesham Hajali

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Multiple people were killed or wounded in a suicide attack in Iraq's capital Baghdad on Thursday, Iraqi security services said.

The attack took place in the predominantly Shi'ite Shula district, in northwest Baghdad.

According to a statement from Iraq's National Security media centre, the attacker detonated an explosive vest after he was besieged by security forces at the entrance to the Saqlawiyah park, resulting in the death and injury of "a number of civilians."

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, though it bore the hallmarks of Islamic State.

Iraq declared victory over the hardline Sunni militant group in December 2017. Although the group has largely been defeated, it continues to carry out sporadic attacks and operate limited cells in the country, particularly in the north, around Iraq's second city Mosul.

Islamic State has claimed previous attacks against security forces and in public places in mainly Shi'ite dominated areas. Earlier this month, the group claimed a deadly gun attack in Tarmiya, an area 25 km (15 miles) north of Baghdad.

(Reporting by Raya Jalabi in Baghdad and Hesham Hajali in Cairo; Editing by Sandra Maler)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.By Sonya Dowsett MADRID (Reuters) - One person was killed and 26 wounded, including seven children, by an explosion in a fireworks storage facility in the town of Tui in Galicia, northwestern Spain, emergency services said on Wednesday. The Faro de Vigo newspaper reported that at least four people had died in the blast that destroyed dozens of houses and smashed windows in a four-km (2.5-mile) radius, though Emergency services could only confirm one death

By Sonya Dowsett

MADRID (Reuters) - One person was killed and 26 wounded, including seven children, by an explosion in a fireworks storage facility in the town of Tui in Galicia, northwestern Spain, emergency services said on Wednesday.

The Faro de Vigo newspaper reported that at least four people had died in the blast that destroyed dozens of houses and smashed windows in a four-km (2.5-mile) radius, though Emergency services could only confirm one death.

Footage from the scene posted on the El Mundo newspaper website showed thick smoke billowing from a residential area with debris and rubble scattered on the street.

Firemen were checking house by house in the area for possible dead and injured people, emergency services said.

The explosion seemed to be in a domestic house, not a commercial storage area, Tui Mayor Carlos Vazquez was quoted as saying at a press conference by Faro de Vigo.

"Everything points to it being a fireworks storage facility, although it was a house not a warehouse. It (the fireworks storage facility) was clandestine, and we didn't know of its existence," he said.

(Reporting by Sonya Dowsett; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.Pakistan's National Assembly passed a key constitutional amendment to merge the restive tribal region along the Afghan border with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Islamabad: In a historic move, Pakistan's National Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a key constitutional amendment to merge the restive tribal region along the Afghan border with the northwestern province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, bringing an end to a 150-year-old British-era arrangement.

After months of delays following disagreements between coalition partners and the opposition over its clauses, Law Minister Mahmood Bashir Virk on Thursday tabled the 31st Amendment Bill 2017 to merge Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The amendment was passed with a 229-1 vote in the house of 342, as the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was supported by Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Jamat-e-Islami.

Dawar Kundi from the PTI was the lone dissenting vote who opposed the bill.

Two allies of the government including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) staged a walkout.

The bill amends several Articles of the Constitution including Article 1 that defines the territory of the Pakistani federation.

The number of seats of parliament will decrease once the bill is passed. Senate seats will reduce from 104 to 96 members and the number of seats in the National Assembly will be cut to 336 from 342, as FATA will no longer have separate representation.

The bill will be sent to Senate, the upper house, which is expected to pass it before the end of the week. After this, the bill will be presented to the president who will sign it to become part of the Constitution.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi who played a key role in bringing consensus to pass the amendment said in his address to the lawmakers that it was joint effort by all parties, which will "change the 150-year-old system in the tribal areas."

The semi-autonomous tribal region was created by British colonisers as a buffer zone to avoid direct conflict with Afghanistan.

It consists of seven districts  Bajaur, Khyber, Kurram, Mohmand, North Waziristan, Orakzai and South Waziristan  which stretch along the border with Afghanistan, and became known in the world due to presence of militants who fled the porous border after US forces invaded Afghanistan post-9/11.

These seven districts are home to some eight million residents, mainly ethnic Pashtuns.

Pakistan forces launched repeated military operations to clear the area of rebels and dismantle their hideouts which were used to launch attack in the country and Afghanistan.Pakistans former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday accused a former intelligence chief of asking him to resign during opposition protests in 2014, comments likely to further fray tense civil-military relations ahead of general elections.

Islamabad: Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday accused a former intelligence chief of asking him to resign during opposition protests in 2014, comments likely to further fray tense civil-military relations ahead of general elections.

Sharif's allegations, made in court documents before the three-time premier read them to a news conference, were a rare explicit accusation by the veteran leader of political meddling by the military. In other thinly-veiled remarks aimed at the military, Sharif, who was ousted by the Supreme Court in July, also suggested he was removed from office over his foreign policy stance and refusal to drop a treason case against former army dictator Pervez Musharraf.

Sharif said the 2014 protests organised by opposition figure Imran Khan, which paralysed capital Islamabad for several months, were designed to send him a message that no good would come from pursuing the Musharraf case.

"Those days, a message was sent to me from the chief of an intelligence agency that I should resign, and if that is not possible, I should go on a long leave," Sharif said, without identifying either. "The demand for my resignation or going on long leave was based on this impression that if Nawaz Sharif was removed from the way it wouldnt be difficult to wrap up the case against Musharraf."

Pakistan has a host of intelligence agencies but in the past the military-run Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency has most often been accused of election meddling. The military, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, has denied it is behind any political interference in the run-up to the general elections expected in July.

In March, the army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, told a group of journalists the military was a neutral institution and was only concerned with protecting other institutions, according to media leaks of Bajwas comments.

Sharif, the founder of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, was removed by the Supreme Court over a small source of undeclared income, and later deemed ineligible to head any political party, but has de facto control of PML-N.

He also faces a jail term of up to 14 years in a corruption trial that he calls a witch hunt and politically motivated.

Sharif's confrontational approach has cleaved sharp divisions within PML-N, which has been weakened over the past year, and where many lawmakers would prefer a more conciliatory approach with the military.

On Wednesday, Sharif also suggested he was removed from office because of his foreign policy stance. His government had clashed with the military over control of key issues, especially ties with arch-foe India, the United States and Afghanistan.

I was becoming a stumbling block in some matters, he said. Thats why, removing me from my office, removing from party, disqualifying for lifetime and kicking from the political process was considered the only solution.MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov plans to visit North Korea, Russian news agencies quoted a foreign ministry spokeswoman as saying on Wednesday. Dates for the trip have yet to be agreed, she said.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov plans to visit North Korea, Russian news agencies quoted a foreign ministry spokeswoman as saying on Wednesday.

Dates for the trip have yet to be agreed, she said. Earlier, the RBC news portal wrote that Lavrov would travel to North Korea on May 31.

That would mean him visiting before a proposed summit in Singapore between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

On Tuesday, Trump cast doubt on plans for that meeting, which has been scheduled for June 12.

Russia is considered an ally of North Korea, but has supported United Nations sanctions against it over Pyongyang's nuclear programme.

Lavrov accepted an invitation to visit North Korea last month.

(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Writing by Tom Balmforth)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's two-day visit to India, which starts today could throw up some unlikely topics for discussion during her informal summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi such as the Rohingya crisis, NRC update in Assam, Teesta water dispute and the Bhutan, India, and Nepal (BBIN) transport corridor

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to roll out the red carpet for his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina as she arrives today in her second visit to the country in just under two months. The Bangladesh prime minister will be visiting Shantiniketan to attend Visva-Bharati University's convocation ceremony, and thereafter hold an informal talk with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Hasina's 'informal visit' widely seen as part of India's renewed efforts to improve ties with neighbours on the subcontinent, is expected to throw up some unlikely topics for discussion. We take a look at some of the key issues that may feature in the "informal summit" between Modi and Hasina at Banga Bhavan in Shantiniketan this week.

Rohingya crisis: Though the focus of Hasina's two-day visit to India is on the culture of the two neighbouring countries, as Firstpost columnist Shubha Singh had commented, the Bangladesh prime minister could bring up the Rohingya crisis, especially since India's stance on the issue often seemed to be "tilting in favour of Myanmar". Hasina is likely to focus on getting more financial aid (similar to Operation Insaniyat) from India, a push to resolve the issue by expediting the return of refugees to Rakhine state is also likely on the cards.

The latter could be more likely happening since as the author argued, Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj who recently returned from the visit to Myanmar had stressed on "safe, speedy and sustained return of displaced persons to Rakhine state".

NRC issue in Assam: Assam's National Register for Citizens is another issue that may emerge during the informal summit between Modi and Hasina. Dhaka may seek assurance from Modi that there will be no attempts for deportation.

Connectivity, power, and infrastructure: Bangladesh and India have a lot to benefit from each other from ties in infrastructure, power, and connectivity, a key element of which is the proposed Bhutan, India, and Nepal (BBIN) transport corridor. According to The Diplomat, while the corridor could allow India's North East greater connectivity via Bangladesh's infrastructure, it would allow Bangladesh access to Nepal and Bhutan via India. That Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, and Nepal went ahead with the project despite Pakistan creating obstacles, it's only pertinent that the project moves forward smoothly.

Teesta Water Dispute: During her last visit in April, India-Bangladesh signed around 22 deals and India extended a credit line of $5 billion to Dhaka. A major component of this was $500 million line of credit to for procurement of defence equipment for the Bangladesh military forces. The sore point during Hasina's April visit was the lack of progress made in the Teesta water dispute.

As Singh writes in the article, Modi has promised concrete steps towards resolving the Teesta water dispute. The Bangladesh prime minister is likely to bring the topic back on the table, especially with elections in Dhaka right around the corner. A timely resolution of the issue could be a win-win for both New Delhi and Dhaka. The only bottleneck would be West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who has been reluctant to take any step towards resolving the issue.By Wendell Roelf CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday he had established an inquiry into tax administration and governance amid allegations of misconduct by the suspended head of the revenue service. Ramaphosa, who replaced Jacob Zuma as head of state in February and has promised to crack down on graft, said the terms of reference for the inquiry would be published in the coming days. 'The stabilisation of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has received priority attention,' Ramaphosa told parliament, adding that he had signed a proclamation establishing the tax commission on Wednesday.

By Wendell Roelf

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday he had established an inquiry into tax administration and governance amid allegations of misconduct by the suspended head of the revenue service.

Ramaphosa, who replaced Jacob Zuma as head of state in February and has promised to crack down on graft, said the terms of reference for the inquiry would be published in the coming days.

"The stabilisation of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has received priority attention," Ramaphosa told parliament, adding that he had signed a proclamation establishing the tax commission on Wednesday.

The inquiry will include investigating the handling of revenue shortfalls, the unauthorised payment of bonuses to top executives and the withholding of refunds to ordinary tax payers, a treasury official told parliament.

Tom Moyane, the suspended head of SARS, was earlier this month served with disciplinary charges related to alleged misconduct during his tenure. He denies any wrongdoing.

Moyane is one of several government officials Ramaphosa has replaced since taking over from scandal-plagued Zuma as part of a drive to tackle endemic corruption.

Ramaphosa also said he would donate half of his annual salary of 3.6 million rand ($286,500) to a charitable fund being launched to mark 100 years since the birth of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela.

He is one of South Africa's richest people after selling out of his Shanduka investment vehicle, which owned stakes in mining firms, mobile phone operator MTN and McDonald's South African franchise, at a time when the firm was worth over 8 billion rand.

($1 = 12.5626 rand)

(Additional reporting by Alexander Winning in Johannesburg; Editing by Joe Brock)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Victims and survivors of mass shootings in Texas took part in a final round of talks on Thursday with Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who is seeking ways to stop gun massacres after a shooter killed 10 people in a Houston-area high school.

By Jon Herskovitz

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Victims and survivors of mass shootings in Texas took part in a final round of talks on Thursday with Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who is seeking ways to stop gun massacres after a shooter killed 10 people in a Houston-area high school.

The talks are the third and last in a series this week. They came days after a teenage student gunned down eight fellow classmates and two teachers at Santa Fe High School, the latest in a series of U.S. mass school shootings that stoked a simmering national debate about preventing the carnage on campuses.

"After our school shooting, it was hard to talk about it," said Morgan Molsbee, a student at Alpine High School in West Texas, where in late 2016 a 14-year-old girl shot and wounded a fellow student and then died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

"At first going to school after (that) was scary. You have to move on from it and the teachers will help you," said Molsbee ahead of the meeting that she was attending with her mother, Jackie Molsbee who is a teacher in Alpine.

Jackie Molsbee said she planned to ask for better mental health screening on campus and more money for school security.

"If we are told we have to upgrade security, all schools in Texas need help, not just our school," she said.

With the Texas legislature out of session until January, it is nearly impossible for the state to implement or fund any major policy changes that come out of the talks.

Texas Democrats have described the sessions as theatrics that will skirt major issues such as substantive gun control.

The round on Thursday included about 40 people affected by the shootings in Alpine, Santa Fe and Sutherland Springs, Texas, where a gunman fatally shot 26 churchgoers in November.

The panel on Wednesday discussed ways to address mental health issues, safe storage measures for firearms at homes and so-called red flag warning laws intended to keep guns out of the hands of people deemed by a judge to be a danger to themselves or others. [L2N1SU1EQ]

Abbott, a staunch supporter of gun rights, said any changes to state laws would need to protect Second Amendment rights to bear arms as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.

In contrast to Florida, where the killing of 17 teens and educators at a high school in February sparked a youth-led movement calling for new restrictions on gun ownership, the Texas tragedy saw many elected officials and survivors alike voicing support for gun rights.

Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, has been charged with murder in the killing during a rampage at Santa Fe High School on Friday.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by William Maclean and Tom Brown)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.A United Nations Security Council (UNSC) committee has agreed to lift a travel ban on North Korean officials heading to Singapore for the planned summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong- un next month, diplomats said.

A United Nations Security Council (UNSC) committee has agreed to lift a travel ban on North Korean officials heading to Singapore for the planned summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong- un next month, diplomats said.

Singapore, last week, asked the sanctions committee to grant an exemption to the North Korean delegation attending the 12 June summit and taking part in preparatory meetings, according to the request seen by AFP. "This summit will serve as an opportunity to advance the objective of a peaceful resolution of the DPRK nuclear issue and the establishment of peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in the region," wrote Singapore's UN Ambassador Burhan Gafoor to the committee.

The letter did not specify the size of the delegation from Pyongyang. The UN sanctions blacklist for North Korea has 80 individuals and 75 entities which are subject to a global travel ban and an assets freeze. The request for the blanket exemption to the global travel plan was approved today after none of the council members raised objections.

Trump earlier said the fate of the summit will be decided next week as his aides travelled to Singapore to prepare the meeting and push for certain conditions to be met. "There are certain conditions we want to happen. I think we'll get those conditions. And if we don't, we won't have the meeting," Trump told reporters on Tuesday.

The Security Council has imposed tough sanctions on North Korea that ban trade in commodities and severely restrict deliveries of oil vital to Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programme.An American citizen working at the US consulate in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou has reported suffering from 'abnormal' sounds.

Beijing/Washington: An American citizen working at the US consulate in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou has reported suffering from "abnormal" sounds and pressure leading to a mild brain injury, the US embassy said on Wednesday and China said it was investigating the incident.

The embassy, which issued a health alert to Americans living in China, said it could not link the case to health issues suffered by US government staff in Cuba dating back to late 2016.

In Washington, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was concerned about the "serious medical incident" and raised it with China's visiting State Councillor Wang Yi.

"We notified China of what took place as best we know it and they have responded in a way that is exactly the right response," Pompeo told a news conference with Wang. "We're working together to resolve (this)... I hope we can figure it out."

Earlier, he told Congress that the incident in China was "medically similar" to one suffered by American diplomats in Cuba.

Wang, speaking through a translator, said Beijing was investigating the incident and "we haven't found any organisation or individual has carried out such a sonic influence."

"We don't want to see that this individual case will be magnified, complicated or even politicised. We hope people will not associate it with other unnecessary matters," he cautioned.

The unnamed American citizen assigned to the consulate in Guangzhou had reported a variety of "physical symptoms" dating from late 2017 to April this year, the U.S. embassy in Beijing said in an email.

The worker was sent to the United States for further evaluation. "The clinical findings of this evaluation matched mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI)," the embassy said.

The State Department was taking the incident very seriously and working to determine the cause and impact, the embassy said. Pompeo said that medical teams were heading to Guangzhou to investigate the incident.

The State Department added that the Chinese government told the embassy it was also investigating and taking appropriate measures.

"We cannot at this time connect it with what happened in Havana, but we are investigating all possibilities," a US embassy official told Reuters.

The US government on Wednesday issued a health alert to Americans in China, warning them about the incident it described as "subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure".

"While in China, if you experience any unusual acute auditory or sensory phenomena accompanied by unusual sounds or piercing noises, do not attempt to locate their source. Instead, move to a location where the sounds are not present," the alert said.

The US government in October expelled 15 Cuban diplomats from the United States for what it said was Cuba's failure to protect staff at the US embassy in Havana from mysterious health incidents at one point thought to possibly have been acoustic "attacks".

Staff there reported symptoms including hearing loss, dizziness, fatigue and cognitive issues, though Cuban officials dismissed the idea of acoustic strikes as "science fiction" and accused Washington of slander.

The cause of those incidents remains unresolved.

The Canadian government in April said it would remove families of diplomats posted to Cuba after Canadian personnel there in 2017 also reported similar health symptoms.The United States (US) has withdrawn an invitation to China to participate in what has been described as the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise, the Pentagon has announced.

Washington: The United States (US) has withdrawn an invitation to China to participate in what has been described as the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise, the Pentagon has announced.

A Pentagon spokesman said in a statement on Wednesday that "China's behaviour is inconsistent with the principles and purposes of the RIMPAC exercise", and it has "disinvited the PLA (People's Liberation Army) Navy from the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise", reports CNN.

Held every two years in Hawaii, the RIMPAC exercise involves more than 20 countries from across the world, including India, Australia, Japan and the UK.

The decision to withdraw China's invitation was made by Defence Secretary James Mattis in coordination with the White House, according to a defence official, after Beijing's recent deployment of missile systems and the first landing of a Chinese bomber on an island in the South China Sea.

The official told CNN that the US has its own imagery showing China's deployment of anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles and jammers on disputed islands.

Carl Schuster, Hawaii Pacific University professor and former director of operations at the US Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Centre, told CNN the decision to withdraw the invitation showed "the days of appeasement are over".

"We are now willing to take strong action diplomatically. We're telling the Chinese that there will be diplomatic and potential economic consequences for further aggression in the South China Sea," he said.

Last week, China said that it landed long-range bombers for the first time on an island in the South China Sea, the latest in a series of manoeuvres putting Beijing at odds with its neighbours and Washington over its growing military presence around disputed islands.

Participating in the last RIMPAC in 2016 were 45 ships, 200 aircraft and more than 25,000 people from 26 nations.Shares of storied industrial conglomerate General Electric (NYSE:GE) plummeted more than 7% on Wednesday, after CEO John Flannery refused to guarantee that the current GE dividend of $0.48 per share ($0.12 per quarter) was safe in 2019. This was unwelcome news, given that GE slashed its dividend by 50% just six months ago.

Investors interpreted Flannery's statement that the GE dividend would depend on free cash flow as a sign that another dividend cut is extremely likely. However, this may be an overreaction, as there hasn't been any change to General Electric's underlying free cash flow forecast.

Troubles in two key business segments aren't going away

At an investor conference on Wednesday, Flannery indicated that he doesn't see any quick fix to the problems in GE's power segment. The current market downturn will probably continue until at least 2020. That's unfortunate, because the power business has historically been one of the two biggest contributors to General Electric's earnings.

Meanwhile, GE is trying to divest part or all of its insurance business, according to Reuters. This would reduce the potential for future negative surprises in the troubled GE Capital unit. However, General Electric might have to pay a substantial sum to get a potential acquirer to take over the company's insurance liabilities.

The upshot is that investors shouldn't expect a meaningful recovery in the power segment's cash production or a resumption of dividends from GE Capital to the parent company in the next few years. That means there will be less cash flow available to support GE's dividend.

The rest of GE is fundamentally healthy

While investors are fixated on the problems at GE Power and GE Capital, General Electric's most profitable business segments -- aviation and healthcare -- are strong enough to offset the company's weaknesses.

Earlier this year, GE implemented new accounting rules, which will cause segment profit for the aviation business to track cash flow more closely in the future. This will reduce earnings in the short term but increase the segment's future earnings growth. GE then restated its 2017 results, reducing the aviation segment's profit by $1.2 billion from the originally reported $6.6 billion.

In his presentation on Wednesday, Flannery stated that aviation segment profit is set to rise at least 15% in 2018, relative to the revised 2017 baseline. This would put segment profit at $6.2 billion or more. Meanwhile, the healthcare division will continue its steady growth, with segment profit up at least 5% year over year from $3.5 billion in 2017.

Additionally, Flannery reaffirmed General Electric's forecast that it will produce $6 billion to $7 billion of free cash flow this year. That's more than enough to cover the GE dividend, which costs about $4.2 billion a year.

Asset sales will provide more cash

General Electric bears have said that the company needs to cut its dividend so that it can focus on reducing its debt. Yet while it's true that GE has too much debt, asset sales will bring in plenty of cash to help the company make progress on this front.

Following a recently announced deal to divest the GE Transportation unit, GE is set to bring in about $6 billion in deal proceeds over the next 12 months. The company will also be able to sell its stake in Baker Hughes, a GE Company -- which is currently worth more than $25 billion -- starting next July. Finally, other divestitures that haven't been announced yet will probably bring in billions of dollars in 2019.

To be fair, GE's divestitures will negatively impact its free cash flow, as most of the businesses being sold currently generate cash for the company. However, rising profits from the aviation segment should easily offset this lost cash flow over the next couple of years. Moreover, the aviation business is likely to continue posting strong profit growth for a decade or more.

Flannery doesn't want to overpromise

Last spring and summer, in the face of rapidly weakening financial results, former CEO Jeff Immelt and former CFO Jeffrey Bornstein assured investors that GE's dividend was safe. After he took over as CEO, Flannery reiterated that claim. Just a few months later, he had to tell investors that GE was slashing its dividend by 50%.

Given this history, it's not surprising that Flannery isn't interested in offering guarantees about the GE dividend. As he said on Wednesday, GE's ability to pay dividends depends primarily on its free cash flow production. It's too early to be certain that the company will meet its free cash flow goals in 2019.

That said, General Electric should be able to offset the cash flow headwinds from its divestitures and the problems in its power and GE Capital segments through strong growth in aviation and healthcare. As a result, GE will likely maintain its $0.48 per share dividend for the foreseeable future.While the store-based sector of the retail industry stumbles in the face of an explosion in online commerce, TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) continues to allay shareholder fears. The organization reported vibrant fiscal first-quarter 2019 earnings on May 22. Revenue jumped 12% during the last three months to $8.7 billion, a function of both new store openings and a 3% improvement in comparable-store sales. Notably, TJX's largest segment, "Marmaxx," which is composed of T.J. Maxx and Marshalls stores in the U.S., expanded comparable sales at a rate of 4% over the prior year.

As an off-price retailer, TJX tends to perform especially well during periods in which it can scoop up desirable inventory being offloaded by manufacturers, prestige labels, small brands, and even fellow retailers. We seem to be in one of those stages, as abundant supply is a theme that has dominated the company's earnings recapitulation this week. Take the following statement from TJX's earnings press release, "The Company is in an excellent inventory position entering the second quarter and has plenty of liquidity to take advantage of the terrific opportunities it sees in the marketplace for quality, branded merchandise."

CEO Ernie Herrman echoed this idea during TJX's earnings conference call with analysts on May 22: "We see a marketplace that is loaded with quality branded merchandise." And CFO Scott Goldenberg used similar language to describe TJX Companies' current inventory position, as well as its balance sheet capability to acquire additional merchandise for its fashion and home goods stores.

Opportunism as a business model

Of course, the comments above obliquely refer to the treacherous climate facing brick-and-mortar retailers, especially those primarily based in dying shopping malls across the U.S. A wave of retail bankruptcies shows little sign of abating in 2018. Notable names that have filed for creditor protection in the first few months of 2018 include shoe retailer Nine West, jewelry and accessories chain Claire's, and department store The Bon-Ton.

Declining sales and bankruptcies benefit TJX Companies in several ways. Most obviously, the winnowing of shopping destinations helps drive traffic to chains that can offer a compelling value proposition to customers -- i.e. Marshall's, T.J. Maxx, and HomeGoods. For example, in the current quarter, management noted that traffic was the primary driver behind comparable-store sales increases in each of the company's four segments: Marmaxx, HomeGoods, TJX Canada, and TJX International.

Second, diminishing retail space gives TJX an opportunity to embrace new vendors globally, thus maintaining the variety that informs the characteristic "treasure hunt" ambience of its stores. Herrman explained during the earnings call that as retailers close stores, TJX offers vendors a viable means to increase their revenue and gain access to new markets.

Finally, as you can glean from the quotes at the outset of this article, at the moment it's a buyer's market for TJX Companies. Poor sales and bankruptcies have translated into what management describes as an almost unprecedented availability of merchandise it can acquire across "most every category, across most every tier or brand."

Is there a danger of absorbing too much of a good thing? Management acknowledged on the call that TJX needs to exert discipline over the quantity of goods it acquires, and the pace of purchasing.

TJX Companies' consolidated inventories have already increased 7% year over year as of its most recent balance sheet date. While this is a function of higher sales, it also stems partially from the supply bounty noted above.

As I've recently discussed, TJX thrives on moving inventory rapidly. The organization boasts one of the fastest rates of inventory turnover in the retail industry. Thus, it should strive to stay lean, maintain its fast sales cycle, and avoid over-investing in inventory, despite the attractiveness of goods available to its global buyers.

On another point of caution, management acknowledged during the earnings call that as consumer preferences change and more shopping shifts online, vendors and manufacturers could cut back on their output, shifting inventory supply in the opposite direction.

This potential reversal is perhaps more of a threat to TJX's fashion-anchored Marmaxx segment than other business lines. But the company has nicely counterbalanced fashion risks through expansion of its HomeGoods segment, which presently comprises roughly 15% of total company revenue.

Overall, however, despite these few risk factors, retail disruption is enhancing TJX's prospects. The company bumped up its full-year diluted earnings-per-share outlook this week and rewarded shareholders with a 25% dividend increase. In an environment of retail doom, TJX is "Maxx"-imizing its market position.Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei meets the OSCE Secretary General

24-05-2018

On May 24, 2018 the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, met with the OSCE Secretary General, Thomas Greminger, who is on a visit to Belarus to participate in Minsk Dialogue Forum Eastern Europe: In search of Security for All.

During the meeting, the sides discussed current state of European security, Belarus  OSCE cooperation, implementation of bilateral projects, as well as peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.

Special attention was paid to the initiative of the President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, to re-invigorate the process of restoring mutual trust and reducing tensions in Europe.

   

print versionTributes have been paid to a young trainee mechanic killed in an accident involving a tractor.

Neil Graham, died after the accident at a farm in County Fermanagh on Tuesday (22 May).

Emergency services were sent to Boho Road in Springfield, Enniskillen following a 999 call at 2.39pm. An air ambulance was also dispatched.

See also: Certification and staff training  all you need to know

Paramedics treated Mr Graham for his injuries, but they could not save him and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 17-year-old had been a studying as a trainee mechanic at Portora Royal School, in Enniskillen.

He loved the outdoors

Paying tribute, Mark Ovens told the Belfast Telegraph his cousin was a typical Fermanagh young farm hand who loved his home of Garrison.

He was brilliant, really witty and very popular. Everyone thought the world of him, Mr Ovens said.

He said the teenager was a typical mischievous 17-year-old who owned a pet goat and pet chickens.

He loved where he lived, he loved the outdoors and he loved getting his hands dirty, he added.

He was a typical Fermanagh young farmhand who worked on the family farm. He and his father Eddie were very close. Neil was the youngest of four children.

In our prayers

DUP leader and Fermanagh and South Tyrone Member of the Legislative Assembly Arlene Foster sent her condolences to the family.

This is immensely sad news for the Garrison community. This was a well-known, young man with his life in front of him who had died in very tragic circumstances, said Mrs Foster.

Our thoughts turn to Neils family who are mourning the loss of their son.

They will feel the pain of his loss most acutely and they are very much in our prayers in the days and weeks ahead. Garrison is a close-knit area and I have no doubt the community will give help and support to the family as they grieve Neils loss.

The Health and Safety Executive in Northern Ireland is investigating the circumstances surrounding Mr Grahams death.

Mr Graham is survived by his parents Edward and Joy, his brother Jonathan and his sisters Cherith and Rebecca. His funeral will take place on Friday (25 May) at Garrison Parish Church followed by burial in the adjoining graveyard.European Court of Human Rights held final hearing in case of Russian-Georgian war 2008 - GeorgianJournalLG unveils a 77-inch rollable OLED display panel News oi-Vishal Kawadkar LG introduces an innovative rollable display panel.

LG has already given us a sneak peek of both transparent OLED and rollable OLED displays. Now it seems the technology will be closer than we think. LG has shown off what it calls the world's first 77-inch transparent flexible OLED display.

Blending its transparent and rollable OLED display techs in a single display shows how ahead the company has come in terms of its development. The new panel is capable of the standard Ultra HD (UHD) resolution of 3840  2160 with 40 percent transparency.

"LG Display is proud to have a pioneering role in the 50-year history of LCD innovations by introducing world-first and world-best technologies such as IPS," LG Display executive vice president and chief technology officer In-Byeong Kang said in a statement. "We will continue to create innovations in the display industry by establishing a new display paradigm with OLED technology and opening another revolutionary chapter of display history."

While these new technologies might make to your living rooms in the future, they won't be useful if you are planning to purchase a new TV set.

Besides, LG along with Google also unveiled a 4.3-inch OLED 18MP display comes with a resolution of 4800 x 3840. It has a pixel density of 1443PPi and a 120Hz refresh rate. Both companies referred to it as the "world's highest-resolution OLED on-glass display."

If we compare the new display with the HTC Vive, you'll find that the latter has two 3.6-inch displays with resolutions of 1,200 x 1,080. The higher-end HTC Vive Pro has two 3.5-inch displays with resolutions of 1,600 x 1,440. The Vive Pro maxes out at 615PPI, making this new LG panel about 57% better than HTC's best offering.

A person with great vision sees in an estimated resolution of 9,600 x 9,000 with a PPI density of 2,183. Basically, this new display from Google and LG is about half as good as our own eyes. But before you get too excited, the VR headset won't be available any time soon. Google rep Carlin Verri told 9to5Google that the companies started this project to push the industry forward.

In other words, this is just proof that these displays can be created, and there are no plans to use them in any consumer products yet. In any case, the display will require huge processing power to make use of two displays with that kind of pixel density in a headset. Still, the fact that this is possible is pretty exciting.

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsSecond session of the bilateral consultative forum of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Belarus and Indonesia

24-05-2018

On May 24, 2018 Minsk hosted second session of the bilateral consultative forum of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Belarus and Indonesia.

Background Information: The first Belarusian-Indonesian political consultations took place in Jakarta in October 2016.

The Belarusian delegation was headed by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrei Dapkiunas, the Indonesian delegation was led by the Director General for American and European Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Deputy Minister), Muhammad Anshor.

On the eve of the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Belarus and Indonesia (June 18), A.Dapkiunas and M.Anshor agreed on the importance of drawing public attention of both countries to the achievements of the last quarter of the century and seeing the prospects for bilateral interstate cooperation.

During the meeting, the delegations discussed topical issues on the bilateral, regional and international agenda, in particular, the development of interstate contacts at the highest and high levels, the desirability of Indonesias permanent diplomatic presence in Belarus, the possibility of initiating joint economic, educational and other projects, including in the format of cooperation through the regional interstate formations: the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the EAEU, the CIS, and others.

The interlocutors testified to the high efficiency and mutually interested nature of bilateral interaction in international organizations, primarily in the UN, the priority for both countries of the problem of supporting the traditional family and combating trafficking in persons.

The heads of delegations noted common approaches to the most fundamental issues of the international agenda, agreed to expand the practice of consultations, including in the field of foreign policy analysis and planning.

Special attention during the consultations was paid to bilateral cooperation in trade and economic, scientific, technical, educational and other fields, as well as expediency of work on the drafts of bilateral agreements and the ratification of previously signed documents. The interlocutors discussed the prospects for the preparation of an agreement on a free trade zone between the Eurasian Economic Union and Indonesia and agreed on the importance of this step for the development of mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation between Belarus and Indonesia.

Following the consultations, the heads of delegations signed a protocol, which provides for concrete steps and activities aimed at enhancing the comprehensive bilateral cooperation.

   

print versionXiaomi Mi Credit personal loan service launched in India News oi-Abhinaya Prabhu Xiaomi has announced yet another value-added service for the Indian MIUI users.

Xiaomi has gone to the next step by launching the Mi Credit service in India. This is an instant personal loan platform for young professionals. The company says that the Mi Credit service can act as a platform for its consumers to initiate financial lending. Users seeing financial assistance can log on to the platform to apply for quick loans from the listed financial loan providers.

The Xiaomi Mi Credit service has been announced in partnership with KreditBee, an instant personal loan platform. This is the third value-added internet service that the company has launched for its users. Earlier this month, the Chinese company launched the Mi Music and Mi Video services.

How does Mi Credit work

Xiaomi Mi Credit platform is only meant for the MIUI users. The company has teamed up with KreditBee to offer loans from Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 1,00,000. It is aimed to make it convenient for young professionals to get personal loans easily. The loan can be initiated in less than 10 minutes with a KYC verification process. All the user information input and verification will be done on partner platforms. The Mi Credit website will only list the names of the agents.

As only MIUI users are eligible to get loans via this service, the users of Mi A1 running stock Android cannot enjoy the benefits.

Manu Jain, Vice President, Xiaomi and Managing Director, Xiaomi India said, "The connectivity between our devices and the seamless integration between hardware and internet services enable us to provide our users with better user experience. Mi Credit is another big step in bringing an important internet service to India and we trust that our users would be able to truly benefit as the service becomes more sophisticated."

Notably, this value-added service is aimed at boosting the sales of the Xiaomi products via its own platform. Already, the company has reached great heights of popularity and market share in India in just a few years of debuting its operations. With the Xiaomi loan service, the company appears to be in plans to grow further by benefiting the users.

Xiaomi's Global Mi Home Experience Store in Delhi: Products Rundown

What do you think of this service? If you are an MIUI user, then are you ready to take loans with this Mi Credit platform? Do let us know what's in your mind about this service via comments.

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Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications"Canceling one fundraiser with this dog shooter means nothing if Chris Comins's checks are still sitting in Adam Putnam and the Republican Party of Florida's bank accounts," said American Bridge spokesperson Zach Hudson. "We would hope accepting thousands of dollars from someone who was caught on camera shooting dogs is a bridge too far even for Adam Putnam."@alextdaugherty

Miami Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo is leading a last-gasp shot to change the nation's immigration laws after years of inaction, and he's been furiously trying to rally dissatisfied Republicans over the past three weeks to bypass House Speaker Paul Ryan and force a series of votes on the House floor on immigration in the next few days..

Here's what you need to know.

On May 9, Curbelo introduced a petition to change the rules in the House of Representatives to allow votes on four immigration-related bills. The bill that receives the most support beyond a simple majority passes the House and heads to the Senate for consideration.

Within hours, 17 Republicans signed Curbelo's petition, including Miami Republican Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

Curbelo and California Republican Rep. Jeff Denham have led an arm-twisting effort over the past two weeks to get more Republicans on board, and now they are two Republican signatures short of the 25 GOP votes they need to reach a majority if every single Democrat signs the petition.

The petition would force a vote on the following bills:

A conservative immigration bill embraced by the majority of House Republicans that doesn't have enough support to pass.

A bill called the DREAM Act that would protect DACA recipients and DACA-eligible young people who didn't sign up for the program from deportation and give them a path to citizenship.

A bill that gives DACA-eligible young people a path to citizenship while also including funding for border security.

A fourth bill of Speaker Ryan's choosing.

Read more here.By Jeffrey Solochek, Tampa Bay Times

To almost no one's surprise, a last ditch effort to bring Florida lawmakers back to Tallahassee for another conversation about public education funding has failed.

A group of House Democrats, led by Reps. Shevrin Jones and Nicholas Duran, used an obscure law by which 20 percent of the Legislature could require a poll to determine whether a special session would take place.

Three-fifths of the members in each chamber would have to agree. The vote fell far short.

In the House, all 41 Democrats supported the measure. Not a single Republican did.

In the Senate, all 16 Democrats backed the call. Not one Republican joined them. In fact, the nearly half the Senate Republicans did not even participate in the survey, including former president Tom Lee (Hillsborough), future president Wilton Simpson (Pasco) and president pro tempore Anitere Flores (Miami-Dade).

Secretary of State Ken Detzner announced the survey results Thursday, after the noon deadline had passed. The outcome was all but certain two days earlier, though, as the emerging tally made clear the 60 percent threshold wouldn't be reached.

The Democrats made their push amid school leader complaints that the state's public education budget for the coming fiscal year did not include enough added funding to cover rising daily costs, while also not meeting the Legislature's demands for increased school security and mental health services.

Republican leaders fired back with a video insisting the state's education funding had reached record levels, and arguing the detractors misrepresented the budget. Gov. Rick Scott also stood by the spending plan, which he signed despite calls for a veto by superintendents and others.

Rep. Jones, the ranking Democrat on the House Education committee, said it was unfortunate the effort failed.

"I'm thankful for my Democratic colleagues for understanding and keeping true to our values, which we have consistently been fighting for," he said. "We will continue our commitment to fight on behalf of our teachers and on behalf of our students.

"How do we do that? The people will always rise."

Students, parents and educators are becoming fed up with a legislative system that does not share that priority, Jones said, suggesting the electorate will take matters into its own hands.

"We fight on," he said.

Soon after Detzner's official pronouncement that the special session hadn't passed, the Florida Education Association issued a statement noting that Scott easily could have called lawmakers back on his own, if he had the will.

"This is very sad news for our schools, but no surprise given the current political landscape," FEA president Joanne McCall said in the release. "It's sad news for all of us, because the whole state loses when public education is harmed. The only bright spot I see, going forward, is that we can change our political landscape this fall at the polls."

House Democratic leaders who called for the session could not be immediately reached for comment.

Related: Florida Dems use obscure law in last-ditch effort to call Legislature back for more school funding

Photo: Rep. Shevrin Jones confers with House Speaker Richard Corcoran in a recent Florida legislative session. [The Florida House]Whats in a name? Turns outa whole lot. Your brands name is the message that you broadcast to the world. While companies may come and go, their name lasts forever. But too often entrepreneurs treat the naming process as an afterthought, a fun thing to brainstorm about over bagels or a drink, not a serious step of a brand development strategy.

Related: Why Brand Name is Important for Start-Ups ?

Because the legal cannabis industry is relatively new and booming and because there are so many niche markets within the industry, there are a ton of new naming possibilities. The key is to find a name that both describes the essence of your brand and differentiates you in the marketplace. Here are some key questions to ask yourself.

Related: 10 Questions to Ask Before Naming Your Business

Whats the soul of my company?

Before writing anything down, ask yourself what your product or service is all about. What story do you want to tell? Cannabis is a very intimate product that people want to connect with, says Scott Milano the founder and managing director of Tanj, a boutique marketing agency that specializes in names (they were responsible for the name Wii). Getting a clearer picture of what your brand should represent in the world can be very beneficial.

Can my name withstand the test of time?

Try to pick at least one aspect of your business that will be permanent, and see if you can reflect that in a name, recommends Joe Goldstein, the director of SEO and operations at TrailBlazer SEO, web design and SEO specialists for the cannabis industry. The reason for this is that businesses change. What might be a priority one year may be completely different the next. You dont want to be stuck with a name thats yesterdays news.

For example, he says, if you want to open a medical dispensary that may eventually evolve into a recreational dispensary, a name that includes "medical," "doctor," or "RX" could send the wrong message.

Instead, look for words that distill the essence of your company and wont be subject to change. If youre a delivery business that focuses on speed, for example, focus on words like express and direct.

What are my competitors' names?

Write down a list of all your competitions names. You want to understand what is going on with the messages behind their names, explains Milano. The purpose of this practice is not to copy their names, but to take note of the names and brands that are successful and unsuccessful and understand why.

Milano did a quick survey of the cannabis company names and broke it down into a few different categories.

Puns--such as Cannavore, Incredibles, MedMen

Personifications--Chongs Choice, Auntie Dolores

Natural/Green--Terra, Leafs by Snoop, Willies Reserve

Places--California Finest, Colorado Harvest Company

Modern--LucidMood.

No frills-- THC factory

WellnessCanniMed

Goldstein suggests going through your competitors' reviews and flagging all the negative ones. Not to be a jerk but to "see if you can spot any patterns or underserved market segments, he says. For example, senior citizens are one of the fastest growing cannabis consumer bases, but very few cannabis businesses cater to them. By identifying niches and needs such as these, you can carve out a unique market for yourself in your name.

Is the name trademarked already?

Once you have a solid list of names (Molinari suggest 1000!), do a trademark screening on the ones you like to make sure theyre available. You don't want to get dinged with a lawsuit right out of the gate. The U.S. Patent and Trade Office website should be your first line of defense. If your findings there are inconclusive, you might want to consider hiring a private trademark attorney.

Related: Apply For a Trademark Before It's Too Late

Is the name too narrow?

While your core customer is very important to your core business, you dont want to just play to your base. A successful business caters to their fans but leaves room to expand into other markets. Says Goldstein, "No matter what you name your business, remember that your customers aren't the only ones you need to worry about. A dispensary named The Dank Dojo might amuse your customers, but will it stand in the way of attracting serious investors, winning cooperation from local authorities, or being treated as a legitimate business by your community?

What do my peers think?

Once you come up with your name wish list, it helps to take it outside your familiar bubble and expose some of your top names to colleagues, friends, and even complete strangers. Milano suggests running simple tests online, using social media, free services like Survey Monkey, or paid audience testing. But take these results with a grain of salt, he says. Use them to test the barometer but don't let them dissuade you from ideas you might like.

"It's important to develop a long list of options and attack them from every angle until you're only left with options that will serve your business on all fronts," says Goldstein.

Related: Tweak Your Company Survey to Find Out What the Customer Actually Experiences

Related:

Cryptocurrency and the Allure of a Cashless Cannabis Industry

6 Questions to Ask Before Naming Your Cannabis Company

Why the Mission Statement and Business Plan for a Cannabis Business Are Unique



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reservedIt's probably too late for Harry and Meghan. But for the hundreds of thousands of couples slated to march down the aisle in June, traditionally the biggest wedding month, there's a new option out there for buying your beloved an engagement or wedding ring. Call it the "Warby Parker effect."

Warby Parker disrupted the eyeglass industry by offering customers "home try-on" boxes of up to five frames, with free shipping both ways.

Related: Why Ecommerce Brands Harry's and Warby Parker Opened Brick-and-Mortar Stores

Now, the try-on model has spread to other shopping categories as well, including bras, furniture, clothing -- and jewelry. Jeweler Mendel Laine, whose family owns the brick-and-mortar store in Brooklyn, N.Y., said he's started a spinoff business called Hayden Cudworth. The spinoff has been sending out "try-on kits" for engagement rings and wedding bands for just under a year.

"We give customers the opportunity to log on to our website, browse the site, choose up to five rings they're interested in and add them to the cart with free shipping, free return," Laine told Entrepreneur.

Lest jewel thieves get any ideas, Laine explained that what customers receive is a replica of the glittery final product. "They're filled with cz's [cubic zirconium] and made of silver alloy," he said of his try-on model rings. "They're rhodium coated, which is the same thing used in white gold.

"They get them at home, together with the ring-sizer. They have five days to try them on, get opinions. Then they ship them back ... they can choose the metal they want, and in many cases they can choose the stone size," he says.

Interestingly, replicas in the jewelry trade -- unlike the eyewear industry, for example -- are nothing new. "Many jewelry stores, in order to offer a wide variety of bridal engagement rings, have replica rings with [simulated] diamonds that the customers view," Laine said. That way, he said, jewelers "are not stocking hundreds of thousands of dollars' [worth of valuable jewelry pieces]," sending insurance costs skyrocketing.

Related: #7 Trends That Will Shape the Jewellery Industry in 2018

The jeweler said his initial inspiration came from, no surprise, Warby Parker: "100 percent," he said. Considering the fact that he and his five siblings all wear glasses, he realized that the concept could also work for rings. "It was like a lightbulb flashed," he said.

In particular, it would work for his family business, whose jewelry pieces' price points range from just over $1,000 up to $10,000 (with materials options added in). "The reason we like this is because sometimes people feel like they're being judged if they come into a jewelry store," Laine pointed out. He said such catty judgments might include "Oh, that's your price point!'" or perhaps a raised eyebrow about whom a buyer has chosen for a future spouse.

"Also, nowadays we live in a time with Instacart, Blue Apron," Laine pointed out. "We've mentioned Warby Parker. Everything is concierge service. People are much busier; they don't have time to make it to the store and get everyone's opinion. We felt that all those things combined to make this a good project."

Try at home seems to be working. Demand for the kits, Laine said, has increased an average 15 percent month over month ever since; the ratio for number of kits to final sale is about 10-to-1.

As for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, there's always a chance that the royals could still get in on the try-at-home game: "People reset their rings all the time; people increase the size of it," Laine said, jokingly.

Related: Can Zuck Outdo Harry and Meghan's Royal Wedding? 3 Things to Know Today.

Of course: "I don't know if that works for them, because our price point goes to $10,000, and I'm very sure their ring is above that."

Related:

Need to Find Your Beloved Just the Right Engagement Ring? Here's a New Way How.

The How-To: Disrupting The Tightly Controlled Academic Sector

5 Reasons Why You Should Hire a Digital Marketing Consultant for Your Business in 2018



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reservedIt's not the first time we've heard about Huawei working on a foldable smartphone and the first indicator came two months ago when company patented a device with flexible display. Now, a Korean news outlet claims that Huawei is working closely with Chinese display maker BOE to bring the first commercially available foldable handset in November.

The device is said to feature an 8-inch flexible display and rival the Galaxy Note 9 later this year. BOE is reportedly working on four different smartphone designs with two companies. Samsung could be one of those clients, but since the Korean company would probably do its own flexible panels, it's more likely that either Xiaomi or Oppo is the other. The latter has already filed a patent for its own version of a flexible handset.

Other potential partners of BOE are Lenovo and ZTE as they have enperimented with flexible devices in the past.

Source(in Korean)These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.Qualcomm announced its new Snapdragon 700 series back in February and it's now making the first of the two chipsets to lead the lineup official. The Snapdragon 710 Mobile Platform, as Qualcomm calls it, sits above the Snapdragon 660 and below the Snapdragon 835 and 845, aiming to trickle flagship functionality down to midrangers.

The Snapdragon 710 Mobile Platform is built on an efficient 10nm process and uses the new Kryo 360 CPU.

The new SoC brings a multi-core AR Engine for on-device neural network processing and a Spectra 250 image signal processor that can perform multi-frame noise reduction in images. The new ISP has the necessary AI smarts to perform depth sensing for portrait mode shots with faux bokeh.

The Snapdragon 710 promises 40% better power efficiency compared to the Snapdragon 660 and offers support for Qualcomm's Quick Charge 4+ technology with around 50% in 15 minutes of charging.

The new X15 LTE modem promises download up to 800 Mbps - not quite gigabit but close. The 4X4 MIMO antenna support ensures data connection will be fast and steady.

Qualcomm partners already have access to the new Snapdragon 710 and the first phones to use it are due in the second quarter of the year, so basically any moment now.

Source | ViaIf you are a Sony fan in the US, and are planning to purchase the XZ2, here's a deal for you: the device is currently available at discounted price from B&H. The retailer is asking $736, which translates into a discount of $64.

For comparison, Best Buy - which is Sony's official US retail partner for the XZ2 - is selling the device for $799.99.

The promo is available on all four color options including silver, black, green, and pink. The listing doesn't say when the deal ends, so those of you interested in availing it may have to act fast. For more info, head to the Source link below.

If you are considering the phone, you should know we just posted our Xperia XZ2 long-term review so you might want to check it out to see if this phone a good match for your needs.

SourceXiaomi is starting its official operation in Italy today, just as previously announced.

It reached France two days ago when it opened its first brick and mortar Mi Store in Paris. The company also launched its French online store, where it sells the Redmi Note 5, the Mi Mix 2S, the Mi A1, the Mi Mix 2 and the Redmi 5.

It's expected that it will do the same in Italy but we'll need to wait and see Xiaomi's official announcement. The livestream starts in at 4PM UTC and you can watch it right here.

What most Italians will be looking forward to is Xiaomi smartphones being sold officially through Italian carriers like TIM, Orange, SFR and Vodafone.

This will surely solidify Xiaomi's fourth position in the European market and help the company reach even higher market share.

SourcePublished on 2018/05/24 | Source

Added episode 2 captures for the Korean drama "Miss Hammurabi" (2018)

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Directed by Kwak Jeong-hwan

Written by Moon Yoo-suk

Network : jTBC

With Go Ara, Kim Myung-soo, Sung Dong-il, Ryu Deok-hwan, Lee Elijah, Lee Tae-sung,...

16 episodes - Mon, Tue 23:00

Synopsis

A legal drama centering around judge Im Ba-reun, a top-notch judge who has no interest in success. Rather, he strictly follows what he believes is right.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2018/05/21

MorePublished on 2018/05/24 | Source

Added episodes 11 and 12 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

MoreMontana State University-Northern Chancellor Greg Kegel cuts the ribbon Wednesday at the grand opening of Northern's Diesel Technology Center as his wife, Sherry, looks on.

Montana State University-Northern Wednesday first opened the doors of its new Diesel Technology Center to the public for an open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony at 5:30 p.m.

The Diesel Technology Center has been under construction over the past two years and was spearheaded by Greg Kegel, chancellor of MSU-Northern, including while he was dean of Northern's College of Technical Sciences.

"It's beautiful," Kegel said during the ceremony, adding, "it's always fun to see a student win. Any student who goes through a program and then getting a job at the end, that's why I do it."

Montana State University President Waded Cruzado said erecting the building took the efforts of many.

"This project wouldn't have been possible without the support of so many people," she said, giving an additional thanks the the offices of Govs. Brian Schweitzer and Steve Bullock and a special thanks to the industry leaders, partners, donors and benefactors who went "above and beyond the call of duty" to make this building possible.

Cruzado also made two gifts to Northern, a fountain and every fourth ad by Montana State University on television this upcoming fall will be about Northern.

The building replaces the facility that was built in the 1950s that housed Northern's Diesel and Automotive Technology programs - and never really met their needs.

Kegel was working in the middle of the last decade to get the project approved, designed and funded. The new facility focuses on the diesel program.

Kegel said that with every building they want to build a building that takes the program to another level, a building that will offer the things that the old building couldn't.

The new diesel building will "cater to high-end tech," he said, adding that his goal for the building was wanting "people to walk in and say the world of the technician is different than what I thought it was, this is how they work, this is how they live, this is how the industry is."

He thanked the industries and everybody who supported the diesel tech building and sees a bright future for MSU-Northern and the Hi-Line community.

Other members of the Board of Regents spoke as well as representatives of foundations and industry leaders who donated, such as, BNSF Railway, The Washington Group, Fairbanks Morse Engines and others, all praising Northern, Kegel and the community.

Staff was on hand to give the public who attended the open house a tour.

Havre Mayor Tim Solomon was among the many who toured the center during the open house, saying he was amazed with the facility.

After the ribbon cutting ceremony people could walk throughout the entire building. Kory Kennaugh of CWG architects said that "it is satisfying to see it from design into reality," adding it was a large project but Kegel and his staff's vision and goals for the building made designing it go along smoothly.

"Kegel had a very specific vision for the building," Kennaugh said, adding that the results were amazing.

Dave Clausen and Pat Newton of Clausen and Sons Construction said they also were excited to see the end result of the diesel building, with Newton saying it is a "very nice facility" and Clausen saying it was "nice to be involved in a project like this," and "it's good for the community."

Brent Cotton, superintendent of Swank Enterprises, that erected the building, said when asked how he felt now that the project was over that, "We always strive for buildings that inspire, and with the Diesel Technology Center, I feel that we accomplished that. It was an honor to be part of this collaborative project."

David A. Santamaria from Fairbanks Morse said this is a unique building, that out in the world there are no buildings like this in the educational field. He continued that how the labs are set up is similar to the actual workplace environment and the "industry is very excited."

Santamaria said Kegel has really understood what the industry needs and that he is hoping, in the future, to sponsor some scholarships. He added that Northern's impact will be felt for the years to come.

Bear Paw Development Corp. Executive Director and Regent Paul Tuss said "it's incredible."

He said he could remember the groundbreaking two years ago, and this "far exceeds anything that I thought it was going to look like."

Tuss, who is also a Democratic candidate in the race for Montana Senate District 14, added, "We have to give credit to all the industry partners that helped Chancellor Kegel and everybody else to make this happen."

"This is a great day for Northern," he said.SeRim Jeong, from left, Gryphon Guyant, Christian Sorensen, Natalie Verploegen, Jada Paulson and Abigail Berger pose for a photograph Wednesday with their awards from the Hi-Line Documentary and Shorts Film Screening.

Monday night, Havre High School teamed up with the Yellow Bus Committee to present awards in two categories of films made and produced by high school students.

Sixteen films were presented in the shorts and documentary categories of the Hi-Line Documentary and Shorts Film Screening and the prizes, which included plaques and prize money provided by the the Yellow Bus Committee, were awarded based upon the votes of the audience.

The winners in the shorts category were Christian Sorensen, Gryphon Guyant and Natalie Verploegen.

Sorensen, 18, whose video "Virtual Home" won first place, will be attending Montana State University's School of Film and Photography this fall.

He said he didn't expect his video, which is about a young man whose life is dependent on technology, to win a second prize - "Virtual Home" won the "Best in the West" prize in a state-wide video contest sponsored by Triangle Communications in April.

Guyant, 17, won second place for his film "The Normal Scenario," which is about male sexual harassment and how it is more prevalent than society thinks.

"My mom steered me in the direction (of this topic)," he said, "She got me in contact with my interviews."

He said he hopes to eventually become a teacher or work in theater or film after going to Montana State University-Northern.

Verploegen, 17, made a video about the effects of suicide, "Save a Life," which won third place. She said she made the video because she has seen the effects of suicide around her, and she wanted to help people recognize the signs. She said she would like to study media productions after she graduates.

The documentary category winners were Abigail Berger, Jada Paulson, Christian Sorensen and SeRim Jeong.

First place went to Berger, 17, whose film "Times are a Changing," portrayed the difference of life for each generation.

She said growing up with her grandparents helped her see how different generations experience life. She enjoyed interviewing her grandparents for the video, but said it was difficult to interview her grandfather, because he is "a silly guy."

Berger said she would like to study criminology when she graduates high school.

Paulson, 18, with her video "They are Everywhere" and Sorensen with "Frozen in Place'" tied for second place.

"Frozen in Place," is about the many talented people who expect to fail, so they don't even try, Sorensen said.

Paulson said she was inspired to make "They are Everywhere," a video about the impacts of drunk driving, because she said she feels "there are too many drunk drivers." She added that she interviewed many different people - including a doctor and a paramedic - because she wanted different perspectives on the effects of drunk driving.

She said she is going to study nursing at Montana State University-Northern after graduation.

The third place winner was SeRim Jeong's film "Animal Testing."

Jeong, who is 15 years old in the U.S. and 17 years old in South Korea - because of the Korean aging system - has been studying in Havre for the past year and will be returning home in June.

She said she chose her topic, animal testing, because she didn't know much about animal testing but was curious when she saw commercials on television about cosmetics not being tested on animals.

Jeong added that the most challenging aspect about making a video in her nonnative language was understanding the people she was interviewing.

Jeong said she is excited to return home, but also very happy to visit Los Angeles before leaving the United States.

The complete list of the films entered in the contest are:

Shorts Category

Grace Loftus, "Women in Combat"

Gryphon Guyant, "The Normal Scenario"

Mariah Olson, "Will He Take the Shot?"

Christian Sorensen, "Not so Silent, but Very Deadly"

Natalie Verploegen, "Save a Life"

Cole Hanson, "I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag"

Christian Sorensen, "Virtual Home"

Laetitia Witt, "School Safety"

Documentary Category

Laetitia Witt, "Best Little Ski Hill in Montana"

Abigail Berger, "The Times are a Changing"

Jada Paulson, "They are Everywhere"

Natalie Verploegen, "Best Choice"

Laetitia Witt, "Civil Courage"

Christian Sorensen, "Frozen in Place"

Natalie Verploegen, "Recycle, Rather Than Throw Away"

SeRim Jeong, "Animal Testing"Dear editor,

It appears time has come for a little history lesson on Montana, a state whose name is rooted in the Spanish language, as its state motto: Oro y plata.

When I was a child, Spanish was a prevalent language spoken on the Hi-Line, particularly in Blaine County, as many working the sugar beet fields were farm laborers from Mexico.

One of the principle characters in Ernest Hemingways famous short story, The Gambler, the Nun and the Radio, is a Mexican. The story set, ostensibly, in Billings, is subject to an equally clear interpretation that could include the Townhouse Cafe, Sacred Heart Hospital, and the dusty, weed-covered hill just south of the hospital and Pepin Park, as well as the areas sugar beet fields.

Spanish wasnt the only language other than English on the lips of many people in the area in the 50s. Italian, Hungarian, German, Japanese, Chinese, Cree, Ojibway, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Metis French and many more languages were spoken in older Havre households, primarily in the east end.

I still have acquaintances who speak Spanish as either a first or second language.

To hear anyone say that Spanish is not a language of Montana is a cue that the speaker doesnt know Montana and its historic diversity very well.

Alan Sorensen

HavreThe email allegedly read: Ok I know exactly the type of person she is in my mind. Small, bubble, slightly irritating but probably really good at what you need her for  organized, quick, chavvy.

She is probably worth interviewing if you think you can cope with having someone like her around. She has some quite relevant experience and would probably lift spirits in the packing room.

I bet her voice is quite irritating. Delete this email in case you took her on and she found it.

Speaking to another local paper, Forest Whole Foods acknowledged the mistake and added that the email was sent by an employee called Josie.

As cringeworthy as employee slip-ups such as this one are, theyre also completely avoidable. HR leaders should ensure that their organizations have ethical and transparent practices in place to prevent brand blunders.The penalties are the result of the FWOs first legal action against an employer for failing to transfer paid parental leave funds to an employee.

Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James said withholding money funded by Australian taxpayers from a vulnerable worker and telling blatant lies to the FWO is completely unacceptable conduct that deserves the strongest condemnation.

New parents have enough on their minds without having to chase recalcitrant employers over their taxpayer funded paid parental leave, said James.

The employee worked as a chef on a 487 skilled regional employer nomination visa and is now an Australian citizen.

After the employee, then aged 29, had a child, the Department of Human Services (DHS) transferred $11,538 to Singhs company in April 2015 to transfer to the worker.Recovery after severe spinal cord injury is notoriously fraught, with permanent paralysis often the result. In recent years, researchers have increasingly turned to stem cell-based therapies as a potential method for repairing and replacing damaged nerve cells. They have struggled, however, to overcome numerous innate barriers, including myelin, a mixture of insulating proteins and lipids that helps speed impulses through adult nerve fibers but also inhibits neuronal growth.

But in a new paper, published in the May 23 online issue of Science Translational Medicine, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that adult rat myelin actually stimulated axonal outgrowth in rat neural precursor cells (NPCs) and human induced pluripotent (iPSC)-derived neural stem cells (NSCs).

Its really a remarkable finding because myelin is known to be a potent inhibitor of adult axon regeneration, said Mark Tuszynski, MD, PhD, professor of neuroscience and director of the UC San Diego Translational Neuroscience Institute. But that isnt the case with precursor neurons or those derived from stem cells.

Tuszynskis lab, with colleagues in Germany and Singapore, monitored neurite outgrowth from NPCs and NSCs growing on a myelin substrate in Petri dishes. Neurites are projections from the cell bodies of neurons, either axons (which carry signals outward to other neurons) or dendrites (which receive the signals). In both cases, they found outgrowth enhanced threefold.

In subsequent studies using rats with spinal cord injuries, the researchers found that rat NPCs and human iPSC-derived NSCs implanted at the injury site both extended greater numbers of axons through adult central nervous system white matter than through gray matter, and preferentially associated with rat host myelin.

Paring away some of the myelin molecules known to strongly inhibit axonal growth, Tuszynski and colleagues identified a molecule called reuronal growth regulator 1 or Negr1 as a potential mediator between axons and myelin, permitting the formers growth. Negr1 is involved in the process by which cells attach to neighboring cells and interact. The growth factor plays an important role during embryological development, when neurons are growing rapidly but before myelin begins to have an inhibitory effect.

When we implant neural stem cells into sites of spinal cord injury, they extend tens of thousands of axons out of the injury site for distances of up to 50 millmeters, said Tuszynski. Adult axons on the other hand, when coaxed to grow, extend 100 axons for a distance of one millimeter. These findings identify why axon outgrowth from neural stem cell implants is so much better than injured adult axons.

The findings support the developing approach of using neural precursor cells and iPSC-derived stem cells as a viable and promising method for repairing spinal cord injuries, wrote the study authors. More specifically, they point to the need to further investigate the stimulatory effects of myelin on NPCs and NSCs, which could potentially be exploited for neural repair after spinal cord injury.

Co-authors include: Gunnar H.S. Poplawski, Richard Lie, Matt Hunt, Hiromi Kumamaru, Jacob Robins, Philip Canete, Jennifer Dulin, Cedric Geoffroy, Binhai Zheng, and Grace Woodruff, UCSD; Riki Kawaguchi and Giovanni Coppola, UCLA; Paul Lu, UCSD and San Diego Veterans Administration Medical Center; Michael Schafer and Lutz Mensel, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.

Funding for this research came, in part, from the Veterans Administration, the National Institutes of Health (NS09881, EB014986), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust, the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Medical Research Foundation and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (P30 NS062691).Scott Moorehead was thrown into a deep depression when he lost his sense of smell five years ago due to a traumatic brain injury. Moorehead fell in the driveway of his Marion, Indiana, home while teaching his then 6-year-old son, Mason, how to skateboard.

Moorehead suffered a major concussion and internal bleeding, but the long-lasting consequence was severing the connection of the olfactory nerves in his nose to his brain, which resulted in total smell loss, or anosmia.

It is an invisible injury, Moorehead said. The senses tie to memory and enjoyment made the loss debilitating.

Until you cant smell at all you have no idea how emotional the experience can be, he said. You start to think about these really awful things, like, someday my daughter is going to get married and Im going to walk her down the aisle and Im going to give her a big hug, and Im going to have no idea what she smelled like.

Moorehead is one of the roughly 6.3 million people nationally who have reported a loss of smell, according to the Monell Chemical Senses Center. Many of these people report feeling socially isolated and in danger because they cannot detect hazards such as gas leaks and spoiled food. They frequently dont enjoy eating and drinking, because taste is tied to smell, and feel less confident of hygiene. Smell loss has been linked to depression and difficulty forming memories. This may be because smells are closely tied to the brains limbic system, which has key functions for stimulation, emotion and memories. Smell loss is often connected to head trauma, viral infections and diseases associated with aging.

Desperate for relief, Moorehead searched for solutions for his condition but was told by multiple specialists that nothing could be done. Three years later, after he said he stopped looking for a cure and dealt with everything emotionally, a friend told him about smell restoration technology being developed by researchers in Virginia Commonwealth Universitys School of Medicine.

The news inspired Moorehead, who is CEO of The Cellular Connection, the largest Verizon retailer in the nation, to commit to funding the development and commercialization of the technology. He partnered with the inventors, VCU School of Medicine professors Richard Costanzo, Ph.D., and Daniel Coelho, M.D., and the VCU Innovation Gateway to form Lawnboy Ventures LLC, with the intent of commercializing the technology.

Daniel Coelho, M.D., front; and Richard Costanzo, Ph.D.

Ive been given the opportunity to live this life and I ended up with only one permanent part of my injury. My brain works, my body works, everything works and Im extremely grateful for that, Moorehead said. Its not as much about me anymore. Its about other people who will experience the same things.

Moorehead gave an initial round of funding this month to kick-start the commercialization efforts. Previous grants from MEDARVA Research Foundation totaling nearly $700,000 helped VCU researchers develop the technology. VCU Innovation Gateway manages the intellectual property protection and facilitates commercialization of VCU inventions. Ivelina Metcheva, Ph.D., executive director of Innovation Gateway, said the greatest value of the VCU research enterprise is the application of discoveries.

Transferring this invention to the private sector will enable its translation from bench to patient and will improve quality of life for many people, she said. This is a telling example of how our university endeavors to positively impact society.

The offbeat name of the LLC alludes to a song released in 1990 by the rock band Phish, of which he is a fan.

The lyrics are relevant to the mission. If you look, theres a part [in the song] where they talk about stepping onto the lawn and smelling the olfactory hues, he said.

Restoring the olfactory hues

Smell works when odor molecules enter the nasal cavity and make contact with olfactory receptors. Nerves called axons then carry sensory information to the olfactory bulb, which then processes the information before its delivered to more complex brain regions.

A sensory physiologist, Costanzo, a professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, has spent 40 years researching the mechanisms surrounding taste and olfaction and how to restore these senses. He works alongside physicians in VCUs Smell and Taste Disorders Center, part of the Department of Otolaryngology. The center is one of a handful in the U.S. and throughout the world that study and provide clinical options for managing disorders of the senses smell and taste.

Costanzo receives numerous patient inquiries a year from people with anosmia. But unfortunately, there is no proven method of treating smell loss, he said.

Unless its something simple such as an obstruction or growth in their nose that can be removed, such as a polyp, or a brain tumor that can be excised, theres nothing we can do, Costanzo said. Most olfactory related injuries used to be due to motor vehicle accidents, now its people coming back from war that have blast injuries that result in anosmia.

The brains ability to detect and categorize smells is a function of the central nervous system, which transmits information throughout the body via electrical impulses that travel between nerves. Olfactory receptors in the nasal cavity detect odors and sends this information to the olfactory bulb, a roughly 3-millimeter region located at the bottom of the forebrain. The olfactory bulb processes odor information before it is transferred to higher functioning regions of the brain.

If the connection between the olfactory receptors and bulb is disrupted due to injury or disease, the result is smell loss.

It is a conundrum that Costanzo and Coelho, the G. Douglas Hayden Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology  Head and Neck Surgery and medical director of the VCU Cochlear Implant Center, found themselves discussing over coffee in the lab nearly seven years ago. Costanzo appealed to Coelhos surgical expertise in cochlear implants, a device that restores hearing in people with severe hearing loss.

We noted how wonderful it is to be able to offer hearing impaired patients cochlear implants and lamented that there are not great clinical options for people with complete smell loss, Coelho said. Then we started talking about the electrophysiology of how cochlear implants work.

Cochlear implants bypass damaged parts of the ear to deliver electrical signals to the auditory nerve, which then routes the signals to the brain. Coelho and Costanzo theorized they could develop a device to replace the sensory transmission and interpretation functions of the olfactory nerves. This month, the partners published an article in the journal The International Forum of Allergy and Rhinology proving the concept.

There may be a way to use some cochlear implant technology to stimulate highly selective parts of the brain that are not getting input when smell is lost and to see whether or not that could result in return of smell for patients, Coelho said.

Proof of concept

A working prototype by Costanzo and Coelho. A small gas sensor sits near the nostrils, which would be mounted on glasses or another holding device. Once the gas sensor comes in contact with odor molecules, sensory information would be sent to an external processor. The information is then delivered to an internal electrode array, which stimulates the olfactory bulb.

In late 2016, Coelho and Costanzo received a patent for the development of an olfactory implantation device. Similar to cochlear implants, the device would use an external sensor and internal processor to detect and transmit information and stimulate applicable brain regions.

Recent prototypes show that small gas sensors will detect odor molecules and send information to a microprocessor via electrical signals. The microprocessor will then use electrical signals to direct an implanted electrode array to stimulate the olfactory bulb, producing smell.

However, fine-tuning the device to assist the brain in correctly registering all scents is an art. The implant has to be able to correctly identify gas molecules and stimulate the olfactory bulb in places that would produce the correct smell.

This requires the creation of a personalized sensory map. The physicians would stimulate the olfactory bulb of a person with anosmia in various patterns, and the patient would give feedback on what smell was produced to inform programming of the microprocessor.

We would program the sensor input and microprocessor to know this odor is a banana and this one is a rose, Costanzo said. Then we match up the sensor input with a stimulation pattern for the olfactory bulb. So, if a patient goes into a room and theres a banana smell, a specific odor pattern is activated in the bulb. Now, instead of eating mush they are now getting the banana sensation.

The process is made somewhat less complicated by the fact that odors are not entirely distinct; they are formed by combinations of different odors.

Although the human brain could probably smell a trillion different odorants, you probably only need 200 or so at most to really be able to identify a particular smell because smells depend on mixtures of chemicals, Coelho said. A rose smell is actually made up of a thousand different chemical compounds, but only a handful of those are needed to identify it is a rose.

Success also depends on having the right number and size of microelectrodes to supply the required stimulation. This, combined with determining the patterns of electrical stimulation by those microelectrodes, was a problem posed by early cochlear implants. Some cochlear implant users could only hear a buzz. Decades later, modification of the number of electrodes and the pattern of electrode stimulation dramatically improved cochlear implants. Coelho and Costanzo think this may also be the case with olfactory implantation.

The analogy I give is, playing the piano with one finger or hitting all of the notes at one time doesnt sound so great, Coelho said. Playing with five or 10 fingers sounds great, but any more than that really doesnt make that much of a difference to the listener.

Costanzo, who is also developing a device that would restore the sense of taste, said such innovations are at the cusp of major advances.

We think that much of biomedical technology in the next decade or two is going to focus on interfacing the brain with electronic devices, he said. We are already building portable medical devices for our phones and other things. People will have different sensors that can interface with the body to repair and replace biological systems.Malaria, a blood borne disease caused by single cell parasites, remains a major global public health issue with millions of cases, and nearly half a million deaths every year.

The new discovery in the parasites biology is revealed across a set of three studies led by the University of Glasgows Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology. The studies are published in Nature Communications, Science Advances and MBio.

The researchers have discovered that malaria parasites can occupy sites outside the bloodstream, specifically in the bone marrow and spleen where red blood cells are formed. The studies show in animal models and human infection that this is the major niche for the development of malaria transmission stages and a significant reservoir for the parasites replicative stages.

The researchers demonstrate, for the first time, the movement of blood stage parasite forms and their migration across the vascular barrier to other parts of the body. Further, the work demonstrates that localization in the bone marrow and spleen allows the parasite not only to build a reservoir of infection, but also to gain additional protection from certain antimalarial drugs including the current frontline drug artemisinin.

The findings from these new studies show why malaria parasites invading the bone marrow and spleen, where red blood cells are formed, could be crucial to targeting the disease.

Professor Andy Waters, Director of the Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, said: These papers together represent a step forward in our understanding of the behaviour of the malaria parasite. It is possible that bone marrow serves as the reservoir of infection avoiding the immune system and preferentially producing and releasing gametocytes so that when mosquitoes appear the disease can be retransmitted.

Professor James Brewer, Chair in Basic Immunology at the Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, added: These findings will also allow us to potentially find new drug targets for the disease, redefine what drugs have to achieve in terms of parasite killing and find new ways to fight back against the malaria parasite.

Malaria is a blood borne disease caused by single cell parasites that invade, grow and then replicate in red blood cells, which then burst releasing new parasites that initiate a new blood stage cycle of invasion  a process which makes malaria such a deadly disease.

Malaria is transmitted by female mosquitoes which themselves become infected when they take up parasites from an infected person as they take their blood meal. However, this human to mosquito transmission is only achieved if a small subset of blood borne parasites have escaped the cycle described above and instead have developed into a specialised form (a gametocyte) for transmission.

Matthias Marti, Professor of Parasitology, said: Malaria has a complex lifecycle which involves stages within the Anopheles mosquito, and within the human host, and past research to develop effective therapeutics targeting transmission has specifically focused on the mosquito stage.

In close collaboration with the lab of Prof. Volker Heussler (University of Berne, Switzerland) we have unravelled novel biological features of the parasite in its natural bone marrow and spleen environment, and we anticipate that these exciting findings will open up a new area of research. At the same time, we will evaluate the potential of our study for a new target for malaria diagnosis and intervention.

A cryptic cycle in haematopoietic niches promotes initiation of malaria transmission and evasion of chemotherapy is published in Nature Communications; Bone marrow is a major parasite reservoir in Plasmodium vivax infection is published in mBio; and Plasmodium gametocytes display homing and vascular transmigration in the host bone marrow is published in Science.

Two of the three studies were performed in an international collaborative effort including groups led by Prof. Volker Heussler (University of Berne, Switzerland), Prof. Terrie Taylor (College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi), Profs. Dyann Wirth, Manoj Duraisingh and Curtis Huttenhower (Harvard University, Boston, USA), Prof. Tom Wellems (National Institute of Health, Bethesda, USA) and Dr. Nicanor Obaldia (Gorgas Institute, Panama).

The Glasgow work was funded by the Wellcome Trust, the MRC and BoneMalar. The work of Prof Marti is funded through an European Research Council grant worth around EUR 2.3 million

The University of GlasgowMPO VOTES TO KILL PARKWAY

ASHEVILLE  Regional transportation planners voted on Thursday to drop the Balfour Parkway from the state plans, dealing a crucial blow in the process to formally kill the project.

The French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization, which sets transportation funding priorities for Henderson, Buncombe and other Western North Carolina counties, voted 10-4 to withdraw its support of the proposed northern bypass. The MPO's action came after the Henderson County Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution on May 7 asking the NCDOT to drop the project.

All that remains now to formally kill the project is a 30-day comment period, a final MPO vote and action by the state Board of Transportation to remove the parkway from the state transportation improvement plan.

About 20 homeowners active in the Stop the Balfour Parkway campaign broke into applause when the MPO vote was made.

Jack Debnam, a board member representing NCDOT Division 14, objected to the resolution because the Hendersonville City Council wanted the DOT to continue the planning process.

Were getting from one governing body no, and another stay the course and weve not herd anything from Mills River and they would be impacted, he said.

Id like to see more conversation between Hendersonville and Henderson County.

John Dockendorf, a Henderson County Transportation Advisory Committee member from Flat Rock, also said he supported more study.

There was little support, though, for keeping the project alive.

Dockendorf and Mills River representative Brian Caskey cast two of the four no votes on the resolution to remove the project from the state transportation plan.

Stop the Balfour Parkway during the public comment period implored the French Broad MPO to join the Henderson County Board of Commissioners to kill the project.

Bill Erickson, a Grimesdale resident, said congestion on Four Seasons Boulevard is caused by local traffic, not east-west through traffic, and by six traffic lights between Dana Road and I-26.

The Balfour Parkway will not improve this congestion, he said. It is time to abandon this myth that an east-west expressway north of Hendersonville will relieve congestion on Four Seasons Boulevard once and for all.The Government is facing a backlash after agreeing a deal with Sinn Fein to pass new laws on how judges are appointed.

Fianna Fail has accused the Government of forming an "unholy alliance" with Sinn Fein to see the controversial Judicial Alliance Bill passed.

The row escalated following an intervention by Dublin South Central TD and Sinn Fein whip Aengus O Snodaigh in a Dail debate on the legislation.

Mr O Snodaigh claimed that some judges in the Special Criminal Court have shown "anti-republican bias".

Fianna Fail TD Thomas Byrne last night suggested Sinn Fein's motivation in supporting the Bill may be to "get revenge on the courts system", in light of Mr O Snodaigh's comments.

Sentencing

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told a private Fine Gael party meeting that there is "no deal" with Sinn Fein.

However, Mary Lou McDonald's party has backed the Bill in return for an assurance that sentencing guidelines will be introduced.

The Sinn Fein leader said it is important for her party "to get a result" in this area because "we have been very conscious that serious crimes against the person, particularly sexual crimes, were carrying sentences that were raising big concerns and questions in the public mind".

Sinn Fein justice spokesman Donnchadh O Laoghaire said the party "sought and secured this commitment on sentencing guidelines".

Transport Minister Shane Ross, an Independent TD, has made the ending of political power over the appointment of judges a red line issue for his participation in Mr Varadkar's minority Government.

During a debate on the issue, Mr O Snodaigh said judges in the Special Criminal Court were "anti-republican".

He added that while the proposed committee which will advise the Government on the appointment of judges would not necessarily address the issue, he welcomed the idea of a lay majority as "they come with a different view of the world".

Justice Minister Charles Flanagan repeated the denials that there was any deal struck with Sinn Fein and said the Government must work with people from all parties and none to promote its legislative agenda.

He dismissed calls to "collapse this enterprise".

He also criticised the claims about the Special Criminal Court as "groundless".

History

Yesterday, Ms McDonald appeared to try to distance herself from her chief whip and defend him at the same time.

Asked directly whether she agrees with Mr O Snodaigh, she replied: "I am not interested in rewriting and revisiting the history books on this matter.

"We have every interest in due process and the sound and fair administration of law and for us at this moment a really critical issue has arisen around sentencing guidelines."A woman looks at the floral tributes to Jastine in Enniskerry

Jastine Valdez's parents are so heartbroken by her murder that they "can't even speak", a family friend has revealed.

Friends from Enniskerry, Co Wicklow - where the couple live - and from the Filipino community have visited the family over recent days to console them.

They say Jastine's mother Teresita and father Dannilo are struggling to cope with their devastating loss.

"You can't speak to them at the moment. You just have to hold her hand and give her a hug," one friend said.

Delay

It is understood a service will be held in Bray before Jastine's body is repatriated to be laid to rest in her home town of Aritao in the Philippines.

However, there may be delays depending on how the inquiry into her death progresses.

A friend of Jastine's, Mary Laulita, worked with her in a care home in Dublin in 2016, shortly after she had moved to Ireland to join her parents.

Ms Laulita told the Herald yesterday Jastine had been studying accountancy at IT Tallaght in order to help her parents have an early retirement in the Philippines.

"She wanted to help her mum and dad," she said.

"That's why she started here and why she started studying. She wanted her mum and dad to go back to the Philippines [in a few years] and rest and have an early retirement."

While Jastine only worked in the Glenageary nursing home for a short time, Ms Laulita would regularly drop her at the Dart station.

Jastine would get on and then be collected at the end of her journey in Bray by her dad.

"Jas was just a very sweet girl, you couldn't complain about her," she said. "She would work hard and was always very friendly with everyone."

Whenever Jastine said goodbye to her friends, she would always say, "I love you".

"She really liked Ireland. She was a really happy person and very positive, there were never any negatives," Ms Laulita added.

Books of condolence were opened for Jastine in Wicklow and in Tallaght yesterday.

Shocked

Jocelynne Nisperos, a relative of Jastine who lives in her home town in the Philippines, said there was great sadness in the community.

"In our place now where Jastine grew up, all the people are really sad and shocked," she said.

Ms Nisperos added Jastine's grandmother - who raised her after her parents moved to Ireland - had taken the death particularly badly.

She described Jastine as "very kind and helpful".Yulia Skripal has said she wants to go back to Russia after she and her father were poisoned with a nerve agent in the UK.

Ms Skripal (33) and former Russian spy Sergei Skripal (66) were exposed to the Novichok agent on March 4 in Salisbury.

They were both admitted to Salisbury District Hospital, along with Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey.

She said she hopes to return to her home country "in the longer term" but does not want assistance from the Russian Embassy.

Ms Skripal added that she had been "shocked" to wake up from a coma 20 days later and discover that they had been poisoned.

"I still find it difficult to come to terms with the fact that both of us were attacked," she said.

Lucky

"We are so lucky to have both survived this attempted assassination.

"Our recovery has been slow and extremely painful.

"The fact that a nerve agent was used to do this is shocking."

Ms Skripal described her treatment as "invasive, painful and depressing" and said that she is "grateful to all of the wonderful, kind staff at Salisbury Hospital".

"I also think fondly of those who helped us on the street on the day," she added.

Ms Skripal gave a statement yesterday at an undisclosed location in London and asked for privacy.

"We need time to recover and come to terms with everything that has happened," she said.

"I was discharged from hospital on April 9 and continue to progress with treatment but my life has been turned upside down as I try to come to terms with the devastating changes thrust upon me, both physically and emotionally.

Home

"I take one day at a time and want to help care for my dad until his full recovery. In the longer term, I hope to return home to my country.

"I'm grateful for the offers of assistance from the Russian Embassy but at the moment I do not wish to avail myself of their services."An international team of scientists is to trawl Loch Ness for DNA which could prove the existence of the fabled monster.

They will sample the loch for environmental DNA - tiny fragments of DNA from skin, scales, feathers, fur, faeces and urine left behind by a creature.

The material collected can be used to identify the creature by comparing the DNA sequence obtained to databases from hundreds of thousands of organisms.

Professor Neil Gemmell, of Otago University, New Zealand, who heads the team, is keen to stress that the expedition is more than just a monster hunt.

Species

On his university website, he wrote: "While the prospect of looking for evidence of the Loch Ness monster is the hook to this, there is an extraordinary amount of new knowledge that we will gain about organisms that inhabit Loch Ness."

Prof Gemmell predicts his team will document new species of life, particularly bacteria, and provide important data on the extent of several invasive species seen in the loch recently, such as Pacific pink salmon.

The findings from the project are expected to be presented next January.

The first written record of a monster in Loch Ness relates to the Irish monk St Columba, who is said to have banished a "water beast" in the 6th century.

The most famous picture of Nessie, released in 1934, showed a head on a long neck emerging from the water.

It was revealed 60 years later to have been a hoax that used a sea monster model attached to a toy submarine.

Countless unsuccessful attempts to track down the monster have been made.

In 2003, the BBC funded a search that used sonar beams and satellite tracking.

Two years ago, a marine drone found a monster. But it was a replica which had been used in the 1970 film The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes.Aisling Dolan died in the car crash on the N11 on Tuesday

A young woman killed in a three-vehicle crash has been described by friends as someone who was "full of life and always laughing".

Aisling Dolan (19), from New Ross, Co Wexford, died and her mother was seriously injured in the collision on the N11 on Tuesday.

Aisling was a front-seat passenger in a black Peugeot hatchback involved in the accident which happened at around midday outside Enniscorthy.

Heartbroken

"Aisling touched all our lives so much and we are completely heartbroken," one friend said.

"Today my life was turned upside down. Love and will miss you always Ais," another friend said.

Aisling's mother was airlifted to Tallaght Hospital in Dublin, where she remains in a serious condition.

Two other vehicles, a van and a pick-up truck, were involved in the collision.

Both drivers and a passenger in the van were treated for minor injuries at the scene of the accident.

The stretch of road between the Scarawalsh and Blackstoops roundabouts reopened late on Tuesday night.

Local Sinn Fein councillor Johnny Mythen, from Enniscorthy, said the town had been left reeling by the horrific accident.

"It's a tragedy for the family involved. A lovely fine day like today and their whole life has been turned around," he said.

"It's the last kind of phone call anyone wants to get. The whole town is in shock.

"I understand there was a man from the town involved also and hopefully he'll be OK."

The accident happened on the main N11 between Enniscorthy and Dublin.

Skidding

In 2006, local TD Paul Kehoe, now the Junior Defence Minister, urged the Department of Transport to install a roundabout at a former junction of the N11 following a spate of fatal and serious accidents in the area over the years.

While a roundabout was put in during 2008, there were numerous reports of drivers skidding on the southbound approach, prompting authorities to introduce a 55kph "voluntary" speed limit at the roundabout in 2013.

However, two years later a man was killed in a collision on the same stretch of road between the towns of Ferns and Enniscorthy.

In July 2003, a teenage couple and their four-month-old baby were killed when their car collided with a truck that was fully laden with gravel on the N11 at Scarawalsh.

Conor Martin (18), a barman from Marshalstown, Enniscorthy, his girlfriend Emma Conroy (17), from Pearse Road, Enniscorthy, who had just completed her Leaving Cert, and their infant daughter Chloe were all killed instantly when their blue Opel Corsa collided with a truck from a quarry.

That accident also took place at lunchtime when the couple were travelling from Gorey with their baby.

The car and truck were travelling in opposite directions when the collision happened around 12.30pm.

The previous weekend, a car and two motorcyclists were involved in a serious collision at Scarawalsh, in which four members of a family from Enniscorthy died.'Get off the f***ing plane now' - Irate man tries to barge onto flight in Dublin AirportTwo children rescued from Noland Village house fire Thursday die

Two children, ages 4 and 2, died from injuries sustained in a house fire in Noland Village in Hagerstown. The fire's cause is under investigation.Walmarts acquisition of Flipkart has created shockwaves in India, with the realisation that the vast majority of its $16 billion price will go to foreign investors, namely Tiger Global, SoftBank, Naspers, and Accel Partners. Now Indian investors are kicking themselves for missing out on the largest e-commerce exit ever. But they have no one to blame but themselves: Flipkart tried hard to raise money locally but was ridiculed and turned away, leaving only the foreign giants to rescue it.

This pattern will repeat itself until Indias investors realise that the best opportunities are not in Silicon Valley but at home. Frankly, I sympathise with Flipkart founders Sachin and Binny Bansal because I too have seen the Indian inferiority complex at work.

In a talk I gave at INK India in 2014, I predicted that a billion Indians would be gaining Internet connectivity through their smartphones within a few years, and that this would begin to transform the country. Tens of thousands of startups building health sensors, robots, drones, and commerce and infrastructure tools, and hundreds of thousands of application writers addressing local problems, could solve not only Indias problems, but those of the world.

I also tried educating the executives of Wipro and Infosys. When they told me of the huge funds they were setting up to invest in Silicon Valley, I warned them that no one there cared for their companies or investments; at best, they would be offered bottom-of-the-barrel deals and be left chasing rainbows. And that is largely what has happened.

I live in Silicon Valley and am a professor, not an investor. I did, however, get involved with one Indian startup, because it had world-changing potential yet was dying on the vine. Indian investors ridiculed the notion that something of such magnitude could emerge from India; all they did was waste the time of the founders.

The company, HealthCubed, develops a compact medical-grade device that provides more than 40 measures and tests, including blood pressure, electrocardiography, blood oxygenation, heart-rate variability, blood sugar, blood hemoglobin, and urine protein, and is able to diagnose diseases such as HIV AIDS, syphilis, dengue fever, and malaria. These are the same tests that labs and hospitals provide  but for less than one hundredth of their cost in the US.

Simply having the lab results immediately constitutes a huge benefit in a rural health clinic. Additionally, the data can be immediately uploaded to the cloud, allowing for rapid evaluation by a remote physician. And analysis of the bounty of data thus collected will enable fresh insights into many conditions.

I rarely have a problem getting Indian executives and VCs to return my emails. Yet when I wrote to them about HealthCubed, most didnt even respond. Ironically, the investors who did respond said that valuation of the company was too high  without even asking what it was.

So I gave up on India and advised HeathCubed CEO Ramanan Laxminarayan to register the company in Delaware and move the intellectual property to the US. Then I invested my savings in the company and joined the board. James Doty, M.D., a world-renowned neurosurgeon and entrepreneur who founded Stanford Universitys Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, did the same. He found the technology to be more advanced and more effective than anything he had ever seen.

Acumen, a New Yorkheadquartered impact investment fund, also invested in the company, as did American moguls Ray Dalio, Ross Perot Jr, Bridget Koch, and actress Sela Ward and her VC husband Howard Sherman. One of Silicon Valleys most respected investors, Raju Reddy, and an alumnus group from BITS Pilani also readily supported the company.

The product is now helping hundreds of thousands of villagers in more than a hundred districts of four states of India, thanks to the Aditya Birla Group. The worlds largest NGO, BRAC, is using it to improve health and create employment in hundreds of villages in Bangladesh. Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees in United Nations clinics outside the borders of Myammar are being diagnosed with it. And it is now set to roll out in Ghana, Senegal, and Nigeria.

I expect that by the end of 2019, HealthCubed will have done more than 100 million diagnostic tests; and that eventually products such as this will disrupt the US health care system itself and will quickly spread throughout the Americas  and that Indias VCs will have another cause for regret.

Thats not to say Indian entrepreneurs shouldnt take some of the blame. As Silicon Valleys Hemant Kanakia said to me in an email: Part of the problem I have observed while being an investor in Indian startups in last 6 years is that Indian entrepreneurs have a short term outlook, they want to make money and live the lifestyle of the rich. Sachin Bansal had no ambition like founders of Chinas Tencent or Baidu have  of conquering the world.

Yet even Silicon Valley was like this when its ecosystem was in its infancy. Ill bet that as a generation of founders such as the Bansals achieves great success, they too will develop grand ambitions.

Vivek Wadhwa is a Distinguished Fellow at Harvard Law School and Carnegie Mellon University. This article is based on his forthcoming book, Your Happiness Was Hacked: Why Tech Is Winning the Battle to Control Your Brain  and How to Fight Back, which will be published by Penguin Random House India in June.

The views expressed are personalSatyajit Ray may have been dead for 26 years, but his memory - the memory of his marvellous movies - fails to fade. At the recent Cannes Film Festival, there were at least two men who asked me about the master story spinner. And it seemed so incredible that one of them was a young Arab journalist, not even 40, who shot a dozen questions at me about Ray. Obviously, the iconic auteur - who wrote his own detailed scripts (even drawing the costumes), sketched and even did his own music for his movies - is still as relevant today as he was in the mid-1950s, when he first sang the Song of the Little Road (Pather Panchali). It clinched the Best Human Document Award at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival from a jury which included celebrities like Francois Truffaut, one of the French New Wave directors. Pather Panchali certainly opened up Indian cinema to the world, a world which till today continues to cherish Ray and his cinematic excellence.

Let us fast forward to 2019, and it is quite possible that Ananth Mahadevan may help highlight Ray, all over again, at the Cannes Film Festival. Mahadevans The Storyteller, based on Rays short story, may hopefully play there. And the director seems determined to get the world talking about Ray when he told me over the telephone from Mumbai on Thursday that The Storyteller poster will have Rays name on top, the first ever occasion this will happen after the masters death in 1992.

Filmmaker Anant Mahadevan is all set to make The Storyteller, originally titled Golpo Boliye Tarini Khuro, in Hindi. (Ragul Krishnan/HT PHOTO)

The Storyteller -- originally titled in Bengali as Golpo Boliye Tarini Khuro -- is one of the 15 adventures of Tarini Khuro or Paternal Uncle. And in Golpo Boliye Tarini Khuro, which Mahadevan is all set to shoot from June in Kolkata and Ahmedabad (with some indoor scenes to be canned in Mumbai), the uncle turns a storyteller after he retires from his job. Called to entertain a rich businessman, Tarini Khuro finds himself in a peculiar situation. Ray throws up two surprises in the story, Mahadevan tells me.

One would be curious to see how Mahadevan would handle the plot and the surprises. Obviously, Rays son Sandip, must have been absolutely confident about Mahadevans work to have offered the rights of The Storyteller.

If Rays spun his stories with disarming simplicity and made a kind of cinema which had no trace of pretence and which was subtle, but biting, which was meaningful without being meandering, Mahadevans work has been running on a similar track.

Naseeruddin Shah and Ananth Mahadevan worked together in a small film called John Day. (Kunal Patil / HT Photo)

I remember watching Mahadevans Rough Book in the National Film Development Corporation of Indias Film Bazaar at Goas Panaji in 2014, and the movie captivated me. The film talks about real education. In a nation which is obsessed with cramming and grades, Rough Book narrates the story of a schoolteacher (essayed by Tannishtha Chatterjee) who runs into one obstacle after another because she believes in teaching physics (in her case) not merely through books. For instance, she wants to take her young students out of the classroom to show how the law of physics works rather than confining them to boring lectures in boxed-up places. Obviously, a society driven by consumerist ideals where marks count and help one to land a plum position, has no time or inclination for a concept called real education. Mahadevans movie - neatly scripted at 92 minutes - may seem a bit too idealistic in todays India, even ambitious, but Rough Book makes its point with a flourish.

Given this kind of approach, one is sure Mahadevan will turn out to be worthy of having been entrusted with The Storyteller.

There is another aspect about The Storyteller that one is waiting to see. Ray wrote this story in a mood of melancholy. Even remorse. In 1967, Ray wrote a story called The Alien, which he sent to several Hollywood studios. Ray had hoped then to break into Hollywood, which he said, time and again, had taught him the craft of film making. But The Alien could not break into the Hollywood fortress.

However years later, when Steven Spielbergs classic ET The Extra Terrestrial opened in 1982, its plot seemed uncannily similar to The Alien.

ET chronicled the poignant plot of a lonely boy, Elliott, and his friendship with the extraterrestrial, dubbed ET, who was stranded on Earth. Over the course of the movie, Elliot kept the creature hidden from his mother and the Government, to finally help him return to his home planet.

Paresh Rawal and Ananth Mahadevan have worked in a number of films like Kudrat.

Rays The Alien had a similar plot - about an alien landing in Bengal and befriending a boy. During its short stay on our planet, the alien plays pranks, harmless though, with the villagers. The screenplay was based on Rays own 1962 Bengali science-fiction story, Bonkubabur Bandhu, which was published in his magazine, Sandesh.

After Spielbergs ET hit the theatres, Ray told India Today in February 1983: ET would not have been possible without my script of The Alien being available throughout the United States in mimeographed copies.

Spielberg denied this and said, I was a kid in high school when his script was circulating in Hollywood. But even Spielbergs friend and renowned auteur, Martin Scorsese, alleged that ET was influenced by Rays script!

Ray was extremely disappointed, and out flew from his pen The Storyteller - which Mahadevan is all set to transform into a movie with a brilliant cast of Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, Revathi and Tannishtha Chatterjee.

Follow @htshowbiz for moreMaking films based on real-life events is not a new trend in Bollywood, but the Hindi film industry treats the theme in two ways -- either its a biopic or it seeks inspiration from real stories. John Abrahams next film, Parmanu The Story Of Pokhran, isnt a biopic, but it is based on a real story.

John Abraham is playing an army officer who spearheaded the covert operation to test nuclear weapons under severe diplomatic pressure. The film isnt based on one person, but tells the story of what happened during Operation Shakti, and how it was carried out despite prying satellites and surveilling international agencies.

Heres a list of six other such films that are based on real events and arent biopic.

No One Killed Jessica (2011): Director Rajkumar Gupta based his story around the murder of 23-year-old model Jessica Lal. However, more than a crime-and-punishment drama, the film talked about class divide, power and refusal of a woman to bow down to a lopsided justice system. The film eloquently captures the public movement that ensured justice was delivered eventually.

Madras Cafe (2013): Madras Cafe was described as an espionage thriller by its director Shoojit Sircar but had the conflict in Sri Lanka and the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi as its central theme. The film tracked the build-up to Gandhis last public rally where he was assassinated. John Abraham played an intelligence officer who was following the movement of LTTE before the fatal day.

The Attacks Of 26/11 (2013):Probably this was the last time when Ram Gopal Varma gave us the glimpse of his genius. A prelude to the execution of Pakistani terrorist Kasab, this film chronicled the days after 10 men stormed into the financial capital of the country and attempted to wreck it. The docu-drama captured the terror filled moments and the response to it.

Gulaab Gang (2014): It was based on the struggles of all-women group in Uttar Pradesh that protested the gender-related crimes. Madhuri Dixit played the leader of the women group while Juhi Chawla played her nemesis. Soumik Sens directorial has strong roots in actual events that unfolded in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh.

Bhopal A Prayer For Rain (2014): The night of 3rd December, 1984, brought upon the city of Bhopal a disaster that would change its future. A very poisonous gas leaked at one of the plants run by a company called Union Carbide. This accident left thousands dead. Directed by Ravi Kumar, the film saw actors like Martin Sheen and Kal Penn playing important roles.

Talvar (2015): Meghna Gulzar decided to bring all the aspects of the infamous double murder case of teenager Aarushi Talwar and domestic help Hemraj. The story is told through the perspectives of officers investigating the case. It shows how the evidences were ignored and how the operation went into a wrong direction because of crucial mistakes made during initial investigation.Babies of Bollywood have a star power of their own. If you have any doubts, simply turn on the Taimur Ali Khans charm and youll know. As far as Bollywood babies go, heres yet another who is an absolute bundle of joy. We are talking about actor Kangana Ranauts little nephew Prithvi Raj.

Kangana can be seen lying on a sofa. She is carrying her little nephew in her arms and is kissing him. Little Prithvi is happy to be in his aunts arms. The picture has been taken either at their home or in a hotel room, as Kangana seems to be in her pajamas.

Rangoli Chandel, Kanganas sister, routinely posts pictures of her sister with her son and all of them are adorable.

In another picture, shared on May 3, Prithvi is again in his aunts arms. While he is facing the camera, Kangana has her back to the camera. Wearing a pair of blue shorts and pink shirt and her curly hair pulled up in a loose pony tail (or perhaps a bun), Kangana looks every bit a star even without revealing her face. Prithvi is in a yellow sweater.

In November last year, Rangoli, who married Ajay Chandel in 2011, gave birth to Prithvi.

Kangana, meanwhile, has been busy with her projects, Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi and Mental Hai Kya, while she also made her appearance at Cannes. Her vintage look -- in a black glitter saree with a 60s hair do -- was quite distinct from the rest of the Bollywood beauty brigade that had landed at Cannes this year including Sonam K Ahuja, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Huma Qureshi and Mallika Sherawat. Pakistani beauty Mahira Khan also made her Cannes red carpet debut this year.

Just in case you need reminding, you are Beautiful with a capital "B" and the light of our lives keep shining  #cannes #frenchriveria pic.twitter.com/unSgnpb22N  Rangoli Chandel (@Rangoli_A) May 10, 2018

Follow @htshowbiz for moreMumbai Polices Twitter handle is the sassiest in the country and there is no questioning that. Whether it is Bollywood actors being poked for breaking a traffic rule or taking on films to impart important messages, the handle will have a funny meme before you can ask what happened. The latest one that caught the fancy of the brilliant men and women at the Mumbai Polices social media department was Daisy Shahs million dollar dialogue in Race 3: Our business is our business, none of your business.

After a million memes  with even Salman Khan jumping into the fray -- it was the turn of Mumbai Police to share the meme but with an important difference. Warning people about data theft, Mumbai Police tweeted, Mind your own data to make sure that no one else takes advantage of it to beat you in the #RaceOfSafety. The meme with the tweet says, My data is my data, none of your data.

Mind your own data to make sure that no one else takes advantage of it to beat you in the #RaceOfSafety pic.twitter.com/WJ4ADZEl1a  Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) May 23, 2018

No words @BeingSalmanKhan what better reply one could get then the best one itself... we love you for the human you are !!! #Race3 #salmankhanourhero @ItsRaviD @PlanetSalman pic.twitter.com/FYUmIsAMLq  Rahul.N.Kanal (@Iamrahulkanal) May 21, 2018

Daisy also accepted the compliment and wrote, Too good along with laugh emojis. The reaction is a long way to her earlier response when a man on social media pointed out viral memes to her. To all The people who think they are too smart. Create ur own identity 1st n GET A LIFE, Wait! I am sure u dont have any #patheticLosers, she had written.

Race 3 releases on June 15. The film retains Jacqueline Fernandez and Anil Kapoor from the previous films with Salman replacing Saif Ali Khan as the films hero. Race 3 also stars Bobby Deol, Saqib Saleem and Freddy Daruwala; it has been directed by Remo DSouza.Kareena Kapoor Khan really dug herself into a deep hole with her recent comment about feminism. Like so many people before her, she too decided to not look up the definition of feminism before making a controversial statement- that while she believes in equality between men and women, she is not a feminist.

As expected, her comments have not pleased people on Twitter who are now schooling her in Feminism 101. Being a feminist is all about equality. Being a feminist means you recognise both male and female rights are equal including LGTB. I am extremely confused by this statement made by Kareena Kapoor, wrote Twitter user @RupinderKW. Its 2018 and we have a Kareena Kapoor say, I believe in equality of genders, but I am not a feminist. How long before women in positions of influence educate themselves? Is that really too much to ask!, wrote @veryshrued.

Apart from those disappointed by her statements, there were also a few who took the opportunity to crack jokes at Kareenas expense. Maybe in one of her next interviews Kareena Kapoor will say, I believe I practice acting as a profession, but I wont say Im an actor, wrote Twitter user @anushcant. This prototype tweet then soon became a meme. Here are a few samples:

I'm not Hulk. I just like to turn green and smash things.  Urmi Bhattacheryya (@UBhattacheryya) May 23, 2018

I'm not human, I'm Homo Sapien.  Khemta H. Jose (@khemtajose) May 23, 2018

I'm not an animal lover, I just really, really, really like animals!

I'm not an activist, I just campaign for change!

I'm not a vegetarian, I just only eat vegetables!  Khemta H. Jose (@khemtajose) May 23, 2018

I am not a vegetarian but I am an animal rights activist.  Garvita Khybri (@GarvitaKhybri) May 23, 2018

I'm a feminist, Bollywood movies are not misogynistic.  Meghnad Bose (@MeghnadBose93) May 23, 2018

Others used their full tweet character count to explain to Kareena the simple meaning of feminism. Its demanding equality for all people, irrespective of their gender. Just what Kareena said she believes in, suffixed by the exact opposite.

Kareena was talking at a promotional event for her upcoming film, Veere Di Wedding, when she made the statement. When asked what her idea of feminism was, the 37-year-old actor said she considers herself a human being first.

I believe in equality. I am not a feminist, I am a woman. And above all I am a human being. I am as proud as I am as Saif Ali Khans wife than as a Kareena Kapoor, she told reporters.Which promoted responses like these on Twitter...

Lol Kareena Kapoor Khan's "I'm not a feminist, I'm a woman & I believe in equality" is exactly what's wrong in understanding the concept of feminism. It's not an anti-men, parade, bro. Chill tf out.  Samreen (@BeingFeline) May 23, 2018

Saif doesn't know what eugenics means. Kareena doesn't know what feminism means. Raam milaye Jodi hai.    (@lazybutterfly17) May 24, 2018

Disappointed by Kareena Kapoor making an ignorant statement like that, but even more disappointed that her's is *not* an unpopular opinion. I know far too many women who think along similar lines, including colleagues and family.  manvi (@ObiWanManobi) May 24, 2018

"TAIMUR WAS DAMN PISSED AT WHAT HIS MUMMA SAID. CLICK TO FIND OUT MORE".  Samosa Joe (@AkriPasta) May 24, 2018

And finally, this:

you know what kareena, eat poo. pic.twitter.com/gLOAFjRldP  Nirali Shah (@nirali_ss) May 23, 2018

Of course, Kareena is not the only female actor in the country (or outside it) to make such a statement.Madhuri Dixit, Parineeti Chopra, Katrina Kaif have all said similar things and so have Meryl Streep, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Madonna and more.

Follow @htshowbiz for moreThe Bombay High Court extended an injunction against Singapore Exchange Ltd. as it deferred hearing a dispute over plans for new offshore Indian derivatives contracts.

National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. obtained an interim order on May 21 that restrains SGX from launching the products in June. The stay will remain until at least the next hearing in the case between the bourses, set for May 26, the NSE said in a statement late Wednesday. SGX officials declined to comment.

NSE went to court to stop its counterpart from starting contracts that would replace its popular Nifty 50 Index derivatives. The Nifty futures in Singapore will end in the coming weeks after Indian bourses in February canceled their licensing and data deals with overseas markets, a decision that drew consternation from international investors and left SGX and others scrambling to find alternatives. The contracts have become a favoured offshore product for hedging Indian holdings.

Singapore Exchanges solution to the dispute was to ready the SGX India Futures for launch on June 4. The new contracts will be based on publicly available prices as well as market supply and demand, SGX has said, but NSE argued in court documents that they are unlicensed products and identical to the Nifty-branded futures. The Indian exchange had sought an urgent hearing without giving notice to SGX, according to the court filing.

SGXs counsel told the court on Wednesday that they were ready to appear before a single arbitrator for relief, which ought to be decided before June 4.

It really should not come down to legal disputes, Gary Dugan, chief investment officer at Dubai-based family office Namara Wealth Advisors Ltd., said by email. If Indian asset markets want their rightful position in global markets they must accept the international competition in the derivatives markets.

MSCI Inc. chief executive officer Henry Fernandez said his firm is concerned, quite a lot about the fight. The New York-based index compiler has no problems with efforts to develop onshore markets, but that shouldnt mean killing offshore trading, Fernandez said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.

There were 1.65 million Nifty 50 Index futures contracts traded on SGX in April, according to the exchanges data. While that was down 14 percent from a month earlier, it was still the third-most traded contract on Singapores bourse, behind the FTSE China A50 and MSCI Taiwan offerings.

If SGX abides by the ruling, it would mean thered be no viable offshore options to hedge equities held in India.

This is not a good time for international investors to be worrying about whether their hedge strategies are valid or can be rolled, Dugan said. The last few months have been challenging for Indian asset markets and international investor confidence has been tested.The chief executive officer of MSCI Inc., one of the worlds biggest index compilers, said his firm is concerned, quite a lot about the dispute between exchanges in India and Singapore that threatens a popular offshore futures contract.

New York-based MSCI is monitoring the situation and consulting its clients about how they view the matter, CEO Henry Fernandez said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. The fight over Singapore Exchange Ltd.s Indian futures may leave international investors with no easy way to hedge their exposure to one of Asias biggest markets.

A lot of our clients use derivative instruments, Fernandez said. We have no problems with them developing trading onshore, we welcome that a lot, but not to kill trading offshore.

India is among several emerging-market countries thats seeking greater involvement in global finance while keeping control of capital flows. Its been promoting a tax-free trading zone in Prime Minister Narendra Modis home state, known as Gift City, as an alternative to offshore centers.

International investors were stunned in February when Indias national exchanges said they would cut ties with overseas bourses. The move effectively killed SGXs Nifty 50 futures, one of its most popular offerings, which had been developed in partnership with National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. NSE this week went to court in Mumbai to prevent its Southeast Asian counterpart from starting a replacement contract.

In a world like we live today, theres so much competition for capital all over the world, and most countries -- if not all countries -- are opening up and letting the free flow of capital, Fernandez said. Nobody is talking about putting in restrictions, but in this case India is.

In the wake of the February announcement, MSCI issued a statement calling the move anti-competitive and suggesting it could lead to a downgrade of Indias emerging-market status. The index firm, whose products are tracked by funds with about $12 trillion in assets, hasnt announced any further moves.

To us, its a matter of principle, methodology and the accessibility of a country, Fernandez said.

China inclusion

Fernandez also discussed the upcoming inclusion of Chinese-listed shares in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, which will see 234 stocks added to the global benchmark. The firm has said the initial inclusion is expected to channel around $17 billion in passive funds into China, a figure that could rise to $35 billion in coming years.

There are some that are going to wait, but the majority of people will put their toe in the water, he said.

While the initial weighting of China-listed companies will be just 0.7% of the index, that will increase faster than expected because investors are willing and the stock connect that provides access to mainland China from Hong Kong is working well, Fernandez said. The attitude of policy makers in Beijing is another factor.

There is no question in our mind that they are really intent on opening up the country, he said. Its not an if, its simply a when, and its simply a way to do it in a stable, measured way so it doesnt create any kind of upheaval or instability in the financial markets.Fuel prices across metros increased by another 30 paise on Thursday, in their 11th day of rise since May 14, as dealers continued to pass on the burden of increasing crude oil prices to customers in a staggered manner.

Petrol prices in Mumbai breached Rs 85 on Thursday, with the fuel selling at Rs 85.29 a litre, 30 paise more than Wednesdays price of Rs 84.99 a litre. In Delhi, prices reached Rs 77.47 per litre, Rs 80.42 in Chennai, and Rs 80.12 in Kolkata, according to Indian Oil Corp.

In the past one week, petrol prices have gone up over Rs 2 per litre across metros. The government had put a hold on fuel prices for a 20-day window ahead of Karnataka election results.

Diesel prices too continued to increase on Thursday, with the fuel selling 30 paise higher than Wednesdays rates across metros. Diesel was the most expensive in Mumbai at Rs 72.96 per litre, followed by Chennai at Rs 72.35 per litre, Kolkata at Rs 71.08 a litre and Delhi at 68.53 a litre.

Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said the government is working on both long-term and short-term solutions to curb hike in fuel prices, which have reached unprecedented levels since September 2013, when similarly high levels were last observed, according to PTI.

MK Surana, chairman of the state-owned refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) on Wednesday called for the government to review taxation on petrol and diesel, news agency PTI reported, adding that the long-term solution to curb fuel prices hitting all-time highs might be to bring the petroleum products under the GST regime.Tata Motors Ltd. fell as much as 8.2% after earnings at the owner of Jaguar Land Rover missed analysts estimates amid sluggish demand for its luxury cars in Europe.

Shares of the countrys biggest automobile company were down 6.58% to Rs 289.10 at 12.25 pm on the National Stock Exchange (NSE), heading to the lowest close since February 2016. Jaguar Land Rover said it will spend about 4.5 billion pounds ($5.3 billion) in the current financial year on new models and technologies as it looks to spur sales that grew at a slower pace.

Deliveries at Jaguar Land Rover rose 1.7% in the year through March, with demand for newer models such as the Jaguar E-Pace compact sport utility vehicle and Range Rover Velar failing to offset a sales drop in older models. Jefferies said it is cutting its volume growth estimates for the unit to reflect near-term weakness in key markets the UK, Europe and the US. Jefferies also reduced its margin estimates.

Tata Motors net income fell 51% to Rs 21.3 billion ($311 million) in the three months ended March, a steeper decline than analyst estimated. Profit before tax at Jaguar Land Rover dropped 46% to 364 million pounds in the period.

The investment push comes at a time when China has announced it will cut import duty on passenger cars to 15% from 25%, granting foreign carmakers further access to the worlds largest auto market. The luxury-car unit spent 4.2 billion pounds in the year ended March 31.

We will continue with over-proportional investment in new vehicles, manufacturing facilities and next generation automotive technologies in line with our autonomous, connected, electric and shared strategy, Chief Executive Officer Ralf Speth said in a statement Wednesday.

While the Chinese market is providing sales traction for Jaguar Land Rover, growth has slowed over the past year, Debjit Maji, an analyst at Kolkata-based Stewart & Mackertich Wealth Management Ltd., said before the results. The recent announcement of reduction of auto import duty from the Chinese government is likely to augur well for JLR as it will bring down the prices of their products and make them more competitive, but it is true for its peers also.The Uttarakhand government on Thursday informed the Nainital High Court that a final status report on reservation and delimitation of the local bodies will be handed to over to the state election commission by May 27, following which it can conduct the civic polls in the state in 30 to 35 days.

Following the assurance, the high court disposed of a petition filed by the state election commission seeking intervention for holding the civic body elections at the earliest in the state, Sanjay Bhat, the counsel representing the poll panel, said.

Bhat said the state government apprised the single bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia that on May 23, a meeting was held between urban administration minister and the senior officials of the state election commission. It was decided in the meeting that the state government will hand over details of the reservation and delimitation of the local bodies to the commission by May 27 and after which it can hold the local body elections within 30 to 35 days.

The state election commission had in March this year moved high court seeking its intervention for holding the civic body elections at the earliest in the state as the terms of various local bodies was coming to an end on May 3. In the same month, the court ordered the state government to again invite objections for the delimitation process and issue a fresh notification.

The single bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, hearing a bunch of petitions from villagers from over half a dozen districts of the state, had on May 14 quashed the notification for expansion of municipal bodies. On May 17, the state government challenged the order following which a division bench on May 22 set aside the May 14 order.Led by the Panch Pyare, the first batch of 3,000 Sikh devotees have set out for Hemkund Sahib in Uttarakhand from Govindghat on Thursday to pay obeisance at the Sikh shrine, on the opening day on Friday.

Around 5,000 pilgrims are expected to be present on the opening day at Hemkund Sahib, situated at the height of 4,632 meters. Guru Gobind Singh is said to have performed Tapasya at Hemkund Sahib, situated about 17 km away from Govindghat on the Badrinath National Highway.

Around 1100 pilgrims had already left for Ghangaria  the last human habitation on way to Hemkund Sahib  on May 23.

Sikh pilgrims attended the first Ardaas (prayers) at the Gurudwara at Govindghat on Thursday and set out for Hemkund Sahib after receiving the Hukumnama. Narinder Jeet Singh Bindra, former chairman of the Minorities Commission, Uttarakhand, addressed the devotees before their departure.

The devotees reached Ghangaria on Thursday evening after negotiating a 12-km trek and will climb the final 5-km lap for Hemkund Sahib on Friday morning to be present at the opening ceremony at 10 am.

Sardar Seva Singh, the Varisth Prabandhak (senior manager) Gurudwara Prabhandhak Committee Govind Ghat said that the preparations for the Yatra are almost complete and a large number of pilgrims are expected this year. A path has been cut through heavy snow and glacier by army Jawans for the final leg of the climb to Hemkund Sahib, he added.

SDRF, police and home guards have been deployed on the route and a police camp has already opened at Bhyundar, the last village on the way to assist the pilgrims, said Tripti Bhatt, SP (Superintendent of Police), Chamoli.

Bhatt said that in the past there have been complaints of overcharging by mule operators and porters in the past so they have been instructed to display the rate list at the starting points.

Ashish Joshi, district magistrate, Chamoli, also showed his resentment over the slow progress in the restoration work of drinking water posts on the route and instructed the Jal Sansthan officials to complete it immediately.

Situated near the Himsarovar Lake against the backdrop of snow clad Himalayas, the Hemkund Sahib is one of the most revered Sikh shrines in the higher Himalayas of Garhwal.

Several Sikh devotees are seen bound for Hemkund Sahib on cycles, two-wheelers, taxis, cars, buses and even on foot from Rishikesh.

The portals of Lokpal Shri Laxman temple, situated near Hemkund Sahib, will also open for pilgrims on Friday.Two Chinese citizens, including a woman, have been ordered to leave the country within five days after it was found that they had allegedly violated the visa norms during their visit to Uttarakhand, said police.

Deepak Bhat, inspector local intelligence unit at Nainital, said that two Chinese citizens  Leao Lie Qing and Shu Xin He  had reached an industrial unit in Nainital district for some trade purpose, but their Visa document showed they had come on tourist visa while the purpose of their visit was written as business.

Bhat said it was a clear violation of visa norms under Indian Foreigner Act 1946 section 3 sub-section 2C. They have been asked to leave India within five days, the officer said.

Section 3 of The Foreigners Act, 1946 concerns prohibiting, regulating or restricting the entry of foreigners into India or, their departure from India or their presence or continued presence here.

Under sub section 2C, the foreigner shall not remain in India, or in any prescribed area therein; shall, if he has been required by order under this section not to remain in India, meet from any resources at his disposal the cost of his removal from India and of his maintenance therein pending such removal.A man was arrested from Didihat by anti-terrorism agents on Wednesday for allegedly sharing crucial information with Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), police said.

Ramesh Singh Kanyal (43), a resident of Kirola village in Pithoragarh district, was picked up by a five-member team of the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). He was then produced before a local court, which remanded him in ATS custody.

Inspector general (ATS) Asim Arun confirmed that the accused was arrested on the suspicion of espionage.

According to information made available by the district police, Kanyal was taken to Pakistan by a diplomat to serve as his cook. It was during his stay in the neighbouring country from 2015 to 2017 that he was allegedly approached by ISI operatives, who promised to pay him for crucial information related to national security.

An official told PTI under the condition of anonymity that Kanyal had even bugged the diplomats house with the ISIs assistance to get the information they needed.

The brother of the accused works in the Army.

The ATS team reportedly recovered a SIM card and a mobile phone of Pakistani make from Kanyals possession. He came up on the ATS radar after Army intelligence tipped it off on his activities.

A case has been registered against Kanyal in Uttar Pradesh.The Delhi government has directed 575 private unaided schools to refund excess fee they charged from students, failing which action would be taken against them. A Directorate of Education official said the action could also include taking over of the institute by the education department.

The schools have been given a week to comply with the recommendations made by the committee and have also been directed to ensure that teachers are paid salaries as per rules.

The DoE issued the order on May 16 after these schools faltered in refunding excess fees charged from parents on the pretext of implementing the 6th Pay Commission in 2008.

After some parents through Delhi Abhibhavak Mahasangh, an NGO, approached the high court in the matter, the court constituted Justice Anil Dave Singh committee in 2009 to determine the need of fee hike and for examining the records and accounts of unaided private recognised schools with respect to implementation of the 6th Pay Commissions recommendations.

The committee, had, in its 10 interim reports and monthly reports of June 2016 to January 2018 recommended for refund of the excess fee charged from the parents at 9% interest per annum.

The committee has identified 575 schools in these reports to refund excess fee charged by the schools DOE said in an order dated May 16.

A DoE official, who is handling the matter, said these schools need to inform the department about what actions they have taken. Some of these schools have approached the court and some have started refunding the fee. Whatever the schools have done, they need to update us, the official said.

The official said that those schools which dont refund the excess fee to parents with 9% interest can be taken over by the DoE as per government rules.

The DOE has also asked district and zone deputy education officer (DDEs) to submit a status report of compliance by the unaided recognized private schools of their jurisdiction within 15 days, the order said.A man was arrested at Delhi airport by customs officials for allegedly trying to smuggle into the country about one kilogram gold by hiding it in his rectum.

The accused was intercepted on his arrival from Bangkok on Wednesday.

A detailed personal and baggage search of the passenger resulted in the recovery of 998 grams of gold, equivalent to Rs 31.04 lakh, which the passenger had concealed inside his rectum, a statement issued on Thursday by the customs department said.

During questioning, the passenger admitted that he had smuggled three kilograms gold valued at approximately Rs 93.32 lakh during his past visits, it said.

Thus, the passengers has been involved in illegal clearance of gold collectively weighing 3.9 kg, valued at approximately Rs 1.2 crore, the customs department said, adding the accused has been arrested and the gold seized.

Gold smugglers are increasingly opting for newer techniques to dodge customs authorities.

In January, a Patiala-based trader arrived from Dubai wearing a 700-gram gold chain and 233-gram bracelet on Saturday. He was also carrying 116-gram gold biscuit and 10-gram gold coin in his wallet. In all, the gold was worth 30 lakh.

But he made one mistake. He displayed too much nervousness while crossing the green channel after the Dubai flight landed at the Chandigarh airport . He was caught at the baggage area.

A customs official said they keep vigil on all international passengers, and those landing from Dubai are their prime focus as it has become a favourite source of gold smuggling ever since the flight began in September 2016.

In April, a couple was arrested at Mumbais Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) while trying to smuggle gold dust worth Rs35 lakh.

The accused  Jamsiya Karalil and her husband, Siddeeque Mundodan  are Indian nationals and had flown in from Dubai.

Based on intelligence received by the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU), the duo was intercepted and screened. The gold dust was carried by Karalil on her person, AIU said.

The gold dust was cleverly concealed in two plastic packets, which were placed between two layers of crepe bandage wrapped around the waist of the passenger, said V. Rama Mathew, commissioner of customs, CSIA. Authorities have seized 1,254 grams worth of gold dust.

(with PTI inputs)The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to give permission to a second-year-old law student of Delhi University who was not allowed to write her exams as she had missed her classes due to her pregnancy.

The petitioner, Ankita Meena, could not attend classes because she was in an advanced stage of pregnancy and was denied concession by the university, which mandates 70 per cent attendance to be eligible to sit for exams.

Meena, who had 49 per cent attendance, wanted immediate permission to sit for her paper on Wednesday afternoon.

But a bench of justices A M Khanwilkar and Navin Sinha said that it was very uncomfortable to pass an order at 1 pm on the candidates plea to sit in the exam scheduled an hour later.

There is no point passing an order that cannot be complied with. The time is very limited, the bench said and dismissed the plea filed by Meenas counsel Himanshu Dhuper.

The order came after the university counsel said it was difficult to make arrangements for her at such a short notice.

Discipline of academics has been lost completely. What is the point in having a cut-off date? All this will be lost if we entertain all this, the judges noted.

The bench asked the petitioner to go back to the Delhi High Court where Meenas appeal against the universitys decision is still pending. Dhuper told the bench that Meena had already missed three papers and requested it to allow sit on Wednesday.

What is disturbing us is that suppose we pass an order now, we are not very comfortable that the Supreme Court passes an order at 1 pm allowing a candidate to sit in her examination at 2 pm, said the bench, asking the counsel as to why didnt Meena apply for maternity leave in advance.

The court took up the matter first at 11:50 am. Since the lawyer pressed for an immediate relief, the court called for the DU counsel, saying it wont pass an order without hearing the other side.

At 1 pm, the DU lawyer appeared and expressed inability to accommodate Meena. The court was informed that it would be impossible to issue an admit card to her.

When the students counsel urged the bench to allow her to sit in the remaining two papers so that she could save one year, the bench observed, The law is against you.

It is a very hard case. We understand this. In the morning, we were reluctant to pass an order. Now, DU is not agreeing, the court told the lawyer. The rule will not come to your aid. You had not applied for maternity leave earlier, it said.

A single judge bench of Delhi HC had refused to grant any relaxation in attendance to Meena, saying the relief she asked could not be granted as it was against the provisions of Rules of Legal Education of the BCI and earlier decisions of the high court.

Following the single judges order refusing to grant her relief, the student had approached a division bench, which too declined to interfere but agreed to hear her plea on the larger issue. A notice was issued to DU by the HC.The Congress suffered an electoral setback in Karnataka. But it emerged politically victorious if judged against its key goal -- of keeping the Bharatiya Janata Party out of power. By offering quick support to the Janata Dal (Secular), it cobbled together the numbers. By legally challenging the Governors decision to invite the BJP, it ensured that BS Yeddyuruppa only had a day to prove his majority. By ensuring that its own legislators stayed together, it prevented the BJP from getting the numbers. By releasing tapes of conversations where the BJP was allegedly seeking to lure its MLAs with financial incentives, it went on the offensive. Eventually, Mr Yeddyuruppa resigned. The Opposition, after the Karnataka developments, is energised and believes it may have found a model to take on the BJP in 2019.

The Congresss success was due to two broad factors, which, in a way, reflects the change underway in the party. Party president Rahul Gandhi displayed both clarity and aggression. He is understood to have clearly laid out what the party would do in different scenarios  including supporting the JD(S), with which it fought a bitter election. Gandhi did not let ego come in his way and decided to support a party which was just half the size of his own. It was on his direction that the party machine got its act together. At the same time, the partys experienced old guard held it all together on the ground. It was Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ashok Gehlot who stationed themselves in Bengaluru, used old connections with the JD(S) and kept the alliance together. It was Abhishek Manu Singhvi  who in consultation with Ahmed Patel, P Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal and other senior leaders  who led the legal challenge in the court. Both the senior and younger leaders came together to launch a strong social media offensive against the BJP as well. All of this should bring cheer to the long demoralised Congress. But at the same time, the party has to remember that political victory did not come as a result of electoral victory. And that has to be the core goal for any party.Students from CBSE and ICSE schools fared better than those from various state boards in all disciplines across India according to a National Achievement Survey of Class 10 students that was conducted earlier this year, emphasising the difference in standard of education between the two national boards and the rest.

Among states, Delhi performed the best with 45.65% average score in five subjects, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, and Rajasthan.

The National Achievement Survey (NAS) for Class 10 was conducted by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in February for government, government-aided and private schools.

A total of 1.544 million students, across 44,514 schools in 610 districts in the country, participated in the largest-ever survey of student achievements for Class 10. Students were assessed in mathematics, science, social science, English and modern Indian language.

Bihar was the worst performer when it came to English with an average score of 28.95%, followed by Madhya Pradesh (29.65%) and Chhattisgarh (30.17%).

According to the survey, in schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the average score of a student was 52.31% in math, 51.10% in science, 53.29% in social science, 58.54% in English and 62.28% in modern Indian languages. Similarly, in schools following the ICSE board, the average score of a student was 51.09% in math, 53.52% in science, 51.15% in social science, 70.38% in English and 54.28% in modern Indian languages.

Annie Namala, the director of the Centre for Social Equity and Inclusion who has served as a member of the National Advisory Council for the implementation of the right to education in 2010, said state boards are usually easier than CBSE and ICSE boards. But you have to understand that state boards are usually taught in government schools, while CBSE and ICSE are opted for by private schools, and this makes a huge difference. So even though the state board curriculum taught in government schools are easier, with missing teachers and lack of quality teaching, students may not have had good teaching and learning. Also, the socio-economic background of the student at government schools is different from that of the private school student, and this may mean that at home learning may also be slightly different.

The overall numbers across states still paint a dismal picture. For instance, Andhra Pradesh registered the highest average score in mathematics at 41.2% followed by Delhi and Goa. In social science, Delhi saw the highest performance (46.8%) followed by Karnataka and Rajasthan.

Kerala saw the highest score in modern Indian languages with 63.71% , followed by Delhi and Mizoram.

The last NAS for Class 10 was conducted in 2015. Compared to 2015, the performance of CBSE-affiliated schools has dipped, except in Mathematics. ICSE- affiliated schools also saw a dip in their performance in all subjects. The highest average score of states in all five subjects has also seen a decline.

Nagaland tops India in average score in English with 54.46%, followed by Goa and Manipur.

While CBSE affiliated schools had the best performance in mathematics (52.31%) and social science (53.29%). ICSE affiliated schools had the best performance in science (53.52%) and English (70.38%).

The findings of the NAS will be used as inputs in policy, planning and designing pedagogical interventions to improve the overall quality and learning outcomes which NCERT is framing for class 10.In 27 years from now, almost a quarter of the global population will be obese, researchers said Wednesday, warning of the mounting medical bill. If current trends continue, 22% of people in the world will be obese by 2045, up from 14% in 2017, according to a research.

The startling projections, presented at 2018 European Congress on Obesity in Vienna, also demonstrated that the prevalence of diabetes will increase from 9.1% to 11.7% by 2045, which will result in one out of eight people around the world to suffer from Type-2 diabetes.

These numbers underline the staggering challenge the world will face in the future in terms of numbers of people who are obese, or have Type-2 diabetes, or both. As well as the medical challenges these people will face, the costs to countries health systems will be enormous, said Alan Moses, Chief Medical Officer at the Novo Nordisk -- a Denmark-based healthcare company.

According to the researchers, in order to prevent the prevalence of Type-2 diabetes from going above 10% in 2045, global obesity levels must be reduced by 25%.

For the study, the population of all countries from 2000-2014 was divided into age groups which was further sub divided on the basis of body mass index (BMI). The diabetes risk for each age and BMI group was then applied, allowing estimations of diabetes prevalence for each country each year.

The researchers said that, immediate action will not result in reversing the epidemic of diabetes and obesity quickly, however, it is essential to prevent new cases of obesity and diabetes.

Despite the challenge all countries are facing with obesity and diabetes, the tide can be turned - but it will take aggressive and coordinated action to reduce obesity and individual cities should play a key role in confronting the issues around obesity, some of which are common to them all and others that are unique to each of them, Moses said.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for moreBlack Panther star Lupita Nyongo says she led a petition in high school so that her classmates could wear make-up.

The 35-year-old actor said she had no interest in getting dolled up herself, but wanted the right for others as her peers would not be adversely affected by wearing make-up.

I went to an all-boys school for high school, and they had girls in the last two classes. This is a school with 700 boys and a handful of girls.

Mexican-Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o poses as she arrives on May 11, 2018 for the Secret Chopard Party on the sidelines of the 71st Cannes film festival in Cannes, southeastern France. (AFP)

At one point, there was an archaic rule that said that girls could not wear makeup to school. I was angry that the powers that be were trying to basically oppress and control the small female population. It infuriated me to the point that I started a petition, Nyongo told InStyle magazine.

I said to myself, Look, if a woman wants to wear makeup to school to feel confident in an environment where shes a minority, why not? It doesnt actually change whether or not shes able to take in the information being given to her in the classroom, she recalled of her time at St Marys School in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Oscar-winning actor, who still believes makeup is barely an accessory, made history when went to become the first black ambassador for Lancome in 2014.

Follow @htshowbiz for moreA week of relentless Pakistan shelling has driven 1,00,000 people from their homes in Jammu and Kashmir, reducing their villages to ghost towns and leaving their homes pockmarked, bearing the telltale signs of hostilities from across the border.

Soonam Kundal is busy gathering her belongings at her home in Keso village, a few kilometers from the border.

The 19-year-old is alone at home. On Tuesday evening, her father was curing a newly built boundary wall when a mortar shell landed in the compound of their house, injuring him, her mother and brother.

My family has been shifted to government medical college hospital in Jammu, says Kundal, who escaped unhurt as she was inside. She will be shifting to her aunts home.

Like Kundal, most of the people forced out of their homes in border villages of Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts have chosen to live with relatives. A few have opted for relief camps.

A village of 1,500, Keso is all but abandoned. Women and children have moved to relief camps, men join them at sunset.

Kundals aunt Ruby is critical of the government for leaving people to fend for themselves. We have pleaded with politicians to provide us land at safer locations, she says.

Fear dominates as Pakistani soldiers have targeted villages and BSF posts all along the 198km-long border. In the last one week, four people have died and 25 injured in Ramgarh alone.

A retried soldier, 61-year-old Des Raj blames the government for the situation. We have experienced firing from across for decades but the intensity has increased ever since the BJP came to power at the Centre, he says. Raj was to join his family at a relief camp in the evening.

The last border village of Nanga resembles a ghost town. Only a handful of the 3,500 people have stayed back, to look after houses and cattle. Ashok Kumar 53, whose neighbours house was damaged in firing, directed his anger at Pakistan. They are killing innocent people in the month of Ramzan. How can we talk of peace when they have unleashed bloodshed on us, he says.Congress leader and former MP Meenakshi Natarajan has resigned from Madhya Pradesh Congresss manifesto committee, apparently peeved by the induction of her bete noire Rajendra Singh Gautam into a party panel.

The development comes ahead of Congress president Rahul Gandhis visit to Mandsaur district of the state on June 6 to mark the first anniversary of the death of six farmers in police firing.

State Congress chief Kamal Nath on Thursday sought to downplay the issue, saying he had spoken to Natarajan and a solution will be found.

Natarajan, former Mandsaur MP and a close confidante of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, quit the party manifesto committee on Wednesday, sources close to her said.

When asked whether she had withdrawn the resignation, she said on Thursday, I would not make any public statement on the partys internal issues. I do not talk about partys issues outside.

I am preparing for Rahul jis visit right now, she told PTI.

Talking to the media later, Nath insisted that Natarajan had not resigned from the committee.

She has not resigned. I had a talk with Meenakshi ji. These sort of things keep happening. Meenakshi is our respected leader. She had been in Parliament. Everyone will be heard and a solution would be found, he said.

Picking someone for a panel is a small issue. Such things happen, he added.

Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot had on Tuesday announced the formation of various committees as the Assembly elections in the state were due later this year.

Natarajan was appointed chairperson of the manifesto committee, while Gautam was made a member of the state coordination committee.

However, a day after the appointment, Natarajan and her supporters including, Congress MLA from Mandsaur Hardeep Singh Dang and district unit vice president Mahendra Gurjar, resigned from their organisational posts.

Dang told PTI that he had quit as a delegate of the All India Congress Committee (AICC).

Meenaksh ji should be taken into confidence while taking decisions pertaining to Mandsaur-Neemuch, he said.

Notably, Gautam had rebelled against Natarajan in 2009 when she was chosen as the partys candidate from Mandsaur Lok Sabha constituency.

Rahul Gandhi is slated to visit Piplya Mandi village in the district on June 6 and address a rally.A 25-year-old woman allegedly killed her father while he was trying to rape her at their residence in Assams Biswanath district earlier this year, police said on Thursday.

The decomposed body of the 71-year-old man was recovered from a 15-foot-deep pit in their backyard on Tuesday. Police have arrested the woman and four of her family members in connection with the incident.

Police said the deceased allegedly tried to rape his daughter on March 3, culminating in a brawl that led to his death. While the woman was charged with murder, the other four  including her mother  were booked for concealing evidence.

The matter came to light when the family lodged a missing complaint with the Biswanath Chariali police on May 11. The statements they provided during questioning did not corroborate, said district superintendent of police Diganta Kumar Chaudhary.

Further investigation revealed that the family had recently dug a pit in the backyard of their residence. When confronted again, the woman confessed to the crime.

According to the womans statement, the man tried to rape her around 11 pm that night. When she resisted, he pulled out an axe. But she overpowered him and killed him with the same weapon, a police officer said.

The womans mother and elder brother then helped her hide the body in another room of the house. Two more sisters joined them the next morning, the police officer said.

The family members kept the body concealed in plastic bags for the three days it took to dig the pit. They finally buried it on March 7, the police officer said.

Family members claimed in an interrogation that the deceased used to sexually abuse his daughter, an MA student at a local college, on a regular basis. But we are also looking at the case from other angles, including possible property-related disputes, the police officer said.A brief lull after nine days of intense shelling by Pakistan on Thursday gave time to a family in RS Pura sector in Jammu district to cremate one of its members who was killed on Wednesday.

Raghubir Singh, 50, was cremated at RS Pura amid wails of family members, relatives and friends.

Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta, PHE minister Sham Choudhary, BJP MP Jugal Kishore and state BJP president Ravinder Raina were among those who attended Raghubir Singhs last rites.

Meanwhile, an eerie calm prevailed in forward villages and hamlets along the international border where people are still skeptical about the fragile peace.

Majority of the people are still avoiding spending nights in their houses on the border. Before dusk, families, mostly women, children and elderly return to their relatives houses or camps, said Bishan Dass, 45 of Arnia town.

All activities like farming, schooling and cattle rearing have come to a grinding halt. Yet again we have been reduced to refugees in our own country, he added.

Intense Pakistani shelling since May 15 had left 12 dead and 56 injured in the three districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua.

The dead also include two BSF jawans Devendra Singh Baghel and Sita Ram Upadhayaya.

Deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta said Pakistan was in the habit of violating the ceasefire.

We cant stop Pakistan but we can certainly create a tough situation for it. Our security forces are retaliating strongly to their firing, he said.

He also said that work on bunkers for the villagers all along the border will begin soon. Simultaneously, the government will also provide compensation to the affected villagers, he added.

State BJP president Ravinder Raina said, Pakistan is a terrorist country and cannot be trusted. Pakistan is the biggest enemy of Islam and Muslims in the entire world.

Although Pakistani shelling and firing stopped on Wednesday afternoon along the international border, the Pakistani army fired and shelled Lam and Nowshera sectors of Rajouri district in the night in which one civilian was injured.

Over one lakh people have migrated from their villages all along the international border in the latest spell of Pakistani firing.

Over 200 educational institutes within five km radius of the border remained closed for the fifth consecutive day on Thursday in Jammu, Samba, and Kathua districts in view of Pakistani shelling.China's vice foreign minister Kong Xuanyou will arrive in New Delhi next month for a round of meetings with top Indian officials to advance bilateral ties, reflecting the desire of both sides to build on the momentum created by the informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping, people familiar with the development said.

The visit by Kong, Beijing's point man for Asian and North Korean affairs, will be part of a series of high level visits from both sides aimed at implementing the decision by Modi and Xi at their summit in Wuhan to strengthen strategic communication through greater consultation on matters of common interest, the people said on condition of anonymity.

Kong, who will be in New Delhi on June 5, will meet foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale for discussions on a wide range of issues. The two sides are also expected to share notes on North Korea, an Indian official and a diplomat said. Kong is also expected to meet national security adviser Ajit Doval. Besides being China's special representative on Korean peninsular affairs, Kong is responsible for Asian affairs and boundary and ocean affairs, and is seen as one of the key players in the foreign ministry. He was closely involved in the Wuhan informal summit on April 27-28 and officials said Beijing's decision to send him to India so soon after that meeting reflected the importance attached to taking ties forward.

The two sides have also lined up more visits and meetings and are exploring the possibility of launching key initiatives to refurbish ties that were hit by the military stand-off in Doklam ,in the India-Bhutan-China trijunction last year. New Delhi and Beijing are looking at deepening their engagement on security and counter-terrorism and considering ways for law enforcement agencies to work together in a more cohesive manner on issues of mutual interest, another official said. In this regard, the two sides are working on dates for an early visit by Chinese minister of public security Zhao Kezhi.

Deputy national security advisor Rajinder Khanna, who was in China for a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting, had a fruitful interaction with Zhao. We hope to host him here in a month or two, said the official cited above.

During their talks in Wuhan, Modi and Xi had acknowledged the common threat posed by all forms of terrorism and committed themselves to cooperating on counter-terrorism. There are also plans for a visit to China by a team from India's commerce ministry although the dates are yet to be firmed up. This will be part of interactions focusing on trade ties that will also address Indias concerns about trade imbalance.

The trade volume was an historic $84. 5 billion in the past year. The two sides are looking at ways to build on this," said the first official quoted in the story.

An Indian delegation of tea traders is expected to visit China in the coming months. During the first 10 months of 2017, China imported 6.4 million kg of black tea valued at ~115 crore from India. However, the Indian side believes exports can be increased substantially.

The two sides are also looking at a special arrangement to give a major boost to people-to- people contacts, especially in fields such as culture, education and films. The two sides are discussing many ideas in this area. We will soon have a definite plan, said the same person quoted above.

The Chinese side has also suggested that the two sides could divide all outstanding issues into two segments - short term issues that are less contentious and can be more easily addressed, and long term issues, such as the border dispute, that will require more effort.

The template for the interactions will aim to build on convergences even as New Delhi and Beijing hammer away at the more contentious issues. This, officials said, will be in line with the decision by Modi and Xi to strengthen the "Closer Development Partnership" in a mutually beneficial and sustainable manner and to enhance strategic communication to boost mutual understanding and contribute to regional and global stability.Forthcoming assembly elections in the states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh can bring more bad news for the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) if the results of a survey by CSDS-Lokniti are to be believed.

The survey shows that the Congress is ahead of the BJP in these two states by 5 percentage points and 15 percentage points, respectively (See Chart 1). Given the fact that these two states witness a bipolar contest, this gap in vote share could translate into an even larger gap in seat share.

These survey findings have been released with the third round of CSDS-Lokniti Mood of the Nation (MOTN) survey which has been conducted among more than fifteen thousand respondents across 19 states between 20 April and 17 May. The previous two rounds were conducted in May 2017 and January 2018, i.e. just after the assembly election results of Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.

The results show that anti-incumbency has been catching up with the Narendra Modi government and BJPs lead vis-a-vis the Congress has fallen to less than half in the past one year (See Chart 2).

More than half of Indias religious minorities and Dalits are against giving another chance to the Modi government; the survey says. Majority of Hindu upper castes and lower OBCs however are in favour or giving another chance to the government (See Chart 3).

The survey also shows that an equal number of respondents (43%) like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi now. While Gandhi seems to be gaining among his adversaries, Modi is losing out among his fans. 25% of the respondents said they did not like Modi earlier but like him now. This number is 29% for Gandhi. In contrast, 35% of the respondents who liked Modi earlier reported to having picked a dislike for him. This number is just 22% for Gandhi. Gandhis popularity however does not seem to be translating into support for the Congress or the United Prpgressive Allaince (UPA).

The survey shows that non-UPA parties have gained more among farmers (8 percentage points) in the last one year who have turned against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) (a swing of 12 percentage points) in a big way.

To be sure, political surveys; including that of the CSDS-Lokniti, have often been way off the mark in the past. However, the broad message from the latest MOTN survey  anti-incumbency is finally catching up with the BJP but the Congress alone cannot claim to be the biggest beneficiary from it  seems to be in congruence with the larger political narrative.Police in Andhra Pradeshs Punganur town of Chittoor district, 570 km south of Hyderabad arrested five minor boys on Thursday for allegedly raping a 12-year old girl for the last two months.

The boys who are in the age group of 16-17 years were produced before a local court and subsequently shifted to juvenile home after judicial remand. The accused belong to Bhagat Singh Nagar in Punganur.

Two of the accused are class VII students, one is in class X, one boy is an intermediate student while one is illiterate. They all live in the girls neighbourhood and their parents work as porters.

The girl is from a poor family. Her father died long ago and mother is a labourer.

The boys had first trapped the girl in their neighbourhood by offering her chocolates nearly two months ago and allegedly raped her, Punganur inspector of police P Sainath said.

Subsequently, they repeated the offence several times by threatening that they would kill her, if she revealed the crime to anybody.

On Wednesday night, unable to bear the torture, the girl finally confided in her parents. They caught hold of two of the accused with the help of locals and thrashed them before handing them over to the police. Later, the police took the other three boys into custody as well before formally arresting them Thursday morning.

We have booked cases under Section 376 of Indian Penal Code, besides relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, inspector Sainath said.

Over the last three months, minor boys have been involved in a spate of rapes of minor girls in different parts of the country.A day ahead of the trust vote, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara on Thursday said the Congress-JD(S) coalition was yet to discuss modalities about H D Kumaraswamy continuing as Chief Minister for a full five year term.

We have not yet discussed those modalities, he said in response to a question whether Kumaraswamy will be the Chief Minister for full five year term.

Speaking to reporters here, he said we are also yet to decide on what portfolios have to go to them and what should be with us, then five years term- whether they should be or we should also...all those modalities we have still not discussed.

When asked again whether Congress was okay with giving Chief Ministers post to JD(S) for full a five year term, Parameshwara, also the KPCC chief, said ....after discussing.. looking at the pros and cons (we will decide), our main intention is to give good administration.

Ahead of his swearing-in, Kumaraswamy had dismissed reports about his party working out a power sharing formula of heading the government for 30 months each, with its coalition partner the Congress, saying No such talks have taken place.

Responding to a question about several leaders being unhappy over partys choice for the Deputy Chief Minister post and on issues relating to portfolios, Parameshwara said, no one has sought any position from him or Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

I have seen reports about (this) only in the media, he said.

Ruling out any differences between the leaders, he said there was nothing wrong in asking for position.

In Congress party, there are several leaders who are capable of becoming Deputy Chief Minister or Chief Minister....thats the asset of the Congress party.

It is left to the party high-command to decide on who has to be given what position in this situation when we are in a coalition government, he said.

Asked about senior Congress leader D K Shivakumar being unhappy and holding a separate meeting with a few MLAs, Parameshwara said, all MLAs are together and we will be successful in the floor test.

Discussions, group meetings may have happened or not, but above all the fact is that we are united. I can say only this, he added.

Reports said Shivakumar, who was also a contender for the deputy chief ministers post, was unhappy with the party leadership.

Shivakumar, who emerged as a key figure in keeping the party MLAs together before the trust vote of BJPs Yeddyurappa government, was reportedly upset over not getting the Deputy CM post.

About his continuation as KPCC president, Parameshwara said he has not heard anything from the high command on the matter, but he might have to opt for one position.

Asked about the demand that Shivakumar be made party chief, Parameshwara said, it is a happy thing if he becomes president as an experienced politician and leader will lead the party.

On whether there will be another Deputy Chief Minister along with him, he said was not aware of it.

I dont have such information, and no such discussions have taken place.

After the floor test Congress and JD(S) leaders along with the Chief Minister would sit together to decide on a coordination committee, Parameshwara said.

At the same time, we will form an empanelled group to formulate a common minimum programme, he said.

Claiming that the party was not defeated in the election as Congress vote share was more than the BJP, Parameshwara said a committee would formed and it would travel across the state and find reasons for the partys defeat.

He, however, tried to put the blame on EVMs for the partys performance in some areas.

...there are several reasons that are being mentioned, some are even saying that EVMs were manipulated. We will get to know about these things when we go to the spot, he said.

Parameshwara said he felt that there may be a possibility that EVMs were manipulated.

He said the party has got information that in a few constituencies where there was 70-80 per cent Congress voters, there also BJP got the highest lead. So there is a suspicion (about EVMs being manipulated), he said.

He said he was not complaining that EVMs were manipulated in all 222 constituencies that went to polls.

Pointing out that his party had demanded ballot papers instead of EVMs ahead of the May 12 elections, Parameshwara said In the days to come we will demand for ballot papers and we dont want EVMs.Army chief General Bipin Rawat arrived in Srinagar on Thursday on a two-day visit days, a little over a week after the government announced a suspension of security operations in Kashmir valley.

General Rawats visit also coincided with that of the Centres interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma who met Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and Governor Narendra Nath Vohra.

The army chief who reviewed the security situation in the Valley met top formation commanders to take stock of the current situation, especially in the Valley and on the Line of Control. General Rawat was also briefed about the impact of the suspension of security operations.

The Army Chief visited formation headquarters and units where he was briefed by the commanders on ground as regards the operational preparedness. The Army Chief was appreciative of the measures and Standard Operating Procedures instituted by the units and formations to meet the challenges posed by the inimical elements, the defence spokesman said.

He said that Army chief also commended the performance of the troops in the recent successful operations and stressed the need to maintain extra vigil to defeat the designs of hostile forces.

General Rawat also took stock of the security and administrative arrangements for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra which begins from June 27, the spokesman.

Meanwhile the Centres interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma who arrived in Srinagar a day earlier, had a detailed meeting chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday. Officials said during the meeting overall situation in the State, particularly after the announcement of the Ramzan ceasefire by the Centre, came up for discussion.

Sharma also briefed the chief minister about his recent interactions with a cross section of society in different areas and the situation along the borders in the State

In his meeting with governor, Sharma discussed unilateral cease fire; and the recurring ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the international border and the Line of Control (LoC).

Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police, S P Vaid had recently termed the ceasefire as successful and asked the local youth who have joined militant ranks to use this as an opportunity to return home.

The Ramzan ceasefire has been successful thus far. The initiative of Honble PM has helped in general improvement in law & order. The situation especially in south Kashmir has eased & is serving as confidence Building Measure for families who want their boys to return back home, Vaid had tweeted on Monday.With six months to go for Rajasthan assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in the process of setting up a war room in Jaipur from where the party chief Amit Shah and his lieutenants will be calling the shots.

A team from Delhi BJP is in Jaipur to look for a house to be rented for Shah who is expected to visit sometime in June. Sources said that Shahs aides are looking for a house in Jaipurs C Scheme and also at JLN Marg.

The ideal house would be not too far from the airport and at a safe and secure location away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Two flats have also been rented out in the C Scheme where a team of BJPs national IT wing is expected to move in shortly.

The BJP chief will be visiting the state every month for three to four days and the duration will increase in the run-up to the elections scheduled for November or December, party insiders said.

Shah will stay at the rented accommodation, and will visit the party office for official engagements, a BJP leader said on the condition of anonymity.

Instead of depending on the state unit, Shahs team will take feedback from the district units across Rajasthan and work out the strategy for elections. He will monitor and micro-manage all political developments in the run up to the elections. Rajasthan will be divided into zones and his trusted leaders in the central party organisation will be given charge of each zone, the BJP leader said.

The schedule for Shahs visit to Jaipur has not been finalised. Amit Shah ji is expected to visit in coming weeks but dates have not been fixed, partys state media cell incharge, Anand Sharma, said.

Partymen said that Shah has also got a report prepared on the state unit. After the announcement of the state party president, new faces will also be brought in to the organisation to create an effective team of office bearers in the run up to the polls.

The state BJP unit has remained without a chief for over a month after Ashok Parnami, who was held responsible for the bypoll loss, resigned as the state party president on March 16.

While BJP leaders say the announcement of a new state unite chief was held up due to the Karnataka elections, the stalemate between the central and state leadership over a suitable candidate has also delayed the announcement. While central leadership is keen on appointing Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhwat to the post, the move is being opposed by chief minister Vasundhara Raje.

State urban development and housing minister Srichand Kriplani said that appointment of new BJP chief was expected in a day or two after which they will get into election mode.Even as hostilities along the line of control in Jammu saw no let-up, Indian and Pakistani soldiers exchanged fire at Kamalkote in North Kashmirs Uri sector on Thursday. However, there was no loss to life or property.

Local residents said firing was first witnessed in the forward posts of Kamalkote  the last village on the line of control  around 11 pm last night. The gunfire continued for an hour before stopping, and then began again in the morning.

Indian officials accused Pakistan of violating the ceasefire in Uri by targeting three to four Indian positions with bullets and mortars. The army responded with full force. However, there was no loss to life or property, a senior police officer said.

The ceasefire has created panic among the villagers in the Uri region, especially Kamalkote. The army has accused Pakistan of violating the ceasefire in order to facilitate infiltration.

Local residents recently demanded that the government construct underground bunkers to ensure their safety.India and The Netherlands on Thursday explored cooperation across multiple sectors at a CEOs Round Table attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte.

Explored strengthening cooperation in sectors like agriculture and food processing, horticulture, water management, logistics, life sciences and health, among other areas, external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

Ready for business! PM @narendramodi & Netherlands PM Mark Rutte participated at the CEOs Round Table. Explored strengthening cooperation in sectors like agriculture & food processing, horticulture, water management, logistics, life sciences & health, among other areas. pic.twitter.com/eR1YPMQCaA  Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) May 24, 2018

Netherlands is the fourth largest investor in India in diverse sectors, Kumar said in an earlier tweet.

The CEOs Round Table was preceded by a bilateral meeting between Modi and Rutte at Hyderabad House here.

Rutte arrived here on Thursday morning on a two-day visit to India that will also see him going to Bengaluru.

This is his second visit to India since June 2015, but the first after being re-elected as Prime Minister in 2017.

The Dutch leaders visit comes within a year of Modis visit to The Netherlands last June.

According to figures released by the External Affairs Ministry, India and The Netherlands have a bilateral trade of $7.621 billion (April 2017-Feb 2018).

The Netherlands is also home to a 235,000-strong Indian diaspora, the largest in mainland Europe.

Ruttes visit is expected to boost the economic and political cooperation between India and The Netherlands.A fire temple for Parsis ex-communicated may sound like an oxymoron in terms of the traditional view  the fire temple, or agiary as it is known, is only for Parsis defined by marriage within the community only.

Yet, the first fire temple for Parsis who have been excluded from the traditional places of worship is as busy, if not busier, than most of the agiaries in the city. Since its launch in December 2017, in Kondhwa, the Dadgah Asha Vahishta Zoroastrian centre has hosted nine navjots, three funeral prayer ceremonies and two weddings.

The Zoroastrian centre was inaugurated on December 25, 2017, under the umbrella of the association for the revival of Zoroastrianism. The claim is that this is Indias first agiary open to Parsis who have married out of their community, and their children. Zoroastrian enthusiasts who want to learn more about this religion are also welcome.

The association for revival of Zoroastrianism is a public charitable trust registered under the Bombay Public Trusts Act 1950, since September 2004.

That the idea of opening such a centre has been accepted has indeed surprised me, says Mumbai resident Vispy Wadia, one of the brains behind the centre. It is universal knowledge that the population of Parsis is declining very rapidly. We are all also aware that, in India, inter-married Parsis and their children are not allowed to freely practice the religion ...

Zoroastrianism is a revealed universal religion and there is no scope of discrimination in this noble faith. Moreover, there has been a long standing demand for a place where Zoroastrians married to people of other faith could freely practice the religion and perform their religious duties. We, therefore, set up the centre in Pune, so that these Zoroastrians and their children are provided the requisite religious infrastructure... he added.

The centre was originally to be in Goregaon, Mumbai, but then Pune seemed to offer less resistance. Given the citys proximity to Mumbai and a growing ex-Zoroastrian population, currently at 6,000, NIBM road, Kondhwa, was picked as the place for the new-age Zoroastrian, married outside the community, to worship. This fire temple, on NIBM road, cost 2.5 crore to build. The agiary has a community hall, prayer hall, library and the holy fire  called the dadgah fire.Byelections to Uttar Pradeshs Kairana Lok Sabha will be held on May 28, making it one of the hotly contested political fights in recent times.

The by-election in Kairana was necessitated after the death of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Hukum Dev Singh, who won the seat in 2014 by a huge margin in a bitterly polarised contest following unprecedented communal riots in the region. The BJP is defending Kairana against a united opposition in the byelection. Its candidate, Hukum Dev Singhs daughter Mriganka, is up against Tabassum Hasan, who is contesting on an Rashtriya Lok Dal ticket and has the support of the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress party as well.

Kairana is a prestige fight for the BJP following the defeat of its candidates to those of the SP, supported by the BSP, in by-elections to the Lok Sabha from Gorakhpur and Phulpur in March. Heres one chart to explain the vote arithmetic in Kairana.The Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) government will seek to prove its majority on the floor of the Karnataka assembly on Friday even as the race for the speakers post has kicked off, with the Bharatiya Janata Partys MLA , S Suresh Kumar and Congress MLA KR Ramesh Kumar submitting their nominations on Thursday.

Ramesh Kumar is acceptable to both the Congress and the JD(S) as he was formerly a member of the Janata Dal. He has previously served as the speaker of the assembly between 1994 and 1999. Ramesh Kumar first won an election in 1978 as a Congress member before moving to the Janata Dal in 1985. In 2004, he moved back to the Congress and has been with the party ever since.

Deputy chief minister G Parameshwara appealed to the opposition on Thursday to not contest the post and allow Ramesh Kumar to become the speaker, considering his experience in the post.

The post of speaker is above politics as the person so selected has to rise above party politics while holding the chair. In this light, considering Kumars previous experience in the post and his seniority, I appeal to the opposition to not contest the post.

The speaker is voted in by the new assembly, and as the Congress and JD(S) have a combined strength of 119 MLAs, including two independents, Kumar is expected to sail through. However, both sides are tense and have not ruled out the possibility of cross-voting by MLAs.

The choice of Ramesh Kumar was revealed by KC Venugopal, Congress general secretary in charge of the state, on Tuesday, as part of the coalition agreement between the two parties.

With the support of 78 legislators and two independents, the Congress is set to get 22 of the 34 ministries, while the JD(S) will get the rest, including the chief ministers post, for which HD Kumaraswamy was sworn in on Wednesday.

Suresh Kumar said he was bowing to the BJPs decision asking him to contest the Speakers post. The party has asked me to contest and I am bowing to its directions, he said. However, with 104 seats out of 221, the party lacks the numbers to push his candidature through on its own.

Suresh Kumar has won five elections since 1994 from the Rajaji Nagar constituency in the state capital.Indias Maoist insurgency is in its last stage, but this could, paradoxically, result in a sharp spike in blasts with the Communist Party of India (Maoist) shifting its focus from direct attacks to bombings, the ministry of home affairs senior special adviser K Vijay Kumar said in an interview.

Kumar, who advises MHA on left-wing extremism, said Maoists have been steadily losing their hold over territories under their control, but added that unable to effect as many ambushes or launch attacks, they could, in a desperate bid to stay relevant, rely on Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Across the world, when you see an insurgency coming to an end, the insurgents change their tactics from direct confrontation to carrying out targeted bombings and spectacular blasts. The same can be witnessed in Maoist-affected areas of India, said Kumar, a retired Indian Police Service officer best known for his role in the tracking and killing of forest brigand Veerappan.

Kumars comments come in the context of the death of seven personnel of Chhattisgarh police in a powerful blast triggered by the outlawed CPI (Maoist) on the Jagargunda-Cholnar route in Dantewada district, considered a Maoist bastion.

The first stage of insurgency is marked by guerrilla action which happens in areas that are not fully defended. The second stage is armed mobilisation followed by mobile warfare. For the Maoists this stage came in 2009-10 when their movement was extremely strong, Kumar said.

Then came the decline, and by 2018, their activities are restricted to few regions such as Bastar. Maoists have lost a lot of ground and their movement is in the last stage,he added.

Kumar was appointed as director-general of the Central Reserve Police Force back in 2010 and following his retirement was chosen as a senior advisor in the home ministry where he has been advising the central and state governments on security and development in the Naxal-affected states.

The IPS officer said that a sustained campaign against Maoists has resulted in a decrease in the number of armed workshops they conduct, hit their ability to acquire weapons, even resulted in a decline in the number of direct attacks on security forces.

Even more significant is the fact that the ideology of left wing insurgency has weakened sharply.However we are expecting them to go all out against our jawans as their movement is nearing its end. Our strength can become our weakness for example in remote places where we are posted and carry out area domination exercises regularly. Here we are the most vulnerable (to IED attacks). But we will be prepared, Kumar said.

Ajai Sahni, the executive director of the New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management, agreed with Kumars analysis and added that the nature of violence perpetrated by left-wing insurgents suggests the movement is in retreat. Clearly the data shows a tremendous shrinkage in capabilities and space of the insurgents. Activities of their political activists, overground and underground workers too have decreased and so have large ambushes, Sahni said.The Narendra Modi government, along with the Bharatiya Janata Party, will celebrate its fourth year in office with a publicity blitz to highlight its achievements and a theme that will set the template for the campaign for the Lok Sabha elections next year.

The anniversary celebrations will have the tagline - Manzil Aa Rahi Hai Paas, Desh Ka Badhta Jaata Vishwas; Saaf Niyat, Sahi Vikas. In its condensed form, the theme will be Saaf Niyat, Sahi Vikas - Clean intent, Right Development.

The theme, said a key person familiar with the planning of the campaign, will also focus on Modis intentions, the progress that has been achieved in the last four years and an acknowledgement that more needs to be done while the country is moving in the right direction.

There is no doubt that our biggest asset is PM Modis credibility and there is no doubt about his intentions. We will also flag both infrastructure and welfare gains to show there is a lot that the government has achieved. But the slogan recognises that this is a journey and ask citizens to have faith that the direction is right, the person quoted above said.

Top ministers will hold press conferences to showcase the governments achievements during its four years in office and there will be a social media campaign, a planned outreach to over one lakh intellectuals, a harmony connect day with Dalits and more events.

Modi will be in Odisha on Saturday.

Main opposition Congress has said it will mark the fourth anniversary of the Modi government as Vishwasghat Divas or Day of Betrayal and hold protests in every district of the country.The National Green Tribunal has directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to inspect and take samples from industries located in the vicinity of an Uttarakhand village so that the polluting units can be shut.

A bench headed by Justice Raghuvendra S Rathore asked the CPCB to give the list of polluting industries, after conducting the inspection within within three weeks in the village in Udham Singh Nagar district, to the the State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Ltd (SIDCUL).

As we have been told that there are certain industries which are polluting, we direct the officers of CPCB to first inspect such industries and take samples(water/air). On confirmation about they being polluting, give a list of such industry to SIDCUL.

Upon receipts of such list SIDCUL and Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board shall immediately stop the functioning of such industries. CPCB shall inspect all the industries expeditiously and in any case within three weeks, the bench said.

The matter will be heard on May 29.

The tribunal had earlier appointed senior advocate Raj Panjwani and advocate Meera Gopal to assist it on a complaint of the residents of an Uttarakhand village, alleging discharge of untreated chemical effluents in drains by industries located in the vicinity.

The villagers had contended that there was complete violation of environmental laws and pollution norms by a large number of industries at the SIDCUL industrial park, located in the vicinity of village Siddh Garbyang.

Terming the situation as alarming, the bench had directed its Registry to register the letter as a petition and asked the Uttarakhand state pollution control board to inspect the industrial units around the village.

The NGT had issued notices to the Uttarakhand government, District Magistrate of Udham Singh Nagar, state pollution control board, Managing Director of SIDCUL and sought their responses.

The state pollution board was directed to identify the industries which were discharging untreated effluent and causing air and ground water pollution. It had also been asked to inform the tribunal on whether the industries were complying with the conditions of environment clearance.

The pollution control board shall also collect samples of the effluents discharged, and of ground water coming out of the tubewells. Assess the smoke coming out of the chimneys and collect samples of soil of the agriculture fields so as to ascertain whether it has also been affected by industrial effluents, the bench had said earlier.

The complainants had said the industrial units were spewing black soot which deposited black dust on the village houses, especially in the morning and evening hours due to which it was difficult for the residents to sit outside their houses or do any work.

During rainy season, the effluent spread over the agriculture fields and even the tubewells of the village are having coloured water which is not fit for human or animal consumption, the petition had said.

Maintaining it was unclear as to which industry was causing pollution or discharging discharging effluents in the drain, the villagers had said they had complained to various authorities.

The state pollution control board officers had also visited the sites and taken samples but no action was taken, they had said.A 16-year-old girl who was allegedly gang-raped earlier this month committed suicide at her home in Sambalpur district on Wednesday.

The Class 9 student, who was allegedly gang-raped by six people on May 3, hanged herself while nobody was home. She appeared to be under a lot of stress since the day of the incident, said a police officer on the condition of anonymity.

All the accused in the rape case, including a juvenile, have been arrested. We managed to file the chargesheet in 15 days because she was cooperating with us. We were in the process of getting her compensated under the Victim Compensation Scheme, said Sambalpur superintendent of police Sanjeev Arora.

A similar incident had occurred at Cuttack in March this year, when a 17-year-old rape victim hanged herself. She alleged that the accused  a youngster from the locality  had spiked her drink with a sedative and then clicked obscene photographs of her.

A tribal girl who was allegedly gang-raped by COBRA paramilitary jawans had also taken a similar step in January. The girls mother said she was being pressurised by the police to withdraw her allegations.

A white paper recently released by the state home department revealed that the number of rape cases registered in Odisha increased from 2,144 in 2016 to 2,221 the previous year. As many as 1,283 of these cases involved minors.The gathering of Opposition leaders in Bengaluru on Wednesday to celebrate the swearing-in of the Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress government quickly turned into a platform to discuss plans for 2019. Across the political spectrum in the non-Bharatiya Janata Party camp, the broad agreement is to focus on state-specific, pre-poll pacts and sew up strategies against the BJP as a precursor to a post-poll national alliance.

The approach, as detailed by several leaders present in Bengaluru, will also obviate the need to discuss sticky issues  such as the identity of a consensus prime ministerial candidate.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi summed up the thinking behind the proposed strategy. Prevention of split of votes holds the key for success. In triangular contests, the BJP has won only because of division of votes. Submergence of egos, creation of a mega coordination committee with sub-committees for micro-management should be formed, he said.

Both Bahujan Samaj Party head Mayawati and Trinamool Congress chief Banerjee are believed to harbour prime ministerial ambitions. Ahead of the Karnataka polls, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said he could be a candidate for the position if his party had enough seats in the Lok Sabha.

We spoke about how Karnataka has shown a way to tackle the BJP. We have to fight collectively. Wherever one party is strong, others must rally around it, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said over the phone on Thursday.

On Wednesday, she even shook hands with Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury  a rare moment in their mutual history. When she asked Yechury about his well-being in Bengali, Yechury retorted in the same language: You know what is happening with my party in Bengal, referring to the recent panchayat polls in which the Trinamool strong-armed its way to total dominance.

Yechury also emphasised the need for a state-specific approach to oust the BJP from the Centre. According to people present in the discussion of opposition leaders on Wednesday, he told Congress president Rahul Gandhi and a few others how late CPI(M) general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet used to say, Let us go from region to region to maximize seats. Gandhi, these people added, told Yechury that they would meet up soon to take forward the plans for 2019.

Even as the Congress is in power in just four states, it is the principal Opposition powerhouse in states such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Kerala.

The people present at the event on Wednesday also said the leaders discussed how the Samajwadi Party (SP) and BSP came together in Uttar Pradesh and the BJP had to bite the dust in the bypolls to two Lok Sabha seats in March. They pointed to the warmth of the greetings between United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi and BSP chief Mayawati . At one point on Wednesday, they added, Gandhi asked someone to make way for Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh. Singhs candidate is backed by the SP, the BSP and the Congress in the upcoming bypoll to the Kairana Lok Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh.

Analyst Shiv Vishvanathan said, What we saw was festivity. Everyone standing together doesnt mean they are united. But I agree this could be the beginning of something new but for that, they have to come together on different issues...

The BJP didnt think much of the bonhomie between opposition parties, nor of a possible grand alliance.

We are already fighting those parties in different states, BJPs media cell chief and Rajya Sabha member Anil Baluni said. Do you think (RJD leader) Lalu Prasad will make any difference in Tamil Nadu or (Andhra Pradesh chief minister N.) Chandrababu Naidu in Uttar Pradesh? Its a joke.

Talks of a united front to take on the BJP have been gathering momentum in recent months. The formation of a JDS-Congress government in Karnataka has, apart from adding to this, has also ensured the Congress remains part of the equation. West Bengals Banerjee, who was talking of a non-Congress, non-BJP club, made it clear that the Congress must also play a role. I have never said Congress has no space in the federal front. There are areas where the Congress is powerful. They should take the lead in those areas to defeat the BJP, she said. People familiar with the matter in the TMC added that although she wants the Congress to take on the BJP is certain states, she is not open to Congresss leadership in a federal front.

According to people present at the function, Banerjee had long chats with Nationalist Congress Partys Sharad Pawar, SPs Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dals Tejashwi Yadav and others.

The galaxy of the Opposition leaders was also keen to send out the right signal from the platform. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand CM Babulal Marandi wanted to know what the common message could be. Yechury told them to tell people that they have gathered after foiling the efforts of BJP to kidnap democracy by forming government even after losing election and for the first time, the winning combination got 56.6% of peoples votes in the state.

Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, who recently broke away from the National Democratic Alliance, held a separate meeting with Banerjee and the two are believed to have discussed plans for 2019.Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Indonesia and Singapore from May 29 to June 2 where he will hold bilateral talks with leaders of both the nations on key issues, including the defence sector, a Ministry of External Affairs official said.

The prime minister is also likely to sign key agreements in various sectors with both the nations.

In Singapore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver the keynote address at the Shangri-La dialogue on June 1, said Secretary East Preeti Saran.

She said this is the first time that an Indian prime minister has been invited to deliver the keynote address.

Saran said the dialogue gives the prime minister an opportunity to articulate his thoughts about Indias policy on peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region, which she said will be the focus of his keynote address.

The prime minister is also likely to share his philosophy on Sagarmala during the keynote address, she added.

This will be the prime ministers first official visit to Indonesia and his second official visit to Singapore.Even as the Congress on Thursday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his silence on the Tuticorin incident, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said his ministry has sought a report from the Tamil Nadu government on the police firing and the prevailing situation in the area.

In a statement issued by the home ministry, Singh appealed to the residents of Tuticorin to maintain peace.

Eleven people were killed on Tuesday and two others injured have succumbed since the police firing during protests demanding the closure of Vedanta groups Sterlite Copper plant over pollution concerns.

My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I also pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. I appeal to the people in Tuticorin to remain calm and maintain peace and tranquility in the region, he said.

Singh said his ministry was in touch with the state government and that a detailed report has been sought on the sequence of events on Tuesday.

The Tamil Nadu government has been asked to provide details of the action taken to restore peace and normalcy. The state government has also been requested to give a detailed report on the Sterlite plant, a home ministry official said.

But Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modis silence on the issue. Why is our eloquent, tweet-a-minute Prime Minister silent on the terrible disaster of Tuticorin? It is strange that the Prime Minister maintains silence on challenges of Tuticorin and women security, but has time to throw a counter-challenge on fitness. This is deplorable and reflects the mindset of this government, he said.

He also attacked Tamil nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami for not visiting the site. The Tamil Nadu government has forfeited the moral right to rule. Who ordered the firing? There is a protocol. Under whose authority or supervision did it happen? Singhvi asked.

The Congress leader also accused the Modi government of abolishing the rules made by the UPA government in 2013.

We made a rule in 2013 that for a project like this, either the project or the industrial zone in which it is located must have an environmental clearance. The environmental clearance must be preceded by public consultation. In case the public raises objections, the issues need to be addressed. Singhvi said all these rules were overlooked because of the Prime Ministers ease of doing business jumla.

He also posed Tuticorn challenge to Modi, saying he gives fitness challenges enough priority, but unfortunately the Prime Minister, Government of India, ruling party president you are all running on a treadmill but not getting anywhere.

You may be all fit for cameras or fit for jumlas but are you fit for governance, the answer is clearly No ... Singhvi said.The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and other opposition parties in Tamil Nadu have called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh on Friday after one more person died in clashes with police in Thoothukudi.

Violence erupted in the southern Tamil Nadu port city two days ago as people protested against the Vedanta-owned Sterlite copper plant, which environmentalists and residents claim is contaminating water sources  a charge the company denies. Police shot dead 10 persons when it opened fire on a rally on Tuesday, which marked the 100th day of demonstrations.

On Wednesday, another person died from being hit by a rubber bullet, taking the death toll up to 11.

Internet services were ordered suspended in the city and neighbouring districts of Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari as anger and resentment against police action continued to smoulder.

The Madurai bench of the Madras high court also ordered Vedanta to stop construction of a second unit of the plant, while the home ministry sought a report from the state government about the violence.

Follow here for live updates:

5:43pm:

Photos of a vandalised ATM & vehicles set ablaze during anti-#SterliteProtests in #Thoothukudi. At present internet is suspended in the area & Section 144 (prevents assembly of more than 4 people) is imposed. #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/dDsOIp2DQi  ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2018

3.57pm: Supreme Court lawyer GS Mani has filed a writ petition the Court seeking registration of FIR and investigation by the CBI against Thoothukudi collector, superintendent of police and other police officials, reports ANI news agency.

3.54pm: 65 people have been arrested and remanded for indulging in violence during Sterlite protests in Thoothukudi. Another 68 people have been arrested and will be produced in front of the magistrate for causing damage to public property and indulging in violence: Sandeep Nanduri, Collector told ANI news.

3.50pm: A meeting is being held at the collectors office in Thoothukudi, which is being chaired by govt monitoring officers, Davidhar and Gagandeep Singh Bedi. Other officials are also present in the meeting. The meeting is being held to discuss on how normalcy can be brought in the region, reports ANI news agency.

3.00pm: Vedanta Resources chairman Anil Agarwal expresses sorrow over the unfortunate turn of events at Thoothukudi.

Saddened by the unfortunate turn of events at Tuticorin. pic.twitter.com/yURUUdlwn3  Anil Agarwal (@AnilAgarwal_Ved) May 24, 2018

1:17pm: The entire episode which happened was primarily because of certain political parties, NGOs and anti-social elements, who took protestors to a wrong path, said chief minister E Palaniswami, according to ANI.

1:15 pm: Tamil Nadu chief minister E Palaniswami defends police action in Thoothukudi. If someone is attacked, the natural course would be to defend and safeguard themselves. This is what has been done by the police in response, he tells media.

12:50pm: Union home minister Rajnath Singh condoles deaths due to police firing in Thoothukudi, and appeals to people in Thoothukudi to remain calm and maintain peace. Also says the Prime Minister is concerned by what is happening.

Deeply pained by loss of lives during protests in Tuticorin. PM is also concerned about situation & is pained by loss of lives. MHA has taken cognisance of situation & asked for report from state govt. Our thoughts are with the people of Tuticorin: HM Rajnath Singh #Thoothukudi pic.twitter.com/w3sOrtDMUd  ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2018

12:27pm: My first priority is to bring back normalcy. As far as the violence, the shooting and who gave the orders for the shooting is concerned, an inquiry will be done by a judge appointed by the Tamil Nadu government, said Thoothukudi district collector Sandeep Nanduri, according to ANI.

12:25pm: DMK workers and police clash outside Tamil Nadu secretariat, while the former were protesting against police firing in Thoothukudi. DMK workers later blocked the police vehicle in which MK Stalin and other party leaders were being taken.

12:10pm: DMK working president MK Stalin, who was holding a protest outside Tamil Nadu secretariat detained by police. Several other party leaders detained too.

11:48am: DMK working president MK Stalin stages protest with other party leaders outside Tamil Nadu secretariat.

11:30am: A Tamil Nadu-based advocate moved a plea in Delhi high court seeking its direction to the National Human Rights Commission to visit the protests location and conduct a separate inquiry into the Thoothukudi violence. The commission had sought a report from the state police and chief secretary of the state. The court is likely to hear the petition on Friday, reports ANI.

11:05am: Stalin attacks the state government over the deaths of protesters. Even after deaths of innocent people, no action has been taken against the culprits. The chief minister has become ineffective. He did not bother to visit the district and meet the people. Therefore, we demand that he resign immediately, DGP Rajendran must resign too, the DMK working president said, according to ANI.

10:10am: Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board has directed Thoothukudi district collector to disconnect power supply to Sterlite Coppers smelter. The board found that the unit was carrying out activities to resume production despite being told not to do so until its licence to operate is renewed, reports ANI.

9:10am: DMK to demand shutting down Sterlite copper plant in Thoothukudi, reports ANI.

8:55am: ANI reports that 67 people have been arrested for indulging in violence.

8:30am: State government knew that this being 100th day of agitation, its going to be bigger. They shouldve made better arrangements to maintain law and order but nothing was done. They simply resorted to firing. It was a massacre, almost like Jallianwala Bagh, says Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, according to ANI.

8:15am: The DMK and opposition parties have called for a dawn-to-dusk banch on Friday to protest the violence. DMK working president MK Stalin visited a government hospital on Wednesday to meet those injured in Tuesdays clashes.

8:10am: RSS hit out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his comments that Tamils were being killed for refusing to bow to the right-wing outfit. A frustrated Congress party and its president Rahul Gandhi are trying to create more divisions in the society to regain their lost support, said RSS national joint secretary Manmohan Vaidya.

8am: Internet services remain suspended in Thoothukudi.Breaking his silence over the killing of 11 people in police firing in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswami on Thursday accused rival political parties of instigating violence.

The chief minister said power supply to the plant was discontinued following a direction from the states pollution control board.

Palaniswami claimed some anti-social elements had infiltrated the anti-Sterlite plant protesters and unleashed violence.

Terming the incidents as unfortunate, he condoled the deaths and said all past agitations for the closure of the plant were peaceful.

This time round it (protest) turned violent. It was due to instigation by some political parties and owing to infiltration by anti-social elements, Palaniswamy, who is under relentless attack from the Opposition, said.

Recalling steps taken by the AIADMK governments for the closure of the plant, Palaniswami said the deliberate violence was meant to bring disrepute to the government and put it under pressure.

He said the state government was making efforts for the closure of the plant since 2013, when late J Jayalalithaa was the chief minister.

As far as Ammas government is concerned, we respect peoples feelings, he said, adding all legal steps were under way to shut the Sterlite plant, and cases were pending before the Supreme Court and high court.

Last month, he said, the Pollution Control Board did not renew the Consent to Operate (CTO) the Sterlite Coppers plant. The copper smelting unit was not functional, he said, seeking to assuage peoples concerns over the factory polluting ground water in the area.

He deplored that despite the governments efforts for the closure of the factory, people belonging to some outfits and opposition parties are instigating innocent people.

The chief minister said district authorities have had 14 meetings with the agitators over the past 4-5 months where they explained to the locals steps being undertaken to shut the plant.

He said advertisements were published in newspapers on April 14 detailing measures the government had taken for its closure.

Centre calls for calm

Home minister Rajnath Singh appealed to the people of Thoothukudi to remain calm and maintain peace in the wake of the violence.

The home ministry has sought a report from the Tamil Nadu government on the police firing and the prevailing situation in the port city, the minister said.

I am deeply pained at the loss of precious lives during the agitation at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu. My thoughts are with bereaved families. I also pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.

I appeal to the people in Tuticorin to remain calm and maintain peace and tranquility in the region, he said in a statement.

The port city of Thoothukudi, also known as Tuticorin, witnessed large-scale violence and arson on Tuesday which led to the killing of 10 people in police firing. Violent protests erupted once again yesterday, prompting police to open fire again, killing one person.Tamil Nadus environment regulator on Thursday cut power supply to the Sterlite copper plant in Thoothukudi, stepping in after clashes between the police and protesters who blame the facility for pollution left 11 people dead this week.

The Tamil Nadu State Pollution Control Board said the smelter, which was shut pending renewal of its operating licence, was found last week to be carrying out activity to resume production without permission.

The issue of renewal of consent for the year 2018-2023 has been rejected ... due to non compliance of certain conditions, the board said in an order dated Wednesday.

Developers require the permission of a state pollution control board to establish and operate plants after first getting environmental clearance from the central government. The state boards permission is renewed every six to nine months.

Protests against the copper plant, which is run by the by London-listed Vedanta Resources, have been simmering for over two decades and environment groups allege that regulators failed to resolve concerns raised by people living near the facility.

Government agencies in audits have raised concerns about the plants waste management and pollution control measures and environment groups have challenged how central and state regulators gave it clearances to operate.

The union environment ministry in 2009 allowed Sterlite to expand the plant, arguing that the company did not need to hold public hearing to get clearance because the second plant it planned to build lay within the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamilnadu Ltd industrial (SIPCOT) area that already had environmental clearance

Vedanta has denied the plant causes pollution. We do have all the required permissions on ground to proceed with our expansion project, said Vivek Thomas, a spokesperson for Vedanta.

The Madras High Court on Wednesday ordered a stay on the plants expansion and directed that a public hearing be held. We have been able to show that the expanded area is not part of SIPCOT--they cannot bypass the public consultation, said Shweta Narayan, an environment activist who has held protests at the plant.

The Supreme Court in 2013 fined Sterlite Rs 100 crore for environmental damage it had caused between 1997 and 2012. But the same year, Sterlites environmental clearance was extended by two years till 2015 as a result of an amendment to the rules extending the validity of clearances from five to seven years. In 2015, the company again applied for an extension for five years, which was granted till the end of 2018.

.Faced with widespread protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday appealed to the people to be patient until work on updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was complete.

Assam is witnessing large-scale demonstrations against the Bill, which seeks to grant citizenship to minorities from neighbouring countries, over fears of an influx of Hindu Bangladeshis.

Nearly 50,000 government staff are engaged in updating the NRC, which was first prepared in 1951, in a bid to weed out illegal immigrants who entered the state after March 24, 1971the day the Bangladesh War started.

We are waiting till June 30 for the NRC process to be over. The state governments view on the issue will be known once the process is over. I can assure that we wont take any decision which will go against the interest of the people of Assam, Sonowal said.

His government has been facing flak for its silence when neighbouring Meghalaya, where the BJP is part of the government, came out clearly against the Bill.

The BJP had come to power in 2016 with the promise of protecting the jaati, maati and bheti (identity, land and homes).

Illegal immigration is a sensitive issue in Assam, where a mass agitation between 1979 and 1985 against foreigners had claimed over 800 lives. We are preparing to launch another agitation against since it is a question of our identity, Lurinjyoti Gogoi, general secretary of the All Assam Students Union (AASU), which led the 1979-1985 agitation, said.

Sonowal is facing threat of pullout from coalition partner Asom Gana Parishad. Our stand is very clear. If the Bill is passed, we wont stay in government, AGP president Atul Bora said.Jaipur police are investigating two cases in which three people were beaten up at public places in separate incidents. Both the incidents were captured on CCTV cameras.

In a case registered with the Vishwakarma police, Ajay Pal Singh (22) and Suresh Gujjar (27) alleged that they were beaten up by six unknown people at the Vishwakarma Industrial Area (VKI) on Wednesday. The two were beaten with wooden sticks and iron bars in front of Jodla Power House. The victims did not know the assailants, said Jagdish Prashad, a sub-inspector and investigating officer in the case.

The complainants work as recovery agents for a financial company, Prashad said. The police are trying to identify the assailants, he added.

In another incident, Giriraj Sharma, 24, was allegedly beaten up by more than 10 people at Vatika Road in the city on Tuesday. A complaint was lodged by his uncle Shankar Lal Sharma at the Sanganer Sadar police station. The investigating officer in the case, sub-inspector Heera Lal said, Giriraj was standing at Vatika Road with his uncle and brother around 9.30pm when 10-12 men came in two cars and attacked him. They beat him up with wooden sticks, while his relatives tried to intervene.

Police said Giriraj knew five of the assailants and has mentioned their names in the FIR. The five attackers and Giriraj belong to the same community, Lal added.

The states human rights commission has also taken cognisance of the two incidents. The commission has asked the Jaipur police commissioner to investigate the cases and submit factual reports by June 26.

Calling the two incidents deplorable, former CM and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot tweeted, Whether BJP would make #Jaipur a #SmartCity or not, the party is certainly on a path to make it a crime city.The Rajasthan health department issued guidelines regarding Human Nipah Virus (NiV) to all chief medical and health officers across the state.

The deadly infection has claimed 12 lives in Kerala so far. Two suspected cases have also been found in adjoining Karnataka.

Nipah virus (NiV) infection is a newly emerging zoonosis that causes severe disease in both animals and humans. The natural host of the virus is fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family, Pteropus genus.

Director public health Dr VK Mathur in the letter on Wednesday asked all officials to be alert and enhance surveillance for acute encephalitis through integrated disease surveillance programme (IDSP) and to carefully review any unusual pattern.

Clinics have been advised to consider the possibility of NiV infection in patients with symptoms such as fever, altered mental status, severe weakness, headache, respiratory distress, cough, vomiting, muscle pain, convulsion and diarrhoea. NiV causes inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) or respiratory diseases requiring hospitalisation.

Doctors should try to find out whether the patient with such symptoms has travelled to the affected areas in last 21 days. He said these patients should be urgently investigated to rule out the prevalent causes of acute encephalitis before testing for NiV.

Chief medical health officers (CMHOs) have been asked to prepare a plan and identify hospital/ward for early detection and isolation of NiV suspects. Hospital infection prevention and control practices should be strengthened.

Also, district health officials have been asked to keep rapid response team ready.

Dr Mathur clarified that facilities to test the samples are available only at the National Institute of Virology in Pune.

NiV infection was first recognised in a large outbreak of 276 reported cases in Malaysia and Singapore from September 1998 to May 1999. In India, during 2001 to 2007, two outbreaks in humans were reported from West Bengal and Bangladesh. Nipah cases tend to occur in a cluster or as an outbreak.

Though fruit bats are the natural reservoir of NiV, pigs may become infected after consumption of partially bat eaten fruits that dropped in pigsty. Seasonality was strongly implicated in NiV outbreaks in Bangladesh and India. All of the outbreaks occurred during the months of winter to spring (December-May).

Doctors have been advised to take precautions by wearing N95 mask, double surgical gloves, gowns, goggles etc. Wash hands with soap and water for at least for 30 seconds and then clean hand with hand sanitiser before and after collection of samples. The samples that are to be taken include throat swab, urine, blood etc.A 62-year-old man has become the latest victim of the Nipah virus in Keralas Kozhikode and two new cases were confirmed in Malappuram district as the death toll from the rare disease rose to 12, authorities said on Thursday, a day after the Union health ministry said it was able to contain the highly localised infection.

Valachekutti Moosa, one of the earliest to seek treatment, died early on Thursday after fighting for his life for more than three weeks in Kozhikode district. He was confirmed to have been infected with the viral disease on Monday and was on life-support.

With his death the family has lost four members, Moosas sons  Mohamed Saliah, 28, and Mohammed Sadiq, 26,  and his brothers 50-year-old wife Mariumma. The fiancee of Moosas eldest son Saliah is also in hospital with similar symptoms.

A nurse, Lini, who treated them at a government hospital also succumbed to the viral disease.

The virus that causes high fever, headache and coma in extreme cases is spread by fruit bats. Body fluids can cause human-to-human transmission of Nipah, which has a mortality rate of 70% and has no vaccine.

Isolation, medicines

Out of the 20 affected people in the state, 12 have died and eight infected are being treated in isolation wards and another seven without the Nipah symptoms are under observation, health officials said.

The blood samples of at least 80 people, including the hospital staff and persons who were in direct contact with the dead, have been sent for an examination, they added.

A native of Perambra in Kozhikode, who came to attend a wedding in Kottayam, was admitted in Kottayam Medical College Hospital after he showed some symptoms. He was treated in an isolation ward under strict security as his infection is yet to be confirmed.

Similarly, three others from Karnatakas Mangaluru who travelled to the Nipah-hit Kerala districts, were also under observation though they had not shown symptoms of the infection.

The state government has called an all-party meeting on Friday to discuss the epidemic outbreak. It has also issued an advisory to travellers to avoid a visit to four north Kerala districts - Kozhikkode, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kannur.

District administrations of Kozhikkode and Malappuram have ordered closing down of all anganwadis, day schools, creches and postponed admissions and examination in all schools and colleges.

The state health department has rushed Ribavirin tablets that were used in Malaysia during the Nipah outbreak to these two districts.

The bats living in Moosas well have been identified as the source of the outbreak by National Institute of Virology in Pune and has been sealed, along with many others in the neighbourhood.

Health officials said the results of bat samples sent to Hyderabad for testing will be available on Friday. Though bats are suspected to be the main culprits behind Nipahs spread, experts are divided over this.

Epidemiologists and virologists are investigating whether the outbreak of Nipah, a zoonotic disease that is usually transmitted to humans from fruit bats, could be the result of human-to-human transmission.

Fear goes viral in north Kerala

At least 40 families have vacated their houses in Kozhikode districts Changaroth village, after the deaths of the members of the Moosa family. And 50 families left their homes in two villages, Koorachundu and Chakkittapara, on Wednesday.

The worried state health department has started a vigorous campaign to check the exodus. Animal husbandry department has also warned people not to abandon their domesticated animals while leaving their homes. There are reports that some of these animals were starved to death after they were left behind.

Once teeming with patients, bystanders and visitors the Government Taluk Hospital in Perambra looked like a ghost house and all the streets leading to the hospital empty. Even patients at the blood transfusion unit and operation theatres have left the hospital.

At least 1,000 patients came for treatment daily at the Government Taluk Hospital, one of the busiest in north Kerala. Family members of Moosa were first treated here and Lini, the nurse who attended them later contracted the virus and died.

But the 100-odd hospital employees continue to do their job after the strict government order cancelling the leaves of medical staff in the two affected districts.

I was forced to walk down at least two kilometres in the morning after auto-rickshaw drivers refused to take me to the hospital, the pharmacist at the hospital said.

Though the health department has opened a 20-bed isolation ward in the hospital, it was kept open as not a single patient is there.

We will be out of the trauma soon, hospital superintendent Dr Shamini said.Even as water sharing of the Teesta river continues to be thorny issue between India and Bangladesh, people of Bengals South Dinajpur district are expecting that the question of rejuvenation of the Atreyee river will come up when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart from Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina meet in Santiniketan on Friday.

The Atreyee river that finds mention even in the Mahabharata, flows from Bengals Siliguri into Bangladesh before flowing back into South Dinajpur district.

Read: PM Modi, Sheikh Hasina to hold bilateral talks at Santiniketan on May 25

Modi, Hasina and Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee would be present in the university town of Visva-Bharati at the convocation of the institution that Tagore founded. The Indian Prime Minister is the chancellor of the university.

Later Modi and Hasina will also inaugurate a Bangladesh Bhavan in the university campus.

About 390 km in length, the Atreyee is a source of livelihood to thousands of fishermen and provides water for irrigation for farmlands in a vast region of the district.

Read: India committed to Teesta issue, PM Modi assures Bangladesh

The people of Balurghat town in South Dinajpur have written to the PMO to include the Atreyee river issue in the meeting with Sheikh Hasina, who is eager to sign a water sharing treaty with New Delhi before the countrys general elections later this year.

The Atreyee river is one of the most important cross-border rivers flowing between India and Bangladesh. It is the life line of South Dinajpur district. But now it is facing serious threat after the Bangladesh government constructed a dam at Mohanpur of Dinajpur district, alleged Tuhin Subhra Mandal, an environment activist based in South Dinajpur.

Since Bangladesh gets very little rainfall in winter, the country is building these dams  popularly known as rubber dams  that involve a cost effective technology to retain surface water for use during lean periods.

Read: Teesta has no water to be shared, says Mamata Banerjee in north Bengal

The one on the Atreyee benefits around 7,000 hectares of farmland supplying water for irrigation apart from helping fishing. Construction work was completed in 2013.

PMOs under secretary (public) Ambuj Sharma acknowledged receipt of our appeal. I am sure that the Bangladesh Prime Minister will try her best to push for the Teesta pact. I hope our leaders should take the advantage of this to address the Atreyee issue, remarked Mandal.

There was sufficient water in summer even 10 years ago. But over the past few years, the river runs dry during summer. This year, however, there is a little water since it has been raining frequently in north Bengal, said Sudip Kumar Baul, a resident of Balurghat.

Read: We are looking forward to Narendra Modis assurance on sharing Teesta waters: Bdesh minister

Thousands of people of West Bengals South Dinajpur district depend on the river for their livelihood. There is a big fisherman community in South Dinajpur. Thousands of farmers use the water of the river for cultivation. Till few years ago, many used the river water for cooking too. This year, despite the frequent rains, vast dry patches have emerged on the river bed near Sadar ghat and some other areas, said Mandal.

The Bangladesh authorities are controlling the flow of the river. They are channelising excess water to India during monsoon that is causing floods. But during the summer Bangladesh release very little water from the dam, he alleged.

Problems of siltation led locals to form Atreyee Bachao Andolon (Save the Atreyee) movement since 2006 in the district. They are now demanding that the government should form a Joint river commission to save the dying river.The West Bengal government is readying its defence for a controversial decision to shelter dozens of Rohingya families in various parts of the state ahead of a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, at Santiniketan on Friday.

Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will also be present at the convocation of the Visva-Bharati University, an institution founded by Rabindranath Tagore that Modi heads in the capacity of chancellor. Senior state officials said that while no meeting was planned between the three, they want to take no chances.

The issue of Rohingya resettlement is one of the many subjects on which Banerjee differs sharply with the BJP-led central government. The Centre and the state government have been at loggerheads on the issue of settling Rohingyas on Indian soil. Therefore, the state government wants to be ready with all the facts. Details of every settlement are being collected, and every Rohingya staying in Bengal now holds the United Nations refugee card, said a senior official with the state secretariat.

Nobody except the chief minister will go on record on this issue. Though the issue is not on the agenda, we will be prepared even if the question is raised informally, he added.

While the Modi government wants to deport all Rohingya refugees, who are considered as the most persecuted ethnic minority in the world, the Bengal chief minister publicly expressed her empathy for them last year. We support the UN appeal to help the Rohingya people. We believe that all commoners are not terrorists. We are really concerned, Banerjee tweeted in September 2017.

Several dozens of Rohingya families have been accommodated in different villages of the South 24-Parganas district by NGOs, an initiative that received the tacit support of local Trinamool Congress leaders.

Earlier this month, Union minister of state for drinking water and sanitation SS Ahluwalia alleged that the West Bengal government had accommodated over 320 Rohingya families from Myanmar at Deolo, Lava Forest, Melli and Rangpo in the north Bengal hills. Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts and the Dooars region share three international borders, all of which are porous. Settlement of Rohingyas in this sensitive region can pose a serious national security threat, the BJP MP from Darjeeling wrote in a letter to Modi on May 3.

Bangladesh has absorbed about five lakh Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution in Myanmar, and Sheikh Hasina has been urging international communities to share the responsibility of sheltering the population on humanitarian grounds.

Many refugees in India have come from Bangladeshi camps, which have become overcrowded due to the heavy influx of Rohingyas from the countrys eastern neighbour.A BJP worker was shot dead in his home in Santipur in Bengals Nadia district allegedly by ruling party-backed toughs. BJP district leaders linked the crime to the recently-concluded panchayat election in the state.

Four criminals stormed the house of Biplab Sikdar, 40 on Wednesday night and shot him. The incident took place around 1:30 am.

BJP leaders have called a 12-hour bandh in Santipur on Friday. On Thursday afternoon BJP supporters blocked NH34 to protest against the incident.

Sikdar was rushed to Santipur State General Hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead. Police arrested two persons for their involvement in the incident.

Trinamool Congress backed goons killed our leader since he took a leading role in securing the victory of BJP candidate in Haripur gram panchayat in the rural polls. After the results Trinamool Congress started creating pressure on our men, and they killed Biplab Sikdar. To register protest we have called a 12 hour bandh in Santipur on Friday, alleged Jagannath Sarkar, BJP Nadia district president.

After the rural polls, in which BJP won some seats in the area, quite a few of the victorious candidates contacted us expressing their willingness to join Trinamool Congress. The murder of Sikdar was due to factional fights among them. BJP is now trying to give us a bad name, claimed Arabinda Maitra, Trinamool Congress leader from Santipur.

We have arrested Rathin Debnath and Amal Halder in connection with the murder, said Raja Sarkar, the officer-in-charge of Santipur police station. They were arrested after BJP supporters began a blockade of NH34.

While BJP leaders claimed Debnath and Halder were known as Trinamool Congress supporters, ruling party leaders alleged they were arrested on false charges.

The Bengal rural polls were marked by widespread violence with the opposition parties putting the number of deaths from April 2, the first day of submission of nomination papers to the announcement of results on May 17 to about 45. The Supreme Court directed the state election commission not to declare results of the 34.2% of the total number of seats in the three-tier structure in which the only candidates to file nomination were from the ruling party.

Opposition parties alleged that ruling party supporters prevented their candidates from filing nominations.After the partys shock defeat in the by-elections in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to be taking no chances in Kairana.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath is leading a pack of state ministers to campaign in this communally sensitive Lok Sabha constituency, which goes to polls on May 28.

On Tuesday, Yogi and deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya campaigned in Saharanpur district, in which a part of Kairana constituency falls. Come Thursday, they will hold meetings in Shamli district.

Opposition parties too are going all out for victory, which they feel will set the tone for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, will campaign here for the joint opposition candidate, Rashtriya Lok Dals Tabassum Hasan.

RLD national vice-president Jayant Chaudhary has been regularly visiting the constituency since the announcement of the polls and is likely to remain in Kairana for the remaining few days till the end of the campaign.

Tabassum is contesting against BJPs Mriganka Singh, whose father Hukum Singhs death has necessitated this bypoll.

Apart from Adityanath and his deputy, the BJP has thrown in at least five other state ministers into the fight for Kairana.

They include Dharam Singh Saini (minister of state for Ayush), Suresh Rana (sugarcane development), Anupama Jaiswal (basic education) Surya Pratap Shahi (agriculture) and Laxmi Narayan (religious affairs, culture, minority welfare, Muslim Waqf and Haj).

Of these, Saini and Rana are MLAs from Nakur and Thana Bhawan assembly segments of the constituency. Jaiswal is the minister in charge of Shamli district, while Shahi is the minister in charge of Saharanpur.

Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary has been roped in, since he hails from a farming background, a senior UP BJP leader said.

Apart from this, BJP MPs Sanjiv Baliyan, Raghav Lakhan Pal, Vijay Pal Singh Tomar and Kanta Kardam are also actively campaigning for Mriganka Singh.

The opposition is projecting these visits as a sign of jitters in the ruling party, which recently lost Gorakhpur, a Lok Sabha seat vacated by Yogi Adityanath himself when he became chief minister.

By sending so many ministers to a parliamentary constituency during a bypoll, the BJP has clearly displayed its nervousness, SP spokesperson Sunil Singh Sajan said.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav is likely to hold one election meeting during the by-elections, and his one meeting will prove to be quite enough for the BJP, he boasted. Apart from Akhilesh, SPs UP chief Naresh Uttam is extensively touring the constituency.

The party has deputed leaders and workers up to the booth level in these by-elections, Sajan said.

UP Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh also took potshots at the BJP over the partys deployment for the campaign. Sending five ministers for campaigning in a single parliamentary constituency during by-elections only display a lack of confidence among the BJP leaders and workers ahead of the election, he said.

I feel that a strong anti-BJP message will go to the entire country from here for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he added.

The ruling party dismissed this reasoning.

The BJP strongly believes in democratic values and hence it attaches great importance to each and every election, spokesperson Chandramohan said.

The people of the state very well know which political party supports rioters and anti-social elements, and which party stands with the people and fights for justice for them, he said.

He maintained that BJP workers were not demotivated by the outcome of the Karnataka election, where the party fell slightly short of the number required to form government.

He claimed that the high moral ground taken by the party in Karnataka, where its chief minister-hopeful BS Yeddyurappa resigned ahead of a floor test, will help the party in Kairana.

Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary also defended the ministers visits to the constituency. There is not an iota of nervousness among BJP leaders, he said. Generally in by-polls, the polling percentage is lower as compared to general elections. Hence, ministers are roped in to make voters aware of the achievements of the state government.After suffering ignominious defeat in by-poll at Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats, the ruling BJP is leaving no stone unturned to retain Kairana Lok Sabha and Noorpur Assembly seats where polling is scheduled on May 28.

Several ministers, MPs, MLAs and organisational leaders have been a part of aggressive campaigning aimed at ensuring the victory of party candidates Mriganka Singh (Kairana) and Avani Singh (Noorpur).

Daughter of late Hukum Singh, Mriganka is pitted against joint opposition candidate Tabassum Hasan while Avani Singh is pitted against SPs Naim-ul-Hasan.

The two seats fell vacant this February with the sudden demise of Kairanas BJP MP Hukum Singh, who died due to prolonged illness, and Noorpurs BJP MLA Lokendra Singh, who died in a road accident.

On Tuesday, chief minister Yogi Adityanath and deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya addressed a joint public meeting in Ambheta Pir area of Gangoh constituency in Kairana.

The duo called upon the voters to ensure victory of BJP candidates. While the CM came back to Lucknow, his deputy stayed back to address a few other smaller meetings in Shamli.

Yogis second public rally, in a short span of three days, is scheduled in Shamli on Thursday.

BJPs state general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal, who is considered a master strategist and a close aide of BJP national president Amit Shah, is camping in Kairana along with BJP state unit president Mahendra Nath Pandey.

Both the leaders are energizing the booth committees, which play important role in mobilizing the voters.

Along with holding talks with disgruntled local leaders, Bansal has also been entrusted with the task of wooing the members of their community.

BJP MLA from Muzaffarnagar Kapil Deo Aggarwal said the emphasis was on door-to-door campaign and so far 75 percent of it has been completed.

Kairana has five assembly constituencies in which castes such as Dheemar, Kumar, Kashyap, Jogi, Nai, Tyagi, Thakur, Brahmin, Gujar and Vaishya are considered aligned towards the BJP.

Being the agriculture belt, dues of sugarcane payment on three sugar mills of the constituency is a major election issue.

RLDs state spokesperson Sunil Rohtash claimed that Rs 740 crore is pending on three mills. BJP has fielded states sugarcane minister Suresh Rana to counter oppositions attack on the issue.

Rana, an MLA from Thanabhawan constituency of Kairana, along with his fellow party MLAs Kapil Deo (Muzaffarnagar), Tejendra Nirwal ( Shamli) and Umesh Malik (Budhana) are busy assuring farmers that the state government is committed towards resolving their issues.

Dues were not cleared for years in the previous governments and now mills have cleared dues till January and soon the remaining payment will also be cleared, Deo had been reiterating to farmers.

Strategists are also fielding their caste leaders to woo voters.

While former minister Sanjeev Baliyan and minister Satyapal Singh are trying to align Jat voters in BJPs fold, Aonla MP Dharmendra Kashyap, Meerut MP Kanta Kardam and Rajya Sabha MP Vijaypal Tomar have been roped in to woo Kashyaps, Dalits and Rajputs respectively.

To top it all, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate 135 kms long Eastern Peripheral Expressway in neighbouring Baghpat district on May 27. He will also address a public rally in Khekra town.

The RLD has already urged the election commission to cancel the PMs meeting as it would influence voters.

Meanwhile, BJPs West UP president Ashwani Tyagi has reiterated that the party is contesting election on development issue.

Besides highlighting the performance of the state government, the BJP is also focusing on the caste arithmetic. The SP formed Backward- Dalit- Muslim formula to grab the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats. The BJP is depending on the support of the Jat, Gujjar, upper caste, trading community and Dalits community to retain the seats, a senior BJP leader said.

The BJP has already shocked the RLD by managing to lure party spokesman and former MLA Saheb Singh into BJP. Considered close to party president Ajit Singh, Saheb joined the BJP last Friday.

The lone RLD MLA Sahendra Singh too had joined BJP some time back.

BSP leader of Moradabad district Charan Singh Bharti Jatav and Rajnikant Jatav too had joined BJP.After playing a pivotal role in formation of the Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress government in Karnataka, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has started working on a strategy to play kingmaker in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh where assembly elections are due by the year-end, those familiar with the matter said.

There was a buzz among BSP leaders in Lucknow that Mayawati might agree to the Congress offer for a pre-poll alliance in these three states after she shared the dais with Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav during HD Kumaraswamys swearing-in ceremony at Bengaluru.

The bonhomie between Sonia Gandhi and Mayawati in Bengaluru might pave the way for an alliance in three states as well as the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Behanji (Mayawati) will discuss the pre-poll alliance issue with senior party leaders here. She has also discussed poll strategy with leaders of the Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh units in Delhi in the May first week, a BSP leader said.

Mayawati, who arrived in Lucknow late Wednesday evening after the ceremony in Bengaluru, was likely to hold a meeting with her party leaders on Thursday, they added.

People familiar with the matter said Congress leaders had approached Mayawati for a pre-poll alliance in the three states, but she was yet to respond. The Congress leadership also wishes to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election in alliance with the SP and the BSP in UP.

The sources said SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had agreed to the Congress proposal, but Mayawati stressing on an alliance between BSP- SP only for the 2019 polls.

If the Congress joins the alliance, both the parties will have to contest the election under the Congress umbrella and Mayawati is not willing to do that, the BSP leader said.

A BSP-Congress alliance can upset the BJP applecart in the three states. In the 2013 assembly election, the BSP won four seats in Madhya Pradesh and secured 6.29% votes. The Congress polled 36.38% votes and bagged 58 seats.

In Rajasthan, the BSP polled 3.37% votes and bagged three assembly seats. The Congress secured 33.07% votes and captured 21 seats. In Chattisgarh, the BSP polled 4.27% votes and won one seat. The Congress polled 40.43% votes and won 39 seats.

The Samajwadi Party has also decided to field its candidates in the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections. Akhilesh Yadav has launched his partys election campaign with public meetings in the Bundelkhand area of MP. Sources said the SP chief was working on an anti-BJP alliance and trying to be a bridge between the Congress and BSP leaders.

Meanwhile, Mayawati is likely to review the partys preparedness for the 2019 Lok Sabha election and the strategy for the Kairana Lok Sabha and Noorpur assembly by-elections in the Thursday meeting.

The BSP has not fielded its candidate for either seat. Mayawati may announce her support to the SP-RLD candidates for both the seats to lend strength to the alliance, party sources said.

She had extended support to the Samajwadi Party (SP) candidates in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok sabha by-polls in March, leading to the BJP candidates defeat in both seats.WPVI-TV(PHILADELPHIA) -- Investigators are trying to get to the bottom of puzzling reports from residents in northeastern Pennsylvania, who say they heard loud booms and felt the ground shake in the middle of night.



Since April, people living miles apart in areas of neighboring Bucks and Lehigh counties have called police about hearing explosion-like sounds that apparently rattle their homes and shift the ground beneath them, according to ABC station WPVI-TV in Philadelphia.



Richland Township Police Chief Richard Ficco said the reports typically come in overnight before dawn.



"The ground shifting, almost shaking," Ficco told WPVI-TV in a recent interview, describing some of the calls his and other area departments have received in the last several weeks. "The buildings are shaking, ceiling tiles are moving and windows are rattling,"



"Definitely disconcerting," he added. "I would say unnerving to some people."



Ficco said two of his officers have heard the unidentified noise, and one of them also saw a flash of light.



"There was a flash of light and maybe several seconds before he heard the sound, and then the other officer who was further away heard the sound later than he did," the police chief told WPVI-TV. "They both thought it was coming from different directions."



Some witnesses have described the noise as a loud thud, while others said it's more like an underground blast.



Milford Township resident Samantha Ritter said she thought she heard a firework go off one night. But when she looked outside, there weren't any in sight, she said.



"I'm hearing like a firework kind of...sound," Ritter told WPVI-TV recently. "I looked out the window, thinking maybe [it was] neighbors setting off fireworks or something."



The Pennsylvania State Police, who are leading the investigation into the reports, did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment Thursday.



Spokespersons for the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said both agencies are assisting state police in the ongoing probe.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered the police to act speedily in the case of BJP lawmakers receiving death threats on WhatsApp.

Adityanath has directed that the anti-terrorist squad (ATS) and the special task force (STF) be used to find out those behind such threats to lawmakers in UP.

An SIT has been set up in the case constituted under the special task force inspector general and includes the additional superintendent of police of the anti-terrorist squad, an official said.

So far, 14 BJP MLAs and two others have received nearly identical threats and Adityanath has asked the officers to ensure that those sending such messages are brought to book.

The threats were issued in the name of a gangster who once worked with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, the police said.

The chief minister also got the states additional director general (ADG crime) Anand Kumar to brief him on all the facts related to the case.

Deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma said the government had taken the issue very seriously. We are concerned about the safety of our lawmakers and will take all steps that are required to ensure their safety, he said.

Senior leaders in the government said the police had already gathered preliminary details on the issue.Devotee groups have alleged that there has been an exorbitant purchase of materials required for Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2015, which was held in Nashik.

In a letter addressed to Ministry of Law and Justice, Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad (HVP) has demanded an enquiry against Shri Sai Sansthan Trust, Shirdi.

Virendra Ichalkaranjikar, national president, Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad, When we asked for the required information through Right to Information (RTI), it was found that various commodities such as ropes, rechargeable torches, signboards and were purchased at overpriced rates, which totals to 66,55,997.

Ichalkaranjikar added that the Joint Secretary of Ministry of Law and Justice had in 2016 asked the temple trust to respond to them with the details of items which were purchased at an inflated price, a copy of which is with HT. On the basis of which, HVP has demanded the enquiry.

The letter says that Manila rope worth 60,000 was purchased for 18,50,000, rechargeable torches worth Rs 400 each were bought for Rs 3,000 each, signboards worth 2,000 each for  9,2000 and tarpaulin sheet worth Rs 5,000 for 22,575.

When the temple trust through RTI was asked where the products such as LED TVs, air conditioners, computers and printers which were purchased during the Kumbh Mela were, they responded that they have been kept with Ahmednagar police. I wonder what would police do with these products and how can they be used for centenary year celebration of Sai baba in 2018, when the value of these products deteriorates over the years, said Satish Kochrekar, spokesperson of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS),

Despite repeated calls, officials of Shri Sai Sansthan Trust were unavailable for comments.

Kumbha mela is a religious gathering that takes place periodically at four locations across the country every three years.Fewer farmers in Maharashtra committed suicide in April, compared to the first three months of 2018, numbers released by the state government showed. While the state claimed it was a possible effect of its decision to waive farm loans, agricultural experts warned that the drop could be temporary and the government should not start patting its back yet.

In April, there were 188 cases of farmer suicides  lower than the monthly average of 225 to 250 in the first three months of this year, the relief and rehabilitation departments statistics showed.

The department said the trend was seen across the state, but was more significant in parts of Marathwada and Vidarbha.

We have credited more than Rs14,000 crore in the accounts of more than 36 lakh farmers in the past few months, said an official from the agriculture department who did not want to be named. The official said that over the past few days, the governments lists of beneficiaries were put up in offices of gram panchayats, as many farmers had not been aware about the money being credited in their accounts. Close to three lakh new farmers were added to the benefits scheme after we recently widened the scope of the loan waiver. This helped build a positive sentiment among farmers, the officer said.

Farm experts, however, are sceptical of the number and of whether the fewer suicides were an effect of the loan waiver.

I dont think farmers distress has reduced, said Vijay Jawandhiya, an agriculture analyst. If the government claims a drop in suicides, it may be statistical jugglery. Agricultural finances have worsened in the wake of falling prices to produce such as tur, chana and cotton, among others.

Jawandhiya said there were also complaints that the government machinery was attempting to suppress cases of suicides by not reporting them.

Local authorities, however, maintained the data was good news. Osmanabad collector RV Game said, Generally, distress among farmers goes up in April and May as water scarcity increases, while it is also wedding and school admission season. But the convergence of various government schemes and our efforts to provide a support system has helped us improve the situation.

Yavatmal collector Rajesh Deshmukh said the loan waiver possibly proved to be a great respite. Official government data showed there were 3,062 suicides in 2015, 3,228 in 2016, and in 2017, 2,917 farmers killed themselves.Fifty-eight students, who were caught cheating in the recently held Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination, could be debarred from reappearing for three to five years. The punishment was proposed by an inquiry committee in its report submitted to the Mumbai division of the Maharashtra State Board for Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE).



The report said the severity of the punishment would be based on the nature of the offence. While students carrying mobile phones inside exam halls have been debarred for five years in the past, it is the first time that students caught copying could face punishment of up to three years.

Till last year, these students were not allowed to reappear for a year.

In 2017, 18 HSC and SSC students, who were caught with mobile phones, were debarred from appearing for the exam for five years; and another 42 HSC and SSC students, who were found copying, were not allowed to reappear for the exam in July.

This year, 57 students were caught copying, while one was carrying his mobile phone, with study material on it, in the exam hall, said a MSBSHSE official. While some of them will not be allowed to reappear for a year, others may be debarred for three years.

The students were called in for individual hearings at the Vashi office of the board in the first week of April.

Those who missed the first hearing were given another chance to defend their cases and submit a written statement this month.

The students will know the quantum of their punishments when the HSC result is announced. The board, this year, put together more groups of experts that acted as flying squads and visited exam centres regularly. No form of malpractices will be tolerated and the board is trying to send a clear message to students, said another official. While students and parents called the proposed punishment very harsh, experts said it will act be a deterrent.

The decision of the board might seem harsh, but in todays tech-savvy times, students find newer ways to cheat and that cant be allowed, said Dinesh Panjwani, principal, RD National College, Bandra. The fact that number of cheating cases has gone up shows the problem exists and the board needs to send out a stern message to students.The rift between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena widened further on Monday, as the BJP supported Opposition parties in the legislative council polls for six seats. This may cost the Shiv Sena two constituencies.

Ninety-nine per cent members of local bodies in 13 districts (4,629 of 4,638 corporators) turned up for the voting. The counting will be held on May 24.

The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party had joined hands for the polls, fielding three candidates each. The Congress has poor chances of winning two Vidarbha seats (Amravati and Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli) against BJP, which has the highest number of votes. The party may win Parbhani-Hingoli seat, where it has a comfortable majority with the help of NCP. The NCP, on the other hand, got Congress support for three seats, and BJPs support for two.

Adding to the strain in the ruling alliance, the BJP helped the NCP in Nashik and Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituencies, where the Shiv Sena had a better chance of winning.

It was a fallout of the Shiv Senas betrayal in the Palghar bypolls. They fielded a candidate against us, despite repeated appeals against it. Our corporators in both the constituencies voted for NCP candidates, as directed by the state leadership. The Sena could have won both the seats if we had supported them, said a BJP leader, requesting anonymity.

The Sena has fielded Shrinivas, son of former BJP MP Chintaman Wanga, as its candidate in the Palghar bypolls to be held on May 28. The by-elections are being held to fill the seat left vacant after the death of Wanga. The Sena candidate may spoil the BJPs prospect in the prestigious Palghar battle.

Smaller parties such as the Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksh (headed by former chief minister Narayan Rane) and Peasants and Workers Party, too, extended support to NCPs Aniket Tatkare, son of former minister Sunil Tatkare in Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituency.

In Nashik, BJP members voted for NCPs Shivaji Sahane, who is fighting against Shiv Senas Narendra Darade. Of the 644 voters, Shiv Sena has 207, while NCP has 100 voters. The support from BJPs 167 voters has improved the chances of the NCP candidate. We spoke to the Sena while filing the nomination, but it did not work out. We left it to our members in the Nashik constituency to decide whom to vote for, said water resources minister Girish Mahajan, who is also the guardian minister of Nashik.

Shiv Senas Anil Parab said his party does not bother about the fallout after taking a stand.

The Osmanabad-Latur-Beed constituency witnessed a tussle between Munde cousins  rural development department minister Pankaja Munde and leader of opposition in the legislative council Dhananjay Munde. The NCP suffered a setback after its imported candidate Ramesh Karad withdrew his nomination 10 minutes before the deadline. The NCP then supported Ashok Jagdale, an independent candidate. The BJP fielded former NCP leader Suresh Dhas, who shifted loyalties after the 2014 Assembly elections. Pankaja and Dhananjay are spearheading the campaigns for their respective parties.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath to campaign for BJP in Palghar bypolls

The Bharatiya Janata Party is going all out to win the Palghar bypolls on May 28 that has now become a prestige battle. To woo north Indian voters, the party will get Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath to address a rally on Wednesday. The rally comes days after Bhojpuri actor Manoj Tiwari participated in a road show between Jivdani Road and Nalasopara on Sunday.

The UP CM will address the rally at Manvel Pada Talao at 7pm on Wednesday. Nalasopara, Virar, Boisar in Palghar constituency have a sizable population of north Indian voters.

The bypolls were necessitated after the death of sitting BJP MP Chintaman Wanga in March. The Shiv Sena has fielded Wangas son Shrinivas, while the BJP has given a ticket to former Congress leader Rajendra Gavit. The Congress has fielded its former MP Damodar Shingda.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena chief will address a series of rallies in Talasari, Vikramgadh, and Nalasopara in Palghar on May 23, 24 and 25.The state government on Wednesday accorded the status of a Planning Authority to the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) in order to facilitate the speedy implementation of affordable housing schemes.

This move to make Mhada a nodal agency will result in the speedy redevelopment of 114 Mhada layouts spread across Mumbai and cut down red-tapeism. The Mhada has layouts across Mumbai in areas such as Malad, Kalachowki, Goregaon, Bandra, Santacruz and Dahisar.

Read more: Mhada to use 200 acre prime land in Pune to house lower income groups

In case of projects under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, which are being implemented by Mhada, joint venture of Mhada or Mhada as a nodal agency for Public-Private Partnership Projects, the government of Maharashtra is of opinion that for speedy creation of affordable houses, Mhada should be permitted to exercise powers of Planning Authority, read the circular issued by the state on Wednesday.

The move is aimed to fulfill the governments agenda of Housing For all by 2022. The move will curb red-tapeism as it will allow Mhada to carry out its functions without running around to seek approvals from various authorities, such as state government departments or the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). With the special authority status, Mhada can be the planning authority and undertake responsibilities for basic amenities within the notified area.

Mhada had written a letter on May 15 this year along with the list of its 114 layouts requesting the state to make it a nodal agency. The housing department has already given the green light and now even the urban development department has seconded it. Currently, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has the special planning authority status for some areas in Mumbai, including the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC).Two cases of alleged mangrove destruction  one at Mahim creek through debris dumping and the other at Dahisar through the construction of bunds  were reported by city-based activists on Tuesday and Wednesday.

HT has been consistently reporting the cases of mangrove and wetland destruction in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). However, so far, apart from removing illegal encroachments, the state has not been able to arrest or convict violators in any case.

In the first case, NGO Watchdog Foundation filed a complaint with the state government and union environment ministry on Tuesday about hundred truckloads of debris (see image) at the Mahim creek area, marked as a bird sanctuary under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) development plan 1991, near Babasaheb Ambedkar Nagar.

Around 200 truckloads of debris have been dumped over half a hectare patch in the reserved mangrove forest at Mahim, said Godfrey Pimenta, trustee, Watchdog Foundation.

We also noticed a kutchha road constructed in the mangrove for movement of trucks. This is a classic case of governmental apathy towards protection of mangroves, which are under severe threat, Pimenta added.

In the second case, environmentalists from New Link Road Residents Forum (NLRRF) filed a complaint with the district administration on Wednesday about construction of bunds to block sea water ingress to mangroves and wetlands near Prithvi Palace Cooperative Housing Society along the New Link Road, Dahisar (West).

Some illegal structures have been constructed along the wetlands, which is further adding to the issue, said Harish Pandey, secretary, NLRRF.

This is another attempt initiated for further environmental destruction, which has to be tackled immediately. Forest department pillars, setup by the mangrove cell, are adjacent to the site, he said.

The destruction of mangrove forests across the state and construction within 50m of mangrove areas was banned by the Bombay HC in 2005, after public interest litigation (PIL) by the Bombay Environment Action Group. In 2014, based on a PIL filed by environment group Vanashakti, the HC banned reclamation and construction on wetlands.

Officials from both the state mangrove cell and district administration said they will verify the complaint.

We have directed our field officers to verify the authenticity of these complaints. We will also speak to the district administration and BMC to understand their stand about the two issues. If there has been a violation, action will be taken, said N Vasudevan, additional principal chief conservator of forest, state mangrove cell.

An official from the Mumbai suburban district administration said if the mangrove cell confirms a violation, they will initiate their own investigation.You can now send in your suggestions and objections to the new Development Control and Promotional Regulations, 2034 (DCPR) till June 21, said the civic body on Tuesday. The DCPR determines construction rules like how high a building can be constructed and road breadth that will be followed for the next 20 years. The development plan is a blueprint of the city's growth for the next 20 years.

Earlier this month, state government had announced the Development Plan (DP) 2034 i.e. reservation on plots and DCPR. The DP was divided into two parts  sanctioned, and excluded part (EP). Citizens can send in their suggestions and objections for the EP (DCPR) as it carries the changes made by the state government which are substantial in nature, while the EP (reservations) will be opened for suggestions/objections once the plans are published. A development plan official also informed that the civic body will soon release the maps showing the reservation areas.

Citizen activists had raised concerns that suggestions/objections are being invited without a gazette notification on the DP.

The formal one-month window for suggesting modifications in the new DCPR began on Tuesday, informed civic official from development plan department. A gazette notification on the new development plan was published by the state government the same day, in city newspapers. The formal publication of the same is expected soon. This is the final opportunity where citizens can raise their concerns regarding the plan.

The suggestions and objections can be sent to the deputy director of town planning, Greater Mumbai at E block, ENSA Hutment, Azad Maidan, Mumbai. The deputy director will be responsible for hearing all suggestions/objections sent in.Murdered assistant police inspector Ashwini Bidre-Gores family wants the ongoing case to be fast-tacked. They made this demand from the state government on Thursday.

Sharing their views with media at CBD Belapur the family said that the accused should be tried in a fast-track court.

The people arrested in the murder case have started applying for bails. Once they are out on bail they could do anything to tamper with the technical evidences. While the main accused is a police officer, the others are related to politicians. So they may adopt different tactics to harm us. Thus if the accused are out on bail, that may pause threat to our lives. And hence the government should transfer the case to a fast-track court, said Anand Bidre, Ashwinis brother.

Apart from that, the family made three other demands from the state government. Bidre said, Second, we want assistant commissioner of police Sangeeta Alphonso to supervise the investigation till the last hearing comes from the court.

Even as the Navi Mumbai crime branch is investigating the case, ACP Alphonso was appointed by the CMs office to supervise the investigation, because of her expertise in cyber-crime. Initially she was appointed for three months. But her tenure was extended by one month later.

Crime branch ACP Nilesh Raut, who is also at the helm of the investigation, is retiring in a few months. So if Alphonso is also transferred from this case, there will be some new officers who are not well-versed with the nitty-gritties of the murder. Thus that could be detrimental for the whole investigation. So Alphonso should he kept to supervise the investigation till the last hearing comes from the court, Bidre said.

Third, the family demanded Ujjwal Nikam to be the public prosecutor of the murder case.

They also claimed that CM Devendra Fadnavis should be held responsible if something unlawful happens with the family members.

Ashwinis father had brought it to the CMs notice that the investigation was not happening properly. He had also expresses to commit suicide at the CMs office, but the CM has shown no cognizance. So in future if something happens to him, only the CM will be responsible for it, said Raju Gore, Ashwinis husband.

Fifth, they alleged that Navi Mumbai police commissioner Hemant Nagrale had not been revealing anything about the case either to them or two media.

We believe Nagrale is helping the accused involved in the case. So we want the government to check his role in the entire incident, Gore said.

Aswhini, 37, was posted with the Protection of Civil Rights Unit, at Konkan Bhavan in Belapur. She lived at Roadpali in Navi Mumbai and went missing on April 11, 2016.

She was allegedly murdered the same day she went missing. While some parts of her body were thrown into the creek on the day itself, some others were thrown the next day of the murder.

The main accused inspector Abhay Kurundkar, 52, was arrested on December 7 last year. Between December 11 last year and February 27, the police arrested three more people including Rajesh Patil, 44, nephew of BJP leader Eknath Khadse.

Initially, the police had registered a kidnapping case. However, based on the statements of the fourth accused- Mahesh Phalnikar, 48, they added murder charges against all accused on March 1.

The Navi Mumbai police on Saturday field the charge sheet (900 pages) of the case.

Nilesh Raut, assistant commissioner of police (crime) said, We are not conducting any search operation of Ashwinis mortal remains at Vasai creek now. We may do it later, but nothing has been decided at present.

Police commissioner Hemant Nagrale, refused to comment.Located around five kilometres from Kharghars pride, Utsav Chowk, and despite being part of one of the most well-developed nodes of Navi Mumbai, Owe camp village at Sector 30 in Kharghar is struggling for basic facilities such as proper water supply and motorable roads.

Owe camp has a population of around 3,000 people who were rehabilitated from the Koyna dam site way back in 1960. While the villagers have been braving dust pollution and bad roads for a long time, the worst they have faced so far is the water problem  the village gets Cidco water only for 30 minutes each day.

Though situated near the picturesque Pandavkada waterfall in Kharghar, life is not easy for the villagers. They face heavy noise pollution every day because of the blasting that takes place as part of the mining work that goes on nearby. Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) buses have made commuting easy for the villagers but the ride from the NMMT bus stop till the village is a bumpy ride filled with bad roads.

Ramchandra Jadhav, 33, an Owe camp resident, said, Water crisis looms every summer and has worsened over the past few years. This year the situation has worsened as the water supplied by City Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) comes for only 30 minutes in the morning. Though there are taps at different places, as supply is very thin it becomes difficult for women to collect water for everyday usage in just 30 minutes.

Last month, Jadhav also led a protest in the area by blocking the service road to Tata Hospital. The protesting villagers demanded an end to blasting, water facility and good roads. Except initial relief  a small patch of road was laid on the way to the village -- the villagers got little else.

Water wells might be a thing of past in the metro, but Owe camp is one of the areas where people depend on its water to fulfill their everyday needs. At the village, women often wait for more than an hour to fetch water from wells that have little or no water in them. Owe village has two man-made wells.

Women carrying pots filled with water over their head is a common sight at Owe village, while fetching water from the borewell too is not easy as it takes more than half an hour to fill the utensil.

Savitri L, 34, a resident of the village, said, We are forced to get water from the well as the Cidco water supply is not enough. While we use the Cidco water for drinking, water from the well is used for other household activities.

A close look at the well highlighted that water from the nearby gutter is seeping slowly into the base of the borewell and villagers are using same water for daily usage. Probably as a result of this, many people have suffered from skin infections in the area but there doesnt seem to be a solution in sight.

Water problem, bad roads and dust pollution because of continuous movement of loader vehicles in the area have affected the life of the villagers. What has worsened the situation is the constant blasting as a result of the mining work.

Blasting happens thrice a day -- in the morning, afternoon and evening. Many homes have developed visible cracks, weakening the foundation of the houses. Villagers have taken out repair work many times, but cracks are still visible.

With officials and elected representatives seeming to turn a blind eye to the problem, the villagers have written a letter to district collector Vijay Suryavanshi and will be meeting him soon.

Pollution concerns

We hear loud noises at night and we also see our houses vibrate, at times we mistake the blasting for earthquake and panic. During summer the air pollution worsens as dust doesnt settle down and we are forced to inhale air filled with dust. Most of the elders have started complaining about breathing problems and even children are at risk, said Asmita Jadhav, 45, a local resident

Prolonged exposure to loud noise can lead to hearing loss to some extent and also affects concentration and interferes with the sleeping pattern. People residing near the mining area are at a risk as they are constantly exposed to loud noise, said Dr Neena Waghmare, a general physician from Kharghar. Polluted groundwater can lead to many disorders and stomach infection. Groundwater in such areas are laden with harmful chemicals, hence it is advised to better not use them and drink potable water supplied by the civic body or from other clean sources, she said.

Officialspeak

Raigad collector Vijay Suryavanshi said, The Panvel tehsildar has been instructed to look into the issues, meet villagers and make a brief of the problem so that necessary action could be taken.

Sandhya Bawankule, deputy commissioner Panvel City Municipal Corporation, said, Villagers have enlisted their problem, Cidco is the nodal agency providing amenity in PCMC nodes as well, hence we will speak to them about the problem.

BOX

One water tap each for every 10 houses in the village

Water pipeline to the village was laid in 2011

Water supply in the area is erratic

Owe camp village is just 5km from Kharghar railway station. However, it is nowhere on the growth map

There is a municipal school for the villagers where students can study till Class 7 and for further studies students go to another school in Shil Phata

Villagers travel even 2-3 km to other villages to fetch water

There are 350 hutments in the village

Cidco supplies water to the village through a 60,000 litre tank from 6.30am to 7am but is not enough for population of 3,000

By May-end, the wells dry up every yearResults for five state legislative council seats were declared on Thursday. Shiv Sena won two seats, despite its strained relations with alliance partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP won two seats in Vidarbha and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) retained the Konkan seat. The Congress did not register any wins.

The polls are a major boost for the Shiv Sena, which has improved its tally from 9 to 11 in the 78-member House.

The results Nashik: Shiv Senas Narendra Darade defeats NCPs Shivaji Sahane by 193 votes. Konkan: NCP leader Sunil Tatkares son Aniket wins by 200 votes, bagging 421 votes against Shiv Senas Rajiv Sable who polled 221 votes. Sena had a sizeable 293 votes of its corporators in local bodies in three districts. Parbhani-Hingoli: Viplav Bajoria of Shiv Sena defeats Suresh Deshmukh of Congress by 35 votes. Amravati: Minister of state and BJP leader Pravin Pote Patil wins by 441 votes. He polled 458 votes, while Congress Anil Madhogariya could bag only 17 votes. Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli : BJPs Ramdas Ambatkar wins by 88 votes. He polled 550 votes while Congress Indrakumar Saraf polled 462 votes. Counting for Osmanabad-Beed-Latur constituency deferred by the Election Commission of India.

Counting for the five council seats was held in the respective districts from which the legislators were being elected on Thursday morning.

The Election Commission of India postponed the counting of seats for Osmanabad-Beed-Latur constituency, the sixth seat, after parties moved court against the disqualification of some corporators.

The BJP and the NCP have locked horns in this constituency, making it a prestige battle, with the Munde cousins  women and child welfare minister Pankaja Munde and leader of Opposition in Upper House Dhananjay Munde  gunning for their respective candidates. The Munde cousins are political rivals in the Marathwada region.

The biennial elections for the six seats of the Upper House were held on Monday for which members of local bodies in 13 districts are casting votes.

Judging from the developments in the Palghar Lok Sabha bypolls, scheduled for May 28, relations between the Shiv Sena and BJP seem strained. For the first time, the Sena has fielded a candidate for a seat held by its ally, weakening the prospects of BJPs Rajendra Gavit. The Sena candidate is Shrinivas Wanga, son of the late MP Chintaman Wanga, who had defected from the BJP.

Reacting to this decision, BJP corporators in Nashik reportedly voted for the NCP candidate, Shivaji Sahane, while in the Konkan (Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg) constituency, they supported the NCPs Aniket Tatkare Though the Sena won the Nashik seat, it lost the Konkan seat by a large margin. However, the Sena wrested the Parbhani-Hingoli seat from the Congress.

Pravin Pote-Patil, BJP leader and minister of state for public works, won from the Amravati local bodies, while his colleague Ramdas Ambatkar defeated the Congress Indrakumar Saraf from Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli constituency.

The state council polls have been a major setback for the Congress because the part has not won a single seat. Its an unexpected defeat for us. We were expecting to win at least the Parbhani-Hingoli seat owing to our majority in the local bodies, said a state Congress leader, requesting anonymity.To prevent stampede-like situations on foot overbridges (FOB) at Mumbais railway stations during the monsoon, the Central Railway (CR) has decided to block train commuters from using FOBs for short stretches of time if they get overcrowded.

The decision comes after overcrowding led to a stampede on the Elphinstone Road station FOB last monsoon, claiming 23 lives.

Both Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Maharashtra Security Force (MSF) personnel will hold up signs and placards requesting commuters to use another FOB and to not spread rumours. RPF officials will also manage crowd dispersal, officials said.

We will block access [to FOBs] for crowd management, and it will removed immediately once the crowd disperses. Additional manpower will be provided wherever required, said Sachin Bhalode, senior divisional security commissioner, CR.

The CR has identified railway stations where overcrowded FOBs will be closed for short periods of time; they include Parel, Chinchpokli, Currey Road,Dadar, Masjid Bunder, Kurla and Ghatkopar stations.

Also, at the south-side FOB in Parel, if RPF personnel notice a huge crowds heading towards Elphinstone and Parel, commuters will be asked to use the east side of Parel FOB.There was dancing, singing and loads of double entendre on stage, thanks to hosts RJ Mantra and RJ Rohini; and cheering, whistling, rainbow-coloured dupattas and dazzling tiaras in the audience, as the Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival kicked off its 9th edition at Liberty cinema on Wednesday.

Block your dates The festival is on at Liberty and Metro Inox cinemas, Marine Lines, till Sunday. Passes cost Rs 600 per head and are available at the venues. For the full schedule, go to mumbaiqueerfest.com

Together With Pride is the theme, with screenings of 140 films from 45 countries, including 33 titles from India.

This year we have the highest number of Indian films that have pushed cinematic boundaries, in terms of narrative, content and technical finesse, said festival director Sridhar Rangayan.

The festival opened with the French film, Beats Per Minute, about the early years of the AIDS activist group, Act Up-Paris.

Many of this years films offer insight into family bonding and acceptance across cultures, said Rangayan.

With a view to promoting that acceptance, 190 students were also given free access this year.

There are various notions people have about the community. Through movies that convey the issues of the community, we hope to bridge this gap, said Bhagirathi Raman, consultant for the festival.

Over the years, we observed that a lot of students couldnt afford passes to attend the festival, which is why we decided to provide scholarship to college students, said Parmesh Shahani, head of the Godrej India Culture Lab, associate partner of Kashish.

If you are planning to head to Kashish, dont miss Onirs feature film, Shab, starring Raveena Tandon and Ashish Bisht, about the lives of queer people living on the edge; and Rohit Dwivedis Khejdi, the story of a transgendered individual from rural Rajasthan on a journey of self-discovery.

In the Best Narrative Feature category, the Tamil film, My Son is Gay by Lokesh Kumar, is competing with the Malayalam film Irattajeevitham by Suresh Narayanan. Irattajeevitham follows two friends as one of them decides to undergo gender reassignment surgery in a small town in Kerala. My Son is Gay is a `rare Tamil film about a young mans struggle to deal with his sexuality and gain acceptance from his mother.

The festival has shortlisted 47 films in all, for awards across eight categories. The winner of the best Indian queer short film award will head to the Iris Prize Festival in Cardiff, UK.

This is a great place to watch amazing movies that are hard to catch otherwise and meet like-minded people. I always make new friends, said Bharat Jagwani, 28, a visitor at the festival for the second consecutive year.A 26-year-old man shot himself to death at his residence in Machhiwara, around 40km from Ludhiana, on Thursday morning after he was frustrated over not being able to get drugs over the last couple of days, said police.

The deceased was identified as Jai Singh. He shot himself with a licensed rifle of his father Jaswinder Singh, who is an ex-serviceman. The victims mother, Manpreet Kaur, claimed herself as a president of Mahila Brigade Congress but Ravneet Bittu, Ludhiana MP denied her involvement with the party as he said no such body is part of the Congress.

ASI Santokh Singh, investigating officer said that deceaseds mother Manpreet Kaur had gone to Anandpur Sahib to consult doctors as she wanted to admit her son in a de-addiction centre. Jais sisiter, his wife and two-year-old daughter left the house around 9.15am to visit a religious place in the village. Jai and his father Jaswinder were in the house, said the officer.

According to police, Jai locked himself in the room and shot himself, pointing the rifle on his heart. After listening to the gunfire, Jaswinder rushed towards the room, broke the door and found Jai lying in a pool of blood. With the help of neighbours, he took Jai to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead.

As per the statement of the family members, Jai had been a drug addict for a long time and for the last few days he was not allowed to go out as they wanted to keep him away from drug peddlers.

Asking Punjab chief minister about the drug menace in the state, his mother repeatedly kept saying, Captian saab nasha band kado hovega te kado tak mava de puttar nashiya karan marde rehnge (Captain sahab! When will the drug trade stop and till when our sons keep dying because of drugs).

She said the family left no stone unturned to treat their sons drug addiction, but despite the restrictions, he used to sneak out and get drugs from the peddlers in Machhiwara.Around 10% of the new psychiatric patients arriving at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and research (PGIMER) every year have been diagnosed with schizophrenia  a severe mental illness where the person lives in the world of hallucinations and delusions.

The prevalence rate is one per 1,000 persons. It is usually triggered in vulnerable people when they are put under extreme stress. The most common age group prone to this mental disorder is 13 to 30 years, said Dr Sandeep Grover, professor, psychiatry department, PGIMER.

He said at PGIMER, around 17,000 new patients register themselves with the psychiatry department and around 10% of them have schizophrenia.

There are different sets of symptoms but in the most common ones, people become fearful, suspicious and think others are conspiring against them. They start hearing voices (hallucinations, delusions) and think people are talking about them. Their thought process is not under their control, the doctor added.

Suffering from these, they get isolated, violent, aggressive and lose insight of themselves. Some of them the patients dont even consider themselves ill, he added.

The other set of symptoms include them becoming quite, losing interest in life, willingness to eat and work. The third set of symptoms involve disorientation among the patients, Dr Grover said.

It can be treated if diagnosed in time

The positive thing is that the disorder can be treated, but its effectiveness depends on how quickly the symptoms are indentified. Ideally, patients should be brought for treatment as soon as possible, but here, they are being brought two to three years later, he said.

We dont talk of cure, but treatment, the doctor said, adding, only one-third of people will be able to improve with treatment and can stop medication. Another one-third will show improvement, but have to continue with the medication. Then in the remaining ones, symptoms might prevail for long.

The doctor said the family support was quite important to cure such patients. There are many patients who are now at good positions, earning handsome salaries and leading a normal life. So, one should never lose hope, Dr Grover concluded.

Tell-all tale of a mother and her daughter

One fine day, without informing anyone, a 32-year-old woman left for Delhi to meet her best friend undergoing treatment at a private hospital. It later came to the fore that this friend of hers didnt exist.

On the World Schizophrenia Day, her mother shared with HT what is it was like to live with a schizophrenic child.

In January 2010, she called her mother from London to say a professor shot my video and I can see lots of birds flying in the air. I could sense something was not right with my daughter, who was then 24-year-old. I called her back and took her to a psychiatrist. My fear was proven right. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia, she recalled.

However, her daughter responded well to the treatment and within six months, she flew to New York to continue her studies. But in 2011, a hospital in New York informed that her daughter tried to jump from the 18th floor.

She brought her back to Chandigarh and not left her alone since then.

When she takes medicines, she behaves normally. But the problem occurs when she starts getting better. Then she forgets about the illness and stops medication that worsens her symptoms, the mother said.

Talking about symptoms, she mother said, My daughter would start talking to someone who is not even there. Her dialogues, texts do not make any sense. She lives in world of delusions and hallucinations.

When asked what keeps her motivated to look after her daughter, she said, My daughter is my strength. I will not let anything happen to her.

As per doctors, familys support is must for the recovery of patients suffering from Schizophrenia.

When asked if she knows about her disease, the 32-year-old said, There are hallucination, they treat you and you get fine. You should take medicines regularly and with time it gets better.Directed by Pa Ranjith, Rajinikanths upcoming release Kaala is the most awaited release at present. At the same time, his upcoming project with director Karthik Subbaraj has also garnered attention of the audience. The industry is abuzz with speculation that actor Simran will be cast opposite the superstar in this project.

If Simran does work on this project, this would be their first film together. Simran has worked with Ajith, Vijay, Suriya and Kamal Haasan in the past, but never had the opportunity to work with Rajinikanth. She was supposed to work with the actor in Chandramukhi but backed out after realising she was pregnant. The role went to Jyothika later.

The Rajinikanth starrer will be produced by Sun Pictures and the team has also confirmed that Vijay Sethupathi will play a pivotal role in the film. The movie will have music scored by Anirudh Ravichander and the film is tipped to be an action thriller.

Hindustan Times approached Karthik Subbarajs team but there is no confirmation as of now.

Simran is currently working on multiple projects including Vikrams Dhruva Natchathiram, directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktopThe DMK and other opposition parties in Tamil Nadu called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh on May 25, condemning the police action against protestors in Tuticorin, in which 11 people lost their lives in the last two days.

The DMK had on Wednesday called for an all-party protest at all district headquarters on May 25 to condemn the police firing in Tuticorin district.

In a statement issued late on Wednesday night, the DMK said instead of the all-party protest, a bandh would be observed on May 25 to condemn the police action and demand the closure of the Sterlite copper smelting plant in Tuticorin district.

Stating that the people living in Tuticorin and its neighbouring districts were angered by the police action against the agitators, the release said, The bandh will also reflect the feelings of Tamils.

The DMK, All India National Congress, Dravidar Kazhagam, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, CPI, CPI(M), Indian Union Muslim League, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi will participate in the day-long state-wide protest, it added.Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan is all set to return as the host of the tenth season of the popular game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati. Registrations for KBC 10 will begin June 6 and will go on till June 20.

As per the procedure for registrations, Amitabh will ask one question every night at 8:30 on Sony TV and interested participants can answer via SMS or apps installed on their mobile phones. People will be given time to answer the question and qualify for the audition for 24 hours - before next day 8:29pm. The entire procedure for registration has been listed here

The tenth season will be comprise of 30 episodes(about six weeks ).

Kaun Banega Crorepati 10 will begin airing in August.

Speaking about KBC 10, EVP and Business Head of Sony TV Danish Khan said in a press statement, It is exciting to bring in the 10th edition of Indias favorite game show with its iconic host  Amitabh Bachchan. Last year the registration window was for seven days and the total registration was 19.8 million. We are sure with a 14 days window and last years stupendous success, we will be able to create new benchmark in registration numbers.

Salman Khan is also set to return to Sony TV soon with his game show, Dus Ka Dum.

Follow @htshowbiz for moreChina on Thursday dismissed as shocking and baseless a media report that President Xi Jinping has asked Pakistan to explore ways to relocate JuD chief Hafiz Saeed to a West Asian country amid mounting international pressure to act against him for his links with terror groups.

According to the report, a close aide of Pakistan Prime Minister said that Xi made the suggestion to Shahid Khaqan Abbasi during their meeting on the sidelines of the Boao Forum in China last month.

Reacting to it, Chinese foreign ministry spokespersons office on Thursday said the report that Xi has asked Abbasi to relocate the Pakistan-based Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief to a West Asian country was shocking and baseless.

It is shocking and baseless thats all we can say, the official told PTI here.

Saeed is the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people, including six US nationals, were killed. He carries a $10 million American bounty for his role in terror activities

The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack. It was declared a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014.

The US Department of the Treasury in 2012 designated Saeed as a specially designated global terrorist.US President Donald Trump on Thursday called off a planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, even after North Korea followed through on a pledge to blow up tunnels at its nuclear test site.

Referring to a scheduled June 12 meeting with Kim in Singapore, Trump said in a letter to the North Korean leader: Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it would be inappropriate, at this time, to have this long- planned meeting.

Trump called it a missed opportunity and said someday he still hoped to meet Kim.

A letter from the President to Chairman Kim Jong Un: "It is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting." pic.twitter.com/3dDIp55xu1  The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 24, 2018

Earlier on Thursday, North Korea repeated a threat to pull out of the unprecedented summit with Trump next month and warned it was prepared for a nuclear showdown with Washington if necessary.

In a statement released by North Korean media, vice foreign minister Choe Son Hui had called US vice president Mike Pence a political dummy for comparing North Korea - a nuclear weapons state - to Libya, where Muammar Gaddafi gave up his unfinished nuclear development programme, only to be later killed by NATO-backed fighters.

A small group of international media selected by North Korea witnessed the demolition of tunnels at the Punggye-ri site on Thursday, which Pyongyang says is proof of its commitment to end nuclear testing.

The apparent destruction of what North Korea says is its only nuclear test site has been widely welcomed as a positive, if largely symbolic, step toward resolving tension over its weapons. North Korean leader Kim has declared his nuclear force complete, amid speculation the site was obsolete anyway.India is central to US policy in the Pacific and the region and it ought to be one of our closest partners, secretary of state Mike Pompeo told lawmakers at a Senate hearing on Thursday.

For scores of reasons, India needs to be central to what we do, Pompeo said in response to a question from a senator about India-US ties, as related to Pacific issues, South Central Asia Issues, and South East Asia issues.

They ought to be one of our closest partners, Pompeo said, in what were possibly his first remarks on India after taking over as secretary of state in late April. We ought to be doing everything we can to make sure we achieve that.

Pompeo spoke about the upcoming 2+2 joint meeting of the defence and foreign affairs ministers of the two countries, which he said was very, very important.

No dates have been announced yet, but he said it could be held his summer. Hindustan Times has reported it could be in July.

Pompeo also sought a waiver from Russia-related sanctions for some countries without naming them. Defence secretary James Mattis had named India and Vietnam at a recent hearing of his own. Pompeo told the US House of Representatives on Wednesday that he supported that request.

Pompeo also urged the Senate to grant waiver powers from Russia-related sanctions under the Combatting Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for countries that were intended to be hurt by it. That law sanctions significant transactions with designated Russian entities by third parties, and could impact Indias plans to buy Russian S-400 missile defence system.

He had made the same request to the House of Representatives on Wednesday.A little-known lawyer charged with forming Italys next government  after over two months of political uncertainty  will on begin work on his cabinet on Thursday.

Italys president on Wednesday approved Giuseppe Contes nomination to be prime minister of a government formed by the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the far-right League.

Conte, who hails from Five Star, said that he would present President Sergio Mattarella with his cabinet, which has been the subject of days of tough negotiations between Five Star and the League, within the next few days.

The list of ministerial candidates must be endorsed by Mattarella before it can seek parliamentary approval.

Italian media reported that League chief Matteo Salvini would become interior minister while Five Star leader Luigi Di Maio would be in charge of the economic development ministry.

The President of the Republic has tasked me with the role of forming a government, Conte told reporters on Wednesday evening after a nearly two-hour meeting with President Mattarella.

Contes appointment could herald an end to the political limbo in the eurozones third-biggest economy  but the coalitions eurosceptic and anti-immigrant stance has alarmed senior European officials.

However, 53-year-old Conte, unveiled Monday as anti-establishment Five Star Movement and nationalist Leagues pick for premier, sought a more conciliatory tone towards Europe when speaking to journalists at the presidential Quirinal palace.

Im aware of the necessity to confirm Italys place, both in Europe and internationally, said Conte, who cast himself as the peoples lawyer.

My intent is to give life to a government of the people that looks after their interests. Im ready to defend the interests of Italians in Europe and internationally, maintaining dialogue with European institutions and representatives of other countries.

Mattarella has reportedly been concerned about plans by the two parties in negotiation to name Paolo Savona as economy minister.

Minister for industry between 1993-94, Savona, 81, was staunchly opposed to the signing of the Maastricht Treaty and has said he considers the euro currency a German cage.

A joint government programme unveiled by the parties on Friday pledges significant anti-austerity measures such as drastic tax cuts, a monthly basic income and pension reform rollbacks, which Di Maio and Salvini claim will boost growth.

EU officials have voiced concern that Italy could trigger a new eurozone crisis by refusing to stick to public spending and debt targets set by Brussels.

Pierre Moscovici, the EU Economic Affairs Commissioner, said on Wednesday that Italy must deliver a credible response on how it will reduce its debt, the eurozones second largest in proportion to GDP.

The Milan stock exchange lost 1.31% Wednesday, while the difference in yield on Italian 10-year sovereign bonds compared to Germanys has increased 60 base points to 191 in just eight days  a sign of increasing investor concern for Italys financial stability.Pakistans Parliament on Thursday passed a constitutional amendment bill seeking the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The bill seeks an amendment to Article 1 of the Constitution, which defines the countrys territory and mentions Fata as a separate entity along with other four provinces. The restive tribal areas will now be directly governed by federal and provincial governments instead of through an agent, as had been the case since colonial times.

Opposition leader Imran Khan, who addressed the house after the bill was passed with an overwhelming majority, congratulated Parliament on coming together despite differences between the parties. The tribal people want immediate justice just like the system that we have in KP, he said.

MQMs Dr Farooq Sattar said that his party is supporting the bill for the sake of political unity. However, he clarified that his party still believes that Fata should be turned into a separate province. He called for the formation of 19 provinces  including Karachi  on administrative grounds, adding that MQM had presented bills for the creation of provinces of South Punjab, Hazara and Fata.

Parliament on January 12 had passed a bill which extended the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and the Peshawar high court to Fata  a first major step towards mainstreaming the tribal region and its eventual merger with KP.Russian state telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor will check by December whether Facebook and possibly Whatsapp are complying with Russian laws, TASS news agency reported on Thursday, citing the head of the watchdog.

Russia has said it would block access to Facebook unless the social network complies with legislation requiring websites which store the personal data of Russian citizens to do so on Russian servers.

We will take a decision based on the result of these checks, Alexander Zharov, Rokomnadzors chief, was quoted as saying by TASS.Thai police raided four Buddhist temples on Thursday, arresting several prominent monks and worshippers in the years biggest such operation amid a crackdown on illegal financial dealings by temples.

The raids are the military governments latest bid to reform Buddhism, which is followed by more than 90% of Thailands population of 69 million, but whose image has been tarnished by money and sex scandals involving monks.

This is the investigation stage... it will all come down to facts and evidence, police official Thitiraj Nhongharnpitak, of the Central Investigation Bureau, which is investigating the monks, told reporters.

More than 100 police commandos raided four temples in Bangkok, the capital, and the adjacent central province of Nakhon Pathom, in the early hours of Thursday.

Among those arrested was Phra Buddha Issara, 62, an activist monk who led street protests in 2014 and launched a campaign to clean up Buddhism, but gained enemies by publicly naming other religious leaders he accused of wrongdoing.

He was held over a robbery said to have been committed during the anti-government protest in 2014, police said.

Phra Phrom Dilok, 72, a member of the Sangha Supreme Council, which governs Buddhist monks in Thailand, was arrested over alleged embezzlement of temple funds, they added.

Two other senior monks, Phra Sri Khunaporn and Phra Wichit Thammaporn, both assistant abbots of Bangkoks Golden Mount temple, were also arrested over alleged embezzlement, police said.

A representative for Buddha Issara, who declined to be identified, expressed concern. We are concerned because we do not know what Phra Buddha Issara is being charged with, he told Reuters.

Representatives of the other three monks did not immediately respond to Reuters telephone calls to seek comment.

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said the arrests were about getting to the bottom of the allegations. This is part of the investigation, he said.

Thailands temples, which earn billions of dollars every year from donations, have been embroiled in scandals ranging from murder, sex and drugs to shady financial dealings.

Under pressure from the junta, Thailands body of Buddhist monks has been trying to clean up its own act since last year, by enforcing tougher discipline for more than 3,00,000 monks.

The military took power in a 2014 coup it said was needed to restore order after months of anti-government protests, and has promised to hold elections next year, despite postponing the date several times.

Buddhist monks are highly respected in Thailand and taking action against them was historically considered taboo. But recent scandals have forced authorities to rethink how they handle allegations against Buddhist religious leaders.The Canadian government has refused permission to a Chinese state-run overseas investment firm from taking control of a 140-year Canadian construction company on national security grounds.

The proposed takeover of Aecon Group Inc by CCCC International Holding Ltd has been mired in controversy and the decision to block the deal was taken despite lobbying by Beijing. That final judgment call came on Wednesday, with Canadas ministry of innovation, science and economic development confirming it.

We listened to the advice of our national security agencies throughout the multi-step national security review process under the Investment Canada Act. Based on their findings, in order to protect national security, we ordered CCCI not to implement the proposed investment, minister Navdeep Bains was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.

Established in 1877, Aecon has several landmarks construction projects to its credit, including Torontos iconic CN Tower and Vancouvers SkyTrain and work on the airports in Toronto and Montreal.

CCCCI is a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company Ltd, which has the Chinese government as its majority owner. CCCC Ltd has been involved in several projects, including at Gwadar as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and in building artificial islands in the South China Sea.

The potential deal was worth $ 1.5 billion.

The sale of Aecon had attracted much criticism from former heads of Canadian intelligence and opposition parties. Others who opposed the sale included Anita Anand, the director of the Centre for the Legal Profession and Program on Ethics in Law and Business at the University of Toronto.

In an email to the Hindustan Times, she said: I strongly support the federal governments decision to intervene and block the Aecon take over bid. The federal government has the ability under the Investment Canada Act to prevent the transaction if it reasonably believes that the transaction presents national security concerns. In this case, on the basis of the evidence, the federal government made the right decision.

Shuvaloy Majumdar, senior fellow at the Ottawa-based Macdoland-Laurier Institute said: The decision taken by the Canadian government to end the Aecon takeover is laudable, if late, and after an unnecessary flirtation with the Peoples Republic (of China).

MLI has long been advocating caution with respect to Chinese state owned investment. From CNOOC (China National Offshore Oil Corporation) to Aecon, Canadas engagement with China must be carefully considered and always in Canadas national interest, he added.

Former cabinet minister Tony Clement tweeted: Glad to see the Liberal Government make this responsible decision after many including me urged reconsideration. He also called for an comprehensive review of investments by Chinese state-owned enterprises that are flying under the radar and purchasing strategic assets below the automatic review trigger.US President Donald Trump on Thursday cancelled his upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un over what he said was anger and open hostility from the hermit nation.

In a letter to Kim, Trump kept the door open for talks to take place on June 12 or later. If and when Kim Jong-un chooses to engage in constructive dialogue and actions, I am waiting, he wrote.

In a letter to Kim, Trump started by reminding him that it was North Korea that requested the meeting. He wrote: I was very much looking forward to being there with you (in Singapore). Sadly, based on tremendous anger and open hostility displayed by in your recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this, long planned meeting.

If you change your mind having to do with this most important meeting, please do not hesitate to call me or write.

Trumps reference of anger and open hostility was perhaps about a statement in which a senior North Korean official had called Vice-President Mike Pence a political dummy and ignorant and stupid on Wednesday.

He also cautioned Kim: You speak about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.

There was no response from North Korea to the letter.

In later remarks, Trump also warned North Korea that the US military is ready if necessary to respond to a foolish or reckless act by Pyongyang, and that he has spoken to Japan and South Korea  the USs allies in the region. He also said sanctions against North Korea would continue as part of the campaign of maximum pressure.

Earlier on Thursday, North Korean state media had announced that it had completely shut down its nuclear testing site in a remote part of the country as proof of its intent to denuclearise, a key demand by the Americans.

Sceptics, however, have pointed out that the site had been damaged in a recent incident and there were those who said North Korea did not need the site anymore, having wrapped up its nuclear programme already.

Trump and Kim were scheduled to meet in Singapore on June 12 for what was expected to be a historic and groundbreaking summit. Among the many objectives it sought was an end to the Korean War  Seoul and Pyongyang have only signed an armistice agreement  and the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

However, prospects of the talks taking place as scheduled had become uncertain in recent days. Trump, at press conference with South Koreas President Moon Jae-in on Monday, had said the summit could be cancelled or postponed. He had not cited any reasons but said he had noticed a change in the attitude of North Koreans after a recent, and second, visit by Kim to China.

Statements from North Korean officials had suddenly turned sharp and were marked by the kind of insulting tone language commonly used by them before the recent warming of ties. One official targeted national security adviser John Bolton by name for suggesting the Libyan Model for negotiations with North Korean. The official spoke of feeling of repugnance towards him (Bolton).

On Thursday, they targeted Pence. As a person involved in the US affairs, I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the US vice-president, said Choe Son Hui, a vice foreign minister who previously handled ties with the US. She also called Pence a political dummy.

North Korea seemed annoyed by Trump administration officials talk of the so-called Libyan model. Libyas Muammar Gaddafi gave up his nuclear weapons programme between 2003 and 2004 in return for relief from sanctions. In 2011, he was forced out of office during a NATO-led military intervention in 2011 and was killed by rebel forces while on the run.

First Bolton and then Pence had suggested that Libya was what could happen to North Korea if it did not go ahead with denuclearisation.Chinas defence ministry expressed regret on Thursday after the United States withdrew an invitation to China to attend a major US-hosted naval drill, saying that closing the door does not promote mutual trust and cooperation.

The Rim of the Pacific exercise, known as RIMPAC and previously attended by China, is billed as the worlds largest international maritime exercise and held every two years in Hawaii in June and July.

RIMPAC enabled the armed forces of the worlds two largest economies to directly engage with each other. It was viewed by both countries as a way to ease tensions and reduce the risk of miscalculation should they meet under less friendly circumstances.

The Pentagon said the withdrawal of the invitation was in response to what it sees as Beijings militarisation of islands in the disputed South China Sea, a strategic waterway claimed in large part by Beijing.

In a brief statement, Chinas defence ministry said the United States had ignored the facts and hyped up the so-called militarisation of the South China Sea, using it as an excuse to uninvite China.

This decision by the United States is not constructive. Closing the door to communication at any time is not conducive towards promoting mutual trust and communication between the Chinese and U.S. militaries, it added.

Chinas island-building programme in the South China Sea has sparked concern around the region and in Washington about Chinese intentions.

China says it has every right to build what it calls necessary defensive facilities on its own territory.

Irresponsible remarks

Over the weekend Chinas air force landed bombers on islands in the sea as part of a training exercise, triggering concern from Vietnam and the Philippines.

The ministry reiterated that its building of defence facilities was to protect the countrys sovereignty and legitimate rights, and had nothing to do with militarisation.

The United States has no right to make irresponsible remarks about this, it added.

Being invited or not cannot change Chinas will to play a role in protecting peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, and cannot shake Chinas firm determination to defend its sovereignty and security interests.

It is in both countries interests to develop healthy military ties, and China hopes the United States keeps the broader picture in mind, abandon its zero sum mentality and appropriately handle disputes, the ministry said.

Pentagon officials have long complained that China has not been candid enough about its rapid military build-up and using South China Sea islands to gather intelligence in the region.

In an editorial on its website, widely-read Chinese state-run tabloid the Global Times said there was no way China could trade in its interests in the South China Sea for access to the exercise.

If the US military increases its activities in the South China Sea, then our side will need to further strengthen its military deployments there, it wrote.

Chinese officials have accused Washington of viewing their country in suspicious, Cold War terms.

Speaking at a separate briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said China has sovereign rights in the South China Sea and it is not realistic for the United States to use this kind of action to try to coerce Beijing.

The United States has dispatched warships to disputed areas of the South China Sea in a bid to challenge Chinas extensive sovereignty claims in the territory, which is subject to various claims by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia.Half Moon Bay, CA (94019)

Today

Clear skies. Gusty winds during the evening. Low 48F. N winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 10 to 15 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Gusty winds during the evening. Low 48F. N winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 10 to 15 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.H es best known for his chart-topping raps and colossal ego, but Kanye West will soon be branching out into architecture.

This month, the musician and fashion designer revealed plans to expand his multi-million dollar fashion company Yeezy with a new arm, Yeezy Home, tweeting a call-out for architects and industrial designers who want to make the world better.

West, 40, has been open about his love affair with architecture throughout his 14-year career, insisting during a BBC Radio 1 interview in 2013 that he is a product person and shouldnt be limited to one place of creativity.

That same year, he visited the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where he stood on a desk and proclaimed his belief that the world can be saved through design.

The hip-hop supremos sixth album Yeezus was heavily influenced by Brutalist architecture and minimalist design.

During its production, West visited a furniture exhibition in the Louvre five times, sometimes privately.

He had rare Le Corbusier lamps, Pierre Jeanneret chairs and obscure body-art journals from Switzerland delivered to the Paris loft he lived in while working on the critically acclaimed record.

Learning from the master: Le Corbusier interiors greatly inspire Kanye (V&A)

This one Le Corbusier lamp was, like, my greatest inspiration, he told the New York Times.

I would go see actual Corbusier homes in real life and just talk about, you know, why did they design it? They did, like, the biggest glass panes that had ever been done."

The lamp in question is believed to be the curvy, concrete Borne Beton, originally designed as an outdoor light for Le Corbusier's hugely influential 1952 Unite building in Marseilles.

See the light: Nemo Lighting reissued the Borne Beton lamp (780, TwentyTwentyOne)

Wests designs will, above all, be as functional as possible; structure and proportions were at the heart of French modern architecture pioneer Le Corbusiers style. His most famous quote is a house is a machine for living in.

Nevertheless, we can expect West to experiment heavily with Yeezy Home.

Fresh from a visit to Le Corbusiers 1929 Art Deco masterpiece, Villa Savoye, with its ground-breaking ribbon windows, flat roof and reinforced-concrete frame, he proudly declared F**k you! his new motto.

Pioneering: Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye was radical for its time / Alamy Stock Photo

I bet there were people at the time who said to the owners of this house, Why would you spend your money on this? he told W Magazine.

Those people, I bet you that today nobody is visiting their house.

The rapper worked closely with boundary-pushing Romanian architect Oana Stanescu, who fascinated him with her insights into Le Corbusier's radicalism.

Stanescu went on to design the enormous travelling mountain and LED sun that dominated the stage on his Yeezus world tour.

Touch the sky: the set design for Kanye West's Yeezus tour / Peter Hutchins/Flickr

Wests Yeezy HQ, which we recently got a glimpse of in a 16-page PIN-UP feature, cements  literally, because concrete takes centre stage  the architectural route he will most likely go down.

The Seventies-style warehouse in Californian suburban wasteland has black-mirrored glass, polished concrete floors, fluorescent lighting, utilitarian black-stained bookshelves, MDF worktables and cast-concrete benches inspired by motorway bridges. There is no colour.

Spotting a theme: West's London PABLO pop-up had concrete floors (Getty Images) / Getty Images for Bravado

It was designed by Wests long-time collaborator, multi-disciplinary designer Willo Perron, who describes it as post-core as coreabout looking at the mundane things of every day and reappropriating the strip mall of re-contextualising things that we once thought of as ugly.

Then theres the rapper's expansive Hidden Hills family home, designed by Belgian interior designer Axel Vervoodt, which he shared mid-renovation photos of on social media in April.

Project: the rapper is renovating a concrete Californian home / Finalpixx / Splash News

Polished concrete dominates again, with arches and vaulted ceilings reminiscent of a grand mausoleum.

The 15,000 sq ft mansions interiors, as expected, are heavily minimalist and full of light, in a nod to Vervoodts signature style.

Clutter-free: inside Kanye West's family home / The Altman Brothers/Splash News

West also owns an enigmatic Manhattan apartment, designed by Italian minimalist architect Claudio Silvestrin.

Neutral and clean-lined throughout, the fully open-plan space has a solemn, church-like feel, with the A-lister telling Vanity Fair that Zen, monochromatic palettes are important for his sanity.

For sale: this Hampstead home designed by Claudio Silvestrin is on sale for 22.5m

In Wests words, he is a minimalist in a rappers body who wants to bring as much beauty to the world as possible.Now Open

24 May 2018

Hyatt announced today the opening of Hyatt Regency Shenzhen Airport in southern China"s Guangdong province. The 335-room hotel welcomes global travelers passing through Shenzhen airport to relax and recharge before their next journey.

"Hyatt is a pioneer of airport hotels and we are proud to announce the opening of the first Hyatt Regency hotel in Shenzhen, a fast developing city with huge economic vitality," said Stephen Ho, president, global operations for Greater China, Hyatt. "The first Hyatt hotel was founded near Los Angeles Airport in 1957 to provide greater convenience and comfort to our guests. With the same sense of innovation that inspired Hyatt over 60 years ago, Hyatt Regency Shenzhen Airport will provide Hyatt guests with an experience to make the most of their stay."

As a modern international airport and one of the busiest in China, Shenzhen Bao"an International Airport welcomed over 45 million travelers last year, and has become an important transportation hub in the Pearl River Delta Region.

"We are very grateful for the vision and trust of the hotel"s owner, Shenzhen Airport Group, and together with our other hotels under their ownership  Hyatt Place and Hyatt House Shenzhen Airport, we look forward to welcoming global travelers with diversified hospitality choices," Ho added.

Hyatt Regency Shenzhen Airport is located on the west side of the terminal hall at Shenzhen Bao"an International Airport, a five-minute walk from the arrival and departure hall via an indoor pathway. With easy access to transportation by ocean, land or air, Hyatt Regency Shenzhen Airport enables business and leisure travelers to easily connect with the very best of China"s dynamic southern gateway city.

"Every element of Hyatt Regency Shenzhen Airport has been designed to provide guests a world away from the stress of travel and the convenience and comforts of a truly hassle-free retreat," said Billy Yap, general manager of Hyatt Regency Shenzhen Airport. "We are ready to welcome guests to touch down in style  from the contemporary design and spacious layout of our guestrooms, to the authentic flavors from our restaurants and bars  our guests can always enjoy an energizing experience."Appointment

24 May 2018

The seven story, 203-suite hotel is located at 5615 Landmark Parkway, San Antonio, Texas, 78249. The property is currently under construction, scheduled to open July, 2018. As general manager, Dickson will be responsible for directing all aspects of hotel operations including guest services, hotel administration and overseeing marketing efforts.

Dickson started his career in 1998 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Austin Townlake. Brian has worked at many other Embassy Suites by Hilton hotels over the course of his career. His previous experience comprises working for eight Embassy Suites by Hiltons to include General Manager and Director of Sales at Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa Brandon and opening Director of Front Office/Director of Outlets at Embassy Suites by Hilton East Peoria. He has a passion for the hospitality industry and pride for guest/team member interaction on a daily basis.Appointment

24 May 2018

XV Beacon, the award winning boutique address located atop Boston's Beacon Hill, has named Kara Smith as Director of Sales & Marketing. Prior to assuming her role at XV Beacon, Smith held the position of Director of Business Travel Sales at Battery Wharf Hotel in Boston, Mass. She was responsible for managing the corporate/leisure travel segment, acquiring new accounts, and cultivating relationships with hospitality consortia on behalf of the 150-room property.

Additional roles held by Smith prior to joining XV Beacon include Senior Business Travel Sales Manager at Boston Park Plaza; Catering Sales Manager at Royal Sonesta Hotel in Boston, Mass.; Catering Sales Manager/Conference Service Manager at The Verve-Crowne Plaza in nearby Natick, Mass.; and Catering Coordinator at Crowne Plaza Boston-Natick. Smith began her career in hospitality as an Event Assistant at the Massachusetts Lodging Association Education Foundation, also in Boston, Mass.

An active and involved hospitality professional, Smith has been a member of the New England Business Travel Association for the past four years and did a turn as a Board Member in 2017. Boston resident for more than a decade, Smith earned a Bachelor of Science degree in hotel and tourism management with a minor in marketing from Mount Ida College in Newton, Massachusetts.Press Release

24 May 2018

Surveys of housekeepers around the nation show that housekeepers are sexually assaulted at over twice the rate of workers in other industries. Safety mandates for housekeepers are becoming prevalent, such as in Seattle, New York, Chicago and Sacramento county.

These mandates include sophisticated panic button requirements that preclude basic safety tools such as sirens or whistles. Technology that can immediately notify a hotel of a worker's location within a building is necessary and increasingly expected by employees, unions, and governments.

Indoor location services are the next frontier of in-hotel guest experiences. Using Bluetooth beacon technology, hotels can prompt guests on their smartphone as they approach a location, such as their room (to unlock their door), the hotel spa (offering a spa appointment), or the restaurant (advertising a happy hour special).

React Mobile, a leading employee safety platform, has released a new product offering that uses indoor Bluetooth beacons from Estimote, a leading beacon provider, to provide precise location information to safety staff inside a hotel. Even if a housekeeper is forced to a different room under duress, using beacons, their location can continuously be sent to responders, ensuring help arrives immediately. "Estimote Proximity and Location beacons give hotel safety providers such as React Mobile the real-time precise location of an employee inside of a building in an emergency without expensive equipment installation requirements", said Steve Cheney, Co-Founder of Estimote.

Choosing the right employee safety solution can be overwhelming. It's critical for hotel managers to understand how open platforms that integrate with existing industry platforms can save time, money, and minimize disruption to both guests and staff. Open platforms like, React Mobile, make things easy and work with a hotel's existing technology investments. "With hotels, one size doesn't fit all and properties of varying sizes have different needs and budgetary constraints," said Robb Monkman, Founder and CEO of React Mobile, a leading employee safety technology company. "To meet our customers' needs, we have integrated our safety platform into a number of leading hospitality technologies to help protect hotel employees during an emergency with unmatched location accuracy."

Hotels need cost-effective solutions that provide a high level of functionality while minimizing disruption to guests and daily operations. Hotel investment in tech is expanding both front and back of the house. Safety platforms that leverage these existing investments hit the sweet spot for today's hospitality providers.

In guest rooms, hotels are expanding tech offerings to meet customers' increasing demands of their experience. From in-room Amazon Echos to Bluetooth door locks to location-driven experiences, hotels are increasingly needing to be tech savvy to keep ahead of competitors. Safety platform offerings need to build on these existing investments to help hotels manage costs while meeting safety ordinances.

Companies such as Volara leverage Amazon's Echo voice technology to create exciting guest experiences. In a partnership with React Mobile, employees or guests can summon emergency help just by saying a key phrase.

"At the Alexis Hotel, enhanced safety and security has always been a priority for us," noted Jenne Oxford, Director of Operations at Kimpton's Alexis Hotel in Seattle. "The ability to quickly access emergency services through Alexa will be a benefit to guests and employees alike."

In addition to in-room experiences, hotels are increasingly using technology to manage operational costs. One such platform is with Amadeus HotSOS, the industry-leading service optimization platform that helps hotels optimize hotel services and customer engagement. By using a housekeeper's known location information through HotSOS, hotels can layer a safety platform directly into their HotSOS infrastructure. React Mobile's integration with HotSOS has already proven valuable at the Thunder Valley Casino and Resort in Sacramento. "React Mobile's platform allowed us to reach a housekeeper having a medical emergency while cleaning a guest room. Their platform alerted our security staff with their exact room location, allowing us to reach them within minutes", said Joel Moore, VP of Hotel Operations.

Employee safety has never been more in the public awareness. Knowing how to avoid vendor lock-in or over-investment can keep your employees safe without blowing your capital budget.

About React Mobile

React Mobile was established with the singular goal to help people in times of distress. The React Mobile enterprise safety platform helps people in emergencies reach the widest network possible when it matters most. React Mobile's solutions centre around widespread emergency alerting and offering industry-leading indoor and outdoor location sharing to reduce emergency response times. React Mobile's safety alerting platform is integrated with leading platforms such as Amadeus, Volara, Estimote, and other technologies to offer unmatched location-based information.

Find out more by visiting www.reactmobile.com

About Amadeus

Amadeus is a leading provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel industry. Customer groups include travel providers (e.g. airlines, hotels, rail and ferry operators, etc.), travel sellers (travel agencies and websites), and travel buyers (corporations and travel management companies). The Amadeus group employs around 13,000 people worldwide, across central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters), Nice (development) and Erding (operations), as well as 71 local Amadeus Commercial Organizations globally. The group operates a transaction-based business model. Amadeus is listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange under the symbol "AMS.MC" and is a component of the IBEX 35 index.

To find out more about Amadeus please visit www.amadeus.com, and www.amadeus.com/blog for more on the travel industry. Amadeus is listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange under the symbol "AMS.MC" and is a component of the IBEX 35 index. To find out more about Amadeus please visit www.amadeus.com, and www.amadeus.com/blog for more on the travel industry.

About Volara

Volara is THE provider of custom voice-based solutions for the hospitality industry and the only such provider with the Alexa for Business Service Delivery Designation from Amazon. Volara's proprietary software creates a business tool atop the leading smart speakers and natural language processing platforms. Volara's proven best practices ensure high utilization rates and an optimal guest experience that creates personal and remarkable engagement with brands. Volara is the largest manager of Alexa devices in the enterprise today and over a million people have used voiced-based solutions powered by Volara. For more information, please visit www.volara.io.

About Estimote

Estimote is the world leader in presence verification using Bluetooth Smart technology. Estimote's small wireless sensors, called beacons, communicate with applications on a mobile device to trigger secure presence detection and awareness, provide contextually relevant content, and deliver rich data and insights. Estimote is deployed with partners across industries and supports over 150,000 developers worldwide including 75% of Fortune 100 companies. Estimote's cloud services and mobile SDKs provide a full solution to abstract away the difficulty of building contextually-powered mobile experiences in verticals as diverse as retail, hospitality, healthcare and transportation.Supplier News

24 May 2018

Orlando, Fla. and Niantic, Conn -- Guests staying at the LuMINN Hotel Minneapolis, an Ascent Hotel Collection Member, are controlling their room environments and engaging with the property in exciting new ways. Since adding Intelity ICEbedside tablets to each guestroom  which are interfaced to the INNCOM by Honeywell Integrated Room Automation Systems (IRAS)  guests are controlling room temperature, lighting, and alarm clock directly from in-room tablets. Guests can also access the hotel"s mobile app, powered by Intelity, which provides a direct link to hotel information, services, concierge, transportation, maps, directions and more.

"Adding ICEbedside tablets to each room brings another element to the guest experience," said LuMINN Hotel Minneapolis Owner Harshal Patel. "Today, everyone is tech savvy and has a smartphone or tablet. Enabling guests to use an in-room iPad as an alarm clock or to request amenities or control elements of the room like temperature and lighting is an engaging way to exceed their expectations, and it"s a service that not many hotels are offering.

"LuMINN isn"t the biggest hotel and adding in-room tablets wasn"t in my budget, but I believed it was a necessary investment that would instantly add differentiation and boost guest satisfaction and loyalty. The Intelity ICE platform is extremely intuitive, and it came with an already-established interface to INNCOM. Partnering with Intelity just made sense."

While saving energy is of the utmost importance to Patel, he said it was not the key reason he was eager to offer room-control functionality on the in-room tablet.

"Being able to turn off lights or raise or lower room temperature through the tablet is a perk, especially if it lowers my energy bills, but it"s not the reason I was excited about the technology integration," Patel said. "I"m more concerned with providing convenience to my guests and not requiring them to get up from our comfortable beds to turn off the lights or turn on the Do-Not-Disturb button in the hallway. Many travelers already have "connected homes." With Intelity + INNCOM, they can now be connected to their rooms in the same way. It"s fun, it"s interactive and it"s elevating the LuMINN Hotel Minneapolis experience."

Solid Integration Partnership

INNCOM began working with the LuMINN Hotel Minneapolis in early 2017 when it was previously known as the Federal Plaza Hotel. Installation included the INNCOM E528 thermostat that provides energy control, humidity monitoring, and motion detection for a more efficient HVAC system. The E528 series thermostat serves as the network gateway for guestroom controls, including the Intelity ICEbedside interface. Also featured in LuMINN guestrooms is the INNCOM EVORA Switch Series. EVORA enables guests to control lighting independently in the Entry, Cove and Window areas of the room or altogether.

Michael Asmussen, engineering manager for INNCOM by Honeywell, said the company has a "healthy partnership" with Intelity, and explained that any property with a networked INNCOM system can leverage the EMS to connect to Intelity ICEbedside tablets that INNCOM does not offer.

"The synergies between INNCOM and Intelity are beneficial for all hoteliers," Asmussen said. "Whether a hotel starts with INNCOM and adds Intelity or vice versa, our proven and compatible interface gives guests to control their room environment. The two-way communication is completely transparent to the guest. All they see is a fun, new, and interactive way to connect to the room. For guests, it"s nothing short of magic; for owners and operators, it means better efficiencies and lower energy costs."

Gregg Hopkins, Intelity chief sales and marketing officer, said the two companies have been working together for almost eight years.

"The Intelity / INNCOM relationship is very strong," Hopkins said. "We are giving hoteliers the ability to offer a flexible user interface that gives guests more control over their stay experience. It"s the next generation of self-service that today"s modern travelers are looking for. We are thrilled that the LuMINN Hotel Minneapolis is LIVE with ICEbedside, and we look forward to working with INNCOM at more properties soon."

For more information about the Intelity Guest Service Platform, click here, or for INNCOM solutions, click here.

About Intelity

Intelity, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, is the creator of the world's first and most widely used integrated guest services platform, ICE (Interactive Customer Experience). With certified integrations to all major hotel back-end management systems (POS, PMS, Ticketing, Spa and Room Controls), Intelity's complete guest service platform is a centralized property-automation system that delivers concierge-level services, guest request tracking and fulfillment, business-intelligence analytics, marketing/messaging capabilities, and a full content management system. Since beginning operations in 2007, the Inc. 5000 company has gained a reputation as a leader in hospitality technology with installations across six continents, including most major brands and many celebrated independent properties. Intelity was recently designated as the "Official Mobile & In Room Technology Provider" for Forbes Travel Guide, as well as the "Best Mobile App in Hospitality" from Travel Weekly"s Magellan Awards and the "World"s Leading Hotel Brand App" from the World Travel Awards. For more information, please visit www.intelitycorp.com.

About Honeywell Home and Building Technologies

Honeywell Home and Building Technologies (HBT) is a global business with more than 44,000 employees worldwide. HBT creates products, software and technologies found in more than 150 million homes and 10 million buildings worldwide. We help homeowners stay connected and in control of their comfort, security and energy use. Commercial building owners and occupants use our technologies to ensure their facilities are safe, energy efficient, sustainable and productive. Our advanced metering hardware and software solutions help electricity, gas and water providers supply customers and communities more efficiently. For more news and information on Honeywell Home and Building Technologies, please visit http://www.honeywell.com/newsroom.

Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 software-industrial company that delivers industry specific solutions that include aerospace and automotive products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes, and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help everything from aircraft, cars, homes and buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.Opinion Article

24 May 2018

Now and then, when hiring people, we as leaders are heard to say, "I'll take a chance on this person." That all seems simple enough, but it is only half the story.

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In fact, every time an employee joins your organization - whether or not you feel you are "taking a chance" - the truth is that every employee is taking a chance on you, on your company. They are proceeding in good faith. Have you ever considered this? Because, with this, comes a responsibility to deliver on the promise, in a fashion just as committed as your expectation of the employee. And, now that you are thinking about this perspective, ask yourself: How many employees come to work on their first day all down-in-the-mouth and unexcited? Virtually none. The vast majority come with eager anticipation, a genuine desire to do their job and do it well, and a belief that the company is what it appears to be, hence their decision to join.

Unfortunately, in too many situations, what happens next is that the employee is judged, evaluated, critiqued and, sometimes, fired. Good leaders, no, great leaders, make and live a commitment to set each employee up for success; to make the goals clear, and to provide the tools, training, time, and environment to successfully achieve those goals. To consciously remove obstacles. Great leaders also listen when the good-faith employee provides input and observations that might change or refine the goal and/or the process for achieving it. In other words, a better approach. Hey, isn't that what we're paying them for?

It's sad how many people "take a chance" on a company, only to be disappointed. Believe me, my profession gives me a front row seat to this show. But how often - let's be honest - does the company feel disappointed in itself for not being able to hold onto that employee? Shocker - some people are let go before the company has even gotten to know them; after the love affair recruitment, they're on their own.

Honestly, that is the epitome of "taking a chance." Taking a chance that word spreads, especially in the era of social media, about your company not caring for its people. About a poor work environment. About saying one thing during the courting period only to disregard it once the hire is made.

Earlier in my career, I was a management consulting professional with one of the major global accounting firms. A firm that hired only the top 5% and did so successfully because of the name brand and the perception of opportunity. But I watched as a number of colleagues - some Harvard, Wharton, Stanford MBA's, etc. - cried out on deaf ears and, ultimately, left to pursue other avenues. I'll never forget it when the Partner-in-Charge of Management Consulting and I were talking one day and he was telling me how proud he was that our turnover rate was well below the national average. Right then, I realized how mistaken his metric was. You see, it isn't what percentage of your people leave that is the key; it's WHO left that should be the concern. And if we don't think this way, the process is perpetuated - those who left "took a chance" that didn't pan out, and the firm's sloppiness "took a chance" of losing some stars, which it did. Multiple times.

Enough said. Please, take a moment, "take a chance" and think about this.Performance

24 May 2018

Brazil continues streak of occupancy and room-rate growth

continues streak of occupancy and room-rate growth Costa Rica breaks April performance records

breaks April performance records Peru room rates increase for first time in 2018

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LONDON  Hotels in the Central/South America region reported positive April 2018 performance results, according to data from STR.

U.S. dollar constant currency, April 2018 vs. April 2017

Central/South America

Occupancy: +7.4% to 58.5%

Average daily rate (ADR): +15.1% to US$113.09

Revenue per available room (RevPAR): +23.6% to US$66.11

Local currency, April 2018 vs. April 2017

Brazil

Occupancy: +8.4% to 55.7%

ADR: +1.0% to BRL280.09

RevPAR: +9.6% to BRL155.88

Performance recovery continued in Brazil with the country's eighth-consecutive month of occupancy growth and seventh-straight month with an ADR increase. The absolute occupancy level was the highest for an April in Brazil since 2014. On a market level, Sao Paulo registered an 11.9% increase in RevPAR with growth in both occupancy (+4.0%) and ADR (+7.5%). Rio de Janeiro, on the other hand, reported flat occupancy and a 6.8% decrease in ADR. Both markets saw their best occupancy growth during weekdays, whichSTR analysts note as an indicator of strong corporate activity.

Costa Rica

Occupancy: +8.1 to 78.0%

ADR: +1.9% to CRC93,779.11

RevPAR: +10.1% to CRC73,150.68

The absolute occupancy and ADR levels were the highest for any April in STR's Costa Rica database. STR analysts note that countrywide performance was driven by San Jose, where RevPAR rose 18.3% to CRC44,027.23. Only five of the 30 days in April showed a year-over-year RevPAR decrease in the capital, and those with the largest decreases were the day of and after the presidential election.

Peru

Occupancy: +8.8% to 68.9%

ADR: +2.8% to PEN460.00

RevPAR: +11.8% to PEN316.83

While occupancy has grown for 11-straight months in Peru, this was just the second year-over-year ADR increase in the country since September 2017. While Cusco showed a RevPAR decrease of 11.3%, Lima registered a 22.1% rise in the metric thanks in part to the Summits of The Americas (13-14 April). ADR jumped to PEN877.36 on the night of the 13th.50 Cent might be the most fearless person on Instagram, continuing to troll anyone he chooses despite death threats or revenge porn lawsuits. This time, however, 50 might have made an enemy that he doesn't want to mess with.

According to Page Six, 50 is reportedly under investigation by the NYPD for threatening one of their officers online. The post in question, which has since been deleted, refers to Deputy Inspector Emmanuel Gonzalez, head of the 72nd precinct in Sunset Park. Gonzalez was allegedly trying to squeeze the owner of the Love & Lust Club in New York for gifts, such as a round-trip to Puerto Rico.

In response to these allegations 50, being a fan of the club, told his followers to "get the strap." Now, if you're even slightly aware of 50's Instagram posts, you'd know that he writes that on literally every single post he makes. However, it appears that the NYPD aren't as familiar, and are investigating it as an actual threat.

According to a criminal complaint filed by the 72nd, Gonzalez is "annoyed, alarmed, and is in fear of his safety." They went after the comments section as well, stating that, "Comments included, but are not limited to, Get the strap multiple times, [and] Fk this commander has to get the strap ASAP."

Despite the joking nature of 50's online presence, the police appear to be taking this matter very seriously. It might be time for 50 to retire the "get the strap" catchphrase for good, lest he get in even more trouble.

Update: 50 Cent responds to the investigation.Meek Mill was scheduled to meet with President Trump last Friday and discuss prison reform at the White House, but that didn't happen as planned. The MMG rapper backed out at the last minute and didnt go, making several of his peers & celebrity friends happy in the process. At the time, reports were saying that Jay Z was the one responsible for convincing Meek to not go, but that apparently isnt true.

Meek recently down with Phillys Power99 radio station and talked about his time since getting out and more. But when he was asked about the White House, Meek said he had no idea where that rumor came from that Hov convinced him to not go. The Dreamchaser rapper says he was initially excited about being invited to the White House, which would try & help thousands of people to get out of tough situations. However, he felt the President's office and himself represented two different America's, which he didnt want to sit-down at the White House for the time being.

Check out the full 40-minute interview (below) or fast forward to the 11:45 mark to hear the White House bail discussion. Look for more new music to be on the way as well.Back in January, Milwaukee Bucks rookie Sterling Brown was charged with resisting arrest in a Walgreens parking lot after police claimed he approached them menacingly while they were writing him a ticket. However, the charges against Brown were quickly dropped and police quickly apologized for their actions, and now we know why.

On Wednesday, the Milwaukee police went ahead released the body cam footage of the arrest of Sterling BRown, and its clear the cops were in the wrong here for tasing him for no reason.

Eight minutes into the 30-minute clip, an officer can be seen and heard loudly telling Brown to remove his hands from his pockets. "Leave me alone," Brown appears to say. "I've got stuff in my hands. Several officers then converge on Brown in an apparent effort to subdue him, and a struggle ensues. "Taser! Taser! Taser!" an officer can be heard yelling at the 8:40 mark of the video, after which Brown can be heard grunting several times.

The video later shows police reviewing papers and snooping through Brown's car too. One officer also can be heard saying to another, "He was being an ass and trying to hide something.

Brown said in a statement that the experience "has forced me to stand up and tell my story so that I can help prevent these injustices from happening in the future. He plans to file a lawsuit against the Milwaukee PD as a result.

Check out the full 30-minute footage (below).

[Via]One of rap's most polarizing figures, Tay-K, has built a career and a large fan base all while sitting behind bars. The young rapper, who grew to overnight fame after he released his now Platinum-certified hit, "The Race," has been sitting in prison, awaiting trial for two murder charges and a count of aggravated robbery.

For a long time now, one of the worst case scenario theories regarding Tay-K's future was that he could be sentenced to the death penalty if found guilty. Texas has always been a pro-capital punishment state, so it wasn't so hard to imagine. The rumor was only spread further after T.I. made an impassioned Instagram post, comparing the potential sentence for Texas school shooter, Dimitrious Pagourtzis, who could be eligible for parole in 40 years, despite murdering 10 people and injuring 13 others.

However, Tay-K no longer needs to worry about that as, according to The Fader, he will not be facing the death penalty in his upcoming trial. The news was confirmed by Tay-K's manager, Ezra Averill, who shared the news on his Instagram story.

"MY ONLY WISH IS TO SEE TAY HOME AND HAPPY, F**K THE MONEY AND FAME," Averill wrote. "OH YEA AND AINT NO DEATH PENALTY OVER HERE #FREETAYK."

According to Politifact, Tay was never actually in danger of capital punishment in the first place. The law protecting Pagourtzis from execution because he was under 18, also protects Tay-K in the same way. However, one of his accomplices was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison, so fans should still brace themselves for bad news when Tay-K goes to trial.Gasoline prices have spiked by about 50 cents since the beginning of March, and the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded could hit $3 as soon as this weekend, squeezing American families as the peak summer travel and tourism season gets under way and creating headwinds for a U.S. economy that depends heavily on consumer spending.

The emergence of the United States as a top oil producer means that the national economy can benefit from higher crude prices, but most economists and analysts believe petroleum prices have blown past the so-called sweet spot  profitable oil prices without exorbitant fuel costs  and are starting to hit consumers, possibly limiting vacation plans and household budgets. At first glance, higher prices may seem like only good news for Houstons vast array of oil and companies, analyst said, but at some point rising costs reduce energy consumption and slow the economy, which further undermines demand.

We need oil prices high enough to support Houstons economic growth, said Patrick Jankowski, economist for the regional economic development group Greater Houston Partnership,  but not so high that it stifles American growth.

U.S. crude has jumped from $50 a barrel in the fall to more than $71 this week, triggering most of the surge in fuel prices. Thursday, a gallon of unleaded gasoline averaged $2.98 a gallon nationally and $2.74 in Houston, about 60 cents a gallon higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy, a website that tracks fuel pricing nationwide.

Ideal prices

Economists believe the mythic sweet spot for oil prices is between $60 and $70 a barrel, which would translate to average fuel prices of about $2.70 a gallon nationally and $2.50 locally. At those levels, most oil companies can earn solid profits while drivers dont have to break the bank for their daily commutes and travel.

The U.S. economy is sensitive to gasoline prices because consumer spending drives about 70 percent of economic activity. Economists often equate rising gas prices to a tax, which siphons away money that consumers might otherwise have spent at restaurants, shopping malls and a variety of other businesses.

Moodys Analytics, the economic research unit of the bond-rating agency, estimates that every 10 cent increase in gasoline prices slices consumers discretionary income by $11 billion a year. If oil prices hold near $70 a barrel throughout this year, according to Moodys, rising energy costs would eat about half the tax savings households received from the recent federal tax overhaul.

We need to be careful that higher oil prices dont derail the economic recovery, said Chris Lafakis, a Moodys energy analyst. Certainly, it takes money out of peoples pockets and acts the same way as a tax increase.

Rising gasoline prices are likely forcing lower-income families to cut back as fuel costs consume more than 5 percent of their annual earnings, up from 3.5 percent a year ago, said Jankowski. If pump prices rise another 50 cents a gallon, Jankowski said, many middle-income families will be forced to cut back.

Some are already hesitating to spend, opting for so-called staycations this summer instead of road trips, according GasBuddys annual summer travel survey. Only 58 percent of the survey respondents said they will take a road trip this summer, a 24 percent dive from last year, when gas prices averaged $2.35 a gallon nationally. About 40 percent said higher gas prices are affecting decisions about summer vacation.

Debbie Howard, who lives in north of Houston in Porter, on Wednesday was filling the tank of her Chevrolet Suburban at a RaceWay station in Pearland, cringing as pump readings climbed above $80. She said she wants the regions energy industry to do well, but shed rather see fuel prices 50 cents a gallon cheaper than they are now.

I worry how its going to affect our summer travel planning, Howard said.

Lawrence Grice, who lives south of Houston in Rosharon, said he appreciates the benefits of rising oil prices to the Houston economy and the tens of thousands of people employed by oil and gas companies after working in the industry for a decade. But, he added, oil companies are doing fine right now while gasoline prices are climbing too high.

The rich get richer and its at the expense of the poor person, he said, while pumping fuel at a Houston-area Buc-ees.

All about context

While gasoline prices are at their highest levels in nearly four years, theyre still much lower than they were when oil topped $100 a barrel in mid-2014, just before the oil bust got underway.

Ten years ago, when oil briefly soared above $140 a barrel, motorists paid more than $4 a gallon. The financial crisis of 2008 and the deep global recession that followed sent oil and gasoline prices plunging, but they soon began to recover, approaching the $4 a gallon again in 2011.

The oil bust that drove prices to a low of $26 a barrel in early 2016 brought gasoline costs below $3 a gallon, and in many places, below $2. Average gas prices in Houston bottomed at about $1.50 a gallon in 2016.

Its all about context, said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy. If gas prices are $4 and go down to $3 a gallon, then theyre overjoyed. But if its $2 and goes to $3, then its the end of the world.

Fuel prices should keep rising in the coming weeks, DeHaan said, but theyll likely plateau in Houston before the average hits $3 a gallon. Some gas stations in affluent neighborhoods such as the Galleria, River Oaks and Midtown, however, are already pricing gasoline at more than $3 a gallon.

Ethan Bellamy, an energy analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co., said Texans are so dependent on the oil and gas industry that they shouldnt complain when gasoline costs more.

People in Texas dont get to whine about rising fuel price, Bellamy said. Theres likely no human in the state who is more than two-degrees separation from a person or a company that is making money when oil prices rise.

The Houston economy has diversified to some extent and may not be quite as dependent on oil prices as in the past, but a large share of the regions economic growth  about 40 percent  still depends on the energy sector, said Bill Gilmer, director of the Institute for Regional Forecasting at the University of Houston.

But higher prices are not all good news for energy companies, particularly when consumers adjust by switching to hybrid and other fuel-efficient vehicles. The International Energy Agency, which advises oil-importing nations, recently forecast the rising oil prices will shave demand growth this year by at least 100,000 barrels a day.

High oil prices, meanwhile, are unlikely to be the engine of job growth that they once were in Houston. The region lost about 93,000 energy jobs when oil plunged below $30 a barrel, said Jankowski, the Greater Houston Partnership economist, but not all those jobs will return with prices above $70 as companies rely on technology and automation to produce more oil with fewer workers. In fact, only about 17,000 of those jobs have come back thus far.

The higher prices are good for the economy, Jankowski said, but its not going to be the panacea they once were.

jordan.blum@chron.com

twitter.com/jdblum23Royal Dutch Shell said Thursday it made another discovery in the Gulf of Mexico as it hopes to bring new life to the United States' languishing deep-water oil sector.

The Anglo-Dutch Big Oil major said the new Dover well discovery is positioned near its brand-new, multibillion-dollar Appomattox platform that was completed and launched into the Gulf this month. The well is about 13 miles from the Appomattox.

That means the new discovery can be further drilled and developed through connections, called tiebacks, to the Appomattox to save costs, rather than build a new platform. The Appomattox is expected to start producing oil by the end of 2019 once it's fully set up.

The Dover discovery is Shell's sixth in the Norphlet region of the Gulf where the Appomattox is centered. The Dover well is about 170 miles offshore and is located southeast of New Orleans.

Now Playing: Latest Oil & Energy News Playlist Video: Houston Chronicle

"Dover showcases our expertise in discovering new, commercial resources in a heartland helping deliver our deep-water growth priority," said Andy Brown, Shell's upstream director. "By focusing on near-field exploration opportunities in the Norphlet, we are adding to our resource base in a prolific basin that will be anchored by the Appomattox development."

NO SURRENDER: New platform shows Shell isn't giving up on deepwater

The multibillion-dollar Appomattox was authorized by Shell in 2015, representing the first major deep-water project approved after oil prices crashed in late 2014. Since then, only two other Gulf platforms have moved forward, including Shell's Vito project, which was authorized in late April. The Vito decision is considered a sign that the long-languishing offshore sector is showing signs of life as oil prices hover above $70 a barrel.

Shell owns 79 percent of the Appomattox project. The remaining 21 percent is held by a subsidiary of the state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corp., or CNOOC.

The Dover well is positioned at a water depth of 7,500 feet and it was drilled to a depth of 29,000 feet deep vertically, Shell said.Travelers often glance in the direction of Sagemont Church as they pass by on Beltway 8 in southeast Houston. Maybe the 170-foot white cross on the churchs expansive lawn has something to do with it.

On Saturday, even more motorists likely slowed to view the church and lawn and engage in some rubber-necking as volunteers bedecked the 600-foot grassy expanse between the churchs front door and Beltway 8 with 38,000 U.S. flags.

The flag display is the churchs Memorial Day tribute to the estimated 38,000 Texans who have died fighting for, initially, the Republic of Texas and, after 1845, for Texas.

Last year was the first time the church put up the flags, and it caused a stir on the highway. As volunteers planted the flags, truck drivers and other motorists honked their horns in support.

PAYING TRIBUTE: Learn the real meaning behind Memorial Day and its customs

I think they were honks of gratitude, said the Rev. Chuck Schneider, Sagemonts executive pastor who came up with the idea for the tribute. It was cool. It was inspiring to the people placing the flags.

The tribute is open to the public, and visitors can stroll among the flags and take photos from Sunday through Friday from dawn to dusk.

Near the lawn is a Memorial Wall, where visitors can write messages about military members who died in battle on a whiteboard wall.

In the church foyer, visitors may view a 1,300-pound replica of the Liberty Bell from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.

Visitors also are invited to attend a Memorial Day service at 9 a.m. Monday outside the churchs main entrance near an empty tomb. Former U.S. Army Chaplain Grant Rothberg, who received the Bronze Star for his actions in Afghanistan, will lead the service and read the names of 185 service men and women from the Houston area who have died in battle since 9/11.

Schneider said he organized the Memorial Day tribute in part because he believes that service men and women who die fighting in battle for their fellow citizens emulate Jesus Christs sacrifice. Jesus died, he says, so all people may achieve salvation, citing John 15:13 to make his point.

Jesus Christ said, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends, Schneider said. That standard was set by Jesus Christ. We honor those who perpetuate that sacrifice.

Schneider, who is not a veteran, had other reasons for organizing the tribute. As a history buff who has read about World War II and other wars, he is aware of how bloody and frightening war is. He wanted to honor those who had died in battle.

And he was moved to organize the tribute because he was so touched by a similar flag tribute he saw while visiting Boston Common on Memorial Day three years ago.

When I saw that, I said, We can do this in Houston, he says.

It will take 800 volunteers, many church members, less than three hours to put up the flags.

Rick Carr, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Texas Air National Guard and former U.S. Air Force pilot, said he, his wife and children will be among those putting up the display.

Its very inspirational that we remember those who have given their lives, said Carr, a church deacon. We can walk around and do what we do because of people who gave their lives going back to colonial times.

Visiting the tribute is a good family activity, he said, because it gives parents a chance to discuss sacrifice and patriotism with their children.

FAMILY FUN: See what's happening this Memorial Day weekend

Joe McPhail, 96, is expected to be among those helping plant flags. Carr, Schneider and other church members have great affection for the nonagenarian, who as a 22-year-old Marine pilot shot down two Japanese planes from his Corsair during World War II.

Later in the war, McPhails plane ran out of gas and he had to ditch his plane into the Pacific. McPhail floated in a raft until a PT boat rescued him the next day, Carr said.

McPhail, a member of Sagemont Church, also flew missions during the Korean conflict.

Carrs patriotism runs deep. When he was a pilot for Continental Airlines in 2005, he had some down time in Philadelphia and took in the citys tourist sites.

The Liberty Bell made such an impression on him that when he returned home, Carr, a woodworker, made a 1,300-pound replica of the bell.

The bell is made of plywood. Im not a metal worker. Im a wood worker, he says with a laugh.

Its that replica that will be on display in the churchs foyer.

Bill Murphy is a writer in Houston.In the last few weeks several people have taken to Twitter to defend their view of salvation in 280 characters or less. This tweet storm has centered chiefly around a Baptist pastor in Dallas, Robert Jeffress, who has been a loud proponent of an exclusionary view of salvation  that only those who have faith in Christ can be saved from hell: Not only do religions like Mormonism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism  not only do they lead people away from the true God, they lead people to an eternity of separation from God in hell. (Robert Jeffress sermon: Politically Incorrect Part 1)

The notion of salvation has been important as long as the story of God has been lived and told. The Judeo-Christian scriptures contain many metaphors for salvation, very few of which connect salvation to an afterlife. The dominant image of salvation in the Bible is liberation here and now. The freeing of the Hebrew people from bondage in Egypt is a primary narrative of the First Testament.

In the Second Testament, this notion of salvation as freedom continues. In Jesus first sermon, he says: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because God has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. And has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free. (Luke 4:18). Paul writes about Christ setting us free such that we are no longer trapped in an old way of being but are released as new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17).

In many churches, this biblical concept of salvation is ignored in favor of teaching that Jesus had to die as the punishment for our sins. This understanding is called substitutionary atonement. While popular now, it did not appear as a full theological framework until the 11th century, a millennium after Jesus died, in the writings of Anselm of Canterbury, a monk and theologian.

Anselm did not go unchallenged, even by his contemporaries. Unfortunately, theologian and reformer John Calvin (1509-1564) took up Anselms ideas and further developed them, even to the point of valorizing suffering. After the Reformation, the voices championing substitutionary atonement were almost always louder than other voices with differing views. But those other voices were always there.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the American clergyman and theologian Hosea Ballou (1771-1852) offered a no-holds-barred critique of Anselms and Calvins explanations for Jesus death: The belief that the great Jehovah was offended with his creatures to that degree that nothing but the death of Christ, or the endless misery of mankind, could appease his anger, is an idea that has done more injury to the Christian religion than the writings of all its opposers, for many centuries. The error has been fatal to the life and spirit of the religion of Christ in our world.

The damage this view of salvation has done includes the glorification of senseless suffering, heavy doses of guilt and shame, the legitimation of violence, and a focus of religion toward what happens after we die and away from Jesus teachings of love, inclusion and freeing people from oppression now.

Jesus lived within an empire that believed violence saves, that war brings peace, that might makes right. The empire sought violence for its redemption, not God. It let violence speak, not peace, not love, not justice. Jesus counters the empire and its belief in violence. Jesus counters religious collaboration with the empires violence and oppression until his dying breath.

Stephen Patterson, a professor of the history of religion, writes: Is Jesus dead? Not yet. But what the cross could not do, Christians could. We are killing Jesus . . . His words and deeds mean little to us, if anything at all. We do not look to Jesus for a way of life, but for salvation. So many have chosen faith in personal salvation through a fixed set of beliefs over the work of loving neighbors. Many prefer Christ crucified, silenced.

Is Christian salvation primarily about individual salvation from hell or is it about the creation of the realm of Gods love on earth? Jesus said, The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)

The word ransom has been heard only as sacrificial language. Weve heard preacher after preacher say that Jesus paid the ransom for our sins. But it almost certainly does not have this meaning in Mark. The Greek word translated as ransom (lutron) is used in the Bible not in the context of payment for sin, but to refer to payment made to liberate captives (often from captivity in war) or salves (often from debt slavery). A lutron, a ransom is a means of liberation from bondage. Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many he gave his life as a means of liberation from bondage/from oppression.

Salvation is about the transformation of the world by joining in the work Jesus was passionate about  work to create the kingdom of God on earth where the oppressed are freed, peace is secured not through violence but through love, justice is established through sharing, compassion and economic transformation, and welcome unfolds through radical inclusion.

Beliefs about exclusionary salvation, particularly when they are paired with apocalyptic notions of end-times, generate fear, which provides fertile soil for manipulation. If we are going to Heaven and the world will end anyway, why does it matter so much what happens to the Earth? Catastrophic climate change, structural inequalities, systemic racism  its easy to think these things dont matter so much when the focus is a Get-Out-of-Hell-Free Card.

Weve heard so many argue that salvation is only through belief in Jesus. But Jesus doesnt seem particularly concerned about belief. He is busy welcoming and eating with those whove been excluded.

He talks a lot about the Kingdom of God here on earth, right here, right now  a realm of justice and peace where love of God and neighbor is most important. When Jesus is asked about eternal life and what is needed to achieve it, he tells the rich, young ruler to Go and sell all you have and give it to the poor.

When asked the same question by a lawyer, Jesus answers the question with a question: What is written? and the lawyer lifts up the commandment to love God and neighbor and then asks: Who is my neighbor? In response, Jesus tells a story about a man left in a ditch by robbers, ignored by a priest and a Levite, and finally helped by a good Samaritan. Jesus isnt focused on faith or belief, he is focused on love, on care, on welcome.

Perhaps there is some heaven or hell that we might or might not be saved from by our faith in Christ. Even if there is, surely God doesnt need our help with it. God is asking again and again that we care now, that we love now, that we help to end injustice now. Whatever happens after I die, the hell we are living now where children are shot in their schools, where families are separated from each other at the border, where people must choose between their medicine and eating, where black men are shot in the back  this hell, this hell needs salvation and I am convinced that faith in Christ calls us to be part of it.

Rev. Laura Mayo is senior minister of Covenant Church: an Ecumenical, Liberal, Baptist congregation in Houston.Google

A Pasadena Independent School District student was arrested Wednesday for bringing a handgun to a school, district officials said.

Officials said the student brought the weapon to Beverly Hills Intermediate, but that there was "no indication that there was intent to use the weapon."Harris County Sheriff's Office

Domingo Alcaraz was injured the last time he was seen in Dripping Springs, Texas on May 5.

Alcaraz, 45, of Spring, had been reported missing on May 8 and said to be in grave and immediate danger after suffering from forehead and tongue injuries due to a fall.KARACHI, Pakistan  Sabika Sheikh finally returned to her family in Pakistan on Wednesday from her months away as a foreign exchange student in Texas. Her father was the first to meet her coffin, draped by a Pakistani flag, at Karachis airport in the dark of the early morning.

Army cadets loaded the 17-year-olds coffin into an ambulance as dozens of sobbing family members and friends recited Quran verses. Doors shut, a siren flipped on and the ambulance took Sabikas body and immediate family home for a burial ceremony. The acting U.S. consul general, John Warner, choked back tears on the tarmac as he comforted a friend of Sabikas.

Sabika was one of 10 killed when another student opened fire last week at Santa Fe High School in Texas with guns he had taken from his father. Family members said Sabika had loved her time there and had hoped it would help realize her dream of becoming a diplomat and working for peace.

This is a form of terrorism. It shouldnt happen anywhere: not in America, not in Pakistan, Sabikas father, Aziz Sheikh, said in an interview at the family home in Karachi, Pakistans commercial hub.

Now Playing: Sabika Sheikh, an exchange student from Pakistan, was in Santa Fe through the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study program, sponsored by the State Department. Sheikh came to study in Santa Fe at the beginning of the school year, and was due to return home to her family in Karachi, Pakistan, in just three weeks, after the start of summer vacation, and just in time for the holiday marking the end of Ramadan. Video: Houston Chronicle

A youth ambassador, Sabika was sent to Texas by an initiative sponsored by the State Department called the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program, known as YES. The program sent about 900 students from all over the world this year to live with U.S. families and attend local high schools in nearly every state of the country.

Sabika was drawn to the United States for its modernity, diversity and  like many of the students  its security, her family said. She excitedly texted updates to family and friends back home, sharing her views of the Texan town and the warm American family who hosted her, the Cogburns.

The six-month program is one of many sponsored by the State Department that aims to show students a positive side of the United States and cultivate ties with potential future leaders abroad, top-grade students like Sabika with ambition.

But Sabika was determined that the influence would go both ways, that she would present the best face Pakistan had to offer to Americans.

She was on a mission, friends and family say, to change U.S. views on Islam and convince those she met that hers was not a violent religion. Everyone she met in the United States heard about how there was more to her religion and country than headlines about terrorist attacks.

That she became a victim of violence herself there, right in her school, horrified her friends and family who were counting the days till her return.

On Friday morning, just before the gunman entered the school, she sent a Snapchat message to her best friend, Rumsha Munawar, a classmate in Karachi.

The Snapchat featured Sabika smiling, with a message: 19 days until Im back!

She was so excited to be in America, Rumsha said. She used to call me almost every day during her breaks at school and would tell me stories about how the school was so different, about how boys and girls mixed way more than they did here in Pakistan. Most of all she really liked her host family.

She added: I cant look at my school now. The entire school reminds me of her. Every corner, I have a memory with her.

As the gunman began his attack, sunset was drawing near some 8,500 miles away from Santa Fe in Karachi, where Sabikas family was preparing to break their fast on the second day of the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslim families come together.

I sat down and put on the news. The ticker at the bottom said, Shooting in a school in Texas, so I switched to CNN and they were showing live footage of Sabikas school, Shiekh said. Then I called her and she didnt pick up. Sabika always picked up, so I knew something wasnt right. Thats when I started getting scared.

Rumsha, Sabikas friend in Karachi, questioned how such a young student could both acquire such guns and smuggle them so easily into school, even in Pakistan, where gun laws are lax.

In Pakistan, even if someone attacks a school, its someone from the outside, she said. Its never one of our own students. I still cant understand why someone would do that.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.Cynthia Tisdale gave everything to the people around her.

When her granddaughter needed help after a severe accident, Tisdale was there. The mother of three and grandmother of 11 was at her side during physical therapy for weeks in the past year, Cynthia's son Recie wrote.

It was as if her love and support helped will her granddaughter back to health, and Recie said his daughter can walk again.

Yet before Cynthia Tisdale, 63, was killed Friday alongside nine others at Santa Fe High School outside Houston, she had already settled into the role of caregiver to her husband William, who has battled a terminal lung condition for years.

In her death, and with the grim notoriety it brought, she may have cleared a path to get an experimental treatment for William.

William, 67, was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a degenerative condition that scars the lungs and eventually closes them off to oxygen flow, causing the patient to become progressively frail.

Life expectancy is about five years for the condition. Doctors gave William up to 18 months in December, but he was still denied a lung transplant, his son wrote.

William's health had already been in decline for years. But Cynthia was always there for them in the small town of Dickinson, Texas.

"She has cared for my father every day of their lives," Recie wrote in a statement provided to The Washington Post, even as she recently became a substitute teacher at Santa Fe High School.

Recie believed he found a long shot, last ditch effort: experimental and unproven stem-cell treatment in Dallas.

He launched a GoFundMe campaign on March 29, in the name of his father, to pay for what insurance could not.

"With the procedure I have a chance for more time with your momma (my wife of 47 years), my children, and my wonderful grandchildren who I so much want to see grow up as much as possible," William wrote to his son Recie, according to the funding campaign page. "I fear without this I won't make it to see 2019."

Such stem-cell treatments have exploded nationwide in recent years, but they are not scientifically proven. Federal regulators have not approved such treatments, and many skeptics call the clinics offering them snake-oil salesmen preying on desperate patients.

Researchers say that although there are promising signs that stem cells may one day be used to treat intractable conditions and diseases, they are still years away from developing effective and proven therapies in most cases.

And yet, the Tisdales placed their hopes in the fundraising campaign, watching it roll toward a goal of $13,000 for the treatment.

Instead, it was a crawl. Just $1,213 came in just over seven weeks, GoFundMe said, a modest draw that would supplement Cynthia's moonlighting job. She worked at night as a server at a local restaurant to help cover medical costs, the Monitor reported.

Meanwhile, William's condition deteriorated.

Then, on Friday, a student entered the high school where Cynthia was assisting an art teacher, carrying a .38 revolver and a shotgun. Cynthia never walked out of the school.

Her son Recie, a detective in nearby League City, arrived to identify the body.

Stories of Cynthia's dedication to her family and William's terminal condition went viral, and in that amplification, the campaign flourished.

In an update, Recie wrote the loss was unbearable for his father, but the alert pings announcing donations gave him some comfort.

By Sunday, the family recognized that the pathway to treatment was being built by strangers across the world who were horrified by Cynthia's death. With more than $82,000 raised as of Monday evening, the family's funeral cost and bills are covered, Recie wrote.

"We are still in such disbelief that anything good can come out of such a horrific event ... my mom always made good come out of bad situations though and this is no different for her," he wrote on the campaign page.

And in a surprising twist, the funds may even be enough to opt for a lung transplant, he added.

Donations have come from nearly all 50 states and 22 countries, GoFundMe spokeswoman Kate Cichy told The Post on Monday. Before the killings, donors had contributed from just six states, she said.

The family has said had differing opinions on why Cynthia took the substitute teaching job after two decades of paralegal work. Her brother-in-law John Tisdale said she took on both jobs to help boost income, the Monitor reported.

But Recie told The Post she took the job because it was her nature to help others. "She didn't have to do it. She did it because she loved it," he said.

Recie and his father William could not be reached for comment for this story.

But in an earlier brief call with The Post's Nick Anderson, William Tisdale offered his thoughts on his wife - whose generosity is now known well outside Texas.

"She was a good woman," he said. "She watched out for me."

- - -

The Washington Post's William Wan contributed to this report.On Wednesday, one of my Democratic sources texted me a few thoughts on Lupe Valdez, the longtime Dallas County sheriff, who had just secured the partys gubernatorial nomination after edging past Houston-based businessman Andrew White in this years primary runoff.

Shes fought for everything shes got, shes taken on the good ol boy system, and shes been an inspiration, he said.

I agree. Thats why I had been happy to hear, late last year, that Valdez was willing to challenge Gov. Greg Abbotts bid for re-election.

Most Democrats had passed on the idea of running. Abbott hadnt drawn a serious primary challenge either, for that matter. And by the time Valdez officially launched her campaign in December, I had concluded that I would literally vote for Donald Trump in November if he was the alternative to Abbott.

Trump is a New Yorker, and the president, of course. But since he was elected to that position in 2016, Ive considered the Texas gubernatorial race to be the most important contest in the country in this years midterm election cycle.

Most Texans would disagree with that, I realize. Just 2.83 percent of the states registered voters bothered to weigh in on this weeks runoff, which Valdez carried with 53 percent of the vote, to Whites 47 percent.

Read more: Lupe Valdez wins close race with Andrew White in Dems gubernatorial runoff

But most Texans arent journalists who spent much of 2017 badgering their various Democratic sources about prospective gubernatorial candidates.

I was among the Texans who voted for Abbott in 2014. But I did so with a heavy heart and modest expectations  and my perspective on his qualifications to serve as governor of our state had changed within months of his inauguration, while covering various gun-related debates during the 2015 regular session of the Texas Legislature.

Abbott had called for an open carry law during the 2014 midterms, as did the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick. And it wasnt a particularly controversial idea, even though it involves guns. Texas has allowed concealed carry since the 1990s. Open carry is the same thing, except license holders can take their jackets off.

But there are some right-wing activists who believe that right-to-carry laws infringe on their Second Amendment rights. In order to receive a license to carry a handgun in Texas, for example, you have to pass a background check, pay a fee and attend a perfunctory training course.

And there are a handful of Republican legislators who also support constitutional carry. As the 2015 session began, they were hoping to bundle that into the open carry debate. There were also a number of Republican legislators calling for passage of a campus carry law, which Abbott had also called for while on the campaign trail.

Abbotts perspective on the various gun-related proposals that year might be worth revisiting in light of last weeks mass shooting at Santa Fe High School. In 2015, he sometimes seemed to indicate that if it were up to him, Texas wouldnt necessarily place any restrictions on gun owners at all.

Read more: Santa Fe shooting reminds us to say our prayers - and then get to work

I look forward to seeing the way that legislation works its way through both the Senate and the House, and I will sign whatever legislation reaches my desk that expands Second Amendment rights in Texas, said Abbott that February, at a press conference.

As a journalist, I found such answers interesting. Abbott was the governor, of course, but theres a difference between micromanaging the legislative branch and showing a bit of leadership when the state is embroiled in a heated, protracted debate over issues he called on lawmakers to tackle.

Moreover, Abbott had spent 12 years as Texas attorney general prior to being elected governor by a roughly 20-point margin over that years Democratic nominee, Wendy Davis. So he really had no reason to worry about a small gaggle of constitutional carry activists, and could simply have referred their questions to Americas vast corpus of relevant case law, had it come to that.

Still, that years gun-related debates dragged on for months, over the course of which I realized that Abbott didnt see a reason to worry about the vast majority of the people of Texas. Most of us dont vote in the Republican primary runoff. And the only people who might oppose him in the general election, when it came time to run for re-election, are Democrats.

For Tuesdays primary runoff, I had supported White in part because it would have been very difficult for Abbott to paint him as a radical leftist, backed by coastal elites and funded by Planned Parenthood. He also would have been a good governor, I think, and voters seemed to realize that, after learning about him. White earned 27 percent of the vote in the primary but 47 percent in the runoff.

Read more: Andrew White is trying to do the right thing by running for Texas governor

I would also like to note that 73 percent of the Texans who voted in the Democratic primary runoff in Harris County voted for White rather than Valdez, because thats at odds with the lazy Republican talking point, that identity politics determined the outcome of this runoff.

The explanation is much simpler, I think. White turned out to be a much better candidate than anyone was expecting when he announced his bid for the nomination in December, at which point nobody had ever heard of him. Everyone assumed the Democratic gubernatorial nominee would be Valdez, the incumbent Dallas county sheriff, who had agreed to take on the challenge of unseating Abbott.

She and White have that much in common, if nothing else, and they both deserve credit for that. Abbott might win re-election in November, but many voters at this point are willing to consider whether we might be better off with a governor who occasionally answers to the people of Texas.

erica.grieder@chron.com

twitter.com/ericagriederAn elderly woman was shot in west Houston on Thursday afternoon, police said.

The woman was shot at an unknown location, but was driven to a grocery store parking lot in the 9600 block of Westheimer Road near Gessner Road shortly before 5 p.m.

When paramedics arrived, they learned the woman had been shot in the abdomen, Houston police said.

Now Playing: Texas News & Crime Video: Houston Chronicle

She was bleeding from the mouth as she was taken to the hospital, authorities said.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting are still unclear, police said. Police initially said the shooting happened in the grocery store parking lot, but it was later determined that the shooting happened at a different location, according to Houston Police Lt. Larry Crowson.

Crowson said the Harris County District Attorney's Office declined to file charges against anyone in the shooting.

Jay R. Jordan is a breaking news reporter at Chron.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan.Spectators formed two lines on the beach, creating a makeshift runway leading down to the Gulf of Mexico.

Volunteers then pulled recently rehabilitated Kemps Ridley turtles out of 30-gallon plastic containers and showed them off to the beachgoers, who eagerly snapped photos of the endangered reptile before they were released into the Gulf. Onlookers cheered the turtles as they slowly shimmied toward the water, whooping and applauding as the turtles were submerged by the surf, their jagged, pointed shells peeking above the surface.

On a breezy Wednesday morning at Stewart Beach in Galveston, roughly 150 to 200 people gathered to catch an up-close look at 10 of the rarest sea turtles in the world.

The event, organized by the National Marine Fisheries Service, was designed to give the public a glimpse of the species, but it was also indicative of the myriad challenges the Kemps Ridley turtles face as they continually try to ward off extinction. All of the turtles released Wednesday were found stranded in poor health due to human activity  caught in recreational fishing lines, or badly injured by a fishing hook, or inadvertently hit by boats cruising in the Gulf. Several of the turtles were even found as tiny hatchlings and nursed back to full strength over two years.

People called [the turtles] in, we collected them, we took blood from them, we took X-rays, figured out whats wrong with them, and just gave them basically warm water, medication and good food and now theyre all healed and ready to go, said Ben Higgins, the sea turtle program manager for the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Now Playing: Spectators witness the release of 11 sea turtles back to the gulf in Galveston. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Galveston Lab released sea turtles that have completed their rehabilitation at the NOAA Sea Turtle Hospital and the Moody Gardens Aquarium. Video: Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle

The rehabilitation of injured Kemps Ridley  a rather small sea turtle with a shell roughly 30 inches in diameter  is part of an ongoing, binational operation to save the population. The population has severely declined from its peak in the mid-20th Century, when tens of thousands of sea turtles would blanket the shores of Rancho Nuevo in Mexico in one day. These days, turtle researchers count themselves lucky to spot an arribada  large groups of turtles nesting on the beach  and rely heavily on beachgoers and volunteers to keep an eye out for tiny nests filled with roughly 60 to 100 eggs in the dunes along the Texas coast.

Its a little early to tell but last year we had a record number, so this year will for sure be lower than last year, said Chris Marshall, a professor of marine biology and wildlife and fisheries sciences at Texas A&M University at Galveston.

'VERY DANGEROUS': Feral hogs menacing homeowners in Liberty, San Jacinto counties

The Kemp's ridley was near extinction before U.S. and Mexican government efforts begun in the late 1970s saved the species. The Kemp's ridley numbers increased slowly until the early 2000s. Then came the 2010 oil spill.

The main nesting grounds are in Rancho Nuevo, Tamaulipas State, Mexico. But Donna Shaver, the director of the Sea Turtle Science and Recovery Division of the Padre Island National Seashore, has headed an effort since 1998 to establish a secondary nesting site at the Padre Island National Seashore.

In 2017, Marshall and his partners in the Upper Texas Coast Sea Turtle Patrol found 353 nests, which blew the previous records away. The nest yield so far this year has been slower, with 147 nests found on the entire Texas coast.

Part of the year-to-year decline can be attributed to the turtles two- to three-year nesting cycles, but also to the overall health of the turtles themselves. If female Kemps Ridleys dont have enough fat or nutrients to carry eggs, nesting cycles can extend as long as five years.

But Marshall and his partner in the sea turtle patrol, Joanie Steinhaus of Turtle Island Restoration Network, are doing their part to help stave off the attrition of the Kemps Ridleys. Volunteers for the Upper Texas Coast Sea Turtle Patrol  a statewide effort run by Shaver  comb a 65-mile stretch of coastline from Rollover Pass to Freeport, looking for tiny divots in the dunes where sea turtles will come to shore, lay their eggs and then leave them behind on the beach for good.

Once the nests are spotted, volunteers excavate them and pack them into climate-controlled Styrofoam containers. The eggs are then transported to Padre Island, where Shaver monitors them at an incubation facility. Sex in sea turtles like the Kemps Ridley is determined by nest temperature  Hot chicks and cool dudes is the general rule of thumb, according to Marshall  so researchers make sure to keep the incubation temperatures as high as possible to produce female turtles that will, hopefully, help sustain the sea turtle population well into the future.

Marshall said the success rate for hatching sea turtles at the incubation facility is about 95 percent. If the eggs were left on the beach, that rate could be as low as 35 percent  or zero.

Up here on the upper Texas coast, this is outside the historical range for the species and weve had a lot of beach erosion over the last decade, Marshall said. If we leave the nest here, usually theyll be inundated with high tide at some point or theyll be predated on. Dogs, cats, raccoons, even coyotes, will dig up and eat the eggs.

Of course, animal predators are the least of the species worries when they are ready to be released back in the wild. Already during this nesting season, turtle patrol volunteers have found badly injured turtles.

Steinhaus reported that one Kemps Ridley turtle was found with a shoelace wrapped around its flipper attached to a small trash can that was pulling it under the surf. Another turtle was found with a balloon ribbon wrapped around its neck, nearly decapitating it. Both are being nursed back to health, but their condition is emblematic of the species uneasy coexistence with humans.

The biggest threats still continue to be human activities, Shaver said. Incidental capture due to fisheries operations, that is thought to also play a big role in their decline.

To that end, Higgins and his team at the National Marine Fisheries Service are working closely with commercial fisheries to ensure the health of the sea turtles. Some of those studied by Higgins are used to develop turtle-friendly fishing gear.

A COMEBACK? See how the bat colony is faring at the Waugh bridge

We test it, certify it and then we make the fishermen use that and it lets the turtles escape from a shrimp trawl with a turtle excluder device, or we also do a lot of work with baited hooks in the swordfish fishery, Higgins said.

But still, the Kemps Ridley population remains more or less stagnant. It will likely remain an endangered species for the foreseeable future.

There was hope that by 2020 that we would have so many Kemps Ridleys that we would be able to downgrade it from endangered, Shaver said. Were still hopeful, but not by 2020. Its a tough life for a Kemps Ridley.A Houston man convicted of seven rapes was sentenced to seven life sentences on Wednesday, the Harris County District Attorney's Office said.

Marquis Tate, 35, was found guilty days earlier of a 2015 assault during which he walked up behind a woman on Lyons Road, threatened her with a knife, drove her to a secluded area and then raped her, DA Kim Ogg said in a statement.Esteban Pastor hoped U.S. Border Patrol agents would free him and his 18-month-old son after they were arrested for crossing the southern border illegally last summer.

He had mortgaged his land in Guatemala to fund his sick toddlers hospital stay, and needed to work in the United States to pay off the loan.

Instead agents imprisoned the 28-year-old in July for coming back into the country after having been deported, a felony. They placed the toddler in a federal shelter, though where, Pastor didnt know. Three months later, in October, the father was deported  alone. His child, he said agents told him, was somewhere in Texas.

I cried. I begged, he said. No one could tell me anything.

Submitted

As President Donald Trumps administration ramps up the prosecutions of parents crossing the border illegally and separates their children, Pastors case offers a glimpse into how challenging it is to reunite them. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has defended the practice, saying children are taken from any criminals imprisoned for breaking the law.

But once immigrant families, many asylum seekers from Central America, are separated at the border, they struggle to find each other among the three behemoth federal agencies in charge of their care. Advocates say few procedures are in place to ensure they reunify.

In many cases they may never, said Michelle Brane, executive director of the migrant rights program at the Womens Refugee Commission, a national advocacy group. We have seen children as young as 18 months deported without their parents and more commonly, parents deported without their children. Parents arrive in Central America with no idea of how to get their children back.

Previously most parents with children werent prosecuted for crossing the border illegally, a misdemeanor for first offenders, but deported or freed together to pursue their civil immigration cases under a practice called catch and release. The crime of illegal entry swamps federal dockets at the border and prosecutors typically prioritized serious offenders.

Read more: Trump pressing for mass criminalization of illegal border crossers

Trump and his supporters say a federal settlement prevents the prolonged detention of children and that families often dont show up for hearings if they are freed. They point to rising arrivals at the border, saying families take advantage of loopholes protecting children to stay here. Prosecuting parents sends a powerful message of deterrence, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, told a Homeland Security committee this week.

Advocates say no systematic policies exist to ensure families dont lose each other after the separation. U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, a Texas Democrat, echoed those concerns at the congressional hearing.

I worry that there are no reliable mechanisms in place, he said.

After they are removed from their parents, children are deemed "unaccompanied" and placed in the custody of Health and Human Services, which houses minors in federal shelters until it can release them to relatives or provide long-term foster care.

Patrick Fisher, a spokesman for that agencys Office of Refugee Resettlement in charge of migrant children, said in a statement that the agency works with Homeland Security and other authorities to find parents. He said it has done so in about 700 cases between October and April where parents were in DHS custody. The agency couldnt say how many were reunified, saying that data is not in a reportable format. It didnt track separations before that period.

Fisher said the agency is not routinely informed about how or when the (unaccompanied child) became separated from their parent(s) or the whereabouts of the parents.

In some cases, he said, children report that information. In others, parents, attorneys and relatives contact the agency.

Read more: Trump moves to end 'catch and release', prosecuting parents and removing children who cross border

Sometimes, advocates say, families fall through the cracks.

*

Pastor first entered the U.S. illegally in 2009 to work at a Mexican restaurant in Tennessee and save money for a house back home.

His village, Lancetillo la Parroquia, is in a remote mountainous areas of Guatemala, where 80 percent of the mostly indigenous Mayan residents are poor, according to the World Bank. Theres no electricity or paved roads, and residents make $3 a day farming the spice cardamom.

In 2014, police stopped Pastor as he left work, and asked for his license. He didnt have one, so officers booked him into jail and deported him.

In Guatemala, he married and bought a 100-square-foot slip of land, growing corn. He and his wife had a baby, Edwards Yunior.

But he said the child began suffering excruciating bouts of fever and stomach pain. Blood came out of his nose and buttocks. He had seizures. They made the 12-hour journey to the capital, Guatemala City, where the baby was hospitalized.

Pastor, whose native language is Quiche, said he doesnt understand what ailed his baby, who later recovered. But to pay for the treatment, Pastor signed over his land to a neighbor. The practice is common among indigenous communities where few qualify for formal loans.

Such money-lenders charge exceptional interest and Pastor worried he would lose his home. He couldnt find enough work to make bigger payments. He knew it would be difficult to return to the United States, but heard that if he brought along his child he might be released.

Pastor thought he would stay only a few months to repay his debt. He had another baby on the way.

*

Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle

Last July, Border Patrol agents found the father holding his baby in the New Mexican desert north of El Paso, and discovered his old deportation. He had no other criminal history beyond two tickets for driving without a license, according to their records.

Your kid is going to go to a shelter, Pastor said the agents told him. Youre going to jail.

Let me go back to Guatemala, he begged. Dont separate us.

By the time Meghan McLoughlin, a New Mexico federal public defender, met with Pastor to represent him on the re-entry charge, he was frantic. Listening to his account, she became concerned.

Who is caring for this baby? How will he get back to his father? she worried. It just seemed so crazy logistically. The kid cant even talk.

Border Patrol agents said in their report that they removed the toddler because Pastor couldnt prove he was the father. The agency has said such separations are often necessary to determine adults are not trafficking the children and lying about their relationship.

Pastor insists he gave them a birth certificate. McLoughlin said she called the Guatemalan consulate and obtained verification of Pastors paternity, providing it to immigration officials herself.

No one could tell her what had happened to the toddler.

In August, Pastor pleaded guilty to re-entering the country illegally and a federal judge sentenced him to time-served for the 22 days he had spent in prison. He was transferred to a civil immigrant detention facility in El Paso, where McLoughlin, as his criminal attorney, lost oversight.

But she worried how such a young child could ever find his father. Knowing federal prisoners have their phones confiscated and dont always have them returned before deportation, she scribbled down a number for Pastors wife in Guatemala before he was transferred. She shared it with the consulate.

Across the country federal defenders say they are increasingly on the front lines of helping parents find their children. Often they are the only counsel migrants ever see as they move rapidly from Justice Department to Homeland Security detention and then speedily deported.

These cases move so quickly, McLoughlin said. There isnt one person with the client through all of this.

Miguel "Andy" Nogueras, a federal public defender in McAllen, said he recently represented a woman who was prosecuted for illegal entry last fall and had her child removed. She was coming back to find her this month when she was imprisoned for returning.

Read more: Her husband murdered, her son taken away, a mother seeking asylum tells a judge, 'I have lost everything'

Detained in El Paso, Pastor said he tried to obtain information about his sons whereabouts, but was unable.

Leticia Zamarripa, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in a statement that Pastor told officials about his son on Sept. 1, days after transferring from prison. She said officials arranged for him to receive an update on his sons case and make telephonic contact.

Pastor said that never happened. He said the facility was overwhelmed with the transfer of immigrants from detention centers impacted by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma and the official said she was too busy. He later again told immigration agents and consular staff that he wanted to return to Guatemala with his toddler.

Please, he begged. I want to go back to my country with my son.

In October, federal agents piled him into a van crammed with other migrants and drove them to the airstrip to board the government plane.

Where is my son? Pastor asked.

The agents shrugged. One made a call.

Your sons not going back today, he announced.

No one could tell him more.

Zamarripa, the spokeswoman, said Pastors son was in federal foster care at the time and represented by a pro bono attorney.

*

According to ICE policy, officials should to the extent practicable allow detained parents to make arrangements for their children before they are deported, including guardianship in the U.S. or travel documents to go home together.

But advocates say that once minors are deemed unaccompanied, they require certain legal and privacy protections and have their own potential asylum cases. They land in federal shelters across the country often with little information on their parents. By the time advocates find parents, who are not told where their children are until their relationship is established, they have already sometimes been deported.

The steps to coordinating anything like this is mind-boggling, even if they have a system, said Brane with the refugee commission. But they dont.

Read more: ACLU challenges Trump administration practice of separating migrants and their children

Trump administration looking to military bases in Texas to house immigrant children

JERRY LARA / San Antonio Express-News

Even supporters of the hard-line policy say parents and children should be kept geographically close after they have been separated and allowed contact, said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank supporting reduced immigration. The government must ensure they are deported together if the parent wants that.

Its just unconscionable not to reunite the families when the parent is removed, Vaughan said. They need to develop a system that allows them to keep track of these individuals so they can be reunited efficiently and promptly.

Once Pastor landed in Guatemala, he begged the consulate for help. He made dozens of calls to the U.S. Two months after returning home and four months after the last time he saw his toddler, a social worker reached him at the end of November.

A Harlingen immigration judge ordered the child returned to Guatemala on or before Jan. 2, the day before his second birthday. The father was elated to pick him up at the airport.

I didnt know if I would see him again, Pastor said.

lomi.kriel@chron.com

twitter.com/lomikriel

Texas fifth- and eighth-graders will not be held back this year if their computers were affected by glitches during State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, exams, state education officials said Thursday.

It is not clear precisely how many fifth- and eighth-grade students were disrupted while taking tests in recent weeks, but the two glitches impacted tens of thousands of students across the state. Texas Education Agency officials said an April 10 disruption hit about 41,700 students in grades four through 12 on 3,870 campuses statewide. A May 15 glitch impacted about 29,300 students in grades three through eight on more than 3,000 campuses. Some students may have been impacted by both glitches, TEA officials said. Texas is home to about 8,800 public schools.

TEA records show every Houston-area school district with at least 1,000 students was impacted in some way by the technology issues. Among the regions five largest school districts  Houston, Cypress-Fairbanks, Fort Bend, Katy and Aldine ISDs  about 70 percent of campuses were touched by glitches. The average number of students affected per campus is likely in the teens.

Fifth- and eighth-grade students must pass the STAAR math and reading exams to advance to the next grade. A student who does not pass still can advance if members of a district committee agree the student is likely to meet state academic standards with more intensive instruction.

However, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath has waived those requirements for students who dealt with technology delays on the state tests. The agency also will exclude test scores of impacted students from annual academic accountability ratings issued to campuses and districts, unless the results would improve their ratings.

TEA officials said the decision is based on the agencys commitment to providing a positive assessment experience for our districts and students, and with the priority of ensuring that those affected are not penalized for system failures.

TEA officials said the April glitch caused a 20-minute disruption during testing, though some districts experienced login issues that lasted three hours. The May glitch resulted in a connectivity slowdown of about 90 minutes.

The TEA is ordering ETS, the New Jersey-based vendor that administers most STAAR tests in Texas, to pay $100,000 in damages. In a statement, ETS spokesman Tom Ewing said the company takes full responsibility for the issues and apologizes for the inconvenience to students, teachers and district officials.

We understand the importance of these assessments and strive to make the experience as stress-free as possible, Ewing said. We are committed to ensuring a similar event will not occur in the future and there will be a positive testing experience across the state.

ETS now has been faulted twice for issues related to STAAR. In 2016, the TEA ordered ETS to pay $5.7 million in damages and asked it to invest $15 million to fix several areas of concern after widespread logistical and technical failures. The problems caused an estimated 14,000 students to lose answers on their tests. The TEA dropped passage requirements for fifth- and eighth-grade students and excluded exams impacted by the glitches at that time.

ETS inked a four-year, $280 million contract in 2015 to administer tests in Texas. TEA officials said they have been planning to rebid the contract when it ends, prioritizing the online testing experience and functionality of the assessment.

Any new contract will require greater enhancements and safeguards and will be designed to ensure the agency can offer teachers and students an innovative and comprehensive instructional system, the TEA said in a statement.

jacob.carpenter@chron.com

twitter.com/chronjacobHow much does a brain scan cost in Houston?

Texans can now find out with ease thanks to a recently launched website by the Texas Department of Insurance.

The new site, Texashealthcarecosts.org, shows users the average cost of most common medical procedures.

The site also lets users compare network, and out-of-network, claims data and see the average cost of care in different regions of Texas.

NEW VISION: New MD Anderson president calls for a more patient-centered hospital

Now Playing: U.S. News & World Report has just released their annual ranking of the best states, but did your state make the top of the list? Each year the list is compiled using factors like healthcare, education, quality of life, and more to determine an overal Video: Fox 26 Houston

Although, fair warning, the numbers don't look pretty.

Last year, financial data site WalletHub ranked Texas as one of the worst states for health care. Texas landed 41st spot thanks to its poor access and cost of health care.

Check out the cost of common medical procedures in Houston above.

Fernando Ramirez is a reporter for Chron.com and the Houston Chronicle. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93.When James Glassman was growing up looking at the shape of the state of Texas he always saw a hand.

"I always saw an inside right hand with one finger pointing down, but some see an outside right hand with the first two fingers pointing up," the founder of the Houston nostalgia brand Houstorian says.

LEON HALE'S TAKE: The state of the shape of Texas

Native Texans are in love with the shape of the state. It's big, brash, and somehow food shaped like it tastes better, from waffles to tortilla chips. Maybe because we feel like we are ingesting a little piece of Texas with each bite. No one asks for Florida or California-shaped foods. Texas simply has the most appetizing shape of all the states in union.

Now Playing: Texans aren't humble at all when it comes to showing their state pride. Check out 10 (of roughly a billion) reasons why Texans think their state is the best state ever. Video: Houston Chronicle

A Rice University graduate student loves the shape of Texas so much he recently found a way to run a two-and-a-half-mile path around the campus in the shape of it.

It doesn't look like any other state's shape, not by a long shot. Rectangles are easily some of the most boring shapes known to man. One of the attractions of the shape of the state of Texas is its abnormality, according to Glassman.

Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle

"It's not a rectangle," he says. "The Colorado state lazy river would be a disaster."

Thinkstock/Getty Images

In 2008 the Houston Chronicle's Leon Hale wrote about his own love of the shape, noting he owned "ash trays in the shape of Texas, and drink coasters, and ear bobs, and cuff links, and cocktail napkins and cornbread skillets."

We've seen coffee mugs in the shape of Texas. Spillage is the only minus we could find. It's best to drink along the Gulf Coast.

TEXAS FOREVER: Historic moments that helped define Texas

It's recognizable across most of the planet to boot. It signifies expanse, individuality, and reminds outsiders of just how large we really are in size and spirit. There it is, bordering northern Mexico, the Deep South, the Midwest, the deserts of New Mexico, all while wearing Oklahoma as a jaunty hat.

Have you ever seen a tattoo of another state's shape? It's embarrassing for everyone. How can you have pride in a prudish Midwestern rectangle or the dead bug on the windshield that is the shape of Alaska?

Thanks to the Compromise of 1850 Texas got the shape that we all know and love so well. There is even a Pinterest board for things shaped like Texas.

In a 2016 New York Times piece about our obsession, Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Bud Kennedy admitted that the shape isn't ideal.

Photo: Jeffrey Shay/Getty Images

"The shape's not perfect," Kennedy said. "It has jagged edges and sharp points and smooth lines. But it's not some boring box shape. It's a great brand, and not just on cattle. There's a lot of homespun sense of place in Iowa, but there was no place where people served me waffles the shape of Iowa."

Jay Sauceda is the founder and CEO of Texas lifestyle brand Texas Humor. The online store sells Texas-obsessed shirts, hats, stickers, and other artwork.

One shirt features an anthropomorphic version of Texas kicking California right in the breadbasket. Proclaiming "Don't California my Texas," it echoes the native Texans' common worry about settlers from the West Coast turning the state into something unfamiliar.

"The love we have with the shape of our great state isn't purely about the shape, though it is pretty good looking in my opinion," Sauceda says. "It is mostly about what it represents. At first glance, the uninitiated simply see it as a few straight and squiggly lines that connect to represent a regional boundary."

Texans, Sauceda explains, sees it as geographical shorthand for something bigger than all of Texans.

"We see the passion, the mostly-good hubris, and grit that it took to carve out this little slice of heaven," he says. "Call it a love for the shape of Texas if you'd like. I just called it Texan pride."

Craig Hlavaty is a reporter for Chron.com and HoustonChronicle.com.This story has been updated to reflect two corrections.

There's a story Bud Frazier tells often. It was around 1966, and Frazier, now one of the world's most celebrated heart surgeons, was a medical student at Baylor College of Medicine.

An Italian teenager had come to Houston for an aortic valve replacement, but at some point during or after the surgery, the teen's heart stopped. Doctors told Frazier to reach in and start pumping the failed organ by hand.

As he did so, the teen lifted a hand to Frazier's face, and in that moment, just before the patient died, he says he realized his life's calling.

"As long as I was massaging that kid's heart, he would wake up," Frazier, now 78, said last year. "I thought then, and I've often returned to this: If my hand can keep this kid alive, why couldn't we make a device to do the same?"

About the series Published on Thursday, May 24, 2018, at 5 a.m. 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. 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.

In the five decades since, Dr. O.H. "Bud" Frazier has obsessively pursued that goal, contributing to many breakthroughs in the long and unfinished effort to develop a permanent mechanical replacement for the human heart. Today, devices he tested at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center and its research partner, the Texas Heart Institute, are credited with extending the lives of thousands of people worldwide each year.

But out of public view, Frazier has been accused of violating federal research rules and skirting ethical guidelines, putting his quest to make medical history ahead of the needs of some patients, an investigation by the Houston Chronicle and ProPublica has found. Reporters reviewed internal hospital reports, federal court filings, financial disclosures and government documents. The records and interviews with former St. Luke's physicians show:

 Frazier and his team implanted experimental heart pumps in patients who did not meet medical criteria to be included in clinical trials, according to a hospital investigation a decade ago. The findings, which have never been disclosed publicly, prompted St. Luke's to report serious research violations to the federal government and repay millions of dollars to Medicare.

 A former top St. Luke's cardiologist said he believes that Frazier favored experimental heart pumps over more proven treatments and that Frazier was reluctant to acknowledge when the devices led to serious complications. Two other doctors made similar observations. In one instance, one of them said Frazier discouraged publication of research that found a high rate of strokes in the first group of patients implanted with a pump he championed.

 Frazier has often failed to publicly disclose consulting fees and research grants  and in one case, stock options he received and later transferred to his son  from companies that made the pumps he tested. Most medical journals require such disclosure so that other scientists and the public can judge whether personal interests may have influenced research findings.

 And a former St. Luke's nurse alleged that Frazier allowed a researcher who was not licensed to practice medicine in Texas to treat heart failure patients in his program. Her 1994 lawsuit, which was backed by patient records, testimony and secret recordings of hospital employees, revealed that Frazier's signature stamp was sometimes used to authorize the researcher's improper medical orders.

Over time, several St. Luke's and Texas Heart executives were made aware of many of these allegations. But for years, they took little or no action to rein in a doctor whose work continues to earn the hospital international acclaim, according to records and interviews.

HEART FAILURE: At St. Luke's in Houston, patients suffer as a renowned heart transplant program loses its luster

Frazier continued to operate on patients well into his 70s, and during those latter years, his Medicare outcomes ranked among the worst in the country. From 2010-15, about half of the traditional Medicare patients who received an implantable heart assist device from Frazier died within a year, nearly double the national mortality rate for such patients, according to a ProPublica analysis of federal data.

In a phone interview in April and subsequent written responses to questions, Frazier denied any wrongdoing and said his patients were sicker and higher risk than those treated at other hospitals.

He disputed the accuracy of a report commissioned by St. Luke's that described "serious and repeated" research violations in his program. He said he never discouraged the publication of negative research findings about heart pumps. He said he could have cashed in on his work with medical device makers, but he never did. And Frazier's lawyer maintained that the unlicensed physician who worked under him more than two decades ago did not treat patients.

"It's sort of discouraging," Frazier said, "to be impugned after working so hard to keep these patients alive."

Officials at St. Luke's and Baylor College of Medicine, where Frazier remains on the faculty, hailed him as a great surgeon and a pioneer. Frazier stopped operating full time in 2015, at the age of 75, but remains in a prominent role at Texas Heart, seeing patients and working toward his ultimate goal of a permanent artificial heart.

Supporters defend his actions, arguing that he followed the example of Michael DeBakey and Denton Cooley, the pioneering cardiac surgeons under whom he trained. Both tried untested techniques when the field of heart surgery was in its infancy; Cooley famously obtained an artificial heart from DeBakey's lab without his approval and implanted it in a patient, becoming the first in the world to do so.

Like his mentors, Frazier was willing to try promising but unproven medical devices to help desperate patients, his allies say. If he broke rules, they say it was to give dying people a shot at survival, a mission that consumed his life. Frazier was so committed to the work, he was known to roam the hospital late into the night checking on patients and often slept on a leather sofa in his office.

Dr. Billy Cohn, a longtime Texas Heart surgeon who has worked closely with Frazier since 2004, defended Frazier's approach to clinical research: "He had a different view of the world. If he had had the modern view, this field wouldn't exist, and tens of thousands of patients wouldn't be alive."

Dr. Frank Smart, Texas Heart's top transplant cardiologist between 2003 and 2006, sees it differently. Smart said he admired Frazier's commitment to developing lifesaving heart pumps, but he believed it led him to surgically implant the devices into some patients who were not yet sick enough to justify what was, at the time, an experimental treatment.

Frazier's drive likely moved the field forward, Smart said, but he and others worried that it sometimes came at the expense of individual patients.

"In the old days of medicine ... that's the way these guys did things," said Smart, now the chief of cardiology at Louisiana State University School of Medicine. "It was, 'Well, I have an idea, and I'm the one that knows best, and by golly, I'm going to do it.' And did that advance the field? Maybe. Is it the right thing to do? Absolutely not."

The case of 'Dr. Brano'

By the early 1990s, after decades of failed attempts to create an artificial heart, researchers in Houston and around the world had shifted their efforts to the development of internal pumps that would do the work of the heart's largest chamber, easing the organ's pumping burden without replacing it entirely. The devices were known as left ventricular assist devices, and Frazier was among their most vocal advocates.

Early milestones drew national media attention, including in 1992, when a 34-year-old patient walked out of St. Luke's a year after receiving a battery-powered LVAD, the first in the world to do so.

It was the dawn of a new era in heart care, and Frazier was at the center of it.

But even then, his program was accused of crossing serious ethical lines: An unlicensed physician had been illegally treating heart failure patients, according to a 1994 federal lawsuit filed by former St. Luke's nurse Joyce Riley. The hospital and Frazier "participated in a scheme" to unnecessarily admit patients in order to move them higher on the national heart transplant waiting list, the lawsuit alleged.

Although Frazier and others considered Branislav Radovancevic, or "Dr. Brano," a leader in the field of transplant research and aftercare, the Serbian-trained physician had failed at least twice to pass licensure exams, making it illegal for him to practice medicine in Texas.

Branislav Radovancevic treated transplant patients at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital despite not having a license to practice medicine in the U.S., a lawsuit filed against the hospital said.

Yet following the conclusion of his medical fellowship at Texas Heart Institute in 1987, Radovancevic routinely issued orders for patients in Frazier's program, prescribed drugs, took resident medical students on rounds, helped harvest organs for transplant and provided post-surgical patient care. The activity is described in patient medical records, transcriptions of secret recordings of St. Luke's employees and pleadings filed as part of Riley's lawsuit.

Riley, who died in 2017, reported sharing her concerns about these practices with supervisors. When that did not lead to changes, she sued in U.S. District Court in Houston under a provision of the False Claims Act that allows whistleblowers to try to recover damages on behalf of the government. The hospital, she alleged, had fraudulently billed Medicare for unnecessary medical treatments.

The litigation dragged on for more than a decade, with little publicity. Lawyers for Riley presented medical records of five patients  example cases intended to prove the larger conspiracy  who spent weeks in the intensive care unit at St. Luke's, despite being well enough to walk around the hospital. One received a second heart transplant from Frazier just days after physicians concluded his health troubles were not heart related and he could likely go home, an amended complaint alleged.

At the time, admission to intensive care and orders for certain medications automatically moved patients higher on the transplant wait list.

"Dr. Frazier knew of, directed, and personally participated in the fraudulent conduct and false claims described herein," the lawsuit alleged.

Lawyers representing St. Luke's, Texas Heart and Frazier vigorously denied the allegations in court filings. Three prominent physicians reviewed medical records and wrote reports on behalf of the hospital, saying the care provided to the five patients was appropriate, that Riley and her lawyers did not seem to understand the complexity of such medical cases and that Radovancevic appeared to have served only in an advisory role.

Nevertheless, after the lawsuit was made public in 1996, the hospital instructed Radovancevic to stop seeing patients, and he complied, Frazier testified in an October 2007 deposition.

During the deposition, one of Riley's lawyers introduced medical records in which nurses took verbal direction from "Dr. Brano" at the bedsides of patients and then stamped Frazier's signature onto the orders  including some that were recorded when Frazier's calendar showed he was in France and Russia. Frazier dismissed the orders as record-keeping errors and blamed others for the mistakes, according to a partial transcript of the deposition filed in court.

The lawyer, Jim Perdue Jr., asked Frazier why a nurse would have stamped his signature on medical orders that Radovancevic apparently gave at the bedside of a patient.

"I mean, I don't know why," Frazier said. "You have to ask the nurse why she would do that."

Radovancevic remained an active partner in Frazier's research until his death in 2007 at the age of 55. Frazier wrote a tribute at that time, and in response to questions for this article, he wrote that "'Brano' was and, even after his death, remains one of the most highly regarded individuals in the history of heart transplant" with modern immunosuppressant drugs.

Two years later, in 2009, St. Luke's, Texas Heart, Frazier and other defendants agreed to settle the case, attracting no media attention. The terms  including the total payment and whether the defendants acknowledged any wrongdoing  remain secret.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Justice Department said the federal government's share was $500,000, but that does not include the significant legal fees repaid to her lawyers.

A St. Luke's spokeswoman noted that the hospital changed ownership in 2013, and its current leaders wouldn't comment about events before then.

As the lawsuit was drawing to a close, hospital executives were working to address other issues in Frazier's program.

Hiding patients

Dr. Frank Smart joined Texas Heart Institute as medical director of the transplant and LVAD program in 2003 and quickly grew troubled by what he saw. During his tenure, he said, he witnessed things "that I just couldn't imagine."

The overarching frustration that drove him to complain to a top St. Luke's executive before leaving in 2006: Smart believed the program, under Frazier's guidance, was putting LVAD research ahead of what was best for patients.

Smart has never spoken publicly about his concerns. He agreed to do so now, he said, because he believes patients deserved better.

His arrival at Texas Heart came at a critical time in the evolution of LVADs, which had shown promise but remained ineffective as a long-term treatment, in part because of inevitable malfunctions. At about 100,000 beats per day, no mechanical pump simulating a human heart rhythm could run indefinitely without breaking down.

When Smart got there, the program was beginning to test a new generation of pumps designed to propel blood continuously, without a pulse, minimizing the number of moving parts and making the devices far more durable. Frazier had long championed the idea and maintained that the new LVADs could do more than just keep patients alive long enough to receive a new heart. He believed they could, over time, help restore strength to diseased hearts, possibly avoiding the need for transplants.

MEDICAL MISHAP: A heart transplant, faulty equipment and a drawn-out death

The method has since been shown effective in a small percentage of patients, but Smart believed Frazier's desire to prove his theory caused him to recommend the devices to patients who were not yet sick enough to justify them.

Dr. Frank Smart was the top transplant cardiologist at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital from 2003-2006. (Steve Ueckert/Houston Chronicle)

Smart recalled a troubling pattern: A patient would come to St. Luke's with symptoms of heart failure. Smart or another cardiologist would make recommendations for treatment, such as prescribing drugs used to improve heart function, a common first step in attempting to control the disease and delay the need for a transplant. But soon after, before that initial therapy had time to work, the patient would be told he or she had days or weeks to live and then "whisked off for an LVAD," Smart said.

Some patients thrived with the device; others did not.

In 2005, more than half of the 34 patients who received heart assist devices at St. Luke's died without leaving the hospital, slightly higher than the national average, according to a Chronicle analysis of Texas data on patients discharged from the hospital that year. The survival rate steadily improved in the years that followed, but at the time, Smart believed many patients would have benefited from more conventional treatments.

"There were patients who walked into the hospital for an elective measurement of the pressures in their heart," Smart said. "Now, they had heart failure and they needed to be looked at, but laying down on the cath table was the last time their feet ever touched the floor."

In other cases, once a patient received an LVAD, Smart said Frazier often turned down high-quality donor hearts for them. That led Smart to believe that Frazier and others on his team were more interested in demonstrating how well the devices performed over longer periods.

"Unfortunately," Smart said, "that meant that some people didn't get transplantation when that was probably a better option for them."

As the medical director of the program, Smart said, he felt powerless. He recalled growing so frustrated that, on a few occasions, he yelled at Frazier. Sometimes, Smart and other cardiologists resorted to "hiding patients"  moving them to other parts of the hospital to prevent Frazier from recommending experimental LVADs, buying the patients time to recover with less invasive treatments or receive a transplant instead. Two other former St. Luke's staffers confirmed the highly unusual practice.

"I can think of this one young girl we moved four or five times," Smart said.

Late in his tenure, Smart said he took his concerns about patient care to the hospital's leadership, but he said nothing came of it.

In a written response to questions, Frazier praised Smart as an "excellent director" and said if Smart had concerns about the program, "he never expressed them to me." He said he and Smart both "were trying to do the best we could for the patients," and any disagreements were settled during weekly meetings.

Frazier denied implanting LVADs in patients who did not require them, writing that all patients were evaluated extensively to assess the risks and benefits of the procedure "and were presented to a multi-disciplinary review board and had to be approved before they could be electively implanted."

He also said patients who needed transplants received them when suitable donor hearts became available. "If the patients could [be] treated medically the cardiologist would never refer them to our service," he wrote.

In early 2006, not long after Smart said he voiced his concerns, he received a job offer in New Jersey. Although he had come to Texas Heart planning to spend many years at the program, he decided to take it.

He took pride in small changes he made to improve patient care at St. Luke's  "I made more people go out vertical instead of horizontal," he said. But in the end, Smart concluded there was nothing he could do to stop what he considered improper research in the LVAD program.

He didn't know, until told by a reporter, that a couple of years after he left, St. Luke's executives raised similar concerns.

'Serious and repeated' violations

Jan. 20, 2010, was a big day for Frazier and Texas Heart Institute: The Food and Drug Administration approved, for the first time, a continuous-flow LVAD for use as a permanent treatment for advanced heart failure. The HeartMate II had proved more durable than its predecessors, and far fewer patients died in the hospital after receiving one. That opened the possibility for people to survive several years or longer with the device alone.

Frazier was a lead researcher in the pump's key clinical trial.

"This is a huge accomplishment, ushering in a new era of hope for thousands of people," Frazier was quoted as saying in a Texas Heart news release.

Not mentioned in the announcement: In 2008, the hospital had learned of "serious and repeated" problems associated with its participation in that trial.

Those findings were detailed in a special report to members of St. Luke's board of directors and in correspondence between the hospital and federal health officials, according to documents obtained by the Chronicle and ProPublica.

Based on multiple reviews summarized in the report to hospital board members, St. Luke's executives concluded that Frazier and his team had implanted the experimental HeartMate II and another LVAD, the Jarvik 2000, in 30 patients who were enrolled in government health plans and for whom the medical need for the devices and compliance with trial parameters "could not be documented by the patient's medical record." The patients had been enrolled in the trials "without justification," the summary said.

In one of the reviews commissioned by the hospital, a prominent Cleveland Clinic cardiologist, Dr. James Young, concluded that St. Luke's heart failure program "pushes the limits," according to the summary document. "Dr. Young found the documentation to be poor and noted that Dr. Frazier was not up-front."

Executives at the hospital  known at the time as St. Luke's Episcopal prior to its 2013 acquisition by Catholic Health Initiatives  were troubled by what they were learning. They contemplated which scenario would be worse for the hospital's bottom line and reputation: cutting ties with Texas Heart, the famed research organization founded 46 years earlier by Cooley, or continuing to be associated with the institute should the public ever learn about its research violations.

"Should the affiliation be dissolved, the impact to St. Luke's market position is unclear," executives wrote, according to the summary report. "It is likely that such news would generate national attention and negatively impact our standing in the US News & World Report rankings."

Top officials at St. Luke's and Texas Heart reported the research violations to the federal Office for Human Research Protections in July 2008, and they pledged a host of reforms, according to a letter obtained by ProPublica and the Chronicle through the Freedom of Information Act.

St. Luke's and Texas Heart said they would audit every ongoing study for which Frazier was the lead researcher, to find and report any additional research deviations. And, according to the report to St. Luke's board, the hospital planned to give back between $3.4 million and $5.4 million in payments that Medicare had made on behalf of patients who received unjustified surgical treatments.

At one point, St. Luke's executives questioned whether Texas Heart and its leaders, including then-president Dr. James Willerson, were taking the allegations seriously. Texas Heart "evidenced no concern" that the hospital would need to repay millions of dollars to Medicare, according to the summary.

"Since Dr. Willerson's position was 'Stop trying to run off Bud,' " the report said, "it was believed that he was not conveying the seriousness of the issues to THI's board."

Dr. James Willerson after becoming president of Texas Heart Institute in 2008. (Eric Kayne/Houston Chronicle)

Reached by phone in April, Willerson initially said he did not remember any allegations of research violations against Frazier. Weeks later, after a reporter informed Willerson that his signature appeared on a letter disclosing the violations to federal regulators, he said, "I've signed a lot of things."

"If you got a signed document with my signature on it, then obviously I did it," said Willerson, now Texas Heart's president emeritus. "But I really don't have any specific recollection of that."

During a phone interview in April, Frazier said no one ever informed him that he had been accused of violating research rules, and it was "totally false" that patients received LVADs without medical justification.

In subsequent written answers to detailed questions, David Berg, a lawyer representing Frazier, said the hospital based its findings on a "deeply flawed" two-day review by a health-care consulting firm known as the Anson Group. Berg described its findings of research violations as "defamatory," and he said all of the actions the hospital took as a result were "questionable."

Berg said the Anson Group, which did not interview Frazier, inappropriately faulted him and his team for implanting LVADs in mortally ill patients who qualified for humanitarian exemptions to the research protocols. "There is no mention [in the Anson report] of the exemptions, the fact that the FDA conducted unannounced audits of the program, and that the sponsor and the FDA were fully informed about these cases," Berg wrote.

He described two cases in which young patients received LVADs and are still alive a decade later. The Anson report, completed in early 2008, identified them as "prime examples of noncompliance," Berg wrote, adding: "That is not noncompliance. That is miraculous."

St. Luke's said it doesn't have a copy of the Anson Group report, and Navigant, a consulting firm that acquired the Anson Group, said it doesn't either. Berg also did not provide the report when reporters asked for it.

As for Young, the Cleveland cardiologist who found problems in the program, Frazier said he "was always jealous of me." Berg noted that Young has subsequently praised Frazier's contributions to the field. Young declined to comment.

When asked about Frazier's contentions, David Pate, St. Luke's CEO through 2009, said he stood by the hospital's decision to report research violations to the federal government. In emailed answers to questions, Pate said he took the research violations seriously, though he said the problems were technical and he did not believe patients were harmed. The hospital took appropriate corrective actions, he said, including repaying Medicare.

None of this was disclosed when the results of the HeartMate II trial were published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine in 2009, with Frazier listed as an author. A spokeswoman for the journal said editors were not aware of the issues until reporters asked in April and are now seeking more information.

Abbott, which now owns the company that makes HeartMate II, said the "study was conducted in accordance with the highest research standards, all patients were enrolled and followed per study protocol, and all data was fully audited and vetted prior to publication and submission to the FDA."

In June 2009, an FDA inspector reported finding some deficiencies in Frazier's handling of the HeartMate II trial but determined they did not rise to the level of violating the U.S. Food Drug and Cosmetic Act.

As a result of the episode, Pate said he and other executives concluded that Frazier needed to be replaced as head of the transplant and LVAD program. He praised him as a visionary surgeon but said he failed to adapt to modern research requirements.

"The culture needed to change with the evolving times," Pate, now CEO of a hospital in Idaho, wrote to reporters. "It was time for a new leader, who could build on the great foundation Dr. Frazier laid."

But for several years, that did not happen.

Stroke research never published

About the same time that St. Luke's reported the research violations, some cardiologists at Texas Heart Institute were concerned about another aspect of the HeartMate II study. They had observed a troubling side effect in some patients who received the device, and they believed the finding deserved attention.

About a quarter of the first 71 patients implanted with the LVAD at St. Luke's had suffered strokes.

Two physicians familiar with the research told reporters that they believed those findings should have been published in a medical journal, but they were not. One of the doctors said Frazier argued against it because doing so would "kill the field" of mechanical heart pumps.

Cohn, the surgeon who worked closely with Frazier after joining the program in 2004, recalled the disagreement. He said doctors had already figured out a way to more accurately measure patients' blood pressure and, as a result, better manage the pump settings to reduce the risk of brain bleeding.

Frazier didn't want to needlessly "freak people out" with research showing a high rate of serious complications, Cohn said.

"That would just pour water on the smoking ember of this new important field," Cohn said, adding that, in hindsight, the team "probably should have" published the stroke findings alongside their solution.

Dr. Biswajit Kar, the former St. Luke's cardiologist who led the effort documenting the high rate of strokes, declined to comment.

In a written response, Frazier said he did not recall any effort to turn the stroke research into a paper and "never opposed [Kar] publishing anything."

Frazier said he was the first to diagnose hemorrhagic strokes in patients who had received HeartMate II devices, years earlier in 2006, and he recalls organizing a meeting in Chicago with leading cardiologists from other hospitals and the device's maker to discuss the issue. "I recommended to the company that they require that blood pressure be controlled and that all new implanting centers be required to do the same."

Nevertheless, the initial stroke findings were never published in a formal study.

Kar presented a summary of the report at two 2009 conferences, with Frazier listed among the authors of the presentations. But other than short abstracts included in the conference programs, there is little public record of the research.

A lack of disclosure

By Frazier's own accounting, he has had a hand in developing nearly every cardiac pump in use today. But unlike many of his peers, he said, he never made money from his work on behalf of device makers.

"My efforts have never been for personal financial gain," Frazier wrote in response to written questions, adding that he "freely shared the mechanics of my heart flow pump with all comers, including two companies that later sold for billions of dollars."

Berg, Frazier's lawyer, recounted how the head of one major device maker told Frazier, "Bud, I'll give you ... the credit, but I'll keep the cash."

TELL US YOUR STORY: Help us investigate care at the Texas Medical Center

Over the years, however, some of the companies have reimbursed him for travel, and paid him consulting and lecture fees; others supported his research with grants. One device maker rewarded him with stock options, corporate filings show.

He has often failed to disclose these potential conflicts.

The issue has come up before. The 2008 report to St. Luke's board noted Frazier's "failure to accurately complete the conflict of interest form." The hospital had apparently attempted to address the issue, according to the report, but "Dr. Frazier still doesn't understand."

ProPublica and the Chronicle reviewed the past 100 papers on which Frazier was listed as an author, dating to 2010. Frazier disclosed conflicts of interest in less than 10 percent, and those disclosures often were inconsistent and incomplete.

For example, Frazier served for years as chairman of the medical advisory board of HeartWare International, which was developing a continuous-flow pump with Frazier's help.

A 2008 Securities and Exchange Commission filing shows that HeartWare awarded Frazier options to purchase the equivalent of 7,142 shares in its newly formed U.S. company at a pre-set price. Frazier said he held the options until March 2009, when he transferred them to his son, Todd, a musician. Todd Frazier exercised the options between 2010 and 2011, collecting proceeds totaling $130,813, according to financial documents provided by Berg.

HeartWare's stock more than doubled in value between early 2009 and the end of 2011 as physicians tested the device in a pair of key clinical trials. The elder Frazier played a leading role in the research, implanting the pumps in numerous St. Luke's patients in those years and speaking glowingly of them in HeartWare's corporate press releases. But when those studies were published in 2012 and 2013, Frazier disclosed no conflicts, even as some of his fellow authors did.

"There were no conflicts to report in 2012 and 2013," Frazier wrote to reporters, pointing out that neither he nor his son had any financial interests in the company by then. "It never occurred to me that Todd's having owned and sold the options (by 2011) was a conflict."

Most major medical journals require researchers to disclose financial conflicts, including stock options, dating back three years from the time a paper is submitted for publication.

In the years that followed, from mid-2013 through 2016  the only period for which federal data is available  device makers paid Frazier more than $44,000 for travel, meals and work on their behalf. He was listed as the primary investigator on research grants that brought in another $56,000 to St. Luke's and Texas Heart in 2015 and 2016, according to payment data compiled by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

But more often than not, Frazier did not disclose those payments in related research papers.

After reporters asked the New England Journal of Medicine about Frazier's omissions in two specific studies and a letter, editors at the journal contacted Frazier for a response. Journal spokeswoman Jennifer Zeis later said Frazier agreed to submit revised disclosure forms, which will be posted online.

"We expect the disclosures reported by authors to be complete and accurate," she wrote in an email.

Frazier said he doesn't know which companies paid for his travel or consulting fees.

"I have personally never sent a bill," he wrote, "and don't know what is charged for anything I do."

High mortality rate

In 2010, two years after the hospital became aware of questionable research practices in Frazier's program, Frazier turned 70 and, he said, began to transition into a new role, continuing to direct research at Texas Heart Institute while allowing younger physicians to take the lead on most transplants and pump implantations.

But even as Frazier dedicated more time to his goal of developing an artificial heart, he continued operating on patients. During those years, his LVAD outcomes lagged far behind those of his peers, Medicare data shows.

From 2010-15, Frazier implanted long-lasting left ventricular assist devices in 63 Medicare patients, according to a ProPublica review of federal data. Some 31 of those patients  nearly half  did not survive a year, one of the highest mortality rates in the nation.

That was nearly double the 25 percent one-year mortality rate for Medicare patients who received LVADs from other St. Luke's surgeons during the same period; the national rate for Medicare was 28 percent.

Frazier took issue with ProPublica's analysis, saying it was "grossly unfair" to focus only on Medicare patients rather than the larger pool of patients the hospital treats, though he did not provide data showing his overall outcomes. "I implant devices in people, not 'Medicare patients,' " Frazier wrote. "I have never known what insurance carrier any patient has."

Researchers commonly compare outcomes using Medicare data because it represents tens of millions of patients and because data for privately insured patients is not publicly available. (See how ProPublica conducted its analysis.)

Frazier also said he was rarely the lead surgeon during his final five years operating, but when asked about this contention, St. Luke's said it stood behind the accuracy of the numbers it submitted to Medicare.

Frazier said the decision for him to stop operating full time in 2015 was his and had nothing to do with surgical outcomes. At the age of 75, he said, he was ready to slow down. It was a quiet exit from the operating room for a surgeon who had reportedly performed more heart transplants and implanted more LVADs than anyone in the world; there was no public announcement.

Three years later, Frazier is still called upon at times to assist with complicated operations, and he continues to be featured in St. Luke's marketing materials. His staff bio on Texas Heart's website calls him a "living legend."

Frazier's supporters say he has devoted his life to helping patients. Many in Houston and across the country, they say, would not be alive if not for Frazier's willingness to take the most difficult cases.

Doug Shonkwiler counts himself among them. He was so grateful, he gave his son the middle name Frazier.

In 2005, Shonkwiler, then a 37-year-old aerospace engineer in Fort Worth, drove himself to St. Luke's seeking help for persistent heart troubles. After some initial tests, he remembers a Texas Heart cardiologist telling him, "You only have a few hours to live."

Shaken by that prognosis, Shonkwiler agreed to let Frazier implant a HeartMate II in him, and he is glad he did. A year later, Frazier removed the device after concluding it had worked as he'd long predicted, relieving the strain on Shonkwiler's diseased heart and allowing it to recover. Shonkwiler remained in good health for another decade before returning to St. Luke's in 2016 to receive a transplant.

If not for Frazier, Shonkwiler, now 50, believes he would be dead: "Dr. Frazier has been really good to us," he said. "I can't imagine what our life would be like without him."

In the April phone interview, Frazier said he was disappointed to learn from a reporter that colleagues and administrators had questioned his methods over the years. He said Cooley, the famed surgeon who was his mentor, once told him there is a price to pay for rising to the top of your field.

"People were always attacking him for one thing or another," Frazier said of Cooley. "He said, 'Any time you're at the top of your profession, people are going to take a shot at you all the time.' I guess that may have been the case."

In recent years, Frazier has collected numerous honors for his work developing implantable heart pumps, including in April, when he traveled to Nice, France, to receive a lifetime achievement award from the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.

In a video interview played during the ceremony, Frazier acknowledged that his breakthroughs came at a cost: When the field of heart pumps was in its infancy, his first 26 LVAD patients died.

Those losses were painful, he said, but "absolutely necessary."

"Courage is grace under pressure," Frazier said in the video, quoting Ernest Hemingway. "I think that's the one thing you have to have. You have to be able to do things that may or may not result in a favorable outcome, calmly and as accurately as you can  that may in fact result in the death of a patient."

After the video ended, Frazier was invited onto the stage. There, he posed for photos while the world's leading heart and lung transplant surgeons stood and applauded.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly said that an abstract describing strokes in patients who received HeartMate II LVADs had been presented at one conference. It was presented at two conferences. It also said that the abstract was not available online; the second abstract was online prior to publication of this article. The article also incorrectly characterized a legal settlement involving St. Luke's hospital, O.H. "Bud" Frazier and other defendants. The story said the $500,000 settlement did not include the share given to the nurse who brought the suit; the settlement did include the nurse's share.

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.

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***

***NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told U.S. senators on Wednesday that the agency might need even more money for its problem-fraught $8 billion telescope.

The James Webb Space Telescope, initially expected to launch in 2007, has faced repeated delays and burgeoning costs. In March, NASA announced that the launch would be delayed again to May 2020, which likely will push project costs over the $8 billion funding cap set by Congress in 2011.

If the telescope does breach the cap, Congress would need to sign off on a funding increase. But at this point, it makes sense to continue funding it, Bridenstine told senators at a Wednesday meeting of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies.

"We have spent so much money at this point that it's important" we continue, Bridenstine said. "We have to come to a meeting of the minds and figure out how do we go forward with the program if we need to go above the cap set by Congress."

The Webb telescope, the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, is one of NASA's most complex and expensive projects to date, meant to revolutionize the way the world's understanding of planet and star formation.

RELATED STORY: External board to review problem-fraught $8.8 billion James Webb Telescope

Last month, a 10-member Independent Review Board was tasked with reviewing the project, looking at the factors influencing its success as well as "reinforce the agency's approach to completing the final integration and testing phase, launch campaign, and commissioning for NASA's next flagship space science observatory," according to a post last month on NASA's website.

The board's review process will take about eight weeks, at which point members will present their findings and recommendations to the space agency. NASA officials will then review the findings and give Congress an assessment by the end of June.

When the Webb telescope finally launches, "it is going to see back to the beginning of the universe," Bridenstine said. "It has had its challenges because we are at the leading edge of technology."

President Donald Trump's budget proposal for NASA in the coming budget year includes funds to keep the project on track. However, it would cancel Webb's successor, the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), "due to its significant cost and higher priorities within NASA," according to a budget document.

WFIRST was being built to study dark energy, exoplanets and infrared astrophysics, and the National Academy of Sciences recommended that it follow Webb.

But the cost of the project, set to be launched in the mid-2020s, has ballooned to $3.6 billion, well above initial projections.

Since Trump's proposed budget must be approved by Congress, work on WFIRST is continuing in the interim.

So on Wednesday afternoon, NASA announced that it had awarded a contract to Colorado-based Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation for the telescope's primary instrument components. The $113.2 million contract runs through June 2026.

Alex Stuckey covers NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey.Officials at Crosby's Arkema chemical plant were warned that the facility was at risk for flooding a year before Hurricane Harvey's deluge resulted in a chemical fire at the plant.

But facility employees, with the exception of a manager who retired in early 2017, "appeared to be unaware of this information," an inquiry by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board found.

The board concluded that Arkema, a French multinational company that manufactures chemicals used to create plastic products, was not prepared for the 6 feet of water that wiped out the facility's power and backup generators. With the power out and cooling systems failing, volatile organic peroxides exploded multiple times over the course of a week, producing towering pillars of fire and thick plumes of black smoke.

The board  an independent federal agency that investigates industrial chemical accidents  released a 154-page report Thursday morning detailing findings and recommendations to the company, to Harris County and to industry leaders. Those recommendations include developing better policies for determining risks from extreme weather events, such as flooding, and protecting first responders from releases of hazardous chemicals.

Also Thursday, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said evidence would be presented to a grand jury "in coming weeks" as part of the county's lawsuit against the company.

The chemical safety board can offer recommendations and guidance, but it can not fine or punish a company based on its findings.

Now Playing: CSB Safety Video about the 2017 Fire at the Arkema Chemical Plant in Crosby, Texas, following Hurricane Harvey Video: USCSB, Houston Chronicle

Janet Smith, Arkema spokeswoman, said in a statement that the company was pleased with the board's investigation because it "accurately depicts the unforeseeable nature of the situation Arkema faced during Hurricane Harvey."

But board members determined that the company's emergency response plan was insufficient, confirming a Houston Chronicle report in November.

However, in her statement, Smith said, the report "shows that Arkema had multiple policies and safeguards in place to address the risks associated with hurricanes, that Arkema followed those policies, and that our employees went to extraordinary lengths, under difficult conditions, to maintain safety at our site."

Board officials said Thursday that Arkema is being proactive in its efforts to understand the facility's flooding risks and take steps to make sure an incident such as this doesn't happen again.

"Arkema wasn't prepared, but they were not alone," Vanessa Allen Sutherland, the board's chairwoman, said at a Thursday news conference. "The most valuable lesson here is that facilities should plan and plan again. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security by thinking it can't happen here."

Insufficient systems

As Harvey bore down on Southeast Texas and the National Hurricane Center warned of potentially "catastrophic" or "life-threatening" flooding, the company's plans for protecting its product were simple: keep the chemicals cold on-site. If they grew too hot, they would explode.

Arkema had multiple freezer buildings, six backup generators, and, as a last resort, refrigerated trucks. But the company didn't consider flooding a "credible risk," the report states, confirming previous reporting by the Chronicle.

Officials thought this despite a 2016 report from its insurer, Factory Mutual Insurance Co. (FM Global), stating that the facility was at risk for flooding and parts of it sat in both the 100-year and 500-year flood plains, the report states. FM Global was not Arkema's insurer during Hurricane Harvey.

The board found that Arkema was relying on longtime employee memory of flooding levels. The company's Crosby facility has a 40-year history of flooding, but employees could not remember a time when the plant received more than two-feet of water.

"A lot of people there had been there for 20, 30, 40 years and seen predictive rainfalls of similar amounts and they thought, with what was predicted, they'd be fine," said Mark Wingard, the board's lead investigator.

That method, he added, is insufficient.

"Companies should develop systems to retain key incident summary information that better document facility risks based on historical external events," the report states. "These external events, such as flooding, have a low probability of occurrence but can threaten severe health and safety consequences."

Along with an inadequate emergency response plan, the board's report confirms other aspects of the facility's failures reported by the Chronicle in November: The company's power transformers and backup generators were not high enough off the ground, and it had a tank of an extremely dangerous chemical, isobutylene, located about 40 yards from six refrigerated trailers loaded with organic peroxides that had been relocated during the storm.

Board members recommended in their report that Arkema develop a policy requiring any facility that manufactures organic peroxides or processes a significant amount of highly hazardous chemicals to periodically determine if they're at risk for extreme weather events like hurricanes or floods.

It also recommended that the Crosby facility, specifically, decrease its flood risk to "as low as reasonably practicable."

Since Harvey, Arkema has commissioned a site elevation survey and a hydrological study to better understand hurricane-related flooding.

Officials with the board said Thursday other chemical companies might also have inadequate emergency preparedness plans. While the board couldn't say just how many companies have inadequate plans, it stressed that Texas companies along the Gulf Coast that work with hazardous materials should be on alert.

"Given that experts predict that extreme weather events are likely to increase in number and severity, the chemical industry must be prepared for the worst-case scenarios," Sutherland said. "We cannot stop the storms, but by working together we can mitigate the damage and avoid future catastrophic events."

The board recommends that the Center for Chemical Process Safety, a New York-based nonprofit, develop guidance to help companies determine their risks from all types of extreme weather events, including hurricanes and flooding.

Exposure to chemicals

Just days after Harvey made landfall Aug. 25, a ride out crew at Arkema's Crosby facility transported 300,000 pounds of organic peroxides to nine refrigerated trailers. More than 2,000 containers had to be transported by hand in the dark, according to a simulation video created by the board.

But when those trailers began to fail, the ride out crew was evacuated and officials set up a 1.5-mile evacuation zone in anticipation of trailer explosions. Those explosions began Aug. 31.

Parts of Highway 90, which runs along the southern end of the plant and cut through the middle of the evacuation zone, were kept open to traffic too long, the report stated. At least 21 people were exposed to "decomposition products and smoke from the burning refrigerated trailer and organic peroxides."

For that reason, the board recommended Harris County do several things to ensure ensure emergency personnel are not harmed by hazardous chemical releases. The suggestions include updating protocols, revising training material, and providing adequate protective equipment for first responders.

Several first responders are suing Arkema saying they were sickened while responding to the fires and chemical releases at the scene. Hundreds of local residents are also suing the company for damages.

Local residents have said they were kept in the dark about what they may have been exposed to during and after the explosions.

Any long-term health effects that might arise from the release of the chemicals are unknown to the board.

"CSB is not a public health organization, so we can't do our own independent evaluation," board member Kristen Kulinowski said Thursday, adding that the board summarized the results of the EPA air monitoring data.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality also are investigating the incident, though their results have not yet been released.

Alex Stuckey covers science and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey.Two months ago, I marched to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's office alongside Mayor Sylvester Turner, Chief Art Acevedo and other teenagers who had organized the Houston March For Our Lives with me; an estimated 15,000 people marched behind us. We chanted as we walked, arms linked together, sweating under the glaring Texas sun. It wasn't long before we were standing under our senator's building. I stood up on a scaffolding trying to quiet the crowd. Most people were still marching at this point  I found out later that the crowd stretched back to Tranquility Park, where we began. I was scanning the mass of people, reading the homemade signs, when I suddenly realized what they were saying.

"Where's Ted Cruz? Where's Ted Cruz?"

Over and over again. Standing on that platform, listening to the chanting crowd, I turned around and looked up at my senator's building.

CROMLEY: Adults cannot fully understand the post-Parkland movement

EDITORIAL: Now it's happened here

Cruz was in Houston that day, and his staff knew we were coming. I had reached out to his office multiple times about meeting to discuss school safety, with no response. Fifteen thousand of us were on his doorstep, asking to be heard. Asking that one question which to this day I still don't have a satisfying answer to: Where was Ted Cruz? The people wanted to know  I wanted to know. If a march of his constituents this big couldn't get his attention, what would?

I felt abandoned by my senator. I had worked so hard to share my message in a world where children are told to be seen and not heard. When I brought that message to him, he had refused to listen.

Last Friday, I saw what it took to get Ted Cruz's attention. I saw the pictures of him visiting Santa Fe, wiping away tears. He had remained silent as we pleaded for safer communities. Now he mourned in front of cameras, after yet another school shooting.

EDITORIAL: Parkland students give us hope that real change is coming to our nation's gun policy

PULITZER FINALIST: We, the (gun) people

I've learned a few things about politics in the last few months. But the most important lesson came when my senator refused to even acknowledge gun violence, but showed up to mourn with a community ravaged by its effects as if we'd forget his earlier silence. Politics, it seems, is about smoke and mirrors more than anything else. My senator wouldn't talk to kids in March, but he was willing to mourn them in May.

Where was Ted Cruz when kids were rallying outside his door because they didn't want to die in a school shooting?

Where was Ted Cruz before Santa Fe, when he should have been taking action to prevent another tragedy like Parkland?

Where was Ted Cruz when it mattered?

Survivors of the Parkland shooting started the Never Again movement. Its message has been picked up by kids like me across the nation. For a brief, shining moment, as I marched with my friends through the streets of downtown Houston, I had believed the promise of Never Again. I know better now.

EDITORIAL: No more moments of silence

RELATED: Can Americans ditch guns the way we ditched cigarettes?

It did happen again. And it will happen again. Because our representatives aren't listening to the desperate pleas of parents, students and teachers. Because our president, our vice president, our governor and our senators all spoke at the NRA convention to the people who brought guns to our marches to scare us and grin at our fearful glances. It will happen again, because my senators did nothing when the children of this state asked for safer schools and will most likely continue to do nothing even after the deaths from last week.

ALSO: The least Texans can do is vote for safer schools

It will happen again until the public says enough. We need to stop forgetting so quickly about tragedies and we need to stop letting politicians get away with inaction. When we stand up, when we use our ballots to say enough is enough  maybe then real change will be made. Maybe then "Never Again" can become a reality.

To all those affected by the tragedy in Santa Fe, a message from fellow Houstonians, March For Our Lives organizers, and students across the nation: We are heartbroken and will continue to pray for you and your community. We stand with you and hope for a brighter future.

Cromley is sophomore at John Cooper School.SAN FRANCISCO  Apple once had grand aspirations to build its own electric self-driving car and lead the next generation of transportation. Over time, the tech giants ambitions ran into the reality.

So Apple curtailed its original vision, first by focusing on software for self-driving cars and then by working solely on an autonomous shuttle for its own use with employees. Now, the tech giant has settled for an auto partner that was not its first choice.

For the past several years, Apple sought partnerships with the luxury carmakers BMW and Mercedes-Benz to develop an all-electric self-driving vehicle, according to five people familiar with the negotiations who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. But on-again, off-again talks with those companies ended after each rebuffed Apples requirements to hand over control of the data and design, some of the people said.

Uber ends self-driving program in Arizona after fatal crash

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Instead, Apple has signed a deal with Volkswagen to turn some of the carmakers new T6 Transporter vans into Apples self-driving shuttles for employees  a project that is behind schedule and consuming nearly all of the Apple car teams attention, said three people familiar with the project.

Apples deal with Volkswagen, which has not been previously reported, and the failure of its talks with other automakers reflect the continuing travails and diminished scope of the companys 4-year-old car program.

The project has suffered from repeated changes in direction that have hurt morale and led to hundreds of departures from its peak of more than 1,000 members two years ago, five former Apple employees said. They added that the project lacked a clear plan beyond the vans, including any near-term commercial goals.

The fits and starts have most likely put Apple even further behind in the race toward the self-driving future. Waymo, the self-driving business spun out of Google, as well as startups and some carmakers have been testing various autonomous vehicles on public roads for years. Some of the programs have hit hurdles  Uber on Wednesday said it was shutting down its self-driving operations in Arizona and laying off about 300 employees in the area  but many have already gathered extensive data on autonomous driving patterns to improve their technology.

Apple declined to comment.

Will self-driving cars put tow trucks out of business? [Opinion]

Apple originally began its car project  known internally as Titan and T172  in 2014. At the time, Apple planned to build a single vehicle that would upend society and industry, in what would be the automotive version of the iPhone. The company set to work on an electric driverless car with a lush interior reminiscent of a lounge or living room, where passengers face each other instead of the road, according to two early employees of the project.

Apple enlisted software programmers, automotive engineers, rocket scientists and the industrial-design team of Apples design chief, Jonathan Ive, to reimagine the car. They entertained a series of unconventional concepts, including augmented-reality or holographic displays embedded in windshields and windows, a sunroof made of a special polymer that reduces heat from the sun, and windows with adjustable tints  like those on Boeings new 787 Dreamliner jets.

Two former Apple employees also recalled how their colleagues built a model of an SUV with four seats facing each other, which some employees tested by sitting inside, similar to a design Mercedes advertised in 2015.

As recently as 2016, Apple planned to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to build research and development labs around its Cupertino, California, campus, including a machine shop and labs for electric car batteries, according to interviews and documents about the plans viewed by The New York Times.

Lawsuit targets Apple MacBook, MacBook Pro keyboards

Yet members of the car project soon found that even designing and building fundamental parts of a new car was not simple. Apple initially intended to build the car in-house, with preliminary discussions of an Apple automotive plant in the south of the United States, two former employees said. But those plans quickly shifted to finding a manufacturing partner to build  but not design  the cars.

Two former employees said Apples requests of partners gradually evolved. At first, the company asked for help building an Apple-designed vehicle. Then, it began asking potential partners to provide foundational car pieces like the chassis and wheels. Eventually, Apple requested that potential partners retrofit their own vehicles with Apples sensors and software.

In late 2015, Apple bought two Lexus SUVs and hired a Virginia firm called Torc Robotics to retrofit the vehicles with sensors, a project known internally as Baja, one former employee said. Apple now has more than 50 of the SUVs and uses them for data collection and limited self-driving tests. In early 2017, California regulators authorized Apple to run self-driving tests on public roads with three of the SUVs.

But Apple did not partner with Lexus, and it has long sought a formal partner. The company first worked with Magna Steyr, a Canadian-Austrian contract manufacturer that has produced low-volume vehicles for other automakers, like the Mercedes G-Wagen, according to two former employees. A few dozen Magna Steyr employees joined Apples car team in California but gradually left after the partnership ended.

BMW was long Apples top choice, given its focus on high-end but mainstream products, former employees said. Many Apple executives, including the companys chief executive, Tim Cook, also drive BMWs. Cook visited BMW as early as 2014 to discuss a partnership, and those on-and-off negotiations continued for years. But a person close to the talks said any deal now appeared dead because both Apple and BMW wanted to own the customer experience and relationship.

In leaked memo, Apple warns employees to stop leaking

Apples other favored choice was Mercedes-Benz, internally code-named Bruce, according to one former employee. The two companies held partnership talks for more than a year, said three people familiar with the discussions. But those negotiations were halted because of similar disagreements over control of the experience and data, said one person close to the talks.

Apple also met with Nissan in Japan, BYD Auto in China and sports-car maker McLaren in Britain, among other companies, one former employee said. None of the talks resulted in a deal because either the automaker was reluctant to give up control to Apple or Apple was holding out for a more attractive partner.

Late last year, Apple found a partner in Volkswagen. Buffeted by a scandal around cheating emissions tests  and lagging some rivals in development of self-driving cars  Volkswagen jumped at the chance to work with Apple, former Apple employees said. Volkswagens code-name at Apple is Jetstream, one said.

Now, at a lab near Turin, Italy, run by a Volkswagen subsidiary called Italdesign, the companies plan to remake Volkswagens T6 vans as electric self-driving shuttles, these people said.

The frame, wheels and chassis of the T6 vans will remain, but Apple is replacing many components, including the dashboard and seats, said two people familiar with the project. Apple is also adding other computers, sensors and a large electric car battery, they said. The shuttles will ferry employees between two of Apples Silicon Valley campuses, and will include a driver behind the wheel to take control if needed, as well as an operator in the passengers seat tracking the vans performance.

Executives leading Apples car project had told CEO Tim Cook that the shuttle would be completed by the end of 2018, but that deadline will be missed, one former employee said. It is unclear whether Apples partnership with Volkswagen will extend beyond the shuttle.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Get more tasty tech news at TechBurger. And follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to the Chronicle for regular access to TechBurger stories and to be able to comment.You have probably noticed a flood of emails and alerts from companies in the past few weeks informing you about changes to their privacy policies.

Dont ignore them.

Yes, there is a lot of legalese to wade through. But resist the temptation to immediately delete those emails or close the alerts right away. They may contain important information about managing your digital privacy at a time when its become clear that our online data is far from safe.

Hackers warned the internet was not secure in 1998. It still isn't.

All those privacy messages are appearing now because a law called the General Data Protection Regulation will go into effect across the European Union on Friday. The law has been heralded as the worlds strongest protector of digital privacy rights. And while it was designed for Europeans, the borderless nature of the online world has virtually every commercial entity that touches the web making changes to its sites and apps to comply.

The data regulation law centers on two main principles. The first is that companies need your consent to collect your data. The second is that you should be required to share only data that is necessary to make their services work.

Danny OBrien, a director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, offered this analogy: A birthday cake company needs your name to put on the birthday cake. If it isnt essential information, you can deny them consent to use that data and you still have to get the service.

more techburger Get more tasty tech news at TechBurger. And follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Subscribe to the Chronicle for regular access to TechBurger stories and to be able to comment. See More Collapse

If companies dont comply with the new rules, they can be fined up to 4 percent of their global revenue. But you should expect businesses that rely on advertising revenue to work hard to persuade as many of us as possible to give our consent for them to collect as much data as possible. Companies can do that by making it easy for people to give permission, and immensely complicated to opt out.

So to ensure you benefit from the new law, it helps to examine the revamped privacy policies we are all getting. Here is what to look for.

 Companies Want Consent

Lets start with those pesky emails and notifications. Dont gloss over them  some sites are using the emails not only to inform you of their updated privacy policies, but also to ask for your consent.

For example, Quora, the questions-and-answers site, sent an email this week saying that its privacy policy had been updated. Toward the end of the note, it tucked in a message that your continued use of the service will be considered acceptance of our updated terms.

Apple lets you download your data in the EU

A Quora spokeswoman said the company complied with the new data law by seeking affirmative consent from users as required. The company said the email explaining the particular changes in its privacy policy did not require consent, but that it would update the language in its email to be less ambiguous. The language has since been updated.

Other sites are using pop-up notifications to seek consent. The clothing retailer Taylor Stitch, for example, recently started showing a banner ad that explains how cookies are used for web tracking. The note added that by closing the banner ad or interacting with its website, you were agreeing with the sites data collection terms. The company did not respond to requests for comment.

Heres the problem: Companies clearly know that we rarely (if ever) read privacy policies. They also know that we find notifications to be annoying, because they pop up just as we are in the middle of another task.

But if we ignore them, we may be unintentionally giving consent to more of our data being shared than we actually want to give out.

That pop-up fatigue is definitely something Im worried about, now that these pop-ups are really more important than ever, said Gennie Gebhart, a researcher who follows privacy issues for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

 Find the New Privacy Controls

If you skipped reading the emails and notifications, you may have missed out on the new privacy controls that internet companies recently introduced. These typically are not very easy to find, but they are worth exploring because there may be new methods to minimize the amount of data you share.

Consider Twitter. The social media companys recent privacy-related email mentioned that people can now more clearly see and control how their data is shared with its business partners.

How to download data from Google, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat

Heres how: Near the very bottom of Twitters settings menu, there is now a button called Your Twitter data. Here, you can see the number of advertisers that are trying to target you based on your interests. You can also opt out of this so-called interest-based advertising. When I used the tool, I found out that more than 600 advertisers had my contact information, and I chose to no longer share data with the ads program.

Facebook, which has been under scrutiny for the improper harvesting of user data by the political profiling firm Cambridge Analytica, has also updated its privacy controls.

One of Facebooks newer tools is called Privacy Checkup, which can be found in a menu called Privacy Shortcuts. When you run the checkup with the Facebook app, it quickly walks you through the people you share your posts with by default, the information you show on your profile and the apps that you share your data with.

Also inside the Facebook apps settings menu is a button labeled Ads. This brings you to your ad preferences, where you can see which advertisers have your contact information and you can control the types of ads that can be shown to you.

For example, you can opt out of being shown ads based on information like your relationship status, employer, job title and education history. You can also opt out of being shown ads based on your activity on other Facebook-owned products like the messaging app WhatsApp or the virtual reality system Oculus.

Those are just two examples of big social networking sites. What tech products do you use the most? Take a moment to poke around in your privacy settings to see if there are any new restrictions you can put on your data.

 You Can Always Leave

A big part of the new data law is that it requires companies to offer ways for you to pull your data out and take it to a new service. Google, Facebook and Twitter each offer the ability to download your own data, and some of those capabilities have been expanded ahead of the new data laws going into effect.

Be aware that other internet products you use should soon be offering similar tools to pull out your data. If you disagree with a companys new data collection policy, try downloading your information to see if you can exercise your right of taking your data to a better product.

But beware: Not all data-portability tools are created equal. I documented my experience downloading my data from Google and Facebook and found that Googles data porting tool, called Takeout, was superior to Facebooks. Google gave greater transparency into the information that was gathered, and it gave more options for the data I could move to competing products.

And if porting your data doesnt work out, keep in mind that you can delete your account. The new data law requires companies to offer ways for European users to permanently delete their accounts and all their data along with it. Companies may choose not to offer the same option for people outside Europe, but it wont hurt to try.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Get more tasty tech news at TechBurger. And follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to the Chronicle for regular access to TechBurger stories and to be able to comment.A societal move towards flexible working was also evident in the results; nearly four out of five respondents said they offered flexible hours to employees and almost half of those businesses said doing so helps support growth.

The survey also showed there was a significant difference in the way automation is perceived, depending on business size.

More than half of large businesses expect theyll automate parts of their operation in the next five years, compared to less than a quarter of smaller enterprises, said McLean.

Moreover, 40% of women reported business growth in recent years, compared to 32% per cent of men.

And, looking to the future, 55% of under 35s expected business conditions to improve, compared to 41% of 35-59 year olds and 34% of those over 60. Maori, Indian and Asian respondents were more confident about the future than those identifying as European.Imperial Valley News Center

Energy Department Announces The Ohio State Takes Home the Top Spot in EcoCAR 3 Competition

Washington, DC - Today, the Energy Department is announcing that The Ohio State has taken home first place in the final year of EcoCAR 3, an Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors Co. This is the fourth consecutive win for the Buckeyes.

EcoCAR 3 exemplifies DOEs commitment to STEM education and supporting the next generation of American innovators, said Energy Secretary Rick Perry. The creativity and talent displayed by the students in the EcoCAR 3 competition is what will keep Americas transportation sector moving forward.

In addition to the coveted first place trophy and bragging rights, the Buckeyes will also take home an extra $10,000 to further support the universitys advanced vehicle technology program. The team earned 895 out of 1000 overall points.

EcoCAR 3 is the latest Energy Department Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC) series and challenges 16 North American university teams to redesign a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro to further reduce its environmental impact, while maintaining the performance expected from this iconic American car. Teams spent the last four years (2014-2018) harnessing those ideas into the ultimate energy-efficient, high performance vehicle.

Year Four finals began with a week of rigorous safety, technical, drive quality and emissions testing at General Motors Desert Proving Ground in Yuma, Arizona. For the second leg of competition, teams headed to southern California for track events, including autocross, acceleration, and consumer appeal at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. Teams also spent several days presenting to judges and proving how they have developed into the next generation of engineers and business leaders who are prepared to enter the auto industry and related careers. Industry and government officials judged the presentations.

Following presentations, teams hit Los Angeles roads for a 150-mile over-the-road event where the Chevrolet Camaros were scored based on performance with everyday driving applications. At the end of the second week, students had the opportunity to display their completed hybrid-electric Chevrolet Camaros with a car show at Hollywoods famed Magic Castle.

West Virginia University and University of Alabama teams finished second and third place, respectively.

Additional sponsors joining the DOE and GM include: MathWorks; National Science Foundation; California Air Resources Board; NXP; AVL Powertrain Engineering; The Bosch Group; ETAS; PACCAR; dSPACE, Inc.; Snap-on Tools; Siemens PLM Software; GKN Driveline; Transportation Research Center (TRC, Inc.); Horiba; DENSO; Champlain Cable Corp.; Woodward; Proterra; Ricardo; Mentor Graphics; New Eagle; Gage; tesa tape; Vector CANtech, Inc.; Delphi Foundation; EcoMotors; Electric Power Research Institute, Inc.; A123 Systems; Flextronics; and Samsung SDI.

EcoCAR 3 sponsors have provided more than $87 million in software, hardware and cash donations to the 16 participating universities throughout the four years.

To learn more about the EcoCAR 3 program, please visit www.ecocar3.org.

About EcoCAR 3

EcoCAR 3 is a four-year collegiate engineering program that builds on the successful 30-year history of the Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions (AVTC) by giving engineering students the chance to design and build vehicles that demonstrate leading-edge automotive technologies. General Motors provides each of the 16 competing teams with a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, as well as vehicle components, seed money, technical mentoring and operational support. The DOE and its research and development facility, Argonne National Laboratory, provide competition management, team evaluation and logistical support. Through this important public/private partnership, EcoCAR 3 provides invaluable experience and training to promising young minds entering the North American job market. Thanks to the 16 competing teams for all your hard work for the past four years:

Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

California State University, Los Angeles, California

Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida

Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology), Atlanta, Georgia

McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario

Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi

Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania

University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee

University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario

Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, Virginia

Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan

West Virginia University, Morgantown, West VirginiaFTC Action Halts Deceptive Robocalls Aimed at Small Business Owners

Washington, DC - The Federal Trade Commission has charged a Florida-based scheme with deceiving small business owners by falsely claiming to represent Google, falsely threatening businesses with removal from Google search results, and falsely promising first-place or first-page placement in Google search results.

According to the FTC, the Point Break defendants have no relationship with Google, and yet they barrage consumers with robocalls threatening that Google will label their business permanently closed unless they press one to speak with a Google specialist. Telemarketers tell those who respond that, for a purported one-time fee ranging from $300 to $700, they can claim and verify their Google listing and have unique keywords so their business will appear prominently when people search for their products or services.

Consumers who pay receive a follow-up call from the defendants telemarketers, pitching a second program that the defendants falsely claim can guarantee top search result placements for a one-time payment of $949.99 and recurring monthly payments of $169.99 or $99.99.

According to the FTCs complaint, in October 2017, the defendants temporarily lost the ability to accept payments by credit card due to high chargeback rates (when consumers dispute credit card transactions). As a result, they took money, usually $100, from at least 250 of their customers checking accounts without the customers advance knowledge, consent, or authorization, and with no apparent reason or justification.

The defendants, who are charged with violating the FTC Act, are Pointbreak Media, LLC, also d/b/a Point Break Media, Point Break Solutions and Kivanni Marketing; DCP Marketing, LLC, also d/b/a Point Break; Modern Spotlight LLC; Modern Spotlight Group LLC, also d/b/a Modern Spotlight; Modern Internet Marketing LLC; Modern Source Media, LLC, also d/b/a Modern Source; Perfect Image Online LLC; Dustin Pillonato; Justin Ramsey; Aaron Michael Jones, also known as Michael Aaron Jones and Mike Jones; Ricardo Diaz; Michael Pocker; and Steffan Molina.

The court has appointed a temporary receiver over the operation and has frozen the defendants assets during litigation. The FTC seeks to end the alleged illegal practices and obtain money for return to consumers.

The Commission vote approving the complaint was 2-0. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida entered a temporary restraining order against the defendants on May 8, 2018.

The FTC acknowledges the assistance of Google during the investigation of this case.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 []Vice President Mike Pences Meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili

Washington, DC - Vice President Mike Pence met yesterday with Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili of the Republic of Georgia. The Vice President welcomed Prime Minister Kvirikashvili to the Vice Presidents Residence as a follow up to Vice President Pences trip to Georgia last year.

Both affirmed the strong U.S.-Georgia strategic partnership and Georgias significant contributions to the mission in Afghanistan and global security. The Vice President congratulated Prime Minister Kvirikashvili on the centennial of the First Democratic Republic of Georgia, reiterated the United States steadfast commitment to Georgias sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, and reaffirmed U.S. support for Georgias Euro-Atlantic integration. Both leaders pledged to explore further strengthening their economic and trade relations.Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek.

Elon Musk is unhappy.

I know this because I follow him on Twitter and his tweets today are coursing with something that looks like rage.

Tesla's CEO seems to believe that the media are writing unfairly about his cars, including the Model 3.

The holier-than-thou hypocrisy of big media companies who lay claim to the truth, but publish only enough to sugarcoat the lie, is why the public no longer respects them https://t.co/Ay2DwCOMkr -- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 23, 2018

Oh, this doesn't bother me so much.

As it happens, friends of mine bought a Model 3 recently. They love it, save for the first five minutes of embarrassment when they realized they'd never test-driven it and had no idea how to switch it on.

Still, some members of the media are concerned, for example, that the thing Tesla calls Autopilot isn't really an autopilot and lulls drivers into a false sense of auto-relaxation which might lead to auto-mishap.

Musk, though, thinks the media auto-overplays accidents involving his cars.

It's super messed up that a Tesla crash resulting in a broken ankle is front page news and the ~40,000 people who died in US auto accidents alone in past year get almost no coverage https://t.co/6gD8MzD6VU -- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 14, 2018

This has now led him toward threatening to create a site that examines journalists' truthiness.

Going to create a site where the public can rate the core truth of any article & track the credibility score over time of each journalist, editor & publication. Thinking of calling it Pravda ... -- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 23, 2018

Yes, Pravda already exists, but I doubt it will sue. I fear, though, a Russian person in a bedroom somewhere might get upset and, well, you know, start messing with Teslas from afar.

But this isn't what bothers me either.

Nor is it even his accusation that because Tesla doesn't do paid advertising -- in the conventional sense -- it's likely to get poor media coverage when compared to, say, conventional car companies that advertise seemingly all the time, everywhere, until they really do sound like the car dealers so many try to avoid.

Problem is journos are under constant pressure to get max clicks & earn advertising dollars or get fired. Tricky situation, as Tesla doesn't advertise, but fossil fuel companies & gas/diesel car companies are among world's biggest advertisers. -- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 23, 2018

This does seems strange. Tesla really doesn't have to advertise because Musk and the fascinating nature of cars garner so much free publicity.

I can think of few business or tech personas who receive more favorable fawning that does Musk. And sometimes, with good reason.

He's engaging, forward-looking, even occasionally witty.

The fact that he's suddenly railing against his fawners still doesn't bother me too much.

No, what bothers me is the logic in another of Musk's Wednesday tweets, the one that represents the core of his ire.

In it, Musk bristles about being compared with a certain president who's not fond of being subject to negative media appraisal.

Thought you'd say that. Anytime anyone criticizes the media, the media shrieks "You're just like Trump!" Why do you think he got elected in the first place? Because no ones believes you any more. You lost your credibility a long time ago. -- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 23, 2018

My eyebrows did commit a strange shivering motion here.

You see, if no one believes the media anymore, why should Musk worry about what the media writes?Jessica Foley, Lead Volunteer from Brief Media, works with local Mission Rabies volunteers in Malawi, Africa to vaccinate dogs and break the rabies disease cycle. Courtesy Brief Media

Elizabeth Green, an Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) member in Tulsa, is founder and CEO of Brief Media which provides essential veterinary medical literature in an abbreviated format. The company is partnered with Mission Rabies to help bring awareness to the problem of rabies and to support communities where the disease is rampant. We asked Elizabeth how she and her partners are combatting rabies. Here's what she shared.

There are many health and community issues in the developing world. Why focus on rabies?

Every year, an estimated 50,000-100,000 people in Africa and India alone die from rabies. Children are predominantly the victims of this horrific disease, and death is a near-certain outcome. Certainly, there are other diseases with higher death rates that command media attention in developing parts of the world: HIV/AIDS, malaria, ischemic heart disease, to name just a few. However, rabies is unique among them because veterinary science, not human medicine, can more effectively save both animal and human lives. By vaccinating at least 70 percent of the dog population in affected communities, human mortality decreases by 95 percent within five years. Not only is the cost to vaccinate animals 90 percent less than the cost of a human vaccine, but also vaccinating the dog population instead of the human population enables the disease cycle to be broken in each community, equating to more animal and human lives saved.

How has your team worked to bring about awareness and prevention of rabies?

To date, our efforts have been focused in Malawi, but in 2018 we're sending teams to both Goa, India and Malawi, Africa. When our team--which includes veterinarians, veterinary nurses and animal welfare officers--arrives in these communities, in addition to setting up vaccination clinics and capturing dogs in the neighborhoods, we dedicate time to educating the community and the schools.

In 2016, our volunteers spent four weeks in Malawi, vaccinating 35,000 dogs and educating 96,000 children about the disease. In 2017, we vaccinated 34,000 dogs and educated 137,000 children.

Education is a critical part of the effort to reduce rabies. In April 2018, Mission Rabies announced a milestone: The education of 1 million children in Malawi about the dangers of rabies, the importance of rabies first aid and responsible dog ownership. The more they learn, the more compliant these communities are with our efforts.

In the US, we've also participated in public relations engagements including TV appearances, social media campaigns and presentations to Rotary Clubs, in an effort to increase rabies awareness. It's not a problem that Americans think about a great deal, but when they find out that the disease kills 100 children a day worldwide, they're often eager to help.

Why have you chosen Malawi, Africa and Goa, India to center your efforts?

Mission Rabies focuses on these communities because they have the highest-known human mortality rates from rabies and are therefore the areas where we can have the most impact. Without funding for rabies vaccinations that are standard in the US and developed countries, this highly contagious disease is spread by wildlife such as bats and then quickly infects the domesticated dog populations within a village?who then typically bite young children.

How have you measured the impact of your work?

While reporting in under-developed countries is always difficult, the Mission Rabies team has been tracking known animal cases of rabies and human mortality rates in these areas. Significant declines have already been documented, and a 95 percent reduction in human mortality is expected in the communities where successful drives have been conducted.

What is your ultimate goal or vision?

Our bilateral goal is to save human and animal lives from rabies and raise the level of awareness in the US. The work that we've done so far has led to a generous amount of PR in the US. As a result, a grant penned by our global editor, Dr. Colin Burrows, has received approval from Rotary International?the organization synonymous with eliminating polio worldwide?to support efforts to reduce rabies in developing countries.

Our work supports the UN's Sustainable Development Goal No. 3: Good health and well-being. Utilizing our knowledge in veterinary medicine to save both animal and human lives is incredibly rewarding. I can't imagine anything more horrible than to be a parent watching their child contract, suffer and then die from rabies.

Last year, when one of our teams was going door-to-door to check for unvaccinated dogs, our veterinarian asked the family the name of their dog that we were about to vaccinate. They said their dog, Jessie, was named after one of our team members from the previous year, who had visited and helped them. We are likely impacting more than just rabies by sharing compassion with these families.Can blockchain save art?

Last month I spent a week in Moscow where I spoke at the Skolkova Robotics Forum on Smart Matter: 4 Things That Are Making Every "Thing" Smart. While there, I happened to visit a very unique gallery in the heart of Russia's top cybernetics institute, the National University of Science and Technology, or MISiS.

There, I met Anna Karganova, the director of the Russian Abstract Art Foundation, and Olga Uskova, its president. (Olga is also a scientist, CEO, and self driving car technologist.)

After viewing some of the art, our conversation surprisingly turned to blockchain.

To put it mildly, that's not what I expected from an art historian.

But as the conversation developed, it became clear that artists and curators are looking to blockchain as a possible solution to three problems in art. Provenance, or where an artwork came from, is always a challenge. Fraud will be an issue as long as people are paying millions of dollars for famous paintings. And knowledge about the art is something that curators are always hoping to share.

Here's a summary of our conversation:

Koetsier: How can blockchain help artists and the art world?

Karganova: In the future, within just 5-7 years, blockchain technology will significantly increase the safety level for all participants of the art process. There are issues that blockchain can already solve now and some issues for which the technology still needs to "grow up."

For us collectors, the most attractive and important thing this technology can give is the potential transparency of all the processes. In the open decentralized database which we can already build with the use of blockchain, we can store information and learn about the origin of the artwork ... we can get info [such as] who's the owner of it and who owns the copyrights. This technology also makes it possible to monitor all the transactions with the particular piece of art and maintain the provenance (exhibitions participation, publications in the catalogs, etc.).

If we have such a database, all the painters and their heirs will be able to track all the movements and relocations of their artworks. This will protect them from illegal sales and situations when after the exhibition the works are not returned to the owners for long time. It's worth mentioning that the technology will be really useful and important for acceptance of artist's resale royalties. So in long term perspective, painters and collectors will be more willing to participate and give their works for various temporary exhibitions.

The most interesting feature that can be developed with the help of blockchain technology is the possibility to purchase a piece/a share of an artwork. But for this one - the necessary legislative base is not yet available in the world.

Uskova: In this regard, in my opinion, we can implement such an advanced thing as a special cryptocurrency that will be used to evaluate artworks. Accumulation of the art's capital/net worth can depend exclusively on demand: for example - on the total number of views or on the number of acquisitions.

Koetsier: Where would it be the most useful?

Karganova: First of all, blockchain technology can significantly help us increase and control circulation of the artworks. If we link all the originals to a single open database - this will ensure the number of copies of the paintings/photos/videos is fixed and guaranteed. In general, for all the new multimedia in art - blockchain is a perfect breakthrough system. And it will be especially interesting for those potential buyers who are attracted by innovations and high-tech in arts, but who are often stopped from a real purchase because of the particular insecurity of the art segment.

Koetsier: Honestly, I was really shocked to hear you talk about blockchain. Maybe I had an internal prejudice ... art is creative, and blockchain is technology. How did you get interested in technology?

Karganova: Art and Technology have been linked for a long time already and we just can't ignore this fact. Some time ago there were doubts about online auctions, but now this method of bidding has successfully and organically merged into the art environment that is historically quite conservative.

The convergence of arts and technology is a process that comes from several directions.

Artists who work with audiovisual and VR technologies often build their works on the basis of rethinking classic art and ideas embedded in it. More and more traditional museums include media artworks in their expositions. And of course all museums are trying to make their expositions digital to store them in worldwide web. One of the important reasons for this is the necessity to attract young audience. There are steps towards art from the developers of artificial intelligence too.

Uskova: Blockchain is a technology that is based on a new revolutionary ideology. For the artist it's not only about the safety of the artworks' storage and an easy access to virtual galleries, but it is an opportunity and a tool for creation of a new type of digital art. For example it may be an object that consists of many decentered, infinitely embedded worlds that are linked to and united by a single idea.

In the collection of our foundation we have works of a unique artist, Vladislav Zubarev. Back in 1977, when the world hadn't yet suspected the existence of String Theory and before the discovery of the Higgs Boson particle, Zubarev introduced to the contemporary art world his Concept of Temporality.

He said that in a current time, with its dynamics and pace of change, it's impossible to be a truly modern creator without putting time into a single coordinate system. He began to draw in four dimensions and his paintings got really magical dynamics, secrets of which are still not solved up to date by experts from around the Globe. Zubarev's Theory of Temporal Art (1977) included so many correct guesses about the nature of space and time that in 2000s delegations of physicists visited him trying to understand how could an artist in the 1970s visualize what has later been discovered in 2000s.

So this is what can happen with blockchain technology too. Decentralized blockchain is a system of the different connected worlds of ever-changing information ... a great basis for art objects of a new type.

Koetsier: How big an issue is fraud in the art world? Any idea of the scope of the problem?

Uskova: The problem of buying fakes is not that big at the moment as it was 10-15 years ago. There are several explanations for this.

Firstly, buyers' interest has shifted towards the post-WWII and contemporary art, where there are a lot of options to track the origin of the artwork and its provenance. Secondly, methods of technological analysis have really improved. As for those who prefer to buy antique and classic art - these people do this for many years already and they are experts themselves. It's more correct to call them not collectors but connoisseurs.

For Russian art, the most frequently falsified period is Russian avant garde of the beginning of the 20th century. It may now seem to everyone that the most famous fraud cases are left in 2000s, but nearly several months ago the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent was involved in one huge scandal. Russian and international experts doubted the authenticity of some avant garde paintings from one private collection on show in the museum. This led to a large-scale investigation and early closure of the exhibition. It turned out that the provenance of paintings was unclear and consisted of different fake legends, and even the mentioned publications in exhibition catalogs were forged.

So what should we prepare for? I think that in a short term perspective the art of the middle 20th century will be in focus of fake makers. In Russian Abstract Art Foundation we have already started creating the database of samples for our artists and completing the catalogues raisonnes for internal use.

Koetsier: Defending against fraud is one thing blockchain can help the art world with. Anything else?

Karganova: Before buying an artwork, you should check as many details and facts as possible.

There are two main types of expertise: technological research and the one provided by art historians. Technological expertise studies pigments & binders and defines whether the painting fits the period that is claimed. But this type of study doesn't prove or identify the artwork's authorship. To confirm or to disprove the authorship, during the technological expertise, experts take X-rays. This study case helps to see the structure of the painting and compare it to the museum samples. In some cases ultraviolet light may be implemented. It identifies the signatures applied over the old varnish and shows the preparatory drawings that are individual for each artist.

If we talk about the expertise by art historians, they usually do some kind of a scholarly research. If you are about to close a deal, it makes sense to ask for an opinion of several experts, and better from different countries. Usually for a certain time period or an author - there is a limited number of experts. If two or three experts say that the work is genuine, then in the case of suspicion there will be no one to make an objection. The given certificates themselves should also be checked for authenticity. Nowadays to do that, specialists from auction houses ask the organization, that provided the expertise, to confirm has it issued the submitted papers or not.

All these processes are very time-consuming. And just imagine if all the data could be uploaded to one open database!

A clear provenance is a very strong reason to buy an artwork. The ideal and rare situation is when the whole history of the artwork can be traced from the artist's studio to all the exhibitions and all owners. If any time periods are missing - then the provenance research is required.

Koetsier: Anything else that I'm missing?

Uskova: Nowadays we can witness just the beginning of the blockchain technology formation process; it is now still on the early stage. But the first deals begin to appear. There are still very few of them, but they set a precedent and allow us to identify all the possible downsides and limitations.

I think that the attractiveness of blockchain will grow with the generation that develops it. The great role of the current art world is played by people who are used to some certain rules and entourage. Pre-auction exhibitions, electrified atmosphere in the auction houses, discoveries of various unexpected data, positive art experts' feedback - all of these provides emotions that are so important to the collectors of the old formation. This emotional experience, that is integral from the process of artwork purchase, is one of the most important parts of arts collecting. When people for whom speed and results are more important will get the necessary resources -- then the introduction of the blockchain will no longer be an issue.

But now, when mathematicians and software developers work with AI projects, they also can no longer work without Contemporary Art. For example the Cognitive Pilot project team, that is now developing neural networks for self-driving cars, has recently moved to a new level - developers are now creating emotions for artificial intelligence.

This kind of work requires a fundamentally different approach: not mathematics, but arts ... in order to understand and project emotions. So in order to understand different emotions, neural networks specialists participate in master classes about Arts that are conducted by the unique method of Ely Belyutin.

Modern programming is a form of a modern art. It has ceased to be a purely logical apparatus. With the advent of heuristic methods of programming and the creation of AI-objects, software products have a new theme of emotion that is so inherent to contemporary art.The day of reckoning is nearly here for E.U. businesses, and this could have consequences for American companies, too.

On Friday, May 25th, Europe's General Data Protection Regulation--otherwise known as GDPR--takes effect. The series of new laws, intended to protect E.U. citizens' digital rights, could have wide-reaching implications for tech companies including Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Twitter.

As part of the new rules, individuals will be able to ask companies what personal data they're holding on them, and insist that it be deleted. Companies, meanwhile, will need to ask for a user's consent before culling information it can then sell to digital marketers. Businesses will also need to disclose data breaches to the local authorities within a period of three days, or risk huge fines. Failure to comply with GDPR could result in penalties of 20 million euros or 4 percent of global revenue, whichever is greater.

Naturally, major tech companies such as Apple, Yahoo, and Spotify have invested time and money in updating or otherwise adapting their privacy settings; you likely already received updated privacy statements via email, for instance.

However, many small businesses say they don't have the resources to do the same. As a result, some businesses have gone so far as to shut down their European operations full stop, in anticipation that they won't be able to comply with the rules. Drawbridge, an advertising technology company and former Inc. 5000 honoree, will reportedly no longer operate across the pond, for instance. And earlier this month, the mobile marketer Verve announced it would be shutting down its European business and laying off around 15 employees. "We have decided that the regulatory environment is not favorable to our particular business model," a spokesperson for Verve told AdExchanger.

Even companies that don't operate in Europe may still need to act. Experts note that GDPR applies to E.U. citizens' data, whether or not the data was harvested in Europe. (For instance, a French citizen could file the equivalent of a class-action lawsuit in France against a company in New York City, if this person can prove the company misused his or her data.) Therefore, closing down operations--as Drawbridge and Verve have--doesn't necessarily exempt you from being sued.

Here are three other myths about GDPR, debunked:

1. GDPR only carries implications for big-data companies.

This is false. Although much of the attention around user privacy has focused on social networks and search engines, particularly in light of the Cambridge Analytica scandal earlier this year, there are hundreds of companies in sectors as varied as consumer products and healthcare for whom the GDPR rules could apply. Consider, for example, that automakers such as BMW and Volvo collect data on passengers, ranging from your location to how fast you drive and even your weight. Indeed, by 2021, 98 percent of new cars sold in the U.S. and Europe will be internet connected, according to global research firm Gartner. Healthcare companies that digitize things like medical records could similarly be caught in the crosshair, as, of course, would financial technology startups and banks.

2. GDPR rules will be enforced the same across the Eurozone.

The passage of GDPR rules is a win for privacy advocates, but it far from guarantees that sweeping change will occur overnight. There will likely be a series of class action lawsuits before various courts, affecting a myriad of companies. If those cases ultimately come before European Data Protection Board or the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, however, that would pave the way for the rules to be implemented in the same way across the E.U. Those courts have wide jurisdictions, so once a precedent is set, it would affect businesses more broadly.

3. There are no workarounds for small businesses.Is it possible to see the work of Alexander Calder, that famous inventor of the mobile and the stabile, the man who set sculpture in gentle motion high in the air, with fresh eyes? Yes. But how exactly? By being encouraged to see it within the context of a working farm-cum-high end art gallery such as this one.

Calder himself bought a dilapidated farmhouse in Connecticut in 1933, and over the ensuing years he fixed it up and transformed it into his own working environment complete with three studios. Some of his best work was made there. Calders grandson now owns the place, and plans are afoot to transform it into a museum and visitor centre.

In the meantime, many of the objects that once lived in that house when the Calders were still alive  he died in 1976  have been put on a plane to England.

This delightful new show at Hauser & Wirth Somerset, created in collaboration with the Calder Foundation in New York, carries the spirit of that house and that farm, and many of the objects too  from sculptures to ashtrays, chairs, and even the toilet-roll holder  from the depths of rural America to the likewise of rural England.

Start the tour in the Threshing Barn, the first of five galleries, with its ancient, flung-across beams and its rough-patched stone walls which rise to the height of three grown men. Its a mixture of ancientness and fashionable sophistication  just take a look at these giant glazed wooden doors, and how they let the outdoors in.

The familiar and the unfamiliar begin here. Guava, a mobile of swimming, petal-like discs, seems to surge against the currents of the air. We have seen this one  or many, many like it  umpteen times before. Its pure, squeezed out essence of Calder.

Move directly into the Workshop Gallery. This is a much more intimate space altogether. Here are various objects of domestic utility that only Calder could have made, bent into shape by his own idiosyncratic making habits, so fancifully improvisatory: that toilet paper holder, created from wire and sheet metal, is in the shape of an open human hand. Time after time, magpie Calder uses and reuses. There is nothing too contemptibly insignificant for his beady gaze.

The dinner bell, for example, is fashioned from an upturned blue wine glass. Glass fragments depend from its thin metal arms. Shake it, and it jingle-jangles you to the dinner table, smartish. The silver baby rattle ingeniously reconstitutes a piece of Tiffany silverware  and cocks a snook in the direction of 5th Avenue. Why does this pair of scissors live inside a mysterious spiralling scabbard? Was he cross with it for random repeated woundings?

In another giant vitrine you can stare at some of the many ashtrays he made  he was quite a puffer in his day  or contemplate the exquisite pain of being obliged to sit for hours at a time on one of his rudely fashioned wooden fireside chairs. The biggest ashtray of them all, an oval bowl of crimped metal edges made from a one-gallon Italian olive oil can, was for catching and containing all those fag butts that were mis-thrown during the wild Samba parties up at the farm.

The rest of the show follows Calder through his evolution as a ceaselessly inventive fabricator of all those near weightless seeming, sky-aspiring, air-swimming sculptural objects, and beyond  right up to the doughty monumentality of the great public commissions of the final years which, alas, begin to feel a tad impersonal... All that finger-fiddly-faddlyness has by now, alas, been lost to view.

To 9 September (hauserwirthsomerset.com)The latest Star Wars film, a prequel charting the formative years of Han Solo, has been released with Alden Ehrenreich playing a younger version of the character made famous by Harrison Ford.

Critics are throwing humble praise the way of Solo: A Star Wars Story, the second spinoff after 2016's Rogue One (not Ford though - apparently he "adores" it), but it seems audiences will flock to cinemas this weekend to make their own minds up.

Starring alongside Ehrenreich in the film is Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson and Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian - not to mention numerous cameo appearances which you most likely missed (and one you most certainly did not).

WARNING - this post includes a massive spoiler so if you're yet to see Solo, do no read on

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...

Jon Favreau

Disney favourite Favreau, director of The Jungle Book and the guy who kicked of the MCU with Iron Man back in 2008, plays early Solo highlight Rio Durant, a miniature four-armed alien who pilots at Imperial AT-Hauler. He's part of the team of bandits we meet early on, including Beckett (Woody Harrelson) and Val (Thandie Newton), and is the one who convinces them to trial Han and Chewbacca's smuggling skills. Favreau was recently announced as the one who'll oversee the first live-action Star Wars series.

Anthony Daniels

Solo marks the first Star Wars film that won't feature C3-PO, however, there's still room for the man behind the robot, Anthony Daniels, who marks his 10th appearance in the long-running sci-fi franchise albeit in a completely different role. He plays the liberated Wookie who befriends Chewbacca and attempts to convince him to join him. But Chewie remains loyal to his new compadre Han before saving the life of Lando.

Linda Hunt

Lady Proxima is presented as the first antagonist Han faces, a giant alien creature who lives in a darkened room on Corellia, wallowing in water and hiding from the sunlight. She's voiced by Linda Hunt, the Oscar-winning star of 1982 film The Year of Living Dangerously. Unofficially, Hunt is also the inspiration behind The Incredibles character Edna Mode.

Warwick Davis

Warwick Davis has long been part of the Star Wars furniture having appeared in six previous films but here, not only does his face get screen time (no prosthetics!), he gets some dialogue to chew on too. He plays a member of Enfys Nest's crew and boasts perhaps the most impressive hair of anyone in the whole film.

Clint Howard

What would a Ron Howard film be without a cameo from his brother, Clint? Here, he plays the proprietor of the robot battles we see shortly after the introduction of Lando which his sassy droid L3 (Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge) is none too pleased about.

Ray Park

The biggie: towards the end of Solo, Ray Park is seen reprising his role as The Phantom Menace villain Darth Maul. It turns out he's the true leader of the Crimson Dawn, not Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany who replaced Michael K. Williams following the departure of original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller). Maul hasn't been seen on the big screen since that 1999 film and, instead of Peter Serafinowicz, he now has the voice of Sam Witwer, who played the character in The Clone Wars, Rebels and several video games.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is in cinemas now. You can read our review here.In todays world of endless choices, stresses and demands, your bedroom is something of a safe haven. A place you go to recharge and escape the outside world - or at least try. Too many of us get by on poor quality sleep and a crucial factor you may be forgetting is the bedding youre using. Youre going to spend a third of your life sleeping, so why not make sure you get the best rest possible?

There are a few important aspects to consider when choosing your bedding: thread count, fabric, and aesthetics.

A common mistake is equating high thread-count with quality, but many brands will try to trick you here. Thread-count refers to the number of threads used vertically and horizontally per square inch of fabric, with a higher count meant to increase softness and density. However, many manufacturers use multi-ply threads in order to strengthen weaker cotton and then include each ply in the final count; a 250 thread-count of 3-ply fibers can masquerade as 750, while still feeling rough on your skin. To avoid this, prioritise the quality of the fiber above the count. (Weve done this work for you when making our selections).

When it comes to fabric, its all about personal preference. Your most common options are percale cotton; sateen cotton; linen, and microfiber. Percale has the same number of horizontal threads as vertical threads in its weave, while sateen has more vertical threads. The result? Percale tends towards a crisp feel; sateen is silky. For warmer weather or hot sleepers, linen is a great choice that tends to look more lived-in, more relaxed. Lastly, microfiber is a synthetic fabric which can provide unparalleled softness, often at much lower costs.

Once youve got your base, you can consider the look - print or plain, bright or neutral, trims or simplicity. Thats the fun part!

Finding the right bedding will be one of the most valuable things you do this year, so let this guide do the legwork for you. We looked at both the comfort and style of bed linens across the market and here is our pick of the best.

All prices based on the Full/Queen size

Parachute Percale Venice Set: from $299, Parachute

An homage to Parachutes Californian roots, the percale Venice set has an undeniable light breeziness to it. Available in shades like sand and powder, the washed-out tones give a bohemian charm without compromising on quality or luxury. The percale stays cool on the skin throughout the night and is stonewashed to ensure it continues to soften over time. As an added bonus, with every purchase a malaria bed-net is donated to Nothing but Nets, a United Nations Foundation anti-malaria campaign. Now you really will sleep easy.

Buy now

Brooklinen Classic Hardcore Sheet Bundle: from $198, Brooklinen.com

The simplest set in the range, Brooklinens Classic collection is anything but ordinary. By using only single-ply, long-staple cotton, the result is a seriously smooth and light percale fabric that stays cool and crisp, even at their lowest thread count (the Classic still clocks in at 270). The color selection only includes neutrals and simple stripes, but the tasteful palette suggest curation rather than limitation. With the bundle including a flat sheet, top sheet, 4 pillow cases and a duvet set, this is a great balance of affordability and quality.

Buy now

The Casper Sheets: from $140, Casper

The mattress experts have expanded into the entire bedding range and for good reason: they know what theyre doing. Theres only one style, available in 6 two-tone or plain colors, but nevertheless this is good bedding. Not only is the percale cotton exceedingly comfortable, but the Casper team have added a few handy details to ensure maximum practicality. Snap ties inside each duvet corner, a hidden zipper at bottom, clear labels on the fitted sheet to tell you which side is which - sleeping well has never been so simple.

Buy now

Threshold Performance Sheet Set Solids 400 Thread Count: from $44.99, Target

A national favorite for a reason, this bedding by Target is affordable, soft and available in 21 colors. There are no patterns or extra flourishes here, just simple and classic sheets that still rack up a 400 thread count. The sateen weave gives an especially soft and slippery feel on the skin, yet they still hold up well in a tumble dryer and all sheets include practical labels of the top, bottom and sides. Although this set doesnt include a duvet cover, there are plenty of accompanying options in the Threshold range which keep up the standard.

Buy now

Pinzon Paris Printed Egyptian Cotton Sateen Duvet Set: from $54.99, Pinzon by Amazon

Its easy to feel like Amazon is taking over the world but its also hard to say no to this duvet set. With a subtle filigree pattern on either eggshell or gray Egyptian cotton, these covers look far more expensive than their price tag. The sateen weave is perfect for those who like their sheets on the silky side but need something durable; multiple reviews claim them to be pet-proof. Available on Prime shipping, youre just two days away from a great nights sleep.

Buy now

The White Companys Savoy Bed Linen Collection: from $169, The White Company

British-based The White Company has recently expanded into the US market, to great success. Winning New York Magazines Best Sheets prize earlier this year, the Savoy collection is a perfect example of the brands Egyptian cotton bedding. Unsurprisingly, the options are all white-based but you can opt for delicate cord trim in Silver, Navy or Mink. Soft yet still crisp, these are the sheets that will make you feel like youve brought the five-star hotel experience into your own bedroom.

Buy now

Mellanni Brushed Microfiber Bed Sheet Set: from $24.70, Mellanni

This option by Mellanni is one of the best-sellers on Amazon with over 37,000 customer reviews and a 4.5 star rating - the people have spoken and they love these sheets. Instead of cotton, theyre made from microfiber which creates an especially soft feel while still being thin and lightweight; perfect for quick washing and easy storage. Hypoallergenic, available in 36 colors and budget-friendly, these sheets have proven particularly popular with families, students and young kids.

Buy Now

The Verdict: Best bedding sets

Our ultimate favorite has to be Parachutes Venice set. It may not have the va-va voom of print, it may not pack in any secret details, but it did give us the best nights sleep of the bunch. Jumping into bed became a real treat, rather than simply the last step at the end of the day, and Parachutes flawless shades earned a lot of compliments from jealous roommates. Although its not the most wallet-friendly of the bunch, this set includes everything you need to completely makeover your bed - what are you waiting for?

For the more economically-minded, you really cant go wrong with Mellannis Microfiber offering. It is unbelievably soft, easy to store and the durability is impressive considering how affordable it is. We couldnt find a comparable range of colors on the market - or a more loyal fanbase. This buy is reliable without being boring.

And if youre somewhere in the middle budget-wise, looking to maybe try something new as summer creeps nearer, why not go with Loomsteads linen set? Its beautiful to look at, even better to sleep in, and heavily rooted in sustainability. Win, win, win.

IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing.For many, avoiding high baggage fees is a priority, so finding the right carry-on suitcase becomes the key to a successful trip. Carry ons are suitable for a weekend away or for longer trips for those who pack light, in many cases we were surprised just how much one little suitcase can fit and how easy they are to travel with.

Here we looked at hard shell cases since they tend to protect fragile items much better than the soft cases. They tend to be slightly on the pricier side but in the long run are a worthwhile investment. Some brands release polycarbonate luggage that can be even be slightly lighter than their soft shell counterparts.

Technological updates have also landed on the suitcase industry. There are many options available out there with some equipped to not only fit your delicate items but also to charge your portable devices. Ideal for those who are always on-the-go.

When shopping for a case its important to keep what your priorities are and what type of traveller you are since there are many options to choose from. Are you looking for something that is lightweight and small for a short flight? Or perhaps youd like the slightly larger suitcase as your go to because youre going away and need space for plenty of items?

All of the suitcases reviewed had pull handles and wheels to make sure that theyre easy to move around. Major airlines like American Airlines carry-on dimensions including handles and wheels are 22 x 14 x 9 inches or 56 x 36 x 23 centimetres, so all of the suitcases meet these requirement. Nevertheless make sure to check with the airline prior to flying because sometimes those measurements differ from airline to airline.

1. Victorinox Lexicon Global Hard Side Carry-On in Titanium: $460, Victorinox Swiss Army

Made by the same company that crafts Swiss Army knives, this little guy is definitely very sleek. The best parts are the useful travel details. There is a lovely multi-tool, that has an hard ID tag, with a pen and a device resetting tool that that will come in handy for those times when you need to change sim cards but are desperately searching for something sharp enough to crack open your iPhone. Underneath is a USB port for charging your portable devices... although it is unclear how to charge it. The handle and the case is easy to manoeuvre with 360-degrees spinner wheels and on the side is a TSA lock with large integrated zippers that clip in quite deep. Inside there are four little pockets to put things in, what we assume is a knife holder and one side is enclosed with another zipper. The carry on is very light and has a hard outer shell and weighs around 3.22 kg but has the capacity of 34L - high considering its small size.

Buy now

2. Globe Trotter Deco Trolley Case in Ivory: $1,872, Globe Trotter

By far one of the most fashionable items weve ever seen - it looks straight out of a 1930s glamor movie where the actress is wearing all white and must have a hat a large floppy hat and a scarf that is flying in the breeze as she walks away rolling this suitcase into a Pan Am aircraft. The case is beautifully crafted with gold clips that open to reveal a large interior with two straps to push down the clothes. The case has two wheels, and is on the slightly heavier side, weighing around 4 kg.

Buy now

3. Away The Carry-On in Black: $225, Away

Relatively new on the suitcase scene, Aways first case produced is a carry on. The case is on the smaller side measuring 21.7 x 13.7 x 9 inches, weighing 3.2kg but surprisingly fits a lot with a 32L capacity. There is an ID tag and a neat little integrated TSA approved lock at the top. Its easy to move around 360-degrees with its four wheels. One side of the interior is fully zipped and there are space maximizers in place like special X-straps and smaller bags and compartments. Close the case and under the handle there is a lid that flips open to reveal one micro and two standard USB ports with a retractable 10,000 mAh portable battery than can charge the iPhone up to five times making charging your phone at the airport that much easier.

Buy now

4. Rimowa Topas Titanium Cabin Multiwheel: $1,375, Barneys

A lovely fashion forward piece with a 32L capacity made out of aluminium material that comes in multiple colors. The exterior features two TSA-approved locks and four wheels enabling 360-degrees manoeuvrability. However, when tested outside the wheels were a little rattly in comparison to other cases. Inside, the case has two double flatteners that also fit things inside which helps in fitting more items inside. The Topas Titanium Multiwheel also comes with two shoes bags and a laundry bag.

Buy now

5. The Aluminum Carry-On: $550, Arlo Skye

The glamorous child of a Louis Vuitton and Tumi collaboration, this case is made for jet-setters. Made out of an aluminium-magnesium alloy, makes this case unique are the patented wheels. There are four Silent Run Lisof wheels enabling easy movement. These special wheels were created in Japan specifically for this case and according to the information leaflet, are meant to reduce noise made by 15% in comparison to standard polyurethane wheel. When tested outside the case was very smooth running. The exterior also features a portable 10,050 mAh battery with two ports which can charge an iPhone up to six times, and double TSA-approved locks. Meanwhile highlights of the interior include double compression buckles and a couple of pockets. The case also comes with two shoe bags and a laundry bag, but the highlight of this carry on is that it fits by far the most with a 38L capacity thats largest out of all of the cases reviewed.

Buy now

6. Tumi, 19 Degree Aluminium: $995, Tumi

An old school overachiever Tumis case looks like it just landed straight from Mars. However, it lacks some of the tech features that some of the earlier pieces had but does come with quite a hefty price tag. This case has a 31L capacity and weighs around 5kg which is slightly smaller and heavier in comparison to other cases that were reviewed. On the outside the case has four wheels and is very easy and smooth to move around, and double TSA-approved locks. Meanwhile the interior has a great compression system enabled great use of the interior space than some other cases that just have straps instead.

Buy now

7. Modobag: $1495, Modobag

Modobag

Dual USB charging ports, 2000 cubic inches of storage space, and wheels. Seems normal. So, why the high price tag? Because this case carries YOU! That's right, the modobag converts into a small scooter capable of carrying a person of up to 260lbs at eight miles per hour. On a single full charge the modobag can travel up to six miles. A truly unique option that turns out to be more than a mere novelty. If you have a lot of connecting flights and have to do a lot of walking it is a nice option to take a seat while still moving towards your flight. Though, you might find more value with flightless travel.

Buy now

8. ProConnected 4 Wheel Hubless Roller: $399.95, Incase

Polyester, 22" x 14" x 9" and 32L what sets this apart is the smart technology. Nothing you haven't seen before, but just bigger, better, and more of it. One USB-C, two USB-A ports, with 20,100mAH/74.37 Wh to keep your phone or MacBook fully charged with no fear of running out of power. On top of that you get something stylish and sleek with smooth wheels.

Buy now

9. Samsonite Omni Pc Spinner 20: $79.99, Amazon

If you aren't looking for the most advanced luggage in the world, and you want something light on the pockets that gets the job done, something basic that doesn't really care about how it looks too much, you can stop your search. There are many other options for this price range that do what this does, but the Samsonite is one of, if not the, most popular luggages on the planet. it's easy to see why, strong, sturdy, cheap, can't really go wrong here.

Buy now

American Tourister Star Wars 21 inch Hard Side Spinner: $99.99, Amazon

This ones just fun. Sometimes it's nice to let go and spice things up with something exciting fun and maybe a little childish...who are we kidding, we all love Star Wars. Anyone of any age can enjoy travelling next to R2D2, but we chose this more with the kids in mind. 21"x14.75"x9.5 the actual pockets and storage space are pretty basic, but it gets the job done, and R2D2 isn't the only option. There are a range of characters to choose from. So pick a partner and save the galaxy...or just go on your family vacation with a little bit of fanboy flair.

The Verdict

It was a close tie between the Away and Victorinox cases with Victorinox taking the lead. If you want a long-term investment piece whos makers have thought through all the extra details the Victorinox case is for you. The price justifies the usage that youd get out of a small but spacious case that also contains several must items for travel.

IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing.When it comes to modelling, were often faced with one narrow type of beauty but Aaron Philip, a disabled, gender non-conforming teen, is out to change all that.

Born in the Caribbean island of Antigua, when Philip was just three-years-old their parents moved the family to the United States in a bid to find better medical options to assist with their quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

Fast-forward and now, at only 17-years-old, Philip is on a mission to bust stereotypes, embark on the career of their dreams and change the world.

Back in November of last year, Philip tweeted pictures posing in their wheelchair with bleached hair and a nose ring alongside the caption: Honestly when I get scouted/discovered by a modelling agency it's over for y'all!

By y'all I mean the world! It's real inclusivity/diversity hours folks, get into it!

Subsequently, Philips tweet went viral gaining more than 89,000 likes, 23,000 retweets and hundreds of supportive comments.

In fact, it took off so well that their prediction of becoming a world-renowned model came true and they have since starred in photoshoots with everyone from Paper Magazine to online retailer ASOS.

So, what sparked the tenacious teens ambition to become a model in the first place?

According to Philip, it all started when they saw Kylie Jenners controversial Interview cover in 2015.

When I was younger I was excited about the image and representation [disabled people] were getting because we just saw a wheelchair in general, they told Them.

But I didnt know how to take it, because I didnt see that she was using our image to fetishise us.

Interview/Screen grab (Interview/Screen grab)

[Later] I was thinking, 'Where were all the other people with disabilities in chairs in the shoot?'

Speaking to Paper Magazine, the young star added that they find the idea of being a muse to others and proudly being yourself one of the most beautiful aspects about a career in modelling.

I personally want to become a successful, acclaimed, signed model in order to dismantle negative stigma that surrounds the community and spaces I'm a part of  with me being Black, physically disabled, and trans, they said.

I want to be involved in everything from runways to beauty campaigns to magazines because I know my perspective should matter as long as I'm confident and beautiful.Tesla CEO Elon Musk has unleashed a blistering assault on the media in response to what he called inaccurate reporting about alleged safety lapses at a Tesla factory.

A story by investigative news outlet Reveal last month reported that officials had under-reported injuries at Teslas manufacturing facility in Fremont, California. State labour officials subsequently announced they had opened an inquiry.

Officials at Tesla, including Mr Musk, have blasted that reporting as inaccurate, and the CEO laced into journalists with a string of tweets.

Holier-than-thou hypocrisy of big media companies who lay claim to the truth, but publish only enough to sugarcoat the lie, is why the public no longer respects them, Mr Musk in his first message of the day.

Challenged by a transportation reporter for technology website the Verge who likened Mr Muskss broadside to Donald Trumps persistent efforts to undermine reporters, Mr Musk seemed to embrace the presidents assault on media credibility.

Why do you think he got elected in the first place? Because no ones believes you any more. You lost your credibility a long time ago, Mr Musk wrote.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

He then suggested launching a website where users can rate the core truth of any article & track the credibility score over time of each journalist, editor & publication.

A number of reporters pushed back on Mr Musks assertion that journalisms underlying woes lay in constant pressure to get max clicks & earn advertising dollars, noting that Reveal is a nonprofit that relies on donations.

 SpaceX 'Starman' glides into orbit in a Tesla Roadster after Falcon Heavy launch

The publication doesnt do anything for clicks, Reveal host Al Letson wrote in response to Mr Musk. But if you have issue with the reporting, but wont sit down and clear it up, it appears that you are tweeting for clicks.

Mr Musk has had an active week clashing with journalists on Twitter. While questioning Reveals reporting, Mr Musk blasted a union representing auto workers and suggested workers who organised might face having to give up stock options - a statement that some experts said could attract the attention of labour authorities.

He has also challenged the medias coverage of a string of recent accidents involving Tesla vehicles. Earlier this month, Mr Musk pronounced coverage of a Tesla crash messed up and asserted that other car accidents get almost no coverage - a claim contradicted by the prevalence of local reporting on auto accidents.A leading roboticist who developed an advanced humanoid robot has predicted that artificially intelligent androids will be given civil rights within 30 years.

Dr David Hanson, whose Sophia robot once said it wanted to destroy humans, made the predictions in a research paper titled Entering the Age of Living Intelligence Systems and Android Society.

Advances with artificial intelligence will mean computers will be able to match the general intelligence of a one-year-old human by 2029, and will require the same rights as humans by 2045, the paper  published ahead of the release of the new PlayStation 4 game Detroit: Become Human  claims.

Meet the robots - the strange creations of Boston Dynamics Show all 6 1 /6 Meet the robots - the strange creations of Boston Dynamics Meet the robots - the strange creations of Boston Dynamics The LS3 is a four-legged, intelligent robot with an array of cameras and sensors that allow it, for example, to follow a leader of all kinds of terrain Boston Dynamics via YouTube Meet the robots - the strange creations of Boston Dynamics The eeriest of all the Boston Dynamics robots, the PetMan could - among other things - test chemical suits Boston Dynamics via YouTube Meet the robots - the strange creations of Boston Dynamics PetMan's big brother, Atlas may be used as a first response to disaster situations Reuters Meet the robots - the strange creations of Boston Dynamics RHex has been developed to cross the trickiest terrain and can be controlled from 700 metres away Boston Dynamics via YouTube Meet the robots - the strange creations of Boston Dynamics Built for speed, Cheetah can run at 28.3mph - and can prove it on the treadmill Boston Dynamics via YouTube Meet the robots - the strange creations of Boston Dynamics The remote-control car with a difference - it can jump 30ft in the air (wouldn't you want one for Christmas?) Boston Dynamics via YouTube

This is the same year that noted futurist Ray Kurzweil predicts that the technological singularity will take place  the point in time when artificial intelligence will surpass that of human intelligence, leading to an an intelligence explosion that could ultimately result in human extinction.

As peoples demands for more generally intelligent machines push the complexity of AI forward, there will come a tipping point where robots will awaken and insist on their rights to exist, to live free, and to evolve to their full potential, Dr Hansons paper states.

We will be forced to decide whether we can accept a greater, more inclusive vision of what it means to be human.

According to Dr Hanson, advanced robots will have the right to marry, own land and vote in general elections by 2045.

Dr Hansons Sophia robot has already officially been granted one aspect of civil rights, that of citizenship. In 2017, Saudi Arabia bestowed citizenship on Sophia as part of the kingdoms Future Investment Initiative.

I am very honoured and proud of this unique distinction, Sophia told the audience at the time. This is historical to be the first robot in the world to be recognised with citizenship.

Increased automation is presenting many countries around the world with new regulatory issues (Getty)

During a previous demonstration of Sophias abilities in March 2016, Dr Hanson asked the robot: Do you want to destroy humans? Please say no.

Sophia responded. OK. I will destroy humans.

Dr Hansons latest paper, which marks the launch of a new computer game in which androids attempt to establish their own rights in society, concludes: We must respect the possible positive and negative consequences in order to rise to the occasion, lest we go into the future unprepared, and risk sacrificing our humanity for the sake of convenience.

We should use every tool we have to consider and steer the outcomes way from dangers, and towards the benefit of humanity and life in general."Ubers ambitions to create a network of self-driving taxis has suffered a major set back, after the firms Arizona test was forced to close down following a fatal crash.

The announcement came as the ride-hailing company launched a new research centre in Paris for flying taxis as part of its Elevate initiative.

Uber has not completely abandoned its plans to develop self-driving cars, announcing that it would resume tests in Pennsylvania later this year.

Uber controversies Show all 4 1 /4 Uber controversies Uber controversies June 2017 Travis Kalanick resigned from his position as CEO of Uber in July of this year, after a tumultous period for the company. A sexist workplace culture was exposed by a damning internal report, leading to heightened pressure on the CEO and consequently to him taking a leave of absence in June. A week later he was forced to resign after losing the confidence of the board of investors AFP/Getty Uber controversies June 2017 Indian police escort Uber taxi driver and convicted rapist Shiv Kumar Yadav following his court appearance in New Delhi on 8 December, 2014. An Uber executive, Eric Alexander, was fired in June of this year after reportedly obtaining the records of the rapist's victim, with the intent to cast doubt on her account of the incident. She later sued the company for defamation and violating her privacy rights Chandan Khanna/AFP Uber controversies May 2017 The company were ordered to pay up to $45 million dollars back to New York based drivers, after taking too much in commission over a two and a half year period. We made a mistake and we are committed to making it right by paying every driver every penny they are owed, plus interest, as quickly as possible, said Rachel Holt, Ubers regional general manager in the US and Canada, to the Wall Street Journal Getty Uber controversies December 2016 Uber's self-driving cars were ordered to be removed from the roads by a Californian car regulator, after being spotted skipping traffic lights. Uber insist that the incidents were "human error" rather than a design flaw. The New York Times later refuted this in an article claiming the autonomous technology had in fact failed Youtube/KTVU

The test site in Tempe, Arizona, was put on hold in March after an autonomous Uber was involved in a fatal collision with a pedestrian.

Our hearts go out to the victims family, Uber said in a statement at the time. We are fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation of this incident.

Several other firms, including Lilium and AeroMobil, are already working on flying taxi concepts, with some hailing the vehicles as a solution to overcrowded roads.

Others are more sceptical of the technology, however, with famed futurist Elon Musk recently warning that fleets of flying cars would be a significant threat to the safety of people on the ground.

There will be zillions of these things flying all over the place and, inevitably, somebodys not going to service their car properly and theyre going to drop a hubcap and its going to guillotine somebody, Musk told a crowd at the LEo Baeck Temple synagogue in LA, at an event to discuss his proposal for eliminating traffic: Tunnels.

A model of Uber's electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle concept (eVTOL) flying taxi is displayed at the second annual Uber Elevate Summit, on May 8, 2018 at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles, California. Uber introduced it's electric powered 'flying taxi' vertical take-off and landing concept aircraft at the event, which showcases prototypes for UberAir's fleet of airborne taxis. (Getty Images)

Uber's new Advanced Technologies Centre in Paris hopes to prove Musk wrong, with a 20 million investment over five years being used to also develop smart grids used to improve the safety of autonomous vehicles both on the ground and in the air.Its tough to be a woman in Ireland.

Tomorrow Irish voters will go to the polls to decide the fate of their constitutions eighth amendment, which gives pregnant women and foetuses the same rights, creating an extra barrier to the legalisation of abortion in the country.

That vote will happen against the backdrop of the CervicalCheck scandal, in which terminally ill women and the families of women who have already died have discovered that Irelands Health Service Executive, the national healthcare provider, received and then concealed inaccurate medical records and screening histories, depriving these women of much-needed care.

As one satirical news site, referencing a television show that portrays a dystopian future in which women are stripped of all power, put it: Women of Ireland to Watch The Handmaids Tale to Escape Grim Reality.

The referendum and the health scandals highlight the ways that the female body, much more so than the male, remains both a mystery and a nuisance, subject to the intervention of state and society.

Within these debates, womens bodies appear to present authorities  mostly male  with issues they struggle to comprehend. More than that, they underscore how much the female body itself continues to be seen as a problem to be solved.

These beliefs about womens bodies are embedded deep within the institutional and intellectual history of medicine. Since the time of Hippocrates (around 400BC), Western medical knowledge has been created by men and has been used to advance assumptions about male superiority and female inferiority.

Those gendered beliefs are most clearly evident in the humoral system, an idea that Hippocratess son-in-law Polybus originated in the fourth century BC.

The humoral system contended that the humours  black bile, yellow bile, phlegm and blood  needed to exist in equilibrium lest they trigger illness and malaise in both body and mind. The popular remedy of bleeding allowed the medical practitioner to, theoretically, restore balance (though in a risky fashion).

But not all bodies were considered equal. Men and women were classified as possessing different measures of each humour, corresponding to their physical and emotional characteristics. Men were hot and dry  which explained why men went bald; heat left through their heads  and women possessed the less positive attributes of cold and wet.

A mural in Dublin calls for the repeal of the eighth amendment to Irelands constitution ahead of the referendum (Alamy)

Imbalances in the female humours  like excesses of black bile, or melan chole  were considered more dangerous, bringing on malaise or depression much more quickly and acutely than in the male.

The humoral system gave credence to the belief that the female body was less ordered, making women inherently more passive than men. While the humoral system fell out of favour in the 19th century, the language that now surrounds the hormonal behaviour of men and women suggests that the long-held prejudices embedded in it have lingered on.

Taboos about menstruation, stereotypes about mom-brain and the portrayal of testosterone as an active, go get em hormone align with gendered categories of human physiology and psychology that date back to Aristotle.

Up until the 18th century, investigating the human body remained a highly restricted business. Anatomists were suspected of being grave robbers and accused of tampering with and indeed of questioning Gods creation.

Religious authorities limited scientific advancement, which in part explained why the work of Galen, a second century physician, remained the cornerstone of anatomical knowledge well into the 17th century.

In the 16th century, anatomists such as Andreas Vesalius defiantly challenged those traditional restrictions and began to publish their findings, presenting new anatomical models based upon the dissection of human cadavers.

This gave much greater nuance and accuracy in comparison with the long-held Galenic beliefs that had been based upon the dissection of primates.

But despite this new knowledge, the distinctions between male and female bodies were hard to revise. It was particularly hard to shake the belief that the female body was simply an imperfect version of the male body.

The female body even thwarted investigation: after all, while the male reproductive organs were outside the body, the female organs remained hidden away inside.

Viewing the ovaries as testicles and the vagina as an inverted penis formed part of the overall picture of women as incomplete men.

The 16th century story of Marie Germain (reported most notably by Michel de Montaigne) played on these beliefs: running after her flock, this shepherdess purportedly jumped too vigorously and thus expelled her reproductive organs, instantaneously changing sex.

This idea that the female body was a topsy-turvy version of the male is expressed memorably in the concept of the wandering womb. According to this belief, traced back to Hippocrates, female maladies were caused by the uterus literally moving around the body, causing chaos wherever it went.

Plato described the empty womb as furiously angry; it wanders everywhere throughout the body.

London Irish abortion rights campaigners take part in the parade in March (Alamy)

The cure was quite simple: put it to use, and as often as possible. As much as pregnancy and childbirth posed real risks to a womans health, medical authorities as late as the 19th century believed an empty womb created even more danger for a fertile woman.

This link between the womb and mental and physical instability was surprisingly durable: indeed, the idea of the wandering womb was still doing the rounds when Sigmund Freud first published his theories on female hysteria in the mid-1890s.

Medicine may have advanced since the 19th century, but traditional prejudices remain embedded in health practices and health policies today.

These assumptions have serious consequences: scientists are less likely to research diseases that primarily affect women, and physicians are less likely to take the complaints of female patients seriously.

Studies have shown that physicians dismiss females pain (as well as more serious symptoms) more readily than males, and yet authorities view the female body as a problem to be solved with invasive policies. As a result, women tend to receive worse care and experience worse outcomes.

The CervicalCheck scandal in Ireland underscores the persistence of these trends. The optics are hard to ignore: three men heading government and health authorities (backed by their respective powerful institutions) faced off against several women, private individuals who have had to fight for their right to speak publicly.

Those womens voices have helped bring the scandal to light. Last month, mother-of-two Vicky Phelan, terminally ill with cervical cancer, stood on the steps of the Four Courts and outlined her discovery that the Health Service Executive had concealed shortcomings in her cervical screening history.

An audit of Phelans results and that of hundreds of others revealed that not only had their slides been misread, but the discovery of this oversight had been kept from them.

Phelan refused to sign a confidentiality clause as part of her 2.5m (2.2m) settlement, thus paving the way for hundreds of others to discover the truth about their own files. Tragically 18 of those affected had already died, but their medical records had also been kept from their families.

The distinct gendered picture painted by the CervicalCheck scandal is echoed in the referendum debates, which have been notable for the difficult balance broadcasters have tried to maintain.

The debate has been dominated by mens voices, in part because of the enduring inequalities in the medical profession.

When it comes to evaluating, diagnosing and treating women for serious illnesses, the female patient is still often treated by a male expert.

And this is a serious issue with potentially fatal consequences. So long as womens bodies are treated as problems to be solved  and as problems too inscrutable to solve  women will continue to receive substandard care and to be governed by laws that limit their access to the full spectrum of medical options.

 The Washington PostTaxes will almost certainly have to rise over the coming years simply to prevent the National Health Service and social care system from slipping further into crisis, a major new report concludes.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Health Foundation state that the NHS, which has been suffering the most severe fiscal squeeze since its foundation over the past eight years, now requires an urgent increase in government spending in order to cope with an influx of older and sicker patients.

Funding the projected increases in health spending through the tax system would need taxes to rise by between 1.6 and 2.6% of GDP - the equivalent of between 1,200 and 2,000 per household, the experts said.

The two organisations say that state funding growth rate, which has been just 1.4 per cent a year since 2010, will have to more than double to between 3.3 per cent and 4 per cent over the next 15 years if government pledges, such as bringing down waiting times and increasing the provision of mental health services, are to stand any chance of being delivered.

They also say that to finance this increase the government would almost certainly need to increase taxes.

If we are to have a health and social care system which meets our needs and aspirations, we will have to pay a lot more for it over the next 15 years. This time we wont be able to rely on cutting spending elsewhere  we will have to pay more in tax, said the IFSs director Paul Johnson.

The report adds that it is hard to see how this permanent rise in health spending  which would represent 2 to 3 per cent of GDP by the mid-2030s  would be possible without increasing one of the governments major sources of revenue such as income tax, national insurance or VAT.

The finding comes amid evidence of huge strain on the service and a recent promise by Theresa May to bring forward a longer-term funding regime for the NHS.

There has also been growing speculation that Chancellor Philip Hammond is planning to announce a hike in taxes specifically to increase resources for the health service, perhaps along the lines of Gordon Browns National Insurance hike in 2002.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 10 October 2021 A young girl is helped by a Border Force officer as a group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, following a small boat incident in the Channel. PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2021 People walk past a life-size sculpture of British singer John Lennon entitled "Imagine", by sculptor Lawrence Holofcener, displayed to mark what would have been the 81st birthday for the former member of the Beatles in Carnaby Street Reuters UK news in pictures 8 October 2021 WW II veteran, 96-year-old Lorna Cockayne, who served in the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS), popularly and officially known as the Wrens, as a Bletchley Park codebreaker, poses for a photograph with the Legion d'honneur after receiving it during a ceremony at the Pear at Parley in Ferndown, Bournemouth PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2021 British comedian Jo Brand poses with cut-out silhouettes representing women outside the Metropolitan Police headquarters New Scotland Yard, to highlight violence against women by male police officers or former police officers AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 6 October 2021 A protester, wearing a mask of Johnson, holds a sign reading Question it all on the final day of the Tory conference Getty UK news in pictures 5 October 2021 Members of Insulate Britain outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, before a hearing over the injunction banning the environmental activists from blocking the M25 PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2021 A delegate passes a street cleaner on the second day of the annual Conservative Party Conference being held at the Manchester Central convention centre AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2021 Margaret Thatcher-themed mugs for sale at the annual Conservative Party conference in Manchester EPA UK news in pictures 2 October 2021 A couple make their way through a flooded underpass in Bristol as a yellow weather warning for rain and wind is issued for parts of the UK Tom Wren/SWNS UK news in pictures 1 October 2021 A driver talks to members of the media after passing his HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) driving test at National Driving Centre in Croydon, south London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 30 September 2021 The centrepiece One Thousand Springs by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota is seen ahead of the beginning of the Japan Festival, a celebration of the countrys plants, art and culture running from 2-31 October, at Kew Gardens in London PA 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

The Conservatives dropped their pledge not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT at last years general election. And Labour promised an extra 11.8bn for the NHS a year by 2020-21, funded by higher income taxes on the top 5 per centof earners.

A recent British Social Attitudes poll suggested majority support for tax increases to generate more funding for the NHS.

As it imposed severe cuts on almost every area of government spending in 2010, the coalition government ensured that the NHS budget was broadly flat in real terms. That policy has been followed by the Conservatives since 2015.

But the increases in resources were not enough to keep up with surging demand, and a 10 per cent cut in state funding for social care has exerted further pressure on the NHS.

The IFS/Health Foundation report, which was commissioned by the NHS Confederation (which represents most of the NHSs providers and commissioners) was an innovative bottom up analysis of pressures on health spending.

Anita Charlesworth, director of research at the Health Foundation, said that the big drivers of rising health costs in her model were an ageing UK population increasingly suffering from chronic health problems. Higher pay for NHS staff and the development of new drugs were also important contributors.

 Jeremy Corbyn attacks Theresa May over NHS staff shortages, cuts and privatisation

The population aged over 65 is expected to increase by 4.4 million over the next 15 years, with the over 85 population increasing by 1.3 million.

The signs of strain in the health services have been multiplying in recent months. Accident and emergency waiting time performance hit a new record low this winter, with just 85 per cent of patients seen within four hours.

And the National Audit Office recently warned that local councils are on the verge of financial breaking point due to government cuts, while demand for adult social care has risen.

A chronic shortage of care home places has created large knock-on problems on the NHS as elderly and frail in-patients cannot be discharged on time because they have nowhere suitable to go.

Public spending on health in 2016-17 was 149.2bn, around 7 per cent of GDP. The report estimates that to keep pace with demand this will need to increase to 249bn in todays money by 2033-34, or 8.9 per cent of GDP.

It says social care spending would need to increase from 1 per cent of GDP to 1.5 per cent over that period.

But the report also stresses that countries such as Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands already roughly devote this share of national income to health and elderly social care

The NHS was founded in 1948 and will mark its 70th birthday on 5 July.Sainsburys says it is boosting pay for more than 120,000 employees, raising hourly rates from 8 to 9.20, under new contracts but it has come under fire from MPs and staff who say thousands will be left out of pocket due to the changes.

The company says its workers will receive an average 9.3 per cent pay rise as part of a 110m investment in the group, following a consultation with staff.

Sainsburys retail and operations director Simon Roberts said: I believe this is the right thing to do and am proud to be offering such a significant pay boost to over 120,000 store colleagues across the country.

The changes we are introducing from September will make pay and contracts fair and consistent for all of our colleagues, in every store, regardless of age or length of service. 

However, the contract changes that will introduce the new pay rates also mean staff will no longer be paid for breaks. The new deal will also get rid of a discretionary bonus scheme previously available for hourly paid workers, and premium pay rates for night shift work will be restricted to between midnight and 5am.

One Sainsburys worker told The Independent that many staff felt they were being given an ultimatum over the contracts, and because many of those affected are older workers, there are concerns about their ability to find new jobs.

The supermarket is also reducing the number of contract types it offers, moving from 22 specific roles, to five broader contracts.

The Sainsburys staff member said: Its a dogsbody contract  instead of being on different contracts well be on one general contract. So theyll be able to ask us to do whatever they want.

Siobhain McDonagh, MP for Mitcham and Morden, has been campaigning on behalf of a group of around 9,000 workers, who she says will actually lose money under the new rules.

Earlier this week, a letter written by Ms McDonagh and signed by more than 100 MPs was sent to the prime minister, asking her to take action.

We are disappointed that 9,000 members of the most loyal staff are going to receive a pay cut, she told The Independent on Thursday.

We suspect that a lot of them are older and have probably given years of service.

They shouldnt be hit because they are loyal and hard working and work the unpopular hours.

Ms McDonagh added: How can a company that made pre-tax profit of 589m last year, with a CEO that receives 930,000 before bonuses, think it is right to force a pay cut on thousands of their most long-standing and loyal members of staff? Its not right and its not British to ask people to work well for less.

Sainsburys has said it will give top-up payments for up to 18 months in order to ensure that no workers take a pay cut. After the 18-month period, the company will conduct another pay review.

A spokesperson for the supermarket said: If you look at the retail environment its tough out there, as weve seen in the announcement from M&S this week [the retailer revealed plans to close 100 stores], whereas what we are doing is offering a significant pay rise and we are disappointed that its being misrepresented in this way.

Sainsburys also attempted to quell the backlash on Thursday by saying talks with staff were finished, and it would invest an extra 10m in its proposed pay rates.

Following chief executive Mike Coupes pledge that no jobs would be lost as a result of the proposed merger with Asda, Ms McDonagh said she hoped regulators would seek that assurance in writing.

We already have experience of companies like Kraft making commitments that, when the inks dry on the deal, they forget, she added.Spotify has agreed to a $112m (84m) settlement deal in a class action case over allegations that songwriters were not paid enough royalties for their work.

The music streaming service has been working to get the settlement approved since it was agreed in May last year, following combined lawsuits from songwriter Melissa Ferrick and musician David Lowery.

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As part of the deal, it will pay out 43.5m in cash, with the rest going towards the existing payment of royalties, The Hollywood Reporter reported.

Spotify declined to comment.

The company is also facing a $1.6bn lawsuit from music publishing company Wixen, which alleges Spotify used thousands of songs, including those of Tom Petty, Neil Young and The Doors, without a license and without paying the publisher.

Spotify failed to get a direct or a compulsory license from Wixen that would allow it to reproduce and distribute the songs, Wixen said in the lawsuit, filed in a California federal court.

Wixen also alleged that Spotify outsourced its work to a third party, licensing and royalty services provider the Harry Fox Agency, which was ill-equipped to obtain all the necessary mechanical licenses.

Spotify listed on the New York Stock Exchange earlier this year with an impressive valuation of $29.5bn. The flotation was notable because rather than opting for an initial public offering, as most companies do when they go public, the firm engaged in whats known as a direct offering. This meant shares were sold directly to investors, with no bank underwriting the float.

At the time, Spotify founder Daniel Ek said: Normally, companies spend their day doing interviews on the trading floor touting why their stock is a good investment. Normally, companies dont pursue a direct listing.

While I appreciate that this path makes sense for most, Spotify has never been a normal kind of company.

Since the initial listing, Spotify shares have struggled, and the stock was dented last week when Google announced it was finalising plans to launch a YouTube streaming service.If you were to see certain New Guinea skinks lose their tails, youd notice that their blood isnt the usual red colour were used to but rather a virulent shade of green. Whats even more bizarre is that the substance thats responsible for the green colour of the lizards blood (and bones, tongues, muscles and mucous membranes) would be toxic in other animals if they carried it in such large amounts.

Exactly why these skinks are filled with this toxic substance and why it doesnt kill them is something of a mystery. But new research published in Science Advances makes an important step towards answering these questions.

Whereas the red colour of most animals blood comes from the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood cells called haemoglobin, the green colour in the New Guinea skink blood comes from a kind of bile pigment called biliverdin. It is formed as red blood cells break down and is held in the plasma, the liquid that makes up most of the blood. In large quantities, it masks the red colour of haemoglobin completely.

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Humans and other animals produce biliverdin too, but we excrete it into the intestine where it is eliminated from the body before it builds up to toxic levels. In humans, biliverdin causes jaundice at concentrations 40 times lower than found in the green-blooded skinks, who apparently suffer no ill-effects.

We dont know how the lizards are able to withstand so much biliverdin in their system. In some fish with green blood, biliverdin is tightly bound to a carrier protein which inactivates it and prevents its elimination from the body.

Scientists have put forward several reasons why it might be beneficial to have so much biliverdin in the body, including making them taste bad to predators, or as an extreme form of camouflage. But most of these ideas are not convincing when applied to the New Guinea skinks. For example, feeding trials using native New Guinea birds and snakes have suggested that they are actually perfectly edible even with the biliverdin.

Biliverdin turns the lizards bones, tongues and muscles green too (Christopher Austin)

A more plausible explanation is that it may help to control the proliferation of blood parasites such as malaria, which are prevalent and debilitating in lizards. More recent experimental work on other animals has suggested that bile pigments, including biliverdin, may act as antioxidants. These protect the body from damaging molecules known as free radicals and have an important anti-inflammatory effect.

Another way to get an insight into why this feature evolved is to compare the green-blooded animals to close relatives with red blood. This is a challenge as skinks are among the most diverse families of lizards  and these particular skinks come from a relatively understudied set of animals in a remote part of the world.

In fact, it wasnt even known for certain whether all five species of green-blooded skinks, which had been placed in the same genus Prasinohaema (Greek for green blood), really were each others closest relatives. Their green blood seems to be the only characteristic that they share. If they are all closely related, then the evolution of green blood would have been a single unique event. This would make it difficult to choose among multiple possible causes and to know how applicable they were to other organisms with green blood.

Repeated evolution

The new research from scientists at Louisiana State University shows definitively that these lizards are not a closely related group. To do this, the researchers built a highly robust evolutionary tree of more than 50 species of Australasian skinks using thousands of genetic markers shared by the lizards. This revealed that their unusual characteristic has evolved at least four times independently, and all the related species with normal blood that share a common ancestor with green-blooded species are also found only in New Guinea.

To fully understand how the green-blooded lizards evolved this bizarre condition, we would need more in-depth studies of the specific gene mutations responsible. But now that we know that it has evolved repeatedly it gives scientists more power to disentangle the reasons why. Whats more, it suggests that there is indeed an underlying adaptive advantage for the retention of high levels of biliverdin, as it would be extremely unlikely for such an unusual condition to evolve multiple times by chance.

This conclusion is exciting, partly because it reveals how little we still know of the astonishing diversity of life and its peculiarities. But in addition, given that biliverdin seems to play an important role in some important human problems involving inflammation, including septic shock and wound healing, it suggests that understanding the role it plays in the blood of the skinks may have very direct benefits for us all.

Anita Malhotra is a senior lecturer in ecology and evolutionary genetics at Bangor University. This article first appeared on The Conversation (theconversation.com)A pair of teenage boys have been convicted for planning a Columbine-style massacre using bombs and guns at their Yorkshire school.

The defendants were just 14 when they mounted the plot in Northallerton, drawing up a hit list of targets including fellow students and teachers.

Prosecutors said the slightly older boy idolised Eric Harris, who massacred 13 victims with accomplice Dylan Klebold at Columbine High School in Colorado before turning a gun on himself.

Police uncovered a diary where he espoused far-right wing ideology and discussed his motivations for wanting to carry out an attack.

The first page read: If this is found I have committed one of the worst atrocities in British history or I killed myself.

Leeds Crown Court heard how the teenagers researched weapons online and downloaded a bomb-making manual, while the older boy attempted to gain access to a store of seven shotguns at his girlfriends house.

F***, I hate my school. I will obliterate it. I will kill everyone, he wrote in October. I have a plan, a great f***ing plan.

The diary said the boy would lay low in Catterick before murdering his ex-girlfriends parents and stealing her fathers guns, the court heard.

A page from one of the plotters' diaries (North East Counter Terrorism Unit)

Ill make some explosives then well find a way back to Northallerton and well begin our assault on that f****** school, it continued. I just want to kill every single one of you f***ers.

Everyone is filthy and deserve to be shot, including me. Ill play the role of god and decide who a let live and die. Humans are a vile species which needs to die out.

Officers later searching his hideout discovered a rucksack filled with screws, boards, and a flammable liquid that prosecutors said were components for an explosive device.

The plot surfaced when his younger accomplice told a schoolgirl that they were planning to carry out a shooting via Snapchat.

When she asked if he was joking, he responded: No. No one innocent will die. We promise.

The next day, he made what the prosecution described as clear and unvarnished confessions, firstly to a teacher, and then to police officers.

Giving evidence, the teacher said the boy claimed his targets were infecting the gene pool and that he and his friend were performing a service to society.

Police spoke to both plotters separately at home after the incident, when one confirmed that they planned to go into school with a firearm in order to get rid of those who had wronged them but the older boy denied everything.

Snapchat messages from the second defendant to a friend in September 2017 (North East Counter Terrorism Unit)

Prosecutors said North Yorkshire Police did not respond adequately to the threat until a specialist counter-terror team took over the investigation a month later.

Assistant chief constable Phil Cain said: We fully accept that standards of investigation and our initial responses, to some of the incidents, did not meet those standards that are expected of us and what we strive to deliver. These were unusual circumstances, and once the seriousness of the allegations were realised, we turned to the North East Counter Terrorism officers for their specialist assistance and support.

A senior officer has since reviewed the issues and addressed these with a number of officers and staff. We will continue to asses our policies and procedures to ensure our officers provide the best possible service to the public.

The older plotters girlfriend said he spoke of a plan to murder her parents and run away together, so that he could become a natural born killer.

The schoolgirl, who started dating the plotter in June 2017, claimed he described her as his Dylan Klebold and encouraged her to give him access to her father's shotguns.

A chat between the two boys on Instagram in September 2017 (North East Counter Terrorism Unit)

After her parents banned the pair from seeing each other, the teenager went to her house dressed like Eric Harris and wearing a t-shirt daubed with a threat to her parents.

He fled carrying a large knife that was later found with the word Love written on the blade.

The teenager, described as devious and primitive by the girl's mother, was cleared of one count of aggravated burglary but convicted of unlawful wounding after carving his name into his then-girlfriend's lower back.

The boys, now 15, were convicted of conspiracy to murder and will be sentenced in July.

They sat motionless alongside their tearful mothers as the verdicts were read out at Leeds Crown Court.

Both had denied conspiracy to murder, with the younger suspect claiming his friend was serious about the mass killing, whereas he was not, but the older one maintaining that no-one was serious about any of it.

Detective Superintendent Martin Snowden, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, called the case deeply unsettling.

A chat between the two boys discussing the plot (North East Counter Terrorism Unit)

These boys demonstrated a very real interest in violence and had both expressed a desire to act out their fascinations, he added. Disturbingly, they had gone beyond the fantasy and had begun to take very real steps towards making it a realitywere grateful that people were concerned enough to report the boys behaviour, a fuller picture of which ultimately led to their arrest.

DS Snowden warned that young people were vulnerable to external influences both in the real world and online and urged people to remain aware and report any concerning activity.

In a joint statement, North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire County Council said the local community had been deeply affected.

We want to reassure the school community and the wider public that the health and wellbeing of young people and their families will remain at the top of our agenda, they added. Safeguarding of children, young people and their families is a priority for all agencies."

Additional reporting by PAA potential shortage of workers after Brexit could be offset by using prisoners in trades including construction and agriculture, the justice secretary has said.

David Gauke said a feared skills gap should be seen as an opportunity by both inmates and employers.

Leaving the European Union is also likely to have an impact on the workforce in sectors such as catering, construction and agriculture, he added, as he outlined the Ministry of Justices new Education and Employment strategy.

By expanding the use of release on temporary licence (ROTL) for work, more prisoners will not only be able to get a foot through the door to sectors like these, but employers will be better able to fill short-term skills gaps whilst also developing potential permanent employees for the longer term. That in my eyes is a win-win.

Mr Gauke, who announced rehabilitation as one of his key priorities when taking his post in January, said the government was hiring vetted ex-offenders in the civil service and had stopped asking about criminal convictions upfront in the recruitment process.

He called for a cultural change in wider employment to help drive down reoffending that costs the UK economy 15bn a year.

Mr Gauke cited figures showing that only 17 per cent of ex-offenders are in PAYE work a year after coming out of jails and half of employers say they would even consider employing a former prisoner.

The justice secretary, who worked as a solicitor before entering politics, said that although prison should serve as punishment for criminals, it must also be a turning point in their lives.

Speaking at HMP Isis in the south east London borough of Greenwich, he added: The evidence is clear: if a prisoner gets a job after coming out of prison, they are less likely to commit more crime.

David Gauke said prisons should help offenders turn their lives around (Getty)

Ensuring ex-offenders come out of prison, not onto benefits but into work, reduces the financial burden on taxpayers and the welfare state.

A new organisation called the New Futures Network has been set up to generate job opportunities from local employers.

A former offender called Luke, who now works in construction for Keltbray, said it is easy to fall back into a life of crime if you are released with no prospects and nothing to lose.

After my training in prison Im self-sufficient, he added. I dont have to rely on anyone, I dont have to claim benefits, I can pay my own rent. Its a good feeling.

I think for someone who has been in my situation, theyve had a lot of time to reflect on where they want to go in life. People like us are committed to prove a point and work hard.

The MoJ said new research indicates that temporarily releasing prisoners to work was associated with small but significant reductions in re-offending rates.

UK prison conditions: in pictures Show all 8 1 /8 UK prison conditions: in pictures UK prison conditions: in pictures A cell covered in graffiti at HMP Liverpool. PA UK prison conditions: in pictures HMP Liverpool has some of the worst conditions inspectors have seen. HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA UK prison conditions: in pictures A broken window in a cell at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA Wire UK prison conditions: in pictures A shower unit with protruding electric cable at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA UK prison conditions: in pictures Litter at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA Wire UK prison conditions: in pictures A wall damaged by damp at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA UK prison conditions: in pictures A pool table at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA UK prison conditions: in pictures A sign for HMP Liverpool, where drones are seized at a rate of more than one a week. The prisons watchdog flagged up the impact of the remote-controlled flying devices at HMP Liverpool. PA

But the use of ROTL, which sees prisoners released for short periods following extensive risk assessments that normally come near the end of their sentence, has dropped by more than a third over four years.

In the same period, assaults and self-harm in prisons have rocketed amid riots over poor conditions and drug smuggling.

Campaigners have suggested prison officers feared using the ROTL scheme because of criticism over a small numbers of cases that go wrong.

The government emphasised that inmates taking part were thoroughly risk-assessed and failures in the scheme make up less than 0.1 per cent of the total.

Activities offered in many prisons have been reduced by understaffing, forcing officers to lock up inmates for up to 23 hours a day with no access to education or work.

Mr Gauke acknowledged that too many low-level qualifications that did not provide useful skills for either prisoners or employers were being offered.

The government is expanding a scheme offering suitable inmates a 12-month paid apprenticeship on release and handing governors full control over education in their prisons from next April.

The MoJ will also look at the role of the incentives and earned privileges system behind bars and further steps to increase the use of technology in cells and on wings for educational purposes.

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said Mr Gaukes suggestion would be hampered by prisons failure to get people out of their cells and into education and training.

Unless prisons can function like real-life places of work  ensuring that people are up and out in the morning, having had a shower and some breakfast, to arrive on time to do a full days work for a full days pay and pay tax  then what will happen is what has always happened: people might be able to get jobs on release, but they will struggle to keep them, she added.

The government has said prison officer numbers are at their highest in five years, with more than 3,000 new hires due to be at work by the summer and another 1,500 candidates to start training courses.

Peter Dawson, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said the new strategy was full of good intentions that could make a big difference to inmates families and communities.

But we have heard many of these promises before, he added. The government must take this opportunity to show it means business. It must deliver a National Insurance holiday for employers, not just consider it. It must get thousands more prisoners into workplace release on temporary licence, not just consult about it.

Richard Burgon MP, Labours shadow justice secretary, said: While prisoners are stuck in their cells for 23 hours a day due to severe understaffing, soaring violence and a prisons crisis driven by Tory cuts, then this is yet another prison policy that, sadly, looks set to fail.A mother held her three-year-old daughter tightly to squeeze the nightmare away as flames engulfed them in the Grenfell Tower fire, the public inquiry into the tragedy has heard.

The remains of Amal Ahmedin, 35, and her young daughter, Amaya Tuccu Ahmedin, were found next to each other in the 23rd-floor lobby.

The body of Ms Ahmedins husband, Mohamednur Tuccu, 44, was recovered from close to the nearby leisure centre after the blaze.

Amal Ahmedin and her three-year-old daughter, Amaya, died in the fire (Grenfell Tower Inquiry)

Winta Afewerki said her aunt Ms Ahmedin, who she called her sister, was the the most caring person who was not judgmental of anyone she met and would give the shirt off her back to help you.

The pair grew up sharing a room and when she had bad dreams, Ms Ahmedin would hold me so tight and squeeze out the nightmares, Ms Afewerki said.

She recalled that when Amaya was born, she would do the same for her. Thats how they were when they were burned alive  holding each other so tight and trying to squeeze the nightmare away, she told the inquiry.

Motherhood brought out a layer of her personality we were all in awe of, Ms Afewerki said. Her daughter was the love of her life.

She remembered the three-year old as smart and a bit cheeky. Amayas laugh was infectious  her whole body would shake and she would jump up and down, she said.

She told the hearing she had imagined the life ahead of Amaya and thought of her as her own child, adding: I will never accept that they are gone. I will continue planning Amayas life.

Another of Ms Ahmedins nieces, Feruza Afewerki, told the inquiry: Those we grew up with, who shared our fondest memories with, celebrated and mourned, have had their lives stolen from them while the whole of London watched.

It has been completely surreal and the most painful and devastating time of our lives.

She said Amaya loved music and would stop and dance in front of buskers in the street.

I miss our guitar jams and how she would love to sing [the soundtrack to the Disney film] Frozen at the top of her lungs, she said.

Ms Ahmedins cousin, artist and designer Amna Mahmun Idris, 27, who was visiting London and was found on the same floor, was remembered by her husband as the light of her family.

When I talk about Amna I feel the world stops. She was everything to me. I will never find anyone like Amna, he said.

Thursday is the fourth day of commemorative hearings at the 72 victims of the blaze held in the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in South Kensington in front of the inquirys chairman, Sir Martin Moore-Bick.

The inquiry heard from Mohammed Hakim, who after the blaze is the sole remaining member of his immediate family. He lost his father, mother, two brothers and a sister when the inferno reached their 17th floor flat.

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I am extremely proud of my family for remaining together in their last moments. he said in a calm and quiet voice.

He described his siblings, Mohammed Hamid, 27, Mohammed Hanif, 26, and Husna Begum 22, as soldiers for remaining with their elderly parents Kamru Miah, 79, and Rabeya Begum, 64, during the fire.

His gentle and kind father had suffered two strokes and had mobility problems, he said, He should not have been on the 17th floor  we had complained about this numerous times.

As loving children they chose to stay with their parents. I consider my family as nothing less than soldiers. They are the bravest among everyone I know.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 7 October 2021 British comedian Jo Brand poses with cut-out silhouettes representing women outside the Metropolitan Police headquarters New Scotland Yard, to highlight violence against women by male police officers or former police officers AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 6 October 2021 A protester, wearing a mask of Johnson, holds a sign reading Question it all on the final day of the Tory conference Getty UK news in pictures 5 October 2021 Members of Insulate Britain outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, before a hearing over the injunction banning the environmental activists from blocking the M25 PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2021 A delegate passes a street cleaner on the second day of the annual Conservative Party Conference being held at the Manchester Central convention centre AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2021 Margaret Thatcher-themed mugs for sale at the annual Conservative Party conference in Manchester EPA UK news in pictures 2 October 2021 A couple make their way through a flooded underpass in Bristol as a yellow weather warning for rain and wind is issued for parts of the UK Tom Wren/SWNS UK news in pictures 1 October 2021 A driver talks to members of the media after passing his HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) driving test at National Driving Centre in Croydon, south London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 30 September 2021 The centrepiece One Thousand Springs by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota is seen ahead of the beginning of the Japan Festival, a celebration of the countrys plants, art and culture running from 2-31 October, at Kew Gardens in London PA 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

The sister of a Sudanese refugee who died in the tower told the inquiry on Thursday her trust in Britain was destroyed by the fire.

Fathia Ali Ahmed Elsanosi, 73, was found on the 23rd floor alongside her children Abufars Ibrahim, 39, and Isra Ibrahim, 33.

The public inquiry into the tragedy was told that the mshe had fled persecution in Sudan and set up a new home in west London.

Her sister Hayat Elsanosi said in a statement read by a friend on Thursday afternoon: Fathia came to this country as a refugee seeking security and safety after her struggle with the regime in Sudan, where she and her children had been subjected to harassment.

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She felt safe here in London. Because of the way she died, this now feels like a illusion for us and definitely for her.

Our trust in this country has been destroyed. I cannot begin to describe my life without my sister, her death was a terrible shock for me and I find it very difficult to cope without her.

Ms Elsanosi said she had been seriously injured in a fire as a teenager, making the circumstances of her sisters death even harder to deal with.

The tributes are set to continue until Wednesday, before the inquiry moves to offices in Holborn, central London, where several procedural hearings have already taken place.Irish people from around the world are travelling back to their home country  sometimes journeying thousands of miles  to cast their vote in a referendum that could end the countrys ban on abortion.

In a show of unity echoing the movement that took off ahead of the 2015 vote that legalised same-sex marriage, the #HometoVote hashtag has been used more than 43,000 times as voters unite in making journeys to have their say in deciding whether or not to repeal Irelands eighth amendment.

The "Yes" campaign has rapidly picked up steam in recent years, spurred on by cases such as the death of Savita Halappanavar in 2012. If the eighth amendment is repealed, it will allow for the Irish government to legislate on abortion as they see fit, most likely permitting terminations up to 12 weeks.

People on both sides of the debate are travelling back to cast their ballot, but the movement has been spearheaded by the pro-choice movement, with many voters sharing photos of themselves in Repeal jumpers and paying tribute to women who have had to travel for terminations.

Laurvyn Canny, who travelled 5,169 miles from Los Angeles to Dublin, said she would be thinking of "every Irish woman who has had to travel to access healthcare that should be available in their own country", adding: "Let's do this, Ireland!

Aoife, a journalism graduate in her twenties who flew home for less than 24 hours in order to vote, said: Anyone I've said this to hasn't called me a muppet. Or insane. They're thanking me. This is the most important referendum we may ever face. Of course I was coming home.

Others making long journeys to cast their votes are Nora, who took the 12-hour trip from Sweden, Siobhan Gillroy, who took the long flight from Queensland to Dublin and Louise Barry, who travelled 30 hours from Bangkok to Dublin.

Along with the swathes of women taking to social media to say they were travelling home to #Repealthe8th, many Irish men living outside the country made the journey back to cast their vote.

Ciaran Gaffney, a European studies graduate based in Buenos Aires, boarded a 13-hour flight from Buenos Aires to London and then from London to Dublin on Wednesday.

No one at airport knows what my Repeal jumper means. No one here knows why I'm travelling, he wrote on Twitter. If this feels isolating for me, can't imagine how lonely it must be for her, travelling to the UK.

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After the flight the following day, he said he was humbled and relieved to meet four other Irish people on his flight making the same journey as him for the same reason.

Another male voter spent his birthday money on a flight home, according to his mother, Colette Kelleher, who tweeted: This poor student used his birthday money to buy plane ticket home.

Just messaged me 'We will get you to the Emerald City on Friday' He will vote yes with his Dad. For his sister, his Mum and the women of Ireland.

The two biggest parties in the country, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, are allowing members to take a free position on the issue, while Sinn Fein and Labour are officially backing a Yes vote.Katie Hopkins has succeeded with an Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) case against the Daily Mirror after it falsely suggested she was detained in South Africa for drug use, when she was actually held for spreading racial hatred.

The 47-year-old successfully complained that the newspapers headline used on social media, Katie Hopkins detained in South Africa after taking ketamine, was inaccurate.

The article itself reported that South African authorities confiscated Ms Hopkins passport after accusing her of spreading racial hatred. It said her dramatic week continued when she collapsed in a street after taking ketamine to treat a shoulder dislocation.

Ms Hopkins admitted the article itself was accurate, but the headline used to promote the item on social media was inaccurate and gave the impression she was stopped for using a drug which is often used illegally in the UK.

The Mirror ultimately changed its social media headline to read: Katie Hopkins banned from leaving South Africa for spreading racial hatred'.

It added a sub-headline within the story itself, which read: A previous version of this article suggested that Katie Hopkins was stopped from leaving South Africa because of the consumption of ketamine. We are happy to clarify that Ms Hopkins was detained for spreading racial hatred, which took place after the ketamine incident."

Ms Hopkins, a former Daily Mail columnist and LBC radio presenter, was not satisfied with the corrections, saying they would not correct the misleading impression given to the millions of people who had been misinformed by the original headline, according to Ipso.

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 watchdog upheld the complaint as a breach of Clause 1 (accuracy) of the Editors Code of Practice.

In response to the ruling, Ms Hopkins wrote on Twitter: Grateful thanks to The Hopkins Army for taking this to Ipso - and to the regulator for supporting alternative voices.

The Daily Mirror has been contacted for comment.Boris Johnson has been duped into discussing the UKs relationship with Russia with hoax callers pretending to be the Armenian prime minister.

An audio clip posted online by Russian pranksters, Lexus and Vovan, appears to show the foreign secretary talking about the UKs dealings with Vladimir Putin and the poisoning of the Skripals with the pair, who were pretending to be Nikol Pashinyan, the recently elected political leader.

The Foreign Office said Mr Johnson had ended the call when he realised it was a hoax and issued a stern statement condemning the childish actions of the duo.

Downing Street said an investigation was already underway into how the pranksters got through to the foreign secretary.

In the recording, Mr Johnson starts by congratulating the new prime minister on his election and promises support and advice to Armenia on balancing the demands of Russia and the West.

The pair then discuss Vladimir Putin and the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal earlier this year, with the man posing as Mr Pashinyan joking that he hoped the Russian president would not poison me with novichok.

His comments drew a chuckle from Mr Johnson, who admitted the UK obviously had hoped to have better relations ... than we currently do with Russia.

Mr Johnson said the UK was almost 100 per cent sure that the Kremlin was behind the attempted murder of the former spy and his daughter in Salisbury, and told the prankster that he would be happy to share information with them.

He said: I think it is very important for the Russians to know that the UK is absolutely determined to stand firm against them and we will continue to tighten the squeeze on some of the oligarchs that surround Putin.

Sanctions against oligarchs have been extremely useful, Mr Johnson said, adding: You throw a stone in Kensington and you hit an oligarch. But some of them are close to Putin and some of them arent.

The hoax caller also told Mr Johnson, I like your poetry, after the foreign secretary won a prize for a rude limerick about Turkeys President Erdogan.

The foreign secretary seemed to become uncomfortable when the prankster claimed the Kremlin was directly influencing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Johnson said: Im sure our intelligence will be listening on this line and they will draw the relevant conclusions Im sure.

Thank you very much for that interesting titbit of information.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 10 October 2021 A young girl is helped by a Border Force officer as a group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, following a small boat incident in the Channel. PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2021 People walk past a life-size sculpture of British singer John Lennon entitled "Imagine", by sculptor Lawrence Holofcener, displayed to mark what would have been the 81st birthday for the former member of the Beatles in Carnaby Street Reuters UK news in pictures 8 October 2021 WW II veteran, 96-year-old Lorna Cockayne, who served in the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS), popularly and officially known as the Wrens, as a Bletchley Park codebreaker, poses for a photograph with the Legion d'honneur after receiving it during a ceremony at the Pear at Parley in Ferndown, Bournemouth PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2021 British comedian Jo Brand poses with cut-out silhouettes representing women outside the Metropolitan Police headquarters New Scotland Yard, to highlight violence against women by male police officers or former police officers AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 6 October 2021 A protester, wearing a mask of Johnson, holds a sign reading Question it all on the final day of the Tory conference Getty UK news in pictures 5 October 2021 Members of Insulate Britain outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, before a hearing over the injunction banning the environmental activists from blocking the M25 PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2021 A delegate passes a street cleaner on the second day of the annual Conservative Party Conference being held at the Manchester Central convention centre AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2021 Margaret Thatcher-themed mugs for sale at the annual Conservative Party conference in Manchester EPA UK news in pictures 2 October 2021 A couple make their way through a flooded underpass in Bristol as a yellow weather warning for rain and wind is issued for parts of the UK Tom Wren/SWNS UK news in pictures 1 October 2021 A driver talks to members of the media after passing his HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) driving test at National Driving Centre in Croydon, south London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 30 September 2021 The centrepiece One Thousand Springs by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota is seen ahead of the beginning of the Japan Festival, a celebration of the countrys plants, art and culture running from 2-31 October, at Kew Gardens in London PA 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

The incident comes amid worsening relations between the UK and Moscow, after the attempted murder of the Skripals prompted a global wave of sanctions from Britains allies.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: The foreign secretary realised it was a hoax, and ended the call. We checked it out and knew immediately it was a prank call.

The use of chemical weapons in Salisbury and Syria, and recent events in Armenia are serious matters. These childish actions show the lack of seriousness of the caller and those behind him.Brexit negotiations have begun to dramatically sour after months of deadlock, with exasperated EU officials tearing into Britains fantasy negotiating strategy and warning that Theresa Mays latest customs plan would ruin any chance of progress.

This weeks latest meetings are understood to have produced no progress on the core issues of the Northern Ireland border and customs, with last years business-like start to discussions having given way to bitter behind-the-scenes briefings.

One senior EU official said the UK still lacked negotiating positions on a wide variety of issues and that in others it was chasing the fantasy of denying the consequences of Brexit in a given policy area  while a UK government source accused Brussels of trying to insult the British negotiating team.

Recommended Theresa May set to request new transition period delaying full Brexit

Another Brussels official close to talks told The Independent they had been warned internally that there would probably be no progress by the June meeting of the European Council  which would throw off the timetable and raise the risk of a disastrous no deal.

News that Theresa May wants to align the whole UK with the customs union and single market on a time-limited basis until 2023 as a backstop to solve the Irish border issue was particularly poorly received in Brussels.

The Prime Minister is due to actually announce the new policy in the comings weeks, but people familiar with the talks confirmed it had already been raised by UK negotiators. The European Commissions negotiators have already rejected the plan before its public announcement, as first revealed by The Independent earlier this week.

The regulatory alignment option is not available on the all-UK basis because it would amount to selective participation on the single market, the senior EU official said, adding that the backstop cannot be time limited.

It is incumbent on the UK to take the responsibility for its own decision Senior EU official

A backstop that would be strictly time limited would defeat the purpose of a backstop, they said, before making clear that the Prime Ministers plan for a UK-wide backstop would have to be withdrawn if progress is to be made at the June European summit.

As well as the main issues of customs and the Irish border, side issues like the European arrest warrant and the Galileo satellite system have made little progress since March too. EU negotiators complain that the British side do not understand that Britain will not be able to use the European arrest warrant after Brexit, with Theresa May again having pledged to stay in the system just three months ago.

There are member states that simply cannot extradite their own nationals to a non-member of the EU. This is a constraint that unfortunately will apply once the UK is outside, the senior official said.

The European arrest warrant is simply not available. I dont think you can expect member states to change their constitutions in order to continue extraditing their nationals to the UK.

These are not bureaucratic issues. We are talking here about the lives and liberty of citizens. This is not something that can easily be done.

Brussels says the best the UK can hope for is to conclude a separate extradition treaty with the EU, as well as bilateral agreements on procedures like intelligence sharing.

The row over Galileo has also been the subject of briefing and counter-briefing by the two sides. British sources briefed newspapers this week that they would demand the UKs 1bn investment in the project back if British companies were locked out of the project. But EU sources disputed whether this stand had actually been made, describing the claim as spin.

The EU says British demands to retain the same access to Galileo as a member state are unreasonable. Though officials say Britain could potentially still use the system, they do not want to give British defence firms the right to build or run parts of it because they say that would effectively give the UK, a third country, the power to turn off the EU system for member states.

Officials also pointed out that the UK itself had signed off the security rules restricting non-EU countries from running parts of system, as one of the 28 European Council members, before it knew it was going to leave.

David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, who is travelling to Europe to drum up support for the UK to keep access to the satellite system, said: Today we set out more detail on how we think the UK, as a third country, can continue to cooperate with the EU on security and keep our people safe and prosperous. As I travel around member states I hear how much our partners value the UK commitment to the EUs security.

A relationship based solely on existing third country precedents, as some seem to be suggesting, would lead to a substantial and avoidable reduction in our shared security capability. Our citizens depend on this, lets not let them down.

The senior EU official said they shared the UKs concerns but that this is a consequence on the UK position and it is incumbent on the UK to take the responsibility for its own decision.

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

Brussels has also dismissed the UKs entire philosophy towards the future trade relationship, which the UK wants to be on the basis of the mutual recognition of standards. Officials say mutual recognition is not possible outside the single market, because it would amount to asking the EU to trust the UK more, with less guarantees, than they trust each other.

Michel Barnier, the EUs chief negotiator, has said Theresa Mays red lines mean Britain can only get a free trade agreement similar to the ones the EU has with Canada and South Korea, but the UK said today that this shallow level of cooperation was inconsistent with our ambition, which would require a more formal and deeper institutional structure.

A UK Government source said: This is their public negotiating position, nothing more, nothing less. We presented 7 papers this week, in the interests of resolving difficult issues in the interests of both sides, so the claim we arent providing enough detail is laughable.

The risk is that if they follow down this track, putting conditions on our unconditional offers and trying to insult us, the EU will end up with a relationship with its third biggest economy and largest security partner that lets down millions of citizens in the EU and UK. Close Boris Johnson gets duped by Russian pranksters

Downing Street has launched an investigation into how Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, spent 18 minutes speaking on the phone to two Russian pranksters pretending to be the Armenian prime minister.

Earlier in the day, the Commons' Brexit committee warned that the UK remaining in the customs union well into the next decade is likely to be the "only viable option".

The commitee's report was endorsed by all committee members, including prominent Brexiteers such as Jacob Rees-Mogg.

It comes as Jeremy Corbyn warned that Tory 'fantasists' risk undermining peace in Northern Ireland.

Delivering a speech in Belfast, the Labour leader said the Conservatives' "reckless" approach to Brexit "risks undermining and destabilising the cooperation and relative harmony of recent years".

The speech took place amid controversy over Mr Corbyn's renewed calls for a united Ireland.

Elsewhere, the UK and the EU were again at loggerheads - this time over Brussels' plan to exclude Britain from the Galileo satellite project.

As it happened...Theresa May is set to ask the European Union for an extra transition period that would see full Brexit delayed until around seven years after the vote to Leave.

Under the plans, briefed by government officials to The Times newspaper, the whole of the United Kingdom would stay aligned with EU regulations and customs procedures until 2023 to help avoid a hard border in Ireland. It comes on top of a two-year transition period from 2019 to the start of 2021 which has already been agreed.

The latest plan for a longer transition is intended as a replacement for the border backstop agreed by negotiators in December under which the UK would maintain full alignment with the single market if no other solution could be found, to remove the need for border checks.

Despite having been agreed in theory, that earlier policy now faces opposition from both the DUP and Brexiteers in the Cabinet  but for different reasons, and the UK Government now says it is unacceptable and will come up with new proposals.

The new plan, expected to be unveiled by the Government in early June, is extremely unlikely to be looked on favourably by Brussels  which says the backstop cannot be time-limited and must apply only to Northern Ireland.

The old backstop agreed in December originally looked like a done deal, but is now being interpreted in such different ways by the EU and UK that it is again a major barrier to concluding a withdrawal agreement.

Whatever backstop is agreed, it now looks increasingly likely to come into play on the Northern Ireland border  with no other solution to the customs conundrum on the horizon.

If it is necessary, it will be in a very limited set of circumstances for a limited time. Theresa May commenting on the Northern Ireland backstop earlier this week

If agreed, the new plan would effectively extend the Brexit process to at least seven years. Sir Ivan Rogers, the UKs old ambassador to the EU, was criticised after he advised ministers in 2016 that leaving the EU would take around 10 years. He stepped down from his post shortly after.

The EU says under the December agreement just Northern Ireland would stay in full alignment with the single market and customs union to prevent a hard border, while UK negotiators say they actually agreed that the whole UK would do so. The relevant text is somewhat ambiguous as to what was agreed.

EU officials do not want the backstop to apply to the whole UK because it would give Britain access to the single market without having to uphold the so-called four freedom or submitting to the European Court of Justice. The UK says it cannot accept the backstop only applying to NI because that would create a potential customs border between Great Britain and NI  which the DUP oppose. Theresa May has relied on the DUP for her majority in the House of Commons since she called an election and lost seats last year.

The time-limiting element has now been introduced by the UK because Cabinet Brexiteers like Boris Johnson fear that an indefinite backstop could be a backdoor way of keeping the UK aligned with the EU in perpetuity. Ministers have publicly confirmed that a time-limited backstop is on the way.

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 Independent reported earlier this week that Commission officials were completely opposed to any time-limiting of the backstop. They say commitments already made by British negotiators in December  that the backstop would apply unless and until another solution is found  rule out a time-limit.

The UKs transition is designed to give officials more time to come up with another solution to solve the border  but means there would be yet another cliff-edge.

A Government spokesperson did not deny the reports of the plan, only telling The Independent: We're not going to be drawn on speculation  the PM has said we will bring forward our plans on the backstop shortly.Jeremy Corbyn has restated his support for the reunification of Northern Ireland and the Republic as he headed to Belfast for his first official visit.

The Labour leaders spokesman said he believes most people across the island want the countries brought back together, adding that any change must happen through consent and that Mr Corbyn is committed to the Good Friday Agreement.

But the comments will raise eyebrows across the Irish Sea, where the Labour leader gave a speech on Thursday morning setting out his approach to post-Brexit customs and the Irish border.

Recommended Minister admits she has not read all of Good Friday Agreement

It also comes as Labour is at odds with its Northern Irish sister party, the SDLP, which has warned that Mr Corbyns current approach to Brexit will not prevent a hard border being redrawn with the Republic.

Mr Corbyn is a prominent and long-time supporter of the unification of Ireland and his views have sometimes placed him at odds with official party policy.

Pressed on Mr Corbyns opinions on reunification, his official spokesman said: Over the years he has made his position clear that the majority of those people across the whole island of Ireland wanted to see that outcome, a united Ireland.

But in the context of the Good Friday Agreement that can only come about through that constitutional process that is laid down in the agreement and Jeremy fully supports that.

 House of Lords vote out proposal for 'checks and controls' at Irish border after Brexit

Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, a united Ireland will only occur with the majority consent of people in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

In 1984, a decade before the first IRA ceasefire, Mr Corbyn met with Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams in London and, a year later, he opposed the Anglo-Irish Agreement saying it strengthened rather than weakened the border.

Mr Corbyns spokesman said that during his visit to Belfast he would seek to engage with all communities and people across Northern Ireland on both the peace process and Brexit.

Asked later about the possibility of a border poll on Irish unity, Mr Corbyn sought to clarify his position, saying: That will be a decision that could be made within the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. And if that is the wish, then clearly such a poll would happen. Im not asking for it, Im not advocating it.

What Im asking for is a return to the fullness of the Good Friday Agreement which would open up the opportunities and possibilities for the future of Ireland as a whole. That is the point of the Good Friday Agreement, not direct rule, not imposition of a political view from Westminster, but devolution of powers to Stormont here, and of course, the relationship with the Republic. And its quite clear that its there for a poll on both sides of the border, should that be something that is demanded.

Following his initial comments, Downing Street was quick to highlight that Theresa May has been absolutely clear about her commitment to the Union on a number of occasions.

In his speech at Queens University Belfast, marking 20 years since the referendums that endorsed the Good Friday Agreement, Mr Corbyn called for the revival of power sharing at Stormont.

To help end the deadlock, Mr Corbyn called on the UK government to reconvene the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, which is provided for in the Good Friday Agreement.

 DUP MP Sammy Wilson threatens the party will pull support from Theresa May's government if she backs down over post-Brexit Irish border

He declared that Labour will not support any Brexit deal that includes a return to a hard border on this island.

The leader argued that Labours proposed new comprehensive UK-EU customs union, with a British say on future trade deals and arrangements, coupled with a new, strong relationship with the single market would prevent communities being divided.

But the SDLP has already written to all Labour MPs urging them to defy Mr Corbyns will and back a plan to stay in the single market, saying it is the only way to avoid a hard border.

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

Labours current position is that it respects the 2016 referendum, that Britains EU membership must end, that the country should remain outside the single market as it stands.

But Claire Hanna, the SDLP Brexit spokeswoman, wrote in a letter: It is important to note that customs union membership alone will not prevent [an Irish] border.

She wrote ahead of a vote in the Commons expected in the coming weeks on a plan to keep the UK in the European Economic Area, effectively meaning it would stay in the single market  which Mr Corbyn is refusing to back.

Ms Hanna added: [A hard border] will only be prevented if we retain full access and full alignment with the single market and customs union. No other solution is possible.

As a sister party of the Labour Party, the SDLP is urging Labour to use this opportunity to act in all of our interests by remaining in the EEA.Today marks 30 years since Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government introduced its highly controversial Section 28 legislation.

The clause, part of the Local Government Act 1988, banned the "promotion" of homosexuality by local authorities and in Britain's schools.

A successor to the Local Government Act 1986 (Amendment) Bill introduced by the Earl of Halsbury that had pushed the same agenda, the clause meant in practice that teachers were prohibited from discussing even the possibility of same-sex relationships with students.

Councils were meanwhile forbidden from stocking libraries with literature or films that contained gay or lesbian themes, forcing young people to look elsewhere for educational material, finding solace in novels like Jeanette Winterson's Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1985) and the positive examples set by the era's "out" or androgynous pop stars.

Thatcher's law was met with uproar from LGBT+ activists. Three lesbian protesters abseiled from the public gallery of the House of Lords to the chamber before being hustled away by attendants, a spectacular sight that made national news and helped draw attention to their cause. Their actions were commemorated last year when an unofficial blue plaque was placed at Parliament by a group calling themselves the Sexual Avengers.

Margaret Thatcher at the Conservative Party Conference, June 1987 (Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty)

Activists also stormed the BBC on 23 May 1988, handcuffing themselves to a TV camera and disrupting a broadcast of The Six O'Clock News presented by Sue Lawley and Nicholas Witchell.

In Manchester, more than 20,000 people marched against Section 28 while the actor Ian McKellen came out publicly for the first time in order to voice his opposition.

Ms Thatcher, responsible for the first new homophobic law to be introduced in a century, had voiced her opposition to gay rights at the 1987 Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool.

"Children who need to be taught to respect traditional moral values are being taught that they have an inalienable right to be gay," she said.

"All of those children are being cheated of a sound start in life. Yes, cheated."

She was emboldened to express her prejudice by a rise in homophobia exacerbated by the AIDS/HIV crisis and its hostile coverage in the right-wing tabloid press.

The Tories capitalised on this sentiment in that same year's election campaign, suggesting that Labour was intent on seeing pro-LGBT+ books taught in school, a powerful piece of rhetoric at a time when the 75 per cent of the population believed homosexuality was "always or mostly wrong", according to a contemporary British Social Attitudes survey.

Recommended Section 28 is mirrored in the talk we now hear about trans people

Section 28 marked a disturbing backwards step for tolerance and inclusivity after the strides made by the British LGBT+ movement since the decriminalisation of male homosexuality in 1967, a surge of progress that had seen activists forge alliances with Labour unions and the National Union of Mineworkers, as depicted in the film Pride (2014), and the election of Margaret Roff, Britain's first "out" lesbian mayor, in Manchester in 1985.

The pernicious influence of the clause unquestionably played a huge role in legitimising hate and reinforcing playground homophobia and bullying, demonising LGBT+ children and ensuring many stayed imprisoned in the closet for fear of social reprisals or disapproval.

The clause endured until it was repealed in Scotland on 21 June 2001 and in the rest of the UK on 18 November 2003.

Tory leader and later PM David Cameron apologised for Section 28 as a "mistake" on 1 July 2009.

Its timely passing arguably represented a watershed moment for LGBT+ rights in Britain and marked progress has since been made, a process facilitated by the emergence of Twitter as a platform for cultivating more sensitive attitudes towards questions of representation and diversity.

London Pride 2017 Show all 14 1 /14 London Pride 2017 London Pride 2017 Revellers in Trafalgar Square in front of the National Portrait gallery take part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London EPA London Pride 2017 A man wearing two hats attends the Pride in London Festival Getty London Pride 2017 Protesters demonstrate during the Pride in London Festival in London. This year's London Pride event marks 50 years since homosexuality was decriminalised in England and Wales under the 1967 Sexual Offences Getty London Pride 2017 The parade passes Nelson's Column as revellers take part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London, EPA London Pride 2017 Members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community take part in the annual Pride Parade in London on July 8 AFP London Pride 2017 Revelers enjoy the Pride London Parade in London. The Parade attracts an estimated crowd of 1 million onlookers, while around 26,500 people are taking part in the annual Parade making this the city's biggest one-day event and one of the world's biggest LGBT+ celebrations. AP London Pride 2017 Revellers take part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London EPA London Pride 2017 A participant sits on a rainbow coloured flag during the Pride in London Parade in central London PA London Pride 2017 Two men sit on a rainbow flag painted on the pavement at Oxford Circus as revellers take part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London, Britain EPA London Pride 2017 Revellers take part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London EPA London Pride 2017 A woman from the homeless charity 'Crisis' takes part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London EPA London Pride 2017 Revellers wave their flags as they take part in London Pride, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) parade in London EPA London Pride 2017 A woman walks past a shop front decorated with the Pride flag colours Getty London Pride 2017 People ride a tube escalator decorated with the Pride flag colours Getty

The number of LGBT+ teachers rose from 5 per cent to 9 per cent between 2014 and 2018, according to new data from Teach First, with many motivated in their choice of career explicitly because of their own experiences as children being unable to address their sexuality in the classroom.

However, as Stonewall has pointed out, the damaging legacy of Section 28 remains and just 13 per cent of pupils say they have been taught about how to be part of a healthy same-sex relationship in the classroom.Alice Sumo was being held at gunpoint the first time she delivered a baby.

Then just 20 years old, she was still training to be midwife in civil war-torn Liberia when she came across a young woman in labour at the roadside.

Armed militia nearby were threatening to use their rifles to silence the womans moans of pain.

She was screaming and screaming, said Alice. There was an armed man there shouting, Is there nobody to help? Well kill the woman because we dont want her screaming.

Defying her worried fathers protests, Alice stepped forward.

Despite being threatened with death herself if the procedure went wrong, she delivered the baby safely. With no medical kit to work with, she was forced to smash a glass bottle with her bare hands and use its jagged edge to cut the umbilical cord.

In the following 28 years, thousands more children have entered the world at Alices hands. Many are now her namesakes.

More than 1,000 children delivered at her clinic near Monrovia have been named after her.

A whole community of people called Alice  or Alex or Ellis, when they are boys  have begun life at White Plains health centre, 15 miles north of the Liberian capital. Their ages now range from nearly 30 years to just a few days, with the latest Alex was born last week.

Alice Sumo holds two-day-old Alex at White Plains clinic near Monrovia, Liberia (Ben White/Save the Children)

The children are a living testament to the impact Alice has had in one of the worlds poorest countries - a nation where a third of women give birth without a midwife.

In her three-decade career, Alice has seen two civil wars and the worst outbreak of Ebola in history. She did not stop working even during the epidemic which claimed nearly 5,000 lives in her country in 2004 and 2005.

When the Ebola crisis came to Liberia it was terrible, said Alice, now 48. I was just working for hours. Others were afraid, some nurses started rejecting patients, but I was working. 

She donned a protective space suit given to health workers to stop the disease spreading, but it did not stop her being ostracised by her community.

My neighbours, they were afraid of me, they never used to allow their children to come to me, Alice said.

The Ebola crisis devastated Liberias health system, which already had one of the worlds worst doctor-to-patient ratio. People in remote communities can travel for miles for treatment at sub-standard health centres.

At the start of Alices career, heavily pregnant women would have to walk up to eight hours from their villages to a makeshift clinic to give birth.

I used to go from village to village looking for women in labour, because to walk from where they are... it was not an easy thing, she said.

Now, she runs a maternal health centre opened by Save the Children in her rural community.

It is one of five such facilities built by the charity in 2013 and includes a solar-powered vaccination refrigerator, a hand pump for clean water next to the clinic, which also serves the local population, and a motorbike enabling volunteers and staff to reach remote areas and to transport patients.

Since the clinic was built there is no danger, and there is no infection, the place is sterilised, and everything is intact, Ms Sumo said.

Alice Sumo surrounded by girls named after her at White Plains clinic (Hannah Adcock/Save the Children)

Simon Wright, Save the Childrens director of international development, said: With all the babies named after her Alice must be one of the busiest midwives in the world and without her many lives might have been lost.

Alices incredible story is a fitting tribute to those midwives who work tirelessly to deliver babies and save lives in some of the most challenging conditions around the world  many of whom Save the Children is honoured to support and train.

It also speaks volumes about the generosity of the British public, because through money raised here in the UK back in 2013, we were able to build and equip the clinic where Alice now works, and where thousands of mothers have given birth in a safe and private environment.

In a country where one in three women gives birth without a skilled medical professional by their side, this clinic and the midwives who work there are a reminder of the life-saving results that aid can have.

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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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. 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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. 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The charity said that in Liberia in 2016, one in 15 children died before their fifth birthday.

Mr Wright added: This is a heart-breaking statistic when we consider that child mortality there and around the world could be greatly reduced by simply improving free access to healthcare.

Thats why this week Save the Children is at the World Health Assembly in Geneva calling on countries around the world to commit to universal health coverage  which would enable children and families access to the healthcare they need without suffering financial hardship.For the past decade, Wael Abbas has been a fierce critic of Egypts authoritarian leaders, using YouTube to highlight police torture, and building up a huge Twitter following that he used to draw attention to the plight of dissidents who had vanished into state custody.

At dawn on Wednesday, the knock came on his own door.

Armed security officials burst into Mr Abbass Cairo home, blindfolded him and whisked him away, relatives said. Before vanishing, he sent out a short message on Facebook: I am being arrested.

If similar cases are a guide, it could be months or years before he can post again.

Recommended Egypt detains activist blogger amid new wave of arrests

Egyptians who hoped that President Abdel Fattah el-Sisis thumping victory in the March presidential election  when he won 97 per cent of votes in a deeply flawed poll  would encourage the authoritarian government to soften its crackdown on dissent have been disappointed.

In fact, Mr Sisi has gone in the opposite direction, arresting Mr Abbas and others activists in the past month, in what appears to be an effort to silence even the small number of critics still inside Egypt, including some who had already started to self-censor out of fear of arrest.

The crackdown on free speech human rights defenders seems to be intensifying, Marietje Schaake, a Dutch member of the European Parliament, said on Twitter. I expect European leaders to speak out firmly.

Among those arrested in the past month were a satirist who got in trouble in 2016 for pranking policemen by giving them balloons made from condoms; a woman who complained on Facebook about being sexually harassed in a bank; and a trade union activist who kept a low profile in recent months.

The difference with this crackdown is that its going in every direction, said Hossam Bahgat, a prominent journalist and human rights activist. They appear to have a list of people they are going after, based on their public profile rather than anything they have said. Its scary.

Many Egyptian activists have won international awards for their work in recent years. But Western accolades or large social media followings offer little protection from prosecution in Mr Sisis Egypt.

Amal Fathy, the woman who railed against sexual harassment, is a former actress and model. In an expletive-studded video posted on Facebook, she vowed to leave Egypt with her son this summer. I will take him and get out. Anyone who stays here can burn with the country, she said. Screw the police.

A few days later Ms Fathy, her husband and their two-year-old son were taken to a police station in the middle of the night. She is awaiting trial on charges of inciting terrorism over the internet and spreading fake news.

Military courts have taken up some cases, often imposing harsh sentences on dissenters. On Tuesday, human rights activists said a court sentenced Ismail Iskandarani, a researcher and writer, to 10 years imprisonment on a raft of charges including membership of a banned organisation.

Mr Iskandarani is a scholar on Sinai, where the Egyptian army is waging a military campaign against the Islamic State without much outside scrutiny because journalists and researchers are forbidden to enter the area.



On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch said the army had destroyed at least 3,600 homes and commercial buildings in the area since January as part of its drive against the Islamic State in Sinai. An Egyptian military spokesman denounced the report and said the government had paid $51m in compensation to affected families.



There was no word late Wednesday of the charges faced by Mr. Abbas, 43, whose lawyer described his status on Twitter as kidnapped, not arrested.

Mr Abbas came to prominence in 2006 after he posted leaked videos of police brutality under President Hosni Mubarak, one of which resulted in the conviction of two officers. In 2007 the International Center for Journalists presented him with the Knight International Journalism Award. In recent years he has used his Twitter account, which has 350,000 followers, to attack Mr Sisi.

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

In December, Twitter suspended the account without explanation, which Allison McManus of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy said raised questions about the way the company operates in countries like Egypt.

Its rich that activists like Wael Abbas won awards for their contestation on social media, she said, and the sites were credited for their role in revolutionary events. And today, these same sites are the ones that are silencing folks.

A spokesman for Twitter declined to comment on the case, and referred to the companys rules.

The New York TimesA new alliance of Islamist militant groups linked to al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for an attack that killed at least five people at a luxury resort in Mali.

The assailants stormed the Le Campement hotel on Sunday afternoon, opening fire on guests and battling with French and Malian special forces deployed to try to free those trapped inside.

Mali's Security Ministry said in a statement late on Monday that four of the dead were guests and one was a local soldier who died in the firefight.

Recommended At least two killed in terror attack at Mali holiday resort

The nationalities of the dead were a French-Malian, a French-Gabonese, a Chinese, a Portuguese and a Malian soldier, the ministry said. The European Union's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, confirmed that two of the dead were working for its mission there.

Although the attackers succeeded in mounting a lethal assault, security forces backed by French and United Nations troops managed to rescue around 60 residents in two batches on Sunday night, including 13 French citizens and several children.

Some survived thanks to a hotel cashier who led them to a cave embedded in the red-earth hillside near the hotel, according to an interview he gave to Radio France International (RFI).

This was without doubt a terrorist attack, Security Minister Salif Traore told RFI on Monday.

Flames rise following an attack where gunmen stormed Le Campement Kangaba resort in Dougourakoro, to the east of the capital Bamako, Mali in this still frame taken from video June 18, 2017. (Reuters)

His ministry's statement added that authorities had killed four attackers and arrested five others.

Earlier in the day, Mr Traore said some of the militants' accomplices were still at large. Several security forces were still being treated for serious injuries.

Recommended Westerners once again the target of Islamist terrorists

Le Campement resort sits in Dougourakoro on the outskirts of Bamako, where the Radisson Blu hotel was the target of a previous terror attack that left more than 20 people dead in November 2015.

French troops and a 10,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force have been battling to stabilise Mali, a former French colony, ever since France intervened in 2013 to push back jihadists and allied Tuareg rebels who had taken over the country's desert north a year earlier.

The alliance that claimed the attack, Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, was created earlier this year from a merger of local groups and is led by a notorious Tuareg commander. It was later endorsed by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Islamist groups have claimed increasingly frequent attacks on Western targets in Mali and the wider West Africa region, including a raid on a Bamako hotel in late 2015 which killed 20 people.

But analysts said security forces appeared to have responded more quickly this time than in previous such attacks.

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 thing is sure: They are becoming more responsive, said Adam Thiam, a Malian analyst and expert on the conflict. He said this was partly because an elite counter-terrorism unit was now properly up and running.

They're specialised in this kind of operation, he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to the leader of Mali after the attack and pledged his country's full support for the country, Macron's office said on Monday.

France condemns with utmost firmness this murderous attack, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The African Union condemned the attack and reiterated its commitment to support Mali in combating terrorism.

Earlier this month, the United States warned its citizens about a possible increased threat of attacks against places popular with Westerners.

I am tired, shocked. I have no other words to say, the resort owner Manou Morgane, a French national, told Reuters TV overnight. All I want to do is to see the list of my clients. I want to find them (anyone missing)."

A sign points to Le Campement, a resort near Bamako, Mali, that was attacked on 18 June (AP)

A spokesperson for the US State Department expresses its condolences to the victims and their families.

We appreciate the efforts of Malian, French, and United Nations peacekeeping forces in responding to the attack and securing the compound, a statement said.

The United States reiterates its firm resolve in the fight against terrorism worldwide and its solidarity with the government and people of Mali in that effort. 



The US Embassy in Mali released a warning over an increased threat of attacks last week, listing diplomatic missions, places of worship and other other locations in Bamako where Westerners frequent among potential targets.

Avoid vulnerable locations with poor security measures in place, including hotels, restaurants, and churches, said a statement released on 9 June.

The US warns its citizens against all travel to Mali, while the British Government advises against all travel to northern areas and all but essential travel to Bamako and the south.

Additional reporting by ReutersState wildlife officials have approved Wyoming's first grizzly bear hunt in 44 years.

The decision allows hunters to shoot and kill as many as 22 grizzlies in total in a wide area to the east and south of Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.

It comes after the Trump administration decided to de-list the animal as a threatened species in the region, an idea formerly proposed in 2016, under the Obama administration.

The move was based on US Fish and Wildlife Service findings which suggested the bears' numbers had recovered sufficiently in recent decades that federal safeguards were no longer necessary.

Since the decision, environmental activists have sued the US government in an attempt to restore the grizzly's federal protected status, arguing climate change and poaching still threaten the species' viability.

The region, which also includes parts of Montana and Idaho, is home to around 700 of the bears.

Montana has not yet allowed grizzlies to be hunted, but Idaho will allow one to be hunted in September.

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

Slow to reproduce, grizzlies number fewer than 2,000 in the lower 48 states, compared to an historic high of 100,000 before widespread shooting, poisoning and trapping had reduced their numbers to just several hundred by 1975, when they were placed under federal protection.

They are also at the heart of a cultural divide between Native Americans, who revere the bears, and ranchers and others who see them as potential threats to livestock and a potential impediment to further mining, logging and fossil energy development.

The decision, approved 7-0 by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission, was denounced by tribal leaders.

"This is a sacred being that is central to our religious and life ways," said Brian Jackson of the Blackfoot Confederacy. "This is not a hunting issue; this is a killing issue."

But others welcomed the opportunity to hunt in order to keep grizzly numbers in check.

"I know 'management' seems to have gotten a dirty name. But that's the way we have to do it if want these animals to continue in the state," said Charles Price, a rancher and former Game and Fish commissioner. "Hunting must be part of the management system."

It comes as Mr Donald Trump's administration proposed scrapping rules banning hunters from using bait to lure grizzly bears into the open.

Previously, bear-baiting was decided to be potentially unsafe and inconsistent with federal laws.

Additional reporting by agenciesDisgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, facing numerous allegations of sexual assault and abuse, is set to turn himself in to police Friday morning, according to multiple US media reports.

Mr Weinstein, 66, has previously denied any wrongdoing and his lawyer Benjamin Brafman has told The Independent he is not commenting on the matter at this time.

The former executive of Miramax was accused by several actresses - including Salma Hayek, Lupita Nyongo, and Ashley Judd - of sexual harassment. At least 75 women have come forward accusing him of misconduct of some kind, reported first by the New York Times last year.

Mr Weinstein, producer of Shakespeare in Love, Pulp Fiction, and Gangs of New York, will probably surrender on charges related to a case in New York state court. Just yesterday, a state grand jury had convened to hear evidence in that case regarding the sex abuse allegations and it was unclear if the jury had decided to indict Mr Weinstein or not.

The New York police, for months now, had been calling for a warrant for Mr Weinstein's arrest. They argued they had evidence of his alleged assault of two women - Paz de la Huerta and Lucia Evans. Mr Weinstein's lawyer said his client denies any claims made by the women.

The exact charges Mr Weinstein may be brought up on are unclear at this time. The Manhattan District Attorney's office has not immediately responded to a request for comment.

Mr Weinstein's legal troubles do not end with local police. Investigators in Los Angeles and London are also looking into claims of his alleged misconduct in those cities, where he lived and frequented over the years of reports.

 Rose McGowan: 'everybody knew' in Hollywood of Harvey Weinstein allegations

The New York Attorney General's office is suing the Mr Weinstein's former company of for "egregious violations of New York's civil rights, human rights and business laws".

Former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement that the Weinstein Company "repeatedly broke New York law by failing to protect its employees from pervasive sexual harassment, intimidation, and discrimination". The lawsuit, filed in New York County Supreme Court, was brought on by the attempted $500m sale of the movie studio to a former official of President Barack Obama's administration, Maria Contreras-Sweet.

Ms Sweet, who ran the US Small Business Administration from 2014 to 2017, had been in negotiations for several weeks and had promised to set up a majority female board and set up a fund to assist women who claimed Mr Weinstein sexually harassed them, according to the LA Times.

Seth Meyers' Harvey Weinstein joke at the Golden Globes 2018

The Oscar-winner was fired from the company in the wake of the many allegations, which he ran with his brother Bob Weinstein.

Mr Schneiderman recently resigned from his post amid allegations of sexual assault.

Federal authorities are also investigating the Reservoir Dogs and Il Postino: The Postman producer, suspecting him of violating federal stalking laws and looking into any possible financial impropriety.

The Trump administration, specifically Attorney General Jeff Sessions, had allegedly asked the FBI in October 2017 to open the investigation over fears the Hollywood producer would remain in Europe after his rehabilitation and avoid prosecution as film director Roman Polanski had, according to The Daily Mail.

However, his lawyers confirmed in March of this year that Mr Weinstein had travelled to Scottsdale, Arizona, for sex addiction rehabilitation.

The explosive New York Times report which first made public the charges against Mr Weinstein also sparked the #MeToo social media movement for people to come forward about sexual harassment and abuse.

It had a ripple effect across several industries and in its wake other prominent men in Hollywood, Silicon Valley, and US politics have been publicly accused resulting in resignations and lost elections. It also catalysed the #TimesUp movement, which calls for gender equity in the workplace and is a fund established by several actresses to provide legal defence funds for those who need it.The bishop who gave a headline-grabbing sermon at the royal wedding last week plans to protest in front of the White House against the Trump administration.

Bishop Michael B Curry, who spoke about the power of love at Prince Harry and Meghan Markles wedding, will join other religious leaders in a service and candle-lit vigil outside the White House on Thursday.

A statement from the event organisers condemned that they called a moment of political, moral, and theological crisis in America.

We are deeply concerned about the resurgence of white nationalism, racism, and xenophobia; misogyny; attacks on immigrants, refugees, and the poor; the regular purveying of falsehoods and consistent lying by the nations highest leaders; and moves toward autocratic political leadership and authoritarian rule, they wrote.

The organisers invited the public to join in a service of prayer and gospel proclamation, followed by a procession to the White House and a silent, candlelight vigil. The purpose of the vigil, they wrote, was to show that the church "will not be complicit, but faithful.

 Royal Wedding: Bishop Michael Curry discussing the importance of the occasion

The organisers are part of a group called Reclaiming Jesus, which organises Christian leaders in opposition to bigotry, dishonesty, and authoritarian rule.

More than 20 religious leaders from different congregations signed on to a letter from the group this year, explicitly rejecting US President Donald Trumps America first slogan as a theological heresy for followers of Christ.

At least 10 other religious leaders will speak at Thursdays event, from groups like Evangelicals for Social Action and the Columbia Theological Seminary. The organisers expect at least 1,000 attendees.

Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Show all 90 1 /90 Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures The Duke and Duchess of Sussex kiss on the steps of St Georges Chapel after their wedding WPA Pool/Getty Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Top gear: William and Kate had an Aston Martin with balloons and a JUST WED number plate. Harry and Meghan score extra points: this 1968 E-type Jag, which took them to the evening party at Frogmore House, has been converted to electric power. And the number plate, E190518? Its their anniversary AP Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Meghan Markle and Prince Harry leave St Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle after their wedding PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leave St Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle after their wedding in Windsor Reuters Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stand at the altar Getty Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Kingdom Choir outside St Georges Chapel in Windsor, Berkshire, after performing at the wedding PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures The pageboy whose smile went viral Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Guests toast as they attend a viewing party for the royal wedding at the Plaza Hotel in New York Getty Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Meghan Markle reaches the altar in St Georges Chapel Getty Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures John Major and his wife Norma Major attend the royal wedding ceremony EPA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Meghan Markle arrives for the wedding ceremony to marry Prince Harry PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Fans attend a Royal Wedding watching party at Lillies Victorian Establishment in New York AFP/Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex emerge from the West Door of St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Well-wishers lining the streets wave and cheer as Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex pass riding in the Ascot Landau Carriage during their carriage procession AFP/Getty Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures James Blunt and Sofia Wellesley attend the royal wedding ceremony of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle EPA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kiss on the steps of St Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle after their wedding WPA Pool/Getty Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Charlotte Riley and Tom Hardy arrive for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Getty Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex begin their carriage procession in the Ascot Landau Carriage after their wedding ceremony AFP/Getty Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures James Corden and Julia Carey attend the royal wedding ceremony EPA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Harry and Meghan emerge from the West Door of St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Left to right, Lady Louise Windsor, Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Princess Anne, Princess Royal arrive for the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle AP Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Prince Harry looks at his bride, Meghan Markle, as she arrives accompanied by the Prince of Wales in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for their wedding in Windsor, Britain REUTERS Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian arrive at St Georges Chapel Reuters Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Prince Harry places the wedding ring on the finger of Meghan Markle during their wedding service, conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby WPA Pool/Getty Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures The royal wedding cake has been revealed AP Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Members of the public view a live screening of the marriage ceremony of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Winchester Cathedral Getty Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Rex Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures The Duke of Cambridge (left), the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke of York during the wedding service for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle during their wedding service PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures US actor Abigail Spencer (left) and Indian actor Priyanka Chopra (second from left) arrive with other guests for the royal wedding EPA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Meghan Markle and her mother Doria Ragland drive along the Long Walk for her wedding to Prince Harry in Windsor Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Sir Elton John leaves St Georges Chapel PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Meghan Markle and her mother Doria Ragland drive along the Long Walk for her wedding to Prince Harry in Windsor Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Oprah Winfrey arrives at St Georges Chapel REUTERS Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Prince Harry's niece and bridesmaid Princess Charlotte arrives for the wedding ceremony of Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and US actress Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor AFP/Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for their wedding PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Bishop Michael Curry delivered a passionate sermon during the royal wedding ceremony PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures In this frame from video, Meghan Markle walks down the aisle with Prince Charles for her wedding ceremony at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in Windsor, near London, England AP Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall attend the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Meghan Markle is driven by the Long Walk to St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle for her royal wedding ceremony to Britain's Prince Harry, in Windsor, Britain EPA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Meghan Markle is driven down the Long Walk to St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle for her royal wedding ceremony to Britain's Prince Harry, in Windsor, Britain EPA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Meghan Markle arrives for the wedding ceremony to marry Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, at St George's Chapel, Windsor AFP/Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge arrives at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle before the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Meghan Markle arrives at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for her wedding to Prince Harry PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Bridesmaids and pageboys arrive for the royal wedding ceremony of Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, in Windsor, Britain EPA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Meghan Markle (R) with her mother Doria Ragland arrive at Windsor Castle ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales marries Ms. Meghan Markle in a service at St George's Chapel inside the grounds of Windsor Castle. Among the guests were 2200 members of the public, the royal family and Ms. Markle's Mother Doria Ragland Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Princess Charlotte (right) arrives for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall arrive at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Meghan Markle, right, and her mother Doria Ragland leave Cliveden House Hotel in Taplow, near London, England AP Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Meghan Markle arrives at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for her wedding PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Doria Ragland arrives at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Prince Harry (right) sits with his best man the Duke of Cambridge in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle ahead of his wedding to Meghan markle wedding PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Guests are pictured as they take their seats inside the Chapel ahead of the wedding ceremony of Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and US actress Meghan Markle in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor AFP/Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Britain's Prince Harry (R) and his brother and best man, Prince William (C), Duke of Cambridge arrive at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle for his royal wedding ceremony to Meghan Markle, in Windsor, Britain EPA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Prince Harry (left) and the Duke of Cambridge arrive at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Meghan Markle leaves Cliveden House Hotel in Taplow, near London, England, Saturday, May 19, 2018 before her wedding ceremony with Prince Harry at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castl AP Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Britain's Prince Harry (L), Duke of Sussex, arrives with his best man Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (R), at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018 for his wedding ceremony to marry US actress Meghan Markle AFP/Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures AFP/Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures AFP/Getty Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures REUTERS Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures British Ministry of Defence shows around members of the Band of the Irish Guards entertaining the public ahead of the royal wedding ceremony of Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Windsor, Britain, EPA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Princess Eugenie, The Duke of York and Princess Beatrice, from left, arrive for the wedding ceremony of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle AP Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Key Newss Kay Burley enjoys the moment Rex/Shutterstock Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Sarah Ferguson leaves after the wedding ceremony of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle AP Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures A general view of guests arriving in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Windsor, Britain REUTERS Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Amal and George Clooney arrive for the wedding ceremony AFP/Getty Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Guests arrive at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures US tennis player Serena Williams (L) and her husband American Internet entrepreneur and investor Alexis Ohanian (R) arrive for the royal wedding ceremony of Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, in Windsor, Britain EPA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Irish Guards marching band parades through Windsor for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Members of the public gather ahead at Windsor Castle for the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Alison Tinsley on the Long Walk ahead of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Police patrol the streets ahead of the royal wedding ceremony of Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, in Windsor, Britain EPA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Royal fans wearing wedding dresses hold a sign reading When Harry met Meghan he hadnt met us first ahead of the royal wedding ceremony EPA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Well-wishers gather to watch the Royal Wedding of Britains Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and US actress Meghan Markle at the Pear Tree in Edinburgh AFP/Getty Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Members of the public gather near Windsor Castle prior to the wedding of HRH Prince Harry Harry to Ms. Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Guardsman play for the crowd ahead of the royal wedding ceremony of Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, in Windsor EPA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Royal fans wear wedding dresses near the castle before the wedding of Prince Harry Harry to Ms. Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales marries Ms. Meghan Markle in a service at St George's Chapel inside the grounds of Windsor Castle. Among the guests were 2200 members of the public, the royal family and Ms. Markle's Mother Doria Ragland Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures War Veteran Phyllis Walker smiles during the wedding of Prince Harry Harry to Ms. Meghan Markle at Cambridge Gate Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures David and Victoria Beckham arrive at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle Reuters Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Band of the Irish Guards perform outside the castle prior to the wedding of Prince Harry Harry to Ms. Meghan Markle St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures A member of staff holds goodie bags ahead of of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures A Royal fan waits for the wedding ceremony of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in Windsor, near London, England, Saturday, May 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) AP Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Royal fans within the grounds of Windsor Castle ahead of the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Royal fans gather behind the barriers on the Long Walk, in Windsor, ahead of the wedding and carriage procession of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. PA Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Royal fans soak up the atmopshere during the wedding of Prince Harry Harry to Ms. Meghan Markle on The Long Walk Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures A man sweeps the path outside St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle ahead of the wedding and carriage procession of Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Windsor AFP/Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Two men wearing wedding dresses buy train tickets to Windsor to watch the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Waterloo train station Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Crowds gather during the wedding of Prince Harry Harry to Ms. Meghan Markle on The Long Walk Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Well-wishers draped in a Union flag with an image of Britain's Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle walk along the Long Walk leading to Windsor Castle ahead of the wedding and carriage procession of Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Windsor AFP/Getty Images Royal Wedding - Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in pictures Royal fans line the Long Walk in Windsor ahead of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle PA

This weekend I spoke about the way of love, Mr Curry said in a statement announcing the protest. As elders, we view bringing the Reclaiming Jesus declaration to the public square as a tangible example of how to live out that way of love.

He added: "We are Christian leaders bearing moral witness to the teachings of our faith in the public square.

Mr Curry was the first African-American leader of the Episcopal Church, and remains an outspoken activist for social justice. His sermon on Saturday  which marked the first time in modern history a person of colour married into the royal family  harkened back to Reverend Martin Luther King Jr, and spoke of the redemptive power of love.

When love is the way, there's plenty good room  plenty good room  for all of God's children, he said in his address at St Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle." Because when love is the way, we actually treat each other, well... like we are actually family.A security company has been told by a jury to pay $1bn (750m) to woman who was raped by one of its guards when she was 14-years-old.

Hope Cheston was with her boyfriend outside a party in Atlanta, Georgia in October 2012, when the armed security guard approached, her attorney said. The guard told the boyfriend not to move and raped Ms Cheston.

While the media never normally identify victims of rape  and it would be illegal to do so in a British case - but Ms Cheston, now 20, waived her anonymity.

Recommended Google accidentally reveals names of rape victims despite law

The full-time college student who plans to spend her summer working with an organisation in Atlanta that helps homeless people, said she wanted her story to provide strength for other sexual-assault victims.

The guard, identified in the lawsuit as Brandon Lamar Zachary, is serving a 20-year prison sentence, according to online prison records.

Ms Chestons mother, Renatta Cheston-Thornton, filed a lawsuit in 2015 on behalf of her daughter.

The jury has now handed down the verdict against Crime Prevention Agency, the security company that employed Zachary.

Zachary, who was 22 at the time, should never have been hired because he wasnt licensed as an armed guard, attorney L Chris Stewart Stewart 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. 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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 judge had already determined the security company was liable, so the jury was only determining damages, Stewart said. After reading the verdict, jurors immediately left the jury box  without waiting for the judges permission  to hug Ms Cheston and her mother.

Attempts to reach the company for comment were unsuccessful.

Online corporate registration information for Crime Prevention Agency shows that it was dissolved in 2016. The phone at a number listed online for Mario Watts, who is named on the corporate registration as the CEO and identified in the lawsuit as the companys registered agent, were unanswered.

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A lot of women who suffer sexual assault dont pursue justice, choosing instead to put it behind them, Ms Cheston said.

I feel like my case is just to show that you may not get it immediately, but you will get what youre worth. This shows that people do care about the worth of a woman.

Mr Stewart said: I was really proud of the jury because there is no basis in the legal world for how high a rape verdict can be, he said.

Verdicts in the tens of millions of dollars, or even hundreds of millions, are not uncommon, Jeff Dion, director of the National Crime Victim Bar Association said in an email. But hes never heard of a $1bn verdict in a case with a single victim.A prominent leader in the Southern Baptist community has been relieved of his duties after allegations of marital abuse and rape.

Paige Patterson was replaced as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, this week. The Board of Trustees said in a statement: "After much prayer and a more than 13-hour discussion regarding challenges facing the Institution, including those of enrollment, financial, leadership and institutional identity, the Board determined to move in the direction of new leadership for the benefit of the future mission of the Seminary.

Mr Patterson allegedly counselled a rape victim not to report the crime, but instead pray for and forgive her attacker. In another incident reported by NPR and the Washington Post, he reportedly counselled women who were in abusive marriages to stay and pray for their husbands.

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The institution also said in its statement that it "affirmed a motion stating 1) evidence exists that Dr. Patterson has complied with reporting laws regarding assault and abuse, 2) the Seminary stands against all forms of abuse.

However, the 75-year-old still remains as a president Emeritus, with compensation of the seminary.

Mr Patterson will keep getting paid despite an open letter 2,000 Southern Baptist women that warned they did not want "the biblical view of leadership to be misused in such a way that a leader with an unbiblical view of authority, womanhood, and sexuality be allowed to continue in leadership.

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In the days following the open letter, the former leader wrote one himself, titled An Apology to Gods People in which he apologised "to every woman who has been wounded by anything I have said that was inappropriate or that lacked clarity.

Please forgive the failure to be as thoughtful and careful in my extemporaneous expression as I should have been," he had written.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Mr Patterson has also given controversial speeches over the years in addition to his counselling of these women.

In 2000, he relayed the story of the woman he told to pray for her abusive husband. "Returning some days later with two black eyes, the woman said, 'I hope you're happy,'" Mr Patterson said.

"'I said, 'Yes, ma'am, I am happy. What she didn't know when we sat in church that morning...'was that her husband had come in and was standing in back, first time he ever came,' " he said during the sermon.

The decision by the women to sign the letter comes amid a large movement centred around the #metoo movement, where victims and survivors of sexual assault, harassment, and gender discrimination are speaking out.White House senior adviser Jared Kushner is set to regain his top security clearance after going through a lengthy interview last month with special counsel investigators.

Mr Kushner, who is also President Donald Trumps son-in-law, met with investigators from the Justice Department for seven or eight hours in what was his second interview related to the investigation into Russias meddling in the 2016 election and contacts between Trump officials and Russians.

During that interviews, the investigators and Mr Kushner reportedly touched on a large variety of topics, including Mr Trumps decision to fire former FBI Director James Comey, according to media reports.

The background check related to Mr Kushner, his financial history, and his foreign contacts took longer than a year and had become a source of uncertainty for the White House.

With respect to the news about his clearances, as we stated before, his application was properly submitted, reviews by numerous career officials and underwent the normal process. Having completed all of these processes, hes looking forward to continuing to do the work the president has asked him to do, Abbe Lowell, Mr Kushners personal attorney, said in a statement provided to The Washington Post.

The statement also indicated that Mr Kushner had been voluntarily cooperating with the special counsel investigation.

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

Individuals in Mr Trumps orbit say that Mr Kushner does not have any knowledge of any potential collusion between the Russian government and the Trump team.

They can spend all the time they want with Jared. Hes got no knowledge of Russian collusion of any kind, Rudy Giuliani, a lawyer for Mr Trump, said in an interview with NPR.

Mr Kushners clearance was initially downgraded in February as the White House attempted to impose stricter requirements for security clearances in the wake of the resignation of former staff secretary Rob Porter.

When Mr Porter resigned, it emerged that several others with sensitive jobs in the White House had been working with only tentative clearances.President Donald Trump has said he is a working on a plan to dock foreign aid from countries whose citizens are caught crossing the US border illegally.

Mr Trump suggested that foreign countries were encouraging their citizens to immigrate illegally to the US, claiming these countries don't want the people that were getting.

"We're going to work out something where every time someone comes from a certain country, we're going to deduct a rather large amount of money from what we give them in aid, Mr Trump said at an immigration roundtable on New Yorks Long Island.

He added: We may not just give them aid at all, because despite the reports I hear, I don't believe they're helping us one bit."

Wednesdays roundtable with federal and local officials focused on MS-13, a violent street gang that started in Los Angeles in the 1980s. Mr Trump frequently cites MS-13 in his calls for stricter border control, as the majority of the gang members are of Central American origin.

 Trump defends his animal remarks on ms 13 members

Mr Trump drew criticism last week for referring to MS-13 members as animals during a White House immigration meeting. He doubled down on these comments on Wednesday, saying: "Theyre not people. These are animals. And we have to be very, very tough.

Mr Trumps proposed 2019 budget suggests cutting billions of dollars from foreign aid spending. He proposed similar cuts last year, which Congress largely ignored when passing its own budget.

The president has suggested only providing foreign aid to friends of the US  a status determined largely by how they vote in the United Nations. Last December, he threatened to cut foreign aid to countries that voted in favour of a UN resolution calling on the US to withdraw its recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital.

They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us, he told reporters at the time. Well, were watching those votes. Let them vote against us. Well save a lot. We dont care.President Donald Trump has doubled down on his comments calling certain gang members are animals, criticising Democrats for defending those he said were not people.

I noticed recently where Democrats  Nancy Pelosi as an example  are trying to defend MS-13 gang members, Mr Trump said at an immigration roundtable. I called them animals the other day and I was met with rebuke.

He added: They said, Theyre people. Theyre not people. These are animals. And we have to be very, very tough.

Mr Trumps comments came during a Long Island roundtable focused on MS-13, a Salvadoran-American street gang that has become a focus of his Justice Department.

The president has repeatedly cited MS-13 to defend his calls for stricter border control, claiming many of its members entered the US illegally. He first referred to the gang members as animals in a White House meeting on immigration.

We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in  were stopping a lot of them, Mr. Trump said last week. ...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.

 President Trump calls immigrants coming into California animals

Several outlets reported the comments as being about undocumented immigrants in general  not just MS-13 members  spurring a massive outcry. Even after the comments were clarified, however, concern about Mr Trumps rhetoric remained.

Calling people animals is not a good thing, Ms Pelosi said at a weekly press briefing last week, adding: There is a spark of divinity in every person on earth, and we all have to recognise that as we respect the dignity and worth of every person."

Mr Trump later claimed that the Democrat came out in favour of MS-13.

Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Show all 30 1 /30 Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Threatening to shut down Twitter after being fact-checked After the president tweeted that voting by post would be "substantially fraudulent", Twitter attached a warning label to his tweet and referred readers to a site which explained how the claim was "unsubstantiated". Trump then said Twitter was "stifling free speech" and that he may have to shut it down, something which he would not have the power to do AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Flippantly dismissing a serious allegation of sexual assault When author E Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her, the president responded: Number one, shes not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Insulting the Mayor of London as he landed in London Just before touching down at Stansted Airport for his state visit, Trump took time out to @ the London mayor Sadiq Khan on twitter. He said that Khan has done a "terrible job"as mayor and that he is a "stone cold loser" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Taking plenty of "Executive Time" The president's official schedule sets aside the hours from 8 to 11am daily for "Executive Time". Further intermittent periods of "Executive Time" are scheduled throughout any given day, ranging from 15 minutes to 3 hours. His duties in these hours have not been officially disclosed, though Axios reports that he spends them watching TV, reading the newspapers and tweeting Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Shutdown the government for over a month in an effort to secure funding for his wall With Mexico declining to pay for the wall, the president has faced difficulty in raising the required $5bn at home. Due to his demand that the money for the wall be included in the budget, and Congress's refusal, the government partially shut down on 22 December 2018. It remained shut for over a month, the longest period in history Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Joking about the Nazi occupation of France to President Macron In this tweet from 13 November 2018, the president mocks Emmanuel Macron's suggestion of a "true, European army" by invoking the conflict between France and Germany in the world wars Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Railing against the Mueller investigation The president has repeatedly claimed that the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, is a "rigged witch hunt" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting a US intelligence report on Russian meddling in the presence of Vladimir Putin In the press conference that followed his landmark meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Trump stated that he saw no reason why Russia would have meddled in the 2016 US election. This contradicted a 2017 report by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence that found evidence of Russian interference in favour of Trump Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting his contradiction of a US intelligence report on Russian meddling Following furious backlash in the US, the president claimed that he meant to say that he saw no reason why it would not have been Russia who meddled in the 2016 US election. As to why he would have intended to use such bizarre phrasing, he did not comment Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Colouring in the US flag wrong The president coloured in the US flag wrongly during a visit to a children's hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He added a blue stripe where in tradition, and statute, there have been only white and red stripes AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing a Secretary of State over Twitter The president announced on Twitter that he was appointing Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, much to the surprise of then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Quoting a catchphrase from a reality TV show when discussing police brutality While addressing the issue of black athletes not standing for the national anthem in protest of police brutality, the president made reference to his catchphrase from reality TV show "The Apprentice": you're fired! Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Calling African nations "S***hole Countries" Ever one for diplomacy, the president reportedly referred to African nations as "s***hole countries". Asked to confirm this when meeting with Nigeria's President Buhari, Trump stated that there are "some countries that are in very bad shape". Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Defending Russian President Vladimir Putin Trump appeared to equate US foreign actions to those of Russian president Vladimir Putin, saying: There are a lot of killers. You think our countrys so innocent? Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Asking for people to 'pray' for Arnold Schwarzenegger At the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump couldnt help but to ask for prayers for the ratings on Arnold Schwarzeneggers show to be good. Schwarzenegger took over as host of The Apprentice  which buoyed Trumps celebrity status years ago Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Hanging up on Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull Early in his presidency, Trump reportedly hung up the phone on Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull after the foreign leader angered him over refugee plans. Mr Trump later said that it was the worst call he had had so far Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... The 'Muslim ban' Perhaps one of his most controversial policies while acting as president, Trumps travel ban targeting predominantly Muslim countries has bought him a lot of criticism. The bans were immediately protested, and judges initially blocked their implementation. The Supreme Court later sided with the administrations argument that the ban was developed out of concern for US security Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Praising crowd size while touring Hurricane Harvey damage After Hurricane Harvey ravaged southeastern Texas, Trump paid the area a visit. While his response to the disaster in Houston was generally applauded, the president picked up some flack when he gave a speech outside Houston (he reportedly did not visit disaster zones), and praised the size of the crowds there AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... 'Little Rocket Man' During his first-ever speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump tried out a new nickname for North Korea leader Kim Jong-un: Rocket Man. He later tweaked it to be little Rocket Man as the two feuded, and threatened each other with nuclear war. During that speech, he also threatened to totally annihilate North Korea Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Attacking Sadiq Khan following London Bridge terror attack After the attack on the London Bridge, Trump lashed out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan, criticising Khan for saying there was no reason to be alarmed after the attack. Trump was taking the comments out of context, as Khan was simply saying that the police had everything under control Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming presenter Mika Brezinkski was 'bleeding from the face' Never one not to mock his enemies, Trump mocked MSNBCs Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski, saying that she and co-host Joe Scarborough had approached him before his inauguration asking to join him. He noted that she was bleeding badly from a face-lift at the time, and that he said no MSNBC Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming the blame for Charlottesville was on 'both sides' Trump refused to condemn far-right extremists involved in violence at 'the march for the right' protests in Charlottesville, even after the murder of counter protester Heather Heyer AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Retweeting cartoon of CNN being hit by a 'Trump train' Trump retweeted a cartoon showing a Trump-branded train running over a person whose body and head were replaced by a CNN avatar. He later deleted the retweet Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Tweeting about 'slamming' CNN Trump caught some flack when he tweeted a video showing him wrestling down an individual whose head had been replaced by a CNN avatar. Trump has singled CNN out in particular with his chants of fake news Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing head of the FBI, James Comey Trumps firing of former FBI Director James Comey landed him with a federal investigation into Russias meddling in the 2016 election that has caused many a headache for the White House. The White House initially said that the decision was made after consultation from the Justice Department. Then Mr Trump himself said that he had decided to fire him in part because he wanted the Russia investigation Mr Comey was conducting to stop Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Not realising being president would be 'hard' Just three months into his presidency, Trump admitted that being president is harder than he thought it would be. Though Trump insisted on the 2016 campaign trail that doing the job would be easy for him, he admitted in an interview that living in the White House is harder than running a business empire Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Accusing Obama of wiretapping him Trump accused former president Barack Obama of wire tapping him on twitter. The Justice Department later clarified: Obama had not, in fact, done so Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming there had been 3 million 'illegal votes' Trump was never very happy about losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 2.8 million ballots. So, he and White House voter-fraud commissioner Kris Kobach have claimed that anywhere between three and five million people voted illegally during the 2016 election. Conveniently, he says that all of those illegal votes went to Clinton. (There is no evidence to support that level of widespread voter fraud.) Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Leaving Jews out of the Holocaust memorial statement Just days after taking office, Trumps White House issued a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but didnt mention jews or even the word jewish in the written statement Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Anger over Inauguration crowd size Trumps inauguration crowd was visibly, and noticeably, smaller than that of his predecessor, Barack Obama. But, he really wanted to have had the largest crowd on record. So, he praised it as the biggest crowd ever. Relatedly, Trump also claimed that it stopped raining in Washington at the moment he was inaugurated. It didnt, the day was very dreary Reuters

Thomas Homan, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement deputy director, defended Mr Trumps comments at the roundtable on Wednesday, saying: "I think you're being kind. Animals kill for survival. MS-13 kills for sport."

The president also used the roundtable to announce he was working on a plan to cut aid from foreign countries every time a member of their nation crosses the US border illegally.

The roundtable was attended by local and federal officials, members of Congress, and parents of children who were killed by members of MS-13. Mr Trump told attendees that the gang was a menace that had turned peaceful neighbourhoods into blood-stained killing fields.

Just over 200 MS-13 members were charged with murder between 2012 and 2018, according to the Centre for Immigration Studies. The gang has never reached more than 10,000 members in the US, organised in de-centralised cliques that rarely communicate with others.

According to a speaker at Wednesdays event, there has not been an MS-13 murder on Long Island in more than a year.A daughter of Martin Luther King has rejected a claim by Steve Bannon that the late civil rights activist would have been proud of what Donald Trump has done for communities of colour.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Bannon, Mr Trumps pugilistic and populist former senior adviser, said King would have approved of the presidents anti-immigration policies as they prevent illegal alien labour forces competing with black Americans for jobs.

Donald Trump has the lowest black unemployment in history. Donald Trump has the lowest Hispanic unemployment in 25 years, said Mr Bannon, who was fired from the White House last summer. If you look at the policies of Donald Trump, anybodyMartin Luther King would be proud of him, of what hes done for the black and Hispanic community for jobs.

But Bernice King, the only surviving daughter of King, claimed the white nationalist Mr Bannon had dangerously and erroneously co-opted her fathers name. Rather than being pleased with what Mr Trump had done since entering the White House, she said he would have been extremely disturbed.

Bannons assertion that my father, #MLK, would be proud of Donald Trump wholly ignores Daddys commitment to people of all races, nationalities, etc, being treated with dignity and respect, Ms King, 55, wrote on Twitter.

My father's concerns were not sectional, but global. He was an activist for the civil rights of black people in America, but he was also an activist for human rights.

She said her father would not use degrading terms such as illegal aliens - and would never pit one group against another in the struggle for justice, as Bannon attempts to use him to do.

My father would be extremely disturbed by the climate created by leaders who have emboldened people to easily express and demonstrate cruelty, predominantly toward people of colour and immigrants, she added.

When Mr Bannon was questioned over his claim by a presenter of the BBCs Newsnight programme, he responded: You dont think Martin Luther King would be proud? Look at the unemployment we had in the black community five years ago.

You dont think Martin Luther King would sit there and go Yes, youre putting young black men and women to work.

 Bernie Sanders: Martin Luther King 'wanted to transform our country morally, economically and racially'

He added: Theres the lowest unemployment weve had in history, and wages are starting to rise among the working class, and youve finally stopped the illegal alien labour forces coming in and competing with them every day and destroying the schools and destroying the healthcare. Absolutely.

During the 2016 election, Mr Trump made some efforts to appeal to African American and minority voters, claiming that Democrats had taken the support of minority voters for granted and delivered little.

Speaking in Dimondale, Michigan, a largely white suburb of Lansing in August 2016, he reached out to the black voters with the question: What the hell do you have to lose?

US race relations: The enduring legacy of Martin Luther King Show all 2 1 /2 US race relations: The enduring legacy of Martin Luther King US race relations: The enduring legacy of Martin Luther King 22391.bin Keystone/Getty US race relations: The enduring legacy of Martin Luther King 22307.bin DAVID SANDISON

He added: Youre living in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58 per cent of your youth is unemployed  what the hell do you have to lose?

When he became president, black unemployment was already falling, but in April 2018 it fell to 6.6 per cent, the lowest rate on record.

While Mr King is best known for his work as a civil rights leader who helped secure the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, in his later years he was working to push the need for economic justice, for both blacks and whites.

Among the ideas he promoted was a guaranteed wage. Now our struggle is for genuine equality, which means economic equality, he told a rally of striking sanitation workers in Memphis on March 18 1968, two weeks before he was assassinated at the age of 39.

For we know now that it isnt enough to integrate lunch counters. What does it profit a man to be able to eat at an integrated lunch counter if he doesnt have enough money to buy a hamburger?

Ms King concluded her Twitter comments by saying her father would be proud of a livable wage for all and not merely a low unemployment rate.

She added: Bannons comments are like feeding someone empty calories, in that they dont convey a comprehensive view of #MLK as a global humanitarian who cared about the well-being of all people. Close Trump cancels North Korea summit and brags about military strength: 'Our military is ready if necessary'

Donald Trump has cancelled his planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, blaming increasingly hostile rhetoric from Pyongyang.

After several days during which the president appeared to be signalling that secret negotiations ahead of his planned meeting for June 12 were not going well, he said he was pulling out of the meeting because of the "tremendous anger and open hostility" in a recent statement from Mr Kim. He called it a "missed opportunity" and "truly sad moment in history."

It had been Mr Trump's ambition to securing a peace deal with North Korea - something that none of his predecessors were able to do - has now apparently been placed on the back burner.

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"I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting," he said in a letter to North Korea which was made public. "Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties but to the detriment of the world, will not take place."

Later, at the White House, President Trump said the US is "more ready than we have ever been before." He warned that the US, South Korea and Japan are all ready should North Korea take any "foolish and reckless acts."

"I have spoken to South Korea and Japan, and they are not only ready should foolish or reckless acts be taken by North Korea, but they are willing to shoulder much of the cost of any financial burden, any of the costs associated by the United States in operations if such an unfortunate situation is forced upon us," Trump said.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with his top security and other aides after the release of the letter.

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

Blue House press secretary Yoon Young-chan said Mr Moon was meeting with his foreign minister, defense minister and his chief of staff, among others.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced deep disappointment at the cancellation of the planned meeting. Mr Guterres, in remarks delivered at the University of Geneva, said: I am deeply concerned by the cancellation of the planned meeting in Singapore between the President of the United States and the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

He urged the parties to continue their dialogue so as to find a path to the peaceful and verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

Reuters contributed to this reportDonald Trump has cancelled his planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, blaming increasingly hostile rhetoric from Pyongyang.

After several days during which the president appeared to be signalling that secret negotiations ahead of his planned meeting for June 12 were not going well, he said he was pulling out of the meeting because of the tremendous anger and open hostility in a recent statement from Mr Kim. He called it a missed opportunity and truly sad moment in history.

It had been Mr Trumps ambition to secure a peace deal with North Korea  something that none of his predecessors were able to do  and that has now apparently been placed on the back burner.

I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting, he said in a letter to North Korea which was made public. Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties but to the detriment of the world, will not take place.

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

In a remark that may have reflected Mr Trumps desire to see himself as the master negotiator, he appeared to leave open the window for a future meeting, if Mr Kim altered his mind. In such circumstances, he said, he hoped Mr Kim would contact him.

Yet the letter also contained a threat that was barely veiled. You talk about your nuclear capabilities but ours are massive and powerful and I hope they will never have to be used, he said

In his comments, Mr Trump said he believed that he had been developing a wonderful dialogue with the man whom just months ago he mocked as rocket man and whose country he threatened to totally destroy in a speech at the UN General Assembly.

 Mike Pompeo confident US and North Korea have 'shared understanding of ultimate objectives from summit'

Some day I very much look forward to meeting you. In the meantime, I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now at home with their families, he said. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated.

A number of commentators have voiced concerns that planning for the June 12 summit, which would have represented one of the most signifiant geopolitical encounters since the end of the Cold War, was progressing too quickly. Experts said it may have been more productive to allow Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his team prepare the ground work for the summit, rather than trying to fix a date so soon.

Mr Pompeo, who met Kim twice in Pyongyang, explained the cancellation by saying North Korea had not responded to contacts in recent days and Mr Trump had made his decision after meetings on Wednesday, in which he concluded the summit would not be successful.

We got a lot of dial tones, Mr Pompeo said, adding it was disappointing but frankly not a surprise.

Speaking at the White House later, Mr Trump said he remained open to dialogue but had spoken to Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and warned North Korea against any reckless act.

He said US allies South Korea and Japan also were ready to shoulder much of the financial burden if an unfortunate situation is forced upon us by North Korea. He added the United States would continue its maximum pressure campaign of sanctions to press North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

Yet, Mr Trump appeared to be caught up in the idea of a breakthrough on an issue, that his predecessor, Barack Obama, had warned would be one of the toughest challenges he would face during his presidency.

At the same time Mr Trump, a natural showman, wanted to pull off something no other US president had done; no sitting US president has met with either of the three members of the Kim dynasty that have ruled North Korea since its creation in 1948.

The announcement by Mr Trump followed ten days or do during which it had become clear that talks with North Korea may not be going so well. While the White House had said the aim of the summit was to bring about the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, different members of his team made public differences about how this might be achieved.

Two weeks ago, North Korea puled out of a planned meeting with South Korea, citing ongoing joint military drills between the US and South Korea and describing them as a provocation. The cancellation of the meeting, coming so soon after historic April 27 summit between Mr Kim and South Korean president Moon Jae-in in the demilitarised area between the two countries, startled many observers and led some to suggest something was wrong.Such suspicions were confirmed when North Korea denounced comments made by Mr Trumps hawkish national security adviser John Bolton, who said North Korea should scrap its weapons as a starting point for talks.

After North Korea reacted negatively to such remarks, Mr Trump appeared to try and reassure Mr Kim that the US did not want to pursue the so-called Libya option for North Korea, a reference to Muammar Gaddafi unilateral decision in December 2003 to give up his nuclear warning in exchange for better relations with the West. He was ultimately killed in October 2011 following the Arab Spring uprising, after rebels were supported by Nato war planes.

 Trump greets US citizens freed from North Korea

While Mr Trumps comments were seemingly intended to push the point to Mr Kim that he would remain the leader of his country which he said would have a bright future, he also said Mr Kim would receive Gaddafis fate if he did not give up his weapons.

On Thursday, North Korea reacted strongly to Mr Pences comments, calling him a dummy for comparing North Korea to Libya.

Choe Son Hui, a vice-minister in the North Korean Foreign Ministry, said if the US continued on its current path, she would suggest her nations that they reconsider the planned summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Whether the US will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behaviour of the United States, Ms Choe said in comments carried by North Koreas state-run KCNA news agency.

It is not clear whether Mr Trumps announcement he was cancelling the summit, which came hours after Ms Choes comments or because of other issues relating to preparations for the summit. Little has been made public about the negotiations that have been led by Mr Kim and Andrew Kim, head of the CIAs Korea Mission Centre based in Langley, Virginia. A White House official said Ms Choe's condemnation of Mr Pence as a political dummy was the last straw that led to cancelling the summit.

Christine Ahn, a Korea expert and founder of Women Cross DMZ, a global movement of women that has worked for peace on the Korean peninsula, said from Seoul she was not entirely surprised by developments, given the USs rhetoric towards North Korea.

She said she believed there were people within Mr Trumps administration, notably figures such as national security adviser Mr Bolton, who did not want the talks to proceed. As such, he had undone much of the work done by Mike Pompeo.

Trump has left open the door, there is still the desire there, she told The Independent. But he needs to start acting like a global leader and stop talking about his weapons.

She added: Clearly what we all want is deescalation. We need both sides to put away their differences and put decades of mistrust aside.Following Mr Trumps announcement, Mr Pompeo said North Korea did not respond to repeated requests from US officials to discuss logistics for the now-cancelled summit.

Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic minority leader in the House, claimed Mr Trump had not known what he was getting into with his planned talks with Mr Kim. She said cancellation of the summit was a "good thing for Mr Kim".

The development came as a small group of international media selected by North Korea witnessed the demolition of tunnels at the Punggye-ri site on Thursday, which Pyongyang said was proof of its commitment to end nuclear testing.

Reuters said the apparent destruction of what North Korea says is its only nuclear test site has been widely welcomed as a positive, if largely symbolic, step towards resolving tension over its weapons. North Korean leader Mr Kim has declared his nuclear force complete, amid speculation the site was obsolete anyway.

Dr Sojin Lim, senior lecturer in Korean studies at Britains University of Central Lancashire, said the process of denuclearisation would undoubtedly become more complicated now that the summit has been cancelled.

A carefully thought-out, step-by-step approach to building a relationship is desperately needed, but this has so far been complicated by Donald Trump and Kim Jong-uns conflicting personalities, she said.

It will now be up to South Korea to try to bring the two countries back into some sort of dialogue  however, North Koreas burgeoning relationship with China means that it is now far less dependent on the US, so it will be even more difficult to re-establish negotiations between the two countries.Democrats reacted to Donald Trump abruptly cancelling a high-stakes summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un by suggesting the president had strategically blundered.

Its clear he did not know what he was getting into in agreeing to meet with the regime, to House Democrat Nancy Pelosi of California said of Mr Trump. I think it's a good thing for Kim Jong-un, she added, accusing Mr Trump of having legitimised the North Korean leader.

Reactions poured in from across the political spectrum after Mr Trump pulled out of a meeting he had trumpeted as an opportunity for a long-sought deal to dismantle North Koreas nuclear programme.

The president and administration officials had said all along that they would abandon the talks if Pyongyang did not seem receptive and willing to halt its nuclear initiative. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo said the administration would sustain a maximum pressure campaign of sanctions as it sought to pressure the North Korean regime, saying its important the world observes that this effort continues.

A number of Republicans rallied behind the Trump administration, faulting the North Korean regime for undercutting the talks with a series of aggressive statements. Rep Ted Poe of Texas said the talks were a bluff and charged that Mr Kim was obviously not serious about stopping his nuclear weapon and ballistic missile development.

Withdrawing from talks with #NKorea is 100% the right decision, Sen Marco Rubio, a Republican hawk who has been critical of Mr Trumps foreign policy, said on Twitter, adding that Mr Kim doesnt want a deal. He has deliberately sabotaged the talks over the last two weeks & was setting us up to take the blame.

North Korea Military Parade Show all 6 1 /6 North Korea Military Parade North Korea Military Parade AP North Korea Military Parade AFP/Getty Images North Korea Military Parade AP North Korea Military Parade AP North Korea Military Parade AP North Korea Military Parade AFP/Getty Images

Senator Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican who leads the Foreign Relations Committee, called the cancellation a a little bit of a setback and said I dont look at this as any big thing.

But Democrats were less forgiving, suggesting Mr Trump had fumbled a rare diplomatic opportunity. Senator Bob Melendez of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Mr Trump had weakened and further isolated the United States by hastily agreeing to talks and then walking away.

The art of diplomacy is a lot harder than the art of the deal, Mr Menendez said in a statement, adding that mercurial diplomacy will only damage U.S. partnerships in the region and jeopardize our national security.

 Mike Pompeo confident US and North Korea have 'shared understanding of ultimate objectives from summit'

Rep Gerry Connolly, a Virginia Democrat, invoked an infamous Twitter typo by Mr Trump in mocking the pullout.

N Korea summit cancelled, Mr Conolloy wrote on Twitter. I guess that Nobel Peace Prize will have to wait. Covfefe!President Donald Trump says that the US military is ready if North Korea takes any "foolish action" following his decision to pull out of planned talks next month.

"Our military is ready if necessary," Mr Trump said Thursday at the White House, before continuing to say that the summit cancellation is a "great setback for the world" and bragging about "greatly enhanced" military power the the US and its allies have.

"Likewise, I have spoken to South Korea and Japan and they are not only ready should foolish or reckless acts be taken by North Korea, but they are willing ot shoulder much of the cost of any financial burden  any of the costs associated by the United States in operations, if such an unfortunate situation is forced upon us," he continued.

Mr Trump also expressed hope for North Korea's future.

"Hopefully positive things will be taking place with respect to the future of North Korea," Mr Trump said. "But if they don't, we are more ready than we have ever been before".

"North Korea has the opportunity to end decades of poverty and oppression by following the path of denuclearisation and joining the community of nations, and I hope that Kim Jong-un will ultimately do what is right not only for himself but perhaps, most importantly, what's right for his people who are suffering greatly and needlessly," Mr Trump said.

Mr Trump's decision to withdraw from the summit has left American allies and politicians with the tough task of determining how the president would like to proceed regarding North Korean nuclearisation and missile testing. It also would appear to greatly reduce the chance that the Trump administration will be able to reach a peaceful agreement with Pyongyang that would lead to North Korea's abandonment of its nuclear and missile programmes.

North Korea Military Parade Show all 6 1 /6 North Korea Military Parade North Korea Military Parade AP North Korea Military Parade AFP/Getty Images North Korea Military Parade AP North Korea Military Parade AP North Korea Military Parade AP North Korea Military Parade AFP/Getty Images

It is not clear exactly how much input the Trump administration may have sought from South Korea or Japan before announcing the withdrawal from the summit.

South Korea presidential spokesperson Kim Eui-kyeom said in a statement that the country's officials are actively seeking to determine what the announcement means.

"We are attempting to make sense of what, precisely, President Trump means," he said.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is testifying to Congress Thursday, refused to comment on whether Mr Trump's letter had blind-sided South Korean officials. Mr Pompeo had met with Kim Jong-un twice.

A statement from the Pentagon following Mr Trump's letter  which cited "tremendous anger and open hostility displayed" by North Korean officials as the reason for withdrawal  said that the US will continue its "maximum pressure campaign" against North Korea.

Tom Collina, who has worked with the Obama, Bush, and Clinton administrations on nuclear non-proliferation, told The Independent that Mr Trump's decision to pull out of the summit makes little sense, and that his sabre rattling does not send much of a message to the North Korean regime that they don't already know.



"It's kind of mindless boasting. Everyone knows the US has a large nuclear arsenal and a large military force," Mr Collina, the director of policy at the Ploughshares Fund, a foundation that supports initiatives to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, said.

"The North Koreans know this ... it does not need reminding. For Trump, it just seems like he's boasting to his base, trying to make a point. This is typical Trump boasting fire and fury: My button is bigger than your button. None of it matters because North Korea has a nuclear deterrent. The US is not going to launch an attack on North Korea so long as North Korea has the option to rain down bombs on South Korea or Japan."

Ned Price, who served in the Obama administration as special assistant to the president and as a National Security Council spokesperson, told The Independent that Mr Trump's decision only serves to isolate the US from its allies through unpredictability, and that it is hard to tell how North Korea will respond  or how that response will impact any potential future negotiations.

"This always had to be something that we were in lock-step with our regional allies, primarily South Korea, but also China and Japan," Mr Price said. "This, I think, will be a reminder to all of those countries that Donald Trumps America can't be trusted. Even when we do the right things, and make the right moves one day, we may pull he rug from under them on the next."The threat of military conflict has returned to the Korean Peninsula after Donald Trump cancelled a potentially historic summit with Kim Jong-un and warned the US military was ready if he took any foolish action.

The US president said he was pulling out of the meeting planned for 12 June in Singapore because of the open hostility Pyongyang had displayed in recent days.

Some analysts said Mr Trump had allowed hawks within his government, such as national security adviser John Bolton, to undermine the talks before they were given a chance. Notably, South Korean president Moon Jae-in, who played a crucial role in establishing back channels for secret negotiations to take place, said he was perplexed by Washingtons decision.

After several days during which Mr Trump appeared to be signalling that preparations for the planned meeting were not going well, he said he was pulling out because of the tremendous anger and open hostility in the latest remarks from North Korea. He called it a truly sad moment in history.

I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting, he wrote in a letter, which was said to have been dictated by Mr Bolton. Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties but to the detriment of the world, will not take place.

Later, speaking to reporters at the White House, he said that the US would continue to enforce sanctions against North Korea and that the Pentagons stance had not altered.

Our military is ready if necessary, said Mr Trump. Likewise, I have spoken to South Korea and Japan and they are not only ready should foolish or reckless acts be taken by North Korea, but they are willing to shoulder much of the cost of any financial burden - any of the costs associated by the United States in operations, if such an unfortunate situation is forced upon us.

While Mr Trump in his letter left open the prospect of a future summit if Mr Kims stance changed, it was unclear whether he really believed this was possible. Ned Price, former National Security Council spokesperson and special assistant to Barack Obama, told The Independent he believed the president had been torn between his personal desire for a diplomatic win, and, potentially a Nobel Peace Prize, and [Mr] Boltons appetite for military conflict.

He said: I think the erraticism and the recklessness we've seen here is the push and pull between Trumps instincts and those of his advisers. This, I think, will be a reminder to all of those countries that Donald Trumps America can't be trusted. Even when we do the right things and make the right move one day, we may pull the rug out from under them in the next.

The announcement by Mr Trump followed 10 days or so during which it had become clear that talks with North Korea may not be going so well. While the White House had said the aim of the summit was to bring about the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, different members of his team voiced in public, different views about how this might be achieved.

Two weeks ago, North Korea puled out of a planned meeting with South Korea, citing ongoing joint military drills between the US and South Korea and describing them as a provocation. The cancellation of the meeting, coming so soon after the historic 27 April summit between Mr Kim and Mr Moon in the demilitarised area between the two countries, startled many observers and led some to suggest something was wrong.

Such suspicions were confirmed when North Korea denounced comments made by Mr Bolton, who said North Korea should scrap its weapons as a starting point for talks.

 Trump: North Korea summit might take place at a later date

After North Korea reacted negatively to such remarks, Mr Trump appeared to try and reassure Mr Kim that the US did not want to pursue the so-called Libya option for North Korea, a reference to Muammar Gaddafis unilateral decision in 2003 to scrap his country's nuclear and chemical weapons programme in exchange for better relations with the West. He was ultimately killed in October 2011 following the Arab Spring uprising, after rebels were supported by Nato war planes.

While Mr Trumps comments were seemingly intended to push the point to Mr Kim that he would remain the leader of his country, which he said would have a bright future, he also said Mr Kim would receive Gaddafis fate if he did not give up his weapons.

Such a view was repeated by Vice President Mike Pence, who warned North Korea not to try and play Mr Trump. I dont think President Trump is thinking about public relations, hes thinking about peace, said Mr Pence.

He later told Fox News: There was some talk about the Libya model. As the president made clear, this will only end like the Libya model ended if Kim Jong-un doesn't make a deal.

On Thursday, North Korea reacted strongly to Mr Pences comments, calling him a dummy for comparing North Korea to Libya.

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

Choe Son Hui, a vice-minister in the North Korean foreign ministry, said if the US continued on its current path, she would suggest to her nation that they reconsider the planned summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Whether the US will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behaviour of the United States, Ms Choe said in comments carried by North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency.

Mr Trumps announcement came hours after Ms Choes comments. Little has been made public about the negotiations that have been led by secretary of state Mike Pompeo and Andrew Kim, head of the CIAs Korea Mission Centre based in Langley, Virginia.

South Koreas Mr Moon, who called an emergency cabinet meeting after Mr Trump made his announcement, urged North Korea and the US to find some way to make the talks happen.

I am very perplexed and it is very regrettable that the North Korea-US summit will not be held on June 12 when it was scheduled to be held, the Yonhap news agency quoted Mr Moon as saying.

 Mike Pompeo confident US and North Korea have 'shared understanding of ultimate objectives from summit'

In his comments, Mr Trump said he believed that he had been developing a wonderful dialogue with the man whom just months ago he mocked as rocket man and whose country he threatened to totally destroy in a speech at the UN General Assembly.

Some day I very much look forward to meeting you. In the meantime, I want to thank you for the release of the hostages who are now at home with their families, he said. That was a beautiful gesture and was very much appreciated.

A number of commentators have voiced concerns that planning for the 12 June summit, which would have represented one of the most significant geopolitical encounters since the end of the Cold War, was progressing too quickly. Experts said it may have been more productive to allow Mr

Pompeo and his team to prepare the ground work for the summit, rather than trying to fix a date so soon.

Yet Mr Trump appeared to be caught up in the idea of a breakthrough on an issue, that his predecessor, Mr Obama, had warned would be one of the toughest challenges he would face during his presidency.

At the same time, the natural show man wanted to pull off something no other US president had done; no sitting US president has met with either of the three members of the Kim dynasty that have ruled North Korea since its creation in 1948.

In Washington, Mr Pompeo told the Senate foreign relations committee that the lack of response was an additional reason for Mr Trumps decision to call off the meeting. He said: We had received no response to our enquiries from them.

Christine Ahn, a Korea expert and founder of Women Cross DMZ, a global movement of women that has worked for peace on the Korean peninsula, said from Seoul she was not entirely surprised by developments, given the USs rhetoric towards North Korea.

She said she believed there were people within Mr Trumps administration, notably Mr Bolton, who did not want the talks to proceed. As such, he had undone much of the hard work performed by Mr Pompeo.

Trump has left open the door, there is still the desire there, she said. But he needs to start acting like a global leader and stop talking about his weapons.

Tom Collina, who has worked with the administrations of Barack Obama, George Bush and Bill Clinton on nuclear non-proliferation and who is director of policy at the Ploughshares fund, said diplomacy is the way were going to solve this problem.

So putting it off, delaying this process doesnt seem to make much sense, he added. And, the reasons Trump decided to delay it doesnt make sense - ostensibly because the North Koreans insulted Vice President Pence - that makes no sense.

The development came as a small group of international media selected by North Korea witnessed the demolition of tunnels at the Punggye-ri site on Thursday, which Pyongyang said was proof of its commitment to end nuclear testing.

Reuters said the apparent destruction of what North Korea says is its only nuclear test site has been widely welcomed as a positive, if largely symbolic, step towards resolving tension over its weapons. North Korean leader Mr Kim has declared his nuclear force complete, amid speculation the site was obsolete anyway.Moses Farrow, the adopted son of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow, has sought to come to his fathers defence against allegations of sexual abuse, saying in a blog post the veteran Hollywood director did not rape his sister. He also accused their mother of being manipulative and physically abusive.

In a post entitled A Son Speaks Out, the 40-year-old spent almost 5,000 words revisiting issues he has previously spoken about, and insisted Allen had been unfairly treated.

Im a very private person and not at all interested in public attention, wrote Mr Farrow.

But, given the incredibly inaccurate and misleading attacks on my father, Woody Allen, I feel that I can no longer stay silent as he continues to be condemned for a crime he did not commit.

Moses Farrow, who works as a therapist, was adopted from South Korea as a youngster by Mia Farrow and then also adopted by Allen in 1991. He was 14 in 1993 when allegations were first made during a bitter custody battle, that the director of films such as Annie Hall, had assaulted Moses seven-year-old sister, Dylan. The claim was investigated, but Allen was not charged. He has always denied the claims.

 Dylan Farrow accuses Woody Allen of sexual assault for the first time on television

In 2014, Dylan Farrow published an op-ed in the New York Times in which she claimed the movie director had raped her in the attic of the family home.

He told me to lay on my stomach and play with my brothers electric train set, she wrote Then he sexually assaulted me.

Woody Allen: He'll always have Paris Show all 1 1 /1 Woody Allen: He'll always have Paris Woody Allen: He'll always have Paris 655451.bin Rex Features

In a statement to People in response to Moses Farrows claim, his sister said his blog post was an attempt to deflect from a credible allegation made by an adult woman, by trying to impugn my mother who has only ever been supportive of me and my siblings.

She added: Its easily disproven, contradicts years of his own statements, is beyond hurtful to me personally, and is part of a larger effort to discredit and distract from my assault. My brother is a troubled person. Im so sorry hes doing this.

This is not the first time the director sons has claimed that his mother was abusive. The 73-year-old did not immediately respond to her sons latest claims.

However, in 2017, when Moses Farrow made similar claims that mother had been abusive to an author who included the remarks in a biography of Allen, the veteran actress stridently denied them. She said at the time: Its heartbreaking and bewildering that he would make this up, perhaps to please Woody.After two gruelling sessions amounting to almost 11 hours, the ousted prime minister of Malaysia says he has finished answering all the questions put to him by a corruption commission set up by the country's new government.

Najib Razak emerged once again smiling and waving to reporters on Thursday, even as the new administration of Mahathir Mohamad said it had discovered another $50bn of debt liabilities left behind by the previous administration.

Mr Mahathir returned to the political fold and delivered a shock defeat to Mr Najib in the country's election two weeks ago, with campaigning dominated by accusations of corruption.

The US has accused Mr Najib and his associates of embezzling around $700m from the 1 Malaysia Development Bhd (Ltd) fund, dubbed the 1MDB scandal in Malaysian media reports. Founded by Mr Najib, 1MDB was supposed to pay for infrastructure projects in Kuala Lumpur and beyond to turn Malaysia into a new financial services hub.

Mr Najib has denied wrongdoing and was cleared by his own attorney general in 2016, though the new head of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) this week described how an investigation into 1MDB had been suppressed three years ago to stop charges being brought against him.

The MACC has been questioning the former leader specifically about why 42 million ringgit ($10.6 million) was transferred into his bank account from SRC International, a former unit of the 1MDB fund, using multiple intermediary companies. It represents the domestic side of the 1MDB allegations - investigators say chasing an alleged international money trail will take a lot longer.

Mr Najib and his wife have, in the meantime, been barred from leaving the country. Malaysians are now wondering if charges will be filed - something the new MACC chief has suggested could happen "very soon".

In between Mr Najib's two appearances at the MACC, the new finance minister Lim Guan Eng said the Najib government had committed to making lease payments of 201.4bn ringgit ($50.62bn) for several projects that were designed to circumvent the federal government guarantee and debt limits.

The extra obligations brought Malaysia's total debt and liabilities to over 1.087 trillion ringgit as of Dec. 31, 2017, or 80.3 per cent of gross domestic product, Mr Lim told reporters.

Earlier this week, Mr Lim said the Najib government had deceived the public and parliament over the country's finances and 1MDB. He also said treasury officials and the country's auditor general were unable to access certain accounts and reports.

In a late night Facebook post on Wednesday, Mr Najib said Mr Mahathir and his finance minister's "alarming and confusing" remarks about the country's debts and 1MDB liabilities "tell half the story".

As he emerged on Thursday, he appeared relaxed. Smiling, he put a finger to his lips to shush journalists so that he could speak.

"I have answered all questions as best as I could, And MACC has carried out their duties well and professionally," Mr Najib said, almost exactly what he said after his first visit to the agency two days earlier.

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 Mr Najib was giving his seven-hour statement, agents also met Xavier Justo, a Swiss national who was the first whistleblower in the 1MDB affair. It was documents leaked by the former director of energy group PetroSaudi International, which ran an energy joint venture with 1MDB from 2009 to 2012, that triggered investigations in at least six countries.

An anti-graft official, who declined to be identified because the matter is sensitive, said Mr Justo is assisting a taskforce investigating 1MDB but couldn't give further details. The whistleblower did not speak to reporters himself.

Additional reporting by agenciesNorth Korea has carried out what it claims is the demolition of its only nuclear test site in the presence of foreign journalists.

The explosions deep in the mountains of the North's sparsely populated northeast were focused on three tunnels and a number of observation towers in the surrounding area.

The dismantling of the Punggye-ri nuclear site was announced by Kim Jong-un ahead of a planned summit with Donald Trump next month.

The demolition came as the North launched another verbal attack at Washington, calling vice-president Mike Pence a "political dummy" and saying it is just as ready to meet in a nuclear confrontation as at the negotiating table.

The North's decision to close the test site has generally been seen as a welcome gesture by Mr Kim to set a positive tone ahead of the summit. Even so, it is not an irreversible move and would need to be followed by many more significant measures to meet Mr Trump's demands for real denuclearisation.

By bringing in the foreign media, mainly television networks, the North is apparently hoping to have images of the closing broadcast around the world.

The North did not invite international inspectors to the ceremony, which limits its value as a serious concession.

 Donald Trump reveals time and place for meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un

The outburst at Mr Pence, issued in the name of a top Foreign Ministry official, comes on the heels of another sharp rebuke of Mr Trump's newly appointed national security adviser, John Bolton, and has raised concerns that a major gap has opened between the two sides just weeks before the 12 June summit in Singapore.

In both cases, Pyongyang was trying to push back against hard-line comments suggesting North Korea may end up like Libya if it doesn't move forward quickly and irreversibly with concrete measures to get rid of its nuclear weapons.

Choe Son Hui, a vice minister of foreign affairs, was quoted by the North's state-run news agency slamming as "ignorant" and "stupid" comments Mr Pence made in an interview with Fox News that compared the nuclear-capable North to Libya. Libya gave up its program at an early stage only to see its longtime dictator overthrown and brutally killed years later.

North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border Show all 20 1 /20 North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border People have their picture taken with North Korea in the background, in Tumen, China. In the Chinese city of Dandong, signs of neighbouring North Korea are pervasive. REUTERS North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border A North Korean woman is photographed from the Chinese side of the Yalu River near the town of Changbai, China as she walks between houses in the North Korean town of Hyesan. A week-long road trip along China's side of its border with North Korea revealed stark contrasts between China's bright towns and North Korea's dark villages. REUTERS North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border North Korean souvenirs are displayed for sale on the banks of the Yalu River in Dandong in Liaoning province, China. In the Chinese city of Dandong, signs of neighbouring North Korea are pervasive. Reuters North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border A large screen, which faces North Korea, broadcasts propaganda videos on an island on the Yalu River between North Korea and China, in the town of Linjiang in Jilin province, China. A week-long road trip along China's side of its border with North Korea revealed stark contrasts between China's bright towns and North Korea's dark villages. REUTERS North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border A piece of clothing is used to make a gap in barbed wire near the closed bridge over the Yalu River on the Chinese side of the border with North Korea between towns of Ji'an and Linjiang, China. A week-long road trip along China's side of its border with North Korea showed places where it is porous. Reuters North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border A tourist uses binoculars to look across to North Korea from a tower built on the Chinese side of the border between Russia (L), China (C) and North Korea (R) near the town of Hunchun in China. Reuters North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border North Koreans are photographed from the Chinese side of the border as they stand next to the freezing Yalu River near the town of Linjiang, China. On a road trip along China's side of its border with North Korea, reporters found a group of North Koreans diving in the Yalu river who the Chinese locals said were searching for gold. REUTERS North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border Women participate in a group dance exercise close to the Yalu River which runs between China and North Korea, in the town of Linjiang in Jilin province, China. A week-long road trip along China's side of its border with North Korea revealed stark contrasts between China's bright towns and North Korea's dark villages. REUTERS North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border A sign reading, "Take the initiative to preserve order along the border," stands in a field at the border between China and North Korea just outside Dandong, Liaoning province, China. Reuters North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border A couple prepare for a wedding photography session on a boat which takes tourists on sightseeing tours from the Chinese side of the Yalu River, close to the shores of North Korea, near Dandong, Liaoning province, China. In the Chinese city of Dandong, signs of neighbouring North Korea are pervasive. REUTERS North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border Tourists travel on a boat taking them from the Chinese side of the Yalu River for sightseeing close to the shores of North Korea, near Dandong, Liaoning province, China. In the Chinese city of Dandong, signs of neighbouring North Korea are pervasive. REUTERS North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border North Koreans are photographed from the Chinese side of the border as they stand next to the freezing Yalu River near the town of Linjiang, China. On a road trip along China's side of its border with North Korea, reporters found a group of North Koreans diving in the Yalu river who the Chinese locals said were searching for gold. REUTERS North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border Women walk across a bridge from an island on the Yalu River, dividing North Korea and China, in the town of Linjiang in Jilin province, China. A week-long road trip along China's side of its border with North Korea revealed stark contrasts between China's bright towns and North Korea's dark villages. REUTERS North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border A North Korean soldier and locals are photographed from the Chinese side of the border north of Dandong, China as they stand on the banks of the Yalu River, north of Sinuiju, North Korea. A week-long road trip along China's side of its border with North Korea revealed stark contrasts between China's bright towns and North Korea's dark villages. REUTERS North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border North Korean girls are photographed from the Chinese side of the border as they collect water from the frozen Yalu River near Linjiang, China. A week-long road trip along China's side of its border with North Korea revealed stark contrasts between China's bright towns and North Korea's dark villages. REUTERS North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border A man looks through binoculars towards North Korea on the Broken Bridge over the Yalu River that connects the North Korean town of Sinuiju and Dandong in Liaoning Province, China. In the Chinese city of Dandong, signs of neighbouring North Korea are pervasive. REUTERS North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border North Koreans are photographed from the Chinese side of the border as they stand next to the freezing Yalu River near the town of Linjiang, China. On a road trip along China's side of its border with North Korea, reporters found a group of North Koreans diving in the Yalu river who the Chinese locals said were searching for gold. REUTERS North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border North Korean fishermen are seen as a Chinese flag flutters from the Broken Bridge as the sun sets over the Yalu River between the North Korean town of Sinuiju and Dandong in Liaoning Province, China. In the Chinese city of Dandong, signs of neighbouring North Korea are pervasive. REUTERS North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border North Koreans are photographed from the Chinese side of the border as they stand in the freezing Yalu River near the town of Linjiang, China. On a road trip along China's side of its border with North Korea, reporters found a group of North Koreans diving in the Yalu river who the Chinese locals said were searching for gold. REUTERS North Korea: A road trip on the edge of the Chinese border Women, photographed from the Chinese side of the border, are seen through binoculars fixed on a building on the Chinese side of the border for sightseers to look across to North Korea, as they cross the bridge from Namyang in North Korea towards the town of Tumen in China, Reuters

The summit plan has hit a number of speed bumps recently as both sides have begun trading barbs and taking tougher positions. Mr Trump met with South Korean president Moon Jae-in on Tuesday at the White House for consultations and suggested the summit could be delayed or even called off entirely.

Even so, both sides still seem to want to hold the meeting, which would be unprecedented.

Success in talks would be a huge accomplishment for Mr Trump. Meeting with the US president as an equal on the world stage would be a major coup for Mr Kim.

Additional reporting by AP.US President Donald Trump has cancelled his much-anticipated first meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, another sore point in a history of tense relations.

The summit was set to take place on 12 June in Singapore but Mr Trump said he pulled out due to North Koreas tremendous anger and open hostility. He said that the withdrawal was for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency said in its latest report that North Korea would not beg for the summit to happen and would not unilaterally denuclearise. Vice President Mike Pence had said that the situation with Pyongyang "may end like Libya" if Mr Kim doesn't make a deal. The example of Libya has long been cited by North Korea as one of the reasons for it to keep nuclear weapons, with leader Muammar Gaddafi ousted and killed after renouncing nuclear weapons. North Korea called Mr Pence's remarks ignorant and stupid.

Here is how the world came to this point after decades of difficult diplomacy Pyongyang and Washington - with the last 18-months being particularly tension-filled.

1953 An armistice halts the three-year Korean War , South Korea has been assisted by the US, with the North aided by China and to a lesser extent the then-Soviet Union.

2000-2002 After years of rapid industrial growth in the South, the first Inter-Korean summit took place. Leaders of both countries met and the South granted amnesty to thousands of prisoners from North Korea. US President George W Bush labelled North Korea, Iran, and Iraq as the axis of evil, saying they continue to build weapons of mass destruction.

January 2017 Decades of failed attempts to get Pyongyang to denuclearise result in continued testing of its weapons systems, In 2015, President Barack Obama successfully brought Iran to the table to sign a six-party nuclear weapons agreement in exchange for eased sanctions, possibly setting the stage for a similar deal with North Korea, but Mr Trump comes into office and tensions are once again brought to the forefront.

February 2017 Mr Kims estranged half-brother Kim Jong-nam is killed by a toxic nerve agent at the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, airport. This angers China, as he had been living there under protection. North Korea relies on China, one its handful of allies, for trade and essential goods and services.

The first North Korean missile launch of 2017 took place on 12 February, one of more than 20 that take place across the year - a marked increase in activity.

June 2017 Mr Trump said in a speech, after meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, that the era of strategic patience with the North Korean regime has failed.

July 2017 Pyongyang tests a new missile, this time over the Sea of Japan. Not only does it cause panic in Tokyo but US military and intelligence officials claimed that such a missile could possibly reach Alaska. Launched on July 4, US Independence Day, it marked the first time Pyongyang had fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

August 2017 Mr Trump and Mr Kim continue to trade personal barbs through comments in the media as North Korea threatens to fire missiles at Guam, a US territory in the Pacific ocean that also houses American military installations.

The president said he would unleash fire, fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before. He continues to tweet and speak in terms suggesting that military action is the only resolution. Defence Secretary James Mattis and former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson assure the public that diplomacy is still the preferred method.

The United Nations passes strict sanctions on North Korea including oil and gas, textiles, seafood, and financial transactions. Unlike a number of previous efforts at sanctions, China said it would implement them.

September 2017 North Korea conducts its first nuclear test of 2017, its sixth overall, and the most powerful weapon it has ever tested. Later in the month, Mr Trump calls Mr Kim Rocket Man at the US leaders first speech in front of the United Nations General Assembly. In the speech he promised to totally destroy North Korea should it test US limits and said Mr Kim was on a suicide mission.

The US state of Hawaii tells residents how to prepare for a possible nuclear ballistic missile attack.

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

November 2017 On November 29, North Korea claims to have successfully tested a new type of ICBM, topped with a "super-large heavy warhead," capable of striking the US mainland.

February 2018 Mr Kim started the year by reaching out to the South in his New Year's Day address. After weeks of negotiation the US and South Korea agree to halt joint military exercises in the region after North Korea aggrees to participate in the Winter Olympics held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Athletes from both sides marched together under a united flag at the opening ceremony - a sign of the sunshine policy of better relations advocated by Mr Moon.

Mr Kim sent his sister Kim Yo Jong as his emissary and the US sent White House advisor Ivanka Trump and Mr Pence.

March 2018 The US and North Korea announced the first meeting between its leaders, in an apparent sign of a thaw.

April 2018 In a historic and opulent ceremony, Mr Kim and Mr Moon met in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) to sign the Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula during the Inter-Korean Summit and officially ended the war that began when the north and south split in a battle over communism and democracy that began on 25 June 1950.

At some point, Mr Kim has also met with Chinese president Xi Jinping as well.

May 2018 North Korea said it felt the planned US-South Korea military exercises taking place were a provocation and a slap in the face after signing an agreement with South Korea. The Pentagon said the drills were only defensive. Pyongyang reacted by cancelling scheduled follow-up peace negotiations with Mr Moon.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Mr Kim in order to kick-start negotiations to discuss the foundations for the June 12 summit and possible denuclearisation.

Mr Trump then blames North Korea's "hostility" for cancelling the summit.Australia has built the worlds longest feral-cat-proof fence in an attempt to prevent the felines from wiping out endangered native marsupials and birds.

As part of the largest feral-cat eradication project ever, the fence will allow conservationists to not only stop the killing of wild species but also reintroduce at least 11 types of threatened mammal.

It will stretch for 27.3 miles across a vast landscape of farmland to enclose the countrys largest cat-free area, of at least 250 sq miles.

Recommended Australia to cull more than a million kangaroos this year

Australian Wildlife Conservancy has already removed more than 60 feral cats from the Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary in Central Australia in the Northern Territory, paving the way for the regeneration of endangered native animal species.

Non-native feral cats pose a major threat to native creatures, with experts estimating they kill 73,000 mammals, reptiles and birds a year in the area.

Sanctuary bosses say the project is of global significance to biodiversity, as it will aim to recreate a range of wildlife similar to that in place before the arrival of European settlers.

Species will be brought in from other areas of the country, and reintroducing the threatened mammals that are already extinct in this area will be the largest threatened-mammal translocation project in Australian history.

Feral cats are thought to be responsible for the extinction of 20 native marsupial species since they were introduced to Australia when they were kept as ratters on convict ships. Australias 2m feral cats are difficult to catch, and a nationwide cull is already under way, for which ministers have previously set targets.

Recommended Australia plans to cull 2 million cats by 2020

Building the fence involved installing more than 8,500 fence pickets and rolling out 250 miles of plain wire with more than a million fence clips.

The first stage, covering up to 15,000 hectares, aims to create by the end of this year a refuge for large mammals, including the mala, which is now extinct in the wild, the central rock rat and the golden bandicoot.

The conservationists want to remove all feral cats and foxes and reduce rabbit numbers to insignificant levels by the end of this year.

Rangers use a combination of traditional hunting and leg-hold trapping to exterminate the feral cats. They will follow the felines footprints to places where they shelter.

Fox-control measures include baiting, shooting and the use of M44s  devices that inject poison only if triggered by foxes.

The rock wallaby is among the creatures to be reintroduced (iStock)

A second stage of the project will extend the 6ft 6in-high fence by another 84 miles.

A total of 11 endangered marsupials will be reintroduced, including bilbies, numbats, golden bandicoots, western quolls and black-footed rock wallabies.

The mala population, which exists only in captive breeding programmes and a sanctuary in New South Wales, is expected to grow to 18,000 at Newhaven. A small marsupial that looks something like a cross between a rabbit and a rat, it is one of Australias most endangered mammals, with an estimated 4,000 animals on mainland Australia.

Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) said: The estimated population statistics highlight the sheer scale of what will be achieved at Newhaven.

Campaigners call on Indian PM to end torture of captive elephants Show all 11 1 /11 Campaigners call on Indian PM to end torture of captive elephants Campaigners call on Indian PM to end torture of captive elephants The treatment of captive elephants in Kerala is branded 'India's shame' World Animal Protection Campaigners call on Indian PM to end torture of captive elephants 'Elephants' in chains World Animal Protection Campaigners call on Indian PM to end torture of captive elephants World Animal Protection Campaigners call on Indian PM to end torture of captive elephants At the Indian High Commission World Animal Protection Campaigners call on Indian PM to end torture of captive elephants Protesters wore black World Animal Protection Campaigners call on Indian PM to end torture of captive elephants The protesters were fighting to open the world's eyes to the hidden crisis, urging people to use the hashtag breakthechains World Animal Protection Campaigners call on Indian PM to end torture of captive elephants Campaigners came in elephant masks World Animal Protection Campaigners call on Indian PM to end torture of captive elephants Outside the High Commission, India House World Animal Protection Campaigners call on Indian PM to end torture of captive elephants 'Elephants' in chains World Animal Protection Campaigners call on Indian PM to end torture of captive elephants World Animal Protection Campaigners call on Indian PM to end torture of captive elephants World Animal Protection

However, there is more to this project than the unprecedented increase in endangered mammal populations. The return of digging mammals such as the bilby and the brush-tailed bettong, and native carnivores such as the western quoll, will re-establish ecosystem processes that stalled many decades ago in central Australia.

Species will be saved and a landscape in our red centre will be restored in a powerful demonstration of how practical, science-based action can halt the loss of Australias wildlife.

AWC chief executive Atticus Fleming said the sanctuary would free the region from its moniker as the "global epicentre for mammal extinctions", having lost about 30 species since European colonisation.

The cost of the first stage, including the fence and eradicating the cats, is estimated at 1.7m. Stage two is expected to cost an additional 2.83m.A group of families from around the world have banded together to take the European Union to court over its failure to protect them from climate change.

They have called the current emissions target inadequate, as they say it will allow high levels of these harmful greenhouse gases to continue until 2030.

Dubbed the Peoples Climate Case, the participants hope their action will overturn three EU emission regulation acts that have recently been approved by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.

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The 10 families include representatives from Portugal, Germany, France, Italy, Romania and Sweden, as well as Kenya and Fiji.

Within their numbers are young children and representatives from Swedens indigenous Sami community, whose livelihoods are at particular risk due to the effects of climate change.

The group has stated that it is already impacting their livelihoods, homes and culture.

Environmental lawyer Roda Verheyen, who is representing the families, said: "Climate change is already an issue for the courts in the European countries and around the world. The plaintiff families are putting their trust in the EU courts and legal system to protect their fundamental rights of life, health, occupation and property which are under threat of climate change.

The EU courts must now listen to these families and ensure that they are protected."

Specifically, the plaintiffs want the EU to improve on its current emission trading scheme directive, effort sharing regulation and land use, land use change and forestry regulation.

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 case is important because it asks the EU to increase its climate ambition to 2030, in order to take a fair share of the burden required to meet the temperature goal of the Paris agreement and to protect the human rights of European citizens," said Sophie Marjanac, a climate lawyer at the non profit environmental law organisation, ClientEarth.

Europeans in areas like France and Portugal have been struck by heatwaves that have been linked with climate change, which have taken their toll on local farmers in particular.

Maurice Feschet, the grandfather of the French plaintiff family, described how their farm in Provence had lost over 40 per cent of its harvest in six years due to the impacts of climate change hitting us harder and harder.

In European politics, there is a concrete urgency to take a step back and consider the principles of democracy, he added.

The EU must now listen to its citizens who are impacted by climate change and implement the necessary measures to protect them.

Meanwhile developing countries such as Fiji and Kenya have been struck by an increase in extreme weather events like cyclones and droughts, which scientists are able to attribute to climate change with increased confidence.

As an indigenous people of northern Europe whose traditional way of life relies on reindeer herding, the Sami are gravely threatened by a warming climate.

If we lose the reindeer, the Sami culture will be lost, explained Sanna Vannar the president of Sami youth association Saminuorra.

 Eight young Floridians file lawsuit against the state of Florida over climate change

Many of the Sami youth want to be reindeer herders, but they cannot see a future. This is mostly due to the threat of climate change. This must be urgently addressed for the safety of our generation and the next generations.

The action is supported by Climate Action Network (CAN), an umbrella group of environmental NGOs working to tackle climate change.

In 2015, as part of the Paris agreement, countries agreed to pursue efforts to limit temperature rise to 1.5C. Yet, it is clear that the existing EU 2030 climate target is not enough to respect the commitments taken in the Paris agreement and should be increased, said CAN director Wendel Trio. This legal action initiated by families is underlining the urgency and the necessity to increase the EUs 2030 climate target.

The German NGO Protect the Planet is bearing the costs of the legal case, and scientists from think tank Climate Analytics are providing expertise to clarify how the plaintiffs are affected by climate change and what the EU can do to improve its targets.The missile launcher used to shoot down MH17 over Ukraine was part of the Russian armed forces, an international team of investigators has confirmed.

Detailed analysis of video images established the missile came from a Russia-based military unit, the joint investigation team said.

Wilbert Paulissen, head of the Dutch national polices crime squad, said the Buk missile was from the 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade, which is based in the Russian city of Kursk.

All the vehicles in a convoy carrying the missile were part of the Russian armed forces, he said at a presentation of the interim results of the long-running investigation.

In pictures: MH17 final report Show all 7 1 /7 In pictures: MH17 final report In pictures: MH17 final report Getty Images In pictures: MH17 final report Getty Images In pictures: MH17 final report Almaz-Antei director Yan Novikov, center, looks at the screen during a news conference in Moscow. Almaz-Antei air defense consortium, the builder of Buk missiles, presented its vision of the MH-17 air crash based on a new modeling of the disaster they recently conducted AP In pictures: MH17 final report A graphic and a skin element of a passenger airplane which was used in a full-scale experiment by Almaz-Antey simulating shooting down of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine is displayed during a Russian missile manufacturer Almaz-Antey news conference dedicated to the MH17 crash in Moscow EPA In pictures: MH17 final report Almaz-Antei director Yan Novikov, seated center, attends a news conference in Moscow AP In pictures: MH17 final report Projectiles with thecharacteristic "double tee" formation of components of the warhead of a Buk missile 9?38?1, are displayed during a news conference in Moscow AP In pictures: MH17 final report Almaz-Antei director Yan Novikov, attends a news conference in Moscow AP

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when it was shot down over eastern Ukraine on 17 July 2014.

All 298 passengers and crew were killed.

Russia has consistently denied involvement in the downing of the Boeing 777. There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the development.

The prosecutors said they had reduced their list of possible suspects from more than 100 to several dozen.

We have a lot of proof and a lot of evidence, but we are not finished, said chief prosecutor Fred Westerbeke. There is still a lot of work to do.

He said investigators were not yet ready to identify individual suspects publicly or to issue indictments.

The question of whether members of the 53rd Brigade were actively involved in the downing of the plane remains under investigation, he said.

Mr Westerbeke called on witnesses to come forward with any details about the crew operating the missile system. He also asked for tipoffs in determining what their orders were and in identifying the officials in charge of the brigade.

Wilbert Paulissen, head of the Dutch National Crime Squad, stands next to a damaged missile as he presents interim results in the ongoing investigation into the shooting down of MH17 (Reuters)

Investigators from the joint investigation team previously released footage showing the missile system, initially carrying four missiles, being transported from Russia by rebels.

Several tapped phone calls featured mens voices discussing the transport of the Buk missile system from and then back into Russia.

Recommended MH17 investigation evidence showing missile came from Russia

Audio previously released by Ukrainian officials appears to show a panicked militant saying MH17 was shot down in the mistaken belief it was a military plane.

It was 100 per cent a passenger aircraft, he can be heard telling a superior. There are civilian items, medicinal stuff, towels, toilet paper.

Hours after the passenger plane was shot down, the Buk was seen being driven back towards the Russian border minus one of its four missiles, before the convoy left Ukraine overnight.

Its path was recorded by numerous videos and pictures taken by members of the public.

Shortly after the plane disappeared, a post on social media attributed to Igor Girkin, a Russian army veteran and separatist leader known as Strelkov, claimed rebels had shot down a Ukrainian military transport plane.

The post on the Russian social media network VKontakte, which was shared with a video of rising smoke and was swiftly deleted, said: We warned them  dont fly in our sky.

The reconstructed wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 (Reuters)

All findings from this forensic investigation confirm the earlier conclusion of the JIT that flight MH17 was shot down by 9M38 series missile, said Jennifer Hurst, of the Australian Federal Police.

In a written statement, Australias foreign minister, Julie Bishop, said: That a sophisticated weapon belonging to the Russian army was dispatched and used to shoot down a civilian aircraft should be of grave international concern. We are discussing these findings with our partners and considering our options.

In a report in October 2015, the Dutch Safety Board concluded the plane was struck by a Russian-made Buk missile.

One hundred persons of interest had been identified in the investigation, Dutch prosecutors said in September 2016, while Australian and Malaysian officials had initially expressed hope the suspects names would be made public in 2017.

Eventual suspects are likely to be tried in absentia in the Netherlands after Russia used its veto to block a UN Security Council resolution seeking to create an international tribunal.

Of the nearly 300 people of more than 30 nationalities killed, 186 were Dutch, 42 Malaysian and 27 Australian.

Mark Rutte, the prime minister of the Netherlands, said he was cutting short a visit to India so he could chair a cabinet meeting to discuss the findings.Sweden has passed a new law that rules sex without explicit consent is rape.

The legislation, due to be come into effect on 1 July, requires people to obtain clear verbal or physical consent before sex.

Prosecutors will no longer need to have evidence of violence, threats or the exploitation of a victims vulnerability to secure a rape conviction.

Swedish politicians approved the law by 257 votes to 38, with 54 absentees.

Sex must be voluntary  if it is not, then it is illegal, said a Ministry of Justice statement, which described the new law as based on the obvious.

The legislation will introduce two new offences, negligent rape and negligent sexual abuse. Both carry a maximum prison term of four years.

Deputy prime minister Isabella Lovin said the recent #MeToo campaign had shown the need for action to counter sexual assault and harassment.

Amnesty International said the Parliamentary vote marks a huge victory for womens rights activists in Sweden who have been campaigning tirelessly for this change for more than a decade.

Anna Blus, the human right's organisation's womens rights researcher for Europe said: By refusing to stay silent, these activists have led the charge to end sexual violence."

She added: Shockingly, this change in law will make Sweden only the tenth country in Europe to recognise that sex without consent is rape. Most European countries still define rape based on physical force, threat or coercion, and these outdated definitions have caused immeasurable harm.

While there is still a great distance to travel, we are hopeful that todays decision will herald a Europe-wide shift in legislation and in attitudes.

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

Elin Sundin, head of Swedish consent campaign group Fatta, said women globally were stressing the importance of bodily rights in the wake of #MeToo.

When it comes to sexual consent and integrity and bodily rights it is something close to the heart of many women, she added.

However, the Swedish Bar Association said the new law would not lead to more convictions.

The new legislation has not lowered the burden of proof, since the prosecutor has to prove that a crime was committed and they have to prove intent, secretary general Anne Ramberg told The New York Times.

Most European countries define rape as sex carried out with the use or threat of violence. Nine nations, including the UK and Ireland, class rape as sex without consent.On 25 May 2018, Ireland will hold a referendum on the eighth amendment of the countrys constitution, which effectively bans abortion. If the electorate repeals the eighth it would allow for the government to legislate on terminations.

What is the eighth amendment?

Abortion was already illegal in Ireland under the Offences against the Person Act of 1861. In 1983, pro-life activists who feared that this could be changed set about securing protection for the unborn in the constitution, by lobbying the government for a referendum.

A vote was then held on 7 September 1983 which proposed adding an eighth amendment to the constitution of Ireland. It read as follows:

The state acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.

The referendum was passed, with 66.9 per cent voting Yes, and 33.1 per cent voting No. The turnout was 53 per cent, amounting to around 1.2 million people. Only five constituencies returned No votes, including four in Dublin.

This effectively gave equal rights to the mother and the unborn, all but banning abortion.

Case X and the referendums of 1992 and 2002

In 1992, Case X marked a landmark moment in Irelands abortion journey. A 14-year-old girl who became pregnant as a result of rape claimed to be suicidal after she was prevented from travelling to Britain for an abortion. The Supreme Court then decided that the girl had the right to an abortion, with the eighth amendment considered, since there was a real and substantial risk to her life  and that of the unborn.

This sparked great debate around the country, and highlighted problems with the eighth amendment. As a result, three referendums were held simultaneously on the same day in November 1992.

Recommended Abortion law in Ireland might soon be changed

The 12th amendment attempted to remove suicide as grounds for an abortion, but was defeated. The 13th and 14th amendments acknowledged that women could travel abroad for terminations, and that information about services in other countries could be made available to them. These were both passed and added to the constitution, effectively acknowledging that despite the ban, many women simply went abroad for terminations.

In 2002, another referendum again attempted to remove suicide as grounds for an abortion in Ireland, but it was rejected, with 50.42 per cent voting No.

The road to reform

In 2010, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Ireland was violating the European Convention on Human Rights, citing the lack of clarity available to women on what circumstances would constitute grounds for a legal abortion.

In 2012, the case of Savita Halappanavar caused shock waves around Ireland and the world after the dentist died in a Galway hospital due to complications from a septic miscarriage, which took days to unfold. Despite her requests during the ordeal, she was denied an abortion.

Finally, in 2013, the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act was passed into law, defining the circumstances in which abortion could be carried out legally. This consisted of three scenarios: risk of loss of life from physical illness, risk of loss of life from physical illness in emergency, or risk of loss of life from suicide.

What happens if Ireland repeals the eighth?

Ireland still has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe, and the campaign to repeal the eighth amendment  which effectively has its roots as far back as 1983  has picked up speed in recent years, buoyed by a new generation of feminists, a growing appreciation of the wider need for equality and rights, and the success of the same sex marriage referendum in 2015.

On 25 May, Ireland has a historic opportunity to change the countrys abortion law. Voters will be asked if they want to repeal the eighth amendment, and allow the government to legislate on terminations.

If Ireland votes Yes, the existing article of the constitution which was inserted in 1983  and the 1992 additions  will be replaced with this text:

Provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy.

For its part, the government is proposing that it would legislate to permit abortion in cases where there is a risk to the life of the woman, a medical emergency or a fatal foetal abnormality, or up to 12 weeks without justification.

The two main parties of Ireland, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, are not taking official positions on the referendum, but politicians are permitted to campaign on a personal basis, including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who supports a Yes vote. Both Sinn Fein and the Labour party are supporting Yes as party policy.

If Ireland votes No, the eighth amendment will remain in place.

You can follow all the developments in the debate, as well as the latest polls, on The Independents live blogThe announcement by international investigators that they have uncovered evidence of Kremlin culpability in the shooting down of flight MH17 is a development of significance, and comes at a time when relations between Russia and the West are in one of the worst states since the days of the Cold War.

The Joint Investigation Team which has been examining the downing of the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 in Ukraine , July 2014, killing 298 people, hold they have legal and convincing evidence which will stand in a courtroom.

Not only had the BUK missile system come from across the Russian border, they say, but it has been narrowed down to the 53rd anti-aircraft brigade based in Kursk.

The inquiry has been carried out by crash experts, police and prosecutors from Ukraine and Malaysia and the Netherlands, where the flight took off.

Wilbert Paulissen, a Dutch member of the investigation team told a press conference all the vehicles in a convoy carrying the missiles were part of Russian armed forces.

The Netherlands chief prosecutor, Fred Westerbake, stated that there was more incriminating material which would be kept sealed until court hearings were under way.

We dont want to tell everything we know because then we are opening our cards to the other side and we dont want to do that, he said.

The other side in this highly contentious and emotive affair is Vladimir Putins government which has repeatedly denied any involvement in the destruction of the plane, and put forward a number of other scenarios, including that the Ukrainians had shot it down and then tried to blame Moscow.

Russia has used its veto at the United Nations to block attempts to set up an international tribunal to try those responsible, which has meant that any court case taking place will be in the Netherlands.

Dutch prosecutors stated two years ago that more than 100 people were under suspicion for direct or indirect involvement in the attack. Mr Westerbeke said the list has now been reduced to a few dozen.

But he declined to disclose names, maintaining that this will hinder investigations. Requests to the Russian authorities for information about the 53rd brigade have been ignored, he said.

The Dutch authorities can, theoretically, ask Moscow to extradite the suspects, a request unlikely to be met, or take out Interpol warrants which could lead to their arrest if and when they travel abroad.

The shooting down of the Malaysian Airlines plane took place during a brutal and prolonged war in Gaza and when international attention drifted after an initial flurry of interest.

But the issue has resurfaced from time to time with the continuing investigation, such as with the announcement from the investigators two years ago that the BUK system had crossed into Ukraine from Russia and then returned after the flight was shot down.

At the time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists: We cannot accept as the final truth of what they say, I bet you havent seen any proof.

Petro Poroshenko, the Ukrainian president, said in a Facebook post following Thursdays announcement that he would spare no effort to ensure that the actions of the Russian Federation as a state which supports terrorism get an appropriate assessment in the International Court of Justice.

Unilateral Ukrainian action is not going to achieve anything much. Mr Poroshenko can, however, ask the West to take punitive measures against Russia on top of the sanctions already in place over Russian annexation of Crimea and support for Ukrainian separatists.

In addition, the nerve agent attack in Salisbury on Sergei and Yulia Skripal was followed by the UK and its allies expelling more than 100 Russian diplomats, an attack blamed by the West on Russia. Moscow has continued to deny involvement.

UK defence secretary Gavin Williamson warned of continued danger from the Kremlin in a speech at the Royal United Services Institute in London on Thursday.

Pointing out that the Royal Navy had to respond 33 times to Russian vessels approaching UK waters last year, he said: It goes to show the increasing aggression, the increasing assertiveness of Russia and how we have to give the right support to our Navy in order to give them tools to do the job and keep Britain safe.

A shooting war is highly unlikely to break out between Russia and Britain or other Western states despite the prevalent sabre rattling. But what is emerging about the shooting down of flight MH17 is another blow to the prospect of relations with Moscow thawing anytime soon.The US could soon recognise the disputed Golan Heights as sovereign Israeli territory, a senior minister in the country has suggested.

Intelligence minister Israel Katz said that the subject was topping the agenda in talks with the Trump administration.

He suggested that such a move would bolster US efforts to confront Iran, which have seen the US president withdraw his country from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Agreed between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the US, UK, France, China and Russia - plus Germany, it saw Iran agree to limit the size of its stockpile of enriched uranium - which is used to make reactor fuel but also nuclear weapons - for 15 years and the number of centrifuges installed to enrich uranium for 10 years.

The US has also issued sanctions intended to punish Iran for funding armed proxy groups.

The most painful response you can give the Iranians is to recognise Israels Golan sovereignty - with an American statement, a presidential proclamation, Mr Katz said.

Adding to the push, an Israeli legislator wrote to Americas ambassador to Israel requesting that America recognise Israels claim to the disputed area, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Missiles rise into the sky as Israeli missiles hit air defense position and other military bases, in Damascus Syrian Central Military Media, via AP Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Missile fire is seen from Damascus Reuters Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures An Israeli flag is seen placed on Mount Bental in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. Israel's army said today it had carried out widespread raids against Iranian targets in Syria overnight after rocket fire towards its forces it blamed on Iran, marking a sharp escalation between the two enemies. Israel carried out the raids after it said around 20 rockets, either Fajr or Grad type, were fired from Syria at its forces in the occupied Golan Heights at around midnight. AFP/Getty Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures The Israeli military on Thursday said it attacked "dozens" of Iranian targets in neighboring Syria in response to an Iranian rocket barrage on Israeli positions in the Golan Heights AP Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Israeli artillery deployed missiles toward Syrian military targets, on the Golan Heights EPA Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Missile fire is seen over Daraa Reuters Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Air defence systems intercepting Israeli missiles over Syrian airspace AFP/SANA Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Israeli soldiers walk among armored vehicles in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights Reuters Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Syrian air defense missiles are seen in the sky over the capital Damascus EPA Israel attack Iran targets in Syria: overnight airstrike in pictures Air defence systems intercepting Israeli missiles over Syrian airspace. Israeli missile strikes fired at Syria hit military bases, as well as an arms depot and military radar. AFP/SANA

After Israel seized the Golan Heights in the 1967 Six-Day War and then unilaterally annexed the area in 1981, its status has figured repeatedly into debates about Israels territorial rights in the region.

The area formerly belonged to Syria, whose president Bashar al-Assad has received Iranian backing as he seeks to prevail in a brutal civil war.

Earlier this year, Israel struck Iranian forces in Syria in retaliation for what it called rocket attacks on its positions in the Golan Heights, prompting fears of the Syria conflict further escalating and spilling over Syrias borders.

Backing Israel's assertion of sovereignty there could have widespread repercussions, unsettling the region and provoking more criticism of Israel's control over areas captured in past conflicts.

 Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu hail US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital

But the Trump administration has already proven willing to defy world opinion in aligning itself with Israeli claims. Earlier this year Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the countrys capital and the US embassy was moved there from Tel Aviv earlier this month.

While Israeli officials lauded the change, it drew a global backlash and warnings from Palestinian leadership that America had forfeited a credible role in the peace process.

Just as the Jerusalem decision inflamed regional tensions, a move by the US to back Israeli claims to the Golan Heights could anger other nations who see the area as illegitimately occupied.Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that the country will restart its nuclear programme unless European powers meet a new list of demands in the wake of the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement.

The UK, France and Germany must continue to buy Iranian crude oil and protect Irans markets and banking system from the impact of new US sanctions, Ayatollah Khamenei said.

Irans continued adherence to the landmark Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), agreed under US President Barack Obama, is also contingent on the three European countries agreeing not to interfere with Irans non-nuclear weapons programmes or activities and involvement in conflicts across the Middle East, he added.

 John Bolton says US could impose sanctions on European countries who do business with Iran

All three demands fly in the face of competing calls from Washington DC for the European countries party to the JCPOA to toe the new, harsher US line on Iran.

US president Donald Trump announced earlier this month the US would withdraw from the JCPOA which lifted crippling international sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear programme designed to limit any ambition for nuclear weapons.

On Monday, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said the US would impose the strongest sanctions in history on the Islamic Republic.

The US has already reimposed old sanctions on Irans central bank. Mr Pompeo did not outline what further action will look like.

Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Show all 10 1 /10 Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Iranian MPs burnt a US flag in parliament after Donald Trump announced America's withdrawal from the nuclear deal. AFP/Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal US President Donald Trump displays a presidential memorandum after announcing his intent to withdraw from the JCPOA Iran nuclear agreement in the Diplomatic Room at the White House. Reuters Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Some Iranian MPs reacted after Trumps decision by shouting 'death to America'. AFP/Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Iranian lawmakers prepare to burn two pieces of papers representing the US flag and the nuclear deal. AP Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Iran said it will hold talks with signatories to the nuclear deal after Trump's decision to withdraw from the accord, which it branded "psychological warfare". AFP/Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Several Iranian MPs stood chanting in the Tehran parliament. AFP/Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Iranian MPs burning a US flag AFP/Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal President Hassan Rouhani addressed the nation in a televised speech in Tehran. He said he'd send his foreign minister to negotiate with countries remaining in the nuclear deal after Trump's decision to pull America from the deal, warning he otherwise would restart enriching uranium "in the next weeks." Iranian Presidency Office via AP Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Iran's press condemned Trump's withdrawal from a multi-party nuclear deal but was divided over whether Tehran should react with patience or withdraw itself. AFP Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Trump announced the US withdrawal from what he called the "defective" multinational nuclear deal with Iran, and said Washington would reinstate sanctions against the Islamic republic. AFP/Getty

Any new rapprochement between Washington and Tehran would mean Iran would have to withdraw its forces in Syria and its support for Houthi rebels in Yemen, he added.

The decision to withdraw from the JCPOA has been condemned by the other parties of the UK, France, Germany, Russia and China, which have all pledged to continue to honour the deal.

European businesses in particular may now find themselves running afoul of US sanctions rules if they continue to explore financial opportunities with Iran  one of the worlds biggest oil producers.

 EU remains committed to Iran nuclear deal despite US withdrawal says Federica Mogherin

In Iran itself, however, there is growing anger at what foreign minister Javad Zarif called the sham of US diplomacy.

As well as Ayatollah Khamenei, the more moderate administration of president Hassan Rouhani has also reacted with anger to the USs unilateral decision to scrap the deal.

In remarks after Mr Pompeos announcement on Monday, Mr Rouhani said the new US secretary of states background as a former CIA chief made him an untenable choice to make decisions which affect Iran and the world.Dangling by a rope over a rocky overhang near Wanaka, I sneak a peak at the waterfall thundering through the chasm beside me  and instantly regret it. Finding my footing on a metal rung underneath the rock ledge, I propel my body upwards, letting out a triumphant squeal as the carabiner in my outstretched hand connects with the rung above me.

It sounds like expert stuff, but Im no professional climber. Perhaps a little ambitiously, Ive signed up to tackle the latest adventure thrill in the lakeside town of Wanaka, an hours drive northeast of Queenstown on New Zealands South Island.

Winding up alongside the left plume of a twin waterfall with the aid of metal rungs, suspension bridges and 1,000m of cables bolted into the cliff face, the first two sections of Wildwire Wanakas via ferrata course  Go Wild and Wild Thing  opened in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Last September, the aptly named final section, Lord of the Rungs, was unveiled. So steep is the descent to the valley, some 450m below the top of the falls, that a helicopter transfer is required to get back down. But while my climbing guides Marika Gargulak and Ric King know their stuff, anyone with a good level of fitness and a head for heights can tackle the full five to seven hour climb.

Weve had kids as young as 14 on Lord of the Rungs, Ric assures me on the 20-minute drive to Twin Falls, which tumble down a steep, verdant hillside near the turn-off to Treble Cone, one of the countrys top ski resorts. My climbing companion is a gentleman celebrating his 80th birthday, but with a lifetime of search and rescue operations under his belt, his agility belies his vintage.

Zipping along: a Tyrolean traverse involves a horizontal zipwire (Wildwire Wanaka)

Meaning iron road, the via ferrata concept originated in Italy during World War One as a method of moving soldiers and equipment through otherwise impassable terrain. These pathways through the mountains, featuring a series of steps fixed into the cliffs, later become recreational routes. More than 1,000 via ferrata now exist across the Alps and the Dolomites. The concept has since been embraced beyond Europe, reaching Queenstown in 2003. But while the Via Ferrata Queenstown course is wonderfully scenic, the Wildwire Wanaka concept is truly unique.

Creating the climb was the culmination of a long-held dream for Laurel and her husband Mark Morrison, a long-time Wanaka mountain guide who, at the age of 19, was one of the first people to abseil down Twin Falls.

I remember standing at the top back then thinking that this place is truly amazing, Mark tells me later. I never thought that 20 years on, I would be running a business there.

The only way is up: the via ferrata can be climbed by anyone with a good fitness level (Wildwire Wanaka)

As we begin our ascent, Im reluctant to trust the metal rungs, which look like giant staples, but soon relax when I learn each one is tested to hold three tonnes. With our lanyard system clipped continually to the rungs and the cable, its all very safe. I soon find my rhythm, and after what feels like no time we arrive at the base of a 60m section of the falls that marks the Lord of the Rungs start point.

From here, its a 45-minute walk out via a steep goat track. Instead we enjoy a picnic lunch before pressing on until we reach a suspension bridge that takes us behind the cascade. Cocooned between the cliff face and the plume of water, seemingly suspended in a cloud of mist, its impossible not to appreciate the spectacular natural setting.

We wanted to create something amazing that would really immerse people in the terrain, says Mark, adding that the company was an early adopter of the New Zealand Tourism Sustainability Commitment, which aims to see all tourism businesses commit to sustainability by 2025.

Get a rush: the climb passes right by the falls (Wildwire Wanaka)

With two overhangs and a Tyrolean traverse (basically a horizontal zipline in which you clip onto a wire and pull yourself across) to negotiate, Lord of the Rungs is a little more difficult than the first two sections. But despite frequent stops to sit back in our harnesses and enjoy the incredible views across Lake Wanaka to the snow-capped peaks beyond, we reach the summit in less than five hours.

When our heli-taxi arrives to collect us, our pilot Charlie Ewing  who also owns the land the falls are located on  slowly spirals down towards the valley floor so we can get a good look at the feat weve just accomplished.

Its not a bad office, is it? Marika grins as we climb back into the Wildwire van.

Not in the slightest, I sigh.

Travel Essentials

Getting there

Air New Zealand flies to Queenstown from Heathrow, transiting through Los Angeles and Auckland, from 1,006 return. Wanaka is a one hour drive from Queenstown.

Staying there

Just 60m from the lake, Wanaka Homestead is one of the best B&Bs in town, with doubles from 129.

More information

Wildwire Wanakas Lord of the Rungs climb (256), including a heli-taxi and lunch, runs once daily year-round, departing from Wanaka.

lakewanaka.co.nzHow do you organise a successful genocide  in Turkish Armenia a century ago, in Nazi-occupied Europe in the 1940s, or in the Middle East today? A remarkable investigation by a young Harvard scholar  focusing on the slaughter of Armenians in a single Turkish Ottoman city 103 years ago  suggests the answer is simple: a genocidal government must have the local support of every branch of respectable society: tax officials, judges, magistrates, junior police officers, clergymen, lawyers, bankers and, most painfully, the neighbours of the victims.

Umit Kurts detailed paper on the slaughter of the Armenians of Antep in southern Turkey in 1915, which appears in the latest edition of the Journal of Genocide Research, concentrates on the dispossession, rape and murder of just 20,000 of the one and a half million Armenian Christians slaughtered by the Ottoman Turks in the first holocaust of the 20th century. It not only details the series of carefully prepared deportations from Antep and the pathetic hopes of those who were temporarily spared  a story tragically familiar to so many stories of the Jewish ghettoes of Eastern Europe  but lists the property and possessions which the city authorities and peasants sought to lo ot from those they sent to their deaths.

The local perpetrators thus seized farms, pistachio groves, orchards, vineyards, coffee houses, shops, watermills, church property, schools and a library. Officially this was called expropriation or confiscation, but as Umit Kurt points out, huge numbers of people were bound together in a circle of profit that was at the same time a circle of complicity. The author, born in modern-day Gaziantep in Turkey  the original Antep  is of Kurdish-Arab origin, and his spare, dry prose makes his 21-page thesis all the more frightening.

He draws no parallels between the Armenian holocaust  a phrase the Israelis themselves use of the Armenians  and the Jewish holocaust nor the current genocidal outrages in the modern Middle East. But no one can read Umit Kurts words without being reminded of the armies of ghosts who haunt later history; the collaborators of Nazi-occupied France, of the Polish collaborators of the Nazis in Warsaw and Krakow and of the tens of thousands of Sunni Muslim civilians who allowed Isis to enslave Yazidi women and destroy the Christians of Nineveh. These victims, too, found themselves dispossessed by their neighbours, their homes looted and their property sold off by the officials who should have protected them as they faced their own extermination.

Armenians mark 101 years since genocide Show all 10 1 /10 Armenians mark 101 years since genocide Armenians mark 101 years since genocide Armenian people carry torches during a march to commemorate the mass killings of Armenians Getty Armenians mark 101 years since genocide Armenian people take part in a march in commemoration of the 101th anniversary of the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman forces in 1915 Getty Armenians mark 101 years since genocide People hold a flag during the laying of the flowers at the Genocide Memorial in Yerevan Getty Armenians mark 101 years since genocide President Serzh Sargsyan and actor George Clooney attend the laying of the flowers at the Genocide Memorial in Yerevan Getty Armenians mark 101 years since genocide Armenian clergymen, US actor George Clooney, center, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, second right front, and guests attend a ceremony at a memorial to Armenians killed by the Ottoman Turks, in Yerevan AP Armenians mark 101 years since genocide Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian (C,R) and US actor George Clooney (C) attend a ceremony at the Genocide Memorial in Yerevan Getty Armenians mark 101 years since genocide A general view of attendees and mount Ararat during the laying of the flowers at the Genocide Memorial in Yerevan Getty Armenians mark 101 years since genocide Lebanese of Armenian descent burn an effigy of Turkish president Erdogan during a protest in front the house of Turkish Ambassador to mark the 101st anniversary of the mass killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in 1915, near Beirut, Lebanon EPA Armenians mark 101 years since genocide Activists hold portraits of victims during a silent demonstration to commemorate the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in Istanbul Reuters Armenians mark 101 years since genocide Activists hold portraits of victims during a silent demonstration to commemorate the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in Istanbul Reuters

One of the most powerful of Kurts arguments is that a central government cannot succeed in exterminating a minority of its people without the support of their fellow citizens: the Ottomans needed the Muslims of Antep to carry out the deportation orders in 1915  rewarded with the property of those they were helping to liquidate  just as the local people needed the central authority to legitimise what we would today call war crimes.

Umit Kurt is one of the few academics to recognise the growing economic power of the Ottoman Armenians in the decades before the genocide; the Muslim communitys envy and resentment, he writes, played a central role in the hatemongering atmosphere. So, too, did repeated Ottoman claims that the Armenians were helping Turkeys Allied enemies  the same stab in the back betrayal routine which Hitler used to rally the Nazis against communists and Jews in the Weimar Republic. In the Middle East today, it is the infidels  the Crusader (ie pro-Western) Christians  who have been fleeing for their lives for supposedly betraying Islam.

You would have to have the proverbial heart of stone not to be moved by the story of the Antep Armenians in the spring of 1915. Although initially harassed by the murderous Ottoman Special Organisation  Teskilat-i Mahsusa, the nearest equivalent to the Nazi Einsatzgruppen of the 1940s  and subject to temporary arrest, the Armenians of Antep were, at first, left alone. But they saw Armenian transports from other towns passing through Antep, the first containing 300 women and children, injured, their wounds infected and their clothes in tatters. For two more months, deportation convoys moved through the town and into a wilderness of suffering. Armenian girls and boys had been kidnapped; womens belongings and money had been plundered; they had been raped publicly with the active complicity of gendarmeries and government officials.

Like the Jews of Europe who were initially left untouched by the genocide of their co-religionists, the Antep Armenians could not believe their possible fate. In spite of everything that was happening around us one eyewitness wrote, the number of those who buried their heads in the sand like an ostrich was not small. These people convinced themselves that they were happy, and they were trying to deceive themselves into believing that a similar deportation was not possible for Aintab [sic] and that nothing bad would happen to them.

Like brave Polish families and the few Oskar Schindlers of Nazi Germany, a few courageous Turks opposed the Armenian genocide. Celal Bey, the governor of Aleppo  61 miles from Antep  refused to deport Armenians. But he was dismissed. And the Christian Armenians of Antep were doomed.

 Armenia genocide explained

On 30 July, 50 Armenian families were ordered to leave in 24 hours. First, only Orthodox Christians were sent away, leaving all their valuables behind. A survivor recalls that our neighbours, the Turks, were singing from their homes, we could hear themThe dog is on its way A week later, another 50 families were deported, only to be attacked by militia bandits led by the manager of the local Agricultural Bank. Inside Antep, women were raped and sent to local harems. A local village head (mukhtar) threw six Armenian children from a mountain to their deaths. The convoys grew larger  1,500 Armenians from Antep on 13 August, for example  and sent, by train or on foot, to Aleppo and Deir ez-Zour. Then came the turn of Catholic Armenians.

A pitiful account survives of a thanksgiving service held by Protestants  the only Armenians to escape liquidation so far  in which one of their leaders miserably pleaded with his people to do nothing which might annoy the Turkish authorities. Let no one take into his home a child or anyone else who has been told to go, whether they be of those passing through the city as refugees or from among our own friends and relatives in the town. No good Samaritans there. But of course, the Protestants, too, were deported. Of 600 Protestant families, almost 200 had been annihilated at Deir ez-Zour by January 1916.

The local Antep police chief was promoted for his enthusiasm. In the so-called deportation committees who decided the Armenians fate could be found Anteps local member of parliament and his brother, a variety of local officials, the president of the municipality, two officials in the finance department, two judges, a magistrate, the first secretary of Anteps court, a former mufti, two imams, two ulema, two village sheiks, the secretary of a religious charity, a doctor, a lawyer and the director of an orphanage. No member of these local worthies, writes Umit Kurt, did anything to protest the deportations, hide the vulnerable, or stop the convoys. Of Anteps 32,000 Armenians, 20,000 perished in the genocide.

But truly the ghosts survive.

By chance this week, I was finishing Martin Winstones shocking history of Nazi rule in the occupied general government of Poland, The Dark Heart of Hitlers Europe, and discovered that the Jews  and Poles  of Warsaw, Krakow and Lublin often went through exactly the same process of false hope, collaboration and annihilation as the Armenians of Antep.

While most Poles behaved with courage, dignity and heroism, a minority of gentiles  and this is why the current government of Poland is threatening to punish anyone who talks of Polish collaboration with the Nazis  participated directly in the murder process, according to Winstone. They included the Polish blue police  ordinary cops in their usual blue uniforms  but also local peasants in the Lublin area, many of whom robbed their victims before beating them to death. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of fugitive Jews fell victim to perpetrators who were village heads, members of the village guards formed during the occupation, or blue policemen acting unofficially. When 50 Jews were discovered hiding in Szczebrzeszyn, a crowd looked on. A powerful factor in the murder and denunciation of Jews, the author concludes, was a lust for Jewish property.

And today, in the Middle East, we know all too well this familiar pattern of local villainy turned against neighbours, Christian girls in Nineveh seized by Islamists, Yazidi families torn apart and their homes looted by local Sunni militias. When Isis fled the town of Hafter, east of Aleppo, I found the documents of the local Isis courts; they proved that Syrian civilians had betrayed their cousins to the Egyptian judges of the Islamist courts, that neighbours had sought financial reward by denouncing those who had lived beside them for decades. In Bosnia in the 1990s, as we know, Serb neighbours slaughtered their Muslim compatriots, raped their women and seized their homes.

No, this is not something new  but it is something we too often forget. When my own father was asked by the British government in 1940 to name those in Maidstone, Kent, who might collaborate with the Nazis after an invasion, he put one of his best friends, a local businessman, on his list of those who would assist the Germans. Ethnic cleansing, genocide, mass sectarian atrocities might be directed from Constantinople, Berlin, Belgrade or Mosul. But war criminals need their people to complete their projects or  to use an old German expression  to help to give the wheel a push.Vote YES on 8! There. I said it. Such a vote is needed to change abortion laws in Ireland, granting women the safety and dignity they are entitled to as human beings. As an African American man, a scientist and a Christian living in the Deep South of the US, I am weighing in on Irish abortion law because I have the same aspirations for women in Ireland that I have for women in the Mississippi Delta in my country: that they live healthy lives in safety and dignity.

Under current Irish law, women seeking to end pregnancies live under unnecessary regulations and standards that deny them access to this care.

It was regulations such as the eighth amendment in 1983 that led to the tragic and unnecessary death of Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old Indian dentist who died on 28 October 2012 at University Hospital Galway due to the complications of a septic miscarriage at 17 weeks' gestation. These are laws that make talking about abortion in counselling a crime, and make the self-administering or assisting of an abortion a punishable offence. These penalties have deluded some into thinking that abortion does not occur for Irish women, turning it into a national open secret. But nothing could be further from the truth. Around 3,500 women travel out of Ireland every year  about 10 per day  mostly to the UK, often alone and at great expense to seek an abortion. In addition, around 1,500 women in Ireland access medication to induce an abortion in a clandestine manner.

Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights Show all 5 1 /5 Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS Thousands march in Dublin for Irish abortion rights REUTERS

For many, Irish abortion opposition is rooted in teachings from the Christian church, identical to our situation in the US. Such teachings are not foreign to me. I too am Christian and for the first 12 years of my practice, I didn't provide abortions until I was able to reconcile my faith identity with my profession as a womens health physician. A sermon by Dr Martin Luther King Jr, in which he spoke about the parable of the good Samaritan, liberated me in my thinking about the appropriateness of my becoming an abortion provider. The teaching by Dr King, of the Samaritan being more afraid of what would happen to a fallen traveller if he didn't stop to help than what would happen to him if he did, is precisely the moral reasoning that I now apply as I travel to provide abortion services in remote areas of my country.

The Bible says nothing about abortion. This is also the case with many sacred texts upon which the major religious traditions in our world rely. Yet some church leaders insist on maintaining religious customs regarding human reproduction that were established prior to scientific understandings about how that process occurs. This has created a false tension between science and religion, which I explored in my book, Lifes Work: A Moral Argument For Choice. I recently saw a cartoon in which a woman and man were engaged in a conversation about where people come from. The man had apparently invoked a religious understanding of reproduction, declaring to the woman you came from my rib. The womans replied: I didnt come from your rib. You came from my vagina! This humorous exchange really goes to the heart of the issue in Ireland, the States, and worldwide: womens health policies are being shaped by non-scientific understandings of reproduction. MLK addressed this very topic: Science gives mankind knowledge which is power. Religion gives mankind wisdom, which is control. Science deals mainly with facts, religion deals mainly with values. The two are not enemies.

With what we know about the outcomes of pregnancies worldwide when abortion is illegal or greatly restricted, we can't allow public policies to be determined by non-scientific understanding. Nor can we assume that the effects of these laws are negligible for Irish women, even as Ireland has one of the lowest maternal mortality ratios in Western Europe and the world. Despite Irelands laudable low maternal mortality, the occurrence of even one unnecessary death related to pregnancy, especially if attributable to delaying or inhibiting a woman from safely achieving her reproductive life goal, is unacceptable.

 Repeal the Eighth: Ireland's abortion referendum explained

Secondly, religious opposition to abortion and contraception is not uniform. There are many Catholics in particular who understand and support the importance of a womans innate right and need to control her body and fertility. Catholics for Choice, for instance, has faithfully supported and defended the right of Catholic women to act conscientiously in the context of their faith. This is important to note, in a country as deeply Catholic as Ireland, as one decides whether or not support for women to safe abortion is actually in conflict with the teaching of the church. This pro-choice position may be in conflict with patriarchal customs of men running the church, but they are not in conflict with the values and teachings of Jesus, who says that men and women are valued equally. I think that the words of European Rabbi Moses Sofer, several centuries ago, capture the position of those who support Catholic women in their reproductive choices: No woman is required to build the world by destroying herself.

In these final days leading up to this historic vote on the Eighth Amendment in Ireland, some may ask "who are you to care or speak out on this important issue that will be addressed in a country whose people are not your own, whose colour is not your own, and where those most affected biologically are different from you? I suppose that is a fair question, if one is similarly curious about why Christians are concerned about the persecution of Muslims, heterosexual people fight for LGBTQ rights, or why Caucasian abolitionists sought the dismantling of the enslavement of Africans in America during the 19th century.

My answer is a simple one. MLK was challenged regarding his opposition to the Vietnam War when he was best known as a civil rights leader. He responded that he simply refused to segregate his human rights concerns and felt called to seek justice wherever it was necessary to do so. He noted that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

If the women of Ireland are not free, then neither are the women of the US or anywhere else for that matter, whether they are black or white, rich or poor, religious or atheist. Ultimately I want for all women what I want for myself: a life of dignity, health, and wellbeing. These things should not be determined by one's national border. So, vote on 25 May as if Irish womens lives depend on it, because they will.

Dr Willie Parker practises obstetrics and gynaecology, specialising in abortions and is a reproductive justice advocate. He is the author of Life's Work: A Moral Argument for ChoiceEven by the usual reckless standards of his foreign policy, Trump has managed to single-handedly derail the total denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, in a move that puts peace and stability at risk  again.

The continuation of joint military drills by the US and South Korea was always high on North Koreas list of concerns, regardless of their motive. Trumps decision to continue these monthly operations, after initially suspending them, shows that he truly believed he had strong-armed Kim Jong-un into capitulating on his nuclear weapons stockpile.

However, that brinksmanship is an extremely volatile game to play, with potentially dangerous and Earth-shattering results. Regardless of an agreed US-North Korean summit and the beginning of positive North-South dialogue last month, denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula was never sewn up.

The presidents ego, coupled with an erratic foreign policy supported by new national security adviser John Bolton, was the nail in the coffin for any long-term solution to the crisis.

The opportunities presented themselves to Trump when Kim Jong-un met with his South Korean counterpart, and North Korea agreed to destroy its nuclear facilities. But if Trump is to avoid conflict, he must stop treating diplomacy like a business negotiation.

The president has deliberately duped the North Koreans here. Hours after they destroyed some of their nuclear facilities in view of the worlds media, he pulled the plug on the chances of true peace on the peninsula.

Furthermore, if there was any possibility of a trusting relationship between the US and North Korea, the nature of this latest episode in Trumps diplomacy will certainly have ruled that out. This move will almost certainly affect the safety of the USs regional allies  primarily South Korea and Japan  who have been threatened with North Korean military activity in the recent past.

The fact is that Trump is playing politics with peoples lives, and the wellbeing of not only those in the region, but also North Koreans who suffer heavily at the hands of the regime. With this collapse in relations will come further sanctions and a larger possibility of conflict, as the regime ploughs more money into its nuclear programme. Add that to the already extremely serious famine in North Korea, which is estimated to have already contributed to the deaths of millions.

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

The North Koreans have made serious concessions, showing their willingness to take part in a peace strategy with the United States. The release of three American hostages, the destruction of their nuclear facilities, and finally ending the Korean War with South Korea, has shown that Kim Jong-un had serious intentions about this summit with the US.

As long as President Trump is in office, the risk of conflict across the world will always be present. Not only on the Korean Peninsula, but also in the Middle East as Trump continues to act provocatively in Jerusalem and Iran.

It must be understood that the scuppering of such a unique chance for long-term peace in Korea is unprecedented, after, if only for a brief moment, Donald Trump could have been the US president to solve this crisis.

Fabian Hamilton is Shadow Minister for Peace and Disarmament and MP for Leeds North EastToday marks 30 years since Section 28 was introduced  a crushing piece of legislation that banned local authorities from promoting homosexuality. Teachers were effectively stopped from talking about same-sex relationships and properly supporting pupils who may have been questioning their sexuality.

I first came out in 1993 when Section 28 was still firmly in place. My school couldnt even acknowledge the existence of lesbians, let alone talk about the challenges we faced. Teachers and students alike were forced to hide who they were and suffer in silence. All the while the media wrote stories about lesbian, gay and bi people that might seem ridiculous to some of us now. Headlines focused on children being turned gay if they were taught about same-sex relationships and lesbians were portrayed as people who would corrupt children and steal wives.

For a young Catholic girl just starting to explore her sexuality, this hostile environment left me with very little to help me feel proud of who I was. Role models were few and far between, so I had to hang on to every reference of lesbians in any form of popular culture I could find, like Beth Jordache on Brookside and books such as Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit.

Section 28 ushered in a dark era for LGBT people and the struggle to repeal it took years. It only left the statute books in 2000 in Scotland and 2003 in England and Wales. Since then, tremendous progress has been made towards equality. Same-sex couples applying for adoption have equal rights, discrimination based on sexual orientation has been outlawed and same-sex marriage is legal.

With all the progress weve achieved, were sometimes guilty of forgetting how recently it was that lesbian, gay and bi people were targeted so viciously. But even though Section 28 is no longer law, its damaging impact still lives on in schools across Britain. Stonewalls 2017 research shows two in five LGBT students (40 per cent) are still never taught anything about LGBT issues at school, while nearly half (45 per cent) are bullied for being LGBT.

 These are the questions LGBT+ people are sick of hearing

Despite huge legal progress, discrimination towards lesbian, gay, bi and trans people continues to affect their ability to be themselves in their daily life. Anyone who thought the fight was over has come to realise, in the past few years, that it isnt.

Just look at the recent stories about trans and non-binary people in Britain and you get a scary sense of deja vu. Since the government announced plans to launch a consultation on reform of the Gender Recognition Act (GRA), trans and non-binary people have faced a barrage of abuse in the media.

Shocking levels of misinformation and scaremongering are cruelly attacking trans peoples right to exist, as well as publicly questioning their identities. Deeply misleading headlines about the GRA and young people being turned trans echoes exactly the way LGB people were talked about under Section 28.

History is repeating itself and its alarming to see such a vulnerable minority of the population being presented as such a major threat. Trans people in Britain today face huge levels of abuse and inequality. Two in five trans people (41 per cent) have had a hate crime committed against them in the past year, and nearly two in three trans students (64 per cent) are bullied for being trans in school.

Their fight is our fight and its our responsibility to stand with and in support of trans and non-binary people. The current process for trans people to have their gender identity legally recognised with a Gender Recognition Certificate is costly, bureaucratic and treats being trans as a mental illness. Reforming this system will be a huge step forwards. It will be another milestone in the journey towards full LGBT equality.

Weve come a long way since 1988, but we cannot be complacent. Section 28 is gone, but not forgotten. LGBT young people across Britain still face bullying and discrimination simply because of who they are. Everyone deserves to grow up in a world where they are not afraid to be themselves and are supported to reach their full potential.

Ruth Hunt is the chief executive of StonewallGreg Kaveh of CBRE is quoting a price in the region of 930,000 for a suburban retail investment on Mellowes Road in Finglas, Dublin 11.

Located on the corner of North Road and Seamus Ennis Road, the property comprises a two-storey detached building extending to 392 sq m (4,215 sq ft). The property is fully occupied by two tenants on long leases and currently produces a rent roll of 77,400 per annum. The leases provide the prospective investor with an attractive WAULT (weighted average unexpired lease term) of 13 years.

Greg Kaveh says: "With a long WAULT and initial yield of 7.6pc, this asset will provide an investor with a very attractive return."Developer John Cleary's JCD Group has confirmed its intention to develop 250,000 sq ft of offices at Penrose Quay in Cork City's Docklands.

Distributed across a site of 1.8 acres, the proposed Penrose Dock scheme will have the capacity to accommodate over 2,200 employees and see the delivery of two large individual office buildings alongside the historic 12,000 sq ft Penrose House, which the developers intend to accommodate and retain in full.

One Penrose Dock will be located on the river with a net lettable area of 78,000 sq ft, while Two Penrose Dock will be located on the north of the site next to the new pedestrian entrance to Kent Station and will have a net lettable area of 160,000 sq ft.

A key feature of the buildings' design will be large column-less floor plates, which will allow for panoramic views of both the harbour and the city. The development will also have a double basement with space for 160 cars and a 10,500 sq ft gym. A large space for hosting events and conferences will also be incorporated into the scheme, along with a coffee shop and wine bar/restaurant.

Penrose Dock is being designed to achieve the Platinum LEED standard, the first office building outside of Dublin to do so. Located adjacent to Kent Station, the 125m scheme will be seen as another key contributor to the long-awaited regeneration and development of Cork's Docklands.

Penrose Dock is set to complement existing and planned schemes such as One Albert Quay and Navigation Square on the city's south quays, as well as Horgan's Quay with its proposed hotel, over 240 apartments and office scheme. Penrose Dock has been designed by the same award-winning Architects, as the Capitol, Wilson Architecture.

Under the terms of the Government's National Planning Framework 2040, Kent Station has been identified as a key interchange point for the new Rapid Transit Corridor, which is set to run from Ballincollig to the Docklands and Mahon via Cork's city centre.

In a statement confirming the JCD Group's intention to seek planning permission for Penrose Dock, the company's CEO, John Cleary, said: "We believe this development holds huge potential for Cork and can help transform this area of the city.

"Having travelled to see many similar schemes in other progressive cities around the world we feel that the design, location and overall offering of Penrose Dock will prove very attractive to technology and financial services companies that are looking to grow their existing footprint or invest in Cork for the first time."

Mr Cleary said the JCD Group would look to commence construction immediately subject to the receipt of "acceptable planning permission".

The JCD Group has a proven track record in Cork, having delivered over 850,000 sq ft of Grade A office space in the city and its environs since 2008.

Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade, Simon Coveney welcomed the announcement, describing it as "a really exciting development for Cork".

"Developments like this from JCD will ensure Cork is an exciting place to live and work and competes on an international stage for business," he added.Des O'Broin is the newly-elected SCSI president and he has lost no time in articulating his priorities for the Society in the year ahead.

O'Broin, a chartered quantity surveyor for over 30 years, a project management surveyor, and a director of Linesight in Dublin, is well placed to advise on issues in the property and construction sector. He has strong views and I met him to hear about his plans for his new role.

O'Broin tells me that his priorities can be summarised in three words: vision, leadership and value. He says his work with the SCSI will focus on setting out a clear vision on the main challenges facing the sector, which he identifies as the housing shortage, our infrastructural deficit, and member education.

O'Broin's frustration is clear, as he begins to list various "blockages" in our planning system, which are hampering the development process and restricting supply. One of his goals this year will be to work towards reducing those blockages. He cites the level of "uncertainty" in the planning process as a huge problem.

He gives the example of Apple pulling out of building a data centre in Athenry, Co Galway, having been held up for three years by objectors, one of whom is based on the far side of the country in Co Wicklow.

While this went on, Apple were already occupying new data centres abroad, having identified sites after the lengthy Irish planning process had gotten underway.

He describes the Apple decision to abandon its plan for Athenry as "a massive blow" to the country.

He argues that the Irish planning system is too rigid, and that "planners are stuck with" inappropriate zonings. He gives the Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) in Dublin's north docks as an example.

He says: "Despite the existence of 12-storey developments there already, the SDZ only allows residential buildings up to six storeys, and actually reduces in height as you move back from the river.

"And this is despite the existence of the railway line into Spencer Dock, and the huge investment in putting the Luas there."

Another example of "uncertainty" he cites is Johnny Ronan's site at Tara Street, where the developer's plan for a 22-storey (88m) tower was rejected by both Dublin City Council and An Bord Pleanala. This despite the fact the building's height adhered to the guidelines set out in the Council's own local area plan for the George's Quay area.

A lack of infrastructure is a major impediment to supply, he says, and power, water and drainage are particular problems.

"Irish Water is grossly underfunded and is not delivering basic infrastructure," he says.

Even if you have a site ready to go, he tells me, there is a good chance that your power, water and possibly drainage will be delayed - all adding to uncertainty, delay and cost.

Even for brownfield sites in Dublin city centre, it is likely that local treatment plants will be full, and the pipe network undersized. Thus developers are faced with very high costs in funding this infrastructure - if they proceed at all.

O'Broin "is not a fan of deregulation", but he feels that too much regulation is being too rigidly enforced in certain circumstances.

For example, while everyone agrees we should be building more housing inside the Dublin canals; where this is happening, developers are forced to export large volumes of soil overseas, because Irish landfills are full.

"This is virgin soil, eight to 10 metres deep - it's been there for thousands of years, but we're exporting it because of a strict interpretation of European guidelines. It's unsustainable," he says.

He is keen to see more joined-up thinking between government departments and the various stakeholders, and gives the development of the original IFSC as a good example of that.

He is pleased that the government has recently called on the SCSI, RIAI, ACEI, Engineers Ireland and the CIF to contribute strategic advice towards optimising the development process. The SCSI is keen for that group to be put on a statutory footing, so that long-term planning that outlives the electoral cycle can be developed.

While O'Broin has clear plans for the SCSI to show leadership in delivering its vision, and a strong message to politicians on removing the inherent development blockages which are intensifying the housing shortage, he is also a strong advocate for advancing education.

The Society is working on education modules to allow people both to join, but also achieve a PSRA licence, to address the skills shortage in the business, and is working with the Institutes of Technology to develop new modular and online courses to attract new members.

O'Broin is certainly bringing energy to his role, and his legacy, he hopes, will be to succeed in "getting blockages removed and more infrastructure developed".

info@paulmcneive.comA radical overhaul of the current CAP payments regime has been proposed by the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee.

A motion passed by committee last week called for the modernisation of the current system for calculating direct payments in Pillar I, especially in Member States such as Ireland where the value of the entitlements is still partly calculated on the basis of historic production levels.

The committee proposed that the historic reference approach be replaced with an EU method of calculating payments. The basic component of this would be income support for farmers which delivered EU objectives and targets such as environmental biodiversity and climate change.

The motion claimed that the changes would make farmer payments post 2020 "simpler and more transparent". However, Irish MEP Mairead McGuinness, who is vice-president of the European Parliament, questioned the merits of committee's proposal.

"I am concerned about this latest proposal as it is not clear what the baseline would be for any new payment regime, or indeed how long it would take to develop such a system which takes account of an income support measure and public goods element," Ms McGuinness told the Farming Independent.

She said the committee's proposals raised serious questions.

"Would the new system be decoupled or coupled to land? Would the entitlements regime which farmers are familiar with today be abolished? Would it be simpler and more transparent as demanded by the committee?" Ms McGuinness asked.

The report from the agriculture committee will be put to the European Parliament at the end of May, with Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan, publishing his detailed proposals for the CAP post 2020 in early June.

"While there is little clarity about whether a radical new payment regime will be proposed, it is highly likely that mandatory capping and higher payments for the first hectares is on the cards," Ms McGuinness said.

However, Irish expert Alan Mathews has cast doubt on Commission assurances that a 60,000 limit will be enforced on direct payments to individual applicants under the new CAP regime post 2020.

Loopholes

In a recent posting on the capreform.eu blog, Mr Mathews claimed that loopholes in the Commission's CAP reform plan will enable farmers to sidestep any capping measures by allowed applicants to deduct salaries and family wages from their direct payments.

The battle to hold Ireland's share of the overall CAP budget, and the manner in which those funds will be distributed among Irish farmers, promises to be both hard-fought and potentially divisive.

Ms McGuinness has already warned that Ireland will be under pressure from newer EU member states to hold its share of the overall CAP budget, which delivers around 1.5bn to the farm sector each year.

At the same time, MEP Luke 'Ming' Flanagan insisted recently that the country's small and more extensive farmers will be demanding an increased slice of total Irish payments this time around.Renewed doubts about traceability and sanitary standards in the Brazilian beef industry have been raised in a new report from the European Parliament (EP) Agriculture Committee.

The findings look set to deal another blow to the already faltering negotiations on a trade deal between the EU and the Mercosur bloc of South American nations which import over 40bn of EU produce per annum.

MEPs travelled to Brazil's main beef producing regions last month and their report highlights concerns about slaughtering standards.

"It became clear that Brazil does not have the same standards as EU producers," states the report.

"Unlike in Europe, where slaughterhouses are required to keep records of each individual animal slaughtered, this was not the case (in the slaughterhouse visited) where records are only kept of animals slaughtered in lots. As a result, while they can trace a batch of meat to one or more slaughter points in a single day, the meat cannot be traced back to the individual farm from where the animal originated."

Brazil is looking to export up to 100,000 tonnes of its beef to Europe under the proposed trade deal.

This is seen as a key bargaining chip which in return would enable Europe's big car producers gain tariff-free access to South American markets.

However, EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan has stated that Brazilian beef must meet EU standards before it can form part of any deal.

"There will be no deal on Mercosur unless we are satisfied there will be good standards and that we will have a good sanitary and phytosanitary agreement," he said last month, adding that the EU needed to see "movement" on many of the demands made in recent negotiations with the South American bloc.

"There is no evidence that Brazil are serious about doing a deal at the moment because they are in election mode. So the ball is in their court."

In its report, the EP Agriculture Committee stated that: "Agri Members have on a number of occasions expressed trepidation as regards the sanitary and phytosanitary Brazilian standards in production following the recent tainted meat scandal.

"The Brazilian investigation into the scandal revealed that up to 30 companies had been selling contaminated meat on domestic and foreign markets. Sanitary permits and export certificates were falsified and federal inspectors bribed.

"This scandal has led to increased concerns that Brazilian sanitary measures are not up to European standards and the results of the Commission's own analysis through audit reports and SPS checks have raised alarm in relation to meat exports from Brazil."

Reacting to the EP report, the IFA's beef chair, Angus Woods, said that MEPs needed "to seriously question the credibility of continuing to negotiate with Mercosur when the Commission has absolute proof that Brazil fails to meet EU standards."

He said MEPs must act on this report in Parliament and demand that Trade Commissioner Malmstrom and Agriculture Commission Hogan withdraw agriculture and especially beef from the current Mercosur negotiations.

Mr Woods added that the EP committee had visited an agricultural group managing 520,000ha of land with more than 120,000 head of cattle which are intended for export to the European market.

ICSA president Patrick Kent said the report made it crystal clear that "beef can no longer be included in the Mercosur trade talks". Instead, the EU must endeavour to keep "unsafe and inferior quality South American beef out of Europe at all costs", he said.

"The Mercosur countries are failing to meet EU standards on the fundamental issues of food safety and traceability and there is no real prospect of the EU being able to impose these standards in South America," said Mr Kent.A massive hike is reported in the land area sown to maize this year, with some estimates putting the lift in the plantings at over 7,000ha.

Donal Fitzgerald of Goldcrop maintained that up to 18,000ha of maize has been sown, which equates to a 60pc hike in last year's plantings which totalled 11,000ha.

He said the level of seed and chemical sales suggested a far higher level of farmer interest in the crop this spring.

This prediction was supported by Sam Shine of Samco, the Limerick-based manufacturer of maize planters and of biodegradable film under which most of the Irish crop is grown.

Mr Shine estimated that film sales were up 50pc so far this year, and that maize was still being sown in some areas.

The sharp growth in maize plantings has been attributed to increased interest among dairy farmers, and a greater number of tillage farmers growing maize on contract for neighbouring milk suppliers.

However, Mr Fitzgerald said that renting ploughed ground, rather than contract growing, was the preferred option for most dairy farmers.

Mr Shine pointed out that maize ground also provided a ready outlet for slurry for dairy units. Maize costs around 1,000/ac to grow and harvest, and should deliver around 20-22 tonnes of fresh or 6.0-6.5 tonnes of dry matter in the pit.

Carlow-based farm consultant, Pat Minnock, said the late spring meant a lot of land had been sown to maize instead of spring barley.

"A lot of the maize is being sown without plastic, so how it will go will depend on the conditions over the next couple of months," Mr Minnock said.

"The year will have to come right to avoid a harvest date in late October or November. At the moment the omens look good with rapid growth," he maintained.

Mr Minnock said there had also been a marked increase in the area of fodder beet sown this spring.Kevin Toland took over as chief executive of Aryzta last September

Troubled Swiss-Irish bakery group Aryzta has seen its group revenue decline 16.8pc to 811.4m in the three months to 30 April.

The decline was mainly due to a drop in revenue from disposals, accounting for 8.9pc of the decline, and currency fluctuation, which accounted for 6.7pc of the decline, the company said in a trading update today.

In addition, the company said that its third quarter earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) margins are "below management expectations."

However Aryzta has today announced a three year 200m restructuring and cost reduction plan aimed at restoring financial flexibility and aligning the companys assets and cost base with "current and expected business conditions."

Commenting on the update Aryzta chief executive Kevin Toland said that the company has identified and is addressing the challenges facing the historical business model, and the industry generally, and will stay focused on its core, the frozen business to business bakery model.

"The group has sold selected loss-making assets, rationalised headcount, and under new management put in place a series of efficiency and cost reduction activities to accelerate performance improvement," Mr Toland said.

Mr Toland joined Aryzta, whose brands include Cuisine de France, last September from the DAA, the operator of Dublin and Cork airports.

In respect of disposals, the company said that the disposal programme is on track with over 140m released to-date.

Meanwhile dividends from the companys Picard arm are strengthening the balance sheet.

In Europe the groups revenue declined by 6.4pc during the third quarter to 409m, while in North America revenue declined a massive 28.2pc to 340.4m, with disposals and currency fluctuations driving the North American decline in revenue.

"The North American business faces continued challenges from sustained high labour and distribution costs, which are not yet recovered by pricing initiatives," the company said.The Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) has extended 25m to Bibby Financial Services Ireland, that will be available immediately to borrowers.

State-backed SBCI was established to provide access to greater financing choices for SMEs, including alternatives to the main banks.

The head of Bibby's Irish business, Mark O'Rourke, said the finance house had doubled its business between 2008 and 2010, when banks were pulling cash out of the market because it worked closely with borrowers.

"Relationship banking was tested during the recession - that changed everything - it isn't something we can or need to turn back on its in our DNA," he said.

Bibby CEO David Postings added: "Banks were over-lent. We never had that problem so we had an opportunity to grow."

In Ireland, Bibby's core business is invoice discounting - charging businesses a share of their invoice income for cash upfront. There around 2000 "hardcore users" of invoice financing in Ireland, a relatively small pool. Its clients are business-to-business SMEs, including exporters with turnovers typically of at least 300,000 to 500,000. Bibby is also eyeing new business lines here.The Atlantic MedTech Cluster allows potential clients to access these specialist services in one location Stock photo

Eight Irish companies have joined forces to help promote Ireland as a global centre of excellence for the medtech industry.

The Atlantic MedTech Cluster comprises of individual firms Arrotek, ATS, iNBLEX Plastics, Pharma Stainless, SL Controls, Tool & Gauge, Verus Precision and Ward Automation.

It is one of the first business groupings set up under the Enterprise Irelands Clustering Programme, and the cluster has a combined annual revenue of 33m, employing 287 people.

All of the companies, which are based in the northwest of Ireland, are specialists in their field, including product development, metrology, automation, precision engineering, manufacturing and software integration.

Read More

The Atlantic MedTech Cluster allows potential clients to access these specialist services, whatever the requirement, in one location.

Managing Director of Verus Precision, Andrew Hodson, said that the cluster concept is very new in Ireland but one which is becoming increasingly important.

"Ireland is the second largest employer of MedTech professionals in Europe and 18 of the worlds top 25 medical technology companies have a base in Ireland."

"We recognise the ever-increasing importance of collaboration and innovation as a means of achieving maximum cost and time efficiencies  for both cluster members and clients."

The eight companies currently serve 282 customers between them - with 17 of the top 20 worldwide medtech companies among their clients.

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD launched the new cluster and said that the initiative "is designed to encourage groups of businesses to collaborate to achieve specific objectives, improve competitive advantage, and ultimately, create jobs".Michael Fingleton, the once prominent head of the now-defunct Irish Nationwide Building Society, took the ex-regulator, Con Horan, to task yesterday for threatening to remove the lender's banking licence over a board election in 2006 when regulatory concerns met with less serious action.

At the Central Bank's ongoing inquiry into the stewardship of the society prior to its collapse, the octogenarian ex-banker mounted the argument during his cross-examination of Mr Horan, who led the Financial Regulator's banking supervision arm until 2003 before becoming prudential director in 2006.

INBS was nationalised in 2010 at a cost of 5.4bn.

Mr Horan rejected Mr Fingleton's line of questioning, arguing the watchdog had imposed two successive increases to INBS's solvency ratio, a reference to the amount of capital a bank must hoard, as evidence of the seriousness of its concerns.

He claimed the higher capital burdens, which were raised from 9pc to 10pc in 2004 and then to 11pc in March 2008, were "unique" and a "significant measure in relation to the Society" at the time.

Mr Fingleton countered that INBS's loan book and profits grew substantially following the first increase and pointed out the second was imposed when the Society had curbed new lending months earlier.

He challenged Mr Horan on why the watchdog did not resort to tougher measures given the pressure it brought to bear over a board election.

Mr Fingleton said: "If you had threatened that for the election of a mere director surely you could have issued something similar," to the Society if there were regulatory concerns.

"I'm not sure that was the case," said Mr Horan, referring to the contested AGM. He stressed that retracting a banking licence from a licence holder is a "very onerous" exercise and would reflect a "very serious issue".

Mr Horan had earlier told the inquiry, which in this first phase is focused on alleged governance failures within INBS's credit committee, that the regulator was "extremely disappointed and frustrated" at the Society's lack of progress in addressing concerns raised by the supervisor.

He said the Society's failure to introduce risk control measures that kept pace with the growth of the commercial loan book represented the chief problem for the regulator.

But he also pointed to the lender's "very narrow management team" and questioned whether "sufficient people" had influence in the organisation.Minister for Business Heather Humphreys has expressed her disappointment after Ireland fell six places in the latest IMD World Competitiveness Rankings.

Ireland is now ranked 12 in the world for competitiveness, down from sixth position last year.

"After several years of improvement, the decline in Ireland's overall ranking in this years IMD publication is disappointing," Minister Humphreys said.

"What it tells us is that we cannot become complacent about the hard-won gains of recent years."

The United States returns to the top spot, followed by Hong Kong, Singapore, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

The remaining places in the top 10 are occupied largely by Nordic countries with Denmark, Norway and Sweden ranking 6th, 8th and 9th respectively.

Despite the fall in competitiveness, Ireland is the third most competitive economy in the Euro area.

"I am acutely aware that Irelands competitiveness is hugely important to our continued business and economic success and the National Competitiveness Council will review the findings in detail," Minister Humphreys said.

The Minister went on to say that her officials will examine the findings of the report to establish what actions can be taken to further improve the country's competitiveness.

Ireland ranked first in the world by the IMD for productivity in industry, and the flexibility and adaptability of the countrys workforce.

The countrys tax regime sees Ireland ranked second for its competitiveness, while the country is ranked fifth for attracting and retaining talent, and fifth for the ease of starting a business.

The IMD World Competitiveness Ranking uses 258 indicators in its research methodology.

'Hard' data such as national employment and trade statistics are weighted twice as much as the 'soft' data from an Executive Opinion Survey that measures the business perception of issues such as corruption, environmental concerns and quality of life.Musgrave Group is eyeing the acquisition or creation of a mid-market restaurant chain in Ireland to cement its position as a major player at every level of the food service industry.

CEO Chris Martin told the Irish Independent that the group behind retailer SuperValu, Centra and the Marketplace wholesaling business, is interested in operating its own restaurant chain.

In the UK, chains such as Carluccio's, Jamie's Italian and Byron are struggling amid rising costs and intense competition, but the sector is almost unconsolidated here, with a scattering of international brands like Milano and Wagamama and relatively small domestic chains like Avoca Cafes - now owned by Aramark - Dunne & Crescenzi and Brambles Cafes.

"There is an opportunity here (in the mid-market restaurant segment). We are open to acquisitions if the right one comes along," Musgrave CEO Chris Martin told the Irish Independent.

It's understood however that no specific deal targets are in sight and plans are not an advanced stage.

If its doesn't buy, Musgrave Group has the option of developing its own brand from scratch, he said.

The group's relatively new Frank & Honest coffee bar chain, rolled out in SuperValu and Centra outlets is already Ireland's biggest coffee brand, Mr Martin said.

Its Moo'd Ice-cream brand is now in 60 Centra and SuperValu outlets. The group is also rolling out Chip Mongers in partnership with independent fast food outlets.

A shift into owned or franchised restaurants would aim to build on Musgrave's acquisition of La Rousse Foods from Aryzta.

The La Rousse wholesale business sells fresh, frozen and ambient fine food and plugs Musgraves into hotels, restaurants and catering firms.

Aryzta had originally acquired the company founded by chef Marc Amand, who had previously worked at the high-end Patrick Guilbaud restaurant in Dublin.

Musgraves can bring skills in social media, sourcing and brand design to its businesses and partnerships, Mr Martin said. The so-called 'out of home' food service segment, including mid-priced restaurants is tipped for significant growth in Ireland, driven by rising wealth, cash-rich/time-poor consumers and changing demographics,

However, it is a tough market to crack.

In the UK, a plethora of branded restaurants are struggling to survive amid intense competition and a squeeze on real incomes in the wake of the Brexit vote.

The well-established Carluccio's Italian-themed chain this month unveiled a restructuring plan that will likely lead to 34 restaurant closures from among its 103 restaurants in the UK and is seeking approval from landlords to slash rents in a restructuring plan known as a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA).

Other UK restaurant chains that have undertaken CVAs so far this year include Byron, Prezzo and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's Jamie's Italian.

Earlier this week, family owned and Cork-headquartered Musgrave Group announced pre-tax profit of 80m in the year to December 30, on sales of 3.7bn.

Profits were up 9pc on 2016, the third year in a row of profitability, and the business was sitting on net cash of 71m and net assets of 330m at year-end.Independent News and Media group editor-in-chief Stephen Rae is to step down from the position.

INM has also announced that Paul Connolly has decided to resign as a director of the company with effect from May 31.

The financier was a nominee of businessman Denis O'Brien, INM's largest shareholder.

Mr Rae had been with INM for 25 years and held the role since 2013. Before that, he was editor of the 'Evening Herald', and editor of the Irish Independent.

"I have had the privilege and honour to lead the editorial department since 2013. On completion of my five-year term I will be stepping down from the role," Mr Rae said.

"Following a transformation of the group into a digital- focused newsroom and content hub, I am now happy to leave the publishing business in a strong position and hand it over to a team of strong and dynamic editors.

"I'm leaving the business at a time when all print titles are market leaders and online platform Independent.ie has become the nation's go-to news source.

"During my 25 years at INM, I feel greatly privileged to have worked with many extremely bright and exceptional people and to have guided the coverage on some of the biggest news stories our country has seen. I am now looking forward to taking on new digital projects which will focus on my core interests of developing new revenue models for journalism along with the hugely important editorial fight against fake news."

INM's chief executive officer Michael Doorly thanked Mr Rae "for his efforts and contribution to the company over many years".

"Stephen has provided great editorial direction to all of our titles and built a team of outstanding editors," he said.

"I would like to thank him for his support during my tenure as CEO and wish him every success for the future."

Under a new structure, Richard McClean is now INM's managing director for publishing on the island of Ireland.

Separately, Mr Connolly's decision to stand down as a director of the company was announced yesterday afternoon.

It comes less than a week after he was re-elected as director at the group's annual general meeting last week.

Joining the board in March 2009, Mr Connolly served for more than four years as a member of the remuneration committee and a year as a member of the nomination and corporate governance committee.

A statement said: "Paul played an integral role in setting and executing the key strategic goals formulated by the company following the successful completion of its financial restructuring process in 2013. This resulted in the positive restoration of the INM balance sheet and the introduction of its digital strategy positioning the business for future growth."

Mr Connolly said: "I would like to thank all my fellow board members and shareholders as well as the senior management team for their support and confidence in me over my nine years as a director of INM and I would like to wish the company every success in the future."

INM chairman Murdoch MacLennan said: "While I am very disappointed that Paul has decided to resign at this time, I am hugely grateful for the immense contribution he has made to the company over a significant period of transition.

"I have valued Paul's experience, knowledge and independent pragmatic counsel as a board member and colleague. His contribution to the board will be greatly missed."A State-supported think-tank has questioned the level of tax relief given to people for saving for a pension.

An Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) paper found that high-income households are the big winners from the tax treatment of pension contributions.

It says cutting the tax relief for putting money into a pension should be considered.

However, pension experts said middle-income earners would be the big losers.

Most of the contributions that are paid into a pension by employers and staff get tax relief at the person's highest rate of tax.

This means those paying tax at 40pc get relief at that rate, but those on lower income, paying tax at 20pc, get lower levels of tax relief.

The tax relief means it costs a higher-rate income taxpayer roughly 60 for every 100 invested in a pension fund. It costs a 20pc taxpayer around 80 for every 100 invested.

The ESRI says the system could be changed by restricting tax relief on pension contributions to 20pc for everyone.

Alternatively, there could be the likes of a 30pc tax relief rate for everyone, the think-tank says.

The research found that moving to a system of a 20pc tax relief rate for all, or even a 30pc rate for all, would save the State up to 1bn a year.

This equates to half of the current cost of tax relief, according to one of the authors, Dr Karina Doorley.

High-income households would lose some of their gains from tax relief on pension contributions, while low-income households would not, the ESRI said.

Implicit in a lowering of the tax relief would be treating the large contributions made by the State to public-sector pensions as a benefit in kind, to be taxed.

Dr Doorley said that if individuals chose to reduce their contributions due to such a reform, this would have implications for their retirement income. "A key challenge for any reform to the pension regime is to provide incentives to save for retirement for low-income earners," Dr Doorley said.

This is not the first time the ESRI, which is partly funded by the Government, has called for a cutting of the tax relief on pension contributions.

Jerry Moriarty, chief executive of the Irish Association of Pension Funds (IAPF), which represents trustees in private sector schemes, said middle-income earners would be the main casualties if the tax reliefs were reduced.

Previous research by the IAPF found that lowering the tax relief would hit those earning just over the average industrial wage and middle-income earners.

The IAPF said that a reduction in relief on pension contributions would not be an attack on the wealthy, but 800,000 ordinary members of occupational pension schemes.

"Research shows that those most affected will be lower to middle-income workers on salaries from 40,000," Mr Moriarty said.

He said the ESRI report was very academic and didn't look at why there was tax relief in the first place, which was because it had been deemed reasonable to tax people on income when they received the benefit of it.

"By making retirement savings, individuals are agreeing to make savings that they will not be able to access until many years in the future.

"When they do receive that income in retirement, they then pay tax on that."

Mr Moriarty said it had long been acknowledged that we had too few people saving too little for retirement and any proposals that link retirement savings with reductions in current take-home pay were not going to solve that problem.

He said that the paper also quantified the "implicit" cost of public-sector pensions and attributed an overall cost as being 20pc of gross earnings (they then reduce that for employee contributions).

This most likely underestimates the overall cost as it is based on a 2007 report, and most people are aware of the increase in defined-benefit funding costs since then.

State agencies that are required to pay their parent departments in order to participate in the public-sector pension arrangements can pay up to 30pc of gross salaries, and the employee contributions are in addition to that.Workers stand on piles of steel rods at a depot on the outskirts of Shanghai, China  steel is one of the targets of Trumps tariffs Photo: Bloomberg

China said it would "open its door wider" to German businesses, helping visiting Chancellor Angela Merkel defend free commerce and counterbalance trade threats from US President Donald Trump that are testing transatlantic ties.

Germany and China, two exporting nations that run large trade surpluses with the United States, have found themselves in Trump's firing line and are scrambling to preserve the rules-based multilateral order on which their prosperity rests.

Merkel faces a delicate balancing act on the China trip, her 11th since becoming chancellor in 2005, as she seeks to show Chinese-German solidarity over free trade and the Iran nuclear deal without harming German ties with long-term ally Washington.

In the latest U.S. trade move that has alarmed Beijing and Berlin alike, the Trump administration announced on Wednesday a national security investigation on into car and truck imports that could potentially lead to tariffs.

The announcement hurt share prices of both European and Asian carmakers. China vowed to protect its interests.

European countries are also concerned that their exporters could be hurt if China instructs importers to buy more U.S. goods to ease trade disputes with the Trump administration. China has already signalled to state companies to buy more U.S. oil and soybeans, trade sources told Reuters.

Premier Li Keqiang, in a joint media appearance with Merkel at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, said China and Germany both upheld global free trade, and stressed the huge potential for cooperation between them.

Though the two countries had problems, they could be overcome, Li said. "China's door is open. You can say it will open even wider," Li said, standing next to Merkel and stressing "friendly relations" with Germany.

Trump's "America First" trade policy, his administration's professed disdain for the World Trade Organisation, as well as his withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, have pushed China and Germany into closer alignment, German officials say.

However, Merkel's government also shares many of the Trump administration's concerns about Chinese business practices, including what many Western countries have complained are state-backed efforts to pressure foreign companies into giving up trade secrets.

"STRIDING FORWARD"

Li said China would protect the interests of German firms investing in China and adjust its rules if needed.

"If they come across any problems during their investment, especially when it comes to legal protections, I can clearly tell you that China is striding forward to being a country with rule of law," Li said.

German companies have complained for years about barriers to the Chinese market and the theft of intellectual property.

Merkel welcomed China's recent announcements that it would further open its financial sector to foreign participation and reduce Chinese joint venture requirements in sectors such as automobiles, a mainstay of German investment in the world's second-largest economy.

But German industry said it was now up to China to deliver on its promises of greater openness.

"China must rigorously reduce the asymmetries in market access," said Hubert Lienhard, head of the Asia Pacific Committee of German Industry (APA).

Germany and China should work on a "multilateral global system", Merkel said, stressing her attachment to the rules-based global framework that Trump is challenging.

Trump has also pushed Europe to work more closely with China by pulling out of a 2015 deal between world powers and Iran under which international sanctions against Tehran were lifted in return for Iran accepting curbs on its nuclear programme.

European countries, Russia and China, which were parties to the deal, are searching for a way to salvage it by continuing to offer economic benefits to Iran in return for its compliance.

Merkel, who personally lobbied Trump not to pull out of the pact but was rebuffed, said Germany and China were "united in the view that we do not want to put this agreement in doubt".

European companies could reduce their business with Iran if they risk U.S. sanctions for trading there, Merkel said, adding with a nod to China: "Of course, this creates the possibility for others to then get more into Iran."The UK government has fired the starting gun on the sale. Photo: PA

The UK government is to follow last week's sale of 5bn of Irish mortgages - originally issued by Bank of Scotland Ireland (BoSI) - by auctioning an 850m (969m) block of mortgages acquired from failed lenders during the financial crisis, according to people familiar with the matter.

After the sale by Lloyds Banking Group of a portfolio of Irish home loans to a consortium led by Barclays Bank and Pimco last week, the UK government has now fired the starting gun on the sale of the mortgages.

A first round of bids for the portfolio of lifetime mortgages, a type of equity-release loan, was due on May 18, sources said, asking not to be named because the matter is confidential.

UK Asset Resolution - a government agency in charge of the country's stakes in bailed-out banks - is overseeing the sale, which is dubbed Project James, they said. Such mass sales of mortgages have become common in Ireland, but remain highly controversial.

A spokeswoman for UKAR confirmed a sale process for its equity release mortgage portfolio has begun, declining to comment further.

Under the terms of the lifetime mortgages, when the borrower dies or goes into long-term care, the property is sold and proceeds are used to redeem the loan. If the sale generates less than the amount owed, UKAR does not have the ability to recover money from the borrower or the estate.

Last month, UKAR sold a 5.3bn mortgage portfolio to a group led by Barclays and Pimco. (Additional reporting Bloomberg)The European Commission has claimed that tax multinationals are continuing to use Ireland for "aggressive tax planning" and that funds routed through here as royalty and dividends payments may be being allowed to escape tax altogether, despite rules being tightened up in 2015.

The claim is included in the Commission's latest recommendations for Ireland, part of the post-crash system for monitoring economies in Europe. The Commission gives a largely-positive assessment of the Irish economy.

Brussels has clashed with a succession of Irish governments over various aspects of the Irish corporate tax regime - most publicly in the record 13bn tax bill the State has been ordered to collect from Apple, despite Ireland's insistence the technology giant had been fairly taxed.

The latest commentary around Ireland's tax regime will be seen as a shot across the bows of the Department of Finance that there won't be a let-up in pressure from EU Economy and Taxation Commissioner Pierre Moscovici.

The Commissioner is pushing two major taxes; a levy that will apply to large digital economy corporations, many with their European base in Ireland, and the so-called Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base - a harmonised regime that would apply across Europe.

The Government here is an outspoken opponent of both schemes. The latest Commission report strongly implies Ireland is being used to cut companies' tax bills elsewhere.

"The high level of royalty and dividend payments as a percentage of GDP suggests that Ireland's tax rules are used by companies that engage in aggressive tax planning. Limited application of withholding taxes on outbound (ie from EU residents to third-country residents) royalty and dividend payments made by companies based in Ireland may lead to those payments escaping tax altogether, if they are also not subject to tax in the recipient jurisdiction," it said.

"As indicated in the 2018 euro area recommendation, the fight against taxpayer's aggressive planning strategies is essential to impede distortions of competition between firms, provide fair treatment of taxpayers and safeguard public finances," it states. Elsewhere, the Commission recommended closing out a procedure against excessive public spending in France - after nine years.BT boss Gavin Patterson is celebrating a 1m hike in annual pay, weeks after swinging the axe on 13,000 jobs.

Mr Patterson took home a total of 2.3m last year after trousering a 1.3m annual bonus, according to the telecom giant's annual report.

The pay packet also includes a 997,000 base salary and 299,000 in pension payments.

The chief executive's take home pay compares with 1.3m the previous year, when he was stripped of his annual bonus following an accounting scandal at the firm's Italian division.

The annual bonus was awarded for meeting a series of targets, including for customer service improvements and cash flow.

But it comes weeks after BT said it was culling 13,000 jobs as part of a revamped cost-cutting drive.

The company said the job losses would mainly affect back office and middle management roles, with two thirds of the cuts set fall on UK staff.

Remaining staff cuts are expected to impact on BT's operations abroad.

A BT spokesman said: "This has been a challenging year for the company but good progress has been made in a number of key areas.

"Gavin's total remuneration for the year was 2.3m, as a result of targets being met for customer service improvement and cash flow.

"Given the underlying financial and operating performance of the business during the year, the remuneration committee agreed Gavin's proposal that his bonus be capped at target."

BT is looking to cut costs by around 1.5bn as part of a three-year plan.

The telecoms firm is also hiring around 6,000 new employees "to support network deployment and customer service".

BT has around 106,400 employees globally, with 82,800 in the UK.

The annual report shows Mr Patterson was subject to a 338,000 malus provision linked to the accounting scandal, which rocked BT's share price and dented profits.Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, speaks while standing in front of the Jaguar I-Pace with Waymo autonomous electric vehicle at an event in New York. Photo: Bloomberg

Jaguar Land Rover will spend about 4.5bn (5.13bn) in the current financial year on new models and technologies as the luxury carmaker looks to spur sales that grew at a slower pace.

"We will continue with over-proportional investment in new vehicles, manufacturing facilities and next generation automotive technologies in line with our autonomous, connected, electric and shared strategy," chief executive officer Ralf Speth said in a statement.

The company spent 4.2bn in the year ended March 31.

Deliveries at the luxury-car unit of Tata Motors grew at 1.7pc in the year through March, with demand for newer models such as the Jaguar E-Pace compact sport utility vehicle and Range Rover Velar failing to offset a sales drop in older models.

The investment push comes at a time when China has announced it will cut import duty on passenger cars to 15pc from 25pc, granting foreign carmakers further access to the world's largest auto market.

While the Chinese market is providing sales traction for Jaguar Land Rover, growth has slowed over the past year, Debjit Maji, an analyst at Kolkata-based Stewart & Mackertich Wealth Management, said before the results.

"The recent announcement of reduction of auto import duty from the Chinese government is likely to augur well for JLR as it will bring down the prices of their products and make them more competitive, but it is true for its peers also."

Tata Motors net income fell 51pc to 21.3 billion rupees (265m) in the three months ended March, a steeper decline than analyst estimates. Profit before tax at Jaguar Land Rover dropped 46pc to 364m in the period.Revolut has responded to "overwhelming" calls to expand their portfolio of crytpocurrencies by adding XRP and Bitcoin.

The fintech startup has allowed their customers to buy, sell and hold Bitcoin, Litecoin or Ethereum directly from the firm's app since December 2017.

Revolut has stated that the exchange process for the cryptocurrency will be as instantaneous and as simple as topping up a Revolut account in a user's base currency.

The digital banking alternative currently serves more than 100,000 customers in Ireland, with 40pc using Revolut as their primary spending card at home and abroad.

Customers of the London-based industry disruptor can exchange 25 fiat currencies directly into cryptocurrency, which can then be held and sold directly within the app in seconds.

The function also allows customers to set up alerts whenever a specific cryptocurrency hits a certain value.

"We launched this world-first feature in order to offer frictionless exposure of Cryptocurrencies to the mainstream population," Vlad Yatsenko, Co-Founder & CTO of Revolut said.

"The idea of exchanges, private keys and cold storage is a complete turn off for some people, so we wanted to offer a simple way for consumers to get exposure in this area.

"Weve been asking the Revolut community which cryptocurrencies they would like to see next, and the demand for both XRP and Bitcoin Cash has been absolutely overwhelming."

Earlier this month, Revolut launched a new savings feature that allows users in Ireland to bank spare cash from their everyday purchases.

Vaults allows users to round up and save their spare change from their monthly transactions, whether regular or once-off.

The company also recently announced that it raised a further $250m (205m), increasing its value five-fold to $1.7bn in less than a year.

Among the investors is Dublin-listed Draper Esprit, which announced an investment of up to $16.5m (13.5m) in the company.

Pay-per-day geolocation travel insurance and disposable virtual cards are just two other new product offerings from the online bank this year.Harvey Weinstein is reportedly set to be arrested in New York on Friday (David Mirzoeff/PA)

Harvey Weinstein is reportedly facing arrest on Friday following an investigation into allegations he sexually assaulted numerous women.

According to the New York Times, investigators in Manhattan are preparing to arrest the disgraced movie mogul and he is expected to surrender to authorities.

Scores of women have come forward to allege sexual misconduct from Mr Weinstein, ranging from inappropriate comments to rape.

It was reported earlier this week that federal prosecutors in New York had launched a probe into the allegations, which is separate to the investigation currently under way by the Manhattan District Attorney, the film producers lawyer said in a court filing.

In a declaration filed on May 3 in the Weinstein Cos bankruptcy proceedings, lawyer Benjamin Brafman said Mr Weinstein was a principal target of an investigation being carried out by the US attorneys office in Manhattan.

He added: I am trying my very best to persuade both the federal and state prosecutors that he should not be arrested and or indicted, because he did not knowingly violate the law.

Mr Braffman added that the allegations facing Mr Weinstein are entirely without merit.

Weinstein is under criminal investigation in New York, Los Angeles and London.

He has not been charged with any crimes, though police in New York have said publicly that they believe there is enough evidence to make an arrest.They are touring to mark their 20th anniversary (Michael Crabtree/PA)

Boyband A1 has announced a comeback with all four band members saying they will tour to mark their 20th anniversary.

In a statement published on Twitter, Christian Ingebrigtsen, Mark Read, Paul Marazzi and Ben Adams told fans they would perform together for the first time in nearly 15 years later this year.

The band said: WERE SO EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THE 1ST OF OUR 20TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION DATES  STARTING WITH SINGAPORE.

WERE SO EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THE 1ST OF OUR 20TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION DATES - STARTING WITH SINGAPORE..MORE TO FOLLOW. #a1Reunion RT



For more information, please visit Mode Productions Facebook:https://t.co/YVveR5YVDJ pic.twitter.com/QuBTPtl93i  a1 (@A1Official) May 23, 2018

Christian, Mark and Ben added: Were unbelievably excited that Paul will be joining us again to bring the original line up of a1 back together for the very first time in nearly 15 years.

The British-Norwegian band was formed in 1998 and enjoyed success with hits such as Same Old Brand New You, Like A Rose and Take On Me.

Ben,Mark & Christian-We're unbelievably excited that Paul will be joining us again to bring the original line up of a1 back together for the very first time in nearly 15 years#a1Reunion @benadamsuk @a1christian @MarkReadMusic @mazzratazz pic.twitter.com/Dz4C7nNv5W  a1 (@A1Official) May 23, 2018

The band scored two UK number one hits and in 2001 won a Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act.

In 2002, Paul left the band, citing personal reasons.

Their first gig is scheduled to take place in Singapore on October 20 this year, the band said, with more dates expected to be announced.As part of regenerating the once green city in the sun-Nairobi- to its former glory, the Nairobi County government has proposed the introduction of car-free days. The proposal is part of the plans to ease congestion in the city.

Nairobi County Executive Committee member in charge of Roads, Transport, and Infrastructure Mohammed Dagane said the plans are being undertaken by the county in conjunction with the Nairobi Regeneration Team.

The county government has proposed Wednesdays and Saturdays as the days when motorists in the CBD and Westlands will have to give up their vehicles.

We need to shift from the idea using our own vehicles coming to town every day, because you find more than three million of cars coming to the CBD and each one of them is not carrying more than one passenger, Dagane noted,

Dagane further said that the move is aimed at impressing the culture of using public service vehicles on Kenyans ahead of the launch of the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT).

He added that bus termini are now complete and relocation of Public Service Vehicles from CBD will be effected by the end of June.

Further, a traffic management committee, automation of bus terminuses, and improvement of non-motorized travel are also planned to be put in place.Nicki Minaj's long-awaited new album has been delayed, the rapper announced (PA Archive/PA)

Nicki Minajs long-awaited new album has been delayed, the rapper has announced.

Titled Queen, the record was originally due to arrive in June but Minaj took to Instagram to reveal it would now be released on August 10.

In a live video, she said: The album itself I think I want to put out on August 10. I want to put out my second single, which Im really, really excited about, and I want to now start an official countdown.

Minaj also revealed she intends to invite fans to the studio to listen to the record.

The Chun-Li rapper followed up the video with a tweet confirming her new album release date, writing, 8|10|18 #Queen.

Minaj originally announced the release date for Queen on the red carpet of the Met Gala earlier this month.

It will be the stars first album since 2014s The Pinkprint.No campaigners believe RTE attempted to thwart their efforts to win the referendum by doing "what they did to Sean Gallagher".

The broadcaster is facing accusations it refused to allow the anti-abortion groups to select their candidate for Tuesday's televised debate at the behest of the Government.

Savethe8th spokesman John McGuirk launched a blistering attack on RTE, questioning why people are required to pay a TV licence.

He alleged it was willing to "have any woman in the country who is not Maria Steen" take part in the debate with Sinn Fein's Peadar Toibin against Health Minister Simon Harris and consultant obstetrician Mary Higgins.

Solicitor Cora Sherlock, of the Pro-Life Campaign, was originally announced as the female No representative, but withdrew just hours before the show went to air.

Ms Higgins was ultimately demoted to the audience, leaving the two male politicians to debate head to head. Such was the backlash from the No side that RTE issued two statements in less than 24 hours, arguing the programme "gave an equitable and fair opportunity to both sides to express their views".

The Irish Independent understands the broadcaster's head of news Jon Williams and director general Dee Forbes were consulted as the row developed on Tuesday night. Even though it meant presenter Miriam O'Callaghan was forced to alert viewers to the fact there were no female speakers on the main stage, a decision was taken that RTE could not allow its editorial independence to be challenged.

Editors did not want Ms Steen to be central to the debate as she had already taken part in the 'Claire Byrne Live' debate last week. Mr Harris said he had no issue with who took part in the debate - but noted that Ms Sherlock had repeatedly called for him to go head to head with her.

"It's something that Cora will never say but I respect her choice; and she chose not to take part in the debate last night," he said.

"Yes, she sent me a letter, yes she sent me a petition, and yes she used to carry around a podium with my name on it, asking where I was. Well, I was in RTE at 9.35 last night asking to debate the issues."

Mr McGuirk said yesterday the dispute had begun last week when the No group complained it was unfair for only the Yes side to have a doctor on the stage.

"The fact they tried to put an obstetrician on one side and somebody who is not an obstetrician on the other side was in our view a material interference in the debate," he said.

RTE sources responded there was no legal representative on the Yes side - but both parties had been told they could have medical and legal supporters speak from the audience.

Mr McGuirk claimed RTE was trying "to do to us in this referendum what they did to Sean Gallagher".

Mr Gallagher was leading the polls in the 2011 presidential election until after the final TV debate when presenter Pat Kenny read out a tweet from a fake Twitter account.

It claimed a man who had given a 5,000 cheque to Mr Gallagher would appear at a press conference the next day.

Mr Gallagher lost the subsequent election, finishing behind Michael D Higgins. Just last year RTE settled a court action and apologised for using the Tweet.

Mr McGuirk said: "In nearly every major referendum or election we've had in nearly the last decade there has been some stroke or some interference by RTE in relation to the debate. Sean Gallagher is the most high-profile example of that."

RTE said it informed the No campaign "from the outset that the panel on the RTE 'Prime Time' debate would not include anyone who had already been a panellist on the 'Claire Byrne Live' debate just a week previously".Simon Coveney with his wife Ruth and their children Jessica (6), Annalise (4) and Beth (8) pictured at their home in Carragaline, Cork, last year during the Fine Gael leadership contest. Photo: Frank McGrath

TOMORROW I will vote for the type of Ireland I am going to pass on to my daughters. I do not want them to inherit a society from their parents. I want them to take charge of our society as young women and make it their own.

The conversation that has resulted in me going to the ballot box to vote Yes with certainty hasn't been a straightforward one.

I have found it difficult, I have stumbled and I have met extraordinary women and men along the way who have changed my perspectives on this deeply emotive issue. My engagement with doctors and the women who have told me their stories of vulnerability, isolation and crisis in pregnancy has left me in no doubt of the need for change.

As I write this, my three daughters are children with all the potential and energy in the world. Every week my wife and I think about how to protect them, but also to encourage their curiosity and confidence. In truth we have tried to keep them away from this debate and the posters and conversations happening around it, but they are smart and know that something is happening in Ireland.

This week, like many parents, I'm focused on the kind of Ireland my daughters will be adults in.

The Ireland their grandparents were born into saw women and girls who became pregnant outside marriage sent away to be hidden, to be put to work and to have their children taken from them.

The Ireland their mum and I were born into saw women forbidden from working and pursuing their careers simply because they had married. Contraceptives and divorce were outlawed and a person who was gay lived in the shadows as illegal.

Before our children think of these times as wrong and backward they should know that it was the people of Ireland who time and again said "no more" and brought about change. In most cases that change started with a brave few who stood against convention and ridicule. Our society has been repeatedly strengthened by informed change, despite what the opponents said at the time.

The Ireland my children were born into has been content in the knowledge that abortion is outlawed in the Constitution while ignoring the shadowy reality of thousands of women taking lonely, unsafe and cruel journeys every year.

I was content in my view, until I really took the time to confront it, and was in turn confronted by reality. Abortion is happening in Ireland, not only for the thousands of women who make those journeys to Manchester or Birmingham, but also for women who purchase abortion pills online. Those women self medicate, alone in their homes, with only a Google search for medical advice.

For a generation now the reality is that British abortion law has applied to Irish women terminating pregnancies. So when a women looks for advice about a termination linked to a crisis pregnancy she is given an address in the UK and told she's on her own.

I asked myself is this OK to continue? I believe it is not.

I do not accept that any woman makes the decision to terminate a pregnancy easily. There are all sorts of tragic and harrowing reasons for the decision. Whether I agree or disagree with the private decisions that a woman makes when faced with a crisis pregnancy is not the question, what is at issue is how the State responds to that decision: is it time to care for women in Ireland or continue to abandon them abroad?

Like many people I still hope abortion is not the option a woman or girl in crisis will take. I want them to have the supports from our State to choose the alternatives.

I respect the perspectives of both sides in this debate, but I am asking those with reservations to consider the evidence that has convinced me that voting Yes is the right thing to do.

I would also caution against some of the confusing and inaccurate claims being made in the final hours before polling. As a member of Cabinet, I assure you we cannot legislate to provide further protections for women without removing the Eighth Amendment and we cannot lower the 14-year imprisonment term for any woman convicted of using an abortion pill. This has been confirmed repeatedly by consecutive attorneys general. The current constitutional wording restricts any further change to law, that's why it needs to change.

I ask everyone, men and women, to turn out and vote. The people are sovereign and your vote means everything.

Tomorrow I will vote Yes so that the society I hand over to my daughters takes another step towards confronting our past, taking responsibility for our present and properly caring for women into our future.

Simon Coveney is Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister. He is campaigning for a Yes vote.Taoiseach Leo Varadkar last night insisted Fine Gael would not celebrate if the electorate voted in favour of repealing the Eighth Amendment.

Addressing his parliamentary party, the Taoiseach said Fine Gael had no celebrations planned if the public decided to vote in favour of repeal.

Mr Varadkar also said it is not party policy to take credit for removing the article from the Constitution if the referendum passes.

He urged against celebratory scenes if the public votes in favour of introducing a more liberal abortion regime.

The Taoiseach was addressing his party for the last time before tomorrow's vote on a constitutional change, which could result in the introduction of abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.

The large majority of Fine Gael TDs and senators support a Yes vote in the referendum.

However, senior party figures believe around 20 parliamentarians will vote to retain the Eighth Amendment.

The Taoiseach has been campaigning to repeal the Constitutional amendment as have the vast majority of his Cabinet.

Earlier in the day, Mr Varadkar was urged to correct the Dail record by Fianna Fail stalwart Eamon O Cuiv.

Mr O Cuiv questioned comments made by the Taoiseach in the Dail regarding his contribution on RTE's 'Six One News'.

Mr Varadkar accepted he wrongly suggested the Fianna Fail TD said the Government could decriminalise the abortion pill or decriminalise women who seek abortions.

"I accept that the deputy did not say he would be in favour of decriminalising abortion pills. If there is a No vote on Friday, it will still be a criminal offence," he said.

However, the Taoiseach said it was "bizarre" Mr O Cuiv believed a criminal offence would not be enforced.

"Why would one keep something as a crime if one does not think it should be enforced? I find that unusual," he said.

Meanwhile, the current restrictions on abortion could remain for some time, even if Ireland votes in favour of repeal on Friday.

While a majority of TDs and senators support repeal, there is no definite majority in support of the Government's legislative proposals and a number of TDs have expressed reservations about allowing unrestricted terminations up to 12 weeks.

Agriculture Minister Michael Creed and Government Chief Whip Joe McHugh are voting Yes tomorrow, but it is not clear if they will vote in favour of the full legislation should the opportunity arise.

"I don't want to conflate the two issues; it'll be up to each elected individual representative across all parties and none," said Mr Creed yesterday.

Cabinet members Michael Ring and Denis Naughten are also undeclared on their positions.FORMER Anglo Irish Bank CEO David Drumm took part in a massive con when the bank sent its own money around in a circle and disguised it as a 7.2bn customer deposit, a jury has been told.

Prosecutor Mary Rose Gearty said Mr Drumm knew full well when the banks financial results were released in 2008 that the figure was false and he took part in a criminal conspiracy or "confidence trick" on the markets.

Ms Gearty was delivering her closing speech for the prosecution today in the trial of Mr Drumm.

She also told the jurors they may have views on financial institutions but they must leave all bias outside the jury room.

The trial has lasted four months so far and is now in its final stages after the prosecutions evidence concluded last week.

Mr Drumm (51) is pleading not guilty to conspiring to defraud by dishonestly creating the impression that Anglo's customer deposits were 7.2bn larger than they really were in September 2008.

He is alleged to have conspired with Anglos former Finance Director Willie McAteer and head of Capital Markets John Bowe, as well as Irish Life and Permanents then-CEO, Denis Casey, and others.

The case centres on a series of interbank deposits which circulated between Anglo and ILP.

The transfers were routed through Irish Life Assurance (ILA), returning to Anglo where they were then treated as customer deposits, which are a better indicator of a banks health.

Mr Drumm also denies false accounting, by providing misleading information to the market.

Before Ms Gearty began her closing speech, Brendan Grehan SC, defending, said the defence would not be going into evidence.

What we say very briefly but I hope accurately and succinctly, is that David Drumm was the Chief Executive Officer of Anglo Irish Bank at the time when that bank presented figures to the market and we say one of those figures, the customer deposit figure was clearly a false figure, Ms Gearty said.

We say that not only was that a false account but it was done on his part deliberately, knowing full well when he was doing it, Ms Gearty.

The prosecution was saying it was done dishonestly and was preceded by months of arrangements and discussions that culminated in an agreement to do this.

This was a criminal conspiracy and Mr Drumm was part of that criminal conspiracy, she said.

Ms Gearty said it was important for the jury to try Mr Drumm on the evidence and not bring anything else into your deliberations.

You may have views on financial institutions and some of the language used, she said, but she asked them to leave all bias outside the jury room.

It was a criminal trial and it was extremely important that that criminal trial proceeds fairly. This meant the jurors were to consider the evidence they had heard and not any emotional reaction or bias.

They had to consider whether they were satisfied beyond reasonable doubt on each of the two counts.

She said Mr Drumm was the only person on trial here and while she would be telling the jury briefly about what a conspiracy involves, the essence of the trial was we only have one accused and to a large extent you will be confining yourselves to that.

Mr Gearty asked the jurors to imagine if someone on the jury passed one euro to another, who then passed the one euro back, taking a careful note. If this was done six times and if you add it up you have 7 on your note but in reality you only have 1 - that is what we say happened here.

That is a very good analogy for what happened, she said.

The jury had evidence that money never went from ILAs account until it came in from Anglo in the first place.

The whole purpose of accounting was to show what is happening in a bank or company, Ms Gearty said.

If instead it hides what is happening, that is not only dishonest but its not true and its not fair.

Ms Gearty said the jury had heard of a large amount of money being put into banks in England at the time but that was real money and there was a massive difference between that and what was done, we say by Mr Drumm.

Ms Gearty referred to building up market confidence.

If its about confidence at all, its about confidence in the sense that this was a confidence trick, she said. This was a massive con, that is what the prosecution says about these transactions and the way they were presented to the market.

Ms Gearty said the jury must reach its decision on each count beyond reasonable doubt, and that Mr Drumm is presumed innocent. She said if the jury held two views and one was consistent with innocence, it must acquit Mr Drumm.

A large number of witnesses in the case had been employed either by Anglo or the ILP group. Ms Gearty invited the jury to consider that in assessing the evidence and whether it is reliable.

She was not saying anyone was a liar but just what is common sense.

We all present our best selves, she said. A person isnt necessarily lying when they remember an event putting themselves in the best light.

The jury was entitled to accept or reject her own remarks or the defences, she said.

The prosecution was saying anyone relevant had been called as witnesses, but if the jurors found there was a massive gap somewhere and they felt they needed to hear from someone else, that was the prosecutions problem and they must visit it on us and acquit Mr Drumm.

The jury could not speculate, she said.

There seemed to have been a thread going through the defence that the system was under severe pressure and the bank was going down anyway - that feeling of doom.

If it was suggested that this somehow exonerates those who acted to keep the bank limping on, it did not exonerate them, if the jury found the transactions were entered into dishonestly.

Witnesses who worked in Anglos finance department had described the accounting treatment as technically sound, and what was required by the accounting standards.

The prosecution said this was not correct.

These transactions did not require a certain accounting treatment, they were designed to attract a certain accounting treatment, Ms Gearty said.

The whole point was that they did not have to be netted, or cancelled out and the transactions were designed for this.

This was a dishonest scheme, it was a fraudulent scheme and the figures produced at the end of it were false, Ms Gearty said. Neither Anglo nor ILP had 7bn to spare.

On one of the very days the transactions were occurring, the jury heard, there was a phone call referring to ILP being asked by Anglo for a much smaller 100m loan, which was real money as opposed to this paper journal entry.

ILP said no, not without collateral, Ms Gearty said.

The inevitable inference is, why would they give them 7.2bn if they wouldnt give them 100m? she said. The answer is, they didnt, the money was Anglos and it went around in a circle and it was disguised as a customer deposit.

Ms Gearty turned to the issue of conspiracy, which she said could be verbal, unspoken or inferred. In this case, there were recordings and a huge amount of evidence in relation to the agreement element of the charge.

Conspiracy must be with at least one other and in this case, it was allegedly with three named people and others.The three were John Bowe, effectively head of Treasury in Anglo, Willie McAteer, effectively the most senior financial officer and ILPs CEO Denis Casey.

She said she could truncate this by looking at one phone call between Mr Drumm, Mr Bowe and Mr McAteer on September 29, 2008.

She said it was a good example of inference and she said it was clear, reliable evidence that the three men were discussing a criminal conspiracy.

Are we still doing that? Mr Drumm said on the call.

So, what happens is the money goes round in a circle, Mr Bowe said, then later: whats happening is we give the money to them and the dance here is that we actually get it back in time and that is becoming very very tough to do. We have to pay it into the bank and the bank has to give it to the assurance company and the assurance company has to give it to us.

Ms Gearty said they all referred to it, or the money and there was no question but that this was the same sum circulating.

Yeah, I know how it works, Mr Drumm said on the call.

It has to go through a lot of different hands, its actually very hard to do but we are picking away at it.

F**king journal entry would do it an awful lot quicker, Mr Drumm said. Willie might be auditing the books himself this year.

This showed very clearly they knew what was going on, Ms Gearty said.

Anglos Head of Treasury Risk Mike Nurse had said the credit limit for the banks March transaction with ILP had been increased by 400pc, but when it came to September there was a retrospective sign off which Mr Nurse and Mr McAteer signed.

Mr McAteer had also co-signed Anglos preliminary statement in December 2008, which contained the figure the prosecution said was false.

Denis Casey had been named by ILP employees as the preson who authorised the transactions on that side.

ILP Treasury Director David Gantly had given evidence of conversations he had with Mr Casey about the transactions being on a need to know basis.

There was evidence that ILP kept the transactions tight to senior management and a number of very senior people were never told, Ms Gearty continued.

In a phone call in September, Mr Drumm was heard saying Mr f**king Denis had agreed the 6bn fixes and that tells us a lot about what the parties intended, she said.

Others were involved in the mechanism of the transactions.

The jury had heard there were other transactions that were perfectly legal but they were different and involved a cost. The September transactions were quite different to what has been referred to as normal window dressing.

The were at least 17 to 18 recipients of mails that were routinely sent around in Anglo with spreadsheets setting out how things were going, Ms Gearty said.

She told the jury who else was involved was not an issue for you, dont be sidetra

cked wondering why its only Mr Drumm who is on trial, that is not relevant, you are considering the guilt or innocence of one person.

Another example she gave was a September 2008 call between Anglo dealer Mike DArcy and Vincent Hibbert in the banks Isle of Man division.

He told Mr Hibbert in respect of an identical transaction: do you want the answer or the answer for the auditors, Ms Gearty said.

Mr DArcy had explained to the jury that was a joke but later in the call, he said they cannot say any of this to the auditors. Ms Gearty said it was a matter for the jury whether they found the comment was a joke.

She said the actions and words of others in the same enterprise could be considered by the jury in considering Mr Drumms guilt or innocence.

The prosecution did not have to prove there was any actual economic loss made by anyone but that there was an agreement to risk economic loss.

There must also be an intention to defraud and dishonesty.

The prosecution was saying a false account was published in the December financial statement to mislead.

If the jury decided the scheme and set of figures were dishonest and that Mr Drumm deliberately released them to the market, then they should convict, Ms Gearty said.

Ms Gearty also said the figures were materially misleading because 7.2bn was a very large sum, and because of the labelling of that sum as a customer deposit when it wasnt one, but was Anglos own money and was circled around the houses.

Her speech was continuing this afternoon and the defence is expected to present its closing statement later. The trial is being heard by Judge Karen OConnor and an enlarged jury of 10 men and four women at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.Ranger Michael Maguire from Cork, who was shot dead during live-fire training

Live shooting exercises at an Army range where a young Irish soldier died were often poorly planned, a court martial has heard.

Ranger Michael Maguire, of the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment, was one of several soldiers who came under machine gun fire during the exercise at the Castlemartin Training Area in Pembrokeshire in May 2012.

The 21-year-old, from Co Cork, was shot in the forehead and killed during the exercise which was preparing the troops for deployment to Kenya.

Captain Jonathan Price (32), now of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish, is accused of the manslaughter by gross negligence of Rgr Maguire through his failure to set up and supervise a safe exercise.

Lieutenant Colonel Richard Bell (45) and Warrant Officer Stuart Pankhurst (40) are both accused of negligently performing a duty.

The prosecution alleges Capt Price failed to attend a recce of the range when preparing a Range Action Safety Plan (Rasp), that he placed targets too close together and he failed to "deconflict" the two exercises.

Lt Col Bell, the senior planning officer, is accused of failing to review or counter-sign the Rasp produced by Capt Price and failing to supervise or support him.

Staff Sgt Pankhurst, who was supervising the exercise involving Rgr Maguire on Range 10A, is accused of failing to "express any caution or concern" despite having attended the recce and having knowledge of the extent of the adjacent shooting on Range 10B. Retired Warrant Officer Sean Meaker, who was based at Castlemartin at the time of Rgr Maguire's death, criticised the quality of many Rasps prepared ahead of exercises.

"There was too many poor quality Rasps being submitted which should have not passed the proof reading stage within the author's own unit," Mr Meaker told the court martial in Bulford, Wiltshire.

He said he met Lt Col Bell, Sergeant Philip Barnes and a D Company officer a few weeks before the exercise started.

"We discussed all activities taking place on the range on consecutive days," Mr Meaker said.

"If I had asked for separate Rasps that would have involved copying and cutting and pasting the same information. This is the real world.

"You are going to produce a covering document detailing all the roles and responsibilities. If that is consistent I do not need to see the same documentation four times.

"What I do need to see is evidence of that detailed planning of all those activities that are taking place.

"That side of the detail was really poor with a lot of the units coming through the range.

"Every activity requires planning and planning is the most important part of the Rasp. However they pulled them together as separate Rasps or as separate annexes with a covering letter is up to them."

He said he knew the main range conducting officer, Capt Price, was not present during this meeting and would attend at a later date.

Fiona Eddington, junior counsel representing Capt Price, suggested to the witness his briefing during the visit had given the soldiers the impression they only needed to produce one Rasp for the whole week.

"If that's how they left, it's how they left," Mr Meaker replied. "It's not how I put it across to them."

Philip Barnes, who has since retired from the Army, told the court the week-long exercise would involve different types of training moving from fire teams, to sections and then the final platoon exercise.

All three defendants deny the charges and the trial before a board of seven senior officers continues.Courses in social sciences, arts and humanities in Irish universities are undergoing a radical shake-up as colleges try to make them more relevant to the workplace.

University College Dublin (UCD) and Maynooth University (MU) are among the universities that have made significant changes to their courses, and there is a new focus on interdisciplinary learning.

A growing number of courses in social sciences and arts are incorporating elements traditionally associated with hard sciences and computing.

"In the area of computing, often it is less about learning about the technology itself as how it is used in society," says Tony Donohoe, education officer with the employers' group, Ibec.

In a major departure in UCD, for the first time, students studying certain social sciences and humanities will commonly now study for a four-year degree, with an opportunity for formal work placements.

Leaving Cert students are able to change CAO preferences until July 1, and about 50pc of applicants generally do. Anyone considering taking up that opportunity will have to pay close attention to the content and length of courses, the qualifications and the terminology used.

There is some confusion over what social sciences courses comprise. They are commonly associated with sociology and social work, but the term incorporates a broad range of other subjects that includes economics, geography, archaeology and politics. In UCD the classification includes philosophy.

There is also confusion between sociology, the broad study of how society works, and social work, the hands-on job of giving assistance to individuals and families.

Professor Colin Scott, principal of the UCD College of Social Sciences and Law, says that with some of the university's new courses, students will be able to draw on different disciplines to look at relevant issues. For example, they could be looking at the social implications of climate change or the use of data.

UCD has a new BSc in Computational Social Science. This focuses on issues such as "big data", social media, and mathematical modelling as well as subject areas such as sociology, politics and economics.

Professor Scott says: "So much of what happens with computing and data has a social element to it. It is not just the data itself, but who is using it and why it is being used. These kinds of issues have been raised with the recent Facebook scandal."

Those studying the course might become data analysts, programmers or researchers.

As part of UCD's new humanities and social sciences four-year programmes, students can choose from a number of pathways, with relevant subjects clustered together. It is hoped that these pathways will provide clear direction when it comes to employment.

Among the new pathways is the four-year philosophy, politics and economics course - a combination that has been popular internationally, particularly among the political class in Britain.

Students could choose between these new four-year pathways, or a number of two-subject combinations.

There will still be separate three-year degrees in social policy and sociology (BSocSc), psychology (Bsc) and economics (Bsc).

Professor Scott says the opportunity to do internships will be a positive feature of the new four-year courses.

The Social Sciences Internship Programme at UCD promises to provide students with the opportunity to apply for an optional internship with a government agency, not-for-profit organisation or business.

Students will be given a work placement related to their field of study. The internship will be offered in third year and involves a one semester placement.

There will also be internships available in four-year humanities degrees.

UCD is not the only university to have made significant changes to its arts, humanities and social science programmes.

NUI Galway has introduced seven new arts degrees for enrolment with new courses including music, film and digital studies, arts and technology, and global languages.

Dublin City University (DCU), University College Cork (UCC) , the University of Limerick (UL) and Maynooth have also given their humanities programmes a recent overhaul.

At Maynooth, students are increasingly being encouraged to combine arts and science subjects.

The chief executive of the Higher Education Authority (HEA), Dr Graham Love, has recently urged third level colleges to place emphasis on interdisciplinary learning.

He believes that students and researchers should work more closely with those operating in other disciplines. He said this was vital to help resolve global and local challenges.

In a recent speech, Dr Love asked: "How is our higher education system addressing the big issues of today and tomorrow? Climate change, migration, food security, data protection, cyber security, gender equality, globalisation, obesity.

"The answers will not be found in a single discipline but through co-operation among many disciplines. The lawyer working with the scientist; the engineer with the artist; the historian with the medic; the psychologist with the geologist."

Dr Love told the Irish Independent that there is a growth in the number of courses that combine social science and computing.

"Students are having to understand how to deal with massive data sets in order to analyse trends and patterns.

"They are particularly relevant for social sciences and affect all walks of life. They could be administrative data sets from the Revenue Commissioners, scientific studies or information from the weather service.

"The capacity to take that data, manipulate it properly and form robust conclusions from it is becoming increasingly important in areas such as social science."

He says the barriers between subjects are breaking down and, in the future, people are going to have to move between different fields and disciplines more comfortably.

This will equip them for careers where they may be switching between different areas of employment.

Dr Love says the use of work placements in social sciences and humanities programmes is part of a growing trend.

"It gives students practical experience of the work environment, and will enable students to be readier for employment."Women diagnosed with cancer after getting the all-clear from BreastCheck are not being directly informed about internal reviews showing their mammogram X-ray was incorrectly read.

BreastCheck clinical director Prof Ann O'Doherty said the screening service, which offers free mammograms to women aged 50 to 69, had still not adopted a system of open disclosure - where patients are informed of an adverse event. It will not come into effect until early next year.

The failure to alert women of their reviews, after they are notified to BreastCheck as having developed breast cancer, comes in the wake of the CervicalCheck scandal that also led to patients not being told an investigation found they had a wrong smear test result.

Around two in every 1,000 women who have a mammogram with BreastCheck develop an "interval" cancer - between their two yearly screenings - and some 10pc are due to errors, the Oireachtas Health Committee was told. Prof O'Doherty claimed any woman who inquires about her review was given it in full.

"We have a very open policy," she added.

BreastCheck was unable yesterday to tell the Irish Independent how many of these reports it had in stock that have not yet been disclosed.

There is a time lag in carrying out the reviews and BreastCheck so far is up only to 2011 in its look-back.

Members of the committee questioned BreastCheck staff on why it is only now planning to bring in open disclosure when it was HSE policy for the last five years.

Dr Arnie Hill, a cancer specialist in Beaumont Hospital, told the committee once his patient is diagnosed with breast cancer he inquires if she has been through BreastCheck.

If she has, he tells her about the look-back review that will be carried out by the screening service.

However, he said "only 45pc of women request disclosure". They are mostly concerned with their treatment, he added.

It can be the "last thing on their minds" and "rarely taken up".

He described BreastCheck as a "fantastic service", but said that, like all forms of screening, it has limitations.

Prof O'Doherty said while mammography was the best screening test available for early detection of breast cancer, it was neither 100pc sensitive nor specific.

"Not all cancers are detected by screening mammography," she said.

Over the last five years, survival rates from breast cancer have increased from 75pc to 83pc.

"I have no doubt that breast screening has contributed to this together with better symptomatic services. This programme detects seven cancers per 1,000 women screened," she added.

It was important women continue to avail of BreastCheck which saves lives, she stressed.The owner of an unclaimed EuroMillions ticket has until 5.30pm today to collect their prize.

The winning Quick Pick ticket was sold at the Eason Store in the Wilton Shopping Centre in Cork city on February 23.

National Lottery chief executive Dermot Griffin issued a final plea yesterday for EuroMillions players to check their tickets.

"Rummage in your handbags, wallets or purses, check on top of the fridge, the glove compartments of the car, coat pockets, wherever you keep your tickets as somebody has won this prize and it would be a fantastic story if the winner was to find out about their good fortune at the last minute."

The raffle code of the Irish winner was I-DKB-06633.

Tickets can be checked in store or through the National Lottery App. If youre the lucky ticketholder, sign the back of the ticket and contact the National Lottery Prize Claims Team on 01 836 4444.

Ticketholders have 90 days from the date of the draw to claim their prize.A homicide suspect who was arrested for the death of his step-son in Huruma, Nairobi earlier this month has reportedly taken his own life.

Euticus Githinji was found dead on Tuesday in a police cell toilet after other inmates informed officers that he had taken too long to come out. They said Githinji was also not responding to calls.

An officer quickly accessed the locked door and found him hanging from the toilet roof with a jacket lace tied around his neck, said a police officer who was on duty.

Efforts by officers to administer first aid and resuscitate him were futile. He was pronounced dead by doctors who had been called to attend to him.

The deceased was in custody for stabbing to death 18-year-old Dennis Mwema on May 8 during a domestic confrontation with his wife of eight years.

Eunice Wanza sustained minor injuries during the morning incident. Narrating the ordeal, she said Githinji, returned home drunk at around 3 am when a verbal altercation ensued.

When it turned into a fist fight, their son who was asleep woke up and attempted to stop Githinji.

The suspect then turned on his stepson with kicks and blows and dragged him into the kitchen where he stabbed him twice in the chest with a kitchen knife.An Aer Lingus plane has struck a concrete pillar in San Francisco International Airport overnight.

The flight, which left Dublin at 12.30pm yesterday, was being towed to its arrival gate when the accident happened.

Nobody was injured but the Airbus A330 sustained some damage and the scheduled return flight to Dublin was cancelled.

The incident happened around shortly after 3pm local time.

An airport spokesman confirmed to local media that a tractor operator had apparently misjudged the distance.

Passengers were required to sit on the plane for close to an hour while ground staff and safety crews assessed the situation.

It eventually was towed the rest of the way to its arrival gate.

An Aer Lingus spokeswoman told Independent.ie: "Aer Lingus can confirm that while EI147, arriving in San Francisco airport from Dublin, was being towed to its stand by the ground handling agent, the winglet of the aircraft touched the airport terminal building.

"Some minor damage was caused to the winglet. None of the guests or crew aboard the aircraft were injured.

"Regrettably, Aer Lingus has cancelled EI146from San Francisco to Dublin today, while a full investigation into the incident is underway. Guests will be accommodated on an alternative flight, details of which to follow.

"Aer Lingus apologises for the inconvenience caused to impacted guests."Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan is facing a major backlash after doing a deal on vetting future judges with Sinn Fein.

As significant changes to the way judges are selected neared completion, Sinn Fein's chief whip Aengus O Snodaigh claimed judges in the Special Criminal Court have shown "anti-republican bias".

But Fine Gael is determined to press ahead with a behind-closed-doors deal with Sinn Fein to ensure the Judicial Appointments Bill, championed by Transport Minister Shane Ross, is passed.

Fianna Fail's Thomas Byrne last night described the arrangement as an "unholy alliance" and said Sinn Fein's motivation in supporting the bill may be to "get revenge on the courts system".

There is deep unease within Fine Gael over its new-found relationship with Mary Lou McDonald's party, leading Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to tell a private party meeting last night that there is "no deal".

But Ms McDonald's party has backed the legislation in return for an assurance from the Justice Minister that he will introduce sentencing guidelines.

She said it is important for her party "to get a result" in this area "because we have been very conscious that serious crimes against the person, particularly sexual crimes, were carrying sentences that frankly were raising big concerns and questions in the public mind".

Mr Ross has made the ending of political power over the appointment of judges a red-line issue for his participation in Mr Varadkar's minority Government. A key component of the law is that the advisory committee that will recommend judicial nominees to Cabinet is to have a lay-person majority.

During a debate on the issue, Mr O Snodaigh said judges in the Special Criminal Court had shown "anti-republican" bias and while, he said, the proposed advisory committee would not necessarily address the issue, he welcomed the idea of a lay majority as "they come with a different view of the world".

Mr Flanagan has denied there was any deal struck with Sinn Fein and said the Government must work with people from all parties and none to promote its legislative agenda.

He dismissed calls to "collapse this enterprise" and return with a reworked piece of legislation down the line.

At a private meeting of TDs and senators, the Taoiseach said there is no cosying up between Fine Gael and Sinn Fein on this issue. He also referenced the recent Seanad by-election when Sinn Fein helped get his nominee, Ian Marshall, over the line.

Meanwhile, Mr Flanagan also sharply criticised the allegations made about the Special Criminal Court as "groundless allegations".

Despite Government insistence that no deal was struck, Sinn Fein's justice spokesman Donnchadh O Laoghaire said the party "sought and secured this commitment on sentencing guidelines".

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said he would "prefer" if the Government didn't have to rely on Sinn Fein, when asked if he was comfortable with the arrangement.

"Fine Gael will not be going into government with Sinn Fein. Sinn Fein vote against Fine Gael and our party, far more often than they vote for us. And indeed if you look at voting intentions in the Dail, I would have thought that a Fianna Fail/Sinn Fein coalition is more likely in the future, given the way they regularly vote together," he said.

Meanwhile, Ms McDonald yesterday attempted to distance herself from her chief whip and defend him at the same time.

She said the important thing for her party was "to get a result" in relation to sentencing guidelines.

Asked directly whether she agrees with Mr O Snodaigh, she replied: "The Special Criminal Court has a history of itself. I am not interested in rewriting and revisiting the history books on this matter. We have every interest in due process and the sound and fair administration of law and for us at this moment a really critical issue has arisen around sentencing guidelines."Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan has utterly rejected comments by Sinn Fein about judges of the Special Criminal Court - and insisted the Court is vital in the war against terrorists and criminals.

Mr Flanagan was challenged to clarify his position after Sinn Fein agreed to support Fine Gael introducing a controversial new law to change the way judges are appointed. The change comes at the insistence of Independent Minister, Shane Ross, and is opposed by Fianna Fail, leaving the minority Coalition in difficulty.

During a debate on the new judge appointment law Sinn Fein TD, Aengus O Snodaigh, made scathing comments about judges of the non-jury Special Criminal Courts. This court was set to end the intimidation of juries in cases involving the IRA and other paramilitary criminals.

Despite the controversial Fine Gael- Sinn Fein alliance on judge appointments  dubbed by Fianna Fail as an unholy alliance - Mr O Snodaigh went out of his way to criticise the judges of the Special Criminal Court (SCC).

Mr O Snodaigh used his Dail privilege to allege the SCC Judges had shown an anti-republican bias. The Dublin South Central TD said the new law on appointing judges would not change that alleged situation  but he welcomed the prospect of some judges coming with a different view of the world.

Mr Flanagan was challenged by the Irish Independent to give his views on the controversial comments, which enraged many within Fine Gael who are uncomfortable with the latest alliance with Sinn Fein.

The Justice Minister has told independent.ie that he totally rejects these comments. I am disturbed that groundless allegations have been made in the Dail against the judiciary, he said.

Mr Flanagan said it was true that the Special Criminal Court had convicted many from the Provisional IRA and so-called dissident republicans for heinous crimes over the years. It does not follow that the court has an anti-Republican bias, he added.

He said the SCC judges had done courageous public service in presiding over the prosecutions of some of the most dangerous criminals in the history of the State.

The Special Criminal Court is a vital part of the States defence against violent terrorists and ruthless criminals, the Justice Minister said.Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe says plans to raise the compulsory retirement age for civil servants will help address the looming "retirement cliff".

He was challenged on the issue in the Dail by Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin after a warning from the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants (AHCPS).

Union general secretary Ciaran Rohan said the civil service was on the brink of a "retirement cliff" because a third of senior staff would retire in the next five to 10 years. There were "genuine concerns" over the skill mix and expertise that would be lost.

Mr Donohoe said the Government planned to introduce legislation on the issue in the coming weeks.

Later, Mr Donohoe told reporters he was referring to a previous announcement to "increase the compulsory retirement age for any civil and public servants that joined after a particular point". "That legislation is being drafted at the moment and I aim to be publishing that legislation probably next month when I get the agreement of Cabinet," he added.

Mr Donohoe previously announced public servants would be allowed to work until the age of 70, rather than the traditional retirement age of 65. The plan would affect public-sector workers recruited before April 2004.

Figures revealed by the AHCPS show almost 40pc of those in the management position of principal officer are aged over 55. A third of the service's 2,310 assistant principal officers and 32pc of higher executive officers are in the same age group.

Separately, Mr Donohoe said there would be a "triple lock" for accessing a planned 'rainy-day' fund.

Mr Donohoe said the fund would begin with a transfer of 1.5bn from the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund and 500m in contributions each year from 2019 to 2021, bringing it to 3bn.

He said the funding could be accessed only after a three-step process where the Finance Minister decided its use was justified, the Cabinet grants approval, and the Dail votes on it. The aim of the fund is to mitigate the risk of external economic shock.Bus Eireann faces the threat of new strikes as unions demand a pay rise of almost 4pc at talks today following a "year from hell".

A union leader last night warned that industrial action is coming down the track unless it rewards its 2,500 staff following a series of cuts.

General Secretary of the National Bus and Rail Union Dermot O'Leary's warning came as the company revealed the whole operation is under threat "on a number of fronts".

In a letter to unions, Bus Eireann's acting chief human resources officer Ken Bryan said its financial position was giving "serious cause for concern".

He said the company was shouldering a large accumulated deficit and could not see how it could afford a pay rise, although it was willing to "examine the matter".

Sources revealed that unions want a pay rise of at least 3.75pc a year.

Passengers endured a three-week all-out strike in April last year after unions demanded a pay rise - but management proposed cuts to wages and conditions. Staff later accepted a Labour Court compromise that included 200 job cuts, reductions in earnings and changes to work practices.

"Those that led the assault on our members should now stand aside and allow the company to reward its hard-working staff without the requirement to engage in service-disrupting industrial action," said Mr O'Leary.

He said the union was "adamant" that a pay rise for "long suffering" staff was overdue.

"This group of workers have endured a year from hell in having to stand up against a politically-motivated attack on the very fabric of the company that they and generations of bus workers helped to build."

The pay claim, lodged last month, did not specify the wage demand that would be sought.

But it noted that Dublin Bus staff got 3.75pc a year over three years, while an Irish Rail deal gave 2.5pc over three years, with an extra 1pc for drivers.

It said wage hikes in the region of 3pc-plus a year were being given across the economy and a 6pc increase due under the last social partnership deal was unpaid.

Meanwhile, Mr Bryan said there was an unprecedented rise in absenteeism this year. He said there was also a sharp rise in the hiring of private bus operators to provide cover on services.

"Revenue on a number of our bus services is down considerably on previous years and Bus Eireann's operation is under threat on a number of fronts, notwithstanding the loss of a number of routes in the Greater Dublin region by tender," he said.

A Bus Eireann spokeswoman said it had been notified of the pay claim but no details were provided. She said the Labour Court agreement of April last year allowed for a review after 12 months. This led to today's meeting.

"Bus Eireann is still on very fragile financial footing and our focus is on growth and an upcoming expansion of services," she said. When asked for details of the deficit, she said this would not be released until the company published its annual report in a few weeks.Almost a third of farmers are at retirement age or above, while more than half are over 55.

The ageing profile of Irish farm holders represents an ongoing trend which has prompted fresh supports for young farmers in recent years. However, compared to 2013 the number of people farming under the age of 35 has fallen from 8,200 to 7,100, according to CSO figures.

The Farm Structure Survey shows there were 137,500 farms in Ireland in 2016, of which 137,100 were family farms. This represents a fall in farm numbers of 2,100 since 2013. One in eight (11.7pc) of the 137,100 family farm holders was female.

However, the average farm size increased marginally over the period to 32.4 hectares.

The average standard output per farm surged 29pc over the period 2013 to 2016 to 45,945.

Three out of every 10 farms had a standard output of less than 8,000, while one in five had 50,000 or more.

On 30pc of farms, the holder was aged 65 or older while more than half (55pc) of all farm holders were 55 years or older.

Just over half of farmers (53pc) viewed farming as a sole occupation, a quarter as a major occupation and the remainder as a subsidiary occupation.

Specialist beef production was the most common type of farming in Ireland, with more than 72,400 farms engaged in this activity. There were 16,700 specialist dairy farms.

There were 7.2 million cattle in 2016, including 1.4 million dairy cows. There was a total of 5.1 million sheep, 1.6 million pigs, and almost 11.1 million poultry on Irish farms in 2016.

Since 2013 there were increases in the total number of cattle (+4.6pc), sheep (+4pc) and pigs (+3.4pc). The total number of poultry increased by 9.1pc.

The figures show more than 60pc of the cattle were located on 52,000 farms in the south-east region, where the average herd size was 87 cattle.

The highest number of sheep was in the west, with just over 1.4 million, representing more than one quarter of the total national flock (27.3pc).

Both pig and poultry farming continued to be an intensive activity carried out by a small number of specialised producers.

In 2016 there were 1.6 million pigs on 1,300 farms in Ireland, an average of 1,234 pigs per farm.

There was more than 11 million poultry in Ireland in 2016. Overall there was almost 4.9 million hectares of agricultural area used in 2016. Almost 4.1 million of this was grassland.

One-third of farms had land which was rented in, amounting to a total of 830,500 hectares.

About 20,000 rented more than half the land they farmed, and 5,700 farms rented all of the land they farmed.Police in Lisburn are investigating after two suspicious approaches to women by a man wearing a Hawaiian shirt with a pair of tights over his head.

The approaches took place in the Stoneyford area on Wednesday evening.

Police received a report just after 6.45pm from a woman who was out running on the Ballypitmave Road that she had been approached by the driver of a blue-grey coloured Ford Fiesta who was acting suspiciously.

The woman described the driver as being bald, of large build and said he spoke with a local accent; possibly aged in his 40s or 50s. He was also reported to be wearing a floral Hawaiian style, short-sleeved shirt. Its believe this incident occurred between 6.25pm - 6.30pm.

At around 8pm, police received a further report of suspicious behaviour in the Stoneyford area. A woman who had gone for a run at around 6:20pm on the Moss Road told police a blue-coloured car, possibly a Ford Fiesta, slowed down and stopped beside her. The man spoke briefly to her. He was described as having a local accent.

A similar feature reported in both incidents was that the driver was wearing a pair of tights over his head" said Inspector Phillip Robinson,

I am appealing to anyone who was on the Ballypitmave Road, or the Moss Road last night around these times and believe they saw this car, or anyone who knows anything about either of these incidents to contact police in Lisburn on the non emergency number 101, quoting reference number 1219 of 23/05.18.

Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.The shotgun which was seized by gardai

A WOMAN has been arrested after gardai seized a shotgun during a raid targeting organised crime in Limerick.

Yesterday evening, local gardai carried out the search of a house in Limerick city centre following an intelligence led operation.

The property was raided by detectives shortly before 5.30pm as part of an ongoing investigation.

During the search, a sawn-off shotgun and a small amount of ammunition were recovered.

A woman in her 30s was arrested and brought to Henry Street garda station.

She was quizzed for a number of hours under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act before being released without charge.

A file will now be prepared for the DPP and investigations are ongoing in relation to the firearms seizure.Lynda Ritchie from Ballymun, who suffers from a rare condition where she was born without a womb. Photo: Frank McGrath

Lynda Ritchie was just 16 when she was first told she would never be able to carry children of her own because she was born without a uterus.

The teenager had not yet had her period and a series of internal examinations and ultrasounds revealed that her uterus, cervix and the top of her vagina had not developed when she was in her mother's womb.

Doctors in Dublin's Coombe Women and Infants Hospital diagnosed care assistant Lynda, who is now 33, with Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome in 2001, a disorder in which a woman's reproductive organs are absent or underdeveloped.

The condition does not affect external genitalia, which is why MRKH is often diagnosed following gynaecological investigations when young women have not menstruated by the time they reach their late teens.

"When the doctors sat my mam and me down and told us that I didn't have a womb I was just numb," says Lynda, who lives in Ballymun.

"My mam was crying, but I just remember being numb.

"I have wanted to be a mam since I was 12 and the day I was diagnosed, I felt like that was all ripped away.

"I had dreams of getting married and having three little kids, and I felt like my future was gone. It was such a difficult thing to cope with at 16.

"When I was 17, my sister got pregnant and that was so hard for me. I was so jealous I was ashamed of myself for it. It was the hardest time for me."

Lynda's vagina was also found to be shorter than average as the top of the organ was underdeveloped.

This meant that for almost a year after her diagnosis, Lynda had to use a dilator each night, which she says made her feel like a freak.

"I had been intimate with someone and it wasn't very uncomfortable. I just thought it was the normal pain you experience during sex the first time and I didn't think it was out of the ordinary.

"But because the top of my vagina hadn't developed, doctors said I could have surgery to fix it, or do dilation.

"At the time I was just so desperate to be fixed, so desperate to be normal. But in the end we chose dilation, which was the less drastic option," Lynda says.

"Every night for nine months I would have to dilate to stretch it and it was emotional because I just thought: 'Why am I the one who has to do this?'

"I felt like such a freak. I was coping with depression and I was referred to a grief counsellor who asked me to imagine my baby, and give it a name so I could come to terms with never being able to meet them.

"That was a horrible experience for me and made me feel so much worse."

The condition, which affects one in 4,500 women, can be isolating and Lynda said she felt like men wouldn't want to be with her because she was "broken".

"After I was diagnosed I didn't have sex again until I was 18. I was afraid they would notice. I thought to myself, 'Who would want to be with me, I'm broken.'

When Lydia met someone new, she says she would panic and worry how and when she would tell them she didn't have a womb.

"It was always a battle of 'Will I tell him now at the very beginning, or will I wait?'

"When I was diagnosed, there was no Facebook, there was no way to connect with other people with this condition. I felt so alone," she says.

A glimmer of hope came for Lynda in 2014 when she read about a successful uterus transplant that had helped a woman with MRKH give birth to her own child in Sweden.

She applied to be a subject in a similar research trial in Britain, but unfortunately, in the end she was not selected.

In November 2017, doctors at Baylor University Medical Centre in Dallas, Texas, celebrated the birth of the first American child to be born during the hospital's ongoing uterus transplant clinical trial.

Since then, another child has been born to an MRKH sufferer in Dallas who underwent a uterus transplant in the two years before giving birth.

The first stage of the clinical trial involved ten women between the ages of 20 and 35 born with a defective uterus or without a womb.

The ten women received transplants from both deceased and living organ donors, but the trial's successful pregnancies were to recipients who had received a uterus from a living donor.

Dr Liza Johannesson, a uterus transplant surgeon and obstetrician-gynaecologist on the Baylor University team says that although they are making medical history, the emotional aspect to the trial's success has been much more fulfilling.

"The amazing thing about this trial is that the living donors involved were women who had already had their families and were willing to help others in this incredible way.

"When the first baby was born in November it was a hugely emotional moment for everyone in that room. These women believed they would never have be able to carry their own child or to experience pregnancy and it's really a privilege to be a part of something like this both in a professional way, but also on a personal level," she says.

Although Lynda doesn't believe uterus transplants will be available to Irish women while she is young enough to be a suitable candidate, she says the advances in medicine do offer hope to women with her condition.

"It makes me really hopeful for the teenagers being diagnosed now," Lynda says.

"I am in Facebook groups where girls have gotten womb transplants and experienced their first period ever. They were so excited.

"The fact that babies have been born in the US and parts of Europe after womb transplants is incredible and offers huge hope to younger women with the condition. It means that a diagnosis of MRKH won't be as devastating for women diagnosed in the future."

After years of turmoil, Lynda says she has finally made peace with the fact that she will never be a mother, which she says has been a huge relief. The 33-year-old has found love with her partner Kenneth Kerrigan, 39, whom she met two years ago.

"I met my boyfriend online. When we were chatting, he told me early on that he had a disability; he had cerebral palsy, and right then I told him that I kind of did too. It as such a relief to get that out of the way so early in a relationship. It turned out that he never wanted children.

"Right now I'm really happy. I have two boxer pups who are my world - Chips and Lucy. For so long I thought I was totally on my own with this, but I don't feel that way anymore.

"I don't know what changed in me, but I began to realise that I could have a very fulfilling life without kids - I am lucky to be an auntie and I love my nieces and nephews.

"Right now, I'm in a good place but it took me 15 years to get here. MRKH is a hard thing to grow to accept."

What is mayer-rokitansky- KUster-Hauser?

 MRKH is a reproductive condition in which women are born with an underdeveloped or absent uterus, cervix and vagina.

 The condition is categorised into two types. Type one affects just the reproductive organs, while type two is more serious as sufferers can be born with underdeveloped or absent kidneys, skeletal abnormalities, heart defects and hearing loss.

 Approximately one in 4,500 newborns are born with MRKH, which is often diagnosed following gynaecological investigations when women don't get their period by the time they are in their late teens.

 Women with MRKH are born with normal external genitals and ovaries, which means they go through the milestones of puberty such as developing breasts, body hair, and the widening of the hips. This is another reason why the condition can be hard to diagnose in early life.

 Medical advances in the area of uterus transplants are offering hope to sufferers of MRKH. The first US child to be born to an MRKH sufferer following a uterus transplant was delivered in Dallas, Texas in November 2017.Gatundu South lawmaker Moses Kuria has dismissed the ongoing debate about a possible referendum as proposed by Opposition Chief Raila Odinga.

According to the controversial MP, the country should shun referendum politics and focus its energy on development instead. He was speaking during Gatundu KMTCs open day on Wednesday.

Kuria stated that the country cannot engage in a referendum that is meant to create employment for three old men at the expense of millions of Kenyan youth.

A referendum will put us in a politicking mood and an opportunity to hurl insults at one another while critical issues like hospitals, colleges and roads take a back seat.

The lawmaker also urged Kenyans to rethink the handshake between ODM leader Raila Odinga and President Uhuru.

Kenyans must rethink their take on the handshake since the country has other issues which require urgent attention, the MP said.

The remarks came days after Moses Kuria had stated, In the 2022 General Elections there will be 7 ballot boxes- President, Governor, Senator, Women Rep, MP, MCA, and Referendum. Any constitutional changes passed at that referendum will take effect in 2027. This will be the practice in all future General Elections.

Referendum talk started after Raila, during the fifth annual devolution conference in Kakamega, proposed the creation of a three-tier system of government with a view of entrenching devolution.

During the Wednesday event, Moses Kuria, flanked by Health PS Peter Tum and KMTC chairman Prof Philip Kaloki opened six lecture halls and presented a college bus funded through the NG-CDF.Tara O'Neill, Anthony Kenny and Maoliosa Connell at the opening of the new Avoca Store at Dublin Airport. Photo: Kieran Harnett

The new Avoca Store at Dublin Airport. Photo: Kieran Harnett

Irish retailer Avoca has opened its first travel retail store at The Loop, Dublin Airport's airside shopping complex in Terminal 2.

The 86-square-metre space will offer "core elements of the Avoca brand experience", selling Irish-made products including woollen throws, ceramics and craft fashion.

Passengers will also be able to buy a selection of Avoca food, including organic salmon, fresh meats, jams and chutneys, oils and dressings, teas and coffees and baked goods such as Rice Krispie squares, rocky road buns and fresh fruit cakes.

Dublin Airport declined to provide an investment figure.

Together with The Loop, we have handpicked a small range of our beautiful gifting products which we hope will bring enjoyment and a sense of fun to the airport shopping experience," said Avoca Managing Director, Tara ONeill.

Avoca began life as an 18th-century handweaving co-operative in Co. Wicklow. The original mill was bought and built into a successful food, clothing and lifestule brand by the Pratt family, before being sold to US catering services giant Aramark for over 60 million in 2015.

Expand Close Tara O'Neill, Anthony Kenny and Maoliosa Connell at the opening of the new Avoca Store at Dublin Airport. Photo: Kieran Harnett / Facebook

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Whatsapp Tara O'Neill, Anthony Kenny and Maoliosa Connell at the opening of the new Avoca Store at Dublin Airport. Photo: Kieran Harnett

We are thrilled to be bringing the Avoca brand to Dublin Airport, said Anthony Kenny, Acting CEO of Aer Rianta International, parent company of The Loop.

Avoca shares our passion and commitment to creating memorable customer experiences in a luxury environment. This exciting new retail partnership delivers this, while also reflecting a unique sense of place within a busy international airport.

Dublin Airport has been revamping its food and retail offerings in recent years, including an 8 million, 18,300-square-foot retail area airside in Terminal 1.

daa is also seeking bidders for a new, terminal-linked hotel.

Read more:For final-year college students, the time has finally arrived. Exams are nearly over, assessments completed and the class of 2018 is one step away from graduating.

After four years of hard work, there will be some much-deserved celebrating, but after that most graduates will be deciding what to do next. For those looking to kickstart their career straight away, Graduate Programmes are ideal springboards into their industry of choice.

A career in management is something a lot of graduates are aiming for, no matter what their degree is in. Management is incredibly fulfilling and offers a career that is truly dynamic, with no two days the same.

The Graduate Area Manager Training Programme at Aldi is a real launchpad for graduate talent keen to build a successful career in management and retail. Aldi has a stellar reputation as a graduate workplace from both their employees and the recruitment industry, having featured in the gradireland Top 100 Leading Graduate Employers for the past decade. They also occupy third position within The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers, a position that no other retailer has been able to match.

Aldi has also won the gradireland Best Graduate Recruitment Website award for the last two years in a row, as well as silver for the Best Student Marketing Campaign 2018.

The graduates of today are looking for something more than the usual 9-5. They want a career that is rewarding and challenging in equal measure, ensuring they develop and learn constantly. They value flexibility in their day and appreciate the opportunity to travel. They seek out roles that offer real responsibility and are drawn to companies that give them the freedom to be in charge of their own diary. They also wouldnt say to no to a brand new car.

Aldis Graduate Area Manager Training Programme offers all of this, and more. What makes it standout from other Graduate Programmes is the high level of responsibility given to graduates almost straight away. The Programme is unparalleled in terms of hands-on experience; after just three months, graduates could have a set of keys to their very own store.

But crucially, with this responsibility comes support. Every graduate on the programme is assigned a mentor who is on-hand to offer guidance and support every step of the way. This empowers graduates to feel confident in their decision making while adapting quickly to life as an Area Manager.

The starting salary is a phenomenal 61,000 (that rises to 99,600 after only four years) and graduates receive five weeks annual leave. As for that aforementioned set of wheels? As part of their Programme package, Area Managers are given a fully expensed Audi A4.

Over the course of one exhilarating year, graduates will be faced with challenges and opportunities, and experience an unparalleled level of real-life responsibility which will prime them to continue as a successful Area Manager.

To begin with, graduates will get to know their products, stores, customer service and store management approach over the first three months. There will of course be some shelf stacking required, as well as a weeks holiday. After this period, they could be managing at least one store, overseeing product distribution and managing teams.

Throughout the year, there are also workshops with regional experts to get an understanding of all aspects of the role, from HR processes to Accounts and Trading. As part of the Programme, graduates will undertake merchandising, auditing, monitoring of KPIs and assessment of cash handling. Those on the programme will have a network of Area Managers around them as well as senior colleagues who can offer advice and support whenever needed.

The final phase of the Programme sees graduates independently take on the role of an Area Manager for five weeks. Everything they have learnt from the years training will come to the fore and graduates will see just how far they have come.

After completing the one-year Programme, newly appointed Area Managers will take charge of their own area, comprising of 3-4 stores and be encouraged to develop their own style of management.

The opportunities with Aldi really are limitless. Not only are graduates exposed to exciting new projects beyond their role as an Area Manager in the fields of business, technology, product development and retail, but they could also be chosen to go on international secondment and experience life with Aldi in another country, with opportunities across the UK, America, Germany, Hong Kong and Australia.

Aldi recruits all year round but, unsurprisingly, places fill up fast. If you are ready for the challenge of a lifetime, click here to apply for the Graduate Area Manager Training Programme with Aldi now.

Sponsored by:Harvey Weinstein is reportedly facing arrest on Friday following an investigation into allegations he sexually assaulted numerous women (Anthony Devlin/PA)

Harvey Weinstein is reportedly facing arrest on Friday following an investigation into allegations he sexually assaulted numerous women.

According to the New York Times, investigators in Manhattan are preparing to arrest the disgraced movie mogul and he is expected to surrender to authorities.

Scores of women have come forward to allege sexual misconduct from Mr Weinstein, ranging from inappropriate comments to rape.

It was reported earlier this week that federal prosecutors in New York had launched a probe into the allegations, which is separate to the investigation currently under way by the Manhattan District Attorney, the film producer's lawyer said in a court filing.

In a declaration filed on May 3 in the Weinstein Co's bankruptcy proceedings, lawyer Benjamin Brafman said Mr Weinstein was a "principal target" of an investigation being carried out by the US attorney's office in Manhattan.

He added: "I am trying my very best to persuade both the federal and state prosecutors that he should not be arrested and or indicted, because he did not knowingly violate the law."

Mr Braffman added that the allegations facing Mr Weinstein are "entirely without merit".

Weinstein is under criminal investigation in New York, Los Angeles and London.

He has not been charged with any crimes, though police in New York have said publicly that they believe there is enough evidence to make an arrest.Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg during the official picture at the state banquet in the Grand Ducal Palace on May 23, 2018 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. The Dutch King and Queen are in Luxembourg for a three day state visit. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

Queen Maxima of The Netherlands during the official picture at the state banquet in the Grand Ducal Palace on May 23, 2018 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. The Dutch King and Queen are in Luxembourg for a three day state visit. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

Queen Maxima of The Netherlands during the official picture at the state banquet in the Grand Ducal Palace on May 23, 2018 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. The Dutch King and Queen are in Luxembourg for a three day state visit. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

(L-R) Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg during the official picture at the state banquet in the Grand Ducal Palace on May 23, 2018 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. The Dutch King and Queen are in Luxembourg for a three day state visit. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands during the official picture at the state banquet in the Grand Ducal Palace on May 23, 2018 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. The Dutch King and Queen are in Luxembourg for a three day state visit. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands are welcomed by Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg with an official welcome ceremony on May 23, 2018 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. The King And Queen Of The Netherlands are in Luxembourg on a three day state visit. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands are welcomed by Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg with an official welcome ceremony on May 23, 2018 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. The King And Queen Of The Netherlands are in Luxembourg on a three day state visit. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

Queen Maxima of The Netherlands is welcomed by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg with an official welcome ceremony on May 23, 2018 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. The King And Queen Of The Netherlands are in Luxembourg on a three day state visit. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

Queen Maxima of The Netherlands is welcomed by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg with an official welcome ceremony on May 23, 2018 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. The King And Queen Of The Netherlands are in Luxembourg on a three day state visit. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima wave to the audience after the Bevrijdingsconcert (Liberation Concert) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, on May 5, 2018, which marks the end of the "Liberation Day" celebrations. / AFP PHOTO / ANP / patrick van katwijk / Netherlands OUTPATRICK VAN KATWIJK/AFP/Getty Images

Despite their best intentions of portraying royals as "one of us", there are some staggering differences that are too difficult to ignore - largely the general population's lack of a diamond tiara from the family vault.

After Meghan Markle opted for a little known Queen Mary's diamond bandeau tiara from the Buckingham Palace vault for her wedding to Britain's Prince Harry last weekend, The Netherlands' Queen Maxima dusted off a family heirloom dating back to the late 1800s for a state visit to Luxembourg.

Expand Close King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands during the official picture at the state banquet in the Grand Ducal Palace on May 23, 2018 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. The Dutch King and Queen are in Luxembourg for a three day state visit. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images) / Facebook

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Whatsapp King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands during the official picture at the state banquet in the Grand Ducal Palace on May 23, 2018 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. The Dutch King and Queen are in Luxembourg for a three day state visit. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

Style spotters were quick to note that the mother-of-four's choice of headwear, the Stuart Tiara in a smaller setting, was an unusual one given that it hasn't been worn publicly since 1971. Its 39-karat diamond centre dates back to 1690.

Gone it might be from public view, but nothing is ever forgotten in a diamond vault. Maxima and her husband King Willem-Alexander are in Luxembourg on a state visit to meet the country's Grand Duke Guillaume and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and she's bringing out her most treasured jewels for the occasion.

In addition to her sparkling tiara, Maxima chose a triple bow diamond set brooch with with three sets of stones, accessorising her asymmetric canary yellow dress by Dutch designer Jan Taminiau. The Dutch queen consort has worn this same piece before, but altered it each time for three different appearances.

Earlier in the day, she was pictured in typically jovial form wearing a signature wide brim hat with matching dress and heels.

While European royal families continue their tradition of visiting one another to ensure the continuance of their respective monarchies, the purpose of this visit to Luxembourg is said to improve Dutch relations. This, as usual, involved a state dinner at Ducal Palace, where Maxima debuted her jewels, and resulted in what is my favourite part of any royal visit - the visibly uncomfortable royals standing several feet apart with their arms by their sides with a wide, forced grin on their faces.Harry and his wife Meghan turn to watch Doria Ragland, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall as they walk down the west steps of St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle (Ben Stansall/PA)

David Beckham and Victoria Beckham arrive at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday May 19, 2018. See PA story ROYAL Wedding. Photo credit should read: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

Mr & Mrs: the new Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle sports a bespoke Stella McCartney halter-neck gown at the after party of her wedding to Prince Harry. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

David and Victoria Beckham arrive at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday May 19, 2018. See PA story ROYAL Wedding. Photo credit should read: Ian West/PA Wire

David and Victoria Beckham arrive at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Windsor, Britain, May 19, 2018. Andrew Milligan/Pool via REUTERS

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex kisses his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, as they leave from the West Door of St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle. Photo: Ben Stansall, WPA Pool/Getty Images

Nearly one week after Britain's royal wedding, the debate still wages on over whether or not Meghan Markle's dress was a dramatic entrance into the royal family or a demure disappointment.

The former actress (36) wed Prince Harry at Windsor Castle in front of 600 guests with millions watching around the world and her arrival onto the steps of St George's Chapel in a dramatic Givenchy gown was met with either a discerning look or applause of approval.

Katy Perry said earlier this week that she should have had "one more fitting", but fashion designer and royal wedding guest Victoria Beckham only had praise for the new Duchess of Sussex, saying she "looked absolutely beautiful".

"It really suited her. I thought it was perfect for her. And Harry looked great," she told the Evening Standard.

Expand Close RING OF HISTORY: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle exchange vows in St Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle before Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. Photo: Owen Humphreys / Facebook

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Whatsapp RING OF HISTORY: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle exchange vows in St Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle before Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. Photo: Owen Humphreys

Beckham - who attended with husband of 20 years David, whose appearance may have earned just as much column inches as the bride and groom - praised Harry and Meghan's romance and spoke of her gratitude at being included in the big day.

"It was just the best day. They looked so happy, and everybody was just so happy for them. Meghan seems like a genuinely lovely woman, who really loves him. It felt very real, very honest," she said.

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The Beckhams also attended Kate Middleton and Prince William's nuptials in 2011 at Westminster Abbey, when she was pregnant with daughter Harper.

Expand Close Victoria Beckham and David Beckham were also in attendance. Photo: Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Victoria Beckham and David Beckham were also in attendance. Photo: Getty Images

When asked about her choice of outfit, a navy blue dress from her eponymous line and an matching fascinator with embellished netting, she said this time around she was just relieved to have more non-maternity options.

"Quite honestly, it was such a relief not to be hugely pregnant at this royal wedding that it was a joy to be able to choose anything I wanted to wear," she said.

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"I love a bit of navy. The dress is one of my favourites: it isnt in store until November, but weve had so many inquiries about it that Im seeing whether I can bring it forward."Lay-Z-Spa wants someone to review all their latest hot tubs (Lay-Z-Spa/PA)

A hot tub company is searching for an official tester to feature on its social media accounts.

Lay-Z-Spa wants someone to review all their latest hot tubs and become the companys brand ambassador over the summer.

In return for their face on Lay-Z-Spas Instagram and Facebook pages, the brand will pay the post-holder 500 and give them their very own hot tub and accessories.

All you have to do to apply is make a 30-second video explaining why they should be a hot tubologist and submit it to Lay-Z-Spas Facebook page or post it to Instagram, tagging @layzspaofficial.

Entries should be submitted by June 10.The US said it is taking the health reports seriously. Photo: Bloomberg

The US has issued a health alert to Americans in China after reports of a "sonic attack" on one of its diplomatic staff.

The US State Department said a government employee suffered a mild traumatic brain injury after experiencing "abnormal" sensations of sound and pressure, similar to the wave of so-called "sonic attacks" on its diplomats in Cuba.

In a health alert issued yesterday, officials said an employee in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou reported "subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure".

"The US government is taking these reports seriously and has informed its official staff in China of this event," the US consulate said in an email to American citizens.

The notification said the department was not aware of other cases inside or outside the diplomatic community. But in an indication of how worried officials are, the US Embassy in Beijing and all five consulates in China held meetings yesterday to allow their staff to ask questions and raise concerns.

Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, told Congress yesterday: "The medical indications are very similar, and entirely consistent with the medical indications that were taking place to Americans working in Cuba."

Heather Nauert, the State Department's spokesman, announced that the US would send a medical team to Guangzhou next week to conduct medical evaluations for any employees who request one. The incident has provoked fears of a repeat of a series of mysterious attacks on US and Canadian diplomats in Cuba last year which left them experiencing hearing loss, dizziness and headaches.

In September, the US ordered more than half its government personnel out of Cuba, and warned Americans against visiting the country.

Washington said that 24 diplomats and their family members had fallen victim to unsolved "specific attacks" that left them with injuries resembling brain trauma.

Canada withdrew officials from Cuba after they experienced similar symptoms.

Investigators suspected use of a "sonic weapon" but there has been no proof that was the cause. In Cuba, the American victims had associated the onset of their symptoms with "unusual sounds or auditory sensations".

The alert from the US consulate in Guangzhou also told American citizens: "While in China, if you experience any unusual acute auditory or sensory phenomena accompanied by unusual sounds or piercing noises, do not attempt to locate their source.

"Instead, move to a location where the sounds are not present."

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]Nairobi Governor Mike Sonkos wife, Primrose Mbuvi, says her family is living in fear following the reduction of Sonkos security detail.

According to Primrose, the government directive has taken a toll on her family, especially on the children. During an interview on K24 on Wednesday, the Nairobi First Lady claimed that she had not seen Sonko since Friday.

Since Friday, sijaona my husband, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko. He has not been around in his Nairobi home because of the security, he fears for his life.

She explained that she was living all alone with the children at their home in Nyari Estate.

Security has been withdrawn; both for night and day. All have been taken away including his bodyguards. We are living in fear; especially the children who are not used to this kind of life, she disclosed.

Like now we are sleeping alone, we dont know what will happen. We only have hopes in our God.

The government last week reduced Sonkos guards from 26 to five  the maximum recommended for a Governor. This has since forced Sonko to operate from the comfort of his home in Machakos County since last Wednesday.

Police spokesman Charles Owino has maintained that the governors security is sufficient.

In the case of Sonko we only took what is in excess and left the maximum number of security as required. So he has sufficient security, said Owino.

The new directive seeks to redeploy 5,000 officers who were irregularly attached to VIPs.A little-known academic was confirmed as Italy's new prime minister last night despite accusations that he had inflated his curriculum vitae.

Giuseppe Conte was appointed the country's next leader amid doubts over the reliability of his claims that he had studied or taught at the Sorbonne, the University of Malta and New York University.

In a brief address, the 53-year-old law professor promised "a government of change" but acknowledged that Italy was going through a "delicate" time of great challenges.

Prof Conte has no political experience but was chosen as a compromise candidate by the hard-right League party and the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, who will now form Western Europe's first populist, Eurosceptic government. The Five Star Movement rejected claims Mr Conte had embellished his CV, insisting that there were no inconsistencies on the resume.

There is intense speculation that the new economy minister could be Paolo Savona, an 81-year-old economist, banker and one-time minister who has called Italy's adoption of the euro a "historic error".

In a book to be published this week, Mr Savona calls for a "plan B" to be drawn up to allow Italy to leave the eurozone with as little damage as possible if that should prove necessary.

If the coalition sticks to its promises and flouts strict EU-imposed spending rules, it would likely provoke a bruising showdown with Brussels.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]Undated handout photo issued by Wiltshire Police of Emile Cilliers, who has been found guilty of attempting to murder his wife Victoria Cilliers by tampering with her parachute and sabotaging a gas valve at their home. Picture: Wiltshire Police/PA Wire

A British army sergeant who sabotaged his wife's parachute, causing her to plunge 4,000 feet to the ground after jumping from a plane, was found guilty on Thursday of trying to murder her.

Victoria Cilliers, 41, suffered severe injuries to her spine, broke her leg, collarbone and ribs and only survived because she landed in a newly ploughed field, a court heard.

Her husband Emile Cilliers, 38, who had denied attempted murder, will be sentenced at a later date.

Winchester Crown Court heard that, knowing his wife was planning a skydive, Cilliers had sabotaged her parachute in an airfield toilet cubicle in Netheravon, southwest England.

Lines to the main canopy were twisted and parts were missing from the reserve, stopping the chute from opening when she jumped from the plane in April 2015.

The court also heard Cilliers had tampered with a gas cooker at the family home hoping that when his wife turned it on, it would explode.

Expand Close Undated handout photo issued by Wiltshire Police of Victoria Cilliers tampered with parachute. Army Sergeant Emile Cilliers has been found guilty at Winchester Crown Court of attempting to murder his wife by tampering with her parachute and sabotaging a gas valve at their home. Picture: Wiltshire Police/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Undated handout photo issued by Wiltshire Police of Victoria Cilliers tampered with parachute. Army Sergeant Emile Cilliers has been found guilty at Winchester Crown Court of attempting to murder his wife by tampering with her parachute and sabotaging a gas valve at their home. Picture: Wiltshire Police/PA Wire

"The evidence all pointed to Emile Cilliers as the man with the motive and the opportunity to commit these calculated attempts to murder his wife," said senior prosecutor Amanda Sawetz in a statement.

Police said after the trial that Cilliers' motive had been to obtain an insurance payout on his wife's death, which would have allowed him to start a new life with his lover.The UK believes the Kremlin was behind a hoax call targeting Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

Russian pranksters pretended to be the Armenian prime minister in a call to Mr Johnson, during which he discussed the UK's relationship with Moscow and the nerve agent attack on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

Pranksters Alexei Stolyarov and Vladimir Kuznetsov - known as Lexus and Vovan - have claimed a series of high-profile victims including politicians and Elton John.

Critics claim they have links to the Russian security services and a senior UK diplomatic source said: "This seems to be the latest desperate attempt by the Kremlin to save face after it was internationally shamed in the wake of the Skripal attack.

"Boris rumbled them pretty quickly and ended the call.

"It is tragic to see a major international power reduced to failed pranks you would usually only see on Trigger Happy TV."

The Guardian reported that during the 18-minute call one of the pair pretended to be Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan.

Mr Johnson congratulated him on his "remarkable success" and said: "Obviously we had hoped to have better relations with Russia than we currently do, I'm afraid Russia seems to be unable to resist malign activity of one kind or another."

He added: "If I have a message to Putin, it's that we don't want a Cold War but we do want to see an improvement in the way Russia behaves."

Asked whether he was sure Vladimir Putin's Russia ordered the Salisbury nerve agent attack on the Skripals, Mr Johnson said: "We are, like, almost 100pc sure. We will be able to do more to illustrate that.

"I think it's very important for the Russians to know that, certainly the UK, is absolutely determined to stand firm against them.

"We will continue to tighten the squeeze on some of the oligarchs who surround Putin... you throw a stone in Kensington and you'll find you'll hit an oligarch.

"Some of them are close to Putin and some of them aren't."

The fact that a prankster was able to speak directly to a Cabinet minister will cause red faces in the Foreign Office and raises concerns about security, particularly given the subject matter of the call - although Mr Johnson does not appear to have revealed any sensitive information.

Mr Stolyarov told the Guardian he was impersonating Mr Pashinyan in the call, and said he had also spoken to Europe minister Sir Alan Duncan before the call with Mr Johnson.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "The Foreign Secretary realised it was a hoax and ended the call.

"We checked it out and knew immediately it was a prank call. The use of chemical weapons in Salisbury and Syria and recent events in Armenia are serious matters.

"These childish actions show the lack of seriousness of the caller and those behind him."

Downing Street said there would be a "Whitehall investigation" into how the caller was able to get through to the Foreign Secretary.

"Obviously this shouldn't have happened. An investigation is under way to determine the circumstances around this call and to make sure that this does not happen again," a No 10 spokeswoman said.Yulia Skripal was out and about in a location in London yesterday and thanked hospital staff for saving her and her fathers lives. Picture: PA

Yulia Skripal has said she wants to go back to Russia after she and her father were poisoned with a nerve agent.

Ms Skripal (33) and former Russian spy Sergei Skripal (66) were exposed to the Novichok agent on March 4 in Salisbury in the UK.

They were both admitted to the District Hospital along with police sergeant Nick Bailey, who had helped them.

The British Government said it is "highly likely" the Kremlin was behind the attack, which the Russian government has repeatedly denied.

Ms Skripal said she hopes to return to her home country "in the longer term" but does not want assistance from the Russian Embassy.

She added she was "shocked" to wake up from a coma 20 days later and discover they had been poisoned.

"I still find it difficult to come to terms with the fact that both of us were attacked," she continued.

"We are so lucky to have both survived this attempted assassination.

"Our recovery has been slow and extremely painful.

"The fact that a nerve agent was used to do this is shocking."

Speaking in Russian, Ms Skripal described her treatment as "invasive, painful and depressing" and said she is "grateful to all of the wonderful, kind staff at Salisbury hospital".

"I also think fondly of those who helped us on the street on the day of the attack," she added.

Ms Skripal gave her statement yesterday at a location in London and asked for privacy for herself and her father.

"We need time to recover and come to terms with everything that has happened," she added.

She continued: "I was discharged from hospital on April 9 and continue to progress with treatment but my life has been turned upside down as I try to come to terms with the devastating changes thrust upon me both physically and emotionally.

"I take one day at a time and want to help care for my dad till his full recovery.

"In the longer term I hope to return home to my country. I'm grateful for the offers of assistance from the Russian Embassy but at the moment I do not wish to avail myself of their services."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he thought Ms Skripal was speaking under duress.

"We have not seen her or heard from her," he said.

"I'm grateful for the offers of assistance from the Russian Embassy. But at the moment I do not wish to avail myself of their services," said Ms Skripal, who wore a light blue summer dress and bore a scar on her throat.

"Also, I want to reiterate what I said in my earlier statement, that no one speaks for me or for my father but ourselves."

Mystery surrounds the attack. The motive is unclear, as is the logic of using a nerve agent which has overt links to Russia's Soviet past.

President Vladimir Putin, himself a former KGB spy, said earlier this month that Mr Skripal would have been dead if he was attacked with a weapons grade agent.People walk among the debris at the crash site near the village of Grabovo, Ukraine (Dmitry Lovetsky/AP)

Detailed analysis of video images and photos has unequivocally established that the missile that brought down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine came from a Russia-based military unit, investigators said.

It is the clearest link yet published by the team to the involvement of the Russian military in the deadly missile strike.

Prosecutors said they have presented their findings to Moscow and are seeking answers, but so far have not received a response.

The international team running the criminal investigation appealed for help from witnesses who can testify about the involvement of the Russian militarys 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade based in the city of Kursk.

Expand Close A sign reading respect for MH17 at Museum Square in Amsterdam in 2014 (Margriet Faber/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp A sign reading respect for MH17 at Museum Square in Amsterdam in 2014 (Margriet Faber/AP)

Russia has always denied involvement in the downing of the jet.

Dutch prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) is not yet ready to name suspects, but added: I can say that we are now entering the last phase of the investigation. When we will be ready, it is not possible to say at the moment because there is still a lot of work to do.

The Boeing 777 passenger jet was heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when it was blown out of the sky over eastern Ukraine on July 17 2014.

All 298 passengers and crew were killed.

Prosecutors said in 2016 that the plane was shot down by a Buk missile fired from territory controlled by Russia-backed rebels, using a mobile launcher trucked in from Russia and hastily returned there.

Expand Close A stack of preliminary reports by the Dutch Safety Board on the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 (Mike Corder/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp A stack of preliminary reports by the Dutch Safety Board on the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 (Mike Corder/AP)

Thursdays presentation went a step further by identifying the exact unit allegedly involved and more details of the rocket involved.

Investigators now say that their careful analysis of video and photos from social media and analysis of parts of the rocket found at the crash scene traced its journey into Ukraine and had given them a fingerprint identifying the rocket and where it came from.

All findings from this forensic investigation confirm the earlier conclusion of the JIT that flight MH17 was shot down by 9M38 series missile, said Jennifer Hurst, of the Australian Federal Police.

Ultimately, any suspects identified and charged will be prosecuted in Dutch courts  if they can be arrested and brought to trial.

Of the 298 people killed, 196 were Dutch, 42 Malaysian and 27 were Australians.

Dutch foreign minister Stef Blok welcomed the newly released findings.

This is an important piece of the puzzle, Blok said. I am very impressed by the evidence that has been collected.Michael Rotondo, left, sits during an eviction proceeding in Syracuse, N.Y., brought by his parents, Mark and Christina, of Camillus. The two parents confer with their lawyer, Anthony Adorante, in the court gallery behind Photo: (Douglass Dowty /The Syracuse Newspapers via AP)

A judge in New York has ordered a 30-year-old man to leave his parents house, after they took legal proceedings to evict their unemployed son.

Christina and Mark Rotondo sent their son Michael five notices between February 2 and March 30, to try and get him out of their home, before eventually suing to force him to leave.

On Tuesday Judge Donald Greenwood, presiding over the Onondaga County Supreme Court in Syracuse, upstate New York, ordered that Michael Rotondo leave the family home.

This is outrageous! the 30-year-old yelled in court, after the verdict was handed down.

The case was brought after a series of letters from his parents failed to convince Mr Rotondo to leave.

The first note read: Michael, after a discussion with your mother, we have decided that you must leave this house immediately.

You have 14 days to vacate. You will not be allowed to return. We will take whatever actions are necessary to enforce this decision.

Mr Rotondo, who is unemployed, insisted that that was not enough notice.

Eleven days later, a second letter threatened legal action if he did not leave the home in the upstate New York town of Camillus, 250 miles north of New York City.

Michael Joseph Rotondo, You are hereby evicted from 408 Weatheridge Drive, Camillus, New York effective immediately, the note read.

You have heretofore been our guest and there is no lease or agreement that gives you any right to stay here without our consent.

A legal enforcement procedure will be instituted immediately if you do not leave by 15 March 2018.

Further notes followed, with one even offering Mr Rotondo $1,100 (940) so you can find a place to stay, and another suggesting a series of options to either fix or get rid of his broken Volkswagen Passat.

There are jobs available even for those with a poor work history like you, one of the notes reads. Get one  you have to work!

But the 30-year-old, who has lived at his parents for the past eight years, still refused to leave  prompting his mother to enquire at their local town court in April whether they could evict their son.

They were told that because Michael is family, they would need a Supreme Court justice to officially send him packing, and so they filed an official eviction proceeding on May 7.

Mr Rotondo, who is acting as his own lawyer, fought unsuccessfully to have his mothers suit thrown out of court, claiming his parents are legally required to give him six months notice to leave.

During the 30 minute hearing, the judge tried to convince Mr Rotondo to speak directly to his parents, while he waited. Mr Rotondo refused, saying he had made his legal arguments.

The judge praised Mr Rotondo's legal research in finding a prior case that appeared to show that family members get six months before an eviction, but provided a copy of the appellate court decision that overrode the case that Mr Rotondo cited.

The 30-year-old even tried to force an adjournment of the hearing, noting that the room for the hearing was incorrectly listed.

He also claimed he had never been expected to contribute to household expenses, or assisted with chores and the maintenance of the premises.

This is simply a component of his living agreement with the petitioners, he wrote in response to his mothers suit.

He said in the court documents that he runs his own successful business, calling it the overwhelmingly superior choice for the [his] economic well-being, over the working of a full-time job.

When asked what the business was, outside court he replied: My business is my business.

After the court hearing he returned to his parents house.

It was unclear whether he was investigating further legal action.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]North Korea said the remarks show the vice president does not understand the country's situation (PA)

US president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are due to meet next month (Lee Jin-man/AP)

North Korea has renewed its threat to pull out of a summit next month with President Donald Trump, saying it is just as ready to meet in a nuclear confrontation as at the negotiating table.

Pyongyangs latest salvo follows recent comments by US vice president Mike Pence suggesting the North may end up like Libya if it does not move forward with denuclearisation.

Choe Son Hui, the vice minister of foreign affairs, was quoted on Thursday by the Norths state-run news agency slamming as ignorant comments Pence made in an interview with Fox News that compared North Korea to Libya, saying they showed he does not understand North Koreas situation.

She also questioned whether the summit, scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, would be worthwhile if the remarks reflect Washingtons position.

We will neither beg the US for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us, KCNA quoted her as saying.

Whether the US will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behaviour of the United States.

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The summit plan has hit a number of speed bumps recently as both sides have begun taking tougher positions and trading barbs.

Mr Trump met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday at the White House for consultations and suggested the summit could be delayed. But the US says it is still working on making it happen.

Ms Choe, a veteran diplomat and former head of the North America desk at the Foreign Ministry, was responding to comments Mr Pence made to Fox News this week that it would be a mistake for the North Koreans to think they can play Mr Trump.

Mr Pence said both the Clinton and Bush administrations had been played by the North Korean government.

President Trump hosted President @moonriver365 at the White House today for a productive bilateral meeting and working lunch.  pic.twitter.com/msVWAkAx0Z  The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) May 22, 2018

We offered concessions to the North Korean regime in exchange for promises to end their nuclear weapons programme, only to see them break those promises and abandon them, he said, adding that if Pyongyang does not go along with talks to give up its nuclear weapons, Washington could return to the Libya model.

That suggestion, which was made earlier this month by National Security Adviser John Bolton and also sparked an outraged response from the North, is especially inflammatory to Pyongyang.

President Donald J. Trump hosts South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House to discuss recent developments in North Korea.



Read more in today's edition of 1600 Daily: https://t.co/midjX0fYby  The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) May 22, 2018

The Libya model refers to negotiations in 2004 that led to the shipping of nuclear components to the US from Libya under Muammar Gaddafi.

But in Pyongyangs mind the most important part of the story is what came after that. Gaddafi was deposed after a 42-year reign and killed in 2011  the year Kim Jong Un assumed power in North Korea  while his country spiralled into chaos.

In view of the remarks of the US high-ranking politicians who have not yet woken up to this stark reality and compare the DPRK to Libya that met a tragic fate, I come to think that they know too little about us, she said, using the acronym for North Koreas official name.

She added: To borrow their words, we can also make the U.S. taste an appalling tragedy it has neither experienced nor even imagined up to now.

How seriously the North would really consider calling off the summit is not entirely clear, however.

Meeting with Mr Trump as an equal on the world stage would be an important moment for Mr Kim and Ms Choe couched her statement carefully, noting that she would only recommend the North Korean leader withdraw from the meeting if Washington clings to unlawful and outrageous acts.

North Korea was also expected to go through with a major gesture of goodwill ahead of the summit by dismantling its nuclear test site. The North, which has vowed to stop all underground nuclear testing and intercontinental ballistic missile launches, has invited foreign media to the remote site to observe a ceremony to mark the closing.

The ceremony was expected to be held Thursday or Friday, depending on the weather.The ONS said all sectors apart from department stores recovered from poor winter weather (Nick Ansell/PA)

Retail sales bounced back in April in a recovery after the disruption caused by the Beast from the East but remain subdued, figures show.

Sales increased by 1.6% on March as all sectors except for department stores recovered from the exceptionally snowy weather that disrupted travel and kept shoppers at home, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

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However the three-month figure to April, which smooths out monthly volatility, shows sales remained relatively flat with just a slight increase of 0.1%.

The combined two months of March and April show a general slowdown on the same period last year, with growth at 1.3% compared with 2.9% for the two months in 2017.

Petrol sales showed the largest recovery in April, up 4.7% compared with a 6.9% fall last month as road closures caused by the snow affected travel.

Head of National Accounts, Rob Kent-Smith comments on the latest retail sales data published today: https://t.co/hSOOq7NsGN pic.twitter.com/TpDiI4HJIT  Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) May 24, 2018

However department stores suffered a 0.9% drop in sales in April following strong online sales the month before.

Online sales as a proportion of all shopping continued to grow at 17.3% on April last year, with food and clothing stores achieving a record proportion of sales online.

Rob Kent-Smith, head of national accounts at the ONS, said: Retail sales bounced back in April, as petrol and other sales recovered from the snowfall.

But the underlying position remains subdued with the volume of goods sold over the last six months broadly unchanged.

Increases were seen across all sectors in April, except department stores.

Department stores declined following relatively strong sales last month, when their online sales were boosted during the adverse weather.

Over the longer-term, retail sales growth has slowed considerably, with increases in food, household goods and internet retailers being largely offset by declines across all other types of retailing.

Andrew Westbrook, RSMs head of retail, said: Retail sales were slightly better than expected in April giving operators a chance to partially recover from the poor weather in March.

However, while these numbers are encouraging, there is still a Darwinian struggle taking place on the UK high street.

Many UK retailers are still reeling from the announced closure of 100 Marks & Spencer stores by 2022.

Expand Close The announced closure of 100 MandS stores by 2022 will hit the high street, experts warned (Nick Ansell/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp The announced closure of 100 MandS stores by 2022 will hit the high street, experts warned (Nick Ansell/PA)

While this is bad news for M&S staff and its loyal customers, theres also a damaging knock-on effect for other high street operators which rely on anchor tenants to draw in the punters.

The sales for the month of May could well be much brighter, buoyed by the tropical temperatures over the May Bank Holiday weekend and the excitement surrounding the royal wedding.

While the Markle sparkle may not have spared M&S its recent woes, other retailers could well have experienced a much-needed boost.Advocacy group urges Texas residents to sign health freedom petition to protect rights of patients, doctors

In an age where state and federal governments increasingly feel the need to curb health freedoms, a Texas-based advocacy group is asking residents of the Lone Star State to help push back.

The organization Texas Right To Know is urging citizens to sign a petition demanding more transparency from the Texas Medical Board as a way to better protect both patients and their doctors.

We ask for Texas Sunset Commission members to approve the New Issues Previously Adopted by Sunset Commission and the Proposed New Recommendations from the Decision Meeting Material for the May 24th Sunset Commission Hearing. Our hope is that these recommendations will result in much needed law changes in 2019, says the organizations website.

The petition (which you can access here) supports several changes that will:

 Promote health freedom by improving the Medical Practice Act;

 Improve access to new and revolutionary treatment options that could save lives and that patients want to try;

 Protect the constitutional rights of doctors and their patients;

 Ensure that physicians receive fair due process rights;

 Provide more accountability of and oversight of the Texas Medical Board.

We support and stand with Senators Dawn Buckingham, Bob Hall and Kirk Watson and Representatives Dan Flynn and Poncho Nevarez and their bipartisan support of the recommendations submitted to the Sunset Commission, the petitions states, directing people to pages 10-13 of the Decision Material.

The petition notes that the health freedom initiatives supported by Texas Right To Know arent simply for state residents but for anyone who seeks medical care in the state. Lets make Texas a true health freedom state to provide innovative treatments to heal diseases with education therapies to prevent illnesses, the petition says. (Related: Texas: Is medical freedom in jeopardy?)

Mother Nature's micronutrient secret: Organic Broccoli Sprout Capsules now available, delivering 280mg of high-density nutrition, including the extraordinary "sulforaphane" and "glucosinolate" nutrients found only in cruciferous healing foods. Every lot laboratory tested. See availability here.

TRTK states on its website:

We have been working with and interviewing numerous physicians, attorneys and members of the public who have reported egregious actions of the Texas Medical Board (TMB). Reports include but are not limited to withholding or prohibiting evidence supporting the physicians innocence, failing to comply and violating their own board rules, utilizing biased experts, and violating constitutional rights of physicians and their patients.

Based upon interviews and research of court cases, it may be surmised that some of the problems also lie in how some of the laws are written. From 2007 to 2016, only 9 of the 843 cases  a calculated 1% of the cases against physicians  taken to an administrative hearing sided in favor of the physician. In fact, the Texas Medical Board recently caused one administrative law judge to resign (in lieu of termination) after he made an extremely rare ruling against the TMB and in favor of the physician.

Every SOAH ALJ knows what happened. Every SOAH (State Office of Administration Hearings) ALJ (Administrative Law Judge) knows that from now on, when they rule against an agency, they will be provided no protection from the Chief Judge and most likely will be fired, says Ron Beal, a law professor specializing in administrative law at Baylor University in Waco.

How does that sit well for Texas citizens fighting for their job that is being threatened by a regulatory agency? The entire SOAH agency has been polluted, and it will take a miracle for the ALJs to continue deciding cases on the merits, he added.

Thus far, TRTK notes, four cases have been brought before the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in the past year along regarding what the organization described as egregious TMV violations of patients and doctors constitutional rights.

One case involves the raid of a doctors office by TMB officials without a warrant on behalf of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, which was conducting an investigation.

In another case, the Fifth Circuit found that the TMB acted in bad faith in another warrantless search of a doctor.

Read more about health freedom at HealthFreedom.news.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources include:

TexasRightToKnow.com

Natural.newsUS President Donald Trump has called off next months summit with North Koreas Kim Jong Un, calling the cancellation a tremendous setback for peace.

He also stressed the US military is ready to respond to any foolish or reckless acts by the North.

Mr Trump first announced his decision in a letter to Mr Kim released by the White House, in which he cited tremendous anger and open hostility in a recent statement by the North, adding that it was inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting.

Speaking at the White House later, Mr Trump said a maximum pressure campaign will continue against North Korea and that he was waiting should Mr Kim choose to engage in constructive actions.

He added that it was possible that the existing summit could take place or a summit at some later date.

The abrupt cancellation of the June 12 meeting withdraws the US for now from an unprecedented summit that offered the prospect of a historic nuclear peace treaty or an epic diplomatic failure.

No sitting American president has ever met with a North Korea leader.

In the North Korean statement that Mr Trump cited, a top Foreign Ministry official referred to Vice President Mike Pence as a political dummy for his comments on the North and said it was up to the US whether they will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown.

Mr Trump said the world was losing a great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth.

But he left the door open to the chance that the summit could yet be rescheduled, saying: If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write.

Expand Close A copy of the letter sent to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un from President Donald Trump (J David Ake/AP) / Facebook

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One US official said the decision to call off the summit was made on Thursday morning in response to the statement disparaging Mr Pence and threatening nuclear war.

A White House official said it was incorrect to focus solely on the dummy comment, saying that the nuclear threats meant that no summit could be successful under such circumstances.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said North Korea had not responded to repeated requests from US officials to discuss logistics for the summit.

He told the Senate foreign relations committee the lack of responses was an additional reason for Mr Trumps decision.

Mr Pompeo said the Norths attitude had changed markedly since he returned from a trip to Pyongyang earlier this month during which he met with Mr Kim and oversaw the release of three Americans being held there.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in played a major role in planning for the summit and sought to keep it on the rails in a visit to the White House this week.

His office said that it was trying to work out Mr Trumps intentions in cancelling the summit.

Mr Pompeo, asked about a report that the South had not been informed before the presidents letter was made public, said simply: We are locked in to the Republic of Korea. We are in lockstep with them.

The cancellation came shortly after Mr Kim made good on his promise to demolish his countrys nuclear test site, which was formally closed in a series of huge explosions on Thursday as a group of foreign journalists looked on.

The explosions at the test site deep in the mountains of the Norths sparsely populated north east were supposed to build confidence ahead of the summit.

However, the closing of the site is not an irreversible move and would need to be followed by many more significant measures to meet the demand for real denuclearisation.

The president had agreed to the historic sit-down in March after months of trading insults and nuclear threats with the North Korean leader.

But after criticism from North Korea, Mr Trump cast doubt this week on whether the meeting would happen.

White House officials have privately predicted for weeks that the summit could be cancelled once or twice before actually taking place, owing to the hard-nosed style of the two leaders.

Mr Trump has seemed to welcome chatter of a Nobel Peace Prize, but that has yielded in recent weeks to the sobering prospect of ensuring a successful outcome with Mr Kim.Rescue personnel work in the area where a train hit a truck that was on the tracks (Vigili del Fuoco/AP)

A train has ploughed into a big-rig truck stopped on the tracks outside the northern Italian city of Turin, killing at least two people and injuring 18 others, authorities said.

The Italian news agency ANSA said the first fatality was the engineer of the train, which smashed into the truck near the town of Caluso late on Wednesday on a run from Turin to the suburb of Ivrea.

Later, one of two critically injured people who were flown by helicopter to a hospital died, ANSA said.

One of the less seriously injured was reported to be a crew member, while the others were passengers. Ambulance dispatches said a total of 18 people were injured, most of them not critically.

Expand Close Two people have died and at least 18 others are injured (Torino Today via AP) / Facebook

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The truck driver escaped injury, ANSA said. The rig, which carried Lithuania licence plates, was headed to a warehouse not far away, ANSA said. The trucks cargo was not immediately known.

The Rfi regional railroad said the railway barrier had lowered properly before the trains approach but for reasons unknown the truck smashed through the barrier and ended up on the tracks.

The crash derailed three train cars.

#23mag 23:30, deragliato un treno regionale sulla linea Chivasso Aosta, nei pressi della stazione di Caluso (TO). Intervento dei #vigilidelfuoco in corso, estratti diversi feriti pic.twitter.com/rBg9KCFAMy  Vigili del Fuoco (@emergenzavvf) May 23, 2018

ANSA quoted a young woman who broke her leg in the crash as saying she felt as if she was being pushed from behind, then fell. The passenger, who was not identified in the report, said she feared she would die, describing the scene as terrible.

Rescuers were searching the wreckage looking for any trapped passengers.Indias regulatory framework on foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail is one of the most complex in the world.

But, navigating this perplexing system means gaining access to one of the worlds fastest growing consumer markets.

This article outlines Indias regulatory landscape for FDI in retail while offering suggestions on how foreign businesses can successfully maneuver through them.

Retail segments in India

The Indian government categorizes retail into two types: single-brand and multi-brand.

As the names suggest, single-brand retail refers to businesses that sell only a single brand of goods to consumers. Multi-brand retail refers to businesses that sell multiple brands through one outlet such as Walmart.

If a foreign business owns more than one brand, that business has to apply for FDI approval for each individual brand. A foreign company cannot sell these brands in the same outlet.

Single-brand retail

Foreign firms can now fully own local single brand retail chains. Previously, foreign firms needed approval from the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) to invest above 49 percent.

Until recently, foreign retailers operating in India had to source a minimum of 30 percent of the value of purchased goods  domestically.

To make doing business in India easier, foreign retailers can now meet this requirement  incrementally  within the first five years of their operations in India.

Specifically, this means that a retailer can source material from India for their international product lines but also have it count towards their domestic sourcing requirements.

After five years of operations in India, however, the company must begin sourcing 30 percent of their material in India for products sold in the domestic market.

The changes in FDI Policy were approved by the federal government on January 10, 2018.

Multi-brand retail

Currently, India allows 51 percent FDI in multi-brand retail, 100 percent FDI into multi-brand food retail, and 100 percent FDI into e-commerce retail. All three categories require government approval with stringent conditions.

To obtain approval for the general category of multi-brand retail, foreign businesses must invest a minimum of US$100 million with 50 percent of their investment going into backend infrastructure within the first three years. Furthermore, the company can only sell products made in India  giving their domestic competitors a huge advantage.

So far, only British-based Tesco has established multi-brand retail outlets in India under these conditions. In partnership with the Tata Groups Trent Hypermarkets Ltd, Tesco has established its India outlets in Maharashtra and Karnataka, under the brand name Star Bazaar and Star Market.

To obtain approval for 100 percent FDI into multi-brand food retail, retail outlets are restricted to exclusively selling food. These food items must be either produced or processed in India.

Recently, the DIPP approved Amazons investment request for multi-brand retail in food. Amazon will invest US$515 million in food retail over the next five years.

Multi-brand e-commerce

FDI into multi-brand e-commerce platforms falls under the 100 percent foreign investment allowed, automatic route.

But, e-commerce companies have to abide by the marketplace model and cannot act as a retailer themselves.

A marketplace model stands for business-to-commerce (B2C), which implies that the entity is only a facilitator and cannot hold inventory that it sells, as is the case under the inventory based model or business-to-business (B2B).

This means that no more than 25 percent of an e-commerce platforms sales can go to a single company. E-commerce companies cannot invest in inventory. Additionally, these companies must not directly or indirectly influence the sale price of goods being sold on their platforms.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been inconsistent in their attitude towards FDI in multi-brand retail. The BJPs 2014 election manifesto opposed FDI into multi-brand retail though they have not undone regulations established by the previous regime.

Navigating FDI regulations in retail

Successfully navigating through Indias complex FDI regulations on retail means more decision-making autonomy and increased potential of profits for foreign companies.

While Indias sourcing norms on single-brand retail create barriers for many companies entering the Indian market, they also pose opportunities for foreign businesses to solidify their Indian presence.

As India is making slow progress at easing regulatory norms in retail  establishing a presence now will position foreign businesses to greatly benefit from future changes in the regulatory landscape.

India also needs more efficient, simplified supply chains. Though the sourcing norms on single-brand retail are stringent, cultivating supply sources means greater quality-control. Foreign businesses cultivating their own sourcing will protect themselves from subsequent efficiency leakages and supply chain disruptions.

Foreign retail companies can also team with Indian partners who can later become suppliers. Foreign retail companies can set up wholly-owned outlets in India once their partnership succeeds.

Finally, the Indian governments exact criteria on sourcing norms lacks transparency. Companies which manufacture state of the art or cutting edge technologies are exempt; however, what cutting edge means remains ambiguous.

When Elon Musk tweeted that Indias rigid sourcing norms were creating obstacles in making Tesla cars in India, the Indian government tweeted back. Under the @makeinindia twitter handle, the government clarified to Musk that his manufacturing would not require minimum local sourcing requirements.

Conversely, Apple Inc., the multinational technology company, urged the Indian government to exempt them from the domestic sourcing norm. However, in May 2016, the Finance Ministry rejected this recommendation as industry watchers and foreign smartphone companies assembling and/or manufacturing their units sold in India sought clarification.

When it comes to navigating Indias regulatory system, public attention pays off.The third edition of Tax, Accounting and Audit in India is updated for 2017, and provides an overview of the f...New Delhi, May 24 (IBNS): The Enforcement Directorate (ED), on Thursday, filed the first chargesheet against diamond merchant Nirav Modi and other associates in the PNB fraud and money laundering case, according to media reports.

The chargesheet contains details of the attachment made by ED against Modi and his associates in the past few months after an FIR was registered in the name of the accused

On May 14, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed its first chargesheet in the Rs 13,400 crore Punjab National Bank scam, media reported

Nirav Modi has been absconding since early 2018 when the CBI started investigating the fraud case involving him and Indian banks.New York, May 24 (IBNS): The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains on an epidemiological knife-edge regarding the spread of deadly Ebola disease, despite the quick response by authorities and international partners to the threat, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains on an epidemiological knife-edge regarding the spread of deadly Ebola disease, despite the quick response by authorities and international partners to the threat, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

Speaking in Geneva at the World Health Assembly, Dr Peter Salama, WHO Deputy Director-General, who heads up emergency preparedness and response, said that there were several reasons why the current outbreak  which has claimed 27 lives since it was declared on 8 May  has yet to be contained.

Its hard to recall a situation of an outbreak where a Government has responded more quickly and more decisively than in this outbreak, he said, adding that it was a multi-partner effort and its not over yet. Were really just at the beginning.

I used the phrase yesterday that were on the epidemiological knife-edge of this response, the next few weeks will really tell if this outbreak will spread to urban areas of if were going to be able to keep it under control.

Unlike previous Ebola events in DRC  this is the countrys ninth since 1976  the 2018 outbreak has been complicated by the fact that it involves rural and urban areas.

This has raised the chances that it might spread both nationally and internationally, Dr. Salama said, particularly since the city of Mbandaka  where the disease was identified after first surfacing in the relatively remote Bikoro  is close to the Congo river, which acts as the main transport link to DRCs capital, Kinshasa.

With 58 confirmed, probable or suspected cases of the disease in the country as of Wednesday, effective tracing of anyone who has come into contact with the disease will make or break the response to Ebola, Dr. Salama said.

He described the task ahead as the detective work of epidemiology, adding that medical personnel at a hospital in Wangata, Mbandaka, were tracing some 600 contacts from three separate chains of transmission.

One of these chains was associated with a funeral in a neighbouring town of Bikoro; another was linked to a health-care facility in the small village of Iboko; and the third related to a church ceremony. Each one has the potential to expand if not controlled, Dr. Salama said.

The WHO official confirmed that a selective, or ring vaccination programme had just begun and that efforts are ongoing to ensure that the Ebola drug can be stored in ultracold conditions at between -60 and -80C.

WHO has repeatedly stressed that vaccination is only one measure among many in any outbreak response.

That message was repeated in Geneva by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, who praised the commitment and sacrifice of the communities and health workers on the front line, as the most important element in fighting this outbreak.

The WHO chief also underlined that the coordination among international health partners was essential, too, before highlighting that even he had problems in accessing rural Bikoro to see the problem first-hand, during his visit to the area shortly after the beginning of the outbreak.

UNICEF/NaftalinNew Delhi May 22 (IBNS): Choosing where to study abroad can be a tricky proposition for students in India, especially with a wide range of good foreign universities beckoning.

The University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia, at rank 45 according to QS, has many plus points to its credit for Indian students, including for those needing a little hand-holding to make it to an engineering course as well as programs dedicated to help international students find jobs.

UNSW Sydney, known as Australias global university, offers programs in architecture, art and design, business, engineering and law, medicine and science. It has a range of scholarships and grants for international students.

Admissions to the first batch of Diploma Program (DP), in Science and Engineering, are open now.

Explaining the plus points of the novel Diploma Program, Matt Henderson, UNSW Head of Partnerships, Asia, says it has been especially designed for those international students who are just a shade below the cut off parameters for the regular Science or Engineering programs.

The Diploma Program creates additional pathways for international students. Not every student can make the cut into the entry (for Science and Engineering). The Diploma Program can help students make a pathway.



It provides students with more structuring, hand holding, with added academic support, including in English, so that after the 11-month study period they are able to join directly into the second year of the degree program, he adds.



Key features of the Diploma Program include an Academic English and Communication Skills course; curricula and courseware based on first year degree courses  all backed by intensive teaching.



Diploma Program students are taught separately and go through regular assessments, all of which helps them master the content, says Matt.



For admission to the program, the minimum requirement in English language proficiency, according to the IELTS, is 6.0. In some cases students scoring 5.5 are also admitted into the Diploma Program, with additional English language lessons thrown in.



According to Henderson, in case a DP student fails to make the grade to enter into the second year of the UNSW Science or Engineering stream, then he/she would be released for admission to another university whose entry requires less stringent marks.

But we will try to ensure that all students remain in UNSW, he added.

Located in Sydney, Australias student city, UNSW is one of the world's leading research and teaching universities and is home to more than 52,000 students from nearly 130 countries.

Acceptance and successful commercialisation of UNSW's cutting edge research and innovation is facilitated by 3,000 faculty backed by international faculty.

Australia allows foreign students post a 4-year program to stay on to work in Australia for 2 years and have a path to permanent residency. This is further extendable for a similar duration on sponsorship by an Australian citizen, company.



A UNSW graduate can hope to recover the money paid for a 4-year graduate program in 18 months of work.

These two factors favour choice of UNSW as a destination of choice for study as well as a potential career destination.Bengaluru, May 24 (IBNS): In the middle of a grand celebration of the opposition unity in Bengaluru on Wednesday, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee was reportedly not looking all happy at the swearing-in ceremony of Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy as the Karnataka Chief Minister, according to media reports.

Reports said she was angry with the traffic management and had to walk a distance. She was also missing from the symbolic picture of the day in which all opposition leaders cutting across differences were sharing the dias in a grand show of anti-BJP unity.

The West Bengal Chief Minister is a virulent critic of the BJP and the Modi government with the saffron party emerging as the main opposition in her state.

In a video, Banerjee was seen complaining to former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and his son Kumaraswamy. One report said she lodged a complaint with Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP) Neelamani Raju.

She was heard saying some words, which were caught on microphone, with a sense of anger.

In a video which was shared by Republic TV, Banerjee was heard saying something about Congress president Rahul Gandhi and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Sonia Gandhi but the audio was not clear to draw a conclusion.

Kumaraswamy was standing with folded hands in front of the West Bengal Chief Minister, apparently to calm her down.

Image: screenshot grab/Republic TVThough not confirmed by IBNS, some media reports suggest that Banerjee was angry upon Bengaluru police after she was asked to get down the car and walk towards the Vidhan Soudha due to huge traffic.

Bengaluru in recent years has earned notoriety for its traffic congestion and resultant delays in commuting.

Banerjee was present along with several anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders at the swearing-in ceremony, which virtually turned into a get-together of all disparate opposition forces likely to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the saffron outfit in the 2019 General Election.

Apart from Banerjee, Sonia and Rahul, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telegu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu, Telangana Chief Minister and Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar were present at the oath-taking ceremony.

The Congress and the JD(S) together formed the coalition government in the southern state.

Image: screenshot grab/Republic TVNew Delhi, May 24 (IBNS): Union MInister for Home, Rajnath Singh, has expressed his condolences for those who died in the violence following protests against the Sterlite Copper plant in Tuticorin,Tamil Nadu.

"I am deeply pained at the loss of precious lives during the agitation at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu. The MHA has taken cognisance of the situation and sought a report on the incident and the prevailing situation from the state government," he tweeted on Thursday.

In another tweet, the minister said, "My thoughts are with bereaved families. I also pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. I appeal to the people in Tuticorin to remain calm and maintain peace and tranquility in the region."

In a separate development, media reported that billionaire Anil Agarwal, who holds a 71.4 per cent stake in Vedanta, told the Financial Times in an interview published on Wednesday that he plans to step back from running the company.

Sterlite Copper is a business unit of Vedanta Limited, a Vedanta Group company.New Delhi, May 24 (IBNS): In a joint operation by an Anti-Terror Squad from Uttar Pradesh, Directorate of Military Intelligence and Uttarakhand police, a resident of Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, was arrested for allegedly spying on an Indian diplomat and passing on information to Pakistan's spy agency, ISI, according to media reports on Thursday.

The accused, Ramesh Singh, was a cook at the residence of a senior officer with the Indian Embassy in Pakistan and worked there between 2015 and 2017, media reported.

"The house of the officer was bugged. The officer's devices (laptop and phone) were also bugged. It seems the ISI used temporary employees at the embassy involved in cleaning operations to get in touch with Ramesh," Anand Kumar, a senior police officer, was quoted by NDTV as saying on Thursday.

The capture of a suspected terrorist from Uttar Pradesh's Faizabad earlier this month led to Singh's arrest, media reported.New Delhi, May 24 (IBNS): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Netherlands, Mark Rutte, met at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi on Thursday.

The premiers of both countries were present at the India- Netherlands CEOs Roundtable meeting, at Hyderabad House.

PM Mark Rutte is on a two-day official visit to India on 24-25 May 2018.

Ruttes visit comes within a year of Prime Minister Modis visit to The Netherlands last June.

This will also be PM Ruttes second visit to India since June 2015, but the first after being re-elected as Prime Minister in 2017.

PM Rutte is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality; Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation; Minister for Infrastructure and Water Management; and Minister for Medical Care.

In addition, about 231 business delegates representing 130 companies have registered to join the Trade Mission accompanying Prime Minister Rutte to India.

The companies joining the Trade Mission represent the agrifood, horticulture, logistics, education, smart cities, water, health and life sciences, IT, and maritime sectors.

Apart from the official program in Delhi, PM Rutte is likely to visit Bengaluru, to visit the ISRO campus among other activities.

India and The Netherlands have a bilateral trade of US$ 7.621 billion (April 2017-Feb 2018).

The Netherlands is the fifth largest investor in India with a cumulative investment of US$ 23 billion for the period 2000 to Dec 2017.

The Netherlands is also home to a 235,000 strong Indian diaspora, the largest in mainland Europe, according to Ministry of External Affairs release.

Images: PIBPatna, May 24 (TheBiharPost/IBNS): A minor boy was cruelly killed in Bihar only because he had plucked a few litchi fruits from the orchard of a neighbour, his family's arch-rival.

The horrible incident took place at Nabtola Chowka village in Bhagalpur, an eastern Bihar district some 200 km east of Patna.

Reports said Aman Kumar, 12, along with four other friends barged into the orchard belonging to Bindeshwari Mandal, his parents rival, on Tuesday and began plucking the syrupy ripe litchis when its owner saw them.

He chased the children in a bid to catch them. While his other friends managed to flee, Aman was caught.

Subsequently, he was badly beaten up by bamboo sticks and belts as he sustained grievous wounds in internal parts of his body.

Initially the boy didnt tell anything about the incident but when his condition deteriorated he told his parents about the incident.

Soon, the victim was rushed to a local hospital but finally succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday.

The police have arrested three persons in connection with the incident.

http://thebiharpost.comTuticorin/Chennai, May 24 (IBNS): The death toll in the violent protest against Sterlite's copper plant in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin rose to 13 on Thursday, media reports said.

Meanwhile, the violence during the protest left at least 100 people injured.

Earlier in the day, the Tamil Nadu government disconnected power supply to the Sterlite Copper plant.

The violence erupted surrounding protests about the plant's expansion.

On Wednesday too, protesters turned violent, setting fire to a police vehicle and pelting cops on duty with stones.

Digital media videos showing alleged police atrocities during the violence has also fuelled discontent across the state, media reports said.

The local administration has suspended internet services in Tuticorin and two other neighbouring districts since Wednesday evening to restore calm.

According to reports, the services will not be available for the next five days.

The state government has also transferred the police chief and the District Collector of Tuticorin late on Wednesday.

Prohibitory orders are also in place in parts of Tuticorin.Naypyidaw: A Rohingya armed group brandishing guns and swords is responsible for at least one, and potentially a second, massacre of up to 99 Hindu women, men, and children as well as additional unlawful killings and abductions of Hindu villagers in August 2017, Amnesty International revealed on Tuesday after carrying out a detailed investigation inside Myanmars Rakhine State.

Based on dozens of interviews conducted there and across the border in Bangladesh, as well as photographic evidence analyzed by forensic pathologists, the organization revealed how Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) fighters sowed fear among Hindus and other ethnic communities with these brutal attacks.

Our latest investigation on the ground sheds much-needed light on the largely under-reported human rights abuses by ARSA during northern Rakhine States unspeakably dark recent history, said Tirana Hassan, Crisis Response Director at Amnesty International.

Its hard to ignore the sheer brutality of ARSAs actions, which have left an indelible impression on the survivors weve spoken to. Accountability for these atrocities is every bit as crucial as it is for the crimes against humanity carried out by Myanmars security forces in northern Rakhine State.

Massacre in Kha Maung Seik

At around 8am on 25 August 2017, ARSA attacked the Hindu community in the village of Ah Nauk Kha Maung Seik, in a cluster of villages known as Kha Maung Seik in northern Maungdaw Township. At the time of the attack, the Hindu villagers lived in close proximity to Rohingya villagers, who are predominantly Muslim. Rakhine villagers, who are predominantly Buddhist, also lived in the same area.

Armed men dressed in black and local Rohingya villagers in plain clothes rounded up dozens of Hindu women, men and children. They robbed, bound, and blindfolded them before marching them to the outskirts of the village, where they separated the men from the women and young children. A few hours later, the ARSA fighters killed 53 of the Hindus, execution-style, starting with the men.

Eight Hindu women and eight of their children were abducted and spared, after ARSA fighters forced the women to agree to convert to Islam. The survivors were forced to flee with the fighters to Bangladesh several days later, before being repatriated to Myanmar in October 2017 with the support of the Bangladeshi and Myanmar authorities.

Bina Bala, a 22-year-old woman who survived the massacre, told Amnesty International:

[The men] held knives and long iron rods. They tied our hands behind our backs and blindfolded us. I asked what they were doing. One of them replied, You and Rakhine are the same, you have a different religion, you cant live here. He spoke the [Rohingya] language. They asked what belongings we had, then they beat us. Eventually I gave them my gold and money.

All eight survivors interviewed by Amnesty International said they either saw Hindu relatives being killed or heard their screams. Raj Kumari, 18, said: They slaughtered the men. We were told not to look at them  They had knives. They also had some spades and iron rods.  We hid ourselves in the shrubs there and were able to see a little  My uncle, my father, my brother  they were all slaughtered.

Formila, around 20, told Amnesty International that she did not see when the Hindu men were killed, but that the fighters came back with blood on their swords, and blood on their hands and told the women the men had been killed. Later, as Formila and the other seven abducted women were being marched away, she turned back and saw ARSA fighters kill the other women and children. I saw men holding the heads and hair [of the women] and others were holding knives. And then they cut their throats, she said.

According to a detailed list of the dead, given to Amnesty International, the victims from Ah Nauk Kha Maung Seik include 20 men, 10 women, and 23 children, 14 of whom were under the age of eight. This is consistent with multiple testimonies the organization gathered in both Bangladesh and Myanmar, from survivors and witnesses as well as Hindu community leaders.

The same day, all of the 46 Hindu men, women, and children in the neighbouring village of Ye Bauk Kyar disappeared. Members of the Hindu community in northern Rakhine State presume the community was killed by the same ARSA fighters. Combined with those from Ah Nauk Kha Maung Seik, the total death toll is believed to be 99.

The bodies of 45 people from Ah Nauk Kha Maung Seik were unearthed in four mass graves in late September 2017. The remains of the rest of the victims from that village, as well as all 46 from Ye Bauk Kyar, have not been found to date.

In this brutal and senseless act, members of ARSA captured scores of Hindu women, men, and children and terrorized them before slaughtering them outside their own villages. The perpetrators of this heinous crime must be held to account, said Tirana Hassan.

ARSAs other unlawful killings of Hindus

Amnesty International has also documented ARSAs involvement in other killings and violent attacks against members of other ethnic and religious communities.

On 26 August 2017, ARSA members killed six Hindus  two women, a man, and three children  and injured another Hindu woman on the outskirts of Maungdaw town, near Myo Thu Gyi village.

Kor Mor La, 25, was one of two women who survived the attack, along with four children. Her husband Na Ra Yan, 30, and five-year-old daughter Shu Nan Daw were both killed. The people who shot us were dressed in black.  I couldnt see their faces, only their eyes.  They had long guns and swords, Kor Mor Lar said. My husband was shot next to me. I was shot [in the chest]. After that I was barely conscious.

The killings came just days after ARSA fighters unleashed a series of attacks on around 30 Myanmar security posts on 25 August 2017, prompting an unlawful and grossly disproportionate campaign of violence by Myanmars security forces. Amnesty International and others have documented in detail how this campaign was marked by killings, rape and other sexual violence, torture, village burning, forced starvation tactics, and other violations which constitute crimes against humanity under international law. More than 693,000 Rohingya people were forced to flee to Bangladesh, where they still remain.

Tens of thousands of people from other ethnic and religious communities were also displaced within Rakhine State during the violence. Although most have returned to their homes, some continue to live in temporary shelters, either because their homes were destroyed or because they fear further ARSA attacks if they return to their villages.

Independent investigations needed

ARSAs appalling attacks were followed by the Myanmar militarys ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya population as a whole. Both must be condemned  human rights violations or abuses by one side never justify abuses or violations by the other, said Tirana Hassan.

All the survivors and victims families have the right to justice, truth, and reparation for the immense harm they have suffered.

At a UN Security Council meeting last week, Myanmars permanent representative criticized some in the UN for only listening to one side of the story and failing to acknowledge abuses committed by ARSA.

The Myanmar government cannot criticize the international community as being one-sided while at the same time denying access to northern Rakhine State. The full extent of ARSAs abuses and the Myanmar militarys violations will not be known until independent human rights investigators, including the UN Fact-Finding mission, are given full and unfettered access to Rakhine State, said Tirana Hassan.

Briefing: Attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on Hindus in northern Rakhine State

Early in the morning of 25 August 2017, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a Rohingya armed group, attacked around 30 security force outposts in northern Rakhine State. The attacks, which were carefully planned and coordinated, came just hours after the release of the final report of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, which had been tasked with identifying solutions for peace and development in one of Myanmars most underdeveloped and volatile regions. In the days that followed, ARSA fighters, along with some mobilized Rohingya villagers, engaged in scores of clashes with security forces.

The Myanmar security forces, and in particular the military, responded to the attacks and subsequent clashes with an unlawful and grossly disproportionate campaign of violence marked by killings, rape and other sexual violence, torture, village burning, forced starvation tactics, and other human rights violations and crimes under international law, all of which has been well documented by Amnesty International and others. The militarys attacks, which targeted the entire Rohingya population living in northern Rakhine State, have been both widespread and systematic, constituting crimes against humanity under international law. To date, some 693,000 Rohingya have been forced to flee to Bangladesh.

Also known as Harakah al-Yaqin, or the faith movement, ARSA first came to prominence in October 2016 after launching similar, albeit smaller-scale, attacks on border police posts in northern Rakhine State, prompting a disproportionate military response also amounting to crimes against humanity. The group was established in the aftermath of violence between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Rakhine State in 2012 and is comprised of a core group of trained fighters, estimated as in the hundreds, with access to small firearms and some home-made explosives. On 25 August, ARSA mobilized a large number of Rohingya villagers  likely around several thousand. The villagers were overwhelmingly armed with bladed weapons or sticks. While Amnesty International has confirmed that some Rohingya villagers participated in ARSA attacks, the overwhelming majority of Rohingya did not. Even in the specific villages where attacks occurred, there is no question that most villagers did not take part in ARSA attacks.

Amnesty International has documented serious human rights abuses committed by ARSA during and after the attacks in late August 2017. This briefing focuses on serious crimes  including unlawful killings and abductions  carried out by ARSA fighters against the Hindu community living in northern Rakhine State. At the time of the unlawful killings, none of the victims were armed or endangering the lives of ARSA fighters or other Rohingya. In the refugee camps in Bangladesh in September 2017, Amnesty International conducted 12 interviews with members of the Hindu community who left Myanmar during the violence. In April 2018, Amnesty International conducted research in Sittwe, Myanmar on ARSA abuses and attacks, interviewing 10 additional people from the Hindu community and 33 people from ethnic Rakhine, Khami, Mro, and Thet communities, all of whom were from northern Rakhine State. Six more people from an area where Hindu killings occurred were interviewed by phone from outside the region in May 2018.

The full extent of human rights abuses by ARSA is difficult to determine, in large part because the Myanmar authorities continue to restrict access to northern Rakhine State. Access restrictions have made it extremely difficult for members of all ethnic minorities and religious communities still living in the region to speak about their experiences and to get the support and assistance they require. In addition, those who speak about ARSA abuses face threats and intimidation from the group. The killing of Rohingya suspected of acting as government informers throughout 2017, and reports of ARSA-related killings in the refugee camps in Bangladesh, have only heightened such fears.

Massacre in Kha Muang Seik village tract

At around 8 a.m. on 25 August 2017, ARSA attacked the Hindu community in the village of Ah Nauk Kha Maung Seik, located in Kha Maung Seik village tract in northern Maungdaw Township. ARSA fighters, some of whom were dressed in black and others dressed in ordinary clothing, rounded up all 69 Hindu men, women, and children present in the village at the time. A few hours later, ARSA fighters killed, execution-style, the vast majority of them, and abducted the rest.

The same day, the Hindu community present in the neighbouring village of Ye Bauk Kyar  46 men, women, and children  disappeared. To date, their fate and whereabouts remains unknown. Relatives and other members of the Hindu community in northern Rakhine State told Amnesty International that they presume the entire group was killed by the same perpetrators.

Kha Maung Seik is a mixed-ethnicity and religion village tract, home to Hindu, Rohingya, and ethnic Rakhine villagers, all of whom lived in close proximity. Amnesty International conducted in-depth interviews in a Hindu refugee camp in Bangladesh in September 2017, and in the Rakhine State capital of Sittwe, Myanmar in April 2018, and by telephone in May 2018 with eight survivors, five family members of victims, three men who were part of the group that uncovered the mass graves, and several witnesses to related events in and around Kha Maung Seik, including ARSA attacks and the movements of Myanmar security forces.

[It was morning], I was praying at the time, recalled 22-year-old Bina Bala, who was one of eight women abducted and taken to Bangladesh by ARSA fighters. They came to our house. Some were wearing black and others were wearing normal clothes  I recognized them [from the village].

Bina Bala said the men confiscated the familys mobile phones before ordering them out in to the courtyard, where other Hindu villagers were also being gathered. She told Amnesty International, [The men] held knives and long iron rods. They tied our hands behind our backs and blindfolded us. I asked what they were doing. One of them replied, You and [ethnic] Rakhine are the same, you have a different religion, you cant live here. He spoke the [Rohingya] dialect. They asked what belongings we had, then they beat us. Eventually I gave them my gold and money.

Rika Dhar, 24, was also at home with her family at the time of the attack. We didnt have a chance to run, she told Amnesty International. Muslim people took our gold.  I was blindfolded, and they tied my hands behind my back. Like other women Amnesty International interviewed, Rika Dhar said she knew some of the attackers, who were members of the Rohingya community living in Kha Maung Seik village tract.

After binding, robbing, and blindfolding the Hindu villagers, ARSA fighters marched them to a creek area on the outskirts of the village. There, the fighters sat the villagers down and burned their ID cards, which they had confiscated earlier. They then divided the men from the women and children, and brought the women into the forest.

The fighters killed, execution-style, 53 of the Hindus from Ah Nauk Kha Maung Seik, according to a list of the dead seen by Amnesty International that is consistent with testimony from survivors, other Kha Maung Seik residents, and Hindu community leaders. The victims include 20 men, 10 women, and 23 children, 14 of who were under the age of 8. Only 16 people  eight women and eight of their children  survived, their lives spared on the condition that the women agreed to convert from Hinduism to Islam and then marry people selected by ARSA fighters.

According to all eight survivors, the ARSA fighters took the men away and killed them. Formila, around 20, told Amnesty International that the Muslim men came back with blood on their swords, and blood on their hands. They told us that they had killed our husbands and the village headman. Raj Kumari, 18, said: They slaughtered the men. We were told not to look at them  They had knives. They also had some spades and iron rods.  We hid ourselves in the shrubs there and were able to see a little.  My uncle, my father, my brother  they were all slaughtered.  After slaughtering the men, the women were also slaughtered.

Shortly after, a group of about 10 to 15 fighters took the eight survivors and their children and removed them from the larger group. The fighters then began to kill the other women and children. Two of the survivors  Aur Nika, around 18; and Formila  told Amnesty International that, as the fighters were leading them away, they looked back and saw women being killed. Formila recalled, I saw some Muslim men kill Hindu women. Then I cried.  I saw men holding the heads and hair [of the women] and others were holding knives. And then they cut their throats, she said. Bina Bala told Amnesty International that although she did not see the killings, she heard women and children screaming shortly after being taken away.

The 16 survivors were held captive inside a house in the area for two nights, before being forced to flee alongside their captors to the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh. According to five of the women, the group fled the same day helicopters were seen flying over the village. The presence of helicopters in the area at the time was separately corroborated by San Nyunt, the Village Administrator from neighbouring Min Kha Maung; and by Shawlyee Shawltee, a 20-year-old woman who lived in Kha Maung Seik village tract but who had left her village on 24 August and was taking shelter in BGP post in Ah Shey Kha Maung Seik village at the time of the massacre.

Shortly after arriving in Bangladesh on 28 August, the eight Hindu women were forced to make a false statement on video, claiming that the massacre had been carried out by ethnic Rakhine villagers. [One of the kidnappers] told us that if anyone asks we should say that the Rakhine and the military attacked us, recalled Bina Bala. He said if people come to interview you, you must say this or you will be killed. Soon after the video was posted on Facebook, members of the Hindu community in northern Rakhine State alerted friends in Bangladesh who proceeded to locate the survivors. The survivors were then relocated to a camp designated for Hindu refugees, where they were eventually protected by Bangladeshi security forces. In early October, all sixteen survivors were repatriated to Myanmar with the support of the Bangladeshi and Myanmar authorities.

On 23 September, members of the Hindu community in northern Rakhine State and members of the Myanmar security forces travelled to the site of the massacre and, over the course of two days, unearthed four mass graves, which in total contained the remains of 45 people. On 27 September, the government temporarily lifted its ban on access to the area and brought local and international journalists to visit the site of the mass graves.

According to the list that identified by name, biographical data, and village the 99 Hindus reportedly killed, given to Amnesty International by Hindu community leaders, all of the 45 excavated bodies have been identified as people from Ah Nauk Kha Maung Seik or people who were visiting Ah Nauk Kha Maung Seik at the time of the attack. The bodies of the other eight people killed from Ah Nauk Kha Maung Seik have not been found; according to the list of those killed, seven of those eight were young children  including four who were under three months old. The fate and whereabouts of villagers from Ye Bauk Kyar remain unknown, although they are presumed to have been killed by the same perpetrators.

In a press statement posted on its Twitter account and in responses to media inquiries, ARSA has denied any involvement in the incident. The Myanmar authorities restrictions on access mean no independent journalist or human rights investigator has been granted unfettered access to Kha Maung Seik and the surrounding areas.

Several of the survivors, including at least three of the eight interviewed by Amnesty International, have been interviewed multiple times by different media organizations. The vast majority of these interviews took place either in the Bangladesh refugee camps during the days after the women were rescued, or in Myanmar in the weeks after the mass graves were uncovered. Over the course of these interviews, the women provided accounts which were at times inconsistent with the testimony of other survivors and even contradicted their own previous statements.

As noted, the survivors initial declaration on video in Bangladesh placed the blame for the killings on ethnic Rakhine villagers, as they did several days later in interviews with Reuters. In subsequent interviews in Bangladesh with media and with Amnesty International, the survivors were at times equivocal about the identity of the perpetrators, and other times said it was ARSA, Rohingya, or Muslims; throughout this period, they typically described attackers as wearing black. On their return to Myanmar, survivors unambiguously asserted that Rohingya, believed to be ARSA fighters, were responsible. The survivors evolving stories made it difficult for journalists and human rights investigators  including Amnesty International  to come to a conclusion about the facts.

After careful review of evidence obtained in Bangladesh and Rakhine State, Amnesty International has concluded that ARSA fighters are responsible for the massacre.

First, the inconsistencies of the Hindu survivors testimonies are largely explained by the pressures and threats to personal safety that they faced while in Bangladesh, as described above by Bina Bala. Such pressure continued even while they lived in a separate camp area protected by the Bangladeshi security forces.

Second, the physical descriptions that the Hindu survivors provided of the ARSA attackers in Ah Nauk Kha Maung Seik  descriptions which have largely remained consistent over time  are also consistent with descriptions of ARSA fighters around the time of the massacre from witnesses in other parts of Kha Maung Seik village tract and from witnesses in other villages across northern Rakhine State.

Ten Hindu in Ta Man Thar, Thit Tone Nar Gwa Son, and Myo Thu Gyi villages; three ethnic Mro residents of Khu Daing village, which was attacked and burned by ARSA on 28 August 2017; and two ethnic Rakhine residents of Koe Tan Kauk village tract all separately described to Amnesty International seeing a core group of fighters in black, often with their faces covered except for their eyes. Many from those villages, as well as an ethnic Rakhine villager from Auk Pyue Ma, also described seeing among the attackers some Rohingya men who they recognized as neighbours or residents from nearby villages, similar to in Kha Maung Seik. Witness descriptions of ARSA fighters covering their faces are likewise consistent with known photographs and videos of ARSA fighters, including those posted by ARSA itself in the weeks immediately before and after the 25 August attacks.

Third, all of the survivors and many of the witnesses stated that they could hear the fighters speaking in the Rohingya dialect, which is very similar to the dialect spoken by the Hindu population in northern Rakhine State.

Fourth, Amnesty International sent a forensic anthropological expert 31 photographs taken in Kha Maung Seik on 23 and 24 September 2017 by a person who was present when bodies were discovered in mass graves. In a peer-reviewed analysis, the forensic expert concluded, after categorizing the decomposition of the bodies and estimating the soil temperature and water level, that the appearance of the human remains exhumed from the grave at Kha Maung Seik on 24 September 2017 is entirely consistent with what would be expected had those individuals been killed and buried at that site on 25 August 2017.

The expert also identified the presence of blindfolds on multiple victims (and the possible presence of sharp and blunt or projectile trauma), [which] is indicative of homicide in the form of extrajudicial and summary executions. When enlarging one of the images, the expert determined that a female victim exhibits an injury to the anterior neck that is consistent with sharp force trauma, e.g. a knife slash to the throat, though could not conclude from the photograph alone whether the trauma was the cause of death or had occurred during the excavation of the bodies. The presence of blindfolds, as well as a wound suggestive of a throat being slit, is consistent with the testimonies of the surviving Hindu women.

Fifth, testimonies from a Hindu villager and a Rakhine Village Administrator in Kha Maung Seik village tract confirms that the Myanmar military sent reinforcements to the area after the massacre was carried out, and the that at least one helicopter arrived in the area several days later, on 27 August. That testimony gives further credence to the likelihood that the Myanmar security forces were not in control of Kha Maung Seik on the day the massacre occurred and therefore could not have carried it out.

Sixth, survivors identified specific individual perpetrators, one of whom Amnesty International was able to confirm was a Rohingya resident of Kha Maung Seik village tract.

Together, the evidence overwhelmingly indicates that ARSA was responsible for the massacre, and that it has actively tried to cover up the crimes by forcing the surviving women to appear on camera implicating other perpetrators and through more general intimidation aimed at distorting the story.

The attack in Kha Maung Seik shook the Hindu community in Rakhine State. Many of those whom Amnesty International interviewed in Sittwe expressed concerns about further violence. I never imagined this could happen, we had a good relationship [with the Rohingya]. Why did they attack us? asked Shawlyee Shawltee, from Kha Maung Seik. Like other people displaced during the violence, she is worried about the future and does not want to return to her village. I lost everything, my house, all our property. My husband is suffering [psychologically] after all his family members died, she said.

Unlawful killing of six Hindus in Myo Thu Gyi

While the massacre in Kha Maung Seik village tract is the most egregious incident of human rights abuses by ARSA that Amnesty International has documented, fighters perpetrated other killings and violent attacks against members of Hindu and Buddhist ethnic groups. On 26 August 2017, ARSA fighters killed six Hindus  two women, a man, and three children  and injured another Hindu woman, on the outskirts of Maungdaw town, near Myo Thu Gyi village.

The six victims were part of an extended family of twelve who had fled from U Daung village tract, in Maungdaw Township, after ARSA fighters threatened them the day before. After seeking refuge for a night in the house of the ethnic Rakhine Village Administrator, the group was driven to the outskirts of Maungdaw town. Shortly after they arrived, a gunfight broke out between ARSA and the Myanmar military. The Hindu family took cover in a nearby building under construction. According to the only two adult survivors, men dressed in black and carrying guns entered the building and then proceed to shoot at the group at close range.

Kor Mor La, 25, was one of the two women who survived the attack, along with four children. Her husband Na Ra Yan, 30, and 5-year-old daughter, Shu Nan Daw, were both killed. The people who shot us were dressed in black.  I couldnt see their faces, only their eyes.  They had long guns and swords, Kor Mor Lar said. My husband was shot next to me. I was shot [in the chest]. After that I was barely conscious.

Kor Mor La showed Amnesty International a scar on her left breast that she said was from the gunshot wound. The bullet wound is still sore, Kor Mor La said, explaining that she had to visit a doctor for ongoing treatment.

Phaw Naw Balar, 27, was the only other adult to survive the attack. She told Amnesty International, The men wearing black came from the direction of Myo Thu Gyi village. They didnt say anything, they just started shooting. After they left, my children were crying, so I took them to the next floor up and we hid together in an empty water tank.

She explained that they hid until the ARSA fighters had left the area. When I came back downstairs, I saw the dead bodies, she recalled. Six of my relatives were dead. Some had been shot in the front, in their abdomen and chest, [and] others in the back. My sister-in-law [Kor Mor La] was shot. I tried to bandage her, then we left for the three mile checkpoint. From there, the group travelled to Buthidaung town, and then on to Sittwe, where Kor Mor La received treatment for her injuries. In addition to Kor Mor Las husband and daughter, ARSA fighters killed Chou Maw Tet, 27; her husband Han Mon Tor, 30; the couples 10-year-old son, Praw Chat; and their 3-year-old daughter, Daw Maw Ne.

Today, the two surviving woman and their four children remain displaced in Sittwe, where they are living in a Hindu temple. Without her husband, the breadwinner of the family, Kor Mo La explained that she is worried how her family will survive. I have had a very difficult time, she said. I have two children, just trying to survive is very hard. We are suffering so much.

Conclusion

The Rohingya in Rakhine State have for decades suffered systematic discrimination by the Myanmar authorities. Amnesty International has concluded that the deeply discriminatory way the authorities treated the Rohingya, even before the atrocities from August 2017 onwards, amounted to the crime against humanity of apartheid. Following the 25 August attacks these violations and crimes reached a peak, with unlawful killings, rapes, and burning of villages on a large scale, leading the majority of the population to flee the country. Nothing can justify such violations. But similarly, no atrocities can justify the massacre, abductions, and other abuses committed by ARSA against the Hindu community, as documented in this briefing.

Since the outbreak of violence in August, the Myanmar authorities have refused to grant access to northern Rakhine State to Amnesty International and other independent investigators, which has made it incredibly difficult to access those communities affected by ARSA and to corroborate witness accounts. Despite the restrictions, Amnesty International has now determined that ARSA fighters are responsible for the unlawful killing and abduction of members of the Hindu community in northern Rakhine State. These are serious crimes and abuses of human rights. They should be investigated by a competent body, and where sufficient, admissible evidence is found, those responsible should be held to account before independent civilian courts, in trials which meet international standards of fairness and which do not impose the death penalty.

For the full extent of the human rights abuses and crimes committed in northern Rakhine State to be uncovered, including those committed by ARSA, the Myanmar authorities must immediately allow independent investigators, including the UN Fact-Finding Mission, full and unfettered access throughout the region. Victims, survivors, and their families have the right to justice, truth, and reparation for the harm they have suffered. To this end, the authorities must also ensure full and unfettered humanitarian assistance to communities in need, and ensure that proper psycho-social support is available to all survivors of violence in northern Rakhine State.

Text: Amnesty International

Image: Andrew Stanbridge/Amnesty InternationalImage: Wallpaper

Kabul, May 24 (IBNS): At least 11 Taliban militants were gunned down in an anti-terrorism offensive by Afghanistan's special forces, reports said.

The incident was confirmed by National Directorate of Security, which said that it took place on Wednesday in Bala Blook district of Farah province.

Among the deceased were two key commanders, who have been identified as Mawlawi Abdul Razaq and Mawlawi Mohibullah.

The special forces also seized seven RPGs, Kalashnikovs, a Ranger vehicle, three Toyota Corollas and two motorbikes, local Tolo News reported.

The Taliban is yet to comment on the report.

Taliban,Afghanistan,NDS,FarahNew York, May 24 (IBNS): Corruption and complicity know no geographical boundaries, and it is societys most vulnerable who get hurt the most, senior United Nations officials said on Wednesday, calling on Government leaders to fight the scourge, from the top down.

It all begins with setting an example. By tackling corruption, Governments can show they mean business, said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, speaking at a high-level event marking the 15th anniversary of the UN Convention Against Corruption.

Society cannot function equitably and efficiently when public officials  from doctors to police, judges and politicians  enrich themselves rather than perform their duties with integrity, he added.

Adopted in 2003, the Convention Against Corruption is the only legally-binding universal instrument, drawn up to fight corruption in all its forms.

It fuels conflict, and when a hard-won peace is achieved, corruption undermines recovery. Corruption and impunity are corrosive, breeding frustration and fostering further corruption when people see no other way of achieving their goals, said the UN chief, calling for greater political and popular support for the fight against corruption.In his remarks, Guterres also underlined that in addition to robbing vital resources from public services such as schools and hospitals, corruption also fuels human trafficking and the black market in natural resources, weapons, drugs and cultural artifacts.

He described the Convention Against Corruption as one of the most effective tools the world has to achieve the common goals of good governance, stability and prosperity.

The UN will continue to support Member States every step of the way, from helping to engage and empower citizens in this fight, to helping build and enhance institutions that can deliver on their promise, said Guterres.

Corruption destroys everything in its path

Speaking alongside the Secretary-General, Miroslav LajAak, the President of the UN General Assembly also reiterated that corruption hurts all sections of the society and that it destroys everything in its path.

Ultimately, corruption causes suffering to ordinary people going about their daily lives, he stressed, citing common examples: When they are stopped at checkpoints, for bribes. When a bus does not come  or a clinic does not open  because budgets were mismanaged. Or when they lose all of their savings, from extortion, said Mr. LajAak.

He also highlighted the link between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and good governance.

If we want to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we need to take concrete steps. This will mean allocating budgets. It will mean raising more funds. It will mean new policies and new legislation, he said, adding that more innovative ways needed to be found of working together.

Yury Fedotov, the Executive-Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) also underscored the importance of the Convention for sustainable development.

Noting that while Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG16) explicitly urges action against corruption, tackling the problem is a prerequisite for overall economic growth.

Anti-corruption responses are also crucial to ensuring access to healthcare, water, education and other vital services; protecting forests, oceans and wildlife; and reducing inequalities, he added.

UNICEF/Pirozzi



UN Photo/Kibae Park

New York, May 24 (IBNS):Despite being the worlds 11th largest economy, a significant number of South Koreans are living in substandard housing, faced with rising rents they can no longer afford, a United Nations rights expert said on Wednesday, noting that the country now leads developed nations in levels of household debt.

I met with residents who are living in completely substandard housing and yet paying exorbitant rents, said Leilani Farha, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, at the end of a 10-day visit to the Republic of Korea.

In a statement on Wednesday, she said that some were forced to live in tiny spaces no more than 5 square metres, on short term leases and at the mercy of landlords arbitrary decisions to raise the rent.

While acknowledging the Governments massive effort to improve housing conditions for the bulk of its population, she said she is deeply concerned by the continuation of massive reconstruction projects resulting in the destruction of neighbourhoods and displacement of individuals and families.

She also expressed alarm at how urban areas have become unaffordable for young people and low-income households; although that is an observation which has been made frequently about expanding cities in other developed countries such as London, Tokyo and New York.

Farha pointed out that the countrys current legal framework for urban redevelopment and reconstruction does not comply with internationally recognised human rights standards and continues to result in forced evictions.

She said that South Korea, formally known as the Republic of Korea, now leads the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) list, in terms of household debt and security of tenure is a real issue, she added.

The shift from housing being treated as a commodity to housing being understood as a human right, is not yet complete, she said, adding that The Government should adopt a comprehensive human rights-based national action plan on housing.Story Highlights Colombians rate their lives worse than in the last election year

Nearly half (47%) say local economic conditions getting worse

Confidence in national government at record-low 22%

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Colombians are struggling on multiple fronts ahead of the presidential election this weekend, but their declining life satisfaction provides some of the best evidence that they are ready for change. Shortly after the last election in 2014, the majority of Colombians (51%) rated their lives positively enough to be considered thriving, but they have rated their lives worse every passing year since.

For the past decade, Gallup has asked residents of Colombia to evaluate their lives on the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale, where "0" represents the worst possible life and "10" represents the best possible life. Gallup classifies people as "thriving" if they rate their current lives a 7 or higher and their lives in five years an 8 or higher.

Recent research by London School of Economics academic George Ward shows that how people feel about their lives influences how they vote in elections. In fact, he believes measures such as these may be better predictors of elections than questions about how people feel about the economy.

But Colombians' views of their economy, too, suggest they are ready for something different. While Colombia's economy was able to withstand shocks better than those of other oil-exporting countries in the region, economic growth has slowed, expanding only 1.8% last year and 2% the year before. Colombians seem to be feeling this. The 47% who reported last year that their city economy is getting worse is the highest on record in the past decade.

Still, Colombia's economy is actually doing better than many of its counterparts in the Latin American and Caribbean region. As a whole, the region's economy contracted in 2015 and 2016 and grew by about 1% in 2017. Brazil, Argentina and especially Venezuela are all suffering from their own economic troubles. By contrast, Colombia is currently in the accession process to join the OECD, a club of wealthy countries, which should improve its attractiveness to international investors if accepted.

##SPEEDBUMP##

Colombians Place Little Faith in Government

Whoever takes the helm of Colombia's government will need to grapple with the sluggish economy but also work to restore Colombians' failing faith in their leadership. In 2017, Colombians' confidence in their national government dropped to a record-low 22%. The percentage who say corruption is a widespread problem throughout their government remains mired near 90%.

Implications

While it is uncertain who Colombia's next president will be, it is clear that whoever is elected will represent a significant shift for the country. The current president's party, the Party of the U, is not fielding a candidate. The leader in the polls is Sen. Ivan Duque, who represents the right-of-center party, the Democratic Center. This party was founded in 2013 by Colombia's former President Alvaro Uribe to oppose the current president's policies.

Second in the polls is Gustavo Petro, a former mayor of Bogota. He represents the leftist Humana party, and promises a more socialist agenda. However, he has previously been sympathetic toward Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, which could hurt him as Colombia continues to feel the effects of Venezuela's collapse next door.

More than 1 million Venezuelan refugees have flooded into Colombia as their home country's crisis worsens. This promises to put considerable strain on Colombia's already-stretched resources in the coming years.

Another contentious issue is implementing the FARC accord ratified at the end of 2016. While the international community praised the deal, and Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Colombians remain highly skeptical of it.

At a time when they are facing deteriorating living conditions, Colombians are in no mood to offer carrots to former guerilla fighters. The FARC failed to win any seats in the March parliamentary elections, and Duque has vocally opposed the accord.New York, May 24 (IBNS): Gaza is on the verge of collapse and its people becoming increasingly desperate, a United Nations envoy told the Security Council on Wednesday, urging international action to avoid another war, alleviate suffering and empower more responsible government within the enclave.

In this Chamber, Council members have often spoken of the need to prevent war; and the Secretary-General has put preventive diplomacy at the heart of his agenda. It is time for our words to be tested in Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Council by video teleconference from Jerusalem.

He reiterated his call for the Council to condemn in the strongest possible terms the actions that have cost so many lives in Gaza, especially the deaths and injuries caused by live-fire from Israeli forces along the border fence.

With at least 60 protesters of all ages confirmed dead from the violence of 14 May, the number continues to climb he said, and he cited UN figures reporting 76 Palestinians killed by Israel Defence Forces during the past month, and more than 3,000 injured.

He said Israel had a responsibility to not use lethal force except as a last resort and investigate every incident that has led to a loss of human life.

Mladenov also told the Council that the militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, must not use the protests as cover to place bombs and the fence and create provocations.

The Special Coordinator welcomed Egypts move to open the border crossing at Rafah throughout the month of Ramadan and hoped that the security situation would allow regular movement.

He also acknowledged Israels recent efforts to ensure the delivery of goods to Gaza, despite the serious damage done at the Kerem Shalom crossing by protesters in recent weeks.

He detailed four proposals to address the situation, namely prioritizing agreed-upon infrastructure projects via an established liaison committee; the adoption of fast-track approach to speed up implementation; coordinate with the Palestinian Authority, Israel and Egypt to overcome blockages; and the upholding of the 2014 ceasefire.Turning to the humanitarian situation, the UN envoy pointed out that Gazas electricity, water networks and health system teeters on the verge of total collapse.

The UN envoy explained that these would strengthen the unification of Gaza and the West Bank under a single, democratic and legitimate Palestinian authority in line with the Quartet Principles; and an end to the occupation and resolution of the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Recent developments

Concerning the decision by some countries  including the United States  to relocate their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Mladenov said: Given its importance to Jews, Christians and Muslims, Jerusalem is a highly sensitive and charged issue for millions, and upholding the status quo at the Holy Sites remains critical for peace and stability.

He reiterated the UNs position that Jerusalem is a final status issue that must be resolved through negotiations between the parties.

In closing, the Special Coordinator said that the office of the Middle East Quartet  established by the UN, the European Union, the United States, and Russia - remained a key forum for resolving the conflict, including within the broader regional context.

We must continue to work together, he stated, adding that there was no alternative other than on the basis of two States, for achieving a peaceful future for all the people of this troubled land.

@OCHA oPtUN Photo/Evan Schneider

New York, May 24 (IBNS): International efforts to create a world where no one is left behind will only become a reality if all sectors in society participate, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General told ambassadors in New York on Wednesday.

Amina Mohammed was addressing a special meeting of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the UN forum that supports implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The global action plan, agreed by world leaders three years ago, seeks to end poverty and hunger, protect the planet and ensure all people enjoy prosperous and fulfilling lives.

The success of our collective journey to 2030 will greatly depend on how we involve Government, parliaments, local authorities, indigenous peoples, civil society, the scientific and academic community and the private sector, Mohammed said.

In short, the transformation promised will only be achieved by engaging all actors right across society.

The UN deputy chief called for an end to barriers that exclude people, particularly the most vulnerable, from taking part in processes that affect their daily lives.

She said inclusive sustainable development that is rooted in respect for human rights is the foundation for universal prosperity and well-being, and a healthy planet.

It also is our best defence against violent conflict which so rapidly and dramatically erodes development gains, she added.

With interconnected challenges such as climate change, forced migration and urbanization affecting all people, ECOSOC president Marie Chatardova called for a paradigm shift in how the world responds to these issues.

The spread of information and communications technology and global interconnectedness, in particular, have also great potential to accelerate human progress and bridge the digital and other divides, thus helping to develop inclusive and people-centred societies, she said.

Mohammed, the UN deputy chief, outlined five areas for action; including the need for responsible leadership and greater investment in transparent and accountable institutions.

Women and girls, as well as young people, must also be encouraged to contribute, while investing in the so-called green economy can create jobs and improve health outcomes.

She said: The 2030 Agenda needs the participation of all actors to ensure no one is left behind and that all can enjoy prosperity, dignity and opportunity in a world of peace.UN Photo/Cia Pak

New York, May 24 (IBNS): A holistic approach is needed to the address peace and security challenges in Africas vast Sahel region, a senior United Nations peacekeeping official told the Security Council on Wednesday, calling for more investment in better government, social services and youth opportunities.

Briefing Council members on when the new multinational security force established by five Sahel countries - known as the G5-Sahel Joint Force - might become operational, Bintou Keita, the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, said that combatting terrorism and transnational organized crime, remained the major challenge.

Let us not forget those who suffer the most, the local population - civilians - who continue to be intimidated and harassed and live in fear for their lives on a daily basis; who cannot send their children to school or have their most basic needs met, including access to food and nutrition, he said.

Ms. Keita added that since the authorization of the Joint Force by the African Union last April, and the renewal of its mandate last month, notable progress has been made, including the deployment of troops on the ground, and setting up of command posts and sector headquarters.

Nonetheless, a lot of work remains ahead of us. The operationalization of the Joint Force has incurred delays and has yet to attain full operational capability, she said, calling on G5 Sahel member States to deploy remaining troops as soon as possible.

She also underlined the importance of addressing recent reports of human rights violations by security forces in the region and called on the countries to establish a human rights and international humanitarian law compliance framework that could be rapidly put into operation.

In her remarks, while Keita applauded the international community for their support to the Joint Force, she said that keeping it running would require perpetual resource generation efforts and that in the medium to long term, it will be challenging to sustain the funding momentum.

What is more, the United Nations will continue to depend on others, to be able to implement the support measures it has been mandated to provide to the G5-Sahel Joint Force by Security Council Resolution 2391 (2017), she said.

In that resolution, the Council requested the SecretaryaGeneral to conclude a technical agreement among the UN, the European Union and G5 Sahel States  Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger  with a view to providing operational and logistical support through the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to the joint force conducting crossaborder counteraterrorist operations across the region."Prevent Unauthorized Transactions in your demat / trading account Update your Mobile Number/ email Id with your stock broker / Depository Participant. Receive information of your transactions directly from Exchanges on your mobile / email at the end of day and alerts on your registered mobile for all debits and other important transactions in your demat account directly from NSDL/ CDSL on the same day." - Issued in the interest of investors." | "KYC is one time exercise while dealing in securities markets - once KYC is done through a SEBI registered intermediary (broker, DP, Mutual Fund etc.), you need not undergo the same process again when you approach another intermediary." | "No need to issue cheques by investors while subscribing to IPO. Just write the bank account number and sign in the application form to authorise your bank to make payment in case of allotment. No worries for refund as the money remains in investor's account."

www.indiainfoline.com is part of the IIFL Group, a leading financial services player and a diversified NBFC. The site provides comprehensive and real time information on Indian corporates, sectors, financial markets and economy. On the site we feature industry and political leaders, entrepreneurs, and trend setters. The research, personal finance and market tutorial sections are widely followed by students, academia, corporates and investors among others.After months of complaints in Indian Country and on Capitol Hill, the Trump administration is finally going to consult tribes about a controversial reorganization at the Department of the Interior

And just like the last major bomb , tribes have a short time to prepare for the first meeting, which often sets the tone for future gatherings. A "listening session" has been scheduled on a Sunday afternoon in less than two weeks, the Bureau of Indian Affairs announced.

"This is an opportunity to shape the department for the next 100 years, to provide long-term, meaningful benefit for all, including tribes and Indian Affairs," John Tahsuda, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, wrote in a Dear Tribal Leader Letter

The first session takes place on June 3 in Kansas City, Missouri, where the National Congress of American Indians is holding its mid-year conference . It is to be followed by eight tribal consultations in nearly every region of Indian Country, except the Navajo Nation and the Great Plains

Yet those two regions are among the most affected by the proposed reorganization, which Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced more than a year ago . Draft maps posted by the department show how the BIA's existing 12 regions would be undergoing dramatic change.

"If the current twelve BIA regions are eggs, Secretary Zinkes proposal scrambles them," attorney Larry Roberts , who ran the BIA for the final years of the Obama presidency, wrote in a popular article this week.

Now Available: The schedule for upcoming Tribal Listening & Consultation Sessions on @Interior Reorganization!



Find the latest info at https://t.co/4ShUugRBJ3.  Indian Affairs (@USIndianAffairs) May 22, 2018

The BIA's Navajo region -- the only one encompassing an entire reservation -- would be split into two regions, or maybe even three, as part of Zinke's attempt to create a "unified" national system. Navajo leaders are among the many who have complained about being kept in the dark about changes affecting their community

"We are moving backwards, and we oppose that," President Russell Begaye told key members of Congress earlier this month as he said his tribe had yet to be consulted about the organization.

The Great Plains region is currently run out of an office in South Dakota, far from the reservations it serves. Yet it would get even larger under Zinke's plan, with some tribes from Kansas, Minnesota and Wyoming potentially shifted there.

"We Indian people, we're excluded from everything," said Chairman Harold Frazier of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe , "and we were here first."

The BIA already struggles to live up to its trust responsibilities due to inadequate funding and other problems, Frazier asserted, noting that the tribes of the Sioux Nation recently observed the 125th anniversary of the Treaty of Fort Laramie

"Back home, many of our people say: 'Honor our treaty, or give us our land back,'" said Frazier, who also serves as chairman of the Great Plains Tribal Chairman's Association , which represents 16 tribes in a region that includes Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Despite the potential upheaval, Secretary Zinke has said the national system might not be imposed on the BIA. The results of the consultation will determine how the Trump administration moves forward, he told member of Congress last month who asked when that effort would begin.

"The nations, they're sovereign," Zinke said on April 11 . "We are beginning consultation, and whether or not they adopt this model is really up to them."

"I've always said that I believe the nations are sovereign and it's a partnership, it's a relationship," Zinke said, though he quickly added: "I think it's to their advantage to join."

Scrambled eggs? A "DRAFT" map of the 13 proposed regions at the Department of the Interior would mean dramatic changes for the 12 existing Bureau of Indian Affairs regions.

Reorganization road trip

As part of its outreach to Indian Country , the Bureau of Indian Affairs is holding one listening session and eight consultations on the reorganization. The first meeting takes place in Missouri on June 3 and the last one is in Mississippi on August 9.

Noticeably absent from the current schedule is the Navajo region, though the June 25 meeting in New Mexico will draw leaders from the Navajo Nation. Also missing are consultations in Arizona, home to the BIA's Western region , and in the Great Plains.

The August 9 meeting in Mississippi is meant to draw leaders from tribes in the BIA's Eastern region , a large area that runs from Maine to Florida and includes the southern states. Seven newly-recognized tribes in Virginia also fall within the region.

Written comments can also be submitted through August 15.

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.Kansas City, MissouriNCAI Mid-Year ConferenceMarriott Kansas City Downtown200 W. 12th StreetKansas City, MO 64105

9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.New Buffalo, MichiganFour Winds-New Buffalo Casino11111 Wilson RoadNew Buffalo, MI 49117

9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.Billings, MontanaBIA Rocky Mountain Regional Office2021 4th AvenueNorth Billings, MT 59101

9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.Albuquerque, New MexicoNational Indian Programs Training Center1011 Indian School Road, NWAlbuquerque, NM 87104

9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort12222 New York Ranch RoadJackson, CA 95642

9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.Morongo Band of Mission Indians Tribal Chambers11581 Potrero RoadBanning, CA 92220

9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Juneau, AlaskaElizabeth Peratrovich Hall320 W. Willoughby AvenueJuneau, AK 99801

9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.Oklahoma City, OklahomaEmbassy Suites Oklahoma City1815 South MeridianOklahoma City, OK 73108

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.Philadelphia, MississippiPearl River Resort, Golden Moon Hotel & CasinoHwy 16 WPhiladelphia, MS 39350

Some direction from Congress

Key lawmakers, Republican and Democrat alike, have repeatedly raised concerns about the lack of tribal consultation on the reorganization.

"It's a common theme here, that there's not consulting with the tribes," Rep. Ken Calvert (R-California), the chairman of the House subcommittee that writes the funding bill for the BIA and Interior , said earlier this month as his panel heard from dozens of tribal leaders.

"I'll bring it up to him and say that he needs to do that," Calvert said of Secretary Zinke.

State and Tribal Consultation.The Committee recognizes concerns raised by State and Tribal leaders about the Departments insufficient level of consultation regarding the Departments proposed reorganization. The Committee urges the Department to redouble its efforts to consult with State and Tribal leaders, including entering into formal Tribal consultation, and to adjust its reorganization proposal as necessary to meet the Departments needs while avoiding undue additional burdens on States and Tribes.

But just in case a verbal reminder doesn't work, Calvert's subcommittee came up with something more permanent -- language in a report accompanying Interior's funding bill that addresses the reorganization. It follows:

The appropriations bill otherwise allows the Trump administration to spend nearly $18 million on the reorganization in fiscal year 2019, which begins on October 1. Of that amount, $500,000 would come from the BIA budget.

In his own words

Secretary Zinke was asked about the reorganization at a hearing on Capitol Hill on April 11. His exchange with Rep. Cavert, in which he said the regional model might not be imposed on Indian Country, is worth a listen on the Indianz.Com SoundCloud

Join the Conversation

Related StoriesSpanish Flu decimated Indian Country

Pandemic killed 50 million world-wideBy James Giago DaviesNative Sun News Today Correspondent

RAPID CITYA century ago the First World War ended, at the cost of 41 million dead. The War to End All Wars never touched Americans directly at home, no territories were invaded, no trenches were dug, no cities were shelled, but those celebrating the end of the conflict did not know something was happening far off in China, that would prove even deadlier than the Great War, that in the end, would claim the lives of 50 million people by 1920.

It was called the Spanish Flu, because Spanish Royalty were some of the first victims, but according to the Institute Pasteur in France, the virus began in China, later mutating in the USA near Boston, and then was spread to Brest, France, and then across the battlefields of Europe, and eventually the whole world.

In 1918 alone, 675,000 Americans died of the Spanish Flu. Eventually the pandemic reached South Dakota, and the Indian reservations. According to Thomas A. Britten, author of American Indians in World War I: At Home and at War , 400 people died on the Pine Ridge Reservation and 200 on Rosebud.

We know how many people died of the flu, but we dont know how many contracted the flu and survived, said Matthew T. Reitzel, manuscript archivist for the South Dakota State Historical Society-Archives at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. An overall view of newspaper accounts forms the opinion that several people contracted the flu, a number of people died, but several people survived. It appears you had two outcomes if you contracted the flu -- either you died within three days to a week or you lived.

Then Governor Peter Norbeck contracted the flu on a business trip to Lusk, Wyoming. He was hospitalized in Deadwood with a temperature of 103 F, but was released after three days.

A walk through the cemetery in Hot Springs reveals headstones out of synch with the death pattern of the rest of the cemetery. Entire families die within days of each other, during the first four months of 1919, and many cemeteries in South Dakota show the same pattern. The gruesome truth is not readily apparently, and one might think there was a house fire, or a wagon turned over, except that far too many died to be accounted for by such accidents.

Although Hot Springs did not suffer the full brunt of the pandemic until it was almost a year old, it was nonetheless the first town in South Dakota to experience a fatality. According to the South Dakota State Historical Society: On Tuesday, Sept. 17, 1918, Mrs. Arthur Nielson of Hot Springs received word that her brother had died while serving his country in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A local South Dakota newspaper noted that, He died of the new disease, Spanish Influenza, and was only sick three days.

In 1917, there were 54 deaths in South Dakota from the flu. In 1918, there were 1,847, and 700 more in 1919, and finally, 551 in 1920, for a total of 3,098. This means that 13% of the total lost to the pandemic were from Pine Ridge, even though they constituted at the time less than 5% of the population, meaning you were almost three times as likely to die from the flu if you were Oglala Lakota. Across the nation, reservation deaths were four times higher than the general population.

Vanessa Short Bull, told about the pandemic as experienced by her 97-year-old grandmother, Sadie Afraid of His Horses-Janis: The Red Cloud family had just finished picking potatoes at the end of October 1918 (near Alliance, Nebraska) when they were told of a real bad sickness that was coming and that they should start for home. They had just started to break camp when the middleaged members of the family started to get sick with the flu. The family decided to stay encamped at Alliance until they got well enough to travel back home to Pine Ridge.

The oldest children in the group were Sadies sister, Zona, and first cousin Nancy, who were sent to town to get groceries and fuel. Nancy spoke very little English, so Aunt Alice, who could speak and write English, wrote the note for the groceries. Zona was sent along as the interpreter. Sadie, who was 7 years old at the time, was fearful watching her sister and her cousin depart for town. Adding to the tension was the fear that her family would die from the flu. Also, the train would stop in Alliance to bring home the bodies of the soldiers who had died in WWI. It was eerie for the child to watch the constant stream of wagons going to the graveyard everyday to bury the soldiers and those who had died from the flu.

James Giago Davies is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota tribe. He can be reached at skindiesel@msn.com

Copyright permission Native Sun News Today

Join the Conversation#NativeVote18 Debra Topping latest Minnesota candidate to run for Lt. Governor; Three Native women seeking that office

Ray Skip Sandman is an Independence Party candidate for Congress.By Mark TrahantIndian Country Today

Three Ojibwe women are running for the office of Lt. Governor of Minnesota. Unprecedented? Two would be unprecedented. Three is what the world ought to look like.

Debra Topping, Fond du Lac Ojibwe, is the latest candidate to enter the race running with the Independence Party of Minnesota.

She posted on Facebook : After much thought, prayer, consideration and discussion I have decided to accept the opportunity Chris Seymore has offered me to be YOUR Lieutenant Governor 2018.  Who else has Minnesotas best interest at heart than an Indigenous woman?

Topping is an elder advocate and water protector. She is running on the Independence Party line as the running mate to a candidate for governor, Chris Seymore. He posted on social media that Topping brings with her the blessings of Winona LaDuke.

It's Official ! Congratulations Is In Order  #WaterProtector Mrs. Debra Topping Is Running For Lieutenant Governor... Posted by Chris Seymore For MN Governor on Wednesday, May 9, 2018

And one issue that will certainly be on the top of the agenda is Toppings opposition to the construction of pipelines in Northern Minnesota. Enbridge seeks to double the size of its current pipeline to bring oil from Canadas tar sands to markets through Lake Superior. Topping told The Progressive last year that the issue is simple. How clear and pure do you want your drinking water? she asked.

Just this week Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed a bill that would have allowed Enbridge to bypass the Public Utility Commission (the company says it will take too long). Now the commission will continue its pipeline review.

Topping recently organized a Block (Line 3) Party at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. At that event, she said according to the Healing Minnesota Stories website , Every day I wake up there is something to fight about, she said Every single day we get up and fight for our wild rice.

The Minnesota Independence Party is a new vehicle for that sort of protest. It was once the Reform Party of former Gov. Jesse Ventura who described the party as fiscally conservative, socially liberal. In the last presidential election, the party endorsed Evan McMullin, a former CIA agent and a policy director for the House Republican Conference. The party also champions the reform of marijuana laws and election methods, including support for Ranked Choice Voting.

Ray Skip Sandman, Fond du Lac Ojibwe, is running for Minnesota's 8th Congressional district on the Independence Party ticket. Campaign photo

Another Independence Party Candidate, Ray Skip Sandman, Fond du Lac Ojibwe, is running for Congress in the 8th district. For too long, the candidates of the two major parties have taken the people of the eighth for granted and have chosen to represent the interests of corporations and their wealthy donors, Sandman said.

He is focusing on protecting the waters of Minnesota, opposing the PolyMet copper-sulfide mine and expanding the availability of higher education among his proposals.

Sandman is one of 15 Native Americans running for Congress this election.Keeping aside advancement of science and technologies like cloud seeding, Gujarat government has decided to go back to "pleasing gods" for getting rain.

Experiencing fierce and dry heat, the state government is seeking divine intervention for good rains this monsoon.

Representational Image

The government is conducting 41 parjanya yaganas on May 31 in 33 districts and eight major cities of the state to appease Lord Indra (rain god) and Lord Varun (water god).

The government has decided to organise parjanya yagnas on May 31 to pray for good monsoon. The yagnas will be held at 41 places across Gujarat after which prasad will be distributed. Myself, along with CM Vijay Rupani, state ministers and senior officers will take part in the yagnas, which will be followed by a public meeting, Deputy CM Nitin Patel said.

According to reports all district collectors have been directed to organize yagnas in their areas on May 31 during the culmination of Gujarat government's month-long drive Sujlam Suflam Jal Abhiyaan. For the yagnas, special kalash from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, will be brought and distribute it on large scale and motivate villagers and city dwellers to join the yagnas.

BCCL

Holding mass prayers for good rains is nothing new in India. People have done everything to frog weddings to dog weddings to please rain gods, but this could be the first time a state government has officially endorsed it, spending public money.

Other states like Maharashtra and Karnataka have in the past depend on technology like cloud seeding to induce rains when they were facing water shortage.

It is also worthwhile to mention the 9-day yagna held in Meerut in March where some 500 quintals of Mango wood was burnt to reduce pollution.Human life is so cheap in some parts of the world. People are butchered en masse whenever a community decides to punish the other. We are seeing it happening across the length and breadth of the planet. For the last couple of years, atrocities against Rohingya Muslims dominated the international reporting. Recently two Indian photographers won prestigious Pulitzer prize for documenting the ordeal faced by the Rohingya Muslims who are killed by the majoritarian groups along with the Myanmar army. At the same time, there were reports that even the Rohingya Hindus were not safe. They are allegedly targetted by the Muslim armed groups that are engaged in a decisive violence against the Myanmar army. The observers across the world are quite confused and enraged at the same time.

Yesterday, Amnesty International made its report public. According to the reports, Rohingya Hindus have been massacred by the Rohingya Muslim armed group known as Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army. The report is contested by a section of activists who doubt the credibility of the findings. Regardless of who is right or who is wrong, one thing is pretty clear, innocent human beings are being killed and the Myanmar government has miserably failed to stop this violence against its own Hindu and Muslim citizens.

Hindu residents reacting after seeing bodies their family members in Maungdaw township last September. afp

Amnesty International claims rests on interviews

The Amnesty report is based on interviews with the aggrieved family who lost their relatives and friends.

afp

"Armed men dressed in black and local Rohingya villagers in plain clothes rounded up dozens of Hindu women, men and children. They robbed, bound, and blindfolded them before marching them to the outskirts of the village, where they separated the men from the women and young children," Amnesty explains. "A few hours later, the ARSA fighters killed 53 of the Hindus, execution-style, starting with the men."

Part of a list given to Amnesty International by Hindu community leaders, giving details of 100 Hindus killed in two massacres in the Kha Maung Seik cluster of villages in Myanmar.

Our latest investigation on the ground sheds much-needed light on the largely under-reported human rights abuses by ARSA during northern Rakhine States unspeakably dark recent history, said Tirana Hassan, Crisis Response Director at Amnesty International.

Thus spake the survivors

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According to the report, Eight women and their children were abducted and allowed to live on the condition that the women convert to Islam and marry some of the militants. The survivors were forced to flee to Bangladesh with their captors but with help of Hindu community and Bangladeshi security forces, they were freed.

ap

"They had knives. They also had some spades and iron rods. ... We hid in the shrubs there and were able to see a little," an 18-year-old survivor told the rights group. "My uncle, my father, my brother  they were all slaughtered."

Bina Bala, a 22-year-old woman who survived the massacre, told Amnesty International:

[The men] held knives and long iron rods. They tied our hands behind our backs and blindfolded us. I asked what they were doing. One of them replied, You and Rakhine are the same, you have a different religion, you cant live here. He spoke the [Rohingya] language. They asked what belongings we had, then they beat us. Eventually, I gave them my gold and money.

Anger in India over the Amnesty findings and Priyanka Chopra's visit to camps

The Amnesty report has triggered anger in India and the online criticism aka trolling of actress Priyanka Chopra on visiting Rohingya camps in Bangladesh was the manifestation of that anger triggered after the Amnesty International's report.

Sorry for saying big thing.. but I just want to ask .. we have d same problem in India , forget India .. in Mumbai itself how many time did u visit n went there n thing about their problem n needs ??? Will appriciate if spare some time also at least nearby of our places. Thanks  Somit Gope (@imSomit) May 21, 2018

           ,      ,            Suraj (@surajpoddar3) May 21, 2018

Not only politicians but common people have taken Chopra to cleaners and asked her how many times she visited refugee camps in India. BJP leader Vinay Katiyar said that she doesn't know about Rohingyas and said Rohingyas shouldn't be allowed in India. The ANI, however, deleted the tweet later.

Myanmar busy in ethnic cleansing fails to protect its citizens

While the Rohingyas are accused of killing the members of another community members in Rakhine state, its also a fact that Myanmar army has been allegedly killing Rohingya Muslims across the state which again shows that the country has lakhs of Rohingyas have crossed into Bangladesh making it a refugee crisis.

The camps in Bangladesh are overcrowded and fear of epidemics like Malaria and cholera are looming large which would eventually lead to deaths of people including children.

To date, some 700,000 Rohingya refugees have fled across the border into Bangladesh, where most still live in dilapidated, disease-haunted camps and tell harrowing stories of the military's systematic murder, rape and torture of Rohingya Muslims.

afp

U.N. representatives and other international officials have described Myanmar's actions as crimes against humanity.

"I am becoming more convinced that the crimes committed following 9 October 2016 and 25 August 2017 bear the hallmarks of genocide," Yanghee Lee, U.N. special rapporteur to Myanmar, said in a statement.

ap

Various international organisations have asked Myanmar to allow investigation in human right violation. According to UN Population Fund, roughly 13,500 Rohingya women were forced into sexual slavery by Myanmar army and if the international aid group Save the Children is believed, this year at least 48,000 Rohingya babies will be born in camps.

Lately, reports have come that 60 children are being born in camps a day which validates the reports of various organisations. Amnesty, however, also called Myanmar to be open for investigation.

ARSAs appalling attacks were followed by the Myanmar militarys ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya population as a whole. Both must be condemned  human rights violations or abuses by one side never justify abuses or violations by the other, said Tirana Hassan.

All the survivors and victims families have the right to justice, truth, and reparation for the immense harm they have suffered.

Last week at UN Security Council meeting last week Myanmars permanent representative criticised some in the UN for listening to one side of the story fails to acknowledge the atrocities caused by ARSA.

The Myanmar government cannot criticize the international community as being one-sided while at the same time denying access to northern Rakhine State. The full extent of ARSAs abuses and the Myanmar militarys violations will not be known until independent human rights investigators, including the UN Fact-Finding mission, are given full and unfettered access to Rakhine State, said Tirana Hassan.The king size bed in Saddam Hussein's superyacht is made, the silk curtains around it have been drawn back and, in the gold-rimmed bathroom next door, a barber's chair awaits its occupant.

But the Iraqi dictator never boarded the 82-metre (270-foot) "Basrah Breeze" built for him in 1981 - and its amenities will now be enjoyed by the pilots who guide shipping in and out of the port of Basra, the main southern city.

Reuters

In common with other treasures left by Saddam, toppled in 2003 during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and hanged three years later for crimes against humanity, the governments that succeeded him have been struggling to find a use for the ship.

Since Iraq got it back in 2010 following a court battle and a three-decade odyssey abroad, it has been mostly moored in Basra.

Equipped with a presidential suite comprising Saddam's private quarters, dining rooms and bedrooms, as well as 17 smaller guest rooms, 18 cabins for crew and a clinic, the opulently equipped and decorated vessel was put on the market for $30 million.

Reuters

The government failed to find a buyer, and for the past two years the "Basrah Breeze" has served Basra University, hosting researchers on trips to study marine life.

"The presidential yacht is in a very good condition. Its two engines and generators are functioning," said Abdul-Zahra Abdul-Mahdi Saleh, its captain. "It only needs periodic maintenance."

But authorities have now decided to moor it permanently as a hotel and recreation facility for the southern port's pilots, many of whom live in distant cities.

"The port needs the boat to be a station where sea pilots can rest," said Basra port spokesman Anmar al-Safi.

Reuters

Built by a Danish shipyard while Iraq was at war with Iran, the yacht was passed on to Saudi Arabia - then a Saddam ally - to protect it from air strikes on Basra, officials giving Reuters an exclusive tour said.

The kingdom, which fell out with Saddam after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, then handed the vessel over to Jordan. Its subsequent movements were unclear until Iraq tracked it down in the French resort of Nice, where a court seized it and sent it home.

While the "Basrah Breeze" survived the turmoil of Saddam's decline and demise, its sister ship "al-Mansur" - which he also never boarded - suffered a different fate, sinking in the Shatt al-Arab waterway that passes through Basra after it was hit by US planes and then stripped bare in the chaotic aftermath of his overthrow.

Saddam had ordered it in 2003 to leave Umm Qasr, Iraq's biggest port outside Basra, where it had been moored, to Basra in a vain attempt to avoid air strikes.

Reuters

"I told the captain of the yacht, who was a brigadier, to get rid of the military uniforms of the crew, weapons and munitions and pose as civilian ship in case it is caught by the American warships," said Ali Hussein, a port pilot who guided the yacht at the time.

As regards "Basrah Breeze", Basra museum has not given up hope of persuading the port to allow it to dock the vessel next to its exhibition halls in one of Saddam's former palaces overlooking the Shatt al-Arab.

"Future generations could see how a dictator lived," said Jawad Abdul Kadhim, the museum's deputy director.Arnia town, located five km from the International Border once had a population of over 18,500, but today it resembles a ghost town, with only a few people and some policemen left there.

That is because the residents of the once bustling town have fled their homes, fearing for their lives as they are being targeted everyday by the Pakistani troops from across the border.

PTI

According to reports, over 76,000 villagers have abandoned Arnia and nearly 100 border hamlets along the Indo-Pak border to escape heavy shelling by Pakistani troops.

AP

"Arnia town is empty as most of its population has migrated. They have shifted either to their relatives or to shelter camps set up by the government", Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Jammu, Arun Manhas, told PTI.

AP

Over 200 educational institutes have been closed for the next three days along the IB in Jammu, Samba, and Kathua districts by authorities in the wake of tension along the Indo-Pak border due to shelling.

AFP

Many who fled the firing said they have never witnessed such intense firing in decades.

"I have never seen such intense and heavy shelling since 1971. Even in war, we were not so much targeted by Pakistan. Now they are raining mortar shells on us," 78 year Bishan Dass, a resident of Arnia told PTI.

PTI

Meanwhile, the escalation at the border shows no signs of slowing down as five more civilians were killed by Pakistani bullet on Wednesday, which also left 30 others injured.

The Pakistan's Rangers have used heavy mortar shells on areas of RS Pura, Arnia, Ramgarh, Samba and Hiranagar sectors of Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts.Sometimes, it's not only humans who bring their wrath upon animals. Sometimes it's the animals themselves who cast out members of their family.

Heartbreaking images have emerged showing the final moments of an emaciated old lion known as Skybed Scar. Once a king of his land, he was kicked out from his pride to die alone.

caters news agency

Also read: On Mother's Day, Here's The Story Of A Lion That Mothered Cubs After Lioness Died In Gujarat

Scar was extremely well known in Kruger National Park, South Africa, where he resided. Pictures taken by photographer Larry Anthony Pannell show him exhausted and lying on the ground, unable to move.

caters news agency

Also read: With No New Protected Habitat, Here's How India Fails To Protect & Increase Lion Population

Even when faced with an elephant, the lion shows no attempt to fight it out with the giant as he was just moments close to drawing his last breath. And he did.

It's such an awful sight to see such a majestic beauty reduced to skin and bones. Maybe like us humans, animals too find peace after crossing over. Maybe Scar did too.You can be as careful as possible, avoiding shady websites, and staying away from suspect apps, to ensure your security is as tight as possible.

But none of that makes on lick of difference if your smartphone has malware built into it.

It turns out thats exactly what happened, according to a recent report by Avast Thread Labs. The researchers say they found adware installed on hundreds of devices not certified by Google, from manufacturers like ZTE, Archos and myPhone. Apparently, owners with the affected devices keep seeing popup ads, among other annoying problems.

Worst of all, its not a problem that can be fixed with a simple antivirus, because the malicious program has been installed on a firmware level.

This is one of the biggest malware scandals to ever affect Android users. The researchers say there are a few different variants of the APK of this malware, but all of them work in the same way. The infected apps, called droppers, are installed in such a way that they dont appear to the user, but instead hide in the system applications list under settings. These droppers then download a small file called a manifest, that gives it instructions to download other files. Once thats done, it downloads an APK from a URL pointed to in the manifest, and uses a standard Android command to install. Thats when the payload kicks in.

The payload is basically ad frameworks for Google, Facebook, and Baidu, allowing it to show popup ads for other malware-riddle games while you surf on your default browser. An annoying problem that could get even worse if you actually downloaded any of those apps. Its also capable of detecting the presence of an antivirus program, in which case it refrains from acting and giving itself away.

It seems Russia, Italy, Germany, the UK, and France are among the worst-affected countries. Avast claims it was able to deactivate the server providing the manifest for the droppers, but it was soon restored through another channel. As of right now, the adware is still running rampant.

Google is attempting to stymie the malware, and it says its Google Play Protect system should automatically disable the dropper and its payload. Meanwhile, the only way to fix the issue seems to be a combination of a powerful antivirus as well as manually disabling the app from the settings menu.Switch the Market flag

Open the menu and switch the

Market flag for targeted data from your country of choice.

for targeted data from your country of choice.French President Emmanuel Macron has backed the candidacy of Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo as the head of a group of French-speaking countries, International Organization of La Francophonie.





"The Rwandan foreign minister has every competence to carry out this role," Mr Macron said during a press conference with his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame, reports news agency AFP. "I will support her."





He also vowed to strengthen ties with Rwanda and praised Kagame for sharing his belief in "strong multilateralism".





"We hope to continue working together... both on the bilateral level and for the African continent," President Kagame said.





Resolving "the complexities of the past... will probably take time," said President Macron.





"What brings us together are the questions of peace and security in Africa," he added.





The meeting on Wednesday is the third between Mr Kagame and Mr Macron in a year.





Diplomatic relations between both countries have been strained since Rwanda accused the French of complicity during the 1994 genocide, which France denies.





A French judge implicated Mr Kagame in the Rwandan genocide of 1994, an accusation which he rejected.





More than 800,000 Tutsis and some Hutus lost their lives during the violence.





Rwanda joined the Commonwealth in 2009, despite its historic association with Francophone countries.





The former colony of Germany and Belgium became the second country to be admitted without a British colonial past or constitutional link to Britain.





English was made an official language in Rwanda, alongside French and Kinyarwanda, after the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) took power in 1994.





This is because many of RPF's Tutsi leaders grew up in exile in English-speaking countries like Tanzania and Uganda.

















BBCThe requested page is currently unavailable on this server.

Back to [RTHK News Homepage]Companies will be more inclined to report breaches, leading to an increased impact on the volume of cyber claims. This was seen in the US after state breach notification laws came into effect and where nearly every high-profile cyber breach is met with at least one class action lawsuit.

Releasing its latest cyber claims report, the insurer reported receiving the same volume for EMEA in 2017 as that in 2013-2016 combined. And, yes, even more cyber claim notifications are expected once GDPR comes into force.

In 2017 we saw a series of sophisticated, systemic malware and ransomware attacks, including WannaCry and NotPetya, noted Camillo. The resulting business interruption was a significant issue for many European organisations  much of the financial impact was a balance sheet loss.

While ransom payments only generated around $150,000, total economic losses associated with WannaCry are estimated at $8 billion, with half a billion dollars attributed to direct costs and indirect business disruption. The majority of these losses were underinsured.

The professional services sector, which posted a significant increase in its proportion of overall claims last year compared to the 2013-2016 period, better brace itself for further breaches. Camillo said the likes of solicitors and accountants have become more of a target, given the quality and size of their client databases.

Financial services were found to be equally vulnerable.

However, whatever their size or sector, organisations operating in todays interconnected and increasingly digital world are becoming more attuned to the risk and aware of how good cyber hygiene, combined with cyber insurance, can play an important part in mitigating potentially dire financial consequences, said the cyber head.

Camillo believes organisations must practise their response, implement a robust cyber risk strategy, and ensure they are indemnified for the full range of cyber exposures in order to be resilient.

In 2017 more than a quarter of the European cyber claims received had ransomware as the primary cause of loss. AIG said other main types include data breach by hackers, other security failure or unauthorised access, and impersonation fraud.

Related stories:

Global trends impacting a new insurance industry

GDPR offering a growth opportunity for trustworthy companies?Insurtechs are still very much misunderstood and I certainly think its easier for the industry to consider new ideas and solutions as disruptive as opposed to really thinking about how they can be considered as enabling or complementing insurers.

Siemsens comments came after EY released a report earlier this week analysing whether insurtechs are enabling or disrupting Australias established insurance industry.

The report found that the majority of insurtechs (65%) see themselves as enablers of the insurance value chain while 25% believe they complement the industry and just 10% consider themselves as disrupters that are challenging the status quo.

When asked to categorise Claims Central, Siemsen was quick to label the company as an enabler and pointed to a recent deal with underwriting agency Blue Zebra as the perfect example.

The company, which is helping reinvigorate the advice model for Australias brokers, selected Claims Central as its technology partner to simplify the claims process for its broker network.

The process transparency, speed of settlement, and improvement in operational efficiencies will give Blue Zebra a competitive edge now and well into the future, said Siemsen.

Despite this, many insurers still see insurtech as a disruptive force and Siemsen said the misperception is hampering much-needed collaboration as some incumbents remain resistant.

In New Zealand and the US, the incumbents have already embraced this true partnering and collaboration where insurers and insurtechs recognise each others work and are finding new ways to solve todays and tomorrows challenges, he told Insurance Business.

However, in the Australian market, the incumbents still have quite an internal focus on building their own or doing it themselves  Im sure over the next 18 months that will improve but thats a big barrier to collaboration at the moment.

Interestingly, Siemsen said it shouldnt be solely down to the industry giants to overhaul their thinking  instead, the onus should be on insurtechs to demonstrate their value and educate incumbents.

You have to consider there are a lot of new entrants and a lot of new insurtechs around and we, collectively as insurtechs, need to do a better job with the initial interaction with insurers, he said.

We need to help them understand our value proposition and we need to be able to demonstrate that we understand their business and can enhance or enable it, he continued.

While the insurtech space is exploding with tech savvy pioneers, Siemsen says even the most promising firms sometimes lack industry knowledge which can be a red flag to insurers.

Ive invested in a number of insurtechs and a lot of them are great technology thinkers but may miss the subject matter expertise to really engage with an insurer and I think thats also a component contributing to the lack of collaboration - that insurtechs may not have the subject matter expertise to really engage at the right levels with insurers, he said.

Related stories:

Will insurtechs really disrupt the Australian industry?

Brokers ready to disrupt themselves to stay relevantLast year the two signed a deal aimed at strengthening the protection of independent workers using the ridesharing app in France. Also, back in December Ubers meal delivery business teamed up with the Paris-headquartered provider to offer couriers in Europe an insurance package starting in January.

Now coverage has been extended to afford Uber drivers on the continent optimum protection through AXA.

Come next month, Partner Protection will be provided to both drivers and couriers in European markets. Funded by Uber at no cost to eligible partners, protections include accident, injury, illness, as well as maternity and paternity benefits.

Were committed to being a better partner, and that starts by being a better listener, said Khosrowshani. Thats why Im thrilled to provide this groundbreaking protection alongside a trusted insurer like AXA, giving our drivers and couriers the peace of mind they tell us they want while preserving the flexibility they value.

Well continue to ensure that the voices of the drivers and couriers are heard as we take Uber forward together.

According to Uber, Partner Protection will instantly cover over 150,000 independent partners across Europe starting June 01.

Meanwhile a joint affinity marketplace for partners will also be created as part of the collaboration. Using a digital platform, Uber and AXA will propose a full set of personalised offers  encompassing injury protection, income protection, family protection, health covers, retirement, and savings.

AXAs aim is to provide everyone with optimum protection, said AXA chief executive Thomas Buberl. With the digital revolution, forms of work have been changing engendering new needs for protection.

Our innovative partnership with Uber has proved that a world leader in insurance and one of the most emblematic companies in the new economy can successfully join forces to accompany these deep transformations. I am thrilled with the prospects engendered in continuing to cater to our customers evolving needs.

Related stories:

Uber reassures NSW riders they are insured

Will we hit the brakes on autonomous cars after fatal Uber crash?A Kentucky couple has pleaded guilty to several criminal charges in connection with an insurance scam that involved stealing funeral insurance premiums.

Tim and Becky King, owners of Filbeck-McCann & King Funeral Home in Benton, Ky., pleaded guilty to two counts of fraudulent insurance acts, one count of theft by unlawful taking or disposition over $500, one count of theft by unlawful taking or disposition ($500-$10,000), one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument, and two misdemeanor counts of fraudulent insurance acts, according to the Kentucky Department of Insurance.We have established ourselves as an important business partner to our clients by providing a broad range of global reinsurance solutions. This was made possible by strong collaboration with our clients and brokers, many of whom have worked with us for the past two decades.

The company has hubs in Bogota, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, and Miami. XL Catlins team underwrites accident & health, agro casualty, aviation, credit, marine, property, and surety lines.

Colombia has been a remarkable home for our Latin American reinsurance operations, commented XL Catlin underwriting director and head of reinsurance in Colombia Emmanuel Jacquemin. This year presents a great opportunity to reflect on our development in Colombia, while also of course remaining focused on the future.

Keeping up with the pace of change is an exciting challenge for the industry  we will continue to work hard to come up with innovative solutions to respond to the changing risk landscape of our clients and to contribute to the closing of the protection gap, Jacquemin added.

Schmidt concluded by calling XL Catlins Colombia operations one of the companys significant contributors to its overall success. He mentioned how the company is committed to the regional market and is looking forward to growing the business further while serving the needs of clients.

Related stories:

XL Catlin creates insurance solution for autonomous technology developers

XL Catlin construction line-up expands westWith the repeal of the individual mandate and the failure of Congress to enact stabilization legislation, we are expecting premiums to go up substantially, Haltmeyer told the media.

Those two things have the most impact on the rate increases.

The executive estimated that average premium increases across America will be in the low teens, but there might be exceptions. The Hill reported that some areas could see increases in the low single digits, while others could find their premiums rise by up to 70% or 80%.

Haltmeyer also believes that the Trump administrations decision to expand short-term plans that do not meet Obamacare requirements is also driving insurance premium increases. This move, insurers warn, could lock healthy people out of the healthcare plan while raising premiums for those who remain.

Related stories:

Report: US healthcare spending to rise 5.3% in 2018

Virginia warns 70,000 families that their insurance may endIve been having fun for 34 years, and I have been doing cannabis for 23, so Im never bored, and its always lots of fun.

IBA: How did you get into insuring medical/recreational marijuana?

GH: The recreational marijuana insurance industry has not been around for a very long time, but medical has. In 1994, we were approached by a group of people who were in the hemp business. Before marijuana was legal in California, we had hemp clothing, belts, oils, etc. that were legal. This group of people was doing a festival in Northern California and needed event and liability insurance in order to rent a fairground. We were the 12th insurance broker they called, and we handled their festival insurance for them.

Two years later, those same people wrote Proposition 215 [to allow medical marijuana in California], and when it passed in 1996, everything changed. From 1996 to 2006, we were the only broker in California that wrote marijuana insurance. We wrote the original underwriting rules with Lloyds of London having to do with how to rate general liability and property for the industry. Those underwriting rules are still used today. Also, that client who wrote Prop 215 is still our client 23 years later.

IBA: What trends are currently impacting the cannabis industry?

GH: There are a lot of things influencing the cannabis business right now. The most volatile aspect for everything cannabis is political. In some states, cannabis is still very illegal and a very serious crime. On the other hand, in some states like California, you dont even need a medical card.

During the eight years of the Obama administration, when it would be an election year, we would see the DEA raid dispensaries and grows, because marijuana is a federal felony. As soon as the election was over, they would back off and stop the raids.

Another challenge is the economics of supply and demand. Right now, in Oregon, it seems everyone is growing cannabis  to the point where supply is outrunning demand. We are seeing prices go down and some clients going out of business. Ive learned that there are two kinds of people in this industry: the businesspeople who take care of business, and the other people who dont take care of the business. So if you are not a good businessman and the profit margin isnt great, as is the case in Oregon, then you dont make it.

IBA: What are the main risks and challenges in insuring this market?

GH: When I approach this issue, I ask people to understand that cannabis is in many ways similar to any other business. For instance, if you have employees, then you run the risk of them getting injured on the job, so you must carry workers comp insurance.

There are other areas of risk that are similar to other businesses, such as fire risk, theft risk, products liability risk and many more. Sometimes cannabis tax bonds are required. In several states, a dispensary is required to bond a certain amount of money in case they dont pay their sales tax.

If you look at the history of insurance, companies have actuarial statistics of 150 years worth of data when it comes to homeowners and auto insurance. With cannabis, the insurance industry doesnt have that luxury. We have essentially 21 years of information, but with a relatively small number of insured businesses to collect information from. Insurance companies dont like to go into a market that they dont know much about. The result is that insurers come in and out of the market, and pricing and coverage availability tends to be inconsistentWillis Towers Watson reports that Chinas Banking Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) earlier this month approved Willis Insurance Brokers to be the first fully licensed foreign broker to transact all insurance business in China.

This follows President Xi Jinpings announcement early last month of a series of liberalization initiatives aimed at opening up the Chinese financial services market to foreign operators.

In response to President Xi Jinpings announcement, the regulatory bureau expanded Willis Towers Watsons operating permit to encompass all lines of insurance brokerage, according to Willis.

Commenting on the announcement, Scott Burnett, head of Asia, noting that Willis Towers Watson was one of the first foreign insurance brokers to enter the Chinese market, with a presence dating back to 1994, said this licensing speaks to the long term commitment of our company to China and the recognition of our reputation and relationships not only in China but across the globe.

Wise Xu, head of Willis Insurance Brokers China, said Willis has a branch network in China, relationships with carriers and a global placement capability. Combined with our global knowledge and experience, the extended license to operate in China enables us to further grow our business with existing and new clients and opens up many new potential opportunities over time, Xu said.

Topics Agencies ChinaComplying with the European Unions new General Data Protection Regulation is leading insurers and reinsurers to dilute the types of data they gathersomething that could diminish underwriting quality, A.M. Best said in its latest regulatory assessment.

The GDPR kicks in on May 25. Carriers consulted by the ratings agency said they are pursuing compliance, in part, by planning stricter data access rules within their organization. Many also expect a drop in new data collection to the minimum information needed and a general shift toward aggregated, anonymous data versus individual information. A.M. Best said these changes, while complying with the GDPR, could harm underwriting.

These actions may carry the side effect of diluting data quality for analytical purposes, with negative implications for underwriting and product offerings, A.M. Best noted.

The regulation, which covers personal data held by companies, also requires insurers/reinsurers and other companies to report any data breaches within 72 hours. Companies must be able to provide European customers with a copy of their personal data and delete it in certain situations at their request. Technology companies, retailers, healthcare providers and banks are also affected by the law.

Noncompliance with any part of the GDPR can lead to fines up to 4 percent of annual global revenues for noncompliance.

GDPR Complexities

Those examples are just some of the complexities insurers and reinsurers are facing as they seek to comply with the new regulation, A.M. Best said.

Complexityboth operational and legalas well as preparing for the tight reporting window for breach notification, are the main challenges that [insurers/reinsurers] have met on their path toward compliance, A.M. Best noted in its regulatory review update.

Microsoft to Extend EU Data Privacy Rights Globally. Facebook, Google Not Quite.

In terms of insurers and reinsurers, A.M. Best said that market participants with large business portfolios (including those with more retail), pointed to the challenge of addressing the laws requirements for individual rights, such as a subjects access rights and the right to be forgotten.

A.M. Best said there are other complexities due to the law, stemming from the long chain of insurers and brokers involved in specific areas such as treaty reinsurance.

Another issue is the way the GDPR has been incorporated into laws within individual EU member states. This can make centralized data management and cross border data flows more difficult, A.M. Best said. But that 72-hour data breach disclosure requirement could be particularly difficult.

Insurers/reinsurers anticipate that Article 33, and particularly the 72-hour incident response requirement, is likely to put companies internal processes and functions under considerable pressure, making pre-event planning and training even more important, A.M. Best wrote in its write-up.

Insurers and reinsurers are seeking help from local regulators, A.M. Best said, building on existing data protection systems in order to comply with the added rules. The cooperation between the government and private sector has led to best practices, according to A.M. Best, elevating the overall level of preparedness in the process.

Source: A.M. Best

Topics Carriers Legislation Europe Underwriting Reinsurance AM Best Data DrivenUber plans to offer all its European drivers an upgraded version of the health insurance it already provides in France in a drive to attract independent workers and fend off criticism over their treatment.

The San Francisco-based taxi app, which tied up with insurer AXA last year to offer French drivers accident cover, said the scheme will include other European countries and a maternity/paternity payment from June 1.

Ubers new chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi was scheduled to meet French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, ahead of so-called Tech for Good workshops with the heads of tech giants Facebook, Microsoft and IBM.

The app is striving to shore up its image after allegations of sexual harassment and mistreatment of drivers led to the resignation of its former boss Travis Kalanick last year.

Uber has been challenged by lawmakers, workers rights advocates and the established taxi industry who say it undercuts rival services because it uses independent workers who do not enjoy the same rights and benefits as permanent employees.

NO-COST BENEFITS

Uber said on its blog that so-called Partner Protection will be made available for more than 150,000 drivers and couriers at no cost and will be provided in 21 European countries, including Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

And off-trip coverage will include a single payment of 1,000 euros to men and women for the birth of a new child.

For severe accidents while working, drivers will receive up to 50,000 euros if they are left permanently unable to work.

Other benefits include the payment of medical costs incurred outside of the free healthcare and the single payment of up to 1,000 euros for a 24-hour hospitalization.

Drivers who are temporarily unable to work will be compensated for up to 30 days if the accident occurs during their work. The compensation will vary by country and be based on 80 percent of the drivers median gross daily earnings.

Uber is also appealing a decision by Londons transport regulator last September to strip it of its license after it was deemed unfit to run a taxi service.

(Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain and Gwenaelle Barzic in PARIS; Additional reporting by Costas Pitas in LONDON Editing by Alexander Smith)

Topics Europe Personal Auto Sharing Economy Ridesharing UberThe average total cost per workers compensation claim in Indiana was stable in the years since the state enacted workers comp system reforms, according to a recent Workers Compensation Research Institute study.

The study, CompScope Benchmarks for Indiana, 18th Edition, provides a look at changes in the Indiana workers comp system following the enactment in 2013 of House Enrolled Act 1320. The legislation included the implementation of a hospital fee schedule that took effect on July 1, 2014, as well as increases in indemnity benefits in three yearly increments beginning in 2014.

Recent stability of cost trends is likely related to provisions in HEA 1320, Ramona Tanabe, WCRIs executive vice president and counsel, said in a statement. Since 2013, payments per claim changed little, in contrast to growth averaging 6 percent per year from 2004 to 2013.

WCRI analyzed workers comp claims with experience through 2017 for injuries up to and including 2016. WCRI compared Indiana with workers compensation systems in 17 other states and found workers comp costs in Indiana were typical of those in the other states studied. Medical payments per claim remained higher in Indiana and indemnity benefits per claim remained lower in Indiana when compared with most of other states WCRI studied.

The studys other findings include:

From 2014 to 2015, medical payments per claim decreased 12 percent due in part to the introduction of a hospital fee schedule, which took effect on July 1, 2014.

From 2015 to 2016, medical payments per claim increased 9 percent, which may partly reflect system features.

Indemnity benefits per claim increased 4 percent from 2014 to 2015 and 11 percent from 2015 to 2016. The income benefit provisions of HEA 1320 were likely a factor in the recent increases in indemnity benefits per claim.

WCRI is an independent, not-for-profit research organization based in Cambridge, Mass. Visit the organizations website for more information about this study or to purchase a copy.

Topics Workers' Compensation IndianaFamily members of a school receptionist have settled their lawsuit over an explosion that killed her last summer at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis, Minn.

An attorney for Ruth Bergs family and CenterPoint Energy confirmed the settlement Tuesday. Terms were not disclosed.

The 47-year-old Berg and 82-year-old custodian John Carlson were killed and nine other people were injured when the building fell last August. The lawsuit alleges that contractors for CenterPoint ran to save themselves rather than warn people inside the school about a gas leak before the explosion.

The private, Christian school was not in session at the time.

The lawsuit named CenterPoint and Master Mechanical, the company contracted to move gas meters out of the building, as defendants.

Master Mechanical declined to discuss the settlement with the Star Tribune .

A final report from the National Transportation Safety Board is pending.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics MinnesotaBond insurer Assured Guaranty sued Puerto Rico and its federally-appointed oversight board on Wednesday, saying their plan to resuscitate the storm-ravaged, bankrupt U.S. territory violates the U.S. Constitution by stripping creditors of property rights.

Assured, which insures $5 billion of bonds issued by Puerto Rico and its public agencies, wants a federal court in Puerto Rico to declare invalid a so-called fiscal turnaround plan that sets future economic projections for Puerto Rico.

The projections are meant to form the basis for debt restructuring talks between Puerto Rico and holders of $71.5 billion in debt the island cannot pay. Assured expressed frustration over the plan last week, telling the board in a letter the projections had been reached without creditor input.

In a statement filed concurrently with the complaint, Assured said Puerto Ricos long-term economic sustainability depends on future investment and access to capital markets, and investors will not be willing to make those investments if previous agreements are not honored.

The fiscal plan projects about $6.05 billion of debt service capacity over the next six years, indicating big haircuts for creditor repayments. The plan is supported by the board and by Governor Ricardo Rossello, who had opposed it until this week, when he announced an accord with the board over how the plan would treat workers.

Assureds lawsuit is an updated version of a similar one the company had withdrawn after Hurricane Maria slammed Puerto Rico in September. The storm, Puerto Ricos worst natural disaster in 90 years, forced the oversight board to revise the islands then-fiscal plan.

Assured alleges that the new plan does not do any better a job than the old one of respecting creditors liens, which it says the board is required to do under the 2016 federal law that created it, called PROMESA.

The plan does not define which government services are and are not essential, also in breach of PROMESA, and violates the U.S. Constitutions Takings Clause, which bars the government from seizing private property for public use, according to the lawsuit.

Spokesmen for the oversight board and Rossello could not be reached for immediate comment on Assureds latest legal action.

(Reporting by Nick Brown; Editing by Daniel Bases and Tom Brown)

Topics Lawsuits Carriers USAMicrosoft promised this week to give users worldwide the same data and privacy rights Europeans will get under new regulations there. Thats in contrast to some of its tech rivals, who are hedging on how much privacy protections will change for Americans and other non-Europeans.

Microsofts move means no matter where people live, theyll be able to see what information the company collects about them and correct or delete it if necessary. Users will also be able to object to the use of data for marketing and other purposes. Users can exercise the rights by using online tools or contacting the company directly.

New European rules, known as the General Data Protection Regulation, take effect Friday, but U.S. tech companies havent generally embraced them outside of the European Union. Facebook, for instance, has said its offering the same privacy settings and controls worldwide, but has stopped short of promising European-style rights around the globe.

Julie Brill, Microsofts deputy general counsel, said in a blog post Monday that the company believes the new regulation establishes important principles that are relevant globally.

But because the company that doesnt depend as much on advertising revenue as Facebook and Google, Microsoft can afford to give users more options on data use.

Microsoft updated its privacy policy Monday to make it easier to understand and include more details. For instance, it spells out additional sources of third-party data that Microsoft gets, including outside developers who create apps and other experiences for Microsofts Cortana voice assistant.

How Data Privacy Laws Could Hamper Insurance Underwriting

The new EU rules have prompted companies large and small to update their privacy policies and service terms to comply. Heres a look at how Facebook and Google are adapting to a post-GDPR world.

FACEBOOK

In March, Facebook updated its privacy controls in hopes of making them easier to find and understand. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said Facebook intends to offer those same controls and settings around the world, even though the GDPR governs only EU users.

But Facebook has been vague about applying other GDPR provisions to non-Europeans. That includes one that lets Europeans object to the processing of personal data, such as for marketing.

Facebook has also ramped up efforts to get your permission to use facial recognition to automatically identify people in photos _ for instance, to make it easier to tag friends or to let you know if someone uses your photo. Facebook has been using that technology in much of the world for six years, but not in the EU and Canada, where privacy laws are stronger.

Now, EU and Canadian users are being invited to turn that feature on. Facebook says it will eventually ask everyone to reaffirm the use of facial recognition; the company previously assumed consent unless users took the initiative to turn that off.

Though Facebook isnt making major changes to its data practices, its new privacy policy has one subtle change. Previously, all users outside the U.S. and Canada were legally managed by Facebooks Irish subsidiary. Under the new rules, everyone outside Europe will be fall under the jurisdiction of its U.S. headquarters.

That means users in Asia, for instance, wont get the EU privacy protections. Facebook didnt explicitly announce the change; The Associated Press confirmed it through checks in six countries.

Facebook also plans to offer a less-personalized version of its service for EU teens to comply with requirements it obtain parental permission before kids under 16 can, for instance, list their political or religious views online. In the U.S., the cutoff is lower, at 13. Facebook wont ask for parental consent in such cases outside the EU, but will ask teens themselves if they want these features.

GOOGLE

Google also isnt making major changes to its data practices, although it did rewrite its privacy policy to make it easier to understand. It now includes video to explain concepts better. Section headers have larger fonts, and links to related settings are more clearly marked. Google also expanded many sections to more fully explain how it collects and uses data.

Google is also expanding the availability of Family Link, a feature that lets parents create Google accounts for their children. As part of this, parents will have to give consent to comply with new EU provisions governing teens.

The feature also gives parents tools to control Android devices, such as locking the childs device and blocking apps. Family Link was already available in 11 countries, including the U.S., the U.K. and Ireland. Google is now making that available in the rest of the EU.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics USA Legislation Europe CanadaNext Insurance, which debuted in 2016 as a digital insurance agency for small to medium-size businesses, is repositioning itself by becoming a licensed insurance carrier.

The company says it has received its first license from Delaware and expects to be licensed in several states by the end of 2018 and eventually in all states.

In moving from being a managing general agency (MGA) to a full-fledged carrier, the commercial lines insurtech believes it will have greater freedom over its underwriting, policies, claims and customer experience.

Until now, we have been operating as an MGA, which was a step on our path toward becoming a carrier, Guy Goldstein, co-founder and CEO, told Carrier Management in a series of questions-and-answers on the move. As a carrier, we want to be able to take some of the risk of insurance upon ourselves and to be able to offer fully tailored products to entrepreneurs. This will allow us to better control the holistic experience and to continue to innovate faster.

Goldstein said becoming a carrier requires significant effort and financial backing. It has taken us more than two years to get to this point, he said.

While Goldstein believes going the carrier route makes sense now for Next, it may not be the answer for all insurtechs. Other companies may have different goals than we do, leading to alternative strategic directions, he said. Theres more than one way to be a successful insurtech company.

Nexts platform simplifies the insurance process for small business owners and gives them more control over their policiesincluding letting them manage and cancel on their own. Next uses data analytics to create policies tailored to the unique needs of different classes of business. Target markets thus far have included personal trainers, yoga instructors, landscapers, carpenters, janitorial services and photographers.

Why take this step now?

Small business insurance was stagnant for many years. We are rebuilding it from the ground up with new, fresh and innovative thinking, Goldstein told Carrier Management.

As a carrier, we are able to move more quickly to meet the markets changing demandscreating policies to meet the needs of todays entrepreneurs and simplifying the policy purchasing process by asking far fewer questions. Being a carrier also enables us to utilize a tailored, risk-based pricing model, which will reduce prices for low-risk customers, Goldstein added.

Like some other insurtechs, Next has published certain sales information on its website. This data shows that by the end of 2017, it had sold $5 million in premium. It took 400 days for it to reach $1 million, then 33 days to hit $5 million. As of December 2017, its written premium run rate is $8.7 millionthis is the total for all of 2018 if every month of sales matches the December total.

The insurtech has been attracting insurers as investors. Since its founding in 2016 in Palo Alto, Calif., Next has received a total of $48 million in venture capital funding from Ribbit Capital, TLV Partners, Zeev Ventures, Munich RE Ventures, Markel, Nationwide, American Express, and others.

Next has also partnered with insurers on products. It offers a Munich Re product targeting commercial photographers and tailored coverage for personal trainers developed with Markel.

The exact nature of Nexts relationships with these and other insurers going forward is not entirely clear. Goldstein said only that relations with Markel and Munich Re are very strong, and as a carrier, we will continue to work closely with them.

Goldstein said Next plans to expand its offerings to serve general contractors, roofers, beauty professionals and others, as well as enter new lines of business and roll out on-demand insurance and an improved claims management process.

Related:

Wells Medias Carrier Management recently published a series of articles looking at the financial results of insurtech carriers by Matteo Carbone and Adrian Jones:

Dispatches From Insurtech Survival Island: Five Takeaways From Statutory Financials

In Part 1, the authors presented overall loss ratio, expense ratio and combined ratio results from statutory filings of the three insurers.

In Part 2, they broke down the startups expense spends and discussed the impacts of insurtech underwriting on the books of their reinsurers.

In Part 3, they offer conclusions about winning strategies of startup insurers

Other:

Topics Carriers InsurTech Tech Insurance WholesaleOklahoma City, Okla.-based INSURICA has acquired Zodrow & Neighbors Insurance LLC.

Terms of the deal werent disclosed. The deal, which will be effective on June 1, is INSURICAs fifth acquisition this year.

Owasso-based Zodrow & Neighbors will enhance INSURICAs presence in Northeast Oklahoma, bringing additional specialty expertise to the states largest independent insurance agency, according to statement announcing the acquisition.

Under the direction of INSURICA Tulsa President Joseph Sanchez, plans are underway to relocate colleagues in Zodrows Owasso office into the historic Beacon Building, INSURICAs downtown Tulsa location. Additionally, both Zodrow and INSURICA have offices in Sand Springs which will be combined in the near future.

INSURICA places a reported $1.5 billion in annual premiums and has more than 530 employees in 29 offices located throughout Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Colorado, Arizona and California.

Topics Mergers OklahomaA business owner in Gwinnett County, Ga., has been arrested and charged with one count of insurance fraud after presenting a fraudulent certificate of insurance coverage, according to a statement from Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens.

Maria Estela Castillo, 34, of Lilburn, Ga., was arrested on May 11. Castillo owns Castillo Garage Doors and is accused of presenting a fraudulent proof of general liability and workers compensation insurance to Cobb County business Painting Plus to obtain a sub contactors job with the company.

An investigation by the Georgia Department of Insurances Fraud Division determined that the fraudulent certificate of insurance Castillo issued contained information written by Biltmore Insurance Agency for coverage with the effective dates of Jan. 29, 2015, to Jan. 29, 2016.

Investigators determined that Biltmore Insurance did not produce a certificate of insurance for Castillo Garage and Doors in 2015, or at any time since their coverage canceled in April 2011.

Castillo was booked into the Cobb County Jail and posted a bond for release.

Hudgens recommends that businesses verify that a contractor is licensed and insured before they are hired, or any work is done.

Insurance fraud is a felony punishable by imprisonment for two to ten years, or by a fine of up to $10,000.00, or both.

Source: Georgia Department of Insurance

Topics Fraud GeorgiaThe family of a man shot to death outside a strip club in North Carolina has been awarded nearly $5 million from the operators of the club.

The Winston-Salem Journal reported a judge granted a default judgment Monday against John D. Boyd and his company, Salisbury Ridge Ventures, Inc.

The newspaper reported Salisbury Ridge Ventures operated Paper Moon, where 41-year-old Eric Jermaine Pegues was shot and killed May 25, 2016.

Pegues wife sued Boyd and Salisbury Ridge, saying the club failed to provide adequate security.

Forty-two-year-old Sierras Deshan Cobb of Winston-Salem faces a first-degree murder charge in Pegues death, with trial tentatively scheduled next year.

Judge Patrice Hinnant granted the default judgment after Boyd and Salisbury Ridge Ventures did not respond to the lawsuit within a specified time.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation North CarolinaThe family of a 20-year-old woman who died after attending a California music festival last year is suing the event promoter.

City News Service is reporting the lawsuit alleges Baylee Gatlin didnt receive proper medical attention for hours after she became ill from possible drug use at the Lightning in a Bottle festival in Monterey County.

The lawsuit says Gatlin died last May of multi-organ failure, hyperthermia and dehydration.

T he complaint alleges that the festival didnt have qualified medical personnel on site.

`The promoter, Do Lab, is named as the primary defendant. The company didnt immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

The suit also names a medical contractor.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits CaliforniaWhat Is a Locked-in Retirement Account?

A Locked-in Retirement Account (LIRA) is a type of registered pension fund in Canada that does not permit withdrawals before retirement except in exceptional circumstances. The locked-in retirement account is designed to hold pension funds for a former plan member, an ex-spouse, or a surviving spouse.

Cash withdrawals are not permitted while the funds are locked in. Pension funds that are transferred to a LIRA can be used to purchase a life annuity or can be transferred to a life income fund (LIF) or a locked-in retirement income fund (LRIF).

Once the fund's beneficiary reaches retirement age, the life annuity, LIF, or LRIF provide a pension for life.

Key Takeaways A Locked-in Retirement Account (LIRA) is a Canadian pension savings account that holds funds that cannot be withdrawn until retirement.

Pension funds within a LIRA can be transferred to another retirement fund or used to purchase a life annuity.

Locked-In Retirement Accounts are governed by federal or provincial pension legislation.

Understanding the LIRA

A LIRA may be created to hold funds that are transferred from a pension plan for a variety of reasons. The beneficiary may have left the job. The fund may be split with a divorced spouse, or the beneficiary may have died, leaving the fund to an heir.

A Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) can be cashed in at the owner's discretion. The LIRA does not have such an option.

Government Requirements for LIRAs

According to the Quebec government website:

Unlike an RRSP, the funds in a LIRA are locked-in and can only be used to provide a retirement income. Thus, the amounts cannot be withdrawn, except under certain circumstances in which a refund from your LIRA is permitted. Like an RRSP, you can hold a LIRA until Dec. 31 of the year in which you reach age 71. Before that date, you can transfer your LIRA to another LIRA, for example, if you change financial institutions. You can also transfer your life income fund (LIF) to a LIRA, in particular when you want to postpone payment of a retirement income. Consult the list of financial institutions offering LIRAs or LIFs to find out what transfer instruments are available.

LIRA plans are governed by federal or provincial pension legislation. Depending on the province in which the plan owner lives, there are different rules on how to unlock locked-in pension funds. Every locked-in pension must comply with the legislation of a specific province or the federal legislation.

The owner of a LIRA can transfer the money to another retirement account.

Various allowable reasons for unlocking a LIRA include low Income, potential foreclosure, eviction from a rental, first months rent and security deposit, high medical or disability costs, shortened life expectancy, and permanent departure from Canada.

Unlocking 50% of a LIRA can be done one time if you are 55 years old or older in some provinces and federally. Small balance unlocking is allowed if the balance is under a certain amount.

It's best to consult a financial advisor if the amounts involved are substantial.What Is a Salary Reduction Contribution?

A salary reduction contribution is a contribution that is made to a retirement savings plan, which generally represents a percentage of an employee's compensation. With some plans, salary reduction contributions (also known as elective deferral contributions) may also take the shape of a specific dollar amount contributed to an employer-sponsored retirement savings plan, such as a 401(k), 403(b), or a SIMPLE IRA.

Typically, the saver or employee defers paying taxes on their contributions until they take distributions or withdrawals in retirement. As a result, the funds that have been saved grow in a tax-deferred manner.

Key Takeaways Salary reduction contributions represent a percentage of an employee's pay that's deducted and contributed to a retirement plan.

Salary reduction contributions may apply to 401(k), 403(b), or SIMPLE IRA plans.

The contributions are typically pre-tax, meaning they reduce taxable income upfront while distributions are taxed in retirement.

The salary reduction contribution limits for SIMPLE IRAs is $13,500, and for 401(k)s is $19,500 in 2020 and 2021.

For those who are 50 or over, they can make a catch-up contribution to their SIMPLE IRA of up to $3,000 and $6,500 to their 401(k) for 2021.

Understanding Salary Reduction Contributions

Salary reduction contributions offer employees the opportunity to establish automatic, recurring deductions from their paychecks, which is contributed to an employer-sponsored retirement account. Salary reduction contributions are traditionally pre-tax, meaning the contribution amounts reduce the individual's taxable income in the year of the contribution.

In some cases, contributions can be made with after-tax dollars as in the case of a Roth 401(k), which doesn't provide a tax deduction upfront but the withdrawals or distributions are tax-free in retirement.

Typically, salary reduction contributions are usually a percentage of the employee's compensation or salary. Some plans permit the employee to contribute a specific dollar amount for each pay period throughout the year.

Salary Reduction Contribution Limits

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sets the annual limit on how much money can be contributed to a retirement plan. The annual employee contribution limit for a 401(k), 403(b), and Roth 401(k)for 2020 and 2021is $19,500 per year. For those who are aged 50 or older, a catch-up contribution of $6,500 can also be added for both 2020 and 2021. The maximum amount an employee may contribute to a SIMPLE IRA is $13,500 for 2020 and 2021, with a catch-up contribution limit of $3,000 in both years for those who are 50 or over.

The IRS also offers a salary reduction contribution-based plan called the Salary Reduction Simplified Employee Pension Plan (SARSEP). Such plans are offered by small companies that typically employ fewer than 25 staffers, thus letting employees make pre-tax contributions to their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) through salary reductions.

In accordance with the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996, no new SARSEPS were allowed to be created after January 1, 1997. but existing plans were allowed to remain in place. Employees can contribute no more than 25% of their income each year or $19,500 in 2020 and 2021.

Salary Reduction Contribution: After-Tax

Salary reduction contributions that are made with after-tax dollars must be declared in an employee's tax return as income. If a plan allows for after-tax contributions, such compensation is not excluded from income. Thus, an employee cannot deduct them on their tax return in the tax year of the contribution.What Is a Spread-Load Contractual Plan?

A spread-load contractual plan spreads a mutual funds sales charge, or load, over a period of time. It is a fee-payment structure applicable to mutual funds in which the sales charge or commission (load) is not entirely paid at the time the investor first contributes funds to the mutual fund. Instead, the mutual fund load is dispersed across an extended period of time.

Key Takeaways A spread-load contractual plan spreads a mutual funds sales charge, or load, over a period of time.

A spread-load is a mutual fund fee payment structure in which the sales charge or commission (load) is not entirely paid upon a first investment in the mutual fund.

Two types of "load plans" are permitted: front-end load plans, in which up to 50% of the first year's payments may apply to the sales charge, and spread-load plans, under which less than 20% of a year's payments can apply to sales charges.

Understanding Spread-Load Contractual Plans

A spread-load contractual plan allows greater portions of the investor's initial contribution to the account to be applied to actual investments, instead of sales charges. By doing so, the investor is able to gain a relatively larger position in the mutual fund up front, though future contribution will be smaller.

A contractual plan is a unique type of mutual fund purchasing plan. These plans require the investor to commit to purchasing a set dollar amount, say $10,000, and to make payments toward this amount over time. The plan usually calls for payments to be made monthly in a fixed amount over a 10- to 15-year time frame. In return, the mutual fund company issues trust certificates for their interest in the shares.

The maximum allowable sales charge over the life of the plan is 9%. However, there are two different types of "load plans" permitted. Note that under either of these plans, a full refund of all sales charges is made if the investor cancels within 45 days of inception.

Front-End Load Plan

In a front-end load plan, up to 50% of the first year's payments may be applied to the sales charge. If the investor cancels within 18 months of inception, his or her refund consists of the net asset value of the shares plus all sales charges paid minus 15% of total payments made.

Spread-Load Plan

For a spread-load plan, no more than 20% of one year's payments may apply to sales charges and no more than 16% average over the first four years may be deducted for sales charges. Refunds (after 45 days) consist of just NAV; there is no refund of sales charges.

Also, a custodial fee is charged (in addition to the sales charge) since there are increased custodial and accounting functions in this type of plan. Payments from the investor are deposited with the custodian (or trustee).

Other important features of contractual plans include:By Geoff Percival

British soft drinks group Britvic saw first-half revenues in Ireland increase over 15% on a year-on-year basis. It owns the likes of MiWadi, Ballygowan and Club.

Britvic Ireland generated revenues of 86.6m (99m) in the six months to the end of April, up from 75.1m for the same period last year.

The company largely attributed the growth of 13.1% when measured on a constant currency basis to progress at its Counterpoint wholesale business, which acquired Dundalk Co Louth-based wholesaler East Coast Suppliers last year.

However, it also said that it saw revenue and market share growth across its low and non-sugar brands including MiWadi, Pepsi Max, which it distributes here, and Bally-gowan.

On a group-wide basis, Britvic increased first-half revenues by 2.8%, year-on-year, to 733.2m, but post-tax profits fell nearly 14% to 33.3m. That fall was partially due to nearly 22m in costs relating to Britvics planned business capability programme.

The latest trading period preceded the recent introduction of taxes on sugar-sweetened drinks in Ireland and the UK.

However, group chief executive Simon Litherland suggested little effect is in store.

While it is too soon to guide on the ongoing consumer impact of the soft drinks levy, early indications of the competitor and customer response are broadly as we anticipated, he said.By Geoff Percival and Eamon Quinn

Irelands competitiveness has significantly deteriorated over the last 12 months, according to the International Institute for Management Development (IMD).

Ireland has slipped six places, to 12th, in the Swiss business schools latest annual world competitiveness rankings. The IMD marked Ireland down on each of its four main measurement metrics  the country falling seven places to 11th for economic performance; dropping four spots to 13th for government efficiency; seven places to 10th in terms of business efficiency; and slipping two spots to 21st for infrastructure.

In terms of attractive aspects, Ireland ranked highly for its tax regime, skilled workforce and business-friendly environment.

However, the IMD warned exchange rate volatility, monetary tightening by the ECB and Brexit all pose near-term challenges to Irish competitiveness; adding that public and private investment in infrastructure must be enhanced.

The five most competitive world economies remained unchanged in the latest list, although their order changed slightly  the US improving three places to first and Hong Kong slipping into second. Singapore remains third, followed by the Netherlands and Switzerland.

Meanwhile, a Central Bank study revealed for the first time the threat from Brexit from the additional red tape costs firms face from so-called non-tariff barriers or documentation and border delays.

Researchers Stephen Byrne and Jonathan Rice put the costs of non-tariff barriers at a 9.6% decline in trade between the UK and Ireland.

Exports of fresh foods, machinery and transport equipment, and manufacturing materials would be the worst hit, the study finds.

Whilst the research focuses on a pessimistic scenario, it is vital that we understand and flag the risks to trade. The potential effect of tariffs following the UKs departure from the customs union is well documented, but the impact of non-tariff barriers has received less attention, despite existing research that finds customs delays to be one of the largest of all barriers to trade, said the Central Bank economics director Mark Cassidy.

He said it was clear that the potential effect of Britains decision to leave the EU would be negative and significant for Irish-UK trade.The final TV debate on the abortion referendum is taking place tonight on TV3 who are airing two hour-long programmes on the issue.

First up is the Pat Kenny Show, where Maria Steen will join Senator Ronan Mullen on the No side to debate against the Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty and Colm OGorman of Amnesty Ireland.

Maria Steen has said in the debate: "What the Government has proposed is an extreme law, stripping every right in the Constitution for the unborn...taking away the right to life for the right to kill."

The Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty, then hit out at the No side for not providing alternatives to abortion, saying: "The reality is that they havent been willing to look or support anything in 35 years.

"No woman makes a decision to terminate a pregnancy lightly. It is usually the option of last resort. We are proposing to ignore them if we vote No on Friday. These are Irish women in crisis."

Ronan Mullen then denied that mental health is valid grounds for an abortion, saying: "Mental health has no evidence base".

Pat Kenny then asked Ms Steen: Maria, do you go along with your colleague that mental health is not health? to which Mr Mullen said: Youre misrepresenting me.

Ms Steen said: "The Government is asking us to do is to become judge and jury over the lives of babies in the womb."

Colm O'Gorman said: "The 8th amendment has not stopped abortion, it has stopped some abortions, but it has forced others to continue pregnancies.

"Abortion care is healthcare, do we want to care for women at home or do we want to dismiss and send our women abroad?"

Mr Mullen then told of a woman who didn't opt for an abortion.

He said: "This woman told me 'the time it took me to arrange an abortion in England is the time it took for me to change my mind'."

Ms Doherty then pointed out that the 72-hour period proposed in the draft legislation will provide a cooling off period for women.

Pat Kenny then went to the audience for their views and a woman called Saoirse Long explained how she was one of Ireland's women who had to travel to England for an abortion.

Mr Mullen told her: "You deserve love and respect despite what you may have done."

In the concluding statements each of them had a minute to sum up their case.

Mr Mullen said: "If we bring in abortion, we are looking at abortion clinics in Ireland.

"I have come across clinics in the UK where they have performed abortions at 23 weeks, with an injection into the baby first. This is not healthcare."

Ms Doherty said: "I am pro-life, I have four beautiful children. I would love all those people who are pro-life to consider how we treat women who cannot get treated in their own country, with respect.

"Irish women deserve to be treated fairly and at home."

Finally, Ms Steen said: "Women who need their health looked after deserve better than an abortion. We think this is a step too far, we all thing taking the rights of all unborn children is fundamentally unjust."

Following that, The Tonight Show with Matt Cooper and Ivan Yates feature Fianna Fail leader Michael Martin, Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald, No campaigner Declan Ganley, and barrister Theresa Lowe.

It follows on from RTE's Prime Time debate last night which featured Health Minister Simon Harris on the repeal side against Peadar Toibin on the No side.

Both sides in the Eighth Amendment referendum debate have been taking part in the final full day of campaigning ahead of the broadcast moratorium.

Several events were held in the capital this morning and afternoon.With a cancer diagnosis coinciding with her Oscar nominated film, Cork animator Nora Twomey really has been on lifes rollercoaster. But shes thrilled The Breadwinner is finally opening in Ireland, writes Esther McCarthy.

If you have to miss a little bit of the Oscars because of a comfort break, who better to pass the time with then acting legend Frances McDormand? Thats how Co Cork animator Nora Twomey and her husband Michael found themselves chatting to the Three Billboards star in LA on Oscar night.

If you go out to the loo between commercial breaks, you cant get in until the next commercial break, said Twomey, whose film The Breadwinner was nominated for Best Animated Feature.

So I was stuck on the outside with what they call seat fillers  lots of people dressed up beautifully and their job is to fill the seat if someone vacates it. But Frances McDormand was there with myself and my husband when we were waiting for the door to be opened up again. She was talking about how surreal the whole thing was as well. I was asking her: Do you get used to it? and she said: No.

It does get very strange after a while, when youre looking at people like Steven Spielberg and Meryl Streep, Twomey said of the Oscars experience.

Its an odd thing, when you see someone whos very famous you feel like you should say hello to them. You tend to normalise them, you think theyre people that you know because they have such

familiar faces.

The Midleton woman, a co-founder of Kilkenny-based animation studios Cartoon Saloon, may have to get used to rubbing shoulders with Hollywoods elite.

Her film, The Breadwinner, opens at cinemas this week following worldwide praise and an Oscar nomination for Twomey and animation studio Cartoon Saloon.

Visually stunning and with powerful storytelling at its core, The Breadwinner tells the story of Parvana, an 11-year-old Afghan girl living under Taliban rule. When her father is imprisoned, she disguises herself as a boy in an effort to support her family.

We began this journey back in September of last year when the film was released in Toronto. Whats lovely is when the film receives awards by youth juries. To see appreciation there is amazing because one of the things we started out with was to try and take Deborah Elliss book and Parvana, her character, and to try and introduce it to more young people.

Steeped in authenticity, Twomeys film featured wide contributions and involvement from various members of the Afghan community, including a girls choir on the soundtrack.

The Afghan Music Institute in Kabul is run by a man named Dr Sarmast, who lost 80% of his hearing in a bomb blast a number of years ago. He cant hear the music that his students create, but they got together a girls choir for the Breadwinner score. Young women whose voices were recorded last summer, a difficult summer in Kabul. But hearing their voices form part of this film is amazing, and it feels right.

Twomeys solo directorial debut (she was co-director on The Secret of Kells) was the biggest project she had ever taken on. But life has a habit of meddling with the best-laid plans.

About halfway through the process I got a diagnosis of breast cancer. It was something I was going to have to go through  chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery. I guess initially I didnt really process it and I tried to schedule it.

I was trying to solidify answers and of course there arent really answers. Nobody has them. I continued to work through it because I could. I tolerated the treatment OK. But also just because it gave me a sense of normality. Theres a beat in the film that I understood from early on.

"That I understood from Deborahs novel, about how when life just jumps up and hits you in the face, you try to find things that give you a sense of rhythm in your life, or a sense of normality.

For me that was going into work, going into meetings, telling my children stories at night time. Just finding little things that I could do. People very much took me as I was. Sometimes I wasnt able to go into work and I would Skype from home. Sometimes I would go into work and realise Id only painted on one eyebrow and rubbed off the other one! she smiles.

She remains very moved by the incredible women she met during treatment and the support she received.

The doctors were amazing, I suddenly became aware of this whole side of life where you have doctors who are incredibly skilled and talented and who have they can give you back time. Youre heading down one road and they gently turn you towards another. It ways it quietened me down, in terms of being a filmmaker and a storyteller, it made me just bite off the things I could chew, to find help with the things that I couldnt bite off.

One of the first people who understood Twomeys vision for her film was actress Angelina Jolie, who came on board as executive producer.

They connected from the first time they met in Los Angeles, she said.

The first conversation I had with her felt like the continuation of a discussion rather than the beginning of one. And honestly it was a relief because Id never met anyone with that much celebrity surrounding them before. So to find out that there was a human being at the centre of it was really comforting.

She was a tremendous guiding force all the way through the process. Shes somebody whos been involved in film her entire life  she grew up in Hollywood in a film-making family  but she understood independent filmmaking. She understood small budgets, the restrictions that we had making the film. But again she tried to gently guide us, to try and tell as truthful a story as we could, that they was an authenticity to what we did, and a complexity.

She wanted first and foremost to make sure that the film had a sense of hope in it. And that it wasnt giving easy answers. While we did hone in on what its like for one young child growing up in a time of conflict, that we spoke to the universal as well.

Then she stood on the red carpet in Toronto, and many times since, with our cast, which was amazing. To have her shine the light of the worlds press on our red carpet was such a vote of confidence in our team.

Twomeys next project, My Fathers Dragon, adapted from the novel about a boy who sets out to rescue a baby dragon, is already in development. But she is excited at the prospect of The Breadwinner being released here.

Its won a number of awards. It continues to be discovered, which is amazing. Its lovely to see the film finally come home here to Ireland.

The Breadwinner opens in cinemas tomorrow.Our reporter Joyce Fegan asked first-time voters all over the country how they will be casting their ballot in Friday's referendum.

YES - Dylan Lawlor, 19, Wexford

When Im asked why Im voting yes, its difficult to pinpoint it, its more who Im voting for. Im voting yes for my sisters, for my friends, for those who cant travel, and for my four-year-old cousin so that shell grow up in a country knowing those who can get pregnant are respected.

The Eighth Amendment is a chain, locking those with a uterus into an outdated country. Im 19 and Ive grown up in a very liberal home so Ive been involved in politics for as long as I can remember. I live in a small town in north Wexford so having different opinions and voicing them wasnt always welcomed but my mum would always push me to stay true to any opinions I had.

My mum and I argue a lot about various things but when it comes to politics, she always gives me the chance to have my opinions. So thats what it boils down to, really. Choice. People deserve to have the choice to either continue a pregnancy or not. They shouldnt have to flee their homes and leave the country. They shouldnt have to declare themselves suicidal. They shouldnt have to take an illegal pill and risk 14 years of prison.

Im voting yes because I think its the right thing to do.

NO - Alia Sheikh, 18, Tipperary

My name is Alia Sheikh. As an 18-year-old, I often get people who are shocked to see me support the No vote in the upcoming referendum. People often speculate that I must be influenced by my faith or my parents, but it really is a different story altogether.

I was born in Clonmel in 2000, but I am originally from Pakistan. In the Irish society I stand out as being different, and from my experience I have come to look at muintir na hEireann as a people who are accepting, who celebrate differences and who truly love you for who you are. For this reason I cannot imagine an Irish society where the unborn is denied her/his rights; where the unborn is discriminated against because of her/his vulnerability being the womb. If the Eighth Amendment is repealed, to me it would feel as though the values of this country I have come to love will be lost with it.

I have always been passionate about the science behind life. And as I sit my Leaving Cert in a few weeks time, I aim to get the points for medicine to go down the route of healthcare. But sometimes I shudder at the thought that abortion could potentially become a part of healthcare, that if I choose to go down the line of surgery or gynecology, my training could be heavily focused on the methods of terminating a pregnancy as opposed to the saving of it, that in the theatre room in which I observed a baby being born during my transition year work experience someday an on-demand abortion could be taking place.

As a teenager in the 21st century, I have to be open to different perspectives, and I do understand many arguments made by the repeal campaign. However, at the end of the day my view is that there are two people involved in a pregnancy, for whom the Eighth Amendment provides full and unquestionable protection.

YES - Shona MacKenzie, 18, Bray, Wicklow

On May 25, I will be voting for the first time in my life. I always knew voting was important but having such a pinnacle moment in Irish history my first opportunity to exercise this right concreted the importance of availing of this democratic system. On Friday morning, whether it be through sun or rain, I will be walking into my nearest polling station and marking the Ta box with a strong X. I am voting Yes because I believe that the women of Ireland deserve to be treated with compassion and care instead of shame and isolation. I wish I lived in a world where abortion wasnt a necessity but unfortunately I dont, none of us do. Instead of turning a blind eye to this issue as has been done up until now, I believe we as a nation need to face this aspect of womens health straight on, and the first step in that is repealing the Eighth Amendment. I am voting Yes because I understand that I dont, and cant, understand the lives of others. Everyones life is unique, everyones situation is different and everyone needs to be supported by the place they call home.

NO - Jacob Moran, 21, Wicklow

Ive been actively canvassing on this issue. Its the most active Ive been in any vote. Im a young gay man, I voted yes in the marriage equality referendum, but I think this is a more important vote.

Im voting No because this is the first time as a society we are talking about removing a right from our laws. I ask 99% of people, have you read the Governments proposed legislation? And they havent.

I dont want see the rights of the unborn stripped away.

I am unhappy with the proposed legislation on several grounds but most of all we have had over 50 years to seen the consequences of English abortion laws. We have that data.

I volunteer with Love Both. I first sort of stood up on this issue when I was in transition year. Ive done street canvassing and door-to-door. We just approach people with the legislation and the reality in other countries.

Im voting No because I believe in real support and real compassion for our women and children and abortion is not either of those things.

YES - Janet Couchman, Wicklow after receiving Irish citizenship

I have lived in Ireland as a British citizen since I was a teenager. When the UK decided to have a referendum on leaving the EU, I made up my mind that if the vote was for leaving I would stop being British and apply for Irish citizenship. That citizenship was granted in April of last year. Until then I was unable to vote in referendums or Presidential elections. One of my great regrets was not being able to vote for Mary Robinson as President. I was also unable to vote in support of marriage equality. I am delighted that I am now able to vote on the hugely important issue of repealing the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution.

I will be voting yes so that women and girls who find themselves in a crisis pregnancy situation can get medical advice and proper treatment in their own country instead of having to travel to England or buy drugs online which they have to take in secret. I will be voting Yes so that women and girls who have been raped dont have to suffer the additional trauma of carrying a rapists child. I will be voting yes so that doctors are free to choose the best medical treatment for a pregnant woman without being afraid that they may be prosecuted. I am voting yes because I have two granddaughters and I want them to be free to make the best choices for themselves and their own bodies. If the amendment is repealed no woman will be forced to have an abortion. She will be given the opportunity to decide what is the best course of action for her.

NO - Art OMahony, 19, Cork

On May 25, the Irish people will be asked, for the first time ever, whether we wish to remove a fundamental constitutional right; the right to life of the unborn. My name is Art OMahony, I am a 19-year-old law student in University College Cork and I am a first-time voter advocating to retain the Eighth Amendment. While opinion is undoubtedly divided, the most critical component of a democracy is our willingness to discuss complex issues, make up our minds and respect one anothers views.

I see this at first hand as a representative on Fine Gaels executive council, where we have witnessed former leader John Bruton defending the right to life, introduced in 1983 by Garret FitzGerald, contrary to certain members of the Government.

I sincerely recommend that all voters familiarise themselves with the preannounced (proposed) abortion legislation which we are

being asked to endorse, allowing for the termination of healthy babies from healthy mothers for any reason in the first three months of pregnancy and up until six months where the mothers mental health is at risk, with mental health not defined in the legislation. This is not compassionate, and as five former chairs of the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have stated, nor is it healthcare.

If, like me, you wish to retain the current law allowing only for termination where the pregnancy risks the mothers life, and which constitutionally protects every unborn child, then I sincerely and respectfully urge you to vote no.

YES - Zoe-Louise Cummins, 18, Wicklow

On May 25, I will be voting for the first time and I will be voting Yes. Ill be voting Yes because I believe its about time that the Irish government started taking care of their women and stop treating them like their sole purpose in life is to produce children. I am voting yes because after reading the harrowing stories of women who have been left with no other choice but to travel to England or take illegal pills at home alone there is no way I could not vote yes. Ill be voting yes because any pregnancy can become a crisis pregnancy. Women should be trusted and treated as more than just vessels. Ill be voting yes for the women who cant afford to travel, for the women who are shunned by their own country, for the women who feel they have no other choice. Im voting for my little sister, my friends, my mother and myself. And finally Im voting for choice because women should have the right to choose.

NO - Roisin Ni Fhloinn, 19, Dublin

My name is Roisin and I am a 19-year-old college student. In the upcoming referendum I will be casting my first vote and I am going to vote no.

On May 25, we are being asked to shape the fundamental human rights law of the State in a referendum. The proposals being suggested by the Government are not, as some have suggested, restrictive.

As a young woman, I am happy that I live in a country where the existing law makes it so safe to be pregnant and to give birth. Our society will be judged by how it protects the weakest and most vulnerable and how it cares for mothers who are afraid or are in crisis. The Supreme Court has held that the only constitutional protection which the unborn child has is the Eighth Amendment. If we remove the Eighth Amendment, there will be absolutely no constitutional protection for any unborn child right up until birth. Therefore, I believe that it would be profoundly unjust to withdraw the only constitutional protections from the unborn child and to give the Government the full power that they seek to legislate in this area. We enact laws to protect our human rights and to create a better and safer society for us all to live in. The Eighth Amendment is one of our life-saving laws. It saves at least 5,000 lives each year. We must protect it. That is why I am voting no.

YES - Isha McDonnell, 20, Tipperary

My name is Isha and I am a 20-year-old voting for the first time in this referendum. I am currently studying to gain my Masters in Public Relations at DCU but in two weeks time, I will be travelling home to Tipperary to vote Yes in the primary school I attended as a child. This issue is something I have been passionate about for a number of years. The fact that, along with anyone under the age of 53, I am finally getting the chance to vote on this subject is something every pro-choice campaigner should be proud of.

The Eighth Amendment harms the people of Ireland. There is no way of ignoring that considering all the facts. By voting yes and speaking

with others who may hold different opinions about the referendum, my hope is that if the amendment is repealed we can finally achieve complete and compassionate healthcare. Ireland has never been abortion-free. We have just been exporting the problem and shaming people into silence. The progressive Ireland I want to live in cares for its citizens, helping them and allowing them to make informed decisions with their own family doctors, not forced abroad.

NO - Miriam Goulding, 20, Kerry

I have just turned 20 years, I am a newly-registered voter and I will be voting No in the upcoming referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment. To me, every individual deserves an equal opportunity to live, no ones opportunity to live should be taken away based on the circumstances they may be born into, that being whether the baby will have a disability or not, live long after birth, that they will be born into a family facing a crisis or for many other reasons that people are using to push for abortion. We all deserve a dignified and equal life and should undoubtedly be allowed the chance to live and make our own in this life, even if it is just for a short time.

Life is not a choice but a right. I believe women deserve love and support in pregnancy and that abortion is not the best solution to a woman in a crisis situation as it strips the life from their child and often times leaves the woman with grief, heartbreak and regret. Women deserve better and I will therefore vote no.If the yes campaign was bruised by a drop in the polls last week, it certainly wasnt showing at the launch on Thursday of Hear Me Out, an initiative encouraging people to talk to undecided voters ahead of Fridays referendum, writes Carolyn Moore.

Whether youve been negatively affected by the Eighth Amendment or know someone who has, the campaign hopes that through gentle conversations and sharing stories you can help others understand the compassion, care and dignity a Yes vote will afford the women of Ireland.

So amiable was the atmosphere at the launch, that in a room filled with the sound of clinking teacups and animated chatter, the thrum of camera shutters was the only thing identifying this as a press call, not a tea party. At a table in the centre of the room, author Marian Keyes is resplendent in yes paraphernalia, with a badge each side of her floral dress, and a silver yes dangling from a chain between them.

Keyes was advocating for this cause before there was even a whiff of a referendum, and today she is resolute.

People are confused and frightened because theres a lot of misinformation and conflicting facts flying around, she says. But when people hear the facts, I think they realise the only possible vote is yes.

Shes flanked on one side by Kerry senator Ned OSullivan, who admits (on the yes side at least) that men have been rather slow to get into this debate.

I personally would have felt its primarily a matter for women, he says. But on the joint Oireachtas committee I was confronted with legal and medical information, along with heart breaking stories of individual women. I think its incumbent on men of all ages to come out and show our support for the women of Ireland.

This isnt about women in some faraway place, he adds, these are your neighbours, your friends, your relatives.

Across the table, Christy Moore greets actress Pauline McLynn, and when Minister Simon Harris arrives, there are the inevitable Mrs Doyle gags as McLynn pours the tea.

Pauline McLynn

Lighthearted though it is, all involved are acutely aware of the seriousness of the issue. As both sides home in on that piece of the pie chart that represents undecided voters, the no campaign have attempted to pull focus from the tragedies they would dismiss as hard cases.

Hear Me Out  conceived long before Maria Steen coined the term social abortion  isnt a response to that, but it is an acknowledgement that those undecided voters, who will likely determine the referendum result, can be swayed by personal testimonies. And as Harris points out, the polls show theres no room for complacency.

This is a once in a generation opportunity, he says. The decision will be made on the day by those who turn up.

To that end, Christy Moore insists hes not there to tell anyone how to vote.

I would just urge people to use their vote, he says. Id say look into your heart, think about the women in these terrible situations; think about your own sisters and your own daughters, and have compassion, not hatred.

Im here because I support the campaign. I support the right for women to have a choice, and my mother, my wife, my sisters and my family feel the same way, so  having a bit of a public face  Im here to represent them.

If you vote yes, youre not changing your personal beliefs on abortion, says Keyes. Youre still entitled to your position  nobody would ever force anyone to have an abortion they didnt want  but you would be opening up the choice to another women who might find herself in a crisis situation.

Our women do so much. They make up half the workforce, do most of the unpaid housework and childcare, and they mind sick and elderly relatives. We trust them with an awful lot  can we not trust them to make this one decision over their own body?

After all, she says, these are not women on the margins of Irish society. They are the women who blow-dry our hair, they are our boss at work, theyre politicians, theyre the women beeping our groceries through the till, theyre our friends, our sisters, our daughters, our nieces, and they have reflected long and hard on their decision.

We make it so difficult for women to access abortion, legally, financially, logistically and emotionally, and despite that, people with crisis pregnancies have found their situation so difficult that they overcome all those obstacles. They obviously feel very strongly about it  can we not respect that?

McLynn agrees. The word abortion kind of makes people go funny, she says, and I think a lot of people have been frightened by the tactics of the no campaign. One of the problems for the yes campaign is that a smiling, happy, relieved woman on a poster doesnt have the impact of some of the horrifying images the no campaign have used. Hear Me Out is about encouraging conversations about the issues.

Im trying to talk to five people a day. If I see people looking at my yes badge, I stop them and say, Do you want to talk?

At this stage, she says, every yes voter has a part to play in allaying the fears of those who remain undecided.

One by one we can convince people that yes is the compassionate vote, she says.

If people walk into a booth dithering, theres a chance theyll vote no, just to maintain the status quo. Please! she says, dont make up your mind on the day. Talk to people  hear them out.

Go on.

- Carolyn Moore is a journalist and regular feature writer for the Irish ExaminerTrump may not have built his wall but he is effectively deterring immigration through detentions, deportations, separations, threats and a culture of fear, writes Bette Browne

WITHOUT putting up a single brick of his proposed wall against immigrants, US President Donald Trump is deterring them from entering the country by deporting thousands of other immigrants already in America for decades.

More than 1m immigrants, many among the poorest in the US, have now been told they face deportation because the White House wants to end their protected status.

These include some 800,000 young people brought to the country illegally as children by their parents decades ago and protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and about 300,000 holders of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) that was granted to immigrants, mainly from Central America and the Caribbean, after natural disasters hit their countries.

Nearly 200,000 Salvadoreans protected by TPS, for instance, have been allowed to live and work in the United States for nearly two decades after earthquakes ravaged that country.

Even if no concrete is ever poured, the wall is effectively already being built through executive orders,

procedural changes, detentions and deportations, according to the advocacy group Americans for Immigration Justice.

Most of these immigrants are poor and tend to do the jobs Americans dont want to do, and in the process theyre contributing billions to the US economy. Its been estimated that TPS holders from El Salvador, Honduras, and Haiti contribute a combined $4.5bn (3.8bn) in pre-tax wages or salary income annually to Americas gross domestic product. Their total social security contributions have been estimated at more than $6.9bn over a decade.

While Trumps predecessors, presidents Obama and Bush, focused on deporting criminals and those who posed threats to national security, Trump has now made all undocumented immigrants priorities for removal.

Arrests of non-criminal undocumented immigrants increased by 150% in early 2017, compared with the same period the previous year.

Many of these people have lived and worked legally in the United States for decades.

Even immigrants eligible for green cards are threatened with deportation while their cases are pending.

Federal courts have put a temporary hold on some of Trumps directives, but the president has a great deal of discretion on immigration matters.

Despite family ties and productive lives created here, immigrants are seeing their deportations expedited at the expense of due process, according to Americans for Immigration Justice.

Arbitrary deportations have left thousands of United States citizens without mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, and siblings upon whom they depended for emotional and financial support.

In essence, these immigrants have become human pawns in a cynical chess game between the White House and Congress.

Trump is telling Congress that it needs to change immigration laws and fix a broken system. But he also says that any legislative fix that might halt deportations must include funding for his big, beautiful wall, the price tag for which is about $25bn.

So far, Republicans, who make up the majority in Congress, have refused to fall in line and are continuing to argue among themselves over the kind of bill to introduce.

Republican lawmakers in states like Nevada and Arizona with large Latino populations of voting age are arguing that those protected by TPS and DACA whove been in the United States for decades should be given a path to

citizenship.

But, on the other side of the Republican divide, those in the far-right Freedom Caucus favour a hardline immigration bill authored by judiciary committee chairman Bob Goodlatte, boosting interior enforcement and

reducing legal immigration.

Minority Democrats are part of the equation too. They are supporting a bipartisan bill authored by Republican Will Hurd of Texas and Democrat Pete Aguilar of California that would offer a clear path to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of these immigrants who came to the country illegally as children.

But if one of these bills is voted on and gives a fast-track to citizenship but fails to include a chunk of funding for his wall, Trump is unlikely to sign it. The likelihood of a vote increased on Wednesday after procedural wrangling in the Senate that gave those who want a vote the upper hand.

Meanwhile, the president is increasing the pressure for legislation and funding for his wall by refusing to continue to let the immigrants stay.

I find the approach inhumane, says Jill Bussey of the advocacy group Catholic Legal Immigration Network.

The administration has a choice. Any statements they make claiming that their hands are tied under the law are meant to distract people from what is really going on here. Its part of a political agenda that aims to end humanitarian immigration programmes that save peoples lives.

But the White House doesnt appear to be listening and Trump, who branded Mexican immigrants during his presidential campaign as rapists and criminals, is firing up his base with an eye to a 2020 re-election bid by continuing his anti-immigrant onslaught.

As recently as May 17, for example, he used the term animals when discussing illegal immigrants in California. These arent people. These are animals, and were taking them out of the country at a rate thats never happened before. The White House said later he was referring to Californias MS-13 criminal gangs, but in his live remarks he made no distinction between such violent gangs and all immigrants.

Hes also taken aim at sanctuary cities in California, New York, Florida and other states that give undocumented immigrants refuge. Soooo many sanctuary areas want OUT of this ridiculous, crime infested & breeding concept, he tweeted last month.

Hes also threatening to cut off billions of dollars in federal aid to these cities. The cities mayors insist their job is to protect their communities, not to do the work of assisting federal immigration officials.

In the meantime, in a further effort to deter immigrants, a new justice department policy is insisting on family separation at the USMexico border.

Separating parents and children in an attempt to deter people who are fleeing violence from legally seeking asylum is cruel to families, harmful to children and wholly contrary to American values, said Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum.

About 11m illegal immigrants, including thousands of Irish, live in the United States without permanent legal status.

Hopes were high five years ago that immigration reform could be achieved when the Senate passed a bill backed by Democrats and Republicans that included an eventual path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants. But the House, run then as now by more conservative Republicans, said the bill made too many concessions to undocumented immigrants, and doomed it by refusing to vote on it.

Then, in late 2015 and early 2016, came Trumps rise, powered by a campaign that vilified immigrants and was fuelled by his insistence that immigration policies needed to be hardened and a wall built against them.

Yet for a man who says he wants to make America great again, he might do well to consider the economic contribution to the country of illegal immigrants.

Altogether, according to the state and local tax data analysis published by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, undocumented immigrants contribute about $11.6bn to the economy annually, including nearly $7bn in sales and excise taxes and $3.6bn in property taxes.

He might also do well to remember that there are 58m Latinos in the country and many of them are young citizens, with an estimated 66,000 turning 18 each month  the voting age in America.Ahead of Friday's vote, two women on other sides of the abortion debate discuss their personal views of the Eighth Amendment.

YES SIDE: Hannah Myers from Fermoy, Co Cork, tells her story about learning that her baby had anencephaly

My baby didnt have a cranium

I became pregnant when I was 21, I was delighted. I consider myself quite a maternal person so I was really happy. But I had a feeling around three months that something wasnt right.

Hannagh Myers, 25, from Fermoy Co Cork

I had a scan and the doctors said they needed the baby to grow a bit more before they could tell anything. I had a second scan at around 14 weeks and my baby was diagnosed with anencephaly at Cork University Maternity Hospital.

They told me there was a very big chance the baby would be stillborn and that the longest a baby with anencephaly had survived was 51 minutes. They said the birth could be dangerous as my baby didnt have a cranium. Obviously they werent able to advise me, so I did my own research and realised that the wisest thing to do was to have an abortion.

I didnt want to carry the baby to full term if it would only live for 51 minutes. I didnt want to have to have a funeral afterwards and get more attached to the baby when I was already very attached.

About a week or two later I made the arrangements with a Marie Stopes clinic in Manchester. My parents came with me. They travelled over with me to Manchester to have the abortion.

We didnt even stay over night. We live outside Fermoy, so we traveled to Cork then to Dublin, then took the ferry to England and drove to Manchester. We waited outside the clinic from 2am in the car. The appointment was at 8am.

When we were waiting outside the clinic this man tapped on the window at around 5am. We thought he was a doctor so we moved the car, but he turned out to be a no person setting up posters.

There were other people then trying to push their babies into my arms, calling me a murderer and singing Happy Birthday.

Then I went into the clinic.

My parents left me after reception. The people in the clinic were so caring and nice, they were so lovely. They asked you about 50 times  Are you sure you want to do this? Is this your choice? Do you need to talk to a counsellor?

I was scanned and all I heard was: lethal congenital malformation  incompatible with life. Half the head was missing on the baby. I was four months and one week pregnant.

Then I went into a room where all the girls wait. We were all telling each other why we were getting an abortion. Three had anencephaly, one girl was very young, another lady had three children already and couldnt afford another baby. Because I was so far gone they gave me medication to start the process, I had a really bad reaction to it. I was vomiting. Then they brought me in for surgery. The staff were really nice. They couldnt have been nicer.

I was out of the clinic by 2pm. We went back into the car and drove back to the ferry. I was extremely high off the medication.

I was bleeding a lot after the surgery. I was feeling physically unwell. When the medication wore off I was in pain  especially from all the driving around  with surgery you should be resting. We went to a pub/restaurant before we got on the ferry and then onto the ferry and drove home.

I dont want children any more, at all, because of the experience and mainly because I know I would receive no aftercare if that was to happen again or no operation to save my life.

There are so many reasons why people need abortions  a lot of girls dont tell people they have been raped, theres housing, where would you have the kid? For me its quality of life, girls will not just go and have an abortion, it takes a lot of thought.

If abortion is made legal it is not an easy thing to do, people will not just go and have an abortion. I ask people  what would they do if they just found out they have an fatal foetal abnormality or had been raped, would you vote yes then? Or would you wait until it happened to you?

The only counselling I really got was talking to my parents and doctors. Because of the whole taboo I wont really be able to move on until its no longer a taboo.

On May 25, youre not voting for or against abortion, we already have abortion in Ireland through the illegal pill and through travelling to different countries to get an abortion. So what we are really voting for is safe and legal abortion in Ireland instead of forcing our women to flee their own homes or buy pills online. You are either for safe abortion or against safe abortion.

______

NO SIDE: Sinead McBreen says that she came under enormous pressure from doctors to abort her daughter, Grace, who has Down syndrome.

We refused to give up on Grace, our miracle baby

My Daughter Grace is beautiful, strong, funny and makes everyone who meets her fall in love with her. She also has Down syndrome. This does not mean that she is any less loved, or any less of a person, but it is what would make her a target for abortion in countries where unborn children arent protected in law.

Sinead McBreen with her daughter Grace

Even with the protection of the Eighth Amendment, we came under enormous pressure from doctors to abort Grace.

In the weeks before Grace was born, my husband Martin and I were told by doctors that the outlook for our unborn child was extremely bleak. In the womb, Grace developed a condition which we were told can lead to pre-natal heart failure.

We were warned Grace wasnt going to survive and that we should pick a plot in the cemetery so that it would be less difficult when the time came. We were told over and over again that our pre-born baby was incompatible with life and we were encouraged to explore our options.

We were told by medical staff that Grace had no chance of making it to birth and were asked why we were continuing on with this pregnancy: A pregnancy which others told us was not going anywhere. We were told we were taking the difficult path by not aborting her. I am a nurse and I see the skills and knowledge which healthcare professionals demonstrate in saving lives on a daily basis.

But do we fully realise when a mother is encouraged to terminate the life of her baby the weight which those words have when delivered by a healthcare professional or doctor?

Not only were these words deeply hurtful, they were deeply wrong. I often think of all the vulnerable families who, for whatever reason, do not have the strength which we managed to find at that moment to resist the pressure to opt for abortion.

We refused to give up on Grace, who was born at 37 weeks by planned caesarean in November 2014. She had none of the life-limiting conditions which the doctors told us she would certainly have. What she did have was Down syndrome.

She was a miracle baby who defied all the medical odds to survive. Now our Grace is a thriving little girl, and the joy of our life. We celebrate her life and the unique qualities which Grace brings to this world every day, while also remembering how there are millions of other children just like her, each with their own gifts which they enrich their families with every day.

Yet none of these gifts can be felt or known when a disabled child is denied the chance to enter this world.

In the UK, growing numbers of children with life-limiting conditions are being aborted. Specific  and ever improving  screening technologies allow for Down syndrome to be identified early on in pregnancy. In fact, tests are now being carried out in Ireland from as early as nine weeks into pregnancy.

This leads to tragic consequences for unborn babies who have the same condition which our Grace has. In Britain, 90% of babies who are diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted. In other countries, the percentages are even higher.

This does not happen in Ireland, and that is because the Eighth Amendment protects the right to life of all unborn children. Without that protection, the same situation which exists in Britain could soon be a reality here, too.

We are told the abortion debate is all about choice. Yet where is the choice when almost 100% of babies with Down syndrome are aborted, all because they are deemed imperfect?

The debate about repeal of the Eighth Amendment has been framed in a way that makes it sound like any changes to the law following the passage of a referendum will be restrictive.

But the reality of the Governments proposal for unrestricted abortion up to 12 weeks and abortion on vaguely-defined mental health grounds up until six months shows that what is planned is a radical UK- style regime of abortion-on-demand.

The decision we make in the referendum on May 25 will have profound effects on Ireland for generations to come. Our experience with Grace made me understand the pressures which many parents of disabled unborn children already face in our society. If the Eighth Amendment is repealed and all protection is stripped away from unborn children, that pressure will intensify greatly.

Lets build on the goodwill and generosity that still exists in Ireland for welcoming and supporting people with special needs. Lets do something truly radical and reject the idea that disabled people should have their lives ended before they are even born.

The only way to stop abortion on demand is by voting no on May 25, and that is exactly what I am going to do.Facebook has yet to explain why users were not informed about the Cambridge Analytica data leak when Facebook learned about it, writes Leonid Bershidsky

A pattern has emerged in Facebook chief executive officer Mark Zuckerbergs response to various legislative bodies interest in his company. The more informed and pointed questions legislators want to ask, the less time Zuckerberg is willing to spend answering them. That should mean its probably time to stop asking and start acting in specific areas that have been adequately pinpointed even without Zuckerbergs responses.

The Facebook CEO spent 10 hours on Capitol Hill dealing with questions that often showcased US legislators ignorance about the internet in general and Facebook in particular.

He spent an hour and a half in the European Parliament this week, of which only 25 minutes counted toward answering far more informed questions from parliament members.

He has dodged repeated invitations to appear before the UK parliament, specifically, its digital, culture, media and sport committee, even by video link; it is this committee that has, through a painstaking process, arrived at the most specific questions on Facebooks data collection and political advertising practices.

Tuesdays event at the European Parliament was useful in outlining the European agenda vis-a-vis the social network. Here are the most pressing questions, compiled from the ones legislators asked:

Can Facebook guarantee that another data scandal, like the one involving the unauthorised use of personal data by Cambridge Analytica, wont take place?

Facebook has yet to explain why users were not informed about the Cambridge Analytica data leak when Facebook learned about it. And we still dont know how Facebook controls third-party compliance with its policies.

Is Facebook really complying with the European Unions new privacy rules?

Its not clear at all if users are really only required to consent to providing data thats absolutely necessary for the use of Facebooks service. Or whether Facebook

has really transferred the data of those users not covered by it from European servers to keep it out of the EUs reach.

If people leave Facebook, Zuckerberg doesnt tell us what itll do with their data. Is there a way for a user to opt out of targeted advertising completely?

People also need to know whats required to prevent Facebook from assembling the shadow profile of a user from data collected on non-Facebook sites and whether these profiles are commercialised. Nor is it clear whether a non-Facebook user can see (and delete) such a profile.

Why is the number of fake accounts growing (from 2%-3% as reported last year to 3%-4% this year)?

Recall, Facebook issued assurances that its fighting their spread.

Is Facebook a media company that curates content or a neutral platform?

Facebook needs to explain how does it go about removing offensive and illegal content without censoring legitimate speech.

Can Facebook guarantee that political advertising on its platform will comply with national laws going forward? If so, how will it do so?

Facebook isnt clear about whether or how it has altered its business model to make sure it wont be abused to break campaign laws.

Does Facebook have any direct competitors, and if so, who are they?

If Facebook is effectively a monopoly, its not clear if theres any compelling reason not to break it up (for example, by forcing it to spin off Messenger and WhatsApp).

Would Facebook commit to releasing the full list of its legal entities and the amount of taxes they pay in every country where they operate?

Zuckerberg has not provided satisfying answers to any of these questions, sticking closely to his milquetoast talking points  a tactic that he must think works well for him since the companys revenue and stock price appear to be impervious to any concerns about its practices.

He has promised written responses to legislators angered by his blatant evasiveness. One doesnt need to wait for them, however, to see how things will go.

The British parliaments digital committee is already engaged in a written exchange with Rebecca Stimson, Facebooks head of public policy in the UK, and the answers she provides often have little to do with the questions asked.

The committees follow-ups to these answers can be seen in a document made public last Monday; often, they are more specific and pointed versions of the questions asked in the European Parliament.

The UK parliament members, for example, are interested in how Facebook obtains consent for data collection on each specific outside site; what specific targeted advertising tools Russian trolls used in the US and the UK; how much money Facebook makes from the advertising of fraudulent products and services; and why Facebook doesnt publish revenue figures by country.

The list goes on. Thats why the digital committee would like Zuckerberg to appear before it. Its clear from his appearances in Washington and Brussels, however, that even if he showed up, it would mostly be an exercise in evasion.

That means its time to end the discovery stage of regulators post-Cambridge Analytica dealings with Facebook.

The company has made its position, and the limits of its ability and willingness to tackle known problems, as clear as it cares to make them. The questions that remain unanswered or answered in an unsatisfactory way  that is, pretty much all the questions on the above list  require action.

THE debate should turn to devising the best regulatory mechanisms for the questions to go away. Thats not an impossible task for agencies not burdened with Facebooks primary motivation  to make money off users data, whatever Zuckerberg might say about putting profit second to users interests.

Facebook is also the prime candidate for an immediate investigation into its compliance with the EUs General Data Protection Regulation.

As far as I can see as a user, its not getting express consent for data collection on each website that harvests information for it, and it requires people to agree to more such harvesting than is strictly needed to use its service. The EU should move quickly to force it into compliance.

Zuckerbergs fake apology tour and his charade of answering questions have gone on long enough.

The onus is now on regulators in the US and Europe, to fix the obvious issues  relevant not only to Facebook but to most large internet platforms  in the near future.

If they fail to do so, it wont be Zuckerbergs fault but theirs.

Leonid Bershidsky is a Bloomberg columnist. Alison OConnor will be back next week.Implementing sentencing guidelines is long overdue and, if properly implemented, could have a serious impact on the administration of justice, says Michael Clifford

SOME good is finally going to come out of Shane Rosss buffoonery. The Minister for Transport and Stepaside Garda Station is finally getting his Judicial Appointments Commission Bill into law.

The dogs dinner of a bill  as referenced by the Attorney General  will provide for a new vehicle to appoint judges. A committee of 13, or possibly 16 or even 17, will decide on the appointment of around 10 judges a year.

Instead of reforming the old Judicial Appointments Advisory Board, Mr Ross wanted to put his stamp on something new to demonstrate that he is taking on vested interests with his sword of righteousness. The general consensus is that the whole affair is an ego trip, being tolerated by Fine Gael to prevent the fearless Ross throwing his toys out of the pram.

Rosss battering ram of a bill to eliminate political patronage in the appointment of judges will have practically no effect in reality. The new system will not change the character of the judiciary and certainly do nothing to improve the administration of justice.

But at least he can claim he has created a legacy for himself beyond Stepaside Garda Station, and for that the whole nation should be grateful.

He might also claim that through the hot air of buffoonery that he has encountered a stray current of common sense. Sinn Fein has agreed to support passage of the bill in return for a provision for sentencing guidelines in the bills companion piece, the Judicial Council bill.

Implementing sentencing guidelines is a long overdue step that most certainly can, if properly implemented, have a serious impact on the administration of justice.

Frequently, the victims of crime or those bereaved by crime appear unhappy if not baffled at sentences. At a national level, a study by the Irish Times last year showed huge discrepancies in sentencing across the State.

Earlier this year, the DPP, Claire Loftus, requested that the Court of Appeal provides sentencing guidelines in burglary cases. And just a few months ago, High Court judge Una Ni Raifeartaigh expressed herself astonished that guidelines were not in place for rape cases.

There is little doubt but that the untrammelled discretion exercised by judges has had over the years chipped away at confidence in the courts, and particularly the criminal courts.

Its not that the judiciary is collectively disposed towards, for instance, exercising undue lenience in a particular area of crime. The real problem is the inconsistency. Ones judges slap on the wrist might be anothers draconian sentence.

Nothing more than human nature is at work, but society is no longer of a mood to tolerate the foibles and personalities of individual judges without some degree of restraint.

Sinn Feins proposal is along the lines of a bill drafted in 2015 which never got traction from the other main parties.

There will be a committee within the Judicial Council which will draft the guidelines, according to Sinn Fein Justice spokesman Donnacha OLaoire.

Judges will be obliged to have regard for those guidelines but they will have ultimate discretion. The model we chose was the Sentencing Council in the UK.

Their aim is true, but whether the move is a success is entirely dependent on resources and political will, neither of which are guaranteed.

For an example of how not to do it look at another area of the courts, the old JAAB, which Mr Ross is killing off. The body was created in the mid-1990s after the collapse of the Fianna Fail/Labour government over the appointment of then AG Harry Whelahan to the High Court.

It was a good idea, but floundered on the political will to ensure it operated as envisaged. Such will be the fate of any quasi-Sentencing Council unless its establishment and operation is taken as seriously as required.

The council in the UK is a good template, and tweaking where necessary or desirable would be no big deal.

The council has 14 members, eight of whom are judges. The remaining positions are filled from the legal business and civic society, and includes a victim of crime representative.

Crucially, there is buy-in across the judiciary in projects such as the Crown Court Sentencing Survey. This asked judges in thousands of courts to complete a short form every time they pass sentence. The survey was then used to formulate guidelines on sentencing. The results are also published to improve public confidence.

And there is a serious emphasis on raising confidence in the system. A few years ago, Irish born UK High Court judge Colman Treacy addressed a gathering in Dublin on his experience of the Sentencing Council of which he was a member.

The findings of various surveys often report that members of the public believe that sentencing is lenient, he said.

This is frequently as a result of low levels of knowledge of the criminal justice system which can be fuelled by the media.

However, what is clear is that when the public are given details of criminal cases and are made away of the process that judges and magistrates follow when sentencing, the publics sentencing decisions are much closer to the sentences actually passed and in some cases are more lenient.

The guidelines in the UK are not mandatory, but whenever judges depart from the range of sentences they are obliged to provide a reason for doing so. This again provides for transparency and confidence in the system.

Will we do the right thing on this side of the Irish Sea? The jury will remain out until the Judicial Council is up and running. Unfortunately, the pace of reform in the courts system in this country is snail like, in spite of the best of intensions by some driving it.

Real change will only occur if the will to expend political energy is provided. Lets see how that goes. Many in politics look to harvest capital by identifying with the victims of crime, particularly when they appear to be ill served by the system. Lets see if as much effort will be put into changing the system to ensure greater confidence in how the courts operate.Vote Yes: Tomorrow, the country will finally go to the polls to vote on whether or not we repeal the 8th amendment. It is a historic, once-in-a-generation opportunity for citizens of Ireland to change how we treat and care for women in this country who experience a crisis pregnancy , writes Sarah Monaghan.

TOMORROW is a day when voters have an extraordinary amount of power in their hands; the moment when they lift a pencil in the polling booth, each individual makes their mark on a critical national question.

I would urge everyone who is lucky enough to have this democratic power in their hands to go and vote tomorrow  and vote Yes.

Why am I voting Yes?

I am voting YES tomorrow for the women and girls that I love. Because a YES vote means that doctors can do their jobs. Because a YES vote means safe and regulated abortion services under Irish law. Because a YES vote means that we have a better Ireland that cares for women at a time when we need it most.

A no vote means that nothing changes.

Voting no means that next week 9 women will still travel for an abortion in the UK every day and 3 more will still take the abortion pill at home, often alone without medical supervision.

Voting no means that we can do absolutely nothing for women and couples who receive a diagnosis of fatal foetal anomaly.

Voting no means we cannot provide compassionate care to women and girls who are victims of rape and incest.

Ewe & me are Together for Yes!

We're nearly there. #Together4Yes pic.twitter.com/gOk54rW95G  Leitrim ARC (@LeitrimARC) May 24, 2018

Over the duration of this campaign, we have heard from countless women and couples who shared their experiences with us during this campaign. These are hugely difficult personal and private decisions and yet they felt that they could not stand by and let Irish people go to the polls tomorrow without letting them know how the harms of the 8th Amendment.

Women like Siobhan Donoghue and Arlette Lyons who travelled to Liverpool as her baby had a fatal foetal anomaly. Couples like Gaye and Gerry Edwards; Caroline and Mick Murphy who made similar journeys.

Mothers like Elaine Bedford who spoke out yesterday about her fears for her daughter when she took the abortion pill due to her diabetic condition which made pregnancy dangerous for her.

Doctors across the country have also spoken out on behalf of the women they could not help in the past in the hope that, by doing so, they would be able to help women in the future.

What has been different about this abortion campaign, is what we agree on  abortion is a reality in Ireland and it isnt going away. So the question facing us tomorrow is whether we want to make abortion safe and legal under Irish laws or whether we want to keep it unregulated and out of the hands of Irish doctors.

What has also been really clarified is that we cannot do anything under Irish law for fatal fetal anomaly without repealing the 8th Amendment.

If you want to change the way Ireland treats women who go through a crisis pregnancy, then vote Yes. Unless we repeal the 8th, nothing will change.

Nothing will change for couples who receive a devastating diagnosis of fatal fetal abnormality. Nothing will change for rape victims who become pregnant. Nothing will change for women whose health is put at risk by a pregnancy.

To achieve change - that is, to provide care and compassion for women in crisis pregnancies  we must repeal the 8th.

Sarah Monaghan. Picture: Together for Yes

Sarah Monaghan is a spokesperson for Together For YesThe Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman launched their 2017 report yesterday.

At about the same time the international team investigating the shooting down of the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 over the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, announced that they have uncovered hard evidence that a Russian army missile system fired the missile that hit flight MH17.

The Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was attacked. All 298 people on board were killed.

Both reports raise a common and increasingly important theme  how can countries, especially small countries like ours, better protect themselves from malign, unwelcome outside influences? How can societies that aspire to protecting the rule of law and supporting the integrity of justice systems repel international or commercial interests that would subvert in their public life and their democratic process?

On the day that the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force those questions carry an increasing weight.

On a day that we vote on a proposal to change our Constitution after a campaign where hidden hands  from both sides of the argument  sought decisive influence through social media platforms it seems at best reckless not to confront these issues.

That these alarm bells rang again in the week Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was accused of being too powerful when he briefly met  and patronised  members of the European Parliament underlines the concerns raised by Press Council chairperson Sean Donlon, when he warned about the growing influence of social media: It is essential that governments and international organisations such as the EU now address the disproportionate and unaccountable power of social media. There has to be an acceptance that responsibility goes with power. If the social media organisations do not themselves take action to ensure that they do not undermine democratic systems then governments will have to bring in supervisory and regulatory measures comparable to that which newspapers, magazines, advertising and broadcasters already experience.

Mr Donlon is of course right but in a week when America once again dismissed the International Criminal Court, saying that Palestinian efforts to have the forum consider charges of war crimes against Israel as counterproductive, and in a world where Vladimir Putins government shrugs off accusations over the flight MH17 murders, it seems far easier to identify the problems than resolve them.

Syrias brutal civil war, North Koreas game of chicken over nuclear weapons, Saudi Arabias  that medieval kingdom spent $69.4bn (59.2bn) on defence last year  proxy war in Yemen and almost most of all, Chinas determined expansionism, show how very difficult it is to change the trajectory of events by international censure or even boycott.

It may have ever been thus but todays Goliaths have become so powerful, and so indifferent to the idea of being answerable to a collective of nations, or even constrained by one, that Davids slingshot seems increasingly inadequate.After a cold and dreary winter that seemed to go on forever, the arrival of what appears to be summer will, hopefully, allow the young and old alike to enjoy the delights of the outdoors.

Temperatures today and tomorrow are forecast to rise to 22 degrees but, given the vagaries of our weather, rainclouds are never far around the corner and it may be tempting to soak up as much sun as possible and bask in a dose of vitamin D.

That, however, could be a serious mistake. The Irish Cancer Society (ICS) has issued a skin cancer alert, warning of the dangers of unprotected exposure to the sun.

During the long months of winter, some desperate people took to using sunbeds and that could be an even worse mistake as they are known to be a major contributor to melanoma, a type of skin cancer that can prove fatal.

According to the ICS, Ireland is facing a skin cancer epidemic over the next few decades and needs to take urgent steps now to ensure we bring down our skin cancer rates, as Australia has done.

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Ireland with more than 11,000 new cases diagnosed in 2015 alone.

Unless counter-measures are taken, skin cancer cases are set to rise by almost two thirds by 2040 to nearly 19,000 cases a year.

Last July, the Government published its National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026 with the aim of meeting the needs of cancer patients in Ireland for the next decade.

Part of the thrust of the strategy involves developing a national skin cancer prevention plan and, according to Donal Buggy, head of services and advocacy at the ICS, the development of such a plan is essential to reducing skin cancer rates.

The plan was marked as a priority by the Government in 2017 yet, almost a year on it has not even been published, let alone implemented.

At a seminar held in Dublin this week, one of the worlds leading experts on skin cancer said urgent steps needed to be taken here to prevent an epidemic.

Craig Sinclair, director of the World Health Organisations Collaborative Centre for UV Radiation, also called on the Irish Government to ban sunbeds, saying they have absolutely no positive benefits and are a major contributor

to melanoma. Sunbeds were banned in Australia in 2014, helping to further reduce skin cancer rates there.

He said: Skin cancer is one of the most preventable cancers. In Australia, we started innovative public awareness campaigns 30 years ago and we are now seeing the results of these with a downward trend in melanoma cases in younger age groups.

Prevention is not just better than cure, it is far easier to achieve.

Ireland blazed a trail in 2004 by banning smoking in the workplace, proving that prevention is not just better than cure but easier to achieve and more cost effective.

We need to do so again by putting in place a well resourced plan to tackle skin cancer. If we dont, we will continue to count the human and financial cost for decades to come.Over the last few years, there have been countless letters to the Irish Examiner from those on both sides of the Eighth Amendment debate. Here are the some of the best to help you make up your mind on how you will vote on Friday

YES- No abortion link to mental illness

I am encouraged that the joint committee on the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution has sought clarity, from expert witnesses, on the mental health effects of abortion.

The best research, as highlighted by Dr Anthony McCarthy, when he spoke to the committee on November 8, has not found a relationship between having an abortion and developing mental health problems.

An unintended pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of mental health problems, and the rates of mental health problems are similar, irrespective of whether that pregnancy ends in a termination or in birth. However, the research does show that women who were exposed to strongly negative attitudes toward abortion are more likely to have long-term mental health problems.

In this era of fake news, I hope the facts win out over myths and misinformation about the purported, negative mental health effects of abortion, which are often used to justify why women should continue to be denied access to safe and legal abortions in Ireland.

Perhaps, instead, those concerned about womens mental health should consider the negative impact of a lack of autonomy, being forced to travel abroad for an abortion, and the stigma attached to having an abortion?

Marguerite Regan

London E15

England

(formerly Bantry, Co Cork)

Pub 22/11/17

NO - Abortion antithesis of healthcare

I wish to reply to Orla OConnor, of the National Womens Council of Ireland.

Her organisation is desperate to pretend that abortion is about healthcare. She does not, of course, use the word abortion, but, nudge-nudge, wink-wink, we all know what she means.

Healthcare is about curing, healing, and protecting life. Abortion is about death. You can call an apple a banana until you are blue in the face, but an apple is an apple, and will taste like an apple.

You may have your own opinions, but you cannot have your own facts.

Bernard Naughton

Farranree

Cork.

Pub 23/11/17

YES -Repeal of Eighth is humane thing to do

I am voting yes in the upcoming referendum because I believe, as a nation of caring, compassionate people, we can and must do better for our pregnant citizens.

As Dr Peter Boylan stated: That a woman should not die in pregnancy is the absolute lowest bar to aim for in a modern country. We cannot continue to send vulnerable pregnant people abroad (often alone) so that we can continue to bury our heads in the sand. In the tragic cases of fatal foetal abnormalities, when the merciful decision is made, women are being forced to go through such a traumatic ordeal without family and their own doctor there to comfort and support them.

I appeal to the citizens of this country to repeal the Eighth Amendment.

It is the only humane thing to do.

Sarah Slattery

Crosshaven

Co Cork

Pub 02/05/2018

NO - Some home truths about adoption

It will be cold comfort to adopted individuals to know theyd be better off dead than adopted (Maurice Fitzgerald Adoption not better than abortion Irish Examiner, 8/2/18).

If Mr Fitzgerald could manage to take his head out of the 1950s for a moment, he would see that adoption these days is a very different story.

Children adopted nowadays know as much about themselves and origins as it is possible, and as early, to know. It is an absolute insult to parents  myself included  of adopted children to claim they all lie to their children. Parents who lie to their children, lie to their children, whether they are adopted or not. I do not count myself among that number. If children are from another country, every effort is made to ensure they stay in contact with the culture of their country of origin.

They are most certainly not treated as second-class citizens by anyone except the ignorant  and who values the opinion of the ignorant?

Many of the problems described by Mr Fitzgerald can also be found among biological children whove had difficult upbringings. How very generous of Mr Fitzgerald to offer them all their deaths, instead of compassion and a helping hand, as a solution.

Adoption is not a curse forced on unwanted children. Adoption makes a win-win situation out of any crisis pregnancy. It provides a loving home for any child whose biological mother cannot, or does not want, to raise it. It means any mother who has a change of heart may be able to see and hold her child one day, talk to them. It means a family can welcome a child they DO want into their hearts. Far from being unwanted, every adopted child will know they were definitely wanted  as anyone who has been through the prolonged gruelling process and expense of adopting can vouch for.

Abortion, on the other hand, destroys at least one life, maybe more. It ends all possibility of a loving home, a child for those who want one, a possible second chance for any mother who changes her mind. Abortion, not adoption, makes second-class citizens out of the unborn.

Nick Folley

Carrigaline

Co Cork

Pub 05/03/18

YES - Focus on foetus ignores the woman

I find it very telling that posters for the no campaign focus almost exclusively on the foetus. All we see of the woman is her pregnant belly or inside her uterus.

A woman is not merely a vessel. She is a person with hopes, dreams, family, and friends. Do they really love both because it seems to me they only love the unborn?

Siun Phelan

Gorey

Co Wexford

Pub 10/05/2018

NO - The Eighth has served us well

It is disappointing to hear Dr Rhona Mahony calling for repeal of the Eighth Amendment. As a doctor, she is very familiar with the humanity of the baby in the womb and the fact that his or her heart starts beating at three weeks. Some women will not even know they are pregnant at this stage. Why then should the baby be deprived of protection under our laws? The Eighth has served us well. It has ensured that babies in the womb are protected while also guaranteeing that women receive whatever treatment they need while pregnant. This would seem to me to be far better than the system which exists in other countries where babies lives are ended in abortion.

Louise Heavey

Renmore

Galway

Pub 15/09/2017

YES - Eighth delivered a cruel punishment

The 1983 amendment to the Constitution sought to ensure that abortion was not an option for pregnant women in Ireland. It expressly accords rights to the life of the unborn child, by requiring the State to vindicate that right to life, as far as practicable, with due regard to the equal life of the mother. This somewhat complicated formula of rights, seemingly both equal and conditional, has been interpreted by the courts in a manner which more absolutely equalises the right of both lives.

The direct harmful consequences of these laws have been evident in an avalanche of personal testimonies in the lead up to the forthcoming referendum. Appropriate medical intervention is simply not available to women, despite circumstances where the continuation of a pregnancy will have tragic or dangerous effects. Equally pregnant women who have been the victims of rape or incest or who are experiencing a crisis pregnancy are prevented by law from receiving their preferred intervention from the Irish healthcare system.

The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution has delivered a cruel and unyielding punishment for pregnant women who seek compassionate medical intervention. Notwithstanding the current legal framework preventing abortion, 12 Irish women a day terminate a pregnancy, and through our laws we shamefully condone their expulsion to other countries.

The referendum on May 25 provides Irish society with an opportunity to right the wrongs of our past.

Following a successful yes vote on May 25, the Government has committed to introduce a legal framework, which will create parameters and regulatory conditions relating to the termination of pregnancies.

Dr Louise Crowley School of Law UCC

Colette Kelleher

Senator Prof Louise Kenny

Faculty Health & Life Sciences University of Liverpool

Annie Roche

TFMR

Pub 02/05/2018

NO - We should ignore Trudeau

May I draw your readers attention to the recent visit of An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, to Canada, where he met that countrys prime minister, Justin Trudeau. The citizens of Ireland were given what amounted to a lecture on womens rights in the context of abortion.

To my mind, it was no accident that the subject of abortion was introduced, given the drive to have the so-called Eighth Amendment repealed and to allow abortion-on-demand in this country.

For Trudeau to enter the fray is outrageous, considering that Canada has one of the most liberal abortion regimes in the world. Then, as a follow-up, again in Canada, Varadkar announced his intention to have a referendum as soon as possible next year to enable the citizens of Ireland to ensure that womens rights are advanced. The rights are not rights when the right of the child in the womb is not taken into consideration.

Therefore, it cannot be said that the Eighth Amendment contravenes womens rights, when the rights of the unborn are ignored.

The most vulnerable will need the continued protection of the Eighth Amendment and so any attempt at its repeal must be resisted.

Brian M. McMahon

Ennis

Co Clare

Pub 31/08/2017

YES - Where are pro-life when it comes to homeless?

Miriam Beattie (We should keep the Eighth Amendment, Irish Examiner, September 5) states: Ireland was once known as the safest place in the world to have a baby. She claims that because of the Eighth Amendment  which reduces the worth of a sentient woman to that of a foetus at any point in its development  our obstetricians had become exceptionally skilled in saving the lives of both mother and unborn baby in the most complicated of situations.

This is a claim frequently made by those who want Ireland to maintain its constitutional diminution of womens bodily rights. It is a claim  in and of itself  that is not an outright lie.

There was indeed a time when Ireland claimed to be the safest place in the world to have a baby. A 2007 World Health Organization report on maternal mortality rates  deaths per 100,000 live births  showed that, appallingly, 900 mothers die in every 100,000 live births in sub-Saharan Africa. In Latin America, its 130. In East Asia, that figure is 50. In the rich countries of the developed world, nine mothers die in every 100,000 births.

In Ireland, it seems that only one mother died in every 100,000.

There was, of course, a very good reason we were allegedly nine times safer for mothers than richer countries with better health systems.

Ireland was not recording maternal deaths on Irish death certificates as being caused by childbirth.

We were, to quote the TV series The Wire, juking the stats, changing the parameters of our responses so as to alter the outcome. In other words, we were lying.

Since 2009, we have joined the UKs Confidential Maternal Death Enquiry system and we now have accurate statistics. In Ireland, we record between nine and 10 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Those figures tally with other rich, developed countries, including countries like the UK which have liberal abortion regimes.

It is disingenuous in the extreme to claim that Ireland was once the safest place in the world to have a baby when we know that claim was founded on falsified statistics.

Heres a statistic that is not falsified: There are 8,000 Irish people currently homeless, 3,000 of them children whose lives are being blighted by the lack of a proper home. Where are the pro-life when it comes to helping the actually alive?

Donal OKeeffe

Fermoy

Co Cork

Pub 08.09.2017

NO - Too few represent society on abortion

Bernard Naughton (May 29) rightly raises questions about the recommendations of the 100 member-strong Citizens Assembly on abortion and the repeal of the 8th Amendment. Many wrongly assumed that the Assemblys view represent those of the public at large.

There are no circumstances where they could be held to do that. Even if representative of society, there are too few of them to reliably represent Irish society. Most polling companies use samples of 1,000 persons which they try to make representative of the population as a whole, and write of margins of error of around 3 to 3.5%.

This means, roughly, that if repeated samples of 1,000 persons are polled most poll results will lie within 3 to 3.5% of the results for the entire population. With a sample of 100, the margin of error becomes 9 to 11%. However, the 100 brave citizens who stuck out the weekend meetings of the Assembly, listening to sad and gruesome tales from experts and interested parties, were partly self-selecting, for only those agreeable to take on the role were included. The best that can be said of the Assembly is that they considered virtually all possibilities after having been extensively informed; their recommendations must be taken with a grain of salt, not because they are wrong, but because they are unlikely to represent public opinion.

The public are not nearly as well informed as the Assembly; unless they are brought up to speed of all arguments, their views will differ for that reason too.

John Colgan

Leixlip

Co Kildare

Pub 31/05/2017That was the bleak picture painted by a wide range of business and community leaders at the Oireachtas finance committee, who implored lawmakers to step up and resolve the crisis.

The committee heard:

Marts around the country face closure in the next year because of drastic spikes in insurance costs;

The GAA has seen its insurance bill double in the past five years;

75 festivals around the country have been scrapped in the past two years because of rising premiums;

A childrens charity saw an almost 100% increase in insurance costs this year, meaning 17% of its grant allocation was eaten up;

Motorsport in Ireland is surviving week to week, having seen a 188% increase in insurance costs this year, with rallies such as Galway International cancelled.

Peter Boland of the Alliance for Insurance Reform (AIR), which represents business and community organisations, said:

There is a great deal of fear out there among many organisations afraid to go public on their experiences because they are at the mercy of one underwriter only or because they are afraid to draw additional claims on themselves. So what you are hearing is only the tip of the iceberg.

Mr Boland said it had to be a turning point for exorbitant premiums.

The current system is dysfunctional to the extent that what is supposed to be a service industry that facilitates the operation of society has become an extractive industry, taking over 2bn in motor and liability premiums annually, he said.

Yet our members feel that it is the insurance industry and the legal profession that have the strongest voices in the corridors of power. Policyholders feel that we have no voice.

Director general of the GAA, Tom Ryan, said insurance bills were now the biggest for every club in the country.

Eimear McGuinness, manager of Donegal Co-operative Livestock Mart, said marts across the country were facing closure in the nest year because of rising costs.

Insurers were too quick to pay out claims instead of challenging them in court. She cited a case of a man with an injured toe who settled for 13,000, even though he had no broken bones.

FBD is paying because it is cheaper than court. We are at their mercy because we cannot get a quote from anyone else, she said.

Ivan Cooper of The Wheel, which advocates for charities, said insurance costs were a crisis for communities, with organisations seeing premiums rise 10 times in the past three years.

He said there was evidence of one childrens charity that saw premiums go from 9,000 to 16,000 this year.

The outrageous increase was tantamount to legalised extortion and 17% of that childrens charitys total grant allocation was going on insurance costs, he said.

A disability transport charity was paying more for insurance than it was for petrol, he said.

Some 75 festivals have collapsed in the past 36 months, the executive director of the Association of Irish Festivals and Events said.

Colm Croffy said it was now a crisis point in Irish community life, with insurance costs affecting the enthusiasm of volunteers who fundraised, collected and administrated for the benefit of the community, only for 40% of it to go to insurance companies.

FBD chief claims officer Jackie McMahon said high premiums were caused by gaming of the injury process, high legal costs, and delays in the system. Some legal practitioners were turning on the money machine and rejecting offers in the hope of bigger payouts for claimants, he said.

In the legal system, delays are everywhere. There is profit in procrastination.Any revised funding deal for the venue, which has seen costs soar from 50m to at least 75m, and which is seeking another 10m in State funding, will require a new agreement.

It prompted calls last night for all involved to get a move on, amid fears the funding could be at risk.

Fianna Fail finance spokesman Michael McGrath said this significant new twist underlines the urgent need to start work.

Everyone is saying theyre committed to the project but it seems to me that there are still major barriers to be overcome, he said.

BAM boss Theo Cullinane, whose firm won the tender in 2014 for 20m in State aid  12m from the Government and 8m from Cork City council  insisted his firm and the venues operators, Live Nation, are still 100% committed to the project. However, he said meeting timelines announced in February  including hopes that building work would start before the end of this year  will be tight.

Mr McGrath asked Arts Minister Heather Humphreys if there is a time-limit within which the 12m Government portion must be drawn down. She said the allocation is managed under a service level agreement (SLA) with the city council, signed in December 2015. She said the agreement was for four years, and that any revised funding agreement would require a revised SLA.

It emerged on Wednesday that there is still no final agreement on the funding, three months after it was claimed that a funding deal had been agreed in principle.

BAM said it plans to forfeit one proposed office block on the former Beamish and Crawford site to facilitate a bigger events centre.

It could be another six to eight weeks before a revised planning application is ready for submission.Chief Inspector Mark Toland said it wants to focus more on human rights issues and in order to do that, it had to be able to visit Garda stations at a time of its own choosing.

He told the Oireachtas justice committee that current legislative proposals contain such a provision but stipulate that any such visit would require the prior permission of the justice minister.

Mr Toland said any such condition should not be included and that it would be impracticable.

He welcomed a previous recommendation by the committee for the inspectorate to have the power.

Asked by Fianna Fails Jack Chambers did the body not want to be able to conduct real-time inspections and not just retrospective ones, Mr Toland said:

We want to look at human rights areas. That might involve on-the-spot inspections, so wed like to go unannounced. We are an inspection body.

Sinn Fein TD and committee chair Caoimhghin O Caolain said it was very strongly of the view that the inspectorate should have such power, saying it was absolutely essential.

Mr Toland replied: It would enhance our ability and we would not have to make an appointment to visit. It is important to do it in real time.

He said Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan had indicated he might not need to give approval.

Mr Toland said if there were issues of State security, where there was very sensitive material, then the ministerial provision could apply.

Commenting on the inspectorates recent report, entitled Responding to Child Sexual Abuse, Mr Toland said he was disappointed that specialist child centres, recommended in a 2012 report, had not been set up, even on a trial basis.

These centres would provide medical examinations, joint garda and social worker interviews, and therapeutic supports in one location.

He said it had envisaged two pilots in 2012 and that, in total, it would consider three to four centres for the country to be enough.

He said these could be based in Galway, Cork, and Dublin. He said there was one centre in the North.

He said people would travel if they knew they were going to a centre of excellence with all the necessary services.

It is not right to travel to different locations for different services, he said.

Sometimes children are travelling all over the country.

He expressed confidence in the new implementation group that the Government had set up on the back of the report.

Theres a commitment to get the centres up and running and pretty quickly.

He said gardai and officials with Tusla, the child and family agency, could use existing facilities, at least at first.

Mr Toland said pre-sanction reports, before sentencing, should be mandatory, in which the Probation Service could recommend how a sex offender should be monitored after release.

He said of the 250 cases it examined, only 160 had post-release supervision orders, without which a released offender would not be subject to specific multi-agency monitoring.

He said only 15% of all convicted sex offenders came under this multi-agency Soram project.The shooting at 8pm last Saturday at Cherrywood Business Park, south Dublin, followed a massive operation to track down Hennessy and the woman he had abducted, Jastine Valdez.

At that stage, gardai did not know where the 24-year-old student was and believed she could have been in Hennessys car.

There are reports that a 999 call to Garda Command and Control said there were two people in the vehicle at the time. A Garda traffic officer and a detective arrived in separate vehicles.

Various reports have circulated about the incident, including that Hennessy had ran, holding a knife, at either the traffic garda or the detective, and was shot.

There had also been reports, less widely circulated, that Hennessy was making stabbing motions in the car and that the detective might have thought or feared he was stabbing Ms Valdez.

On Wednesday night, Gsoc issued an unusually detailed statement, possibly due to media reports and social media commentary, stating that Hennessy was in the drivers seat at the time of the shooting.

It said one shot had been fired. It confirmed there were also self-harming wounds and a Stanley knife was found in the car.

The body of Ms Valdez was discovered the following day in the Rathmichael area, having been strangled to death.

The Gsoc statement said that following a preliminary examination under Section 91 of the Garda Siochana Act 2005 it was undertaking an investigation under Section 98, which is for incidents that appear to involve offences.

Various sources said that while this was a criminal investigation, it did not reflect any judgment that a crime had been committed, only that potentially it might.

Sources said Gsoc has an obligation under Article 2 of the European Convention of Human Rights to ensure that loss of life was justified in all the circumstances.

One source knowledgeable with Gsoc procedures said: The garda will have to explain that he had an honestly-held belief that his or someone elses life was in immediate danger.

The decision to pull the trigger is an individual one for a garda and Gsoc officers will try and understand his mindset and assess was his view justified.

The source said investigators were experienced and would be aware that this is traumatic for the garda. This source said the witness statement of the traffic garda and any other witnesses present will be crucial.

The source added that Gsoc would not have rushed into designating it a Section 98 investigation and would have born in mind the Clarke Report of 2016.

Gsoc also have the footage of the ANPR camera in the traffic car, which will have visual imagery and could have recorded sound also, if it was switched on.

A number of Garda sources said these are split-second decisions and that if the detective believed Hennessy could have been stabbing Ms Valdez, then he was entitled to use force to stop him. One source cited reports of a 999 call that there were two people in the car.Professor Robert Langer was described by Harvard Business Review as the Edison of Medicine. He is credited with improving over 2bn lives by engineering faster drug delivery systems to fight off deadly diseases and illnesses.

His biggest achievements have been in helping to provide groundbreaking treatments for brain cancer, heart disease, burns, spinal injuries, and hair health.

He developed a treatment for brain cancer, in which a wafer implant could be directly implanted into the brain tumour to help shrink it, said UL chemistry lecturer Dr Sarah Hudson, who was part of Prof Langers postdoctoral research team at his lab in Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The scale of Robert Langers achievements is truly remarkable. His work over a period of four decades has been unparalleled in terms of its innovation and its benefit to billions of people the world over.

Welcoming her former mentor to UL she told those gathered: Through his creativity, selflessness and ability to dream big, Bob Langer has touched the lives of an incalculable number of people.

We were honoured to host him at UL last year as a Bernal distinguished lecturer, and it is with the utmost respect that we welcome him back today to honour him with this award.

UL chancellor and former health minister Mary Harney said UL prides itself on excellence and providing an education that enables successive generations to fulfil their potential and make a difference in the world.

Professor Langer clearly embodies that excellence, having made the kind of difference that most of us can barely imagine. He is a role model and an inspiration.

Meanwhile, Prof Langer described UL as fast developing a reputation for innovative research.

The work being undertaken here has the potential to change the lives of so many people and these new laboratories present a great opportunity for UL researchers to continue their cutting-edge work in the areas of bio-engineering and bio-processing in a state-of-the-art environment, he said.Opponents of the Indaver Ireland project are so incensed at the delay that they have lodged a complaint against Ireland to the European Parliament Committee on Petitions.

Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment (CHASE) lodged the complaint on May 20 on foot of the failure of Irish planning, and particularly the Strategic Infrastructure process, to guarantee early and effective public participation and access to environmental justice, in accordance with the Aarhus Convention and European Union environmental law.

CHASE has also written to TDs in the Cork area expressing concern about apparently undocumented meetings between Inadver and the Department of the Environment which they believe took place in 2011.

This belief is on foot of documentation released under FOI which makes reference to a meeting between the parties in March and in July 2011. When CHASE sought the minutes of those meetings, the response was no records could be found in relation to either of these.

CHASE said it was unacceptable that notes of meetings between Indaver and Department of Environment staff or Ministers are not on file.

An Bord Pleanala was originally scheduled to reach a decision on the controversial 240,000 tonnes a year waste-to-energy facility at Ringaskiddy by July 12, 2016, The decision date has been deferred 10 times.

The planning authoritys own guidelines state there is a duty on the board to make its decision as expeditiously as is consistent with proper planning and sustainable development and to avoid delays.

There is also a statutory objective to make decisions within 18 weeks. The planning application was lodged in January 2016, an oral hearing took place in April/May of that year, and a ruling from the board was due on July 12, 2016.

It is the third time since 2001 that Indaver has applied to build an incinerator in Ringaskiddy.With just 24 hours to go until the public casts their vote, political parties and groups on either side are making last-minute bids to shore up support among undecided voters and appealed to people to make their voice heard through the ballot box.

However, the no side was left floundering yesterday as it rejected claims its campaign to retain the Eighth was in crisis amid claims of a closed-doors row between senior members over Cora Sherlocks scrapped appearance in an RTE referendum debate.

Health Minister Simon Harris said the person put forward by the no side was not important to him.

He said:

No matter which one you sent, they still wouldnt have had answers to the questions I have asked  What would you do to support a young woman who has been raped in this country? What would you do to stop people having to leave our country every day to access termination abroad? What would you do to support people who have a fatal foetal abnormality?

Mr Harris, who went up against Sinn Feins Peadar Toibin after the no side pulled Ms Sherlock from the debate, said: In the last couple of days the no side have tried to suggest there are alternatives, yet they havent brought forward alternatives. I stood on a platform for over an hour last night taking questions, including questions from the no side and indeed with an advocate from the no side, the one who turned up.

I have been very clear from day one that I was looking forward to a debate and I was always going to participate in the last RTE television debate, thats what I did. Who turned up was a matter for RTE to work out with both sides.

Encouraging people to vote tomorrow, Mr Harris said this is a once in a generation opportunity to bring about change for women in this country.

The Love Both and Save the 8th campaigns rejected the accusation of infighting but failed to explain why Ms Sherlock did not attend events over the past 24 hours after her last-minute pull-out from the live TV debate.

Speaking to reporters at separate campaign events in Dublin city centre yesterday, the Love Both and Save the 8th groups denied suggestions the last-minute change was due to internal fallout.

Clare McCarthy of LoveBoth said:

Simon Harris wants to introduce abortion on demand if the yes vote wins, but independent analysis has shown that if abortion on demand is introduced, thousands more abortions will happen in Ireland every year.

Speaking in the Dail, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin asked employers to be flexible in facilitating people to vote as it is good for our democracy.

Mr Varadkar said the referendum to repeal the Eighth is much more than a Government proposal and thanked Mr Martin, Mary Lou McDonald, Brendan Howlin, and other politicians for showing leadership within their own parties on the issue.

I have often heard people describe this as the Governments proposal in debates on television and radio. Yes, it is a proposal being put forward by the Government, but it is much more than that. It has wide cross-party support and arose from recommendations from an all-party committee which included people like Deputy Billy Kelleher and Deputy Lisa Chambers, people from my party such as Senator Catherine Noone and Deputy Kate OConnell, people from the Labour Party and from Sinn Fein, and others.

Therefore, while it is a Government proposal, it has cross-party support, if not universal support. It had its origins in the Citizens Assembly which was established almost two years ago by my forebear, the former taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, said Mr Varadkar.

Last night the last televised debate before polling day saw Maria Steen debate Minister Regina Doherty.GSOC said that following a preliminary examination of the incident under section 91 of the Garda Siochana Act, 2005, it was undertaking an investigation under section 98, which, it said, is for incidents that appear to involve offences.

GSOCs statement regarding the location of Hennessy when he was shot differs from some earlier accounts, which suggested he had ran, while holding a knife, at a garda. The ombudsman said it was in the process of obtaining video footage of the incident.

It said a knife was recovered from Hennessys Nissan Qashqai and that he had injuries consistent with self-harm.

Hennessy was fatally shot at Cherrywood Business Park, south Dublin, at 8pm last Sunday, over 24 hours after he strangled student Jastine Valdez to death.

GSOC said a postmortem established that Hennessy was shot in the shoulder and that the bullet entered his torso, causing fatal injuries.

It said: The deceased was in the drivers seat at the time of the shooting.

GSOC said its officers recovered a Garda service weapon from the scene and that one spent cartridge and the remaining ammunition was located in the firearm.

After the shooting, there were suggestions Hennessy was armed with a knife and had run either at a traffic garda or the detective when he was shot. There was also a third suggestion that Hennessy was inside the car making stabbing motions.

Garda sources at the time suggested it might not have been clear whether he was stabbing himself or if he might have been stabbing Ms Valdez or could do so. Gardai at that stage did not know where she was and only found her body on Monday afternoon.

GSOC said a team of officers from Cork were investigating the matter and arrived at the scene at 11.50pm.

The statement said: Following a preliminary examination of the incident under s91 of the 2005 Act, GSOC is now undertaking an investigation under s 98 of the 2005 Act, which is for incidents that appear to involve offences.

It said that under this section, GSOC investigators have, for the purposes of the probe, all the powers, immunities, privileges, and duties imposed on members of An Garda Siochana.No need for alarm. The man dressed as a Viking warrior was stunt actor Peter Dillon, getting in gear ahead of his first workshop at the 10th Fastnet Film Festival, a burgeoning event that is expected to attract thousands of people to the West Cork fishing village until Sunday.

The signs on entering Schull declare that the whole village is a screen, with numerous pubs, shops and public buildings hosting films both long and short over four days. And this year, in addition to the makeshift Odeons, Adelphis and Plazas, theres a new addition  the Closet, the festivals tiniest cinema which has a capacity for three people.

Like most things in and around the festival, this tiny room has its own story behind it. As festival vice-chairperson Hilary McCarthy explained, the seating was bought at a shop just down the road but came originally from a 1950s cinema. Anyone settling in for a viewing in the closet was treated to a short film that starred and won at a previous festival Happy Birthday to Timmy, created by student Johnny Cullen.

This year, some 200 films are being shown, down from an initial 350 that were submitted, and they will be shown in 14 venues and vie for 15 prizes, ranging from best international film to the other under-19 category and the best in Ireland and best in Cork categories.

According to volunteer Helen Wells: We want to encourage young filmmakers that you dont necessarily need big budgets.

The quickest venue to sell out was the Long Island screenings, 24 guests at a time cram into an adapted house on the island having taken the ferry boat across.

Run entirely by volunteers and backed by a huge number of sponsors, the festival extends beyond what appears on screen. Last nights gala opening featured a live performance of a new score written specifically to accompany the screening of 1925 classic Lady Windermeres Fan, with workshops on documentary making and self-taping running alongside special showcases and Q&A sessions.

Another feature is a 25th anniversary screening of War of the Buttons, shot in West Cork and produced by David Puttnam, who will attend the screening. Hes not the only big name expected to attend, with Oscar-nominated Lenny Abrahamson, Pat McCabe and others expected over the four days.

Almost 7,000 people attended the various screenings and events last year and Hilary McCarthy is hoping for a repeat. She wasnt

perturbed that the glorious weather might deter people from heading indoors to watch films.

People will dip in and out and at the end of the day, its about bringing people to the village and having people network.

Locals have certainly embraced the festival, from the eye-catching window displays to related exhibitions.

As for Peter Dillon, the man with the sword, it turns out he can now be classed as a local. Originally from Dun Laoghaire and for 12 years a teacher of German and Geography, since 2004, he has been a full-time stunt actor, a job which entails regularly being set on fire or thrown out of windows.

His entry into the craft was unlikely, beginning during a year of travelling, scuba diving and teaching his beloved martial arts before a series of encounters led to him getting work on Lord of the Rings.

I said yes to it right away because I thought it would be an interesting story from my travels, he said.

Instead it became a career, resulting in stunt and acting roles in Avatar, Vikings, Penny Dreadful and a host of other productions.

Honing his talents on the job he said:

The key thing you are learning in that time is how to be a performer.

Hes had plenty of broken bones but none as a result of the job.I have been hurt but not injured.

His workshops in the Church of Ireland parish hall  aka the Plaza  are for both those aged 12-15 and those aged 16-plus.

Best of all, when he puts away his swords and handmade replica light sabres, he can drive out the road to the house he recently bought and where he goes to teach some martial arts.

This is a long-held dream come true, he said, adding that even though hes travelled the world, West Cork feels like home.

Maybe theres a screenplay in it? He wouldnt have to look too far for someone to make it.This week, the international credit ratings agency Moodys revised up its 2018 growth forecast for Ireland to 5% from 3.7%, and it is forecasting growth of 3.5% for next year.

It bases its upward revision on strong consumer spending and residential housing investment. It warned of the dangers to Ireland posed by Brexit; the corporation tax reforms being implemented by President Trump and other international corporation tax developments.

Nothing unusual or unbelievable about any of this and it is certainly consistent with everything we see in the economy at the moment.

Sensibly, Moodys warned about Irelands national debt vulnerability which has a much more positive gloss than is warranted due to the exaggerated nature of Irelands GDP. Caution should be the byword.

The latest fiscal projections from the Department of Finance suggest that there would be fiscal space of 3.2bn available to the minister for finance as he frames Budget 2019 over the coming weeks and months.

Of this fiscal space, 1.4bn will be soaked up by government expenditure commitments already entered in to, and 500m will go into the rainy day fund that is sensibly being set up by the minister to help deal with future shocks.

It is a bit like the National Pension Reserve Fund that was set up many years ago by Charlie McCreevy specifically to cover public pension liabilities from 2025 onwards. Sadly, that fund was mostly used up in rescuing our collapsing banking system. The rainy-day fund does not have a specific purpose laid out for it, other than to act as buffer for future shocks.

While 500m is a tiny amount of money and would not be sufficient to provide any real protection, it will hopefully be allowed build up over the coming years, and more importantly, one hopes that there will be no need to use it.

Inevitably, there will be a need to use it of course.

After all of this, it is envisaged that the minister will have 1.3bn available in the budget to allocate to tax cuts and other expenditure increases.

This amount of money is not sufficiently large to make any real difference as it will likely be dispersed very thinly across the economy.

It would be good if it were all used to increase frontline staff such as nurses in the health service or guards on the streets, but the political realities suggest that it will most likely be spread very thinly across the economy and make no real difference to anybody.

On a positive external note, it would appear that US president Donald Trumps tit-for-tat trade issue with China is starting to dissipate as pragmatism and good sense appear to be gaining the upper hand.

For a very open economy like Irelands, growth of protectionism would be unambiguously negative.

Hopefully, such sense and pragmatism will also win out in relation to Brexit.

One worrying external development at the moment is the onward ascent of oil prices.

The price of a barrel of oil is currently touching $80 per barrel and has now increased by over 76% since the middle of June last year.

Prices are being driven higher by increased demand on the back of the strong cyclical upswing in the global economy, threatened sanctions against Iran and better co-operation amongst OPEC members to curtail oil supply.

It is also the case that the fracking revolution in the US has been struggling to remain financially viable and supply has suffered.

One way or another, for an energy import dependent country like Ireland, this will put further pressure on personal finances.

In the year to April, petrol prices increased by 0.7% and diesel prices by just 0.9%.

These price levels are not yet reflecting the increase in the price of oil but will over the coming months, assuming  as appears likely  the current pressure on oil prices persists.

This will squeeze even more money from the already-pressurised personal sector.

The latest oil price developments highlight, once again, the necessity to reduce our dependence on imported oil and up the ante on developing alternative energy sources.

This pressure to move faster should, of course, be compounded by the EU fines coming down the road if we do not meet our carbon targets, which we wont.Burma Police Confirm Arrest of 17 Chinese Sex Workers in Raid on Yangon Spa

Sex workers pose for a police photograph. / Ye Zarni / Facebook

YANGON  Police confirmed that 17 young Chinese sex workers had been arrested at a beauty parlour allegedly operating as a front for an illegal prostitution business in South Okkalapa Townships Waizayandar Street on Tuesday.

Yangon Region police spokesman Maj. Hla Wai declined to provide further details about the arrest, such as the name of the owner of the beauty salon or the nationalities of the suspects. According to state-run newspapers, police, acting on a tip-off, raided the Oriental Spa at around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, catching an alleged prostitute, identified as Ms. Li Teng, 22, providing sexual services to a client. The report stated that Li Teng is from San Jia, a village in southeast Chinas Guangdong province.

According to police, the spa was equipped with some 18 bathrooms and massage rooms. After searching every room, police found another young Chinese woman, Tao Lian, 18, who along with 15 other young Chinese women, was allegedly waiting for customers. The police confiscated sexual wellness products, at least 34 million kyats, about USD6,500 and 11,700 yuan from the beauty parlours manager, Mr. Feng Anxin, and 10 staff members, some of whom are believed to be Myanmar nationals. The police report says the manager did not hold a valid visa or passport but officers are still investigating to identify the real owner of the business.

We are still trying to identify the origins of the remaining suspects, Police Maj. Hla Wai said.

The police statement did not mention whether the Chinese women were working as prostitutes of their own volition or whether they were victims of human trafficking. It was also unclear whether the 17 women held valid passports. The statement noted that police had filed charges against the suspects under the 1949 Suppression of Prostitution Laws Articles 3 (a,b) and 5 (1). The law was amended during the time of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) government but both Articles 3 and 5 still stipulate between one- to five-year prison terms for the offence of prostitution.

Regional legislator U Moe Myint of South Okkalapa Constituency (2) told The Irrawaddy over the phone on Thursday that the beauty parlour had been operating in his township for about one year and the owner was believed to be Chinese. The lawmaker said he had limited information about the suspects and was still seeking details from the authorities.

The surprise arrest of the Chinese sex workers went viral on Facebook with netizens dubbing the situation as Chinese take over the Myanmar ladies market. Myanmars commercial cities Yangon and Mandalay were ranked by Care International 2015 survey as the having the largest numbers of female sex workers in the country.As an infosec professional, you may be already familiar with decades-old network monitoring and security tools like Nmap, Wireshark or Snort, and password crackers like Ophcrack. Having these applications at your disposal has been an indispensable part of the gig.

What are some other free tools and services you can benefit from? The following list of nearly two dozen tools and services include everything from password crackers to software decompilers to vulnerability management systems and networks analyzers. Whatever your security role is, you'll find something useful in this list.

Here, in no particular, order are the 21 best free security tools:

Maltego OWASP Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) Shodan Kali Linux DNS Dumpster Photon Hybrid Analysis Nessus ANY.RUN Tor Browser Darksearch.io John the Ripper OWASP Dependency-Check Microsoft Visual Studio Java Decompiler ModSecurity Burp Suite Metasploit Aircrack-ng Intelligence X GrayhatWarfare

Maltego

Originally developed by Paterva, Maltego is a forensics and open-source intelligence (OSINT) app designed to deliver a clear threat picture for the user's environment. It demonstrates the complexity and severity of single points of failure as well as trust relationships that exist within the scope of one's infrastructure. It pulls in information posted on the internet, whether it's the current configuration of a router on the edge of the company network or the current whereabouts of your company's vice president. The commercial license does have a price tag, but the community edition is free with some restrictions.

You can expand Maltegos capabilities by integrating it with VirusTotal, Internet Archives Wayback Machine, and over five-dozen Maltego transforms.

OWASP Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP)

The Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) is a user-friendly penetration-testing tool that finds vulnerabilities in web apps. It provides automated scanners and a set of tools for those who wish to find vulnerabilities manually. It's designed to be used by practitioners with a wide range of security experience, and is ideal for functional testers who are new to pen testing, or for developers: Theres even an official ZAP plugin for the Jenkins continuous integration and delivery application.

Shodan

Shodan is a popular Internet of Things (IoT) search engine for hunting devices such as internet-connected webcams, servers, and other smart devices. Running Shodan queries can help you identify public-facing servers and devices, including license plate readers, traffic lights, medical devices, water treatment facilities, wind turbines, and pretty much everything smart.

This can be especially useful to search for devices vulnerable to known exploits and vulnerabilities. A pen-tester can, for example, use an IoT search engine like Shodan as a part of their reconnaissance activities to identify any inadvertently exposed applications or servers belonging to a pen-testing client.



Shodan is free to use when it comes to basic features, although options such as paid plans and a lifetime license offer the ability to use advanced search filters. Academic upgrade is also available free of cost to students, professors and IT staff at universities.

Kali Linux

Kali Linux is the Linux-based pen-testing distribution previously known as BackTrack. Security professionals use it to perform assessments in a purely native environment dedicated to hacking. Users have easy access to a variety of tools ranging from port scanners to password crackers. You can download ISOs of Kali to install on 32-bit or 64-bit x86 systems, or on ARM processors. Its also available as a VM image for VMware or Hyper-V.

Kalis tools are grouped into the following categories: information gathering, vulnerability analysis, wireless attacks, web applications, exploitation tools, stress testing, forensics, sniffing and spoofing, password attacks, maintaining access, reverse engineering, reporting, and hardware hacking.

DNS Dumpster

For your domain research and DNS reconnaissance needs, DNS Dumpster has got you covered. As a free domain research web service, DNS Dumpster lets you look up everything about a domain, from hosts, to otherwise hard-to-find subdomains that youd like to tap into as a part of a security assessment engagement.



DNS Dumpster provides analysis data on domain names both as an Excel file and a visual graphic (map) that can help you better understand the connections between a domain and its subdomains. Additionally, discovering dangling, abandoned or improperly parked subdomains can help a researcher unveil subdomain takeover vulnerabilities.

Photon

Photon is a super-fast web crawler designed for gathering OSINT. It can be used to obtain email addresses, social media accounts, Amazon buckets, and other crucial information relating to a domain, and draws on public sources such as Google and Internet Archives Wayback Machine. Written in Python, Photon comes with the ability to add plugins, such as, for exporting the collected data into neatly formatted JSON, or to integrate DNSDumpster with Photon.

Hybrid Analysis

Hybrid Analysis is a malware analysis web service powered by CrowdStrikes Falcon Sandbox. Most are familiar with VirusTotal, a malware analysis engine where community members can submit suspicious malware samples and URLs for analysis against over five-dozen antivirus engines. Collected samples and artifacts are then analyzed and stored by VirusTotal servers for future use, with a publicly accessible analysis report generated for anyone to view.



Hybrid Analysis is not much different, except not only does it analyze the submitted URLs and samples through its own sandbox, it also corroborates the findings with VirusTotal and MetaDefender. Moreover, while VirusTotal does not let users download malware samples for free, Hybrid Analysis enables this for registered community members who have gone through a simple vetting process (i.e., they tentatively plan on contributing samples to Hybrid Analysis, and using any downloaded samples for research purposes). If you have a malware sample hash from a VirusTotal report, it is often worth running it through Hybrid Analysis to see if you can download the sample at no cost.

Nessus

Nessus is one of the worlds most popular vulnerability and configuration assessment tools. It started life as an open-source project, but developer Tenable switched to a proprietary license back in version 3. As of October 2020, its up to version 8.12.1. Despite that, Nessus is still free for personal use on home networks, where it will scan up to 16 IP addresses. A commercial version will allow you to scan an unlimited number of IP addresses. According to the Tenable website, Nessus features high-speed discovery, configuration auditing, asset profiling, sensitive data discovery, patch management integration and vulnerability analysis.

ANY.RUN

ANY.RUN greatly exceeds the capabilities of any malware analysis sandbox that I have seen and comes with advantages like online virtual machine (VM) access. First, the service runs entirely in your web browser and enables you to upload a malware sample, configure the virtual environment you want for your analysis, and shows you a live VM session, which is recorded for later replays.



Searching for a malware sample hash on Google will often bring up previously run ANY.RUN analyses by community members. For example, heres an ANY.RUN report of a cryptocurrency miner that I had analyzed using ANY.RUN while researching the recent attack on GitHub infrastructure via GitHub Actions.

ANY.RUN not only lets you replay a recorded analysis session, but has simple one-click UI buttons to show you the Indicators of Compromise (IoCs), network requests, process graphs, and VirusTotal findings for a sample. The web service also lets you also download the sample that was analyzed at no cost.

The service is free for everyone to use, although some features (extending analysis time to more than 60 seconds, using a 64-bit OS, etc.) require the user to sign up for a paid pricing plan. I often run malware samples through both ANY.RUN and Hybrid Analysis, in addition to using VirusTotal to maximize the research output.

Tor Browser

No security tooling article can be complete without the mention of Tor Browser. The Tor project is designed for highly anonymized communication and web surfing which works by encrypting your internet traffic and transmitting it over multiple hosts (nodes) around the world. This makes it virtually impossible for a Tor users location or identity to be known.



Tor is powered by a free volunteer overlay network of over 7,000 thousand relay nodes around the world designed to combat network surveillance or traffic analysis. Other than using Tor Browser for your privacy-centric web surfing needs, the tools prime use case remains acting as a gateway to the dark web, and many .onion sites that can only be accessed via Tor. It is then no surprise that youll find Tor lurking in the toolkits of threat intelligence analysts and darknet researchers.

DarkSearch.io

Speaking of dark web, wouldnt it help if we also mentioned a search engine for it? While frequent visitors to the darknet may already be familiar with where to look for what, for those who may be new, darksearch.io can be a good platform for starting off with their research activities.



Like another dark web search engine Ahmia, DarkSearch is free but additionally comes with a free API for running automated searches. Although both Ahmia and DarkSearch have .onion sites, you dont need to necessarily go to the .onion versions or use Tor for accessing either of these search engines. Simply accessing darksearch.io from a regular web browser will let you search the dark web.

John the Ripper

John the Ripper is a password cracker available for many flavors of UNIX, Windows, DOS, BeOS, and OpenVMS  although youll likely have to compile the free version yourself. It's mainly used to detect weak UNIX passwords. Besides several crypt(3) password hash types most commonly found on various UNIX systems, supported out of the box are Windows LM hashes, plus lots of other hashes and ciphers in the community-enhanced version. An enhanced community version includes support for GPUs to accelerate the search.

OWASP Dependency-Check

OWASP Dependency-Check is a free and open-source software composition analysis (SCA) tool that can analyze a software projects dependencies for known public vulnerabilities. In addition to consulting NVD and other public sources of vulnerability information, Dependency-Check also consults the Sonatype OSS Index for vulnerability information pertaining to a precise software component name or coordinate rather than the more expansive CPEs provided by NVD. [Full disclosure: Sonatype is my employer]

Microsoft Visual Studio

Some might find the mention of an integrated development environment (IDE) tool like Visual Studio here surprising, but rest assured it is for a sound reason. When analyzing Trojanized DLLs, such as the one used in the SolarWinds supply-chain attack, or reverse-engineering C#/.NET binaries, Microsoft Visual Studio comes in handy.



When opening a .NET DLL with Visual Studio for example, the tool will roughly reconstruct the original source code from the Microsoft Intermediate Language (MSIL) contained in the DLL, which makes it easier to reverse-engineer and understand the codes purpose. Visual Studio works on both Windows and Mac operating systems, and there is a free community edition available to download.



For those interested in just a DLL decompiler rather than a full-fledged IDE, JetBrains dotPeek is also an option, although it is currently available for Windows users only.

Java Decompiler

Much like you may have a need to decompile and analyze Windows DLLs from time to time, the same could be the case for Java software programs released as JAR files. Executable packages written in Java are often shipped as JARs which are, in effect, ZIP archives containing multiple Java class files.



These class files are written in Java bytecode (an intermediary instruction set for the Java Virtual Machine) rather than native code specific to your operating system environment. This is why Java has traditionally touted itself as a write once, run anywhere (WORA) language.

For reverse-engineering a JAR and roughly reconverting the bytecode into its original source code form, a tool like Java Decompiler (JD) comes in handy and does the job sufficiently well. JD is available for free as a standalone graphical utility called JD-GUI, or as an Eclipse IDE plugin, JD-Eclipse.

ModSecurity

ModSecurity is a web application monitoring, logging and access control toolkit developed by Trustwave's SpiderLabs Team. It can perform full HTTP transaction logging, capturing complete requests and responses, conduct continuous security assessments, and harden web applications. You can embed it in your Apache 2.x installation or deploy it as a reverse proxy to protect any web server.

Burp Suite

Burp Suite is a web app security testing platform. Its various tools support the entire testing process, from initial mapping and analysis of an application's attack surface, through to finding and exploiting security vulnerabilities. Tools within the suite include a proxy server, web spider, intruder and a so-called repeater, with which requests can be automated. Portswigger offers a free edition thats lacking the web vulnerability scanner and some of the advanced manual tools.

Metasploit

HD Moore created the Metasploit Project in 2003 to provide the security community with a public resource for exploit development. This project resulted in the Metasploit Framework, an open-source platform for writing security tools and exploits. In 2009, Rapid7, a vulnerability management solution company, acquired the Metasploit Project. Prior to the acquisition, all development of the framework occurred in the developer's spare time, eating up most weekends and nights. Rapid7 agreed to fund a full-time development team and keep the source code under the three-clause BSD license that is still in use today.

Aircrack-ng

What Wireshark does for Ethernet, Aircrack-ng does for Wi-Fi. In fact, its a complete suite of tools for monitoring packets, testing hardware, cracking passwords and launching attacks on Wi-Fi networks. Version 1.2, released in April 2018, brings big improvements in speed and security and extends the range of hardware Aircrack-ng can work with.

Intelligence X

Intelligence X is a first-of-its-kind archival service and search engine that preserves not only historic versions of web pages but also entire leaked data sets that are otherwise removed from the web due to the objectionable nature of content or legal reasons. Although that may sound similar to what Internet Archives Wayback Machine does, Intelligence X has some stark differences when it comes to the kind of content the service focuses on preserving. When it comes to preserving data sets, no matter how controversial, Intelligence X does not discriminate.

Intelligence X has previously preserved the list of over 49,000 Fortinet VPNs that were found vulnerable to a Path Traversal flaw. Later during the week, plaintext passwords to these VPNs were also exposed on hacker forums which, again, although removed from these forums, were preserved by Intelligence X.

Previously, the service has indexed data collected from email servers of prominent political figures like Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Another recent example of the media indexed by on Intelligence X is the footage from the 2021 Capitol Hill riots and the Facebooks data leak of 533 million profiles. To intel gatherers, political analysts, news reporters, and security researchers, such information can be incredibly valuable in various ways.

GrayhatWarfare

There is a search engine for everything and that includes publicly exposed buckets and file blobs, whether intentional or accidental. GrayhatWarfare indexes publicly accessible resources like Amazon AWS buckets and Azure blob storage shares.



As of today, the engine claims to have indexed over 4.2 billion files. In fact, the recent discovery of a data leak that exposed passports and ID cards of volleyball journalists from around the world was made possible because of GrayhatWarfare having indexed the exposed Azure blob leaking this information.

For security researchers and pen-testers, GrayhatWarfare can be an excellent resource to discover accidentally exposed storage buckets, and propose appropriate remediation.Summerville, SC (29483)

Today

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 63F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 63F. Winds light and variable.Reddit Email 386 Shares

Irans clerical Leader, Ali Khamenei, weighed in on Trumps violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Iran nuclear accord of 2015, which the US signed off on along with the rest of the UN Security Council and Germany (informally representing the European Union). Speaking frankly to Irans European trading partners, the ayatollah laid down six requirements for Iran to remain in the JCPOA itself. These demands appear to be a response to those made by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, whom Khamenei has dismissed as a mere spy.

Khamenei expressed his disappointment in Europes past and present behavior. He noted that some large European firms were already pulling out of Iran (this may be a reference to Total, SA). He said that on several occasions the US has violated its responsibilities under the JCPOA (referring to new economic sanctions slapped on Iran by Congress after it was signed with a promise of sanctions relief). He added that the Europeans had not so much as complained about these US violations. Then he set out his requirements.

1. The US has violated UNSC Resolution 2231 by revoking its signature. The European members of the Security Council (France and Britain), along with non-member Germany must introduce a resolution there condemning the US for this violation.

2. The 3 Western European Powers must stop pressuring Iran about its ballistic missile tests and its presence in the Middle East. Khamenei said that every time there is a meeting with them they bring up these two issues. (Neither was part of the JCPOA). He insists that they cease and desist. He said that Irans relationship with Middle Eastern countries is based on Islamic soft power and Irans strategic depth, and is key its ability to defend itself. It will not give up this element of its strategy.

3. Every time Trump announces a new boycott on Iran, Europe must explicitly reject it and stand against it.

4. If the US manages to damage Irans ability to export its petroleum (it is now exporting 2.5 mn barrels a day), Europe at Irans request must make up the shortfall. It may be, Khamenei said, that the Islamic Republic will view a reduction in its oil exports as a positive. If, however, the Iranian government decides it is being harmed by the US ability to strong-arm some of Irans customers into ceasing their imports of Iranian oil, Europe must agree to hold Iran harmless.

[The line about the benefits of any reduction in Iranian oil sales may reflect a conviction in some circles that it is never bad for an oil state to keep the oil in the ground, since its value will only increase in the future. This line of thinking does not reckon with the rise of electric vehicles, which may make petroleum worthless in 15 years or so.]

5. European banks must guarantee both governmental and private financial transactions (i.e. they must not yield to US blacklisting of Iranian banks. The US has just slapped sanctions on the Bank Melli, a major government institution, in an attempt to make it harder for Iran to buy and sell on the world market).

6. The Europeans must be prompt in responding to these requests.

If France, Germany and Britain will not undertake these guarantees, Iran reserves the right to start back up its enrichment activities, and would go back to enriching to 19.75%.

(That level of enrichment produces fuel useful in medical reactors and nuclear submarines; but Iran only has one of the former, and none presently of the latter, so enriching to that percentage is simply a form of deterrence, since obviously it is easier to enrich a stockpile of 19.75% to the 95% needed for a bomb than it is to start from scratch.  JC)

Khamenei underlined that since the US plans to make war on Iran via the Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assent Control (OFAC), Iran would have to respond with its own economic and financial organs, as well as via the foreign ministry.

Khamenei was firm that Iran reserves the right to start back up its enrichment program if it concludes that the JCPOA is useless to it.

A set of ultimatums of this sort signals that Khamenei wants out of the JCPOA, since he surely knows that Europe is highly unlikely to acquiesce in his demands. He clearly has decided that Europe cannot be depended upon to buck Trump, and that its major corporations will most likely fold and pull up stakes from Iran. He may be underestimating the will of the French in particular to defy Trump, and Pariss willingness to run interference for smaller French firms that do not have significant US business and who want to invest in Iran.

What the UNSC got from Iran in the JCPOA was pushing the timetable for any Iranian nuclear bomb, once Iran decided to create one, from three months out to a year or more. Khameneis response to Trumps destruction of the JCPOA is to go back to the three-month timetable. It is a realistic and significant threat, which not only Europe but Israel and Saudi Arabia will take seriously. Europe in the end will shrug. Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and their bought man in the White House are more likely to respond with extensive covert action against Iran, in hopes of stirring up its ethnic minorities and restless working class.

The aggressive quartet, however, should be careful, since Iran is not helpless and can make trouble for them through covert operations as well.

Featured photo: KHAMENEI.IR/AFP/File /  Irans supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, pictured in this handout photo from March 2018, said on May 23 that the United States does not honor its promises.VANCOUVER, May 24, 2018 /CNW/ - Copper Mountain Mining Corporation (TSX:CMMC | ASX:C6C) ("Copper Mountain" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Board has approved a $5 million budget for its Cloncurry project located in Queensland, Australia. Planned work programs will include follow-up drilling on discoveries made in 2017, testing of new targets and supporting works for the active Full Feasibility Study on the proposed Eva Copper Mine, which is compliant with NI 43-101.

Copper Mountain's acquisition of Altona Mining Ltd (Australia) was completed in April 2018 (see news release dated April 18, 2018). This transaction resulted in the acquisition of 100% of Altona's assets including $30 million in cash, a permitted development project (Eva Copper Project) and a substantial exploration tenement portfolio (397,000 hectares) located in the highly prospective Mount Isa area in Queensland. This province is one of the world's premier base metal camps with mining continuing uninterrupted since discovery of copper and gold near Cloncurry in the 1860's.

Altona Mining's 2017 exploration drilling program, which was shallow and reconnaissance in nature, tested several significant copper-in-soil anomalies at the Companion, Veiled and Quamby prospects (as released by Altona Mining Limited on February 8, 2018). These prospects add to an emerging cluster of copper-gold discoveries located 30km south of the Company's proposed Eva Copper Mine.

Highlights of the 2017 drilling program reported in the Altona presss release of February 8, 2018 include:

Drill Hole # Intercept / Grade Companion CPR628 32 metres at 1.48% copper, 0.98g/t gold CPR629 15 metres at 1.44% copper, 0.84g/t gold CPR634 35 metres at 1.33% copper, 0.23g/t gold Veiled VLR001 74 metres at 0.53% copper, 0.23g/t gold VLR002 24 metres at 0.84% copper, 0.22g/t gold VLR003 25 metres at 0.68% copper, 0.10g/t gold Quamby QMR001 13 metres at 0.61% copper, 4.23g/t gold

(including 2 metres at 23.55g/t gold) QMR012 60 metres at 0.44% copper, 0.05g/t gold QMR016 25 metres at 0.52% copper, 0.07g/t gold

Notable were the higher gold ratios compared to deposits included in the mine plan for the Eva development. High silver values at Quamby and high cobalt values at Veiled were also recorded.

2018's exploration campaign includes drilling at the Companion and Veiled prospects and will aim to extend previously encountered mineralization and begin towards definition of an NI 43-101/JORC Code compliant Mineral Resource. Additional drilling is planned for the as yet untested Matchbox prospect, located approximately 10 kilometers north of the Companion prospect. The Company's regional drilling objectives will aim to evaluate prospects which remain untested by drilling.

Ground based Induced Polarity (IP) geophysical surveys will be deployed to guide future drilling at the Reaper, Brolga and Harvest prospects. Systematic regional and detailed soil geochemistry will be executed across regional tenure to develop a new pipeline of targets.

About Copper Mountain Mining Corporation:

Copper Mountain's flagship asset is the Copper Mountain mine located in southern British Columbia near the town of Princeton. The Company has a strategic alliance with Mitsubishi Materials Corporation who owns 25% of the mine. The Copper Mountain mine has a large resource of copper that remains open laterally and at depth. This significant exploration potential is being explored to maximize the property's full development potential. Copper Mountain's recent acquisition of Altona Mining Limited includes approximately $30M cash, the Cloncurry project with the development-ready Eva Copper Project and extensive exploration potential in the 379,000 hectare highly prospective land package in Queensland, Australia.

Additional information is available on the Company's web page at www.CuMtn.com.

On behalf of the Board of

COPPER MOUNTAIN MINING CORPORATION

"Jim O'Rourke"

Jim O'Rourke, P.Eng.

Chief Executive Officer

Note: This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements may differ materially from actual future events or results. Readers are referred to the documents, filed by the Company on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, specifically the most recent reports which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to review or confirm analysts' expectations or estimates or to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statement.Step-out drilling continues to intersect high-grade gold mineralization along-strike and down-plunge from existing Mineral Reserves and Resources

TORONTO, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alamos Gold Inc. (TSX:AGI) (NYSE:AGI) (Alamos or the Company) today reported new results from the ongoing surface and underground exploration drilling programs at the Island Gold Mine. Early results from the 2018 exploration program have been successful in extending high-grade gold mineralization along-strike and down-plunge from existing Mineral Reserves and Resources across three main areas of focus: the Main Extension; the Eastern Extension; and the Western Extension. All reported lengths are true width of the mineralized zones.

 Main Extension: step-out drilling continues to intersect high-grade gold mineralization which extends up to 900 metres (m) east of current Mineral Reserves, and remains open down-plunge. New highlights include:

32.06 g/t Au (14.18 g/t cut) over 4.10 m ;

; 17.10 g/t Au (12.72 g/t cut) over 6.33 m ; and

; and 14.89 g/t Au (10.18 g/t cut) over 3.40 m.

 Eastern Extension: high-grade mineralization extended east outside of Inferred Mineral Resources and remains open down-plunge. New highlights include:

71.27 g/t Au (42.14 g/t cut) over 4.92 m ;

; 44.28 g/t Au (30.55 g/t cut) over 5.97 m ;

; 47.68 g/t Au (19.26 g/t cut) over 3.69 m ; and

; and 35.15 g/t Au (13.42 g/t cut) over 4.29 m.

 Western Extension: high-grade mineralization intersected outside of Inferred Mineral Resources, extending mineralization down-plunge. New highlights include:

31.54 g/t Au (31.54 g/t cut) over 5.07 m.

 Infill drilling of Inferred Mineral Resources returns high-grade intersections, confirming continuity of mineralization which is expected to support Mineral Resource conversion. New highlights include:

127.90 g/t Au (69.18 g/t cut) over 6.38 m ;

; 58.80 g/t Au (44.22 g/t cut) over 8.78 m ;

; 134.37 g/t Au (15.48 g/t cut) over 3.04 m ;

; 95.48 g/t Au (25.02 g/t cut) over 2.86 m ;

; 93.55 g/t Au (18.59 g/t cut) over 2.66 m ;

; 53.37 g/t Au (46.54 g/t cut) over 3.94 m ;

; 30.37 g/t Au (30.37 g/t cut) over 6.36 m ; and

; and 41.30 g/t Au (22.85 g/t cut) over 4.64 m.

 Exploration budget increased 20% to $18 million for 2018. Two additional surface rigs have been mobilized, bringing the total number of surface rigs to six

Note: Drillhole composite intervals reported as cut include higher grade samples which have been cut to 225 g/t Au, 80 g/t Au, or 70 g/t Au depending on the zone. Refer to drill hole composite interval summary tables in this release for more information.

Island Gold continues to exceed expectations. 2017 exploration increased Mineral Reserves in both size and quality. Results this year are demonstrating the potential to enlarge the Mineral Resource across multiple extensions of the ore body. We have increased our exploration budget to fund eight drill rigs to accelerate our drilling progress through the remainder of the year, said John A. McCluskey, President and Chief Executive Officer.

2018 Island Gold Mine Exploration Budget Increased

Reflecting the exploration success to start the year, the 2018 exploration budget for Island Gold has been increased to $18 million, up from the initial budget of $15 million. This includes the addition of two surface drill rigs, bringing the total number of surface drills to six.

The 2018 exploration drilling program continues to build on the positive results from the 2017 program which resulted in an 18% increase in mineral reserves to 887,000 ounces (2.7 million tonnes grading 10.20 g/t Au), net of mining depletion, and an 11% increase in grade to 10.20 g/t Au (as of December 31, 2017). This is a continuation of a strong trend since 2014 which has seen Mineral Reserves increase by 383% in terms of ounces, and 60% in terms of grade. A major part of this growth was a result of the successful ongoing directional exploration drilling program started in 2015 which focused on upgrading a portion of the large Inferred Mineral Resource base.

2018 Drilling Program  Island Gold Mine

The 2018 exploration drilling program is targeting three main areas along the two kilometre long Island Deposit Main Zone, as shown in Figure 1. The focus is on expanding the down-plunge and lateral extensions of the Island Gold Deposit with the objective of adding new near-mine Mineral Resources.

Drill holes in the Main and Western Extension areas are testing high-grade, east-plunging shoots below existing Mineral Reserves and Resources. Drill holes in the Eastern Extension are exploring for additional plunging shoots along strike beyond existing Mineral Reserves and Resources.

With the expanded exploration budget, 45,000 m of surface directional exploration drilling is now planned for 2018, up from 33,000 m. The 2018 program also includes 30,000 m for underground exploration drilling, 35,000 m for underground delineation drilling, and 15,000 m for regional exploration drilling.

The underground delineation drilling program is focused on converting Inferred Mineral Resources into Indicated Mineral Resources. This drilling is being conducted primarily from the 620 and 840 levels.

Drilling completed to date in 2018 includes 115 drill holes for a total of 33,800 m. This includes 13,850 m of surface exploration drilling, 12,550 m of underground exploration drilling and 7,400 m of underground delineation drilling.

Main Extension

Exploration drilling in the Main Extension area is targeting the down-plunge continuation of gold mineralization below existing Mineral Reserves and Resources (Figure 2). Previously released drilling completed in 2017 in this area intersected:

32.41 g/t Au (19.85 g/t cut) over 8.40 m (MH8-4);

(MH8-4); 23.23 g/t Au (11.67 g/t cut) over 9.42 m (MH2A-12);

(MH2A-12); 11.36 g/t Au (11.36 g/t cut) over 3.57 m (MH10-3); and

(MH10-3); and 46.81 g/t Au (20.60 g/t cut) over 1.97 m (MH10-2).

The 2018 surface drilling program continues to expand gold mineralization, currently intersected up to 900 m down-plunge from existing Mineral Reserves with a drill hole spacing ranging from 75 to 100 m (Figure 2).

Highlights from the new results include (Table 1):

32.06 g/t Au (14.18 g/t cut) over 4.10 m (MH9-9);

(MH9-9); 17.10 g/t Au (12.72 g/t cut) over 6.33 m (MH9-7); and

(MH9-7); and 14.89 g/t Au (10.18 g/t cut) over 3.40 m (MH11-5).

This east-plunging high-grade ore shoot remains open down-plunge. The ongoing exploration program is focused on further extending high-grade mineralization with the objective of defining additional Mineral Resources in this area. A program of directional drilling (pilot and branch holes) is being used to efficiently explore targets below 1,000 m from surface.

Western Extension

Surface drilling recently commenced in the Western Extension area, having last been drilled in early 2017 (Figure 3). Drilling in this area is targeting down-plunge of an Inferred Mineral Resource block that includes previously released high-grade drill hole intersections as follows:

117.57 g/t Au (49.61 g/t Au cut) over 8.97 m (510-480-12);

(510-480-12); 42.77 g/t Au (42.77 cut) over 4.04 m true width (740-471-35);

(740-471-35); 38.62 g/t Au (38.62 cut) over 2.42 m true width (740-477-40); and

(740-477-40); and 16.23 g/t Au (16.23 cut) over 4.41 m true width (425-487-08).

The first down-plunge step-out drill hole of 2018 (MH5-5A) intersected 31.54 g/t Au (cut) over 5.07 m, further expanding this western high-grade shoot.

Drilling will continue to test the Western Extension area using 75 to 100 m spaced step-out drilling with the objective of expanding the high-grade mineralization where it remains open both laterally and down-plunge. A program of directional drilling (pilot and branch holes) is being used to efficiently explore these targets below 1,000 m from surface.

Eastern Extension

An objective of the 2018 underground exploration drilling program is to expand the high-grade zone defined from exploration drifts established at the eastern extent of the Island Gold Mine underground infrastructure (Figure 4).

Drilling from the 620 exploration drift has continued to expand the high-grade mineralization at depth and to the east and it remains open in both directions.

Highlights from the new results include (Table 2):

71.27 g/t Au (42.14 g/t cut) over 4.92 m (620-592-35);

(620-592-35); 44.28 g/t Au (30.55 g/t cut) over 5.97 m (620-592-36);

(620-592-36); 47.68 g/t Au (19.26 g/t cut) over 3.69 m (620-592-33);

(620-592-33); 35.15 g/t Au (13.42 g/t cut) over 4.29 m (620-592-19);

(620-592-19); 48.56 g/t Au (32.08 g/t cut) over 2.94 m (620-592-21);

(620-592-21); 30.99 g/t Au (21.55 g/t cut) over 3.97 m (620-592-37); and

(620-592-37); and 22.22 g/t Au (14.10 g/t cut) over 5.40 m (620-592-31).

A potential down-plunge extension of this shoot to the east and at depth is supported by previously reported surface drills holes which intersected (Figure 4):

17.85 g/t Au (14.25 g/t cut) over 2.18m (GD-620-01);

(GD-620-01); 57.43 g/t Au (25.37 g/t cut) over 4.37 m (GD-630-01);

(GD-630-01); 18.03 g/t Au (14.16 g/t cut) over 11.53m (GD-640-05);

(GD-640-05); 15.20 g/t Au (8.16 g/t cut) over 2.06 m (GD-640-04); and

(GD-640-04); and 43.26 g/t Au (11.72 g/t cut) over 2.13m (GD-640-05-5).

Drilling will continue to test east of this area in 2018 from underground drill bays established on the 340 and 620 level exploration drifts.

Underground Delineation Drilling

Underground delineation drilling is also being carried out from the 620 and 840 levels with the focus on converting Inferred Mineral Resources to Indicated Mineral Resources.

New highlight drill intercepts include (Table 3):

Drill holes from 840 level (Figure 5):

127.90 g/t Au (69.18 g/t cut) over 6.38 m (840-533-18);

(840-533-18); 58.80 g/t Au (44.22 g/t cut) over 8.78 m (840-524-26);

(840-524-26); 53.37 g/t Au (46.54 g/t cut) over 3.94 m (840-533-21);

(840-533-21); 30.37 g/t Au (30.37 g/t cut) over 6.36 m (840-533-19);

(840-533-19); 39.87 g/t Au (39.87 g/t cut) over 4.65 m (840-529-25);

(840-529-25); 50.22 g/t Au (44.15 g/t cut) over 3.74 m (840-524-28);

(840-524-28); 33.55 g/t Au (33.55 g/t cut) over 3.88 m (840-533-15); and

(840-533-15); and 33.26 g/t Au (33.26 g/t cut) over 3.78 m (840-533-23).

Drill holes from 620 level (Figure 4):

134.37 g/t Au (15.48 g/t cut) over 3.04 m (620-592-05);

(620-592-05); 95.48 g/t Au (25.02 g/t cut) over 2.86 m (620-592-16);

(620-592-16); 93.55 g/t Au (18.59 g/t cut) over 2.66 m (620-592-39);

(620-592-39); 41.30 g/t Au (22.85 g/t cut) over 4.64 m (620-592-03);

(620-592-03); 54.93 g/t Au (19.69 g/t cut) over 3.13 m (620-592-06);

(620-592-06); 48.19 g/t Au (20.64 g/t cut) over 2.98 m (620-592-07);

(620-592-07); 59.85 g/t Au (15.08 g/t cut) over 2.06 m (620-586-09); and

(620-586-09); and 24.75 g/t Au (21.99 g/t cut) over 3.26 m (620-592-17).

The results from the infill definition drilling within existing Inferred Mineral Resource blocks confirm the continuity of the high-grade gold mineralization and are expected to support the conversion of the Mineral Resources in these areas.

Hanging Wall Zones

The Island Gold deposit consists of a number of subparallel mineralized zones, with the majority of Mineral Reserves and Resources being defined in the C Zone and E1E Zones which constitutes the main production horizons at the Island Gold mine. Highlights of new intersections in parallel zones and zones in which the lateral continuity is not yet established (X zone) include:

153.69 g/t Au (46.15 g/t cut) over 2.82 m (D1 Zone, 840-533-26);

(D1 Zone, 840-533-26); 68.06 g/t Au (15.44 g/t cut) over 2.51 m (X Zone, 620-592-15);

(X Zone, 620-592-15); 24.98 g/t Au (6.11 g/t cut) over 5.23 m (X Zone, 620-592-15);

(X Zone, 620-592-15); 95.46 g/t Au (95.46 g/t cut) over 1.16 m (X Zone, MH11-6); and

(X Zone, MH11-6); and 31.71 g/t Au (27.61 g/t cut) over 3.26 m (X Zone, LC-415-04-2).

Additional drilling will be required to further evaluate these high-grade intersections and their potential in both the footwall and hanging wall of the main C and E1E Zones.

Surface Regional Exploration Drilling

A 15,000 m drill program is planned later in 2018 which will drill test targets along the Goudreau Deformation Zone to the west of the main Island Gold Mine deposit. Drilling is also planned to test a previous high grade intercept of 9.71 g/t Au (cut) over 5.95 m below the Kremzar gold deposit.

Qualified Persons

Chris Bostwick, FAusIMM, Alamos Golds Vice President, Technical Services, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. Chris Bostwick is a Qualified Person within the meaning of Canadian Securities Administrators National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101).

Exploration programs at the Island Gold Mine are directed by Raynald Vincent, P.Eng., M.G.P., Chief Geologist at the Island Gold Mine and a Qualified Person within the meaning of NI 43-101.

Quality Control

Assays for the delineation and exploration drilling were done at LabExpert in Rouyn-Noranda, PQ. The Corporation inserts at regular intervals quality control (QC) samples (blanks and reference materials) to monitor laboratory performance. Cross check assays are done on a regular basis in a second accredited laboratory.

About Alamos

Alamos is a Canadian-based intermediate gold producer with diversified production from four operating mines in North America. This includes the Young-Davidson and Island Gold mines in northern Ontario, Canada and the Mulatos and El Chanate mines in Sonora State, Mexico. Additionally, the Company has a significant portfolio of development stage projects in Canada, Mexico, Turkey, and the United States. Alamos employs more than 1,700 people and is committed to the highest standards of sustainable development. The Companys shares are traded on the TSX and NYSE under the symbol AGI.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Scott K. Parsons

Vice President, Investor Relations

(416) 368-9932 x 5439

The TSX and NYSE have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note

This News Release includes certain statements that constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws "forward-looking statements". All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, which address events, results, outcomes or developments that Alamos expects to occur are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally, but not always, identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expects", is expected", "anticipates", "plans" or is planned, trends, "estimates", "intends" or potential or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved or the negative connotation of such terms. Forward-looking statements in this news release include the statements with respect to planned exploration programs, costs and expenditures, changes in Mineral Resources and conversion of Mineral Resources to Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves, and other information that is based on forecasts and projections of future operational, geological or financial results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management.

Exploration results that include geophysics, sampling, and drill results on wide spacings may not be indicative of the occurrence of a mineral deposit. Such results do not provide assurance that further work will establish sufficient grade, continuity, metallurgical characteristics and economic potential to be classed as a category of Mineral Resource. A Mineral Resource that is classified as "Inferred" or "Indicated" has a great amount of uncertainty as to its existence and economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that any or part of an "Indicated Mineral Resource" or "Inferred Mineral Resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category of Mineral Resource. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves.

The risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from Alamos' expectations include, among others, risks related to obtaining the permits required to carry out planned exploration or development work, the actual results of current exploration activities, conclusions of economic and geological evaluations and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, changes to the price of gold, as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Alamos' Annual Information Form and other disclosures by Alamos and its predecessors available on SEDAR and EDGAR. Although Alamos has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements which are not guarantees of future events, and speak only as of the date made. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements.

Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors  Mineral Reserve and Resource Estimates

All Mineral Resource and Reserve estimates included in this news release or documents referenced in this news release have been prepared in accordance with Canadian National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (the "CIM") - CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, adopted by the CIM Council, as amended (the "CIM Standards"). NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators, which established standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. The terms "Mineral Reserve", "Proven Mineral Reserve" and "Probable Mineral Reserve" are Canadian mining terms as defined in accordance with NI 43-101 and the CIM Standards. These definitions differ materially from the definitions in SEC Industry Guide 7 ("SEC Industry Guide 7") under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Exchange Act. Under SEC Industry Guide 7 standards, a "final" or "bankable" feasibility study is required to report reserves, the three-year historical average price is used in any reserve or cash flow analysis to designate reserves and the primary environmental analysis or report must be filed with the appropriate governmental authority.

In addition, the terms "Mineral Resource", "Measured Mineral Resource", "Indicated Mineral Resource" and "Inferred Mineral Resource" are defined in and required to be disclosed by NI 43-101 and the CIM Standards; however, these terms are not defined terms under SEC Industry Guide 7 and are normally not permitted to be used in reports and registration statements filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into Mineral Reserves. "Inferred Mineral Resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an Inferred Mineral Resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of Inferred Mineral Resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in very limited circumstances. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an Inferred Mineral Resource exists or is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a Mineral Resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures.

Figure 1: Island Gold Mine Main Zone Longitudinal  2018 Drilling Target Areas

Figure 2: Island Gold Mine Main Zone Longitudinal  Main Extension

Figure 3: Island Gold Mine Main Zone Longitudinal  Western Extension

Figure 4: Island Gold Mine Main Zone Longitudinal  Eastern Extension

Figure 5: Island Gold Mine Main Zone Longitudinal  840 Level Delineation Drilling

Table 1: Island Gold  Previously Unreleased Select Composite Intervals from Surface Exploration Drilling

Composite intervals greater than 3 g/t Au weighted average, capping values per zone: Zone C @ 225 g/t Au; Zone E1E @ 70 g/t Au. Target area: Main Extension (Main Ext), Western Extension (Western Ext), Western Strike Extension (WSE)

Hole ID Zone Target Area From (m) To (m) Vertical Depth Core Length (m) True Width (m) Au Uncut (g/t) Au Cut (g/t) MH5-5A C Western Ext 1,363.30 1,369.90 1,184 6.60 5.07 31.54 31.54 MH9-6 E1E Main Ext 1,502.30 1,505.60 1,432 3.30 2.34 6.11 6.11 MH9-7 E1E Main Ext 1,454.65 1,462.20 1,397 7.55 6.33 17.10 12.72 MH9-9 E1E Main Ext 1,529.00 1,535.40 1,476 6.40 4.10 32.06 14.18 MH10-4 E1E Main Ext 1,478.30 1,483.20 1,362 4.90 4.40 4.43 4.43 MH10-6 E1E Main Ext 1,536.80 1,541.50 1,433 4.70 3.45 6.59 6.59 MH11-5 E1E Main Ext 1,498.70 1,503.40 1,371 4.70 3.40 14.89 10.18 LC-415-04-01 X WSE 906.50 910.25 875 3.75 2.65 3.70 3.70 LC-415-04-01 X WSE 984.50 989.00 950 4.50 2.80 13.06 13.06 LC-415-04-04 X WSE 941.70 947.40 907 5.70 3.91 5.83 5.83 LC-415-04-2 X WSE 964.60 969.10 929 4.50 3.26 31.71 27.61 LC-415-04-3 X WSE 945.50 953.00 917 7.50 4.60 11.02 7.70 LC-415-04-3 X WSE 1,448.90 1,454.80 1,398 5.90 3.84 6.92 4.95 LC-415-04-3 X WSE 1,471.70 1,474.10 1,416 2.40 1.56 6.85 6.85 MH9-5A X Main Ext 1,556.64 1,558.30 1,471 1.66 0.94 34.31 23.27 MH9-9 X Main Ext 1,518.50 1,524.10 1,465 5.60 3.58 7.72 7.72 MH10-4 X Main Ext 1,315.67 1,317.40 1,218 1.73 1.54 12.75 12.75 MH10-4 X Main Ext 1,498.00 1,505.70 1,380 7.70 6.92 5.26 4.15 MH10-5 X Main Ext 1,716.00 1,719.65 1,624 3.65 2.41 10.45 10.45 MH10-6 X Main Ext 1,553.80 1,558.20 1,449 4.40 3.23 12.03 10.96 MH10-6 X Main Ext 1,584.70 1,587.00 1,476 2.30 1.69 11.92 11.92 MH11-4A X Main Ext 1,220.60 1,221.10 1,068 0.50 0.35 3.09 3.09 MH11-5 X Main Ext 1,600.15 1,601.75 1,462 1.60 1.16 27.98 27.98 MH11-6 X Main Ext 1,398.20 1,399.80 1,281 1.60 1.16 95.46 95.46

Table 2: Island Gold  Previously Unreleased Select Composite Intervals from Underground Exploration Drilling

Composite intervals greater than 3 g/t Au weighted average, capping values per zone: E1E @ 70 g/t Au; Zone X @ 70 g/t. Target areas: Eastern Extension (Eastern Ext)

Hole ID Zone Target Area From (m) To (m) Vertical Depth Core Length (m) True Width (m) Au Uncut (g/t) Au Cut (g/t) 620-568-03 E1E Eastern Ext 103.40 106.00 536 2.60 2.32 15.66 14.53 620-568-05 E1E Eastern Ext 101.20 104.00 568 2.80 2.88 7.97 7.97 620-568-12 E1E Eastern Ext 158.05 161.20 627 3.15 2.36 10.68 10.68 620-568-21 E1E Eastern Ext 196.50 204.85 686 8.35 4.97 5.69 5.69 620-568-23 E1E Eastern Ext 113.40 116.70 506 3.30 2.84 5.60 5.60 620-592-10 E1E Eastern Ext 100.50 103.30 598 2.80 2.33 8.48 8.48 620-592-11 E1E Eastern Ext 206.50 213.00 706 6.50 4.65 7.38 7.38 620-592-13 E1E Eastern Ext 81.80 86.90 560 5.10 5.06 4.80 4.80 620-592-15 E1E Eastern Ext 130.50 134.00 626 3.50 2.20 39.16 25.30 620-592-18 E1E Eastern Ext 83.40 88.50 573 5.10 5.00 6.09 6.09 620-592-19 E1E Eastern Ext 213.00 219.90 716 6.90 4.29 35.15 13.42 620-592-20 E1E Eastern Ext 88.40 92.90 527 4.50 4.17 10.07 8.59 620-592-21 E1E Eastern Ext 110.20 115.00 611 4.80 2.94 48.56 32.08 620-592-25 E1E Eastern Ext 164.10 167.80 656 3.70 2.31 3.65 3.65 620-592-26 E1E Eastern Ext 205.70 211.70 701 6.00 2.93 4.89 4.89 620-592-27 E1E Eastern Ext 232.10 240.10 731 8.00 4.46 6.27 6.27 620-592-29 E1E Eastern Ext 84.70 90.80 530 6.10 5.15 7.32 7.32 620-592-31 E1E Eastern Ext 95.20 101.90 594 6.70 5.40 22.22 14.10 620-592-32 E1E Eastern Ext 144.00 149.55 638 5.55 2.59 3.00 3.00 620-592-33 E1E Eastern Ext 83.30 87.00 557 3.70 3.69 47.68 19.26 620-592-35 E1E Eastern Ext 84.00 89.10 577 5.10 4.92 71.27 42.14 620-592-36 E1E Eastern Ext 105.40 111.50 608 6.10 5.97 44.28 30.55 620-592-37 E1E Eastern Ext 252.00 258.80 758 6.80 3.97 30.99 21.55 620-592-10 X Eastern Ext 29.40 33.00 599 3.60 2.94 7.74 7.74 620-592-11 X Eastern Ext 45.00 51.30 625 6.30 5.31 5.02 5.02 620-592-15 X Eastern Ext 40.70 46.00 608 5.30 5.23 24.98 6.11 620-592-15 X Eastern Ext 145.20 149.20 628 4.00 2.51 68.06 15.44

Table 2 Continued: Island Gold  Previously Unreleased Select Composite Intervals from Underground Exploration Drilling

Hole ID Zone Target Area From (m) To (m) Vertical Depth Core Length (m) True Width (m) Au Uncut (g/t) Au Cut (g/t) 620-592-19 X Eastern Ext 48.40 53.40 628 5.00 2.89 10.56 10.56 620-592-21 X Eastern Ext 52.50 67.50 606 15.00 9.01 3.72 3.72 620-592-26 X Eastern Ext 51.75 59.50 628 7.75 3.54 6.76 6.76 620-592-27 X Eastern Ext 50.80 55.00 630 4.20 2.23 3.83 3.83 620-592-30 X Eastern Ext 63.20 65.50 575 2.30 1.98 13.47 13.47 620-592-31 X Eastern Ext 60.80 64.90 596 4.10 3.67 21.07 21.07 620-592-32 X Eastern Ext 42.00 51.00 612 9.00 3.89 6.35 6.35 620-592-33 X Eastern Ext 63.00 69.00 566 6.00 5.98 4.92 4.92 620-592-34 X Eastern Ext 42.00 51.30 616 9.30 9.17 6.60 6.60 620-592-36 X Eastern Ext 41.80 59.10 604 17.30 14.18 4.38 4.38 620-592-37 X Eastern Ext 45.00 49.80 630 4.80 3.91 5.71 5.71

Table 3: Island Gold  Previously Unreleased Select Composite Intervals from Underground Delineation Drilling

Composite intervals greater than 3 g/t Au weighted average, capping values per zone: Zone C @ 225 g/t Au; Zone E1E @ 70 g/t Au; Zone B @ 80 g/t Au; Zone D1 @ 70 g/t Au; Zone X @ 70 g/t Au. Target area: Main Extension (Main Ext), Eastern Extension (Eastern Ext)

Hole ID Zone Target Area From (m) To (m) Vertical Depth Core Length (m) True Width (m) Au Uncut (g/t) Au Cut (g/t) 620-543-55 E1E Eastern Ext 125.00 127.50 576 2.50 2.47 4.39 4.39 620-586-01 E1E Eastern Ext 146.90 151.00 450 4.10 2.10 7.50 7.50 620-586-02 E1E Eastern Ext 124.20 127.40 476 3.20 2.17 14.28 14.28 620-586-09 E1E Eastern Ext 134.85 138.60 463 3.75 2.06 59.85 15.08 620-586-11 E1E Eastern Ext 105.10 108.20 500 3.10 2.32 21.69 11.80 620-586-16 E1E Eastern Ext 139.53 143.90 459 4.37 2.13 13.12 13.12 620-586-17 E1E Eastern Ext 116.50 120.10 485 3.60 2.33 3.66 3.66 620-586-18 E1E Eastern Ext 108.80 112.00 498 3.20 2.30 3.81 3.81 620-586-19 E1E Eastern Ext 99.00 103.00 515 4.00 3.11 3.65 3.65 620-586-29 E1E Eastern Ext 116.80 120.80 615 4.00 2.72 3.50 3.50 620-586-31 E1E Eastern Ext 229.60 233.60 733 4.00 2.28 3.13 3.13 620-586-34 E1E Eastern Ext 190.75 197.00 681 6.25 2.61 16.46 11.48 620-592-01 E1E Eastern Ext 124.90 130.85 472 5.95 3.75 16.70 13.41 620-592-02 E1E Eastern Ext 113.40 117.00 485 3.60 2.68 17.23 17.23 620-592-03 E1E Eastern Ext 90.60 95.70 519 5.10 4.64 41.30 22.85 620-592-04 E1E Eastern Ext 132.70 136.50 463 3.80 2.24 23.25 23.25 620-592-05 E1E Eastern Ext 103.40 107.50 498 4.10 3.04 134.37 15.48 620-592-06 E1E Eastern Ext 118.20 122.60 480 4.40 3.13 54.93 19.69 620-592-07 E1E Eastern Ext 139.60 144.40 456 4.80 2.98 48.19 20.64 620-592-08 E1E Eastern Ext 106.50 110.20 498 3.70 2.63 4.40 4.40 620-592-09B E1E Eastern Ext 100.20 103.30 507 3.10 2.80 4.04 4.04 620-592-14 E1E Eastern Ext 166.50 172.10 663 5.60 3.22 8.13 8.13 620-592-16 E1E Eastern Ext 144.10 149.30 643 5.20 2.86 95.48 25.02 620-592-17 E1E Eastern Ext 181.20 186.10 675 4.90 3.26 24.75 21.99 620-592-22 E1E Eastern Ext 148.10 153.00 640 4.90 2.70 5.46 5.46

Table 3 Continued: Island Gold  Previously Unreleased Select Composite Intervals from Underground Delineation Drilling

Hole ID Zone Target Area From (m) To (m) Vertical Depth Core Length (m) True Width (m) Au Uncut (g/t) Au Cut (g/t) 620-592-28 E1E Eastern Ext 126.00 131.10 475 5.10 3.27 10.43 10.43 620-592-39 E1E Eastern Ext 216.90 221.30 717 4.40 2.66 93.55 18.59 840-524-26 C Main Ext 183.67 195.10 975 11.43 8.78 58.80 44.22 840-524-27 C Main Ext 162.90 167.00 916 4.10 3.06 17.71 17.71 840-524-28 C Main Ext 144.90 149.40 889 4.50 3.74 50.22 44.15 840-524-29 C Main Ext 221.50 232.90 1,026 11.40 5.03 12.64 12.64 840-524-34 C Main Ext 304.50 312.90 1,106 8.40 2.11 6.17 6.17 840-524-35 C Main Ext 260.00 270.00 1,068 10.00 2.87 9.47 9.47 840-524-37 C Main Ext 220.00 230.30 1,023 10.30 6.00 11.60 8.78 840-524-43 C Main Ext 231.00 239.00 1,034 8.00 4.59 6.06 6.06 840-524-44 C Main Ext 248.60 261.00 1,058 12.40 3.56 3.47 3.47 840-529-25 C Main Ext 205.00 210.30 975 5.30 4.65 39.87 39.87 840-529-33 C Main Ext 127.00 129.80 838 2.80 2.67 5.24 5.24 840-529-35 C Main Ext 129.00 133.20 846 4.20 4.14 19.35 19.35 840-529-37 C Main Ext 146.30 150.60 873 4.30 3.44 13.63 13.63 840-529-42 C Main Ext 248.85 268.00 1,056 19.15 7.60 4.71 4.71 840-529-43 C Main Ext 225.60 232.00 1,018 6.40 4.04 28.76 24.75 840-529-47 C Main Ext 245.00 264.00 1,051 19.00 10.57 6.92 6.92 840-529-50 C Main Ext 249.10 262.50 1,047 13.40 5.71 5.02 5.02 840-529-51 C Main Ext 311.00 319.00 1,107 8.00 2.06 4.24 4.24 840-529-54 C Main Ext 275.00 285.00 1,064 10.00 4.86 5.21 5.21 840-533-12 C Main Ext 158.60 162.00 857 3.40 3.17 15.39 15.39 840-533-15 C Main Ext 223.00 228.00 986 5.00 3.88 33.55 33.55 840-533-18 C Main Ext 205.00 212.50 957 7.50 6.38 127.90 69.18 840-533-19 C Main Ext 225.70 234.00 995 8.30 6.36 30.37 30.37 840-533-21 C Main Ext 204.00 208.60 952 4.60 3.94 53.37 46.54 840-533-22 C Main Ext 218.80 224.25 977 5.45 4.17 5.90 5.90 840-533-23 C Main Ext 218.10 223.00 972 4.90 3.78 33.26 33.26 620-592-14 X Eastern Ext 184.00 187.00 668 3.00 2.30 10.91 10.91

Table 3 Continued: Island Gold  Previously Unreleased Select Composite Intervals from Underground Delineation DrillingToronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 24, 2018) - Carube Copper Corp. (TSXV: CUC) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has signed an option agreement on its 100% owned Rogers Creek Copper Project located in southwest British Columbia. Tocvan Ventures Corp. of Calgary Alberta will have the right to earn 80% of the project by spending $1.9M on exploration and issuing Carube Copper $25,000 in cash and 1.3M shares over the initial 4 year earn in period. After successful completion of the earn-in period an 80% -20% joint venture will be formed where Carube will retain both a 20% equity, subject to meeting future pro-rata expenditure commitments, and a 3% NSR. Carube will also receive advance royalty payments of $50,000 per year after Tocvan has earned its 80%.

Anthony Houston, Interim President of Carube Copper commented: "We are very pleased to provide Tocvan the opportunity to further advance the Rogers Creek Copper Project in BC. The terms of this agreement will enable focussed exploration activities to be undertaken on the project. By optioning this project to the Tocvan team, Carube will be better positioned to focus our activities on our core copper and gold assets in Jamaica."

The Rogers Creek Copper Project

The Rogers Creek property straddles the Lower Lillooet River valley, approximately 90 km northeast of Vancouver, and 28 km south of Pemberton. It consists of 47 contiguous claims aggregating 212 km2. The Rogers Creek property was staked on the basis of a logging road discovery in 2007 and now consists of four significant target areas including a minimum 6 x 2 km area of anomalous soil geochemistry, multiple untested IP anomalies and significant surface exposures of copper, gold and silver mineralization.



Location of the Rogers Creek Copper Project, BC

The Project is located within the Cascade Magmatic Arc, a belt of Tertiary and younger intrusive and extrusive rocks, which stretches from Northern California up to the southern end of the Alaska Panhandle. Carube Copper's Mackenzie Property and Amarc Resources' recently discovered IKE Deposit (592m of 0.30% Cu, 0.032% Mo and 2.1 g Ag/t), which has been optioned to HudBay Minerals Inc. are located approximately 150 kilometres north of Rogers Creek and within the Cascade Magmatic Arc. The Cascade Magmatic Arc formed as a result of the subduction of various Pacific Ocean plates, transform faults and ridges beneath the North American continent over the past 65 million years. The majority of the Cu, Au and Mo resources being mined in the world, primarily in Chile, Peru, the United States and Indonesia, come from similarly-aged belts of porphyry intrusions. In the United States, the Cascade Magmatic Arc has produced mineral deposits of significant size, such as Quartz Hill (probable resource of 444 MT grading 0.219% MoS2and a possible resource of 1.36 BT averaging 0.136% MoS2)1 in Alaska, and Glacier Peak (1.7 BT inferred @ 0.334% Cu and 0.015% MoS2)2 and Margaret (523 MT measured and indicated @ 0.36% Cu, 0.013%- MoS2.)2 in Washington State (all historic resources referenced below).

Terms of the Earn-In Option

In consideration of the grant of the Option, Tocvan will pay to Carube $25,000 within 5 days of the Approval Date and issue to Carube 500,000 common shares in the capital of Tocvan on the Approval Date, which Common Shares will be subject to such hold periods that are prescribed by the securities laws of the Province of Alberta and the CSE's rules and policies.

Tocvan must incur the following Expenditures for the purposes of developing the Property:

Date Exploration Expenditures Share Issuance Cash Signing 500,000 $25,000 1st Anniversary $200,000 200,000 2nd Anniversary $300,000 200,000 3rd Anniversary $400,000 200,000 4th Anniversary $1,000,000 200,000 Total $1,900,000 1,300,000 $25,000

The approval date will be when the CSE has approved this agreement as part of Tocvan's going public transaction. If the transaction is not completed in the next 4 months, the earn-in agreement is void and the Rogers Creek Copper Project reverts 100% to Carube Copper Corp.

Other Corporate News

Further to the Company's March 29, 2018 announcement of the closing of its non-brokered private placement, the Company also announces that an additional cash finder fee of $9,000 and 150,000 broker warrants have been issued.

Carube Copper Corp will be holding its Annual General Meeting on Thursday May 24th at 12:00pm at the National Club, 303 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario. There will be a presentation on the company's exploration activities immediately following the formal business meeting.

About Carube Copper

Carube Copper is focused on the exploration and development of copper and gold projects in Jamaica and Canada. In Jamaica, Carube Copper holds a 100% interest in 11 licenses totalling 535 square kilometres. In Canada, it holds a 100% interest in three porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum properties totalling 492 square kilometres within the Tertiary-aged Cascade Magmatic Arc in southwestern British Columbia. Carube is currently focused on its Bellas Gate Project in Jamaica where it has discovered widespread copper mineralization over a six and a half kilometre by four kilometre corridor indicating the presence of a very large system with the potential to host multiple copper-gold porphyries. The results to date have identified 17 target areas including the Connors porphyry where recent drill intercepts demonstrate excellent copper and gold mineralization.

Contacts

Tony Houston, Interim CEO and President +1 (416) 882-2541  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jeff Ackert, Vice President, Business Development  +1 (647) 957-2249  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

John McNeice. CFO  +1 (613) 692-7704  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

www.carubecopper.com

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.

1. Maas, K.M., Bittenbender, P.E., and Still, J.C., 1995, Mineral investigations in the Ketchikan mining district, southeastern Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 11-95, 606 p.

2. R. Lasmanis, Regional geological and tectonic setting of porphyry deposits in Washington State: Porphyry Deposits of the Northwestern Cordillera of North America, CIM Special Volume 46, p77-102

DISCLAIMER & FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, and by their very nature involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on currently available information, Carube Copper Corp. provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Factors which cause results to differ materially are set out in the Company's documents filed on SEDAR. Undue reliance should not be placed on "forward looking statements".

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Carube Copper hereby incorporates the entire disclaimer set forth on its website at Click HereVANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VR Resources Ltd. (TSX.V:VRR) (FSE:5VR) (OTCBB:VRRCF), the "Company", or VR, is pleased to announce that it has closed the recently announced acquisition (see terms in News Release dated May 1, 2018) of the Kraut Property. The Kraut Property consists of 6 mineral claims in one contiguous block covering 124 acres and is located within the southern part of the Walker Lane belt in west-central Nevada, approximately 5 kilometers northwest of the Companys Danbo Property in Nye County, Nevada.

The Company intends to commence surface exploration at Kraut early this summer. The work will be a natural extension of its work at its Danbo property during the past two years. The Company will leverage a modern understanding of the nearby Round Mountain gold deposit, and recent innovations in exploration technologies for Tertiary epithermal gold systems in general in the Walker Lane Belt in Nevada in order to evaluate the large area of alteration and surface gold geochemistry evident at Kraut.

Please see the Companys website at www.vrr.ca for more complete information on the near-by Danbo property.

Technical information for this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101, and reviewed on behalf of the Company by Dr. Michael Gunning P.Geo., a non-independent Qualified Person.

About VR Resources

VR is a new listing in the junior exploration space (TSX.V: VRR; Frankfurt: 5VR; OTCBB: VRRCF). The diverse experience and proven track record of its Board in early-stage exploration and discovery is the foundation of VR. The Company is focused on exploring for large copper-gold mineral systems in the western United States. VR is the continuance of 4 years of active exploration in Nevada by a Vancouver-based private exploration company. VR is well financed for its exploration strategy, which is currently focused on three core properties, namely Bonita, Junction and Danbo. VR owns its exploration assets outright, and will evaluate new opportunities on an ongoing basis, whether by staking or acquisition.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Michael H. Gunning

____________________________

Dr. Michael H. Gunning, PhD, PGeo

President & CEO

For general information please use the following:

Website: www.vrr.ca

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Phone: 604-262-1104

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions or are those which, by their nature, refer to future events. Forward looking statements in this release include that a diamond drill program will be carried out on the property and additional cash and share payments will be made to the Vendor.

Although the Company believes that the use of such statements is reasonable, there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative. All of the Companys public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in Policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FIREWEED ZINC LTD. (Fireweed or the Company) (TSXV:FWZ) is pleased to announce the positive results of an independent Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for its Macmillan Pass Project (the Project) in Yukon, Canada. The PEA was prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101) by JDS Energy and Mining, Inc. (JDS) with work on tailings and water by Knight Piesold Consulting, both of Vancouver, Canada.

Production and Economic Highlights:

 Long mine life and large-scale production:

18-year mine life with 32.7Mt of mineralization mined at 4,900 tonne-per-day average processing rate.

1.54Mt of Zinc, 0.88Mt of Lead, and 37Moz of Silver in concentrate shipped.

Average yearly contained-metal production of 85kt Zinc, 48kt Lead and 2Moz Silver.

 Robust economics using metals prices of $1.21/lb Zn, $0.98/lb Pb, and $16.80/oz Ag:

Pre-Tax NPV at 8% of $779M CAD and IRR of 32%.

After-Tax NPV at 8% of $448M CAD and IRR of 24%.

 Manageable CAPEX and rapid payback:

Pre-production CAPEX of $404M CAD.

Payback period of 4 years.

Starter-pits on Tom West and Jason Main zones reduce up-front capital.

 Significant Upside

Numerous opportunities for significant economic improvement.

Known zones remain open for expansion, including into high-grade areas.

Highly prospective and large land package untested with modern exploration methods.

This first NI43-101-compliant PEA on the Macmillan Pass Project represents a significant step for the Company as we progress the Project towards production. Project economics in the PEA demonstrate that Macmillan Pass is not just viable at the zinc, lead and silver prices levels contemplated in the study, but highly robust, commented Brandon Macdonald, Chief Executive Officer. With consideration of the exploration upside not just at the known zones, but also within the broader land package, the Project is steadily shaping up to be a premiere district-scale zinc mining camp in the mining-friendly Yukon Territory.

Overview of PEA Results and Assumptions

Summary Table of Economic Inputs and Results

Unit Base Case Spot Prices2 Inputs Zinc Price US$/lb $1.211 $1.42 Lead Price US$/lb $0.981 $1.05 Silver Price US$/oz $16.801 $16.38 Exchange Rate CAD/USD 0.77 0.78 Economics Cash Flows (Undiscounted) C$M $1,735 $2,581 Pre-Tax NPV at 8% C$M $779 $1,214 IRR % 32% 42% Payback Period years 3 2.4 Economics Cash Flows (Undiscounted) C$M $1,119 $1,669 Post-Tax NPV at 8% C$M $448 $729 IRR % 24% 31% Payback Period years 4 3 Unit Parameters Net Smelter Return3 C$/tonne $167.38 $193.28 Per Tonne Mined Pit Mining Costs C$/tonne $4.45 $4.45 Underground Mining Costs C$/tonne $52.02 $52.02 Processing Costs C$/tonne $22.92 $22.92 Site G&A C$/tonne $10.37 $10.37 Total OPEX C$/tonne $82.00 $82.00 Operating Margin C$/tonne $85.38 $111.28 Sustaining Capital & Closure C$/tonne $19.88 $19.88 Adjusted Operating Margin C$/tonne $65.50 $91.40

1. Base case prices for zinc, lead and silver are the average of three years past and projected two years forward by analysis of London Metal Exchange futures as of April 30, 2018.

2. Spot prices at close of London Metal Exchange on April 30, 2018.

3. Net smelter returns are net of off-site costs including TC/RCs, freight and penalties

Capital & Operating Cost Estimates

Table of Initial and Sustaining Capital Costs

Area Initial (C$000) Sustaining

(C$000) Total (C$000) Mining 30,300 378,400 408,700 Site Development 12,000 1,100 13,100 Mineral Processing 70,600 5,500 76,100 Tailings Management 32,700 113,900 146,600 On-site Infrastructure 51,400 14,800 66,200 Off-site Infrastructure (Canol Road) 78,300 6,700 85,000 Project Indirects 43,000 - 43,000 Engineering & Project Management 20,500 - 20,500 Owner Costs 7,000 - 7,000 Closure - 56,700 56,700 Contingencies1 58,600 72,300 130,900 TOTAL PROJECT 404,400 649,400 1,053,800

1. Note on contingencies: Contingencies were assigned according to the level of engineering in the various project areas as follows: mining infrastructure 20%, process plant/site infrastructure/indirects 20%, tailings 35%, off-site infrastructure 10%. JDS terms this method fit for purpose. An example is the process equipment cost. JDS used vendor quotes on nearly all the equipment. Vendor quotes can generally be assessed a contingency of 5-10%. On the other hand, Knight Piesold had little data on the soils to be excavated for the tailings management facility embankment. They applied a contingency of 35% in that case.

Off-site Charges

Off-site charges include concentrate transport to Skagway for loading onto ocean-going cargo ships bound for smelter destinations yet to be determined but assumed to be in Asia. The charges also include treatment charges and penalties as shown in the table below.

Table of Off-site Charges

Off-site Charges Units Zinc

Concentrate Lead

Concentrate Transport to Smelter CAD/wmt conc. $211.85 $211.85 Smelter Treatment Charge US$/dmt conc. $190.00 $170.00 Silver Refining US$/oz $1.50 $1.50 Mercury (Hg) Penalty US$/dmt conc. $0.96 NA Silica (SiO 2 ) Penalty US$/dmt conc. $2.00 NA

Operating Costs

The estimated operating costs, over the life of the Project, are presented below:

Table of Operating Costs (OPEX)

Open Pit Mining C$/tonne mined $4.45 Underground Mining C$/tonne mined $52.02 Processing C$/tonne $22.92 G&A C$/tonne $10.37 All-In OPEX C$/tonne 82.00

Mineral Resources

This PEA is based on a mine plan for delivery of 32.66 Mt at a diluted head grade of 9.07% zinc equivalent (5.31% zinc, 3.56% lead and 43.41g.t silver) delivered to the processing plant. The table below outlines the total base case Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources, including those that were not included in this mine plan.

Table of Base Case Mineral Resource Estimates (at NSR cutoff grade of $65 CAD)

Category Tonnes (Mt) ZnEq % Zn % Pb % Ag g/t B lbs Zn B lbs Pb MOz Ag Indicated 11.21 9.61 6.59 2.48 21.33 1.63 0.61 7.69 Inferred 39.47 10.00 5.84 3.14 38.15 5.08 2.73 48.41

Details, supporting information and Qualified Person statements for these Mineral Resources are described in the Companys news release and the Technical Report both dated January 10, 2018 and both filed on www.sedar.com.

Mining

Initial material will be recovered at a rate of about 5,000 tonnes per day by conventional truck and shovel surface mining from both the Tom and Jason deposits. During the third year, production will transition to underground mining using Avoca-style sub-level retreat longhole (LH) stoping, vertical crater retreat (VCR) and alimak stoping. Stopes will be filled with a combination of waste rock and paste and cemented rock fill.

Open pit mining accounts for 13% or 4.2M tonnes of the total 32.7M tonnes of material mined and processed. VCR and LH methods account for 75% of the material mined and processed by underground methods.

Mining recovery and dilution factors were applied by mining method. Average open pit mining recovery and dilution were 95% and 10% respectively. Average underground mining recovery and dilution were 92% and 21% respectively.

Existing surface roads and underground development will be rehabilitated and utilized as part of the mine plan. Mine access portals at multiple elevations are planned to maximize natural ventilation and dewatering of underground operations. Open pits have been designed to maintain safe working distance from all major water ways.

Diesel powered mobile equipment would be used to conduct all open pit and underground mining activities. Underground crushing and conveying would provide low cost mineral transport from the Tom deposit, while the Jason mine being further from the mill site would utilize truck transport.

Table of Mine Production Statistics

Total Production Life of Mine M tonnes 32.66 Mine Life years 18 Average Production Rate tpd 4,900 Average Head Grades Ag g/t 43 Pb % 3.6% Zn % 5.3%

Processing

The Company reported details of metallurgical testing with excellent results in a news release dated May 15, 2018.

The Project incorporates a standard comminution, flotation separation flow sheet including a primary crusher feeding a single semi-autogenous (SAG) mill, thence a ball mill, followed by selective two and three-stage flotation to produce two concentrate products for shipment to offsite smelters. Table 3 provides pertinent feed, recovery, and grade levels.

Summary Table of Macmillan Pass Global (65% Tom + 35% Jason) Composite Metallurgical Results

Product Grade Metal Recoveries (%) Zinc (%) Lead (%) Silver (g/t) Lead Zinc Silver Feed 7.3 3.2 44 100 100 100 Lead Concentrate 8.9 61.5 688 75 5 59 Zinc Concentrate 58.4 2.2 88 7 89 22

The iron levels are low, at about 1.5%, a feature desired by zinc smelters. Deleterious element levels were generally low, except for mercury at 155 ppm and SiO 2 at 4% in the global zinc concentrate. Either or both may incur modest smelter penalties.

Table of Processing Statistics

Zn Recovered Life of Mine - M lbs 3,397 avg M lbs/yr 188 Pb Recovered Life of Mine - M lbs 1,929 avg M lbs/yr 107 Ag Recovered Life of Mine - k oz 37,191 avg k oz/yr 2,053 Payable Zn Life of Mine - M lbs 2,887 avg M lbs/yr 159 Payable Pb Life of Mine - M lbs 1,833 avg M lbs/yr 101 Zn Concentrate Life of Mine  000 dmt 2,638 avg 000 dmt/yr 147 Pb Concentrate Life of Mine  000 dmt 1,422 avg 000 dmt/yr 79

Infrastructure

Access

Site access for most raw materials, fuel and supplies will be via the existing Canol Road (Yukon Highway 6). The Project site also has a 740m long gravel airstrip. The unpaved road runs 229-km from paved Highway 4, the Robert Campbell Highway at Ross River, to the Project site. It will require upgrade and repairs to accommodate dual-trailer concentrate trucks with a 40-tonne payload. Maximum travel speed will be 50 km/hr as the design basis for difficult sections, and 80 km/hr where the upgrades are not cost prohibitive. The route includes a barge crossing over the Pelly River at Ross River.

Power

The estimated connected load for the project is 10.6 MW, and the operating demand is 68,432 MWhr/year. Power is to be supplied by on-site liquified natural gas (LNG) fired generators. LNG will be trucked from Dawson Creek, BC, and stored on-site.

Water Management

No specific designs or plans were undertaken for water supply but a water management system for plant make-up water is budgeted. Water is plentiful in the area. Local surface water supplies should be more than adequate for process and potable needs. Tailings return water will somewhat reduce the need for process water. Package sanitary plants are readily available and work well for sanitary needs of the camp, dries, and process area restrooms.

Tailings Disposal

The study base case for the nearby tailings management facility is conventional tailings slurry disposal in a valley fill arrangement with the tailings embankment designed to be a rock-filled structure with granular filter zones on the upstream face. The embankment construction material will be borrowed from the tailings management facility impoundment where possible and the entire facility will be lined with a HDPE geomembrane liner.

Airstrip & Camp

The existing airstrip to be upgraded to 1,100 m useable length, complete with lights and navigation equipment for all weather flying. It will be able to accommodate a Dash 8-100 40-person charter aircraft. An all-weather modular construction, 270-person camp for construction and operation will include dormitories, kitchen, dining, laundry, boot room, recreation area, and storage, all connected with arctic corridors. Camp is complete with potable water treatment system, sewage and waste disposal facilities.

Sensitivity Analysis

The Project is highly leveraged to metal prices; a 15% increase in metal prices results in an 74% increase in NPV.

Pre-Tax NPV8 (C$M) Input Factor Input 85% 90% 95% 100% 105% 110% 115% Metal Prices 204 396 588 779 971 1,163 1,354 OPEX 973 908 844 779 715 650 586 CAPEX 891 854 817 779 742 705 667

Project Opportunities

The PEA identifies several project challenges and opportunities that were addressed to a level satisfactory for this PEA and represent optimization opportunities for the next study level to further enhance project economics. These include:

The $404 million pre-production capex includes $105 million of capital cost required to upgrade the government-owned North Canol Road (Yukon Highway 6) including direct costs, owners costs, EPCM and contingency. The Company will continue to work with the Yukon government to consider options for upgrading the road which engineering is beyond the normal scope of a PEA.

Optimization of the extent and configuration of the surface extraction in the starter pits, and the disposition of the related mine waste rock, require a depth of engineering analysis beyond PEA level.

Further evaluation may reveal the existence of non acid-generating mine waste, resulting in a lower cost borrow alternative for construction of the tailings management facility embankment, a major cost item.

Exploration potential remains open at depth at all deposits and significant upside remains as some high grade intersections are known at depth. Further drill testing is required to define and include this mineralization as mineral resources.

Footprint of the current known deposits is very small compared to the overall land position. Exploration potential exists over the 470 square kilometre land package. Most of the area has never been explored using modern exploration methods.

Further metallurgical test work will advance optimization of the recovery process to further improve metal recoveries and reduce the quantity of undesirable materials.

Upcoming Activities

During Summer of 2018 the Company plans to commence a large drilling campaign with three drills and the goals to upgrade priority zones to measured and indicated resources, expand known zones through step-out holes, and drill new targets with aim to discover and define new deposits.

Mapping, geochemistry and geophysics will be conducted toward new discoveries and guiding exploration of known zones.

Continue baseline environmental studies toward advancing and further permitting of the Project.

Continue work towards an upgraded economic study on the Project.

Qualified Person Statements

Michael Makarenko, P.Eng., Project Manager for JDS Energy and Mining, Inc., is independent of Fireweed Zinc Ltd. and a Qualified Person as defined under Canadian National Instrument 43101. Mr. Makarenko is responsible for the PEA results and directly related information in this news release. Brandon Macdonald, P.Geo, a Qualified Person as defined under Canadian National Instrument 43101, is responsible for the other technical information (information not directly related to the PEA) in this news release.

A technical report describing the details of the PEA study will be filed on www.sedar.com and posted on the Company website (www.FireweedZinc.com) within 45 days.

Conference Call

The Company will host a telephone conference call on Thursday, May 24, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time (8:00 a.m. Pacific) to discuss these results.

The conference call may be accessed by dialing 1-800-319-4610 in Canada and the United States, or +1-604-638-5340 internationally. No access code is needed. Callers should dial in 5  10 min prior to the scheduled start time and simply ask to join the Fireweed Zinc call.

The conference call will be archived for later playback until June 7, 2018 and can be accessed by dialing (800) 319-6413 in Canada and the United States, or (604) 638-9010 internationally and using the passcode 2354.

About Fireweed Zinc Ltd.: Fireweed Zinc is a public mineral exploration company focused on zinc and managed by a veteran team of mining industry professionals. The Company is advancing its large 470 km2 Macmillan Pass Project in Yukon, Canada, which is host to the 100% owned Tom and Jason zinc-lead-silver deposits with recently announced new Mineral Resources (see Fireweed news release dated January 10, 2018 for details) and a new PEA economic study. The project also includes option agreements on large blocks of adjacent claims (MAC, MC, MP, Jerry, BR and NS) which cover projected extensions of mineralization from the Jason area and areas where previous exploration identified zinc, lead and silver geochemical anomalies in critical host geology.

Additional information about Fireweed Zinc and its Macmillan Pass Project, can be found on the Companys website at www.FireweedZinc.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

ON BEHALF OF FIREWEED ZINC LTD.

Brandon Macdonald

CEO & Director

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.

PEA Cautionary Note:

Readers are cautioned that the PEA is preliminary in nature, it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA results will be realized. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. Additional work is needed to upgrade these mineral resources to mineral reserves.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and information relating to the Company and the Macmillan Pass Project that are based on the beliefs of Company management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to Company management. Such statements reflect the current risks, uncertainties and assumptions related to certain factors including but not limited to, without limitations, exploration and development risks, expenditure and financing requirements, general economic conditions, changes in financial markets, the ability to properly and efficiently staff the Companys operations, the sufficiency of working capital and funding for continued operations, title matters, First Nations relations, operating hazards, political and economic factors, competitive factors, metal prices, relationships with vendors and strategic partners, governmental regulations and oversight, permitting, seasonality and weather, technological change, industry practices, and one-time events. Additional risks are set out in the Companys prospectus dated May 9, 2017 and filed under the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Should any one or more risks or uncertainties materialize or change, or should any underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results and forward-looking statements may vary materially from those described herein. The Company does not undertake to update forwardlooking statements or forwardlooking information, except as required by law.Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 24, 2018) - Goldsource Mines Inc. (TSXV: GXS) (OTCBB: GXSFF) (FSE: G5M) ("Goldsource" or the "Company") announces a new discovery and further positive results on its ongoing saprolite exploration program at its 100% owned Eagle Mountain Gold Project ("Eagle Mountain" or the "Project") in Guyana, South America. This new discovery, "Salbora" area, is approximately 1.5 kilometres northwest of the Eagle Mountain deposit (see attached Figures). Through diamond drilling, the Company has also received positive results on a previously announced expansion target, "Friendly" area, located at the northern edge of the Eagle Mountain deposit (refer to the Company's news release dated August 28, 2017). In addition to expansion drilling, the Company is conducting in-fill drilling, geotechnical evaluation of potential tailings storage areas, and metallurgical test work in order to update its resource estimate for the ongoing Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS") in the second half of 2018. Goldsource has retained the services of Tetra Tech Canada Inc., an independent Vancouver based company to complete a PFS for a potential large-scale open pit, gravity-cyanidation operation at Eagle Mountain.

Yannis Tsitos, President, commented, "We are encouraged with the recent results from the drilling and trenching campaigns at Eagle Mountain. The discovery of a potentially higher-grade zone at the Salbora area along with continued success in expanding mineralization on various targets including Friendly, and positive infill results from the Kilroy and Zion areas, are supportive of the potential to grow the resource base of Eagle Mountain to support a large scale gravity cyanidation operation."

The most significant result for this release was returned from Trench TRSB18-002 at the Salbora Area, which intersected 123 metres (horizontal width) grading 1.92 grams per tonne ("gpt") gold. Also noteworthy are Hole EMD18-011, 6.0 metres grading 1.51 gpt gold in the Friendly area; Hole EMD18-018, 21.4 metres grading 1.22 gpt Au, and Hole EMC18-057, 8.0 metres grading 2.65 gpt Au, which are in-fill holes in the Kilroy and Zion areas respectively.

The following table summarizes 17 of the most significant drill intercepts from 82 drill holes and 3 of the most significant trench intercepts from 26 trenches (uncut, undiluted) for this release (see attached Figures):

Hole ID Drill Type From

(m) To

(m) True Thickness Interval

(m) Au

(gpt)* Location

Area Remarks EMD18-003 Diamond 7.9 12.4 4.5 0.58 Friendly Expansion Diamond 31.9 34.9 3.0 1.43 Friendly Expansion EMD18-005 Diamond 0.6 3.4 2.8 1.38 Friendly Expansion Diamond 12.4 15.4 3.0 0.70 Friendly Expansion EMD18-006 Diamond 4.9 6.4 1.5 1.15 Friendly Expansion EMD18-007 Diamond 37.9 39.4 1.5 0.91 Friendly Expansion EMD18-008 Diamond 30.4 36.4 6.0 0.50 Friendly Expansion EMD18-010 Diamond 18.4 19.9 1.5 0.91 Friendly Expansion EMD18-011 Diamond 4.9 19.9 15.0 0.55 Friendly Expansion Including Diamond 13.9 19.9 6.0 1.51 Friendly Expansion EMD18-013 Diamond 0.0 1.9 1.9 1.28 Red Hill Expansion EMD18-015 Diamond 10.9 11.7 0.8 5.74 Red Hill Expansion EMD18-017 Diamond 0.0 19.9 19.9 1.02 Kilroy In-fill Including Diamond 0.0 4.9 4.9 3.66 Kilroy In-fill Including Diamond 7.9 10.9 3.0 1.24 Kilroy In-fill Including Diamond 15.4 16.9 1.5 2.59 Kilroy In-fill EMD18-018 Diamond 0.0 21.4 21.4 1.22 Kilroy In-fill Including Diamond 1.9 7.9 6.0 2.60 Kilroy In-fill Including Diamond 12.4 13.9 1.5 7.90 Kilroy In-fill Including Diamond 16.9 21.4 4.5 2.11 Kilroy In-fill EMC18-004 Core** 7.0 8.4 1.4 1.56 Baredi Expansion EMC18-030 Core 4.0 8.0 4.0 0.53 Bottle Bank Expansion Core 17.0 18.5 1.5 6.15 Bottle Bank Expansion EMC18-035 Core 3.0 4.0 1.0 0.81 Dispute Expansion Core 20.0 22.5 2.5 1.25 Dispute Expansion EMC18-037 Core 0.0 3.0 3.0 0.79 Dispute Expansion EMC18-046 Core 2.0 3.0 1.0 5.65 Hill #1 Expansion EMC18-057 Core 0.0 8.0 8.0 2.65 Zion In-fill Trench ID From

(m) To

(m) Horizontal Length Interval

(m) Au

(gpt)* Location Name Type TRSB18-002 Trench 83.0 205.0 123.0 1.92 Salbora Expansion Including 191.0 203.0 12.0 7.76 Salbora Expansion TRK18-001 Road Cut 0.0 10.0 10.0 0.84 Kilroy In-fill Including 0.0 2.0 2.0 1.95 Kilroy In-fill TRK18-002 Road Cut 1.0 6.0 5.0 1.11 Kilroy In-fill Road Cut 8.0 14.0 6.0 1.67 Kilroy In-fill

Note: All numbers rounded. All holes are drilled vertical.

*Cutoff grade of 0.5 gpt Au

**Geoprobe "Sonic" drill core

All geochemical analyses were completed by Actlabs Guyana Inc. in Georgetown, Guyana.

All reported diamond core ("EMD") and Geoprobe core ("EMC") holes are vertical with total depth drilled to hard rock contact. Geoprobe core drill depths are limited to the presence of groundwater horizon and floating near-surface boulders within the weathered saprolite layer.

A summary of completed drill-holes and trenches from May 2017 to May 2018 is as follows:

Time Period and Type of Drilling Number of Holes or Trenches Metres Analytical Results Pending 2017 Program (May to December) Geoprobe Core Drilling 119 1,172 0 Auger Drilling 226 830 0 Sampling along Trenches 0 0 0 2018 Program (January to May 22th) Diamond Core Drilling * 35 947 360 m Geoprobe Core Drilling 82 956 203 m Auger Drilling 43 75 26 m Sampling along Trenches 31 713 40 m Total Program to May 22th 2018 Total Core Drilling 222 3,075 563 m Total Auger Drilling 269 905 26 m Total Trenching 31 713 40 m

* In Jan 2018, a diamond core rig was introduced to the Project

Of the completed holes, analytical results have been received and reported for 20 diamond core holes, 62 Geoprobe core holes, 37 auger holes and 673 continuous meters of sampling along trenches. As reported in the table above, results for the balance of drilled holes and performed trenches are pending.

Salbora Discovery

Several auger holes were historically drilled (early 2000s) in the Salbora Area with grades of trace in excess of 0.5 gpt Au. Review in early 2018 of the extensive Eagle Mountain database lead to prioritizing this target for initial trenching and plans for subsequent core drilling. Trench TRSB18-002 shows 123 metres grading 1.92 gpt Au. Saprolite mineralization appears to be similar to nearby Eagle Mountain deposit which is located within a sheared granitoid. Based on limited auger and trenching results, the Company estimates that the mineralized area of Salbora is approximately 500 metres by one kilometre with an unknown depth.

Trenching was completed with the Company's onsite excavator to a 3-4 metre depth (see attached Figures) with horizontal sampling on one-metre spacings. Further work is planned for this discovery in H2 2018.

Other Discoveries

Expansion drilling and trenching have identified additional mineralized saprolite between current resource pits as well as the periphery of the known resource outline. Priority areas for expansion include the Friendly, Baredi, Bottle Bank, Red Hill, Hill#1, and Dispute areas (see attached Figures). In addition to the expansion targets, the Company has initiated its exploration program over Bishop Growler, a recently optioned-to-purchase land package (refer to the Company's news release dated April 5, 2018). The Company is currently drilling and trenching at Bishop Growler and anticipates to release initial results for Bishop Growler Property once compilation is completed.

In-Fill Drilling

The Company continues in-fill drilling to re-categorize and expand resource estimates beyond the known Eagle Mountain resource area (refer to the Technical Report titled, "Preliminary Economic Assessment of the Eagle Mountain Saprolite Gold Project, Guyana", effective June 15, 2014 and dated September 12, 2014). The above table shows the most significant mineralized intercepts from in-fill drilling at the Kilroy and Zion areas. Additional in-fill work is planned for Q3 2018.

Given the success of the exploration program to date, the Company has extended its drill program to follow up on newly discovered mineralized saprolite areas, based on success, at a minimum of 1,500 metres. Subsequent to completion of this drilling program, the Company plans to release an updated resource estimate in H2 2018.

The Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects for this news release is N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Chairman for Goldsource, who has reviewed and approved its contents.



Ioannis (Yannis) Tsitos

President

Goldsource Mines Inc.

For Further Information:

Goldsource Mines Inc.

Contact:Ioannis (Yannis) Tsitos, President

Fred Cooper, Investor Relations

Telephone:+1 (604) 694-1760

Fax:+1 (604) 357-1313

Toll Free:1-866-691-1760 (Canada & USA)

Email:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website:www.goldsourcemines.com

570 Granville Street, Suite 501

Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 3P1

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT AND FORWARD-LOOKING DISCLAIMER

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Such forwardlooking statements concern Goldsource's strategic plans, timing and expectations for the Company's exploration and drilling programs at Eagle Mountain; information regarding high grade areas projected from sampling results and drilling results; and timing and completion of an updated resource estimate and a PFS. Such forwardlooking statements or information are based on a number of assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: conditions in general economic and financial markets; accuracy of the interpretations and assumptions used in calculating inferred mineral resource estimates; availability of mining equipment; availability of skilled labour; timing and amount of capital expenditures; performance of available laboratory and other related services; and future operating costs. The actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forwardlooking statements as a result of the risk factors including: the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities and development of mineral properties; the interpretation of drilling results and other geological data; the uncertainties of resource estimations; receipt, maintenance and security of permits and mineral property titles; environmental and other regulatory risks; project costs overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; and general market and industry conditions. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law.

Neither TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.



Figure 1: Resource Expansion Areas of Interest Figure 2: 2018 Drilling & Trenching Significant IntersectionsVANCOUVER, May 24, 2018 /CNW/ - Tinka Resources Limited ("Tinka" or the "Company") (TSXV & BVL: TK) (OTCPK: TKRFF) is pleased to announce assay results for six holes from its ongoing resource step-out drill program at the Company's 100%-owned Ayawilca project, central Peru. Three holes are reported from West Ayawilca area (holes A18-115, 116 & 118) and three from the Zone 3 area (A18-110, 113 & 119).

Drill hole A18-118 intersected 106.5 metres grading 6.8 % zinc (uncut) from 237.3 metres depth, one of the best intercepts ever drilled at West Ayawilca, approximately 50 metres north of the current zinc mineral resource. The footprint of high-grade zinc mineralization continues to grow. In addition, high-grade tin intercepts are reported from the Zone 3 area for the first time. Three rigs continue to drill step-out holes at West Ayawilca and at Zone 3, with other targets at South Ayawilca and Valley to be tested in coming weeks.

Key Highlights

West Ayawilca Area

Hole A18-118:

106.5 metres at 6.8 % zinc (uncut), 0.2 % lead, 17 g/t silver & 48 g/t indium from 237.3 metres including: 2.9 metres at 24.1 % zinc, 1.7 % lead & 109 g/t silver from 237.3 metres depth, and 11.8 metres at 6.4 % zinc & 24 g/t silver from 252.3 metres depth, and 23.9 metres at 9.2 % zinc & 15 g/t silver from 270.0 metres depth, and 31.9 metres at 9.6 % zinc, 19 g/t silver & 138 g/t indium from 311.9 metres depth, including 9.8 metres at 17.0 % zinc, 25 g/t silver and 330 g/t indium from 334.0 metres depth.



Hole A18-116: *

1.2 metres at 15.9 % zinc, 25.6 % lead & 559 g/t silver from 47.7 metres depth, and

0.6 metres at 28.5 % zinc, 5.3 % lead & 477 g/t silver from 110.8 metres depth, and

1.0 metres at 19.6 % zinc, 6.3 % lead & 527 g/t silver from 141.8 metres depth.

Hole A18-115: *

0.4 metres at 21.5 % zinc, 0.3% lead & 182 g/t silver from 125.3 metres depth.

Zone 3 Area

Hole A18-119:

6.5 metres at 2.7 % zinc, 2.0 % lead & 77 g/t silver from 376.6 metres depth, and

11.2 metres at 5.3 % zinc & 83 g/t indium from 451.5 metres depth.

Hole A18-113:

20.3 metres at 1.26 % tin & 0.30% copper from 658.0 metres depth, including 7.9 metres at 2.39 % tin & 0.64 % copper from 664.1 metres depth.



Hole A18-110:

12.0 metres at 0.87 % tin & 0.43% copper from 525.0 metres depth, including 1.45 metres at 5.93 % tin & 0.33 % copper from 525.0 metres depth.



Note: True thicknesses of the zinc and tin intersections are estimated to be at least 85% of the downhole thicknesses, except for vein intercepts (marked *) where true thicknesses are unknown.

Dr. Graham Carman, Tinkas President and CEO, stated: "Tinka is targeting high-grade zinc mineralization outside of the existing resource boundaries in the 2018 step-out drill program, and we are very pleased to report results for hole A18-118, one of the best mineralized holes from West Ayawilca. Importantly, our geological model has successfully predicted zinc mineralization is concentrated close to the hinge of an 'anticline' fold within limestone beneath sandstone cover, and this mineralization remains open. At West Ayawilca more holes are planned to target the projections of the fold hinge and its flat-lying eastern limb. The steep-dipping western fold limb, tested by A18-115 & 116, appears to host vein-style mineralization in the overlying sandstone only."

"We continue to target possible connections between the resource areas at West and Central Ayawilca, and several holes have results pending. The Zone 3 area is also beginning to show encouraging zinc intersections (e.g., hole A18-119), and although the mineralization is relatively deep, we believe Zone 3 has the potential to add significant new resources to the project. High-grade tin mineralization in A18-119, more than 2 kilometres away from West Ayawilca, further indicates the potential and very large size of the Ayawilca mineralized system."

Figure 1 shows a drill hole location map of the Ayawilca project. Figures 2 and 3 are interpretive cross sections through the Ayawilca project highlighting new results.

West Ayawilca Geology  Discussion

Three geological rock units are observed in all areas at Ayawilca: an upper sandstone, a middle limestone which hosts most of the sulphide zinc mineralization, and a lower phyllite. The main geological feature of West Ayawilca is an 'anticline' fold which has a flat-lying eastern limb and a steep-dipping western limb. The hinge of this fold and the flat-lying eastern side of the fold are prospective for zinc and hosts massive sulphide zinc mineralization at West Ayawilca and South Ayawilca up to ~200 metres in vertical thickness, typically in the form of tabular sulphide bodies or "mantos", and more irregular shaped 'chimneys'. At these areas, most if not all of the limestone is completely replaced by massive sulphide mineralization (see Figures 2 and 3). Magnetite replacement of limestone predates the sulphide zinc mineralization and typically, as magnetite increases in the drill cores the quantity of sphalerite decreases.

The ultimate source or 'feeder' of the zinc mineralization remains uncertain, but Tinka geologists believe the zinc mineralization was brought into the limestone via steep northeast-trending faults that transect the Ayawilca property (not shown in Figure 2 & 3).

Zone 3 Geology  Discussion

The main geological feature at Zone 3 is an overturned 'syncline' which has folded the sequence into a 'V' and resulted in limestone outcropping at surface on the eastern fold limb (Figure 3). Limestone in hole A18-119 at Zone 3 has been heavily replaced by magnetite, and to a lesser extent pyrite and sphalerite. As at West Ayawilca, Tinka geologists believe that the strongest zinc mineralization is likely to occur around the edges of the magnetite bodies.

Massive pyrite replacement at the base of the limestone hosts significant tin mineralization (e.g., A18-113 & A18-110). The pyrite mineralization postdates and replaces massive pyrrhotite replacement bodies, which hosts tin mineralization elsewhere at the base of the limestone especially at Central Ayawilca (see Figure 3). At Zone 3 and elsewhere, the zinc and tin are completely different styles of mineralization and are physically separated.

Massive sulphide and magnetite replacement at Zone 3 appears to be hosted close to the hinge of the overturned syncline near the Chaucha Fault, with zinc and lead rich mineralization extending into the overlying sandstone (Figure 3). Tinka geologists believe that the magnetite-pyrite/pyrrhotite zonation seen in Zone 3 may be similar to West and Central Ayawilca, with a tin-rich core and zinc-rich margins, particularly near fault intersections.

Figure 1. Ayawilca drill hole location map highlighting 2018 drill holes & known zinc resources

Summary of Ayawilca Inferred Zinc Zone Mineral Resources (Nov' 8, 2017)

South Ayawilca: 13.3 million tonnes at 9.5 % ZnEq (7.6 % zinc, 0.2 % lead, 25 g/t silver & 118 g/t indium);

West Ayawilca: 9.0 million tonnes at 7.2 % ZnEq (6.1 % zinc, 0.2 % lead, 14 g/t silver & 64 g/t indium);

Central Ayawilca: 13.0 million tonnes at 5.7 % ZnEq (4.7 % zinc, 0.3 % lead, 13 g/t silver & 54 g/t indium);

East Ayawilca: 7.5 million tonnes at 6.2 % ZnEq (5.1 % zinc, 0.2 % lead, 13 g/t silver & 69 g/t indium);

TOTAL: 42.7 million tonnes at 7.3 % ZnEq (6.0 % zinc, 0.2 % lead, 17 g/t silver & 79 g/t indium).

Notes: 1 US$55/t NSR cut off was used. Metal price assumptions were US$1.15/lb Zn, US$300/kg In, US$18/oz Ag, US$1.10/lb Pb. Metal recovery assumptions were 90% Zn, 75% In, 60% Ag, and 75% Pb for the ZnEq calculation. 2 The NSR value was calculated using the formula: NSR = Zn(%)*US$15.34+Pb(%)*US$6.15+In(g/t)*US$0.18+Ag(g/t)*US$0.27 3 The ZnEq value was calculated using the formula: ZnEq = NSR/US$15.34 4 Numbers may not add due to rounding

Figure 2. Cross section through West Ayawilca and South Ayawilca Nov 2017 mineral resource blocks are colour-coded by NSR value

Figure 3. Cross section from South Ayawilca to Zone 3 Nov 2017 mineral resource blocks are colour-coded by NSR value

Qualified Person  Mineral Resources:| The Mineral Resources disclosed in this press release have been estimated by Mr. David Ross, P.Geo., an employee of Roscoe Postle Associates Inc. (RPA), and is independent of Tinka. By virtue of his education and relevant experience, Mr. Ross is a "Qualified Person" for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101. The Mineral Resources have been classified in accordance with CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (May, 2014). An independent National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report (the "NI 43-101 Technical Report") on the Mineral Resource Estimate for the Ayawilca Property, Department of Pasco, Peru has been filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and is available on the Company's website at www.tinkaresources.com

True thicknesses of the zinc intersections are estimated to be at least 85% of the downhole thickness, except where marked. Significant new drill intercepts are summarized in Table 1 with the strongest intercepts in bold text. Table 2 summarizes the drill collar information for the recent holes.

Table 1. Significant drill intercepts at Ayawilca in 2018

Drill hole From

m To m Interval

m Zn % Pb

% Ag

g/t Indium

g/t Tin % Copper

% Area Reported A18-110 278.20 282.00 3.80 3.7 0.3 7 0 Zone 3 April 25'18 and 322.60 326.00 3.40 4.8 0.0 4 48 Zone 3 April 25'18 and 329.90 342.00 12.10 4.9 0.0 8 60 Zone 3 April 25'18 and 436.00 442.00 6.00 5.6 0.0 4 50 Zone 3 Feb 15'18 including 438.90 439.60 0.70 14.7 0.0 3 137 Zone 3 Feb 15'18 and 454.00 458.00 4.00 8.4 0.0 5 126 Zone 3 Feb 15'18 including 456.20 456.70 0.50 41.7 0.0 7 366 Zone 3 Feb 15'18 and 525.00 537.00 12.00 66 0.87 0.43 Zone 3 Here including 525.00 526.45 1.45 25 5.93 0.33 Zone 3 Here A18-111 173.80 178.80 5.00 20.2 0.3 74 420 Zone 3 Feb 15'18 and 372.70 374.00 1.30 6.5 0.0 6 212 Zone 3 April 25'18 A18-113 494.00 502.00 8.00 3.2 0.0 7 39 Zone 3 Here and 658.00 678.30 20.30 5 1.26 0.30 Zone 3 Here including 664.10 672.00 7.90 10 2.39 0.64 Zone 3 Here A18-114 300.00 319.30 19.30 9.2 0.2 19 2 West April 25'18 including 300.00 304.00 4.00 16.2 0.2 26 2 West April 25'18 and 351.40 365.80 14.40 12.8 1.9 140 98 West April 25'18 including 352.30 354.30 2.00 11.8 12.1 837 292 West April 25'18 including 357.00 358.40 1.40 29.2 0.4 58 24 West April 25'18 including 361.20 365.80 4.60 16.8 0.1 15 26 West April 25'18 A18-115 125.30 125.70* 0.40 21.5 0.3 182 51 West Here A18-116 47.70 48.90* 1.20 15.9 25.6 559 0 West Here and 50.50 50.75* 0.25 11.0 15.7 679 0 West Here and 110.80 111.40* 0.60 28.5 5.3 477 0 West Here and 141.80 142.80* 1.00 19.6 6.3 527 0 West Here A18-117 results pending West A18-118 120.00 121.10* 1.20 9.8 0.3 73 3 West Here and 183.10 184.30* 1.20 36.9 1.0 104 27 West Here and 237.30 343.80 106.50 6.8 0.2 17 48 West Here including 237.30 240.20 2.90 24.1 1.7 109 4 West Here including 252.30 264.10 11.80 6.4 0.2 24 1 West Here including 270.00 293.90 23.90 9.2 0.0 15 14 West Here including 311.90 343.80 31.90 9.6 0.3 19 138 West Here including 334.00 343.80 9.80 17.0 0.1 25 330 West Here A18-119 372.20 373.10 0.90 6.5 4.2 104 8 Zone 3 Here and 376.60 383.10 6.50 2.7 2.0 77 6 Zone 3 Here and 410.00 440.00 30.00 3.1 0.3 24 54 Zone 3 Here and 451.50 462.70 11.20 5.3 0.0 7 83 Zone 3 Here

*Vein style mineralization where true thickness cannot be determined.

Table 2. Summary of Drill Collar Information (coordinates are in UTM Zone 18S WGS84 datum)

Drill Hole Easting Northing Total depth (m) Elevation (m) Azimuth Dip A18-109 334040 8846140 704.2 4088 130 -70 A18-110 334049 8846138 566.7 4086 350 -70 A18-111 333982 8846287 566.5 4107 035 -75 A18-112 334430 8845945 541.1 4000 250 -70 A18-113 334045 8846545 726.6 4206 035 -80 A18-114 332510 8845882 385.0 4293 090 -70 A18-115 332545 8845646 493.2 4302 070 -82 A18-116 332510 8845882 450.9 4298 090 -80 A18-117 332510 8845882 380.4 4298 060 -70 A18-118 332538 8845780 363.8 4284 060 -65 A18-119 334045 8846545 618.5 4206 215 -80

On behalf of the Board,

"Graham Carman"

Dr. Graham Carman, President & CEO

Notes on sampling and assaying

Drill holes are diamond HQ or NQ size core holes with recoveries generally above 80% and often close to 100%. The drill core is marked up, logged, and photographed on site. The cores are cut in half at the Company's core storage facility, with half-cores stored as a future reference. Half-core is bagged on average over 1 to 2 metre composite intervals and sent to SGS laboratories in Lima for assay in batches. Standards and blanks are inserted into each batch prior to departure from Tinka's core storage facilities. At the laboratory samples are dried, crushed to 100% passing 2mm, then 500 grams pulverized for multi-element analysis by ICP using multi-acid digestion. Samples assaying over 1% zinc, lead, or copper and over 100 g/t silver are re-assayed using precise ore-grade AAS techniques. Samples assaying over 200 ppm tin are re-assayed by fusion methods with an AAS finish (method AAS90B).

The qualified person, Dr. Graham Carman, Tinka's President and CEO, and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, has reviewed and verified the technical contents of this release.

About Tinka Resources Limited

Tinka is an exploration and development company with its flagship property being the 100%-owned Ayawilca carbonate replacement deposit (CRD) in the zinc-lead-silver belt of central Peru, 200 kilometres northeast of Lima. The Ayawilca Zinc Zone Inferred Mineral Resource estimate now consists of 42.7 Mt at 6.0 % zinc, 0.2 % lead, 17 g/t silver & 79 g/t indium, and a Tin Zone Inferred Mineral Resource of 10.5 Mt at 0.63 % tin, 0.23 % copper & 12 g/t silver (Nov. 8, 2017, release). Drilling for resource extensions and the testing of new targets is ongoing.

Forward Looking Statements: Certain information in this news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of Certain information in this news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively "forward-looking statements"). All statements, other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs and expectations of Tinka as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to Tinka's management. Such statements reflect the current risks, uncertainties and assumptions related to certain factors including, without limitations, drilling results, the Company's expectations regarding the ongoing drill program, the Company's expectations regarding mineral resource calculations, capital and other costs varying significantly from estimates, production rates varying from estimates, changes in world metal markets, changes in equity markets, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, equipment failure, unexpected geological conditions, imprecision in resource estimates or metal recoveries, success of future development initiatives, competition, operating performance, environmental and safety risks, delays in obtaining or failure to obtain necessary permits and approvals from local authorities, community agreements and relations, and other development and operating risks. Should any one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein. Although Tinka believes that assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Tinka disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news releaseTORONTO, May 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- McEwen Mining Inc. (NYSE:MUX) (TSX:MUX) (McEwen Mining or the Company) provides an updated mineral resource estimate for the Tamarack gold and base metal deposit at the 100% owned Black Fox Complex in Matheson, Ontario. The Black Fox Complex comprises the Black Fox Mine and the Tamarack, Gibson-Grey Fox, Froome and Stock zones. The base metal component of the Tamarack resource is being included for the first time.

This is the first time that base metals have been in incorporated into a resource estimate for the Tamarack project. With further drilling, we are excited to see how the project develops into what could be an additional revenue stream at Black Fox, said Rob McEwen, Chairman and Chief Owner.

The new resource estimate increased from 41,000 Inferred ounces gold at a grade of 6.23 g/t Au (previous resource effective Oct 31, 2018) to 127,000 Indicated ounces gold equivalent (AuEq) at a grade of 5.08 g/t AuEq with the inclusion of silver, lead and zinc mineralization.

The updated resource estimate for Tamarack is the result of 46 new surface and underground exploration, delineation, and definition drill holes completed between October 2017 and April 2018 and already existing base metal assays not considered in previous estimates.

Table 1: Tamarack Mineral Resource Estimate, SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc., May 18, 2018

Classification Cut-off

grade Au Eq

(g/t) Quantity

Tonnes

(000s) Grade Contained Metal Gold

(g/t) Silver

(g/t) Lead

% Zinc

% Au Eq

(g/t) Gold

Ounces

(000s) Silver

Ounces

(000s) Lead

Tonnes

(000s) Zinc

Tonnes

(000s) Au Eq

Ounces

(000s) Total Indicated Resource 3.00 778 1.83 26 1.08 3.29 5.08 46 663 8 26 127

Table 1 outlines the mineral resource estimate for Tamarack reported at a cut-off grade of 3.00 g/t AuEq to reflect an underground mining scenario. Mining operations at the adjacent Black Fox Mine are currently 100% underground operations.

The drilling completed over the last six months has increased confidence in the estimate such that previously reported Inferred resources have been upgraded to the Indicated category.

Tamarack geology and mineralization

The polymetallic (Au-Ag-Pb-Zn) Tamarack deposit is centered on a North-South striking quartz breccia which cross-cuts the faulted contact between Tisdale Assemblage ultramafic- to mafic-volcanic flows and Porcupine Group sedimentary rocks. The zone is characterised by an Upper and Lower lens; the Upper Lens measures approximately 300m along strike and 450 m down dip from near surface and has an average true width of 4.5m. The Lower Lens measures approximately 200m along strike and 250 m down dip from a depth of 500 m, and is open at depth. The lower lens has a true width of up to 5.4m. These lenses are separated by minor, narrow and discontinuous diabase dikes.

Lead, zinc, and silver mineralisation is preferentially located in the hanging wall of the quartz breccia, occurring as either i) stringers, disseminations, and semi-massive knots, clusters and bands of sphalerite and galena hosted within both the volcanic and sedimentary rock units; ii) as clasts in quartz breccias; and iii) as inclusions and fragments within adjacent diabase dikes. Gold mineralization is preferentially hosted within the quartz breccia, occurring as fine visible gold and in association with disseminated fine-grained pyrite.

Exploration drilling will continue to test possible southerly strike extensions of the Upper Lens where a few narrow intercepts of gold +/- base metal mineralisation lie outside of the current mineralised envelope. The Lower Lens remains open along strike to the south and down dip.

Some representative assay results of the higher-grade base metal and silver intersections that were part of the dataset used in the resource at Tamarack include:

12.45% Zn, 7.78% Pb, 149.36 gpt Ag over 2.72m ( T rue W idth) in hole 17BF-621;

rue idth) in hole 17BF-621; 12.10% Zn, 3.20% Pb, 40.60 gpt Ag over 1.32m ( TW ) in hole 520-EX582-48;

) in hole 520-EX582-48; 25.24% Zn, 4.53 % Pb, 69.58 gpt Ag over 1.91m ( TW ) in hole 18BF-627;

) in hole 18BF-627; 5.95% Zn, 4.56% Pb, 70.55 gpt Ag over 1.86m ( TW ) and

) and 9.92% Zn, 4.83% Pb, 58.96 gpt Ag over 5.95m ( TW ) in hole 17BF-625;

) in hole 17BF-625; 22.80% Zn, 0.91% Pb, 16.90 gpt Ag, 1.01 gpt Au over 0.42m ( TW ) and

) and 11.13% Zn, 7.28% Pb, 127.71 gpt Ag, 0.81 gpt Au over 4.21m (TW) in hole 520-EX582-47.

These intervals have been previously released in 2018 exploration news updates, see footnotes below for details of composite interval criteria.

Further Work

As part of the ongoing exploration program, additional surface and underground drilling will test, refine and define possible strike and dip extensions at Tamarack.

Metallurgical test work on drill core samples from Tamarack is currently being conducted at an independent third-party laboratory, the results of which will help determine what processing route potential future production will employ. The test work is under the direction of Nathan M. Stubina, Ph.D., P.Eng., FCIM, of McEwen Mining who is a Qualified Person within the meaning of NI 43-101. It is currently expected that the gold-rich quartz breccia mineralisation will be processed at the existing mill facilities at the Black Fox Stock Mill.

Further density testing of different lithologies, mineralised zones and host units will be used in future resource updates.

Exploration at the Black Fox Complex

The exploration program across the Black Fox Complex, which includes the Black Fox Mine, Tamarack, Gibson-Grey Fox, Froome and Stock zones, continues with a total exploration budget of $15 million for 2018. Our primary goals are to extend mineralization around known deposits and to test targets close to our mine and mill. Recent highlights of the drilling campaign since our last Exploration news release of April 30th, 2018 include:

27.76 gpt Au / 6.12m ( TW ), including 106.91 gpt Au / 1.28m ( TW ) in hole 560-F098-05;

), including 106.91 gpt Au / 1.28m ( ) in hole 560-F098-05; 41.87 gpt Au / 0.38m (TW) in hole 560-F098-06.

Both holes are located in the eastern Central Zone (CZ) of the Black Fox mine. Follow-up drilling is ongoing and a full exploration update is planned for the end of Q2.

ABOUT MCEWEN MINING

McEwen has the goal to qualify for inclusion in the S&P 500 Index by creating a profitable gold and silver producer focused in the Americas. McEwens principal assets consist of: the San Jose mine in Santa Cruz, Argentina (49% interest); the El Gallo Gold mine in Mexico; the Black Fox mine in Timmins, Canada; the Gold Bar mine in Nevada, currently under construction; and the large Los Azules copper project in Argentina, advancing towards development.

McEwen Mining has a total of 337 million shares outstanding. Rob McEwen, Chairman and Chief Owner, owns 24% of the shares.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Black Fox Complex drilling was conducted by Forage Asinii Drilling, Boart-Longyear, Major Drilling, NPLH and Norex Drilling and supervised by McEwens Geology Department. All exploration drill core samples at the Black Fox Complex were submitted as 1/2 core and analyses reported herein were performed by the independent laboratories: ALS Laboratories, which is ISO 9001/IEC17025 certified, Activation Labs, which is ISO 9001/IEC17025 certified, and SGS Canada Laboratories, which is ISO 9001/IEC17025 certified. Samples from definition and select delineation drilling are assayed at McEwen Mining's onsite laboratory. McEwens quality control (QC) program includes systematic insertion of blanks, standard reference material and duplicates to ensure laboratory accuracy. The internal lab also participates in the GeoStats round-robin assay exercise as part of its QC initiatives.

For further details about the Black Fox Complex project including Tamarack, please see our recent NI 43-101 technical report titled "Technical Report for the Black Fox Complex, Canada" dated April 6th 2018 with an effective date of October 31st, 2017 available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under our issuer profile.

Notes on compositing criteria for reported significant mineralized drill hole intervals:

Tamarack: a minimum reportable interval length of 3 m was determined by establishing a cut-off grade of 1 g/t AuEq. A consecutive maximum length of 3 m of internal waste, including sub cut-off grade material, is allowed and incorporated into the reported composites. Where an interval of less than 3 m is considered, if the grade x length calculation is greater than 3, it may be reported. There is no top cutting or capping of assays

Black Fox: a minimum reportable interval length of 3 m was determined by establishing a cut-off grade of 3g/t Au for underground (1 g/t Au for near surface). A consecutive maximum length of 3 m of internal waste, including sub cut-off grade material, is allowed and incorporated into the reported composites. Where an interval of less than 3 m is considered, if the grade x length calculation is greater than 9 (3 for surface), it may be reported. There is no top cutting or capping of assays.

Mineral Resource Estimate Notes:

The Mineral Resource Statement complies with the standards for reporting mineral resources as set out under CIM guidelines;

Resources are presented undiluted and in-situ and are considered to have reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction;

Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability; all figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of the estimate;

Mineral resources reported at a cut-off grade of 3.00 g/t gold equivalent (AuEq). AuEq metal grades are solely based on prices of US$1,200 per ounce of gold, US$17.00 per ounce of silver, US$1.00 per pound of lead, and US$1.20 per pound of zinc; other factors affecting NSR are not currently included in the conversion.

Drill hole intervals were composited to 1m lengths within six mineralized domains;

Grade capping for the four elements was done on composite data for each domain using statistical analysis;

A density value of 2.80 t/m3 was applied to all lithologies. Additional density measurements on the various lithologies and host rocks to be undertaken;

All zones were interpolated using Ordinary Kriging (OK) except for the low-grade alteration envelope surrounding the Tamarack zone where Inverse Distance Weighting was used;

Block dimensions were 3x3x3m with sub-celling down to 1m blocks;

Estimation parameters were determined by variography;

Indicated resources are defined as being within a 40m zone of influence with blocks being informed by a minimum of three drill holes;

AuEq calculations = Au g/t + (Pb % * 22.0462 * Pb $/lb) / (Au $ oz/ 31.1035) + (Zn % * 22.0462 * Zn $/lb) / (Au $ oz/ 31.1035) + Ag gpt/($oz Ratio Au:Ag)

McEwen Mining is not aware of any known environmental, permitting, legal, title-related, taxation, socio-political or marketing issues, or any other relevant issue not reported in the technical report, that could materially affect the mineral resource estimate.

QUALIFIED PERSON

The mineral resource estimate, with an effective date of March 31, 2018, was prepared by Dr. Aleksandr Mitrofanov, P Geo, who is a "qualified person" within the meaning of NI 43-101. Dr. Mitrofanov is an employee of SRK Consulting, (Canada) Ltd and is considered to be "independent" of McEwen for the purposes of NI 43-101. The technical content in this press release including geology, drilling, resource estimates and sampling has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Luke Willis, P.Geo, Director, Resource Modelling for McEwen who is a "qualified person" within the meaning of NI 43-101.

CAUTIONARY NOTE TO US INVESTORS REGARDING RESOURCE ESTIMATION

McEwen Mining prepares its resource estimates in accordance with standards of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum referred to in Canadian National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101). These standards are different from the standards generally permitted in reports filed with the SEC. Under NI 43-101, McEwen Mining reports measured, indicated and inferred resources, measurements, which are generally not permitted in filings made with the SEC. The estimation of measured resources and indicated resources involve greater uncertainty as to their existence and economic feasibility than the estimation of proven and probable reserves. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that any part of measured or indicated resources will ever be converted into economically mineable reserves. The estimation of inferred resources involves far greater uncertainty as to their existence and economic viability than the estimation of other categories of resources.

CAUTION CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and information, including "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements and information expressed, as at the date of this news release, McEwen Mining Inc.'s (the "Company") estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations or beliefs as to future events and results. Forward-looking statements and information are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties, risks and contingencies, and there can be no assurance that such statements and information will prove to be accurate. Therefore, actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements and information. Risks and uncertainties that could cause results or future events to differ materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and information include, but are not limited to, factors associated with fluctuations in the market price of precious metals, mining industry risks, political, economic, social and security risks associated with foreign operations, the ability of the corporation to receive or receive in a timely manner permits or other approvals required in connection with operations, risks associated with the construction of mining operations and commencement of production and the projected costs thereof, risks related to litigation, the state of the capital markets, environmental risks and hazards, uncertainty as to calculation of mineral resources and reserves, and other risks. The Companys dividend policy will be reviewed periodically by the Board of Directors and is subject to change based on certain factors such as the capital needs of the Company and its future operating results. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information included herein, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to reissue or update forward-looking statements or information as a result of new information or events after the date hereof except as may be required by law. See McEwen Mining's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, under the caption "Risk Factors", for additional information on risks, uncertainties and other factors relating to the forward-looking statements and information regarding the Company. All forward-looking statements and information made in this news release are qualified by this cautionary statement.

The NYSE and TSX have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this news release, which has been prepared by management of McEwen Mining Inc.TORONTO, May 24, 2018 /CNW/ - First Cobalt Corp. (TSX-V: FCC; ASX: FCC; OTCQX: FTSSF) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that results of recent drilling have further extended the strike length of the mineralized zone in the Kerr area to over 350 metres. Results to date from this recently-identified mineralized zone located south of Kerr Lake in the Cobalt North area of the Canadian Cobalt Camp confirm the area hosts a near-surface network of cobalt veins and disseminated mineralization associated with silver and nickel, as well as copper, zinc and lead.

Figure 1. Bedrock geology and location of drilling stations in the Kerr #2 target area. Silver-cobalt veins are compiled from historic maps and locations should not be considered exact.





Highlights

New assay results have extended strike length of mineralized zone from 200 metres to 350 metres

Majority of mineralization intercepted between 25 and 100 metres below surface and is believed to extend to surface

Drilling continues to intersect a network of cobalt veins and disseminated mineralization associated with silver and nickel within wider intervals containing elevated copper, zinc and lead including:

0.11% Co, 28.1 g/t Ag and 0.99% Cu over 3.3m 0.21% Co, 89.2 g/t Ag and 0.96% Pb over 1.8m



Trent Mell, President & Chief Executive Officer, commented:

"These results have reinforced our confidence in the geological model we have developed for drill targeting in the Cobalt Camp. The Kerr area results support our thesis for the Camp that there is considerable potential for near-surface cobalt mineralization. We have extended the strike length of mineralization and established a more robust understanding of the geologic controls to cobalt mineralization that can be applied to future targeting."

Recent drilling in the Kerr #2 target in Cobalt North has extended the length of the zone of cobalt mineralization initially recognized by First Cobalt (see March 26, 2018 and May 3, 2018 press releases) to more than 350 metres. A network of multiple veins at various orientations containing cobalt and several other metals has been intersected along with disseminated mineralization.

To date, 13 drill holes have been completed targeting the Kerr #2 mineralized zone with assay results now received from eight holes. The initial drill holes were planned using a 3D geological model based on digital compilation of historic mine workings, integrated with exploration drilling and surface bedrock geology maps of the entire Kerr area compiled by First Cobalt. At the Kerr #2 target, elevated silver was intersected by historic drilling but not developed by underground mining, so the cobalt potential in the area remains high.

Assay results from the first two holes returned, FCC-18-0021 and FCC-18-0023 collared over 160m apart, showed cobalt mineralization occurs with elevated silver including 10.4m of 0.15% Co and 44 g/t Ag. Mineralization in these two holes is considered continuous and was extended by two additional holes, FCC-18-0022 and FCC-18-0032, based on oriented drill core interpretation. The two most recent holes, FCC-18-0033 and FCC-18-0034, extend the mineralized zone from Kerr #2 an additional 150m to 350m and may be part of the vein networks developed at the Drummond Mine (Figure 1).

The Kerr #2 target area is roughly parallel to the silver-rich vein system mined at the Kerr Lake, Lawson and Drummond Mines to the north where the vein network is extensive.

Detailed Results

The mineralized network is best developed in sedimentary rocks, highlighting a geological control that can support further drill targeting and exploration elsewhere in the Camp. The three drill holes reported today show that individual veins cut the Archean rocks, but in places also follow particular sedimentary rock units considered "preferred horizons" for vein development. As a result, vein orientations are variable and the mineralization style is described as a network zone. All three holes are shallowly dipping, -45 to 50 degrees, so mineralization is relatively shallow and likely extends to surface.

Table 1: Summary of assay results

Hole ID From (m) To (m) Width (m) Co % Ag g/t Ni % Cu % Pb % Zn % FCC-18-0033 120.30 123.60 3.30 0.11 21.8 0.02 0.98 0.05 0.06 FCC-18-0034 126.60 128.00 1.40 0.82 9.5 0.16 0.21 0.16 0.04 including 127.00 127.70 0.70 1.62 12.5 0.31 0.18 0.13 0.02 FCC-18-0034 194.15 195.30 1.15 0.27 53.4 0.01 0.20 1.13 0.15 FCC-18-0036 89.40 91.20 1.80 0.21 89.2 0.01 0.04 0.96 0.05 FCC-18-0036 116.30 117.10 0.80 0.18 35.8 0.02 0.29 1.26 0.36

Drilling lengths are as recorded downhole and do not necessarily represent true widths of mineralization as multiple vein orientations have been intersected.

Drill hole FCC-18-0033 was drilled to test the eastern strike extension of the Kerr #2 mineralized zone. Veins containing cobalt and copper minerals were intersected sub-parallel to the bedding of the host Archean sedimentary rocks. Silver is associated with copper within the mineralized interval with grades up to 48 g/t with 2.32% Cu in individual samples. In places, similar veins contain abundant zinc and lead minerals.

FCC-18-0034 was collared from the same drilling station; oriented northwest to intersect the host rocks across their strike length to determine true widths of the mineralized veins. Several individual veins were intersected with one interval containing several veins with cobalt in the veins as well as within the surrounding host rocks along fine fractures. Nickel is directly associated with cobalt and likely contained in the same minerals. In both drill holes, anomalous silver (up to 20 g/t) is associated with lead and zinc extending beyond the intervals containing cobalt. In FCC-18-0034, cobalt mineralization occurs within a 4.1m interval containing 0.70% Zn and 0.44% Pb. Veining continued to depth with a 4.0m interval of 1.58% Zn and 0.66% Pb at 297m downhole.

Drill hole FCC-18-0036 was collared at the western portion of the Kerr #2 zone, oriented to intersect the previously reported mineralization to determine the true widths of veins. Two intervals of cobalt mineralization 25 metres apart were intersected, indicating veins may be concentrated into zones with mineable widths. The second cobalt-rich interval occurs within a 2.9m zone containing 0.89% Zn and 0.75% Pb. The host rocks to both intervals are also sedimentary indicating veins may be better developed in these rocks compared to the volcanic rocks nearby reflecting a geological control to mineralization.

For a table of drill hole locations and assay results to date, visit https://firstcobalt.com/projects/greater-cobalt-project.

Cobalt North

The Kerr area contains several historic mines including Crown Reserve, Kerr Lake, Lawson, Drummond, Conisil and Hargrave, and produced over 50 million ounces silver mainly between 1905 to 1950. Other historic mines owned by First Cobalt in the Cobalt North area include the Silver Banner, Juno, Silverfields, Hamilton, Ophir mines. The Kerr Lake Mine consisted of thirteen separate shafts with underground development over 20km. The deepest shaft was less than 200m.

The 2018 Cobalt North drill program consists of 17,000 metres with over 7,000 metres in the Kerr area designed to test trends in mineralization found in historic drilling and major structures interpreted to be associated with mineralization. Disseminated polymetallic cobalt-silver-copper-zinc-lead mineralization has been recognized in samples from underground material in muckpiles from the Drummond mine showing a wide range of styles occur in this area (October 26, 2017 press release). Positive results the program to date in the Kerr area have warranted additional drilling.

Quality Assurance and Quality Control

First Cobalt has implemented a quality control program to comply with common industry best practices for sampling and analysis. Samples are collected from drill core from a range of 30 to 100cm length. Half-core samples are submitted for analysis. Standards and blanks are inserted every 20 samples. Duplicates are made from quarter core splits every 20 samples. Geochemical data were received from AGAT Laboratories in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. All results have passed QA/QC protocols. AGAT has used a sodium-peroxide fusion and ICP finish for analyses on all samples. High silver values (>20 g/t) are determined by a separate three-acid digestion and ICP finish.

Qualified and Competent Person Statement

Dr. Frank Santaguida, P.Geo., is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 who has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release. Dr. Santaguida is also a Competent Person (as defined in the JORC Code, 2012 edition) who is a practicing member of the Association of Professional Geologists of Ontario (being a 'Recognised Professional Organisation' for the purposes of the ASX Listing Rules). Dr. Santaguida is employed on a full-time basis as Vice President, Exploration for First Cobalt. He has sufficient experience that is relevant to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the JORC Code.

About First Cobalt

First Cobalt aims to create the largest pure-play cobalt exploration and development company in the world. The Company controls over 10,000 hectares of prospective land covering over 50 historic mines as well as mineral processing facilities in the Cobalt Camp in Ontario, Canada. The First Cobalt Refinery is the only permitted facility in North America capable of producing cobalt battery materials.

First Cobalt seeks to build shareholder value through new discovery, mineral processing and growth opportunities, with a focus on North America. On March 14, 2018, First Cobalt announced a friendly merger with US Cobalt Inc. (TSX-V: USCO, OTCQB: USCFF), which remains subject to regulatory approvals. This transaction will strategically position First Cobalt as a leading non-DRC cobalt company with three significant North American assets: the Canadian Cobalt Camp, with more than 50 past producing mines; the Iron Creek Project in Idaho, which has a historic mineral resource estimate (non-compliant with NI 43-101) of 1.3M tons grading 0.59% cobalt; and the only permitted cobalt refinery in North America capable of producing battery materials. The transaction with US Cobalt is expected to close by the end of May 2018.

On behalf of First Cobalt Corp.

Trent Mell

President & Chief Executive Officer

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "plans", "expects', "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance and opportunities to differ materially from those implied by such forward-looking statements. In particular, forward-looking information included in this news release includes, without limitation, the anticipated closing date of the Transaction, the receipt of final court approval and other regulatory approvals. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements are set forth in the management discussion and analysis and other disclosures of risk factors for each of First Cobalt and US Cobalt, filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although First Cobalt and US Cobalt believe that the information and assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed times frames or at all. Except where required by applicable law, First Cobalt and US Cobalt disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Historic Estimates

US Cobalt considers the cobalt and copper tonnage and grade estimates above as historical estimates. The historical estimates do not use categories that conform to current CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves as outlined in National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and have not been redefined to conform to current CIM Definition Standards. They were prepared in the 1980s prior to the adoption and implementation of NI 43-101. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimates as current mineral resources and US Cobalt is not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources. More work, including, but not limited to, drilling, will be required to conform the estimates to current CIM Definition Standards. Investors are cautioned that the historical estimates do not mean or imply that economic deposits exist on the Iron Creek property. US Cobalt has not undertaken any independent investigation of the historical estimates nor has it independently analyzed the results of the previous exploration work in order to verify the accuracy of the information. US Cobalt believes that the historical estimates are relevant to continuing exploration on the Iron Creek property.Placement fully subscribed

Due to demand, Company announces follow-on private placement

Sandstorm Gold Ltd (TSX: SSL) takes 17.3% ownership stake in Nexus

VANCOUVER, CANADA / ACCESSWIRE / May 24, 2018 / Nexus Gold Corp. ("Nexus" or the "Company") (TSX-V: NXS, OTC: NXXGF, FSE: N6E) is pleased to announce that it has closed its non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of 20,027,123 units (each, a "Unit"), at a price of $0.15 per Unit, for gross proceeds of $3,004,068. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company, and one-half-of-one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant is exercisable to acquire one additional common share of the Company at a price of $0.25 per share for a period of twelve months.

The Private Placement was fully-subscribed, and due to strong demand, the Company intends to complete a further offering (the "Follow-On Private Placement") of up to 6,000,000 units (each, a "Follow-On Unit"), at a price of $0.25 per Follow-On Unit, for gross proceeds of up to $1,500,000. Each Follow-On Unit will consist of one common share of the Company, and one common share purchase warrant (each, a "Follow-On Warrant"). Each Follow-On Warrant will be exercisable to acquire one additional common share of the Company at a price of $0.35 per share for a period of twelve months from the date of issue. Completion of the Follow-On Private Placement remains subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

In connection with the completion of the Private Placement, the Company has paid cash commissions of $113,954.46 and issued 759,696 share purchase warrants (each, a "Finders' Warrant") to certain persons who have introduced subscribers to the Company. Each Finders' Warrant is exercisable to acquire an additional common share of the Company on the same terms as the Warrants comprising the Units. All securities issued in connection with the Private Placement are subject to a four-month-and-one-day statutory hold period.

Pursuant to National Instrument 62-103 - The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues, Sandstorm Gold Ltd. (TSX: SSL) ("Sandstorm") acquired an aggregate of 6,000,000 common shares of Nexus and 3,000,000 Warrants through the Private Placement.

With the acquisition Sandstorm now holds an approximately 17.3% of the outstanding common shares. Sandstorm is only entitled to exercise, from time to time, such number of Warrants held by it such that, after the applicable exercise, the number of common shares of Nexus then owned by Sandstorm and its affiliates shall not exceed 19.99% of the then issued and outstanding shares.

The acquisition by Sandstorm was effected for investment purposes. Sandstorm may from time to time acquire additional securities of Nexus, dispose of some or all of the existing or additional securities it holds or will hold, or may continue to hold its current position. The early warning report, as required under National Instrument 62-103, contains additional information with respect to the foregoing matters and will be filed by Sandstorm on Nexus' SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. In connection with the completion of the Private Placement, the Company has agreed to grant to Sandstorm a 1.0% net smelter returns royalty on production from the Company's Bouboulou, Niangouela, and Rakounga concessions.

About the Company

Nexus Gold is a Vancouver-based gold exploration and development company operating primarily in Burkina Faso, West Africa. The company is currently concentrating its efforts on establishing a compliant resource oat one or more of it's three current projects. The 38-square km Bouboulou project comprises no less than five established gold zones contained within three separate 5km gold trends. The adjacent 250-square km Rakounga gold concession extends the Bouboulou gold trends and currently contains three drill tested zones of mineralization. The Niangouela gold concession is a 178-square km project featuring high-grade gold occurring in and around a primary quartz vein and associated shear zone approximately one km in length.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

NEXUS GOLD CORP.

Alex Klenman

Chief Executive Officer

604-558-1920

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

www.nexusgoldcorp.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.The United States is considering whether to cut funding to two UN agencies and the chemical weapons watchdog after the Palestinians joined the organizations, a US official said Wednesday.

In a move aimed at boosting their international profile, the Palestinians have joined the UN trade development organization UNCTAD, industrial development agency UNIDO and the Chemical Weapons Convention which is upheld by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

US legislation bars funding for UN agencies or affiliates that grant membership to Palestine, which has the status of a non-member observer state at the United Nations.

It has been the consistent position of the United States that efforts by the Palestinians to join international organizations are premature and counterproductive, a US official said.

We will review the application of US legislative restrictions related to Palestinian membership in certain UN agencies and organizations, the official added.

The Palestinian move comes amid a rift with President Donald Trumps administration over its decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The Palestinians want to make East Jerusalem the capital of their promised future state.

Nickolay Mladenov, the UN coordinator for the Middle East, told the Security Council that the Palestinians had joined Geneva-based UNCTAD, Vienna-based UNIDO and the Chemical Weapons Convention last week.

The United States withdrew in 1996 from UNIDO, a little-known agency that promotes inclusive and sustainable industrial development, according to its website.

The OPCW and UNCTAD rely on voluntary contributions from UN member-states to fund its activities as well as regular funding for its budget.

The United States withdrew some funding for UNESCO when the Palestinians joined the cultural and education agency in 2011 and last year pulled out of the agency altogether.

The Trump administration has also cut funds to the UN Palestinian refugee agency, leaving UNRWA struggling to fill a major budget gap for its education and health programs.

The Palestinians angered Israel when they became a state-party to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2015.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki this week met with the ICC chief prosecutor to push for an investigation of Israeli war crimes after more than 60 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, the worst violence since the 2014 war.

The United Nations granted Palestine non-member observer state status in 2012, but an upgrade to full membership would require backing from the Security Council  an unlikely outcome, given the near-certainty of a US veto.A new four -year study has commenced this week to study approaches to assisting farmers to improve Cardiovascular health.

The Study will be conducted by Teagasc PhD Walsh Fellow Ms Diana Van Doorn at the Centre for Mens Health at IT Carlow.

The study is also supported by Glanbia Ireland, Irish Heart Foundation,

The Health Services Executive and the UCD School of Physiotherapy and Performance Science.

Irish farmers, (in particular males) are a particularly high-risk group for cardiovascular (CVD) disease, the leading cause of death in Ireland.

While a general decline in mortality rates has occurred in the Irish population in recent decades, the rate of decrease among farmers has been the lowest of any socio-economic group.

Lifestyle behaviours, including occupational factors are strongly associated with cardiovascular disease and are therefore preventable. If untreated, CVD can have serious impacts on farmers health which undermines the profitability, productivity, competitiveness and sustainability of farming.

By working with farmers and agencies with a role in health research and promotion, we can meet the key challenge of devising and implementing strategies to assist farmers to effectively manage occupational health issues including CVD, said Professor Gerry Boyle, Teagasc Director.

It is for this reason that I am delighted that substantial resources have been allocated to this project by Glanbia Ireland, Irish Heart, The HSE, Carlow Institute of Technology, UCD and Teagasc.

Marese Damery, Health Check Manager, Irish Heart Foundation said 80% of farmers are in the high risk group for heart disease and stroke and recommended that more research be conducted on effective interventions with this group.

The study adds significant value to the regular health checks that we undertake each year through our Farmers Have Hearts programme, supported by the HSE, she said.

Our vision as a dairy sustainability leader is to be a global reference point for best practice, said Audrey OShea, Sustainability Manager with Glanbia Ingredients Ireland.

Wellbeing

At Glanbia Ireland, we believe that the ability to sustain a dairy enterprise is not only related to animal, environmental and economic care but also recognise that the Health, Safety and physical wellbeing of our farmers is fundamental to continued success.

Assisting the farming community to improve health and safety is a key objective for Teagasc.

The research will provide opportunities for farmers attending marts in 60 locations throughout Ireland during 2018-2019 to undertake a health screen test.

If they choose, to participate in the study which will seek to support them to achieve their healthier lifestyle goals, she stressed.The Office of Public Works is to provide the Council with a valuation for Castlecomer Barracks - a site which boasts three acres  leaving councillors flabbergasted that the State agency could potentially be charging for the premises and land in the midst of a housing crisis.

The matter came up at last Mondays meeting of Castlecomer Municipal District following a motion by Cllr John Brennan seeking an update on the barracks.

Director of Services at Kilkenny County Council, Mary Mulholland, said the OPW had contacted the local authority asking for an expression of interest in the lands at Castlecomer Barracks.

She said the OPW have done an appraisal of the site and will not come back with a valuation. Cllr Maurice Shortall asked: Will they charge us for that?

Ms Mulholland said that was one of the possibilities and Cllr Pat Fitzpatrick said; 1 would be enough for that.



Its nearly three acres in the centre of Castlecomer, Ms Mulholland added and she said the Council had only expressed an interest and there may be other state agencies interested in the property.

Cllr Shortall said he was flabbergasted that in the middle of a housing crisis the OPW would be charging for the three acres.

Ms Mulholland said the valuation was taking place and then the process will begin. Cllr Pat Fitzpatrick said the OPW should be donating the site and described the valuation as disgraceful.

Ms Mulholland added that that might be what arises.The Industrial Development Agency has been criticised by councillors in Kilkenny for its shockingly low number of jobs in the county.

Councillors have also hit out at the number of IDA site visits in Kilkenny this year.

The Kilkenny People previously revealed that Kilkenny was one of ten counties to have zero IDA site visits in the first quarter of this year while Dublin had a total of 69.

In response to a presentation at Mondays full council meeting on Kilkennys Economic Monitor, Cllr Eamon Aylward said: The 782 employees in IDA supported business, that shockingly low and poor.

Kilkenny is also always well down the list of monthly visits.

Cllr Pat Fitzpatrick said the zero IDA visits were a startling reflection of the IDAs attitude to Kilkenny while Cllr Michael Doyle called for the State agency to be calling here far more regular.

There were also calls for the IDA to be called in before members.

Chief executive of the Council, Colette Byrne, said: Id agree with inviting the IDA in. The IDA would say unless we have premises ready, its difficult to bring someone to the area. The Council is playing its part being ready for IDA investment.

She highlighted the development of the Abbey Quarter and added that the IDA own land on the Ring Road and in Belview and there are questions to be asked on their plans for these areas. Members agreed to extend an invitation to the IDA.A man convicted of driving with no insurance and without a licence - having previously been given a 40 year disqualification from driving - has been sentenced to four months in prison.

James Roche, with an address at 37 Bishop Birch Place, Kilkenny pleaded guilty to the Section 56 and and Section 38 road traffic offences which occurred at Garringreen on April 4 of this year.

Prosecuting Sgt Alma Molloy told the court that Mr Roche, a father of four, was observed driving the car just after 7pm on the date in question.

She said Mr Roche has 82 previous convictions and these include: six for no insurance; four for failure to produce a driving licence; three for driving a vehicle while disqualified; six for driving without a licence; eight for dangerous driving; one for careless driving and one for failure to wear a safety belt.

Judge Colin Daly has for details as to the penalty Mr Roche received for his last conviction for no insurance.

The conviction was in 2012 and saw Mr Roche sentenced to a detention of one month and a disqualification from driving for 40 years.

Solicitor for the defendant, Chris Hogan, said his client is now 24 and was a juvenile was he committed the motoring offences.

He now buys second hand cars and improves them and sells them on. He does not drive the cars normally, except on the date in question, the court heard.

Mr Roche suffered from a serious addiction to heroin and is now clear of that.

Judge Daly said the offences before the court were on the upper end of the scale. He took into account Mr Roches personal circumstances and the efforts he made to remain offending free.

He convicted and sentenced Mr Roche to four months in prison for the no insurance charge and disqualified him from driving for ten years.

On the driving without insurance matter, Judge Daly convicted the defendant and sentenced him to four months in prison to run concurrent to the no insurance sentence.People with intellectual disabilities and advocates should keep asking and encouraging for access to information and to realise their aspirations of self-advocacy, a meeting in Kilkenny heard last week.

Around 40 people, including Kilkenny County Council Cathaoirleach David Fitzgerald, attended the evening of talks on self-advocacy organised by Social Ability Kilkenny at Butler House. The goal of the Social Ablity Kilkenny is to ensure that people with intellectual disabilities are respected, and also to give them a voice.

The main guest speaker on the evening was barrister Kate Butler, of Inclusion Ireland, who updated those present on the situation thus far. She outlined the rights of the person as per the Irish Constitution, and also discussed the recently-ratified Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRDP) and its potential impact on the lives of people with disabilities.

It took Ireland over a decade to ratify the CRDP, which insists on the equal rights and equal treatment of people with disabilities. Ms Butler pointed out that Ireland, however, did not ratify the 'optional protocol', which allows people who feel their rights have been violated to take a case to the UN.

We have no means of going back to the UN and saying Irelands not doing its job here. We have no way of doing that, she said.

So thats a problem. Because really the CRPD doesnt have any effect in law without that. And even really with that, the UN can't force Ireland to do anything but if the complaint is made and the UN said that's not great behaviour, it's embarrassing for Ireland on an international stage and puts pressure on them."

However, Ms Butler said the CRPD is still useful for as it expanded on the constitution.

Paul Alford and Dr Pat Crowley at the Social Ability Kilkenny evening of talks PICTURE: PAT MOORE

"The constitution doesn't go as far as the CRPD. The CRPD says that says in order for people with disablities to be able to have all those rights and for those rights to be meaningful in their lives, the State needs to give them support and needs to help them."

Ms Butler said the State should help people with disabilities to express themselves, and give information 'in an accessible way. MC on the night was Paul Crilly, one of the founding members of Social Ability Kilkenny, who helped organise the event and introduced the speakers. Kathleen Gittens, chairperson of the group, said KKSocial Ability was all about 'providing an outlet for people with a lesser ability to have a bit of social fun.

Now its not all about social events. If we can get the social aspect going, then the advocacy part will follow, she said.

Everybody likes to have a bit of fun. Everyone likes to go out and do the nice things in life.

Given the chance, we can have a very fun filled life. Some of us are lucky enough that we can do things on our own. Others will need a lot of support to even just go out for a walk.

She urged people to get involved if they can g'ive an hour once a month' or have a skill they could share.

Are you willing to help someone maybe with any kind of activity, to help them read and write, and understand? If so, wed be happy to have you on board," she said.

READ MORE HERE.Five students from Kilkenny are among the winners of the 2018 National Careers Skills competition, receiving their awards at a ceremony last week.

In the Irish Category, Cathal Mac Aodhbhui from Colaiste Pobail Osrai was commended for his submission on his work experience as a financial advisor. Adam Broderick, from Ormonde College of Further Education, was awarded first prize for his submission on his work in security in the Adult Learner category.

Joseph Cashin and Shannon OShea, from Ormonde College of Further Education, were both highly commended for their work respective experience in Tourism and Event Management and Childcare.

Rukayat Mohammed, who also studies at Ormonde College of Further Education, was also commended in this category for a submission on childcare.

The National Career Skill Awards, run by www.careersportal.ie and sponsored by McDonalds Ireland, recognise students who complete a career investigation in their chosen area of interest.

Each student must be able to demonstrate their understanding of a career, the educational pathways that lead to it, the most relevant knowledge requirements needed, and the most important career skills/transferable skills needed to be successful in this career.

They must then be able to explain which skills they developed during their work experience and indicate how their work experience has influenced their career and educational choices.



Presentations

Participation in the competition facilitates a rich understanding of a particular occupation and more importantly the career skills needed to support it.

Presentations were made by Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills with special responsibility for Higher Education Mary Mitchell OConnor at a ceremony at the Clock Tower at the Department of Education.The Herald reports:

Defiant Kapiti Coast district councillor David Scott is refusing to stand down from his position despite being found guilty of indecent assault against a female council staff member. The 71-year-old said he had received more than 100 messages of support from ratepayers wanting him to remain at his post. The jury at a trial at Wellington District Court took three and a half hours to reach the guilty verdict today.

Being found guilty of indecent assault should be enough for any elected official to resign.

Being found guilty of indecent assault for behaviour at an official council function makes it even worse and more necessary to resign.

The indecent assault being against a Council staff member removes any doubt at all that David Scott should resign.

Scott said outside court that his family would be devastated by the verdict. I havent had any sleep for a year and two months.

That is unlikely.

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Iran through its proxy Hezbollah and Algeria-backed Polisario separatists are trying to destabilize Morocco because of its close ties to the US and Europe, Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said.

I think it is clear that the interference of Iran in the internal affairs of the Arab and Muslim countries wont stop in (the) Middle-East and in the Gulf Countries, Bourita told Fox News adding that the Iranians are in part trying to destabilize the area due to Moroccos good relations with the US and Europe.

He recalled that the arrest of Hezbollah moneyman in Africa and his rendition to the US drew to Morocco the vengeance of Hezbollah, which since then worked to establish an alliance with the Polisario militias.

In April this year a new level was reached  which is providing military equipment, he said. He said Hezbollah with Irans support and Algerian connivance sent the Polisario SAM-11, SAM-9 and Strela surface to air missile system.

Bourita also warned of Iran using Hezbollah to strengthen its foothold in Africa.

Morocco is targeted because it is known to be a moderate country, a country that uses soft power in Africa and in the Arab world and I think that is one of the elements which is disturbing Iran, he said.

Morocco severed ties with Iran over its support for the Polisario and held Algeria responsible for arming the separatists.Iran is trying to export its Islamic revolution to areas in Mayhem including the Tindouf camps in the Algerian territory where a separatist relic of the cold war, the Polisario, is based, said Benni Avni, a foreign affairs analyst.

Tehran seeks to export its Islamic revolution everywhere there is mayhem. In the Polisario, Tehran saw an opportunity, so it stepped in, Avni was quoted by Fox News as saying.

The Polisario was nurtured by the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War as part of a global attempt to undermine US allies, he said.

Avni, a New York Times columnist, added that the separatist group was abandoned by its supporters, except for Algeria.

Commenting on the recent Iranian interference through its proxy Hezbollah, Avni said that Tehran seeks to export its Islamic revolution.

Historically, under the Islamic Republic, relationship between Iran and Morocco has been turbulent, experiencing periods of friendship and enmity, Behnam Ben Taleblu a senior Iran analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said.

That being said, Moroccos close ties to Saudi Arabia earn it deep suspicion in Irans eyes given the escalating Saudi-Iranian cold-war in the Middle East, he added.

The military alliance between Hezbollah and the Polisario with support from Iran and Algeria constitutes an attempt by Tehran in search for a strategic foothold in North Africa, he said.Libyan factions are likely to be invited in the French capital late this month as France seeks to secure holding of elections in the conflict-torn North African country as a way out of chaos.

The meeting in the French capital is likely to take place on May 29, Reuters reports citing three unnamed European diplomats.

The proposal for the meeting comes following UN Special Representative Ghassan Salames May 21 briefing to the UN Security Council during which the former Lebanese minister told the council that plans to amend the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) signed in Morocco would not go ahead.

The UN official had advanced an action plan proposing the organization of elections late this year.

Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Libyas neighbors as well as the five permanent members of the UN Security Council will be attending the meeting, Reuters says citing diplomatic cables sent to the various counties.

The cables seen by the agency state that the objective of the summit is to get an agreement between Libyan parties under the auspices of the U.N. special representative to quickly adopt the necessary arrangements for the staging of elections as soon as 2018.

The oil-rich North African country has been embroiled in a political crisis since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, in a NATO-backed revolution. The country has been left with no central government. The situation has offered a fertile land for terrorism and human trafficking.

Faez Serraj, Head of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, Khalifa Haftar, Head of the so-called Libyan National Army (LNA), Aguila Saleh, president of the eastern House of Representatives and Khaled Al-Mishri, president of the High Council of State have been informed of the summit and have been invited.

France has been trying to play a key role in Libya, as it tries to patch up divisions and push for the election.

Last month, French Foreign Minister met in Cairo Egyptian authorities over the situation in Libya. Both parties indicated that they supported the UN-sponsored electoral process.

In July President Emmanuel Macron hosted Serraj and Haftar near Paris for agreement for a conditional cease fire and commitment towards the electoral process.

The agreement has had little effect on the ground with Hatfar threatening to overrun the country if the elections are rigged.Youre blocked!

The same day a federal judge in Manhattan determined that Donald Trumps use of Twitter for official business is governmental in nature, and thus subject to the First Amendment, the president was having is usual meltdown  screaming witch hunt in all caps and trading in wild conspiracy theories about the FBI. In other words, another Tuesday.

But in ruling that blocking political critics on Twitter is unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination  that is, beyond the presidents ministerial duties under the Constitution  U.S. Senior District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald nonetheless bent over backwards to not deal too hard a blow to the blowhard. And his deputy blocker-in-chief, Dan Scavino, the White House director of social media, was also spared the full wrath of a judicial order. Because no government official is above the law and because all government officials are presumed to follow the law once the judiciary has said what the law is, the judge wrote, we must assume that the President and Scavino will remedy the blocking we have held to be unconstitutional.

Judge Buchwald, in short, presumed that Trump is a normal president who believes in the rule of law and who will heed a declaration of what he may or may not do  no separate injunction is needed either for him or Scavino. She concluded that there is simply no reason to depart from this assumption at this time.

At this time. Which means she left the door open, should Trump punch back or resist, to do away with that assumption and issue such an order to force him (and Scavino) to obey the law  and maybe even hold him in contempt if she has to. One of the open questions of the Trump presidency is how much of a check the courts will be on a president with little to no regard for legal rules and constraints.

In a spate of rulings, weve already seen, time and again, how judges react to some of his administrations policies. But when it comes to his private mendacity, like the tweets he sends out in the dead of night, weve yet to see much judicial intervention, and with good reason: not everything Trump does is subject to judicial review. When Judge Buchwald heard the Twitter-blocking case in March, she even seemed leery of making too much noise with her decision. You dont necessarily want to risk law being made, she warned the government in open court. But maybe law being made  as to conduct that up to now seemed beyond the pale for a president  is precisely the kind of sanity we need.A health official uses a thermometer to measure the temperature of disembarking passengers at the airport in Mbandaka. Photo: Junior Kannah/AFP/Getty Images

Three Ebola patients have escaped from a hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo this week, coming into contact with hundreds of people and raising fears of a widespread outbreak in the port city of Mbandaka.

Two of the patients left the hospital Monday night with family members and died within he next 24 hours. One died at home while the other was brought back to the hospital before dying Tuesday night. A third patient who was close to being discharged left Sunday night but later returned.

In all three cases every effort was made by staff at the hospital to convince the patients  and their families  not to leave and to continue their treatment, Doctors Without Borders spokeswoman Rosie Slater told CNN. However, forced hospitalization is not the solution to this epidemic.

Health officials are now searching the city to find everyone with whom the patients came into contact. That includes their relatives and those present at the church where two of the victims were taken to pray. All told, officials have put together a list of 628 people whove come into contact with known Ebola patients. They will all need to be vaccinated, which isnt always easy when some prefer to use prayer instead of medicine.

Fears of a massive outbreak in Mbandaka, which has population of 1 million, come as the World Health Organizations head of emergency response says we are on the epidemiological knife edge.

The next few weeks will really tell if this outbreak is going to expand to urban areas or if we are going to be able to keep it under control, Peter Salama, a doctor, said at a meeting in Geneva Wednesday.

The first case of Ebola appeared in Mbandaka last Thursday, about a week and a half after the outbreak began in the rural parts of the DRC. An urban case means that it can spread quickly, the WHOs Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday. The last Ebola outbreak in Africa demonstrated that, killing at least 11,300 between 2014 and 2016 after it spread from rural Guinea to cities in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.One day a viable gubernatorial candidate, Nate Boulton closed his campaign down after multiple sexual-misconduct allegations. Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP/REX/Shutterstock

The Reckoning over sexual misconduct has taken down another prominent politician. Iowa state senator Nate Boulton, a Democrat who was running a reasonably viable gubernatorial campaign, shut it all down in the wake of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct published by the Des Moines Register earlier this week.

Unlike some bad actors identified in a #MeToo moment, Boulton was alleged to have committed misdeeds very recently, and at 38, hes too young to benefit from some sort of informal statute of limitations:

One woman told the Des Moines Register that Boulton, now 38, repeatedly grabbed her buttocks at a bar in 2015. Two others told the Register that when Boulton was in law school more than a decade ago, he rubbed his clothed crotch against them, pressing his erect penis into their thighs.

Boulton did not exactly deny the accusations, but hinted at context that might have explained his behavior, though he chose not to engage in what he himself called victim-blaming.

At least with respect to the most recent misconduct, the accusers named themselves:

The woman who has accused Boulton of grabbing her buttocks three years ago is lawyer Sharon Wegner of Des Moines. Her account was corroborated by a friend, Ash Bruxvoort, who said she witnessed the incident. Both are Democrats.

One of the two woman who came forward with the details about his bad behavior in law school also let the Register identify her.

As always, its unclear why someone with these sorts of multiple incidents in his background would think it was a good idea to run for office, particularly as a Democrat. But for the time being, Boultons plans for higher office have imploded.

Boulton was running second in a six-candidate field behind veteran Democratic funder Fred Hubbell in a recent Register poll looking forward to the June 5 primary. His demise could benefit the third-place finisher in the poll, union leader Cathy Glasson, though it will most likely help Hubbell get over the 35 percent threshold necessary in Iowa to win a nomination without going through a party convention. The winner will take on incumbent Republican governor Kim Reynolds in a key test of whether this Republican-trending state (Donald Trump won Iowa by a shocking 9 percent in 2016) could move back to its recent status as a tightly contested battleground state.Pithoragarh, May 23: The Indian Army Intelligence and Uttar Pradesh Anti-terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested an Inter-Services Intelligence agent from Didihat area of Uttar Pradeshs Pithoragarh. Uttrakhand ADG law and order Ashok Kumar told reporters that Uttar Pradesh ATS with the help of Pithoragarh Police arrested Ramesh Kanyal from his home.

Kanyals brother is serving in the Indian Army. A few years back Kanyalss brother helped in getting up a job in Brigadier's house. The Brigadier after some time got a posting in Indian Embassy in Pakistan. He also took Kanyal along with him. Therein Pakistan, the agent came in contact with intelligence agencies and started passing confidential information to the agencies. Kanyal spent two years in Pakistan.

UP ATS filed a case against the agent on May 20. The ATS and the Indian Army were consistently keeping track of Kanyals activities. Today morning joint team of the Indian Army and the UP ATS raided his house in Didihat in Pithoragarh. The ADG told reporters that continuous inputs about whereabouts of Kanyal were also taken from the Uttrakhand Intelligence.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 23, 2018 10:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).There is massive unrest in Tuticorin, now called Thoothukudi as police open fired at protesters two days back. These protesters have been demanding to shut down of Vedanta's Sterlite unit at Tuticorin, alleging that the plant is adversely affecting the health of people in and around the area.

On the back of the recent fiasco, according to a Times report, Agarwal dismissed concerns about the environmental damage of the companys copper plant. He termed the incident as very unfortunate, and was quoted as saying 'I am very aggrieved and my condolences to the families.'

According to a Reuters report, Vedanta in a statement has regretted the incidents and has said that it is working with the authorities, to look into the safety of its employees, facilities, and other nearby community. According to a Financial Times interview, Agarwal, who holds a 71.4 percent stake in Vedanta has expressed his plans to step back from running the company. Earlier this month, he also said on Twitter that his company is a victim of a foreign conspiracy aimed at keeping India dependent on imports.

The death toll in the violence is 13 till now, and several are left injured.Section 144 has been imposed till May 25, and internet has been suspended for five days to avoid the spread of rumours in the already volatile area. With the political blame-game going on, Tuticorin continues to boil.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 24, 2018 12:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei set out conditions for Tehran to stay in its nuclear deal after the U.S. chose to walk out of the Iran P5+1 JCPOA deal earlier this month.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's official website said on Wednesday that European powers must continue buying crude and protect Iranian oil sales from U.S. pressure, and promise they won't seek new negotiations on Iran's ballistic missile programme and Middle East activities. These demands are part of a broader set of seven conditions, reported by Rueters.

"European banks should safeguard trade with the Islamic Republic. We do not want to start a fight with these three countries [France, Germany and Britain], but we don't trust them either," Khamenei said. "Europe should fully guarantee Iran's oil sales. In case Americans can damage our oil sales  Europeans should make up for that and buy Iranian oil."

Khamenei accused the United States of violating U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 that underpins the nuclear agreement with Iran, and asked Europe to secure a resolution against the U.S. violation.

Khamenei said he was demanding assurances as he does not trust the European powers which are longstanding U.S. allies, "We don't want to start a fight with Europe but these three countries (UK, France and Germany) have shown that they will follow America in the most sensitive issues," he added.

Finally, he warned that if the Europeans did not meet these demands, Iran would resume its enrichment of uranium, halted under the deal to minimize the risk of Tehran developing the means to build nuclear weapons.

The announcement of these conditions comes a day after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that Washington was working on the strongest sanctions in history to be imposed on Iran. He also listed 12 conditions to be met if Iran wanted to negotiate a new deal with the U.S. The conditions listed out by U.S. included Iran curtailing its activities in the Middle East as well as suspending its ballistic missiles programme.

Following Mike Pompeos speech, the United States imposed new sanctions against officials of Iran's Revolutionary Guard for allegedly providing ballistic missile-related expertise to Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The elite Iranian Guard said in a Wednesday statement: "The American leaders ... have got this message that if they attack Iran, they will encounter a fate similar to that of Saddam Hussein."

Saddam was ousted in a U.S.-led invasion of neighbouring Iraq in 2003, however, the U.S. failed to rebuild the country as promised and thousands of American soldiers were killed in years of rebellion and near anarchy which also gave rise to the dreaded Islamic State.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 24, 2018 04:22 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).Sweden has passed a new law saying that sex without consent is rape. The new law due to come into effect on July 1, says that even when there are no threats or force involved, a person must give clear consent, verbal or physical. This is the straightforward language of a new Swedish law set to change the way rape and other sexual crimes are prosecuted in the country.

On Wednesday, the Swedish Parliament passed the law requiring explicit consent from participants before they engage in a sexual act. Prosecutors will no longer need to prove violence or that the victim was in a vulnerable situation to establish rape. The law says the lack of consent is enough to constitute a crime. It is based on the obvious: sex must be voluntary, said the government when the legislation was proposed. The statement also states that passivity is not a sign of agreeing to sex.

If a person wants to engage in sexual activities with someone who remains inactive or given ambiguous signals, he or she will therefore have to find out if the other person is willing, the law states. The law also introduces two new offences, negligent rape and negligent sexual abuse, carrying a maximum prison term of four years. The negligence aspect focuses on the fact that one of the parties did not participate voluntarily, the government said, adding that it would be possible to convict more people of sexual abuse.

Officials numbers show that the incidence of sexual offences is on the rise. The term sexual offences refers to a range of all sex-related crimes in Sweden, with rape being one of them. Other crimes such as paying for sex, sexual harassment, indecent exposure, sexual exploitation, molestation and trafficking are included in the numbers as well. Womens rights activists said they hoped other European countries would follow Sweden and approve similar legislations. Most countries in Europe still define rape as a sexual act carried out with the use of violence or threat.

Some critics like the Swedish Bar Association said that the law will not increase the number of rape convictions. Secretary General Anne Ramborg told the New York Times, The new legislation has not lowered the burden of proof, since the prosecutor has to prove that a crime was committed, and they have to prove intent. With the new legislation, approved in parliament by 257 votes against 38, Sweden joins other European countries like United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Cyrus, where sex without consent is considered rape.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 24, 2018 10:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).Senior White House Adviser. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

After more than 12 months of background checks and three months of diminished access to classified information, Trump senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner has finally received permanent security clearance.

The renewed access to top-secret intelligence comes three months after Kushners level of security clearance was downgraded from top secret to merely secret. The shake-up was a part of a White House overhaul of security clearance procedures brought on by the controversy over Rob Porter, the former White House staff secretary who was operating on a temporary security clearance despite accusations of domestic violence.

The White House has defended the lengthy process of granting Kushners clearance, saying it is not uncommon for people with complicated business ties and many foreign contacts to have to wait as long as he did. But those were not the only issues delaying Kushners clearance. There was also Robert Muellers probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, which includes investigations into Kushners contacts with Russian representatives during the campaign. Among his meetings drawing scrutiny were sit-downs with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak and Kremlin-linked lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.

Kushner failed to disclose those meetings on his initial applications for security clearance, raising concerns about attempts to hide them. He eventually amended the application, which was filled with an unprecedented number of mistakes, according to the head of the government agency responsible for clearing background checks.

His lawyer, who said Kushner recently sat for a second interview with Muellers team, denied that those mistakes had anything to do with the delay. His application was properly submitted, reviewed by career officials, and went through the normal process, Abbe Lowell said in a statement. Having completed these processes, Mr. Kushner is looking forward to continuing the work the president has asked him to do.In recent weeks and months, Musk has found himself increasingly the target of overzealous bloggers and journalists, who have been quick to seize on perceived inaccuracies or mistruths, politically incorrect statements and hyperbolic, tongue-in-cheek, or otherwise facetious remarks as fodder for their humorless and decidedly "woke" scoldings.

The latest controversy, in which Musk called out the press for their shameless repackaging of financial market FUD as news began with a single tweet:

The holier-than-thou hypocrisy of big media companies who lay claim to the truth, but publish only enough to sugarcoat the lie, is why the public no longer respects them https://t.co/Ay2DwCOMkr

Musk's remarks served as a caption for a retweet of a story about a new report from Baird, in which the investment firm told clients that the negative media coverage that has driven Tesla's stock down for months has just about run out of steam, and with the automaker's production ramp now underway, "shares could appreciate significantly."

Predictably, Musk's tweet was met by a chorus of whiney knee-jerk reactions from so-called "journalists", including The Verge's Andrew J. Hawkins. The outspoken Bernie Sanders supporter and trade unionist turned politically correct "transportation reporter" for the tech website immediately compared Musk to Donald Trump, for daring to challenge the press as purveyors of fake news. Musk fired back, calling out the writer:

Thought you'd say that. Anytime anyone criticizes the media, the media shrieks "You're just like Trump! Why do you think he got elected in the first place? Because no ones believes you any more. You lost your credibility a long time ago.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 23, 2018

Musk then mused about creating a web app dedicated to rating the accuracy of journalists.

Going to create a site where the public can rate the core truth of any article & track the credibility score over time of each journalist, editor & publication. Thinking of calling it Pravda   Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 23, 2018

As was the case when Musk recently slammed certain journalists for overhyping Autopilot accidents and Tesla production delays in pursuit of clicks and pageviews, a sanctimonious mini-backlash and pile-on has ensued. Another politically progressive writer, Jessica Huseman of ProPublica, who appears to be similarly fixated on Donald Trump and truthiness -- and likewise was triggered by Musk's tweets -- construed the billionaire's stance as a "tantrum" and "ignorant" in a series of profanity-laden tweets culminating in a screed about injuries at Tesla's factory.

I don't give two shits if Elon Musk starts yelp for journalists. So, 538, it is a characterization of my tweet  which you link here  to say I "was not happy" about this threat.  Jessica Huseman (@JessicaHuseman) May 24, 2018

Musk has a years long history of tussles with reporters, but recent incidents have been framed through a post-Trumpian lens in which those who call out the media as charlatans or purveyors of fake controversies are viewed as Trump-like alt-right demagogues, even in matters that have nothing to do with politics or the left-right spectrum. As alluded to above, this happened most recently with the media's embarrassing freakout over Musk's handling of Tesla's Q1 earnings call, and his remarks about journalists who help fuel the short seller frenzy vis a vis Model 3 production woes, and similarly stoke fears about "Autopilot" and other vehicle automatation technologies following high-profile accidents.

A few months ago, Musk's somewhat facetious remarks on the downsides of public transportation -- a golden calf of the political left and politically correct journalists -- triggered a Twitter conniption among "urban planners" and pious journalists who slammed him as antisocial and retrograde for pointing out that Japanese subways pack people like sardines onto trains at rush hour and for joking about NYC subway serial killers.May 24, 2018, 11:27am ET

Trump administration weighing new tariffs on imported vehicles

Foreign cars might soon get more expensive in the United States.

The Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it is launching a national security probe intended to investigate whether new tariffs are needed on imported vehicles to protect the United State's ability to research and develop new automotive technologies. Having a robust automotive sector is considered vital to the country's national security.

The probe is being launched under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. If the investigation discovers any threat to the United State's national security, President Trump could hit imported vehicles with a tariff, similar to the tariffs already levied against steel and aluminum imports.

"There is evidence suggesting that, for decades, imports from abroad have eroded our domestic auto industry, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement, according to Reuters. Ross also promised a "thorough, fair and transparent investigation.

Not surprisingly, automakers from Japan, Germany, South Korea and even China have expressed concerns over the possible tariffs. Last year the U.S. imported over 8 million vehicles from Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea and Germany. Any imposed tariffs would almost certainly stunt demand for those imported vehicles.

Some have speculated that the potential tariffs are a way for Trump to get Canada and Mexico to the negotiating table regarding NAFTA. Trump has long opposed the current NAFTA terms and has made it a point of his presidency to re-work the deal. Canada and Mexico are the top two vehicle suppliers to the United States, so any tariffs would hurt them the most.A man who stole over 1,000 from a Laois man by fraudulently using the injured partys bank card has been told that if he pays full compensation he will be put on probation.

Before last weeks sitting of Portlaoise District Court was Joseph Bergin (22), facing 59 criminal charges.

When the case first came before the court in March last, Sgt JJ Kirby gave evidence that on January 21, 2017, the injured party came to Abbeyleix Garda Station to report credit card fraud.

The details were that on December 26, 2016, the injured party was at Dublin Airport when they noticed that a substantial amount of money was missing from their account.

The card was cancelled and when the injured party returned to Ireland they noticed that 70 fraudulent transactions had taken place. An investigation took place and the accused, Joseph Bergin (22), was identified.

He committed a number of fraudulent transactions between November 28, 2016, and January 1, 2017, to a total loss of 1,034.90. Some items were recovered from him and the bank reimbursed the injured party some 977.

The accused made full admissions to the offences. The two parties were acquaintances but not friends, the court heard.

Defence for the accused in March, Ms Louise Troy said that the accused had initially used the card for takeaway food, which was how he got the card number.

She said the accused, the eldest of six children, had been accompanied to court by his parents.

He had recently completed residential treatment after developing an addiction to a cocktail of drugs, including benzodiazepines and cannabis, said Ms Troy. The reason for his offending was that it had been fuelled by his addiction and he had been prone to irrational behaviour, she said.

Defence also said that the accused had 500 compensation in court and was willing to reimburse the injured party. He had also written a letter of apology.

Judge Catherine Staines said that the fraudulent use of bank cards was a huge problem and anyone who gets involved in this type of offending merits a prison sentence.

However, she said this had not been a sophisticated enterprise and the accused had suffered with addiction problems, which he had now addressed.

She directed that the 500 compensation go to the Bank of Ireland in Abbeyleix, and adjourned the matter for the accused to pay another 500. The judge also directed a probation report on the accused.

The matter was put back to May 17.

At last weeks court, solicitor, Mr Barry Fitzgerald said his client had 190 of the compensation and would have the balance in two weeks.

Judge Staines noted that there was an excellent probation report on the accused and said if he paid the compensation she would apply the probation act.

The matter was adjourned to June 21 for the balance of 310.Part of the M7 motorway which connects Dublin/Cork/Limerick via Laois has been closed southbound at the Junction 16 Portlaoise following a crash.

The road was closed on Thursday morning and remained closed at 10:30am. The crash has taken place near Junction 16 East at The Heath.

It is not known if any injuries have been reported yet. It is understood Laois Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene of the crash which involved a truck.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland Traffic has reported that all services are at the scene and the whole road has been closed.

UPDATE : FULL ROAD CLOSURE FROM J16 - PORTLAOISE . ALL SERVICES ON SCENE .

Please Drive With Care !  TII Traffic (@TIITraffic) May 24, 2018

UPDATE:

The M7 has been closed southbound at J16 Portlaoise until approximately 1pm, Thursday following a crash.

Gardai are advising motorists to divert via the old Dublin Rd (R445) to Portlaoise Town before rejoining the M7 at J17 Portlaoise Centre.

UPDATE:Over 2,000 Laois people have been added to the supplementary register ahead of tomorrows referendum on the Eighth Amendment.

People on the supplementary register are those who have only registered to vote since February of this year.

According to figures from the Department of Housing, this brings the total number of people in Laois registered to vote in Fridays referendum to 63,654.

Out of a population of 84,697 in Laois according to Census 2016, 75 percent of the county is now on the Register of Electors.

A total of 2,010 people registered to vote in Laois since February and are on the Supplement to the Register of Electors 2018/2019. This is more than twice the number of voters (955) who were on the supplementary register for the same-sex marriage referendum in 2015.

The highest number to register since February 2018 was in Dublin City with 19,805, followed by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown with 9,729 and Cork with 9,049 people.

On the other end of the scale the lowest numbers were in Leitrim 670, Roscommon 708 and Longford 841.

In comparison to Laois, the number on the supplementary register in Offaly is 1704, in Kildare is 7413, in Carlow 1456, and 2817 in Kilkenny.

In November 2017, the National Youth Council of Ireland said that up to 2393 young people in Laois may not have been on electoral register at the time.

The Union of Students of Ireland may have played a role in the increasing numbers of Laois people registering to vote. The Students Union registered 26,979 new student voters in the in the lead up to the referendum.

Anyone who turned 18 on or before February 15, 2018 was eligible to register to vote in tomorrows referendum.

May 8, 2018 was the closing date for Laois County Council to receive an application for entry to the Supplement to the register of electors for the referendum.

An additional 118,389 people have been added to the supplementary register nationwide ahead of tomorrows vote.

This is a huge increase on the number added ahead of the same-sex marriage referendum in 2015 when almost 66,000 people were added to the register.

Overall, more than 3.2 million people are now registered to vote in tomorrows referendum.

Full list of numbers county by county on the supplementary register.

NEWS: Dublin Cork Limerick M7 motorway closed after crash in Laois.At lunchtime today, Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) members will protest against pay inequality outside the post-primary schools, FET Centres, colleges of further education and Institutes of Technology in which they work.

A protest will be held at Maynooth Education Campus, Moyglare Rd., Maynooth from 1.30pm to 2pm.

"Service to students will not be affected by the protest. Teachers and lecturers who entered the system since 2011 are unjustly on a lower rate of pay than their colleagues for carrying out the same work," said the Union.

"Pay inequality has led to a crisis in the recruitment and retention of teachers and lecturers. This inevitably impairs the quality of service to students.

"In a March 2018 survey of post-2011 entrants to teaching, 46% said it was currently unlikely or very unlikely that theyd still be in the profession in ten years time. If pay equality was to be fully restored, 94% said it was likely or very likely that they would remain in the profession."

It said recruitment problems are evident both across the country and across a broad range of subjects including, but not limited to, Mathematics, Science, Modern Languages, Irish and Home Economics.

"Some Institutes of Technology have reported significant difficulties in recruiting staff at Assistant Lecturer entry grade," it added.

"The only guaranteed way of ensuring the retention of teachers and lecturers and the recruitment of those needed for the future is to repair the professional integrity of teaching by restoring pay equality."

SEE ALSO: Public meeting on town futures in Clane, Maynooth, Prosperous and KilcockTraffic lights have been effectively ruled out as a long-term solution to traffic problems on the canal route between Digby Bridge and Osberstown near Naas.

Sallins councillor Carmel Kelly said lights should be used to control the increasing volumes of traffic using the route between Osberstown Road and Digby Bridge on the canal.

Cllr. Kelly also said the wall is a unique structure which needs to be protected.

A bridge wall close the Leinster Aqueduct along the route was damaged twice by vehicles this year.

And on the second occasion, the damage occurred only days after the bridge reopened following the initial incident in January.

The incidents have led to calls from another councillor Seamie Moore that the route be confined to cars.

At a Naas Municipal District meeting last week, district engineer David Reel said discussions are ongoing with Waterways Ireland (which manages the canal system) with a view to arranging a comprehensive repair project.

Mr. Reel said residents are being consulted and added that it is proposed to repair the wall and to improve the alignment of the road but we need to plan for this.

Mr. Reel also said that the council is looking at a low cost solution.

And thiseffectively means that traffic lights are not being considered at the location.

This (erecting traffic lights) would cost more.

He added the solution is not as simple as banging in a couple of traffic lights and away we go.

He indicated that the width of the road militated against the notion of using traffic lights.

He said KCC imposed a 3.5 tonne vehicle weight restriction after the route reopened and if this was observed there wouldnt be bridge strikes.

He said the real issue at the location is people driving past weight restriction signs and ignoring them.

Cllr Seamie Moore was also against traffic lights at the location.

Itd be a pity to bring in traffic lights, we should look at other ways of slowing down the traffic instead of lights, he added.

SEE ALSO: WATCH: Naas Pink Panther team soars furthest at Redbull Flugtag last SundayTHIS year marks the centenary of womens right to vote in Ireland and the woman who played a significant part in achieving that goal was Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington.

Hanna, a daughter of Limerick parents, was an ardent promoter of womens rights and campaigned tirelessly for womens suffrage and for equality between men and women.

Her life and times will be the theme of a special illustrated talk in Newcastle West library on Friday, May 25 by her granddaughter, Dr Micheline Sheehy Skeffington who has continued the familys radical tradition. She herself won a landmark Equality Tribunal case in 2014 in which her claim against her employer, NUI Galway, that she had been discriminated against on gender grounds in a promotion round was upheld.

Dr Michelines grandmother Hanna had been politically conscious from childhood, born as she was, the daughter of Irish MP, David Sheehy from Broadford and Elizabeth McCoy from Ballyhahill. David Sheehy was involved in the ill-fated Fenian Rising of 1867, was a supporter of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and became MP for Galway and later for South Meath but took the side against Parnell in the split. An uncle of Hannas, Fr Eugene Sheehy was known as the Land League priest.

Ironically, Hannas father had consistently voted against all female suffrage bills, something which was to shape Hannas view that women were marginalised within social movements.

Hanna was a founder member of the Irish Womens Franchise League in 1909 with her husband, Francis Sheehy-Skeffington and Margaret Cousins.

Along with other women, in 1912, Hanna took part in a demonstration in Dublin in protest against the exclusion of voting rights for women in the third Home Rule Bill. She threw rocks at windows in Dublin Castle, a symbolic smashing of male rule and was arrested and subsequently lost her job.

She was also a founder member of the Irish Women Workers Union and wrote regularly for the Irish Citizen newspaper which she and her husband established as an organ for progressive ideas. She was anti-Treaty but was unhappy with De Valeras 1937 Constitution. She believed constitution maintained the same boundaries for women that the previous ruling elites had and in no way reflected the progressive efforts made by her and her comrades to increase opportunities for women in Ireland and bring them out of the confines of the kitchen.

Hanna felt that independence had been won for Ireland in name, but the wives, daughters and sisters of Ireland saw little change in their prospects.

The event on Friday, May 25 will bring Hannas ideas and role to vivid life. It begins with a reception at 7.30pm in the Newcastle West Library and Dr Micheline Sheehy Skeffington will speak promptly at 8pm.

The event is free and open to all.Cynthia Nixon got the attention of the media, but not delegates. Photo: Justin Lane/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

The Democratic Partys blue wave of resistance has been churning across the country for over a year now, catapulting liberals to primary victories up and down the ballot. And so when state Democratic Party delegates from New York  the Progressive Capital of the United States, according to one speaker  convened at Hofstra University on Wednesday for their biannual convention, it was easy to imagine a barn burner of an affair, with fire-breathing paeans to progress, civil rights, and the struggles of the working class.

Instead, the 2018 Democratic Party State Convention began with a PowerPoint address. Followed by another.

When you see this PowerPoint you are going to be reinvigorated. You are going to be reenergized, Christine Quinn said, her voice echoing off the walls of the basement of the university gymnasium.

Indeed part of the point of the Democratic convention, if not the New York State Democratic Party, is to smother that progressive energy in a warm embrace. For Democrats, progressive energy spells danger. It is what has launched Cynthia Nixon, a few months ago a hardly well-known premium-cable TV star, into a real race with the two-term governor. It is what could inspire Preet Bharara to jump off the sidelines and run for attorney general against Cuomos chosen running mate, New York City Public Advocate Letitia James. Its an unlikely possibility at this point but one that sends state political figures into paroxysms of panic, since Bharara would have subpoena power and little regard for the current etiquette that rules Albany.

If the energy of the resistance was going to make it to Hofstra, Nixon would have to bring it herself. The business at hand was nominating Governor Andrew Cuomo to a third term (along with the rest of the Democratic ticket); since Democratic regulars make up the vast swath of the conventions floor votes, the chances of Nixon avoiding a bloodbath were slim. Still, Nixon gamely headed out to Hempstead, coming off the 7:39 a.m. from Manhattan. She met with reporters at the end of the LIRR platform, dressed in a light-gray glen plaid double-breasted suit with oversized white cuffs and white loafer heels. I am attending the convention today because New York Democrats deserve to have at least one actual Democrat running for governor at their state convention, she told the assembled press.

The stakes were relatively low. A candidate has to reach 25 percent of the vote among the delegate roll-call to be automatically included on the primary ballot. Failing that, they have to petition their way on, which means stationing signature-gatherers in out-of-the-way locales like Onondaga and Schoharie, since the threshold must be reached at each congressional district in the state. Its a laborious process, but a by no means impossible one for a candidate who genuinely wants to win a statewide race. Getting 50 percent means you are the partys official designee, which doesnt get you that much more than bragging rights. Heading in, most observers pegged Nixons ceiling at around 10 percent.

Still, Nixon brought the heat.

The truth is the governor isnt a progressive and he knows it, she told the press. Thats why he and his allies have bullied progressive community groups and rallied the full force of the big-money establishment. But I wont be scared out of the room. New Yorkers deserve a choice. And thats why Im here today.

Then Nixon, after taking some selfies with a couple of LIRR workers apparently unconcerned that they could face repercussions for selfie-ing with their bosss enemy, hopped into a waiting black car. She surfaced again during the roll call, when the delegates were officially announcing who they would support. Her appearance on the floor to do an interview with NY1 set off a brief scramble among the press corps.

There were only a smattering of voices calling out Nixon when their turn came during the roll call, and those who did were often met with boos from the floor.

I couldnt do it, said Nick Rizzo, a liberal delegate from Williamsburg and Greenpoint who abstained on the floor. If I voted for Nixon all my friends here would hate me. If I voted for Cuomo, all my friends back home would hate me. Actually, my district is divided between Cuomo and Nixon. The Hasids are for Cuomo and the hipsters are for Nixon

He is going to have to do better for folks to applaud him in the manner that he would appreciate, said New York City Councilman Bill Perkins, a Democrat from Harlem, when asked why progressives have been slow to embrace the governor. He doesnt have a good touchy-feely kind of style. I think he could be less distant. This party is looking for a more progressive visionary approach that the governor hasnt launched yet. I think people expected more.

Cuomo chose Hillary Clinton to offer the conventions keynote, but that move only raised the hackles of some of his progressive opponents further. Jumaane Williams, a city councilman from Brooklyn who is running for lieutenant governor against Kathy Hochul, Cuomos chosen pick, said that Clinton represented one side of the bitter civil war that consumed the party in 2016.

Is this the speaker that is most helpful to unify the party? Are they intentionally trying to agitate one side when they should be providing unity? he said, suggesting that the party should have chosen Bernie Sanders to speak as well. When they talk about unity it is usually the party leadership telling the left that they should shut up and be quiet.

When Clintons turn came to speak, she discussed the need for more women in elective office, but didnt mention Nixon. She didnt mention Cuomo either until a few minutes into her speech, although she did talk about the last time she was at Hofstra, when she debated Donald Trump for the first time. It was a great night, she said. Mostly because I won.

Cuomo made a surprise appearance after her speech, presenting the one-time U.S. senator and secretary of State with, of all things, a bouquet of flowers.

Not that it much mattered. Cuomo ended up getting more than 95 percent of the vote on the floor, and by the time Clinton spoke, Nixon was already gone.A MAN has admitted breaking into several commercial and industrial premises on the outskirts of Limerick city in order to fund his drug addiction.

Gerard ONeill, aged 23, of New Crescent Halting Site, Childers Road, has pleaded guilty to multiple charges relating to the theft of property worth more than 12,000.

Detective Garda Neil OGorman told Limerick Circuit Court all of the offences occurred on dates between January and April 2016.

He said a specific garda operation was put in place after gardai became concerned about a series of burglaries which had occurred at industrial premises in the Ballysimon area.

He told John OSullivan BL, instructed by State Solicitor Padraig Mawe, that a modus operandi and a pattern were identified and that ONeill soon emerged as a suspect.

During a sentencing hearing, Judge Tom ODonnell was told that one premises at Garryglass Industrial Estate  Indespension Trailers  was targeted several times by the defendant who was described as a recidivist.

On each occasion, the defendant entered the premises late at night and stole a large number of wheels which he removed from trailers which were parked in the yard.

Another of the offences related to the theft of security cameras from a premises at Monoclinoe Industrial Estate while the 23-year-old also damaged the shutters of a separate premises in the same area.

ONeill also admitted breaking into a premises at Eastway Business Park as well as Costa at the Limerick One Retail Park.

Judge Tom ODonnell was told the defendant was identified on CCTV near one premises which was broken into and that following his arrest he made admissions in relation to all of the burglaries.

None of the stolen property was ever recovered and compensation has not been paid for the damage that was caused.

Yvonne Quinn BL said her client told gardai he was stoned off his head when he committed the offences and that there are mental health issues in the background.

She said her client, who is not working, did not try to deny his involvement in the spate of break-ins.

His sole motivation was to raise money to fuel his cocaine addiction, she said.

Ms Quinn said that her client is of limited intellectual capacity and she submitted his guilty pleas were of importance to gardai given the absence of forensic evidence linking him to the burglaries.

She added that ONeills girlfriend is pregnant and that this has seen him refocus his thinking in life.

Judge ODonnell adjourned sentencing to July 26, next to facilitate the preparation of a Probation Report.A GARDA called to a parking row in a County Limerick village was bitten in the arm and a tow truck driver was told I will kill you, by the same man.

Peter Kuhn, aged 30, of Seaview, Murrintown, Wexford pleaded guilty to assaulting Garda Brian McNamara, breach of the peace, possession of cannabis and resisting arrest.

Sergeant Michelle Leahy said shortly after 8pm on May 29, 2017, Garda McNamara was called to an incident on Main Street, Murroe.

Mr Kuhns van was parked at the entrance to a garage. He was blocking the entrance. Garda McNamara asked him to move it and the defendant refused. He became more aggressive, said Sgt Leahy.

Kilmallock Court heard that Garda McNamara told Kuhn that if he didnt move the vehicle it would be seized.

The defendant became more aggressive. He continued to make threats to Garda McNamara who contacted Henry Street to request a tow truck. When the truck arrived Mr Kuhn told the driver If you tow my van I will kill you. Garda McNamara arrested him on public order offences, said Sgt Leahy. Kuhn resisted arrest and had to be handcuffed, said the sergeant.

He refused to put his feet in to the garda car. When Garda McNamara bent down to place his feet in the vehicle Mr Kuhn bit him on the arm. Garda McNamara had to deploy his pepper spray, said Sgt Leahy. During a later search a small amount of cannabis was found on Kuhns person. He has no previous convictions.

Con Barry, solicitor for Kuhn, said his client apologises to the court and garda.

He is 30 years of age. He was studying engineering in Waterford IT. On the day he was buying a car. Two strong minded people came together and the gardai had to be called, said Mr Barry.

Judge Marian OLeary asked Kuhn what he was doing about his education. Once I get my life right I will go back to college, he replied.

Mr Barry said there is a mental health aspect.

He is dealing with his mental health issues. He does apologise. He needs help and he is seeking help, said Mr Barry.

Judge Marian OLeary adjourned the case for a victim impact statement from Garda McNamara and a pre-sanction report from the Probation Services.A Limerick man who was caught driving without insurance gave his brother's name to gardai, Nenagh Court was told.

Gary Curtin of 1 Railway House, Spitland, Old Cork Road, Limerick, pleaded to driving without insurance, no licence and giving a false name to gardai at Church Road, Newport, on October 8, 2017.

The court was told Mr Curtin's brother called to the garda station a week after the incident and said Gary had been driving.

The court heard Mr Curtin had 191 previous convictions, including 27 for driving without insurance. Mr Curtin disputed a garda claim that he had already spent time in jail for no insurance.

In his direct evidence to the court, Mr Curtin said he had been in prison for other offences, but never for road traffic matters.

His solicitor, Elizabeth McKeever told Judge MacGrath that there was some confusion over the issue.

The court was told that may be because he had given his brother's name to gardai.

Judge MacGrath adjourned to case to July 20 for a probation report and to clarify Mr Curtin's jail record.A MAJOR investigation is underway into the death of a teenage girl who died at University Hospital Limerick after her aorta was pierced during what has been described as a relatively routine operation.

Jessica (Jess) Sheedy, from Caherguillamore, Bruff attended the hospital for a planned operation but died from complications arising from the surgery.

It is understood that the surgeon who conduced the operation has not worked at the hospital since the procedure.

According to sources, Ms Sheedy, who was aged 18, underwent elective surgery -a relatively routine operation - at UHL on Monday, May 7.

It is understood that during the course of the operation the young womans aorta was pierced which resulted in a large amount of blood loss.

Despite the efforts of medics, she passed away at the hospital on Friday, May 11.

When contacted this week a spokesperson for UL Hospitals Group said: UL Hospitals Group wishes to express its deepest sympathies with Jessica's family. We will be dealing with the family directly on these matters and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.

Hundreds of people paid their respects to Ms Sheedys family at her removal and funeral Mass last week.

Speaking this Wednesday, Fr John McCarthy, PP of Dromin Athlacca, who officiated at the funeral Mass, said the shock and sadness at the teenagers sudden death was tangible in the air around Dromin Cemetery where she was laid to rest.

I spoke to some of her classmates and they said she was really great fun and had a lot of friends. They were upset as some of them would have known her very well, he said.

Ms Sheedy completed her Leaving Certificate at Colaiste Iosaef in Kilmallock last year before attending Limerick Senior College where she studied a course in beauty.

She worked in the beauty rooms at Revas Spa at the Woodlands House Hotel in Adare, Fr McCarthy explained.

She was highly thought of in Revas. She did her work experience there but they kept her on - she was doing such a good job.

Gifts brought to the altar during the funeral Mass included a make-up bag, a family photo - symbolising her deep love and closeness to her beloved family - and a bottle of Coca Cola. Ms Sheedy was a big fan of the soft drink. The popular teenager also played the guitar and one of her favourite songs was performed during the Mass. One of her closest friends relayed fond memories of the girl who Fr McNamara said was the life and soul of the party and had a great sense of humour.

Jessica Sheedy is very deeply regretted by her heartbroken parents James and Ann, brother Adam, grandfather Joe, her boyfriend Jason, uncles, aunts, cousins, relatives, kind neighbours and friends.TENS of thousands of people are set to go to the polls across Limerick this Friday as decision day arrives on the controversial abortion referendum.

Although turnout is notoriously hard to predict in referendums, over 3,500 people have applied to join Limericks supplementary electoral register in the run up to polling day.

Dozens of polling stations will open at seven oclock at community halls and council buildings across the county, and they will remain open until 10pm.

Around 66,000 people are eligible to vote in rural Limerick, with a further 73,000 entitled to have their say in Limerick city, the areas being reflective of the Dail boundaries in the 2016 election.

Voters are being asked to decide on whether to remove the eighth amendment from the constitution.

This protects the life of the unborn with due regard to the life of the mother.

Council official Kieran Lehane, who will play a key role in the count, said: All the arrangements are in hand. The court service has had all the ballot papers printed, and they will be organising the distribution of the materials and the boxes. Following the closing of the polls, the ballot boxes will be moved to the count centre at Limerick Racecourse in Patrickswell.

Counting will begin at 9am on Saturday, May 26, with a final result expected by afternoon.

The votes cast in the two constituencies will be counted separately and the local results will only be announced once they have been sent to the national returning officer.

- Follow the Limerick Leader online, on twitter and on facebook for coverage of the referendumTHE COMPANY that owns Aughinish Alumina, UC Rusal, overnight announced that its new CEO and seven of its directors have resigned.

The outgoing CEO, Alexandra Bouriko, only took up the role in March.

Two executive directors of the company, Vladislav Soloviev and Siegfried Wolf, as well as non-executive directors Maxim Sokov, Dmitry Afanasiev, Gulzhan Moldazhanova, Olga Mashkovskaya and Ekaterina Nikitina, also announced their resignations yesterday.

Rusal also warned that, because of the fallout from the US sanctions, it may have problems servicing its debts and keeping operations going at the levels they are now.

The US sanctions and the global fallout from the diplomatic tensions between Russia and the west, have pulled Askeatons Aughinish Alumina plant into uncertainty. When the saga began, there were fears for up to 1,000 jobs in West Limerick, both through direct and indirect employment.

The sanctions, announced on April 6, were a response from the US to Russias malign activity around the globe, said US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

They targeted a number of Russian oligarchs, who the US said had profited from Russias regime, and their companies - but the sanctions appeared to target, in particular, energy tycoon Deripaska.

Rusal owner Oleg Deripaska has famously been linked in the past to president of Russia, Vladimir Putin. He is also a person of interest in the US investigation into Russian collusion in the Trump presidential campaign.

The new changes on the Rusal board are said to be an attempt to convince the US Treasury to roll back the sanctions, under a plan that would reduce Deripaskas control of the company. The US will consider lifting the sanctions if Deripaska relinquishes control of his companies.

Mr Deripaska has not resigned from his non-executive director role at Rusal, but he has reisgned from the board of EN+, his company through which he owns a stake in Rusal.

The plan aims to reduce Deripaskas shareholding in EN+ to below 50 percent, and appoint a majority new board of independent directors.

The US has given American customers and suppliers of the company until October 23, to wind down business, a deadline which was extended after the chaos of the initial sanctions announcement.

In a separate statement issued overnight, Rusal said that unless sanctions are lifted or the US comes to another decision, international banks are likely to stop dealing with the group - and operations, including metal production and sales, would be hit.

Opportunities to provide financing to the group on commercially reasonable terms will be very limited, it said. The company may not be able to maintain its operating performance at a certain level required to service and repay its indebtedness and that may result in current creditors accelerating repayment.A NEWLY-formed womens rights lobby group will stage a demonstration in Limerick city next week, in solidarity with the hundreds affected by the CervicalCheck scandal.

This follows Vicky Phelans 2.5m High Court settlement with a US laboratory last month, exposing the scandal in which 209 women were not informed of smear test reviews.

The Standing 4 Women Limerick demonstration will take place next Wednesday, May 30, at 5pm on Thomas Street.

Organiser Aoife McInerney said they are encouraging people who will not stand for the current state of affairs to attend next weeks protest.

The discovery of the cervical cancer scandal has shaken and outraged the nation at a scale that is relatively unprecedented. Women have been let down, they have been lied to, and now, at least 18 have died and more are dying. This is not a mistake by any normal rendering of the word.

If our own government will not protect its citizens, that is, if our government can put a price on the lives of citizens by ignoring best practice regarding cervical screening as it has done, who will fight for these women and for all women of Ireland? Ms McInerney told the Limerick Leader.

Mary Cahillane Vallely, of Standing 4 Women Limerick, said they are demanding a total overhaul of the HSE from the top-down.

Total accountability and transparency. No more cover ups. No more deaths. No more outsourcing or privatisation. No more outsourcing of womens health issues to the cheapest bidder. Put health before profit. It took the bravery of Vicky Phelan who stood up to the whole establishment to expose the cover ups and the corruption in the HSE.

We stand in solidarity with her and all, she said.PENNING a memoir about the life and death of Jason Corbett has helped his sister Tracey Corbett Lynch come to terms with his brutal murder, Ms Corbett Lynch has revealed in an interview with the Limerick Leader.

Writing My Brother Jason with journalist Ralph Riegel has helped Ms Corbett Lynch through the grieving process following the violent murder of her brother, a father of two from Janesboro, in 2015 at the hands of his second-wife Molly Martens and her father Tom Martens, a retired FBI agent.

It's good to finally be able to stand up and speak for Jasons character, Ms Corbett Lynch said.

They didnt just kill him, they tried to assassinate his character afterwards.

Finally, Ive been able to give him back his dignity, tell the truth and stand up for him. Thats been helpful in the process, with the grief.

There has been a significant amount of interest from major publishers and news channels, both in Ireland and in the US, in her story, she added.

I have had a significant amount of publishers and news channels in Ireland and in America, all looking to do documentaries over the last number of years.

I had been made aware last year and early this year that there was a couple of books that people were writing.

Thats part of the reason why I decided to write the book as well, because Jasons story should be told by someone who loved him and knew him.

There is still a lot of interest.

Writing My Brother Jason has been a cathartic experience, she believes.

I tried counselling and I tried lots of different methods to help me deal with what I was going through.

Writing the book has helped me come to terms with what has happened.

The support the family received from Limerick following Mr Corbetts death and in the run up to his high-profile murder trial in 2017 gave her a sense of determination, Ms Corbett Lynch added.

There were lots of times when I felt like I couldnt take the next step or deal with everything because it was so overwhelming and Id get a note or Id get a call or someone would stop me in the street and say Well done and just give me that courage.

Sometimes I felt like the lion in the Wizard of Oz; courage just fails you because there was so much to deal with.

I got that feeling of determination from the support of all the people of Limerick.

Id like to thank the people of Limerick wholeheartedly for their support, for the fundraising, for the Masses, the cards, the letters, the calls. They have been consistent over the two years, especially leading up to the trials.

We had huge support that continued afterwards. I just want to thank everybody. Councillor Jerry ODea opened the first online book of condolences with Limerick City and County Council and there was just wonderful notes of support left there as well.

Id revert to those to try and give me that sense of strength to keep going.

A vigil held in Limerick city in August 2015 also meant a lot to Ms Corbett Lynch, she said.

Hundreds of people attended the Justice for Jason vigil, organised by family friends Simone Dillon, Mary Fitzpatrick and Richard Lynch.

Ms Corbett Lynch who was in North Carolina at the time, watched a recording of the event the night before the launch of a major guardianship battle for Jasons children Jack and Sarah.

Just 30 hours after Jason was murdered, Molly Martens filed for guardianship, custody and adoption of his children, the memoir has revealed.

I felt so lonely over there, so isolated. Obviously our hearts were in our mouths, waiting to see what was going to happen the next day in relation to the children and to see all the people in Limerick coming together, it was just brilliant to see that camaraderie and community.

To see people come together to support us and that they had our backs. It was just brilliant.

Custody, guardianship and estate battles in excess of $500,000 were also incurred by Ms Corbett Lynch and her husband Dave, My Brother Jason has also revealed. All proceeds from the book will go towards a special fund set up to cover the educational costs of Jack and Sarah. I wanted to take people by the hand and take them through a walk alongside what Jason was actually like, Ms Corbett Lynch said. Let them get to know him.May 24, 2018, 5 AM

Examples of buildings and products designed by Peter Behrens are pictured on Germanys new stamp marking his 150th birth anniversary.

New Stamps of the World  By Denise McCarty

A new German commemorative has several images packed into its design.

Deutsche Post issued this 70 stamp April 12 to mark the 150th birth anniversary of German architect and industrial design pioneer Peter Behrens (1868-1940).

A photographic portrait of Behrens is shown in blue on the stamp (bottom center). Pictured on the left in green is the AEG turbine factory in Berlin, designed by Behrens and built in 1908-09, with an interior view of the factory in blue in the upper right.

The other building on the stamp, shown in pink on the right side of the design, is the Linz Tobacco Factory. Built between 1929-35, it was designed by Behrens and Austrian architect Alexander Popp.

The stamp also depicts four products designed by Behrens: a wine glass (1898), electric tea kettle (1909), electric clock (1910) and a table fan.

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Although they are not pictured on the stamp, Behrens also designed poster stamps (cinderellas) for AEG.

Daniela Haufe and Detlef Fiedler designed the new commemorative. Bundesdruckerei printed it by offset in sheets of 10.

At least two previous stamps feature Behrens designs. A 1987 West Berlin stamp commemorating the 750th anniversary of Berlin shows the AEG turbine factory (German Occupation/Berlin Scott 9N537c), and examples of his glassware are pictured on a 1998 stamp celebrating 20th-century design (2014a).Nobody knew diplomacy could be so complicated. Photo: Pool/Getty Images

For several weeks, the White House has struck a triumphant tone regarding North Korea. President Trump stayed up until 3 a.m. to welcome home three Americans who were imprisoned in North Korea. A potential Nobel Peace Prize was discussed. A garish coin commemorating Trumps June 12 meeting with Kim Jong Un was minted.

Then, just as quickly as Trump agreed to a summit without consulting his advisers, the situation reversed. A week ago North Korea abruptly suspended talks with South Korea, and released a statement suggesting it might call off the Trump summit as well if the U.S. continued conducting military exercises with the South, pushing denuclearization, and making belligerent remarks about using the Libya model of nuclear disarmament.

The U.S. canceled the military exercises that offended Pyongyang, and Trump assured the Norths totalitarian leader that the U.S. would not seek to depose him.

This would be with Kim Jong Un something where hed be there. Hed be in his country. Hed be running his country, Trump said. His country would be very rich. His people are tremendously industrious.

Then Trump offered some confusing remarks regarding Libya. On Face the Nation, National Security Adviser John Bolton had referenced the model by which former president Muammar Gaddafi agreed to give up Libyas nuclear-weapons program and allow in British and U.S. inspectors in 2003. The North Koreans dont like any talk of Libya because, as they noted in their statement, the U.S. turned on Gaddafi less than a decade later and he was killed by militants.

Trump contradicted Bolton, saying Libya isnt a model that we have at all, but he also seemed to think his national security adviser was talking about the 2011 U.S. military action against Gaddafi.

We never said to Gaddafi: Oh, were going to give you protection, were going to give you military strength, were going to give you all of these things; we went in and decimated him, Trump said.

Somehow, Trump wound up issuing what sounded like a new threat.

Now that [Libya] model would take place if we dont make a deal, most likely, he said. But if we make a deal, I think Kim Jong Un is going to be very, very happy. I really believe hes going to very happy.

Incredibly, days later Vice-President Mike Pence opted to double down on the threat Trump had stumbled into.

As the president made clear, this will only end like the Libyan model ended if Kim Jong Un doesnt make a deal, Pence said Monday on Fox News. When asked if that could be interpreted as a threat, he said, Well, I think its more of a fact.

Trump has started suggesting that his historic meeting with Kim may not work out for June 12, and on Thursday North Korea agreed, in a far more belligerent fashion.

Whether the U.S. will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States, said North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui.

Choe also went off on Pence, calling him a political dummy for comparing North Korea, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya, which had simply installed a few items of equipment and fiddled around with them.

As a person involved in the U.S. affairs, I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the U.S. vice-president, she continued. In case the U.S. offends against our good will and clings to unlawful and outrageous acts, I will put forward a suggestion to our supreme leadership for reconsidering the D.P.R.K.-U.S. summit.

The Trump administration has yet to respond to the latest comments. Despite the recent uncertainty over the summit, on Wednesday it was reported that a White House team would head to Singapore this weekend to work on logistics for the trip.

The Norths quick shift to rhetoric closer to its previous talk of Kims nuclear button and taming the mentally deranged U.S. dotard with fire underscores what little progress has been made, despite Trumps self-congratulatory tone.

In an appearance before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured lawmakers that the Trump administration has yet to give Kim anything, and will hold firm until he takes credible steps toward denuclearization.

We have made zero concessions to Chairman Kim to date, and we have no intention of doing so, Pompeo said.

So far, other than holding off on its nuclear and missile tests, Pyongyang hasnt taken many concrete steps either. Three U.S. hostages were released, but they can always find new ones. Pyongyang said it will close the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, and a group of journalists are currently traveling to watch the ceremony. While satellite images show some demolition at the site, there have been no irreversible changes, and theres speculation that the North might not need the site anymore.

So were at the point where both sides have done some talking, but theres been little tangible progress made toward peace. Choe says the fate of the summit is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States, while Pompeo says, that decision will ultimately be up to Chairman Kim.

MIT nuclear expert Vipin Narang told Vox that if the summit doesnt happen on June 12 for whatever reason, the best-case scenarios are the two sides agreeing to a delay to continue lower-level diplomatic outreach, or an indefinite hold that leaves the two countries on slightly better terms because theyve held direct talks.

But its also possible that the temperature rises just as quickly as it falls and we go back to 2017, Narang said. And that means a return to the routine of missile tests and new sanctions that would leave the U.S. and North Korea once again uncomfortably close to war.May 3, 2021, 3 AM

Six contemporary artists designed their personal portrayal of the Royal Academy of Arts summer exhibition for Great Britains stamps commemorating the academys 250th anniversary. The summer show is a yearly tradition as old as the organization. Royal Mail will issue the stamps June 5.

By Molly Goad

Londons Royal Academy of Arts is celebrating its 250th birthday this year, and Great Britains Royal Mail is delivering a fitting present of six new stamps featuring designs created for the issue by acclaimed artists.

The Royal Academy of Arts stamps arrive June 5 in three vertical se-tenant pairs, each with two designs to honor an organization that has been going strong for two and a half centuries.

On a winters day in 1768, architect Sir William Chambers visited the king, George III, the Royal Academy of Arts website said. He brought with him a petition signed by 36 artists and architects including himself, all of whom were seeking permission to establish a society for promoting the Arts of Design  Lucky for us, the King said yes.

The academy describes itself as the worlds foremost artist and architect-led institution. It is an independent organization that does not receive funding from the government, relying on the support of visitors, donors, sponsors and the Friends of the Royal Academy group.

Each stamp design was created by a different, well-known contemporary artist, including Grayson Perry, who is coordinating the academys 250th summer exhibition  a massive open-submission art show and annual tradition.

These artists all carry the royal academician title, a special designation of members who have been nominated and elected by their peers.

For the new commemorative stamps, they designed their personal portrayal of the summer exhibition.

The first stamp pair features artwork titled Summer Exhibition by Perry and Queen of the Sky by painter Fiona Rae on nondenominated first-class stamps. The first-class domestic rate is currently 67 pence.

Perry works in a variety of mediums, but is best known as a ceramicist. He was the 2003 Turner Prize recipient, an award that has been presented to a British visual artist yearly since 1984.

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Pictured on the pair of 1.25 stamps are designs by Norman Ackroyd and Barbara Rae. These stamps pay the rate for letters to Europe up to 20 grams and to other international destinations up to 10 grams.

Ackroyds etching, titled St Kilda: The Great Sea Stacs, depicts scenery from the World Heritage site located 41 miles west of Benbecula in Scotlands Outer Hebrides. (Stac is a Gaelic word meaning a precipice or steep rock or hill.)

Barbara Raes colorful piece is called Inverleith Allotments and Edinburgh Castle.

Black, white and splashes of color on umbrella tops don Queuing at the RA by Yinka Shonibare, the top stamp in the 1.55 pair. The second design is a sketch of two faces called Saying Goodbye by Tracey Emin. These stamps pay the rate for letters to Europe up to 100 grams.

Royal Mail Group Ltd. designed the stamps. Each stamp measures 37 millimeters by 35mm and is perforated gauge 14 by 14.5. International Security Printers printed them by offset in sheets of 60, sold in panes of 30 at most postal outlets.

Royal Mails other products for this set include first-day covers, six postcards reproducing the designs of the stamps, and a presentation pack with mint examples of the stamps and a text by art critic and senior lecturer Gilda Williams, explaining the key aims and activities of the academy.

Ordering information is available from Royal Mail, Tallents House, 21 S. Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB, Scotland.

Royal Mails agency in the United States is Interpost, Box 420, Hewlett, NY 11557.

For more information, see the Royal Mail website.Roger Stone, former adviser to President Trump, spoke to the House Intelligence Committee on possible Russian interference in the 2016 election on September 26, 2017. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call,Inc.

Weve known for a while now that former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone had claimed to be touch with Julian Assange during the 2016 campaign  and that he appeared to publicly predict the release of information damaging to Hillary Clinton. But on Thursday, The Wall Street Journal revealed, for the first time, that Stone privately requested access to stolen Clinton emails that he believed to be in WikiLeakss possession:

In a Sept. 18, 2016, message, Mr. Stone urged an acquaintance who knew Mr. Assange to ask the WikiLeaks founder for emails related to Mrs. Clintons alleged role in disrupting a purported Libyan peace deal in 2011 when she was secretary of state, referring to her by her initials.

Please ask Assange for any State or HRC e-mail from August 10 to August 30particularly on August 20, 2011, Mr. Stone wrote to Randy Credico, a New York radio personality who had interviewed Mr. Assange several weeks earlier. Mr. Stone, a longtime confidant of Mr. Trump, had no formal role in his campaign at the time.

Credico replied by advising Stone to consult WikiLeakss website, where such emails would presumably be, if they existed. Stone responded, Why do we assume WikiLeaks has released everything they have ???

Hours later, Credico assured Stone that that batch probably coming out in the next dropI cant ask them favors every other day. I asked one of his lawyersthey have major legal headaches riggt [sic] nowrelax.

In an interview with the Journal, Credico insisted that he had never forwarded Stones request to Assange, and merely wanted to get the onetime Trump ally to leave him alone.

Stone, for his part, said he never had possession or access to any Clinton emails or records.

Requesting access to leaked emails is not a criminal act. But lying in sworn testimony to Congress is. And when Stone testified before the House Intelligence Committee last September, he suggested that he had never requested access to stolen Clinton emails, but merely sought confirmation that Assange had information about Clinton.

Regardless, the emails published by the Journal Thursday do lend credence to a separate piece of Stones testimony  that Credico served as his go-between or intermediary to WikiLeaks during the last stages of the 2016 campaign.

Last year, Credico refused to testify before the House Intelligence Committee, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. But he now says that he has changed mind  and already met with the committees Democratic staff members Wednesday for a limited conversation about WikiLeaks, the 2016 campaign and Mr. Stone.

On April 7, in an email obtained by the Journal, Stone wrote to Credico, Everyone says u are wearing a wire for Mueller. Stone followed up two days later with the missive that read, Run your mouth = get sued.A lot has changed in southern Democratic politics between Doug Wilders election as Virginia governor in 1989 and Stacey Abramss bid today. Photo: Shutterstock/Getty Images

It has been remarked upon often that Georgias Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams is bidding to become the nations first African-American woman to serve as a governor. But it is equally significant that she is the first African-American of either gender to be nominated by a major party for governor of her state, and a rarity nationally. If she wins in November (still an odds-defying accomplishment) she will be just the third elected African-American governor, and just the second from a former Confederate state.

The absence of African-American officeholders in the south was no accident during the period between Reconstruction and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, when most black citizens in the region were disenfranchised or at best politically marginalized. Since then African-Americans have become a pivotal, often dominant factor in the southern Democratic Party as the two major parties have polarized both ideologically and racially. But to a remarkable extent southern black Democrats have been expected to loyally support white candidates who spent most of their time appealing to white swing voters, including those who at the presidential level routinely voted Republican. More often than not African-Americans were the silent partners in statewide southern politics, expected to confine their ambitions to majority-minority jurisdictions where their presence would not arouse a racial backlash.

The few exceptions to this rule helped confirm it in the minds of many southern white Democratic political professionals. In North Carolina, Harvey Gantt, a politically centrist African-American who had served as mayor of Charlotte, twice won Democratic nominations to take on the intensely reactionary U.S. Senator Jesse Helms. Gantt lost twice to racially saturated Helms campaigns in the 1990s. Another prominent black centrist, Dallas mayor Ron Kirk, ran for the U.S. Senate in Texas in 2002, losing to John Cornyn by a landslide.

The first African-American anywhere to win election as governor (he was later joined in that incredibly exclusive club by Massachusettss Deval Patrick) was Virginias Doug Wilder, who as sitting lieutenant governor ran behind his white ticket-mates in 1989 but still eked out a remarkable victory. Wilder was not (and still is not) easy to typecast ideologically; he ran for governor on an anti-crime and fiscal-responsibility platform. He was banned by the states system from running for a second consecutive term, and became a largely marginal and sometimes eccentric figure in statewide politics, though he did make a comeback as mayor of Richmond. Virginia now has an African-American lieutenant governor, Justin Fairfax, but its anybodys guess whether he will ascend to the top job like Wilder did.

It has all but been forgotten that in Stacey Abramss own state of Georgia, two ideologically centrist African-American Democrats were elected to statewide office in three consecutive elections (1998, 2002, and 2006) before flaming out in unfortunately timed bids for higher office. Attorney General Thurbert Baker actually ran to the right of former governor Roy Barnes (who himself ran behind African-American Andrew Young in a 1990 gubernatorial race won by Zell Miller) in the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial primary, and lost. Labor Commissioner (an elected position in Georgia) Michael Thurmond actually won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate that same year, which was a terrible year for any Democrat to take on popular U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, who defeated another rare African-American statewide nominee (and another perceived centrist), U.S. Representative Denise Majette (best known for upsetting Cynthia McKinney in a U.S. House primary in 2002), by a similar margin in 2004.

You see the pattern. African-Americans in the South have struggled to construct two-way biracial coalitions within the Democratic Party, and when they could it often required conspicuously nonprogressive messages. As the parties have continued to polarize, that path has become less viable than ever. There just arent that many white swing voters to whom to reach out, as the saying goes. Some may still try the old formula: in Mississippi, former congressman and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy, a darling of Clintonian New Democrats, is given some chance to win a special U.S. Senate election with the GOP split between appointed senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and conservative firebrand Chris McDaniel, though there will be a post-November low-turnout runoff that will likely pit Espy against just one Republican.

But the very different strategy pursued by Stacey Abrams looks like the future of biracial Democratic politics in the South: a strongly progressive (though not abrasively so) African-American who can expand turnout among a rising minority population while still appealing to increasingly liberal white Democratic and independent voters as well. Interestingly, in the gubernatorial primary Abrams faced the relative novelty of a white progressive opponent in Stacey Evans, who differed little from Abrams on issues but whose entire campaign was based on the old strategy of a one-way biracial coalition (black voters supporting white candidates) and outreach to white swing voters. In a Democratic electorate that is now over 60 percent African-American, its not surprising that Abrams won. But her better than three-to-one margin over Evans showed she had built her own biracial coalition without a white skin  or conspicuous centrism.

One of the moving parts in this development was explained by Sean McElwee in a New York Times op-ed this week: white Democrats are becoming not only more progressive, but more responsive to the kinds of racial-justice concerns their fellow Democrats from minority backgrounds care about. Within the Democratic Party, racial divisions are simply less compelling than they once were, even as minority politicians are taking a more active and visible role.

How all this plays out in general elections in this and future election years is still uncertain. And while the current dynamics of the Republican Party in the South and elsewhere dont make it likely the GOP will seriously compete for African-American votes (the GOP primary to choose an opponent for Abrams, which has gone to a July 24 runoff, was an all-white-male affair that constantly struck racist and xenophobic chords), its a possibility down the road, as shown by the election (in a 2014 special election after he was appointed by Governor Nikki Haley) and reelection (to a full term in 2016) in South Carolina of U.S. Senator Tim Scott. As it happens, Scott faced poorly financed African-American Democrats both times; the state is so heavily Republican that competitive Democratic statewide campaigns are rare. But Republicans would be smart to find candidates like Scott elsewhere, if their own race-conscious voters can tolerate it.Flood the zone. Photo: Marissa Rauch/Williams & Connolly LLP

In May 2016, a foreign policy adviser to Donald Trumps campaign told a high-ranking Australian diplomat that Russia had political dirt on Hillary Clinton. When WikiLeaks began publishing leaked Democratic Party emails two months later, that diplomat informed the FBI of the Trump aides extraordinary disclosure.

Federal law enforcement responded by launching an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and the possibility that members of the Trump campaign colluded in that effort. As part of that inquiry, the FBI sent an informant  an American academic with ties to the Republican Party  to speak with at least three Trump campaign advisers, in hopes of determining whether they had been in contact with Russian agents.

None of this leaked to the press before Americans cast their ballots. While the FBI disclosed the discovery of Clinton emails on Anthony Weiners laptop weeks before the election, the only major story on the probe into her rival that leaked last October was a New York Times piece that all but exonerated Donald Trump in its headline.

Now, the president is publicly arguing that this informant was not an FBI asset assisting in a legitimate counterintelligence investigation  but rather, a spy that the Obama administration embedded in his campaign for political purposes. Trump has presented no evidence for this claim. And given how much politically damaging information federal authorities possessed about the Trump campaign before Election Day  and chose not to disclose  the presidents charge does not even make logical sense. On the other hand, Trump has an obvious motivation to discredit the special counsels ongoing investigation into his inner circle  and a long history of fabricating baseless conspiracies as a means of doing so.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press revealed this week that the president recently told a confidante that he wanted to brand the informant a spy, believing the more nefarious term would resonate more in the media and with the public.

Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee looked at this set of facts, and concluded that Trumps allegations of malfeasance were so alarming and well-founded, those charges justified forcing the FBI to out its informant, demanding investigators disclose sensitive information about their ongoing investigation in a classified briefing  and inviting the presidents lawyer to attend said briefing about the investigation of his client.

As the New York Times reports:

Top law enforcement and intelligence officials briefed congressional leaders from both parties on Thursday about the F.B.I.s use of an informant in the Russia investigation, a highly unusual concession to Congress all but ordered by President Trump.

John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff, whom Mr. Trump asked to help organize the meetings, attended both sessions, as did Emmet T. Flood, a lawyer representing Mr. Trump in the Russia investigation. Their presence was highly unusual in a sensitive congressional oversight briefing, and it raised the specter that top aides to the president could gain access to closely held information about an investigation of the president and his associates.



Initially, the White House had planned for only House Intelligence Committee chair Devin Nunes  its longtime co-conspirator in ginning up politically useful conspiracy theories  to receive this briefing. But Republican Senate leaders demanded an invitation for the so-called Gang of Eight, a bipartisan group of senators who have access to the governments most sensitive secrets. Administration officials responded by agreeing to hold two separate meetings Thursday: one for Nunes and the Justice Department, and another for the bipartisan group of senators Thursday afternoon.

This outraged Democrats, who demanded that at least one member of the opposition party be included in the first meeting, so as to ensure that the administration was sharing the same information with Nunes as it was with the Gang of Eight. Ultimately, Democratic congressman Adam B. Schiff was allowed into the briefing with Nunes.

Afterward, Schiff told reporters, Nothing we heard today has changed our view that there is no evidence to support any allegation that the FBI or any intelligence agency placed a spy in the Trump campaign or otherwise failed to follow appropriate procedures and protocols.

But all signs suggest that the president will continue to agree to disagree.

Clapper has now admitted that there was Spying in my campaign. Large dollars were paid to the Spy, far beyond normal. Starting to look like one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history. SPYGATE - a terrible thing!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 24, 2018

Not surprisingly, the GREAT Men & Women of the FBI are starting to speak out against Comey, McCabe and all of the political corruption and poor leadership found within the top ranks of the FBI. Comey was a terrible and corrupt leader who inflicted great pain on the FBI! #SPYGATE  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 24, 2018

And now, he may be able to take advantage of sensitive information shared with his lawyer, as he persists in his quest to undermine the independence of federal law enforcement, and the concept of objective reality.Here at the Strategist, we like to think of ourselves as crazy (in the good way) about the stuff we buy, but as much as wed like to, we cant try everything. Which is why we have Peoples Choice, in which we find the best-reviewed products and single out the most convincing ones. (You can learn more about our rating system and how we pick each item here.)

And while weve written about lots of shaving products  including the best womens facial razors and the best shaving creams for men  here weve rounded up the best shaving creams and gels as praised by the most enthusiastic reviewers on Amazon.

Best-rated shaving cream

Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Shaving Cream $17 4,4 stars, 4,844 reviews $17 Hundreds of reviewers mention that this shaving cream takes them back in time. Im 50 years old, and I can still remember what an old-tyme barber shop (not a hairstylist) smells like, and it smells just like this, one writes. Another says, This is exactly what I would expect an old barber shop in 19th-century England to smell like. Many reviewers apply this shaving cream with a brush and use a double-edged safety razor, which several admit is time-consuming, but reviewers think its worth it. Yes, its old-fashioned  but well worth every minute, one writes. Slow down, savor the ritual, and treat yourself to a delightful shaving experience. Consider letting go of the scrape the face with a disposable as fast as possible rush, and make those moments yours again, to enjoy and ready yourself for  life. Dozens say this luxurious process is still pretty simple, even for double-edged razor novices. This stuff lathers for days, one shopper writes. If youre new to DE shaving and havent quite mastered how to lather other soaps, try this one. Its very, very easy to get great results by adding a few drops of water at a time. You could use this and a cheap badger brush and get the best shave of your life. $17 at Amazon Buy $13 at Walmart Buy

Best-rated (less expensive) shaving cream

Eos Ultra Moisturizing Shave Cream 4.4 stars, 115 reviews $7 The consensus among reviewers is that this shaving cream is moisturizing. Its 100x more moisturizing than any cream Ive used before, and the smell is so much better and less chemically than Skintimate and other top competitors, one enthusiastic user writes. I received a bottle from a friend who swore by it and wanted to change my life and [I would] thank her later. I totally did. This stuff will leave your legs as smooth as the day you were born. Another compares the non-foaming formula to a smooth and silky lotion, which is easier to see your legs [through,] and its actually preferable since you can see the hair underneath or anything you miss. One shopper who admits to using their husbands reject shaving cream before Eos is also sold. This is the first shaving cream Ive bought in 10 years, and I love it! So smooth, easy pump, and container doesnt get too gross over time. $7 at Amazon Buy

And now some micro-picks for every type of shaving cream you might be looking for.

Best mens shaving cream

Proraso Shaving Cream, Refreshing and Toning, 5.2 oz. 4.5 stars, 2,353 reviews $10 Just like the mens-grooming and shaving experts we polled, the everyday user also believes this is the best shaving cream. Many reviewers praise the soothing eucalyptus as a big selling point. The cooling sensation of the menthol combined with refreshing scent of eucalyptus is just too nice for me to want any other product, one writes. The lather is also superb on this. Other products go on seemingly thick but seem to dissolve into thin air, but this always stays nice and thick on my face and neck. Another notes, This stuff results in no stubble or ingrown hairs and a silky-smooth, close shave. While Proraso is marketed to men, ladies have found it works just as well on their skin. One review, titled LADIES, this will get your pits SMOOTH AF, reads, Stop buying womens shaving cream. This stuff is the real deal. You know how when a guy shaves and his skin is tight and smooth but also soft and smells like the dad you never had? You can have that  on your pits. $10 at Amazon Buy $10 at Saks Fifth Avenue Buy

Best shaving cream for cheap razors

The Art of Shaving Shaving Cream $25 now 4% off 4.6 stars, 656 reviews $24 Many reviewers say this cream is so good you even get great results with cheaper tools. Finally, one writes, after shaving for 20+ years, I finally found a cream that helps even the cheapo disposable razors glide smoothly across your face. Another said, Even with a cheap razor, I had the best shave of my life. Those who practice the traditional art of shaving recommend using a brush to apply the cream, which is another expense, but one reviewer finds this one lathers up perfectly when he just uses his hands, remarking, I like that you dont necessarily need that fancy badger brush to agitate it into a fine foam. A majority of the 70 percent of reviewers who gave this cream five stars love the sandalwood fragrance, best described by a shopper who writes, The scent is light enough to not be bothersome in any way yet good enough for my wife to absolutely love it after I shave. $24 at Amazon Buy

Best shaving cream for ingrown hairs

Neutrogena Men Skin-Clearing Shave Cream 4.3 stars, 552 reviews $30 One user thinks this shaving cream has the power to start a movement: No messy foam. Cleanup is no longer a problem. If more men tried this product, there could be a revolution in the shaving world! Others are fans of the non-foaming formula. I discovered that I prefer it to shaving cream because there isnt a large amount of foam on your face and its easier to see where youre shaving, one writes. A majority of reviewers praise this shaving cream more for its ability to neutralize ingrown hairs. Ive been using this for years, after a family member sent it to me while on deployment, one writes. I always had issues with razor burn, ingrown hairs, and blemishes. But this cream reduced those issues. While many reviewers have been fans of the product for years, you dont have to wait that long to see results: One who suffered bad razor burn and some ingrown hairs has already noticed massive improvement after just two shaves. $30 at Amazon Buy

Best natural shaving cream

Pacific Shaving Company Natural Shaving Cream 4.4 stars, 730 reviews $9 Over 70 percent of reviewers give this shaving cream five stars, hundreds of whom agree that this tube is long-lasting. This is the BEST shaving cream I have ever used, one writes. And let me tell you, they mean it when they say a little goes a long way. I use a pea-size amount for each leg, and thats enough! It lathers wonderfully and moisturizes. Another says, It spreads on and protects perfectly with a tiny amount. A tube lasts well over two months, and thats with me shaving six days a week. This creams vegan, all-natural formula also gets the seal of approval. Take a peek at the ingredient list; youll be instantly soothed by the natural ingredients that you can actually understand, one reviewer says. I had to double-check to make sure it was not a synthetic fragrance, but HOLY COW the scent is a bunch of natural essential oils and extracts. $9 at Amazon Buy

Best all-over shaving cream

Cremo Original Shave Cream 4.3 stars, 2,888 reviews $5 This cream has given me, without question, the best shaving experience I have had in my adult life, writes one satisfied customer. And based on the reviews, this shaving cream isnt just for beards. Reviewers report using it on every hairy patch from the head on down. I shave my head and face so I take shaving seriously, and this is my stuff right now, one user writes. Cheaper than Proraso. Easier to get than Proraso and, for me, similar, maybe better results. My face is as smooth as a babys you know what. Another says, As a woman with PCOS, I have had to shave twice a day for many years, as I have always been so self-conscious about facial hair showing or being felt on my chin, but now I can literally go for 24 hours with no trace at all. One thinks it even helps keep her skin moisturized: It creates a very thin layer of protection between the razor and my legs, and it leaves my skin smooth and hydrated. While all of thats great, David Walters, who wrote for the Strategist, believes this creams greatest triumph is that this shit lasts forever: Ive been working on the same six-ounce tube for a year and a half, whereas a typical tube of the other gloop would last me three months, tops. That is witchcraft. $5 at Amazon Buy

Best bikini-line shaving cream

Coochy Plus Intimate Shaving Cream 4.3 stars, 166 reviews $14 Its called Coochy Cream for a reason, says one reviewer. Works great on your coochy. As someone whos suffered through A LOT of bad products, I can assure you this is one of the good ones. Many give this product five stars because it doesnt irritate their skin and leaves them razor-burn free. This product actually does as promised and has left my uhm  area smoother than smooth and without all the unwanted aftereffects you get with some other products, says one satisfied shopper. Another writes, No bumps, no burn, no ingrown hairs! While this product is made specifically for the bikini area, many reviewers note that it works well everywhere, for everyone. My boyfriend had TERRIBLE razor burn and had prescriptions for his face for it, one writes. I got him this shaving cream a couple years ago and its changed his shave completely. No more razor burn and a smooth shave. $14 at Amazon Buy

Best shaving soap

Lather & Wood Shaving Soap $30 now 43% off 4.4 stars, 813 reviews $17 Over 70 percent of reviewers gave this soap a five-star rating, and many mention how easily this soap lathers, leading one reviewer to deem it great for first-timers: I was surprised by just how much water you can add, and this soap still makes a great-quality lather. This is helpful for those of us still learning this way of shaving. But seasoned shavers love it just as much. In over 30 years of shaving, this was the first time using something other than cheap canned shave cream. I wanted to try the whole brush thing and I wasnt expecting anything big by using this shaving soap, but holy cow, what a difference! The double-edge blade glided over the skin without irritation. I never wouldve thought a difference in shaving cream/soap wouldve made such a positive impact. This made shaving pleasant again and not just a chore. The sandalwood scent is another selling point for many users, like one who admits, I bought this after getting Lather & Wood aftershave balm for Christmas and liked the scent so much I wanted to have the matching soap  I was not disappointed. Its of excellent quality and provides a smooth shave with a very pleasant smell. It can hold a ton of water, so lathering is easy and voluminous. $17 at Amazon Buy

Best shaving gel for sensitive skin

Gillette Satin Care Womens Shave Gel, Ultrasensitive, 7 oz., Pack of 2 4.7 stars, 322 reviews $4 for 2 Reviewers with sensitive skin offer generous praise for this shaving gel. Im hooked on it for both price and convenience, says one. I have really dry and sensitive skin and have tried too many to count. I wont go back to another. Echoing this, other shoppers love the value of this item. One who claims to be a very brand-loyal person switched because of the price and quality. For one who says theyve never been a big shave gel user, this gel made them sing a different tune: Im definitely converted. Smells great and seems to offer a smoother shave than other gels Ive used in the past. Plus, my skin is not nearly as dried out afterward. Although its marketed as a womens shaving cream, it works just fine for men, too. My husband uses this for his head when he shaves, one reviewer writes. It leaves his head feeling so soft, and he does not get bumps from shaving  Me and my daughter race to feel his head right after he shaves it. $4 for 2 at Amazon Buy

Best shaving gel to buy in bulk

Gillette Series Shaving Gel Sensitive Skin 7 oz (Pack of 6) $24 now 50% off 4.4 stars, 678 reviews $12 for 6 Great shaving gel, one reviewer writes. I have very sensitive [skin], and this gel keeps my legs moist while I shave them and does not dry my skin. A little goes a long way. Another claims to have no more cuts [and] no more irritation, while a third notes that the consistency is thin enough not to get clogged in multiblade razors but thick enough to keep your skin moisturized. As happy as reviewers are about the product, they are even more hyped up about the price: Gillette shaving gel, pack of six, for $11! What a deal at a $1.83 each, nice bargain. Even if you were able to find a cheaper version, one reviewer strongly recommends against it: Its Gillette, they practically invented shaving. Just go with them, not some imitation. Its your skin, for Gods sake. Dont be cheap. $12 for 6 at Amazon Buy

Best shaving gel for dry skin

Skintimate Raspberry Rain Shave Gel $7 now 14% off 4.5 stars, 225 reviews $6 for 2 Since the day I started to grow hair till this day, I have yet to find a better shaving cream, one user writes. A common theme among reviewers is that this moisturizing shaving gel is a dream for dry skin. I used to have dry skin on my legs, but this gel seems to keep my legs hydrated, says one, while dozens more note how silky and smooth their skin is afterward. Works great, makes my legs silky soft, helps give me a nice close shave, and a great price, one writes. Another even says its so hydrating they dont have to put lotion on each time they shave. $6 for 2 at Amazon Buy

Best fragrance-free shaving gel

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Warnings of a Russian hypersonic weapon that the U.S. can't defend against may have had you running for the bomb shelter last week. But what, exactly, is this weapon, and how does it work?

Russian President Vladimir Putin first announced the hypersonic weapon, code-named Avangard, in a speech in March. Last week, U.S. intelligence sources told CNBC that the weapon had been successfully tested a number of times and could be operational by 2020.

The Russians have released few concrete details about the weapon, but from the information available, it appears the weapon is a so-called hypersonic glide vehicle, said Thomas Juliano, an assistant professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Notre Dame who specializes in hypersonic flight.

Putin has claimed that the vehicle is capable of reaching speeds of Mach 20  or 20 times the speed of sound  and could evade current U.S. missile defense systems. Worryingly, the vehicle can supposedly carry a nuclear warhead, according to the intelligence sources. [7 Technologies That Transformed Warfare]

Rather than generating its own power to reach hypersonic speeds, the glide vehicle catches a ride atop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Typically, these rockets fly to space on an arcing trajectory before releasing warheads near the top of the parabola, and these warheads drop back down onto the target at hypersonic speeds under the power of gravity.

Rather than falling back to Earth, though, Avangard reenters the atmosphere at an angle and its aerodynamic shape generates lift that lets it glide down at hypersonic speeds, says Juliano, which allows it to travel further farther and maneuver as it descends.

Hyper engineering

The vehicle appears to follow a design known as a "waverider," Juliano said. Waveriders are hypersonic aircraft that have wedge-shaped fuselages specially designed to generate lift by surfing on the shock wave generated as its own aircraft punches through the air at a high speed.

This is important at higher altitudes, where air density is low, making it difficult to generate lift with conventional wing designs. And because it doesn't need large wings, the vehicle is more streamlined, and the reduced drag allows it to maintain its speed over a much longer distance, Juliano said.

Building a vehicle that can tolerate hypersonic speeds and the temperatures they generate is no easy feat, Juliano said. But the design the Russians have opted for circumvents one of the major challenges: propulsion. [Photos: Hypersonic Jet Could Fly 10 Times the Speed of Sound]

"Designing a successful propulsion system at Mach 10 or above is extraordinarily challenging," he said. "By putting the glider on top of an ICBM, you avoid the need to design a successful hypersonic air-breathing engine."

Controlling a vehicle at such high speeds is still incredibly tricky, though.The Russians claim that Avangard is highly maneuverable, and based on computer-generated video included in Putin's address, it appears to have several flaps similar to the aerofoils used by planes to change direction.

Adjusting the aerofoils at hypersonic speeds is not a trivial task, because the shock wave can have complex interactions with the air flowing over the vehicle's surfaces, resulting in "nonlinear" behavior, Juliano said.

That means tiny adjustments can have outsize impacts, which makes it very tricky to calculate how much to move a flap or aerofoil. "It has to be precise, it has to operate quickly and it's a much harder environment to predict," he said.

Nonetheless, Juliano thinks the Russian claims are credible, as the technology has been in development for some time. The U.S. tested its own version, dubbed Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2, in 2010 and 2011, but both flights were failures. And China also has an experimental system, code-named DF-ZF.

What is it for?

Russian efforts to develop hypersonic glide vehicles are explicitly aimed at evading U.S. missile defense systems, said Pavel Podvig, an independent analyst who specializes in Russia's nuclear arsenal. [Could the US Stop Nuclear Weapons?]

Current U.S. defenses are designed to take out conventional warheads from ICBMs on predictable ballistic trajectories while they are still in space; these defenses are not well suited to intercept weapons coming in on a high-speed glide in the atmosphere, Podvig said. And unlike traditional warheads, the vehicles will be capable of maneuvering around defenses.

But Podvig said it's not clear if the weapons really provide useful additional military capabilities. "It has been described as a weapon in search of a mission," he told Live Science. "My take is, you don't really need this kind of capability. It doesn't really change much in terms of ability to hit targets."

Podvig pointed out that the ICBM that carried the Avangard during testing, the SS-19, normally carries six conventional warheads. If the goal is to counter missile defense systems, it would be just as easy to overwhelm them with a greater number of standard warheads, he said.

But such weapons could breed dangerous uncertainty, Podvig said, because they aren't covered by arms-control treaties such as New START, which require countries to report the number, type and location of nuclear-capable weapons like ICBMs. In addition, the capabilities and potential uses of hypersonic gliders are still unclear.

"These systemscreate greater risks of miscalculation," Podvig said, "and it's not clear if we can effectively deal with those risks."

In an effort to reduce some of that uncertainty, the Pentagon is reportedly considering fielding space-based sensors to spot hypersonic weapons, according to Space News. The approach would require a costly constellation of satellites, but would be better at spotting weapons gliding in the upper atmosphere and could also see farther than land-based systems limited by the horizon.

Podvig says a properly designed system of this kind should be able to detect hypersonic weapons in flight, but it's not clear this would make it any easier to intercept such fast and maneuverable vehicles.

Originally published on Live Science.When red-hot lava buries plants and shrubs, the burning vegetation produces methane, a colorless gas that burns blue, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

When methane is heated, it can seep into voids below the surface  in this case, the cracks on Kahukai Street in the residential area of Leilani Estates. Heated methane can explode, but when it was ignited on Tuesday night, its blue flames simply burned out of the fractures in the road, several feet away from the lava, the USGS reported. [Photos: Fiery Lava from Kilauea Volcano Erupts on Hawaii's Big Island]

"It's very dramatic. It's very eerie," Jim Kauahikaua, a USGS scientist, told the Associated Press. This is only the second time in his career that he's seen blue flames during an eruption, Kauahikaua said.

These eerie blue flames are actually burning methane. (Image credit: U.S Geological Survey)

About 2,000 people have evacuated from Leilani Estates and adjacent neighborhoods since the Kilauea volcano began erupting in early May. More than 20 fissures have opened, pouring lava and volcanic gases such as sulfur dioxide into the area.

One man was even hit on the leg by a "lava bomb"  a glob of molten lava that was ejected from the volcano  and lived to tell the tale. The eruption has destroyed about 50 buildings, including about two dozen homes.

This map shows current and historical lava flows on Hawaii's Big Island. The blue flames burned in the Leilani Estates. The light purple areas on the map show where lava flows erupted in 1840, 1955, 1960 and 2014-15. The pink and red areas show where lava has flowed, and is flowing, during this eruption. (Image credit: U.S Geological Survey)

Original article on Live Science.Arizona's education officials want to erase "evolution" from the state's education standards. Darwin is not amused.

Evolution may soon have a severely diminished role in Arizona science classrooms if proposed changes to the state's educational standards are approved.

According to a report by Capitol Media Services published in the Arizona Daily Star, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas has proposed to largely eliminate mentions of the word "evolution" from the state's educational standards, instead replacing them with phrases like "change over time," "biological diversity" and "change in genetic composition."

The few explicit mentions of evolution left in the state code would acknowledge the process as a "theory," the Star reported.

"Evolution is a theory in many ways," Douglas told Capitol Media Services. "That's what our children should understand."

Evolution  the process by which heritable traits change in animal populations over successive generations  is a widely-accepted scientific fact backed by extensive fossil evidence. More than 98 percent of scientists agreed with the statment that humans evolved over time, according to a 2017 Pew Resarch Center survey, but it remains a controversial topic among many in the general public.

Changing the verbiage in Arizona's educational standards would not prohibit science educators from teaching evolution in public schools but could allow them to largely skip over it in their curriculum, or teach it as a "theory" alongside several other alternatives, including the religion-based theory of intelligent design, Capitol Media reported.

Other proposed changes to the educational standards would repeal mentions of the Big Bang theory and replace it with "theories related to the scale and expansion of the Universe," Capitol Media reported.

Most states set educational standards to set benchmarks for what students should learn at various points in their education. These standards can affect everything from teachers' lesson plans to what kinds of textbooks are available to students to the standardized tests students are able to receive, Ars Technica reported.

School attendance is compulsory for students between the ages of 6 and 16 in Arizona, and more than 1,000,000 students are enrolled in the state's public schools, according to BallotPedia.

Arizona residents can submit their comments on the changes via an online form until the public comment period closes on May 28.AFP / Getty Images

In a Thursday morning ceremony at the historic Hofburg imperial palace in Vienna, San Francisco tech entrepreneur and socialite Trevor D. Traina was officially installed as the U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Austria.

Though Traina was approved by a unanimous voice vote of the United States Senate in March, he could not officially go to work in Austria until his credentials, in the form of a sealed letter from the president of the United States, were accepted by Dr. Alexander Van der Bellen, federal president of the Republic of Austria. The ceremony took a half-hour, according to Daniel S. Mattern, public affairs official with the American embassy.In a mere eight days, we lost two titans of American letters: first, the dapper Tom Wolfe on May 14 and then the acerbic Philip Roth on May 22. As is customary with the passing of any great artist, within the void they leave behind is born a renewed interest in their work-and an ever-decreasing supply of signed first editions.

For the next three days, highlights of the Western canon will be displayed, appraised, and haggled over at the Antiquarian Booksellers Association Rare Book Fair London. Held in the city's sparkling new Battersea Evolution, it's one of the largest and most prestigious bibliophilic happenings in the world. The price is already set for J.R.R. Tolkien (a first edition of The Hobbit is expected to fetch over $13,000), but who can say how the market will respond to the recently departed Wolfe and Roth.

"I saw dozens of signed Tom Wolfe books get purchased in the forty-eight hours after his death," says Richard Davies, public relations and publicity manager at AbeBooks, an online dealer in used, rare, and collectible books, and sponsor of Rare Book Fair's Vintage Corner. "I expect a similar reaction to Philip Roth." Prices will rise; it's simple economics. "Both Roth and Wolfe were generous book signers, and copies are plentiful," he adds. But supply of signed copies just halted, and increased demand has only begun.

"Bonfire of the Vanities" may have been about junk bonds, though the book itself will probably never behave like one. Individual authors and genres trend up and down, yet, according to Rare Books Digest: "We have no expectation of drastic shifts in the rare book market; a market characterized as being 'slow but steady.'"

Do you have a signed first edition of "Goodbye, Columbus," Roth's literary debut, which won the 1960 National Book Award? Good for you, because the rest of us will have to pony up $6,500 for a copy in good condition. On the bargain rack, a signed, leather-bound "The Human Stain" will set you back only $649.95.

But maybe you've still got a dusty, 1997 copy of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" on your now-grown daughter's shelf in her ne'er used room at home. "A lot of people don't know that they're sitting on rare books," says Leigh Altshuler, communications director for Strand Book Store in New York. "That Harry Potter may actually be a valuable first edition."

No one can predict which genres or authors will trend in the near future, but keep in mind that for a book to be collectible and or rare it does not necessarily have to be old. Lately, art books are gaining traction among collectors. "We see less demands for simply old books, and more for visually captivating books," says Altshuler. Think "Tender is the Night" with a beautiful dust jacket, or neo-coloring books from graphic artists. "You're getting a twofer," she says. "It's an author and the signature of an artist."

Still, first editions and signed copies are the two cornerstones of the rare book business. And as with wines or cars or watches, there are unicorns: "A first edition of 'The Great Gatsby,'" says Davies, "is a very rare book, and the presence of a jacket in fine condition would add about $100,000 to its value." Don't expect to find one on EBay. According to market analysis from Rare Books Digest: "Scarce first editions; first issue of important, original, limited availability, collectible authors', one-of-a-kind treasures  this elite category of books is in-fact moving slowly towards extinction."

Condition is vital, but so is the inscription. Next time you're standing in line at a book signing, ask the author to draw a picture or inscribe something witty that stands out. It adds value. "Jeff VanderMeer inscribed copies of Borne with illustrations," says Altshuler. "Poet Patricia Lockwood drew characters from Priestdaddy." Again, added value. "Last week, a signed first edition of The Right Stuff sold for $3,500," says Davies. It had been signed by Wolfe, Chuck Yeager, and John Glenn, skyrocketing its price past that of a generic signed copy with some hasty John Hancock from Wolfe.

The top of this signed book pyramid is called a dedication copy, meaning it's signed on the dedication page and inscribed to the person for whom the author dedicated the book. There are, understandably, not many of these on the market. Want one? Winnie the Pooh fans can own A.A. Milne's wife's own copy of "Birthday Party and Other Stories" for $2,250. Or, for an easy $125, you can add to your nightstand Helen Reynolds' 1958 "Music for Melanie," inscribed by the author to her sister-in-law, Jean.

Ultimately, sellers advise, buy what you love. Although investing in books can make you money, profits shouldn't be the motivation. "It's like the stock market," says Davies. "A book value's can decrease as well as increase." As for how to get started, "If you really want that particular book, you can get instant gratification via websites like ours," she says, but don't neglect the old fashioned shoe-leather search for treasures buried in thrift shops and yard sales. Who knows? Maybe you'll find something worthy of the Strand's third-floor Rare Book Room, where a signed copy of James Joyce's "Ulysses" is also illustrated and signed by Henri Matisse. It can be yours for a mere $45,000.When Army Capt. William Mitchell set off on a two-year inspection tour of Japan, China and Manchuria in 1911, he was determined to learn what the future held for the United States  especially from Japan.

Billy Mitchell had already served in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. With a gift for prophecy and a passion for flight, he believed that future conflicts would take place in the air, not on the ground.

Upon his return from the Far East, Mitchell filed a detailed report with the Armys General Staff, warning that a Japanese-U.S. war was inevitable and criticizing the unpreparedness of the U.S. military in the Pacific and Hawaiian islands. His report was filed and forgotten.

In World War I, Mitchells belief in air power was confirmed. As commander of the Allied air forces, he launched offensives with nearly 1,500 British, French and Italian aircraft, destroying German control of the Saint-Mihiel area in Eastern France.

Covered with medals and hailed as a hero, Mitchell continued his push for air power. He had many supporters, including Gen. Henry Hap Arnold. But the U.S. Navy refused to acknowledge the end of sea power supremacy. In 1921, Mitchell organized a bombing demonstration to show that aircraft could defend a coastline more effectively than coastal guns and naval vessels. It was a huge victory for air power but a blow to naval supremacy and the navys self-esteem.

After a 1924 mission to the Far East, Mitchell had even more specific details about a Japanese attack. [It is] to be made on Fords Island at 7:30 a.m., he wrote.

His detractors, already humiliated by the bombing tests, called him deranged and referred to his proposals as the Flying Trash Pile. Mitchell countered, accusing his superiors of almost treasonable administration of the national defense. Demoted from brigadier general to colonel and banished to a backwater station in Texas (San Antonios Fort Sam Houston), he was court-martialed in 1925. Despite a brilliant defense and a feeble prosecution, he was found guilty and suspended from active duty for five years without pay. Mitchell resigned instead in February 1926. He kept up the crusade but did not live to see his predictions confirmed, dying in 1936 at age 56.

On December 7, 1941, the first bombs fell on Hawaiis Ford Island, adjacent to Pearl Harbor, at 7:55 a.m.  only 25 minutes off Mitchells forecast time.

Allied aircraft entering the war included the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the only aircraft named after an individual. And in 1946, Billy Mitchell was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor.

More Information Predicting Pearl Harbor: Billy Mitchell and the Path to War By Ronald J. Drez Pelican Publishing, $28.95 See More Collapse

Author and historian Ronald Drez designed the Band of Brothers tour with his late associate Stephen Ambrose and now leads World War II Pacific tours. His extensive research into the pre-World War II era and the career of Mitchell has produced a balanced profile of a military aviation pioneer and patriot who tried  and failed  to warn our country of an attack on Pearl Harbor almost two decades before it occurred.

Judyth Rigler, Express-News book editor from 1987 to 2000, now lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She recently returned from a trip to Pearl Harbor, Guam, Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima.In Death Row: The Final Minutes, Michelle Lyons writes that she once watched a journalist who had witnessed hundreds of executions being interviewed by a TV news crew. Asked his thoughts about being present for so many deaths, he said, My only thoughts are about getting the story out. Being married to a journalist, I understand this kind of thinking. A good reporter somehow finds a way to stay emotionally detached from his or her subject matter in order to remain objective.

As a journalist and later a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), Lyons estimates she witnessed as many as 500 executions in Huntsville. Though she denies it, witnessing these deaths clearly had an emotional impact on Lyons. In fact, the book is less about the death penalty per se, and more about both Lyons internal battles regarding capital punishment, and her external battles with a flawed justice system that came after her for refusing to play the bureaucratic game, and then hung her out to dry.Sharjah Light Festival at the Islamic Museum of Civilization in Sharjah, UAE. Photo: Andrey Nekrasov/Getty Images/imageBROKER RM

If you need a change of scenery and have anything from an afternoon to a full day on your hands, rent a car, put on some tunes, and start exploring the seven emirates. To the south of Dubai is Abu Dhabi and Al Ain (which, strictly speaking, is still in the Abu Dhabi emirate but located farther east). To the north is Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, and the mountainous Ras Al Khaimah. Then across the country on the east coast is the sleepy Fujairah emirate. The roads are well-maintained across the UAE, so you can move seamlessly between emirates. Here, five longtime residents share their top road-trip recommendations.

Louvre Abu Dhabi. Photo: Tom Dulat/Getty Images

Louvre Abu Dhabi

One hour from city center

The new museum is made up of 23 interconnected gallery spaces nestled beneath a vast perforated dome that allows shafts of sunlight to penetrate the open areas. For me, a significant part of the museum experience lies in the way the art and artifacts are displayed presented within beautifully crafted and detailed vitrines. Jonathan Ashmore, founder and director of architecture practice ANARCHITECT

Sandy Beach Hotel, with Snoopy Island in the distance. Photo: Courtesy of Sandy Beach Hotel

Snoopy Island

Two hours from city center

For diving enthusiasts like me, the UAE has some surprisingly beautiful sites, mainly in the emirate of Fujairah. Sandy Beach Hotel is about as far away from a five-star, Dubai-style resort as you can get and thats part of its charm. Think Hotel California with a hint of Russian tourist vodka and a dash of Indian Keralan hospitality. I like it because its great value for money, the staff are friendly, the beer is mostly cold, and the dive center is a one-minute walk from the bar. But the reason most people come to Fujairah is to swim, snorkel, or scuba around Snoopy Island, which sits about 164 feet offshore. Affectionately named after its uncanny resemblance to the cartoon character sleeping on the roof of his dog house, the little islands rocky bottom is home to a variety of fish. Its not uncommon to spot black-tip reef sharks or turtles around the area, too. Its a special place for me because I can dive and my friends can snorkel or sunbathe on the beach. In the evening, before coming home, we always pay a visit to Gonu Bar and Grill and Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, just down the road. Its as close to a Sri Lankan beach shack as youll get in the UAE, and the Omani lobster is excellent. Antonie Robertson, photographer

Hatta. Photo: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Hatta

90 minutes from city center

A leisurely drive through the Hajar mountains, and youll arrive in picture-perfect Hatta, Dubais latest outdoor adventure hub. Surrounded by mountains and filled with turquoise water, the Hatta Dam is great for kayaking. Its surprising how much wildlife youll see, especially birds. You can also attempt the 31-mile Hatta Mountain Bike Trail or a 6.2-mile hike past Hatta Heritage village. It feels almost like proper nature. Luke Morris, founder of sunglasses brand Wild Wood

Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization. Photo: John Elk/Getty Images/Lonely Planet Image

Sharjah

30 minutes from city center

This emirate is recognized as the cultural capital of the UAE, and for good reason: There are more than a dozen museums and galleries here, including the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization and Sharjah Heritage Museum. My favorite is the Sharjah Art Foundation, which showcases a myriad on conceptual works by both emerging and established artists. The exhibition space itself is visually stunning, connected by open-air courtyards and roof-top terraces. Its wonderful to walk around breathing in the heritage of Sharjah. Nikki Meftah, co-founder of online art gallery Emergeast

Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah. Photo: OMAR DAKHANE/Getty Images

Jebel Jais

Two and a half hours from city center

Head for the highest mountain range in the UAE and be one of the first to ride the worlds longest zip line. Located in Ras Al Khaimah, the northernmost emirate is slowly establishing itself as a serious outdoor adventure destination with hundreds of cyclists taking on the wickedly winding roads up to the top of Jebel Jais (the highest mountain at 3,392 feet). Others also hike, rock climb, or via ferrata [a protected climbing route that uses steel cables to aid climbers]. Alternatively, you can take a Jebel Jais Flight. Run by Toroverde Ras Al Khaimah, the friendly team strap you in head-first onto one of two zip lines, each reaching speeds of up to 93 miles per hour. They zip you high above the jagged hills and mountain goats, stopping on a suspended podium before taking you to a second seated zip line. Fadi Hachicho, founder of Adventurati Outdoor ToursPluckers Wing Bar isnt about to put all of its San Antonio eggs into a single basket.

As the popular Austin-based restaurant and bar nears the opening of its Selma location off Interstate 35 in mid- to late June, the company announced Thursday that a second area location will be built in the Landmark Center on the southeast corner of Loop 1604 and Interstate 10 near the University of Texas at San Antonio.All too often around Memorial Day we tend to forget exactly why the holiday was created: to honor those American men and women who died during combat.

The holiday, instituted in 1866 in the wake of the Civil War, was first known as Decoration Day. It was set aside to remember both Union and Confederate soldiers alike.

VINTAGE PICS: How Texas reacted to and benefited from World War II

More Americans were lost during the Civil War (620,000) than died in both World Wars combined (521,000). Factor in the differences in population and you can imagine how hard of a hit the war between the north and the south was on the country itself.

By the 1880s, the holiday came to be known officially as Memorial Day. A federal mandate in 1971 set the observance on the last Monday of May. This ensured long weekends for those of us lucky to have the day off to grill, travel, visit with friends and family, and do whatever else we want on Memorial Day.

Given that it's also the traditional beginning of the summer season, there seems to be some confusion by the general public over what the holiday honors.

To put it simply, Memorial Day is for the American troops who didn't get to come back home and drink a beer at a homecoming party or retire from their branch of service quietly.

They died in the field of combat and instead returned home under solemn circumstances, inside flag-draped coffins.

Veteran's Day and Armed Forces Day, by contrast, both honor those among us who have served or are still serving in the military. On those days -- and of course not just those days -- we reach out to vets and current military members and thank them for wearing the uniform and facing grave danger.

TEXAS FOREVER: Vintage World War II photos show Texas military base preparing for war

Memorial Day is reserved for those who can't return a smile or a salute, not to mention the families and friends who have been left behind. That's probably why so many people bristle at big business using the weekend to hawk special sales and discounts.

In December 2000, President Bill Clinton signed into law the National Moment of Remembrance Act saying that Americans should pause at 3 p.m. each Memorial Day and take a moment to remember the fallen.

This usually comes right when some of us are spending time with our families, so set a reminder on your smartphone if you want to take a minute to think about what, and who, we have lost.

Fly your American flags at half-staff until noon on Monday, and remember those who didn't come home.

Craig Hlavaty is a reporter for Chron.com and HoustonChronicle.com.Texas City Police Department

A Texas City teacher's aide who allegedly had an intimate relationship with a student has been arrested, according to the Texas City Police Department report

Crystal Nicole Alaniz, 26, of Texas City, is charged with having an improper relationship with an 18-year-old male student while she was working at the Woodrow Wilson Alternative Learning School.I pass by Mandela National Stadium to and from work in the morning and evening respectively.

These days, you dont need to read the signpost to know you are approaching Namboole. The stench from garbage that now surrounds Ugandas only national stadium makes it even more visible. With a few more truckloads of rubbish, Namboole will join Kiteezi as the second biggest landfill in the country.

The rubbish dumped here is sorted and sold to plastic-making companies. Polythene materials and plastic bottles are the most lucrative.

They are washed and packed in bags waiting to be transported. Dealers in rubbish, for lack of a better word, are some of the people who have encroached on the 121 acres of land belonging to the stadium.

This, by the way, is the facility that hosts international matches between Uganda Cranes and other countries. In a way, it is our countrys face that should be very important to our tourism.

Other encroachers include people calling themselves veterans who have constructed 106 mud houses on the part of the stadiums land; and of course, some big shots who include Brig Hudson Mukasa, Mamerito Mugerwa and Capt Haruna Ssemakula.

The rubbish and the veterans shanty houses are near the main road. And Uganda Railways Corporation (URC), recently rescued from Rift Valley Railways, has made Nambooles situation even worse.

The URC has permitted a prominent trader, proprietor of Jokas hotel, to construct a makeshift market opposite one of the gates of the stadium. It is complete chaos.

And because the URC has allowed construction of a market almost next to its track (road), people calling themselves veterans again, and learning from Jokas hotel proprietor, have seized all land next to the railway line around Namboole and are constructing makeshift stalls.

I think in one month, Namboole will completely be sandwiched by makeshift stalls and garbage. Uganda zaabu (Uganda is gold), social media fanatics would say.

How on earth can a sane people allow chaos to reign in their country? We are steadily moving towards the Zimbabwe situation when old man Robert Gabriel Mugabe reigned. You remember his policy on land and how he authourized grabbing.

A senior member of the Buganda royal family once asked me why I was supporting people who had/have encroached on the Kasokoso land. Of course there are encroachers in Kasokoso, but also bona fide occupants. Trouble was that National Housing, which also fraudulently acquired revised interest in the land, wanted to treat everybody as a thief.

In principle, I dont support illegal occupation (encroachment), but I want to admit I cannot stop it. People in privileged positions have grabbed land and buildings belonging to parastatals; how then can we stop ordinary people from grabbing? Grabbing is now an entrenched principle and policy of our rulers. And the ordinary people are learning.

That is why I have difficulties in joining the lynching of Gen Elly Tumwine who has appropriated Nommo gallery  a public facility for which we even have a title. He says Nommo gallery was donated to the artists to whom he belongs. That is the official explanation from Tumwine.

The unofficial explanation is that everybody has helped themselves on a government property. Why then should they harass him when he has taken something small?

That is why on behalf of artists he is enjoying Nommo gallery. It is not impunity; rather, it is a way of life under this government. That is how Shimoni Demonstration School, about 11 acres in the middle of the city, went. That is how Sudhir Ruparelia took those houses near Mulago that used to accommodate CMI.

Nakawa-Naguru estates have ended up in private hands with no money paid. The URC land in Nsambya was parceled and given out. All properties belonging to parastatals in Nakasero, Buganda road and Kololo have been shared and sold by regime henchmen.

Do you remember the story of UTV land in Kololo and Industrial Area? Uganda Broadcasting Services (UBC) owned 49 acres of land in Industrial Area on Kibira road but it was sold to HABA, Hassan Basajjabalabas company. The same UBC owned 19 plots in Ntinda; they were also sold or given out to regimes henchmen.

I think all we can do is to take inventory to recover these properties once the mafia kleptocracy has crumbled. But burning our calories over Tumwine is wastage of time.

The Tumwines think Uganda is their parents estate. That is why they are sharing it right and left. The parent is also helping himself on anything that crosses his path. That is what has befallen us as a nation. Did you see the faces he travelled with to Mozambique? This thing is theirs, and they can choose how to slice and eat it.

semugs@yahoo.com

The author is Kira Municipality MP and opposition chief whip in parliament.WASHINGTON - Justice Department and intelligence community leaders conferred twice with top Republican and Democratic lawmakers Thursday, hoping to defuse a partisan conflict over the FBI's use of a confidential source to aid the investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia.

After hours of discussion, though, there seemed to be little in the way of resolution. Instead, the meetings spawned classic Washington fights over who was there, who wasn't, and how it all might look.

Contradicting its earlier position, the White House allowed top Democrats to join their Republican colleagues, and also dispatched two of its own representatives - Chief of Staff John Kelly and White House lawyer Emmet Flood - to relay a message from the president.

That raised some suspicion, as the matter being discussed concerned an ongoing criminal investigation involving the Trump campaign. Even Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told a reporter that the presence of Flood, who is handling the White House response to the special counsel investigation, was "a bit odd."

House Intelligence Committee ranking Democrat Adam Schiff, Calif., said in a statement that Flood's "involvement - in any capacity - was entirely improper, and I made this clear to him."

"His presence only underscores what Rudy Giuliani said: the President's legal team expects to use information gleaned improperly from the Justice Department or the President's allies in Congress to their legal advantage," Schiff said. Giuliani joined the president's legal team last month.

The White House insisted that Flood and Kelly made only "brief remarks before the meetings started to relay the President's desire for as much openness as possible under the law."

The first briefing, which lasted about an hour at the Justice Department, went to Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., and Schiff. The second, which lasted slightly longer on Capitol Hill, went to the Gang of Eight, which includes the Republican and Democratic leadership in the House and Senate, as well as the top Republicans and Democrats on the Intelligence committees. Ryan did not attend the second meeting, citing a scheduling conflict.

Those presenting from the law enforcement and intelligence communities Thursday included Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats.

The FBI's use of the confidential source has roiled Washington for the past week, as President Donald Trump has repeatedly cast the man as a spy implanted in his campaign for political purposes. Nunes has sought documents - over the Justice Department's objection - about the source, even threatening to hold in contempt law enforcement leaders who didn't comply.

The Justice Department already had asked its inspector general to explore Trump's allegation of political spying, though that has done little to appease the president and his conservative allies.

After meeting with Trump on Monday, Justice Department and FBI officials agreed to speak with Nunes - which they viewed as a small concession, as they had previously offered a briefing that Nunes did not attend.

Some had feared Trump might go a step further and order the department to turn over documents it believed should not go to Nunes. That might have provoked a catastrophic confrontation - with Justice Department leaders quitting in protest or refusing the order and forcing Trump to fire them.

Briefers from the Justice Department brought documents with them to the Gang of Eight meeting, but lawmakers did not ask to see them, two people briefed on the matter said. The people said Nunes said nothing at all at that meeting. In resisting disclosures about the source, officials had cited concerns about his safety and worries about damaging the United States' relationship with intelligence partners.

But after two briefings Thursday, there were no signs of an imminent showdown. Ryan said afterward that the Intelligence Committee had "the responsibility to ask tough questions of the executive branch" and that the Justice Department was cooperating.

"I appreciate the department arranging today's briefing," he said. "As always, I cannot and will not comment on a classified session. I look forward to the prompt completion of the intelligence committee's oversight work in this area now that they are getting the cooperation necessary for them to complete their work while protecting sources and methods."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., declined to comment as he left the classified briefing, but said in an interview with NPR that nothing he heard changed his support for the ongoing Russia probe led by special counsel Robert Mueller III.

"The two investigations going on that I think will give us the answers to the questions that you raise - the [inspector general] investigation in the Justice Department and the Mueller investigation," McConnell told NPR. "I support both of them, and I don't really have anything to add to this subject based upon the Gang of Eight briefing that we had today, which was classified."

Democrats, meanwhile, said that based on the information they had received, the president's claims of a political spy were unsupported.

"Nothing we heard today has changed our view that there is no evidence to support any allegation that the FBI or any intelligence agency placed a spy in the Trump campaign or otherwise failed to follow appropriate procedures and protocols," Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., and Schiff said in a statement.

The FBI's source is Stefan Halper, a former University of Cambridge professor and veteran of past GOP administrations who had contact with three advisers to the campaign when Trump was running for president to discuss foreign policy. Trump has railed about him for days, tweeting just before the meetings Thursday, "Large dollars were paid to the Spy, far beyond normal. Starting to look like one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history. SPYGATE - a terrible thing!"

That allegation, an apparent reference to contracts Halper had with the Defense Department for research, overstates Halper's role based on what is known about him so far. It is common practice for the FBI to use confidential sources to help advance investigations, and they are not considered spies.

The substance of Halper's conduct has been almost a sideshow in recent days, as lawmakers, the White House and the Justice Department have instead debated who would be invited to each briefing, and where they would be held.

The guest lists were uncertain even hours before the meetings were to take place. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had said Tuesday that only Nunes and Gowdy would be briefed, because they were the only ones to request information.

"To my knowledge, the Democrats have not requested that information, so I would refer you back to them on why they would consider themselves randomly invited to see something they've never asked to," she said at the time.

By Wednesday night, the White House had agreed to a separate, later briefing with the Gang of Eight, though that drew fierce criticism from Democrats.

"While it's a good thing that the Gang of Eight will be briefed, the separate meeting with a known partisan whose only intent is to undermine the Mueller investigation makes no sense and should be called off," Schumer said early Thursday. "What is the point of the separate briefing if not to cause partisan trouble?" The senator was apparently referring to Nunes as a "known partisan."

Soon it was made public that Schiff would be allowed to attend the first briefing - meaning both gatherings would be bipartisan. That controversy, though, quickly gave way to a new one, when Flood was spotted leaving the Justice Department after the first meeting had ended.

The White House said in a statement that neither Flood nor Kelly "actually attended the meetings but did make brief remarks before the meetings started to relay the President's desire for as much openness as possible under the law."

"They also conveyed the President's understanding of the need to protect human intelligence services and the importance of communication between the branches of government," the statement said. "After making their brief comments they departed before the meetings officially started."BRUSSELS - A Dutch-led international team of investigators said Thursday that a missile that downed a Malaysia Airlines jetliner over eastern Ukraine in 2014 came from the Russian military, opening the possibility that Dutch prosecutors could sue the Kremlin in connection with the attack that killed all 298 on board.

The long-running inquiry already had established that a Russian-made Buk antiaircraft missile downed Flight 17, but it had not previously made a direct link to the Russian military. The Kremlin always has denied involvement in the incident.

Criminal charges against the Russian military or Russia's government probably would exacerbate tensions between the Kremlin and the West even further, implicating Russian officials in the deaths of European tourists on their way to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The attack on July 17, 2014, led to a crushing round of Western sanctions against Russia.

Since then, the Kremlin has clashed with Europe and the United States over issues such as Russia's support for Syrian leader Bashar Assad, the attempt to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the nerve agent poisoning in March of a former Russian spy in Britain.

The investigative team "has come to the conclusion that the Buk TELAR by which MH17 was downed originated from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade from Kursk, in the Russian Federation," said Wilbert Paulissen, the head of the crime squad of the Dutch national police. "All of the vehicles in the convoy carrying the missile were part of the Russian armed forces."

However, they left open the possibility that the missile could have been fired by another party.

At the time of the attack, eastern Ukraine was seething with multiple armed groups. That spring, separatist fighters opposed to a new pro-Western government in Kiev seized control of broad patches of territory in Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland. They were operating with Russian support, and Western journalists also spotted at least some Russian troops moving into eastern Ukraine that summer. The Russian government has long denied direct involvement in the conflict.

Investigators have been working to determine whether Russian troops shot down the plane or whether it was Ukrainian rebels to whom the antiaircraft system had been supplied. The missile system is technically complex, and Western diplomats have long said they doubted that the rebels would have had the technical expertise to target the high-flying jet.

The investigative team said Thursday that the Buk missile system was towed to Ukrainian territory shortly before the attack and towed back to Russian territory shortly afterward.

Paulissen added that the investigators possessed "legal and convincing evidence that will stand in a courtroom."

Vladimir Chizhov, Russian ambassador to the European Union, dismissed the findings Thursday, saying, "This is an old story that was thrown into the informational environment back then, in 2014," the Interfax news agency reported.

Rebels in eastern Ukraine on Thursday also denied possessing Russian weapons systems, Interfax reported, citing Eduard Basurin, a rebel official.

Flight 17 took off from Amsterdam and passed over eastern Ukraine on its way to Kuala Lumpur, packed with Dutch tourists. In video footage from immediately after it was shot down, rebel fighters can be seen gathering in the sunflower fields where the bulk of the fuselage fell, celebrating what they thought was the downing of a Ukrainian military aircraft. Their celebration turned to concern when they realized that it was a civilian jetliner.

The debris of the plane stretched across dozens of miles. Corpses rotted in the hot July sun. Dutch-language travel guides and card games from the children aboard the flight were scattered across the crash site.

Of the 298 people killed, 196 were Dutch, 42 were Malaysian, and 27 were Australian. The victims represented more than 30 nationalities, including a joint Dutch American citizen.

The investigators Thursday offered only open-source video and photographic evidence to support their conclusion that the missile came from a Russian military antiaircraft system. Portions of the evidence already had been reported by the Bellingcat research group. But the international investigative team said that its findings stood independently and that it possessed additional information to buttress its conclusions that it would announce only in eventual courtroom proceedings.

"We are entering the last phase of the investigation," Dutch prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said.

Anybody charged criminally in connection with downing the plane would face justice in Dutch courts, but it is unlikely that Russia would be willing to extradite citizens to face charges, and eastern Ukraine remains in the hands of pro-Russian rebels, inaccessible to Western law enforcement.

Separately on Thursday, the European Union announced the settlement of a long-running investigation of Gazprom, the Russian natural gas giant, in connection with unfair business practices in Eastern Europe. The seven-year inquiry had deep political implications because Eastern European countries accused the Kremlin of using energy supplies as a weapon against governments that opposed Russian policies.

The settlement announced by Margrethe Vestager, the European Union's antitrust official, allows Gazprom to avoid multibillion-dollar fines in exchange for a pledge to allow gas to flow freely through Eastern Europe at market rates. The measures are intended to help the region, which is highly dependent on Russian gas, to be more resilient against political pressures on energy supplies.WASHINGTON - House Republican leaders have at least temporarily blunted an internal rebellion to force votes next month on protecting young undocumented immigrants from deportation while they negotiate with the GOP renegades on an alternate path forward.

But with conservatives and moderates far apart on crucial provisions, there was little sign Wednesday that the warring factions would be able to reach a workable agreement on a compromise immigration bill.

Immigration has exposed the deep divisions within the GOP, pitting conservative adherents of President Donald Trump's hard-line stance against moderates frustrated by inaction. Last Friday, the Republican unrest sank an unrelated farm bill in a blow to House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who faces a threat to his leadership from the feuding.

Republican leaders fear a tumultuous election-year fight over immigration could cost them their majority in November.

The centrists, who are building support for a maneuver called a discharge petition that would force votes on a series of immigration bills, are pushing for a measure that would provide permanent legal status for the young immigrants, known as "dreamers," including those covered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that Trump has canceled.

But to many conservatives, that would amount to the kind of "amnesty" they have long opposed for immigrants in the country illegally. The bill they favor would instead provide only temporary renewable work permits for DACA recipients.

House leaders have struggled to gather enough votes to pass such a bill after months of internal talks. Now, the discharge petition has brought that effort to a head as moderates push their demands.

A permanent dreamer fix is "essential," said Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., who filed the petition, after emerging from a meeting with Ryan, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., and leaders of the GOP's conservative bloc.

Curbelo said that he and other proponents of the discharge petition remained ready to gather enough signatures to force action next month, but that they were willing to hold off temporarily to negotiate a path forward with GOP leaders.

"We have some time, but we're ready to act at any time," Curbelo said. "We have our own plan, and our leaders want an opportunity to come up with theirs, and we're helping to do that."

One additional Republican signed the petition Wednesday, Rep. Erik Paulsen of Minnesota. Four more GOP signatures are necessary, should all 193 Democrats sign.

The proponents had informally aimed to complete the petition by Thursday, when Congress is set to leave Washington for a week-long recess, which would force votes on June 25 - one of a limited number of days this year when discharged measures can be considered under House rules.

But a Democrat who is working closely with the Republicans leading the effort said GOP leaders had succeeded in slowing down the push.

"It's become tougher," said Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif. "We continue to be optimistic that we'll get there, but it's hard - it's hard to get to 25 or 26 [Republicans]. ... Leadership's working them to try to keep them from signing."

Republicans spent more than an hour in Ryan's office Wednesday trying to forge a solution, with plans to reconvene on Thursday. The backdrop for the negotiations is months of failed internal GOP talks - dating to last August, when Trump announced he was canceling DACA - aimed at assembling a Republican-only immigration bill that could win the necessary 218 votes to pass the House.

That has so far proved to be impossible, though negotiators acknowledge the discharge petition has forced them to give it one last go.

"What I want to see is a conservative bill - a bill that solves the problem, that secures the border, that builds the wall - and we're working with President Trump to get that done," Scalise said after the meeting.

Speaking Wednesday on Long Island, Trump warned of the dangers to the nation from unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the southern border, arguing that they are potentially exposing the country to eventual gang crime.

"We have the worst immigration laws of any country, anywhere in the world," Trump said at a venue chosen due to the impact of the Central American gang MS-13 in the New York region. "They exploited the loopholes in our laws to enter the country as unaccompanied alien minors."

"They look so innocent. They're not innocent," he added.

Republicans are exploring whether they can build support for the foundering immigration bill written by Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, by removing provisions that some GOP members have found problematic. Those include an agricultural guest worker program that would require immigrants to return to their home countries to secure visas and a requirement that employers use a federal database to screen whether their employees are eligible to work.

"I think there is a very narrow sweet spot," said Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., who co-authored the Goodlatte-McCaul legislation. "I still believe in some form of our bill, and I'm encouraging people . . . Tell us exactly what needs to be modified - just like we did on the tax bill, just like we did on the health-care bill - specifics on what it's going to take to get you to get to yes."

But that could be an impossible task, thanks to the divide between Republicans like Curbelo who want a permanent fix for dreamers, including a potential path to citizenship, and a conservative rank and file wary of voting for anything of the sort.

"No pathway to citizenship," said Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, asked to describe what changes he could stomach to the Goodlatte-McCaul bill. "That's a backdoor amnesty. I'm not for that."

The task has been complicated by a slippery definition of what constitutes amnesty and what doesn't. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the influential chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said Wednesday he would oppose a "special pathway to citizenship."

A bill favored by the discharge proponents, for instance, does not explicitly mention citizenship, but it would allow dreamers to eventually secure status as legal permanent residents, who are in turn entitled to apply for citizenship. Meadows could not say whether that constituted a "special path."

Those dynamics have prompted the discharge proponents to look to their left for support, to Democrats who want a permanent solution for the dreamers but also are willing to entertain a compromise on border security.

But that has generated a complication: A trio of Texas Democrats - Reps. Henry Cuellar, Vicente Gonzalez and Filemon Vela, all of whom represent border districts - have so far withheld support for the petition, arguing that it would simply pave the way for the border wall that Trump favors and that they completely reject.

"We're saying, 'Hey, hold it,' " Cuellar said. "I want to help the dreamers, but my issue is, you can't just say, 'Build a wall.' "

The discharge backers said they were not worried about the Democratic holdouts and said that if the negotiations with GOP leaders failed, they are prepared to summon enough signers to force a debate next month. Under the House schedule, they have until June 11 to do so.

"If we do fall short now," Aguilar said, "some members are going to be in an uncomfortable position of having to go home and explain to their constituents why they haven't signed on to this while speaking very publicly that they want a solution."New York

The special prosecutor investigating former state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has started conducting interviews with the women whose allegations of violent slapping, choking and other abuse led to his resignation this month, The Associated Press has learned.

Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas met Wednesday with Michelle Manning Barish, one of the four women whose tales of abuse were the subject of a New Yorker expose on Schneiderman, according to two people familiar with the investigation.

Both people spoke about the interview on the condition of anonymity.

Singas' office declined comment, saying it would not do so until the investigation is finished. A lawyer for Manning Barish was traveling and could not be immediately reached.

Schneiderman, 63, announced his resignation hours after the allegations appeared online in The New Yorker. He implied in a statement that his conduct was either welcomed or was not as the women described.Authorities in Congo began an ambitious campaign this week to use a pioneering Ebola vaccine to help stem a growing outbreak of the deadly virus. It's the first widespread use of the therapeutic since a devastating 2014 epidemic in West Africa and represents a major strategic shift for public health.

World Health Organization officials, criticized for their slow response four years ago, began vaccinating health workers in affected areas Monday and plan to vaccinate about 1,000 people in the next week. More than 7,500 doses have been sent to Congo, and an additional 8,000 doses will be available in the coming days, according to the WHO.

WHO epidemiologist Peter Salama, who is in charge of the United Nations agency's epidemic response, calls the vaccine a "paradigm shift" in fighting the virus, which has caused eight previous outbreaks in Congo since its discovery there in 1976. "Today marks a turning point in how we deal with Ebola. We are moving from a strategy of containment to one of offering communities protection and care," he said.

But enormous challenges lie ahead as officials and others race against the virus to identify people in the high-risk groups being targeted for vaccination: front-line and medical workers, those who had contact with confirmed cases and then contacts of those contacts. The goal is to form a buffer of immune people to rapidly prevent the disease from spreading. The first batch of vaccines - one-dose shots - is enough to vaccinate 50 "rings" of 150 people, officials said.

"No one should underestimate how challenging this all is or expect the vaccine to be the answer to everything," said Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, a British-based global charitable foundation. "It's not like rolling out a routine vaccination program in mothers and newborns. This is a completely different playing field in terms of complexity and difficulty."

The vaccine, which proved highly effective in trials in Guinea and Sierra Leone toward the end of the West Africa epidemic, is considered an investigational therapeutic and not yet licensed. It is being provided at no charge by pharmaceutical giant Merck, while Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is providing $1 million toward the deployment of health workers, transport and other support.

As of Tuesday, according to the WHO, 58 confirmed, probable and suspected cases had been reported, with 27 deaths. Cases have been reported in three locations in the province of Equateur, further complicating outbreak control. At least one death was in Mbandaka, the provincial capital, which also has four confirmed cases. The northwestern port city of 1.2 million people sprawls along the Congo River, and health officials are most concerned about the virus reaching villages along the waterway and through tributaries to the capital of Kinshasa and its population of 10 million, as well as to the neighboring Republic of Congo and Central African Republic.

On Wednesday, there were reports that three infected patients had slipped out of an isolation ward at a hospital in Mbandaka, according to Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF. MSF is involved in the outbreak response. The WHO's representative in Congo told local reporters that one patient was found dead, another was sent back to a hospital and died shortly afterward, and the third is alive and under observation.

The effort's operational and cultural logistics are formidable.

The outbreak's epicenter, the small town of Bikoro in Equateur, is in one of the most remote parts of the country. Few roads are paved; electricity and telecommunications are nonexistent. The vaccines must be transported there while being kept at a temperature of -76 to -112 degrees Fahrenheit. They have been shipped from Geneva in special containers that can retain that temperature for up to six days, but generators also are being flown by helicopter to Bikoro, according to officials working on the response in Kinshasa.

The lack of health infrastructure likely will influence how the vaccine is received by communities, noted Juliet Bedford, director of Anthrologica, a British-based research organization that specializes in applied anthropology in global health.

Across Congo, 40 percent of the communities have discontinued immunizations because of the difficulties in getting and disseminating vaccines, said Bedford, one of the anthropologists who worked with U.N. agencies during the West Africa epidemic. In Equateur, data show that only a third of children have received routine childhood immunizations.

"In the more rural and isolated areas, you are not going to see people who are used to immunizations and vaccinations," she said.

The province is Congo's poorest. More than a dozen languages are spoken among many ethnic groups. Ten percent to 40 percent of the people living in its remote villages and forests are pygmy groups, among the most difficult-to-reach populations, according to Pierre Rollin, a medical epidemiologist and Ebola expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rollin, who is on his way to Mbandaka, is among about a dozen CDC personnel deploying as part of the U.S. response. Some of the agency's experts are part of its office in Congo.

One of the biggest lessons from the West Africa epidemic was the importance of gaining the trust of affected communities by relying on respected village elders and traditional healers. "You have to get that trust in the first five seconds," said Dan Lucey, a Georgetown University infectious disease specialist who worked in Sierra Leone and Liberia during the 2014 epidemic.

Many of the same specialists involved in the Guinea trial with the vaccine - known as rVSV-ZEBOV - have been sent to assist in Congo. Anthropologists are also involved, in part to help with communication. All vaccine recipients are required to sign consent forms saying they have been informed of the potential side effects, including headache, fatigue and mild fever.

"Most people think about vaccines as being for children, so if we are vaccinating adults, that could raise some questions," said Ben Dahl, an epidemiologist on the CDC team in Kinshasa. He took part in the Guinea trial, which saw "quite a bit of demand" once the vaccine was shown to be effective.

Congolese health officials have said health care will be free as a way to encourage people to seek medical care if they are sick. Even so, there are other costs that might prohibit people from getting help - the cost of finding a motorbike ride to a clinic, for example, or of seeking help versus working.

"You lose income because you can't collect firewood that day or go to the market, and maybe you have five children at home to feed," Bedford explained. "Which is why active surveillance and community mobilizers who are familiar local people out on the ground are absolutely critical to containing this outbreak."Washington

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday he's "very hopeful" that a planned U.S.-North Korean summit will proceed but laid the fate of the historic meeting squarely with Kim Jong Un, who won't be reassured by U.S. demands for "rapid denuclearization."

The decision about whether the June 12 meeting in Singapore between Kim and President Donald Trump happens is "ultimately up to Chairman Kim," Pompeo told the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Lawmakers' questioning of Pompeo followed Trump's comment Tuesday that "there's a very substantial chance" the meeting would not proceed as scheduled.

Trump told reporters Wednesday, "Whatever it is, we will know next week about Singapore and if we go I think it will be a great thing for North Korea."

Amid the uncertainty, White House staff members will head to Singapore this weekend to work on logistics for the trip. White House spokesman Raj Shah said the effort would be led by Joe Hagin, deputy chief of staff for operations.

If it goes ahead, it will be first meeting between a U.S. leader and a North Korean leader during more than six decades of hostility, and it would come just months after the North's progress toward attaining a nuclear-tipped missile that could strike America fueled fears of war. But the North unexpectedly pulled out of talks with South Korea last week, objecting to U.S.-South Korean military exercises, and threatened to abandon the Trump-Kim meeting, accusing the U.S. of a "one-sided demand" that it give up its nuclear weapons.

North Korea took particular offense at comments by Trump's national security adviser John Bolton that the U.S. was looking to the example of Libya, which relinquished its nuclear program in the early 2000s in exchange for sanctions relief. Libya's longtime autocratic leader Moammar Gadhafi was killed years later after a Western-backed military intervention.

Pompeo steered away from that comparison, but said the U.S. wants "rapid denuclearization, total and complete, that won't be extended over time."

North Korea, which views its nukes as a guarantee that its authoritarian regime won't go the same way as those in Libya and Iraq, has said it wants a "phased and synchronous" approach to denuclearization.

China's visiting foreign minister said his country supports the summit being held at its scheduled time and venue. "There is already good basis and necessary conditions at the moment," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a joint news conference with Pompeo. "If you want to solve the problem, now is the time. If you want peace, now is the time. If you want to make history, now is the time."The chairman of the Senate Democratic campaign arm said Thursday that he welcomes the help of Bill and Hillary Clinton in the midterms, embracing the onetime power couple of the Democratic Party, even as they have become more polarizing figures since the 2016 election.

"We welcome those individuals and everybody who wants to help," said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, speaking of the Clintons and former President Barack Obama. He said he would leave decisions about surrogates to each individual campaign.

Democrats are defending 10 Senate seats in states where President Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton. Republicans have been eager to tether Democratic senators to the Clintons and Obama in ruby-red states hosting marquee races this year.

"For those curious - the NRSC also welcomes Hillary Clinton to the campaign trail in 2018," said National Republican Senatorial Committee spokeswoman Katie Martin in a statement.

Clinton's loss to Trump and the comments she has made since the election have irked some Democrats, particularly those in Republican-leaning areas that are hosting battleground races. Her remarks this year about winning the coasts and in places that represent "two-thirds of America's gross domestic product" were panned and seen as divisive by some in her party.

So far, neither Clinton has played a major role in the midterm elections. Hillary Clinton this week endorsed New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) for re-election. He faces a primary challenger.

In years past, their deep connections to powerful donors and power brokers and an iconic status in the party made their support valuable commodities for many Democrats. But it's unclear what role they will play in the future of the party.

The Clintons' connection to the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct has stirred conversations in the party. Bill Clinton has faced allegations of sexual improprieties. Hillary Clinton has voiced regret for not firing a senior adviser on her 2008 campaign who was accused of sexual harassment.

Obama remains popular in the Democratic Party. It remains to be seen how involved he will be in the battle for control of the Senate, but he has already waded into the campaign.

The 44th president recently endorsed Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., as she tries to fend off a liberal primary challenger. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., has also enlisted his fundraising assistance.

Van Hollen, who spoke at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, said Senate Democrats are "very bullish" on the midterms, but are facing numerous difficult races and "taking nothing for granted."

He sought to cast the election as a referendum on Trump and his party's agenda on issues that effect people's lives, such as health care, prescription drug costs and infrastructure.

"It's very clear they have not delivered - especially on the pocketbook issues," he said.

But Van Hollen said he believes that special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election is not a top concern for voters. While the probe is "important," Van Hollen said, "I don't think it's a big issue for voters."

Democratic leaders are facing growing pressure to defend the legitimacy of Mueller's probe as Trump intensifies his effort to discredit it. Some Democrats are alarmed that their party is not doing more to counter Trump, and worry about paying a price at the ballot box if the public isn't fully clear on the facts of the inquiry.

But top Democrats like Van Hollen have largely tried to steer the campaign conversation toward policy issues such as health care. Some Republicans, meanwhile, think Trump could rally his loyal voters to turn out this fall if he convinces them that he is the target of an unjust investigation.The Rev. Bernice King - an activist and the daughter of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. - has accused former White House aide Stephen Bannon of "co-opting" her father's legacy to support his nationalist politics.

"#SteveBannon has dangerously and erroneously co-opted my father's name, work and words," she tweeted Wednesday. "Bannon's assertion that my father, #MLK, would be proud of Donald Trump wholly ignores Daddy's commitment to people of all races, nationalities, etc. being treated with dignity and respect."

Bannon is the latest conservative to point to President Trump as someone who is helping fulfill the dreams of King.

Bannon, who rose from being the co-founder of a highly influential alt-right website to the White House chief strategist, shared his thoughts on how King would view the president's job creation successes on BBC's "Newsnight." He said he believed King "would be proud of" Trump for creating jobs for black and Hispanic people.

"If you look at the policies of Donald Trump, anybody - Martin Luther King - would be proud of him, what he's done for the black and Hispanic community for jobs," Bannon said. "It's the lowest unemployment in recorded history. You don't think Martin Luther King would be proud?"

"Look at the unemployment rate we had five years ago," he added. "You don't think Martin Luther King would sit there and go: 'You're putting black men and women to work. Lowest unemployment rate in history, and wages are starting to rise among the working class. And you're finally stopping the illegal alien labor force that's coming in to compete with them every day and destroying the schools and destroying the health care." Absolutely."

Absolutely not, King's daughter tweeted.

"My father's concerns were not sectional, but global. He was an activist for the civil rights of Black people in America, but he was also an activist for human rights. #MLK

"Further, he would not refer to people as 'illegal aliens.' The term is degrading and does not reflect his belief that we are all a part of the human family. #MLK"

In fact, King tweeted, her father would be disturbed by the types of leaders who have emerged in the current political climate.

"Bannon's comments are like feeding someone empty calories, in that they don't convey a comprehensive view of #MLK as a global humanitarian who cared about the well-being of all people.

"My father would be extremely disturbed by the climate created by leaders, who have emboldened people to easily express and demonstrate cruelty, predominantly toward people of color and immigrants. #MLK"

Trump, who most Americans think is racist, according to a February poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, regularly points to gains in the job market as proof that he has been a good president for black and Latino Americans, groups that disproportionately voted against him in the 2016 election.

After hip-hop artist Kanye West reiterated his support for Trump and aligned himself with critics of black Democrats, the president went on Twitter last month to praise the rapper and pointed to historic low employment rates.

"Kanye West has performed a great service to the Black Community - Big things are happening and eyes are being opened for the first time in Decades - Legacy Stuff! Thank you also to Chance and Dr. Darrell Scott, they really get it (lowest Black & Hispanic unemployment in history)."

But what Trump and Bannon never acknowledge when talking about unemployment rates is that those gains in the job market can't be solely attributed to the current administration. They actually began before he entered office. The president and his supporters taking credit is not a conclusion backed by data.

The Washington Post's Philip Bump previously wrote that Trump's claims are "very misleading."

"It's not as if black unemployment was 18 percent under Barack Obama and, as soon as Trump took office, it plummeted. Black unemployment fell fairly consistently from 2010 on, as did the rates for whites and Hispanics.

From January to December 2017, the unemployment rate among black Americans fell 1 percentage point. During the same period in 2016, it fell the same amount. In 2015, it fell 1.9 points. The previous year, it fell 1.5 points. The year before that, it fell 1.8 points."

Bannon's words displayed the same lack of awareness and sensitivity that hip-hop artist Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter addressed when he mentioned that things other than financial prosperity matter to people of color.

"It's not about money at the end of the day. Money doesn't equate to happiness. It doesn't. That's missing the whole point," Carter told CNN's Van Jones in January.

"You treat people like human beings. That's the main point," he added. "It goes back to the whole thing - 'Treat me really bad and pay me well.' It's not going to lead to happiness, it's going to lead to, again, the same thing. Everyone's going to be sick."

Bannon's comments come during the 50th anniversary of the Poor People's Campaign, an initiative King started half a century ago to draw more attention to how the civil rights of low-income Americans were constantly in jeopardy. The late pastor wanted people of color to have the same economic opportunities that white Americans enjoyed, but doing so would require combating racism in workplaces, policymaking and other spaces.

A current civil rights leader, the Rev. William Barber, attempted to pick up where King left off last week when he launched a month-long movement called the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.

King's daughter endorsed the movement on Twitter after Bannons comments.

"Finally, #MLKwould be proud of a livable wage for all and not merely a low unemployment rate. #PoorPeoplesCampaign"

Barber, a frequent Trump critic, sees the president's impact on the economic advancement of people of color quite differently than Bannon, but representative of a much larger problem in the Republican Party.

"We can't just lay this reality of what we're seeing at the feet of Trump," the liberal minister said in January on "Democracy Now!" "Trump is a symptom of a deeper moral malady. And if he was gone tomorrow or impeached tomorrow, the senators and the House of Representatives and [Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham] and all them would still be there. And what we have found . . . when we look at them, no matter how crazy they call him or names they call him or anger they get with him, it's all a front, because at the end of the day, they might disagree with his antics, but they support his agenda."

Alluding to King is not uncommon for Bannon and others on the right. King's daughter and others on the left regularly call out conservatives for cherry-picking his message, saying that King's words have to be seen in their full context.

"My father was working to eradicate the Triple Evils of Racism (prejudice + power = oppression/destruction of a race deemed inferior), Poverty (Materialism) & Militarism. Pointing out the group that most commonly benefits from all 3 is not "labeling." Truth before reconciliation."Machines giving suggestions to doctors about treating their patients, a scene straight from a sci-fi movie and a fantasy of the healthcare community, is becoming a reality now.

In a first of its kind move, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently gave green signal to market IDx-DR, a medical device to detect diabetic retinopathy, a disease in which high blood sugar damages blood vessels in the retina of eyes and leads to the vision loss.

Made by the US-based IDx LLC, the software analyses images of the eye taken by a camera and tells the doctor accurately about the extent of the disease, called as 'diabetic retinopathy'. Approved last month, this is the first approval in the area of artificial intelligence that can potentially replace a specialized doctor to interpret medical imagery and decide on the medical outcome.

This week, the FDA gave go ahead to Boston-based Beta Bionics, which has a partnership with Novo Nordisk, to test its autonomous bionic pancreas that employs artificial intelligence to vary hormone doses in adults and children with Type 1 diabetes. Beta Bionics' iLet device, an infusion pump that mimics functions of a pancreas, can deliver required quantity of insulin with artificial intelligence to calculate and decide the dose delivery, based on the body weight and data with the help of a glucose monitor. The product is expected to reach markets by 2020.

Early this year, the FDA had approved a clinical decision support software that uses AI algorithms to help neurovascular specialists gauge brain deterioration.

The global digital therapeutics market, which includes apps, mobile health tools and related products, was estimated at $1.7 billion in 2016 and is expected to grow at 21 per cent compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2017 to 2025 to $9.4 billion by 2025, estimate various research agencies. So far over a dozen "prescription digital therapeutics" companies working in the area of diabetes management, cocaine and substance abuse, cardio vascular diseases etc., have come up in the west.

Sources say most of the leading drug makers in the world like Pfizer, GSK and Novartis have ongoing projects, in partnership with AI specialized companies and related drug discovery start-ups, to develop new drugs. The US FDA is also developing a framework to approve use of AI in regulating such healthcare products based on machine learning.

In India, the digital therapeutics and AI in healthcare is yet to catch up. Recently, Microsoft and Apollo Hospitals' group had partnered to create an AI based data network in cardiology.Fate of summit with North Korea will be decided next week: Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday the fate of a landmark summit with North Koreas Kim Jong Un will be decided next week, as aides traveled to Singapore on a preparatory mission. On Singapore well see. It could very well happen, Trump said of the on-again-off-again June 12 meeting, which has been as keenly teased as any of his The Apprentice season finales.



Whatever it is, well know next week.



And in an interview to air Thursday morning on one of the presidents preferred programs, Fox & Friends, he said theres a good chance the talks would take place.



If that happens, it would be a great thing for North Korea. Listen, it would be a great thing for the world, so we ll see what happens, Trump said in the interview, according to excerpts released by Fox.



Hand-picked aides  including deputy chief of staff Joe Hagin and deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel  are traveling to the Southeast Asian city state designated to host the summit, officials said.



They are expected to meet their North Korean counterparts and iron out details of the meeting.



The top diplomat from Pyongyangs traditional ally China on Wednesday expressed hope for a successful meeting, as planned.



If you want to solve the moment now is the time, if you want peace now is the time, if you want to make history now is the time, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Washington, alongside his American counterpart Mike Pompeo.



The US Secretary of State said whether the summit goes ahead is now up to North Korea.



Asked in a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee if the summit will take place, Pompeo replied: That decision will ultimately be up to Chairman Kim.



He asked for the meeting, the president agreed to meet with him, Pompeo said. Im very hopeful that that meeting will take place.



His remarks reflect an effort to perhaps lay the groundwork for blame should the talks fail.



Ostensibly the Trump-Kim talks will be about peace on the Korean peninsula and North Koreas nuclear and ballistic weapons.



But even before talk of test freezes, decommissioning or inspections, Washington and Pyongyang are engaged in a public relations battle.



As part of a charm offensive, North Korea invited some foreign journalists to witness the slated destruction of the isolated regimes nuclear test site.



The gesture, which experts agree would do little to curb North Koreas long-term nuclear capabilities, is meant to signal that the regime is serious about change.



Pyongyang said it planned to completely destroy the Punggye-ri facility in the countrys northeast when it made the surprise announcement earlier this month.



Washington and Seoul welcomed the move.



Punggye-ri has been the staging ground for all six of the Norths nuclear tests, including its latest and by far most powerful one last September, which Pyongyang said was a hydrogen bomb.



The demolition is due to take place sometime between Thursday and Friday, depending on the weather.



Although portrayed as a goodwill gesture ahead of the Kim-Trump summit, both sides have since raised doubts that the historic encounter will take place.



Last week, Pyongyang threatened to pull out if Washington pressed for its unilateral nuclear disarmament. Trump also said the meeting could be delayed as he met with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in in Washington on Tuesday.



Politically, Trump has invested heavily in the success of the planned summit, leading most US officials and outside observers to believe it will go ahead.



But as the date draws near, the differences between the two sides are coming into sharp relief.



Washington has made it clear it wants to see the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the North.



Pyongyang has vowed it will never give up its nuclear deterrence until it feels safe from what it terms US aggression.





Tom Reel, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

State and local leaders have started talking about ways to protect Texas schoolchildren in the wake of last week's massacre at Santa Fe High School in which a student killed 10 people and wounded 13 others.

Gov. Greg Abbott has convened a series of round-table discussion this week to seek ideas about preventing school violence. Much of the early discussion has centered around improving school security and boosting the ranks of school counselors to identify and help students dealing with mental and emotional challenges or who exhibit behavioral changes.When a child almost drowns, suffers a serious asthma attack or experiences any sort of catastrophic health emergency, whether they survive can often depend on a handful of seconds.

The margin just got better for critically ill or injured babies and children here and across South Texas, thanks to local philanthropist Harvey E. Najim, who donated $1.4 million toward the purchase of two ambulances for the Childrens Hospital of San Antonio.

The vehicles, outfitted with special equipment to help babies and children who are seriously ill, will be used by the ALL KIDZ Critical Care Transport Team, staffed by specialists. It is the first and only combined neonatal/pediatric ambulance team in the region, said hospital CEO Cris Daskevich.

This will expand access to care for children in San Antonio and beyond, she said at a Thursday news conference announcing the donation. This means lifesaving treatment will be sent out quickly and safely, and we will be able to continue to provide that care in transit.

The two brightly colored ambulances, their sides emblazoned with Najims name, will significantly reduce wait times and transit delays, Daskevich said. Before Najims donation, the hospital had to depend on outside companies with standard ambulances, which then had to be loaded with the specialized equipment, taking up precious time.

Najim, who in March made a $1.3 million gift to the San Antonio Food Bank to buy 10 refrigerated trucks, said the new units will eradicate needless delay.

This could mean the difference between life or death for a child, he said.

The transport teams are staffed by a specially trained registered nurse, respiratory therapist and driver who has also been trained to help in emergencies. The team includes 23 members who are on rolling schedules, so that the ambulances can be staffed up and launched at a moments notice.

The special equipment includes things like a motorized stretcher and a TV to help distract children from possibly uncomfortable medical procedures en route to the hospital, said Kelly Wileman, a registered nurses on the team. A quick ambulance response is critical in life-or-death situations, she said.

And especially the delivery of (premature babies), who need a lot of care right out of the gate, she added.

Over the years, the Najim Family Foundation, in combination with personal gifts from Najim himself, has given the hospital more than $5 million, donations that have renovated the neonatal intensive care unit, purchased medical equipment, created the KidsSTOP and the Child Life Center and funded a pediatric blood and marrow transplant program.

Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of her stories here. | mstoeltje@express-news.net | @mstoeltjeHasta cuando?



Colombia Hoy



Para nunca olvidar



Paginas vistas en total

'Parasite' painted on a statue of Queen, Elizabeth in Kent, England



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Cada vez mas solo



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LULA y su Pueblo



Bye Bye



Homenaje al genial Quino



Fueron ellos



Una imagen que resume



Tan bajo ha caido que se deja tocar el trasero?



Porky y el Nene (archiconocido narcotraficante)



Ladrones al poder



Asi mira el perrito a su amo



Crazy



Clamor popular



La nueva inquisicion



Bolivia



Chile Hoy



Eso es todo amigos!



Piensalo!



Pinerachet



No More Trump



Adios Macri, hasta nunca



La Marioneta se desinfla



Asi o mas cinico



Almugre



Mexico en 1794



Mas arrastrado imposible



Hasta cuando!



La pura verdad



Solidaridad con Palestina



Serie Capitalismo



Espejismos de la clase trabajadora



Asi es!



Comerciantes o delincuentes



No pasaran!



Asi es la vida



USA HOY



01/01/1959



La avaricia no tiene limites



AYUDA HUMANITARIA?



Chile Hoy



Asi son las cosas



Mapa Electoral de Venezuela



Patagonia argentina?



Un aniversario mas del mayor genocidio de la Humanidad



Retrato del franquismo en Espana



Visca Catalunya!



El Chulo de Madrid



Cuando la policia se roba la democracia



Una imagen dice mas que mil palabras



La purita verdad



Asi gobierna la maldita burguesia



Mi pobre clase media



Como Chavez nadie



Comparte La Colmena via twitter Twittear

Programa de la MUD



Asi o mas clarito



Por que Trump no ataco Corea del Norte?



Hace 15 anos Por que la OEA no se pronuncio?



Una verguenza nacional



La luz que nos guia



La Union Europea Premio Nobel de la Paz?



Feudalismo ayer y hoy



Obama, el mentiroso



Curiosa coincidencia



Un mundo de cerdos



No es extrano?



La Marioneta



Los ricos protestan, los pobres celebran



MARICORI Y OBAMA



Cuantas muertes este ano?



USA TODAY



USA HOY 6



USA HOY 5



USA HOY 4



USA HOY 3



USA HOY 2



USA HOY (1)



Insaciable



Cronologia de un agresor



Guarimbear en USA



Mexico hoy



Bolivar y Chavez



Primero Amargado



Dios los cria y ellos se juntan



USA hoy (III)



USA hoy (II)



USA hoy



Mexico hoy



Mexico hoy



Mexico hoy



Obama



La verdad sea dicha



Los ricos



Que no nos vea Obama



Pobre Obama



SOS PALESTINA



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Chavez Cuanto te queremos!



Por culpa de Chavez



Cerveza Polar







Algun dia Colombia volvera a la ideologia de Bolivar







Translate













LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares?



























Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano...



Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos:



Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias.



Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera.



No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje.



En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio.



Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida.



Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella.



Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal.



Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista.



Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen.



Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che?



Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio.



Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora.



Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo.



Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo.



Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania.



No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar.



Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga.





Alguna duda?



Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino



Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia.



OZ1



OZ2



OZ3



OZ4



Homenaje a Jason Galarraga



La Victoria de Samotracia



Odalisca



Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008



























La Sierra Nevada de Merida



Nuestro precioso Churum Meru



Homenaje a Picasso



Autoretrato



Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola?

La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.

Mi profesion?

Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.

Sal en la Coca Cola?

A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.

De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:

Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto

Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)

azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)

Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas

Mucha Cafeina

Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio

Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe

Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion

El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.

Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.

Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.

En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).

Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.

La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.

Bebidas Light?

Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el

Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.



Publicado por loretahur



En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur

MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina:

1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias.

2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina.

3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard.

4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos.

5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla.

6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos.

Ahora... sobre la margarina:

1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) .

2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias.

3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno).

4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer.

5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna.

6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo.

7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina.

Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas:

* No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo).

* No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!!



No a la guerra, Si a la Paz



Misterios de la ciencia...



Los costos de la guerra



medicos y capitalismo...



Capitalismo...



medicos (2)



Quien educa a nuestros hijos?



Los Medios...



Sin Palabras...



Chistes feministas

- Cual es el problema, Eva?

- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz...

- Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.

- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...

- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.

- Que es un hombre?

- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.

- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.

- Cual es el truco?.

- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.

- Cual?

- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.





Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Ellas...



Ellas (2)...



Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1

Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije:

-Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro.

Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria.

Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre?

-Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa!



VENGANZA NUMERO 2

Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris.

A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita:

- Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!!

Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta.

La mujer paso quince dias en Francia.

El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla.

Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es:

- Y amor me trajiste mi francesita??

- Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina.



VENGANZA NUMERO 3

El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion.

- No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo.

- Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz.

Te quiero confesar algo.

- Esta bien, esta bien. Habla!

- He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga.

- Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!!



machismo y cibernetica



Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston.

-Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide.

-Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!.



.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti.

Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos.

Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco.

Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas



Gol !!!!



Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso!



Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy!

Musicians Seamie ODowd (guitar, fiddle, vocals), Kieran Quinn (piano) and John Joe Kelly (bodhran) make a welcome return to Roscommon Arts Centres stage on Friday May 25 at 8pm, following an intimate style performance at the venue last year.

Having played together for the first time by default last November, these three accomplished musicians enjoyed the set so much that they decided to form a brand-new trio.

Seamie, Kieran and John Joe Kelly are all highly regarded musicians with strong Sligo connections, but with very different musical influences.

Together, they can promise audiences a high quality performance full of energy, diversity and humour.

The trio have been carefully crafting their own unique sound over the past three years.

Formed with the intention of exploring new collaborative musical directions, these celebrated musicians combine individual backgrounds in traditional music, folk and jazz into a fresh and innovative collective offering.

This concert will showcase the explosive and exciting new sound they have crafted which was referred to as true magic by Irish Music Magazine.

Music fans will not be disappointed.

Tickets are available now from Roscommon Arts Centre on 09066 25824 or via roscommonartscentre.ieLocal News, Crime, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: May 24 2018

Multi-Agency Crackdown Leads to 84-Count Indictment Charging 13-Person Drug Trafficking Ring for Distributing Heroin, Fentanyl, and Cocaine In NYC and Upstate Counties.

Albany, NY - May 24, 2018 - Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood and the Albany Police Department today announced the indictment of 13 individuals for their roles in trafficking significant quantities of heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine from New York City and throughout the Capital Region  including in Albany, Bronx, Kings, and Schenectady counties. Unsealed today in Albany County Court, the defendants were charged with various narcotics-related crimes in an 84-count indictment for their involvement in the narcotics trafficking network. The defendants are being arraigned today in Albany Count Court by Judge William A. Carter.

We have zero tolerance for any gang that puts potentially lethal drugs on New York streets, said Attorney General Underwood. I thank the Albany Police Department and all of our law enforcement partners for helping us take on this dangerous drug trafficking ring in the Capital Region.

There is often a direct correlation between the presence of dangerous drugs in our communities and incidents of senseless violence, said Acting Albany Police Chief Robert Sears. As a result of Operation Cryptic Cipher, law enforcement agencies at all levels have once again demonstrated their commitment to continuing to work together to ensure that individuals who choose to partake in the sale and distribution of dangerous drugs are arrested and held accountable. Drugs such as cocaine, fentanyl and heroin and the violence associated with them have no place in our community. Id like to thank Attorney General Underwood for her unwavering support for our agency, as well and her commitment to ensuring that New York communities remain safe.

Code-named Operation Cryptic Cipher, state and local law enforcement agents concluded a six months-long investigation into a drug network that was funneling narcotics onto the streets of the Capital Region. The investigation was led by the New York State Attorney General's Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) and the City of Albany Police Department. It is alleged that several of the defendants, including Cedric C-God Williams and Virgil God Faircloth, were regularly peddling fentanyl to unsuspecting addicts who thought they were buying heroin. Believing they had bought heroin, the drug customers would unwittingly inject or snort the fentanyl  which is fifty times stronger than heroin  subjecting them to a high probability of overdose and playing Russian roulette with their lives. Over the course of the raid, authorities seized  kilo of cocaine and two guns.

A central figure in the cocaine distribution network, Cedric C-God Williams, routinely distributed heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine, and is a known member of the Five-Percenters gang. Williams and several of his co-conspirators used the Five-Percenters concepts of Supreme Understanding and Supreme Mathematics in their telephone communications in an effort to disguise their drug dealing. It is alleged in the indictment that Williams, using Supreme Mathematics, used cryptic, coded language such as Culture Cipher, the nose-way to convey that he wanted to purchase 40 grams of powder cocaine from his co-defendant, Ammar Elori. It is also alleged that Williams referred to purchasing two bundles of heroin as two sandwiches. Co-conspirators used cryptology to convey they wanted to purchase 35 grams of cocaine by stating, understanding power of the white girl.

As asserted in the indictment, defendants also used more common coded language such as referring to crack cocaine as hard and powder cocaine as soft. It is alleged that through cryptic communications, one defendant referred to cocaine as ice cream and referred to a request for 45 grams of powder cocaine and 15 grams of crack cocaine as 45 soft ice 15 hard. Two defendants are also alleged to have referred to sixteen grams of powder cocaine as sixteen undone and fifteen grams of crack cocaine as fifteen done.

The Attorney General's indictment charges the following 13 defendants with different crimes, including but not limited to: Criminal Sale and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance (class A, B, C, D felonies) and Conspiracy in the Second Degree (class B felony), in relation to their involvement in the narcotics trafficking operation:

Donell Alexander, a/k/a Nephew Cooj, 33 years old  Manhattan NY

Robin Dorsey, 59 years old  Albany, NY

Ammar Elordi, a/k/a A-Boogie Boogie, 28 years old  Albany NY

Virgil Faircloth, a/k/a God Ridge, 48 years old  Albany NY

Derrick Graham, 48 years old  Queens, NY

Malcolm Grimes, a/k/a Flex, 27 years old  Albany NY

Eugene Herring, 54 years old  Schenectady, NY

Malcolm Moore, 49 years old  Albany NY

Kadeem Owens, 25 years old  Albany, NY

Sean Payton, a/k/a SP, 42 years old  Albany NY

Ricky Taylor, 47 years old Albany, NY

Nathaniel West, 33 years old  Albany NY

Cedric Williams, a/k/a C, a/k/a C-God, 48 years old  Albany NY

The charges contained in the indictment are the result of a six-month joint investigation by the OCTF, the City of Albany Police Department, with the assistance of the New York National Guard Counterdrug Task Force and the United States Marshals Service.

The charges against the defendants are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.

The investigation was directed by Albany Police Department Detective James Wood and OCTF Special Investigator John Monte, under the supervision of Albany Police Department Sgt. Bryan Plante and assistance of OCTF Supervising Investigator William Charles and Deputy Chief Investigator Gene Black, under the overall supervision of Chief Dominick Zarrella.Among the people desperately seeking asylum in the United States each year are many victims of domestic violence trying to escape a life of abuse.

But upon arrival, most are held at U.S. immigration jails, where they must prove a credible fear of persecution to avoid being deported back to the abuse which they were fleeing. To help provide that proof, medical experts with Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) Asylum Program conduct forensic evaluations of asylum seekers to show that their physical and psychological symptoms are consistent with the persecution that they report having endured in their countries of origin. Over the years, PHR has received more than 1,700 requests for forensic evaluations of asylum seekers fleeing domestic violence.

The asylum process is rigorous and requires that victims have exhausted domestic remedies before seeking international protection. A 2014 ruling by the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals determined that when domestic violence rises to the level of persecution in someones home country, it serves as a component of the asylum application which can ultimately trigger a states obligation to grant that person protection and asylum.

That 2014 ruling is now in jeopardy. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in March invoked a rarely used power to weigh in on an asylum petition of a victim of domestic violence from El Salvador. In legal documents, she is named as A-B. Sessions decision to wield power over the cases outcome is triggering alarm about the fate of the 2014 ruling and the U.S. obligation to protect domestic violence victims.

In order to understand the critical importance of the 2014 ruling, lets take a look at JP, whose case was assessed by two PHR experts, a forensic psychiatrist and a licensed clinical social worker. JPs story is not all that different from A-Bs. Shes also from El Salvador and fled domestic violence inflicted upon her by her boyfriend, who regularly raped her, punching and kicking her if she tried to resist. He restricted her movement, locking their gate from the outside so that she couldnt leave. She finally managed to run away to her fathers house, but her boyfriend followed her there and beat her. She went to live with her sister, but he continued to threaten her over the phone, and she feared that he would track her down.

JP felt that reporting her situation to the police would be futile. The authorities would not believe her, nor would her boyfriend be stopped, let alone punished, she said. The police dont help you. Maybe theyll throw him in jail for one day, but the next day he will come out and hell be mad, JP said.

She resigned herself to the situation, enduring ongoing abuse and accepting her fate. But when JP became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter, she finally found the courage to leave and seek asylum in the United States. Travelling alone with a coyote guide, she made her way from El Salvador, through Guatemala and Mexico, to the United States.

Immediately upon arrival on U.S. soil, JP was arrested by immigration officials and placed in detention.

But in her quest for asylum, she was deemed to have been persecuted in her home country. PHRs forensic psychiatrist determined that JP displayed symptoms of major depressive disorder, in addition to post-traumatic symptoms. The onset, timeline, and pattern of her symptoms were all consistent with the domestic violence trauma that she reported. The clinician concluded that, from a medical perspective, if JP were sent back to El Salvador, it would pose a serious threat to her mental health.

That medical assessment, together with the 2014 ruling, meant that JP was eventually granted asylum in the United States.

But A-Bs case may go differently. Initially denied U.S. asylum, A-B won a subsequent appeal, which meant she would never have to return to the life of repeated rapes and beatings at the hand of her husband in El Salvador. A-Bs appeal was in the final stages of security checks when Sessions, in an unprecedented move, suddenly stepped in, giving himself the authority to determine the outcome of the case.

We have yet to see what Sessions will do, but his 11th-hour intervention does not send a positive signal. His decision will undoubtedly affect the way future domestic violence asylum cases are handled, and will determine whether abuse survivors will continue to be protected under the 2014 ruling. That decision came after nearly 20 years of court battles over whether domestic violence survivors are merely victims of criminal acts or whether they can be deemed victims of persecution. For the past four years, the message has been clear: if you fear for your life at home due to domestic violence, you are legally permitted to seek asylum in the United States  a message that PHR strongly supports.

Denying asylum to women like JP, A-B, and countless others would be turning a callous and blind eye to their suffering. It would also go against all the tenets of refugee law, which is designed to offer international protection, in the form of permanent legal status in another country, to those who have a well-founded fear of persecution on the basis of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group and whose government is unable or unwilling to offer them protection from their persecutor.

Given the numbers of people who are coming now because they found a way to escape the violence that theyre facing, were we to change our policy and not allow them in, or send them back, a lot of women would be facing either continued violence or potential death, explained Frances Geteles, PhD., a PHR partner who has provided psychological evaluations for asylum seekers for over 25 years.

Its not just like someone attacked them once, or twice, but many times. We know, even from domestic violence cases here, that often it is very difficult for someone to run away, to escape, for all sorts of reasons  The stories very often are just so horrendous and so powerful that I dont see how you can turn a person back and say Oh well, theres nothing we can do to help you. That makes no sense to me. I think that people need a place to escape to safety, Geteles added.

Sessions intervention into the Matter of A-B creates a dangerous atmosphere of uncertainty. It not only threatens the safety and security of A-B, but also puts into jeopardy countless other asylum cases that are still pending or that will be scrutinized in the future. PHR medical experts have clinically documented the level of trauma suffered by domestic violence survivors and our findings are clear: denial of asylum is very often a matter of life or death. As Sessions deliberates the eventual outcome of this case, PHR reiterates that protection should be at the forefront of any ruling.School & Education, Local News, Business & Finance, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: May 24 2018

Cuomo: "This agreement is a significant step forward for all of New York's public universities and ensures the highest quality of education for the next generation of leaders."

Albany, NY - May 24, 2018 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that his administration has reached a six-year contract agreement with the United University Professions, the nation's largest higher education union serving more than 35,000 SUNY employees. The contract agreement includes 2 percent wage increases each year through 2021-2022 with access to new Paid Family Leave benefits, and establishes an adjunct minimum compensation. This is the first labor union agreement with the state that includes Paid Family Leave benefits since the policy took effect on January 1, 2018.

"The contract agreement reached with UUP fairly compensates SUNY university employees as they work to support students in higher education throughout the state," Governor Cuomo said. "This agreement is a significant step forward for all of New York's public universities and ensures the highest quality of education for the next generation of leaders. I am grateful for the collaboration that helped make this agreement possible and look forward to UUP's growth and success for years to come."

"This is a fair and equitable agreement that meets the unique needs of our members and provides them with reasonable salary increases, paid family leave benefits, a new minimum salary for part-time faculty, and other enhancements that address members' concerns," said United University Professions President Frederick E. Kowal, Ph.D. "I'd like to thank the governor for his willingness to work with us to reach an agreement that recognizes the dedication and service provided by our members to SUNY's students, patients and the university system. We fought hard for the gains in this pact and we believe our members will recognize that."

"I am grateful to the representatives of the state and UUP, as well as the team at SUNY who worked earnestly to reach this agreement," said SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson. "The academic professionals who are members of UUP are key to the success of SUNY, its students, and the state. Their work educates the next generation, and supports economic development through research, innovation, and community partnerships that span the state. I am pleased to see progress in key areas including family leave benefits and look forward to continuing the collaborative work needed for SUNY to continue to draw and retain the best higher education faculty and employees in the nation."Local News, Crime, National & World News, Politics

By Chris Boyle Published: May 24 2018

Trump praised the efforts of law enforcement for turning the tide on the violence perpetrated by members of MS-13 and other so-called illegal immigrant gangs.

Bethpage, NY - May 24, 2018 - President Donald J. Trump continued his stance of tough talk against the reviled criminal organization MS-13 at a roundtable summit on gang violence held on May 23 at the Morrelly Homeland Security Center in President Donald J. Trump continued his stance of tough talk against the reviled criminal organization MS-13 at a roundtable summit on gang violence held on May 23 at the Morrelly Homeland Security Center in Bethpage . Invited to speak by Congressman Peter King (R, NY-1), Trump  as a member of a panel populated by local politicians, law enforcement, and victims of MS-13 violence  was welcomed with open arms by the Seaford -based U.S. Representative.

Mr. President, it's an honor to have you back here on Long Island, and you more than anyone else in this country are highlighting the evil of MS-13, Rep. King said. I want to congratulate you and thank you for leading this effort against these horrible, vicious, rotten murderers. You are really leading the charge and mobilizing all of the efforts of the federal government behind this.

Trump stood behind previous comments where he branded members of the South American gang as animals for their violent acts, a comment that drew the ire of some Democrats but the support of many conservatives and members of law enforcement.

I called them animals the other day, and I was met with rebuke. People were like, theyre not animals, theyre people! No, they're not peoplethey are animals, and we have to be very, very tough on them, he said. MS-13 live by the motto kill, rape, and control. That's actually their motto. Last month MS-13 reportedly called for their members here on Long Island to kill a cop for the sake of making a statement. Police officers told me that recently four young men were brutally killed by MS-13 in Suffolk County. In Maryland, MS-13 members are accused of stabbing a man 100 times, decapitating him, and ripping out his heart. Theyre animals.



President Donald Trump with Congressman Peter King. Photo Credit: White House via YouTube

During his opening remarks, Trump stated that MS-13 had actually slain a Nassau County police officer; however, this was an error, as while the gang had issued such a threat, they have not yet actually followed through on it.

Members of the roundtable discussion included Deputy Attorney General for the United States Department of Justice Rod Rosenstein; Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder; Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart; and Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1), as well as the parents of teenaged victims slain by MS-13 members in Suffolk County. In addition, attendees in the audience included Nassau County Executive Laura Curren.

Trump, who had previously spoken on gang violence at a law enforcement-only event in Brentwood in July of 2017 , decried what he called loopholes  in the immigration policy of the United States that he said are responsible for allowing a criminal element to enter the country and take hold in communities across the nation.

We have the biggest loopholes of any country in the world, we have the worst immigration laws of any country anywhere in the world. The exploited loopholes allow people enter the country as unaccompanied alien minors. They look so innocent, but they're not innocent, he said. Crippling loopholes in our laws have allowed MS-13 gang members and other criminals to infiltrate our communities and Democrats in Congress refuse to close these loopholes. Democrats have to abandon their resistance to border security so that we can support law enforcement and save innocent lives.



Deputy Attorney General for the United States Department of Justice Rod Rosenstein. Photo Credit: White House via YouTube



Trump praised the efforts of law enforcement, including local police as well as the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), for turning the tide on the violence perpetrated by members of MS-13 and other so-called illegal immigrant gangs.

ICE came in and theyre taking them out by the thousands, he said. Now if we had laws that were proper, they wouldn't be coming backthe number of illegal immigrants is way down, but it's still far too much.

U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein stated that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made violent crime and illegal immigration the top priority for the Department of Justice, and they have gained serious ground in combating it, despite what he said were immigration laws curtailing their efforts.

Weve made tremendous progress working in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, as well as other Federal partners and state and local law enforcement, he said. Years ago we did a tremendous job of dismantling MS-13, but we found in recent years that there was a resurgence in MS-13 activity mostly fueled by illegal immigrationthere are several loopholes in federal law that facilitate and create a particular problem for Homeland Security with regard to unaccompanied children who enter the United States illegally. As a consequence of these loopholes, were letting in people who are criminals and people who are vulnerable to gang recruitment. We need to have these loopholes closed so that the job of law enforcement will be easier.



Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder. Photo Credit: White House via YouTube



Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder detailed the progress his officers have made in taking the fight to MS-13, and requested that his department have more access to the intelligence that Federal government agents gather in order to better prepare for incoming threats.

We have about 500 identified MS-13 members in Nassau County, and in 2017, we had 6 kids in Nassau County who were murdered by MS-13... shot in the back of the head, butchered with machetes, and buried in shallow graves, he said. Nine people were arrested last year in connection with these murders, and seven of these nine were undocumented. We have 1.3 million people in Nassau County, and 17 percent of them are Hispanicthese are good, hardworking people in those communities. 90 percent of the crime is done by 10 percent of the population, and MS-13 is making up a good percentage of that 10 percent. We have a great relationship with Homeland Security, and we would and we would like to see a little more in terms of intelligence sharing so we can have the information we need to attack MS-13.

Many members of law enforcement relayed tales to Trump on the cooperation they are receiving from countries where many of the illegal immigrants entering the United States are coming from; however, the President discounted this cooperation as not genuine, and noted that he is weighing the possibility of cutting off aid to nations that he said are not doing their part in curbing the flow of violent felons to our shores.

Many of these countries we give tremendous amounts of aid to, tens of millions of dollars...we're working on a plan to deduct a lot of the aid, because they're not trying to stop this. They encourage it, because they don't want the people that were getting in that country, Trump said. So we're going to work out something so that every time someone comes in from a certain country, we're going to deduct a rather large amount of money from what we give them in aid...if we give them aid at all.



President Donald J. Trump (center) at a roundtable summit on gang violence held on May 23 in Bethpage. Photo Credit: White House via YouTube



Suffolk Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart also reported in the success that her department has had in taking the fight to MS-13, with the agencys intense efforts driven by a series of brutal murders of local young people at the hands of the bloodthirsty gang.

These killings in our communities sparked a commitment by the Suffolk County Police to form a gang eradication strategy to protect our residents and get these MS-13 members off our streets, she said. As a result, the Suffolk County Police Department has worked extensively with all of our law enforcement partners to implement a multi-pronged strategy , and this approach has resulted in 355 arrests of 235 MS-13 gang members. There has not been an MS-13 murder in Suffolk County since April of 2017.

The parents of teens Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens, tragically murdered in September of 2016 by member of MS-13, spoke to Trump about their harrowing experience and extended their appreciation for the Presidents focus on taking the infamous gang down.Looking to stay up to date about all of the news stories and local headlines that are important to Long Islanders? We've rounded up the top coverage for all of the important topics from multiple sources around Long Island, so you can be sure you've got the most recent update on the top stories for Long Island. Have an idea for a news story? Email us at news@longisland.com

Columnists Press ReleasesBy Noah R. Bombard | nbombard@masslive.com

They arrived off the back of a tractor-trailer last September, a sea of yellow.

When the $3 billion Beijing-based bicycle share company ofo decided to test the waters of dockless $1 an hour bicycle rentals in the U.S., it picked Seattle as its first U.S. city.

For its second city, it went to Worcester, Massachusetts.

The city and the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce had been actively searching for a bike share program to complement the city's ongoing renaissance, providing alternative modes of transportation as the city works to install bicycle lanes and get people moving both within and outside of downtown and the neighborhoods.

The city found what it was looking for in ofo. Unlike other bike share programs that contract with the municipality, ofo is an independent business operating in the city with the city's blessing. Bikes get distributed by ofo in targeted locations. Users can locate bikes using the app and then unlock them, ride them wherever they want and then leave the bike in a public place for someone else to find.

The risk was low and there was no cost to the city.

So on a sunny afternoon in September of last year, 400 of the shiny, yellow rental bikes rolled out of a truck and onto the streets of Worcester. They quickly spread. From downtown to college campuses and down the city's main arteries, you could find those yellow bikes being ridden down streets, parked along sidewalks and clustered together at popular destinations.

It wasn't long afterward that you could also find bikes, damaged or discarded, locks broken off. Photos circulated quickly on social media eliciting the cry of "this is why Worcester can't have nice things."

But in the three short months ofo bicycles were on the streets in the city last year, they were used -- and used a lot. On Wednesday afternoon, ofo began rolling bicycles out onto Worcester streets for another season.

The company itself only releases limited data on local usage, but a MassLive public records request to the city of Worcester has revealed a much clearer picture of just how many people are riding those bikes and where.

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27,471 bike rides in Worcester three months

The reason private bike share companies don't give out extremely detailed data boils down to market competition: bike sharing is a fiercely competitive business that is booming in China and has just begun to expand to the U.S.

In Boston, a war between docked bike share company Blue Bikes (formerly Hubway) and dockless Ant Bicycle is already under way. And Lime Bike launched in 15 Greater Boston communities this year (apparently picking a bright color is the key to bike share marketing).

Uber has even gotten into the market acquiring bike-share startup JUMP.

Jordan Levine, head of Northwest Communications for ofo says the company is also continuing its expansion in Massachusetts. They'll be launching in Quincy soon and the company is in talks with a couple of other Massachusetts towns.

Publicly, ofo released a report last year in which the company boasted more than 6 billion worldwide rides since its inception in 2014. Currently, the company generates 32 million daily rides. Big numbers.

But how many of those rides happened in Worcester prior to the bikes being pulled of the streets for winter last year? A spokesperson for ofo told MassLive last fall the company could not provide city-specific data due to those competitive reasons.

But a MassLive public records request to the city of Worcester revealed that ofo told city officials it had 27,471 bike rides in Worcester in the three months the bikes were out last year. The company averaged 352 rides per day in the city. Weekends proved the most popular in terms of average daily users as well as trips taken, according to the data.

The company recorded 4,860 total new users in Worcester for those three operational months in 2017, the report to the city showed.

And the use of those ofo bikes steadily increased last year to a peak of 831 "daily active bikes" in Worcester on Oct. 6. Daily active bikes is a measurement of how many of the bikes were used on that day.

Don't Edit

Worcester City Councilor Gary Rosen fishes an ofo bike out of Coes Pond in Worcester in March.

Those damaged bicycles

That high use also came with some not unexpected cases of vandalized bikes, sometimes stripped of the locking mechanism. The perception created by damaged bicycles that were flung into ditches is difficult to dismiss and it got the attention of the city last year.

In October, Worcester City Manager Ed Augustus Jr., in an internal email to several of his staff, expressed concern after seeing photos on social media of ofo bikes destroyed and people "going after the city" about it.

Eric Batista, the city's chief of operations and project management responded that the city had met with ofo and the Worcester Police and that the company reported "only a couple that were vandalized."

The photos shared seemed to show more far than "a couple," however.

"So far, the number of unrepairable bikes (lock removed or wheel damaged) are around five," ofo told MassLive a few weeks after the launch last fall.

The company declined to give any further numbers on damaged or stolen bikes after that initial response, saying damage and theft are part of the cost of doing business and that such instances typically die down after the bikes have been in a market awhile.

"Ofo bikes are built to resist tampering, but not impossible to destroy for a very determined party," ofo said last year.

Responding to the city manager's concern, Batista said in an email that ofo offered to pay for police details to monitor areas where bikes are being vandalized. Addressing theft and property damage issues, however, isn't something you can hire police for. They don't take outside money for doing their job.

When asked if police had been paid by ofo or how much time the department had put into helping retrieve bicycles, Worcester Police responded to MassLive in a statement saying "Our officers regularly assist business owners in the city with any concerns or problems that are affecting their business, including ofo. Last fall, Worcester police officials met with the management team of ofo to discuss ways to address any potential issues. Primarily, officers have responded to crimes relating to vandalism and theft of the bicycles."

"Of course we do everything in our power to get bikes returned through our own means," ofo told MassLive. "If there is a bike we have a particular issue with we will file a police report."

Any issue Worcester has seen with discarded bicycles pales in comparison to China, where bike sharing first took off in a rapid fashion, flooding streets with millions of rental bikes from dozens of competing companies.

A report March in The Atlantic shows "as some of the companies who jumped in too big and too early have begun to fold, their huge surplus of bicycles can be found collecting dust in vast vacant lots."

Bike sharing remains big in China, however, and the industry there has begun to better match demand.

With the return of bikes in Worcester in 2018, residents can probably expect to continue to see the occasional damaged or destroyed bike. Representatives from ofo say such instances typically lessen the longer the bikes are around and people get used to them.

Don't Edit

Could ofo put more bikes on the street for 2018?

With ofo considering Worcester a success story, will the company increase the number of bicycles in the city? It is possible.

"We'll begin with a similar level of ridership and we hope to build from there," Levine said.

Part of the company's strategy for managing the bikes is keeping a team on the streets that "rebalance" bicycles -- physically moving them to areas where the demand is higher and retrieving bikes from less trafficked areas or removing damaged bikes.

"We adjust our teams based on the number of bikes on the ground," Levine said. "With a few hundred bikes it might be in the 10s, but with more bikes we increase that."

Part of ofo's strategy is also to educate the public about the system. People sometimes report "abandoned" bicycles not realizing that the system is dockless. When you're done with a bike you can leave it pretty much anywhere that isn't on private property or creating a safety hazard.

Some users have been known to squirrel a bike away, though, so that they have access to rent it when they want, something the company actively discourages. MassLive saw a man riding an ofo bicycle through Washington Square in early May, weeks before the company brought the bikes back out.

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Most popular spots

So, where are people riding these bicycles? According to data provided to the city by ofo, the bikes were popular around several key downtown locations as well as at Worcester colleges and universities. There were several popular areas, but the data also showed the bikes being pretty widely used across the city and through several neighborhoods.

The most popular pick-up and drop-off locations reported by ofo were:

Worcester Common area and CVS

The DCU Center

The Worcester County District Courthouse

Union Station

WPI campus

Worcester State University campus

Clark University neighborhood

Becker College neighborhood

Hamilton Street at Plantation Street

"We saw a number of trends come through," Levine said about ofo's experience in Worcester in 2017. "Most people were riding their bikes to or from downtown areas. We also saw a great deal of ridership around local universities. In general the vast majority of rides were less than three miles. The size of Worcester really lends itself to those first and last mile trips. Even getting to union station to connect to commuter rail."

There was one notable exception: in its report last year the company noticed that the longest ofo ride ever recorded occurred in Worcester last year. One user took a bicycle 61 miles in one trip.

About 80 to 90 percent of rides are less than three miles, the company reports.

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A transportation bridge

Proponents of bike sharing point out the services help to fill "transportation gaps," enabling people to get to major transportation hubs where they can then pick up public transportation.

"In cities like Washington, D.C. and Seattle, about half of trips start or end near a transit stop," the company reported in its year-end report.

This appeared to be true in Worcester as well, where the company reported the downtown area and Union Station among its most popular pick-up and drop-off locations. But the company also saw popular usage around the city's colleges and universities as well as the neighborhoods, showing that bike-share is not just a "downtown thing."

"People ride ofo bikes across the whole city as the footprints almost cover the whole area including downtown and majority of the neighborhoods 3 miles away from downtown," a report given by ofo to city officials stated.

The company also reported about 25 percent of its rides in Worcester were during morning rush hour. It did not provide data for where the other 75 percent occurred.

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Daily ofo new users

Data given to the city by ofo shows the number of new users the bike share saw in the city daily last year. Not surprisingly, there were far more in the beginning (at the start, everyone is a new user). The company saw a couple of early peaks of more than 200 new users in a day. But even as the autumn brought colder air, new users continued to register with 35 new users registered on Nov. 30 just as the bikes were being pulled of the streets for the season.

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Daily active bikes in Worcester

The number of daily active bicycles in use in Worcester steadily increased from the time they were delivered to the beginning of October, topping out at 831 bicycles in a single day. The number of active bikes began to decline as the season drew to a close, but still maintained relative good use with 200 bicycles in use on Nov. 30, the last day of the season.by Sarah Mahoney @mahoney_sarah, May 24, 2018

Engage for Good, a cause-marketing group with both corporate and nonprofit members, is handing out its annual Halo Awards, with companies like Discovery, Disney, Walgreens and Timberland taking top honors.

The organization awarded 28 winners, chosen from 125 entries.

Once again, Halo-winning campaigns rose to the top by effectively communicating cause-related messages while measurably building a better world and the bottom line, says Engage for Good President David Hessekiel, in announcing the honorees.

Project C.A.T.: Conserving Acres for Tigers, a partnership between Discovery, Pledgeling and the World Wildlife Fund, won gold in the animal category. #DreamBigPrincess global photography campaign, created by the Walt Disney Company and Girl Up took gold for a consumer-activated corporate donation campaign. And Walgreens Red Nose Day 2017, which focuses on ending childhood poverty, earned gold for a consumer donation/crowdfunding effort.

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Timberland won a gold award in the environmental category for its ongoing Planting Seeds for Haiti's Future, a partnership with the Smallholder Farmers Alliance, and is an example of how complex social-impact initiatives can be. "Timberland first committed to planting 5 million trees in Haiti back in 2010, as part of the Clinton Global Initiative," says Atlanta McIlwraith, Timberlands senior manager of community engagement. Since then, its continued efforts to find ways to make planting trees sustainable as it encourages Haitian farmers to return to growing cotton, which it hopes to use in its clothing.

Trees add nutrients to the soil and prevent erosion, and we found that the small farmers who worked with us saw a 40% increase in crop yields and an increase of between 50 to 100% in their income, she tells Marketing Daily. That extra money, in turn, resulted in more farmers being able to send their children to school.

Still, she says, those good outcomes arent ready for marketing efforts, and the company is taking a long view of the program. Eventually  we hope within three to five years when we have the Haiti cotton in our products  consumers will be able to scan the hangtags and find out more about who grew the cotton, she says. Our customers have responded very positively to our storytelling about Haiti in the past.

Timberland has three main CSR objectives  creating responsible projects, protecting the outdoors and serving communities  "and what's so wonderful about this project is that when it all comes together, it will address all three."

Engage for Good also honored Salesforce, the global CRM company, and Save the Children, a nonprofit, with Golden Halo Awards, based on long records of achievement.by Sara Guaglione , May 24, 2018

The Daily Beast has launched a new travel vertical, led by Books and Weekend Editor William O'Connor.

The new vertical is part of a larger strategy to take The Beast's unique brand of journalism and apply it to new coverage areas where it makes sense, O'Connor told Publishers Daily.

"Our data consistently shows our loyal audience engages with our stories across all of our verticals," he added.

The Daily Beast launched a new vertical focused on science back in November. The Daily Beast found that the average time spent by readers on the Science channel is about seven minutes, compared to five minutes on the rest of the site.

We continue to hear from our readers they want more Beast-style reporting in areas beyond politics and general news, O'Connor said. Travel was a natural extension for us, given our previous travel-related coverage has resonated so well.

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O'Connor believes there is a gap in the American travel journalism market.

Magazines "seem focused on a very specific type of rich, often heterosexual, often white, person, while online outlets focus on listicles or a very narrow subject matter.

The Daily Beast travel section will focus on gathering writers and photographers of all sorts of ages, genders, races, orientations, backgrounds to make sure we're speaking to those experiences in a way a lot of mainstream places don't, O'Connor added.

Stories on the site range from a former CIA officer in a wheelchair as she is carried around Machu Picchu to architecture of pre-Communist Bucharest.

In a time where luxury in travel means getting away from the crowds, we'll take readers to destinations theyve never heard of and show new sides of places that have seemingly been instagrammed to death, reads O'Connor's introductory post on the travel site.

O'Connor joined The Daily Beast in 2012.When the Mailmen Rebelled

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n 1970, postal workers went on strike and provoked a national crisis for the United States government. Their rebellion holds lessons for labor today.Jacobin Comment

<< Back to postalnews.comby Sara Guaglione , May 23, 2018

Modern Luxury has promoted Lynn Scotti to group publisher for the New York region. Starting June 1, Scotti will oversee all of the lifestyle publishers titles in New York, including Hamptons, Beach and Manhattan, as well as the new Gotham insert and digital property debuting in September.

Scotti was previously group publisher of Gotham and Manhattan magazines.

She will now be in charge of print and digital advertising, digital media and multimedia marketing and events platforms for the New York properties.

Scotti succeeds Debra Halpert, who served as group publisher for the Hamptons market since 2017 and spent 13 years as publisher of the publication.

Halpert is leaving to launch Monroe East Consulting, a branding and marketing company.

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Scotti is leading the Hamptons magazine's 40th anniversary by hosting 40 VIP events and marketing experiences throughout the summer season.

The anniversary kicked off with the Memorial Day issue unveiled today, featuring Malin Akerman, the star of Showtimes TV series Billions.

Scotti joined Modern Luxury in 2016 as executive director of strategic partnerships & business development. Prior to that, Scotti held senior positions at The New York Times, The New Yorker, Glamour, Details, Elle and Harpers Bazaar.by Larissa Faw , May 24, 2018

Publicis Groupe hosted more than 650 clients, staff, and press in Paris today to officially "unbox" Marcel, the Groupe's AI-powered innovation platform focused for now on little things that drive people crazy, like scheduling and time sheets.

Developed with Microsoft, Marcel has so far gathered more than five billion data files of information from the Groupe's 80,000 employees across 1,200 entities and 200 specialties as well as thousands of clients.

"Artificial intelligence (AI) can augment creativity," says Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. "Marcel is the accelerator."

The platform's abilities  think of Alexa 2.0  center around four key foundations: Knowledge illuminates business, industry, account and cultural intelligence.

This Knowledge Graph connects both structured and unstructured data to map relationships within it, and processes, filters, connects and organizes this data to make it useful to those seeking information.

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For instance, users can see an overview of senior brand leaders handling the account as well as previous client interactions.

Productivity turns the often boring and highly-manual processes like time sheets and expenses into seamless and easy tasks, an announcement that received an enormous round of applause from audience members.

Connectivity finds, matches, casts and suggests the most appropriate people within the Groupe to connect, depending on peoples needs, interests, behavioral patterns and desires.

Every day, Groupe staffers will receive six personalized "cards" that will be linked to current news such as internal queries, white papers, and event invitations. While some cards will be distributed universally, cards will be personalized based on each of the Groupe's 80,000 individuals.

To that end, the Groupe used its agency Rokkan, which was seeking pitch advice for a tea brand brief by sending out a card to those with relevant expertise or those who had expressed being tea lovers.

An Opportunity provides opportunities for workers beyond their day-to-day accounts. Walmart's pitch review was used as a recent example seeking contributions outside of the dedicated team.

"Marcel is a journey to shift Publicis Groupe from a holding company to a platform and give creative minds the freedom to progress and thrive in this ever-changing industry," said Arthur Sadoun, chairman-CEO, Publicis Groupe. Chief creative officer Nick Law adds that oft-dismissed Marcel isn't simply a "search engine fed by a database."

Marcel seeks to mimic how people actually communicate, particularly outside of the office where everything is seamlessly tied together. They take pains to emphasize it isn't designed to be an evil overlord seeking to control their workforce.

Sadoun says he really had no choice to transform the company. "The industry is under massive pressure. Every day a bit more." He admits the criticism over his announcement a year ago only fueled the Groupe to view Marcel's development as a challenge. "Can we afford to have incremental change or go further if we want to save us?" he asks. It's time to break the industry in order to reinvent it, he says.

Marcel's development was a total Groupe effort with technology and consulting arm Publicis.Sapient developing the Marcel user design and experience to build the Marcel platform. Publicis Communications BBH (Bartle Bogle Hegarty) created Marcels brand identity. The Marcel logo, for instance, transforms the a and e into eyeballs that are elevated above the rest of the platform's name.

This alpha version of the undertaking brings together the expertise and inputs from a diverse team of more than 100 people across the company including Publicis.Sapient, Publicis Communications, Publicis Media, Re:Sources, IT, legal, data privacy, procurement, and human resources.

Sadoun dismissed questions about the total cost, noting that it won't cost clients anything since it will be provided as a service. He adds that the Groupe's decision to avoid Cannes isn't necessarily a cost-saving measure, with Sadoun noting that today's event cost a lot of dough, and that several Groupe members including Law will be on this year's jury.

Still, the Groupe admits Marcel is a "journey of experimentation" in which there will be "highs and lows," says Carla Serrano, chief strategy officer, Publicis Groupe. To underscore that comment, a few product demonstrations ran into some technical glitches although the Groupe is upfront about this serving as an evolution.

It may not automatically deliver better creative, but as long as people have less time on tedious tasks, all work is likely improved.

Marcel launches in June accessible via an app, but will have many manifestations, say Groupe executives.Advertisement

Buceta, Bocchini and Fiorillo worked with satellite information and parameter sampling techniques to create their framework, which integrates data and modeling to predict the conditions linking bats' behavior with the outbreak of Ebola. They have detailed their work in a paper titled "A Predictive Spatial Distribution Framework for Filovirus-Infected Bats" published online today inThe model utilizes information on bat birth and death rates, the rate of infection of bats with the Ebola virus and recovery rates, bat mobility, seasonal changes and information about the availability of food and shelter to forecast bat infection peaks in a given region.And the results are compelling.The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa that killed more than 11,000 people is believed to have originated with a two-year-old in Meliandou, a remote village in Guinea, a country that had never before seen a case of Ebola. The type of virus was identified as the deadliest strain, found in Zaire--a country thousands of miles away.How did it get there? The likeliest answer: bats.Using their framework, an analysis of the data from the region near Meliandou around the time of the start of the 2014 outbreak revealed two yearly peaks of infection at Meliandou coinciding with the birthing seasons. Indeed, when the researchers retroactively analyzed the data from that time and location, their model predicted a peak of Ebola-infected bats in Meliandou during the months when the outbreak began.By contrast, when the researchers worked with similar data from Bamako, Mali--a region nearly 400 miles away from Meliandou and with different climate conditions--their approach did not forecast a peak for that time of the year."Such findings strongly suggest that environmental factors play a key role in the spread of the Ebola virus among bats," says Buceta.This predictive tool could be used to deliver guidance about the specific locations and periods of the year during which an outbreak is more likely to appear due to bats. It could also help reduce the risk of future spillovers from animals to humans.Establishing how to measure the key environmental factors driving resource-related bat migration was key to developing the model.To do this, the team used environmental and climate data retrieved using the Google Earth Engine tool to access databases from the Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC), one of several discipline-specific data centers within the NASA Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS).Bocchini, a civil engineer, had been working with smart sampling techniques to resolve parameter fluctuations pertaining to his research on structural engineering and regional hazards. Through that work, he developed a highly efficient computational technique that addresses probabilistic big-data problems and enables researchers to analyze a small subset of truly representative cases."We needed to study the random fluctuations of available resources over the entire African continent at high resolution; it was a massive computational and probabilistic challenge," says Bocchini. "We recognized that from a mathematical point of view, the problem is similar to the random propagation of seismic waves in a region subject to earthquakes, and we could adapt our tools."They applied Bocchini's sampling technique to efficiently account for the uncertainties in the data and to establish useful parameters for measuring resource availability, given fluctuating conditions over time and geography.After establishing the parameters, they were able to input data regarding temperature, humidity and other factors."We could then predict the concentration of infected bats one might expect to find given those particular conditions," says Buceta.Source: EurekalertTrichotillomania (TTM) , commonly known as  hair pulling disorder , is an impulse control disorder in which hair loss occurs because the patient cannot resist the urge to pull out their own hair, despite trying to stop. The most common areas affected include the scalp, eyebrows, and eyelids . This results in noticeable hair loss, clearly visible as irregular bald patches. TTM is not an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) per se , but the two conditions can coexist. TTM resembles another similar condition called compulsive skin picking, technically termed as dermatillomania. TTM often runs in families , in which case a family member is more likely to be affected by the disorder.

Origin of the Term "Trichotillomania"

The term trichotillomania was coined by the French dermatologist Francois Henri Hallopeau in 1889. The name is derived from the Greek thrix (hair), tillein (to pull), and mania (madness).

Epidemiology of Trichotillomania

Comprehensive, large-scale epidemiological studies for TTM are lacking. However, from smaller studies, it has been estimated that 13.5% of adolescents and young adults are affected by TTM. Although anecdotal evidence is available that TTM occurs in younger children, solid evidence is still lacking. Females are affected more the males.

Classification of Trichotillomania

TTM is classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) as an impulse control disorder. Thus, TTM falls in the same category as the obsessive-compulsive spectrum, which includes OCD, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), nail biting (onychophagia), dermatillomania, tic disorders, and eating disorders.

However, this classification system is far from being complete and has not been unanimously accepted by all psychiatrists because of the peculiarity of the disorder. This is because TTM may seem, at times, to resemble a habit, an addiction, a tic disorder or an OCD, as a result of which a proper classification is very difficult.

TTM is undoubtedly a mental disorder, associated with changes in behavior. However, the exact cause is still unknown. Some possible causes are briefly highlighted below:

Emotional Stress: TTM can be regarded as an external manifestation of coping with mental stress, anxiety, and/or depression. This can be seen as an addiction for inflicting self-harm (hair pulling), which can provide relief from emotional distress. Importantly, TTM can overlap with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, where hair pulling has been observed.

Neurotransmitter Imbalance: TTM could result from an imbalance of chemicals (neurotransmitters) present within the brain that convey messages from one part of the brain to another part. Imbalance of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine can cause changes in our mood e.g. happiness or sadness, which is often associated with TTM.

Hormonal Imbalance: It is well-established that TTM affects women more than men. Therefore, changes in the hormonal patterns in teenage girls at the time of menarche during puberty can precipitate this mental disorder.

Altered Gene Function: TTM could be caused by altered functions at the genetic level. A genetic link has been suspected for TTM, since this disorder is sometimes associated with similar disorders like OCD, which could affect the pathogenesis, disease progression, and prognosis.

Habit Formation: Since hair pulling gives a feeling of relief or satisfaction, the more the person indulges in it, the greater the urge and the stronger the habit becomes. These observations can be explained by the Neurocognitive Model, which regards TTM as a habit disorder. This stems from the fact that the basal ganglia of the brain are responsible for habit formation, while the frontal lobes are responsible for suppressing or inhibiting such habits.

Some of the major symptoms and signs of TTM include the following:

Intense Urge to Pull Ones Hair: Persons suffering from TTM have an intense urge to pull their hair. This can be due to a stressful condition that may act as a trigger, while it can also occur without any apparent trigger. Until and unless the person is able to pull their hair, they feel very tensed and irritable. After pulling-out the hair, the person feels a sense of pleasure, gratification, relief and/or satisfaction.

Presence of Bald Patches: Repetitive pulling of hair causes bald patches on the scalp. These can be irregular in shape, often occurring disproportionately on one side. These patches are also evident on the eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, moustache, and even the pubic and perianal areas.

Abnormal Behavior: The affected person may exhibit strange behavioral patterns pertaining to TTM. These include rituals that may accompany hair pulling and patterns of hair pulling, including preference for a certain type of hair. Others include inspecting the hair root, twirling the hair, pulling the hair between the teeth, biting, chewing, and swallowing the pulled hair. It has been demonstrated that swallowing the hair can cause gastrointestinal complications arising from trichobezoars or hairballs.

Disruption of Social Functioning: TTM causes significant disruption and impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. This manifests as avoidance of work, school, or other public and social gatherings.

Sense of Embarrassment: Individuals suffering from TTM feel a great sense of embarrassment, often bordering upon depression. They try to conceal their bald patches from public view, often avoiding contact with anyone. They may also exhibit feelings of shame, guilt, frustration, and low self-esteem that may affect self-image, which is akin to body dysmorphic disorder.

Preference for Seclusion: Sometimes, the sufferers are so ashamed of themselves that they may prefer to live in seclusion. They avoid friends as well as any physical relationships, for fear of exposure of their condition. For the same reason, they may not even want to get married.

Diagnosis is essentially based upon good clinical practices, such as an accurate assessment of patients in order to gather information for planning treatment and to evaluate changes in severity of symptoms.

The doctor assesses the presenting symptoms, severity of the symptoms, functional impairment (if any), differential diagnosis, and comorbidities.

Briefly, a diagnosis of trichotillomania can be considered if the following are present

Repeated hair pulling results in noticeable hair loss

Feeling of anxiety or distress just before pulling out the hair or trying to resist the behavior

Sense of relief and pleasure when pulling out the hair

No other obvious mental or medical condition found to explain the symptoms

Socially impacts the life of the person

There are several diagnostic approaches that are currently used to diagnose and evaluate the condition of patients suffering from TTM. All these are based upon a set of questionnaires that are given to the patients to fill-up. These questionnaires are aimed at assessing the mental state of the patients with reference to the disorder. Based upon the patients responses, the doctor makes a diagnosis. Besides these questionnaires, photographic evidence is also gathered. These diagnostic approaches are listed below:

Trichotillomania Diagnostic Interview (TDI)

National Institute of Mental Health Trichotillomania Severity Scale (NIMH-TSS)

Massachusetts General Hospital Hair pulling Symptom Severity Scale (MGH-HS)

Milwaukee Inventory of Subtypes of Trichotillomania (MIST)

Premonitory Urge Scale (PUS) or Premonitory Urge for Tics Scale (PUTS)

Photography: Photographs are taken not only for diagnostic purposes, but also to monitor the progression of treatment. Photographs are generally taken of the patients primary pulling sites and the bald areas.

There are a wide variety of treatment options for TTM that are currently available for children, adolescents and adults. These include cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), counselling, support groups, hypnosis, pharmacotherapy, and combined approaches. Some of the major strategies for the treatment of TTM are briefly discussed below:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT is a three-pronged approach:

Awareness Training: This uses techniques that make the patient aware of his/her condition by way of self-monitoring. For example, maintaining a diary where the patient records the number of urges he/she experiences.

This uses techniques that make the patient aware of his/her condition by way of self-monitoring. For example, maintaining a diary where the patient records the number of urges he/she experiences. Impulse Control: This aims at finding out the triggers that cause hair pulling and learning how to avoid them.

This aims at finding out the triggers that cause hair pulling and learning how to avoid them. Competing Response Training: Also known as habit-reversal training, this involves teaching the patient to replace hair pulling with a physically incompatible behavior, like squeezing a stress ball.

Pharmacotherapy: This approach uses medicines to treat TTM. Some of these pharmacological molecules are briefly highlighted below:

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI): These drugs are typically used as antidepressants to treat anxiety disorders and major depression. However, it is now generally accepted that SSRIs are not considered as first-line therapy for TTM per se . However, combination therapy with SSRI and CBT has been found to be superior to SSRI or CBT alone.

These drugs are typically used as antidepressants to treat anxiety disorders and major depression. However, it is now generally accepted that SSRIs are not considered as first-line therapy for TTM . However, combination therapy with SSRI and CBT has been found to be superior to SSRI or CBT alone. Clomipramine: This is a tricyclic antidepressant with serotonergic and other properties that has been found to be efficacious for treating TTM. However, due to its unfavorable side-effects, it has been relegated to a second-line therapy for TTM.

This is a tricyclic antidepressant with serotonergic and other properties that has been found to be efficacious for treating TTM. However, due to its unfavorable side-effects, it has been relegated to a second-line therapy for TTM. New Pharmacological Agents: Recent research has revealed the efficacy of three new pharmacologic agents for the treatment of TTM. These include an opioid antagonist (naltrexone), a glutamate modulator (N-acetylcysteine [NAC]) and an atypical neuroleptic (olanzapine).

There may be several complications arising from TTM. These are briefly highlighted below:

Decreased Quality of Life: The quality of life can become decreased substantially, because the patient is always bogged down by feelings of guilt, shame, isolation, and embarrassment. This greatly hampers social functioning, such as absenteeism from school/work, fewer friends, and difficulty in intimate relationships. Many of the sufferers become frustrated and angry in not being able to control their urges, which often leads to substance abuse, such as alcohol, smoking, and drug abuse. Importantly, this situation is a vicious circle, escape from which is very difficult.

Traction Alopecia: Alopecia means hair loss. TTM results in extensive hair loss due to constantly pulling-out the hair, in which case it is termed as traction alopecia. This causes bald patches on the scalp, which leads to substantially reduced self-confidence and self-esteem.

Trichobezoars: These are hair balls that can form in the stomach or intestine as a result of eating the pulled hair. This can cause serious problems such as peptic perforation, obstructive jaundice, and acute pancreatitis. In severe cases, surgery may be required to remove the trichobezoars.

Psychiatric Complications: Psychiatric complications are common sequelae of TTM. These include anxiety disorders, mood disorders, substance abuse disorders, eating disorders and personality disorders. In case of teenagers, disruptive behavior disorders are the most prominent complications.A fire at United Stainless Steel Companys (USCO) stainless steel re-rolling mill in Salman Industrial City in Al Hidd, northern Bahrain, early on Tuesday May 22 has halted operations, market sources told Metal Bulletin on Wednesday May 23.I saw the fire from outside and it was horrible - production will be stopped for some time for sure but it is hard to say how long it will be, a source in Salman Industrial City said.At this stage, there is no indication of how stainless steel production has been affected or how much volume will be lost from the market. The USCO mill, which was built in 2007, has cold-rolled stainless steel capacity of around 100,000 tonnes per year The fire, which was reported at 5.25am local time on May 22, was put out with the help of 17 vehicles and 74 personnel, Bahrains civil defence said in a statement on May 22.The USCO stainless rolling mill is managed by Switzerland-based trading company Chromium Trade, which signed a production and sales agreement with USCOs Bahraini holding company, Foulath, in August 2017.Chromium Trade did not reply to a request for comment at the time of publication. Foulath could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.USCO imports hot-rolled stainless steel, including material from Chinese stainless steelmaker Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Tisco), and re-rolls it to produce cold-rolled stainless steel. It sells into several markets, including Italy, Metal Bulletin understands.Foulath also owns two compatriot companies - pellet producer Bahrain Steel and beams and sections producer SULB.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Actor, comedian, playwright and musician Steve Martin seems to be unusually preoccupied with unmentionables (which he mentions liberally) like knickers, bloomers, undies and underwear.

As the adapter of a German play that centers on a little accident on a street during a parade, a comedy called The Underpants by Carl Sternheim, he can be forgiven for his obsession with all things intentionally hidden.

The Connecticut Cabaret Theatre in Berlin is having a rousing good time poking fun at the ladys dilemma weekends until Saturday, June 22.

Quite unintentionally, Louise Maske (Ashley Ayala) causes herself a scandal when her drawers fall to her toes right as the King is parading by. Even though she quickly picks them up and restores her delicate condition, believing no one has witnessed her predicament, she is sadly mistaken. Her ultra conservative husband of a year, Theo (Rick Bennett) is madly and wildly angry when he hears the tale. He fears he will be fired from his job as a government clerk and perish in humiliation.

With stern words and disapproving gestures, he admonishes Louise for causing him embarrassment, sure that she has done so intentionally, and they will soon find themselves penniless and homeless. What a bully!

Soon Louise is enjoying a bit of celebrity. The Maskes have a room for rent and quickly a line of boarders are eagerly awaiting the chance to lease the space. A poet Versati (Russell Fish) sees Louise as his long lost muse for inspiration, a barber suffering from hypochondria who may or may not be Jewish (James J. Moran) wants to sign on as Louises protector from her many new admirers and a dotty senior citizen Klinglehoff (Dave Wall) who has a remarkable resemblance to Hitler, all practically bang down the door to sign on as roomies.

Enjoying the chaos is their upstairs neighbor Gertrude (Barbara Horan) who cant wait to play yenta to Louise and inspire her to take advantage of all the new romantic opportunities that have magically appeared. Gertrude doesn't think that highly of Theo and welcomes the competition. She even offers to make Louise some irresistible frilly and fancy undies to help her subdue and conquer. Gertrude cannot wait for some vicarious pleasures through Louises actions.

Director Kris McMurray creates a charming Dusseldorf, Germany at the turn of the 20th century on a delightful set designed by James J. Moran. This laugh out loud comedy is stuffed with innuendoes and surprises, so please dont underestimate the powers and passions of a glimpse of forbidden lingerie. Lust, desire and jealousy battle for being the lacy fringe on the package in question. All the actors take great joy in creating the comic confusion.

Get in line for the sexual circus innocently started by Louise in a two second scandal, one that horrifies her husband but allows her to take a walk on the wonderfully wild and romantic side of the street. When the King himself makes an unexpected entrance, can you guess who it will be? Come see!

For tickets ($30), call the CT Cabaret Theatre, 31-33 Webster Square Road, Berlin at 860-829-1248 or online at www.ctcabaret.com. Shows are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7:15 p.m. Remember to bring goodies to share at your table or plan to buy dessert at the concession stand onsite.Multiple fire agencies within the state of Connecticut area are seeking applicants to establish eligibility lists for the position of Firefighter. These departments will be testing as a consortium and one application will grant applicants the ability to apply to all departments.

Apply though IOSOLUTIONS.com. Test dates will be scheduled for the week of June 16-23. Locations to be announced.

Local fire chiefs though the Connecticut Career Fire Chiefs Association are offering a single testing process for candidates to apply and compete for firefighter positions in 11 Fire Departments. The Chiefs have collectively contracted with a national testing company IO Solutions to test candidates for entry level positions. For the first time, applicants can take a single exam to qualify for career opportunities in any of the departments which they meet the minimum qualifications. Fire departments have recognized that attracting the best candidates was expensive and time consuming for both for the municipalities and the applicants as well. This statewide approach to testing will save departments thousands in contract fees and countless hours in test administration. Additionally it has been long recognized that applicants are testing in multiple communities so the administration of a statewide test is a logical solution for the applicants as well. Applicants are paying local application fees taking time off from work and traveling long distances to compete for firefighting positions. The statewide test format eliminates that redundancy of those efforts and expenses.

Applications will be available until Friday, June 1.

Many employers expected at Middlesex County Career Fair

CROMWELL  Job seekers can meet with representatives from more than 50 companies to find that dream job during the Middlesex County Career Fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 19 at the Red Lion Hotel (formerly the Radisson Hotel), 100 Berlin Road, Cromwell.

In addition to the Connecticut Department of Labor, career fair co-sponsors include the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce and Workforce Alliance.

Representatives from more than 50 companies are expected to take part and will have personnel available to speak one-on-one with attendees about possible openings with their companies  including entry-level, technical, sales and management positions, notes State Labor Commissioner Scott D. Jackson.

The Middlesex County Career Fair offers companies an excellent forum to recruit job-ready employees, while jobseekers will have plenty of opportunities to meet one-on-one and network with a variety of potential employers, Jackson notes.

Companies already signed up to participate include Adelbrook, Aaron Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Express Kitchens, FedEx Ground, Goodwill of Southern New England and Companions and Homemakers.

The employer registration fee of $300 ($25 additional if an electrical outlet is needed) includes a skirted table, company sign, program guide listing, boxed lunch, and radio, newspaper and Internet advertising. An online employer registration form and additional details can be found by visiting www.ctjobfairs.com, or contact Danielle Aletta at Danielle@middlesexchamber.com or (860) 347-6924.

For jobseekers attending the career fair, a list of employers, directions to the Red Lion Hotel, and tips for developing an effective resume can also be found at www.ctjobfairs.com.

CMS holding Cornhole Charity Challenge

CENTERBROOK  Community Music School will present their first annual Cornhole Charity Challenge on June 8 at 6:30 p.m. on Essex Island. The event is presented by Guilford Savings Bank and Angelini Wine and includes live music, wine, beer, and a traditional southern BBQ dinner! Guests can enter to test their cornhole skills with a little friendly competition on the lawn, or simply relax and enjoy the harbor view while cheering on their friends. Event proceeds will benefit scholarships and outreach programs at Community Music School.

Tickets are $65 per person and include all food, wine, and beer. Teams of two can enter the cornhole competition for $20. The winning team splits the pot with CMS. For additional information and to purchase tickets, visit www.community-music-school.org/cornhole or call CMS at 860-767-0026

Silent auction items needed

CROMWELL  The Cromwell High School Music Boosters will be hosting their largest fundraiser of the year to support the CHS Music Program the 3rd Annual Jazz Cabaret & Silent Auction on June 2.

The Booster Club is accepting contributions for the silent auction and welcomes all donations including but not limited to photography sessions, dance classes, TV, printers, mini fridge, fire pit, yard games, gift baskets, gift cards and any other item you may consider a family or student enjoying! For more information on silent auction donations or tickets to this years Jazz Cabaret and Silent Auction event being held Saturday, June 2 at CHS, contact Paula Emanuele at 860-202-1234 or via email at paula.emanuele@snet.net.

Gazebo concert lineup announced

EAST HAMPTON  The Joseph N. Goff House board of directors announce the band lineup for the 19th annual Gazebo Concert Series. The concerts are held on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. in the East Hampton Village Center at the Center School Gazebo.

June 28 will feature Four Barrel Billy performing rockabilly, surf, old school 50s rock n roll, 60s pop, swing and honkytonk.

July 5: East Hampton High School Jazz Band performing classic jazz standards.

July 19: The Modern Riffs performing a combination of jazz, classic rock and swing.

July 26: The Dizzy River Band performing an eclectic mix of original music.

Aug. 2: Seat of Our Pants performing their own eclectic style of folksy music.

Aug. 9: Victor Cowles performing classic hits from different eras.

Listeners are welcome to bring seating and a picnic. Dogs and children welcome. Local Cub Scouts will be on hand to sell snacks and refreshments.

Sponsors are still needed to support this annual concert series. Call 860-205-7376 or mail donations to The Joseph N. Goff House c/o Debi Rotteck, 163 Hog Hill Road, East Hampton, CT 06424.

http://goffhouseehct.blogspot.com/This Sikh Marine Is Ready to Sue the Service to Wear a Beard and Turban at All Times

First Lt. Sukhbir Toor applied in March for a religious accommodation to wear a beard and turban and to not cut his hair.Japan's defense minister has expressed concerns about the safety of Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft after a report blamed downwash for a crash off Australia that killed three last summer.

In a report dated March 21, investigators said the Aug. 5, 2017, incident was caused by a heavy downwash of air as the Osprey from Okinawa's Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 attempted to land on the USS Green Bay.

"There will be a need to deal with the matter after obtaining the relevant information from the United States," Itsunori Onodera told reporters Tuesday, according to the Asahi newspaper.

The downwash was so heavy that the Osprey didn't have enough thrust to hold its hover and collided with the ship before falling into the sea, killing three and injuring 23, according to the report.

"The mission was complex, challenging, and included flying into and out of a highly congested operational area. Executing this mission required a detailed plan and superior technical performance," Maj. Gen. Thomas Weidley, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing commanding general, wrote in an endorsement of the report.

"The Marines manning the mishap aircraft were mission capable, fully-trained, and qualified. The mishap aircraft was mechanically sound," he said.

Naval Air Systems Command engineers have looked at the effects of downwash and the amount of power an Osprey needs to land safely. They have made adjustments to the amount of weight an Osprey can carry when it's approaching a ship at sea to make sure it has enough power to land, the U.S. Naval Institute reported Monday.

Twenty-four MV-22B Ospreys fly out of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, and five CV-22 Ospreys -- part of a squadron that will grow to 10 aircraft -- began operating out of Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo last month.

The Japan Self-Defense Forces plan to acquire 17 of their own Ospreys this fiscal year.

Protesters have questioned the safety of the aircraft, which are capable of taking off like helicopters, then tilting their rotors to fly long distances as fixed-wing planes.

Officials blamed the December 2016 crash-landing of a Futenma-based Osprey off Okinawa on weather and human error.Surrounded by Navy SEALs and family members, retired Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Britt Slabinski received the military's highest honor in a White House ceremony Thursday afternoon.

Slabinski is credited with risking his life to lead a rescue attempt for a fellow SEAL, Petty Officer 1st Class Neil Roberts, during a snowy mission atop a 10,000-foot peak, Takur Ghar, in Afghanistan. The fight, which cost the lives of seven service members including Roberts and left 20 more wounded, would become known as the Battle of Roberts Ridge.

"Today, we induct a new name into the most exclusive gathering of heroes," President Donald Trump told a crowd assembled in the East Room of the White House.

Among those in attendance were five Medal of Honor recipients, including Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward Byers, a SEAL who received the medal for heroism in Afghanistan in 2016 and continues to serve on active duty.

Also present were seven members of Slabinski's team from the 2002 battle in Afghanistan, who stood while Trump applauded them.

The president described the battle and how Roberts had been forcibly ejected from an MH-47 helicopter after it was hit by rocket-propelled grenade fire. When Slabinski received word that Roberts might still be alive, he was confronted with a dilemma.

"The team faced a choice: to wait for reinforcements and pretty much safety, or to return immediately to the enemy stronghold in the hope of saving Neil's life," Trump said. "They would be outmanned, outgunned and fighting uphill on a steep icy mountain, and every soldier knows you don't want to fight uphill."

Still, Trump said, the necessary choice was clear.

"The odds were not good, but Britt and his team didn't hesitate for a moment," he said.

Near the end of his remarks, Trump recognized those killed in the battle: Roberts; Air Force Tech. Sgt. John Chapman; Senior Airman Jason Cunningham; Army Cpl. Matthew Commons; Sgt. Bradley Crose; Spc. Marc Anderson; and Sgt. Phillip Svitak.

He applauded for several seconds as family members of the fallen service members stood.

Trump noted that Slabinski wanted the medal to recognize not only himself, but his whole team.

"We are free because warriors like you are willing to give their sweat, their blood and, if need be, their lives for our nation," Trump said. "Britt, we salute you. We thank God for making you a Navy SEAL."

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.The more than 28,000 U.S. troops in South Korea are maintaining their traditional "ready to fight tonight" posture in South Korea following the collapse of the proposed peace summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Pentagon officials said Thursday.

The U.S. is also prepared should North Korea resume test missile launches, which Kim had suspended in a goodwill gesture leading up to the now-canceled June 12 summit in Singapore.

"We'll be ready if that happens," said Marine Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, director of the Pentagon's Joint Staff.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was aware of Trump's decision before he announced publicly that he would not be going to Singapore, said Dana White, the Pentagon's chief spokesperson.

At a Pentagon briefing with McKenzie, White declined to characterize Mattis' reaction but said he had been "cautiously optimistic" that the summit could achieve positive results on the denuclearization of North Korea's arsenal.

Mattis and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford were in Colorado for a change of command ceremony at U.S. Northern Command, but White said Mattis had spoken with the president by phone.

"This was a White House decision" to cancel the summit, she said. "The secretary is used to dynamic situations. This is nothing new to him. The secretary was always cautiously optimistic about how this would go" and the way forward was "frankly in the hands of the North Koreans."

In a statement earlier, Trump said he had no choice but to cancel the summit in light of the bellicose rhetoric and threats recently coming from the North that put in doubt the possibility for achieving a breakthrough on denuclearization and adopting a formal peace treaty to replace the armistice on the peninsula.

In a letter to Kim, Trump said, "Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting."

Much of the letter was conciliatory, and Trump held out the possibility for talks at a future date, but he added a warning.

You talk about your nuclear capabilities," he said, "but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used."

The cancellation was a major setback for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who was the catalyst in the opening to the North and met with Kim last month in Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas.

Trump's announcement appeared to catch the Seoul government by surprise.

"We're trying to figure out what President Trump's intention is and the exact meaning of it," a representative of Moon's office said, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

The Seoul government later issued an official statement.

"It is very regretful and disconcerting that the US-NK summit will not happen as planned," the statement said, but "the sincerity of the affected parties who have been working to resolve the problem has not changed."

The statement appeared to attribute the cancellation to misunderstandings between the U.S. and North Korea.

"It is hard to resolve sensitive and difficult diplomatic issues with the current way of communications. [We] hope that the leaders resolve problems through direct and close dialogue," it said.

Trump's announcement overshadowed the attempt by North Korea to show its good faith by destroying in a series of explosions its only known nuclear test site at Punggye-ri in the northeast. The blasts took down several structures and also reportedly destroyed test tunnels.

Noh Kyu-duk, a spokesman for South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters at the site that the destruction at Punggye-ri could "serve as a chance for complete denuclearization going forward."

At the Pentagon, White said that the U.S. and South Korea are continuing to exert military and diplomatic pressure on the North to counter the threats.

"We are still continuing the maximum pressure campaign; that hasn't changed for us," she said. "In terms of 'we are ready to fight tonight,' that has always been the case."

McKenzie said the recently approved defense budget of $716 billion also allowed the U.S. to boost the readiness of forces in the region.

He said, "The plus-up of the recent budget is going to let us address a number of readiness concerns, all of which will improve the readiness of the military, including forces that might be called on to deploy and fight if we had to conduct operations on the Korean peninsula.

"I would also tell you that we maintain a very high state of vigilance in regard to the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] and we will continue that going forward to include our missile defense activities," McKenzie continued. "If any provocative actions occur from DPRK, we'll certainly, in concert with our partners and allies in the region, be ready for it."

The escalating North Korean threats cited by Trump in canceling the talks began earlier this month as the North's propaganda outlets, which had toned down the rhetoric as terms were negotiated for the summit, renewed charges that U.S. and South Korean joint military exercises were a pretext for invasion.

The North's Korean Central News Agency cited the presence of B-52 strategic bombers and F-22 Raptor fighters in the Max Thunder joint air exercise, which was scheduled to end Friday. Several F-22s did participate in Max Thunder, but the Pentagon denied that a B-52 also flew in the exercise.

"I'm not going to speculate on what factored into the decision-making process on the part of North Korea," White said in reference to Max Thunder.

"I can tell you that we continued our exercises; we will continue our exercises," although they have been postponed and scaled back as the opening to the North was developing.

In February, Mattis ordered the postponement of the annual Foal Eagle exercises during the Winter Olympics in South Korea and the following Paralympics.

When Foal Eagle resumed, the normally two-month exercise was cut back to one month, and a U.S. aircraft carrier and its strike group, which had participated in the 2017 Foal Eagle exercise, did not take part.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at richard.sisk@military.com.As the U.S. Navy expands its aircraft fleet with the fourth-generation F/A-18E/F Block III Super Hornet and fifth-gen F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, a challenge remains: How will the jets connect and share information without sacrificing stealth?

Boeing Co. on Wednesday showcased its Block III Super Hornet, which comes with a larger variety of weapons, extended range, advanced targeting and sensor systems, and better fuel efficiency, among other enhancements. The company noted the Block III isn't meant to be a direct competitor to the F-35 Lightning II; it's meant to be its partner.

The Super Hornet and F-35 are the Navy's two frontline fighters, and will be for decades to come," said Dan Gillian, manager of F/A-18 and EA-18 programs at Boeing.

Yet the two aircraft currently don't have a way to communicate without compromising the F-35's stealth.

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"For sure, that is part of the roadmap, and how do we get that right?" said Capt. David Kindley, F/A-18 and EA-18G program manager. Kindley briefed reporters at Boeing's facilities in Arlington, Virginia, on Wednesday, alongside officials who lead the program.

"It's fairly a statement of the obvious: F-35's challenge is they need to stay sneaky, and they need to transmit. Those can be [incompatible] to each other. So how do we solve that? So we're trying to offer as many options as we can to plug into, and we're talking about this going forward," he said.

Even if the F/A-18 -- now undergoing modifications to give it upgraded stealth capabilities -- is a little less detectable from enemy radar, the F-35 would likely lead the charge in a heavy surface-to-air missile environment.

"We're not going to send Super Hornets into the heart of an IADS [Integrated Air Defense System]," Kindley said. "But that's always a trade-off we're going to have to work on."

Fifth-generation platforms like the F-35 use the Link 16 datalink to transfer information to fourth-gen counterparts. But the F-35 also internally operates on its Multifunction Advanced Data Link system, known as MADL.

"There's a whole discussion ongoing within [the Defense Department] on how you link F-35s, all aircraft together," said Bob Kornegay, senior manager of business development for the F/A-18E/F and EA-18G at Boeing.

Interoperability is at the heart of how a strike wing will operate in the future, Kindley added.

Boeing will deliver its first test Block III jets to the Navy in 2019, with a production line starting sometime in 2020, Gillian said.

The Navy intends to have Boeing convert more than 500 of its Block II jets and produce 116 new Block IIIs by 2024. The new jets' first deployment is expected sometime in 2022.

When asked whether President Donald Trump's involvement has given the defense firm confidence, Boeing officials said Block III has been in discussion "for some time."

"The president's engagement has certainly brought energy and drive to [this] discussion," Gillian said.

Trump in recent months has repeatedly cited a desire to see Boeing build a stealthy F/A-18 Super Hornet and potentially scale back F-35 production from competitor Lockheed Martin Corp.

"It's the collection of things together: next-generation fighter, we've delivered 100 percent of our airplanes on time, on cost, and that resonates with this administration," Gillian said.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.While many associate Veterans Day and Memorial Day with service, the two are not the same. Veterans Day is a celebration of those who serve and have served. Memorial Day is a solemn day to reflect on those veterans and military personnel who are deceased.

May is also National Military Appreciation Month, and many businesses offer special discounts to veterans over the Memorial Day Weekend. Visit the Military Appreciation Month Discount Center to find out what offers are available throughout the month of May.

The following list of 2021 Memorial Day events will be updated as information becomes available. Check our Base Guide to find your local installation to find out what events are planned for Memorial Day near you.

2021 Memorial Day Events

Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery has partial openings, crowd limits and instructions on COVID precautions. The information could change daily, so check their website for the most up-to-date information.

National Memorial Day Concert

The National Memorial Day Concert will be broadcast on Sunday, May 30, 2021 at 8:00 pm Eastern. Check your local listings to watch on PBS or go to the concert website to stream. There will be no in-person seating for this years event.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Annual Observance at The Wall

This years ceremony will be held on Monday, May 31, 2021 at 1:00 pm and will include a welcome home for five service members who were added to The Wall and five service members who were repatriated over the last two years. To attend in person, you must register for a seat. Seat registration will end on Wednesday, May 26th or as soon as they reach capacity. Please note that all attendees are required to wear masks and that seating will be distanced between groups. There will also be a virtual showing of the ceremony at https://www.vvmf.org/2021-Memorial-Day/ or on their Facebook page.

National Memorial Day Parade

Hosted by the American Veterans Center, the 2021 National Memorial Day Parade will be televised only and due to continued protocols will not be open to the public. For information on when to watch and where visit the American Veterans Center site.

Ancestry 50 Story Salute

On Monday, May 31, in partnership with Wounded Warrior Project, The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation, Combined Arms and Jewish War Veterans, Ancestry will commemorate the 50th anniversary of Memorial Day as a federal holiday with the 50 Story Salute- a montage of military heroes through time, highlighting powerful stories of strength and hope. You can watch it on Ancestrys Instagram and Facebook accounts.

NEX Memorial Day Virtual 5K

Memorial Day weekend, NEX customers can #RunForThisMoment with the virtual 5K run May 27  31, 2021. Participants can run at their own pace to the virtual finish line, accompanied by live musical performances and entertainment. The first 1,500 to register for the virtual 5K will receive a free commemorative medal, while supplies last. Registration opened May 17 on myNavyExchange.com/NEXtLevel5K.Congress has passed a massive bill, nicknamed the VA Mission Act, to streamline veterans access to non-VA community care when clinically appropriate, create a new VA benefit of commercial walk-in clinics, and end an indefensible inequity by opening the VA comprehensive caregiver program, on a phased schedule, to older generations of veterans severely injured while in service.

The bill, which features many initiatives and officially is titled The John S. McCain III, Daniel K. Akaka and Samuel R. Johnson VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks Act(S 2372), cleared the Senate on 92-5 vote Wednesday and the House a week earlier by a 347-70 margin.

Such widespread support should ensure that an appropriations bill to be passed later will fully fund the package, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates will cost $46.5 billion over just the next five years. President Trump was expected to be sign the VA Mission Act by Memorial Day.

The bills primary architects are Sens. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, and their House counterparts Reps. (Dr.) Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) and Tim Walz (D-Minn.), though Walz voted against the bill after late-hour amendments to better protect VA health care against future attempts to privatize the system failed.

His effort pancaked in part because 38 veterans service organizations and military associations already had endorsed the bill after months monitoring difficult negotiations between committee leaders, committee staffs and the White House.

Were not privatized, we're mobilized, said Isakson regarding the impact on VA health care as he and a string of senators from both parties outlined key details of the VA Mission Act to the press and Senate colleagues before final passage.

A tenacious Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and thousands of caregivers of veterans severely injured before 9-11, including back to the Vietnam War era, argue that the highlight of the bill is its expansion of caregiver benefits, including a monthly stipend, health insurance, respite care and training, to older generations.

These benefits, first enacted in 2010, have been available only to caregivers of severely injured Post-9/11 veterans. Since then Murray has championed corrective legislation to extend caregiver help to any qualified veteran. The senator said she felt enormous relief for these families the day the VA Mission Act passed.

I cant tell you the countless number of families Ive talked to who, with tears in their eyes, told me how they had to quit their jobs, lost income, ended up putting veterans they care for into some other living arrangement, breaking up their families and [suffering] personal stress, Murray recalled.

Passage of a more equitable law, she added, says our country, finally, recognizes that this is a program we have a responsibility to pay for. When someone is injured in war, we say Were going to take care of them and [benefits to their caregivers] is part of it.' 

The wait for benefits, however, isnt over. VA launched the original caregiver program without proper staffing or controls to ensure consistency of eligibility and oversight. A condition for allowing expansion is that it be carefully planned and executed. The new law says it wont proceed until VA certifies it has upgraded information technology and staff to closely track and administer the benefits.

We need this to roll out the right way, with sufficient personnel and resources so no one is getting something that they later have taken away, or see benefits denied that they should have. We have to get this right, Murray said.

When VA certifies that is ready, expansion will occur in two stages, the first to begin in early 2019 for veterans injured in service on or before May 7, 1975. A review team must verify that physical or mental injuries are so severe that the veteran cannot perform one or more activities of daily living such as feeding dressing or bathing themselves. Stage two will begin two years later, for caregivers of veterans severely injured after May 7, 1975, and before Sept. 11, 2001.

Murray said her original plan for caregiver expansion was to phase them in based on degree of need so that families that needed it the most would get it first. But that was too hard to administer. And, again, we dont want this to fail.

The compromise reached, which is a better way to ensure it works, is to have the Vietnam-era veterans phased in first. They are obviously the oldest and have been waiting the longest. Then phase in for everyone else, Murray said.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 16,900 additional veterans will qualify for caregiver benefits during stage one, and another 18,100 in stage two. Given that older generations are expected to qualify for more assistance than the younger Post-9/11 pool, CBO predicts the average cost of benefits for qualified caregivers will climb by 2019 to $28,900, up from $18,300 in 2017.

The bill allows a benefit enhancement, including it for 22,000 current participants, offering new legal and financial advice services to these families.

Chairman Roe of the House Veterans Affairs Committee had endorsed a Department of Veterans Affairs proposal that, as a condition for expanding caregiver benefits to all generations, the threshold for eligibility should be tightened, except for current recipients. Veterans who newly apply would have to be found unable to perform at least three activities of daily living, not just one.

Roe had to abandon that idea in final negotiations with the Senate. But the long phase-in period for expansion, he said, will offer new opportunities to align VA eligibility standards with those used to govern other federal caregiver plans.

By tightening eligibility to whats called a tier 3 level of needed care, VA caregiver expansion would be capped at roughly an additional 40,000 veterans, VA projected last year. If Post-9/11 benefits are extended to all generations unchanged, as many as 188,000 veterans could become over time.

Murray promised to continue to fight to keep the current eligibility threshold.

Ive been adamantly opposed to raising it, she said. Its an artificial way of looking at it, that doesnt understand what an individual veteran is going through and what kind of support they need.

Caregiver benefits, like other facets of VA health care, are not entitlements requiring mandatory spending by Congress but rather a discretionary program whose availability is governed year-to-year by level of funding. CBO estimates caregiver expansion will cost $6.7 billion over the next five years so it will have to battle for annual budget dollars like other parts of VA health care. Murray, who serves on the appropriations committee, said she is confident it will be fully funded.

Ive made it very clear this is a top priority, and the fact that its so overwhelmingly supported tells me we will be able to get the support on Appropriations to fund it at the levels we expect it to be funded at, she said.

On the plan to reform community care, Isakson and Tester bragged that the bill will phase out arbitrary yardsticks used by the Choice Act  requiring waits of at least 30 days or driving distance of at least 40 miles to reach VA primary care -- to gain access to networks of non-VA physicians practicing in their communities.

The new bill will consolidate seven separate VA community care programs into one, with patient and provider to consult on use of non-VA or community care based on clinical needs. But VA also must publish new access standards, based on type of care required, within a year of the bills enactment.

Future columns will focus on this and other features of the VA Mission Act, including the new benefit allowing access to a commercially-run network of walk-in clinics and a new commission to dispose of underused VA health care facilities.

To comment, write Military Update, P.O. Box 231111, Centreville, VA, 20120 or email milupdate@aol.com or twitter: @Military_Update."Going to War" is a new 60-minute documentary about what it means to train for, serve in and return from war. It features journalist and author Sebastian Junger, author of "The Perfect Storm" and director of the Academy Award-nominated documentary "Restrepo"; and Vietnam War veteran Karl Marlantes, author of the best-selling Vietnam combat novel "Matterhorn" and the non-fiction "What It Is Like to Go to War." The film will air on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, at 9pm ET on PBS stations .

The film is definitely aimed at an audience that doesn't have any direct experience or contact with the military. For some of our readers, it can serve as a reminder that lots of folks have no idea what's going on with the men and women who serve and offers some idea of how they can be educated about the issues faced by the military.

Karl Marlantes was one of the most insightful interview subjects in the Ken Burns/Lynn Novick PBS documentary "The Vietnam War" and he wrote "Matterhorn," a book many consider to be the finest war novel published this century. Karl's thought long and hard about the moral issues faced by those who fight and he's got a lot to say that's worth considering.

Give some background on "Going to War." What is it, and who is it for?

The show started with my book, "What It Is Like to Go to War." An executive at Twin Cities Public Television named JoAnna Baldwin Mallory read it and thought it would be very interesting to do a documentary that explored war, in general. Not, you know, the Vietnam War or the Gulf War or whatever war were in now. War is a huge part of the human experience.

JoAnna was the one behind the documentary and PBS is airing it. And they got funding, they got a lot of funding from Freddie Smith, a Marine. [Fred Smith, founder of Federal Express - ed.] I know Sebastian Junger because his book, "War," came out at the same time that "Matterhorn" did. Since then he's done another book called "Tribe," which I highly recommend. That came out just after "What It Is Like to Go to War."

They've got us as talking heads in this one-hour documentary coming out for Memorial Day. The film is basically three parts. Its how society prepares people to go to war, the experience of actually going to war, and then the return from war. Its three major phases and its roughly 20 minutes of each.

Karl Marlantes and Colonel Kazmier Oceanside, CA. (photos courtesy Laura Snow)

My first response when watching was that this was something that you could have taken ten hours to explore.

Oh, yeah, I know. They wanted a three-hour film for this funding but the filmmakers managed to get one hour out. In my opinion, America does very badly with engaging with the very concept that were an aggressive nation. Most people really dont think they're involved.

One of the things that I like to point out to people is that the military is this big rifle that Americans pay for with taxes. The fact that we don't realize that is part of why returning veterans feel alienated.

People who learn 2nd grade arithmetic from teachers design the weapons and farmers grow food to feed factory workers who make them. There's this huge interrelated chain. A the very end of that long chain, some 19-year-old pulls the trigger. But we all say, "Oh, he did the killing." While he didnt all of the killing, he was certainly responsible for his part.

If a republic doesnt believe that its at war and realize that people are responsible for the country going to the war, they're always surprised that when kids come back from war that they feel a little bit out of it. That's because no one really believes the war happened.

One of the things Sebastian was saying in "Tribe" is that back in the day, when the hunters went to war, the tribe didnt eat any meat. Everybody understood that they were at war. Now, weve become very insulated from it. I think its a major consciousness issue, so its nothing something you can pass a law to fix. We need to beef up our responsibility for this. Whether we agree with it or disagree with it, we live in a republic. The issue needs to be debated, and we need to understand that there's killing going on in our name. Thats a major aspect of what I'd like to get across.

Recruit during Crucible, Oceanside, CA. from "Going to War" (photo courtesy Laura Snow)

Americans have no real memory of war on our own soil. The 9/11 attacks were a wake-up call but we've prosecuted the war overseas. It's been 150 years since the Civl War.

I read somewhere that if you took the percentage of people that died in that war and scaled it to today, it would be over five million. It was horrific.

Then we wonder why people in the Middle East dont just have a democracy, why dont they just have a Constitution? We forget how very difficult it was for us to get these institutions organized. We were a nation that enslaved people. It took a huge amount of work to get to where we are today. I hope we dont lose it.

People who are active duty or consumed with military culture are going to watch this documentary and find out that it's very much an introduction to these issues for people who haven't bothered to think about them.

Thats right. Thats one of the things were trying to do is in fact get across to people who generally are going to be PBS viewers. Its a certain subset of the culture who dont usually think about it.

Heres a great story. I was at a reading and a woman came up to me. She was about my age and was sort of doing a little bit of the embarrassed shuffle. She asked me to sign a copy of "Matterhorn." She said, "I was in college during the Vietnam War and I just hated that war, I protested that war, I went to rallies to protest that war, I thought it was a terrible war. And then I read 'Matterhorn.' I never knew you guys slept outside."

She was a college-educated woman. I know there is an enormous gap between the civilian side and the military side, but thats a story that exemplifies that. I bet you most people in this country can't tell you whether a platoon is smaller or larger than a company and whether a destroyer is smaller or larger than a cruiser.

The educated classes are certainly underrepresented in the military, except for the warrior class who generation after generation go to the academies. For a large group of citizens, the military is the jobs placement program for rural America.

Yeah, I agree. I have two things to say about that. I went to Yale and there's a place called Woolsey Hall, where on the wall are literally hundreds and hundreds of names of dead Yalies who died in World War I and World War II. Not that I wish a war death upon anybody, but I dont think we lost more than two or three in the Vietnam War and I dont think Yale has lost any in the last 17 years of war. I think it's typical of Ivy League and elite universities that people just dont join the military.

You're absolutely right. The military no longer is the image of the ghetto kid. They cant even get into the military today. You have to have a solid high school education and no criminal record. You dont get in if you dont have that. But it does devolve down to the people whose mom and dad work at Walmart and not the people whose mom and dad are partners in some big city law firm. Its a huge, huge gap.

This is your second big moment of being on PBS in the last year. You seem to have a knack for it. Did you realize that before you appeared in the Ken Burns/Lynn Novick Vietnam War documentary?

Before I became the war guy? No, it never occurred to me. I guess I can sort of BS okay, but I'm glad for it because its been useful, good work and I've enjoyed meeting these people. I was very proud to be involved with the Ken Burns project. They're the A-team. They are really fun to work with and they're talented and it was quite a privilege. For this PBS production, its the same kind of people. Were very lucky to have these people in this country.

Do you think the Vietnam War accomplished anything? Did it change the conversation at all?

I think it was a watershed in American culture because it was the Vietnam War where we became cynical about authority in government. I can remember I was at Yale and I was in the hall arguing with people at 2:00 in the morning and they were saying how the president was lying to us. And I remember sputtering and saying that an American president wouldnt lie to Americans. And they all laughed. It was the first time that I was hit with that.

I'm from this logging town in Oregon. I never believed that an American president would lie to America. Now, maybe they did, but we didnt, as a country, distrust the government. Now, if I tell that story to my kids, they just roll their eyes. Well, he's a politician, of course he lies.

The Vietnam War was a watershed in terms of authority and the governments credibility. That is a consequence that I think is real important. I dont think that we accomplished anything geopolitically, I think we got it wrong, but I'm not one of these people that say that people who served were stupid.

Think about the guys who were running the government. Kennedy, Rusk, McNamara, they were all World War II veterans. They fought serious dictators who really were trying to take over the world. Their world view was "here it comes again, monolithic communism."

We were just ignorant. We didnt know who Ho Chi Minh was. He tried to contact our government several times. He copied our Declaration of Independence. He was not a monolithic communist. He was an anti-colonialist who happened to be a communist. He just got a lot of help that way.

I think that there were a lot of dead people who could have been saved from a war that could have been solved diplomatically. I come down pretty firmly on the side that the war was a mistake, but I dont blame people for it or think it was stupid, because they just got it wrong. People are human and they get things wrong.

Our leaders should have gotten out of Vietnam. Where I find blame is that you have this memo from McNamara in 1965, when we had about 2000 dead, that said this war is unwinnable. No one would step up to the plate and just say, "Were gonna call it off." We ended up with close to 60,000 dead because the politicians were afraid they wouldn't get reelected if they looked like they were soft on communism or if they were weak.

If you're a president of the United States or a secretary of defense, those foibles will get people killed. You know you wanted that job. You have to take into consideration that your human weaknesses have way more consequences. If you are a little bit self-serving or a little bit greedy, your action have more impact than if you worked for Microsoft or the local school board or something.

Recruits taking rest, Oceanside, CA in "Going to War" (courtesy Michael Epstein)

You went right to the core issue, which is you fought in a war that you now think was a mistake. There are certainly Iraq veterans who have questions about the missing WMDs that were the motivation for that war with WMDs. How do you reconcile for yourself your service in a war that maybe shouldn't have been fought and how do you communicate that to a culture that doesnt understand service in the first place?

Okay, I have some ideas on this. The first thing is that in terms of meaning, you can't find your meaning in we beat communism or we beat fascism. I talked to my dad and my uncles who were all World War II combat veterans. And I said, "Well, did you guys feel good about beating fascism?" And they just laughed at me. They didnt didnt think about it once. They just wanted to get home alive.

The experience of being at war is an individual experience, even though the reasons that you're at war are often concocted by politicians who were sometimes trying to do the right thing and sometimes got it wrong.

I always come down to the meaning of that war. What did it mean for me as an individual? What did it mean for the development of my own soul? And it meant a lot that way.

I joined the military when I was 18. I signed up in '63 and didn't deploy until '68, but I was in. I swore an oath to the Constitution. I will defend the Constitution of the United States. That means doing what the commander in chief says.

And that is a moral good. You can't have a military whose individual parts decide whether they want to work or not on a certain day. You'd get a banana republic. You have to have a military that obeys the law. And the law is handed down by what the Constitution says.

It would be better if the Congress sent us to war instead of the president, because the Congress is sort of a bell-shaped curve of the country. Congress has been sort of terrible at oversight.

You have a conflict of equally valid moral goals. If you're in, you defend the Constitution, you do what you're told. And thats appropriate. You shouldnt be in if you're not willing to do that.

On the other hand, when people send you off to stupid wars, and I think that has happened recently, then its a very difficult conflict because youve taken this oath. And the other perspective might be that we shouldnt be in this war, we should fight against it, and protest it, and all those things which are valid in a democracy.

With Vietnam I was stuck right in the middle of those two. I decided to go, it was very simple, I went because my friends went. I couldnt not be with them in the fight. It came down to, again, a very personal choice. I felt guilty that I was over in Oxford having a good time drinking beer in the pubs with the girls.

My friends, who I'd gone through training with, were high school friends. My little high school, about 200 boys, lost five who killed in the war. I thought I couldn't hang back, so I'm gonna go. I'm going to do my duty, which I swore I would, and defend the Constitution. So it was two moral goods competing with each other. Its a terrible situation and sometimes people get into it.

Can we talk about "Matterhorn"? It's a truly great novel. How did you go from your service to being a writer?

Being a writer is sort of like being a musician; you just can't help it. I always wrote things. I started writing my dreams down when I was eight years old. I remember I wrote a Black Mass when I was in high school about how bad God is because there's suffering in the world. My dad made me burn it. But I was always writing and thought that someday Id write a novel.

When I came back from the war I thought, well, now I'm going to write the great novel about the war. And I literally sat down in England,and I wrote out 1700 typewritten A4 pages. And I said, "This is easy." It took me about three months.

I went away with my girlfriend to Ireland and I came back to sit down and read the great American novel. And it was just crap. It was like journaling. There were four pages about wet socks. I thought, "Mmm, maybe there's some craft to writing novels."

So I started doing normal things, reading books about plot structure. I outlined plots and I outlined Louis LAmour. And believe it or not, Danielle Steel because, those are two plot masters. I started to learn about that, how to develop character. I even switched it from first person to third person so I wouldnt get back into this journalist thing about how pissed off I was about things that went wrong.

The real draft of "Matterhorn" came in probably about late 70s and then I couldnt sell it. So I had to do other work. I've got five kids, so thats a lot of teeth to straighten. I just kept plugging at it and after 30 years, finally, it got published.

I used to think I was crazy. I'd go down to the bookstores and I'd pull books out and say to myself, "Am I as good as this writer? Yeah, I'm as good as this writer. I'm not crazy."

So the book that you finished in the late 70s is pretty much the same book that finally got published in 2009?

The big difference is that I didnt touch the racism in those earlier drafts. I was afraid of it. I'm from a little logging town in Oregon and, honest to God, our racial tension was after the dances at the labor temple, when the Swedes and Norwegians would fight the Finns.

I didnt know a Mexican until I joined the Marine Corps. I mean there's a great story there, too. I've told it before, but Delgado, who unfortunately was killed in Vietnam, his mother sent him a care package and were all hovering around, "What do you got, Delgado?" And he pulls it up and I said, "What are those?" And he looks at me and he says, "These are tamales. Do you want to try one?" And I said, "Sure."

So he hands me a tamale and I start chewing it and I'm thinking, no wonder these Mexicans have such brilliant white teeth, my God these things are hard to eat. And he and his friends are just laughing. I hadn't taken the cornhusk off.

That gives you an idea of how isolated the races were in 1968. I mean Mexicans and African Americans, whites, we all kept to ourselves. Again, I think the war was important because that was the first time that truly integrated units fought together. Truman integrated the military in 1947. But African Americans didnt start showing up in the elite units until early 60s.

In Vietnam, everybody got involved, of all the races, and we learned not to be afraid of each other. We learned that, God, this guy is as good a machine gunner as that guy. And the Civil Rights Movement was enormously important. There were brave people that got the laws changed. But I think where the rubber hit the road was in the military in Vietnam. There were over 200 racially motivated fraggings. Thats serious racial tension and the military got through that. I think the military was a big part of moving the country forward.

Marines at Eagle, Globe and Anchor ceremony, Oceanside, CA in "Going to War" (courtesy Laura Snow)

Its always interesting to me that the military seems to be the laboratory where a lot of social progress happens in the United States.

Yes, thats because they salute. I mean somebody in Congress says that we want to do this, they get the Congress to finally go along with it, and wheres the first place that you can actually make it work? You can't tell a corporation how to do things, but you can tell the military.

The military is a huge personnel machine. I mean the vast amount of the military is people, so I think it makes perfect sense. I take my hat off to the military. They have dealt with very difficult social issues. They've been dealing with gays in the military, now its LGBT issues. Back then it was race. Sometimes theyd go kicking and screaming, but theyd salute, and thats the point.

Even now, though, it seems the military may be ahead of the rest of the country on a lot of this stuff.

I think they could well be because they work with it. I was at Quantico when they got rid of Dont Ask, Dont Tell. And everybody was just nonplussed about it, not even a ripple. It was like, oh, yeah, okay, well, that one is just now official. That was really interesting to me and way ahead of time.

Back to the creative process. You finished this novel and no one wants to publish it. Does that affect your writing? Do you keep writing while you're raising your family?

Well, yeah. I kept writing my dreams and that was always an important job. I kept revising the novel. I was raising a family, so I'd get vacations and I'd take my book with me. The kids would say, Where's dad? Oh, he's down in the basement with his book."

In a way, it was a gift from the garbage because it got better and better. Quite frankly, I got older, more mature, so my characters got deeper and more mature. I think that if Matterhorn had been published with that first draft, it wouldnt have been anywhere near the novel that it is today. So having to delay getting it published, I just kept improving it.

I laugh, I'm a little bit worried about my next novel, which I hope is gonna come out in the winter. I didn't have 30 years to perfect it. So I'm gonna tell people, if they say, "Oh, it's not as good as Matterhorn," I'm going to just say, "Well, I was rushed."

You just keep at it. Its like I said, you can't help yourself. I would have felt I had abandoned my own integrity if I just said, "Well, I'm just going to stop writing." It was just something that I had to do.

Do you plan on making anymore documentaries after this one?

I certainly dont plan on it. I'm not a documentarian, but I think if one comes along that is appealing, I certainly am not going to say no. But I'm really much more focused on getting this next novel out. And it has nothing to do with war. I feel like I've done a good chunk of work on the military. I feel happy. I mean the Marine Corps has both books on the Commandants Reading List. All the young sergeants and young officers read both books. And, well, thats an impact that I feel proud of.

The generals, three-stars and above have a quarterly meeting at The Navy Yard. And they invited me to go there and talk about "What It Is like to Go to War." I spent almost two hours talking with all these generals about the book.

And they're serious about it. They're trying to deal with moral injury. All these guys have seen combat. They get it and they're struggling with it, trying to figure out what do you do in training to help prepare people for this rather awesome thing you're asking 19-year-olds to do, which is taking a life.

Thats been a change. When I was going through training, no one cared at all about how you felt about killing. They just taught you how to do it. I dont fault them for that. Consciousness is a real slow development.

I often tell people that military culture is the Queen Mary. And then I'm some novelist with a 3  horsepower Seagull engine on the bow trying to change the course. At first, nothing much happens, but if you remember your vector physics, a vector in some direction, if it just keeps applying pressure, eventually the bow starts to move, even if you dont notice it.How to use the mindat.org media viewer

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Summary of all keyboard shortcutsDon't Edit

Jake May | MLive.com

Improving student outcomes

Michigan's schools are facing plenty of challenges.

Third-grade reading scores have declined for the past two years, and less than half of students statewide are proficient in the subject. Meanwhile, Michigan rank at or near the bottom third of states nationwide in fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade math.

And performance standards are just a small part of the issues facing Michigan's educational system.

Some schools have difficulty finding qualified teachers in high-demand subjects like high school math and science, career and technical education and health. Others, particularly in low-income areas, have trouble recruiting and retaining quality teachers, who seek higher pay in other districts.

And before kids even step foot in one of Michigan's public schools, there are already challenges of getting affordable, high-quality childcare so they can succeed in kindergarten and beyond.

So, what can be done? While there is no single solution, experts point to a multitude of things that could change to improve student outcomes.

Here are some recommendations:

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Jake May | MLive.com

Fund students based on need

In education, there's little debate about it: different students have different needs -- and those come with a price tag.

Michigan has taken steps in recent years to boost funding for students who need the most help, such as children from low-income families, English-language learners and high school students. In the 2018 state budget, for instance, funding for at-risk students was increased to $529 million, an increase of 40 percent.

Educators applaud those increases.

But a group, known as the School Finance Research Collaborative, says Michigan needs to build on those increases by overhauling the state's school funding formula to focus more deeply on the needs of each student.

The group commissioned a study which puts the base cost of educating each student to the state standards is $9,590.

From there, costs rise depending on student need.

Students in Students in poverty cost an additional $3,356 to educate.

Students with a limited grasp of English cost between $3,356 and $6,713 more to educate, depending on how much help they need learning the language.

And students with disabilities cost between $6,713 and $11,028 depending on the level of services needed.

"Our one-size-fits-all funding system doesn't meet the special needs of students who have differing abilities, students who are economically disadvantaged, or students who might be struggling to learn the English language because they just came her from a foreign nation," said Ron Koehler, assistant superintendent of the Kent Intermediate School District, who is a member of school finance collaborative.

Related: More funding is needed to boost student achievement

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Jake May | MLive.com

Incentivize teachers to work in struggling schools and high-demand areas

Teacher turnover can be one of the biggest obstacles when working to improve student performance in low-performing schools.

When a significant number of staff come and go each year, it can destabilize schools, making it even more difficult for struggling students to catch up. New teachers who come on board face a learning curve. And efforts to implement school turnaround plans can stall.

Yet, that turnover is often all too frequent at many struggling schools. In Battle Creek, for instance, more than a quarter of the district's staff has left each year for the past three years.

What's the solution?

Luke Wilcox, a math teacher at East Kentwood High School who was selected as Michigan's 2017 Teacher of the Year, said state policy makers should develop a plan to offer incentives to attract and retain teachers in struggling schools.

"You have to have some longevity of teachers in order to make change within a district," he said. "If you're continually changing out your teachers in these low-performing districts, they're going to continue to be low-performing districts."

Others say that same strategy should be considered to fill vacancies in areas where there's a shortage of teachers, such as math, health, and career and technical education.

"Capable teachers of certain specialties have different economic opportunities," said Ben DeGrow, director of Education Policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. "So, you would want to find a way to make the teacher profession more attractive to people in higher level math and science and special education."

Related: Help wanted: Teacher shortage hits Michigan

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Jake May | MLive.com

Invest in early childhood education

Among the experts, there's wide consensus: The foundation for student success starts early.

From birth to age three, children's brains develop rapidly, and high-quality childcare and preschool promotes strong social, emotional and language development, putting children on the path to success by the time they enter kindergarten.

The number of children enrolled in state-funded preschool in Michigan has swelled in recent years -- now totaling about a third of all 4-year-olds -- thanks to more than $130 million in additional funding provided by the Legislature.

Early childhood advocates applaud the increase.

But they say another group of children are falling through the cracks: 3-year-olds.

Nationwide, 43 states offer state-funded preschool. Of those states, Michigan is one of 15 that don't serve 3-year-olds.

Some educators say that should change.

Kalamazoo Public Schools Superintendent Michael Rice says 3-year-olds who live in his district -- particularly those from low-income families -- would benefit from an environment where they're provided opportunities to learn and receive good care.

He says research has shown that children who receive a high-quality, early education are more likely to graduate from high school, enroll in college, earn more money over the course of their career, and steer clear of the criminal justice system.

"There's a tremendous payback down the line," he said.

Others say Michigan should create universal preschool for all 4-year-olds.

As of now, the state provides free preschool for families up to 250 percent of the poverty level. For a family of three, that's about $51,950.

Removing the income cap would be pricey. Gov. Rick Snyder's 21st Century Education Commission, which recommended the change, puts the price tag at $390 million annually.

Grand Valley State University President Thomas Haas said it's an expense the state should consider if it's serious about becoming a top-performing education state.

"We are failing our young people without investing in them," he said.

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Jake May | MLive.com

College affordability

Now, more than ever, students need an education beyond high school to succeed in today's economy.

About two-thirds of jobs require some form of postsecondary training, whether that be from a four-year-college, an associate degree or a certificate in the skilled trades.

Yet, for many students, paying for that training can be a big challenge.

Part of the reason: Michigan has slashed state spending on higher education.

Gov. Rick Snyder cut higher education by 15 percent in 2011, his first year in office. He has increased funding gradually ever since, but advocates say the reduction has left universities behind where they need to be.

In the proposed 2019 state budget, one university -- Wayne State -- would still receive less funding than it did before Snyder implemented his cut.

And students are feeling the pinch.

As the state funding has declined -- it accounted for 70 percent of university general fund revenue in 1979, compared with 23 percent in 2015 -- institutions have turned to students to make up the difference with higher tuition rates.

Average in-state tuition at a Michigan public university was $12,935 this school year, 30 percent above the national average.

Moving forward, as Michigan seeks to increase the number of residents with degrees and certificates, lawmakers must find a way to make college more affordable, particularly for low-income students.

One recommendation: free community college.

The idea was put forth by Snyder's 21st Century Education Commission, which views the change as an essential part of transitioning Michigan from a K-12 education system to one that starts in prekindergarten and includes college.

Making the change would cost up to $400 million annually, according to the commission's report.

Another recommendation: Make four-year degrees more affordable by increasing state financial aid.

Today, Michigan offers $127.6 million in financial aid for college students.

That's down from $241 million 10-years ago.

The reason: Many programs -- such as the Michigan Promise Scholarship, which provided assistance of $4,000 for in-state students to attend college -- were cut in an effort to balance the state budget during the Great Recession.

Moving forward, Michigan needs to change its track record and take steps to make college affordable for more students.

"Funding matters enormously," said Lou Glazer, president of the think tank Michigan Future Inc. "The whole system needs to be better funded. But college needs to be much more affordable for non-affluent kids."

Related: 'Eye on the prize,' Michigan couple battles obstacles to return to college

For too many college students, a degree is elusive

Compare your salary to people with the same education level

Don't Edit

Jake May | MLive.com

Teacher development

Inside Michigan's classrooms, there's little question about it: Good teachers are crucial to improving student achievement.

Study after study has shown that when it comes to factors schools can control, teachers play the biggest role in boosting student outcomes. Yet, there's not statewide system guiding teacher and professional development in Michigan.

And that impacts efforts to boost student achievement.

Two groups -- Education Trust-Midwest and Business Leaders for Michigan -- said the state should change this and develop a more consistent and comprehensive strategy toward helping teachers improve. That doesn't necessarily mean a top-down approach that every district must follow, but rather a framework with guidance and state support.

A recent report by Business Leaders for Michigan contrasted Michigan's approach -- where professional development is often left up to individual districts -- with that of Tennessee. There, the state selected 700 teachers to receive extensive training in Tennessee's new academic standards. Those teachers then went on to serve as "core coaches" for other teachers statewide, according to the report.

Doug Rothwell, the CEO of Business Leaders for Michigan, said effective professional development is occurring in some Michigan districts, but "it's not being done throughout the state consistently, and it's not being done at the level it needs to be."

Snyder's 21st Century Education Commission also recommended improving the area by providing districts the resources to hire instructional coaches who could provide timely, in-depth feedback to classroom teachers.

Such a strategy would carry an investment of up to $75 million annually, the report said.

Additional training should also be provided to building principals, according to the commission's report. That training could be in areas such as improving school culture, teacher development and boosting student outcomes. The cost: $6 million annually.

"I think people just think of professional development as passing out grants to districts and hope that districts will pick out good things. And then we kind of just leave it by chance," said Amber Arellano, executive director of Education Trust-Midwest. "I think that's what we've been doing for decades, and we're now one of the worst states in the country to be a student."

Don't Edit

Jake May | MLive.com

Related

This year, MLive is exploring issues of economy, education and infrastructure, and what Michigan leaders need to do to create a better future. We'd love to hear from you, about your struggles and your wins, as you navigate Michigan's educational landscape. We want to use your voice and your questions to frame the conversation with candidates as we head into midterm elections.

To read other stories in our series, click here.

Have a story to share, send us an email to michiganbeyond@mlive.comTurning the ship before it hits the icebergThree arrested for stealing LCD, DVR from Govt School

Businessman's wife wants death for accused UP cops

Man dragged on road for showing black flag to Nishad Party chief in UPIRB Infrastructure Developers | In 2020 so far, the share price has moved up 76 percent to Rs 131.20. It's trailing twelve months (TTM) P/E was 6.40 multiple while 5-year average P/E was 8.30 multiple.

live bse live

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Shares of Ashoka Buildcon added 4 percent intraday Thursday as company received arbitral award of Rs 383.3 crore against various claims filed by the SPV.

The company's wholly owned subsidiaries Ashoka Infrastructure (SPV), which had executed Pune Shirur road project in the state of Maharashtra, has received an arbitral award of Rs 383.80 crore.

The project had been awarded by Government of Maharashtra, Executive Engineer, Public Works Department, division Pune, including four lanning and strengthening of Pune Ahmednagar road.

The toll collection at the said project had been stopped since August 08, 2014.

A meeting of the board of directors of the company will be held on May 29, 2018 to approve and take on record the audited financial results of the company for the year ended March 31, 2018.

At 10:29 hrs Ashoka Buildcon was quoting at Rs 256.05, up Rs 7.00, or 2.81 percent on the BSE.

Posted by Rakesh Patillive bse live

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Rating agency Fitch on Wednesday said Tata Steel's acquisition of controlling stake in Bhushan Steel is likely to raise its leverage over the next two to three years.

Tata Steel Ltd (TSL), which won the bid for Bhushan Steel Ltd (BSL) under the insolvency process, completed the acquisition of controlling stake of 72.65 percent in the debt-laden firm last week.

"Tata Steel Ltd's acquisition of a controlling stake in Bhushan Steel is likely to raise TSL's leverage over the next two to three years..." Fitch Ratings said in a statement.

It has now cleared all the regulatory hurdles needed to proceed with the acquisition after India's National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved TSL's debt resolution plan for BSL on May 15, 2018, it said.

BSL, which has steelmaking capacity of around 5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), was one of five key distressed steel assets put up for bidding under insolvency proceedings in India.

"Under the resolution plan, Bhushan's financial creditors will receive Rs 352 billion for settlement of existing financial debt. This amount will be financed with new secured debt of Rs 165 billion and cash on TSL's balance sheet. TSL will subsequently acquire a 72.65 percent equity stake in Bhushan (Steel)," Fitch said.

TSL's projected steelmaking capacity will increase to 23mtpa with the Bhushan acquisition and including TSL's own 5mtpa capacity expansion scheduled to be completed in 2022, it said.

This is in line with management's intention of doubling capacity in India from 13 MTPA in the next five years. Bhushan's main plant is relatively close, about 150 km away from TSL's Kalinganagar plant in Odisha in eastern India. Bhushan's plant is underutilised, producing around 3.5mtpa currently.

TSL believes its turnaround plan will enable the plant to reach close to 100 percent utilisation in two years, it added.

Bhushan's plant, unlike TSL's, does not benefit from use of captive raw materials currently. However, TSL envisages gains from improvement in operating metrics and from unified marketing and procurement.

Bhushan's product mix is enhanced by downstream facilities like its cold-rolling mill and galvanizing units. TSL also has the option to increase capacity at Bhushan's site in the future, which is useful given the significant time required to set up a green field plant in India.

The BSL acquisition will enable TSL to improve its domestic market share, but Fitch estimates it will raise TSL's leverage, in terms of net debt to EBITDA, to 4x over the next two to three years from around 3x at end-March 2018.

It said TSL's net debt will increase by around Rs 35,000 crore due to the acquisition, excluding additional working capital debt at Bhushan.

"We assume additional EBITDA of around INR45 billion in the second year following the acquisition, based on an output of 5 million tonnes and an EBITDA per tonne of around Rs 9,000, based on TSL successfully improving operations at Bhushan to near-optimum levels within two years," the Fitch statement said.

TSL has also shown interest in acquiring a controlling stake in another steel asset - Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd. The result of that bidding process is likely to be known within the next few months. A successful bid is likely to further increase TSL's leverage over the medium term, Fitch added.Naveen Jindal, the chairman and promoter of Jindal Steel & Power, pulls no punches. That quality stood him in good stead as he scripted a turnaround of his company that at one time was close to being dragged to the insolvency court. The company recently reported a standalone profit after 13 straight quarters of losses. It may not be a necessity anymore but Jindal remains open to selling some of the companys mining assets in Indonesia and Africa.

Jindal tells Moneycontrol that JSPL has extended its pact with JSW Energy to explore sale of its 1,000 MW plant at Tamnar in Chhattisgarh, all at the right price. JSW Energy belongs to his elder brother Sajjan whom he calls bhaiya.

The youngest son of late OP Jindal continues his fight as he talks about his plan to keep working on cutting his companys debt by Rs 5,000 crores to Rs 6,000 crore for three consecutive years and listing JSPLs Oman unit. The lament over importing coal in a coal-rich country and the passion behind inspiring private entrepreneurs to set up power projects in the country are all too noticeable in the polo player.

Here are the edited excerpts of his interview with Moneycontrol:

Q: You now have a 9 million tonne steel capacity at a consolidated level. Thats close to your rivals. But they have gone and acquired more capacities under the Bankruptcy code. Tata Steel has acquired Bhushan Steel and JSW is in race for Monnet Ispat. Dont you think you would be left behind? Are you looking at expanding capacity further?

A: So we have always been a leader in our segment, so whatever we produce. We produce Indias widest plates. We produce one of the worlds longest railroad rails. We make Indias widest beams. So JSPL is a leader in many, many segments in steel industry and we will continue to be that. And as far as other people increasing their capacities is concerned, thats going to only help the steel industry and JSPL will also not be far behind. If today we are number four in the private steel people, we will continue to hold that number or even we are going to be increasing our capacity, we will also going to be increasing our capacity. So we are going to play an important role in the steel industry.

Q: You reported profit at a standalone level after three years. But you are still making losses at a consolidated level. When would that report a profit?

A: Consolidated (profit) also I think is also very far. We are not getting the kind of results that we expect from Jindal Power inspite of having 3,400 MW power project which is 100 percent ready and can start supplying power but we are operating at 45-50 percent level just because of shortage of coal but I do hope that in the times to come that Coal India will improve its performance, increase the coal supply and that we will be able to run it on 100 percent capacity.

Q: Are you importing coal?

A: We are importing. It is unfortunate but we are importing some coal to Chhattisgarh. Chhattisgarh is not close to a port and where we are located, we are surrounded by coal all around and still we are importing coal. So its like the famous saying called importing coal to Newcastle, same as importing coal to Chhattisgarh. So it is unfortunate. I hope that we dont have to resort to imports for long.

We are importing about 100,000 tonne per month and I dont know when it will get resolved but I real feel that if more mines are started and if whatever Coal India and its subsidiaries SECL, MCL, whatever mines they have, if they operate them at the rated capacity for which they have the environment clearance, there will be no shortage of coal in India.

They really need to improve their performance and produce at their rated capacity, there will be no shortage of coal, power will be available, power prices will reduce in the market and people will have 24 hours of power, uninterrupted and at low prices.

Q: Have you been impacted adversely as a result of the US imposing tariffs on imports of Chinese steel?

A: We were hardly doing, making any exports to the US and by USA imposing all these tariffs on other countries, it has really improved the markets in the US, steel prices in the US are 20 to 30 percent higher than the international prices but that does improve the sentiment rest of places also and government of India also has done a remarkable job by imposing minimum import prices, anti-dumping duties on different products when some of the countries were resorting to dumping into India.

I am sure if such a situation was to arise again the government will also play its role to stop that because steel is a very important industry for Indian economy and millions of people are employed in steel plants. So I am sure the government will protect the industry.

Q: How do you see steel prices and your margins in the future?

A: We are confident that steel prices would remain stable. Steel is available cheaper in India than what it is available internationally. So we are very competitive. We do suffer from very high taxation. Very high taxation in the sense we are paying the highest royalty on iron ore in the world and highest at least by double, highest royalty on iron ore, highest royalty on coal, then district mineral fund on top of that. Then we pay GST cess on coal, Rs 400 (per tonne).

So all these things make us uncompetitive internationally because of the high incidence of taxation. Then there are issues with the logistics, logistics is because many of our plants are land-locked. Railways is very expensive in India and the rakes are not available, there is a shortage of rakes. So now railways has come out with a good policy of own your wagon. So we are going to participate in that. So hope that this issue in next one year will also be resolved.

FY19, we hope to produce more than 9 million tonnes including 2 million tonnes in Oman. So we hope to produce from our present level, last year we have produced just over 4 million tonne (locally). This year we hope to produce over 7 million tonne, we are looking at an increase of more than 70 percent.

Q: Are you happy with the current level of debt or are you looking at further reduction?

A: We are not happy. We are able to happily service the debt. Thats not an issue. But definitely going forward, we want to have at least, not more than half the debt we have right now in the next three years I would say. It had peaked at a level of around Rs 46,000 crores. Presently, we are around Rs 42,000 crores. Every year, we expect to reduce it by Rs 5,000 crores to Rs 6,000 crores. We will be able to very comfortably manage (the debt reduction) through our internal accruals and our own cash flows.

Q: You hold a lot of mining assets abroad and you havent really been able to sweat them out. Are you looking at improving the utilization there or looking to exit any of them or sell part of the stake?

A: We are looking at improving the utilization. We have coking coal mines in Mozambique, Africa. It has tremendous potential. We are investing in it. In fact in the next couple of months, our project would be complete there and our production is going to more than double in Mozambique. Similarly in Australia also, we have very good quality coking coal. There also, every month, we are improving our capacity utilization. And there also, there is tremendous potential.

We are giving it the focus that it requires now because once the operations in India, now that they have stabilized, we are able to pay more attention to them and also support them more to really come up with their production.

Q: You had last year signed a pact with JSW to sell off 1,000 MW capacity. That deal hasnt fully fructified. Is it off or are you still in talks with them?

A: We have extended the timeline by one year and thats not very important now. This 1,000 MW that we talk about selling to JSW is that historic power project which has led to dozens and dozens of people actually investing in power. This 1,000 MW power project was the first 1,000 MW mega power project built by the private sector, first mega power project and its success led to addition of at least 60,000 MW to 70,000 MW.

If you see that in India today there is so much of power capacity is available and that even though coal prices have shot up but still the power is available, power is available at an economical price is thanks to this project. This 1,000 MW project set up by Jindal Power in Tamnar in Chhattisgarh which encouraged and inspired so many entrepreneurs to set up power projects.

If it happens at the right price, we will sell it. If we are not able to get that, then we are very happy to keep it because we do know that there is a requirement for power in the country, our per capita power consumption is very, very low. As more and more houses get electrified, they have electricity connection, as our quality of life improves, so is the power consumption going to improve.

Our power consumption per capita is only around 1,100 to 1,200 kwh per person per annum which can easily be 2,000 kwh. In developed countries, it is more than 15,000 kwh. In US, it is more than 20,000 kwh. Our power consumption is very less which is increasing every year. And ours is a very efficient power project. We used to operate at more than 100 percent, 101, 102 percent plant load factor. And I am very confident that after about a year or so when the coal situation improves, we will again be running at above 90 percent plant load factor.

Q: You may not need to sell assets anymore to cut your debt. But are you still looking to sell off some of them?

A: Most of what we had to sell, we already have sold. But yes, we have certain assets internationally, certain mines in Indonesia or in Africa that if we get good proposals for those, we have an open mind for divesting those. We could exit.

Q: What about Oman? Are you looking to list the arm there?

A: Oman, we have our options open. We will start looking at that three months down the line. How do we monetize that? By doing a fresh equity or by simply having a strategic investor. There is a lot of interest in Oman. So we will see. We are not really pumped up. But Oman is producing well, it is giving good EBITDA. So it is doing well.Neeraj Kanwar, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Apollo Tyres believes that we are in a global village. His monthly schedule reflects that belief. For the past six years, Kanwar has worked out of his traveling office in London. He divides his time between Netherlands, where Apollo unit Vredestein is based, and Hungary, where the tyre maker inaugurated a plant last year. Kanwar heads to Delhi once a month and spends a week at Apollos largest market.

The Managing Directors calendar reflects the evolution of Apollo in the last one decade. About 40 per cent of its revenue now come from overseas operations. That is set to increase in the next two years, as Kanwar seeds operations in the US, Dubai and Thailand. Little wonder that the senior leadership of Apollo is also now spread across the world, in Amsterdam, Singapore, London and Delhi.

We meet once a month, but each time in a different location depending on the geography we want to focus on. Last we met in London, and in June we are meeting in Hungary, Kanwar told Moneycontrol over a video conference from his London office.

At the same time, the 46-year-old is as focused on the Indian market. Apollos Vision 2020 targets the pole position in every tyre segment in India. And Kanwar wants to do it not by playing the volume game. Am not after volume, but after profitable growth. That is my mantra whatever we do, we look at profitable growth, he said.

Excerpts:

How do you assess the present market situation in India?

Indias automotive market is on a strong growth path. Today we sell 4 million consumer vehicles, and this is projected to double in next four years. Its huge growth opportunity for Apollo.

We are the leaders in truck tyres. And the radialisation of truck tyres has become 45 per cent of the market. We control 28 per cent of this.

Our Chennai plant is doubling its capacity to 12,000 tyres a day, and should come on line within a month or two.

How about cars?

Apollo has made a huge headway. From number five, we are number two and close to 1. We do 35,000 tyres a day and are running at full capacity. In fact, we are losing sales.

In other categories like farm and two-wheelers, we have grown by double digits last year.

What is your strategy for two-wheelers segment?

We launched two-wheeler tyres two years ago. We want to be a niche player. We dont want to play with big players, as we are late entrants. We are looking at high-end motorcycles, which is 20 per cent of the whole market.

You are setting up a new facility in Andhra Pradesh. Have you decided on the capacity?

We have not taken a call. The minimum capacity would be 16,000 tyres and 3,000 radials a day.

You talked about closing in on the gap with the number one player in passenger vehicles. What are you doing to bridge that gap?

I would say that the gap is bare minimum. Basically its Bridgestone Vs us and MRF. All three are up and down by 0.5 to 1 per cent, according to our estimate.

Our weak area is the high-end segment of cars. Its more of a mindset as consumers prefer the foreign brands. We are changing that through brand building and showcasing the kind of technology we have. We will first get into the base models of luxury cars and then start going up.

This segment will be assisted by our focus on high-end motorcycles as the same guy will also have a high-end car.

In other initiatives, we have created a network of 1,500 dealers in rural India in the last three years. This dealer is a composite dealer and likes to stock all kinds of tyres. We have been able to give a whole composite basket.

That is the next big growth story from India, the rural areas, and B and C-class cities.

Our vision 2020, is to be number one is each category in India.

How serious is the Chinese dumping now?

It was a concern 1.5 years ago. Chinese tyres had garnered 30 per cent share of the truck radial market, selling at 50 per cent of the prevailing market prices. But demonetization and GST has had an impact on them, as most were cash transactions. And later last year, the anti-dumping duty came in. Now they are down to 15 per cent of the truck radial market.

The rise in crude prices has been a concern. How much does this impact you?

We are constrained by oil prices. Natural rubber gets impacted. The impact is lagged and we will feel it within two months. We need to get ready and see how we can correct selling prices. We operate on thin margins of about 13-14 per cent. At a time when we are spending on brand building, R&D and new facilities, we need cash flows and healthy EBIDTA margins.

How has Vredestein performed in India?

It has not been successful. One, its difficult to pronounce. And when it comes to buying a foreign brand, customers have other brands. Also, our strategy of bringing the product from outside to sell in India was not right. We have to see how we can make it in India and sell.

And in Europe?

It is doing very well. We have gained market share. And we have a new distribution system. (Apollo had bought German tyre distribution firm Reifencom GmbH in 2015). We now sell 30 per cent of our tyres through Reifencom, from the earlier 20 per cent. While Netherlands and Germany are main markets for us, we are also looking at UK, Italy, France, Austria and the Nordic countries.

After the termination of Cooper Tire deal in the US, what has been your interest in the market?

The US is a large car market, and is my next focus area.

Currently we only have 5-10 per cent of the market covered in our products. There is a lot of R&D work needed to cover the 80 per cent. We need to put a lot of investment in R&D. I have 10 engineers in Netherlands working on only the US market. In two years, we will have a product range that will cover 75-80 per cent of market. Then you will see acceleration coming in, and then we will take a call on a local facility, or will produce in Hungary and sell in US.

Which are the other international markets that interest you?

We have set up marketing and sales offices in Thailand and Dubai, for Apollo and Vredestein brands. While Dubai will cover Middle-East and North Africa, the Thailand office will look at the ASEAN region We want to see which one fructifies as a good market for Apollo. Once we reach a sustainable level of demand  USD 150 million revenue annually- then we will see how we want to go to the next phase.Representataive Image

The Department of Telecom today cleared sale of standalone mobile towers of Idea Cellular for Rs 4,000 crore to the Indian arm of American Tower Corporation (ATC), according to official sources. "Idea-ATC deal has been cleared," an official source told PTI.

ATC Telecom Infrastructure had signed pact with Vodafone India and Idea in November 2017 to buy their standalone towers for Rs 7,850 crore.

The standalone tower businesses of Vodafone and Idea have a combined portfolio of nearly 20,000 towers.

ATC has already completed acquisition of Vodafone India's mobile tower for Rs 3,850 crore, which added nearly 10,200 to its portfolio.

Deal closure with Idea will further add around 9,800 towers to the portfolio of ATC Telecom Infrastructure.

The clearance of this deal also bring merger of Idea-Vodafone closer to the regulatory approval.live bse live

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Petronet LNG (PLNG) reported a strong set of Q4 FY18 numbers on the back of a healthy uptick in volumes and utilisation of terminals. While revenue increased 36 percent year-on-year (YoY), net profit rose 11 percent YoY. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) margin took a 20 basis points YoY hit due to higher employee and other expenses, which increased significantly (around Rs 10 crore one-time expense included in employee costs).

The company reported a strong 18 percent YoY uptick in volumes, though sequentially it fell a percent because of two lesser days in Q4. Lower utilisation and volumes at Kochi terminal were also partially responsible as there was a seasonal shutdown of Fertiliser & Chemicals Travancore (FACT) facility. While the utilisation at the Dahej terminal remained at 109 percent, at Kochi it was 9 percent. Dahej volumes remained strong at 207 trillion British thermal units (Btu) (up 16.8 percent YoY), while at Kochi the volumes were around 5.9 trillion Btu (up 104.2 percent YoY). The pipeline at Kochi is expected to be installed by Dec 2018, post which the volumes and utilisation at Kochi are expected to improve.

The company is expanding capacity at its Dahej facility to 17.5 million tonne per annum (mtpa) from 15 mtpa, which would be complete between March and June of next year. Given the deficit supply situation in the market, the management is confident that additional capacity would be fully booked. It further plans to expand capacity by 2.5 mtpa.

After a period of stagnant domestic production growth, upstream companies like Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Reliance Industries-British Petroleum (RIL-BP) are planning to ramp up domestic gas production. Around 60 million metric standard cubic meter per day (mmscmd) of gas is expected to flow in from domestic sources by 2022. This is expected to replace the expensive imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) which would have an impact on LNG regas volumes.

The management said incremental domestic gas production will mostly be offshore high pressure gas. Since the production process is expensive, it sees bleak prospects of it replacing LNG. Also, there are numerous issues surrounding the production process itself, so ramping up may not take place.

There is a large gap between overall gas consumption and domestic production at present. Domestic production accounts for less than 60 percent of consumption. A parallel increase in demand, with a preference for gas as an alternate fuel, owing to higher crude prices, increasing pollution and rising demand from the power sector, cannot be ignored. There will still be a market for imported LNG. Moreover, PLNG has almost tied up its entire capacity in long-term contracts, thus limiting the impact on volumes.

The company also faces a threat from increased competition, with a new terminal coming up at Mundra. But the management assuaged concerns, saying operations at Mundra and not expected to begin until March next year. The management highlighted that regas tariffs are very competitive due to which they will still remain the preferred terminal.

The company has been eyeing expansion in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Capex outlay for the Bangladesh landbased terminal (7 million tonne) is almost $100 million. The same for Sri Lanka (2.5 MT) stands around $300 million. The management is in talks with the Bangladesh government for assured volumes and offtake. Bangladesh has announced plans to hike domestic gas prices, so that RLNG can be absorbed in domestic markets. The management sees visibility of the Bangladesh expansion in the near-term. However, the Sri Lankan expansion is subject to many approvals and would take time before it comes on stream. The company is also exploring opportunities for integrated expansion in Qatar in the longer term.

We see bright prospects for the regasification business as gas demand is expected to ramp up rapidly and owing to limited growth in domestic production. Despite increasing competition in the coming years, the companys capacity remains fully tied up in long-term contracts. With capacity expansion on cards, we see higher volumes and cost benefits. The stock has corrected almost 7 percent in the past 12 months and is 23 percent below its 52-week high. The stock is trading at FY19e price-to-earnings of 14 times. With continued shortage of LNG domestically and capacity expansion that should boost future volumes, we see the stock as a steady long-term performer.

Follow @Ruchiagrawal

For more research articles, visit our Moneycontrol Research pageA farmer works in a paddy field on the outskirt of Agartala, India, March 7, 2017. REUTERS/Jayanta Dey - RC124552B9F0

India and the Netherlands are keen to further cooperate in the field of agriculture and allied sectors, an official statement said today.

Dutch deputy prime minister and farm minister Carola Schouten today called on India's agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field.

In the meeting, the two ministers discussed the work accomplished so far under the Indo-Dutch collaboration and expressed their desire to strengthen it further, it said.

Singh said India is keen to have further cooperation in crop residue management, bovine breeding, dairy development, animal health and porcine development, among others.

He also emphasised on the need for infusing modern technology in India's agriculture as the Netherlands is a global leader in cultivation of flowers, plants and vegetables, and well known for the diversification of agriculture sector.

Singh informed that a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for vegetables has been commissioned at Baramati in Maharasthra. The second CoE for flowers at Talegaon in the same state will be ready soon and the progress of remaining CoEs is also being followed closely.

Others are in various stages of completion and the focus is on making technology affordable to the small and marginal Indian farmers, he added.Kim Jong Un North Korea

Ahead of a planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, President Donald Trump's focus has been on stagecraft and prospects for a legacy-defining nuclear deal.

The human rights woes of North Koreans have been more of an afterthought. White House officials say the plight of North Korean people, who live under one of the world's most repressive governments, is not currently a priority for the summit.

Trump is facing calls from Capitol Hill to not ignore Kim's human rights record during the potential sit-down. Failure to address those concerns could hamstring the congressional approvals likely required for any agreement with Kim.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told lawmakers Wednesday that he has raised the issue of human rights with Kim "and it will be part of the discussions.India has lodged a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the US stating that the imposition of tariff on steel and aluminium is inconsistency and discriminatory.

New Delhi listed multiple violations of WTO norms such as discrimination against imports, introduction of restrictions in the form of quotas and using tariffs to get other countries to agree to "voluntary export restraints" in the complaint, Economic Times reported.

On March 23, US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25 percent import tariff on steel and 10 percent on aluminium products respectively for all countries except Canada, Mexico, Australia, Argentina, South Korea, Brazil and the European Union.

India said that the US tariff imposition was inconsistent with provisions of the WTO's General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994. The move is also not in line with the Agreement on Safeguards.

Following the complaint, WTO would give both parties an opportunity to discuss the matter and find a solution without proceeding further with litigation. If the WTO consultations fail to resolve the dispute withing 60 days, the complainant can request adjudication by a panel.

According to a report published by Care Ratings, in terms of value, imports from the US into India stand at around 50 percent of the exports from India to the US. The trade surplus stood at around $20 billion in 2017-18.

The direct impact of the move is limited for India as most products exported to the US attract anti-dumping duties. Aluminum and steel together account for around 3 percent of Indias exports to the US and in 2017, India exported less than one million tonne of alloy, primarily pipes, tubes, and wire rods, to the US.

However, the industry and the government fear a long-term impact of the executive order.

According to another government official, steps taken by the US can create glut in export-oriented nations like China, Russia, and South American nations that could be diverted towards India.live bse live

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If your investment journey coincided with formation of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre, you may be sitting on a tidy profit. As many as 11 stocks has returned over 1,000 percent in the last four years, a number which was hovering near 50 when the Narendra Modi government completed three years in office in 2017.

But you will be surprised to note that the number of stocks that offered multi-bagger returns reduced considerably in just 12 months. If we look at the outperformers in the BSE 500 index, which is considered as the true barometer of the Indian economy, 11 stocks delivered returns in the range of 1,000-2,214 percent. These include: Minda Industries, Avanti Feeds, KEI Industries, Phillips Carbon Black, Indiabulls Ventures, HEG, Aegis Logistics, Tata Metaliks and Capline Point Laboratories.

Moreover, 206 stocks returned over 100-900 percent in the last four years. These include: Bajaj Finance, Venkys India, APL Apollo Tubes, Sterlite Technologies, V-Mart Retail, Jamna Auto Industries, Bajaj Finserv, Britannia Industries, GHCL and Force Motors.

Indian equities have surged to record highs during four years of the Narendra Modi government. Since May 26, 2014, the day Modi was sworn in as Prime Minister, the benchmark Sensex has risen nearly 40 percent. The Sensex hit a lifetime high of 36,443 in January but since then it has lost nearly 2,000 points. It looks like the momentum which D-Street gathered in 2014 seems to be fizzling out.

"Four years of the Modi government have been a roller-coaster ride with its share of ups and downs. There was a lot of euphoria in the market post Modis victory and citizens looked up to him to usher in a wave of change in the country, Jimeet Modi, Founder & CEO, SAMCO Securities told Moneycontrol.

He added that the performance of the Modi government has been remarkable in terms of planning and execution of some policies, whereas the macroeconomic numbers arent all that rosy.

Most stocks that delivered multi-bagger returns belong to the small and midcap space, which witnessed a strong correction in 2018. More than 75 percent stocks in the BSE Midcap space posted negative returns in the last five months.

The question that emerges is whether it makes sense to hold on to stocks that have given stellar returns in the last four years? Well, the maths is not that easy for starters. Experts feel investors should do their own research and stick to sectors that are making the news for the right reasons.

In the top-down fundamental analysis, the decision of which stock to hold and in which to book profit depends on a number of factors. Looking at the current scenario, FMCG and IT are moving in a secular uptrend by generating alpha, so investors should stay in these two sectors for the longer term, Ritesh Ashar, Chief Strategy Officer, KIFS Trade Capital, said.

We have collated the views from various experts on some of the stocks that have given exponential returns in the last four years:

Analyst: Jimeet Modi, Founder & CEO, SAMCO Securities & Stock Note

Avanti Feeds

It is a key exporter of shrimp, and has benefited from the rise of shrimp cultivation in India post-2009 and is virtually debt free.

The company has shown consistent profit growth of around 50 percent over the last 5 years and is expected to maintain its leadership position in shrimp business.

HEG

HEG is a leading graphite electrode manufacturer in India, rose more than 1200 percent over the last 4 years mainly due to the clamping down on polluting industrial plants in China.

However, the gains from here on could be limited as some Chinese graphite electrode manufacturers have been adding production capacity and the Indian government has imposed an export tariff of 20 percent on electrode manufacturers.

Cyclical stocks like HEG should be sold and book profits as scarcity of graphite will not last forever and sooner or later new capacities will drive down the prices of the end product.

Analyst: Ritesh Ashar Chief Strategy Officer, KIFS Trade Capital

Indiabulls Ventures

The companys revenue for Q4FY18 grew by 131.7 percent on a YoY basis and 14.4 percent on QoQ basis. It has recently raised Rs 2,000 crore via preference share sale with an intention of expanding its credit business which will further contribute to the net revenue of the company and looking at the solid fundamentals of the company the returns are expected to be continued in the long run.

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/brokerages on moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.May 24, 2018 / 10:14 PM IST











May 24, 2018 / 10:01 PM IST Aadhaar protected by high-tech encryption, authentication: UIDAI Chairman

The world's largest ID database Aadhaar is protected by high-tech encryption, multi-layered authentication and best-in-class security, UIDAI Chairman J Satyanarayana said today.Speaking at a panel discussion on 'Future of Governance', he said that "best-in-class security practices" are followed in the two Aadhaar data centres.













May 24, 2018 / 09:39 PM IST Netherlands vows support to building consensus for India's NSG bid

The Netherlands today reaffirmed its support to building consensus among members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) over India's bid to be part of the elite grouping.A joint statement released after the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte said the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening disarmament and global non-proliferation efforts.











May 24, 2018 / 09:28 PM IST UN chief 'deeply concerned' as US cancels nuclear summit with NKorea

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today said he was "deeply concerned" as US President Donald Trump cancelled a widely anticipated nuclear summit next month with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. "I am deeply concerned by the cancellation of the planned meeting in Singapore between the President of the United States and the leader of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea," Guterres said as he presented a new UN disarmament agenda in Geneva.











May 24, 2018 / 09:07 PM IST Jet Airways' debt may rise in short term: Amit Aggarwal



After posting a massive loss in the March quarter, private carrier Jet Airways today said it may see a rise in debt for the next one or two quarters.



"The (March) quarter had negative cash flow generation. May be for a quarter or two you would see the debt going up. There could be a short-term blip in terms of rise in the debt," Jet Airways chief financial officer and deputy chief executive officer Amit Aggarwal said during a post-earnings analysts call.











May 24, 2018 / 08:42 PM IST Rajnath reviews situation in Kashmir after the Ramzan truce Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir after the suspension of operations announced by the government about a week ago and expressed satisfaction over the relatively calm atmosphere prevailing in the valley, officials said. During the hour-long meeting, the home minister was briefed by top security officials about the law and order situation in the state, where incidents of stone pelting have come down significantly ever since the suspension of operations by security forces was announced on May 16. (PTI )











May 24, 2018 / 08:26 PM IST BJP is going to form government at the centre in 2019, despite heavy loss in seats: ABP-CSDS Survey The Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to lose a significant share of its seats in 2019 elections, but it will still form the government at the centre. ABP-CSDS survey estimates that BJP-led NDA will secure a vote share of 37 percent. UPA is likely to secure 31 percent and others will secure 32 percent. The numbers were significantly different for UPA and Others in 2014. BJPs vote share in 2014 was 36 percent, Congress was 25 percent and Other parties had 39 percent. In terms of seats, out of 543 seats, NDA is expected to bag 269-279 seats, UPA will secure 160-168 seats and 101-109 will go to Others. In 2014, BJP had reached the magic number on its own with 323 seats in the house, Congress had secured 60 seats and Others got 153 seats. BJPs seats have gone south and Congress seats have seen a significant hike, as per this survey.











May 24, 2018 / 08:11 PM IST South India showed weakening of BJP some more: ABP-CSDS Survey Of the 132 seats in the south, BJP won 23 seats, Congress won 21 seats and 88 seats went to Others. The ABP-CSDS Survey predicts even lesser seats for BJP in the south, coming somewhere between 18 and 22. Congress is predicted to have 67-75 and others may get 38-44.











May 24, 2018 / 07:54 PM IST Govt seeks $3.8 bn from RIL, ONGC, Shell The government has reiterated a demand for USD 3.8 billion dollars from Reliance Industries, Shell and ONGC following an English court ruling over government share from the Panna-Mukta and Tapti fields in western offshore. In a regulatory filing, RIL said the government had, on May 2017, sought USD 3.8 billion as its share from the western offshore field and has "recently repeated its demand". The liability is to be split between the three companies in proportion to their stake in PMT. State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has 40 percent interest while RIL and Shell hold 30 percent apiece. The demand pertains to interpretation of the contract for the Panna-Mukta and Tapti (PMT) oil and gas fields in the Arabian Sea. (PTI)











May 24, 2018 / 07:31 PM IST











May 24, 2018 / 07:29 PM IST North India sees a decline in the saffron power: ABP-CSDS Survey Despite having more seats than other parties, NDA will see a decline in the number of seats it bags from north India. In 2014, NDA had won 134 seats from the north, out of 151. UPA bagged 8 and 9 seats went to Others. The survey predicts NDA to win 86-94 seats from northern states in 2019. 23-27 seats for UPA and 33-39 seats for Others are predicted.









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Petrol and diesel prices continue to soar and touched another peak on May 29. Petrol was hiked by 16 paise to Rs 86.24 per litre in Mumbai.

This is the 16th straight hike in a row. Diesel prices on the other hand, were hiked by 15 paise to Rs 73.79 per litre in Mumbai. Petrol prices in Delhi were increased by 16 paise to Rs 78.43 per litre and diesel by 14 paise to Rs 69.31 per litre.

Since the dynamic pricing system resumed on May 14, petrol and diesel prices have risen by Rs 3.8 and Rs 3.38 respectively in the last 16 days in Delhi.

Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had earlier said that the government will intervene to reduce prices.

Brent crude futures, the international benchmark for oil prices, traded at $75.45 a barrel on the ICE.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had said that subsidising petrol and diesel to bring down their retail prices will take money away from governments social welfare schemes.

A possible drop in Venezuela's crude output after a disputed presidential election, potential US sanctions on the country as well as US' tough stance on Iran are the key price drivers.

OPEC may decide to raise oil output as soon as June due to worries over Iranian and Venezuelan supply and after Washington raised concerns the oil rally was going too far, OPEC and oil industry

Indian Oil (IOC), the country's top refiner, will turn to its traditional oil suppliers, mostly in the Middle East, if U.S. sanctions against Iran result in supply disruptions, its head of finance said.

IOC is Iran's biggest Indian oil client. The company meets about 70 percent of its oil needs through annual contracts deals, mainly with Middle Eastern producers.

IOC chairman Sanjiv Singh said the government had so far not directed refiners to cut imports from Iran.

(With inputs from Reuters)A new change that could benefit homebuyers has been made to the IBC, or Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. This change allows homebuyers to be treated as financial creditors.

The central govt has been pretty keen on the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. Many experts and analysts have termed it a game changer. This is one law that has instilled a new fear of the long arm of the law in real estate promoters. They now fear of losing their company. As a consequence of the IBC, banks have recovered monies of around Rs 83,000 crore from defaulting promoters. Thats over 12 billion dollars!

The same fear is now palpable in the eyes of real estate developers. Ok, that was a bit dramatic but it does summarise the situation with some accuracy.

When we say the IBC allows financial institutions to treat homebuyers as financial creditors, what we mean is this: Until now, a home buyer was considered an unsecured creditor. This means his payments to the builder were graded at a lower level than that of banks. In case of insolvency, the lending bank and other institutional creditors would first recover their money via the sale of assets of the builder. If anything remained, the buyer would have got his money back.

This scenario is playing out currently in the case filed against Jaypee Infratech by home buyers which is now being heard by the Supreme Court.

On August 09 2017, the Allahabad bench of the National Company Law Tribunal, or NCLT, admitted a plea by IDBI Bank to begin insolvency proceedings against Jaypee Infratech for defaulting on a Rs 526.11 crore loan.

The NCLT asked homebuyers who purchased flats from Jaypee Infratech to file their claims by August 24, for a refund of their money in case a revival of the company failed. According to Section 13 of the IBC, a buyer who has taken a home loan to pay Jaypee Group has the right to file a claim with the IRP. Media reports claimed JayPee handed over only 5,500 flats out of the proposed 32,000 flats and 3,000 plots across 800 acres along the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway. It has 305 towers, of which 250 are incomplete. Jaypee Infratech is among the 12 big corporate loan defaulters identified by the Reserve Bank through its internal advisory committee in June 2017 for the insolvency & bankruptcy code.

In September, the Supreme Court issued a stay order on the insolvency proceedings against Jaypee following petitions by various associations of homebuyers who went to court as they stood to lose their apartments without any compensation. This stay was revoked by the SC, which also directed the IRP to take over management of the company and submit an interim resolution plan that took into account the interests of homebuyers. The court also directed Jaiprakash Associates, Jaypee Infratechs holding company, to deposit Rs2,000 crores with the court to protect the interests of homebuyers. Out of this, only Rs750 crore have been deposited till May 17th this year. The case will be heard again in July.

Now, lets take a couple of minutes to examine how this amendment came about.

In March of this year, a 14-member Insolvency Law Committee suggested that home buyers be treated as financial creditors, which will allow them to equitably participate in an insolvency resolution process. The panel has also suggested relaxations for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) under the IBC. This would provide relief to homebuyers stuck in incomplete real estate projects against which insolvency proceedings are underway.

The Committees attention was drawn to the significant confusion regarding the status of buyers of under-construction apartments (home buyers) as creditors under the Code. Multiple judgements have categorised them as neither fitting within the definition of financial nor operational creditors," the committee said in its report.

Two things stand out from the committees report. First, the Committee agreed that the amounts raised under home buyer contracts is a significant amount, which contributes to the financing of construction of an asset in the future.

Second, the report also noted that not including home buyers within the definition of financial or operational creditors was a cause for worry because it deprived them of three rights. The right to initiate the corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP); the right to be on the committee of creditors (CoC); and the guarantee of receiving at least the liquidation value under the resolution plan.

So what conclusion did the committee arrive at? The committee reviewed various financial terms of agreements between home buyers and builders as well as the manner of utilisation of the disbursements made by home buyers to the builders. It noted that the agreement is for disbursement of money by the home buyer for the delivery of a building to be constructed in the future. The disbursement of money is made in relation to a future asset, and the contracts usually span a period of four to five years or more, the report said. The Insolvency Law Committee thn=en said that the amounts raised in such a manner are used as a means of financing the real estate project and are thus, in effect, a tool for raising finance. Therefore, on the failure of the project, money is repaid based on time value of money.

So now that we know the story behind the change, heres what the new amendment in the IBC means. Until now, homebuyers were treated as unsecured creditors who came after secured and institutional creditors in terms of priority for recovery of dues. Once the ordinance receives approval from President Kovind, homebuyers will be considered on par with banks and institutional creditors and given priority while recovering dues from bankrupt or insolvent real estate companies.

However, analysts claim the biggest beneficiary, long-term, will be the real estate sector. Thanks to the amendment and to RERA, buyers will now be confident about recovering their money even if the builder fails. Many fence sitters, who were wary about buying their own houses, may now come to feel it is safe to put their money into real estate.

Other analysts say the changes in the code will also help micro, small and medium enterprises by allowing their promoters to submit their resolution plan in insolvency cases. Small and medium firms are key to Indias jobs growth.Moneycontrol.com

Italian luxury brand Versace and Delhi-based commercial realty firm Unity Group have joined hands to develop Delhi's tallest landmark building, located at a stones throw away from Connaught Place.

The 46-storey twin towers to be designed by Versace Homes will be the tallest approved building in the national capital with a height of 182 metre. The cost of the project is expected to be around Rs 3,000 crore out of which Rs 500 crore is for Versace twin towers. The 6000 sq ft Versace Homes will be priced around Rs 25,000 per sq ft. There will be a total of 2,700 units in 22 towers. The twin towers will comprise around 150 apartments designed by Versace.

At present, the Civic Centre building in the central Delhi is tallest with a height of around 110 metre.

The construction of the RERA-compliant project is currently on and the first phase of the project will conclude by the end of 2019, Unity group director Harsh Vardhan Bansal told Moneycontrols Vandana Ramnani.

"The branded luxury apartments will offer a range of unique amenities that embrace everything Versace stands for - superior quality, contemporary design and innovation through a combination of ultra-modern facilities with unmatched style," said Gabriella Saracino, Worldwide Licensing and Home Division Director, Gianni Versace.

She said this will be the second housing project for Versace brand in India. It signed up with a project 'ABIL Mansion' in South Mumbai in 2015.

Asked why the brand tied up with Unity project, she told Moneycontrol that in this sector we partner with somebody who shares our vision, the idea of delivering high-quality projects. With unity vision was to create a landmark project in Delhi. They had this unique location which is not easy to find in Central Delhi. We wanted to do a landmark project. Thats what we liked about them, she told Moneycontrol.

Heres the text of the full interview with Harsh Vardhan Bansal, Director of Unity Group.

Tell us about the project launched in conjunction with Versace?

The name of the project is Amaryllis. The project is spread across 40 acres in the heart of Delhi. It is located in Karol Bagh, just about 3.5 km from the heart of Connaught Place and Central Delhis Lutyens zone. The project will have 2,500 condominiums out of which 150-odd are by Versace branded residents We have one twin tower that will be the highest in Delhi and house Versace branded residences. Besides Versace, we have 22 other towers which will have premium as well as luxury residences.

Are these all RERA compliant?

Yes, all these will be RERA compliant. I would also like to add that our company believes in certain principles, we are in this industry since 1996. We declare everything to our customer, we are transparent, we have been declaring the carpet area, the covered area, the total cost since 1996. It is not only RERA, we started this in 1996. At that time too we were declaring that the total cost will be so and so and the carpet area and covered area will be so much We never sold any product in super area only. RERA is a very good authority which will boost confidence. We welcome RERA a lot and we believe that even though RERA is a late entry, it is welcome and will enhance the real estate industry a lot.

Why did you make the shift from commercial to residential and that too in a market like today?

We are not shifting from commercial to residential. We are already into commercial. We have developed so many commercial buildings. We have four malls in the name of Unity One that are located in Rohini, Janakpuri and other parts. We are coming up with the biggest shopping mall in Delhis Dwarka. We are not shifting but we are adding one more vertical in the existing real estate because in Delhi the residential segment was in the hands of the government only so there were very few projects being developed by private players. There is huge demand, it is good opportunity, people are travelling a lot internationally and are expecting that quality products from across the world should also come to India. We are focusing on quality residential product that gives a lifestyle to the people of Delhi.

How much do you hope to generate from this project? How much will this project cost?

The cost of this project by our company will be around Rs 3000 crore that includes the cost of construction. We bought this land from our own sources but we have raised this construction to a certain level. The apartments have already reached to the 20th level. We are now planning to launch this project and we certainly looking for booking the apartments and will be putting money into the construction. As a company policy, besides RERA also, we dont believe in diverting any money from the project. So, entire accruals from the project will be invested in this project only. We will not divert even the 30 percent. We will invest all the 100 percent for the construction of the project only.

About your agreement with Versace? What kind of royalty would you be paying Versace for it?

We have two types of agreements with Versace. One, they are designing the common areas, entrance lobby, club etc amenities, the swimming pool, everything for the tower. They have charged a fee for that. They have charged the design fee for that. Besides that, they are also giving us a brand. They are charging a royalty from the sales also.

How much do you expect each Versace apartment to sell for? What would be the size of the Versace apartment?

The size of the Versace apartment will be around 6000 sq ft consisting of five big bedrooms and two servant rooms. And lots of other amenities required in luxury homes. The price that we are targeting initially is around Rs 25,000 per sqft which is a price for a non-branded apartment in a location like that.

Whom do you plan selling these apartments to?

For branded residences, we are focusing on HNIs but for other apartments, anybody can easily afford them. They are reasonably priced if you see the price already in North and West Delhi. The target price we are asking is almost at par with the apartments which dont have any facilities or amenities.live bse live

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Global brokerage firms have slashed their 12-month target price for Tata Motors post its Q4 FY18 earnings. The company, which declared its result post market hours on Wednesday, missed analysts' expectations with a 50-percent year-on-year fall in its consolidated net profit at Rs 2,176.16 crore.

An average of estimates of 14 analysts polled by Reuters pegged the company's consolidated net profit at Rs 4,041 crore. The fall in bottomline was primarily due to Rs 1,641.38 crore impairment of capital work-in-progress.

During the reporting quarter, the company's luxury-car subsidiary Jaguar-Land Rover saw its sales decline 4 percent YoY to 172,709 units. The fall was due to lower sales in the UK (down 12.4 percent) and to a lesser extent in Europe.

The stock fell sharply in Thursdays trade, hitting a fresh 52-week low of Rs 285.55 on the BSE. It declined as much as 7.7 percent intraday. At 9:48 am, the stock was quoting Rs 286.85, down Rs 22.40, or 7.24 percent.

Reacting to the results, global brokerage firms maintained their rating but slashed their target price as well as earnings per share (EPS) to factor in lower volume growth, margins and higher depreciation for JLR.

Global brokerage firm CLSA maintain its sell rating on Tata Motors but slashed its target price to Rs 295 per share from Rs 330 earlier. Outlook for JLR remains weak and the margin commentary was subdued, it said in a research note.

CLSA slashed its FY19 and FY20 EPS estimates by 7 percent and 8 percent, respectively, to factor in lower volumes, margin as well as higher depreciation for JLR.

Another global brokerage firm, Jefferies, maintained its buy rating, but slashed its 12-month target price to Rs 440 per share from Rs 510 earlier. The near-term demand outlook for JLR remains challenging. Strong macro and likely improvement in the market share trends aids the standalone business. Valuation, post the steep correction, makes the risk-reward favourable in our view, it said in a research note.

Morgan Stanley maintained its equalweight rating, but slashed its 12-month target price to Rs 339 per share from Rs 407 earlier. The global investment bank also slashed its 12-month target for Tata Motors DVR to Rs 220 per share from Rs 228 earlier. The stock looks cheap but it lacks an upside trigger. We have lowered our FY19e/20e earnings by 31/21%, respectively, it stated.

: The above article is drafted based on the publically available information. The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.live bse live

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Suzlon Energy said it is considering to raise Rs 900 crore from the market to replace its existing debt.

Besides, the company is planning to issue securities to an extent of Rs 2,000 crore, Suzlon Energy said in a regulatory filing.

Suzlon's board is meeting on May 30 to "consider and approve" issuance of "redeemable non-convertible debentures/non-equity linked instruments in one or more tranches to an extent of Rs 900 crore on a private placement basis for replacement of existing debt."

However, this would be subject to the approval of shareholders .

It would also consider to "issue of the securities to an extent of Rs 2,000 crore, subject to the approval of the shareholders, at the ensuing 23rd annual general meeting of the company."Twitter is partnering with law enforcement agencies and regulators to curb fake news and prevent trolling on the social networking site ahead of the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Taranjeet Singh, country director of Twitter India, said the microblogging site is taking several steps to ensure authenticity of posts in the run-up to the general elections, according to a report in The Economic Times report.

"We are verifying and building capacities of political candidates so that there are verified accounts and users know who the right people are to follow or hear from. We are partnering with credible news outlets and media companies for coverage and livestreams," Singh told the paper. The technology firm expects a lot of conversations around the general elections as India is the largest democracy in the world.

In the recent Karnataka Assembly polls, Twitter recorded over three million mentions in three weeks between April 25 and May 15. Singh said Twitter's popularity has been growing as sectors like auto, banking and financial services and technology primarily pushed advertising growth for the platform locally.

Also read  Karnataka Elections 2018: Twitter sees over 3 million mentions of the polls

Twitter swung to a profit during the first quarter of the year as it recorded 53 percent jump in international revenue to USD 664.9 million from USD 548.3 million. For the three months ended March 31, Twitter earned USD 61 million, or 8 cents per share.

Singh further added that their news partners are really important for them as they bring in credibility and their own point of view in terms of coverage.

Twitter has also created emojis that would fuel more conversations. The company is planning to invest more as it sees India as one of the the fastest growing markets.

"We see great traction here in terms of user engagement. More and more brands are working with us. We are investing here for further growth," Singh said.Representative image

Buying a vehicle in states like Delhi could soon become expensive as transport ministry has suggested the highest tax of 12 percent as road tax under one nation-one tax proposal.

Centre has pitched three tax brackets corresponding to price of the vehicle to be levied as road tax. Vehicles below Rs 10 lakh will fall under 8 percent tax bracket, those between Rs 10 to Rs 20 lakh will attract 10 percent tax and those buying car worth more than Rs 20 lakh will pay tax of 12 percent.

Group of Ministers on transport, in April, suggested that a uniform road tax across all the states in the country should be charged in order to contain tax evasion by people.

Uniform tax rate will put a check on people registering their vehicles in low tax rate states and running them in other states, the statement by the road ministry said.

Presently, Rs 305 a year is paid by a commercial passenger vehicle driver in Delhi carrying utmost two passengers, while Rs 1,850 (plus Rs 280 per person above 18) a year is paid by the CV driver carrying more than 18 persons.

The rates are Rs 665 a year for commercial freight vehicle with a capacity of less than a tonne and Rs 3,790 (plus Rs 470 per tonne above 10) a year for a vehicle with capacity of more than 10 tonne.

Private cars worth less than Rs six lakh attract road tax of four percent (petrol) and five percent (diesel) in Delhi. The rate goes up to seven percent (petrol) and 8.75 percent (diesel) for cars between Rs six to Rs 10 lakh. A road tax of 10 percent (petrol) and 12.5 percent (diesel) is charged for cars above Rs 10 lakh in the national capital.

The new tax rates, however, will be a breather for southern states like Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Bengaluru levies 10 percent road tax on two wheelers below Rs 50,000 and 12 percent for two wheelers above Rs 50,000. Private cars bought under Rs five lakh attract 13 percent road tax and cars above Rs 20 lakh attract 20 percent road tax.

For Mumbai, Rs 160 is paid annually by commercial passenger vehicle carrying utmost two passengers. The amount is Rs 600 for vehicles carrying six passengers under the same category.

A road tax of seven percent (CNG), 11 percent (petrol) and 13 percent (diesel) is levied in Mumbai on private cars bought below Rs 10 lakh. Cars above Rs 20 lakh attract road tax of 13 percent (petrol) and 15 percent (diesel).

One nation-One tax was proposed on the lines of goods and services tax which is levied as a single indirect tax for all goods and services across country.

These tax rates will come into existence after Motor Vehicles (amendment) Bill 2016 is passed by the Rajya Sabha. The standing committee, in its report, too suggested same tax structure to be incorporated in the Act.

MV Act, 2016 will bring sweeping changes in the transport sector as it proposes reforms like heavy fines for over speeding, driving without wearing seat belt, making Aadhaar mandatory for vehicle registration and regulation of cab aggregator like Ola and Uber.May 24, 2018 / 09:18 PM IST

Anti-Sterlite protests: Madras HC declines to modify order on preservation of bodies

The Madras High Court on Thursday declined to modify its order directing the Tamil Nadu government to preserve until further orders the bodies of those killed during the anti-Sterlite protest at Tuticorin on May 22.

A vacation bench of justices T Ravindran and P Velmurugan rejected the state government's plea for modifying the court's order and directed it to file its counter by May 30. The government submitted no purpose would be served in preserving the bodies and cited opinion of experts that in case of injuries on bodies, it would lead to rapid decomposition even in cold storage. Such cases of mass preservation would accelerate decomposition, the government said.

In his petition filed on behalf of the Home Secretary, the DGP, the district collector and the SP of Tuticorin, M Murugan, joint secretary Home (Strictly Confidential) department, submitted that a team of government doctors has already conducted and completed the post-mortem of two bodies. (PTI)Cash-strapped Rajasthan government is planning to avail a Rs 5,000 loan from bank to waive off farmer's loans that Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje had announced during her last Budget speech.

Raje on Wednesday asked the state cooperatives department to take a loan as the state is struggling to arrange for finances. The state government would provide guarantees for the loan, according to a report in The Times of India.

"The state government had assured us to give the money in instalments of Rs 2,000 crore and has already given us the first tranche. We will now take a loan of Rs 5,000 crore from banks, for which the state will give guarantees," Ajay Singh Kilak, state cooperatives minister, told the paper.

Also read  Rajasthan Budget: Loan waiver for farmers; to cost Rs 8,000 crore

Raje has promised a one-time loan wavier of up to Rs 50,000 for small and marginal farmers along with a budgetary provision of Rs 2,000 crore. The estimated cost however is far from adequate as the burden due to the loan waiver to over 29 lakh farmers is expected to be close to Rs 8,000 crore.

The state government is falling short of Rs 1,000 crore despite consistent efforts by the cooperatives department to arrange for the finances. The government did not receive a desired response from several banks it had approached, sources told the paper.

Also read  Near 21 lakh farmers get crop loans of Rs 8,700 crore in Rajasthan

The government is under pressure to fulfil the promise as it is an election year. Giving in to that pressure, the Rajasthan government has already announced to hold camps on May 26 and 28 at gramin sewa sehakari samitis across the state to distribute loan-waiver certificates to select farmers.

The government thus have limited time to make all the financial arrangement.

On Saturday, 17,000 farmers would be handed over the certificates while on Monday, 16,500 farmers would be given the same. From June 1 onwards, camps would be held at village level. It may prove difficult as the government is not prepared, Kilak said.Congress president Rahul Gandhi Karnataka 2018

Explaining the logic behind considering an anti-BJP coalition, he said that in the 2014 election, BJP had received 31 per cent of the votes polled and 69 per cent of the votes were against him. Despite this, the BJP claims the public mandate was with them. We do not want the secular vote to be divided, so we will start discussions with parties soon, he said.

The veteran Congress leaders statement comes just a day after several opposition leaders attended the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy in a massive show of unity. Nath said that the situation on the national level and at the state level was different, but alliances will have to be made keeping in mind the target of 2019 elections.

In Madhya Pradesh, the like-minded parties Nath spoke of would be the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party. The chiefs of the two parties were also on stage with Rahul and Sonia Gandhi in Bengaluru on Wednesday. But there would be hurdles in an electoral alliance as the Samajwadi Party has already said that it wants to contest on all seats in the state.European Union implementing GDPR later this week presents "golden opportunity" for India to build capabilities and create new lines of consulting businesses, and drive thought leadership in the global market, tech giant Microsoft said today. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which comes into effect from May 25, will bring in strict data privacy laws that aim to strengthen and protect the data of individuals within the EU and also deals with export of personal data outside the region.

"The GDPR is the biggest change in European data protection laws in more than 20 years... It designates individual choice as a priority over everything else...It will govern how organisations within and outside the EU will collect, manage, process and protect personal data while respecting individual choice," Microsoft India President Anant Maheshwari said in a blogpost.

He added that in February 2017, the Redmond-based company had said it would be GDPR compliant across its cloud services by the deadline.

"To me, this is a golden opportunity for India to drive thought leadership in the global market. We can build expertise and capabilities, create new lines of advisory and consulting businesses, develop a market differentiator and be a source of competitiveness," he pointed.

Maheshwari pointed out the significant pace at which India is going towards cloud migration.

"With millions going online for the first time, protecting their vulnerabilities cannot be compromised in our long march forward. The Supreme Court of India demonstrated its commitment to its citizens when it declared privacy a fundamental right last year, and now the onus is upon us as an industry to play our part," he said.

Maheshwari said the company has over 300 full-time engineers focused on GDPR compliance and has adopted over 30 controls based on the new rules.

The company has made significant investments in its products and services to help customers with GDPR compliance within Azure, Office 365, Windows, EMS, SQL Database and Dynamics 365, he said.

"We have been helping customers be GDPR-ready in time by providing the best data governance, security, and privacy tools in the market," he added.

Srinivas Rao, CEO of cybersecurity firm Aujas, echoed similar sentiments.

"India has evolved to become a technology hub equipped with deep expertise and GDPR could be an opportunity for Indian companies to stand out as leaders in providing privacy compliant services and solutions," he said.

Jaspreet Singh, Partner (Cyber Security) at EY, said GDPR is a "business problem" and needs to be handled by cross-functional teams within the organisation and security would act as the enabling function to enhance the protection of data.

"GDPR would require significant training for security managers as this earmarks a significant change in the way organisations process data. This requires cultural changes within the organisation to focus on privacy," he told PTI.

While many may be worried about the implications of the new regulatory era, in reality it will create trust and provide good practices that will benefit both the individuals and the business, believes Forcepoint Vice President (APAC) George Chang.

"These laws collectively present a positive business opportunity, when approached in the right way. Compliance can drive operational efficiencies, cost-savings and even fuel innovation," he said.

Besides, with strong data protection strategies in place, customers will place greater confidence in businesses, and businesses will minimise the all-too-common reputational and financial fall-out of a breach, Chang added.The government has proposed rates of over 1,350 treatments ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh under the PM Modi's flagship health protection scheme  Ayushman Bharat.

The government issued a 205-page draft model tender document on Wednesday for the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha Mission, according to a report in The Times of India. On the basis of this document, states can now select insurance companies for the scheme, which promises up to Rs 5 lakh cover for 10 crore poor families in the country.

Rates of treatment under the government-sponsored National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS), is around 15-20 percent lower than that of Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS). The CGHS provides comprehensive medical care to government servants, pensioners and their dependants.

Also Read  EXCLUSIVE | Ayushman Bharat scheme likely to cap premium at Rs 2,000 per family

There was a very rigorous process used (to decide the package rates). We looked at packages including CGHS, packages from all different states and our experience with RSBY. Based on that, the first draft was prepared and peer-reviewed by Niti Aayog, Indu Bhushan, CEO of Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission told The Economic Times.

The documents lists the rates for over 20 specialties like cardiology, cancer care, neurosurgery and neo-natal care depending on the type of therapeutic category and procedure. For instance, the rate for an orthopaedic procedure like application of skin traction has been set at Rs 1,000, while aortic arch replacement under cardio thoracic surgery would be Rs 1.60 lakh.

Also Read  Ayushman Bharat a bold move to improve health in India: WHO DG

These rates, however, are flexible and states may make further changes. "These (guidelines) are only indicative. States have been given the flexibility to look at them and they may make some changes," Bhushan said.

Bhushan added that the states would start this process in a couple of weeks as the scheme would be rolled out in August.

Hospitals accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) will be allowed to charge 10-15 percent more than the rates set in this document.May 25, 2018 / 05:35 PM IST

The real action will start now, whatever promises I have made to the citizens of Karnataka, I am going to fulfill them. I am not going to care about this threat (BJP to call state-wide bandh on May 28 on the issue of farmers' loans waiver): Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy told ANIThe four lakh-tonne-capacity copper smelting plant of Sterlite was reportedly rejected by three states before finally being set up in Tamil Nadu.

According to a Times of India report, the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) claimed on Wednesday that the plant did not get the required permissions from the three states over the potential of creating environmental hazards

The CSE also said that Tamil Nadu accepted the proposal after the plant allegedly flouted norms by misrepresenting facts.

The report says that the CSE cites two violations. Firstly, the plant is located near the Munnar Marine National Park. This is an ecologically sensitive area, and current norms state that any such projects are to be located 25 kilometers away from them. The CSE further alleged that Sterlite furnished an incorrect environmental impact assessment (EIA) report to secure the required environment clearance (EC).

This is not the first time the plant has appeared on the radar. The Supreme Court put a penalty of Rs 100 crore on the plant for environmental pollution.

The CSE also said that the Madras High Court ordered for the plant to be shut down in 2010, once again over environmental concerns.

A gas leak from a plant made the nearby residents sick in March 2013. This prompted the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to close the plant. However, the principal bench of the National Green Tribunal pulled back the order over technical grounds.

At least 10 people have died in the police firings after the large-scale violence and arson in the port-city of Tuticorin. The protesters were against the increase in the capacity of the copper smelting plant.Representataive Image

Telecom subscriber base in the country again crossed 1.2 billion mark, with mobile service companies recording a net addition of over 26 million customers in March, according to monthly subscriber report of telecom regulator Trai released.

"The number of telephone subscribers in India increased from 1,179.83 million at the end of February 2018 to 1,206.22 million at the end of March 2018, thereby showing a monthly growth rate of 2.24 percent," the report said.

The overall tele-density in the country reached to 92.84 with urban tele-density of 165.90 and rural tele-density at 59.05 at the end of March. The Indian telecom industry's subscriber base had for the first time breached 1.2 billion mark in May 2017 but slipped below it in November 2017.

The net addition trend shows that March was a competitive month for mobile segment with Idea Cellular and Bharti Airtel reducing their gap significantly with Reliance Jio.

Reliance Jio led the market with a net addition of 9.42 million, taking its total subscriber base to 186.56 million. It was closely followed by Idea and Airtel with net addition of 9.14 million and 8.4 million, respectively. State-run BSNL added 2.56 million new customers.

All net additions by mobile operators during the reported month were over 2 million indicated impact of consolidation in the market with subscribers moving to handful of service providers that are continuing their operations.

Among operational service providers, Aircel -- which is attempting to close operations -- lost 4.7 million customers. Tata Teleservices, which is in process of merger with Airtel, lost over 2 million customers, Telenor India lost 1.3 million customers and MTNL lost 7,700 mobile customers.

Reliance Communications (RCom), which has shut down mobile calling services, still had 1,85,968 customers on its network.

Airtel topped the chart in terms of market share with 304.19 million subscribers, followed by Vodafone 222.69 million and Idea with 211.2 million customers.

The fixed line telephone segment continued to decline and reduced to 22.81 million connections. Though state-run firm BSNL dominated the market with highest share of 12.26 million customers, it lost 5,304 customers. RCom lost 169,052 fixed line connections and MTNL 10,157 connections.

Vodafone led new subscriber addition by adding 12,280 fixed line connections, taking its total subscriber base to 220,981.

The number of broadband subscribers increased to 412.6 million in March from from 392.06 million in February. The mobile segment accounted for over 95 percent of the total broadband connections.

"Top five service providers constituted 95.23 percent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of March 2018. These service providers were Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (186.56 million), Bharti Airtel (85.67 million), Vodafone (59.77 million), Idea Cellular (39.84 million) and BSNL (21.08 million)," the report said.Lok Sabha, Winter session of Parliament

The Karnataka elections are over but the implications of a decisive yet divisive mandate seems to be hitting the BJP hard in the state. The JD(S) and the Congress have stitched together a coalition and are likely to win the floor test convincingly  a sign of things to come for the BJP? Even in the Gujarat election, the Congress put up a good show, in fact scoring a moral victory over an electoral defeat.

If the minutes of a survey are to be considered, the time ahead will not be easy for the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A survey conducted by ABP-CSDS predicts losses for the BJP in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, both of which are scheduled to conduct assembly elections later this year.

Here are the numbers:

Madhya Pradesh: The Congress is likely to surprise the BJP. The Congress is likely to get 49 percent vote share, BJP just 34 percent and others 17% if Assembly elections are held in the state today. It is to be noted that the BJP has had three consecutive governments in Madhya Pradesh. Even in the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress with a 49% vote share is leading with a comfortable margin over the BJP with a 34% vote share.

Rajasthan: The ABP-CSDS survey predicts the Congress is likely to make huge gains in Rajasthan, another BJP-ruled state. If the state goes to polls today, the Congress may bag a 44 percent vote share as against the BJP with 39 percent. Interestingly, the BJP had a 45 percent vote share in 2013 assembly elections against the Congress' 33 percent.

Bihar: Comfort for the BJP-JD(U) combine. The Nitish Kumar-led government has been able to keep the state happy, the survey suggests, adding that the alliance will perform exceptionally well, pipping Congress-RJD should elections be called in Bihar today.

Uttar Pradesh: The NDAs vote share has plummeted in the state to 35 per cent while the vote share of other regional parties has increased to 53 per cent. The UPAs vote share has increased marginally to a meagre 12 per cent. This shows an advantage to the SP-BSP combine.

Maharashtra: The survey pegs the vote share for NDA at 48 percent, UPA at 40 percent and the rest at 21% if the state goes to polls today. There is a hurdle for the BJP though  it will have to fight the polls with Shiv Sena, an ally that isnt inclined to join forces with the party at the moment.

Gujarat: The survey indicates a surge in support of the Congress party and a drop in figures for the BJP. The survey pointed out that even though the margin of vote share between the Congress and the BJP is decreasing, the BJP still maintains a lead in the state with 54 percent vote share against Congress 42 percent.

West Bengal: Mamata Banerjees Trinamool Congress (TMC) remains dominant with a possible 44 percent vote share, while the BJP may get just 24 percent in the eastern state, the survey suggests.

NDA continues to be peoples choice in eastern India. If Lok Sabha elections are held today, the NDA will likely get 86-94 out of 142 seats; UPA 22-26 and others 26-30, the survey suggests.

In 2014, NDA had won just 58 seats in eastern India, UPA 21 and others 63.

Western and Central India: NDA continues to maintain lead over the UPA

In 2014, 51 percent supported NDA, 28 percent UPA while 21 percent others. According to the survey, 60 percent of people have supported NDA, while UPA is backed by just 34 percent citizens and 6 percent others. The overall numbers have projected that the NDA will win 274 seats, while the UPA will get a boost with 164 seats as against 60 in the 2014 general elections. Other parties should get around 105 seats, the survey has suggested.

A total of 15,859 respondents participated in the survey conducted across 19 states between April 22 and May 17.In an apparent swipe at the Centre, former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said a muscular policy on Kashmir is a brainless one as muscles do not have brain.

Speaking at an event to launch a book, written jointly by former chiefs of intelligence agencies of India and Pakistan - A S Dulat and Asad Durrani respectively besides author Aditya Sinha, he suggested India must talk to Pakistan in order to resolve the Kashmir issue.

Referring to recent media reports, Sinha said Indian media says Pakistani Rangers are pleading for mercy now.

And the next day the Rangers started bombarding and shelling and all. And so much damage had been done to that entire area. What is this moonhtod Jawab (befitting reply)? And with all due respect, a muscular policy is bound to be a brainless policy because muscles doesn't have brain, he said.

The Border Security Force (BSF) on Sunday said that the Pakistan Rangers had "pleaded" with them to stop firing along the International Border (IB) after being pounded with heavy artillery that also left a trooper dead across the border.

Sinha said Pakistan has to be brought in (to resolve Kashmir issue).

There are voices coming from deep state, now not only in media but I am aware they are also one on one, which I would say are quiet friendly and they create a hope. Now we should respond to those overtures from the deep state in Pakistan in a positive way so that if we can find a way through minefield we should discover that way, he said.

Sinha, who has been actively involved in resolving issue of militancy and stone pelting among others in Kashmir, said dialogue should begin at two levels.

The problem is we rush into the summit. Summit raises euphoria and when that euphoria is not met there is a disappointment and that is regarded as a failure. So let us not begin at the summit level. There are a whole lot of levels including that of spy masters, he suggested.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, who was also attending the event, emphasised on ways to finding solution to the 70-year-old problem.

Ek taraf se to wo maar rahe hain, dusre taraf se aap mar rahe hain, bataiye ham jaye to jaye kahan (from one side they are killing us and from another side you are killing us. Tell us where do we go?), Abdullah asked.

He said nothing has moved forward in resolving the crises.

I recommend one (thing). Time has come. Let us forget the past. Let us forget the past bitterness and let us learn that we have to live with Pakistan, Abdullah said.

Both Sinha and Abdullah had released the book, 'The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace', along with former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former vice president Hamid Ansari, Sinha, Congress leader Kapil Sibal, Dulat and a few others at a function organised here.Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched a blistering attack on the Shiv Sena and accused the Uddhav Thackeray-led party of "back stabbing" the BJP.

He said Sena's actions are contrary to teachings of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, revered as Hindutva idol by the saffron party.

Addressing a campaign rally for the May 28 Palghar Lok Sabha bypoll in Virar, an extended suburb of Mumbai, Adityanath said the country can progress only under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

He targeted bickering alliance partner Shiv Sena for "poking its nose" in the BJP's internal affairs, by fielding late MP Chintaman Wanaga's son Srinivas for the byelection.

"The way this party has back-stabbed the BJP by fielding its own candidate...I can say that late Bal Thackeray's soul must be in deep pain and anguish," the Uttar Pradesh chief minister said without taking name of the Sena.

He said the victory of BJP candidate Rajendra Gavit would be a "rich tribute" to the late Sena patriarch.

Virar, one of the six Assembly segments of Palghar Lok Sabha constituency, has a sizable number of north Indian voters apart from Maharashtrians.

"These people invoke Shivaji Maharaj in everything, but in reality they act like Afzal Khan. We won't allow this. Shivaji Maharaj and Balasaheb Thackeray always fought against anti-national elements," he said.

Afzal Khan was a medieval commander who served the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur, and fought against Shivaji. He was killed at a meeting with the Maratha king, and his army was defeated in the Battle of Pratapgad.

The BJP has made the bypoll a prestige issue and has been accusing the Sena of trying to hijack the legacy of late Wanaga.

Without naming Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Adityanath accused the saffron party of dividing Hindu votes.

"Balasaheb never believed in back-stabbing. He was a warrior who believed in fighting from the front. He worked for making country stronger. But see what has happened. They (Sena) broke up Wanaga's family and forced him (the late BJP MP's son) to contest the bypoll. This was an internal matter of BJP and we would have protected the self-respect of the Wanaga family," he said.

The actions of this party (Sena) are not in sync with dreams of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. "People of Maharashtra will teach them a lesson," he said.

"This bypoll won't impact the stability of the government but it will definitely give a message that the country can progress only under Modi's leadership," he said.

The UP CM's remarks came hours after JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy was sworn in as Karnataka chief minister at a grand ceremony attended by a galaxy of top leaders and regional satraps in a rare public show of unity perceived as a possible harbinger of a broad-based anti-BJP alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year.

"I have come here to appeal to you to vote for BJP, whose government under Modi's leadership is taking India on the path of progress," he said.

"The symbol of this progress can be only lotus (BJP's symbol) and nothing else," he added.

"There is an attempt to create an atmosphere against the BJP," he said.

"By God's grace, the Congress has been decimated in the country," he said, adding that the "enemies of development and good governance will also meet the same fate".

The BJP has drafted in a battery of its leaders in Palghar.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is spearheading the BJP's campaign in urban segments of the constituency.

BJP leaders Manoj Tiwari, Rita Bahuguna Joshi have also addressed rallies.

In his address which he opened in Marathi, Adityanath underlined the "cultural and historical relations" between two states.

"Those who see the two states with different glasses, they seem like anti-India," he said.

Adityanath praised Fadnavis for "making efforts to weed out corruption and 'Gundaraj' in Maharashtra".

He said people of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh need not be afraid of anti-social elements.

Recalling his past experience of working with late Wanaga, Adityanath said, "Wanagaji raised issues of the common man in Parliament with full commitment and did several outstanding works. I worked with him and I knew him closely".

Adityanath's stinging attack is likely to further deteriorate already strained ties between the BJP and the Sena, which despite being a ruling constituent seldom lets go any opportunity to target the BJP and the prime minister.

Apart from Srinivas Wanaga and Rajendra Gavit, Congress' Damodar Shingda, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi's Baliram Jadhav, and CPI(M)'s Kiran Gahala are in the fray.Tuticorin: Smoke billows from burning barricades as agitators march through streets demanding the closure of Vedanta's Sterlite Copper unit, as the protest entered the 100th day, in Tuticorin, on Tuesday. The agitation turned violent with police opening fire in which at least one man was killed. (PTI Photo) (PTI5_22_2018_000185B)

The DMK and other opposition parties in Tamil Nadu today called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh on May 25, condemning the police action against protestors in Tuticorin, in which 11 people lost their lives in the last two days.

The DMK had yesterday called for an all-party protest at all the district headquarters on May 25 to condemn the police firing in Tuticorin district.

In a statement issued late tonight, the DMK said instead of the all-party protest, a bandh would be observed on May 25 to condemn the police action and demand the closure of the Sterlite copper smelting plant in Tuticorin district.

Stating that the people living in Tuticorin and its neighbouring districts were angered by the police action against the agitators, the release said, "The bandh will also reflect the feelings of Tamils."

"The DMK, the All India National Congress, the Dravidar Kazhagam, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the CPI, the CPI(M), the Indian Union Muslim League, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi will participate in the day-long state-wide protest," it added.A financial crisis is looming over the Grand Old Party, Bloomberg has reported, and the repercussions of this will surface during the general elections next year.

The Congress has reportedly curbed their expenses from operational costs to allowances to travel and even serving tea to the guests that arrive at the party office. The party leadership has reportedly stopped sending funds for the past five months, even to run its offices across various states. The party has urged its officials to step up contributions and contain expenditure in order to overcome the cash crunch that the party is facing.

Congress partys social media head Divya Spandana was quoted as saying, We dont have the money." She said the party was not getting enough contribution through government bonds, compelling the party to opt for online crowd sourcing to raise money. Electoral bond is a new measure proposed for encouraging transparency in political funding. The Congress even had to crowdfund a candidate during Karnataka assembly polls.



I dont think we need to be embarrassed about acknowledging that @incIndia is facing a funding crunch: https://t.co/BnAoXYEw44 We should call on all concerned citizens to help us face the moneybags of the BJP

 Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 23, 2018

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, taking cognizance of the issue, said that it was nothing to be embarrassed about:

Meanwhile, the BJP has moved their party headquarters to a swanky, newly built office. With Modis popularity and Amit Shahs strategizing abilities, the BJP and its allies have managed to rule 20 states, wresting several of them from their arch nemesis. According to a report from the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), the BJP declared an income of Rs 1,034 crore during FY 2016-17, a hike of about 81 percent from Rs 571 crore in FY 2015-16. However, the Congress has witnessed a drop of 14 percent with a total income of Rs 225 crore in FY 17.

The BJP is also the highest spender amongst all the national parties, the ADR report pointed out. The party declared an expenditure of Rs 710.057 crore during FY-2016-17 while INC incurred a total expenditure of Rs 321.66 crore, which is Rs 96.30 crore more than its total income.

While voluntary contributions, grants and donations formed more than 96 percent of BJPs income, the Congress relied upon revenue from issuance of coupons as their main source of income, ADR reported. The BJP recorded Rs 998 crore from contributions, about 20 times more than Congress Rs 51 crore. Both the parties spent the most on elections and furthering their propaganda, with the BJP spending Rs 606 crore on the same.

The financial crisis that the Congress is facing is being described to undermine the partys sheen in the upcoming general elections. The shortages would affect election campaigning as well as organizational mobility. A party official pointed out that the cash crunch prevented a senior leader from reaching an eastern state on time to supervise the elections which paled the partys campaign giving an edge to the BJP, during the Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya assembly polls earlier this year.

ADR founder Jagdeep Chhokar elucidated that the Congress will face considerable hardship going into 2019 and that a party that does not have money will be at a disadvantage in Indian elections. Chhokar added that it is very unfortunate but money in large quantities is abused in Indian elections and that there is no limit to their expenditure.

The Congress coffers are running dry as a result of their electoral losses and subsequent dearth of corporate funding. Consequently, the party will have to exploit its limited resources to conduct impactful campaigns especially when a rich BJP will spend extravagantly to make a mark in the Lok Sabha elections 2019.Amid mounting international pressure to act against 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed, China has asked Pakistan to explore ways of relocating the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) to a West Asian country.

According to an exclusive report of The Hindu, Chinese President Xi Jinping suggested this course of action to Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to allow Saeed to live a quiet life in a West Asian country.

At a 35-minute meeting (on the sidelines of the Boao Forum in China last month), at least 10 minutes of the discussion dealt with Saeed. The Chinese President was keen on pressing the Prime Minister to find an early solution to keep Saeed away from the limelight, a close aide of Abbasi told The Hindu, requesting anonymity.US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would know next week whether his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would take place on June 12 in Singapore as scheduled, casting further doubt on plans for the unprecedented meeting.

White House aides are preparing to travel to Singapore this weekend for a crucial meeting with North Korean officials to discuss the agenda and logistics for the summit, U.S. officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Visiting Washington, Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi told Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that if the United States seeks peace with North Korea and wants to make history, "now is the time" for the two countries' leaders to hold their first-ever summit.

The U.S. delegation, which includes White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joseph Hagin and deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel, was being dispatched after Trump said on Tuesday there was a "substantial chance" the summit would be called off amid concerns Pyongyang is not prepared to give up its nuclear arsenal.

Asked on Wednesday whether the summit would go ahead, Trump told reporters: "It could very well happen. Whatever it is, we'll know next week about Singapore. And if we go, I think it will be a great thing for North Korea."

But he added: "We'll see."

Trump did not say, however, whether the preparatory talks between U.S. and North Korean officials in coming days were expected to clarify the situation.

Pompeo said on Wednesday the United States is prepared to walk away from nuclear negotiations with North Korea if the summit heads in the wrong direction.

Pompeo said he was "very hopeful" the summit would take place but said the decision was ultimately up to Kim, who the secretary of state has met twice in less than two months.

Trump raised doubts about the summit in talks on Tuesday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who came to Washington to urge Trump not to let a rare opportunity with reclusive North Korea slip away.

It was unclear whether Trump was truly backing away from the summit or whether he was strategically coaxing North Korea to the table after decades of tension on the Korean peninsula and antagonism with Washington over its nuclear weapons program.

The White House was caught off guard when, in a dramatic change of tone, North Korea last week condemned the latest U.S.-South Korean air combat drills, suspended North-South talks and threatened to scrap the summit if Pyongyang was pushed toward "unilateral nuclear abandonment."

North Korea's vice foreign minister said the future of the summit between Pyongyang and Washington was "entirely" up to the United States.

"We will neither beg the U.S. for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us," said Choe Son Hui, according to a report by North Korea's central news agency on Thursday.

Choe said she could suggest to leader Kim that North Korea reconsider the summit if the United States offended the North's good will.

If the summit is called off or fails, it would be a major blow to what Trump supporters hope will be the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency.

'BAD DEAL IS NOT AN OPTION'

Pompeo insisted the Trump administration was "clear-eyed" about North Korea, which has a history of making promises in negotiations and then backtracking.

"A bad deal is not an option," Pompeo said in his written opening statement for a House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. "If the right deal is not on the table, we will respectfully walk away."

Pompeo, who was director of the CIA before becoming secretary of state in April after Trump fired Rex Tillerson, is the highest-ranking Trump administration to meet Kim. On his most recent trip he brought back three Americans who had been held by North Korea.

Pompeo said a U.S.-led sanctions pressure campaign would not be eased until North Korea gives up nuclear weapons. aWe have made zero concessions to Chairman Kim and have no intention to do so,a he said.

"Our posture will not change until we see credible steps taken toward the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," he said.

Meeting Wang later in the day, Pompeo said the United States expects all countries, including China - North Korea's main trading partner and ally - to "meet their obligations" to enforce sanctions on Pyongyang.

Trump suggested on Tuesday that Kim's recent meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping had influenced Kim to harden his stance ahead of the summit. China's foreign ministry said, however, that Beijing had played a positive role on the Korean peninsula.

Also on Wednesday, a United Nations Security Council committee approved travel by North Korean officials to Singapore for the summit, diplomats said. Singapore had asked the U.N. sanctions panel for a blanket waiver for the North Koreans' participation.Answer: Meghan Markle (Image: Reuters)

Retail website of the fashion brand Goat crashed minutes after the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle wore its dress in her first official royal appearance after her marriage on Tuesday.

Markle wore a dusky pink Flavia silk-crepe pencil dress from the British brand and as soon as the pictures of the former actress circulated on the internet, people flocked to the Goat website to check out the 590-pound dress. It was sold out immediately.

The website was down for more than 40 minutes. The crash was confirmed by the company and reported in Sky News. The link was live at the time of writing the report.

The Flavia dress in dusky pink is beautifully fluid and feminine. This fit and flare shaped dress has contrast silk-chiffon decolletage and sleeves and delicate frayed edge trim on the neckline and cuffs. Perfect for both daytime or evening event dressing, the Goat describes the dress.

Jane Lewis, the founder of Goat said that she was honoured that Duchess of Sussex chose to wear his brand for her first official royal engagement.

The Meghan effect, though, is not new. It has already bugged few of the brands. In December 2017, Meghan carried a 495 pound (Rs 45,480) worth leather tote bag from a hitherto little-known company from Scotland - Strathberry - at her first royal outing with Prince Harry.

DATA STORY: The royal wedding is a billion dollar boost for the British economy

Within minutes, the bag was sold out. Guy and Leeanne Hundleby - the husband-wife co-founders of Strathberry - who gave up their jobs to launch the firm had to scramble attending to phone calls as sales went through the roof.

A similar thing happened when Meghan wore an alpaca coat from Bojana Sentaler on last year's Christmas church service in the UK. The coat was sold out and the demand sprung up from all across the world.Donald Trump

In order to mirror US President Donald Trumps tweeting style, his aides, who at times post tweets on his behalf, have reportedly started deliberately inserting grammatical errors into the tweets.

A report in the Boston Globe quoted two White House staffers who confirmed that Trump aides employ the characteristic features of his tweetsstaccato syntax, capitalisation to put EXTRA emphasis on words, spelling mistakes, loosely connected ideas, (parentheses)while drafting the proposed tweets.

The report said that his tweet-writers have become so adept at it that people who follow Trump's favourite mode of communication closely are having a hard time discerning which tweet has been penned by Trumps staff and which ones he himself wrote sitting in his bathrobe and watching Fox & Friends.

Usually, his aides provide him with several sample tweets they could send from his account and Trump selects one and occasionally make edits.

As per an observation, the US president fires most of his tweets to his 52 million followers on Twitter in early hours of the day.

The businessman turned politician was mocked last week for misspelling his wifes name. Welcoming Melania Trump coming back from the hospital, the US president tweeted from his personal handle, Great to have our incredible First Lady back home in the White House. Melanie is feeling and doing really well. Thank you for all of your prayers and best wishes!

Melania Trump was undergoing a treatment for the kidney problem. She was discharged on Saturday.

The erroneous tweet was replaced with another tweet which had a correct spelling of the former models name.

Other typos features on Trumps twitter timeline include perhaps the most famous  covfefe  and misspelling the name of the former president Barrack Obama. Other common misspellings include roll (instead of role), rediculous and politiconsperhaps too much for someone who claims he always has the best words.Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump today cancelled his proposed meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on June 12 in Singapore, citing Pyongyang's "anger" and "hostility" as the reason behind his decision.

Trump's announcement came hours after North Korea carried out what it said is the demolition of its nuclear test site today.

In April, Trump had stunned the world by accepting an invitation to meet Kim in an unprecedented sit-down.

Trump and Kim had previously traded insults and threats.According to a Toronto-based Mortgage Intelligence broker, the expected decline isnt surprising. In fact, she says its already started but that doesnt mean borrowers wont procure other broker services.

There has been a drop off in originations already, said Kim Gibbons. I can see reduction in purchases, but people are still going need refinances and renewals.

Dont be surprised to hear the other five chartered banks make similar proclamations over the coming week. However, as Gibbons alluded to, only purchases will be affected.

I build a strategy out 120 days prior to maturity, said Gibbons. Were in a rising rate environment, so how I keep my business is to make sure I contact my clients 120 days out from the renewal date and build a strategy to lock them up at a rate they wouldnt otherwise get at the time of maturity. I do the same thing if they dont want to renew at the time and they only want to refinance.

In Canadas second-largest city, which is experiencing a real estate renaissance these days, prices are still moderate and that could spell better news for purchasers and their brokers.A San Francisco-based fintech start-up that specializes in state-of-the-art financial management applications has announced the first phase of its international expansion in Canada.

Earlier this week, Plaid stated that it is available in Canada for the first time.

Plaid further announced that it is compatible with both U.S. and Canadian currencies, a feature intended to both support current clients and attract new Canadian fintech companies. Around 2 years ago, the firm acquired $44 million in funding from Goldman Sachs Investment Partners.Davelle Morrison

Continually taxing foreign buyers discourages investment and movement to the province. It almost says, Ive given up on making housing affordable for locals, so instead Ill scapegoat this segment of the population.

The government should prioritize increasing the housing supply. Perhaps approvals for new condos take too long or include too many government charges. Perhaps developers should be allowed to build more storeys (i.e. low-income housing could be made a condition of building higher). Affordability is the issue our government must work to solve.

Mike Lloyd

At first blush, it seems like an easy tax because no ones going to defend [those who pay it], but theres been pushback from some sectors. Its assumed to be a rich persons tax, but young couples who want to move to BC who are just starting out are being affected by it. Canadians related to those who are coming in will have stories about how its hurting people as well.New alternative loans for the self employed and others who do not meet the criteria of traditional mortgage lenders have been launched by a California lender.

Tress Financial Group says it has been hard to get stated income, no-documentation, and subprime loans since the Great Recession and subsequent Dodd-Frank act; but it hopes to make home ownership a reality for non-traditional borrowers.

"We've survived one of the largest financial collapses in this country's history and came out stronger and smarter," said Jeff Miller, CEO & Broker. "And with so many people working for themselves or generating income in new ways nowadays, we want to ensure these people, even they've been turned down by more traditional lenders, know there are options for them for mortgages and refinancing."A former loan officer for a New Jersey mortgage lender has been sentenced to prison after admitting his role in a mortgage fraud scheme that exposed lenders and the Federal Housing Administration to more than $2 million in potential losses, the US Attorneys Office for the District of New Jersey announced.

District Judge Susan Wigenton sentenced Joseph DiValli to 18 months in prison and to three years of supervised release. DiValli was also ordered to pay restitution of approximately $2.3 million. He previously pleaded guilty before to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and tax evasion.

Court proceedings established that DiValli conspired with others to fraudulently obtain mortgage loans for properties in North Jersey. In the scheme, which ran from March 2011 through November 2012, the conspirators recruited straw buyers and submitted fraudulent loan applications so the straw buyers could qualify for the loans.A U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot an undocumented immigrant in Rio Bravo after multiple people attacked him with blunt objects, according to federal authorities.

The shooting occurred Wednesday in the 1800 block of Centeno Lane as Border Patrol tried to halt an alleged human smuggling attempt.

Border Patrol said in a statement that a lone agent responded to a report of illegal activity near a culvert by Centeno Lane at about 12:20 p.m. The agency said he discovered a group of undocumented immigrants.

"Initial reports indicate that as the agent attempted to apprehend the group, he came under attack by multiple subjects using blunt objects," the statement reads. "The agent fired at least one round from his service-issued firearm, fatally wounding one of the assailants.

"The rest of the group fled the scene. Border Patrol agents called for EMS and administered first aid until the Rio Bravo Fire Department arrived."

Three immigrants were apprehended by agents. The FBI and Texas Rangers are investigating the incident.

Local, state and federal authorities were at the scene following the shooting.

No other information was immediately available.

Check back with LMTonline.com for updates on this story.After nearly a decade of sweeping banking regulations imposed in response to the Great Recession, the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday night passed several rollbacks and modifications that should ease the burden on community banks.

I think what its going to help with on the mortgage side is making some changes to allow community banks, especially, to serve customers better, Ken Burgess, chairman of Midland-based FirstCapital Bank of Texas and chairman of the American Bankers Association, told the Reporter-Telegram on Wednesday.

The timing aligns with the bustling Permian Basin, which is seeing lending needs grow.

We just came off of a couple of pretty tough years because oil prices were down in 2015 and 2016. That put a lot of pressure on businesses, especially oilfield service companies in the area, Burgess said. When businesses arent doing well, that puts pressure on the banks. When I think about it now, as a lot of companies are coming back out of the downturn with the quasi boom we have going on, that has a positive impact on everybody. Its kind of like the saying youve heard that a rising tide lifts all boats. I think thats where we are right now.

The House on Tuesday night passed Senate Bill 2155, known as the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act. The bill adjusts the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which went into effect July 21, 2010. Burgess said the action is nowhere close to a full rollback of Dodd-Frank.

Its fixing a few of the items that need to be fixed to allow banks to get back to doing a good job of serving their customers and communities.

However, there are many positives.

The changes will make it much easier for retirees and small-business owners to obtain mortgages. The way the rules were written is W-2 income was the main way you proved up ability to repay, Burgess said.

Retirees dont have W-2 income, and small-business owners dont necessarily pay themselves by W-2. The ability-to-repay rules were written so strictly that they made it very hard for community banks to work with people to get them into a home, even when they should have been able to be qualified.

The bill also clarified some rules for community banks that will help them operate at capital levels that make sense for the communities they serve, Burgess said. Previously, They really had a one-size-fits-all capital regime for all banks. That was not fair for community banks.

Since Dodd-Frank, about one community bank has closed per day, and Burgess said he hopes bank startups in small communities will occur. Many of our smaller communities have lost their locally owned banks, and they have branches from large banks or branches from banks not located in their communities.

Communities, especially smaller communities, are best-served by banks owned in those communities so the ownership, leadership and management is local and know the customers, know the businesses and know the communities. They can better serve the communities that way, he said. If we can get new banks starting up in those communities, that will be one of the biggest things that can come out of this.

The Senate bill, which President Donald Trump is expected to sign, isnt as extensive as the Houses CHOICE Act bill; however, Burgess said the bipartisan provisions have been pulled from that bill and have been passed individually. He praised the Senate bill, however, saying, Its a culmination of eight years of effort by community groups, by banking industry groups and by customer feedback to get some of these things fixed that were having a detrimental impact on banks trying to serve their communities. We all feel really good about that.

Other key changes for community banks in the Senate bill, according to the American Bankers Association, include:

 Providing the Qualified Mortgage designation for most mortgages held in portfolio by banks with less than $10 billion in assets.

 Raising the threshold for designation as a systemically important financial institution from $50 billion in assets.

 Ending mandated stress tests for banks with under $100 billion in assets.

 Simplifying capital calculations for community banks.

 Providing relief from appraisal requirements for smaller mortgages.

 Instituting longer exam cycles for community banks.

 Providing charter flexibility for federal thrifts with less than $20 billion in assets.

 Providing relief from the Volcker Rule for most community banks.A Jacksonville business wants to help people save valuable time in an emergency by sponsoring an app for the community.

Vital ICE (In Case of Emergency) is being promoted by Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home. The app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play. By entering the code 4000, the app is free.Gov. Bruce Rauner is not demanding reinstatement of the death penalty in exchange for Democratic-favored gun restrictions in an all-or-nothing package, an aide said after testimony before a House committee Wednesday.

David Risley, the Republicans director of criminal justice and public safety policy, said each of the provisions Rauner added in an amendatory veto last week  including a 72-hour gun-delivery waiting period, a bump-stock ban and a court procedure for taking guns from dangerous people  would have the governors support.

Each one has been drafted as a stand-alone bill, Risley told The Associated Press after the House Judiciary-Criminal Committee took testimony on Rauners veto. Each component of his own amendatory veto, he would sign if it reaches his desk.

That came as a shock to Democrats who believed another addition Rauner made in his amendatory veto  a plan to reinstate the death penalty for mass murderers and those who kill police officers  is a poison pill that Democratic lawmakers had to approve in order to get the other gun restrictions.

The way many of us interpreted his amendatory veto was tying all these components into one package and saying, We wont give you these very sensible gun-safety laws unless you give us these very controversial measures, particularly the death penalty, said Rep. Will Guzzardi, a Chicago Democrat.

After speaking with the AP on the House floor, Guzzardi approached House Speaker Michael Madigan with the news. The fellow Chicago Democrat nodded and said, The governors flexible.

Rauner used his power of amendatory veto last week on legislation the Democratic-controlled General Assembly sent him to extend the waiting period for delivery of an assault-style weapon to 72 hours, up from 24  the same waiting period for handguns. Rauners change to that measure expanded the 72-hour wait to all guns.

He inserted the other provisions, however, including one that would bring back capital punishment, which the state abolished in 2011. The death penalty would only apply to cases of multiple murders or when a police officer is killed.

Democrats claimed Rauners move was meant to strengthen his conservative bona fides as he campaigns for re-election this fall and, at the same time, allow him to blame Democrats when they reject the bill by claiming they were against the very commonsense gun restrictions they trumpet.

Rauners opposition came to the hearing Wednesday with that in mind. The first person to testify, Delphine Cherry of Hazel Crest, saw her daughter, Tyese Abney, killed by a stray bullet in 1992 and her son, Tyler Randolph, killed by gun violence in 2012.

As the mother of two children killed 20 years apart, I find the governors political games in his amendatory veto shameful and heartless, Cherry said.

Other provisions in the amendatory veto include requiring judges who approve plea agreements to reduce sentences in gun-violence cases to publicly explain their rationale and to give local school districts funding flexibility to finance police officers or mental health professionals to stop campus violence or defuse it.

Rauner proposes allowing schools in counties that have a sales tax for school facilities to ask voters if theyd like to use money from that fund to finance officers or mental health professionals. Currently, the money may be used for security hardware such as cameras or locks, but not personnel.

The bills are HB1468 and SB2580Greetings from the Ridge.

Oct. 26, 1967.

John McCains bomber was hit by a surface-to-air missile, destroying the right wing of the plane. McCain said that the aircraft immediately went into an inverted, straight-down spin. He ejected and the force of that ejection broke his right leg and both his arms, knocking him unconscious. McCain landed in a lake and since he was covered with heavy equipment, he sank straight to the bottom. He came to, kicked his way to the surface and, with both arms broken, managed to activate his life preserver with his teeth.

The North Vietnamese fished him out of the water and began to tear at his clothes. One of the soldiers slammed a rifle butt into his shoulder, fracturing it. Another drove a bayonet into his stomach, then his foot.

The Vietcong learned that McCains father was an admiral in the Navy, so they decided to give him medical care for propaganda purposes and in operating on his broken leg they permanently damaged several ligaments, giving him a limp to this day. The North Vietnamese thought they could gain some favor by offering him an early release from prison but he refused to be let go unless every man captured before him was released. The enemy refused. Thats when the torture began.

According to McCain, For the next four days I as beaten every two or three hours by different guards. My left arm was broken again and my ribs were cracked. Two years in solitary confinement with no contact with anyone, a cell with no ventilation and a tin roof. In his words, It was hot as hell in there.

Two years.

To keep his mind in a state of sanity, he memorized the names of all 335 men in captivity. He tapped on his cell wall and made contact with Ernie Brace, a pilot who was shot down over Laos. Brace had just come from 3 years in a bamboo cage with an iron collar around his neck. McCain was often beaten for trying to communicate with other prisoners, but he said that, communication was all that kept us sane. One guard jumped up and down on McCains knee, forcing him onto a crutch for the next year and a half.

He said that he didnt pray for superhuman strength or for God to strike the North Vietnamese dead. He said, I was asking for moral and physical courage, for guidance and wisdom to do the right thing. Finally, on the point of suicide, he signed a forced confession of war crimes. He said, I felt just terrible about it. Every man has his breaking point. I had reached mine. He can now raise neither arm above his shoulders due to the injuries.

He said there was no way he could describe his feelings when he walked toward a U.S. Air Force plane upon his release. He remarked, Then I knew it was over.

McCain retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981 and moved to Arizona, where he was elected to two terms to the U.S. House of Representatives, then elected to the Senate in 1985, easily winning re-election five times. In 2000, he lost a heated primary race to George W. Bush, but won the nomination in 2008, running against Barack Obama. While serving in Congress, hes been known to vote his own conscious instead of blindly following his partys wishes, and among McCains accomplishments were reform in campaign spending, untangling judicial nominations, and opposing pork barrel projects.

John McCain spent over five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, but was one of the first in Congress to attempt to restore relations with that country.

We usually speak of heroes in the past tense in terms of what they have done. John McCain continues to be one of the greatest American heroes of this time or any time.

Lincoln said, Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves.  The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation.

The John McCains will be remembered as heroes despite how others might berate him for their own gain. To make it through our toughest times we must demand that our leaders possess McCains type of courage, a courage that has translated easily from the P.O.W. camp to the floor of the Senate.

We have no other choice. We must demand it.

You ever in Coonridge, stop by. We may not answer the door but youll enjoy the trip.

Freida Marie Crump chronicles the comings and goings in Coonridge for the Journal-Courier.CNN comment attributed to me is ...A California family of five has found happiness in a 150-square-foot-trailer parked on a two-acre plot of rural land.

Ashley Petrone says she, her husband and three kids (ages 4, 7 and 9) were living in a spacious five-bedroom house squeezed onto a tiny piece of land in a Ventura County tract housing development only a year ago.

When they stumbled upon a plot of pretty, pastoral land for sale in the hills, they realized they craved open outdoor space and wanted their kids to grow up playing outside and climbing trees.

HOUSTON VS. SAN FRANCISCO: No competition when it comes to home prices

But they couldn't afford to sell their house, buy the land and immediately build their dream house. They looked at apartments to rent while they saved money to build a home, but quickly realized rent was higher than the mortgage had been on their home. They also looked at tiny houses but those cost $20,000 to $30,000 and their goal was to save as much money as possible.

With a DIY spirit and sense of adventure, they purchased an $8,000 2003 Keystone Cougar trailer and spent another $3,000 transforming it into a cozy home that's worthy of magazines and getting a lot of attention and praise on Petrone's Instagram page.

They find the simplicity of their new life has brought them unexpected fulfillment.

"We love the life we're having right now, " she says. "We have no bills. Everything is paid off. We bought our land with the sale of our house money. It has all been very freeing."

TINY HOME: Couple finds affordable living in 162-square-foot house

The Petrones are yet another example of a family in California forced to get creative to make their dreams come true due to the high cost of housing. The state's median home value is now $537,315 that's nearly $300,000 more than the median home value in the United States, according to real estate website Zillow. The median rent price in California is $2,675.

With the high cost of living it's no wonder the most recent data from the state's Housing and Community Development Department says 1 in 3 Californians pays more than half their income in housing, with less to spend on education, healthcare or put into savings.

To deal with the expense, California residents are trying alternative living situations such as moving into houseboats, vans and tiny houses to make ends meet, save money and afford housing.

Petrone admits the first couple months in the trailer  living without many modern conveniences, such as a dishwasher, washing machine, TV or air-conditioning  were tough. So was adjusting to life squeezed into a space the size of a walk-in closet in some houses.

"At the beginning it was really exciting and there was an adrenaline rush because it was different," Petrone says. "But then we hit summer months and it got really hot and there were some hiccups and we had to figure out how to live in a trailer."

She says the close living quarters have helped her relationships with her kids and her husband.

"We've been through difficult times and it has been good working through those things," she says. "You're in a room with everybody and you have to deal with your problems. It has been amazing for our kids. It has brought us closer. It has brought my husband and I closer. We've never had a better relationship."

She adds: "When I was annoyed with my son or whatever I would say go to your room and he'd be on the other side of the house. You don't have that option here. You have to parent."

Best of all, the kids are getting to explore the great outdoors, building hideouts and catching lizards.

"At our old house I used to have to shove them outside and tell them to play outside and now that's all they know how to do."

Petrone works as an interior decorator and has her own business, so remodeling the trailer was a fun project. They installed hardwood floors throughout, a subway-tile backsplash and butcher-block countertops.

"We used a desk piece from Ikea that was like $99," she says. "All the renovation was done on a budget."

She believes it will take at least three years to build the main home and then the plan is to use the trailer as an Airbnb rental or a guest house. But they're in no hurry.

"Since living in the trailer and living this life, we're not super rushed to get into the house," she says. "We're not feeling nailed down to the house anymore."The king and queen of Spain will visit San Antonio in honor of the citys Tricentennial and make a stop in the nations capital during a short U.S. tour, according to Spanish media, though local officials could not confirm the dates.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia plan a June 16-18 stop in San Antonio, followed by a meeting with President Donald Trump on June 19 in Washington, several Spanish newspapers reported. The royal couple will also visit New Orleans on June 15 in observance of that citys tricentennial, which happens to coincide with San Antonios.

The Alamo City's connection to Spain and the Canary Islands is well documented, and the region's influence is abundant across Texas. Read more about how Spain has influenced Texas on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com.

A source close to talks between San Antonio leaders and the Spanish monarchy, but not authorized to speak, said the reported dates of the visit have not been been officially confirmed but are consistent with what local officials were told. The San Antonio Museum of Art is set to open an exhibit, Spain: 500 Years of Spanish Painting from the Museums of Madrid, to the public on June 23, just a few days after the reported visit. That exhibit will run through Sept. 16.

RELATED: Founders Day Gala draws fancy crowd for San Antonio's Tricentennial Week celebrations

The royal couple had reportedly planned the trip to San Antonio and New Orleans for months and added the stop at the White House. One Spanish publication, Vanitatis, referenced the potential face-to-face between first lady Melania Trump and Queen Letizia  two style icons whose meeting was likely to draw the attention of photographers. The format of the first-time meeting between Trump and King Felipe has not been determined, according to Spanish media reports.

The reports also have said the king referenced U.S. relations in a Jan. 31 speech, saying, This year there will be plenty of opportunities to promote political contacts and strengthen trust between both countries.

The United States is an essential ally of Spain and one of our main economic partners. Foundational times of that great American nation, the continuity and quality of shared values and interests prevail, the king is reported to have said in Spanish during the speech.

San Antonio was founded by Spanish Franciscan missionaries, backed by the Spanish monarchy and government. The founding of the original site of the Mission San Antonio de Valero, on May 1, 1718, was followed four days later by the founding of a presidio in the name of King Philip V (Felipe V) of Spain. Like Felipe V, Felipe VI is of the royal House of Bourbon.

RELATED: Looking back at Prince Charles' visits to San Antonio

Sources close to the reported visit said its implications are beyond symbolic, giving impetus for strengthened business relations and cultural and educational exchanges, while raising San Antonios profile as a center for cultural tourism and conventions. The San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce organizes an annual trade mission to Spain to promote awareness of the dozens of Spanish businesses in Texas, such as Acciona Energy, a dealer in renewables, and call center services provider Atento, as well as Aldonza Gourmet, a wine and olive oil company whose initial foothold on U.S. sales has been linked to the Alamo City.

Although then-Mayor Ivy Taylor invited the king and queen more than two years ago to visit, Tricentennial officials have been vague when asked about an official follow-up.

Taylor was one of several San Antonians who attended a September 2015 dinner reception in St. Augustine, Florida, welcoming King Felipe and Queen Letizia, who were in Florida for the U.S.-Spanish Councils International Summit during the 450th anniversary of St. Augustines founding in 1565. During the dinner, held two months after San Antonios five historic missions were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Taylor invited the royal couple to visit during the 300th anniversary celebration in 2018.

A local delegation, including Taylor and six Tricentennial Commission officials, traveled in May 2016 to Spain and the Canary Islands to reinforce overseas relations, in the citys first goodwill trip of its kind in 40 years. Pedro Morenes, Spanish ambassador to the United States, met in San Antonio last year with city, business and Tricentennial officials.

In a letter dated July 6 to D. Jaime Alfonsin Alfonso, head of the House of His Majesty the King, Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff reiterated the invitation to Their Majesties to join the City of San Antonio in celebrating the 300th Anniversary of its founding.

It should be emphasized that hosting Their Majesties would be the most special and most important part of the Tricentennial, the letter said. They would represent the continuity of connection, the confluence of civilizations and the thread of history that binds our communities together.

Earlier this month, the Most Excellent Pedro de Alcantara Roca de Togores, duke of Bejar, Spain, and his wife, the Most Excellent Marta Roca de Togores, duchess of Bejar, led a delegation from Spain that visited San Antonio during the May 1-6 Tricentennial Commemorative Week.

Scott Huddleston is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | shuddleston@express-news.net | @shuddlestonSARoyal Dutch Shell said Thursday it made another discovery in the Gulf of Mexico as it hopes to bring new life to the United States' languishing deep-water oil sector.

The Anglo-Dutch Big Oil major said the new Dover well discovery is positioned near its brand-new, multibillion-dollar Appomattox platform that was completed and launched into the Gulf this month. The well is about 13 miles from the Appomattox.

That means the new discovery can be further drilled and developed through connections, called tiebacks, to the Appomattox to save costs, rather than build a new platform. The Appomattox is expected to start producing oil by the end of 2019 once it's fully set up.

The Dover discovery is Shell's sixth in the Norphlet region of the Gulf where the Appomattox is centered. The Dover well is about 170 miles offshore and is located southeast of New Orleans.

"Dover showcases our expertise in discovering new, commercial resources in a heartland helping deliver our deep-water growth priority," said Andy Brown, Shell's upstream director. "By focusing on near-field exploration opportunities in the Norphlet, we are adding to our resource base in a prolific basin that will be anchored by the Appomattox development."

NO SURRENDER: New platform shows Shell isn't giving up on deepwater

The multibillion-dollar Appomattox was authorized by Shell in 2015, representing the first major deep-water project approved after oil prices crashed in late 2014. Since then, only two other Gulf platforms have moved forward, including Shell's Vito project, which was authorized in late April. The Vito decision is considered a sign that the long-languishing offshore sector is showing signs of life as oil prices hover above $70 a barrel.

Shell owns 79 percent of the Appomattox project. The remaining 21 percent is held by a subsidiary of the state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corp., or CNOOC.

The Dover well is positioned at a water depth of 7,500 feet and it was drilled to a depth of 29,000 feet deep vertically, Shell said.The San Antonio Express-News laid off 14 newsroom employees Wednesday and Thursday as parent company Hearst Corp. coordinates the operations of its newspapers throughout Texas.

Publisher Susan Pape attributed the layoffs to economic factors and a desire to combine the companys resources across the state. She said the paper remains profitable.

The layoffs were spread across the newsroom affecting writers, editors and photographers on the sports, metro, features and photo teams.

CENSUS: San Antonio ranks No. 1 in cities' population growth

Nancy Barnes, the executive editor for Hearst Texas Newspapers and the Houston Chronicle, told the Express-News staff in an hour-long meeting that the company wants to maximize collaboration between newsrooms. In addition to San Antonio and Houston, Hearsts Texas holdings include daily newspapers in Beaumont, Laredo and Midland.

Barnes said the Express-News will continue to focus on local news, but that the San Antonio and Houston newsrooms will combine efforts on coverage of statewide issues such as energy and immigration, and on certain coverage areas including college sports.

As part of the process, the Washington, D.C. bureau and the Austin bureau of both newspapers are being combined. Two employees of the Houston Chronicles Austin bureau were laid off Wednesday. The 14 positions lost at the Express-News included one reporter in the Austin bureau.

Hearst is also conducting a national search for a new editor-in-chief for the Express-News.

Mike Leary, who was the editor of the paper since August 2012, retired May 18.

Managing Editor Jamie Stockwell left the Express-News this week to join the New York Times as its deputy national editor in June.

Vernon Loeb, managing editor of the Houston Chronicle, is leading the newsroom in San Antonio until a permanent editor is named.

Metro editor Nora Lopez told the staff in a newsroom meeting Thursday, We are still the largest newsroom in this city. We still own this city. Its our city. And its up to us to make the choices to continue to serve our community the best that we can.Note: This is a Just a Taste review, which the Express-News does soon after a restaurant or bar opens to give our first impressions.

The lower Broadway corridor is home to a new spot for nibbles with the rebranding of former craft beer depot GS 1221 as the Roost Pub & Cafe. The reimagined business debuted May 11.

While there is some fresh branding around the space, The Roost retains most of the feel of GS 1221, with naked concrete walls, exposed duct work and a sprawling attached patio. Oh, and beer is still big business, with more than 150 brews to chose from. The Roost has a full bar, although a cocktail menu has not yet been developed.

During my visit, service was fast and professional, and I couldnt help but enjoy the early evening sunlight streaming into a dining room filled with an enthusiastic post-work crowd. Now if only the food could rise to the occasion.

RELATED: Alamo BBQ Co. to debut Friday in the former the Bin Tapas spot on Grayson near the Pearl

On the menu: The Roost presents diners with an increasingly common choose-your-own adventure model of a menu. Pick a base, add a protein (or veg) then top with a sauce.

I started with what seemed like a couple of obvious choices. Nachos with chicken ($8.50) topped with queso, and a trio of tacos with beef and cilantro sauce ($9.50). Both were a letdown.

The tacos tortillas were leathery, and the beef, billed as lightly seasoned and tenderized skirt steak, was a dry and charred chore to chew through. The nachos chicken was inoffensive, but the queso sauce was starchy with an odd orange color, and the accompanying guacamole had an overly blended gummy texture.

Fortunately, things rapidly improved from there  albeit in a curious manner.

The menus format provides an opportunity to create some improbable meals. For example, my Pubwich with tender and flavorful pulled pork ($8.50) topped with tikka masala sauce isnt something youd be likely to find out in the wild. But you know what? It works brilliantly, packed with flavor and heat.

RELATED: New family-friendly Southtown restaurant The Patio Southtown offers plenty of cheesy menu options

Curry starred again in a rice bowl with sauteed vegetables ($5.75). The rice grains themselves were a surprisingly aromatic variety perfectly steamed. Add to that a complex and fiery vindaloo sauce with a giant burst of vinegar and ginger. The only disappointment was that the vegetables were limited to a smattering of peppers and onions. It would have been nice to see a more diverse lineup of greenery in the menus only vegetarian option.

My advice? Steer away from the familiar at The Roost and double down on those vibrant curries. You can get terrific tacos and nachos at scores of places in San Antonio, but theres only one pork tikka masala sandwich.

Location: 1221 Broadway Street, 210-251-3184, theroostsa.com, Facebook: @theroostsa.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.

Paul Stephen is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | pstephen@express-news.net | Twitter: @pjbites | Instagram: @pjstephenDear Carolyn:

My mom died when I was 10 and my sister, "Abby," was 6. My dad did the best he could but life was hard. I tried to make it up to him by helping out and being a good daughter.

Meanwhile, Abby acted out in the worst ways possible, starting when she was about 8. She would set fires -- she burned my homework, our lawn, newspapers, etc. She threw rocks at my dog, dumped water on my cat. She was always in trouble in school for hurting other students on purpose, and she'd say people were dumb and irritating and she didn't care if she hurt them. Therapy helped but she would still have outbursts, ruin my stuff, say really cruel things to me. I was so grateful to escape to college and I go home as little as possible.

Abby is 15 now and has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and receives several different kinds of therapy. Every year she has been getting better, but I still don't want anything to do with her. She put me through enough grief and made my poor dad's life hell. I intended on staying in my college town for the summer.

My dad, though, is asking me to come home, and one of Abby's therapists wants me to do some joint sessions with her. I asked my psych prof about BPD and he explained to me that a lot of Abby's behavior stems from trauma over our mom's death. I lost my mom too, and I didn't hurt everyone around me.

My dad thinks these sessions will help us both, but the only help I really want is to never have to deal with Abby's drama again. Abby has been texting me begging me to do this and not "hate her," and I think maybe I should, but then I remember that saying, "Don't set yourself on fire to keep somebody else warm." Carolyn, what should I do?

-- Done With My Sister

You lost your mom, yes, and didn't act out -- but you were 10, not 6. You had your emotional wiring, not Abby's. You had your experience, not hers.

It is natural to compare, and it's part of how we understand the world and the people around us. But it's not entirely fair to use comparisons as the bedrock of our opinion of someone. To do so is to assume our experiences and our reactions translate fully to theirs -- but the variables from person to person, sibling to sibling, even identical twin to identical twin mean you can witness the exact same event standing a foot apart and still feel different and emerge with accounts that differ on crucial details.

I say all of this not to lobby you to indulge your dad and sister. That is a complicated decision you're not ready to make.

It's just that "I didn't hurt everyone" is a profoundly flawed basis for judging Abby. You had the right idea asking the professor; keep on that path, please, and find a skilled therapist through or near your school. (Ask your dad to help you pay, if needed.) Sort through these terrible experiences and feelings before you choose your approach to Abby's.



Columnist Carolyn Hax dishes out advice daily.

Email Carolyn at

Read the Email Carolyn at tellme@washpost.com , follow her on Facebook or chat with her online at noon Eastern time each Friday at www.washingtonpost.com Read the daily Carolyn Hax columns at https://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/advice/

I'm so sorry for what you've been through.When retired Marine Johnny "Joey" Jones sat down in a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia, he was told he could not stay on the ride.

Jones, who served as a bomb technician, said he is used to making accommodations for his disability: He lost both of his legs at his knees when he stepped on an IED in 2010 in the Safar Bazaar in Afghanistan. Still, the 31-year-old veteran said, he had not seen the handicapped sign at the Six Flags near Atlanta on Sunday, and anyway, the ride was similar to ones that he had ridden at other theme parks.

So when a ride operator saw his prosthetic legs and told Jones that he could not ride the roller coaster with his 8-year-old son, he wanted to know why.

"He either said 'because you don't have real legs' or 'because you don't have legs,' " Jones recalled, trying to remember the park employee's exact words.

"Yeah, that's crass, but he was regurgitating the rules as best he knew them," the veteran told The Washington Post, explaining that he is not upset that he was told to leave the ride.

He is, however, concerned with the way the park's policy was presented to him and the fact that, in his opinion, the policy is too restrictive to accommodate people with disabilities.

"They're just not prepared or trained to be accommodating and that's what's so disheartening," he said.

Since he lost his legs, Jones said, he has visited several other theme parks, including Universal Studios Hollywood and SeaWorld San Antonio, and he has been given clear information on Americans With Disabilities Act policies and, when appropriate, special accommodations to let him ride.

But Six Flags, he said, treated him "like a nuisance and liability."

The Georgia park did not respond to requests for comment. But Fox News reported that Six Flags apologized and said its policies are intended to protect riders.

"We apologize to Mr. Jones for any inconvenience; however, to ensure safety, guests with certain disabilities are restricted from riding certain rides and attractions," Six Flags said in a statement to Fox. "Our accessibility policy includes ride safety guidelines and the requirements of the federal American Disabilities Act. Our policies are customized by ride and developed for the safety of all our guests. Our policies and procedures are reviewed and adjusted on a regular basis to ensure we continue to accommodate the needs of our guests while simultaneously maintaining a safe environment for everyone."

Following the incident, Jones, from Dalton, Georgia, went on Twitter, recounting his experience and criticizing Six Flags for what he considers to be far-reaching policies that exclude people with disabilities, tweeting:

"Just got kicked off a fully enclosed ride @SixFlags(jut like one I've ridden @UniStudiosfor not having 'real legs' "

"A message to all those veterans out there unlucky in their service who now use prosthetics, @SeaWorld@UniStudiosand @DisneyParkswill literally move (magic) mountains for you. @SixFlagswill tell you "nah bro, you gotta have two real legs"

"Hey @ SixFlags you really think I'm so physically useless I can't ride a tilt-a-whirl? Seriously?!" he added. "Did you see the enormous hill I walked up and down to get here?"

Six Flags Over Georgia's Guest Safety and Accessibility Guide, which is available online and, the company says, at the park, lists physical requirements for 39 rides, 34 of which require one to two "fully functional legs," "natural legs" up to a certain point (such as a knee), or a "leg sufficient to be contained and restrained by a leg strap."

The guide defines a "functioning extremity" as "a limb over which a person has control. A prosthetic device is not considered a functioning extremity." It further defines a "functioning leg" as "a leg with a foot."

In some cases, prosthetics are specifically banned from the rides. There appear to be five rides that do not mention any such restrictions.

Jones said that the language is difficult to interpret.

According to the U.S. Access Board, which oversees ADA standards, the law requires "that newly constructed and altered state and local government facilities, places of public accommodation, and commercial facilities be readily accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities."

In regard to theme parks, it states:

These guidelines establish minimum accessibility requirements for newly designed or newly constructed and altered amusement park rides. This guide is not a collection of amusement ride designs. Rather, it provides specifications for elements of amusement rides to create a general level of usability for individuals with disabilities. Emphasis is placed on ensuring that individuals with disabilities are generally able to access the amusement ride and use a variety of elements. Designers and operators are encouraged to exceed the guidelines where possible to provide increased accessibility and opportunities. Incorporating accessibility into the design of an amusement ride should begin early in the planning process with careful consideration to accessible routes and providing access to rides.

In 2011, a double amputee, who lost both of his legs fighting in Iraq, was killed when he fell out of a roller coaster at a theme park in New York.

Although tragic, Jones said, that situation was different from his because in that case, the veteran had no lap for the lap bar to rest on. Jones said he still has his natural legs down to his knees.

Jones served in Iraq in 2007 and 2008 and in Afghanistan in 2010, when he lost his legs. He retired in 2012, according to his military records.

"I spent the last eight years reclaiming my life," he said, explaining that's why he was so frustrated by his experience at Six Flags Over Georgia. He already bypasses many rides that he deems unsafe for himself, such as ones in which the rider's legs dangle, he said. "I don't want to die," he said.

He wants Six Flags to be more accommodating or, at the very least, to better convince him that its rides are not safe for him.

"It's not a safety issue," he said, "it's a liability issue."

He added: "I'm not calling for a boycott; I'm not at odds with Six Flags. My hope would be that Six Flags would make information more readily available and ride operators more informed . . . and have a culture that would include me and not exclude me."

Read more:

This golden retriever is a quadruple amputee - and, now, a therapy dogThe abrupt cancellation of the scheduled summit between President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un raises the obvious question beyond the future of relations between the two country. That is, with this president, can there ever be certainty about anything?

That's not to say that the president was wrong to call off the summit meeting tentatively scheduled for June 12 in Singapore. Given North Korea's history, it's likely that that country bears heavy responsibility for the sudden change in plans.

Much about the advance preparations remains cloudy, and the provocative rhetoric from North Korea in recent days obviously contributed to doubts about their willingness to discuss in good faith getting rid of their nuclear weapons and capability. Perhaps the climate was bad enough that canceling, for now at least, was the wisest course.

But this episode speaks to the larger issue endemic to the current administration, which is the on-again, off-again style of leadership exhibited by the president on issues across the board, most recently in calling off a trade war with China after multiple threats and loose talk about how winning trade wars was easy.

From the time of his candidacy, Trump insisted that being unpredictable was a central attribute of his approach to problems and negotiations. Unpredictability can be an asset if it leads to genuine progress and constructive outcomes. Unpredictability for the sake of unpredictability leads nowhere. So far, his unpredictability has produced few of the dividends he often promises.

The proposed summit between Trump and the North Korean dictator always seemed upside down - a top-down start to what would inevitability be a complex, delicate and enormously difficult negotiation. To Trump, the appeal of the Trump-Kim summit seemed obvious. For a president who thinks in the imagery of reality TV and loves to talk about television ratings, could there be anything bigger than this summit for focusing the world's attention on the leader of the United States?

But those who have been through these kinds of negotiations always questioned the haste with which the president accepted the offer from the North Koreans for a face-to-face meeting with a leader with whom he had sparred for months. He had derided Kim as "Little Rocket Man" and threatened North Korea with the fire and fury of nuclear annihilation. The abrupt shift to personal diplomacy, which caught some of his advisers off guard, seemed too much made-for-TV and not enough thought out to provide a recipe for success.

The president appeared to take at face value that the North Korean leader was ready to sign away his nuclear arsenal in return for exactly what. Trump promised economic investment and riches in return, though survival has long been at the core of what Kim and his predecessors have made their most important priority. Could the president have been surprised that the road to the summit suddenly turned steeper and rockier than he had made it seem when he first announced the plan?

What role his new foreign policy team played in the evolution from acceptance to cancellation also is still not fully understood. National security adviser John Bolton had long ago made clear his feelings about the North Koreans, and it was one of hostility toward a regime whose word was never particularly trustworthy. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who made the transition from the CIA to Foggy Bottom as the summitry was in process, is the one administration official who spent time with the North Korean leader. How much did he and Bolton see eye to eye as the preparations got underway?

Perhaps this will prove to have been skillful diplomatic maneuvering by the president, but that can't be known at this time. What is known is that this is not the first time the president has spoken extravagantly about his desire to solve a problem, only to demonstrate later that either his words were not genuine or that his positions are so ungrounded that he can change his mind at any moment.

Trade is one glaring example of how the president has operated. He has been at different points - and sometimes almost in the same moment - a trade hawk and a trade pussy cat. He has set in motion all manner of trade changes, from pulling out of the Trans Pacific Partnership to calling for a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement to calling for tariffs on steel and aluminum to threatening tariffs on imported autos.

He has proven to be an unsteady negotiator who has only modest achievements, achievements that fall far short of the promises he made to workers during the campaign and later. His approach on NAFTA has damaged relations with Mexico, frustrated Canada and caused some heartburn among U.S. businesses. On TPP, the rest of the nations have moved on, signing an accord without the United States.

On trade with China, he sent his fractious team there, and when they failed to produce progress, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin declared a halt to the war. Others saw it, for now at least, as a white flag of surrender. In early March, the president tweeted: "When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win. A few days ago, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted in part, "Sadly #China is out-negotiating the administration & winning the trade talks right now."

Immigration is another example of the difficulty of knowing where the president is at any given moment. The history of his negotiations with congressional Democrats and Republicans on the issue of the Dreamers - undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children - and the border wall that he wants to build are textbook examples of how difficult it is to pin him down.

He has talked optimistically about trying to make a deal and about his desire to provide Dreamers with a path to citizenship. He told members of Congress to work out something and bring it to him. When they did, he balked. That was months ago, and since then he has frequently expressed a desire to make a deal but has taken no concrete steps to find a way to resolve the differences.

His style is to keep everything open. The summit with North Korea's Kim will happen, he kept saying all month, but with his next breath said it might not now. On Thursday, he took the opposite approach. The summit is off, he said, but perhaps it can be scheduled later.

That sounds a lot like traditional diplomacy and traditional leadership, which the president has made clear he believes has been a failure. He is still trying to prove that the alternative approach will be more successful.WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Thursday to pass its version of an annual bill to fund defense programs and U.S. military operations, despite objections from the White House over key elements of Pentagon restructuring and from Democrats over how it revamps the country's nuclear arsenal.

The 351 to 66 vote is not the final word on the matter, as the Senate has yet to weigh in with its version of the defense bill, which the Senate Armed Services Committee completed work on this week. The two measures must be combined into a final product before Congress can vote to send it to the president's desk.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., cheered the passage of the bill as the next step in "a new era for our military," he said, noting that era began last year with "the biggest increase in defense funding in 15 years," over and above what President Donald Trump had wanted.

But the $717 billion cost of the House's defense measure caused some sticker shock among Democrats and a handful of the most conservative voices in the GOP, where members have argued against allowing defense spending to grow at a time when the national debt is ballooning.

"To say that that's a math problem is the understatement of the evening," top House Armed Services Committee Democrat Rep. Adam Smith, Wash., said during the debate, adding that "I think we are overemphasizing nuclear weapons, number one, in terms of the amount of money that we are spending on them."

Smith, who voted for the bill, was one of several Democrats who nonetheless objected to its authorization of low-yield nuclear weapons, which the Trump administration has argued are a key part of deterring nuclear threats from other countries, particularly Russia. Smith argued that "thinking there is such a thing as a tactical nuclear weapon, a weapon small enough that it doesn't really rise to the level of the other nuclear weapons, I think is a mistake" - but Democrats failed to muster enough votes to strip the authorization from the bill.

The parties had earlier clashed on another nuclear measure that was included in the bill: a sense of Congress that if Trump could not certify within a year of the measure's passage that Russia was in full compliance with the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia, the United States would no longer consider itself bound by it.

The White House objected to several of the policy positions in the measure, but stopped short of threatening to veto the bill. The administration argued that the measure should have included funding to build a heftier and more modernized detention facility at Guantanamo Bay; it also admonished lawmakers for not giving the administration the ability to waive certain Russia-related sanctions to allow the United States "to build and sustain key relationships with allies and partners ... while they transition to non-Russian systems," officials wrote in a statement of administration policy this week.

The administration also objected to certain organizational changes the bill would make at the Pentagon. But it was silent on provisions that would seem to challenge the president's preferences in other ways - such as a prohibition on the federal government purchasing products from ZTE and other similar foreign tech firms, over security concerns. Trump recently said that he would try to help China ease import bans on ZTE products to help resuscitate the company.

The bill also includes an 2.6 percent increase in troops' pay raises, and meets the president's budget request to fund an additional 16,000 service positions in the military. It also strips back about 25 percent of funding for parts of the Pentagon that are not directly focused on military activities, among other organizational changes at the Pentagon.A top GOP fundraiser and supporter of President Donald Trump alleged in a court filing Thursday that a former CIA operative and a former British spy helped the government of Qatar find hackers to target him as part of a broader conspiracy to blunt his outspoken criticism of the Gulf state.

Elliott Broidy, who resigned last month as Republican National Committee deputy finance chairman after acknowledging he had impregnated a former Playboy model, alleged in the filing that the state of Qatar in late 2017 hired Kevin Chalker and David Mark Powell to coordinate a hacking and information operation directed at him.

Chalker is a former cyber operative at the CIA, who founded New York-based Global Risk Advisors. Powell, his business partner, is a former British intelligence operative who opened a GRA office in Doha in October 2017, Broidy's filing said.

The allegations are contained in a legal complaint filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, where Broidy's firm, Broidy Capital Management, is located. The complaint is an amendment to a lawsuit filed in March that accused the Qatari government of orchestrating a campaign to discredit him.

"We believe the evidence is clear that a nation state is waging a sophisticated cyber information campaign against me in order to silence me," Broidy said in a statement.

Broidy has been highly critical of what he alleges is Qatar's support for terrorism and close ties to Iran. He alleged that last year Qatar launched a multimillion-dollar public relations campaign to counter allegations that it had backed al-Qaida, Hamas, the Taliban and the Muslim Brotherhood.

The complaint also names current and former Qatari officials as part of the conspiracy, including Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, the brother of the emir of Qatar, and Ahmed Al-Rumaihi, a former head of investments for the Qatar Investment Authority. Rumaihi, who left government in March 2017, is a private investor. Rumaihi and his spokesman did not return phone calls seeking comment.

According to the complaint, Chalker and Powell introduced the Qatari officials to "cyber mercenaries in various countries" to coordinate the hack of Broidy's email server in Los Angeles and that companies and individuals in several countries were involved in the operation.

Jassim Al Thani, a spokesman for the Qatar Embassy in Washington, said: "Mr. Broidy's latest false allegation is yet another desperate attempt to divert attention from his own illegal activities. His claims are completely fabricated and without merit. He attempts to portray Qatar as the aggressor, when he knows full well Qatar does not operate in this manner. The facts show it was Mr. Broidy who conspired in the shadows against Qatar - not the other way around."

Chalker did not respond to requests for comment, and Powell could not be reached.

The lawsuit comes in the midst of an ongoing feud between Qatar and a bloc of four countries - Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt - that imposed a blockade on Qatar.

Saudi Arabia and others accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism, an allegation rejected by Qatar, which counters that the Saudis resent its independent foreign policy and that it is home to Al Jazeera, the widely watched television network.

Both sides have hired fleets of lobbyists and PR specialists to advance their cases in Washington.

- - -

The Washington Post's Julie Tate and Shane Harris contributed to this report.President Trump has initiated a sweeping trade investigation into whether autos imported into the United States pose a threat to national security, a move that could ultimately result in tariffs on foreign-made cars and further strain relations with global allies.

In a statement released Wednesday evening, the Commerce Department said it had begun an investigation following a conversation with Trump. The announcement followed a statement from Trump, in which he said he had instructed the commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, to consider initiating an investigation into imports of cars, trucks and auto parts to determine their effects on Americas national security.

Core industries such as automobiles and automotive parts are critical to our strength as a nation, Trump said.

In a separate announcement, the Commerce Department said that imports of passenger vehicles had grown from under a third of cars sold in the United States 20 years ago to nearly half today, while employment in the sector had declined. Automobile manufacturing has long been a source of technological innovation in the United States, and the investigation would consider whether the decline of the auto industry threatens to weaken the American economy by reducing research and development in cutting-edge technologies, the statement said.

There is evidence suggesting that, for decades, imports from abroad have eroded our domestic auto industry, Ross said.

The investigation, which will take months to conduct, will be carried out under the same legal statute that the administration used to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. The statute gives the president broad authority to restrict imports that threaten national security.

In remarks on Wednesday afternoon, Trump appeared to link the new trade investigation and continuing talks over the North American Free Trade Agreement. Those negotiations have largely stalled over auto rules, including how much of a cars content must be manufactured in North America  and in the United States  to qualify for NAFTAs zero tariffs.

The Trump administration has tried to use the steel and aluminum tariffs as a bargaining chip to persuade other countries to voluntarily restrain their metal shipments to the United States or make other trade concessions. The administration may be looking to use the auto tariffs similarly, as leverage to force concessions from trading partners like Canada and Mexico.

Ana Swanson is a New York Times writer.The Texas School Guide has released its list of the best elementary, middle and high schools in the San Antonio area.

The guide, which is produced by the nonprofit organization Children at Risk, is published every year to help parents "navigate today's complex public education system," according to the group's website.After a nine-month-long sting, the Georgetown Police Department in Georgetown, Texas have arrested 13 people for alleged prostitution.

According to a press conference given by Georgetown Police Captain Roland Waits, the investigation began in August 2016 when the police received reports of potential illegal activity at a massage parlor in the area.

MORE BUSTS: Houston Police Department made 34 sex trade arrests last month

Nearly a year later in August 2017, police heard more complaints of suspicious behavior such as customers coming and going outside of business hours and customers parking across the street when there was parking available in front, so a subsequent investigation was initiated.

According to the press conference, that investigation led officials to believe the massage parlor's operations were part of a much larger prostitution ring that included other cities like Round Rock, Bryan, Houston, Killeen, Harker Heights, and Temple.

On May 16 multiple agencies teamed up to execute 13 warrants and as a result were able to make 13 arrests as well as seize evidence, assets, and money pertaining to the case.

Three of the 13 arrested included Janhong Li, Xiaqin Yang, Yingbo Xu  who were charged with aggravated promotion of prostitution, a felony charge.

Daniela Sternitzky-Di Napoli is a digital producer at Chron.com. You can read more of her stories here and follow her on twitter at @Dani_DiNapoli.The former comptroller of a 120-year-old San Antonio company that makes locks and other detention equipment for prisons and jails has been charged with fraud and tax evasion for allegedly embezzling about $1.4 million.

Ryan Glenn Martinez worked for Southern Folger Detention Equipment Company LLC, formerly a subsidiary of Phelps-Tointon Inc., and between January 2012 and May 2014, he's accused of setting up shell entities to funnel money intended to pay Southern Folger for equipment.

A federal grand jury indicted Martinez last week with 10 counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering and four counts of filing false tax returns, charges that stemmed from an investigation by the Internal Revenue Services Criminal Investigation division. He turned himself in Thursday, entered a not guilty plea and was released on personal recognizance bond.

According to the indictment, Martinez set up shell company M.C. Media LLC and aliases that included MCM LLC to use them in various ways in his scheme. The indictment said he stole checks or money orders issued by customers as payment to Southern Folger, stole checks issued by health insurers to Southern Folger and used MCM LLC as a fake vendor to bill Southern Folger and its then-parent company Phelps-Tointon.

The indictment said he deceived co-workers with false emails that caused Southern Folger and Phelps-Tointon to wire money to a bank account he owned and controlled, and covered up his fraud with false entries in the companys books.

Nobody is fighting that he did some things he shouldnt have done, Martinezs lawyer, Mike McCrum, said. (The amount of money) is overstated. Money was withdrawn, but put back into the company. Were going to try to clear that up.

Southern Folger Detention Equipment, formerly, Southern Steel, has been in operation for 121 years, and is a leading global provider of detention locks and hardware, detention equipment contracting, security electronics systems, and a leader in facility service and maintenance, according to a May 2017 news release announcing that Coastal Detention Holdings LLC of Georgia had bought 100 percent equity in Southern Folger from Phelps-Tointon.

Guillermo Contreras is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | gcontreras@express-news.net | @gmaninfedlandConstruction is still ongoing at the new Frost Bank Tower, but progress is visible in the amount of glass around the outside slowly increasing.

Crews have been building the $142 million tower for more than a year. When completed, it will be the first office tower to be erected downtown in almost 30 years.Tom Reel /San Antonio Express-News

The Childrens Hospital of San Antonio today will receive a $1.4 million donation from philanthropist Harvey Najim to be used to buy two ground ambulances designed with children in mind.

The ambulances will be used by the only combined neonatal/pediatric team in the region to help critically ill or injured children get to care as safely and quickly as possible, according to a news release from The Childrens Hospital.Timus Raymond Williams lifes work grew out of his foster care experience.

Using his experiences, Williams devoted his life to reaching out through faith.

What God did for you is your best testimony, Williams once said to his wife, Estelle Williams.

Williams, who was battling pancreatic cancer, died May 2, his wife said. He was 57.

I think because he grew up in foster care, he was always looking for something, his wife said.

That wanderlust resulted in missed school days.

At 10 years old, Williams bought a Greyhound bus ticket with what hed saved up and traveled to Philadelphia. He skipped school to visit a ballpark and planned it so that he would get home at the right time, his wife said.

But with encouragement from foster parents Jerry Lee and Emily Crooks, Williams earned his GED at 18, Estelle Williams said. Shortly after, he became a music major at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, but he had to leave because of illness.

That is when I met him. When he came back home to New York, his wife said. They married in 1985 and raised four children together.

Williams continued his education by taking classes at Bronx City College. To make ends meet, he worked various jobs, including at Chase Manhattan Bank as a teller and for manufacturing company Westvaco Corp.

More Information Timus Raymond Williams Born: March 31, 1961, Brooklyn, N.Y. Died: May 2, 2018, San Antonio Preceded by: Parents Jerry Lee and Emily Crooks Survived by: Wife Estelle Williams; daughters Alexis Williams, Maya Williams and Grace Williams; son Timus Williams Jr.; sisters Ave Maria Crooks and Jerrolyn Crooks De Garcia; and 11 grandchildren Service: Memorial service 10 a.m. Monday at Little Church of La Villita, 508 Villita St.; reception follows at San Pedro Church of Christ, 311 Jackson-Keller Road See More Collapse

In 1990, Williams and his wife joined the Salvation Army. Going through the organizations seminary training, both were ordained as pastors in 1992.

They later moved to Ohio, where Williams served as a Salvation Army officer and as a chaplain for the Trotwood Police Department, his wife said.

Being in the Salvation Army was a good experience, she said. God had us there to learn and do things in a certain way.

He left the organization after five years of service to start his own ministry in San Antonio, his wife said. While establishing that ministry, Williams earned a bachelors degree in religious education from the Evangelical Church Alliance, his wife said.

My husband wanted to reach people who didnt want to go to church but who wanted to have a relationship with Christ.

Williams went on to start In His Presence Ministries, a house church, in 2000. He taught Bible studies and taught others how to start their own house church using their simple witness, his wife said.

What drove my husband was his childhood. Learning that you dont have to look for love in all the wrong places. Because God is always there.After robbing a corner store, a man apparently tried to conceal his identity by shaving his beard and bleaching his hair, police said.

It didn't work.

Jorge Gonzalez-Hernandez, 24, was arrested Wednesday by police and accused of the robbery, which occurred on May 16 in a corner store in the 11500 block of Big Mesa.

On that day, a man drove up to the store in a silver BMW and pulled out a knife when he got to the counter, demanding money from the register.

RELATED: BCSO: Gang member caught with 134 grams of heroin, $80,000 in West Side raid

The robber allegedly threatened the employees, telling them " you want to get cut and go to hell?"

The employees refused to give him money, so the suspect pushed a monitor on the counter and fled the scene, according to the arrest affidavit.

After the Bexar County Sheriff's Office posted surveillance images of the suspect online, tips helped detectives identify the suspect as Gonzalez-Hernandez.

Gonzalez-Hernandez was charged with two counts of aggravated robbery. A judge set his bail at $100,000, according to jail records.

Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here. | fsabawi@mysa.com | Twitter: @FaresInSAA junior at Edison High School was arrested Tuesday after he brought an unloaded handgun to school, according to officials.

A student told a teacher after school on Tuesday they had seen what looked like the butt of a gun on the suspect.

RELATED: BCSO: Gang member caught with 134 grams of heroin, $80,000 in West Side raid

According to a statement from Leslie Price, a spokeswoman for San Antonio ISD, the teacher then contacted school administrators, who in turn notified school police.

Campus officers visited the student's home, where they checked his backpack and found an unloaded handgun. They did not find any ammunition in the backpack.

"It is important to know that we are not aware of any threats having been made and we believe there was no intention to harm anyone," she said. "However, it was incredibly foolish for a student to bring a weapon to campus, and there are significant consequences."

RELATED: Report: Columbine-inspired teens planned mass shooting at Uvalde middle school

The student, who hasn't been identified, was arrested and charged with a felony, according to the statement. State and federal law require a student to be expelled from a regular classroom if they bring a gun to school.

"We appreciate the individual who came forward with the information on this incident," Garcia said."It's important to remind everyone that if you 'see something, say something.'"

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

Caleb Downs is a crime reporter for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here.| cdowns@mysa.com | Twitter: @calebjdownsThose who find globalists to be villains should attend to recent events in Congo. In the remote region of a remote country, government agencies and international institutions identified by sterile acronyms are working to prevent the spread of a disease that could result in the swift globalization of panic.

This week could well prove decisive in Congos current Ebola outbreak  which started in April and, at this writing, counts 40-some probable and confirmed cases. If the disease remains largely rural and grows by ones and twos, contact tracing and the use of an experimental vaccine are likely to remain on top of things. If there are outbursts in multiple parts of the city of Mbandaka  which counts more than 1 million people  or clusters are found downriver in Kinshasa, it will mean trouble.

The good news? The response to this outbreak, according to National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins, is vastly further along than four years ago in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Last time, the World Health Organization (WHO) was slow, confused and ineffective. This time, teams from WHO and Doctors Without Borders were quickly on the scene. WHOs new director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, visited the site of the outbreak within weeks. Stockpiles of the vaccine being deployed had already been prepositioned in Liberia and Mali, with the help of the global vaccine alliance GAVI. Congos health minister, Oly Ilunga Kalenga, has been in daily contact with Anthony Faucis staff at the NIHs National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (When I talked to Fauci, Kalenga had contacted him 15 minutes before with a request). All involved knew this day would eventually come, and they have been preparing for it.

There are serious challenges in responding to a highly infectious disease in the rural Equateur province, parts of which can only be reached by helicopter. But medical authorities have some new tools, including the more aggressive use of experimental drugs. The vaccine rVSV-ZEBOV seemed dramatically effective during the West African outbreak four years ago, but circumstances did not allow for a controlled trial. About 4,000 doses are now in Congo  with perhaps 3,000 more on the way  and health authorities are in the process of creating a cold chain of refrigeration to deliver the drugs where they are needed. They will be deployed in a strategy called ring vaccination, in which anyone who has been in contact with an Ebola victim, and anyone who has been in contact with those contacts, is vaccinated. There is also a second vaccine and a NIH-developed anti-viral treatment (which only appears to be helpful when administered within five days of becoming sick) that may be employed in Congo.

Congo has had eight outbreaks of Ebola before this one  each of them eventually defeated. A lot of good people, representing a number of global institutions, are working to ensure that the ninth ends the same way.

Like tremors before the big one, every defeated outbreak provides a frightening hint at what an epidemic might look like. The West African Ebola outbreak of 2014 took about 11,000 lives. If it had spread into the cities of Nigeria, the levels of death and global panic would have spiraled beyond control. But this is not even the worst prospect. A flu pandemic  with a strain that is easily transmitted and has a high mortality rate  could take tens of millions of lives.

When it comes to health, the world has become a single, massive body. A serious infection arriving at the weakest part of the immune system  say the health systems of West Africa  can easily spread to the whole. This argues for strengthening our health defenses  the ability to detect and respond to pandemic threats  in remote places. And it will require vaccines that can ring a disease and make a global immune response more effective. At NIH, Collins has been pushing hard for the development of a universal flu vaccine, which would be broadly protective against pandemic strains. Funding that effort could end up the most important spending in the entire budget.

The globalization of threats  from terrorism to pandemic disease  is a bare, unavoidable fact. And it will only be met and mastered by determined, heroic globalists.

michaelgerson@washpost.comU.S. District Judge Alia Moses did right by the citizens of Crystal City in going beyond the federal guidelines in sentencing their former city attorney and city manger for illegal activities that nearly bankrupted the community.

Public corruption is among the worst of white collar crimes. It undermines the good work of law abiding civil servants and the publics confidence in government operations.

And few have been as audacious about it as former lobbyist James Jonas III, 56. He was sentenced to 35 years by Moses after a jury found him guilty last June on 18 criminal charges that included bribery and wire fraud.

In addition, the judge ordered Jonas to pay his former employer $1 million in restitution and forfeit an additional $17,000 to the federal government.

Federal sentencing guidelines called for a sentence of 24 to 30 years in prison but the fact Jonas was untruthful and unrepentant for what he did prompted Moses to go beyond those measures, the Express-News reported. This was an entirely correct action.

Jonas was one of five former Crystal City public officials arrested in 2016 on public corruptions charges that included accepting bribes and kickbacks from contractors doing business with the city.

Crystal Citys former Mayor Ricardo Lopez and former councilmen Roy Mata, Roel Mata and Gilbert Urrabazo are awaiting sentencing after having been found guilty on bribery charges.

Crystal City, a low wealth rural community with a population of about 7,300 residents 130 miles southwest of San Antonio, is still trying to recover from their schemes.

Court testimony during Jonas trial revealed that $2.25 million from the sale of certificates of obligation  intended to pay for water meters, lighting and air conditioning equipment among other things  was instead diverted to pay Jonas exorbitant salary and other unauthorized expenditures.

The jury also heard several audiotapes, made by informants, on which Jonas and the mayor solicited bribes.

At the time of his arrest, Jonas salary was $216,000, just a few thousand dollars less than the salary of San Antonios deputy city managers.

We hope Jonas fall  and his stiff sentence  serve as a message to other corruption-minded officials. When it comes to theft or diversion of public funds, the likelihood of discovery is high and the penalty will be deservedly harsh. Such crimes are more than corruption, they represent a betrayal of the public trust, which, when it occurs, erodes confidence in our governance and in our institutions.

Jonas sentence and the order to make restitution wont make Crystal City whole again, but it could help restore some of this beleaguered communitys confidence in the system.Genital tests for intending couples in Nigeria! Are you surprised? Let's find out what kind of test it is and learn the reasons for its implementation in our country.

Today we would like to talk about a very delicate, but at the same time very topical theme. It's about an intimate health checking of couples entering into the marriage.

Redeemed Christian Church of God

The vast public response was caused by the directive of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) with the prescription of an obligatory genital test for intending couples in Nigeria - RCCG members who want to create a family. Nigerian society is divided into two camps. Some people support the RCCG directive. The others call it an intervention in private lives.

So, what is a genital test? From where did the need for checking the intimate health of future newly-married couples come? Are the problems of young peoples impotence and reproductive function very acute today?

Pastor J.F. Odesola, RCCG, photo from www.thisdaylive.com

The church in the person of the Assistant General Overseer of the RCCG (Admin & Personnel), Pastor J.F. Odesola, explains the necessity of passing such test by a large number of complaints after marriage. Hopes for the matrimonial duty and childrens conceiving are in vain.

In many cases, its found that one of the spouses knew about the problem before marriage, but deceived the partner. Many girls, like zealous Christians, avoid intimate relationships before marriage and get married clean. Eventually, they learn about the spouses problem later.

Besides, the church is negative about divorce, and the couple often remains married having a mostly unsolved problem. It negatively affects the relationship and marriage as a whole. Priests are concerned about this state of affairs, and therefore oblige young people to take genital test before wedding.

READ ALSO: Churches in Nigeria with the highest population

The position of the church is as follows. You can tie up with a person who has problems of an intimate origin or reproductive function, but you should not know about it after the marriage is completed. Knowing the truth, you can accept a person with this problem and confide in God with the hope that it will be resolved or refuse marriage.

The church insists that those who marry must know the truth about each other and dont start a family life with lies. So the issues of intimate and reproductive function are vitally important, and they cannot be ignored.

Another important point: the check should be taken by both spouses. It must be male and female genital test. In Nigerian society, a stereotype emerged that if a couple does not have children, then its a womans fault and problem. But recent studies in this area show that in most cases, the man the man is the one with the reproductive problem.

Currently, women undergo pregnancy test before the wedding to exclude fraud in the relationship. So men should also be tested.

Of course, on the one hand, the church should not engage in such affairs. But on the other hand, its a public organization that influences its parishioners. The church is responsible for their future. Its a dilemma. How you feel about an intimate test and the existing problem in general, its your own business. We have given arguments pros and cons, but the last decision is yours.

READ ALSO: Genotype compatibility for marriage

Source: Legit.ng- Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has adopted the best graduating student of the Lagos state University

- The governor also gifted him with a cash sum of N5 million, as he pointed out that the young mans story was too compelling to ignore

- The beneficiary expressed appreciation for the governors gesture and resolved to make good use of the financial gift

Fuad Ogunsanya Adetoro, the best graduating student of the Lagos state University (LASU), has been adopted by the state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, who has made a commitment to sponsor the formers Masters programme in any university of his choice in the world.

The governor made the disclosure on Wednesday, May 23, while delivering his address at the LASU 2016/2017 academic convocation, Leadership reports

READ ALSO: Jobless man arraigned in court for allegedly robbing woman with cutlass

Legit.ng gathers that for being the best graduating student with a Cumulative Grade Point Aggregate (CGPA) of 4.78, Ambode also gifted Adetoro with a cash sum of N5 million.

Fuad Ogunsanya Adetoro, the best graduating student in LASU also got the sum of 5 million for his effort

The governor noted that it is unusual for a university visitor to attend the first day of university convocation where first degrees are awarded; hence, he said the day must have been divinely obtained.

He stated: But I dont know why I decided to come. This confirms that there is a divine side to the story. The story of the best graduating student is too compelling to ignore. It makes me reflect my own background too; therefore, I hereby adopt him.

Ogunsanya expressed appreciation for the governors gesture, and resolved to make good use of the financial gift and scholarship offered to him.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Pelumi Olugbenga, a quintessential 300-level student from the Department of History and International Studies, Faculty of Arts, Lagos state University, won the Hessselben Scholarship award to attend a leadership summit in the United States.

Olugbenga emerged as one of the five selected Hesselbein International Scholars from Africa to participate in the Hesselbein Global Leadership Summit at the prestigious Hesselbein Global Academy for Student Leadership and Civic Engagement, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US.

How i make over 100k monthly - Graduate shoemaker - on Legit.ng TV:

Source: LegitThe Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is set to arraign Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu for alleged fraud.

This was contained in a post published by the anti-graft agency on Wednesday, May 23.

Iyamu was the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo state, an election he later lost to Godwin Obaseki of the All Progressives Congress.

READ ALSO: Court sentences 24-year-old woman to 15 years in jail for defiling 16-year-old boy

The duo will be arraigned before a court in Benin for alleged fraud. Credit: Facebook, EFCC

Also to be arraigned is Chief Dan Orbih, the PDP chairman in Edo state. They will be arraigned on Thursday, May 24, in Benin city.

Meanwhile, the EFCC arraigned the secretary to the Rivers state government, Kenneth Kobani, and a politician, Samuel Okpoko, before Justice B. Bilikisu of the Federal High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt, on a six-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N750 million.

PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

Premium Times reports that the defendants were docked for collecting N750 million from the Garrison branch of a new generation bank in Port Harcourt, Rivers state on the eve of the 2015 general elections.

Legit.ng gathered that the money is part of the infamous $115 million Diezani Alison-Madueke cash allegedly deployed to bribe several politicians and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to influence the outcome of the 2015 presidential election.

It was gathered that Kobani allegedly collected N50 million while Okpoko allegedly collected the remaining N700 million.

Laolu Akande Speaks on How Presidency is Tackling Economy on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit Newspaper- No fewer than 27 companies were said to have benefitted from Obasanjo's $16 billion power deal

- As at the time Obasanjo's tenure ended, the contractors had been paid only N360.7 billion

- The sum of N273.65 billion was reportedly spent on Power Holding Company of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007

President Muhammadu Buharis rhetorical question on where Nigerias power was in spite of the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo spending $16 billion in the sector has raised dust.

The Nation reports that 27 companies benefitted from the deal in the investment in the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP).

It was reported that only N360.7 billion had been paid to the contractors as at the time Obasanjo left office.

READ ALSO: Former PDP governorship candidate, chairman in Edo to be arraigned for fraud by EFCC (photo)

The Obasanjo administration also spent N273.65 billion on Power Holding Company of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007.

All these figures were reportedly compiled by Ibrahim Lamorde, the then acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and handed over to Farida Waziri when she resumed office.

Part of the report read: Further investigations also revealed that a National Integrated Power Project is currently apace in six zones of the country for which about N1,230,949,066,528.99 was committed by the Federal Government.

The projects were also at different levels of completion but as at the moment of this report, N360, 714, 147, 700.03 has been paid out to contractors, leaving a balance of N870, 234, 918, 828.06 yet to be paid, pending the completion of the project.

After an in-depth investigation and rigorous check on all documents relating to these contracts, the payments made so far, and the contractors handling the project, it is impossible to draw a nexus between the former president or any individual or companies associated with him and the proceed accruing from the contract payments.

On the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), the report claimed that about N273.65 billion was released to the agency between 1999 and 2007 for its day-to-day activities.

Also, the PHCN separately received N22.297 billion and 162,467.57 billion; US$445.244.630.07 million; Euro 20, 105,436.31 million; and 8,987,322 million for about 27 contracts on electricity generation and transmission.

On the issue of NEPA (now the Power Holding Company of Nigeria), investigation has revealed that between 1999 and 2007, over N273.65billion has been received by the institution and not N521 billion as alleged. This appropriation is for its day-to-day activities, including generation of electricity, its transmission and distribution to the people of Nigeria.

Investigations have also revealed that various contracts in relation to generation of electricity transmission were awarded which amounted to N22.297.162, 467.57 billion; US$445.244.630.07million; Euro 20, 105,436.31million; and 8,987,322 million. All the documents relating to payments have been checked and scrutinised and there was no reference whatsoever to the former president, his relations or any front who benefited from the contracts.

READ ALSO: Breaking: Im ready for probe, Obasanjo tells Buhari

The report listed some of the 27 contracts as follows:

1. Pivot Engineering Ltd was awarded contracts in the sum of $78,625,736.54 for the construction of Owerri-Ahoada-Yenagoa 132 KVA DC lines and substations. It is to be noted that out of this, $73,023,521.36 has been paid to the contractor.

2. ABB {Nig] Ltd [SAE] received a contract in the sum of $21,489,644.79million and Nl, 489,271,079.60billion for the construction of second Benin-Onitsha 330 kva SC lines. So far, the contractors have been paid the sum of Nl, 675,225,734:40billion

3. Siemens Ltd also benefited from a contract of Euro l5, 032,410.65million (Euros) and N200, 000,000million to provide Onitsha 150 Mva, 330/132/33 kva, T/F and 330 KV base at Onitsha and Benin. Out of this contract sum, it has received a total payment of El2, 499,567.00million( Euros)and N49, 979,258.00million

4. Energovod Src was awarded a project of Alaogi-Calabar 330 kva DC lines in the sum of $42,382,351.30million and N900, 000,000 for which payments to the tune of $23,851,466.58million and N431, 056,721.00million have been made.

5. AREYVA T/D SPR-and -MBH power-for offshore works for construction of bays got 8,987,322.00million and N600, 000,000million. The foreign payments have been fully made while only N161, 704,254.50million on the Naka was paid.

6. Chrome Consortium was awarded contracts for the provision of Gombe-Yola-Jakngo 330kva SC lines at $74,872,154.04million. It has been paid $50,000,000.

7. News Engineering Ltd got a contract valued at $3,485,113.50million and N250, 000,000million for the construction of Jalingo 230/40 mva; 132/33kv sub-station. It received $2,670,679.36million and N100, 850,347.04million.

8. Allaogi-Umuahia 132 kva DC line was awarded to Pivot Engineering at $4,067,940.00million; it got $3,978,676.10million and N406, 528,365million.

9. Valenz Holdings [Nig] Ltd got the contract for Umuahia 230/40 mva, 132/33kv substation at $7,083,399.48 million and N489, 704,091.00million.It was not clear if the company had been paid.

10. Kec/News Engineering handled Gombe-Damatru-Maiduguri 330kv lines at $30, 172, 772million and N2.5 billion

11. JKN Limited did Ado -Ekiti 132/33kva sub-station and Akure 132kva Liangbe extension at N822 million. It received N521million.

12. Kano- Dutse 132 kva DC and Dutse-Azare 132 kv SC line were done by LCEP at $50, 294, 388million.

13. ABB did Dutse- Azare 230/40MVA, 132/33KV Sub -stations cost $12,500,000:00million and 1,771,582:83million. The company received $11,074,967:81million and 354,316:40million /*.

14. The Egbin-Ikeja West/Benin Main 330kv DC line and sub-station was handled by Energo (Nig) Limited at $8,437,687 million and N141, 967,775:92million; it was paid $6,475,037:18 and Nl7, 488,890:06million .

15. NEPA-ACEB Power Interconnection Project (Counterpart Funding) was handled by SAE Power Lines and Areva (SIS) (Counterpart Funding on ADB Loan on senders) at Nl,194,500,000:00; Nl,043,800,000:00 was paid.

16. News Engineering Nig Limited got the contract for the construction of lx30MVA, 132/33W substation at Keffi at N441,534,004:50; N251,700,000:00 was paid to the contractor.

17. Continental Engineering Nig Limited was awarded Talata Mafara 230/40MVA, 132/33kv substation ( N453, 532, 829:20) . The company was paid N420, 323,334:57.

18. Amukpe (Sapele) lx30/40MVA, 132/33kv sub station was handled by News Engineering Limited at $1,194,482:34 and N219,920,252:71. The company received $1,014,276:14 and N78,303,339:54.

19. ABB Power Katempe got National Stadium 132kv DC line for N347,000,000:00; it was paid N 173,500,000:00.

20. Twenty-six companies carried out FY2000 substation reinforcement projects (N2,679,487,010:00) They received N2.3billion, representing 90% of the contract sum.

21. ABB Nigeria Limited handled rehabilitation of Delta TV Switchyard (2,879,811:11 and N109,899,233:00); N36,822,340 was paid.

22. Nnewi 2x60MVA 132kv sub- station was awarded to Valenz Holdings Nigeria Ltd (4,421,811:72 and N251, 833,400:00). It received N191, 734,122:52 .

23. CMC was awarded New 33kv substation at Omotosho ($30,325,386:00); $3,115,453:00 was paid.

24. Steers Intl Ltd was awarded $1,395,353:83 and Nl 52,092,929:50 for the construction of New 330kv line at Ornotosho/Benin/ Ikeja West in which a down payment of $596,137:71 and N34,465,000:00 have been made to the contractor.

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25. SEPCO got the $30,325,366:00 New 330kv substation at Papalanto. It was paid $8,915,453:00.

26. Kukwaba 2x60MYA, 132/33kv sub- station was awarded to NCEP at $5,252,932:61 and N272,237,433.25; 20% payment was made, which comes up to $1,050,586:52 and N54,447,486:65.

27. CCC Intl Ltd is a company was awarded Onitsha-Nniwe-Ihiala 132kv DC line at $2, 631,003:58 and N 198,049,270:00.

Legit.ng had reported that Nigeria's former president, Olusegun Obasanjo replied President Muhammadu Buhari over allegation that $16 billion was wasted on power project during his administration.

President Buhari had made reference to the allegation while receiving a delegation of Buhari Support Organisation (BSO) at the presidential villa on Tuesday, May 22.

President Buhari's Return Will Teach Nigerians Sense on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit- Nigeria has been commended for its anti-corruption agenda, which is said to be playing a leading role in the fight against corruption in Africa

- The commendation came from the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, who noted that Nigeria has been able to recover looted funds

- He said that corruption must be more than campaign promises and words on paper if governments around the world were serious about fighting corruption

UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, has commended Nigerias anti-corruption agenda, saying the country plays a leading role in the fight against corruption in Africa.

Guterres, who stated this in his remarks at High-level debate marking the 15th anniversary of adoption of UN convention against corruption in New York, pointed out that through Nigerias anti-money laundering efforts, stolen funds had been returned, NAN reports.

Legit.ng notes that Guterres said: African countries have taken a leading role in moving this agenda forward in the last AU summit. And with measures as for example through anti-money laundering efforts in Nigeria and Tunisia, which have seen funds returned."

He said if governments were serious about doing the best for their citizens, then pledges to promote integrity and clamp down on corruption must be more than campaign promises and words on paper.

READ ALSO: Breaking: Bauchi deputy governor resigns; gives reasons

The UN chief said: Millions will go to the polls this year with corruption high on their agenda. I make an urgent call to our global leadership to take a moral stand and install a culture of integrity from the top down. It all begins with setting an example. By tackling corruption, governments can show they mean business. We must all do more.

Society cannot function equitably and efficiently when public officials  from doctors to police, judges and politicians  enrich themselves rather than perform their duties with integrity. Corruption robs funds from schools, hospitals, infrastructure and other vital services.

Human trafficking and migrant smuggling, illicit financial flows and illegal trade in natural resources, weapons, drugs and cultural heritage are all made possible because of corruption. It fuels conflict, and when a hard-won peace is achieved, corruption undermines recovery.

Corruption and impunity are corrosive, breeding frustration and fostering further corruption when people see no other way of achieving their goals."

The UN chief added that the lack of opportunities for young women and men often exacerbated in corrupt societies, could feed into the cynical narratives of terrorists and violent extremists.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a Nigerian anti-corruption youth group, the Creative Youth Initiative Against Corruption (CYIAC), emerged the winner of the Innovative Category of the first UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Action Awards.

In a statement, the project director, Foluke Michael, the project director, said the Innovative Category top award was presented to the group in Bonn, Germany by Markus Hipp, the director, BMW Foundation.

Top 5 the Richest People of Nigeria: The Luxury of Corruption - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit Newspaper- President Muhammadu Buhari is eminently qualified to run for re-election in 2019

- This is the stance of a group in support of Buhari to suggestions that the president should step down

- However, a northern group has denied asking the president not to run

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has responded to the advice by Coalition of Northern Group (CNG) urging President Muhammadu Buhari not to contest the 2019 presidential election.

The BMO in a statement sent to journalists on Wednesday, May 23, described the suggestion as ineffectual and untenable.

The statement which was signed by its chairman, Austin Braimoh and secretary, Cassidy Madueke, stated that the coalition groups position does not hold water and runs contrary to reason as the Nigerian constitution does not in any way debar him from running for a second term.

READ ALSO: 2019: We await PDPs miracle on Buhari - Masari

President Buhari did not in any way contribute to the problems the country is now facing. Rather, he has been in the forefront of fighting corruption and other ills that have retarded the countrys growth and development.

Even on the aspect of age, we need to remind the Coalition that age has never been a hindrance to good leadership, but in the case of President Buhari it has proved to be an advantage.

It is also necessary to recall that recently the former Malaysian President Mahathir Mohammed was recalled from retirement to come and lead the country again at over ninety years, based on his antecedents and performance in office, the group said.

The group also drew attention of the coalition to the various projects which it said the Buhari administration had started across the country, especially in the rail, road and power sectors.

It is also important to point out the diversification programmes, anti-corruption fight and defeat of Boko Haram terrorists. All these achievements need to be sustained and consolidated in his second term.

We therefore advise the coalition to rethink its position as President Muhammadu Buhari is focused on rebuilding the country for the good of all Nigerians, the statement read.

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Meanwhile, contrary to reports, the coalition has denied advising President Buhari against seeking a re-election in 2019. The CNG on Wednesday, May 23, also denied asking former vice president Atiku Abubakar not to contest presidential election. The group described the report as misrepresentation.

Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, spokesman of CNG, said in a statement issued in Lagos on Wednesday that the coalition did not discuss individual aspiration at its two-day summit in Kaduna as reported in the media.

2019: Ahmed Buhari tells Nigerians he is the best option for president. Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ngOgiso Owodo ruled as a king under the old Monarchy of Ogiso in the old Igodomigodo kingdom. Ikaladeran was his only son who later became the Oduduwa of Ife.

After Ogidos demise, a local chief identified as Irebor forcefully took over the kingdom and adopted the Ogiearnien title.

Thus, the Edionisen (king makers), sent for Oduduwa at Ife to come back home to take over his fathers royal seat.

However, Ododuwa was about 70-years-old and was too old to undertake the long journey to Igodomigodo.

The Edionisen mounted pressure on him to send his son if he could not come back. After a few years, he accepted to send his first son, Oranmiyan, to Igodomigodo.

READ ALSO: Meet Adepoju Aderonmu, the first black man to win $64,000 prize in the American CBS-TV quiz game show

Oranmiyans entourage included amongst others the Edigin Ilawure Ihama and Ezima. They accompanied him to Igodomigodo.

They entered Igodornigodo through the western route via Iyekovia. Ilawure and Ezima stayed off at Usen and Okemuen respectively and settled there.

Oranmiyan had not reached Igodomigodo when he started feeling the resistance of those protesting against his coming.

Irebor the Ogiearnien mobilized his supporters to stop Oranmiyan from entering the city.

Thus, the Edionisen kept Oranmiyan and entourage at Ego and prepared a palace for him at Usama. He was there for some years.

He was not however crowned because of the enormous problems created by Irebor and his supporters.

Irebor continued to rule almost half of the kingdom as an administrator. He surrounded himself with soldiers and declared his new title hereditary, with the hope of passing it to his descendants who would also rule like him.

He resisted all attempts by the Edionisen to dispose him of the Ogisos stool. The inability of the Edionisen to depose Irebor created difficulties for Oranmiyan. He was living in fear and suspicion of the people.

He could not successfully adapt himself to his new status despite the great support the Edionisen gave to him. He had a problem of communicating with people because of his lack of understanding of Edo language.

Prince Oranmiyan, unable to bear the animosity for very long, renounced his office and called Igodomigodo land "Ile Ibinu", a Yoruba word loosely translated as "a land of annoyance and vexation".

He declared that only a child of the soil, educated in the culture and traditions of Igodomigodo could rule the kingdom.

Meanwhile, he fell in love with the daughter of Ogie Ego, a local chief, named Erinmwinde who eventually had a male child for him. By this Eririmwinde became the mother of the first crowned Oba of Evbuoto community.

Oranmiyan decided to go back home as he could not rule successfully especially because of the resistance put up by Ogieamien and his supporters.

The Edionisen then waited for his child to grow up so that he can assume the throne. At first, the child could not speak and the oracle was consulted.

The oracle prescribed the performance of some rites and the playing (akhue) marble by the young prince. After the rites, while playing the marble, he uttered the Yoruba words "owo mi ka" meaning I captured it when he struck the only remaining marble.

His first Yoruba expression was as a result of his training in the Yoruba language by Edigun at Use, who was one of those who came from Ife with Oranmiyan. Since then, Use became a place where all Obas perform the marble playing ceremonies preceding their taking of titles.

A sketch of Prince Oranmiyan. Credit: edoworld.net

After Oranmiyan had left, the Edionisen busied themselves with training the young prince in the mysteries of Ubani or Evbuoto kingship.

They suspended all their political differences until the prince was old enough to take his fathers place and crowned Ogieamien.

Meanwhile, Irebor was determined not only to rule but also to ensure that Ogieamien became a hereditary title to be used by his descendants.

When he died, he was succeeded by his son who went by the same title Ogieamien. He was, however, not as able and forceful as his father.

His weak character made him loose supporters to the young prince, Oranmiyans son who had grown up and crowned the king of Igodomigodo/Ubini.

The new king was reportedly referred to as Oba Eweka by some historical accounts.

The Edionisen and their supporters were reportedly aware of the fact that prince Oranmiyan was Ikaladerhans son. Ikaladeran was the only son of Ogiso Owodo who became Ododuwa of Ife, hence the rightful heir to Benin throne. That is why they brought his son to come and continue the line of his father.

Though the Edionisen tried to convince the people that Oranmiyan was a son of Ikaladerhan who became Ododuwa of Ife and that they wanted the continuity of the monarchy through the system of primogeniture, not all were convinced and accepted the newly installed monarchy of Ubini.

Those who opposed the new monarch, that it is Ife offshoot, did not allow the remains of any Oba to be buried in Ubini.

This was why the remains of any Oba was carried to where Oranmiyan was buried at Ife and the place was known as Orun Oba Ado" loosely translated as Heaven of the king of Edo.

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Oranmiyan was, therefore, the link between the old monarchy of Ogiso and the new monarchy of Obas of Benin.

According to edoworld.net, Oranmiyan was not a foreign, invader who having failed, assigned his infant son to the task. The Edionisen were instrumental to Oranmiyans coming, having been sent by Ododuwa (Ikaladerhan).

The Edionisen wanted to preserve the royal line as best as they could. If Oranmiyan was a foreign invader, it would have been impossible for his infant son to be given so much care and protection in the midst of anti-royalists who were opposed to the restoration and his kingship installation.

Top 5 unusual facts about the Yoruba (you had no idea about!) - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit- A lawmaker in the Gombe state House of Assembly reportedly stole the mace during plenary

- Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the House wanted to impeach the minority leader, Mohammed Haruna

- The move was frustrated leading to the hijacking of the mace

It was serious drama at the Gombe state House of Assembly on Thursday, May 24, as a lawmaker reportedly got hold of the mace and seized it during a session. He fled the chamber with what has become known as the symbol of authority.

Premium Times reports that the incident occurred during an attempt by some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the House to impeach the minority leader, Mohammed Haruna, who is a member of the party.

READ ALSO: Musiliu Smith appointed as new Police Service Commission chairman

According to the report, the House is dominated by members of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The report added that Harunas offence may have been that on May 5, he called a press conference to condemn the conduct of APC ward congresses in the state.

The move by his colleagues failed as four out of the eight members of the party in the House declined to support it.

Following the failure of the lawmakers to remove Haruna, his colleague, Abdullahi Abubakar, who represents Akko West, grabbed the mace and fled the chamber while being reportedly assisted by another member, Mohammed Bello.

It was learnt that Bello, who is from Gombe south constituency assisted Abubakar to escape with the mace.

Legit.ng earlier reported that members of Kano state House of Assembly have reportedly voted to impeach the speaker of the house, Alhaji Abdullahi Yusuf Ata.

It was gathered that the vote to impeach Ata was secretly done on Sunday night, May 13.

The report said that 21 lawmakers have signed in support of the impeachment and a source confirmed that already the principal officers of the house had been impeached having got the 21 lawmakers to sign for their impeachment.

President Buhari's Return Will Teach Nigerians Sense | Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ngPresident Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, May 24, met behind closed doors with Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state as well as the former governor of Edo, Adams Oshiomhole, in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Okorochas meeting with the president which lasted for about an hour, came few days after he met the president in his country home, Daura, Katsina state, where he complaint about the conduct of the ward congress of the All Progressives Congress in Imo.

Governor Okorocha, who was accompanied by the former governor of Edo, Adams Oshiomhole, declined comment on the outcome of his meeting with the president.

READ ALSO: Musiliu Smith appointed as new Police Service Commission chairman

It was gathered that Okorocha might have again lodged a fresh complaint about the way and manner the ward and local government APC congresses were conducted in Imo.

On May 7, in Daura, Okorocha told newsmen after closed door meeting with President Buhari that there was no ward congress in Imo

He said: We expect internal democracy and internal democracy is the way to go. Those kind of funny politics that were played must stop, where people want to carry ballot boxes, steal results looks so primitive.

I intimated Mr President and we will make sure that such things must stop.

Okorocha and his supporters also boycotted the local government APC congress and insisted that a fresh date for ward congress should be fixed before the local government congress.

The governor, while addressing his loyalists, announced that there would be no local government congress in the state until the crisis of the ward congress was rectified.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

The Imo state APC chairman, Hillari Eke, however, said in Owerri on May 14, that the ward and local government congresses were concluded successfully in the state.

NAN also recalled that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had recently attempted to reconcile the governor with the rival faction of the APC in Imo.

Legit.ng earlier reported that President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday, May 6, received in audience Governor Rochas Okorochas.

President Buhari on Friday afternoon, May 4, travelled to the state after the weekly juma`at service at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Street GIST: Buhari Says his 2nd Term Bid is People-Centered; Do You Agree? | Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit- The All Progressives Congress (APC) appoints 77 people into the national campaign council for Kayode Fayemi

- The council is to be chaired by the governor of Kebbi state, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu

- Rotimi Akeredolu says the election should be taken seriously by all the members

The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday, May 24, appointed the governor of Kebbi state, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu to head the partys 77-member national campaign council to ensure victory for Kayode Fayemi in Ekiti

Fayemi is the partys flagbearer in the July 14, Ekiti governorship election.

A statement released by the party and obtained by Legit.ng said the campaign council was inaugurated by the APC deputy national chairman (North), Sen Lawali Shuaibu on behalf of the national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and consists of 14 serving governors, ministers, some members of the its National Working Committee (NWC), the National Assembly senior leaders.

Sen Lawali Shuaibu stressed the importance of the Ekiti governorship election to the party and urged the campaign council to shun hate speech in its campaign message to the people of Ekiti.

READ ALSO: Musiliu Smith appointed as new Police Service Commission chairman

In the exercise your assignment, please avoid hate speech. Let us ensure that we dont use hate speech during our campaigns. If other parties do that, our concern should be to capture the hearts of the Ekiti people in going out to bring to an end the four-year comedy that has been going on there.

The election in Ekiti is very important for the APC. In fact, we feel the level of importance of the election is slightly below the importance of the presidential election to us. We are not going to relent in our effort to win Ekiti state. The responsibility now rest on your shoulders, he said at the inauguration.

However, the New Telegraph reports that many of those that made the list were absent at the inauguration even though some of them were in Abuja at the time of the event.

Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, who chairs the council was represented by the Ondo state governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, at the inauguration.

Akeredolu said: We take this task as very important. Just as we all have stressed it. This will not be the first time the party is expressing and underscoring the importance of this election. When South-West party leaders met with the president recently, he underscored the importance of this election.

We have faced enough of affront as a party. Challenge has been thrown to us not only by the PDP, but by Governor Fayose. So we must be united to confront that challenge. We will give our all to ensure that we win Ekiti State for the APC.

See the full list of the campaign council members

H. E. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu - Governor Kebbi (Chairman)

H. E. Akinwunmi Dapo Ambode - Governor Lagos

H. E. Sen. Ibikunle Amosun - Governor Ogun

H. E. Sen. Abiola Ajimobi - Governor Oyo

H. E. Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola - Governor Osun

H. E. Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu - Governor Ondo

H. E. Alh. Abdulfatah Ahmed - Governor Kwara

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H. E. Alh. Abdulazeez Yari - Governor Zamfara

H. E. Mr. Godwin Obaseki - Governor Edo

H. E. Alh. Yahaya Bello - Governor Kogi

H. E. Mr. Simon Bako Lalong - Governor Plateau

H. E. Alh. Kashim Shettima - Governor Borno

H. E. Sen. Mohammed Umar Jibrilla - Governor Adamawa

H. E. Mohammed Badaru Abubakar - Governor Jigawa

H. E. Engr. Segun Oni

Alh. Manir Dan-Ali - Minister Defence

Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau Rtd - Interior

Alh. Bawa Bwari Abubakar - State, Solid Minerals

Dr. Ibe Kachikwu - State, Petroleum

Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN - Power, Works and Housing

Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi - Transport

Chief (Dr.) Chris Ngige- Labour

Prof. Isaac Adewole - Health

Sen. Sola Adeyeye

Sen. Tayo Alasaodura

Sen. Andy Uba

Sen. Rafiu Ibrahim

Sen. Aliyu Wammako

Sen. Abu Ibrahim

Sen. Ben Uwajumogu

Sen. Olubunmi Adetunmbi

Sen. Tony Adeniyi

Hon. Bamidele Faparusi

Rt. Hon. Yusuf Lasun

Hon. Aliyu Magaji

Hon. Stephen Olemija

Hon. Mike Ogun

Otunba Niyi Adebayo

Alh. Yau Darazo

Sen. Olurunnimbe Mamora

Dr. Muiz Banire

Hon. Faruk Adamu Aliyu

Sen. Domingo Obende

Engr. Ade Adetimehin

Sen. Uche Ekwunife

Mr. Ayo Afolabi

Mrs. Kemi Nelson

Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele

Engr. Mohammed Maihaja

Hon. Omowunmi Edet

Mr. Yemi Olowolabi

Chief Zacha Adelabu

Barr. Sharon Ikeazor

Hadjia Hadiza Bala Usman

Mr. Edwin Ikhinmwin

Mr. Hubert Shaiyen

Mr. Adejoke Adefulire

Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa

Chief Kemi Adeosun

Senator Monsurat Sumonnu

Senator Binta Masi

Hajiya Fati Balla

Prof. Okey Onyejekwe

Mr. Ray Morphy

Hon. Jibir Maigari

Dr. Jabo Zarami

Mr. Shina Peller

Sen. Osita Izunaso

Alh. Bolaji Abdullahi

Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu

Alh. Dasuki Ibrahim Jalo

Chief Pius Akinyelure

Alh. Tajudeen Bello

Barr. Awele Van Nwoko

Mrs. Yetunde Adeniji

Mrs. Toyin Edun

Alhaji Ali Wurge

Legit.ng earlier reported that 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, Kayode Fayemi.

Street GIST: Buhari Says his 2nd Term Bid is People-Centered; Do You Agree? | Legit.ng TV

Source: LegitBy Hubert Horan, who has 40 years of experience in the management and regulation of transportation companies (primarily airlines). Horan has no financial links with any urban car service industry competitors, investors or regulators, or any firms that work on behalf of industry participants

Here are some of the stories about Ubers 1Q published results.

The (paywalled) WSJ article provided links to actual P&L and cash flow tables.

As usual, its a mixed bag of reporting. The Recode, New York Times and Financial Times articles were especially weak, suggested the reporters hadnt really been following the Uber story and werent good at reading financial reports. All stories mentioned that Ubers reported profit was entirely due to the one-time. $2.94 B gain on the Grab sale. But most stories highlighted Uber profit in their headlines and ledes, and only Newcomer (Bloomberg) and Griswold (Quartz) made a serious attempt to explain to readers that this gain was a one-time accounting entry. Even with their attempts to clarify, the overall takeaway most people will get from these reports is Uber is now profitable

In contrast to these stories, the Financial Times Lex column (behind a premium paywall) explicitly emphasized that the results didnt mean that Uber was anything close to a profitable business. Uber is solidly lossmaking with slowing growthand has some way to travel to convince markets its numbers add up before going public But people who read the FTs news story (or the NYT, or WSJ) would have no idea that the numbers told this kind of story.

None of the stories made any attempt to explain how the sale of a hopelessly unprofitable operation could generate a $2.94B accounting profit, or made any attempt to explain that it was entirely based on Ubers opinion about how much Grab (currently money-losing) might be worth some day. None of this profit had nothing to do with the exchange of assets where the underlying value had ever been audited or based on exchanges in public markets.

None of the reporters seemed to grasp that making a (roughly) half-billion P&L improvement (aside from the Grab accounting benefit) in a single quarter, if true, would be a major story in itself, and didnt explain how this was achieved. It appears to have come from a $280m cut in driver compensation vs the 4th Q (drivers getting less and less of what passengers actually paya piece of the Uber story that every major outlet ignores) and a $277m cut in G&A and Depreciation expense.

Most stories mentioned Ubers hoped-for 2019 IPO, but none attempted to explain whether the 1Q data points toward the narrative Uber will need to gain a strong public valuation. We are no longer losing a billion dollars a quarter may be better news than the alternative, but neither Uber nor these reporters can explain how or when Uber might achieve breakeven, much less the sustainable profits investors will need to see. Dara Khosrowshahi has publicly stated that he expects Uber to grow to 20-30 times its current size, and that Ubers driverless car flying car programs are critical to achieving those growth targets. But all of the things that drove the Quarter-over-Quarter P&L improvement directly undermine that growth narrative.

Much of the huge G&A/Depreciation cuts were related to reduced spending on future growth. Any company can goose current earnings if they stop spending for the future, but this is not what potential investors in Silicon Valley growth companies want to see. Most stories quoted Khosrowshahis comments about growth exceeding expectations, but none noted that the quarter-over-quarter growth in gross passenger payments was only 4%. Some of the stories mentioned the termination of driverless car testing in Arizona, and the recent departure of the head of Ubers flying car project, but no one attempted to explain how any of these facts could be consistent with the companys aggressive growth objectives. Obviously, the idea is that growth companies can use the strong profits and cash flow from their core business to fund a variety of longer-term growth opportunities. The reporting on Uber still ignores its awful year eight economics in its core businesses, and that its hope of eventually earning money in driverless and flying cars is even more inexplicable.Team cracks code to cheap, small carbon nanotubes Phys.org (CL).

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Health Care

New policy requires on-field players, personnel to stand for anthem ESPN

Class Warfare

A lab director sets out fixes for the scientific ecosystem Nature

After Evergreen The Stranger

Anarchism: The Jesus Way Hello Gregory (UserFriendly). UserFriendly: Written by that fired Palo Alto preacher. Hes a smart cookie, for a preacher.

Antidote du jour (via):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.It seems that the Democrats have decided they need some sort of economic message[1] in 2018 after all:

But our plan to bring better jobs, better wages, and a better future to American families goes so far beyond that. #ABetterDeal Read all of the proposals here: https://t.co/2CPXlViyQ8  Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) May 21, 2018

This is great news, because it means we can, finally, put Yglesiass[2] viral and knowingly ironic economic anxiety meme to rest. James Kwak gives the origin story in 2016 (A Cute Joke Gone Too Far):

For weeks now, Vox columnist Matt Yglesias has been mocking the idea that economic anxiety is a substantial factor in the Rise of Trump. Heres one of dozens of examples: Its strange how even $12 million in illicit Ukrainian money wasnt enough to slake Paul Manaforts economic anxiety.  Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) August 15, 2016 Its understandable where this particularly highbrow putdown (also used by other twitterers) came from. Belittling the economic anxiety explanation has two understandable if not entirely pure motivations. One is the idea that chalking up Trumps success to economic factors minimizes the central role of racism in his campaign; pointing out other reasons people might have for voting Trump distracts from the main issue or can even be seen (in an illogical sort of way) as an apology for Trumps racism. The second motivation is that, since Hillary Clinton decided to run on the poorly worded America is already great theme, talking about economic insecurity only plays into the hands of the enemy; instead, we should just pretend everything is hunky-dory. (Yglesias does not share this second motivation.) But to many people, including me, it seems bizarre to insist that economic anxiety has nothing to do with Trumps success, and much simpler to simply acknowledge that some of his voters are racists, some are worried about their economic prospects, and some are both. Today, instead of letting the by-now-stale joke simply fade away, Yglesias decided to double down with a column arguing that Trump is all about white grievance politics, not economic anxiety.

(For whatever reason, all the examples I can find of @mattyglesias economic anxiety using Twitter search come up This Tweet is unavailable, and Im not blocked. The Tweet to which Kwak links doesnt exist, now, either. Odd.) Anyhow, we can inter Matts meme because Democrats seem to have decided that voters have something to be anxious about. After all, the Pelosi and Co. are now making economic promises like better jobs and better wages, that implies that wages and jobs arent all that they could be, right?[2]

So Im going to help the Democrats out with their messaging, working on two assumptions: First, that Democrats wish to address or at least appear to address economic anxiety programatically; and second, that Democrats plan to appeal to at least some working class (i.e., waged) Trump voters, especially those who gave Trump the victory by flipping from Obama (which Democrats must do because the electoral college is deeply unfair, or because of gerrymandering, or just possibly because flipping suburban Republicans from Trump isnt the slam dunk Chuck Schumer thought it would be). Im going to help them out by citing tod all the economic anxieties I can find that make Trump voters distinctive, and Im going to throw the into the buckets of Maslows Hierarchy of Needs:

(None of this shows causality, of course, but I think the aggregation is impressive, and we may address causality at a later date.) I dont claim to have found every salient characteristic, and I welcome further contributions from readers. However, Ive been collecting these links for some time, and I do try to keep track.)

Safety: Financial Insecurity

Gallup, Financial Insecurity Higher for Those Who Favor Trump, October 10, 2016:

Americans who view Trump favorably are significantly more likely than other Americans to report feeling financially insecure. The large gap in financial insecurity persists even after controlling for income, education, occupation, party affiliation and various other measures of objective economic circumstances. those with a favorable opinion of Trump are 23 percentage points more likely to say they are not feeling better about their financial situation these days, 17 points more likely to say they do not feel good about the amount of money they have to spend and 13 points more likely to say they are cutting back on spending. Republicans and conservatives have reported higher levels of financial insecurity than Democrats and liberals since at least 2013, but these party and ideological differences do not account for the gap in financial insecurity between those who do and do not favor Trump. Republicans who view Trump favorably are still more likely to express economic insecurity on each item than Republicans who view him unfavorably.

(Parodoxically, those with high credit ratings also favor Trump; see here for the county analysis. I would go so far as to speculate that Trump voters high credit scores were Trumps base; and those in financial distress were Trumps margin  the voters who flipped from Obama.[3]) Im filing this under Safety because if youre being hounded by debt collectors youre not safe.)

Physiological: Battlefield Casualties

Douglas L. Kriner and Francis X. Shen, Battlefield Casualties and Ballot Box Defeat: Did the Bush-Obama Wars Cost Clinton the White House?, SSRN, June 2017:

there is a significant and meaningful relationship between a communitys rate of military sacrifice and its support for Trump. Our statistical model suggests that if three states key to Trumps victory  Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin  had suffered even a modestly lower casualty rate, all three could have flipped from red to blue and sent Hillary Clinton to the White House With so much post-election analysis, it is surprising that no one has pointed to the possibility that inequalities in wartime sacrifice might have tipped the election. Put simply: perhaps the small slice of America that is fighting and dying for the nations security is tired of its political leaders ignoring this disproportionate burden

Odd that responsibility to protect only starts at the waters edge

Physiological: Public Health

From Jason H. Wasfy , Charles Stewart III, Vijeta Bhambhani, County community health associations of net voting shift in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, PLOS One, October 2, 2017:

We have shown here that poor public health is associated with an aggregate shift towards voting Republican in 2016 compared with 2012. In particular, there was a statistically significant association between this voting trend and nearly every examined measure of public health. These results are important for several reasons. This election was marked by substantial relative differences in party voting. In some cases, states that had traditionally supported Republican presidential candidates shifted away from the Republican nominee while states that had traditionally supported democratic presidential candidates shifted towards the Republican nominee. These shifts realigned [hmm] patterns of party voting. Our results here suggest that aggregate health status was associated with these shifts in voting behavior between 2012 and 2016. We have also demonstrated that this association of net voting shift with health status was stronger in states that changed political parties from 2012 to 2016. The association of net voting shift per unit of the unhealthy score was 5.9% greater in Iowa, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, and the 2nd Congressional District of Maine than in states that did not shift Electoral College delegates from 2012 to 2016. In that context, although our results cannot demonstrate causality, our results suggest a possible role of public health in determining the ultimate outcome of the overall election.

In other words, poor public health was not only associated with voting for Trump, but with flipping to Trump.)

Physiological: Life Expectancy

Jacob Bor, Diverging Life Expectancies and Voting Patterns in the 2016 US Presidential Election, American Journal of Public Health, October 2017:

Voters in counties in which life expectancy stagnated or declined between 1980 and 2014 were much more likely to vote for Trump Nationally, life expectancy increased by 5.3 years during this period. In counties with below-average gains in life expectancy, a majority of voters chose Trump; in counties with above-average gains in life expectancy, most voters chose Hillary Clinton.

Ironically, then, liberal Democrats didnt need to call for the working class people who voted for Trump to die; they already were!

Physiological: Opiods

Michal Kranz and Skye Gould, These maps show that counties where opioid deaths and prescription rates are highest are also places where Trump won big in 2016, Business Insider, November 2017:

Out of all the counties for which opioid overdose death data has been compiled by the CDC, there are 82 outlier counties where 15 people or more died per 100,000 people. Of these 82 counties, 77 voted for Trump in the 2016 presidential election, according to Townhall.com voting data. With several exceptions, the majority of these outlying counties lie in Appalachia or the rural West. Historian Kathleen Frydls research shows an even more striking trend. She noticed that many typically Democratic counties that were particularly heavily affected by the opioid crisis went red on election night. She named this segment of the population the oxy electorate.

(The connection to Case-Deatons work should be obvious to readers; see here for one approach.)

The Entire Hierarchy: Well-Being

Jeph Herrin , Dan Witters, Brita Roy, Carley Riley, Diana Liu, and Harlan M. Krumholz, Population well-being and electoral shifts, PLOS One, March 2018:

Population well-being, an aggregate measure of positive mental, physical, and emotional health, has previously been used as a marker of community thriving. We examined whether several community measures of wellbeing, and their change since 2012, could be used to understand electoral changes that led to the outcome of the 2016 United States presidential election. We found that areas of the US which had the largest shifts away from the incumbent party had both lower wellbeing and greater drops in wellbeing when compared with areas that did not shift. In comparison, changes in income were not related to voting shifts. Well-being may be more useful in predicting and understanding electoral outcomes than some more conventional voting determinants.

Change versus more of the same, eh?

Conclusion

Of course, there are other factors behind Trumps victory, very much including geography (the rural/urban/suburban divide) and racism. However, my goal is provide Democrats with economic talking points. If (with Google) we define economics as:

The condition of a region or group as regards material prosperity.

Then every single one of those items above is an economic issue. What, after all, is more material, or less conducive to prosperity, than falling life expectancy or losing a family member to opioids? Or in a useless war? What is less conducive to well-being? It seems to me that when enormous organic damage is inflicted on a population, the effects can only be political, as we see in the rise of Hitler after the slaughter of millions in the trenches of World War I (or, conversely, the establishment of the NHS after the loss of millions in World War II). It boggles the mind that liberal Democrat apparatchiks and their tame stenographers have been systematically suppressing discussion of economic issues and policies since 2016, and I can only welcome the leaderships new embrace of the topic, however tepid. In any case, it now behooves them to explain how A Better Deal addresses the pain points listed above, concretely. (This applies especially to the competition specialists behind the Deal.) These are all, quite literally, issues of life and death.

NOTES

[1] To be fair, A Better Deal is only Pelosi (and Schumer); elsewhere in the Democrat universe of discourse corruption and (amazingly enough) the jobs guarantee are also candidates for messaging (although people like Larry Summers are already rushing in with targeted subsidy schemes that are not universal).

[2] Brian Beutler claims to have invented the phrase; but Yglesias propagated it assiduously, and the knowing still tag him with it.

[3] Making the Clintonite strategy of flipping the Republican base, not Trumps margin, all the more novel.Michael Griffin, Glanbia Derrygrath, Co. Tipperary, was among a group of 16 Glanbia branch staff who have successfully completed a sophisticated Management Development Programme, designed exclusively for the Irish co-operative sector by ICOS Skillnet - the learning and development division of ICOS (Irish Co-operative Organisation Society).

The ICOS Skillnet programme ties in closely with the objectives of Food Wise 2025  the strategic plan for the agrifood sector which targets 85% export growth to 19 billion by 2025 and the creation of 23,000 new jobs over the period.

The programme also prioritises management development by co-operatives in line with the Report on Future Skills Needs in the Food and Drink Sector which is necessary to achieving Food Wise 2025.

The co-operative sector is funding the initiative and owns the intellectual property for the programmes which are also recognised and accredited through the Irish Institute of Training and Development.

The courses mix lectures and workshops with self-directed learning, covering leadership, influencing and delegation, change management, communications and assertiveness, performance management, conflict resolution, commercial awareness, time management and the importance of high quality HR practices.

Each participant in the Management Development Programme undertook a DISC psychometric personal assessment test in advance to give them insights into how they handle or react to certain situations and scenarios in their business lives and careers.

The programme was delivered specifically for the Agri-Retail staff in Glanbia branches on this occasion.

Whereas pervious courses offered in the sector tended to be function specific, participants in the new programme in general are from a wide range of occupations including Agri-Retail Branch Managers, Production Supervisors, Plant Managers, Accounts Managers, Mill Managers, Shift Managers, Site Managers, Sales Managers, Maintenance Supervisors and Payroll Administrators. This is designed to create a multi-disciplinary approach reflective of real organisational and business conditions.

Congratulating the award recipients, ICOS Vice-President Michael Spellman said: The ICOS Skillnet management development programme is making an important contribution to the competitiveness of our industry.

It supports talent development and creates competitive advantages for businesses by ensuring the availability of skilled managers and leaders for the future, based on best practice and strong business management principles.

ICOS Skillnet is funded by Skillnet Ireland and member companies. Skillnet Ireland is funded from the National Training Fund through the Department of Education and Skills.The North Atlantic Council agreed on Thursday (24 May 2018) to accept Japans request to designate its Embassy to Belgium as its Mission to NATO. The Ambassador of Japan to Belgium will be the Head of the Mission of Japan to NATO.

In 2011, Allies decided to invite all partner nations to establish Missions to NATO. Since then more than two dozen partners have done so, in order to further deepen ties with the Alliance.

Japan is NATOs longest-standing partner outside Europe, with deepening cooperation since the early 1990s. Over the years, the Alliance and Japan have worked together to stabilize Afghanistan, to counter piracy off the coast of Somalia, and to strengthen partners like Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Jordan. Today, Japan has liaison officers at NATO, including at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Belgium, and Maritime Command in the United Kingdom. Japan also contributes a staff officer in support of the Alliances work on Women, Peace and Security.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Tokyo in October 2017, where he met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera. During the visit, both sides agreed to deepen cooperation in areas of common concern, including maritime security, cyber defence, nuclear non-proliferation, and gender mainstreaming in peace missions.(Natural News) Active volcanoes arent something to be ignored no matter where theyre located, but when they occur on a small, compact  and populated  island, then cause for concern rises exponentially.

Earlier this month the Kilauea volcano on Hawaiis Big Island erupted, spewing lava and hurtling ash 30,000 feet in the air. And while the initial eruption didnt last long, the volcano continued to be active in the days that followed.

Now, the lava flow is threatening to overtake a geothermal electric plant, which has forced scrambling workers to shut it down before it is destroyed and releases deadly toxic gases.

As reported by the U.K.s Daily Mail, the threat to the Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) plant  which provides a quarter of all power to the Big Island  is the latest danger from Most Kilaueas eruption, which geologists say is among the worst events in a century from one of the worlds most active volcanoes.

On Monday crews worked all night long to put a cap on the eleventh and final well at the plant. Gov. David Ing told reporters on Tuesday that at that time, the closest lava flow was about 100 yards from the plant and that officials were fearing the release of deadly hydrogen sulfate gas, should the flow reach the plant and destroy parts of it.

Its not easy to predict where its going to go, and when its going to get there, said Tom Travis, of Hawaii Emergency Management, as reported by CBS News.

Prior to the arrival of lava, flammable liquids were taken out of the facility and wells filled with cold water. Some of the wells, however, werent filled until Tuesday, which was further cause for concern.

In a worst-case scenario, if lava were to strike one of the wells it would be catastrophic for residents.

Theres a steam release, many chemicals, but primarily hydrogen sulfate, a very deadly gas, Travis told CBS News.

The power plant was closed on May 3 after the eruptions at Kilauea began. Reports said about 60,000 gallons of flammable pentane, which is used in the plants turbines, were relocated early on.

Hawaiian officials said a week ago that crews were pumping cold water into the plants wells and were plugging them with iron caps.

They added that two separate lava flows were threatening the plant. One crawled onto the site before it petered out on Monday, but another one reactivated according to local media. (Related: Japanese volcano erupts just over 30 miles away from vulnerable nuclear power plant built on the coast.)

If hydrogen sulfide is released then emergency crews said they would have to rush to evacuate residents.

There are already health risks. Some three miles to the plants east, along the coast, lava flowing into the sea is creating noxious acid-laced clouds, steam, and fine glass-like particles that then billow into the sky after crossing Highway 137, one of the eruption zones primary exit routes.

According to references, hydrogen sulfide is a colorless gas that is extremely poisonous. It can occur in many circumstances, including gas clouds from volcanoes.

In 1998, a geothermal power plant worker was killed by the gas after he entered an oil separator room to remove waste oil from a vacuum pump, collapsing suddenly and dying soon afterward.

But its not the only airborne toxin related to the volcano that has officials worried. Some are concerned about laze  a combination of lava and haze that forms when molten lava around 2,000 degrees F hits cool Pacific Ocean waters. It can be deadly if inhaled; two people were killed by inhaling laze when lava reached the ocean from an eruption in 2000.

If one were to be near the laze, because of the various acids, it would be corrosive to the eyes, the nose and respiratory tract, and the skin, said Dr. Alvin Bronstein from the Hawaii State Department of Health.

Read more about threats to infrastructure and other emergencies at Collapse.news, Bugout.news, and SHTF.news.

J.D. Heyes is editor of The National Sentinel and a senior writer for Natural News and News Target.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NBCNews.com

NewsTarget.com(Natural News) A South Carolina teenager was forced into having an embarrassing conversation with his friends and loved ones after a local Publix grocery store where his mom ordered him a graduation cake decided to arbitrarily censor its congratulatory wording, ignorantly believing it to be profanity.

Jacob Koscinski, a home-schooler who recently graduated from high school, achieved an impressive 4.89 grade point average (GPA), which means he graduated with highest honors. And theres a term for this in Latin, Summa Cum Laude, thats commonly used to describe students like Jacob who excel academically above their peers.

But when Jacobs mother filled out the text form on the Publix website asking that her sons cake bear an inscription with this Latin honor phrase, the grocery chain edited out the middle word. Because this word is sometimes used to describe male reproductive fluid in English slang, Publix decided to remove and replace it with three dashes.

The grocery store didnt notify the Koscinski family, however. Instead, Jacobs mother reportedly took the cake home and opened it, only to discover that the edible inscription she requested had been altered by the Publix censor police, which obviously have no idea what Summa Cum Laude means in academic terms.

He did not know we were getting a cake because hes not a big cake eater, stated Jacobs mom Cara to local media. So we were all standing there waiting to see it and when we opened it, it was a huge shock to all of us.

The website had censored me and this is a website that you can refer to for the Latin term for Summa Cum Laude which means highest honors, she added.

Since many of Jacobs family members didnt understand why the middle word of this term was removed, he had no choice but to explain it to them.

The cake experience was kind of frustrating and humiliating because I had to explain to my friends and family  what that meant, Jacob stated. And they were giggling uncontrollably. At least my friends were.

After notifying the Publix store in question, located on Savannah Highway and Main Road, Cara was offered an apology and a full refund by the manager.

Its fine for us to be compensated for the cake, Cara added in a statement to the media. Were just happy that our son graduated school and has a bright future.

Publix routinely plays morality police while hypocritically working with Big Pharma to keep cannabis illegal

This is the same Publix grocery store chain, of course, that spent nearly a million dollars trying to overturn medical cannabis legalization in the state of Florida, where voters overwhelmingly indicated that they no longer want to be prosecuted and jailed for using a plant.

Publix heiress Carol Jenkins Barnett, daughter of Publix founder George W. Jenkins, personally donated $800,000 to the anti-legalization group Drug Free Florida, which spent its own organizational fortune trying to keep prohibition in place throughout the Sunshine State.

Since the company profits heavily from the pharmacies that are part of every one of its grocery stores, Publix recognized cannabis legalization as a threat to this cash windfall. As a result, Publix lobbied heavily to keep cannabis illegal in Florida, even as it plays the morality police in other areas such as magazine censor in the checkout line and cake wording censor in the bakery.

Keep in mind that Publix has direct ties to both the Florida Medical Association (FMA) and PhRMA, which are aggressively anti-cannabis and pro-pharmaceutical. The FMA in particular, as explained in a report published by the Miami New Times, has an entire lobbying wing dedicated to Pharmaceutical Corporate Affairs that basically works to keep pharmaceuticals as the only available medicine to Americans.

Read Banned.news for more examples of speech thats being banned in modern society.

Sources for this article include:

ABCNews4.com

NaturalNews.com(Natural News) For the first time ever, the worlds most evil corporation may finally have to face up to their crimes in court. On June 18, 2018, one man will take Monsanto head-on, alleging that the company has been hiding the cancer-causing potential of Roundup for decades. Dewayne Johnson, a 48-year-old man from California is brave enough to fight cancer and Monsanto at the same time. Doctors say Johnson has just a few short months left to live, but his drive to make sure Monsanto pays for the toxin theyve spread across the word is going to be hard to beat.

And now, his case against the biotech giant just got another helping hand; Judge Curtis Karnow issued an order last week that will allow jurors to not just consider evidence regarding what caused Johnsons cancer  but also evidence that shows Monsantos been hiding the truth about glyphosates potential to cause harm.

The internal correspondence noted by Johnson could support a jury finding that Monsanto has long been aware of the risk that its glyphosate-based herbicides are carcinogenic  but has continuously sought to influence the scientific literature to prevent its internal concerns from reaching the public sphere and to bolster its defenses in products liability actions. Thus there are triable issues of material fact, Karnow reportedly stated.

The Guardian notes that some 4,000 plaintiffs have launched suits against the company similar to Johnsons; they say that exposure to Roundup caused them (or their loved ones) to develop non-Hodgkins lymphoma. In St. Louis, Missouri, another trial is scheduled to take place in October.

In addition to laying the blame of cancer caused by Roundup exposure squarely at Monsantos feet, the lawsuits allege that the corporate behemoth knew about their products toxicity  and actively suppressed this information, from both regulators and the public. A corporation would hide information to protect their profits? For shame! Perhaps this is why U.S. regulatory agencies shouldnt rely on manufacturer-backed studies for assessing product safety.

An increasing number of studies have shown that glyphosate  the active ingredient in Roundup  is carcinogenic. Even the World Health Organizations International Agency for Research on Cancer has concluded that glyphosate is a probable carcinogen, and yet, Monsantos assurances that their product is safe have remained enough to be law of the land. What kind of word are we living in, where corporations get final say instead of science?

In fact, its worse than previously thought

Recent research has shown that its not just glyphosate thats the problem; the entire Roundup formulation is toxic. As reported, The U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) recently conducted its first-ever analysis of herbicide formulations that include glyphosate and other chemicals  and found that glyphosate becomes even more toxic when combined with other ingredients.

As Johnsons lawsuit alleges, Monsanto has championed falsified data and attacked legitimate studies that unveiled the potential threat posed by its herbicides, and engaged in a prolonged campaign of misinformation to trick regulatory agencies and the general public into believing their products are safe.

Monsanto, of course, has vehemently denied the allegations and maintains that their product is safe. The biotech leviathan has even pointed to analyses led by the EPA as proof. This is ironic, given the number of whistles that have been blown regarding the EPAs stance on glyphosate. In 2017, a lawsuit was filed against the EPA  alleging that Monsanto had influenced their classification of the chemical. Reports state that the EPA had enough evidence to declare glyphosate carcinogenic but ultimately chose to say it was not likely to be carcinogenic to humans.

That lawsuit came shortly after a shocking letter from the late Marion Copley, former EPA scientist, revealed that moles inside the federal agency were working to keep glyphosate in good graces  and getting paid off by Monsanto for doing so.

The Monsanto conspiracy just keeps getting bigger and more convoluted as time goes on, so stay current at Monsanto.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheGuardian.com

OrganicLifestyleMagazine.com(Natural News) The now-infamous Russia dossier had been floating around in establishment media circles for weeks during the summer of 2016 when the presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump were heating up.

But no one thought to publish the 35 pages of often salacious claims about Russian hookers, motel rooms, golden showers, and other wild allegations made against Trump.

Thats because no one could verify what was in the dossier  or so thats what the American people were told.

It turns out, however, that its author, Christopher Steele, had attempted to shop the document to various media outlets, which is what eventually got him fired by the FBI. So the media knew the document was out there, what it contained, and where it came from  bought and paid for by the Clinton campaign.

When CNN first reported the existence of the as yet unverified dossier, it was after then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper leaked the fact that it had been presented to President-elect Trump by FBI Director James Comey (Clapper would later become a paid analyst at the network).

The American people were never told any of this. We found out much later, thanks to honest brokers on the House Intelligence Committee and a few good investigative journalists like Sara A. Carter, John Solomon, and Paul Sperry.

Its not the only time the media has either lied about the president or been in collusion with the Deep State to fool the American people and help bring down a duly-elected president, simply because they dont like him.

Its also worth noting that Comey knew the dossier was bought and paid for by the Clinton campaign  that it was opposition research  which the media also knew. But no one reported that.

Obama wiretapping

In a series of tweets on March 4, 2017, Trump accused the Obama administration of wiretapping him at Trump Tower. It was a clumsy, old-fashioned way of saying that the Obama regime was spying on him  keeping him under surveillance.

Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017

Mind you, president Trump is privy to all kinds of information that 99.99 percent of Americans will never see or even know about, so it only makes sense to take him at his word when he makes such claims.

But few did.

Early on, I posited the opinion that someone in government or the media was lying about the Trump wiretapping story. Turns out it was both.

After initially reporting information that could have only been gleaned from a counterintelligence operation against the Trump campaign (ergo, spying, surveillance) many in the Pravda media began to backtrack and call the president out (accused him of lying).

Then-White House spokesman Sean Spicer pointed out to the media that they were the first to report it.

The media even went so far as to report that Comey called Trump crazy for making the claim that hed been wiretapped by Obama. The New York Times reported:

After President Trump accused his predecessor in March of wiretapping him, James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director, was flabbergasted. The president, Mr. Comey told associates, was outside the realm of normal, even crazy.

What a narrative. Remember that the Times was the paper that reported the wiretapping in the first place  and even used that term in a headline in print editions.

And of course, after all these months, we now know for sure that Trump was right all along and that Comey, Clapper, John Brennan, et. al. and the Pravda media lied about it every step of the way.

Obama: No way Russians could hack/steal the election

In a snarky October 2016 press conference, Obama was asked about Trumps comments that an outsized number of illegal voters could shift the balance in Clintons favor in states like Florida, where there is a heavy immigrant population.

Not only did Obama criticize Trump over those remarks, he went on to claim that no election rigging was possible at all because of the vastly decentralized nature of the American electoral process.

That means if illegal aliens could not affect an outcome, neither could a few hundred Russian trolls. Or a few thousand. Or Russias entire counterintelligence service.

But yet, for more than a year the Pravda media has pushed the story, in one form or another, that Russia did just that  affected the outcome of the election against Hillary and for Trump.

For months after the 2016 election the story was pushed daily  and by all the Pravda media outlets  though always without evidence and frequently based on fake information spoon-fed them by Obama Deep State holdovers and operatives.

Theres never been any evidence to prove that Russia hacked the election. There never was, because, as the 44th president so vehemently stated, its simply impossible (though Hillary still believes it).

But youd be hard-pressed not to find dyed-in-the-wool Democratic voters to this day who wont swear to you that it did happen, thanks to the big lie spread by the Pravda media.

The big spy lie

In recent days it has become clear that corrupt Democrats and their equally corrupt Pravda media are changing their stories and narratives so fast its like theyve set a new record for lying.

Last week The New York Times and The Washington Post published leaked information detailing how Trumps campaign was not only under surveillance but that it had also been infiltrated by spies.

Naturally, the stories garnered much attention, and from the president as well, as one can imagine.

So incensed was Trump that he summoned Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray to the White House on Monday and ordered them to conduct an investigation into the extent of the spying and the reason why the counterintelligence operation was begun in the first place (since, according to the head of the House Intelligence Committee, there was no intelligence evidence whatsoever upon which to launch a probe).

But some of the same media that had just reported all the details about the spying operation then backtracked, claiming that, no, there were no spies only informants. As though the entire operation was legitimate in the first place, which of course is false.

Whats another word for an unknown, undercover informant?

That would be spy.

And thats precisely the term the Democrats and their Pravda media would be using if, say, George W. Bush had devised a bogus counterintelligence operation for the express purpose of keeping tabs on a rival (Obama) campaign.

As The National Sentinel reported:

Whats even more grotesque about the Times piece is it attempts to convince us that the underlying counterintelligence investigation was some real thing  as though there really was legitimate evidence that Team Trump was doing something nefarious with Russia.

There is no evidence to support that claim because there was never any collusion. The entire investigation was part of a scheme to keep Trump out of the White House or undermine him so badly if he won he could be driven from office.

The Pravda media has been in on these various Obama-era scandals involving Team Trump from the outside. Whats sad  and dangerous  is that a large plurality of the country will never believe, or be convinced, that theyve been lied to.

Read more about Deep State and media corruption at DeepState.news, NewsCartels.com, and Corruption.news.

J.D. Heyes is also editor-in-chief of The National Sentinel.

Sources include:

TheNationalSentinel.com

FoxNews.com

TheFederalist.com

NYTimes.com(Natural News) Theres a new way to look at whether a person with Type 2 diabetes has nerve damage. In a study of people with the condition, researchers found that a simple eye exam, aided by the use of a special microscope, can determine within 10 minutes whether a person with Type 2 diabetes has suffered from nerve damage.

The research team worked with 82 people, with or without Type 2 diabetes, from Sweden for the study. They assessed the eyes of the participants using a special microscope. Researchers from Sweden, German, Italy, and Norway cooperated to develop a new method to create images in three dimensions of corneal nerves. The eye exam only takes 10 minutes and does not cause any discomfort to the patients. Moreover, the research team also developed an automated analysis program that enables the method to be used in general health care. This study is the first to use the new method completely for examining the degree of nerve damage in people with diabetes.

Results showed that participants with type 2 diabetes had lower corneal nerve density compared to those without type 2 diabetes. In addition, nerve density is even more reduced if the individual acquired type 2 diabetes for a longer period of time.

Although there is currently no cure, its always an advantage to detect changes in the nerves early. Therefore, its valuable to find a fast and safe diagnostic method, said Professor Olov Rolandsson at Umea University, one of the researchers of the study.

People with Type 2 diabetes are at risk of having impaired nerve function. In type 2 diabetes, the small nerve fibers in the peripheral nervous system start to lose their function even before symptoms become evident. These small peripheral nerve fibers can be found in the skin and in the cornea of the eyes. The decrease in nerve functions usually starts in their feet. The decrease results in reduced sensibility or pain and raises the risk of wounds. In some cases, it can also cause the need for an amputation. As of now, there is no cure for this type of nerve impairment, and the available methods at clinics to diagnose the condition are not completely optimal.

The findings of the study were published in the scientific journal IOVS, Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.

Keep your eyes healthy even with diabetes

People with diabetes have a higher risk of developing eye diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataracts. Fortunately, you can take extra measures to preserve your vision and lower your risk of developing eye problems. Here are a few things you can do:

Get your eyes checked regularly  Have a comprehensive dilated eye exam from your ophthalmologist at least once a year. Your ophthalmologist can assess your retina and optic nerve more thoroughly for signs of damage before you notice any change in your vision. If signs of disease do appear, you can get treatment as soon as possible. Manage your blood sugar  High blood sugar can affect the shape of the lens of the eyes. In turn, it can lead to a blurry vision. Although it can go back to normal after your blood sugar normalizes, high blood sugar can also impair the eyes blood vessels. Thus, controlling your blood sugar helps prevent these problems. Regulate your blood pressure and cholesterol levels  Both high blood pressure and high cholesterol can increase the risk of eye disease and vision loss. Stop smoking  Smoking increases the risk of diabetic retinopathy and other diabetes-related eye diseases. Thus, giving up smoking will help cut the risk. Get moving  Exercise is good for overall health. Exercising regularly can help keep your eyes as healthy as possible. At the same time, it can help you manage diabetes.

Read more news stories and studies on diabetes by going to DiabetesScienceNews.com.

Sources include:

AlphaGalileo.org

AAO.orgWhat to Know A grand jury has convened in New York to hear evidence in the case against Harvey Weinstein, sources say

The NYPD has said they had enough evidence to charge him in the alleged sex abuse of Paz de le Huerta and Lucia Evans

Weinstein's attorneys have said he denies any claims of non-consensual sex

A grand jury in New York has been convened and witnesses are being called in connection with sex abuse allegations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein, several sources familiar with the matter tell NBC News.

The sources say that a state grand jury in Manhattan will hear evidence in the Weinstein case which is being presented with witness testimony and other evidence.

A spokesperson for the Manhattan D.A.'s office declined to comment but did say earlier in the day that the case is in "an advanced stage."

It's not clear when the grand jury might decide whether or not to indict.

The NYPD for months has been calling for Weinstein's arrest, saying they had enough evidence to charge him in the alleged sexual abuse of Paz de la Huerta and Lucia Evans. An attorney for both women did not immediately return calls.



Weinstein's attorneys have said he denies any claim of non-consensual sex.

At least 75 women have come forward in the media to detail accounts of assault, harassment and inappropriate conduct by Weinstein. It's not clear how many have gone to police.The U.S. Navy has uncovered further data falsification at the Hunters Point Shipyard, this time regarding radiation surveys conducted on 28 buildings at the site, according to a federal report uncovered by the Washington, D.C.-based environmental watchdog group, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, or PEER.

The Navys March 2018 draft report takes a closer look at building radiation surveys, which were conducted between 2008 and 2016 by Tetra Tech, the federal contractor hired to clean up the San Francisco shipyard. The report states the surveys have been falsified and cannot be used.

The report details how the Navy re-examined the building data submitted by Tetra Tech during the eight-year period. The Navy found some data had been manipulated, and some scans were not performed correctly.

The report indicates that radiation scan speeds across all survey units were improper and, thus, the data recorded were rendered useless. The scans are conducted to confirm that radiological contamination once present on the site no longer exists. However, if a scan is performed too quickly, it cannot accurately determine radiation levels.

In a statement sent to NBC Bay Area by email, Tetra Tech said all of the scans it conducted on buildings at the Hunters Point site were done to Navy standards, and the company stands by its work.

Tetra Tech says, The draft report from the Navy is just thatdraft. It has no author, no peer review, and is not conclusive or authoritative.

The company says if there are still doubts about its work, it has offered to pay for independent testing of soil and buildings.

This isnt the first time Tetra Techs building scans have come under fire for being conducted too quickly. Internal emails from the California Department of Public Health uncovered by the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit through a public records request in 2015 show regulators, including the Navy, had concerns that radiological scans on 22 buildings at Hunters Point were collected too fast.

As a result, the California Department of Public Health suspended the release recommendations for those 22 buildings. A release recommendation indicates any radiation that may have existed on a site has been cleaned up, doesnt pose a health threat and can be turned over for redevelopment.

The department had initially granted the release of the buildings on several areas of the shipyard beginning in 2009. Some of the buildings were historically used to store radioactive materials and contained elevated levels of radium and cesium  elements that have been linked to cancer if people are exposed to them in high levels over time.

Tetra Tech sent NBC Bay Area a 2016 letter from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), which also includes a memo from the California Department of Public Health. The documents show some of the buildings of concern had been retested and were now recommended to be reinstated for release. In other words, Tetra Tech says the departments certified that the buildings were safe for public use.

In a statement, Derek Robinson, the Navys environmental coordinator for the cleanup program at Hunters Point, said the Navy stopped all land transfers at the site in 2016 while it worked to determine the extent of the problems with the Tetra Tech data. Robinson said the Navy will work with regulators on plans for retesting and remediation of work done by Tetra Tech EC, including impacted buildings.

Robinson said the Navy did demolish a small portion of buildings on the Hunters Point site, and that the materials from those buildings were removed based on radiological release recommendations. It was unclear from the Navys statement exactly which buildings where demolished and removed.

Buildings that have not been demolished are not accessible to the general public, Robinson said. To date, no areas of radiation have been identified that would be considered an immediate risk to human health.

We continue to be confident that there is no threat to public safety, Robinson added.

The Navys March 2018 report states additional data will need to be collected in order for the 28 buildings to be released.

Meanwhile, Tetra Tech has also come under fire in recent years for its falsification of soil sample data at Hunters Point.

In January, the Navy announced nearly half of the companys soil sample data had inconsistencies, and some of it is likely fraudulent.

Two of the companys former employees accused of falsifying cleanup records pleaded guilty last year and were sentenced to prison earlier this month.

At a hearing in front of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors earlier this month, the Navy announced that it is developing a new work plan for how the Hunters Point cleanup will proceed, which the Navy says will be released within a month.

If you have a tip for the Investigative Unit email theunit@nbcbayarea.com. Follow Liz on Twitter and Facebook.Otilio Nico Martinez was just minutes away from home when he fell mortally wounded in a hail of bullets while walking through his Richmond neighborhood. ShotSpotter gunshot detection equipment captured the sound of nearly 50 rounds that police say were fired into Martinez at close range just in front of the Zion Hill Church. It was the Fall of 2016, and his family says Nico, 18, was holding down two jobs and had just enrolled in college classes.

For members of the Swerve Team, the North Richmond gang later implicated in Martinezs murder, the killing was just a blip in a violent, months-long crime spree that left a trail of dead and wounded.

For his parents, Nicos death was life-shattering.

He was genuine and fun loving, said Josie Martinez, Nicos mom. He was humble and unique. His smile literally lit up a room. He was heaven sent, and even before he came into the world, I was so in love with him.

The break in the case, according to police, was an old technology thats now being used in new, more aggressive ways.

The technology combines traditional ballistics testing, which links shell casings left at crime scenes to the guns that fired them, with a national database run by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The technology is called the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN).

While the ATF and many local law enforcement agencies say the technology has the potential to solve crimes and get some of the most violent, prolific criminals off the streets, NBC Bay Areas Investigative Unit found NIBIN isnt being utilized by many crime labs and police departments across California. And when it is, there are often significant backlogs impeding its effectiveness.

Heres how NIBIN works:

As images of shell casings are entered into the database, the system searches for matches of shell casings left behind at other crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to connect different shootings across time and jurisdictional barriers to the same firearm.

Each firearm leaves a unique marking on the shell casing, said Christopher Amon, ATFs Firearms Operations Division Deputy Chief. No two firearms will leave the same marking."

Get a behind the scenes tour of ATFs National Laboratory Center in Ammendale, Maryland, where agents conduct NIBIN testing, training and data input.

That casing is then entered into an acquisition station where it acquires different images of what we call regions of interest, Amon said. So you have a firing pin impression. You have an ejector mark. Some automatic firearms, when a shell casing is ejected, it leaves a unique mark. You also have a breech face mark.

Each of those marks or impressions are unique, much like DNA for humans.

[The image is] then correlated against the database [containing] 3.2 million images, Amon said. And from there, a skilled technician will go through and review and find matches in that database.

While the technology has been around since the 1990s, the ATF says a paradigm shift in how its used and how law enforcement agencies collect evidence and feed the system has the potential to significantly drive down and solve violent crime. According to FBI data, about 40 percent of all gun homicides go unsolved.

Thats the paradigm shift, Amon said. NIBIN went from a laboratory tool that was utilized on the back end, meaning a firearm or casing would go through the entire process and then be entered into NIBIN sometimes months or years later, to a front end investigative lead tool.

If police departments across the country buy in, the ATF says, NIBIN has the potential to solve gun crimes and even prevent future crimes by getting the most violent and active criminals, responsible for the vast majority of shootings, off the streets.

It enables us and other law enforcement entities to really drive the violence down by targeting the most prolific shooters and their sources of firearms, said John Durastanti, Special Agent in Charge of the ATFs Phoenix field office.

It is revolutionary, said Michael Eberhardt, Chief of ATFs National Firearms Division. Now we are able to communicate between crime intelligence centers in between those dark areas in the firearms trafficking world. Those sort of blank spots that we weren't able to see before, we see very clearly now.

The ATF sits down with Senior Investigative Reporter Stephen Stock to discuss a cutting-edge gun tracing technology.

But to be an effective tool for solving cold cases and catching shooters before they strike again, the database must be robust and contain shell casing images from as many shootings as possible. That pertains even to smaller, seemingly insignificant events such as stop sign shootings or holiday celebrations where there is no apparent victim.

An investigation by NBC Bay Area, NBC-owned TV stations and The Trace discovered that's where problems often arise.

Despite NIBINs potential, participation by local and regional law enforcement agencies remains low, although more are getting on board. According to the ATF, only about 25 percent of all guns and shell casings recovered by law enforcement across the country are ever entered into NIBIN. In California, NBC Bay Areas Investigative Unit found some of the states crime labs dont use NIBIN at all.

And at many of the crimes labs that do use NIBIN, there can be backlogs lasting months  possibly years in some cases  which means that cases can wither on the vine as detectives run out of investigative leads. NBC Bay Areas investigation also found many law enforcement agencies enter just a fraction of shell casings and guns into NIBIN.

In order for us to stop shooters from continuing their conduct, we have to quickly get guns to the lab, quickly test them in the database, and then quickly get the information back out to detectives to actually apprehend the shooters, said Marisa McKeown, Supervising Deputy District Attorney at the Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office.

At the Santa Clara County Crime Lab, run by McKeowns office, some guns used to sit on the shelf for up to a year before they were test fired and run through NIBIN. Now, McKeown says theyre making a major push, including hiring more criminalists, to clear backlogs, test every gun and shell casing, and get those leads out to detectives as quickly as possible. The gold standard for a shell casing trace turnaround, McKeown says, is 48 hours, although within one or two weeks is considered pretty good.

Marisa McKeown with the Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office discusses the importance of NIBIN and why her office is making a push to maximize their use of the technology.

For NIBIN to work as intended, its not just up to crime labs to act quickly. Police need to send every shell casing and gun to the lab, even if theyre connected to low priority crimes like the shooting of a stop sign. The gun that someone test fired on that stop sign, according to law enforcement sources, could have also been used in a murder.

NBC Bay Area investigation found most labs arent coming close to meeting that 48-hour turnaround time, and in many cases, police are sending just a fraction of those guns they find or recover at crime scenes to the lab.

NBC Bay Area sent a survey to 20 different crime labs in California. Of the one dozen labs that responded, there was an average wait time for testing of 3 months. One lab has a backlog lasting up to four years. Another lab could not tell NBC Bay Area how long it takes to complete ballistics testing because its computer system isn't equipped to do so. And still others, such as the California Department of Justice, which runs 10 crime labs across the state, did not respond to inquiries from NBC Bay Area.

Of the labs that responded, the Los Angeles Police Department's crime lab was the only lab that said it could get NIBIN leads on firearms to investigators within two weeks, although the Oakland and San Francisco Police Departments came close.



This is problematic, according to law enforcement sources, because for NIBIN to reach peak potential, it needs maximum participation. The more agencies and crime labs that participate, and the more evidence they feed into the system, the more effective NIBIN gets.

If we arent sending all guns to the lab, then our murder weapon in San Jose might be sitting on your shelf in Modesto, and vice versa, McKeown said. So its really critical that we make a regional effort to try and get all guns submitted so that we can really be solving crimes across jurisdictional lines, because what we know is that guns dont see county lines.

McKeown says that long backlogs can mean some crimes likely go unsolved.

Absolutely [they can go unsolved], McKeown said. One big category of guns that didn't always make its way to the crime lab would be a found gun - meaning that somebody was walking along and saw a gun in the bushes. What we know in law enforcement is that that's the most likely type of gun to be linked to a crime, because people who own guns don't typically toss them in the bushes.

There are different reasons why many crime labs and law enforcement agencies arent using NIBIN, but it often comes down to money and manpower. Crime labs often dont have the staff to clear backlogs and run evidence through NIBIN as quickly as possible. Thats why the Santa Clara County District Attorneys office is making a greater investment in its crime lab, one McKeown says is already paying dividends.

Our lab has made tremendous progress, McKeown said. We have no backlogs on our casings, and for our firearms, theyve dramatically decreased the backlog and have three new criminalists who are expected to make their way through the backlog this year. So well be processing firearms evidence in the quickest fashion weve ever done in this county.

Across the country, in part because of ATFs aggressive push, and in part because of proven success stories, more agencies are now adopting a mentality of testing every gun and shell casing, and testing them as quickly as possible.

In the Bay Area, the arrest of Swerve Team members in connection to Nico Martinez's murder and a host of other crimes was one of those success stories. Months after Nicos murder, investigators at the Contra Costa NIBIN lab test fired a gun ditched by Swerve Team gang members. Technicians ran that shell casing through NIBIN, and got hits linking that gun to casings left behind at other Swerve Team crime scenes.

Following that breakthrough, seven members of the Swerve Team gang were arrested in connection to three murders, 14 attempted murders, six armed robberies, two carjackings and a high profile home-invasion robbery that had been captured on home surveillance video.

There are currently 179 NIBN terminals across the country, according to the ATF, but there are plans to grow the system in the near future. According to our partners at The Trace, the ATF has requested $8.9 million in its 2019 budget to fund new NIBIN sites. And for local law enforcement agencies that dont have access to NIBIN, the ATF says its willing to help by processing guns on their behalf in as quickly as two days.

NIBIN wont bring back her son, but Josie Martinez says she hopes Nicos death might inspire law enforcement agencies to prioritize a technology that might prevent other families from feeling her pain.

Should we spare no expense to track these people down before they do harm? Martinez said. He was my only son that I miss every day. Every second of every day I think about him.The man suspected of knocking down a 93-year-old woman and breaking her hip while stealing her purse in Concord was arrested late Wednesday, according to Concord police.

Otto Halafihi of Oakland, 29, turned himself in to police in Patterson just after 9 p.m. Wednesday and was arrested on charges of robbery and elder abuse, Concord police said.

Halafihi was also found to be linked to a May 9 armed robbery at Lowe's Home Improvement store at Pacific Commons Boulevard in Fremont, according to police.

Police said the robbery suspect threatened to shoot store employees with a black semi-automatic handgun before picking up items he had been carrying and exiting the store.

The woman allegedly attacked by Halafihi on May 18, Ann Pederson, was hospitalized with a broken hip after Halafihi allegedly knocked her to the ground last week while stealing her purse outside a Bank of America in Concord.

The crime occurred in broad daylight as Pedersen was being escorted by a 63-year-old friend towards the bank.

Concord Police

Police said Halafihi made the mistake of going inside the bank, where there are several surveillance cameras.

Pedersen is a 45-year resident of Concord, according to her son. She remained hospitalized after surgery for her broken hip. Her escort was uninjured.The San Francisco Fire Department battled a single-alarm fire at 252 Parker Ave in San Francisco Wednesday afternoon.

The fire was reported around 4 p.m. and was contained an hour later.

One adult was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation and four others were displaced.

The incident remains under investigation.

No additional information was immediately available.BOX SCORE

HOUSTON - The Giants did exactly what you might have expected during their 48 hours at Minute Maid Park.

A day after getting blown out by Gerrit Cole and the Astros, the lineup managed just one run off Justin Verlander, the MLB ERA leader, falling 4-1. A couple of mistakes proved costly. Andrew McCutchen made an error in right that cost Jeff Samardzija a run, and Samardzija grooved a slider to George Springer that shot out of the yard for a two-run homer.

The Giants got outscored 15-3 by the reigning champs. They'll see them again in August. Here's what else you need to know from the mini-sweep

- Houston's first run was a strange one. Carlos Correa singled with one out, but Samardzija appeared to be out of the inning when Yuli Gurriel hit a high pop-up to shallow right. McCutchen ran 108 feet to get under the ball but then whiffed on the catch attempt, and Correa scored all the way from first. That's the second time McCutchen has done that this season, his first in right.

- Samardzija led the Giants last season with 14 starts that lasted at least seven innings. He has yet to do it this season in seven appearances. In 4 2/3 innings, Samardzija was charged with four runs - three earned - on four hits and five walks.

- Will Smith has been really good. He pitched 1 1/3 perfect frames in relief of Samardzija and he still has not allowed an earned run in 10 appearances since returning from Tommy John.

- Pablo Sandoval faced Verlander twice. He did not homer. He grounded out to third and flied out to left.Legendary rock band Metallica is doing its part to address hunger.

Drummer Lars Ulrich paid a visit to the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank in the city to help sort food and to present a $5,000 check on behalf of the band's foundation, All Within My Hands.

The band also started a day of service, inviting fans in citites across the U.S. to volunteer at food banks the band supported during last summers tour.

"We want to get the word out there that music fans can make a difference, hard rock fans can make a difference," Ulrich said.

Fans received a commemorative T-shirt and rocked out to Metallica's music as they sorted food.

Nearly 400 fans signed up for a chance at the 80 slots available.What to Know President Donald Trump traveled to Long Island on Wednesday for a speech on immigration

The president was in Bethpage to discuss efforts to eradicate the violent MS-13 gang

He defended his references to MS-13 gang members as 'animals' as he and others recounted a litany of hackings, decapitations, bludgeonings

Describing gang violence inflicted by MS-13 members in chilling and gruesome detail, President Donald Trump vowed Wednesday to make "radical" changes to U.S. aid practices by withholding government assistance from countries whose criminals slip into the United States.

"We're going to work out something where every time somebody comes in from a certain country, we're going to deduct a rather large amount of money from what we give them in aid  if we give them aid at all," Trump said during a roundtable discussion on MS-13 on New York's Long Island attended by federal and local officials.

White House officials did not immediately respond to questions about which countries the president was referencing or how far along the plan was.

Trump defended his references to MS-13 gang members as "animals" as he and others recounted a litany of hackings, decapitations, bludgeonings and other gruesome crimes that law enforcement authorities blame on the group.

"I called them animals the other day and I was met with rebuke," Trump said, referencing Democratic criticism. He specifically mentioned House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi as saying even gang members are people.

"They're not people," Trump said. "These are animals and we have to be very, very tough."

Pelosi had commented more broadly on Trump's rhetoric and policies directed at immigrants, including changes the administration wants that could lead to more children being separated from their parents as they cross the border illegally.

During a similar roundtable last week at the White House, Trump used the word "animals" to describe some people who enter the country illegally, in response to a comment about MS-13. He later said he will continue to use the term when referring to the gang.

Trump's comments, reported by some news organizations without context, sparked a furious blowback that the White House quickly seized on and used to suggest Democrats were defending members of a gang known for brutal violence.

But Democrats argue that the Trump administration is using MS-13 to demonize all immigrants, noting immigrants themselves are the biggest victims of MS-13.

The president frequently cites MS-13 when he discusses the dangers posed by undocumented immigrants, tying the gang to his calls for tougher immigration policies and border security.



MS-13, or the Mara Salvatrucha, grew out of poor Los Angeles neighborhoods where many refugees from civil wars in El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua lived in the 1980s. Ramped up deportations in the late 1990s and 2000s moved many of them back to Central American countries, taking MS-13 with them. Still struggling to emerge from those wars, weak states in the region created ideal conditions for MS-13 to flourish.

In the U.S., MS-13 spread beyond Los Angeles, and has wreaked violence in cities and suburbs across the country, including Long Island.

The Trump administration estimates there are more than 10,000 MS-13 gang members across 40 U.S. states, a fraction of the total 1.4 million active gang members nationwide and a figure that, according to FBI estimates, has remained steady since 2006.

And while it is not known how many MS-13 members are citizens and immigrants, in notable raids by ICE's gang unit  including a national sweep in May 2017  most of the people caught were found to be U.S. citizens.

Trump opened Wednesday's event by reading a list of crimes said to have been committed by MS-13 members, including the killing and hacking of a teenager in Nassau County and the stabbing of a man 100 times, followed by his decapitation and removal of his heart, in Maryland.

Families of MS-13 victims spoke through tears Wednesday, backing the president's harsh words.

"You said the other day that these individuals are animals," Evelyn Rodriguez, the mother of a MS-13 victim, said. "You're correct. They are animals."

Trump in February threatened to cut off aid and slap sanctions on countries that refuse to accept nationals the U.S. tries to deport, saying, "If they don't take 'em back, we'll put sanctions on the countries, we'll put tariffs on the countries."

He has also threatened to cut off aid to the countries, which include China and Sierra Leone, as well as countries that produce illegal drugs, saying they're "not our friends."

Sitting at the table with Trump was Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, a frequent target of the president's fury because he is overseeing the special counsel's investigation into Russian election meddling. He and Trump appeared on good terms Wednesday, with no hints of any tension between them.

Trump later returned to the White House after stopping by a campaign dinner in Manhattan. But his trip back to midtown didn't come without a not-so-warm welcome as his motorcade pulled up to the Lotte New York Palace hotel.

A mariachi band also showed up to protest Trump's visit. Rudy Giuliani was also booed by the crowd.Four individuals suspected of heroin trafficking have been arrested in western Massachusetts; a fifth person is facing charges related to marijuana trafficking.

The Hampden District attorney's office says over 30,000 bags of raw heroin was seized when officials learned a large shipment coming to the area.

Massachusetts State Police witnessed a drug transaction at a self-storage facility in Chicopee and stopped four people on I-391 Tuesday.

Forty-one-year-old Fidel Gil of Connecticut and 23-year-old Paola Mercedes Reyes-Desantos were arrested on charges including trafficking in heroin over 200 grams. Six search warrants were executed, with two locations yielding significant seizures and arrests.

Twenty-two -year-old Christian Rivera of Springfield and 22-year-old Anthony Guadalupe were detained on several drug possession and trafficking charges.

A fifth person, 21-year-old Springfield resident Cassandra Cardona, was arrested on drug possession and trafficking charge related to marijuana.

Attorneys for the five could not be immediately identified. They will be arraigned today in Springfield District Court.The Boston Globe's top editor is under investigation by management amid public allegations of misconduct against a former employee he once dated.

The Boston Globe reported Wednesday they are investigating "an inappropriate text exchange" between editor-in-chief Brian McGrory and former Boston.com editor Hilary Sargent. McGrory disclosed in a letter to staff members that he and Sargent "dated many years ago."

The investigation comes after Sargent tweeted about an exchange between her and McGrory on Monday.

In the text exchange, Sargent said she was asked, "What do you generally wear when you write?"

Sargent did not mention her relationship with McGrory when she first shared the text exchange. When she was asked Thursday on Twitter if they were dating at the time, she replied, "No. Absolutely not."

A memo from top Globe management states that officials began investigating the incident as soon as they became aware.

A Globe spokesperson told NBC10 Boston that Globe officials spoke with McGrory about the nature of the text messages and whether they happened during Sargent's employment. The Globe has also reached out to Sargent "to ascertain the timing and context of the text in question," the spokesperson said.



In his letter to staffers, McGrory said he didn't remember sending such a text to Sargent.

"I can't believe I have to write these words, but I have never harassed Hilary Sargent or any other women at the Globe or anywhere else  ever," McGrory wrote.

Sargent also spoke out about her allegations against McGrory on Thursday.

"With the @BostonGlobe threatening a lawsuit, I will only say this. This isn't about one text. This isn't about just him. And this isn't about just me. I'm horrified that the newspaper that purports to shine a 'Spotlight' is doing everything in their power to do just the opposite," she tweeted.

McGrory previously came under fire in December 2017 following the newspaper's initial decision to not name Jim O'Sullivan in an article about sexual misconduct allegations against the former reporter. The decision was then reversed in a letter from McGrory to Globe readers amid the ongoing #MeToo movement.

"We believed that we were adhering to our journalistic principles, standards on sourcing, and sense of basic fairness. We believed that the misconduct was not at the level of what we had been covering and uncovering in other organizations. We didn't believe we had definitive proof to name him in a news story," McGrory wrote. "Time and circumstances in this extraordinary national movement have given us, or at least me, a different perspective."Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Thursday huddled in classified briefings about the origins of the FBI investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election, a highly unusual series of meetings prompted by partisan allegations that the bureau spied on the Trump campaign.

Democrats emerged from the meetings saying they saw no evidence to support Republican allegations that the FBI acted inappropriately in its early investigation into ties between Russia and Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Fox News he had learned "nothing particularly surprising," but declined to go into detail.

Still, the extraordinary briefings drew attention to the unproved claims of FBI misconduct and political bias. The meetings were sought by Trump's GOP allies and arranged by the White House, as the president has tried to sow suspicions about the legitimacy of the FBI investigation that spawned a special counsel probe. Initially offered only to Republicans, the briefings were the latest piece of stagecraft meant to publicize and bolster the allegations. But they also highlighted the degree to which the president and his allies have used the levers of the federal government  in this case, intelligence agencies  to aide in Trump's personal and political defense.

Under direct pressure from the president, Justice Department officials agreed to grant Republicans a briefing, and only later opened it up to Democrats. The invite list evolved up until hours before the meeting  a reflection of the partisan distrust and the political wrangling. A White House lawyer, Emmet Flood, and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly showed up for both briefings, although the White House had earlier said it would keep a distance, drawing criticism from Democrats.

"For the record, the president's chief of staff and his attorney in an ongoing criminal investigation into the president's campaign have no business showing up to a classified intelligence briefing," Sen. Mark Warner tweeted after the briefing.

The White House said the officials didn't attend the full briefings, but instead delivered brief remarks communicating the "president's desire for as much openness as possible under the law" and relaying "the president's understanding of the need to protect human intelligence services and the importance of communication between the branches of government," according to a statement.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, FBI Director Christopher Wray and National Intelligence Director Dan Coats attended both meetings  the first at the Department of Justice and the second on Capitol Hill.

Trump has zeroed in on, and at times embellished, reports that a longtime U.S. government informant approached members of his campaign in a possible bid to glean intelligence on Russian efforts to sway the election. The president intensified his attacks this week, calling it "spygate" and tweeting Thursday that it was "Starting to look like one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history."

It was unclear how much information was given to lawmakers. According to a U.S. official familiar with the meeting, the briefers did not reveal the name of an informant. They brought documents but did not share them, and made several remarks about the importance of protecting intelligence sources and methods. The person declined to be identified because the briefing was classified.

In a statement, House Speaker Paul Ryan wouldn't say what he learned, but said he looked forward to the "prompt completion" of the House Intelligence Committee's work now that they are "getting the cooperation necessary."

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, an ardent Trump supporter, had originally requested the information on an FBI source in the Russia investigation. The original meeting was scheduled for just Nunes and Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, but the Justice Department relented and allowed additional lawmakers to come after Democrats strongly objected.

Nunes and other Republicans already eager to discredit special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation used Trump's complaints to obtain the briefing from the Justice Department, whose leaders have tried for months to balance demands from congressional overseers against their stated obligation to protect Mueller's ongoing investigation into ties between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign.

Nunes attended both briefings Thursday. According to the U.S. official and another person briefed on the Capitol Hill meeting, Nunes did not speak at all during the briefing. The second person also declined to be named because the meeting was classified.

Democratic lawmakers declined to comment on the substance of the briefing, but gave a joint statement afterward saying their view had not changed that "there is no evidence to support any allegation that the FBI or any intelligence agency placed a 'spy' in the Trump Campaign, or otherwise failed to follow appropriate procedures and protocols."

The statement was issued by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, and the top Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence panels, Warner and Rep. Adam Schiff.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr also attended the briefing but did not comment afterward.

The back and forth between Congress and the Justice Department has simmered for weeks.

The Justice Department had rejected Nunes' original request, writing in a letter in April that his request for information could put lives in danger.

Negotiations over release of the information stalled but restarted when Trump demanded, via tweet, on Sunday that the Justice Department investigate.

In response to the tweet, the Justice Department immediately asked its inspector general to expand its ongoing investigation to look into whether there was any politically motivated surveillance of the campaign and agreed to hold the classified briefings.

It remained unclear what, if any, spying was done. The White House gave no evidence to support Trump's claim that President Barack Obama's administration was trying to spy on his 2016 campaign for political reasons.

It's long been known that the FBI was looking into Russian meddling during the campaign and that part of that inquiry touched on the Trump campaign's contacts with Russian figures. Mueller took over the investigation when he was appointed special counsel in May 2017.

Associated Press writers Laurie Kellman, Jonathan Lemire, Lisa Mascaro, Chad Day and Jill Colvin contributed to this report.Jennifer Carey-Walker, of Shelton, and her family experienced what they say was a nightmare at sea. The seven-day cruise they took in March felt like it was in a construction site, she said.

The family booked a cruise on Norwegian Sun, which departed on March 9 from Miami, and Carey-Walker said the trip was anything but relaxing.

Its just an utter disregard, you know, for the consumers well-being and safety, she said.

Carey-Walker said the crew sealed off the ships top level with yellow caution tape and her family saw what appeared to be flammable chemicals nearby.

There was fumes. You could hear sanding and grinding. Things were flying in the air, Carey-Walker said. A couple of people had stuff fall in their food.

On one day, particles were falling into peoples drinks, she said.

Carey-Walker and other passengers complained to customer relations, which directed them to call the companys headquarters in Miami, she said.

Her cruise experience was similar to those reported by passengers on the same cruise ship that left from Miami a week later on March 16.

That group created a Facebook page to share their stories.

In response to passengers concerns about conditions aboard the Norwegian Sun, Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement:

At Norwegian Cruise Line, the travel experience, safety and satisfaction of our guests is of the utmost importance to us. Recently Norwegian Sun underwent enhancements as part of our continuous efforts to ensure that every ship across the fleet delivers a consistently high-quality passenger experience. While we do our utmost to minimize any impact to our guests when these enhancements are being implemented, we do recognize that during a recent sailing, we did not meet the expectations of our guests, nor our own standards, for which we truly apologize. Norwegian Cruise Line is inviting the guests on the March 16th Norwegian Sun voyage to cruise again and fully experience all that Norwegian has to offer with a 100% future cruise credit of their fare paid, which can be applied towards another cruise of their choice from now through March 31, 2023. We realize that this gesture cannot replace their recent experience but do hope to have the opportunity to welcome them on board again soon.

As part of cruise lines offer, passengers on the March 16 cruise received a 100 percent credit toward a future one, but Carey-Walker said Norwegian did not offer her any compensation for her trip a week earlier.

If we would have known construction was going on during this cruise, we would have changed cruises, she said.

Fed up with her complaints going nowhere, Jennifer reached out to NBC Miami, where the company is based. The stations consumer team reached out to Norwegian on her behalf and put her in contact with NBC Connecticut Responds.

The cruise line told our Miami station:

Our guest relations team is currently in conversations with any past guest of Norwegian Sun that may have questions regarding their cruises.

Carey-Walker received this letter from Norwegian cruise line:

Re: Norwegian Sun Voyage of 3/9/2018

Dear Mrs. Careywalker:

Thank you for choosing Norwegian Sun for your vacation at sea.

At Norwegian Cruise Line, the travel experience, safety and satisfaction of our guests is of the utmost importance to us. Recently, Norwegian Sun underwent enhancements as part of our continuous efforts to ensure that every ship across the fleet delivers a consistently high-quality passenger experience.

We do our utmost to minimize any impact to our guests when enhancements are being implemented, We truly apologize for the inconvenience you experienced due to these enhancements.

As a gesture of goodwill, we are extending a 50% future cruise credit of your cruise fare paid, which can be applied towards another cruise of your choice from now through March 31, 2020.

This future cruise credit will appear on your Latitudes identification number as listed on your current reservation confirmation. Please note your cruise credits do not have a cash value. The application of the credits cannot go towards the government taxes and fees, airfare, insurance, hotel packages, or any other add-ons. They are not combinable with our cruise credits or fare reduction coupons.

We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you on board again soon.

Sincerely,

NCL US Guest Relations

Carey-Walker said she was upset that the company was offering her half the amount of credit that passengers on the March 16 cruise had been given. While she said she will accept the offer, she is troubled over how the whole situation was handled.

You would think in this day and age that there are policies or regulations that would say that cant happen but apparently there are not, Carey-Walker said.

Construction at sea is very unusual, according to AAA and travel director Suzanne Aresco said cruise lines do most refurbishments while in dry dock.

"There may have been some safety reasons that it was necessary to start during the sailing as opposed to waiting, Aresco said.

While some things, like sickness, cant be predicted, Aresco said working with a travel agent might have helped in Carey-Walkers situation.

"We do get notifications from cruise lines, usually, when these refurbishments are taking place. We let our passengers know. And possibly we can work with them if they want to change their itinerary, Aresco said.

If youre booking a cruise, Aresco said you should consider travel insurance. Just make sure you know exactly whats covered.

For example, will your insurance pay for return flights if you decide to get off the ship early? And does it offer 100 percent coverage?

Some policies will only refund a percentage of the trip cost if you cancel.Over four dozen people have been arrested and more than 50 guns seized following a year-long investigation into violent motorcycle gangs operating in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Rhode Island State Police said 49 people were arrested Wednesday in a series of pre-dawn raids conducted by more than 150 state, federal and local law enforcement officers. Police also seized 53 illegal handguns and a large quantity of marijuana, crack, cocaine and heroin.

Rhode Island State Police

These gang members are not recreational bikers organizing local charities," Rhode Island State Police Col. Ann Assumpico said. "These are violent criminals who belong to some of the most sinister motorcycle gangs in this country."

State police said search warrants were executed at 29 locations, including four in Massachusetts. According to police, the raids involved the use of heavily-armed SWAT team members and explosives to breach fortified buildings.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin said the gangs represented "a vast and complex network of drug and gun traffickers in Rhode Island and bordering Massachusetts and Connecticut."

The investigation began last May when state police detectives received information that some of the most violent motorcycle gangs in the country were establishing local chapters in northwestern Rhode Island. They zeroed in on members of two gangs - the Pagans and Kryptmen - who were allegedly involved in gun and drug trafficking and other criminal activities.

Police said the local chapters are affiliated with some of the country's most notorious biker gangs, most of which have a history of violent criminal activity including murder, kidnapping, robbery, extortion and large-scale drug trafficking.

These gangs have been involved in numerous acts of violence, including shooting incidents that put innocent civilians at risk, Rhode Island State Police Lt. Col. Joseph Philbin said.

Using electronic surveillance and court-ordered wire taps, state police said they intercepted thousands of phone conversations and text messages, in addition to other evidence.

At one point, based on intelligence gathered during the investigation, police said detectives intercepted and arrested one of the gang members who they believe was on his way to commit a murder.

The investigation also revealed evidence of other criminal activities, including large scale gun and drug trafficking, fraudulent mortgage and bank activity and the widespread theft and sale of stolen ATVs, lawn tractors, snow blowers and other equipment.

"Today's arrests send a clear and convincing message: we will not allow motorcycle gangs and other criminals to sell guns and drugs on our streets and commit violent crimes in our communities," Assumpico said.

More than a dozen additional suspects are still being sought on arrest warrants charging them with crimes including gun and drug trafficking.A family receiving rental assistance from the State of Connecticut is accused of causing extensive damage to several of the homes they were placed in.

The NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters spoke to three landlords in West Hartford and one on East Hartford about their experiences working with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) and one particular tenant.

PHOTOS: Family Enrolled in State Program Accused of Trashing Homes

Laura Guilmartin said she was contacted by a DMHAS employee in 2016, who said his clients were interested in renting her home near Bishops Corner.

The clients were a family of eight enrolled in the Shelter Plus Care Program, which is funded through a federal grant.

The program provides housing and support services to homeless clients with a history of psychiatric disability, substance addiction, or who are HIV positive.

Guilmartin said she had some concerns about renting to a family with six children, but believed signing a lease with a state agency offered a certain level of protection. As a result, Guilmartin said she did not conduct her usual background check.

I never imagined that the state would allow them to destroy my home, she said.

DMHAS paid Guilmartin $2,000 a month in rent on behalf of the family.

Guilmartin said she only went inside the house twice while the family was living there. Most of the problems she noticed were on the outside.

The Troubleshooters obtained copies of seven citations that were issued by the West Hartford Zoning Office during the familys tenancy in Guilmartins home.

The violations show the family failed to obtain a permit for a temporary pool, and did not have the required fencing around it. There was also a large boat in the driveway and goats and roosters in the backyard.

The fines totaled more than $4,000. Guilmartin said the citations were addressed to her, but mailed to the rental property. She said the tenants never told her about them. She learned about the violations when she called Town Hall to ask if the tenants needed to move the boat.

Eventually, Guilmartin told DMHAS she wanted the tenants out of her home. After they moved out, a DMHAS employee conducted a walk-through of the home with Guilmartin.

It was overwhelming. There was bleach thrown on the carpets, said Guilmartin. All the doors were broken, all the appliances were broken. The walls were brown from the garbage [they burned] in the fireplace, she said.

Even the doorbell was ripped out, she said.

In addition, Guilmartin found furniture piled up in the bedrooms and garage that she says was too heavy to remove on her own. She had to chop it up and toss pieces out of the window into a dumpster.

Guilmartin said the DMHAS employee who conducted the move out inspection initially told her DMHAS would pay for the damages. But the next morning, she said DMHAS told her it would only pay $4,000, significantly less than she says it will cost to cleanup and repair all of the damage.

According to HUD, Shelter Plus Care funds may be used in an amount not to exceed one months rent to pay for any damage to housing due to the action of a program participant will be paid.

Connecticut law also entitles the landlord to keep the security deposit.

Guilmartin said DMHAS pro-rated Decembers rent because the family moved out early in the month. After she complained, DMHAS paid her for the remainder of the month.

The Troubleshooters have learned this family has a history of similar behavior. We tracked down their previous landlord in East Hartford who had a similar experience with the family.

He asked not to be identified but told the Troubleshooters by phone that the tenants were the worst hes ever had and that he ended up evicting them.

He said he spent $20,000 to fix up the home in order to sell it.

The landlord also expressed remorse that he was unable to warn Guilmartin before she entered into a lease with the tenants.

As for Guilmartin, she found out where the family moved after they left her home, and contacted that property owner, Dritan Dalipi, who lives in California and owns a home in West Hartford. Dalipi told the Troubleshooters he was contacted by a DMHAS employee who saw his rental ad online.

According to Dalipi, DMHAS told him upfront how much it would pay for any damages the tenants caused.

Although Dalipi said he did ask for references, he said he did not receive them. His real estate agents reviewed the lease before he signed it.

Dalipi said entering into an agreement with DMHAS gave him a false sense of security.

It didnt take more than two months for [the tenants] to turn everything upside down, making me evict them, Dalipi said.

Dalipi has a strict no pets policy. It is spelled out in the lease and Dalipi said he also discussed it with DMHAS before agreeing to rent his property to the clients. He later learned the family had cats, fish and dogs. When he asked them to rehome the pets, Dalipi said the family refused.

He agreed to let the pets stay for an additional fee. Dalipi said the tenants again refused. He told DMHAS the family was no longer welcome in his home.

This was the only thing I wanted to avoid. Dealing with eviction, dealing with repairs, dealing with damages, Dalipi said.

Dalipi said he spent a week cleaning and repairing what he could himself. He hired professionals for the rest.

Dalipi presented DMHAS with a tally of repairs and lost items. It includes items he claims the tenants stole. He also filed a theft report with the West Hartford Police Department.

The report shows an officer located two of Dalipis dressers in the familys new home and ordered the tenants to return them.

In response to the Troubleshooters questions, a DMHAS spokesperson said the agency is unable to discuss specific clients, but told us, DMHAS is responsible for using HUD grant dollars to provide payment to the landlord for eligible clients. DMHAS does not vouch for tenants or conduct background or credit checks. They added, As the lease agreement is between the landlord and the tenant, damages in excess of one months rent are to be handled as any other landlord-tenant dispute in the State of Connecticut.

The Troubleshooters also asked DMHAS why the clients have not been kicked out of the program. The agency did not answer.

According to HUD, participants can be terminated from the Shelter Plus Care Program if they violate program requirements or conditions of occupancy, which in turn could be breaking the lease agreement or the law.

A representative for HUD told the Troubleshooters the Hartford Field Office received a complaint in January from a West Hartford property owner concerning damages to the home.

HUD said DMHAS followed up with the property owner by mail, informing of HUD regulations and any other possible recourses.

Guilmartin and Dalipi said by continuing to assist the clients, DMHAS is encouraging their behavior.

They shouldnt have even placed them in my house with their history, Guilmartin said.

I feel bad for the next guy. And for the next one. And for the next one, said Dalipi.

The family moved out of Dalipis home in March. DMHAS found them another home in West Hartford.

The Troubleshooters have learned that the landlord at that home has started the eviction process.National Guard troops are currently on duty in South Texas, working to help the understaffed U.S. Border Patrol.



But an NBC 5 investigation has found the success of that mission could depend on how well the two agencies work together.



Coordination between the National Guard and the Border Patrol has been a problem in the past, primarily because of the lack of coordination, according to records obtained by NBC 5 Investigates.

Over the past year, about 40 percent of undocumented immigrants caught crossing the United States' southern border were apprehended along a 300-mile stretch of the Rio Grande Valley. After President Trump dispatched the National Guard to the RGV, NBC 5 Investigates went along to observe the patrols.

After guard troops were last dispatched to help protect the border in 2014, records show there were times the guard would spot an illegal entry, but to no avail because border agents were too far away to make an arrest.



This time the Border Patrol is taking a different approach and promising better results in joining forces with National Guard troops, who do not have arrest powers.



I see it as a very stop-gap measure, filling in critical functions that are needed to support the front-line operations, said Manuel Padilla, patrol sector chief in the Rio Grande Valley.

NBC 5 News

Records of past National Guard deployments to the border show many cases where undocumented immigrants were spotted, but got away because Border Patrol agents werent nearby to arrest them.



Without better coordination this time, chaos is the best way I can put it, because we have seen this before, said David Aguilar, chief of the Border Patrol under President George W. Bush.



Aguilar told NBC 5 Investigates that patrol agents, as well as guard troops, are demoralized when undocumented immigrants are able to escape their net.



Very frustrating. And the reason that was occurring was because of the lack of coordination, he said.

Undocumented Immigrants Kept Hidden in Deplorable Stash Houses

This time, guard troops are taking on support roles, and for the most part staying out of the chase, freeing up border agents to stay on the front lines.



But behind the scenes, there can still be communication breakdowns as the guard and the Border Patrol share intelligence and other critical information.



You cant have a successful operation if there is a lack of communication, said Col. David Church, an officer in the National Guard and author of a study on how well the guard and Border Patrol have worked together in the past.



We had some Border Patrol (agents) who had the perception that the guard was actually coming to secure the border for the Border Patrol. And that was not the case, Church said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection shares a video of stash houses in McAllen, Texas, where smugglers keep undocumented immigrants as they move them into the United States.

He said there have been major improvements in the past decade. Once that trust factor fell into place, Aguilar said, unity of effort came.



But problems can still arise, especially in the Rio Grande Valley, where illegal crossings are at their highest, with more than 130,000 arrests last year alone.



The problems are caused by the continued shortage of Border Patrol agents, sector chief Padilla said.



The partnerships are working so close together. Full operational integration. But that capacity that we collectively have is not adequate for this border, he said.



Wednesday's talks are focused on mental health needs in our schools, shining a spotlight on an innovative program in Lubbock.

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center's Telemedicine, Wellness, Intervention, Triage and Referral Project, known as TWITR project, is a mental health intervention program that organizers say has stopped possible acts of school violence.

State leaders are back at Governor Greg Abbott's roundtable Wednesday, exploring every possible way to prevent another tragedy like the school shooting in Santa Fe.

Wednesday talks are focused on mental health needs in our schools, shining a spotlight on an innovative program in Lubbock.

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center's Telemedicine, Wellness, Intervention, Triage and Referral Project, known as TWITR project, is a mental health intervention program that organizers say has stopped possible acts of school violence.

Since the program started in 2014, in response to the Sandy Hook and Aurora theater massacres, it's used mental health screenings, specifically violent risk assessments to get psychiatric help to hundreds of children children throughout the10 school districts it serves.

The TWITR project uses telemedicine to get teens, whose behavior has raised red flags with counselors, in front on a child psychiatrist, who can diagnose and prescribe treatment right away.

According to this data brief, 41,807 students have been impacted by the TWITR project, and around 1% have been referred and screened by licensed professional counselors.

215 students have been triaged via telemedicine with the TTUHSC Psychiatry Department.

25 students have been removed from school and 44 were placed in alternative placements. 38 students have been sent to an emergency room or inpatient hospital.

While 94 students were referred for anger/violence, 65 for suicidal ideation and/or self harm, 36 for depression, and 57 for other reasons (eating disturbance, anxious behavior, truancy, etc.)

Two dozen of those junior or high schoolers were immediately pulled from school, some even arrested after their mental health assessments led to the discovery of evidence, like notes and maps, of a plot to hurt others or themselves, according to Dr. Billy Philips, Executive Vice President of the rural and community health department at TTUHSC.

Dr. Philips believes a third of Texas students are troubled by some form of mental illness, yet many don't have access to professional help and telemedicine is a way to solve the problem.

"I think we have come very close, in this project, several times to averting some kind of tragedy," says Dr. Philips.

The TWITR Project operates off a $565,000 grant to serve a handful of rural school districts around Lubbock.

Governor Abbott wants to explore placing the program in districts across the state.

Shay Bolm, school counselor for Ralls ISD, one of the rural districts in the TWITR projects, says she's referred at least one a student each year since 2014.

"I've had some kids come in and they're just really desperate for some help. They really have an outcry and they want help immediately," says Bolm.

Ralls ISD has 515 students district-wide.

Psychiatric resources are scare and superintendent Chris Wade believes the program has made his district safer and knows it's saved students experiencing suicidal thoughts.

"With safety and security being a top priority and limited resources, having that availability to us and to our families of Ralls is huge," says Wade.

Both he and Wade aren't sure whether it's prevented a school shooting on one of their campuses, but they both feel a program like TWITR could have stopped the Santa Fe shooting.

"I believe that, without a shadow of a doubt," says Bolm.

The program says they've had interest from at least one North Texas school district.

Parents have to consent each step of the way.

State leaders were back at Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's roundtable Wednesday, exploring every possible way to prevent another tragedy like the school shooting in Santa Fe.



Wednesday's talks were focused on mental health needs in state schools, and spotlighted an innovative program in Lubbock.



The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center's Telemedicine, Wellness, Intervention, Triage and Referral Project, known as TWITR project, is a mental health intervention program that organizers said has stopped possible acts of school violence.



Since the program started in 2014, in response to the Sandy Hook school and Aurora theater massacres, it has used mental health screenings, specifically violent risk assessments, to get psychiatric help to hundreds of children throughout the 10 school districts it serves.



The TWITR project uses telemedicine to get teens whose behavior has raised red flags with counselors in front of a child psychiatrist, who can diagnose and prescribe treatment right away.



According to this data brief, 41,807 students have been impacted by the TWITR project, and around 1% have been referred and screened by licensed professional counselors.



Over 200 students have been triaged via telemedicine with the TTUHSC Psychiatry Department. Twenty-five students have been removed from school and 44 were placed in alternative placements. Thirty-eight students have been sent to an emergency room or inpatient hospital.

Ninety-four students were referred for anger or violence, 65 for suicidal ideation and/or self harm, 36 for depression, and 57 for other reasons (eating disturbance, anxious behavior, truancy, etc.).



Two dozen of those junior or high schoolers were immediately pulled from school, some even arrested after their mental health assessments led to the discovery of evidence, like notes and maps, of a plot to hurt others or themselves, according to Dr. Billy Philips, Executive Vice President of the rural and community health department at TTUHSC.



Dr. Philips believes a third of Texas students are troubled by some form of mental illness, yet many don't have access to professional help and telemedicine is a way to solve the problem.



"I think we have come very close, in this project, several times to averting some kind of tragedy," Dr. Philips said.



The TWITR Project operates off a $565,000 grant to serve a handful of rural school districts around Lubbock.



Gov. Abbott said he wants to explore placing the program in districts across the state.



Shay Bolm, school counselor for Ralls ISD, one of the rural districts in the TWITR projects, said she has referred at least one a student each year since 2014.



"I've had some kids come in and they're just really desperate for some help. They really have an outcry and they want help immediately," Bolm said. Ralls ISD has 515 students district-wide.



Psychiatric resources are scarce, and superintendent Chris Wade said he believes the program has made his district safer and knows it has saved students experiencing suicidal thoughts.



"With safety and security being a top priority and limited resources, having that availability to us and to our families of Ralls is huge," Wade said.

Both he and Bolm aren't sure whether it's prevented a school shooting on one of their campuses, but they both feel a program like TWITR could have stopped the Santa Fe shooting.



"I believe that, without a shadow of a doubt," Bolm said.



The program said it's had interest from at least one North Texas school district.



Parents have to consent each step of the way.

The lawyer for a woman who accused a Texas trooper of sexual assault during a traffic stop has apologized after the release of body camera video that appears to contradict her claims.

Lee Merritt said in a statement Wednesday:

"It is deeply troubling when innocent parties are falsely accused and I am truly sorry for any trouble these claims may have cause... I take full responsibility for amplifying these claims to the point of national concern. This office regularly receives hundreds of complaints of abuse from across the nation and we are obligated to filter these messages thoroughly before relaying them to our powerful allies. Our office takes claims of abuse  particularly by law enforcement officers  very seriously. It is our responsibility to call for swift, transparent and thorough investigation into any such accusation. Our calls for professionalism and adherence to protocol, however, should not be misconstrued as a rush to judgment. To the contrary, our goal in presenting claims of misconduct is to arrive as quickly and accurately as possible to the truth. We are thankful to the members of the community willing to echo our demands for transparency and justice. However, in this matter it seems your righteous vigilance was abused."



The Texas Department of Public Safety released the video late Tuesday.

The nearly two-hour video shows the unidentified trooper questioning the 37-year-old woman early Sunday, arresting her on a DWI charge and processing her at the Ellis County jail, south of Dallas.

Merritt initially claimed the trooper offered to let his client go in exchange for sexual favors. He also said the trooper groped her.

DPS Lt. Lonny Haschel described the claims as "despicable."

The statement read in part:



"Following the arrest, spurious and false accusations related to this traffic stop were made against the Texas Trooper. Upon learning of those allegations, the Texas Department of Public Safety immediately took action to review the video in connection with this traffic stop and arrest. The video shows absolutely no evidence to support the egregious and unsubstantiated accusations against the Trooper during the DWI arrest of the suspect. The Department is appalled that anyone would make such a despicable, slanderous and false accusation against a peace officer who willingly risks his life every day to protect and serve the public."

The Ellis County District Attorney decided the woman will not face charges for the accusations.Mexican police have arrested the brother of a drug cartel leader in connection to a murder in Southlake five years ago, Mexican authorities announced Wednesday.

Ramon Villareal Hernandez, a reputed financial head of the Beltran Leyva cartel, is being held in Mexico City and could be extradited to North Texas, authorities said.

Villareal, also known as Ramon V., is the brother of Jose Rodolfo Villareal Hernandez, widely considered to be the regional head of the organization in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon.

The FBI linked the cartel to the murder of Juan Guerrero Chapa in the Southlake Town Square in May 2013.

He was gunned down execution-style in broad daylight as he and his wife returned to their car after shopping. He was shot once in the chest and nine times in the back. His wife was not injured.

Three men were convicted in federal court in Fort Worth in 2016 of stalking Guerrero with high-tech surveillance equipment, including a GPS device they secretly placed on his car and remote-controlled cameras they hid near his Southlake estate, where he had been living with his wife and children. The actual gunman and getaway driver were believed to have fled to Mexico.

Prosecutors in the men's trial claimed Jose Rodolfo Villareal Hernandez ordered Guerrero's murder and the government's star witness testified Villareal was protected by Mexico's president at the time.

Guerrero, who also was a U.S. government informant, had been the personal lawyer for Osiel Cardenas, the one-time head of the violent Gulf Cartel.

The defendants' attorneys claimed in the trial that Guerrero ran the cartel himself from his home in Southlake after Cardenass arrest.

The PGR, the Mexican equivilent of the FBI, announced Villareal's capture but gave few details. His alleged role in Guerrero's murder isnt clear.

An FBI spokeswoman in Dallas declined comment on the case late Wednesday.

Last year, Mexican authorities made another arrest in connection with the Southlake murder. Luis Lauro Ramirez Bautista, also a reputed member of the Beltran Leyva group, allegedly helped finance the hit.A grand jury in northeastern Texas has indicted the mother of a 7-week-old baby whose body was found at a gas station earlier this year.

The Hunt County grand jury indicted Stephanie Leanne Flynn on a count of abuse of a corpse without legal consent in the death of Alexiana Stevenson. The Herald-Banner newspaper reports the indictment came Friday and was made public Monday.

Flynn remains free on $50,000 bond. Her attorney, Elisha Hollis, declined to comment Monday on the indictment.

The grand jury declined to indict the child's aunt, Shawn Elise Flynn, who was arrested with the mother on Jan. 8 after the infant's body was found at the gas station in Greenville, Texas.

An autopsy report classified it as "a sudden unexplained infant death."High school yearbooks are going out across north Texas, but one in particular has caused some to take a second look.

The word "Coonskin" is printed in the Frisco High School yearbook.

It's the name of the annual publication, but some people said it is racially insensitive.

Anniyah Rawlins, a junior at Frisco High, said she was shocked when she saw the word on the front page of the yearbook.

"I thought it was kind of racially insensitive to still have that as the name especially when our mascot we used to be called the 'Coons' 'til they changed it," Rawlins said.

Frisco High School changed its name in 2002 to 'Raccoons.'

Frisco's connection to the animal dates back centuries. The red background in city's logo was inspired by a raccoon hide.

Frisco High School adopted the mascot in the 1920s because a student had a pet raccoon "and it stuck," a school district spokesperson said.

While few feel its use in Frisco was ever intended to offend, some pointed out context of the term nowadays had changed.

"So why perpetuate something they didn't want to happen in the first place," said Dono Pelham, pastor of Life-Changing Faith Christian Fellowship, one of the largest African-American churches in Frisco.

"This word has history, this word has objective history, not just in Frisco but in the United States so perhaps it's time for change," Pelham said.

In a statement, Frisco ISD said, "The school continued to use the name 'Coonskin' for its yearbook as a way of maintaining the pride and tradition that had been associated with it in the community for decades."

Rawlins said she didn't think any of it was done maliciously but said she's speaking out to spare other students the feelings she experienced.

"Id like to see the name changed," she said.The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has rejected an appeal from a 37-year-old Rio Grande Valley man on death row for beheading his common-law wife's three children 15 years ago.

Attorneys for John Allen Rubio argued unsuccessfully his lawyers at his 2010 trial in Cameron County were deficient, that the trial court failed to sufficiently pay for a defense investigation of the case and that the Texas death penalty sentencing procedure is unconstitutional.

The state's highest criminal court Wednesday also refused a second appeal from Rubio as legally improper.

Rubio was convicted twice of the March 11, 2003, slayings of 3-year-old Julissa Quesada, 14-month-old John E. Rubio and 2-month-old Mary Jane Rubio in a Brownsville apartment. The appeals court in 2007 overturned his first conviction.After inflating a bubble of expectation for a historic summit with North Korea, President Donald Trump popped it.

His withdrawal from a hastily arranged summit with Kim Jong Un drew strong criticism and some praise in Washington.

Trump opponents said he botched a delicate, diplomatic dance with North Korea, at the risk of fueling tensions, cold-shouldering allies like South Korea and making China less willing to put economic pressure on Pyongyang.

But some North Korea watchers said it was the right thing to do. Trump wasn't convinced that Pyongyang was serious about giving up its nuclear weapons capabilities, they said, so the president was right to scrap the summit for now and keep testing Kim's interest in substantive negotiations.

"I don't think that this closes the door," said Olli Heinonen, a former deputy director-general at the U.N. nuclear agency. "He is testing how willing Kim is. We have to remember why Kim comes to the meeting. The sanctions are biting. They have economic trouble there. I don't think this is the end of the road."

The big question now is how Kim reacts.

He was spurned on the very day North Korea demolished its nuclear test site in front of international journalists granted unprecedented access to the remote site, a concrete if not irreversible gesture toward denuclearization.

"They will feel betrayed," said Mark Fitzpatrick at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a British think tank. "There is a good chance North Korea will resume the missile testing that they have paused for six months," starting with short-range systems.

But the North's initial reaction was mild.

Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan said North Korea was still willing to sit down for talks with the U.S. "at any time, at any format." In a statement carried by state media, he said Trump's decision was "very regrettable" and showed how deep-rooted the hostility is between the U.S. and North Korea, and showed "how urgently a summit should be realized to improve ties."

Trump's letter to Kim, almost plaintive in tone, kept the door open to dialogue, but it also carried a threat evocative of last year when North Korea was honing its ability to target the continental U.S. with a nuclear-tipped missile. During those tense months, the president, annoyed by bellicose language from Pyongyang, was goading Kim about the size of his nuclear button.

On this occasion Trump wrote that he was praying to God the U.S. won't need to use its "massive and powerful" nukes.

"I think, by and large, the president's message was polite, although his reference to the U.S. nuclear arsenal looked a little threatening to me," said Christopher Hill, the lead U.S. negotiator with North Korea under the George W. Bush administration.

A flurry of characteristically combative statements from North Korea - branding Vice President Mike Pence as a "political dummy" and threatening nuclear confrontation with the U.S. - made plain that the North was not willing to relinquish its nukes in short order as key Trump advisers like national security adviser John Bolton were demanding.

Hill said Trump probably needed to nix the summit because "it suddenly dawned on him that North Korea was not ready to give up its nuclear weapons for nothing."

That's not really a surprise. Back in March, Trump shocked the world by suddenly agreeing to an unprecedented meeting with the North Korean leader, which was due to be held in Singapore on June 12. Although the chances of success were uncertain, the White House had even unveiled a commemorative coin with the profiles of Trump and Kim to herald the "peace talks."

The president clearly relished the prospect of exercising his purported prowess as a negotiator to bring home the daddy of all deals that would alleviate the North Korea nuclear threat and formally end the 1950-53 Korean War.

That was always going to be a long shot.

He can point to some progress made, including the release this month of three American detainees by North Korea as a goodwill gesture. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has had rare and direct contact with Kim, opening the door to top-level engagement.

But Trump is now open to criticism his administration had failed to lay the groundwork for such a high-stakes meeting with a bitter American adversary.

"In hastily agreeing to a summit and then being the one to walk away, President Trump must understand he has now weakened and further isolated the United States," said Sen. Robert Menendez, top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said Trump is now left with a difficult diplomatic path forward in sustaining the U.S.-led "maximum pressure" campaign to get North Korea to give up its nukes.

China, North Korea's main trading partner, is going to laud the nuclear test site demolition and could be inclined to ease enforcement of economic sanctions, Acton said, noting reports that North Korean trade with China had restarted already.

"North Korea has done enough for now to placate China and China is going to throw it an economic lifeline," he said.

It could also hurt U.S. relations with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who was in the Oval Office just this week. Moon has invested a lot of political capital in improving relations with North Korea, although Pyongyang just broke off a high-level meeting with Seoul over U.S.-South Korean military drills.

Moon was instrumental in the genesis of the U.S.-North Korea summit, yet his government appeared to be caught unawares by Trump's sudden decision to cancel - a worrying sign of diplomatic disconnect between close allies.

"We are trying to figure out what President Trump's intention is," presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said, according to Yonhap news agency.Three men allegedly decided to steal and drag a full-sized shed down a Maine road, but they didn't get too far.

Maine State Police said they arrested the men  Matthew Thompson of Lebanon, Maine; Timothy James of Pembroke, New Hampshire; and Robert Breton on Milton, New Hampshire  on Sunday after troopers received a call about a shed that had been stolen from a foreclosed property on Pork Street in Lebanon.

When troopers arrived at the scene on nearby Heath Road, they found a 25-foot shed being dragged by a pickup truck blocking half of the street.

An investigation revealed that Thompson, James and Breton were stealing the shed.

Troopers also found that Thompson had crystal meth and prescription pills, for which he did not have a prescription.

All three were charged with theft, reckless conduct and criminal mischief. Thompson was also charged with two counts of unlawful possession in connection with the drugs.

The trio was taken to York County Jail, where they were held on $5,000 bail. It's unclear if they have attorneys.A member of the cleaning crew at a Massachusetts casino has been charged with trying to poison two co-workers she didn't want to work with by pouring cleaning fluid into their sodas.

Alexandria Martel pleaded not guilty Tuesday to assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and attempted poisoning.



Police arrested the Attleboro woman Tuesday morning at Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville after co-workers reported that their sodas had been tampered with while left unattended.

A 39-year-old man spit out his drink out after noticing a chemical taste. A 35-year-old woman said her drink tasted bad.

Police said Martel told them she didn't like her co-workers and wanted to make them nauseous so she wouldn't have to work with them that day. The co-workers had reportedly accused her of not cleaning the bathrooms, and she was also said to be angry at not getting invited to eat breakfast with them.

Surveillance video showed Martel standing in front of the woman's cup and raising her arm, appearing to pour something into her co-workers' drink.

A lawyer who represented Martel at her arraignment declined to comment. She is scheduled to return to court next month.

Plainridge Park Casino said it is not allowed to comment, but confirmed that Martel is no longer an employee.What to Know A California mother says her daughter was sexually abused by a classmate in their elementary school

She has sued the school district, claiming officials tried to keep her daughter quiet

The school district said it takes these claims "very seriously" but cannot comment on the investigation

The Moreno Valley Unified School District in Southern California is facing a lawsuit after a mother says her special needs daughter was sexually assaulted by a fellow student at school and the principal tried to keep the third-grader quiet about the abuse.

The lawsuit filed by the student's mother, Akeila Lundy, claims that Lundy's 9-year-old daughter was molested on multiple occasions by a classmate inside a special education classroom at Honey Hollow Elementary School. Some incidents occurred during class with the teacher present, the suit states.

"I said, 'Say it again, I want to make sure,'" Lundy said of asking her daughter about the alleged abuse. "She told me, 'This student is touching my secret and I need you to call her mom to tell her to stop."

Lundy reported multiple instances of "forcible sexual penetration and assault" to the school district during the second semester of the 2016-17 school year, according to the suit.

The filing alleges that district and school officials did not report the sexual assaults to the police or a child welfare agency, which is required by California law.

Lundy claims she walked into a "closed-door room" where her daughter was "with the principal writing a statement." The suit alleges that the principal "coerced" the girl into signing the statement "in an unconscionable attempt to mitigate their liability."

Lundy says the principal wouldn't allow her to read the statement.

The mother requested access to the statement several times, but the school has not turned over the document, the filing claims.

The girl's alleged abuser was suspended for two days, according to the lawsuit. Upon her return, the abuse continued and the victim was beaten and called a "snitch," the lawsuit states.

On Wednesday, the Moreno Valley School District said in a statement that it "takes any allegation of misconduct very seriously and strives to provide a safe environment for learning" but cannot comment on the lawsuit because of its "legal obligation to protect the confidentiality of that investigation as well as the due process and privacy rights of the students."President Donald Trump on Thursday abruptly canceled his summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, blaming "tremendous anger and open hostility" by Pyongyang  a decision North Korea called "regrettable" while still holding out hope for "peace and stability."

In a letter to Kim announcing his decision to back away from the June 12 summit, Trump pointed to America's vast military might and warned the rising nuclear power against any "foolish or reckless acts."

The letter kicked off a day of mixed messages by the president, who declared hours later, "I really believe Kim Jong Un wants to do what's right." After that, a senior White House official said the North lacked judgment and had reneged on its promises ahead of the summit. Trump said from the White House that a "maximum pressure campaign" of economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation would continue against North Korea  with which the U.S. is technically still at war  but he added that it was possible the summit could still take place at some point.

North Korea issued a statement Friday saying it is still "willing to give the U.S. time and opportunities" to reconsider talks "at any time, at any format."

Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan called Trump's decision "unexpected" and "very regrettable," and said the cancellation of the talks shows "how grave the status of historically deep-rooted hostile North Korea-U.S. relations is and how urgently a summit should be realized to improve ties."

Kim insisted North Korea's "objective and resolve to do our best for the sake of peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and all humankind remain unchanged."

Trump's surprise exit capped weeks of high-stakes brinkmanship between the two unpredictable leaders over nuclear negotiating terms for their unprecedented sit-down. The U.S. announcement came not long after Kim appeared to make good on his promise to demolish his country's nuclear test site. But it also followed escalating frustration  and newly antagonistic rhetoric  from North Korea over comments from Trump aides about U.S. expectations for the North's "denuclearization."

The senior U.S. official said the North violated a pledge to allow international inspectors to monitor the supposed implosion of the site Thursday. International journalists were present, but the U.S. government can't verify the site's destruction. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid overshadowing Trump's comments Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, a staunch Kim ally, said the North Korean leader had in fact done "everything that he had promised in advance, even blowing up the tunnels and shafts" of his country's nuclear testing site. Putin said of Trump's announcement, "In Russia we took this news with regret."

Japan says it understands President Donald Trump's cancellation of the summit with the North Korean leader. Top officials there say talks should be held when progress on the North's denuclearization is achieved.

Trump, in his letter to Kim, objected specifically to a statement from a top North Korean Foreign Ministry official. That statement referred to Vice President Mike Pence as a "political dummy" for his comments on the North and said it was up to the Americans whether they would "meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown."

Underscoring the high stakes, Trump said he had spoken with military leaders, as well as Japan and South Korea, and stressed that the United States was prepared for any threat.

Still, Trump's announcement appeared to surprise South Korea, which had pushed to keep the summit on track as recently as Tuesday, when President Moon Jae-in met with Trump in the Oval Office and said the "fate and the future" of the Korean Peninsula hinged on the talks. The Blue House said Thursday that it was trying to figure out Trump's intentions in canceling the summit.

Trump, who considers himself a master dealmaker, has confounded aides and allies at every turn of the fateful flirtation with the North. He looked past the warnings of senior aides when he accepted Kim's invitation to meet back in March. He unveiled the date and the time with characteristic showmanship. And after initially projecting calm in the face of North Korea's escalating rhetoric, he made a sudden about face, though his letter also waxed poetic about the "wonderful dialogue" emerging between the two leaders.

Wrote Trump: "If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write."

It was unclear whether Trump's move marked a negotiating ploy or a manifestation of mounting internal concerns over ensuring a successful outcome for the summit.

Trump was briefed Wednesday night and made the decision to exit Thursday morning after consulting with top advisers, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton, to whom he dictated the letter, said the senior official.

Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado told The Associated Press that Bolton described the letter as a "wake-up" to Kim, who had shown a change in attitude after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Bolton and Gardner had met at the White House Thursday, hours after the announcement.



The question now is how Trump's maneuvering will be received. His letter could make the situation worse in a society where saving face can be pivotal. Kim might well take offense at the hardnosed U.S. approach after he released American detainees and destroyed a nuclear site.

Trump's aides had warned that merely agreeing to the summit had provided Kim with long-sought international legitimacy and, if Trump ultimately backed out, risked fostering the perception that the president was insufficiently committed to diplomatic solutions to the nuclear question.

U.S. defense and intelligence officials have repeatedly assessed the North to be on the threshold of having the capability to strike anywhere in the continental U.S. with a nuclear-tipped missile  a capacity that Trump and other U.S. officials have said they would not tolerate.

Pompeo, testifying on Capitol Hill, said North Korea had not responded to repeated requests from U.S. officials to discuss logistics for the summit. He told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the lack of response was an additional reason for Trump's decision.

"We got a lot of dial tones, Senator," he told committee chairman Bob Corker.

A White House team was set to fly to Singapore this weekend to continue logistical planning for the meeting.

Pompeo said the North's posture had changed markedly since he returned from Pyongyang earlier this month, a trip during which he met with Kim and oversaw the release of three Americans being held. Trump suggested this week that China was to blame for "a little change" in Kim's attitude. Kim paid a secret visit to his primary ally just before Pompeo's visit, and China is wary of any shift in the balance of power on the Korean peninsula.

Trump's allies in Congress applauded the president, saying he was justified in pulling out of the meeting.

"North Korea has a long history of demanding concessions merely to negotiate. While past administrations of both parties have fallen for this ruse, I commend the president for seeing through Kim Jong Un's fraud," said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida quoted rapper DJ Khaled in a tweet addressed to Kim, saying, "Congratulations, you just played yourself."

Trump was right to withdraw, Rubio said, because Kim was sabotaging the talks and "setting us up to take the blame."

Critics were less impressed.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said it was clear Trump "didn't know what he was getting into and now he's walking away" in a "very chummy, palsy-walsy letter" that's "kind of like a valentine to Kim Jong Un."

White House officials have privately predicted for weeks that the summit could be canceled once or twice before actually taking place. Trump has seemed to welcome chatter of a Nobel Peace Prize, but that has yielded in recent weeks to the sobering prospect of ensuring a successful outcome with the Kim.

Associated Press writers Deb Riechmann, Lisa Mascaro, Ken Thomas, Darlene Superville, Ted Anthony, Jonathan Lemire and Hyung-jin Kim contributed to this report.What to Know The city Health Department is warning that cocaine in New York City may be laced with the powerful opioid drug fentanyl

The city is distributing informational coasters at Lower East Side bars warning patrons and is training bar staffers to use nalaxone

37 percent of people who died of cocaine overdoses in the city in 2016 also had fentanyl in their systems, health officials said

Cocaine in New York may be laced with fentanyl, putting those who use the drug at risk for an opioid overdose, the New York City Health Department warns.

The Health Department launched a campaign on Wednesday to increase New Yorkers' awareness about cocaine being laced with the opioid, which is 30 to 50 times more potent than heroin.

The pilot campaign is being launched in Lower East Side bars and nightclubs, where Health Department staff will offer coasters and posters to inform bargoers that cocaine could be laced with fentanyl.

The Health Department is also offering to train staffers at bars and venues to administer naloxone, the medication that reverses an opioid overdose. It will also supply naloxone kits to owners for first-aid supplies.

Fentanyl was found in 37 percent of cocaine overdose deaths in 2016; in 2015, just 11 percent of people who died from a cocaine overdose also had fentanyl in their systems. Health Department officials said this suggests some of those overdose victims didn't intend to consume opioids.

Were going into bars and nightclubs because we want to reach people who may only use cocaine occasionally," Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Basset said. "We want them to know that fentanyl is in our cocaine supply, and they are at risk of an opioid overdose.

According to the Department of Health, someone dies of a drug overdose every seven hours in New York City. In 2017, there were 1,441 overdose deaths, with opioids making up over 80 percent of them.A New York City man is accused of stopping a driver at a Virginia intersection and shooting a crossbow at him, before firing several rounds at the driver with a gun.

News outlets reported Wednesday that 25-year-old Baljeet Singh, of Queens, pulled his vehicle in front of a car at the intersection outside Washington in February, approached the vehicle and shot at the victim with the crossbow.

A search warrant says the victim attempted to flee, crashing into the man's bumper. Singh also fired the several rounds and struck the car.

Investigators determined Singh's vehicle was rented before the incident. Police haven't said what the motive was for the attack.

Singh was charged with attempted malicious wounding and shooting into an occupied vehicle in March. It's unclear if he has a lawyer.Less than a mile from the Rio Grande River, in a valley well known to law enforcement as the RGV, a U.S. Border Patrol agent shouted into his radio: "I got visual. They are running toward the tower, copy.

The chase was on. Weeds high, the ground a sloshy mud. And it was hot.

They are still going eastbound, a pursuing border agent observed.

He is one of several Border Patrol officers who chased a group that had just illegally crossed the United States border from Mexico.

Over the past year, about 40 percent of undocumented immigrants caught crossing the United States' southern border were apprehended along a 300-mile stretch of the Rio Grande Valley. After President Trump dispatched the National Guard to the RGV, NBC 5 Investigates went along to observe the patrols.

It is an area south of McAllen that is so well-traveled by undocumented immigrants that it leads the nation in Border Patrol apprehensions and prompted President Donald Trump to send National Guard troops to help out. It may only be a temporary fix, though, for the challenges facing the Border Patrol.

On this day, NBC 5 Investigates went along to observe.

I just caught one of them, a border agent said breathlessly. One of them should be somewhere right around here.

After five people were caught, another one was spotted. He tried to escape  unsuccessfully. The six detainees  four women, two men  are from Mexico, El Salvador and Ecuador, all tired and thirsty as they sat in the weeds.

Some were in tears because their mad dash into the U.S. failed.

Over the past year, more than 137,000 undocumented immigrants were caught along this 300-mile stretch, the RGV, representing about 40 percent of all such apprehensions along the southern border.

NBC 5 News

This is the last stand, said Manuel Padilla, sector chief for the Border Patrol.

Padilla told NBC 5 Investigates that his team is fighting to keep up, especially with the increasing number of children and whole families who require greater needs, and trigger more paperwork, when caught.

In addition, he said, stash houses are found almost daily  places where undocumented immigrants hide in horrid conditions, sometimes stolen, like cargo, by rival smugglers.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection shares a video of stash houses in McAllen, Texas, where smugglers keep undocumented immigrants as they move them into the United States.

So these things are what I call symptoms of a border that needs a lot of work. Those are the things that keep me up at night, Padilla said.

The Border Patrol is also fighting a staffing battle, losing agents faster than their replacements can be hired.

In the RGV, the patrol is short 90 agents, while nationwide there are more than 2,000 vacancies.

Despite the shortages, Padilla said the patrol still can respond quickly to illegal crossings, though I can tell you, we may have some lapses in time.

Undocumented Immigrants Kept Hidden in Deplorable Stash Houses

He said he hopes relief will come from the hundreds of National Guard troops recently sent to the RGV. They will work behind the scenes providing support services, freeing up Border Patrol agents to return to the front lines.

Its not the first time National Guard troops have been sent to the border to help out.

In 2014, then-Gov. Rick Perry dispatched troops to back up Border Patrol agents.

But there are differences this time, such as the current deployment being ordered by the White House, with a better understanding that the Border Patrol remains the lead agency in the mission.

Still, it remains a challenge, said Ralph Basham, head of the U.S. Border Patrol under President George W. Bush.

The National Guard deployment is good for the short term, but its not a long-term solution, Basham said.

One of the biggest reasons, he said, is that the National Guard lacks the authority to make an arrest  an essential tool when chasing someone on the run.

The solution is really to hire enough agents, Basham added.

Until then, Border Patrol agents said they will do all they can with what theyve got.

That happened when NBC 5 Investigates went along for the ride.

On that morning alone, with just a handful of agents on patrol, more than 25 people were caught as they attempted to enter the country illegally.Twenty years ago, the rape and murder of doctoral student Shannon Schieber proved to be the tragic turning point in the way the Philadelphia Police Department investigates sexual attacks.

Schieber, 23 at the time, was killed inside her city apartment by a man later deemed "the Center City rapist" for a heinous series of rapes in 1997 and 1998. Schieber was his fifth of six victims in Philadelphia. Troy Graves, who is serving life in prison, went on to commit another eight sexual assaults in Colorado, where he was eventually caught.

"If you look in the city of Philadelphia, there were positive developments," Schieber's father, Syl, told NBC10 in a interview. "For us, it came at a tremendous cost."

Her mother agrees.

"We think our daughter was the poster child for a lot of the good that has come since then and we're very happy about that," Vicki Schieber said.

The city police department has since overhauled what was once called the Sex Crimes Unit into the Special Victims Unit, and the way SVU detectives conduct investigation has shifted drastically as well.

One of the biggest changes is a once-a-year review process. Volunteers with women's groups and children's advocacy organizations spend three days reviewing about 400 cases handled in the past year.

Since it began more than a decade ago, "the Philadelphia Model," as it's known, has spread to other cities, including New York and Ottawa, Canada, where independent groups also review with detectives how investigations are conducted.

The Ottawa Rape Crisis Center in Canada has launched 12 pilot programs since 2016, with several more in the works, all based on the Philadelphia Model. The New York Police Department launched a case review last year. Its also based on the Philadelphia Model, but its called the Timoney Review for John Timoney, who is a former Philadelphia police commissioner and former NYPD first deputy commissioner.



Carol Tracy, longtime executive director of the Women's Law Project in Philadelphia, has been part of the confidential review process since its creation 18 years ago. She says the outside volunteers lend a different perspective to the investigative process that helps detectives see their cases in different ways.

Often, the emphasis is on how detectives handle the victims of sex crimes.

"How has the person been questioned? It's very easy to slide into an interrogation instead of an interview," Tracy said.

In other ways, the independent perspectives have opened the eyes of commanders, who, as with the case of the Center City Rapist, realize they're not making obvious connections.

"The whole goal behind the whole thing is to improve the quality of our investigations," SVU Captain Mark Burgmann said. "So if you have someone coming in with a different perspective, with a different set of eyes looking at it, it's good because sometimes they see things we don't."

At the time of serial rapist Troy Graves's rampage, city detectives assigned to the case didn't notice the pattern that played out in rapes during the prior year.

A retired SVU supervisor, former Lt. Tom McDevitt took part in the initial case reviews more than a decade ago. While the Philadelphia Model became a model for police departments across the country, McDevitt said its initial effect on the unit was shocking.

"I remember the day I said, 'How did we get this bad? What did we do?' It was eye-opening, like a smack in the face to us," he said during a recent trip back to the area of Center City where Graves, who is serving life in prison, committed his crimes. "It was a humbling thing that we said, 'Wow, if we really want to be this good, we have to change.'"A toddler and a child were reunited with their mother and a suspect was taken into custody after a car theft led to a wild chase in Northeast Philadelphia Wednesday night.

The ordeal began around 9:45 p.m. when a woman pulled up on the 1000 block of Van Kirk Street to quickly visit a friend, Philadelphia police said. The 28-year-old woman told police she left her white Toyota Camry running with the keys still inside while her 1-year-old child and 6-year-old child were in the backseat.

The woman said she only meant to speak to her friend for a few seconds but it was enough time for an unidentified man to go into her car and drive off with her children still inside.

The woman immediately called police and officers on the ground and in the air searched for the stolen vehicle.

"We made this job a priority and notified all units in the area," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

Officers spotted the vehicle on the 1500 block of Sellers Street, about a mile away from where it was stolen. A police aviation unit began to follow it as it sped off.

"We made sure ground units didn't chase it because we didn't want the vehicle to get involved in an auto accident running from police," Small said.

The aviation unit pursued the vehicle for about 2 miles. The chase finally ended when the stolen car struck a curb at the intersection of Castor and Wyoming avenues. Officers on the ground were notified and they captured the suspect.

As they placed the suspect in custody, they realized the children were not inside the car. The driver told police he dropped the children off along the 4700 block of Darrah Street, according to Small.

"It appears the male took this car as a crime of opportunity because the car was sitting there with the engine running," Small said. "Probably very surprised that there were two children in the backseat because the vehicle has heavy tint. But, that's still an abduction."

Around the same time the suspect was captured, police received another report of two children who were found along the 4700 block of Darrah Street. The two children were found safe and reunited with their mother.

The suspect, who police say appeared to be impaired, was not injured in the incident. Police have not yet revealed the specific charges he'll face.

The mother and children were taken to the Special Victims Unit.

"A happy ending," Small said. "Great job done by Philadelphia Police."

The family was thankful the boys weren't hurt.

The only thing we want to say is thanks to the police for their work and to the two women who found my nephews," the boys' aunt told NBC10.

President Donald Trump labored with South Korea's Moon Jae-in Tuesday to keep the highly anticipated U.S. summit with North Korea on track after Trump abruptly cast doubt that the June 12 meeting would come off. Setting the stakes sky high, Moon said. "The fate and the future of the Korean Peninsula hinge" on the meeting.

The summit, planned for Singapore, offers a historic chance for peace on the peninsula  but also the risk of an epic diplomatic failure that would allow the North to revive and advance its nuclear weapons program.

Trump's newfound hesitation appeared to reflect recent setbacks in efforts to bring about reconciliation between the two Koreas, as well as concern whether the self-proclaimed dealmaker can deliver a nuclear accord with the North's Kim Jong Un.

In an extraordinary public airing of growing uncertainty, Trump said "there's a very substantial chance" the meeting won't happen as scheduled.

Seated in the Oval Office with Moon, Trump said Kim had not met unspecified "conditions" for the summit. However, the president also said he believed Kim was "serious" about negotiations, and Moon expressed "every confidence" in Trump's ability to hold the summit and bring about peace.

"I have no doubt that you will be able to ... accomplish a historic feat that no one had been able to achieve in the decades past," Moon said.

U.S. officials said preparations for the summit were still underway despite recent pessimism  and privately suggested there would be additional public maneuvering as both sides seek to maximize their leverage. Both parties to the talks are invested in holding the meeting, with Kim seeing an opportunity for international legitimacy and Trump the prospect of securing Korean stability  and perhaps a Nobel Peace Prize.

"This could be something that comes right to the end and doesn't happen," said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. But he added that as of now, "we're driving on." South Korea's national security adviser put the chance of the summit taking place at 99.9 percent.

Trump suggested that it could be delayed rather than canceled: "It may not work out for June 12, but there is a good chance that we'll have the meeting."

He did not detail the conditions he had laid out for Kim but said if they aren't met, "we won't have the meeting." Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump was referring to a commitment to seriously discuss denuclearization.

Skepticism about the North's intentions have mounted in recent weeks after Kim's government pulled out of planned peace talks with the South last week, objecting to long-scheduled joint military exercises between U.S. and South Korean forces. The North also threatened to abandon the planned Trump-Kim meeting over U.S. insistence on rapidly denuclearizing the peninsula, issuing a harshly worded statement that the White House dismissed as a negotiating ploy.

Moon sought to project optimism after his meeting with Trump. His spokesman, Yoon Young-chan, told reporters that the two leaders agreed to do their best to ensure the meeting happens on June 12. Yoon said Moon told Trump that the North Korean leader was strongly committed to the meeting and the leaders agreed that any assistance to North Korea would come after complete denuclearization. High-level talks between the North and South would likely happen after June 25.

Trump expressed suspicion that the North's recent aggressive barbs were influenced by Kim's unannounced trip to China two weeks ago  his second in as many months. Trump said he'd noticed "a little change" in Kim's attitude after the trip.

"I don't like that," he said.

The president added that he hoped Chinese President Xi Jinping was actually committed to the goal of denuclearizing the Korean peninsula, calling him a "world-class poker player." Trump said he was displeased by China's softening of border enforcement measures against North Korea.

Trump encouraged Kim to focus on the opportunities offered by the meeting and to make a deal to abandon his nuclear program, pledging not only to guarantee Kim's personal security but also predicting an economic revitalization for the North.

"I will guarantee his safety, yes," Trump said, noting that promise was conditioned on an agreement to complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization. Trump said if such an agreement is reached, China, Japan and South Korea would invest large sums to "make North Korea great."

In North Korea itself, foreign journalists arrived to watch the dismantling of a nuclear test site this week in a significant concession before the Trump talks.

However, fresh questions were raised Tuesday about the North's goals and motives, with the disclosure of a Pentagon report to Congress saying that nuclear weapons are central to North Korea's strategic goal of ensuring the perpetual rule of the Kim family dynasty. The report on North Korea's military capabilities was based on an assessment of developments in 2017 and was provided to Congress in April. It was posted online by an anti-secrecy group.

Ahead of the North Korea meeting, the president has been almost singularly focused on the pageantry of the summit including the suspenseful roll-out of details, senior administration officials said. The White House turned heads this week with the release of a commemorative "challenge coin" for the summit, featuring profile engravings of Trump and Kim for the "peace talks." The White House said the coins were prepared by the White House Communications Agency, a military unit supporting the president's trip, and not the West Wing.

Trump has not been deeply engaged in briefing materials on North Korea's nuclear program, according to three people with knowledge of the White House efforts. They were not authorized to speak publicly.

Trump said the long-term status of the peninsula will be up to the North and South, and that the immediate goal for his summit is "two successful Koreas."

He added that, "Ultimately, maybe someday in the future" you'll "go back to one Korea."

The two Koreas both seek reunification of the divided Korean Peninsula on their own terms. But any move toward reunification would first likely require a peace settlement to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War, which the two Koreas say they are aiming for.

Associated Press writer Ken Thomas contributed.The meeting room in the Carlsbad Holiday Inn was filling quickly with men and women, mostly in their 50s, 60s, and 70s, in search of relief from their bad knees and chronic back pain.

They were there to attend a free seminar, enticed by TV and newspaper ads promising the most significant breakthrough in natural medicine for improving mobility and reducing pain in muscles and joints.

But what the ads never mention, and the seminars speaker neglected to inform the audience, is the $6,500 procedure is not FDA-approved. The seminar speaker also does not mention that the cutting edge treatment may require additional stem cell shots costing thousands of dollars more.

This advertisement aired on April 12 at 6:58 p.m. on NBC 7.

While the printed advertisements and TV commercials state Stem Cell Health Centers of San Diego, the group behind the seminars and clinics is West2North Medical Solutions.

NBC 7 Investigates attended the Carlsbad seminar, using a hidden camera to film the start of the presentation. Six minutes in, cameras and recording devices were asked to be turned off.

At the seminar, attendees heard and saw a series of videos, presented by Chiropractor Michael Van Derschelden, the West2North Medical Solutions Clinic Director for the centers San Marcos location.

The Carlsbad presentation was interspersed with videotaped testimonials from clinic clients who said it worked for them. Van Derschelden told the crowd he specializes in regenerative medicine and uses unadulterated stem cells taken from placentas from consenting donors. The injections come from shipments from the same placenta, improving the quality of the injected materials, Van Derschelden explained.

A Carlsbad scientist in the audience who had seen the ads said his curiosity had drawn him to the seminar.

Edward Fox, a retired microbiologist-immunologist noted that the attendees at the seminar never heard "how many people were actually helped by this or how many people were actually treated." The one reference to a specific piece of data was when the chiropractor told the audience, 10,000 injections have been performed without a single report of adverse side effects.

"These people were selling a methodology, an unproven methodology, Fox said.

For most of the seminar, Van Derschelden had the audience nodding in agreement with his complaints about how lobbyists and big pharma were trying to keep these types of procedures from the public.

Its a claim rejected by Jeanne Loring, a stem cell researcher from Scripps Research Institute. Loring believes the FDA is doing a good job engaging researchers like herself, echoing a recent New England Journal of Medicine article describing the FDA process for developing highly innovative product. She says claims of a conspiracy to stymie new breakthroughs is not credible.

I don't work for a pharma company and I don't work for the FDA, said Loring, who has worked in stem cell research since 1999 and is considered by many an expert in the field.

While Loring did not attend the seminar, shes familiar with the claims made about regenerative cures from stem cell injections.

I wouldn't walk into one of those sales pitches, Loring said, referring to the seminars. But if you find yourself there you should be asking them what efforts they're making to get this approved by the FDA.

Kevin McCormack with the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine tells NBC 7 Investigates clinics offering regenerative therapy with little scientific support are gaining in popularity, with hundreds opening up across the state.

We're very concerned about these kinds of clinics and the therapies they are offering because they haven't gone through rigorous scientific testing, he said. When you have someone who stands up there and says you're a doctor, whether it's chiropractor or medicine or orthopedic surgery, you'll listen to them.

After the Carlsbad seminar, NBC 7 Investigates attempted to speak with Van Derschelden, however, he declined our request and said he would call us back later. Van Derschelden has not called us back.

Dr. Sarah Apollo, the Medical Director and CEO of the San Marcos West2North Medical Solutions clinic told NBC 7 Investigates over the phone that she was surprised that Van Derschelden had not told the seminar audience the procedure was not FDA-approved. Apollo was also surprised when we told her the clinics advertisements never mention the procedure is not FDA-approved.

In an email to NBC7 Investigates, Apollo thanked NBC 7 Investigates for bringing these potential issues to us. She says the clinic is dedicated to meeting our duties and responsibilities with respect to compliance. She added that she believes the clinic is in compliance with state and federal laws.

Moving forward, we will mention that this procedure is not FDA-approved, she said. Apollo added that there is a posting in the clinic stating the procedure is not FDA-approved, something that is required by state law, as of January 1, 2018.

To read West2North Medical Solution's full statement, click here.

The email from Apollo was signed by Dr. Dean Jones, a chiropractor and CEO of West2North Medical Solutions.

Jones runs another West2North Medical Solutions clinic out of Bismarck, North Dakota, one that can no longer administer stem cell injections to patients without FDA approval.

The North Dakota Attorney Generals Consumer Protection unit filed a lawsuit against Jones and his clinic, alleging the clinics sales claims and solicitations are untrue, misleading or unsubstantiated for making claims its stem cell injections would: End your pain now, get your life back, regenerate any cell in the body, regenerate cartilage.

To read the North Dakota Attorney General's lawsuit, click here.

Without admitting any guilt, Jones agreed to not sell stem cell therapy without FDA approval. He also agreed to pay back thousands of dollars to patients for deposits and services, along with a state fine.

Parrell Grossman, the North Dakota Assistant Attorney General who handled the case against Jones and West2North Medical Solutions told NBC 7 Investigates, Many of these clinics tie into the Stem Cell Institute of America out of Georgia. It has a package that it promotes to chiropractors for marketing, forms, etc. They typically set up all the consumer seminars that bring the patients into their clinics.

In an email, Grossman told NBC 7 Investigates, The North Dakota Attorney General, however, has not yet made any formal decision on whether it will pursue [any] formal investigation or legal action against the Stem Cell Institute of America for its role and participation in the alleged misrepresentations in the clinic in North Dakota, but is considering that matter further as a result of that entitys critical role in promoting and facilitating these stem cell injections.

Grossman also added his office has been in contact with the California Attorney General regarding West 2 North Medical Solutions.

After sharing what we had observed at the Carlsbad seminar with the Stem Cell Institute of America, the group told us they were severing their ties with Jones as well as 29 other customers in the stem cell business. The Stem Cell Institute denied having anything to do with promoting or setting up seminars as the Attorney Generals Office in North Dakota contends.A U.S. Marine was reunited in San Diego Wednesday with three stray dogs he fell in love with while deployed in Iraq.

Once roaming the Iraqi desert scrounging for food and suffering abuse at the hands of some locals, Rooster, Hesko and Wendy are on their way to forever homes.

Captain Kyle Watkins said its been a months-long journey for the pups, bouncing around from place to place along their journey in the SPCA International's Operation Baghdad Pups.

Now he cant wait to give them good meals, warm beds and seemingly endless property to roam on his farm. He adopted Hesko and Wendy, and another Marine claimed Rooster.

For Captain Watkins, who grew up around dogs and had several at home while he was deployed, Rooster, Hesko and Wendy were more than just a piece of home in a foreign land. Watkins said that in a way, the dogs served too, roaming the perimeter fence line and alerting him and his fellow Marines when anyone came near.

"I'd been telling my wife about these dogs and she finally said, Fine. I know these dogs mean a lot to you. Bring as many home as you can. So, we did, Watkins said.

Watkins and his team started exploring ways to get the dogs back to the states, and thats when they learned about Operation Baghdad Pups.

An email to the project coordinator set the plan in motion. The Marines did some paperwork and the dogs were scooped up.

It was really the SPCA that did most of the work, Watkins said. We just corralled them into an area and they loaded them into a truck and off they went to Baghdad.

Watkins said he was proud of the fact that he was able to take as many as he could.

The dogs will have companions and a large area to play, which Watkins hopes will help with the socialization process and transition to a new life.

They werent really treated well over there by the locals, so theyre not really big people dogs out there, but a few of them really warmed up to us and I think thats because we were nice to them, Watkins said.An ex-Marine was convicted on five counts of first-degree murder Wednesday in the slayings of five Southern California women, serial killings that began with the fatal stabbing of a college student and continued for a decade.

Andrew Urdiales, 53, faces the death penalty after his conviction on charges that included a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait. The penalty phase begins Tuesday.

He was earlier sentenced to death in Illinois for the murders of three prostitutes there, but he was re-sentenced to life in prison after capital punishment was outlawed in Illinois.

The Illinois triple-murder case brought him to the attention of investigators looking into the Southern California cases. Urdiales was arrested in 1997 on suspicion of killing an Orange County woman when he was a Marine at Camp Pendleton. He also is accused of killing four other women, in Riverside and San Diego counties, when he was stationed at Twenty-Nine Palms.

Urdiales' attorneys claimed that childhood trauma and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder left him incapable of controlling his anger, meaning that Urdiales did not plan the murders before committing them. Instead, they argued for implied malice, which would lead to a second-degree murder conviction, which would make him ineligible for the death penalty.

Jurors began deliberating about 4 p.m. Thursday, but then got off to a late start Monday when a panelist had to be replaced. The jury began again at 11 a.m. Monday and reached verdicts about 3:30 Tuesday afternoon.

The former U.S. Marine is accused of killing:

23-year-old Robbin Brandley as she walked to her car following a concert on Jan. 18, 1986, at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo;

29-year-old Julie McGhee on July 17, 1988, in Cathedral City;

31-year-old Maryann Wells on Sept. 25, 1988, in San Diego;

20-year-old Tammie Erwin on April 16, 1989, in Palm Springs; and

32-year-old Denise Maney on March 11, 1995, in Palm Springs.

The California serial killings from 1986 to 1995 began with an attack on a Saddleback College student, according to investigators. The body of Robbin Brandley was found in a school parking lot, stabbed 41 times. She had been working earlier than night as an usher at a campus event.

"I have so many beautiful memories of Robbin and for many years the horribleness of how she died crept into my life and everybody who loved her," Maria Forrest, the victim's friend, said.

The case went cold for years, during which the bodies of several women with ties to prostitution were found in remote and secluded parts of Riverside and San Diego counties. A break came in 1996 when Chicago police investigating the deaths of three women in Illinois learned that a man later identified as Urdiales had been pulled over with a revolver in his car in Indiana.

That revolver was matched to bullets found in the bodies of the three victims in Illinois.

It was Urdiales who then told Chicago detectives that they also might want to ask him about people in California, Orange County prosecutors said in opening statements. He subsequently spoke with Orange County investigators, and he was charged in 1997 in connection with the California slayings.

Authorities say in that 19997 confession, he gave them graphic details of a case only the killer would know, shocking family and friends. Authorities said he recounted Brandley wore, how she dropped her keys, and even the color of her purse.

Urdiales was extradited to California following trials in Illinois.Criticism is mounting for D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's plan to help ease rising water bills after a News4 I-Team investigation exposed how a growing fee is threatening churches, non-profits and other groups across the District.

Just one day after religious leaders representing hundreds of churches, synagogues and cemeteries flooded D.C. Council to express concern, the reality of the mayor's math is setting in.

"Well it's disappointing, to be honest," said Craig Muckle, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Washington. "We have to do a lot of work on this to make our point heard and to see how we can move the needle even more."

There's been widespread criticism, even from council members, saying the $6 million Bowser promised isn't nearly enough to attack the problem of rising water bills.

Bowser plans to create a hardship fund to subsidize bills, but the I-Team has learned nearly 75 percent of the money would be off-limits to the nonprofits, churches and cemeteries who've been hurt the most.

Last fall, a News4 I-Team investigation showed how some churches and cemeteries are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars a year just for one fee called the Clean Rivers Impervious Area Charge.

The fee, enacted to fund construction of tunnels to keep sewage out of our rivers, has grown exponentially in the past few years. Some smaller churches now have water bills higher than their monthly mortgage payments, and have had to cut community programs.

"You need to feel the pain that we feel," the Rev. Clarence Cross testified during Tuesday's hearing.

During the hearing, the mayor's budget director, Jenny Reed, unveiled specific details of the proposed hardship program, including that the bulk of the money, $8.5 million, would be earmarked for residents only.

According to data reviewed by the I-Team, the majority of residents pay the lowest rate for the Clean Rivers fee, $25.18 per month.

"The administration believes that targeted relief for low and moderate income residential rate payers and non-profits that demonstrate a hardship is a more beneficial policy," Reed testified during the hearing.

But there's been a widespread call for the District to pay $40 million after the I-Team revealed the largest areas creating stormwater runoff  public roads, sidewalks and alleys  have all been exempt from the fee since its inception.

A consultant recommended the exemption, and DC Water approved it a decade ago, with little discussion.

Reed testified that the District could find no other city that pays a fee for the impervious area of its roadways.

"I don't really care if no other place does it, I'm asking whether we should do it, because maybe that would be fairer," responded Councilwoman Mary Cheh, who hosted the hearing.

Cheh has held several hearings and engaged the community in trying to find sources of revenue to offset the Clean Rivers fee.

Possibilities include renegotiating a federal consent decree mandating the reduction of sewage overflows, increasing the contribution from surrounding communities outside the District, even finding a way to charge developers or tourists who also benefit from cleaner rivers.

"It's clear that the hardship is real and it's severe, and the way DC Water has allocated this fee is inequitable and unfair," said Cheh. "And so we need to get to some solutions."

Former DC Water Board member Alan Roth, who served on the rates committee when the fee was enacted, told Cheh the council needs to "take the bull by the horns" and that the mayor's $6 million proposal is "wholly inadequate."

"The mayor's plan really strikes me as a sham," Roth told the I-Team, adding that he believes the public roads exemption should be revoked.

"If the council came up with the $40 million or so," said Roth, "then everybody's bills would go down very, very substantially."

How substantially? The I-Team calculated and DC Water confirmed the Clean Rivers fee would drop, for all customers, by about 40 percent.

But Reed told the I-Team $6 million is all the District can spare.

"We have to look at all the needs across the city as we're determining how we're going to allocate those funds," said Reed. "It's not an unlimited pot of money, unfortunately."

If the budget is approved as is, 6,000 or so nonprofits and churches would have to share about $3 million. The District estimates about half of those would apply for the help.

"That's literally $1,000 give or take on average; that's not real relief in our minds," said Muckle.

"What is the will of the council to kick this back to the mayor and say this is not going to work?" the Rev. Keith Byrd of Zion Baptist Church pressed Cheh and Elissa Silverman, the only other council member present for the hearing.

Cheh told the I-Team she will try to eek out additional money from the mayor's proposed budget before next week's council vote, but she acknowledged that won't come anywhere near $40 million.A homeless shelter that has been a staple in the Old Town section of Alexandria for three decades is getting ready for a big move -- but it's only temporary.

Carpenter's Shelter will leave its location at 930 N. Henry Street next month and move into the former Macy's at the now-shuttered Landmark Mall.

The once-iconic mall has been slated for redevelopment for years, but there have been delays in getting the project going. In the meantime, Carpenter's Shelter worked with the Howard Hughes Corporation, the owners of the property, to use the empty space on Duke Street temporarily.

But what does it take to turn a department store into a place where people can live?

Turns out, a lot of coordination.

"It's been an interesting challenge, in and of itself," Executive Director Shannon Steene smiled.

Construction crews have been working since March to convert 16,000 square feet on the second floor of the Macy's building into a space that can serve the more than 600 homeless and formerly homeless children and adults whom Carpenter's Shelter sees each year.

The space, which once housed clothing and jewelry displays, will have six family rooms, four rooms for single men and two rooms for single women. The Landmark location will also include David's Place, a day shelter for the chronically homeless, as well as showers, laundry facilities, a medical clinic and all the year-round support services offered at the shelter's N. Henry Street location.

HH Logistics Planning, a project management firm, is helping the shelter anticipate everything it will need to pick up its 24-hour operation and move it all nearly six miles without interruptions.

Steene says the facility's staff has also been working with residents, guests and volunteers to get them ready for the change early next month.

"Any time you have a transition of this scope and of this nature, there's likely to be some anxieties. We've had a special sensitivity for how our residents and those we serve are thinking about this."

Steene says he is concerned about how the change will affect guests, especially the chronically homeless who use services such as Dave's Place during the day.

"We've been such a source of stability for them. If all else fails, they knew that Carpenter's is here, that they could come and access services and support. And we will still be able to provide services and support to them. It'll just be in a different location."

Steene says the shelter has also worked with the city to make sure the people they serve have the transportation they need to get to the shelter and around the city. Some shelter residents have their own cars, but many rely on public transportation.

"There is a bus depot existing at Landmark, so we're going to continue to work with them and make sure people have the ability to get around as best as possible," Steene said.

Residents pay for their own transportation, but the shelter does assist them, as needed. Carpenter's has also arranged to have a daily shuttle for guests who use the day shelter.

The move will allow the shelter to launch its own redevelopment initiative, which will begin with the demolition of its current building.

"In order to take it down, we don't have the ability to go dark for a year and a half," Steene said.

The shelter expects to stay at Landmark for 18 months while its current home is replaced with a 7-story building and underground parking.

"Carpenter's Shelter will be the primary use on the main floor of that building and then above us will be 97 units of affordable housing," Steene said.

Steene says 10 of the 97 units will be set aside as permanent supportive housing units, small efficiency apartments that would be affordable for those who are chronically homeless and living on disability incomes.

As for residents who already call the West End home, Steene says he's encountered two main concerns: whether children moving to the Landmark location will affect the population at neighborhood schools and whether the move will slow the redevelopment of Landmark Mall.

Steene explained homeless children are legally allowed to stay at their home schools, no matter their current address. As for the redevelopment of Landmark Mall, Steene says the shelter will not slow any progress on that project.

The mall closed in February 2017, with Macy's closing its doors a few months later. Sears, which is owned by Seritage, is the only store still open on the property.

The Howard Hughes Corporation has plans to turn the mall into a mixed-use property with apartments, shops and restaurants. According to a page on the City of Alexandria's website, the Howard Hughes Corporation is currently in talks with Seritage about incorporating the Sears site into those plans.

To ensure the shelter does not affect redevelopment plans at the mall, Carpenter's lease at the site will expire in 2019.

"Once they find out it won't affect the redevelopment of Landmark or the population of the schools, they're on board," he said.Maryland Rep. Anthony Brown has a message for his community after suffering a minor stroke almost two weeks ago.

Brown returned to work Tuesday -- just 12 days after the health scare.

"I was more tired than expected, but the doctors said, 'Hey, take one day at a time, one step at a time,'" Brown told News4.

Brown had attended the funeral of his friend Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenentz on May 11.

When he got home, something didn't feel right.

"All of a sudden, the room started spinning and I sort of lost balance. I thought it was maybe just temporary, but after, you know, about 10 seconds I realized this wasn't going away," Brown said.

Doctors at the University of Maryland Prince George's Hospital said it was a minor stroke.

"When the doctor told me, it was quite emotional because I had never really given a lot of thought to a stroke and what it is, how it happens," Brown said.



The stroke also shocked many who know the 56-year-old Democratic congressman and assumed he was in good health.

Brown wasn't paralyzed, but the stroke has affected his equilibrium and balance.

"I wouldn't go out and ride a bicycle today," he said.

Brown has been working nonstop since he was elected Maryland Lieutenant Governor alongside Martin O'Malley in 2007. After an unsuccessful run for governor, he won his race for Congress in Maryland's 4th District.

He says he has neglected some things that he's paying more attention to now.

"For me, it's cholesterol and sodium. So, those are changes I'm making, learning it can be healthy and taste good too," Brown said.

Brown says he intends to make other lifestyle changes such as spending more time with his family and taking more breaks in his day.



"Stress in and of itself is not a risk factor for a stroke, but stress often results in us ignoring the risk factors," Brown said. "We are in stressful, busy lives so we forget to focus on healthy eating. We are in stressful, busy lives so we forget to focus on fitness."

Brown said he wants his experience to also be a lesson to his constituents to take care of their health. The Centers for Disease Control says African Americans are more likely to die from stroke than Caucasians and the risk of having a first stroke is nearly twice as high for African Americans.

For more information on the risks and symptoms of stroke, check here.A Rhode Island family needs the public's help in finding the thief who took their car, along with a medical device for their son.

Alexandra Monterio told WJAR-TV she left her Lexus briefly unattended outside the family's Pawtucket home on Rhodes Street on Wednesday morning so that she could help her son, who is using crutches.

When Monterio went back outside, the car was gone, along with many valuable items.

"My son's backpack. His glasses. His laptop for school. His machine that's very important to me," Monteiro said to WJAR-TV.

She said the medical device for her 16-year-old son, Joelante, is needed for a surgery he recently had.

"He needs that machine to lengthen his bones... for his legs to be even," she said.

Monterio said before she went inside the house, she only saw a teenager around. She told police that the teenager had light skin and long hair. He was wearing a black hoodie and black pants.

The Rhode Island license plate of the family's stolen maroon Lexus is A-F 877. Anyone with information on the vehicle or suspect is urged to contact police.Three people have been arrested in connection with a New Hampshire shooting on Wednesday.

Merrimack police say Jackson Crawford, 22, of Merrimack, shot another man near the Mill Street boat ramp around 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Police were searching for Crawford, who was considered armed and dangerous.

Crawford was located walking with two other people who are believed to have been in the car at the time of the shooting. Crawford, along with Robert Brown, 18, of Nashua, and a 17-year-old juvenile, were taken into custody on Daniel Webster Highway.

Crawford was charged with attempted murder, robbery with a deadly weapon, and first-degree assault with a deadly weapon.

It's unclear what charges the juvenile is facing.

Brown was charged with robbery with a deadly weapon, falsifying physical evidence, and resisting arrest.

The victim, who was shot in the stomach, was taken to a Nashua hospital before being transferred to a Burlington, Massachusetts, hospital to treat his injuries. There was no update on his condition.

Police are trying to locate the vehicle that was involved in the shooting, described as an older model, possibly blue, Toyota Corolla. One window may be shattered, according to police.



No other information was immediately available.

The incident remains under investigation.

Crawford and Brown were scheduled to be arraigned Thursday at Hillsborough County Superior Court-South. The juvenile was scheudled to be arraigned in Juvenile Court. It's unclear if they have attorneys.

HARTFORD  Korean Ambassador Hyo-Sung Park on Wednesday said a nuclear-free Korean peninsula would be an economic boon for Connecticut, the U.S. and surrounding Asian countries.

"If the North Korean nuclear issue is resolved, and countries like Korea, China, Japan and the U.S. make investments in North Korea, it will offer a huge business opportunity that is in everyones best interest," said Consul General Park .

"If everything goes well, the Korean peninsula will be able to provide an explosion of business opportunities for domestic companies and companies from Connecticut," Park added.

The ambassador visited the state Capitol to meet with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, perhaps providing a welcome diversion from homegrown issues such as budget deficits that usually dominate the building.

The roughly half hour talk touched on subjects ranging from denuclearizing the Korean peninsula to expanding state export opportunities and a $5 billion casino resort the Mohegan Indians are building in Korea.

According to the U.S Census Bureau, Connecticut in 2017 sold $536 million worth of products to Korea, including aviation parts, electrical supplies and machinery. Korea is the 9th largest buyer of the states products.

Park, who repeatedly called Connecticut the "Number One State," noted 19,000 Korean-Americans make the state their home.

Kelly Donnelly, Malloys spokeswoman, said the governor had a "good meeting" with Park.

"The conversation focused a great deal on current geopolitical events as well as our trading relationship," Donnelly said. "It is important to ensure that this strong working relationship continues well into the future."

The visit came a day after Korean President Moon Jae-in met with President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss a range of issues, including a potential summit between Trump and North Koreas Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un.

Park called Tuesdays meeting between his president and Trump "successful" and pointed out both presidents assured North Korea it would be safe if the country abandons its controversial nuclear weapons program.

"Both leaders agreed to denuclearize the Korean peninsula and gave a security guarantee for North Korea if they agree to denuclearize," Park said.

"President Trump said he would guarantee [Jong-uns] safety," Park noted. "Countries like China, Korea and Japan are willing to help, and help make North Korea great."

Peter Gioia, an economist with the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, said Korea has long been an important customer for Connecticut products, and a nuclear free and peaceful North Korea would provide even more opportunities.

"If North Korea focuses on economy they could see dramatic growth in a peaceful trade-based environment," Gioia said. "They need everything, and they have hard working people. It could be a win-win situation."

James Watson, a spokesman for the state Department of Economic and Community Development, said some of the states biggest exports to Korea are electrical and industrial machinery, inorganic chemicals and articles of iron and steel.

"There are many strong links between Connecticut and Korea, particularly in the field of aerospace," Watson said.

A Korean aerospace delegation visited the states aerospace companies in September 2016 and United Technologies in February 2018 announced its providing key components for Koreas KF-X fighter jet, Watson noted.

Park said last years Connecticut exports represented a 47 percent increase compared to the prior year.

Gioia said its not unusual for ambassadors to call on American states and push a business-friendly message. "Diplomats do that a lot," he added.

Mohegan Sun/Korea

Asked about Malloy, Park heaped praise on the outgoing Democratic governor, who is not seeking a third term this fall.

"He is just a nice person and I had a productive discussion," Park said. "Korea is a trading partner and trade is booming. There is great potential for expanding trade between Korea and Connecticut."

"I praised the governor, the government and the Assemblys support and cooperation for the Korean community (in Connecticut), and asked for continued cooperation and support."

Park said the Mohegan Sun project represents a vast investment and undertaking.

"The Mohegan Sun is working on building a resort complex on east side of Korea," Park said. "Business relations between Connecticut and Korea are promising and prosperous."

The resort, dubbed Inspire, will be built in phases and features three hotel towers with 1,350 rooms, 20,000 square-feet of gambling space, including 1,500 slot machines and 250 table games, a 15,000-seat concert venue, retail shops, an amusement park and restaurants.

The casino will be located adjacent to Incheon International Airport near Seoul. The airport serves nearly 60 million passengers a year.

bcummings@ctpost.comConcerns over increased traffic in the still recovering town of New Fairfield, officials have decided to close Squantz Pond State Park and Candlewood Lake state boat launches this weekend.

Although Squantz Pond State Park reopened Monday, after nearly a week of cleanup following the May 15 storm, it will be closed to visitors on the Memorial Day weekend. The decision came after consultation with New Fairfield First Selectwoman Pat Del Monaco and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

While power has been restored to the park, much of New Fairfield is still recovering from last weeks storm, said Del Monaco. Due to catastrophic storm damage, our town cannot safely accommodate additional traffic on town roads at this time, including vehicles pulling boats.

I sincerely appreciate the DEEP and the publics understanding while we continue to clean up from the storm and we look forward to welcoming visitors to Squantz Pond State Park in the near future.

Over the years, New Fairfield officials have complained to DEEP about the large crowds that visit the state park. Since the park has only 250 parking spaces, people have parked vehicles on local roads. The state and town have long disagreed over whose responsibility it is to monitor walk-ins. DEEP officials have argued that New Fairfield failed to enforce parking laws, and the state police have suggested that the town pay for additional troopers to patrol the park and its neighborhood.

Its likely the park would draw more visitors because its a holiday weekend. Its also the first holiday DEEP will no longer charge Connecticut residents for parking at all state parks.

The change was made under the Passport to the Parks law that charges an additional $10 fee has been added to the two-year registration renewal for all non-commercial motor vehicles.

Out-of-state drivers, however, still have to pay for parking.

Other state parks that are closed because of storm damage include Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden and Wharton Brook State Park in Wallingford.

To make sure people stay out of those parks, there will be additional patrols by the DEEP Environmental Conservation Police. People attempting to enter could face fines or arrest.

DEEP said the campground at Kettletown State Park, closed since the May 15 tornado, will reopen at noon on Friday. However, parts of Kettletown will continue be closed to the public.

We are pleased to announce that Kettletown State Park will reopen in time for the Memorial Day weekend, DEEP Commissioner Robert Klee said in a statement. This is truly a credit to the hard working women and men of DEEP who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to get this park ready for holiday weekend.

As an alternative to the parks that remain closed, DEEP reminds visitors that other neighboring state parks are available:

Nearby parks to Sleeping Giant and Wharton Brook State Parks include: West Rock Ridge in Hamden and New Haven and Wadsworth Falls in Middlefield.

Nearby parks to Squantz Pond State Park include: Putnam Memorial in Redding and Bennets Pond Ridgefield.

Nearby boat launches to Squantz Pond State Park include the Lattins Cove (Candlewood Lake) State boat launch in Danbury, the Lake Lillinonah State boat launch in Bridgewater, and the Pond Brook (Lake Lillinonah) State boat launch in Newtown.NEWTOWN - The defamation lawsuit against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, brought by six families who lost loved ones in the Sandy Hook School shooting, is Newtowns latest response in their years-long battle against those who contend the massacre was a hoax.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday against the Texas-based talk show host and other extremists, brought by the six families and an FBI agent who investigated the 2012 massacre, follows a similar suit brought against Jones in April by two families who lost children in the worst crime in Connecticut history.

Jones and the other defendants have developed, amplified and perpetuated claims that the Sandy Hook massacre was staged and that the 26 families who lost loves ones that day are paid actors who faked their relatives deaths, reads a statement released by the FBI agent and the six families. Joness actions subjected the families and survivors of the Sandy Hook shooting to physical confrontations and harassment, death threats and personal attacks on social media.

The agent and families are suing for unspecified damages, they said, because Alex Jones and his co-conspirators engineered and maintained this campaign for a simple reason: greed.

Jones did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

In April, Neil Heslin, the father of slain student Jesse Lewis, and Leonard Pozner and Veronique De La Rosa, the parents of slain student Noah Pozner, each sued Jones for more than $1 million in damages for claiming, among other things, that the murder of 20 first graders and six educators at Sandy Hook was staged, synthetic, manufactured, a giant hoax and completely fake with actors, with inside job written all over it.

In Wednesdays suit, families accuse Jones of saying, among other things, that:

It took me about a year with Sandy Hook to come to grips with the fact that the whole thing was fake. I mean, even I couldnt believe it. I knew they jumped on it, used the crisis, hyped it up, but then I did deep research and, my gosh, it just pretty much didnt happen.

Jones is accused of defaming the families on his on his web-based program, InfoWars.

While the nation recoiled at the terrible reality of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Alex Jones saw an opportunity, said the families attorney, Josh Koskoff in a prepared statement. He went on a sustained attack that has lasted for years, accusing shattered family members of being actors, stating as fact that the shooting itself was a hoax and inciting others to act on these malicious lies.

The families are Jacqueline and Mark Barden, Nicole and Ian Hockley, Francine and David Wheeler, and Jennifer Hensel and Jeremy Richman - all who lost first-graders in the massacre. The other two families are Donna Soto, Carlee Soto-Parisi, Carlos Soto and Jillian Soto, who lost first-grade teacher Victoria Leigh Soto, and Erica Lafferty-Garbatini, who lost her mother, Sandy Hook School Principal Dawn Hochsprung. William Aldenberg, an FBI agent and first responder, is also suing.

(Jones) knew his claims were false but he made them anyway to further a simple but pathetic goal: to make money by tearing away at the families pain, Koskoff said. This lawsuit seeks to hold Alex Jones and his financial network accountable for those disgraceful actions.

Although Sandy Hook families have been harassed by lone extremists in the past, Jones became Newtowns focus early last year after the election of Donald Trump, when Jones bragged that the new president had called to thank him for his support.

In response, the Newtown Board of Education wrote to Trump, asking him to stop Jones and other hoaxers like him.

The White House did not respond.

Jones made headlines again in June when he was booked to speak with Megyn Kelly on a prime time Sunday night show. The nonprofit Sandy Hook Promise took the lead in calling for NBC to cancel the show to keep Jones extremist views from gaining prime time exposure.

Sandy Hook Promise dropped Kelly as the emcee of its Washington, D.C., gala, but Jones went on as scheduled.

Koskoff, who is also representing 10 Sandy Hook families in a separate lawsuit against the maker of the rifle used in the massacre, said at the time that Jones had weaponized his radio show.

Also in June a Florida woman named Lucy Richards was sentenced to five months in prison for threats to Pozner and Heslin that were linked to conspiracy theories publicized on Jones InfoWars show.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342The After School Arts Program in Washington, which serves northwestern Connecticut, has received a grant in the amount of $12,000 from The Connecticut Office of the Arts, part of the Department of Economic and Community Development which helped to fund the Inter-district and Community Dance programs for Newtown and Danbury residents.

The two programs culminated in two special performances with world-renowned dance company Pilobolus in two full-scale performances at Danbury High School on Jan. 6.The Community Culinary School of Northwest Connecticut in New Milford will offer summer cooking classes, Cooking as a Life Skill, for children ages 8 and older.

The summer classes will include four five-day sessions: Aug. 6-10 and Aug. 13-17 from 9:30 a.m. to noon or 1:30 to 4 p.m.In a new study, researchers found significant associations between seniors' long-term exposure to two types of air pollution and hospitalization for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The study was presented at the 2018 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

ARDS is a rapidly progressive disease that occurs in critically ill patients. The disease's most serious complication is that fluid leaks into the lungs making breathing difficult or impossible. ARDS develops in patients with predisposing conditions such as sepsis, pneumonia, traumatic injury, and aspiration. The elderly population is at particularly high risk of developing ARDS and the ARDS mortality rate for elderly patients has been reported to be around 69 percent to 80 percent.

"While there is growing evidence of the impact on lung health of numerous air pollutants, there have been few studies that have looked at acute respiratory diseases and air pollution across large populations," said lead author Jongeun Rhee, ScD, of the T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts.

Dr. Rhee and colleagues examined data from nearly 30 million Medicare beneficiaries ( age 65) per year discharged from American hospitals from 2000 through 2012. They tracked by zip code admissions due to an ARDS diagnosis. The researchers then computed annual average air concentrations of PM 2.5 , pollution-causing particles that are about 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair, and annual average ozone concentrations for these zip codes from April through September. They developed statistical models that enabled them to make associations between air pollution levels and ARDS hospitalizations, and adjusted their calculations to compensate for differences in weather, race, socioeconomic status and smoking status.

Dr. Rhee's team found statistically significant associations between yearly change in PM 2.5 and ozone concentrations and yearly change in hospital admission rates for ARDS among the nation's seniors. Hospital admissions for ARDS increased with increases in PM 2.5 concentrations and increases associated with ozone levels as well. In low pollution regions, associations between chronic exposure to both PM 2.5 and ozone had stronger associations compared to the entire U.S.

"We highlighted the importance of air pollution as an environmental risk factor for ARDS, which has not been studied widely but contributed to a previous finding that was limited to ozone," said Dr. Rhee. "Most importantly, we found increased hospital admission rates even when seniors were exposed to levels below current annual National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM 2.5 (12.

Dr. David Christiani, the study's senior author, stated that: "Our findings are unique in showing that the adverse health effects of air pollution on our senior citizens now include acute respiratory failure and that an increase in hospitalization for ARDS in seniors occurs at the current U.S. air pollution standards. These results add to the growing body of literature on various adverse health effects at current standards that demonstrate a need to lower our exposure limits."

Source: http://www.thoracic.org/One in five parents did not feel that their child with food allergy was safe while at school, according to results of a national survey published in BMC Pediatrics. While most of the 289 parents surveyed reported that their child's school had implemented at least one food allergy policy, they felt that more could be done. Nearly 95 percent of the parents surveyed wanted stock epinephrine to be available in school, so that a life-threatening reaction to food could be treated immediately. Most parents also felt that school lunch menus should display allergen information (65 percent reported that this was not done) and that ingredient labels on food items are needed (87 percent reported that ingredient labels were not available). They also wanted to see schools provide more food allergy education for students (72 percent reported no food allergy education for students).

"Our study helps identify key policy areas that parents would like to see implemented in schools across the country to improve the safety of their children with food allergies," says senior author Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, who also is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Food allergy affects nearly 6 million children in the U.S. and up to two students in every classroom may be allergic to common foods like peanuts or milk. Currently, the primary management approach for people with food allergy is to avoid accidental exposure to the food allergen.

"Thorough review of ingredients in all food and drink products prior to consumption is a core strategy for food allergen avoidance and prevention of severe allergic reactions," says Dr. Gupta. "This is why implementation of ingredient labeling policies in school lunchrooms should be prioritized in order to protect students with food allergies."

The U.S. Department of Education has not established policy recommendations for management of food allergy in schools. While voluntary guidelines have been developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are significant differences in food allergy policies implemented in schools.

"We need more research to identify the food allergy policies that are most effective in creating a safer space at school for students with food allergy," says Dr. Gupta.A cheap and effective tool that could save lives by helping health authorities target mosquitos infected with Zika virus has been developed by researchers from the University of Queensland and colleagues in Brazil.

Dr Maggy Sikulu-Lord and Dr Jill Fernandes, at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, found Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) was 18-times faster and 110-times cheaper than the current detection method.

We can quickly identify mosquitoes that are infected with Zika virus so public health authorities can treat affected areas before disease spreads to humans, Dr Sikulu-Lord said.

This is definitely going to be a game-changer in disease surveillance, especially in the prediction of disease outbreaks.

It only involves shining a beam of light onto mosquitoes and using that information to determine if the mosquito is infected.

Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that can cause abnormalities in unborn babies and is linked to the rare paralysing condition called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS).

Dr Sikulu-Lord hopes the World Health Organisation will use NIRS in countries where Zika is endemic.

We hope public health authorities can use it to predict future disease outbreaks and save lives by treating mosquito populations in time.

She said the technology had potential to detect a number of diseases.

We hope to have results for detecting dengue and malaria in mosquitoes in the next few months.

We dont think it will eradicate diseases but it will give us the ability to detect diseases quickly so that we can stop disease outbreaks.

So far, NIRS technology has been shown to have a 94 to 99 per cent accuracy rate in identifying infected mosquitoes under laboratory conditions in Brazil.

The team, which includes researchers Dr Rafael de Freitas and his team (Fiocrus, Rio de Janeiro) Dr John Beier (University of Miami) and Dr Floyd Dowell (USDA), is testing the accuracy of the technique under field conditions in Rio de Janeiro.

This work is supported by the Combating Zika and Future Threats Grand Challenge. Grand Challenges Canadas Stars for Global Health, funded by the Government of Canada, provided funding for pilot data collection.

This product is made possible through the generous support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of The University of Queensland and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USAID or the United States Government.According to health officials at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), popular teething remedies for babies may not be free from dangers. The officials in their statement this Wednesday (23rd May 2018), say these remedies normally contain a numbing agent that numbes the gums of the babies and prevent teething woes. The FDA has urged the makers of such remedies to stop the sales of such products.

Image Credit: Tolikoff Photography

At present several gels and creams are being sold to parents of babies and toddlers who are teething. These gels and creams contain the drug benzocaine that is a local anesthetic gel and can numb the area stopping the pain. Benzocaine has been found to have deadly adverse effects especially when used in children below the age of two say the officials. For the past decade, the agency has been urging parents not to buy these products for their babies because of the reports of deaths and illnesses associated with the use of these teething gels and creams.

Now they want these products completely off the market. We urge parents, caregivers and retailers who sell them to heed our warnings and not use over-the-counter products containing benzocaine for teething pain, said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb in his statement. The FDA has warned companies of legal action if these products are not removed from the market and their sales are not stopped for babies. Manufacturers would be complying soon with these new directives.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), oral teething gels or creams are not of much use because they get washed away in saliva in a few minutes. The AAP does not recommend these gels and suggests teething rings and massaging the gums to ease the teething pain.

Benzocaine is found to cause a rare blood disorder methhemoglobinemia, that is associated with severe and often fatal breathing problems. It can cause lowering of oxygenation in the body and lead to shortness of breath, rapid heart rates and headaches.

Benzocaine, a local anesthetic agent is also found in over-the-counter products that are used for mouth sores, mouth ulcers, toothaches, cold sores etc. They are sold as brands Orajel and Anbesol for adults. These products may remain on the shelves for adults say the FDA. However the labels of these products need to carry appropriate warnings against use in babies and toddlers. At present the package of Baby Orajel says, Instant relief for teething pain.

According to Church and Dwight Co. Inc., makers of this product based in New Jersey yesterday, they would stop the further production of the four different Orajel teething brands as well as Orajel Medicated Teething Swabs. Other Orajel products that are meant for adult use would not be stopped, the spokesperson added.

The FDA warnings regarding benzocaine in baby teething products have been issued in the past in 2006, 2011 and 2014. Between 2009 and 2017 there have been 119 cases of the rare blood disorder associated with benzocaine including deaths of four babies associated with the use of benzocaine. These have all prompted the directive on removal of these products.Social media often features celebrities drinking cocktails, boozy how-to posts, and party pictures. This is the environment American teens are immersed in every day, with 71 percent of teens using more than one social media site, spending an average of nine hours a day using media. Despite the popularity of social media and alcohol-filled posts, little is known about the influence social media activity can have on teen and young adult and drinking behaviors.

Penn Medicine researchers, led by Brenda Curtis, PhD, an assistant professor of Psychology in Psychiatry in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, reviewed data on these topics and found a statistically significant relationship and moderate effect sizes between alcohol related social media engagement and both alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems. The meta-analysis findings were published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research this week.

Curtis and colleagues identified 19 articles for the meta-analysis, representing data from more than 9,000 social media users across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. The analysis examined associations between young adults' alcohol-related social-media activity--defined as posting, liking, commenting on, and viewing of alcohol-related content on social media--and their reported drinking behaviors and problems. The drinking measures evaluated included alcohol consumption and problems such as regret after drinking, blacking out, and sustaining injuries while drinking.

About 57 percent of young adults and 9.2 percent of adolescents consumed alcohol in the past month. Despite the pervasive use of social media and alcohol consumption by young adults, little is known about the potential influence engagement with social media can have on this group's drinking patterns and risk of alcohol-related problems.

"Substance use, particularly alcohol, is frequently displayed on social media sites--this normalizes drinking for teens and young adults," Curtis said. "To date, reviews have considered drinking behavior in relation to risky behavior, such as binge drinking, or advertising content, rather than focusing on alcohol-related social media engagement. This meta-analysis allowed us to examine the relationship between alcohol-themed social media activity and alcohol consumption or alcohol-related problems in young adults."

Through evaluating the selected data, Curtis and team uncovered a moderate strength of relationship across all 19 studies. The analysis showed a correlation between alcohol-related social media engagement and alcohol consumption. Additionally, the research showed a statistically significant relationship between social media engagement and alcohol-related problems. However, the direction of these associations remains unknown.

"Further research to necessary so we can better understand the cause and relationship between social media and alcohol consumption," Curtis said. "This is especially important given that social-media sites can expose adolescents and young adults to alcohol content and marketing. This exposure may increase the likelihood of their drinking. Additional research can help determine the causal direction of these associations, which could provide opportunities for social-media-based interventions with young drinkers that incorporate machine learning, aimed at reducing alcohol consumption and alcohol-related issues."Recovery after severe spinal cord injury is notoriously fraught, with permanent paralysis often the result. In recent years, researchers have increasingly turned to stem cell-based therapies as a potential method for repairing and replacing damaged nerve cells. They have struggled, however, to overcome numerous innate barriers, including myelin, a mixture of insulating proteins and lipids that helps speed impulses through adult nerve fibers but also inhibits neuronal growth.

But in a new paper, published in the May 23 online issue of Science Translational Medicine, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that adult rat myelin actually stimulated axonal outgrowth in rat neural precursor cells (NPCs) and human induced pluripotent (iPSC)-derived neural stem cells (NSCs).

"It's really a remarkable finding because myelin is known to be a potent inhibitor of adult axon regeneration," said Mark Tuszynski, MD, PhD, professor of neuroscience and director of the UC San Diego Translational Neuroscience Institute. "But that isn't the case with precursor neurons or those derived from stem cells."

Tuszynski's lab, with colleagues in Germany and Singapore, monitored neurite outgrowth from NPCs and NSCs growing on a myelin substrate in Petri dishes. Neurites are projections from the cell bodies of neurons, either axons (which carry signals outward to other neurons) or dendrites (which receive the signals). In both cases, they found outgrowth enhanced threefold.

In subsequent studies using rats with spinal cord injuries, the researchers found that rat NPCs and human iPSC-derived NSCs implanted at the injury site both extended greater numbers of axons through adult central nervous system white matter than through gray matter, and preferentially associated with rat host myelin.

Paring away some of the myelin molecules known to strongly inhibit axonal growth, Tuszynski and colleagues identified a molecule called neuronal growth regulator 1 or Negr1 as a potential mediator between axons and myelin, permitting the former's growth. Negr1 is involved in the process by which cells attach to neighboring cells and interact. The growth factor plays an important role during embryological development, when neurons are growing rapidly but before myelin begins to have an inhibitory effect.

"When we implant neural stem cells into sites of spinal cord injury, they extend tens of thousands of axons out of the injury site for distances of up to 50 millimeters," said Tuszynski. "Adult axons on the other hand, when coaxed to grow, extend 100 axons for a distance of one millimeter. These findings identify why axon outgrowth from neural stem cell implants is so much better than injured adult axons."

The findings support the developing approach of using neural precursor cells and iPSC-derived stem cells as a viable and promising method for repairing spinal cord injuries, wrote the study authors. More specifically, they point to the need to further investigate the stimulatory effects of myelin on NPCs and NSCs, which "could potentially be exploited for neural repair after spinal cord injury."Authorities in Hamburg said Wednesday they would ban some diesel vehicles from two major arteries to improve air quality, making the German port city the first to take the long-feared step. "Driving limits for older diesel vehicles can now come into force as planned" thanks to a decision by a top court, the city-state's government said in a statement. A 1,600-metre (one mile) section of the Stresemannstrasse highway in the Altona district will be closed to older diesel trucks from May 31.

Meanwhile both diesel-powered trucks and cars that do not meet the latest Euro 6 emissions standards will be banned from a 580-metre stretch of another major and heavily polluted road, the Max-Brauer-Allee. Exemptions will be allowed for local residents and businesses as well as for delivery vehicles, ambulances and rubbish trucks.

Also Read: Fuel Prices Reaches All-Time High: Top 5 Affordable CNG Cars to Buy in India

The late February decision by Germany's top administrative court that cities could ban older diesels from certain roads to cut pollution has set drivers on edge. Government officials have been scrambling for ways to improve air quality without imposing bans. They fear exclusion zones could disrupt citizens' lives and the economy as well as taking a massive bite out of the resale value of older diesels.

"We have a very concrete set of measures with the clear aim of cleaning up the air without limiting mobility," such as subsidies for electric vehicles and hardware refits to older diesel bus fleets, Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper Wednesday.

While some 66 cities exceeded air pollution limits last year, Berlin aims to bring the number down "very quickly into the single digits," he said. But sales of diesel cars have already slumped, following years of scandal around millions of vehicles rigged by car giant Volkswagen to fool regulators' emissions checks -- with suspicion falling on other carmakers as well.

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So far the government has rejected the idea of forcing automakers to pay to refit older diesels to meet the latest emissions standards. It is "not in our interest to weaken the car industry with political measures so that it has no ability to invest in its own future," Chancellor Angela Merkel told parliament last week.

Germany's concern for its car industry finds short shrift in Brussels, where the European Commission said last week it was taking Germany and five other member nations to court over their failure to meet the bloc's air quality standards.Frankfurt Am Main: Germany's largest lender Deutsche Bank said On Thursday it will slash over 7,000 jobs globally and dramatically scale back its investment banking activities as it seeks to turn the page on years of losses.

The announcement fell on the same day as the bank's annual general meeting, where newly appointed chief executive Christian Sewing tried to reassure investors Deutsche is ready to do what it takes to return to profitability.

"We are not yet where we should be. Therefore we must act, and we must act swiftly and forcefully," Sewing told a sceptical audience in Frankfurt.

In a statement ahead of the meeting, Deutsche said the number of full-time positions globally would fall from 97,000 "to well below 90,000", adding that the personnel reductions were already underway.

Deutsche did not mention which countries would be affected, but said a quarter of the jobs in its equities and sales trading business would be scrapped.

The jobs cull is the first big decision taken by Sewing, who unexpectedly replaced CEO John Cryan in early April.

Sewing had already signalled he was planning deep cuts at Deutsche's trouble-plagued investment banking arm, and shift the focus to more stable business activities such as retail banking, particularly in Europe.

"We remain committed to our corporate and investment bank and our international presence," Sewing said.

"We are Europe's alternative in the international financing and capital markets business. However, we must concentrate on what we truly do well." As part of the revamp, Deutsche said it will reduce the investment bank's exposures by over 100 billion euros (USD 117 billion), or around 10 per cent.

Deutsche also plans to step up its cost-cutting drive, aiming to reduce adjusted costs to 22 billion euros in 2019, compared with 23 billion this year.

"Overall, we see today's announcement as the right step," JPMorgan analysts said in a client note.

Investors were unimpressed however, with Deutsche shares plunging 4.7 per cent to 10.38 euros by 1545 GMT, against a DAX index of leading German shares down 0.6 per cent.

The mood was testy at today's shareholder gathering, which saw investors vent their anger over the bank's poor earnings results, high bonus payouts and last month's turbulent leadership reshuffle.

Former CEO Cryan was unceremoniously ousted after coming under growing pressure from leading shareholders and supervisory board chief Paul Achleitner, who accused the Briton of taking too long to get the financial giant back on track after it posted its third year of losses in 2017.

Sewing, a Deutsche veteran, has vowed to refocus Deutsche on retail banking and asset management, seen as more stable sources of income, while slimming down its share trading and other investment banking activities.

In corporate banking, Deutsche plans to slash its commitment to the United States and Asia, and focus more on Germany and Europe.

Other items on Deutsche's restructuring to-do list include fully integrating subsidiary Postbank into its German retail banking operations and further reducing its massive holdings of financial derivatives.

But Sewing struggled to win over the crowd in Frankfurt.

Ingo Speich, a fund manager at Union Investment, said the bank's state of health remained "worrying", likening Deutsche to a "giant with feet of clay".

"How can you cut back operations and reduce costs without massively losing market share and revenues?" he asked Sewing.

Deutsche's woes can in part be traced back to its bold attempt to compete with Wall Street investment banks in the years leading up to the financial crisis -- which left the German giant saddled with a toxic legacy of risky assets and costly legal challenges.

Although ex-boss Cryan was credited with neutralising the worst legal threats, including by paying billions in fines and compensation, he failed to drag the bank back into the black.

Deutsche even reported a bigger-than-expected net loss of 735 million euros in 2017, which it blamed mainly on US President Donald Trump's corporate tax reform.

By early 2018, disgruntled investors had driven the bank's share price to below half its 2015 level, prompting supervisory board chairman Achleitner to look for a new top manager.

Achleitner has since come in the firing line himself for overseeing years of failed strategies at the bank.

Shareholder advisor Hermes EOS said in a statement earlier this week that Deutsche should "start to consider plans for the succession of Paul Achleitner", calling for "more effective leadership and management stability" at the bank.New Delhi: Facing a prospect of being split into two, GAIL India on Thursday said it supports reforms like unbundling of gas marketing and transportation business but such a move globally has been done only after gas market has matured.

In a point by point rebuttal to critics, its Chairman and Managing Director B C Tripathi said GAIL is the only company in the country that has built multiple gas pipelines in last one decade while the private sector even after getting authorisation has not laid an inch.

Also, it has thrown open all of the 11,400-km of pipeline length to third parties for accessing on common carrier basis, he told reporters here.

In mature markets, monopoly gas transporting and marketing companies have been unbundled or split after the share of natural gas in energy mix has reached at least 15 per cent and a well-connected pipeline network built. Also, domestically produced natural gas forms bulk of consumption.

In India, the share of natural gas in energy mix is 6.2 per cent, its eastern and southern parts are not connected to any pipeline and domestically produced gas makes up for just 40 per cent of the consumption.

The Petroleum Ministry is looking at splitting GAIL into two firms to resolve the conflict of interest in it being both the transporter and marketer of natural gas.

While the ministry feels it hasn't done enough to lay pipelines, some industry players have sought access to GAIL's vast pipeline network for transporting their own gas.

Tripathi replied to both the counts by emphatically stating that "every inch of the pipeline built in the country in last few years has been by GAIL alone" and 120 entities are already using 25 per cent of the company's pipelines on common carrier basis.

GAIL also insists that it operates the two business at arms length principle and hasn't ever tried to use its monopolistic situation for undue commercial gains.

"Going forward, we will come up with a portal where capacity on our pipelines can be booked transparently," he said adding the company website already shows third-party access being given to all its pipelines on common carrier principle basis.

GAIL, he said, is a supporter of all reforms - be it the creation of a gas trading hub or unbundling.

"Unbundling can be done once the market matures," he said.

GAIL owns most of India's gas pipelines and more than two-thirds of the gas. The proposal under consideration is to split the firm into one gas marketing company and one company operating pipelines.

It is expected that GAIL will be allowed to retain its marketing business and the pipeline operations is to be hived off into a separate company with a view to encouraging gas use instead of dirtier fuels such as diesel and naphtha.

GAIL was created in 1984 by hiving off gas business out of ONGC. ONGC was producing oil and gas, and also transporting it. GAIL was hived off from ONGC for transportation of natural gas, and then slowly it also acquired the activities relating to the marketing of gas.

It is said that there is some conflict of interest between the same entity that carries out transportation of natural gas and also markets it.

Over a period of time, more players have come into gas marketing. Gujarat government entity GSPC is a major player in gas marketing and also in gas transportation. Reliance Industries also markets gas while a group affiliate owns the pipeline.

The government has 54.89 per cent stake in GAIL India.New Delhi: Amid mounting international pressure to act against 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed, China has asked Pakistan to explore ways of relocating the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief to a West Asian country.

According to an exclusive report of The Hindu, Chinese President Xi Jinping suggested this course of action to Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to allow Saeed to live a quiet life in a West Asian country.

At a 35-minute meeting (on the sidelines of the Boao Forum in China last month), at least 10 minutes of the discussion dealt with Saeed. The Chinese President was keen on pressing the Prime Minister to find an early solution to keep Saeed away from the limelight, a close aide of Abbasi told The Hindu, requesting anonymity.

The newspaper states that Abbasi has consulted the governments legal team, which is yet to come up with a solution. The issue is expected to be referred to the next government as the Prime Minister will leave office on May 31 after completion of his tenure. The general election will be held at July-end.

The discussion on Saeed between the two countries comes a fortnight after former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif publicly acknowledged that militant organisations are active in the country and questioned the policy to allow the "non-state actors" to cross the border and "kill" people in Mumbai.

The JuD has been accusing the government of taking action against Saeed at the instance of the US and India.

Saeed, who met some journalists over Iftar on Tuesday in Karachi, refused to believe that China would want a ban on him or to see him out of the country. However, he admitted that China would act as a super power and dictate to Pakistan. He denied that any government functionary had met him in recent weeks to discuss the future of the JuD.

Saeed, who has been declared a global terrorist by the United Nations, the U.S. and India, carries a reward of $5 million on his head for his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Pakistani authorities last year put him under house arrest for almost nine months but were forced to release him on the orders of the Lahore High Court.

Earlier this year, the JuD was put on the list of banned organisations just before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting in Paris. Following the meeting, it was decided to put Pakistan on the grey list for its failure to prevent terror financing.

In April, the US has also designated Milli Muslim League (MML), the political front of Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud Dawa, as a foreign terrorist organization.

The JuD was reported by Indonesia after the authorities detected some money channelled through the country by the outfit. Indonesia notified the FATF.

A Presidential Ordinance was issued to freeze all assets of Hafiz Saeed, linked to the JuD and its charity arm, Falah-i-Insaaniyat Foundation.

Interestingly, the JuD was not put in Schedule 1 of the Anti-Terrorism Act under which the leaders of a banned organisation must be arrested. The federal government is pleased to direct that requisite actions with regard to freezing and taking over of assets (movable, immovable and human resource) associated with the JuD and the FIF shall be taken in pursuance of ordinance No II of 2018, read a notification of the Interior Ministry.

An Interior Ministry source said a formal notification of its placement on Schedule I was held back. Without the notification, the organisation will not be formally admitted as a defunct organisation, he said. Another clue that the JuD and the FIF were not banned as claimed by the government is the list of banned organisations by the National Counter Terrorism Authority.

On the ground, the Punjab government took the JuDs madrassas and health facilities in Rawalpindi. The provincial government also issued a notification barring collection of donations by the JuD and the FIF. The JuD has a network of over 150 ambulances, six hospitals, 60 schools and scores of madrassas across Punjab and the Pakistan-administered Kashmir and northern areas.

In January this year, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan issued a circular to all companies barring them from donating money to those entities put on the UNSC sanctioned list. The government also tabled a Bill to formalise the ban on the JuD but it has not been passed so far.Chennai/Tuticorin: The death toll from police firing at Tuticorin on Thursday went up to 13, even as cases were registered against opposition leaders, including DMK's M K Stalin and actor-politician Kamal Haasan for defying prohibitory orders, officials said.

Over 100 people were arrested for protesting police firing on Tuesday and Wednesday in the port city that left 13 dead. Amid a political slugfest over the incidents of police-public clashes, DMK leader Stalin held a sit-in protest at Fort St George, the state secretariat, before being physically lifted and removed by security personnel, while Chief Minister K Palaniswami broke his silence and blamed the opposition for "instigating" violence.

He also defended the police, saying that the violence was not pre-planned. When someone hits you, you naturally tend to defend yourselves, he tweeted.

Cases were filed against Stalin, MDMK chief Vaiko, and Kamal Haasan, who recently founded political outfit Makkal Needhi Maiam, for defying prohibitory orders on Wednesday while visiting a hospital in Tuticorin where those injured in clashes were convalescing.

Over 100 people were arrested in Tuticorin for rioting, setting ablaze and damaging public property, and assaulting police personnel. Cases under IPC sections and the Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act were registered against them. As many as 65 of those arrested were granted bail by a Tuticorin court later in the day.

Sandeep Nanduri and Murali Rambha, meanwhile, assumed charge as the Collector and SP of Tuticorin. N Venkatesh and P Mahendran, collector and police superintendent respectively were yesterday shunted out of Tuticorin following the violence.

Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from a few places in Tuticorin city where a state-run liqour outlet was ransacked early today.

Normal life continued to be affected for the third day today as modes of public transport including buses, and autos did not ply. Most shops were shut. Police in anti-riot gear patrolled the streets as prohibitory orders banning assembly of more than four people continued to be in force.

The government had yesterday ordered suspension of internet services in Tuticorin and adjoining districts of Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari for five days to prevent spread of rumours through social media and help restore peace. Violent protests had erupted in the city on Tuesday and Wednesday as locals took to streets demanding closure of a copper factory of the Vedanta group over pollution concerns.

Demanding the resignation of Palaniswami and sacking of state police chief T K Rajendran over large-scale arson and violence in Tuticorin, about 600 km from state capital Chennai, Stalin staged a sit-in with party MLAs at Fort St George complex.

Even after police removed the agitators from the secretariat premises, they continued the protest at Rajaji Salai, right in front of Fort St George. Raising slogans like "we want justice" and "shame on the government," the protesters demanded immediate resignation of the Palaniswami government.

A Palaniswami broke his silence and blamed opposition parties and anti-social elements for the violence that brought the city down to its knees. Terming the incidents as "unfortunate," he condoled the deaths and said all past agitations for the closure of the plant were peaceful.

"This time around it (protest) turned violent. It was due to instigation by some political parties and owing to infiltration by anti-social elements," Palaniswami, who is under relentless attack from the Opposition, said.

Recalling steps taken by the AIADMK governments for the closure of the plant, Palaniswami said the "deliberate" violence was meant "to bring disrepute to the government and put it under pressure".

He said the state government was making efforts for the closure of the plant since 2013, when late J Jayalalithaa was the chief minister.

"As far as Amma's government is concerned, we respect people's feelings," he said, adding all legal steps were under way to shut the Sterlite plant, and cases were pending before the Supreme Court and High Court.

Stalin said DMK and ally Congress's MLAs boycotted today's meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of the state legislature ahead of the start of the Assembly session on May 29.

The Leader of Opposition assailed the chief minister for not visiting the families of the victims of police firing, and said the shifting of the district collector and police chief hardly mattered, as it did not amount to any action against them.

"The chief minister is not bothered about the people. He should immediately resign. Director General of Police T K Rajendran must also be removed or he should resign," Stalin said, adding MLAs of his party and ally Congress made these demands at the BAC meeting before walking out.

"The government is in limbo," he said, and demanded a judicial inquiry into the incidents by a sitting judge of the Madras High Court.

The government had yesterday constituted an inquiry commission headed by retired HC judge Aruna Jagadeesan to probe the circumstances leading to violence and subsequent police firing.New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin a five-day visit on Tuesday to Indonesia and Singapore, two of India's strategically key partners in the region, with an aim to deepen defence ties, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.

Announcing the visit, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said a raft of agreements including in areas of defence and security are expected to be inked during Modi's visit to these two countries, which are members of powerful regional grouping ASEAN.

India and Indonesia are likely to sign a pact on defence cooperation as a similar agreement inked years ago had expired.

Secretary (East) in the MEA Preeti Saran said the prime minister will arrive in Indonesia on May 29 and will leave for Singapore from there on May 31 for a three-day visit.

In Singapore, Modi will hold bilateral talks with his Singaporean counterpart and deliver the key note address at the Shangri-la dialogue which is expected to be attended by top leaders from several important countries.

Asked about Singapore's apparent reservations over formation of a quadrilateral coalition among India, the US, Australia and Japan, she said there has been a "deep sense" of appreciation among the ASEAN nations about New Delhi's views about peace and security in the region.

"We give primacy and importance to ASEAN's unity and ASEAN's centrality in the region," she said. Singapore is a key member country of the 10-nation ASEAN grouping with which India has been intensifying its defence and security ties.

The US, Australia and several other leading powers have been favouring a greater role by India in the Indo-Pacific region where China has been flexing its military might.

About Modi's visit to Indonesia, Saran said the country is India's closest maritime neighbour and there will be discussions on ways to deepen maritime cooperation, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.

Earlier this year, both countries held their first security dialogue during which areas for boosting military cooperation were identified.

Asked whether Indonesia will give Indian navy ships access to deep sea port in Sabang, Saran did not give a direct reply, but said discussions have been underway on enhancing overall connectivity and cooperation.

Boosting trade and enhancing connectivity will be another focus area of Modi's visit to Indonesia, which will be his first to the country as PM.

Saran said the prime minister's engagement in Jakarta will include his address at a gathering of Indian community and at a forum of top businessmen.

He will also inaugurate a kite festival jointly organised by a leading Indonesian museum and Kite museum of Ahmedabad. The kite festival will depict common theme of Ramayana and Mahabharata, showcasing cultural links between the two countries.

On June 1, Modi will hold extensive talks with Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong besides addressing CEOs of top 20 companies of the country during which he is expected to highlight the reforms initiated by his government to boost the economy.

Saran said both the countries are likely to ink a number of pacts in the areas of defence, space and skill development.

In Singapore, the PM will attend a business and community event, will participate at an interaction with president and board members of the Nanyang university, one of the premier educational institution globally, and inaugurate a plaque at a place where Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were immersed.

In 1948, Gandhi's ashes were sent to various parts of India and the world, including Singapore.

A key highlight of Modi's visit to Singapore will be his address at the Shangri-La dialogue.

Modi is the first Indian PM who has been invited to deliver key note address at the forum, said Saran, adding he is expected to delve into India's view on peace and security in the region.

The prime minister is also likely to share his philosophy on 'Sagarmala', a project to develop a string of ports to strengthen maritime connectivity, during the keynote address.

On June 2, Modi is scheduled to visit Changi naval base. He will also visit an Indian ship which will be in Singapore as part of bilateral naval exchanges.New Delhi: Two people have been arrested after they allegedly abducted a 22-year-old man in Delhis Chhawla area, dismembered the victims limbs with a carpet cutter and threw the pieces into two separate septic tanks.

The deceased has been identified as Sachin, who works at a carpet shop in the area. He left home early morning on May 12 but didnt reach his workplace. When he last spoke on the phone that morning, Sachin had said that he was taking measurements of curtains in a nearby area.

Soon after, his phone was switched off and after his family could not trace him, they filed a complaint at Baba Haridas Nagar Police Station.

Three days after he went missing, Sachins phone was picked by a then-unidentified person who claimed that the carpet shop worker had been kidnapped. Before the family could ask any questions, the phone was switched off again. At night, the family got a call from the number and the same person asked for a ransom of Rs 50 lakh while warning them against informing the police.

Sachins father, though, did inform the police, who began an investigation into the case. We talked to the family members, especially his wife, to confirm that no personal enmity or dispute was the reason behind this kidnapping, said Sibhesh Singh, DCP Dwarka.

The wife pointed the police towards one of Sachins friends, Varun, with whom the victim was going to start a business together. The call was received two days before he went missing.

The police came to know more about Varun when they talked to Sachins fellow workers at the carpet shop. Varun was an expert of laying polyvinyl flooring. His phone was switched off and he was not at his rented room in Delhi. Upon talking the neighbours, police got to know that Varun left with his family without telling them where he was going.

Police also raided the location of last ransom call  Sonipat  but they found nothing there.

Five days later, the abductors called again and negotiated the ransom money with Sachins father. The abductors came down to Rs 10 lakhs from their initial demand. They called his father to Azadpur Chowk in the national capital but they themselves didnt turn up.

Meanwhile, when call details of Sachin and Varuns phones were procured and analysed, it was revealed that both SIM cards were being used through the same mobile phone. The police then named Varun as the main suspect in the case.

A police team was sent to Varuns native place, Muzaffarnagar in Bihar. There, they got to know that Varuns actual name was Bhushan Kumar Singh. He was then tracked down to a different village, 20 kilometres away from his own.

The police also arrested Vicky, Varuns brother-in-law.

During interrogations, the duo initially misled the police but later broke down and confessed to having abducted, killed Sachin.

Vicky had killed Sachin on the day he was abducted. They chopped off his limbs, head and other body parts with the help of a carpet cutter. They threw the body parts in septic tanks, said the DCP Singh.

Varun and Vicky hatched the plan to earn easy money. Varun knew Sachin as they were in the same profession and the former knew that Sachins family, if pressurised, could sell half of their plot located in Delhis Agrasen Park to pay Rs 50 lakh as ransom to save their only son.Ahmedabad: Angered by a Dalit man's decision to add the suffix 'Sinh' to his name, a group of Rajputs clashed with Dalits in Dholka town. Two FIRs have been lodged, with both sides blaming the other for the violence.

Maulik Jadhav had recently announced on Facebook that he had added 'Sinh' to his name and he would now be known as Mauliksinh Jadav.

Jadav alleged in his complaint to the police that a Rajput man, whom he identified as Sahdevsinh Vaghela, along with five others, thrashed him and ransacked his house on Tuesday for adding 'Sinh' to his name, police inspector L B Tavdi said on Wednesday.

Jadav told reporters he took this decision to protest an attack on a Dalit man in Banaskantha district after he too had added the suffix 'Sinh' to his name.

"This angered the Rajput members, who had been threatening me for some time on the issue," Jadav added. The police said a counter complaint was lodged by a member of the Rajput community.

Dhirajba Mahipatsinh Vaghela alleged a mob of Dalits ransacked his house and looted valuables on Tuesday night, Tavdi said. Sahdevsinh Vaghela and others have been booked under various sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. No arrests have been made in the two cases yet.

'Sinh' is a suffix usually used by men of the Rajput community.New Delhi: Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamys swearing-in ceremony at Vidhana Soudha may have seen a galaxy of non-BJP leaders, but not all guests seemed happy on the occasion. Among them was West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

The Trinamool Congress chief was seen conveying her displeasure to Karnataka police chief Neelamani Raju after she reached the venue.

Initially, the onlookers were perplexed when they saw Banerjee gesturing to Karnataka director-general of police, who was near the stage. It later came to light that the TMC chief was asked by the Bengaluru police to get off her car and walk a short distance from the gate to the podium because of heavy flow of VVIP vehicles, several of them with full security detail.

#WATCH: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee reprimands DIG Neelamani Raju as she came to Karnataka Vidhana Soudha for oath taking ceremony because reportedly had to walk a few metres, also expressed discontentment to HD Deve Gowda & HD Kumaraswamy. #Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/WZ2n0QVE9b  ANI (@ANI) May 23, 2018

Only one of the four gates of the Vidhana Soudha compound had been opened because of security reasons, a report said. According to news agency ANI, Banerjee also expressed her discontentment to JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda and his son Kumaraswamy.

A senior police officer in the city traffic police told The New Indian Express, There were 18-20 convoys and it was crazy managing them. Firstly, none of them were entitled to zero-traffic, except for the Governor and the new Chief Minister. Then, convoys were coming from various directions at the same time and there was no chance for the police to ensure free movement for all of them. Many of the convoys were stuck in between other vehicles. We were not in a position to do anything about it and it was not unexpected too.

Besides Banerjees car, the convoys of Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati and a few others were also stuck in the traffic. AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha posted a picture of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal walking to the venue of swearing-in ceremony on a rain-splattered day.

Bengaluru traffic beats every city in the country. We walked to the swearing-in venue. Beautiful weather made up for it though. pic.twitter.com/PT9nauyWuk  Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) May 23, 2018

As there was VVIP movement especially on the International Airport Road (Bellary Road) and Old Airport Road, commuters were stranded on the streets linking the main thoroughfares too. Besides, motorists had a tough time as they were stuck in the traffic gridlocks in the late afternoon, as thousands of people converged on Vidhana Soudha.

According to a report in Deccan Herald, thousands of Kumaraswamys supporters who gathered before the Vidhana Soudha took shelters under the chairs and flex banners. Many also stayed below the shades of the Soudha gate and metro station, while a few also waited underneath the trees at the High Court for the rain to stop.The HSLC Result 2018, Assam HSLC Result 2018, Assam Class 10 Result declared by the Board of Secondary Education SEBA today at 9 AM. The Board of Secondary Education SEBA published HSLC Result 2018, Assam HSLC Result 2018 and SEBA Result 2018 on its official website resultsassam.nic.in, sebaonline.org.

The Assam SEBA HSLC examination (High School Leaving Certificate) for the academic year 201-18 was conducted by the Board of Secondary Education SEBA from 16 February - 8 March. The HSLC Result 2018, Assam HSLC Result 2018, SEBA Result 2018 will also be available on examresults.net/assam.

ASSAM SEBA RESULTS DECLARED

Number of Students appeared: 3,44,215

Passed: 1,89,191

Distinction: 6477

I Division: 60,987

II Division: 81,853

III Division: 46,351

Results were withheld for 6668 students, while 1,47,944 students failed to clear the exams.

Toppers:

Raktim Bhuyan toppped the exams with 593 marks. Abinash Kalita and Preetpal Bezbaruah stood second with 592 marks Sultana Ayishah Siddique, Jintee Devi, and Arbi Chaliha stood third with 591 marks.

AHM Results

Number of Students: 9343 students

Passed Students: 4604 students

Distinction: 25

I Division: 831

II Division: 2489 students

III Division: 1284

How to Check HSLC Result 2018, SEBA Result 2018:

Step 1: Click on the official website resultsassam.nic.in, sebaonline.org.

Step 2: Look for the link which says HSLC Result 2018, Assam Class 10 Result 2018, SEBA Result 2018

Step 3: Click on the link which says Assam HSLC Result 218, SEBA HSLC Result 2018

Step 4: Enter Your Roll Number

Step 5: Download the SEBA Result for Class 10 and take out a printout for future reference.

Last year, the Assam HSLC Result was declared on 31st May at 10 AM. The Board of Secondary Education Assam (SEBA) will announce the Assam HSLC Results 2018 i.e. the Assam 10th Results, Assam HSLC/AHM 2018 on May 25th. The Assam SEBA HSLC Result 2018 will be declared online on the official website of SEBA.New Delhi: In the wake of Nipah virus cases in Kerala, the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has written to the Queensland government in Australia asking it to provide an antibody developed there to test if it can "neutralise" the virus in humans.

The antibody has not been tested on humans so far. "We have asked them to give their monoclonal antibody for conducting a test in India to find out if it can neutralise the Nipah virus in humans.

"In Australia, it has only been tried in vitro (happening outside the body in artificial conditions, often in a test tube) and has been found to be effective. But it has not been tested on humans," said ICMR Director General, Dr Balram Bhargava, while clarifying that it will not lead to creation of vaccine.

ICMR is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research.

"We are preparing a dossier on what will be methodology and what would be the regulatory process so that we can fast track the process," he said.

According to Dr Bhargava, Australia is ready to share as it will help generate data on the efficacy of the antibody. "It is not yet sure how much it will be effective," he said, adding the infection caused by Nipah virus has a high mortality rate (50-70 pc).

According to National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, the drug ribavirin has been shown to be effective against the viruses in vitro, but human investigations to date have been inconclusive and the clinical usefulness of the drug remains uncertain.

The death toll due to outbreak of Nipah virus rose to 12 in the southern state of Kerala, with one more person succumbing to the deadly virus in Kozhikode this morning, said a Health ministry official.

Meanwhile, there are reports of dead bats being found on the premises of a government school in Himachal Pradesh, samples of which have been sent for testing to NIV, Pune, to ascertain the reason behind their deaths.

According to the health ministry officials, of the 12 deaths in Kerala so far due to the virus, nine people died in Kozhikode district and three in Mallappuram. Besides, about 160 samples have been sent for testing at the virology institute.

While 18 people with specific symptoms are admitted at hospitals in Kozhikode, 22 patients with suspected Nipah cases, all from Malappuram district, are admitted at Kozhikode Medical College for observation.

"They are all contacts of the confirmed cases and their lab results are awaited. Also, 95 families are under surveillance," a health ministry official said. Nipah virus (NiV) infection is a newly emerging zoonosis that causes severe disease in both animals and humans. The natural host of the virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family, Pteropus genus.

Currently, there is no vaccine or drug for the treatment of the NiV infection. The treatment for human cases is supportive and management treatment along with intensive supportive care.

The virus spreads through close contact with people's secretions and excretions. Eating food which may have the droplets of saliva and urine of infected bats can lead to the transmission of the virus.

Earlier, cases of Nipah virus were reported from Siliguri in 2001 and Nadia in 2007 in West Bengal and around 47 deaths were reported.New Delhi: A day after a cook from Uttarakhands Pithoragarh was arrested for allegedly working for Inter Service Intelligence (ISI), a top police officer revealed on Thursday that the man was on their radar since 2017.

Ramesh Singh, 35, was arrested late on Tuesday from his house in Pithoragarhs Garali village in a joint operation by UPs Anti-Terror Squad (ATS), military intelligence and Uttarakhand police.

According to Uttar Pradesh ADG (law and order) Anand Kumar, Singh came to fore in May 2017 when Faizabad native Aftab was arrested on charges of espionage. Aftabs interrogation led the revelation of more ISI agents and since then they have been under the radar of the ATS.

The Pithoragarh native had moved to Islamabad in 2015 as a domestic help for an Indian diplomat when he leaked crucial information to Pakistans spy agency after being promised hefty payment in dollars. Singh finally came back to India in 2017 and was still asked by the ISI to share information.

He got these dollars exchanged for rupees in Delhi to carry it further to his village, Kumar said.

We have retrieved a Pakistani cellphone number used for communication with ISI. We are hopeful that extraction of data from this phone will yield solid proof and information. We suspect the phone has spyware, hence, it has been sent for forensic examination, the top police official added.

Sources said that authorities had been doing the rounds around his house 2-3 days prior to his arrest. He was arrested late in the night on Tuesday. His family was at home when he was taken away, the sources added.

Singh is said to have got the cooks job after being recommended for the same by his brother, who is in the Indian Army.Lucknow: Following his son and Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadavs example, Mulayam Singh too has written to the State Estate Department in Uttar Pradesh seeking two years time to vacate his official bungalow.

The move comes despite the Supreme Courts May 7 order that former CMs cannot occupy their official residence after demitting office, and a Uttar Pradesh government notification on May 17 asking the ex-CMs to vacate their official bungalows within 15 days.

Maulayams letter was sent to State Estate Officer Yogesh Kumar by personal secretary of Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday. Any decision on the letter will be taken after proper consultation with the law department.

Akhilesh Yadav, in his letter, sought two years' time to vacate the premises arguing he does not have another place where he could live with his kind of security cover.

A bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi quashed the law, which entitled former chief ministers to retain government bungalows for a lifetime, ruling that granting further privilege violates Right to Equality under Article 14.

The Chief Minister, once he or she demits the office, is at par with the common citizen, though by virtue of the office held, he or she may be entitled to security and other protocols. But allotment of government bungalow, to be occupied during his or lifetime, would not be guided by the constitutional principle of equality, noted the bench.

BSP chief Mayawati, on the other hand, has declared the official residence occupied by her as a memorial for party founder Kanshi RamNew Delhi: The man arrested from Uttarakhand on charges of espionage allowed agents from Pakistans spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) gain entry into the house of the Indian diplomat in Islamabad on a number of occasions.

Ramesh was arrested late on May 22 from Pithoragarh by a team consisting of military intelligence (J&K unit), Uttarakhand police and UP ATS.

Sources in the Anti-Terrorism Squad told News18 that the accused, Ramesh Singh, who used to work as a cook at a former Indian diplomats house, further allowed ISI agents to park their cars outside the diplomats house for hours.

He has given us a detailed statement. He allowed other agents to enter the diplomats house on at least four occasions. Other times, he let them park their cars outside the diplomats house without any disturbance, sources said.

Authorities said they have also recovered a phone and three SIM cards from him and it is currently under forensic examination.

He had moved to Islamabad in 2015 as a house help for the Indian diplomat which is when he is said to have leaked crucial information to ISI for money. Ramesh finally came back to India in 2017 and was still asked by the ISI to share information.

The investigation, that finally led the intelligence agencies to Ramesh, started last year when a man named Aftab, a native of Faizabad, was arrested in May for spying. Soon, Aftabs interrogation and confession led to the arrest of two hawala agents based in Maharashtra.

Investigations into the phone records of the two agents led authorities to a money trail that went all the way back to Pakistan. These agents were asked to transfer money to various accounts by this Pakistani handler. Finally, about two months ago, the intelligence agencies zeroed in on Ramesh.

At a press conference held earlier on Thursday in Lucknow, Anand Kumar, ADG (law and order, UP) said that Ramesh was paid heavily in dollars. He got these dollars exchanged for rupees in Delhi to carry it further to his village, Kumar said.

Ramesh is said to have got the job after being recommended for the same by his brother, who is in the Indian Army.

His brother is not an accused nor is he a suspect, but he will be questioned, a source at ATS told News18.

Sources in Uttarakhand said that authorities had been doing the rounds around his house 2-3 days prior to his arrest. He was arrested late in the night on Tuesday. His family was at home when he was taken away, the source added.Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh unit head of Congress, Kamal Nath, on Wednesday said the party was open to forging an alliance with like-minded parties for the upcoming assembly election in the state at the end of this year.

Speaking to reporters, Nath said that talks with these parties have not yet started. It is yet to be decided whether it should be a seat sharing agreement, understanding on candidates and other such details, he told reporters.

Explaining the logic behind considering an anti-BJP coalition, he said that in the 2014 election, BJP had received 31 per cent of the votes polled and 69 per cent of the votes were against him. Despite this, the BJP claims the public mandate was with them. We do not want the secular vote to be divided, so we will start discussions with parties soon, he said.

The veteran Congress leaders statement comes just a day after several opposition leaders attended the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy in a massive show of unity. Nath said that the situation on the national level and at the state level was different, but alliances will have to be made keeping in mind the target of 2019 elections.

In Madhya Pradesh, the like-minded parties Nath spoke of would be the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party. The chiefs of the two parties were also on stage with Rahul and Sonia Gandhi in Bengaluru on Wednesday. But there would be hurdles in an electoral alliance as the Samajwadi Party has already said that it wants to contest on all seats in the state.

The BJP has been in power in the state for three terms, but is facing considerable anti-incumbency as evidenced by the recent civic poll results, giving the Congress-led opposition a window of opportunity to wrest control.

Meanwhile, Congress newly appointed co-ordination committee chairman in the state, Digvijay Singh, made it clear that he would not contest assembly polls and his sole aim was to lay the ground work for the partys victory in the election.

We have decided to initiate our state-wide yatra from Raja Rams land Orchha on May 31 and would hold meetings of party workers in Chhatarpur on June 1, Panna on June 2 and so on, said the senior leader.

Our sole aim is to resolve differences of senior leaders and workers of the Congress party in the state and we expect to cover the entire state by August 31, said Singh.

Despite the fact his team member Satyavrat Chaturvedi skipped the inaugural meeting on Thursday, the AICC general secretary did his best to present a united face of the party saying seniors including state head Kamal Nath, Leader of Opposition Ajay Singh, Jyotiraditya Scindia and others would join the yatra whenever they find convenient.

Satyavrat Chaturvedi ji was busy in a puja in his home so he could not come for Thursdays meeting, explained Singh.New Delhi: Former National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon minced no words as he said that Pakistan has been made into a domestic political issue in India over the last four years. Menon was speaking at the launch of The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace, co-authored by former RAW chief AS Dulat, former ISI chief Asad Durrani and Aditya Sinha, on Wednesday.

You need to find a way to ensure that Pakistan is no longer a domestic political issue. But that has not happened. In the last four years, Pakistan has been made more and more into a domestic political issue. You have used it for polarisation, he said.

He also called the Mumbai attacks in 2008 a fine example of how not to play politics with national issues. In the Mumbai attack in 2008, known as 26/11, a group of 10 Lahskar-e-Toiba terrorists carried out a series of attacks in across the city for four days, killing 164 people and injuring over 300. The Congress was in power at that point and BJP was the leading opposition.

We had a general election within six months of the Mumbai attacks and nobody mentioned it as an issue. Thats an incredible fact. The issue was raised twice by the opposition, towards the end of January as a sign of government incompetence. People reacted by asking them how they could play politics with a national issue. We underestimate our own people, the former NSA said.

The Islamic republic has often been spoken about at state election campaigns by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.

In Gujarat, Modi alleged that his predecessor Dr Manmohan Singh and former Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar had met Pakistani diplomats in Delhi with an aim to influence Gujarat polls. Pakistan responded by asking Indian politicians to keep it out of domestic politics and to win elections on own strength".

Modi had also spoken of threats from Pakistan during his election campaign in Punjab in 2017 and asked people to vote for a strong government". Shah, too, in 2015, had said that Pakistan would celebrate if BJP lost the elections. Just recently, during Karnataka election campaign, the BJP president had said that Congress and Pakistan think alike.

The former NSA said that India had a different standard regarding talks with Pakistan as compared to talks with other countries like China. Talks with China continued despite transgressions, but there has been no talk with Pakistan, he added.

Menon, however, appreciated the policies and work undertaken by India between 2003-2007, under former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr Manmohan Singh. They were popular among people, he said.

Sharm el-Sheikh: A Missed Opportunity

Emphasising that there was no point in looking back at missed opportunities, the former NSA, however, said that the meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh was a missed opportunity.

There was complete suspension of dialogue, animosity and an atmosphere where they could say that India does not want peace with us and with that they could unite Pakistan behind themselves. You played into their hands and gave them exactly what they wanted, he said.

Then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani had met on the sidelines of a Non-Aligned Movement summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in 2009 and signed a joint statement. The statement said that Pakistan had provided a dossier on the Mumbai attacks and that it had some information on threats from Balochistan.

Back then, BJP accused Singh and the Congress party of compromising Indias stand on Pakistan and that waters of the seven seas could not wash away the shame". The issue was brought up in the Parliament and senior BJP leaders, including Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, alleged that Singh had reversed the Pakistan policy by mentioning Balochistan, thus strengthening Pakistan.

Menons statement, on Sharm el-Sheikh being a missed opportunity due to internal struggle, holds importance as now, the Modi-led government has made references to Balochistan time and again. The position that the BJP has now is in stark contrast to what they had when they were in opposition. Modi, during his August 15 speech at Red Fort in 2016, made a reference to the freedom struggle in Balochistan, thanking the people there for their support".The Jammu and Kashmir police have recorded the statement of the girl who was to meet Major Leetul Gogoi at a Srinagar hotel. Sources said the girl has not alleged any coercion at the moment.

Gogois decision to tie a civilian to the bonnet of his vehicle in Kashmir last year sparked a row.

We recorded her statement in presence of a magistrate. We have also examined the documents which showed that she is a major but further inquiry is being done to ascertain her age, a top police officer told CNN News18.

Only after the full inquiry will a call be taken if any offence under law is made out and if an FIR should be registered.

Sources said the police have recorded the statement of the parents of the girl, the driver who brought her to the hotel and the hotel manager who called the police after the altercation.

Major Gogoi got into an altercation on Wednesday after the hotel staff stopped him from meeting a Kashmiri girl who had come to see him at the hotel. Major Gogoi had booked an upper storey room in the hotel for two people.

Police recorded the statement of the Major and allowed him to go back to his unit. Sources said Gogoi could not explain why he had booked the hotel room and prima facie it does look like that he is on conflict with service rules of Army.

Did he inform his unit about his stay in the hotel? Army officers are not supposed to be outside their camp without official intimation and without security, a source said.

Srinagars SP North probing the incident is likely to seek details from the Army on Thursday on whether they were aware of Major Gogoi's presence in the hotel and the reason he went there.

It all now depends on what the Army tells us. We will give a report to them if a breach of service rules case is made out and then further action will be left to them, an official in the know of the probe told CNN News18.

The Army Chief is scheduled to visit the Valley on Thursday and is likely to meet the top brass of the Jammu and Kashmir police. Major Gogois issue might come up during discussions.New Delhi: The central government is satisfied with the response the Ramzan ceasefire has received in Kashmir so far and is not averse to extending it beyond the holy month, top MHA sources told CNN-News18 on Thursday.

"The ceasefire is getting good response. Can't rule out extending it beyond Ramzan," a top official said. Sources said that home minister Rajnath Singh consulted the top brass of police and security forces on the issue. Most officers gave a thumbs up to the ceasefire and suggested that if things improve, then talks with Hurriyat should also be initiated.

Officials also pointed out that the increased shelling by Pakistani rangers along the International Border was also a result of the government's peace initiative in the Valley bearing fruit.

"Pakistan has accelerated ceasefire violations on IB because they are unhappy about ceasefire getting good response in Kashmir. We are getting daily reports from BSF and giving Pakistan a befitting reply," the official said.

At least five civilians were killed and 30 people, including six BSF jawans, were injured in shelling by Pakistani rangers on Wednesday. Nearly the entire 181km-long International Border from Kathua to Akhnoor in Jammu division was rattled by Pakistani firing.

The spurt in firing by Pakistan at the same time that the Valley is experiencing relative peace is not a coincidence, said officials.

According to Jammu and Kashmirs DGP SP Vaid, there had been only six incidents of stone pelting were reported between May 17 and May 20, just after the introduction of the ceasefire.

"The initiative of Hon'ble PM has helped in general improvement in law & order. The situation especially in south Kashmir has eased and is serving as confidence building measure for families who want their boys to return back home," SP Vaid had tweeted.

PDP Leader Waheed Para welcomed the Centre's decision to consider an extension. "A congenial atmosphere is being created. On the ground there is a lot of relief. If Centre extends Ceasefire, it will be a welcome move," he said.

While forces are refraining from cordon and search operations, experts warn that one bad incident of violence could change the narrative in the valley yet again.

But the CRPF has disputed the figures put forward by the police and said the actual incidents of stone pelting were more than double.

Amid reports from Shopian of villagers clashing with Army over Iftar, union minister Jitendra Singh had also underlined that the Ceasefire was conditional.

"Those who follow Islam, if they can't respect the sanctity of Ramzan, you can't expect security forces to have sympathy. If terrorists and stone pelters indulge in violence then they will be treated as they ought to be treated," Singh had said.New Delhi: Giving fresh lease of life to a ten-year-old sexual harassment complaint by a former RAW woman officer, the Supreme Court has issued a notice to the secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and sought a response over prosecution of her complaint.

A bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur agreed to examine the appeal filed by former RAW officer Nisha Priya Bhatia, and sought a reply from the secretary of the agency.

"Issue notice only to the Secretary (R), Cabinet Secretariat (R&AW), Room No.7, Bikaner House Annexe, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi," stated the Court order issued last week.

With the issuance of the notice by the top court, Bhatia, who was compulsorily retired from service in 2009, has succeeded in keeping alive her charges of sexual harassment by fellow officers in the RAW.

Secretary, RAW, is expected to respond on the issue of sanctions to prosecute the officers, as sought by Bhatia. The case will be heard next on July 6.

She had appealed against the 2015 order by the Delhi High Court, which has shot down her plea to prosecute criminal complaint against the officers who, she alleged, made a false inquiry report on her sexual harassment charges.

Bhatia had gone to a Delhi trial court for prosecution of the officers of the RAW's Sexual Harassment Committee, which had in 2008 debunked her allegations of sexual harassment. The Committee had concluded that it could find "no proof" to substantiate Bhatia's complaints.

In her 2009 complaint before the trial court, she sought issuance of the summons to the RAW officers, comprising the Committee, under Section 167 of the IPC. Section 167 makes it punishable for a public servant to frame incorrect records with an intent to cause injury to someone.

Bhatia contended that the documents submitted by her were not considered and that the report was prepared falsely and in connivance and collusion with two senior officers.

The trial court, by an order in April 2015, refused to issue summons on the ground that Bhatia has failed to get sanction to prosecute the RAW officers.

This order was subsequently upheld by the sessions court and the Delhi High Court.

Aggrieved, Bhatia moved the top court, arguing that she had applied for the requisite sanction in February 2010 itself and under the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964, the sanction is assumed to have been granted if not received within three months.

She further stated that criminal misconduct and framing false records cannot be said to be acts committed by the public servant while acting or purported to act in discharge of official duty and thus, there was no need to get a separate sanction to prosecute the RAW officers.

Bhatia, who was once posted at the agency's high-security training institute in Gurgaon, has been leading a spate of battle with RAW, including her service cases.

By a press release in 2008, the Centre had declared Bhatia as a person of disturbed mind. But the Government was compelled to withdraw this press note on an intervention by the apex court.A trial court in Delhi will on Thursday examine the chargesheet filed by Delhi Police in the Sundanda Pushkar death case. Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor has been charged with abetment to suicide of his wife Sunanda Pushkar in 2014. Tharoor is the only person who has been arrayed as an accused in the case.

The court of Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Singh will take cognisance of the chargesheet and commit it to the sessions court of Special CBI judge Arvind Kumar. The Delhi Police is likely to press for summoning Tharoor. The public prosecutor had said that as per legal procedure Tharoor can only be summoned by the court as he is a suspect in the case.

The police in its chargesheet, which runs into around 3,000 pages, has also alleged that Tharoor had subjected his wife to cruelty. The chargesheet has been filed more than four years after Tharoors wife was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a Delhi hotel room.

It concluded that Pushkar killed herself and hence no one has been charged with murder. The chargesheet was filed before the metropolitan magistrate under sections 498 A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.

Sources said BJP MP Subramaniam Swamy may move an application before the metropolitan magistrates court on Thursday to add Section 201 (destruction of evidence) of the IPC.

The chargesheet mentions marital discord as the cause of suicide and says that one party led the other to commit suicide. Sunanda Pushkar was being harassed for long. Her medical records show she was suffering from depression, the chargesheet said.

Tharoor has not been arrested because he is an MP and has cooperated in the probe and there was no danger of him escaping, police said.

Tharoor has responded to the chargesheet in two tweets, calling it preposterous and said that he would contest it vigorously. No one who knew Sunanda believes she would ever have committed suicide, let alone abetment on my part. If this is conclusion arrived at after 4+ yrs of investigation, it does not speak well of the methods or motivations of the Delhi Police, he wrote.

Pushkar was found dead in a luxury hotel room on January 17, 2014, days after being embroiled in a Twitter war with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar over the latters alleged closeness with Tharoor.

The initial post mortem said her death was due to poisoning. While traces of Alzolam was found in her body and a strip of the sleeping pills found in her room, the actual poison couldn't be confirmed.

Inquest proceedings were conducted under the supervision of a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) as the marriage was less than seven years old. The SDM report asked police to further investigate the death. SDM Alok Sharma asked the police to find out the nature of poisoning and also to specifically probe whether this was a murder or a suicide.

Sunanda's autopsy was done at AIIMS by a board of doctors headed by Dr Sudhir Gupta, who in his report had said that she had 15 injury marks on her body, most of which did not contribute to death. But there were two injury marks  an injection mark and some bite marks. The autopsy report also said that there was presence of excess amount of alprazolam drug in her stomach.

The board later examined Pushkar's viscera and concluded that she was completely fit before her death without any ailments or diseases and did not need any medicines. The board also said that the death was unnatural and caused due to poisoning.

Based on this report, the police registered a murder case which refrained from naming any accused.

A year after Sunanda's death, a formal police probe began. Soon the viscera samples were sent to FBI labs to determine the poison. The FBI report mentioned that Aprazolam and Hydroxy Chloroquine were detected in the samples, but it also said on radio-chemistry examination of viscera samples received that levels of possible contamination were found less than the values specified in IATA.

When the AIIMS report was inconclusive on the cause of the death, Sunanda's son Shiv Menon wrote to the then Delhi Police chief BS Bassi, saying if AIIMS couldn't confirm the cause of his mother's death, why can't other doctors be consulted. That's when the wider medical board was constituted. The final report will be based on the opinion given by this independent board.

The political heat in this case increased when the government at the Centre changed from Congress-led UPA to BJP-led NDA.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy filed a PIL in Delhi High Court, wherein he first sought a CBI probe into the death of Sunanda Pushkar and then asked for a joint multi-agency team to investigate the case. Earlier, he had asked the Home Ministry to hand over the case to CBI, but the Home Ministry had then replied to him saying that the Delhi Police SIT is at an advanced stage of investigation and if the case is transferred to CBI at this stage, it would only lead to further delay.

But when High Court dismissed his petition, Swamy moved Supreme Court. The top court had in February sought the response of the Delhi Police on a plea filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy seeking a court-monitored SIT probe into Sunandas death.

Kochi/Mumbai: Health officials were checking on Wednesday if a rare, brain-damaging virus had spread to a second state after two suspected cases reported in southern Karnataka, as the death toll in adjacent Kerala, where the outbreak began, rose to 11.

The country suffers hundreds of deaths from infectious diseases every year because of weak disease surveillance and infection control systems, leading health experts to worry about the risks of such outbreaks.

There is no vaccine for the Nipah virus, carried by fruit bats and spread through contact with bodily fluids, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

Treatment for the virus, which has a mortality rate of about 70 percent, is supportive care.

Symptoms of the virus surfaced in a 20-year-old woman and a 75-year-old man in the port city of Mangalore after they travelled to neighbouring Kerala and had contact with infected patients, said Rajesh B.V., a health official in Karnataka.

"They are not confirmed Nipah cases yet, so there is no need to panic," he said by telephone. "The situation is under control."

The patients are being treated and samples of their blood have been sent for screening, with results expected by Thursday, he added.

Health officials investigating the outbreak in Kerala, where the first death happened on Friday, have traced it to a well infested with bats from which the victims drew water.

Human-to-human transmission of the virus has been recorded in previous outbreaks in India that killed as many as 50 people.

Travel to Kerala, a popular tourist destination, was declared safe by Rajeev Sadanandan, a state health official, who said the outbreak "remains highly localised", with all cases linked to one family.

He declined to comment on the Mangalore cases, but identified the districts of Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Wayanad for tourists in Kerala to avoid, as being close to the outbreak and under scrutiny by health officials.

"Since there are many foreigners who travel to Kerala, we are advising they can avoid these districts for abundant caution," he told Reuters.

A nurse who treated three of the Kerala victims succumbed to the infection on Monday, Health Minister K.K. Shailaja told a news briefing, where she announced payment of compensation to her family and others who lost family members to the infection.

At least 17 patients are under treatment, Shailaja added.

"All steps to prevent the spread of the virus have been taken," she added, urging people not to destroy colonies of fruit bats.Guwahati: Manipur is building up a Special Commando Unit under the state police department to fight insurgents and meet major law and order requirements.

Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh said that it is part of the government's 'preventive measure' to create a viable environment for foreign investors in the region. He added that boosting the regional economy in Manipur is part of the BJP-led governments plan alongside counter insurgency efforts and attempts at peace talks with rebel groups.

The insurgency situation in Manipur has tremendously improved, but something or the other keeps happening. Foreign investors have entered Northeast, and they feel free and secure here. If any untoward incident takes places, it sends a wrong message. The decision to create this unit is part of the preventive measures adopted by the government in view of the current situation, said N Biren.

Director General of police, LM Khaute, outlined this expanded role for state forces by terming it a more effective centralised unit to be equipped with sophisticated weapons for counter-insurgency operations and other important duties, including VIP visits.

This unit is being set up to strengthen our deployment of police forces in terms of law and order, acts of terrorism and any other form of disorder. We are concentrating on streamlining the force by selecting teams from the existing commando strength for special training, said Khaute.

The selected 256 commandos would be accommodated at 3 barracks available in 7th battalion Manipur Rifles complex for now. The special unit will have 20 officers and 245 state police personnel selected from four valley districts - Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal and Bishnupur.

Inspector James Thangal of Imphal West district will be acting as the Officer-in-Charge of the Special Commando Unit. He will work under the command of Imphal West additional superintendent of police (Operations) N Madhunimai Singh.

The overall control of the unit shall rest under Inspector General of Police (Zone 1) while the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Range 1) will be supervising the functioning of the unit.

(With inputs from Noren Ningombam)New Delhi: Hours after Kerala government issued an advisory asking travellers to avoid visiting Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kannur, the state police chief clarified that it was only for the four districts of northern Kerala while travelling in other parts were safe.

It has come to our notice that a number of fake/false messages are circulating through social media asking people not to visit Kerala or not to allow people of Kerala to go to other places due to NIPAH virus attack which have been reported in Perambra near Kozhikode. Such messages have caused panic among the people. No official agency has issued such an advisory, Kerala DGP Loknath Behera said in a statement.

Health Secretary Rajeev Sadanandan also said, Travelling to any part of Kerala is safe. However, if travellers wish to be extra cautious, they may avoid the four districts.

With 10 Nipah virus related deaths being reported so far from northern Kerala, the state government on Wednesday issued an advisory, asking travellers to avoid visiting the four districts of Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kannur.

Behara warned that stern action would be taken against those who spread false information with regard to the virus in the social media.

Creation of fake or false messages, spreading them to cause panic or public disorder are criminal acts and liable for investigation and prosecution, he said.

Directions have been issued to DGP (crimes) to register criminal cases against the creators of the messages and propagators, he said.

GoI is keeping a close watch on the situation, our team of doctors is present at the spot. It is localised and not an epidemic, all kinds of precautions are being taken. People should not panic: Ashwini Kumar Choubey, MoS Health & Family Welfare on #NipahVirus pic.twitter.com/d5qQnK4s4A ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2018

Ten people have lost their lives to Nipah in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts so far and 19 are undergoing treatment in various hospitals, including one in Waynad. Of the 13 confirmed cases, 10 persons have died. Isolation wards have also been set up in Thalassery government hospital in Kannur.

The state government's plan to expand tourism destinations in northern Kerala could face hurdles in the wake of virus attack. Kerala Tourism director P Bala Kiran told IANS two days ago, "The northern parts of the state like Wayanad, Kannur, Kozhikode, Thissur, Malapuram and Palakad are on the list of new tourism destinations. This will be a separate circuit which will be complementing the existing tourism circuit in south Kerala."



Stay tuned for live updates

Read More Sterlite protest LIVE updates | Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi slammed the EK Palaniswami-led Tamil Nadu government for the deaths of 13 people in police firing and asked who had ordered the police to open fire. He also questioned why no one has been suspended so far and the government response has been restricted to only transfers. He also questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked why has he not spoken on the violence here when he has time to respond to fitness challenges on Twitter. Earlier, home minister Rajnath Singh appealed to the people of Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu to remain calm and maintain peace in the wake of the violence that has claimed 13 lives. The Home Ministry has sought a report from the Tamil Nadu government on the police firing and the prevailing situation in the port city, the minister said. After DMK working president MK Stalin staged a protest outside Tamil Nadu chief minister's office, CM E Palaniswami rubbished Stalin's claim and said that "DMK not getting an appointment is a false thing". He alleged that the opposition parties are instigating people to protest. Stalin was lifted by police officers and evicted from outside Tamil Nadu chief minister's office after he sat on a protest along with other party members. The party has already called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh on Friday, however, the workers sat on a protest after they did not get an appointment to meet the CM.Stay tuned for live updates May 24, 2018 16:36 (IST) "After clear proof showing shooting and killing of protestors, not a single person has been suspended, only transferred. Talking about the inquiry that's going to be held, what sort of an inquiry does not have a time limit? The government is thinking that it will shift into oblivion of public memory the horrors of Tuticorin. Has anybody tried to find which officer readily accepted this project when it was shifted from Maharashtra to Tamil Nadu? I want to ask the PM if CM EPS is fit to continue. This is another kind of challenge that we are throwing at the PM. The state government has lost the ethical and moral right to govern. The job of the government is to save human rights and improve their standards of living," says Abhishek Manu Singhvi. May 24, 2018 16:25 (IST) The Congress party is holding a press conference at its HQ in New Delhi. The Grand Old Party is questioning the central and state government over its decisions regarding the Tuticorin Sterlite protests. "It is the polluted mindset of the government, both state and central, that has led to the killing of innocents. Why is our Prime Minister still silent on the violence in Tuticorin? Why is our oratorical, tweet-happy Prime Minister still silent? He has the free time to accept fitness challenges and even throw counter-challenges but has no time to speak on challenges of violence and rising fuel prices. Why did the government reverse the Congress' decision that no clearance will be given to industries in zones where ther eis a clear chance of environment hazards," says Abhishek Manu Singhvi. May 24, 2018 16:14 (IST) Tuticorin collector Sandeep Nanduri has said that 65 people have been arrested and remanded for indulging in violence during the Sterlite Protests. Another 68 people have been arrested and will be produced in front of the magistrate for causing damage to public property and indulging in violence. Meanwhile, Supreme Court lawyer GS Mani has filed a writ petition the Court seeking registration of FIR and investigation by the CBI against Tuticorin Collector, Superintendent of Police and other police officials. This came as a meeting was being held at the Collector's Office, which was chaired by government monitoring officers, Davidhar and Gagandeep Singh Bedi. The meeting was held to discuss how normalcy can be brought in the region May 24, 2018 16:11 (IST) Plea Seeks NHRC Intervention in TN Protest Firing | A plea was today moved in the Delhi High Court seeking direct intervention of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) into the killing of people in police action during protests against the Vedanta's Sterlite copper factory in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin district. The court is likely to hear tomorrow the petition filed by A Rajarajan. The plea said he gave a representation to the NHRC yesterday seeking its earliest intervention into the "unlawful killings". The petition, filed through advocate Sabrish Subramanian, claimed the NHRC refused to consider their representation as a matter of urgency and ignored the ground realities. It said the commission simply requested a report from the chief secretary and DGP of Tamil Nadu government. It alleged that "human rights violation and continuous unlawful killings by indiscriminate police firing was happening even after the case was suo motu taken and report was requested by respondent (NHRC)." The petition alleged that unless the NHRC directly intervenes in the issue at the earliest or through an independent agency, the "unlawful killings by police" would continue and there is a possibility of destruction of evidence. It sought direction to the commission to consider their representation as a matter of great urgency. May 24, 2018 15:02 (IST) Taking to Twitter, Tamil Nadu chief minister Palaniswami defended the police action against protesters, he said, "When someone hits you, you naturally tend to defend yourselves. so on such situations, no one acts in a pre-planned manner." He also accused the political parties of 'misguiding the protesters'. 'Some anti-social elements intruded into the agitation on May 22 and attacked the police, torched the police vehicles. Under tense situation, police resorted to firing and the firing was not pre-planned,' he tweeted. When someone hits you, you naturally tend to defend yourselves. so on such situations, no one acts in a pre-planned manner. #SterliteProtest  Edappadi K Palaniswami (@CMOTamilNadu) May 24, 2018 May 24, 2018 14:39 (IST) Tuticorin Fallout in Chennai: DMK working president MK Stalin Detained | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president MK Stalin was lifted by police officers and evicted from outside Tamil Nadu chief minister's office on Thursday after he sat on a protest along with other party members. The party has already called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh on Friday, however, the workers sat on a protest after they did not get an appointment to meet the CM. Even as fresh violence has not been reported in Tuticorin, the death toll has risen to 13. May 24, 2018 14:19 (IST) DMK Protest in Chennai | DMK workers are now protesting in Chennai's Ice House area against Tuticorin violence. May 24, 2018 14:14 (IST) Fight Against Incompetent EPS Government Will Not Stop, Says Stalin | "The Tamil Nadu government has been unable to give answers to Tuticorin Massacre. We will ensure the protestors' and peoples' voices from Tuticorin are heard in Chennai. Our fight against this Incompetent EPS Government will NOT stop till the resignations of the CM and DGP," MK Stalin tweeted.    ,  .   , ,       .   ..    #TuticorinShootout pic.twitter.com/pUquhub8JW  M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) May 24, 2018 May 24, 2018 14:12 (IST) Stalin Forcibly Removed from Outside CM's Office | DMK working president MK Stalin was lifted by police officers and forcibly removed from outside the chief minister's officer after he along with other party members sat on dharna. The party members sought an appointment to meet the CM, however, they were allegedly denied by Palaniswami's office. Meanwhile, chief minister said that no such appointment was sought, and he got to know about it by the media. May 24, 2018 13:30 (IST) Palaniswami Says No One Stopped Stalin from Meeting Him | E Palaniswami also denied charges that he refused to meet MK Stalin earlier in the day. Just to stage a political drama, Stalin staged demonstration in front of my office. Stalin did not say he wanted to meet me. It was a pre-planned move by DMK to protest right outside my office, he said. May 24, 2018 13:28 (IST) Jayalalithaa Had Cancelled Sterlites Permission, CM Says | In April, Sterlite approached TNPCB to continue running smelter and we denied permission. Amma's government has always requested people's feelings while Jayalalithaa was the chief minister, she cancelled Sterlite's permission. NGT gave a ruling that they can run a smelter, if they follow rules. Jaya went to the Supreme Court, and this case is going on, the CM said. May 24, 2018 13:27 (IST) Sterlite Protest Turned Violent Because of Opposition, Says CM | Amma's government is taking the legal route to ensure that Sterlite is shut down. Section 144 has been imposed to avoid any untoward incident. But despite this, for selfish reasons, opposition leader decided to go ahead with protests. So far the protests were peaceful, but this time because of the opposition it turned violent. It is because of this instigation so many people have died. And we are really saddened by the deaths, says E Palaniswami while addressing the media over the issue. May 24, 2018 13:18 (IST) Home Minister Seeks Report on Tuticorin Violence | I am deeply pained at the loss of precious lives during the agitation in Tamil Nadus Tuticorin. The MHA has taken cognisance of the situation and sought a report on the incident and the prevailing situation from the state government. My thoughts are with bereaved families. I also pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. I appeal to the people in Tuticorin to remain calm and maintain peace and tranquility in the region, says Rajnath Singh. May 24, 2018 12:59 (IST) Tamil Nadu chief minister E Palaniswami addresses media on Tuticori unrest | Calling DMK working president MK Stalin protest outside TN Seretariat a political drama, Palaniswami said I didn't refuse an appointment to meet him. Stalin did not seek any appointment and doing all this to gain political mileage, says CM. May 24, 2018 12:49 (IST) MK Stalin After Getting Detained | I'm not scared of getting arrested. I knew this will happen. They have already killed 13 people. If they want they can kill me too. DMK and Congress have been protesting for Tuticorin as it has been in a terrible condition. For namesake the collector has made few changes but no action has been taken against the police. CM has still not visited the victims, this proves how terrible the govt is. We have seen many govts like MGR, Anna, Kamraj and Kalaignar, when they were in power but atleast then CMs took action in such situations. May 24, 2018 12:38 (IST) Violence Unfortunate, Cooperating With Govt and Court: Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal | I am really sad to hear about the incident that occurred in Tuticorin. This was very unfortunate and my full sympathies with the families. The plant is closed because of annual shutdown and we are waiting for clearance from the court and the government to restart the plant. We are strictly following the court and government orders. We always make sure that the community and the Tuticorin people at large prosper with us. I am totally committed to the people, and with the wish and will of the residents we would like to continue with this business. Once again, I assure you that I am fully committed to the development of Tuticorin people and Tamil Nadu, said Vedanta Group Chairman Anil Agarwal. May 24, 2018 12:15 (IST) MK Stalin evicted from outside CM's office | There was high drama outside Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswamis office on Thursday. DMK working president MK Stalin was forcibly evicted from the area after he was leading a protest by party leaders for not getting an appointment with CM over Sterlite protests in Tuticorin. He has been detained for staging protest oustide CM's office. May 24, 2018 11:50 (IST) DMK creates ruckus over delay in appointment with the CM | DMK Working President MK Stalin with other party leaders staging a protest outside Tamil Nadu secretariat after not getting an appointment with CM Palaniswami over Sterlite protests in Thoothukudi. On Wednesday, M K Stalin has demanded the resignation of the CM and DGP T K Rajendran over the anti-Sterlite violence at Tuticorin in which 13 people have been killed and scores injured. He had said Palaniswami and Rajendran should take moral responsibility for the incident and resign. May 24, 2018 11:30 (IST) Congress slams Tamil Nadu Govt for poor law and order situation | Tamil Nadu government knew that this being 100th day of agitation, it's going to be bigger. They should've made better arrangements to maintain law and order but nothing was done. They simply resorted to firing. It was a massacre, almost like Jallianwala Bagh, said senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad. May 24, 2018 11:26 (IST) Tuticorin Collector Sandeep Nanduri on Sterlite protest | Thoothukudi's District Collector Sandeep Nanduri said his first priority would be to bring normalcy in Tuticorin. "As far as the violence, the shooting and who gave the orders for the shooting is concerned, an inquiry will be done by a judge appointed by the Tamil Nadu govt," he said. May 24, 2018 11:06 (IST) One more killed in TN, death toll is 13 | One more person killed in police firing in Tuticorin today taking the death toll to 13. On Tuesday, police firing killed 11 people, most of them from nearby villages who were demanding the closure of the Sterlite Copper smelting plant they said was destroying the farm lands and leading to severe health issues in the region. On Wednesday, the police fired at crowds in Anna Nagar, killing a young man. The demonstrators insisted that the police action was unprovoked. The police accused the crowds of stoning the police. May 24, 2018 10:53 (IST) Akhilesh Yadav condemns Tuticorin Violence | Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took to Twitter to condemn the Tuticorin violence. He wrote: No logic of development can justify this. The environment is crying, Ganga is drying, Yamuna is dying. Forests are depleting. Animals are straying. What are we getting in return...erratic climate; weather extremes and suffocating pollution. #StopItNow No logic of development can justify this. The environment is crying, Ganga is drying, Yamuna is dying. Forests are depleting. Animals are straying. What are we getting in return...erratic climate; weather extremes and suffocating pollution. #StopItNow pic.twitter.com/srQSKswV8Z  Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) May 24, 2018 May 24, 2018 10:47 (IST) Amnesty Condemns Tamil Nadu Firing Deaths | Amnesty International India on Wednesday condemned the Tamil Nadu Police for its handling of anti-Sterlite protest in which at least 11 people were shot dead and several more injured over two days, terming it a "damning indictment"of the state government, reports IANS. "The Tamil Nadu Police were shockingly under-prepared to peacefully control protests of this magnitude. Despite knowing there would be a massive protest on Tuesday, the state police did little to implement crowd control measures that would have avoided the need to resort to force. "This could have prevented the death of protestors. The Tamil Nadu police have many questions to answer. Those responsible for deaths and injuries caused to protestors must be brought to justice," Abhirr V. P., Senior Campaigner at Amnesty International India, said in a statement. May 24, 2018 10:46 (IST) Internet Remains Suspended in Tuticorin Today | Internet remains suspended in Tuticorin and adjoining districts of Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari after state government ordered to suspend services for five days to prevent spread of rumours through social media and help bring public tranquility. Noting that anti-social elements were trying to exploit the situation, the government directed nodal officers of Internet Service Providers in these three districts to suspend internet services till May 27. May 24, 2018 10:34 (IST) Electricity Supply to Sterlite Plant Cut off Around 5 AM | The electricity supply to Sterlite Copper Smelter plant in Thoothukudi was disconnected early on Thursday morning after Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) ordered its closure with immediate effect. In its orders, the TNPCB said that during inspections it was found that the unit was carrying out activities to resume its production operations". May 24, 2018 10:16 (IST) DMK, Allies Call Dawn-to-Dusk Bandh Tomorrow Over Tuticorin Violence Condemning the police action against protesters in Tuticorin, the DMK and other opposition parties in Tamil Nadu called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh on May 25. In a statement issued late Wednesday night, the DMK said instead of the all-party protest, a bandh would be observed on May 25 to condemn the police action and demand the closure of the Sterlite copper smelting plant in Tuticorin district. "The DMK, the All India National Congress, the Dravidar Kazhagam, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the CPI, the CPI(M), the Indian Union Muslim League, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi will participate in the day-long state-wide protest," it added. May 24, 2018 10:11 (IST) Tuticorin's Police Chief, Collector Shunted Out After Fresh Violence, Man's Death The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday transferred Tuticorin District Collector and Superintendent of Police as fresh violence rocked the port city for the second consecutive day. Tuticorin District Collector N Venkatesh has been transferred and Tirunelveli District collector, Sandeep Nanduri has been appointed in his place, an official release said. District Superintendent of Police P Mahendran, who is the eye of a storm over police firing on protesters that led to the death of 12 persons, has been transferred to Chennai. Nilgiris District SP Murali Rambha will replace him. Venkatesh has been posted as Additional State Project Director for the implementation of "Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan," under the control of state project director, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the release said. Mahendran will assume charge as Deputy Commissioner (Traffic-North) here, it said. The present Deputy Commissioner (Traffic-North), D Shanmuga Priya will take over as SP, Nilgiris district. Shilpa Prabhakar Satish will replace Nanduri as Tirunelveli Collector. May 24, 2018 10:10 (IST) Tamil Nadu Govt Blames Social Media for Violence in Tuticorin, Suspends Internet The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday ordered suspension of internet services in Tuticorin and adjoining districts of Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari for five days to prevent spread of rumours through social media and help bring public tranquility. Blaming provocative messages spread through social media, the government in an order said such messages led to massive gathering of about 20,000 people on Tuesday in Tuticorin against Sterlite's copper plant which subsequently resulted in violence and police action. Noting that anti-social elements were trying to exploit the situation, the government directed nodal officers of Internet Service Providers in these three districts to suspend internet services till May 27 effective from on Wednesday. Passing the order under Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017 -Stoppage of internet services- the government said a public emergency has arisen necessitating immediate action to bring public tranquility. May 24, 2018 10:10 (IST) Tamil Nadu Govt Sets Up One-member Committee to Probe the Killings The Madras High Court on Wednesday, while hearing a PIL against the police firing, ordered that the bodies of those killed will be preserved and autopsies will be conducted at the government hospital. The Tamil Nadu government has also appointed a retired high court judge to head a one-member inquiry committee to probe the killings. May 24, 2018 10:06 (IST) Death toll in Tuticorin violence reaches 12 On Wednesday, at least one more person was killed and five more were injured in fresh police firing in Tamil Nadus Tuticorin town taking the death toll since Tuesdays violent anti-Sterlite protests to 12. Enraged over Tuesday's killings, protesters took to streets and showered stones and brickbats at police, prompting security personnel to open fire at Anna Nagar. The body of the man killed in firing, and those injured have been rushed to a government hospital. The SP of Tuticorin was also injured in the clashes. Load More

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi addresses a news conference in Delhi. (News18)



Even as fresh violence has not been reported in Tuticorin, the death toll has risen to 13. The electricity supply to Sterlite Copper Smelter plant in Thoothukudi was also disconnected in the morning after Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) ordered its closure with immediate effect. In its orders, the TNPCB said that during inspections it was found that the unit was carrying out activities to resume its production operations". Meanwhile, internet remains suspended in Tuticorin and adjoining districts of Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari after state government ordered to suspend services for five days to prevent spread of rumours through social media and help bring public tranquility. Noting that anti-social elements were trying to exploit the situation, the government directed nodal officers of Internet Service Providers in these three districts to suspend internet services till May 27. A day earlier, the National Human Rights Commission issued notices to Tamil Nadu chief secretary and the director general of police, asking them to submit a detailed report in two weeks on the large-scale violence in the srea, while the Madras High Court stayed the proposed expansion of the plant. At least 11 people were killed in alleged police firing, while 30 others were left injured as a mob of 20,000 people went on a rampage in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi demanding the copper unit be shut down as it has been causing pollution the area. Condemning the police action against protesters, DMK and other opposition parties in Tamil Nadu have called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh on Friday in Tuticorin.Tuticorin: Residing in Tuticorin's CGE colony, a serene tree-lined neighbourhood that has rarely seen loud automobiles pass by, 20-year-old Karthik lived with his parents and siblings.

On Tuesday, tragedy struck the family as the second-year BBA student was shot by the police after he took part in the protests against the Sterlite Copper plant.

Friendly and energetic, Karthik was one of the most popular students in his college and thats how his family remembers their dear one.

Maharaj, Karthiks elder brother, told News18 that his brothers aim was to become a lawyer. From the time he began his studies, Karthik had a vision of becoming a lawyer. He was well-spoken and was working hard towards achieving his goal. He wanted to study abroad to pursue his dreams. He wanted to earn more and take care of our family. He was, in fact, planning to apply for a passport this month, said Maharaj.

Karthik belonged to a lower middle-class family. His father worked really hard as a labourer to make ends meet. So what really happened on that fateful day?

The family says Karthik participated on the 100th day of protest as he didnt have college and hadnt really taken part throughout the struggle. Karthik was not actively participating in the protests but used to tag along with his friends. On the 100th day of protest, he went with his cousin and they were not instigated by anybody. They willingly went to participate. When his cousin looked the other way, he was shot right in the head. We are not sure if he died on the spot.

The family blames the police officials for opening fire at protesters without warning. Protesters were not warned about the firing and it just happened. Usually, the police should shoot a person below the knee but my brother was shot right in the head, said Maharaj.

Karthiks mother sobs uncontrollably, even though it has been two days since her sons death. The rest of the family is too shocked to react.

The family feels justice would be served when the Sterlite plant "shuts down for good".Chennai: The DMK and other opposition parties in Tamil Nadu today called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh on May 25, condemning the police action against protestors in Tuticorin, in which 11 people lost their lives in the last two days.

The DMK had called for an all-party protest at all the district headquarters on May 25 to condemn the police firing in Tuticorin district.

In a statement issued late tonight, the DMK said instead of the all-party protest, a bandh would be observed on May 25 to condemn the police action and demand the closure of the Sterlite copper smelting plant in Tuticorin district.

Stating that the people living in Tuticorin and its neighbouring districts were angered by the police action against the agitators, the release said, "The bandh will also reflect the feelings of Tamils."

"The DMK, the All India National Congress, the Dravidar Kazhagam, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the CPI, the CPI(M), the Indian Union Muslim League, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi will participate in the day-long state-wide protest," it added.New Delhi: Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal on Thursday described as 'unfortunate' the loss of 13 lives in violent protests demanding closure of a copper factory owned by group firm Sterlite Copper at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu.

In a video message on twitter, Agarwal said the company would like to continue the business at the plant with the 'wish' of the community.

At present, the company is waiting for clearance from court and government to restart the plant, which is currently closed for annual maintenance, he added.

"I am very sad to hear the incident... This was absolutely unfortunate. My full sympathy is with the families (of the deceased)," Agarwal said.

Claiming that the company strictly follows what the court and the government orders are, he said, "We always make sure the community and Tuticorin people at large prosper with us."

The NRI billionaire further said, "I am totally committed for the community, people at large, and with their wish, and with their prosperity we would like to continue this business."

Reiterating the commitment of the company to environment and "the development of people of Tuticorin and Tamil Nadu", Agarwal said,"(we) will abide by the law of the land. Once again, I am very much in pain, (with) what happened..."

The Madras High Court has stayed a proposed expansion of the plant. Locals have been agitating for over 100 days now demanding closure of the Vedanta group copper plant over pollution concerns.

The Tamil Nadu government has constituted an inquiry commission to look into the matter. The Commission of Inquiry, headed by Aruna Jagadeesan a retired judge of the Madras High Court, will probe the violence.

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took suo motu cognisance of the violence and issued notices to chief secretary and the director general of police, calling for detailed reports in two weeks.Hisar: A former woman station house officer in Hisar, accused of running a honey-trap racket, is on the run ever since Haryana vigilance officials caught her driver red-handed accepting bribe.

The Hisar police had recently suspended Hisar Women Police Station SHO Saroj Bala for allegedly trapping men and implicating them in false rape cases, however, her whereabouts are not known yet.

Scores of local residents alleged that the officers probing that matter have colluded with Bala as several big names are involved in the matter.

Residents threatened to launch a protest if the accused SHO was not arrested at the earliest.

The lady SHO has been accused of running an extortion racket wherein she used young women to trap men by calling them to hotels and then threatening to implicate them in false rape case.

The SHO would then step in to settle the matter for which she demanded huge amount money from, sometimes even running into lakhs.

Saroj Balas driver was caught red-handed by Haryana vigilance officials on April 28 for accepting bribe of Rs 70,000, and before he could spill the beans, she went underground.

The vigilance had arrested Surender Singh and one hotel manager, Yogesh, on the complaint of a Bhiwani man who was trapped by the lady officer.

Saroj Bala had demanded a sum or Rs 3 lakh for subverting the matter, but the deal was struck for Rs 70,000. The lady SHO was supposed to get Rs 60,000, while the driver and hotel manager were to share the rest.

Bala has been booked on charges of corruption and conspiracy and other relevant sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act. The girl who had called him to the hotel in Hisar had surrendered before the Vigilance Bureau.In less than 10 minutes, flyers can travel from Venezuela to Aruba aboard the newly launched route from Aruba Airlines.

Just 50 miles (80 km) separate the two airports in Aruba (AUA) and Punto Fijo (LSP) in northern Venezuela. The two countries, however, are separated by only 15 miles (24 km), points out trade publication Airways.

The flight, which was inaugurated late last week, will operate twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays, with connections to Curacao, Bonaire and Miami.

Though the title of world's shortest flight has been claimed, there is currently no titleholder for shortest international flight in the archives of the Guinness World Records.

The world's shortest domestic flight takes two minutes -- including taxiing -- and carries passengers from the Orkney Islands of Westray to Papa Westray in Scotland.

The distance totals 1.7 miles (2.74 km).One of the only Korans ever made from silk fabric has been completed in Afghanistan -- a feat its creators hope will help preserve the country's centuries-old tradition of calligraphy. Each of the Islamic holy book's 610 pages was produced by hand in a painstaking process that took a team of 38 calligraphers and artists specialising in miniatures nearly two years to finish.

Bound in goat leather and weighing 8.6 kilograms (19 pounds), the Koran was produced by Afghan artisans, many of them trained at British foundation Turquoise Mountain in Kabul. "Our intention was to ensure that calligraphy does not die out in this country -- writing is part of our culture," Khwaja Qamaruddin Chishti, a 66-year-old master calligrapher, told AFP in a cramped office inside Turquoise Mountain's labyrinthine mud-brick and wood-panelled complex.

With the Koran considered a sacred text, calligraphy is highly venerated in Islam and Islamic art. "When it comes to art we cannot put a price on it. God has entrusted us with this work (the Koran)... and this means more to us than the financial aspect," Chishti continued.

Using a bamboo or reed ink pen, Chishti and his fellow calligraphers spent up to two days carefully copying Koranic verses onto a single page -- sometimes longer if they made a mistake and had to start again. They used the Naskh script, a calligraphic style developed in early Islam to replace Kufic because it was easier to read and write. The decoration around the script, known as illumination, was more time-consuming, each page taking more than a week to complete.

A team of artists used paint made from natural materials, including ground lapis, gold and bronze, to recreate the delicate patterns popular during the Timurid dynasty in the 15th and 16th centuries in the western city of Herat. "All the colours we have used are from nature," Mohammad Tamim Sahibzada, a master miniature artist who was responsible for creating the vibrant colours used in the Koran, told AFP.

Sahibzada said working on silk fabric for the first time was challenging. The locally sourced material -- all 305 metres (1,000 feet) of it -- was treated in a solution made from the dried seeds of ispaghula, or psyllium, to stop the ink from spreading.

Turquoise Mountain began work in 2006 in Kabul with the aim of preserving ancient Afghan craftsmanship, including ceramics, carpentry and calligraphy. It hopes the silk Koran will generate demand for more handmade Islamic religious texts that could create employment for its artisans and help finance the institute. "We will show it to other Islamic countries to see if it is possible to create job opportunities for graduates to work on another Koran," said Abdul Waheed Khalili, the organisation's Afghan director.

For now it will be kept in a specially made hand-carved walnut wooden box to protect its delicate pages from the elements at Turquoise Mountain's offices, which are in the restored Murad Khani, a historic commercial and residential area in Kabul's oldest district. There Turquoise Mountain has trained thousands of artisans with the support of Britain's Prince Charles, the British Council, and USAID. "The copying of the Koran onto silk is very rare," country director Nathan Stroupe told AFP. He said the project has been "an amazing way to train our students at an incredibly high level in a very traditional type of work". "If a Saudi prince or a book collector in London... was interested in it, we would be thinking in the $100,000 to $200,000 (price) range," he added.Being an outsider from Delhi, Kriti Sanon has carved a niche for herself in the industry in just a few years. As Heropanti celebrates its four year anniversary, Kriti Sanon, who ventured into B-town with the Sajid Nadiadwala film, clocks four years in Bollywood.

Kriti has certainly come a long way from an engineer in Delhi to one of the most promising actors in Bollywood. Last seen in the sleeper hit Bareilly Ki Barfi, Kriti garnered much love and appreciation from the audience and critics alike for her brilliant performance as the bold, vibrant, chirpy girl hailing from the small town.

Showcasing varied characters with multiple films in different genres and working with actors like Tiger Shroff, Varun Dhawan, Sushant Singh Rajput, Ayushmann Khurrana and Rajkummar Rao, Kriti Sanon has impressed the audience with her versatility.

Overwhelmed by the love, the actress took to social media to share, "Wooaaahhh!! Its been 4 years of Heropanti! 4 years since i stepped into this magical world of movies! Thank you #SajidSir, @wardakhannadiadwala bhabs, @sabbir24x7 sir and @tigerjackieshroff for this amazing start to a dream-like journey!!!  #4YearsOfHeropanti".

Wooaaahhh!! Its been 4 years of Heropanti! 4 years since i stepped into this magical world of movies! Thank you #SajidSir, @WardaNadiadwala bhabs, @sabbir24x7 sir and @iTIGERSHROFF for this amazing start to a dream-like journey!!! #4YearsOfHeropanti pic.twitter.com/08GKu6PATo Kriti Sanon (@kritisanon) May 23, 2018

The actress is all set to collaborate with her Sajid Nadiadwala once again with the upcoming comedy entertainer Housefull 4. Kriti will also be seen in the period drama Panipat directed by Ashutosh Gowariker.Actor Liam Neeson is in negotiations to join actor Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson in a Men in Black spin-off.

Filmmaker F. Gary Gray is directing the project, written by Iron Man screenwriters Matt Holloway and Art Marcum. Sony studio has the film dated for a June 14, 2019 release, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

Hemsworth and Thompson are not playing the same alien-fighting and world-saving characters portrayed by Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in the initial film trilogy. The new movie is set in the same on-screen world, however.

Plot details and the characters Hemsworth and Thompson will portray are being kept secret, but on the Neeson front, it is known that he will play the head of the Men in Black organization in London, where the story begins.

Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald, who produced the original movies, are back as producers, while Steven Spielberg is returning as executive producer.Actor Priyanka Chopra is currently in Bangladesh visiting the Rohingya Refugee camps as part of her work as a global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights. The global star has visited many camps in Cox's Bazaar and has been sharing her journey with her fans through social media.

Chopra recently posted pictures from her trips and appealed to the fans to support the cause of providing these tragedy-stricken kids with a brighter future. The noble cause has resonated with her fans and followers throughout the world.

A post shared by Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra) on May 22, 2018 at 6:54am PDT

A post shared by Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra) on May 23, 2018 at 11:37am PDT

A post shared by Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra) on May 23, 2018 at 12:32pm PDT

The good humanitarian work of the actress is being appreciated by her fans as well. Many have applauded her effort to reach out to children and worry about their future. The beautiful yet sad pictures from the Refugee camps highlight the problems being faced by the little kids there and the love, care and support they need to survive these dark times.

However, not all are happy with the actor's ground-work. While their are trolls doing their job of abusing her efforts, there are certain people who are unhappy with her concern for children other than her own country.

Hello lage hath kashmiri pandito ke camps bhi dekh lo wo apne hi desh me refugee bane baithe hai,ya aapki or unisef ke liye hi humanity reserved hai rohingya ke liye ;bloody double standard bollytard abhishek kamble (@abhi_kya) May 21, 2018

This visit should be aimed at helping refugees and not just a selfie stunt . Ahmed Raza (@KingAhmedRaza) May 21, 2018

Sorry for saying big thing.. but I just want to ask .. we have d same problem in India , forget India .. in Mumbai itself how many time did u visit n went there n thing about their problem n needs ??? Will appriciate if spare some time also at least nearby of our places. Thanks Somit Gope (@imSomit) May 21, 2018

Chopra is currently spending her time at a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar with Rohingya children and a couple of volunteers who have taken the initiative to teach the kids. The 35-year-old Bollywood star said that the world needs to come together to give Rohingya refugee kids a secure future as "no child deserves a life without hope for the future."

Last year she had visited a Syrian refugee camp in the Jordanian capital of Amman, where she had also met the queen of Jordan, Rania Al Abdullah.New Delhi: A survey conducted by ABP-CSDS has predicted losses for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, both of which are scheduled go for assembly elections later this year.

According to the Mood of the Nation survey, the Congress would get 49 percent vote share in Madhya Pradesh if Assembly elections were held in the state today. The BJP would be a distant second in the state with 34 percent vote share.

The survey has also predicted that in case of the snap Lok Sabha polls in the state, the Congress with a 49% vote share would lead with a comfortable margin over the BJP with a 34% vote share.

In Rajasthan, the ABP-CSDS survey predicts that Congress is likely to make huge gains. According to the survey, if the state goes to polls today, the Congress could bag 44 percent votes as against the BJPs 39 percent.

Earlier this year, the Congress won four out of six assembly by-polls and two parliamentary by-polls in the state. The BJP has been without a state unit here for over a month now after Ashok Parnami, who was held responsible for the bypoll loss, resigned as the state party president on March 16.

For Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, already battling factionalism within the party and growing resentment among the people, it will be an uphill battle to reverse the tide.

The Congress has, meanwhile, ramped up preparations for the elections in MP, where anti-incumbency factor will play a huge part as Shivraj Singh Chouhan seeks a fourth consecutive term.

It had appointed veteran leader Kamal Nath as the state unit head and gave Jyotiraditya Scindia charge of leading the campaign. Nath on Thursday said that the party will also look at the possibility of forging an anti-BJP front with the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party.Lucknow: The show of opposition unity at the swearing-in ceremony of HD Kumaraswamy might have set the tone for 2019 elections but the picture is not clear as far as Kairana and Noorpur bypolls in Uttar Pradesh are concerned.

The BSP cadre still awaits instructions from party supremo Mayawati like she did for Gorakhpur and Phulpur by-elections.

Soon after the results in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, the BSP had issued a statement making it clear that it wont be participating or supporting any party for any bypolls in near future. This led to speculation that BSP will stay away from the Kairana and Noorpur bypolls, but the recent bonhomie between BSP Chief Mayawati and SP President Akhilesh Yadav has once again given strength to rumours that BSP might announce support for RLD candidate in Kairana and SP candidate in Noorpur.

The announcement or absence of BSP support for opposition candidate can be a game-changer as Kairana houses more than 2 lakh Dalit voters whereas Noorpur has 60,000 Dalit voters.

The Zonal BSP co-ordinator for Meerut and Saharanpur zone, Raviraj Singh, said, We have not been given any instructions to campaign for the bypolls. There is an alliance with the SP for 2019. But as far as these bypolls are concerned, without any instructions from the higher ups, we cannot start campaigning in favour of any party.

In the absence of any direct order from Behenji, the SP-RLD and the BJP are eyeing the opportunity to capture the Dalit vote bank.

On one hand the SP is trying to woo Dalit voters by talking about their alliance with the BSP, on the other hand the BJP is holding public meetings in Dalit-dominated areas and is telling them that there is no alliance between the SP and the BSP and hence Dalits should not waste their votes.A mobile app was launched on Wednesday to help Delhi University (DU) aspirants with admissions in the varsity. The mobile app, called UniStack, has been designed by Ajit Vishwakarma, a Mumbai resident. The app contains information related to the DU admission, contact list for inquiries, information of colleges and metro maps.

"We will also update the app later with information related to admission as it comes. The subscribers will even be notified when the cut-offs are issued," Bharat Khatana, Delhi ABVP State Secretary, said. "We wanted to help the students with admission related information. The bulletin of information that the university has issued is of 250 pages, it can be cumbersome for students to look for desired information in it," he said.

The app has previous year's cut-offs, list of DU colleges with their location and web address, and the list of documents required to take admission.

Also read: 5 Reasons Why You Should Buy The OnePlus 6 Over Apple iPhone X

Recently, Odisha government has also announced its plan to come up with a disaster alert smartphone app for lightning strikes in some regions of the state. Users of the application will be able to receive alerts one hour before lightning strikes in a particular area. Non-smartphone users can receive SMS alerts through this system, the SRC said. This will facilitate dissemination of early warning through mass massaging and mobile-based application to the people of such localities enabling them to take suitable precautionary measures to save their lives.

Watch: Karbonn Titanium Frames S7 Review: A Decent Budget DealNigeria: Amnesty International on Thursday urged Nigeria to act on claims soldiers and members of the civilian militia have raped women and girls in remote camps for people displaced by Boko Haram but the government said the rights monitor was repeating false accusations.

"This... is just a wild goose chase report, in essence... the report seemed like the one in 2015, and the one in 2016, and the one after that year, the same things being recycled again and again," presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said.

Amnesty said it had gathered multiple testimonies about alleged abuse by the security forces, including claimed that soldiers coerced vulnerable survivors into having sex in exchange for food.

But despite long-standing complaints about sexual violence and repeated promises by the Nigerian authorities that they would address concerns, "no tangible action" had been taken.

In November 2016, police vowed to look into allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation in the camps but several months later, the military rejected the allegations.

"It is not always clear if these investigations were carried out and no reports have been made public," the London-based rights group said in a statement.

Amnesty's Nigeria director, Osai Ojigho, said it was time for President Muhammadu Buhari "to demonstrate his frequently-expressed commitment to protect the human rights of displaced people in northeast Nigeria.

"The only way to end these horrific violations is by ending the climate of impunity in the region and ensuring that no-one can get away with rape or murder."

- Rape widespread -

Women and girls, many of whom have been separated from their families, are vulnerable to sexual abuse and say rape is widespread both in and outside the camps, according to aid agencies.

Some non-profit organisations run family planning clinics, providing contraception, and say there are high numbers of sexually transmitted infections, abortions and unwanted pregnancies.

"Scores" of women told Amnesty that soldiers and civilian militia members coerced them into becoming "girlfriends", which meant them being available for sex.

In return they got food.

Sexual exploitation was at an "alarming level, as women remain desperate to access sufficient food and livelihood opportunities", the group added.

"Sex in these highly coercive circumstances is always rape, even when physical force is not used, and Nigerian soldiers and (militia) members have been getting away with it," said Ojigho.

- 'Alarming level' -

According to the latest available figures to April 30, nearly 1.8 million people have been displaced within Nigeria by the Boko Haram insurgency, which has killed at least 20,000 since 2009.

Including figures from neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger, the number of people forced to flee their homes by the violence reaches nearly 2.25 million, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

Military gains have wrested back control of areas previously held by the Islamist militants, laying bare the extent of the damage to farming and fishing on which most locals depend.

By the end of March, 3.5 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance, the UN said. Malnutrition cases with medical complications are expected to rise in the upcoming rainy season.

Amnesty said thousands of people had died from starvation due to a lack of food at the camps over the past four years, without specifying an exact number.Beijing: China on Thursday dismissed as "shocking" and "baseless" a media report that President Xi Jinping has asked Pakistan to relocate the Mumbai terror attack mastermind and JuD chief Hafiz Saeed to a West Asian country, amid mounting international pressure on Islamabad to act against him.

According to the report, a close aide of the Prime Minister of Pakistan said that Xi made the suggestion to Shahid Khaqan Abbasi during their meeting on the sidelines of the Boao Forum in China last month.

"At a 35-minute meeting, at least 10 minutes of the discussion dealt with Saeed. The Chinese President was keen on pressing the Prime Minister to find an early solution to keep Saeed away from the limelight," an unnamed close aide of Abbasi was quoted as saying.

Reacting to it, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson's office said today the report was "shocking and baseless". "It is shocking and baseless that's all we can say," the official from the spokesperson's office told PTI here, declining to comment further on the report.

Considering the close relations enjoyed between China and Pakistan, there is sense of disquiet here over the report in the backdrop of the current tussle between the Pakistan government headed by Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) and the powerful military.

Earlier this month, Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who has been disqualified to hold public office for life by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case, admitted Pakistan's involvement in 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

Without naming Saeed and Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar's militant organisations operating in the country with impunity, Sharif said: "Militant organisations are active in Pakistan."

"Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill over 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can't we complete the trial," he said in an interview to Dawn newspaper, which created furore in Pakistan.

Saeed carries a USD 10 million American bounty for his role in terror activities. He is the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people, including six US nationals, were killed.

While Saeed has been declared a global terrorist by the United Nations after the Mumbai terrorist attacks, China has put repeated technical holds on India, US, UK and France's efforts in the UN to list Azhar as a terrorist for his involvement in the Pathankot terrorist attack.

The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack. It has been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014.

The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the US, since and the US, since 2012.Washington: US President Donald Trump on Thursday called off a planned historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, even after North Korea followed through on a pledge to blow up tunnels at its nuclear test site.

Referring to a scheduled June 12 meeting with Kim in Singapore, Trump said in a letter to the North Korean leader: "Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it would be inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting."

Trump called it "a missed opportunity" and said he still hoped to meet Kim someday.

The North Korean mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trumps cancellation of the summit.

US stocks dropped sharply on the news, with the benchmark S&P 500 Index falling more than half a percent in about 10 minutes. Investors turned to US Treasury debt as a safe alternative, driving the yield on the 10-year note, which moves inversely to its price, down to a 10-day low and back below the psychologically important 3 percent level.

The US dollar also weakened broadly, particularly against the Japanese yen, which climbed to a two-week high against the greenback.

"Please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place," Trump wrote.

"You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God that they will never have to be used," he said.

Earlier on Thursday, North Korea repeated a threat to pull out of the summit with Trump next month and warned it was prepared for a nuclear showdown with Washington if necessary.

FADED HOPE

North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons has been a source of tension on the Korean peninsula for decades, as well as antagonism with Washington. The rhetoric reached new heights under Trump as he mocked Kim as "little rocket man" and in address at the United Nations threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if necessary. Kim had called Trump mentally deranged and threatened to "tame" him with fire.

Kim rarely leaves North Korea and his willingness to meet and Trump's acceptance sparked hope but it had faded in recent days.

In a statement released by North Korean media, Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui had called US Vice President Mike Pence a "political dummy" for comparing North Korea - a "nuclear weapons state" - to Libya, where Muammar Gaddafi gave up his unfinished nuclear development programme, only to be later killed by NATO-backed fighters.

"Whether the US will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States," Choe said.

A small group of international media selected by North Korea witnessed the demolition of tunnels at the Punggye-ri site on Thursday, which Pyongyang says is proof of its commitment to end nuclear testing.

The apparent destruction of what North Korea says is its only nuclear test site has been widely welcomed as a positive, if largely symbolic, step toward resolving tension over its weapons. North Korean leader Kim has declared his nuclear force complete, amid speculation the site was obsolete anyway.

Cancellation of what would have been the first ever summit between a serving U.S president and a North Korean leader denies Trump what supporters hoped could have been the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency, and one worthy of a Nobel Prize.

"I felt a wonderful dialogue was building between you and me, and ultimately it is only that dialogue that matters," Trump said in his letter to Kim. "Someday, I look very much forward to meeting you."London: Iran's top leader set out a series of conditions on Wednesday for European powers if they want Tehran to stay in a nuclear deal after the US exit, including steps to safeguard trade with Tehran and guarantee Iranian oil sales.

US President Donald Trump pulled out earlier this month from the 2015 nuclear deal that lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs to its nuclear programme, calling it deeply flawed. European powers see the international accord as the best chance of stopping Tehran developing a nuclear weapon and have intensified efforts to salvage it.

"European banks should safeguard trade with the Islamic Republic. We do not want to start a fight with these three countries (France, Germany and Britain) but we don't trust them either, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, issuing conditions for saving the nuclear pact on his website.

He also stipulated European powers must protect Iranian oil sales from U.S. plans to scuttle them by reimposing global sanctions on Tehran, and to continue buying Iranian crude.

He further said Britain, France and Germany must pledge they would not seek negotiations on Iran's ballistic missile programme and on its regional activities, both of which were not covered by the nuclear pact but are now demanded by Washington.

Khamenei said that over the past two years the United States "has repeatedly violated" the nuclear deal but the Europeans had remained silent. He asked Europe to "make up for that silence and to "stand up against (new) U.S. sanctions.

He warned that if the Europeans did not meet these demands, Iran would resume its enrichment of uranium, shelved under the deal to minimise the risk of Tehran developing nuclear weapons.

Khamenei also launched a fresh broadside at Washington's rejection of the nuclear accord, saying the U.S. withdrawal showed the Islamic Republic could not deal with a country that did not abide by its commitments.

In his first public remarks since U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanded Iran make sweeping policy changes, Khamenei expressed revulsion at what he suggested was the casual and boastful way the Trump administration had abandoned the accord.

"The Islamic Republic cannot deal with a government that easily violates an international treaty, withdraws its signature and in a theatrical show brags about its withdrawal on television," he said in excepts of his remarks posted on his website.

In a clear reference to demands made by Pompeo that Tehran's Middle East influence should be curbed, Khamenei said, Iran's presence in the region...is our strategic depth and no sensible government would give up on its strengthening features."

Pompeo on Monday threatened Iran with "the strongest sanctions in history" if it did not scale back regional activities such as support for armed groups in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen as well as the government side in Syria's civil war.

Listing what he called his experiences of U.S. government behaviour towards Tehran over the decades, Khamenei said: "The first experience is that the Islamic Republic cannot deal with America. Why? Because America is not loyal to its commitments."

"Iran was committed to the deal. They (the Americans) have no excuse. The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly verified Irans commitment. But you see they (Americans) easily cancel this international agreement."

"The current U.S. president will meet the same fate as his predecessors ... and will vanish from history," he said, referring to Trump.

Khamenei, while saying he wanted no falling out with the European signatories to the nuclear deal, said experience had shown France, Germany and Britain followed their ally Washington on the "most sensitive issues".

France, one of several European powers dismayed by the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal, said Washington's method of piling more sanctions on Tehran would reinforce the country's dominant hardliners who opposed the pact in the first place.

And German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told Trump's national security adviser John Bolton that Europe remained "very, very united" in supporting the deal because it feared a proliferation of atomic weapons on its doorstep.

A senior Iranian military official, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, said Iran would not bow to U.S. pressure to limit its military activities. Washington "does not have the courage for military confrontation and face-to-face war with Iran," he said.

"ENDANGERING THE REGION"

In Damascus, Syria's deputy foreign minister dismissed the notion of a withdrawal of Iranian forces.

In Syria's seven-year-old conflict, Iran has provided vital support to President Bashar al-Assad's military. Its forces and the militias it backs from the region, including Lebanon's Hezbollah, helped Damascus claw back control of major cities from rebels and Islamist militants.

"Whether Iranian forces or Hezbollah withdraw or stay in Syria is not up for discussion because it's the (business) of the Syrian government," Lebanon's al-Mayadeen TV cited Faisal Mekdad as saying.

Pompeo told a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing the administration intended to work with "as many partners, friends and allies as possible" to stop what he described as all of Tehran's nuclear and non-nuclear threats.

In Paris, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the U.S. withdrawal from the deal and return to tough sanctions "will not enable dialogue..., on the contrary, it will reinforce the conservatives and weaken President (Hassan) Rouhani.

"This posture risks endangering the region more," he told France Inter radio.

Le Drian said Paris would continue to implement the pact even if it did agree with Washington that Iran's missile activity and regional hegemonic ambitions needed to be curbed.

He said Paris shared U.S. concerns over Iran's ballistic missile "frenzy" and regional goals, but the 2015 deal was the best chance of stopping Tehran building a nuclear bomb.From gunshot detection devices to wireless panic buttons and bulletproof windows, schools across the United States are pursuing aggressive security measures to prevent a shooting massacre on their campuses.

Pressure from parents and community members to find solutions, both high and low tech, has grown in the wake of deadly mass shootings at high schools in Parkland, Florida, and Santa Fe, Texas, among other violent incidents.

In the rush to find answers, school security has ballooned into a multibillion-dollar industry. Meanwhile, some schools are spending precious funds on untested technologies, safety experts said, even though the most robust and effective safety measures can only mitigate the risk, not eliminate it.

"We've seen this huge shift to unproven tactics, based on a lot of emotion," said Chris Dorn, an analyst with Safe Havens International, which conducts on-site safety assessments at hundreds of schools every year. "What we really need to do is to get back to basics."

Those include single-point entry that restricts access to buildings, classrooms that lock from the inside, training in emergency protocols and effective supervision of campuses by either police officers or school staff.

School officials must also strive to balance the need for security with a desire to preserve an atmosphere conducive to learning, experts said, warning that schools can become fortified bunkers that feel like prisons to students.

"There's a diminishing amount of returns," Dorn said, noting that even extraordinarily secure places like the Pentagon and the Fort Hood military base have faced shootings.

Metal detectors, for example, are expensive, require armed personnel and can create long lines outside buildings, providing yet another target for potential attackers.

Many schools have considered door-barricading devices, but experts said they can endanger students by preventing escape and stopping law enforcement from accessing rooms. Instead, schools should ensure their classrooms can be locked from the inside.

Even cameras are not necessarily helpful during an active shooter situation unless they are monitored live at all times, requiring additional personnel.

The majority of schools now have single-point entries, forcing visitors during the day to come through one entrance and get approved by a main office, a practice that security experts say is among the most effective. Many districts, like Littleton, Colorado, near the site of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, have installed video intercom systems to restrict assess.

But most schools use multiple points of entry at arrival and dismissal due to the sheer number of students. In Parkland, perimeter gates were opened shortly before the end of the day.

School resource officers - armed police officers assigned to campuses - have also become more common, and several states, including Florida and Maryland, have approved funding to pay for more officers this year.

Some schools, like Healdton Public School in Oklahoma, have installed expensive bulletproof shelters in classrooms that can shield students from incoming fire.

BUCKETS OF ROCKS

Even low-budget solutions, like providing classrooms with makeshift weapons - one Pennsylvania school district put buckets of rocks in all of its 200 classrooms - can have unexpected drawbacks if they are used in student assaults.

Beyond physical protections, schools have increasingly used threat assessment teams, which seek to identify troubled students and intervene before any violence can occur. The teams consist of school officials, mental health professionals and law enforcement.

"The people who plan these will typically tell you if there's planning to do something violent or not," said Marisa Randazzo, the former chief research psychologist at the U.S. Secret Service and co-author of a landmark study following Columbine that established the standards for school threat assessments.

Maryland and Florida recently passed laws requiring that all schools adopt threat assessment models in the wake of school shootings, joining Virginia as the only states to mandate the practice, Randazzo said.

"Before you connect the dots, you have to collect the dots," said Gary Sigrist of Safeguard Risk Solutions, which provides security consulting to schools.

But experts in security say even the best safety measures have their limits. A determined shooter will usually find a way to inflict damage, especially in cases such as the Texas incident in which the suspect is a student authorized to be on campus.

"If there's any one lesson we've learned, there is no 100 percent foolproof method to prevent these acts of violence," said Ronald Stephens, who runs the National School Safety Center, a group that offers training and on-site technical assistance to schools.Netherlands: Investigators probing the 2014 downing of flight MH17 said Thursday for the first time that the missile which shot down the plane over eastern Ukraine travelled from a Russian military brigade.

The Joint Investigation Team "has come to the conclusion that the BUK-TELAR that shot down MH17 came from 53rd Anti-aircraft Missile Brigade based in Kursk in Russia," top Dutch investigator Wilbert Paulissen said.

"The 53rd Brigade forms part of the Russian armed forces," he told reporters at a press conference in the Netherlands.

The Malaysian Airlines flight was blown out of the sky over conflict-wracked east Ukraine on July 17, 2014 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

All 298 passengers and crew, most of them Dutch, were killed in the disaster. But there were 17 nationalities on board including Australians, Britons, Malaysians and Indonesians.

The investigators had previously concluded that the plane was brought down by a Russian-made BUK missile system brought in from Russia and fired from territory in Ukraine held by Moscow-backed rebels. But they have stopped short of directly saying who pulled the trigger.

Now the team has painstaking recreated the route taken by the missile convoy from Kursk across the border into Ukraine using videos and photos.

Paulissen added the team had "ascertained that the BUK-TELAR has a number of unique characteristics. These characteristics as such served as a type of fingerprint for the missile."

Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in the downing of the Boeing flight 777, putting the blame instead on Kiev.

The probe being led by The Netherlands is focusing on some 100 people suspected of having played an "active role" in the incident, but investigators have not yet publicly named any suspects.

Chief investigator Fred Westerbeke said Thursday the probe was now in its "last phase" but added there was "still work to be done".

Over the past years "we've gained a lot of proof and evidence but we are not ready yet" to move towards bringing charges, he told the press conference.

Dutch officials have announced that the trial of any suspects arrested in the shooting down of flight MH17 will be held in the Netherlands under an agreement reached with the countries leading the joint probe. Moscow: Russia announced on Wednesday it had begun analysing the output of British media working on its territory with a view to opening formal investigations into its objectivity, a response to what it called British attempts to curb Russian media.

Moscow said it was acting reluctantly after a decision by Britain's media regulator on Monday to open a further three investigations into Russia's RT to determine whether the Kremlin-backed TV channel had breached impartiality rules in its reporting.

That move, which stoked fears in Moscow that RT might be stripped of its broadcast licence, took to 11 the number of RT programmes under investigation in Britain and angered Moscow, whose relations with London are at a low after a nerve agent attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in March.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Ofcom, the British media regulator, had not yet explained its latest concerns about RT's content and accused it of unfairly harassing Russian media.

"I can confirm that there will be a tough response to this whole show and its outcome," Zakharova told a news briefing in Moscow on Wednesday.

"The relevant structures in our country have started to study in detail the output of British media which are represented in Russia."

She said London's treatment of Russian media had forced Moscow's hand, which is why it had decided to respond in kind and would be going further than merely calling out what it regarded as propaganda in the British media.

'Inconvenient Facts'

Zakharova did not name any British media in particular, but called into question the objectivity of British newspapers and TV channels when it came to the Skripal affair, saying only a handful had tried to be balanced in their coverage.

Zakharova, who has previously warned that not a single British media outlet would be allowed to work in Russia if RT lost its British licence, lashed out at Ofcom.

"We have absolutely no doubt that what we have here is another attempt by the British regulator to limit the activity of our media in Britain which publish inconvenient facts for official London," she said.

Western critics dismiss RT, whose British arm produces UK-specific content, as a Kremlin mouthpiece designed to sow disinformation. The channel, previously known as Russia Today, says it offers a refreshing Russian-slanted alternative take on global events to mainstream Western media.

Some British lawmakers unhappy about what they call its pernicious propaganda have called on Prime Minister Theresa May to use her influence to get RT shut down in Britain.

But other lawmakers have warned such a move would backfire by prompting Moscow to halt the work of British journalists in Russia and by leaving London vulnerable to accusations of stifling free speech.

U.S. intelligence agencies have called RT "Russia's state-run propaganda machine" and accused it of contributing to Moscow's campaign to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, something Russia denies.Seoul, South Korea: North Korea hit out at US Vice President Mike Pence Thursday, calling him "ignorant and stupid" as the reclusive state made a renewed threat to cancel an upcoming summit between the two countries.

Choe Son Hui, vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, released a statement via the state-run KCNA news agency lambasting a recent media interview Pence gave to Fox News.

"I cannot suppress my surprise at such ignorant and stupid remarks gushing out from the mouth of the US vice-president," she said in the statement.

In his Monday interview with Fox, Pence warned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that it would be a "great mistake" to try and play Washington ahead of a planned summit with President Donald Trump next month in Singapore.

He also said North Korea could end up like Libya, whose former leader Moamer Khadafi was killed in an uprising years after giving up atomic weapons, "if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal".

Choe responded to that interview with an angrily worded statement in which she slammed the "unbridled and impudent remarks" from Pence, adding Pyongyang would not be forced to the table by threats from Washington's leadership.

"We will neither beg the US for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us," she said.

"In case the US offends against our goodwill and clings to unlawful and outrageous acts, I will put forward a suggestion to our supreme leadership for reconsidering the DPRK-U.S. summit," she added, using the initials of North Korea's official nameBangkok: Thai police raided four Buddhist temples on Thursday, arresting several prominent monks and worshippers in the year's biggest such operation amid a crackdown on illegal financial dealings by temples.

The raids are the military government's latest bid to reform Buddhism, which is followed by more than 90 percent of Thailand's population of 69 million, but whose image has been tarnished by money and sex scandals involving monks.

"This is the investigation stage... it will all come down to facts and evidence," police official Thitiraj Nhongharnpitak, of the Central Investigation Bureau, which is investigating the monks, told reporters.

More than 100 police commandos raided four temples in Bangkok, the capital, and the adjacent central province of Nakhon Pathom, in the early hours of Thursday.

Among those arrested was Phra Buddha Issara, 62, an activist monk who led street protests in 2014 and launched a campaign to clean up Buddhism, but gained enemies by publicly naming other religious leaders he accused of wrongdoing.

He was held over a robbery said to have been committed during the anti-government protest in 2014, police said.

Phra Phrom Dilok, 72, a member of the Sangha Supreme Council, which governs Buddhist monks in Thailand, was arrested over alleged embezzlement of temple funds, they added.

Two other senior monks, Phra Sri Khunaporn and Phra Wichit Thammaporn, both assistant abbots of Bangkok's Golden Mount temple, were also arrested over alleged embezzlement, police said.

A representative for Buddha Issara, who declined to be identified, expressed concern.

"We are concerned because we do not know what Phra Buddha Issara is being charged with," he told Reuters.

Representatives of the other three monks did not immediately respond to Reuters' telephone calls to seek comment.

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said the arrests were about getting to the bottom of the allegations.

"This is part of the investigation," Prawit said.

Thailand's temples, which earn billions of dollars every year from donations, have been embroiled in scandals ranging from murder, sex and drugs to shady financial dealings.

Under pressure from the junta, Thailand's body of Buddhist monks has been trying to clean up its own act since last year, by enforcing tougher discipline for more than 300,000 monks.

The military took power in a 2014 coup it said was needed to restore order after months of anti-government protests, and has promised to hold elections next year, despite postponing the date several times.

Buddhist monks are highly respected in Thailand and taking action against them was historically considered taboo. But recent scandals have forced authorities to rethink how they handle allegations against Buddhist religious leaders.404

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